Akena Aftermath - between evan..relic & Erika

Togda rolled his eyes and gripped Tala by the shoulders, "Come on, up you go. I need help breaking these locks."

At his words all of the elves stood up saluting, "HAIL PRINCE TOGDA!!!"

Again, he rolled his eyes and laughed, "Get ready to fight, my fellow elves, today is the day we take back Melandru!" He raised the sword above his eliciting a joyous roar from the elves.

Half carrying Tala, he said, "Tala, come on. We have work to do."

Tala shook her head, and sheathed her sword. Standing up straight, she nodded to the other elves. "Ok."

Investigating the body of the Watcher, Togda found a set of keys, he lobbed them to Tala, "Unlock the cells." I'll keep an eye out for any other demons."

Deep inside his chest, the pieces of the Duratma stirred slightly, causing Togda to squirm slightly.

Tala caught the keys and nodded. Unlocking the cells, she didn't notice Togda's reaction to the duratma still inside of him.The elves free, she went to his side. "All done."

"Thank you." He pulled her into a quick hug, one, to thank her, two, show the other elves that she was truly with him.

Taking a deep breath to push the Duratma back, he said, "Let's go. Stairs are down the hall to our right."

Tala nodded, and hugged him back. Kissing him on the cheek, she felt his unease, and hugged tighter. Letting go, she turned towards where Togda was indicating, and walked off.

Catching up to Tala, he quickly conjured up weapons for the other elves, "We're going to have be careful, the demons will be weakened because of Zagato being dead, but they won't have lost their speed or flight advantage."

Tala didn't look up at him. She understood full well what he was saying. The demons, were still strong, and he wanted her to be careful. Nodding, she unsheathed her sword, to make ready incase a demon spotted them.

Togda took a deep breath, poked his head out from around the corner and nearly had his head lopped off by a Demon Watcher. Breathing quickly, he held his chest, "Tala, mind getting this one? Fly up and onto the back of this one's neck. I'll try for the ankles. Everyone else assists!"

Darting out, he tried to hamstring the Watcher, but received a backhanded smash that sent him flying a few feet back. Struggling to get up, he wiped a dribble of blood from the corner of his mouth, "Not nice." He muttered alongside a steady stream of human curses.

Tala nodded, and flew up high. Landing on the creatures back, she readied to make the fatal blow, but was knocked off after the creture had swung at Togda. Rolling to a stop before hitting the wall, she got up and looked at Togda. Seeing the blood leaking from his mouth, her heart gave a jolt, and her anger flared. She took to the sky and came rushing down, stabbing the creature between the shoulder blades, wounding so that Togda, and the other elves could kill it. She flew off, and landed a few feet away so that she could keep an eye out for more demons.

Togda and two other elves skewered the demon through the neck with their blades, one of the elves that was experienced with healing magics fussed over him trying to heal his bruises and split lip and an apparently torn muscle, he just shoved him away saying, "You can heal me when we're done."

Catching up with Tala, he looked down at the necklaces, he could smell the demons, but the gems were eerily dark, 'This can not bode well.' He thought to himself.

Tala watched, and smiled to herself. Seeing Togda refuse help was something she was used too. Looking away, she kept an eye on the corridor. Feeling him beside her, she reached her hand out, indicating she wanted to hold his hand before the battle between him, and the one who stole his throne.

Slipping his hand into her's, Togda smiled and mouthed the words so that the others couldn't hear him, "I'm worried." He gestured at the darkened gems about his neck.

For some reason, he really began to doubt his abilities, he had relied on the gems, but now... They were on their own, no warnings.

Looking around the corner and up the hall, the way was clear, he could see the cast iron door that separated the dungeon from the rest of the castle.

That was when he remembered something, the door was locked with a spell; a spell that he could never grasp, a spell that could end their crusade before it began.

"This might be a problem..." He said quietly.

Tala looked at him, and her eyes filled with concern. Looking away, she saw the door, and heard his words. "Then we will need help." She said, in mature voice. She was trying to be strong, for Togda's sake.

"I don't know if any of these elves have a good enough handle on magic to undo the locking spell. I doubt it. The spell is ancient and the de-spell is only known by the captain of the Guard. But he was killed while helping me to escape."

Togda scratched the side of his neck, then a thought struck him, could the pendants be able to undo the spell? He knew that the magic inside the pendants was much older and arcane than the enchantment on the door... So, maybe....

Walking up to the door, he held all three of the stones in his right hand, eyes closed, mind calling out to the magic within him and the necklaces, hoping that his begging would stir the power to act and help them.

Tala listened, but did not reply. Keeping hold of his hand, she snuggled closer into him, so that she hugging him. Staying silent, she begged within her mind, for something, or someone to come help them.

Togda sighed as he thought, 'There has to be something that can be done. The gems refuse to work, and I don't know how to undo the locking spell...'

Drawing Tala close, he ground his teeth together, he'd have to break the spell himself.

Whispering to Tala, "Get back, I'll have to break the spell."

Tala nodded, and took to the air. She hovered over him, and then flew about six feet away from the door. Watching Togda, she readied herself to pull him out of the way if needed.

Togda groaned as he looked up and down the broad cast iron door, this might hurt. Lifting his hands to the middle of his chest, he closed his eyes as he extended his mind towards the door. Almost immediately the enchantments sprang forwards to block his way. Recoiling both mentally and physically, he proceeded to examine the symbols inlaid on the door. As soon as he started, he realized that this was going to be tough, the spells were ancient and ingrained inside the door.

Breathing out slowly, he began to slowly unravel each enchantment one by one, careful not to trip over another in doing so.

Tala flinched as she saw him recoil. Shuffling her wings, she walked up right behind him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Resting her cheek against his back between his shoulders, she nuzzled him, and then was still so that he could concentrate on what he was doing.

Togda sighed as he undid about half the enchantments on the door, progressing from the most recent to the most ancient.

This wasn't going to be easy, these last enchantments came from when Melandru was at war, so they were offense-orientated in order to rebuke unruly prisoners of war.

Breathing out deeply, he began to say the words that would slowly undo the ancient arcane spells.

Tala hugged him tighter, and projected her mind to his. 'Togda, I give you my strength to help break the spells.' She said to him.

Togda recoiled as he felt Tala's mind connect to his, narrowly, he managed to stop himself from setting off one of the defense spells, 'Tala..... Please, I'm trying to stop these spells from roasting us all alive. But thank you.'

Tala nodded, and started to transfer her strength to Togda. She kept a firm hold on him from behind. 'You are welcome.... My love.' She added in with a smile.

'Thank you.' he thought to her as he began again trying to unravel the spells.

Tala stayed silent, and just held him form behind. She felt her strength begin to leave her, but she didn't care as long as it kept Togda alive and unhurt.

Breathing slowly, Togda forced his mind into the final and most archaic enchantment, this was so old he doubted even the most wise of the Ellesmerran sages would understand it.

Carefully, he manipulated several of the Elven words that he knew that could carry some magic with them.

He sorely wished that the necklaces would respond, their magic could make this all the easier...

Suddenly something broke; breaking contact with the enchantment, he grabbed Tala and few elves and leaped as far back as he could screaming, "GET BACK!"

Immediately, the air up to two feet from the door glowed a sinister red and shook visibly. All was quiet for a moment, then the air literally exploded, sending shockwaves outwards that further pushed them almost to the other end of the main tunnel. His ears rang with the sound of a million bells, "Dammit..." He muttered, "...I tripped the final ward."

He reached back towards the door with his mind, only to find that it had a psychic block all around it, preventing him from gaining access to the magic in it, "Dammit." He muttered again.

Tala took to the air, and flew away from the door. Feeling the explosion, it caused her to go crashing into a wall. Getting to her feet she tried to extend her wings, only to find her right one damaged to the pint where she couldn't fly. "Great." She said with anger. Going to Togda, she folded her wings, the left one going back to it's normal position, but the right one was held out at a weird angle. "I think I broke my wing." She said sadly. "What was that?"

Quickly he called one of the elves over, one that was adept with healing magic to tend to Tala's wing.

"That was one of the minor effects of me failing to dismantle the last binding spell on the door. And now, it has a sheild of sorts around it so I can't reach out and finish removing the spell." He kicked at the ground in anger.

Now they had to find a different way to acsend into the castle. He had no idea of what to do.

Tala walked away from him, and placed her hand on the door. Feeling magic around it, she had an idea. "Singing." She said suddenly. "I remember from a previous life. A spell just like this one. To break it you had to sing a song from your heart." Looking at Togda, she smiled. "Want to give it a try?"

The medic elf hurried to catch up with Tala.

Togda walked up to her, "A previous life? I know that Deva's may have multiple life times, but this spell is something straight out of Akena antiquity, I doubt singing could help. And the final spell has a tendency to hide it's true nature. I had a heck of time chasing it's core, which probably led to my failure."

Suddenly a thought occurred to him, "Maybe singing could help... The myth of the necklaces stated that if those from whence the pendants came could come to harmony, then the resulting energy could break anything." Then he realized a problem, he stomped the ground and punched the wall, "We need a demon here. I wish Azura were here..."

Letting the healer tend to her, she rolled her eyes at Togda's exclamation. "Yes, but unfortunately he died in Morish." She said rather sadly. "I only remember because I heard the myth a long time ago." Tala sighed with relief as the healer mended her wing. "Thanks." She said to the elf. Shuffling her wings, she took to the sky and circled over head. "Want me to sing the song?"

Togda sighed and hung his head slightly, "Fine. Do it. It might help weaken the ward at the very least."

(this song is from the hunger games...sorry)

Tala landed infront of the door. Folding her wings, she stood with her hands on her heart, and her eyes closed. She then began to sing.

Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when again they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you

After she finished her song the door began to emit a soft glow of golden light. Then it slowly started to open. Tala opened her eyes to see it if it had worked. Seeing that it had, she smiled. "Mother." She whispered to herself.

Togda stared at Tala and the now open door, mouth agape, "What the? How- How?" He turned and pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in exasperation, "I don't want to know how you managed that, but that's one obstacle down..."

Tala turned to Togda, with a smile on her face. Hearing and seeing his reaction, she hung her head, and walked through the door. 'I have upset him.' She thought to herself. 'Why did I have to sing the song my father sang to me before he died?' Tala berated herself, but she also praised herself.

Togda put a hand on Tala's shoulder and pulled her into a hug, "Thank you. I'm just glad that the door is open. Got your sword? Get ready!" He let go of her as he unsheathed the rapier from the sheath on his left hip.

Tala let him hug her. Returning it, she let go just as he did. "I always have my sword." She said, drawing it from her back and readying herself to fight.