"Checkmate!"

Adrian had once again defeated an opponent that was supposedly more skilled in the strategic game: chess. "I-Impossible! You cheated somehow!" A bulky man in his mid thirties yelled at the younger male that sat opposite from him. "I am the grandmaster of chess from my country! There is no way a child like you could beat me!"

The younger male gave off a smirk, holding his chin with his right hand as he glared at the bulky man from underneath his hat. "My, my, having trouble handling one of your few losses? That's no way to honour a match..." Adrian's voice trailed off, standing from his seat just in time to dodge the enraging slam of his former opponent.

"I declare a rematch, now!" The bulky man clenched his fist, it wasn't the supposed rematch Adrian had hoped for. "Easy there, no need to get violent over a simple loss." But the man wouldn't have one word Adrian spoke out of his mouth and would only listen to the rage that boiled inside him.

I wonder, are all these older chess masters this easily angered? Or is it just this guy...? Sick of having to listen to the man's angry ranting and punching, Adrian held of a stop sign. And surprisingly it caught the bulky man in surprise and immediately stopped in his rage. "What do you think you're doing?!" Without a word, the young male pointed past the bulky man, three guards had supposedly observed the one sided fight, and after yawning it for about probably five seconds, they had decided to step in and put it on hold.

"Okay, here is the deal. We stop fighting and you just walk away casually as if nothing ever happened. Or! We can continue this pointless fight and you'll get probably locked up for a few days." The bulky man growled in disapproval, but agreed to Adrian's plan and calmed himself down to walk away without attracting any attention. Not long after the bulky man had left from Adrian's sight, the three guards arrived, demanding what had happened.

"Oh, there is nothing to worry about my good guards. This man was angry because he thought I had stolen his long lost Queen." The three guards raised an eyebrow, though before they could burst out and laugh, Adrian held a chess piece in front of their eyes. "Obviously, I meant this. That is why he was trying to punch me, but I told him he was mistaken, and to prove it I showed the exact same piece he thought to be his."

The guards left the scene with a combination of nodding and shrugging. Adrian laughed as soon as the guards were out of his sight, simpletons, obviously. After having cleared the ground from the many chess pieces and the chess board, the young male released a simple sigh. That fight could've turned out to be quite damaging, luckily the man was easily stopped with a simple hand sign.

Some passing citizens had glared at the scene, but refused to do anything about it, a simple human trait.

Adrian packed the chessboard and all the chess pieces in his bag, dropping it on the floor next to him as he sat down on the railing of the park fountain. The young male stared at his pocket watch, nodding to himself he still had some time left to relax before returning home.

Norah had a day off, or rather her father wasn’t there to train her, and since her mother didn’t know anything about her special powers she decided to go out for a walk in the city. Merris was one of the largest cities in the entire world of Serva, ´because it was the perfect place for trade between the five countries; since it was the center of them. Norah was on her way to the trading district in the other end of the town walking through a street with long lines of houses on both sides, children running around playing with a small leather ball on the cobblestone in the street, two housemothers were discussing the latest gossip and three men was on their way back to work from a break. It was noon, the sun shined bright, Merris was a happy and lively town, a nice place to grow up and a good place to live in.

A small breeze of wind blew through Norah’s hair, ’I hope the peace of this place will keep on forever’ She looked up into the sky, filled with small clouds ’What am I thinking? Of cause it will.’ Norah was a girl that loved the normal everyday-happiness and a day like this was perfect for it, she couldn’t help but smile all the way down the small street. She was a beautiful girl and most people smiled back at her when they saw her and replied the smile with a hey or good day.

Norah arrived at the park, she would just want to go and look at the park fountain before she walked on to the trading district; starting where the park ended. What would you expect? The thing Norah loved the most was water, the purest liquid of them all.

- “I-Impossible! You cheated somehow!”

Norah saw that some guy who seemed to have lost in a game of chess was getting angry. Norah kept quiet and saw how the conflict was evolving ’The young man is surely going to take a hit or two’ She thought while sighing, but somehow the young man managed to make the conflict disappear. Norah walked up beside him and sat on the side of the park fountain putting her hand into the water playing a bit with it. ”That was nice of you, letting him get away.” She said and smiled at the young man in front of her.

”So what can you else do other than play chess?” She looked at the chessboard in his hand. ”I have never played that game before, but I think my father would like it. Her blue eyes changed from the chessboard to the eyes of the young man; red eyes ”Do you think you could learn me the game?” Norah wasn’t in a hurry and she found the young man pretty interesting, most men wouldn’t back down they would rather start a fight and get into jail with no reason at all. Norah still had her hand in the park fountain, it made her relax and feel more alive than normally.

Music sounded from the trading district not far away, street musicians was earning for their living, some of the stores had found out that a lot of people loved music while trading, so they paid them to play at street cafés and some other stores.

Jake slowly wandered down the streets of Merris, his eyes taking in every detail that caught his attention. The sun was high in the sky, the streets were bustling, and his pockets were getting a little empty. The perfect time to perform for the masses. Walking over to a fountain, he observed a young man's moment of victory in a game of... chess? He never really played the game himself, but Jake was impressed at how the guy managed to look so calm in the face of his enraged opponent. Just then a female approached the chess-player, asking for lessons. He looked at the clothes the two people were wearing, willing to bet that they were from noble families. Maybe Jake would be able to get some money from them. Only one way to find out...

"Greetings! By the look of the clothes you two are wearing, I'd say you look like nobles, correct? My name's Jake, but I'm known far and wide as the Strummer of the Sands. Perhaps you may have heard of me?" he asked. They were probably wondering why the hell the guitarist had walked up to them so suddenly. Jake decided to provide them with the answer to this question. "Okay, reason I'm bothering you is that I'm a little short on cash at the moment. Stuff like this happens to me from time to time. If you want you could pay me to play a song of your choice, if I know of it, or you could just tell me to sod off if you wanted. I'm not too fussed. Plenty more fish in the sea, after all." After that little speech, Jake listened to their replies.

"I'm not the sort to report someone who just couldn't quite get over the fact he lost a simple game. Besides those lazy guards didn't deserve an easy catch, even now it is as if they are just here to enjoy the sun rays." Adrian shrugged during his statement, it wasn't like he did anything too special, it was just luck he saw those guards running towards the scene, if he wouldn't have, then they guy ended up in jail. Sometimes, fate is strange...

It took a few seconds for Adrian to realise he was talking to someone, so with the short moment of being startled over that fact, he turned his eyes at the female that sat beside him. "I can't do much else beside beating someone at a game of chess, but talking to complete strangers might be one thing I can do." Adrian smirked, glaring at the female through his hat.

"You are asking quite a lot of questions, most people introduce themselves before they go bomb someone with those. As for me learning you the ancient secret that is called playing chess, perhaps. I am a terrible teacher if you ask me, and I guess Walter would say the same about me, hahaha!"

"Oh," A look of surprise formed on Adrian's face, how could he have forgotten. "I apologize for not introducing myself first. Adrian Fenris, first and only child of House Fenris. That's how they taught me to introduce myself, though just Adrian will do. I'm rambling aren't I?" His red eyes looked right into the female's blue eyes, which resulted into Adrian feeling fairly awkward. "Ahem, if you want I can teach y-"

His words got cut off by a random passer-by, supposedly a musician from the looks and the obvious guitar on his back. "Well, I don't think one song could hurt. It's not like I had anything better planned then to get a personal concert. Though it depends how much you ask for one song, It's not like I carry my whole fortune with me..." Adrian reached inside one of his pockets, collecting some dust and a few coins. "Well, these two gold coins is all I carry with me for now, I guess that will do?" Adrian wasn't that busy with currencies, and he probably could miss a few gold coins. He wasn't planning on using them for something anyway.

[size=90]As the curious scene played out in the square of the fair city of Merris, a pair of shining eyes peered curiously at the trio. She was only a few feet from them, yet her presence most likely had not disturbed them, and her stare was not unnerving. The eyes belonged to a sparrow, bathing happily in one of the higher troughs of the fountain, tiny drops of water being flung joyously in every direction. A small song erupted from her throat that sounded strangely like a Sergadian dirge from the distant land. That is until the most recent events had taken place. The song ceased as an altercation almost exploded between the chess players, and all at once, people began collecting, drawn together by the fine strings of fate, not that anyone would know it.

The tiny sparrow was bending over the edge of her perched, leaning forward so intensely, it was a wonder she didn't fall over. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but today, as a sparrow, she would not worry.

The weather was fairly warm to everyone else, but to Anyu it was sweltering.

The voyage from Coora to Merris was rough, and the journey had made the young woman quieter. The sun was bright overhead--was it always like this in other lands? The ground underfoot was warm too, all grassy and earthy. The park that she wandered into had clumps of people wandering around, staring at her strange clothing. No one else dressed quite as warmly as her there, but Anyu was too shy to take off her coat.

There was faint music coming from a spot near the park fountain, and Anyu trailed closer to find a musician playing for two people. The pair were dressed in very fancy clothes (and here she rubbed at the patches that wore at her own garments), and they seemed to be talking about the chess game that the young man was playing with all those guards...

She stood there for a moment, hiding her her face into the collar of her coat and listening to the music. It was nice, although by the looks of things one needed to pay for the music. Anyu rummaged through her pockets and found...

Nothing.

"Oh no..."

She chewed on her lip, thinking. Her feet made to step back and leave, until the whining gurgle of her stomach stopped her in her tracks. Hungry...now?

Serrin's cold eyes fell upon the city of Merris below. He stood atop a clock tower, overlooking the large city. He watched the people below, with a hint of disgust. These people, who cared nothing for the lives of others, would do anything to make their own lives easier, even if it meant pushing all of their problems onto others. Rana appeared beside him.

"Oh, will you look at all the people. This city is quiet lively, unlike that town in the middle of nowhere you came from." She joked. Serrin turned his eyes to her.

"I do not like this place. Why are we here?" He asked in a cold tone. Rana merely smiled.

"Well, we need information..." She started. Serrin sighed.

"What kind of information?" He asked in an irritated tone. Rana gave a small grin.

"The kind that tells us who will try to stop us, and what they are capable of." She pointed towards the fountain. "There are people there who have abilities, just like you."

"What makes you think they will attempt to stop us? They barely have a grasp on their powers, much less what we are up to. They will prove to be no threat." Serrin said. Rana put her hand on his shoulder.

"They were given those powers for the soul purpose of stopping us. Even if they don't know, they will instinctively come against us. It's just in their nature to do so, so it would be smart to see what they are capable of now." Rana explained. Serrin sighed and snapped his fingers, his four undead servants appearing.

"Then let us crush them now to be rid of them once and for all." Serrin was ready to give the order to attack when Rana stopped him.

"Even you don't have perfect control of your power yet. Even if you sent them all, they would probably be defeated. Even though that doesn't matter seeing as they are immortal as long as you are alive, it is never wise to show all of your cards to your enemies. I suggest sending one to gauge the enemies' strength." Rana suggested. Serrin nodded.

"Shyu. Go and test their power return if you start to have problems." Serrin commanded. The legendary hero of Coora stepped forward.

"I understand. I will return shortly. Please wait for me." She said softly as she leaped of the building, landing in the middle of the fountain area. As she landed, a blizzard formed over the city, as snow raged to the ground.

"Well, I don't think one song could hurt. It's not like I had anything better planned then to get a personal concert. Though it depends how much you ask for one song, It's not like I carry my whole fortune with me..."

Jake just shrugged. "Just the odd bit of spare change would do just fine..." He paused at the sight of two gold coins in the nobleman's outstretched palm. Two gold coins! As long as he spent wisely, that kind of money would keep him from going hungry for weeks! "Nice one, mate. Any particular song you'd like me to play?" he asked, playing a few chords and tuning his guitar accordingly. Just then, something - or someone - fell from the sky and landed in the fountain. As if that wasn't strange enough, snow started falling, but this wasn't the nice kind of snow. It was as if winter's crueller side had come to visit them. Jake quickly slung the guitar across his back and drew his kukri, ready for a fight. Instinct told him to stay and fight rather than retreat, and instinct hadn't lied to him before, so...

"G'day, ma'am," he said to the mysterious newcomer. "Can't help but notice a certain... aura coming from you, and that isn't really a good thing, methinks. Nothing personal, okay?" With a devil-may-care grin, Jake fired a swarm of pale blue crystals from his left hand that began to zero in on the target. After firing another salvo or two, the guitarist braced himself for a good ol' hit-and-run tactic...

People shrieked and scattered as a sudden snowstorm descended upon the park. The sky darkened, and bitter cold swept from the sky. A figure enveloped in blizzard winds landed at the fountain area's center--a woman, eyes cold and glittering. Anyu gasped and stumbled backward, the heat of the day dissipating into a nervous chill on her skin.

She was like one of the people from the legends her mother taught her about, ages ago.

But weren't they all dead?, Anyu thought to herself. What's going on?

Before she could react, the musician drew closer to the newcomer, armed with a strange curved knife. He spoke to the figure briefly before firing shots of gleaming crystal from his hand. A tremor of shock rose to her system, and her exclamation was a breath.

"He has p-powers too...!"

The snow was whipping around even fiercer now, and Anyu knew that this man's visibility would be severely impaired if the wind persisted. Her hands and feet began to glow, and she glided over the pavement on blasts of air. The young woman tried to slow down the storm, hands moving in strokes that brushed the air currents aside. Slowly the freezing wind weakened a little bit, and the snow drifted outward and cleared the center of the fountain square.

"Blow..."

A strong gust of dry wind erupted from the west entrance of the park. The snow that had accumulated on the ground whipped up and away from the blast. At the mouth of the park, a lone woman strode. Around her a wind screen tumbled, white tufts of snow indicating where the thin sheet of churning wind was and not allowing any of the supernatural snow to touch it's master. She strode as if she was in no hurry down the path, the snow in front of her path being whisked away by her winds. The woman's golden braids gently tossed from within her wind bubble, which attributed to her nonchalant demeanor. On her back sat a longsword and a wicked scimitar. The woman had a sun-kissed skin tone, obviously a woman who was no stranger to the sun or traveling. Heavens only knew what brought her there this day.

As she approached she became to witness others. The other girl who seemed to have wind powers of her own was the one who interest her the most. A kindred spirit apparently. A man firing crystals from his hands seemed to have begun the fight, never mind the fact he had no idea what the owner of snow had in mind. "Tch," was the only sound she made. Obviously she disapproved of the man's brash action, but it was too late to scold him now. Then there was the chess-master. She only gave him a momentary glance before shaking her head.

"He has p-powers too...!"

"He's not the only one girl. Now hold on to something," She said. The wind shield that whipped around her expanded and exploded, sending a huge gust of wind in all directions, cleaning up whatever snow that the other girl with wind powers missed, and helping kill the cool air currents. Snow began to fall steadily, but it wasn't like the blizzard she had walked in on. Keeping the same serene calm she held when she arrived, the woman slid out the thin sword on her back and held one-handedly, angled downwards. "Now.." She began with an annoying tone. "I don't know who the hell you are, nor do I want to. But, what I would like to know is: What the hell is your problem!?" She barked, wind pulsing outward with the last word.

The woman's wind shield had returned, this time only the gentle buzzing there to announce it's presence. She turned and angled herself towards the woman, taking on a defensive posture, sword held out to her side. "You can either explain yourself... or defend yourself," She threatened. She did not like unexpected snow storms during her ventures, especially storms that made others run in fear. How was she to rent a room at the nearby inn if the proprietors of the establishment turned tail and ran right the hell out of dodge because of some insane lady whipping up snowstorms willy-nilly?

She spat to the side, the wind gently tickling her braids once more. What luck?

"He's not the only one girl. Now hold on to something."

Anyu gasped and felt her thin frame almost slide backwards from the winds that came. She managed to dig her feet back onto the ground, skidding to a halt.

The woman with the golden braids had made that wind, from the protective sphere of air that ruptured and blew away the heaviness of the storm. Such great strength!, Anyu thought to herself. Had the situation been different, she would have promptly shrunk away from this warrior in embarrassment over her weak powers...

The woman unsheathed a thin sword from the straps of her back. She seemed irritated, and her tone of voice showed it. "Now..I don't know who the hell you are, nor do I want to. But, what I would like to know is: What the hell is your problem!?" The timid half-Cooran felt the breezes shudder yards away from this warrior-woman.

The air bubble returned, humming faintly around the blonde's body. She faced the blizzard-being in a stance, blade held out in anticipation. "You can either explain yourself... or defend yourself." She spat to the side, her golden braids tumbling in the air.

Only then did Anyu foolishly remember that she was unarmed, and obviously outclassed. She thought of leaving, lest she prove a detriment to the wind warrior who came to their aid. But for some reason, her feet remained planted to the frosting ground--brown eyes cautiously watching the fighters.

It all seemed to happen in an instant. Shuala must have been blinking when it began, for one moment it was rather pleasant day, and she was playing happily in the cool waters of the fountain, enjoying the drone of conversation around her, and the next winds were tearing at her small form from every direction, ice chilling her frail form, frost developing on her feathers. The gale forced winds sent her tumbling through the air.
"Daaaaammmnniiiittt!" She shrieked, though the sound came out at a series of frightened chirps. Her wide eyes desperately searched for something that would return her bearings to her as catapulted through the air, twisting and turning as the gusts ripped at her feathers. Her tiny wings were useless in all this wind, and attempts to steady herself only ended almost caused them to be ripped from her body. One of her wings was wrenched backward, sending spikes of sharp sensations down her spine. The pain was nearly blinding, and a small cry escaped her beak, yet it offered her clarity as adrenaline surged through her body. She immediately changed to her human form, the weight of her human form cutting through the wind as opposed to being controlled by it. She was able land on her feet, albeit barely, in a crouched position, tucking her injured arm close to her bosom.

"Damnit," she repeated, this time a growl in her voice. Her eyes narrowed menacingly, and she reached for a dagger with her good arm. Luckily, the offending being was distracted by the smack-talking woman. Shuala hated conversation in battle, yet she respected the woman. She had great hair--she had to know what she was doing. And it wasn't like the coltish girl was about to play hero.

Views change. Left, and right. And left again.

A big red cape caught Anyu's eye, and she saw that the figure inside was crouched low to the ground. It would be dangerous, she thought, to stay so close to what could be a potential battlefield. The wind picked up at the balls of her feet, and the girl glided silently to where this person was.

This person was a sprite of a girl, with brown-red hair and little freckles on her skin. One arm was pressed close to her chest, and the other was clutching at a dagger. She seemed to be observing the blonde woman and the strange snow-being, making no move to join this fight.

Anyu's presence seemed to alert this girl, for her eyes flickered and saw the jacket-clad figure "skating" towards her. The half-Cooran gulped, but managed a weak flap of the hand that meant to be a wave. She landed on the snowy ground a foot away from the red-caped woman and knelt down on the ground as well. Her voice was strained from apprehension, but she tried to keep herself steady. She spoke, in a worried whisper:

"Please, miss, w-we've got to move away! It's dangerous to stay here!"

Adrian shrugged, obviously he had heard music, but there wasn't a title or name he knew. The musician playing random chords was good enough for the chess player, there wasn't much he could find annoying or stupid anyway.

"Let's just say that you can play an instrument is amazing already. Here, it's not that I need them so dearly anyway." And with the, Adrian threw the gold coins at the man's direction. Most would find it absurd to give a simple musician two gold coins, but, what's two gold coins? It's something that could easily be collected if you worked for it. Though... not many people are so fortunate.

Adrian scratched his forehead when a sudden blizzard fell over the park, a cold rushing through the trees and every citizen fleeing for their lives. Not long after that a woman appeared, snow-white hair, or was that just from the blizzard? The only thing Adrian could clearly spot was the woman's black kimono, an odd dress for someone from Merris. Which obviously pointed out the woman did not life here.

The musician took serious actions, immediately packing up for a fight. "Curious, you immediately assume she's some kind of enemy." Adrian removed his hat, reaching inside with his hand like it was a large bag. "Aha!" Out of his hat, he found a set of plain throwing knives. Without hesitation he launched them at the set of crystal projectiles, blocking the musician's attack.

Though not long after that another stranger appeared, demanding the lady's business. Adrian had no clue, though, he doesn't have a clue about many things besides strategic thinking and entertain people with his gift. "Why is it that we humans always have to assume to dark side of things when they are abnormal?" The chess player hopped of the railing, giving a glare at the musician, the strange blizzard woman and the newcomer.

Jake was a little frustrated that the very person who had given him money was also trying to stop him from attacking this new enemy. He ran around the fountain to attack from another angle, away from the knives' line of fire. As an extra precaution he made his crystal shards slightly larger so that they wouldn't be so easily deflected. At least some other people had enough common sense to realise that this blizzard lady meant trouble.

Just then, he saw her face. It seemed... familiar, somehow. Hang on... she's one of the heroes from that legend! But she's supposed to be dead, unless... Necromancy. It's gotta be that. If it isn't, then what else could it be? Ducking and weaving, the guitarist kept up his barrage while trying to remember what this ex-hero's name was. Something like 'Tsu' or 'Shoe'. Shyu! That was her name. Jake could recall that her powers involved summoning freezing gales to deal with her opponents.

"So, what the hell are you doing here?" the guitarist muttered to himself. "You're supposed to be dead and buried, or in the afterlife, or something..."

”Me? Asking a lot of questions?” Norah looked at Adrian with a serious expression, then a smile appeared on her lips ”Well, that’s a bad habit of mine when I meet new people. I always try to start out with a lot of questions without getting anywhere. But as you see you didn’t just ignore me, so I must have done something right, right?” She giggled ”The name is Norah Bright, nice to meet you Mr. Fenris.”

A street musician joined the both of them and Adrian gave the musician two gold coins to play them a song. ”You really are a nice guy Mr. Fenris” two gold coins was a lot of money to give for a song, normally if a street musician was lucky they would get maybe five silver coins, and those who gave that away would be in a really great mood. But the Fenris family was a noble family as well as the Bright family.

Norah observed a woman landing in the park just beside them and with that a sudden snowstorm appeared out of nowhere. ’That’s one of the legendary warrior’s from the Great War’ Norah thought as she observed the woman ’Shyu; the queen of the cold.’ The queen of cold was a name she was given a long time after the Great War, 30 years back, after a writer decided to make a book only about her. ’But that’s impossible, she died under the great war. She sacrificed herself for the greater purpose.’

As everyone around Norah jumped to conclusions she remained silent and observing. Shyu had appeared from somewhere; Norah looked up and tried to figure out where she came from; she saw two options. The entrance to the park was a great gate, but the possibility of people standing there was very small, and who would climb up a gate to look over the city when there were much higher buildings? The other option was the clock tower of the church, a very beautiful and extremely high tower with a bell that could sound through all of Merris many streets. Norah’s sight focused on the top of the clock tower, she could see some shadows atop of the tower, she wasn’t sure of how many; maybe one, maybe three. But one thing was for sure, someone was standing at the top of the tower and Norah didn’t believe that it was a coincidence.

Norah kept observing and found out that everyone around her had special powers, a thing she would use to her advantage. While everyone fought each other or the woman, Norah stood behind observing them all… She was learning about her opponents, the only thing she did was giving the water in the park fountain an alcohol percent around ten, without anyone being able to see it, to make sure the cold weather wouldn’t crystallize it. Norah had no control of the water if it suddenly would turn to ice. ’Staying out of the battle for now is the best choice, if no one knows that I have powers as well I won’t become target and they won’t know how to counter me. For now I am just a normal human from a noble family of Merris.’

Norah stayed close to Adrian, and followed him as he hopped of the railing, he was the only one that didn’t seem to attack the “dead” out of nowhere, and was because of that the most trustworthy, or at least that’s what Norah was thinking. ”Fenris, it seems the woman isn’t alone, look up there” Norah pointed towards the top of the clock tower ”I don’t know what you are, but I trust you.” She gave Adrian another smile.

The frustrated look the musician gave Adrian wasn't all surprising, more like... fairly obvious that he would give that look. But Adrian could care less for it, of course, the musician had now called upon a fight. But if he was smart, he would've waited for the blizzard lady to attack first. Adrian would've still countered it, but, only with the intention that there was no reason for a fight.

If Adrian could, he would have thrown another set of throwing knives at the crystals. But his hat only provides him with what it think its best for the situation, a rather large down-side that he would pull out a rubber chicken if the hat thought he needed it. Well, for now it looked like this fight was between the blizzard lady and the three others that appeared from every possible direction...

Perhaps the musician was right, and is she an enemy. Yet, it wouldn't make sense, I have yet to make an enemy in this world. Let alone get someone as far as to wanting me turned into an ice sculpture. Adrian struggled with some new thoughts in his busy mind, he recognized the blizzard lady after some time. The Queen of Cold, Shyu. But how will one make sense out of this, a hero from thirty years ago? Not to mention one that should be resting under a layer of grass. Necromancy would be the best answer, yet, I know about necromancy one does not keep its human form, necromancy revolves around rising the dead in their current state. Which means Shyu should've been a skeleton if she were to be resurrected with Necromancy...

Adrian ran a hand through his white hair before placing his hat back on its familiar spot. The silence was unnerving, not to mention the confusion that had gathered around the growing group. All of these people supposedly have some kind of ability, I wonder... The chess player turned his gaze to Norah, a serious expression on his face. Though he shrugged it off and gave a light smile before turning his red eyes back at the other strangers that had shown up.

All do not belong in Merris, the majority at least. What is their purpose here? Did they predict that a dead hero would appear in the centre of this park? Or are they here by coincidence? Are they friend or enemy? Questions without clear answers flew through Adrian's head, though he still maintained his calm, collected stare. "What card did I pull out of my hat this time..." The chess player turned his gaze back to Norah as the woman spoke up, pointing at the roof of the clock tower as she did so.

A group of shadows, or just one shadow being manipulated by the thick blizzard. Whatever would suit the situation best. Adrian's eyes peered through the thick blizzard, closely watching as he tried to count the vague shadows. Three, maybe four? An unknown amount was an answer most clear for now, perhaps the only answer if they were to stay here. Adrian lowered his hat as his red eyes once more met with the bright blue eyes of Norah, and if that wasn't enough the noble woman had to smile as she gave her trust to the chess player.

"I thank you for giving me your trust missus Bright." Adrian bowed, turning his head back towards the roof of the clock tower as he rose up from the bowing motion. "Might I propose the idea of letting these strangers take care of the blizzard lady, while we focus our attention on the strange figures that inhabit the clock tower's roof?" Adrian give a light smile as he nodded at Norah.

"And, if I did. I apologize for surprising you with my little... 'trick'. But I suppose, every magician has need for a secret, right?" Once more Adrian nodded before leading the way towards the clock tower. A dark wooden door would block the entrance, though with luck, it wasn't locked. Adrian took his time to work his way up the cracking wooden stairs, there was no hurry. Not to mention that he was still working his way through the many questions that popped up in his head. What would be the reason to attack a random target? Or did the attacker know the majority of the group have abilities? What kind of threat would we be to this attacker? What does he or she gain from killing us for no apparent reason?

Realising he was speaking in thoughts the whole climb, Adrian gave a short sigh. "Norah," The chess player began, looking at the noble woman from the corner of his eyes as he turned his head to the left. "what can you make of this surprising event? Does this have any purpose whatsoever? Or were we just at the wrong place at the wrong time?" Adrian glared at the large bell as he reached the top. The icy wind finally getting through his skin he shivered, finally acknowledging the cold. "Now, how does one get on the roof of this tower..." He'd give his eyes enough time to absorb the small room, looking for a possible way to the roof.

Shyu observed the people rising up against her. It had seemed as they were conflicted as to whether she was friend or foe. She reached into her kimono and pulled out two paper fans, opening them.

"You, who have been given powers to guide this world to peace...the same power I was once given. Show me the strength of this generation!" With those words she started spinning around, as if in a dance. Her movements were beautiful, elegant and graceful. With each spin the blizzard grew stronger and stronger, blinding everyone and chilling them to their bones. As the snowstorm picked up Shyu's body began to disintegrate into snow, until she was completely gone.

"My power, Snow Dance. Now, prove that you are worthy of such strength. Face me!" As her voice echoed around them she appeared in the air, swinging her fans causing a wave of snow and with, as sharp as blades, to rush towards the group who faced her.


Meanwhile, Serrin and Rana watched from up above.

"It seems like things have started. I am curious as to how strong they are." Rana said, a devilish grin on her face. Serrin watched with cold, unfeeling eyes.

"It doesn't matter. Those fools who barely have a grasp on their powers cannot match up to the strength of a legendary hero." He said in a calm manner. Rana smirked.

"I don't know...They seem to be doing quite well, and Shyu is outnumbered...This will prove to be entertaining, in the least." She gave a small laugh as she watched below. She then noticed one of them pointing in their direction. "Oh, it looks like we have been noticed. What ever shall we do?"

"I don't care. If they think they can come up here and fight then I will just crush them here and now." He held his fist up and clenched it. "No mercy." Rana smiled.

"I love your confidence, but being careful is a must. You must be alive if you want to change the world..." She said calmly. Serrin looked at her, and calmly nodded.

The wind shield tightened closer around the woman's body under the renewed and increased pressure of the snowstorm. She didn't seemed fazed in the slightest, only narrowing her eyes at the master of the blizzard. "Pah," The sound was cold. The woman wasn't impressed in the slightest and moved to take the other blade from her back, a wicked scimitar. She remembered the woman who called one the blizzard's name. Shyu, from the stories she was told before she left the sands. She was supposed to be one of the old warriors, what was she still doing alive? More importantly, why was she fight them?

The woman glanced back at the man who called upon the crystal shards... Looks like that fellow had the right idea after all. Better safe than sorry however, and then she looked back to Shyu. Just as the woman disappeared into the blizzard. The woman sighed, it would make things difficult if she couldn't see her foe, but not altogether impossible. As she was gone, a voice was heard in the blizzard, the owner Shyu.

"My power, Snow Dance. Now, prove that you are worthy of such strength. Face me!"

"You aren't worthy of our strength," The woman stated plainly, "Assaulting a town that has no part in your plans," the woman said, tone rising. She side-stepped out of the way of the snow blades with a pirouette and dipped on the next volley. The snow that scored an indirect hit was bounced off of her wind shell, leaving a gap where the chill seeped in. She rose from her dip, longsword held upright and her scimitar held backwards. "We have nothing to prove to you!" The woman yelled, the wind shell whipping around her ever more fiercely. It seemed as if the winds themselves bent to her emotions. "If you want to see a dance, then watch!" She said as she spun around in an offensive pirouette, scimitar held out, and zephyr of wind shot from the blade to combat the chilly gales that whipped around.

She slid into an Écarté stance, her right foot forward and her left loose and ready to spring. the longsword was held forward to the unseen enemy as the scimitar was still held backwards above her head. She bent her knees half-way in a Demi-plié. She whipped her left foot around in a sweep, causing a cyclone spinning counter-clockwise to erupt into the blizzard. As the cyclone fought the blizzard, she ended the dance with the scimitar held out in front of her while the longsword was held out to her side, ready to strike.

"My name is Isabel Fayth... I am the Dancing Winds," The Desert Rose stated, defiant in the face of the storm.

Things were getting crazy. Shuala knew in the back of her mind that she couldn't be the only one with powers, but she never imagined something like this would happen. If anything, she expected she might meet some guy with an extra toe in a tavern one day.
She wrinkled her nose at the thought.
One of the people involved in all this rushed toward her, suggesting "
 It's dangerous to stay here!"
"You don't gotta tell me twice," Shuala assured, shaking her head in disbelief. She retreated backwards towards the wall, finding a shadowy spot where she could crouch in peace. "I mean, I know a few parlor tricks, but nothing like that," indicating those controlling the wind around the park, creating icy phenomenon that she found really friggin annoying. "But there has to be SOMETHING we can do," she cursed below her breath. She hated feeling useless.
She noted that two of the surprise warriors (all she could do is assume that the young woman was also harboring some power) were leaving their ranks. She was 100% in opposition to splitting up, but hey, what could she do?
"Got any bright ideas?" She asked her new companion.

"You don't gotta tell me twice," the girl in the red hood grunted. She moved to a shady spot by some wall for cover, protecting herself from the cold. Anyu followed, and knelt down close to her.

"I mean, I know a few parlor tricks, but nothing like that," her companion gestured at the combatants, clashing air and snow in battle. Her face had a sour expression, and her lips were pursed under her heavy hair. "But there has to be SOMETHING we can do." A low curse crept into her breath. Her eyes were watchful of those around her, a couple that motioned to be leaving.

"Got any bright ideas?"

She asked Anyu, who jumped at this urgent tone. In perfect honesty, she was quite as clueless what to do, and a great quantity more frightened. "Um," she ambled in her nervous tone, "I-I don't know how to fight, and I think you can't at the moment..."

The winds howled stronger as the warrior-woman clashed at the blizzard-spirit. The snow picked up speed at times and caused a flurry. "M-maybe we could...get to safer ground under this snow cover!" The lanky brunette held out a hand to the red-hooded girl. "I c-could get us out of here, but you'll have t-to hold on tight."

"My power, Snow Dance. Now, prove that you are worthy of such strength. Face me!"

As soon as the freezing blizzard had begun, Jake hurriedly encased himself within a crystal shelter. Unlike the ones from earlier, the shield crystals had an amber gleam to them. The icy wind buffeted the crystal, but thankfully didn't cause any damage. All that he had to worry about now was how long this onslaught would continue. Well, if he was going down then he'd go down fighting.

"C'mon then! If you tell us to face you then why don't you face us back, eh?!" yelled the musician. Some of the crystals in the shield went transparent, allowing Jake to see what was going on outside. He sheathed the kukri, seeing as he wouldn't be needing it for the moment, nor would it be very useful in this kind of fight anyway. Scratching his chin in thought, he debated whether he should make fun of Shyu's age or appearance. Sure, it was crazy, but there was always a chance that it'd work.

"Any chance you'd like to gloat and tell us why you're still kicking and not lying in a mausoleum like any pile of bones should?" he asked, barely managing to raise his voice above the raging wind. "Yeah, that's what you're supposed to be; a pile of bones. You should've gone out in a blaze of glory and stayed that way. Care to explain why you're up and about?"

Norah kept following Adrian as he proposed the idea of going to the top of the tower, where supposedly comrades of Shyu were observing the fight from. ’Fenris seems to be the only one thinking rationally of these people. It seems that I made the right choice to follow him.’ The snowstorm was getting heavier as they entered the clock tower.

”No need to apologize; I have always been fascinated about magic since I was a little child.” Another lie, it had been a while since Norah had lied as much as she had this day. She looked around for any opportunity to get something she would be able to defend herself with, if the only way out, was to use her powers. A liquid was all she needed, but she wasn’t in range of any at the moment. But she had always one card up her sleeve as a last resort, but whether she would be fast enough to do it if needed was the question.

- “Norah what can you make of this surprising event? Does this have any purpose whatsoever? Or were we just at the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Norah didn’t answer right away as she normally did ’Surprising event indeed. Whether this has anything in common with the Great War thirty years back is certain, but seeing an old hero from the war is just absurd, since almost all of them sacrificed themselves for the greater purpose. Did the demon queen arise once more? No that can’t be it, she wasn’t able to bring back the dead; at least none of the history books mentioned anything about an army of the dead.’

”One thing is for sure, this has a lot in common with the Great War thirty years ago, but there is no sign that it is the same threat as that time. A hero from back then rose from her grave, and I don’t think those people atop of this tower is weaker than her. This makes it a bad move from our side to attack them but, if we can get information on who they are we might be able to counter them in a way…” Norah’s eyes met Adrians, but she wasn’t sure of how trustworthy he was yet, even though she had said that she trusted him. She decided to keep her powers a secret for now ”With your and the others special powers, that is.” Her eyes turned towards the stairs they were running on ”Another option would be to try to convince the persons atop that we want to join them, and help them achieve whatever they want to, in some way… I am in for anything.” Norah wasn’t sure of if Adrian believed that she didn’t have any powers, she had had some quiet long breaks in her sentences that, for some observing people, obviously was a sign of lying in a way.

As they reached the top of the tower Norah was about to ask the exact same question as Adrian came up with how to get to the roof. Norah had never been inside the clock tower before. She looked around for an opportunity to get to the roof of the tower. The bell hang in the roof of the tower, which meant if they could get to the bell, then maybe there would be a hatch to the top. ”The bell. If we can get to the bell we have a possibility of getting to the roof… If we are lucky.” She smiled again even though, there weren’t anything smiling for; the situation wasn’t quite nice.

This this was somehow connected with the Great War that happened thirty years ago was a certainty, that wasn't the answer Adrian was after. It was the reason of this event. Why would someone send a supposedly dead hero to fight a random group of people? Well the only answer would be from the fact that the majority of that group had special powers, including Adrian. Were the people with special abilities some kind of threat? But how? Sure Adrian always wondered what the use of his abilities were, but that didn't mean he immediately saw it as some kind of gift to fight for the good, nor did he for the evil side. The chess player just saw it as something he just... gained for no reason whatsoever. It wasn't until now Adrian started to doubt that answer and searched for a different one...

But I did not make my way up the tower to fight them, I came looking for answers. I'm not a true fighter, not in the manner of how they are fighting down there... Not to forget, I will only attack whenever they show hostility towards us... Adrian glared at the ceiling, carefully placing his hand on the giant yellow bell. There must be some way we can push ourselves on the roof, how else does one get on it? His red eyes spotted a simple hatch, and the wall right beneath it that was decorated with a improvised ladder.

But wouldn't that make it too obvious? A human reacts unclear when faced with a surprise, whether it has a good or bad intention. Adrian turned his eyes at Norah, shaking his head in disagreement. Joining someone is the easy way out, and he did not believe that the figures on the roof were about to reveal their intentions if they'd ask for it. Not to forget that if it was true they were with the blizzard lady, then their intention might be wrong. I am not here to choose sides, fighting for good or evil never was one of the purposes I had planned for my life, but that's not the point here now is it?

Norah suggesting a way to the roof, snapped Adrian out of his thoughts. Realising he had been talking in his mind, the chess player scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Eh, we could try that hatch in the corner, perhaps that will lead us to the roof?" Without further hesitation Adrian made his way towards the improvised ladder, taking every step cautiously as it felt unstable.

With a loud crack and the obvious sound of bashing the hatch, Adrian looked down. "If you want you can just wait here. There is no need for us both to foolishly balance on a roof of course..." Without waiting for any kind of reaction, Adrian pushed the hatch so he could set foot outside. The cold now making itself even more present, and Adrian found himself shivering continuously once he set foot on the roof.

Did my sight just drop to an all time low? Or did the blizzard just grew thicker? The chess player firmly pressed his hat on his head, though keeping one hand on it in case a strong wind would blow it from its respective spot. Adrian just stood there, waiting for some kind of reaction, if the shadows both he and Norah saw were real that is...

Shyu reappeared, this time standing on the top of the fountain. She looked at the musician who had mocked her, her face a prime example of clarity.

"I have no need to tell you of things that do not concern you. My purpose her today is to test your strength, and report it to my master. That is all." The snowstorm picked up again, and with it her body once again dissolved into snow. "You and the Isherian girl are strong to be able to be able to withstand my attacks up till now, but your defense can only go so far. In this snowstorm, it is impossible to attack me. My defense is my greatest offense. Can you say the same?" She reappeared again, slashing with great force, enough to cause large gashes in the ground, before disappearing again.

"I wield the power that helped slay Levantine! What hope do you have?" Again, she appeared to attack, her snow blades clashing against the two's shields, and again she disappeared. "If you do not try harder, then you will die here, unable to accomplish anything with your powers." She reappeared, standing in the middle of the park, holding her fans out to her sides. "Come at me now. I wish to see why you were given such strength. If you cannot be strong, then this world will die."


Serrin paused as he heard footsteps behind him. He could see one of the people from below, trying to adjust to the snowstorm. To Serrin, such a thing was second nature. This blizzard was normal to him, and his body adapted quickly.

"You have come all the way up here, for what purpose? Why do you not stay and help them fight? If they fall, you will be alone to deal with us, and you will die pitifully." Serrin took a few steps forward, as Rana kept close to his back. "No...your face betrays your thoughts. What is it you want. What were you hoping to accomplish up here. Speak! That is what you wanted, isn't it?"