World 9 - Mythical Crossover

Aira heard something, she strained her ears. It sounded like wings, feathered wings. Aira looked around a noticed a small dot in the distance, the dot was growing. It was growing and growing in size until it took the shape of a normal Camalotian bird. It flew over her head and landed on top of a hedge row in the lane next to her. Aira walked towards it, curious.

The bird flew to the next lane and then the next, Aira following it wondering what it was leading her to. She knew in the pit of her stomach it wasn't going to be good, she knew she would probably be walking straight into the lion's mouth but something about the bird made her want to follow it, something about the bird made her feel safe, so she continued to follow it.

Aira walked and walked, there seemed to be no end to the walking. The bird flew on and on, lane to lane, it seemed pleased she was following it. At last the bird landed and didn't fly off. Aira moved up to it and saw before her an apple tree with golden apples hanging from the branches. They looked delicious, not a single one had any bruises or any discolouring. The bird squawked, 'Eat the apples, SQUAWK, eat the apples, SQUAWK'.

Aira walked cautiously up to the apples, they did look REALLY nice. They didn't look harmful or poisonous in any way but Aira knew they must be, why else would they be there? She shook her head a took a step back but the bird squawked ever louder, 'EAT THE APPLES, squawk, EAT THE APPLES'.

Aira turned, tearing her eyes from the succulent looking apples. She took a few steps until her resolve failed her, they really did look tasty. She took a peak at them. NO! she thought, I will NOT be tempted by a few apples on a tree. Though she couldn't take another step, the thought of them was too alluring.

Aira made a snap decision and, speaking the word in the language of the Old Religion, shouted 'FIRE!'. Aira's eyes glowed golden and the tree was instantly engulfed flames. The flames though were weak and the power of the tree was strong. Aira then saw something that she had never seen before. The apple tree, made from wood, could not be burnt by flames. Instead the flames sizzled out and left a black burnt patch of grass surrounding the untouched tree.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. It began to shake so violently it was if the earth itself was angry at what Aira had done. The apples on the tree faded from their pristine golden colour to rotting corpses of once beautiful forms. The leaves on the tree began to wither and die. The branches began to sag.

Then the tree moved.

It moved up out of the ground, growing to an abnormal height. The branches became elongated and thicker, the branches curled into themselves like many little fists. Still the tree grew taller and soon it was twice the height it was before. Then the trunk shifted round and Aira gasped.

The trunk of the tree now resembled a face, a withered and very angry face. It's eyes were laid solely on Aira's, it never blinked. It opened it's large mouth slowly, it was if the tree struggled to do so. Aira's heart beating fast, Aira turned and ran. The labyrinth though, had other ideas. The hedges closed over her path leaving her trapped with the hellish being. Aira cried out to the ancient powers of the world, to save one of its own, to save one blessed with the powers to shape the world to her own liking, to save her, Aira, from certain death.

No answer came. The tree screeched a such a high pitched scream it almost burst Aira's eardrums. Inside voice tree thing, use your inside voice!. Then it came to Aira, her magical voice! The voice in which she could contact any magical creature with her mind.

Aira reached out to the tree with her mind, and sent a urgent apology to it. Though what Aira got back was strange.

Lightning, lightning kills me. Lightning, lightning kills me. Lightning, lightning kills me. Over and over again like a recording it said, Lightning, lightning kills me. Aira was confused, why would it tell her how to kill it? Meanwhile, the tree continued as if this exchange never happened. The scream got more and more high pitched until Aira certainly did feel as though she would die. The scream weakened her, it weakened her resolve and power. Her body seemed to be trying to fight off it's magical power. Only Emerus could control lightning like that, I'm only a simple sorcerer, how could I make lightning, and more importantly, control it?

Aira's ears felt on the verge of bursting, she was brought down to her knees, the power too overwhelming for her. Aira searched all the recesses of her body, drumming up all the power she had left, all power was to be used, all strength to be sapped from her limbs. Thinking, Aira couldn't recall the word for lightning, why would she ever had needed it? She never would have believed that she would ever have found herself in this situation. Still, Aira had to believe that the word would be on her tongue as she released the energy, she had to believe it.

Aira stood, all her energy and power at her fingertips and this time, her iris's were not the only parts of her eyes that glowed golden, her entire eyes glistened golden, power oozing from them, 'JULKAE HEUCN!' she screamed. Her throat went hoarse, her eyes generated such a light that it lit up the entire area and the force of her voice sent a shockwave of energy throughout the entire labyrinth.

Everything went blank. Aira fell to her knees and was unconscious before her head hit the ground.

It could have been seconds. It could have been hours. It could have been days. Eventually, Aira's eyelids pulled themselves open and promptly shut again. Aira pushed them back open and kept them there, concentrating hard on doing so. She looked around. It was bright. She turned her head to either side of her to get a good look around. No hedges, no lanes, no crazy killer apple trees, no labyrinth! She was out!

Aira pulled herself up, feeling a new lease of life flooding her veins. She couldn't believe it, she was out of it! She was out of that place! Aira couldn't help but laugh, but what came out was a pathetic cough. She must have lost her voice after the spell. I wonder if it worked? Doubtful though, I don't even think those were the right words, I think they meant green cheese or something... She laughed in her inside voice at herself and revelled in her happiness.

Blizzard giggle slightly. "But I can't go back, I don't know how to rule a kingdom."

The loyal air dragon bowed. "But we need you. We can't do anything without our king and if we don't have anyone then we don't have a reason."

"A reason for what?"

"To continue." The air dragon gulped.

(i know i may seem a bit ditzy but what is this main SL baddy or who is he/she and what do they intend to do?)

(He/she is the person who took Aira and trapped her in that maze. That's all we know so far. That, and that he or she will be attempting to take over and just being generally evil)

(so does he/she get involved with the other charys then or do we go off and do our own thing and tie into it or not? :/ im not really sure you see.)

(I think he will, eventually. Sin's just taking her time introing him)

(oh, ok thanks )

She swallowed, finally noticing that he'd noticed her watching.

Thank you, she whispered quietly. I'd have died if you hadn't joined me there.

He stared. What else could he have done?! Surely she didn't believe that they could have simply abandoned her there. She was against thousands. She'd have died, she wouldn't have stood a chance.

I just wanted to express my gratitude, she added, as the silence wore on, and he continued to stare speechlessly.

You.... you don't have to..... I couldn't have done anything else.

She half-smiled.

Yes you could have. You could have abandoned me, and not risked yourself. But I sense you have too much honour to do so.

You could call it that, he smiled, an edge of a laugh to his tone. Honour, or duty.

Ever the bloodwitch, then, it seems, she commented. He nodded, being almost proud of the way he embraced his kindred. Those qualities were good ones, as he saw.