The Forbidden Art

Azrael held her hands and smiled, a fang glimmering in the light. He folded his wings into his body and continued to walk with the group, Robin by his side. As the two walked silently together Robin asked Azrael a very concerning question.

"If we were to fall in love, how would we be together forever...if I'm only human and you're...a vampire?" Azrael shrugged.

"Im a Crusnik, a holy vampire cannibal. And, I could always turn you."

Robin stood in awe. "Could you? How?" She couldn't comprehend it, She suddenly embraced him in a hug. "That would be amazing! You're the best Azreal!" She quickly kissed him on the lips and rested her head on his chest.

Azrael nuzzled Robin's face and kissed her back. He wrapped his arms at the bottom of her waist and hugged her in, gently kissing her back. She hummed sweetly to the Crusnik's affections and wrapped her arms around his torso. Azrael smiled as he picked her up in his arms and continued walking.

"Robin, do you want to...you know...go behind the bushes and see how far we can go...for now?"

Robin nodded, "Lets go then." She kissed him as he walked and pointed out a spot for them to go to. "Right there should be fine." Azreal walked through the bushes and she began to kiss him, soon dropping down to her feet and letting her nose brush against his as she let down her golden hair.

Azrael hugged Robin's body in closer, feeling her warmth against his suit. He stumbled back into a tree, Robin pressing herself on Azrael and felt all over him, he doing the same. She slowly kissed him, cupping his face. Azrael held her back and hugged her in closer. Robin broke free, taking the time to breathe.

"Azrael, I don't know this feeling, but its so good." She took off her leather top as Azrael slid down and sat on the grass, braced his back on the tree. She let her breasts fall, her body somewhat on all fours over Azrael's body. She leaned in on his body and kissed him again, pressing her breasts to his chest. Azrael's cold touch as he felt them made Robin shiver a bit, but she loved how his hands felt on her breasts. She sat on him, loosening his tie and undoing his top button of his shirt.

"Robin, Robin, I see how eager you are. When we get to another town I promise we can continue this 'session'. Come, we're probably far behind the group." They got up, Azrael fixing his tie back on and top shirt button. Robin blushed deeply, sliding into her leather top. He ran a hand through his head waiting for Robin. She walked up to him and held his hand. As they caught up with the group Azrael whispered in her ear.

"You're beautiful."

Robin Sighed, "Fine." She walked along with Azreal, trying to conceal her blush. She thought of how he treated her, and she felt Special... Almost as if she was one of the only things that mattered in the world to him. She felt her heart skip a beat.

Is this Love? Was a single thought that crossed her mind. She felt warm everytime that she was around him, and felt safest when she was near him. When they neared the group, Robin waved nonchalantly, and sat down with Azreal at a nearby tree.

Azirak walked through the trees, pausing only to throw up again, this time nothing but bile. What the fuck had just happened? Had he been hit by some sort of attack? But there wasnt anything around when he was attacked...what the hell was going on?
He tripped over a root, and held his hand against the tree trunk. He pulled himself up, and looked foward, seeing vexoz and vera. They wernt the people he most wanted to see, but they were better than nothing.
He walked over to them. He had got the mud off his face, but the slash on his face from the branch still cut deep. He hoped they didnt pay too much attention to it.
"Hello there." He said with a hint of politeness in his voice.

Vera looked very much like a dejected puppy. Her eyes dimmed and she hung her head, looking at her shuffling feet. She stood beside Vexoz after giving Tellas a grateful smile. She was torn between seeing Vexoz's reaction and the fear of his rejection. Although, it seemed he was willing to at least talk to her... or yell at her.

She twiddled her thumbs and snuck a peek at him, trying to read his face.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Kailyn harrumphed and crossed her arms. Robin and Azrael were nowhere to be seen. Mira had left with Falks. She looked at the remaining group.

"I guess we should start our search," Kailyn said, looking for anyone's approval. Just then, a man emerged. He looked a little worse for wear.

"Uh, are you okay?" She asked Azirak.

Tellas stayed nearby Vera, hanging back a little to show, to any canines watching, that he was subordinate to her.

He didn't say much other than, "Where to now, Vera?"

Vexoz walked off until he was sure the other group was out of sight. Until it felt like they were outside the anti-magic zone. He took a minute to catch his breath before turning away from the group.

"Vera... get ready to fly us to the Chosen village. I'm going to go straight to the council and tell them what I think of this plan." The longer he talked, the more frustrated he seemed to get. "Genocide.... They were planning genocide all along.... I don't care if I have to beat Asinoir to a pulp and tie him to a chair, they will hear a piece of my mind about this. You don't understand what that means, you lived your whole life up in the village... in that little utopia. While the Chosen were planning this crap, you know what I was doing with my childhood? Fending for myself in the fucking forrest! No parents, no magic running water, just what I could find and the occasional job between drifting through towns! I won't have that kind of blood on my hands just because some spoiled, power hungery, extremist says otherwise!"

Finally, the warrior seemed to somewhat calm down. "I'm not turning my back on the village either. I've seen it, and it's beautiful and perfect in almost every way. But I won't allow them to wipe mankind off the face of the planet! If they hate me for my oppinion, then let them! No matter what, I will protect the village while stopping thier horrible plan untill the day I die."

Vexoz turned to Tellas, the wolf dragon. Tellas was clearly for the Chosen's plan. He held up his arm and made it glow faintly to make sure magic worked before turning to Vera. "First we'll tell them about Cee betraying them so they know I mean the best. Then, I'll say what I have to...."

"Ready to fly, Vera?"

Vera let Vexoz rant, her fury building and boiling over. She poked her little finger against his hard chest.

"I'll have you know I didn't grow up there!" She yelled at him, "I don't agree with them either but they saved me after I was raped. I didn't have any choice," Vera jutted her stubborn chin out, "I just want people to stop dying. Hurting each other is one thing... but killing?" Her voice softened a little. That is, until she met Vexoz's eyes with a ferocious glare, "And then you lump me in with them like I'm... like I'm... like I'm some sort of cold blooded killer!" She smacked his chest. Hard.

"Find your own way home," She spat. She grabbed Tellas' hand and kicked off the ground, sending them both upwards. Tellas unfurled his wings and took flight, following Vera back to the village.

Vera was unusually quiet on the way back. She looked like she was brooding. She pulled the small item that was still lodged between her breasts. She looked at it and ran her thumb over top of it. It was wrapped in a black cloth. Mid flight, she unfolded the cloth to see the small jewel.

She showed it to Tellas.

"See this?" She said, flying a little closer. The shard of the purple gem glistened in the sunlight, "It's supposedly a part of Whelym's crown. He was a king, long before the magical genocide. They say he took the lives of his seven brides and sealed them into the gems. The seventh bride was a favorite among the people, said to have brought peace wherever she walked. When she died and another jewel appeared on his crown, the people rioted against him. They took his crown and smashed it into the ground, trying to release her soul. Unfortunately, that didn't work. They say the one who gathers all the pieces and all the gems may enhance their natural powers as well as control all elements. They also say the hot springs we were just at had a shard of the seventh bride."

Vera closed her fist.

"Of course, it's all just a old wives' tale. Still. I collect the pieces and hope..." Vera ended, looking off into the distance, "I won't be weak, Tellas. Never again."

Vexoz either didnt hear or ignored him, but walked away to talk to vera.
Azirak was about to follow, when he heard something.
"Uh, are you okay?" a womans voice sounded, and Azirak turned to see another human.
"Im fine, thank you." He said, twisting his usual reply to humans in an attempt to sound polite. He didnt want to make any more enemies today, especially if they hit him with whatever it was that hit him earlier.
"I dont mean to be annoying, but is there a big scar on my face? Cos something is hurting a lot."

"Vera... I too have heard that tale, and while my kin had no part in the happenings of that time... A shard of the crown are guarded by the last four females of my kin. I know not where they are though." He then looked to her and laid a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "Know this though, Vera. As long as I draw breath you need not fear being weak," He gave her a smile he gave none other before, one of true kindness.

"I might as well say this now. When a Draco Lupus makes a vow as strong as the one I just made, we don't break it." He added, A part of him wondering why they ere flying towards a mountain, "But you've got me curious now... What is the Chosen's Villiage like?"

Vera grinned at him, "You're the best, Drappy! I guess it's not all that important that I find them, then, huh? Although, maybe I will just for fun!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. All the while, they were still in the air. She pried herself off her Draco Lupus and landed in front of where the mountain barrier was. She reached out her hand and felt what seemed to be the cold stone of the mountain.

"The Village is more or less a Utopia. Everyone works their keep, everyone has a job, but everyone helps each other out. There's no form of currency. Houses are provided. We accommodate all religions and, should we not have an area for your specific need, we are able to create something to suit it," Vera said, rubbing her hand up and down the wall, "And, we've got this nifty barrier right here!" She ended, knocking on it twice.

"Open up for the most beautiful woman in the world!" She declared, putting her hair over her shoulder, "And Drappy! Cause he's super nice and magical and stuff!"

Suddenly, the mountain around her hand disappeared. A small circle expanded until it was large enough to fit them through. After they entered, it closed back in.

Vera wandered out into the center of the village, "Well, I dunno about you, but I gotta feed the tummy! It's clawing at my spine!" She said, patting said stomach, "I'll show you my house!"

She quite literally skipped the entire way there.

Tellas chuckled with genuine amusement as he followed her, "I don't have much to offer to the villiage aside from fighting in the Chosen's name..." His stomach then decided to make itself heard and a slight blush appeared under his fur, "I guess you're not the only one hungry. Don't worry though I don't have a big appetite compared to most human men."

He didn't really pay attention to the route there, knowing full well that during the times Vera let him go off duty he'd have time to explore.

Vera stepped into her cozy home. Similar to the houses around her, she had the same design as everyone and the same materials built. However, unlike everyone else, she had a beautiful eye for color coordination. Beige and brown blended together to give it an earthy feel while dark reds accented the room to avoid it being too drab. Vera walked into the kitchen area and pulled out, naturally, a plate of cookies from the cabinet. She unwrapped them and offered some to Tellas as she nibbled on one herself.

As soon as she finished her cookie, she went to work. Surprisingly, a woman like her was akin to a culinary master. She used foreign and unique fruits and vegetables to bring out a sweet, yet spicy, platter of a healthy meal. She tossed the rice around, ensuring it would stick together in a big ball. Then she put marinated beef on sticks and roasted it over the fire grill in her home. The vegetable that accompanied was one even she couldn't pronounce, but still a delicious side.

Forty five minutes after she started, she gave Tellas a lopsided grin, a mountain of food on their two plates.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"I'm fine, thank you," Said the man.

"You sure don't look it," Kailyn replied, stepping a little closer, "You're bleeding all over your face!" She ran up to him and stopped in front of his face.

"Let me stop the bleeding," She tore off a part of her shirt and dabbed at the wound, attempting to find where it was bleeding from. Head wounds tended to bleed much more than a regular one and so they looked worse than they actually were. The rest of what happened seemed like a habit. She had to leave the barrier in order to use her seeds and then grew a plant similar to what she had used in the village where everything started.

She altered the makeup of the plant so that it would encourage rapid healing as well as disinfecting. She tore it to little bits and ran back into the barrier, wincing as the pain hit her again. It wasn't quite as strong, since her body had gotten used to it, but it was still there.

From there, she dabbed at Azirak's wound again and placed the plant over top of it. She tore off another part of her shirt, now revealing her taut, tan stomach, and then used it as a bandage to keep the plant in place and to quell the bleeding.

"You should be okay for a little while. Any headaches? Vomiting?" She asked, looking into his eyes and looking for abnormalities.

Tellas ate one of the cookies, smiling at the taste, but noting that he should have too many before the main meal. He ended up watching her culinary skills with awe. a wide grin on his face when she finished, "My word. I've never seen someone prepare food so well. I can only surmise it's taste reflects your skills!"

"Find your own way home!"

Vera took off with Tellas, leaving Vexoz behind. "Damnit...." Vexoz fought back a tear as he drew his blade. "Just... Damn it all!" He shouted as he slashed at a nearby tree, almost diagnolly chopping it in two with a single swing. "I don't need you," The warrior shouted at the sky, "I'll get there by myself!"

She had pissed him off, toyed with his emotions, hid the truth of the Chosen's plans, and left him to scale a mountain.... Vexoz should've hate her guts, so why did he still feel like he should go to the village and make sure she's safe? Why couldn't he bring it upon himself to join the other group against her? Frustrated, he whacked the tree again, this time bringing the entire thing down. Vexoz just felt like destroying the next thing that got in his way.

As he held his sword, it caught the reflection of the light and started to shine brightly. Right, magic.... At least it seemed like it's usefull for something now. Time to try it out.

Vexoz focused to keep the blade energized, the light on it quickly growing brighter as he spotted another nearby tree. With a single swing, the tree was cut clean in half. Great, but it didn't help him get any closer to the mountain.

Don't worry, you'll have more chances to screw up in front of Vera.

What the.... The voice rang through his head. "Who are you?" He spoke out loud.

Remember? I thought I expleined this before... well, it has been a while. And you are pretty dim. It's like... well, basically.... You're my reincarnation or something. Just think of me as you're great great grandfather who can talk into your mind.

Vexoz sighed. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

The genocide thing? Yeah. Seems like you've finally learned something usefull, except it's not one of the skills I knew.... Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad one.

"Right...." Vexoz grabbed some vines and made something that seemed to resemble a rope.

You mean you're just going to climb the mountain? No traning, no preperation, just one man and a flimsy vine trying to reason with a few hundred genocidal super-mages?

"That's the idea." After tying his blade to his arm, Vexoz started off for the mountain.

You're dumber than I thought... but prehaps you've got some redeeming qualities after all. Good luck, warrior!

It was time to try and stop this madness.

"You should be okay for a little while. Any headaches? Vomiting?"
Azirak nodded. He noticed her face contort with pain earlier.
"All of those. Im guessing the same happened to you, didnt it?"
He acted polite, but part of him was praying that the kyren back in the city never heard about this. Being healed by a human...he would never live it down...

Kailyn nodded at Azirak.

"I'm guessing you have some sort of magical ability if you got affected by the barrier like that," She said. Very quickly, her mind jumped to a conclusion, "You're not a part of the Chosen, are you?" She asked accusingly, her eyes hardening.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

There was very little time between Vera putting the plate down and her shoveling her food into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed the mound of food. She swallowed loudly.

"It's delicious, of course!" She said unabashedly, putting another forkful in. She looked down at the plate and then at an empty chair. There was a uncomfortable feeling that tightened her chest. It was similar to indigestion or eating too much at one time. She wasn't sure if that actually was the case, since her mind flicked to Vexoz and her cruel treatment of him. She ate a little more with her brow furrowed in thought.

"Tellas, was I too mean to Vee-Vee?" She asked suddenly, putting her fork down. Her plate empty and her stomach full, it left little for her to do with her hands and a lot more time for thinking.

"Should I go back and get him?"

"You're not a part of the Chosen, are you?"
Aziraks eyes widened in alarm. So it only affected magical beings? Could that mean...
He looked down at his hand, and concentrated. Usually a ball of lightning would burst into life in his fist, but there was nothing, not even a spark.
He then turned to the human. She had helped him, so he would have to trust her...to some extent.
"No. Im not a chosen. Im a dynari. Please be so kind not to tell anyone."

Obviously, the news of the anti magical barrier was a surprise to the newcomer. That alone made Kailyn trust him a little bit more. Although, not that it was a huge amount. She was still a little wary of him.

"A dynari?" She parroted with owlish eyes, "What the heck is that?"

"What the heck is that?"
Azirak raised an eyebrow. Maybe the stories wernt so widespread after all.
"Well, i dont need to tell you everything. Basically, human/elemental, energy powers, can fly, yada yada yada...and pretty badass to boot." He smiled at the end.
"What might you be? Some sort of plant...mage...person?"

Kailyn narrowed her eyes at the dynari. He seemed to have very little modesty and a lot of pride in his... race. When called a plant mage thing, she felt like she should be slightly insulted.

"I'm a human, and a damn good one at that," She replied, "And yes, I'm a mage."

She looked around, "I don't know about you, but being here makes me feel like a part of my soul's been sealed off. Let's go somewhere else where we can debate the greatness of the dynari. And... I've got to find something fuzzy," She added, sounding a little disbelieving at the last sentence.

"I don't know about you, but being here makes me feel like a part of my soul's been sealed off. Let's go somewhere else where we can debate the greatness of the dynari. And... I've got to find something fuzzy,"

Azirak looked puzzled. "Why would we debate how great we are? I just said that to make a good first impression. Ive been told by several other of you humans that i am a rude ass-hole. Whatever that means. And fuzzy? I saw what you humans call a bear earlier, that looked pretty fuzzy. You sure you arent looking for that?" He said, with a smile on his face that betrayed the fact that the last sentance was him making fun of her.