No Ground Is Sacred, Emil Timesworth /// Open!

[Solar Lunar]

Early Spring, Y2
Dusk, around 5:00pm

It was dusk now. The sky was gray, with only a little amount of orange on the horizon, which no doubt would soon fade. The lonely graveyard was dead quiet to the normal ear, save for the eerie moan of wind and crows shrieking and flapping, mingling with the sounds of someone's footsteps creeping around. With a place as dreary as this one, it was a wonder why anyone would stay here any longer than it's take to dump off a cadaver or two... Unless, of course, it was for more nefarious purposes, like those of a grave robber. And necromancers were considered no different, for that matter. But regardless of what anyone would think of what he was going to do, Emil Timesworth continued to walk casually through the graveyard.

For Emil, graveyards were actually pretty lively. This one was no exception, either. Spirits of all shapes and sizes were scattered throughout the whole premises. Some looked like people, while others had more diminished forms and more ambiguous shapes. But save for a suspicious looking old man and a child peeking from behind a gravestone, none of the other ghosts paid any attention to mortals; Even flamboyantly dressed ones with burning spirits accompanying them. Three to be exact, actually, the floating balls of fire were one of Emil’s creations, a combination of pyromancy and necromancy. But they didn’t have much use other than to light his path and chase off pests.

Blue eyes scanned the area carefully, making sure not to miss anything; From lost children playing with other carefree lost children, to the skeletons dancing around a particular graveyard, to the blurry lights zipping past and through him. But none of them were the one he was searching for. He read each gravestone as the pyres lit them, but none of the names rang a bell. ‘Course, he only had a few clues he was searching by. They’re appearance, profession, a piece of cloth from their cloak, and the knowledge that they were, in fact, buried in this graveyard, or were supposed to be, anyway.

With all these spirits around, it would be a wild goose chase to try and find the body on his own, he figured. But he always found canines to be far better at hunting. He stopped his pointless searching and reached into his cloak, pulling out a small, corked bottle. Popping it open, he poured out a strange gray powder onto the palm of his hand. ”Venit, mea pulchra cura. Ego vocare te.” He chanted lowly in a strange language, his tone was eerily endearing. He then blew on the dust, which, instead of creating a cloud, began to swirl and form into something on the ground. As it formed, it began to take on three shapes; canines. But they weren't ordinary, living dogs, nor were they ghostly canines. They were skeletons of wolves.

Emil grinned as he knelt down and patted one on the head, it's bony tail wagging cheerfully. Though they were only skeletons, the dogs still acted like dogs. They appreciated being pet, just like any other. Even more fascinating, though, was the fact that they could smell and hear as well as their living cousins. The young man put the small jar back inside his large coat, and pulled out a small piece of torn cloth. He held it out, the dogs sniffed, and then put their nose to the ground, searching for the scent. The man stood and waited, watching them expectantly.

It was then that the pyres flickered twice and turned a deep shade of blue, which was a warning to Emil. He wasn't alone. "Come now, don't be shy." Emil said smoothly, but not taking his eyes off the dogs. He already knew someone else had entered the graveyard. He could smell it. The smell of warm blood flowing, the putrid smell of the living. The deep blue shade of the pyres told him that it was a person and not a monster. One of the skeletal canines lifted its head and growled in the direction of the stranger it could sense but not yet see.

[Greek]

Date: Early Spring YR2 | Time: Dusk | Tag: Emil

Dark Gods, the spirits were restless tonight. Eudora pulled her enchanted red cloak closer to herself. The illusion it cast made her blend into the dreary shadows and grays of the graveyard, rendering her invisible to any casual glance. But did it hide her from ghosts? Eudora was no necromancer, but she was not naive to their art or their powers. The moment she entered the graveyard she knew someone was already here. Disgusting. The graveyard was the one place she knew she could escape the living. The dead were bearable only because they were dead.

What was more tiresome was that her whole purpose for coming to the graveyard was to collect a certain, shy flower that grew here. A flower, nourished by the decay of corpses, had different properties than its sisters in the woods. With it, she could perhaps imitate the magic of necromancers, or even create a lethal poison. There were many possibilities that could be explored. And if someone got in her way, then there will be hell to pay.

"Come now, don't be shy." A voice said in the distance, piercing the silence of the graveyard.

It wasn't hard to locate the kneeling man, a skeletal dog before him. Eudora glanced at the unliving animal, and reached for a vial she kept strapped to her side. Her red cloak concealing the slight movement. One sudden move and the man and unliving dog will face something quite nasty. He may be a necromancer, but she had plenty of tricks of her own.

"Lovely night for a stroll through a graveyard, isn't it?" Eudora said cooly, watching both man and dog. Wondering how much of a fight either would put if she were so inclined to the action of murder. Her eyes flicked over to the glowing, blue orbs. Trained in magic. Necromancer. Eudora put her dark fantasies aside. This was not a fight she wished to take.

[Solar Lunar]

Early Spring...2nd Year...Dusk

Emil's eyes flicked in the direction of the woman, eying her up and down from behind his currently blonde hair. A shadowmancer? No... It must be some sort of enchantment. Seeing that it was a woman, his eyes dulled with disinterest and returned to his pets, whom were still sniffing around at each gravestone. Women were so bothersome. Always expecting him to stick around for gossip, trying to woo him with their so-called 'sex appeal', slipping his own love potions into his drinks like they actually thought they had a chance...

But he wasn't about to miss this opportunity. He'd set his mind to find that corpse and he wouldn't stop for anything. If this woman got in his way, she'd be done in like any other who dared to slow him down. 'Course, he really shouldn't be getting ahead of himself now, should he?

"Lovely night for a stroll through a graveyard, isn't it?"

The corners of Emil's mouth curved slightly. "Oh certainly. But I'm not one for taking simple strolls on nights as lovely as these..." Honestly, he was never one for mundane activities, period. Mortals who roamed around, spent time with idle chit-chat, or worked their hearts out to save a little something called 'money', were wasting away their short lives. He didn't want a normal life, it's why he sold his soul to Go, and why he was here in the first place. And something about this woman told him she wasn't here for normal purposes either.

One of his canines continued to growl in disapproval of the woman. Emil's eyes narrowed. "Manere," he ordered sternly, pointing in the direction of the other canines. The bones of the dog trembled a little, and with its tail between its legs, it scurried off to join the others in the hunt. Taking his eyes of the canines for now, Emil refocused his attention onto the woman, his earlier thoughts changed his mind a bit about ignoring her.

"And what about you? I didn't think creeping around graveyards was the usual pastime for women your age."

[Greek]

Date: Early Spring YR2 | Time: Dusk | Tag: Emil

Don't underestimate me. Eudora mentally snarled, her face locked in a neutral expression. Her gaze continued to flicker between the man and his unliving dogs. Every man who took her for granted lost their life, and she were not about to repeat their mistakes.

"Oh certainly. But I'm not one for taking simple strolls on nights as lovely as these..."

Eudora raised an eyebrow at his casual response. Though, it wasn't hard to guess what a necromancer could be doing in a graveyard, but the fact that he was so open about it worried her. Did he act this casual because he thought she were just a vulnerable woman? Ha, let him try. The magic books she borrowed at the library were worth every gold coin. And even though the battlefield were in his favor, she was confident in her new abilities. μεγαλώνουν και δεσμεύουν, the spell lingered on her tongue like a potent taste.

What was he looking for? The dogs were sniffing for something. Just her luck to stumble upon something like this.

"And what about you? I didn't think creeping around graveyards was the usual pastime for women your age."

"Creeping? Me?" Eudora laughed lightly, melodiously. What a vulgar word that was! And for a man to describe her like that. "More like... flower picking," It was the truth. And the most truth he'll hear from her. The notion of going to a graveyard to pick flowers was deliciously ironic, especially so when placed in contrast to whatever nefarious reasons brought him here tonight. This whole thing was funny if she looked at it right. To make it hysterical all she had to do was kill him. Eudora covered her mouth with one hand and laughed quietly.

[Solar Lunar]

Early Spring...2nd Year...Dusk

The soft giggle of the woman rang in his ears, forcing a grin onto his face. How unfitting it was, to be giggling in a place like this. That's what amused him, so. A glint in Emil's eyes appeared, interest now piqued."Flower picking, you say? Ah, yes, now that I think about it, places like these do have some interesting plants. Blood lilies, deathweed, black velvets... All of them very useful for potion making..." He spoke, trailing off. He stared blankly upward, as though getting lost in thought, which he was, for a few moments at least.

Now that he thought about it, he could forage while he was waiting for the mongrels to finish their search. Though he had a surplus of graveyard growing plants, since he visited them so often, a few more couldn't hurt, right? As he drifted off into thoughts for several moments, somehow, it never struck his mind that this woman might be a potion maker as well.

One of the skeletal canines howled from a distance across the graveyard and another quickly ran up to the two, bones rattling as it came to a stop and barked at its master. Emil blinked, thoughts now gone. He shook his head, messy hair getting in his eyes again. He looked down at his pet and grinned his usual mischievous grin. His blue eyes flicked over to the woman, keeping a smirk in them. "Well, if you aren't too busy flower picking, care to see something more fascinating? It should be quite an interesting show, I believe." Emil turned his back on the woman and followed the dog.

Aaaah, that explains it. The reason he couldn't find that person he was searching for. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who didn't know their name. In the back end of the graveyard was a section not of gravestones, with names and dates, but of simple wooden crosses. The graves of unknowns with no loved ones to pay respects. He had been looking in the wrong area after all. Even so, he probably still wouldn't have found the exact grave were it not for his pets. He knelt down and watched as they began to dig for the cadaver, waiting patiently. He didn't bother to glance up and see if the woman had followed, this opportunity was far too important for him to worry about what audience he may or may not have.

[Greek]

Date: Early Spring YR2 | Time: Dusk | Tag: Emil

"Indeed they are," She said casually as he listed off plants that she had plenty of already. No, right now she wanted a very peculiar and rare flower. However, the man's presence and his dogs disrupted her plans, which she was not happy about. If their situation were different, there would be a new grave by morning. No, she was getting ahead of herself. First torture, make the pain last. Then death.

And there he goes again. Underestimating her. Dropping his guard because what can a woman do? It'd be easy to demonstrate the power of her potions, but would it be wise? No. Eudora gained control of her emotions, like she's practiced so many times before, by listing of spells inside her mind until she calmed down. The anger cooled and turned to ice. The world may change, but I shall not.

Eudora turned at the sound of a howl, and mis-trustingly watched the bone-dog report to it's master. Then raised a brow when the man invited her to the "show". What was he planning? What was he going to do? So many questions popped up and none of them seemed like they would have positive answers. Again, the feeling that he treated her with such little regard (that disgusting smirk) that even if she didn't like what she saw it was of no consequence. She was disposable. Far from it. Far from it

Silently she followed him. Not out of curiosity, but wariness. Whatever he was going to do she wanted to know what.

[Solar Lunar]

Early Spring...2nd Year...Dusk

"Aaaah, still fresh, I see..." Emil muttered to himself, still grinning as he eyed the now exposed hand. They didn't even bother to wrap the corpse before they buried him, let alone put him in a coffin. Perfect. It must have meant no one cared about this no-name. Which meant no loved ones to get in the way of his magic. Anything with sentimental value could be a help for necromancers, but also a big table-turner for them.

The dogs continued to dig with a passion, slinging dirt everywhere behind them. They tugged on the corpse's exposed shirt, finally unearthing the cadaver. Emil leaned over the shallow ditch, eying the body of the young man until he spotted it; the light of his soul. And with his abilities, his witness should be able to see it too. He finally noticed she had followed, and turned his head to her. "See that?" He gestured to the light. "When it's still keeping close to the body like that, that generally means they're still clinging to life. Easy victim." He said in a quite cheerful, sing-songy tone that could rack on any normal villager's mind.

He knelt down closer to the body and scooped up the light in his palms, standing back up again. He always hated how many souls felt in the palm of his hand; warm, light, and fluttering. Those were the hearts of 'good people.' This one wasn't, though. It had this cold feeling to it, and seemed to prickle his skin, as though it would bite if it could, which was strangely inviting to Emil.

"Nomine tuo amplius non habes memoriam, et quod mihi tantum credita est mihi. Ego ligare te. Surgere et imperium, O cecidit puer."

He chanted the spell, his voice sounding eerily endearing. After that, he did some more on the disturbing side.

He swallowed it.

That's right. He lifted his chin, opened his mouth, and poured the light in like it was a drink. But he really had no say, it was how this sort of binding spell worked and it was one of the more effective ways. But it was also dangerous. The second Emil closed his lips, his eyes widened in a surge of pain. He heart lurched, feeling as though someone was trying to tear it out. He buckled over, coughing up blood into the palm of his hand. There was a small battle being fought inside him, and his insides felt as though they were being scrambled. Emil clenched his hands into fists, holding them close to his heart and stared at nothing, but sternly, as though he was willing the pain to go away. He breathed heavily for a few short moment, before relaxing and standing back up. This wasn't a novice spell. Any amateur would be taken over by the soul, his own being kicked out, or killed, depending on what that spirit wanted. This one put up a fight, but it finally surrendered. The necromancer was the victor.

Any minute now... Emil thought, as he patiently watched the body. He passed a few corner glances at his female audience warily before catching the cadaver before him beginning to twitch its fingers.

[Greek]

Date: Early Spring YR2 | Time: Dusk | Tag: Emil

Eudora glanced at the shallow, unmarked graves that made up this part of the graveyard. If the flower she searched for were to be anywhere in this graveyard, it would be in this part. Judging by how the dead are not even wrapped or properly buried here it would be easy for the flower's roots to reach down and draw strength from the decaying bodies. However, she did not move from where she stood, and focused her attention on the man, his dogs, and the corpse. Why was he looking for this particular corpse? A recently dead one at that. Why is he letting me watch?

Eudora showed no reaction to the light inside the corpse. He's using his magic to let me see it.... why? Curse this confounding man! Dose he want an audience to watch this, unnatural display? Why? The dead stay dead. Period. Life dies and makes way for new life. It's the natural order.

Easy victim. The way he said it... it almost made her anger boil. It was a corpse, of course there were no easier victims. But Eudora smiled quietly as he spoke. Deception was a powerful weapon in her arsenal. It was just as powerful as any of her potions or spells, and something she was not shy about using.

But even she could not expect what happened next. While the ways of necromancers were not unfamiliar to her, the finer details of their disgusting art were. When the man swallowed the soul, and fought a battle she could not see she stepped back, shocked. Foolish! She thought immediately after and stepped forward to stand back where she was. Don't show weakness. What made her so opposed to this? Eudora has never seen a necromancer work before, and didn't care anymore for people when they were dead, nor did she care about souls but... she did care about the natural world. This was not natural.

"εξοικειωμένοι! Ελάτε!" She sang softly, the man at the peak of his struggle. It wouldn't hurt to have an extra precaution against this man. As still as a statue, Eudora watched him, and waited for her animal familiar to fly in. Presently, she noticed a change of the man. Did he win? He did. Now he waited, just like her. Where was that silly crow?! Eudora didn't trust this man, and could hardly stand being in his presence any longer. And when the corpse's hand began to twitch, a large, black crow swooped down and landed on her shoulder.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" The crow squawked in a rough male voice. "I don't like to fly at night." the bird added, peeved. "And what's going on? Whose that guy? And wow that's one dead guy.... wait a second, he's moving!"

"Hush, Mávros!" Eudora sternly ordered the bird. The crow shut up but its sleek head continued to bob about which way and that. Looking from one thing to the next.

[Solar Lunar]

Early Spring...2nd Year...Dusk

The corpse of the young man began to move more and more, ever so slowly. First his fingers, then his wrists, slowly his elbows began to bend back and forth. His fingers clawed at the dirt suddenly, and his back lifted, his glazed over eyes widened. The corpse seemed to be trying to gasp for air, but couldn't, a shocked and disturbed expression on his face. "That's right, wake up now..." Emil cooed softly, a warm smile on his face as though he were staring at his own child.

"Hey, what's the big deal?"

Emil blinked, focus lost. He quickly turned his head, staring at the woman. He wondered if his ears needed to be cleaned? Had the woman's voice suddenly changed? His eyes flicked to the bird perched on her shoulder. No... It was the crow. Emil's look of confusion faded and turned into a small smile. He chuckled lowly. "Well, that's not something you see every day. You have a talking bird?" He said, rather pointing out the obvious.

"I've always found birds to be quite fasci-" "Hush, Mávros!" Emil quieted down, figuring he might as well not bother to strike up a conversation now. For some reason, he sensed tension from the woman. Fear, almost, but not quite. His newest pet was already standing behind him quietly. Emil turned and faced him, putting back on his smile.

"You... seem familiar." The dead young man said, still bewildered by the fact that he was 'alive' again, in a sense at least. "Well I should be. I am the one who killed you, after all. I'd be hurt if you didn't recognize me after only a few weeks." Emil eyed the standing corpse from top to bottom. Boy, he sure was a mess. Emil knew he did quite a number on this young man, but he didn't quite remember how badly he had damaged his body. If he walked around like this, it wouldn't take long for his body to totally fall apart. As soon as Emil was finished here, they'd return home and he'd stitch him up. Perhaps he'd have Lotte help, since she was good at such things, despite not being a huge fan of necromancy. At least she wasn't squeamish.

"Oh, I see..." The corpse blinked, surprisingly not fazed by the fact that he was talking to the man who had killed him. "And... who are they?" He asked as he looked over to the woman and bird, slowly raising an arm to point at them. Emil put his hand to his chin as he turned around, scanning the woman and her bird for a moment before tilting his head. "You know, I don't really know..."

[Greek]

Date: Early Spring YR2 | Time: Dusk | Tag: Emil

Eudora didn't care what this man had to say about Mávros. If any thing she didn't need that silly bird opening his big beak and gossip like some farmer's wife at the local market. What's this? Did you hear about that? The questions never stopped. Foolishness is what it was. As intelligent as he was the bird couldn't keep his mouth shut. Mávros had previously explained to her that he's never been able to talk back before so now he's taking full advantage of this new ability. At least Mávros was better than that dumb fox her silly "apprentice" insisted on having.

However, Eudora paid close attention between the man and the corpse. Her expression showing no reaction to anything, not even bothering to feign interest. As the two spoke it was easy to put things together. Though, it did not paint a pretty picture. Men were all the same. Sick, twisted, beings that should be eliminated. Though, how ironic would it be? For a necromancer to die in a cemetery right before the man he killed just to bring back to life? Eudora cracked a smile and Mávros twisted his head to glance at her quizzically but whatever could put her in a good mood wasn't as important as watching the man and his zombie.

"Oh, I see... And... who are they?"

Eudora would have been peeved if any man she killed had come back to life and shown no reaction to her. Mostly because she would have been denied their expressions at seeing the woman that killed them. Eudora would want them to be angry so she could laugh right in their faces and kill them again. Oh, how humiliating that would be. But when the dead man pointed to her, all humor in her face was gone. Don't you know it's rude to point? She almost said but then the blond haired man turned to her as well, and claimed that he had no idea who she was.

No one dose and no one ever will. But now he wonders who she is? Now after making it quite clear that he is a necromancer, which is illegal, and murdered a man, also illegal, and had not just let her witness all those things but invited her to watch. What sort of infuriating game is he playing? With Mávros here it would be easy to use her magic and bind him before he could do anything and she doubted that zombie would prove much of a threat, the corpse looked like it could fall apart at any moment. Then there was also her potions.

Mávros, however was as pleased as cheese to talk, "Well we don't know who you are either. And boy did you do a number on that guy! What, did the knife slip a few times or something? Haha! Why'd you kill him? Give me details! Give me details!" Mávros flourished with his wings as he spoke like a human would when they talk with their hands and it looked absolutely silly when the bird did it. The black crow looked like he was flailing in some hunters trap.

[Solar Lunar]

Early Spring...2nd Year...Dusk

"Well we don't know who you are either. And boy did you do a number on that guy! What, did the knife slip a few times or something? Haha! Why'd you kill him? Give me details! Give me details!"

"I don't much care for knives..." Emil muttered under his breath. "Now aren't we a demanding little thing? It's quite rude to request information from someone without first giving some of your own,” he sneered, but inside he was actually quite fascinated. This bird couldn't only talk, but he could talk a storm. How curious. Was this some sort of nature magic? He wondered if he could copy that ability with a potion. Oh, now he had to try it. Slowly his sneer started to turn into a genuine but mischievous grin. " Buuuut I suppose I can relate to that curiosity of yours." He chuckled.

But rather than answering the bird, Emil turned to the corpse. "Now, who do you belong to?" Emil asked, but already knew the answer. "To you and only you." The corpse responded rather quickly, the answer was already instilled in him. "And what is your name?" The corpse blinked, and became quiet... After several moments of staring blankly he finally answered, "I... I do not have one, Master." Emil's grin broadened, and his eyes brightened sadistically so. "That's right! Bravo! Such a clever little cadaver to realize that I've yet to give thee a name!" Emil applauded enthusiastically. The three pyres began to twitch a bit, their master's excitement rattling them. "But I certainly can't just call you 'clever little cadaver' now can I? No, no... That's much too long and bothersome. Hmm... let's see..."

Emil pondered for a moment. He started to wonder if his new servant ever even had a name when he was among the living. Could he really just have been a nameless teenage rogue? Either way, the young man was talented despite having obviously lost in the end. "I've decided. Your name will be Mort. And that way we can call you 'Morty' as a nickname~!" Emil nodded and grinned cheerfully. "Mort..." The cadaver smiled. "I like it!" The pyres danced around Mort, bobbing up and down around him as if to welcome him to their... 'family.' The skeletal dogs wagged their tails as they came up to sniff Mort, who in returned patted their heads. Oddly, despite how eerie and morbid the group was, they kind of could look like a family... if you squinted at them... from a distance.

Emil turned to face their audience. "Well, there you have it. Did you enjoy the show? I sure hope so. You know, it's really a good thing that I had an audience tonight. I get to kill two birds with one stone, you see? Ha ha! Get it? That's kinda like a pun because that's a bird and there are two of you!" He inclined his head, his smile darkening and his eyes glaring straight at the two, with ever-so-obvious intent behind them.

"Get what I'm saying? It means I have to kill you now.

[Greek]

Date: Early Spring YR2 | Time: Dusk | Tag: Emil

Eudora frowned at the man's scowl. Mávros, upset that he was addressed in such a rude way puffed up and gave his best glare. The man didn't even answer any of his questions, and that, was really the only true crime this man had committed against the bird. Sympathy or not, when Mávros asks a question he expects it to be answered! In fact, the man turned his back on the both of them to talk to the zombie. "A real gent, isn't he?" Mávros whispered to her, and bristled even more.

Eudora was tempted to take advantage of this opportunity and attack now. Not yet. She told herself. This requires more planning, and while a surprise attack would give her the advantage, failure to plan things through could easily take that advantage right back from her. This was her chance to plan, and she jumped greedily upon the chance. Already, she had one surprise waiting for him, thanks to Mávros. Plus there were her potions. Especially the one tucked away in her belt. It was a specialty potion of hers, and it has never failed before.

Mávros earnestly watched the display of the man talking to his zombie, the dancing lights, and the skeleton dogs sniffing said zombie, because it was absolutely fascinating. He would have asked so many questions if he had not remembered that he was mad at the blond haired man for not answering his first question.

The man turned to them, and before he even spoke she knew his intention. It was that look in his eye that gave it away. Besides, it was obvious their encounter had to end this way. Personally? She wouldn't have had it any other way. And she listened to his little spiel, and his bad pun. Mávros got a chuckle out of it, not caring about the intention. And her? When he openly said he was going to kill her? She laughed. It was soft at first, a light chuckle, and soon expanded into full, lovely laughter. How confounding and amusing this man was! Him? Kill her? The irony of what was about to happen... It made her laugh more.

Quick as a flash, she pulled the vial from her belt and hurled it at the ground. In a second the glass broke and a cloud of red smoke surged out, rising up several feet in an unformed cloud. In seconds more it will take the shape of something quite nasty. A dragon.

[Solar Lunar]

Early Spring...2nd Year...Dusk

So the woman isn't helpless. He thought with smirk as the woman laughed wildly at him. The sound of crashing glass following her bellows immediately. Emil watched the red smoke with fascination at swirled and took form of one of the world's most deadliest creatures. "Ooooh, how exciting!" He said, mouth agape with wonder as he fazed up at it. He wondered if this was one of the woman's own recipes? He'd have to investigate her further after she was dead.

But despite the nice little surprise, Emil remained calm and collected for now. If the woman was wise, she'd have at least fled to a place where she had the upper hand. It was obvious that Emil was a necromancer. So choosing to stay in the cemetery of all places? Where Emil would have hordes of undead under his thumb? It was no wonder he was brimming with confidence, despite that he probably bit right into a cherry pit.

Emil quickly gave out orders for the dogs and the pyres, who darted towards the woman and her familiar. It become clear the dogs were targeting the woman only, as a bird would be out of their reach once it took flight anyway. /The pyres turned a deep red shade, their flames growing in length as they built up power, circling the group. All the while Mort simply stared up at the dragon like a drunk, slow-reacting idiot. "Master, what shall you have me do?" He asked like an expectant child. Emil grinned and, in light speed, pulled something shiny out of his large coat and tossed it to Mort. Mort carefully caught the weapon, and eyed it. The familiar feel of its handle brought back a few memories; It was the dagger he had tried to kill Emil with.

"I'll let you decide that for yourself. Consider it a test." Mort's expression beamed with enthusiasm. "With pleasure!" He cheered. The wizard smiled before turning back to the now fully formed dragon. Staying wary of his surroundings, he carefully planned out a course of action to take against the foul mockery of a dragon. Perhaps pyromancy wouldn't be the best of choices against it. Dark magic? Oh, it was far too soon for that. He didn't want to reveal his whole hand to woman just yet. He needed to see what she and her pets could do first.

[Greek]

Date: Early Spring YR2 | Time: Dusk | Tag: Emil

Eudora turned her attention away from the man. Her smoke dragon would take care of him until she took out his minions. Mávros took flight and squawked out,"αλλάξει τη μορφή μου!κουκουβάγια!" At the command she threw up her arms, the red fabric of her cloak morphing into white feathers. The rest of her soon followed and in a matter of seconds she had taken the form of a barn owl. Soon after she followed Mávros up into the air. Now with her sharp night vision she could easily see the battlefield and all its players.

Now, for the next step of her plan. "Follow my lead, Mávros," she quickly instructed the bird and began to sing. Her familiar spoke the spell alongside her and they flew in an arch around the group, being mindful of the pyres as they went. As the sung and spoken words were uttered, roots, thick and heavy burst out of the ground of the graveyard and wove themselves together, creating a net and wound around anything not fast enough to move out of its way. No try and raise more corpses. Eudora mentally snarled and flew up higher still.

Meanwhile, the dragon, several feet tall and its body layered with hazy, red scales and horns opened its great maw and breathed boiling steam at the man and his corpse. An attack that only lasted a few seconds but left behind seething puddles of red ooze. The dragon's tail lashed back and forth, and it crouched at the end of its initial attack; ready to pounce. Ready to kill. The dragon sensed its master flying above, circling around the battlefield, ready to unleash her next attack.

[Solar Lunar]

Early Spring...2nd Year...Night

This was just becoming more and more entertaining by the second! Emil grinned as he watched the woman become a bird, fascinated by the fact that her familiar was the one casting the spell. It was all so very interesting, and he was looking forward to investigating more after she was dead. "Master, below you!" Mort cried, continuously leaping into the air as he dodged to roots below, hacking away at the ones that got too close. Emil glanced down at his ankles to see thick roots forming around them, he quickly muttered a few words and the roots burst into flames. In the nick of time, Mort pushed his Master, the dragon's hot, boiling steam barely missing them by a foot.

"Ouch, Mort. Be more gentle, why don't you?" Emil said dryly, the glimmer of excitement in his eyes was still there. "Master, do be careful. I fear I am not resistant to burning." Mort whistled for the dogs, though one of them wasn't quite lucky enough to dodge the roots, and instead wriggled and gnawed, attempting to free itself though it would take quite a while. Though Mort's brains were rotten, he figured that, despite all of them being Emil's servants, he was on a higher level and could order the skeletal dogs around a bit too. He figured correctly.

The two remaining skeletal dogs scampered over, giving up on trying to catch the two birds. Mort gestured to the dragon, and the dogs immediately picked up on the plan. With great nimbleness, they circled the dragon, trying to keep its attention on them by running over, gnawing and biting at its legs for a moment, and then quickly scampering away to dodge any attacks. Meanwhile, the pyres above were fixated on chasing the owl and crow, flames red hot with fury and frustration. Mort had his dagger out and ready, taking on a guarding position in front of his master, whom had already began casting a spell.

The woman may be clever, using roots to keep the surplus of cadavers below from rising, but they were only a portion of things a necromancer could use in a graveyard. Sure, they were easier to manipulate, made good decoys, and could do more damage. But he had Mort and his dogs, at least, a long with a few tricks up his sleeve that made up for the woman's nature magic. "Venite, omnes qui possunt, cum sint formae vel naturae. Go virtute praecipio tibi, et tu adiutor..."

Emil had stopped using his necromancy to allow the woman to see them, but he wouldn't be surprised if his opponents could sense the disturbance, as the air began to feel warped. Ghosts of the dead began to gather, covering the dragon and forming invisible binds. With their help, the beast should be weighed down enough, movement would be more than difficult. Unless the woman had something along the lines that could kill ghosts, or at least give her a necromancer's senses, she more than likely wouldn't be able to counter this.

Emil began casting another spell that would take quite a bit longer to complete. The words he spoke had a different feel to them; a different kind of magic than the necromancy he had been using. His eyes were closed as he remained deeply concentrated on his casting, seemingly dependent on Mort for protection.