"Going back now is suicide. I was able to distract Belnair before, but he will not fall for the same trick twice." Draetur insisted.
"Shut up, you blue lizard!" Laurie spat. She let go of Plei and glared at the drake.
"We can't go back." Tenia said. Laurie rounded onto her, but the vampire was unaffected.
"If we went now, my way home would likely be taken away. I won't participate in this." Maycoe said stubbornly.
"That's fine. I don't care if you go. I don't even care if Plei goes. I just need to get back and get my sister!"
"Sorry. But I'm not going back right now." Plei said.
Laurie looked furious, but Plei motioned for her to keep quiet while she talked.
"He won't kill your sister because he knows he can use her for leverage."
"That's if she's still alive." Laurie mumbled.
Plei waited for Laurie to be silent again.
"Have you seen our condition? I have many bruises and cuts. In fact, I think I cracked my skull open. Everyone else is hurt, too, including you."
Plei was right, of course. Maycoe, despite her impeccable ability to restrain and keep enemies at bay, had a blooming bruise on her pale cheek and several cuts opened up on her arms. Tenia didn't seem to be physically hurt, but her clothes showed that she had been damaged before the extra blood healed her. Draetur's head was drooping a little, fresh marks apparent in his armor, and Laurie was scorched from head to toe.
"We're all extremely tired. We couldn't fight all-out if we wanted to. As it stands, this entire group is as good as a bunch of sitting ducks."
Laurie still seemed like she wanted to protest. But without a proper way to get back to Zendikar, she could do nothing. There was no choice but to follow the rest of the group that had awkwardly assembled themselves around Plei.
"We should find a place to rest." Draetur said quietly.
"Yes, we should. But where are we?" Maycoe asked, looking around.
"It's bright." Tenia muttered unhappily.
"I like it." Maycoe said cheerily, earning a glare from Tenia.
"I think… This is where I used to live." Plei said slowly. "Well, one of the places I used to live. The last one, actually."
Plei turned on the spot. The sun was setting on a bright field of grass and wheat. Very far off in the distance was a small house, and next to it was a small field of thriving plants. As hard as Plei looked, she could not spot the small tree she had enjoyed.
"…Maybe not?" Plei muttered.
"If this is truly a place you have been to before, then we should leave." Draetur rumbled.
"Yeah, I agree." Plei said. Then her stomach growled loudly.
Everyone looked at Plei, who blushed. Then Maycoe looked up thoughtfully.
"Actually, I would like something to eat. You did bring food, right, Plei?"
"Not enough for four people and a drake." Plei shook her head.
"What about that?" Laurie asked, pointing. "That field looks like it bears food. I wonder if it's good. What kinds of food are grown there? Are they any good?"
"Well," sighed Tenia as she walked past the sparkmage and headed towards the food, "now we know you're back to normal."
Plei laughed as she headed towards the old field. Laurie seemed confused, but was happy enough to walk behind the rest. Maycoe followed as well, and Draetur brought up the rear.
"Pleisorium." Draetur said as they walked. "If this is a place you've been to before, we must go."
"You said that before." Plei half turned to him, amused.
"Because it is very important." He seemed to frown. "They'll track us to here in a few minutes."
"I know how trackers are." She said, sounding a bit weary. "There was no intention of staying long. Just long enough to grab some food and go."
Draetur didn't seem quite satisfied. Still, he followed everyone else to the field, which was full of ripe fruit. Since no one but Draetur seemed to trust the food- and he didn't even eat fruit- Plei was forced to try it first. She had almost forgotten the sweetness of it, it had been so long.
At Draetur's urge, the group resisted the temptation of relaxing at the quiet field and huddled around him, holding a few fruits for each person, save Tenia. The drake enveloped the group with the energy of his spark, and then they were at another camp.
Plei was stiff-legged for a few moments, wary of this camp. The last one had been none too kind to her. But people were quickly drawn to the appearance of several beings, so many friendly faces soon swarmed around them.
"Draetur! So good to see you back!" a woman said. She looked human.
"Good to be back. I see our old friend has taken good care of the camp in my absence."
"Not for long." frowned the woman. "He left at yesterday's light."
"Left?" Draetur exclaimed, his voice drawing the attention of people several feet away.
"Ma'am?"
Plei's attention refocused as another lady approached her. She looked kind and attentive and held out her hands. It took Plei, whose arms were as full as her mouth, a moment to realize that the woman was offering to carry her stuff.
"Oh, no, I'm fine." Plei mumbled, chewing quickly so she could swallow.
Nearby, Tenia hissed and made another girl shriek in fright.
"Can't you be nice to anyone?" Maycoe complained, placing herself between Tenia and the frightened woman.
"Only if they're food." Tenia grinned nastily.
"Damn vampires. Do you know any decency?" Laurie said through a mouthful of food.
The vampire began to say something, but stopped suddenly. A look of utter shock replaced the expression of arrogance. Her eyes went from the one fruit in Laurie's hand to her mouth, and then all over Laurie's person.
"Where the hell'd all your food go?"
"Belnair didn't feed anyone in the camp unless they pledged loyalty to him." Laurie glared. "This is nowhere near enough for me right now."
"A survivor of Belnair's camp?" Someone from the crowd of onlookers exclaimed.
"Wait." Maycoe said suddenly, eyeing Laurie with something similar to apprehension. "You fought like that when you had been starved for several days?"
Laurie nodded, but couldn't muster up the energy to be proud; she was too focused on the last of her food.
"Pleisorium?" A surprised voice snagged Plei's attention, and she looked to see the startled face of the woman who was talking with Drae. "You mean you found her?"
Draetur glanced uneasily at Plei, and the woman's gaze latched onto her hungrily. The drake began to maneuver the group from this crowd with his words. It seemed he had not meant to let slip that small detail. Plei wished he hadn't; everyone was giving her the most intense gaze, and it was making her nervous.
"The group will need some rest and privacy. They've all had a rough time, and I would like to speak with them."
"Yes, yes." Muttered the woman absently, still looking at Plei. There was a bit of silence, and then," It is too bad he left."
"Indeed." Drae affirmed. "I will take them to my tent. Please prepare another one for them."
At Draetur's beckoning, the mismatched group of five proceeded together through the large camp. Each tent they passed looked like they could hold a couple of families, and the people bustling about them seemed to be doing things that were very important; their looks of concentration were so intense. However, Draetur's tent outdid them all. His was several times bigger and taller, as well. The group entered and they all found seats. Draetur crouched comfortably so he could see them all.
"What is this camp?" Maycoe said, looking around the tent carefully. "From what I am told, Kor should not be anywhere but on their own plane between planes. But I have not only seen Kor here, but many other species as well."
"Yes, this camp has a wide collection of people and species. I guess you could say the man in charge is just that- a collector."
"Who's the man in charge?" Laurie asked.
"Does he taste good?" Tenia smiled, interrupting what all were sure would have been a long series of unnecessary questions from Laurie.
"We will get to that later." Drae said with a dismissive twitch of the wing. "Right now, I want to know where you have been, Plei."
Plei was surprised at the question. She began to think about it, but found Laurie's hungry gaze too distracting and tossed over the last of her fruit. Maycoe told the woman she would regret this later. Laurie ignored her.
"Well, after the battle with the cultist guy, I woke up on a supposedly neutral island. I managed to avoid Belnair, but ended up getting into trouble anyways and had to Planeswalk to get away. I stayed at the plane I went to for a long time, and then came out of it because I needed some things. Plus, Maycoe needed a way home."
"You stayed there for the last six months?" Draetur said incredulously. "And he didn't find you?"
"I guess. I never really counted how long it was."
"And Maycoe needed a way home, you say. I'm assuming that is this Kor woman?"
Maycoe nodded acknowledgement.
"Why did you need a way home, exactly?" the drake rumbled.
"Something took me from my home." Maycoe said quietly. "Plei planeswalks, so she can get me back."
"Something took you? What, exactly?"
Maycoe shrugged.
"I think I may know." Plei said hesitantly. Everyone looked at her curiously- everyone except Tenia, who seemed to be so full of blood that she was having trouble staying awake.
"When the plane I hid at became steady and took form, I invited… Well, I guess I just hoped very strongly that you guys would feel welcome to come, too. I was alone, and the place was so beautiful that I wanted to share it with you, Draetur, and the Kor that protected me. The wish may have been too vague and- perhaps- Maycoe was brought forcibly to my plane by an accident I made."
Maycoe looked at Plei, emotions wrestling on her features. Plei looked at the ground, unsure whether or not she deserved Maycoe's fury. Laurie seemed confused, but Draetur was stunned. He opened his jaws a couple of times, and then closed them as he put the pieces together.
"Your plane?" He said finally, lowering his head so it was nearer to her level.
"Yes."
"Does it have a name?"
"No. I haven't given it one."
"Tell me, Plei. How did it come about to be your plane?"
"Well, it was somewhat similar to Zendikar and the place between planes in its unharnessed energy and dangerous habits. But with my spark, I calmed it. I guess you could say I gave it's ferocious, confused energy a flow."
"What else did you change about the plane?"
"Everything." Plei shrugged. She hesitated before elaborating, since she got the odd feeling she was divulging precious secrets. "One week it was the fury of moving land mass where nothing grew that did not die or rot. The next, it was covered in plants, animals, plenty of bugs… and I've never seen another upheaval."
"Is it true?" a voice announced their presence just before Fariel entered, sweeping past the others and heading straight for Draetur. "Have you found Plei?"
Draetur was oddly stiff, but eventually nodded towards Plei. Fariel turned. It took a second, but her eyes lit up when she recognized the girl.
"Pleisorium!" Fariel said, spreading her arms and approaching. Plei had barely enough time to stand before she was enveloped in a strong hug. The angel was still wearing armor, she noticed.
"We were all so worried." Fariel was saying while Plei tried to see past a curtain of golden hair. "We realized during the fight that you had been taken, but the enemy never let up." Fariel took half a step back, now placing her hands on Plei's shoulders. "We couldn't get you in time, and we've been trying to find you since. Draetur's been walking every day since then to find you."
Plei looked at Draetur, stunned. But the drake seemed unhappy about something. Plei had a sneaking suspicion it was because Draetur still didn't trust Fariel.
"Where were you hiding?" the angel inquired.
"She found a secluded plane." Draetur said, drawing Fariel's attention. "Something about it shielded her from Belnair's grasp."
"Does this plane have a name?" The winged woman looked between human and drake.
"No." Plei answered immediately. "I didn't socialize with the natives, so I never got a name."
There was some quiet in the tent. Fariel looked disappointed. Laurie seemed to be fidgeting to ward off the strong desire to talk, and Maycoe was looking oddly at Plei. Tenia peeked curiously past her blood-heavy eyelids, looking somewhat like a cat by the way she rested, curled up in her chair.
"I see." Fariel said, and there was something odd in her voice. "No wonder you left. It can't have been fun there. Well," now she turned to Draetur. "I must go. Take care of her, Drae. Otherwise, he'll have your hide."
"As if he could hide a drake in his current state." Draetur growled as Fariel left.
There was a minute's silence in the tent. Then it was shattered by the most expected individual.
"Ok, what is this all about? Plei can jump from world to world, I don't even know what this chick is," she gestured to Maycoe, "and how in the hell can you talk?"
"Oh, that's right" Plei said. "You're the only one here who doesn't know about Planeswalkers."
"Explain to her later." Maycoe said, earning an annoyed look from Laurie.
"No, explain to me now. I'm the only one out of the loop here." Laurie exclaimed.
"And all of us have no clue what this place is." Plei said. "I promise we'll fill you in, Laurie, but I'm a little more curious about what's going on here."
"Please settle down." Draetur interrupted. "I can answer both your questions. Now, Laurie, is it? Planeswalkers like Plei and I can walk from world to world, like you said, but we call them planes. The cause of this gives creatures that are otherwise incapable the ability of speech. I am a Planeswalker, therefore, I gained the ability to talk when I triggered my spark.
"The man who leads the people of this camp is also like Plei and I. He is rather widely traveled, even for a Planeswalker, so most planes know at least rumors about him. What plane are you from, Laurie?"
"Zendikar." Laurie said uncertainly.
"It was a long time ago, but he grew a large forest on Zendikar once. It has since been the calmest place on an otherwise torrential plane."
Laurie's eyes widened.
"But that was hundreds of years ago!"
"Yes. He is very long-lived. In fact, by all rights, he should be dead. However, lately, he has been a little under the weather."
"Why?" Plei asked.
"Well, this actually has a little to do with you, Plei. You see-"
"What's the point?" Laurie interrupted.
"Pardon?" Draetur tried to say politely while Plei attempted to squash her annoyance.
"This whole gathering is eye-catching and all, but what's the purpose? I mean, there are people of every species here. I've seen elves, more of her," She gestured to Maycoe again, "and extremely short people."
"When your eyes are opened to something like there being many more worlds beyond your own, there is no going back or returning to a fully normal life. These people are friends of the leader and have allowed themselves to be gathered. In this case, it is for the purpose of bringing down Belnair."
"All of this for Belnair?" Maycoe raised a pale brow.
"I admit it seems a bit excessive. About sixteen years ago, he wouldn't have needed this much help."
"Why?" Plei asked again.
Draetur looked at Plei, a strange expression on his face that seemed similar to discontent.
"We've talked enough. It's getting late. You should all be resting now. I'm sure it's been a long day for all of you."
Plei awoke to the sounds of chaos. Her head had been cleaned the night before, but the headache from cracking her skull persisted. The loud noises outside did not help.
"Get up!" Maycoe hissed in the dim light as she refitted her hooks.
Plei got up, rolling out of her bed unsteadily. She noticed that Laurie and Tenia weren't there before she grabbed her sword and strapped it on. After retrieving her knife from under her pillow, the girl hurried out of the tent.
"Nice to see you're still alive." Said a greasy voice. The death cultist stood before the tent amidst the chaos, seeming to be the only calm thing here. He smiled, and both Plei and Maycoe readied for battle. However, the man frowned briefly as he seemed to notice Maycoe.
"You're unneeded." He said simply, and with a wave of his hand, a vampire jumped out of nowhere and engaged the Kor. Maycoe had no choice but to leap away while the cultist redirected his attention.
"How'd you find me?" Plei said. Her hand was tense upon the handle of her blade.
"Blood trackers can follow the scent of blood anywhere." He motioned toward the vampire that preoccupied Maycoe before putting the hand on his chest. "And Belnair thinks he has gained my allegiance. Planeswalking is such a convenience, isn't it?" his eyes set somewhat hungrily on Plei. "But such a young and powerful Planeswalker is so rare. I wonder if I could kill you without destroying your brain."
"That's my Walker!" Tenia came flying from nowhere, her claws scraping against Coverru. "Get your own!"
Laurie ran to Plei while both the blood tracker and Coverru were preoccupied.
"Let's go! We need to get away before this guy actually tries to make you into a zombie."
The two girls turned and began to run off, but didn't make it five steps before a thick, broken beam of wood from a tent hit the ground in front of them. Plei turned to face the death cultist. In the distance, both girls heard Draetur's screech as he tore through the skies, trying to dislodge a vampire. Plei trusted Drae to take care of himself. She was more focused on Tenia, who was knocked out a little ways away.
"You didn't think I'd let you leave, did you?"
There were some strange popping noises as bones made their way out of the man's exposed flesh. Some skin actually started to burn or fall away. Laurie put a hand to her nose and mouth, looking sick. Plei didn't want to look, but had no choice since he was her enemy.
"This is what my research has come to." The man said, raising a half-rotted hand. "Behold my unholy strength. You will not escape it."
A dark orb formed in his hands, and he chucked it at Plei and Laurie. It was too fast to dodge, but Plei still lifted her hands. The orb collided with something that lit up from the point of impact, revealing a glowing shield that stood between Plei and Laurie, and the death cultist. As the shield and orb wrestled with each other, the shield gave off small bolts of energy that trailed along the ground and nearby objects, creating burnt lines. With a flick of Coverru's hand, the orb disappeared and the shield, unneeded, faded from view.
"How sweet of you." The man sneered. "But you don't really expect me to leave your retrieval to only my abilities, do you?"
The vampire lacerator now appeared from the shadows, making Laurie fly several feet. The lacerator bound away as Plei suddenly felt a warm breeze behind her. Draetur was above, streaking downward as he roared in fury. A giant hand, armed with claws, wrapped its fingers around Plei's waist, and a sudden tug and tingling of power informed her she had just been forced to another world.
The light here was bright and made Plei blink. It took a couple of moments for her to adjust and see everything. She was in a vast field with giant hedrons floating in the air and resting, broken, on the ground. The grass was short and sparse, clinging to the earth. Clouds covered most of the sky, but some sunlight shone through. Far off, Plei could see what looked like a lake.
The sights were amazing, but Plei just left a battle for her and her friend's life. The girl spun on her feet. She quickly found her captor, which turned out to be Belnair. He stood tall, though he seemed smaller than Plei remembered.
"Calm down." He said as Plei readied for some kind of battle. "What will it take for you to understand that I don't want to fight you?"
Plei blinked, suddenly uncertain in her stance. Belnair was not threatening or overbearing right now. His voice was softer than she was used to and sounded tired and maybe sad. This was not the same Belnair Plei had been made to fear.
"Your actions and the rumors about you aren't exactly helping to convince me it's worth it."
"That's why I wanted to talk to you." He said imploringly, shifting his giant wings on his back. "Who I am is contrary to how they portray me."
Plei was silent, although it was clear by her gaze that she was not convinced. Belnair took a breath for speech, but hesitated for a moment.
"Draetur… Has he told you our relation?"
Plei raised an eyebrow.
"Having any relation to you is… kind of creepy." She admitted.
The dragon allowed a short, nervous laugh.
"I see. Then I must apologize. You see, I…" the dragon hesitated again. "You…" He seemed to rethink something. Then his form shrank and moved. Finally, there was a tall man with red and black hair falling to his shoulders. "Plei. You are my daughter." He said sheepishly.
Everything stopped. Plei became unaware of the wind, the scent of the earth, and the sound of the waves off in the distance. Not a thought moved in her head or was created. It took a long moment of shock for anything to work again.
"Pardon my slander," Plei said faintly, "but you've got to be shitting me."
"Hardly." His face was tense, waiting to see if Plei immediately refuted or accepted his claim. "I may be harsh and demanding, but I don't waste my energy with lying. The explanation is long and a little complicated, if you would consent to listen."
Plei couldn't exactly think straight, but she somehow cranked out the basic thoughts. Right now, she was aware that Belnair had been possessive before. Moving past wondering if it was because he wanted his daughter back, Plei thought trying to leave might be a detriment to her health. So she really didn't have a choice, did she?
"Alright." Plei said cautiously.
With a motion of his hand, Belnair gestured for Plei to walk with him. The two headed toward the lake. Plei's mind immediately wondered if he planned on drowning her. She pushed it aside, berating herself for her stupidity. He wouldn't need to drown her if he chose to kill her.
"Your mother and I fully intended your birth. We were both going to be long-lived, and we hoped you would be long-lived as well, but…" he hesitated, worry plaguing his features. "When you were born, we knew immediately that you were sick. In order to counter this, I gave you my spark. To our relief, color returned to your cheeks."
Plei was still stunned. She listened quietly to the man speak. She couldn't help but notice, though, that his expressions were a bit strained.
"My enemies were overjoyed. I had been immortal before, and now I had been weakened. Not only that, but a newborn babe of mine now held my power, albeit latent power. The opportunity was too good to be true, so we were attacked. I hope you will forgive me for leaving you."
Now they had arrived at the shore of the lake. Plei watched as the Roil made the waters thrash violently. But then, they swirled up and away from the floor of the lake, revealing what looked like a building. Looking closer, she saw that the construct was made of hedrons.
"I wish to tell you more." Belnair said, still hesitant. "But I'd like you to stay by my side from now on. We are related by blood," he turned to Plei and smiled, "right?" he said.
Cards Used: Unholy Strength, Shieldmate's Blessing, Plains (Vincent Proce), Mysteries of the Deep, Sign in Blood
Shieb: And there's one twist. Another one appears in the next chapter, but I wonder- do you believe Belnair's words?
Anyways, a little explanation about the cards. Sorry I wrote half a chapter before even getting to the first one- it made this chapter rather long, but I hope you don't mind. You may think that Sign in Blood is lacking in appearance, but I tried to slip that in at the very end. When Belnair asks Plei to stay near him because they are related by blood, that is the Sign in Blood card. They are related by blood, right? So she's obligated, right?