Brink of Delusion; Crystal's Shine ((Full))

[MadameDPomp]

Hit. Hit. Hit.
It's all Jolyre could focus on; striking the mantis down.
Her eyes alight, her mind not all there, Jolyre wasn't aware she was flying into the air of the back of a giant mantis until it threw her off,sending her plummeting to the ground below.
Wings...ground....fly? Hit the the ground...hard...
She had about another five seconds to decide on a course of action. Up here in the air without the protection of ravine's walls, she would surely get blown away, leaving the man to die.
Looks like hitting the ground was her only option.
She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and ramped up the energy behind her shield.
Falling.....falling...Crash. Dazed, bruised, and mildly bleeding, Jolyre stood up in the small indent her fall had created. Thank the Crystals for shielding. An ultimatum of die by smacking of the nearest rock, or plummeting to the ground below wasn't really a choice.
It started to speak again; that gravelly inhuman, almost omniscient voice. That man...was a Nero Angeal. How...ironic..
and The Fate crystal...it wanted her shard. But she wasn't the only shard wielder here, it seemed.
"So, you're looking for this?"
The voice sent a shiver down Jolyre's spine. It sounded so familiar...but...different. Completely different. She turned to see it was the rag doll boy...reborn? It was him...but it wasn't.
It couldn't be him....just...an uncanny look alike.
He started to berate the creature until he turned to Jolyre...then Rigo. Asking their help
"...Anything you strive for with all of your heart. That is your power"
She was reminded of her mission; the vengeance of Alexei Aegis. It mattered no longer that this myserious man was Gio's copy through and through. Her eyes narrowed. They'd better beat this creature and demolish it well; Jolyre Aegis of the Angeal had a holy undertaking to accomplish. The fire of her vengeance, the pity for the the man with the lost brother, the loss of the rag doll boy, and the awe of this new, seemingly-powerful man all burned within her. Bruised and battle worn, Jolyre straightened herself, becoming proud, regal, and erect in an instant.
"Then let's slay the creature and get on..." she growled.  

[Scythe de Zaran]

Five shards now? Gio had one, and so does the ... Angeal? Rigo's anger diverted his attention quickly though. Cursed shard. Imbecile yourself, monster. Unfortunately, the attack of his and Jolyre's hadn't taken the creature out.

And then, suddenly, there was a voice from behind them. Rigo looked back in surprise, as well as noticing the red aura that had appeared around the mantis. The Nero Angeal's eyes narrowed at the sight of Gio's body, which had altered key features. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Gio's body from the wounds, but it wasn't the Gio he knew. Neither one of them actually. The one before that event nor the meek shelled off Gio. Who was this? Was this the same one that had appeared at that event? Still, this one seemed different and ...less chaotic. But did this mean that Gio wasn't dead? Was this shard the cause of that strange glow where Gio's heart should be?

While the one in Gio's body was saying things perfectly reasonable, Rigo just had to ask before agreeing to help despite Jolyre's determination to kill the creature. "Who are you?" Rigo still wanted to kill the mantis, but he wanted an answer.  

[Draconia Crystalis]

The one who held Gio's form looked to the Nero Angeal. This must be the 'brother' the boy had spoken of when he called out with his heart. The young man's question was understandable, seeing as how he inhabited the body of his little brother. Still....

"I am one who answered the plea for help, from one who wished for the protection of others above himself," he answered, intentionally dodging the question. His eyes remained as hard and unflinching as before, with only a bit of their intensity gone. "I am not the one born of malice and hatred, towards those who would harm the ones dear to him." That was the only answer he was willing to give, not particularly caring if the man wasn't satisfied. It was all he was at liberty to reveal right now, without ruining everything.

The white-haired man turned its gaze back to its enemy, stepping forward so that he was between the beast and the two other warriors. An aura of his own whirled about him violently, creating irregular wind as it interfered with the air currents in the canyon. Unlike the creature, his aura was a bright blue, just like his eyes, which seemed to grow brighter with power as well.

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The creature stared at the figure in utter hatred, How could the boy have survived? How could this have come to pass? It wasn't possible. There's no way that he could be standing before him once again.

And why was he just standing there? It infuriated the creature to no end that he seemed totally unfazed by the power glowing around him. Losing all reason, the creature shrieked wildly and aimed a lunge straight at the figure's heart, hoping to plunge the Fate Shard out of his chest. The tip of the green blade glowed bright red around it as incredible power was stored inside of it.

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"How low you have fallen," the white-haired figure stated abruptly as the creature struck at him like a berserk, frenzied beast. With a considerable effort, he forced as much power into one hand as possible, and raised it up to meet the tip of the blade.

There was a flash as the blade impacted with his hand, but was stopped short. Right between the tip and his hand was a small, whirling spiral of blue energy that looked like the eye of a hurricane as seen from above. He could immediately feel the drain on him as the task of stopping such a strong attack did not come easy, but it would have pushed straight through the Angeal's barrier that he could sense around him.

Without a moment's hesitation, he directed the remainder of that energy forward, creating a pulse of power that traveled through the creature like a ripple. In the next moment it was howling in pain and the entirety of its exoskeletal shell was blown away. The mantis was now revealed completely underneath, entirely made of crystal, and in its chest, a luminous green glow showed what the figure knew to be its soul, still trapped in the Crystal.

"Attack now!" he ordered the two other warriors, pushing himself back a few feet. He touched his fingertip to where his heart was, calling forth a floating ball of pure energy, and began to chant, "Breath of the Dragon King. Pulse. Writhe. Seep Destruction. Roar to the Heavens and shake the foundations of Hell!" There was more, but he needed them to distract the beast for him to complete the spell.  

[Scythe de Zaran]

The entity's response to Rigo's question wasn't satisfying, but there was no time to quip about it. The mantis had struck for Gio's body. However, Rigo couldn't help but wonder if the entity knew of the Gio from two years ago since it had denied being "not the one born of malice and hatred." Not even a name to call this thing that was in Gio's body. Rigo wasn't going to call it "Gio" even if it was in Gio's body. It was giving off an aura, and some annoying wind had come up. Luckily, Rigo didn't have his wings out.

He looked toward Jolyre. At least she seemed fine. He'd be grateful to her for working with him later if he didn't unreasonably be blinded by the fact that if she wasn't there, Gio wouldn't have died. He was more reasonable than that though, due to his training, and he didn't quite have a mental breakdown yet.

Rigo blinked as the mantis's exoskeleton was blown apart. It was completely made of crystal, and that was just odd. This time, upon hearing the "Attack" from that one in Gio's body, Rigo obliged. He could hear the chanting, and had an idea of what was going on. Guess he'd have to trust this.. entity for now. More questions later.

"Where are you looking, mantis?" He nodded at Jolyre and once again launched some darkness to confuse the mantis and charged in sword in hand to hack at the mantis and run around him to distract it.  

[MadameDPomp]

Trite, mysterious responses. It seemed to be all anyone was made of around here. Jolyre couldn't point a finger; she was just as bad as anyone else for remaining anonymous and her race unknown. So. This new being obviously wasn't a newly reborn rag boy. This was something completely new. And he was incontestably the mantis's enemy, which was completely good for Jolyre right now. She never left a foe unvanquished when she could help it.
She took a step to attack when the mantis made some feral sound and threw itself, insane with the incredibility that the Gio-Being was even there.
But the copy simply held up a hand, stopping the mantis's momentum abruptly. That was power. Jolyre smirked.
The creature was entirely crystal. That was a little disconcerting.
But Jolyre had no time for worry or curiosities. She'd received an order to attack. It seemed more to her like a diversion though, as the new man began to chant. He needed them to let him finish. She hated being the bait. Oh Well...
Jolyre grinned as Rigo tossed her a nod and crashed waves of darkness over the creature.
Taking a running start, Jolyre launched herself into the air. Spinning wildly in a dance of light, spikes of white light rained down on the mantis as she twirled to the ground. No sooner did her boot touch the ground did she spring under the creature gauntlets flying. She tried tor remain further to one side, so the creature wouldn't have her and Rigo on the same side of it.  

[Draconia Crystalis]

The Entity of Gio's form continued his chant as he watched the next generation fight. They were truly impressive, fighting without hesitation and with considerable strength and talent, However, there was an obvious difference between that and the full potential of these Crystals. It was going to be a long road, but they were going to be an unrivaled force once they had gathered together all of the Warriors of Light.

"Mighty energy, the bonds that hold all together. Gather. Erupt. Release your might and turn mine enemies to dust," he completed the incantation, shouting the words out precisely and with a only slightly slowed tempo so as not to mess up the incantation. Finally, he shouted, "Mega Flare!"

Come out now, seek out the awakened, and Destroy. No matter who it may be.

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There was no way that its attack could be blocked, but it was blocked nonetheless. And on top of that, it's entire body was attacked in an instant as its exoskeleton was splintered and it was thrown back violently. It heard the order to attack, but didn't manage to ready itself before the first strike came at it.

The mantis creature was knocked back still further as the darkness magic struck it, gathering in its eyes and blinding it. Then, in the next instant, light fell on it and splashed across it's translucent body, breaking through the darkness and causing it's eyes to sear with pain from the immediate contrast. Before it could realize what was happening next, it's underside felt like it was exploding as dozens of quick bashes were struck underneath it. It hissed and screeched at the sky with such intensity that is seemed to shake the very canyon around them and vibrate the air itself. With each attack, bits of its crystalline surface chipped off, a sign that damage was in fact being inflicted on the monster.

Then, an intense aura flared in front of it as the sounds of magic and blades died out for a moment and two words rang out."Mega Flare!"

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The entity thrust the palm of his one good hand forward, the ball of energy he had summoned hovering in front of it. The orb strobed with blue aura and erupted into a enormous stream of raw energy that lashed out at the creature. The stream of power enveloped the creature, and it's screeching grew to an earsplitting peak. When the spell died out, the figure collapsed on one knee, gasping for breath and spitting out some blood as the injuries inflicted on its body caught up with it.

When the mantis creature was revealed, it was a shamble of its former might, with only one side of its four legs remaining, it had fallen over to one side and now was held up at an angle on its only remaining arm, the other having been blown away along with the legs. Its body also seemed the worse for wear, cracks spider-webbed across the entirety of its being, and huge chunks of it were completely vaporized, half if its head, and enough of its torso to expose part of the pulsing green mass that was its soul.

"Damn, that didn't kill it," he swore under his breath. He looked to the other warriors and shouted, "Listen, the power you used that almost killed me.... add that on top of one of my spells! This is a power that is special to the Crystal Bearers, called Simulcast, and is many times more powerful than the combined spells individually. Now, help me blow away its chest and free its soul! Without it, it is nothing more than an empty husk!"  

[Scythe de Zaran]

The "Mega Flare" attack spell from the one in Gio's body seemed strong, but while the mantis didn't look as if it could do anything, the entity insisted that it still was not destroyed even with all that power and the horrible annoying screech that pierced the air and echoed endlessly in the canyon bouncing off the canyon walls. The spell had taken a toll on Gio's body though, and Rigo was concerned slightly when the entity collapsed onto a knee. The entity wasn't his brother, but that was still Gio's body, and Rigo did not want his brother's body to be harmed any further.

The green mass of soul, though Rigo probably didn't know that it was really a soul, almost looked as if it was beating like a heart. For a moment, Rigo wasn't sure what power the enetity was speaking of, but the explanation made sense.

While he and Jolyre had watched in horror when their combined powers seemingly destroyed Gio, he was sure they bother sensed that the power in the combination was much stronger than any one element of theirs along.

"Fine." Rigo stated with a nod. "You do the count down," he suggested to the entity. The entity, as much as Rigo hated to admit it, clearly knew more about Crystals than he did. Once the entity counted down, Rigo would add on the darkness element to whatever attacks Jolyre and the entity used.  

[MadameDPomp]

Jolyre had barely heard the shout of "Mega Flare" when her eyes widened. She hurdled out from under the mantis, rolling skillfully away just the aura ball exploded into the creature.
It lay writhing on the ground in pain and feral anger missing a fair share of limbs. The man was right...it wasn't dead...
but isn't it at least dying!? Nothing could've survived that
She felt the pureness of energy released as it rocked through ravines, bouncing and echoing off the steep rock cliffs. It pulsed through her stronger than any crystal attack she'd ever produced.
Even worse than the creature not being dead after an obviously lethal does of some unknown (at least to Jolyre) energy, was that the Gio Entity didn't look like he could keep this up much longer. Down on one knee, he didn't command the same awe and respect from maybe five minutes ago.
"The power that almost killed me!"...it was all she heard. She'd had a hand in Gio's unfortunate and untimely death. She shook it from her mind; weakness didn't belong on a battlefield.
"....Simulcast!...Now, help me!"...most of his words were lost to the wind, but Jolyre understood the gist of it.
She took a stance, throwing her arms wide, as if heading in for an embrace, and stood, feet shoulder-width apart. Ramping up all the crystal energy she could rally, forgoing her shields. Concentrating, never blinking, on the mantis's glowing heart/soul. Slowly, she moved her arms back together. As soon as her palms touched, a tempestuous pinnacle of light would lance the creature....
She gave herself a countdown for as long as she could hold all the energy. She hoped the others could hear her.
"five...
four......
three..
two......"
Then her voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
"...one"
She slammed her hands together and from them rushed forth an immense lance of gold glowing energy, impaling through the the crature's chest.  

[Draconia Crystalis]

The entity grimaced as he gathered more power into his palm, this time it took on an almost fire-like appearance, with a orange-black, smoky glow, but that was merely the properties of the spell. They all varied. The first to jump into the Angeal woman was the first to jump into the attack, preparing a blast of light that would make any ordinary man or monster cringe at the residual power flux. He gathered his own might as he knew the Nero Angeal would do the same soon after, and they followed the Angeal's countdown.

"5.
4.
3.
2......"
And at last the faint whisper of...
1.

"Flare!" the entity shouted as they all cast their spells, his own taking the form of a non-elemental flame that shot up from the ground just in front of the creature. His own magic intersected with the others, and the result of light, darkness, and energy merged together with the same intent would create a blast slightly more powerful than the Mega Flare had been.

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If the creature could have smiled, it would have. As three different magics formed an unstoppable Simulcast, he knew that this life was ending..... and it was a perfect performance.

Just as planned, it thought gleefully, not even uttering a sound as it felt its chest got blown away, and felt its grip on life slip away instantly.  

[Scythe de Zaran]

Rigo's darkness based attack was less showy than the other two attacks. His had been a small orb, but its size didn't necessarily mean that it was weak. He had focused the energy into that orb, making it compact and brimming with energy.

The collision and combination of the three "elements" were deadly indeed, and when all was gone, there was almost no sign that the crystalline mantis had existed. Rigo stared at the spot where the mantis had lain before for a moment. The power in their combined attack was stronger than he thought, and he hadn't encountered anything like that in his life until this day. How ironic. The day Gio ...almost died?

"It's dead now, isn't it?" Rigo said to no one in particular. He turned to Jolyre. "Thank you." The Nero Angeal than looked at Gio's body and the entity. "You still haven't answered my question. A name." He approached the entity, concerned for Gio's body yet also seeking answers from the entity that was currently in possession of Gio's body. "And what have you done to my brother?"  

[Draconia Crystalis]

The monster finally vanquished, the entity deliberately ignored the Nero Angeal's question. It took some effort, but he pushed himself to his feet with his good hand. Without a word, it held out its hand to the last remnant of the monster, a shard of the crystal. It was to dangerous to be left lying around. "Heed this warning," he said to both of the warriors, "A Crystal must never be embedded in the body of one who isn't a Bearer. What you saw of that monster was the result, Crystal Germination. The victim loses its mind, and becomes a slave to the Crystal." As he spoke, the shard rose up and floated over to him. It stopped for a moment just before his hand, then immediately lunged forward and pierced into the body's heart, not even leaving a mark.

"The Crystal tempts those who hold it to do just that," he continued, walking over to the Angeal woman, and before she could object, abruptly took her shard from where she had it hidden on her person. He had sensed exactly where it was on her. He then thrust the shard into the heart of the body it inhabited. "Thus, this boy shall become the vessel for the Crystal. His heart shall slowly be replaced with its power as he discovers more of the shards."

He quickly added, "This body will need healing soon, I would request that you do so, Bearer of Light."

He turned to look at the Nero Angeal that seemed so intent on questioning him, and gave a small smile. It was an odd thing to see, when he had been so dead-serious up until now. "Rodrigo Dragoni, you're brother, Giovanni Dragoni, shall yet live. I have fulfilled his wish and shall now return to whence I came. I simply ask that you protect him. Protect him at all costs, short of your life, and gather all of the Crystal Bearers."  

[MadameDPomp]

Complete annihilation. That creature was the single deadest thing that had ever existed. The power from the massive attack was unlike Jolyre had ever heard of or felt, and she was a crystal bearer.
But the creature was dead. He didn't matter anymore. She gave a nod to the Nero Angeal in response to his thanks and watched his conflict with the entity.
It wouldn't give its name nor why it had the younger boy's body. Why the extreme mystery?
He came to her talking about the crystal shards and before she could stop him, her own shard was gone. She opened her mouth for an angry protest, but decided against it. Who did he think he was? Some big shot ghost...
The crystal flew into his heart. "Didn't you just say not to embed that in your skin?" she muttered flatly to herself.
"This body will need healing soon, I would request that you do so, Bearer of Light"
Jolyre stepped forth to heal the boy's body. She told herself this of her own will and not the pull she felt towards this strange manifestation. She also knew she was lying to herself so what was the point?
"Rodrigo Dragoni, you're brother, Giovanni Dragoni, shall yet live. I have fulfilled his wish and shall now return to whence I came. I simply ask that you protect him. Protect him at all costs, short of your life, and gather all of the Crystal Bearers."
The spell died on her lips and fingertips, stopped short by the shock.
Dragoni.
Dragoni?
Her eyes narrowed as realization dawned on her.
Yeah. She'd heard it right.
She'd just saved...the men that killed her father.
With an angry growl, Jolyre shoved Gio's body and glared at Rigo.
"That was the plan? Lure me here? Use my power to help kill this...this monstrosity? Was it someone's father too?" she yelled, glades out offensively ready to tear some limbs.  

[Draconia Crystalis]

(He certainly knows just how to stir things up, doesn't he?)

The Entity caught itself in mid-fall and turned its head slowly to look at the Angeal woman, it's gaze was intense, but at the same time, there was a light of sympathetic understanding. "It is best not to kill others without understanding the full story, lest you live to regret it. Killing is no simple matter, and no one should do it lightly."

He turned back to Rodrigo and said, "This had to happen eventually, better now than later. All of you, Gio as well, need to confront the past and move to the future. This is far from over." Those were his last words. In the next instant, his hair faded to a dusty brown, and his eyes turned gray. The intense look disappeared. The Entity was gone and was now replaced with the real Giovanni.

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Giovanni blinked in confusion as he snapped to, standing next to his brother. What had happened? His whole body ached, as though he had run a marathon and then been crushed by a giant. He had been impaled. There was still a hole in his shoulder, though it seemed a bit smaller. His left arm was still hanging dead at his side. "Brother....." he choked out, falling on one knee and gasping for breath. "What is going on? Where is the monster?..." he thought for a moment, then wondered aloud, "It was him, wasn't it? He helped defeat it, didn't he? The voice in my head."

The difference between him and the entity was a stark contrast. While the entity barely showed a single sign of weakness, except when pushed hard, Gio was overwhelmed by the strain the battle had put on his body. The drive of its will had been on an entirely different level.  

[Black Claided Cat]

Enter- Harrier A'Cal

On the outskirts of Cecil, a dark figure watched over the town and the surrounding area. Bow on back, swords at his side; Harrier was ready for any kind of action. Even the type he knew would come from his friend since child days, Alane. His feet were like trees in the ground, keeping him stable through the high winds of summer in Tylem. He brought his hand to his eyes, dimming the harsh sun light that rained down on the Canyons, Harrier looked across to the other side of the ravine. He was at the area of shortest passage; down below there were dozens of bridges stretching down the miles until the bottom were a river raged, people coming and going from every one of them.

Harrier took a whistle from around his neck and blew three short times, creating a high pitch noise that ranged until the next sentry blew his own; indicating that he had heard his call and that Harrier could patrol the high lands. He picked up his pack and slung it over the shoulder that didn't have his arrow case and swords strapped onto, starting off his early morning patrol by walking parallel to the canyon.

The yellow sun didn't match the yellow and browns of the dry rock, sand and shrubs of the Canyon high lands. The colors combined into strays of green from the other side of the ravine, one of the many forests leading into Renara, the nation of Earth. Luck was on his side, the wind blew with him; which it rarely did. The track along the borders was made easier by this, but also brought his scent ahead to potential monsters.

A few hours later and many more miles, having so far no commotion other than a few lost hyenas scavenging around, Harrier made his way to a small outpost to stop, rest and eat lunch. It was one of the few times that he did, because he mostly took his meals with him.
The sun high in the sky by the time he opened the wooden door, leading into the cool but sweaty room of the Rangers.

“Hail! Master A'Cal is here for a humble meal at the servant's table,” yelled one of the middle aged men; bringing up his tankard of watered down ale. Harrier grinned at the man and replied his own greeting, before taking a seat at the table across from him and matching 'hello's with faces.

Soon a friendly chatter began between him and a group of acquaintances, only pausing for Harrier to get his own meal and then continuing into the next hour.

“So how are the plains so far this fine morning?” Cadar, the man who first greeted Harrier asked.

“Very well, only a few hyenas needed a little coaxing to make their way in the other direction,” he replied, making a nudging motion with his elbow while holding a mug of cider to his lips.

One of the elder rangers who had been talking with him poked him in the side with his own elbow, “Coaxing, my dear boy? I'd be afraid if you hadn't run them out of the country. 'Haven't been around since your guardianship of the Crystal, how's it going for ya?”

“Good, good. I've learned to live with it well enough. Not that hard. The blasted thing even helps me out,” Harrier said distractedly, eying the outside world through a window.

I've got a feeling, he thought to himself.

He quickly stood up and made his way out the door, putting on his weapons and leaving his pack in his hurry. Harrier turned the opposite direction from the city and made his way down into the ravine; in that general direction there was a land slab called Ezera that held deadly caverns. And he had a bad feeling.

Exit- Harrier A'Cal  

[Black Claided Cat]

Enter- Alane Shoudue

Alane was adventurous.

Alane was free.

Alane was at the edge of a canyon.

Alane was on top of a dragon.

She peeked down over the edge, looking down to the far below.
“That's a long drop,” she said to the dark wyrum that she was mounted on. It gave a powerful snort, shaking the many bells and ornaments that was attached to the saddle, making a gentle 'tink'ing sound.

“Easy now, Maurik,” she said patting him, “we've done this once before. Now it's time to try it with a saddle, nice and controlled.”

For the past many fall, winter and spring months Alane was training the same particular wryum to be ridden; having learned that you can ride wild dragons for a short period of time before they cindered you off. It wasn't really training, it was more holding of for dear life while the wryum got use to your weight. Then the steering, then the saddle.

It was late afternoon, Alane just getting back from house work and making the trip to the forest edge of Tylem and retrieving Maurik. The sun glittered over the half green, half stone cliff side; reflecting yellow and heat. The pale sand color was a common sight for all of the canyonus land, the green forest from behind being a refreshing sight to behold.

She peeked over the edge one more time, before taking a big breath, making sure her items were secure and giving a click and, “Forward.”

The wyrum, Maurik, took a few steps before opening his wings and diving into the canyon below. It was quick, speedy and thrilling, the dive. But about half way down the canyon Alane took the reigns of the wryum harness and pulled right. She turned her weight with the dragon's to make a sharp turn and a few spins and loops.

“Goo-od boy,” she said, praising him. She patted him gently, still being in a forward to-point position in the saddle, having her body against the warm black scales. After a few more minutes of exercise, doing loops and going up and down the canyon, she dug her rear into the saddle and loosened the reigns.

“Raise,” Alane said, and a few seconds later Maurik's powerful wings pushed the sharp wind of the Pandemonia Canyons underneath them and propelled them upward.

Exit- Alane Shoudue