Fukayna Muidrehd's Story

Sebastian, Fukayna and Khrae

"Look, Ay don't want any trouble! A'm being chased by the city guard, so A'm leaving the city. Ya'll seem like nice people, fer walking armories. So Ay'll tell you the truth. Ay've just killed a man named Bosack, a big gang type man here, so A'm in some trouble now. And if you let me go peaceably, Ay can fly away in seconds, leave ya be. Is that all right?"

Sebastian had been thrown off by the sudden use of magic, the barrier of earth thrown up between them putting the old assassin on edge. He glowered at the youth on the other side who raised his hands and tried to explain away his innocence and meaning of no harm. It fell on deaf ears though as the sudden display of power immediately put Sebastian into the category of 'suspicion'.

"Fly away? Just like that? Boy, you've some nerve. Display of your magic in public is forbidden, against the laws set down by the Order of Vyldi. You're in that city, boy," Sebastian growled, "Not to mention you just raised that power against a top member of the Order of Reina! I'm in a foul mood to begin with, boy. You're coming with me," the assassin ordered. Half of it was a show in order to put his authority to use, the other half was to save the boy. Surely those of the mages guild had felt the young man's power and were in search of it as they spoke right then. Sebastian couldn't just leave the boy to himself, not with the Order of Vyldi on his tail. The only thing that could save him now was Lord V'lyn, the one man in all of Lastra to hold enough power over all of the Orders to get what he wanted.

"Look, boy. Stay here and you'll be hunted by those dogs that call themselves mages. You'll not last the night," Sebastian tried a different tone of voice, judging by the young man's look he wasn't getting across his point very well, "Come with me and you'll live. I'll think about pardoning you from raising your magic against me," he added for spite.

Armen Sorien

His eyes curved towards the dragon who was having a conversation with his owner. The young woman looked to be in terrible shape, unable to move or speak. He felt pity for the girl and would have taken a few steps closer to her to see if she needed anything had it not been for the dark aura that the dragon was producing. The elf could very well tell that he wasn't going to be allowed near the girl without getting bitten in the process. He preferred keeping all of his limbs, so Armen kept his distance, though it didn't stop him from looking over from time to time to see how she was fairing.

As they waited for Sebastian to return, the air grew colder as the night grew longer. The elf wondered what it was that had caught Sebastian's attention. Maybe Lord V'lyn had shown up in the city? That would be reason enough, Armen thought. It didn't sit well though, as he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. The commotion not to long ago, now dead silence. What was going on exactly? Of course, the silence didn't last long and Armen was startled out of his revere as soft sounds in the darkness approached them.

His sharp ears caught the scuff of boots across cobblestones and apparently he wasn't the only one. Stephano, seated protectively over Astrid, growled suddenly, his eyes narrowing into slits that glowed in the darkness. Armen reached down to his side and gripped the sword sheathed there. Slowly, he pulled the blade free and readied himself, hoping that it was only Sebastian coming back from his side trip.

Alas, it wasn't who he thought and three figures cloaked in black appeared out of the darkness just before them. One threw back his hood and glared at Armen who raised his sword. His dark hair was pulled into a pony tail at the back of his neck, the long strands of hair falling over one shoulder as he glared at them. Loose bits of black hair fell across his forehead and into his dark eyes.

"Magic is forbidden to be used in public," one on the man's right said softly, his deep voice reverbarating through the alleyway that they had stopped in.

"We didn't use-"

"I can feel the power in the air as we speak, elf! Don't mock me," the one of the left spat, cutting Armen off entirely.

He tightened his grip on his sword and narrowed his eyes. What was with these guys? None of them had used any magic, at least none that he'd known of. Granted he didn't know these people all that well, but he was willing to vouch for them, willing to trust that they hadn't done something as careless as that. He flicked his gaze over to the remaining group. For a moment he wished that Sebastian was back with them. He was sure the old assassin could get them out of this situation.

"Look, if you would just listen to me. We just came from the spire where Is-"

"Don't let him speak, elves can use magic that way. Restrain him, quickly," the man in front ordered. His voice was exceptionally calm as he flicked his fingers forward.

"What?! Wait," Armen cried, trying to get them to listen to him.

His sword rose up in reflex to defend against the first mage who lunged at him. A sharp kick into the man's stomach had him doubled over and Armen dropped the swords pommel on the back of his head. The mage crumpled and Armen turned to the remaining two. It didn't seem talking was going to get them anywhere. The first mage raised his hands and began chanting. It was a powerful spell, that much Armen could tell as he felt the air change dramatically, growing hotter with each second. He rushed forward, intent on stopping the man as soon as possible. If he could get there in time.

Valentino

Valentino looked down to the young, bursting treasure he'd stumbled upon as she gave her explanation to exactly how she'd found herself in his midst. A member of the Nine? That perked the man's curiosity just slightly, the fact that the Nine was involved was something to think on, but of course not for any extended period of time. Rather, a more pressing matter was how exactly he could reign in this lovely delicacy. As it were, he'd been interrupted during the ceremony he no longer had any intentions of finishing. Of course because of that he didn't have the power necessary to produce an adequate amount of his usual potent doses, and while he could leak in small amounts at a time, he could neither sustain even that for how long it would take. Of course there was just one more options... Considering the circumstances of the situation, as well as short and long-term effects...

Looking down to the young Navile, Valentino gave her a reassuring smile.

"Of course my dear," he said calmly, "of course... But, if I may.. The spells of the Nine shouldn't be taken lightly. Magic like that, if left to simply eat away at the body can cause some nasty side effects... While it would fade of course in time or if you simply rested, one can never be... too sure."

Smiling again the man held up a hand gently to her chin, taking a moment to admire her. Of course he knew of the little harm done in transportation spells unless by a young, learning, novice mage, but that was hardly important. He need only an excuse to power himself, and this buffet of compressed energy which was currently emanating enough to put the girl into a daze was perfect.

"Allow me to rid you of this lingering magic..." the man's words were quiet, soothing and yet almost irresistible. He could use just a little bit of what he had remaining for this process, especially when in doing so he would gain nearly triple what he was giving away. Looking into her eyes, he continued. "Relax... Close your eyes, breathe. Lest your body cling inadvertently to the tiniest amount of what it needs to expel. Allow me to take it from you..."

As the man spoke he slowly drew his hand away, closing his own eyes calmly while beginning to channel all the energy around the girl through his fingertips and into himself. The surge of power was exhilarating, an ecstasy greater than any amount of magic he'd felt before, including some of the most powerful and naive mages. Within moments he felt himself completely rejuvenated, alert and as if he could empower the minds of ten men. Yes, the natural potency and purity of this magic which was so feared was delicious. He felt it coursing through his entire being and was running out of room to put the power, and so he simply allowed it to do as it always did, the alluring mist forming at his feet and slowly expanding outwards, sparkling, and seeming to glow. It was even so much as to cause the candles around the room to flicker, the shadows being cast by them to dance in overlapping black silhouettes on the wall. Valentino knew this action should seem to help her as well, himself siphoning the magic which clouded her mind. For now he would only leave a trace of his presence in her head, for he had plenty of energy to continue later, and it was always the tiniest things which seemed to manifest the most.

Valentino smiled as he opened his eyes, finally putting down his hand and coming to a rest, enjoying this new pleasure which came with the acquisition of a new, more powerful source of magic. Adjusting himself calmly, he gave a sigh and smiled again, showing off brilliantly white, perfectly aligned teeth, each with an almost unnatural shine. With a wave of his hand towards the door, he then held out his other hand to her.

"Now then, may I escort you back to your friends?"


Khrae

Khrae's hand touched instinctively to the hilt of his sword as Sebastian impacted a figure in the dark. With his mind working a thousand times a second to process and comprehend the entirety of the situation, the man wouldn't draw unless absolutely necessary, and even then he'd have evaluated several scenarios, weighed outcomes, hindrances, accounted for x-factors and then chosen the best option. It was this cunning and calculation which came from his clear mind, something which showed easily in his eyes, if only the current adversary could see the steely gold beneath the shroud of night.

A moment later however, and with their prey set on the defensive, a wall of earth was suddenly erected. Khrae remained in a calm, ready stance in the rear as he listened with his usual apathetic expression to the man who attempted to give himself purpose. Negotiations weren't his designated task on this particular mission, nor was granting pardon to others, so Khrae simply adjusted his gaze towards the older assassin who seemed less than thrilled over the whole exchange as he gave his rebuttal.

Seeing as how Sebastian was ready to offer refuge to the boy escaping the law however, Khrae straightened to a resting stance. Exactly why the man thought it necessary to do what he did, Khrae couldn't place at the moment, but he wouldn't dispute it. Looking towards the other man who stood opposite them, the swordsman waited, though remained ready to strike or defend. Then he felt the sudden explosion of power.

"Sebastian!" Even as he spoke the man's eyes were darting back to where they had left the others. Through the darkness Khrae could swear he had just witnessed a blur of something chasing what appeared to be a human projectile made up of a mage. Mentally he cursed, turning again to the assassin, waiting for the word.


Dante

Confusion was what Dante was experiencing. One minute he'd just witnessed maybe the most impressive and easily painful maiming of a supposedly powerful figure, a mage, and then the next he was approached by Capella who had gone from a merciless Dragoness to looking like a defenseless, innocent girl. Her words were even more perplexing, as were her actions which had caught the boy entirely off guard. At first he wasn't seeing why it was necessary to tell him she was cold, perhaps a side-effect from hanging around with Khrae too long, but then understanding swept over him. Unfortunately his moment of hesitation seemed to be insufficient, as suddenly she'd stolen one side of his jacket, snuggling into the soft fabric and at the same time against him.

"A-er.." he began, leaning off to one side as Capella forced herself into the warmth of his proximity. "Ahh.. Oh.. Kay" Dante wasn't sure how to react, especially considering what he'd seen and now that she was lacking even more so in her coverings. Standing lopsided for a moment as the Dragoness positioned herself within his jacket, the boy looked curiously to her, not entirely sure that his clothing could support two people. He knew at least it wouldn't burn considering his clan dealt with fire and so had to accommodate it in their clothing, but they hadn't counted on forcing two beings into one size. It had taken a moment but finally it seemed she had gotten herself comfortable, nearly toppling and dragging Dante down with her as she simply drifted off to sleep.

"Wha-ah, he--" The boy had only managed to get one arm around her front to support her while having to push his other around her back and side beneath the jacket. "Uh.. Ca-Capella? ... H." Dante looked up towards the others for some sort of help or advice, unsure of the entire situation while at the same time slightly embarrassed.. "Err.. Help?" he said sheepishly, looking back towards the girl in his possession. Perhaps under different circumstances she'd of looked rather cute cuddled into his jacket, though when he had to support her and when he was trying to share the garment too, it was slightly more than awkward. The fact that she snored too, loudly at that and so close to him made the boy almost want to pinch her nose to shut it up, though he supposed that probably wasn't good.

Looking back up he gave a helpless shrug as he simply surrendered to what had happened.

The black haired man yelled Sebastien, looking at the older man. Mikeal, who had been preparing a extremely sarcastic response, watched as a man flew out of the back alley. He sighed.

"Ya. Ah'm the one who needs help." He grinned at those assorted around him. "Ah'm not worried aboot the mages, seeings how Ay ain't one of them. But Ay'll help ya. Ay have a friend nearby who can help ya." He turned, his powers rising as four mages with fifteen guards ran up. Mikeal smashed his hands into the ground, blocking them off as a twenty foot wall of cobblestone came up. He turned back to the group as he peeked at the others who stood where the mage had flown from.

"Ay'd like to help. Ya don't need ta threaten me, seeings how I don't scare easily, but Ay'll help you escape." He grinned once more. "Sides. Ay doubt Ay'll be the weirdest addition you've had." He looked pointedly at the colorful group in front of him. As he spoke, the wall behind him muffled the sounds of magicals blast slamming into the stone with full strength. Mikeal shifted a little, trying not to show how impatient he was. It had been a while since he'd been with a group, but now seemed like a bad time to play lone wolf.

"So. Am Ay in?"

A tunnel opened up next to him, leading to a street that would take them to Artan's store.

Sebastian

"So. Am Ay in?" The young man's accent was heavy and hard to figure out, but Sebastian had caught on pretty quickly. With a sharp nod, the old assassin agreed to the youth before him.

"Quickly then," he said as he motioned for the others to follow him through the tunnel like structure that the young man had erected before them. He knew that the others would be on their way to Skyfall by now seeing as he'd been gone from them for far too long. It was as he ordered, and he expected no less either.

"Let's see what kind of friends you have, young man," Sebastian muttered as he entered the tunnel.

Fay X'san and Valentino DeAngelo

"Of course my dear, of course... But, if I may.. The spells of the Nine shouldn't be taken lightly. Magic like that, if left to simply eat away at the body can cause some nasty side effects... While it would fade of course in time or if you simply rested, one can never be... too sure."

His fingers gently traced under her chin and brought her head up. Her eyes were unfocused as she gazed up at him. She tried hard to pull his face into focus, but the harder she tried the more it seemed he wavered in front of her. She swayed gently in his hold, but never fell as he was right there. Fay hardly understood what it was he was saying, only bits and pieces of it actually making it's way into her mind and being coherent.

"Allow me to rid you of this lingering magic...Relax... Close your eyes, breathe. Lest your body cling inadvertently to the tiniest amount of what it needs to expel. Allow me to take it from you..."

Fay's eyes drifted shut without warning, as if commanded by his thick, sugary voice. Her body relaxed automatically in his hold, every fiber in her being literally turning to mush in his hold. She didn't feel his hand pull away from her, but what she did feel was her power being pulled at. Whatever the Nine had done to her, it had messed up her magic considerably. What this man was doing seemed to put it all back together again, almost like fixing a tear in a shirt or the like.

"Now then, may I escort you back to your friends?"

The Fae opened her dark eyes and blinked several times. She could concentrate then, her body felt her own once more and her magic was dormant again. She couldn't feel the over bearing power and it calmed her to know that she wasn't going to loose control over it anytime soon. Fay had feared going back to the group lest she unleash her magic unknowingly and hurt some of them. It was then that she realized she'd been in the man's grip the entire time and her face blushed as she slowly pulled away from him.

"Yes," she answered softly. That and she needed to retrieve her weapons. Getting back to the tower where her crossbow and knife where shouldn't be a problem, at least, she didn't think it would be, "But first I need to recover my weapons. I lost them in the middle tower where my friends and I were to meet with a man named Isaehn. Would it be too much to ask to go there first?"

She asked quickly, taking hold of his arm. Fay wasn't sure why she'd grabbed onto him, almost fearing that she was going to lose him somehow. It was a strange feeling and she looked down at her hands in confusion. Slowly she released him, but turned her eyes back to his with the same pleading look she'd given him moments before.

Armen Sorien

The fight was over in a matter of minutes and Armen was awestruck at what had happened. Not only had he just taken down mages in the city, but they were also mages of the Order of Vyldi. His heart raced in his chest. This wasn't supposed to happen. How was he supposed to get pardoned for a crime he hadn't committed in Lethandrill now? What was he going to do now that he'd attacked mages? The young elf tried to rationalize that they had attacked them, calling out absurd charges and so therefore he was in the right to defend the group.

However, would that stand in front of the Orders? Maybe if Lord V'lyn were with them... but it didn't seem that Lord V'lyn was going to have any time on his hands to help them out of this mess. The best thing they could do now was retreat to Skyfall, the assassin's safe haven. Armen could only hope that the Order of Vyldi would respect the boundaries of another city. Turning he slowly sheathed his sword, just barely catching what the little brown dragon said to him.

"Armen. I hope you are alright. And for the record, I am not the one who helped you. I was...pushed."

Armen smiled warmly down at the dragon and nodded. He was sure that the little dragon would have helped either way, but Armen would have been fine even if he hadn't, "Thank you," he replied to Stephano then glanced about the group. Astrid was still on the ground and it didn't look like she was going to be able to move for some time. Capella was currently in the folds of Dante's jacket and that left only himself and Stephano to deal with Astrid's prone body.

"We need to start back to Skyfall. Sebastian gave us clear orders to leave if he did not return," Armen started and then turned once again to look at the dragon and his companion down on the ground. He frowned, knowing that the little beast wasn't going to be too fond of the elf trying to handle his companion, "Would you allow me to help you with Astrid, Stephano? At least to put her on your back perhaps?"

Once things were settled with Stephano and Astrid, Armen led the group out of the city. Through the gates, they moved into the darkness and quickly. The faster they got from Ro'ell, the better. More distance between them and the crazed mages was a welcoming feeling as Armen moved quickly through the darkness. They'd had no time for horses, so the trek back to Skyfall would be on foot, and that was going to be a long one...

Isaehn Raxieyl

He was alone once more, save for Zephyr, who stood faithfully some meters from him. It was not this fact that affected him so as it was the way Fukayna had decided to leave. Normally, he'd have brushed it off but the encounter with one of the nine previously had turned him contemplative. Lain had been too erratic, too out of control--more so than usual. Isaehn's mind was quick on the uptake as he re-evaluated the current state of things. The attacks, the separation, the assassination attempt. Even for one so composed and controlled as he, this was enough to push him just a bit closer to the edge and cause a modicum of concern. What had started as a playful game earlier in the day had turned into a dangerous series of moves, some of which he had not been responsible for. This fact alone was enough to annoy him but was compounded additionally by the actions of her.

Fukayna had chosen the elf. She had allowed him to direct her, to leave the mage's presence. Perhaps it had been wrong of him to assume she would automatically fall back into her old habits, but yet...

He felt a hand on his shoulder and slid his eyes to the right, finding the figure of Zephyr with a thoughtful expression on his face. Isaehn didn't bother to put in any effort to trying to act in normalcy, for his dragon was much more perceptive than that to be fooled by such antics. Instead he just regarded his dragon with a solemn expression, a blankness settling across his features. Zephyr regarded him closer before addressing him with a smoothly calm tone.


"Youngling, perhaps it is time to turn from these games to more pressing matters." Isaehn paused, furrowing his eyebrows. He was not in the mood to beat around the bush and sighed as he eyed his dragon.

"They were not all games, Zephyr, and you would do well to remember that," Even when he was at one of his lower points, Isaehn was still not a man to be taken lightly. His dragon nodded his head in consent and the mage pinched the bridge of his nose with another sigh. "What did you wish to bring to my attention?" His dragon removed the hand from the mage's shoulder and instead put his hands into his coat pockets.

"I wanted to discuss the members of the group that came here from Riena. More specifically, the dragoness who had given some life essence to the previously unconscious elf." A raise of the eyebrows was the only prompt Isaehn gave to continue. "She, that woman, was an enigma. Quite unlike myself, who takes this form with assistance from your magic. And unlike the larger, fat dragon that came barreling in here not too long ago. This girl was... different--not a halfling and not involved in a possession of sorts." Perhaps under different circumstances, Isaehn would've cut Zephyr off. He hated long-winded explanations. But he needed a breather from the events that had just transpired and the soothing voice of his dragon had always managed to relax him in such times.

"I bring this up not to seemingly nitpick at insignificant details, but rather to draw a point of interest. Though the dragoness possessed similar qualities to myself, such as scales that were clearly a part of her existence, a dragon soul affecting a Human body... the soul and body in question were both completely Human. That woman was a living, full-blooded dragon, but also an equally living, full-blooded Human at the same time. Despite this paradox, however, she was clearly a single being." Isaehn took a moment to process the information, raising a hand to his chin to stroke it lightly. A paradox? Zephyr seemed ill-at-ease with the knowledge he had just disclosed, which only led to strengthen Isaehn's growing suspicions that many things were on the game board that he had not previously assembled there.

There was a touch of a frown on his face before Isaehn regained himself, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "And the others, they did not trouble you as she?" He prompted, Zephyr shifting with the direct line of questioning.

"The situation is troubling, youngling. You are losing your firm hold on the game pieces and I can see them scattering about." The mage froze, blinking at the cool impact of Zephyr's words. He? Losing his hold? What an absurd notion. He brushed off he doubt that had risen from his dragon's statement, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. Without a word, he stood up and turned on his heel. Perhaps it was time to check to see if any more of the visitors were still on the premises. There had been someone missing earlier when he had briefly counted those that were departing. He did not bother with addressing Zephyr, displeased at his dragon's suggestion that he was not in full control. So sometimes the pieces might not be moved to a section of the chess board that was preferable. That didn't mean the game couldn't be turned around.

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Fukayna Muidrehd

She felt the plummeting feeling in her stomach, time itself seemed to have slowed as she tried to gradually comprehend the situation. Sebastian had lowered his weapon from the man, who had raised the wall between them in a defensive rush. He was making hurried claims to not mean any harm but she could barely understand his accent, as thick as it was. She furrowed her brows together underneath her bangs, trying to make sense of it all. Fukayna had never done well with foreigners or those that did not speak in the universally used dialect. So it should've come as no surprise that she was fairly confused by the exchange. Whether or not the older assassin was aware of her discomfort, she was unsure, for he continued conversing with the man in measured tones.

From what she could gather, he was going to take them through a tunnel system to a shop of sorts? She bit her bottom lip, feeling the magical tremors from the attackers that were still a fair ways off but still close enough to warrant caution. A gruff order from Sebastian that they would allow this "Mikeal" to lead them through the tunnels to escape was enough to propel her into action. If very reluctant and hesitant action. Fukayna couldn't help but look over her shoulder wistfully, privately wishing the older assassin hadn't chosen her to accompany him with Khrae. She wanted to be helpful, truly she did! But... at the same time, Armen was still with the others. Still... Wait. Why was she thinking of him?

She tried to shake herself of the thoughts but they still lingered in her mind. Gods above, why was she worried about him? Her heart was doing a small little panicked dance in her chest at the thought of perhaps more harm befalling him. But she had to obey orders and was in no position to return from him. Even though...

She fumbled with her polearm, jolting her attentions back to their progression through the tunnels. That's right, she needed to be focused on the present situation. Not on the elf she was starting to fear that perhaps she...

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Kaya Xenlyiun

The priestess struggled with the weight of the woman she was supporting against her shoulder, breathing out slowly from between clenched teeth. Kaya would be misleading if she said that the battle had not worn her out, for indeed she was quite exhausted. This mage had put up a wonderful fight, though she could not help but wonder what the outcome would've been had this woman been rational and level-headed. Regardless, the mage had provided a formidable opponent. As Kaya adjusted herself so that she could carry the unconscious woman and still walk at a relatively even pace, she cast a wary eye at her surroundings. She could not rely on her precious arachnid at the moment, not whilst it was recovering it's spiritual energies. Without her beloved creature, she could not make the journey nearly as fast, but perhaps that was for the best. Whatever had driven this woman to the point of losing her natural reasoning must've been something gruesome indeed and it would be best to stay on the alert.

One of her wisps floated in front of her, a bit dim around the edges as some of it's energies were being siphoned off to supply for her recovering pet. The shape it took was a bit warbled but faintly resembled a small pooka--though babyish in form and not nearly as odd to the eyes. The spirit turned in midair, frowning a bit as it's images distorted at the seams. "Mistress..." It began, seeming as if it did not know what to say. Kaya was too short of breath to respond properly but she gave a tired nod for it to continue.

"Are you sure you will be able to make it... to the next city?" There was a faltering on the question. In truth, Kaya had never traveled anywhere on foot, not outside of her swamp. She had no idea the distance to the next portion of civilization and it would be fair to say that she was partially worried. The mage's breathing was uneven, swollen, clearly wounded and in a damaged state. The brown-haired woman would need to be tended to, and Kaya was in no position to provide any assistance. She felt responsible somehow for this mage, maybe because they had engaged in battle, or perhaps it was because of the name that the woman had mentioned earlier.

Who was this 'Talon'? Whoever it was, they must've had great significance to the unconscious beauty in her arms, to push her so far as to lose herself in her magics. At this point, she did not dare tap into the spirit plane to see the flow of mana coursing though this woman, she was too weak to try to repair some of the damage to at least make her temporary companion conscious. Her best bet would be to wait, deal with the extra effort, and hope that somehow she'd make it alright. Perhaps...

Kaya heaved out a sigh. Goddess almighty, her vision was starting to blur... She could barely make out the trail she was wandering on and was sure she was not specifically going in a straight line anymore. She tried to force herself to concentrate on her physical senses but that was starting to fail her. Her body was already trembling, protesting against the progress she forced upon it. Still, she told herself, just a bit longer. Just a little bit longer and then she'd be able to relax, to stop.

Then she heard it, in the distance. Immediately, her spiritual flow began to swirl a bit as alertness returned to her faintly. There was someone else approaching, someone else coming down that path. Kaya had no way of knowing whether this person was going to try apprehending her or assisting her--either way, her situation did not exactly present her with the option of trying to dart off the trail. She brought herself to a halt, holding on more tightly to the woman and praying to the Goddess that enough of her energy would return before whoever it was arrived.

Talon V'lyn

He had to get farther away from the city. Talon knew that his magic had probably reached the outskirts of the walls. He was sure that the mages inside were scrambling around trying to figure out where it had come from. With the reigns in his hand, he stumbled forward slightly, tired from having to try to keep the power at a resonable level.

Raising his head, he looked out into the dim and caught sight of two figures in the dark. He slowed in his forward momentum, eyes narrowing to try to make out who it was. Unable to do so, he continued forward, but much slower than before. How could he know if they were friendly or not?

As he approached he could see who it was. His hand dropped the reigns of the horse and he straightened his body. His blood was flowing fast now, hot with anger as he witnessed Jennifer being held up by a strange woman. Both were battered and bloody and he didn't know what to make of the situation. Should he attack the woman out right? No... it didn't seem that this woman was the enemy, she was holding Jennifer to say the least.

He moved quickly over to Jennifer and took her from the woman's hold, bringing her close to his chest as he slowly dropped down to his knees. His eyes watched her carefully, she was outcold, heavy in his arms.

"Jennifer," he called knowing that she couldn't hear him in her deep sleep. Raising his hand over her body, the silver bracer glowed brightly and extended it's tendrils of pure magic out towards her. He began the tedious process of healing her wounds and giving her the energy that she needed.

Turning, his eyes were smoldering, the color of molten steel rather than their usual blue-grey. His voice ground out between his teeth, "What happened to her? I swear I'll hunt down whoever did this and kill them..."

Sebastian and Company

He was following the man who had started to lead them to some place in the city. All the old assassin had figured out was that they were going to a 'friends' place somewhere in the city. He wasn't sure where, or how long it was going to take. At the same time, Sebastian was feeling a bit impatient with the delay. Leaving the other group behind... perhaps it hadn't been in the best interest.

Damn.

He continued through the tunnel all the same. It wasn't much farther in that the tunnel shuddered violently and Sebastian slowed, reaching out to grab Mikeal's arm in the process. The youth had been lucky for the assassin to grab him as a section of his 'tunnel' shuddered again and finally collapsed inwards. Whoever it was... they were determined to stop them from getting to where they wanted.

"Damned mages... I pray Riena sends them all to hell," he growled and turned to the side of the tunnel. He tapped the tunnel with the pomell of his weapon and grimaced. Looking over his shoulder to Fukayna he motioned towards the wall.

He motioned with his dagger to turn back the other way, pulling the youth with him, "Come on, side trip is over. There'll be time for visiting later!" He turned Fukayna gently and let her take the lead. It wasn't too long before they reached where they'd started, but it was a waste of time. Sebastian was more than irriated by the time they got out of the tunnel and back into the streets.

Once there, he took the lead and moved quickly through the alleyways where he'd come from. He was hoping to find the group where he'd left them, but he was fairly sure that they'd left already for Skyfall. The old assassin moved quickly and once he reached the area where he'd left them, it was indeed, empty.

"As expected...At least they can follow orders," Sebastian whispered to himself, "Come on, if we move quickly we can catch up to them in no time."

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Kaya allowed the woman to slip from her grasp, not having complete where withall to stop it. The strong arms that took the mage belonged to a dark-haired man who wore a concerned look upon his face. She did not like making assumptions but it seemed save to entertain the idea that perhaps this was the 'Talon' that the woman had been speaking of. A flash of metal caught her eye, a bracer on his arm that seemed to glow when he touched the mage. He narrowed his eyes a bit as energy radiated from the object and flowed into the unconscious woman. He murmured her name softly, the word barely audible. Kaya had to strain to hear it but made no comment and overall tried to make as little noise as possible, save for her strained breathing.

Suddenly, he looked up at her, eyes loosing the warmth they had had when regarding the mage. "What happened to her? I swear I'll hunt down whoever did this and kill them..." He spoke harshly, suspicion marred as an undertone. Now without any weight to support, she leaned a bit behind her to steady herself against a tree. Her body felt heavy, constricted. She had definitely expended too much energy earlier and was having a hard time processing what he had asked her in the first place.

Her lips moved slowly as she strained herself to manage a reply. "I... cannot deign to say that I know for sure," She began lightly, already weary with the effort. Gazing at him, however, told her that whoever he was, he had a bond to this woman. She had a feeling the only reason he may not have attacked her outright was to fully comprehend the situation. She would need to be careful about what words she chose to explain but that much thinking in her current state was providing a challenge. The few wisps that were floating nearby rubbed against her cheeks in a worried manner but she brushed them off. She had to try reasoning, before he got the wrong idea.

"I was traveling to Laowlee--I recently departed from the city of Lethandrill. Well..." A light chuckle escaped from between her lips. "Former city perhaps would be more proper..." Her knees were trembling, ready to buckle in the coming moments. She forced herself to stay upright as she continued. "I do not know the circumstances behind this woman or how she came to be here exactly. All I do know is that she.... screamed for one known as Talon--would I be correct in guessing that is you?" Her silver eyes settled on his own pair.

"She attacked me, I believe whoever had harmed her before... " She faltered, breath hitching as the edges of her vision started to blur. This was getting dangerous--she needed Moirasyl to heal her. But summoning the phoenix at this moment would be a tricky scenario. There was the odds that she would pass out if she even tried to produce the notes appropriate for tangibility.


Talon raised his eyebrow slowly as he watched her carefully. She leaned against the tree as if she were utterly tired and he figured she must have been. Her face was pale, from what he could tell in the moonlight, and the slouching position told him she was weary from something. As she spoke of Lethandrill he became even more curious but didn't say anything, not until she mentioned his name.

"I'm Talon," he answered shortly, and allowed her to continue. Her gaze settled on his, the normally silver-blue color now a swirling mixture making them look like molten steel in his anger.

"She attacked you? You must have given her reason to," Talon growled back at her, ignoring the fact that she was leaning heavily against the tree now and there seemed to be a bit of a hazy look to her eyes. His hands gripped Jennifer tightly, pulling the unconscious mage closer to him whilst the silver bracer began to glow brightly. He was pulling power into the bracer, as his anger at how Jennifer was began to rise. It was unacceptable for her to be in the condition she was in. Unacceptable! How could this have happened to her?

He let go of Jennifer with the hand that was growing in power. This woman, how dare she try to put off her attacking his mage as Jennifer's own initiation. At this point, he was done with talking, now it was only revenge for his beloved mage.


She could barely even register what was going on but by the glean of his bracer, she could only imagine that he was starting to go on the offensive. This was too much for her to deal with--already her body was threatening to shut down on her at any moment. Yet it did not seem as if talking was going to solve this problem. Her legs wobbled as she forced herself to stand upright, nearly tumbling to the ground as she did so. The wisps that had floated around her face now pressed against her chest to give her some support so she wouldn't topple over. She withdrew her flute from the folds of her clothes, fingers feeling like lead as she gripped it loosely.

She already knew she was going to lose preemptively. She had no strength to fight him off. Even if, in the best case scenario, she could summon her phoenix, she doubted she would be able to keep playing long enough for it to heal her wounds. And even then, the spiritual energy she expended would not be so easily gotten back. The only thing she could think to do was control the wisps that were floating here and there--but they wouldn't do much damage. And judging by this man's appearance, he wasn't a pushover. She winced a bit, hesitating to bring the instrument to her lips. Doing so would be an acknowledgement of his unspoken challenge of battle. She bit her lip, hoping that the gods would grace her and perhaps the mage would awaken. Even if she couldn't talk sense into him, she could at least guess that he trusted this woman (judging by his reaction). And if that were the case, perhaps he would concede and listen to her. Maybe.

---

---

She stumbled a bit in the darkness as she felt Sebastian push against the small of her back, redirecting her away from the path they had been taking. Fukayna frowned gently as he spoke, voice a partial hiss of annoyance directed at the man that had been leading them through the passageways. "Come on, side trip is over. There'll be time for visiting later!" The girl tried to wrap her head around all that was happening and readjusted her hold on her halberd, letting the older assassin direct her to the front of the group. A faint blush coated her cheeks underneath her bangs--she was unused to being in the front of attentions. But now was not the proper time to succumb to her inner embarrassment.

The pitter patter of footsteps against wet ground did not last long--the trip back always did seem shorter than the trip there. As they exited, Sebastian veered off into one of the alleyways they had gone down. She hurried after him, not bothering to check to see if the stranger was still following them. Her long hair hit against her legs as she turned down the alley, the girl shifting her gaze from side to side every now and again. They were still in a dangerous spot--considering what had happened at the spire.

As they approached the area the group at previously been, Sebastian tsked upon noticing that no one was there any longer. "Come on, if we move quickly we can catch up to them in no time." Though he was already turning to mount one of the horses, she stared after the empty spot with a disappointed feeling plummeting into her stomach. Her frown deepened--why was she feeling like this? He had just been following orders, like she had. She shrugged off the though and strode over to her own horse, this time not struggling nearly so much to get on its back. Sebastian was right, they would all regroup rather shortly if they made progress posthaste.

She cast a glance over her shoulder back towards the spire. She silently thanked Isaehn for keeping her secret but still furrowed her brows a portion. Whatever he was up to, she could only hope that it was not related to the mages that had attacked them. She readied her reigns and lightly tapped her horse to get it to break out into a trot, cracking the reigns to get it to pick up pace. The sooner they regrouped, the better.

Talon V'lyn

He watched her as she stuttered, her voice faltering as she tried to explain what it was that she'd done. Her gaze looked away from his and he continued to watch her, unsure of what to do. His horror was directed towards her losing her sanity, his shock directed towards her having to resort to such methods. Had he not done enough for her? Had he not taken her out of that style of living? What had he done wrong? Finally she pushed out of his grip, standing quickly but stumbling once she was up. Despite this, she whirled around and faced the woman that leaned against the tree.

"Jennifer!" He lunged forward and grabbed her, bringing her back into his arms. He held her tightly, twisting her around so that she was crushed against him. Talon towered over her, ducking his head down to hold her close.

"Of course there are men that plot against me, but they also plot against you as well. Do you know how worried I was when I found that you were no longer at our home? I sent the entire guild after you! I know how you feel about people who threaten me, but do not think that I don't feel that way as well when you are threatened too. You are my world, Jennifer," he spoke softly so that only she could hear him, "You are everything to me. I don't want to lose you, to anything. That includes losing yourself to killing the people who go against us. I won't leave you again, it's my fault for doing so in the first place. Had I been with you none of this would have happened," he continued, voice softer as he blamed himself for having lost her.

He lowered his body, his arms dropping from around her shoulders, to her back and pulling her tighter. Nuzzling his head against her neck, he kissed her gently. Her warm skin was pleasant and he felt at peace having her in his arms again. Slowly he started to kneel on the ground again, taking her with. She was injured and needed to be tended to. It would give his magic something to do, a release, and then he would share it with her to help relieve his own pain.

"Stay still I'll heal you now. There's no need for you to do anything more," he cooed to her. His gaze shot up to the woman against the tree still, "As for you... you can explain better what happened later. Don't think I've forgotten, but..." he sighed, "Seeing as your fight was unjustified with her, I'm willing to let you accompany us."

He turned back to Jennifer and raised his hand over her forehead. Starting there, he began to heal her of any pains and wounds that resided on her body.

Armen Sorien

"Armen, may you do me a great favour? I require some...assistance." Stephano's voice called to the elf, getting his attention. Turning, Armen looked down to the little dragon who was carrying his precious companion.

"What do you need Stephano?" Armen asked, kneeling down as the whole group stopped with him.

“Could you...could you get the medicine out of Astrid’s left pocket, please? Her illness, I fear it is taking a turn for the wo-“

A sound in the darkness caught his attention just as it had caught the dragons. He stood up quickly, forgetting that the dragon was asking for his assistance with getting Astrid's medicine. He reached down for his sword just as the dragon growled towards the darkness.

"That better not be any more damn mages."

Armen's eyes narrowed as he watched the darkness, but the sounds of movement soon turned into people and a couple of horses came out of the darkness towards them. Sebastian was in the lead, but pulled the reigns hard to stop his fast approach. The elder assassin looked down at all of them and nodded as he mouthed something to himself. Armen figured that the old man was counting heads to make sure they were all there. Of course, the elf noted that there was a newcomer with them as well, a youth that sat with Sebastian.

However, his gaze didn't linger long on Sebastian and the new addition to their group. His eyes sought out the young woman with silver hair. Once he saw her he moved from where he'd been and went straight to her. Reaching up, he took hold of her horses reigns and looked up at her.

"Fukayna... you're alright," he said, a nervous feeling filling his stomach. He wasn't entirely sure why he was nervous looking at her, or speaking to her. His worry about her had been on his mind for a long time. Slowly he released the reigns, thankful for the cover of night to hide his heated face. Turning away he went back to Stephano and did as he had been asked the first time, getting out Astrid's medicine and giving it to her. He didn't say much, but once he'd finished his eyes went back to the assassin woman.

"We're heading back to Skyfall," Sebastian ordered, "I've got a bad feeling about it."

---

Skyfall; Armen & Company

The city opened up to them, each member of the party that had set out to Ro'ell riding into Skyfall right behind the elder assassin. He lead them quickly through the streets towards the Order of Reina. It was within a matter of minutes that they reached the manor that was home to Lord V'lyn and Lady Jennifer. Armen pulled his reigns to slow the horse he was mounted on, Sebastian had come to a full stop before the manor as well.

"What it is?" Armen asked, though he had a feeling that something wasn't right within the Order.

"Someone is here who should not be here," Sebastian muttered in response.

"You're good to notice, assassin. It seems that the Order of Reina should not be underestimated as some of my colleagues think. Reina walks beside you still, regardless of the... changes."

"It is rude to speak to a shadow."

"My apologies," the voice took form right after and from the shadows over the rooftop, a man in black walked out. His hood covered his face from view and his presence spoke of tremendous power, "Is this better? It is a pleasure to meet you, assassin. Though I would have preferred to meet with the Lord V'lyn. But he is no where to be found."

Sebastian ground his teeth but didn't answer. The hood of the cloaked man above them shifted and Armen felt as if he were being looked through completely. It was a chilling feeling as he sat in the saddle. His hands tightened around the reigns and he frowned at the man standing above them.

"You have interesting company, assassin. Two from a clan of phoenixes, a street rat of Ro'ell and a young elf who doesn't even know who he is. Though... it seems you are missing one. Where is the Navile woman?"

"Why do you care where she is?"

"It was a simple question, assassin. Don't feel as if you have to answer it."

"Who are you? What do you mean by my not knowing who I am?" Armen jumped in, irritated by such an accusation. He knew who he was.

"Ah, so the young elf has a bit of spirit. Well, why don't you come here, Armen Sorien, and find out what it is I know."

"Don't," Sebastian ordered, but Armen wasn't listening. He drew his sword and dismounted. The figure at the top of the building disappeared and the elf was confused as to what happened. Where the hell did that man go? He turned to the elder assassin, his eyes asking the question rather than voicing it.

"Damn it all to hell. Find that intruder and make him leave," Sebastian barked towards the others, he turned to Stephano and Astrid, "You two stay here, neither of you are in a condition to fight. And you!" he whirled back to Armen, "Don't go doing anything reckless, boy. I don't trust that man and the last thing I need is for you to go and get yourself killed," Sebastian dismounted then and drew his own weapons. With the elder assassin in the lead, Armen followed right behind and entered the dark mansion.

Khrae

Khrae's stoic gaze drifted up to the man as he materialized before the group, a dark cloaked figure whose face was concealed ominously beneath the shadows of his hood. His very presence was that which emanated power, and Khrae knew that this adversary would prove to be a problem if confronted head on. Adjusting his line of sight just slightly, it seemed Sebastian was well aware of the fact too. Exchanging a rather short, unwelcoming greeting, it was then that the cloaked man turned his attention onto Armen, his words goading the young man on, taunting him about the Navile woman, and knowledge that he apparently wasn't aware of. The words of warning from the older assassin were lost to the Elf as he drew his weapon and dismounted, though it seemed that their new enemy wasn't finished with his games. Disappearing, the group was left alone to contemplate their next moves.

"Damn it all to hell. Find that intruder and make him leave," Sebastian began, addressing the entirety of their party before turning to Astrid and Stephano, then finally Armen. "You two stay here, neither of you are in a condition to fight. And you! Don't go doing anything reckless, boy. I don't trust that man and the last thing I need is for you to go and get yourself killed."

Looking back to Dante, Khrae tapped the hilt of his sword thoughtfully, considering his options. The man wasn't necessarily overwhelmed with joy at the thought of having to do a complete sweep of the guild mansion to purge it of this man and whomever or whatever else was inside, however he was obliged to help in any way he could. What to do with Dante however was a different question. He couldn't very well endanger his life by dragging the boy in with him, and especially not when he still held the sleeping Dragoness in his arms, wrapped in his coat. Of course he could leave Capella with Astrid and Stephano, but he questioned the risks in that, concerning all three's current states. As much as he hated parting from the task of protecting Dante, he knew that leaving him outside would produce better results in a worst case scenario, both if Khrae had to enter heated combat, and if something were to happen here after he'd gone.

"Stay here," Khrae said quietly, putting a firm hand on Dante's shoulders. "I trust you can stay out of harm’s way?" Looking up, Dante had been lost in inspecting the sleeping form of Capella, though now he nodded.

"Huh? Oh, right.." Dante said, probably not even realizing that he was missing out on the fun of witnessing combat. Khrae merely shook his head as he pulled up the cowl on his cloak, then turned back to watch Sebastian and Armen rush off towards the guild house.

Whatever the others were intending, he’d let them decide for themselves. He wasn't entirely sure yet on how he felt about their newest addition to the group, but that hardly mattered. So long as he upheld his responsibility to help a new ally, and keep Dante safe, the others were of little concern. His mind made up, he moved after the older assassin and Elf.


Dante

It took about five seconds, but finally Dante realized exactly what had happened. Khrae had just told him to sit still, to stay here while he went and had fun, went off and fought some people… And he agreed! Really?! The boy looked up from Capella, now thoroughly annoyed. No, he wasn’t going to stay here, definitely not. How could he miss out on some great action? Khrae never let him get involved in any kind of combat… Er, well, there was combat training, but that was with sticks against trees, and it always included constant chastising from the older swordsman. “Widen your stance, you’re off balance, make sure you don’t leave yourself open to this attack, you look like a dying walrus…” Blah blah… Besides, trees don’t fight back. Some of the things Dante had witnessed were spectacular, high level combat that Khrae steered him clear from… This was probably some of that, and he was missing it.

Dante kicked himself mentally, knowing well that he couldn’t just leave Capella, being torn between that and rushing off to help Khrae, or at least spy on the battles he knew would probably be taking place. He was sufficient in his skills, he could handle himself. Ancestral powers? They weren’t necessary; he’d be just fine. He—

The boy looked down suddenly as Capella stirred, her fingers, thankfully lacking claws, digging into him as she woke suddenly. At first he was startled, but then he was relieved. Looking down at her, he grinned somewhat wolfishly, a plan forming, and hoping that her waking meant he could go after Khrae.

“Good morning!” he chimed happily, “Khrae, Sebastian and Armen just went off to chase some mage and we’re missing the fun.”


Valentino

Ah, Isaehn’s tower… A peculiar place to have been at before coming to Valentino’s own chambers, but the man wasn’t questioning it. Walking through the overwhelming numbers of book shelves, the man was inspecting the residual magic left behind from whatever previous encounter, that and of course hoping that Isaehn wouldn’t make an appearance while he was here. Of course Valentino had no quarrel with the other man, but he still would prefer it if he remained locked away as he always did. The last thing the man wanted was a run in with him, and it would be his luck that Isaehn would choose now to make an appearance. Valentino just felt uneasy around the other man, for whatever reason.

Looking to Fay now, he gave her a warm smile as he pushed away his other feelings. “Now love, where’d you say you left your weapons?” Valentino glanced up to a balcony overhead, though to be honest he was hardly interested in finding the useless instruments of war. Of course though, if it meant they could leave faster, then it wouldn’t be too hard. At least, it shouldn’t be.

“Why on earth were you here anyway? And didn’t you say you had some friends with you? Seems to me as though they’ve left you,” he said nonchalantly, now poking through one of the shelves and slipping a scroll into one of his pockets. “What sort of friends does a Navile have? Good friends? Known them for a while? I must say, the reputation you’ve acquired isn’t a good one. Unfortunately... You do have my condolences about that; you seem like a wonderful girl, but even so.”

Valentino pulled another book of a shelf, enchanting. Blah, he could, but he hardly used any other sorts of magic so it wasn’t important. He tossed it on the floor. “I’m just curious, why would a Navile decide to show herself now? What business do you have? I thought you weren’t allowed from the forests, from your homes?” Flipping through a few pages, the man tore out a chunk of another book before replacing it on the shelf. Putting his hand on a rather old, antique looking, leather-bound book, he allowed it to turn to dust in his grip.

Looking back to Fay, he smiled again, walking up to her and around her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “So, where would your friends have run off to? I’d be more than happy to escort you to them, if you’d like…”

Talon V'lyn : Laowlee

“Talon, I must repeat my objection to this…reckless course of action, and if I’m saying that then something must be wrong! The assassin guild needs you back in Skyfall. It’s bad enough that you ordered them to search for me, but what will happen if you don’t return? We know people are targeting you now. Without you there the guild is woefully exposed.”

Talon turned to look at his beloved before returning his steady gaze out to the distant shadow of the large city known properly as Laowlee. He was heading there because it hadn't been the mages that had stolen Jennifer from him, it had been the Nine that had done so. He wanted to know why exactly, rage boiling just underneath his stone like features.

“Everything you’ve worked for in the past few decades… Just so you know, they’ve already been forewarned. They expected to hear from those soldiers I killed.”

"Good, then that makes it all the more easier. I want to know why they targeted you. If they were trying to get to me they made a terrible mistake," Talon growled in response, his eyes narrowing as the continued down the road towards Laowlee, "To think that they've enough power to directly assault me..." His body shook slightly as he was doing his best to retain his anger, the bracer on his arm glowed even so. The silver light pulsed around his hand and forearm.

“This is your fault you know? A dozen other directions you could have walked in and you picked the one that bumped into Talon.”

Talon gave a sharp laugh at his lovers skill of passing blame, "It is hardly her fault, love. If anything she saved me a lot of time, as well as saved your life. You should thank her."

He reached out and took hold of Jennifer's hand and pulled her close to him as they approached the gates. Leaning down he whispered in her ear, "Work you magic, love. Show them how they underestimate you and I."

Armen Sorien : Skyfall

The building was dark as he entered it right behind Sebastian. The old assassin glanced around before turning to Armen and Fukayna, "You two go that way," he said pointing down one of the long halls that stretched for what seemed to be a mile, "I'll go upstairs with Khrae, the rest of you down the other hall."

Sebastian wasted no time then and took the tall man with long hair with him up the stairwell. Armen glanced over to Fukayna and nodded his head in the direction of the hall that they'd been ordered to go down. He led the way down the hall, lifting his blade up and keeping it in a defensive position. Slowly he moved down the hall, pushing opened doors to look inside each one only to find that so far each was empty.

As he pushed open another door and deemed it empty he turned back down the hall and then froze. There was a figure in the darkness a few doors down. It stood there in silence for a while and unmoving. Armen watched it carefully, tightening his hand over his sword. The figure moved then, slowly coming down the hall towards them and the elf moved himself in front of Fukayna.

"Armen Sorien, it is a pleasure to meet one such as yourself."

"You know my name, but I do not know yours."

The figure laughed, "Ah yes, you'll learn it in time. For right now lets talk about who you really are."

"I know who I am."

"Do you now? What a pity. Let me educate you then," The figure announced and then disappeared. Armen's breath sucked in sharply and he turned around to see if the man had gone behind them. The air was knocked from his lungs as something hit his chest and flung him back. He hit the floor hard and didn't have time to regain his bearings. The figure appeared over him and raised their hand. The power lifted him up off the ground and towards the hooded man.

"You're a rare one, little elf. There is power inside of you that you don't even know about. You can't even summon any magic because it's been locked away from you. Ever wonder why all of your brethren could wield their innate magic and you could not? It was subdued for your own good because you cannot handle it just yet. Of course it would be a problem if you were to gain that power," the man leaned in towards Armen's ear, "You might even surpass Talon and his lover Jennifer in all of their power."

Armen's eyes widened as the thought and his throat closed. Hardly able to draw breath at the notion that had just been told to him, he couldn't fight back as the man who held him in the magic, let him go. Armen dropped to the floor, his knees buckling as soon as his feet hit the ground. Only his sword tip driven into the floor kept him up right. The figure stepped away from him and flexed their hand.

"That's impossible... Lord V'lyn and Lady Jennifer are... they have the power of the old dragon gods. Nothing surpasses that! No one has more power than those two!"

"That is true that they are the two most powerful beings in this world right now. However, when the last war ended the magic that was strewn across the land affected many people, your kind included. You might be more powerful, I never said you would be," the man laughed lightly, "But enough about that. The problem still remains, and I'm going to get rid of that problem."

Armen's head snapped up to look at the man. He could feel the magic gathering in the air and he lunged forward, swiping at the man who attempted to attack him a second time. His blade just barely caught the fabric of the man's cloak and tore through it. Magic expelled from the intruders hand and smashed into the wall behind Armen as he ducked out of the way. He swung again and his blade hit metal as the man drew his own weapon. With their blades locked together, Armen pushed forward as hard as he could, putting every muscle into the motion.

"How... am I... a problem?!" he growled at the man.

"You'll learn that... if you live," the man retorted. He kicked upwards and caught Armen in his stomach, causing the elf to double over from the blow and lose his footing. Steel scrapped as the swords came undone from their previous positions. Another kick sent Armen tumbling sideways. Out of breath, he pushed himself upwards as quickly as he could, wincing as he went. Once on his feet he stumbled slightly and adjusted his hold on his weapon.

"I don't... plan on dying."

"Good to know. Give me the pleasure of your struggling," the cloaked man's hand raised and magic swirled around in his palm. Armen grit his teeth and lunged forward trying to get there before the man released the power.

Lain Gareev : Skyfall

He materialized out of the darkness, his power expelling from his body as he showed up in the courtyard just outside of the mansion that was home to the assassins. His lips were turned in a smile as he looked upon the group that was huddled outside. His gaze flicked from one person to the next. There were only a few of them there from what he could tell.

"My my, a pleasure to meet you all again. Did you enjoy your stay in Ro'ell? I hope so. Alas, I've no time to chit chat at the moment as I've got orders," Lain sighed heavily as if he were truly bothered by the fact he couldn't talk too much with them. His eyes landed on the boy who held a woman next to him. At least he thought it was a woman, hard to tell in the dark.

"Ah, the dragon-girl. I remember you. And the boy as well. Lets have a bit of fun, shall we?" Lain lifted his hand and magic showered the area. He wasn't trying to hit them really, mostly just toying with them as the rain of pure power fell over them. If his bolts of magic hit, great, if not, that was just as well. He didn't want to kill them right away anyway. It was far more fun to let them think they had the advantage when they actually did not.

---

---

Kaya had been wary of her now current traveling companions ever since the one known as Talon had laid down his weapons a few days earlier. She was normally a trusting woman but she was not foolish nor was she underexposed. After the clash with the woman mage, she was not so quick to simply look the other way. While it had been made plain that perhaps they shared a common goal, she was sure they did not exactly share the same mentality. Especially when it came to coping with the situation at hand. After the air had cleared and Talon had helped heal Jennifer, she had been extended a similar courtesy to help her recover. She had only taken a little, however--her spirits could help her with the rest.

She had not played any tunes since she re-began her journey with the other two, figuring it best to store her spiritual energy and regenerate it as quickly as she possibly could. They had been traveling in the direction of Laowlee and now could finally see the city on the horizon. There had been chatter coming from near her but she had not truly been paying attention--not until Jennifer suddenly whirled on her with a distasteful expression.

This is your fault you know? A dozen other directions you could have walked in and you picked the one that bumped into Talon.” Kaya raised her eyebrows very slowly--this woman seemed volatile, as if she were waiting to pick a fight with anyone stupid enough to be angered by her quips. This only elicited a laugh out of Talon who made no efforts to hide his amusement. He had chuckled to himself nearly every time before Jennifer glowered over at Kaya and now was no exception.

"It is hardly her fault, love. If anything she saved me a lot of time, as well as saved your life. You should thank her." The priestess nodded her head in thanks towards him but didn't say anything to either of them. There was little reason for it, anything she said would just work to incite some frustration out of the mage. She just sped up her walk a bit in front of them, not turning back as they progressed towards the city. A few of her wisps circled around her, the pooka sticking out its tongue at Jennifer as it huffed out and sat on Kaya's shoulder.

"She is such an ill-mannered woman--nothing like you, Mistress." It squeaked, crossing its little arms and giving an affirmative nod. Her smile was brief as she sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"She can be no more than what she is conditioned to be," She said lightly, murmuring under her breath so that the others wouldn't hear. She had known ahead of time that Talon and Jennifer wouldn't be able to see the little spirits that hovered near her most of the time and didn't want to appear as if she was losing her mind. She was a perfectly sane and rational woman... who just so happened to speak to spirits. Kaya shook her head delicately, looking up as she noticed they were standing a fair distance away from the gates.

She paused, allowing Talon and Jennifer to walk in front of her--the former pulling his partner against him. He whispered something in her ear, the tone of voice too low for her to hear it from where she stood. And she was perfectly fine with that, thank you very much. The mage had been bad-mouthing her for the last few days and Kaya had been unfortunate enough to overhear some of it. If she weren't made of stronger stuff, she was pretty sure she would've broken down crying or angrily confronted the mage. As it stood, she remained her distance away--watching and waiting for what the other two would do. As far as she was concerned, she was a guest and she wasn't going to intrude.

---

---

She held her breath faintly as she dismounted her horse, the familiar scenery of Skyfall greeting her eyes. But her mind was far from the place she was currently calling home, it was more focused on the figure that had just recently disappeared. The one who had called Armen's name. Sebastian seemed ill at ease, more so than usual as he barked at Stephano and Astrid to stay put. The young woman looked back at the two of them meaningfully before taking her halberd in her hands and following after them. The manor they were approaching felt cold, the air unsettling and making her feel slightly sick in the stomach. She brushed it off as best as she could--she refused to be the weak link in their team.

However, the dim lighting once again rendered her form of communication obsolete. Just as it had in the mage city, she had no way of conversing with the others. It was all she could do to make gestures to indicate she was following along without any trouble. As they approached a stairwell, Sebastian paused, looking up before glancing over at the hall.

You two go that way," He said as he referenced Armen and herself. "I'll go upstairs with Khrae, the rest of you down the other hall." And just like that, the group had effectively separated but she had been left with... She swallowed a bit and smiled weakly at Armen as he nodded at her. That soon faded as her fingers tensed around her halberd, holding it up in a more offensive position as they walked gradually down the hall. They took the doors on either side, the two of them opening them up slowly but finding no traces of anyone. They were reaching the end of the hall as Armen withdrew from yet another empty room when he suddenly tensed, looking over her shoulder.

Fukayna spun around, catching sight of a figure that was standing in a doorway not too far away. Armen immediately moved in front of her, holding his sword up defensively as the two of them regarded the figure. "Armen Sorien, it is a pleasure to meet one such as yourself." The figure's voice was quiet but... firm, confident. Whoever this was had power. Unable to speak herself, she could only silently glare at the figure (though she very much doubted it could see her doing such a thing).

"You know my name, but I do not know yours." Armen said in an equally quiet tone, as if conversing with an acquaintence--yet there was a tenseness to the whole thing that told otherwise.

A chilling laugh followed the comment as the figure straightened, taking a step towards them as it did so. "Ah yes, you'll learn it in time. For right now lets talk about who you really are."

Armen seemed unimpressed, flexing the weapon in his hands a bit. "I know who I am." Fukayna gave a nod of agreement, staring at the figure with narrowed eyes.

"Do you now? What a pity. Let me educate you then," And just like that, the figure was gone. The two of them looked around cautiously--he couldn't have gone far, no one would just... And then she was pushed back into the wall, the figure moving forwards so fast she could barely see the movement. Armen was hit in the chest, his breath hitching sharply as he faltered to the ground. The figure re-appeared, hand hovering over the elf as he was lifted into the air.

These tingles... magic. Fukayna bit her bottom lip, trying to adjust herself from the force of the push earlier. "You're a rare one, little elf. There is power inside of you that you don't even know about. You can't even summon any magic because it's been locked away from you. Ever wonder why all of your brethren could wield their innate magic and you could not? It was subdued for your own good because you cannot handle it just yet. Of course it would be a problem if you were to gain that power," The man leaned in closer to Armen, Fukayna giving a mute hiss in response. She could not hear what he said but didn't dare try to attack him at the moment. She could risk hitting Armen in that wager and she didn't want to take that chance.

Whatever he had said caused Armen to gasp and then the elf was released from the grip of magic. He used his sword to remain upright, nonplussed. "That's impossible... Lord V'lyn and Lady Jennifer are... they have the power of the old dragon gods. Nothing surpasses that! No one has more power than those two!" Fukayna's eyes widened under her bangs. What...? More power than... her two idols? She sucked in her breath, could it be?

The man laughed again, this time it sounded cruel... as if it were laughing just for the sake of it and not out of any true amusement. "That is true that they are the two most powerful beings in this world right now. However, when the last war ended the magic that was strewn across the land affected many people, your kind included. You might be more powerful, I never said you would be," Armen reacted to the words and lunged forwards, swinging his blade at the man. Fukayna went to call out to him--couldn't he see that the man was baiting him? This was clearly all a trap! But too late she realized he would never hear her warning. She tightened her hold on her weapon as she heard the clash of metal, the two weapons locked together before they separated again.

She had seen enough--she wasn't going to sit on the sidelines anymore. She couldn't hear what they exchanged next but she doubted it would matter. She saw Armen lunging forwards, as if trying to strike him. She felt those tingles again--magic, he was going to cast a spell. Armen wouldn't be able to... There was no time--she darted forwards, pushing him out of the way just as the man's spell came to tangibility. Using the tip of her halberd, she ground her teeth together, using her weapon to deflect the spell. The force of it pushed her body back a few feet but she held her ground. She was fortunate, her weapon was still the weapon of a mage, even if she didn't cast magic anymore.

The man didn't seem surprised though and wasted no time in readying another spell. But she was more ready this time and struck forwards with her weapon. She could only delay his casting in short bursts, he was so fast! It was almost as if he could read her movements before they landed and none of her attacks connected. Changing tactics, she suddenly took the weapon in both hands and raised it above her head, bringing it down to aim a vertical slice at their opponent. The man stopped her blow with his weapon, throwing her off. She was jilted off balance and stumbled back a few steps, glancing over at Armen.

They couldn't take him on one-on-one--maybe... She pointed at herself and then at him, making a plus sign with her fingers before gesturing over at the man. If she could ward off his magic spells, then perhaps Armen would be able to land some blows of his own in the interim. She signed as quickly as she could--the figure wouldn't be waiting around for them and she had a feeling he was meaning to finish them both off.

Dante

Dante looked down at Capella curiously. He was somewhat confused at her words, though not because he couldn’t understand them, but because she may have misinterpreted his actions. True enough he’d remained, as she called it, ‘loyal,’ in the fact that he kept her in his arms for the duration of the trip and ensured her warmth and safety, but that could be better attributed to Khrae’s insurance that he fulfilled his obligation to her. That’s not to say that he’d of rather been without the burden of the Dragoness, but to have to go so long without being able to mess with Khrae, or anyone else for that matter, he found himself questioning why no one else could hold her. Many times he’d assuaged his urge to fidget and do mischievous things by simply tying knots in the hair of the sleeping Dragoness. Of course though, that distraction was short lived when Khrae had lectured him about preserving his own dignity, as well as that of a woman’s, while at the same time having to untie the boy’s fingers from the tangled knots.

In any case, the boy remained silent as Capella finished her statements, considering her words and trying to discern any alternative meanings. Of course focusing at all was difficult with the idea of combat directly in front of him, for all he knew Khrae or Sebastian were engaged in heated combat and he was missing the fun. But then something Capella said caught his attention. She had just admitted outright that he was interested, and that he interested her. No girl.. or Dragon.. had ever stated such a thing, most people, especially the girls from his clan kept a safe distance from him. Of course that made it all the more fun to mess with them, but also rather annoying when he got put down at every other turn. But Capella had claimed him… What did that mean? Dante wasn’t entirely sure, but the way she’d trusted herself to him, what she said… Did he just get himself a girlfriend?

Blinking a few times, Dante gave a rather childish grin, but then moments later, his thoughts swung to Fay. It wasn’t that Capella wasn’t attractive, and considering that’s the closest he’d ever been to a girl in his life, but…

Then the plan formed.

“So… Does this mean we’re going out?” Dante inquired suddenly, completely dismissing the Dragoness’s words about the mage. Dante had forgotten about the battle too, as suddenly he had a strange new opportunity to try to capture the attention of the beautiful Navile. If Dante could get a Dragoness, would that make Fay jealous? But then again…Capella wouldn’t mind, would she? She was a dragon, a master of subterfuge, sly and willing to do what she would for what she wanted… She’d understand, wouldn’t she? Well, it was probably best not to say anything.

And speaking of which, where exactly was Fay? He’d questioned Khrae several times, and the man always gave the same, “She’ll be fine, no need to worry,” answer. His master was far too scripted at times. Still, leaving her behind pained him greatly, and often his mind did wander to her, alone, scared, searching for someone to come rescue her. He could be one of those brave knights, riding back and dragging her up onto the horse behind him and galloping away into the forests. Or if she was captured somewhere, she’d be getting interrogated, or be suffering some awful ill-will, and he could burst in wielding his ancestral powers and save her. Of course he couldn’t use his fire now, but eventually he’d unlock it. There definitely had to be some other way than Khrae’s methods. He’d get his powers and save the damsel in distress, and she’d be in awe at his amazing power. Why, even Khrae wouldn’t be able to contend with his abilities, he’d surpass even his own master. Khrae can breath fire, but the best in the clan can conjure the more deadly types of flames… Black and Blue. Ah, yes, he’d do that and impress Fay when he came to rescue her. But first he had to know where she was…

Dante looked at Capella now, suddenly aware of what was happening around him. He took a moment to regather himself, considering what he could do. Now he had to decide what to do. It was no use having a girlfriend if Fay wasn’t even around, but he couldn’t just go find her… But then again, if he stayed her she could be undergoing unimaginable things with each passing second… But, would he look like more of a hero if he saved her then? Then took her back and she found out that he was the great warrior that had upheld the integrity of the Assassins Guild? He couldn’t just leave Capella either…

“Okay,” he said finally. “I accept.” He gave her a warm smile before reaching behind him and taking hold of the hilt of his sword which protruded just over his shoulder. In one fluent movement, or at least he hoped it was, he drew the blade, gleaming steel which shrieked as it exited its sheath, reflecting the sun’s rays magnificently. The state of his weapon was Khrae’s doing as well, that and the fact that he’d never used it once, but nevertheless, he tried his best to look like he knew what he was doing. He gave it a rough swing, slashing at the air and cutting down an invisible foe before nodding, satisfied. His blade, unlike Khrae’s own two, was sharp. Why the man kept them dull and never used them, he himself didn’t know, but that hardly mattered. Now he could prove himself, and then run back to rescue his Princess. Yes, that is what he’d do. Looking to Capella, he tried puffed out his chest slightly and drew back his shoulders, trying to look intimidating as he swung his blade again and pointed it threateningly at the Guild House.

“Follow me Capella,” he said boldly. “You shall remain safe by my side!”

Then the man appeared.

Dante had begun forward, only to stop dead as the mage materialized before him. No, that won't do. Not at all, men don't do that! Dante backtracked quickly, losing almost immediately anything he gained from the show earlier as the other man spoke. He seemed almost as if he were genuinely apologizing to them, but Dante wasn't at all focusing on that.

"Ah, the dragon-girl. I remember you. And the boy as well. Lets have a bit of fun, shall we?"

Dante regathered himself to try to look impressive again as he stood in front of Capella, sword balanced and held centered before him. Whatever this man would do, he would block it. He repeated that several times in his head. He is stronger than Khrae, he could do this.

Nope, he couldn't. Dante scared last minuted and froze as the attack came, he wasn't even sure what it was or what it did, but it was scary. It wasn't a sword, he could've blocked a sword... probably, but he had no block against magic. Not even Khrae did... did he? He didn't know... All he knew was that he was suddenly lifted off the ground, airborne and going backwards as the power impacted him, seeming to be more of a blunt force. Khrae had done this to him before, and he'd even shown him how to land...

THAT'S RIGHT! Khrae had shown him some things. Rotating last minute, Dante spin in the ground and finally landed several meters back, sliding on the balls of his feet in a sort of kneeling/crouching position, his sword embedded into the ground and quickly bringing him to a halt. Dante looked up, smiling, proud of himself that he'd managed to at least regain himself from the attack, then he stood and swung his blade again triumphantly.

"It's gonna take more than that, whoever you are!" he said loudly, extending his sword arm out towards the man, point leveled at his chest. "Bring it on, pretty boy!"


Khrae

Looking around warily, Khrae nodded as Sebastian split the group. He wasn’t going to immediately say that those other two couldn’t handle themselves, but taking a moment to gather everyone’s abilities and then split up accordingly might have been more effective. Because he didn’t know their strengths and weaknesses, however, meant that he didn’t immediately jump to conclusions about the older assassin’s choice to put the two younger fighters in a group of their own. They could very well be the perfect duo, but now wasn’t the time to be dwelling on mistakes that had yet to be labeled as such.

Without waiting the older swordsman followed the assassin upstairs, his bare feet silent on the polished wood. His eyes never ceased moving, noting each and every corner, shadow and possible points of attack. He was far from perfect in his senses, however. In fact many in the clan could only reach their highest levels through uninterrupted meditation. Unfortunately his time on the road had greatly reduced, if not completely put a stop to his usual habits. Nevertheless he reached out with his abilities, searching for those signs of malicious intent, those benevolent auras. Almost immediately one stood out.

“Directly ahead,” Khrae said as they reached the last step, though it wasn’t entirely necessary. Another combatant was in the room with the enemy already, and the clashing of steel was evident. Unfortunately for the assassin, not even his homeland advantage would give him enough of an edge of the mage which had infiltrated.

Khrae remained stoic as he felt the sudden surge of power erupt from within the room, and watched as the limp form was blasted through the door, dragging with it a spray of splintered wood and sawdust before impacting the wall across the way.

Standing ready, the swordsman turned with his right side towards the enemy, feet spread and right hand gripping the hilt of his left sword. He’d let Sebastian handle it if he so desired, or until he called for help, and while he usually preferred negotiation, he knew that wasn’t an option. The best he could do to avoid unnecessary confrontation was to remain as backup and watch the older assassin’s back. That decided, he cleared his mind of any further thoughts and readied himself for the imminent combat as the dark-robed figure glided over the remnants of the destroyed door.

Lain Gareev

The air shimmered before him as he watched the boy go flying through the air. He grinned as he watched the youth land his fall fairly well. Lain leaned back and put one hand on his hip while the other hand reached up to his lips and he bit down on the skin. Only then did the dragon woman take any interest in him. Depositing the human some ways from the fight, the dragoness rushed forward at him, swiping her claws in an attempt to cut him up. Lain's grin grew ever more as he eyed her carefully. Slightly leaning back he watched her with a laugh on his lips.

His magic swirled around him and Lain shifted from where he'd been standing. It seemed this woman was rather intent on keeping the human out of the fight. He wondered what she would do should he take the human and threaten his life. Not that Lain would kill the boy, no he wasn't there to kill anyone. Just to keep them... occupied. His magic teleported him directly beside the youth with black hair and his arm wrapped around the boys throat. Pulling the boy close to his body, Lain shifted again with the boy in tow. He reappeared on the other side of the courtyard, smiling at the dragoness' back and waited for her to realize what had happened.

"Seem's you've got no control over your temper, little dragon," he called. Enrage her, get her riled up and then make her waste every ounce of energy she had. Lain laughed lightly as he held the boy tightly against him, a flash of silver in his hand against the moon light to let the dragoness know that he was holding a knife to the youths throat then.

"So, what do you plan to do now?" He asked slowly, leaning down next to the boys ear, "Move and I'll teleport you into the darkest void there is," Lain growled to the boy to ensure that he stayed still.

Armen Sorien and Fukayna

He was shoved aside suddenly as he'd been in the middle of lunging towards the cloaked man. Startled, Armen was thrown off balance and he hit the wall just as Fukayna took the blast of magic that he had not felt coming at him. She slid back a few feet before stopping and then came at the man right after. She deflected his second attack via magic and proceeded to use her halberd to try to land a few blows on the man. Unfortunately, she was deflected each time and Armen was finding it both amazing to watch her fight, yet frightening because he feared that she would be injured in the process.

As she lifted her weapon over her head, she attempted to strike the man in a crude fashion, only to be deflected by the cloaked man's sword being drawn. Fukayna looked over to him and Armen eyed her carefully, wondering what it was she wanted. He'd been too absorbed with watching the fight that he hadn't moved a muscle, seemingly frozen in place by fear and awe. Her fingers worked in the air, pointing to him and then making an X then to herself and finally to their opponent. The man laughed and Armen's attention was taken from the beautiful assassin.

"Interesting, she does not speak," he ground then raised his weapon again to attack her.

Armen lunged forward and intercepted the downward strike, blocking it with his own sword and glancing over to Fukayna, "Together," he answered her and pushed up and out with as much strength as he could muster against the mans sword. The blades slide across each other, scrapping loudly as they came apart. Armen followed the man as he took a few steps back to regain his footing. His blade slashed through the air, the tip just barely catching the man's robes and cutting through. A hiss of irritation filled the emptiness between them. Armen was sure then that with both of them attacking, they would have a chance of winning, if not at least driving the man to retreat. That would be enough.

Magic crackled and the man's blade lit up bright blue as it came back down towards Armen's side. Twisting around, he blocked the swing, his blade vibrating terribly as he took the hit. The magic along the weapon shot out at him and coursed down his arm, to his shoulder and numbed every muscle as it continued across his chest. Armen shouted in surprise as well as a bit of pain from the shock, but held his ground against the attack, enduring the magic as he hoped to keep the mans attention on him.

"You're very resilient. Almost too much so for your own good, elf. I think I would like to see that power of yours. I was planning to wait, but I don't think I can. Let us see what you're made of," the man said, his voice saying that he was grinning underneath the darkness of his hood. Stretching out his free hand he pressed it against Armen's chest and black tendrils of pure energy erupted from his hands to encircle the elf entirely, this was done so quickly that Armen hadn't had time to move away. The magic wound around him and in the next moment, the black magic dropped down into Armen's body, completely absorbed. The elf didn't feel anything as the power melted into him, but his eyes were wide in fear and shock as to what could possibly be happening.

It took a moment, but he started to feel something happening within his core. A sickening twist in his abdomen brought him to his knees, a gasp from his lips and his hands relinquishing their hold on his weapon. His body shuddered uncontrollably and he felt as if he had suddenly been filled with so much burning energy that he could explode. He rocked forward and backward, trying to rid himself of the terrible feeling, fear clawing at his heart as he didn't know what it was that ailed him.

"Wha-"

"Your power, elf. This is your power," the man in the cloak answered, kneeling down next to him and taking a fist full of hair to lift his head upwards, "The amount of magic throughout your body is magnificent, Armen Sorien. Hard to control isn't it?"

Armen's eyes narrowed as he growled in anger and the hand that held his head up snatched back suddenly, releasing the elf. The cloaked man shook his hand as if it had been burned and stumbled away from the elf that was on his knees. A short laugh escaped the enemy as he gripped his hand tightly, having dropped his sword as well. Turning his head towards Fukayna, the cloaked man lifted his hand and the air filled with magic. This time, Armen could feel the power rushing through the man's body before him, but there was little that he could do because he had no idea of what he could do or even how to do it.

"Fukayna! Move!" He yelled, just as the man unleashed his wave of power.

Fay X'san and Valentino DeAngelo

“Now love, where’d you say you left your weapons?” Valentino asked her. They were back in the room where she'd been attacked by the Nine and lost both her crossbow and dagger. She'd just reached the top stairwell where she'd been and her gaze found the hilt of her crossbow easily enough.

"My crossbow is here," she answered and walked over to retrieve the weapon, "My knife is somewhere down there," she motioned for the first floor. Making her way towards the stairs, the Navile woman started down to look for her knife.

“Why on earth were you here anyway? And didn’t you say you had some friends with you? Seems to me as though they’ve left you. What sort of friends does a Navile have? Good friends? Known them for a while? I must say, the reputation you’ve acquired isn’t a good one. Unfortunately... You do have my condolences about that; you seem like a wonderful girl, but even so.”

Her lips pulled into a delicate smile as she descended and made the landing on the bottom as the man spoke to her. He was wandering around the isles of bookshelves, mulling over the books with little to no interest at all. She waited until she was across the room before she answered him.

"We were here to get some answers, but I don't think we got any as we were attacked far to soon. I did have some... friends with me," Fay answered slowly, unsure if 'friend' was the right word in that situation. She barely knew any of the people she'd come with. Though the boy, Dante, had been rather intriguing to her. He was attractive and she wished to know so much more about him. Fay then found herself looking over at Valentino with a kind of dreamy allure, lost in thought about him suddenly and completely unsure as to how that had happened. Shaking her head slightly, she continued her search for her knife.

"They are people that were from Skyfall. They seem nice enough. I did not get to know them all very well. Though the one is the leader of the assassins, Talon V'lyn and his woman Jennifer Live. The others, I could tell you as much as I know if you would like me to," she offered, the words spilling from her lips almost too freely.

“I’m just curious, why would a Navile decide to show herself now? What business do you have? I thought you weren’t allowed from the forests, from your homes?” He asked as he wandered around and destroyed or mangled whatever he saw fit. This however didn't deter Fay in anyway and he seemed to be even more alluring while he was playing around with his magic.

"It took a while for me to be able to leave my forest, but we wish to have communication with the outside world. We want to be allowed to mingle with the people and we want to show that we are not the threat that people think we are. There are very few of us that are allowed to leave, in fact I'm the first in several years to leave the forests. I think I'm the only one as well."

“So, where would your friends have run off to? I’d be more than happy to escort you to them, if you’d like…” Valentino walked up to her and turned her around. Luckily Fay had found her knife among the rambling that she'd been spilling to the man. Her eyes were caught up in his and she found herself dreamily gazing at him.

"Please... I would enjoy that," she answered, a foolish smile upon her lips.

---

---

This wasn't fazing him--just how powerful was this man?

Fukayna had re-doubled her efforts the instant she had seen Armen's agreement to her proposal for battle strategy. And at first, she had thought they were making a difference. But whatever this man was, clearly he was not one that would be even remotely thrown off by two opponents. He seemed almost amused, like he was laughing at their efforts. She bit her bottom lip, frustrated that they couldn't do anything to scratch him. She felt weak, as if she couldn't... But she had battled with V'lyn, she had held her own, even for that short while. So why was this so difficult for her?

Armen held his ground as an attack was launched at him, Fukayna trying to use the gap of time to land a blow at the man. The low hiss of his voice came out as he dodged her blow almost seamlessly, the opponent's attentions focused so whole-heartedly on the elf. "You're very resilient. Almost too much so for your own good, elf. I think I would like to see that power of yours. I was planning to wait, but I don't think I can. Let us see what you're made of," She didn't like the sound of that one bit.

The man raised his hand, energy whirling around Armen's body before the boy could protest. He sputtered out half a word in surprise as he was bound tightly. Fukayna paused her attack in awe as she stared at him, the familiar tingles running through her body. But this was far different. So... so different from the feeling she had gotten around their enemy and even... even Miss Jennifer. The tingles were overwhelming and there was a vague buzzing in her mind as the hum of sheer power radiated from the elf.

The man seemed equally impressed as he almost purred when addressing Armen. "Your power, elf. This is your power. The amount of magic throughout your body is magnificent, Armen Sorien. Hard to control isn't it?" Then all of a sudden, those eyes were upon her--so quickly she couldn't have foreseen it. The man smirked, raising his hand and this time directing his attack at her. But her mind was blank, hazy from the power she had just felt from Armen. She could barely process his yell at her, telling her to move. Her legs didn't seem to want to respond--her body just felt so heavy.

The magic was released, cutting into her weapon. For the briefest moment, she felt nothing whatsoever. Her vision became a bit blurred and then her body began to process what was happening. Her weapon had only dulled the blast a portion, the rest of it searing through her body. And her mind unwillingly comprehended the agonizing pain as it hit her. She gasped and her voice hitched free, her screams no longer silent. Her voice rang out for what could've seemed like eternity but only a few seconds passed, then it was all over. Fukayna fell limply forward, already unconscious before she hit the ground; body twitching subconsciously from the attack.

---

---

Isaehn's brow furrowed as his frown deepened, the man clearly unamused by the turn of events. The scent of that man, that irritating man was in the air. Tch, annoying. He didn't want to deal with him, not today. He slid his eyes over to Zephyr, his dragon still in human form. The dragon raised his eyebrows slowly at his ward, shaking his head delicately. Isaehn sighed again, crossing his arms. Well, it didn't seem his dragon was going to be of much use to him in this event. He had no plans in interfering with Valentino's business. The first and last time he had bothered, he had walked in on a sight so disturbing, he winced every time he recalled it. Irritating.

Best not to dwell on such ridiculous matters anyway.

"Zephyr," The mage said abruptly. "I'm bored of this place." The dragon chuckled, shaking his head again as he regarded the man through silver eyes.

"You are bored of most things, youngling. This surely can't be anything new?" Isaehn ground his teeth briefly before settling his face back into its usualy, neutral demeanor. Things had been weighing more heavily on him as of late, things that shouldn't have been getting under his skin in ordinary situations. But all of the events had been compounding, especially... No, do not dwell. He rolled his eyes at Zephyr.

"That's not what I meant. You, out of everyone, should know I don't need the snarkiness." Zephyr looked away, inclining his head forwards in a slight apologetic bow.

"Of course not." Though Isaehn couldn't see it, he felt there was a touch of a smirk somewhere. Always so sarcastic, that one. "So what do you plan to do?" The mage paused, tapping his chin with his finger.

"I think we've waited around long enough. There are too many things that have gone awry and I'll not be kept in the dark and waiting. Come, we have a certain group to pay a visit to." Isaehn gestured to one of the staircases that led up to a balcony. Zephyr nodded, moving swiftly in front of the mage, the body that he had been given under the sways of magic beginning to distort and revert to its true form. As Isaehn approached the balcony, Zephyr was already waiting for him in his proper form, large, majestic, and powerful. Just the way he preferred.

The man jumped onto the dragon's snout, walking to his usual place just behind its head and giving his dragon a light tap on the side of its neck to indicate it was time to leave. It was about time he got answers.

---

The room was large and spherical in shape. It was more like a dome than anything else. There were three rows up over a pedastle at the bottom of the dome making anyone who walked into the center feel small and insignificant. It was how the High Nine preferred seeing their subjects, down below them. The room was empty, the solid onyx colored chairs all empty aside for four of them. Four men in long robes and hoods pulled up over their faces that matched the dark background sat silently in their chairs as they stared down upon the man who'd entered their domain not but a day ago requesting to see them.

With such short notice to go off of, not all of the High Nine could attend the meeting, and so only four were present out of the nine. Even so, their presence was something to consider. One leaned forward slightly, putting their hand under their invisible chin as they tilted their head to look down further.

"What brings you, Isaehn Raxieyl?" The voice was deep, marking this one as male.

The mage's lips were pursed as he breathed out slowly, forcing himself to keep a casual air. The high nine had a tendency to make anyone feel uneasy, even someone as controlled as Isaehn. "Curiosity," His voice did not portray the discomfort that he felt and carried an almost whimsical tone to it. "And sadly, I could not find anyone to sate it. Perhaps you can change that?" A familiar smirk worked its way onto his face. Yes, he could play this game.

The robed figures twisted around slowly to look at each other as the mage below had answered the first one's question. They didn't answer for a while as they seemed to be speaking to each other quietly, the soft hiss of their voices just barely brushing the air. After a moment, a second one leaned forward and addressed Isaehn.

"Curiosity isn't something that one should entertain," the second's voice was a little more high pitched, marking them as female.
"What is it you wish to know?" The first one asked.

Ah, such prudes. They had never deigned any sort of entertainment value. This was another reason why he disliked associating with them. But he had matters to clear up. Something he intended to have resolved by the end of this conversation. "I wish to have a musing of mine indulged. As I know you're aware not only from my report but from... others," He paused, raising an eyebrow before he continued. "There was an incident in Ro'ell a few days past that caused a certain amount of confusion. Some... rule breaking."

"There was a... divergence that caught my attention--naturally, I thought it would catch yours too." He did not let his smirk faltered as he regarded them. They could make him as uncomfortable as they wanted, he'd never bow to them.

"You're speaking on Lain Gareev, correct?" The female asked.

Isaehn nodded. So quick on the uptake. "Of course."

Again another bount of whispers between the group before there were any answers given to the mage. The female leaned forward again, her voice rising to address Isaehn directly, "Lain is known to... deviate from orders given to him. This matter that has been brought to us is not a first offense for him," the female paused for a moment, "The matter of his attacking the elf was not detailed in the orders given to him as he was simply to break the party up. The manner in which he did this was not specified, so of course Lain would use his own methods and how he saw it should be done.

"However, it is a concern of ours that he attacked the elf without warning. We're attempting to figure out where exactly those orders came from, if there was any at all to begin with. Lain may have acted out of his own will."

"The problem remains, though. Rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this and find out who ordered him to try to kill the elf. In the mean time, I am curious as to why you had ordered Lain to separate the group? It was detailed in your report, but I wish to hear it from you personally," the male jumped in.

Hm, insignificant details really had a way of coming back around, didn't they? Isaehn didn't bat an eyelash and smoothly responded. "Yes, it seemed necessary at the time. I had suspected there had been some outside interference but I had no way of truly proving it yet. Isolating situations seemed to be logical. Besides," His smirk grew by a fraction. "Surely it's smarter to take on smaller factions than a large group? It seemed like a waste of energy to do so otherwise."

"Wise," the male commented. The female however turned her head to regard her fellow collegue and the atmosphere seemed to turn cold as clearly, she did not agree. Regardless, she didn't comment as she returned her hooded face towards Isaehn.

"This incident has been taken into due consideration, Iseahn Raxieyl. We appreciate you're bringing it to use via your report. However, I cannot garauntee that you will know the full extent of Lain's actions. He is a Nine and therefore his actions and deeds will be judged by us and no one else. If we so see it fit, anything we find will most likely be kept within our order only. Is that understood?"

Isaehn held his tongue. It wouldn't be prudent to question them at this point. But he wasn't going to settle for this vague response either. For now, he nodded. "Understood," Isaehn wouldn't back down that easily but he knew when to pick his fights. Four of the high nine together? He had confidence in his abilities but not enough to take on so many. Just one would be a challenge.

"Shall I continue my updates then?" He said without forgetting to put an inflection of politeness and respect into his advice. Two things that brought a sour taste to his mouth.

"Please, continue," the male offered, leaning back in his seat and giving a wave of his hand that indicated the High Nine was less than interested in the goings on of the mages guild. However, as he leaned back all four froze simultaneously their heads lifted slightly to look beyond Isaehn. It was several moments of silence that filled the air and a very soft sound as if someone were knocking upon the door resounded throughout the room.

"It seems that we must cut this meeting short," the female stood slowly as she spoke, a sense of power growing around her, "We've a visitor in our city and it seems they've made quite a statement."

"That power..." a third voiced, also standing.

"As it would seem. I must say, this makes our job much easier," the first responded, standing as well, "Isaehn, could we ask you a favor?"

Isaehn raised his brows very slowly. Oh he liked favors. He liked them very much. Asking a man like Isaehn for a favor was a sure way of owing him a debt later on. And the mage never forgot when someone needed to pay their dues. "Oh, I'd only be too glad to be of service." He said, his smirk growing wider by the minute.

"I'm sure you know already who has decided to knock upon our gates," the woman said, her voice colder than it had been before, "Kindly meet them. Bring them here."

Armen Sorien

---

His heart clenched as he watched the power shoot down the hall at Fukayna and hit her full on. The woman hadn't moved when he'd yelled at her to. Something had kept her in one spot and she'd taken the powerful shot of magic nearly head on. Her staff seemed to be the only thing that kept the attack from being fatal. Armen's body shuddered in his shock and rage as he watched her fall over onto the floor in a convulsive manner. The elf's body seemed to gain a bit of movement on its own as the intruder had to shift his energy between holding Armen down and attacking Fukayna.

Armen's power expanded outwards immensely. He directed all of his focus onto the man before him and gave a shout of rage. His magic flooded outwards and struck the man. Armen watched as the enemy flew backwards and hit the wall hard. The power that he'd expelled cut into the cloth that covered the man's body and he could see trails of blood starting to stain the black cloth. Armen was shocked a moment after when the intruder started laughing.

"This... has been entertaining," raising his hand, his fingers snapped together and the darkness of the hallway seemed to congregate around him. In a matter of seconds the intruder was gone. Armen stared at the space where he'd been just a moment ago for a long while before he groaned and doubled over. The boiling of his magic was too much to handle and he toppled over onto the floor, unable to do anything else but rock back and forth as he tried to get control of himself once again.

---

---

Sebastian and Khrae

---

"I think we can consider this area secure, for now. Shall we continue, then? When this is all over, I can assure you that if you so desire, I can reimburse you for whatever damages I'm forced to impose. I do apologize by the way, I did so enjoy this interior."

Sebastian straightened after disposing of the intruder. He turned around to examine the damage done to the hall. Most of the carpentry was burned as were some of the furniture as well. With a sigh, he sheathed his sword and glanced over to Khrae who also put his weapons away. The man sure was a mystery as well as a powerful fighter. Sebastian hadn't seen anything quite like it before.

"After you." Khrae motioned for the old assassin to take the lead.

"Don't worry about the damage. We can easily repair it ourselves, what matters is getting the mansion back under our control," Sebastian answered as he started forward. He led the man further down into the hall with no one else seemingly there. As they reached the end of the hall, Sebastian turned around and glowered back down the hall in the darkness. It was then that he felt a rumble from the first floor and his eyes widened. Turning to look at Khrae for a single moment, he started back down the hall as quickly as he could with the dagger in his side inhibiting his movements.

"Tell me you feel that too..." Sebastian rushed down the stairwell and into the hallway of the main room before the front doors. Turning around he tried to find the source of the rumble, the feel of immense power. As he was about to start down one hall, another rumble struck the mansion and he whirled around, pivoting on his foot and wincing slightly from his wound. With a slight growl, he reached down and pulled the dagger free from his side. Blood poured freely then, but the pain of the steel inside his flesh was relieved.

Sebastian came upon an awful sight as he rounded the corner from where the magic had expelled from. At the very last second he spotted the congregation of shadows and he immediately thought that it was an assassin that was using the darkness, but when the shadows faded away, there was no figure to be seen anywhere. What foul magic was that? Sebastian's dark eyes narrowed but he didn't have time to ponder what was going on. Instead he rushed to the elf who had collapsed onto the floor, rocking back and forth. His body was the source of the pure energy he was feeling. Something had been done to him, and Sebastian found he could do nothing for the young man.

"Damn," he whispered, and then looked around. It was then he spotted Fukayna on the other side of the hall someways away, crumpled on the floor. His breath hissed into his lungs between clenched teeth. Had Jennifer been there to see what had happened to the girl... he feared nothing would have been left of the mansion. The mage had a tender spot for the young woman who was laying on the ground now. Sebastian stood up and rushed over to Fukayna. Kneeling next to her, he rolled her over and gently lifted her up into his arms.

"Fukayna," he called to her. She didn't look to be harmed too much, but the way she'd been laying it was obvious she'd been attacked by magic. What kind and how it affected her, he did not know. That much was scary all on it's own. He could only hope that she would pull through.

---

---

Lain Gareev

---

As he was holding the youth, he noted that a small dragon had come out of the shadows, away from it's companion. The beast growled at him, baring it's sharpened teeth as it threatened him coldly. Raising an eyebrow, Lain took a short breath to whistle lightly. So, the dragon kind could speak. That was new. The Nine gently moved backwards, pulling the boy with him. His grin was still very much apparent on his lips as he started backwards. It wasn't ever his intention to hurt any of them there, well perhaps a cut or two maybe, but nothing serious. He had only been ordered to distract them, and that's what he was doing.

"Return with me," the voice called to him. It was something only he could hear, a connection with those of his kind only. Turning slightly, his gaze flicked back to the mansion, a frown now upon his lips.

"Ruining my fun... And things were just getting interesting," Lain said. He glanced down at the boy for a moment before offering the group a bright smile, "Well, seems I'll have to call it for today," he called. With a hard shove, he released the youth and stepped backwards into the darkness. His magic swirled around him and he disappeared from the courtyard.

---

---

Talon V'lyn, Jennifer Live, Kaya

---

"Impressive," Talon whispered to himself as he watched his lover break down the large double doors that led into the city of Laowlee. He moved with her as she called out into the city in a playful manner. He was going to have to keep an eye on her, she was on her magic high once again, heightened because he was there encouraging her. Talon grinned to himself, he'd changed much with her around. Never had he asked her in the past to use her magic to her desire. With a shake of his head, he came up next to her and glanced around the ruined gates and wall.

There was no one there, something that he didn't care to see. Something was wrong with the situation and he didn't like it one bit. His hands slowly snaked across his body as he gripped his weaponry. They'd come there to figure out why they had kidnapped Jennifer to begin with, but the lack of guards and others was putting Talon on edge. His sharp gaze flicked around the street before them. Slowly he moved forwards, the shadows gripping him like hands as they twirled around his body. Reina was there with him. If the Goddess had shown herself once more, surely something was amiss.

"Be careful," he warned Jennifer, though he figured she needed no such warning. Even so, saying it gave him some level of comfort. As he stepped off the ruined gate and into the street, his gaze caught something moving in the distance. Slowly he found it to be a figure that was heading straight towards them. Narrowing his eyes he reached out a hand and stopped Jennifer from moving passed him. In his other hand, he drew his long knife and waited for the figure to reach them.

---

---

Torak

---

He was seated upon his throne in the only building that was left standing in Lethandrill. One hand rested against the arm of the throne with his head propped up in the palm. His eyes gazed at the double doors of the marble palace, all the while his thoughts on the power he wielded, and how even with that power he'd let Armen slip from his grasp and even attracted the attention of Lord V'lyn, possibly the worst person in all of Lastra to have the attention of. His teeth ground together as he sat there, writhing in his own anger and rage.

"Brooding, as always," the deep voice came from his right side, startling him. Torak jumped slightly and turned to look at the man standing next to him. His eyes narrowed even further in anger and his teeth bared at the man.

"Sneaky, as always, J'haren. What do you want now?"

The hooded man's face was never seen and the darkness under the cowl sent a slight chill up Torak's spine as he regarded the tall Nine standing next to him, "The pieces have been set."

After a moment, Torak smiled and turned to regard the doors of his palace once more. Leaning comfortably in his chair, his other hand tapped the end of the armrest on the throne, the claws of the gauntlet making soft clicking sounds as they hit the marble. How long had he waited for things to finally fall into place? Far too long.

"What do you plan to do now?" J'haren asked.

"I'll let them run around as if they've gained their freedom for now. The noose is slowly closing around them all. Things will move much faster now, and soon I'll get what I want."

"Yes. Very soon," the Nine commented, a slight difference to his tone than usual. It startled Torak and the elven steward glanced over to the man but was greeted by nothing. With a frown upon his lips he returned to his plotting and planning.

Dante & Friends

All in all Dante wasn’t having a good day. Albeit, he just struck up a relationship, he thinks, without even having to try anything, but besides that, nothing was going right. So far he’d dropped his sword as due to being unexpectedly airlifted by his Dragoness girlfriend, chastised by her for losing her sword, and then just as he was formulating a plan for showing off the melee skills that he only possessed in his mind, the mage had swooped in and put a blade to his neck. That sort of kills the morale…

So Dante was left, standing stock-still, not wanting to move due to the sharp and very shiny edge pressed against his skin. He’d thought about calling for Khrae, but he knew that the man would only save him to kill him. Besides, he was sure he could handle this… Probably.. Maybe. He definitely wasn’t going to die. He had to figure this out, because when he went to rescue Fay whom they had left behind, he’d need to bring the heroic tale of how he single-handedly saved Skyfall and his new friends. Yes, he couldn’t fail. But… How could he get out of this predicament? Maybe he’d learned something from Khrae… probably not, but maybe… Hmm.

Even as he thought about it, the not-very fat dragon of the redheaded assassin made his appearance. After a short little speech, the Dragon readied itself, and suddenly Dante was worried that he’d be used as a shield. That would be very unfortunate, and not at all fun. Fighting looked so much more cool and fun when he wasn’t in this situation… He was sure that if he were winning, he’d enjoy it a lot more. Or is it fun to lose and be that cool guy that pulls an ace and saves everyone? Dante wasn’t sure, but right now, it wasn’t very fun.

"Ruining my fun... And things were just getting interesting," the mage spoke suddenly. Dante looked over his shoulder a moment to the man, unsure of who he’d just spoken to. He didn’t seem to be talking to anyone. Just as Dante was trying to decipher what the man’s words meant though, the mage had looked down to him, smiled, and excused himself from the battle. A minute later Dante found himself being pushed forward, away from his captor. Quickly, as he was released, he spun, throwing out a random chop that probably wouldn’t have done anything even if it had hit the man. He then took up a heroic pose as the mage disappeared.

“Yeah, runaway!” he said triumphantly. “You will always remember this as the day you almost caught Dante Fuuriah!” ( Totally necessary :D) What that, Dante made a shooing motion, then put his hands on his hips, investigating the situation and nodding as if satisfied of a job well done. “Now, let us continue inside and rid this place of any more pesky mages, shall we?!” With a wave of his hand, he motioned using his other towards the guild house.

“Er, actually, wait a minute.”

Quickly Dante rushed across the court yard to gather his sword.


Khrae & Sebastian

Khrae nodded as the man gave acknowledgement to his apologies about the furnishings he’d just burnt. Continuing down the hall, there seemed to be no other intruders, but suddenly a large rumbling caught their attention. Khrae looked to Sebastian who returned his gaze, both men mutually agreeing as to the next course of action as they bolted back towards the source.
"Tell me you feel that too..." Sebastian said as they worked their way back down the stairwell to the main floor. Khrae nodded, noting also the dagger which still held firm in the assassin’s leg. He gave the man credit and a moment of admiration for his endurance and loyalty, but then dispelled the thoughts as frivolous compared to the commotion happening up ahead. Navigating the mansion quickly, they were just about to turn down another hall when the building shook again. It was now that the assassin seemed to grow tired of the pain in his leg, and finally removed the blade, allowing the blood to flow.

The older swordsman took careful note of that possible hindrance as a factor in any upcoming battles, then continued as Sebastian rushed on. The sight they found themselves facing upon turning the next corner, however, was fairly disheartening.

Khrae’s eyes shifted immediately to the mass of shadows hording themselves around a man, then watched as they dissipated, leaving no one left. He made a quick assumption that it was a mage using some form of their cherished and cowardly escape spells, then dismissed the threat as it was no longer present. The man stopped now, allowing himself to take in the scene.

Sebastian had just ran to assist the elf who seemed lost to the world, curled up around himself and rocking back and forth. Khrae looked to the assassin for any sort of sign as to what had just happened, then followed the man’s eyes to the girl opposite the boy, further down the hall. Remaining silent, the swordsman watched as the older man abandoned the elf for his fellow assassin. Both looked to be in a terrible state of disarray, obviously sustaining a terribly mentally and physically exhausting battle. Why hadn’t they sensed, or at the very least heard it before? Whoever their opponent was, they certainly did a toll on these two, and being so young, Khrae was worried for the integrity of their beings. Frowning, the swordsman approached the boy and knelt beside him. He was in no way a mage, nor did he have any way of dealing with the aftershock of such high-powered spells. His knowledge was vast, but he still found himself unsure of the situation.

Brushing back the hair of the young man, Khrae put his palm over his forehead. He didn’t want to try anything for risk that it could make things worse, but at the same time didn’t want whatever effects the boy was enduring to continue. Perhaps he could attempt something… It wasn’t terribly risky, but he still wasn’t sure what it would do.

“Damn..” Khrae mumbled, sounding more like he were talking to himself. “Let me try…” Closing his eyes, Khrae concentrated, not even bothering to finish his sentence, forcing all other thoughts from his mind, then, barely audible, he began whispering. The words were ancient, extremely archaic prayers to an old god of fire and ancestry. The method was the same that clansmen used to imbue themselves with a momentary surge of devastating power, but also, Khrae hoped, a power that could also be used for other means. He’d read it was possible, but had never had means to try it until now. It seemed most of the damages sustained by the boy were all mental, rather than physical, and Khrae while an ailment to the body was one thing, the corruption of one’s mind was worse. The swordsman was not going to let a young life be tainted so easily, to the point where they’ve broken down entirely and put into a state such as this pitiful scene he was witnessing.

Gathering his strength, Khrae hoped he’d be doing more good than harm as he allowed the energy to pour into the boy. He could feel it pulsating through his arm, transferring into the boy through his spread palm. Careful not to allow too much to flow into him at once, Khrae, who hadn’t even broken a sweat during combat, was now perspiring. It took a few moments, but finally even Khrae couldn’t take the power he felt flowing through him. He abruptly ceased the flow, opening his eyes slowly as he looked at the figure before him. It was spiritual energy, so he hoped it could cleanse the boy’s mind of whatever the mage had done, or at least stop it from getting worse. After a second or two, once the energy was completely dispelled, Khrae picked up the elf. Turning to Sebastian, he nodded for him to go on. The task and strain of what he’d done, Khrae knew, takes varying amounts of time off all that a person can live. Though right now, the life of a young man was much more important than his own. Even if he did want to try to care, he was suddenly much too tired to put effort into it.

“I hope that helped,” Khrae said softly, smiling rather weakly to the assassin. “Let’s get these two somewhere safer…”

---

Sebastian, Armen Sorien, Khrae Var, and Fukayna Muidrehd

---

Sebastian knelt next to Fukayna, her unconscious form giving him serious cause to worry. He was no mage, and there was no way to tell what was wrong with her. What was worse was the fact that the elf was also in bad shape, his facial features of pure pain and fear were something to contend with. Whomever they'd fought, they had been powerful. To take out his most promising assassin, and a youthful elf. Did the older of their group even stand a chance? What about himself? Wounded as he was, he sure was growing old.

Leaning over he pulled the woman into his grip, an arm under her knees, the other wrapped around her shoulders. She was light as a feather as he stood with her in his arms. Turning, he witnessed the man from the phoenix clan leaning over Armen. His hand was on the elf's forehead and he seemed to be deep in concentration. What was more was the fact that he looked strained. The fight earlier and the display of power he'd shown hadn't even seemed to do a thing to the man's endurance. Whatever he was doing right then must have been even more powerful.

"What company we keep, my Lord," Sebastian whispered to himself, his thoughts going immediately to Lord V'lyn. He watched intently as Armen's face twisted into that of utter discomfort and pain, his body shuddering under whatever it was that Khrae was doing. When Khrae pulled away, the elf collapsed, sweating and seemingly in less distress than before. Sebastian was curious as to what the man had done, but he was more happy to see that the elf was a little bit better. Khrae moved and lifted Armen into his grip easily as well and turned to Sebastian.

“I hope that helped. Let’s get these two somewhere safer…”

"It seems that the mansion is safe once again, we should take them upstairs," Sebastian said and moved towards the stair case. There was the large room that was usually the medical office where the assassins would go for injuries and the like. It was there that Sebastian led them. Upon opening the door, he found it empty and felt a bit of anger wash through him. Not only had the assassin's who had stayed behind been killed, but it seemed that his staff for medical was also. Grinding his teeth, he walked over to an empty bed and laid Fukayna upon the sheets.

"I'll go get the others and we'll deal with the dead while these two sleep. I'll bring Astrid here too, she'll need to rest as well," Turning, Sebastian faced Khrae, "Thank you for all of your help, but if you're tired you should rest as well," the old assassin said, wording his sentence carefully for he did not want to insult the man in anyway. He had noted the tired look earlier when he'd lifted the elf. The last thing Sebastian needed was for the seasoned warrior to also collapse from fatigue.

With a slight nod of his head, the old assassin moved towards the door and made his way down the stairs and outside. There he found Dante on his way to retrieve his sword and pivot back around to charge towards the mansion. The old assassin put one hand on his hip, leaning on the good leg and glowered at the boy.

"It seems that you lot have had your own share of fighting, that or you're disobeying my order," Sebastian stated coldly. Without waiting for an answer, he turned to the others, "Come inside now. Stephano, take Astrid to the medical room, the rest of you will help me with clearing out our fallen brothers and sisters. After that, we'll discuss what we'll do next," he turned on his heel and limped back into the mansion to get started.

---

Talon V'lyn, Jennifer Live, and Kaya Xenlyiun

---

At first, Talon's chest clenched as he watched Jennifer take several hits. He almost ignited his own power to wash over her own and destroy everything before him. However, her cackling laughter told him that what he saw was not reality. Sometimes he really hated her illusions, they were so real they even fooled him. His lips turned into a frown as he watched her, lifting an umbrella over his head as her rain fell and scorched everything before them. Perhaps he'd allowed her to be too forward with her power.

Reaching out, he touched her shoulder. He didn't say anything, his gaze would say it all and she would know what he wanted just by looking at him. They'd been together long enough that most times, he didn't need to say a single word for her to understand his meaning. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at her, his lips still turned into a frown. He remained that way for a few moments until her rain stopped. Then he flicked his gaze over to who was approaching them. The person seemed unaffected by Jennifer's attack, and in response a gush of wind came at them, throwing debris all over as well.

Talon's teeth ground together as he made out the dragon behind it's owner. Then his eyebrow raised as his gaze finally sharpened and took in the man who met them. Lowering his head slightly, his blue-gray gaze turned to molten steel and he took his hand from Jennifer's shoulder to close it into a tight fist. The silver bracer on his wrist started to glow as well.

"Isaehn. I thought you were in Ro'ell," Talon growled, his voice holding a hint of accusation to it, "Perhaps you could explain to me why Jennifer was taken from me so suddenly? Or is it that the Order of Vyldi wishes for total annihilation?"

Armen Sorien

His eyes opened slowly, a dull headache pounding at the back of his skull. He couldn't really remember what happened, the only thing that was just slightly coherent was that Fukayna had been injured. He pushed himself up, groaning as he went. Leaning on one hand, Armen pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead between his eyes. The headache had moved. He felt so tired, his body aching all over as if he'd just been fighting for days on end without any rest. The elf looked around to find that he'd been brought into a small room. There was only one bed in the room, and it was dark. No one else seemed to be there with him. The only person on his mind right then was Fukayna and upon not finding her near by, he felt panic rising in the back of his throat.

Sliding off the bed, Armen got to his feet. The headache increased and his eyes squinted shut, teeth grinding as he tried to ignore it. He made it to the door by leaning against the wall and using it as well as a chair and dresser to get there. Once he was in the hallway he started towards another door, hoping that he would find her. He pushed it open, but no one was inside. So he turned around and went down the opposite direction and tried the door on the other side of his room.

Opening it, he found Fukayna upon the bed with Sebastian sitting next to her. Khrae was there as well. As for the others, he did not know where they were but he could hear voices throughout the mansion so he figured they were around. Stumbling inside the room, Sebastian stood quickly, worry etched on his face.

"Armen! You shouldn't be up!"

"Fukayna..."

"Sleeping. Hey," Sebastian called as Armen lost his balance and fell forward. The old assassin caught the elf before he could hit the floor.

"Fukayna..."

"She's alright, just sleeping. Damn elf," Sebastian growled in irritation as he held almost the whole weight of the elf, "Come on, sit here and stop moving around. Everyone will be getting together soon here. We'll be discussing what to do next. Our top priority is finding Lord V'lyn and Lady Jennifer. Once everyone is here, we'll begin."

Armen nodded his head slowly, his weary gaze was locked on Fukayna. Sebastian had seated him near her and so he leaned forward and took her hand in his, holding it tightly. If he had the power to heal her, to wake her, he definitely would without thinking twice. However, he feared the power that the cloaked man had woken up in him, and the last thing he wanted to do was undo whatever had helped him to fight off the enormous amounts of magic that had flooded him. Even so, he could still feel it writhing inside him, giving him the body ache and the terrible headache.

"Who was it that helped calm my power? I wish to thank them," Armen asked Sebastian. The old assassin shifted and jerked his head over to Khrae. The elf turned to the man with a surprised look that didn't last very long. He dipped his head down for a moment before lifting it to look at the man, "Thank you. You did not have to do anything."

Fay X'san

"Valentino, we'll be at Skyfall soon," Fay said over her shoulder. Her lips pulled into an intoxicated smile as she laid eyes upon the man behind her. Her horse had been at the gates of Ro'ell the entire time and since it was only one mount, Valentino had to ride with her. Not that she had any complaints about it. Still, it was strange that she was infatuated with this man. There were rare times that she felt some kind of magic pulling at her, forcing her to act a certain way. However, as soon as it came it vanished completely and it seemed like it was only just her imagination.

"I don't think I thanked you properly for saving me. And helping to get my weapons back," she lifted her dark eyes, lashes fanned out over them in a sultry kind of look, "Thank you, Valentino."

Khrae

Khrae looked up from where he was leaning against the wall as Armen entered. Raising an eyebrow at the young man, the older swordsman watched with stoically as he attempted to make his way to the girl, though it seemed he wasn’t entirely in full possession of his motor skills. Whether that was still caused by the magic which had plagued him so, or simply because his body was still adjusting from shock in combat, Khrea didn’t know. Nevertheless, he admired the elf’s tenacity and loyalty.

Closing his eyes and leaning his head back now, Khrae heaved a quiet sigh, allowing himself to relax if only for a moment. The man still had plenty to worry about, and later he’d make sure to allow time for meditation. As it was, it seemed his charge had been claimed by the Dragoness, Capella. It took nearly all of the man’s will power to not cut short their little endeavor then and there when he heard the news, and to not simply hand Dante over to one of the clan elders. As it was, the man still wasn’t sure if he’d chosen the right course by allowing the charade to continue, but to take Dante away from Capella now could be fairly disastrous in more ways than one.

Khrae of course respected the Dragoness enough to acknowledge her simple words, and while he himself didn’t take to heart their meaning as she did, he still wouldn’t invoke any anger from her. Dante, who obviously knew nothing of what was happening on account of calling Capella his girlfriend, shouldn’t be caught between whatever trouble would surely arise. The boy had a knack for getting himself into these situations, but never ones that measured up to this caliber. As it was, Khrae could at least have some peace of mind in knowing that, without him around, Dante would still be kept in good condition; however kept out of trouble was something else entirely. Khrae didn’t have an answer, but he made note to meditate on the subject later.

"Thank you. You did not have to do anything."

Without moving, Khrae opened his eyes and looked down to Armen. Offering a tired smile, the man nodded to the young elf. “Think nothing of it,” he answered simply, closing his eyes and resting his head on the wall again. “I merely did what was necessary, just as you would have.” That said, Khrae decided to stand now, feeling as though he needed to move in order to find something soft to collapse on, as well as to give Armen a little more privacy with the girl. Sebastian was watching over a fellow guild member while Khrae was an outsider. No matter how close they may or may not have become, the man still felt it right to make himself scarce for now, at least until needed. It suited him more anyway.


Donning his heavy, fire-patterned cloak, Khrae moved silently to the door, but stopped just before exiting. “You did a good job, whatever you did,” Khrae stated without turning around, “Fukayna is lucky to have such a great friend as yourself. Natural talent can only go so far compared to a good dose of determination.”

With that Khrae made his leave, though called back one last time. “I shall be in the courtyard if you require assistance with anything, Sebastian!”

A quiet serenity was what Khrae required right now. He’d deal with Dante and that entire debacle later, after he meditated.


Valentino

Valentino detested horses. In fact, Valentino detested most things that weren’t human, and even then he wasn’t particularly fond of them. As it was, he’d barely heard Fay’s announcement of their progress, having been too busy trying to forget that he was on such a foul beast, and that each of its clippity-cloppity steps caused the worse case of motion sickness he’d ever experienced. With his arms wrapped tight around Fay’s waist, and with himself constantly swaying back and forth in such a dizzying rhythmic matter, the mage could barely maintain the veil he’d cast earlier, one that suggested that his grip was merely a loving hold.

It was about now that he’d wished he’d taken up other means of study in the fields of magic. Besides his illusions, he had only a small arsenal of other combat based styles, having adopted them after one mage had decided that their magic was stronger than his, thwarting his little games. Teleportation it seemed would be even more necessary, but that was a level all its own. While Valentino was powerful, all that power went to the task of enchanting, containing and then taking even more sources of power.

“I don’t think I thanked you properly for saving me. And helping me get my weapons back,” Fay continued. “Thank you, Valentino.”

Did Valentino really have to talk? Ugh. The mage put on a smile, even though she couldn’t see him behind her. He hoped he could continue this illusion enough that his voice didn’t mirror how awful he felt. “It was my pleasure, Fay. Ag—a mis-mistress in need is what all men live foo—rr.. Bleh… Ugh…”

Valentino wasn’t enjoying himself at all. He absolutely couldn’t stand the beast, and he definitely wouldn’t make a habit of using them as means of transportation on a daily basis. It was right about now that he was thankful he rarely had to travel, and when he did, he would never complain about walking anymore.

“Dear lord,” Valentino said, “Oh, stop this infernal thing for the love of the order of Vyldi!”

Did the horse understand him? That would be terribly bad if it did, because it was at just that moment when it whinnied, shook its mane, and then snorted. Valentino in response screamed and flipped backwards, falling several feet to the hard ground. Perhaps it wasn’t entirely that he disliked animals, but rather was afraid of them.

Landing with a rather solid thud on his back, and flopping awkwardly onto his side, the man finally lost his whatever contents were in his stomach, though to be honest, he didn’t remember eating this morning. Rolling over onto his back, he heaved a deep sigh with a mixture of relief, aggravation and perpetuating dizziness. The only good thing the man could manage to think about right now was that he was off the horse, and that the ground didn’t move. “Son of a… Damn that creature and all like it! Ugh…” Bringing both hands to his face and covering his eyes, he sighed again. “Fay, I suggest we rest here! There’s a lovely field over…” Without looking up or getting off the ground, the man threw one arm to his side in order to point at the pasture which lined both sides of the road. “There.”

Luscious, green, full of flowers and, most importantly, not moving. Valentino was finally content lying in the dirt along the road, and he would’ve stayed there forever in order to avoid not having to mount that beast again, if it hadn’t been for the toad lying directly next to his face when he finally turned his head.

His scream was less than manly, to say the least. Jumping to his feet, the man dismissed everything else as he dusted batted at himself and the air, now screaming random profanities, mixed into other incoherent sounds of annoyance and bewilderment. “God damn… Away, foul … Thing!” Taking a foot, the man kicked delicately at the toad, though it didn’t move. “Go on,” he said, waving his hands at it after having moved to a safe distance of two meters. “shoo! Sickly wart infested bastard!”

Again it didn’t move.

Valentino stepped a wide arc around the creature, then pointed at it, sending a miniature blast of electricity streaking towards it. Only the sight of the creature, roasted and with its guts spilled out, freaked the man even more, invoking another fit of yelling and arm flailing.


Dante

Dante poked Capella curiously, like a child testing to see if what they were looking at was worth playing with. “Hey,” he said devilishly, “want to play a game?” With a grin like a Cheshire cat, he nodded out the window towards Khrae sitting cross legged in the courtyard, eyes closed, entirely oblivious to the world. Taking a finger and putting it to his mouth to signal silence, Dante leapt less than gracefully out the little window. It was the ground floor, so he merely had to clear a foot or two in order to be outside. Unfortunately it seemed that not even that was within his capabilities.

With his foot catching the bottom of the window, Dante found himself falling face first into the thick shrugs which lined the exterior walls of the mansion, and that decorated the perimeter of the courtyard. Rolling spastically and jumping to his feet, he took up a simple melee stance, looking as if that was exactly what he planned to do. Shifting his head back and forth overdramatically like someone searching for another opponent, he smiled as he looked to Khrae, who remained unmoving. Chuckling silently to himself, he nodded to Capella now as he crept forward, his footsteps not at all silent along the stone, towards his master.

Picking up a stick from the shrub he’d massacred upon his entrance, Dante inched ever closer, extending his arm as far as he could with the object until he was within range. It was obnoxious, like a toddler deliberately trying to coax on another into a game of tag, the way Dante moved. Looking back at Capella now and giving a thumbs up with his free hand, he turned back to the older swordsman and took the last step forward that would allow him to reach his mentor’s overly long hair.

Opening his eyes abruptly and standing, Khrae pivoted on the spot, spinning into a standing position while grabbing the stick and flicking it expertly towards Dante. Dante screamed and ran childishly, leaping back through the window, with enough clearance this time, before disappearing down the hall. Khrae simply shook his head as he sat down once again.

After having run a safe distance across the mansion, Dante stopped, snickering to himself. He’d nearly gotten a heart attack from Khrae’s sudden movements, yet at the same time knew it was coming. It was always fun to see just how far he could push the man, and even cooler the way Khrae could do things with such precision. Dante would one day reach that level and beyond, but only after he was sure that it wouldn’t turn him into a sour-puss too. Taking a moment to calm himself, Dante looked around, frowning. He needed something else to do…

Locating Capella again, he grabbed her, dragging her towards a corner.

“Shh,” he said quickly, before she could respond to any of his actions. “Mercenary Capella, you’re being hired to conduct operations with myself on a hostage rescue mission. Do you accept?!” Looking around, Dante acted as if his games were entirely serious, and that they were in danger of being overheard, requiring urgency. “Should you choose to accept, you shall come with me back to Ro’ell in order to reclaim subject F, captured by mages… What say you?”

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There were voices.... she heard... someone speaking...

Her whole entire body felt like lead, bothersome, heavy, almost foreign to what she was used to. The young woman found she was having difficulty even opening her eyes--eyelids feeling so heavy that the effort of moving seemed a bit too strenuous for her to even manage. She laid still, trying first to steady her breathing. Yes, she was definitely awake, she could make out some garbled sounds around her. The voices sounded masculine but it was impossible for her to tell who they belonged to. The noise all warped together with the light buzzing in her ears.

Not to mention this headache that was making it all worse.

Fukayna forced herself to take a deep breath, opening one of her eyes with a bit of a struggle. Light flooded her vision and she instantly squeezed her eye shut again. Too bright, far too bright. She tried moving her fingers and found that they were responsive, if but slowly so. Alright... one by one... she could do this! She tried to encourage herself slowly, one finger, then two, there was three. Just a little more.

She wasn't sure how much time passed as she struggled to raise her hand but progressively, she dragged it upwards, settling her palm right above her eyes. Time to try again. Once more, she opened her eye, receiving less light than her first go-around. That was at least faintly bearable... She opened her other eye, vision growing less blurry as she focused on the figure nearest to her. The first thing she noticed was the grayish black hair that she had come to associate with only one person.

Her eyes shot open a bit as her heart did a small leap in her chest (much to her internal embarrassment) as she came to recognize Armen, who was looking her over with a modest amount of concern. A blush found its way to her cheeks and at times like this, she was rather relieved that no one could see her eyes. She wouldn't quite be able to meet his gaze head-on in this state.

Closer observation showed her Sebastian was also in the room but he was farther away, probably by the door. He looked anxious, as if he had been pacing or some sort. Fukayna tried to prop herself up on her elbows to see better but immediately collapsed back down again. Whatever she had gotten hit with had done ample damage to her body. She cringed, settling for looking back over at Armen.

How was she going to speak to him? She didn't have enough strength to write quite yet. Maybe there was another way...
She moved her hand away from her eyes and slid it down to reach for his, offering him a small, shy smile. 'I'm okay,' she mouthed slowly, hoping he would be able to understand her. It belatedly occurred to her that perhaps he had heard her voice in the form of her strangled scream earlier during the battle. She wasn't going to think much on it for now--her head hurt too much for that many thoughts. For now, she was just glad to be alive and that Armen was nearby.