Lore Reboot

Marcus:Good job out there Auri.

Auri: *comes back to Marcus* Yeah, thanks. I guess this thing on me'll eventually wear off, perhaps.

Aurora: Don't worry about that. All you have to worry about is you. *starts healing more of Fierce's wounds*

(on the battlefield, Jenghas is tearing through the Lazuli infantry, biting off heads, slicing off appendages, and basically creating a bigger reason for their retreat)

Fierce: Thank you, Aurora. I guess all I can do now is properly nurture my developing child.

Marcus smiles at her.

Auri smiles back and hugs Marcus briefly.

Auri: Well we gotta focus on the war here.

Raiya pursues the remnants of the enemy army while the knights help cut down the Lazuli Jenghas is fighting. She stops at the edge of the Whirling Tundra, which due to magical influences has expanded much further towards Elora than it naturally had. Zera stops next to her and squints his eyes, seeing the silhouettes of the warriors fleeing, quickly disappearing into the blizzard in the farther reaches of the snowy expanse. At this point it's fairly clear a couple of people are standing firm in their defense of the Lazuli territory.

One, middle-aged and silvery-blue haired man dressed in a superfluous white robe with shards of sapphires protruding from it, and the other a hooded man. The former was the Grand Magus, Argus, and the latter was the necromancer who raised the dead earlier on, and most likely the Magus' adviser. These facts are apparent to Raiya and perhaps even Zera, though may not be known to everyone else. The knights coming up behind them know the dangers of the tundra ahead and state that they will pursue the enemy any further, and instead begin to walk back to Elora.

Zera:So, there they are. Pretty obvious they want to fight. Feeling lucky Raiya?
Raiya:Not really. I'm injured, tired...but this is probably the only chance we're going to get to change things.
Zera:Say what? I was kidding, I don't think-
Raiya:Well we have to. Like I said, a rare opportunity to fix our screwed up country. We have no kind of diplomatic relations, and we just attacked Northend, our only trading partner.
Zera:More like destroyed. Northend's probably in bad shape right now. You sound really ambitious right now.
Raiya:Well, I'm not going to live the rest of my life regretting not taking this chance. We're going.
Zera:>,> Apparently we're suicidal, but fine. You're probably die first anyway. Necromancers are weak. And I will leave you to die.
Raiya:I wouldn't expect anything more out of you than cowardice. Remember the customs. Only fight the person whose position you want.
Zera:Yeah, yeah...

A bright blue sphere of light glows from the tundra, to which Raiya generates an orange light sphere, both light fading away soon after.

Raiya:Alright, now we don't have a choice but to fight them. ^ ^ Accepted his challenge.
Zera:*claps sarcastically* We're both going to die and haven't even had sex yet! Alright! Go us!
Raiya:>,>

Jenghas, having just reverted back into his human form, stands naked, covered in scrapes and scars, his back dotted with arrows.

Jenghas: So uh. Good luck guys. I'm gonna head back and see what's up with Fierce...*turns and limps toward Elora*

Mellow: *sheaths his swords and goes up to Raiya* You're going to fight the causes of all this, aren't you, Raiya?

Jenghas limps his way back to the city, and finds Fierce's location from asking around. He enters the barracks, dragging his shield and sword along, but he drops them and rushes to Fierce' side, holding her hand.

Jenghas: Fierce, what's....is something wrong?

Raiya:*starts healing herself* Yeah. I'll be engaging the leader of my country in a duel for his position. There's a possibility I might die but if I succeed, it'll be better for everyone. Unfortunately, you probably won't know how I fared in the battle either way. If I prevail, I will have to run my country, and in order to accomplish my vision for the Lazuli, I will likely be gone for years. Um...*takes out her large book from what seemed to be a very small pouch* You should take my book in the meantime. Might help kill some time while I'm gone. *a couple tears form up and gives Mellow her book before hugging him, and kissing him intimately* If I'm not back after...maybe five years? Six? Then I probably died...I know it's a long time to wait. I wouldn't really blame you if you moved on...but I'd like you try to be patient as you always seem to be. ^ ^ *strokes his hair*

Mellow: I'll await your return from your victory. I know you'll win and I know you'll be a great leader for your people. *hugs her tightly and kisses her* Don't worry about me, I'll keep you in my thoughts everyday until you come back to me, Raiya. You're the only girl I'll ever love. I can promise you that.

Fierce: Apparently I'm pregnant with my former lord's chiild, jenghas. I've just found out and I'm months along now.

Jenghas: You're......pregnant? .... how....what?

Fierce: We did make love the night before he went off to battle four months ago. We were to be wed the day he came home from his possible victory. Unfortunately, he died. but his men were victorious.

Raiya:^ ^ Thank you so much Mellow. This was an amazing adventure, and you know that I love you with teh same magnitude you love me. Good luck with becoming a knight, as well. I hope your performance today helps you with that. Anything else you'd like to say before we go our separate ways?

Jenghas: I .... you....*passes out, on the floor*
Aurora: *sighs* Someone's gonna have to come in and help me get him into a bed.
(some soldiers help Jenghas into a bed, then Aurora gets to work removing the arrows from his back and healing his wounds)
Jenghas: ...Fierce....were you in mourning when we met?

Mellow: Well I... I hope to possibly marry you when we reunite. If that's okay with you.

Fierce: I was. But think nothing of it, Jenghas. I don't want you to feel bad for me or dislike me because I am not carrying your own child.

Jenghas: Fierce, I don't dislike you at all. I ....I lo-OW! Fucking! Could you be more careful with the arrows?!
Aurora: Oh, suck it up.
Jenghas: *sighs* Fierce, I ....I love you. I want to help raise your child, if you want me too...

Raiya:Yes! ^ ^ I will definitely marry you when we get back. I'd be happy to be your wife. *hugs him again before letting go* Well...I guess we'll get going now. I wish you and everyone the best.
Zera:Mhm. Oh right. I guess...tell Gentle I love her and...ugh. Alright, let's just go die Raiya. *seemingly storms off towards their opponents*
Raiya:Yeah, seeya Mellow. *follows her brother*

Mellow: Bye Raiya. *turns and walks back to Elora* She'll make it. I know she will.

Fierce: I love you too Jenghas. I'd be happy if you were my child's father. *smiles at Jenghas*

Jenghas: *smiles warmly* Wait, so were you escorted from the battle? Were you injured?

Fierce: i was just scratched and cut. nothing major.

Marcus:How's it going so far?

Argus:You don't look too well Raiya. Perhaps we should save this fight for another time?
Raiya:Oh don't feign manners you conceited...hm.
Argues:A pretty sharp tongue you have there. I can only assume that's due to sticking with your brother through his exile. A shame.

The winds begin to flow inward towards the battle in a very subtle fashion, and as this happens, the necromancer raises the dead buried beneath the snow, perhaps travelers torn apart by the strong winds in the area. They charge at Zera, who gladly engages and tears through them, though they persist, even when torn apart, their respective body parts continuing to be animate.

Argus:Remember Kival, the girl is mine. Make sure her murderous brother suffers a horrific death.

Argus sends a flurry of spells at Raiya, the most prominent being a mass of flames that melts much of the snow of the battlefield, the steam fogging the area more so than the snowfall. Raiya just powers through the spells, her shield absorbing everything and shimmering brightly from reacting with magic. Before an incredibly surprised Argus can react, Raiya reels her torso back so her ensuing punch knocks the Magus far back, an ice spell discharging in his face, and freezing part of it.

Meanwhile Zera does what he can to disable to undead, not worrying with their still animate limbs. Although Zera can't see what Kival is doing, Raiya can. The necromancer is saving most of the corpses for a ritual that he is performing to combine and raise a larger, stronger threat.

Argus:Interesting...*spits blood into the snow and melts the ice off of his face* A melee magus? How does that work?

The snow around Raiya melts briefly before rapidly freezing and thrusting upward into spikes that she is forced to dodge. As she evades the ice spears one rises up in front of her and she is required to focus her shielding on where the spike strikes her. The shield absorbs the damage and the spear shatters. Having to focus her shielding makes her vulnerable to an attack and her side is barraged with all manner of magic, some of which is absorbed due to quick reflexes on her part. She counters Argus with the broken shards of ice from the spike. Argus adapts a minimal amount of shielding to deflect this, but the shard, on contact with his shield, explode violently into a cloud of freezing shrapnel, tearing through his barrier and severely wounding stomach and right lung.

Raiya:Heh...*holds her side*

The ground trembles, and a gargantuan undead rises from the layer of ice and even as deep as the frozen waters deeper than the layer of ice below the tundra. It swings a mighty mace that shreds through the undead Zera was about to fight, and almost hits Zera, who beheads it with explosives promptly. It still chases him of course, with him cursing loudly all the while, much to Kival and Argus' amusement.

Argus:Your brother-*shudders from the pain from his wounds and groans*...is as incompetent as ever. I don't see how he could possibly...be an effective advisor.

A large surge of lightning comes down on Raiya, who dodges it, though it is channeled and follows Raiya about the battlefield. She advances on Argus, but a short distance away the surge of lightning blocks her way, and as she looks behind her it is obvious the channeled spell is trying to surround her. She raises two blocks of ice from the ground to interrupt the lightning field, but she does it too soon, and the ice quickly melts just as she comes through. The barrier reforms, and as it assaults her shield it releases a strong pulse of lightning, destroying her mana barrier and hurting her physically. She tries to will the barrier back up, this effort manifesting as a flickering of her shield, but she feebly stumbles into Argus.

Argus:Well...I'll admit I was slightly, though needlessly nervous after that little ice spell you cast earlier, but I guess for once I overestimated someone! Hah! Silly me. *playfully shakes her* Hm. Not much fight left in you, I see...well, I won't make this quick, sorry. I'll freeze your blood where it flows, and you will be in great agony, I assure you. Enough to breathe some life back into your ragdoll-esque form, ironically!

The chilling air around them starts to centralize on Raiya, beginning to freeze her. Her face distorts into an expression of rage and anguish, and due to some subtle magic, her wounds heal and her blood resists freezing, both tasks being done at a very small, though vital level. The wind also seems to almost stop as Raiya's torture goes on. Over the course of the fight the winds have gradually slowed further and further until they reached their current point.

Zera in the meantime has scaled the massive undead and has begun tearing at what passes for its torso, becoming covered in rotten fluids, his face grimacing all the while. At this point he is more than halfway through the titanic monster's body, and he shoves it off, the flailing torso recovering and crawling back towards Zera. Zera himself has become disinterested in the foul beast and is going after the necromancer with a manic look on his face. He throws several knives into the necromancer's spine, incapacitating him, and breaking his focus so that the undead monstrosity he conjured falls apart, release a blood-curdling groan as it disintegrates.

Kival:It matters not, exile. *looks to Raiya and Argus* You may have won this battle, but it seems your sister has lost the war.
Zera:*sighs, and shakes his head* Guess I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart while he finishes off my sister.

Zera begins to dissect the necromancer, whose wails of pain can be heard as far as the battelgrounds where the corpses of giants and the Lazuli warriors lay.

As the Grand Magus speaks, he is very conceited and believes his victory firmly secured, however, as this sentence reaches its end, his voice become rough, and shows the first signs of real anger.

Argus:I'm impressed. You're still alive...surely you must be casting some form of magic, willpower alone can't even brave through this...*looks around* Strange. The winds are calm...this...is not natura-

The winds return in full force from their stagnation around Argus, ripping through his energy shield and carving deep, disfiguring wounds into his body. Raiya was blown away by the rapid expansion of air when she released the air from its centralization around Argus, though she is wounded from the force of the blow from the air. The air disturbs most of the snow making up the ground in the area, causing a localized whiteout.

Raiya summons all of her effort to warm herself with novice to moderate heating spells. She realizes the screams of the necromancer have finally ceased, and is fearful of her own life due to her vulnerable condition and from her experiences with her brother's sadism. She hears her brother approaching, the snow crunching beneath his boots. Then she sees him, in the form of a blur in the whiteout. Finally he comes in full view with what appears to be a malicious grin on his face with his blue coat now mostly reddened by blood, and his hands dripping with the fluid, knife in hand. Raiya feels nothing but pure terror, but is too weak to act on it. She shuts her eyes tightly has her brother kneels down and...dangles a an amulet with a white pearl socketed into it in front of her face, the sound made by the dangling chains acquires her attention and she opens her eyes to see the amulet the Grand Magus bore at the beginning of the fight.

Zera:Your identifier of rank, Miss Grand Magus. ^ ^ I didn't kill Argus either. He bled out from his injuries.
Raiya:*sighs* You had me terrified with all that blood...and that disgusting grin.
Zera:I know. Funny huh? Oh, and first order of business while I am your advisor is informing you that you need to have a variant of the Grand Magus robes made for females. I have a design in mind. Approve it. It'll be a surprise.
Raiya:...how long have you been planning this?
Zera:When I realized we were fighting these guys. Wasn't hard planning it with how long you and Mellow were sapping it up.
Raiya:>,>....

He bring the links of the amulet around her neck and secures them together, before helping her up and walking her towards Axis, the southernmost Lazuli territory.

In Axis she is confirmed as the Grand Magus and news is broadcast throughout the Three Domains of her ascendance, and lauding her as the first female Grand Magus, and first female to attain a commanding/magus rank.

In Deroi Raiya has master tailors craft whatever it is Zera planned out for her to wear for her newly acquired position. The tailors gave disdain and quizzical looks at Zera, but followed through.

In Zexulcarus, their home Domain and the political Capital, they are welcomed by their people(though like every other city they are wary of Zera), and reunite with their parents before taking their official positions the next day with Raiya being Grand Magus, and Zera being her Advisor. It wasn't long before she began writing and passing laws and policies dealing with cultural knowledge being emphasized in learning establishments, trade agreements being created, and the world seeing the Lazuli in a better light. Raiya ensured that although Northend had suffered greatly from the war, the barbarians would receive any aid they were willing to accept, and although progress was slow, good relations were made with the North. One of her final orders of business were to secure Zera armor designed by her for melee combat for him, telling Zera it'd be a surprise and that he'd love it. She also ordered Zera be trained formally, and despite protests, Zera was molded into an incredible example of a Sapphiric Guardsman, and was ecstatic at his armor when it came it. It was made of dyed dragon hide(mostly midnight blue with some black where appropriate), and had an immense amount of compartments hiding pressure-sensitive blades that jutted out when he swung any of his limbs fast enough, though for sensible reasons he had to swing very hard for the blades to emerge. In due time he would become the Magus-Commander of the Guard.

Soon after, Zera's "surprise outfit " for Raiya comes in.

Raiya:Zera...I can't wear this.

She turns away from the mirror, her arms folded, clearly annoyed at Zera's design, her face a little red from the revealing nature of her clothing. Her clothes are as they are in her "sexy" pic, but the portions where skin is revealed is covered by a dark blue(almost black), sleeveless and legless bodysuit that is worn under the normal clothing.

Zera:Eh? Why not?
Raiya:It makes me look like a...whore...I think.
Zera:>,> Naw, it doesn't. I mostly chose the design because I think Mellow would like it, but if you don't think he would we can always-
Raiya:.///. .....you think he'd like it?
Zera:*grins* Yes, yes I do.
Raiya:Well....I guess I could wear this sparingly. Like for when I see him and for when I do political stuff...a shame I can't show my status more obviously without looking like prostitute...
Zera:Bah, you're fine. You exaggerate.

Raiya and Zera kept at their work for nearly six years, Raiya forgetting about everyone and most of their travels under the strains of her duties. All she really knew at this point, due to her studious new habits, was politics and magic in case she had to defend her title. Which she did over and over and over again, most of these duels barely challenging to her. One of her last orders of business was to have the college in Axis construct mana generators that be strong enough to power mechanisms that nullified the winds of the Tundra. The successful application of the device allowed a flow of trade into the Lazuli domains and expanded the cultural horizons of the Lazuli, improving their relations and perceptions about the world outside of the homeland.

As the sixth year arrived, Raiya felt as though she had forgotten something. She inquired Zera about it, and he, being her advisor remember her past commitments to Mellow for her. When she realized she had forgotten about him, as well as the others, she became extremely depressed and cried for sometime, disallowing people from visiting her office for the rest of the day, and basically taking the day off, planning with Zera how she would see her old friends again.

Their plans were: Raiya would create a blood-clone of herself, that she would invest 70% of her total powers into, leaving her more than enough strength to defend herself. This clone would have her personality, appearance, everything, allowing her to efficiently run the domains while she was away, though they would keep this a secret in case someone wanted to beat down on the weaker clone or the even weaker "real" Raiya for her title. At this point, no one really challenged her, so this secret would be vital. Zera would accompany the real Raiya, telling anyone curious that it was a cheap clone who only knew about politics, and had to meet with a leader in Elora, allowing him to go with Raiya with no issue. The blood-clone would also play along with the plan.

When the plan was employed, it went off with no issue, and before they knew it they were well on their way to...Elridge, I suppose. The rest of this story unfolds in Reboot's Sequel.

OOC:I expect everyone to recap what their characters do over the six years after this post in gigantic walls of text. GO!

Over the next six years, Mellow had been hard at work training full time in the knight academy. Most nights, he would stay up late and read the Raiya had given him and always though about her when he couldn't sleep during the first few years at the academy. After the fourth year, he had been given the tittle of becoming an honorary knight. Two years later, he was serving as a commander to the new Queen's royal army. Becoming the youngest royal commander in the history of Elro. Even while attending to his duties as a royal commander, he still thought of Raiya. He wanted to see her, but he knew he had to focus on his duties. He was officially sent out to be the Lord of Elora months into his royal army service.

Gentle continued living with her parents with Auri and eventually went on to open an archery school and trained people from all walks of life in Elrun. Her school became famous after she personally instructed the Queen in archery.

Auri went to live with Fierce and Jenghas over in the Sunrise continent. With the help of imperial priests, she finally broke the spell placed on her and grew into a beautiful young woman, going back to Marcus' home and surprising him with her new look. The two now live together in the forest outside Elridge. Until just into the fifth year, she had to part from Marcus and accept a position as an insctructor at the grand hall of the magi on the Queen's request.

Fierce went back to the Sunrise region with Jenghas and continued serving as daimyo to the village neighboring her estate. 5 months after the war, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl of whom she named Akane and Jenghas was Akane's proud father. Akane is now being trained to read and write in the traditional Sunrise kanji and learned the way of the samurai while also learning of the tales of Northend mythology. She wants to become a Northendish samurai when she grows up.

OOC: not really a wall of text, but it was all I could muster.