Dragonball M, Chapter 3: In Blood, Bone, and Ash! The Way Forward Unlocked!

[Yun Lao]

~Deep within the Mountain Complex~

Agravain could feel the force of the energies unleashed all the way from deep within the complex.

Despite the situation he couldn't help but smile internally. That damnable Hive and its abominations had been a thorn in the side of his expedition since they arrived. That the foolish lord arrived when he did was but a easily exploitable bit of good fortune. Morgan had been correct in her deduction of the egotistical reptile, with the proper application of flattery and subservience he was swayed to their side without too much issue....even if he did suspect something, nothing he said was really a lie.

Just an omission of truth.

The power of this land was not Agravains to take, but nor was it the reptile King...or the self proclaimed lord of the wastes. This land is, and always will belong to the one true sovereign.

"Move faster....Assuming he's not dead, it won't be long before either of them catch up. We must make it to the heart of the mountain before any more distractions." The man urged his servant on as they moved swiftly through the forgotten halls and chambers. They had enough of a head start, even if his stalling tactics fall through....they just need to....

"F'thu Mnthas!" Came a shout from the hall ahead....as a bipedal squid entity lurched from the shadows, and then another, and then several more beside. Agravain grimaced as the path ahead of them was slowly blocked, and more of them were literally coming out of the walls on either side of them.

Without a second though, he reached within his clothes and pulled out his pendant....letting it hang in the air, visible to the congregation advancing upon them.

"HALT! I come bearing the sign of authority....I am Agravain, Last Magi of the Grey Thorn!" The pendant visibly flashed with contained magic, and for a moment the beasts gave pause. "I come to fufill the order handed down by our great queen...long overdue. Stand Aside!"

Agravain could not prevent the sweat from building on his brow. The presence of the old guard was to be expected, again....as Morgan predicted. But their condition was even worse then he had been led to believe....and he had no idea if they would still respond to the old authority, or if they still had minds with which to do so.

With frighteningly slow and methodical movements, the swarm closed in around them....

~~~~

Further behind, Rex was making his swiftly towards their location....or at least as swiftly as one without knowledge of the layout could.

It was at this point he encountered Morgan, or at least....a Morgan. She had been seemingly waiting at a junction in the tunnel system and stood to attention as Rex arrived.

"My Lord." She began. "Apologies....Lord Agravain had to move to a safer area amid the conflict. I was advised to wait here until your arrival and guide you to him." She motioned in one of the tunnel directions. "Also, Congratulations on your Victory."

Seizing the Morgan by her face, Rex smashed the back of her head against a nearby wall, repeating this until the doll was broken or she was firmly embedded in the wall; he didn't care which one occurred first.

He knew the old man had played him since the beginning, but that didn't mean he couldn't be angry all the same. No, the old man was simply the scapegoat for a number of things. Rex's perspective had been influenced by the hosts he had resided in, and it was only when he had achieved his freedom and had experience life once more in his own body that he bitterly recalled his former motivations. He had oppressed the humans for a reason, delaying their progression as his kind's successors far beyond what nature had intended.

The corruption the weakling had babbled about in his death whines was no doubt the same one the humans had roused long ago. Like cockroaches, they slithered back up from the dirt and muck and humans and dinosaur-kind alike gave in to their temptations like pathetic children. Rex had once thought to force the old man to experience the ruins of Avalon as they burned again, but now he would destroy everything like destrudo-incarnate.

Leaving the Morgan in ashes after a quick ki blast, he continued on, allowing his sharpened senses to track down the old man and whatever abominations lied beneath the surface.

[KingofPie]

"......Humbert." Morgan hesitated a moment before speaking. "It is you...isn't it. Its ok, you....you won't have to endure it for much longer."

Bolstered by the effect, the creature whom had once between known has Humbert seemed to supress his mental anguish even though the void burned in him with greater intensity, "My...My lady....."

"But you must tell me....What has happened to the others? And the Queen?"

Humbert let out a pitiable sob. "The Tomb.....we...we protected it as long as we could.....but its been too long.....far too long.....the seals have weakened, leaking energy....we didn't know until it was too late. The others are gone......I can feel them nearby. It won't....won't be long before they come too."

Humbert lifts his head to face her. "The Queen Still rests....above the old ones chamber, the mechanism is damaged....only a Morgan can restore the seal now.....and bring life back...to Avalon...and our Queen..."

"Then....its as I thought....." Morgan nodded slowly, then turned to Ochazuke.

"Please.....let Humbert rest now. If there is to be answers, then I am your guide...Its my responsibility." Morgan voiced, before returning her gaze to the lost one. "....I'm sorry......May the old ones.....keep you safe in the next life."

Durive ran in, attempting to drop kick Humbert in the eye.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Is that... yeah it is her. Rose, the girl whose capture united several of the M-Fighters together for the first time. Looking back on it, Sarada wouldn't have been surprised if that was all Eva's doing, in a bid to bring them together into one place. Years later, the girl seemed happier and none the wiser of her place in history.

Her dishes were clear, but Mais was still eating. This was a perfect chance for her to say something. "Stay here, brat," she told him as she stood and made her way over.

"Rose? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The girl looks a moment, then smiles wide and steps out to give Sarada a hug.

“Oh my Kami! Queen Sarada! It’s been so long!”

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

“Then meditate with me, please. We shall match our energy signatures and from there I shall show you within your mind our method of Dreamwalking.”

"How delightful ... nothing like meditation to ferrert out a deeper meaning~" Inanna cooed, as she sat with eyes closed.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Blizzar took a moment to look over the papers and shrugged. "Perhaps...that will be unnecessary, eh?" but....The Arcosian then glanced up at the creature. "On your part. I, on the other hand will call yours."

He folded his arms. "For you see, this document is false. I'm sure you know why. ...You do understand why, don't you?"

The shadow smiled, a row of jagged teeth from cavern wall, to cavern wall. "I sure don't, cutie; but I'm sure it'll be entertaining."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"How delightful ... nothing like meditation to ferrert out a deeper meaning~" Inanna cooed, as she sat with eyes closed.

It takes a bit, Oni and First Race energy not quite working on the same frequency. Haden explains its because they stem from another universe.

However, after about half an hour, their patterns synchronize and suddenly the two stand within a shared mindscape.

“Excellent. Now, this is how one connects to another within dreams. It can only be done to those you are close to, or share a connection with. I believe your connection with your brother will be more than sufficient. Now, watch.”

For the next few hours, he explains the method of meditating and reaching into the Realm of Dreams to connect withothers. In that Realm, distance has no meaning so anyone with a shared connection can be reached no matter where they are if both parties still live.

At the end of the training period, they both awaken to find hours have passed, but Inanna has learned the technique.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The girl looks a moment, then smiles wide and steps out to give Sarada a hug.

“Oh my Kami! Queen Sarada! It’s been so long!”

It finally dawned on her that, thanks to Grinthorn's summit years ago, she was more recognizable on Earth than she thought.

"It's good to see you again, Rose. Sorry I haven't visited sooner. Life's been busy. So, how's everything been going for you? You look great."

[Yun Lao]

How long had it been since he had began this Sisyphean task? Too long, he felt, even though the concept of time was a foreign matter in this realm. The sun never moved from its position of high-noon, the temperature never strayed from its skin blackening heat, and like before, any injuries or fatalities he had received never stuck. Each time he made his way towards the mesa, he was slain and brought back to the starting point. Sometimes he got farther, others he barely made it past the first step. At times the dead would be instantaneous, while on some unfortunate occasions, the man's strange attacks only crushed a limb, a portion of his body, or even half of it, forcing him to crawl in agony until he was granted mercy.

"I had never pegged you as a masochist, boy!" The old man shouted from the plateau, "That's the only reason I could come up with that would explain why you suck at this!"

He could feel his blistered flesh bristle in anger, even though he knew that's what the old man wanted. Despite all his rage, he was still just a rat in a cage, or rather an unperson in a desert. If only he was just a bit faster; that thought repeated itself in his mind to a nauseating degree. It was as if the question were chipping away at an answer that only the deepest, darkest area of his subconsciousness knew. In reality, it was as the answer eventually came and with it, the fragment of a memory.

"Do you why you cannot pass me, @$@&@^?"

His body hurt, battered and bruised by her hand, and yet the pain was nothing in comparison to the frustration he felt.

"It is because you have not truly learned how to walk."

The answered baffled him. He could walk, he could run, crawl, even slither on his stomach. Looking to her, he saw the amusement on her face as she deduced his confusion.

"What you consider to be walking is nothing more than a sloppy series of stumbles that barely manages to keep you upright. With the amount of energy and time you waste in one step, you might as well be a statue to me."

"Then what do I do?!" He shouted, whinier than he had intended due to his frustration, "I can't just relearn how to walk."

"Oh, but you can, and you will." She replied with a cruel smirk, "Only then will you learn how to properly walk, to master the half-step. Then you will be on the path to learn the Carnotaurus Charge and escape."

He could feel the pressure build as the old man was preparing to crush him once more. Stepping forth, he found his body corrected his posture and movement, reducing the energy needed to move and using that energy to increase his pace instead. He felt the dust, sand, and salt kick up behind him as what was a simple dash produced a small galeforce wind behind him.

"AH-HA!" The old man cried out, "Took you long enough! Now I can finally have some fun!"

Dread sunk into his stomach as the area around him shook as several pillars of pressure slammed down, forcing him to scramble and run for his life. Still, despite the kids' glove being thrown off, he made substantial progress before he was mashed into paste at the mesa wall. He could continue, managing to scale the wall his next life, reaching halfway before he was send plummeting back to the earth. Several more times did he fail, but at long last, he reached the peak, his bloody hands clawing to pull himself up.

Surprisingly, he was seized by a pair of hands and lifted up onto the plateau where he stood, face to face, with the old man.

"Good job..." The elder said, his voice uncharacteristically soft and gentle, nearly frightening him more than the specter of death. The old man chuckled, realizing this, before saying, "Boy, I lived my life as a broken man, full of hate and resentment to the world I deemed unjust. There is a strength in that feeling, but I was far too consumed in that bitterness to put it to any good use. That is why I am entrusting it to you..."

The old man dissipated and he was once more cast into the darkness, alone.

No...

Just like Dieselle, he now carried the memories and strengths of the old man, Poepayne, with him on this journey.

[Yun Lao]

"......Humbert." Morgan hesitated a moment before speaking. "It is you...isn't it. Its ok, you....you won't have to endure it for much longer."

Bolstered by the effect, the creature whom had once between known has Humbert seemed to supress his mental anguish even though the void burned in him with greater intensity, "My...My lady....."

"But you must tell me....What has happened to the others? And the Queen?"

Humbert let out a pitiable sob. "The Tomb.....we...we protected it as long as we could.....but its been too long.....far too long.....the seals have weakened, leaking energy....we didn't know until it was too late. The others are gone......I can feel them nearby. It won't....won't be long before they come too."

Humbert lifts his head to face her. "The Queen Still rests....above the old ones chamber, the mechanism is damaged....only a Morgan can restore the seal now.....and bring life back...to Avalon...and our Queen..."

"Then....its as I thought....." Morgan nodded slowly, then turned to Ochazuke.

"Please.....let Humbert rest now. If there is to be answers, then I am your guide...Its my responsibility." Morgan voiced, before returning her gaze to the lost one. "....I'm sorry......May the old ones.....keep you safe in the next life."

Things had grown complicated... from an already complicated situation. This whole situation put a bad taste in her mouth, especially since the Beast was somehow tied into this in both the past and present.

Their attacker, Humbert, had been warped in mind and body against his will, every moment of clarity being fought for with every fiber of his being. It was hard to admit that there was nothing they could do for him against the corruption that had overtaken him, but Shōchū had experienced enough loss and misery in her life to know that happy endings were truly rare. It was because of this that she felt that she should spare the others the task of dirtying their hands. There were plenty of ghosts that haunted her at night, one more would not break her.

Raising her naginata, still slick with his blood after she had relieved him of his hand when he had attacked them, she pointed the blade tip to his forehead.

"Sir Humbert, you have served your Queen well. She will know of your honor and sacrifice."

The Therizino blade of her weapon sparked with energy, giving the only indication of her intention before a faint shimmer left the weapon, launching a razor-thin blast of energy into Humbert's skull, hoping to bring a painless end to his suffering.

[grampagen]

"......Humbert." Morgan hesitated a moment before speaking. "It is you...isn't it. Its ok, you....you won't have to endure it for much longer."

Bolstered by the effect, the creature whom had once between known has Humbert seemed to supress his mental anguish even though the void burned in him with greater intensity, "My...My lady....."

"But you must tell me....What has happened to the others? And the Queen?"

Humbert let out a pitiable sob. "The Tomb.....we...we protected it as long as we could.....but its been too long.....far too long.....the seals have weakened, leaking energy....we didn't know until it was too late. The others are gone......I can feel them nearby. It won't....won't be long before they come too."

Humbert lifts his head to face her. "The Queen Still rests....above the old ones chamber, the mechanism is damaged....only a Morgan can restore the seal now.....and bring life back...to Avalon...and our Queen..."

"Then....its as I thought....." Morgan nodded slowly, then turned to Ochazuke.

"Please.....let Humbert rest now. If there is to be answers, then I am your guide...Its my responsibility." Morgan voiced, before returning her gaze to the lost one. "....I'm sorry......May the old ones.....keep you safe in the next life."

Parting his hands, Ochazuke threw his palms out toward the Mage, and a burst of iron wind forcefully struck the last of the corrosive Void from his frame. Wrest from the Mage's body with a hard Kiai and thinned through Saifa Kensaku, he divest the vile essence and scattered it back into the shadows.

Stripped of the corruption that doubtless left him in this ruined shape, he would allow Humbert of the Ampadour Royal Guard the chance to die as a man, come what may.

He would leave the rest to Shochu.

Things had grown complicated... from an already complicated situation. This whole situation put a bad taste in her mouth, especially since the Beast was somehow tied into this in both the past and present.

Their attacker, Humbert, had been warped in mind and body against his will, every moment of clarity being fought for with every fiber of his being. It was hard to admit that there was nothing they could do for him against the corruption that had overtaken him, but Shōchū had experienced enough loss and misery in her life to know that happy endings were truly rare. It was because of this that she felt that she should spare the others the task of dirtying their hands. There were plenty of ghosts that haunted her at night, one more would not break her.

Raising her naginata, still slick with his blood after she had relieved him of his hand when he had attacked them, she pointed the blade tip to his forehead.

"Sir Humbert, you have served your Queen well. She will know of your honor and sacrifice."

The Therizino blade of her weapon sparked with energy, giving the only indication of her intention before a faint shimmer left the weapon, launching a razor-thin blast of energy into Humbert's skull, hoping to bring a painless end to his suffering.

This mortal matter concluded, Ochazuke then paced gradually toward Morgan, spurred onward from her plea. Again she speaks of the Old Ones. Against what they had seen, her blessing upon the mage in their name invited little more than a burning glower from him until Zaofan stepped between the two.

"We've got to find the tomb of Queen Persephone, Brother. If there's other like this one in there, we can't risk them leaving this place. Our Morgan here-"

"A Morgan." The words passed with a pointed harshness. "How many others are there like you? Was guiding sacrifices to your Ancient Masters under the pretense of shelter part of your duty as well?"

"Look, it's...complicated. Not all familiars are independent like Erosa, you know? Some are bound to their service. She didn't know any better."

"Cheh, don't excuse this charade of ignorance," Ochazuke staggered, shivering in the cold and visibly wracked with pain. Though his physical wounds appeared minimal, he clearly did not leave the combat unscathed. "What this one decides she knows seems to change on a whim. Everything is subject to her convenience." His eyes passed through Zaofan and fell upon Morgan with a fevered intensity. "Is this the first time you veiled doom in good will and shepherded others to their death? If that is your vision of Avalon, then it should lay forgotten, like all the rest!"

How many others were taken with this charming facade? This undiscovered country shrouded under the peak and snow ebbed with wonderment and subtle mystery. But when she opened her heart to him and showed him the agony that stretched across centuries, Zaofan knew there was a kernel of truth there.

Still, he had heard it in her own words.

"You're right, what's done is done," he sighed, "And we can't change what happened. But you saw that Humbert fellow, he was a victim of circumstance. So is our guide."

"Nothing will change without the resolve to see it done."

"They're trapped, Ochazuke. Avalon and Ampador are lost to memory precisely because no matter how much time passes, it can't change," Zaofan said. His expression shift, and his eyes glimmered. Ochazuke had not seen such steadfastness fall upon him since the first time they saw the crimes of Simon Battersea. "I know we can help them if we can figure out what we're dealing with."

Risking a step to the side, he joined the rest of his comrades as they looked over to Morgan where she stood.

"So, tell me- tell them. What do you want to do?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Takes place Ten years ago.

Araxat is outside the walls of the castle of the Swampa kingdom with Yaztoh." Yaztoh is not too late to change these stupid rules of yours. It's not too late for you to show compassion. Ruling the kingdom the way you been doing it is not the way to run things," Araxat said.

" Let's give you some advice, Araxat. Being compassionate is useless. The only way to make any real change is through power!"

" It only took me opposing a few rules to show you how utterly foolish your compassion is. If you really want to change things, Araxat. You need to be ruthless!" Yaztoh said.

" No, your way of doing things is wrong!" Araxat said.

" You can talk about compassionate all you want Araxat, but only power can make changes. And you know who has the power me. Right, now if I felt like it. I could have you exile," Yaztoh said.

" Oh, and I know you been trying to convince me to go back on my laws. To get me to listen to reason, but you know the funny thing is. I specifically made those laws just torment you, Araxat!" Yaztoh said.

" I'm going to keep on opposing my rule. There's nothing you or anyone can do about it, Araxat" Yaztoh said.

Later Araxat encounters a person who she has never met before who claims to be a wise sage passing from planet to planet giving guidance. The guidance he gives to Araxat is to have Yaztoh kill and take over the kingdom for herself. Telling her that the only way to change things is through war.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" From my experience on Earth, the psychology of Toadians is pretty much similar to that of Earthlings. Don't know about Intoadians through." Praxat said.

" If what Araxat told about Intoadians consider themselves superior to Toadians is true. Then are a snobbish society. However, I'm not sure that's the case," Killrog said.

The group would arrive in a desert in Sufrica. Where Araxat is just standing there." Grandmother, you don't have to do this where's your compassion?" Praxat said.

Araxat responds by firing a blast of psychic energy from her hand, which Killrog protects Praxat from. The blast tears through Killrog's body. Obliterating half of it.

Killrog regenerates. " Araxat, have you lost any sense of compassion you once had?" Killrog said.

Araxat takes off her shades and red scarf to reveal her empty eye sockets and her forced unnerving smile." I was compassionate once, and it got me nowhere. I did many great things, and I did so compassionately," Araxat said.

" However everything did was all of the naught when that fucking bitch, Yaztoh Zorak ripped out my heart and stomped on it. Her and her horrible rules. That bitch abolished the space program. An act that left many planet colonies of the Kingdom of Swampa without supplies or goods," Araxat said.

" Not only that, but she outlawed trading between races on other planets. She made it illegally for Toadians living in Lisia to leave. She put a hefty tax import tax on all goods being ship from Lisia to colony continents. And, if the colonies didn't pay," Araxat said.

" She cut them off all resources from Lisia. I tried hard to get her to listen to reason to talk to her compassionately, but she never listen to a damn word I said. She just blew all my compassion back in my face. Araxat said.

" Yaztoh showed me that all my compassion was meaningless in the end. That's why she had to die because there was no other way. Most of her children also had to die to make sure there wasn't another Yaztoh," Araxat said.

" My current goal is to bring balance, to fix everything that dreadful woman Yaztoh had ruin as during her reign. Please understand I'm only attempting to weed out the bad, to make sure that there isn't another Yaztoh," Araxat said.

" By what attempt to wipe out half of all life on the planet. That's insane! We're are not going to let you do that," Praxat said.

" Since you insist on getting in the way. you leave me with no choice!" Araxat said.

Araxat mechanical right-hand starts glowing, and suddenly a flash of blinding light appears. When the light fades. A massive 100-meter mech appears in Araxat's place. Praxat uses Lightning Storm on the mech, but it has no effect.

The mech smacks Praxat aside hard enough to turn the desert below her into a giant crater. Praxat gets up and coughs up blood. " Compassion is for fools. The only way to get things done is to be cold and emotionless," Araxat said.

Killrog fires an explosive beam at the mech, which it easily deflects." You're wrong. That's not the way to go about things. The old Araxat would realize that" Praxat Killrog said.

The mech then punches the air and suddenly creates a portal. Which it's right arm disappears through. Another portal opens up in front of Killrog, and before he can react. he is hit blow so powerful.

That it plows him into the ground like a missile." That side of me is dead. I got rid of it. That side of me was a weakness," Araxat said.

" There's a saying if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. You don't realize this, but you have become like the one person you have a deep hatred for, Yaztoh. I was thought by a very wise Toadian named Melina Luue long ago when I was young, that one should never let hatred or anger consume them!" Althena said.

" Don't you dare compare me to that, bitch! I'm nothing like her!" Araxat said. Araxat's mech portal punches Cyanna, Praxat, Althena, and Killrog.

Praxat gets up from the devasting blow along with Althena and Killrog. She and Althena then both go into Boost mode and attack Araxat simultaneously along with Killrog. However, even with their combined power, they can't put a dent in the Mech. Out of the blue, a bunch of drones appear and start blasting at the Mech.

" Okay, this is weird. Why are those drones attacking my grandmother's Mech?" Praxat said.

Praxat, Cyanna, Killrog, and Althena can hear Uraxat's voice coming from one of the drones." Listen up while you all have been busy fighting this machine. I have been looking over its schematics!" Uraxat said.

" First, my mother is using her self as a power source for this machine. Second, it has a force field around it that absorbs kinetic energy. However, it doesn't produce this force field itself. From going over its schematics, this force field is produced by an outside source," Uraxat said.

"This outside source is six mechanical towers. These towers should be close to the Mech's proximity. Uraxat said as she gives Cyanna, Praxat, Althena, and Killrog intel on the Mech.

" Hmm, how exactly is my grandmother powering this Mech? Is she using her own bioelectricity?" Praxat said.

" That would be a negative," Uraxat said.

" If it's not her bioelectricity. that would mean that's she's powering this Mech using her...." Praxat said.

" Her psychic energy. Araxat is using her own psychic energy to power this thing!" Killrog said.

OOC: For Tami.

[MrSandman]

Parting his hands, Ochazuke threw his palms out toward the Mage, and a burst of iron wind forcefully struck the last of the corrosive Void from his frame. Wrest from the Mage's body with a hard Kiai and thinned through Saifa Kensaku, he divest the vile essence and scattered it back into the shadows.

Stripped of the corruption that doubtless left him in this ruined shape, he would allow Humbert of the Ampadour Royal Guard the chance to die as a man, come what may.

He would leave the rest to Shochu.

Things had grown complicated... from an already complicated situation. This whole situation put a bad taste in her mouth, especially since the Beast was somehow tied into this in both the past and present.

Their attacker, Humbert, had been warped in mind and body against his will, every moment of clarity being fought for with every fiber of his being. It was hard to admit that there was nothing they could do for him against the corruption that had overtaken him, but Shōchū had experienced enough loss and misery in her life to know that happy endings were truly rare. It was because of this that she felt that she should spare the others the task of dirtying their hands. There were plenty of ghosts that haunted her at night, one more would not break her.

Raising her naginata, still slick with his blood after she had relieved him of his hand when he had attacked them, she pointed the blade tip to his forehead.

"Sir Humbert, you have served your Queen well. She will know of your honor and sacrifice."

The Therizino blade of her weapon sparked with energy, giving the only indication of her intention before a faint shimmer left the weapon, launching a razor-thin blast of energy into Humbert's skull, hoping to bring a painless end to his suffering.

"...Yes....Thank you...." Humbert mumured quietly before the blow was struck and his body collapsed upon the ground, the energy slowly dissipating from his corpse. For several moments, only silence reigned in the frozen wastes around them.

This mortal matter concluded, Ochazuke then paced gradually toward Morgan, spurred onward from her plea. Again she speaks of the Old Ones. Against what they had seen, her blessing upon the mage in their name invited little more than a burning glower from him until Zaofan stepped between the two.

"We've got to find the tomb of Queen Persephone, Brother. If there's other like this one in there, we can't risk them leaving this place. Our Morgan here-"

"A Morgan." The words passed with a pointed harshness. "How many others are there like you? Was guiding sacrifices to your Ancient Masters under the pretense of shelter part of your duty as well?"

"Look, it's...complicated. Not all familiars are independent like Erosa, you know? Some are bound to their service. She didn't know any better."

"Cheh, don't excuse this charade of ignorance," Ochazuke staggered, shivering in the cold and visibly wracked with pain. Though his physical wounds appeared minimal, he clearly did not leave the combat unscathed. "What this one decides she knows seems to change on a whim. Everything is subject to her convenience." His eyes passed through Zaofan and fell upon Morgan with a fevered intensity. "Is this the first time you veiled doom in good will and shepherded others to their death? If that is your vision of Avalon, then it should lay forgotten, like all the rest!"

How many others were taken with this charming facade? This undiscovered country shrouded under the peak and snow ebbed with wonderment and subtle mystery. But when she opened her heart to him and showed him the agony that stretched across centuries, Zaofan knew there was a kernel of truth there.

Still, he had heard it in her own words.

"You're right, what's done is done," he sighed, "And we can't change what happened. But you saw that Humbert fellow, he was a victim of circumstance. So is our guide."

"Nothing will change without the resolve to see it done."

"They're trapped, Ochazuke. Avalon and Ampador are lost to memory precisely because no matter how much time passes, it can't change," Zaofan said. His expression shift, and his eyes glimmered. Ochazuke had not seen such steadfastness fall upon him since the first time they saw the crimes of Simon Battersea. "I know we can help them if we can figure out what we're dealing with."

Risking a step to the side, he joined the rest of his comrades as they looked over to Morgan where she stood.

"So, tell me- tell them. What do you want to do?"

"........He's right....I have no excuses for my actions up til now...I am guilty of willful ignorance, nursing a lie for so long I forgot the truth, or the reason I lied to myself in the first place....Time has made everything so muddled...." Morgan looked to the ground, unable to meet Ochazukes gaze. "But...I will do my best to explain....the truth. The whole Truth.....and then I'll answer that question."

Summing up her courage she begins speaking.

"My name...is Morgan Le Fey, I am Royal Handmaiden to Queen Persephone....one of three who shared them same name. We functioned as personal servants, but we were contracted with a small fraction of the Queens magic...." Morgan opened her palm and a small pyramid appear, then shifted into a square, then a ball. "Conjuration....Magic of Creation and Destruction. It is the basis for summoning.....and it allows us to act in her stead as extensions of royal authority. Which...is a fancy way of saying we served the people when she could not."

"Everything else I have told you is the truth.....but.....the invasion that we had longed feared, did come to pass." Morgan waved her hand, erecting a wall segment where there had not been one before. It depicted a beast, a dinosaur that gave off an almost familiar vibe...and fire.

"....With Vortigern defeated, Avalon experienced a period of uncontrolled growth.....we threw caution to the wind...and when the next wyrm lord came, it all came crashing down." Morgan let the wall crumble to dust. "They called the Wyrm Rex, a remorseless killer with a mind as sharp as any of us....and the mages of Amdapor scoffed at the lowly beast right up until he was tearing his way across the country with a swarm at his beck and call."

"In the face of immediate destruction......Our Queen elected a path of preservation rather then attempt committing to an already losing battle. So Each Morgan was paired with a contingent of knights, including members of the most influential mage circles, and civilians.....we were ordered to take our groups away from the city and hide in the wastes. I was....I was put in charge of leading the Circle of the White Petal. My Sisters were given charge of the Black Sun and the Grey Thorn. I....do no know what happened to them, but my charge was ambushed well outside the city......I....."

At this point Morgan was visible uncomfortable. "...I...did all I could......I....." She clutched at her side, and took several controlled breaths....then shook her head sadly. "....No....I didn't get to do anything......I was distracted by...by the fires. I remember looking back towards the city as it burned, when the ambush came I was struck from behind and lost my senses....I only remember flashes.....but by the time I came back.....they were all dead.......all of them.....Men, Women, Children, the Mages, the Knights.....the circle knights, who I'd know my entire life.....they died defending me. There....there was nothing left......just....dead bodies and bloody snow....."

Morgan attempted to maintain some composure, but the memory was clearly one she was not having a wonderful time remembering.

".....So....So I ran......I ran away.......I came snowwall first, knowing full well that they had already came through here before the capital......all dead. Icecloak, all dead. Novastead, all dead. The Wail, all dead. Everywhere I went, there was no survivors....I...I wandered the wastes for months, years....I don't even remember how long. I just kept wandering.....and soon....I forgot. It was just....easier to forget, you know......like dying, except for the ones too afraid to die."

She looked to Ochazuke. "....and that lie became my truth......for so long that even the land has changed from the way I remember it. Now I just have more blood on my hands then I did before....I couldn't fulfill my purpose, and neither could the other Morgans.........something must have happened in the Tomb, a leak of void energy....enough to twist the human form into this. I know the mechanisms....the purpose of the Tomb......if there is damaged enough to cause a leak, it will poison the deep earth for miles. It has to be repaired."

Finally, she turns to Zaofan. "You asked what I wanted to do......I want to make sure nobody else ends up like the man who died here today, and I need to know.....if there is anything left of the one who created me..." Morgan put on her most resolute face. ".....As the highest authority in the land, in the stead of our queen, I ask this of you....noble visitors.....will you accompany me to this end?"

She paused. "....pl..please..."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

It finally dawned on her that, thanks to Grinthorn's summit years ago, she was more recognizable on Earth than she thought.

"It's good to see you again, Rose. Sorry I haven't visited sooner. Life's been busy. So, how's everything been going for you? You look great."

“So do you. I’m staying busy, the twin has grown and we’re actually profitable now. How is everyone else? I’ve seen some video of you guys fighting and you all seem so strong now. Hard to believe any old Yeti ever was a challenge.”

[KingofPie]

The shadow smiled, a row of jagged teeth from cavern wall, to cavern wall. "I sure don't, cutie; but I'm sure it'll be entertaining."

"Entertaining?" Blizzar inquired. "I should think not! This is business, my friend and I haven't gotten to where I am today by throwing caution to the wind! I keep all of the true important information of mine on record! I assume you, er, more magical folk are adept enough at utilizing modern technology"