Eiyuu Kishi Den

Ramund was a jolly fellow. His concerned look curved up into a smile as the heroes approached. His voice changed quickly, to a low and dark sound. "You heroes have gotten dull in your age..." Ramund reached for his own face, grabbing it by the nose and eye sockets, pulling down. His soft face fell as well as his robes to the ground leaving only a foreign man with a snow-white skin tone standing six feet tall. His black hair fell to his shoulders and he was wrapped in white robes with unfamiliar patterns.

The man slowly raised his white hand, commanding the trap. The floor began to shake slightly throwing up a fine white dust. The white dust began swirling madly around the heroes and consuming them, latching onto the surface area of their bodies, entering into them from their mouths and eyes, covering every surface with stone...

Bloodshield wrote:Gale looked over at Blaze. "I'll find him as well. When Mia is ready, we're setting out immediately. I'm not going to sit by. I'm sure others may follow Gabriel's example...I'm sure my son will... I can't track them though." He looked at Sevrina, he didn't want to get her involved if she didn't want to be. "Sevrina...I...need your help to track them. You're skills in tracking and lure are greater than mine. Always have been."

Sevrina didn't have the chance to reply to Gale, and she watched in confusion to what was occurring and by time she came close to figuring it out, the white dust had settled on her black skirt and dark skin. It consumed her, and she could see Gale beside her being covered in it too. It penetrated her and she could no longer feel her muscles. Her heart pumped fast, but as the magic delved deeper into her, it slowed. She felt overwhelming lethargy take her. She watched as Gale and other guests disappeared behind what appeared to be white marble until her eyes clouded. For a moment, she remained conscious in total darkness, and then, she drifted to sleep, dreaming.

Gale looked at the dust covering him. He looked a bit confused. His body felt like it was growing tired, heavy. He groaned, stumbling a bit and toppled over. He was swaying tiredly. "D-dammit...Alni...I hope she gets out of here..." He knew Sevrina was out and asleep. His eyes were slowly shutting, he looked around at the others in the thrown room, hoping they were yet affected. "G-Get out of here!" He fell back, asleep.

Blaze knew what was happening. He cast a spell that protected him and the remaining others. He didn't want to believe that he was capable of doing this. "No choice..." He'd have to tell all of them now...no choice. "Everyone, listen carefully...Ariakan betrayed us. He's been working with Alecrast. He and his daughter have turned against us. I've never truly taken a defined side, being neutral, but this war will effect ALL of Lodoss. I can no longer remain neutral. I wanted you all to know the truth I had seen in visions...multiple times. I didn't want to believe it, but it seems it is so. I think...this is out of our hands and into...younger...hands now." Blaze felt pain the likes nothing that nothing could have brought. The pain of knowing that this war, this time, was the children’s' and they could do nothing to really help them. Blaze’s spell broke and the dust quickly finished it’s work and turned him into a winged statue.

Zira openly wondered at the dust settling on her pink and red skirts. It started from her feet on up. As the dust began settling, the skin of her legs beneath the skirt started feeling numb, the sensation traveling up her body and sending its fingers deeper into her flesh. She looked up at Blaze ever so slowly, time was slowing to her eyes, everything was going in slow motion. Her long elven ears fell downward, feeling heavy, then cemented themselves, she could no longer feel them. Distantly, slowly she heard and watched Blaze shouting about Ariakan's betrayal, desperately casting a useless spell, then succumb as Zira's eyes clouded over and sensation faded until darkness fell and she dreamed.

Seri and Azala returned inside, after Aluina convinced them she was fine, and listened to the conversations and offers to help. She felt hurt by Azala, however illogical that was, and it reminded her of when they were in Honto. He pulled a prank on the girls in the bath and it had very nearly been the end of them.

She watched the nobleman, Ramund enter again, then was suddenly shocked by what happened. She felt the stirring of earth spirits from him suddenly, the way she felt around earth elementalists. This wasn't Ramund. She didn't have the time to react to his spell, she was too confused, then shocked. The dust consumed her and sank into her skin. People cried desperately and weakly. Her strength was being drained, her mind was hazing, she couldn't sense the spirits, they were too far.

Seri thought desperately for her daughter's safety as she drifted into darkness.

Naclia gasped as dusk permeated her clothes and her skin. It weighed her down, cemented her feet to the ground in white marble. Naclia screamed and looked desperately at Talen, Kitsa, then Seri. The same thing was happening to them. Her scream was cut off as the dust filled her throat and turned her lower jaw to stone. Then the darkness took her over. Terin...my son...

Talen heard the scream of his wife that was quickly shut off by the spell. Talen reached his hand up to her, but it never went very far from his side. His green eyes brimming with fear and love, he froze as a statue of marble beside his terrified elven wife. The last words he heard in his mind was his worried voice saying his son's name. TERIN!

Azala didn't have much time to react. But he did. Whispering. Summoning the king spirit of water. But then he began to get heavy. Losing his strength. Everything becoming numb. Finally his mouth, which prompted his spell to fail. Then his eyes began to droop, and soon enough, he was asleep.

Sera hadn't faired much better. She drew her sword and had rushed into it. She had gotten the closest to striking the assailant, but only was stoned more quickly as she got the brunt of the attack.

Deedlit lifted her head to look at Ramund, Ramund the traitor! Wait, no, that wasn't him. She recalled the djinnis that were imposters of Spark and Kashue. This wasn't Ramund. Dust settled on her porcelain skin and cream colored gown. It sank into her skin and made her limbs lethargic. Her skin became numb. She looked in surprise as her legs curled beneath her turned to stone. She wanted to cast a spell, but her mind couldn't really recall how. As close to the ground as she was, Deedlit was one of the first to turn.

Parn's hands clenched the armrests of the throne, but that was all he could do. Up to his neck, his body was stiffening and turning to stone. It quickly climbed to encompass his head and finally, his face with his clenched teeth and lips pulled back in almost a growl. It clouded over his eyes and the world went dark for a moment before he slipped into a dream.

Kiran stepped back from the rising dust and pushed Moryssa behind him. It still settled on his clothes and he instinctively brushed it away to discover that it made his hands numb. His clothing suddenly felt heavier, then his skin went numb like his hands. "What in the name of..." he started, then glanced down as he lost all sensation in his feet. His eyes widened, his feet were stone! Oh Falis! We should have never come. I should have crumpled that invitation and threw it in the hearth! But no, I had to convince Moryssa to come so we could rub the fact that we have a successful marriage and two beautiful children. I should have never come!

Kiran glanced back at Moryssa, who was just as shocked as he was. "Spirits of the earth...!" she started, but then, he could only assume that her mind was as hazy as his. The stone was creeping up his legs, his hands were dead weights at his side. It was a wonder it wasn't already pulling him apart, but that could only be due to the fact that stone was building inside him as well.

"I'm...sorry," he said softly to Moryssa. Maybe this is what I deserve for being such an arrogant ass... He watched the stone overtake Moryssa's face and knew it was doing the same to him. It covered their eyes and broke their gaze, and then, they were far away in their dreams.

Joline was clinging to Arturo, and he held her close. They were half gone already and Joline was terrified, weeping and worrying about her daughter. If she had the strength to look up, she would have seen Arturo was crying as well for her and Lorelei. She felt a kiss on her forehead before the world went dark and she drifted to sleep.

Ryna moved away from the crack in the floor and flung her arms up to shield her eyes. What in the name of the gods was this! Her limbs started feeling numb and heavy and her mind clouded. Ryna whimpered, unable to make any more sound. Her feet cemented to the floor and the stone rapidly climbed up her body. Finally, it covered her face and eyes as she saw the other's turning. Ryna's consciousness floated away and she dreamt.

He had come secretly unknown to Sevrina, no, she would know, at least unknown to his daughter. Cray, again wrapped in his traditional black garb, this time lacking the flowing sleeves or robe. Black pants tucked into a pair of black leather boots and a black short sleeved shirt. Three golden hoops danced around his right wrist.

Cray had spent the better part of a hour walking out in the open in view in the dark streets. Finally they came. A blade of super-sonic wind flew by his head. A line of blood appeared across Cray's white cheek and several hairs floated to the ground.

"It has taken you long enough...." Cray spoke softly, reaching to his side.

"I can't believe he dodged that!" A young female voice chirped.

"Cray.... former Hokage of the Flameweavers.... he's more skilled than you think." A second female voice, older and more elegant.

"Cray... the traitor..." A third voice, a man.

Cray turned slowly, his black eye locking onto the direction of the voices through his old white mask. A twisted black sword in his right hand, absorbing the darkness around it. "Another Flameweaver..."

Three figures stood atop a roof. The one to the left, the shortest wrapped in a silhouetted robe. The one to the right the older female from her figure. And the one in the middle a young man with his arms folded across his chest, the Flameweaver.

"I am Shyura." The Flameweaver raised his right arm palm up and fingers spread. Flame burst from it and danced around his fingers. The man looked reminiscent of Cray, long "Hokage of the Flameweavers."

Thorn approached the gates with Leaf with some apprehension. He just couldn't get away that feeling that something worse was going to happen then the kidnapping of Ailil. Well, nothing he could do until whatever it was, if there was anything, showed itself. In the meantime... "Do you have a ride, Leaf? If not, I’m sure we could share a saddle. After all, the stables should be almost abandoned at this time."

A wry, toothy grin gave him almost the likeness of a snake trying to seduce its prey. That was, until he saw several of the children still arguing over whether they were going to go or not. Poor guards would have his work cut out for them if the children did decide to leave. While immature, the children had the blood of some of the most powerful beings in Lodoss, if not the planet. "Bah, I just bloody hope that we don't have to keep them in this courtyard. I must say I do not like the prospect of having to restrain them."

Thorn had become straighter then a saddle at what he felt. Almost to the saddle, linked arm and arm with Leaf, this was the last thing he expected. He looked back at the castle. There was no mistaking that feeling. Elementalist. An earth elementalist like himself. Memories flooded in. He had met few elementalists, more sorcerers and rangers in truth. But those he had met, most of them had been the chaos generals, and Cray, the former chaos general. He had about as much trust for Cray as he had for those generals even after the battles. "They're... back."

His eyes squinted at that. "And it looks like they just made up for lost time. Leaf, we stick together now. I think their targets are us 'heroes'."

Leaf hugged Thorn from behind. "I'm not letting you go again Thorn," she said. "We're going to fight this thing like we fought all the other wars. We beat the Chaos Generals once, we can do it again. Hopefully for good."