Mission: The King of Beasts (Alye, Eclipse)

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✖ SKIES TURN INTO STORMS.

Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away. 'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday.

 

Alye saw Reiki close his eyes and seem to focus himself for what was about to come. When he looked over to her and told her that he was ready, the Storm Mage nodded to him. "Right." Alye brought her hands together and cracked her knuckles a bit, something that Reiki has surely never seen Alye do before. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she closed her eyes. Gradually, like the light of the sun rising into the day, Alye's buxom frame was suddenly covered in an ethereal eerie white light. If Reiki, who was right next to Alye in the air, was looking closely he would see that this aura of light seemed to have storm-like qualities to it. Little sparks of white electricity were arching over Alye's skin randomly. Her hair seemed to be in a gentle breeze, yet the air around them was still. As Alye's eyes were still closed she smiled just a little bit as she rose her right hand into the air. "You've gotten very strong since I've last seen you, Reiki. You'll surely have to tell me what you've been up to. As for me, I met a very special woman. She taught me a thing or two." Alye's eyes flickered for a moment as they were still closed but Alye suddenly opened them revealing that her shimmering blue eyes were replaced by a dramatic white color. The white was so intense that you couldn't even see her pupils anymore. Tiny sparks of electricity arched from her eyes to join the ones traveling over her skin. This was something Reiki definitely hadn't seen before. But then Alye did something even odder.

She giggled a little.

"I wonder if there's ever been a Goddess Slayer", she murmured to herself. And then something broke. Shattered. That's what it had to be, or that's how it could only be described as Alye's power suddenly skyrocketed. It was such an obvious change in power that Reiki could even tell the difference from before and after. Alye's hand was bathed in a bright greenish white glow when a magic seal of the same color bloomed over in her hand. The skies overhead seemed to heed her call immediately as they darkened sickeningly within the space of a few seconds.



The words left her lips just as the magic circle in her hand seemed to explode outwards into the sky overhead. The clouds overhead seemed to shake and rumble before Alye pointed down at the lion, a trail of static electricity following her finger. The skies responded by seemingly flooding the ground below in dark green water that was so vast and immense that you certainly couldn't even see the trapped lion below. It was clear that this was not the same spell from a few months ago. The lion seemed to feel the change above him but there was nothing it could possibly do about it being trapped as it was. It's searing screams could be heard clear across the prairies as the powerful acid rain started falling against it. Alye looked over at Reiki and nodded to him as her eyes faded back to their crystal blue.

It was up to him now.

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✖ SKIES TURN INTO STORMS.

Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away. 'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday.

 

As the white-haired woman stood there in the sky she looked down at the beast below. A part of her felt remorse for the creature. It had to be through such terrible pain, and yet... Alye's mind flashed an image of Aian raging out of control because of the corruption on the lands. She focused back down at the suffering animal below. Another part of her felt that this had to be done. This was no proud lion. No, this was a dark creature that twisted all it came into contact with. It was for the good of nature itself that this beast dies.

Alye felt a shift next to her. She looked over at Reiki just in time to see him move over and away from her. He glided over the cloud cover that was over the beast. Time seemed to stand still for her as she watched him fly up to a certain point and twist his body around with his arms out. When he faced the creature, he brought his arms up over his face with his fingers bared. The woman peered on in anticipation as she saw Reiki's chest rise and fall deeply, the temperature dive bombing with each breath. Alye looked back over at the beast. It was writhing in pain as the epicenter of the acid rain seemed to be over him. Alye looked back at Reiki. This was the best time...

Like a switch was flipped, Alye saw Reiki lean back, his chest seemingly bursting with air. She heard the same snarled words as before, though there was something different about them as well. Alye's eyes followed the intense beam of powerful ice magic as it pounded through the air and smashed into the watery smelt she had summoned. It was beautiful yet gruesome at the same time. The acid rain froze on contact. The trick to this combo move however was that even though the water was frozen, the acids inside were not. That beast was alive and trapped within a acidic death trap. In a way, Alye felt bad for it. Did it even want to exist? Who knows... Maybe it was just waiting to die this whole time...

Alye's hair swayed gently in the wind as the foggy air settled from the frosty explosion. It was heralding to see. The way the gigantic pillar of ice reached into the clouds themselves. Something wasn't quite right. If that beast was still alive in there... Alye didn't like this. Reiki might be underestimating this lion. It was surely stronger than that lowly mage from a few months ago. Alye had been planning one final strike to end the beast once and for all, but she just watched as Reiki used her air cell to get down to the ground in front of the pillar of ice. He put a hand against the icy tomb before turning to get his jacket. As he walked over to it, Alye looked back the frozen beast. Perhaps she was the one overestimating the beast.

Or not.

Alye started to head over to where Reiki was while he reached for his jacket. It was in that moment that all hell broke loose. Just as Reiki reached down, a savage crack shot up the side of the pillar. Alye's eyes widened. Either that lion was not dead, or Reiki's magic was just breaking like it used to do. For both their sakes, she wished it was the latter. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side. The pillar and even the ground itself seemed to be shaking violently before the pillar exploded outwards, releasing the tyrannical roar of the lion as it vented it's rage and pain. Alye weaved to the left to avoid a rather large chunk of ice as she stared needles at the lion. Even from a distance away, Alye could see the holes and patches in it's fur where her acid had eaten straight through to the muscle and bone below. Alye then watched as the spikes she had driven into the ground were pushed up by spikes of earth from below. Alye had forgotten all about the creature's ability to control Earth Magic!

The white-haired girl watched in agony as the tainted lion shot forward with incredible speed and in one fluid movement, scooped Reiki up into his razor sharp maw. "REEEIKIIIII!!", the woman screamed out in horror. Electricity seemed to burst from her fingertips as she balled her fist. Her hair shot back behind her as she rushed forward to try and help her teammate. It was then that Alye noticed the dark brown seals appearing on the the ground wherever the beast's paws fell. Alye shot backwards just in time to avoid a massive boulder aimed at her. Alye lunged forth again only to be met with a spike of earth moving so quickly that it managed to slip through her hair as Alye dodged it. There was no way she could get close enough or concentrate long enough to cast any kind of spell. Alye shot upwards in a desperate effort to escape the barrage of earth but the ungrounded projectiles only followed. The white-haired girl whipped around suddenly and kicked out with a burst of wind coming from her feet. A condensed strike of serrated winds impacted and destroyed a volley before it reached her, but there was no way that Alye could do much else while there were even more projectiles coming for her. She dive bombed in an instant, shooting low towards the ground. She booked it towards the lion and Reiki but the lion seemed to sense this as well as spikes of earth began appearing from the ground. "Dammit!", she cursed in frustration as she punched straight through a spike in her way and then shot back upwards. There was a momentary pause as the lion seemed to be using it's senses to attack her once more. Alye took that moment to summon a wind around herself. She quickly empowered it as she saw another volley of spikes and boulders coming her way. Her blue eyes glazed over with a snow white hue as the winds around her shot outwards to meet the oncoming earth. The winds began spinning at an unnatural speed while adopting a a darkish color. Alye had summoned a razor sharp pressurized tornado around herself to defend herself. When the stones hit the bladed walls of wind, they were smashed instantly, but it also took all of Alye's concentration to keep it running. She could do nothing to help Reiki...

Just when Alye's hope seemed to be fading fast, she suddenly felt a immense burst of ice magic in the lion's direction. She didn't know what Reiki had did, but his magic power levels were skyrocketing past anything she had ever seen before. Even through the dense walls of wind, Alye could see a shining blue light streaming from the lion's mouth. She immediately sensed the change in temperature as well and the lion did as well when his maw was frozen solid. The vollies of earth suddenly stopped which prompted Alye to drop her winds. As the dust around her settled, her eyes fell upon Reiki. She gasped a bit. She saw the indents of what looked like scales across his skin as he stood there, his magic power materializing into a ferocious aura around his body. She could see that his eyes were a snowy white but she could feel the frost of his gaze as he looked around.

This... This was Reiki's Dragon Force.

After icing over his wound, Alye heard him speak to the lion. Alye was so shocked that she slowly descended from the sky, landing on the beaten ground with her legs on either side of her body. His voice was so deep and full of power. He was even speaking some odd language. Alye was completely ensnared by this new found power of Reiki's. She sat there in complete awe as he quickly took down the lion with lethal grace and deadly precision. The way he commanded his power so efficiently... Alye's breath was taken away. She'd never seen a Dragon Force before... And as quickly as it had started, it was over. Reiki stood there across from her and turned around to look at her. There such a change in his eyes as they fell upon her that it was astonishing. The vicious aura around him melded and slowed into what seemed to be a gentle ebbing snowfall. It looked so peaceful and calm, even after what he had done... The warm smile on his face made her breath catch in her throat. He was alright...

Alye's body disappeared in a sudden burst of wind. She reappeared in the air right in front of Reiki. She was falling with her arms out, which they slipped around his shoulders as her head fell into the crook of his neck. Her momentum caused the both of them to fall over with her on top of him while she hugged him tightly. "Don't you scare me like that again...", she whispered to him as she laid with him.


As soon as Alye appeared in front of him with her arms out, Reiki instinctively threw his out to catch her. He wrapped his arms around her as her momentum caused the two to fall over backwards onto the ground. He took his right hand and began caressing the back of her head as he nuzzled his chin into the top of her head. "K-Krosis, Alye... that... wasn't exactly planned... I'll try my best not to. Like I told the lion... I have a promise to keep to a very brit woman", he chuckled slightly, not even realizing he was speaking a mixture of English and Dragon Tongue in which his father taught him. However, he didn't need to realize. That's what Azrael was there to do for him. "Reiki, she doesn't speak our tongue. I guess the saying is true, like father like son. That old fool never did give up speaking our ancient language, even when he began to take in kids like you."Azrael scolded him, causing Reiki's eyes to widen. O-Oh, right... Krosis Alye, eating that lacrima kinda jogged my memory of... well, everything I had forgotten." Reiki apologized, taking a moment to realize he did it again. "I mean sorry... Krosis is an apology in the dragon language...  and well... brit stands for... beautiful...", he began to stutter, a small blush now painted on his face.


Alye laid there with Reiki for a moment longer before she untangled herself from him. She smiled a bit at him before she flicked her finger toward his jacket. A small burst of wind brought the garment to her hand. She slipped it around herself and pulled her hair out of the back. "I'll just hold onto this while you're in Dragon Force. You'd shatter the fabric if you tried wearing it right now." Alye looked from Reiki over to the now dead beast. She just stared at it for a while. It would be hazardous to just leave it's carcass here... and disrespectful. Alye's time with the Storm Goddess had showed her the hidden connections of the matter around them. Everything, even this tainted beast, was connected somehow. The woman reached down and pulled her sheathed fans from their holds. With just a twist of her fingers, the metallic fans opened. Without missing a beat, she threw them at the beast at once.

The fans sliced through the air easily towards the creature. Alye lifted a hand and made a circle in the air with her fingers. The fans seemed to be under her direct control and followed her orders. They both banked in the opposite direction, one spinning towards the other end of the lion. Alye made the same gesture with her finger. The fans responded by beginning to spin around in a large circle around the lion's body. The air seemed to follow along as a strong breeze picked up around the creature. About a minute passed before the winds seemed to condense into a twister that was so thick it obscured the beast's body from view. Alye's outstretched hand balled into a fist. The twister seemed to change colors from a faint brown to jet black as Alye changed it's properties. She'd not only increased the air pressure inside the air well of the tornado to bone-crushing levels, she also manipulated the airflow to make the inside of the tornado the equivalent of a blender.

A little time passed before Alye's balled fist loosed. Once it did, the tornado in front of them seemed to suddenly start becoming smaller. The Amari Fans could be seen on the outside of the winds now, directing them to condense. The tornado shrank and shrank until it was a super dense ball of blackened winds. Alye reached out and grabbed hold of the ball with her magic. She used her other hand to call her fans back. Once they were sheathed once more, Alye brought the sphere of wind to her. It was clear what Alye had done. The beast's body was gone from where it once was. She had used her winds to literally shred the beast's remains into a fine dust that was inside this ball of wind. Alye's hair swayed gently back and forth as the ball came down in front of her. It hovered just in between her hands. Alye looked over to Reiki. "We have to remember that this creature didn't exist of it's own accord. Though it was certainly doing evil things, it wasn't doing them of it's own free will. The creature had no other senses other than rage and anger." Alye looked down at the remains hovering in her hands. "It never even had a life...", she said gently.

Alye's eyes closed for a moment as she took a deep breath. She breathed in deeply and held it there for a moment. She exhaled from her mouth as she opened her eyes once more. White, sparkling air left Alye's mouth and drifted into the ball of air in her hands. It was Alye's healing winds. As soon as the healing air hit the beast's remains, a black, smokey fog lifted up from the sphere and dissipated into the air. Alye had cleansed the beast's soul of it's taint.

The woman then lifted her hands into the air and the ball raised as well. It floated up into the air slowly as it seemed to unravel itself. A strong air current rushed through the landscape, catching the dust. The ball of wind spun for the last time before disappearing althogether. Alye left the winds to do as they pleased, depositing the beast's dust over the place it called home so it may rest now. The white-haired woman sighed contently. "It's done now." With that, Alye and Reiki began to make their way back towards the village.

As the two walked, if the two listened hard enough, even with their enhanced hearing, they would hear what sounded like a lion's roar proudly ringing out through the air...


Alye and Reiki arrived back at the village the next morning. Since neither of them knew when Reiki's Dragon Force would wear off, they decided to walk until it did. That aura of his would have wrecked havoc on the village. Finally, when they were around halfway towards the village, Reiki's body stopped glowing and he passed out altogether. Alye caught him as soon he fell and she set him down on the ground gently. She at least knew that was going to happen. After taking off his jacket and laying it over him, Alye sat down and rested herself, falling asleep under the starry sky. When the two awoke, Alye carried them both to the village via flight. As the two touched down under the peaceful sun, villagers injured or otherwise came out to greet them. Even the warriors of their village came as well. The village chief was front and center and Alye could see Reniro roosting on top of his grand hut.

But where was Aian?

After telling the village what happened to the beast, most were impressed with their actions. They began calling Reiki the Tundra Warrior and Alye was the Skyward Huntress. The elders of the village were quite happy with Alye for respecting the beast and giving it a proper burial as any animal deserved. The children of the village were ecstatic while listening to Reiki's rendition of the story while he ate his fill at the bountiful feast they prepared for them. But it kept nagging Alye that she hadn't seen Aian nor the giant lion Reiki had rode in on the day before. Perhaps the lion went back to his pride, but where had her teammate gone...?

When she asked the chief if he had seen Aian he starkly replied that he hadn't. When she tried to ask the other villagers they said the same thing. It wasn't until she felt a feather fall against her shoulder that she had been told what happened. Reniro pointed out that Aian had left alongside Leonidas. She had no idea why he would do such a thing. How could she possibly understand the feelings running through his head? Besides, they were far gone now. Aian would come back to them soon...

Hopefully.

Alye decided against telling Reiki what happened. She had a feeling he already knew in his own way so she wasn't going to stir it up anymore. That evening, after resting fully and getting in another good meal, the two Wizards and the grand bird stood at the gates of the renewed village. The Chief stood at the threshold in front of the three. Villagers that had been helped by Alye or Reiki all gave their respective goodbyes before the Chief called for silence.

"My villagers, my people, look at these three in front of us. They came here as outsiders, but now they are one of us. They put their lives on the line to help us without the tiniest bit of hesitation. They are strong in both life, strength, and spirit. After proving themselves in and out of battle, I am proud to give each of them each a desert lotus necklace, the highest honor in our village." Cheers rang out from the villagers as three women came forth and presented each of them with pleasant smelling ruby red and snow white tinted orchids that they placed on their shoulders. Alye looked over to Reiki and smiled and did the same to Reniro.

"Though they are leaving now, they always have a place here in our village. We will tell tales of their prowess and power for generations to come! And we hope that you will take the lessons you have learned here on these plains back to where you call home and use them to grow stronger! Go now, survive and prosper, in the name of the great lion king, Leonidas and the People of the Plains!"

Goodbyes and cheers rang out for them as Reniro bent down. Alye gracefully slung herself onto his back, supporting her weight as if it was nothing. Alye looked over to Reiki and held out her hand for him to take. "Let's go home, partner", she said with a quaint smile. Once onboard, Reniro brought his mighty wings up into the air and flapped them once, kicking up a mad amount of dust as he pushed into the air. Within minutes, the village below them became a speck and was then gone altogether.

With tokens, gold, and memories in tow, the three drifted back home with the blood red sun of the plains blazing at their backs.

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