It took her a moment to to understand what William was saying. She had become so engrossed in the moving blobs that she hadn't realized that the birds had all migrated to where ever they were trying to get to. With a happy intake of breath, she looked over at William, a light smile upon her lips as she felt his hand upon her, tugging.

She let him lead, her feet pounding hard against the ground. It felt so weird, actually running some place. She had always done up her dainty little feet in heels and wedges, stilettoes and platforms. As she allowed her mind to drift into memories, she began to wonder if she had ever ran in her life. Certainly she would have when she was younger, but these memories eluded her.

She knew she must look so awkward; she wasn't used to this at all, and it didn't help she had a large blade strapped to her delicate back. But she focused on the buildings as they ran past, keeping herself from falling within her mental psyche and therefore not paying attention to the world around her. She was being careful as she moved, trying to not fall, William's hand a helpful guide.

And then it loomed in front of them, the massive bleak forest, the limbs outstretching like clawing fingers as they neared it. She shivered, her brown eyes furrowing in sudden fear. She had been so distracted by her attempts to not fall on her face that the sudden sweep of emotion caught her off guard. She felt the tears well up in her soft eyes. As William's voice filled her ears she moved towards him, her slender arms wrapping about his waist. She held him tight, trying to force the fear away once again.

She muffled her tiny cries within his shoulder as he spoke, his words allowing the fear to fester within her mind, growing, drowning her hopeful thoughts. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head back and forth as she mumbled something into his neck, her breath hot on his skin. She was shaking again, but this time not in fear, this time, it was from a complete emotional war waging within her tiny frame. She stood there for many moments as he awaited her reply, teeth clenched with lips tight along them.

And then there was an invisible, silent click. Her form went rigid, her breathing steadied. Gently, slowly she straightened her form, raising her head from his shoulder, red locks catching the tail end of the wind, the curls gathering a waving about, a few strands slipping in-between her eyes.

Her gaze, if anything had changed it was her unsure stare. Now it was solid, unwavering, almost hard. She ran a finger across his jaw line, an awkward smile lingering for a moment. "I can't hate you, William. I just can't. But if you can't help me, I doubt Keith can. I'll manage; don't worry about me."

And that was it. She turned, something within her step making her seem heavier, more tangible. Still graceful, yes, but more feral, more rooted in the nature around her. She had done it, tapped into something within her that brought out her unrestrained, natural person. She wasn't less of herself, but instead more at this point. She was wild, savage, reckless, though still unskilled and barely educated with her weapon. She didn't care about herself, didn't care about her parents, her missing fiance, all that mattered was getting to Keith and getting to the bottom of whatever was going on.

She turned, a flawless maneuver in her unfamliar clothing. She eyed William over her shoulder for a moment before she stalked off deeper into the forest, heading for the daunting Tower some ways into the thick woods. She darted between the trunks, her red locks the only telling sign of where she was as she moved with an odd understanding of her environment, as if she had walked these wooded paths hundreds of times before. She cautiously made her way to the front of the tower, picking her foot placement carefully as she eyed Keith. She paused, glancing back to make sure William was behind her.

Even though he hurt her, the pain she felt from his almost rejection didn't faze her. She took it all, the pain, the sorrow, the heartbroken, mind-numbing feeling and hid them away. All that mattered, all that ever should have mattered, was the next fight, the next person, the next thing that kept her going. Once it had been drugs, another time it had been, to her shame, sex, but now..now it was fighting.

The thrill of it, the sudden rush of adrenaline to a head already light from running. Looking into an opponents eyes and seeing the possibility of death thrilled her. She was, perhaps, suicidal but none could blame her, for this is what she lived for, something to keep her mind off all the disappointment, the pain of tomorrow.

So, she ignored the boy who had betrayed her, in some sense, and stalked past him, into the forest. Someone was there, someone who wished a person, maybe not an innocent but more innocent than the attacker, and she wouldn't stand for it, no, she needed this..

"I can't hate you, William. I just can't. But if you can't help me, I doubt Keith can. I'll manage; don't worry about me."

Sophia crying with her faced barred into his shoulder just moments before, but now, something was different. It was what William was hoping for and what he now feared. William had to actually try to keep up with Sophia, nothing he had to ever do before and he never actually thought he would have to do. Her stance was feral, her run was quick, and there was a smile on her face just moments ago. So he pushed worry from his mind, he pushed fear, he pushed his self-loathing. If even Sophia could be brave in the face of death and manage the pain of measuring the worth of one's self and find it lacking, so could he.

Running through the forest with her was exciting, there were no thoughts to spoil it, just raw emotion, so he reacted the same way when he finally saw Keith, and that girl fro the bar. The one who threatened Sophia, the one who made her cry! "What is going on here?!" William could barely hold himself back. He wanted to lash out, to inflict pain on the person who just earlier to day caused Sophia pain. But William's restraint kicked in. "Seriously, how much weird can this get? I mean first were transported to an ocean, then pirates attack, then we are taking to this island, on which all hell breaks lose 2 to 3 times A DAY, you Keith can turn into metal some how, and now you're partnered up with a woman that hours ago threatened to kill you? This world is insane and I. . . I. . . " William couldn't finish the sentience. So instead he took a deep breath and started again.

"Alight, Keith, what is going on? What do you know about all of this, the crows, the blackness, the tower? I know the tower is the center of all of this, I can feel it. But doesn't it seem strange that all of this would happen just as we arrived?" William's handsome face was twisted into confusion, he just now realized just how odd it was for all of this to happen just as they get on the island, it is so unlikely. Then his worlds echoed through his mind, We are here for a reason. William's words and thoughts always come back to haunt him. Whispering to himself, probably too quite for anyone to hear, "We are here for a reason. . . Which means someone is probably trying to kill us all. . ."

He passed her, that action, rather than the words he had tried to speak, the words that where just white noise in the back of her head, broke her. This stupid boy, Stupid hasty boy, was going to get hurt. Even before she had walked into the clearing, before she was that close, she could see the pirate, BlackBeard himself, and she could smell the putrid stench of decay, of death, from him.

She shook her head, white hair slashing over her eyes, before she stepped forward, carefully, and inched around the clearing, starring at the help. There was more than one, and BlackBeard was known for the things he could do, she didn't want to but..

She rushed forward, allowing her blades to slash through the air, a criss cross or motions, in front of the pirates. A small laugh slipped from her lips, body shaking wildly as she twirled and danced in front of them, blades moving through the air, coming close, but never striking them. She wanted to cast the illusion that she was a faker, that although she had speed, she couldn't really use her blades.

This would show, or at least make them think, she would b an easy opponent, so that way, inthe end, she would be able to help them more. This was a battle, and she would win it, just for the sake of not looking weak in front of these people whom she knew naught.

It all happened so fast, it was all William could do to keep up. He was injured, he was tired, he was dirty, but William couldn't stop just yet. William raced to catch up with Keith and Saken, knowing that he couldn't do much, but what little he could must be done. Trees rushed past him, his breath rushing out in frantic fits. Normally he would have been able to outrun almost anyone, William trained himself to be the fastest, since he knew he could never be the strongest, but the pain in his back was limiting him now. Even still he was only a few steps behind Keith and he was there to watch him be brutally attacked. The show of power shook William.

Pain, destruction, hate, all of these things have been welling up inside of me for years, but my suffering, anger, loathing are nothing compared to what this being causes. His very existence is insults this world and risks lives, but what can I do about it? I am powerless! But that is when the red blur rammed it's fist wrist deep into that awful pirate he knew what he had to do, even if it meant the end of him. If I can get around without being seen, maybe I can end this!

William glanced around the dark forest, I need just the right amount of cover. . . There! Just adjacent from the clearing was a little patch that wound through some of the trees. The path would let him run all out without fear of tripping and the trees might protect him from detection and from any projectiles. Ever since military school he has been taught that cover was life, and he would never forget it. Now that he had the cover he needed a plan. . . Then it clicked, he knew what he would do. His plan was simple, but it would require Speed he wasn't sure he was capable of. A quick glance back to the bloodied Keith reinstated his fears. If Keith is that hurt and he can turn into metal, my flesh and blood body would would be crushed with a flick of his wrist. Still, what else can I do. . .

So without any words already formed inside his head, he turned to Sophia, and stared into her eyes. There he saw a future, he saw love, he saw kids, he saw old age and the acceptance of a well timed death. He wished he had the time to tell her this, he wished he could describe the home he saw, how beautiful their children would be, he wished he could tell her that not even old age caused any fear within himself because she would have been there with him. Instead he had only the time to say, "Sophia be careful, you hold any reason for me to live after this within you." Then he took one final look into her deep beautiful eyes, "If you were to die, I'd have no choice but to follow you into the dark." Then there were no more words, only the soft padding of his feet tearing through the rich dark earth.

The forest rushed passed him and he couldn't force himself to look back over to the pirate. William knew that if he was spotted, it wouldn't matter if he knew about it, his death would come. Even if he could look, he wouldn't have been able to focus on the pirate, to many thoughts were forcing their way into his brain. William tried to never think of death when ever it was possible, because he didn't belive in an afterlife. no heaven, no hell, only darkness. No rest either, only the pain you carried with you from life.But just within the day William's whole perspective on life has been flipped. Instead of dreading every opportunity to live, he tried to embrace it. instead of fearing any form of relationship, he had pronounced his love for a woman and he had decided to fight for a friend's life. Now he even hoped for an afterlife, nothing special, just a place where he could see Sophia again if he were to die today. The idea filled him with dread, fear that it was not true, but he pushed all of these ideas out of his minds as he removed his two remaining weapons from their resting place. They thirsted for blood and what they thirsted for, he thirsted for. He could taste the blood on his tongue and it awakened a feral part of himself.

He watched the tougen of war between the two powerful beings and he was afraid that his knives would do nothing to the pirate, but he knew that two knives in the back of any beings he knew of would be a death sentience. So he took a deep breath and launched himself knives first at the back of the pirate, all thoughts pushed out of his mind, peaceful and ready for the end, despite the look of rage upon his face.

"Before this is over, You are going to cry tears of Scarlet"

Sophia's hardened eyes caught the red dash as it made for the massive pirate, her form easing past the edge of the trees to crawl carefully towards the main fight. The blackened smoke filled her eyes as she tried to assess the situation, the hair beginning to stand on the back of her neck. She didn't like this, even in this state of mind this still felt odd, still felt foreign. It was unnatural, inhuman. But she pushed this away from her, forcing herself to focus on the situation at hand.

Blackbeard seemed huge to her, his bod three times her slim size, and so gruff, so muscular. The disgusting nature of his form produced an angered growl to glide from her throat. She took another step forward, something pulling her towards the fight, demanding that she join in. But then her chocolate gaze befell William and she softened.

"Sophia be careful, you hold any reason for me to live after this within you. If you were to die, I'd have no choice but to follow you into the dark."

It caught her so off guard, her tensed body relaxing for a moment as she realized her intentions for jumping into the fray were ridiculous. And then he was gone, feet thudding away as he maneuvered around. She eyed him in silence for a long moment before she switched her gaze to the new personage that had joined them. His red hair was even more bright than her own, almost an unnatural color of fire. He was beautiful in his own right, and scarily strong, his frame in a death grip with the damned pirate. She blinked multiple times, everything seeming to move in slow motion as William's form was caught in her side vision. He was jumping, springing, high into the air, knives drawn, the points digging deep into the enemy's back, slicing hard into clothing and flesh.

There wasn't thought involved as she moved a hand about her, gripping the blade with five slender fingers, wrenching the weapon from it's protective covering. Seeing William in such a compromising position brought out the ugly side of her, the side that had no trouble bringing down those in her -- or William's -- way. The blade felt weird in her hands as she brought her free hand to the hilt, holding it tightly as she involuntarily fell into a crouch. She milked the hilt for a moment, orbs narrowing as she took a single step forward, arms and shoulders moving back and then thrusting forward. It was one fluid motion, like it had been in the bar; her fingertips uncoiled from the hilt and let the sword fly as she was extended forward as much as possible, her body leaning as far frontwards as it could manage. She eyed the blade as she came into a standing position, straightening her back as she brought one foot in front of the other, suddenly tossing her form into a full sprint, following the sharpened projectile as it flew.

With a sickening sucking sound she heard it dig deep into the pirate's hip, the blade passing through flesh as it came to a quivering hault. She was only feet away when it made contact, her arms outstretching to allow her hands to grip the hilt yet again. She put her entire body into twisting the blade, tearign and ripping muscle, scraping bone with each quarter turn. She didn't even truly realize the fact she was within grasping distance of the pirate, but it was highly possible. At his side now she was completely unarmed and unprotected; but this didn't matter, it didn't even occur to her. She tossed her gaze at the red haired man -- Redz was it? -- and then over her shoulder at William, making sure both were still alive and fighting.

Keith layed on the ground, hurt as he was shocked by the display of power from Redz to Blackbeard, who made a face that had seemed hurt from the attack. Keith was suprised that Redz attack had done anything to this man who managed to hurt him, or perhaps Keith was underestimating everyone. Keith observed the man to notice nothing too strange, he appeared human like everyone else, and didn't show signs of being any type of demon, fiend, or any other type of being.

Keith stood agian, cracking his back, he was preety close to them all, because of the wind tunnel that had occured sucking them close. Blackbeard appeared to be hurt for a minute, but then grinned brightly, and began to laugh. The knives had pierced from behind, and he had been punched so hard, that the man known as Redz, fist was wrist deep inside. But something told Keith that when Blackbeard began to laugh, this was only going to get worse for all of them. Keith didn't hesistate, to run at William, whom he had known since coming to this world, and whom he knew couldn't take anything from Blackbeard. He continued to run at William as Blackbeard laughed.

"THCMWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH! You pesky damn people, it seems you all aren't even worth fighting at this point!" he said as he turned into dark smoke, and a figure of dark smoke appeared behind her, as he stood their laughing at William and Redz. A giant fist of Darkness came out of the ground, very large, as if it belonged to a gigantic giant. Keith ran at William even so, as the first came out of the ground, seemingly made of darkness, it was so big, it seemed to be towering over Keith and everone else.

"Will get out of their!" Keith said, remembering that Sophia was back behind, and that she was still in range to get hit as well as Saken, he didn't know who to protect and Blackbeard continued to laugh, his fell next to him, after coming in from the woods, Blackbeard laughed, as the hand clentched itself, it came and came though slow enough for Keith to get to Will. Sophia was far away from where it crashed but he knew she would get a few scratches like wise, and Saken was a half vampire, pain was probably something she got often, but Will was so close, it seemed as if he was crashed under the hand as well, along with Redz, but Keith wouldn't allow Will to die.

Keith ran right before the hand hit, and turned into metal once agian, shining in the Moonlight that was present, as the gigantic hand came crashing down on all of them, Keith got infront of will, and put up a metal like sheid, hopefully Redz would make it under the sheild as well though not likely.

"No matter what happens i got to protect you guys!" Keith says as the fist hits, and the shadow floods the area, not before landing like a piece of rock, it splits up, clouding the area, it would cut everyone in it breifly before disappearing, and revealing that Blackbeard and his crew was gone. Keith had taken so many punches, hits, cuts, bruises, that he didn't know what to do. He was suprised, despite being metal that he was alive. Keith had blacked out after that moment he strained to repel the attack, when the shadow bursted, he was out, having reach his limit, their was now way he could withstand so much damage and not be out by that point.

"Protect everyone!" was his last words before going out.

(My character due to injuries proably won't be in half of the next battle. )