Artamus

Touya Khan

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It was early morning, the sun just barely tipping the mountains to the east. The cool night air was beginning to wash away as the golden rays split the skies and rained down upon the land of Artamus. None of the beauty struck Touya though, rather the Therian was half dead. He stumbled as his gaze wavered in and out, his breath was short and heavy and his heart beat was slow and loud in his ears. One arm was curled along his rib cage on the left side, the metal that covered his forearm glittered in the rising sun. Thin streams of crimson trickled between his fingers as he walked slowly towards the town ahead of him. His youthful face was cut in several places, his arm that held his wounded side also sported nasty gashes. One leg was limp as he moved forward, trying to keep his weight off it as best he could.

With his energy low, he couldn't possibly think about healing himself. It was his best chance to get to the nearest city and see if anyone would be kind enough to help him. However, it was a long shot seeing as he was Therian and the city he was heading towards was populated mostly by humans and a few elves. They weren't the best crowd to hang around, not that he had much of a choice in the matter. It was either try his luck there or die on the road. Touya would rather see to the former rather than the latter.

The reason for his injuries was an encounter with another of his brethren earlier the night before. Touya had heard about his kinsmen's decision about the technology that abounded in Artamus. However, he did not agree with how the man wanted to go about doing things. So, Touya had dined to go after his kinsmen and try to talk some sense into him. Instead of talking, though, it turned into a fight, once of which Touya lost horribly. He stumbled again as his thoughts whirled around what had happened that night. He'd tried his best to bring his fellow Therian back around to see reason, tried to tell him that war was not the answer. None of Touya's words reached the man, rather it escalated his decision.

The gates loomed over head as he finally reached the city. His bad leg almost literally dragged behind him as he could no longer put anymore weight onto it without feeling extreme pain. He couldn't really remember how he'd been wounded there, all he knew was that it was a large wound, and very painful. Touya reached out with his good arm and braced himself against a wall, taking a much needed break from his flight away from his kinsmen. His breathe was short and he sucked in the air heavily, trying to regain his composure and energy. None of which came to him as he stood there.

The world spun around then, his body trembled as he tried to stay upright. A flash of brilliant light caught his eye and everything went white. When he came to again, he was on the ground, sprawled out in the dirt. The sounds of the morning bustle began to fill the air and he could just barely make out the sounds of the people that passed his prone body.

"Mommy.. is he dead?"

"Leave him be, dear, he's Therian," a woman's voice answered her son's.

"Deserves it, rat bastards," another voice, deeper and harsher than the one before met his ears, bringing him into some semblance of consciousness. It didn't last long though and he fell back into darkness soon after. The second time he woke was to a hard kick in his ribs. Touya coughed, a bit of blood coating his lips and tainting the dirt before him. His body curled slowly in on itself from the burning that pulsed through his entire side.

"Still alive?" A young boys voice asked. Another joined in and said something as well, but Touya couldn't hear it. Then a third voice jumped in, higher than the other two, a girl perhaps.

"Leave him be, you're so mean!"

"Oh shut up! You're nothing but a princess!"

"I'll tell your Papa your kicking people! I'll tell him you're playing with a Therian!"

"Hey! No ya don't! Get back here you princess!"

A scream issued and the sounds of quick footsteps told Touya that the children had scurried away, their thoughts of the Therian long gone. Touya pulled himself towards the side of the house he'd leaned against earlier, hoping to get himself out of the way of the people in the town. He didn't like crowds anyway, so putting himself in the alleyway as much as he could would help to lessen his anxiety. Besides, what had he expected in the first place? A savior to come rescue him from his sorry state of being? No they would rather let him bleed out, unable to regain the energy he needed to heal himself. Well, things could have been worse. His kinsmen could have damaged his arms even more, forcing him to need the technology to repair the metal that was a part of his body. Without that, he would be useless in a fight, utterly useless to do anything.

Touya pulled himself up into a sitting position as best he could and rested his head against the wall of the building. Closing his eyes he winced again as he moved the wrong way. His fingers closed tighter around his wound and he breathed out deeply. His only wish then was to die peacefully without any more children coming to bother him.

“Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Faceless terrorists strike at the heart of Altheim! Governor Bailey ups his anti-faceless regime!”

“Apples! Get your scrumptious apples cheap!”

“Well, well, well, look’ it what we’ave ere?” snorted a man, a distinctive country accent filling his sentence with mispronunciations.

“It would seem to me, Jerry, that this one here is one of em’ Faceless folk,” responded another, answering the man apparently named Jerry’s question as though it were not rhetorical.

A brief silence interjected, followed by the harsh clap of leather on flesh and a whimper. “That’s Sir Jerry to ya Private! And I don’t need ya pointing out the obvious Cantus! Ya think I can’t see that this is a Faceless for myself?” shouted Jerry, his colourful accent once again filling the alleyway.

“Sorry Sir!”

“Now the question is, what we’d oughta do with this terrorist,” Jerry continued, his voice growing slightly in distance as he looked away, turning his face to address Cantus.

“I dunno Sir,” Cantus mumbled.

Another harsh slap echoed throughout the alleyway before quickly disintegrating amidst the loud thrumming to daily traffic. “Ya think I was asking you Cantus? Damn smartarse….” slurred Jerry, closing in to get a closer inspection. A loud sniff preceded his scrutiny as the stench of iron wrinkled his nose. Ignorant of the stranger’s obvious plight, Jerry poked and prodded with the hilt of his discipline cane, ensuring the Therian was no longer lucid. After receiving a satisfactory lack of response, he leaned back and sighed.

“Damn scumbags. Should never trust a Faceless, Cantus. These demons can dress up as anyone ya’know. They’ll stab ya the moment you turn your back. Orders are to turn these Faceless in and hand em over to Headquarters, but I don’t think they’ll miss one itty bitty Faceless like this. Besides, he won’t survive the twenty-kilometer walk to HQ, and no doctor would be willing ta treat im'. We’re doing him a favour honestly,” Jerry’s smirk was followed by a small wisp of a blade being withdrawn from its sheathe.

Abruptly, a new voice interrupted the fray as a hooded man directed a woman into the scene, “Madam! I saw the suspicious men run this way!”

“Sergeant?! What’s going on here?” boomed loud yet commanding tone. Heels snapped together in the idiosyncratic fashion of standing to attention as brisk footfalls indicated someone was approaching down the alleyway.

“Lieutenant Rosevolt!” stammered Jerry, his sword falling back into its holster with noticeable clink. The sergeant’s hands went to his sides as he stood with his chest out and back ram-rod straight. “We’ve apprehended one of those Fallen terrorists mam! He was trying to infiltrate the city!”

The woman’s footsteps ended just short of the duo, her measured gaze sweeping over the crime scene. Hard eyes of bluest azure switched between the local militia and the Therian, analysing god knows what. Steel grated together as her gauntleted arms crossed over, a small huff escaping her lips at the obvious lie. The woman’s head tilted quizzically, cascading her braids just below her shoulder. “You two managed to subdue a Therian, just by yourselves? With what? Your cane? What exactly were you planning to do afterwards Sergeant?” she mocked, amusement creeping into her tone.

The sergeant’s stifled silence suggested he had taken the hint. Lying to a commander officer was a grave offense, punishable by the whip. No point in digger a deeper hole for yourself.

“Your cuffs Sergeant,” the woman demanded, holding her hand out.

Sergeant Jerry acquiesced without protest and unbuckled the metal cuffs by his waist before passing it to her.

“Thank you, Jerry,” the woman smiled sweetly. She allowed the militiamen to scurry aside; forcing literal in-takes of breath as they carefully manoeuvred their considerable frames around to make space for her.

April gave a slight shake of her head as she rounded on the Therian. “It hardly seems like you’re in a position to move, let alone fight, but allow me to warn you again Therian. Do not move. At the slightest sign of danger I will order these men to kill you, and though idiots they maybe, even an idiot can swing weapon,” April said without a shred of sympathy. To ensure he understood, she then crouched in front of him and made a series of hand gestures. First pointing to Jerry and Cantus, then pointing to both her eyes with two fingers, followed up with a point of her index finger at the Therian. Basically, they’re watching you.

After giving the Therian a moment to process the information, she stood up again and stepped around him. Pushing his back off the wall, she gathered his hands together, only to discover an unpleasant revelation. Upon tugging the metal which clung to his wrists, she felt disturbed by the complete and utter lack of movement. What she realised was the absence of friction was actually due to the fact that this Therian’s armour was a part of his flesh. Hiding her discomfort beneath a stubborn mask, April hoisted the Therian’s hands together and locked the cuffs securely around his wrists.

“Sergeant! I want you and your private to carry this Therian into the building across the street from here, 23rd St Kilda street,” April said after stepping away.

“Mam?” Jerry queried, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” April barked.

The two men hurried forwards, wrapping their arms around the Therian’s legs and shoulders before hoisting him up. They hauled him all of the way across the bustling streetscape before dumping the incapacitated Therian onto a cottage bed inside of the house. The house in actual fact belong to April, a dingy apartment that looked frightfully old. Flower motifs decorated the wall paper, or at least the scant portions of it that still remained. The interior itself was spartan and ill-kept, suggesting the place was barely inhabited. Dust was sprinkled over the floorboards in splotches of white, only disturbed by the occasional footprint. Every now and then a solitary piece of furniture marked the room, none of which possessed theme or sense. April took the liberty of binding the Therian’s limbs to the bed posts.

“You can return to your patrols men, I’ll be escorting Mr Therian into Headquarters as soon as he’s capable of travel. I just need you for one more job,” April said, hastily scribbling something down on a notepad. She tore off the page and then handed the note to Jerry, “Deliver this to Corporal Reginald for me, ASAP. He'll be at the barracks along 34th Amber street.”

“Yes mam,” chorused both of them before exiting.

Touya Khan

The sound of steel being drawn brought him back from his unconscious state. He cracked open his eyes feeling much worse than he'd felt when he had first pushed himself up against the wall. His body burned, a dull ache pulsing through his body as if he'd been hit a couple times during his sleep. Touya groaned softly, his head lulling off to the side as voices pierced through his haze. Slowly he looked up to see who it was that spoke. His heart jumped to his throat then, his chest tightening as he caught sight of the cities guards surrounding him.

A woman was berating a couple of the men, her stern voice rough. She must have held some power over them because the men backed down from her. She didn't look like someone to be messed with either. Touya figured that it was definitely the end for him then as he sat there, unable to much else but watch and listen. His voice wouldn't be strong enough to reach them as they stood much to far away. Soon enough though, the woman grabbed a pair of hand cuffs from one of the men and came to kneel down next to him.

“It hardly seems like you’re in a position to move, let alone fight, but allow me to warn you again Therian. Do not move. At the slightest sign of danger I will order these men to kill you, and though idiots they maybe, even an idiot can swing weapon,” she told him, then proceeded to do some strange hand gestures towards him. Touya raised an eyebrow as his eyes narrowed at her. Did she not think him capable of understanding her the first time?

"I understood you," he answered slowly, his own voice barely coming from his throat. She stood then and came behind him. He twisted his head to see where she'd gone but only turned back around in pain as she pushed him off the wall, and none-too gently either. Grinding his teeth he managed to keep his pain to himself, but he wasn't sure how long that would last. His breath panted in and out of his chest as he leaned forward.

Touya tried to move to do as she wished which was obviously to get to his feet, but failed to do so, instead he was entirely at her mercy as she took hold of his hands and began clamping the metal around his wrists. He fought to stay conscious, feeling the darkness threatening to take him again. Touya collapsed backwards once again just as he felt arms around his lithe frame, lifting him off the ground.

When he woke again he was in a strange room and the woman who had cuffed him was finishing tying an arm to the bed post he found himself sprawled on. Taking a deep breath to try to speak to her resulted in a sharp cry of pain, his other arm having been lifted upwards was the cause. It pulled the deep wound along his side, just under the arm causing him a lot of discomfort. He peeled one eye opened to look at her while his teeth ground together, hissing his breath in and out.

She turned to her comrades and sent them out on some errand that Touya didn't understand, “You can return to your patrols men, I’ll be escorting Mr Therian into Headquarters as soon as he’s capable of travel. I just need you for one more job. Deliver this to Corporal Reginald for me, ASAP. He'll be at the barracks along 34th Amber street,” she finished scribbling on a piece of paper and the two men left the room quickly.

Touya tested the ties that held his arms up, but the movement wasn't much and the amount of effort it took made him dizzy. He relaxed his body, closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathe so that he would not aggravate the wound anymore than it already was. His lips turned into a frown as he lay there. How was it that he was still alive to begin with? Ah, yes, his kinsmen had told Touya that he was showing Touya mercy. Mercy, how ironic.

"Why did you not let me die in the street?" He asked softly, his voice low, burned by the discomfort of his battered body. He wondered for a moment what she would give as an answer, but only decided it wasn't worth knowing really. He was still bleeding and if it continued for much longer he wouldn't have to worry about too much more.

April waited until the duo slammed the door shut behind them, extracting a stuttered creak from its rusty joints. Muttering something incomprehensible under her breath, she returned to the tiny room that now housed her curious guest. From a glance she could tell that his wounds were serious. Flecks of dried blood caked the side of his face and hands, a dirty contrast compared to the youth's slick veneer. Who how long he was forced to endure his wounds, wandering the busy streets of this town. Unbuckling her short sword and mace, she plopped them down on a nearby table before pausing suddenly.

"Why did you not let me die in the street?"

The voice, a barely uttered croak, had come from the Therian. She looked down at him, raising her eyebrow to disguise her astonishment. Of course, she had noticed him speaking before, but whatever had been said in the alleyway was instantly lost to the general buzz of activity. Now stuck within the quiet confines of her home, uninterrupted and filtered from the constant wailing outside, she could understand him perfectly. How could they speak the common tongue? Her words hovered over her lips with trepidation, uncertainty filling her mind. Relinquishing the mace still in her hand, she decided to entertain his enquiry after regarding his bindings once more. It was a fair question that anyone in a similar situation would have asked.

“It wasn’t out of the kindness of my heart if that’s what you’re hoping for. Save your energy sweety, or all that blood my mattress is so generously soaking up will be for naught,” April stated candidly.

She stepped out of the room without explanation before swiftly returning with a bucket and towel in hand. Still dressed in her uniform, April’s polished armour looked especially pristine in juxtaposition to the decrepit state of her home. She pulled a squeaky chair over, leaving drag marks across the dusty floorboards as she dispersed piles of grime with the movement.

“Besides, I haven’t exactly saved you yet. I’m probably the farthest you'll get from a qualified field medic,” she continued with a shrug. Planting the bucket down alongside the bed, water sloshed all along the confines of its container, some of it inevitably escaping over the rim and soaking the floor.

“Sorry about the state of this place,” she continued, more out of simple courtesy than any real compassion. The realization incited her own chastisement as April dipped the tower into the bucket and then wrenched it dry. What did this Therian know of human etiquette? “But all things considered, this is still a luxury by most human’s standards.”

Of course, April was referring to the crippling overpopulation that many of the human’s cities currently suffered. Space was now a commodity, even aligned with such fundamentals as jobs, food and water. Were once human’s generally owned more space than they knew what to do with, the sudden baby boom in recent years had rapidly turned into an unsustainable situation. Looking down at the Therian, April suffered a small pang of anger at the perceivable threat this new race presented. We can barely sustain ourselves and they still want to terrorise us?

“In any case,” said April, pressing the towel against the worst of his wounds to halt the bleeding, “Don’t get all teary eyed on me yet. Once I deliver you to HQ, who knows what they’ll do to you.”

Reaching forwards within her seat caused the chair to squeak again, but thankfully it seemed stable enough to sustain her shifting weight. “I’m sure you knew what to expect when you walked into this city though,” she frowned.

Several knocks rattled the door frame then, prompting April to stand up. Once again the chair whined, though this time it almost seemed like a gasp of relief. Disappearing from view, the bustling outside noises filtered back into the apartment. After a short moment, the door closed again and the sound of April’s boots could be heard. Another had joined her approach, more heavy and weighted then April’s own dainty taps.

A gruff looking individual materialized by the entrance. Standing a head above April, he looked to be about in his mid-twenties also. A case sat firmly within his grasps, white and decorated with a symbolic first-aid cross.

“He’s all yours Reginald. Patch him up for me will ya?” April said, more for the sake of informing the Therian.

“Man, this is one dingy house you’ve got here mam. You owe me Lieutenant, this is meant to be my day off after all,” Reginald said in a disgruntled manner bordering on insubordination, at least to the unfamiliar eye. A smile finally broke across his face, illuminating his weathered beaten features. “Anyway, lemmi look at the poor sod. I’ll need you on stand-by mam, in case I need assistance.”

“Of course,” April murmured.

"Oh, one more thing," Reginald added.

"What?"

"You'll need to undo his bindings, I can't treat him properly like this," Reginald said, pointedly looking at the restraints.

"What?! I'm not going to put us all at risk," April responded, matching his stern expression with equal skepticism.

"Do you really think he's in a position to threaten us?" Reginald reasoned.

April frowned at the field medic before relenting to his instructions with a deep sigh. "Fine, but I'm not fetching another medic if he hurts you," the woman grimaced.

"Yes mam." Opening his med-kit, Reginald stepped forwards with a broadening grin, "Alright faceless, still alive there? Why don't you first start by telling me your name."

Touya Khan

“It wasn’t out of the kindness of my heart if that’s what you’re hoping for. Save your energy sweety, or all that blood my mattress is so generously soaking up will be for naught,” The woman answered him. Well it wasn't what he was hoping for, but it would suffice at least. He didn't answer her, of course he didn't have the chance to either as she left the room for a few moments.

While she was gone he twisted as best he could to see that indeed his blood was staining the bed that he was laid up on. A grimace pulled his features as he slowly settled back to the original position as the woman commander returned to the room. She held a bucket and a cloth then and sat down next to him. Touya watched her warily, unsure of what it was she wanted to do.

“Besides, I haven’t exactly saved you yet. I’m probably the farthest you'll get from a qualified field medic. Sorry about the state of this place. But all things considered, this is still a luxury by most human’s standards.” She dropped the towel into the bucket and then proceeded to wring it out, water falling back into the bucket and splashing around. Touya watched her carefully still, an eyebrow arching as she seemed to be rambling. Why was she apologizing for the state of her home? Sure it was dirty and dark, but it was better than what his kind were subject to at the moment. The Therian's still lived out of their caves that they'd woken from, un-welcomed in the cities.

"It's fine," he answered her, turning his head away and staring up at the ceiling. He didn't tell her the rest of what he was thinking. Touya had never been in a house before, of course his experience of it right then wasn't the best either.

“In any case. Don’t get all teary eyed on me yet. Once I deliver you to HQ, who knows what they’ll do to you,” she leaned forward and pressed the towel against his wound. He winced, sucking in a sharp breath at the sudden pressure. The ties that held him down shuddered as his muscles tightened. Touya opened his eyes once he was used to the feeling of her holding the wet cloth down against his side.

"I’m sure you knew what to expect when you walked into this city though.”

"I expected to die," he retorted with a bit of acid in his tone. Anger at how all the Therian's were treated coursed through him then, but he pushed it aside. There was only one group to blame for that and he had already failed at trying to stop them. Now he was at a dead end once again. With her leaders taking hold of him, he was sure to die. He closed his eyes, a sharp sound hissing between his teeth as he ground them and turned his head off to the side. Could nothing go right for once? A loud sound caught his attention and his head swiveled back around, his whole frame tight with his anxiety, on the defensive again. The woman disappeared and came back with another man.

They exchanged words for a bit before the man sat next to him and requested that the woman untie Touya. For a mere second, Touya thought that once he was free he would make his escape. He sighed right after though, he hadn't the strength to get very far and it wouldn't do to put the woman on edge anymore than she already was. He had to show her that Therian's were not the threat that everyone put them out as. So he relaxed his body as his ties were undone. The only thing he did was move his arm where the gash along his side was, bringing it down slowly to ease the pain there.

"Fine, but I'm not fetching another medic if he hurts you," she ground out.

"I won't hurt you," he said, trying to ease the tension, though he wasn't sure if they were listening to him anyway.

"Yes mam. Alright faceless, still alive there? Why don't you first start by telling me your name."

Touya frowned at the man but didn't move, only lay there stone still. He contemplated not answering, especially after having been called a 'faceless'. How derogatory, ruthless. Human's knew nothing of the Therian's. He turned his head off to the side, his long silver hair catching along his armored shoulder.

"I am Therian, not faceless," he started, a sharpness to his tone, "I'm called Touya Khan. Why... 'patch'.. me up when your leaders will only kill me?" He asked, his sharp pale blue eyes flashing as he turned to look at both of them. Then he sighed and looked away, "Not that it matters. I've already failed once," Touya thought for a moment. How could he get himself out of the situation he found himself in? Would they even believe him if he told them about his kinsmen?

"Seems it doesn't matter either way. You think we're terrorists to your people. You're wrong. There are a handful of us, yes that are after your technology. This is why I'm like this," he nodded his head to his battered body, "I tried to talk sense into the leader of that group, but he would not listen. He could have killed me, but I suppose he wanted to show me mercy. Or maybe he wanted to show me just how ignorant you people are. To take the word of a Therian? I guess that would be too much to ask," he glared up at the ceiling. Why had he bothered in the first place?

Damea Reese

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The sell sword entered the city in the middle of the day. He'd been traveling from city to city, looking for work and had found nothing at all. He was hungry, broke, and tired. Raising a hand, Damea looked up towards the blazing sun and frowned. Why was it he always found himself in such a situation? Work was becoming scarcer and it was harder than ever to find lodging. He heaved a heavy sigh as he worked his way through the throng of people.

A commotion off to the side of the road caught his attention and he peered over the heads of the people that wandered around. Several soldiers were in an alleyway and it seemed that there was a person on the ground, the source of their attention. Was there a murder? Damea quickly made his way over to the building right next to the alleyway and pressed his back against the stone. He caught the last portion of the conversation and heard the men hoist up whoever it was that had gained the cities guards attention.

He turned away quickly as they passed him, leaning his shoulder against the wall and paying no mind to them at all, or seemingly to. It looked as if things were going to get interesting for him. With a quick glance back over his shoulder, he noted that they were a good distance away from him and he followed. Damea soon found himself in an area of the city far from the gates, mostly houses. One such place was where the men who carried the Therian into. Damea could tell he was Therian by his armor, no one had armor like a Therian. Long silver hair trailed along his shoulder and fell down the men's arms that held him. He wasn't awake and it was probably due to how much blood he was loosing. The trail was easy to follow...

Damea let them enter the house and waited a long while before approaching the house. Of course, as he approached, he had to turn back around and hide in an alleyway because the two men that had entered, left the house. Leaning out into the street, he watched the guards make their way down the street. With a sigh of relief, he started towards the house. He wasn't looking for a way in, but a place where he could hear what was going on. It took him a moment, but he found a portion of the wall that was weak enough to hear the voices beyond. The woman's voice was louder than the Therian's, but Damea could make it out just enough.

He listened to their conversation, at least until he saw someone coming down the street towards him. Quickly he ducked behind some boxes and hid there until he figured it was safe enough to come out again. By the time he made it back to the wall, he'd heard the Therian's explanation of his name and how he'd gotten injured. So, there was a group of Therian's out to take the technology the world was creating. It also sounded like not all the Therian's were in on this either. Damea wondered who the leader was, then wondered if he could get a job for such a thing as well. Surely taking out a leader of a rebel group of Therian's would be something worth selling his swords for, right?

"Hey! You there! What are you doing?"

Damea was startled from his thinking as he leaned against the house. Without thinking, he shot straight up, hitting the wall of the home and winced inwardly. Raising his hands up, he offered a smile to the guards that walked towards him.

"I.. Hi. I was just curious about the Therian that's inside is all," he offered. No use lying really. Damea was a terrible lier anyway.

"This is Lieutenant Rosevolt's place of residence," one growled, "What are you after?"

"Nothing.. nothing, just.. well--" Damea couldn't finish as he was grabbed roughly and brought to the door of the house. He sighed heavily, "Damnit..."

One of the men knocked on the door heavily as he held Damea's arm tightly. Well, things could have been worse. They could have thrown him in cuffs and sent him straight to jail for stalking after a guardsmen. Of course, he wondered if that would have been better than facing what wrath he might get inside that house...

"I am Therian, not faceless," the man snapped, taking obvious offense to the derogatory term. Reginald released a chuckle as he proceeded to work, apparently pleased by the Therian’s vigour. Strapping a set of gloves on with a loud snap, he then procured a suture needle and driver from his toolbox. "I'm called Touya Khan. Why... 'patch'.. me up when your leaders will only kill me? Not that it matters. I've already failed once."

“Ah, certainly they may kill you faceless,” Reginald mused, though the medic’s concentration was entirely focused on patching up his patient. Ignoring that fact that he had learned the name of his patient, Reginald whispered a hymn. Magic levitated the water, defying gravity as it rose in the air and rolled over the afflicted areas, soaking up blood. He controlled the rippling body of water, manipulating it expertly until it returned to its bucket. “Lieutenant! Help keep this wound here clean! Over here!”

April responded by walking over, her armoured plates clanking against the silence. She had removed her gauntlets in the process, anticipating her required support. “I suggest you don’t go fraternizing with the enemy, Corporal,” she grimaced, lamenting her subordinate’s congeniality.

Ignoring her, Reginald swiftly prepared the wounds for stitching. His hand worked with the practiced ease of having dealt with similar wounds his entire career, and in no time at all he had started the sewing. “Aye, certainly they may kill you faceless,” Reginald murmured, readdressing Touya, “But right here, right now, I have a duty of aiding you.”

"Seems it doesn't matter either way. You think we're terrorists to your people. You're wrong. There are a handful of us, yes that are after your technology. This is why I'm like this,” Touya admitted, having obviously grown tired of their persistent ignorance. In aggravation, the Therian nodded towards his ravaged body by way of example.

“I tried to talk sense into the leader of that group, but he would not listen. He could have killed me, but I suppose he wanted to show me mercy. Or maybe he wanted to show me just how ignorant you people are. To take the word of a Therian? I guess that would be too much to ask," Touya huffed, venting his fury at having been so unjustly mistreated. Silver pearls looked up in cold regard to the ceiling, growing slightly distant.

April refused to grant him the chance to relax however. His words were like a finger pulling the trigger of a gun. In a sudden burst of movement, a hand shot forwards, strangling the neck of Touya. The hand was followed by the swift point of a blade as April withdrew her combat knife. Boiling with fury, her blue eyes narrowed down at the Therian, a firm grip keeping Touya’s frantic struggles in check.

“Lieutenant!” Reginald shouted in protest. April’s sudden assault had knocked him backwards, but he rose swiftly to oppose his superior.

“You know the terrorist’s leader? Tell me where he is Therian!” she snarled.

“Lieutenant! Stop!” Reginald demanded. He extended his hand out, gripping the woman’s shoulder pauldrons to restrain her, “You’re going to kill him!”

At first, his words didn’t seem to reach her. April remained silent for a while, maintain her threatening position whilst glaring at Touya. Only after she felt Reginald’s constraining arm did her vice-like grip ease, slowly resigning herself from the situation.

“I think you should step out Lieutenant,” Reginald sighed, “In fact I insist. Why don’t you get some air? I can handle things from here.”

“I think your right, Corporal,” April murmured, “I expect the Therian to be healthy enough for transportation by the time I return.” Collecting her belongings, she promptly exited the room.

Remerging into a tiny hallway, April approached her front door and twisted the door knob. The door opened in front of her, revealing the bustling streetscape and colourful food stalls that line the walkways.

“I need a drink…” April breathed, sucking air through her teeth.

“Lieutenant!”

Answering to her rank, April’s head whipped around, displaying mild surprise. More militia? What now? The two guardsmen that appeared before her carried a man between them. They held him firmly, restraining his arms in a fashion that suggested he was an apprehended criminal of some kind. She looked at him, noting the bright composition of fabric and twin swords tied to his hip. The most captivating of his features lay within his mismatched eyes, one red and one green.

“We caught this man watching your premises, mam,” the more flustered of the duo explained. April realised she’d interrupted them before they had a chance to knock on her door.

“Cuff him, and bring him inside for the moment,” April said, frowning despite herself. If he was spying on them, there was every possibility that the man was in league with the Therian inside.

She sanctioned the two guardsmen’s passage, stepping aside to provide enough space for them to pass into the main hallway. With it the corridor being claustrophobically small, the two guardsmen had to walk diagonally until they reached a vacant room. They roughly forced the man down on a chair, cuffing his hands together behind the back rest. April was the last to enter the room, a space which served as her kitchen and living room, the only other room in her house besides the bedroom and ensuite.

“Take his weapons,” she ordered.

A thorough search produced a coin purse, dagger and two swords. April inspected one that was handed to her, partially unsheathing it to view the blade. She returned it to the table once done; piling it on top of the rest of the stranger’s belongings. “I don’t like having to many people inside, you can leave for now guardsmen.”

“So, who are you?” April said after some moments, resting her mace suggestively between her palms.

Touya Khan

The moment he'd spoken the woman lunged at him. His words of trying to talk down the leader of the Therian's threatening the humans and elves obviously set her off. Her strong grip wrapped around his throat, startling Touya. His sharp pale blue eyes widened in shock as he stared up at her. Breath was cut off from him and he struggled to breathe passed her crushing grip. A weapon was shoved in his face then and her voice commanded him to tell her of the man who led the terrorist group.

“You know the terrorist’s leader? Tell me where he is Therian!”

Without thinking, Touya acted purely on instinct. One hand gripped her wrist that held him down tightly, the other one reached up to her shoulder to relieve some of her weight from his throat. An eyebrow came down as his eyes narrowed, wincing in pain as he moved to block her as best he could, however most of the pain came from her handling him the way she was. The hands that clutched her wrist and shoulder tightened and the metal that covered the back of his hand extended to cover his fingers. The claw like pieces of metal reached out over his knuckles on both hands and curved downwards to encase his fingers.

Along his forearms, the metal snapped, making a loud sharp sound like steel scrapping across a sharpening stone. Three razor sharp curves extended outwards, curving backwards to face Touya's prone body. He didn't move to put the weapons towards her, but figured that the show was enough to say that he still had enough energy to put up a fight if she wished to kill him right there. However, his body shuddered as she gripped him, his vision dimming slightly from the lack of air. He fought to stay conscious and keep his weapons up.

Next to him the doctor had gotten to his feet and was yelling at her, telling her to release him, “Lieutenant! Stop! You’re going to kill him!”

Finally she released him and Touya's arms fell down to the bed, losing all strength. He coughed hard, getting air back into his lungs. Rolling off to his side, he could feel that what had been stitched up had pulled apart slightly from the struggle. He winced as he slowly rolled back to his original position. His hand curled up around the area across his side, gripping it tightly as it burned. With his chest heaving, he watched as the woman left the room, her body rigid as she was utterly enraged. Touya reached up with his other arm and gently rubbed his throat, glaring at the door that shut behind her.

He let his metal armor fold back to the way it was before, flattening out completely and molding back to his body. It looked like it had before, much like large bracers that covered his forearms and tops of his hands. Touya took several deep breathes to calm his racing heart and settle his pounding adrenaline. His angry gaze shot over to the doctor that had tended to him. Pushing himself upwards he glowered at the man, at the ends of his patience with the humans who were treating him.

"Don't bother," he hissed, "I can heal myself later. Unless you would like to make this less of a hassle than it already is?" His sour tone bit the air, a bad taste filling the back of his mouth. Reaching back he pulled his folded weapon from its sheath and with a flick of his wrist snapped it outwards. The sword uncurled and straightened into its elongated shape, sharp and ready for use.

Touya handed the pommel out towards the man, "Why not get it over with right now? Since you all think that we're here to terrorize you. Apparently we are all evil and are not meant to share this land with you. You want to know where that man is? The one who turned on his own?!" His voice was climbing in his anger, he leaned forward shoving the weapon towards the man, offering it up so that the doctor could run him through with it and get it over with. Touya's anger did nothing for his condition however and just as he opened his mouth to speak further, his head grew dizzy and he lost his balance as he’d been leaning forward. The weapon fell from his hand and he toppled forward, coming off the bed. His body did not respond to his wishes, and he soon fell back into darkness.

Damea Reese

Damea offered a smile to the woman that met them outside the house. He was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. The less she felt threatened by him the better. He was soon shoved into her house and down into a chair where his hands were cuffed behind him. Damea didn't struggle, knowing that would only make things worse. So, he let them take his weapons and coin purse -which was empty- and kept his smile on his face. She dismissed the men who'd brought him inside after looking at one of his swords.

“So, who are you?” She asked, holding her large weapon in her hands and leaning against it.

"Damea Reese, at your service. A sell sword, my lady. I must apologize, I saw the Therian and could not help but be interested to see what kind of job I could find with someone such as himself. I overheard some of the conversation, something about his knowing the leader of the Therian's that keep raiding us? I wish to offer my services in helping you detain -or kill which ever you wish for- the man who's been giving us so much hardship. I know that at the moment, it's probably a bit hard to believe me," Damea smiled innocently and shrugged, giving his wrists a twist to make the cuffs jingle slightly, "But, I'm honest and true to my word, my lady. I do apologize sincerely for eavesdropping, I should have just come and knocked on the door."

---

---

Corporal Reginald watched the back of his superior disappear along the hallway and winced as the door shut sharply behind her. Reminding himself of his duties, he smiled at the Therian, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. “Apologies on behalf of my superior…”

His voice trailed off as he watched intricate spectacle being performed in front of him. Silver bracers clicked and whirred like an automated machine, shifting and folding into self-compressed layers to conceal the blades that the Therian had used in self-defence. They fell into place, seamlessly integrated into the tops of his wrists. How interesting, how phenomenal! The medic could hardly contain his enthusiasm, his eyes lighting up like he had just stumbled upon a revolutionary discovery. He stepped forwards to complete his treatment, only to halt at Touya’s resentful glare.

"Don't bother," snapped Touya, "I can heal myself later. Unless you would like to make this less of a hassle than it already is?"

Reginald knew a desperate man when he saw one. He had dealt with all sorts throughout his life time, and often the most dangerous were simple folk who had been pushed too far. Gauging the situation, Reginald withheld his approach, maintaining his distance to calm the Therian.

His alarm increased as Touya reached for his weapon, the sharp blade unravelling in the Therian’s hand. Reginald raised his palms to show he was unarmed, keeping his eyes level with Touya’s. He almost wished April was still in the room. As much as he wanted to yell for her aid however, he forced his own silence. Doing so would certainly lead to this Therian’s death, April would take no chances. Pressing his lips together, Reginald adopted a small, trying to make it as soothing as possible.

“Look lad, calm down. I know you’re distressed, but at the rate your going, you’re not going to last past the next few hours,” he cautioned.

Abruptly, the blade spun in the Therian’s hand spun. The motion disarmed Reginald, but not as much as Touya’s next statement. "Why not get it over with right now? Since you all think that we're here to terrorize you. Apparently we are all evil and are not meant to share this land with you. You want to know where that man is? The one who turned on his own?!"

His righteous anger practically shook the foundations, driving Reginald to finally step forwards. The Therian had reached his boiling point. Exasperation pounded Touya’s agile frame, discolouring his soft features with an unhealthy shade of white. Reginald needed to put an end to this before the situation got worse.

“Sorry mate, but I swore an oath not to kill. Now I need you to quiet down a little, or the Lieutenant really will kill you this time.”

Reginald was set to pounce when the Therian finally gave out to exhaustion. Nonetheless, he was well prepared for the young man’s inevitable fall. Touya collapsed in an awkward manner, tumbling bodily into the ground. Reginald caught the man before he could drop completely, using his outstretched arms as a brace to support the Therian’s deadweight. Grunting with effort, he pushed Touya gently back onto the bed.

“Well, at least he’ll be easier to patch up this way. Quieter also…”

---

---

April watched the man prop himself upright with barely a sound except for the characteristic squeak of her antiquated chairs. Not even a grunt of protest came when the guards meticulously probed his being for weapons. Afterwards, the man allowed himself to ease back into his chair, apparently comfortable with his position. Offering her a sweetly smile, April reciprocated his courtesy with a withering look. Was he underestimating her? Or was he just ignorant of the situation?

"Damea Reese, at your service. A sell sword, my lady. I must apologize, I saw the Therian and could not help but be interested to see what kind of job I could find with someone such as himself. I overheard some of the conversation, something about his knowing the leader of the Therian's that keep raiding us? I wish to offer my services in helping you detain -or kill which ever you wish for- the man who's been giving us so much hardship. I know that at the moment, it's probably a bit hard to believe me…"

An incredulous snort managed to escape its way past her lips, but Damea did not seem to take offence to it. Quite the contrary, it only spurred his insistent sincerity. "But, I'm honest and true to my word, my lady. I do apologize sincerely for eavesdropping, I should have just come and knocked on the door."

April toyed with the mace in her hands, making a show of contemplating her answer. Regardless of his civility, she could tell he was still eager to resolve the misunderstanding. She had to give credit where it was due though. It took extraordinary composure just not to submit to panic. The situation was as skirting perilously close to something of an interrogation. April exhaled a deep huff and once again buckled her mace. The mace was of a short, single-handed design. Not too heavy to swing, but still functioning as a highly capable blunt weapon, ideal for a light-weight person such as her. Its bulbous head was decorated with flanges, ensuring its effectiveness against armour. She certainly did not doubt its effectiveness against an unarmoured and restrained human.

“A mercenary,” she said despondently, “Well Mr Reese, I’m sorry to inform you that the human army generally has more hands than it can arm, what makes you think that you can be of any help?”

Damea Reese

It was obvious that she didn't believe him, the look on her face said that clear enough. Damea sat still in the chair, trying to keep a smile on his lips as she played with her intimidating mace. The weapons wasn't large, but it looked deadly enough and the sell sword had no doubt that she had more than enough practice with it. Seeing as how he was without a bit of good protective armor, one swing of her mace and he would be done for.

With that in mind, he didn't move as the silence stretched between them. He wondered briefly what it was that she could possibly be thinking about. A couple of things came to mind though, none of which he entertained -or wished to entertain at that-. Damea turned slightly, his eyes roaming about the room, noting the lack of cleaning as there was so much dust clinging to just about everything. His attention was brought back to her swiftly as she spoke finally.

“A mercenary... Well Mr Reese, I’m sorry to inform you that the human army generally has more hands than it can arm, what makes you think that you can be of any help?”

Damea grinned broadly and leaned forward a bit, dropping his voice he answered her, "Because, I'm not looking to be employed by the army. Which, by the way has infuriated some of the recruiting officers. I've skills that very few people have, a pristine fire mage from my family, and what's more. I've met with many Therian's before. I know their ways, I know where they hunt and live. I've been after information regarding this 'rebel leader' of the Therian's, and as I said before, I could not help but become curious when I saw the one you have here."

Ok, well maybe he could have done without the elegance and elaboration, but Damea thought that he might as well earn her interest as best he could. It was his best shot at getting into the situation before him. Impress the person holding the rewards, that's what his father had always said to him. Maybe not in those words, but Damea had gotten the general idea at the time. Leaning backwards in the chair, he settled against it, completely relaxed.

"I figured that if you wanted to go after a Therian, you might want someone who knows them. I would also suggest not taking the one you have to your head quarters. You know as well as I that they'll torment him and then kill him once they've got what they wanted. Unfortunately, we are ruthless to the Therian's," Damea shrugged, choosing his words carefully, "Not that I sympathize with them. They are, after all, trying to steal from us as well as reign terror on the cities. I just don't like killing them out of spite, leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

"What I would suggest doing with the one you've captured is use him to find the rebel leader. Seems he knows quite a bit about the guy whose leading all those raids lately. Did you know that the Therian's are very closely knitted together? They can tell when another Therian is nearby, has something to do with that metal technology they all have on their bodies. Damage the metal and they become useless, and from what I've heard it's quite crippling, very painful," he added with a shake of his head, wincing to add effect.

"Anyway, you'll need help on this if you wish to track down the rebel leader. I'll even work for free for you, out of the goodness of my heart. I don't need anything, but I do want to help you. What do you say my lady? Think you can give me a chance to prove myself to you?"

Damea’s smile widened as he rose to the apparent challenge. Leaning forwards to elaborate, his motion elicited further squeaks of protest from his chair. April’s blue eyes rolled in their sockets, expressing her evident skepticism.

“I figured that if you wanted to go after a Therian, you might want someone who knows them. I would also suggest not taking the one you have to your head quarters. You know as well as I that they'll torment him and then kill him once they've got what they wanted. Unfortunately, we are ruthless to the Therian's,” Damea explained. April blinked at the comment. Her instincts screamed at her to put an end the interrogation or silence the dishevelled whelp before her. Did this mercenary know what he was suggesting?

“Not that I sympathize with them. They are, after all, trying to steal from us as well as reign terror on the cities. I just don't like killing them out of spite, leaves a bad taste in your mouth,” Damea added with practiced ease. Try as he might disguise his empathy behind moral codes, April’s spike of contempt had already coloured her judgement. Unconvinced, she rested her arms behind the spine of her back in an unyielding fashion.

“What I would suggest doing with the one you've captured is use him to find the rebel leader. Seems he knows quite a bit about the guy whose leading all those raids lately. Did you know that the Therian's are very closely knitted together? They can tell when another Therian is nearby, has something to do with that metal technology they all have on their bodies. Damage the metal and they become useless, and from what I've heard it's quite crippling, very painful,” Damea resumed without waiting for her response. The reference of organic technology coaxed her mind with images of Touya. Scolding her recklessness, April reflected on her incredible fortune. Losing her composure and attacking the Therian like that was out of character. If the Therian had so wished, he could have killed her earlier with the claw like implements that snapped out of his bracer. No, he should have by all rights. At such close proximity, and given the nature of her uniform, she would have been a lifeless corpse within minutes. Then again, so would he, but if you are desperate enough, anything is possible.

“Anyway, you'll need help on this if you wish to track down the rebel leader. I'll even work for free for you, out of the goodness of my heart. I don't need anything, but I do want to help you. What do you say my lady? Think you can give me a chance to prove myself to you?”

“I’d like to help you Mr Reese…” April spoke at last, withholding the unspoken but. Her eyes scanned Damea again for any signs of betrayal. She would first address his proposition, “But you realise that you’re asking me to break orders, correct?”

April wiped away a braid of yellow hair, rolling it back behind her ear, “You see this as an opportunity to exploit. You’re nothing but a conman. You have no consideration for the effects your little ‘plan’ will have on people like me.”

“Nobody works for nothing Mr Reese, not me, not anyone. So I wonder what exactly is it that you’re after? I have a duty to uphold Mr Reese, not just to the army, but to all of humanity. Headquarters needs this information. We need to stop those terrorists, though the question is whether or not what the Therian says is true. I guess we’ll soon find out,” April finished as soon as a quiet knock came at the door to the living room. Reginald, having sensed that an important conversation was underway, had waited patiently outside for April to reach some form of conclusion.

She turned around as Reginald entered the premises, smiling unequivocally. “I’m not going to assault this one, if that’s what you’re worried about,” April sighed at the intrusion.

“I trust you won’t do anything too brash, mam,” Reginald said, raising a cynical eyebrow at her, “I’ve patched up that faceless. He’s good to go, poor soul. He’s been through a lot.”

“Things will only get worse once for him once we reach HQ,” April murmured.

“It’s the… sensible thing to do,” Reginald said, nodding slightly, “Handing him in that is.”

But not the right one eh? April thought with look towards her medic. He gave her an elusive shrug and then gestured towards the door, “I’ve cuffed the faceless back to the bed for the moment. I’ll be outside when you’re ready.”

“I’m ready now,” said April. She looked towards Damea, unnerved by the discoloured gaze that had so nonchalantly observed her throughout their talk. “Mr Reese, you’ll be coming with us for the moment also. Corporal Reginald, summon the caravan. Let’s move.”

---

An hour later

High noon struck the city with its light, illuminating the open streetscapes and reflecting of tiled roof tops. April’s soldiers, D company, had assembled around the caravan, acting as guards to the convoy. There were three carriages in total. April had prepared three alternative routes to take and split her soldiers equally amongst them. It was a precautionary measure in case anything happened. Of course, her presence near the second carriage might be a giveaway, but as the assailant you could never know for sure.

They were about half-way into their journey now, riding into the heart of the city. Victorian-esque architecture surrounded them on either side, presenting a hedge row of houses comprised of red brick and brown slate. They stood rigidly, back to back, side to side in identical terraced designs. Bay windows and the occasional coloured brick broke the monotony of chalky red, but no space was wasted.

Their approach blended in for the most part. The constant echoes of clip-clops and coloured uniforms were not entirely distinguishable from the mundane activities of the civilian populace. April kept a cautionary eye out for danger in any case. If the Therian’s story was true, the terrorists were not about to let information of their whereabouts be discovered. Inside of the second carriage Touya had been laid to rest alongside Damea. Of course, they had been careful to restrain both of them. Their weapons and valuables were kept in a locked box.

“Not a bad day, eh Lieutenant?” Reginald commented brightly in an attempt to diffuse the tension. He was now dressed in his full combat gear. A leather armoured tunic and the golden yellow and blue of the national army.

“I would like to get out of the city and go on a holiday,” April mused wistfully, though never neglecting in her control of the carriage’s reigns. Reginald sat beside her, filling the two seater design. Around them were fifteen men from D company, led by Sergeant Dubois.

“Aye, anything to get away from this mutt and grime,” Reginald concurred, “Imagin-”

“Excuse me mam!”

Feeling that someone was attempting to grab her attention, April looked around in reaction. She spotted a tall, gentlemanly man walking briskly to keep pace with the carriage. Oddly, he wore an apron over his formal suit and a green gas mask of some sort. An industrial worker perhaps? Or maybe a vendor of some kind? A box was attached to his chest via some straps that wrapped over his shoulders. Inside were a collection of pretty metal roses, just the petals without a stem.

“Excuse me mam! Would you be interested in trying our new products?”

“No thank you,” April replied, “I’m not interested.”

“Actually, you know what? You look like you’ve had a hectic day. Have one on me,” he winked and then tossed her a flower before she could protest.

Slightly flustered, April caught the thing in her other arm. She considered turfing it after a brief inspection, but that would be violating the council litter rules, so she placed it within her breast pocket for the moment.

“What an odd man,” April remarked.

“Hmmm?” Reginald hummed.

“Nevermind,” April said before frowning as her view returned to the street, “Is it just me, or has the street gotten much quieter?”

Reginald blinked and like a curtain had suddenly been lifted, he too noticed the drastic reduction in populace. “What in the worl-”

Death struck from the rooftops as cross bolts peppered the convoy. Three bolts immediately hit April and she toppled wordlessly before she could even respond, taking two bolts to the arm and one to the chest.

“Defensive positions!” Dubois screamed, “Take cover!”

"Protect the prisoner! The faceless have come for him!" Reginald called, reaching to help April.

---

Something small and silver flew between the barred opening in the carriage. The object landed on the floor between Damea and Touya as a red haired man passed by outside, revealing itself to be a conventional key, tiny and unassuming.

A moment of silence followed the interruption, and then all hell broke loose.

Damea Reese

---

---

“I’d like to help you Mr Reese… But you realise that you’re asking me to break orders, correct?”

She eyed him carefully before reaching up and swiping her blond braided hair behind her ear. Damea didn't respond only returned her gaze as he had been the entire time.

“You see this as an opportunity to exploit. You’re nothing but a conman. You have no consideration for the effects your little ‘plan’ will have on people like me.”

“Nobody works for nothing Mr Reese, not me, not anyone. So I wonder what exactly is it that you’re after? I have a duty to uphold Mr Reese, not just to the army, but to all of humanity. Headquarters needs this information. We need to stop those terrorists, though the question is whether or not what the Therian says is true. I guess we’ll soon find out,”

He smiled at her, figuring that she was going to be one that would be hard to win over. Of course he'd lied about not liking the Therian's, if he'd spoken the truth out right she would have never heard the rest of what he wanted to say to her. Either way it seemed that she'd picked up on his lie well enough though, that was suggested by the way she stood facing him. A knock came at the door and she turned to it. A man entered and the two exchanged words about the Therian.

Damea frowned then, it was hard to think that she would still let the Therian be taken to the dirty hands of her superiors. However, as the conversation continued, Damea took notice of the doctors hesitance to allow the Therian to be taken to the higher ups. If he could get the doctor alone perhaps he could talk some sense with him and change this woman's mind. Maybe. It was a long shot, but one Damea was willing to give a shot.

“Mr Reese, you’ll be coming with us for the moment also. Corporal Reginald, summon the caravan. Let’s move.”

Her words shocked him and he grinned up at her. So, she was going to bring him after all. That made things easier. Even if he was being taken to the higher ups as well, at least he'd gotten his foot in the door. That made it much better for him to wiggle his way all the way in. As for what she'd asked of him earlier, what he wanted, he chuckled softly to himself. He didn't want anything to be honest. The one thing he did want, was to see the Therian's rise to the challenge and overcome the wall of prejudice. He wanted to see what this Therian was capable of.

Touya Khan

---

---

"What's your name?" The voice of the male who'd been tossed in the carriage with him annoyed him. The human didn't know what the meaning of silence was. Touya was utterly tired and at his wits end. If only he could untie himself he would cut the man apart to put an end to incessant questions.

"Touya," he answered angrily.

"Damea, it's a pleasure to meet you Touya."

The Therian opened one eye and glanced over to the man who was seated across from him. Touya was laid up on a cot in the carriage, still too weak to do much else but rest his body. He'd been gathering his energy since the doctor had patched him up and stopped the bleeding from his side and leg. He could have healed himself, but he didn't see the point in it really. The human across from him was dressed in fine colors that stretched neatly across his frame, light colored hair that dropped over his face and accented his mismatched eyes.

Touya turned away then and closed his eye again. He settled into the cot as best he could aside from the jarring of the carriage that rolled across the dirt road. His body had long since become numb from the sharp movements. He didn't want to talk to the human anymore than was necessary and hoped that his pretending to sleep would deter the man from further conversation.

"How did you get wounded, Touya? I've always pictured your kind to be really strong, stronger than us humans anyway."

Touya heaved a sigh and opened both eyes to stare at the ceiling. He didn't offer an answer to the man only glowered at the top of the carriage cursing his luck to be stuck with a chatter box.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I offended you in anyway. I'm just naturally curious. I enjoy learning about the Therian's you know."

To this Touya turned his head again and watched the man named Damea. What a curious human. Who ever thought that learning about his kin was 'enjoyable'. It was strange to hear those words, too strange really. So much so that Touya grew even more weary of the man and began to think that he was working for the woman who drove the carriage. Had she put him up to it? Told him to act nice and friendly so that Touya might drop his guard and talk randomly? Well, she was completely wrong if she thought that would work. Besides, what could possibly be so damned important that she needed to resort to such measures to get him to talk? The location of the rebel leader of Therian's? He'd gladly give the name, but she would probably kill him just for spit.

"Not really a talker are you..." Damea sighed, leaning his head backwards against the wall, "You know, I'd always found your kind really beautiful. Even more beautiful than the elves and they're a sight to see if you haven't seen them yet. A little mean sometimes if you say the wrong thing, but they're mostly good hearted. You see, I think of the Therian's being the same way. You guys have your faults, we all do. But in the end, you're just human, like us," Damea leaned forward and pulled a cuffed hand forward to look at it, "You bleed just like we do. You breathe the same air, love, laugh, cry. It's all the same. I don't know why we fear you. Maybe it's because we don't know you very well and the technology that you guys have."

"You fear us because of the one who is threatening you," Touya answered coldly.

"He speaks!" Damea shouted out in glee, startling Touya.

"Of course I speak, you idiot!"

"Well, I wasn't sure. I mean you only said your name to me, I didn't think you understood our language."

"Same with her," Touya growled in annoyance, "You humans are so damned ignorant."

Damea laughed heartily at that, "Yeah, that we are. I apologize, I wish I could change that. Unfortunately not all of us are as open minded as I am. For now I guess we'll just have to start changing that hu? How about it Touya? Would you like to be a friend of mine? Who knows, we could change the minds of a lot of people. What could it hurt?"

Touya watched him carefully, staring for a long time. He didn't smile, nor did he respond. His thoughts were deep on what Damea had offered him, a friendship, with a human. How odd. What could it hurt? Well, Touya could think of a lot of things and none of them were all the pleasant. As he was thinking there was a sudden noise outside and the carriage came to a complete halt, jolting Touya harshly.

"Protect the prisoner! The faceless have come for him!"

Touya tried to pull himself up but forgot about the restraints holding him. He tugged on the ties holding him down frantically. He had to get out there, if it was the Therian's, he knew who it was and they weren't after him persay. He pulled and pulled on the cuffs around the corners of the cot. He was so concentrated on trying to free himself that he didn't notice Damea getting up from his spot.

A soft click filled the air next to him and Touya flicked his gaze over to the human. Damea grinned at him and lifted his hands to show them to be free of the cuffs that had held him moments before. Touya stopped struggling and watched in utter amazement as the human reached over and uncuffed him. Slowly Touya sat up once he was free and watched Damea with an eyebrow raised and his eyes narrowed.

"I told you didn't I? I want to be friends with you, not enemies," Damea winked, "I would lose if I were your enemy."

Touya gave a slow nod and pushed himself to his feet. Damea stood a good foot taller than himself, and he had to lift his head to look up at the man. He turned and went to the box that held their weapons and items. He eyed it carefully for a moment before activating his bracer. Once again there was the loud sound of snapping and steel sliding out. Tightening his hand into a fist he leaned over and swiped at the box, cutting open the top of it cleanly.

"Wow, well... I guess that's one way to do it..."

Touya rolled his eyes and retrieved his swords. Once they were sheathed back onto his lower back, he slammed his arm into the door and pulled downwards, cutting around the lock. With a sharp kick he opened the door, splintering wood as he did so. Jumping down into the street, Touya came around the back end of the carriage only to throw himself backwards as several crossbolts rained down at him. He winced slightly at the sudden movement he'd just performed. Hissing to himself, he berated his thoughts on not actually healing himself, now there was no time.

Peering out cautiously he spotted the woman who'd put him into the carriage. She was down in the dirt and from what it seemed, she was injured. He frowned and reached back, drawing his blade. Snapping it outwards, the weapon uncurled and formed the long sword that he favored.

"Hmm, remind me to get one of those when we're threw here," Damea whispered to him. Touya turned and glared at the man without answering. With a slight roll of his eyes, Touya darted out from the cover he'd taken and moved towards April who was too much in the way of the crossbolts. Stepping over her, he dropped down next to her and lifted his blade. He cut through several of the bolts that were aimed right at her, deflecting them from harming her further.

He turned for just a second to assess her and noted the three bolts that afflicted her. With his free hand he reached out and quickly removed them, albeit a bit roughly -he wasn't particularly in the mood for mercy-. Once the bolts were removed he stretched his fingers over the wound in her chest and began healing it with his magic. Golden light expelled from his palm and washed over her chest. Touya was so concentrated on healing her wound that he'd forgotten about the crossbolts, until one hit him.

Knocked sideways from the sharp impact, he lost his balance as he'd been kneeling on one knee. He moved swiftly and caught himself, bracing his body over April's. Wincing, he ground his teeth together and looked to who had shot him. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the man. As he'd figured, it was Val that was attacking them. Why, though, Touya wasn't sure, but then when did what Val planned ever make sense?

Standing, Touya left April to her own devices, figuring that with the worst of her wounds healed, she could handle herself. Drawing his other blade he extended it as well and activated all of his metal along his arms. The three blades uncurled from their hiding spot along his arms and the metal extended to cover his fingers. Fully armored, his power began resonating around him, giving him a slight glow. It was pure energy that revolved around him, making him seem whiter than normal. The unnatural glow grew and a second later, Touya had lunged forward, launching himself at the single man who'd caught his attention.

His sword came up at the last second, crossing with the larger mans. The individual whom he'd engaged with stood just a bit taller than him, definitely bulkier in mass and held a cruel smile upon his lips. Touya pushed hard against the man, but not enough of his strength was behind it to stumble the one in front of him.

"You didn't heal yourself did you, Touya?"

"Val.. what the hell are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? Come to rescue you of course. I figured this would happen after I let you go. I wanted to show you how ruthless these human's are. They aren't going to care for you like we will. Therian's keep to their own, Touya. We don't need them around. All we need is their technology so we can survive."

"It is this same logic that destroyed our homeland you know."

"Or so we're told. You can't really believe that can you Touya? None of us remember anyway! We've been asleep for so long. Anything could have happened. Now, why don't you be a good Therian and stop resisting me!"

Val swiped his swords outwards, knocking Touya back, or rather throwing him instead. Touya hit the ground hard, coughed as he lost the air in his lungs and slowly pulled himself back up. His side burned painfully as he stood, but he tried not to show it. Val, on the other hand must have noticed. A flip of his sword and his usual smile was all Touya had as a warning. Steel clashed again, pushing Touya backwards a second time. Val's second sword came at him from the side and cut his other side, though not as deeply as the first.

Touya quickly disengaged and went at it again, this time with more vigor. He drew more energy into his body, the pure magic glowing brightly. His swords moved swiftly as he fought Val. Steel scrapped across steel and sometimes when they hit just right, sparks showered. Touya now used his forearms as well, the deadly curved blades launching out towards Val, forcing the man to go slightly on the defensive.

"Now you're fighting! Show them how deadly we can be, Touya! Come at me!"

Touya ground his teeth and lunged forward, pushing himself to his limits. Every movement was seemingly smooth, though. His swords and curved arm blades moving all at once, each twist and turn gave more momentum for another move. In this fashion both Therian's moved about the street, locked on each other only.

“Incoming!”

April awoke with a gasp, feeling the gushing pain all along her right arm. Her breath faltered at first, hammering into her chest as it struggled to suck the air back into her lungs. She opened her eyes to the scene of battle, shell-shock and confusion riddling her soft features. Before her, the boulevard was littered with arrows, their feathered fletchings raised to the sky in unison. Warmth spread over her right arm, soaking the fabric of her sleeves with moist red liquid. Something about the growing pool was oddly captivating, or maybe it was the effects of blood loss finally starting to show. Two more feathered fletchings protruded from her arm, pinning her down with pain.

“April!” someone shouted.

Barely lucid, she sought out the source of her name and spotted Corporal Reginald. Even as death rained all around he smiled warmly to assuage her fears. “You should thank your lucky stars Lieutenant. That faceless we captured healed you,” he explained hastily, yelling to be heard over the growing din of battle, “More importantly, you’re lucky you had this in your pocket. Otherwise the third bolt would’ve pierced your heart.”

He raised the object held within his hand, showing her the broken rose that had deflected the impact. April winced as she tried to stand, but Reginald forced her to remain still.

“The prisoners?” she asked.

“Escaped,” Reginald said, shrinking behind a shield as the darts relentlessly besieged their position. Each metallic ring caused the medic to flinch instinctively, as if it would help in dodging the arrows. “The faceless is caught up in some kinda dual.”

April spotted Touya amidst the ensuing chaos as he danced with his quarry. She held her breath with astonishment, admiring the fluid grace of every sword swing. How he managed to fight when still in such a condition was an utter mystery to her. Shaking her head, she brought her focus back to reality.

“Fire the signal flares, call for backup,” April ordered, “Sergeant! We need to break the backbone of this ambush!”

“Trying mam!” Dubois hollered, loosing an arrow at their slippery assailants, “But they’ve got our backs pressed firmly against the carriage! We don’t really possess the capability to break away without all turning into pin cushions!”

“At the very least, we need to move. We’re at too much of a disadvantage here!” Marcus called, the marksmen of their squad. His keen eye tracked the movement of a roaming Therian before rewarding him with a death cry.

Their emergency flare erupted then. Soaring up like a rocket, its smoky trail left a mark in the sky until it exploded into a radiating light bulb of green. Good, thought April. With any luck, their reinforcements would be congregating on their position now. They only needed to survive until then. April looked around, angry as she was helpless to assist.

D company was superbly drilled considering their heritage. Most of her company had originated from rural areas or the slums, like her. Going into this mission, they at least had the foresight to equip tower shields, but her men were out of their element. She could see the tension that wracked their composure, generating beads of anxious sweat. They were a scouting force dammit, not a security force. Several were already dead. Abel, Ponting, and Kimble’s bodies lay strewn in the mud as their life blood was greedily devoured by dirt. The rest had managed to form a circle around the convoy. Earth mages swivelled their tower shields in place, each one able to levitate up to two of the massive barricades without issue. Others took up their cross bows and traded fire with the enemy.

It was a tenuous position, a cunning stalemate orchestrated by the enemy. Here April and her company were truly helpless until assistance arrived. Their enemy had the advantage of height and surprise. More than that, they had firepower.

“What’s that?” Reginald pointed with concern.

April followed his index finger and looked around as a greyhound raced towards their defences. An ominous black globe sat tight within its jaw, a lit fuse burning at the end. “Target the dog!” April yelled frantically. Marcus adjusted his aim and nailed the dog in its chest, but it barely seemed to break stride. There was little time to register the danger as the dog shot under the carriage through one end and then exited out of the other.

“Take cover!” April screamed. Her limbs protested in agony as she threw herself as far from the blast radius as possible, shielding the back of her head with her arms.

The blast tore out the underside of the carriage, shredding the dark mahogany like wet paper. The resulting heat wave enveloped them, showering the humans with razor edged shrapnel and wood chips. Fortunately, the wagon had successfully contained the worst of the blast. It did not prevent the dozens of deadly shards that assailed them however. In the wake of the bomb several more of her men died to multiple wounds.

April coughed out the gathered smoke in her lungs. Behind her lay the smouldering wreck of the carriage, live fires still burning from the inside. The bomb had impacted the dirt, inducing a small crater where the explosion had originated. Attempting to recover, the men around her rose, but the Therian’s sensed victory.

They leapt from the roof tops, descending upon their shattered foe with glistening blades. Mechanized weapons snapped out of limbs in an exact reproduction of Touya’s, stretching to their full length. April cursed and scrambled to withdraw her crossbow. They only had to hold out for their reinforcements for a few more minutes at best…

Just then a second flare shot into the sky, followed by a third. Her widening eyes watched in shock as they screeched disruptively overhead, confirming her worst fears. April bit the bottom of her lip as her heart began beating faster. The flares, a call for assistance, meant her first and third squad were also under attack. There would be no reinforcements.

“So, that’s how it’s going to be huh?” April snarled. It was fight or die now, the Therian’s had made certain of that the moment they swung the execution blade. Her trembling arm lifted to support the crossbow and she shot down the first Therian to cross her. The magically charged bolt cut right through the Therian, leaving a neatly hole where his liver had once been. “To me D Company!” April bellowed, crawling up on all fours, “Draw swords!”

Proceeding with trained precision, the remnants of her squad gathered around. Reginald stood beside her, defending himself with a shield. Even here, in the face of death, the medic stubbornly adhered to his oaths. Dubois fired a final bolt before receiving one to the stomach. He toppled over before the blades of their enemies could reach him. Marcus and a man named Reece made a final stand near the ruins of the carriage, standing back to back. They successfully took down a single Therian before dieing to numerous assailants. April crushed the skull of her third Therian, delivering a decisive blow to the man's helmet. She slipped over as a blunt instrument pummeled her from behind and blacked out.

Damea Reese

Damea had lost sight of Touya once the Therian had rushed out into the midst of battle. Unsure as to where the youth had gone, Damea was left to his own resources. With a sigh, he reached over and drew both his weapons and stepped out into the fighting. It was then that things got really chaotic for him. Shouting ensued soon after he'd left the safety of the carriage, there was confusion in the battle that mostly came from the men he was fighting alongside, and the constant rain of arrows and attacking Therian's seemed to put everyone at a stand still.

The sell sword unleashed all hell as he made his way through the fighting. He tried his best to help as many as he could, only managing to make it to most in time to watch them fall to the Therian that they'd been fighting. He felt sick to his stomach as he swiped the blade of a Therian aside and ran his other one through the man's stomach. Damea didn't want to kill them, but they were ruthlessly killing the group of humans and it made him absolutely horrified and enraged to watch it. The battle was clearly one sided.

“Fire the signal flares, call for backup,” April's voice rang out over the battle. Damea turned to see where she was and spotted her not to far away from him, but facing the other way. She was on the ground with the doctor right next to her, holding a shield to protect them both from the attack. Damea turned full circle and noted that most if not all of the soldiers were too busy trying to stay alive before firing off a signal.

"Flares, flares... flares," Damea chanted to himself as he rushed back to the carriage. He rummaged about their belongings as quickly as he could, tossing things randomly out into the street. He figured at a time like this it wasn't all that important to be tidy about anything. Finally he got his hands on the flare gun, but no flare... Damn! He searched some more and eventually found the flare that he needed. Popping the flare into the gun he aimed it upwards, at a slight angle and pulled the trigger.

It whistled through the sky, the dark smoke trailing behind it and exploded over head with a brilliant light. Damea would have watched it longer had a hard weapon not hit him in the side. Knocked from his feet, he hit the ground as air left his lungs. With a harsh cough, he managed to breath again and flipped over just in time to see another deadly swing aimed at his body. Damea rolled to the side and missed the attack. Using the sword he still had out he swung the blade much like a bat upwards and off to the side with one arm. The sword cut through the Therian's chest and shoulder, ravaging the man. The Therian dropped and lay still on the ground, bleeding out.

Just as Damea had gotten back to his feet and drew his other sword again, another shout filled the air, this one much more urgent than the last, “Take cover!” He whirled around to see what it was that she'd been yelling about just in time to see a dark streak dart under the carriage he was right next to. His heart pounded in his chest and he turned on his heel and sprinted as far as he could away from the carriage. The force of the explosion threw him from his feet and he hit the dirt sliding. Damea's body rolled a few times before he finally came to a stop. Everything around him rang loudly as his hearing was just about blown.

Rising his head, he ducked back down and covered the back of his skull with his arms as the debris followed him. Curling into a tight ball, he prayed that nothing would hit him, at least not enough to do too much damage. Only splinters rained down on him along with dust and other things. After a minute, he finally looked again and witnessed the destruction of the explosion. Several more of the men were dead, taken out by the explosion others by the debris that had flown.

“To me D Company! Draw swords!”

The call brought him back to the present as he'd been lying there in shock. Turning slowly his gaze was watery as he looked towards April. He couldn't believe what had just happened. His heart was heavier than before and he felt as it his body was lead right then. Damea forced himself to rise, however, and made his way over to her, a slight limp in his step as the explosion had thrown him awkwardly. He raised his swords and leapt out into the fray near her. April's battle cry was strengthening somehow, and Damea found that he could fight again. Pushing aside his own worries, he cut down another Therian, then another. He turned to look at April to see how she was fairing only to watch her take a blow to the back that toppled her. His eyes widened and he once again felt his fear and anguish.

A sharp burn pulsed through his side and he slowly looked down to see what it was. Silver steel gleamed up at him as crimson liquid slowly curled from the wound and stained his clothing. His hand dropped his sword, unable to feel anything anymore from the intense burn on his right side. He looked up to see the Therian who snarled at him. What ever it was, Damea felt something snap in him and his body ignited into fire, pulling from the burning debris nearby. His eyebrows came down in pure rage and he returned the snarl that the Therian had shown him. The fire from the burning carriage exploded a second time and jumped to the other two carriages that had been untouched.

As fast as a wild fire, the flames spread outwards and lunged at the Therian's. Once he'd set one on fire, it would jump to another and then another. Soon nearly half of the Therian's attacking force was up in flames. However, Damea wasn't done yet. He didn't want to stop... no... he couldn't stop. He had no control over it then. He'd lost control the moment his body had ignited. Fear swept him and he dropped to his knees, the Therian before him long since turned to ash. Reaching forward and pulled the sword from his body and let it's red hot steel drop to the dirt. His hands shook as he stared at them, eyes wide. What had he done?

Touya Khan

His glow was dimming as he was loosing the energy to stay upright and continue fighting. Already he'd sustained many more cuts to his body than he'd gotten the first time he'd fought with Val. He was irritated, frustrated that his own kin would dare raise sword against him. He had hoped to talk Val out of his pursue for technology, but it seemed nothing would reach him. So, Touya was taking his frustrations out on Val, making his fighting less than graceful.

Touya slashed outwards with one sword, following the move with the other and came in close to try to catch Val with his elongated blades on his forearm. Val pressed his sword against the one that Touya had swiped at him with and bent back to miss the second blade. Another cut joined the rest along Touya's hip, Val released his own sword and snatched Touya's wrist. Surprised, Touya couldn't get out of the grip fast enough. Wrenched forward he felt his feet taken out from under him and was falling to the earth with Val on top of him.

His other hand was pulled up over his head with the first that was held in Val's grip and he was disarmed. Touya ground his teeth at Val and tried to bring more energy into his body. The glow brightened a second time and he was about to expel it outwards to knock Val off of him when Val pinned his hands via his sword. Touya's eyes widened with shock and pain, his voice screaming out, the sound tearing his throat and making it hoarse right after.

"Your human's that you're fighting with won't come to aid you, Touya. You should just give up now and let me help you. I've got a few healers who can have you fixed up and right back to your original state. We also have some technology that can help to fix your weapons now that I've damaged them. Unless you're still determined to side with them," Val turned the sword slightly as he leaned forward and pressed his clawed hands into the wound that the doctor had patched up earlier.

Touya was dizzy with agony then, not even having the strength to cry out a second time. His voice barely made any sounds at all, breaking as he closed his eyes tightly against the assault. A cough sprayed blood out into the air and across his face as well as Val's who was leaning over him. Val leaned back and lifted his clawed hand, activating the device and causing the claws to lengthen. He glowered at Touya who stared at him warily, hardly able to concentrate.

"Fine then. Die as a human, as a faceless!" Just as he was about to drive his claws into Touya's chest and heart, the Therian's attention was taken by something and his eyes widened in shock. Confused, Touya turned his head slowly to see what had caught Val's attention. Flames roared and raged across the landscape lunging to every Therian that stood in the field. Val stood abruptly and screamed to his comrades. He left Touya still pinned to the ground and unable to move. As Touya's vision dimmed he watched the remaining Therian's take flight from the battlefield as the fires danced, uncontrolled. Soon after, he was unconscious once again.

---

William Benedict

---

The fire was rapidly spiralling out of control. Even as the 42nd Legion made their approach, they could see the ominous black smoke rising over the roof tops from several streets away. Every man smelt the acrid stench of burnt kindling. Captain Benedict encouraged his men to double time it, leading his troop from the front. What in the world was going on down there?

After turning a second corner they reached the scene of destruction. Benedict took in the utter devastation and grimaced instantly. What could possibly be the cause of such bloodshed? Horrified faces stared around in fear, looking to him for direction.

“Move in! Water mages up front! Deal with the fires!” Benedict barked with a series of swift hand gestures.

“Sir! Contacts at twelve o’clock! Five hundred meters and growing!” Cob, his adjudicate yelled.

Shadows darted ahead, their forms barely distinguishable behind the crackling flames and smothering fumes. Benedict raged, bringing his gaze around to snap out more orders. No one would escape his justice.

“Alpha-four, two and three. Take your men and pursue the culprits! Alpha-one and five, secure the area!”

Chorusing a chain of affirmatives, his officers set out with haste. Benedict followed Alpha-one and five as they embarked upon the scorched wreck of a carriage. Its horses had long since abandoned their post, but the crew remained. Their bodies were scattered over the pavement and road, still warm from the recent action.

“Sir!”

More yelling arose ahead, a resounding commotion. Drawn in by the noise, Benedict followed his men as they circled a man wreathed in flames. The figure stared down at his hands, dread painted over his features.

“We are the Forty-Second Legion! Do not resist! Turn off your flames immediately!”

Mercilessly, they doused the man in water before moving in to restrain him. Others raced around to contain the fires and aid survivors.

“Sir! Some of the dead bodies… They’re Therians!” Cob discovered. Crouched over a body, he indicated the weapon implements so famously apart of their limbs.

“The soldiers?” Benedict

“Fifty-seventh Legion… D Company. Rosevolts rabble…” Cob murmured, kicking another body over.

“Sir! Sir!”

“What now?!” Benedict exclaimed, addressing the exasperate corporal behind him.

“There’s only one survivor!”

---

---

“April Rosevolt. Stand.”

The court room was a dimly lit theatre. Several lecterns dotted the head of the room, forming an intimidating line of bureaucratic power. Figures of prominence and power dominated a single ambo each. Highlighted by individual spotlights, they measured the gathering audience impassively. April stepped up to the clearing before them, taking position behind the defendant’s lectern that ran opposite to the leaders’. Surprisingly, very few others inhabited the room. April could only see several shadows amongst the prevailing darkness, and only two that she recognised.

Bandages supported her right arm, forming a sling as it wrapped around her shoulder. Adopting an upright posture, she bowed respectfully as was tradition when called to a hearing.

“Lieutenant April Rosevolt, reporting,” she stated.

Holding the attention of everyone, an elderly man named Victor Hawthorn occupied the central pulpit. He was the current General and overarching commander of all military forces. Adjusting the rimless glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose, he leaned forwards to speak.

“Lieutenant. In light of recent reports, we would like to commend your bravery, but the premature death of the prisoner leaves us dissatisfied. Additionally, your negligence cost the lives of ninety-five percent of your company and extensive damages along a civilian center. What do you say?”

“I…no excuse, sir,” she responded.

“Then you are hereby stripped of your rank and summarily discharged,” he announced, “I’m sorry miss Rosevolt.”

April reeled slightly, taking the blow emotionally. She felt nothing except for the faint ring in her head, a mute cry of loss and pain. “Sir!” she affirmed and saluted before stepping down.

---

April’s Residence – Hours Later

---

"April, don't you think you're being a little too reckless? I mean, you haven't even fully recovered yet!" Reginald protested. The former medic followed April's brisk pace down the corridor, attempting to halt her. Ignoring him, she stormed into the living room that currently housed her alien guest.

“I’ve held up my end of the bargain!” April said, slamming the door open to get his attention. The frame wobbled profusely with aftershock. His name was Touya, and he was a Therian. An ancient race of supernatural beings that sought asylum on Artamus. They first met over a week ago, yet even now he remained a mystery to her, “Now, I want you to lead me to the Therian who killed my men.”

Touya Khan

He was stretched out across the couch of the small living room that April called home. He'd been there for days, holed up in the house with no place to go and nothing to do. Touya grimaced as he rested there with his arm up over his eyes, the other one resting across his abdomen. He could clearly remember the day that he'd been a prisoner to her, the days after on their trip to the central city where her headquarters was. He was supposed to have been taken to them, put up on trial against the humans and his fate decided right then. Touya would have died had it not been for the strange events that happened.

Val attacked them, and somehow he and a man named Damea managed to escape their confines inside the carriage. Touya had healed April's mortal wound, and then had engaged in battle with Val. That had been a dire mistake on his part. Her entire regime had been wiped out, leaving only herself and the doctor alive. How Touya managed to remain alive was still a mystery even to himself. He barely remembered the one who pulled the sword from his hands, or being taken from the battle ground.

The only thing he could clearly recall was waking once again in April's back room with the doctor, Reginald, leaning over him. For the second time he was 'patched up' and had been laid up in bed for a few days regaining his strength. Touya had regained enough to heal most of his smaller wounds and the holes in his hands. That had been the night before, not even twenty four hours had passed, but he was tired once again. The only wound left that needed his attention was the one in his side, but he figured that the doctors treatment to it would keep it from becoming worse any time soon. It would take him another day to recover enough energy to heal the wound.

As for his hands... the metal across the back of his palms was broken, splintered apart and unusable. He'd tried several times to engage the metal to cover his fingers with the usual claws that most Therian's had. Each time ended in blinding agony and his collapsing from it. Eventually he stopped doing so, especially when Reginald had caught him trying several times before. Touya hadn't thought it possible to feel intimidated by a human, but this doctor was something else entirely, as was April now that he thought about it. Even so, flexing his hand to form a fist or hold a weapon was slightly painful at times as well.

Lifting his arm from his eyes he turned his hand to look at the damaged metal. It wasn't like he was going to be able to get it repaired anytime soon. Even so, he would most likely have to go to a Therian to have it done as the human's technology wasn't nearly far enough advanced for what he needed. Touya's lips turned into a frown and he let the arm fall back over his eyes. It was silent in the room for a long time until he heard voices coming from the hall. Reginald was yelling at April about something and seconds later the door slammed open.

Touya, however didn't budge from the sound as she stormed into the room. Slowly he pulled his arm away from his eyes and looked at her, his face showing no expressions at all. Of course she wanted revenge on what happened to her regime. It was natural to want that, hell, Touya wanted it too. However, they were both injured and not in any condition to do any fighting, especially against Val. He sighed though, how could he deny her that though? After having helped him, though he hadn't asked for it, well not openly anyway. He had asked her for a favor, that much he remembered upon waking on the bed after the fighting that day. Touya, for some delusional reason, had asked April to house him, to keep him there at her house until he was recovered. She, in return, bargained that if she kept him there, he would have to take her to Val once he was ready.

Eitherway, Touya didn't have much a choice in the matter. So, he pulled himself up and eyed her carefully, resting his elbows on his knees and curling his fingers together, "You've my gratitude April," he replied softly, "I'll take you to Val, the leader of the rebel Therian's."

Touya stood and immediately doubled over, his fingers curling around his side where Reginald had stitched the wound. He straightened himself moments after, once the pain was bearable. He frowned at the ground, hating his pitiful state. Since fighting with Val, he'd been weaker than normal. Mostly because he'd lost twice and in the span of a few days at that. Not something too bright really. Touya should have been smarter in his decision making at the time. Had he been at full strength, healed and properly energized... well things would not have gone the way they did. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

He looked to April and felt a twinge of guilt gnawing at him. Shifting uncomfortably as he was unsure about the human customs regarding such things he looked down at the floor and felt the awkward silence filling the air. After a moment he finally spoke, "I'm sorry, April. Had I... done things differently. You would not have lost as much as you did. When I have my energy back I will heal your wounds. It is the least I can do," Touya offered and moved out of the room. He went to the back bedroom where he had been sleeping for the past few days and retrieved both of his weapons. Sheathing them in their proper places across his lower back, he returned to the living room some moments later.

Touya's gaze was back on his ruined technology on the back of his hand, his lips turned into a grimace as he ran a finger gently around the edges of the jagged metal. He pulled the hand into a fist as best he could, only able to close his hand to the point of holding a sword, but no further. He tried to close it further but only put pain into his nervous system. Quickly, he released the form and wrapped the other hand around the area. Looking up to April and Reginald, he pulled an eyebrow up, reached over and flicked his long silver hair back over his shoulder.

"I do have one question though. What happened to Damea? I'm assuming he was either killed in the fight or restrained. Last I remember before losing consciousness was seeing a lot of fire. If I remember correctly he was a fire mage, yes?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He'd been thinking about Damea for some time to be truthful. The one and only human to wish to become his friend. It bothered Touya immensely that he could not help the man. It would be least he could do, especially if Damea was in any sort of trouble.

"I wish to help him, if he's still alive. He... was the only human to ask to be a companion," Touya continued from his question before, adding the last part at a near whisper. He stood there and waited for their answer, either way he'd decided that he would go after Damea, even if April didn't wish him to. If all else failed he could threaten her with not leading her to Val unless they found Damea first. However, he didn't wish to resort to that method at all. He hoped that she would at least be willing to help him in his small request to find the man.

Barely any response came from her invasive barging. Lost in his wistful musings, the Therian sat spread out along the cushioned surface of her couch. His posture was neither particularly anxious nor relaxed, more rather it was simply one of progressive acceptance. The culmination of multiple lectures and reprimands. After first offering a placid expression that infuriated her, he swivelled in position to sit partially upright. It was exactly that despondent attitude that she hated about him.

"You've my gratitude April. I'll take you to Val, the leader of the rebel Therian's," Touya said, eliciting a huff of disapproval from her. April had heard him tout the same line repeatedly. Whether he was telling the truth or not still remained to be seen. April bet everything based on the Therian’s risky attempt to eliminate or free Touya. If he was worth the extents of such trouble, Touya must have known something. As if sensing her suspicions, Touya stood up disruptively, only to stumble in haste. Still haunted by the wounds he had received, Touya came off as bad as April, arguably. Staggering impetuously, it took several moments for the Therian to steady himself. During that time, Reginald seized the chance to move forwards and help him, though it proved unnecessary. Deep in contemplating, the Therian’s eyes drooped to the floor as his guilt surfaced, rearing its ugly head.

"I'm sorry, April. Had I... done things differently. You would not have lost as much as you did. When I have my energy back I will heal your wounds. It is the least I can do," he stated, frowning apologetically.

“Nobody’s blaming you son. The fault lies entirely with the culprits. You couldn’t have done anything,” Reginald said, forcing a smirk.

If the Therian was comforted by the Reginald’s condolences he did not show it. Touya strode off into the bedroom then, disappearing beyond the hallway. April deigned to let him rest there after the tragic events, no longer willing to sleep in a bed that had been stained by a Therian. Childish hate had compelled her decision then, and even now it ravished her thoughts with indignant fury. She knew Touya was hardly to blame for the deaths of her men, yet indirectly he had been the target of her anger all this time. Amidst the raging emotions and guilt, prejudice was the easiest thing to latch onto.

Returning to the living room, Touya indicated he was ready to leave with his weapons in place. Cheerlessly, he inspected the damage to his bracers. In the days after their frantic escape from the ambush, Reginald had informed her of the few titbits Touya had shared with him. Discovering he was no longer able to withdraw his claws, Touya’s reaction understandably negative. April concluded it would be beneficial to spend some of her time attempting to research the relevant information. Regrettably, accurate studies of the Therians were frighteningly sparse.

"I do have one question though. What happened to Damea? I'm assuming he was either killed in the fight or restrained. Last I remember before losing consciousness was seeing a lot of fire. If I remember correctly he was a fire mage, yes?" Touya pondered after some moments, caught in the throes of a mental debate.

Blue eyes shot up in a flash as April regarded the Therian coldly.

"I wish to help him, if he's still alive. He... was the only human to ask to be a companion."

“The answer is no,” she stated with stoic finality, “Shit no! Are you kidding me Therian? I’ve lost everything just to keep you out of military grasps! Do you want to waste all of that by placing yourself directly in danger? I should’ve left you to be dissected by their techno-scientists.”

Suspecting the worst, Reginald urgently stepped in between the duo, ready to prevent additional violence from breaking out. “To be fair Rosevolt, that man did save us all. If not for his fire magic, the faceless would’ve surely finished us,” Reginald soothed, attempting to act as the intermediate.

“Tell that to the rest of D Company!” she yelled, outraged. It was fortunate that April had been stripped of her military weapons for she would have surely drawn them otherwise. Instead, her left hand tightened into a trembling fist, displaying the whites of her knuckles.

Reginald shot her a deadly glare, “And considering both your current conditions, doing either of what you’re suggest is practically suicide! What then, Rosevolt?”

April bit down on the bottom of her lip, feeling the bulk of her anger wither beneath his words.

“I understand where you’re coming from. Damn girl, I do! But to be frank, going against those Therians alone is impossible. We need help,” Reginald continued, sensing he was getting through to her.

Easing her shoulders back, April span on her heel and made for the doorway without responding. Like a passing storm, the mood settled somewhat, but the sombre fashion with which she carried herself indicated that she was still very upset. Pausing by the entrance, April shifted her head just barely to address Touya.

“Earlier you said that your people weren’t terrorists. I dare you to claim the same thing to all those families that lost loved ones,” she said, and then promptly exited the room.

Reginald waited until April left before releasing the deep, long breath he had been holding in the entire time. “I guess that means she’s not going to help with the break out,” he hummed, dismissing the issue casually, “We should be able to manage ourselves though. Prisoners are usually kept in Glendale Prison. It’s just west of the city and suffers from overcrowding. Fortunately, you have a former member of D Company with you. Scouting and infiltration is a specialty of ours.”

“The answer is no. Shit no! Are you kidding me Therian? I’ve lost everything just to keep you out of military grasps! Do you want to waste all of that by placing yourself directly in danger? I should’ve left you to be dissected by their techno-scientists.”

Touya's lips pulled into a frown as he watched her. He figured that she would answer to him in such a manner. It seemed that he would have to do it on his own after all. Maybe it would have to wait until he showed her to Val, after all he'd made a promise to her. Even so, he felt terrible leaving the poor man to his own devices in a prison that probably had him sentenced to death. Touya didn't say anything, nor had he planned to but Reginald stepped between them and tried to save the situation.

Touya didn't pay attention to what they said, at least until she snapped at him about D company. That had been her regime. A sharp pain stabbed through Touya's chest, one of guilt again. April moved passed him then, the woman only reaching the bottom of his chin in height. April was fairly tall for a woman of her race though. She stopped just a bit behind him and turned to address him coldly. Her words were like daggers, cold and ran deeper than anything he'd ever felt before.

“Earlier you said that your people weren’t terrorists. I dare you to claim the same thing to all those families that lost loved ones,” then she left them.

Touya's teeth ground together, his eyes closed shut to keep the burn of tears away. He wasn't crying because she'd hurt him, he was crying because her words held the heavy weight of truth and the deaths that had happened that day were still heavy on his mind. Reaching up he pushed his hand through his his silvery hair, tugging it back away from his face before letting it fall again. He hated how he felt, hated how she felt about it all, he hated everything at that moment.

The Therian was so drowned in his own guilt and sorrow that he didn't properly hear Reginald until the last portion of what he'd been saying, "Prisoners are usually kept in Glendale Prison. It’s just west of the city and suffers from overcrowding. Fortunately, you have a former member of D Company with you. Scouting and infiltration is a specialty of ours.”

Even then he didn't answer on track with what Reginald was talking about. Rather he sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his chest. He knew that April would have much rather felt that he should have died on the streets when she found him instead of living. Val had clearly stated that he'd come to 'rescue' Touya from the hands of the humans after having shown Touya what humans thought of the Therian's. If only Val hadn't come, if only Touya hadn't gone after him in the first place. His thoughts were filled with 'if only's', things that would never happen.

"She wishes I had died rather then lived. I'm sure she wishes for my death once we find Val as well," he told Reginald, though he wasn't sure why. It wasn't like the doctor cared for him anyway, he was only helping because he'd been ordered to. Why would this human think anything different than what all of the humans and elves thought. In that case, why did he feel like they should go rescue Damea then? Wasn't Damea human as well? Damea hadn't helped him during the battle, he hadn't seen Damea at all after that, of course he'd been informed that the man had been taken to jail. Even so, Touya felt that he should at least go and see if the man still remembered his words to the Therian.

"I can go myself," Touya said finally, lifting his pale blue gaze to look at Reginald. He'd regained the coldness that he'd always had. How he'd ever allowed himself to possibly hope at a better relationship between himself and April was a mystery, laughable as well. "Watch over her and see that she heals properly. If I don't return, you can find Val in the forests of Creeid, near the mountains to the east. It was there that we had awoken from our sleep. The main group of Therian's left that area a long time ago and only Val and his rebels remain. I'll go see if Damea still remembers his words of companionship, though I'm beginning to doubt everything that is said to me from a human's lips," he turned on his heel then and left the room. A bitter taste invaded the back of his mouth at his sharp words. Touya did his best to ignore it though and reached for the front door.



The cell was cold, the air stale and the food was far from edible. Damea gazed up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. He had never been in jail before... well, wait. That was a lie. He'd been in jail before, but mostly that was due to misunderstands and he was only kept in the cities jail for a night. Well, maybe those times didn't quite count. He'd been in this prison for several days, four maybe? He'd lost count as soon as he couldn't see the sun anymore. The only thing that was anywhere near relevant to time was when his food was served to him. Sometimes that never happened either.

The jail he found himself in was so overcrowded that it was even hard for the guardsmen to keep up with them all. Fights had broken out nearly every day every few hours or so. Some of the inmates were killed in those fights as often times it was just too much for the guards to handle. Somehow Damea had managed to stay out of the way of everyone, only getting into a fight once on his second (or third?) day there. That had served to get him thrown back into his cell rather early and since then, Damea hadn't been let out. Maybe the guards had forgotten about him. That was fine by him.

Shifting slightly, Damea rolled over to his side and stretched his hand out before him, gazing at his palm. After a few moments his minds eye saw the fire around him again. His heart pounded in his chest as he lay there. He'd lost control over his flames before, but nothing like what he'd done that day with April's company. Something had just... snapped within him and he lost all control. Maybe it was all the death that he'd suddenly been around. Sure Damea had spoken highly of himself in his ways of manipulating fire and having skills that the army would want, but he'd never said anything about seeing brutal combat like he'd witnessed that day.

Closing his fist, Damea shoved the hand up under the dirty pillow where his head rested and he closed his eyes. He was probably going to rot in that cell, but he figured that might be the best for everyone. Hell, he wasn't even sure if April was still alive either. Even if she were, she probably wouldn't wish to help him out anytime soon. As for Touya, the Therian was a constant center on Damea's thoughts. He had lost sight of the Therian right after he'd rushed into the fray. Damea wasn't even sure what happened to him afterwards. All he knew was that Touya had been injured severely and he'd jumped into a fight that he probably shouldn't have. It would be a miracle if the man was still alive. Right then, though, that's all Damea could do, pray that both were alive and well.



"Where is Shiye?" A woman asked him as he returned to the forests of Creeid, the place that he called home and where he housed the many Therian's that held his same beliefs. His lips turned into a frown as the Therian woman gazed at him with fear and a bit of hope in her eyes. She'd been watching the group drag wounded Therian's into the camp one by one. Most were burned beyond recognition, some would need treatment right away while others had gotten lucky and only had minor burns to deal with.

Val, on the other hand, suffered from his hurt pride and an anger that deepened even more. The raid had been going successfully until the human fire mage had exploded all of his power out into the Therian's that were fighting. Val had left Touya frantically to try to save those that he could from the attack. His magic had only held off the flames for a short while before they over powered him and forced him to leave many of his dead comrades behind. Val grit his teeth as he slowly lowered the wounded Therian he had been carrying. Laying the man out on the cots that had been set up, he motioned for one of their healers to come over quickly.

Only then did he stand and face the woman who had addressed him. Already there were tears in her eyes. Slowly Val shook his head, "He died in battle, Gretta."

The youthful looking Therian raised her hands to her face, the tightly held back tears now streaming forth onto her porcelain face. Val reached out and pulled Gretta into a tight embrace holding her as her small frame trembled with the sobs that wracked her. He stroked her hair after for a time as she calmed down. Once she had contained herself she slowly pulled away from him and looked up at him with sharp green eyes.

"You'll avenge him?"

"And all the others as well. That's what we've been doing this whole time. Every Therian that dies at the hands of a human or elf will be avenged. It doesn't matter if the Therian is killed in battle or cruelly killed just because we exist. They will get what is coming to them," he said coldly, putting her face between his hands as he whispered the last part to her, his voice rock steady. Gretta nodded then, a smile forming on her lips. She patted his hands with her own and then took a deep, shaking breath to steady herself.

"What do you need me to do. I wish to help."

Val smiled at her, "There are many that need repairs to their bodies weapons. You're one of our greatest technicians, Gretta. We are grateful to have you with us."

The woman nodded her head, yellow hair falling into her face as her bangs moved from the side to her eyes. Val released her then and watched her go. His gaze roamed the forests clearing area where he'd set up their camp. Tents were pitched, even the trees were bent over to make makeshift homes and forges. The technology that he'd managed to get his hands on helped as well, building materials that had formed up shops that were specifically designed to advance the technology they gathered, as well as craft weapons and other necessities for them to live.

Val's fists tightened. He blamed himself mostly for the tragedy that just befell them. Had he not been so insistent upon getting Touya back, then none of his men would have died. He would have gone with the original plan to raid the smaller towns just outside the capital city. He bowed his head forward and let his thoughts reach out to those that had died. He prayed for their safe travel to the afterlife. He also promised them that they would be avenged, and apologized for his mistake. When he lifted his head, his eyes had regained their hard look and determination. Soon, he would start planning again for another raid. This one would be sure to be successful.

---

---

It took the Therian a while to reply to his comments, and by the time he did, tears were on the verge of out breaking.

"She wishes I had died rather then lived. I'm sure she wishes for my death once we find Val as well," Touya remarked dimly, visibly shaken by April’s comment. Reginald frowned on Touya’s behalf.

“Oh don’t be so pessimistic,” the former medic berated, “I think that you two just need to talk this over once things have had the chance to settle down a bit.”

"I can go myself, Touya declared after a few passing seconds. Apparently, the Therian thought it was wise to shoulder the burdens himself. Determination managed to work its way back into his features, renewing the look in his gaze. Ordinarily, it would probably have been a convincing display, but Reginald was far from fooled. This was the refugee who had just spent the last few days sulking in bed, unable to even properly withdraw his signature claws. "Watch over her and see that she heals properly. If I don't return, you can find Val in the forests of Creeid, near the mountains to the east. It was there that we had awoken from our sleep. The main group of Therian's left that area a long time ago and only Val and his rebels remain. I'll go see if Damea still remembers his words of companionship, though I'm beginning to doubt everything that is said to me from a human's lips."

Finished with his explanations, the Therian turned briskly and started towards the exit. Yet before he could escape, a firm grasp locked onto his shoulder. Reginald stood directly behind the Therian, his expression sombre.

“April can manage herself. Judging from past experience, she’s not the kind of person who thrills at reckless behaviour. Makes her a little boring that way, but it also means she won’t put herself in the way of unnecessary harm,” Reginald stated. Smirking to lighten the mood, he released his grip and stood back a bit, still conscious of giving the Therian his space. “Like I said before though, we’re going to need help to get into that rebel base of yours. Sure you’ve told me the location, but we still don’t know the layout or details, just like you don’t know the layout of the prison. Basically, we need to help each other.”

Green eyes looked Touya up and down then, inspecting him. “Besides, you heard me before. I wouldn’t recommend you to do anything at the moment given your sorry state,” said Reginald, adding a healthy level of scepticism into his tone, “That said, I can hardly allow you to walk right into danger without supervision now, can I? That would reflect very badly on my records.”

Without waiting for Touya’s response, Reginald walked up to the door and opened it. Fortunately, April had offered him her spare key for the duration of the week. Albeit, rather reluctantly. To which Reginald responded by saying there was hardly anything worth stealing anyway. Abruptly, the medic paused by the entrance as sunlight filtered into the dusty apartment, gazing at Touya.

“But my dear faceless, are you really okay with handing out your information like that? Surely you must know that whatever April has planned, it probably won’t bode well for your people. Though rebels they maybe, are you really okay with leaving their fates in the hands of a vengeful soldier?”

---

---

Why had she snapped like that?

April stalked down the narrow alleyway of Little Fitzroy Street, paving a path directly to her favourite bar. A tacky little joint that looked more like a crack between the walls. Not that April had any particular inclination for decrepit appearances, it was just that sometimes, Barney's Counter seemed like the only place in the city where she could escape from crowds. She did not wish to stay in her house after saying something so gravely insulting to Touya. She could barely stand to face him. How unprofessional. How immature.

Happening upon the busted, red door that indicated she had arrived at the desired venue, April pushed open the entrance with her one good arm, frustrated. Irritated at herself and the world, she decided that now was the best opportunity to drink her concerns away. April had kept her alcoholic addiction in check for the sake of her job, but even that hardly seemed to matter anymore. She had lost everything. What would her mother say if she discovered her daughter in such a crippled state? She would have probably disowned her on the spot.

Dumping herself down on a stool, a collection of braided and long, blonde hair fell messily over her features. Her brow rested within her palm, nursing a phantom migraine. "What now?" she murmured. Perhaps an apology was in order. Or maybe not. There was still so little she understood about Touya and the Therians. Sitting up again, April waved the bartender over, ordering the first drink of many.
 

A hand on his shoulder brought him to a halt just as his fingers brushed the handle of the door. Glancing over his shoulder he found Reginald giving him a rather somber look, one that he didn't think the doctor possessed.

“April can manage herself. Judging from past experience, she’s not the kind of person who thrills at reckless behaviour. Makes her a little boring that way, but it also means she won’t put herself in the way of unnecessary harm. Like I said before though, we’re going to need help to get into that rebel base of yours. Sure you’ve told me the location, but we still don’t know the layout or details, just like you don’t know the layout of the prison. Basically, we need to help each other.”

He wondered what Reginald had meant by telling him that April never put herself in unnecessary harm. Was he implying that Touya did that? The Therian didn't think he'd done that, but then, maybe he had. He wasn't really in the 'living' spirit. In fact, thoughts of death had been permeating his mind as of late, especially after the terrible event that cost April everything. He didn't think living was going to make things any better, and how things stood right then, people would much rather see him dead and gone than alive and well. Touya sighed, realizing that Reginald spoke the truth about his not knowing what Val's hideout looked like. All he could remember was that it was a forest of great density at most places and very large.

“Besides, you heard me before. I wouldn’t recommend you to do anything at the moment given your sorry state. That said, I can hardly allow you to talk right into danger without supervision now, can I? That would reflect very badly on my records,” Reginald persisted and reached to open the door that Touya had been standing next to. The Therian stepped back a little to allow him passage.

"I can handle myself. I'm not a fragile thing," he muttered in response, irritated that Reginald regarded him as weak and incapable of handling the task. Of course, there was the other half to that as well. He was even more irritated that Reginald's words were partly true.

“But my dear faceless, are you really okay with handing out your information like that? Surely you must know that whatever April has planned, it probably won’t bode well for your people. Though rebels they maybe, are you really okay with leaving their fates in the hands of a vengeful soldier?” Reginald asked, turning back to him.

Touya's eyes narrowed at the man at the degrading name, "Therian, human," he growled immediately upon hearing the word 'faceless'. He despised the name and it didn't matter who it was, even if Reginald was truly a good companion or not. Touya would not tolerate being called anything other than Therian. He brushed passed Reginald into the street before he answered his question.

"No. I'm not alright with it. I hate that I'm going to bring her to my people. If I could only bring her to Val, than it would be different. I despise the fact that she hates us so and I am fearful for what she may do," Touya stopped and then turned to look back at the doctor, "But I don't really have much a choice do I? I gave her my word. To go back on it now would only help to solidify her hatred. If I'm to try to make amends or show her that Therian's are not the enemy, then I must do what makes me sick."

Touya started down the street to the west where Reginald had said the prison would be at. As he walked, he thought about what he was going to do after they figured out what was going on with Damea. His thoughts turned sour and made him feel sicker than before. He didn't turn to the doctor, as he was afraid of the answer that would be given to him, but he had to know regardless.

"Would... would April kill children, Reginald? Would she kill them because they are Therian?" His voice shook slightly at the thought as he asked the question. He hoped, prayed that Reginald would tell him what he wanted to hear.

---

---

"Therian, human," Touya corrected, snarling at the derogative term.

Reginald chuckled lightly and gave an off-handed wave, "Faceless, therian, monkeys, human. It's all the same thing. If you want me to acknowledge your name, you'll live long enough to earn my respect. I've seen far too many dead soldiers to remember everyone."

The therian pushed past him, making his way out to merge with the sun's blissful rays. Whatever Touya thought of the insult would have to wait in the face of more pressing matters. Reginald locked the door behind him, wriggling the key in its keyhole until he was rewarded with a satisfying click. Jiggling the doorknob, he returned his attention to Touya after securing the front door.

"No. I'm not alright with it. I hate that I'm going to bring her to my people. If I could only bring her to Val, than it would be different. I despise the fact that she hates us so and I am fearful for what she may do," Touya said after some moments. Reginald realised he was responding to his earlier comment. Broaching the topic was clearly uncomfortable for the younger man who wore a slight frown.

"But I don't really have much a choice do I? I gave her my word. To go back on it now would only help to solidify her hatred. If I'm to try to make amends or show her that Therian's are not the enemy, then I must do what makes me sick," Touya resolved.

"There are other ways to improve her opinion of you, if that's all you wanted to achieve," Reginald mused coyly, "But, don't be so quick to fell for that trap boy. Remember, you always have a choice."

They started down the avenue, boots clapping over the pavement. Dust, litter and grime were almost as numerous as their fleshly generators and seemed to permeate every nook of the city. Reginald was content with lingering behind Touya for the time being. Apparently the therian had an excellent sense of direction for they had somehow managed to stay en-route since departing, even despite the convoluted layout of roads. There was little attempt to make conversation as they journeyed, though the effort seemed futile given the commotion of general traffic.

"Would... would April kill children, Reginald? Would she kill them because they are Therian?" Touya stammered abruptly.

Evoking a credulous look, Reginald then laughed. "Why don't you ask her that yourself next time."

---

---

The monstrous complex of concrete and barbed wire cast an imposing figure. Utterly bland, the prison's ominous architecture left little illusion as to the purpose of the building's design. Oppressive walls stalked the asylum's perimeter, a vigilant sentinel populated by numerous spotlights and guards. They patrolled the limits of their premises with regularity. Situated within the walls was the main structure, an immense jungle composed of criminal scum. Closer to a castle than jail, this was a format designed to keep the city's worst inhabitants inside. Those awaiting the death sentence, those who had stolen, those who had killed, those who had raped and pillaged. Then there were those simply imprisoned by consequence.

They were walking along a rural sub-section of the city, a portion of human society that existed outside the safety of the city walls. Here the houses were smaller, and more in scale with normal proportions. Density grew sparse in the lead-up towards the jail, until eventually no buildings existed at all. Only an empty no-man’s existed between them and the prison, facilitating a clear line of sight to potential intruders. "Getting in is always going to be easier than it is to get out," Reginald said, scanning the fortifications casually, “Normally I would've preferred to spend a week planning and preparing for this. One doesn't just infiltrate a maximum security prison on a whim you know?"

Reginald frowned at the monumentality of the mission ahead. “Fortunately, the prison takes in supplies daily to feed the prisoners. See those trucks over there?”

Pointing towards a convoy of four-wheeled contraptions, Reginald then indicated the gate they were approaching. “They travel along the dirt road, those supply machines. They’re steam powered, supposedly, but they’re also noisier than a dwarf forge. If you can figure out a way to sneak into one of them undetected, that’s likely your best bet of getting inside.”

“But, the real problem comes after,” the medic continued, “Assuming you somehow manage to locate your friend, and that he’s somehow still in one piece, you then have to smuggle him out without being noticed.”

Any sane person would never have even considered such an on taking. Reginald was knew nothing of the relationship between Touya and the anonymous man, but the therian was either incredibly loyal, or incredibly foolish to attempt this. Or maybe he was more cunning than Reginald gave him credit for. Looking over the therian, Reginald’s brows knitted together as he once again considered his less than optimal condition. “It’s not too late to turn back now. In fact, we could use the time to prepare ourselves better for this.”

Touya watched the prison loom in sight wearily. The advantages of getting in were getting slimmer by the second. He was sure their approach had been seen already but as they were still walking, they made it look as if they were just passing by. All the while the Therian was trying to figure a way into the fortified building. Had he only a bit more energy he could have possibly shape shifted into one of the guards, but he didn't even have enough energy for healing, let alone to take on the form of another human. It wasn't until Reginald spoke to him that a plan began forming in his mind.

“Fortunately, the prison takes in supplies daily to feed the prisoners. See those trucks over there? They travel along the dirt road, those supply machines. They’re steam powered, supposedly, but they’re also noisier than a dwarf forge. If you can figure out a way to sneak into one of them undetected, that’s likely your best bet of getting inside.”

Touya looked to where Reginald had pointed, his eyes easily picking out the trucks that were on their way to the gate. Estimating the time, the Therian figured that they had a few minutes before the convoy made it to the prison. Even then, the trucks would have to stop to be admitted inside, giving Touya just enough time to slip into the back of one and get inside.

“But, the real problem comes after. Assuming you somehow manage to locate your friend, and that he’s somehow still in one piece, you then have to smuggle him out without being noticed. It’s not too late to turn back now. In fact, we could use the time to prepare ourselves better for this.”

Touya turned his pale blue eyes upon the human doctor. They were unwavering and cold as he gazed at the man, "Who said I would be smuggling him out? I have yet to hear his words to me," though at the back of Touya's mind he was already trying to figure out how he would break Damea out of the prison. There was certainly no turning back though, not when he was right there. He decided that he would figure a way out of the prison when the time came, right then it was important to find Damea.

The trucks were drawing near and it was going to be his only shot at getting into the prison. Their course on the road had stayed just about straight to keep their suspicion down. However, as the trucks drew nearer to turn to get to the gates, Touya began veering towards the trucks ever so slightly.

"We'll figure a way out after we're in. Right now, finding Damea is my priority. Follow me if you still wish to 'watch over me'," Touya said, his voice on the edge of sarcasm as he muttered the last words to Reginald.

He watched them carefully, their loud steam engines rumbling forth and drowning out any kind of noise that may have been filling the empty expanse. The trucks turned then and started towards the gates. Once they were completely facing the other direction with their back-ends to Touya, the Therian started forward. He sprinted the distance, quickly getting to the back truck and getting inside as fast as he could. He tucked himself into the confines of the baggage and other supplies that rumbled about in the bed of the enclosed truck. Whether or not Reginald made it with him, he didn't know for he couldn't see in the darkness, nor could he feel anything aside from soft bags and hard crates. The truck sat still for a long time before it moved again, the roar of the engine signifying their entrance into the prison. Touya closed his eyes and breathed deeply, relaxing his body and trying to regain some of his lost energy from the past few days. He had a feeling he was going to need some of it.



There was a loud rap across the bars of his cell, waking him rudely from his nap. Damea turned over and glanced up to the guard who had called him. His mismatched eyes were bleary with sleep, making the person standing on the other side of the bars look like nothing but fuzz with a bit of shape. He slowly rolled off the bed and stood up, stretching and yawning loudly.

"Wake up, fire mage. It's time to eat," the guard announced as he reached up to unlock the cell. Damea didn't move knowing that anything he did could potentially set off the guard. Of course being in a high security prison did that to guards, so prisoners had to be careful unless they wanted a beating. Damea figured it made sense.

"Oh goody, the wonderful meals that I just can't wait to eat..." Damea replied.

"Be lucky you're getting food, you damn ingrate."

"Ingrate... that's new," Damea muttered as he reached for the plate of semi-edible food that was handed to him. He frowned at the mush in the bowl, the hard piece of bread that accompanied it and the cup of stale water. Not even enough to give him energy to do much. It had been like that for days though, so he'd gotten used to it. The hard ring of steel told him that while he'd been musing over his food, the guard had locked him back inside. Looking up he set the food aside and rushed to the bars, "Hey! Guard!"

"What is it now?"

"Could I possibly be let out of the cell today?"

The guard scoffed at him and turned away, jiggling the keys that adorned his waist. Damea's head fell forward and he sighed, "I guess that's a no," he told himself as he turned back to his food. He gave the scornful dish a sour look and plopped down on the bed opposite where he'd put the tray. His thoughts turned to the Therian once again for some strange reason. Lacing his fingers together he leaned forward and sighed heavily.

"I do hope that Touya's in better shape than I am," his voice whispered.

"Well, I think that answers my question."

Damea sat straight up, his eyes widening as the voice found his ears. The soft, deep tone couldn't be anyone else's. The fire mage slowly looked towards the bars of his cell to see the tall, lithe form of the Therian. His long silver hair was falling over his shoulder and most of it was in his face. The pale blue eyes were just as striking as ever, but there was a cold tint to them, much colder than before.

"Damn. I've been wondering about you so much lately that I think I'm beginning to hallucinate..."

The Therian scoffed at the idea, a sharp noise hissing out between his teeth as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I see. So now I'm a hallucination. Wonderful. I have a question for you, Damea."

"I have a few for you as well, are you here alone? How the hell did you get in here!? Wait.. why are you here?" Damea asked in quick succession. He was up and at the bars of his cell in a matter of seconds, peering out to see if anyone had spotted the Therian yet.

Touya frowned at him, "I'm the one asking the questions," he sighed then and gave a slight roll of his eyes, "I'm not here alone though, Reginald is with me. Getting in was easy, getting out... well we'll figure that out later. As to why I'm here, I have a question for you."

"Reginald... who the hell is that? Hold on, don't answer that one. You came all the way here... to a prison... to ask me a question? Are you insane!?"

"Did you mean what you said to me, that day in the carriage when April was bringing us to her leaders?" Touya asked coldly ignoring the fire mage. His voice told of his obvious irritation with Damea.

The fire mage raised an eyebrow as he gazed at the taller man outside the bars, "Of course I meant it! I mean what I say, don't you believe that? You wanted to ask me that? Touya! Leave before they catch you! It's dangerous here!"

"Are you... worried?"

"Why wouldn't I be!" Damea practically yelled, "You're putting yourself in unnecessary danger! Now go! I don't want you to be caught and thrown in here! They'd kill you within the day."

Touya's arms uncrossed and he leaned against the bars, grasping the metal between his hands. Damea noticed then that the Therian's bracer-like arms were damaged. The metal was jagged and looked as if a sword had been shoved through it. His breath sucked in hard between his teeth, "Your hands... You came when you were injured too!! You're the most idiotic Therian I've ever met!"

"You've met more of my people?"

"Of course! That's not the point! You're definitely in no shape to be here, where's this Reginald person! I demand that he drags you out of here."

"You're coming with me," Touya announced and took a step back. The metal across his forearms activated then, the sound of mechanisms whirling filled the hall and cell. Three long blade like pieces of metal on each arm slid forth and glinted in the light around them. Damea took a step back, his throat tight at what the Therian had just told him. So there had been more to the plan than just asking Damea a single question.

"Wait wait!!" Damea shouted, but it was far too late. Touya slashed at the metal of the cell that encased the fire mage. The bars trembled. A second slash right after the first trembled the cage again and the metal bars slid apart and fell one by one to the ground. With a hole in the cell, Touya reached his hand out to Damea. A second later and the magic trap that had been imbued in the bars released.

The explosion of electrical energy threw both Damea and Touya backwards. Damea hit the back wall of his cell and slid to the ground dazed. Once he got a hold of himself he witnessed Touya on the ground as well. He had to move fast then, the explosion was sure to have drawn a lot of unwanted attention. Damea stumbled to his feet and went as quickly as he could to Touya's body. The Therian was thoroughly dazed and wincing in pain. Pulling an arm up and over his shoulders, Damea stood, heaving the surprising heavy Therian to his feet.

"Alright, lets get the hell out of here!"

---

---

"We'll figure a way out after we're in. Right now, finding Damea is my priority. Follow me if you still wish to 'watch over me'," Touya said and then started his mad dash towards the supply trucks.

Reginald cursed softly, placing his hands on hips. “Sorry my dear faceless, but there are limits to even what a human can do. I will pray for your success,” he murmured gazing down at Touya’s rapidly shrinking figure. If he remembered correctly, there was a nice roof top bar located near here. Shoddy location, but it conveniently provided a picturesque view of the jail. He stood up to leave before pausing with hesitation.

“You’ve been watching that prison for a while now,” they remarked.

Reginald’s lips pursed, pulling into a slight frown as he remained frozen in place, limbs locked like a statues. The razor edge of cold steel assailed the back of his spine in a ripple of chills. How in the world did they manage to sneak up to him undetected? Did they use air magic? He raised his hands slowly in a gesture of surrender.

“You caught me red handed,” he admitted grimly, not daring to even budge an inch.

“So, mind telling me exactly where your friend went?”

---

Glendale Prison

---

Frantic knocking shook the metal of his door frame, disrupting Stephan from his tedious paper work. His head shot up, instantly alarmed by the frenetic beating.

“What is it?” he hollered behind an ochre desk layered with paper work.

Given permission, the door slammed open, revealing his sweating adjudicate. A build up of perspiration covered the man’s brow, making him look like he had just finished running a marathon. Dressed in the standard, navy blue guard uniform, it was evident that something critical had happened while he was on duty.

“Intruder alert sir! Intruder alert! Trap activated in cell block A-twelve!” Greg blurted out immediately upon entering.

Stephan’s eyes widened by the inches. Dropping his fountain pen, Stephan strode briskly around his desk to reclaim his jacket by the coat hanger.

“Sound the bells and alert the architects! Don’t let those prisoners escape!” he informed Greg, pulling his arm through the sleeves.

“Sir!” Greg acknowledged, “Will you be…going out yourself sir?”

Stephan smirked as he finished strapping his gauntlets around his fists. Comically large, the metal encasing his hands nearly eclipsed a set of boxing gloves in size. Pumping his knuckles together, he cracked the sides of his neck.

“I’d like to personally meet the people trying to break out of my prison,” he said, “Tell the architects to send the prisoners to me. I’ll be waiting outside, just by the gates.”

Greg shivered involuntarily. The cruelest fate is to have hope dangled in front of you, only for it to be snatched away before you can reach it. It was exactly how Stephan liked to torture his captives.

---

Glendale Prison – Damea and Touya

---

Damea had barely made it several steps into the corridor before the prison guards came hunting. Two of them, dressed in dark navy blue uniforms, had arrived to investigate the noise. Elaborate braiding decorated their chests, topped off by golden epaulettes that crested their shoulders. Wielding batons, they spotted the duo trying to make off yet oddly, made no attempt to arrest them.

“Prisoners reported escaping in cell block A-twelve! Call the architects here!” one of them shouted, their voice rebounding of into the dark corridor behind them.

The alarm bells began ringing them, sending a cacophony of reverberations throughout the building. It’s tolling seemed to shake the foundations of the prison and shake the walls. Likely, the sound could be heard from kilometers outside of the jail. A group of curiously robed humans appeared without warning, stepping out of the dim lighting of the hallway. They closed in on Damea and Touya, their pace slow but relentless. Moving with a calm assuredness that comes from knowing that your quarry could not escape, they moved past the two guards, chanting.

Rock walls shifted as the complex rumbled with a life of its own. Like blast doors they slammed into place, separating Damea and Touya from the robed figures and guards. To any ordinary person this may have seemed like a blessing, but this was the architect’s work. They would box in their quarry using strategically placed partitions and earth magic. Manipulating the movements of inmates was their specialty, and now they were going to drive Damea and Touya into the waiting hands of the Warden.

After the blast, his ears were ringing and his body had been thrown into the railing behind him. The Therian had found Damea on the second floor of the prison structure. However, Touya had been overly zealous in getting his new found companion released from the prison. Upon completely decimating the bars of the cell, a spell trap had triggered and an explosion threw him backwards.

Damea had then come and pulled him to his feet and began running down the hall. It seemed like they had no specific direction, but with shouts soon following after them, they had no choice in which direction they went. To make things worse, the walls and structure of the stone building began to change. Touya had a terrible feeling beginning to rise at the back of his mind. He was running on his own then, following after Damea who seemed to have a better sense of direction.

"I don't like this," he announced to the human ahead of him.

"Yeah, was just beginning to feel the same..."

"Shit."

They continued through the halls, halting when walls suddenly appeared before them and turning down hall ways that were opened up for them instead. Touya figured they were being led somewhere, where though, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he didn't like where they were going in the least. Even as the walls shifted and cut off the guards that were after them weren't a blessing so much as it was frightening. Who ever was doing it to them wanted something from them.

The walls shifted again and a hallway opened up, leading to a set of double doors at the end. Light shone through telling the Therian that it would lead them outside. He was cautious to go there, but the sounds of boots coming down the hallway behind them gave them no other choice. He bumped into Damea who had stopped and pushed the man forward.

"Keep going," he growled at Damea.

"But... Touya..."

"Just go!"

The double doors burst open for them as they crashed into them and both immediately came to a halt. Touya's eyes fell upon the single human that stood outside barring their way to the gates of freedom. He had figured something would happen, but he didn't think it would be a single man to stand in their way. The man flexed his arms and rolled his shoulders showing off his well muscled tone and the heavy looking gauntlets on his arms.

"The Warden..." Damea whispered.

Touya looked to him with an eyebrow raised but didn't as as to what Damea meant. Instead he turned and put himself before the human and reached back to his lower back. He pulled out the folded steel from their sheaths slowly. With a hard flick of his wrists, both blades unfolded quickly, snapping together loudly until the two weapons were completely straightened and deadly, one of which being a bit larger and different in design on the pommel. Touya took up a stance that clearly said he was ready for a fight. He was determined to get out of that prison with Damea and nothing was going to get in his way. He frowned though as he thought about what he was going to do. April would be angry with him he was sure. It was decided then that he wouldn't kill the human, only incapacitate him.

"Get out of the way," Touya growled hoping that it would at least put the human in unease and think twice about his actions. It was a long shot, but the only one he had.



His blade was across his legs as he sat next to the fire with a sharpening stone, cloth and oil. The steel rang as he ran the stone across the edge in a slow but meticulous fashion. The fire was warm against his skin, even though it was the middle of the day, and he was completely in trance with what he was doing. He didn't see Gretta or the bowl of soup that was set next to him until the fire suddenly stirred and the woman's voice filled the air.

"When do you leave, Val?"

"Tomorrow morning," he answered immediately.

"Where are you going?"

"A little town called Shaatra. Word has it that they just received a new shipment of technological equipment. The newest inventions that the larger cities have just recently created. I don't know what it is yet, but I'm sure it will serve us well. We need all that we can get to make what we need. There are too many wounded who cannot use their weapons properly without treatment. The children need it too," Val twisted the sword around in his hand after answering and then set the stone aside. With the cloth in hand he oiled the blade.

"Who will you be taking with you?"

"Only a small amount of Therian's this time, Gretta. No need to worry. I won't put them in unnecessary danger, not this time," his voice was hard as he answered her.

Turning, Gretta put her hand on his shoulder, "You're putting too much blame on yourself. The blame lies with the humans who started this whole thing in the first place. They are responsible for our peoples deaths. Not us. We didn't want this when we came here. We didn't want to be called 'faceless' or be hunted down. That is not our fault! You must remember that."

"Oh, I remember, Gretta. I remember it clearly. They killed my wife, my family. I lost everything just because we are 'different' and they don't understand us. I won't ever forget. Ever."

Val looked up from the blade, his dark eyes reflected the fire light, a cold look deep in their depths.

---

---

"Get out of the way," demanded the silver-haired man. Swords snapped together in a gesture of cold awareness as he regarded the warden severely.

Stephan’s smirk pulled into a wide grin of anticipation upon seeing Touya’s response. Standing over two-dozen feet away, the warden radiated an intimidating aura. Stark and as rigidly constructed as the concrete that composed the prison’s walls, the warden cast an imposing shadow with his image alone. An indomitable giant whose shoulders seemed to span the width of the gateway, Stephan’s hairdo was a clean cut crop of black hair. Dressed in his elaborate, navy blue guard uniform, he almost looked professional. Any hint of compassion was instantly foiled by the preposterously large gauntlets encasing his fists however. Decorated with the skeletal remains of his past opponents, Stephan liked to project a very clear emotion within his opponents, and that emotion was dread.

With a mysterious wave he signaled to the numerous guards observing them. Whether this meant to stand down, withdraw or something more nefarious, only the prison employees would know. Quite a crowd had gathered to watch the proceedings, some of them visibly excited. This was amongst the best entertainment that Glendale prison offered. Brutal, violent and unrestricted, they howled their approval, erupting cheers from the sidelines. Others chuckled scornfully, casting their bets on the likely winner. The debilitated youth or a heavy weight boxing champion, the tally was shockingly one-sided.

“Good day boys,” Stephan started, leveling his emerald gaze at the duo. “I’m pleased that you were so prompt in heading my summons.”

It was an obvious reference to their previous goading, like lab rats caught in a maze. Knowing you were being manipulated was a deplorable feeling and Stephan clearly liked to rub in the fact. Grinning, Stephan extended his powerful arms out, biceps the size of watermelons.

“You see boys. We here at Glendale prison have an open policy. Seeing as there are simply too many riff-raff to jail these days, the city council has given us permission to go about our duties as we see fit!” he shouted, pronouncing the sentence as though he done so hundreds of times, “And so, with our prisons filled to capacity, we don’t mind if a few prisoners try to escape on their own. On the contrary, we welcome it! I mean, might as well have a little fun right?!”

More howling and jeers echoed from the walls, a dreadful commotion of ridicule. Basking in the light of his audience, Stephan looked around appreciatively before taking in Touya and Damea’s appearances. One was adorned in oriental palettes that highlighted the discoloration of pupils. The other looked barely fit for combat. Stephan’s eyes took note of the cracks that coated the surface of Touya’s silver bracers in particular, listing it as a potential exploit. “But, we can’t completely neglect our duties of course. What sort of irresponsible folk would that make us? We have a duty to rehabilitate you criminal scum! And so, every prisoner who wants to escape has to come through me.”

A hushed silence fell over the prison, a baited sense of apprehension filling the congregation. It was a signal that things were about to begin. Raising his right gauntlet, Stephan pointed towards half a skull that rest on the back of his wrist, “Sadly, the kids these day are spineless. The last pathetic sod who tried escaping died screaming as I tore him limb from limb. You’re the first people to attempt a breakout in four months lads.”

Jerking his chin over his shoulder, Stephan indicated to the iron gates behind him. “Take one last look at freedom boys. If you can beat me, I’ll allow you to leave safely. If you can’t, you die in whatever fashion I deem suitable.”

Without warning, the warden launched himself forwards with a roar of blood lust. The sudden burst left a dust cloud in his wake as boots pounded with mini thunder claps over the dirt avenue. Perhaps it was more accurate to describe Stephan’s approach as an unstoppable stampede for it certainly felt like it. The ground shook with his advance, but by far the most frightening sight was the faintly ominous glow that emanated from his gauntlets now.

The man before them began speaking, his voice rising and falling with a practiced motivational speech. Or rather, a speech meant to rile the crowd and goad his own purposes. Touya had had a bad feeling about where they had been led. The gates he now saw behind the man were not the same ones he'd gotten into the prison by. He was on a different side of the complex and this made him even more wary. Especially since Reginald was outside of the prison waiting for him.

Fingers tightened around the hilts of his swords, a slight throbbing began to pulse through the backs of his hands. The Therian caught the man's green gaze shooting down to inspect his opponent, catching sight of Touya's hands. It was hardly an injury he could hide and he grit his teeth as the man's smile notably grew larger.

The proposition, defeat the one standing before him in order to gain freedom from the prison. Lose and he and Damea were dead by however means the sadistic Warden saw fit. Touya wasn't about to let that happen, but he knew it was going to be very difficult. There was no bargaining either, it seemed for just as Touya was beginning to think of something to offer (a fight in which if Touya won by whatever means, Damea could go free), was wiped clear from his mind as the Warden lunged at him.

Startled by the speed and the sudden glowing of the massive gauntlets, Touya hardly had enough time to react. He reached back and shoved Damea out of the way, getting him clear so that he could fight the Warden properly. As he pushed Damea, he swung with his other sword and pivoted around the charging man who resembled a bull in many ways. The swing was with his bad side and had less power than he'd hoped. The vibration stung his hand and arm and jerked his wound, giving him a slight burn across his chest.

Touya ignored it as best he could and prepared himself for the next assault. It seemed that taking this man lightly would most definitely get Touya killed. The Therian pulled both blades up in a manner that suggested he'd gotten quite serious about the fight. One blade was held up higher, near his shoulder, the other down down and held horizontally across his body. He had little energy to call upon his magic, so Touya was reliant only on his skill with his swords then.

He rushed the man, hoping that he could catch the warden off guard as he'd parried the last attack. For one so large, the man moved so quickly. Touya half wondered if he was faster than the Warden because of his smaller size. He hoped so, otherwise things were going to be much harder. As he got close, he pulled the horizontal blade outwards and swiped at the man, then followed right after with the other blade, jabbing straight out aiming for the Warden's shoulder and intending to drag his blade downwards through his muscle.

The sudden burst of speed was astonishing, but not entirely unexpected. Besides, Stephan had never intended to properly hit the boy with such an obvious attack anyway. Snarling, the warden wheeled on his heel with surprising dexterity in response to Touya’s initial swing. Their respective weapons bounced of one another with a percussive resonance, but it was not just the gauntlets alone that seemed to deflect the sword. An exterior force initiated the moment Touya’s blade came into range, altering the trajectory with an invisible compulsion. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Touya danced away nimbly, regaining some measure of distance.

“Magnetic manipulation,” Stephan explained, confident that it the odds were stacked in his favour. The warden circled around Touya as the man stood with his swords crossed over his body, “Nothing fancy, but enough to disrupt the direction of objects.”

Whether or not his opponent heard him, Stephan had not the time to consider as Touya surged at him. Quick as the man was, Stephan saw the attack from a mile away and counteracted appropriately. The first strike came like a quick draw and swiped at his stomach with near blistering speeds. Stephan caught the slash by rotating his left palm. Once again his magnetic magic reacted intuitively, skewing the blade harmlessly. This was only a distraction however, the real blow came afterwards. Aimed at his shoulder, Touya followed through with his other blade, thrusting the tip forwards with a vicious stab.

Stephan lurched, his right fist too slow to effectively stop the blade. It cut into his shoulder, drawing a purple gash across his navy blue uniform. “Fast,” Stephan grinned, “But now you’re in my range lad.”

Abruptly, the blue glow surrounding his gauntlets faded, enabling Stephan to grip the blade near his shoulder. This distance was perfect for a brawler like him. A violent tug aimed to drag the boy closer whilst the warden simultaneously smack his knee upwards. Far from done, Stephan’s left fist came crashing side wards, a veritable fist of iron that would snap bones and demolish limbs.

It was partially startling to find that his thrust forward had hit its mark, however, the after effect of the attack wasn't what he wanted. Touya felt his heart lurch to his throat as the Warden grinned at him and grabbed the blade in his shoulder. A sharp pull brought the Therian downwards and closer to the larger man. The air was knocked from his lungs immediately after as a sharp knee to his stomach nearly dropped him. Had the Warden not been holding him up, he would have crumpled to the ground from the blow.

Already winded and frozen from the pain, he had no time to move his body from the next attack. Touya was lucky that the large gauntlets were hard to aim with otherwise the blow to his side would have most definitely killed him. Even so, the gauntlet just barely brushing his side did a hell of a lot of damage. Blood choked out from his mouth, hitting the dirt before him in a splatter. He was sure a few ribs were broken or fractured. His body lost all strength and the fingers of his right hand lost their grip on his sword. The blade fell to the ground, useless to the battered Therian.

"Touya!" The scream of fear came from Damea who had been pushed off to the side. Touya had nearly forgotten about him. Silently he hoped that Damea would't do anything rash during the fight. Touya was far from done. At the back of his mind he wondered if April would have yelled for him at that moment as well. He doubted it,and pushed aside the degrading thought to focus more on the fight.

He lifted his head slowly and glared at the Warden who still held him up with the remaining blade lodged in his shoulder. He wasn't about to show weakness to his enemy, not then, not ever. Touya defiantly spat blood at the Warden while his free arm activated. Whether or not the whirling sound of his weapon got the Wardens attention or not didn't matter to Touya. The three elongated blades smoothly came out of his forearm as he growled at the man.

"You're in my range as well," Touya slashed at him with his arm, aiming for the Wardens open abdomen.

---

---

When Touya had shoved him aside he felt fear immediately for the Therian. Again he wondered why Touya had come to get him. Was it really just because he had wanted a question answered? There seemed to be much more about the man then Damea thought he knew. Whatever it was, Damea was certain that a fight would kill the Therian regardless. It was painful to watch the first attack, then the second with Touya closing the distance between them.

It was then that Damea felt terror wash through him. Touya took two direct hits as far as the fire mage could tell. He screamed, yelling for the Therian. His eyes caught Touya's blade drop from his fingers of his right hand. He didn't know what to do, but he couldn't just stand there and watch his friend get brutally killed before him. Damea rushed forward,dropped to the ground and rolled over the blade picking it up as he went. There was no fire around for him to manipulate and he couldn't fight without a weapon, so Touya's sword was his best shot.

He leapt to his feet on the other side of the Warden and Touya with the blade in hand. The weapon was heavier than he was used to and he idly wondered how Touya wielded such a sword. Hefting it with both hands whereas Touya used one, he charged the Warden and slashed downward as hard as he could.

Stephan eyes widened in stunned amazement as gears whirred and Touya's claws snapped out of his bracers. "A faceless..." was all the warden had time to observe before Touya's blades scythed downwards in an arc of death.

Still shocked by the discovery, Stephan's reaction was slow. So fast was the combat now that even the audience barely seemed to register the sudden change in Touya. Unable to activate his magnetic reflection, the warden dropped everything and stumbled backwards as the razor claws chased after him, whistling in the air. Just barely did he manage to raise his gauntlets in time to prevent himself from being disemboweled. Sparks flew from the distribution of sheer power, forcing the warden back a further step.

Recovering his footing, Stephan smirked triumphantly at Touya. He had weathered the surprise attack, now victory was assured. Starting forwards, he raised his gauntlets up in a defensive position.

"That's a very interesting set of claws you have ther....."

Damea's blade finally hit home, landing a visceral cut all along Stephan's back. The warden howled at the burning sensation, pain flaring all across his spine. Instinctively, he lashed out and viciously smacked away the sword that had harmed his so. His shoulders heaved as he worked to contain the agony that threatened to break him composure. Screams filled the audience as they shouted their disapproval, this was not obviously what they expected. Some even began to pitch litter, yelling derogatory names towards the therian.

"That...was very rude," Stephan growled, silence the crowds with his tone. Abruptly his smirk broadened into a cruel expression, "Bring in the the one we found!"

Strangely, his last comment was not directed at Touya or Damea. Rather, it was directed at the several of the guards who resided over the gate tower. Arms folded, they nodded acknowledgements and disappeared into the tower's doorway before briskly reemerging with a man carried between them. Feet dragging across the ground, a beaten Reginald was shoved into the view.

"We found this one trying to break in through this gate," Stephan remarked snidely, wiping his nose. Of course Stephan had ordered his men to dissect their surroundings for accomplices, what idiot would not? Something cylindrical was tossed in the air to Stephan and he caught it neatly, using his gauntlets like giant mitts. "Smoke bombs eh? Is that how you thought you were going to break out? Nobody breaks into Glendale alone, and certainly nobody escapes."

Adjusting the slouch in his posture, Stephan looked between Touya and Damea. "You know how this goes. You only have one option, drop the weapons and submit to us," he barked, "I'm not about to let a faceless scum escape justice."
The Warden backed off as soon as Touya had pulled his weapons out of the bracer. He swiped at the man, but missed as the Warden back peddled away from him just in time. However, as he was commenting on Touya's weaponry, Damea had done something that the Therian hadn't expected. Wielding Touya's sword, Damea had slashed at the Warden and dealt a good deal of damage to him as well.

The Warden, in turn, whirled around and knocked the blade from Damea's hands, growling at them both. Touya had dropped to one knee at this point, too battered to stay standing any longer. His breath was heavy in his chest as he knelt there watching the Warden carefully. With the wound, Touya might have had a chance to kill the man. He was beginning to formulate a plan on how to finish things quickly when the call to bring someone else along filled the air.

All the while, Touya had been ignoring the derogatory names that had been shouted at him the moment it was known that he was a Therian. His gaze followed the Warden's and he witnessed Reginald, beaten and ruffed up, brought out for all to see. His heart plummeted then and he felt a sickness filling his stomach. April was going to have his head as soon as she found out that their grand scheme to free Damea had utterly failed. Not to mention that he'd gotten Reginald, her subordinate into trouble as well.

He didn't catch what was thrown to the Warden, but the words 'smoke bomb' were most interesting to him. Touya wondered what that was, but didn't linger on the thoughts as the Warden turned to him and Damea then. Drop his weapon and surrender? Usually Touya would have refused, but what was he going to do in his state? Not to mention the man before him held both Damea and Reginald's lives in the palm of his hand. The Therian ground his teeth together, the taste of blood still in his mouth.

"You want a Therian? You can have one. On one condition. You release them, Damea and the other you caught. They've nothing to do with this and he was wrongly accused to begin with," Touya nodded to Damea who stood there with shocked eyes and mouth opened wide in disbelief, "Do that, or you won't get your 'justice'," Touya growled back and flipped his blade around, pressing the cold tip of his sword against his own throat. If all else failed, he could refuse all together and continue fighting the Warden, but he hoped that the man would at least agree to his proposition.
"Hmph," the warden snorted, "I heard your people killed a company worth of our soldiers after you invaded our city. Is that how you faceless greet everyone? Invade their cities and then back stab them?"

Stephan glanced idly at the blade against Touya's neck. "You're not very bright are you faceless? Kill yourself if you want, but know that doing so won’t do a shred of good in averting the grizzly fates of your friends. All of you will be taken in. It just a question of whether we'll be taking in corpses or people."

Looking around, his gaze indicated he meant both Damea and Reginald. "Especially you," he smirked, jerking his chin towards Damea, "You must know something, or they wouldn't have gone to all this effort to free you. I repeat, surrender now."

With another wave, the guards posted along the walls and interior withdrew their batons, creating a unanimous clattering of clubs.

"Unfortunately, that's not a smoke bomb," rang a voice, slightly smoky but resonating with a rich boom. A silhouette rose over the wall, moving with surgical precision, their figure indistinguishable but undoubtedly feminine in structure.

No sooner had the words been spoken did the 'smoke bomb' in Stephan's hands explode into a concussive shower of white light. Emitting an intensely loud bang, the blindness which followed only lasted the whole of a few seconds. The ringing and headaches however, that would last over a good hour. More cylindrical canisters rolled into the clearing before popping into clouds of smoke, filling the air with thick, gray smog. Confusion erupted across the field as Stephan staggered uncertainly, legs buckling to support his considerable frame in the direct aftermath of the stun grenade. With one hand held against his face, the warden searched for his prisoners to no avail. They were already gone.

His eyes glared at the Warden that continued to threaten him. The cold steel against his throat trembled as he thought about what he wanted to do to get back at the man. However, he figured that the Warden’s words were every bit the truth and therefore killing himself was going to do nothing for his two companions. Slowly he pulled his weapon away from his throat.
Touya was about to admit defeat, to throw down his weapon and surrender himself into the mercy of the Warden before him. If only to save Reginald and Damea. All the while at the back of his mind he was thinking of how he was going to get out of this situation. His thoughts were centered around giving his own life in payment for screwing up so badly. That at least should appease April, right? Well, that’s what he thought anyway.

Then another voice joined the din of the crowd and a second later, the ‘bomb’ exploded and following after it several more exploded in the area. Touya was blinded, unable to see anything and his throat was tight. He froze, unable to figure which way was up suddenly. In reaction to the explosions, his hands reached up and grasped his head in pain from the blinding light. Smoke filled the area and all that Touya could make out were his hands a few inches before his face.

A strong hand gripped his arm and dragged him to his feet. He didn’t know which way they were going, but who ever had him were running quickly. Once they were clear of the smoke the one who was dragging him was Damea. Somehow they had made it through the gates of the prison and out into the open. However, Touya’s body was giving out and he couldn’t keep up with Damea any longer. The world passed the gates swirled before him and he stumbled. The last thing he remembered was Damea’s face close to his, mis-matched eyes wide with concern, then darkness.

---

Touya opened his eyes again to be staring up at a ceiling and lying sprawled on his back once more. How many times was this going to happen to him? He sighed heavily and pushed himself up only to wince in pain and fall back completely. His arm snaked across his chest and gripped his side tightly. Touya’s fingers brushed against fresh, soft bandage that wrapped around his entire chest. Looking down, he eyed his battered body. He was without his shirt this time and his entire upper chest was wrapped in white bandage.

Unfortunately from his movement was sure to have messed up any work that Reginald had done for him. He sighed and lay back, pushing his hand through his hair. This was definitely getting old, waking up in a terrible state of incapacitation. He needed to get his body back to its original state. Touya rolled off to his side slowly and pushed his body upwards that way. Even though it was still painful to do so, he managed to get up all the same.

The room he was in was different from April’s home and so he figured that they’d gone elsewhere. Of course, ‘where’ exactly was lost on Touya. He didn’t even know if it was the same day or not. He doubted it. Touya pushed off the bed and stood up. He made his way to the door and pushed it open. First thing first, he had to find Damea and Reginald.