Story

Dagon saw the being of magic (who would have thought so powerful) do battle with his shadow. He would hold, for now. Dagon sprinted after the others, no sense in doing nothing he supposed.

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The alien's hard body attempted to throw Torvald off of it, and the swarm surrounding it tried to attack him, but both were in vain. Torvald had a shield effect over my entire body, and pulled at the being's arms. The stress in the torso was incredible, and it began to crack when an inferno surrounded them both and broke Torvald's focus.

The ranged elementalist was firing at Torvald from a distance. The alien Torvald had subdued was escaping.

Every attack was too inefficient: they recover too easily. Torvald saw the stone in which he had encased the alien with the whip was cracking, and it burst out. The whip sought him out.

He grabbed it, felt the alien's presence pressing against his mind, seeking to destroy him. He denied it and pushed back on its unfamiliar consciousness. Meanwhile, he was gripping the whip-like structure, the space between them appearing to darken.

Attacks are too inefficient. Anything short of absolute annihilation can be overcome, as they have shown by combining.

He kicked the alien away and it disappeared, along with the ground below it. Everything in the area was destroyed, completely erased, and the air rushed into the vacuum with a crack like thunder.

The mass in the cloud was still running. I sealed it in a sphere like before, separating its reality from our own. It would hold long enough to finish the deed. Ahead, the other two - the heavily shielded alien and the elementalist - had almost caught up to Ha'el. The most powerful alien was dangerously close. All of them were too close to an ally, and any attack I could use would be too dangerous.

Everybody was too close to the finish line. The next few moments will be the most important of this conflict, and there's so little I can do.

Spoiler:

Athen was sent tumbling as he attacked the Dark Culmination. There was no way to keep up! It was so far ahead of him now, there was nothing he could do. Ha'el reached the door and began to activated the portal while Torvald continued to provide a distracted.

Athen looked upon Torvald as he rushed towards the group. This was the underestimation of man that our creator so foolish wrought. While he could not remember facts, he remembered that man was not from Earth, and that he had once indeed been a man. But he was not from Earth. There was something special about this planet however. A god had invested the last of its energy in it, something so catastrophic that it had caused a god to die. That was all but unheard of, for most times they merely faded out of existence. But the creator of man had gone out with a bang, hoping to secret away a key for the future. That was why he was he. Remembered that much of his mission. He was here to save Earth in their time of need. That was what the woman was talking about when she meant the generator was down.

Ahead the Dark Culmination halted its advance, sending Athen into the ground. He was waist deep, extracting himself, as the King of Shadow and Darkness sent out a wave that rippled the very fabric of reality. Each of the shadows received it and began to change. Their individual characteristics began to melt away, each one reverting to their true form. Its plan for specialization had failed, and now these aliens showed their true form. Athen pulled himself out of the ground as the Dark Culmination charged Torvald. His local reality collapsed under its onslaught, the other shadows regaining themselves and moving with impossible speed towards Ha'el. The Grey Culmination moved to defend Torvald, rebuffing the charge of shadow. The air crackled with power as the Dark Culmination prepared to fire.

Athen blasted past them all and reached the door, blowing it open and yelling at Ha'el. The air rang out with concussions, a rolling thunder that set the ground shaking. A battle was taking place on a completely different level. A change had come over Torvald.

Synton had come to him. "I do not have the ability to control Aether as well as you do, but I can still harness some of the mighty creatures power. Let me hold your essence intact, use all of the power you can or we shall perish." So Torvald lost himself in the Aether, giving a silent acceptance to Synton, not really expecting to come back alive.

Around the group runes flashed as Hadad set up a barrier. Together the three of them, the Runic Warrior, the Magi, and the Artificial Deity, looked to hold off the assault of energy from all of the shadows. Sadly, it did not last long.

Athen called out to everyone. "This is it! We have to buy as much time as possible. Ha'el can get Bryo into that chamber, then it is up to him. If he accomplishes that, these abominations will be cast out into space, far away from here."

Hadad looked at Athen, "You can't really expect this to be over." He yelled across at him, his voice being drowned out by the rolling thunder and cracking earth.

Then the barriers broke, all at once, as the Dark Culmination charged. The other shadows followed close behind, rushing in like so many demons, the earth groaning behind their steps. They lashed out with energy first, then began latching on. Each of the party attempted to doge, only a few succeeded. Haded twisted away from one, while the Knifeman attempted to pry on off of Thor. Kilf was killed nearly instantly, his timestop blocked by the Dark Culmination. Darryl fell soon after, his body ripped to shreds.

As each fell, the remaining shadows began to gang up on the survivors. Athen speared one through its core, with Thor crushing another, but it was not enough. Ripper was beat into submission, barely forcing himself to survive while Stilts dodged constantly, unable to attack. Dagon and Samantha both died with V imbedded in their brains. The Grey Culmination was fighting three at once and winning slowly, but it would not be fast enough.

Athen watched as the Dark Culmination moved past them all and broke through into the building.
Inside, Ha'el had just set Bryo down next to the artifact, which had begun to flash red, almost as if in alarm. He moved the child closer when the wall next to him detonated with the force of a cannon blast, sending both of them flying. As Ha'el righted himself, the Dark Culmination stood before him. It began to walk towards Bryo when Ha'el charged it with his sword, shouting the names of his forefathers has he brought the blade downwards.

It cracked upon the creature, unleashing the magic trapped inside. Having been forged during the casting of the great spell that held the Earth together, it had a connection with that magic which it released upon the Darkness. The Dark Culmination once again tasted the force of the wizards that had destroyed its plans and hesitated. just long enough. Athen rushed through the hole it had made, knocking it away from Bryo, the very air resounding with force. It picked itself up and ran Athen through with its blade as Athen's own extinguished, the light fading from him as the darkness began draining his essence. It tossed him aside and turned towards Byro, who exploded, particles of flesh raining over Ha'el.

Out on the battlefield, only Hadad, the Wraith, and the Grey Culmination remained, and each could feel Bryo's death. Their only reaction despair, even the Wraith recognizing defeat, though grieving emotionally. The Grey Culmination went down under several shadows, its body being torn to shreds.

The Dark Culmination advanced over to Ha'el, and for an instant a golden shield blasted into existence around the man, blocking the force the Dark Culmination levied at him before beginning to crack. Then a chain wrapped around its waist.

Stilts was on his knees, gripping the chain with both hands as he emptied the capacitor, paralyzing the shadow for an instant. Then their minds crashed together along the length of chain, a pure white glow that was quickly overtaken by darkness. Even in his imminent death, a gleam of hope shone in Stilts' eye. He could see a lot of things others could not. Behind the creature, the armor-plated zombie righted itself and began to walk towards the artifact, each step painfully slow. The Dark Culmniation turned towards it, but in its laxity Stilts pressed his attack, beginning to wear away at the outer layers of control that motivated the computer-like mind of the alien. The wall behind the undead shattered as the Dark Culmination missed. Then the floor directly behind it. Each time it sent out energy, it calibrated for Stilt's interference, each step the undead took painfully slow. One of its legs was blow out from beneath it. It continued to crawl forewords. The Dark Culmination extinguished Stilts life, changing targets quickly.

But the last thing Stilts heard was, "Its gonna be OK, mister." The shadow redirected its attention just as Bryo reincarnate set his hand on the artifact. The pulses of energy bounced in every direction as Bryo deflected them, tapping into the power of the artifact and the generator at the heart of the facility. The child looked at the Dark Culmination, then let his mind slip into the artifact.

As seen from space, the explosion was spectacular. A massive pulse radiated from somewhere in central Asia, encompassing the entire globe. The fragments that made up the Earth stopped their shaking at began to move closer to each other. The giant fiery core at the center was extinguished as the power of the spell began to overtake the destructive force the aliens had manifested. As the fragments slammed back together, the largest earthquake ever recorded rocked the entire planet. The skies began to clear and the sun shone through once more, bringing life to those starving below. Mountain met mountain and valley met valley for the first time in a hundred years as the geography of the planet returned to its true form.

As for the aliens, they were cast out into space by the force of the spell, no longer an immediate threat.

Athen picked himself up off the ground and helped Stilts to his feet. "It's over, its finally over." Hadad came striding up to them.


"No, this is far from over, I have seen much, and there will be no quick end to this fight." But Athen and Stilts ignored him, each feeling the Earth in their own way. Stilts though the ground and Athen through the skies. In the distance the Grey Culmination pulled itself together and began reviving their fallen allies, small crystals sparkling upon the ground. Even farther of, the Great Golem righted itself slowly, preparing for the tasks ahead.

Far away, the elves were surprised when the door to the library opened, admitting an incredibly fast sphere of light. They ran inside quickly and began unlocking the secrets of the Earth.

And so ends Starfire and Abandoned Hopes.

Spoiler:

The Grey Culmination stood over the corpse of Boisen and inserted its blade deep into not only his flesh, but his being, and tried to bring him back to this realm. For a moment, there was a spark, then nothing. Boisen no longer wished to be in this world. The Grey Culmination sent an inquiry through the aether to the other side, but received no response. It seemed as if Boisen was at peace, and no force was going to bring him back to the world.

So the Culmination set his body alight with magical flame and watched it burn, the mechanical components resisting the fire. Soon all was ash except for the silicone and steel. It bent down to pick up the head unit before beginning its walk back towards the city. It could have flown, sailing through the air at an incredible velocity, but for once it wanted time to figure things out by itself.

Athen and Stilts observed all of this, watching silently and basking in the sunlight.

"Bryo did a good thing, I'm glad we helped his poor soul have some significant part in the world, considering his origins." Athen was leaning against the side of the building.

"He isn't gone." Stilts watched the sun begin to inch towards the horizon.

"What?"

"He's still here on Earth, he just doesn't have a way to communicate with us right now." He let out a sigh. "Its time for me to return to Gaia, as I have done in the past, to be reborn."

Athen glanced at him as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Then I'm coming with you, I need to talk to Gaia myself."

Stilts gave a pause before continuing, "After all that you have done, I could not deny you that, but the spirit may have another opinion. Either way, I have to go now." Stilts walked over to Ripper and helped him to his feet, already halfway reformed while Thor and Loki came up behind them.

They exchanged a few words before setting off towards the north, Athen preparing to follow before Illiad jogged up to meet him.

"Athen we have a problem, we've been communicating with Mars since the sky cleared. Those aliens we defeated? Well it looks like there's more heading toward Earth, an entire fleet of them!"

Hadad put a hand on Athen's shoulder, "I said it wasn't over, and I meant it. Those things come as a threat to us all."

Athen glanced towards Stilts,"but why do they come here? What are they at Earth for, why destroy it?"

"I don't know," Illiad spoke," but now we have to figure out a way to defend ourselves. If that fleet is anything like what we fought, then were gonna need a miracle."

"Then perhaps a miracle is just what we'll get." Athen took off after Stilts as the sun began to set beyond the horizon, blissfully unaware of the troubles of Earth.

A small outcropping of trees came into view. Stilts turned to Ripper. ‘Those trees weren’t here before.’ ‘Those trees shouldn’t be there at all.’ Stilts turned to face Athen “We’re headed in the proper direction right?” Loki interrupted with a sharp cackling laugh. “You know good and well that Gaia is in there.” Thor broke in with a sharp glance at Loki “The question is what’s between where we are, and where we’re going.” Athen looked to Stilts," if anyone would know about trees, it would be you." Stilts gave him an odd look before falling in step. They could just begin to make out humanoid forms moving about the trees, some of which were exceptionally large, especially for being in a desert. Their foliage was a lush green, and the shapes in the distance appeared to be tending them.

Stilts closed his eyes for a moment. “There is a mental presence in that forest. It’s cloudy, and I can’t really read it, but it’s there. We need to be careful.” Thor let out a booming laugh. “Careful? I haven’t seen anything native to this planet yet that’s much of a threat, and you’re telling me to be careful of some little shapes running around in a makeshift forest?” Ripper spoke solidly. “That forest isn’t normal. Not even close.” He turned back to face Thor. “When Stilts says we need to be careful we need to be careful.” Loki let out a nervous laugh. The entire group was nervous for one reason or another. It was wearing on Stilts. He tried to shut it out, but he couldn’t turn off his own emotion.

The group was getting closer to the small forest. The Presence Stilts felt was strange. It was large. It wasn’t as cloudy now. Stilts could see that the cloud around it was made of many smaller thoughts. Thoughts he couldn’t really make out. Thoughts that were . . . surprisingly close. Stilts turned to warn everyone, but the owners had already revealed themselves. The group was surrounded by a score or more of these humanoids. Stilts took a moment to examine them. They looked human, but their features were much more angular, their bodies lithe and smooth. Their skin color never varied from the same smooth white, although the hair colors present began to dip into the blues and bright reds along with the normal ones. Their equipment varied from individual to individual, all of looking as if it was made of pieces that were grown then assembled. At this point, everyone assumed a defensive stance, except Athen, who stood there, arms at his sides.

These things emotions were thick, heavy almost. They were hard to analyze, but Stilts couldn’t find any hostility among them. Stilts straightened up his form. He spoke in his usual tone, soft and controlled. “Who are you?” Thor suddenly boomed out from behind Stilts, “and why are you standing between us and where we need to go!” Thor motioned toward the forest in front of them with his hammer. Stilts Cringed as Thor spoke. ‘Why must he be so violent?’ Ripper cracked a smile ‘He’s not violent, he’s just a bit simpler than the rest of us. He only knows to be direct.’

A few of the humanoids glanced at Thor after his outburst, but one in particular began talking to Stilts in a language he did not understand at first. It took several seconds to sink in, but then he realized what was being said.: " . . . for the reclamation of ancient information that belongs to us. However, why have you arrived at this place?" Stilts gave a glance toward Ripper. His face read of his confusion. He could feel the normal lack of thought coming from Thor and Loki. “Gaia is calling us here. If I knew anything more than that I would tell you. All I know is that we need to be here.” Thor boomed out, grabbing Stilt’s shoulder. “And you’re not stopping us!” At this, there was an awkward silence , both parties glancing around nerviously, before Thors voice rang out again.“You bumbling idiot!” Thor shouted as he whipped his hammer into Loki’s head, which stretched out before snapping back into it's normal cackling face. “I told’ya not to look like me ever again!” Stilts turned and gave the two a harsh look., while Loki continued to laugh. Thor only stood and stared with angry, brooding eyes.

The man that had spoken before spoke again. "If you really were sent by Gaia, we can let you in, but we would have to confirm this first. Stay here and we may be back by nightfall." Stilts looked down for a moment. He could feel a sudden swell of emotion from the group behind him. “We don’t have any time to waste. Isn’t there any way that we could get in faster?” "We are not in a position where we can extend out trust to outsiders." The man was adamant," If you desire to gain entrance anyway, we could bind a single one of you and bring you in with us, but the others must wait here." Stilts sighed heavily. “If only one of us needed to get inside only one of us would have come. Gaia called us all here. Who are you to stand in our way in the first place?” For the first time, Stilts felt anger from the individual. "We are the Elves; we were put here by the God above us all to protect your race! Simply because we were also overcome by those horrible beings of darkness does not dismiss us from being your stewards! Gaia may be calling to you, but we have been calling to her for far longer then you have even existed." “And we just helped restore her, and earth, to a level where Gaia may be able to answer you again, to a level where the people may have some chance of living. But this fight is not over, and we can’t sit around waiting for anyone, no matter how far above us they may be, to sort things out. We can’t waste time, and risk the lives of all the people we’ve already done so much for.” Thor smiled, and brought his hammer up, this time into a much less defensive posture. ‘You need to calm down Stilts, you’re not yourself.’

The Elves became restless, but their leader motioned them down. He spoke again, this time in another language. Even though Stilts tried, he was unable to understand it. After a moment, he directed his attention back to Stilts. "Then we are at an impasse. You will not be allowed into our domain until we have consulted an oracle. If you try to enter, we will stop you. What you do from here is your own choice." He turned, the other elves following, and vanished into the dusty air, but Stilts could feel them out there, somewhere. Athen glanced nonchalantly at Stilts," So, what are you going to do now?"

Stilts turned to Athen “Gaia wants us there; we know something is happening, and she may have information. We don’t have time to waste waiting for some “Oracle” if we don’t have to.” Stilts Drew his eyes across everyone with him. “I say we keep going.” He looked back at Athen. “As long as that sits well with you.” "I am here to converse with Gaia as well, but I believe there is time. If you really believe that you call is this urgent, then you may advance, but I will not aid you. I think that you may be being blinded by your urge to seek Gaia, and this concerns me." Athen sat down on a nearby rock,"I don't think the Elves could stop you, not if all of them were as weak as those scouts, so it is your choice alone." Stilts clenched his fists tightly. ‘Athen’s right Stilts, We have no reason to push forward’ Stilts turned sharply away from the group, yet out a terrible yell, a familiar feral scream. He turned back, and pounded his way over toward Athen. ‘I know he’s right. ‘He flopped down to the ground like a child throwing a tantrum. ‘But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.’ “Fine, you haven’t been wrong yet. We’ll wait. Thor looked down and shook his head as he walked toward Stilts and Athen. “And here I thought you had a mean streak in you.” The other two followed quickly behind, and the group gathered at the rock to wait.

Seren was paging through a book, each page writing itself as she glanced at it. The book was copying the information contained within the library, the walls filled with glowing runes. Serveth was across the massive room, his hand on the runes themselves, paging through the contents, looking for pertinent information to be copied down. They had been at it since sunrise, each at their own task, neither really speaking. The silence was broken only by the humming of the Librarian, a small glowing sphere of light that flew around, carving runes into the walls and updating the older ones that had begun to fade. The air in the room softened, and a faint white glow filled its walls. Seren noticed the presence and turned towards it. At first the glow, however faint, seemed blinding, but slowly it faded, and Gaia’s figure came into view. She spoke with a sirens voice. Her voice was soft and intangible. It held no tone question or threat, only of purpose. “My guardians are waiting outside your forest. They need access to this compound and the elves outside have stopped them. Will you let them through?”

Seren glanced up from her work, Serveth still oblivious absorbed in the sea of information. She was surprised at first, but then realized what was going on. "Mother Gaia, your agents are at work? Is that how the Earth Guardian was summoned? What has happened to the Earth?" She walked over to Serveth and pushed him over, knocking him out of his trance. He looked around, stunned, before catching sight of Gaia herself. Gaia gave Serveth a quant smile as he stood. She looked back to Seren. My agents have done much for the earth, summoning its ancient guardian was part of their work. The earth was deeply troubled, but these guardians have the power to change that. They have already done much to restore this planet, to restore me and my powers. I need them here. "Of course," Serveth brushed himself off, "I shall meet them immediately, but how will I know that they are truly your servants?" “All you need to do to know that they are my servants is speak to them. They will understand you. That should be proof enough.” "If you say so," he looked at Seren, "continue to copy down what we have marked, I will bring them here shortly." Seren nodded, before Serveth took off running towards the ramp. After he had left, Seren turned back towards Gaia, curious about something, only to find her gone without a trace.

Stilts was the first to react to Serveth’s approach. He opened his eyes, and slowly stood. He surveyed the rest of the group. Athen sat forward, as stilt’s eyes passed him. No one else took any notice until Serveth started talking. It took a moment for Stilts to even register that words were coming from Serveth’s mouth. He was entranced in Serveth’s armor. It was beautiful, Wires moving metal moving wires in a poetic motion. The entire mass seemed to be a perfect extension of Serveth’s body. It ebbed and flowed with him, and it was nearly silent. Stilts traced it’s every wire and joint and plate, and eventually he made it to Serveth’s head. That’s when he noticed he was speaking.

" . . . sent me to come get you. You faces show recognition, so I guess you should follow me if you want to meet her." Stilts turned back to the rest of the group, they had all taken to their feet, and were walking towards Serveth. Stilts turned back and spoke slowly, confusion and amazement constricting his words. “You’re taking us?” “To Gaia, that’s what he said. Seems we got through to these people after all.” Thor spoke with an ill deserved sense of accomplishment. Athen laughed a little, before following in their wake.

The sun was drawing close to the horizon when they arrived at the outer edge of the trees. They were massive things, all imposing, including some that had a mental presence as vivid as any human Stilts had ever felt. But a more imposing presence hovered over them all that seemed to settle into the freshly grown underbrush and wrap itself around every tree limb. It was so strong that even Thor, in his blatant self-confidence, could feel its effects. The trees were everywhere, in the sand, among the ruins of the Templar castle, even on rocks, but this put the very presence of life itself to shame. The group emerged from the outer forest into an immense clearing, centered around the source of the presence. In the middle of a lake sat the largest tree any of them had ever seen. Its gnarled roots rose far above the height of a man, water pouring down from its leaves in sheets to join the lake below. It was massive its largest branches yards in diameter, but a fissure marred its surface, splitting nearly in half.

Athen spoke out," How did this all get here? This place was a desert . . ." Serveth spoke over his shoulder, "the trees came with us when we moved, and Belig Aimar has provided a source of water for us," then began to make his way to the ruins located to the north of the lake. There were Elves everywhere, all either tending various plants or crafting things through a strange combination of forgery and botany. None of them even seemed to notice the group, and those that did took one look at Serveth before going about their business.

Stilts turned toward Ripper ‘Can you feel it?’ ‘I think everyone can feel that trees presence.’ ‘Not it’s presence, something deeper. There’s something wrong with it. Can you feel it?’ ‘Ripper closed his eyes for a moment. ‘There is something there.’ Ripper ran to catch up to Sereveth. “Belig Aimar, That’s the tree right? What happened to it?” Serveth paused for a moment, examining Ripper, before continuing." The shield we used to displace ourselves from the humans was provided by, and rooted in Belig Aimar. When those beings of darkness broke it so suddenly . . ." he trailed off, lost in memories.

Ripper watched Serveth for a moment waiting to see if he would continue. When Serveth didn’t he did. “It’s hurt, I can feel it. Maybe…I could help. Maybe I could fix it.” "If Belig trusts you enough to let you help it, then you truly would be one of Gaia's children," Serveth responded remorsefully. “I want to help it. Can you communicate with it? To let it know what I’m doing.” ‘You’re going to fix it?’ ‘I’m going to try.’ Thor boomed out, his voice resounding off the trees. “Before you were screaming about not having enough time, now we’re stopping to fix some tree? You truly are a fickle bunch.”

"Nothing I can say to Belig Aimar will affect its decision. The only one it would listen to would be Gaia herself." He paused, gazing out across the water. The sun was setting now, and it set the lake alight, the sun reflecting off of water falling from the branches of the mighty tree, so that it appeared to rain down fire. "All you can do is try, and see if our greatest defender accepts you." Ripper glanced nervously at Stilts. Stilts nodded. ‘You’ll be fine’ Ripper walked toward the giant tree. Its presence was immense and heavy even at the shore of the lake. He waded into the crystal water, first walking, and then swimming toward the massive tree. Eventually he made it to one of the massive roots that dove into the depths of the lake. He reached out with certain trepidation, and then slowly scaled one of the roots. Where it met the tree the root was several times larger than Ripper. He closed his eyes, and reached out slowly until he felt the tree.

It was tentative at first, just barely brushing against his mind. He marveled at it, for its mind was so nimble for being so large. It took that moment of weakness to plunge deep inside of him, so deep that even Stilts could feel it through their link. It felt as if it was going to tear him apart from the inside, so massive was its probe. He was trapped, locked away by the sheer and terrible force the tree levied at him. Then it was gone, just as fast, and the massive network of the Belig Airmar's essence was open to him. Ripper marveled at the vast network before him. His quickly turned away from the network, and back to the tree itself. The network was a giant void to Ripper, and the threat of losing himself in it was all too real. The tree was different. It was like nothing he’d ever felt before. It was more akin to flesh then he had expected, but still different enough to seem alien. Ripper pushed through the tree until he found the bottom of the rift in its trunk. That was where he started. He pushed the material upwards, forcing it together, forcing it to mend. The tree slowly shifted, its branches moaned as Ripper started the process. It was a slow change, but the rift began to close. The gap moved slowly up the tree becoming smaller and smaller as Ripper forced the cells to bend together.

It was a long and arduous task, and there were times where Ripper thought he might fail from the sheer mass of the thing, but at last he brought the final pieces together. He exited from the tree and took a step back, admiring his handiwork. He had attracted a crowd while he worked, the Elves gazing on in silence, a silence the reflected the tension in the air. Ripper became nervous as the water stopped falling from the tree, beginning to wonder if he had done something wrong. But then the bark of Belig Aimar began to glow with a soft golden light that pulsed up and down its height. This glow continued, along with a loud groaning sound. The wood moved beneath Ripper's feet as the tree rose higher, lifting itself with its roots. The glow began to fade now, degrading to shimmering sparks that traveled along the tree as it lifted itself from the lake and attaining its full high while standing atop its massive roots.

Serveth looked on in quiet admiration, “It almost makes one want to be human . . ." Thor spoke harshly, his words nearly spat at Serveth. “Who would want to be human? Pitiful little things they are, good for nothing!” Stilts shook his head as he walked away from Thor. ‘I still say he’s a brute.’ Ripper laughed as he climbed down the giant tree. He made his way back to shore, and met up with the rest of the group.” I hope I did well. Should we get going to meet Gaia now?” Serveth nodded and continued his walk around the circumference of the lake. The other turned to follow, but Ripper was stopped when a smooth shard of wood fell out of the tree and landed squarely in front of him. It was the size of a dagger and held sheen as if it was newly polished. As Ripper bent down to pick it up, he could feel the power within it, and decided to examine it later. As the group moved off, the Elves began to disperse, each returning to their profession.

It was not long before Serveth arrived at the corridor leading into the Earth. It was a long walk down the corridor. It tilted this way and that, plunging deeper into the earth, but for the most part remained straight. Along the way they encountered Seren, who was rushing up the cold corridor. "Did you really fix . . ." "Later," Serveth cut her off, “we have important matters to resolve." With that she went silent before taking a look at the newcomers. With a sigh, she slid into step next Serveth as they advanced down the hallway. A short time later they emerged into the actual library itself. Just as Athen remembered it, it was a massive chamber walled with some kind of stone-metal hybrid. Runes where everywhere across the walls which encompassed a massive pit so deep that the bottom could not be perceived. Pathways stretched across this chasm, each elegantly constructed from this same material and all terminating at a single platform, upon which stood Gaia, resplendent in her white glow.

“Thank you for bringing my guardians. I hope they were well behaved.” Gaia walked toward the group following one of the paths as it bent here and there progressing toward the group. “Thor, Loki, Still causing as much trouble as always. I’ll speak with the two of you later. For now you’ve served well, and deserve to rest.” Stilts turned quickly, but both Thor and Loki were already gone. He turned back to Gaia. She spoke softly, her tone as eloquent as always. “You mustn’t worry. They’ll be back. At this moment there are more pressing matters.” Gaia stood a short distance away from the group. She was very tall, taller than Stilts. Her soft glow bathed the entire group in light. She radiated a certain power, but her presence was still very calming.

“You have both served me well. Kyklos, pliris. Stilts and Ripper both reacted to their names in turn. They were ancient names. The names that Gaia gave them. “Through your efforts this planets restoration has been set into motion and for that I thank you.” Gaia turned away from the group again, looking upward as she paced about. “But for the two of you there is no time for rest. You have proven yourselves to be my most powerful guardians. You are beyond my control now. All I can do is assist you in any way possible, and you will have my assistance. The planet is still in danger. My powers are not omniscient. But I have seen more of the aliens, the creatures you fought before. They are coming for earth, and they are more powerful. We have some time to prepare. I can only hope it is enough.” Gaia turned back to the group. Her face was almost expectant; she was waiting for someone to speak.

Athen stepped forward, “Do you promise to me that you will never return Stilts or Ripper while they are still under your power?" Gaia drew her hand up to her mouth and softly laughed. “As I said they are beyond my control now. Their connection to the earth, and its people, and even to me is too powerful. They are too important to be sealed away. So yes, I promise you that Stilts and Ripper will remain free. That’s why I called you here.” Gaia stopped again this time Ripper picked up. “So…We’re free…That’s it…We stay awake this time?” “You are free. You will be awake forever. You decide who you want to be, and what you want to do. You are my guardians, but more importantly you are yourselves now.” Stilts stepped into the conversation. “You said we’re still in trouble. So what do we do now?” “Again, my powers are limited. You know everything that I know. It’s up to you to decide what you’ll do.” “What if we’re wrong? What if we don’t do the right thing?” “Then everyone will suffer, this entire planet and every living thing on it. That is the responsibility that comes with your freedom.”

Athen looked at Stilts, then back to Gaia, “and free they must remain. I will accept your claims, but we both know that you have far more power then you let on to. There was a reason this place was built, it was an investment in you. Just as a test now lies before your agents, now too does a test stand to prove your mettle. Nothing happens without a reason, and this attack was not unprovoked. I really hope you are willing to aid as with your whole strength, or you will be the one that perishes at the hand of this dark monster. If you have any allies you may call upon, you should do so now; this may be the last time you have the chance to."

A sly smile crept across Gaia’s face. I am gathering every bit of power, every ally, ever bit of aid that I can for this fight. When the battle starts everything will be ready, and I’ll give you every bit of my power to fight with. I cannot say that those dark monsters won’t claim me, but I can say they won’t claim me without a fight. I could only hope that you will offer up your power as willingly. “ Gaia walked behind one of the Pilliars throughout the room and was gone. Her glow clang to the walls for a moment, but soon faded.

Seren remarked," she is as wonderful as the legends say, it really is a shame that we have no similar entity . . ." she trailed off. "We have Belig Aimar," Serveth offered," our great defender!" "That's not the same. Gaia was crafted by a god, while Belig Aimar is our creation . . ."

There was silence for a while, before Athen spoke up," Our allies should include you, the Elves. To the south lies the stronghold of this movement, a painfully obvious metal spire. If you wish to survive, you should aid us in preparation for defence." Serveth remained motionless. "Stilts, you may do what you wish now. You have freedom, but as for me, I shall stay here and begin to reclaim my past."

Stilts turned toward the path out of the library. “Dwell on the past all you’d like, but if you don’t help us now, and protect your future all that knowledge, everything that’s happened before very well may die meaninglessly with the rest of us. If you think your past will help us stay here, but otherwise I urge you to do what you can to help.” Stilt’s words held no anger. The tone was not harsh or dissonant. He spoke calmly, and with a certain hope. Ripper turned to follow Stilts. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ ‘We needAthen. He’s always been there, as our leader.’ Ripper stopped next to Serveth. “We really do need all the help we can get. Could you at least talk to your people, and see if they’d be willing to help?” Ripping continued on toward the exit.

Athen met Stilts' eyes," my past may be the only thing that can save us now. I must know more about how I work; the potential there is too great for me to ignoor . . ." Contemplation flashed on Stilt’s face for a moment. ‘He’s right.’ Seren picked up after that. "I will go and speak to our people, but they will most likely do what we command them to. I am Seren and he is Serveth, and we are Chosen, the destined leaders of our race." “It was an interesting meeting, Stilts, and I hope we have enough time to enjoy each other's company," Serveth spoke cordially as he followed after Ripper, Seren trailing behind.

This time Stilts spoke over his shoulder. “We are allies with nearly identical goals. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” Stilts stopped and turned. He looked around the forest, his eyes marking trees, and elves equally. “this forest, your people, all of it is amazing to me. We’ll meet again. Even if it’s only for me to ask questions we’ll meet again.” Stilts turned back toward the giant spire in the distance. “You know where we are. I hope to see your people working with ours sometime soon.” Stilts and Ripper continued out of the forest toward the spire in the distance. ‘Is this entire thing okay? Us being free, Athen staying behind?’ ‘We have to believe it is, and if it isn’t we’ll make it right.’