Nissa's eyes flitted open, gazing on the rising sun. "I slept longer than I wanted," Nissa said, shifting into her human form. "Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked Hakim, who was still by her side.

The priest rolled a shoulder as he stood, "You needed the sleep... so I let you sleep." He openly looked her up and down and grinned, "Today we have several rituals to perform, more than several in fact."

Nissa stifled a groan. She knew that she'd have to build the temple all over; from what she sensed through the earth at her approach, it was ruined beyond repair. Not only that, but she figured at least half of the stone houses she could at least work on. The others would have to be rebuilt, but she could do a little work elsewhere.

Then again, she thought as she yawned, the houses didn't need to be rebuilt for a while. Nobody was going to live in them right now anyway. She could focus on the temple and the ridiculous rituals this religion associated with building such a religious monument.

Her gaze drifted over to Hakim's chest and her mouth twitched into an evil little grin. Well. Not so ridiculous. "Shall we get started?" Nissa asked, brushing off her clothing in a business-like manner.

He slipped out of his in a similar fashion, removing most of the dust before shimmying out of them, licking his lips with a hungry look on his face and his arousal already very apparent. "If you remember correctly, my mighty dragon lady, the temple would require five levels of climax..." His eyes looked her over again, "We can do it all at once or over the space of the day..."

"I remembered 7," Nissa said, making no move to remove her own clothing. No way was she going to make the effort; he'd have to work at it. "But then again, the last priest put in that extra effort..." Nissa drew a finger along his jawline until it reached his chin, which she used to start him walking after her towards the temple. She wanted to see the area she was working with before starting, and she wanted to take her time getting there. It wasn't far off, but the way she was sauntering and swaying her hips at the priest it might take a full ten minutes for what could be a two-minute walk.

Hakim wilted but then grinned slyly, "My mistress, it was I who was that priest, and those last two were... for fun you might say." He walked after her like a puppy, not at all disturbed about walking behind her naked and knew she would retrieve his clothes for him later. The dragon's strut just made him want her further, it also easily seen in the way a certain part of him swelled.

Nissa just smiled a little, continuing to face front. She had a sneaking suspicion that the other priest had been Hakim, but the day had been a while ago. They had felt similar. It seemed like he might have picked up a few tricks. In any case, she wanted him rock-hard and frustrated by the time they stopped walking.

They reached the temple. Nissa surveyed the land for a second, mourning briefly at the ruin before concentrating her mind to the rebuilding of her work of art. She slowly turned, her gaze and smile caressing Hakim's body. "As last time, just because the temple's built doesn't mean we get to stop," Nissa purred, coming in closer to Hakim and lightly running fingertips across his body as her mouth opened up to his.

"I will always follow you, love," Hakim murmured back, his body shivering in anticipation as their lips met with passion.

---

Rutte blinked awake as sunlight pierced his eyelids. He quickly closed his eyes against the bright light, giving him time to process Koi in his arms.

Rutte's eyes once again shot open to view the woman he was holding. Not only that, but the naked woman. Hell, he was naked, too. Rutte studied the top of her head, his nose nestled in the crown of her hair. She smelled like he remembered. He calmed down as he breathed in her scent and began recalling last night. Interestingly, he noted, he didn't feel the least bit regret or guilt in his actions. This was exactly where he wanted to be. Rutte untangled himself from Koi's hair gently, taking care to not wake her, and slipped off to the bathroom downstairs to clean the dirt and blood off of him. He winced at the bandage, the front almost soaked in blood, and discovered the bathtub, grabbing new bandages on his way to clean himself.

The water dragon stretched like a cat but did not wake from her slumber, her hands reaching for the sheets that were steadily cooling from Rutte's absence. Slowly, her black eyes opened and she stretched again, sitting up to glance around the room and held the sheet to her naked skin, "...Rutte?" When he didn't answer Koi looked out the window, feeling a faint vibration as a stone building was being raised where the temple had been.

Rutte hissed slightly in pain as he rebandaged himself, his skin now clean. Wincing as he tied it off, tight, he threw on some clean clothes and rummaged through his pack for breakfast, shrugging off the faintly throbbing pain. He was starving. He looked through his food, frowning, trying to find something he thought Koi would like. He finally pulled out a selection and went to the kitchen, starting a fire to cook some of the food, rummaging around for pots and pans.

Most of them were dusty and when Rutte touched them a small stream of water power washed them, none of the excess water hitting the priest and Koi stood in the doorway, dressed in her own traveling clothes. "Good morning..." She said softly, a light smile on her lips.

"Morning," Rutte responded, shy and hesitant. After a brief pause, he leaned in and lightly kissed her. "Hope you're hungry," he said, not sure of the 'next-day' etiquette. There was a strange tenseness in his shoulders that stiffened his spine just a little.

Koi noticed this, frowning after he turned but instead of turning away as well she hugged him from behind, her forehead against his spine and her hands folding around his hips.

Rutte waited for just a second. When Koi did not leave the room or open her mouth to speak, his body relaxed, the tension seeping out. "How did you sleep?" Rutte said, beginning to fix breakfast, one hand briefly running across the arms around him.

"Very well, how was your sleep?" She sat on a stool and watched him work, occasionally cleaning things with water to keep herself occupied, "I think Nissa and Hakim are raising the temple again."

"Fine... Really?" Rutte asked, looking out the window in front of him. Upon concentration, he could feel a little rumbling under his feet. "That's pretty impressive," Rutte said, focusing on the cooking food. It was heating up pretty well, and Rutte grabbed a few bowls from the shelves, setting them down as he stirred, letting Koi clean them. "Must be a sight to see..."

Rutte discovered a few spices upon further inspection and added them in. He let it simmer a little longer before ladling them out and setting the bowls down on the counter. "Careful, it's hot," he warned, grabbing spoons for the both of them.

Koi smiled her thanks and took her bowl, blowing on a spoonful before swallowing it, the warmth spreading into her, "Mmm... it's good," She told him, smiling again before glancing out through the window, "I have a feeling that we don't want to head over there... till they're finished..."

Rutte frowned, not understanding, but shrugging it off. He began eating himself, glancing over at Koi, his eyes reluctant to leave her for long. He caught her eye and smiled sheepishly, looking down at his stew, blowing on it intently.

She grinned back, giggling a little like a small girl before getting a hold of herself, "You know Rutte... um, last night was the first time... I have, well, gone all the way..." Koi grimaced and looked embarrassed, "Seduction might be a power, but I have no experience once the clothes... were gone."

"So you're a... were a virgin?" Rutte blurted out bluntly. He automatically turned red. Rutte couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Were priests supposed to deflower anyone? "I mean, of course it doesn't matter," Rutte said, hurrying himself to fill the pause. "It doesn't change anything, it's just... Really? I'm your first?"

Koi looked abashed for a moment before slowly nodding, "Mmmm... yes. I was." She wanted to change the subject fairly quickly and held out her bowl for more stew, "More please..."

Rutte stood up to reach for her bowl. Settling his hands on top of hers, he continued to lean forward and his lips tenderly connected with hers. He held her there for a few seconds and then released her, a little smile on his face as he went to go get her more food. "How long do you think it will take them to rebuild the temple?" Rutte asked, his back to her, still feeling her against his lips.

"I... I don't know, I'm sure they will come back when they are finished..." It took her a moment to breathe again, for she had held it the moment she realized what he had been about to do. "I think... I would like to walk through the city and cleanse it's streets, at least, in that way will I be most useful."

"I could offer a cleansing of my own," Rutte said, frowning thoughtfully. "It's still filled with a demonic aura... That would go away in a month or two, but I can speed along the process."

"Bless my water?" Koi stood, tugging on her boots which were neatly sitting in a corner, "I'm ready, lets go!"

Rutte slid on his own shoes and grabbed his book and pendant from the counter where he had put them after his bath, going outside for them to begin.

Once outside, out of the safety that home provided, his fears that the city was still tainted were confirmed. The air felt heavy to him, although it would feel normal to most people. Additionally, there seemed a slightly gray overcast to everything that even he hadn't noticed before. Again, he doubted that Koi noticed. Rutte closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and then began to walk down the street, praying as he went.

Summoning more water, Koi moved her arms in a sweeping motion, the blood siphoning to the water as they changed places and soon, dirt and blood swirled above her.

Rutte took a deep breath as the physical cleansing went on, him barely noticing. The air was getting less heavy, and even those who couldn't notice it before would feel that the air felt... cleaner. He let out his breath and continued murmuring under his breath, oblivious to Koi, stopping at houses to touch their front doors.

The water dragon took a deep breath, and continued to wash the city clean, her own energy starting to wane.

Rutte entered the center of the city. It was a path of chaos and destruction, but also filled with an even darker aura. "I think the demons started here," he said to Koi.

"Oh really?" She replied, a little weary, "I... see..."

Rutte was slow but he managed to catch on eventually. "Here," he said, moving a large piece of wood that had kept a small path along the edge of the now non-functional fountain clean. "Sit. Rest. I'll sit, too." He sat down, opening his book to a particular passage and reading, half-aloud, calmly beginning to cleanse the area.

She waited for him, watching him, "The demons... really ruined this place..." Koi could tell this city had been beautiful, broken statues at every corner, fountains at every street crossing. "It's too bad..."

"People will survive, move on," Rutte said, his eyes half-closed. "Life is a work of art in itself; as long as people have that, nothing truly fundamental is ever really destroyed."

"The beauty of humanity..." Koi whispered, "Us dragons, we don't make cities, we are a nomadic species..." She sniffed as she remembered her father's predicament, "But... we are a bit of a complicated species..."

Rutte looked around. "Humans... are much the same," he said. He looked around at the damage. "I have a very strong feeling that this was not coincidence," he said, strangely echoing Nissa's statement that Rutte was probably used to coincidences.

"What do you mean Rutte?" Koi said, listening closer to what he was saying, "You're saying that they meant to do this, to draw us here?"

Rutte looked at his book, his fingers passing over the familiar passages. "There are demons after your father, and maybe you," he said in a low voice. "Causing this much commotion would be sure to attract an exorcist... and maybe whomever was going along with him."

"So you think this could be a trap...?" Koi whispered back, unsure of the whole ordeal, "Could it be possible that Lilitha doesn't have as much control over her... children... as she claims?"

"I doubt it," Rutte said. "About the control thing. I think Lilitha could be targeting you directly, either by sending her children or causing them to be summoned."

"You think someone is summoning them here?" She asked, doubtful, "Who would willingly do such a thing?"

"Humans are a complicated species," Rutte said, adjusting Koi's previous sentiment. "It is sometimes too easy to fall into temptation. Whether or not they came from inside this city I do not know, but I have a bad feeling this city was attacked for a reason." He glanced at the area still rumbling from Nissa's activities. "It just seems to me that there was planning involved, which took a lot of intelligence to maneuver."

"Yeah..." Koi looked in Nissa and Hakim's direction as well, her face looking slightly worried, "So Lilitha has a human agent, or more. It is a good hypothesis..." She frowned, "I'd... rather not think about it right now, to be honest."

"Understood," Rutte said, smiling gently at her. He felt her worry more acutely, but was trying to be calm in an effort to extend it to her. In order to help himself, he closed his eyes once more and began praying, almost aloud, his lips moving in time to the air clearing around them.

"At least a dragon clan member is not helping her..." Koi muttered, putting an effort towards a small smile. Standing, she sat next to Rutte and rubbed his back, her smile still there.

Rutte couldn't help leaning into the touch, his concentration wavering a little. Instead of fighting that, though, he opened his mind up and made the feeling a part of his prayer, using it to strengthen his resolve. I did this yesterday, too, he thought, his eyes still half-closed. When I thought...

Oblivious to her own thoughts, the water dragon simply hummed to herself and looked up at the morning sun, grateful that this day had come.

---

Nissa rolled over, breathing hard, looking up at the sun, relishing the rays washing over her dark body. Judging by its position, it was late into the afternoon. She tilted her head a bit more and saw that quite a few levels of the temple had been completed. One more and they should be done, but...

Nissa stood up, sweat glistening on her body as she looked down at Hakim with a feral grin. "I'm hungry," she stated, clothes appearing on her body like they were coming out of earth. Hakim's clothes had appeared sometime during the day and now rested next to him. Nissa surveyed the surroundings to find a house that looked like it might have a decent supply of non-perishable food.

Slipping on his own clothes, Hakim cracked his back and smiled, "My hunger for you will never be sated, but alas... my stomach needs nourishment." He stood and put his sandals on his feet before waiting for her to lead the way.

Nissa almost laughed aloud at his compliment, but managed to hide it. She wasn't one much for such honeyed words, but on him they seemed almost... endearing. She targeted a nearby, larger house and entered without knocking, figuring nobody would be alive or home to stop them.

She quickly found the pantry and grabbed a large supply of dried meat out. Nissa sniffed it with a hyper-sensitive nose, found it to be good, and started to dig in ravenously, still standing. While chewing, she began rummaging for other foodstuff, something more... fun. She found semi-fresh bread and some luxuries but nothing for play.

Hakim ate what she wouldn't with no complaints, simply chewing and looking around, mostly for a room with a bed in it. Striding into one, he smiled as he noticed the large bed, obviously whomever had lived here had been fairly rich.

Nissa swallowed the last of her meat with a jerk of her head, very reptile-like. She blinked once in satisfaction and followed Hakim, raising an impressed eyebrow at the bed. She placed a hand on her hip and scanned the room, her head cocked at an angle.

"...Should we get back to Koi and Rutte now?" Hakim asked quietly, his head held down in a submissive manner.

Nissa's predatory instincts were turned immediately on by his submissive tone. She grinned at her own reaction, careful to not let him see. "Koi's fine," she purred, closing her lips on his neck and scraping her sharp teeth along the sensitive skin there. "And we still have to build us a temple..." Her eyes caught the edge of a silk shirt and she practically glowed, knowing she'd have to put it to good use.

---

Rutte sat on the moving mound of earth, still embarrassed. He and Koi had almost gotten walked in on by Hakim and Nissa. They had finished cleansing most of the city, and the rest would have dissipated in just a few days. The two had stopped to rest in an abandoned, official-looking building, Rutte had kissed her affectionately on the forehead... The rest kind of went on from there until the doorknob had started turning. Nissa had looked a little annoyed at their ruffled clothes and hair but hadn't really mentioned it past that.

They had finished the temple, even though Rutte had noticed the absence of rumbling a good two hours before the two had come to find them. In fact, they were both acting differently. Nissa in particular was standing much closer to Hakim and touching him at any opportunity, possessively, just casual brushes or pats.

At any rate, it was still light out, and the group was now traveling above-ground, heading in the general direction of the water-clan's ocean. Nissa had called for a few earth-spirits to carry them so she wouldn't have to. The spirits turned out to be earth-movers, and though Rutte could sit comfortably on one next to his pack, sharing a wide one with Koi, he was still amazed at how much life was going on. It looked like several wild dogs were emerging from the earth two feet in front of him and then disappearing, and he was sitting on their steady backs.

Resting easily against the spirit, Koi sat, a little nervous. Would the water clan help her father, help her? She really could not do this herself... Nissa would have a hard time in the ocean, Koi herself would have a hard time controlling the water and keeping them all from drowning.

These guys are going faster than I expected, Nissa said, silently praising them. "We'll be to the closest town by nightfall," Nissa said. "There might be plenty of refugees for you to tell about the elimination of demons from their city; word can spread from there," she murmured more quietly to Hakim, brushing fingertips along his spine briefly.

"There might be some dragons of the water clan nearby as well," Koi called, leaning forward a little. She dropped her head on Rutte's shoulder and sighed softly, "Lets just hope I can find them."

"I'm sure it won't be too hard," Rutte said, his own head resting atop hers. "They're family, right? Or at least close to it. They'll probably find you."

Rutte almost dozed off like that, jerking awake as the spirits go back underground, bumping them against the harder earth beneath. "They need to rest," Nissa said. "The village is only a few minutes away now." The group walked on foot the rest of the way, entering a bustling night-life village a short while later.

"Let's put our things away in an inn and then visit someplace to eat," Rutte suggested, always enjoying the social activities of taverns.

Koi agreed, looking forward to a hot bath and getting clean; she could control the water's shape, but not it's temperature. "What inn should we lodge in? I'm sure all the cheaper ones are taken up with refugees..."

"Maybe someone can tell us how those demons came to be," Hakim growled, a little angry still at the destruction of his home.

"Mmm," Nissa replied, her own voice low and menacing.

"Ah, let's get some rest before we go starting any fights, alright?" Rutte said. He wasn't worried about Hakim, but he had noticed about Nissa that she was one to threaten first, claw eyes out later, and then when everybody is good and bleeding, ask questions. "Just give me a few seconds."

He walked off to the side of the road, where a few people stood about talking. He joined their conversation and was soon accompanied by laughter. After a few minutes, they were patting him on the shoulder and pointing down the road. He ran back to the group. "They say there are still a few openings in a slightly recluse inn down there," Rutte relayed. "They're decent, just not very fancy."

"We don't need fancy." Koi replied, sniffing wistfully at the smell of food. Cooked food, hot food. Anything that would stop her hunger would be just fine for her, not to mention even the average inns had baths.

"Good call," Rutte said, fully agreeing.

A few minutes later, the group was unloading in the only room left with only two small beds. Everybody looked a little peeved at that news, but Rutte insisted on the girls taking the beds and the guys taking the floor. Nissa growled at him and said she'd rather sleep outside, anyway. Rutte shrugged, clearly not wanting to start a fight with her. "Time for food?" he asked the others around a grumbling Nissa.

"Yeah!" Koi spoke up, excited while Hakim just shrugged, "Sounds good to me." They walked back downstairs, the smell of food stronger in here then outside, though not as good as the venders would be outside. "Stay here or find somewhere else?" the priest asked, looking to Nissa for the answer.

"Not on the streets," Nissa said, eyes taking in the situation in the tavern. There are desperate-looking people in here, but it was a nicer-looking place, and she could just guess what sort of depravity had come out. "It is overcrowded outside. Many poor, and many more willing to hurt to eat tonight."

Rutte looked sad at this, but he looked at his companions and nodded in agreement.

Beef stew was the main dish, which Koi managed to get a large bowl of, taking a large hunk of bread with it to dip. Hakim on the other hand ordered a whole rabbit, tearing it to shreds in his hunger.

Nissa ordered something vegetarian. Meat was alright when on the road, but too much and she started being unable to digest it... An earth-dragon thing. Rutte ordered what Koi was having, a little queasy at what Hakim was doing.

Hakim was attracting the attention of the tavern, though. His tattoos marked him as a priest, and quite a few refugee-looking people were inching closer, regarding him with wide eyes.

The water dragon turned in her seat and stared back, then nudged Hakim, "Um... This doesn't look good." She pointedly caught Nissa's attention as well as Rutte's. The priest however continued eating, unaware of what Koi meant.

"Can we help you?" Nissa asked warily, reaching out to the earth beneath the floor... just in case.

"S-sir..." one of the refugees asked, coming close and pulling on Hakim's clothing. It was an old woman, speaking in the old tongue, her voice plaintive. She looked as if she had done a lot of aging recently. "I... you are a priest, yes? Have you... have you heard word of..." She looked at him with pained eyes.

He quickly swallowed his current moutful of food before turning to look at her, "Ma'am, we sent the rest of the survivors to the west villages... and killed the demons responsible."

The woman regained a bit of her composure at this point. "So my city is safe," she said, almost a statement, with with a slight lilt of a question. She had switched over to the more universal language that the whole group could understand.

"Yes, ma'am," Rutte said.

The refugees around the woman began to celebrate, crying out their excitement. The old woman just drew herself up to her former dignified self, even though still dirty. "Thank you, priest," she said, nodding to him slightly. "All of you."

The word quickly spread and soon refugees and villagers alike were suddenly busy. The tavern filled with talking as everybody tried to catch a glimpse of the people who brought the news.

Koi shrank down and tried to finish her meal, unwilling to take Hakim's spotlight, or rather, not wanting to. These people should have hope that Hakim had taken a major part in destroying the demons; the dragons were not of the human world.

Rutte tried to do the same, but he was having the same sort of problems Koi was. He wanted Hakim's people to have faith that Hakim could protect them in the future... Something Rutte was sure he could, but the refugees needed that feeling of safety. So he scrunched up and tried to seem inconspicuous and un-priestly.

Nissa, on the other hand, paid the others absolutely no mind. She stretched a little and was leisurely eating, ignoring the children running around her and whispering comments about the scars showing on her body, and how she must be a soldier of the Sun God--look at her dark skin... Nissa yawned, showing off larger-than-normal canines, and the kids stopped talking and ran off.

Finally finished, Koi moved and slipped past Rutte, touching his arm as she passed. Outside, the air was cool and clean, unlike the air inside the inn that had been muggy and full of people.

Rutte immediately got up to follow her out. It was dark out, and he didn't want her to get into trouble. Nissa settled back into her chair, after a brief moment where she was also about to get up. Her eyes followed him outside.

"Just had to get out, huh?" Rutte asked, placing fingertips on the small of her back as he looked up at the clear sky.

"Yeah... too crowded-" A man stumbled into her, making her fall to her knees, "Ouch!" Koi glared at him, who muttered a drunk apology, "Sorry m'lady, sorry was too busy contemplating my fate in hell or heaven!" The man was blond with light blue eyes and a forgettable face.

With a concerned look on his face, Rutte helps Koi up. "An important question, indeed," Rutte scolded. "But one must not forget the present. Actions decide more of your future than thinking about it does."

He spoke quickly and surely, standing himself, "Yes yes, but dwelling on the past can help with the future and present and with such a large sin I have committed might have ruined my future and-" The man paused, "I really must be going I have things to do, lives to ruin or save and a mission to fulfill!" He went to leave.

Rutte stepped back. "What?" he asked, completely confused. "You have lives to... something?" Rutte stopped backing up and stepped forward. "Sir, are you alright? Do you need help?"

"No no," He seemed to always repeat his answers, "I'm fine fine really! Really fine. Like, Lillitha fine!" Running away, the man slipped into an alley and disappeared as quickly as he could talk.

Rutte's eyes went wide. "Lillitha?! You--" He turned into the alley, growling as he saw the man had disappeared. "Koi, did you hear that? He might have..." Rutte frowned, creasing his eyebrows.

She returned his look fearfully, "He might have... what?"

"If you see that man again, tell me, okay?" Rutte asked. "He... I don't quite trust him to be running around." Rutte was currently at his most brooding. The guy mentioned Lillitha, and... Rutte closed his eyes, still trying to concentrate.

"Um... sure I will but... what do you think he meant by what he said?" Koi looked worried.

Rutte shook his head. "I'm not quite sure," he said. "Just be wary." He looked at her. "Take care of yourself. I don't... want anything to happen."

"We'll take care of each other," She hid her face against his chest, her hands in fists below her chin. "Maybe we should go back inside... it is getting late."

Rutte nodded and unfolded her from his chest, ushering her in front of him. He watched her go into the inn and then felt a hand close on his shoulder in a vice-like grip, dragging him back into the alleyway. Rutte opened his mouth to yell until he was spun around, face-to-face with Nissa.

"What the-" he began to demand, cut off by a glare from her.

"Do you love her?" she hissed after briefly checking to see if Koi had already left. Rutte took a step back, a confused look on his face. "Do you love her?" Nissa insisted, advancing on him. "And does she love you?"

"I-I think so," Rutte said. He was fairly certain the answer was yes, but he wasn't sure she wouldn't rip out his throat. "Why?"

Nissa snarled. "She is a dragon, priest," she growled. "Dragons and humans do not love each other." Rutte looked as though he might interrupt, but Nissa cut him off. "Humans are pathetic meatbags. Dragons who love them grow bored after a short while of having to protect them from dangers even the youngest pup would survive. And even if that does not happen," Nissa added as Rutte opened his mouth, "dragons live much longer than humans. How are you going to deal with Koi remaining young as she watches you die? You will abandon her in the end."

Rutte looked startled and taken aback. "What about you and Hakim?" he asked, his voice not an accusation but an honest question. "You love him, right?"

It was Nissa's turn to take a step back. She regarded him with a cold, stony look. "Dragons do not love," she growled. She spun away, angry, the earth swallowing her up and leaving Rutte alone to go back to the tavern.

When Koi turned back to look at Rutte he wasn't there, instead in front of her was Hakim who at the moment... looked drawn. "I think... I need to retire for the night... where is Nissa?"

"I'm looking for Rutte myself, he was right behind me a second ago." She shrugged then noticed Rutte coming up behind her.

Rutte was rubbing his scalp, looking a bit like Hakim at the moment. He looked at the people still crowding the tavern, then at Hakim, and gave a tired smile. "You alright?" he asked the Sun Priest, rubbing his own eyes.

"I'm alright... Nissa is just, well, being Nissa." Hakim sighed and turned to head up the stairs. The water dragon however caught Rutte's gaze, "You talked to Nissa didn't you?"

"We had a... chat," Rutte replied. "And... yeah. Nissa is being Nissa." He rolled a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "I'm sure she'll be back in a bit. She doesn't seem like the type to throw a fit for long."

"That is true." She nodded absently after a few moments, "but she does tend to throw a lot of 'em eh?" Koi said coyly.

"Nngh," Rutte said, his tone agreeing but distant. He seemed suddenly preoccupied. "Let's just... try and get some sleep." He rubbed his neck absently and headed upstairs to where their room was, unpacking his blankets for sleeping on the floor. The room only had two small beds and he vaguely remembered Nissa mentioning sleeping outside.

Koi sat on the bed next to him, watching him set up his blankets and suddenly snapped her fingers, "I got it! You know, Nissa isn't the only one who can make a mattress!" Water pooled up beneath Rutte, not at all getting him wet as it bubbled and finally came to a thickness that Koi thought would do well. It looked like one drop of flattened water, about six inches deep, "There." She smiled at Rutte, proud of her effectiveness.

Rutte grinned and threw a blanket over the unique bed, sitting on it. "Strangely comfortable," Rutte said, looking surprised. "Thanks, Koi." He smiled up at her, his eyes crinkling slightly. Once more he was taken away by her beauty... And his mind flashed back to Nissa's words. He glanced over at Hakim and flushed slightly. "Uh, I-I'll just go to sleep. Early." He grabbed another blanket and pulled it over him, turning away from the two of them still in the room.

Hakim had been asleep however which Koi knew, but she was not embarrassed from the two of them being together. A frown appeared on her face which then became a sad smile as she kneeled beside him, then lay her body behind his, molding her form to his. "I love you Rutte..." Koi whispered softly.

Rutte stared at the wall for just a second. Would he really leave her alone? Would she even stay with him that long? Then he shifted positions and turned his head to meet her lips with his. "Love you, too," he murmured, lips moving back to her mouth in a slow kiss.

Koi deepened the kiss and practically purred, "Nissa... she talked to you about us, didn't she?" She said after a few moments, speaking hesitantly.

"I... yes," Rutte replied, his voice low. He didn't want to lie to her but he really didn't know how to talk about this. Or he didn't really want to. He fell quiet, trying to think.

Touching his face, "Rutte... Nissa is... a complete dragon... I am only half. I see things differently then she does..."

Rutte rolled over, placing his hand over Koi's. "I... I don't want to leave you alone in the end," Rutte said. "That's what she said I would do. Grow old without you and be continuously... abandoning you. I don't want to do that to you."

"I know Rutte." Koi whispered, her hand slipping down to his chest, then she smiled, "But we don't know if either of us will get out of this alive..."

Rutte gave a dry laugh, his own hand resting on Koi's shoulder as he pulled her closer. "Heh. Guess you're right," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'm not one for worrying that much into the future, anyway." And yet his heart still raced with worry. "So, do we head out tomorrow?" he asked, barely remembering where they were supposed to be headed.

"I suppose..." Koi replied, "But Nissa is our leader, she'll decide, besides, she knows whats best."

Rutte blinked at the suggestion that Nissa was their leader. He hadn't really seen it that way... To him, she had just gotten impatient and took charge at some point, like a little kid reading a story and wanting to skip to the end. He laughed lightly, his arms wrapping around Koi as he held her, enjoying the closeness and closing his eyes. He felt himself dozing off a bit, his fingers absently playing with her hair.

She sighed, closing her eyes as well, "Goodnight Rutte."

Rutte thought he had murmured some sort of reply, but when he opened his eyes to add something, sunlight streamed through a window, and Nissa sat on a bed next to Hakim, looking down at the two with an only slightly bemused look.

Sleeping on, Koi turned slightly then opened her eyes, directly looking at Nissa, "My father is off an island... near a long sandbar infested with bright blue crabs..." She turned to Hakim, "Do you know where that is?"

The priest shook his head, "I know only that it is on the far end of our country, farther then I have ever been."

"Another of your dreams?" Rutte asked Koi, curious. Nissa was already deep in thought about transportation.

"You forget, it is not a dream. It was actually," Koi sighed again, "Just an image..." She choked, "I think my father is dying..."

Rutte bit his lip, sitting up and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice hushed. "We'll... we'll get there in time."

"I hope so..." Koi whispered back, her body shivering in her sobs.

Rutte folded her into his arms, concern etched into his face. "It'll all end up okay," he said. "Because--"

"Alright, if we're going to save anyone, we'd better, like... Get to him. Sooner than later, peoples," Nissa said. "By the Earth, if we had the help of the wind dragons we'd have enough time for your sob-fest. But as it is, we will probably be traveling underground once more." She folded her arms over her chest, still a little grouchy. "So let's get going."

Once she got control of herself, "Why don't we try to talk to the other clans Nissa? They should help..." Koi sniffed and looked up at her expectantly.

Nissa just laughed. "Lady, the clans are practically at war," she said. "Not... exactly war, perhaps. But a less-than-subtle rivalry that has been raging for quite a few years. I mean, last time I was in water-territory, I was..." Nissa trailed off. "Not the point. But just going up to the wind dragons? You know how flighty they are. Even if they did decide to help us, they'd drop us through the air on a whim." She snorted.

"Well... isn't it worth a shot?" Rutte asked. "Are they fast?"

"About three times as fast as the fastest earth dragon," Nissa said. "But you heard the part about the imminent doom, right? Dropping hundreds of feet to our deaths?"

Koi looked down, embarrassed, "Well... yeah but... isn't this something that would unite them?"

Nissa snorted again, although the laughter was forced. "Doubt it. Dragons aren't the type to put off that kind of grudge just because they're threatened by Ultimate Evil."

Rutte didn't look as certain. "Stranger things have happened," he murmured. "Are there wind dragons nearby?"

Nissa just looked unnerved. "Always," she said. "And if not, calling them is easy enough, as long as there's even the slightest breeze."

"It varies on how dragon's communicate..." Koi put in, "Water dragons have to reach a point in the air where there is enough moisture to send a message... other dragons clans have other ways."

"Let's call on the wind dragons," Rutte insisted. Nissa gave an exasperated sigh. Rutte pushed on; "I mean, you never know until you try."

"I'm pretty sure... Oh, whatever," Nissa growled. "Fine. Communicate away." She looked at Koi. For a moment it looked like she'd redirect her anger, and then sighed. "You going to call them, or am I?" Nissa looked out the window and noticed the tops of the trees swaying just barely, meaning wind dragons weren't too far off. "I volunteer Rutte as the meatshield," she grumbled, almost audibly.

"I can do it... and they might be moody at least they aren't always grumpy like the earth clan," Koi stood and went to the window, moving her fingers slightly to make water move the air almost invisibly, "The air dragons tend to be strong, but very small... and very hard to spot." She told Rutte and Hakim while still making the gestures.

Nissa just growled at the suggestion that she might be grumpy and lounged next to Hakim, watching the ongoings with a suspicious eye.

Suddenly, the air outside the window rippled outside of Koi's control. And then on the windowsill sat a dragon, about the size of a very large dog, looking at them with an incredulous look. Its skin shimmered like a semi-translucent pearl, with wings larger than itself and a tail that had fins, like a fish. Hawk-like eyes stared at them until the air around the dragon shimmered and in its place on the sill sat a short child with shockingly white, short hair and hazel eyes glaring up at them. Rutte couldn't be sure if it was a boy or a girl. It raised an eyebrow in a very adult-like fashion. "Yes?" it asked, frowning and eyeing Koi and Nissa in particular.

Nissa suppressed a sneer. "Zun," she said, bowing her head slightly.

"Nissa," Zun replied, returning the favor.

"Hello," Said Koi pleasantly, smiling, "We're really sorry to bug you Zun, but we have a request... or rather... we have a problem." Koi proceeded to tell the air dragon what her father had told her. Cliu'rar Sarra was a dragon of renown kindness throughout the clans and was highly respective. Koi wasn't at all as well known but she preferred it that way.

Zun swung its feet over the edge of the window, swaying precariously on the sill. Rutte had to restrain himself from jumping forward. "So what do you want from the wind dragons?" Zun asked, its face gathering into a disinterested gaze, even though its eyes shone with curiosity.

"Transportation, boy," Nissa said, stepping into the conversation at last. Also, she conveniently identified Zun's sex. "We need to be as swift as possible if we are to have a chance at stopping this."

There was silence, and then Zun laughed, obviously amused at Nissa's statement. "You four, stopping Lilitha," Zun said once he was able. "I..." Zun gave one last snort and attempted to return to business. "I'm not high-up enough to make the call. Oi'nuzzsha will have to be the one." Like Koi's father, this was the leader of the wind clan.

"Send her the message, then," Nissa said. "We'll wait." Zun's face darkened at being reduced to errand boy, then the boy fell backwards off the ledge, a wind dragon swooping away a second later.

"Huh," Nissa said after a moment. "They're even willing to consider. That's a first."

"Its their future too, Nissa." The water dragon replied softly, "And asking nicely gets you more then trying to intimidate them."

"I don't talk with air dragons much," Nissa said to Koi. "All I know is earth dragons respond more to a kick in the face than honeyed words." Nissa bit her lip. "Although, at this point, the news might be both. Lilitha definitely wasn't expected."

A few more minutes passed and Zun appeared on their sill, looking totally shocked, like he had just been slapped in the face. "She... she's here," he said, jumping into the room. "Stand up! Straighten your clothes! Show some respect!" he began snapping throughout the room, Nissa and Rutte obeying out of shock.

The air shimmered and a young girl appeared. She was wearing the formal, loose, flowing robes of the wind clan, and had hair similarly white like Zun's, although floating down to her barefoot feet. Her eyes looked blinded, but her gaze traveled sharply between the groups. "And Cliu'rar Sarra told you this himself?" Oi'nuzzsha asked, her eyes resting on Koi.

"Yes mi'lady, he did," Koi bowed low, "My father and I have always had a strong connection... but he was so weak the only way he can talk to me has been through my dreams." As black as Oi'nuzzsha's eyes were white, Koi kept her gaze respectfully, "My father wouldn't lie to me..." She said softly.

"The question is," Oi'nuzzsha demurred. "Would you lie to us?" She floated upwards, swirls of wind around her feet letting her climb to Koi's height, and she cupped Koi's face in her small, child-like hands. She regarded Koi for a long time. Zun glared at them all, as though daring them to move, and a few more wind dragons gathered outside the window at the commotion.

Eventually, Oi'nuzzsha stirred. "So young," she murmured. Without moving herself, the wind spun her around and landed her gracefully on the floor, where she began walking to the window to leave. "Zun!" she commanded.

"Yes?" Zun said with a wry smile, expecting punishment for the others.

"Get together wind dragons enough to transport these four," she said, not looking at Zun. "Getting them there swiftly is the least we can do."

"Mistress!" Zun declared, jumping up, and getting stopped short by one glance from his clan leader. He shrunk back, and for a brief moment the group saw the dragon form of Oi'nuzzsha as she leaped from the window and vanished.

Koi breathed a sigh of relief and slumped forward to lean heavily against the wall as she fought lightheadedness. Sitting on the bed, "When do we leave?" Hakim asked.

Zun growled at them all and received a relieved smile from Rutte and a smug one from Nissa. "Give me a moment," Zun huffed, then went to the windowsill. Using only his mouth, he let out an ear-piercing whistle that amplified as it traveled through the air--three short bursts, then one long one.

Within minutes, small dragons swooped into the room. They gave the members gathered there curious glances, looked at Zun, then prepared themselves. "Well?" Zun ordered. "Get on!"

"They're small, but they're able to carry riders several times our size," Nissa explained to the humans, as they might be skeptical. "Just... hold on tight, and never, ever show any disrespect." She went to the window, outside of which one of the dragons hovered, and dropped onto it. It shot into the air to wait for the others as the other wind dragons shot outside and waited below the window.

By this time, a crowd of people had gathered outside and were pointing in open-mouthed wonder. It was broad daylight.

Hakim was a little reluctant but he followed Nissa anyway, leaping from the sill with fear evident in his eyes as he held on tight and refused to scream. With a comfortable sigh, Koi looked to Rutte and leaned in to kiss his cheek, "Ready? This will be a bit different than flying with me..."

"Nngh, yeah," Rutte replied, looking down at the waiting dragon. "Guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He held out an arm to Koi, offering to keep her steady on her descent to the waiting dragon.

She took his arm with a smile, sliding onto the dragon's back and whispered something into it's ear, making the creature giggle before it too flew up to join its comrades.

Rutte barely noticed this before he, too, slid onto a dragon's back--then the four of them plus Zun, in dragon form, flew into the sky like a rocket.

Rutte had to hold on tight. This was way faster than Nissa when she was on the ground, and even much faster than Koi. This was where the wind dragons lived and breathed. Zun even had a look of boredom at these speeds--like he was used to a lot more, and they were just slowing down for the benefit of those not fortunate enough to live at their pace. Rutte looked down at the ground hurtling beneath them and gulped, imitating Hakim in gripping his dragon, which suddenly seemed much too small.

It looked like only Koi was enjoying herself for she herself was fairly at home in the air and could save herself if she fell. The ride, however, was cut short. A huge forest of trees rose up in the mist, the tops seeming to never end and the wind dragons quailed in front of them.

The group landed semi-gracefully before reaching the first tree. "This is as far as we can go," Zun said, transforming into a human to communicate. "Any further and we'd be intruding into the wood dragon territory." The dragons shrugged a little and flew off in the opposite direction as their charges disembarked. "And we don't have the numbers to risk that." Zun gave a very slight bow to the group. "Good luck." And then he flitted off, already dragon barely before he left the ground.

Rutte looked at the woods. The trees were taller than any he'd seen before, which was enough to intimidate him, but he couldn't sense any malcontent coming from them. Hopefully, the wind dragons were just paranoid. "Well, let's be off," he murmured, walking into the woods.

Koi slipped her hand into his, walking as calmly as possible but inside she was really nervous. The wood dragons haven't been seen for a great many years... and they kept to themselves and preferred privacy. They were intruding upon their territory.

The group walked through the forest. It wasn't ominously silent; the sounds of a forest, the birds and such, still drifted about. But the trees seemed ominously strong, and loomed above them like giant behemoths.

"The earth here is... silent," Nissa said. "I could form it, but it has been edged out by the forest." She snorted, abstaining from the joke of 'got wood.' However, she didn't want to form the earth, as the wood dragons might take it as a direct challenge.

"I dunno, it seems peaceful," Rutte said, totally relaxed. "It reminds me of the park, at that city." He looked at Koi--that was where they had first met. "Although... It does seem to go on... and on." They had been walking for a few hours yet.

A loud crack sounded above them as a large bough fell to the ground, transforming in a flurry of vines into what seemed a snake. When the leaves finally settled a dragon almost as large as Koi stood in front of them, with one pair of legs made out of braided vines with sharp thorns as claws. It's face was half covered by a dark blood red nut shell of some sort while it's sole visible white eye stared at them passively, nearly blending in with the surrounding forest even though it was directly in front of them. Leafy tendrils of vines sprouted from its cheeks and mixed in with large pink petals surrounding its face like a mane. The dragon's tail was tapping lightly against the dirt ground, not minding the patches of moss along its length and being careful not to hit the ground with the pieces of pointy metal embedded in the tip. "Why... have you come?" It asked in a booming, masculine voice.

Nissa took charge, immediately stepping forward and dropping to one knee. Rutte looked shocked that she would display such submission until she glanced over at the group to tell them to do the same. Rutte mentally admitted she had a point; they were faced with a creature large enough to sneeze and knock them over. He, too, dipped to one knee. "We merely wish to pass through your forest, and reach the ocean," Nissa said. "We do this to save Cliu'rar Sarra and all of us from Lilitha's, Demon Queen's, clutches. We mean no harm to you or your property."

Hakim and Koi hastily knelt.

"Cliu'rar Sarra? Lilitha? What matter of deceivement is this? Lilitha is bound in her prison and the great dragon of the water tribe would never need saving! He is one of the great ones, the lords of the clans, they do not need help." The dragon's voice was like a whisper through the trees yet at such a level that it overpowered and echoed around them.

"B-but he told me! He needs me!" Koi caustiously stood, her body shaking as she looked up at the great creature. Even in her state, it would appear the dragon was a lot bigger then her even though he wasn't.

"We would have no reason to trespass into your land otherwise," Nissa said. "And no reason to lie." Nissa glanced at Koi. "That one is the great Cliu'rar Sarra's daughter. We do not know how Lilitha got out, but she is a real threat."

It watched them for a moment before lifting a claw and removing the shell to reveal a hideously torn and clawed up face, "Alright... I believe we can... assist you." He bowed to Koi, "I am Numanoth, the son of Namuno who is the son of Nel'beka, the great lord of the wood dragons. I have had the honor of meeting your father... during the clans ten year meetings while accompanying the great Nel'beka. He is an honorable dragon..." Numanoth turned to Nissa, for he knew who were dragons and who were not by their smell. "And you young one, you smell... familiar."

"My name is Nissa, Numanoth, daughter of Kaynar and Marja," Nissa said. "You might have known one of them."

"Ah... yes, I was with your father when he was killed... a pity, he was great for an earth dragon... and put his life on the line to help save both of our lands." The wood dragon admitted, putting his mask back on, "It was in that accident where I was maimed. I permit you all... passage through our lands." Bowing to all, Numanoth climbed back into the tree he came from, melding into it's branches like he was a part of it. And in a way... he was.

Koi heaved a great sigh of relief... and so did Hakim. The priest was greatly intimidated by dragons.

Nissa finally stood up. Her back was a bit stiffer after the mention of her father's death, and she couldn't help but glance into the branches a few times after the great wood dragon. However, Nissa steeled herself and began walking forwards. "I will not use my earth to transport us any faster," she said to the group. "They have granted us safe passage but I dare not risk it. We will simply have to walk the rest of the way."

Rutte shouldered his bags and began walking after the dragon. All in all, he was impressed with how things were going.

"I have a feeling the fire dragons aren't going to accept the news as well as Numanoth has..." Koi muttered, following Rutte.

"Nissa..?" Asked Hakim, "How many... tribes of dragons are there?"

"There is a dragon of every element, plus small scatterings of minor dragon tribes," Nissa said. "But the main ones we'll have to go past on our way is the fire dragons and the earth dragons." Even though Nissa herself was an earth dragon, she didn't look too pleased. "I'm not really thrilled about either."

"So we've met with Wind and...?" Rutte asked, trailing off.

"We're in wood dragon territory now," Nissa explained. "They're known for... well, not exactly passiveness. Although they are a bit more of it than most other dragons. Just beyond this is a chunk of fire territory," Nissa added. "A volcano that just recently popped up." By 'just recently' she meant about a hundred years ago. "Then it's earth territory until we get to the ocean."

"Which is not exactly Water territory," Koi said, taking off where Nissa left off, "Even though the Water clan is the largest territory wise, most of the ocean is no-dragon lands. Only those that are bound to the ocean stay there... but father is in a place that isn't considered our 'land'."

"The water dragons should have gotten wind of this by now," Nissa mused. "It is their leader. I bet they wouldn't go near there, though." She shrugged. "In any case, it's not long until we get out of this place." Nissa looked around, still a little weirded out. She could feel all the eyes on her, but couldn't see a thing. Ugh.

It was an unnerving feeling. "Our people tend to communicate from feelings... My father is not afraid of death... and he is always pleasant with people, even his enemies... so thats why we didn't sense anything wrong... All I felt was the love he had for me." Koi explained slowly, climbing over a root.

"Wonder why he didn't try and contact you through your dreams earlier," Nissa said, scowling a little. "He'd better not have been keeping the problem to himself. This isn't just about him." She sort of knew she was being a bit harsh; however, that's just the way most earth dragons spoke. They didn't like to mince words or save feelings.

"I'm sure he was preoccupied with other things, Nissa," Rutte admonished, his voice taking on the tone of a schoolteacher. Nissa bared her teeth, not liking the way he talked to her.

However, a second later, she coughed. "Ugh. There's dust in the air." Nissa hesitantly stuck out her tongue, tasting the air, which to the others probably seemed fine. She was just super-sensitive to dirt and other components of soil. "No... Volcanic ash. We're getting close; maybe a mile, maybe two. Hopefully we can just go around their precious little mountain and avoid them altogether."

"Why did they raise a volcano?" The sun maiden priest asked Nissa, keen on following her anywhere but still wanted to know what had gone on.

"Who knows?" Nissa replied. "They do things like this time to time. It's the mystery that keeps it random. I'm guessing the wood dragons only put up with it because volcanic ash is good for plants." Her eyes narrowed, half in amusement, half in annoyance. "Then again, they're just a bunch of psycho little pixies."

Nissa could have sworn she heard something in the forest chuckle.

Rutte blinked suddenly, seeing rays of light. "Hey, the trees are thinning out," he pointed out. One fell on him, and he looked up. "You can see a plume of smoke," he noted, his voice hushed.

Hakim sighed in relief.

Blinking, "That... is one large volcano." Koi said, swallowing, "Is there a WAY around it?"

Nissa conceded that perhaps it would be too large to pass fully around. She pursed her lips at the smoldering mountain. "It's easy enough to avoid the hot spots and steam," she pointed out. "We'll have to pass over some of it. Maybe we'll just be seen as not a huge threat."

The group reached the edge of the forest, although it was a little hard to tell. Few trees had yet taken root, although there were plenty of grasses at the edges of what were either recent outbreaks or old-lying rocks. Rutte took a deep breath as he felt the pumice crunching under his feet and looked at the glassy, black rocks beneath them.

"Yeah, watch your step," Nissa said. She had actually relaxed a bit--there was fire here, yes, but the little devils did make rock, as well. It was fresh, even. This was their territory, and so they could heat up things in a flash, so she didn't dare, but she just wanted to dive in and wiggle around.

Koi could almost tell what Nissa was thinking and glanced at her before taking Rutte's hand in hers, "Lets hope this goes okay..."

The group walked across, their footsteps clearly audible, even over the loud hissing and rumbling of the volcano. Rutte began to relax; the volcano hadn't made a move on them so far, so it didn't seem that threatening after a while. Of course, they weren't that far along.

Nissa looked at the crater this thing had created. Within the smoke still slowly pouring over the rim, she could see movement. If she went closer, Nissa guessed she would see simmering rock below with fire dragons chasing over the top. As long as they're occupied.

They were about halfway around when a curious spark of fire drifted over and landed in front of them, followed by a small fire dragon and one additional one trailing along behind. "Oy!" the first called out, landing on its haunches. Without the long neck it would have come up to Rutte's shoulder, but it then looked down on them by a good two feet. "What's this? Some joik's enterin' ours territories? Don' these humans know what's goid fer them?"

"'ey, not all of thems is human," the second one commented, landing beside his friend on all fours, his gaze flicking to Koi and Nissa warily.

Koi growled low in her throat and stuck herself in front of Rutte, "We're just passing through." She had heard of humans that had strayed into Fire territory... they hadn't had a slow or peaceful death.

"Just passin' through?" the first dragon said, snorting a little. A puff of flame shot out of its nose at the concept. "'ave ye not noticed the giant mountain of death to yer immediate right?"

"Gerroff, theys not woith our time," the other one grumbled. He glanced warily at Koi, as if recognizing that she was a water dragon. "Oi wanna get back t'flyin'."

"No! Why you's so far out 'ere anyway?" the first one demanded. "This ain't no place for you's to be."

"Oh, just goin' off to battle Lilitha," Nissa snarled, the hair at the back of her neck bristling just a little as she almost wanted to leap into a fight.

"Lilitha! You's punks think y'can... Oi, ain't this rich now," the first fire dragon laughed.

"And you think you can take her you little squirt?" Koi replied aggressively, "You would be a flea compared to her." The ground began to hiss as a small pool of water formed under her.

The fire dragons tensed, immediately dropping to all fours, the flames flickering around their tails growing hot as they bared their teeth. Nissa also crouched, the earth beneath her feet rumbling almost imperceptibly.

"Guys!" Rutte shouted, drawing all attention to him. He quieted at the sight of four increasingly angry dragons staring him down. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything," Rutte said, not backing down. "We are on our way to Lilitha. She is holding... Cliu'rar Sarra against his will." Rutte had only hoped he had pronounced Koi's dad's name right.

This caused the fire dragons to relax a bit, but the first one dissolved into more fits of laughter. "Not that I canna believe!" he howled.

The second one just narrowed his pitch-black eyes. "You're kidding me, right?" he hissed. "Lilitha is sealed away, her and her spawn. She's practically just a legend now. How would she have broken the seal and captured Cliu'rar Sarra without the clans even hearing about it?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Koi said angrily, "If you weren't stopping us we'd be getting to my father faster!" Hakim had been slowly taking out his blade the entire time, doing his best to look harmless.

"Stop!" Rutte said, his voice suddenly commanding, taking on the tone of a teacher. The laughing fire dragon shut up, and both looked at him warily-for just a split second, the air around him had chilled and faded into blue. "We do not need to resort to violence for this," Rutte said, his voice on the verge of being pleading, but still commanding. "Please, if you would let us pass..."

The first fire dragon snorted, eyeing the two other dragons and practically ignoring Hassan. "Not our jurisdiction, pal," he mumbled. "We's gotta get someone to let youze troo. Trespassin', 'n all."

"Then please do that," Rutte said.

"Youze go," the second dragon told the first. "I'll stay." The first dragon took off, dipping into the crater. The second dragon, obviously the slightly calmer one, turned to the group. "And whoze told youze guys about Lilitha?" he said, his voice still suspicious.

"My father..." Koi replied softly, the water she had released gone, "We have a strong bond... he told me everything. He was captured by one of her greatest sons and I believe... he is dying." She kept the tears at bay, "This is not just a threat to him, its to all of us, all the clans!"

The fire dragon suppressed a snort, totally insensitive to her feelings, sitting on its haunches at it regarded her in particular. "Youze his daughter then, eh?" it asked. "Oiz heard 'bout you." He sniffed the air. "Smell more intimidating than the stories. Made you out as a..." The fire dragon trailed off, judging her reaction.

Then, suddenly, he stiffened, and leapt back. A larger fire dragon, bigger by twice the size of the smaller one, breathed a line of fire that ran across where the smaller dragon had been standing. The large dragon puffed out another breath, the flames smoldering to nothing under its feet, as it reared up and studied those before it. "Prove it," the dragon said, her voice rumbling. "Prove your words are true."

Dear father... please help me- Koi turned her back on the fire dragon, letting the tears fall with her hair shielding her from anyone's eyes.

_Koi.

In a flurry of black and orange-red fins, the water dragon transformed into her true sense, but this time, instead of her black eyes staring from her muzzle there were dark blue eyes with bouts of yellow swirling from their depths. A hazy outline of another dragon overlaid Koi, bubble floating through it but the likeness between the two was unmistakable. Instead of black the other dragon was green and blue, a light sage color separating its fins over its muscular, but lithe body. Its long claws were webbed and its long and numerous horns deadly as it looked upon the fire dragon with sterness in its eyes. Cliu'rar Sarra flarred up his huge wings, wings meant for water and air alike, "I think this proves something," He said casually, creating a ring of water before him, the middle becoming a mirror in which showed a scene from deep under water, light coming from the far away sea level and a dark shape circled. Its form was a silhouette at best but it was clear from the way the mirror kept focus on it that it was Cliu'rar Sarra's eyes the mirror was reflecting.

The dragon and the pool sent the fire dragons, who had begun to gather around the group, into a frenzy of hisses and panicked flying in circles. The largest fire dragon, however, held her ground, studying the water with interest. "How long?" it demanded.

"How long has he been interred?" Rutte asked.

"How long," she growled, "has Lilitha been free?"

"Not free." Cliu'rar Sarra/Koi said, their voices intermixing, "Setanaas keeps my body a prisoner at her orders, but she is not free." The mirror collapsed in on itself, the air hissing from where it had been and the dragon regained much strength now that it was gone. "Lilitha will soon escape... The six locks of the clans are all but gone, little is left of them."

"Setanaas..." the fire dragon hissed, her voice coming out like steam. "Never thought the little bitch had it in him. Must have been longer than I remembered." The fire dragon fell silent all of two seconds, then tossed her head. "I wasn't even in power at the time," she growled. "Alright. You may pass." She looked at the others, crouching low. "This is goodbye, because I don't expect to see you alive again." Her head dipped respectfully for a second at the image of the water clan leader, and then she took off, dipping back into the crater of the volcano, the other fire dragons taking off after her one by one. Soon, all that was left was the second fire dragon that had greeted them, who regarded them for a moment more before flitting off.

Nissa was busy staring at Koi, or the image overlaying the girl. "Cliu'rar Sarra?" she asked, her voice low and, yes, respectful.

He/she look at her, "Yes Nissa?" The image rippled gently but remained solid as pain shot through him but he mastered it while still keeping his gaze calm and gentle.

Nissa averted her gaze, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "Just... wondered if it was really you," she mumbled. "Been a while."

"Yes... yes it has. I know from my daughter's mind that you doubted our bond..." His eyes lightened as the yellow took over the blue, "Please don't do it again." Cliu'rar Sarra said softly, a hint of a growl in his voice, "However, I need to go... Koi called for help, and I answered with all the strength I had. But I need some of it to survive a little longer until you get here..." Without another word the water image splashed to the ground, hissing and evaporating and Koi sagged to the hard rock. She returned to her human form, appearing to be asleep.

Nissa frowned, not liking being scolded. However, she managed to brush it off, just relieved he hadn't mentioned her... obligation. Speaking of which... Nissa looked at Koi, who Rutte was already picking up off the lava rock. "She seems to be alright," Rutte said to the others, the relief evident in his voice.

A bit of lava rock molded together, erasing its rough edges as it reached up and cradled Koi from his arms. "We need to move faster, apparently," Nissa said. There was no reaction from the fire dragons as she took over the rock that they had newly formed to move the ground under their feet, so she just lifted up the group on smooth rock and began moving them forward. "Earth territory next," Nissa said. "I know my way around, so most likely, we'll get through without incident." They were skirting the volcano quickly enough so that the group could soon see the cliffs and rocky terrain that made up the earth kingdom.

Hakim looked up at the sky, glad for the sun as they sped toward the other territory.

The water dragon stirred slowly, opening her eyes and breathing out a sigh. She had come to terms with her father's soon to come death and was stronger then she was before. Once again her father's love had washed over her and she took strength from that. "I take it the fire clan let us through." Koi stated rather then asked as she sat up.

"Yup," Nissa said as they quickly left the volcano. "Now if you'll excuse me..." She leapt from the rock transporting the group towards the ground, flashing into her dragon form as she was airborne, and gliding into the earth like it was water. Her powers got stronger when in dragon form, and especially when in her homeland. Plus, she wanted all of her concentration to both maintain their travel, which was picking up in speed, and be vigilant enough to spot any incoming earth dragons. As an earth dragon warrior, she didn't really want to be seen with Koi.

Plus, it felt good to be home.

Rutte turned to Koi, glad she was awake, but still curious. "I... Your father mentioned something about locks of the clans," he said. "Did the dragons have something to do with locking Lilitha up?"

"Yes... we did. All the clans came together... it was a time of peace between us. It was the light and the dark clan that managed to find a way to stop her rampaging." Koi smiled at him, "We, as in the clan's leaders created the six elemental locks around her prison." To clear any confusion that Rutte, or Hakim for that matter had, she continued, "Light and dark are two beings that are at the same time, one. They are always born as twins. So that is why there is six and not seven."

Rutte furrowed his eyebrows as he counted, then nodded. "That makes sense," he said. Then Rutte sighed. "So it took all the clan leaders to take Lilitha down the first time?" he said. "And we're going there alone. The clans should be fighting again."

Nissa's dragon head rose from the ground beside them, having heard everything they said. "The last time they fought Lilitha, it killed many a dragon," her voice rumbled, although how it did so was a mystery. "It is understandable why they would be reluctant to enter into another such battle. Also," Nissa added, "it may be hard to believe that Lilitha has grown in power enough to be a threat once more. Those locks are some of the most powerful dragon spells in existence. Breaking them is considered impossible."

Rutte's eyes darkened. "Nothing is impossible where evil is concerned," he said, obviously a priest at that moment.

"Lets first just deal with the demon keeping a guard on my father... That's what we need to focus on." Koi said quietly.

Rutte nodded, his face still hidden in shadow. Nissa glanced once more at them before disappearing under the surface. "Hakim," Rutte said suddenly. "How much knowledge do you have of exorcisms?"

"Just.. with removing them from human hosts..." Hakim admitted slowly.

Rutte looked at his hands. "Well, I'll still need your help," he said. "I... Well, I'll need all the help I can get going up against Lilitha's children. I..." Rutte trailed off, forcing those thoughts away. Just as anything was possible with evil, the same can be said with good. Doubt, however, had the habit of ruining everything.

Before Rutte could finish his sentence, Nissa popped up again. "There is a group of dragons heading our way," she growled. "Hold on tight." Nobody could get a word out before rock-like hands held them firmly in place and Nissa shot down the side of a cliff, the group following behind.

Rutte could hear Nissa growl as she swooped them to the bottom, surprising in that he could barely breath at the speeds they were going. And suddenly they all pulled up short, faced by a large earth dragon and several of their cohorts. The rock released them and slipped into the ground, forcing the group to stand on their own. "Nissa," the earth dragon said as he morphed into a dark, unbelievably tall human, his voice chiding. "Did you honestly think you could outrun us?"

"I did," Nissa said, sliding out of the earth in her own human form. "I just didn't dodge you guys in time." Earth dragons formed from the cliff above them at that statement, the group that Nissa had sensed. Nissa looked behind her, appearing relaxed. "So what's with the welcoming committee, Seir?"

Seir laughed and walked towards her. "We had heard you were coming," he said, his voice booming. "From... from the wind clan. They sent a message ahead. Guess they were right in telling us to expect you."

"Are you going to help us?" Koi asked, all of her fear gone, "Or are you here to stop us?"

Hakim looked from each of the dragons, "Do you... all understand the situation clearly?"

Sier sneered. "Do you, human?" he snarled, condescendingly. "How often have you gone up against Lilitha? How about a horde of her offspring? No, you have too much confidence to truly know what is going on."

"He meant no disrespect," Nissa interjected. "Seir was one of the earth dragons to face off against Lilitha, so long ago," Nissa muttered to her group members. "And I'm not certain but I am pretty sure he could kick my ass. So try not to get him pissed off."

Suddenly Sier's hands were on Nissa's shoulders. "Child of the earth," he said, speaking directly to her, obviously ignoring the others. "You are one of us. I can understand your... escorts going into such a suicide mission, and I wouldn't dream of stopping them... Although I would have preferred them taking a different route." The corner of his mouth quirked downwards. "But you are one of us and I wouldn't see you get hurt for the world." One large hand cupped Nissa's chin and raised her face to meet his gaze. "What would your father have to say?"

This seemed like the wrong thing to say. Nissa's back straightened, she thrust back her shoulders, and glared right back at Sier. "My father wouldn't back down from anything," she growled, the earth rumbling beneath her. "Even if it could cost him his death."

"Why do you do this?" Sier insisted, gripping her shoulders tighter. "You do not have to." Nissa scrunched her eyes closed, fighting back a memory that was sure to come anyway.

---

---

a chance encounter part 4

---

---

a chance encounter
a chance encounter part 2