The Forges of Ruin

[Ordeith]

The world of old, which had been fueled by the sweat of toiling laborers, was very soon to have its foundations shattered, and replaced by steam, oil, and gears. Unlike the impotent laborers, with their many faults and weaknesses, these could never tire, never wear, never cease to perform their task at one-hundred percent efficiency. The interlocking cogs, all of them meshing together perfectly, turned in perfect fluid unison, with beautiful grace that could never be emulated by any mortal. A well-oiled machine; the most beautiful thing in the world.

These thoughts ran around and around, as if on a never-ending track, in the background of Head Engineer Dyolus Ar'Viort's head, looping repeatedly, over and over, in the backdrop of his mind, never intermingling with his other thoughts, but always present in the back of his skull. He would revolutionize the known world, do away with the meaningless and barbaric rituals of old, and either civilize those uncouth louts or squish them into the dust of their forgotten ages. This world would be his one day, even if they didn't know it.

He studied the solution inside the beaker with considerable thought, pouring over the complicated mixture at every concievable angle with his single eye. Nothing seemed out of place, so he proceeded to steadily pour the compound into the water with his facial tentacles, keeping his hands ready to record observations, something that an Ulithh brain can observe three times faster than a human's, on a plain pad of paper. The water didn't react very drastically, only subtle changes occurred, but every one of them was duly noted by Dyolus' keen eye. Bubbles began to rise all throughout the mixture, the rate of their appearance steadily growing, until at last two-thirds of the mixture had all but dissipated. Upon analyzing the mixture, he found that all signs of the water visible to the naked eye had almost completely vanished, and that the oxygen in the mixture had drastically increased. Astonishing! Amazing! This would truly revolutionize Project Blood, created to dredge the Bog of Blood and make it habitable. The serum, not water-based, had actually eliminated the hydrogen of the water by turning it into gas, leaving nothing but oxygen behind. If a substantial amount of this was pumped into the swamp, or possibly cast inside in its solid form, Dyolus had yet to perfect the method for which this compound was to be used, it would cut off the life of all shallow-living organisms, and leaving a considerably less amount of liquid to be pumped from the bog.

Excellent. He would present this to the project team in a day or so, once a few more experiments had been run. But for now, he would relax, which for him, a relative recluse with no friends or family, meant sitting down and enjoying a good twelve books or so; just a little light reading before getting back to work. He chuckled, a wet gurgling sound for Ulithh, as he exited his lab and made his way up to his study. His creations could easily best the greatest creations of those barbarians' forges. His forge was much larger, the flames hotter. His were the forges of industry, and for the fools unwilling to accept his might, the Forges of Ruin.

[Essence of Elegy]

How old are you?

Heh heh heh...Age is a strange concept. As you grow older, it begins to matter less and less, until finally the idea has withered away altogether.

-------

Vincent-Alexandros von Deros, or Vince as some called him, paused at the peak of a barren crag overlooking the main city of Raeyne, where all the vile working of the engineers took places. Palls of black smoke drifted into the air, choking the skies with their pitiless infestations. It disgusted him to no end, but with perseverance he had learned that the forces of nature were impregnable by the hands of mere mortals. "The end of the world" as some would call it could never be taken in the literal sense. "The end of races" was more appropriate, for though its inhabitants could be destroyed, the land could not. Time would heal.

But that didn't mean that he would wait until the furnaces destroyed their masters, which would take millennia--even if that was a small number for him. He could stop them, one step at a time. Where better to begin than the center of the problem. First an analysis of the situation.

Vince bent down and grasped a handful of dirt. "Earth," he whispered. "It has been nigh three hundred years since I walked upon you for more than a few hours. From the crevices of the mountains I come to heal you." He cast the dirt into the air, where a breeze carried it far into the city. Vince dug his claymore into the ground.

"Now then. Let's get started."

[Baron Bonghit]

The world was peaceful. The sun was sleeping beyond some unnamed mountain to the west, casting a faint glow upon the canopy of the dense wood blanketing the southernmost hills of Harnein. Few stars were out, though it made no real difference - the thick foliage above gave little amenity to stargazers.

"Jarold returns, Marcus," cried out a man amidst a host of leather-bound soldiers, circled around a single campfire. The crackle of the flames was drowned out by the fast-approaching thunder of hooves and iron. "He brings twenty, maybe thirty men with him!" Marcus got to his feet in no real hurry, leaving his sword laying against the tree in which he slept under for several cold nights. From within the mist surrounding their small encampment, four small globes of flame appeared like ghostly apparitions. A company of several men rode in from the east - Marcus' keen eyes quickly spotted a familiar crest on the breastplate and armguards of some of the men. It bore a shield encompassing a lion, a heraldic beast of the Old World that embodied fierce courage, and in some ways, the arrival of summer. The shield was rather plain and bore little design - a testament to the families military history, strength and achievement in battle.

"What news from the east?" demanded Marcus, standing before Jarold as the young runner dismounted his horse. He was fairly short - maybe five and a half feet tall, weighing roughly 160 pounds. He bore two small blades on his side and a bow on his back. His small stature made him perfect for scouting.

"Dagna Flintlock reports very little activity around Darverin's border. She's an insane old bitch, but she isn't blind." Sweat was pouring down his face and his breathing was heavy. Though the news was good, he had a concerned look about him. "Though I'd wager a fortune that Darverin has allied itself with the south. It's full of poor old bastards and whores, the kind of ilk you see scrounging about alleyways and rundown forts. A single gold coin is enough to rally the entire nation - no doubt Raeyne is wealthy." Marcus knew this. Neither Crynn nor any of the western lands were eager to call for aid. "And the mountains," spurred Jarold. "A storm of smoke and ash rises above the Spine." There was a faint tremor in his voice. Marcus could hear whispers begin to circulate. Do you really think the Dwarves have been stirred from their halls?'

Marcus began to wonder the same thing. The Dwarves would pose a serious threat, for they were sturdy and steadfast, bred warriors who knew little of mercy. 'Beasts of the crypts below the mountains' some would say. It mattered little.

"It matters not," replied Marcus, gesturing for his horse. "We will fight where and when we are needed. Who we are fighting does not matter. If the mere whisper of Dwarves and beasts frighten you, then you have no place here." The camp was silent. "Now saddle up, we're leaving."

[Ubiquity]

“Oooh yeah right there!!! Oh my God, harder, that’s it don’t stop…..keep pushing it right there!!!!” As horrible as all of this may have sounded, it wasn’t what one would think. Peering directly into the bright purple drapes and to the table where the sounds came from, one would only find a man on his stomach getting a rather intense massage that to him was well needed, and well deserved. However, whomever was peering into the drapes would also notice that though scantily clad, the man was a match to the reports from Intel, and he was going to die in about two minutes. The wait just happened to be from Aina continuing to watch the man get his massage from another man whom was just as handsome. It was too bad that one of them was going to die. The window burst open and glass flew onto the table and past the screaming elf man. His name was Miroslavr Iotes. In the time that it took for Aina to move beyond the cowering therapist and Miroslavr’s bleeding skin from glass cuts, the therapist had fled.

It was horribly boring to find that the elf only tried to defend himself by lighting Aina on fire(it didn’t work at all.) “Is that all?? If so, I’ll kill you now.” There was no chance for the elf to speak out, scream, or even bleed for that matter as his body was heated to the point that it just exploded into burnt out bits across the room. “Shiro wrap it up if you can hear me, this place needs to be toasted.”

[Chimubar]

"You better get off of me if you know what's good for you bitch!" One girl yelled.

"Oh ya? Why dont you try you skank!" Another girl yelled, pulling hair violently.

One thing Kirin loved more than looking at hot girls was watching them fight. Each girl was about eighteen and both of them had unbelievable huge breats drenched in mud. Kirin came in too late to find out what they were fighting about, but appearently it was about a boy. It wasn't often a cat fight in the mud happened in a place like Crynn. So all the men watching were relishing the moment. It was such a shame when two men in their mid-forties broke it up.

"Awww, you guys suck!" Kirin contributed in all the complaining and yelling that the other perverts were doing.

"Well, that's my entertainment for today. Now where should I go?" He asked to nobody inparticular. Living in Crynn had been boring, he hadn't had an actual challenge in a long while. How was he gonna rule the world if there wasn't anybody in Crynn who he could train against and he didn't have any henchmen?

"Alright! I need to find some henchmen if I want to rule the world. I'm not going to move from this spot until someone strong comes by me."

[The Lionheart]

"Tai. Wake up." The figure laying on the ground rolled over, and groaned.

Morning already? He thought. Damn. Attempting to ignore his mentor, he lay on the ground, motionless except for the rise and fall of his lungs.

"I said wake up!" Icy water was dumped on Tai, pushing his dark brown hair over his eyes. Leaping out of his temporary sleeping arrangement, and dove straight into the nearby river, the source of his misery. Tai felt as if the water was more relaxing in this river than on his cot, and just then smelled the first hint of his breakfast. Tai may not have known much about the area he was in, but he did know that the strange game that roamed the woods was well worth catching.

"I could just heat that up for you, Thoth." Tai said to the man who had dumped water on him, as a flame flickered on his fingertips.

"Taivor, when will you ever learn? Food is much more flavorful when you taste not only the product of your catch, but also the hard work you put into it. If you can do anything you want without effort, what is the joy in doing it at all?"

Knowing better than to argue with his gray-haired mentor, Tai sat up against a nearby tree, and took in his surroundings. It had been months since he had left the cramped quarters and dusty scrolls of Cyrnn, and although Tai missed his teachers, he felt right at home in the luscious forest around him. Closing his eyes, Tai relaxed, listening to the wind whistle through the trees, feeling the sunlight bounce off of his skin, and enjoying the serene moment.

"We're eating on the go today, Tai, we have a long way to go, and we now have to walk." Thoth's gray beard creased into a grin as he watched the boy's exasperated reaction while packing his belongings. No longer having a means of transportation, himself and the boy would be forced to walk through the forest, trying to find the elves on their own. A tedious task, but everytime the aged fighter looked at the boy, he could hardly help but break into a smile.

"Now, ready to find the elves?"

[Twilight_Path]

“Oh ho ho! Delgar, what’s brought you so far west at this time o’ the year?”

“Tis strictly business, Master Gibbans, strictly business. Ah’ve come to offer my services early agin.”

“Is that so? Well then, would you let me trouble ya over me tractor? Darn thing keeps givin’ out on me in the middle of plowin’ me fields!”

“Ol’ Bessy, eh? Sure, ah’ll take a quick look at ‘er.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Del.”

Delgar shifted his traveling sack and other myriad belongings to a more comfortable position on his back, winking slyly at his faithful customer.

“Naw, Master Gibbans. A dwarf ah be, and that’s the best ah’ll give to ye.”

Gibbans leaned his head far back, succumbing to the rolling power of a hearty laugh. After recovering from his bout of genuine mirth, he strode up next to the dependable dwarf, a broad grin plastered across his face.

“And knowing you, Del, that’s all I’ll ever ask for from ya.”

A shout echoed across the sprawling front yard of Gibbans’ house. Delgar and his companion turned to acknowledge the source of the joyous cry: Gibbans’ twin son and daughter. Both wore smiles of unbridled happiness as they leaped into the arms of the now merry Delgar, who greeted the children in turn.

“Ach, Edward me boy! You’ll be outsizing me within the next winter! An’ lookit ya, Starlite, me beauty. Growin’ ever so pretty as your mum now, ya are.”

Edward and Starlite giggled and opened their mouths to answer Delgar’s comments when their father swooped in, grabbing them both in each arm and turning back towards his house. As he started towards the dwelling he called back lightly over his shoulder to Delgar: “I’ll meet ya in the shed, Del! Seems I have some business to take care of first!”

Delgar smiled warmly to himself as he watched the trio disappear inside, the deep laughter of Gibbans acting as a fitting base to the higher-pitched squeals of his two rambunctious children. With a sigh of contentment, the handy dwarf started up the hill towards the back of Gibbans’ estate. He took in the gorgeous scenery of the landscape about him in one sweeping glance: the green of the grass, the lively blue of the sky, the gentle rolling sweep of the hills that stretched on into the horizon as far as the eye could see. Indeed, this was what Delthen had to offer its inhabitants, and though there was certainly nothing fancy nor commanding about the rustic countryside, the bliss and charm of the land continued to call Delgar back to this country. It was a sense of comfort that Delgar longed for most, since he could feel the very Earth herself writhing in rejection underneath his feet. Being a dwarf, Delgar was highly intuitive to the changes within and beneath the Earth’s soil and crust, but since Delgar was also an extremely skilled technician, his heart lay with chains and gears and metal things. The recent shift in reliance from manpower to machine had left Delgar in somewhat of a tug-of-war between his dwarven upbringing and his love for technology.

A sigh, a shuffling of feet, and a grunt heralded Delgar’s arrival at the storage shed of Gibbans the farmer. He set his pack upon the ground beside the door of the shed and turned to watch the house, letting his thoughts drift while he awaited the arrival of his old friend and loyal customer.

[Bleeding Soul]

Shiro slides the black tip of a wooden stick across a rough piece of wood and watches as a small flame comes to life. He puts the flame to the tip of a white cylinder held by his lips and feels the heat and smoke as the contents are ignited from the flame. He inhales deeply and removes the cigarette from his lips before slowly exhaleing. "Yea, I know. Just give me a sec, willaya?" He then looks to the flame that is nearly burnt out and sends his influence into it, forcing it to grow in size and even color. He then tosses the match with a purple flame into the bed of the man's room and walks out as it quickly catches aflame. He looks to his sister and once again sends out his thoughts but this time feels himself lift off the floor just a little. He slowly moves over to Aina and wraps his arm around her waist and speeds out of the broken window. He then inhales deeply again before blowing the smoke from his lungs and says, "It's a wonder how old men like that prefer the pretty, young girls. That woman back there was just two years older than us."

He finally lands on the roof of a nerby building, just out of the reach of the dangerous area, and smiles as he turns to face the purple flames now pouring from the building that the two were just in. "Unless I'm mistaken, that guy had plenty of drugs in that building so faulty wiring mixed with the chemicals released released would give a buyable reason for the unique flames." He smiles as remembers messing up the wires of the building so that it shows all the evidence of being the cause of the fire and even planted a few "unique" plants himself just to show that there really was something strange going on. "At any rate, tell me when we get paid. There's this new computer chip that I found that I've gotta get my hands on! It's supposed to enhance the capabilities of any electronic device that you put it in!" He smiles at the thought of installing the chip into either his mechanical body or even the small computer attached to the mechanical arm.

[Thor.]

Eldin stood behind the Head Engineer silently as he always did. He had never wasted time on words. While it was not always true that actions spoke louder, Edlin found that they always yielded faster results. His right arm burned more painfully from the amount of use since the last visit to an engineer but he ignored it. He never saw the engineers until the arm locked up completely. It wasn't until then that he needed them, and he would not give the filthy creatures the pleasure of working on an Elf unless it was absolutely necessary. He viewed them as filthy creatures not because of their appearance, which many did find rather off-putting, but because they had been destroying his homelands since before he was born. And worse, they had aided the rise in power of humanity greatly. His thoughts burned in his mind, a potent mixture of self loathing and survival instinct that made a lesser being end themselves. Eldin was above that, he marched to the Valiant Fight in Groulm whenever the Engineers allowed him to, and he fully intended to die in that fight one day. But he would not end himself, certainly not in the service of those beasts. His thoughts burned such, but his face remained stony. He did not show his contempt as the Head Engineer checked his filthy mechanisms, as he did what passed for smiling with that grotesque face, he did not strike when Human messengers came to tell him of their progress. He had honor. And honor would prevent him from fighting righteously until he had repaid these Engineers. So as time passed, and the world turned, Eldin stood. And waited.

[Ubiquity]

The smoke from the estate was still billowing, but Aina wasn’t concerned with what was left over from their latest mission. Once again, her twin brother had taken it upon himself to jeopardize the mission by going overboard with special effects and a last ditch effort to look good before his older sister(though only by a few minutes). "At any rate, tell me when we get paid. There's this new computer chip that I found that I've gotta get my hands on! It's supposed to enhance the capabilities of any electronic device that you put it in!" A swift roll of the eyes came from the female of the duo, and she moved her brothers arm from around her waist before turning to him and giving him a glare. Her hand went into a pocket on her blouse and she removed something that flickered in the light a bit.

“You mean this chip?? The one you asked me to get you as a gift after you saved my life three missions ago??” The look on her face was completely priceless. “I swear you treat me like I need help every single time and to be honest it annoys the living shit out of me Shiro. I mean what the hell!?!?!” Her head turned all the way around and faced back towards the still smoldering left side of the mansion while her body remained facing Shiro. “I don’t need you to shadow me like your fallback.”

Her head spun back around and she snickered. “We get paid once we meet the client back at the flats where we were told to.” A sigh and short breath came from the young woman as she walked off the side of the makeshift border they stood on, and flew briskly off into the distance. “Hurry up Shiro!!!”

[Ordeith]

Before returning to his laboratory, and the various experiments he intended to perform upon his newly-perfected serum, the Head Engineer first had to attend to his recently arrived guest, a familiar "friend" of his. He often referred to the machine-elf as "friend", but never in the comradly manner that a true companion would, rather, he twisted every syllable of the word to his liking until it sounded as if he were saying "dog", not "friend". But, in a circumstantial sort of way, Eldin was indeed Dyolus' lapdog, in the sense that he could not raise neither hand nor voice against him, though he rarely did anyway, and that he could refuse no order, not even the slightest fancy, of the Head Engineer. Dyolus was, in pure and simple fact, the only thing keeping the elf alive. He had first gained posession of the elf some time ago, after an incident in one of the many construction zones dotting the city. The elf's body laid there, charred and broken, his once supple flesh now torn and scarred by the machinery. At first, the elf was merely to be disposed of, but it was the Head Engineer himself who had stayed their hands. He took the elf into his own personal care, and, in an act against all laws of nature, he fused flesh with metal.

The finished product now silently and stoically behind him, ever patient, not wishing to tear away his only lifeline, and furthermore, indebt himself further to Raeyne. But he always smiled for his masters, forced himself to, and that was what Dyolus loved about him most of all: he suffered for his debt, for whatever honor he retained. Dyolus turned around slowly, levitating the usual manner of Ulithh. He gurgled a small wet laugh as he inspected Eldin, his facial tentacles writhing rythmically as he levitated a full three-hundred-sixty degrees around what he considered his creation, scrutinizing every detail of the mechanical additions, especially his left arm, at which he paused, for a moment or two. After returning to his original spot, he gurgled haughtily, "Ah, friend! How wonderful it is that you find the time to visit me; it truly warms my branchial hearts....Now, then, it appears that there is a touch of work to do on that right arm of yours; that one has always been particularly nasty, hasn't it?" He moved his tentacles in a gesture that is Ulithh equivalent of a sarcastic grin. "Well, we'd best get started, won't we?" He led Eldin down to the lab, where artificial assistants prepared the operating table where most of Eldin's maintinence was performed.

Dyolus' animated assistants reached inside a medical cabinet, and retrieved for their master two gleaming steel objects: A ratchet wrench and a wicked-looking scalpel, the latter being handed to the engineer himself. Dyolus regarded the malicious-looking tool for a moment, and turned to Eldin, saying, "I always do love it when you visit me...friend."

[Thor.]

Eldin clenched his right fist tightly as the creature Dyolus entered the room. It truly was disgusting. Eldin did not consider himself an expert on persons of any sort but he quite suspected Dyolus was the bad kind. His eyes calmly followed the thing across the room. The very way it stood betrayed it's disgusting inner nature. It was a sadistic, conniving, freak of a being with nothing in it's past but pain. Edlin sincerely doubted that it's future held anything more. Still this was the thing to which Eldin owed allegience. This was, for all intents and purposes, his master. He did not begin to understand what went through the sick Engineer's mind as it noticed him. Nor did he truly care. If he were to start trying to understand living beings he would certainly make sure to pick a better subject. A leech maybe.

Eldin glanced at his hand as the creature mentioned it. He had been squeezing far too hard once more and blood virtually poured from the wounds. The machinery had busted from the effort. The Engineer sneered at him as he took him down into the laboratory that had become the Temple of Eldin's self flagelations. This was where he truly paid his debt. He looked at the Engineer expressionlessly as he took a seat. It would be painful of course, but Eldin didn't mind the pain. Pain was his mistress, just as his wife was death, and while he could spend time with Pain for many more years yet, eventually he would go to the arms of Death and there he would find true happiness.

[Bleeding Soul]

He blinks at how she basically snaps at him and starts to wonder if she's on her period at the moment. He then tries to think of when her last one was but stops himself. "Wait a minute! I'm not supposed to be trying to remember something like that!! He then looks to her as she tells him when they actually get paid and silently curses himself for forgetting that, he was normally the one to handle the currency exhange since he always had his computer with him. Speaking of which, he raises his left arm across his chest and opens a small panel in the flesh, something that he came up with himself. He taps on several of the buttons really fast and smiles at the map that he's shown. "Well, It'll be a really quick tripif we fly there. You need a han...?" He blinks as he looks over to his older sister as she hovers in the air past the edge of the building and calling for him to hurry up.

"Yep. She's deffinately on her period." He sends out his thoughts once more as he closes the panel on his arm and feels himself levitate from the floor that he stood on. He almost instantly appears next to her with a smile and says, "You know, I never really did think that you'd buy it. You normally think that what I like is childish and stupid." He then links his own mind with the actual computer chip and is amazed at all of its capabilites while instantly thinking up new ways to modify it to work even better. "I can't wait to install one of those. I want another one to try and modify it to be even better. As it stands the chip only enhances capabilities of technology of my level by fifty percent, but with the modifications already in my mind, I could push it beyond to over 100% enhancement." He smiles with joy at thought of all the things he could accomplish with that type of power and how he could finally combine it with the organic material that makes up his arm to create a hidden weapon inside of it that if damaged would repair itself. "Anyways, do you know what the client is like? If it's another pervert like four missions ago, I swear that I'm going to blast him to hell. The old man back there would even feel sorry for the client."

[Crimson]

"Please, stay with us, my child."

A pair of gentle, leaf-green eyes looked desperately towards a younger elf woman, as she placed her hand on the wooden doorknob. She had long, silvery hair and sapphire-blue, piercing eyes, unlike her mother, whose green ones were filling with salty tears at that very moment.
"Cirnelle..." the elder one said, before her voice trailed away; she buried her head into her hands, crying silently. Cirnelle turned to her, the hand still resting on the knob, and sighed sadly.
"I have no choice, mother. My soul would never be in peace, if I didn't get my revenge," she replied softly. Her voice implied, that she was holding back her own tears, swallowing them and trying to look strong. She couldn't break down in front of her mother; after her father's death, Cirnelle had been the one who took care of the family, keeping it together.

After a long silence, the silver-haired young elf turned around, opened the door and stepped outside.
"Farewell," she said quietly, shutting the wooden door behind her. She stood in front of her home for a while, hearing her mother sobbing inside. A small tear streamed down her cheek; Cirnelle bit her lip and swiped it away.
I have no time for crying, she thought to herself. Taking a deep breath, she checked, that she had everything needed with her, and started to walk deep into the forest surrounding Naereith, leaving her childhood home behind.


It was an early morning, the best time of day to leave without anyone seeing. Cirnelle took a step after another, pacing deeper and deeper into the woods. Soon the village couldn't be seen anymore.
After hours of walking towards west, Cirnelle sat onto a twisted, almost horizontal tree trunk and ate some fresh bread and meat she had taken with her. The forest was so quiet, that it pressured the young elf's ears; not even a bird chirped nearby. The rising sun shone through the thick layers of leaves, golden light spreading all around. Cirnelle jumped off the trunk, took her bag, and checked that she was going the right way.

The colors are not as bright as they used to be... Those damn machines, she thought, following the narrow, serpentine path leading through the big woods.

[Tetsu]

Alyx had been trainig all day with her friend Elna before she left to see her grandmother. "Thanks for today Elna, I've been really busy with everything lately. Gemma is getting older and older she I'm really concerned with her now." She sighed. "But we should be back to our regular schedule in no time..." Elna laughed. "Sure Alyx, use that as an excuse for you getting your ass kicked out here all the time!" She pretended to kick something. "It's okay though, I would be scared to if I was you." Alyx snorted. "Really Elna? If I recall correctly you spent most of the time on your back..." With this she was off. "Catch ya later!!"

Soon Alyx was walking into her grandmother's house. "Grandma....Grandma! Are you here?" She walked into the kitchen to find her grandmother sitting at the table waiting for her as usual. Her grandmother smiled as soon as she saw Alyx. "Good Afternoon Lyxie..." This was her nickname for Alyx ever since she was young. "I see that you've been training today....how'd it go?" Alyx smiled and sat. "Ehh...it was okay I guess, Elna got me pretty good a couple of times." She got up and walked toward Gemma and sat on the floor near her. "Enough about me though...how have you been feeling lately??" Her grandmother sighed then looked at Alyx. "Well dear, some days are better than others...but all in all I'm fine." She smiled. "There's no need for you to come here all the time, just to see me. I'll be fine ya know."

Alyx looked up at the ceiling before talking. "I know...I know, but I love coming here to visit you." Another sigh escaped. "And who knows...with all this fighting I may not be here too much longer. So I want to be here as much as possible." She got up and ready to leave. "Well Grandma I'll stop by tomorrow as usual...so until then all my love." Alyx bowed before her grandmother before kissing her forehead. "Bye Lyxie....be safe my child."