Xerxes found himself returning to the Firian palace with Pyrus once Sternum and Femur had sufficiently sated his interest in seeing planet Bone for himself, Pelvus returned to the Aurora via teleport shortly afterward and Tibia off to return to her guild and Lobe. Pyrus had asked for his assistance with the Vault of Kings, and the Obsidian Blade, Xerxes inwardly cursing at his luck but was otherwise quite happy to return with him. The two appeared in the throne room as Blaze had returned from a patrol in the civilian areas, Flare and his training class on a patrol route of their own through the other layers of the Moon.
Xerxes bowed lightly to Blaze in greeting as Pyrus promptly went over to the vault, removed the keystone he had in the same pocket with Samateus' scale-stone and stepped back as it opened, Xerxes moving to gently lend support to the young Prince. Just by the light tensing of Pyrus' jaw, Xerxes could see his apprehension and rollercoastering emotions for himself, feeling as though his heart had been stabbed through just watching the young man.
Xerxes once saw the inside of this vault himself, many years ago, before Pyrus had been born, and seeing it again brought a sense of dread to him he had hoped to squash well in advance. Blaze moved to stand at Pyrus' other side, reassuringly placing a hand on his shoulder, the three standing in a group and staring through the open doorway. Pyrus lightly stiffened under Blazes' hand, lowering his head lightly and shaking it after a moment.
"This doesn't feel right... I'm not Emperor yet." Blaze and Xerxes shared a glance, Xerxes shaking his head out of Pyrus' view at Blaze before he craned his neck to offer Pyrus a concerned look.
"You are very mature for your age Pyrus, yet ultimately it is your choice. I understand your apprehension, though must also ask you to reconsider as the Maker would not have reached out as he had without cause." Xerxes' carefully worded response made Blaze smirk, Pyrus looking from the floor before him, directly at the Blade at the furthest end of the Vault. It appeared to darken the edges of his vision, almost pulling him in toward it, and Pyrus frowned at the feeling. Manipulation was not something he supported, even with good intention, and this felt almost as he had when Blaze had drawn him in and betrayed him before.
Xerxes caught this emotion and thought from Pyrus, frowning lightly at Blaze and sighed, looking inside at the Blade itself. He also felt it calling to him, Blaze lightly rattling his ear spines as a warning to Xerxes, as flames danced along his headfeathers and back. Pyrus however, noticed the almost longing in Xerxes' eyes, turning to him with a light smirk.
"It's drawing you in too? I guess it's not just me then..." Pyrus shook himself lightly, his apprehension nearly gone when Xerxes shuddered and ruffled his own feathers with a sheepish grin. Before he could enter the vault however, Samateus' thoughts in their minds alerted them all to a Beast attack near the battle moon, Xerxes snarling lightly.
"This is a bigger one, of course they popped in two forces at once." Xerxes moved his stance to look at his guantlet, a small wireframe of the alliance fleet appearing and the two locations of the attacks outlined in red, one in the space between the Firian battle moon and Ice, the other heading to Sand.
"Zuma doesn't have a scale-stone yet, and they and the Sun people have no way to defend themselves." Pyrus frowned, quickly running into the vault, grasped the scabbard of the Obsidian Blade, and quickly ran back to them, pausing to tap the inner control panel to close the vault door as he passed through it. Blaze and Xerxes shared another glance, Xerxes inwardly elated that Pyrus had grabbed the blade and it had no ill effect on him, watching from the corner of an eye as Pyrus tied it to his belt alongside his father's staff.
"True, however Zuma is always listening to Psionic activity. I'll return to the Obsidian Flare, see you on Sand once the space around the moon is clear?" Xerxes bowed lightly, smiling happily and far more pleased than would be expected of a non-Firian at seeing Pyrus gladly carry the Maker's Blade as he was teleported to his ship once Pyrus had nodded and turned to Blaze. Blaze's expression remained unreadable, him taking a moment to realize Pyrus watched him for a moment.
"Apologies my Prince, just an old memory of your Father came to mind, seeing you with that Blade at your side..." Blaze bowed, smile mirrored by Pyrus who glanced down and lightly rested his hand on the hilt of the blade, as though accustomed to it being there for longer than a minute.
"Thanks... I feel like it's supposed to be there, like his staff." Pyrus motioned for them to head to his ship, Blaze nodding and following as they left the throne room and headed for the lift down to the Outer ring. Pyrus frowned, then smirked.
"I guess he used the Blade as a deterrent, once he realised story had spread of what he could do with it." Pyrus mused, remembering his father almost never drew the Blade in his presence, but they both would spar using their staves. He sighed, shaking his head almost to dismiss the memory, and the thought of the bridge he had sacrificed to save himself and Zera the first day they had met.
"Yes, my Prince. Emperor Magmus was unequalled in his skill with a staff, hated using handheld pistols yet was frighteningly accurate when he needed to use them. The Blade he only ever drew if others were threatened or injured and he wished to end the skirmish quickly." Blaze elaborated, glad to speak on the memory of the late Emperor, Pyrus listening intently and doing his best to keep his mind off the more emotionally invested memories of his Father. "The Vizier however, he constantly tried to keep your Father in the Palace during those battles, no matter how hard he tried however, Magmus would insist on being on the front lines if a battle was too close to the capital or civilians. He expressed that involving those not of the military in a battle that can cost lives is heinous and unnecessary, and I fully agree and support his decisions on such."
"Sounds like he was a lot like Samateus and Xerxes, right in the thick of it if they know civilians are involved." Pyrus smirked, Blaze chuckling and nodding.
"Indeed, I suppose that is why Xerxes got along with your Father and I so well."
Hours had passed since Samateus had returned Zuma to her kin, night falling on most of the planets of the alliance as the Beast made another attempt at causing damage, one force distracting the space forces of the alliance as another was teleported into the atmosphere of Planet Sand. Ramset and the Zumahim responded to the threat by attempting to close the pyramid over their city, which was easily stopped and jammed by a group of Beast drones landing on the walls and striking at the horizontal wheel and pulley system.
Zuma psionically held back those she could, several of the Sun people moving forward to strike the control crescents they could see using polearms, one Sunian grabbed and thrown from the wall into the sandsea beyond. The Sunian was then promptly torn apart by the Beast drones waiting there with frightening screams and animalistic howls, the sounds rising to meet the ears of those inside and causing a panic. Two of the larger beastial drones attempted to climb up above Zuma and Ramset, who noticed it almost too late as the drone leapt down toward them. Ramset quickly pushed Zuma aside, his armour badly impacted and crumpled by the drones' strike, trapping him inside it. About to strike again, Zuma lifted and threw the Drone back over the wall, moving to attempt to help Ramset.
"No, Zuma, run! Leave me."
**That is not an option, you know this.** Zuma responded almost snidely and remained watching over the prone Sunian, proceeding to psionically push off any that attempted to climb the walls near her. She began to tire swiftly, even the strange increase to her ability from her brief exposure to Samateus failing her as she tried with every bit of strength she could muster in order to do no harm, yet still help protect others. A Shadow appearing suddenly above them made her attention shift, instead moving to shield Ramset as the Obsidian flare opened fire, Samateus teleporting in and standing atop the highest point of one side of the pyramid. She trumpeted challenge to the Beast, the many drones howling rage at her appearance and some attempting to fire at her before they fell to the particle cannons of the Ahr'aht ship, the attack over in mere moments.
**Zuma! Are you alright?** Samateus looked through the throngs of Zumahim and Sand-kin and stopped when she recognised Zuma, quickly hopping down and only using her right wing to slow her fall. She had been able to reduce her size without aggravating the injury to her left wing, the wing held tightly in place by her isopod unit and majority of her armour withdrawn to only cover the leading edge of her wings, back and sides. Zuma appeared to crumple, slumping to her rump next to Ramset in exhaustion as Samateus heavily dropped down to the wall near them.
**I am, thankfully, unharmed. Ramset however...** Zuma looked to the prone Sun-kin next to her, his frail body a far cry from what Samateus had expected, having been around the humans the Sun-people had originally been made to mimic. His eyes were wide, enthralled by her appearance and form as she moved to gently nose at his armour.
"Are you hurt? I do not smell blood." Samateus' speech caught Ramset completely off guard, the small frail appearing male gaping lightly at her, unable to respond from shock. Samateus simply chuckled, his gaze meeting hers and instantly turning away, expression changing to shame.
"I am unharmed, I am simply stuck from the armour being damaged..." He muttered, voice low. The humility of his voice shocked Zuma and Samateus softened her gaze slightly, offering a smile.
"That's good, Zuma let me know you saved her from that same strike. Perhaps there is hope for you yet." His confusion was almost tangible as Xerxes, teleporting in with Graveheart and Zera a moment later, making him gape again, which got a giggle out of Samateus and Zera. Xerxes smiled, offering a light bow. Graveheart had been just idling on Rock, haunting the palace halls as Jade went into meetings with some of the other military heads following the attack on the military barracks. Zera herself had finished her classes for the day and had been alerted by Samateus when the Beast forces reappeared.
"Pharaoh Ramset, I am pleasantly surprised that you are unharmed, that was quite the blow."
"I uh, yes, well... Zuma is important to us and the off-worlders, I did what I could..." Zera and Graveheart both shared a glance, Zera's smirk and shrug making the Rockian chuckle.
"You are just as important to your people as Zuma is to hers Ramset, I have to say that's the most bravery we have seen from you." Zera announced, Xerxes smirking and chuckling as he moved to crouch next to Ramset, gently running his hands over the armoured suit and finding two release mechanisms that snapped the front plate off and freed the small Sunian. Xerxes offered a hand to Ramset, who cautiously took it and heaved himself up and out of the damaged armour, blushing himself a bit that he stood only waist-height to Zera, nevermind the intimidating feathered being that had freed him from his now likely useless armour. Xerxes gently righted the armour once Ramset was steady on his own feet, lightly wrapping his arms around himself as he felt quite naked without his usual armour, watching as Xerxes seemed to know what he was doing, curious, but humbled enough to remain quiet.
**Is he normally this reserved with you?** Samateus asked Zuma, Zera and Graveheart, including the three in a private psionic link with Xerxes.
**Never.** Graveheart replied simply, Zera smirking and elaborating further.
**Though since Zuma and her kin made their abilities known and we showed Ramset a little bit of what was going on when we first helped them move Sand out of the Beast planets path, he's been pretty quiet and receptive. This is the quietest he's ever been though. I think he's really weirded out by you two.** Samateus nodded to Zera's response, Xerxes chuckling as he pressed a button hidden on the inside of the armour, which saw it standing back up on its own, the damage to the armour shimmering and appearing to repair itself in a matter of seconds with a series of small hammering noises. Ramset gaped, on his knees and whispering prayers to the Makers in a breath which made Xerxes laugh.
"Calm yourself, Ramset. I am not a Maker, but I have met one." Xerxes lowered himself down to have his head closer to Ramset, who stopped mid-chant and cautiously raised his head.
"How? You... You are so young, surely you cannot have met one of them, they've been gone for millennia." Ramset stuttered, shakily getting back to his feet and slowly returned to his armour, the front panel that had snapped forward had a hinge, and what appeared to be stairs on its inside that doubled as a series of small shelves inside the front when it closed back up, hidden under his control panel for it. His wide eyes fixated on Xerxes had the others sniggering slightly, Xerxes chuckling himself at a brief joke from Samateus that Ramset was a poor judge of age.
"My dear Ramset, if you knew how old I actually am, you would still think me one of the Makers. No, they've not been gone quite that long, not entirely. You and the Zumahim were created long before many of his other worlds. Sadly, most have been lost to the Beast." Xerxes explained, Ramset blinking lightly, digesting the information and still finding himself confused. Samateus sighed, smirking lightly as Xerxes continued, to try and make it easier on the Sunian.
"I am Xerxes, of the Ahr'aht, Goddess Ashtareen is known to myself and Samateus here is her Avatar." Ramset almost jumped out of his armour again, eyes wide as he looked between the two. He breathed a word none could hear, bowing to Xerxes and Samateus.
"Makers be, the Luminous one is still our revered. Please, has she called on us?" Ramset almost shuddered, excitement and concern barely held. Xerxes raised a brow in confusion, Samateus chuckling.
"Ahyet'nell, no. Her sheperd sleeps, he's been gone from his flock a bit overlong. However, you need to bring yourselves back up to speed with the present day, and what was left to you and the Zumahim." Xerxes' brows knit together in a frown, Pinion feathers curling a bit with his ire as he had no idea what Samateus was talking about. Even Zuma understood the words Samateus had spoken, rising to her feet carefully. Zera and Graveheart then realised, all the Sand and Sun people had appeared and gathered around, even those inside the upper levels of the pyramid watching and listening from above.
"Sam..." Xerxes warning tone and narrowed eyes made her shake her head, spreading out her one good wing.
"Ashtareen has watched, unable to help for far too long. The winged ones, are they still amongst your number?" Zuma took a half-step back, shuddering lightly, as she steadied herself on the railing. Samateus caught her motion, trilling lightly at her. Zuma made a verbal response, Zera, Graveheart and Ramset gaping in shock, the low trilling chitter alerting them to something none had known about.
"Understandable. The shepherd has called his flock to him, be vigilant and ready yourselves." Samateus flattened her good ear back, refolding her wing and looking to Xerxes before moving to gently touch her nose to the top of Ramsets head. "Do not worry, he may be disappointed, but not angry. I will do what I can when the time comes to mitigate his ire."
"Thank you, Avatar. I will ensure we are ready." Ramset bowing again before turning and hurrying off into the pyramid to speak with his kin. Zuma visibly shuddered still, Samateus moving to gently nuzzle her arm.
**Tell your brethren, get the word out to the further groups and gather them here as best you can. I'll see what I can do to ensure you are all safe, even outside the pyramid.**
**Thank you, Samateus. I understand now why your presence has... awakened more in my brethren and I.** Zuma responded haltingly, calming slowly and offering a light nod, Samateus' smile and purr doing nothing to calm Xerxes, Graveheart and Zera. Xerxes had his arms crossed angrily, waiting for Samateus to signal for them to be teleported away before he dug into her. They had been on the Obsidian Flare not even a breath before Xerxes barked and snarled at her.
"I didn't omit anything you needed to know."
"Set's nuts you didn't!" Xerxes' rage had flames dancing about his pinion feather's atop his head, Graveheart and Zera momentarily forgotten. "What in the HELL was that? I knew Ramset and Zuma had something else left to them, but what-"
"Xerxes! Reign your rage, please." Samateus' pained expression and step back from him was a first for Zera and Graveheart, who had no idea what it meant. Xerxes stiffened, stopping mid-tirade and taking in a deep breath.
"Why did you speak as though something bigger is going on?" Graveheart speaking after a length of silence made Xerxes jump, blushing lightly as he had momentarily forgotten about their guests and Zera still concerned by seeing flames dancing around Xerxes' feathers harmlessly.
"Because even Xerxes doesn't know everything about the people the Makers left behind. I know more, but this is all I can tell you for now, until Pyrus is called to wake him." Zera narrowed her eyes at Samateus' words, frowning lightly, Graveheart shaking his head.
"Now we get to the secrets... Can you tell me why Blaze seemed to have his own private conversation with you as well?" Graveheart rounded on Xerxes with a frown of his own, Xerxes' feathers rising and then going flat, Samateus sighing herself.
"No, it's extremely sensitive and even Blaze can't say anything on it, because of a promise made to Magmus." Xerxes responded simply, though the deep frown he held made Graveheart start second guessing his trust, Zera moving between the two as she could tell they were on the verge of further anger.
"Secrets are sometimes necessary, we all understand this. If it's not doing harm to the alliance or any of us, let it be, please." Xerxes recoiled slightly at Zera's admonishment of the both of them, Graveheart also sighing and nodding, scrubbing a hand over his face lightly.
"I'm sorry Xerxes, it's been a hectic couple of days..." Graveheart offered, meeting Xerxes' gaze, which softened and he nodded as well, bowing lightly.
"I believe we are both guilty of allowing our tempers to guide our words, thank you Zera, for reigning us in..." Xerxes crooned lightly at Samateus, who responded by moving to bump her headcrest against his brow-crest lightly.
"Just try and keep your head level, your inner Firian is showing." Samateus chuckled after a moment, Xerxes' feigned shock and light snort at her shown as a ruse by his smile.
"Yes, I do keep forgetting about that... I know you both noticed, as well as Cryos..." Xerxes grinned sheepishly.
"The flames that dance about your head and back when you're angered? I was going to ask..." Zera smirked, crossing her arms playfully. Graveheart nodded, eyeing Xerxes and Samateus lightly, letting them know he was still a bit upset by their keeping something so obviously monumental to themselves without actually saying anything himself. Samateus smirked, reassuring Graveheart that they understood, hated doing so, and that her own secrets would be made known when the Maker woke.
"To put it simply, I'm a fire element like Samateus was at her birth, though most Ahr'aht cannot channel elemental energy at all. When I turned into a Firian, it must have unlocked something in my genetics that allow me to do so, though at a much lesser capacity than she can." Xerxes explained, all four stiffening when Pyrus' thoughts were directed at the group through the scale-stone he had been given.
**You have our atttention Pyrus.** Xerxes sent, the four standing on the Obsidian Flare then felt as Cryos, Sternum and Femur joined the psionic link, all concerned for why Pyrus would reach out so suddenly. Jade's thoughts soon followed, frantic and angry, but remained quiet for Pyrus to speak over their connection.
**The Battle Moon's outer hull was breached...**