Zarla was always a dragon who loved to fly even from her days as a hatchie when she would glide the world over where she could. However, it was fitting that one flight to ease her mind would be her last flight of all. All the training she had recently undergone in the end was for nothing and all she had ever done or suffered came to naught. As if Nihil itself was laughing at her for daring to have hope in her life.
After a very lengthy training session the Black Dragoness spread her massive wings and flew out over the land. She rode the currents of the Primal Wind she created flying higher and faster than most Dragons ever could. It was always so peaceful at the very top of the world hearing only the faint sound of the air moving past her as she barely even breathed. She could soar like this for hours on end but this flight would not remain so serene.
As she skirted around the edge of the Eastern Deadlands something suddenly struck her upper rightmost horn. It was some sort of slash and as she came to awareness she saw her Bonding Band that marked her as Romirez's mate fall off her horn to the earth. She knew this could not be good and was horrified that something would attack her now. She was drained of energy and fighting was not a good option.
As Zarla attempted to Recall she was hit by a powerful Soul Anchoring spell to ensure she could not get away and then one of her main attackers became apparent. It was the Draco Lich known as Zurricht. He was a black skeletal dragon the size of a slightly small Ancient with an Ethereal black body shadowed over his bones and glowing red eyes. She attempted to bank away from him hoping that maybe she could out run him in a dive and get help but it was too late. Once again it seemed she had fallen into one of Plage's traps.
Zurricht flew past her with unnatural speed and with his claws he sliced long gashes in Zarla's wings sending her falling to the earth below with no way to stop her descent. As Zurricht watched from above Zarla tried to land as best she could but ended up SLAMMING into the ground below and rolling with the blow. She used her Gold Shield coating her skin in a powerful Golden field of Energy as she hardened her flesh into scale plates to help absorb the impact.
Zurricht Landed with a permanent bony sneer on his undead face. The tall Half-Giant Lich cloaked in his tattered black robes like Shadows themselves engulfing his form stood near where the Dragoness had landed and walked slowly her way. Zarla was unaffected by Pain as she had suffered so much in her time as to become deadened to the sensation but she had trouble standing as one of her hind legs was broken. The bone showed straight through her flesh.
"I should just rend your soul and get it over with you stupid obstinate Lizard. However, I would rather have yet another Dragon Slave on my side. Yeess, you will make a nice trophy Zarla. Your Sister will undoubtedly come along soon as well and I shall have the full set." Plage, the Half-Giant Lich, spoke in a deep reverberating voice to Zarla as he approached. He flicked his bony hands at her and to her surprise and dismay chains of blighted mithril sprung from the ground and latched onto her with wicked hooks that drove into her arms, back, and legs pinning her to the ground.
"The master has been working on some lovely entrapment spells as you can see. He has learned to use the Prime through me to create some matter and then corrupt it." Zurricht added as he walked up to Zarla.
"I will NEVER be your Slave! If you want me you got a fight on your hands Aegis Scum!" Zarla yelled at them as her claws blazed with a golden energy and she tried to rend the chains. However she could not get claw to metal before Plage hit her Soul with a disruptive shockwave that made it impossible to control her body for a few moments. While she was stunned Zurricht opened his maw and let out a thick stream of the horrid Soul Blight onto Zarla's form. It was one of the most vile breath weapons anyone could hope to acquire and it quickly began eating Zarla's flesh away and exposing raw muscle and bone in some places.
"Now now... Do not bother struggling Zarla... I can tell you are tired and weak. This will not take long. Juuust let yourself go and let the Plague deep into your essence." Plage taunted with a deep satisfied chuckle.
Zarla's soul tried hard to fight the vicious Blight as it began to seep from her body into her very essence. She was Gifted... She was part Dragon in her Soul... She would NOT become the play thing of the Aegis no matter what she had to do. As the struggle continued and her body turned from flesh and organs into nothing more than a skeleton, with hooks slammed through the bone in some places, her whole form burst into intense swirling flames. Her soul fought against the oppressive and heavy corruption seeping into it. It tried to burn it away but as it struggled her twin souls combined as one began to be depleted of all the energy they used to manifest.
Zurricht frowned as he realized that things were not going as planned and turned to Plage. "Master, she is not taking the Blight properly! Her soul is managing to fight it off!"
"...How true... Well... is not that annoying? Here I go to all the trouble of capturing her and sparing her wretched life and she repays me by fighting the gift of undeath I gave her? How rude and utterly disrespectful. Maybe her Sister will be easier to take over... If she is going to struggle this way then I guess I have no choice but to get this piece of trash out of my way for good." Plage's words seemed full of arrogance and bitterness as if he honestly believed he WAS giving her a wonderful gift. His hands raised again and as they glowed violently he used his knowledge of Spirit magic to Rend Zarla's Soul with four massively powerful magical slashes.
Zarla's skeleton seemed to fall into shambles and the burning stopped then and there. For a brief moment her image as if unharmed lingered where her body had once been. Her translucent form seemed to hang her head and shed tears of deep despair and sorrow before Plage waved his long bone fingers at it and the image seemed to rend in half and vanish.
"Is... Is that it? She is gone? For good?" Zurricht asked with an odd hint of regret in his ethereal voice.
"Yes, that is it. Of course she is gone for good you idiot. No soul is coming back from MY final death. I know you enjoyed sparring with her Zurricht but honestly, who cares? She was just a mere obstacle in my path that has now been removed." Plage answered with a bit of annoyance in hearing Zurricht's remorseful tone. "Now get back to the fortress you worthless pile of bones! We have WORK TO DO!" He commanded.
Zurricht looked where Zarla had been for a long moment... His ethereal features looked sad but he spread his bony wings and took off as ordered back towards their fortress in the Eastern Deadlands. Plage followed at a slightly more leisurely pace behind his pet Dragon.
So the story of Zarla Ember ended... She had a long tormented journey but in the end it seemed that she would have been better served having never acquired her Gift and never living through the assault by Vehk that killed her so long ago. A long life wasted... Goals left unmet... Dreams foreclosed upon...