It's time

[Corwin]

Seira looks for Febras and Irenes, although she keeps an eye on the deaths of the Sharran royals. That sight will never stop feeling heartwarming.

[Anastasia]

You can see them in the melee - Febras has lost an arm but fights on grimly, while Irenes just got a dart to the throat.

[Corwin]

It really is a send off to all of their mortal enemies. Perhaps this is how Aurora's leadership felt when they got the chance to end the duke that doomed their world?

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d100
<Rei-chan> Kotono rolled : 1d100 --> [ 1d100=9 ]{9}

Fortunately, the fight's winding down. The foes are falling faster, the lines broken and the three standing alone, triumphant at last. Oberuth is unwounded, injuries healed. Marianne's bleeding from a few injuries and Lyris is limping, but it seems magic, speed and inhuman endurance have won the day.

"Who were they?" Lyris asks as she limps over, withdrawing a round black stone, about the size of a fist. As she holds her her wounds begin to heal, small bursts every several seconds.

"The past," Oberuth says, "Old enemies, from Emperor Ferdi to liches to worse. Just an echo of someone else's past." He's quiet here as the two heal, Marianne joining Lyris and using the stone. "It must have keyed to the others when they accomplished the first trials, and I'm close enough to those battles that perhaps I maintained it, rather than creating enemies more suited to our lives." He sheathes his blade a moment, adjusting his shield as he says, "Are you ready to go?"

"Not yet. Not all of us are immortal, invincible legends," Marianne turns her nose up, wounds still healing. "At least Seira and Alicia have the decency to call themselves divine. No human fights like you, Hellman."

Glancing back towards Marianne just a moment, "And you don't fight like any tarrasque I've heard of."

There's a moment of silence at that, before Marianne goes, "Hmph," and pointedly strides forward, "Rude."

With the faintest hint of a smile, Oberuth strides forward, Lyris rolling her eyes with her own amused look and following.

[Corwin]

Seira decides, then and there, that she will share the Crimson Guard's stories with Marianne and Lyris once their trial is done. They should understand the path that the torch passed on to them made from the very start.

[Anastasia]

Onward.

At the end of this hall stairs descend deeper down. Grand and wide stairs as wide as the hall, stretching down farther than can be seen. Oberuth doesn't even pause his pace, striding ahead. Occasionally he's simply several stairs ahead in between the blinks of an eye. Marianne floats along, keeping pace just above the ground. Lyris brings up the rear.

Down these stairs, the light ever so slowly fading and dim shadows overtaking everything. The only sound is the sounds of boots on ground and the slight jangle of armor.

In time they descend further down, down to the bottom. Here is a cliff before a seemingly endless chasm in the ground, stretching into darkness in every direction ahead and down.

"It can't be a dead end," Marianne says, flying closer.

Oberuth begins to reply but stops. It rises from the ground - a hunk of stone, another and then another. They form a path leading ahead, into the chasm.

Lyris takes in with a cool gaze, hopping on and following.

As they walk, more and more stones, forging a path ahead, deeper into this place.

Ahead the stones form a large stone square, inlaid with a circle showing a pair of dragons in flight around each other, curling and chasing.

[Corwin]

"The dragons that were a legend even millennia ago," Seira murmurs with interest, looking intently at them.

[Anastasia]

"Finally," Amaryl says, leaning forward as intently as Lagann is, the two transfixed.

Oberuth, Marianne and Lyris reach the circle, and the moment a foot lands on it? The entire platform rings like a bell.

Gold.

Fire.

Gold and red can be seen in the distance, like two tendrils constantly snaking around each other. They flow rather than move, becoming larger and larger as they approach. Two great dragons, one of shining gold and the other of bright crimson. They stay in orbit of one another, Oberuth slowly readying himself. Marianne breathes out, "Gold and red, perfectly vulnerable to cold." Lyris merely draws a dart as they fly closer.

"The hour is at hand," Two voices speak as one as they draw close, only slowly separating. Both are vastly larger than the slab, taking up all the space ahead utterly. "Ahead awaits the God-King, heroes."

"Yet you are not the heroes we had grown to expect," The red dragon declares, flames leaking out with every word from its mouth, "And you are far greater than you should ever have been, human, and the two of you should have passed ages ago."

Oberuth steps forward at that, "It was necessary." He meets their gazes without fear, "We will finish this task and render judgment."

[Corwin]

If you didn't want me to stack the deck for all I can, you should've just let me finish the trial myself!

[Anastasia]

The two wyrms are silent after that, the two groups waiting. Tension builds, neither moving.

"You will have to get past us," Goldan declares, "There can be no other choice."

Oberuth readies his sword, darts prepared. Yet the dragons do no move.

"Prove to us that you are worthy to pass judgment," Goldan goes on, "You have come so far - yet we will not let you pass if you cannot do that."

Marianne's the one that speaks up, "I was once far more than I am now, and I apparently did terribly at it. I'm just another adventurer, another heroine in the city of Balmuria. A strong one, a powerful one, but still nothing that special in the grand measure of all things. I'm no wise sage or legendary angel that will speak words of profound meaning."

A moment as eyes turn to her.

"It's also why I'm the right person to judge, darling. The God King had power, then he gained too much and became a monster. Terrible things happened until he stopped. I understand too well his story, because I lived the same story."

A grand gestures, this time to Lyris. "Lyris as well, she lived it with me."

Another gesture to Oberuth. "A man who has gained more power than he ever wanted, all because he has to."

"Do you see now? We're his kin in spirit, we know what he's been through and why he would have made the mistakes he did. With all the power we've had and have, our ability to foster good and wreak mistakes grows. We've followed the same path as the God King, a path carefully set up both in life and now through these trials. It mirrors the mistake the divine made with the Fairest Star."

[Corwin]

Marianne and Lyris are the best mortals to understand, Seira agrees with that. Lagann might have been just as suitable, but she has faith in the present team!

[Anastasia]

"It's been ages," Goldan finally says, "Wondering if we would be forced to battle the champions who came this far."

"We can finally rest, because you have shown both might and wisdom," Kangap says, "You need not raise your blade against us. Destiny awaits you beyond this point. There no going back now, go forward and fulfill your task."

Oberuth inclines his head as Lyris huffs. "Thank you," Commander Oberuth says. "Should you have your freedom after this, you are welcome to visit Balmuria. Another disguised dragon will hardly make a difference."

"Another?" Lyris glances rather sharply at the Commander.

"Go forward now," The two intone as one, sinking down and away. Stone rises rapidly, forming a path. Ahead is a stone temple, pillared and elegantly carved. It's quite large, the path leading to a single door leading within.

[Corwin]

Disguised dragons are everywhere. After all, it's hard to interact with mortals properly in the grandeur of their true forms.

Would she have had a chance to invite them over, as Oberuth had just done? Would Kangap and Goldan have stopped by her inn, or chosen to settle down in the Cauldron as they decide on their future?

Rather than dwell on what might have been, Seira decides to just reach out to them afterwards. For now, however, her attention is focused solely on her champions and the impending judgement. And the first glimpse of the God King, of course.

[Anastasia]

A squeeze of your hand. "It's time." Amaryl says.

"Time to give him what he has coming," Yandrazt growls, a metallic sound. "They'd better not fail at the last moment."

[Corwin]

She'll need to explore that unthinkable possibility while studying the Prophecy later. Had Primus accounted for such matters as well?

"It's time," Seira agrees out loud. "They will succeed."