The Dark Tower

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Rhysis

Rhysis

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Things had been so boring as of late. His lady still slept. That utterly annoying sleep had prevented him from doing several things, and he was growing tired of it. He was also growing restless. He stared out the window at the heavy colorless fog. A sly smirk crossed his face as he reminisced to himself.

There have been many great creations to assault this wretched land. False kings, otherworldly apparitions, clockwork monsters, and so many other spectacularly destructive forces have all plagued this place. But would it just give up and die? NO of course not! That would be too blasted simple. It would be far more entertaining if we DENY the destruction of Ayenee. No instead we want to save our precious little plot of land floating in this abyss of nothingness as if it actually MATTERS!"

Maul faded out and reappeared atop one of the many bookshelves inside the tower. Being located at the very heart of The Grey was quite entertaining for the Great Cat. He enjoyed feeling the flow of the oppressive force that now covered the majority of this world he so despised.

"But this...this is a true work of genius. Life stealing, hope denying, color erasing, mind clouding, self perpetuating mist. I love it like a Mendalian hound loves dissolving the bones out of it's prey."

He vanished, again, and reappeared at the very edge of the window sill. He would do the same thing he had done for quite some time now. He would watch, and he would think. There had to be a way for his lady to awaken, and he must find it.
 
Swish's mind travels passed near the Dark Tower, there she felt Mauls life force. With a startled but nearly silent gasp, Swish turned away and quickly returned to her form. She only hoped she had moved fast enough that he had not felt her.
 
That sensation...that disgustingly familiar sensation. Maul hadn't be paying attention. Could he really be certain he'd felt it. It was entirely possible it had just been his imagination. He had, after all, been stuck in this tower, effectively by himself, for quite some time now. And given how much he utterly despised his litter mates, it wouldn't be unfathomable that in the process of stewing in his own hatred of this realm and everything it represented, that a feeling of the presence of one of them came to him in phantom form.

Nevertheless, he couldn't be sure. Oh if Lady Dark were awake...then he would know what he'd felt. Then he would know everything. But again, the wretched forces that worked against him had denied him the companionship of Lady Dark.

"If only my healing abilities were greater." He sulked to himself. "Then we would see what would happen."

Maul hated knowing that Lady Light was up and well, while Lady Dark lie there sleeping. He huffed and moved over to her. "Still..."

He made a decision at that moment. His healing capability, however limited it may be, was certainly better than doing nothing. He hadn't tried in quite some time, and he'd rested more than enough to regain his strength since the last attempt. Maybe...just maybe it would work this time. He'd thought he felt something on his last try, but it took so much out of him that he couldn't continue. Now, though, he had a point of reference to start from.

He'd show them. He would awaken Lady Dark and then they would truly know what misery was all about. With that pleasant thought, he hovered over Lady Dark and focused his energy. She had to awaken. She would awaken. He, the Great Cat Maul, would make sure of it.
 
Some where in all the blackness of this forced sleep, her mind floated, dreaming dreams that to others would be nightmares. All was as it had been for so very long, tell suddenly a speck of light swam in the distance, it was a hazy gray light, small and far away, but Lady Darkness's mind focused on this little pin prick, trying with all her mind to reach it, like a swimmer deep in the water, looks up and pushes to reach the surface...It was so very far away, but so long as the little light burned, she would try her best to reach it and perhaps break free....
 
Maul focused, and channeled, and strained. This was most definitely not his forte. Healing was something those pathetic worms who called themselves his siblings did. His abilities were limited, to say the least. Still, it was times like this, when that wretched feeling of healing power flowing out of him actually did something, that he was reminded of why he ever bothered to practice this ability in the first place.

In the midst of his struggles, he felt it. There was a flash. It was brief, but it was there. A flash of familiarity streaked in front of his mind's eye. He backtracked in his searching, and waited until he found that point of familiarity, again. When he did, he sent out tendrils of energy to try and lead his lady back.

"I am here, Lady. Of course, where else would I be? Come back. There is much that has happened."
 
The Grey was an foe to almost all, but not to her. To her the Gray was an allie, it helped loosen the magic that held her in the binds of deep slumber. She struggled to reach the dim light, then heard Mauls voice and doubled her efforts, tell her mind floated just under the magic binding. Her form was still stuck in the deep sleep, but her mind...Ahh her mind was awake, and though this meant nothing more then the fact that she could communicate with Maul, it was a step in the direction of freedom.

"Maul...My dearest friend...The binds are loosening! But the Gray has not eaten enough to full free me...You must be my eyes and ears for now..."
 
Maul nodded, though he knew she wouldn't be able to see him. He moved his mind back to his own body, now connected with hers. A devilish smile spread across his face. True, he hadn't been able to bring her fully back like he wanted. But this...this was certainly a step in the right direction. Her mind was where her true power lay. And now, her mind was open, awake, and alert.

He vanished and appeared on the window, again. He would rest, and he would watch. "Then your eyes and ears I shall be." That terribly knowing grin stayed on his face. Her mind was awake, and when his strength was replenished, he would be able to reach out beyond the confines of this tower. He could help the Gray consume more. If even one place that held old magic could be taken, that would be enough. One place...

One place...
 
She sighed, a sound she heard only in her mind, then relaxed, floating in the darkness, thinking, planning...Soon, perhaps sooner then she thought, she would be free! Tell then she had Maul, his mind and heart so closely attuned to her own. The Gray would not be driven back unless there where enough sparks of old magik, and only if those sparks gathered in one place...And how likely could that be? Not very, for almost all had vanished even before the do-gooders had trapped her in this dark sleep, in this tall tower, and the mistake they made? The tower was in the middle of the Gray...Good for her, stupid of them!When Maul was no longer tired she would ask him to find his siblings and her own sister, to see what pathetic plan they had in store....
 
As the power gradually returned to him, he rested, and let his mind stew on the events that caused him and his lady to be trapped here. It wouldn't take all that long. He didn't have to search for the starting point in the healing he'd done with his lady, so it didn't take a lot out of him to heal what amount he'd done.

As his energy fully recharged, he took a deep breath and looked over to the still sleeping form of his dear friend. He disappeared and showed up lying on her torso. Placing his paw on her chest, more out of comfort than anything else, he spoke to her mind. He was fairly certain he knew what she would want him to do, but he'd had the opportunity to do a lot of thinking in his seclusion here, and something had been picking at him for some time now."I was curious, Milady. With the history of humans and the Great Cats being what it is, there should be another human with a mark for my annoyingly neutral sister. Do you not have another sibling I should be searching for?"

With that, he went back to the window to begin looking for his brother and Lady Light. They would be the one the others would head to. A disgustingly bright source of light would be where he would go...if he were an idiot like them.
 
She heard Mauls voice and his question, she need not think to hard for the answer. She opened her mind to him and spoke, and ask she spoke she let the tale of the great cats once more be told in picture form.

"The third never had a another, he or she was always neutral and always alone. But there was a prophecy long ago told that a great battle of light and dark would come and with that coming the third would find it's other half. The meeting of these two would change forever the history of all....Why do you ask if I have another sibling dear one? You know we are only born in sets of two for my kind and sets of three for yours....
 
Maul almost shrugged. "I know, my lady. I have played the tale many times over. It was just a thought. No. That's not a right. A thought is something you think, not something you feel. You can't feel a thought. Or perhaps you can't think a feeling. Whatever the case, it came to my attention."

As he continued to search, he had another thought. "Surely it wouldn't be so simple. But then my brother never was very bright, except that he's disgustingly bright." Maul searched through the Gray until he found the tower that was bathed in light. Sure enough, right there, in a tower precisely opposite to the one Maul was currently in, were Chesh and Lady Light.

"And there they are...fools." Maul started looking around a bit more, to see just what would be going on. He knew anyone else that would try to fight off the Gray would seek out Lady Light and Chesh. He didn't even get the chance to find Nalya and the others, because he found Swish and company, first. A mobile ball of light was difficult to miss. Not only was the shared link between the four different creatures pushing back a small part of the Gray, but the holy weapon held by the monsterous dragon added to it. Maul pulled his mind back in an instant, truly alarmed at what he'd seen.



"Not good. Most certainly not good at all! My lady we must, and indeed, we have to, let the Gray consume more. These bonds must be broken!" He shared with her what he'd seen. Swish had been linked with the woman, who was bound by love to the otherworldy wolf, who was forever connected to the elder dragon, who wielded a powerful weapon of purity. Indeed, Maul hadn't even had time to consider the ranger or any other possible troublemakers. This group, this blasted troublesome group, they would mean business sooner or later. He vanished and reappeared in the exact same spot, displaying power for nobody purely out of frustration. Now he had to find a place where the Gray could consume some of the old magic, and he had to do it quickly.
 
She would have screamed in anger and frustration, but no one but Maul would have heard her and it would hurt his mind, no, she would never hurt nor allow hurt to befall Maul. Seething with anger she tried to speak calmly...

"The inky girl, what is she, what marks does she bare?...

She thought for a moment ...This could be worse then very bad....This linking...

"If so many gather closer, then there should be a place they came from now empty of light magik...They Gray could consume that place, yes?"
 
"The ink marks are covering the wolf, right now. I would have thought he was a threat, but the girl and Swish are both embracing him. The paw print remains. I do not know the girl or the other humanoid, but I recognize the dragon. He is old. Older than any other living creature I've ever encountered. Last time I met him was before we were joined. He helped me then, but it was a time when the light was overwhelming everything. He's as neutral as Swish, if not moreso, and commands many powers. But his clan..." Maul grinned that famous devilish grin.

"Oh this is too perfect. His clan has been disbanded for centuries. Their homeland is one of the few remaining places the Gray has not consumed. If he is here, and he's going to fight the Gray that means..." Maul let his mind travel, again. This time, he went directly to the Crystal Valley. It was beyond huge. As the homeland of CryClad and the meeting place for all of the DracoClans, it spanned thousands of square miles between two gigantic mountain ranges that formed a nearly perfect circle.

As Maul's mind got to that place, the smile on his face grew even larger. When Fang had been there, he'd taken several of the relics that provided some of the protection for the valley. True, quite a bit of the old magic was still in place, and all the technology that was put there was still operational, but the Gray wasn't affected by technology. The large single home near the palace still had all the protection around it, but that took up very little space. The valley...the valley was the real prize, and now it was far less protected.

"I've found it, Lady. The Gray cannot penetrate the Crystal Valley alone, but thanks to that dragon, now with my help...one of the largest remaining places that has held off the Gray shall be overtaken. You, my dear lady, shall be fully awake once more."
 
Even though her body was in deep slumber, her brows furrowed together when he said paw print...It could not be, it was just an old fable, the matching of the third...Ridiculous!...Maybe the paw mark was just like the rest of the ink marks, maybe it was already there when the two met, if so, then it meant nothing, nothing at all...But if the mark formed when they met... Ooo that would be bad...Beyond bad...Lady Darkness turned her mind away from that dangerous trail of thought and concentrated on Mauls talk of the valley.

"Yesss, that will work, on the valley alone, o long as the Gray does not attempt to take the house...None should be the wiser of this plan, they will never know the valley is under siege!....You my beloved feline, shall get a belly rub to end all belly rubs as soon as my body is as awake as my mind!"
 
Oh a belly rub! How long had it been since she had been able to touch him? Sure he'd brushed up against her, laid his paw on her chest, and slept on her head...he was a cat after all, and then she wasn't able to object...but she had been unable to reciprocate. To actually get a belly rub would be positively glorious.

Maul's smile seemed unending as he concentrated intensely on the Crystal Valley. The weavings of protection were intricate, and as complex as anything he'd ever seen. He had to admit that he would never be able to design something so perfectly. One of the major differences between new magic and old magic, was that old magic covered everything it was cast on, whereas new magic only created a barrier around it. It was a multi-leveled weaving with countless thousands of strands, and because it had been put in place by such a huge variety of sources (another key difference between new and old magic) there were any possible number of traps laid in place for someone trying to navigate the weaves. But Maul wasn't trying to navigate the weaves. He was looking for broken strands. The actions the elder dragon had taken before leaving the valley had separated some very key pieces to the puzzle of the valley's protection from the confines of the spell that made them active. That left broken strands. True, the other protective strands would fill in any holes left behind, but the broken ones would still remain.

All Maul had to do was find those strands, remove them, and put a single strand of the magic that made up the Gray in their place. It took him longer than he expected. The spells were immensely complicated. Still, with patience, he found precisely what he was looking for. One single broken strand of protective magic lay splayed between several other strands. With expert precision, the Great Cat of darkness took hold of that strand, and began carefully removing it. As the back of the strand moved through other strands while it was pulled, Maul observed the timing of the other strands closing. It was nearly instantaneous...nearly. As he continued to remove the broken strand, he took a single, and even smaller, strand of the Gray. He tried to insert it once...failure. Twice, again the others took hold before he could insert it. Five times the process repeated itself, but Maul refused to give up.

Finally, on the sixth try, it worked. A lone strand of the Gray spell was inserted into the protective weaving over the Crystal Valley. Then, the spell did exactly what it had done to nearly the rest of Ayenee. It didn't negate the spell that was there. It didn't unbind the rest of the weaving. It consumed it. The protective weavings were eaten like a cancer sweeping over it's victim. From the depths of the lake to the top of the palace, everything within the valley, save one relatively small area, was overtaken. The manor on the clifftop overlooking the palace was now the last area of color, of life, and of hope in that entire corner of Ayenee. Maul and Lady Dark, by using the Gray, had taken a huge step forward.

Maul's disturbing smile continued to display itself on his now proud face, as he returned his mind to his body, and looked over at the prone form of his lady. "It is done, my lady."
 
"Ahh my sweet Maul, you make my dark heart beat with such pride! Soon...So soon I will be able to use the weakening to brake this sleep spell completely! I can already feel it working!!"

Though her body lay perfectly still, her facial muscles twitched once, twice..and then her lips formed a smile as she drew in a deep breath, feeling her ribs stretch as her lungs filled.

"Time will come when we will once more battle along side one another, and this time, O this time my dear feline, we have an allie who hates the light even more then us!"
 
Maul watched as the effects of what he'd managed to set into motion took place on Lady Dark's face. His body moved with hers as she took in that wonderfully deep breath. He smiled and curled up at her side to rest a bit himself as she awakened. He allowed her words to echo in his mind. He could feel the energy returning to her body. She had been out for a very long time. Now she was finally in the process of waking up.

"Those sad light warriors will be in for an amazing surprise. Oh the night cannot come fast enough."
 
She smiled both inwardly and outwardly at his words and murmured her agreement. Behind closed lids, senerios of revenge played out like movies, each one better then the last. Her fingers moved, though she did not at first notice the movement, until the sensation of soft fur sent tingles along her fingers and hand. Her body was awakening, slowly, but surely! She tested this by running her fingers through Maul's fur, the touch was slowly and a bit uncontrollable, but it would get better!

"So soon my little lov! We will once more be the Darkness that the light fears!"
 
Maul froze, eyes wide, ears laid back, teeth bared, fur standing on end, his breath drawn in raggedly...He felt a rush of power being drawn from him before he could even react. Lady Darkness felt a presence in the room, drawing from Maul. She snatched him up, cradling him in her arms and wove a spell around him to stop the draw of his energy.Maul laid limp in her arms, eyes still wide with shock but once more breathing normally. Her voice was filled with fury as she spat out her words.

"What are those damned siblings of yours doing!! What the hell is my sister doing!!"
 
The feline gasped for air. The draw was huge, and instantaneous. To say it had been unexpected would be an understatement. He slowly caught his breath, and recovered from the shock before he answered her questions...as much as he could anyway.

"That was far more power than even the three of them could take together. Someone else has to be helping them. We need to get moving. They are gathering quite a group from what I saw before."

Maul snarled into the distance. "It's time my 'dear siblings' get a chance to see their brother."
 
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