Kirrah Shay's Story

Talazar

Talazar remained silent throughout the trip to meet with Kreon. He so despised the man and knew that if he opened his mouth, it would be for nothing more than to shout some sort of profanity or threat. Nothing but anger and hatred came to mind with the man's name, let alone a sense of pity. How love blinded him so to Nira. He would admit, the woman was worth a look, but if he should ever allow himself to be overtaken with lust and longing like Kreon, it would surely spell disaster. Solitude was the best plan, and frankly, most other people annoyed Talazar anyway. Shrugging off the thoughts, he turned his attention to the large hall he now found himself in.

The man allowed Nira to lead, even though he knew exactly where he was headed as well. His eyes were deadlocked ahead, never wavering and completely devoid of any emotions except for those of content and the obvious craving to cause death. As he strode into the larger room that expanded from the hall, the man's stride never changed. Always he walked with an air of confidence; an aura of power, respect and authority hung over him, all of which he'd earned rightfully on the battlefield, unlike Kreon. Talazar only registered Nira's order to those around them, yelling for them to continue their training. A smile crept on Talazar's face, it was rather entertaining the way everyone could simply stop at his presence. It was all the more entertaining on the battlefield when they'd freeze entirely. Simply stopping wasn't even all they did, but he'd swear their heart would cease even before he was within killing distance. Thinking about it now, entertaining wasn't the word, it was exhilarating.

Kreon's door sat past another set of double doors, his insignia emblazoned onto it. Talazar stopped as he approached it and allowed Nira to knock, then entered with her at the sound of the man's voice, ordering for them to enter. The first words that escaped the man's lips set Talazar's face into a creased frown. His deadly cold eyes bore into the man, though all of his attention was on Nira. She informed him that the Jewel Princess still lived, and the resounding smack that emanated from Kreon's hand across the woman's face was the answer. Talazar had to hold his hands behind his back to keep from attacking. He held at least the elven woman in higher esteem than him, and it wasn't that he cared, not that he'd admit it if he did, but no woman, especially not Nira, should be treated like that. It was simply the fact that it was Kreon to administered the punishment. The man wasn't worthy of such power and authority. He wasn't worth of living. Still however, Talazar remained outwardly apathetic, concealing his rage behind a simple blank stare.

Talazar nodded in simple acknowledgement to Kreon's last order to find the Princess and kill her, then turned with Nira and walked out. He glanced down to her now as she spoke. "One day I will kill him," she said. Talazar had to smile at her words, they pleased him and were his thoughts exactly. "Use my scythe if you'd like," he replied simply as he looked back ahead of him. "Once I get it back from that twerp of a boy, that is..."

Aelianus

Aelianus had been following the boy who carried the Princess, and the red girl for a short time before finally the silence was broken. First she had removed her mask before finally she glanced back at him. Her words were soft and gentle, pleasant to the ear. He had to admit also that she was indeed a pretty sight as well. "Why did you decide to follow us? And I don't believe I ever caught your name," she said.

The boy smiled in return, taking a moment to look at the sky as if to request inspiration to lie. It wasn't his favorite thing to do, but again, he was good at it. Looking back down he saw the girl's gaze had once more returned to the front, so he shrugged, knowing well she couldn't see it before answering. "Seemed like you needed help. I don't really want to say you're incapable of fighting," he had directed this to Raiyn now as he spoke, "but I know the effects of Talazar's scythe... Plus the Princess seems a bit out of sorts. I'm probably not a lot of help but, I don't know. Just in case."

The boy's words were sincere this time, he didn't need to lie. He knew well that with the Princess in such a state, and with Raiyn occupied with the chore of carrying her, both would be useless in combat. Of course if the boy put her down, he could do something, but not too much. Aelianus eyed the woman before him carefully, admiring her weaponry and frankly everything about her. The way she carried herself, the way she walked, the way her hair swayed gently back and forth with each step. The boy was smiling still, which wasn't unusual before finally he realized he was also simply just staring for no reason. He was glad no one had looked back at him again.

"Oh, my name's Aelianus too," he said happily. "I haven't caught yours though, either."

Raiyn Illander

His eyes kept traveling down to the sleeping form of the woman in his arms. She was so small compared to him, yet she carried such a huge weight. He briefly wondered how she'd managed to do it all this time. Raiyn pulled his thoughts back to the present and looked up to keep an eye on where they were going and their surroundings. It would be hell if they were attacked.

"Raiyn," he called back to the boy named Aelianus. He might as well share his name, especially if they were going to be in company for some time. It would be difficult during fights if they didn't know each other by name. He still had yet to learn the Princess', but for now he would probably just call her 'Princess'. At least until she told him otherwise.

"I hope you're better help when we have to fight again, Aelianus. That will happen, and if you can't hold your own I'm not going to protect you," Raiyn called back coldly. He never slowed his pace as he went, never looked back either to see what the boy's reaction was. For all he knew the 'former' Shade was still smiling like a fool. Either way Raiyn didn't care, he wasn't going to babysit the young man when they saw a battle again. He only hoped that they could reach the next town and sleep before that happened.

Of course, hoping was all he could do. Perhaps luck would be on his side this time.

Raiyn Illander

The town wasn't much farther and the sun was beginning to sink down below the tree line. The forest was beginning to thin and the road became harder as it was kept cleaner than through the forest. Raiyn adjusted his hold on the Princess who had slept the entire time and would most likely sleep until the next morning. It had been none-stop fighting for nearly three days for her and each time she'd used her power. Or rather, the power had used her.

They walked through the gates of the town and Raiyn looked immediately for a place to sleep for the night. His sharp gaze spotted an inn near the gates of the town and he went right to it. Ignoring the many looks he was receiving from the patrons as they walked through the door, he moved right up to the bar and got the innkeepers attention.

"Two rooms for the night," he ordered without hesitation. The large man behind the counter lifted his sweaty eyebrow at the sword master before sweeping his dark brown gaze to the others. Raiyn waited, though his patience was growing thin.

"Eighty silver," the man prompted.

Raiyn frowned, "Forty."

"Seventy-five."

"Fifty-five."

The banter stopped there and Raiyn knew he'd won the barter. The innkeeper frowned but gave a short nod. Handing the Princess off to Krisiana, he pulled the coin from his bag and set it on the counter. Taking the blonde woman back he started up the steps with the others in tow. Opening one of the doors he walked in and gently laid the Princess on the bed.

"Stay here with her. I'm going to find a healer in town. Don't let anyone in. You'll know when it's me," he ordered the woman in red. Turning, he looked to Aelianus, an eyebrow arched slightly.

"You... can come with me," he said before brushing passed the young man and exiting the inn. Pulling his tattered cloak around his shoulders, he tightening it across his chest and looked around. After a moment, Raiyn finally set off towards the center of town hoping to find a healer soon for both his wounds and the Princess'.

"Raiyn," the man called back. That was an interesting name, and Aelianus' thoughts wandered to the idea of water droplets from the sky. They were free, soothing and could wash away troubles while at the same time deteriorate the lands and be as brutal as anything. He seemed that way, but it was still too early for Aelianus to really tell. He remained quiet as Raiyn continued to speak. "I hope you're better help when we have to fight again, Aelianus. That will happen, and if you can't hold your own I'm not going to protect you."

Cold... Rain was cold too, and so was this man whom held the same name. It was odd. Aelianus' smile faded as he registered his words, and thought of his abilities. He was a proficient fighter, he just didn't like to fight, especially when he could so easily tell that his opponents held such amazing skills. It was scary to see a blade a mere inches from his self, the metal screaming to cut into him and taste his blood, to kill him. He didn't like these thoughts at all, so he tried his smile again, reassuring the man known as Raiyn with a simple, "Don't worry, I will be." Even though he didn't believe his words, he made sure they would. At least they were nicer than Talazar.

After a long while of walking, they finally arrived at their destination, a small village. Aelianus couldn't help but notice the looks Raiyn got, and he simply nodded in respects to people, waving and smiling as he normally did. He knew he was getting most of the same looks due to Talazar's scythe he still had on his back, the weapon ominous in contrast to his joyful personality, but he didn't mind.

The boy followed Raiyn into the Inn, and after a short exchange, was pleased to see he had won over two rooms for a decent price. Aelianus held with him a lot of money, and almost offered to pay, but thought otherwise. It really wasn't worth it now. Talazar had a habit of killing for no reason, and Aelianus was tasked with taking anything of value from the dead. He had with him in fact enough gold, silver and copper pieces to buy their own task force, but he thought for now he'd remain quiet, though he did slip the innkeeper a few silver coins for his troubles. He smiled kindly at the man before nodding and rushing to catch up to Raiyn.

"Stay here with her. I'm going to find a healer in town. Don't let anyone in. You'll know when it's me," Raiyn said as he set down the Princess in one of the rooms. The order was directed to the girl in red, and Aelianus looked to Raiyn as now he spoke directly to him. "You... can come with me." Aelianus nodded obediently and followed him out to aid in his search for some sort of apothecary or healer. Glancing around, the boy waited a moment as Raiyn adjusted his cloak, then he spoke. "So," he said, "What exactly were you up to before you stumbled into the Princess?"

Kiriko

Kiriko had been able to beat all of the shade, but it had taken him longer then he had wanted and now he would have to travel at night if he wanted to catch up to the group. Searching the group he found a considerable amount of money, and took all of the demonic jewels in there blades. Kiriko remembered something about Raiyn being able to make them go dormant. Once he had everything Kiriko started to try and catch up to the group.

It had been hour and Kiriko finally managed to catch up to the group, but this time he was going to watch and see what they did while he wasn't there. Keeping his distance Kiriko followed the group for quite a while until they stopped in a small town and went into an inn. So far the group hadn't done anything to make him think that they weren't telling him everything, but he decided to watch the group for a little longer. As he waited on a nearby roof top he tried to see inside the building, from what he seen all he knew was that they would have a room there for the night. Shortly after Raiyn followed by the shade came out and started to head deeper into town. It was tempting to follow them, but for now Kiriko stayed to watch the two in the building.

Okashi

Okashi had been at the inn for quite a while sitting by himself and having a few drinks. People came and went, but nothing really caught his eye until a young guy came into the inn carrying a young women and was accompanied by another women and another guy who had a ridiculousness huge scythe on his back. The first guy went up to the owner and after a short talk between the two man he got a room for a decent price. After that the 4 headed up stairs to there room. He heard something about and apothecary then two of the men came down stairs and headed out the door.

It wasn't really any of Okashi's business what they were up to, but with all 4 of them having weapons and then two of them going and looking for an apothecary, Okashi thought they couldn't be up to any good. Okashi had just got done with a job and was trying to relax, but he was always ready to make more money. If he stopped them from robbing somewhere or from fighting and destroying property he would be able to make some money off of it. For now thought he just sat back and ordered a couple more drinks, waiting for them to do something.

Kirrah Shay

She stirred, slowly shifting from one side to the other and her eyes clenching tightly as she woke from her deep slumber. A dull headache plagued her, but otherwise she felt alright. Mostly it was just weariness that was the problem. Her lips parted and a groan escaped her as she rolled to her side finally. After a moment, she cracked open her eyes and observed the darkness around her. Kirrah concluded that she was in a room, and that it was well into the night. How late and what day it was, though, she didn't know.

Slowly, she sat up and put a hand to her forehead as she groaned again. Taking a deep breath she sat there trying to figure out where exactly she was at and how she'd gotten there. Then she spotted a woman in the room with her. Her heart jumped and she reached for her sword, but only brushed thin air. Her weapon was missing. Her heart escalated then and she nearly lunged at the girl sitting in the room with her. Then she noticed the red tint of her clothing as the moonlight came out from the clouds. Kirrah remembered seeing the girl, however, how she remembered was a huge shock to her.

They had been fighting, something had happened and she had gone back to the town. Somewhere between leaving and going back she'd fallen prey to her power and lost her memories. The only thing she remembered was a scream of pain and her heart lurching in response. The images flooded her mind's eye as she recalled what happened. She could see the blonde haired man tensed up as he was under the crushing power of the Shade woman. He crumpled to the ground and Kirrah rushed to him as the elf pressed her blade to his throat.

Kirrah had barely made it in time to get the elf's attention and save him from being killed. After that, she didn't remember much, only bits a pieces of the fight with the elven Shade. During that fight, she remembered seeing the flash of red cloth that belonged to the woman sitting before her. She had been there, during the fight. Before that even, but Kirrah couldn't really recall.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted the swordsman under brutal attack from the larger Shade wielding a scythe. Again, her racing heart leapt to her throat and her memories were sharper. Kirrah had watched as the young man was thrown, crashing into the burned buildings and as the Shade approached, he came flying out of the dust with is cloak leading. She'd taken that opportunity to attack the Shade with her wind jewel propelling her right at him. Somehow, the Shade had managed to get out of the way of her attack just in time. This, she remembered, had enraged her and the last thing she remembered was thrusting her sword in the dirt and unleashing a terrible power on the entire group.

After that, there was nothing but darkness in her memories. Kirrah shook her head and gave a soft sigh. It was almost all too much, though her heart hammered fairly hard as she realized that the swordsman's pain was what triggered her to remember. Why, she wasn't entirely sure. At the moment, all that mattered was she remembered the fight and the power.

Looking up to the woman in red, Kirrah was sure that the woman had noticed her being up, "Where are we?"

Raiyn Illander

His eyes were locked on the street below them, the fire light from the tavern door illuminating the area below him. Nothing had moved in the darkness, but he still kept watch. The Shades were unpredictable. Behind him, the boy Aelianus had settled on the bed. Whether or not he was asleep, Raiyn didn't know, but he didn't really care either. As he sat there, his thoughts were on the Princess in the other room. How was he going to get her to remember the fights? Even more importantly, how was he going to teach her how to fight properly without the use of the Jewel Princess? Control was highly important and that she lacked because she was afraid.

Raiyn was going to have to get her over that fear somehow. He gave a frustrated sigh and tapped the hilt of his blade that he held between his legs. Leaning forward, his eyes caught the movement of three people down below the inn. His eyes narrowed and he watched them carefully as they approached the flickering firelight right outside of the double doors. Once their forms were within the light, Raiyn stood up quickly but quietly. Each of the people down below were clad in black cloaks, clearly marking them as Shades. He didn't know if they had Demon Jewels, though he was sure if they did, the Jewel Princess would have gone haywire by now.

Walking to Aelianus he shook the young man's shoulder, "Get up. We have company," he said. This was going to be the boys test. If he really wanted to help them, the ex-Shade was going to have to fight his own kind and kill them as well. Raiyn opened the door and went down the hall to the girls' room. He knocked three times, waited then knocked again, a single sharp crack against the wood.

"Protect her," he growled at the door, hoping that Krisiana could hear him. Down in the tavern, he could hear the sounds of steel ringing as the three Shades entered the inn and created a ruckus. Raiyn frowned and set his jaw tightly, they sure knew how to draw attention to themselves. Raiyn drew his weapon as he heard the first of several steps come racing up the stairs to the rooms above. His emerald jewel glowed as he prepared for a fight.

Nira Ku

Her eyes were bright as she looked down at the town that she'd sent the three Shades into. With her arms crossed over her chest, she rested her weight on one leg. The hill was just high enough to look over the valley below. The town was about a two hour walk from where her and Talazar where. Tossing her head, she got her hair over her shoulder to look up at the Shade next to her.

"They'll separate the group, the main goal is to get the boy away from the Princess. You can do with him what you want, I hope you kill him slowly," Nira grinned at him, flashing a set of perfectly white teeth, "They aren't to kill the Princess. Aelianus still has yet to get more information and report back to us."

Her eyes turned back to the dark town as she counted down in her head the time till the attack. Once she hit zero, her fingers snapped and her teleportation took her and Talazar down to the valley to the area where the Shades were to push the swordsman.

Okashi

Okashi had been in the bar and was joined by a few others who were drunk out of there wits. All of them offered to by him a drink buy he had stopped drinking quiet a while ago, instead he bought a round of drinks for everyone. For a while nothing happened the young man had left and them come back, but he didn't hear any signs that he had don anything wrong. Okashi was starting to get disappointed with nothing happening, he was just about to by a drink and join in the party when a group of 3 men all in black cloaks came in the bar. The moment he laid eyes on them he new they were shades and they never came with good intentions, but they almost always had a bounty on there headds. As they walked in everyone got quiet and stopped to look at the group.

Now everything made sense with the other he had seen earlier they had been running from these men. The group walked up to the inn owner and asked if anyone had come in with wounded recently. When the man refused to answer the shade in the middle went to go punch him but Okashi grabbed his wrist and said, "I suggest you leave, NOW!" Okashi would have ended up fighting these men eventually for the bounty on there heads, so why not look like a hero while I'm doing it he thought. The man told the other two, "You guys go get the girl I'll take him." As he went to go grab his sword Okashi broke his arm like a twig and smashed his face off the bar knocking him out. Right after the others drew there weapons and went to attack him, but he just blocked there attacks with the armor on his forearms. Spinning with the attack the closest to the door was now by the stairs and vise verse with the other. The one that was now closest to the door he used the momentum from his spin to sent him flying with a kick straight out the front door. When he turned to the other man that faced him he looked ready to fight, but when he took a step the man bolted for the stairs. Fortunately they weren't that far apart and Okashi barely caught up to the man just as he started up the steps. Reaching his massive arm Okashi caught the man by the back of his cloak and threw him back down the steps. Okashi cracked his knuckles while walking toward the man and said in a menacing voice "You should have listened to me."

Kiriko

Kiriko had been on the roof top watching the group for some time wondering if anything interesting would happen. Before long he was relativity comfortable and fell asleep. After a little while he woke up and looked around, Raiyn still at the window keeping guard. Then Kiriko noticed his eyes they were alert and were starring. Looking where Raiyn was he knew right away why Raiyn was alert, there was a group of 3 shade headed for the inn. Kiriko got his weapons ready and was about to attack when he thought for a moment, lets see how this plays out. The shade went into the inn and were about to attack the inn keeper when an imposingly large man stopped them. After that the shade attacked and he was amazed at how quickly he had taken out the man. Knocking out one, sending one out the front door, and threw the last one down the stairs as he tried to get away.

Kiriko looked in the window really quick and seen Raiyn was not there any more, probably going to join in the fight. Kiriko looked at the man on the ground who was still disoriented from the kick. Not wanting the man to get attacked from behind he jumped from the roof top drew his blades and landed on the man chest, his blade in the mans neck. Kiriko cover the mans mouth with his hand before he could scream and said, "Shhh, don't fight it." After the man stopped moving Kiriko stood up and looked in the inn seeing what would happen next.

Raiyn Illander

His jewel was bright, the power vibrating as he readied his weapon for the attack. The Shade made the landing and glared at him before hunching down and preparing to attack. Raiyn, let his body turn slightly, the tip of his blade relaxed as it pointed down towards the ground. Before the man could rush him, his dark eyes widened in surprise and Raiyn watched as the Shade fell backwards, back down the stairs. Taking a step forward, the sword master lifted an eyebrow in confusion. Then he went to the edge of the landing and looked down to see a large man slowly walking down the stairs to the Shade who lay on the floor in a daze.

Turning, Raiyn flicked his blade towards the door to the girls room, "Get them," he ordered Aelianus, "Tell them we're leaving the town now." Without waiting for an answer, Raiyn rushed down the stairs and passed the large man who was more than capable of taking care of the Shade on the floor. His eyes scanned the area looking for the other two whom he'd seen enter the inn. One he caught sight of one man unconscious on the floor, the blood on his face more than enough to tell Raiyn what happened to him.

Moving towards the door of the inn, the young man readied his sword once more. Pushing the door opened, he looked out into the darkness and saw the third man lying face down in the dirt. He raised an eyebrow and turned to look down the street. He'd only seen three of them, but he was ready for more. It would be something the Shades would do. In fact, it was so similar to what he'd witnessed several years ago that it was hard for him to keep his composure. Always on edge ever since the incident, he never trusted anyone, especially the Shades and always expected the worst to happen.

Out of the shadows, a hunched over figure came hobbling towards him. Raiyn tensed, his fingers curling tighter around the hilt of his weapon as he turned to face the figure. Once in the light, they lifted their head and smiled at him. It was the woman who had healed him. Reaching out she took hold of his arm and Raiyn watched her warily.

"I heard the commotion and wanted to see what was going on," she told him in her aged voice. Her warm hands tightened on his arm then, and the inn and town around him blurred. The sight gave him a sickening headache and he felt as if he was going to be sick. Then everything settled back into place, except that he was no longer in town. With a couple of trees around him, he realized he was on the other side of the village, at least an hours walk from the back entrance to the town. Wrenching his arm free of the old woman's grasp he looked back to the town, his heart lurching to his throat unbidingly as his thoughts went right to the Princess.

The old woman's voice laughed, turning his attention. As he turned back around something hit him right in the center of his chest and he stumbled, losing the air in his lungs. The sound of crackling magic filled the air and Raiyn tried to bring his weapon up to block the attack, but having been hit already he wasn't fast enough. He knew the touch of the elven Shade's magic and knew it was her the moment it hit him. He screamed as her power enveloped him for a few moments. When it faded, he dropped to his knees, panting.

The elder woman was now a very beautiful young lady. She tossed away the cloak that had been wrapped around her shorter figure and donned the cloak of the Shades. Raiyn narrowed his eyes passed the pain wracking his body. He should have known.

"Reminds me of old times, Raiyn," the elven Shade called as she stepped into his line of sight. Her fingers snapped together and he felt her power hit him again, this time he clenched his teeth in preparation, enduring her natural magic. "That woman's name, Lilly, I think it was. She was beautiful, the way she screamed for you right before I killed her. I wish I could see the same thing again between you and the Princess, but I have plans for her," the Shade said as she knelt down in front of him, her fingers brushing under his chin to make eye contact. Her pale eyes glimmered in the moonlight with malicious thoughts.

"I'll slowly kill everyone that's gathered around her and destroy her. I will watch as she goes deeper into sorrow and madness until it drives her to the breaking point. When that's done, the Jewel Princess will have nothing but a shell to control and that's when I'll strike," she said to him, a smile growing on her pale lips with each word. Her eyes flicked across his body as if she were looking for something. Then she frowned.

"It's going to be a long night for you. It would have been better if you had Talazar's scythe with you. Now I think he's just going to be more brutal than originally planned, I'll enjoy hearing all about it. For now, I must go watch the entertainment," as she stood, Raiyn found his strength and shoved his sword at her, the jewel glowing brightly. The elf turned quicker than he thought, and her blade connected with his, knocking it aside. Her eyes blazed with anger, "Don't think that'll work twice with me, boy."

"Stay here with Talazar, Iri," the Shade ordered to the deceptive woman, then walked passed the man with white hair. As she walked she gave him a smile and then she faded away into the darkness, her fingers snapping as she cast another spell.

Raiyn's eyes settled on Talazar, his jaw clenching. Slowly he tried to get himself up to his feet, but the hits he'd taken from the elf had drained him of much of his energy. Once on his feet, he shifted his stance and watched the Shade carefully, trying to plan out how he was going to get out of this mess.

Aelianus

The boy stared in astonishment as the shade that approached them got torn away and flung back down the stairs. What just happened? he thought to himself. It didn't matter now. Some do gooder had saved them, that was fine with him. Suddenly Raiyn turned to him and pointed his sword towards the door of the girl's room. "Get them," he said quickly, "Tell them we're leaving the town now."

Aelianus nodded and turned as Raiyn dashed down the steps. He was sure Raiyn could take care of himself, so no his issue was how to get the girls out in one piece. Banging hard on the door as he approached, he yelled in. "It's me, we've got to go!" He waited a moment before the door opened and stepped quickly inside. Looking around, he waved his hand out the door. "The shades are here, Raiyn's taking care of them I think downstairs. There's got to be a back exit. C'mon!"

He then remembered the Jewel Princess, how she probably couldn't move too easily because of the power she had just recently used up. Her power... Aelianus knew with demonic jewels present she could very well be taken over by her powers again. Time was of the essence. As he looked to her, he was happy to see she was once more awake. "Morning Princess," he said simply. "Can you walk?"


Talazar

Talazar was perched up on a large boulder he'd found, waiting patiently with the hammer resting against the base of the rock. He looked up now as the boy suddenly appeared, accompanied by what appeared to be an old woman, though Talazar knew better. For now he was shrouded in the dark shadows and watched contently as the boy's gaze swung back towards the village that was far in the distance, and could see the panic overtake him. The woman who had brought him here laughed and the boy's attention was instantly back onto her as she shed her previous appearance for that of a new, young woman, dawning the Shade's cloak in the process.

Talazar smiled as realization swept through the boy, widening now only as Nira's magic hit him. He watched happily as the boy attempted to block the attack that already hit him, then fell to his knees. The Elven woman approached now, speaking of old times, how a girl had called helplessly for him before her death. Talazar watched Nira send another burst of magic through the boy before kneeling down in front of him and pulling up his gaze to meet hers. The man listened idly to Nira's words as he looked up into the sky for a moment, then glanced back down as he heard the ringing of steel on steel. He watched the boy's sword get flung uselessly to the side and smiled again. True enough, if only he had came with the scythe, perhaps Talazar wouldn't have been as cruel.

"Stay here with Talazar, Iri," Nira said finally before disappearing. Talazar glanced sideways at the woman as he slid down from where he sat, taking hold of the hammer in the process. It was interesting to him how all of the more beautiful women always chose the side of the shades, but that didn't concern him now. He disregarded her presence as he looked to the boy. His stride was slow as each step counted down the seconds to the boy's demise.

"No scythe?" he said finally," Tsk Tsk...Dispose of it already? Hmm?" He stood ominously above the figure, the hammer now resting on his shoulder as he looked down in pity to the boy. "I hope you're ready for some fun... Before this night is through, you'll be begging for death, and trust me, even in death, I'll still be there. I may even let you lie here when I'm done, broken beyond repair until I get my scythe. The blade of that weapon will be the last thing you ever see. The cold steel will be the last warm presence you'll feel..." Talazar took a step back now, removing the hammer from his shoulder in the process and extending it out to his left. "Now then... This is for taking my scythe in the first place..."

Talazar swung back his arm, his powerful muscles that were used to the scythe wielded the hammer with ease as he then rotated his arm, bringing it up in a massive arc down into the earth. Dropping to one knee in the process, the jewel glowed brightly with power as Talazar caused the ground below the boy to erupt up, launching him back several meters. The attack was a light one, not enough to break bones, but plenty to knock the wind from his lungs. Talazar smiled as he began forward again, vines now ensnaring the figure. "Begin begging whenever you want..."

Raiyn Illander

He glared up at the taller man, his chest heaving as he struggled to get his breath back from the last attack. Raiyn's eyes narrowed as the Shade spoke of how he would be begging for death before the end of the night. The man pulled his arm back and began his first assault. The sword master felt his own jewel glow in response as he tried to protect himself from the attack. What he thought to be a downward strike to his body, turned out to be an attack using the earth around them. This startled Raiyn as he thought the Shade was a user of wind magic.

It was always impossible to tell with Demonic Jewels as they were all black, corrupted in their evil ways. The surge of the earth underneath him tossed him in the air and he flew quite a ways before hitting the ground. His body turning in the air as he went, he hit the dirt on his side and the air exploded from his lungs yet a second time. His back arched as he rolled onto it. Coughing, he tried to get to his feet, but wasn't fast enough.

The dirt vibrated around him and in a matter of seconds, his similar trick ensnared him. Vines latched onto him, wrapping him tightly. They shot up and encircled his neck, to which his free hand shot out to try to tear off, but the vines caught that arm and pulled it back. He could feel the thick undergrowth pushing at his back as it wrapped around his torso and chest, lifting him slightly off the ground. Then his legs were wrapped as well, vines going around his right leg individually then pulling both of them together, immobilizing him completely.

"Begin begging whenever you want..." Talazar said as he slowly moved towards Raiyn.

He twisted and turned, trying to no avail to get free from the entrapment. Every muscle screamed in protest as he pulled at the strong vines. His hand was still wrapped around his sword, and the jewel was glowing. His jaw clenched as he tried to think quickly on what to do. Begging was the last thing on his mind, he would never give the Shade that satisfaction. Raiyn's breath was uneven as he struggled, his hand tightened around his sword and he summoned his own power to attack the Shade.

The vines erupted from the earth around Talazar, some to ensnare his legs to keep him where he was, others shooting at him with the intent to run him through.

Kirrah Shay

"It's me, we've got to go! The shades are here, Raiyn's taking care of them I think downstairs. There's got to be a back exit. C'mon!" The voice belonged to a young man who Kirrah didn't recognize. She didn't know who he was or when he'd join with them, but he seemed eager to help them. So Kirrah started to stand off the bed. She felt only a little dizzy but for the most part she was alright.

"Is he alright?" She asked without thinking. Why did she want to know if Raiyn was alright? The blonde haired boy was nothing but cold to her, yet... she didn't want to think about it if anything terrible should happen to him. She didn't even really know him all that much. Where her thoughts coming from the Princess inside her instead? Maybe, the Jewel Princess had seen more of the young man than herself.

"Morning Princess, can you walk?" the boy smiled at her. She nodded to him, though her thoughts were still on the blonde boy. Kirrah retrieved her weapon and slid it back in its sheath. Somewhere inside her, something stirred. A feeling that perplexed her entirely. She didn't know what it was that she was feeling, or where it was coming from. All she knew was that she wanted to see Raiyn. The longing to see him was almost overwhelming. Kirrah concluded it was the Jewel Princess inside her that was feeling this and not herself.

She started for the door, trying to ignore the sudden emotions plaguing her. The young boy with messy hair had said something about there being a back way to get out of the town. Kirrah looked down the hall but saw nothing in the sense of a way out. She turned to the other two, "I don't think we'll be leaving from this level," she stated, then continued down the hall towards the staircase and started down. At the bottom of the stairwell was a man in black who looked the worse for wear. She carefully sidestepped him, noting that his clothes marked him as a Shade.

In the inn area, she spotted another lying on the floor with blood on the counter and on his face. Another Shade as well. The inn was empty now with the scuffle scaring off the patrons and the inn keeper was peering in to the tavern area from his hiding spot at the kitchen door. Kirrah ignored him and went outside. A third man lay in the dirt with blood on his chest from an apparent stab wound. Nothing told her about Raiyn's whereabouts and her heart seemed to seize up. She did notice two other men near the inn, one was wielding a pair of swords -she'd seen him before and knew he was with their little group- the other she hadn't seen before and didn't know what to make of his presence here.

"If he said we're leaving, then lets start towards the other side of town. He must be fighting out there, we should go help him," she said. Kirrah was astonished at her own actions. Since when did she care about someone so much that she was willing to risk losing herself to the Jewel Princess to help? Not that she didn't want to help anyone in need, it was just she knew he was more than capable enough, and yet... Kirrah shook her head and started down the street. All the while she blamed it on the Jewel Princess inside her, all the new thoughts and feelings.

Nearing the edge of town, she felt a sharp burn in her chest. She fingers curled into a fist as she pushed the hand to the middle of her chest and ground her teeth. Someone with an active Demon Jewel was nearby, and she'd gained enough energy for the Princess to come fully awake. She stumbled and hit the wall as she fought off the Princess.

"Not now..." she cursed. Then looked back to the others, "Someone's using a Demon Jewel," she managed before she lost herself to the Princess again. The transition was becoming easier the more frequent it happened. In the darkness of her mind, she heard the Princess' words.

"I'll teach you not to be fearful. I'll teach you control. You and I are one, if you would only let me become one with you. There's no need to be fearful. He can help us both."

"What do you mean? You're terrifying to me, so powerful and destructive. You destroy everything! You killed them all!"

"Because you do not understand me. Your fear causes us to be uncontrolled," the Princess heaved a heavy sigh full of annoyance, "We will speak of this later. Whether you wish it or not, I am becoming more a part of you every time."

Aelianus

"Is he alright?"

Aelianus frowned, turning away for a moment. He couldn't answer, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was well aware of the grudge Talazar had formed against the boy and knew that no doubt he'd of already been taken away to be dealt with. The thoughts formed a sickly picture in Aelianus' head, images of what Talazar had caused before flashing through his mind, but with Raiyn's face. He turned to the Princess and was grateful as it seemed she had let the question fall aside for now. Quickly, he followed her out the door.

"I don't think we'll be leaving from this level," she said, and Aelianus had to agree. He glanced back to ensure the girl in red was with them, checked himself to make sure he had the scythe, then proceeded down the steps.

What he found was truly a shocker as a massive man was present, currently occupied with dealing with one of the shades. The other was sprawled out on the floor, and the third was outside. Aelianus tilted his head at the man from earlier, finding him now in the vicinity as well. From the looks of it too, he was the one who had executed the shade just outside the doors of the Inn.

The boy was grateful for the two men who seemed to make his job simpler. He couldn't possibly have fought a shade, but he would've had to to prove himself to this group in order to gain their trust. At least now that much in his mind was settled, but considering Raiyn was nowhere to be found, his earlier presumptions seemed to be correct. He still couldn't tell the Princess though as she suggested he was on the other side of the town, but trailed after her again as she dashed off to aid him.

Aelianus came to an abrupt halt as suddenly the Princess stopped, her teeth barred and fists curled into tight white-knuckled balls. "Not now..." she had said, "Someone's using a Demon Jewel." Glancing around, Aelianus knew that either more shades had arrived, or Talazar and Nira were around. He couldn't see them yet, but he knew. Glancing to the girl, he had to do something before she went on another rampage. Without even thinking his sword was suddenly drawn and his arm had whipped around to bring the pommel of the weapon hard against her skull. The blow should knock her out without causing any damage, and it wasn't until after the action was complete, did he realize what he had done.


Talazar

Talazar smiled delightedly as he approached the boy who struggled in vain to escape the entanglement of vines. He would've let him go in order to make it more fun, but it seemed the boy had other ideas. As the green jewel glowed, Talazar readied himself and let out an actual audible sigh as it seemed the only retaliation would be a replication of his own attack. Stumbling back, Talazar took a few paces in an attempt to escape before finally one of the vines caught him, the others acting quickly on this and doing the same. He had to commend the boy, he was strong and persistent, but this definitely wouldn't work.

Talazar swung the hammer out at the vines that lunged at him and nodded in respect to the idea. He made silent note of it and would be sure to utilize the attack later. Deciding this was enough for now though, the man suddenly brought the weapon up over his head, the jewel glowing brightly still, the black seeming warm yet dark at the same time.

This sent the earth below Talazar lurching upwards in the same manner it had done to the boy, though Talazar used this instead to break from his current predicament. Flipping a few times through the air, Talazar flew over the boy who was still trapped in his attack before coming down about three meters behind him. Landing on one knee, with the pommel of the hammer plunged firmly into the ground and both hands clasped around the handle, Talazar smiled. "You're good," he said after a moments pause, "but I'm better..."

Suddenly now, the head of the weapon dropped into the earth and Talazar turned quickly. The massive steel hammer followed him in his rotation until he finally faced the boy. In the same motion, he brought the weapon up out of the ground and swung it far to his left, sending forth a good chunk of the earth aimed for the sword the boy carried. As long as that weapon was out of his grip, Talazar wouldn't have any issues to deal with. He could easily take him out now, even with the sword, but it was more fun to play some games. Besides, he had all night.

Raiyn Illander

From the corner of his eye, he watched as the Shade slammed his weapon into the ground and threw himself out of the trap that Raiyn had tried to get him locked into. His voice growled in anger as he watched the Shade land on the other side of him. "You're good, but I'm better..." Talazar said, his voice telling Raiyn that he had a smile on his lips as he spoke. Whipping around, Talazar launched a large piece of earth right at him. His eyes widened as he watched it come at him, realizing that the attack was not specifically aimed at him, but for his weapon.

His fingers tightened on the blade, and he twisted violently in the vines, trying to pull his arm free to keep the only chance he had against the Shade. However, his pulling only made the vines tightened around him and he winced as the ropes tightened around him. His wrist and fingers exploded in pain as the large piece of earth cracked into his wrist. He was sure a few bones broke from the impact as everything from his wrist down to his fingers went numb. His sword fell out of his grasp them, clattering to the earth and the green jewel fading in it's brilliance.

Raiyn turned his eyes to glare at the man, though his chest twisted with a sense of fear. Not for himself, but for the Princess whom he'd been trying to protect. It was a reminder of things that had happened to him in the past. Twice he'd failed to protect someone he cared about, and now it looked as if he were going to fail once again. Though, this time it would be marked by his death rather than hers. Having just met her, he still knew that she would be upset about it if he were to die. Pulling his good hand into a fist, he pulled at the vines again, trying to ignore the pressure that built around his chest and body as the leathery ropes tightened around him.

Damnit.. I'm not going to die here, he cursed, grinding his teeth in the process. There had to be a way out, some how...


Kirrah Shay

Something hard connected with the back of her skull and she stumbled forward. Her vision swam in and out as she slowly turned around to see who had hit her. Kirrah's eyes met the young man's who had told her that they needed to leave the town. A thin eyebrow rose up in confusion as her lips parted to ask him why he had done that too her. However, the world swung around and a moment after she dropped to the ground in total darkness.


Nira Ku

"My my, what a cruel thing to do to a woman," the elven Shade cooed as she came out of the darkness to meet the group. Her lips parted into a smile as she leveled a cold stare at the Shade and the others. Pulling her sword from it's sheath she looked at the blade and the jewel embedded in it. "Thanks to that meddlesome boy, I was forced to receive a different sword and jewel, but that won't be a problem. You see, I like this weapon very much," she continued then pointed the weapon at them all. The blade hummed slightly as the steel vibrated with the power from the Demon Jewel. Black strings of light cracked up and down the length of the blade as she held it.

"He's already tasted it's power. Quite... electrifying," she laughed. Turning to Aelianus, her lips lifted in a deeper, more malicious grin. She still had plans for him, so in the mean time she didn't say a word about her order to him, "That was a bad move for you, Aelianus. Knocking out your only hope at defeating me. That's alright, this will make it all the more pleasurable."

Nira turned back to the others and picked her target. The young man who had attacked her last time, his sweet voice trying to make her see reason in turning her back on the Shades. He was quite the opponent and so her first shot of powerful magic was directed at him, "Don't worry, I won't kill you all. Just one of you. I think two deaths will be enough to start things."

After the magic was launched, Nira lunged forward, her sword leading as she went right for the young man's throat.

Okashi

Okashi had been trying to hit the last shade who was still alive. After constantly missing he went over to his pipe that still laid by the table he had been drinking at and picked it up. Turning around he expected the shade to attack him, but he had not. Looking at the stairs he understood why, the young girl who was unconscious earlier was walking down the stairs. As the shade went to attack her Okashi made a dash for him and tried to reach him before he attacked, but he was to slow. Even though he didn't stop the attack the girl acted as if he wasn't even there, dodging the attack effortlessly. By the time the shade stopped his attack and turned and prepared for another attack Okashi had closed the distance and was now on top of the man. Shock that he was there the shade went to attack. but Okashi just dodged it, grabbed his wrist , and used his pipe to break the shades arm at the elbow. A cry of pain was heard as the mans arm was broken, not wanting to listen to this Okashi picked the man up with one arm by the neck and held him in the air until he stopped moving.

After having finished off the last of the shade he turned to follow the other that had left. It wasn't that he wanted to help these people it was that if he followed them they would probably lead him to more shade and more money. Looking around It was obvious that he would have to leave, everyone had either left or was petrified after seeing the fight. He threw the shade that now dangled from his hand over his shoulder and walked over to the other that lay unconscious and did the same. With both of his prisoners over his shoulders he headed out of the inn, before leaving he said in a plight tone, "Sorry for the trouble." and headed out the door.

Once outside Okashi looked around and seen the girl from before on the ground with her hand over her chest. Before he could go over and see what was wrong a young man knocked her out with his sword. At first he wondered why the young man had done what he had done. After thinking about it Okashi realized why, If she's unconscious she can't feel the pain. Okashi dropped the men off of his shoulders, there body falling to the ground and turned to see a young women appear. This one again was a shade and went on about how she was going to kill one of them and leave the rest for now. Pretty sure of herself he thought, right before she launched a lightning attack and charged after it.

Kiriko

Kiriko had killed the shade with ease and was standing over his body when Raiyn came out of the inn. He was going to say hi or something like that, but before he got his chance an old lady came up to him and took his hand in hers. At first he thought it was a nice old lady worried about what had happened. Before he could do anything though both of them disappeared. Then before he even had time to think about what had just happened the Princess came out of the inn. She looked around quickly before saying they should head for the end of town. Just as he was about to tell her that he had seen Raiyn disappeared, she sank to the ground clutching her chest saying that someone was using a demonic jewel. Having a quick flash back to the last town Kiriko knew he couldn't let that happen again. Fortunately for him someone else had the same idea and knocked her out. It was the young shade. Kiriko probably would have attacked him, if it weren't for the fact that he was about to do the same thing.

Kiriko was about to tell him good job, but was cut short by and unmistakable voice. Turning he saw the elven women from before holding a new sword. From the looks of it Kiriko could tell there was a lighting jewel inside from the black strings that ran up and down her blade. From past experiences he new that they were no fun to fight against. Then doing what would seem foolish to most, he up his blades back in there sheaths. Instead he drew 2 of his throwing knifes in his left hand and his spider wire in his right. Then As he had predicted she launched an attack of lighting straight at him. Unfortunate for the women this is why he carries throwing knifes. So he aimed his knife so that when he threw it, it would go straight at the lighting attack. And for the elven women along with her own attack that the knife would conduct.

Raiyn Illander

His eyes widened as the Shade slammed his sword against a rock and to his utter horror, the jewel came bouncing free. The green gem landed in the dirt, still sparkling brightly. Raiyn's eyes widened as he witnessed his weapon destroyed in such a fashion.

"Now then. Catch."

Startled, he lifted his eyes to catch the weapon already in mid air, flipping handle over end at an amazing speed right at him. Having already been beaten pretty badly, he knew there was no way he could catch the blade as it came at him. At the same time, behind the blade the Shade rushed him, raising the wickedly large hammer that also wielded earth as it's power. Though the darker side of that power was much more deadly than his own had been. Raiyn was running out of options and time. With his mind made up, he shifted to the left, hoping to at least lessen the wound he was about to take.

The sword connected with his shoulder, going half through. His mouth opened in a silent cry that he managed to stem before allowing his scream to pierce the air. Stumbling backwards, he used the distanced he'd gained from being run through by his own sword and pulled back his good hand that held the dagger. In a single thrust over his shoulder, he released the dagger, sending it flying right back at the Shade. Losing his balance to the sword that still vibrated through his shoulder, he fell onto the ground hard on his back. He never saw if his dagger did what it was supposed to or not.

Instead he reached over with his free hand and attempted to pull the weapon out of his shoulder. The other half of the blade having gone deep into the soft dirt beneath him, made it all the more difficult to remove the weapon. He clenched his teeth as he pulled at the sword, his voice half crying out as the weapon slid slightly. His breath was short as it heaved out of his chest, one leg pushing against the ground as he tried to ignore the burning all through his right shoulder and chest. Raiyn had to dislodge the sword, and quickly in order to use it to defend himself against Talazar, who was most likely still standing.

Nira Ku

The dagger came out of the darkness of her magic. There was no time to move from it and her pale eyes widened slightly in surprise. The knife cut through her shoulder, and with it brought back a good portion of her own magic. Her scream cut through the darkness as she stumbled in mid run and dropped. Her hand let go of her sword and clutched the weapon that was the source of her pain. With a single, fluid pull, she managed to get the blade out and toss it to the ground. Quickly, she picked up her blade again and took several nimble steps back away from the group. Her teeth clenched together as she glared at them.

Then she straightened and smiled at them, a wicked grin that showed her white teeth. Her beautiful pale face gleaming in the darkness and her eyes reflecting the fire light from the town behind them. A soft laugh echoed from her lips, then slowly it grew until her sweet voice was loud with laughter. As the sound fell from her lips, she'd slowly taken steps backwards into the darkness. The power in her sword crackled as she let it build once more. Once she'd faded into the darkness, she snapped her fingers, black magic curling around her hand.

She shot that power out at the taller man who was new to the group. Nira hadn't seen him before, but assumed he'd joined them. Without waiting to see if her attack hit, she let the darkness over her blade extend and in a hard swipe she sent a blast of magic at them all. Still moving in the darkness, she snapped her fingers once more, dark magic filling her hands. This time she sent the blast at Aelianus, though it was less potent than the one she sent at the new comer. Another barrage of her black electricity came right after. Still stepping around in the darkness at a good distance, she sent one final elven spell at the woman in red before her voice called out to them amongst the crack of power.

"It matters not if I cannot kill you now. The boy will be dead before the end of the night. That is just the start of our little game," she laughed. Without another word, she let her teleportation spell take her away from them and back to Talazar to see how the fighting was going. She came into the darkness next to Iri who was watching the fighting with a sick gleam in her eye. Nira turned just in time to catch the boy taking his own blade right through is shoulder and throwing a little dagger at Talazar.

Raiyn Illander

He barely heard the elf's voice as she spoke to Talazar, his heart beat was too loud in his ears as he could feel the blood simply pouring from his wounded shoulder. Breathing was hurting and he wondered idly if his sword had cut his lung or not, how far to the left had he really gone in order to avoid the hit? Possibly not far enough, the pain was too much to think properly though.

His head was lifted by cold steel and his eyes barely focused on the Shade before him. Talazar continued on about the Princess, trying to get Raiyn to tell him his true feelings for the woman. He ignored the man's words, only gazing at him blankly, breath wheezing in and out of his lungs in short, heavy sets.

"I'm curious how the girl will look... Wonder if she'll cry, scream your name even though she knows you'll never respond. And then, if she'll continue while she allows herself to give in."

Raiyn's eyes widened as he listened to the man. Both women before the Princess came to mind. Their voices screaming his name over and over again as they were brutally killed before him. The images were brilliant in the back of his mind, playing out clearly as if it had happened just moments ago. Their screams of pain and anguish, their cries to him, tears in both of their eyes. Raiyn's heart jumped in his chest, his breathing sucking in sharply as he shook violently, even the vines holding him trembled lightly from his reaction.

"Perhaps she shares the same feelings you do, but oh yes, that's right. Weren't you simply intending to use her like everyone else? Certainly someone like you couldn't see anything in the girl besides a tool, something to be used, especially with the abilities she possesses. Oh no, you could never get past narcissistic ways and feel anything more... But then, even if you could. What would come of it?"

"Enough," Raiyn muttered between quick breaths, almost pleading in a way.

"I wonder if this boy could possibly pull of the oldest trick. If she indeed feels something for him, and I do believe I saw it, could she fall madly in love with him and use him to cling to as hope? Use him as the pillar upon which she builds her iron will to survive? While he goes around with no intention of reciprocating, but instead allowing her to follow blindly while he bends her to his will?" Talazar turned to the elven Shade as he spoke.

A burn filled his chest, his tongue felt dry and he a bitter taste filled the back of his mouth, "No. Never," he managed to mutter out. Something was stirring deep inside. A being that he'd carefully kept under control all these years. A cruel killer that had thought of nothing but revenge after the loss of his last lover. The cold, calculating and utterly powerful creature was slowly being woken by the Shade's words and actions before him.

A flash of silver and then a sharp burn had him biting his tongue as a groan of pain escaped him. His eyes squeezed shut to fight off the clean cut across his upper arm, but as he opened them once more the normally bright green that held life to them was now a dark green that was nothing but cold and calculating. He didn't hear anything else the Shade said as he was held there tightly in the grip of the vines. His hand that wasn't broken flexed, tightening into a fist that squeezed the leather of his fingerless gloves. The power that gave him the ability to nullify magic boiled deep with in, turning into something else entirely.

Off to the side, where his green Angelic Jewel lay the ground trembled. The gem glowed brighter than ever. Lifting his head, he looked at the Shade, the green of eye color seemingly swirling slightly just like his jewel was with power. A cold smile lifted his lips slightly as he pulled himself forward in the encasement of the vines. The elven woman gave a soft growl and drew her weapon, shoving the steel underneath his chin, the tip of it just barely piercing his throat. His eyes turned to her and without needing to touch the gem, the black Demon stone darkened.

"Insolent child!" Her voice raged, drawing her sword back, she swiped at his chest, cutting the fabric cleanly and drawing more blood to cover him. Raiyn winced and drew back slightly but this only enraged him further and from the ground around the elven woman, vines shot up and encased her tighter than himself. With a single thought, he threw her to the ground using the vines and turned his attention back to the Shade before him.

"Here is my thanks to you for waking me," Raiyn said, though it wasn't himself talking. The cold killer had come back, driven by old memories and thoughts of blood only. The vines shot forward, some to wrap around the large man, others to run him through. Whether Talazar managed to escape the attack or not, Raiyn didn't care. So long as they were there, he would rip up the entire earth if it meant killing them all. From the darkness behind them, a shrill voice screamed in rage and pain. Raiyn paid it no attention. His mind was set on killing the two he saw before him, his power controlling him completely even as he bled out.

Kirrah Shay

The Jewel Princess brought her back into consciousness. The pounding headache the only thing that kept her on the ground for a few seconds more. Slowly she got to her feet, just as a powerful swipe of black magic erupted from the darkness and went right at them. The Princess was in full control now and brought up her sword and deflected the attack with a slight thrust of wind. Turning, she looked at the group to assess the damage. She'd felt the Shade's magic and knew that the woman was no longer near them.

Her eyes narrowed in on the young boy who had knocked her out, "We will talk later," the Princess voiced angrily. At the back of her mind, Kirrah watched the events as they happened, her heart in her throat and her eyes wide as she listened and heard herself talk but had no control over herself at all. A sudden scream echoed in the dark, agony filling the sound and both Kirrah and the Princess' heart filled with fear. Turning sharply to the sound the Jewel Princess looked out into the darkness, her eyes wide.

"Hurry!" She yelled at the others and sprinted towards the dark trees just beyond the road. Her jewel called out to her, begging to be used and she allowed it. Drawing on the power of the wind, she shot forward several times, speeding her advance towards the scream she'd heard. As she came up the hill, she spotted a dark cloaked figure that was standing with their back to the Princess. Pulling her sword back to her chest, she held it in the position best for running someone through. Another burst of wind beneath her feet and she was launched at the Shade, giving them no time to defend.

Her weapon went right through the woman's back, causing her to scream in shock from the attack. Removing her blade, the woman fell to the ground and rolled, dead before she stopped at the bottom of the hill. Without waiting, she rushed down the small slope as her eyes set on the boy who was entangled in vines. A dark glistening liquid could be seen all across his back and the vines around him. Her heart tightened as she realized it was blood that was dripping from him. Was she too late? Was he... dead? The scream she heard earlier played again in her head and she thought the absolute worst had happened, however in front of the boy the two Shades from before stood there. Between them vines writhed in agitation, but the Jewel Princess didn't know who's power that was.

Without another thought, she rushed forwards, her voice erupting from her throat, "Raiyn!"

Aelianus

Aelianus had watched the whole exchange. He wasn't sure how to respond when Nira commented on his knocking out the Princess, but was relieved when her attention was diverted from him. The boy witnessed it all, watched as the attack was made from both sides, resulting in Nira's being wounded, the small knife lodging firmly into her shoulder and causing a momentary fault. At this, Nira let out a sound he'd never heard from her before, a true scream followed by a laugh that sent chills up his spine. Truly it wasn't a joyful laugh, but that of the kind Talazar usually dabbled in, a more psychotic one, or at least, that's how Aelianus described it. He'd known what to expect next, but still wasn't ready as she retaliated.

Aelianus was already retreating back as the first blast of magic flew forward, targeting apparently the newest presence, that of the large man he'd seen earlier in the Inn. Aelianus didn't have time to figure out if it had hit or not as suddenly another wave came right after the first attack, targeting everyone and knocking the boy backwards. He landed hard a yard or so away, but when he sat up is when the actual attack hit. Whether or not it was meant to do any real damage, Aelianus wasn't sure. He was still technically on the shade's side, but he still wasn't ready for the power Nira possessed to be thrown at him.

Taking the impact square in the chest, Aelianus could feel the energy surging through him as it hit, knocking the wind from his lungs and sending him back farther. He coughed and winced, even let out a cry of pain as he slid across the rough ground to a stop. The chains he carried seemed to have mixed effects and he had no idea if they helped block the attack, or conduct it, but he didn't have time to answer as yet another round came at them from the shadows, a web of crackling electricity like a net. This the metal links did conduct, and Aelianus hadn't realized he had bitten his tongue until the taste of blood was in his mouth.

It was about now the Princess woke again. Whether or not it was because Aelianus hadn't hit her hard enough, or because the creature inside her forced her into consciousness, the boy would never know. He did however give her a weak smile and shrug as he stood, the only reply he could manage as of now. He'd expected nothing more, and at least his actions were in a way just. He could easily defend them from whatever point of view he chose.

The scream cut everyone off. Who it belonged to was undeniable, Aelianus knew it as the Princess did and he just barely had time to gather himself again in an attempt to suggest against going towards the source, but she'd already shot off. Aelianus didn't bother checking anyone else, but followed immediately. She was far ahead and he had even lost her once in the process of pursuing her, but finally he reached their destination, though it seemed too late. He came up onto the hill just in time to see the Princess to fleeing down it again, the shade she'd just killed lying idly by. Surveying the area, Aelianus took stock of the situation.

Talazar

Something changed in the boy that was for sure. At first, Talazar had smiled, thinking he'd either broken him or managed to pull what last bits of fight he could from the bloodied body. It wasn't until Nira had stepped forward, placed her blade to his neck and found that her jewel had been rendered utterly useless did he frown again. He was about to suggest she move back, he was even going to pull her away himself, but the boy beat his movements.

Talazar watched as Nira was caught in an entanglement of vines, lifted and tossed away uselessly. He didn't need to see the attack to know he was to be targeted next, but registered the boy's words.

"Here is my thanks to you for waking me," he said. As Talazar looked at the boy he noted the change; what was once a broken shade of light green was now a steely dark hue, one that held in them the same coldness and calculating abilities Talazar himself usually bore. He leapt immediately to the side and rolled, easily evading the attacks and swinging the boy's sword he still held to fend off any other of vines, taking several cautious steps back in the process. He needed distance now, then he’d attack again.

"Raiyn!"

Hell seemed bent on escaping now as newcomers had decided to join the party. Talazar's eyes moved quickly to where the voice had come from, though knew already the source. The Princess had decided to deliver herself to them, to come for the bait and protect this boy. This was perfect. Talazar let out a laugh at her, and then looked up to the top of the hill now as another figure materialized. The boy was unimportant. Totally disregarding Aelianus and instead registering what was on his back, Talazar smiled wider still.

A new fight seemed to have started itself now with just the right collection of pieces. The boy, Raiyn, had found in himself his second wind. The girl, the Princess, had just brought herself to the place of slaughter simply to answer the boy's plea in the night, his screams, and Aelianus had managed to make himself useful for once in bringing Talazar's scythe.

The man continued laughing, as if everything was perfect in the world, as if all his unvoiced prayers had been answered by a higher being despite all the sins he'd ever committed. Smiling probably the most he’d had in the long time, the man prepared himself for what he needed to do next. He turned to Nira now, having managed to retreat away enough to reach her and picked her up. Ignoring anything she may say or do, he harnessed the power in his own jewel and launched himself and her up towards Aelianus.

Talazar landed gracefully, skidding slightly with the combined weight of himself and Nira, but still stayed upright. Aelianus took a pace back, unsure now of what Talazar was going to do as he set down the woman and then paced around him. The boy was aware that Talazar would go for his scythe, but he hadn’t expected the world to go black a moment later. As the man brandished his weapon again, he frowned at the fact that no jewel was present, but that was only a minor setback, it worked fine either way. He looked to his feet, to where Aelianus lay and simply stepped over him, now proceeding down the hill again. Talazar disposed of the hammer, throwing it to the side now as he was about to unleash a combination he rarely used. It was one of his most deadly, dual wielding a sword and his scythe, and ensured that a good fight was to ensue.

“Stay here,” he said simply to Nira. “I’ll make their deaths slow and painful; just make sure no one forestalls my judgment.”

Kirrah Shay

"Raiyn!" Her voice called again as the Shade used his large hammer to throw himself and the elven woman away from her as she approached. They went into the air and landed at the top of the hill that Kirrah had just come down. Her heart slammed in her throat at the amount of blood she saw covering Raiyn's toned body. She could only stare at him as she came to a halt in front of him. Though he was taller than her to start with, she had to look up even more as he was now held off the ground several inches.

As her eyes met his, the normally cool green that always seemed to be harder than they should like he was hiding things, was now a deep dark emerald that sent chills down her spine. He'd changed completely and she wasn't sure what it was that happened to make him the way he was just then. His lips pulled into a small grin as he looked down at her. The vines in the ground still writhed around them, and slowly the ones holding him up were beginning to shudder and release their hold on him. Kirrah watched in fear as he just gazed at her, the vines around him whipping around in a deadly fashion.

Her gaze was taken as she spotted the Shade coming back down the hill after leaving the elven woman there. In his hand was his scythe and the sword that she'd seen him with. A sharp gasp filled her lungs as she realized that the bloodied weapon was Raiyn's. As he was still untangling himself, Kirrah stepped around him and raised her weapon at the white haired man. Her gem glowed brightly in the darkness, the cool air began to pick up as it whipped around her body like a shield. She'd seen his power with that weapon and was ready for any earthen attack he would send at her.

However, nothing like that came and she was slightly perplexed as to what the man intended to do as he continued down the hill. She couldn't tell if he was ever going to use the power in his scythe, so, instead of waiting, she pulled her power to her sword. Directing the wind to the blade, she slashed at the air in front of her and sent three wind blades at the man. Before she could see if she'd hit anything, Raiyn dropped to the ground next to her, freed from his confinement. It took the young man a moment to gain his balance, clearly weakened by the loss of so much blood.

Still, he turned and with a strong hand, pushed her behind him. In the same motion he pulled her blade from her startled hands and held the weapon downwards, the tip pointed to the ground as he stood there. He watched the man approach them and Kirrah narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. She didn't know what he meant to do, but fear of his getting killed in the process was almost overwhelming.

"Raiyn, what are you doing?" She asked him, her voice hissing between her teeth, a mixture of anger and concern.

"Stay out of this," came his sharp, cold reply. He'd always been cold to her before, but now it seemed as if he truly meant what he was saying. The Jewel Princess lifted an eyebrow as she was caught off guard. At the back of her mind, the girl shivered.

"What's wrong with him?" Kirrah asked.

"I don't know. This power is so strong, much like mine. But he's so cold, so distant. I don't know where to start to calm his rage."

"He's angry?"

"It's overwhelming, can't you feel it?"

"No," Kirrah shook her head to the Jewel Princess' confused question.

Inside her mind she felt the Princess sigh heavily, "You have much to learn if we are going to meld together. That power he's wielding is out of rage. Utterly pure and cold. Something's triggered this and he's lost to it right now. There has to be something we can do to bring him back to how he was before."

"Do you think that's a good idea? He's about to start fighting. What if he loses this strength and gets killed?"

"As it stands now, he's got more of a chance of being killed like this than when he's himself."

"Raiyn," the Jewel Princess reached out and touched his arm, trying to get his attention once more. However, he only looked over his shoulder and glared at her. In a single swipe of his arm, he knocked her away from him and stepped forwards.

"Let's see who's more deadly, shall we?" Raiyn's icy cold voice didn't seem to be his own as he called out to the Shade. He flipped Kirrah's sword in his hand, the fluid motion almost blurred as he did it.

Talazar was doing all he could to hold himself back. Constantly his muscles tensed and relaxed, his fingers flexing in turn on both hands as each grasped tightly to either the sword or shaft of his scythe. The man watched patiently as the boy finally freed himself from his bindings and fell to the ground near the girl. Evading her strikes was simple and finally he'd come to a halt approximately ten meters from where they stood. He now waited, observing quietly the exchange between them. The look of shock on the girl's face, the obvious confusion she showed at the boy's words to stay out of her way, Talazar had to smile, the boy she knew was lost to her as of now.

Apparently something he'd said triggered a change, forced away the pitiful excuse for a man he'd seen just moments prior, and now replaced him with a cold hard killer. Or at least someone who had the intent to be such.

"Raiyn," the girl had repeated. Her words were almost like a plea, begging him to return to his normal state, but he more or less completely shrugged her off before turning his attention to Talazar himself. As he spoke, his words were of the same malicious breed as Talazar's, and to this, the man nodded approval.

"Let's see who's more deadly, shall we?"

"Very well!" Talazar responded, chuckling slightly to himself, "Though you're going to regret it."

The man adjusted his stance now, spreading his feet slightly to distribute his weight while moving his left arm forward , bent enough so no impact would shatter his elbow, and holding the scythe at shoulder height, parallel to the ground. His right arm was positioned more acutely, drawn back so that he held the blade angled up with the flat just two inches from his left arm, crossing diagonally in front of his shoulder. The stance was simple, allowed for easy and quick movements, utilizing the scythe's length for more of the combat while keeping the sword ready to take a role as either defensive or supportive. The fighting style past this beginning pose was then left to the combatant's discretion. Personally Talazar knew he could've chosen a better starting position, but he needed to weigh up Raiyn and whatever new strength he may have mustered. For now this sufficed.

Without waiting for Raiyn to move first, Talazar dashed forward, completely dropping the readied stance and closing the distance considerably quickly. The fact that Raiyn was just in front of the Princess helped him in what he would do next as he came up on the two with his scythe and sword trailing behind him, though as usual the blade of the massive farmer's tool was dug into the earth and cutting a clear line that marked each step of the man's progression.

As Talazar crossed the imaginary line that marked one meter, he sudden brought forward the blade of the sword in a simple right-handed uppercut. His right foot had come down in the same instant, and he used it now to pivot himself, his left foot spinning out and tracing the circle as his left arm followed, dragging the scythe forward and across his body as he spun completely 360 degrees. In the final moments of the man's rotation, the scythe swung out, the range supposed to place the blade out far enough to either reach the target who would've normally jumped back in evasion of the first attack, or to extend further than the target. If that were the case, the way Talazar had done the attack required only for him to continue dragging his left arm out to his side, which would bring the weapon and blade forward, back towards him and into the flank or rear of the enemy.

Of course, the fact that the Jewel Princess was behind the boy also meant that even if Raiyn evaded completely, there was the chance he could score a hit on her. No matter the outcome, Talazar was ready to go on the defensive or continue in his assault. The man smiled wickedly, showing his teeth which gleamed with the same evil light as his eyes, and even the blades of his weapons. His right hand by now was recalled to his body, held at what could be a resting position as his right arm was at 90 degrees, crossed over his abdomen with the blade held vertically, just away from his chest. With this ending position, he was ready to slash out if the off chance occurred where the boy evaded both swings and had managed to get in close enough for a counter.

All these thoughts ran through the man's head in the seconds it took for him to execute his movements, his brain never ceasing to think through each and every attack, constantly weighing dangers to outcomes, and then counters or follow-ups.

Kiriko

Kiriko had been able to hit the elven women with his attack. Unfortunatly this just made her go into a fit of rage. She just launched wave after wave of attacks. Her first target was the new guy, she launched a lighting attack straight at him. Then she launched another attack that was wide spread, aimed for the whole group. Then her former ally, and another wave. Finally she ended with an attack aimed straight for Krisiana. Before she left she said, "It matters not if I cannot kill you now. The boy will be dead before the end of the night. That is just the start of our little game." At first he didn't understand what she had said then it clicked, Raiyn. It's wasn't that Kiriko was fond of the guy, but no one who fought like him deserved to die by a shades hand.

Before he could do anything to the Elven women she disappeared. Kiriko got ready to deflect the attack's, but before he got his chance the Jewel Princess woke up and sent them away like nothing. Then she looked at the former shade and at first he thought she was going to kill him, but fortunatly for the young guy she just said, "we will talk later," and then turned to the forest and said "hurry," before taking off. Kiriko figured that she new where they others were and took off after her.

As he chased her he realized who powerful and smart the jewel princess must be. She copied his technique of using his jewel to speed himself up. Even though they were using the same technique she managed to stay ahead of him. By the time he reached the battle field she had already killed one shade and had went over to Raiyn. As he looked at the battle field, the shade had got his scythe back and was now using it and a sword. Raiyn had taken the Princesses sword and was now read to fight, evn thoguh he had injurys all over his body. Then there was the elven women who was just standing on top of the rock watching the fight.

His first instincts were to go and help Raiyn, but he decided against it. Just from the way he was standing and how the princess had reacted when she looked at him, he could tell that this fight was a matter of pride. So instead he headed over to the elven women and thought that it would be fun to tease her for a while and to keep her out of the fight. As he made his way over he made sure that she didn't notice him, until he jumped on the rock. With a quick jump and a smooth landing he faced the elven women with his hands in his pockets and noticed that the former shade was out cold.

Not really caring about the boy, he decided to apologize to the elven women for the shoulder. In a actually sincere voice said, "Sorry about the shoulder," then in a more childish-joking voice, "but you started it." Then before she did anything he said in actually serious voice,"lets just watch for now," pulling his hand out of his pockets and putting them in the air parallel to his head, "no fight, ok."

Okashi

Okashi had just watched the really short guy throw a knife at the lighting attack. At first he thought, why would he do that. Then he seen the blade conducted the attack and sent it right back at her, landing in her shoulder. After prying it out of her shoulder she launched an attack straight at him. Taking a stance instead of dodging he placed his right foot forward and punched the attack with his right hand. This sent a pain racing down his right side, but after years of fighting his nervers were numb and the attack didn't hurt that bad. Next came two wave attacks for these all he did was switch stances so his left faced her and placed his pipe between him and the attacks, they bounced off like nothing.

Looking to take some revenge he looked for her but didn't see her. Before he had time to think about where she had gone all he heard was, "hurry" and the young girl that had been unconscious was now heading towards the woods. Deciding that she would lead him to more shades and more money he headed after her, leaving his two prisoners behind for now. It was insane how fast she was in no time he couldn't see her, the only reason he knew where she was going was becasue of the giant trail she was leaving.

It took some time, but he finally made it to the battle ground and looked around. The girl was behind a man who seemed to be fighting a guy with a scythe and sword. Then he seen the girl from before ontop of a rock talking to the guy that had injured her earlier. He was going to go and attack her, but decided to watch the other two fight. If it came down to it he could go and take down that other shade, from his fighting style he seemed to be quite dangerous. The more dangerous, the more bounty on there head. Looking around he went over to a near by tree and leaned up against it. Then just sat back and enjoyed the fight, saving his energy for later.

Raiyn Illander

He didn't move as Talazar came rushing at him, holding both the scythe and his own sword now. His lips pulled into a cruel smile as he narrowed his eyes and lowered his body just slightly as the huge weapon came up at him in an upwards strike. Steel scrapped across steel as Raiyn lifted the sword with a simple flick of his wrist to deflect the blow. As he let the blade slide across his, Talazar pivoted bringing the enormous scythe across his body and twisting around in a full circle. Raiyn watched as the blade extended out towards him. He shifted Kirrah's weapon and prepared to block the attack, however, he misjudged the length of the weapon and how far that Talazar had extended.

Raiyn's dark eyes narrowed as he realized that the man was going to pull back and the blade was going to catch him full on across his back. The earth rumbled beneath him and he summoned the magic that rested in the earthen jewel not to far away. At the same time, the wind jewel in the Princess' blade glowed and the air twisted around him, making him much faster. From the ground behind him, vines erupted to slow the attack and to which Raiyn ducked, just barely feeling the blade cut across him, then he followed the blade as it came back towards the Shade. He noted that the way Talazar retracted the huge weapon put him in the perfect position to counter his attack.

The air swirled around him, pushing at his back as he rushed the Shade. Kirrah's sword was held down at his side as he came at the man. It was the last second that he brought the weapon up to slam into the scythe in an attempt to keep it locked across the man's body and unable to move. With a single thought, he shifted the earth around him, dirt and rocks rising to pelt the man before him. It wasn't as if he expected to cause any serious damage to the Shade, no it was more for annoyance and distraction. The wind picked up around them as Raiyn pushed at Talazar.

Three wind blades exploded from the girls weapon as he pressed it hard against the shaft of the scythe. Whether they hit the Shade or not, Raiyn didn't know, nor did he really care. What he was after was his own sword. To this, the earth had vibrated once more, trembling with the extent of his power as he reached down into the depths of the dirt and called forth a rush of vines to encase the man's hand that held the sword. With his wrist broken, there was nothing he could do to retrieve the weapon, but his vines could do that for him. The only thing he counted on was being able to keep Talazar in one place and nothing else. Thoughts of spilling this man's blood raged forth even as he had decided he wanted his own sword back.

Raiyn turned his green eyes to face Talazar, a cold smile lifting his lips as he pushed against the man, the wind whipping around them violently. Behind him, he could just barely hear the girls cry for his name. However, her scream for him only invigorated the state he was in. The voice reminding him of what he'd lost and how he'd lost it. Their screams were still echoing in his mind and it was Talazar's taunting that had awakened the cold blooded killer that he'd so carefully locked away. No amount of yelling at him would bring him back, not now. He was close to achieving his goal, close to running the blade through the man before him and killing him as slowly as he could.

Nira Ku

The impact she'd taken from Raiyn throwing her had knocked the wind out of her lungs. Unable to recover quickly enough from the attack, she felt Talazar put his arms around her and launch them in the air. Her breath was taken from her as they landed and he gently set her down. Next to them, she watched him knock out the young boy and retrieve his scythe. Slowly the elven woman stood up and watched the fight that ensued down below her, under orders to stay put while Talazar killed the boy.

Her eyes watched with a wicked gleam in the moonlight as he launched a deadly attack that she'd only seen once before. The combination of a sword and scythe, a style she found very pleasing to look upon. This man was much more powerful than the one she was married to. To this thought, her lips pulled into a frown and she crossed her arms. Soon, she would kill the man who thought he could do just whatever he wanted. In fact, it might be sooner than she'd planned with the way things were going.

Then a voice startled her and she glared at the boy who jumped down into her field of vision. Her eyes narrowed at him and her hand moved to reach for her sword. However the weapon was not with her and she realized that it was down in the battle zone with Talazar. She lifted an eyebrow, though, as the boy raised his own hands and announced that they would not fight.

Then she felt a pulse of power right next to her and her heart jumped to her throat. She masked her face quickly before the man she knew was coming appeared in the darkness. Slowly her gaze shifted to look upon her husband as he appeared right next to her. It was rare that he ever left the underground confinements. Nira lifted an eyebrow at the man as he looked towards her, his dark brown eyes clearly messaging his irritation with her.

"Yes?" She asked slowly.

"It seems that I was right to come here. Why is she still alive?"

"The boy is getting in the way," Nira replied with the same clipped tone, uncrossing her arms and flexing her fingers. Magic twisted between each slender finger as she watched her husband.

"Then kill him," he shot back. Nira's lips pulled back into a sneer but before she could utter a response, the man had stalked down the hill and raised his hand. Power filled the air and he shot it out at both Talazar and the boy. He didn't care if the white haired Shade was in the way or not. Nira wouldn't have cared either, if it had been the other way around. If it had been her husband standing there locked in the fight with the damn boy and not Talazar. In an instant she'd disappeared and reappeared in front of the blast. Her magic swirling around her. This was where she drew the line.

The magic hit her, but didn't touch her. The elf summoned every ounce of power she had and launched a full out attack right back at the man who stared at her in astonishment. His voice growled out as he deflected her own magic.

"Woman! What do you think you're doing?"

"You really expect me to answer that when it's obvious?" she laughed. Her fingers curled and magic erupted around her, tossing her hair about her face as she was using her full potential then. "You no longer deserve to live, Kreon."

"Insolent bitch. You expect to kill me so easily?"

"You have no idea," she muttered as her eyes widened and her lips pulled into a wicked smile.