Anton Hierot's Story

Drogoth

He could see the trees in a magnificent myriad of colors. The wind swirled around; gently blowing the leaves and as he watched, he thought it quite beautiful. The sun was in the middle of the sky and for a moment, he had little care for what happened around him.

Then he was falling. Falling into a furious sea of emerald green. Falling into oblivion. Gone were the trees; replaced by the raging sea around him. He didn't float as he hit it, only falling to the very bottom. Strangely, he could breath. He had never felt so terrified or so alive before. He was aware of the pain in his head caused by the massive blow that he had been struck with. Who had done it? Then he remembered. He saw a face, nothing more. The same face that haunted his dreams from time to time was in front of him. He wanted to reach out and strangle it for inflicting this much pain and madness upon him.

Then it changed. As quickly as he could blink, it changed into the giant grinning face of his worst nightmare and greatest ally. It had changed into the green god his mind had named Ma'Kune. He was terrified, and going utterly insane once more, losing himself to the rage and fear he felt towards this entity of his past. For the first time, he was about to lose himself while he was unconscious.

Drogoth forced himself up like a bolt and even though he was awake, he could still see part of the evil one's wolfish face.

His body was drenched in sweat and he realized he would get no more sleep at this time. Most of the energy he had lost had returned, even though he hadn't been asleep for very long. He quickly got dressed, putting his new belt and the pack with it around his waist. Donning his cloak and his swords, he was just about to leave when the message appeared.

He was to go to a large house that Nira had taken for her own and, already dressed, he wasted no time in carrying out her orders. He soon arrived at the house and waited for the others to show up. He was still tired and tried not to let it show, so he pulled his cowl up and looked slightly down so as to not portray weakness.

It was coming, he knew. The moment where he would lose himself. He had evaded it for now, but it always found a way to show itself. As long as the others didn't do anything to make him doubt their allegiance, they would be fine. Over the years, he has found a way to somewhat control his frustration by targeting the opposite of himself. That being someone good. He was utterly evil, and although he couldn't wholly understand his deadly subconscious, he could direct it away from others who were truly evil. He had even found a way to talk and express himself while in this state, but it had taken years.

If he did change, he hoped that Talazar and Nira wouldn't kill him for it. He hoped they would at least give him a chance to explain. Then he remembered that shades rarely gave anyone a chance. Sighing, he turned his thoughts to other things, and, awaiting orders, he stood there silently while everyone else filed in.

Entalo

The small archer and his friend had been waiting for a break like this. They hadn't seen any shades in at least a week, and were ready for a fight.

They had seen the destruction of the village but arrived too late to do much of anything. Now they watched from the outskirts of the town, waiting for their prey to emerge. They would begin by picking them off one or two at a time, not wanting to attack the entire group head-on. They weren't invincible, after all. They were good at what they did, of course, but against a group of shades this size they would die if they did anything foolish.

Entalo had to hold Anton back, knowing his large friend would have charged at the first sign of an opponent. Now, having calmed him down, they slept in shifts for the first time in a few days, waking each other after a few hours and waiting for any unwary shade to venture outside of the ruined village.

Still thinking how he would go about trying to exterminate this group, he realized that it was about time for him to sleep. Waking Anton, he fell into a world filled with his fantasy of killing every last shade alive.

Anton

When Anton awoke, somewhat groggily, he immediately took up his position where the smaller man had been. He was extremely bored with all this business of hiding in the shadows, but saw the reason in it. Besides, he knew that Entalo was much better at planning than he was, and he trusted his friend's judgment.

Looking now to where he saw movement in the village, he almost woke up Entalo, but relaxed when he saw that none of them were exiting their abode. He knew there might be weeks of hiding like this, or there might be minutes. Either way, he was always on edge about the choice of tactics they both employed.

Anton knew his friend had come a long way from being that same helpless kid that he constantly had to save, but Entalo knew he needed Anton, just as Anton needed Entalo. Either way, he hoped that this hiding would stop soon, or he would go mad from the boring mess that had become his life over the past month.

Drogoth

Drogoth didn't know how to respond to this strange being that was questioning him. He had, of course thought about just killing the man, but thought it unwise as Nira and Talazar needed all the shades that were going to be present, and then some. He had no idea if the two had other forces that were working with them, but he wasn't going to take a chance by eliminating a possible asset. He looked back from the man after staring at him for a while, his thoughts going back to the dream and besides, the man didn't look like he really cared whether or not Drogoth responded to his weird question. The man looked like he too was lost in his thoughts as Drogoth resumed immersing himself once more in the world that was his nightmare.

Drogoth's ears pricked up at the mention of his name and promotion, and he was thrilled to extend his power, but was deeply troubled by the dream. His thinking, however, was cut short when Nira killed the young woman. He hadn't been paying attention up until now, except for his promotion, and raised his eyebrows at the elven woman who had just delivered the sentence of death.

When the man had drawn his sword and stepped toward Nira, his hands automatically went to his daggers, ready to throw them in an instant if need be, but that was cut short as he saw Talazar stride into the meeting. He grinned as he realized his healing had done it's job and he was glad to see his leader on his feet. He would need no assistance from Drogoth and he relaxed as Talazar proceeded to pick up the giant slasher he called a weapon.

The fight was short and Drogoth just stood there watching and smiling slightly as Talazar proceeded to end the man's life with a single, well-placed punch. Then the smile faded and became a frown He had been upset before because of his dream, but now he was actually getting mad as he had just watched the pathetic display by the shade who dared challenge Nira. The man was going to die anyway, so why not put on a show? Although, few shades could actually put on any sort of entertainment against Talazar unless the scythe wielder decided to prolong their life. Still, he had done something besides just die, and Drogoth became less angry with each passing second after the satisfying death. The frown remained, however, as his thoughts continued to go back to that giant grinning face.

Now the fight, if one should call it that, was over, and the foolish shade lay on the ground, quite still. Drogoth was still thinking of the image but was also glad for some entertainment. After all, he needed to get his mind on something else other than his creeping madness.

Entalo

Entalo saw from his new position that the shades were all gathered in one large house. He had switched positions shortly before, not being able to see anything, and was now dangerously close to the edge of the town. He looked over at the large man that also occupied this space, realizing that it was taking all the man's willpower not to charge straight into that house and kill every shade inside it. They were expecting the same type of shades: weak, slow, stupid, and fearful. They had no reason to suspect otherwise, but Entalo had seen the number of shades in the town and even though Anton could kill a lot of them, the large man would inevitably fall under the sheer numbers.

Still, he thought, I have to do something. They couldn't just wait here until the shades decided to do something, after all. They didn't have unlimited time and supplies. They would have to try something to lure the shades out soon. But if their plans failed and the shades did nothing, then they would have to move on. They had only been here for about a day; maybe not even that. The two had been tracking this group or another like it for a while, and they weren't even sure that this was the correct group that had been terrorizing the countryside. Tracks crossed frequently, and they did their best, but sometimes they still lost track of the enemies.

If the shades did nothing for one day straight from that point, they would leave, Entalo decided as he busied himself with going over the enormous amount of arrows that were strapped to his cloak. If the shades did decide to make a move and their unseen stalkers saw them, Entalo knew they would need every weapon in their arsenal.

Drogoth

Drogoth was delighted to hear the orders from Nira and was eager to get started. He was also happy to hear that Talazar wanted to get going. While Nira had more or less asked him to stay put until she could get something to help him heal, they were wasting time and Talazar apparently agreed with the unspoken statement.

He ordered several of the shades to come with them, leaving enough to protect their base while also taking enough to deal with most threats.

Besides, he thought, we might need them. He had heard about this group, of course, and any man who was powerful enough to temporarily take down Talazar was a force to be reckoned with. He started to follow his quickly departing leader, but stopped, remembering something.

"You," he called out, pointing to the strange man who had previously talked to him, "You're coming with us." At that, he departed, following in the giant scythe's wake.

Entalo

The archer had just risen from where he was sleeping, being awakened once again by Anton, who immediately fell asleep behind him. No matter how anxious that man was, he could always fall asleep almost instantly. Entalo took it as laziness, but wished he could to it, too. Anything was better than staying up for hours thinking about whatever crossed his mind until there was nothing left, and even then, he still found it hard to pass into unconsciousness.

Now he took up his position, constantly on the watch for any movement coming from the village. Just as he was about to look at his cloak to take a count of all the arrows he had, he saw it.

"Anton!", he whispered fiercely, "get up!"

The big man woke incredibly slowly, taking his time to stretch in the confined spaces. Entalo shook him, waking him up faster and getting his attention as Anton realized he had not been asleep for that long. A question appeared on his lips but Entalo held up a finger to his mouth, signaling for him to be quiet. Now he was awake, and excited, too, Entalo could see. He obviously knew what the small man had seen and was ready to come out of the hiding spot, axe ablaze and charge into the group of shades. Entalo held him down and motioned for the spot next to him. Anton quickly obliged, coming up next to him and looking out to where the shades were moving.

"On the count of three," said the axe wielder, "One....two....."

"Wait!" Entalo almost shouted but managed to keep his voice down. "Look.", he pointed to the head of the group, to where they saw a man dragging a giant scythe in the ground.

Anton's jaw literally hit the ground as he continued to look out at the giant weapon being dragged with ease behind the white-haired man. They both knew who this was, had both heard of the reaper of the shades. This would be the opportunity of a lifetime, they knew, and they weren't about to pass it up because of the title of the man.

Entalo motioned for Anton to pack up the small encampment and follow him. He had instructed his friend on how to move quietly, and while he was nowhere near as good as Entalo was, he would still stay undetected if the shades continued on their path. They would shadow the force of shades until they broke apart, or an opportunity arose to take some of them down. Either way, they were going to do everything in their power to kill this scythe-wielding menace. They also hoped that the elven woman who was also quite feared would show herself, so that they might rid the area of two immensely powerful shades. Of course they knew it would not be easy, but they would still try. It was part of the mutual agreement between them.

Drogoth

Drogoth wasn't surprised in the least at his leader. After a short glance at him and at Dezera, he broke away from the main group and headed down the fork without a word. He had sensed the presence watching them as well, and because he knew Talazar was also probably well aware of it, he concluded that that was the reason for the splitting of forces. Besides feeling like there were eyes watching him, Drogoth thought he had, at one point, seen movement in the trees to his right and slightly back. It had only been out of the corner of his eye, and only for an instant, but his eyes rarely deceived him.

Talazar was no fool, and if he continued to lead like he was already doing, Drogoth would gladly follow him anywhere. The way he commands, always with a voice that lets everyone know that he is not to be challenged, and the way he makes an example out of anyone who refuses him makes him a good enforcer. That alone would have earned Drogoth's respect, but it wouldn't have been enough to get the man follow him. The reason for his siding with Talazar and Nira, besides them being commanders who knew how to instill fear, was the fact that they were intelligent, nothing more. He had joined because they were smarter and more powerful than Kreon, and also for the fact that he didn't like the man. In fact, he hated him with a passion. The coward always runs away when things start to get tough, and Drogoth hopes he finds him before Talazar or Nira can kill him. He had to have some fun, after all.

Entalo

Entalo knew exactly what to do after the group divided and didn’t even and didn't even have to pause and think, as he saw immediately an opportunity to weaken the force by taking out the smaller detachment. As he followed, Anton in tow, he checked his quiver and his cloak. Both were perfect, with dozens of arrows each. The arrows in the quiver were very securely placed for maximum mobility, and wouldn’t come out unless he pulled them at the exact angle that he was facing. Any other angle would be met with an immense amount of difficulty. Each of the deadly missiles was fastened individually with tiny strips of leather for maximum effectiveness.

The archer’s cloak was an entirely different matter. The arrows were placed in small packs which hooked to the cloak due to the multiple layers of it. One layer had small holes in it to allow the attachment. The next layer was made of tough leather and tougher cloth to provide some measure of protection. The third layer was the outermost layer, dyed a dark green and grey to blend in with his surroundings. The arrows attached to it were his most prized possessions, and he was used to making more of them as they got used. He started to pick out a flat arrow to knock one of the shades out, but thought better of it. They were shades, after all, and didn’t deserve to live.

After a while, he decided they were far enough from the larger group and decided to open fire. Taking out one of the perfect arrows, he needed only a fraction of a second to aim and fire the lightning fast weapon.

He watched the projectile race towards his target, the shade with dual blades, but inches before it hit, Entalo found himself frowning as the man suddenly rolled to one side, drawing his weapon in the process. The weapon was easily recognizable as it wasn't of the norm of most people, being a scimitar instead of the usual straight or broadsword, it was truly unique to find. In an instant the man was on his feet, and the jewel on the scimitar was glowing as the man called upon it’s power. Entalo quickly shot again, but the arrow was stopped in midair by a swirling mass of water that was forming a shield around the two shades.

This is going to take a while, he thought with a sigh as he saw Anton drawing the massive battleaxe from it's sheath on his back.

Aelianus

Aelianus had remained silent for most of the meal. It was good, cooked to perfection, and thus he used it to keep the conversations to a minimum; acting as if his mouth was always full, and by the time he'd swallowed his food, he'd forgotten about whatever may have come up, though nothing did. He felt bad in a way for being so evasive, but he simply couldn't bring himself to talk about anything currently. The question from earlier had brought dozens of memories forward that he'd tried so hard to forget, both happy and sad. Thinking about those days, she was beautiful in her liveliness... Though now he wasn't sure. He knew how Ta... no, he claimed otherwise. Aelianus knew better though, especially when the only time he'd seen any kind of emotion short of hatred was when the man knelt by...

"Thank you for stopping to eat,"

The Princess' words made Aelianus jump. He didn't realize he'd been so lost in his thought, concentrating on memories and sorting through emotions. He'd forgotten even that they were in an inn, and that he still had unfinished food to consume. Looking up, he blinked as if he'd even forgot who she was, taking a moment to register everything around him and then comprehend her words.

"No problem," was his only answer before he returned to his meal. For now he pushed all other thoughts aside, finding them too distracting and knowing that if he were to dwell on them too long, he'd find himself unable to maintain what was just barely an apathetic demeanor.

---

Patience was key. No matter how much the man wished to simply run in and snatch the two, he knew it was better to wait. The drugs would take effect, and they could escort them out as if they were bringing them to a healer. Of course, there weren't that many people around, and he was a senior member of Titus' organization and therefore anyone who opposed him, short of a shade, would be quick to die, but still he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Not now at least.

It was just five minutes prior when he got the notification that his reinforcements were arriving, and he smiled to himself as he continued his act, milling around the inn and serving dishes. What he found truly amusing was the fact that nobody noticed a random new employee, that or they just knew who he was here, and nobody bothered protesting. Whatever the case, when the girl finally collapsed, he made his move, the boy already on his feet and swaying.

The fact that the two seemed to be at a sort of impasse, for whatever reason refusing to talk as both looked like they were within their own world of thought, made the job of drugging the food even easier. It would've been near impossible to detect anyway, but the man knew any amount of help or distractions was always good and ever welcomed. Quickly he rushed up to the prone figure of the girl, kneeling with the boy whom it seemed still refused to eat all his food, and thus didn't receive a full dose of the potion. Behind him, he heard the shuffling of feet, and knew that his second man was coming in.

---

"Kirrah!" yelled Aelianus. He'd seen the girl sway, raised an eyebrow as she sat back down, then followed her as she hit the floor. He felt it too, of course, but it wasn't as strong. On his knees he shook the girl, urging her to stay conscious, but it seemed that it was to no avail. When the man from earlier, the one who'd served them, appeared just a moment later, coming down next to him to help, he didn't protest. Perhaps with a clearer mind he could've connected two and two, but currently with everything he was thinking about, coupled with the effects of whatever drug his food had been spiked with, nothing made sense except for the fact that the Princess had collapsed, and the kind waiter was assisting him.

It wasn't until he heard the sound of a sword escaping it's scabbard behind him, and the yelling of people did he realize something was wrong. Looking to the man next to him, he just registered the cruel grin. What happened next was instinctive, and even though his actions were sloppy and rather uncoordinated, he still managed bring his sword to bear, using the draw to sweep out to his right and not only cut across the man who was supposedly helping him, but all the way around and into the gut of the second. Both fell, and through a foggy vision, with the world swaying, Aelianus just managed to gather the girl and make towards the exit. Outside though, several more figures awaited.


Talazar

The ploy worked, and the man smiled as he doubled back around through the trees just to find exactly what he wanted. Two men, once the hunters, now the hunted. He waited for precisely the right moment, the three other shades with him poised for attack as he readied his scythe, his grip flexing on the metal shaft.

He watched through the trees, and although the picture was slightly obscured, he saw the movements that were used when one was drawing a bow, heard the tell-tale sound of the string snapping forward, and saw the arrow spring ahead. Down the road, Drogoth and the other shade who seemed still oblivious were waiting to receive the attack, and Talazar wasn't surprised when he saw their newly appointed lieutenant leap to the side, catching the second shot in a watery shield. That was his signal, and Talazar wasted no time in beginning his flanking maneuver.

The distance was about fifty feet, and the man allowed the black gem on his scythe to take on an ominous glow. Rushing forward, he had a technique for combating archers, and used his jewel to disrupt the air around him. A strong bow could still launch the projectile on a fairly straight path, but for the most part, and especially with smaller, weaker bows, his defense could stop most of their attacks.

His scythe came forward as he appeared from the trees, gathering more energy as it sent a single gust of air careening forward, the shock wave acting as a blade of its own as it sliced through any obstacles that happened to be in its path, trees included. The man continued the movement, the mighty weapon working fluidly in his hands as he brought it up and then back down, once more using it to pole-vault forward. With the aid of his wind jewel, the heights he could reach were truly amazing, and with his specialized defense, he knew he had time to be flashy.

His scythe trailed him as he came down, targeting the archer first. Just feet from the ground is when his weapon came forward, the blade leading on a collision course with the man's neck, decapitation being the motive.

Drogoth

Drogoth was incredibly overjoyed at the sight of his leader, and he prepared his ice jewel for a large attack that would surround both of the enemies and freeze them to the point of helplessness.

He was just about to launch the projectile when he saw what his leader was doing. He knew that if fired it at the two, his leader could get caught in it and Drogoth didn't feel like dealing with an angry Talazar. Still, he had to do something with the ice orb he had created, as there was no way of simply putting the energy back into the jewel.

Making a split-second decision, he encased himself in the ice, forming armor with razor sharp edges. He had never done this before, and he paused slightly to admire his creation. He was entirely covered in ice, and, using his jewel, he kept transferring energy to where the limbs of his arms, legs, and neck had to move, making the ice surrounding them flexible enough to move wherever he wanted to with no tension whatsoever.

Charging forward and making sure Dezera was protected with the water, at least until he moved, he rushed towards the archer and his companion. The man with the massive axe moved to intercept him, and he dodged his first giant swing, moving closer so that the man had no power behind his swings. Lashing out with his right hand, now encased in sharp ice and still holding his scimitar, he grinned in satisfaction as he heard the small grunt of pain that came from the large man.

Then, something catastrophic happened. The man punched with his right hand, keeping the axe in his left, and caused Drogoth to stagger backwards. He then proceeded to ignite his axe and send a massive fireball hurtling towards Drogoth.

If he had known that the axe wielder was a fire jewel user, he would have never used the ice armor. It had completely melted it and the wind was knocked out of him as he hit the ground, serving only to make him madder than he already was. If the man had pressed the attack, he could have killed Drogoth, but now he had recovered. Still, he wasn't going to attack the man further, at least until the archer was distracted.

Soon after finishing the thought, he got his wish as the man became aware of Talazar rushing towards him.

Entalo

Entalo knew he could penetrate the ice that the shade had created, but just as he was about to do so, he saw him. Urgently, he got Anton's attention just after the man had launched the man in the ice back about twenty yards. His eyes were now fixated on Talazar, who was approaching them at a somewhat astonishing speed.

Knowing he only had only seconds before Talazar was upon them, Entalo quickly called on the power of his ring. Sending out a blast towards the man still recovering from Anton's fireball, he watched as it hit the man, hurling him back another twenty yards.

For a moment he was confused to see that the man was on his feet almost immediately, the lightning doing seemingly nothing except shattering the ice armor. Then he saw the lightning jewel in the man's hand, glowing darkly. He must have had almost no time to react to Entalo, but it had been enough to counter the blast enough so that he didn't get killed.

Disappointed, Entalo turned his attention back to Talazar, who had just landed next to them. He hadn't expected that speed, and quickly fired an arrow at the shades just coming out of the trees as Anton came up in front of him and proceeded to block Talazar's almost fatal sweep, holding the axe that was still on fire with both hands. He saw one of the shades fall to the ground, the arrow sticking straight out of his heart because of the perfect shot. Anton swung at Talazar, having blocked the attack from the shade, and he saw that the man had difficulty with blocking the massive weapon.

They were outnumbered, Entalo knew, and he also knew he had fallen for the obvious trap. He would scold himself later. Now, all of his attention was on trying to figure out how they were going to come out of this fight intact.

Rue Janair

Her eyes settled on the growing fight, their blue color reflecting the flashes of magic that filled the air. She was up in a tree right above the men in black and the two young men fighting back. For a long while she'd just sat there and watched, woken from her nap by the commotion. Rue had been traveling for some time on her own, enjoying the sights, smells, sounds and feelings of everything around her. This wasn't the first time she'd seen these men in black wreaking havoc on others. It was a strange thing, and she idly wondered why they would do such a thing.

With a slight huff, she tilted backwards all the while thinking to herself, if only they could all get along... Rue backflipped off the top of the branch she was perched on and came down into the fight in three slow twists. She pulled her sword out on the final flip and came down upon a man in black right as he was about to attack one of the shorter men. The taller one was locked in a struggled with one that wielded a wicked looking scythe that looked far too large to be a proper weapon. Her eyes had widened at the sight of such a thing and she felt utterly dwarfed by its size.

With the squirming man underneath her, she tilted her head sideways in a comical expression as she gently stepped off the man's back, "My my, didn't see you there," she whispered softly to him. As he stood, though, she whirled into a serious of sharp kicks and slashes with her sword. Her body was nimble, fast and hard to keep track of. In a matter of seconds, she'd downed the man once more, though this time he stayed down.

Her eyes flicked about the fight, trying to see how she could possibly help further to get the two men out of their sticky situation. Finally, she figured distracting the massive scythe wielder was their best shot. Turning, her eyes flicked up and down the young man whom she'd dropping in front of. He stood a bit taller than her and she gave him a warm smile, "Get ready," she chirped at him.

Turning back, she leveled her blade at the scythe wielder, her smile flashing at him playfully. Closing her eyes and shifting her head off to the side, her blue hair fell over one shoulder and she expelled the pent up magic in her jewel. Water flooded the blade, then danced outwards towards the scythe. Once it reached the black weapon, it curled along it's edges, wrapped down the handle and around the man's wrist. From there it expanded, engulfing the entire weapon and creating a watery shield between her and the two men.

With a hum of satisfaction to herself she looked over her shoulder, "I think now is a good time to run," she said pleasantly. Rue started backing away into the trees as she kept the powerful water shield up. As she moved the water slid off of the man's weapon and his wrist, but never faded. Some of the men in black struck at the wall of liquid, only to have their blades get stuck halfway and have to remove them quickly. The water reformed itself at each strike, never falling apart or breaking open long enough for one black cloaked man or woman to set foot through.

Once in the trees, she dropped the shield and took off into the trees, her foot steps light and near noiseless. She caught up to the other two easily enough and once they were at a good enough distance, she stopped and eyed them both. All the while at the back of her mind, she started making notes on which one she liked better. With a smile she stood to her full height and gave them a comical salute, "Rue Janair. My pleasure to have helped two very... attractive... human males," she introduced. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth as she waited for them to catch their breath and react to her presence.

Talazar

The man didn't flinch as his target turned on him and fired, seeing immediately that the arrow wasn't intended for him. He wasn't however expecting the speedy defense of the man's comrade as his heavy axe came in to stop his sweep. Glaring at the the one who had gotten in his way, Talazar didn't even bother worrying about the flaming blade of the heavy weapon, as all he cared about how was the man wielding it. How annoying it was when people always got in your way. You do not stop the reaper from doing his job, from passing his judgment, lest you end up yourself with the same fate. Lately though, it seemed, people were all too willing to intervene and die.

Stepping back, Talazar allowed himself and his opponent a moment before suddenly the man attacked. The heavy swing wouldn't be hard to block, but the entirety of the weapon and it's momentum would most definitely do good to push the man's scythe out of the way, leaving him open to a quick follow up. No, Talazar didn't block it, but instead let his weapon drop to the ground at the last moment. Held in his right hand, and with the shaft and blade far to the left, Talazar leaned back beneath the axe's proximity, then drew his arm back to both balance himself and bring the scythe around to the man's legs. All would have gone accordingly, and his adversary would've been on the ground, if not for one presence the man had failed to sense.

The Fae who appeared not only enraged the man with her playful grin, but further with the fact that her magic held the him and kept his counter from being implemented. With his weapon and wrist suddenly encased in water that quickly expanded to shield the girl and the two others, Talazar's attack was null and void.

The man struggled as he watched the three make their escape, happy that the water had receded from his person, but still annoyed at its presence between his troops and their enemies. Without having to test the integrity of the barrier like the other shades had done, Talazar simply stood, watching his prey withdraw, staring daggers into their backs. Whoever they were, they'd be sorry they ever made themselves stand out to the man. More faces for the list of deaths to be administered.

Huffing a deep sigh, Talazar's arm came out suddenly and brought the blade of the scythe around to his left and into the gut of one of the shades next to him. The full length penetrated, two and a half feet protruding from his back, and effectively severing his spinal cord. Still with the same glare, Talazar simply looked at the man, nodded his condolenses, and withdrew the weapon. Turning to Drogoth he spoke with a less than pleasant tone.

"Come, we'll get them later." His gaze shifted to the shade whom was laying on his back, and the man simply shook his head. "We've got other matters to attend to."


Aelianus

"Hah, look who's managed to get a little fight in him!" Chimed a man. His words were followed by the smug contributions from his comrades whom all felt a need to make sure their voice was heard, whether it be another snide comment, or some profanity. Aelianus simply stared at them, holding the Princess awkwardly and leaning on his blade. It was now that he was happy that only a fraction of his food had been consumed, but the effects were still enough to take their toll. The man struggled to keep his gaze from drifting into a double-vision blur, and his legs worked to stay upright as if the world was continuously teetering back and forth.

"Well, now now, we can't have you alive and upright, can we?" Said another, his grin widening as his grip on his broadsword adjusted. "We'll be needin' that girl too."

Aelianus huffed, blinking once as he tried to concentrate his vision on the one who was talking, but it was far too difficult. Getting a better hold on the Princess, Aelianus brought up his sword to combat those who suddenly took a step forward. His gaze shot back and forth, trying to watch everyone to see who'd strike first, but the movement was too much and only aided in making him dizzier. Then, without warning the first man struck.

Adrenaline could be affiliated with Aelianus' escape; that and the pure need and desire to protect a friend. It was a potent combination, and that showed as even when hindered by a potion that caused all his movements to be unbalanced and uncoordinated, and with the mediocre combat skill he had, the boy still managed to fight his way out. Perhaps it was the fact that his dose wasn't as much as the Princess', or that his movements were doing good to pump the drug from his system, but as he broke the boundary of the town, Aelianus found some of his motor skills returning and his head clearing.

Breathing heavily, clothes torn or cut and with his bloodied sword still clutched in his hands, Aelianus ran as fast as he possibly could without collapsing back home. How he managed to keep the Princess in his grip was unknown even to him, especially when she sustained no wounds at the cost of several scars he'd be bearing, but he didn't care. Right now his only worries were on those of the remaining group who pursued him. He knew at least if he could make it a safe distance away, or even get home he'd be more safe than he was now, but as he drew up to the house, that thought was immediately dispelled.

The first signs were the gardens that lined either side of the walkway. Obviously butchered by a sword of some kind, Aelianus suddenly felt a new fear welling in his chest as he stumbled up to the door, which was slightly ajar. Stepping inside, the boy couldn't hold himself up any longer and simply fell to the ground, but did his best to not fall on the girl. When he looked up, he found that not only did his fresh blood coat the floor, but also that of others and their bodies.

Drogoth was absolutely furious. Not only had he been blown back by a fireball, but he had also been hit with a blast of lightning. He had barely seconds to draw his own lightning jewel out and call upon it's power, but it had been enough to lessen the attack. Still, he had been blasted back a fair distance, and even though he was on his feet in an instant, his whole body was tingling and his ears were ringing. But, on top of that, his prey had gotten away.

Talazar and Nira had given his the simple task of hunting someone down and killing them. They even said to leave her bodyguard alive for Talazar. If he couldn't even make it through the woods without getting blasted, he was going to have a difficult time.

Still, he thought, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that none of them have ever seen.

That did little to lessen his mood, and when he walked over to Talazar he was still fuming with rage.

"Fine. Where are we going?" He asked the reaper. Listening for the man's answer, he calmly walked over to Dezera and proceeded to haul him up by the clothing near his neck before slamming his fist into the man's abdomen then pulling it back before repeating the motion. It did little to lessen the anger, and as he turned away, he thought that he might be even madder than when he started.

It was about then when he realized that the edges of his vision were slightly green in color. Forcing himself to calm down at least a little, he silently promised himself that the next time he met an enemy that lasted more than a few minutes against him, he would unleash his rage.

Entalo

As soon as the opportunity had presented itself, Entalo and Anton were ready to flee, and when the small woman had appeared, it had given them the prime opportunity. Not pausing to press the advantage, fleeing to the relative safety of the trees. Once a safe distance away, and waiting a moment to ensure that they weren't followed, they allowed themselves a moment to think and find out whom this woman was.


Entalo was surprised to see that she was actually smaller than him, which he found interesting, as most women he saw were at least a few inches taller than him. He also noted her blue hair, which he thought was somewhat rare, but rareness wasn’t always a bad thing. He himself was one of the very few people to become one of the best archers in the land, everyone else preferring to fight with melee weapons.

"Rue Janair. My pleasure to have helped two very... attractive... human males." Those statements brought a slight raise to one of Entalo's eyes' as he thought about the bluntness which the woman had said it. He decided he liked the name, and thought she was very attractive, which he rarely thought about women. Looking over at Anton, he could tell that his friend thought the same, but didn't hide it as well as the small man did. If she decided anything, Entalo would gladly accept her, as the statement had hinted at that, but for now, he had hunting to do. He would leave the flirting, or lack thereof, to Anton.

"I...er...I mean...hi...I'm...uh...Anton." Entalo chuckled slightly at that and turned to go down a small path that would probably intersect with the road that Talazar and the other shades were traveling. Looking back to where his friend's face was rapidly becoming redder, he decided to help put him out of his misery.

"Come here, you smooth talker, you," he said. Not intending to embarrass his friend even further, but deciding that was almost impossible to do, he smiled warmly at Anton and proceeded to check over his weapons and motioned for Anton to do the same. It was just a way to save the man from his own blundering as he knew that the large axe blade almost never dulled. Whether or not the man chose to try his luck with the woman and ignore him, or come pretend to sharpen his weapon to avoid more awkwardness, he didn't really care as he started to take arrows from his cloak and started to put them into his quiver. They were specialized arrows that could explode on contact, releasing a searing liquid. He handled them delicately, not wanting to accidentally set one off on himself, because at this range the acidic pouch would likely kill him. Still, it was a risk he was willing to take if it meant killing Talazar.

Rue Janair

"I...er...I mean...hi...I'm...uh...Anton," the taller male answered in a voice that wasn't smooth at all. Rue flashed him a brilliant smile. Moving swiftly she sidled up to him and looked him up and down. Her eyelashes were full and flared out over her brilliant blue eyes as she looked up to him slyly. With one hand, she walked around him, her fingers trailing along his body as she walked. The little Fae admired him as she went, taking in every detail. This man was very strong, handsome for a human and could possibly be a good fit for her.

Leaving him, she went to the other and came up behind him as he was handling his arrows. Leaning against his back, she ran her hands up his shoulders, down his chest and to his waist. Rue let her entire body press against his back as she leaned on him. Turning her head, she whispered in his ear.

"And who might you be?"

Raiyn Illander

With a start, he opened his eyes and drew in a deep, ragged breath. A cough built up in his lungs and wracked his whole body as it exploded from him harshly. It was dry and painful in his chest. Rolling to his stomach, he finished coughing, caught his breath and pushed upwards to get to his knees. Leaning back he looked around him, hardly remembering exactly what had happened. The house seemed to be intact for the most part, though the room he was in was a total disaster. Everything was turned over or broken, the glass in the windows gone entirely. It looked as if the earth had bubbled up into that room and had taken over.

Looking over his shoulder, his eyes laid upon the man who'd caused his rage to occur and let loose the killer inside him. The Shade was in a pitiful position, three spikes of hard rock were thrust through him, holding him up in the center of the room. Raiyn's eyes widened slightly. Had he done that? It was almost disgusting to look at, as well as think that he'd done such a thing to the man. Shade or not, no one deserved that kind of death. For a moment, the swordsman wondered idly if the man had suffered. Was his death quick? Or slow? He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that.

Raiyn's eyes fell to the floor and spotted the elder woman lying in the dirt of her destroyed living room area. He felt a pang of regret for having lost control and destroying the back part of her house. On the other hand, he felt awful for having imposed on her home and thus leading to the Shades coming. Had he not been taken here, she would have lived. Turning away, he hung his head and held back the burn of tears that threatened him. It took Raiyn a long while before he raised his head and decided that he needed to leave and find Aelianus and Kirrah. They needed to know what had happened. He felt a tightness in his throat as he tried to come to terms with what had happened and what he was going to tell the young man.

Slowly, Raiyn pulled himself to his feet and picked up the staff that he'd held earlier. Using it as a walking stick, and trying to be mindful of his wounds, he made his way to the front of the house. A sound at the front of the house caught his attention and he looked into the hall, half expecting to see more Shades entering. Instead, he saw Aelianus, on the floor with Kirrah underneath him. The woman was unconscious, and Aelianus was bleeding profusely. Moving as fast as he could with the walking stick, he got to them both and knelt down.

Taking Aelianus' shoulder he got the young man's attention, "What happened to you two? Are you alright?" Raiyn managed to croak out from his dry throat.

Drogoth

Drogoth was happy. Overjoyed, really, to see the foolish man lying in the dirt at his feet. He had trouble holding back a laugh as the man attempted to stand. This wouldn't do at all, however, to fight an enemy who had barely enough energy left to even look up at him. Taking out the sword with the water jewel in it, he proceeded to heal the man at a distance, only making sure that the pathetic figure would have little to know pain. After all, healing him completely would take way too much energy that could be of use later.

Seeing that the man was on his feet again, he motioned to the ground, not knowing which weapon belonged to this fool. "Pick up your weapon," said Drogoth. The man picked up two swords that looked like they had jewels in them, and looked at the shade curiously. "Stop looking at me like that if you want to cling to whatever life you have left," he said to the idiotic figure before him.

Drogoth started to make a water arrow, staring intently at the glistening liquid as it formed in his hand, a perfect creation that would rip through almost anything it went up against. "Now run. Run as fast as you can away from here." The man obviously hadn't seen the arrow in Drogoth's hand and took his acts to be kind ones. He nodded his thanks, and, completely ignoring Drogoth's order, charged right at Talazar, who was bending down to get another jewel.

The scimitar wielder felt boiling rage building up inside of him as the man disobeyed him. Now he was running straight at Talazar, which was almost too much for Drogoth as he summoned a wall of ice right in front of the man, his left sword suddenly in his hand as the fury continued to build. There were only a few things that could make Drogoth lose himself entirely, and this man was pushing his limits of control as he charged straight at the reaper.

"Get back over here, damn you! I didn't say you could attack him! I only said you could run, now get back over here!" The nerve of some people, thought Drogoth. The ice had shot out and was now in a full barricade before the running figure. The man had impacted with his entire being against the wall, and Drogoth now summoned the barrier closer, flinging to fool whom had decided he wanted to die a most painful death. Before, he would have made the man experience the simplest degree of agony, but now of course, what he'd face would be more than excruciating.

The man had enough sense to walk the rest of the way, and was now before Drogoth, blades at the ready. Drogoth, however, was too far gone to enjoy this death, and wouldn't even smile at the screams that were to come.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but Drogoth held up his hand, forestalling any questions that were to be spoken the the idiot before him. The time for talking was over. Now was the time for action.

The shade flung the water arrow that was still being maintained in his hand out towards the man, aiming at his legs. The arrow cut right through his right leg, and in response the man let out a bloodcurdling screech that sounded like it had come from a wild animal rather than a man. The shade brought the arrow back around, towards the other leg and repeated the process several more time until the left leg was being held on by no more than a shred of flesh. The right one, however, was completely severed and laying in a pool of sweet crimson.

The man was now screaming almost nonstop, and Drogoth felt no remorse whatsoever, the edges of his vision already turning green with insanity. He brought the arrow back one more time, severing the left leg completely from it's position.

Drogoth walked forward calmly, a pool of water heralding his advance as he lifted the man up off the ground so that his face was level with Drogoth's. "Oh, do be quiet," the shade said as the man continued to scream. He brought the water around and covered the man's mouth, then proceeded to let it seep into his mouth, down the back of his throat and into his lungs. That shut him up, thought Drogoth. The anger was all but gone now, and even Drogoth thought that this was slightly barbaric.

With that in mind, he stabbed straight through the man's chest with both swords and quickly withdrew them. Bringing his right blade around, he relieved to man of his head with one swift movement. "Don't ever try to attack Talazar again," he whispered to the corpse before him.

Ripping the jewels from their sockets on the man's swords, he put them in his pouch and made a mental note to give them to Talazar later.

Entalo

Entalo would have been fine it the woman had just come over to talk to him, but now she had startled him. He hadn't had time to prepare the arrow and the pouch was still in his hand. The pouch was very delicate, and now that Entalo had jumped, the arrow that he had been trying to attach the pouch to had punctured the small pouch, and now the liquid was exposed. It had be combined with air to create the reaction. Right now, it was just a very hot liquid, but after a few seconds, it would explode and engulf them both in a fiery death.

"Damn," was all Anton could say as he hurled the arrow with the pouch in tow as far up as he could, not having time to aim anywhere else as there were trees in his way in all other directions. "Anton!" The large man had his back turned because of his previous embarrassment, and at the sound of his friend's voice, turned to see what was happening.

Anton knew exactly what kind of destruction that arrow was capable of. With reflexes that belayed his size, he quickly brought his axe to bear and almost immediately had a fireball on it's way towards the pouch that had already reached it's peak and was quickly falling back to the ground.

Entalo quickly flung Rue to the side and jumped over her, using his cloak as a shield for them both as the fireball collided with the midair pouch.

Anton jumped behind a tree, as he could do nothing for the two on the ground and had to trust in Entalo's tough cloak.

The pouch exploded in a rain of fire, engulfing the air around it quickly as it sped towards the ground towards the two laying helpless before it. It reached the cloak and stopped there, part of the material being fire resistant, but not heat resistant, however. Entalo, being the one on top, still felt the heat of the blast, and let out a small yelp as the heat seemed to go right through the cloak.

Then, as suddenly as it had began, it was over, and Entalo got up, rubbing his arms and the burns on them. Turning back to Rue, he started to laugh. "Well, that was interesting. My name is Entalo; nice to meet you," he said, still laughing.

Anton came around from the tree, not at all cheerful. "Are you trying to get us killed?!" He was talking to no one in particular and was quite angry. Entalo just kept laughing as he saw the completely flabbergasted look on his friend's face.

Rue Janair

Her smile faded into curiosity and a bit of shock as she was thrown off to the side and the young man landed over her, throwing his cloak around them both. All the while she tried to figure out what exactly was going on. From his sudden throwing of something, to his shout and curse. It was all a bit sudden and confusing. However, her eyes slipped from his facial features to the rest of him that was draped over her, his body obviously tense as he prepared for something awful to happen behind them.

Rue's body tensed as she heard the explosion, the air around them rippling as the blast wave hit them. Heat seeped through the cloak that was over her, and she could feel some of it on the parts of her body that were not covered by his own. A chill crawled it's way up her spine as she lay there underneath him. Then the man slowly sat up and looked down at her as he rubbed his arms.

"Well, that was interesting. My name is Entalo; nice to meet you," he laughed. He had a rich voice, very attractive. Rue returned his smile, her own laugh bubbling to the surface.

"That certainly was interesting, Entalo," her eyes flicked up and down his body, "The pleasure is all mine," she cooed.

"Are you trying to get us killed?!" Anton yelled furiously from the other side of Entalo. Rue's eyes shifted and she moved her body just right so she could see him passed the shorter man's form.

"Oh my... Is that directed at me? I do apologize," she said, keeping her cheery smile as best as possible. Rue slowly got to her feet and sent a wink at Entalo, "The next time you wish to have me beneath you, all you have to do is ask," she said playfully.

Then with a brilliant smile, she straightened up and looked at both of them, "Well! I think we've had quite enough fun here. Besides, I don't think it's wise to stay here for much longer seeing as I've managed to set off a rather loud bomb of sorts," she tilted her head to the side and scratched at her cheek idly as her smile turned to a slight frown at the end of her sentence. Her bright eyes turned to look into the forest.

"How about this way?" She said and bounded off in the direction she'd suggested. She didn't really know where it was they were going, but as long as it was away from their current location, Rue was more than happy. The little Fae bounded through the forest as if she belonged their. She made no sound whatsoever and turned around constantly to keep an eye on her two attractive human males. Already she'd become attached to both of them and felt an utter need to keep an eye on them lest she lose them.

To her, human's were fragile. Rue could endure much in the ways of fighting, travel and other such things. As a Fae, her body was stronger, more resilient to other magics and poisons. If she so wished, she could eat plants and fruits that would otherwise kill a human, and be just a healthy as before. Rue twisted around and around as she went dancing through the forest, her hair bouncing all around her shoulders as she weaved and bobbed through the underbrush. Every now and then she would stop and wait for the two men to catch up to her and then she was off again.

It was in this fashion that she stumbled upon a road that was empty, completely devoid of life. The trees of the forest just suddenly ended and she halted in her steps. Peering out from behind a very large tree she looked around. There was no one in sight, however, her skin tingled. She knew that feeling quite well. Someone had recently used their jewel, and some of that power was dark, like the men that she'd intervened with earlier to save Entalo and Anton. Her eyes narrowed as she gingerly stepped out into the road and looked down the street.

Her eyes searched and soon they found a small house tucked away far off the road and with bushes and a couple of trees to hid it. She could make out the little dirt path that led up to it, and if she looked carefully enough she could see the makings of a house through the brambles of the bushes and limbs of the trees. Turning to her two new companions, she gave a shrug and headed off to the house where she could feel the ever present magic of Angelic and Demonic jewels. As she neared the house from the small path, she heard a voice from inside.

"Kirrah? Kirrah!" the deep voice cursed then and there was a soft sound of struggled movement from inside. Rue made the porch and slowly pushed aside the door so she could see inside the dark house.

Lying on the floor in front of her, the Fae spotted a human woman unconscious at her feet. Kneeling down, she pressed her fingers to the woman's throat and felt for a pulse. With a soft sigh, she was happy to know that the woman was indeed only unconscious and not dead. The male's voice sounded again, this time deeper in the house and a little more urgent than before.

"Aelianus!" something dropped to the floor, the another sound of something harder dropping filled the air. Rue glanced over her shoulder before turning to go deeper inside. She snuck all the way to the back where she witnessed utter destruction. The whole back of the house was destroyed, looking much like the forest had returned to claim it. A couple of Shades were on the ground as well. Two were face down, one next to her the other near the young man who was knelt down next to someone. The third was impaled by spikes of earthy vines through him.

"Who are you?"

Rue startled at the harsh voice and turned to look at the young man. He'd reached for the staff and was holding it in a defensive position. He was bandaged from shoulder to waist and didn't look at all fit for a fight, not that she would fight him. She slowly raised her hands and offered him her delicate smile, to which he only frowned at. With a slight cough to clear her throat she looked around a bit nervously.

"I'm Rue Janair. My friends and I stumbled across this place. I felt magic and wanted to see what was going on. Are you alright?" she asked and slowly stepped forward. The young blonde haired man tensed, causing her to stop her approach.

"Let me see your jewels," he demanded coldly.

Rue slowly reached down for her sword and withdrew the weapon, turning it so he could see the bright blue jewel embedded in the handle. He gazed at it for a moment and then seemed to settle slightly. Rue sheathed the weapon and shifted her body so she could see around him. Another young man was lying on the ground, however he was bloody and seemed far too still to be a good thing.

"Is your friend alright?" she asked, motioning to him.

"Unconscious, but bleeding," came the short reply.

"I can help you," Rue offered.

"Why?"

"Because I want to," she smiled brightly, leaning forward with her hands on her knees.

Nira Ku

"I trust your trip was successful?"

Nira didn't turn as she already knew that he'd entered the premises moments before. The sound of his scythe hitting the table took her gaze for a moment, but beyond that she didn't look up until he spoke to her. Lifting her brilliant gaze, their glistening depths reflected her elation as she gently tapped her finger against the opened book she was reading. It was the weapon layout and design that Kreon had been working on. All of its details laid bare before her.

"Very successful," she purred in response. Her eyes left his and looked at his bare chest. She allowed a moment of examining every scar that was bared to her before returning her gaze to the book at hand. She ran her finger across the picture of the sword like weapon and grinned up at him, "Look here," she beckoned, "This weapon is what Kreon was trying to make. He had plenty of demon jewels to do it, but he never succeeded in creating it. But I think I know what he was missing this entire time," her gaze went back up to him her smile growing.

"Angelic Jewels," she paused to let it lay heavy on the air, "I don't suppose you know where we could find some of those do you?" She whispered, her voice rich with malice. Her eyes glittered with the evil plans that roamed around in her head. Leaning forward she grinned up at him, closing their proximity for just a moment before brushing passed him and dipping her hand in the pile of demon jewel's she'd taken from Kreon. Rich laughter fell from her lips as she allowed herself to indulge in the cruel thoughts of how they could obtain the amount of angelic jewel's needed.

Rue Janair

"Right there," she said as she gently laid down the man's feel that she'd been carrying into one of the rooms. The taller boy, whose name was Raiyn apparently put down the upper half of the boys body and stepped away. They'd already moved the unconscious woman into another room and Rue had to tell Raiyn that she was going to be just fine in an hour or so. The little Fae had already worked her magic and drained her system of the strange poison that had put her to sleep. Now all she had to do was work on the one they'd just laid down.

Leaning over, she let her magic fill her hands and worked first to remove the same poison. There wasn't much of it, so it didn't take her all that long. Once she was finished there, she closed her eyes and changed the power just slightly. From there, she worked to close the many wounds that the young man had received. It didn't take her long, so in a matter of moments he was all healed and would just need sleep to recover.

Turning, Rue swept her gaze across Raiyn's body and noted the many injuries that hadn't been healed and still bled through is bandages. Reaching up she let her magic wash over him. Already having used a lot of her power that day, she was feeling a bit tired as she tried to finish up healing him. Rue did what she could, but alas, couldn't finish healing all of his wounds, especially the one in his shoulder.

Stumbling forward she hit him and Raiyn caught her lithely, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, just a bit tired now," she said wearily and gave him a winning smile. Turning she left the room and bid him farewell for she was going to go find someone to sleep on. She soon spotted both Entalo and Anton and her eyes went straight to the taller one. With a wicked little grin she sidled up to him and looked up to him slyly.

"Mind if I take a nap? Would you let me sleep on you? I'll get cold without a warm body next to me."

Drogoth

As Drogoth turned to acknowledge his leader, he realized it was useless as Talazar was already walking away. He also realized that he was accomplishing nothing by just standing there, so he headed down the path he supposed would be most likely to yield results.

Oh, wonderful, he thought as he realized that he had forgotten to give the two angelic jewels in his pouch to Talazar. He hadn't deemed it important at the time, but he hoped Talazar wouldn't be too unhappy with him and his lapse.

Pushing the thoughts from his head, he continued in the direction he'd intended to go prior, with hopes that it would indeed merit something. To what, he wasn't entirely sure, but something was better than nothing.

Soon the path emptied out into a larger walkway, and he continued on his way for a while before stopping suddenly, holding his breath. He could hear someone talking near his position, and slowly moved off the path to hide behind a large rock.

Peering out from his hiding position, he could see several figures approaching him, and his hands went straight to his scimitars. However, upon realizing their true nature, he relaxed considerably. They were just shades, and he could tell that they were part of Nira's and Talazar's group because he had seen them before in the town that they now occupied.

An idea occurred to him then. He wouldn't be able to fight the Princess by himself. He knew that she was bound to have at least the man that Talazar wanted revenge on, and any man like his kind was a fair rival for Drogoth. Maybe he could fight the man separately, but even that would end badly. Besides, the Princess probably had more people with her by now anyway.

Stepping out from under his cover, he called out to the shades, sincerely hoping that they were just a scouting party and not reinforcements. With this pathetic amount of shades, he didn't think things would go much better than if he was alone.

"Hey idiots," Drogoth yelled as he approached. He could see the immediate reactions from the group as several went straight to their weapons, and he smiled. "Draw those on me and I'll cut all of your throats," he said cruelly. Coming up to the first one, the recognition on their faces was evident, and quickly they fell at ease. Eying the small group, he nodded. "You two, follow me. Everyone else, go back and gather some reinforcements."

Glancing around, it was then that Drogoth's keen eyes fell upon a path of trees intersecting the road that appeared to be broken, limbs hanging down and underbrush flattened. "Tell Talazar and Nira I'm I've got the trail..."


Entalo

The small man and his companion had some difficulty with keeping up with the small woman, but once they were out of the woods, she appeared to have stopped running. They were utterly useless once they got to the house not because they knew nothing, but because they didn't want to be in the way of anyone.

As Rue stepped back from the man apparently called Raiyn, Entalo could see that she was tired from the physical exertion. He had trouble suppressing a laugh at the woman's strange request as he saw his friend's flabbergasted look. His face was turning beat red; he was at a loss for words.

"Uhhh...sure...I guess...", said the taller man. Motioning for Rue to continue, he looked at her questioningly as he tried to decide where she wanted him to be.

Entalo walked away, and finally let out a small chuckle. It was nice to get away from all the fighting, but he still needed to be prepared. The archer started busying himself with the various plants growing around the remains of the house and looked for anything that could be turned into a deadly poison. It payed to be prepared, after all.

Rue Janair

Her eyes lit up as the tall man agreed to let her sleep on him. His blush was more than obvious as he stumbled on his words and began looking around to see what exactly he was supposed to do or where to go. Rue, however, had different plans and, with a bit of magic, tackled him. She fell on top of him, her power pushing him down to the floor, though the landing was soft enough as to not hurt him. With a content smile she curled up on his chest and stomach and gave a sigh of relaxation. After a moment, she peeked up at him from where she lay, her grin even wider as she witnessed his face. Then she settled down and closed her eyes.

His warmth was very appealing, creeping into her body as she lay on him. For a moment she hoped that she wasn't hurting him, but then she remembered she was Fae and her body weight to a human was like nothing at all. With that worry out of her mind she concentrated on shutting her body down and falling asleep. She could fell every move of his muscle as he breathed beneath her and the steady thrum of his heart beat was like a lullaby to put her to sleep (that is, after his heart beat calmed down from being tackled by her). It wasn't long after that Rue was fast asleep on him, stretched out across his large form as if he were her personal body pillow.

Kirrah Shay

Her eyes slowly shifted open and the blurry ceiling came into view. With a deep breath she felt as if her mind had been fogged up for several hours. A dull headache pounded at the back of her mind, but as she slowly began to grow conscious again, the pain faded away. The Princess inside her came awake as well and the presence of the other woman filled her body once again. This time it seemed as if the Jewel Princess was nearly a complete part of her. It was a strange feeling to say the least. The woman's thoughts were becoming Kirrah's thoughts, her feelings becoming Kirrah's and so on. It was hard to differentiate herself from the Princess and even more difficult to remember what it was like before.

"You and I are slowly melding together. Don't be afraid of it. We'll be stronger that way, don't worry. We need to be stronger."

"Okay," Kirrah answered slowly, still unsure.

Turning her head, she spotted Raiyn who was sitting in a chair with his head leaned back looking as if he were sleeping. Kirrah cleared her throat and the young sword master lurched forward, his eyes wild as he looked to her. He seemed to settle as he realized that she'd just woken up. Standing he moved to her and leaned over her, inspecting her.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," she answered softly, a bit of a blush creeping up on her cheeks as she leaned away from him as far as the bed would allow.

He sighed and closed his eyes in relief, "Good. Aelianus brought you back here and you were unconscious and he was wounded. I couldn't make out exactly what had happened because he was half drugged as well. Eitherway," Raiyn stopped himself as he leaned over her. An awkward silence filled the space between them, and Kirrah couldn't help but notice his close proximity, which didn't help her burning face in the least.

Finally he pulled away and it seemed that she could breathe again, though her heart raced as if it were trying to run right out of her chest. She turned her gaze upwards then, trying to look at anything other than the young man standing at the side of the bed. As she was looking up at the ceiling, she felt a strange presence filling the air. Either it was demon jewels in the area, or her power was increasing with how closely melded she was to the Princess. Either way, Kirrah lurched forward in the bed, her brow furrowed as she shot her gaze to the doorway.

"What?" Raiyn asked sharply, leaning down to get in her line of vision.

She flicked her eyes to him for a mere moment, "Someone's coming. I don't like this feeling," she said and started to get up. Raiyn pushed her back down though and went to the door.

"Stay there, I'll check it out," he ordered, the cold tone creeping back in his voice. Kirrah frowned, but did as she was told. She could hear the young man calling out to someone else in the house and from the doorway she spotted other people. One was a man shorter than Raiyn with a bow in his hands, the other was lying sprawled out on the floor with a look of disbelief and embarrassment whilst having a pretty little woman curled up on him fast asleep.

"Someone's coming," Raiyn called and picking up a large staff like weapon, he disappeared around the corner and to the front door.

Nira Ku

A pleasurable chill ran up her spine as Talazar whispered her name. Never had she heard him use such a tone before and she couldn't help the sudden excitement that shot through her. To add to it, his hands crept up her arms, rubbing her skin softly. In response her skin tingled and goosebumps ran all across her. Slowly, Nira's head had lulled back to rest against his shoulder, her eyes closed as she listened to his tantalizing voice. Her thoughts were on his words, images of beautiful battles, blood and the cries of the dead filling her. A wicked smile slowly spread across her lips as she leaned heavily against him, entranced by his thick, sultry voice.

A slight pulse of pure wrath washed over her as Talazar pulled away from her because a Shade intruded on them. She had half a mind to kill the messenger on the spot for interrupting, but as he finished his report, her mind went back to her earlier order to Drogoth. A smile crept back onto her lips as she commended the man on his quickly and efficiently carrying out his orders.

"Well then, that's my cue. I suppose you'll want to tag along?" Pacing towards the man, Talazar took hold of the shaft of his scythe and dislodged the blade in one swift flick of wrist. "Gather ten or so others and have them ready in five minutes. I'm going to assume you gathered the bag from my room at the old HQ, or whatever the hell it was that Kreon called his hideout, correct?"

Nira's grin widened and her eyes flicked to a brown bag that she'd also collected during her escapade in Kreon's dens. With a flick of her finger she motioned to Talazar's belongings, "As if I would forget your favorite past time, my dear Talazar," she cooed at him, "Of course I'm coming along. I have my own scores to settle with those damned annoyances."

Entalo

At Raiyn's words, Entalo immediately knocked an arrow to his bow and proceeded to follow Raiyn out the door, as he knew Anton and Rue would most likely be along shortly.

When he got outside, he stood a little behind Raiyn and somewhat to his right. His jaw almost dropped in shock, but he quickly recovered from it and looked forward, to where at least thirty enemies had begun to assemble, with more coming into view down the road. This was one of the least opportune moments for an enemy to attack, Entalo knew, but if they were going to die, he would make the enemy work for it at least.

Changing the arrow to a more deadly one, he called out to Raiyn. "What do you want to do?" No matter the response, the archer knew they most likely wouldn't be getting out of here without a fight. Manually counting his arrows with his hands behind his back and under his cloak to make sure they were all there, he took comfort in their presence. They and Anton were the only ones that were always there for him, and he would spare no expense in pounding the enemy with a massive barrage of the projectiles if things got out of hand.

Drogoth

What an interesting development, Drogoth thought. He was perched on a hill that allowed him to survey the surrounding countryside. From there, he could see the recent developments as the new, larger group advanced on where his prey undoubtedly was. He was torn between allowing them to fight and jumping into the middle of it all.

Making up his mind, he called the others to him as they also on the hill, but at another spot, surveying just as he was. He shook his head slightly. While they were slightly higher than he was, their view had more trees in the way, so they couldn't see nearly as much as he could. They were fools, but he needed some lackeys, at least. There were, of course, only two of them, but they would have to do.

Several scenarios on how to combat this new foe were going through his head, and that is what they were as he knew Talazar was unlikely to form an alliance, especially when they had the same target as the shades, he decided to wait. Better to wait for Talazar and Nira, if she so chose to come, although he was itching to throw his plan into action. Drogoth almost always had a plan, and he would put it to good use if the other two allowed him to do so.

"Damn," he muttered as he realized it would not work. "No matter," he said somewhat louder as his mind was already working on another course of action.

"We wait," he told the other two, and continued watching for any new problems with his plan, and also to see who would win this fight. It mattered little to him, so long as he fulfilled his leader's orders and caught up to the Princess. He also took this time to insert the lightning jewel from his pouch into his right dagger, his plans taking a sinister yet delightful turn.

Nira Ku

She watched as Talazar put together his weapon with the added blade. Once it was all done, her smile had grown into a wicked grin, her eyes sparkling with new thoughts of death and destruction. Nira walked slowly towards Talazar as he finished putting his weapon together and looked to her.

"Now then," he said, "lets go pay our new friends a visit..."

With a laugh that told of her agreement, she stretched out her hand and her power ignited. A large circle of magic expanded from her feet outwards and included Talazar. Her power built and the spell of transportation took them both to where Drogoth was. Oh how she loved the ability to find any Shade she wanted at any given time. As the room slowly shifted and changed into that of forests and greenery, she looked down to see Drogoth perched up on the hill, his gaze locked on an area below them. Nira turned her eyes to where he was looking and spotted something most... intriguing.

"My my, look what we've come upon, Talazar," she purred softly. With one hand on her hip, she gazed out at the area where the men were filling in. Obviously there was a fight about to happen, but she wondered who the men were that were gathering. They weren't Shades, that much was obvious. Tilting her head to one side she watched as the young man named Raiyn came into the opening and engaged the first of several men. Following him were a couple others, though there was no sign of the Jewel Princess as of yet.

"Seems someone else has beaten us to the prize," she frowned and shifted her gaze down to Drogoth. A couple of ideas came to mind, but she wanted to hear what the newly appointed Lieutenant thought. With a wicked grin she nudged him with her foot, "Have any plans?" she asked cruelly.

Raiyn Illander

Without a sword he was at a disadvantage. However, he wasn't completely useless. Raiyn was still dangerous as he was, it would just be a different kind of fight for a while. He didn't wait for an explanation on why the men where there, he could tell well enough that they meant harm to them. Instead, Raiyn unleashed his power that had been building deep inside him, something he still wasn't quite sure about. The earth trembled and erupted with thousands of vines that writhed and wrapped around anyone that was unfortunate enough to be too close. The swordmaster lunged into the fight, swinging the heavy staff like a club. The first man to approach him was hit heavily across the forehead with the weapon, effectively dropping him to the ground.

Raiyn moved swiftly, going to the next man right away and using the staff to knock aside the sword that came at him from the side. Twisting around, he brought the back end of the staff hard into the man's stomach. With the enemy doubled over, Raiyn came back around and slammed the staff into the back of the man's neck. There was a loud crack and his opponent crumpled. Quickly, Raiyn looked for their leader. If he could get to them, then the fighting would be over soon enough. After a moment, and a few more men falling beneath his heavy swings, Raiyn spotted what looked to be a man of importance amongst the group.

With his sights set, Raiyn made his way through the throng of enemies towards the leader. All the while his staff cracking sharply as he waded his way through. If he could get an opening, then he would make it to the leader in no time.

Kirrah Shay

What started out as a dreadful feeling of evil intent in the air turned sour as she felt a new presence enter the area. Demon Jewel's were close by and it was a struggle to keep herself under control. The Princess inside her was letting her power grow, a natural thing for the Princess, but not so natural for Kirrah. So the two women grappled for control over the body until finally Kirrah lost and the Princess took over.

Sorry, Kirrah. It's a natural habit by now, you should be used to it.

You can't blame me for wanting control over my body...

Hmm, true enough.

The Princess left it at that and left the room without pause. At the back of her mind she could feel Kirrah's unease, and her slight reminder that Raiyn had told her to stay in the room. Brushing it aside, the Princess continued her way out to the front of the house at the same time drawing her sword. She exited the front door and looked out into the fray. A ridiculous amount of men were gathered out side the house and were in the midst of fighting. Her sharp gaze spotted Raiyn immediately and she frowned. Typical of the young man to throw himself straight into the middle of conflict without a thought. With a slight grin, she let her magic power up and a burst of magic issued forth. The powerful wind tore through the company of men, throwing several of them around like rag dolls.

That should help level the playing field, she thought to herself as she slowly stepped down the stairs to the dirt road. Her sword flicked forwards, the light flashing across steel as she moved slowly with a single purpose in mind. Bringing the sword up to her hip, she leveled the blade and crouched down slightly. Wind picked up behind her and tossed her long hair around. In the next instant, the Princess shot forward, leaving nothing but a trail of dust to mark her forward momentum. Her sword went right through one of the men. Without stopping, the Princess tore the weapon free and swiftly moved to the next, her body spinning as she slashed at him, her movements still insanely fast from her forward momentum via the wind jewel's power.

Rue Janair

Her eyes shot open as she felt a change in the air. Even though her nap had been short, she felt completely revived and with more than enough energy to engage in what was going on. She pushed herself up off of Anton and looked down at him with a bright smile.

"Thanks!" She chirped at him and leaned down to his face. With a quick peck of her lips on his cheek, she bounced up to her feet and rushed to the front door where she could hear the sounds of fighting. Looking out into the street and front yard, she witnessed a mass of enemies and everyone else except for herself and Anton in the middle of battle. Drawing her sword, Rue took off without a second thought and added her own fighting style to the efforts of her new found friends.

The little Fae bounced around her enemies lithely, keeping them moving and turning whilst her sword danced around in her hand and dealt annoying cuts and sometimes a mortal blow. Rue used her magic as she weaved her way through the throng, the nature magic twisting up around them as she went. Her water jewel flashed as she sometimes allowed the power to expand to protect herself, or to just mess with the enemy before her.

Soon, however, she found herself engaged with a man who was almost her match in sword play. Rue grinned up at the man and took a few steps back after attacking him and not getting anywhere. Tilting her head off to the side, the little blue haired Fae sized up the man before her. With a darkened smile she lunged forward and began her assault on him, their swords clashing harshly, screaming against each other and sometimes sending sparks.

Talazar

The reaper's grip tightened around the shaft of his scythe as he looked down upon the scene. Nira had been speaking, but as far as who she was talking to and if any response was given or necessary, the man didn't know. The only thing he caught were her words about any sort of plan. Oh, the man had a plan indeed, and he fell unnaturally silent as his face took on a totally new expression, images flashing through his mind, grim reminders he'd never forget. Vengeance, redemption... Blood to be paid, this was all suddenly necessary.

Without even thinking, Talazar was walking forward. His stride wasn't his normal gait, but it was stronger, more purposeful. Each stepped gathered and refined the sudden anger he felt towards the man he knew was leading this expedition, and continuously he saw the day as if it were yesterday.

"Your plan is shit," he commented simply, speaking from pure emotion now. If the man was a hell-bound reaper by choice, because of his own sadistic ways, he was several times worse now. Running on an entirely different passion and drive, it was one that could be as pure and gentle as the falling snow, but also as cold, cruel and unforgiving as the blizzard to ensue.

Now as he moved, wind was collecting around him, swirling and howling ominously, throwing about the loose cloak he wore. The fire jewel in his scythe was reacting too, flames seeming to erupt out randomly, only to be taken by the wind and further enraged, or simply getting blown away. Stepping into the clearing, Talazar was behind the group, behind the man who he knew was dubbed Alterair, and behind barrier that he could not pass until his single purpose was achieved.

Slamming down the shaft of his scythe into the earth, he let out a massive shockwave, the concussion moving out 180 degrees in front of him, dragging with it a wall of flames. His presence known, the man simply waited.


Aelianus

Alterair smiled as he watched his group engage those present. Apparently the Princess had acquired some new allies, but that was only a minor hitch. Everyone could be easily taken care of, he knew. Numbers were on his side, and all of his men present were well trained. Of course, that didn't stop several from going down almost immediately, but he knew the others, if they were smart, would learn from the mistakes of their comrades.

It was when the Princess did finally show her face when the man nodded. Despite watching several of his men getting blown away, and then more dropping due to the girl's sudden advance, he knew he could handle the situation. All else failed, more reinforcements would be on the way.

With her presence now verified, the man unleashed a sharp four-note whistle. He knew he'd brought along thirty or so brutes to subdue anyone who dared fight back, and immediately they stepped forward from their places behind the grunts, the ones who were currently fighting, and moved towards the Princess and her friends. They were heavily armored, but not so much as to hinder any of their powerful movements, and thus he allowed them to get to work in capturing the target and her friends.

Suddenly though, the man turned as he registered the new arrival behind him. The gust of fire that broke out caught him off guard, though luckily Talazar had chosen to not unleash even just a fraction of his wrath just yet. Thus the man simply covered his eyes from the hollow flames, waiting a moment for the attack to subside. When he lowered his arm, recognition crossed his face, and then a sly grin broke out.

Things could not have been more perfect, for he had quite a formidable force, with reinforcements en route, and now both his intended targets in attendance. The so called 'reaper of the shades' looked less than pleased, but Alterair didn't expect anything less.

"Talazar," he said happily, spreading his arms in mock welcome. "Glad you could join us my friend!" He paused, giving the man a moment to respond. When the reaper simply remained unmoved, completely unphased, he added almost as an afterthought, "How's Kianha?"

At that, a response was merited, though it wasn't from Talazar. Both men turned just slightly to acknowledge Aelianus, who'd managed to slash his way through the crowd with a sword he'd gathered from the ground. Alterair chuckled, then leaned towards him, placing a hand by his hear. "I'm sorry boy," he said, "what was that?"

Aelianus raised the blade, adrenaline surging through his body. "Bastard," he repeated, though he spat the word out more than anything, as if foul upon his lips.

Nira Ku

Her lips dragged upwards as she watched Talazar's strong form move passed her and Drogoth. He growled out some words that she didn't hear, but knew they weren't meant for her. She watched him advance on the battle below and make his presence known via his flame jewel. The fire spread outwards a ways but the bulk of the attack was in the heat wave that pulsed from the weapon.

Nira raised her hand out over the ground and the teleportation circle expanded out from her feet. A rush of air enveloped her little cone of magic and tossed her hair around her face. The elf grinned evilly as the magic took her from where she was standing, to where Talazar was down at the bottom of the hill. As she materialized out of the air next to him, her ears caught the last part of the man's words as he had turned and was now facing Aelianus. The young boy looked utterly enraged, a look that Nira had never seen before.

Raising an eyebrow she watched for a moment as Aelianus spat at the man and raised his sword in preparation for a fight. Nira turned her gaze towards Talazar then and offered him a smile before her sight caught Raiyn and the Jewel Princess in the midst of battle. Her eyes glittered as she spotted the swordmaster. Putting one hand on her hip, she leaned her weight off to the side and tilted her head.

"I found your toy, Talazar. I'll bring him to you," she cooed and disappeared once more.

Raiyn Illander

The staff moved heavily in his grip, too bulky and heavy to wield properly. He was irritated that he'd lost his sword at some point. Raiyn made a mental note to himself that when they reached a town again he was going to buy two swords instead of one. It always seemed that he was getting caught at the worst times... weaponless. Spinning around he caught another man across the temple, letting the staff carry him as he went. A second man went down as he came full circle and faced back the way he was going.

However, his intended target had his attention taken by someone else that had arrived. Through the mass of fighting, Raiyn caught a glimpse of who had shown up and his heart seized up in his chest. The tall Shade that had nearly killed him not but a day ago was standing at the edge of the fighting. What was worse was the weapon he was holding. The scythe looked as if it had evolved. Now it sported two long curved blades rather than just one. He slowed in his fighting, a bit of fear crawling back into his chest as he gazed in the direction of the Shade whom he'd lost eye contact with because of the throng of people.

His dread increased as he felt an evil presence erupt behind him. Turning he just barely got the staff up and in the way of the elven Shade's weapon. He knocked her sword to the side, but that didn't stop the jolt of magic that she'd already prepared for him. The dark magic curled around him, lifting him up off the ground. The staff fell from numb fingers whilst his voice followed right behind with a cry that rose up over the sharp screams of steel against steel.

Nira dropped him soon after, allowing his scream to resonate in the air for a moment. Then she stepped over him and raised her hand, a wicked grin across her pale features. Her dark magic circle opened up beneath him and he felt his body being transported from that spot to somewhere else. Even as he was taken, his own deep power surged forward and when he reappeared right in front of Talazar he unleashed the pent up magic, jewel or not. It was a strange magic, one that he was going to have to learn to control, but at that moment it didn't matter, so long as it did what he wanted, which was destroy just about everything in front of him that was evil.

The earth trembled and rumbled, pitched and shook as he lay on the ground, glaring up at the two Shades. Vines erupted from the earth and shot forwards to encase both Talazar and Nira.

Drogoth

"How utterly impressive," Drogoth was saying sarcastically as soon as Talzazar made his presence known. Drogoth wasn't afraid to state this, even to Talazar, and even if he was, it was okay because the reaper could no longer hear him.

No sooner than he had stated this and thought about it's orientation did Nira disappear due to her magic, leaving Drogoth to figure out what to do next. He couldn't do his plan now as it required more than one person to execute properly. Sure, there were other shades, but they would just die soon after being sent into the fight.

He had already advanced onto the actual battlefield when he saw Talazar and then Aelianus talking to someone. It was clear from the latter's expression that he was not happy at whatever the other man had said. Then Aelianus raised a sword to the man and Drogoth knew the combined forces of a seriously maddened Talazar and really anyone would be more than a match for the man.

Potentially problematic, he thought as he turned around and saw Raiyn attacking with a staff at anyone that was within reach. He didn't look at all like a staff master, and was probably a lot better with a sword, but he was doing alright for himself. Drogoth had only heard of this man, and hadn't actually seen him before this instance, and he could already feel hatred building inside of him. This was the man that had injured his master so much; the one he had vowed to get revenge on.

His thoughts on the problem went away as Nira appeared next to him and he trusted the shade to deal out whatever punishment she deemed necessary.

Turning away quickly, he rapidly assessed the battle and decided there were too many members of this other group before him in need of silencing.

Drawing his water scimitar and his dagger that had the recent improvement of his lightning jewel, he summoned water before him. It came, gushing through the ground and covered the combatant's shoes, boots, and other footwear. There was no need to directly summon it; not when this way used less energy.

Quickly, he focused in on a group of about six enemies, all fighting and doing rather well as a team. They needed to die. Drogoth knew that if he were to take down a select few of this pathetic group of fifty or so, the others would crumble under the might of the shades led by Talazar. The problem was these others. They were apparently the elites of the group, and they would be a different story when it comes to attacking.

Deciding it was best to destroy the regular enemies first, he quickly engulfed the group of six's feet and legs with a mass of water that ran almost halfway up their entire leg lengths; almost to each of their respective knees. They all reacted violently, trying to force their way out of the water, but Drogoth had made it so that it wouldn't budge in even the slightest way.

Continuing to hold the group members, Drogoth brought his lightning dagger up, and then proceeded to make a small line of water run from himself to where the enemies were being detained. He smiled at a few of them, who had already figured out what he was about to do. He knew this from their shocked faces, and he pitied the others who were too slow to pick this up right away. He activated the jewel, bringing the water to it and making the electricity course through it. In a matter of seconds, amidst the screams, all six of them were lying very still on the ground.

He was still on the outside of the fighting, but that move had drawn attention to him in the form of two more enemies just like the previous ones. They came at him with simple charges, which he swiftly countered. Quickly creating a water blade, he sliced cleanly through the first of the two cutting deep into his abdomen, and threw his lightning dagger at the other, who had the misfortune of impaling his stomach with it. While the man doubled over in pain, Drogoth activated the jewel, effectively killing the man. He retrieved the glowing object, slightly tired, and went on to the next enemy.

He was just about to attack more foes when he saw a rather large mass of vines erupting from the ground towards Talazar and Nira. Wonderful, he thought sarcastically, just what we needed. He also saw Raiyn, who was obviously controlling the vines, more or less. Baffled by the fact that the man didn't even have a jewel, Drogoth didn't even have time to think about what that might imply. Looking through the mass of enemies, he spotted his target, slicing her way through the crowd.

Torn between going after the Princess or helping Talazar and Nira, he made up his mind in a split second. Replacing his dagger with his other sword, he called upon it's power and send dozens of ice shards at the vines. He knew it would only weaken them, but then at least Talazar and Nira's job to escape would be easier.

Turning to face the princess, still decimating the enemy, he was about to unleash the same attack on her, but stopped when he saw the same archer from before. Rage boiled up inside him and he charged forward, slicing through the few still unlucky to be in his path.

He was about to unleash a flurry of ice and water when he stopped, confused. The man no longer had a hood on, and Drogoth could see his face. He also saw the larger man with the axe, who had recently emerged, but his attention was almost exclusively on the small archer.

"Impossible," he whispered. It seemed as though time stopped, and he was looking through a dark corridor with just the two of them in it. All noise ceased, the fighting seemed to simply stop. He knew this man, simply from the way he wielded a bow. He had thought he would never see that again, and as he watched, tears welled up in his eyes and he lowered his scimitars, almost sinking to his knees but managing to stay upright.

Drogoth needed to think, so he bolted from the fight, not killing or even engaging anyone on his way as he ran back to the hill he had been on previously. He dropped his scimitars, suddenly quite exhausted. He was sure the man had also seen him. The fact that he didn’t fire at Drogoth only hastened the confirmation of his suspicions.

Cold fury boiled up inside him; hatred for the shades and the Princess and everyone still living. His vision turning green, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold it back this time as he met the face of his inner god. But Ma'Kune wasn’t grinning, his usual face replaced by a frown that left Drogoth wondering what it could mean.

“Think back,” the giant face said. “Did they really die, or did you just block out all thought of them?” Now Drogoth was confused. Obviously they were dead, or else the shades wouldn’t have burned the house. Still, a sliver of doubt crept into his mind and he no longer knew what to think.

“It doesn’t matter! I have chosen my path and will not stray from it!” Drogoth was yelling, but it had the same effect as yelling at himself, as Ma’Kune did not respond, nor even further acknowledged the tiny figure before him. The huge face seemed to ponder Drogoth’s words after a minute, then asked simply, “Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?”

In truth, Drogoth didn’t have a response for that, and came rushing back to reality instead of his imaginary world. His imaginary god of emotion now seemed more like a secluded part of himself, rather than a god. Drogoth had no idea about what to think now, and looked out at the battle and was surprised to see that almost nothing had changed. His trip to the inner part of his mind had only taken a few seconds. He would continue to watch and observe the fight, but would only come back if he was needed, taking this time to sort out what he had seen and what his inner mind had excavated for him to examine.

Entalo

Entalo was firing arrows into the crowd and it was having a devastating effect on the attackers. Loosing another arrow, then grinned when it exploded in a man's face, also taking the one next to him and sending them both to a premature grave. He also took into account the shades coming forth, as the archer rarely missed anything on the battlefield.

Anton had finally come out, weapon in hand, and was now protecting him as he continues to fire his deadly projectiles. The large man's axe rose and fell several times, taking down anyone who came near Entalo.

He saw the man and woman he knew to be Talazar and Nira being encased in vines and took this moment to attack them. He aimed slightly higher than the plants, so as not to weaken them, and almost fired, but then stopped suddenly. He saw the man attacking the vines with ice, and shifted his gaze to him, also firing at the enemies around the Princess in an effort to help her, though it might have been unnecessary, as she was doing just fine on her own.

Turning back to the ice wielder, Entalo wasn't very surprised to see him charging towards Anton and himself. Entalo raised the bow once more, almost loosing the arrow but then stopped, confused.

"Of all the places to run into him..." Entalo looked down for a minute, saddened, but then returned back to Talazar and Nira as the man previously charging them fled. Anton also saw the man and knew immediately who he was, but said nothing, only watched Entalo and continued hacking down anyone who came near.

They both hadn't really been paying attention to him in their last fight, as their attention had been riveted on Talazar.

He would worry about that later, however, and looked forward, to where Talazar and Nira where and selected a rather deadly explosive arrow. Taking in a breath and holding it, something he hadn't had to do for several years, he fired the arrow, watching it speed towards it's target. He would worry about his past after they were done fighting.