Young Blood

[Zetherus]

Pandora caught up with Ciro and landed in astonishment when she saw the structure. "Is this the place where the Equinox will start?" She said in eye widening amazement. The dragoness couldn't believe that she passed over this without seeing the masterpiece of this structure in the first place. She walked a little closer ahead of Ciro then jumped, opening her wings gliding through the down hill jungle and landed on the coliseum's white stone. She looked around the giant ruin finding pillars and ancient writing all around her then looked back up at Ciro with joy. "Hey Ciro, come down here. It's amazing!" She yelled up at the light dragon signaling him with her wings as she stood on her hind legs for a better look up at him through the jungle. As she turned and landed back on all fours to look toward the opening of the coliseum, a presence shifted in the shadows of the structure bewaring her that danger is near. The smile on her face and the joyful stance had vanished when she felt the warning alert her of the imminent threat.

[Morty]

"This place is huge! Maybe people used it as a stadium?" he wondered, making his way towards lowest part of the coliseum, one dragon-sized step at a time. Young vines crept over the tarnished stone, and seedy grass sprung up in places where the stone had cracked. From a distance he watched Pandora change to a slightly more cautious stance at some unknown indicator. He looked around carefully, but nothing seemed to be amiss, so he continued his walk. Eventually he made it to the center of the comfy little ring of stone that comprised the bottom-most rung of the fascinating structure. He brushed aside some of the dirt with his tail, trying to see if he could find any writing or something. Instead, he revealed a bumpy bluish-green surface, grimy with dust and age. He swept some more, uncovering a large, circular crystal, almost like a lens, though the surface had long been convoluted with wear. He gazed at it wonderingly, placing a hand on the cool blue crystal, but nothing happened. A flock of birds burst suddenly from the trees, startling him. He whipped his head over to where the sound had come from, and was relieved. Just birds. he thought to himself, relaxing. His eyes shifted to a place where the forest cleared and the sea stretched out in dazzling splendor, the sun hanging just over the horizon. He was shocked at how much time had passed, surely that had been less than an hour? "Huhn... I wonder why these vines all look pretty young? Shouldn't this place be over-run with plants by now?" he said aloud, observing the relatively recent-looking flora that bounded the edges of the coliseum. With an infinitesmal movement the sun came to rest on the horizon, its edge barely touching the distant crests of the waves. A light shot out of the crystal at the young dragon's feet. Ciro's gaze followed the beam skyward. A huge shadow fell over him, one that hadn't been there before, covering the entire coliseum in darkness. "Oh." Descending from the aurora-streaked sky, a massive disc of pure white stone hung over the ancient ruins, concentric rings of steps matching up exactly with the coliseum's topography, two halves of a puzzle, pieces meant to interlock. And heading straight for Ciro, on ring of raised stone that was the apex of the upside-down pyramid, was a giant crystal lens impeccably aligned with the one upon which Ciro stood, caught like a deer in the beam of blue light that linked the two. "Shiii-t." He started to run.

[Zetherus]

Pandora was startled by the beam of light as it shot from the center of the ruin and toward the sky bringing a massive disc down to Dragon Essence's. "Uh Ciro, get out of there before you get crushed!" Yelled Pandora as the giant object slowly descended upon them. She jumped off the white rotating stone and flew back up on the hill out of the way of structure then landed back on the soft grass from where she first saw the ruin. The dragoness turned around to see Ciro running the opposite direction on the platform trying to get away. She thought that she should have helped him but changed her mind when he was about to clear the structure. If she guessed right by estimated the building's speed, it was dropping two feet per each second and it was hundred feet above the the platform.

The whole island trembled as the structure made contact with the platform making every bird or flying creature fly from the island in fear. A great plume of dust and dirt clouded the structure making it impossible to see through but soon the cloud began to dissipate. The dragoness shacked her head from the confusion of dirt and dust flying through the atmosphere. "There was no thought to think that was a landing... pad" She spoke angrily when she was cut off by her amazement of a tall shadow resting before the dragoness from where the platform once was. Pandora walked to the edge of the hill to try harder to see through the cloud. As the ocean wind blew past her clearing the remains of the plume. A city of light had appeared within the artificial crater. "Hey young one? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" She said aloud while looking around to make sure the light dragon had escaped the chaos.

[Midnightmoon]

Dinara gave a soft huff and dropped her hold on the water. Most of the enemies that had massed at Energy Peak were now either dead or had scattered. Even the blood lust of the gyradra had been sated. Dinara sighed again and turned up to the mountain. "Come on Zephyr, it's all done." Dinara said wearily as she passed Zephyr who was panting heavily. At her words he drooped and the energy faded. "I think I'll black out now." "At least get up to the top, there's probably no strays up there." They both eventually reached the nest and Zephyr dropped to the floor and lay there, eyes half closed and glazed. You mind if we bunk here?" Dinara asked her friends.

AB retreated, making not of the unique and notable creatures who had fought the horde. They would have to go.

(OOC: finished in YB)

[Nohiki]

"You know you're always welcome here." said Phoenicia, "We've won today, sleep is well deserved." she said and laid down herself.

Lantea however didn't sleep that night, and many others in the next month, trying to see as much of the world as she could, only stopping by to resupply.

OOC: Done

[Morty]

((Still a little ways to go, then lights out, hopefully. XD))

Ciro rose to his feet shakily, coughing and spluttering. The dust had settled over the lush grass and coated the surrounding forest with a film of white. Vaguely, he heard Pandora calling out to him from somewhere beyond the mountain-sized disc that had just landed there. He flickered a signal too her in green-colored light, his throat too dry to respond audibly. He made his way around to where he thought he heard her voice from, staring up at the impossible structure. The disc itself formed a two hundred foot wall of white stone, the same cut of the stone that formed the coliseum's stages, or landing pad, as now it would appear. Craning his neck, he thought he could make out the shapes of buildings. They would have to fly over it to see. From around the bend he saw Pandora's dark shape and caught up quickly. "Can you believe this?" he said, amazed. "All this time there was a city in the sky and no one even knew about it!" No one except Fireheart... Who was that guy? he thought, wondering.

[Zetherus]

Pandora saw the light dragon rush from the other side of the massive fortress then up to her on the hill. She heard what Ciro said and responded, "This is something you don't see everyday! Do you think we can get a closer look, maybe possible infiltration?" She observed the city closely looking left to the right of the giant structure. From what she saw there was a large dome like structure covered in burnt and damaged flags. On the dome part of the building was a rather big broken opening that led into the possible city hall. "Hey Ciro? I think that this place was attacked!" She reminded as the dragoness began to feel weary of this place and kept her guard.

[Morty]

"I think you're right." Ciro said, the eerily silent structure filling his heart with unease. "We should get a closer look..." he said uncertainly, then beat his wings to fly into the air. While he rose he circled the great white disc, noticing several large openings with large, flat ledges attached. Landing bays. "So this was a dragon city." he observed aloud, ignoring the dark orifices to get a better view of the city. Sure enough there was the dome, the torn flags fluttering weakly in the evening breeze. The sun had just set below the horizon, so there was just enough light to see the broad, circular avenues and zig-zagging alleyways that criss-crossed the circular city, large enough for full-grown dragons to travel with ease. What was this place? "This place will take ages to explore!" he cried, dismayed. He could see that the city had been carved into the rock upon which it was built; he was certain it went deeper than the sad white buildings on the surface with their empty windows and gaping doors. He shuddered inwardly. Why did they have to stare like that?

[Zetherus]

She took off as soon as Ciro did and headed around the dome to inspect more as the light dragon quickly scouted the city out. She hovered over the dome like building looking down into the breach. Pandora could see nothing in the suspected structure; instead she turned her attention over to one of the landing pads. The dragoness swooped down to gain momentum then flapped her wings a few times to reach the platform. When she landed on the smooth white surface of the landing pad she could feel her shadow powers leave her as if they were absorbed by a source unknown. She was determined instantly that this place was trapped but couldn't make sure how to prove it.

OCC: Your move Morty? It's either that landing pad is a rigged trap for dark dragons, or it is just the light of the enchanted stone diminishing Pandora's powers. I say trap!

[Morty]

((IT'S A TRAP!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckhasegf2wA ))

Ciro had made it to the center of the city, past several black-faced buildings. In the center was an elevated structure on which lay an immense, bowl-like lens that, when he lighted upon it, was warm to the touch. He peered at it closely. Its obsidian surface was flawless; his hatchlings claws couldn't so much as scratch it and, he imagined, neither could an adult's. Peering closer, however, he noticed there was something behind the lens; a room of some sort. He looked around for openings into the dark chamber. There seemed to be a portal leading into the central block. He dropped down from the concave roof and tiptoed warily inside.

He met with no resistance as he made his way into the barren marble chamber. In the center of the room the floor was beveled with concentric surfaces tracing the trajectories of the heavenly bodies. And, above that, with no apparent means of suspension or support, floated an enormous white crystal, turning slowly as a concentrated beam of light was fed into it by the lens above. Ciro stood, transfixed, the incredible power of the crystal apparent even to one of his meagre experience.
Suddenly, the clack of claws on polished stone alerted him to the presence of another. Ciro whipped around, diurnal eyes scanning the twilit corridor. An adult dragon prowled from the darkened rim of the crystal room, shadows sliding from his scales like drops of water shed, followed by two others. "What have we here? Another air dragon lose their way in the clouds? Well, it's about time, my friends and I were getting rather bored..." the first one said indifferently, inspecting a polished silver talon. "You're coming with us. Don't bother fighting, we have your friend." Pandora? Thank goodness, for a second there I thought she sold me out. thought Ciro bitterly, and held his head up higher. He had no other choice but to obey the dark dragons, kidnapped sort-of acquaintance or no. What a mess. Maybe they'll fling your bones over the edge of the city someday, and your family will find them. Then what do you expect to tell your parents? he thought, grimly following his ill-intentioned escort to somewhere hopefully less isolated.

At the same time, tendrils of darkness had begun to form around the entrance of the landing bay where Pandora had lighted. Four adult dark dragons removed their cloaking spells and converged on Pandora, their movements finely honed to match eachother's strides. "Come quietly, or we kill the air dragon." their leader stated plainly, her claw poised to drop, giving the signal for her three other cohorts to attack, in case the other dragoness decided to run for it.

[Zetherus]

Before she could even react the platform drained her of her strength and power rending her hopeless. Pandora tried to pull away from the trap until she noticed movement in the air before her. It suddenly turned into a large dark dragon with others appearing around her making it impossible to escape. The dragoness lowered her body with an aggressive growl to hide the fear she was feeling but when she was told to "Follow or the dragon dies." She stopped growling then stood up looking up at the dark dragoness with regret. "I wonder if she is referring to Ciro? It's all my fault now I have endangered both our lives!" Pandora didn't resist instead she listened to the adult and followed without restrains as she walked hopelessly with the dragons to meet up with the other imprisoned dragon.

[Morty]

The four dragons led her down a series of winding corridors, the pale stone lending a lurid quality to the eerily darkened city. "We don't suffer intruders, I'll have you know. Couldn't have you running off and telling everyone about this place! Took us long enough to clear it of automatons, wouldn't you know. Though I think the Sikhare will go easy on you, seeing as you have some dark dragon blood in you! Too bad about your friend, though." the tough, lean dragoness said conversationally as they walked, until the white tunnels gave way and theyy came to a vast subterranean room, lit by one large, eerie chandelier surmounted by dragon skulls, green light blazing from their empty eyesockets while the phantom light within them burned. The light was somewhat magnified by a ring of obsidian mirrors carved into the wall of the chamber and the general glossiness of the stone underfoot. By this light they could see a veritable colony of slumbering dark dragons, some of them raised their heads to watch the procession, but most paid them no heed. Another group of dragons appeared from another opening in the vaulted chamber, this one with the small white dragon in tow. Ciro looked at Pandora sheepishly. "You too, huh?"
"Shh!" hissed the dragoness, and took charge of the two parties, leading them to some place further into the dark. Despite the chandelier Ciro could hardly make out where they were going, unused to the crepuscular murkiness.
"Sikhare, we bring you two intruders into our secret haven. What do you request we do with them?" she asked, bowing low. Before them he could just make out the shape of a massive, shadowy dragon, its cold blue eyes gleaming murderously in the penumbral darkness.
"Just toss them in the mirror room and wait till morning, they'll fry quick enough." growled the ancient dragon, dismissing them with a flick of his tail and looking away, annoyed at having been disturbed. Mirror room? What could that possibly do to hurt us? he wondered, as the dragons led them away. They were brought up several staircases to a higher level, where a locked door waited for them. The dark dragoness unlocked it with a claw specifically carved to the dimensions of the lock while the other two prodded them in.
"Wait!" Ciro cried, turning towards his captors, but the door was already swinging shut.
"Enjoy your stay..." hissed a voice, and the door slammed shut with a final boom and all light was cut off within the cell.
"Well, this sucks." he said, blindly sitting down next to Pandora. From what he could feel, the floor was concave, and paneled with long rectangular shapes that, when his eyes adjusted to the darkness, reflected the faint light from above. His paw his something hard and dry; it rattled away into the corner somewhere. Alarmed, he backed up a bit, and felt more dry things scatter noisily behind him, producing hollow sounds as they struck against one another in a jumble. "Are those... bones?[/i] he asked in horror and disgust, sobbing involunarily.

[Zetherus]

Pandora was too afraid to do anything but lay on the ground to regain her lost energy. A few minutes have passed and she finely arose stumbling on the bones that Ciro had clued out. She looked at the young light dragon and sat down with a smirk that could not be seen. "The first most stupidest thing that these dragons did is to put me in this darkness! Quiet down Ciro. I have a plan to get us out of here!" She said as the dragoness stood up and looked around the darkness. She found a sharp broken bone that gave her an idea. "Hey Ciro I'll be right back." Pandora picked up the bone and vanished. Within the halls of the odd chamber which the dark elder dragon slumbered; Pandora appeared above the creature as she gripped the wall with her sharp talons and held the bone with her left paw dangling the point at the eye of the beast. The dragoness smiled and chuckled a little as she let go of the bone watching it fall gracefully like a lawn dart toward his eye socket. Pandora vanished and appeared back into the cell with Ciro laughing madly until "RAAAHHHH!" A deafening cry could be heard from the elder. The dragons that patrolled the area had left their guard and ran to his aid. "I bet he is pissed now, ha haa haaa!" She laughed and laid back down in silence to hide her evil look when she heard the dark dragons walking up to the mirror room's entrance grumbling in their low voices like as if the prisoners had escaped.

OCC: You decide what they say next Morty.

[Morty]

"What did you do?" Ciro cried in alarm, having heard the furious roar echo through the passages just a few seconds after Pandora had disappeared. "Well, never mind, you can still use your powers right? Get us out of here!" he said urgently as he heard the dark dragon's talons clacking menacingly upon the stony steps, ascending towards the mirror room. He didn't even care that they would have to cross the void again, any place was better than here.

[Zetherus]

Pandora sat back up and looked over at Ciro with a cringed look. "Yeah it's better not to be here! Lets get out of here." She said as she stood back up and made her way to Ciro hugging him once more. before the door could even open, the two dragons had vanished back into the Plains of Void. The dragoness felt unease about this approach as she noticed a frightening presence overwhelm her before she entered the Void.

The two dragons were back in the endless expanse once again but the low whistle of the wind was silent and the ground had a slight vibration to it. "There, we must hurry and find a place far from here." Pandora said with haste as she shoved Ciro to run with her. The two dragons were running the endless landscape beside each other until a low growl of such horrible fear startled Pandora almost making her bite Ciro. "His is here!" Pandora said with a shacked voice and made a portal near the left of her and Ciro. She shoved Ciro and herself through arriving in another mountain range that wasn't far from the island that they both just escaped, but the dragoness was panting badly as she turned to the shadows of the cave they have ported from. "You need to hide NOW!" She ordered as a weird growl had appeared in the cave and multiple eyes had appeared in the darkness looking right at her.