Taris's Story

It was a long walk, but worth it, well worth it in fact as Taris stepped onto a old ruin of a temple of a sort built up onto a mountain, she felt the dark shadow magic there. She knew someone was there. But the who.... she did not yet know Moving quickly the much smaller Shadowblack dragon, in her human desguise. Which she personsally was disgusted about on many levels. scrambled up the ruins of the apparent mayan like temple.

As she reached the top and took a brief rest she felt it, and heard it.

Impossible! Momma said he was dead! Taris thought in shock that quickly turned into joy as she recognised the roar.

It was her father.

Now not even wanting to rest, she wanted to see him, she wanted to see her papa! Scrambling to her feet she scampered up the remainder of the wall and into a valley. Nearing a large mountain with a single cave. At the base of which she stopped.

Tenetively she called out as she searched the many crevicies and spotted the cave. scrambling up the path and rocks. "Papa ?!"

There was nothing but silence after Taris spoke. nothing at all. The Shadows stopped their dance, the drumbeat ceased, and the air was still. There was absolutely nothing. It had seemed that the mere presence of the young girl had ceased the flow of time all together. But as hope began to drain from her body, the ground would rumble once more, and the air would tremble.

Draco slammed into the ground behind her, the ground cracking and shattering beneath him as he landed in a cloud of Shadow and soot and dust. Slowly his head rose from the dust, his Draconian form towering over the girl at the entrance to his cave, and his eyes glaring with the rage of one million years.

"Wux bevi lekar sia arux, ghergo ir?" his voice bellowed, echoed by a million screams. His words meant: "You dare enter my valley, young one?" His mind was clouded, his heart closed off: He'd forgotten who this girl was. Perhaps....something could jog his memory.

She had to go through things like this. Yes she dared, she recognised the roar! How could she not come when called by her own father to do just that !? But she had to go through this before, many many times. For one her older brothers and sisters pulled this kind of crap on her all the time. There was nothing she could do to keep them from doing it, and her mother helped her most of the time if that.

Taris took a deep breath before turning around and speaking "You called me Papa. Your roar, it... It pulled at me to come to you, to see you, to see the truth of Momma's words" Her golden eyes stared up at her father's massive form. Yet Taris kept herself calm, she learned as a child never to piss off her father or mother, it was never good even though her mother doted on her all her life. She knew her own shadowmagic, like her fathers magic, was never going to be as strong as his or her mothers, hell even her older siblings magic was stronger then her own! Junior, her older brother, the Second Born of the family, he liked to rub that fact in whevner he could.

Taris always lost those fights with Junior. Which drove her into taking after her mother, plot and plan, fight on her terms, not her brothers. It got her to figure out her life easier, somewhat, her magic, in a direct confrotration was still quiet weaker. And she KNEW she'd never reach her parents stregnth, not even after a million years! Besides by dragon standards she was still a newborn until she reached thirty five!

Draco's blood-red eyes narrowed and his head lowered to mere inches away from Taris' face, making direct contact with her. Those eyes....it couldn't be....what....how? A low, gentle rumble coming from his shadowy throat. "Taris?" His voice was softer suddenly, and he pulled back, back into the mist of shadow behind him, which condensed quickly.

In its place was a humanoid figure now. Tall and imposing, strong and resolute. Stern, but...gentle. Its defined features were ravaged by his rage. Youth slowly crept back, however, as something else began to fill his heart. Something he hadn't felt for the longest time.

Love?

Taris tried not to cry as she stepped forwards, reaching to her father. Nodding "Yes" She said softly, "Its me. Momma said you were..... gone...." Taris had grown into a beautiful young human looking woman, but in truth she was still an extremely tiny, still a newborn Shadowblack, a tear streaked down her face from her eyes. "When I heard your roar, my heart soared. I knew you were still alive Papa, I knew it, Junior insisted my journey was in vain, but I knew I my heart Papa, that you were alive. Mother said Xeir Zith's spawn got married as well."

Whoops....

That was a bad idea to mention that thrice damned Silver! Taris instantly shut up clearly scared she spoke out of place. Mentioning the Silver was never a good thing.

"Junior was never the brightest in the nest." He said calmly, reaching out to stroke his daughter's face gently; the gentlest he'd touched anything in the last....god knows who long. He fell silent as that Silver Dragon was brought up, his gentle face spreading with a ....devilish smile. "Just another tool to force her surrender, my dear daughter.....but I do suggest..." His fingers went from her cheek to her hair, gripping it roughly. "...That you never bring her up without my permission again."

He let out a small growl before releasing her hair. He then let out a half-huff, half-snarl. "You always learned faster than Junior....a pity your natural pool of magical power is...so much smaller than his." he said, returning to stroking her cheeks with his thumb. "He was the second weakest you know. The Twins were the most powerful of you five."

Oh, yes he knew....he knew who was stronger, who was smarter, who was better than the others. He knew since they were born. He knew because he ... frequently probed the eggs with his magic, like a sonogram, to see what his children would become.

When her father grabbed her hear in a vise grip Taris dared not try to grab his arm, She simply let him. After all it was her mistake, and she'd glady pay for it, She was the youngest, the smallest of the litter even as a dragon. But being the daughter, the youngest child in fact, yet no less loved than her brothers and sisters, of the Lord of Shadows himself! That counted in many circles. many many circles. "I understand Papa; I will not mention her again unless told directly to do so." It was a promise she'd take to her grave for sure.

But there was something Kethend wanted her to do on this journey, and it was to find that thrice damned Silver and put her out of her misery. Or, if that did not work, join her ranks, and work it out through treachry and sabotage and otherwise.

"Junior always rubs it in, Momma taught me to turn the tide into my favor, or even the board, so to speak. She taught me how to plan and make up for my weak magic. But I am getting better. the twins dont even bother with me, nor does Brute" She always called her oldest brother Brute, a massive brute of a dragon hatchling, hatched first, if he had a name, Taris was never told it, everyone simply called him Brute.

It was then she remembered something important from her mother concerning Xeir Zith.... and her offspring. "Papa, I... I have news concerning that.... one silver I can't mention but... Momma insisted I tell you when I found you, if I found you." Taris said softly, clearly scared to even think of mentioning the Silver Dragon. But it was important, very important.

So she said quickly, giving every detail she had commited to memory before her journey to find her Papa. "Before Momma battled her and won, the silver had laid a single egg. In a land called Camelot. it was found and taken to the castle there, where it hatched in full view of the throneroom and everyone in it at the time, Momma saw it happen when she was there too, it was shortly after we hatched, I'd say about a month later. A girl, from a silver egg. Captive in that kingdoms dungeons. Momma says that once a month to once a year or major holidays the nobles and king or whatever whoever is in charge take the silver hatchling out of the dungeon and parades her for the kingdom to see, a captive, unable to fight back. completely helpless."

Kethend had indeed left the compound for a few days to visit a friend elsewhere and witnessed the hatching of a silverhaired silvereyed baby girl, taken prisoner on the spot and kept in the dungeon either out of fear or pride. Taris didn't know, and Kethend merely wanted Taris to observe and keep notes on the condition of the young infant Silver

Finally, clearly confused, and worried for her Papa, Taris softly asked him "Papa, what happened to you ? you... dont seem yourself, you seem.... unwhole" She meant without his true body, he felt slightly off. As if she were speaking with a ghost, but a tangible one.

Draco considered things gently in his head. Brute...ah yes, his oldest child by matter of a few seconds. He grew the fastest, and often bullied Junior into submission, which Draco allowed; since he did not approve of his youngest Son's attitude. Oddly enough, despite being the largest and physically strongest of his children, Brute used to be the cutest (if one asked Kethend), whilst Draco would merely say that he was gifted with a non-threatening visage.

As Taris began to speak again, Draco motioned for her to follow him into the cave, the shadows enveloping his body as he walked through them. Inside was a quaint, Victorian-Style living room complete with a blazing fireplace and multiple bookshelves as well as comfortable chairs and couches. Draco sat upon a red velvet chair and crossed one leg over his knee as he listened to his daughter speak, letting her choose where she desired to sit.

His face remained mostly expressionless, a smirk of pity for the young Hatchling being kept captive in Camelot. He let out a resounding "Hmph." And thought for a good, long minute before speaking again. "Perhaps...we could corrupt this hatchling; would be the worst we could do. Killing her would grant a wish she does not know she wants."

As Taris asked him what was wrong with him, he fell silent again. His eyes flashed red and the quaint living room began to fall around them. "Prepare yourself for the truth, my dear daughter." He said calmly, still sitting there as his form began to wither again along with the room around them. Anything falling would turn into a sludge-like substance and go into Draco's withering body as he began to turn into Shadow, himself.

Taris shook her head at the thought of corrupting the hatchling, a year younger then herself, "No Papa, Momma said that to keep the hatchling captive, unmolested at that, but still a helpless captive is the best form of torture for.... her.... Because of what I saw there in Camelot. From what I observed at Mommas request, the spawns own mother who birthed her, is also a prisoner there too. Apparently given charge over the hatchling. But I fear what may happen should the hatchling reunite with its egg layer." Hell the silver hatchling's own power was stronger then her own!

Taris stared as her father became nothing but thick shadows. She stifled a cry but said softly, respect clearly in her voice. "So Momma was speaking the truth. Oh Papa, I know now why you dont want her named" Taris dropped to her knees on the stone floor. her head bowed. She was ready for whatever punishment her father was to give her. "I am truly sorry Papa, I did not know." She had no idea why her father hated xeir Zith so much, at least until that moment.

Her nose twitched. Her eyes went from their human amber hue to bright gold. "She was here..... wasn't she Papa ?"

As the Shadows finally formed into a single sphere with two red glowing orbs, Taris would be able to see that the floor was made of Holy Ice and Light Magic, and beneath it was Draco's body, still looking as fierce and deadly as it was a Million Years Ago. "This is what that.....klaena, sisargh, xihuulina inloil di vobit did to me. Your Father!" he roared, the living room returning as he stood in his human form, towering over his daughter with a snarl on his face.

"She was, with that....fool of a Man with her." He snarled, turning away and growling darkly as he stared into the flames of the fireplace. "I was...so close to killing her.....But...i can't, not in this state." his tone was low, and dark, and depressed.

He wanted nothing more than to have his body back.

Taris' right hand reached to her fathers body. A tear streaked from her eye as the floor reformed into stonework as her fists clinched, "Then we shall take the fight to her Papa. Tell me where to go, I will see to it that you're freed of this prison!" Taris felt in her heart that helping her father would be the best thing that ever happened to her, hell it'd be THE thing that ever happened, Junior and the others wouldn't be able to gloat after such a feat of freeing their father of his prison!!

Taris stood and stepped up to her father, staying of course a few steps behind, never looking directly at him as she spoke, "Papa, you cannot do this alone, not without your body. Let me do this, against the silver, she is but a hatchling according to Momma's reports. Not much older then me. Let me help you Papa." Taris was exactly two and a half years younger, as were all her siblings, then Elsa. In dragon reckoning, even Elsa herself was still a newborn hatchling.

Draco turned sharply when his daughter suggested taking the fight to that cursed Dragon. "No! If it were as simple as that, I'd have done it years ago." His shadowy coat flared out as he turned, making his figure more imposing than before. "These things must be done delicately. More delicately than any of Kethend's Plans could be." He said. Clearly the entire time he'd been gone he'd been plotting.

And if anyone knew anything about Draco, is that he plotted around his plots, then plotted around those a thousand fold until he was sure there was no chance of failure. However, it seemed that Xeir Zith was....exempt, from his no failure rule it seemed, as she frequently slipped his grasp.

He then sighed and gently cupped Taris's chin in his fingers and shook his head. "Age aside, you are no match for Xeir Zith. She has....a companion. Another Silver Dragon whose identity .... escapes me. He is older and more powerful than you; and should he figure this out, he wouldn't hesitate to kill you." He explained coldly.

He released her chin and moved to sit in his velvet chair again as he stared into the illusionary flames in the fireplace. "Brute, perhaps...could help you, but I can't loose any of you. My Children must grow to be more powerful than I....More powerful than...Jarius." he let out a soft growl at the Brass Dragon's name, an old friend, but powerful regardless, and a major hurdle if anything was to be done against Xeir Zith.

"For that, you must live uninjured. But I need my damned body back."

Jarius ? "you mean that one guy in the brass looking armor that lives in Arendelle ?" Yeah that was Jarius alright. Of course he was a bit more then... old. Quite young in appearance yet old in experience.

Taris nodded, "Mother said you faced the cursed one in a thousand year battle." She said, saying nothing of her father losing, she knew it all too well now, her father lost to Xeir Zith, his body below her even then. "What is your plan Papa, please, let me help. Mother sent me to find you, to help you in any manner possible. If there are two Silvers here, one of the Cursed One. I think I can plan to work this out."

Taris then noticed a empty pedestal, It clicked then, "She came for it ? Momma has a slice, if the Cursed One came here for it..... And, apparently she did get it.... Damnit. I think we have a problem Papa. A deadly one." Elsa still needed three more pieces to her piece of eden.

Draco nodded a the description of the old Brass Dragon. "Yes that's him." He said calmly. At the mention of he battle, he nodded. "First I toyed with her; then I grew bored, and began to destroy her, corrupting one limb at a time until only her heart and head were left." He paused.

"That's when... it intervened." He said. He raised his arm, a bolt of shadow-lightning slamming through the ground towards his body. Suddenly it was repulsed back as a bolt of pure light, slamming into the cave wall. "The Light, and it's servants intervened, and struck down my weakened form. Then The Light Itself tore what you see now from my body; ensuring I would never again return to full power. It's servants sealed my body here, It's students sealed my soul in their temple." he growled.

He looked to the pedestal, and nodded. "She did. I could have killed her and her apparent mate there, but...something stopped me. Pride, I assume. I want to fight that....whore when she's at her best. Just to see her crumble." He clenched his fist.

"Taris...report to your mother; tell her I'm here. I need her .... ideas." he paused before he sat in the chair again, and stared into the flames.

Above the lower levels upon a contruct a single being in black and red stood tall amid the shadows and light. Watching the shadows thrash and slay all in their path of human souls. A young woman watched as well, clearly happy that she had done her fathers orders, to the letter. the woman in black and red stood tall. Watching everything carefully

How the one she loved dearly observed two combatants in mortal fury against the other. How he seemed to drool at the mere thought of having their souls in his army The woman sighed, without a word she raised a hand, and all the shadows, all the screams, all the men fighting their own shadows, faded intio smoke and that too quickly faded. Leaving the Undermarket with only two people fighting each other in a deadly dance.

the woman could see clearly that the man in black shadows edged in red hasd his eyes on the woman fighter in white. Draconian eyes glittered bright pink with rage. Which then swiftly calmed as the shadows and the men fighting them faded into smoke. A young woman stood next to the woman in black and red as a ring of laughter rang out. Announcing her presence, the same ring of laughter that cowed her kobolds; and that of her beloved.

+++++++

Facing down Cain was one thing in a verbal match yet the man never stopped insulting her. She blocked each strike from his stupidly loud weapon with ease until her vibrosword was knocked aside and she brought up a hand, lightning arcing madly between her fingers as she halted the chainsword from coming down on her, holding it, and then standing back up. Pushing Cain back against her power,

But, unlike the chaos enemies he was used to, the ground around her did not rot away or become corrupted. Instead it seemed to get a bit breeze as she held out a hand towards her fallen weapon, and spacked hard with it at Cains gut in a powerful Force backed punch to knock him off balance. the followup of course was a solid kick to the family jewelsack., or chin, depending on which was within reach. But it was clear that Sony did not want to fight, but the man pushed her.

And it was just the two of them.

Cain grunted as he was hit in the gut, the punch had a staggering amount of force forcing him back. However he did keep his balance until Sony kicked him where it hurts, a move that has never been seen in Imperium history...a kick to the privates. Cain groaned as he felt the kick connect, however he did not fall down clutching his private. It took more than just a cheap kick to bring him down. Cain quickly regained his composure and hoped back a bit before Sony could follow up on her attack, he then held out his hand in front of him as it began to glow blue with cold air coming from it. A second later shards of razor sharp ice was sent flying in her direction, originally he could never do such a thing, however thanks to some minor training with their new allies he could use powers. Although now as deadly as psyker powers it was better than losing your mind and having a chance to be eaten by demon. "Of course demons have to be everywhere we go..." Cain muttered as he readied his sword in one hand and ice powers in the other.

For Jurgen, he and every single guardsman began to high tail it out of the Undermarket. "Attention all units! Demons are in the area! Under order of the Commisar you are all ordered to fall back to the platoons waiting outside the market! Double time it soldiers!" Jurgen yelled in his radio as he led the group with him as fast as they could from the demons. "Keep running men! This is just like bootcamp but this time if you fall you die! So if you want to live you better run!"

Draco stood with a rather...surprised expression on his face as he heard the laugh. As his shadows vanished he snarled viciously and was getting ready to get his hands dirty himself before hearing the laugh. His eyes narrowed and he let out an idle growl as his eyes flashed red.

Then as soon as the shadows vanished, they reappeared, the demon-like creatures, the minotaurs, and the tendrils all returned while Draco fell through the street with the Shadows, and appeared before the woman in black, his eyes wide in shock.

"You..."

For once his voice sounded normal; surprisingly human. No layers, no screaming echo; just a deep, ragged voice. While his "demons" assaulted the guardsmen while they ran, chasing them to the edge of the shadow before vanishing with fading screams.

Fenrias Halvard leaned against the entrance to a darkened alley. He watched the happenings of the Undermarket with keen eyes from the shadows as he searched for a potential mark or client.

Wandering through the Undermarket, Taris was allowed a new set of freedoms thanks to finding her mother and bringing her to her beloved father. Now things were slightly easier. Taris at the moment was shopping rather nicely and had found a few vendors and shops along a sewer channel. The Undermarket was a huge place, and it was the perfect place for a Guild to hang out, or build up a reputation of some form. Anyform really.

Taris wandered from a shop and came across a small open air market infront of a tavern. The Slumwalks were not far away, but the Tavern stood over looking the open air market. Taris found herself stopping at what looked like a fish or meat vendor, but she also kept an ear out for something to occur around her.

Remy "Gambit" LeBeau straightened his coat as he noticed several suspicious patrons entering the market. This place had sure become popular since it was confirmed to have existed... damn those pesky news reporters! Wing City had always been a place of change, but... his precious respite!

Finishing up his transaction with the final vendor he'd come here to see, Gambit then began to make his way back towards his age-old home.