Magi-Nation Duel Official Storyline - Synopses

MND Storyline synopsis
Timeline	Period	X - planation
X.X.1	Base/Awakening/GBC game	1st X - which story arc it is:
X.X.2	Dream's End	2nd X - which story in the arc
X.X.3	Nightmare's dawn	3rd X - Which set/period it relates to
X.X.4	Voice of the Storms
X.X.5	Traitor's Reach

 These are synopses of every Magi-Nation duel story published by 2i.  They are hosted still on fan site Bluefurok.com. 

Shadow Geyser: 1.X.1
1.1.1	The Clarion	Orwin sees the shadow geyser rise, and calls to the main five regions for a contest to help Evu enter and stop it.
1.2.1	How to win a Contest	Tournament Begins, Tryn and Evu wander off
1.3.1	Open Door	Tournament is ending, but Poad saw Tryn and Evu enter the geyser.  Orwin is hurt attempting to stop the gate from closing.
1.4.1	Deep Dark Place	Tryn is attcked, Evu meets the Dark Twins, who offer him power to join them.
1.5.1	Friendly Fire	Tryn fighting a Chaos Jile, is saved by Barak entering the geyser.  They can't escape, so they delve deeper into the Core.  The pass Togoth sleeping, and battle to a spot of safety, while planning a way to escape with another new geyser.
1.6.1	Fools Rush In	Synopsis of what each tournament region did after Barak pushed into the geyser.  Orwin is still ill, so Arderians keep watch.  Ora sees Tony enter the Naroom Geyser, then it explodes soon after as Tony emerges.  She finds Evu, disoriented in the forest.

Ogar's Redemption: 2.X.1
2.1.1	The Call of Nightmare	Ulk plays with her korrit, and worries over her missing friend, Underwarden Ogar, who had gone on a quest after bad dreams.  In the Core, Ogar is asked to 'open the Underneath' and she creates a shadow geyser.  Ogar emerges, and Ulk confronts her oldest friend.  Qwade and Warrada attack the Ombor Guard.  Gogor challenges Ogar, and reveals Agram's offer in many of their dreams.  The guards slowly lose the battle, and Ulk flees, but is confronted by Ogar, who offers her a place in the shadows.
2.2.1	Cry for Help	Ulk flees to the surface of Kybar's Teeth, and is terrified of the heights.  She encounters Kazm, who takes her to Grej who was creche sister with her and Ogar.
3.3.1	Underdawn	Grej, Ulk, and Kazm head back to the Underneath to try to save Ogar. Kazm scouts ahead in the corrupted mushroom forest, and a thunderquake shakes the area.  He returns to report that the shadow geyser collapsed. Ogar attacks the trio as the shaking stops, easily defeating Kazm and Grej.  Ulk pleads with Ogar to stop as she’s about to kill Grej with a stone, and Ogar is distracted from the spirit voice whispering in her ear by Ulk’s korritt and a tickle attack by Ulk.  She wakes from her trance, cleansed of shadows.  The magi, releaved, head home.

Forest Fire: 3.X.X
3.1.1	Young Flames	Tryn and Barak have been in the core for weeks, spying on Core magi, trying to plan an escape as two geysers have erupted and collapsed.  Tryn become attracted to Barak, but he doesn't seem to notice.  They decide to try to ride the erupting third geyser out of the core.  Korg and Zet arrive, to launch the third geyser.
3.2.1	Emergence	Zet and Korg join the magi creating the third geyser.  Tryn is uncomfortable so close to Barak, but they observe for their moment to act.  As they run to the geyser, a Darkbreed hyren attacks, and dominates Barak's Ash Hyren.  They flee, and leap into the geyser, which has erupted into Cald.  Landing with the help of a Raxis, Barak sees the horror the geyser is creating, and dispairs; Tryn kisses him.  Unsure how to deal with this, Barak runs to the defense of his region.
3.3.1	Men are from Cald, Women are from Naroom	Barak returns to his council, which is still as choatic as he left it.  Valkan had aided Tony to approach the geyser, against much of the Calders' efforts.  Tryn hadn't seen Barak for three days, and they have a terribly awkward conversation, where Barak makes her feel less wanted.  She leaves.
3.4.3	Ashes	Barak returns after the Raid on the Orothean Vault. Rereading Tryn's goodbye note, he shows a tiny bit of emotion.  Tryn leaves Cald, sent off by Nara.  Traveling home, she encounters a curtain of light, which washes over her when she attempts to summon a creature, and she vanishes.
3.5.3.X	Her Wildest Dreams	Tryn awakes in an unknown place, where her senses are assulted relentlessly.  She is saved by Dathka, who lends her goggles to protect her senses.  She described finding the rift, and Dathka explains El and the dream barrier.  In their talk, the room is attacked by dream creature attracked to Tryn's rings.  She is sent to flee by Dathka in the 'direction of the Green'.
3.6.3	Green Dreams	Tryn flees her attackers in the dream plane, but gets surrounded crossing a chasm.  Hanging by her tunic, she tries to summon her Timber Hyren in desperation, but loses the ring.  Brillion, her Timber Hyren, is summoned anyways, and saves her.  He takes her towards Trunkk.
3.7.4	The Dream Storm	A roiling dream storm assaults all the inhabitants of the moonlands.  Many see visions of Tryn fleeing and falling.  Barak calls her name, and charges off into the night.  Brillion takes her to the Green, and they meet up with Flash, Tryn's rudwot.  Together the meet Trunnk and Dathka at the Life node vortex.  Dathka explains the dream storm, and Trunnk proposes a way to get Tryn home, but without an animite anchor, she's stuck.
3.8.4	Anchor	Barak's silth Giant returns to the dream plane, and meets Tryn's flame rudwot.  They talk to Skorch, who takes them to see Dathka.  The guardians gather to decide how to send Tryn home- she needs an anchor of either personal or animite.  Barak, searching for her on the moonlands, find her flame rudwot ring.  The guardians can open a barrier, and send Tryn home because of Barak's caring for Tryn.

Scattering of Shadows 4.1.1

Agram being defeated, Zet took the throne, but was quickly conquered by the Twins.  Nagsis had vanished.  The other shadow magi are on the surface, seeking to survive- and found shelter in the Weave where a pit to the Core may be.  Morag is trying to free Agram from his Core prison.

The Unwanted 5.X.X
5.1.2	Shards	Ashio and Lanyx found shelter in the Core earthquakes, when Tony sealed Agram in the center of the Core.  They search for the throne room, and gather a beaten Qwade.  They find a Dark Ayebaw from Harror with a message to gather at the Throne room.
5.2.2	Exile	The three shadow magi join with Chur and Harror, and approach the throne.  Hrada has claimed it, with Morag floating nearby, and Hrada demands he step down.  Warrada laughs at him, saying he should prove he can claim it, while the other shadow magi slink out of the room, not willing to fight for Lanyx.  Lanyx attempts to muster them, but is blasted by the Twins the moment he enters the room.  The now five shadow magi quickly make their escape from the throne room.
5.3.2	A Hole Lot	Harror opens a portal from the Core to the surface in Naroom, where Korremar was waiting for them.  They discuss, and the six shadow magi decide to use Ashio's hole at the base of the weave to hide and rebuild their plans.
5.4.2	Blazing Trails	The six shadow magi travel to the bridge between Naroom and the Weave.  As they cross, they spot Grega, whom Lanyx proposed to in the past.  He falsely believes she want to still marry him, and signals to her.  She and the other 6 Cald magi with her see him, and charge to battle the shadow magi.
5.5.2	Brushfires	Crossing the Bridge, Qwade is struck at the very center by a fireball, and launched into the river.  The rest of the shadow magi use their powers to escape into the Weave.  Zaya feels a strange disturbance in the grasses, and Quirle alerts her to the Cald fire team.  She send him to Gia, who tells them the time for passiveness is over- and to attack the Cald magi.  Gia goes to ambush the Shadow Magi, while the Weavers attack the Cald Fire team.
5.6.2	Weave got a Secret	The shadow magi arrive at the hole at the base of the Weave.  Nagsis is there, and orders Ashio to help guide the weave magi away from them.  Grega dispairs at the large firestorm their battle is causing to the Weave.  A crowd gathers to demand action from Gia as a leader, who accepts, and again argues for violence.  The Weavers find the shadow magi, and Ashio is caught, and forced to fight Gia, and her Gia Pet, yet is defeated, left to an unknown fate.
5.7.2	Down Time	Gia, victorious, returns home.  She heads to a new secret tunnel, finding Yayek at work manipulating the controls of the weave's root bulbs, and takes off her disguise- it's Nagsis.  He mocks a tied up Gia, and prepares with Yayek for phase two of their plan.
5.8.3	In Over your head	The shadow magi have fled to d'Resh, having wandered following Korremar for ten days.  He leads them to the heart of the desert, where a trap captures Lanyx and Chur, but Harror escapes the d'Reshi attack.  They interrogate the shadow magi, and Naraha speaks to Korremar, now free of his Core taint- the Oracle says he has to find Rayje, and heads to the Paradwyn conflict.

The Battle of Naroom 6.X.X
6.1.2	When a Tree Falls	Hrada rants about Tony's destruction of the Core plans.  Warrada guides him towards attacking Naroom, as she wants control of the Great Library.
6.2.2	The Axe Rises	Hrada summons Morag, and the three discuss the attack on Naroom.
6.3.3	Dark Leaves Fall	Marella arrives in Vash Naroom by accident, and is welcomed by Eidon.  She wanders to the grove where the shadow geyser was, and discovers a new pit.  Suddenly, Core creatures emerge, and start attacking.  Eidon and Marella put up a defense, and retreat to the city to get help.
6.4.3	War of the Woods	Yaki and Poad join the battle, and Poad evacuates Vash Naroom.  Yaki is corrupted, Pruitt is captured.  Yaki battles the dark twins, but is defeated when Evu joins them.  Poad rescues a prone Yaki, and the Naroom magi fall back.
6.5.3	Naroom World Order	The Dark Twins, victorious, claim The Great Library.  Hrada, injured, follows his sister.  They have captured Naroom.

The Prodigal Daughter 7.X.X
7.1.3	Departures	Iyori and Marella leave the Weave, Iyori has argued with 'Gia'.  They secretly head to Paradwyn instead of Naroom, and meet Bazha.  Marella leaves to new adventures.
7.2.3	Clash of Wills	Iyori relaxes with Bazha, and relates the shadow magi's attacks into the Weave, and the changes Gia has undergone.
7.3.3	Roots	Iyori reveals that she's Gia's adopted daughter, but then, Bazha admits that he's her biological father, and gave her to Gia when her real mother died in childbirth.  He had been too depressed to ever return to the weave over the loss of his wife.
7.4.3	Keeper, Weaver, Stalker, Spy	Bazha is helping train Iyori for Paradan magic.  Yricho pounches and captures Ninx.  Ninx, welcomed by Bazha, and they then relate the story of Gia torturing Marella to learn about the battle of Naroom and where Iyori went.  Bazha mentions growing tension with Bograth.
7.5.3	A New Resolve	Bograth has begun an attack on Paradwyn.  Bazha and Iyori speak about her growing concerns over Gia's behavior, and Iyori decides to return, and solve the mystery behind Gia's change.
7.6.3	Barlbridge	Iyori is making her way home, but is delayed by a detour avoiding the main road by Naroom, due to the War.  Bograth is at war with Paradwyn fully as well.  She finds a new Animite bridge, the 'Barlbridge' and summons it to cross the river, entering the Weave again.
7.7.4	In Sickness and in Stealth	Iyori returns to the Weave, and heading to Gia, runs into Kolte.  He asks her to come with him, to show her something.  He leads to her a sickness in the Weave, which is immediately covered by an illusion.  They're worried this sickness is so unknown, and connected to Gia.  Iyori worries about it having affect Gia, and heads off.
7.8.4	The Bond Sigil	Iyori returns to Qui-Yeteh.  She sees a monster posing as Gia before the illusion takes hold.  Kolte appears, and helps her find the real Gia.
7.9.4	The Black Sap	They take Gia to Zaya.  Gia wakes, and says to check under the cellar.  Kolte has harvested some of the black sap, and splashing it on their eyes, Yerthe, Iyori, and Kolte see the infection in the Weave.  They go deeper, and find Yayek.  They capture him, and discover the cursed needle work they used to infect the Weave.
7.10.4	The Black Weave	Gia' unveils her new black Weave seeds to the Weavers, fireproof and controllable.  Zaya and the 3 magi confront 'Gia', and use a Xyx to spread the black sap into everyone's eyes, revealing Nagsis and the corruption.  They battle, and try to get the black seeds.  Nagsis swallows them, but it causes him to sprout into a black weave leaf.  The weavers celebrate their close success with the actual Gia.
7.11.4	Revenge	Yayek has escaped, and the black seeds fall into his hands.  He vanishes to the shadows.  Zaya and Gia work together with some weed killer to work at cleansing the Weave.

King Korg 8.X.X
8.1.2	Throne Out	Korg and Zet are defeated by the Dark Twins.  They flee the Core, and head towards Bograth, with Zet unhappy about Korg continuing to follow him.  Zet announced that Korg is the lost leader of Bograth!
8.2.3	Throne Up	Korg is crowned King, and Zet flees.  Bored, he demands things to smash. Olabra, keeper of Bograth, sugggests they take the Heart of Paradise from the Paradans, to bring paradise to Paradwyn.
8.3.3	Throne Away	Zet is free, and enjoys it.  He considers what he will do next.

Fists of Rayje 9.X.X
9.1.3	Legend of the Twelve Regions
	Arderial	Ora and Elios plan to try to capture Evu and bring him to his senses.
	Bograth	Olabra plots against Korg, as his war on Paradwyn has been overly successful.
	Cald	Valkan reports on the Weave battles, and Sinder announces the Scroll of Fire theft by Orothe.  They declare a 3 front war: Weave, Orothe, and the Shadow Magi
	Core	Evu enjoys his power, but worries about a new potential hero.
	d'Resh	The sands shift, and 5 shadows trace path through.
	Kybar's Teeth	Targ'n has bad dreams of the other regions' events, and foresees a traitor in the Teeth.
	Nar	Almost nothing moved in the ice.
	Naroom	Yaki, resting with Poad, wants to save Pruitt
	Orothe	Bria brings the Scroll of fire to Blu and the vault.  She's sent Whall to get Kybar's Scroll, and wonders what to collect next.
	Paradwyn	Kioko and Liriel are stalking the Bograth war party, but there's too many of them to attack.  They discuss the need for more help.
	The Underneath	Strag and Radget are fighting Evu, and others are being attacked from below.  They escape with a cave in, but need more help.
9.2.3	When Will you Rayje?	Rayje's keep is on a hidden island off the West Coast of the Moonlands.  He dreams of his upcoming return, as his dreams have been filled with the Core's attacks.
9.3.3	Misguided Missiles	Rayje arrives in the Weave.  Zaya seeks answers to stopping 'Gia'.  Gia plots to destroy Zaya.  Rayje leaves, and arrives in Cald.  He begins to help them investigate the theft of the Scroll of Fire.
9.4.3	Hot Water	The War between Orothe and Cald has Orothe beating back the invaders.  Rayje joins the fray, and the Orotheans fall back, while Rayje calls a truce.  The Orotheans listen to the threat of the Dark Twins, and the Calders take back the scroll.  Unhappy, the regions part.  Rayje takes Sinder on as an apprentice.

The Great Relic Robbery 10.X.X
10.1.3	Breakout	Bria finds an injured Qwade.  She aids him, and together they steal the Scroll of Fire from Cald.  Cald is outraged.  Gia and Weave hear about the theft, and plot to attack Cald. The Kybarites were also robbed of their relics.  Voda finds Ebylon helping the Battle for Naroom, but asks him to return to defend Orothe.  Cald begins it's attack.
10.2.3	Break In	The battle between Cald and Orothe begins.  Ven and Grega slip inside the Vault of Knowledge.

 

Kingmaker 11.X.X
11.1.3	Grand Dreams	Zet, alone, decides to see if he can find minions in d'Resh.  He finds a mysterious ring, and can't remove it.  He inspects the border of Weave, but finds the Weavers ready and attack him.  He flees back into the sands.
11.2.4	King's Cross	Korremar is gathering d'Resh forces to aid other regions.  They imprision Lanyx and Chur in a Hyren skull.  Zet is wandering the desert.  Lanxy reflects on his recent weakness, and pledges to train his two magics together.  Chur suggests with newfounds strength, they may find the power to rule in Kybar's Teeth.  Zet hears a voice from the ring, and finds and frees Lanxy and Chur, who immediately turn on him and trap him in the skull.  He awakes later, free, but next to Korg.
11.3.4	King's Curse	Korg and Zet bicker, but Korg tells him of his defeat by Rayje.  Zet again hears more whsipers.  They head through the desert, in search of Rayje - but encounter friendly Olum Fiends.  Agram is watching the moonlands with Darksight, and sees Tryn in the dream plane.

The Gift of the Monarch Hyren 12.X.X
12.1.4	The Hyren's Journey	The Monarch Hyren Observes the Moonlands' chaos, and considers which regions to aid.
12.2.4	A Beacon of Hope	Delia ponders over the Moonland's chaos, and rests after days of advising Jaela.  The Monarch Hyren approaches her, offering her aid to bring peace, but she claims that magi would simply abuse its power.  Instead, the Monarch Hyren brings her the Rainbow Hyren.

Viva La Resistance 13.X.X
13.1.4	Dark Heart	Yaki ponders his predicament of corruption.  Kazm is sent to assist and scout Naroom's fall to the Dark Twins.
13.2.4	Fallen Allies	Grej and Ulk are hunting a Junjertrug to gather animite, and get help from wild Striped Korrits.  They receive a message after the hunt to go and meet Kazm to aid him in Naroom.  They arrive too late, and see him attacked by Core creatures.  Yaki holds them back from rushing in.
13.3.5	Baddies are Bad	Warrada is irritated at Togoth and Morag, and sends them out on inspections.  It has been nearly a year since Naroom fell.  She is still seeking her answers to conquer the moonlands.  She seeks Evu in the great library vault, and instead finds a mysterious mirror, in which she sees her own uncorrupted reflection.
13.4.5	Storm Front	Trug has joined the Naroomi Rresistance, and Ulk, Yaki, and Grej join them.  Morag, while torturing the prisoners, hears a call of an old ally, and leaves the Twins' forces.  Yaki sneaks in to save the prisoners, while Orwin and the resistance attack the main Shadow magi army.  The battle rages, and the twins prepare their escape from Vash Naroom.  Yaki ambushes them after having freed Pruitt and the other prisoners.  Orwin finally finds their battle, and runs to aid Yaki, but is ambushed by the fiend of Furoks.
13.5.5	Misty Morning	Warrada and Yaki continue their battle, and Orwin appears and holds off Hrada.  Sorreah and Chayla gather their forces, and are winning their battles, after Trug's explosion.  The Narans appear on Naroom's border, from advice from Orthea.
13.6.5	Old Friends and New Enemies	Ohk, Ulk, and Grej are fighting together.  Yaki is attacked by Evu, so he steals Warrada's remaining core energy, and begins his attack, more corrupted than before.  The Narans meet Pruitt, Kazm, and Tiller's group.  Woot tries to cheer up Chayla over the death of the shadow magi who fell; it is the first death in Naroom since before either of them were born.  Poad picks up Trug, and they all rally to move on.  Orwin, battling Hrada, brings up the death of a teacher, Rehk, which enrages Hrada.
13.7.5	A Brave New Naroom	The resistance magi are met with Pruitt and the other prisoners, who also brought the Narans.  The battle is on with the Shadow Magi.  Yaki defeats Evu.  Orwin summons the Carillion Titan, and Sperri saves Hrada with the Darkwood Furok.  However, she tells Hrada to take Warrada and leave - the woods are now hers.  The battle rages on.  Yaki turns from chasing the twins to help Orwin with Sperri.
	(part 2)	Laranel summons a storm with help from Sorreah (and Orthea's spell she learned).  Yaki corrupts his furok ring to steal all the energy from Sperri's furok army, and she flees.  Poad's taproots trap the Shadow magi temporaily, and Odavast freezes and traps them.  The battle is over, and Yaki and Pruitt are reunited, as Orwin returns the Carillion Titan to restore the hole in Vash Naroom.  Yaki brings a sleeping Evu with him.  As the Naroomians plan to rebuild, Yaki and Pruitt meet Laranel and Odavast, and agree to continue the hunt for the twins.

War for Paradise 14.X.X
14.1.3	The Heart of the Jungle	Korg and Bograthians invade Bograth, and Ookami is learning stalking lessons from Liriel.
14.2.3	Paradise Slimed	The war rages for three straight days, and Olabra fumes that none can best Korg.  Olabra convinces Korg to head for the Gem, while she unleashes a Makoor to blast the entire battlefield in Bograth's favor.
14.3.3	Tropical Reign	Rayje and Sinder arrive in Paradwyn, and find the battle. Korg defeats Bazha as Olabra gathers her prisoners.  Sinder challenges Olabra.  Rayje fights Korg.
14.4.3	Strike the Emp-rer Back	The second battle rages, and Sinder summons Rayje's construct as Bazha helps steal the captured animite rings.  The Paradans win, and Korg is beaten.  Rayje warns them of the dark twins' threat, and leaves with Sinder.  Olabra leads Bograth again in Korg's name, but threw him in the great river on their way home.

Invader 15.X.5
15.1.5	The Dream Cannon	The ZONGOHKEWAGA race is fulfilling their plans on El to fire a dream cannon, to revenge themselves on the hated Eliwan enemy.  ZeelorAGAthim fails to fulfill his role helping set it up, and is punished.  He awakens on the ground (forbidden, horrible!) and is in the path of the dream cannon blast.  It fires, ripping a hole in the dream barrier into the dream plane.  Zeel is blasted through the dream plane, and through the tiniest holes in the dream barrier.  He lands on the Moonlands, in shock and horror.
15.2.5	Adept Discovery	Shimmer is checking the Source Tree (which holds Arderial up with the other 2 trees), when a shock shakes the entire tree network.  Kalius arives, and they find the injured AGA.  They try to help him, but he's fearful of them as Eliwan, and his injuries drive him to unconsciousness.  They take him to the city for help.
15.3.5	Prisoner	Zeel awakens in what he sees as an Arderian cloud prison, and see their city.  He recalls growing up and his resentment to the ZONs.  Three magi approach him, and catch him before he can summon his dream creature.  He gently falls asleep from their spell.
15.4.5	Monster	The Arderian elders discuss what the being (Zeel) could be.  Nibulo suspects it is the invaders who destroyed El and the 7 other Eliwan worlds.  Kalius is chastened for interrupting and his lack of knowledge, and they set off for more information while healers work on Zeel.
15.5.5	A Walk in the Clouds	Zeel awakens again, and meets the Arderians, and is allowed to float outside.  He senses a trap, and suspects the Magi at every turn.  He meets Jaela, and is astonished as to her kindness, but still mistrusts them.  She shares some fruit with him, then he falls asleep due to exhaustion.  Jaela holds her council, suggesting they let Zeel escape, to hopefully return, or lead them to other Invaders.
15.6.5	Freedom	Zeel awakens, and finds food left for him.  Astonished he's not a prisoner, he flees, as expected.  The Arderians track him.
15.7.5	Zeel's Journey	Zeel finds the edge of the Arderian clouds, and risks jumping off.  His hover fields fail, and is only saved by an Arderian Guard's Xyx.  Zeel finds the alaban kit of Shimmers' which is spying on him, and destroys the farsight crystal.  In the jungle where he landed, Yeepo the Alaban kit is his only companion as it gets dark.
15.8.5	Morag's Discovery	Morag watches the sun rise in the jungle, and the Naran ice vanish.  He considers the fact that the Narans have broken their 3000 year isolation and come south, as the Invaders must be attacking the dream Barrier.  He has found the last Shadow Geyser seeds, and hopes to free Agram in time to join their allies, the Invaders.  He encounters Zeel, and realized 'greater dream plane' animite could help him free Agram and break the dream barrier.  He moves to capture Zeel and the Alaban kit.
15.9.5	Violation	Morag pulls a blade to extract Zeel's animite, a horrible violation, just as the Arderian guard attacks him.  A battle ensues, saving Zeel, but Morag overwhelms them.  Just as he's about to kill the guards, Zeel attacks Morag and saves them.  He is again grabbed by Morag, who amputate his main tentacle, and steals the animite stone and flees.

War of the Twins 16.X.5
16.1.5	Betrayals	The twins make their escape to Kybar's Teeth, and meet T'lok, the Traitor.  He gives Warrada the Kybar's Fang stone in reverence to her.  She uses it with several special animite and a frame to summon the Nightmare Construct, a creature capable of sapping magi's energy.  She rides it, and steals all of T'lok and Hrada's energy, leaving them for dead.
16.2.5	Revelations	Rayje and Sinder encounter Korremar at the River.  He explains that he is inhabited by Councilor Durresh, the original Eliwan leader of d'Resh.  They were searching for the source of evil portents, posing as a shadow magi, though not able to stop the Dark Twins.  Rayje explains his goal of uniting everyone to stop the twins, despite their plundering of the Great Library.  Korremar wonders about the Guardians, the nodes, the Dreamkeeper, and the other great Eliwan relics.  Meanwhile Warrada begins her campaign attacking Bograth.
16.3.5	And More Revelations	Korremar departs for aid.  Rayje tells his history to Sinder - how he was magined into being by Agram in anger and jealousy, and knew of Agram's true evil, but failed to alert the Eliwan.  Warrada attack her first Bograth Village.
16.4.5	A New Leaf	T'lok rises from the snow, determined and corrupted.  Thast finds a trail and alerts the other Narans.  Yaki lifts Hrada from the snow, demanding information.  Pruitt calms him to not kill Hrada.  Hrada, recovering from the snow, begins to plot agains his sister, and demands to see the Corestalker.

17.X.5	Amara's Story
17.1.5	Dreams Dreamer Lover	Sorreah hears a voice singing to him in his dream, and he finds the cave of ancient battles where Tony defeated Agram.  He wakes with a start, and Kalius and he are sent scouting.  On his trip back, he hears the voice again, and returns to the cave in real life, and finds the statues of frozen magi.  An earthquake topples the statue of a girl, and he catches her, to find she's returned to magi form, she says her name is Amara.
17.2.5	Into the Shadows	Amara and Sorreah are attacked by Rabid Wasperines, and Sorreah summons his creatures.  Amara, not understanding from 1000 years previous, helps destroy all the creatures.  They travel onwards, and Amara finds a path into the shadow hold, wanting to find her bow.  They're attacked by a Gorath and pliths after she finds it, and they flee downwards towards to core gate.  Pursued, the landscape changes, and the Gorath again attacks - so together to dive through the Core gate.

Glimses, Weapons of Darkness, and Side Stories

Side Stories	X.X.X
X.1.2	The Lost - In Descent	The story of Sperri's Corruption
X.1.1	The Legend of Tony Jones	The story of Tony's arrival to the Moonlands.
18.1.1	Tuku's Hapu	Tuku returns to the secret grove after 1000 years of being a statue, to restor Hapu's energy.
18.2.1	Brash Hero	Tuku recalls almost observing the battle between Agram and Tony, and being restored from being a statue.
18.3.5	Mission of a Dream Warrior	Tuku observes the slow rebuilding of Vash Naroom.  He goes to find his secret grove, and collects his equipment left behind 1000 years ago: his animite and the ancient puzzlebox, all gifts from the Eliwan he discovered here.  He moves to give the puzzlebox to a deserving hero, and chase after the twins.
X.X.1	The Gateway	The story of Tony's initial journey to the Moonlands.
X.X.1	Dances with Wasperines	Woot's story introduction.
X.X.1	A Quest Ended	Yerthe and Kolte's journey to find the Monarch Hyren
X.X.4	Stormbringer	The Narans are journeying south and are caught in a storm.  Orthea finds them, and abates the storm, offering to teach them the spell, "voice of the storms".
X.X.1	Sword of Fire	Lanxy is cast out from Cald.  He enters the first shadow geyser looking for power, and becomes corrupted.
X.X.1	Blade of Grass	Ashio's origin and path to darkness.
X.X.1	Lash of Spite	Qwade's origin story of how he came to join Agram, and obtained his mask.

The Gathering Storm - Chapter Fourteen (Official Magic Story)

 

 The Gathering Storm - by Django Wexler
Chapter Fourteen

          The city of Grek'ospen was old, as places in the Undercity went. The domains of the Golgari were ever-shifting, ever-renewed, everything recycled and reborn through the cycle of rot. It was one of the things that made it so difficult for the surface-dwellers to attack them—no map of the Swarm's domains remained accurate for long.
          
          But at Grek'ospen, the kraul had turned that cycle of decay to their own ends, and made a virtue of necessity. A river ran through the center of the huge cavern, and the air was heavy with moisture, which collected and dripped over innumerable stalagmites and stalactites. With the careful work of centuries, the kraul had coaxed these natural rock formations to grow according to their own plan, forming the bones of their massive hive towers. Fungal growths formed a part of the blueprints, too, huge shelf mushrooms serving as spongy floors, while colorful, decorative growths climbed up walls made of kraul resin.
          
          Seeing Grek'ospen and cities like it had made Vraska first realize how much she admired the kraul. They embodied the true spirit of the Golgari, far more than the decadent devkarin. Individual kraul came and went, but the hive endured, growing bit by bit through every cycle of growth and decay.
          
          And now we're going to demolish the work of centuries in a few hours, because Ral Zarek can't leave well enough alone.
          
          "Your people are in place?" she said to Mazirek.
          
          The huge black kraul stood on one side of her, opposite the small, sickly-looking white form of Xeddick. Mazirek dipped his forelegs in obeisance, but there was a hesitation that she didn't have to be an insect to interpret. Xeddick's right. This one has grown too proud.
          
          "We are, Queen," he said. "Everything is waiting for your command."
          
          The surface-dwellers are on the way, Xeddick said in her mind. The trolls are angry at being held back.
          
          "They'll get their turn." Almost certainly. Vraska squared her shoulders and strode out into the open space that formed the center of the beautiful kraul city. If Ral is as stubborn as I think he is.

 

---

 

          Once again, Ral found himself at the head of an army. These were not the armored, disciplined troops of the Boros Legion, however. The Orzhov forces were a teeming mass of black and gold, obedient but without the smooth precision of the professional soldiers. The majority of them were thrulls, scuttling things that were only vaguely humanoid, no two quite alike. They bore no weapons, only blank-faced masks of ancient coinage, but Ral had been on the receiving end of their mad fury in his assault on Orzhova and had no illusions about how dangerous they were.

          Among them walked the knights, the Orzhov's elite killers, in black armor inlaid with gold and carrying a bewildering variety of weapons—bows, swords, pole-arms, flails, and even more exotic contraptions. There were even a few giants, helmeted and faceless.

          Kaya walked beside him, apparently carefree, as they made their way down the long, winding path into the caverns. Scouts had cleared the way, of course, and reported no contact with Golgari forces. Even so. She could have the decency to act a little nervous. He certainly was.

          "And this just goes on forever?" Kaya said, gesturing at the tunnel.

          It was some ancient road, with the ruined walls of buildings still visible beside it, now buried beneath rock and debris by who-knew-what catastrophe. After ten thousand years, Ravnica was a city built on the ruins of itself, layer by layer.

          "As far as anyone has been able to tell," Ral said. "There are oceans down here, if you dig far enough. The Simic zonots stretch down that far."

          "Gods and monsters," Kaya said, shaking her head.

          "Not much like where you grew up?" Ral said.

          Kaya snorted. "I was born in a town with less than a hundred people. We have cities on my Plane, but not like this"

          Ral tried to imagine that, living someplace where you could know everyone, with none of the casual anonymity of a packed street. His mind rebelled.

          "Mind you, I've been around a bit since then," Kaya said. "Spent a lot of time in cities, in fact. They tend to get a lot of ghosts."

          "Ghost hunting is a curious business," Ral said.

          "Someday I'll tell you how I got started," Kaya said. "But it's a long story, and I think we're nearly there."

          Ral nodded. Up ahead was a line of scouts, lightly armored Boros Legion goblins with crossbows slung over one shoulder. The road they were following passed through a half-collapsed brick archway into a larger space, and they'd stopped on the near side. Their lieutenant scurried over to Ral.

          "We're in the right place," she said. "Still no sign of the Golgari, but the cavern is as built-up as any neighborhood topside. Lots of places to hide."

          "Wonderful," Ral said, glancing at Kaya. "This could get very ugly."

          "Send the thrulls in," she said. "That's what they're for."

          Ral nodded, but the scout spoke up.

          "There's someone waiting in the center of the city, sir. Looks like they're waiting to speak to you. It's . . . well, it looks like Vraska herself."

          "That has to be a trap," Kaya said.

          "Or an opportunity," Ral said. "All right. I'll see what she wants. Bring the rest of our forces up behind, but try not to start any fights until you get my signal."

          Kaya looked like she wanted to object, but she only frowned and nodded. Ral gestured for a couple of the scouts to follow and set off through the archway. Grek'ospen was as large as he'd been expecting, a vast, vaulted cavern, dimly lit by dozens of glowing green globes suspended high overhead. The architecture was alien, smooth rock and wet fungus layered over with papery stuff that put him in mind of a beehive. The towering spires had entrances on many levels, connected by soaring bridges or simply opening into space. All right, I suppose, if you've got wings.

          The lieutenant led him on a winding path, skirting the bases of several of the towers. Nothing seemed to move, not on the ground or overhead. Vraska must have evacuated. He took a deep breath. If she offers to let us have the node, I have to take it and be thankful. Eager as he might be to punish her betrayal, it could wait. Completing the plan is all the matters, until Bolas is defeated.

          They reached the central clearing, where a half-dozen spires all opened onto a space that might have been a town square. A narrow river cut through it, burbling in its course, with a dozen small footbridges crossing it. In front of these stood Vraska, dressed in dark, segmented leather-and-mail armor with a saber at her side. The green tendrils that gorgons sported in place of hair stood out from her skull, making her look larger.

          "Stay here," Ral said. "If she tries anything, get back to Kaya and order the attack."

          The lieutenant nodded, and Ral set off alone across the square. Vraska waited, arms crossed, until he stopped about twenty paces away. She raised her voice and called to him.

          "A bit far for pleasant conversation, surely."

          "Given the results of the guild summit," Ral said, "you'll forgive me if I'm not eager to meet face to face."

          "What a shame," Vraska said. "With that hair of yours, you'd make a wonderful addition to my sculpture garden."

          Ral clenched his fists, feeling electricity crackle. His heart was beating hard. He knew first-hand how deadly Vraska could be, even if he hadn't seen what she'd done to someone as powerful as Isperia. She has to be up close to use her petrification. And a little research in the Izzet library had suggested that there was a moment's warning before the effect took hold, a glow in the gorgon's eyes that gave a prospective victim time to get out of the way. Even so, Ral wasn't eager to test his reflexes against Vraska.

          "Well?" he said. "I assumed you were waiting here because you wanted me to come and talk. Here I am."

          "Here you are, with your strange little army," Vraska said. "But why? Revenge?"

          "It ought to be," Ral said. "How can you work for Bolas? Don't you know what he'll do to you—to all of us—if he wins?"

          "And you're so confident Niv-Mizzet will be a benevolent despot, once we give him leave to turn himself into a god?" Vraska shook her head, tentacles squirming. "I don't have to explain myself to you, Zarek."

          "You don't." Ral paused. "And we're not here for revenge. Someday, there may be a reckoning. But for now all we need is this place." He waved at the city around them. "Don't interfere, and none of your people will be harmed."

          "That's all you need. One of the most ancient cities of the Golgari. So generous, you surface-dwellers."

          "Then you plan to fight."

          Vraska smiled, her teeth sharp and predatory. "I plan to win."

          She raised a hand. Ral brought his gauntlets up, readying for a sudden rush, but the Gorgon didn't move. Instead, far above, he heard the sound of distant thunder, and the floor of the cavern shook beneath his feet. Ral looked over his shoulder at the scouts, and found them stumbling and uncertain.

          "What—" he called back to them, and then the roof fell on them.

 

---

 

          Fireballs bloomed across Grek'ospen, along tower after tower.

          Certain types of kraul resin, when properly treated, were highly explosive. The stuff was too heavy and unstable to make much of a weapon, but Vraska's kraul engineers had had plenty of time to position it in advance, uncomplainingly turning their own ancient city into a carefully constructed deathtrap. The blasts sent washes of resin spurting from the spire doorways, followed by clouds of dust and choking black smoke. Then, slowly, the resin-and-fungus buildings began to collapse, their stone cores shattered.

          Two of the largest fell across the archway the surface forces had used to enter the city, trapping many of them in the tunnel. If the trolls remembered their instructions, the blast was their signal, and Vraska had every hope that Ral's rearguard would find itself beset by a mass of ravening, regenerating monstrosities. In the meantime, spires collapsed across the city, scattering shards of stone and fungus, blocking streets and separating the enemy forces into a hundred tiny pockets. Cut off from one another and from their leaders, they would be easy prey for the Golgari troops swarming from every tunnel and crevasse.

          And speaking of leaders . . . Vraska had kept her footing, and her engineers had arranged it so none of the spires would crush the central square. Dust and smoke filled the air, but she could see Ral retreating, in the company of one of his scouts. Vraska drew her saber with a fierce smile and set off after him.

          The second scout, a goblin woman in Boros-silver armor, barred her way, and Vraska sidestepped a well-aimed arrow. The scout nocked another, and Vraska tensed to dodge, but before the Boros soldier could loose she staggered sideways. The bow fell from her hands as she clutched at her throat, face turning an ugly blue-black. With a choking gasp, she collapsed, legs kicking at the dirt. Mazirek stepped out of the smoke beside Vraska, his forelimbs still wreathed in flickering auras of death-magic. Xeddick came up on her other side, and she felt his concern press at her mind.

          "I'm fine," she growled. "Come on. We're going after Zarek."

          Kraul droned through the air all around them as they pressed into the newly shattered city, flights of the big insects swooping and descending on the surface-dwellers wherever they found them. Crossbow bolts zipped upward, and magic boomed and crackled. Vraska heard the war cries of devkarin elves throwing themselves into battle, desperate to prove their loyalty to their new queen, and the dark intonations of Orzhov warrior-priests.

          There was nothing she could do now, no control she could exert over the battle. That was fine, as far as she was concerned. She had never been a general, a leader.

          What I am, she thought, as she stalked Ral through the rubble, is an assassin.

          Enemy soldiers, cut off and confused, threw themselves at her. A dozen thrulls swarmed out of a broken doorway. Mazirek blasted several apart, and Vraska charged the rest, saber whirling around her in an exuberant dance of death. She left the inhuman creatures slashed and broken on the stone, their blood painting the wreckage, and went in search of more prey.

          I was a fool.

          An Orzhov knight confronted her, a huge man with a greatsword that left shining golden trails in the air. He was a slow, lumbering thing, but his heavy armor turned her saber in a shower of sparks, and he confidently pressed his attack, massive blade swinging back toward her.

          A fool to believe Zarek. To trust Jace. To believe what he told me about myself.

          Vraska ducked, letting the greatsword slice so close it clipped one of her tendrils. When it was past, she popped up inside the man's reach, and let the power build behind her eyes. The glow washed over him, and he stiffened into solid, lifeless gray. She spun away from him, laughing.

          This is what I was made for. She stalked through the smoke and dust, leaving death in her wake. This is who I am.

          Bolas knew that all along. I just . . . forgot myself.

          Forgot yourself? Jace's voice floated up from her memory. Or discovered you had a choice?

          Shut. Up. Vraska's grin turned into a fixed snarl, and she pushed forward, dismembering another pack of thrulls and lashing the priest that accompanied them into bloody chunks. I never should have listened to you. Never should have . . .

          Boom. Something shook the ground, again. More charges? 

          She pulled up short at a gap in the wall of a fallen tower. From here, through gaps in the drifting smoke, she could see most of the city, including the archway where the surface-dwellers had entered. It was solidly blocked by chunks of stone and fungal debris, but as she watched a bit piece of rock hurtled away from the blockage, landing with a crunch and a plume of dust. Another followed, and another. Something's clearing the way.

          What stepped through, when the gap was big enough, was bigger than a giant, walking on seven spindly legs, with two massive arms ending in enormous fists and a third that projected some kind of tube. It twisted this last to aim near its feet, and a wash of flame burst out, running over the shattered stones like liquid. On the thing's head, smaller shapes danced and capered with glee.

          It wasn't a creature, Vraska realized. It was a thing, a construct, mizzium and steel assembled into a titanic killing machine in some mad chemister's workshop. And it wasn't the only one. As soon as it cleared the entrance, another huge vehicle came through, this one rumbling over the ground on overlapping treads. A third, bipedal, staggered after it, its upper portion already ablaze, to the consternation of its goblin crew. Then another, and another . . .

          Vraska snarl grew broader. She lowered her gaze and saw Zarek, standing on a hunk of broken rock, watching the arrival of his reinforcements with a look of smug satisfaction.

          I'll wipe that look off your face. Banishing the memory of Jace to the bottom of her mind, Vraska hurled herself forward.

 

---

 

          The war-constructs of Nivix came through the gap, on legs and wheel and treads. Ral had emptied the laboratories of everything that could possibly serve as a weapon, every doomsday project and hidden secret. They were a motley group, not working together in the slightest, and several of them had already broken down, caught fire, or exploded. But those that remained were devastating, belching flame over the advancing Golgari hordes, sweeping them aside with vast limbs, or slashing them to pieces with a hundred rotating blades.

          At least one thing going according to plan. He hadn't expected Vraska to blow up her own city, just to throw his forces into confusion. He coughed at the smoke-choked air and wiped his forehead—a splinter of rock had nicked him, sending a steady trickle of blood down from his hairline and threatening to get into his eyes.

          What was supposed to have been an organized battle had fragmented into a hundred tiny melees, and there was no way to tell who was winning and who was losing. Ral concluded he had better get himself back to the tunnel—Maybe I can find Kaya—when he heard approaching footsteps. He spun, just in time.

          Vraska. She was fast, faster than she had any right to be, springing off a broken stone wall and coming at him at a dead run, tendrils trailing behind her. Ral raised one palm, and lightning crackled out, snapping at her like a vicious dog. She dodged, then sprang backward as he sent another bolt after her.

          "Mazirek!" she shouted. "Now!"

          Something moved in the rubble. A humanoid—no, a former humanoid, the corpse of a person now rotted down to scraps of skin and bones. Fungal growths held the thing together, and it shambled forward in a parody of life, disintegrating even as it came on. Rot zombie. Ral flicked his fingers and blasted the slow-moving thing to burning cinders, but two more had already emerged, climbing up and over the broken rocks and bits of house-sized fungus. He burned those as well, and took a step back as a half-dozen of the things came into view.

          "The thing is, Ral, I know you." Vraska's voice came from somewhere he couldn't see, among the rubble. "I know your strengths, and I know your weakness. We're a long way from the sky, down here. No power for you to draw on. And you've got that accumulator on your back, but . . ." She gave a grim chuckle. "How long will it last?"

          "Long enough," Ral snarled, as his lightning played across the line of undead. I hope.

 

---

 

          Kaya twisted away from the troll's swinging fist, her daggers drawing lines of green blood from its forearm. It roared and spun to follow her, the wound already healing. Kaya swore under her breath and backpedaled, waiting for an opportunity.

          It came when the troll lunged forward, both arms outstretched to wrap her in a deadly bear hug. Kaya stepped sideways, phasing through the troll's left arm, and planted one of her daggers in its shoulder. Using the blade as a handhold, she vaulted atop the ugly creature, grabbing the mane of matted hair at the back of its thick neck. She used the leverage to lean forward and drive her other dagger to the hilt in its eye.

          The troll bucked and roared, and for a moment she thought it would survive even this, but eventually it got the message that it was dead and slumped forward to the rocky ground. Kaya dismounted, retrieved her daggers, and looked around.

          There was a distressing lack of friendly forces anywhere nearby, she discovered. She'd had a pair of knights and a squadron of thrulls escorting her, but the troll had left their broken corpses scattered across the shattered alley. On the other hand, there were no enemies immediately apparent either. The main battle seemed to be centering on the tunnel entrance, where the Izzet constructs were tearing into the Golgari horde, but there were scattered detachments of Orzhov soldiers, flying kraul, and who knew what else fighting desperate skirmishes throughout the city. Kaya saw lightning flashing from a rock outcrop some distance off, which probably meant Ral, and she'd decided to head in that direction for lack of any better options when someone called out to her.

          "Guildmaster!" A woman in the colors of an Orzhov priest dropped from a half-destroyed wall. "Are you hurt?"

          "Just a few scratches," Kaya said, give her daggers a twirl and sheathing them. "I'm pretty thoroughly lost, though. Where are the other commanders?"

          "The Knight of Despair sent me to find you," the priest said, with a bow. "He took command when you were cut off."

          "Good for him," Kaya said.

          "We should get back as soon as we can." The priest gestured at a gap in the rocks. "This way. We can stay clear of enemy forces."

          Kaya nodded. The priest straightened up as she came forward—

          And shouldn't she be leading the way, not waving me onward like a palace flunky?

          Nasty, suspicious thoughts like these had played an important role in keeping Kaya alive all these years, and they proved their worth again, because she was already twisting aside when steel gleamed in the priest's hands. She was too close to evade the blow entirely, but what was intended to be a stab in the kidney turned into a shallow cut along her ribs, bleeding freely but not seriously.

          Kaya danced backward, snatching her own daggers from their sheathes. The priest flipped the small knife to her left hand and drew a larger blade with her right, dropping into a fighting crouch. They watched each other for a long, wary moment.

          "I don't suppose I can convince you this is a bad idea," Kaya muttered.

          "You are a blight on the Orzhov," the woman hissed. "You must be removed."

          "Didn't think so."

          Kaya charged, taking her opponent off-guard. Even so, the woman was good, offering her larger blade as a feint while aiming to strike Kaya's flank with the smaller weapon. Kaya spun out of the way, circling, but the priest backed off with a slash that would have opened Kaya's guts if she'd pushed too far forward. They squared off again, knives gleaming.

          I haven't got time for this, Kaya thought. The wound in her side hurt like hell, and her shirt was matted with blood. All around them, kraul buzzed through the air, arrows flew, and magic crackled and boomed.

          She charged again, and this time, when the priest lashed out with her long blade, Kaya phased right through it. Her body, glowing with purple energy, passed through the other woman's like the ghosts that were Kaya's prey, and once she was past she rematerialized and dropped into a spinning low kick that scythed the priest's legs out from under her and sent her sprawling. Kaya rolled on top of her, one boot coming down hard on the woman's hand where she still held her small knife, one of Kaya's blades pressed tight across her opponent's throat.

          "Now," Kaya said. "Who are you working for? Which of my oh-so-loyal guildmates wants me dead?"

          "Does it matter?" the priest spat back, her eyes defiant. "When we kill you, we will capture your spirit, and keep it in our dungeons to torture until there is nothing left of you but madness and pain—"

          The woman's eyes bulged, and her back arched. A moment later, blood welled from her mouth and eyes, and she sagged limply to the rock. Kaya felt a lingering trace of death-magic waft away on the breeze.

          "Wonderful," she said aloud, rolling wearily off the corpse. She clambered to her feet, sheathed her daggers, and started walking in the direction of the near-continuous lightning flashes. "Just wonderful."

---

          The last wave of rot-zombies got closer than any of the others, clawed hands scrabbling at Ral's clothes as they backed him against a tumbled rock, new decayed faces pressing in as he burned one after another. Lightning crackled around him like the bars in a cage, sprayed in gouts from his hands, and the dead crumpled and combusted under the forces of it. Eyes boiled and burst, skin blackened, rotten bones shattered. But still they came on, and he could feel the power in his accumulator running low, like a sick feeling in his gut.
          
          "That's enough, I think," Vraska said. The curtain of rot-zombies parted, and the gorgon strode forward, hands on her hips, the big black kraul on her right and the smaller white one on her left. "Well, Zarek? Feel like surrendering? I can be merciful, you know."
          
          Ral fought for breath, a painful stitch in his side, and raised his hands again. Power crackled across them, but weakly. An arc of energy connected him to Vraska, and she flinched for a moment, then shrugged as it faded away.
          
          "As I thought." The gorgon stepped forward. "I think I will add you to my collection."
          
          Her eyes began to glow.
          
          "You will do no such thing, traitor!"
          
          The voice thundered down from above, and Vraska sprang backward, drawing her saber. A moment later, Aurelia hit the earth in front of Ral, the force of her dive blasting out in a shockwave that cracked the stone and made Ral's teeth buzz. The angel stood, facing the gorgon, and held out her hand. A long blade made of pure light took shape.
          
          "I had my differences with Isperia," Aurelia said. "I cannot deny it. But I also cannot deny her commitment to the common good, to the defense of Ravnica, in spite of any philosophical arguments that might have divided us. She trusted you, and invited you to our meeting in good faith. You turned that trust against her." The angel levelled her blade at Vraska. "For that, I cannot forgive you."
          
          "The common good," Vraska snarled. "What a comfort that is to everyone who was tossed into a cage and beaten on her orders."
          
          Aurelia spread her wings, and closed the distance between them with a single mighty beat. Vraska stood her ground, her steel blade intercepting the angel's magical one with a sound like nails on glass. Vraska's skill with her saber with evident, but Aurelia was far stronger, and step by step the gorgon was driven back. The angel fought with a calm efficiency that belied the fury of her words, hammering at Vraska's defense, darting back out of range whenever the gorgon's eyes lit up with her petrifying gaze.
          
          In the end, it was the saber in Vraska's hand that could take no more. She parried, cross-wise, and the weapon shattered, fragments of steel pinging off the surrounding rocks. Vraska stumbled backward, wide-eyed, her tendrils writhing, a long cut on one cheek bleeding green.
          
          "Mazirek!" she shouted, back-pedaling as Aurelia advanced.
          
          But it was the albino kraul who appeared, cutting in between the gorgon and the angel. Ral felt the thing's voice echo in his mind, loud enough to send him to his knees in pain.
          
          NO! the kraul telepath blasted out. Run, friend-Vraska!
          
          "Xeddick!" Vraska screamed, hands clapped over her ears in a useless attempt to keep out the telepathic scream.
          
          Aurelia alone withstood the mental assault, leaning forward like someone walking into the teeth of a storm. She took one step forward, then another, wings fully outstretched. The white kraul focused on her, redoubling his attack, and for a moment the angel halted.
          
          Run, the mental voice command. Please.
          
          Vraska swore violently and threw herself over the nearest rocky barrier, vanishing from view just as Aurelia took another step forward. Her blade of light came down, carving the white kraul's head in two in an explosion of ichor. The insect collapsed, and the mental pressure vanished all at once, leaving Ral panting for breath. His vision went gray for a moment. When it cleared, Aurelia stood in front of him, stretching out a hand.