The invasion was going smoothly, or so the Shushus believed as their king and his loyal commander had yet to return from what laid beyond Qilby's massive portal. The gathering of Shushus seemed endless, dripping through the portal and large numbers while more kept closing the line. Remington and Grany had already made their way through, undetected and without the Eliatrope they knowingly left behind.
Several Shushus had gathered around Alys after she was left to her own fate, crawling over and examining her while debating about a plan of action for their arrival to the World of Twelve. The Shushus were small in size, a little pathetic compared to the others who dropped themselves willingly through the portal in the middle of the courtyard. "Maybe we can possess her," one of the Shushus suggested and pointed with a claw towards the portal while tugging at Alys," we go through, possess her and join the others. She can't reject, she isn't awake. Simple!"
"Yes, yes, is perfect plan!"
"Let's do it!"
"Come, hurry!" the Shushu said and pulled at the unconscious body of the Eliatrope, trying to drag her towards the portal with his flimsy arms. It took five of them to drag and push Alys across the gravel and ruptures in the dead soil, taking a while as she was too large for them. "She's heavier than she looks!" the Shushu grumbled while frantically pulling at the fabrics of Alys' sleeve, though suddenly toppled backwards when what was left of the torn cloth slipped free from around her arm with a soft rip. He bounced away with a high pitched cursing before he disappeared involuntarily through the portal, causing his fellow Shushus to burst out laughing at his misfortune. That sure didn't go as planned, for him.
"More for us! Just a little further," another Shushu said as he pushed against the Eliatrope's legs, soon having her on the edge of the portal with the help of the others. He peered into the large circular rift that was torn into the ground with the aid of Qilby's rune, the other three looking over his shoulders in awe before he took a step back and rose his claws to gather their attention," one firm push and we're through. We go in, possesses her and get carnage!"
"Carnage!"
The Shushus scrambled in excitement and thirsty eagerness before they leaped on Alys to give her one last shove, watching her roll over and into the portal before she disappeared from sight as the white void swallowed her whole. The miserable creatures madly cackled, unable to contain themselves anymore as their devious little plan was succeeding and quickly went after her to continue with the next step; possession. Yet their excitement turned into terror as they found themselves in a free fall after they jumped through, crashing down towards an island far below, the portal that connected Shukrute with the World of Twelve being high up in the air. With squealing screams they held onto each other as they helplessly dropped down to the surface, the plan to possess the Eliatrope completely forgotten about.
Alys twirled as she fell down, lost within the depths of her mind while the world around her remained black. She was unaware of what was happening, bordering on waking and remaining unconscious while falling to what would be her death.
Qilby snorted after he sat himself down on a rock, away from the devastation which had unfolded upon the Crimson Claws island while his eyes followed a turquoise scaled dragon he wished to avoid. Phaeris, a planned guest appearance. Qilby was fully aware he would encounter this particular dragon if he were to set foot on this island, but he had hoped his fellow Eliatrope Yugo would have dealt with him by now... or the other way around. Neither was the case. It didn't matter much; he still had an ally who was itching to test his newfound body and powers, and Qilby had therefore sicked the eager Anathar after Phaeris. Even the many Shushus were playing their part, keeping an unexpected army that stormed the beach at bay.
Rushu was not pleased about the surprise welcome party that was the Sufokian navy, believing Qilby had lured him into a trap by sending him and his many followers right into the jaws of the Stasis wielding sailors and soldiers. He wouldn't listen to reason and swiftly broke their little deal. Qilby's plan was still in motion however. While Rushu indulged himself with finding entertainment in the naval resistance, his Shushus occupying the beached soldiers and Anathar keeping the turquoise dragon distracted, Qilby could finally search for his Dofus. It was somewhere hidden on this island, but unfortunately there was still a minor obstacle in the retrieval of the crimson and golden colored dragon egg.
Yugo...
The boy was close, Qilby was certain of it. After all, he had sent the young Eliatrope and his friends to this place to act as fodder for a presumably angry dragon or to claim the Dofus without Qilby needing to lift a finger. Currently it was Anathar who kept the dragon's eyes away from Qilby, but the Dofus remained unfound. With the resistance and the battle present on the island, Yugo was sure to have questions... or would be smart enough to figure out he was played like a fool. It was only a matter of time before he would find Qilby and it was therefore that the empowered Eliatrope bode his time by simply waiting and watch the waging battle.
Further away from a patient Qilby, Phaeris landed and perched onto a rock after cleverly thwarting his Shushu pursuer and rose his gaze to the heavens to observe the enormous Shushu king and the hail of demons that fell down from the red portal high above. It continued to rain Shushus with seemingly no end, all crashing onto the beach of the place he had called home for centuries. With the Stasis driven marines too occupied to care about the dragon or the Stasili crystals the island held in its depths, Phaeris thought of his next step of action until something peculiar caught his eye. Amidst the shower of Shushus that poured down from the massive portal, there was a different shape... a different set of colors than red, orange and black. Pale, blue, falling... The dragon narrowed his eyes to try and make out the figure in the near distance until they grow wide in shock when a pang of horror and old memories bubbled to the surface.
"MINA!" the dragon roared before he set himself off from the ground and whipped up a large cloud of dust as he urged himself to hurry, rapidly beating his wide wings to swoop underneath the female Eliatrope and catch her before she would break onto the rocks. He had to dodge an incoming Shushu from above after he managed to catch the one he thought he recognized from afar, before he halted himself to stay aloft and examine the Eliatrope he held. He parted his claws to look at the pale and bruised visage of the young woman, a few seconds passing quietly by before his white eyebrows furrowed as what he had deeply hoped for wasn't true. This wasn't Mina, his long lost Eliatrope sister. He should have known... She had been dead for centuries, killed during Orgonax's invasion and Qilby's betrayal, but when he saw this Eliatrope falling from the sky, he couldn't help but hope it was his sister somehow returning to him from death.
He did recognize the frail figure he held in his claws, her face bringing forth vague memories which had faded into the background over time. He remembered he was closer to her dragon sibling than he was to her, but they spend a few times together, if not all that often. She hung near lifeless between his talons, still and lingering between being awake and unconscious while her legs dangled miles above the surface. The Wakfu he sensed within her was weak, flickering like a candle flame; whatever she had gone through before she fell through that portal, she had taken a major beating. She would be utterly defenseless in the battle raging below.
Phaeris kept himself up in the air while he gazed down upon the Eliatrope, seeing her face twitch before her eyes slowly opened and her body trembled when she became aware of herself and the pain she felt. She moaned softly, blindly peering through her eyelashes up the dragon until her vision became clear enough to actually see him. She was too fatigued and slow to flinch or to gasp at the surprising sight and instead stared at him with apparent shock.
"Save your strength," Phaeris said to prevent her from talking after he felt her body tense in an attempt to move. He rose his claws up to the back of his long neck and silver mane to let Alys grab for the coarse hair and sit on his back, the Eliatrope a little slow while her wincing indicated she was indeed as sore as she looked. She pushed aside the confusion she felt for waking in a dragon's presence the best she could while he nudged and shoved her to help her onto his back, all to have his claws free. She buried herself away against his thick mane after she found her balance, her fingers grasping for the silver strands to hold on before a long breath left her and Phaeris continued his flight to take cover among the clouds above.
What happened? Who was this...? This wasn't Shukrute. The whiteness of the clouds Phaeris broke through was bright in color for a recovering Alys, but it also brought forth a sense of relief in the Eliatrope. She was back home on the World of Twelve, somehow... or so she assumed. She had no idea how it occurred, but she wasn't going to question it. And this dragon... he wasn't trying to hurt her. Was she safe? It appeared so. Another breath left her to express her relief for mysteriously having escaped Shukrute, until a large shadow above blacked out the sun and forced her to postpone her rejoicement. The large incoming shape she saw from the corner of her eyes was menacing, with many eyes and sharp teeth which flashed in the sunlight. The scream of terror she emitted was far too late, the dragon she rode reacting too slow.
"Surprise!" Anathar cackled loudly as he crashed on top of Phaeris with a sharp nosedive down, the impact causing the turquoise dragon to lose control over his flight. Anathar's talons sunk underneath Phaeris' scales to grab hold of him, his many eyes pinned on Alys who held on for dear life. He was pleasantly surprised to see her outside of Shukrute while he hunched over Phaeris' back, the rumbling sounding from deep down his throat threatening in tone. "Seems you got a stowaway, dragon. I have been wanting to taste her," Anathar laughed after he forcefully and with his full weight pushed down against Phaeris' wings to prevent him from flying, the lean and long dragon helplessly plummeting to the island far below. Alys desperately held onto Phaeris' mane to not fall off while being dangerously close to the bared fangs of Anathar's menacing grin, the Shushu ready and eager to snatch her up.
Phaeris bent his long neck to focus on Anathar after his struggle to break free and spread his wings bore not fruit and spewed a breath of fire at the Shushu to force him off his back, the frightened yelp Alys let out drowned out by the roaring flames and the direct hit. The Shushu's talons loosened underneath his scales after the ball of fire temporarily blinded Anathar, allowing Phaeris to shake him off with a wild shrugging of shoulders and wings alike. He spread his wings to catch the wind and end his free fall the moment the heavy weight left him, rising back upwards as he rode the breeze while Anathar roared in defiance. "Hold on, Alys." He folded his wings back to make a sharp dive down when Anathar chased after him, gaining speed before shooting upwards to the clouds to lose his less nimble pursuer for but a moment.
"You... you know me?" Alys had to speak up to be heard over the wind and the beating of Phaeris' wings, her fingers still clutching for the silver hair of the dragon's mane to stay on his back. Her heart was racing, her body stiff in fear and pain alike.
Phaeris straightened himself out after he broke through the clouds and swooped forward to keep up a good pace in his flight, his eyes searching for the shadow that tailed him with a burning determination and hunger. "Phaeris remembers you, Alys the Generous, both you and your brother. We were friends a very long time ago," Phaeris said, sounding focused. It wasn't safe up here for the fatigued Eliatrope, not while the sky was under heavy fire and Anathar was hot on his trail," Phaeris will find you somewhere safe to hide. Do not let go."
The dragon flew in a wide arc around the island, knowing it would be difficult to drop the Eliatrope off with Anathar seeing it happen. She was an easy target with how weak she currently was and he rather not have her fall in the clutches of some perverted demon, not if he could prevent it. The Shushu that possessed Adamaï's body was close behind him and gaining, using brute force to gain speed while Phaeris needed to slow down to find any suitable spot to safely leave Alys. It wasn't looking good.
That the possessed dragon was closing the distance between them did not go by unnoticed. Alys stared at an approaching Anathar from over her shoulder, the sight of Adamaï's deformed and grotesque body too painful to witness. It hurt so much to see the young dragon she saw as family to be tormented in such a way. Was he in there, somewhere? Was his soul, his spirit still alive and in one piece? Or did Anathar tear it all apart? She couldn't imagine what Shushu possession against one's will must be like, but all she wanted was for Adamaï to be freed from Anathar's vile grasp. Surely there was a way. There had to be.
Her eyes widened with a gasp when Anathar's thick talons grabbed hold of Phaeris' tail after he managed to come close enough with a few final beatings of his wings and pulled at it, the firm yank interrupting Phaeris' flight and forcing him to a standstill. The chase came to an abrupt halt with that single pull, the dragons soon entangled with each other as sharp claws hooked behind and underneath shimmering scales of turquoise and Anathar held onto Phaeris like a vice. His many sharp teeth made a sickening sound after he snapped at Alys and chomped nothing but air, barely missing her.
"Adamaï, please! Wake up!" she pleaded in panic after she almost got snatched up from Phaeris' back. He was so close... Adamaï was so close and yet so far away. There was no response from the young dragon to her pleading or her and Phaeris being in danger, not a sign of resistance against Anathar's possession. Was there truly no way to get to him? "Ada-!" Alys was quick to release Phaeris' mane and instinctively raise her hands when Anathar's ugly muzzle came too close for comfort once more and interrupted her plea, the eruption of Waku she released in self defense hitting the side of his face and several eyes.
A pained and angered snarl left Anathar after the close shot hit one of his eyes and partially blinded him, his second attempt to catch her between his jaws thwarted. He shouldered a resisting Phaeris with his whole weight and body in a fit of rage before he began to wildly tear into the dragon with claws and teeth alike, flinging Alys off in the process as Phaeris was forced to turn over and twist in Anathar's grasp to be able to put up a fight.
"No!"
Alys desperately clawed and flailed to grab a hold on a mortified Phaeris after she was thrown off his back, but grabbed nothing but air when gravity mercilessly dragged her down, the distance between them growing. "Phaeris!" Her bloodcurdling scream echoed across the calm blue sky, heard by the dismaying dragon but unwillingly ignored as he was tangled up with a raging Anathar who wanted to shred him to pieces. She was spinning out of control as she fell, the Zaaps she tried to create to break her fall dispersing before they could form below her, her aim and focus in shambles.
The menacing waves of the deep dark ocean came rapidly close before she crashed into the cold water with a landing which knocked the air right out of her and shook her whole body. A wave dragged her under after she was incapacitated by the shock of the landing until the current took hold of her and pulled her further down, panic setting in. She couldn't breathe, neither tell what was up or down and the salty water stung her eyes, nose and inflicted wounds. She kicked with her legs to try and break through the surface, wherever it was, her lungs burning as she was in dire need of air. She couldn't swim... Dark. Cold. Suffocating. She needed air!
The underwater current suddenly changed direction when something large dove into the water close by her, the rush of bubbles deafening. It dragged her further into the dark depths until whatever dove in grabbed for her and tightened its grip around her aching body. The current was far too strong for her to make sense of what was happening, the pressure of the water too heavy until it suddenly disappeared and she instinctively gasped for air.
The turquoise dragon breached the surface with a strong beating of his wings after he scooped the Eliatrope up from the waters she landed in, hearing her hack and cough as she spat out the salty sea water to breathe. He cast a quick glance towards Anathar further away, the muscular Shushu trying to keep his massive body afloat with a wild thrashing of his wings and limbs after he too landed in the water by Phaeris' hand, having been unable to bring the dragon down. Phaeris steered himself back towards the island before he swooped down towards the cliffs below, a dark alcove hidden among the cliff's spires his destination. He nimbly flew through the narrow passages between the tall rocks before he perched onto a ledge leading into the alcove and set a soaked Alys down. Soaked and sore to the bone, but still alive.
"Stay here," he said after Alys made eye contact with him from under her dripping veil and sat panting on the rocky surface, the woman looking disorientated and shaken," Phaeris will return to you." Not waiting for a response from her as there was no time to lose, he spread his wings with a mighty sweep before he pushed himself off the ledge to soar across the unruly waters and make his way upwards to the sky. Anathar was still out there... and so were others. Alys should be safe in the alcove, at least for now.
Another cough left her as she watched Phaeris fly away and disappear from sight after dropping her off in the shadow of the cliffs and alcove, her breathing still heavy and her whole body aching. It felt impossible to move, but she still had control over her body. Nothing was broken from what she could tell, indeed a miracle after all she went through. She was thankful to no longer be in Shukrute, but she had no idea where exactly she was or how she ended up on this island. The large red portal up in the sky must be the answer... Was it Qilby's portal, the one he created for the invasion he promised Rushu? If it was, then where were Qilby and the Eliacube? At least she still remembered everything before the Eliacube was used against her...
She listened to the sounds of a distant battle as she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, her thoughts going in various directions and refusing to settle. Qilby. Adamaï. Anathar. The Eliacube. Sadida. Shukrute. This island. Whomever was fighting against the Shushu invasion on the other side of the island had some severe firepower by the sounds of it. She saw the ships anchored along the shore when she sat on Phaeris' back, but she had no idea who they belonged to, which nation or army they served. Phaeris… Her shoulders sunk a little when the dragon crossed her mind. He knew her, even claimed they were friends once upon a time and called her by a title she hadn't heard of before, the Generous. How long ago was it since last they saw each other? Did she remember him then? What did he know about her, or her brother?
Her solemn thinking was interrupted by the sound of flapping wings coming down the clifftops, a spark of hope lighting up in her chest as she wishfully thought it to be Phaeris returning to her. She didn't want to be alone in this unknown place, in pain, confused and still mourning several losses and awful events. She grabbed for the rocky wall behind her to pull herself up to her feet, her muscles protesting but she managed to stand and keep her balance before she looked around to find a glimpse of the dragon. Her face distorted in an expression of horror and her heart stopped when the shimmering of white scales alerted her of who was descending down from the sky, gazing upon the deformed body of Adamaï while Anathar glared at her.
"There you are, you little pest," the menacing Shushu growled as he remained aloft before the entrance of the alcove, his large bulky wings keeping him up with a heavy and slow beating. The eye she hit during her attempt to fend him off looked lazy, half closed but still functional from what she could tell as it was pinned on her with all the other eyes Anathar possessed. He looked beyond frustrated with a low growling, his chase after Phaeris having taken a new direction; her.
Alys threw herself around to save herself when Anathar pounced forth with a single thrust of his wings and his claws tore into the stone surface of the ledge she was on, the Eliatrope fleeing into the darkness of the alcove with a stumble and nearly tripping over her own feet. Her aching and exhausted body wasn't fully responding to her instincts of survival, making her slow as she scrambled along the ledge, her fingers grasping for the rocks to keep herself up and pull herself forward to keep on going. She panted with ragged breaths, fear feeding her to not stop or look back, knowing full well that the Shushu was right behind her. She was too slow.
The palms of her hands emitted a faint glow as she tried to summon Zaap after Zaap to quicken her sprint down the ledge and into the cave the alcove mouthed into, using them as teleporting stepping stones to stay ahead of Anathar while the shrinking space of the alcove and waves below slowed him down. She didn't have the sufficient Wakfu reserves to keep it up, the Shushu gaining on her while the distance between each portal grew smaller and smaller, but she was desperate to escape.
"You can't run from me!" Anathar roared as he crashed through the hanging stalactites hanging from the ceiling above and ran alongside the stone shelf Alys used as a passageway into the depths of the island, eager to catch her. The Shushu thrashed along the shallow water to keep up with the Eliatrope, no longer having the room to fly after he hunted her down into what was a long tunnel that led into the island's cavern system. The limited space in the alcove's tunnel turned him into a slow and lumbering giant and although Alys had an advantage with being much smaller than him, she too was slowing down as exhaustion tried to claim her.
Her lungs felt like they were on fire, every step taken feeling like she was running across a surface of glass shards. She could no longer rely on her portals to aid her in her running, she didn't have the energy to create a Zaap that wasn't only but a step away from her. Hopefully the tunnel would become too small for Anathar to move through with the shape he had taken on after possessing Adamaï; it was her only chance. Balance was hard to find as the ground shook with each slam Anathar delivered to the tunnel walls and the ledge she used as her escape path with his shoulder, trying to slow her down further so he could easily grab her and end this chase.
Despair gripped the Eliatrope when the tunnel she fled into appeared to be a dead end up ahead, darkness awaiting her and with it presumably death. Goddess, this was the end... No wait, there was an opening! Just a little further.
Alys clenched her eyes shut and held her breath when she threw herself forward and dove through the narrow crack in the rocky wall she noticed in the nick of time, avoiding Anathar's sweeping talons as he tried to stop her from slipping away. His claws scratched across the wall and dug into the rock with a shrill and threatening sound, an angered snarl following as no Eliatrope was in his grasp. Alys hit the ground with a loud but winded wince before she looked back over a shoulder to the small opening she managed to escape through, seeing several of Anathar's eyes peer through to try and find her. The moment he saw her, safe and sound, a low growl echoed through the opening before it was replaced with another loud scratching of massive sharp claws scraping across stone, the sound forcing Alys to scramble back and away to not linger. She should be safe, or so she tried to tell herself. There was no possible way for Anathar to came after her with how large he was and she assumed he thought the same as the demonic eyes that glared at her through the crack in the wall disappeared from sight. Did he give up on the hunt...?
"Thank the Goddess," she sighed under her breath before she clutched for her chest and gasped for air with another wince, a painful stab reminding her she was at her limit. Her body was screaming in pain, every inhale of air burning her lungs with a prickling sensation while her soul felt shattered. For how much longer could she drag herself on? She was in desperate need of rest and healing.
Her fingers stiffly released her torn robes and dirtied bandages after she forced herself to roll over and prop herself up on an elbow, her eyes wandering while she continued to try and catch her breath. It wasn't as dark as she figured it would be, able to make out the surroundings. She was in a massive cave with a high ceiling, shaped like a dome while tall but thin stone pillars littered and divided the large open space. Some connected the floor and ceiling together, others were corroded by time and had crumbled. How far underground was she? Was she even underground? It was difficult to tell. Whatever the case was, she should be safe here from anyone, including Qilby and Anathar.
Alys froze when a tremble could be felt through the cavern's floor, weak at first until it repeated itself with a little more strength. Tremors from the fight on the surface? No... This was something else and it was growing heavier with steady but short intervals. The shaking grew stronger each time it occurred, pieces of stone falling down from the ceiling while pebbles and small rocks rattled on the ground with the increasing vibrations. Was it coming closer? She pushed herself up with a pained but muffled cry as her body refused to cooperate while she unwillingly and frightfully glanced towards the opening in the cave's wall she used as an escape. Paranoia was growing and weighing her down, while fear made her anxious and ready to dart away.
The wall suddenly cracked and crumbled when the frightening appearance of the possessed dragon broke through the thick rock with a deafening roar, having used his whole body to ram against tunnel's dead end after charging through the tunnel to gain enough momentum, force and speed to tear the wall down. Alys flung herself around to flee, hardly able to keep her balance or run in a straight line as the shaking of the ground, the flying debris and her protesting body prevented her from acting as swiftly as she would have liked. Anathar stepped over what was left of the wall he brought down and glared towards the Eliatrope after she was once again on the move, his laughter deep but amused in tone," I told you, Eliatrope; you can't run from me." He lumbered forward to continue the hunt, one of the nearby stone pillars collapsing due to the heavy tremble he sent forth through the cave with every step he took. He picked up his pace with a growing grin and pounced after Alys while she tried to find cover among the many pillars, the cave large enough for him to move freely.
She had to push herself hard to keep on going, the pillars she wished to use as a protective shield too unstable, flimsy and frail to be of any aid. She slowly zigzagged through the maze of stone, pushing herself off rocks to keep on the move while trying to stay out of line of sight in the hopes to throw the Shushu off. She knew it was in vain however, her frantic panting and sounds of pain echoing along with the crashing of rock, the splintering of stone and Anathar's heavy breathing. She truly gave her position away when she conjured a Zaap in a final and desperate attempt to escape, the sound and bright glow of it turning all eyes of the Shushu to her. Her depleted Wakfu was barely able to form it, but the portal stayed open long enough for her to fall into it and having it direct her elsewhere.
Anathar searched for her after she disappeared in a blink, his many eyes scanning the surroundings while he sniffed the air for any sign of that delicious yet disgusting innocence she reeked of. The appearance of a Zaap on top of a broken pillar did not go by unnoticed, the flickering sight making the Shushu sweep himself around and head towards the portal with a heavy but quick trot. Anathar pushed himself off the nearby wall after Alys stumbled out of the portal and fell onto her hands and knees with a hanging head and nothing more to give, knocking a few pillars over in his wake as he leaped at her. His long blue tongue lolled out with a string of pitch black saliva after he opened his maw wide and his large wings spread out behind him, not granting the Eliatrope an escape.
Alys' breathing was slow and ragged when she witnessed the Shushu coming for her, shuddering as exhaustion and pain had the upper hand while tears gathered on the edges of her eyelids. Broken, defeated and with nowhere to go... It was over; she lost. "I am sorry..." she whispered after she clenched her eyes shut, feeling regret for many things before she shouted from the top of her lungs in despair," Adamaï!"
The loud snap of Anathar's large maw clamping shut around her and the crumbling of the pillar she sat on was all that followed her desperate cry for the possessed dragon, before Anathar's claws raked across the cave floor to grind the hulking form to a stop. He grinned as he stood hunched within the massive cave he had almost leveled to the ground with chasing after the Eliatrope, most of the pillars and stalagmites no longer standing. His saliva stained lips curled up in complacency, the thought of how he would devour the Eliatrope pleasing. He could do many things with her, along with the dragon he kept within and possessed the body of. She tasted good already... and there was nobody around he needed to share with or was able to stop him.
His eyes widened however in surprise and building frustration, the grin he wore fading. There was a painful swelling in his mouth which kept growing in strength; it burned, the agonizing sensation throwing him off. Anathar backed up a little as he tried to keep his jaws clenched together and his maw shut, a deep growling sounding from the depth of his throat while a faint cyan glow became visible through the cracks between his sharp teeth and parted lips.
The Eliatrope!
With a pained roar his maw was forced open with a strength he could not contain, an explosion of energy erupting free. He stumbled back with smoke ring from his mouth, gasping, growling and wheezing before his many eyes focused on the figure that sat on a foot and knee further away, glaring at him with glowing eyes and hands. She was panting, her held up hands shaking and the look in her glowing eyes distant, but she was free from his grasp and sat knelt before him with a resolve he could taste by just looking at her. He saw this before, back in Shukrute when Qilby had a fall out with the female Eliatrope, but it was different this time, more intense.
"You'll pay for that," Anathar growled, disgruntled by the turn of events before lashed out at her, hoping one good hit would knock her out like it had done before. Yet all he hit was air, his claw sweeping across the floor and raking the rocks with sharp talons before a shot in his side distracted him. He screeched in frustration at the Eliatrope after she reappeared a little further away and stood with four activated Zaaps behind her, all glaring at him with an intensifying glow before they opened fire. Anathar brought his wings up and before him to shield himself from the hail of Wakfu, screaming while Alys stood like a ghost before the flashing portals," I will tear you apart, you insect!" He slightly parted his wings to breathe a ball of fire at the Eliatrope and cease her attack, the cave and nearby mounds of rock lighting up when the fire hit its mark and the portals stopped with their attack. The impact caused Anathar to sputter out a victorious laugh before the fire dispersed and revealed a sight which instantly killed his triumph.
Standing before Alys was the sudden appearance of Phaeris, no longer a dragon but shifted into his humanoid form to swiftly traverse the cavern system after he found Alys missing in the alcove and followed the trail of devastation. A transparent barrier encased him and the female Eliatrope as he stood tall with his wings spread, keeping them safe from harm.
Anathar roared with a flaring of his annoyance at the sight and rose his wings to bravely face his opponents, while hunching forward to be ready to pounce forward and meet the dragon and Eliatrope head on. "There is always two of you, isn't there?! No matter, I'll crush you both and feed on your husks!"
Phaeris' form bulked up while long lightning shaped markings appeared over his torso and arms, pulsing with Wakfu before he suddenly jolted towards Anathar with an unexpected speed and rose a crackling fist at him. The foot of the broken pillar he smashed the Shushu against shattered with the impact of the punch he delivered, the loud groan Anathar let out nearly drowned by the cracking of stone before he stumbled to the side and tried to keep himself on all fours, failing. Phaeris reappeared a little further away after he brought Anathar down with a single blow, assessing the situation and see if the Shushu would surrender until another hail of Wakfu caught him off guard. His head snapped around to find Alys behind her activated Zaaps, not granting Anathar any respite as she kept him under fire. The possessed dragon quaked and screeched at the battering he received, unable to bring himself back up while he tried to endure the onslaught.
Phaeris overlooked the merciless assault from where he stood, his brows furrowing as he knew something was amiss. This was unlike the female Eliatrope he once knew... He remembered her to be caring and peaceful before Orgonax attacked their people, a teacher and caretaker of the young. Not a warrior, not someone who would continue beat on someone who was already down and certainly not blinded by anger or hatred. Whatever got her stuck in a self destructive state, she needed to snap out of it. He swiftly made his way over towards Alys before he roughly grabbed her arms from behind and spun her around to force her to look at him. "Calm yourself," he said collected but gruff, a stern look on his face," control your anger, don't let it rule your actions."
Her lips parted and the cyan glow in the depths of her pupils wavered as she stared up to Phaeris, stammering before her face distorted into a grimace and a shudder went through her whole body," ah-Adamaï... He's still-" A pained wheeze interrupted her attempt to speak while two of her four Zaaps dispersed right before she slumped in her posture, her legs giving away.
Phaeris managed to hold her up, his grip on her arms tightening while he observed her pain and fatigue return to her in full force after the need to survive and getting overwhelmed by anger gave her a temporary burst. It wasn't until after the final two portals closed that he bent forward and scooped Alys up into his arms, the female Eliatrope unable to say or do more. He spread the wings sprouting from his back to ready himself for going back to the surface, telling himself he needed to find Yugo and secure Qilby's Dofus before Anathar would regain himself... until a searing heat and an explosion erupted close behind him.
His head snapped around to look back with shrouded startle and gazed upon a a fluctuating shield made of Wakfu levitating behind him, smoke rising from the front while burning embers dropped down from the fluctuating and dispersing surface of the shield. His cyan colored eyes turned to the female Eliatrope in his arms, the woman looking over his shoulder with a wide eyed gaze while she held up her shaking hands to project her fading Wakfu weapon. She shook and shivered while she fought to stay conscious, a losing battle as she could no longer keep the shield up to protect Phaeris from an angry looking Anathar.
The Shushu stood with tensed muscles after he tried to attack Phaeris from behind, leering with a burning hatred towards the dragon and Eliatrope. He wasn't defeated just yet, ready to claim revenge for the humiliating beating he had to endure on this island.
"Phaeris thanks you," Phaeris said as he cast an appreciative glance to Alys, seeing her give a hint of smile in return before her hands and head dropped and she closed her eyes with a long sigh, her shield completely fading away as she slipped away into fatigue. She truly had nothing left within her. Phaeris refocused on the Shushu once Alys laid unconscious in his arms, trying to come up with a plan. He needed to lure Anathar away and find Yugo so he could keep the Dofus out of the Traitor's reach, but he would have to leave Alys somewhere more safe and secure than the last time before he could attend to other things. There was no other option, he was well aware of that. He gently shifted the Eliatrope to hold her in one arm against his broad chest after making a decision, cupping her whole body while he rose his free arm towards the nearby wall. The lines of Wakfu which crawled across his dark skin flared up and collected before his knuckles, forming a large sphere before it was sent at the cave's wall and the impact broke it apart.
Anathar blinked with his many eyes against the sudden daylight which fell into through the hole Phaeris had created, hissing at the bright distraction from the revealed outside world while he closed his eyes and backed slightly up.
Phaeris seized the chance to lay Alys down amidst the rubble of the destroyed pillars, hiding her from sight before he spread his wings with no delay or reluctance and dove for the opening he had made. The shifting into his dragon form as he flew out of the cave caught Anathar's attention, enough to not make him realize that the female Eliatrope was no longer with him. The fierce snarling and threats Anathar spewed after Phaeris were a clear sign that his plan had worked and he was soon chased by the possessed form of Adamaï, just like before. Alys' unconscious body remained undetected like he had hoped for, and hopefully it would stay that way until Qilby was defeated.
With a strong beating of his wings and Anathar close on his tail, Phaeris sought for the young Eliatrope in the battle which waged on the island, knowing that everything depended the boy. He had to find Yugo. He had to find his king.
To be continued