Titanomachy (Lidija/Open)

[Adam]

Samael returned to Firegorge Mountain to oversee the process of the stones moving from their place to Brigade. He instructed his guards that came with him to return to Firegorge Mountain once they spoke with Brigade. They were to accompany a number of a dozen or so members, half from their Kingdom and the other half from Brigade. The guards were to report in at each check point, but after one group retrieved the Earth Stone, and failed to report in, Samael become more than suspicious. With these stones, he could afford a little paranoia, and would trust his gut feelings no matter how small the feeling was.

It was of great fortune that both the Earth and Fire Clan worked so closely together. The Earth clan built the Fire Clan’s weapons and armor in exchange for the Fire Dragons retrieving precious minerals from mines too hot for any other dragon to work in. This was symbiotic in a way, as it allowed for both clans to develop strongly over time. The Earth Clan was perhaps the oldest clan, and produced the largest and most durable of Dragon-Kind. As durable as they were though, they were not warriors by nature. Hardy and ready for a fight like a Fire dragon, they were not as skilled or capable of adapting like the Fire Clan. This closeness made traveling to investigate easier.

”Vild’Gol!” Samael uttered, activating a spell that would mentally link him to the stone’s location, albeit very briefly. Brief, but long enough for him to get a pinpoint on its location. Once the stone’s energy began resonating in a particular spot, it was easy to find it after that. When Samael found the area in which the stone’s energy was giving off the strongest signals, he looked down from above and saw specks lying about the ground in a disorganized fashion. Descending slowly, the specks became larger until he began to also see shades of red form from around the specks. Then, the specks suddenly turned to bodies the closer Samael got. Finally, Samael’s feet touched the ground and he looked around to see their bodies scattered all about. Some grotesquely mutilated, while others looked liked bags of flattened flesh with chunks of broken bone sticking out of scattered parts of the bodies. This was a massacre, and the stone was nowhere in sight. Yet...he could sense it now more than ever. He could feel its ancient power and it called out to Samael like a beacon.

Movement around the battlefield was difficult, but not hard. As he scoured the scene, he felt how damp the ground was from all of the spilled blood on the ground beneath him. Their attacker was still here, because the stone was still here. He could only think of one person that was capable of such mayhem and carnage, especially given all members of the stone transport were dragons. “Have your wounds healed already, Lidija!?” Samael called out, knowing she was near, “I can’t wait to finally finish you. I’ve been thinking of making your skull into my drinking cup as well as a trophy. Come out and face me, unless your wounds are giving you the phantom tingles!” Drawing his blade, Samael’s eyes began to glow red and his breath red hot as he looked for the Dragonslayer in question.

“Let’s finish this Mal’Wiizaan!” He shouted, the latter words being of the Draconic language, which meant something very disparaging and derogatory. It was only at this point, that Samael wished that he had brought the so-called Seer, Minerva to his side. Perhaps her visions would have finally worked and told him the outcome of their own battle, or at the very least where she was hiding.

[Lidija Ahlgren]

Ever since he had awakened the beast inside of her there was nothing but vengeance and chaos swirling inside of her minds eye. Lidija had no idea how to re-cage it now that it was free; her eyes stuck in a reptilian form and her aura radiating magical energy. It was like she was two people and all she could think of between these two voices in her head was power. In order to have power she needed to destroy Samael and take the very heart of his abilities away. Some time ago she discovered what that actually was, mostly on accident.

There wasn't even time for them to scream before she was on them. Most of them died in the initial onslaught. Who would have expected such a small woman to launch a boulder like a trebuchet at your caravan. The power and speed at which she threw the rock decimated most of their surroundings, turned many of them to paste and painted the ground. The element of surprise was a brutal adversary, one that many often were never able to overcome. That was when she found it, the stone that called out to the beast within her. She had to have it, such a beautiful treasure that she could not deny. When she picked it up she had almost forgotten that she was in combat, yet as the blow from a survivor struck her the blade shattered against her body.

They lacked the strength to touch her now, only their true form or their champion could match her with the stone in hand. While her power blinded her, there was a tiny voice inside that kept screaming out in the hopes that it could stop this. Within her there was a seed of doubt for the first time since she was a young maiden. Something inside of her told her that she should not do this yet she continued to act against that nagging feeling. Her mind could not rest until both her father and Samael lay dead at her feet. 'They hurt me..' she thought to herself as she stared longingly into the stone.

'Think, Lidija, remember what he said. Dragons fire does not leave anything behind..' she thought. The entire time she was standing there she was arguing with herself; trying to reason with herself which she found difficult. Then somehow she felt it, as if another presence was descending down upon her and it was something she had never experienced before. Instead of meeting it head on, she moved to an advantageous spot where she could assess the foe who she assumed would be the "Champion" himself. Once he landed, Lidija picked up a rock and hurled it at him as hard as she could.

"You think too highly of yourself." she said as she waited to see what he would do. The power of that one pebble was probably quite deadly with the strength she now possessed. "Your taunts are long winded and boring. Did you come here to fight or did you come here to talk me to death?" she called out. Her sword remained sheathed as she swept her hand out before her showing the field that they stood upon. "You should never have let me walk away!" she shouted. Just seeing his face was enough to piss her off. She hated that he spared her, hated that he still drew breath before her very eyes.

"This is your one chance to surrender." she stated dryly.

[Adam]

As if instantaneously, Samael’s reflexes kicked in when the rock came flying his way. Just narrowly slicing the rock mid-air with his blade, he still felt the stones cut both of his arms as they hit the ground. Two small cuts bled slightly, unnoticed by Samael as he turned to the location of where the stone was thrown. Lowering his blade, he chuckled as he listened to her declare him to think to highly of himself. “If you’re tired of listening to me talk,” he said with a glare, “then I suggest you do something about it.” The latter of what he said was spoken threateningly as he stared down the Dragonslayer with contempt in his eyes. It was amazing that after all that he knew of her, and what he told her and she was still so driven by misdirected anger.

Physically, he still could not match her raw strength. It must have taken monstrous strength for her to do what she did to the dragons, even those that were so well trained. With the Earth Stone in her possession, she had control over the very ground that they fought on, with the added bonus that she was now incredibly durable. Samael noticed evidence of her possession of the stone with shattered bits of metal near a corpse. Piercing her this time would be impossible with even his sword. His newly acquired powers on the other hand would be quite different. The power of the Air Stone flowed once more through his body. Telekinesis and Aerokinesis were now part of his acquired abilities, along with Resurrection. The range of use over his abilities weren’t as wide as they could be, but how he used his techniques still gave him an advantage. Throwing a punch that was powered by a telekinetic burst would be incredibly effective, as would boulder tossing. He could also toss her around in a cyclone if needed. The possibilities were limitless until he got the stone out of her hands and into his.

It wasn’t just a matter of defeating her that he needed to get the stone, but also due to the fact that Samael was aware of what happened to those that used the stone’s power for too long. “You’re already crazed,” Samael warned, “that stone will only make you feral overtime. Heh, maybe even make you fully dragon. How would you like that? To fully make the transition and become one of us? From the looks of it, you’re almost there. Let’s see if we can’t bring you over completely?”

Unstrapping his sword and sheath, he tossed his weapons aside as a gust of wind rose up from around him, his eyes glowing even brighter as his face began to take on more reptilian features of their own. Once he heard the sword hit the ground with a clank, he charged in Lidija’s direction at full force, with the intent of knocking her back into a boulder with all of his strength in one, telekinetically charged punch.

[Lidija Ahlgren]

As his sword cut through the stone she watched every detail of his movements. This time she was thinking and this time she was not going to be caught off guard. Last time she lost control but this time she was watching his every move. Yet it did surprise her that he had not engaged her this time as he did last time. This time he was taking his time, he was talking and it angered her for some reason that he did not seem to be as bothered by her possession of the stone as she felt he should be. Was his arrogance so blinding that he felt that he did not need it to defeat her? The inner "fire" expanded as she thought about it. Her flame was intense, consuming her reasoning as it grew with every perceived slight.

"I have never been more myself than I am now. I can feel everything, such a glorious feeling.." she said. As she did her toes curled into the dirt and dug little trenches where her toes came in. It was almost as if she could feel every subtle vibration her made, every step and every action that came into contact with the ground. Even through her clouded mind the idea of taking another life repulsed her somewhere deep down. The power of the earth stone whispered to her however, playing on that hatred that she held and driving her forward. In her confusion she had almost started to question it until she picked the stone up.

As the sword hit the ground, she took several steps forward which were deliberately slow. Shaking her head as she moved, a laugh rolled through her body that felt as if it could shake her apart. Was he talking to stall or buy time for something? She wondered in the back of her mind if perhaps the trap she set was a part of a larger trap set by him. 'Run!' her inner self screamed by the power told her body to stand, to fight and so there was no going back. Coming to a stop right before him she looked at him with an intense gaze that suggested what she was about to do to him.

"There is nothing in this world that could force me to become like your kind. I am in control of this power and when it is over I will put it back where it belongs." she said. With that said she quickly thrust her fist towards him with as much strength as she could muster from such a short range. She intended to completely separate him from his weapon this time as she had no intention of it being used against her.

[Adam]

That was the power of the Stone, it gave one the durability of the strongest metals and stones of the planet, itself. When both Earth and Fire Clans guarded their respective stones in their Goraag Diirz, knowing that the stones could only be destroyed by the lavas, the Earth Stone would only be used to save the life of one that was severely injured. The power of durability could help mend the broken bones of another, even if temporarily. For Lidija, the stone granted her an incredible advantage in the fight: She could not be harmed by regular blunt force. Swords, spears, arrows, axes, anything would shatter against her bare flesh. She could now withstand virtually anything, save for enchanted weapons. Even then, it would need to be a divine weapon in order to even remotely harm her.



He could not risk her breaking the Stone, or getting away with it. She was a menace without the stone, and with the stone in her hands, she would eventually go mad with the raw power within it. Not to mention, he did not even know if she would be able to contain even the portion of power that resided in the stone. Elders have held this stone and went mad with the power it held within hours. This one would be driven mad within time. Even with her great strength, she was no match for the lust she would get for the power within. With her rage, she would tear the entire planet apart.



“Silly dov’miil, you do not understand the power that now flows through your veins,” Samael said as he threw his dislocated right arm outwards, a loud pop coming from his arm as his hand snapped outwards, relocating his arm, “in your veins flows a power that once flowed through mine. The only reason you were able to even contain that power is because of the draconic blood that flows through your veins. Any other fool would have been obliterated by the power on contact. You’re just as much a dragon as I am, and no amount of humanity in your veins will wipe that away!”



Samael slipped a south paw jab towards Lidija’s thorax, forcing another telekinetic blow while he was close to Lidija. If it connected, Samael hoped to see if she was still susceptible to having the wind knocked out of her, and send her flying back. However, a swift dodge proved otherwise, as he was then met with an onslaught of swift and focused punched from his adversary, who regained position and attacked from Samael’s side. As quickly as she struck, Samael moved to dodge, and block many of his assailant’s punches. Her strength, now combined with god-like durability made blocking her punches more of a challenge than he was used to. Samael loved it. He laughed as she struck, even if she had the power to tear him apart, he anticipated her moved until he was ready to strike. By then, they had made it out of the small crater, and were making their way towards one of the vast canyons near the base of Firegorge Mountain. Her durability made her a tougher opponent to fight, but not impossible. As Lidija struck at him, Samael managed to dodge one hit to get close enough to her to inhale deeper than normal, through use of his aerokinesis. Moving close to Lidija’s face, his lips near her own, he breathed in, sucking the air from her mouth, in the hopes that she would choke without the oxygen in her lungs, hopefully to cause her to pause long enough to catch her breath, giving Samael a window of opportunity to knock the stone from her hands.

[Lidija Ahlgren]

Every thought in her mind lingered on the stone that she held in her possession. How she never wanted to let the precious thing go; Samael could not have it even if it killed her. That was what she was fighting for now, she wasn't even fighting for vengeance that she could immediately remember. As he approached her they went through a series of punches, blocks and every single blow shook the earth upon which they stood. There was a fierce determination that she had never felt before, a level of focus that she had yet to achieve on her own. While he told her that it clouded her mind, she felt that the power brought her to her true focus.

"There is nothing you can say to make me surrender this new power to you. I'll never let it fall into the hands of monsters. This power belongs with me, it will grant me the strength to avenge what I lost." she screamed as he rushed her. Lidija lashed out with everything he had but Samael managed to slip past her guard and like that the air around her seemed to vanish to her surprise. There was a moment of confusion as she gasped for breath and then the unbridled fury kicked in causing her to act. To break his focus on the use of his powers she grabbed a hold of him and pulled him close. With one defiant motion she smashed her skull into his, however hers was now as strong as the toughest metals.

Once she staggered him backwards, she would gasp once more for air which filled her lungs. The fire within her was boiling to the surface and there was nothing that could hold it back now. She opened her mouth to shout at him but what came out even surprised her. There was a loud draconic screech followed by a red aura surrounding her to form a dragon shaped barrier about her body. What she was once sure of became confusion on her face as she looked at her hands. Lidija was finally forced to let it out to save her own life. Falling to all fours she let out another massive scream as she smashed the ground with her fists causing a quake.

If a dragon was what he wanted then a dragon was what Samael would get. Pushing off the ground with all fours her mortal form flew towards him. Yet in mid flight her body started to dissolve as the energy around her pulled it's self inward and expanded her form. What was now flying at him was the strength she harnessed now in it's true glory. Samael taunted her to see her true power and the stone decided that she would have it. Her large talons would smash into the stone just before him as she opened her mouth. Once more the same loud, high roar escaped her throat as she expanded her wings to their entire span in either direction.

Raising her right foot from the ground, Lidija swiped her clawed foot towards him in the attempt to side swipe Samael into the rock formations around them.

[Adam]

The impact of her skull against his own was like being struck with the weight of the world. Samael staggered backwards as his entire head spinned. His temper rose higher as he tried to regain his senses, but they would not align quickly. Samael knew that she was strong, but did not anticipate that the Earth Stone merely made her as durable as she was strong, and the combination of the two within an attack was indeed devastating. Taking a deep breath, Samael tried to focus again before she attacked once more, but what he heard next made him grin followed by a laugh. Finally, at long last, Lidija was realizing her truest potential. She was unleashing the beast within her.

For a single moment, Samael thought he would have to do more to get her to unleash what was inside her all the way, but as she charged, Samael felt the collision with the full force of the mighty Titaness. Before Samael stood the thing that had been sleeping within Lidija all along, and now that she was at full glory, she could potentially end Samael if she wished. However, it was now Samael’s turn at last to finally test her and see if she was ready. “You are reborn!” Samael shouted with a laugh as he coughed up a bit of blood as he felt the internal injuries sustained by Lidija during her collision with him. Before he could act, she had lifted her foot and within seconds, Samael was sent flying into a rock formation.

The impact sounded like a loud crack of lightning as Samael’s body reduced a significant amount of rock into pea gravel. The remaining rocks from the collision buried his body whole. For the longest of times, there was silence from where Samael had collided. In truth, nearly nothing would have survived the collision. However, after a lengthy few minutes of silence, the rocks began to crumble, and suddenly, a taloned claw erupted from beneath the rocks. Rising from where Samael fell, was a great red dragon. Looking the now-dragon Lidija in her reptilian eyes with his own, the two fully-transformed beasts circled one another with their wings expanded, heads lowered in a threatening manner, and their fangs bared. A monstrous growl, followed by black smoke, crept from between Samael’s fangs as he looked his opponent in the eyes. She was virtually indestructible now, and the Earth Stone would only continue to magnify her durability in this form.

Both dragons struck several times. Each time, a head would jerk forward and snap their jaws shut as the other dragon either attacked as well, or pulled back in angry defense. For the longest time, the beast that was Samael looked into Lidija’s eyes, and whether it was because she was now a full dragon, or because he was finally looking at her, he could see the pain in her eyes, and for once, Samael’s own rage seemed to be seeping away. Suddenly, the fighting was beginning to seem less and less important, and he could not understand why.

[Lidija Ahlgren]

The feeling of being in this form was strange to her and she could not describe it at first. Seeing the world from such a height yet being grounded. Carrying within you the strength to soar and tear the land beneath you asunder. For a moment she could hardly believe what she was feeling at the moment, yet she had very little time to marvel. The real enemy stood before her, even as wounded as she knew him to be. The rage kept coming in waves every time he stood back up after one of her attacks and it was as if he was mocking her power. Once more there was a mighty roar was the winds around them started to pick up and blow debris everywhere.

As the two circled each other and snapped their jaws back and forth became impatient. Samael would have to make a mistake somewhere and that was where she would slip in. Yet he held the advantage here as he knew the form better than she did. Lidija had no grace at the moment when it came to using her new dragon body; she was simply raw power with zero finesse. After several moments of circling him and trying to assess some sort of weakness she leapt upon him without abandon. She did not care much for her own personal safety and felt like that was a non issue at this point anyhow. Once they clashed, the two of them would roll around, destroying everything they smashed into with their massive bodies.

While they were locked together in combat, Lidija tried to use her back legs to claw at his under belly. This was the only way to truly inflict pain upon a dragon as it was one of two vulnerable points on their body. The entire time she did so she kept trying to sink her fangs into his neck. If she could just crush him here she could move on to the one she wanted to destroy. Samael was a stepping stone to test her power; that was what she told herself every day. Yet the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the girl inside was screaming. There was absolutely zero reason to take the life of someone who had nothing to do with your misery. The girl inside was struggling to battle the beast who held it's control over her with an iron grip.

Not only was there pain within her eyes but a confusion that could be seen. Lidija was starting to question whether what she was doing was just or not. For so long the rage was all she knew, it gave her purpose and it was how she moved forward. But what if there was another way? What if this was not the only path back to the woman she had once been? There was very little time for such silly notions as she was locked in a battle for existence with their king. The world around them suffered as mountains fell, ravines were carved by dragons fire and even she would see her fair share of wounds during their biting and clawing.

Lidija was durable but her stamina was not infinite, this new form was wearing on her. Unlike the dragons, this was not her true form and so holding it took more energy from her at the moment. What that meant in her mind was that she had to finish this fast and so she took several quick steps forward towards him. If he did not find a way to stop her then she would grasp him by the neck with her jaw and flip him over and smash him into the ground with as much force as possible before standing over him, assaulting him with everything she had left.

[Adam]

The entire fight probably looked like a clash of monsters more than a clash between titans as the two gargantuan beasts leveled the entire area. Mountains crumbled and were flattened against the beasts as they rolled against the ground. Each snap of their mouths sounded like thunder, and each roar of pain sounded as if the gods were cursing at Yalanze from the heavens. Although Samael knew that she was a danger to her people, it was only through misguided rage. A rage that she had nearly mastered since the last they met, but was fallen short on where the anger was guided. Somehow, Samael knew that if he could reach her and convince her of the power of dragon flames, then she would begin to see the truth. It would have been a far better alternative than having to kill her, even if every fiber of Samael that was angry told him to.


His method of getting her to see reason was difficult. As impressive as her rage was, it was from experience with his own sister’s wrath that Samael knew that trying to quell a dragoness’ rage was more difficult than trying to pass through fire with an ice cube in hand. A fact that was given testament when Lidija began to clawing at Samael’s undeside. Several times, her talons managed to pierce his skin and stab him in vital organs. Samael let out a loud roar as his tail whipped forward towards Lidija’s face. As furious as he was, he could not understand why he cared so much about a single dragoness’ woes and issues. She had killed his own men, and did so wrongfully, but there was something within Samael, something that was working past years of desensitization that was instilled in him from a very young age. For the first time, Samael was feeling remorse for someone that shouldn’t matter to him.

The longer he looked into her eyes, the less fierce his attacks became. From a desire to kill to a desire to stun, to finally no desire to fight at all. At last, Samael finally stopped, and when he did, Lidija’s jaw snapped around Samael’s neck, flipping the massive beast into the air, but as Samael hit the ground, he landed in his human form, bruised and bloodied. Bleeding internally, , Samael slowly looked up at the beast that was Lidija[/URL], and with forgiveness for her in his eyes. From this calm he felt, and the comfort that he felt for falling at the hands of a worthy opponent, he looked the dragon in her eyes and simply uttered two words through blood soaked teeth, loud enough for Lidija to hear.

“Do it…”[/a]

[Lidija Ahlgren]

The moment she was waiting for was finally upon her. With every exchange he seemed to be fighting her less and less which she mistook for exhaustion at first. Every chance she got she would slip in a claw here and there. As his fighting spirit fell hers seemed to reignite it's self with the flames of passion. Never before had she wanted something so much as she did right in this moment; to separate the halves of his body. Yet when that thought crossed her mind she realized that she was something far from what she wanted to be. This was not her and it was unsettling to even her that the thought had crossed her mind. Even though Lidija was a warrior she had never done such a thing, none of this was her. Before everything that happened she was kind, gentle and would have never done this.

As he shifted back to his mortal form she lowered her head, teeth on other side of him poisoned to strike. Yet before she could do that she decided to pull back and tilt her head to the side. Stomping the ground she roared loudly at his form as if trying to provoke something from him, begging him to fight back. She hated him and she needed him to fight back she couldn't do this if he didn't. Lidija would try and taunt him until she realized that she could not get a rise out of his defeated form. Letting out another high pitched roar she slowly relinquished her dragon form and shrunk back to her own mortal form.

"Get up!" she shouted as she straddled his wounded form and drew back her fist. "You're stronger than this, fight me!" she screamed. That was what she feared most was losing her motivation, her cause and she could feel it slipping from her as she stared into his eyes. As she stared into those eyes the things he had said before echoed in her mind repeatedly trying to force their way to the surface. It made sense to her but the monster within her blinded her before, kept her from seeing the truth. Vengeance lost control of the wheel long enough for her true self to rise to the surface and for the first time she started to see things clearly.

At the moment of her victory several tears came to her eyes as she lowered her fist. "If not you, who..?" she whispered. The mask of rage that she wore shifted to a look of pain, confusion and heart ache that ripped out of the old wounds. Her greatest fear was realized, she had a hatred burning in her breast but nothing to focus it on. For the first time in her life she was lost, without a purpose and had no idea where to go from here. If she let him live surely this would just repeat it's self she assumed. 'No. We're better than this, drop the stone. Let him rise..' a voice whispered in her head. For the first time she could hear herself think, no longer being compelled by the magic of the stone.

Her right hand opened as she let the earth stone roll from her grasp before Samael. Lidija simply stared at him with her lost gaze before she lowered her head. If he picked up the stone and chose to wield it against her she would not fight back- not after what she had done here today. So many people had lost their lives in her quest to prove her strength and to avenge her people. She was starting to realize that perhaps revenge was never the answer; her violence would never undo the violence that had destroyed them.

"I.." she started to say but nothing came out.

[Adam]

Every part of Samael wanted to pass out, but he willed himself to stay conscious and alert. He looked to Lidija with bloodshot eyes, but as she roared, he did not move. “Do it…” he grunted again, louder this time. Blood spurted from his mouth as he fell on his back. Suddenly, he felt Lidija’s body on top of his. He looked her in the eyes again, seeing more of her pain before. Her anger could no longer hide it, and it was there for Samael to see as clear as day. He waited for her fist to connect, but it never came. She could have ended him then and there. The Celestials could at long last breathe a sigh of relief because they would not have to ally with Samael.

Lidija ordered Samael to get up, but he simply looked her in the eyes. His eyes held remorse in them for her, for her own pain that she felt for losing her people. Samael could relate to her plight, and it was for his people that he did this. Even if she was only half dragon, she was still of Samael’s people. He would not kill her for this. Not anymore. The longer Samael looked in her eyes, the more he saw that even she did not want to finish. At long last, Samael felt as if she knew that there was some truth to his words. As she sat there, straddled on top of him, he did something that he never thought he would do with her in any life: Samael reached forward, pulling her close to him. Close enough for him to rest his weary head on her shoulder, and for her to do the same on his. “We will find out,” he replied to her simply, “we will discover who did this, and you will have your proper revenge. I give you my word.”

Suddenly, he watched as the Earth Stone fell from her hands. At long last it was there before him, not even half an inch from his bare leg. Every instinct in Samael’s body told him to take it then and crush it and take the power in for his own. He would finally be halfway to achieving his goal, and he would be even stronger than before to take on Vlad. Yet, he thought of his promise, and how he gave his word to not take the remaining stones until all of Dragon-kind was reunified. More than that, his attention was still on Lidija as well, and her own pain. Samael’s own heart raced and after a split moment, held Lidija even closer than before. Both of them had this chance to kill the other. For the first time since they met, this was the closest the two had ever been to each other, and instead of acting on the chance to kill the other, they were embraced. The fire that now burned in Samael was not of rage, but of some form of compassion for the woman in his arms.

Closing his eyes, Samael thought of something. Something that he could do for Lidija to finally help reinforce her suspicions that the dragons were innocent. It was the greatest gift he could give her, and it would help place her on the right track on where to find out what happened to her village. ”Zii’Yiir…” Samael whispered as suddenly, their entwined bodies began to irradiate a white light. What Samael had just done was use what was considered a sacred, draconic spell known as the Soul Gaze. It had been created by the Earth Dragons long ago, when they were the only species to exist. The spell allowed the caster to let another’s soul to merge with their own. It allowed each other to see their past to present, know what they know, and think how they would. The knowledge obtained from such a merging often stayed, and neither user ever suffered any negative side effects. This spell was only considered sacred because it meant that a dragon was allowing another to know all of their secrets. All of their tricks. It also allowed Samael to once again see the terrors that occurred in her own village. It was beneficial, because now he saw things from her own eyes, but he could see things in his way as well. It allowed him to possibly see something that she did not. Within this meld, the fires of her village could be seen once more. Buildings burning slowly to the ground, and the humans running while in flames. Suddenly, the images cut back to when Samael and Lidija first fought, and he unleashed his fire breath upon her, causing the rocky ground beneath them to quickly begin to melt into a puddle of lava.

Dragon fire leaves nothing behind… Samael and Lidija’s voices spoke in unison, before suddenly returning to the images of her village again. The dragons of the village were flying above, but none were on the ground. None were attacking, despite people were on fire. Suddenly, Samael noticed someone from out the corner of his eye as he looked at the village of Lidija’s past. Quickly leaving the village and disappearing into the forests around it was a what appeared to be a man, but as Samael looked at him, he saw the man’s face and saw his eyes.

Suddenly, the link broke, and Samael and Lidija were no longer glowing. They sat there, locked in embrace when Samael uttered at what he thought was the same time as Lidija in a monstrously low growl, “Demons…”

[Lidija Ahlgren]

Of all the endings that she had in mind, all the ways she thought this encounter would end, she never would have seen this coming. The fact that not only was he not dead, Samael laid before her giving up on the fight. He chose not to kill her when she dropped her guard, he chose to let the stone lay where it fell. Not only that but he even embraced the woman who seemed confused now that she sat in the aftermath of her confusion. The mountains rumbled around them, rocks slid down the slopes and acrid clouds of smoke rose from the grounds where they fought. The scene could not have been any more terrifying or deadly yet in the middle of it was the most confusing act of humanity most would ever see.

For a moment she resisted him, how could she give in to him after all of this? Yet the very moment he spoke she splintered like a weakened beam. Lidija fell into him, unable to hold back the wave of emotion she felt. For the first time in forever it was not tempered by rage, it was something she thought she would never feel again. For the first time in forever she felt vulnerable, like she did not have all the answers because the simple fact was that she had none.

As he rest his head upon her, she felt the blood from his body smear against her skin and she felt terrible for what she had done. None of those men in the caravan deserved their fate as far as she knew. What she had done was the very thing that was done to her. While she had killed before, she never felt the remorse for her actions until this very moment. All the others had deserved it, but these men were simply standing between her and what she saw as her goal. Her grip on him tightened, though not enough to hurt him as she felt a sudden rush.

Whatever he said caused her to feel a sensation she had never known before. Only a gasp escaped her lips as she felt what she could only describe as soaring. Her soul rushed forth in an eager desire to be bound with his, twisting about each other before plunging the both of them into her nightmares. The fire, the smell, she was forced to relive it again but this time she was not alone. This time she could feel him there, watching, feeling what it was that she was feeling in the moment. His voice echoed along side hers as they watched the scene play out together. Yet with him here she had the clarity to do what she had never done before; she remembered. A tiny detail out of place that her rage had blinded her from seeing.

Those red eyes, the way he smiled as he destroyed the village for his own gain. Lidija had no idea who the man was but she knew for a fact that he was a demon. Even she had encountered them before and she knew very well that they were monsters. There was no reasoning with them, there was no coming out ahead. When you saw a demon you put it down even at the cost of your life to spare the next person it might hurt if you did not. "Demons.." she said along side Samael as she watched the man vanish into thin air. Just then the scene refocused on her own person rushing up the mountain and she was powerless to stop herself again.

Suddenly she was yanked backwards out of the meld to the reality of the moment. They were in a pit of destruction that could swallow them at any chosen moment. "I hurt a lot of people because of him, killed a lot of people. I almost killed my own father, the only family I have left.." she whispered mostly to herself but loud enough to be heard. Her fist closed tightly as she picked up the stone once more and gently opened Samael's hand to place it inside. With a face swollen from years she closed his fingers around the stone hoping that the power would save him from succumbing to his wounds. "You need to remain strong, for the rest of your people. Don't quit now." she said.

Helping him to his feet, she put his arm over her shoulders, unsure if he could stand on his own or not. "This does not make us even though." she shot at him. There wasn't anger in her voice at all this time, it almost sounded like she was trying to make a joke. Somehow she felt whatever it was she had been feeling melt away, this dragon was not her enemy and yet she still felt uneasy. The awakening that took place inside of her changed her, made her into what she had hunted for all those years. Lidija was only just beginning to decipher the confusion this brought to her as she tried to untangle the emotions involved in this.

"Which way is home?" she asked.

[Adam]

He saw everything from her past. Merging his soul with her own, Samael could see her from the moment she was born, to her childhood, to growing into the woman she was today. He saw her village, specifically who caused it. A demon, one that wanted the dragons framed, but to what end? This was not the only thing that they saw, but they also saw Samael’s own history as well, from eons ago. In an age where dragons were bigger, even in their human form. They saw the history of Samael going through the Rites, his training, and the limits he was to push past. The forging of a great warrior under the tyranny of another dragon. If ever my kind had a tyrant, it would have been him… their voices said in unison again as an image of Nergal flashed across their thoughts. Further images of Samael first ascending to godhood as he took in the essence of an ancient god, and the defeat of his own father. All of this knowledge and more would from then on exist within Lidija. She would know Samael’s tactics, his train of thought, and his combat tactics. It was a dangerous move to try and show her the truth, as it would make her even more dangerous now. Potentially as dangerous as either he, or Isolde if she wasn’t already.

Lidija spoke of what she had done. The remorse had finally struck as she realized the truth. The dragons were not responsible, but rather more demons that had terrorized the people of Yalanze for ages. Even the vampires stood aligned with them, and they would soon make their moves on Samael. As she picked the stone up again, Samael watched as she placed it in his hand and wrapped his fingers around it. Suddenly, Samael could feel the power from the stone reverberate through his body, feeding it more power, and making him even stronger than before. Yet, he was still gravely injured. The durability he felt from the Earth Stone was enough to sustain him, even if his entire body still felt as if it were wracked in pain. Even with the incredible power within the stone, it had its limits. At best, it was like a powerful cast. It would keep him strong enough to make it to the Encampment. He was unsure as to whether Lidija would join him, but he knew that she would at the very least she had earned her place among her kind.

Samael heard the humor in her voice, and despite the pain, he chuckled as if nothing was wrong at all. He would hope that at least now, they could spar without killing one another. She was a powerful warrior, and could be a powerful asset if she chose to join him.

“When I awoke in this world, one of the first things I saw, was a demon defiling our noble form. From that day forward, I have not only vowed to restore my Kingdom and people to glory, but I will lead the attack against the demons and the vampires. To avenge any that have been made victim, or slave to their actions. If you still want your revenge, you may join me. One cannot have too many allies, and...I would enjoy your company. It is not everyday that a warrior meets his match, and fails not once but twice to kill one another.” His last statement was also one of a joke, despite the truth in it. He always saw the irony in joking with people that were once considered enemies.

Although, there was more that he had to tell her. More that he had now realized, now that their souls had seen into one another. A truth that she probably already knew now. “Lidija...you may have saw this when we shared our souls, but…” he started and stopped, having never had to say this to anyone before, “your father...Astroth...I went to visit him. After our very first battle, I wanted to know more about you, and your village. I found him in his hold. He is recovering, but alive none the less. Although, that is not what you must know…”

Samael went silent for a moment and looked her in the eyes, “He has a son as well…”

[Lidija Ahlgren]

Once she was sure that he was alright, Lidija let go of the man to see if he could stand on his own now. Such a terrifying battle that could have destroyed yet another life needlessly and somehow he walked away from it. There was something to these dragonkin that she could admire, their raw power and will to survive went beyond anything she had ever experienced. It probably explained more about who she was than she had ever wanted to admit. Lidija was stubborn, angry, and a had a knack for collecting things that did not belong to her. The only thing she couldn't do was replicate draconian magic- at least not in her current form.

"I just don't understand what he stood to gain from any of it. Why would you incur the wrath of the dragons should they find out? It's suicide." she asked with a disbelieving voice. Who would want to purposely fight with their kind without a motive such as hers. There was no true victory where she was concerned, not when it came to the dragons. They were ultimately stronger, as each one of them counted for many soldiers in comparison to the other races armies. "There were so many other things he could have taken yet all he did was take their lives. It just.. doesn't make sense to me.." she finished in a whisper.

Unlike Samael she never faced a demon, she did not truly know what they were after or how they operated. The act of killing for the sake of killing did not make much sense to her; never had either. Clenching her fist tightly, she looked down at the ground with a burning anger that threatened to consume her. Her mind was still swirling from all the information she had just absorbed during their meld, including the fact that Samael had gone to see him. When she finally realized what she saw she froze for a second; confused as to why he would bother.

When he mentioned the son, her brother, she remained silent for quite some time. She was still processing that information- unsure what to do with it. Did she seek them out and pray that she could be forgiven or let it lie as it would? There was so much she wanted to say and ask but she felt that she had no right to do so at this point. "Then life saw fit to give him the child that deserved, one he could be proud of." she said with a laugh that was saturated with sorrow. It was clear that she was not even contemplating forgiveness as a possibility.

"I'll join you in your camp for a time but I have some things I must take care of soon. Don't get too used to my company." she joked. With that she would follow wherever he leaded them, assisting him as he required along the way.