Ursali

"Mhm. Yes, we all be, fine." Alriana echoed his statement as she settled into her stance, ready to launch as soon as the catapult was clear. They'd handled everything so far, this was but the final step of their journey. This time wouldn't be different, everyone was going to give it their all to make sure of that. "Thank you, Tristan. Warn me if it happens. Don't want to lose control again..." Especially not so close to the end with so much at stake. "Will try to control it, if it happens..." Would she be able to? She really needed to be able to if push came to shove, but it wasn't as though she had had time to practice. A trail by fire then, as it always had been. "Shark, launching!" Came her battle cry over the open channel as the Almydis launched out onto the battlefield. Though the sight of the snow and scenery was something to be admired, now wasn't the time, Alriana quick to take cover in the forest and give her suit's camouflage time to activate. Deploy on 14,19.

So repairs were off the table then. At least until she could get her claws on whatever metal Requiem was made of, the orc hadn't specified. "I don't even know what this thing's made of. How am I supposed to bring you the material you need, if I don't know that?" Had she assumed that Xalrei had known? If she thought Requiem was hers, which it rightfully was, then that was probably what had happened. "Would you know where I could start looking for whatever metal you need? Like, people to ask or something like that? And," now for the most important question, "how much would it even cost?" Though she had a decent chunk of change she'd managed to build up by herself, the way the woman was talking left Xalrei feeling like it wouldn't be anything close to cheap. Maybe she could try to get more money out of Laselia or Lavinia if it came to it, Requiem was one of Vaia's relics after all...

As Bladen inquired about his blade--where he'd gotten such a vicious looking weapon the dragon had no idea--Xalrei looked around the shop waiting for her turn. Schematics everywhere, but no weapons, though it was a modification service after all. Not a weapon shop. The owner had plenty ideas at the very least, Xalrei drawn to the gauntlet design that she'd just set down to deal with Bladen. It was more due to the intricate design than anything else, though ever since the dragon had seen Taiyute fight she'd gained a passing interest in the martial arts. Looking up as the orc gave Balden his options, she caught the glance at Requiem. Could she actually do something to the cursed blade? Pulling Requiem off her belt, careful to keep her thoughts peaceful lest it wake up, Xalrei placed the cursed blade on the counter once Bladen was done. "I was wondering if you could repair this at all? It already kinda did that itself, but maybe you could speed that up, or something? Not sure if it can be modified..." Requiem had the orc's interest, in the very least. Whether she had the skillset to work on the blade would soon be answered. "Oh and, can I ask you who those gauntlets are for? They look really neat."

"The forge, huh? I was actually thinking of going there too, to see if they could fix Requiem. It already did that by itself two weeks ago when we were in the forest, so maybe it won't be as hard now." Or as expensive... While Xalrei wasn't new to the idea of her own money, Ralsvelgr had made sure she worked for her more extravagant purchases, the young dragon still had little idea on appropriate price points for something like this. Would Bladen have a better idea? Wasn't he kinda sheltered too? "We can go to the weapon shop after too, if you want. Just because I have Requiem, doesn't mean I don't use other weapons, as much as it doesn't like me doing that. Being prepared is more important that" Following after her feathered friend, Xalrei still couldn't help but wonder if Asami had let something slip, no matter how unlikely that was. There was no way for her to really get that information out of Bladen, anyway. Not without making him suspicious. As Bladen lead them through the crowd they eventually arrived at the forge, Xalrei entering without any fanfare and holding the door open for Bladen to follow in after.

There hadn't been anytime for the mechanics to do anything aside from repair the Almydis, especially with her late arrival. Any hope at gleaning information about the hidden system inside the machine would have to wait until this battle was over. Alriana would just have to take care not to lose control of herself; as long as Aliza and the Riese were fine it probably wouldn't be an issue... "I will be fine, Tristan." Alriana assured the human, rising from the seat she'd made of her tail. "This is the last fight, yes?" Of this scale, hopefully. "I will not, let myself die here, after what I have managed to do..." No matter what it took, she would live. And so would everyone else important to her.

Though she didn't have the best view, Xalrei could still see some of the damage Ithraxl had inflicted on the fortress city. Her fists clenched, a glare settling on her features. Who does this bastard think he is, doing this to Vaia when... Hearing Bladen addressing her, she turned to face the fallen, mind quieting for the moment. Truthfully, she had felt a bit awkward around him ever since she'd stoned Asami; it was no secret he and the fox were at least a little close to each other. She hadn't necessarily avoided him, but she hadn't initiated any conversations with him either. He still seemed amiable, maybe he hadn't picked up on her being distant with everything that had been going on? Asami likely wouldn't have told him what happened, if her identity was such a big secret... "Yeah, sure, I don't see why not. Was probably just gonna wander aimlessly otherwise." She answered as she stood and streched, her sleeping muscles forced back awake. She had no reason to turn him down; if anything she ought to accept, he was one of the few who agreed with her misgivings on trusting the Hero. Climbing out of the wagon, dismounting with a jump and single flap of her wings to ease her landing, she turned toward her feathered friend. "Did you have anywhere you wanted to go in mind? Or did you just wanna look around first?"

For once Xalrei had been in the wagon, rather than out scouting; though, that was mostly for the fact that approaching Tepel by her lonesome, with her unmarked armor and no (known) importance, was a fast tract to getting imprisoned, if not killed. As the wagon came to a stop, Xalrei peeked out to see the cause, her gaze first falling on the battered state of Tepel's walls and then to the approaching guards. Seeing Marina get out, and approach the forming mix of their group and the guards, the dragonewt's choice was made for her. Resettling herself, she laid her head back against the canvas of the wagon. She'd stretch her wings once they were inside the walls, when there was more to do than just walk and talk.

"Wait, so it's like you're from a whole different world?" That was a bombshell if any to drop on the dragonewt. A whole different plane full of people like Taiyute, and things different but similar to Taiyute. It was hard to wrap her mind around, but, the woman in front of her was just as real as she was. As was her manipulation of the air around them, Xalrei watching her display. Her curiosity was kindled, a host of questions spilling out of the dragonewt before Taiyute could even answer the first. "What do genies look like? Are they like you but more, uh air-like? And are there more than just one plane, like one for fire, or ice...?" As her questions slowed, Xalrei realized her slip of self control, a blush adorned her face as her usual demeanor returned. "Uh, s-sorry about that. You don't have to answer all that, if you don't want to. I know I asked a lot..."

"You didn't need to apologize... For either of those things." Xalrei let out a tiny huff rather than flush further, her arms crossed. Taiyute's compliments were different from Nessraya's, no hidden teasing undertone to them, so the dragonewt had a harder time brushing them off; not that Nessraya's had fallen completely flat, just that Taiyute was being unabashedly genuine and not trying to get her into bed. Or if she was, Xalrei wasn't picking up on it. "Th-Thanks, I guess... I don't get compliments much." At least, not the ones she was fishing for, nor from who she wanted to hear them from. "Anyway," she began, directing the conversation back towards Taiyute, "what... Was that thing you did with your voice? Is that like, your original language? Where are you from that everything(?) sounds like that?" How what Taiyute had just done was comprehensible to anything was almost beyond what Xalrei was willing to believe, but in the past two weeks her mind had been opened a fair bit. One Week Prior... Their group was packing up, and it seemed time to move onwards towards their next campsite... Even if moods were heavy, they couldn't stay here. There was one who didn't seem all that interested in resting in the wagon, though. "You... Gathlain. Were you going to come with us?" The fairy had harsh worse for Marina, but had still assisted them in handling the undead. It was the right idea to extend an invitation to her. "I didn't intend to, no." Sollowy answered, more than ready to turn down such an invitation. "I don't even know where you're headed, for one. And for two, I have urgent business with the Demon King. Urgent enough that I can't afford to be slowed more than I already have been." Truthfully she probably should've left the forest to these people and hurried on her way, but what she'd seen had driven her into a fury. Now all that she could do was try to make up that lost time. "I'd be grateful if you could instead give me directions on the fastest route to Attisio, so that I might make up some lost time." "The Demon King? What business, exactly? I am her head knight... I am afraid that, while you may be a scion of Yggdrassil, I cannot let you leave without any indication as to the nature of your business." That was definitely suspicious, but Gathlains tended to be good natured protectors of the world. Their ties to Yggdrassil meant that it was rare for any of them to harbor any foul moods or evil intentions... Still... That, and they tended to be rather... Promiscuous. Almost as much as a succubus. Without her or Nessraya to protect her... Nothing weird would happen to Thesephine, right? "It's a matter that concerns Yggdrasil and the Great Trees, and I need-- Wait, her?" The Demon King's a girl? Why not just be a Lord, then? Even now, with nearly a year spent trying to suppress it, her whimsical nature managed to rise to the surface, over the silliest of things. Shaking her head, Sollowy refocused herself on the conversation. "Er, regardless, I need the Demon King's help to resolve this issue. And to secure that help I need to meet with her directly." "Hhhh... I see..." Yggdrassil's personal business, was it? "... Leave with us and then take the road the opposite way we depart. Once you reach a small town called Aensbrook, it's a straight shot to Castle Attisio. I... Cannot say that I completely trust you, but you are but one Gathlain. Should you intend something fowl, you will be put to the sword... I pray you understand that, fairy." Hopefully the message got itself across. How very troublesome... "Mhm." Sollowy nodded along with the directions Lavinia had given to her, mentally repeating them in her head to memorize them. About to thank her for the simple, but presumably valid, directions Sollowy's gratitude caught in her throat. Such an insinuation was uncalled for, regardless of the stereotypes associated with Gathlains. "I've got too much to worry about for myself than to be planning whatever your imagination has conjured up," she answered with a huff before floating away from the vampire, more eager than ever for the group to get back on the road. "Not even a thanks... Flighty little creatures." Lavinia huffed and let her fly away without another word of worry. Things would be handled by the knights on staff, or even Thesephine herself, were it to come to that.

"So you understand, then." Though her smile remained small, Xalrei's eyes lit up --No, not in the bad way--- with Taiyute's understanding and reassurance. It was nice to have someone who agreed with her on the topic at hand, as well as her reasoning behind it. Though likely her fault for interacting with so little of their group, of which two in this smaller group were humans, Xalrei had only really achieved that feat with Bladen; knowing that hadn't been a one off was a nice feeling. Although Xalrei was determined to brush it off the mispronunciation of her name, she'd been called much worse at the Academy, the dragonewt couldn't help but wince as 'Xarlei' tumbled out of Taiyute's mouth. "Er, it's 'Xalrei'", she corrected, then added, "I suppose my name isn't really 'normal', either." Tundyssa isn't any better, either... "Wh-What...?" Xalrei stuttered out as a blush spread across her face, not having expected to receive a compliment like that from her first conversation with Taiyute. "I, It's not really anything special..."

Taiyute. Xalrei repeated to herself, making a mental note of her proper name and it's pronunciation. As the genasi flew through her words, Xalrei let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that Taiyute wasn't mad about her flubbing her name. She sure could talk fast, though. If she hand't been ready to pay attention, the dragonewt probably would've gotten lost somewhere along the way. Thankfully, if only to not come off as terribly rude, that hadn't happened. "I think I got the gist of it. You're kinda like the wind, yeah? Always moving around and stuff." That wasn't to say Taiyute was whimsical or fickle... Hopefully it wouldn't be taken as such. "And yeah, I do. A lot, actually. It's really... Liberating, just being up in the sky. You don't have to think about things, either. Just go with the wind, or fight it if you really feel like it. Not everyone can fly, so it's also good for being left alone. And..." Xalrei cut herself off, realizing she'd been rambling right back at the genasi. "Look, now I'm doing it." A tiny chuckle escaped her lips, mouth curving into the smallest smile. "Is there something you like so much you can just talk about it nonstop?"

The week had somehow passed without incident from the dragonewt. It was hard, to keep everything she felt bottled up even more now. But, she'd promised Laselia she'd keep her mouth shut until she could meet Thesephine. Even still, it was hard to do that considering who humans traveling with them were. Now that she knew the truth, Xalrei couldn't look at the Hero --Gods forbid it was her helper...-- without a scowl settling onto her face as her hate welled up inside her and threatened to burst forth in some sort of crazy outburst. Her eyes hadn't flared up at them, at least. To prevent her hate from consuming her, Xalrei had tried to put as much distance between herself and the Hero as possible. The dragonewt had started to fly ahead to scout whenever she was able; without her armor on, Xalrei could actually fly for hours if she needed, or wanted, to. And, right now, she most certainly did. Flying was a welcome relief from the stuffy wagon anyway; though, with Marina holing herself up in the wagon, that was probably a given. The more important item of note, was Xalrei managing to find some enjoyment in her scouting, the feeling of the wind rushing by her never got old. Unfortunately, that would eventually come to end when camp was made, as it was now. As Xalrei descended into camp, she couldn't help but notice the pacing genasi. She hadn't interacted with her at all? Maybe? It had been a week since she'd joined their group, and Xalrei had no strong memory of her, so she' probably hadn't. Landing a decent distance away from the wind elemental(?). "Hey, uh..." Wait, did she even know her name? She'd introduced herself, right? Tai, tai, taiyoot? "Tai," she decided on. Something, on your mind? You're pacing a whole lot."

"Yes, it must've been. We take potential disasters like this very seriously." It wasn't actually as bad as you think. At least, not compared to everything else going on right now... Sollowy kept the truth to herself; the succubus was welcome to believe what she wanted. Especially if it wasn't the truth. She still didn't know who these people were actually. Probably not a band of mercenaries, even though they had the variety to be a proper band of such misfits. They lacked a clear leader and, from the shouting and bickering that was going on all around her, that she may have had a hand in starting, they did not appear to be all that close-knit either. The black-winged one, her only ally in this argument --although she had wanted the wraith dead for different reasons-- had thrown out the word Hero... Was the blue-haired girl the one responsible for the mess Vaia found itself in? But then why in Yggdrasil's name was her head not on a spike? Whatever the reason was, it wasn't that important. While Morwen had made a scene out of her passing, Sollowy wasn't that bothered by it. Whatever the wraith had done to the zombie was of no concern of hers as long as she was gone for good. Cold? Yes, but she wasn't here to make friends. She could probably get some information out of them if she played her cards right. For example, the fastest route to the Demon King's castle... That thought was put on hold rather suddenly, one of the group finally having had enough of their squabbling. Perhaps she was their true leader, the Hero merely along for the ride for one reason or another? That was who she'd need to talk to if she wanted to further her own goals. She'd caught the woman's gaze directed at her once she suggested returning to their wagon. So now I'm a part of your merry little band? Not for long if I can help it... She gave the cloaked woman a nod. For now she'd head back with them. Gaze lifted back up to Laselia, Xalrei stared hard at her mother, beginning to sniffle. She couldn't help but feel completely overwhelmed by the life changing information that had been dropped on her head, even with her mother so close by and trying to offer comfort. She felt so powerless, so frustrated, only being able to listen as her life was explained to her. Without the energy to channel said frustrations into some form of aggression, she was on the verge of tears, only barely managing to hold the flood back. Thankfully, she was able to find the comfort and reassurance she'd been seeking with the questions she'd vocalized to Laselia. The reaffirmation that regardless of the name she wore, she was still herself, deep down inside. Whether that was Xalrei or Tundyssa didn't matter. She wanted to believe that nothing could change that. Likewise, she was still Ralsvelgr's daughter, much as he was her father. Whether it was by blood or no, he was still her family. Family that she had more of, Laselia telling her to focus in on that. She had a sister. Thesephine, the current Demon King, was that sister. It hard to come to terms with it, even being told the second time. She was the Demon King's little sister, in line for the throne of Vaia. Perhaps that was what she could strive for? To be a proper princess of Vaia despite her more than long absence? Could that be her reason to keep going? Would that do right by everyone who had put their faith in her? In the very least it was a direction she could walk in. However, this 'positive' came with equal parts negative and unpleasant. Her parent's had been slain by the Hero! Not some random faceless humans, but the Hero! And now it had happened again! Marina and her soldiers had slaughtered her people, destroyed her country, all in an attempt to kill her sister! To finish what the previous Hero started! Xalrei shook, hatred building and bubbling but still not able to manifest in it's usual manner. Instead, Xalrei burst into tears at Laselia's touch, wrapping her arms around the Naga and burying her face in her chest, finally overwhelmed by the storm of emotions within her. She stayed like for a while, crying out her emotions until she couldn't cry anymore. Sniffling, she raised her head to address her mother. "I... I Understand. I won't tell anyone..." She still had more questions, of course she did, but, even if Laselia would have answered them, Xalrei was no longer in the mood to ask them. Waiting, was a good idea for more than just Laselia's reasons. "And," she wiped at her face with her arm, trying to remove her stray tears. "I-I do, still love him, and care about, y-you..."

As Laselia came into sight, Xalrei grit her teeth, clenched her fists, and glared daggers at her mother figure; the dragonewt was on the verge of another explosion of anger. Silence fell over the pair as Xalrei processed her words. She's not denying it. It's true. It's all true... As she continued to stare at the Naga, Xalrei's features slowly began to soften. Her glare lessened to a stare, her teeth unclenched, and she unballed her fists. She didn't want another fight with Laselia. She didn't want to be left alone with the doubts Asami's words had brought to her head. Eyes cast on the ground, Xalrei finally spoke. "Why didn't anyone tell me? Tell me who I was...?" Her tone wasn't accusatory, or even aggressive. Just confused, vulnerable, and tired. "Who am I, Laselia? I thought I was Xalrei Idreis, daughter of Ralsvelgr, but I wasn't even right about that. Father isn't even my real father... I didn't get to meet him either." Try as she might, Xalrei couldn't even find it in herself to get mad and curse the humans for taking yet another thing from her. Not right now. "How am I supposed to be strong if I don't even know who I am?"

With the shock from the current situation, Asami's info bomb on top of it all stunned Xalrei into silence. At least, long enough for the fox to finish her rant and begin to move past her. "You're lying! That can't be true!" Was the dragonewt's immediate cry. "Why would they lie to me all these years!? Why not just tell me!? My father wouldn't do that!" Although she was screaming her denial at the fox, Xalrei was making no move to impede her retreat. Deny it as she might, Asami's words had shaken Xalrei to her core. The truth, as much as she didn't want to believe it, was right in front of her. No full-blooded dragon could turn someone to stone with nothing other than their own power. Was everything she knew just a lie, then!? If Ralsvelgr wasn't really her father then who even was he? Some dragon who'd taken her in after the previous hero slaughtered her family? But then why did he care so much? Xalrei had come for answers and was being left with more questions. Growling, Xalrei turned away from Asami, stomping deeper into the forest. The kitsune had been spared from the coming storm, even if she hadn't gotten away entirely unscathed. "Laselia! I know you're watching! Come out!" Xalrei demanded, scanning the trees for any sign of the Naga.

"What the fuck did you just say to me!?" If Xalrei wasn't so enraged by what she'd just heard she'd have been stunned. Instead, she was hot on Asami's heels and then quickly in front of her again. This time the fox was not free from her grasp, Xalrei roughly grabbing her kimono and hoisting Asami up to eye level. "You have one fucking second to take back what you just said! Or I'll... I'll...!" Xalrei didn't know what she was going to do to the fox, didn't have any real plan either, but she was angry enough that it didn't matter. For, unbeknownst to Xalrei, what she was going to do to Asami was already in motion. As soon as she'd grabbed the kitsune, Xalrei's eyes had begun to glow. Vivid pink 'flames' emerged from her eyes and slowly spread across Xalrei's face as she continued to glare death the captive kitsune. Asami seemed to have realized what was happening, her arm raised in between her and Xalrei's faces. Unfortunately that only seemed to have stoked the flames, Xalrei growling out more demands. "Look at me when I'm talking to yo--" However, before the dragonewt could even finish, the building flames flashed and Asami's arm-- Xalrei blinked, unwilling to believe what she'd just seen. Asami's arm had been... No, how could that have... Only grim reality awaited her when she opened her eyes again. Asami's arm had been turned to stone. She rapidly glanced between the fox and her arm, doubt and panic racing through her mind. How!? I'm a dragon, dammit. I can't do that! A desperate, accusatory cry escaped her lips. "What the fuck did you do to me!?"

She'd deflected instead of answering... So she does know something... As she turned to leave again Xalrei wasn't letting her go that easily, still not done yet. Rather than grab her again and risk a disappearing act, she followed after her, keeping pace along side her. "If all I'm good for is keeping my father from rampaging then maybe I'd rather be dead!" She answered with an indignant huff. First Lavinia, then Laselia, now Asami... All of them had said the same thing nearly word for word. She was getting sick of hearing it! Already riled up again, something about the way Asami phrased her comment rubbed Xalrei the wrong way. With a quick step, Xalrei was in front of the fox, a snarl on her lips as she glared down at Asami. By some miracle she hadn't grabbed at her yet. "Laselia is my mother. My mom is dead. I didn't even get to meet her! But I bet you knew that, too! Who the Hel do you think you are!?"

That was the answer Xalrei had expected from the fox. The answer that she didn't believe in the slightest. It was too much of a coincidence that Asami would have randomly been out there the night she had made her biggest mistake to date. One that somehow someone else must've known about, if she'd been attacked. Crossing her arms, she gave Asami an appraising look. "No, I'm not. No one knew what I was going to do, or where I'd go exactly. Not even Laselia. You have to had known something if you were out there when the Hero was so close to the Demon King..."

"Yes, you do!" Xalrei growled at Asami as the flippant fox passed her by, a full glare on her face. Before Xalrei had even thought about what she was doing, her claw had reached out and harshly grabbed Asami by the shoulder. She wasn't going to let the fox slip away, especially not with an exit like that! Asami would tell her what she wanted know, or-- Or what? Xalrei suddenly paused as she heard what she was starting to say. Struck by the realization, her grip on Asami loosened a bit. Since when has getting mad and acting impulsively worked out, huh? You're in this mess because of it, you almost lost Laselia because of it... Think. How is this going to work out? After a moment, Xalrei completely released Asami from her grip. She had come to the conclusion that Asami would get pissed, and poof away. And probably refuse to tell her anything on principle well after the fact. Swallowing her pride, she bowed her head to the fox. "I... I'm sorry. Can we just, start this over, please? I just want to know why you were there to save me. How did you know where I'd be, or that I'd need help? I'm Zreiya's problem, not Vaia's..."

Xalrei resisted the urge to answer Taliyah as she called after her, continuing on by her lonesome. She didn't hear any footsteps running towards her, which was good. Friend as she was, this wasn't something Xalrei wanted Taliyah to be with her for; this whole issue was a little too personal for that. Asami would probably find a way to deflect attention onto the lizardgirl when it mattered most, too. It was better that she handled this alone. Then maybe she'd let herself open up around the others more... Stalking her way back through the forest, the dragoness had plenty of time to reflect on her most recent actions. Namely, how she'd dealt with a certain human. As much as it pained her to admit, Agni had pulled his fair share of weight; even if he had to steal Requiem to do it. She, should probably, at least, acknowledge that, maybe... Sighing, she shook her head. Even admitting it to herself was difficult; saying it to Agni's face wouldn't be any easier. Especially if he's got a dumb smirk on his face... Another head shake. This was something to focus on later for sure. After the fox. After she had her answers. Said fox was finally in sight now, too. With, someone Xalrei had never seen before? Approaching the duo, Xalrei couldn't help but feel almost like a bandit accosting travelers with the way she was moving through the trees. Stepping out in front of her theoretical targets, Xalrei did her best to look tall and give off a vaguely confident aura, a slight scowl evident on her face. With Asami she had the tall part down pat, at least. The only problem was the everything else. She hadn't expected a tag-along, and what she'd told herself she was going to say had flown right out of her head now that she was in the moment and there was an extra variable. "...You're going to tell me what you know about me, Asami." Was the the demand that came out of her mouth after a slight pause.

"As long as you're sure it's fine..." Xalrei trailed off, retrieving her claw to fold her arms across her chest. Try as she might, she couldn't get over what Laselia had told her last night; the sight of the undead dragons hadn't done her any favors on that front. Asami had been there on that fateful night, had helped her escape with her life still intact. How had she known about it? It couldn't have been happenstance, not with this fox. If even Laselia hadn't been there to help her, Asami clearly had some knowledge that the Naga didn't. If Xalrei was ever to face the ugly side of herself, to prove to Laselia that she had the strength to continue, she needed to know whatever it was the fox knew. "You can if you want, Taliyah. I, need to do something." Xalrei claimed, giving Taliyah a nudge towards the group as she moved passed her. As far as Xalrei was concerned, the wraith was taken care of. Dead, dying, it made little difference. If anything, it was all the more excuse for her to slip away. With everyone occupied by the wraith, there'd be no one left to interrupt her and give Asami an easy out. With a glance back at Taliyah, and a somewhat forced reassuring nod, Xalrei began retracing her steps through the forest in search of the fox. Mom.

"Who knows what she's capable of if she was able to call upon those dragons!" Sollowy immediately shot back at the... Wait, what actually was he? Whatever, not important. Floating up to his height she glared at Ren, barely restraining herself from poking a finger into his chest. "First, I'm not some random elf! I'm a Gathlain, an envoy of Yggdrasil! An embodiement of her will!" To a certain degree... "And call me whatever you want. If she hadn't been stopped, this entire forest would be dead. Do you even know... No, of course you don't." He hadn't even known what a Gathlain was, there was no way he'd understand the damage this wraith had almost wrought. Damage that couldn't be afforded. Rather than continue with the humans and whatever Ren was, they were clearly going to honor the wraith's wishes regardless of how she felt about, Sollowy turned towards the other party addressing her: Nessraya. "I'm Sollowy Yggdrasil. And I can only assume I'm here for the same reason you are. To stop the source of this ghastly fog. It's only natural to expect a Gathlain to show up when nature's threatened like this."

Putting Things to Rest

"Well I'm glad you gave it to me, then. Cerberus aren't something you want to mess with, if possible." The fact she's handled one in a single blow couldn't have been anything aside from luck, even if she'd been wielding Requiem at the time. "Also, sorry for not paying attention to you, back there." Sighing, then smiling she raised her claw to Taliyah's head, patting her ruffling her hair. "She'll be fine... I think. She's a vampire, right? She has to know that the sun's coming back out..." She, she would be fine right? Surely she was just going for dramatics and would pull out some cover at the last second or something...? "And just why should we do that!?" Sollowy had been watching Marina ever since the human, well, humans once Agni had appeared, had approached the wraith, at first out of caution, believing the wraith might be about to pull something. As the girl continued to speak to the defeated wraith however, and the wraith showed no sighs of a sudden reversal, she'd slowly drifted closer, finally into listening range. What were these humans thinking, listening to the wraith!? "Think about what would have happened if your group hadn't showed up! Not just to the people, but to the forest here too!" She yelled at the pair of humans, almost not believing her ears. The mist that had filled the area was now dissipating, likely due to the wraith's defeat, but if it hadn't the forest would've been dead and barren before long; that was inexcusable to one of Yggdrasil's agents.

Xalrei wrenched Requiem out of the felled dragon, flicking the pieces of gore off the weapon while it was still a spear. She sighed as she clamored off the dragon, returning the weapon to her belt, waiting for it to transform back to its dormant state before doing anything else. There. You got a big meal, so don't complain to me about not using you. It was a shame she hadn't been able to feed that damn wraith Requiem as well, but Nessraya had handily taken care of her with that spell. Maybe she should thank her for that... With the dragons returned to their slumber and Morwen dead (or at least the dragonewt thought her to be; she wasn't an expert on the undead) Xalrei's rage slowly reduced to her usual hotheaded simmer, her adrenaline waning as well. As Taliyah bounded over and called her name, and not Agni's to her small delight, she took a step towards her friend and nearly fell to the ground, just barely managing to catch herself. Even with Requiem partially repairing itself mid-battle, the demon blade had still been just as eager to eat at her life force all the same; adding the foul magic she'd been taking on ever since they stepped foot into this part of the forest on top of her Requiem fatigue and she really was not feeling 'alright'. "I'm... I'll be fine, Taliyah." She replied, resisting the urge to clutch at her head; she didn't want Taliyah to worry over this. She had headache, most certainly, but she wasn't in the mood to care if it was from jostling herself to kill the dragon or having taken in too much 'bad' magic. "But, what did you mean, 'It's gone'? Was something after you?"