Author: FalseHope, Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2021 7:39 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Xeik was not prepared to die, and as luck would have it, the companions that had been there in the end weren’t going to let him. He was surprised when a tendril wrapped around him, and when it pulled him through the portal, he hit the ground hard. He laid there for a time, counting his blessings as the sounds of the temple crashing resonated around them, echoing for a moment before falling silent.

He slowly roused himself, checking himself over. Other than some minor cuts and bruises, he had made out quite well for what had just occurred. “Thank the gods,” he muttered, looking around. The blonde haired woman had asked how everyone was, signaling that she herself seemed not to need emergency aid.

One good thing, he thought to himself. The fae woman looked to be in worse shape, and from what Xeik could see using his gifted powers from Angela, her hands were quite badly damaged. His temporary fix must have worn off by now, and she was probably feeling the pain, though her face gave nothing away if she was.

“Fine here,” he said, glancing back at where the great temple once was. He could still hear the dragons fighting, having taken their battle to the skies. “I can contact Lady Angela, but I’m not sure if her power will reach here. It’s worth a shot, though…but I don’t think I can reach her in time. It may be a lost cause…”

As the third and last companion said his goodbyes, he promptly walked into a doorway, and vanished. At this point, Xeik just rolled his eyes, and sighed. “Sure…just cause a bunch of problems and then ditch us…” The Divine Mender huffed, and crossed his arms. “Let’s see…best way to get a hold of her…I wonder if she’s watching now…”

He slammed his foot into the ground, and pointed to the sky, “Hey Angela!? Are you listening!? Can you fix the Prison of Howling Gales? And quick!? If we don’t, I doubt we can help any more!” His voice echoed in the sky.

“Well…hope she’s listening…”

At once, there was a powerful gust of wind, and mana flooded the air. The powerful energies flowed through the wilds and towards the remains of the temple, and a voice echoed around Xeik.

“Fine. But if I’m doing this, you’re taking Raine to the market once this is over,” Angela’s voice resonated. Xeik groaned as the prison started to reconstruct itself, spiraling back into the heavens.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I…”

Author: Hermennia, Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2021 2:52 AM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Large twisting vines sprang up with the intent to drag Hermennia and the others to safety. The masked man watched as the others were brought to immediate safety and the organic tendrils swiftly crept up to Hermennia and made an attempt to grab hold of him, but they phased through him as if he was a phantom. He entered the portal himself before allowing the portal to collapse onto itself in a bright flash of blue light. Hermennia looked off into the distance, spotting the floating island in flames and falling from the sky. The titan dragons looking nothing more than silhouettes at their distance, but their destructive power could still be felt.

The temple prison finally met the earth, sending a large shockwave, enough to destroy parts of buildings, and at their distance, knock someone off their feet, the crash site was near a small but prosperous fishing village, and the dragons rose into the air, and took their battle airborne.

 “What we did up there wouldn’t have mattered in the long run, the dragon’s brethren would have arrived either way. We can be thankful that we departed alive, and mostly in one piece.” He reassured the others with a confidence in his voice, attempting to squash any guilt the others might have for something they had no control over.

As he spoke, a doorway, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared behind him and began to knock. Hermennia knew exactly what was going to happen. He sighed and bid farewell as he approached the door. He turned the handle, and was met with a dark hall, which he entered. The doorway remained, and if it were to be opened, one would find that it would lead to nowhere.

Author: Ciara, Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:15 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Just as she was about to reach her limit, the masked stranger helped keep the portal open and gave a bit of health assistance. Ciara had half a mind to give him a good beating after this was all over for causing this mess in the first place. But since he was the only thing keeping the portal open, that would simply have to wait. Before she had the chance to move towards the portal, her attention was caught by the three dragons who had collided. Each one of them released a powerful elemental blast and sent a powerful beam of pure mana forming that came crashing down, slamming onto the platform. A crack pierced the air as the land underneath them gave way. Eyes wide with shock, she couldn't even say a word as she began to fall when suddenly vines created by Chrys wrapped around her and pulled into the portal, far and safe away from the falling island. 

When she touched the ground, she clung to it for a few moments. Eventually the fae woman pushed herself to her feet and watched as the prison in the distance fell apart. If they had stayed for one more second… The woman pushed the thought out of her mind and looked down towards her hands. They were still fairly damaged, as even magic couldn't rush the healing process but were still functional. It helped when she wasn't forcing magic through them. Her injuries would heal in time, it was the destroyed prison she was more concerned about. 

"I'm fine." She responded to Chrys, "I don't suppose either of you two are in contact with a godly architect?" 

The three dragons were still fighting each other, but the pace of the battle seemed to slow down, as though even the dragons were getting tired of fighting. They still kept the battle going but they were using considerably less magic and causing less damage than before. Ciara realized that when others got word of what happened, she and the rest of them would probably get the brunt of the blame. 

"We came here to save the world." She said with a small frown, "It seems we might have just helped end it." 

Author: Chrysanthe, Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:32 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

There wasn't much time. The floating island was starting to break with the dragons thrashing about. Zao being the largest dragon out of the three was causing most of the destruction as he slammed into and against the others. Explosions and roars rang in her ears as tremors quaked throughout the shattered prison. It was one thing to experience an earthquake, but feeling it in your bones–that was something else. When the portal was finally open, Chrys cast one final spell. Vines reached out to grasp those closest to her as she made the charge to solid ground. The first was Ciara, then the dark-haired young man who had been trying to keep them covered as the sky island was listing, and last was the masked figure. As the vines half-dragged everyone else through, the Rosenite tripped forward, welcomed by the sweet smell of the earth. The portal didn't last long once the caster was on the other side, and the chaotic elemental energies were finally silenced as the gateway flickered out of existence. 

Lying on her back and breathing hard, Chrys covered her eyes with her arm as her ears got used to the new surroundings. The vines she had used as a last-ditch tether receded, and the adrenaline shock wore off. Far in the distance there was the sound of something great crashing into the earth with a rumbling echo. The screeches and bellows of the dragons were audible but faint, like the nightmare they had narrowly escaped from was far away. But now they were faced with a new problem: one of the ancient temples was now completely destroyed. Gathering of mana here was now impossible unless a similar set up like the Prison of Howling Gales was recreated. Now divine intervention could not be avoided. As she caught her breath, she wondered if the same thing had happened millennia ago–when Onnen's gods still walked the earth. The ancient magic that had kept the land aloft for ages would have to be used again, unless the dragons were killed. 

But was that truly possible? Seeing each one up close made any courage a person had evaporate. Not even the dragons of the world wanted to get involved with the elder drakes. Sitting up, she wearily looked up at the temporarily calm skies. "We should start spreading the word that one of the temples has fallen." Once that was done, the next thing would be to find a solution to the current turn of events. "How's everybody?" She asked hesitantly. In the pandemonium she had grabbed whoever was nearby, but she didn't have the time to check on their condition. 

Author: FalseHope, Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2021 6:32 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

It was complete and utter madness what was happening. Xeik could barely follow all of the chaos that was happening. Whether it was sheer luck, or a twist of fate, he managed to gather with the others who were desperately trying to open a portal to escape. The gathering of mana had become impossible here.

At least two of them are here. Maybe others can gather mana safely. It was one silver lining to it all, if one could even call it that. With the two dragons fighting for supremacy, this was the perfect chance to escape. Sure, there was a high probability they would all die a horrible death, but at least they would die for the greater good of the world.

Xeik readied the sands he had to reinforce the barrier that the blond woman put up. “Just hurry! We’ll do what we can!” Not that their magic was really enough to stop the dragons rampage. But then, against all odds, things hit a new bottom. The Divine Mender felt it before he saw it, the intense presence of the third primordial dragon off in the distance. The heat alone was enough to start melting the rime that had formed at the edge of the temple where Zao approached.

“This can’t be happening,” Xeik said in complete shock. As Zao landed, he felt the temple base beneath him shudder. It wasn’t going to hold at this rate. He turned to the fae woman, his eyes wide. “How far are you along with that!? Hurry!” It was rare for him to panic, but this was a rare event indeed.

The dragons began to fight each other as each one landed onto the floating platform. It was an all out free for all. Zao raged, roaring as lava spewed forth from it’s great maw, trying to coat Roarik. The serpentine dragon coiled around the attack, and wrapped itself around the lava dragon, attempting to subdue it by crushing him. Taking advantage of this, if not infuriated by the lack of interaction, launched a bolt of lighting directly at them both, which crashed against their scales and shook the platform. Chunks started to fall. The magic keeping the place floating was failing.

Xeik heard the fae scream, and he turned to see the portal open. The other man, who had enraged Etanu earlier, was here now, forcing the portal to stay open. Good. At least you’re useful for something now. He turned his attention back to the dragons. “Oh shi-”

Raorik was still wrapped around Zao, but the lava dragon was already pushing against the coil, tearing the other dragon off of it. Etanu launched himself at the pair, and the three dragons collided. At once, all of them let loose an elemental blast from their mouths, a furious beam of pure mana forming as it came crashing down, slamming into the platform. That was all it took for the ground beneath them all to shatter, and the spell that kept the temple floating broke.

Author: Hermennia, Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2021 5:50 AM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Etanu’s bindings withdrew as the serpent sensed the presence of its draconic brothers, it snapped out of its state of sloth and arose to the skies.

The serpent’s brethren arrived, bringing with them destruction as they encroached on Etanu’s territory. Electricity filled the air. Hot winds blew as Zao’s flames engulfed the sky, tinting it a burning orange that bounced off the ice that coated the temple’s stone floors. The primordial beings displayed their might against one another, their attacks against the other leaving deep, large wounds.

 Hermennia prepared to extract himself from the location, but before he did so, he glanced at his group and saw the distress and desperation in the others. He felt hesitant to leave on his own and acknowledged the fact that what he had done endangered everyone, and even caused harm to another, and usually he would not care, but for the first time, he felt a bit of remorse for his actions. He reeled away from the darkness and swiftly approached the group. His body tired, but willing to aid.

The cloaked figure approached the Fae spellcaster and put his cold gloved hand on her shoulder. “You’re bleeding. Rest.” He spoke as tendrils rose from the portal and began to force it to open wider. “You could consider this an apology of sorts.” The tentacles slowly tore the portal open, revealing more and more of the ground below. Sparkling lights surrounded them and any injuries they may have sustained would be slowly healed, if at the very least, the pain would be eased.

“You go first” Hermennia said to Ciara, attempting to hide the strain in his voice. “Then you two will be able to jump in together.” He turned to the blonde girl and the healer. “I will keep this portal open, it’s the least I can do, after all” The battle above raged on, as one dragon did not outmatch the other, the ice and frost Raorik commanded would struggle for dominance with Zao’s flames, and Etanu’s behavior became more and more unpredictable.

Lightning struck and the island’s balance shifted and lava slowly crept towards their position, they don’t have much time left.

Author: Ciara, Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 4:11 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

The foolish masked mage claimed that his powers would be able to hold the dragon for the next five hours. His magic was strong, that much was certain, but Etanu was stronger. If the gods themselves struggled to take down these dragons, then their group couldn't hold a candle to them. These were the dragons who made empires crumbled and slayed old powerful mages as easily as swatting flies. A few magical spells from them wouldn't do much. Ciara couldn't feel the full strength of the dragon but she had enough common sense to recognize they weren't enough. 

Streaks of lightning pierced the sky and electricity danced in the air. The temple shook then shattered into a million pieces. Ciara moved quickly, able to dodge the larger pieces and avoiding certain death. Pain spread through her body as she looked at herself to find bleeding cuts from smaller stones covering her body. Dust filled the air, causing her to tighten her throat to prevent a coughing fit. She glanced towards her portal only to find that it closed up when she stopped focusing on it. The fae woman muttered a thousand curses only to stop when she felt the presence of another creature, something of equal strength to Etanu. Her eyes widened in terror when she realized who was coming. 

"Roarik." She said quietly, barely above a whisper. 

The blonde girl from earlier ran over to Ciara and held up a wall of earth, successfully blocking shards of ice that would have killed her. Magic danced in the air as the two dragons attacked each other relentlessly. The clouds in the sky blocked out all the light of the sun while the winds began to pick up. Before, Etanu was just messing around. Now this was becoming serious. Ciara had witnessed the damage in other parts of Revaliir caused by these monstrosities. She had no intention of getting caught up in the fire between the fights. 

"Yes. But I'll be unable to defend myself. I'll be relying on you two entirely." 

Her shaky voice said those words but an uncertainty laid in her eyes. A fear of the monsters and the death that they would bring. Pressing her hands on the stone ground, she began humming as a way to calm herself down. The circle of magic began to reopen on the ground, a small circle the size of a pea. If her hands hadn't been injured, this would have been a fast spell. Her humming stopped as she let out a small screech of pain the portal was forced to open faster and wider before. Blood dripped from her fingertips and she felt the pain spread from her hands to her entire body. Rushing a spell was dangerous but it was the only thing she could do to speed up the process. 

A loud howling roar silenced the other two dragons as another massive presence was felt. Ciara shut her eyes, choosing to pretend there was nothing else in the world, trying to separate herself in concentration. She knew who this was. That legendary lava dragon soared above them and landed, a few inches away from where they were standing. They were so small in comparison to the elder dragons that they were the size of ants. Zao had a coating thick black scales with a few red cracks, showing the flames and lava underneath the scales. His strength was slower than the others but what he lacked in speed he made up with raw unbridled strength. 

A sharp sound pierced the air when Zao landed on the island. With the massive amounts of magic, elemental attacks, and the weight of three elder dragons, the floating island was cracking. Panic struck her mind at every movement but all she allowed herself focus on was the portal. With a final shove of magic through her body, the portal opened once more revealing the ground near the floating island. It was enough of a distance where they could run away on solid ground. Tears fell from her face as she gasped for air. The pain was suffocating. 

"GET IN THE PORTAL!" She screamed at the top of her lungs to the others. 

The wind was as fierce as a thousand daggers, carrying the flames and ice attacks like some horrible elemental storm. Lava erupted from Zao's mouth, directed towards the other two. They both dodged out of the way and attacked Zao with their ice and lightning, all which struck his incredibly thick scales. Etanu attacked randomly while Roarik tactically and Zao was just spewing as much lava and fire as possible. 

Author: Chrysanthe, Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:49 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Five hours wouldn't be enough seeing the situation had escalated faster than they could imagine. So far they had been lucky that they were only dealing with one of the three primordial dragons–but now they were attempting to invade each others' territory. As an apex predator, there was a reason why most dragons lived in solitude unless it was for mating. And the bigger the predator, the less willing they'd be to share the same space. When Chrys felt a chill come over her, she initially thought it was the fear kicking in. The world exploded, sending her to the ground with her ears ringing. She had been running after the azure-haired woman earlier, but Etanu was now laying waste to what was left of the temple. The one who prodded the beast into a fury was nowhere to be seen, and she was wondering what that person had even tried to do. They needed to get out now or they'd all be dead waiting for the next group to come and reclaim them…if that group ever arrived. The bellow of a new beast on the horizon took the feathered dragon's attention away from frying them with lightning, but then hailstones the size of boulders began to fall.

"Raorik." Chrys gasped as she fought off the incoming cold. While it didn't make things any better, at least it wasn't Zao. Fire and lightning were downright lethal together. If it was ice, at least she could use the earth to shield them from being hit. From what she had heard, Raorik was a cunning and cruel dragon–preferring to toy with its prey before crushing it. Strategy-wise, Raorik could definitely out-maneuver Etanu as the lightning dragon didn't really act with any sort of planning. Finally reaching Ciara, she quickly raised up a wall of earth to act as a barrier from the elemental strikes being thrown around the floating prison. Most of their cover was gone, so this was the best she could do at this moment. Peering out she looked to see if she could spot the dark-haired young man nearby. The person who started this mess might be too far away, but they had to try to escape with as many people in tow before they were buried alive. 

Raorik was a a sleek drake with fin like protrusions all along its body. Its wings were more like large jointed fins and its body was suited for deep water. A howling shriek from the primordial ice dragon coated the entire temple in a layer of rime, making running difficult. Etanu was having difficulty getting traction and Raorik took advantage of that to dive onto the rainbow feathered serpent from above. Etanu retaliated by giving its opponent a face-full of lightning, dragging its enemy onto the ruined temple grounds. The smell of something being singed made the Rosenite gag due to how strong it was. The sheer cold was making her fingers numb; using her Terrene crossbow would be impossible now. "Are you still able to cast? We don't have much time!" She said to the lady. The woman was hurt badly, but she was their only means of leaving this island prison before they would have to jump as a last resort. 

Author: FalseHope, Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:09 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Xeik could feel the powerful mana flowing from the brazen man who had faced down Etanu. The spells that he used to try and immobilize the dragon were impressive, but not enough, The healer could see it, even if the others could not. During his extensive training as a Champion of Life and Love, he had learned to read the mana of many creatures, and see the life force of the world. And what he was seeing from Etanu was terrifying. The adventurer had no idea what he was up against.

The mana flowing through Etanu focused at its center. At first, it seemed to compress itself, getting smaller, tighter. And from what Xeik could see, it started to glow bright.

“Not good,” Xeik yelled as he skid to a halt. “What the hell is it trying to do!?” The energy inside of Etanu exploded outward, and lightning followed. Streaks of it erupted from Etanu in all directions, shattering parts of the great temple that used to house it, leveling most of the entire temple itself. The stone structures collapsed all around, forcing Xeik to use the sands he had to protect himself, throwing off the larger chunks.

Etanu was furious now, and let out another sky shattering roar. There was nowhere else to hide. Its eyes trained on those who dared to enter its domain, and it opened its great maw, preparing another powerful blast of lightning. Xeik raised his hands. There was one benefit to having nowhere to hide: he could access most of the sands that he had scattered. He could only pray it was enough to block a hit from Etanu….

But the attack never came. Both Xeik and the dragon felt it first. Another presence coming in fast.

“No…no no no…” Xeik looked off in the distance, his eyes widening with fear. “You can’t be serious…” As lightning cascaded through the skies, a luminous blue beast could be seen sliding through the air. Despite the earlier heat from the lightning, Xeik could feel the temperature around them plummeting. His breath was visible as frost started to spread across the remains of the temple.

Etanu turned to see the next dragon, and without warning ford off a shot of lightning. The primal dragon in the distance weaved through the clouds, narrowly missing the blast, and sent a frigid response. Etanu took the hit dead on, unprepared. The icy magic shook the temple, and sent out a wave of ice around Etanu.

“We might be in luck,” Xeik said to himself. “If they focus on each other, we might be able to-: Etanu let out a roar, shattering the ice around him, sending chunks of it flying. A rather large one landed close to Xeik, and it was big enough to have flattened the poor healer. “Or they’ll just kill us in the crossfire…”

Things had definitely gone from bad to worse.

Author: Hermennia, Posted: Fri Jan 8, 2021 10:31 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Etanu snapped out of the trance, and it wasn’t long before it began to beat its wings, roaring winds filled the temple, as the serpent began to move more violently, electrifying the air, and it risked throwing all of them off the floating island with its beating wings. Hermennia reacted quickly, reinforcing his footing, while being slightly pushed back by the winds. He could hear the others calling for him to the portal, but he wouldn’t back out. With a snap of 2 fingers and a silent incantation, the serpent’s flapping wings abruptly stopped, the roaring winds calmed, and Etanu came crashing down onto the temple ceiling. Hermennia had cast a paralysis spell on Etanu’s wings.

As Etanu fell, the preserver inched forward, leading with his right foot, with another silent incantation. The overwhelming feeling of laziness struck Etanu as its serpentine body struck the marble and stone flooring. Hermennia moved forward, following with his left foot, performing strange hand gestures. The serpent’s body suddenly felt weaker, and it felt its essence being drained and the potent electric magic that filled the air dissipated slowly. Its mind dulled.

Giant plant-like tendrils rose from the ground and wrapped themselves around the serpent’s body, restrained its movement, and similar tendrils, ethereal in nature, materialized and coiled themselves around the dragon’s neck and tail. With every spell Hermennia cast, the dragon was nearly completely immobilized, albeit temporarily. And Hermennia faced the other adventurers, his voice heavily strained and exhausted. “It.. should be safe for now, and you can.. continue gathering the mana.” The cloaked figure knelt down and gathered a sample of the dragon’s scales and feathers. “The series of spells I cast.. should immobilize Etanu for 5 hours, maximum.. That should be… more than enough time… to do whatever it is you came here to do.” He excused himself and retreated to the shadows, to both rest and gather mana on his own.

Author: FalseHope, Posted: Tue Jan 5, 2021 9:55 AM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

As Xeik and the blonde interacted, it was apparent that they had an idea to help with the runes, something to keep them from being blown away. It was an obvious solution, and one that the healer should have been able to come up with, but given the scenario and what they were facing, he had to give himself a little room for mistakes. That being said, he felt something off, and before he could really understand what, and why he felt off, the result was made known.

Xeik knew of a few people who would face down a dragon single handedly. One of them was a dragon, so it made sense. The other was a nigh unbreakable idiot, but he wasn’t here. So whoever had decided that it was a good idea to try and fight Etanu head on was either incredibly powerful, or incredibly stupid. After living with Angela for so long, and having healed many a foolish warrior, he assumed the latter. While it seemed to be caught off guard from the initial assault, it retailated quickly, and what little Xeik had fixed of the sand runes were immediately blown away.

At this point, Xeik had given up on stealth, and used what little control over wind he was granted with Ixentus to recover the sands around him. It was barely enough to fill a fourth of the bag, but it was better than nothing. Angela might kill me for losing so much… He only hoped that he could find the rest of it if they survived.

“Any ideas on an escape plan!?” Xeik yelled over the now roaring winds. He was still trying to use the magical bands to lessen the impact, but as Etanu’s anger grew, so did its power. The fae woman seemed to ignore the question, and bolted off as if she had some idea of how to escape, leaving the others behind. “Oh just great….” Xeik was trying to think. A portal was no good, as it required the sands. He could possibly jump, but that didn’t account for the others, and what kind of Champion would he be if he just abandoned those in need? Besides, the Guardian Rings were strong, but he doubted they would guarantee survival from this height.

What was a surprise, though, was that the fae woman was trying to open a gate. Perhaps they had a change of heart? Xeik ran towards her, noting her wounds. The mana backlash from Etanu had wounded her earlier, and it was proving an obstacle in casting. Xeik knelt down next to her, raising his hands. “Stay still!” he called out over the blasts of wind. Even without the sands, he could manage this.

The mana veins are burnt out. Not much I can do to fix them, but… he closed his eyes, and saw the flow of magic through Ciara. It was in her hands and wrists that the flow of mana was restricted, and it was here that he worked his magic. A temporary fix, a magical bypass of sorts using mana resistant spells.

“It won’t last for long, maybe twenty minutes at best. You’ll have full access to magic, but it’ll hurt like hell. Not much I can do about the pain.” Still, even with the work he had done, she managed to have the portal open just wide enough for one. He looked to the other traveler, and nodded.

“You first!” Xeik yelled. He looked towards the one who had angered Etanu, and sighed. “Just keep the portal open!” With that, he ran headfirst into danger. After all, all life was precious…even if they did piss of a primal dragon.

Author: Ciara, Posted: Mon Jan 4, 2021 2:00 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Etanu would see them as nothing more than ants on a pavement, this Ciara knew. Dragons in general were prideful and wouldn't bother with those they saw as lesser beings, no matter how evil or mad they may be. To someone like him, they must all be inconsequential at best. As long as nobody attacked or messed with the dragon, he would most likely ignore them and fly off to fight his siblings again. Ciara raised up her hands and continued harvesting mana. There wasn't a lot of time and if they made any sudden moves or disturbances, it might catch the attention of Etanu. Luckily few people would be so stupid as to try to attack-

The sound of an ear-shattering scream pierced the air, proving to Ciara that there were such idiotic people in the world. The masked stranger had made the foolish decision to attack the dragon while it was in the temple. As the giant dragon prepared its first attack, the air was filled with electric magic, effectively blocking the ability to harvest mana without getting electrocuted. Ciara felt a zap and quickly drew back her hands, seeing them burnt and damaged. She looked to the blonde and dark haired-man and noticed both their looks of terror. At least some people were able to understand the danger. 

The fae woman bolted towards the entrance and didn't even wait to see what the others would do. The large doors to the temple were already opened. She dashed out them and into the courtyard that led a massive drop. Ciara had forgotten about one thing. They were on a floating island in the sky! Kneeling to the ground, Ciara quickly began trying to cast a portal spell that would be large enough for all three of them to fit into. That stranger that had caused this whole mess would have to find his own way off the island. A small magical circle began opening but she was unable to make it open further. Her hands were still damaged from the earlier electrocution. 

"You two!" She called out to Xeix and Chrys, "I need a bandage or something. NOW!"

If she could get a bandage or something to help with the injuries, she would be able to push through the spell easier. The portal began opening, revealing a spot on the ground where it would be safe. The portal became large enough for a person to squeeze through. Clouds gathered in the sky as the wind blew harshly. If she didn't hurry, they all would be blown off of the temple by the winds. At the other end of the portal was the ground, a distance away from the temple.

"One of you go through already!" She insisted. 

Meanwhile, back inside the temple with the dragon, a storm had grown around the dragon. Etanu sent a wave of electricity into the room, enough to electrocute anybody remaining and dealing massive amounts of damage. Even Ciara, who was outside in the courtyard, could feel its power. Even if she combined her powers with everybody else and multiplied it by a thousand, they still would barely make a scratch on the dragon. That was how powerful this creature truly was. If the gods themselves couldn't simply take down these monsters, then they stood no chance. 

Author: Chrysanthe, Posted: Mon Jan 4, 2021 12:10 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

The sand she was looking at suddenly began to move, and created a shape in the air. The power she had felt from it was slightly different this time, and she noticed she wasn't alone. A dark-haired young man about her age was looking her way, and she figured he might have something to do with it. Gathering mana here would be easier said than done. Another lady was here too, with blue hair and exotic clothes. Approaching the cloak in her hand, she saw the note and gave the lady a nod of acknowledgment. Hopefully they wouldn't need to use it. Fighting in here was a bad idea. Even with her crossbow, a dragon of that size wouldn't go down easily. There was the problem of its aerial advantage too. Escaping would be difficult to say the least. Seeing the runes created by sand, Chrys had an idea. Manipulating the stone of the temple, she elevated a small portion of it around the shape formed from sand to create a raised edge. It wouldn't prevent a vortex from taking the sand away, but it could at least protect the rune from being blown away by the wind. Her satisfaction in doing her part to help others like her who had braved the temple's dangers immediately wilted when she heard Etanu scream again–this time with anger.

She turned to see a person she hadn't noticed before casting a spell in an attempt to attack the elder dragon. While she was no stranger to impending danger, Chrys screamed mentally as she saw what the person was doing. The dragon had just returned and probably would have left to go back to terrorizing the land below if they had waited. But now somebody was trying to fight the massive drake in the temple itself! Just one blast from Etanu alone could char a body beyond hope and it would take Lady Angela herself to resurrect someone from that. And what if the dragon damaged the temple even further in the battle? The ancient prison at least could provide cover and places to hide for those who had come to restore its power. Throwing a look of terror at the dark-haired man and the azure-haired lady, her face said it all. "We need to get out of here, now!" 

Etanu by all intents and purposes, was mad in more ways than one. While the spells damaging the radiant feathered serpent were inconsequential, it was overreacting to the slightest amount of pain. Whatever stupor it had fallen into was shattered when the dragon began to send blasts of wind throughout the temple by beating its wings and conjuring up a frightening maelstrom above the broken Prison of Howling Gales. Thunder boomed as the tell-tale whistle of the incoming lightning strikes warned everyone to evacuate out of harm's way. And last but not least, Etanu reared its head to the skies letting out a deafening, high-pitched shriek. 

Author: Hermennia, Posted: Mon Jan 4, 2021 10:29 AM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

The dragon’s screech thundered throughout the empty temple as it landed and coiled its body. The sun shone through the darkened clouds and struck the dragon’s shining scales, the light bouncing off and filling the surroundings with a beautiful spectrum of colored light.

The scales themselves appeared sturdy and in the mesmerizing mess of colors, the already small gaps in the dragon’s impenetrable armor were well hidden. Hermennia stepped forth from the shadows into the colorful light, his footsteps loud and ominous. As he confidently approached the large dragon, he took a quick glance at the other adventurers that were with him.

“Three adventurers, lightly armed, little to no armor.” He thought to himself as he analyzed the impromptu adventuring group that were with him inside the temple.

He walked closer to the gigantic serpent as the clouds overhead darkened, blocking out the sunlight, and the radiant lights dimmed. The dragon reared its head. Their presence was known, and the dragon, furious. Etanu screeched, yet Hermennia stood his ground. Translucent blue arrows began to materialize around Etanu’s body, hovering. They pierced the dragon’s exposed flesh between the shining scales like needles. The more Etanu moved, the deeper the arrows would pierce. Electricity ran through the dragon as it uncoiled its body, dwarfing all four of the adventurers in size

Its scales began to fall from its body like rain, and even more spectral arrows appeared to accommodate for the newly exposed flesh. He held his hands out as he twisted the shadows to his will. Several humanoid figures arose from the darkness and began to move in a pattern around Etanu.

The dragon’s attempts to strike these figures would prove fruitless, burning balls of fire and freezing frost were hurled at the dragon from different positions to disorient it and positively charged lightning balls hovered to attract stray bursts of electricity away from Hermennia and his companions.

“I.. suggest that you… begin collecting.. I.. can’t keep this up… for much longer” Hermennia broke his silence, his voice strained, casting a multitude of small spells would normally be easy, but keeping them active is physically taxing, even for a master spellcaster.

None of the spells Hermennia are casting would harm the dragon in any meaningful way, but it proved effective as a distraction and to take the heat off his companions as they gathered mana. Etanu’s movements became less erratic and more rhythmic as if in a strange dance, Hermennia’s hands moved as if he was puppeteering the dragon itself, as it became more and more disoriented.

Author: FalseHope, Posted: Sun Jan 3, 2021 5:27 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

With the magnificent dragon landing, Xeik was at a terrible disadvantage now. Not only were his sand runes knocked out of synch, but he had little hope of fighting the dragon head on. Given a quick thought, he wasn’t sure anyone could face the dragon head on in a fight, but that wasn’t something he could really focus the time or effort on figuring out. All he knew was that the dragon was either too preoccupied with something else, or didn’t seem to care that there were now three intruders in its domain. Regardless of the reasoning, Xeik had to move.

Normally, the healer would use Ixentus and the power of its wind magic to correct his runes, but the temple was not designed to let the winds flow easily through it, and the focus and power that it required would take far too much time to really be of any use. Besides that, the use of magic, even if in a relic, might set off the dragon. There was no way of knowing if Etanu was in tune with nature like that.

Still, he had to do something. He thought quickly, and determined that, at the worst he needed to use a little magic. Ixentus mixed with the Divine Sands. Just enough to reform some of the runes. Hopefully the primal dragon would not notice, or better yet, might get bored and leave. But what does one with all that power really want?

He started to walk back the path that he had made to the center of the temple, letting the bracelets around his wrists flow with half mana, whipping up small gusts to correct the sand runes he had made. It was here that he noticed to others who had come to aid in gathering mana to correct the world.

Damn it. Of all the times…if something happens, I doubt I can protect them. He frowned. The way that they were acting meant they knew well the danger they were in. That was when he noticed the sand in the blond one’s hands. He whipped up a small batch from the ground nearby, and it formed an aerial rune.

This is for runes. Leave it be, please… He settled the rune back to the ground, his eyes locked with hers to try and get her to understand. There was another crash in the sky as Etanu roared again, and Xei winced, his hands covering his ears. By the time I fix these runes, they’re just going to get messed up again. There’s got to be a better way to do this.

Author: Ciara, Posted: Sun Jan 3, 2021 12:42 AM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Revaliir was in a state of chaos. A cruel chaos that only focused on destruction, not the kind that Ciara usually enjoyed. She had arrived at the abandoned island and sought to do her part in harvesting the mana. General fighting was out of her realm of expertise but when it came to mana and the use of mana, she regarded herself a professional. She stepped further into the temple when she heard a massive roar that shook the entire structure, causing Ciara to fall to her knees. Her eyes widened as she realized the dragon had returned home. Ciara was one of the corners when she noticed another stranger. Two strangers in fact and both were human. 

She made her way towards one of them, a girl with blonde hair, and decided to follow her lead. As she walked, she focused half of her energy on picking up the mana remnants that still lingered in the walls of the prison. Ciara could feel the magic tingle through her spine as she began harvesting the mana. The dragon hadn't noticed any of them yet, either because they were too small to see or too insignificant to draw attention. The fae woman knew if the dragon chose to attack, they would be screwed. Especially her, who could withstand a hit as much as a rabbit could. 

Her main defense was dodging and evasion. But in a closed room such as the temple with a massive creature, that technique would only do her so much. The girl in front of her seemed to be following the quiet and avoid strategy and held weapons. Perfect. With a quiet spell, Ciara managed to summon an old tattered cloak with the ability to turn the wearer invisible. She stepped towards Chrys and held out the cloak towards the girl. There was a small note on the cloak that read -invisible- to indicate what it was. The gift was not from any kindness but a practically realization that if they needed to fight, having an invisible person with actual weapons seemed like the best idea.

Author: Chrysanthe, Posted: Sat Jan 2, 2021 8:02 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

The storm had arrived. Like a flash flood, by the time Onnen realized what was going on it had been too late. When she went to help a village on the Sandawe that had been torched by natural disasters, the reports from the survivors were horrifying. It had been a calm, clear day without a cloud in the sky. Then–whistling filled the skies as lightning fell to the ground. Bolts of electricity blasted the earth, leaving behind blackened scars and charred craters of what had once been. And the other two continents were being hit by the chaos of other elemental storms as well. Sularia was being blanketed by sleet and ice, the seas surrounding Itjivut were too turbulent to navigate, and Parvpora now had an ash cloud blotting out the skies. While the other two elder dragons were asserting their dominance over their respective areas, Etanu's behavior was downright erratic. The feathered serpent was destroying anything and everything it could without a reason. Mountains, the open plains, and villages–you name it. One thing all reports of the dragon had in common was the screeching sound that came before the strikes.

It was too dangerous to fly over Onnen with the primordial dragon on a rampage, but thanks to the wind barrier being lifted it was easier to reach if you were lucky. The closer she got to the temple that had been Etanu's prison, the more she could feel static electricity build up on her skin. She found some rubble that had a strange energy radiating from them, something old. It was stronger than the ambient feeling she was sensing from the temple itself. Pocketing a sample, she planned to bring it back to show her mother and other mages in Arri. As she prepared to leave, she felt a breeze that began to grow steadily stronger. A sharp whistling sound was getting louder and louder followed by a loud screech. "Oh no..don't tell me it's-" Her grey-blue eyes went wide as she quickly crouched down, covering her ears with her hands. 

A massive rainbow-feathered serpent crashed landed in the open area of the temple where the roof had caved once the ancient primal magic had come undone. Its plumage and scales were iridescent, beautiful and striking. It would've been a wonderful sight to behold if it were a statue or a painting. Blowing steam from its nostrils, the lightning dragon raised its head to the sky and let out an ear-grating scream, breathing out torrents of electricity. The scream then died down into a maniacal cackle as it took a short break from its new reign of terror. Fortunately for Chrys and anybody else in the former elemental prison, this dragon didn't seem aware of their presence. Was it oblivious or did it just not care? She wasn't planning on staying to find out. Carefully she began to creep towards the way she had come in, laying low and avoiding making too much noise. Getting in a fight here would mean death, and it was a long way down.

As she walked, she noticed sand that had gotten into the nooks and crannies. That was strange; this place was too high up for the winds to carry this much from the coastline. She was sure the dragon didn't carry it on its way up either. Taking a small pinch, Chrys could feel a different kind of energy resonating from the grains. It was familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why.

Author: FalseHope, Posted: Sat Jan 2, 2021 7:24 PM, Post Subject: Crackling Skies [Event-Open]

Xeik was one of the first to arrive, and had it not been for his connection with Angela, he doubted that he would have been much use in an emergency situation like this. The world was in chaos, and it was up to those who lived in it to do their part and help correct the balance. Still, as a healer in training, the poor man had no idea how to readily assist. He had a few different tools that might help, but overall, he was winging it as he did with most things in his life.

The healer’s gate opened at the edge of the temple, depositing Xeik in front of where the great dragon Etanu had been kept for so long. The prison itself had lost most of its power, but there were still wisps of lightning that crackled around them, remnants of the powerful storm that had kept the primal dragon at bay for so long.

Xeik took a breath. The air crackled with energy still, plenty of mana that could be drawn. As he walked towards the center of the great temple, he scattered the Divine Sands about, creating runic like symbols with them. Magic was one of his worst aspects of body, and thus he learned to utilize runes and charms. By the time he reached the center of the Temple, the pouch was empty save for a few grains.

“Hope I don’t need them,” he muttered aloud as he closed his eyes. He clasped his hands together, and starting to focus on the sands. Divine Sands, guide me… He could feel the raw mana around him. Absorb. Channel. Release. He inhaled, and the sands reacted, drawing the mana from around it. He exhaled, and he felt the mana flow through the sands and into him. It was hard for him to, to force such raw mana into his system, but it had to be done. He wasn’t like his companions…he wasn’t a demon or phoenix, he was merely human, and one that barely held magical potential.

“Just keep it up,” he muttered to himself. “Can complain to Angela and Raine later. Fix things now…” He breathed in again, and started the process over. Around the third time, though, he felt a rumble. At first, he wasn’t sure if he had felt it at all. But the temperature around the temple suddenly started to rise.

Uh… He opened his eyes. Another rumble, this time much more present. The sands in the temple shifted, and he felt several runes scatter. A rush of hot air blew past him, scattering more of the sands. Lightning erupted above him in the open skies, and a mighty roar shook the temple. He hair’s on Xeik’s arm stood up with fear.

Etanu had returned home.