I'm back!

(Okay, wrong weekend I know. Long story involving my being sicker than I thought, moving house for my Grandmother, and a nephew's christening to sort out)

I'll get those posts up asap!

Yup, I've got the flu again.  >:(

Long story short, whilst it's amazing what $200 worth of medication can do for you, it doesn't help if I don't get some rest. I've got two days off work which I'm basically going to sleep straight through (half these meds seem more like elephant transquilisers if you ask me)

Its not swine flu though, so I should be back up on the week end, and I'll reply to all posts and PMs then.

(Oh, and we'll be arriving at the WT then too, so be ready)

OOC: This is a flow on from http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,44492.0.html. Except this stage its now open to everybody. All anybody knows at the moment is that you've all been called together at the assembly grounds.

Covai left his quarters with Arath and the two new Attack Leaders following him. Waeyl and Haykes had left a few minutes before and would be waiting for them at the assembly ground. Running his hand through his hair as they walked down the corridor, Covai starting going through everything in his mind from the start. Today's gathering would not be easy. Light he wished Jarron was still around. The damn Ta'veren effect was exactly what he needed right now.

Shielding his eyes as he stepped out of the inn, Covai was surprised to see how late it was. The sun was starting to dip below edge of the tree tops. Mutterting under his breath, Covai really hoped he didn't have to look into the sun whilst making his speech. He had enough to focus on without squinting like he had just swallowed a lemon.

Waving Arath, Tai and Sereth ahead of him, Covai paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Checking to see that nobody was around, he rested for a moment against the side of a building. The Storm Leader's would have had everybody gathered already, and Covai knew the area surrounding the Inn would have been cleared first, so he had a moment to relax without being caught.

Pushing himself off the wall after he had finaly decided on what exactly it was that lay before him, Covai turned the corner to the assembly grounds. The area was packed solid with Soldiers, Dedicated, and Asha'man. The Tsorovan'M'Hael stood gathered at one end of the grounds. With the sun to their backs, thank the light. The Baijin'm'hael in the meantime had spread themselves around the other rim of the crowd. It was exactly the set up Covai had asked for. He quickly thanked the light once more that things had gone this smoothly in such a short time.

It was a Dedicated that spotted Covai first. Covai wanted to hit the man as he nudged the men next to him. Within moments the whole crowd had started to turn his way. Wrapping himself in the void as the crowed slowly started to quiten, Covai decided to let it slide. At least everybody's attention was on him now.

He just wished he didn't have to walk around to the other side of the crowed to reach the speaking podium.

OOC: Just post arrivals and reacations for now. EVERYBODY is welcome/encouraged to post in this thread. Seriously, do it or we'll hunt you down like Brent! :P

Covai smirked as he looked at Sereth.

"An oath eh?"

There was a knock at the door before Covai could continue. He nodded at Haykes to go see who it was. As the Shienaran slipped out of the room, Covai focused his attention back to the matter at hand.

"So, you are both prepared for the consequences of your actions?"

As the men nodded in unison, Haykes re-entered the room. Covai nearly reprimanded the men before he noted what the Shienaran was carrying.

"Very well Tai, Sereth. Haykes will be the one to deliver your punishment." Covai nodded to the man who stood behind them. "Haykes, if you would."

The two men visably flinched has the Shienaran placed hand on each shoulder. Besides the intial response however, the men stayed calm. It was a calmness that would seal their fate.

Seizing the soruce, Covai wrapped the items Haykes had brought back to the quarters with threads of air. With a quick flick of the thread, no more than would be needed to snuff out a candle, it was all over.

"To put it politely." Covai remarked as he put his mug down and started to set into a roll from the tray in front of him. The two men were starting to feel their nerves set in. Arath, Waeyl and Haykes were all as stone faced as he had seen them. Covai was still too exhausted to keep any set expression for long, so he busied himself with the food that had been brought for him. It was hard to read a man's face when he was shovelling food into it.

Pausing after his first few mouthfuls, Covai pointed at the two Asha'man with a wedge of cheese he happened to have in his hand. "You two directly attacked higher ranking individuals in the Black Tower. You are both Asha'man are you not?" Covai's eyes narrowed at the men.

"So tell me what in the light possessed you to get involved like that?"

OOC: Be honest boys. That's all I have to say.

OOC: This is a flow on RP from  http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,44078.0.html

Covai's eyes took in the two men infront of him. The newly formed council had thought long and hard about who the newest members should be. To be honest, Covai knew relatively little about the two. The fact the six other Tsorovan'M'Hael had chosen them to be promoted spoke well enough for him.

Arath had stayed in the room, as had Waeyl and Haykes. The other three had stepped out to start making preperations and ensure the Tower wouldn't fall apart while they were gone. Truth be told, Covai was glad they had left. He was surprised they had managed to fit seven people into his quarters. Expanding it to nine would be pushing things a bit too far for comfort.

"Tai, Sereth." Waeyl's voice broke the arkward silence that had once again filled the room. "Do you two men have any idea why you have been brought here?"

Covai watched as the two men barely shuffled their feet. They were nervous, but hid it well. It was no surprise though, the men wouldn't have chosen them if they were push overs who crumpled under pressure. Hiding a smile as he sipped from his mug of water, Covai wondered if somebody should have told them exactly what they had been called in for.

"The M'hael position will be no more" Covai interrupted.

"The Black Tower's only loyalty is to the Dragon. Instead of that though the Black Tower has had another man take the role of leading. Remember the incident with Aginor?" Despite how much the man had to take in, Covai could still see Arath was visibly moved by the comment.

"I'll take that as a yes." Covai continued before his friend could speak. "Brent falls into the same catagory. Put simply, the tower no longer needs a M'hael".

"Instead the Tsorovan'M'Hael will form a council. There are seven of us, from just about every corner of the land. We report to the Dragon and the Dragon alone. Working with us where we need them, will be the Baijin'M'Hael. All in all the Council of Guardians will have a score plus one for their ranks. Two Attack Leaders for every Storm Leader." Covai hadn't spoken of this, and to be honest the words were flowing from his mouth before he even realised he had spoken. He had no idea how far the reach of Ta'veren extended, but he could swear to the Creater himself that he hadn't thought of the Attack Leaders being in the council an hour ago.

As everyone took his words to consideration, a thought of his own stuck Covai. "On that topic, I believe we may be a few short on Baijin'M'Hael." The Storm Leader's eyes took in the six men infront of him. He had spoken enough this day. It was time for them to have their voices heard.

"Any recomendations?"

Covai's tired gaze took in the five men he had summoned.

Summoned..?

His own use of the word caught him off guard. They were all the same rank. They were all Tsrovan'..

"...Mhael..."

Despite his exhaustion, Covai's gaze managed to cut the Saldean man's words short. The man was Rorol Baldere, aged in his forties. One of only two Borderlanders in the room, and probably had more experience fighting the shadow then the rest of them combined...with a blade at least. Covai knew the man meant no disrespect. Light, the man was trying to pay him a compliment if anything. Having a man with twice your age and experience bow to you was no small event, but it wasn't something Covai could afford to enjoy... or tolerate.

Letting out a sigh as he ran his fingers though his hair, Covai quietly broke the tension that had been hanging around the room since before the men had even entered.

"Don't call me that Rorol. Daerik, Joeran, Waeyl, Hayeks, that goes for you all as well."

Covai tried not to smile as the confusion spread over the men's faces.

"I don't know if any of you know this, but that would make me the fifth M'hael since I first came to the tower."

"Dramon, one of the forsaken, Dalinarius, Brent, and me."

"The second was before any of you had joined." Covai continued before the men could raise objections to his words. "Don't argue the point with me. The man nearly broke the tower the same as Brent did. It took four Storm Leaders, six Attack Leaders and light knows how many other lives before we could bring him down." The sadness in Covai's voice was all he had to convince the men of the truthfullness of his words.

"Each of these men took the title of M'hael, of Leader. Some, like Dramon and Dalinar thought that meant to lead us to a path where we could exist safely, without killing our families when we went mad."

"Others, like Brent, felt the term translated more litterally, more military. They felt that whoever held the position of M'hael possessed an inate right to command the men and women of the Black Tower to do as they, and they alone see fit."

"Their translation was wrong. Or at least the context of the translation was, and is wrong." A sombre silence and replaced the tension in the room. Covai had rarely spoken like this before, and the men all knew it. Covai had gained and held is position due to a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and for the sheer luck that the gambles he had taken had paid off more often than not. Whether they were impressed or shocked, at least they were listening to his words.

"I feel the phrase M'hael translates more accurately as one who guides. A leader in battle stands around shouting orders. Any man with a set of lungs can do that. A leader in the community stands around telling people what they should do. Again, any man with a set of lungs can do that."

Covai paused briefly to stretch his legs out from underhim. The weight he had been feeling on his shoulders seemed to have pressed him firmly down into the bed. Hanging his legs over the side of the bed as he stretched, Covai used the time to let the men starting thinking for themselves before he continued.

"We are Asha'man above and beyond all else. We are guardians, protectors when all else have fled, and we will still stand when all is lost. If we are to call ourselves Tsrovan'M'hael, Storm Leaders, we need to do more than stand and shout orders."

"When we arrive in battle, the enemy will be helpless against us. They will know nothing but the sheer fury of our attacks, the unrelenting strength that we wield. They will know that they have more chance surviving a storm of nature than a storm of our power."

"Yet for the survivors, a storm brings new beginings. Old buildings and structures may be torn down, and soil and supports washed away, but what remains is the grounding for a new beginging. A fresh start amidst the ruins of destruction. Crops will grow again, grass will grow, and animals and life will return to the land."

"That is our role come Tar'Mon'Gaidon gentlemen. That is the sole purpose for why we exist. After the Storm of Battle has blown, and our existance is all but forgotten, there will be proof of our deeds and actions in what we leave behind for those that follow us."

Covai looked each man in the room straight in the eyes before he asked his question.

"Is there anyone here who disagrees?"

There was silence as each of the men looked to each other. They were all Storm Leaders of the Black Tower, and reliable men who knew what they were doing to boot. Still, having somebody say outloud something you know to be true could strangley make you second guess yourself. Trick questions, changed wordings and deception were rife in the world, especially amongst those with any semblence of power.

Without realising it, Covai let out a sigh of relief when all the men nodded. The only hesitation between them seemed to be over him stating the obvious. With a small smile, Covai decided he could live with that.

"Good. In that case I propose removing the stand alone position of M'hael from the Tower." Covai sound see a few jaws clench at his idea, so he decided it was best to keep talking while he could. The men were half humouring, half defering to him after his battle with Brent. Whilst it felt nice to be respected...if he could call it that... it wasn't going to last if he merely followed in the footsteps of those who had come before.

"The tower's only loyalities are to the Dragon, and through him every man woman and child alive. The M'hael is supposed to take care of the tower and prepare the men here to be weapons for the Dragon when and where he needs us. Sadly, the position of M'hael has just created a platform for conflict. Power corrupts, and absolute power is kinda fun."

Covai shrugged at the poor joke he had made. "You all know it's true. No man should be able to control that amount of power by himself. Nor could he if you think about it. Create conflict and discord amongst the ranks, and fractures will form, whether it be for better of worse. You all saw it's results yesterday."

"I believe a council of sorts may be the best option. If Storm Leaders are good enough to command in a life or death battle, they should be good enough for day to day operations."

"On that topic, there's now only six of us. We need an odd number if we want to avoid being deadlocked. Besides, I think seven has a good ring to do it, don't you?"

Aside from a disbelieving gruff from Joeran, the response was fairly quiet. The Andoran never really had been one for jokes.

"And just who do you suggest the seventh member of this council is?" The question was Waeyl's this time. The Tairen man had been the most recently promoted of all the Storm Leaders, yet his tone was clearly mixed with a grudge about giving up his new territory. Understandable, but not acceptable.

"Arath."

The room once again fell silent as the men dwelled on their thoughts. It was Rorol who spoke first. "I guess he's the strength to stand against any Storm Leader.. or two. Sounds fair enough to me. " The humor in the Saldean's voice was evident of his opinion. It was probably as high a recomendation as one was likely to get from the man either.

"I wouldn't like to face him in a fight." Daerik added. The Domani clearly acknowledging Arath's skill. Each of this men came from a different corner of the land. If they could all agree on something, it was safe to say it was a sure bet. Not that the choice wasn't already clear in Covai's mind before he voiced it.

"He held things together in the aftermath well enough as well. Things could have been a lot worse if not for his thinking." Haykes Shienaran accent held a clear tone of respect.

Covai nodded his head at Hayke's point. "Then that makes four of us agreed."

"Five"

"Six"

Covai's eyes turned to Joeran and Waeyl. The two men merely looked back at him. "Well light burn me. A man gets the last word in and suddenly it's as if he had been fighting tooth and nail against the whole idea." The mock indignity in Joeran's managed to ease the tension that at flickered across the room.

"Alright, alright, point taken." Covai conceeded with a smile as he held his hand up in defence.

"So, somebody mind going and saving our newest council member from the boredom of the corridor?"

"Yehmyhummmff.."

It was all Covai could managed to say before rolling over and dry retching over the side of the bed. Using one hand to stop himself falling to the floor, Covai blindly hobbled his other hand into the air looking for a mug or something similar.

"Water..."

Fighting a wave of nausea and soreness as Arath pushed him into an upright position, Covai shakingly clutched the wooden mug between his two hands. Resting his back against the wall, Covai had to blink a few times to adjust his vision.

"What time is it?"

"About lunch."

"Oh....I recovered that quickly?"

"Lunchtime the next day."

The brief attempt at humor did little to ease Covai's consiousness. The fact Arath was watching over him did even less to assure the sense of danger knawing at this still fuzzy mindset. Reverrting to silence as he collected the thoughts, it was Covai who first broke the quiet.

"So...I guess you're wondering what next eh?"

"Me and everybody else in the bloody tower Covai."

Tired as he was, Covai still knew his friend well enough to pick up on the frustration and confusion that underpinned his angry tone. Placing his mug slowly down onto the bedside table, Covai rested his forehead on his palms, scratching his head softly.

"We follow the Dragon's orders. Thats all there is."

"Covai...." The frustration in Arath's voice was starting to grow.

"Hold." Covai held his palm up. "I said thats all there is. I didn't say that's all that needs to be done to do it. Call the surviving Storm Leaders together. I need to speak to them."

Reaching for his water mug again, Covai didn't meet Arath's eyes. It wasn't until he heard the door close behind the Attack Leader that he let out the breath he had been holding. He just prayed to the Creator that what he had in mind would work. If the tower split now, he may as well have died in the battle with Brent.

If she's Illianer, send her to bother Arath :D

Not Covai though, he (litterally) fried the last Illianer to piss him off :P

Yeah, I've been poked. I'm working on the BT aftermath and WT arrival threads simultainiously.

What i need quickly before I post on the BT to check who on the BT side is wanting to be involved in the initial arrival. Considering the aftermath at the BT from Brent's betrayl, i'm working to avoid the "and a few others with him" type post. I've got it just about ready to post though otherwise. I'll check the board again in about 5 hours since people are waiting, and I'll post with who we have. I can always go back an edit a few names in if need be.

(Reference note here, the BT post will actively link to our arrival at the WT, sort of a thread cross over if you will, which is why I want peoples names so both threads are stable. People can catch me on MSN if they want a draft to see what's written so far :D)

PS: Arath a dad? I'm not even sure if he's kissed a girl yet :P

"I just killed my boss.  Can I see yours?"

That has got to be THE BEST title for a thread ever :D Don't suppose we can do a post empy nomination or something?

If we go Men in Black, I'm thinking the theme song from the second movie. Ever since seeing the film clip for that I've had wierd images of it playing when the BT rocks up to the WT :D

Oh, and quick link for Disturbed Lyrics for Elgee

http://www.elyrics.net/song/d/disturbed-lyrics.html

Its got them all there :D

Serious note, if the WT are starting the thread and we're joining in, let them keep with their theme. We can use Arath's line for the thread we do the day after the battle.

Edit: Personal note, I still reckon Arath's line would be the coolest :D

The Aes Sedai are a barrel of monkeys?

I like the analogy! ;D Not sure how Covai is going to deal with kissing a moneky though :P

*Hides from Elgee*

Oh, and Brent's just been killed by the way. The only BT thread left is the Announcement to the Tower. I think we can get starting on the arrival thread simultainiously if people are ready to go. Maybe wait a few posts so everyone on the BT side of things can see how things panned out, but I don't see the need for the thread to finish before starting the WT arrival. As far as I know, its just going to be a bit BT boss speech and the start, and then every body posting reactions afterwards. 

Covai clenched his jaw as someone from the sidelines interfered with their fight. Glaring at the intruder, Covai barely held back a quickly formed fireball when he saw it was Arath. The man had his back, that was for sure. The sadistic smile from before came back to Covai's lip with realisation.

A friend is trying to help save my life, and here I am annoyed he's screwing up my rythmn before the kill

Rythmn....heh

"Well Brent..." Covai's eyes shone with a level of madness he would have normally found sickening, yet there and then found strangely justified. "As the Aiel say...lets dance."

Twirling his sword in the air before slamming it into the ground at an angle, the Storm Leader started beating the top of the pommel like a drum. Weaves of earth sent spears flying from the ground with each strike. A tied off weave of air between the hilt and pommel served to increase the sound of the blasts as each spear flew from Covai's weaves. The morbid ryhtmn of attck only fueled the intensity as the Illianer became a human pincushion before the onlookers of the tower.

ENOUGH!

Sanity slammed back into Covai's conciousness as Brent fell to his knees, three or four earthen spears still stuck in his body. A wave of nausea at his own brutality nearly made him loose control and be swept away by the torrent of Saidin that had started to pull him apart.

Not yet..

Blood still dripping from his hand, Covai pulled his sword back from the ground and began crossing the ground between the two of them. Logic told him he had maybe a few minutes at most before he collapsed, it that.

..not before you're made an example of..

A vision of Callandor flashed before his eyes as he wove. Earth, Air, Fire and Spirit caused a Silver sword to appear in his hand where his own blade had been. He could still feel the cool steel of the hilt in his hand, yet the plusing of the blade matched the earbusting pounding of his heart as his eyes focused on the two pins that had burned into Brent's flesh.

"Justice be done."

The was no longer the same rage in Covai's voice. The attacks so far had drained that from him. All that was left was determination not to allow the Illianer's actions to be repearted.

Stepping forward as he swung, the Silver Sword of the Tower's Dedicated he wielded removed Brent's head from his shoulders, his body still held in place on his knees by the spears of the earth. Letting the sword drop numbly from his hand, Covai leaned forward and picked the traitor's head from the ground.

Turning around nearly caused Covai to fall as his knees buckled. Arath and Martyn were off to the side and were saying something to him, but Covai couldn't make out the words. His ears felt like they were bleeding, and his hold on Saidin was tenuous at best. The fact that he held the entire Black Tower's attention was the only thing that gave him the strength for what he had to do.

"The Dragon's will is ABSOLUTE!"

Throwing the Illianer's head high in the air, Covai wove everything he had into Earth, Fire and Air as a golden flame burst from his hands.

...it was too much for his body and sanity to handle.

Covai felt his balance on Saidin slip as the weave left his hands. At first there was a paused of sweet silence before every fibre of this being was overwhelmed with pain. The torrent of fire and ice brutaly tore his mind and body apart. The last thing the Storm Leader saw before the thickened taint of Saidin took his vision from him, was of a Golden Dragon with flaming eyes, just like the Asha'man pin, engulf the traitors head. It wasn't must in the way of solace, but it was all he had before oblivion swalllowed him

"Enough Brent, Now you die."

Covai's eyes blazes with anger. Brent had crossed the line. Taking in barely a moment to register Mekim and Rasin's corpses on the ground, Covai stepped over the small pile of remaining rubble at his feet, the air crackling around him. Flames litterally danced around his right wrist as he rose his hand. It was not since the attack on the tower by the Aes Sedai had attacked the tower Covai had felt this amount of rage and betrayal. To be honest, this surpassed even that. Brent was one of the tower's own. His betrayl would not be forgiven.

"You have betayed everything it means to be a Storm Leader. You have attacked your own men and tried to kill them, both by your own hand and by that of your lackeys. You have been blinded by the power bestowed upon you. Your betrayal goes beyond simple foolishness. You are a coward more concerned with wielding strength for your false sense of pride than to protect those we have sworn to guard. I cannot allow you to live."

Eyeing the distance between them briefly, Covai directed his hand towards the M'hael as he wove swirling ball of fire the size of a man's head formed in front of him.

"Arath, I suggest you move." The words dripped with ice from his lips. It wasn't a warning for a friend or fellow Asha'man. It was a statement if he didn't, his life would be forfeit.

Leaving no time to pause, Covai spun on the spot as we wove, slamming his foot down at the same time as his fist pierced the ball of flame, releasing the weaves of fire, earth, and air he had woven around his hand, and the stones he had been holding.

A cresendo of flame and jagged spikes of earth erupted from the Storm Leader's foot tearing through the distance between as it grew in speed. For the first time in his life, Covai felt a purely sadistic pleasure as the the M'hael's defence broke his weave down the middle. The sphere Covai had created had reached its breaking point barely a heatbeat before Brent had split the initial attack. It errupted with a loud blast as Covai's vision as completely filled by the size of the flames the screamed through the air towards his opponent. The Illianer had just stepped in the jaws of death.

The sadistic joy lasted barely a second before Covai was thrown backwards by the backlash of the weave. Bringing himself to his feet, Covai had to shield his eyes from the intensity of the flames roaring around Brent. The peirceing scream of the flames was beyond even Covai's expectations. His eyes however were focused on the explosions in the air around Brent's position. The stones from the rubbles he had a thrust in the flames had been charged to explode. A tied weave of air around them was the only thing that had carried them along the flames towards the M'hael. Once the flames had ripped through the first weaves, the stones explosion was only serving as fuel for the fire, increase their intensity as shard of stone flew wildy.

Covai barely even registered the blood that was dripping from his hand as he stood, brandishing the blade from his hip in a wide arch. He guessed the weave had been more than what he could safely handly, but that was of no real consequence. Walking towards the flames as they slowly subsided, Covai prepared his finishing blow.

OOC: Covai is back peoples!

My bad, I figured we only knew travelling. Guess I missed that during my year off :P

What am I getting abused for?

...wait, don't answer that one :P

Welcome Back mate! Its good to see an old face again :D

But yeah, like Arath said there's a lot of stuff going on at the moment. At the moment the Dragon is about to rock up at the BT, Covai kills Brent, and we all end up bonding Aes Sedai afterwards.  ;D (I'm serious, I'm not making this stuff up!)

Let me know if you need a hand getting your character back into the swing of things :)

Thanks Kura :P I've got that part pretty well covered at the moment  ;)

*Runs off to find the source of Eqwina's cookies!!  :o**

As tempting as it is to have the Dragon be a real pain and leave us all us stuck on the skimming platform...consider yourselves both in.

Arani, Seyneru can be wandering around nearby when we arrive at the tower. It won't be much since he's still a new soldier, but it should give you a good OMG!!! moment to work with ;)

No #4 **Big RP* (Open for arrival, then Closed) - The Dragon inspects his troops

Jarron visits the Black Tower and calls the M'hael and all Storm/Attack Leaders together. In light of the failure in Shienar, and from the suggestion from Covai/Arath, Jarron declares that we must form a pact with the White Tower so the Light can once again create circles and channel on a scale not seen since the Age of Legends.

Brent and his inner circle flaty reject this idea, and Jarron tells them to shut up and do it. After Jarron leaves the Black Tower, the Storm Leaders hold their own discussion about what/where/how this is all to happen, with many voicing their distrust of Aes Sedai. After stronge debate, considering the prospect of reaching new heights not seen since the Age of Legends (and wanting serious pay back next time they fight the Shadow) the Storm and Attack Leaders agree to follow Jarron's orders.

Yup, its about to start folks. Sign up here if you want to be one of the first people to witness Jarron arriving at the Black Tower. :D

Okay, the Jarron post is up :D

Jarron rubbed his jaw as he thought. "Died living up to a name? Bah, they should be making others do it instead. Years more training? So what?" Stretching his neck to either side, Jarron could hear a few of his bones move. At least he wasn't seeing stars.

"Let me tell you something Covai. Dying for your country, ideals, honour...it all means nothing in the end." Jarron's gaze fixated on the man like a hawk. "You make the shadow die for theirs. Thats how you fight them. I had expected you to know that." Something inside Jarron was disappointed. Each time he thought he found somebody worthwhile, there was always something wrong with their outlook that held them back from being truly useful.

Closing his eyes as he shook his head, Jarron decided if he was going to make a move, it had best be now. Keeping the source held, he headed for the door, a blast of air slamming the doors open infront of him. "Follow me, all of you."

******************************************************************************

Covai blinked as Jarron stode past, the sound of the doors slamming open awaking him from a daze. He had expected a fight, or some kinda of abuse for what he had done. Despite every scenario he had run though his mind, disappointment from the Dragon had never even been a possibility. "Light..." Covai muttered as he spun around, following behind in the Dragon's path.

Covai could feel the memories rush back from when the Stone fell as he walked though the halls. Aiel and shadowspawn had filled the halls back them. As much as he hated to admit it, he had almost failed to tell the difference between the two a number of times. Despite holding the rank of Attack Leader at the time, it had been his first true battle experience. He could still remember the emotions the first time he had seen......

******************************************************************************

..The Heartof The Stone. Jarron mused as he entered Callandor's resting place. It was here he had slain one of the Forsaken. It was here the High Lords had kneeled at his feet. It was here the Asha'man had revealed themselves to him. And it was here he had finally accepted exactly what and who he was. There was no place more fitting to act as his gateroom, the place from which he set out to fulfil his destiny.

Or at least that's what he allowed others to think. Truth be told it was one of the few places Jarron could find privacy and escape curious eyes. He knew the people in Tear stayed clear of this room because it held Callandor, a treasure from what was now known as the Age of Legends. The fear of such an unstopable weapon quietly but surely held even the most stalwart of them at bay. The fact that that weapon could now be wielded simply increasd their fear.... and the distance they kept.

Walking to the centre of the room, Jarron looked down at the crystal sword, blade thrust down into the floor. Wielding all five elements in unison, Jarron took apart the wards he had placed around the blade as he grabbed in by the hilt, brandishing it in a wide arch before fastening it to his back with an inverted weave of air.

Spinning around, Jarron raised a hand a split the air infront of him, widening the hole until it was wide enough for two men to walk abreast safely. Travelling would be faster, but Jarron had decided it would be better to use skim to the Tower ground instead. He still needed some time to think.

Tilting his head with impatience, Jarron looked at the dumbfounded Asha'man looking at him, his previous tone of arrogance slipping back into his voice as his eyes met Arath's. "Hurry up now boys. It's time you all had some real training"

Hey folks, sorry for disappearing without notice (and for so long as well).

VERY quick summary of whats gone wrong so far.

1) House flooded from pipe upstairs. Lost bed, loung, computer, tv, surrounds system, the lot.

2) Grandmother admitted to hospital after a fall.

3) Grandmother nearly had her leg amputed because of bloodclot/swelling.

4) After No#3 was solved, bowel problem caused her stomach to swell like a 8-month pregnecy.

4) Still waiting on insurance to replace items damaged in flood 3 weeks after the fact.

5) Grandmother still not doing well

6) Add into all that work has been flat out and a bitch in general, its been kinda busy.

Apart from all that I'm back. :) I'll get working on that Jarron post ASAP as well. I know there are a few folks going off the walls waiting for the response. Sorry again guys! PM me if you need anything. :D

SNAFU = Situation Normal: All F#$@^D Up