5 - 027: The End?

[K Man]

Romar -

The bird effortlessly flaps its wings, staying aloft on the rises of air. It squeals down.

"Hidden City? North I will go."

"Stay away from the light...if you can. Men and power should not mix..."

The bird then flaps a few more times and turns, arcing its huge body Northward. Within seconds it is barely a thin, waving line on the horizon.

Duke Gramble shakes his head.

"Well...that was about pointless." His cold eyes settle on you. "What's this Hidden City business? I thought you were dragging me to your home to grieve or some such nonsense."

You sigh and look to the Northwest. Indeed, your home lies that direction...but many, many miles to go. Walking is going to take forever...of that you can be certain.

{Just wanted to see if you had a faster mode of travel or not. If not, we can keep going.}

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All Others -

King Sturmguards sighs and rubs his temples. This game of power plays, theft and constantly struggling for survival has begun to wear on him. He raises his head and looks to you all.



"Our crystals? The ones Romar helped to steal did this...and a weapon of the Elves?"

"Come Krysta, how do you know of such things?"

Before you can even answer, there is another blast of light that falls from the heavens and strikes the horizon where the fortress once stood. Based on your witness of the first blast, you know that little of the fortress must be remaining. The devastation was so complete with the initial blow that there should be nothing but a crater where it was.

You also wonder about the shards...

When the public panic finally calms after the third blast, Sturmguard looks to you again.



"The Master is defeated....why does the weapon continue to fire?"

{FYI: Something will happen tonight, I'm not trying to drag this out. Let me know if you want to do anything for the remainder of the day, otherwise, let's begin the night's events. It is dusk now.}

[Fangor the Fierce]

Krysta has PLENTY to do this evening.... How much time is left, and can the spell casters get rest for spells, or is that not going to happen? Figured it might be worth a shot, since we levelled, but spell casters are going to be useless on that part, if they can't rest...

[VemuKhaham]

I do indeed have an idea, and if I still may, I'd like to address the bird for it.

---

Even as the great bird arced northward, flapping and hovering on his great strong wings, Romar was again awed by this great beast. For ever since he had been born over the sea by the Rocroost rocs of Veya the young ranger had felt an admiration for all things avian. From the sky, things were different, and from the great heights many things could be seen, all organized and orderly as if on a map, and there with hair waving violently in the cold winds one could move at far greater speed and free, unhindered by earthly obstacles.

But unlike the rocs of Veya this proud and time-lacking bird was wild and timid in dealings with men. Above all, Yuri was a far more willing burden to the rocs than Duke Gramble could ever be for this bird. But Romar wanted to try, as with the coming of new tidings a new but still fragile vitality had been roused in Romar, and he felt again a sense of time and perhaps even purpose, and he longed to be with men of intelligence and knowledge of the affairs of the land. Maybe Romar was also, in a small way, pleased - or at least relieved and assured - that at least some of his more infamous actions might have proved to have been fruitful in the end. But it was too soon to tell.

Currently still ignoring the cynical remarks of his unfortunate companion, Romar raised his voice once more to the bird, bidding it to endure his insolence a while longer: "I should hate to ask, but as I said, I too plan on making for the Hidden City. On your back, I could be for you a guide, for hidden that place is more than any other, maybe even to your keen eyes, and in return you could be to me both good company and a fast bearer. And if you should wish to gather your young ones and maybe other great birds like you, then of course that should be no problem. Maybe you could even find someone willing to bear my companion..."

With that, he casts a sideway glance to the Duke, as if to say "don't say a word. you *will* come."

Before the great bird agrees to anything, Romar adds something else, probably also as an answer to the Duke's words. "Before we come to the Hidden City, I plan on going to Carealal, which lies on the way there. Those are personal matters, but therefore not less important to me... us.

What say you? In return for your services as our carrier, I shall guide you to the only place where safety may be found for as long as safety still exists within the far reaches of this world. A fair deal, no?"

[Japic]

Well; if it looks like the blasts are stopping (after the three) then Girud wants to lead a foray to try and retrieve the shards. No sense in leaving them out there for the Master to reclaim.

He and Alton would be grateful for any healing that the city could offer to offset their most recent hurts before heading out to potentially take more.

{EDIT:}
To the source of light Girud can only wonder if the Elves are indeed responsible they spoke of a weapon against evil and said that with Shards they could power it and destroy the Master. If Romar took off with our Shards this could well be all the power they need. He will let Krysta explain all; he is not a man of words.

[GeneralMHB]

Yuri is also wondering what is going on as well...

Elves and a weapon? Indeed Krysta, what are you talking about?

(OOC: I'm not doing much of anything except resting to replenish power points. BTW: Do I get that letter from Romar now?)

[Fangor the Fierce]

"The elven prince had aided in our escape from the Boone's Freehold, on our first mission. They had 'allowed' us to go with them, more by the end of their swords and bows, than by choice. Once in the elven city, they told us of their weapon, and how the shards were needed to power them. They were selfish, and once we saw that they would only aid in recovering the shards, and not actually help those in need, then we stood our ground, as we fought them off. Two factions of our groups clashed, for those that were not with us saw us as traitors, when we had no little choice in helping or not. When we stood our ground, they turned on us as well, yet now, we stand together again, those that are left."

"It would seem that now, from some sort of intervention, the elves have powered their weapon, and are striking out at the Master. Hopefully, it will be enough to bring him down, yet I still can not accept the fact that they are simply selfish beings, only looking out for themselves. I would like to travel there, to speak with the prince. His mother is beyond rationalizing with, yet he showed some resolve. I would ask them if that weapon is aimed at the Master, and if there was some way to aim it at the Phylactery instead, hoping that one blast of that machine may be able to prevent the Master from rising again. But time is short, and a decision must be made quickly..."

[Fangor the Fierce]

OOC - Hopefully, I think someone actually brought something from the Masters chambers or something of his own body. That way, it can be directed or used to channel the weapon, not sure though, we'll have to wait and see...