zenderael_rl | [EVENT]

Yeah, seriously, Ezra? Doing shit? Doing useful shit? It was hard to say who would be the last person to think he'd end up being one of the useful ones in all this, but Ezra himself was definitely on the list.

He could see it- well, see it in a metaphorical sense. (It was a wonder his glasses were still on, really.) The vertebrae was going to bring everything crashing down. He let himself get distracted by Rhys punching it in the back (man how cool was that OH WAIT shit shit dragon) and almost ended up getting flung aside. Arms up to form an X in front of his face, he only managed to get knocked back, as though the light within him refused to be moved any further by such an abherration. He growled, elbowing it in the snout, and the dragon cried out, angry.

But it was too late. The punch had reverberated through every joint and every bone, and the main reason it didn't lift its head again was because every bone fell seperately to the ground, the wings like tattered sails on the floor. He knew the pattern by now. Only a few seconds. He ran through the mess, to the center of it all, feeling out for that one piece- it practically screamed in his head, the source of darkness that kept this form moving.

Ezra grunted and brought the sword up, only to bring it down. As the sword dug itself in through the bone and the ice and the tile floor beneath it, the familiar white sigil of a disenchantment flared out around it, creating a pillar of light that shot through the ceiling, lifting several of the bones with it. Then it seemed to shatter like glass, and the "pieces" fell away and faded, harmless.

He waited, sword still stuck in the ground. And waited.

"...this... this is a good sign," he murmured, flexing his fingers around the hilt of the sword.

Was that it?

Roman waited for the dragon to make a comeback, but the fog faded, the temperature began climbing back up from its frigid current state, and the scattered bones vanished.

It was over.

He straightened, letting out a long, slow, heavy sigh.

He picked his way through the debris the fight had scattered to stand beside Ezra. He folded his arms and looked the kid over. "Spenta, right?" And then he threw a glance over his shoulder toward Rhys. "And he's the Ahura."

Ezra sighed too, taking a moment to relax before he yanked the longsword out of the ground, not as easy to do as it had been to drive it in. Adrenaline maybe. He rolled his shoulder, glancing aside as Nadir took out his phone with a curious look.

Roman said something, and Ezra looked back to him, eyes skimming over Rhys for just a second. Suddenly he recalled the whole of the situation and stiffened, not bothering to mask his distrust. Maybe a good thing he hadn't healed the rogue right away.

"...yeah," he said. Couldn't deny it with spirit armour on, could he? "Unless you want the old one. He's in the kitchen."

Despite the bravado, there was a green tinge to his face and he glanced aside. Nadir was texting something, an annoyed look on his face as he looked up to check something, but he could tell the spellsword's attention was on them also. "Okay, my turn. Two questions, right? Who are you, and what do you want?"

Rhys got himself up to join Ezra, but when he saw the X-DAV berserker, his pace quickened and his expression hardened into anger. He stopped beside Ezra and clenched his fits, falling back into a battle ready stance. Healing magic didn't heal the exhaustion from the battle, but the other berserker would be tired too, and Rhys wasn't about to let X-DAV have their way now that Ezra was involved.

The only thing that stopped him from moving his threat beyond a basic challenge was Ezra's choice to question the berserker. Rhys wanted those answers, too.

Roman looked them both over with a bland expression, registering their obvious hostility and considering his next move.

"Name's Roman," he answered, gaze falling on Ezra. He watched Rhys out of the corner of his eye. "What I want is to give you two the chance to go end that siege on Bastan."

Ezra, without thinking, had put a hand aside in front of Rhys, making sure to keep him back. He waited, patient but not at all pleased, for Roman's answer.

He blinked, confusion briefly flitting across his face. "You," he asked, "or X-DAV? 'Cause I already been jumped by greycloaks once. I dunno if I wanna try that trick again."

To end the siege... was that possible? His eyes flickered to Rhys, but the look didn't linger.

"Not that it matters where we are now though, right?" he continued. "So you guys set up the siege. Why d'you want us to end it?"

Rhys was reluctant to stand down, but with a glance to Ezra, he did. His eyes locked on Roman, expression only snapping out of anger for a flicker of surprise, then faded into to thoughtful.

The siege. He'd thought about his responsibility as the Ahura since it started. It wasn't something that was going to solve itself, and with characters becoming real, real people were dying from it.

He was thankful Ezra was here to ask questions, finding his eyes wandering to the floor in contemplation.

Roman sighed and shook his head. "You guys are giving X-DAV way too much fucking credit."

He looked up, letting his arms fall. "Listen. I have friends back there who are throwing themselves against those walls because they want you." He gave Rhys a pointed look. "I'm not interested in killing anybody or destroying anything. I'm a problem solver. This is a problem. I'm solving it."

"Then I'm hopin' you'll forgive us for bein' so fuckin' clueless," Ezra snapped, irritable, and reminiscient of a certain spellsword who watched from a distance. "I'm just goin' off of what I got. I'm sure your guild leader could say the same."

He fell into guarded thought, not trusting Roman, not exactly- he didn't want to think Roman had no feelings for his companions back in Zenderael, but he was still with X-DAV to some extent, and someone to be wary of.

"There's a lot of shit goin' on here. Dunno if I wanna risk leavin' here, either." Friends, of course, family, even Nadir... And all those other people. He could still see Ted Hutchins' face staring at nothing with blood pouring out of him. "So what're you proposin'? Will this go against their plans?"

Rhys flinched, looking back at Roman with unmistakable guilt.

Forget X-DAV. This was a berserker. Rhys was supposed to be the Ahura. He was a leader to a group that was fighting a futile war. This was part of the responsibility Nadir had told him about, and if Roman could help him, X-DAV or no...

Rhys strode across the distance between them, joining Roman at his side and half turning to give Ezra and apologetic look. He'd already made his decision, and was now waiting for Roman to explain the rest.

He watched the Ahura walk over to his side and gave him a small nod, of acknowledgment and thanks. His attention returned to Ezra.

"I'm pretty sure you think I'm just gonna tell you whatever you want to hear," Roman said. "So let's cut to the chase. If you feel even the slightest bit of responsibility toward the paladins fighting and dying in Bastan right now, you need to step up and do something about it. You need to go to Zenderael and fix it. That's what I'm proposing."

Omfg rhys you traitor!!

Ezra watched him take place beside Roman, and Ezra gave him a look that was... really, it was indescribable, containing bewilderment and anger and a pure forcing of silence to keep himself from yelling foul and murderous things. Instead he sighed, dismissing the spirit armor in the process. "Gimme a second," he said. He was as good as dead if anything happened now, without Rhys, so he trusted he could at least go over to Nadir without getting attacked. Passing by the table with Zale, he sent out another healing spell, tossing a peevish "you're welcome" at him as well.

It took a minute- it had to. Rhys, at least, had to realize the conflicts he was going through, even if he felt tge same for the paladin situation. Nadir, paused by a storage room door, conversed with him, quiet and intense, until both fell silent. Then Ezra returned, leaving the spellsword to bang onthe door once and proceed to open the thing by way of fire sword.

"How much time we got?"

Rhys winced with Ezra's reaction, but took it without looking away. He did understand the conflict. There was a lot to stay for, but Rhys couldn't act like he hadn't made this choice now that the consequences were staring him in the face.

There were other factors. If they did this, they might figure out more about the truth of what was happening, and that was something Rhys' friends could use. They wouldn't like it. Ezra didn't like it.

So when he returned with his question, Rhys straightened in surprise, looking back at Roman for the answer.

Edited 2012-07-14 05:27 (UTC)

Roman waited, arms folding again, tapping his foot. He watched Ezra talk to the spellsword and come back. Checked his watch, realized it had been broken in the fight, tried his phone instead, found that broken too.

When Ezra returned, he answered, "Probably not very long. There's a disturbance at ten that'll take you over if we can get there in time. Come on." He walked toward the front doors, still frozen over for now

No, Ezra didn't like it. He didn't. Nevermind that his stomach was already sore from being sick, it felt like it'd drop right out. He knew it when it'd happened but this, becoming the Spenta, it changed everything. He wished he could have had a little more time, at least. It was too soon, too soon...

"What about coming back?" he asked abruptly, looking around, avoiding Rhys' face. There wasn't anything else here for him. He paused and took out his phone to check the time, already moving, walking behind Roman without looking back to see Nadir opening the door with Duncan and Jordan stuck behind it, Gabe and Mal and Theresa crawling from the wreckage. He tried to control his hand from shaking while he looked at the phone. He sent off a message to Rebekah, his sister that he knew would check her phone the second she got the message and tell his mom, and he suddenly turned the screen off and turned.

"Kahil!"

Nadir turned from peeling back the door, then suddenly reached out to catch the phone Ezra tossed him.

"Field my calls!" he said, giving him a double thumbs up, before he turned back around. They would come back. Maybe- no, it was too easy, to say they'd be back soon, but he had to believe they'd come back eventually.

And hey. Maybe some of the others would follow. He'd just have to suppress the guilt at abandoning Nadir and his family a second time, but he could convince himself that it was for a good cause. A better cause.

A disturbance. Rhys followed, but his mind latched onto those words. It seemed likely Roman was going against X-DAV's wishes, but there may have been something valuable there. There wasn't time to debate it now. He reached into his pocket for his phone and checked for the time. The screen was cracked, but it still turned on.

Not much time at all. He had hoped for a little more.

Nothing for it. Rhys pocketed his phone and stepped ahead of Roman. He drew back his fist and launched a punch into the ice, sending webs of cracks along the surface. Without Kharveryos' influence, the temperature was beginning to return to normal, and there was no ice breath to replace the shattered chunks that Rhys broke away with his subsequent punches.

Roman didn't answer Ezra at first, waiting for him to run through his thoughts and final wrap-up instead.

The Ahura's initiative didn't surprise him. He expected it. He deferred to his leader's expertise and let him finish breaking the ice from the doors, and once they were clear, he shoved one open and led them out.

Once they were outside the doors, he finally looked to Ezra as he kept walking, leading them out of the culture center into the night outside. He answered, "It'll stop mattering eventually."

Ezra waited, knowing this was something he'd just get in the way trying to help with. He kept pace. He didn't ask any other questions, made no complaints. Just went. He didn't trust Roman, he was angry with Rhys, but if this was true, then he knew it was the right decision. Earth was not the place he and Rhys could make the best use of themselves.

He sideglanced at Roman. There was a long pause before he let his breath out slowly, almost audibly. Everything was quiet now- or maybe he'd been deafened inside. Somehow being outside at night didn't bother him as much. Being outside didn't bother him as much. But Roman's words deflated any sense of peace he was starting to garner from that.

"That's what I like to hear," he muttered. He looked down- he still had the longsword in his other hand. He kept forgetting it. He swallowed, then glanced to Rhys, then behind, half-expecting Jordan to come running after them.

"Any friendly advice?"

Rhys kept his eyes ahead, walking with purpose and only slowing to allow Roman in front to lead the way. If he felt conflicted about this decision, he wasn't letting it show now.

There was the urge to grab his phone and start texting those he would be leaving behind. Rhys wanted to trust Roman the berserker, but still was unsure about Roman the X-DAV employee. No texts. Not yet. His senses still needed to be alert for a possible ambush.

And he didn't know what it was he could even say to them.

Roman knew where they needed to be, but getting there in time might take some doing. As soon as he hit the street he set off at an easy run, glancing back to make sure the others followed. Two streets down, by the fountain with the beaver statues. He knew the way.

"Yeah," he said, between breaths. "Don't listen to a goddamn thing Queen Omid or King Aerveas tells you."

Time, time... ten o'clock was coming faster than it should. Part of him wanted to miss it. The other part smacked the first part aside. When Roman began to run, Ezra was almost ready for it, still managing to keep pace though he had no idea where they could be possibly going, not even needing any kind of help from his new powers. Years of biking everywhere had given him a shitton of stamina.

Still, even though it was night and the destination wasn't clear, he was recognizing the streets. Thrift shop down there, Darth Violinist busker over there, turn right and pass the pub with the tuesday night after 9 pm half off burger special (which he was actually kind of glad he wouldn't be indulging in anytime soon), and ahead he could see the familiar fountain in Lecourt park.

He shot Roman another look while they ran. The King and Queen?... "Why wouldn't I?" He'd have to deal with Omid, at least, going into Bastan.

That was another good question. "Where are we gonna come out?"

Rhys broke into a run after Roman. How far was this? It was no use asking. Was this a one time thing? He wasn't as familiar with Fall City as he should have been, glancing occasionally for landmarks. Would they matter, later?

Focus on running, he decided, and whether or not anything attacks on the way. He needed to get there with enough time.

"Fuck if I know," he answered. All he knew was when disturbances would happen and where they'd be on this side. Where that matched on the other side was a mystery; it seemed random.

He directed them to stand beside the statues of the beavers climbing in the fountain and he backed away to stand across the street. But he did answer the other question before he got too far. "They don't know shit about what's going on."

He stepped up onto the opposite sidewalk and went to check his watch again, sighing at the reminder that it was broken. Well, it was any second now, probably.

That's... not useful at all, Ezra thought to himself, suddenly feeling too tired to bother the other berserker with more inane comments like that. He took his place by one of the statues, found himself giving it a pat on the head as though it might make him feel better. It didn't.

They don't know shit... Ezra frowned again at Roman. He wasn't surprised by that, but... then, what did that mean? They'd try to manipulate him and Rhys? Or ... were they being manipulated? He didn't like either implication.

"Just so you know," he said to Rhys, "I threw up. A lot. I avenged you. Like, three times. Fuck your stomach."

Ezra had the right to be angry. Rhys took his place by the statue and gave the new Spenta a nervous grin. It was still surreal. They were doing this. They were going. At least he had Ezra with him.

He whipped out his phone. 9:59pm. He began texting furiously, heart quick and breath held. Jordan first, then Gabe, then--

He was in the middle of writing to Gabe when the world went out of focus. It wasn't unlike fainting. He felt heavy and weightless all at once, and then abruptly somewhere he didn't remember being once his senses returned to him. Except instead of that place being the floor, it was a different world entirely.

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zenpc - 2012-07-14 08:26 (UTC) - Expand

[EVENT] - Kharveryos

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