Court Of The Ascendants Ep. 2 [FINISHED]

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Outer Plane
Inner Court Base

The young Ascendant facepalmed at both Vincent and Lind.

"I tried, not my fault if you didn't hear me." Rodrick said in response to Vincent's complains. It was the truth, he had called out to everyone in the tower, so if someone didn't hear him, the blame was hardly his.

He then noticed Lind walking after them, looking as if he had only recently waken up completely. Sighing, Rodrick nodded at him. "Yeah, see, we were called out here for a mission. This is the Outer Plane, where the Ascendants and the Agents fight their war. Apparently we have to help out this camp. We were just going to receive instructions by... Er... R'ok'm'd'el'" He said, speaking the scaled Ascendant's name in the same way Tak'mar had while pointing at it.

Meanwhile, the Ascendant listened to Tak'mar's confirmation, and spoke. "Greetings, Takmar." It said, with it's deep, raspy voice. "As you know, our inner camp has been having troubles. More and more Agents of the Adversary have managed to slip past our battle fortresses further away in the Outer Plane, reaching our inner camps, such as this one." It stated, and then made a pause.

"Now, what I am going to ask of you is the following: Not long ago, a worryingly large group of Agents passed near our camp. Fortunately, they missed it entirely, as we did not have enough power to deal with them at the time. I sent spies to follow them, but they have not yet returned, and I fear the worst. We will not ask you to do their job or to take out their forces, we merely ask that you find out what happened to the spies, and, if possible, bring them back. We suspect we will need as much forces as we can possibly get." It stated.

"If you accept my request, then head West of here. This..." It said, and then, seemingly out of it's own accord, one of the shards of crystal that made up it's wings split off and fell into Tak'mar's hand. "Is a Rhathrakian crystal, it will guide you to my spies. Do you have any questions, apprentices of Maku?"

[The Inritus Extraho]

Lind shook his head, now having a grasp of the situation, and smiled. "No, thank you. It's much clearer now." He broke into a grin as his wings slowly unfolded, ready to fly off as soon as the rest of the group was. "I suppose we're meant to kill the Agents, though, not capture them and bring them back alive? Obviously we bring your spies back alive, if at all possible."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Outer Plane
Inner Court Base

Rhgokk'mudrhtel, the strange Ascendant of crystalline wings, pondered for a few moments Lind's question. However, after doing so, he finally answered it. "I do believe that if you can find the time and strenght to non-lethally subdue the enemy and bring them back without risking my spies or yourselves, it would be of great help. However, if you find yourselves unable to do so, remember that your priority is to rescue the spies and bring them back here alive. May the Prime Drive's records tell tales of your success, apprentices of Maku." It said.

The young Ascendat with no name was already hovering in the air, his wings beating every now and then, keeping him afloat. "If you have questions ask them now, and if you don't, hurry up and fly." He conveyed, growing impatient. Rodrick, who had no questions, heeded the little guy's words and had his four night-sky wings help him separate himself from the ground. After that, he simply waited for the others. For now they wouldn't need the Rhathrakian crystal, as they knew they had to head West.

[Stattr]

Silveria, hearing Lind smiled and got up. As the Acendent she could no long feel was in the air and told everynoe else to do so her wings came out and she was hovering above the air. She put her walking stick in her book bag and waited. "I have none." She answered the strange crystalline creatures question silently but enough he could possibly hear it.

[The Inritus Extraho]

Outer Plane
Inner Court Base

Rhgokk'mudrhtel, the strange Ascendant of crystalline wings, pondered for a few moments Lind's question. However, after doing so, he finally answered it. "I do believe that if you can find the time and strenght to non-lethally subdue the enemy and bring them back without risking my spies or yourselves, it would be of great help. However, if you find yourselves unable to do so, remember that your priority is to rescue the spies and bring them back here alive. May the Prime Drive's records tell tales of your success, apprentices of Maku." It said.

The young Ascendat with no name was already hovering in the air, his wings beating every now and then, keeping him afloat. "If you have questions ask them now, and if you don't, hurry up and fly." He conveyed, growing impatient. Rodrick, who had no questions, heeded the little guy's words and had his four night-sky wings help him separate himself from the ground. After that, he simply waited for the others. For now they wouldn't need the Rhathrakian crystal, as they knew they had to head West.

"No questions here..." Lind murmured, his wings flapping and lifting him off the ground slowly with a quiet ticking noise - quieter than most modern watches back home, he thought - and then shrugged, turning to the west. "Well? Are we waiting, or are we going? The longer we wait, the farther they are - and more likely that they're wounded..." He left off the 'or dead', not wanting to voice it lest it come true.

[Nature-Spirits]

Tak'mar caught the crystal easily, looking into it for a second as though to scry, then looked back up at it. He bowed his head to the Ascendant when it was finished speaking, acknowledging its request, and said, "Very well, R'ok'm'd'el. And, as I have no questions to pose, I shall leave with the rest now." With that he spread his wings and rose into the air along with his companions, glancing down at the crystal again, though he knew that they didn't need it at the moment. Its weight, shape and texture felt strange and unfamiliar in his hand, and its gleam was entrancing. He looked up nervously and shifted in the air to approach the little one. "Ah, would you like this?" he asked tentatively, proffering the crystal.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Outer Plane
Inner Court Base

The young Ascendant who Tak'mar had addressed looked at the crystal briefly and then nodded. "If you would offer it to me, then yes, I would like to have it." He conveyed, taking the crystal from Tak'mar's hand and then continuing to inspect it as he began his flight Westward. "This way." He conveyed afterwards, not averting his gaze from the crystal. He had heard of the Rathrakian Crystals before, as he was a part of the Court of Ascendants, an infinitely diverse force, but he had never seen one.

While the little one flew, Rodrick looked at the others. "Well, you heard him. Let's go. Hopefully the spies will still be alive." He commented, and then he, too, began flying towards the West, where another mission awaited.

[Stattr]

Silveria followed the flap of wings towards the west. She knew what Lind was going to say after wounded. She shivered at the thopught. But she was dead. As dead as anyone could be. She died twice. She chuckled and kept flying. Not bothering to say anything to the others. She thought about a few things before feeling her feet touch something and she went higher up a little to be about even with the group. She stayed back a few feet as was habit and of her wanting to not run into anyone if they stopped.

[The Inritus Extraho]

Lind accelerated with the rest, keeping pace easily and flying slightly behind the young Ascendant who held the crystal. How odd, he thought, that only a few days past I was concerned about the price of coffee, and now I'm flying through a universe I don't know next to an alien, a vampire, and a... I think another human. It's honestly hard to tell now that we have powers...

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Outer Plane

The group flew Westward for what can only be described as an atemporal interval, before finally spotting something below, something that was not part of the endless blue expanse that was this area of the Outer Plane. It was a strange spiral structure, perhaps slightly reminiscent of the works of M.C. Escher to Rodrick and Lind, who were the only inhabitants of Earth in the group.

When the young Ascendant spotted the structure, he immediately stopped.

"Halt." He conveyed. However, this time, his word had an effect on the world around him. The ones following him immediately stopped in their tracks, though they were still suspended in the air. They would soon notice that it was only a momentary effect and that they were free to move around if they wanted to, but not before the Ascendant spoke again.

"In your tongue this would be called a Visor Spire. It's function is comparable to a radar." He explained. Afterwards, he took out the Rathrakian Crystal. However, it was the same as it had been before. No visible changes had occurred.

"It looks like this isn't the place." He commented before putting away the crystal once again.

"Open." He spoke. Once again his words affected the world around him, and a portal opened before him. He stepped through, not before motioning for the group to follow him. Upon crossing it he found himself a good distance away from the Visor Spire.

A short flight after that was done, they spotted something strange amidst a cluster of blue hills. It wasn't very visible, even as the group closed in, but it was definitely there. The young Ascendant descended, although slowly, and Rodrick followed him. They soon touched the ground, landing outside the cluster of hills. Afterwards, the Ascendant pulled out the crystal. It glowed with a strange, unknown color, and a soft hum could be heard coming from it.

"This is the place. Anyone have any ideas on how we should proceed?" The young Ascendant asked as he slowly and stealthily walked up one of the hills in order to try to get a closer look at whatever was there.

[The Inritus Extraho]

Lind stepped through, following the Ascendant closely, and then stepped up to the hill, still unable to define what the object was. "I'd say that we should get one of our better-sensing members to look from here, and a camouflage-oriented member to fly above and get airborne recon." Lind shrugged. "At least, that's what I would think."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Outer Plane

Upon hearing Lind's suggestions, the young Ascendant looked back at Lind, and stared at him with his violet eyes. "Your ideas sound logical, human, but who do you suggest? Who in our group comes across as a camouflage-oriented member? Who would you nominate as one of the better-sensing members?" The young Ascendant asked, not with malice or frustration, but simple curiosity. None of the members of the group sounded fit for either task to him, but then again perhaps the human had a different opinion.

[The Inritus Extraho]

Outer Plane

Upon hearing Lind's suggestions, the young Ascendant looked back at Lind, and stared at him with his violet eyes. "Your ideas sound logical, human, but who do you suggest? Who in our group comes across as a camouflage-oriented member? Who would you nominate as one of the better-sensing members?" The young Ascendant asked, not with malice or frustration, but simple curiosity. None of the members of the group sounded fit for either task to him, but then again perhaps the human had a different opinion.

"I-I don't know... I figure that since we're Ascendants, at least one of us must have a related power. Mine is simply time, so I'm useless with stealth..." He laughed quietly - sarcastically in fact, and then shook his head, sad.

[Nature-Spirits]

"Does Silveria not have superior senses to ours, though she cannot see with her eyes?" asked Tak'mar, alighting on the ground beside Lind. "And could she and Lind not slow time to such a point that they can approach and return in the blink of an eye? Or could I not enshroud myself in a misty shield? Or transform my body to appear better as vegetation? Or would they realise that they were being spied upon?" As the monk said this his wings faded into his back, and he cocked his head, his large black eyes flicking around. "Or perhaps you could use your power over the surrounding environment with your words. Can you not darken the environment?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Outer Plane

"I understand." The young Ascendant conveyed to Lind after hearing his answer, and then thought for a few moments about what could be done, before Tak'mar's voice distracted him from these thoughts. The young Ascendant turned around and listened to the creature as he asked some questions.

"If she cannot see, then she would serve better as a guard, rather than a scout, would you not agree?" The Ascendant said in reply to Tak'mar's first question. "And if you were to enshroud yourself in mist, or appear as vegetation, it would give away our presence the moment they saw the mist or the vegetation. Such things do not exist in this part of the Outer Plane. To see such a thing here is a sign that something foreign to this place is here. And if I were to darken the environment, it would be the same thing, not to mention I cannot do such a thing." He explained.

"However, if Lind and Silveria can slow time down like you said, then I believe one of us could scout the area." He stated.

[Stattr]

Silveria listened to everyone and raised a brow at the mention of her name. "I see more than all of you will ever see. Even with my blindness." She then set her feet on the ground and shook herself slightly. She still didn't like the fact that she had to stay in the air for long periods of time while traveling. She sighed and just sat on the ground, seeing the earth and the vibrations and colors as she did. She didn't know how she could see the colors, she was always blind and never knew what red or green was. But she could see the colors. Even in the darkest of places she could see every little detail to the point of the smallest insect.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Outer Plane

"I have no doubt you can see more than they can see, Silveria." The young Ascendant conveyed, turning to her. "But the question is whether or not you can see what we need you to see while remaining concealed enough to go by undetected by the enemy, or from a distance that will ensure the same thing." He added afterwards. "And, if not that, then I have to ask, can you, with Lind's help, slow down time enough so that one of us can go in and scout the area fast enough so that they will not notice our intrusion?" He finished, looking at Lind as he conveyed his question.

However, before an answer could come, three beings appeared behind them. The first was a shadowed silhouette that stood on the background ominously, not moving an inch as it looked at the group. The second was a hooded creature that seemed to be a hybrid, wielding two scythes in it's hands, four legs keeping him standing and four white wings sprouting from it's back. The third was an enormous creature more closely ressembling a lion, though it's body was red, it's mane was made of spikes, and three horns were protruding from it's head.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to continue meddling into our master's affairs, Ascendants. In the name of the Liberator Tyrant, this is your end." The shadowed figure said. After that happened, the lion leapt forward at the closest target: Tak'mar.

As this unfolded, the scythe-wielding hybrid began galloping forward and then took off, headed towards the strange structure.

"The Visor Spire must have seen us. We took too long planning, now we have to defeat them." The young Ascendant conveyed before noticing the hybrid creature flying above.

"Halt!" He commanded. The creature was unable to advance for a moment. Just enough for the Ascendant to unfold his wings and fly upwards at an incredible speed, interceptign the hybrid and tossing him back a good distance, before flying towards him and launching several spheres of holy flame.

"Conceal!" He commanded afterwards, and a small barrier field like the one in the Court Base appeared. The others would not be able to see what was going on inside, but what was certain was that both spheres of white and spheres of purple fire were coming out of the field by the dozens.

[The Inritus Extraho]

"Time to go..." Lind muttered, his wings sprouting, prepared to push him forwards even faster. From what he had seen, he was one of the fastest flyers now - perhaps that was what the Ascendants had gifted him with in return for the first mission. Either way, he pulled out his sword, and dropped into a guarding position. "I'm ready, how about you all?" he asked, a laugh hidden in his voice.

[Stattr]

Silveria sighed out of fustration and rubbed her temples. "It all depends on what you want me to see. I can tap my foot and see for miles. I can hide in the shadows like a shadow. I can kill someone and no one would notice it even with two guards....Yes, We could slow time down enough around the group so that we can travel faster than the others." She felt heard the noise of wings and didn't bother to move. She could feel what was happening in the sphere and she didn't try to do what Lind was doing; she just stood. Waiting.

[Nature-Spirits]

Tak'mar jumped up, his wings spreading - though they hadn't been there a moment before - to lift him into the air. But he wasn't fast enough, and he knew that he wasn't going to make it. He grimaced, knowing that he'd have to resort to violence, and a sphere of white fire appeared before him, hovering for an instant before plummeting down toward the lion. Without waiting to see what happened, he reached for the spear strapped to his back and pulled it out, bringing it up to strike.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Outer Plane

Upon seeing his prey jump and then start flying to escape from it, the red lion landed and them attempted to leap into the air to catch up with it's vicious maws. However, before it could reach him, Tak'mar released the sphere of holy flame that was aimed towards the beast. Unable to dodge or block it, the sphere hit it's mark. Though not particularly harmed, the lion was unable to keep ascending and fell back to the blue ground, shaking it slightly as it did so.

The shadowed being noticed that Tak'mar was just getting ready to attack with his spear, and frowned. Immediately, the red beast dodged to the side and then attempted to leap at Tak'mar once more.

"I think whether or not we're ready isn't very relevant now." Rodrick said to Lind as he, too, took his sword, and then rushed towards the lion, blasting it's side with a sphere of holy fire and throwing him off course so that Tak'mar wouldn't be injured, before joining him in the battle.

"Are you alright?" He asked Tak'mar. However, before either could respond, the red lion was already on it's feet again. It let out an earth-shattering roar, before leaving it's mouth open. Slowly, it seemed as if it's insides were lighting up, as light suddenly started pouring out of it's mouth.

"That doesn't look good at all!"

[Nature-Spirits]

Tak'mar ascended as fast as he could, keeping his spear in his hands as he flew. When Rodrick inquired about how he was he opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a deafening roar. He winced, the sound leaving a ringing in his ears, but upon seeing the glow emanating from the lion pushed it away. He closed his eyes, circling in the air above it all, and ignored everything, muttering the mantra for removal from worldly sensations. Slowly he fell into silent, endless darkness, darker than black, quieter than Oblivion, more expansive than Existence. He was all alone. And mist was forming around him, enveloping him in a protective veil, an impregnable aegis.

[Stattr]

Silveria listened to the battle going on and when she heard the roar she felt it hit her and she fell backwards. Damn it... She ended up sitting cross-legged on the floor and she stood up again and When she hit her walking stick on the ground the lion was seen and a sort of light. She raised a brow and nodded at Rodrick.

"You are right. It's not good. What do you suggest we do?" She smiled slightly and noticed she couldn't feel Tak'mar. She could barely but not enough for his actual presense. She sighed and stood a couple feet from Rodrick.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Outer Plane

"I suggest you don't allign yourself with that thing!" Rodrick said in response to Silveria's question. He then attempted to run to the side, but just before he could, a sphere of white flames burst upon striking the ground in front of him. He then looked back at the lion, seeing that a red beam of light, surrounded by flames and sprites, was already headed for him, having passed through Tak'mar's shield without harming him, entering through one side then coming out of the other. Fear gripped him, then instinct, and he raised the sword he was given to protect himself.

And, much to his surprise, it worked, at least to some degree. The flames had seared his arms, and by the time the beam attack concluded he could swear that something shocked him, but the sword seemed to protect him from the bulk of the attack, for some reason. It also felt rather... Empowering, but at the moment he was stunned from having just blocked a red beam that came from a horned lion.

The beast, angered that it's attack had done nothing, leaped towards Silveria in an attempt to take down one of it's foes, but before it could, two spheres of flame, one dark and the other white, struck it with great force, sending it back to the ground, leaving it open for attacks.

[Stattr]

Silveria just nodded and when she heard a singing sound she looked in Rodricks direction stright at his arms and when the lion came at her she went into a defensive strike but then she didn't feel the heat and knew it had been drawn back. She felt it hit the ground and winced slightly, feeling it with her hand as she touched the ground. She went forward slowly and pulled her walking stick out and stopped, she slowed down time around the lion incase it would get back up and looked back at the others, holding her hand out towards the lion thing.