BAARDA'S ASCENT TO THE HEAVENS PT 1: The Stairway Of The Lost Evil Souls
Atala held her hands out at both ends one towards Fazil the other out towards the creature that would become Fazil's form forever. It was small, or rather compared to the other creatures it was the smallest of its kind. It was dragon-like and resembled the Sapi, but with a double ridged back that were blue and black and a double pair of wings that were midnight. There was a light source coming from both ends of Atala's hands and black tears running down her face that wasn't apart of the process. She drops to her knees feeling the life sucked out of her. Fazil is about to move to see what is wrong but is stopped by her.
Atala out of breath:
You are not to move!! I'm doing this now stay put and wait until I say move!
Fazil sounding afraid:
What is going on? You're on the ground obviously in pain of sorts! You have black tears coming from your eyes which I've never fully understood! Tell me what is happening!
Atala:
When you arrived and received your first set of powers the black tears were a symbol of cleansing from evil even from those you came in contact with that were evil. This right now means that something bad has happened. I don't know what is going on, but I know that I must finish this or you and the rest of your friends don't stand a chance against Baarda. Now stay put and let me finish!
Atala tries desperately to stand again she manages after a few tries and stands halfway up right as she holds her hands out again and finishes the process she'd started moments before. The creature begins to diappear into Atala's hands and its eyes are shown in her other as it passes through and into Fazil. Next Atala uses both hands held out towards Fazil and allows half of her power to pass from her to Fazil. After this the light disappears and Atala begins to fade away. Fazil is now left alone in the opening of the dragon mouth wondering what to do next. He takes one step and then disappears from the mouth and finds himself in the Castle in the council meeting hall with Bakta, Bastian, Beeker, and Bale all seated at the table. Coil bursts in and sits down without a word as they all glare at Fazil.
Bakta:
Did it take?
Fazil:
What?!
Bakta:
Your form did it take?
Fazil:
How am I supposed to know?
Bakta:
Hold out your hands under dim light you can see the ridges of your animal form.
Fazil holds out his hand and in the dim room light he saw what looked to be transparent blue/black double ridges riding up his hand and arm. He almost falls from his seat at the sight but grabs the table before he and the chair falls. Coil gets up and then grabs his hand and pulls him up from the chair.
Coil:
We need to go to the Wares Moss House now! It seems that the Lost Souls have been released Baarda wants to use them as a stairway! We have to counteract this by finding a way into that Lair. You can't use the Castle, but the Wares Moss House has the Serpent Waters next to it.
Fazil:
I thought we weren't allowed to access it. How am I supposed to do it if it's unholy?
Coil:
As an animal form you have no body you are not of this plane therefore you are able to do so. It was used by the heads before they realized that Baarda could also get through. Now you have to change into your animal form and just simply think of the Lair and the waters will transport you to where Casee and Yuki are. Hopefully we'll be able to find Bara down there as well. I doubt it since we now know that he's using Bara's body to do his dirty work.
Fazil:
How will he use these lost souls to gain entry to the heavens?
Coil:
Well he's weakend the spirit forms of the clans already. Without a Nameth you guys are weak. They will literally make a stairway to the heavens creating a direct line to Sidia and Charma. Past the moutains and through a gate are the steps that will take you to Sidia and Charma, but in their helpless state Baarda can by pass this gate and use the souls to lead him all the way to them. He can control them since he is rather powerful. Casee and Yuki need to have their animals forms as well if you guys are to defeat Baarda, rather wound him severely.
Fazil:
Okay so lets go and do this! And let's hurry before I change my mind! I am shaking in my pants here!
Coil leads Fazil out of the room leaving Bakta, Bastian, Bale, and Beeker behind. The four of them head up to the Observatory and pull out the Telling Scope to keep an eye of the heavens from their end and direct Coil and Fazil. This was Bakta's job as a Sinth to get into their heads and guide them through the now dangerous courtyard overflowing with lost souls that were ready to serve Baarda. Down in the courtyard Fazil and Coil are carefully making their way through trying hard not to be spotted. Coil had to shield Fazil's human scent by holding onto him as they made their way across the courtyard to the Wares Moss House.
Fazil whispering:
Is holding my hand really necessary?
Coil:
It is if you don't want to be devoured by a lost soul. Once we send them back you will be sent back with them.
Fazil squeezes Coil's hand tighter making sure that he didn't let under any circumstance. They make their way towards the Wares Moss House without being seen and Coil throws Fazil towards the Serpent Waters and tells him to change quickly into his animal form. Fazil puts his hands to his temples and with wide eyes he feels himself changing into something else. The change is rather quick not at all what Fazil expected. He was thinking of some dramatic transformation that didn't happen. He goes up to the waters and stares down to see himself as regular Fazil but with double ridges and a different color. When he stares at his body he notices that his body is that of a creature. He has a wispy tail where his feet should've been and a dragon-like torso. He realized that he wasn't in animal form, but shadow form since he resembled a shadow. The color on the Shadow form was off; an outline of the Turpi and he was almost invisible.
Fazil whispering to Coil:
Coil this isnt' the animal form I'm shadow form.
Coil looking frantic:
It doesn't matter just get through the waters! As long as you're not human it really doesn't matter! You're still not of this plane right now in either form!! Now go!
Fazil:
Fine you don't have to yell! I'm going!
Fazil turns around to see a few lost souls roaming around and hurriedly stares at the unholy water then thinks of the Ahn-Kin Lair. Just as soon as he thinks it he is in a dark place with small torches on the wall. He is behind a wall that juts out violently. This was a good thing since Baarda and his helper were still in the Lair. He spots Casee knocked out and Yuki on the floor now with bleeding arms. He was still in a a great deall of pain from the torture. Fazil ducks behind the wall again to think things through on what to do next Bakta couldn't reach him where he was and this was a downfall of sorts, but he'd have to manage without her and Coil somehow.
Bara/Baarda:
The Lost Souls are now above us ready to transform into those beautiful stairs that will lead us into the Heavens. Come Igara we must go now!
Igara:
Have you figured out what to do with these two?
Baarda:
Yes what any villian like myself would do--Kill them!
Igara:
How are we to do that?
Baarda:
Drain them and send their souls on a little journey.
Igara:
Will do your greatness.
Igara takes Yuki first and tosses him into the fountain then he Takes an uncounsious Casee and tosses her in as well. Afterwards He and Baarda/Bara disappear leaving the Lair empty. This was a good thing as Fazil steps out and runs up to the fountains. He sees Yuki and Casee disappearing. He is still in his other form, but reaches in anyway and tries to pull Casee and Yuki out. This poses a problem since he wasn't fully whole. He decides to change forms. This time he thinks of his animal form and finds himself getting it right this time. He was a whole being that could touch, though he still was not of this plane. He reaches in and pulls Casee and Yuki out together and drops them both on the floor. Yuki looks at his arms and then at Fazil relieved while Casee is still out of it. He then changes back into regular Fazil for Yuki to recognize him properly.
Yuki with a small voice sounding hoarse:
Thank you Fazil! I thought I we were done for!
Fazil pulling Yuki up:
We will he if we don't get back to Clover! There are evil souls everywhere right now and Baarda is about to make his way up to the Heavens! Coil should be inside the Wares Moss House finding a way to counter-act those souls. I don't kow what he's going to do, but we need to get up there! How do you wake Casee?
Yuki:
Well Baarda hit her in the face with a shot from his hand maybe it's her mind that's keeping her sleep. You can cleanse her.
Fazil:
Fine then... okay here goes...
Fazil puts a hand to his forehead and the other to Casee's and waits for something to happen. After a few minutes she awakens and stares up to see what is going on. She jumps up quickly in a panic wondering where Bara is.
Casee:
I knew something was wrong Fazil!! Bara is Baarda or Baarda has control over Bara!
Fazil:
Yeah I know we need to get back to Clover.
Casee:
Wait how did you know we were down here? How did you get down here?!
Fazil:
Well let's just say I visited the heavens and came back with a gift! We have to go now!!
Fazil turns back into his Shadow form, grabs Casee's and Yuki's hands, then thinks of the inside of the Wares Moss House and finds he and the other two are where they should be. Coil is near the monitors with them active showing different views of Arcantha and Clover.
Coil:
There isn't a way get rid of the Lost Souls without messing something up. We need you guys in your forms to do so other---
Before he can finish Casee and Yuki are pulled from the Wares Moss House to their fountains. They go unnoticed by Baarda and are sucked in and thrown out onto the island that Fazil found himself on before.
Fazil:
Okay what is going on?
Coil:
They need their forms Fazil. It doesn't matter what is going on they have to receive them just as you have. It is for our own good anyway that they get them as soon as possible. Baarda is creating his evil stairway to Heaven as we speak.
Fazil:
This needs to happen quick we've got work to do!
Coil:
Tell me about it. The only thing we can do now is wait...
**
Bara/Baarda:
Igara how much time will it take to make this stairway?
Igara:
It shouldn't take much time at all your evilness. They have begun to build themselves. The Fountains are weeping unable to stop you that means that Sidia and Charma are fully disarmed of any power and are completely helpless. They have turned to stone sealing the rest of their powers within so as not to wither away, but once you get into the heavens you can destroy their stone likeness as well as Morlan the holy mountains which is the gateway. You will be more powerful than ever!!! (with a weird wicked laugh)
Bara/Baarda:
That's what I like to hear! Finish this stairway!!
**
Bakta:
All the spirits here will disappear if Casee and Yuki don't hurry and return. Atala is severely week and Toma's getting there! What do we do?
Bastian:
We go out there and fight...stall if we have to! This is our home to.
Beeker:
Bastian is correct on this let's get out there and hold down this damn fort of ours!
Three spirits disappear onto the courtyard while Bale stays behind. He wasn't allowed to leave the house and therefore all he could do was Hope to Sidia and Charma that their plan worked. The stairway was rapidly underway. It was nearly halfway up reaching the sky and touching Clover's night. The souls literally became stairs leading the way to Sidia and Charma's doom as well as Arcantha. Bakta comes onto the courtyard and using her head there is a blast somewhere to the base of the stairs. The souls are blasted away, but the gap fills just as quickly as it had been opened. Bastian tries using his hands and this times hits higher. Baarda laughs, but isn't pleased at all at what was going on. He holds his hands in the air and the black waters from the now impure fountains rise up and splashes the three of them. More spirits come out and attack the stairway and Igara since Baarda was unaffected by their powers. They were still spirits and could only do so much. The waters were now eating away at every living thing on Clover. The Castle was being pelted with water as the spirits stood their ground defending their home island. Meanwhile Fazil was pacing back and forth in the Wares Moss House when he hears the rumbling and checks the monitors.
Fazil:
What is going on out there?!
Coil:
There is an attack on Baarda's stairway by the spirits! They are trying to stall for time since it's taking Yuki and Casee so much time to return.
Fazil:
How are we doing?
Coil checking the monitors:
We are losing bad! The Waters have turned and now the fountains are against us. We don't stand a chance once Baarda has a hold of the waters. He's been down in Apera for so long that he knows how to control them. The fountains have been changed so now they fight against us. This is bad this is really, really bad!!
Fazil:
Come on Yuki...Case get back down here!
**
The Heavens were beautiful lit with light that blinded you. It was white all around with black and gold flakes raining down covering the floors. In the center sat a podium where messages and prayers would appear from Synjin's fountain. Beyond the podium were two large throwns where two faerie like stone statues sat. They were great and epitomized the look of anciet rulers who were in control and knew how to rule over its people. Sidia and Charma looked massive upon their throwns though they were weakend by the invasion of Baarda and his helper Igara. The lost evil souls had served their purpose ascending to the heavens and leaving clover in a wreckage. They had finally gained entrance to dwellings of Sidia and Charma using the stairway to Heaven...Now it was time to take over.
