The Saviors

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Avira looked away after a few minutes and stood, walking back to Dusk. She began to brush his mane, pulling out the sticks and twigs that were there. "Shh." She whispered as he snorted. She knew he wasn't comfortable with Karma yet, causing him to be anxious.
 
Karma stirred as Avira moved but only to pull his food out of the fire. He was about to dig in when he heard a loud snap in the forest from the direction he came. He turned to look, and apparently Avira hadn't heard it, probably because she was soothing her horse, Dusk. He looked out into the darkness, letting his eyes adjust. After a time of seeing nothing, Karma was about to turn back around, but he saw a familiar shape in the trees, causing him to cross his arms.
"Oh Vengeance, I thought you went back home. Don't stay in the trees then, come on out."
After a time, Vengeance's figure appears in the clearing with her head down as she stamps on the ground with one of her hooves. Karma approaches and begins to pat her off and pull out anything that got stuck on her.
"You couldn't wait for me, could you girl... You should have stayed, don't you know it's going to be dangerous?"
Vengeance bucks her head and snorts in an act of fearlessness. She obviously doesn't care, causing Karma to chuckle.
"Alright then, see you in the morning."
 
Dusk watched as the other horse came out, but then turned to Avira to nudge the side of her head. "Yes, I know, I know." She smiled softly. "I will. You rest, tomorrow is a long day." She gently brushed a hand across the side of Dusk's neck. "They will do us no harm, trust me." As Avira moved to enter her tent, Dusk stood, shaking his mane before trotting around the other side of the clearing. A short stretch before he rested.
Avira looked back to Karma. She noticed the horse, but said nothing, disappearing into the darkness of the tent. She pulled up her back, using it as a pillow as she laid down, but she did not sleep.
Not yet.
 
Karma turned just as Avira was vanishing into her tent, sighing in annoyance.
"Looks like I'm on guard duty first... Good, this woman makes me feel... Uneasy... Go on girl, find somewhere you like."
Vengeance flicks her tail and looks in Dusk's direction before walking a few paces, sleeping standing up like she's used to. Karma eats his dinner with the peace that only being lost in thought can bring. Karma looks around a bit and looks back to the fire. He looks around every so often for two hours before sitting and looking into the much smaller fire. Against his will, Karma's eyes slowly begin to shut.
(Would now be a good time to introduce a bad guy or no? Also do you want to be in charge of said guy/girl or should I be in charge?)
 
(Now sounds like a great time. You can be in charge of this one :) )

Avira did not sleep for a couple of hours, but finally began to drift off. She slept lightly, her weapons beside her, daggers in half an arms reach.

Dusk paced Avira's tent almost protectively before pacing the far side of the clearing. He snorted, then moved back to the tent. After almost 40 minutes, he slowed, standing by his master's tent and lowering his head, deciding to sleep now.
 
Karma's horse, Vengeance, woke up with a start as Karma fell to the side with a muffled clank. She began to watch the field and wait for... Something. As soon as Dusk began to sleep, she began to slowly and quietly make her way over to him. Once she was about ten feet away, she stopped, not daring to wake him, and sleep.

There was a new man in the kingdom of Delain, a strange man, one that caused men and women to flee from the unnatural waves of cold he released. A group of guards stopped the man as he walked towards the kingdom's armory.
"Halt stranger, inspection!"
The stranger stops, releasing the hem of his cape with a smooth motion, causing it to flow out behind him and reveal his simple cloak. He also takes the large hood off to reveal his ivory mask with cloth wrappings that cover the rest of his head. The guards inspect him a bit closer before allowing him to pass, under one more condition.
"Take off your mask sir, it's custom, so that we can remember your face should anything go missing."
The man makes no move to do so, instead saying,
"Custom?... Or... Just me?... *breath*... I will not..."
The guard draws his sword and points it at the stranger.
"You'll do it or you'll be spending the night in the dungeon."
The stranger stares at the sword for a moment before looking back to the others.
"Are you all... in agreement then? Is this... really... worth your time?...Or your lives?"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
All the other guards draw their blades as well, save for one, who's obviously but a boy. The stranger raises his head and laughs a strange airless laugh.
"I said... DIE..."
The eyes of his mask begin to glow blue and he grabs the first guard by the throat and freezes him solid before squeezing down, causing him to shatter. The other guards hesitate at the display, allowing him to form a large ice sword which he stabs into the ground and lean on it without it bending or breaking. He pushes the blade forward and slices the head off of a guard that charges at him before slicing another ones chest after knocking his sword to the side, all in the same spinning motion. There is only two guards left- one hunched behind a large shield and the other watching in terror. The man slices up with his hand, causing a icicle to jet up from behind the guard and stab straight through him and his shield. He walks to the remaining guard who crouches close to the ground quivering in fear, letting his sword crumble into ice chunks before squatting in front of the guard, Putting an ice cold hand on his head.
"You will live... to tell your king... what happened here... In the morning..."
The guard feints and the stranger stands, continuing into the armory.
 
Avira nor Dusk stirred. Dusk was lost in the sea of sleep, only to be awoken by the sound of his master's voice or a sign of danger.
Avira on the other hand slept lightly. Not so lightly that the wind or a distant snap could wake her, but light enough that thunder or close footstep could. Despite the light slumber, she was lost deep in a nightmare that would plague her mind on the day to come.
 
As the stranger opens the doors to the armory and sees a multitude of weapons and armor. He opens a large waterskin and pours it into a large circular indentation, roughly four feet in diameter. He puts his foot on the water and it immediately begins to freeze. As it freezes, he begins to chant until the water is a solid block. It turns into a reflection of another place.
"Master... It is done..."
The reflection remains pitch black as a voice resonates from it.
"You have done well thus far, Lich, I am glad that we are allies in this. Tell me, is there anything significant about this place?"
The lich looks around before shaking his head.
"Only metal my lord... I wonder... Should we look-"
"No, we cannot wait, they'll be coming soon, and futile may their efforts be, the kingdoms' champions could unravel all we've worked towards... If Delain should be working on something that can fight magic, it could not possibly be finished by the time we attack. Stick to the plan... Necropolis."
Necropolis bows, with no further arguments.
"As you command... the dead will serve... Send it through..."
The reflection shimmers as something begins to rise.
"The future is coming comrade, we only work to unite. This 'bomb' will lay waste to the armory, rendering Delain defenseless. See it through, for progress."
"For progress..."
The reflection fades and Necropolis pulls out a long fuse, tying it to the bomb and pulling it along into the woods where another man is waiting. This man wears no shirt, revealing his muscles, only pants that are baggy and grey.
"It's about time lich! Honestly, I know you're dead, but you can't move faster?"
Necropolis growls and looks up to the man as he sets up the fuse.
"Silence Leo... there will be... time enough... for banter."
Leo scoffs, brushing his long red bangs out of his face.
"Whatever old man, just hurry up already, I wanna BURN something!"
As he says this, he lights a fire in his hand, grinning savagely. Necropolis sighs.
"Just what will this... do anyways? The last two armories... you simply burned to the ground..."
Leo rolls his eyes and throws the flame in his hand at tree, causing a small explosion of flames and the tree to be blasted apart.
"There's too much metal in there, and not enough wood, not to mention NO magic. This will be our first taste of the new world our boss is talking about. I don't know the specifics, so let's just hurry up and light this thing!"
Leo starts a small fire on his fingertip and lights the fuse. They watch it burn until it's out of sight, then wait a bit longer. Leo once again gets impatient.
"Man, it's slower than you!... Do you think-"
Leo and Necropolis are knocked to the ground by a loud boom, and watch with different reactions. Leo guffaws as he watches the smoke rise, while Necropolis averts his eyes.
"For progress... Is this... worth it?..."

Karma stirs at the sound of the explosion, and conveniantly readjusts as the ground shakes.
 
Avira's eyes shot open and she immediately grabbed her dagger. She slowly sat up, staring out into the night from her tent. The hairs on her neck stood on end as she grabbed her bow and quiver before slowly emerging from her tent. Avira carefully sheathed the dagger before drawing an arrow, carrying it relaxed in the bow. Her eyes and ears scanned for any sign of danger as she tried to judge to direction and distance of the explosion. Despite the tired look in her eyes, she was alert, and quick to react as bat flew above, her arrow lifting and just to the point of release... but she stopped short as she recognized the nocturnal creature. She sighed softly as she lowered her bow. "What was it..." she whispered to herself as she looked in the distance.
 
Necropolis and Leo make their way to an abandoned shack, where a third person waits for them. This person is surrounded by a swirl of clouds and light, as well as smog and momentary blackouts. Their voice is unidentifiable as female or male as they speak.
"You have done well, but we must wait before we attack the final kingdom, so that greed may make them and they spread out to conquer the now empty lands. That, is when we will strike. For now, there is only one thing left for you to do. We've identified the two champions, one's disappearance from the kingdom of Delain did not go unnoticed; Captain Karmann, yadda yadda, lots of titles. The other is a well trained female named Avira Merzone. Avira is a crack shot, but stay on your toes and you should be fine. As for Karmann, he's not overly dangerous, but he's quite annoying to kill, so you must confirm the time of death or he'll probably live."
Leo cracks his knuckles and tips his head from side to side, popping his neck as well.
"Let's do this thing, I love the nonstop action!"
Necropolis simply bows, his eyes stopped glowing at about the time of the explosion.
"I wonder... Will the people in Delain... be alright?... I don't want to kill... I just want... to be... loved... and remembered... as the dead... ought to be..."
The apparition reaches out and the storm clouds part to reveal a gloved hand that rests on Necropolis' shoulder.
"Remember Necropolis, for progress... In the new world, the dead can live among us, there will be no forgetting. As for the people in Delain, rest assured; if anyone has died, their blood will be on our hands."
Necropolis doesn't seem content with that, but he nods and puts his own hand over his chest.
"For progress..."
Leo scoffs, flicking his hair to the side again.
"Okay, emotional pair, you've had your fun, I still don't know what's in it for me."
The apparition raises it's own hand and lightning jumps out of it, shocking the metal nails and such and lighting up the room.
"This is the first time in nearly a millennia that we have walked among mortals, so we still do not know what you mean by ''What's in it for you''. However, we believe that the closer we come to success, the more we understand. In the New World, there will be no magic, or at least no one that can tap into it. This will make you the only sorcerer in the land, which also means that you will be the most powerful being alive. Is this what you meant Leo?"
Leo's entire body starts on fire with excitement as he cheers.
"HELL YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WANNA HEAR!"
"Then you two know your mission. Remember what can be gained, and for the last time, don't fight each other. We have too much at stake here to fall apart. We'll see you at the final rendezvous point. For progress!"
"FOR PROGRESS BABY!"
"For progress..."
The apparition disappears into a bolt of lightning rising from the ground to the sky.
(That was a long one :V)
 
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Avira spun the dagger in her hand. She settled down in front of her tent, legs crossed, eyes slowly scanning the forest. She was worried about the explosion.. it could mean many things. Perhaps the two remaining kingdoms had gone to war, or that there was a danger closer than expected. Maybe the darkness had skirted around them and gone to the kingdoms. How many had been hurt? Killed? Or perhaps... perhaps it was a test. She almost wanted to wake Karma and inform him, but on the other hand.. she didn't. She looked to the stars, noticing that several clouds had moved in. It would seem their trip would come upon rain.
 
- Time-skip to early morning, a light drizzle had begun, and the air was filled with a light fog. These, coupled with the fact that the citizens of Delain had worked through the night to put out any fires, meant that any rising smoke was obscured or nonexistent.-
Karma cursed himself for falling under the lull of sleep, eating a bowl of cold porridge. He had never even set up his tent. His sleep was somewhat troubled by visions of flames and screaming people, but he fought off the nightmares and had somewhat peaceful sleep. Vengeance snorted at him and tries to push him over.
"Hey, I told you to go home, but if you're going to stick around, you have to make yourself useful."
Vengeance bucked her head in annoyance, but made no other moves as Karma finished his bland meal. He throws himself up into his saddle where he turns to look at Avira.
"Well come on then champion, we have to get moving to make some good ground before the fog clears... I have a bad feeling about this place."
 
Avira had begun to pack as Karma woke up. She pet Dusk softly, noticing his uneasiness. Leaning gently on his side, she ate a mix of fruit and nuts she'd gathered before she left. As Karma spoke, she nodded. "Let's go." She took Dusk's reigns. He pulled at first, but seeing her mind would not change, he let her lead. "We don't have too far left to go in these woods. Then there'll be the rocky outlands." She looked to Karma.
 
Karma sighs, his rude comment once again lost on her, but she did catch his interest.
"What do you think will be there? Based on what we've seen so far, I'm guessing mainly bandits and renegades, but I bet that we'll find at least a few survivors of the other two kingdoms... We have to, right? I mean, two kingdoms can't just completely disappear... right?..."
 
Avira looked to him, her gaze revealing nothing or her own thoughts. "We will never know until we reach there." She said quietly. She turned back to the trees. "We need to get moving." She started walking, Dusk following close behind. She had her dagger held tight in her hand, her bow on her shoulder. She had a bad feeling.
 
Karma glared at her as she turned, but made no other comments as he tapped Vengeance's sides, putting her in a slow walk to keep the pace.

Necropolis saw through the mist as if it wasn't there, watching as Avira and Karma walked. Leo paced behind him.
"Can you see them yet? Are we close?"
Necropolis turns back to him.
"Yes... They're leaving the clearing now... But they're moving... quite slow."
"PERFECT! I'll fry 'em!"
Necropolis trips Leo as he barrels past.
"Quiet fool... You're lucky this mist is thick... But it's not soundproof... We must wait..."
Leo stands, brushing himself off. His eyes are on fine now, and he grabs Necropolis' shirt, causing steam to rise at their touch.
"Trip me again, and I don't care how long you've been frozen before the master released you, I WILL END YOU."
Necropolis smirks and locks his foot behind Leo's, pushing his shoulders and tripping him again.
"Oops... Don't make a threat if you can't back it up... The master would have both our heads... so cool off... we will wait..."
 
Avira tilted her head, hearing a slight, distant noise, but dismissed it. She could tell Dusk was glancing back at Karma every so often, as if seeing if he was still there. Her eyes were scanning every movement. She felt unnerved.
 
Karma shifts in his seat as he seemed to feel uneasy as well. His sword released a small, almost nonexistent golden glow, signaling that either Karma will be very lucky, or someone nearby would be very unlucky.

"They're getting away! I'm stopping them, it's now or never!"
Leo begins to charge up a large flaming ball, channeling all of his energy into the spell. It would blast Karma and Avira to kingdom come, should it hit. However, because all of the energy is channeled into the spell, Leo can't stop himself from being frozen in place up to his head and wrist.
"Let me go, blockhead!"
"I... SAID... WAIT!..."
Leo strains against the ice, but he can't break through because all of his energy being channeled into the spell. He gives up, a look of worry in his eyes.
"Alright, fine, just let me out of here! It's too late to stop it, but I'll just throw it another way. Hurry, it's slipping!"
As he says that, the spell starts to drift away from his hand steadily growing more volatile. Necropolis grimaces and his eyes begin to glow fiercely, changing from blue to white as he conjures a frozen spire with five prongs to contain the spell. A sixth prong appears and begins to slowly move towards it.
"DON'T TOUCH IT!"
Too late, Leo breaks Necropolis' concentration and the prong jabs the flaming ball to violently, throwing them both apart and knocking Leo out, while Necropolis breaks a sapling or two before slamming into a great oak, splintering the wood. On top of that, there is a large crater where the explosion happened and the mist cleared in that area far enough to reveal Karma and Avira's location.

Karma turns back in his seat in surprise as a large boom resonates through the air.
"What in the name of the gods was THAT?!"
 
Avira spun, yanking on Dusk's reigns. "Danger." She hissed. "i think we're being followed."
Dusk snorted, pawing at the dirt until Avira nudged him.
 
Necropolis didn't need to kick Vengeance to tell her to run, all he needed to do was lean and pull on the reins.
"No, really?! Come on, run!" Karma and Vengeance run at a reasonable pace while they wait for Avira and Dusk, but they'll still leave them behind.

Necropolis stumbles to his feet, his undead bones popping easily back into place.
"No... NO!..."
Necropolis begins to form pillars of ice and jump from one to the other. He quickly closes the gap between them, but something clicks in his mind and he stops, turning to look around. He sees Leo lying on the ground in a bloody heap, as the explosion had blasted him against a boulder with enough force to crack the stone to the point it had crumbled. He looks back to Karma riding into the woods and curses himself before turning and running back to Leo, who opens one eye at Necropolis' touch.
"Well wadda ya know... The old man's still got moves..."
Leo falls unconscious again and Necropolis inspects him before breathing a sigh of relief. Leo was bleeding badly, but Necropolis simply froze his blood over the wounds, keeping a constant string of magic to keep it steady so Leo's especially hot blood wouldn't melt the plug. Necropolis picked up Leo in his arms and threw one more look back at Avira. His mask had been knocked off by the explosion, revealing his face. It was old, and his expression was as cold as the aura that poured forth from his body, but there were no wrinkles that mottled his features. His smooth medium length hair was white and laced with a thin layer of frost, and his skin was a bluish white that sparkled in the sun. His eyes were a blue-grey, like a winter sky, and they glowed a light blue as he held the magic that was keeping Leo from bleeding out. His breath was unseen, probably because he did not breath, but there's obviously still warmth in his own blood as he blushes after realizing that he has no mask. He turns and walks quickly away from the scene of the explosion, walking into the slowly reforming mist.
 
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