Temple Arrival

Tatsoo and Shade are the first two through the earthen pentagram.

They are surrounded up high rocky canyon walls; a long winding pathway leads in front of them and behind them. The walls are to high to see over, as they tower into the sky casting many shadows through out the are. Where they stand seems to be a wider part of the path, maybe even a place where travels would rest if they were on this trail.

The sheer cliff face makes it impossible to climb, at least not without proper climbing gear and an experienced climber.

A patch of green grass grew where the earthen portal placed them; something quite out of place.

The only thing that they can really do is wait for the others to arrive.

Tatsoo wobbled a bit as she came into the scene and stumbled back onto the path. She put a hand to her chest and shook her head, "Dat was diffrent."

Shade looked around his eyes flicking to the large cliffs and the path, his hand reached out steadying Tatsoo and smiled at her leading her over to the side to await the arrival of the others. "It was something my love but we must wait for we can not go alone. Stay here with me." His hand tightened on hers as they waited for the next arrivals.

Takara gasped and held her staff tightly as she took in her new surroundings. She had never experianced anything like this before.

"Wow" was all she could manage go say as she stepped out of the circle of grass to stand with the other two.

Wolfram took a couple of steps before looking around them. The surrounding area was unlike what he expected, but nothing about this trip was to be expected. He took a glance at Tatsoo and held out one of the pack of supplies. "Here, you forgot this. Shade, Dartmoor will be bringing yours when he comes through, make sure to grab it."

He then looked towards the circle and waited for others to arrive.

Kassina blinked and sniffed as the world changed around her. She was glad for Dartmoor's supportive arm as she was hit with a wall of different sights, smells, and sounds. She relied more heavily on her senses than the others seemed to and the sudden change was a bit disorienting.

"Elf nose too weak." She grumbled as her nose failed to identify all the different smells. Kassina wiggled in Dartmoor's grasp, planted a quick kiss on his cheek, dropped her pack and shifted to wolf form.

Nose to the ground the wolf began sniffing around the new surroundings, but was careful to stay close to the group.

As the whole team gathered in the canyon a shadow flits horizontally above past the path then once again lower. The second time rocks are dislodged from the lip of the canyon and they fall down towards the group.

Some give a kick back as they land, the shock wave on the ground throwing Wolfram back onto the portal where it whips him back to where they originally came from. Dartmoor is thrown to the ground beside the portal and has to roll out of the way as a larger one slams down beside him onto the portal, throwing the young thief back again.

Tatsoo grabs Shade and backs up quickly to the wall of the canyon on the same side that the rocks are thrown from as the most of them would go towards the other side. She pulls him close and pulls one of her scimitars out, waving it towards rocks and hoping for air to throw them to the side and away from their group, the other direction from Kassina. Maybe that was how it worked? Think of it and direct your thoughts?

Dartmoor jumped up before the second volley and grabbed Takara, throwing the two of them to the side with Tatsoo and Shade. Kassina was out of range and he hoped that whatever was up there, probably a dragon, would not notice a lone wolf.

Shade looked up at the rocks as something tugged deep inside his mind. There was a new voice but it was different then the Dragons wrath being confident, strong, set in it's own power.

Shade walked away from the group to face the rock onslaught his staff pulsing as rocks were flung to the side.

Shade's body flickered and in that motion there were two beings, one inside the other. The second figure was a elf with gray skin, long silver hair, and it's eyes were solid silver. It wore no clothes except a leather kilt around it's waist.

When Shade lifted his staff the being lifted his hand, the rocks shattering as the voice spoke a commanding tone that was full of natural and rightful authority. "I order you by the crags of Malnith to stay your self from this place." The voice wasn't Shades at all. It was deep with a hint of destruction. A blast erupted from the dragon staff a solid red light flashing out destroying any left over rocks.

Shade dropped to his knees as the other being whispered something to him then vanished.

Picture of the other elf

Kraven tried to reach out for Wolfram as he was somehow forced back into the circle. But before he even had time to react the circle was gone along with Wolfram.

Some force pushed at Kraven causing him to stumble backwards. His body strained as he fought against the invisible force. Suddenly something slammed into him, sending him flying down the pathway.

The air shimmered as he flew through the air; sending energy cascading along the canyon walls.

The power of the energy charred and cracked the stone as it held Kraven in place; small trickles of molten rock ran down the cliff, gathering in quickly cooling pools on the ground.

His face was in pure agony as tendrils of energy wrapped around his arms and legs, spreading them out.

No screams of pain could be heard, but his mouth was wide, and his face was contorted in such a way that it could only indicate he was screaming.

Strands of energy were being pulled from him and evaporating into nothingness.

The air shimmered around the entire area as the temperature rose.

Uthza looked up at his friend, not knowing what was happened, this fists at his side; blood trickling from his hands as his nails dug into the palms.

His hands erupted into balls of purple and white crackling power. He threw his hands up and raw magical energies surged from his body; trying to latch on and rip away the tendrils that held the mighty elf in place.

As soon as one energy band hit the other it back lashed, sending the old and frail mage across the canyon pathway into the stone cliff. Only a sickening crunch was heard, before his limp body slumped to the ground.

A shock wave enveloped the area; the shadow of a dragon was ripped from Kraven's body and divine energy was expelled from his body. The ground shook and jagged cracks cascaded along the face of the cliffs as the shock wave ripped through the area before dissipating.

Then, as soon as it had begun, it was over. Kraven dropped to the ground, his outstretched arm reaching for someone or something, but before a sound could escape his lips his eyes fluttered and his body went limp.

At first Takara stood dumbstruck as rocks began to fly. She gasped in shock as Dartmoor grabbed her and pulled her out of harm's way. That woke her up and she reacted. Focusing as hard as she could she managed to throw a weak shield over herself, Dartmoor, and Tatsoo. Shade had walked out of the range she could manage and there was nothing she could do for him. She didn't even know where the others were.

Keeping the shield up took most of her concentration and she was barely aware of what was going on around her. Suddenly a shockwave of energy ripped through the area slamming into her shield and breaking it. She fell to her knees shaking from the impact, but her and the other two were unhurt.

As she worked to get her breathing under control Takara looked around her and saw that both Uthza and Kraven were down. Knowing Uthza was mortal she decided to go to him first. Takara reached into a pouch on her belt and withdrew one of the lyrium potions she had aquired before they left. She downed the contents, then reformed the shield around herself incase more rocks decided to fly.

"F... find Kassina and Sh.. shade!" She said to Dartmoor and Tatsoo as she ran off toward Uthza.

The wound to his head looked bad. Takara gently placed her hands on his head and reached out with her magic to assess the damage and begin repairing it.

Kassina heard the rumble of the rocks just before they began falling. Acting on pure instinct she looked for the closest place to hide. She saw a narrow opening in the canyon wall before her and ran toward it. Just before she crashed into the wall she shifted to her rabbit form and squeezed into the opening. It was a tight fit, but she managed.

If a rabbit could growl she would have been growling in frustration. There was nothing she could do for the others right now and she didn't know if they were okay. But she couldn't help them if she ran out and got her head smashed in by a rock either.

As the rockfall died down she cautiously crept out of the hole and shifted back to wolf form. Rabbits couldn't see very far. The first thing she noticed was Kraven's limp form. She darted toward him and began sniffing at him, trying to figure out what had happened to him.

When Kassina sniffed Kraven, she noticed something odd, he actually smelled like an elf. All the other times it seemed he was either a void in her senses, or smelled of corruption.

His breathing was shallow and his heartbeat slow, but he was alive.

Takara had rushed over to Uthza, but as she accessed his wounds, she realized she had seen these types of injuries before. The injuries of someone close to death. His skull was fractured in several places and as she felt around, she noticed that a majority of his bones were broken.

A multitude of burns covered the exposed flesh, some parts his robes had been burned away, where others it had melted into his skin. Even with the enhancement of her new staff, these injuries were beyond her healing capabilities.

Tatsoo was torn with what was happening but her first concern was always Shade. As the rocks were finally destroyed she rushed over to the young mage and wrapped her arms around him, checking for any wounds, "Shade? Shade, ye be alright, yes?"

The woman looked up when she heard the crack of Uthza hitting the wall and gasped. That was the sound of someone breaking. She knew the sound too well and it made her heart stop as she looked that way.

Her eyes turned towards Kraven but she noticed he was not dead or Kassina, who was there would have been howling so she pulled Shade up and went to Uthza.

She knelt beside the old man, tears in her eyes for her fallen tribes mate, "Uthza? Please ... oh ye don ... Shade an ah am here." She took one of the old man's hands and held it, "We be here. Kraven be alive he is."

At first the only thing he noticed was the pain, his entire body seemed like it was on fire. He tried to move, but with each attempt his body cried out in agony.

Kraven was battered, bloody and burnt and for some reason, he was not healing as quickly as he normally would have.

He slowly opened his yes, the light of the sun did not block his sight. For he could not see the sun at all; he felt its rays on his face, for the light itself was gone. He sight had once again been taken from him. He saw the outlines of things; the natural aura of things. He could see where the cliff once, the ground, and that two people were crouched over him.

He sensed who it was, Dartmoor and Kassina.

He heard far off voices, something about Uthza. Suddenly the thought of his friend lay hurt brushed the pain from his body. Still, he could only get up slowly; he reached for his staff, using it to brace himself, this allowed him to get to his feet.

He looked around, and saw the people crouching over a battered body, its aura fading fast. He recognized it, it was Uthza. He knew instantly that he was dieing, not even the power of healing could save his friend now. Kraven's strength had been sapped from him, he would need to rest for a bit before he would have the ability to cast magic or wield a sword for that matter.

Takara sobbed in frustration as she realized there was nothing she could do for the elder mage. Maybe if she were stronger, or better trained, maybe... but there was no point in dwelling on maybe. The best she could do was ease his pain in his last moments.

She wrapped a magical blanket of soothing and calm around the elf as she gently pushed the hair out of his face. "I... I'm sorry. I h.. hope you c.. can find peace." she whispered as tears streaked down her cheeks. Gently she took his hand and waited for the inevitable.

Kassina paused in her sniffing of Kraven. Something wasn't right. She snorted, rubbed her paw over her nose to clear the dust away and sniffed him again. It was till there. He smelled... like an elf. He never smelled like an elf before.

Kassina wagged her tail and nuzzled Dartmoor quickly as he arrived before going back to her investigation of Kraven. She knew he was hurt and something was really wrong but didn't know if there was anything she could do. Takara was a much more skilled healer than she was.

As Kraven rose Kassina tried to restrain him with her paw on his shoulder, but he was too anxious about his friend. She pushed up against Dartmoor briefly before following after Kraven. Kassina began to whine as they approached Uthza. She knew the smell of death all too well.

"Thank you Dartmoor." The wounded elf smiled weakly at the half elf, thanking him for his support.

He stumbled the last few feet to his friends side, falling to his knees, tears streaming from his sightless eyes.

He buried his face in the dieing elf's chest, his sobs muffled, but his body still shook in sorrow.

The aged elf's hand went to Kraven's head before falling limp to his side, his body quivered as the last of his breath expelled from his body.

Without warning, Uthza's robes collapsed as the body of the old mage fell away and was reabsorbed into the earth.

Kraven blinked several times, unsure of what just happen. It was only moments ago he was clutching to his friends dieing body, then it was gone, right before his eyes.

Gripping his staff he slowly got to his feet, his tear streaked face looked upon the remainder of the fellowship.

He shook his head sadly before turning to Takara, "To heal more effectively, concentrate on individual wounds instead of the injured person. This will expend less magical energy, and increase the speed of healing on each individual wound." His voice was barely above a whisper as he said those words.

"Now please, healer, heal me." he asked, as he supported himself on his staff and with the help of Dartmoor.

Shade stared at the body of Uthza before it vanished and tears flooded from his eyes, The Old elf had been so kind and gentle to lose such a piece of there history and ancient just like that. He smiled at Tatsoo and kissed her lightly before walking over and kneeling down by the body of Uthza his hands touching the robes. "I'm sorry I'm so sorry I couldn't help I didn't even have control. I will miss you Uthza may you rest forever in peace."

Shade stood up looking at Takara and felt anger boil under his blood, He sighed letting it go it wasn't the woman's fault she wasn't anywhere close enough to stop death. Shade turned walking back to the cliff where the rocks were and sat down looking around. He wondered if Uthza could have explained what happened to him. He smirked knowing the elf would have just told him he was too young and would tell him when he felt like it.

Takara gasped in shock as the body before her simple dissapeared. She stared blankly at the empty robes, tears streaming down her face, muttering "I'm sorry" over and over again.

She looked up abruptly as Kraven addressed her. Despite her shock and grief a lifetime as a slave had taught her to follow orders. Using her staff as a support she rose to her feet and went to Kraven. "Y.. you must s.. sit." she said shakily as she lead him over to a nearby rock and gently helped him to sit.

When he was seated she placed her hands carefully on the sides of his head and reached out with her magic to assess the damage. As he had said she picked out the injuries one at a time and began to heal them.

Kassina lifted her head and howled as she felt the elf take his last breath. She barely knew him, but a pack member was a pack member and a loss was always felt by all of the pack. The wolf howled long and mournfully as she would for any member of the pack.

When she was sure everyone else was alright and Takara had the healing under control she went to scout the area. She rubbed her head briefly against Dartmoor's knee and then trotted off nose and ears twitching. Kassina didn't know what had caused the rock slide but if whatever it was was still out there she needed to secure the immediate area.

The way Uthza's body disappeared shocked Tatsoo but she took little notice as Kassina started the howl. She joined in, mournfully following the lead then crying at the end. She stood and walked over to Shade, put her hands on his shoulders and kissed the top of his head.

"Ah hope Wolfram be ok. Ah smelled blood when he fell on de por..por... tal. Portal." She sighed and shook her head then lay her cheek on top of Shades, sighing and waiting to see what was next, "Dat be weird wha happen ta you love."

"Wolfram is fine. The Paragon was able to send me a message to tell me so. His blood magic was rejected by the Elvhen magic at play, the two do not mix well at all."

He took Takara's hand and pushed it gently away, "Thank you. I am much better now."

He stood quickly and grabbed his staff; it shimmered, changing to the dragonbone greatsword. He sheathed it on to his back and looked around one last time, "I know we have a friend to mourn, but there will be many more if we do not continue on."

He wrapped himself up in his cloak and without waiting for anyone to answer, he began down the path, heading in the direction of the ancient temple.

"You will getting your training, do not worry. That task now falls to me. There are five elements; I carry the fifth. I am no longer bound by the duty of a god. That burden has been taken from me, this means we have more to fear than I first thought. Draconis is ready for us; he knows what we plan and he will stop at nothing to see that we fail."

"It is good that you are so calm Dartmoor, the fire that you are to wield can consume a person who does not have control over himself. And you must never let yourself lose that control, at all cost. If you do, you will not only hurt yourself, but the ones you love as well." He said those last words as he looked over at Kassina.

Takara simply nodded as Kraven moved her hand away, too numb to do anything else. She took a sip from her canteen since she knew Khael would order her to if he were here. Slowly she reshouldered her pack and headed after the others down the trail.

The young mage was glad to hear that Wolfram was going to be alright. She was rather fond of the other mage and would have been sad to know he'd met the same fate as poor Uthza. When Dartmoor asked about their training Takara concentrated harder on listening as she wasn't brave enough to ask herself.

As had often happened in the past she found it hard to concentrate after using large amounts of magic. Luckily between the lyrium and the strange powers bestowed by Kraven she was able walk without being led.