Posting author's notes: Well... This is it: the end of the Arc. We're both rather proud of it, and I really couldn't sleep knowing the completed chapter was just sitting there, waiting to be posted. So I stole Matt's fire, and posted it now. Hopefully he won't be too upset about it.
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Looking at the two bloody gouges down Dax's side, Kyle grinned, before speaking up. "Dax, Dax Dax... You were better off letting others do your dirty work for you. Do you really think you can take us on now? You don't face two novices, you now face three veterans!"
Dax barked out a laugh. "HA! All I see are three mortal whelplings who got lucky. This is the end, mortals. Prepare to die!"
Matt straightened up. "Well, before you kill us, there's just one thing I want to know."
"Not this time!" Dax roared as he charged the paladin. Matt caught the swipe of Dax's fore claw with the flat of his blade, feet sliding in the snow from the force of the blow, but standing firm. The sound of claws on steel heralded the beginning of the battle.
Racing in, Kyle ducked under a tail swipe aimed for her head, before leaping, arms outstretched, and plunging the dagger into the dragon's flank, once again riding the blade down to open a long gash in Dax's side.
Serenity was waiting when the dragon turned to confront this new threat, and a flash of light went off in the dragon's eyes, even as its head was engulfed in a bang that sounded like a canon.
Disoriented, Dax reared back, before slamming both forearms into the ground hard enough to shake his opponents off their feet.
With his vision reduced to nothingness by the flash, and his ears similarly stunned, Dax backed up, swinging his tall around erratically as he waited for his vision to clear.
Matt, Kyle, and Serenity got together to watch as Dax fought phantoms in his mind, swiping at every moving shape and jerking around every time the battle between Ysera, Alexstrasza and Malygos got loud enough to be heard over the deafness Serenity's flash-bang spell had caused.
"Alright, I'll admit, that was exactly the kind of spell I would approve of," Serenity said to Kyle.
With a shrug, the rogue responded, "I told you; non-lethal, but effective. I'm not all about maximum force."
"I'm surprised you haven't come up with a tear gas attack," Matt noted.
"Too dicey here. And I don't have any clue what works without finding a volunteer who doesn't mind being potentially blinded. Head's up, he's regaining his sight," Kyle said, disappearing from view as Dax shook the remaining cobwebs from his rattled brain, and turned to look at the foes who had dared use magic against him.
"A trick you won't live long enough to repeat! If you wish to drag magic into this, then it is only fair that I reciprocate in kind!" With that, Dax opened his mouth, and a ball of blue fire appeared, hovering between his teeth, as small motes of light appeared in the air around him before flying into the ball with steadily increasing speed.á
"Doesn't look good," Serenity mumbled, even as she took off in one direction, Matt running in the other. Dax, however, kept his mouth pointed at Serenity.
"HAA!" The dragon shouted, as a beam of light reached out towards the Queen, blue at the edges, but blindingly white at the center. Serenity's staff was up, and her hand held before her as if preparing to catch the blast. before it could hit her, however, it impacted a shield which flared into visibility as it worked to stop the dragon's assault. Serenity frowned at the rate of decay her shield was going through, and prepared to take the blast, when Matt caught her in a diving tackle, breaking her concentration and collapsing the shield, even as he knocked her out of the way.
Before Dax could bring the beam back onto target, however, there was another flash and a bang, though this time, both were far less powerful and disorienting. Instead, the grenade Kyle had thrown was far more physically effective, dozens of pieces of shrapnel tearing into the dragon's soft chin as the grenade had landed beneath the preoccupied dragon's head.á
"Argh! You'll pay for that, mortal!" Dax yelled, feeling the hot pieces of metal burning from within the flesh of his chin and neck.
"I have two thousand gold. How much?" Kyle taunted back, the grenade having broken the cover of stealth.
"Enough! If you won't die here, then I am forced to kill you from the air!" Dax roared, wings stretching wide in preparation for taking off. Only one drooped noticeably; the parallel gashes on the dragon's right side starting just below where the wings grew from Dax's body. "What!?"
"Crippling poison got you down, Dax?" Kyle taunted, glad the stuff had actually worked. She had started to wonder if the master poisoner's kit was faulty. Apparently, dragons just took a long time to feel the effects.
"Enough! If I can't kill you from the air, I'll fry you from the ground!" Dax opened his mouth again, charging up another attack, only this time, his aim was on the exposed rogue.
Before he could finish, however, something heavy and metallic smacked into his head, ruining his concentration and letting the blast fizzle out harmlessly. "Forget about me?" Matt asked, preparing to hit the dragon again, this time with the blade of his sword.
Serenity joined her friends as they all battled the blue dragon together, the trio working as a team to keep the dragon off-balance. Where Kyle would move to inflict small gashes and punctures, Matt would work to keep the dragon's attention with his far larger blade. Every time Dax would turn to deal with Kyle, either Serenity was there to catch a swung claw on a silver shield of light, or suddenly going on the offensive with powerful two-handed swings that would gut the dragon if he didn't react. When Dax was avoiding the blasts, Serenity would apply what she had learned from the priests of Stormwind, and twist the power of her magic to inflict pain that tore away at the dragons concentration, or occasionally use the magic to psychically wail away at the dragon's mind.
Dax, for his part, was growing tired of these two, and annoyed at his inability to do more than cut his claws open on the blade of the paladin's sword. The one time he'd scored a telling hit, tearing into the exposed flesh of the rogues arm with the follow-through on a swipe at the paladin, that damnable priest had unleashed a burst of magic that had forced all of his wounds open, even as the jagged gashes on the rogue's arm slowed their bleeding and closed up enough to leave little difference in the night elf's attacks.
Matt felt his arms burning as he maneuvered his blade to catch another claw swipe without being bowled over by the limb, even as he sidestepped to give Serenity a clear shot at the dragons head with another precision beam of deep-purple magic that would leave the dragon reeling. His breath was coming in huge gulps, his hands were numb from the constant jarring vibrations, and within his armor, he felt rivulets of sweat flowing down his body, soaking his undergarments. Then Serenity would mumble a quick "heal" and he felt the sweat slow, burning in his arms would fade, and his breathing would even out, and he'd jump back in to regain the dragon's attention before it could tear open Kyle or Serenity.
Kyle, for her part, was somewhat upset at this stalemate. Sure, the hundreds or so cuts she'd inflicted would be telling eventually; the blood-stained snow around them testament to the effects of her attacks, but at this rate, they'd be fighting like this for hours, and from the way Serenity was breathing heavily, they didn't have that much time before their friend lost the concentration needed to keep them alive.
Looking at the dragon before them, Kyle frowned in thought, before turning to her companions. "Erenity-Say! Ash-flay ang-bay!" Turning to Matt, who had paused to stare at her in surprise, Kyle pointed to her eye, wiggled the dagger in her hand, and jerked her head at the Dragon who was still reeling from Serenity's latest psychic assault.
Serenity closed her eyes briefly, before raising both hands at the dragon and letting loose another blast. Fore-warned, the trio closed their eyes, but could do nothing to stop the magical blast from momentarily decimating their hearing. Dax, however, found himself once again blinded and deafened, and roared at the insignificant mortals who had pulled the same trick on him twice.
Kyle and Matt, however, had already moved, the night elf crouching in Matt's hands, even as Matt braced himself to give the rogue a boost. With a sharp slap to his spaulders, Matt stretched, grunting as he put all his strength into throwing the night elf skyward. With the instincts of her body, and a determined look on her face, Kyle kicked off from Matt's outstretched hands, directing her flight towards the dragon who was swinging wildly.
Unfortunately, unlike before, Dax did not back up as he did so, and the swing caught the unprepared paladin in the side, the armored figure crying out on pain as the claws tour into armor even as his feet left the ground.
Serenity, hearing still weakened, saw it happen and rushed to her friend's side, crouching over him protectively, even as she begun to heal his wounds.
Kyle grinned as the dragons flailing stopped, not having seen the swing that took out Matt. Still, with Dax frozen in surprise that an attack made while blinded had managed to hit one of the annoying insects, Kyle found her path taking her almost perfectly on target, and as she landed, she used her daggers, driven into the dragon's neck, to stabilize her position.á
Dax reared back in shock and pain at the sudden weight on his neck just behind his head, knowing one of his foes had somehow managed to get into a relatively dangerous position. However, despite his movement, Kyle wasn't coming lose, and every jerk of his head shook the daggers imbedded in his neck, sending crippling pain down his side as they tore more flesh.
Kyle, for her part, knew she couldn't stay still, and between one shake of the dragon's head, she pulled a dagger free, and plunged it back in a little further up the dragon's neck, before pulling herself forward. Beneath her Dax roared again, and Kyle grinned savagely as she repeated the action with her other dagger, her target almost within reach.
Serenity had turned to look at their opponent after starting her spell, knowing that if he attacked again, she'd have to shield Matt herself or risk losing him permanently. What she saw surprised her. Dax was ignoring her and Matt totally, as Kyle, daggers glinting in the crystal blue light, had reached her target and raised her blade in the air, before plunging it into the dragon's eye.
Dax went berserk. His eyesight had just been returning, and the last thing he'd seen out of his right eye was a dark metal blade catching the sun before it was plunged into his eye. Blinded. These mortals had blinded him! Pulling his wings in, Dax rolled on the ground, no longer caring about fighting with dignity, his only concern now was crushing the life out of the little shit who took out his eye.
Kyle, for her part, was shocked at the change of tactics, and didn't quite mange to leap clear before there were a pair of loud snaps. Once again, her leg flared with pain as bones gave way under pressure. Only this time, it had only been one snap. Dax howled again, as he felt the bone in his wing break under the pressure. The left wing had retracted as expected, but the right wing, still crippled by the poison, had remained extended, snapping under the weight of the dragon's immense body, even as joints an ligaments were torn from the force of the roll.á
Unsteadily regaining his feet, right wing hanging limply from his back, right eye dribbling down his face, Dax let loose a screech that was nearly as effective as Serenity's flash-bang spell at incapacitating unsuspecting foes.
Kyle had propped herself up on her elbows, briefly looking at a leg bending in the wrong direction in the wrong spot, before turning to look at Dax, who's remaining eye was glaring at her hatefully.á
"Die" the dragon hissed, before charging up another blast. Kyle looked around, not seeing anything but snow to hide behind, and knowing it wouldn't protect her from the blast for crap. Then a shield appeared between her and Dax, and both of them turned to look at Serenity. one in thanks, the other in rage.
Dax began charging up another blast, but before he could finish, the blast went off prematurely, shooting up into the air as the dragon roared and turned. Matt stepped back, looking rather weary and panting, but his sword coated in blood. a large, bloody hole in Dax's side sprayed slime and blood with every breath Dax took, which had suddenly become rapid and unsteady. "I'm not out of the fight yet," Matt said before shouting and plunging the blade into the dragon's blindside again.
Dax tried to escape, but before he could, a withering blast of pain caused him to shudder and fall, Serenity's staff held high as the mind flay spell continued to do its dirty work. Disoriented, in pain, and dying, Dax roared weakly, before instinctively trying to take off. His ruined wing twitched and trembled, but failed to lift from the ground, even as his good wing flapped once, unbalancing him and pulling him onto his side.á
Kyle, seeing Dax's good wing flapping weakly against the ground nearby, reached out and grabbed it, before pulling herself towards Dax's writhing body.á
Dax felt another sword thrust, and groaned weakly even as the blade worked it's way down his exposed belly. Weakly lifting his head to glare feebly at his assailants with his good eye, he saw the priestess, Serenity, standing by calmly as he was she watched her companion open him up.
Then he felt another pain, as the wounds on his side were forced open, the rogue having crawled up his wings to the punctures from paladin to shove something inside.
Kyle slid down the dragon's neck to stop by it's head, collapsing on her bad leg with a grunt of pain. "Goodbye, Dax," the elf said, as the grenade she'd thrust into his lung went off.
Serenity watched the dragon shudder in its death throes, its single good eye focusing on her one last time before going glossy in death. Then she rushed to Kyle's side to begin healing her wounded friend.
Before she could start casting, however, a shadow passed overhead, and Serenity looked up, staff ready, before relaxing.
The dragon was Ysera, and nearby, Alexstrasza landed, before returning to her humanoid form. "Malygos has fled to the Eye of Eternity," Ysera explained.
"Why didn't you follow him?" Matt asked, rounding the body of Dax wearily.
Kyle chuckled weakly. "They're not attuned." looking at Serenity, he frowned. "Um, your highness? My leg?"
"Please, allow me," Alexstrasza said, stepping forward.á
"Actually, I'll take care of that, if you don't mind?" a new voice said. Everyone turned in surprise to look at the newcomer, before the dragon aspects fell to their knees in supplication.á
Serenity, however, scowled. "Elune."
The Azerothian Moon Goddess looked at Serenity sadly. "Sister."
Serenity shook her head once, sharply, and Elune nodded sadly, before bowing her head. "I'm here to tell you that the time has come. Events have been set into motion, and the time for you to return home draws near."
"But.. we don't have the Ginzuishiu yet," Kyle pointed out.
"We cannot go into the Eye. The magic of the place is too strong for anyone to enter while disguised, and as dragons, we are far too large to pass through the focusing iris," Ysera explained.á
"And that is why you three must go. What you seek lies within," Alexstrasza explained.
"Where- ow! Where are you going, then?" Kyle asked, earning a look from Elune, who stepped over and waved her hand over the broken leg, leaving it pain free. It still sat at a horrible twisted angle, though.
"We must return to Wyrmrest Temple and form the... What did you call it? Wyrmrest Accord?"" The Aspect smiled at that, though it was a pained smile. "The focusing iris can be widened to allow dragons to enter. However, it will require the mortal races of Azeroth to enter and find the key to doing that. I have a feeling we'll be putting the champions of the Horde and Alliance to the test, until we have a hand-picked army that can hold off Malygos long enough to open the way for us to enter." Alexstrasza looked the trio over, before sighing. "A pity you won't be here for that. I know precisely which mortals I'd prefer to stand at the head of that army."
Alexstrasza bowed her head towards everyone,before bowing more formally to Elune, then she shifted back into her natural form and took off.
"By your leave, Goddess?" Ysera asked, bowing to Elune again.
Elune nodded, but caught the Aspect's eye with a look. Ysera nodded weakly, then shifted and took off after her sister.
When the two aspects were hidden by the mountainous borders of Coldarra, Elune spoke up. "As you heard, the unstable magic around the iris will strip away any disguises or transformations; that includes my own."
"Wait, you're saying that we have to fight him in our natural bodies?" Kyle asked, no longer in physical pain, but looking somewhat pained by the thought, instead. "I think I'd rather fight Malygos with boobs and a broken leg."
"Yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, we weren't really in the best of shape," Matt added.á "I know I wasn't."
Elune mere nodded. "I anticipated that. Which is why the bodies you have now, and your own have been linked this entire time."
"What do you mean?" Kyle asked, frowning.
"For the past three years, you've trained in those bodies. Every move, every skill, every wound you've experienced there, your bodies have experienced and healed from as well." Elune turned to Kyle, "And yes, it was tricky, but don't forget, I'm a goddess, and I have magic to even out the rough parts."
Kyle opened her mouth to reply, then closed it with a snap. Finally, she shrugged.
"I'll miss my glowy eyes the most," Matt stated wistfully.á "They were pretty cool."
"What about our clothes? And our armor? I don't really want to fight Malygos in trousers and a dress shirt," Kyle suddenly pointed out.
"Yeah, I'm good at catching claws with my sword, but without my armor, I'm going to be somewhat screwed if I miss. Plus the enchantments..." Matt trailed off.
"I believe the term for your gear is 'soulbound,' no? I will return you to your bodies, but that armor is bound to your souls. It is yours, to keep and discard as you and only yo see fit."
"Oh. Well, that's good then," Kyle replied, nodding. There'd be a few places in need ofá adjusting, but he and Jae were relatively similar in size.á
"If that is all, then I shall return you to your natural bodies. Close your eyes; this might feel a little odd."
As the two elves did exactly that, Elune turned to Serenity, and there was a flash that only the two Moon Goddesses could see. Around them, time itself had frozen, and Serenity's friends sat, frozen in time as well.
"Elune," Serenity growled.
Elune held up her hands placatingly. "I must speak with you, sister."
"My friends have every right to hear what you have to say," the Queen replied sharply.
Elune merely nodded. "Then you may tell them all that transpires here, but for now, at this moment, it is with you and you alone that I must speak."
"Then speak. But make it quick," Serenity finally said.
"First, I must apologize. I did not know, Serenity. This world is not like yours. Not like theirs. There are things even we cannot see. I didn't know. And even though I know it isn't enough for you, I must stress a third time: I did not know." Elune had tears in her eyes as she finished, and she watched Serenity regard her with an unreadable look.
Finally Serenity nodded, closing her eyes as she did so, to let a single tear slip down her cheek.
Elune took a deep breath, before continuing. "I... We, the gods of Azeroth are powerful in our own ways, but the black dragonflight has ways of keeping us out. When I knew you'd been take there, I could not see what happened, but I watched it relentlessly. I saw your friends enter, when I could not. I ignored my followers just to keep an eye on that place. Not a minute went by that I wasn't watching. And so..."
"You saw when it happened?" Serenity whispered.
Elune nodded. "I did. It was the most horrible thing I have ever had to understand. I saw that spark of divinity begin its ascent..." She trailed off, looking around the frozen landscape, before whispering, "and I did something I shouldn't have."
Serenity blinked. "What do you mean?"
"This isn't your world; isn't your universe. the spark began its climb, but slowed... there was no home for it to return to. No Pantheon awaited it. I knew it was yours, and knew it was wrong, but when it started to fade out..."
With tears in her eyes, Serenity stepped towards Elune, "What? What did you do, Elune?"
Elune was openly crying. "I claimed it. I gave it some of my power, stabilized it. Made it... part of me."
Serenity was stunned. "She's... not dead?"
Elune shook her head. "No, but... she's Azerothian, now. Part of this universe."
Serenity finally understood. "She can't come with me."
Elune shook her head. "She was too young, too weak... I had no choice. Do this... or watch her die. But I had to tell you. I couldn't not tell you."
Serenity broke down then, crying on the frozen plains of Northrend, as time itself stood still as she let her grief be known.á
Finally, she wiped her eyes and stood back up.
"I am so sorry, dear sister. Your daughter may grow, well-cared for here, with me. That, I can promise you."
"Very well," she said at length. "But know this. As you have taken a piece of me, I shall take a piece of you." And with those words a beam of light impacted Elune on the chest, freezing the divine entity in her place, even as it connected the two Goddesses together.
"No!á What are you doing?!" Elune cried out in pain.
"I am only taking a small piece of you, dear sister. You shall not miss it."
"To what end?" The Moon Goddess cried.
"This is about balance. As Day follows night and sunlight drives away theá rain, we must all bow to the balance. This universe now has a part ofá mine. And so, my universe must have a part of yours."
"But why?" Elune said, even as the beam released her and she fell to her knees panting.
"Look at me, Elune." Serenity commanded.
The Azerothian Goddess looked up at Serenity in confusion. Serenity shook her head, frowning. "No, look at me."
And Elune did. And she saw what Serenity was doing, and gasped. "But you!.. Who?" She looked down at the two frozen forms on the ground, then, and gasped again. "With Matt?"
Serenity nodded. "There are many things about your world I do not know, but I know of their addiction to magic. Both the High Elves and the Blood. My magic may be compatible, but yours is from this world. You can replace what I've taken, in time. And it's a far smaller price for what you've taken from me."
Elune stared at Serenity for a few moments. "I-" she paused, and sighed. "Very well."
Serenity nodded, before turning to look at her friends once more. "Is there anything else you'd like to burden me with, or can I return to my friends?"
Elune looked at Serenity's back, before sighing. "There is one other thing..."
Serenity closed her eyes, before turning to look at the Goddess behind her. "What?"
"Tannim and Jaessica. I made those bodies, and the memories, and skills... but that's all they were. Somehow, between their creation and now, they've gained a life of their own."
"Are you saying you created two souls?" Serenity asked.
Elune nodded. "Like this, I've spoken with them. Tannim... seeks to return to the light. Or me, as it were. And I'll accept him with open arms, as I do all my followers."
"And Jaessica?" Serenity asked.
"Has asked to go with you. She has no friends or family here. Memories of things that happened here with people who don't exist. And she's.. a curious sort. Inquisitive." Elune explained.
"Proud of your work, Elune?" Serenity asked, frowning.
Elune nodded, before turning to look at the night elf body on the ground. "That body is weak. I cannot grant it to her lest it be destroyed when you return to your universe."
"Then what are you asking?" Serenity asked, frowning.
Elune, still talking to Serenity's back, held out the glowing orb that was the night elf Rogue Jaessica, and spoke. "I wish for you to take it. I know little of your world, but I think that you, with your power, could do something with it. Something that I cannot."
Serenity turned to fix Elune with a scowl. "What? Just conjure up a body? Or shove it in the head of one of my subjects?" You can't do that?"
Elune stepped back in shock, the vehemence in Serenity's voice unexpected. "You would condemn her to live in a world where everything she knows is falsehood? Memories of battle, world-changing events that happened, but none of the proper people or names to go with them? Of friends and family, dead and alive that she can never see and never existed? If that is your wish..."
Serenity sighed. "And so she's chosen to come to a new world, a new body, where nothing will be familiar, and only the memories of this world that you created from the thoughts of my friend to let her know where she's from? Does she know that she was created by you like that?"
"She did. But asked to have that conversation removed. As far as she's concerned, she went to sleep in the Azeroth of her memories, knowing she'd wake up in a new body, in a new universe, where she can learn far more than she ever did here."
"And she's aware it's a one-way trip?" Serenity pressed.
"That was the first thing I explained to her when she made her request."
"Then it would seem I've come across a new soul to look after," Serenity said softly, before reaching out to take it. Closing her hand around it gently, Serenity nodded. "I will do what I can. Was... is she a follower of yours?"
"Not nearly as devout as some," Elune hedged.
Serenity smiled. "Then I suppose I've poached a follower, haven't I?"
Elune sighed. "I suppose you have, sister."
"Then there's nothing else? No dragons planning on following me? A limb of mine you've decided to lay claim to?" Serenity asked, seeing Elune flinch with every barbed comment.
"No, sister. I will return you to your friends, now." Elune whispered.
As she prepared to do so, Serenity spoke up. "Elune."
Opening her eyes, Elune looked at Serenity, not knowing what to expect.
"Take care of my daughter. She's yours, now, too." Serenity asked softly.
Elune nodded. "I will, Serenity. I promise."
Serenity smiled softly, then before shaking her head. "Farewell, Sister."
There was a flash of light, and Serenity found herself standing once more in the snow of Coldarra, the frigid winds blowing around her, even as her two friends groaned at her feet.
"Oh, what hit... me..." Kyle said, before sitting up rapidly. Something was missing. Two somethings. And something else was back. "Oh, wow... that's going to take a little getting used to," he muttered, puling the hood of his armor off to expose his face to the cold air. With a grin, he pulled the glove off his right hand, and ran a finger around the van dyke facial hair he hadn't had in over two years.
Matt, for his part, groaned, before climbing to his feet.
Serenity watched them reacquaint themselves to their original bodies, before turning to look at Kyle. Despite the changes, the eyes were the same, as was the smirk. She felt herself returning his grin when he smiled at her, and when he asked her if it had worked, she nodded, before running over to give them both a hug.
"So this is it?á Really it?á We're finally going back?"
"Yes, Matt," Serenity smiled with tears in her eyes.á "We're going home."
Kyle, not immune to the heightened feeling of good naturedness and hope that seemed to be infusing the group at the moment, let out a chuckle.á "And by home, you mean we're going to be traveling at ludicrous speed from one universe to another, said one universe being a pseudo-fantasy world we both knew as a series of games, to a universe we knew of as a shoujou series of fantasy manga and anime that takes place on an idealized solar-system-spanning kingdom centered on the moon."
Matt reached over and messed up Kyle's hair before he could react.á "Yep, and we're going to enjoy every minute of ourselves in our new place of residence," he grinned.
Kyle groaned and pulled his head out of Matt's reach, incidentally ending the hug Serenity had been giving them. For her part, Serenity sighed, before tuning to look up at the swirling magical light shining outside of the structure Kyle had identified as the Nexus. "We still have one thing left to do," she pointed out.
"One final task," Matt added.
"... Kill. Bill." Kyle quipped.á
Serenity rolled her eyes as Matt started making beat-box sounds to go along with a musical sound track last heard several worlds away.
Before the mood could be ruined entirely, Matt looked around, before frowning. "Will we be seeing Elune again?"
Serenity froze, before sighing. "I doubt you'll be seeing her. But I also doubt she's doing anything other than watching over us at the moment," she replied, the implication clear.
"Thank you Elune!" Matt yelled out to the empty landscape.
"Yup, thanks," Kyle mumbled. "Probably filled my T and A quota for this life and the next."
"I knew you were playing with them!" Matt turned and pointed an accusing finger.á "I knew it!"
Kyle sighed. "Matt, between running for our lives, running for Serenity's life, and running from battle to battle, I didn't have time to do much more than basic maintenance!"
Serenity chuckled, "You could have asked for a few more minutes with Serinar."
"... I can't believe you said that." Kyle replied, flatly. He turned to Matt. "She really just said that, didn't she?" With an overly dramatic sigh, Kyle turned his eyes skywards and yelled, "Thanks a lot!" Before the others could say anything to him, Kyle started off towards the Nexus.
"Think we over-did it?" Serenity asked, though she was smiling conspiratorially as she did so.
"He'll get over it."á Matt laughed as a sudden thought struck him.á "Ha!á I finally get to use 'he' when referring to him again.á I'd gotten so used to calling Kyle a 'she' for the longest time."
Serenity laughed. "True enough." She paused to regard him for a moment, before frowning. "Still..."
"Hmm?" Matt asked, not really paying attention.
"It's too bad you don't have those ears anymore. They were kind of sexy," Serenity said innocently, completely shorting out Matt's brain.
As he sat there trying to reboot, Serenity headed off towards the Nexus after Kyle, doing her level best not to let loose the laughter that threatened to break free with every giggle.
---===---
"It's there. I can sense it," Serenity stated. Before them lay a swirling portal that hovered over the small platform they were standing on.á
Kyle looked over the edge of the platform, down to the floor a good sixty feet or so below. There were no railings to prevent fatal accidents. "OSHA does not approve," he muttered, before turning to look back at the portal again.
"From an architectural standpoint however, railings of any sort would kind of ruin the effect," Matt pointed out.
"You two remember the plan?" Serenity asked, forestalling another bizarre conversation.
"We had a plan?" Matt asked.
"Go in, get the crystal, go home," Kyle said.
Serenity nodded. "Close enough. Just remember, I have to be holding it, and when I warn you, clear your thoughts. I'll do the steering this time."
Matt and Kyle nodded, before pulling their weapons. The carefree postures faded as they prepared for whatever Malygos had waiting in store for them within.
"Lets do it," Matt said, before stepping through the portal. Serenity and Kyle were right behind him.
On the other side, the trio was pleasantly surprised by the lack of a welcoming party, and after checking out the immediate area, they explored their surroundings more thoroughly.
"It's like a planetarium," Matt said, finally. The others nodded. Aside from the platform on which they stood, the walls and sky overhead looked like a sea of stars and galaxies, the whole thing rotating as if they were standing on a platform in space that was slowly corkscrewing through the cosmos.
The platform itself was a large circular affair, almost completely barren.
Almost, because dead center was a giant crystalline orb that radiated with magical energy.á
Above it floated the Ginzuishiu.
"There it is," Serenity said, breathlessly. She took a hesitant step towards it, almost afraid it would disappear again, before breaking into a sprint.á
"Serenity!" Kyle yelled, before trying to catch up to her. There was no telling what kind of traps Malygos had placed upon it.
Before he could tell her as much, however, she was within range, and she reached out for it only to have a blast of magic go off in her face, not seriously harming her, but blowing her back into an unprepared Kyle, and sending them both rolling.
"You were softer as an elf," Serenity muttered, before pulling herself to her feet. "That bastard!" she growled.á
"We've got company!" Matt shouted. In the distance, coming from one of the many miniature-galaxies floating around them, a blue spec was rapidly growing larger. Malygos.
"He's warped the magic of the Ginzuishou," Serenity explained quickly. "It looks like he couldn't get it to work for him, so he merely extended its protection to that orb below it, and..." she trailed off, staring at it, before scowling. "Oh, how clever. He didn't key himself to it. He merely keyed us out."
"Well, he's coming. Can you work it out while we stall him?" Kyle asked quickly.
"Magic or not, I am the Ginzuishou's rightful bearer; Once I remind it of that, it will throw off his spells easily," Serenity growled, before stepping forward once more.
"Well, toss us a blessing or two, and we'll do our best to give you time to break it free," Kyle called over his shoulder as he ran back over to Matt.
Serenity nodded, already planning the mystical assault that would free her magic artifact from some insane reptile's futile science project. Muttering a quick blessing for her friends, she set to work, the world around her fading into the background as she started to weave her magic around and through the threads of the spell that kept the Ginzuishou locked down. To Matt and Kyle, it looked like a stream of silvery mist mad exited Serenity's outstretched hands and was slowly engulfing the glowing crystal.á
Unfortunately, they couldn't watch any more, as Malygos set down on the platform before them.
"I knew you'd come, but I didn't think you'd wish to die so quickly," he growled.
"Feh. You think you're so smart, Spellweaver? I know children who could run laps around you. Your spell will fail. Your plans will fail. And when everything your insane mind has come up with goes tumbling down around you, you will die, knowing that I was right!" Kyle shouted back.
There was a pause. "And who are you?" The blue dragon asked, staring at the unknown male rogue before him. He recalled the priest futilely prodding at the focusing iris and its lock, but she'd had a night elf rogue and a high elf paladin before. And that rogue had been female. Now there were two humans, wearing the same armor, wielding the same weapons, and speaking as if they'd already met. Then he laughed. "So! You thought to fool me with a disguise? Hiding your true forms all along, but now, here, in my domain, your disguise magics mean nothing! I See through your tricks!"
"Yes, yes, you're amazing," Kyle delivered flatly, while waving dismissively. "In any case. I know the future. And your not in it for long, Malygos."
"Ha! I'm sure your pathetic dreams seem real enough to your feeble mortal mind, but even the bronze dragonflight failed to foresee my plans!" Malygos taunted.
"Failed to foresee?" Matt asked, finally speaking up. "Or do they know the outcome and choose not to interfere?"
Malygos opened his mouth to make a retort, then froze. It couldn't be that, could it? Here in the Eye of Eternity, he was in control. The other aspects hadn't followed him here; here where he was at his most powerful. He finally shook his head. "Stand down, mortals, and I promise you a swift death."
Kyle and Matt looked at each other, before drawing their weapons. Malygos' fate was inevitable. They could make no promise to the dragon before them, and there would be no bargains. When Serenity finished, they would leave, and Azeroth would continue down a time line as similar to the original as had been possible.
Malygos watched the two insects before him prepare for battle and growled. "So be it."
With a roar, he lunged, hoping to catch the two off-guard. The rogue, however, disappeared from sight, and the paladin stepped outside the the range of the swing with an experienced twist, before running in to attack the off-balance Aspect.
Matt's eyes narrowed as he swung at the backside of the dragon's claw that had barely missed him. He was impressed; he'd never been this fast or strong before, and he suddenly missed the high elf body a lot less. Leaping back to avoid a backhand from a claw as big as he was, he swung the two-handed sword again, roaring a challenge of his own as he began to look for an opening to exploit.
Kyle, for his part, was looking for the same thing. His vial of crippling poison wouldn't be good to go for the rest of the day, and considering how long that had taken to set in on Dax, it would have been useless on a dragon even larger. Settling on the instant poison and mind-numbing, he quickly coated his blades, before moving in to attack. Malygos seemed completely focused on Matt for the moment, and unlike Dax, was standing in one place as he swung at the paladin. Making his way carefully to his chosen target, Kyle muttered a brief "here goes," before swinging, the enchanted daggers piercing scaled flesh even as the contact broke the haze of stealth around him.
Malygos roared in pain as he felt his leg open up, the tendon just above his ankle separating from the bone, the muscle it was attached to bunching up under his scaly flesh like a boulder. The dragon's entire body shifted as the rear left leg suddenly lost its ability to hold its weight, and Malygos scrambled to put his leg under him, where the rogue couldn't get to it.
Kyle darted back, avoiding the shifting body, and ducking under a tail swipe that went by so fast the wind from its passage threatened to knock him over. As Malygos clumsily maneuvered around so as to face the newest threat, Matt began to circle around behind him, leaving the Aspect with two choices; leave the paladin at his back, or the rogue. It was the weapons that decided it. The rogue was dangerous, and had already dealt a crippling blow that would require time to heal. But the daggers it used were far too short to pierce his flesh in any vital areas. The paladin, on the other hand, had a blade that could kill if it managed to pass his defenses. The paladin was the immediate threat.
Matt frowned as Malygos turned to face him again. Kyle had gotten a good hit in, he wanted to show the rogue that he too could dish out the damage, as well as soak it up. Well, there was something he'd been hoping to try out. Most of what he'd learned in the past two years had focused on physical combat, but there were a couple tricks he'd been taught. Now seemed like a good time to unleash one.á
Malygos took another swipe at the paladin, before leaning down to attempt to bite him. It was an underhanded trick, more common to the black dragonflight than his own, but he knew most mortal beings tended to freeze up with a mouth full of teeth as big as a child came at you.á
Instead of trying to dodge, the paladin gripped its sword tighter, before shouting. Just before he snapped his jaws shut, something unexpected happened.
Serenity gasped as she felt something pull at her power from behind her. The delicate threads of magic she was manipulating shivered involuntarily under the strain, and several of Malygos' spells snapped back into place, setting back her progress briefly. She could redo what progress she'd lost easily enough, knowing as she did what steps to take next, but more interruptions like that would greatly increase the time it took for her to finish. "Don't do that!" She managed to yell.
Kyle, doing his best to get away from a tail that seemed far more capable than its owner's head, saw Malygos' lunge at Matt, and was about to call out a warning when Matt suddenly shouted, and a stream of silver energy flew from Serenity to Matt. When it arrived, it began to swirl around him, even as it separated into a number of orbs and streamers of silver light. The orbs became spectral hammers that batted away at Malygos' head, even as they passed through it, and the dragon's head jerked with every impact.á
There was a crack, and a tooth the size of Kyle's forearm fell to the ground beside Matt, followed by a splatter of blood.
Malygos reared back in shock and pain. That had been unexpected. Even worse, he could feel the root of the broken tooth with his tongue, the stump bleeding into his mouth even as the throbbing pain from the break seeming to call forth a headache that sapped his concentration.
Shaking his head to clear it, and sending globules of blood flying, Malygos glared down at his opponent. "You'll pay for that!" He hissed, before shuffling to the side, his lame lag kept under him.
Matt had just started to move when Malygos' tail impacted him, the turn just enough for the appendage to reach the paladin and hit him from his blind spot.
Due to the size of Malygos, the strike was powerful enough to send Matt flying, his golden armor kicking up sparks as it slid across the stone floor after the paladin finally landed.
Kyle froze as the dragon turned to look at him. Matt's Divine Storm had been surprising, but fortunate. Now, with Malygos' attention fully on him, Kyle was less impressed with Matt's spell, and hoping to hell his friend was alright.
"Matt's not the only one with surprises, Malygos. Don't think I'll be any easier!"
"As if your blades could truly harm me!" Malygos taunted back, before lunging.
Much like Matt, Kyle'd focused on the physical aspects of combat training. However, he knew of the abilities a rogue had access to long before they had arrived in Azeroth, and had taken the time to learn the most useful from those willing to teach.
With Malygos's claws approaching fast enough to hear the wind whistling through them, Kyle felt his energy peak, a moment before letting loose an ability he'd sought out early in his training. There was a slight sparkle, before the rogue partially faded from view, Kyle's movements becoming quicker, even as Malygos' claws seemed to pass through him.
Kyle knew he couldn't keep it up long, but while under it's effects, he did his best to leave Malygos something to remember him by. As the razor-sharp claws passed beneath his chin with inches to spare, he brought one of the daggers down, scoring a deep cut along the backside of Malygos' paw, before stepping forward and using the other dagger to score another lengthy cut up the dragon's forearm.
Malygos growled to himself as the rogue continued to avoid his attacks with depressing ease, even as it continued to score numerous annoying-but-painful cuts and gashes on any limb that dared get within reach.
"Enough!" He roared, rearing back and frowning at the rogue before him. the pain in his head was steadily growing, and he mentally reached for his magic, silently daring the rogue to dodge his next attack.
Unlike Dax, the blast didn't take time to build up, and didn't lance out at Kyle like some sort of magical laser. instead, it immediately left Malygos' mouth, taking off like a ball of white lightning as it streaked down towards Kyle with deadly intent.
For his part, Kyle had been expecting this, knowing Malygos was a master of magic, and dove out of the way of the blast, doing his best to ignore the explosion it picked up behind him as it impacted the ground. He also ignored the sting of stone and rock as pieces of the platform impacted his armor.
Malygos was shocked. The spell had worked as intended, but been far less powerful than expected. Then he growled again. His headache suddenly made sense. "Poison!" He snarled, before preparing to unleash another blast at the rogue. Knowing his magic was temporarily weakened, he powered it far more than usual before unleashing a blast that was much more like he had expected the first time.
Only, when it reached the surface of the platform and exploded, the rogue was nowhere to be seen. "Wha-" Malygos started, before roaring in pain again.á
Kyle had seen the much larger blast, and let loose another ability he'd learned, grinning as he sank into the shadow beneath him and appearing behind Malygos's head. In Azeroth proper, he'd only been able to emerge from the shadows of his target from the ground. Here in the Eye of Eternity, the darkened night sky itself served as a shadow, and he'd appeared above and behind Malygos' head as he had hoped, falling daggers first to leave a telling wound when he landed.
Malygos roared again in anger at the creature who would dare attack him so. Malygos shook, and unlike Dax, the greater size and strength proved too much for Kyle to hold on through. With a surprised yell, Kyle went flying, doing his best to roll on impact, but still stunned as he met the ground and slowed to a stop.
When the world stopped spinning around him, he looked up to see an angry dragon bringing its claw down on him as if to crush him. And he was still too disoriented to do much more than attempt to move. Still, he tried, and Kyle groaned to himself as he knew he wasn't going to be fast enough.
Malygos would have smiled to himself as he brought his claw down. The rogue was about to learn just how insect-like it truly was.
Then his claw slammed into something that felt like a boulder coated in steel.
"What!?" He roared, pulling his claw away.
Matt grinned within his helmet as the claw exposed Kyle, safely ensconced within a divine shield.
"Matt!" Serenity yelled accusingly.
"Sorry!" he called back, before gripping his sword again with both hands and running to meet the dragon while Kyle got his feet back under him from within the shield.á
Malygos turned to the Paladin with another growl, before letting loose a poorly-aimed blast of magic that succeeded in halting his advance.
"Far be it from me to cater to your pathetic attempts at combating me here! This farce ends now!"
Malygos took off, limp leg dangling even as he slowly backed away from the platform his enemies stood upon watching him.
"You think that's air you're breathing? That platform you stand upon is real? This is my domain, mortals! And it's about time you learned just what that means!"
Before they could prepare for it, the platform around them blinked out of existence. The loose stones blown free from the dragon's explosions, as well as the three humans standing in his domain began falling. However, he wasn't done showing them how little power they had.
Focusing on the rogue, Malygos dove, and Kyle watched him when he spun enough to see the blue Aspect. Below him, above him, and all around him swum the sea of stars, and only the air flying by him as he fell through it, and the dragon diving beside him gave him any indication of which direction was which.
Serenity had been as surprised by the loss of flooring as her companions, but unlike the floor, the crystal ball and its stand had remained in place, floating in the air as if the ground it sat upon hadn't disappeared. Serenity reached out and grabbed one leg of the orb, wincing as the action threw her concentration and set her back a little more. She had almost been done.
Matt windmilled his arms comically for a few moments as he continued to fall, the surprise of the move leaving him somewhat disoriented. The metal armor and sword in his hand had also speed up his descent, and as he spun, he saw Kyle and Malygos above him, falling in his direction, even as Serenity receded further and further above them.
Kyle was in trouble. He knew that. He was falling down an infinitely deep hole in some magical space, being attacked by a hundred-foot dragon with wings. It was clearly an arena that gave the dragon the advantage.á And his cape, which was long and flashy and surprisingly far less in-the-way than he'd expected it to be, now fluttered above and behind him, constantly pulling at him like a failed parachute.á
"Well, first thing first," he muttered to himself, before reaching up with his dagger and cutting the cape off just above his head. Instantly, the pulling sensation lessened, and he tried to remember everything that he'd ever read about skydiving. Spreading his arms and legs, he felt the increased wind resistance, and saw Malygos' approach quicken as the dive brought him closer. With a soft hmm to himself, Kyle brought his arms and legs together, lessening the resistance, and felt his speed increase.
Malygos glared at the mortal ahead of him. Instead of screaming and flailing about, it was acting as though it was used to this, altering it's shape to influence it's rate of fall. What would a human know of aerial maneuvering?
Kyle however, thought he had the basics down, and instinctively leaned to the side, altering the resistance on his left and seeing his drift to the right increase. Malygos altered his dive to compensate.
Then the rogue disappeared.
"Wha-" Malygos started, before roaring in pain again.
Kyle grinned savagely as he appeared behind the dragon, the giant body catching far more air than his, and leaving him the advantage in speed with a dive. It took less than a second for Kyle to reach the aspect, again, driving his blades into the flesh of Malygos' back, and latching on to his neck.
"You dare!" Malygos roared back at him.
"You fell for it!" Kyle taunted. Then he grinned. "Twice!"á
Malygos was about to reply, when suddenly a second weight impacted his back, this one far heavier than the first.
"Almost missed the bus," Matt said, matter-of-factly.
"Huh," Kyle replied, surprised.á
Matt grinned, before reaching back to pat his own cape.
As he'd been falling, he knew there was no way he'd be able to do what Kyle was doing and slow his fall naturally, so he'd cheated. One of the gnomes at Valiance Keep was a burgeoning engineer, and Matt had caught the soldier jumping off the unfinished roof of the inn and drifting to the ground with a cape that acted as a parachute. Pulling the gnome aside, he'd acted as if he was about to reprimand the terrified enlistee, before begging him to do the same with his own cloak.á
Now, he'd watched as Malygos and Kyle had passed him, the parachute overhead slowing his fall enough to give him time to plan accordingly, before cutting the strings and resuming his fall after the two. He'd been waiting for a chance to show the cloak off for months.
He'd almost landed on Kyle when the rogue had suddenly appeared beneath him, but he had enough time to redirect his fall, using the blade of his sword as a sort of tail. He'd have to ask Serenity for an opportunity to try this sort of thing again later.á An idle thought briefly wandered through his mind, and he wondered if the chance to sky-dive down an impossibly deep hole while trying to land on an angry dragon would ever crop up twice in his lifetime.á He hoped not.
"Do you think you're any safer there?" Malygos roared back at them.á
Before answering, Matt brought the point of his sword to the dragon's back, aimed at the gap between vertebrae. "Yes. I do," he replied calmly, as he gripped the pommel with both hands and braced himself.
"What-?" Matt shouted with a surprised yelp as gravity suddenly shifted, and he felt himself torn away from the dragon laterally, falling sideways, even as Malygos fell down. Kyle was ripped away in a separate direction, falling upwards, and he growled at the Aspect, still winded from his last use of the shadowstep ability.
After a few minutes of falling up, Kyle felt his direction change again, and far below him, Matt did, as well. within moments, the two were back together, falling sideways, like parallel planes.á
"Prepare for oblivion!" Malygos shouted, far below them. The two looked down, only to see a blast of epic proportions rising up to meet them, the surface of the blast larger than the platform they'd been fighting on before, and far too wide for them to drift out of the way of. Still, they tried, both silent as they watched the blast following them even as it grew larger and closer.
"Matt!" Kyle shouted. "Push off me!"
With mere seconds to spare, the two humans reached out to grab each others' hands, drawing close, before shoving with everything they had, flailing at the loss of control over their descent, even as they flew apart far faster than any change in drifting could have accomplished.
Matt watched in horror as the blast continued to follow Kyle's trajectory, even as he was thrown far enough to have a good chance of passing it by.
"Well, that sucks," Kyle muttered, as the blast drew close enough that it took up half his view. Then it was around him. Eyes closed in preparation, he was surprised to feel... nothing.
