Azurra Taurtryo

Azurra Taurtryo (twirl the r's) is a shaman of Cormanthor, currently in Vaasa. He might be the saddest character I ever made because he is incapable of experiencing happiness. His theme song is Eternity ~Memory of Lightwaves~ from Final Fantasy X2.

Description
Average sized man with pale skin. Dressed in leather armor and cloth shoulder pads with long draping tassels. medium, unkempt rusty gray hair with long sideburns colored black which have small beads on the end. Wears an iron mask that locks around his head usually for battle. Adorned are two holes for his eyes. His eyes are a rusted silver to match his hair.

His pet Ghost Tiger, Sparkfang, is a white/semi-ethereal summon. Despite his lack of physical appearance he is all quite real. He has pointed, almost sharp fur around his collar. Friendly to those Azurra befriends, dangerous to all who fight him.

Personality
Azurra is a stern man of very few words. He fights for his cause but does not waste time in doing so. He is blunt and to the point and doesn’t like nonsense. He shows no signs of real enjoyment or happiness.

Family & Relationships
Parents: Dead.

Adopted Family: The Devils Charade, a group of kidnapped children who have had their happiness stolen from them and are used to serve as puppets for their headmaster, ____, nefarious purposes. Shaman Tribe: Panther's Paw, a nomadic group of shamans trying to purify the land from the effects of the Spell Plague.

Pet: Sparkfang, his ghost tiger companion which he can summon at-will. He was a gift from Panther's Paw after having completed his ritual. He's the closest thing to a friend Azurra has right now.



Spirit Guide: Elladestra, the fate dealer, has chosen Azurra to reclaim his lost life and liberate the children.

Journal Entries
 Entry I:

My travel has ended, and I have arrived in this place Vaasa. I sensed an aura of misery from the town, even when not yet at the gates. The trip was not kind to me; without the leadership of Shankakru guiding me, it has been an arduous trek from the forests of Cormanthor. I can't help but feel I've failed them as well, the spirits talk to me, but are they ashamed?

The town is busy, it never seems they stop. From what I can perceive the dwarfs have it the worst as they are forced to work the mines, but I will not begin to question the hierarchy for I am grateful to finally rest. The girl is set to arrive in three days, I have to admit, I'm not sure what to expect from any of this, that woman better be right about her prophecy.

~End.

Entry II:

I met up with the girl Elladestra told me about, her name is Estel, and she has absolutely no recollection of anything, I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing but regardless, it is my charge to protect her, and I will not fail.

She is an inquisitive young woman, she peruses the answers to the any and all questions she poses to anyone who can answer. Perhaps she is trying to remember who she is, but I doubt these civilians will give her the answers shes looking for.

I introduced her to Sparkfang, hes taken quite a liking to her; good thing since I'll need his assistance in her safety. I don't like keeping him away but these people are very hostile to anything that is different, especially that giant I saw earlier.

Though she is but a child, I sense a wise soul abound her, wiser than most adults, including myself. Elladestra was right, there is something strange about this kid.

~End.

Entry III:

There's something relaxing about the cold, I have grown accustomed to the harshness of the elements, as if directed towards the failure of my tribe, so if it is a punishment, I welcome it. The old Orc whom we are doing this task for is a creature of great wisdom, he reminds me very much of Shankakru. Perhaps this is my way of trying to avenge my clan, and have there name live on, but it's just a stupid excuse for me not to admit that my clan is gone, and there's nothing I can do to bring them back.

As I watch on these cold banks, I guess I should take the time to write about the comrades I have been fated to accompany.

The Goliath, Darksong is a good man. His touch with nature proves to be very great and his combat skills are devastating, the man can really take a blow. I also thank him for helping me with Estel, I see no problems with our communication.

The Gnome, Axehead, is skilled but sloppy in combat. His past is a mystery to me, he may even want to reveal less than I do, but he is an ally and it is irrelevant to me. The cold seems to much for his small body to handle, we must rest to let him recover.

The one called Iris, whose last name I don't remember has said nothing to many of us since this quest began; her silence proves troublesome. She is a member of the town guard and takes orders from that perplexing and powerful man, Galvin. A man who does not take kindly to acts of kindness. Her conflicts with Axehead make me curious. She seems hesitant to pursue her chase for his answers. The silence annoys me, I hope it comes out before there is some kind of deception.

And of course, the most perplexing of all, the fool Joseph. Repeatedly he has fallen on my bad side and hes proving to be quite a liability. His compassion for his enemies is disgusting and I will not let it happen. There is no room for pity on the field of battle. His fanatical zealotry is second only to his ignorance of reality. The only value he has is to swing a sword.

I don't know what Estel thinks about any of this, she seems far too nice to speak down to anyone, even Joeseph. I feel regret that a child be subjected to the violence of battle, but she is very skilled and her wisdom will see her though. She defied me however, and went to heal Joeseph against my request. It was a reckless thing to do and it could of gotten her killed, but alas, also very brave of her. A bravery most men don't have, maybe even myself.

~End.

Entry IV:

Perhaps some men are doomed to a life of eternal memories and reminders of past failures, I feel like one of them. I have had to once again watch the death of a noble tribal leader, and there was nothing in my power to help him. Rest well Shankakru, it's a good thing you don't have to watch this shell of a mans struggle to live.

I took it out of the box today, I can't believe dust has settled on it. Every night it feels as if the two of us must become one again. Wearing it once more reminds me of the unnatural design of it, it's not at all comfortable, nor should it be. Estel and Sparkfang disapprove of me wearing it; what do they know about my duties, my shame.

~End.

Entry V:

Have you ever come close to the answer of an important question, only to realize that when you have the answer you forgot the question? My life has been a search for an answer to a question I don't even remember...

The Goliath... Darksong, is gone. And I have failed to protect Estel. I couldn't do anything when I saw her run away. The Goliath tribe overwhelmed me, and when I awoke, Darksong had told me had given his own freedom in exchange for our safety.

What honor..

What nobility..

Why is this world so cruel! What do you want from me woman!? Did you plan for me not to die!? Is my mission not done yet!? How much more of my life must you siphon before you realize I cannot do this!?

I don't deserve to call myself a shaman, Darksong surrendered himself to protect us, what does that make of me? Spirits have pity on this poor fool....

~End. 

Childhood
Regrettably, this man who would grow up to be the wandering Shaman Azurra Tautryo was not always a tortured victim of a cruel man’s game. As a child in a quiet little town, Azurra enjoyed a life like any other child. He was a carefree youth without a problem in the world, the quintessential lifestyle of any kid at that age. By the age of ten, Azzura became a relatively smart child. A gifted writer, Azzura would write stories; mostly fantasy stories. Because of the blandness of his little village, Azzura became rather bored with the monotony of everyday life, so he escaped into his world of storytelling. He would usually write about the tales of a glorious hero, coming to save the day from an evil dragon, something not to fictional in this world but something he had never seen.

Soon, Azurra became quite curious of the surrounding area, his friends, who called him Zo-Sa because of the difficulty annunciating his name, would go outside the village. Truly this child was destined to be an adventurer. Regardless of anything, this child was never without a smile One quiet day in the middle of summer, Azurra’s village was visited by a traveling group. As they approached, it appeared to be a travelling band of performers. Children with painted faces performed amazing acts of athletics and magic, all lead by their charismatic ring leader, a man by the name of Trevor. For a whole day, the performers had entertained the crowd and asked for nothing in return.

By nightfall, almost the whole town had shown up for the festivities. The few guards who were distributed throughout the town were at the show, taking in the festivities. By midnight, Trevor had called everyone’s attention to the final performance. A young girl approached, she called herself Dominique. She sang one of the most enchanting songs ever heard. Azurra’s body began to be overwhelmed by the enchanted rhythm. He fell into a sub-slumber state; the feeling was that everything would be fine. All of the others within earshot felt the same way.

While the majority of the town enjoyed their slumber, Trevor and the remaining members of the circus burned and murdered any survivors. The town was looted and destroyed. Only two children survived, one of them being Azurra. In reality, the whole event was nothing but a rouse. To distract the town, kill all survivors, and leave with money, items, and a child or two. This is the way of the Death Circus, and now Azurra is the newest member.

His adventure begins..

Death Circus
“No adventures should be like this….”

Azurra, muttered to himself, while he lay prostrate on a table. A bright light shined down on him, and he got a silhouette of a man with tattoos, and a clothed figured. They quickly faded when a familiar face entered the scene; it was Trevor. His face was overjoyed, and he walked to Azurra with a strange stone. He spoke:

“Don’t worry boy, this will be over soon enough.”

A sharp pain overtook Azurras body and he lost consciousness. While asleep he had vivid dreams of himself losing a connection to a piece of his soul. But Azurra’s soul was not being taken, but something precious, especially to a child.

Azurra awoke sometime later; but time was now meaningless as there was no way to measure it. He found himself enclosed in a room with very little light. There were about nine other children in the room, including Dominique. Nobody smiled, and Azurra realized he wasn’t able to. The children we’re fed scraps and slept on the floor. The only comfort was Dominique acted like a mother to them, being a few years older.

As time went on, the caravan they were traveling in finally stopped. The metal door to their prison opened and Trevor appeared. He spoke to the children:

“Well now my puppets, it’s time to put on a show”

Strange strings began to come from his sleeves, attaching themselves to the children. Within a few seconds, the children’s demeanor changed from sad slave to painted clowns. The rest was a subconscious recollection of the events that took place. Azurra performed with skills he never inherited and when it was Dominique’s turn to sing, Azurra took part in the slaughter and arson. He knew what he was doing, but he had no control over his body; struggling to break free from his own subconscious. Another child was abducted and the circus went on its way. The strings were removed, and everyone fell unconscious..

Two years, two agonizing years of this procedure. Although in constant misery, Azurra befriended many of his fellow inmates. Their stories were all similar to his, they were innocent children, abducted and forced to perform, even Dominique was taken this way. She was of course the first, given her age (14). Out of the lights of the circus however, she too was as miserable as the rest; perhaps even more. Azurra found a small bit of solace, that his fate was a shared one.

One night, Azurra was awakened by Dominique while the caravan was stopped for the night. She said it was the time to make the escape. Azurra had heard Dominique talk about escaping before, but never thought she would go through with it. Everyone rounded up and Dominique put a mysterious card on the lock. Upon further inspection it was one of Trevors tarot cards, Dominique must of pocketed one at one point. She places one on the lock and tells everyone to step back. Within a few seconds a small explosion blows the lock off the door. Unfortunately, the door was warded and a piercing siren emanated from the room.

As the children ran into the fields, Trevor and the other members of the Devils Charade proceeded to round them up, with deadly force if necessary. Azurra ran along side of Dominique, but as Trevor closed in, with very unnatural speed, she realized that they both won't make it. Dominique pushed Azurra down a ravine before Trevor can close his sights on them both. Dominique was recaptured and Azurra proceeded to roll out of vision of everyone. Unfortunately the fall was more hazardous than what was thought, and Azurra came crashing down into a small alcove, shielding him from sight, but injuring him greatly. When he reached the bottom of the forests edge, he was unconscious.

Tribe of the Panthers Paw
"Get up, don't give up! You can do it!"

The whispers continued.

"You need to keep fighting!"

Azurra ignored the calls.

A day or so after the accident, Azurra awoke in an unfamiliar setting. He was bandaged with strange medicine on his wounds, and incense burning at the window.

"You're lucky to be alive." an old woman said at the end of the room who then applied more medicine to his open cuts. She was dressed in ornamental draping and a weave made of feathers and leaves. In the middle, a sewing of what looked to be the claw of a Panther. But Azurra didn't have any time to be concerned with his new surroundings as he fell back unconscious.

Azurra constantly slipped back and forth into sleep. The only things that woke him temporarily were from the pain of the treatment or the sound of sparring.

After a month of healing and stability, Azurra awoke. Panicking, he looked at where he was, yelling the name, Dominique.

"Where is she?!" Azurra looked at the old woman who was confused with who he meant. The yelling attracted the attention of some of the Panthers Paw members who rushed to the old woman's aid brandishing spears.

Azurra was forcibly led to the village, it was much bigger than he thought it would be, but the settlements gave the hint that the tribe was nomadic. They all wore headdresses or armbands with what looked like a panthers claw, woven in with leaves.

They finally stopped at a large hut, adorned with the same marking. The warriors led Azurra inside where he saw a man burning leaves of a tree that gave off a divine and relaxing smell. A middle aged man sat next to the leaves, inhaling there fumes and chanting.

The guards left the hut, Azurra and the strange man were all alone. There was a moment of silence until the leaves burned out, and then he spoke.

Shankakru: "I have asked the guards to summon you here after you awoke, my name is Shankakru, leader of this tribe. What is your name stranger?"

Azurra was still unsure of anything around him, it all seemed so weird to him, with everything that had happened. But he was grateful for the help so he spoke.

Azurra: "Azurra. Azurra Taurtryo."

Shankakru: "Ah, welcome to my tribe Azurra, when we found you, you were near death. I'm glad you made a full recovery, where is your home?"

Azurra said nothing...

Shankakru: "I see. Say no more son. Would you like to stay here?"

Azurra nodded reluctantly, he really saw no way around it. He would be eaten alive out there, and he knew he would be safe here at least, for a little while.

Of course no deal comes without a catch, Azurra had to earn his keep, it was the law of the paw as it was called. Everyone plays a role, none more important than the other, but all essential. The problem was, Azurra was not exactly the most physically fit.

The daily tasks lasted long hours, because of Azurras size and stature he was unfit to handle many of the mens tasks. He felt like a useless third wheel, and was constantly looked down upon by the tribal members. Azurra contemplated the Shaman training, but he didn't want to admit to himself that it would be a lenghtly effort, and he would have to abandon his search for Dominique and the other children for years. It didn't help that Azurra was a little old for initiation anyways. On the other hand, Azurra could use the training, he could not be the great hero he admired in those old books without power.

The idea of an outsider being a shaman brought outrage to the clan members, it was something that has ever happened. All Panthers Paw members were born from Panthers Paw, and it has existed that way for generations. Most, if not all the members disagreed with the request, but it was ultimately Shankakru's call.

Shankakru, with his two trusted advisers talked it over for a few days. What half-way decent treatment Azurra received before had turned completely hostile.

The waiting had ended, and Shankakaru spoke..

Shankakru: "I would like to see young Azurra now"

Azurra was frightened to; the villagers fixated their gaze on him, in judgment. Azurra stepped into Shankakru's hut.

There was more ceremonial incense burning in the room, this time of a different fragrance. As it burned, it enveloped the both of them in a pink fog. Quickly it hid all of the corners and all together the entire room.

Figures began to arise from the clouds, of several ghostly animal spirits. Emerged were a lion, raven, fox, bear, snake, and a panther.

Shankakru: "These are the spirit animals of the wild, and every shaman has one as their guide. But in order to be us, of the Panthers Paw, the right one must select you."

The animals sniffed about, Azurra was quite apprehensive about having various wild animals come near him. After a few seconds, the animals stopped and all but one went back.

The lion, the bear, the fox, and the snake all returned quickly; only two remained. One animal went back, it was the panther. The ethereal raven flew above Azurras head and all at once everything disappeared.

Azurra was speechless, he wasn't sure what exactly happened. Shankakru drank some herbal tea and looked at Azurra.

Shankakru: "The Panther did not choose you my boy. Instead, the raven found mostly to your liking. The raven signifies a might of malice about you, as if you fight for vengeance. But it is ultimately out of your reach, but you'll rush in anyways, only to realize there is no victory to be had."

Azurra sat there dumbfounded and slightly confused. His mind had been probed and then revealed through a ritual he couldn't explain.

Azurra: "I see, then I guess I cannot become a Shaman."

Shankakru: "On the contrary Azurra, you did exactly as I expected. If the Panther had chosen you, you wouldn't of qualified to be a Shaman of Panthers Paw for you already would have the power within and being a Shaman is about discovering and finding attune with your spiritual side, not to already have it."

Shankakru got up and went outside, the villagers rallied and Azurra stumbled behind him. When told of the news the village was in an uproar. Everyone was outraged by the decision except for one. The old woman who had taken care of Azurras wounds approached him, the crowd fell silent, she was well respected.

Shankakru: "Our wise elder believes this child to be one of us as well. We cannot discourage because he is not one of our region. We must be open to accept anyone to take on the task. Spiritual acceptance starts with the flesh."

Shankakru's words and the old woman's actions silenced the crowd. Still discouraged, the rally departed and went back to their original activities. Shankakru spoke to Azurra again.

Shankakru: "I hope you're ready son, your training starts tomorrow at sun break."

A Small Measure of Peace
Azurra should of noted Shankakru's words....

As afformentioned, the training started bright and early. The younger shamans, circling with energy, Azurra exhausted. This was something he was clearly going to have to get used to.

Despite Shankakru's words, Azurra still sought revenge. He knew that it was only through hard work would he be able to achieve that. But his mind constantly raced to consider whether or not it was the right path. It was hard to think positive when you're practically incapable of doing so.

The shaman training was divided into trials, every shaman must survive each trial in order to become a member of panthers paw, there were five trials in all: Wolf, Bear, Hawk, Tree, and Panther.

The first trial was the Trial of the Bear. The shaman neophytes would live among the lands, distant from there home tribe. This was a deep impact on all the fledglings, but Azurra was the worst of all. The nights were cold and the training required them to hunt. Azurra, having been fed and cared for, for most of his life, even if it meant through imprisonment, didn't adapt well to the change. The only saving grace was one of the tribe members did occasionally drop the corpse of a dead animal to be cleaned and eaten.

The Trial of the Bear was designed to promote team work, but the other shamans tended not to get along with Azurra, as he was the weakest of them. At the end of the trial, a bear was released on the fledglings to fight off. They were all scared, but Azurra was the worst of all. "I can't do it! I just can't do it!!!" he cried. The fledglings were victorious but Azurra had garnered no respect among his peers. He was literally on the edge of failing at this point.

He hoped the second trial would go better.

The Trial of the Hawk was aimed at a deeper appreciation for the land. The graceful hawk spends very little of its time in one spot, and even more rarely on land. Azurra and company would live in trees for two months, then on waters for two months. If the Trial of the Bear was for survival, the Trial of the Hawk was for knowledge. Deep meditation was designed to help the fledgling shamans speak with nature. Everyone but Azurra though. His mind was too clouded to commune with nature, and he could never concentrate. The words spoken by the headmaster during this time were very important..

"If you cannot talk to nature, it will ignore you"

Because Azurra couldn't concentrate, he found himself unable to balance on the trees or rocks during his trials. The other members of the tribe complained to Shankakru that they knew this would happen. They often spoke down to Azurra upon the return of one of his sessions. Adding insult to his injuries. He felt hopeless, he felt weak. Even the satisfaction of revenge wasn't enough to endure these hardships.

A few days later, while doing some labor for the tribe in a break from the trials, one of the more vindictive members of Panthers Paw, a warrior named Zato, tripped him while he was lifting some lumber. Azurra crashed to the ground with a violent thud, Zato proceeded to publicly hector him.

"Whats the matter outsider? You don't got the fightin spirit!?" The other tribe members looked on, some of them were smiling, but even most of the people who disliked Azurra's acceptance found this in bad taste.

"That's enough" said one of them.

"Nah!", replied Zato, "If this kid thinks he's got what it takes to be a Panther, maybe he should speak up for himself!"

Azurra cried when he was pushed over, but his tears began to be replaced with anger.

"You're nothing but a little weakling kid, you don't belong here."

Azurra looked up at Zato, his eyes blazing with rage.

"Don't you dare tell me where I belong!" Azurra stood up wiping the tears from his eyes, kicking dirt onto Zato's sandals.

"You little shit.." Zato pushed Azurra down on the ground, hitting his head, it began to bleed. But Azurra didn't cry, he got back up again.

"Is that all you got... Huh!?" Azurra picked up one of the pieces of lumber he got and raised it as a weapon, his focuses bloody head at Zato's eyes.

"You're a persistant little shit..", Zato smacked the lumber away from him, and then kneed Azurra in the stomach. Azurra let out a bellowing cry of pain, but only got angrier.

"Zato! That's enough!", cried the people of the town, people began to feel sorry for Azurra and went to pick him up.

"No!", he yelled. He staggered to his feat again, wobbly. "It'll take more than a few shots from you to stop me." Azurra spit blood from the side of his mouth. "You will have to knock me down a hundred times, a thousand times, a million times before I quit!", from within himself Azurra found a suppressed reservoir of courage.

Zato became angry by these words and knocked down Azurra again, he got back onto his feat.

"Why don't you just give up rat!? You don't got what it takes!"

Azurra looked at Zato with rage, he screamed "BLOW ME!" at Zato, and then rushed in, managing to tackle Zato to the ground, pinning him.

Zato was taken by complete surprise by this.

"You will not stop me, nobody will stop me, not even myself!"

Zato looked at Azurra, smiled, and said "Then prove it."

Zato got off the ground and walked away. Azurra got to his feat, and looked at the onlookers. They looked at Azurra with respect, for the first time, they said he had the face of a Panther. Zato passed by Shankakru who was lingering in the shadows, giving him only a slow nod, Shankakru nodded back and gave him a smile.

Azurra, exhausted, limped back to work. Determined to persevere.

The remainder of the trial went better, Azurra could focus but he still side-tracked, thinking about Dominique and the other children he left behind, still plagued his mind..

The Trial of the Wolf was by far the hardest so far. It was a test of adaption. For a solid year, the fledgling shamans would live on the base of a mountain, to survive and fend for themselves, no outside intervention. Despite his new found determination, the young shamans still did not look at Azurra as an equal. None the less, he tried not to let it bother him.

Azurra found comfort in something else, the night sky. He would stare up at it for hours, counting the stars, acting like his security blanket. For the first time in months, Azurra felt calm. He channeled this new found stoicism to make himself a greater assistance to the other shamans. Eventually many of them began to warm up to him, several were still reluctant, referring to him as the "outsider".

One final test of the Wolf remained. One of the members unleashed a wolf onto the party for them to fight. The barbaric ritual was necessary, for a shaman would deal with much greater adversaries in the wild. Only through teamwork could they win.

The wolf was unleashed, it stood growling at them, foaming at the mouth. The reactions were mixed, many of the shamans (mostly the ones who had casted Azurra as an outsider) were in an incredible state of panic. Many more were nervous but at the ready. Azurra stood at the helm.. taking many of the others by surprise. This shy, clumsy, outsider was now daring the beast into battle.

The shamans charged at Azurras command, the fight was brutal and viscious. Rallying war cries from children filled the cold mountain air. The wolf was defeated; Azurras first reaction, lets eat him.

The rest of the night was a revolutionary turning point. Azurra had gained full acceptance, heartfelt apologies from all pure-bloods, and he learned how to cook wolf. It was terrible at first, but Azurra didn't mind; it tasted like victory.

Several years of training and meditation passed, Azurra became a wizened and gifted shaman initiate. Now 21, he was considered the top of the new recruits. One final test was required, the panther.

The Trial of the Panther was the most crucial of shaman training, it was the ultimate test of loyalty to the earth, and the spirits. The shamans would have to summon a beast from the wild itself and defeat it in battle.

A special circle was created in camp, acting like a ring of competition. Shankakru watched from his high chair, many other paws looked on as well. Shankakru spoke to all the shaman initiates, his booming voice echoing in their hearts:

"Brothers and sisters, the final test has come! Every shaman has a question they ask themselves before they graduate! And that question is: am I a Panther?. Up to this point, you are not! But this is the ultimate test of not only your power, wisdom, and training, but of your character, your hearts, minds, souls, and bodies. You must become one with nature, the two must not be different! In this, your final training, you will face off against a spirit beast. You must tame the beast in order to win! Up to this point, you have been working and talking with nature, but it does NOT think you're ready! Only by passing its trial can you call yourself... a panther!"

The crowd around Shankakru cheered and yelled, inspired by his words. Shankakru continued:

"Who among you will go first!"

The shamanites looked at themselves and Shankakru. Many of them with faces of determination, some with a bit more hesitation. Azurra raised his hand.

The stage of battle was set. Azurra stood at the ready. Shankakru walked up to him.

"I have faith that you will perform excellently, believe in yourself."

Shankakru then briefly described the summoning ritual, performing it himself and summoning is great panther, Vicejaw. Now it was Azurras turn.

The winds howled around him, the earth shook a little bit. A first time summon is a forceful process, as if tearing the spirit away from its home. A few seconds later it appeared: a ghostly white panther with spiked hair around his collar. He looked at Azurra with ferocity, it knew he was the one who summoned him. Azurra stated back at the beast, with the same amount of ferocity.

"Begin!"

Sparkfang lunged towards Azurra, pinning him down. Despite the beasts almost intangible appearance, his attacks were all too real. It clawed and raked at the prone Azurra, was the fight to be over so quick? Azurra bounced back and fired a blast of cold from his hands, pushing the beast back. He shrugged it off and this time went for Azurras throat. Azurra did the same, running after him. The two clashed, blood splattered from Azurras body. Wrenching in pain, Azurra gets up, with furious vigor. Azurra unleashes more icy blasts on the beast, but he dodges skillfully, biting Azurras leg and tackling him. Azurra manages to get him off, and in a ballistic rage, charges after the beast managing to tackle him back. The two rolled around in the circle, endless swipes, punches and blows thrown. The dust bellowed and the blood flowed.

For two hours, the two battled it out. Azurra was mortally wounded, he had lost a lot of blood. Nobody in the crowd knew how it would end and it was definitely a deterrent to the other shamans. In a final shout of war, Azurra and the beast charged each other. The two clash and fall, the dust settles to the ground. The audience falls silent. Just when everyone feared the worst, Azurra awoke. He crawled over to the defeated beast and pats his head. The beast regains conciousness and licks one of Azurras wounds.

"You fight like the storms, I'll call you, Sparkfang"

Azurra then fell unconscious. Shankakru personally carried his unconscious body to the medical hut; the same place where he first awoke.

It took a week for Azurra to recover enough to be conscious. Shankakru was at his bedside when he awoke.

"You've done me proud, welcome to the Panthers"

Azurra quickly slipped back into unconsciousness. It was said that Azurras rallying battle cry against Sparkfang had inspired all of the other shamans to succeed.

Shankakru made sure that Azurras shaman clothes were custom made, as the first outsider, he should be a shining example. Azurra was honored to have made such an impact, but something was looming underneath the appreciation.

Azurra began his shaman duty, he was the member of a scouting team, designed to oversee the land for any distress or obstructions. The work was easy, but it was distressing. Azurra's nightmares returned, the visions of destruction, the dancing puppets across the immolation. His peace had left him.

One day Azurra became fed up with it. He had confined in Shankakru for advice before, but never this desperate. Azurra pleaded with Shankakru for an answer. Shankakru didn't need to hear much, he already knew enough.

"You must go..." He said, "You must go, and do what you think is right." Shankakru said it with a bit of sadness in his voice, you can tell he became attached to Zoza. Shankakru had the feeling that this was supposed to happen, but letting go was hard to do. Azurra looked up to Shankakru for his wisdom, he was like his father, but even Azurra was taken by his answer.

"I knew your time here wouldn't be permanent, Azurra. You aren't meant to be stuck with this clan, you are meant to be out there and make a difference. This is what I've been told, this is what I believe." Azurra looked at Shankakru with a bit of curiosity, but he let it pass and headed Shankakrus words. Azurra would leave at dawn; to where, the spirits would guide him. Azurra left Shankakrus chamber with a tear leaving his eye, he thought he caught a glimpse of the same thing from Shankakru..

Day broke, the sky was clear and the sun rose. Azurra was packed up and ready to go. The town was informed of this departure, many of them understood why, others were angry he was leaving. Azurra said his goodbyes to his third family he had spent years with, and prepared to leave. During the night, Shankakru put a totem next to Azurra's bed, it was a custom crafted panther totem, Azurra remembered Shankakru say that it was the totem he had when he was training under his own father, the previous Panther's Paw patriarch.

Everyone was outside to see Azurra off, for their own reasons. Azurra was about to leave until of in the distance an explosion was heard..

From not too far away, trees were falling. The sounds of metal footsteps were being heard drawing closer. Four figures approached the nomads, and in the middle, was Trevor, grinning and twirling his mustache. He seemed unaged at all in the last ten years, with him were three strange characters: A man covered in sheets, gas emanating from him, A creature made out of mirrors with swords for hands, and a man with tattoos on his body, obnoxiously chewing gum. Trevor spoke:

"We've come, for the boy" he points to Azurra. Shankakru gets in front of Trevor, defending Azurra.

"You will not take him, faithless one!" Shankakru readies a strike but before he could even get the chance to, the metal construct throws one of his swords into him piercing his heart, ripping it violently out afterward. Trevor lands the finishing blow by kicking him onto the ground and stepping on his neck, cracking it. The clan gasps in terror at their fallen leader, it sends many of the clansmen into a vengeful flurry. Azurra looked on in rage and charged after Trevor as well. Wanting to save Azurra for last, Trevor lands a paralyzing blow that completely demolishes Azurra. Still conscious, he was forced to watch in terror of the slaughter of all of his family members. Nobody was spared, women and children were slain brutally on sight. Azurra could only cry to see this all unfolding, unable to prevent any of it. His third family was gone.

After Trevor had his fun, he walked over towards Azurra, brandishing a dagger and a cynical smile. Before Trevor could make his move, a brilliant light enveloped Azurra and the sky. The light was enough to make Trevor and his group fearful of it. Trevor ordered a withdrawal and his group fled back into the forests.

Meeting with Fate
There was no telling how long Azurra was out for. He awoke, enveloped in light, a woman appeared before him. She appeared in glorious white robes, long flowing blond hair tied into three separate braids and a symbol of Amanautor imprinted on her forehead. She wore golden arm and foot bracelets and she had tranquil white eyes with a heavenly blue pupil.

"Hello Azurra. I... am Elladestra" her voice was like a choir of angels in unison. Azurra didn't know what to think, he was enraged by what happened, but something was soothing him. Despite his soothing, Azurra was in no mood to talk to anyone.

"What do you want? How do you know me?" Azurra said with hatred.

"I have been watching you for some time now, Azurra. I've seen you grow quite a bit since you were ten."

Azurra felt like his life was an open book, this angered him. "You've been watching me? You've been watching me suffer and watch as my families die!? What kind of sick person are you!!?" Azurra tried to get angry but it became suppressed again quickly.

"Please calm yourself. I have come to help you with your problems, child. I have a task for you to undertake, by divine favor of Amanautor."

Azurra remembered the name Amanautor, it was who he worshiped when he was a kid. This didn't change anything though.

"You watched as my family was innocently slaughtered.. and now you want me to help you?" Azurra teared up a little, Elladestra came closer.

"I am very sorry for your loss, but it is not my place to meddle in mortal affairs. I know that you are feeling hopeless and weak right now. I've come to help you"

"You have no idea how I'm feeling right now....." Azurra said disturbed. "My whole life has been nothing but pain and loss..."

Elladestra looked at Azurra with sympathy.

"I know everything seems meek, but I have come to correct these mistakes, Azurra. But first, I require a favor from you.." Elladestra implants a vision in Azurra of a young girl walking towards a town.

"This young girls name is Estel, I need you to make sure she is safeguarded. You will act as her protector."

Azurras vision ends and he looks at her, miserably. "So now I'm babysitting... this is what I'm reduced to."

"No, Azurra. There's more to it than that. You will understand more sooner or later." Elladestra says with a smile. Azurra is taken a little by surprise to her cheerful disposition to it.

"This will lead you to what you seek, Azurra. You're more valuable than you may think you are. You are, essential to this world." Despite these words, Azurra still could not believe that his clan was completely wiped out.

"This is not a slaves task, Azurra. There is indeed an incentive to performing this task for me. For exchange of your services of keeping her safe, I will grant you something that you most desire."

Azurras attention was grabbed, and he muttered "Revenge..."

Elladestra shook her head. "No Azurra, happiness. I will not grant you your revenge, I will not see another life lost to brutal vengeance." She gets back a little bit. "When the time comes you will know what you want, and it will not be a desire based on anger, it will be based on love, something your heart really wants. And when that time comes, I will grant it for you."

Azurra listened, but he was still distraught by everything. He agreed to Elladestras terms, making her smile.

"You will wait for her in the town of Talagbar. Best wishes, Azurra."

The light intensified and then faded all together, Azurra awoke at his ruined camp. There was no telling how long he was gone for as the skies had become dark and cloudy. Rain started to pour, Azurra stood there and looked up for awhile. It was hard to tell when the rain stopped and the tears began.