Jia opened her eyes and looked over at Ka. For a moment she was confused, but slowly remembered where she was, why, and who she was with. She reached her mind into his, melding his consciousness with her own to lend him her massive energy reserves. Yes, much better. she purred, closing her eyes again. Her breathing slowed, but she was simply resting to conserve her strength.

- - - - - - - - - -

Tyleek quickly turned to his cot and grabbed the canteen of water he'd bought. He carried it to Ka, then went back for a half loaf of bread. He gave that to Ka as well.
"Eat. I don't know magic, but I know that food and drink helps to regain strength." he said. He tilted his head to the side, studying the Reaper. He felt helpless, unable to aid Jia or Ka. He hadn't learned how to heal others, beside himself and Theldor. He cleared his throat softly.
"You can take energy from me and Theldor if you must. That bite wound on the base of her tail looks bad." he pointed out, deciding that offering his energy was the best way to help.

Jia shrugged lightly. He didn't, but she'll probably be here soon, if I know her. Within the hour, probably. she said, and padded over to the window.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ella nudged her mount on, entering the city cautiously. She dropped to the ground and led her horse to a stable, where she boarded for a few nights. She went out on foot, feeling around occasionally with her mind. She found a spark that she was familiar with, two if she extended further. She made her way toward the building and stepped in through the front door. it was completely empty on the first level. She climbed up the stairs and stopped at the first door on the left that she found. She knocked three times against the wooden door,"Can I come in?" she called out, grasping the hilt of her sword subconsciously. She felt a third presence that she was not familiar with.

OOC:
The weather is getting bad here. There's at least two or three inches of snow at my house, and the wind isn't helping. My mom (and me, kinda) is betting on the power going out tonight.

OOC: ok then, be careful and stay warm

Ka nodded, when he heard a nock on the door followed by a familiar voice. He walked over to the door and opened it. "Ella..." He said, stepping aside so she could come in.

Ka watched the elf walk past, inclining his head but other wise remaining silent. He closed the door and walked over to his cot and laid down. "Aye, and an interesting story it is..." He glanced at Jia. "Would you like to do the honors or should I?" He asked, assuming Ella was talking about how they got hurt.

OOC: I'm making a new Character xD

OOC:
Yes, I saw you over in the character application section. Care to share, or is it a surprise?lol

IC:
Jia shrugged. I'll tell. But you rest, or I'll give you some juniper berries so you sleep. she said sternly, scowling at him. She snorted softly, then turned to Ella. She touched the Rider's mind with her own, and showed her everything that had happened from her perspective. She'd have to get the rest of the story from Tyleek. By the time he finished, an hour had gone past. Ella sat in a chair against the wall,"My, you two have had quite the adventure. Have you tried to scry Rathon since yesterday?" she asked, crossing her right leg over her left and both arms in front of her chest.

OOC: I think I told you about him before, loves chaos, against both sides and every other living thing, and can bench press a fully grown dragon...that last part is allowed right...as long that's the max he could do?

Ka grinned "Yes ma'am.." He said sarcastically. He rolled over and pretended to sleep, listening to Jia tell the story. By the time she ended, he really was about to fall asleep, until Ella asked him if he had tried to scry for Rathon again. He shot up and swung out of bed, stumbling from a sudden feeling of light headedness. He ignored it and looked for a bowl and water. He found both in a small cabinet, and he pours the water into the bowl and said the phrase for scrying at the same time. The image only appeared after the water had stilled. What he saw nearly made him pass out from relief. Hr had expected to see Rathon being tortured again, but that was the exact opposite. What he saw was a completely healed Rathon, sitting on the edge of something, possibly a bed, and smiling and talking with someone. He watched for a few more moments and let the magic fade. "He's ok..." was all he could say, as it felt like part of a large weight had been lifted. He knew his brother was ok, but for how long. He showed Jia, Ella, and Tyleek had he had seen.

OOC:
How do you mean by bench press? That can have several different meanings.

IC:
Ella pursed her lips thoughtfully,"This will be tricky. Galbatorix may have already regained his hold over your brother, if the image is anything to go on." she muttered, fingering her sword. She scowled fiercely, bringing her clenched fist down on the arm of the chair. The wood splintered beneath her hand, shattering the arm. She eyed the weak wood disdainfully and stood,"Barzûl!" she growled under her breath, her slanted eyebrows coming down in a hard V shape.

OOc: he can lift a fully grown dragon at least once.

Ka scowled as he felt the weight return at Ella's words. He hadn't thought of that. He was startled when she struck the chair, causing the arm to shatter. He remained silent however, unsure of what to say or do next.

OOC:
That would be allowable, I think. How long can he keep the dragon in the air?

IC:
Ella rubbed her temples, her eyes closed, before they opened and she looked up,"Hope is not completely lost...its just become a little harder." she said quietly. She stilled a moment, seemingly distracted. She blinked, her eyes abruptly focusing,"Zeke is nearly here. He was moving faster than he expected, and should be here within two and a half hours at the least." she reported. She sighed, her shoulders dropping under the weight of the situation. She gestured idly to Ka's shoulder,"How does it feel now? We'll need you, and everyone else, in top condition if we have a prayer of finding your brother and getting out alive in the process." she said, her tone trying to be light.

OOC: Varies from under a minuet to over 2, depending on how big the dragon is. He could probably hold Zeke up for at least 45 seconds. It's done, want me to put it up?

Ka looked at his shoulder. "It's better than what it was...but if Zeke is almost here...I'll be right." He walked past Ella and into the hallway. They could hear him opening the door in the room next to them, and then closing and locking it. He blocked himself off from Jia, a moment passed, and then a loud squelching sound that sounded like someone stepping on rotten fruit followed by a muffled scream of pain. Loud panting, that slowly decreased. He came back a few minuets later sweating, but with his shoulder fix and healed. "Ok...now it's fixed." He said sitting down with a sigh. "I wouldn't go into the next room if I were you either." He said, speaking to all of them.

OOC:
Sure, let's see it.

IC:
Jia scowled at Ka as he left the room, seeing his intentions. She growled softly at his cry of pain. She fixed him with a glare when he reentered, but didn't say anything. She touched his previously injured shoulder gently with her snout, sniffing delicately at his skin. The pungent scent of infected flesh was much fainter, mostly traces from before. She snorted softly, the tiny scales around her eyes relaxing tremendously. Little one.... she said softly, pushing her snout into his stomach. She hated it when he cut away from her like that to tend to his injuries.

OOC:
Sorry 'bout that. Power went out for two days.

Ka sighed and pet Jia's snout when she pushed it into his stomach. "I'm sorry that I blocked you like that, but it hurt almost as bad as getting it." He sighed again and sat down on his cot. He would have let it heal the old fashioned way, but if Zeke was going to be here as soon as Ella said, then he knew he wouldn't have had time for that.

OOC: It's up, and it's ok...I figured that's what it was

OOC:
Okay. I'll go look at it in a bit.

IC:
Jia sighed in understanding, but did not reply to Ka.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ella smiled softly at the silent exchange between Jia and Ka. They had become more of a Dragon and Rider pair since she last saw them together. She stilled as her companion contacted her. After he had finished speaking, she shook her head and came back to reality,"They are nearly here. Two fully grown dragons would test even the most loyal Surdan, so they will be staying just outside the city walls. Zeke said to stay here until they arrive." she reported.

Ella watched some of the emotions pass over Ka's face, and as he created Hell Seal and made a flame produce from it. She smiled softly, then her head whipped around, straining to listen. Wing beats. Her smile widened,"Their here." she purred, eagerly walking for the door. She quickly made it to the street in her haste to see her companion, trying to keep her pace at a steady jog instead of the graceful, flat out run she wanted to do. Even so, she flew out of the gates, searching for Zeke. She found him, glittering amethyst in the sun and completely glorious. A few paces behind him was Ebony and Felecia, but she didn't even see them. She ran for her companion, throwing her arms around his neck. She sighed and pressed her cheek to his scales. He prummed soothingly in his throat, lowering her gently to the ground.

- - - - - - - - - -

Tyleek watched everything as if through a daze. Once the woman named Ella had left, he shook his head sharply.
"You two go ahead; I'll watch the room while your gone. Theldor, you go with them so I have a connection to introductions and the like." he said, lifting his arm for the golden eagle. The Guardian huffed reluctantly, but beat his wings and fluttered over to Ka's right shoulder. The eagle settled onto the Reaper's shoulder, careful to only hold on lightly so his talons didn't slash Ka's shoulder to pieces.

- - - - - - - - - -

Jia snorted and lowered her shoulder for Ka to mount the saddle. She was still short enough that she could crouch and let him step over her neck.

Ka shook his head to clear his thoughts when Ella said that Zeke was here. He watched her leave and waited for Theldor to settle on his shoulder before mounting Jia. He didn't worry about strapping his legs in since they weren't going very far.

OOC: I just noticed...you have 5 charaters that you're RPing with pretty much at the same time o.o

OOC:
This is nothing. Piece of cake. A year ago, I Rped with 15 some charries. It was good practice then for times like now. XD

IC:
Jia darted through the window and flipped into the air awkwardly. The window was small, and the building just across the way blocked her from swooping gracefully into the sky. She grunted as she twisted and arched her body, finally gaining enough altitude to soar. She landed lightly a few moments later, watching silently as Zeke and Ella greeted each other. Her gaze slid back to the midnight blue dragon just behind her brother, and the raven-haired female elf on its back. She swallowed nervously. She'd never met Ebony and Felecia. Zeke stepped back and gestured to the two behind him. May I introduce Ebony Silvertalon and his Rider, Felecia Blacksword. he murmured, inclining his head to both.

- - - - - - - - - -

Felecia nimbly climbed down from Ebony's saddle and stood before her companion. She wore a thick wool cloak to hide her wings. Her head dipped respectfully and she touched the first two fingers of her hand to her lips,"Greetings, Johdzsia Goldenwing, Shur'tugal Kale." she purred in a sweet, honey-like voice.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ebony rumbling in his throat and dipped his head. His single black eye flashed darkly. Why are we even here, exactly? grumbled Reona, looking through the black eye into the outside world. The midnight blue mentally rolled his eyes at his counter-part. To help Jia and Ka. End of story. he growled to the black, who finally fell silent. His single gold eye glittered, and he smiled kindly at the Dragon and Rider pair. I've heard a lot of praise about you two on the way here from a certain purple dragon. he rumbled, purposefully eying Zeke. The amethyst seemed to blush and ducked his head. The midnight blue male chuckled.

OOc: O.o sweet geezus...

Ka held on tight as Jia twisted threw the buildings and up into the sky. He had expected, or hopped, to fly further but saw that they were closer to where Zeke had landed than he had expected. When they landed he jumped off of the saddle and faced Felecia and Ebony. He repeated the motion after Felicia, "Greetings Shur'tugal Felicia, Ebony Silvertalon." He wasn't sure what else to do, as this was the first time he had met another Rider, other than Ella. At the mention that Zeke had been speaking about Jia and himself, Ka glanced over at Zeke and chuckled. He spoke to Felicia and Ebony, "I assume that you why Zeke has asked you to come?" He wanted to make sure that they knew that he wasn't wasting their time.

OOC:
lol

IC:
Ebony nodded his head before his Rider could speak up. Yes we know, and we know the risks as well. But we are doing something that Galbatorix would never understand in a hundred millennia; the sacrifice of others for the sake of one. Rathon shouldn't be forced to go through anything like what Zeke has showed me and Felecia. he said firmly, his gold and black eyes glittering with determination.

Zeke thought over his supplies; he had food, water, five sets of coiled rope, vials of poison, medicine, three full quivers of arrows, and of course Ella's full armor in his saddlebags. There hadn't been enough room to pack his own armor. He shook his head at Ka. No. Ella and Felecia can suit up on the way. he said. Tyleek was just running out of the gates now. The Allatik stopped by Jia, eying the others warily. Ella was already on his back and piecing on her armor. Felecia was doing the same on Ebony.

- - - - - - - - - -

Tyleek stood close to the gold-amethyst-dragoness, wary to be too close to the other dragons. His muscles were hard as stone with tension.
"Would you mind if I rode with you, Ka? I don't mean to intrude on you and Jia, but she is the one I trust the most..." he trailed off uncertainly, glancing from the Reaper to the other four.

Ebony smiled at Ka. He was handling the surge of power well. I can call upon the Ancient dragons that have passed from this world hundreds of thousands of years ago, and ask them for help. In this case, I asked them for energy, to boost our magic and strength. he said, then tilted his head. There was one that was more eager than the others when he sensed you. He insisted that I tell you his name, and also give you the most power. Does the name Refian ring a bell, perhaps? he asked, curious despite himself. It was none of his business if an Ancient had known Ka or not.

OOC:
3000TH POST! WHOO!....hehe

Ka was shocked when he heard what Ebony's power was. He didn't think such a thing was possible. He looked over at Ebony sharply at the mention of Refian. "Yes...I know him...I helped bring him to the Varden for questioning, and when he died I guided him to his dragon in the after life. I guess this is his way of thanking me." He shrugged to himself. He couldn't shake the feeling of electricity in his veins, and if it didn't go away soon he was going to go crazy. He made a small void seal and began pouring the excess energy into it. Once he had gotten rid of enough to get rid of the crawling feeling, the seal turned solid and he stuck it in his pocket for later use.

OOC: congrats xD I'm only... 254 away from dragon rider... ._. geez

Ebony smiled. Refian says he will forever be in your debt for reuniting him and his Rider, and that if you ever need aid, to contact me and ask him for help. He will happily grant it. he repeated. The midnight blue looked forward. With his keen draconic vision he could see Uru'baen on the edge of the horizon. Black, menacing...the prison of so many innocent lives. He shuddered. Felena poked her muzzle out of his saddlebag and nuzzled his shoulder, purring softly in her furred chest. The silver-white werecat slipped out of the bag and settled on his neck with her graceful tail curled over her forepaws. He relaxed at her touch, smiling gently. Ka, this is Felena, my mate. said the midnight blue, smirking softly. His grin turned into a hard frown quickly. We are approaching the Citadel We'll be in magic and arrow range in about ten minutes. Felena, love, do you want to shift now or once we're inside? he asked the silver-white werecat. Her purr deepened. I'll wait. My claws will be of more use that fingers, for now. I might shift once we're in range, though. Dragon's claws are much more deadly than these pitiful thorns. she said as she disdainfully extended her tiny needle sharp cat claws.

OOC:
Keep it up, you'll get there.

Ka had almost forgotten about them, and had never expected them to help, or rather could help. He made sure to remember that, as he made need them in the future. Ka saw something out of the corner of his eye move in Ebony's saddle bag, and looked over to watch as a cat came out. Ka didn't know that it was a werecat so he tried to imagine the union of a Dragon and a cat and tried to not laugh. He nodded in her direction but didn't say anything. His humor quickly faded when Ebony told him that they would be within magic range in 10 minuets. He figured he should prepare, and began putting seals and magic wards of protection on Jia and himself. "Should I try and find where Rathon is, so we won't be stumbling around Uru'Baen without a direction?" He asked the group in general.

OOC: Yea, just a few more months xP lol

Felena was the one to answer, licking one paw and swiping it over her muzzle. Yes. It would be better to have a general location that we can head towards. murmured the werecat, getting to her paws and stretching her spine luxuriously. With a nimble leap, she jumped from Ebony's back and shifted. Her form elongated and hard ruby scales slid over the soft fur. She beat her new wings, raising herself level with Ebony. She purred affectionately to her mate, taking his clawed hand within her own. Her ruby colored eyes met Ka's laughingly, their glittering depths dancing with humor.

OOC:
Maybe, maybe not. If you average roughly 10 or 15 some posts per day, it shouldn't take long at all.

Ka shook his head, trying to wrap it around the idea of a dragon that can change shape. 'R-right..." He said stuttering a bit. He cast his mind out, trying to find his brother, which didn't take long. As soon as he touched his brothers mind, he recoiled in pain. He would have fallen out of the saddle if he hadn't have been strapped in. Rathon had put a Void Barrier seal around his mind, but interlaced it with a heaven seal of lightning so that any but a select few may touch his mind without being shocked. It took Ka a moment to recompose himself after the shock. "He's in the...west wing. His mind is guarded so I can't speak with him, but I think he knows we're coming." He spoke, panting a bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Rathon had gotten back to Uru'Baen, Galbatorix was furious with him. He knew that his spell over Rathon had been broken, and when Rathon refused to tell him by who he tried to take the information but Rathon had altered his memories so that no one, not even himself, could see them clearly. This threw the King into a rage, and he had Rathon tortured for days on end, keeping him barley alive. He probed his mind endlessly searching, until he stumbled upon something better than a memory. He told the tortures to stop, and leaned in close to Rathon and muttered three words in his ear. Rathon's face went white with fear; Galbatorix had found his true name. With it, Rathon knew that the King could control everything about him. The king made him swear in the Ancient Language to serve him, to follow all of his orders, and a myriad of other things. He then cast several spells over Rathon to make it seem as if he had wanted to do this himself; as if he served of his own free will. The process was very painful for the Reaper, and ended up perverting his mind. His eyes turned a darker shade of blue, and his pupils turned to slits. He turned into a servant of the Black Alter. To understand what this meant, you would have to know of Reaper culture. One that served the Black Alter was one that was evil in every form of the word. This person was corrupt and evil by nature, and his followers equally so, either by choice or by force. To serve the Black Alter, meant to serve a power that was evil, and feared by many, in a sense, Galbatorix was the Black Alter of Alageasia.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Rathon felt someone trying to probe his mind to communicate with him. he knew this mind to be his brother and quickly rushed to tell the King. Upon hearing this information, the King granted Rathon permission to attack as he saw fit. He also gave him permission to draw upon what ever power he needed to kill or capture his brother and dragon, even if that meant drawing it from the king himself. Rathon gratefully accepted this and rushed to the west wing wall, where Ka and the others would be able to see him.

OOC: I warned you that it wouldn't work...xD

Ka saw Rathon a moment after Jia did. He suddenly had a bad feeling about things. When they landed, Ka jumped off Jia, and started to walk toward his brother. He froze when he saw what Jia had seen, threw both his eyes and her eyes. "No...no, you can't...there's no way." He started to step back as a fiendish grin spread across Rathon's face. "Oh, I can...and I have!" He said loudly. He raised his hand toward the three dragon's in the sky. "Won't you join us?!" He said, and laughed a bone chilling laugh. The air above the three dragon compacted, and then shot down with enough force to crush a large building. The Reaper looked over at Jia. "Why hello pretty, glad you could come." He held up his hand, and a white and blue seal formed. 7 arcs of lightning shot from the seal. Ka saw the attack coming and blocked it with a seal of his own. "Rathon! What are you doing!" Yelled Ka. He could see that his brother now served the King, whether by choice or not he didn't know. Rathon grinned at his brother. "I'm defending my King...isn't it obvious." He sounded as if he were talking about the weather.

OOC: Let me know if the interlaced colors are confusing...

Ka looked threw Jia's eyes as she revealed the truth. What he saw made his blood run cold and the world around him shatter. There was no Jia, no Zeke, no Uru'Baen, no Galbatorix, no sky, no sun, no nothing. Nothing but the man that used to be his brother. He looked at Rathon with empty eyes. He saw his brother, his old brother, before Galbatorix learned his true name. He wished he could live here forever, and not have to return to the cruelty of reality. But it wasn't meant to be. He slowly came out of his shock induced trance and saw Rathon hurling threw the air and hitting a wall. Ka felt broken, like a piece of him was missing. He no longer had the will to fight or even live. He was an empty shell, devoid of emotion. He saw what was going on around him, and felt Jia's rage, watched as she attacked Rathon, but no longer wished to do anything. He had lost his reason for life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rathon grinned with a grim satisfaction as he watched the dragons fall. He thought of how pleased his King would be to have 4 new pet dragons. He watch Jia carefully. IT was clear she was the most dangerous of them, aside from Ka. He looked at her, and saw a sadness that made him giddy with joy on the inside that he had been the one to cause it. Although his elation quickly faded as she tackled him and drove a spike into his mind. It had no affect on him, as he had suffered 1000 times worse at the hands of Galbatorix. He smiled at her threat, and continued to smile as she threw him into a wall, breaking the stone with the impact. The impact created a cloud of dust, and once it had settled, they could see that Rathon was still smiling, and was uninjured. He spoke sarcastically to Jia. "Awww....is the wittle lizard angwee wiff mee? Awww. Well too bad!" He disappeared with a loud snap, and reappeared on Jia's back, holding a sword. "I was going to let you all live to be his Majesty's pets, but I guess three dragons and a court jester will work, instead of 4 dragons. He swung the sword at Jia's neck with enough strength to slice threw it and keep going. In that moment, Ka was reminded of why he wanted to live.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rathon's sword had just touched Jia's scales when Ka's sword stopped it in it's tracks. Rathon looked up at his brother. "Good of you to join us again." He said, sarcastically again and disappeared. Ka took a stance beside Jia and Rathon reappeared in the air. He had one mission in mind, one thing that had replaced his need to find his brother: Protect Jia, at all costs. With a yell that sounded like it came from the throat of a great beast, Ka leaped forward and into the air and slashed at Rathon, who dodged it with ease. They began trading blows, their strikes mere blurs in the air. After a while they stopped and jumped away from each other. Ka was panting, while Rathon was just fine. "What's wrong little brother? Too tired to carry on?" Ka didn't reply, but instead launched a holocaust rain at him. Rathon smirked and held up his hand. The rain of white hot fireballs stopped, and the redirected them selves at the three dragons that had fallen from the sky.

OOC: Thanks for the invite DS.

Kuja was walking down a long brick hallway, leading to the throne room. He had been summoned by Galbatorix on short notice. Although this was nothing unexpected, it always bugged Kuja. Still, he had to keep to his duties. In moments he reached the throne chamber door. Not wasting any time he pushed it open. Taking a few steps in, he saw the king conversing with some of his advisors. Not long after Kuja arrived, Galbatorix turned his gaze towards him.

Kuja asked plainly, "You summoned me?" Galbatorix waved his advisors away from him and they bowed and left the room. In a smooth voice the king replied, "There is a task I need of you."
Kuja crossed his arms. "Oh? What might that be, sire?" Galbatorix got to his feet and walked to Kuja. "We have guests on the west wall. I sent Rathon to deal with them, but this needs to be controlled. I want them alive... but give Rathon's current "state", that might be difficult. His mind has been broken open and is unstable. Even though I have full control of him, well something might slip. I need you to make sure he doesnt do anything stupid."
Kuja nodded silently and turned away to leave the room. Walking out he turned again and closed the door. Once the doors clicked, Kuja took a deep breath. Seconds later he teleported to the high west wall, on the far end.
He arched an eyebrow on how many dragons there were. Slowly he walked over to the group. Of the group, two dragons he recognized. As he was analyzing the situation, Kuja kept a decent distance from them.

OOC:
No problem, D.

IC:
Jia snarled at Rathon, her rage mounting ever higher. Time slowed at his taunt, and she nearly killed him then and there. She held back, however. She didn't know why, but she did. She roared as he appeared on her back. She was getting ready to blast him off with magic when Ka took care of it. She watched anxiously as they battled, unable to interfere without possibly hurting her Rider. She snarled again as Ka's white hot fireballs were redirected to the three dragons. She roared angrily and ripped them to pieces with her magic. They evaporated mere feet from the three. Use the energy Eb gave you! Rathon's energy has a limit, the Ancient's do not! she cried to him urgently. Another mind became known to her and her head snapped around to glare at the two-leg. He must have been sent to overview the situation. She sent Zeke a quick flick with her thoughts. Her brother turned toward the two-leg and stood before him, blocking his path.

- - - - - - - - - -

Zeke snarled down at Kuja, his ice blue eyes glittering with malice. Ella was trembling with anger on his back. Stay out of this, Kuja. For once, just keep your distance. he hissed, his wings flaring partway from his sides.

Ka nodded at Jia's advice, or command rather. He reached into his pocket and took out the solid seal that contained the power he had been given earlier and broke it. Instantly, he was infused with the Ancient's power again. His eyes became bright rubies set into his skull, and a visible golden aura surrounded him. He raised his hand and created a 50 ring hell seal. A jet of flame shot from each ring, and each inside ring was hotter than the last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rathons smirking grin disappeared as he watched Ka unleashed the power of the Ancient dragons. He backed up, a step and noticed Kuja. "Kuja! Don't just stand there, help me!" He bark roughly, and was almost too late to see the massive jet of flame speeding at him. Time seemed to stop, just as the flame reached him. He didn't want to, and he would grovel for forgiveness later, but he reached for Galbatorix's power and used it to boost his own, as the king had said he could. The effect on him was similar to the one the Ancients had on Ka. His eyes became bright sapphires, and a pitch black aura surrounded him. He threw his hand up and made a 50 ring void seal, just as the fire reached him. The fire was swallowed into a never ending hole. He and KA stared at each other, waiting for the other to move.

Ka gasp as he felt his energy leaving him threw unseen force. The next thing her knew, he was being kicked towards Rathon but fell short. His vision faded in and out, and he felt like going to sleep for a long time. He saw something golden standing over him. Jia? He didn't know where he was, but he felt very tired. He figured a little nap wouldn't hurt. He closed his eyes and started to go to sleep. Just as he reached the plain of dreams, a bright light burst in front of his eyes and he woke up. A Power was surging through him, more than there had been before. He remembered where he was, and what he was doing, and who the golden thing was above him. He reached up and hugged her around the neck. After he let go, he saw Rathon appeared between himself and Jia, sword in hand. He knew what Rathon planned to do, and by instinct, stabbed forward, piercing his brother stomach. After his brother disappeared, he looked up at the golden dragoness. "Jia, lets leave. There is no hope left for him, it is a lost cause." He said, climbing onto her back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rathon watched Kuja take his brother's energy. he readied himself to catch his brother and take him to the king, but Jia got in his way. He wasn't scared of her, not so long as he was in Uru'Baen, near allies and the King. He smiled innocently at Jia, and pointed his sword at her. "You would die protecting him? So be it!" He appeared directly under her, between her and Ka, and drove his sword upwards. Before it got more than an inch, the tip of Ka's sword came threw his stomach, and stopped him. He looked down at the sword and wound and growled angrily. "That was a fool move brother..." He appeared back where he was, holding his stomach. "Kuja, would you mind taking care of them while I heal this?" He said motioning to his stomach and then to the enemies before them.

Ka hadn't expected Kuja to intercede the way he did, or at all. He saw the ball of energy charging, but couldn't so anything about it fast enough. He saw the ball fly at Jia, and the next thing he knew they were flying threw the air. He felt Jia twist, and then land hard. Pain lanced threw his mind as he felt Jia's leg break and should forced into an odd angle. He was dazed at the lading and the pain, but he was sure he had heard other crashes as well. He looked over and saw that Zeke and Ella, Ebony and Felicia, and Felena had fallen with them. He noticed that Ella wasn't moving, and felt a small pang of concern for her, but pushed it aside, there would be time for that later, as he saw that the others where hurt just as bad if not worse. he watched Felena lunge at Kuja, as Jia and the other took off in retreat. As the rose, Ka came to a realization: before, he hadn't wanted to kill his brother because he was still his brother, but now he no longer cared. In that moment, he made it his mission to end his brother life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wound Ka had given Rathon didn't take long to heal, but it took long enough for Kuja to do his thing before Rathon could assist him. By the time Rathon had come back into the fight, Jia and the others where flying away, all but one. He saw a large leopard attacking Kuja and was torn between helping Kuja or getting Ka. He decided Kuja could handly himself and went after Ka. He appeared in front of them ,arms folded across his chest. "Look...you've lost...it would be so much easier if you would just come with me and accept what ever the King has done to you. I doubt it will even be that bad, he may even let you live!" He said, making it sound as if it were the highest honor in the world. "Jia, your leg is broken, Ka...you're too weak to even try and fight right now, and then the purple dragon and his rider are just as bad off as you two, the dark dragon is probably the best off here, and I don't think the shape shifter is going to last long against Kuja...so make it easy on yourselves...and come with me." He held out his hand.

Felena mauled Kuja's arm with her teeth, almost chewing, until she touched bone. Her eyes were scrunched up to protect them from his blows. She eventually leaped back and crouched, the tip of her tail twitching silently. The huge clouded leopard abruptly snarled and sprang forward again, jaws open, this time aiming for his throat. Her vivid sky blue eyes were nearly glowing with savage blood lust.

- - - - - - - - - -

Jia snarled at Rathon, halting in her attempt to escape. I'll be going no where with you, traitor. Dragon Riders never give up. she retorted sharply, her eyes narrowing. If you have a single ounce of honor left in your body at all, you'll understand that. she hissed. Her tail whistled as she prepared to leap forward and knock him away, when a blade abruptly protruded from his shoulder. She paused, startled, until Rathon was kicked forward, revealing a man she recognized from her brother's description. Daidrea had come to help. With a roar she sprang and pounced on the Reaper, tearing into his torso viciously with her fangs. With a final snarl, she picked him up in her jaws and threw him away. She snorted, watching him land and slide, before turning to the ex-Dragon Rider. Good timing, Daidrea. Quickly, mount up on me; I can carry three for a short time. We were just leaving. she said urgently, crouching down. She had to kneel awkwardly to accommodate her broken limb.

The man may have been silent, but Rathon wasn't one to let his back be a weak spot, bot after just being stabbed. He felt a seal on his back grow hot in warning, and quickly teleported out of the way of the stab. In mid teleport, he made a heaves seal of air and light. The light bent around where he had just been and made an exact likeness of him, while the air compacted inside of the light so that it felt like a real body; essentially it was a clone. He executed it so smoothly, it was as if it never happened. Rathon was high above the group, watching as the new comer stabbed and kicked the fake-him, and then as Jia torn him apart and tossed him away like a rag doll. As the image of him slid, it faded away, revealing itself to be a fake. Rathon was growing tired of this game. Holding out his hand, he made a hell seal of flame. A duplicate seal appeared on each of Jia's wings, and caught fire, burning the thin flight membrane to prevent her from leaving. At the same time, he made a void seal of restriction, and ropes of energy wrapped around Ka's neck. Rathon pulled back sharply, causing Ka to gag and stop breathing, as he was lifted off of Jia's back and hung in mid air.

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Ka watched as they Rider and Jia attacked his brother. He would have helped, but it was over before he could. He watched Rathon's body fly threw the air and land with a thud on the ground some ways away, and then fade. At first he was confused, but he soon realized what had happened. Before he could warn Jia and Daidrea, he saw that both of Jia's wings had caught fire. He raised his hands to heal them, but felt something like a noose wrap around his throat and haul him off of Jia's back. Panick over took him as he looked up to see his brother holding a void seal above high above him. He didn't have enough energy to counter the seal, and he doubted Jia could fly with her wings burning. The world started to go black as the air to his brain steadily decreased.

Jia cried out as her sensitive wing membrane burst into flame. It only burned for a few moments, however, as she saw Daidrea pulling the flames away and around his arm. She noted to ask him how he'd done that; Seals were powerful and not easily bent to anothers will. She abruptly felt like she was choking. She couldn't drag in enough air to fill her lungs. She vaguely felt her leg be healed, but all she could feel was the suffocation....Ka! Daidrea had barely settled onto her back before she spun around. Tyleek had to grip with his legs and grab the spike in front of him to keep from flying off. She didn't care. Her Rider was in trouble. At the sight of him dangling mid-air, with ropes of energy wrapped around his neck. Her rage soared to the heavens and above. There wasn't even words for how pissed she was now. With a roar she reared up onto her hindlegs and slashed at the energy ropes. Pure, raw energy encased her talons, allowing her to sever the ropes. She caught her Rider tenderly in her paws as he dropped, cradling him to her chest. She leaned back on her haunches, balancing precariously with her tail. She sent a blast of magic toward Rathon, knocking him out of the sky and into a tower. Dust showered down from the broken stone.

- - - - - - - - - -

Felena grunted at the blow to her face, blinking rapidly to clear the blood from her eyes. With a growl she twisted around and took the shock of colliding with the wall into her shoulder and haunches. Using the velocity of her flight, she sprang out again. She twisted again to meet Kuja, her claws extended. She slammed into him hard, knocking him back. Her stiletto-like claws tore into his chest and torso while her jaws lunged yet again for his throat.

Rathon was surprised to see that the man had the ability to manipulate his fire, although it wasn't exactly a powerful Seal. When the fire came for him, he redirected it with his hand off to his left, where it dissipated. The fire had served it's purpose though; it had distracted him long enough for Jia to released Ka. Before he could retaliate, a wave of energy came flying at him from Jia's claws that sent him flying threw a tower wall. He landed on, and smashed, a crate inside. It hurt, but nothing too serious, at least until he went to stab up. A sharp pain shot threw his back and side, meaning he had broken most if not all of his ribs. "You'll pay for that one...dragon..." He growled under his breath. Just because he couldn't move, didn't mean he couldn't attack. He raised a hand and formed a red seal in front of him. "Hell Seal: Penance of Fire." The began to pulse like a heart. Outside the tower, 4 red seals formed around Jia and her group, each pulsing in turn. Rathon put his fingers together to snap them, when out of no where a golden scythe came hurling at him, striking him in the chest and causing the seals the break. He vaguely recognized the scythe to be his brother's. He reached up to grab it, but it was pulled from his chest by an invisible force and returned to his brother. He was quickly loosing blood, and strength, and passed out in minuets.

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Ka had passed out on the rope of energy. The last thing he remembered was seeing Jia's wings in flame. When he came too a short while later, he was being cradled by the golden dragoness. He could feel something beyond rage coming from her. He touched her mind, trying to calm her. He adjusted himself in her grip, and saw a red seal behind her. He looked around and saw three others like it. A shudder went threw him as he realized they were sitting in the middle of a Penance of Fire, which was an excruciatingly painful punishment used only on criminals where he and Rathon came from. He knew he had to act fast, lest they be slowly cooked alive, as no matter how powerful you were, in the penance was activated there was no escaping it. He wiggled around in Jia's grasp until he was kneeling on her paw and leg. He quickly made a Reapric seal, which in turn turned into a small hole in the air. Ka reached in and withdrew a golden scythe. The blade had hints of amethyst running threw it, as did the handle. Ka threw it, guiding it like only he knew how, and sunk it deep into his brothers chest. He knew he had hit when the seals shattered. He twitched his hand and the scythe returned. With it in hand, he climbed back onto Jia's back. "Should we help Felena?" He asked weakly.

Jia had been about to respond with a "yes", but a vicious snarl cut her off. A pure white wolf was charging toward Felena, intent on helping her. She leaped onto Kuja moments after Selris crashed down and tore Felena off him. This was Ella, in her wolf form. Lightning crackled sharply within her jaws. Her maw opened wide and she bit Kuja's shoulder hard. The electricity shot into him harshly. Get out of here! snapped Ella, eying the dragons behind her. Ebony was swaying on his feet, black seething across his midnight blue hide. Reona was becoming angry. The white wolf snarled and blasted Kuja with as much lightning as she could, probably making him black out briefly.

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Felena gritted her teeth as she felt dragon teeth sink into her scruff. She let herself be limp, remaining unresponsive as Selris shook her. When he fell still and held her down, she waited a few moments. After five seconds had passed, she shifted. She grew abruptly, ruby scales sliding over the luscious fur. Once she finished, she was again the ruby dragoness. With a roar of challenge, she heaved Selris back, arching her spine and snapping her wings open to force him away from her. She spun around and leaped onto him, flames curling around her teeth as she bit into his neck. She shook viciously, tearing chunks of flesh away.

- - - - - - - - - -

Felecia spread her wings and took to the air, beating the outer parts of her wings to gain altitude quickly. She drew Súndavar and let out a chilling war cry, raising a hand to send a blast of crackling midnight blue magic toward Kuja. Leave, Jia. We'll follow on your tail. Take Ebony with you; he's in no condition to fight. she ordered, barely glancing back to see if they obeyed. Her first objective was to keep Kuja and Selris at bay so the young ones could get away.

- - - - - - - - - -

Jia's mind was frazzled and blank with her rage. Thought and feeling was nonexistent to her now. Magic nearly rolled from her body like waves in the sea, stunning anything with a magical connection within twenty feet of her. She was quivering, her entire frame trembling, as she struggled to move, to spread her wings and fly away and let Felena, Ella, Felecia, and Zeke stay to keep Kuja and Selris back. To let Rathon go on living. Her rage soared ever higher at the thought of the Reaper. She'd come here with the intention of helping him. Perhaps, in a few years, if ever, she could. But right now, at this very moment, she wanted to kill him. To tear him limb from limb and listen to him scream. Her throat thirsted for the taste of his blood to wet it. Her talons furrowed into the ground, wising fervently that it was Rathon's flesh that she reduced to a pulp instead of the soil. She closed her eyes, which were glittering with savage blood lust, and fought to stay still on the ground. The best way to describe how she felt right now would be murderous.

Crap...just realized I skipped Rathon lol. Sorry dude...im used to just me n DS

OOC: lol, it's fine

A fear came over Ka was he felt Jia rise to a new level of anger. He was scared that she would loose control and do something that they would regret later. He couldn't do much more than watch as she attacked the silver-white with a massive energy attack. He would have helped, up it was taking all of his strength to remain upright in the saddle. He was greatly relieved when they flew up and over the wall around Uru'Baen.

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Ratohn could feel something around him. He didn't know what, but he could. Abruptly, he came too. He looked around and saw that he was still in the tower, and there was a hole in his chest, but it had stopped bleeding. He felt weak, from blood lose. He slowly rose and staggered to the hole in the tower just in time to see Jia unleash a ball of energy onto Selris. There was nothing he could do to stop them, even as they flew over the wall and out of the city. He sighed and drew up as much energy as he could do teleport down to Selris. He kept his distance from the dragon, but he wanted to see how Kuja had faired.

OOC:
Nothing I can really do now.. ..pass.

Selris lifted his head towards Rathon. Despite being him, Selris bared his fangs. He wasnt in the mood to put up with anyone and he wanted to protect his rider until he was ready to move.

Eh Short

Although Rathon had no real reason to help, he had failed Galbatorix in capturing Ka and the others so he hoped that if he helped Kuja, he would put in a good word with the King and maybe make things not so bad for him. He swallowed hard, he really didn't like Empirial dragons, and took another step forward. "Look Selris, Kuja is hurt, I can help him, why are you growling at me. I'm not the one that hurt him, so why don't you just lift up your wing so I can heal him." Rathon took another tentative step forward.

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Ka was worried for Jia and the others. He knew they were all hurt bad, and needed rest. From Jia's back he looked down below him for a place they could settle for the night. He saw a large rock formation that looked like a shallow cave. "Jia, you and the others need to rest, other wise we may not make it back to Surda." He sent her an image of the rock formation he had seen, now behind them. "There is as good a place as any. We are far enough away from the city to be safe from any scouting parties, but we're still too far from Surda for you and the others to keep flying..." He hoped she would listen and rest before continuing.

Jia listened reluctantly to her Rider, knowing he was right. She angled her wings and soared around in a large circle, Zeke and Ebony right on her tail. She quickly found the rock that Ka had shown her, tilting her body down so she would land in front of it. She skidded to an exhausted halt, her limbs trembling. Her magic was fading rapidly, leaving her tired and extremely sleepy. She stumbled into the shallow cave on numb paws, found the most comfortable spot she could, and sank down gratefully onto her belly. Tyleek quickly dismounted her back and inspected her wings; parts of her wings were still bare of membrane, despite Daidrea's attempt at healing them. He nodded mutely to himself and exited the cave, presumably to find wood for a fire. Jia, on the other hand, closed her eyes tiredly, wanting to sleep for a fortnight. She didn't stir as the other two dragons entered the cave.

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Ella slipped from her companions grip and padded to the female human, Felena. The white wolf crouched by the shape-shifter and touched her nose to the nasty wounds on her side and stomach. Soft light emanated from the injuries, and one could watch as they slowly sealed up and healed. Finally the canine pulled away and lethargically shook her head. Then she shifted to her elven form, tunic and trousers forming on her once the transformation was finished. She leaned against the wall, unsteady from the drain of healing Felena,"Who else needs healing?" she asked tiredly, her eyes drooping as she spoke. She was so exhausted she didn't even notice Daidrea at all.