EB p.2 The Dark Times

[Midnightmoon]

Saratheen snarled at them. "For the last scorching time. I don't want your ice cream." Saratheen crouched down again, glaring at nothing. It actually felt weird to have used a Fire Clan term. She shifted her paws and looked down to see the black chains clink. They were nearly the same black as her scales. Of course her claws were still red, but how long would that last. She found herself actually despising the colour. With a noise of disgust she ruffled her wings and looked out through the bars, trying not to make eye contact with the idiot pair.

[Morty]

"Just being nice." Jack pouted.
Lulu peered at Saratheen a little closer. "You know, I think I've seen you before..." she said, her yellow eye glowing dimly. "Weren't you a boy before?"
Jack scoffed. "Wow, too much information, Lulu, don't wanna know what makes you think that."
"No, seriously. Shut up and help me think here." Lulu said, and the pair put their heads together to think.
"Not that you mention it, that old fire clan guy did look an awful lot like that elf chick you fought. Without me." Jack said accusingly.
"Well well well." said Lulu, grinning at her captive. "Looks like we've got ourselves a bargaining chip."

[Midnightmoon]

"And what are you guys muttering and grinning about." Saratheen glowered, suspision creeping up into her mind.

[Morty]

"Do you know what your ch--" Jack started to ask, but Lulu dunked his head under the half-melted ice cream before he could talk.
Telling them of their children's whereabouts will only give them hope, silly. Why raise their spirits when we can dash them to the ground? Lulu removed her paw from Jack so he could breath again. Jack wiped ice cream from his face and glared.
A simple shut-the-hell-up would have been nice. he grumbled indignantly. Think we should tell them they died?
Sure, why not. It will break their spirits, surely.

"You and your rider look an awful lot like that fire clan pair we fought and killed earlier, is all. Didn't put up much of a fight." Lulu sniffed.
"Male dragon, female rider, right, Lulu? But you fire types all look the same, could have been anyone." Jack added, toying with his blade.

[Midnightmoon]

It took Saratheen a few moments to grasp what the two were talking about. Then it dawned on her. It had been years, since she's seen them last. Her muzzle turned to a snarl again. "You have no idea who your talking about. As you said, everyone looks alike." She denied, though inside she started to dread.

[Kauria]

Athvesa shunted the door open with his shoulder, his tail swinging to stop it from crashing against the wall. He raised an eyebrow at Jack and Leucrocuta's ice cream, and then nodded slightly to Saratheen. "Captains, Madam."
The ice dragon placed his paw on the lock that shackled the former fire dragoness to the wall and concentrated briefly, a blue glow flaring beneath his claws. The manacles fell away with a clatter. "You rider is waiting upstairs, Saratheen."

------

Maela shrugged, her eyes closed. "Whatever you prefer. Tell me, how much do you understand of what has happened to you?"

[Midnightmoon]

Saratheen got up and started to follow the dragon. As she passed the other pair she gave them a menacing look through slitted eyes.

----------------------------------------------------------

"From what I've heard as I wandered around you guys take prisoners and inject them with some potion and the next time anyone see's them they're the enemy. The situation changes from 'save them' to 'kill or be killed'." Pyhros summerized quickly. "Don't feal much different though, so I'm confused on why they would change sides."

[Morty]

"Top o' the morning, Generals." said Lulu affably, and nodded.
"Ta-ta~" said Jack cheekily, waving his fingers at Saratheen as she was led out of the dungeon.

[Nohiki]

Soundtrack: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo3t8XGeM4Q

"What's the point of this. Why are we here? The only reason we hate them is thet they hate us, and the only reason they hate us is because we hate them. What kind of madhouse is this? That's it. I quit. I'm going out there to hug the first demon i can see." talked Ignis to herself, waiting for ANYTHING to happen. Since she came to the base she wasn't ordered on single mission, except the one she assigned to herself right as she arrived. All she did was prepare the escape plan and then nothing, and she was gonna die of boredom. She snarled at her image in the mirror she was just talking to. "Little recon can't hurt. If anything happens, i'll be back shortly." she said and set up her room as a home point for the bracelet. Then she changed to her armor, took off unnecessary metal pieces to minimalize noise and sneaked out of the base. She went out of the mountains, heading towards where the last major battle was fought.
She looked at the wasteland. Nobody cared to pick up and bury the dead. This battle the dark clan won, and all the rebells were changed into undead and forced to obey. She hanged two big fireballs into the air to light the battlefield up. This battle was known for one reason - the battle was quick, unexpected, and nobody survived to tell the tale. Ignis looked carefully. The tracks and prints of fallen bodies showed, that the battle was indeed quick. In fact, she could only find one set of tracks. They looked like footprints of a medium sized elf. They showed that the person was rather jumping between the rebels, killing them where they stood. "That's too long for a jump!" shook Ignis her head, "But who woud fall into an ambush of somebody who has wings?" she said again, as that was he ronly explanation. She tried to track residual magic, but recieved nothing but water readings, which could have been somebody who passed here after the battle.

[Kauria]

"More or less," Maela said. "And there's a reason why you don't feel a significant mental change yet. The effects and dosages of the potion vary depending on the situation. The venom administered during battles, for instance, is intended to act as quickly as possible, focusing on altering the subject's mind more than his or her body. The changed elves are weaker than an average demon, but in a combat situation they can turn on their former allies before the rebels have a chance to react. The reverse is true of the potion given to willing recruits. It takes longer, but their minds remain relatively untouched and they're more powerful physically."
Maela held up two fingers. "Pretty much all of the potions we use can be put into one of those two categories." She held up a third finger. "Except for what we gave to you and Saratheen. It possesses properties of both categories, yet it belongs to neither. Although it was developed years ago, you're something of our first test subject — no, wait."
Maela lowered her hand and grinned. "That would be your daughter."

[Midnightmoon]

(OOC: note to kauria- and omg kauria. I rea the last part and i was expecting it to be maela who was the first but then it's like "your daughter" and it nearly blew my mind! *spazzes*")

Pyhros gaped in complete and utter shock. Then restrained anger made his fists tighten and muscles bulge. He clenched his jaw shut with a clack of teeth colliding, gnashing them, thoughts racing. "Amber. They got Amber. But I'd been all over the place and hadn't even heard of anything like that. Nothing even remotely about her." "What did you do." He demanded in a low voice. He was about follow up in a 'where is she?' but they remembered they had asked something similar in one of the interrogations. Shifting his weight between his feet he glared at the female elf.

[Kauria]

(OOC: Good, I'm glad it had that effect! ;D )

Maela held up a hand again. "You don't need to know what happened to her just yet, Pyhrros. That's something you'll find out when we need you to know."
Athvesa's voice grated into her mind. I have the dragoness with me, and their new quarters have been prepared. Meet us in the Second Hall.
Maela stretched her wings briefly, her back arching. "Sounds like your bond's ready to meet you." She opened the door, looking back over her shoulder. "The fortress may seem a little difficult to navigate at first, but you may find you know it better than you think." She held the door open.

------

Athvesa extended his neck gratefully as the ceiling rose, shafts crossing like the roof of a church. He placed his hand on a cluster of crystals and a warm orange glow filled the room, smaller crystals along the columns echoing the light. "I've sent for your rider; he should be appearing shortly," the ice dragon explained, turning to Saratheen. "Is there anything I can do to make you more at home here? This fortress is likely where you two'll be spending the remainder of your lives."
Maela cleared her throat from the entrance, drawing her dragon's attention. "He's here," she announced, her tail swishing steadily. She crossed the room, pulling a chair out from one of the enormous black tables and sitting down, her arms and legs crossed.
Athvesa crouched down behind her, his white tail curling around in front of both of them protectively.
"I'll try to be brief," Maela said. "The two of you are now permitted to have a shared room not far from here, now that you both are conscious and apparently stable. For purposes of where you eat and sleep, you will be effectively considered members of the Silver Wing. That is to say, you will take all your meals in this room and sleep in you own."
Athvesa lowered his head and continued for her. "But when it comes to combat, you will report directly to Captain Jack and Captain Leucrocuta, and by extension, us."
Maela stood. "When you exit this room, turn left. Your new quarters are down the hall, sixth door on the right. You two may have some time to talk, but I suggest you get some sleep. There is going to be a small battle specifically for new recruits tomorrow."
Athvesa got to his feet and left through the massive doorway.
Maela went to follow, but paused, one hand on the stonework. "You may find yourselves changed in more ways than one tomorrow. Savor your ability to think clearly while you can." She left.

[Midnightmoon]

Pyhros glared at her back. Him being captured wasn't really personal, seeing as she was just doing the grunt work of The Master, and him being turned wasn't personal either, but when she brought his daughter up and didn't say anything else, well now he took it personally. Considering his situation he thought that he could grow to respect her, if he was around that long, but never would he have any other sort of positive fealings. Non the less he followed her out of the little cell room he had woken up in, snatching up the clothes still by the door.

------------------------------

"That's a satisfying thought." Saratheen murmured sarcastically under her breath. When the dragons apparent rider came she looked over her shoulder to see another elf there. It took a second but when she recognized him as Pyhros she turned around. He was still wearing the clothes that she had last seen him in, albeit they were a bit more worn and torn then last time. He still looked like her rider, but not. Dark skin, near black hair orange glowy eyes. The presence of her riders mind became all of a sudden sharp and there was no question that that was him. The same must have been occurring to Pyhros from the ghost of a shocked impression on his face. She only half listened to the other pair in the room. Pyhros then looked down and away, "We better just listen for now, then they'll leave and we can really talk." Taking heed of his words she looked back to the dragon pair but felt a bit hurt for some reason. At the end of their little speech Saratheen had to wonder at what they meant by 'you my find yourselves changed in more ways then one tomorrow...'. But then she but that curiosity aside and returned her focus to her rider. There was a lot to discuss...

[Kauria]

Once the other pair was out of sight, Maela suddenly stumbled and pressed a light hand to her forehead.
You're exhausted, Athvesa noted, guiding her spare hand to the wall for support.
I know. Maela shook her head, fighting off the weariness. You are, too. Do you think you can send a mental message to Leucrocuta to let them know about the new arrangement with the prisoners?
Athvesa lowered his head to his rider's height. Just did. It was worth it to avoid having to make that trek down there again. He stuck out a corner of his pale tongue, then grinned. Let's go back to our room.
Maela yawned. Can I ride? she asked and rubbed her eyes.
The ice dragon obligingly lowered himself to the ground, tilting one shoulder towards the demoness.
She clambered on, resting her cheek against the cool scales on the back of Athvesa's neck.

------

Athvesa placed one clawed white hand on the door to their room, disabling the magical ward and pushing gently. He made his way over to Maela's simple bed and crouched. He reached out to his rider with a tendril of mental energy, but the soft resistance he encountered told him she was asleep. Carefully, he shrugged her from the saddle and deposited Maela gently on the mattress.
As he went to remove his saddlebags, Maela's halberd fell out of its straps with a clink. Athvesa picked it up delicately and examined the recently-sharpened blade.
That's right, I never gave her my "surprise," he thought, pulling open several of the other bags.
The ice dragon picked up each object delicately between his claws, laying them at the foot of the bed. I'll just explain it to her when she awakens. He turned to go to his own sleeping area, but paused, returning to the bedside to pull the blanket over his rider's sleeping form.
That's better.
Contentedly, he settled down in the spacious hollow on the other side of the room, curling up and finally allowing sleep to claim him.

[Morty]

"Gooooood mooooorniiiiiing greenhooooooorns!" sang Jack, banging a set of pots and pans together as he walked down the barrack halls. "Wakey wakey, we're having a field trip today!"