The Fall of RaDos

5

The following morning the defenders awoke to a mess. Sometime after Erik had fallen asleep, Rion got up, preparing a prank for his unsuspecting teammates. It was the perfect opportunity. He sat in a tree, high above the campsite– a bucket in hand, waiting. Unfortunately it only worked on Mel, as Seth cast out shields and Erik had fallen asleep out of the splash zone. But man, was the wizard mad.

"Rion, you are so dead!"

He laughed as she fumed. She shot out snow at the blonde, but he saw that coming a mile away.

As he dodged he teased her, "You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that to get me, Mel!"

It took an hour for Seth to disassemble the fight that followed. By the time the argument finished, Erik had finally woken up, and the group was on their way.

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As they drove, the Binn-Ar woods– Arboth's signature landscape– peaked over the horizon. Rion closed the gap quickly, zooming ahead, simply excited to meet with the townspeople. They were always met with a warm welcome. That, and he didn't want to be near Mel– he could feel her cold stare and a desire for revenge. He shuttered just thinking about what she'd do when she did catch him.

He touched down his Grey stormer first at the Arbothian gates. It was light, petite- like its rider– and consequently more agile; unlike Erik's or Mel's. His thoughts drifted to racing Seth. He could probably beat the lead defender. The boy would have to challenge him when they got the chance.

Meanwhile, he glanced around. The massive walls were a foreboding presence for any enemy. Although wooden, they were covered in massive, sharp thorns-- and several protective henges rendered them immune to a blaze. A small crowd seeped from behind the gates as the others touched down. A few children ran up to their favorite defenders, asking to see stones or other various artifacts.

"What does this do?"

"Can I touch your robot-hand?"

"Woah, look at that!"

For the most part, the defenders complied with the children's inquiries. Their laughter and lively energy left a smile on the group's faces. Slowly the younger ones managed to steal Rion away from the rest– reconfiguring him to be a part of their made-up troupe.

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While Rion had become the leader of the town's children, Erik headed someplace else. When Seth asked, Erik claimed there was something he needed to check on in the local library.

The young leader shrugged, facing Mel.

"Given the others have split, I guess that leaves you and I to resupply."

"Actually, I had something else in mind," She looked at him, tenderly. "How about we take this moment to walk around?"

"Mel," he drew out her name, sheepishly, "We're on a mission."

"Not right now, look at it this way– the others are conducting individual relaxation activities. So, why can't we?"

"Well, I suppose." His face warmed as the two interlocked their fingers. They hadn't been together long. Adam was a constant obstacle before he'd gone off to learn about his parents, and with constant saving-the-world missions, they hadn't much time for a relationship. Even now they were busy, but the hustle had slowed down since the Ethos. And somewhere along the way, they decided to give it a go.

They walked about the streets of Arboth, hand-in-hand. The city had calmed down since their first arrival, and the standard bustling street life had resumed amongst the villagers. Mel watched Seth as he would turn to her from time to time, and from the outside, they must've looked quite silly.

The two stopped at a few vendors along the way– Seth insisting they grab supplies as they went. Mel agreed to it, so long as he carried the bags.

Eventually, they'd found a small bench and sat, looking out at the winding paths, bathed in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

"I wish we could do this more often," Mel let out a sigh. Her eyes followed his, getting lost in his silver gaze for a moment– before he spoke,

"We will, Mel. Once we speak with Flinch, and sort this slayer thing out."

"I hope so," She leaned against Seth, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You and me both." He whispered, delicately placing his hand around her. 

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Erik had sorted through every book in the library– at least every one that pertained to his project. But, it was no use. Many of the books here were outdated, and a timesheet showed little use amongst the town.

Unfortunately, titles such as The Comprehensive Guide to Sigils and Casting weren't going to be of much use. He put the heavy book aside, and mumbled beneath his breath.

Erik had no clue how to fully apply his carving skills. At least, not to the extent that he wanted to push himself. He'd been able to make the two ancient sigils of Om-Ra and Mal-Ra, but it took great effort and, more importantly, the equipment back at the dojo to complete. But there was another stone he'd hoped to manipulate. Although Brim's knowledge was extensive, it wasn't enough on its own.

He clenched his fist, anger seeping through pursed lips. Erik decided to distract himself with the mission at hand.

The sigil slayers, large arthropods with mucus leaking constantly from their bodies, were Ethos. This meant they weren't from RaDos. The group had already theorized Flinch to be a major perpetrator of the unique Ogama-infused slayer they'd found. However, something else was at play. Flinch was a good mechanic– on par with Erik even- but he didn't have the ability to infuse sigil energy into his inventions; particularly the living ones.

Erik sat as he wrote his thoughts on a note application within his gauntlet. He was in the middle of a sentence when a cough interrupted him. He turned to see an elderly woman peering over his shoulder.

"Sigil-infusion, an interesting subject..." Erik closed his screen defensively, watching her carefully. Her hair had fully grayed out, and she wore thick, large glasses. Her voice was crackly too, but everything else about her was young. Whatever cream or lotion she used was really doing her some favors, and her outfit matched what younger women were wearing around town.

The markings on her face were still a vibrant blue, too. Not unlike a child's.

"Not many know about it. Especially youthful spirits such as yourself."

"And you are..?"

"I'm just an old croak, looking to pass on some knowledge." She let out a short breath, "Unless you'd rather figure out a millennia-old mystery by yourself?"

His eyes widened at her proposition, but he remained cautious. "And how did you figure it out?"

Suddenly she cackled, before easing back to her quiet, raspy voice. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that, child. But, know that I have the answers you seek."

Promptly, she placed a small stone tablet face down beside him. "Proof that I know more than your average RaDosian."

He took it into his hand, confused, until he saw the other side. Quickly, Erik turned to look at the woman, but she'd vanished. Her laughter echoed as he returned to the stone face. An etching of Vitus carved onto its cold surface.

The sigil of renewal and rebirth.

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A/N: I've incorporated some personal lore into the story which veteran fans and new readers alike should know. When it comes up just check down here and it'll be explained :)

Long story short, I've adjusted the lore to create a correlation between the vibrancy of the markings on a Radosian's face, and their vitality/youth. No markings glow (in RaDosian form), but the more saturated the markings, the healthier or younger the RaDosian.

It can be difficult for me to describe markings within the story, but for this reason its important to note that all Radosians (that appear human) have markings on their faces. 

Q/A: If you could write this chapter what would you emphasize?