Archarus walks in with the steady, smooth stride characteristic of him these days, moving right through the clumps of off-duty soldiers, who quickly either get out of his way, or shoot looks of disgust, hatred, and a bevy of other emotions his way. However, it's like shooting spitballs at an elephant, and he simply walks through all the raw hostility towards a nearby officer, here to bring him a message.
Akayla is sitting by the bedside of a wounded Aldani female. The Aldani, Razi, is sleeping while Akayla gently changes her many bandages and cleans out some of the infected wounds. Her attention is focused on the job at hand. Her expression, suprisingly, is peacefull, rather than the intense glares she usually reserves for Aldani.
Archarus finishes giving the message... and spots something odd out of the corner of his eye, slowly turning his head in that direction, cold eyes burning with the dark, mechanical anger he constantly bares now. No flare occurs as he spots her... but a sense of purpose strike shine once again, and with surprising stealth, he walks up to behind her, reaching forward and lightly tapping her shoulder with a single claw.
Akayla jumps at the unexpected claw tap. So far, the Aldani warriors have decided just to leave her to tend to Razi. She whirls around, a small growl rumbling in her throat. o.O(If they're gonna bug me while I'm working, I'm just gonna have to tell them off.) "Now look here..." Her accusation trails off as recognition strikes home. "A.A.Archarus." she says, badly shaken. "W.w.what are you doing here?"
Archarus leans forward a bit, tongue flicking out a moment as he meets her gaze with the dead, harsh chill of his own,"Odd. I would say that question would be more along what I would be asking /you/... Priestess..."
Akayla flinches back from his glare, still quite unnerved. She scratches the back of her neck as she struggles to pull herself together. "I..uh..um...Oh sketi, Archarus.." She swears, shaking her head. "I guess this looks pretty wierd, hmm?" She's been under too much stress in the past few days, and her mind refuses to come up with an easy explaination.
Archarus suddenly seems to just /have/ one of his daggers in his hand, idly rotating it in his grip, appearing to examine the edge on it, then focusing on her only long enough to speak,"Quite 'wierd'. It's not often that Priestesses turn traitor to the cause. A pity. You were proving useful to us." His tone is so... montotonous, tone/less/ nowadays, it may even slip past you what exactly he said for a moment, as it has no special emphasis.
Akayla takes a step backwards and slightly sideways as his icy gaze hits her. Mentally, she backpedals too, trying to think up any way that she could talk her way out of this one. Spots the dagger as he finishes speaking, and she realizes that the situation is far past talking. "Archarus..No..What are you doing?" Her voice raises as panic sets in, still backing sideways, away from Razi's beside and into the open isle beside it.
Archarus steps easily around the bed, dagger now held firmly in his head, a dark purpose fairly radiating from both it and him,"You are filth, a virus. Or, rather, a carrier for the virus that is the Aldani. I am the cure. I will kill off the diseased cells of our peoples, and make us whole again. And then? Then we will kill your little pet black-spines."
Akayla continues backing away during his speech, though her mind is busily working on battle strategy. The same battle strategy taught to her by Archarus. That realization brings an unexpected bitter taste to her mouth, and she growls, low and loud. Her tail lashes. "Archarus, don't you see how you're the one they've killed? You used to care, love, hope. I used to love you. But you're already dead, aren't you?" While she was talking, her right hand grabbed a sheet off one of the nearby beds, trailing it behind her. Now, she twists her wrist, spinning the sheet into a thick, though clumsy whip, which she aims at him in an attempt to knock away the dagger.
Around the two Vehrakt, Aldani soldiers scramble out of the way, prefering to watch the two fight rather than getting caught in between the claws of two trained Vehrakt.
Archarus is caught a bit off guard by the tactic, the dagger going flying and *thwunk*ing into a nearby table. Archarus glances after it a moment, then shrugs a bit. He's 3 more where that came from, but he doesn't need them. He's confident he can kill her with his bare claws. However, it's the /hunt/ he practically lives for now, and thus he continues speaking, still slowly stalking her,"Care, love, and hope. If one had to name off the triad of weaknesses, they should come to you. You've laid it out nicely right there. The... 'Archarus' you refer to is indeed dead, and Viktiss be praised for it. He was a weak, pathetic fool."
Akayla's eyes widen as he seems not to react to that blow. o.O(Flames, it *is* like fighting a ghost..) Her growling growls louder. "Better than a weak, mindless servant, unable to think for myself. I still can't bear myself to think what they could have done to break such a vibrant, caring dragon. My only weakness, Warrior, is that I didn't fully separate you from Archarus." The blood-rage slowly flows through her system, narrowing her world to the war possibilites of the room around her. She flicks the 'whip' again, but releases it in an attempt to cover his head.
Archarus realizes the time for talk has come to the end, and in a blur, drops to a roll beneath the hurtling sheet so that it settles harmlessly behind him, comes back to his feet smoothly, and lunges for the youth he once loved and even adopted, claws spread and teeth bared, with flames boiling forth.
Akayla knows from when he lovingly trained her how fast Archarus is, but she doesn't quite anticipate just how fast he is now. As he springs, she throws herself haphazardly to the side and lands awkwardly on the wooden boards of a bed-frame. Inwardly she swears as her landing sets her up badly for the attack she knows is coming.
Archarus flares his wings a moment to halt his lunge, spinning around in actual mid-air in a dazzling maneuver, and dropping once more into a crouched position, a dagger spinning up into his hand, held in a slashing grip as he once more springs at her, slicing repeatedly at where she fell.
Akayla takes a repeated dagger slashes to her side and down her left leg. She grits her teeth, though she doesn't cry out. Her training serves her well in that. Instead, she uses the spasm of pain to roll herself onto her back and kick out at his chest with both of her feet, in hopes of knocking him away from her.
Archarus oofs a bit as the blow catches him in the chest, having not been able to react quickly enough, and staggers backwards, losing his grip on the dagger. However, he doesn't even look after it, fading back away a bit to begin circling slowly, once more searching for an opening.
Akayla struggles onto her feet as blood begins seeping down her side. Her eyes narrow as he backs away, but it gives her time to think. o.O(The Aldani don't seem to be in a helping mood, so you're on your own, Kayla. Only one of you will survive this match) She backsteps quickly, taking the battle into the more confined rows of the sleeping area. The watching warriors scramble to get out of her way, creating a disordered mob.
Archarus slowly follows along, but has the general feeling of a coiled spring, ready to explode at any moment once more into attack as he ponders strategy as well, considering exactly how to go about 'cleansing' Akayla. Finally, he comes to a decision, and with a powerful leap using his strong leg muscles, rockets upwards, wings flaring to hold him there a moment as he unleashes a wave of flame towards her from his throat.
Akayla shifts her weight slightly and watches for the point when his wings flare. Briefly, she thinks back to when Archarus taught her how to flame while flying and how important it was to unleash the attack *as* you flare, not a moment before. Suddenly, she leaps backwards, arching her back and landing in a crouch behind a bed. She ignores the spasm of pain from her left leg and pushes the bed on it's side to block the flames. Normally, it would be quite heavy, but right now she's running on flames. Her jaw opens, and she launches a flaming counter attack of her own.
Archarus takes the blast of flame she responds with right to the wing, the limb crumpling from pain and the simple heat, sending him crashing to the ground. However, he's hardly finished yet, and simply picks himself up, impassive, barely seeming hurt despite blood streaming from blackened flesh and his nostrils... and starts for her once more, unleashing another wave of flame to try and keep her down as he approaches.
Akayla watches in horror as he rises up after taking the brunt of that blast. However, she's not stupid enough to wait around by the bed. She limps down the cramped passageway between the beds, her side beginning to throb through her adrenile rush. Then, as she hears the slight hiss of flame being started, she throws herself sideways into a side aisle, ducking behind the foot of a bed. Her side tears open a bit more from the impact, sending a new wash of blood out into the aisle. She feels the heat searing her snout. o.O(Too close, Kayla. Too close...)
Archarus slowly limps along after her, reaching around behind him and unhooking his spear, holding it with practiced ease in his hands and simply ignoring the pain, deciding it doesn't matter. Thus, he continues on even as the chemical fires continues to flicker a bit at his charred wing, and follows along after her.
Akayla gets to her feet again, and she growls with frustration as he slowly, menacingly, draw your spear. Now the odds are greatly against her, and she knows it. Thinking quickly, she spots the flaming remains of the bed she tipped over earlier. o.O(The structure looks pretty weak...I wonder..) She crouches down to make herself less of a target, and skitters down an aisle on all fours.
Archarus growls a bit, and springs after her, moving with surprising speed despite his hurts and rushing along after Akayla, with his spear held to impale her.
Akayla reaches the bed and leaps over it, rolling back into a crouch behind it. Then, she breathes another gout of flame at it. The chemicals from the previous fire blast flare up briefly, lighting up the room for a few seconds in a blinding flash. Akayla shields her eyes, her leg muscles twitching and coiled, she waits and hopes the light will blind him for long enough, if it works at all. o.O(If I can just get the spear..)
Archarus is so close behind he actually gets burnt a bit as well by the sudden flash of flame, staggering backwards and clamping a claw over his eyes, gritting his teeth in violent, dark rage and waiting for his vision to clear so he can end this game and kill her.
Akayla leaps as soon as she sees that her ploy worked. She comes flying through the wall of flames, her wings half-spread, her claws extended and her body taunt, like some strange glowing phoenix. But, instead of slashing at Archarus, she grabs ahold of the spear's shaft and wrenches it away from him. Then, her momentum slams the two of them into the floor.
Archarus oofs as he is driven to the ground, vision still hazy and unclear as he releases a roar of rage and lashes out with all the ferocity in him, striking at the blurry form atop him repeatedly in hopes of somehow stopping Akayla from driving in the killing blow he knows all too well is coming.
Akayla gets struck by furious claw blows, and a deep furrows are torn in her shoulders, across her chest on her right arm. She manages to stand, and keening from the pain, she raises the spear above her head. Her wings flare, but her head is lowered, and a tear runs through the four fresh claw lines on her cheek. "I love you, brother." she whispers as she drops the spear's tip towards Archarus' heart.
Archarus grunts as the spear drives through his armor, through scales and flesh and his lung, barely missing his actual heart... but certainly enough to ensure he'll die. A /scream/ of pure agony washes out from him, sweeping through the area, the sound of a tormented soul... and even as he drops silent again, the dark rage that marked his programming fades from his eyes, finally broken by the end of his life... freedom once more, if only for a few more moments from now, as the light in his eyes dims as well.
Akayla slumps down on her knees beside him, phsyically and emotionally wasted. She watches solemly as the darkness seeps out of his eyes, and then the moment comes when she sees, for a last time, her brother, her friend, *Archarus*. "Archarus!" she sobs. "Forgive me!"
Archarus reaches up with great effort, and lightly cups his hand against the unhurt side of Akayla's face, giving her a tired smile, voice soft, loving, but so very weak now,"Akayla." His hand then twitches a moment, muscles spasming as he takes his final, labored breath with blood dribbling from the inside of his mouth... and then his eyes go dark, this time with the true emptiness of death, silence falling as the Aldani stare, hushed, at the devastated area with the young, once vibrant, then chill... and now still forever more, dragon dead in the center.
Akayla cradles his hand against her face with her hands, her tears falling freely now. She looks into Archarus' eyes as he whispers her name, but is frozen to the spot by the overwhelming emotions flowing through her. Caught in the dying stare, all the love she's held for him comes to the surface her eyes glow a little more gold than usual. For a moment, she breathes in who he is, the essence, the WHOLE of Archarus, and she knows how much he cared for her. Enough to give his life. She weeps, long after the hand on her cheek goes limp. She lays it gently across his chest, and reaches up with a gentle hand to close the eyelids and release herself into her own being, very much alone.
Akayla groans as the whispers of the Aldani in the room break her from her reverie. Painfully, she gets to her feet and removes the spear from his chest. Then, with the greatest effort, she picks him up and carries him outside. A trail of blood follows her, both hers and his, leaving the Aldani in the room to gossip. Akayla ignores them, ignores the stares of the dragons on the streets, ignores all until she reaches the fields outside of Sithern. There, she lays down the body of Archarus and gently kisses each of his eyelids. "My brother, my Archarus, your freedom was bought with blood and flame and tears. But at least you are at last free of the prison wrought upon you. Fly high, my brother, fly higher than you thought possible and I will fly with you here in life. We will find honor together." She lets the silence grow a moment as she searches for the right words. "By the Flames of the Tal, I honor you." Then, she takes a deep breath and fires off gout after gout of flame, incinerating your body. As the smoke rises up into the air, Akayla finally notices how intensely bright the sunset is tonight. Overhead, the first stars twinkle in the deepening twilight. She takes a long, deep breath, inhaling the feeling of life around her, and smiles softly. "Together." she promises to the wind. "We fly."
And so ends the last RP of Archarus. May the winds favor you friend. You will be missed.
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