rend the halls.

[Zerta]

A voice emenated from the walls "WHERE IS IT!!!" it shrieked "WHERE IS THE KEY" the light streaming through the windows slowly faded as a storm formed iover the school "I WANT MY KEY" the voice insisted the wind now threatening to shatter the windows hitting the school with hurricane force.

[Ceres rajuras]

I jumped to the side as one of the hall windows actually shattered, sharp glass sprinkling the ground and heads of the nearby students. Howling wind poured through the hall as confused students scurried about for cover. I quickly created a force field around myself and Izzy. "What the hell is going on?" The fire dragon asked while looking around frantically for the owner of the voice. "Is it the necromancer?" I had to shout so my voice could be heard above the screaming and howling. "I don't think so! I believe it is something else!"

[Zerta]

As suddenly as it had started the wind died down becoming almost stagnant. A minute passed and then the doors to the hall flew open and a lone figure wearing what appeared to be light armor draped in cloth walked in its face obscured by a hood, the figure then gave a laugh as dark as his pitch armor before demanding " I know its here, now give me a reason to spare you your lives and take me to it" not bothering to give any explanation for what it was it wanted.

[Sir Militis]

In my quarters a pot of souls fell on my helmet and broke. I stare at the souls as they escape ".......well then......let's go greet our guest" I walk to the hallway and crossed my arms

[Margurka]

A team of security forces swarmed over to the figure, as I peered out from my darkened lecture hall; my class sheltering under their desks.

[Zerta]

The hooded figure took a step forward into the hall "where is IT, I know IT has to be here somewhere I can feel its tug." The figure declared "give it to me NOW!" Demanded the figure "if you hurry I may not devour you"

[Margurka]

"Sir, we can't take threats like that lightly," the security team's leader said, raising his staff away from the figure in approaching; arms open to signify desire to cooperate, "we need you to relax. We want to help you, but you're on Royal Property. By authority of the Elemental Council, we are to secure the premises by any force necessary. Let's try to make that words, shall we?"

[Zerta]

The figure turned its head sideways and its mouth was seen to twist into a deaviant grin the gaurd that had aproached began to thrash violently before giving a salute and a "understood, I however have no Intel on the object you seek" with that the figures smile faded as it approached the others "perhaps I was to hasty, I seek a certain artifact that I know to be hidden at this school. It is a key with the number 4 on it. It should have a powerful aura surrounding it that dissapears under observation. Oh and that wasn't a threat, it was an incentive your lives where mine the moment my feet touched the ground, I am nearly offering to grant them to you instead."

[Margurka]

"A key? That's what this is about?" He said, I shut the door, and held against the door, reaching out to the class to stay in cover. The writhing burn underneath my skin where the tattoo held was not easily ignored.

[Zerta]

A laugh escaped the figures lips "oh it is no mere key, I will tell you more if you wish, however any more than this and I will have to kill you"

[Margurka]

"Son of a bitch," I clinked my bracelets together, and my blade and shield gauntlets appeared; stepping out to join the security team.

"Stay until I or a security team releases you," I told the students before I left the room.

"You," I approached the security team and figure, "are not going to kill anyone here today."

[Zerta]

Manic laughter escaped the hooded figure "oh good, I was hoping you would be complying. Just hand over the key then and I'll be on my way." The figure paused "because if you think I won't manage to kill you if you resist, your 'dead' wrong"

[Margurka]

"Threatening even the population of this world isn't worth handing the key to one so obviously self-centered to threaten for it; if you'd think I'd surrender it so easily, you either know not what it does, or who I am. Its power is too great to allow into the hands of someone unproven worthy of what it unlocks."

[Zerta]

A terrible hacking sound came from under the hood as the figure unbuckled a price of armor on its left arm to reaveal 3 lock tattoos with the numbers 0,11, and 12. " oh I know what they do" the figure said smiling widely as it returned the price of armor and took a step forward.

In the next second the hooded stranger was standing behind them 3 guards fell bleeding profusely as the figure turned it tore off the hood to reveal a face with only a mouth it raised a hand and margurka fell twords it a black tendril wraping around him as the faceless one grabbed his neck "tell me where it is or ill have you wipe out this planet." A light presence started to form in the room pressing in on everyones minds and steadily grew. " or ill have them kill eachother...realy depends how bored you make me"

[Margurka]

A couple of the guards opened fire with their weapons, basic elemental discharges, concentrated into slugs that could tear through ship hulls. Some of them were showing obvious signs of difficulty concentrating, others nearly immediately stumbling into cover, unable to hold the stationary target. I started seeing doubles, and the grip on my gauntlets slipped. As the collapsed, visible on the inside of my wrist was the shape of a black key that had been hidden for so long beneath my bracelets. A fuming black mist with a dark green gue rose from it, as if a vent in a chimney had suddenly been released.

[Zerta]

The stranger smiled and reached for his arm ignoring the inaccurate gunfire, just as he grabbed margurkas arm however professor Zerta ran from his classroom and charged him promptly getting knocked against the wall "NO DISTACTIONS" the intruder said before looking back down to see a Squirl where margurka should have been and Zerta fleeing with him in arms apparently off the planet. He instawithntly gave chance leaving the planet behind and the preasure quickly faded.

Zerta looked down at margurka "are you alright? That illusion should last at least a week but I know their kind" he lied "they offten show up where i quest for the keys." He said looking at margurkas arm " it might be safer to leave that with me" he said "after all" he pulled back his arm to reaveal the same key tatoos as the stranger had" i managed to 'liberate' some from that thing, I can keep them out of the wrong hands much more easily "

[Margurka]

I shook my head, as the guards wandered catching their breath and trying to get a grip on their psyches after watching three of their own die. I rubbed off my face, turning towards Zerta.

"You're being hunted by necromancers. I suppose it all makes sense now," I groaned as I stood. I gave hand signals to the team, and they nodded, still somewhat disturbed before fanning out to secure the immediate rooms, and escort the students away. An alarm went through the school evacuating it for the day.

"Though I'm grateful for your intervention, and less pressed for reason to trust you, I'm still hard-pressed to find a reason to hand the key to you. It's my responsibility as heir to keep it out of the hands of the self-serving. You obviously know what these keys do. That kind of power is not something the universe is yet ready for...or so some would claim. Either way, entrusting it to you would be an ultimate gesture of faith."

[Zerta]

Zerta shrugged " I suppose, however I won't be leaving you alone for to long as long as you have it." He sighed " to be honest I need the keys to conduct more reaserch for caelum." He shook his head " that and I am facing down an army of those things." He looked away brieflyand took a deep breath "i won't be unprepared this time."

[Margurka]

"You were one of them once then?" I asked, "a very long time ago, if your philosophical lectures are any indicator. Your mind is weighted by acts you committed in the past, based on your final lecture last semester. You're not just escaping being hunted, but your past catching up with you. Things done in the name of immortality, survival of the fittest, and you're seeking to heal yourself from what I can only imagine is a sort of curse. Result of assassination attempt maybe, more likely inflicted before you escaped some sort of execution I'd assume. Probably betrayal, if your lecture on knowing those around you can be any indicator."

I gave Zerta a wide and welcoming grin, "just so you know that I've put my unreasonable distrust of you aside, friend."

[Zerta]

Zerta laughed " good someone was listening! " he gave a slight grin "and it was most definitely an assassination attempt, though the fact it was only an attempt still shocks even me." He gave a small wink "normally death by star does the job." He sighed " regardless the time will come when I must retrieve the key from you, I know what my former compatriots would do with this power and it wouldn't be pretty. Needless to say one life is a small price to pay to keep the keys away from them"he sighed " I truly pray that you will be will to hand it over then, or that it is long after your death."

[Margurka]

"Hm..." I nodded, "then we're dealing with what Colagart has feared for centuries. The spread of the scourge is a mere symptom; these necromancers are the disease, aren't they?"

[Zerta]

Zerta sighed "in a way, yes. However they are not the cause of it, just the reason for its spread. They seek its ultimate power in hopes of ruling over the universe." He gave a brief pause " thus the Key's. " he walked down the hall somewhat and addressed the room "what you just saw was a world eater, they currently rule over the majority of this Galaxy and a few small ones orbiting ours as well. They have no mercy and the fact that one came here means they consider this part of their territory as well. " he gave a small sigh "they are responsible for more death than you would be live and...and are the ones who manipulated the genocide of the time dragons. Whole civilizations disappear when they set their sights on them. This school is now a target, If you wish to fight them then stay, if however you wish to live...I can garentee no more than a year of safetyas the illusion i will be placing on this world can only last so long. Also I'll need help placing it."

[Margurka]

"It's not on my authority, I will recommend every action I can to the Headmistress about these 'world eaters.' This may change things quite significantly

[Zerta]

Zerta smiled and waved him away "all psychic dragons follow me" he said as he walked down the hall and through the main doors. "The longer we wait the worse this will get HURRY"

[Ceres rajuras]

"Catch you around Izzy. Can you tell Professor Mounce that I'll be late or miss his class today because another teacher was calling the psychic dragons? Thanks." I said to the fire dragon before filing onto line with the other psychic dragon students who followed Zera through the doors.

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