Finally Home (Emiryal, Open?)

[Aelodil]

A man walked towards the small village. The villages name was Kinta, a small village barely known of. As the man strode towards it, a smile crept on his face. Although none of the villagers there would remember him - those who might have had remembered him had passed away centuries ago. This man had slightly Elven features, but not pronounced enough to be mistaken as an Elf. He wore the royal attire of the Air Branch and strode with a commanding aura. Despite times being relatively peaceful, this man still had a swords hilt protruding from the belt on his waist. A gem, as white as snow was embedded into the hilt. This man was Anurin. The old Rider had decided to revisit his old hometown now that things had finally settled, and he was glad he did.

"So? How does it feel to be where you had first been born and where you had lived for the first few years of your life?" asked Vanilor. The massive dragon wouldn't have been able to fit in the village which was in a valley surrounded by walls of mountains on either side and so preferred to remain flying above in the clouds so that no one would notice him. Plus, with the Branches now unlocked he found flying much easier than simply walking or standing.

"Well.. different, to say the least. After all; last time I had been here I was still just born into this world. Plus, the village has been completely changed." came the stoic response from Anurin to his partner. Other than being surprised, he felt a warm feeling in his chest as he stared at the village which had served as his home for the first few years of his life. Though his memories of the village were short and few, he still remembered it. Even if only slightly.

Vanilor rumbled with laughter as he felt through his partners mind. His loud laughter was caught in the wind and he knew no one would be able to hear him. "You never change. Well, it's not a bad thing to be nostalgic of your hometown. In fact, I'm surprised you even remember what you had for dinner yesterday at your age." Vanilor said to his partner, laughing.

Anurin furrowed his eyebrows as he responded, "You talk as if you were younger, Vanilor.." He tended to rather avoid the speech of age. At first as a young boy he had dreamed of immortality. After living an immortal life, however, he realized it wasn't nearly as great as he thought. Being a Grey Folk descendant as well as a Rider, his life was extended quite far.

Entering the village, he approached a burly man and asked him, "Hello, sir. May I ask for directions of the nearest inn?" he had come prepared. He remembered all the men back in his time had always said just how great the ale was in Kinta.

The man responded with a smile, "Right over there, good sir. Here for the ale or the food and shelter or both?" as he pointed to a nearby building. It didn't seem all too special, but looking at it Anurin noticed increased size.

He shook his head as he said, "Slightly for the food, but mainly for the ale really." a smile at his lips. The man gave a laugh as he pat Anurin on the shoulder. Anurin strode quickly to the inn, opened the door and entered. No one bat an eye as he entered. So much different than when the Empire had ruled. He sat on a chair at the bar and asked for a beef soup. The moment his beef soup arrived, he dropped a few coins into the mans hand and went to work on the soup, savoring every bit of taste in it.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Emiryal ♕]

An enormous brown dragon flew towards the town, it would be hard to miss seeing her if not just for her size alone. Entas changed directions seeing Vanilor and flew toward the other dragon. A small figure sat on her back, her rider Rakaio. He was speaking to a fox-like creature that sat in his lap, Terra the earth branch guardian. Being the smallest guardian she often accompanied Rakaio since she attracted little attention and to see the earth that she loved.

"Vanilor!" Rakaio shouted to be heard over the wind, his voice slightly enhanced by magic to make it easier. He wasn't one to show disrespect and talk directing to the dragon without invitation. "Where is Anuri?" he asked again just as loudly. His voice was tense, this wasn't a normal visit to see an old friend he had come here for a reason.

Since the fall of the mad king Rakaio had mostly kept to himself. He had helped the Varden in the battle but beyond that wanted nothing to do with the new government. Most days the elder kept to the earth citadel hidden away in the far mountains. The old rider still blamed himself for abandoning the riders of old when Galbatorix first came to power. Not wanting to make that mistake again he allied himself with almost no one.

Despite asking the other dragon Rakaio let his mind search for the other rider. While there was no present danger he needed to tell Anuri as soon as possible. It was easy to tell those who couldn't use magic, their minds were open. He encountered a few closed minds though, probably magic users but he didn't try to break into them. Anuri's mind would probably be closed too but he was certain he'd recognize him without having to force his way into the other riders mind. Besides these were times of peace.

Then he felt something familiar. "Anuri?" he asked mentally. He only pressed hard enough to get that one word through without breaking Anuri's defenses.

[Aelodil]

Vanilor turned to see Entas as Rakaio called after him. He just barely heard the man despite his magically magnified voice. He stopped and hovered in flight as he looked at them with confusion. Anurin? Wondering why they would need Anurin so urgently, he lowered himself down, hovering just barely above the ground, his massive wings buffeting everything beneath him with strong gales of wind.

Anurin looked up at Vanilor, an arm protectively around his face. He was clueless as to why Vanilor would need him so urgently. He reached out with his mind and asked, "What is it, Vanilor? Why the urgency?" his voice puzzled.

Vanilor gave a kind of shrug - well, the best kind of shrug you could while flying and responded, "I've not a clue. Rakaio seems to need you urgently. Come on then, hop on." as he dangled his leg so that Anurin could start climbing.

Sighing, Anurin began to climb the colossal dragon, wondering what Rakaio might need from him urgently. At first he had been happy to think that his old friend just wanted to see him again, but he quickly realized it was most probably on a more serious note if he needed him urgently. Rather than brace himself as Vanilor took to the air again, he let himself relax. Their training in the Air Branch had more than paid off.

Vanilor rose up, and up, and up, until he was back to where he was above the clouds just a few moments ago. He stopped, just above Entas. Thanks to his Air Branch affinity, he found flying much easier and more fluid. He gave a slightly playful roar at Entas. Between the two Rider pairs, Entas and Rakaio were a bit more serious and tended to blame themselves too much. Vanilor hoped that he could ease the tense mood that he felt Rakaio gave off. All the same, he relented that he and Anurin could be quite tense at times too. He reached out to Entas and Rakaio and said, "You do not have to go to the trouble of shouting over the winds. We are all friends here, speak directly to me if you need anything from me, Rakaio." his deep voice encompassing his entire thoughts.

Feeling a slight pressure on his mind, Anurin opened his mind to allow whoever it was to speak. He felt Rakaio and nodded at the small shape on Entas. He reached out with his mind to theirs and began with the polite Elven greeting before continuing, "Hello Entas, Rakaio. I'm glad to have seen you. How have you been?" he paused before continuing, "Might I ask what it is that is so urgent?"

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Emiryal ♕]

Entas seemed a bit surprised and bemused by Vanilor's playful roar. She she briefly roared back before going quiet. She was more easy going than Rakaio but found Vanilor just amusing. She circled once as if worried about something but then seemed to relax when she didn't find whatever she'd been looking for.

"Thank you, Vanilor," Rakio said. Then turned his thoughts to Anurin though he left his mind open to Vanilor so he could speak to both of them at once. It would be easier that way though he was sure Vanilor would hear what he said to Anurin regardless. "I'm sorry to bother you for now we are both well. We have reason to believe Reru might be targeting the other branches. We've found two rifts to the nether in our citadel and one of our artifacts is missing now. I haven't heard from Reru since he was rejected a spot on the council. And-"

Rakio was cut off as Terra interrupted. She ran a few steps up Entas' neck to see Vanilor and Anurin easier. "The artifact was one that originally belonged to the physic branch before the war, it was given to us by Ender so we could protect it. Reru may be gathering the artifacts his branch lost in the war. If he is after artifacts he might be waging war. I can sense the rifts they are unnatural and disrupt the balance of nature. The rifts are not just in our citadel, I've been sensing multiple rifts since our artifact went missing."

Rakio didn't seem to mind the interruption. "Terra is vulnerable to the Nether," he said. "Can you help us retrieve the artifact and find out what Reru is up to? I fear this could be another war between the branches. If he is going after artifacts that belonged to the Nether then I pray he doesn't find the Blade of the Nether."

[Aelodil]

Vanilor listened with grim seriousness. Up until then, he had not yet encountered any dark presences in the Air Citadel. He recalled Reru from when Glaedr had named him as the Elder of the Psychic branch. He trusted Glaedr had known what he was doing when he named him as the Elder. Though he had just been playing around he suddenly turned dead serious. His enormous chest rumbled with a slight growl. It was a predatory instinct. Kill or be killed. Surprised by Terra, Vanilor bowed his head in respect to the Guardian, followed in suit by Anurin. Vanilor waved off Rakaio's thanks.

Anurin had stayed quiet the entire time but finally nodded and said, "I see the problem here. Of course, you can count on our help. Who knows how long before he might go after the Air Citadel. Though I think he'll be in for quite the nasty surprise if he tries. We need to stop him though, before this escalates into all-out war between the Branches. If war were to strike between the Branches it would be quite a bad impression that we put for the rest of the world. How can we preach peace when we are in conflict, after all?" he stopped momentarily to think about the situation. Quite a pickle they were in.

With their formerly easy-going stature gone, Vanilor and Anurin became a more deadly calm. Anurin used some magic he had learned over the years training in the Air Citadel to calm the winds around them so the others could hear him and said, "We have no time to waste. Last time we made the mistake of staying on the defensive. This time, however, we will take the offensive. The message must be made clear: no conflict will be tolerated, especially between the Branches. I'm confident that he won't be able to steal the artifacts from the Air Citadel for at least another few days. Show us the way, give us the word." he paused for a moment, turning to stare Rakaio square in the face. Both of them had idled away while the Riders had perished long ago. He nodded at him and continued, his voice set in a deadly gale, "This time, Rakaio, we will not idle. This time, Rakaio, we will stand and fight for our cause. The past is behind us now. We are here now. The past will not be repeated, do not fret."

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Emiryal ♕]

Rakio seemed a little surprised at Anurin's words but nodded. "No not this time," he said. "We can't let the riders potentially fall again." His voice was steady and determined. "I suggest we intercept Reru when he next enters our realm. Terra can sense the rifts so we should be able to find him. As long as we don't enter the rift she can help protect us if need be. We should go as soon as possible."

"Ender would not support another war between the branches. We should speak to him, he may know what Reru is doing and help us," Terra suggested. She knew Ender had sided with the former psychic elder in the war but he did regret it, surely he wouldn't side with Reru if another war was looming. With the winds calmer she went further out on Entas' neck.

Rakaio nodded to Terra. "Ender might be our best help, but that means going into the Nether. If Reru finds us we could be at his mercy," he said. He didn't want to leave Terra, even though he was a strong rider he had come to rely on Terra a great deal. "What we need is information before we can act," Rakaio said. "We need to risk finding Ender." he glanced at Anurin wondering his thoughts on it. They had to be careful but they couldn't be idle either. Reru posed quite a threat if he waged war and with the power of the Nether he wouldn't be easy to stop.

[Aelodil]

Anurin gave a satisfied nod. He was glad that Rakaio was not wavering. You can't solve anything with a half-assed will, after all. He took a breath before he replied, "I think if anyone were to follow him into the Nether it would have to be Vanilor and I. We'd need you to stay out on this side so that when we deal with the problem you can seal off the rift. After all, you're better at making barriers than Vanilor or I. Plus, we'd need to fly a lot with much haste. Vanilor is better suited for that." he didn't say "if". Doubting his abilities to capture the young man would lead to disaster. There was no point in dwelling whether or not he can do it. It wasn't a matter of "can" or "cannot", it was a matter of "must".

Vanilor thought it through. Finding Ender would be quite a task. For one, being in the Nether gave Reru the upper hand. For another, it meant Terra wouldn't be with them. He shook his mind and said to the rest, allowing his confidence to flow to them, "Do not fret. He may have the upper hand of being in the Nether, but you underestimate us and yourself, Rakaio. Do you not recognize yourself anymore? You, Entas, Anuring, myself, we are all the remains of the Riders and dragons of old. When the youngsters play with fire, it's up to us to scold them. If we don't, no one will." he turned to Terra and asked, "Could you lead us to the nearest rift, Terra?"

Anurin looked Rakaio square in the face. He hoped the Rider would see where he was coming from in this situation. If any of them were to fight Reru in the Nether it would much better be the one with more mobility. While Vanilor was the largest dragon, thanks to his Air Branch affinity, he still had quite a bit of mobility. Considering the Nether was basically just a ton of islands floating around, they would be best suited for the job.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Emiryal ♕]

Rakaio laughed at the comment despite the dire situation. "I suppose we do need to scold him in a manner," he said. "Entas, Terra and I will wait at the rift. Should you need help and can contact me I will come in," he said. "If you have the chance and see the artifact he stole from us, I'd appreciate it if you could bring it back. It is the Orb of the Nether. Should you find it you can use it to break Reru's mind and contact me."

Terra nodded and spoke with Entas guiding her to the nearest rift. "It's small," she told them as Entas flew to it. There didn't seem much reason to the rift's location it was near a small river. Terra visibly recoiled from the rift and jumped to the ground when Entas landed and backed away. Where she stepped flowers grew up. "If you seek Ender you may not find him, the Nether is vast. His mind is incredibly strong, even if you don't see him he may be aware of you," Terra advised Vanilor and Anurin.

"I wish we could be more help," Rakaio said. "Please be careful." There wasn't much he could do to help. They were right that Vanilor would be better suited to this than Entas. Had Reru not stolen the artifact he could've offered that to aid them. As it was the only artifact they had left was a stone Raven statue that was too large to move and was in the earth citadel. Reru might have taken that as well if it wasn't for the size of it.

[Aelodil]

Vanilor was glad Rakaio caught on. While it was important to be serious in this kind of dire situation, it wouldn't help if they were too stressed and nervous. He nodded at Rakaio as he landed next to the rift. He had no clue how he would be able to fit in, but he assumed magic will work a miracle. "We will keep an eye out for the artifact. Frankly, I'd rather take all the artifacts in the Nether so that he can't use them, but that'd be petty. Plus, in that case we'd show ourselves no better than he. But you can count on us to get the Orb back." he told the group, mainly directing his thoughts at Rakaio.

Before walking through, Anurin turned to Terra, listening to her final words of advice. He nodded, and said, "I understand the dangers and risks here, Terra. I appreciate the sentiment, but all the same, sometimes you gotta roll the hard six and now is not the time to be picky." his voice determined. Glad as he was, he realized that this was their best shot, no matter how bad of a shot it might be.

Anuring nodded quickly at Rakaio before he and Vanilor disappeared through the rift. Emerging on the other side of the rift, they looked around at their surroundings. It seemed quite an inhospitable realm, the Nether. Immediately he climbed onto Anurin's back as they took off.

Their first destination was the Citadel. Likely as it was that Reru and trouble might be there, it was almost a sure thing that the Orb would be there and that Ender might also be there. It wasn't hard to locate the Citadel. Much like the other Citadels it was pretty obvious. Flying over to the Citadel, Anurin had thought of stealth for about one second before he perished the thought. With Vanilor as large as he was and his scales standing out as they did, stealth was not an option.

Landing on the platform which contained the Citadel, Anurin got down as he walked into the Citadel. He nodded at Vanilor. Vanilor would stay outside to guard while Anurin searched the insides of the Citadel. Noticing a purple glow emitting from a room, Anurin opened the door without a sound. He noticed a small orb sitting on a pedestal. Emitted from the orb was a thick magnitude of energy. Reasoning it had to be the Orb, he quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into a pocket on his person. He reasoned there would no longer be any reason of staying inside the Citadel. Ender wouldn't fit. He left, remounted Vanilor as they continued their search for Ender. First, however, Anurin used the Orb to contact Rakaio, "Rakaio. I've found the Orb. I'm going to continue searching for Ender."

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Emiryal ♕]

Rakaio sat down to wait with Entas for any word from Anurin. Despite the reassuring words and determination he saw in the other rider pair he couldn't help but hold some worry. If not just for them but the consequences that this could mean if they didn't stop Reru. Terra had wandered off into the forest but he knew she'd stay near enough to come help if needed. She just didn't like being near the rift. He couldn't blame her.

It took him a moment to realize it was Anurin who contacted him. The Orb didn't allow him any mental defenses, it felt intrusive. He shook off the feeling though and let Entas hear as well. "Well done, no signs of Reru then?" he asked. He could only hope Reru was somewhere else and didn't know what was happening. It would be easier if he didn't show right now.

A streak of purple raced towards them colliding with Vanilor and biting at his neck. It was Avendel, it didn't seem that Reru was with her right now. Despite the attack she didn't bite him as hard as she could've. She didn't agree with Reru, he'd killed Kami after all to bring her back. That was unforgivable. She had to defend the Nether though, Reru was still her rider and he had put her under an oath of loyalty. She was otherwise free to act as she wanted. He at least had not bound her with orders like Mutagh had been. After going for Vanilor's neck she climbed over him to snap at Anurin. Since the other dragon was so big it wasn't hard for her to just cling to his side and climb towards Anurin.

[Aelodil]

((So how's Ender going to come around?))

It was all going too smoothly and Vanilor knew it wouldn't last. He had been flying normally when he felt something on his neck. It wasn't anything major, felt more like a nibble to him. Roaring, more in annoyance than anger, he turned to his adversary. While he could only make out a purple figure that resembled a dragon. He was about to swipe at the dragon with his full strength, aiming to crush its ribs when Anurin sent his mind out to Vanilor with full strength, startling him and stopping him. Confused more than angry, he asked Anurin, "What is it, Anuring?"

Anurin saw the dragon. He knew her. Avendel, Reru's old dragon. The same one he had revived at the expense of killing the dragon he had forced to hatch for him. He recalled his brief meeting with her before. She was nothing like Reru. In addition, he noticed that her jaw didn't put the full extent of force behind it into the bite. She must have been forced to fight them, but not to kill them. He told Anurin, "Don't, Vanilor. I'll deal with the threat." he turned to Avendel and searched deep through his soul, delving into that dangerous pool of enormous energy inside him. Controlling the air around them, he wrapped Avendel in a cocoon of air that he solidified. He signaled for Vanilor to run quickly. If she managed to get out of that suspense, he didn't want to have to fight her. They'd use their advantage of speed to simply run away. He didn't care if it seemed cowardly. He'd rather that over killing an innocent soul.

As Vanilor passed by Avendel, Anurin cleared the air between them so she could hear him say, "I'm sorry. We will free you of your oaths, I promise." before he turned his attention back to the Nether. The vast realm was so dark, he doubted he could make out Ender if he tried unless Ender revealed himself. He reached out to Rakaio and entwined their minds so that Rakaio could relive the memories he had just experienced. "Once we find Ender, I'm going to hunt Reru down. That boy has much to answer for." he told Rakaio, the anger in him obvious.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Emiryal ♕]

"That he does. He has done many wrongs," Rakaio said bitterly. He was glad they hadn't hurt Avendel, she was a victim of Reru. "When it comes time for that I'd like to join you in hunting him down." He couldn't help but wonder why Glaedr had made Reru an elder, at the time he hadn't revived Avendel but had there not been darkness in his heart then like there was now? Maybe Glaedr just wasn't experienced enough, in his eyes the gold dragon was young after all.

Avendel roared in panic when the cocoon surrounded her. She fought against it trying to break free though she paused in her struggle when she heard Anurin and replied with a pitiful roar that sounded like an injured animal. Which was somewhat accurate, Reru had hurt her. She didn't dare open her mind to Anurin though she knew he could break her mind if he wanted to. After a moment she resumed her struggle to free herself.

"And why do you seek to find me?" Ender asked. He wasn't anywhere to be seen but his words would be clear in Vanilor and Anurin's minds. He had no trouble pressing the words to their minds. He was deep into the Nether but his mind could easily reach across the vast distance. The moment they came into the Nether he knew, but he had not come instead watching so to speak by listening to their minds. He had an idea of why they had come but would give Anurin a chance to ask rather than answer it already. "And let Avendel go or I will not speak with you," he added. He felt bad for Avendel, it wasn't her fault that this had happened. He couldn't blame her for attacking them but he didn't like sensing her panic.

[Aelodil]

Anurin looked back at Avendel. He felt bad. After all, though she could breathe, she was suspended in the air. Much the same as he would be at the mercy of Reru in the Nether, she was at his mercy in the air. He was just about to release her and instead just send a gentle gale of wind to speed Vanilor up further when he felt Ender's mind slip through his defenses as if they were nothing. He froze, concentrating. Though he knew he was powerless to do anything, he felt distress at someone passing through his defenses so easily. Gathering himself, he took a deep breath and calmed himself. He recalled the roar he had heard from Avendel and felt himself take an inward breath of pain. Pain he got from understanding her pain.

Though he was going to remove the barrier from her anyway, with Ender telling him to, he had two reasons now. He wasted no time in releasing her as he turned his thoughts to Rakaio quickly and telling him, "Well, I'd like to say we found Ender but really it's more a case of Ender found us. One moment, be right with you." turning his thoughts back to Ender, puzzling over how such a being could exist.

Vanilor spoke first as he said, "I'll be clear. Ender, the Branches need you. Not only the Psychic, but all the Branches. Reru had stolen an artifact from the Earth Citadel. He has shown some signs of aggression and with the fact that he stole this artifact, we are afraid he may be preparing for war. Another war for the Branches would be terrible. We need your help, Ender." as he conveyed his memories with Rakaio, Entas, and Terra.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Emiryal ♕]

Rakaio confirmed he herd but didn't say anything since it sounded like he couldn't converse right now. Terra came over avoiding the rift and smiled. "I told you Ender would find them," she said. Rakaio laughed and picked her up. It was more of a nervous laugh trying to distract himself from his worries of another Branch war, maybe even another Galbatorix.

Avendel once freed flew after them but she didn't try to attack and landed on a near by floating island. Ender had told her to not attack. She knew even if he wasn't there he could stop her with an attack on her mind. Reru had sworn her to be loyal which she'd proven by attacking them but he never said she had to do something stupid like enraging Ender to attack her for disobeying.

Ender was silent for a moment a bit too long almost like he hadn't heard but then he spoke. "Reru is unstable, I fear for what he might do. He took the artifact under the pretense that it belongs to this branch, which is true in part but it is safer with Terra than here. If it comes to a branch war I will not side with him, he knows this. I'm not sure that's what he is trying to do though it may be a long term goal."

[Aelodil]

Anurin and Vanilor lightened up with happiness to Ender's words. That made things much less complicated and so much easier. Anurin quickly cast his mind out to Rakaio, Terra, and Entas and told them, "Ender says he won't side with Reru, though he's not sure what he is planning. I'm going to try to ask him if he knows where he is. Though, let me tell you; I don't plan on staying here any longer than that. This place is rather disturbing."

Vanilor turned to where Avendel landed. He appreciated the notion of her holding back on the first bite. It definitely wouldn't have killed him, regardless, but it definitely would've caused some injuries. He reached his mind out to hers, making sure not to put any more pressure than he needed to converse and said, "Thank you for holding back with your first attack. It could've been much nastier. No matter what, Anurin and I will see to it that you are freed of your oaths. It's a promise." his voice, for once, hinted with emotion.

Anurin turned once again to Ender before asking, "Ender, may we ask a favor? We need to know where Reru is. I can't promise that we don't mean him any harm - after all he's done to everyone, I'm in half a mind to scold him with force. All the same, I won't unnecessarily use force against him. But more than that, we need to find him so we can apprehend him before he does anything rash." he had finally gotten used to the feeling of Ender's conscious and so his thoughts were less jumbled and more concentrated, back in that same old gale.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Emiryal ♕]

"That's good news," Rakaio said sounding relieved at least partially. "Now you know why Terra doesn't like it," he joked. Terra rolled her eyes at Rakaio. She didn't like it because it would kill her, at least temporarily if she didn't get out in time.

Avendel flinched away from his mind at first until she realized his caution. "I would be attacking you now if not for Ender," she admitted. "My loyalty oath requires me to defend the Nether. Oaths are not easy to break but thank you." She sounded like she'd lost hope, there was despair in her voice. While they were together she felt she'd lost her real Rider long ago.

"I do not blame you for wanting to harm him," Ender said. "If you do confront him be careful he commands my power. He isn't completely corrupt yet but he could become so. He is in Uru'baen to claim Lordship of it."

(sorry low muse)

[Aelodil]

((So I'd imagine this is over for now until Aelodil, Ragdar, and Clarissa gang up on Reru then Rakaio and Anurin can take advantage and jump the gun? Also no worries. I'm not exactly helping I'd imagine.))

Anurin acknowledged Rakaio's comment with some humor of his own, "I'd not imagine anyone would like a place that can kill them for just being there." before he turned to Vanilor. He eyed Vanilor as he spoke with Avendel. He was sure Vanilor had noticed Avendel holding back. He smiled, more to himself than anyone else.

Vanilor shrugged mentally at Avendel. "Not your fault, really. If anything it's Reru's. We will deal with him, and we will free you. He's got a lot to answer for and we don't plan on letting him off the hook. We'll bring him back. We'll bring back the man you had chosen." he told her, his gale of thoughts set in determination.

Anurin bowed his head in gratefulness to the Nether in all. Considering he didn't know where Ender was, he just directed his respect to the Nether, knowing Ender will pick it up. "Thank you for the warning Ender. But do not worry. We don't plan on fighting him as is. Hopefully we can talk Laetri, Riptide, Ragdar, and Inferno into joining us against him. Be at peace." he told Ender before turning to Vanilor, climbing him, and they left.

Emerging back into their reality, Anurin quickly took a fresh deep breath of air in appreciation. Finishing his exercise of appreciation he turned to Rakaio, handing him the Orb. "Well, Reru's in Uru'baen to claim his Lordship over it. Guess we better start talking to the other Elders and Guardians to help out. Ender told me that Reru can command his power, so I'd not want to face him without at least one Guardian." he paused his talking, looking at Terra before continuing, "Not to mean that Terra isn't as powerful as the other Guardians but rather if he flees to the Nether, she can't follow whereas the others can. Here's the Orb, anyway." he finished, turning to Rakaio.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Emiryal ♕]

Avendel was surprised and just nodded. She didn't think the Reru she knew could exist any more. Not after everything that had happened. But if there was a chance to get him back even in the slightest, then she still wanted her rider. The Reru who cried because his mother died, the one who had compassion and wasn't like his father lusting after power. Seeing them go she returned to the psychic citadel.

Rakaio took the orb. "Thank you," he said. "Uru'baen? Figures, he must have something planned. As a branch elder I don't know why he'd need a province he certainly isn't loyal to anyone anyways. We'll have to prepare for the worst and hope it doesn't come to that." He slipped the orb into his pocket as Terra jumped into his arms so she'd be taller and could look at Anurin easier.

"I'm tied to the earth itself," Terra said. "It would be best if you don't face Reru inside the Nether. If you must another guardian would be more help to you. However, if you face Reru in Uru'baen I can help you." She seemed a little put out about being useless though she knew she couldn't enter the Nether or well she could but she wouldn't last very long.

Rakaio hid a laugh, it wasn't often he saw Terra so indignant she was trying to hide it. "The other branches can't match the Earth Branch's defense and none of us come close to Terra's power. She does have a point if we face him in Uru'baen she can protect us from some of Ender's power."

(Pretty much and no problem. It's getting late so it's hard to keep my muse up when I'm tired.)