Original: Search For Meaning~, New characters please read this to understand whats going on :xmaslaugh:

Stella stared at the holy city in awe. It was lovely! Stella wondered the streets still in awe, the please seeming to give of cestrial greatness! Looking around she looked for signs for the doll. It could be anywhere! But it had to be close, Stella could just FEEL it. Turning to the drow Stella clapped.

"Here we are!" She said cheerfully. The day had arrived. She would get her hands on this doll! Looking about she grinned. She could hardly wait to get her hand on that doll! Think of what she could do!

Going to battle didn't seem so hard with the doll, and Stella had been called on to do battle. Here time was coon approaching, and she needed great treasures, as well as powerful spells, to aid her.

Looking around, Stella found Azulu hovering above her. Raising her fingers to her lips, she let out a low whistle, and Azulu obediently came down and landed on her shoulder. Putting her head close to Stella's mouth, Stella began to whisper.

"Look for signs of the doll.." She whispered, and then Azulu set flight.

Her rose hued eyes began to shine as she looked at the city, her eyes began to twitch visibly as she brought the hood of her cloak down. Holy cities, or cities filled with the energy of their patron deities had always caused Ila some discomfort, and a city this big must be filled with holy energy.

" I wasn't expecting the holy city to be this big, it may cause me some discomfort, to move about through this city, but... " Shrugging her shoulders lightly. " Anyway, any specific place this doll might be or are we just going to scatter around the city and look for the signs of the doll? "

The drow began to unfold her arms from her stomach, but made sure she kept the cloak wrapped tightly around her body. " Also I've been meaning to ask before... " Turning about looking to person she had been venturing with ever since their meeting at the tower which led them to this Holy City. " How exactly do all of the stars that have fallen...Actually fall? I never quite understood how you all fall from the sky "

This question was simple enough to answer.

"Some stars fall... others like me simple.. expire. When my light burned out, i become nothing, i was nothing more. The Luminous energy that i was had died, and so i no longer glows. However, Vaul, the Guardian of the stars granted me a form - this one. I was teleported, i believe to this planet, but since i died i do not remember anything. All i remember is waking up in a field of green, a beautiful fountain bubbling next to me.." Stella trailed off as she once again pictured this lovely scene.

The temple of light had been most beautiful, and she missed those days of dancing with the strange earth animals dearly. But now she had her own quest.. Snapping out of it and turning back to the drow she smiled in apology.

"Anyway, this doll. I believe we may have to split up." She answered, the thought about this clearer. Was that such a good idea? So far they had seen no life in this city. Who knows what lurked here...

The drow could only listen to the tale as she looked up to the sky and wondered if their was another life or lifes being lived up in the sky. Ending only when they fall or expire as she had put it. As Ila brought her attention back down to her, looking to her as she gave her a soft smile. The idea of splitting up had come up.

" Sounds like a plan to me, and if I remember the picture correctly from what you showed me in the book. I'm sure it would be easy to find.. " placing her thumb next to her lip as she softly began to bite down on her lip softly speaking under her breath. " At least I hope it shall be easier to find than with the brick. "

While thinking about the idea of splitting up Ila's own eyes began to dance and move about searching for any indication or sign of anyone else in the temple. " Isn't their anyone about to tend to the temple...? Or is their some type of holiday going on about now... " The drow had become slightly confused and intrigued by their situation now, and with the absences of people it only brought on more confusion as to what was going on. Could they be using the doll for something?

Looking around the temple was empty. It seemed to Stella that even the whole CITY was empty. How could that be? Beginning to walk Stella looked in a nearby window. Empty.

Perhaps some sort of occasion, or was this place deserted? Walking through the streets was like walking through a ghost town. It was creepy. Was No-one about? Rounding a corner, Stella suddenly ran back around and pressed herself against the wall.

Voices.

And not just ANY voices, Ogre voices. Taking in a deep breathe she glanced around the wall. There stood a band of about 12 Ogres, all heavily armed, and seeming to be looting.

Calling Azulu Stella gave her direct orders. She whispered to the dove; "Find the drow." and with that, the bird set flight, and Stella hoped she still remained unheard.

Moving about the city with her head turning left; then to the right. Their had been no one around, their barely even seemed to be any sounds coming forth from the street or even some of the houses. Stopping in the middle of the street, the drow began to take her hands from underneath her cloak and crouched down looking to the ground for any clues. Something to go off of and see why their had been no one around.

There wasn't much she could gather from looking at the ground, but her eyes could tell it had been disturbed at one time or another; but when was a different story. Standing back up, the drow moved her hands back inside of the cloak as she looked around the city once more as she started to walk toward one of the buildings. " So people have been here before... " As she moved about to one of the buildings and peered in. Their didn't seem to be anyone inside, yet there seemed to be valuables that belonged to someone or a family.

Pressing her hand against the glass the drow began to peer a bit more into the room, to make sure their wasn't someone in there. Finding no one, Ila turned about and wrapped the cloak tightly around her body as she began to get concerned or in a better sense of the word, Worried.

" Just what has happened here and to everyone... "

As Gil-Estel slowly rode up the road towards the place that was called by the elves Aenillond, he mused upon how little it had changed since he had last visited. As he came to the great gates he became at once unsettled. There were no guards standing to attention as they normally did. In fact, he could not see anyone at all beyond the gates in the city streets. He rode slowly through the gates and down the main street of the city. It seemed to be completely deserted, no sight nor sound of any living being revealed itself to him.

Turning a corner, he saw a young elemental girl. "Ho there!" he called, "What has happened to Aenillond? Why are its gates left unattended and why do its people not walk its streets on such a fine morning?

Stella gasped at the sound of the voice. It was not the voice of the drow for sure. Spinning sh came face to face with an elf atop a horse. She was close to calling it a steed, as he rode it in such a Nobel way. Everything about this elf gave off royal feeling, and Sella found ehrself resisting the urge to bow.

Suddenly the circumstances in which they had met flooded back to her and she began to wave her arms about wildly.

"ShhH!!" She whispered, running over to him, trying to attempt him to quieten his horse. Hopefully they where not too late.

"There is a band of Ogres behind this very wall and we should be silent!" She gulped as she realised she could no longer hear them. They had most likely heard, and where finding a way to sneak up on them. Panicking, Stella looked up at the Elf in fear.

"We have to run!" She gasped, then looked around frantically.

No one had been found, the streets we're barren as well as the houses that she had checked into. Nothing had added up, nothing made sense in this town. Just where was everyone? The drow kept asking herself over and over, as she stood with her back against the wall, her arms foldeed across her stomach.

" I guess I need to find that.."star" and tell her that their is no one around, or better yet; Ask her if she has seen anyone that is actually alive, or even in this town... " Pushing herself up from the wall, the drow tucked her arms back underneath her cloak as she slowly began to walk through the streets of the town.

Her ears began to twitch lightly as a soft sound began to infiltrate her ears, Their was actually someone here. Or was it just the "Star" girl who was moving about the city? Either way someone was here and her immediate reaction was to find out who was in the city, and their reason for being in the city. Her slow walk had soon turned into a fast walk, then soon her walk became a run. Ilia became determined to figure out who else was here in the city, as she ran in the direction she heard the sound from.

It was a little TOO quiet. Where had the Ogres got too? Taking a peep around the wall Stella gasped. Gone. They where gone. Still looking around the wall a sharp pain flooded through out her body. Her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground softly.

She was unconscious.

*~* Dream *~*

She was floating through the unknown, her heart racing from the thrill. She was a large ball of luminous gas again. She was a star. Her glow was bright and magnificent, surely the brightest in all of the night sky. She was Earth and smiled greatly. Once again she was viewing the adventures, and not living through them.

Yet not all was bliss. It was deadly quiet. No-one was about, no one to talk too. She was .... Lonely. Suddenly her glow began to lessen, and grow faint. TOO faint. It was her end. Her form began to vibrate, and eventually it blew. A great supernova explosion, then sent her into nothingness. A black hole appeared, her matter being sent to some unknown void. Her heart cried out, one last time...

[i]Please. Some one. Any one. Save me. I know i can be more then this. That i can DO more then this. Some one. Anyone. Help.

Who was to know that this particular star's call would be heard? Yet it was, and Stella was granted a form. She became one, and with that she got all the things she had always wanted. Always needed. A life.[/I]

*~*

Stella moaned on the ground, her head throbbing, still lost in her strange dream.

As Gil-Estel prepared to turn his horse around, the young girl suddenly fainted! Without thinking, Gil-Estel reached down and scooped the girl up, pulling her onto the saddle in front of him. He was just in time! As soon as the girl had been lain across the horse three large ogres charged around the corner. It seemed that they had been waiting for the opportune moment to attack and clearly they had found it. Gil-Estel pulled Rilgilad round and spurred him onwards through the empty streets. Looking down at the girl to check whether she was alright, Gil-Estel realised that he recognised her, but from where he could not tell.

The sound of fast galloping hooves revived her, yet she kept her eyes closed. Hooves? Had she been captured? Peeking through one eyes Stella gasped. She was amount a horse, and the Elven boy was the rider. Stella looked around confused, the many passing houses and streets bringing her back to present day.

Her head spun to look behind her at the 3 Ogres close on their tail and she gasped again. Searching her dress Stella began to mumble. "Qualla Vaul dortho ussa wun ussta ilindith, lueth xxizz udossa doeb dro." and with that her wand was removed. Pinting it at the Ogres , she raised her free arm in the air, her fingers pointing towards the sky.

"ASCENDO!" She yelled, bringing her arm down in a sweeping motion, and nothing seemed to happen other then that. The sky suddenly lit up, as about 100 pebble sized meteors fell from the sky, smacking the Ogres. 2 fell, but one managed to move from attack range. Stella cursed under her breath, her energy already drained. She looked around then noticed a flat rooftop, 4 stories high.

She whistled, and Azulu appeared seemingly from no where. They shared a telepathic thought wave, and Azulu set to action as Stella once again raised her wand. Leaping in the air, off the horse she yelled. "FLOAT" And she began to float up in the air. Azulu, under her commands, grabbed the elven man, and too lifted him up. The horse carried on a little, as the Ogre stopped under them. Landing on the rooftop Stella sank to her knees in exhaustion.

Magic tired her.

Gil-Estel looked around in shock as he was lifted slowly off of his horse. Rilgilad kept on running until he realised that there was no one on his back anymore. At this point he stopped and snorted discontentedly. Gil-Estel looked up to see that he seemed to be being carried by a white dove. The girl who had been on his horse also seemed to be flying along next to them. He still couldn't remember where or when he had seen her before, but that was of little importance at this point. What mattered was escaping the ogres down below. Then again, the girl and the dove seemed to have that pretty much sorted. "Erm.. excuse me? How is my horse supposed to rejoin us?"

Stella glanced up at him from where she knelt, then peered over at the horse bellow. Frowning she pondered this, then turned to answer the elf.

"I will set you down. But right now, killing him" She gestured bellow to the Ogre; "Is our priority. Do you no of any spells?" She requested, eyeing the ugly beast up and down. It where huge, and armed with a club about the size of Stella. It wouldn't be long before it found a way to get to them, and Stella wanted to act fast.

Pointing her wand at the sky, she yelled, "Myrol Mas!". A great falling star flew and landed on the beast, flattening it. Sparks and fire flew from the collision, and Stella flew back on the force of the impact. She gasped as she collided with the rooftop, then rose unsteadily to her feet to view the damage.

It was dead. Smiling triumphantly, she turned to the elven boy. He looked familiar, perhaps she had seem him somewhere? "I'm sorry i dragged you up here." She said, then motioned to Azulu, the dove. "Would you like a lift down?" She asked kindly.

"I have studied the magical arts occaisionally, I have learnt how to control the waters but as this city seems to be deserted I do not see how that could be of any use." Suddenly the white dove was thrown back against a roof carrying Gil-Estel with it. Gil-Estel got to his feet and looked around. He saw that one of the ogres had been killed and that the other two looked momentarily disorientated. "Go! I will meet you at the city gates!" He shouted to the fallen star. "It will be easier to face the ogres outside of the city walls and then we can plan how to carry out our individual errands!" Without waiting for a reply, he dropped nimbly down to a small balcony and then down to the street below, landing catlike on the paving stones.

Spinning around he saw one of the hideous ogres staring at him from further down the street. After a brief moment of confusion the large brutish creature began to run towards him. Not wishing to spend much more time being pursued on foot, Gil-Estel ducked into a small building to his left. The building looked as though it had used to be a house.. but now... well now it was abandoned. It looked as though the family had left without taking any of their belongings with them... strange thought Gil-Estel.

Just then, the ogre smashed down the door. Gil-Estel ran as fast as he could towards the rear of the house. Suddenly he heard a neighing noise from behind him. Turning, he saw Rilgilad charge through the door, trampling the ogre under his feet. Gil-Estel swung himself onto the horse and spurred him back through the door. "Noro lim Rilgilad! To the city gates!"

Stella watched as he jumped agilely down and rose herself. Her energy was back and she felt alive. Pointing her wand at the air she called; "FLOAT" And rose a few feet in the air. Flying across, she managed to do this about 6 times, hovering over the gaps in the roofs. The city gates where in view, right in front of her. She measured the gap.

There was no more rooftops, and a ogre blocked her path, standing in the middle of the road she wished to take. Taking a deep breath, she measured the distance. She raised her fingers to her lips, ad whistled. Azulu came flying up to her, and lifted her up, higher then the rooftops, higher then the Ogre.

She could see the whole city from here, and the view was amazing. But there was no time for that. There was no sign of the Drow which worried her. She raised her hand one more time and tried the spell again.

"Falling Stars!!" Her hand raised to the air, her fingers facing to the sky, and brought her hand back down. The air was alight with the sign of hundreds of pebble sized stars falling. About 130 fell, and landed on the Ogre, who got a fairly large sized one which smacked on his head. He fell down, unconscious, and Stella sighed in relief.

Azulu placed her down and Stella ran wildly to the gates, ever looking over her shoulder. There where still about 25 Ogres around, and the thought scared her greatly. Making it to the gate she noticed she was the only one who had made it thus far. Standing, wand still raised she prepared herself, in case she was attacked again.