Shyc hardly moved as he felt hands grasp the collar of his shirt and haul him up to his feet. He didn't put up a fight, nor did he really stand on his own either. It probably made it hard to hold him up, but he really didn't care. At first, Shyc thought that it was Raze who had picked him up, but when he hit the tree, and his arm was lifted up and inspected, he realized that this was not the case. Raze wouldn't have known where he'd been injured just a moment before. The boy was covered in blood head to foot and to know a specific place of a wound would be impossible.

Unless you were the one who gave the wound.

Shyc turned his head slightly and looked into the gaze of the man who'd stopped the daemon part of him from running rampant and destroying everything he held closely. Had he not stepped in to the fight, Shyc most certainly would have killed his 'family'. Shyc reached up with one hand slowly and gripped the other's arm that held him up against the tree. He could feel his own trembling as he wrapped his fingers around the forearm that was still as stone.

"You want to know," Shyc said softly, his voice shaking slightly. The burn of tears hadn't gone away and as he blinked slowly, a small stream of the salty liquid streaked down the side of his dirt and blood stained face. A short laugh and a very small smile followed as his grip tightened a bit on the arm.

"I'm not human."

A small gasp filled the air as Sakura's voice followed after his. He didn't look over to her, too caught up in his own darkened thoughts. Lifting his head up, he rested it against the tree though his bright green eyes still watched the man holding him. Overhead, what little of the sky that could be seen had turned dark and a crack of thunder followed soon after. The breeze turned icy, carrying the smell of heavy rains.

"Shyc..." Sakura breathed. She was probably far too shocked to think of anything else. Shyc didn't blame her. He wasn't going to blame any of them really. He shouldn't have stayed as long as he had with them. Hell, he shouldn't have even joined up with the group to begin with. Shyc knew that he was dangerous to those around him.

"Why don't you finish it? You probably could, couldn't you? Whatever was on your blade stopped him, that means you could stop both of us. Doesn't it? Maybe you can end this nightmare of mine," as he spoke he shifted his gaze to Raze, more tears gathering and falling. He couldn't stop, and his babbling was sure to do the trick, wasn't it. Make them fear me, make them hate me, make them wish I wasn't here, it's worked in the past. Should work again... right? He was trying to convince himself, but it wasn't working very well.

"Living in fear every day that I might turn on them for no reason at all. Something happens and I lose control. It's so easy to lose control sometimes. It's so hard to keep it a secret and I just can't keep doing this anymore. Please, would you end it?"

"Shyc! No one's blaming you for anything. It's alright if it was a secret. I've kept a secret from you all as well." Sakura said, trying to calm him, but instead doing the opposite.

"I'm part Daemon!!" he screamed, "Doesn't that tell you anything! I'm a monster! I'm a killer! Murderer! I've massacred thousands of people! And I enjoyed it! This is nothing close to your secrets that you keep. I could kill you, all of you and I wouldn't care. That's what I am. Don't you understand?"

"But... you're crying... That means you do care, Shyc," she said, the sadness in her voice very clear.

He ground his teeth, but didn't say anything else. The only thing he could hope for is the man in front of him to do as he'd asked. Shyc wouldn't fight back, or hinder him in anyway. Even so, as he thought about welcoming a dark and lonely death, his gaze shot over to Raze. Maybe... maybe I'll get lucky.

It hadn't been long for the half-elf and the princess to dash off towards the continuing battle that Shyc was occupied with, leaving the drakaani alone with the Shade. "Oh, come on! How come I have to be the one to babysit this girly man?" Nahvariik called out towards the two, however his words had landed on deaf ears as the words blended away from the clashing of steel.

Looking down at the unconscious fellow, he knew that he couldn't just beat the man with his arm again, even though that was quite fun, since he was self-cleaning and/or magical. Nahvariik also knew that he just couldn't leave him there because of the chance of the Shade running off back to wherever he came from if he regained his responsiveness to the surrounding area.

But the crazy dragon-man had an idea. Why not bring him along?

However, Nahavriik wasn't up for the idea of carrying the man on a shoulder, or dragging him around. Oh, that would be unlike him...

With a sly smile escapping from his maw, and as crafty as he could be, he made his actions like a surgeon. A barbaric sort of surgeon. With a pull here and a twist there, Nahvariik had accomplished something that no sane man would ever stumble across in their minds.

But Nahvariik was no sane man, for he was not a regular, humpty dumpty, run-of-the-mill human man. He was a Man, a Dragon-Man...

The Shade was now in the form of a backpack, his legs and arms "surgically" broken and knotted up to make straps for Nahvariik to wear him as such, the pansy wizard's head facing away from the drakaani's neck.

---

After having his little fun-time with the shade, Nahvariik had entered the edge of the battlefield, his breastplate and swords not on his body, and observed Shyc standing, somehow unhurt from his injuries. Nahvariik had watched him get a sword go through him, so why was he not dead? However, instead of Duun soldiers that he had anticipated, there was only one other fighter on the field, a man with such cold demeanor that held around him like a wet towel.

It was only seconds later that Shyc had fell to this one man's blade, and Raze and the girl were forming a defensive position next to their comrade, and Raze had already skipped the pleasantries and spitting out death threats, though they didn't do much since the stranger had the balls to walk past Raze and pull the young roguish man to his feet.

They were mostly too busy arguing among themselves to notice Nahvariik approaching them, and as an attempt of good measure to make sure they know of his presence, the drakaani reached towards the lowest branch of the nearest tree, and snapping it from the main trunk with an explosive crack once his hands closed around one that he liked.

With a strong bellow, his voice deepened with seriousness, Nahvariik called out towards them, officially announcing his arrival. "You, whoever you are, take a step away from the idiot. If you don't identify yourself, or you even think about hurting him, I will personally shove this branch so far up your ass that you might as well call yourself Johnny Appleseed. Raze, if you even think about trying to attack him before I get answers, then you might be the one who gets manhandled," before pausing in his statement for a second or two. "You have two options. One, you provide answers and we be civilized folk, or Two, you get a stick rammed up your ass. Your choice, stranger."

---

---

Despite his many many years of military experience, he had never once came across someone so foolish as to neglect the threats of someone so easily. Razeluxe couldn't entirely comprehend what was happening, even if the very event was simple. Was he not threatening in the least to this man? Surely someone was not that foolish as to believe that he could do whatever he so pleased without consequence. This man apparently thought he was joking. His skills with the blade, no matter how good, were meaningless if he was an idiot. Razeluxe was not going to waste even a moment to execute this bold man.

Well, that was the plan at least.

The heavy steps of non other than Nahv caught Razeluxe's attention, and he could not help but turn his head to see what the guy had been up to recently. As Nahv approached them, Raze raised his eyebrow at whatever it was wrapped around him. Upon further inspection, however, he recognized exactly what it was. Maybe if this situation was not serious, he might've given a small chuckle and a 'had to transport him someway' to the appearance, but now was not such a time. Of course, this was when Nahv was still a decent distance away, so instead of relying on the beast to assist him, he'd do away with this cocky foe in one swipe. Like you would expect from the soldier, he was not kidding around and was not intending to delay the strike, but because he wasn't some brute, the conversation brought up caught his interest, and his blade was not immediately set to use. Razeluxe listened, his sword ready to plunge into the man's abdomen as soon as he so wished it, as Shyc began to break down. From the glances he was getting from the young boy, he'd been hiding this on the assumption Razeluxe might've done something drastic like kill him or kick him from the group. Razeluxe realized he did not tell people the specifics of his past, or actively give out his likes and dislikes or his pet-peeves, but from the time they spent together, he should have known better. Of everything about this situation, the only thing that Shyc had done to piss Raze off was not have any trust in him.

As Shyc finished and glanced once more to his leader, he received a glare. At the moment, Razeluxe did not particularly mind if he was to misinterpret what it meant, he'd at least punish the punk that much. But for now, the man holding Shyc against the tree had signed his death warrant. He was given more than enough chances to retreat while he had the ability, and he decided to outright ignore this. The pain that the man felt as his back was pierced by the blade was likely sharp......

...or so it should have been.

*CRACK*

As Nahv dismembered a rather large branch from a nearby tree, Razeluxe managed to halt. The huge man approached them with the branch equipped and a voice booming. "You, whoever you are, take a step away from the idiot. If you don't identify yourself, or you even think about hurting him, I will personally shove this branch so far up your ass that you might as well call yourself Johnny Appleseed. Raze, if you even think about trying to attack him before I get answers, then you might be the one who gets manhandled,"

To this, Raze couldn't help but scowl and cluck his tongue. The utter lack of respect to an opponent determined that this man was fated to die, now, but apparently Nahv wanted to be more civil, regardless of the apparent meaningless of such an approach. However, perhaps due to the man-pack that Nahv was wearing, the young elf figured backing off for now was a wise choice. Razeluxe took a quick step backwards, away from this unknown man to give them some space, obviously displeased at his chance being taken from him, but clearly showing his willingness to at least wait.

---

Shyc felt the heavy arm remove itself, lowering him slightly back on his feet though he was still up against the tree. The cold air bit at his skin that wasn't covered by his clothes, it also seemed to freeze the stains that covered him head to foot. He breathed out heavily, watching in an almost shocked face as the man just walked away. Shyc ground his teeth slightly, but then realized that now he had someone else to deal with.

Raze.

And he hadn't looked at all happy about the situation. Not to mention the cold, deadly, glare he'd received not but a few moments ago. The memory sent a shiver down his spine. He almost couldn't bare to look at the elf, so he stood stock still, with his gaze on the dark forest floor.

Despite his rude exit from the 'stage', the man's leave was quite welcome to the half-breed, who, although a bit agitated at the man, was not particularly fond of the idea of having the rest of those men behind them get the guts to engage again. With the strongest warrior of theirs backing off, it wasn't surprising the man-pack was terrifying the other men, who pretended like the Shade wasn't familiar to them and only gave scared glances at it's backpack form. Razeluxe had to admit that when it came to intimidation, Nahv was second to none.

But he had a more important target to fixate his attention on. One that, despite the time and trust Razeluxe himself had placed on the young man, did not do the same. Shyc was casting his glance downwards in shame, and this only upset the leader of their group furthermore. He took two quick steps to close the distance between himself and Shyc, and immediately gave the man a light slap. It probably wasn't the most pleasant feeling, what with Raze's reliance on his arms in fights, but it certainly didn't knock the young man out.

"A Daemon?! Part Daemon?! And why the hell haven't you told us about this, Shyc?!" his words were about as cold as his glare, and if anyone had seen Raze this upset before, it had definitely been quite a while. Needless to say, he wasn't particularly happy at the moment.

Shock pulsed through his frame as the hand landed across his cheek, tossing his head off to the side a bit. With eyes wide and his breath hitched in his throat, he couldn't quite comprehend what had happened. Then Raze's voice came, following after the slap across the theifs face. It wasn't until the elf had yelled at him that the boy finally met his angry gaze.

"I... I'm sorry, Raze," he looked away again but shook his head and tried not to avoid eye contact as best he could, "I didn't- I wasn't sure. It wasn't really something that I could just say to you. It's not like it would have ever come up in conversation. I... suppose I was afraid," he muttered the last part.

"What'd you think was going to happen if you told us?" Razeluxe questioned, but gave no room to answer. "Have I not appeared as though I'm trustworthy or accepting?" the soldier sighed dramatically and clentched both of his fists.

"Do you take me for someone who can discriminate, Shyc?"

Slowly he shook his head. His chest was tight, guilt holding tightly to his lungs and making it hard to breathe, "No," he answered to all of the questions given, shaking his head at the same time, "No. You're not someone to do that, I know that. I couldn't help it though."

He took a deep breath, "What can I do? Will you forgive me, for not telling you?"

Razeluxe took a moment to glance over Shyc. Although that task was very difficult considering the boy was covered in about 3 people's worth of blood, from head to toe. However, with his expert eye (and probably moreso because the boy didn't seem to act injured), he deduced that the boy wasn't in life-threatening danger. When he was sure of this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't need to ask me to forgive you, you need to apologize to all of these others who were concerned when you had a blade thrust through your stomach." he replied with the edge of his tone dulling considerably. He then added, "But if you do something like that again, I'll have to mimic Nahv here and wear you as a backpack for a couple of days."

He probably wasn't kidding about that either.

"Now hurry up and cheer up. You're supposed to be the happy-go-lucky one of the bunch, but all I've seen lately is anger or depression." Finally, the half-elf placed his hand on Shyc's head and ruffled his hair as a show that he wasn't going to keep a grudge over this.

His face turned red as he listened to Raze explain how he was supposed to make it up to the others. Shyc had forgotten that he'd taken a sword through his body, the start of this whole thing. Bitting his lip he flicked his gaze over to Sakura who was still on her knees watching them with an interested expression on her face. Yeah, that's sure to put people on edge he thought to himself.

Then the threat came and he glanced over to Nahv who had somehow managed to get the Shade on his back. Shyc's face paled then and he stuttered a bit, "R-Raze..." A hand fell on his head right after, playing with his hair and he jumped just a bit, one eye closing. Finally he smiled, a small laugh coming from him.

"Alright, I will."

Sakura smiled at him from where she sat, "You don't have to apologize to me. You're alright now," she said and Shyc nodded slightly. That left the others to deal with. Would Nahv even need an apology? He didn't seem like one to really worry about others, but Shyc supposed he would anyway.

"What now? Duun's King kinda did start a fight with us," he muttered softly, glancing around the forest.

Sakura stood then, moving to where they were talking, "We head back to Iverien," her gaze shifted over to Raze where it stayed as she talked, "My mother will want to see me."

"M-mother?!" Shyc replied, his voice sharp. Is this what I missed earlier?

"Yes, sorry Shyc. I'm Princess Sakura Dieriean. And the best course of action right now is to return to Iverien where I can talk to my mother," she offered a small smile.

Shyc sighed, running a hand through his dirty hair, "And I thought I was trouble..."

---

Three days later: Kindom of Iverien



The closer they'd gotten to Iverien, the quieter Sakura became. She knew what was waiting for her there and though Raze had assured her that he would fight for her, she already knew the outcome. There was no getting out of being locked away again, there just wasn't. No matter how much he fought or anyone else fought, it would only make things worse. Her smiles and laughter faded away completely as they entered the forest that was just outside of the city. Sakura trudged along with them, her eyes focused on the ground before her and before she knew it, they'd passed through the city gates.

The guards there were either stupid or not paying attention for they didn't notice her. Then again, not many guards or people knew about her existence to begin with. Her mother had made sure of that. The only thing that would give her away was the mark on her forehead which was currently covered by her long tresses of black, silky hair. Sakura hardly lifted her gaze at all as they passed through the streets. She didn't do anything really, until they entered the palace courtyard.

Then chaos erupted.

"Princess!" A shout rang out across the yard and the double doors flew open as her Mother came striding out in haste a few minutes afterwards. Looking up, she saw the rage on the Queen's pale features as her gaze landed on Raze and the others behind him. Sakura could feel the tension, could feel the order before it was even issued and she whirled around to face Raze as her Mother's sharp voice snapped out.

"Seize them!"

Guards rushed forward and took hold of Nahv, Raze and Shyc. All three were dropped down to their knees, arms held up by two men on either side. Sakura rushed forward to the Queen.

"Mother! Let them go, they didn-"

A hard slap crossed her face, knocking her down to the cobblestones and out of the way of the woman who was dressed in vibrant golds and greens. A coppery taste filled her mouth as she could feel her skin had been split open by the rings that were on her Mother's fingers. Stunned as well as shocked, Sakura couldn't move for a moment. Her breath wheezed in and out of her lungs as she struggled to comprehend how she'd ended up on the ground like that.

"My lady, there's another in the cart!" a guards voice shouted out.

"Bring them as well," she growled back as she reached over to one of the guards and drew their sword from the sheath on their hip.

The ringing steel brought Sakura to her senses. Turning over she saw the Queen hovering right over Raze with the blade pointed down at him. Sakura's heart lurched to her throat, making it hard to breathe. She hardly made out her Mother's words as she scrambled to her feet.

"You have guts to return here with my daughter in tow you filthy mercenary! What do you take me for, an idiot? I hired you to do your job without question, not threaten me by abducting my one and only daughter!"

Sakura moved quickly, rushing over to them as her Mother's arm drew the sword back in preparation to plunge the steel down into the elf's chest, "You should be hanged for this, be grateful I'm giving you a quick death, half-elf," the Queen hissed.

Shyc screamed, pulling against those that held him down but he couldn't get free and Sakura feared that she wouldn't make it. The princess lunged forward, her arms wrapping around Raze's neck as she came to a crashing halt on top of him, her voice screaming at her Mother.

"Don't!"

Cold steel halted against the back of her shoulder, tearing through the cloth and scratching the surface of her skin as the Queen pulled back so as not to run through her daughter.

"Move, Sakura, her Mother's voice was hard as stone.

"No," Sakura shifted, turning herself around so that she faced her mother but she still stayed in front of Raze, one hand on his leg the other griping his side as she knelt there in front of him. She was shaking but she wasn't going to move, no matter what. She bit her lip as she faced the woman who seemed to seethe even more from her defiance.

"Move!"

"They saved me!" Sakura shouted back, putting as much force into her voice as she could.

The Queen looked shocked, "Saved you? From what?"

"From the King of Duun... he... His men were after me. They..." turning, Sakura glanced back at Raze hoping that he would go along with what she was about to do, "They abducted me and brought me to Duun. Then, these mercenaries saved me from the King. If it weren't for them... I..."

The sound of steel hitting cobble stones rang through the air as the Queen stumbled backwards in shock. A single guard came up behind her to keep her steady on her feet. Sakura watched her Mother quietly as well as fearfully. Finally the woman seemed to regain her senses. Reaching up she ran her hands through her dark hair and sighed heavily. Looking over to the one that the guards dragged from the cart, Sakura eyed the Shade who was still unconscious, no doubt from having been turned into a sort of pack by Nahv.

"H-He was with Duun, he was the one who abducted me and tried to take me to the King," Sakura knew her lies may not be too solid, but there was some truth to the words.

The Queen eyed the unconscious Shade before jerking her head to the palace, "Lock him up, question him later," the woman settled her gaze on her daughter who was still gripping Raze tightly, "Take her to her bedroom, don't leave that room no matter what. She's not to come out for anything!"

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath as she could feel her nerves sky rocketing. A slight pain was beginning to fill her chest again and she winced slightly, "Mother... please I don't-" she stopped herself as the guards shifted. They released the mercenaries and two of them now hovered around her. One reached down to grip her upper arm gently but firmly.

"Don't argue. You'll hurt yourself. Go on now, we have some things to discuss," Sakura's Mother turned her attention to Raze as the princess was taken towards the castle.

---

---

As he had originally feared, the Queen took absolutely no time in misunderstanding the situation and not only Raze, but Shyc and Nahv were also threatened with execution. As you would expect from one of nobility, she left no room for defense on their side, and the couple times he attempted to speak, he was kneeded by one of either guards restraining him. Raze strained to look upwards at the queen as he held her blade to him. He always thought he would end up dying on the battlefield, not trying to explain a dire situation to his client, who happened to be royalty. If this proved anything, it was that life was unpredictable. You could be as healthy as you wanted and still die so suddenly. Well, at the very least, Sakura wouldn't have to worry about a dangerous lifestyle. Although, being a caged bird wasn't much better. If only he were able to even get a word in....

"You should be hanged for this, be grateful I'm giving you a quick death, half-elf,"

Razeluxe simply accepted his cruel fate wordless, knowing it was his choice to chance something like this. Things simply seemed to slow down, and in the long time it appeared to take, Razeluxe dropped his head as he waited for the strike to end him.

"Don't!" screamed a voice.

Dane felt a welcome warmth as he expected the blow to pierce him. He glanced upwards, almost stunned to see that the voice he instantly recognized as Sakura's, was actually Sakura's. It was not as if he thought Sakura did not like him, but going against her mother's wishes --- the Queen's wishes was something very, very bold to do, even for her own daughter. Yet, with her insistence and refusal to let him die, the Queen eventually relented as Sakura started up what Raze'd call a 'little white lie'. Though, then again, while the story that she was kidnapped was a false claim, they did technically rescue her but a few days ago. But most importantly, without a doubt, Raze wasn't willing to let the truth cost him his life. A little lie in the face of his survival was nothing. He almost eagerly nodded to show that this was the 'truth' when the Queen looked down upon him with... doubtful eyes. Either way, Sakura managed to sound just convincing enough for her to decide that it may not be best to execute Razeluxe anymore. That was more than enough.

When he was released, Razeluxe did not stand up, but instead rose to only one knee, bowing before the Queen. Respect here would hopefully keep her in a happy enough mood to not take his life, or the lives of either of his other companions. "Queen Dieriean, I must express my gratitude for sparing myself and my subordinates of your wrath." he began. He really wished he could word his concern about Sakura returning to her room at the moment, but reporting Duun's intentions at the moment was of greater importance, and likely the topic she'd be less likely to get upset about. Not that it was that great a topic either. "We've returned to inform you of possible covert plans against this kingdom by none other than the King of Duun."

Queen Dieriean watched as the guard took Sakura to the palace before turning her attention to the elf kneeling before her. Her lips were pursed in a deep frown as she glowered at him. Though Sakura had tempered her hand from running the blade through him, she was still irate. Slowly, the woman turned to face him fully and crossed her arms where one finger tapped against her upper arm as she listened to him.

“Your life is indebted to Sakura, who just so happened to manage to keep me from killing the lot of you,” the Lady Dieriean snapped at him then continued, “The King of Duun has always been doing something covert. I asked you to find out what it was this time that he was planning. It seems he wanted my daughter for some reason."

She began to pace, three steps at a time before turning to face the other direction again. She stopped suddenly, her gaze dropping down to Razeluxe again, “Tell me Razeluxe, is it true that he’d stolen her away? What did he want with her? How did you manage to get her back? Do be precise in the details,” she all but hissed between clenched teeth. It was hard to tell if she was angry at him, or angry at the fact that Duun’s King had managed to get their hands on the princess.

So she was not entirely convinced, it seemed. Upon reflection, leading a nation as large as this one would not be a task some fool could do properly, so expecting a lie such as that one to be seen through should've been obvious. However, making it believable was something Razeluxe could easily do, he'd had enough experience with this before. It was time to come up with some mother fucking truth. Aww yiss.

"I am afraid we're still unaware as to why they kidnapped her." Razeluxe explained. They still really did not obtain much from anyone they did manage to interrogate. Maybe the shade could have told them, but Nahv may have won an award for most inhumane way to carry a hostage, so he never really recovered enough to speak before now. "As far as I can say, we were simply lucky to stumble upon the party that had seized her at some point. As we set up camp in Hyrule Forest (OH GOD THE ORIGINALITY. ITS SO GREAT GOD I SHOULD WRITE BOOKS OR SOMETHING), a member of ours ran into their camp when searching for firewood, and a fight erupted from there. We weren't even aware that the woman we saved was of nobility until she decided to tell us."

“You stumbled upon her?” Lady Dieriean repeated his words slowly. She fell silent for a little while as she gazed at him, “You were attacked that night when one of your own went for firewood?”

“Yes,” Shyc’s voice cut in and she turned her icy gaze on him. The boy froze for a second before continuing as it seemed she was waiting, “I-I had gone. It was a group of mercenaries that attacked me. Said we were ‘too close’. We managed to fight back, despite being taken by surprise. Then we found her, right after they threatened us with Duun’s army killing all of us.”

“I see,” she mused, “So three days after you left here, you found my daughter. Exactly the same time that she went missing. Her nurse maid couldn’t find her that day, after you had left, Shyc Regailia.”

“I-“

Lady Dieriean turned away, pacing again, “It was chaotic that day, many things were going on. Did I slip somewhere,” she sounded to be talking to herself, “Who could have slipped in? You didn’t let anyone in with that cart of yours did you?” Her glare came back down to Raze again.

"I would think that confirming the loyalty of everyone in your palace more important at the moment than accusing us of the kidnapping, my Queen." Despite his harsh wording, he still kept a fairly polite tone, perhaps to irritate her more, but when it came to people he cared about rather than himself, he was a bit more unforgiving. "You could ask yourself what we would have to gain by what you're implying and find that because we have not demanded ransom and we ourselves have returned your daughter to you, you'll find we've only done things to your benefit." it was a bit of an aggressive approach, but letting her lead this conversation would only end with them being discovered. Not that they actually kidnapped her, but their story was... a little less believable, despite it being the truth.

Besides, they'd already lied to her. Turning back now was not going to end well, or so Raze figured (with good reason, considering his life was almost ended earlier).

"Like I had mentioned earlier, the fact we found her was merely luck. She was not even a full day away from the King's clutch's, where she was obviously headed."

The Queen ground her teeth visibly as he spoke. She caught the underlying tone. Razeluxe was no fool though, and covered it easily enough with his well spoken words. The Queen almost retrieved the fallen sword as he told her to look at her own palace rather than try to accuse them. The audacity she thought angrily.

Then he spoke of what they would gain from kidnapping her daughter and she stopped in the middle of her rant. She’d been about to strike him, taking a sharp step forward even, before halting. What would they gain? Nothing. She paid them already, a handsome amount as it was, what else could they possibly want. With the money she gave them, they could easily stay in the city, but they did not.

She retreated the step she’d taken forward, eyebrows drawn down with her eyes closed. Finally she relented, “You’ve made your point,” she said though her tone was still heavy with anger. Opening her gaze she looked to the three of them, “I don’t have any new orders for you at the moment,” she said as she reached over to one of the guards. With a simple motion of her fingers, he produced for her a small bag of coins, “For now, take this since you’ve done your job. I will send more later. You’re free to go back to your camp. Wait for your next orders, like usual.”

"As you wish."

Accepting the bag of coins, Razeluxe remained bowed until the Queen and her guards left, presumbably to go do Queen and Queen guard things. When they were out of sight, he finally stood up, his knee now tingling as he tried to wake it up. "Well," he began, glancing both at Shyc and Nahv. "We survived. That was perhaps a bit too close for comfort, but I was confident something good would happen." That, of course, was a blantant lie. He was definitely sure he was going to be beheaded a few minutes ago. Oh well. "Come on, lets leave for now. We've lucked out enough as it is." the ending of that particular statement was directed towards Shyc, whom he knew was worried about Sakura. Sadly, there was not much they could do about her just yet, but Raze wasn't about to break the promise he made. Hopefully she would wait for them to figure something out.

"It's a shame Willow and the others aren't here to enjoy the reward. Hopefully they'll appear sooner or later."

---

---

She was leaning against the wall, a fair distance from both the queen and the adviser. She suspected she had arrived a little early. The two women were still conversing with one another, however, it didn't look like her wait was going to be overly long. The adviser, a woman that the elemental would compare to a shade, was donned in black attire. Quite the contrast from the queen, who was adorned in more colorful hues. She watched the two of them with limited interest. Creatures on the material plane were so bizarre. Using their lips and tongues to communicate. This "common" that most of these fleshlings used was something she had picked up with some resentment as it wasn't nearly as beautiful as her native tongue.

Still, she had been summoned for a purpose. Not too long ago, she had actually been on her way out of the palace to retrieve the missing princess. Before she had a chance to leave, her task had been completed for her when the princess arrived in the hands of a mercenary group. She hadn't gotten a close look at any of the individuals but hadn't really cared to. What ensued afterwards had exploded into needless complication. She was one for quiet observation but she had learned from experience that humans picked the most squabbles with each other than any other race she had encountered. Suffice to say, she wasn't inclined to involve herself in the debacle.

As it stood, she had waited till all the activity had dimmed down before returning to attend to the queen. Were those two woman still talking? The adviser looked to be pushing something on the queen, something that was making the woman look nervous. Hm. Whatever it was, she couldn't lip-read or anything so she was left to deduce things from their body language. Hm... flailing arms meant someone was on fire. So. Crossed arms meant someone was drenched with water. So maybe the adviser wanted to drench someone with water. Yes. That was a distressing thought indeed. She shared in the queen's apprehension.

The conversation went on for a few more moments before the woman in black bowed, leaving the room. There was no reason to wait anymore so she pushed herself off of the wall, walking towards the queen. Training had taught her that royals were particular about... something... She was supposed to do something when addressing the queen. Oh right, prostrate herself. These traditions never existed back home. She mimicked the adviser and bowed, bringing her eyes up to meet the queen's.

"Fotiá," the woman's voice was slightly strained as if she were still debating about something, "I need you to do something for me," she wrung her wrists as she sat there for a moment. Finally she sighed heavily and straightened in her throne. She dropped her gaze down to the woman before her before frowning a bit.

"I know I hired you to retrieve my daughter, but now that she's here that is null and void. I have a new need for you. Sakura was diagnosed with a disease when she was very young. It affects her heart and should she ever encounter anything strenous or... as the doctor said 'negative emotions', she'll be risking her life."

The Queen stopped for a moment as she gazed off to the side of Fotiá's shoulder, "There's a... cure I suppose. It's in Truell and I was advised to send Sakura there with those mercenaries who brought her home. As much as I'm opposed to letting her out of the safety of this castle, I don't have a choice. I need you to take her there. Protect her with your life. Make sure those mercenaries know exactly who it is they're handling too. I'll write a letter for you to take to their leader, his name is Razeluxe. You can't miss him, he's the half elf."

Hm, no mention of the water. It must've been too traumatizing for the queen to even consider. Perfectly logical, she would be frightened too if such a suggestion was given to her. Fotiá narrowed her eyes a bit, trying to recall where Truell was located. Maybe it didn't matter, even if she couldn't recall, she was sure that this... mercenary leader would be able to direct the group properly. The mission seemed simple enough. Exert presence, protect the princess, and don't light any trees on fire. The last objective was a mental note to herself. She had never encountered trees before coming here and they were a bit too easily inflamed.

She nodded, watching as the queen called over an assistant to jot down the letter. Once the letter had been properly signed and sealed, Fotiá reached over, taking it from the assistant. "You have my word." This was usually the part that she had to do something that resembled... happiness. How did that go again? She lifted up the corners of her mouth in a strained smile. Well, it was better than a grimace... Hopefully she didn't scare anyone in the nearby vicinity. (Unknown to the elemental, a servant who had witnessed the smile shuddered and promptly walked in the other direction)

She pushed the letter into one of her pockets, almost forgetting (thankfully not though) to bow on her way out. All of these customs really had her mind confused, more so than it already was to begin with. Why did royalty insist on everyone prostrating themselves like fools? Elementals didn't have royalty. They only existed. And fire was comfort known to all. None of this petty arguing over food or shelter, or whatever else creatures of flesh found important to have debates over. (Land was another huge thing she didn't even remotely understand. How did one... label land in their name?)

As she walked out into the halls, her gaze was brought to the large windows. It was approaching sunset. One of the few emotions she did understand was starting to bubble up: excitement. Night had become her playground here on the material plane and she was just about ready to shed this human skin for her real form. But first... she had matters to attend to. From what she could garner from passing servants, she was able to figure out her way to the princess' chambers without too much difficulty.

The elemental nodded to the guards posted outside of the door, knocking on the wood once she had been allowed to pass. She let herself in without waiting for a reply, peering into the room with mild curiosity. "Princess Sakura?" She voiced, not coming in much farther beyond the entrance. She was a bit anxious to be outside and didn't want to enter too far into the room and invite prolonged conversation.

Sakura was half on the floor, half on her bed, her head tucked into the crook of her arm. After the intense display of her mother just about running Raze through with a sword, she'd felt shaken and scared. After that, she'd been ordered to her room, just as she knew it would be. Even though Raze had told her he would fight for her and have her travel with them, Sakura knew it was futile. There wasn't anything that could be said to her mother to allow her to leave that castle, much less her own small room that she'd been confined in for twenty years.

So she was feeling a bit broken and distant. Tears edged their way down her face as she knelt there against her cold bed sheets. Depression was setting in and she couldn't get a hold of her emotions. The pain had been a dull ache for quite some time now, but at this point she really didn't care if the 'disease' killed her or not.

Then the knock came on the door. Half startled, she sniffled and looked up from her place as a woman walked in. Sakura didn't know her, but had to wonder why she was there. Usually the nurse maids were the only ones allowed in the room, but this woman was definitely not a nurse maid.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit, "And, Sakura is just fine," she said as she settled against the bed again, her voice becoming muffled a bit, "I hate titles."

Fotiá wasn't sure what the social protocol was for someone that was crying. All she could focus on was the fact that humans... could produce... water. Revolting. "Your... mother wishes for you to be escorted out of the castle. I'm to make sure no harm comes to you during the journey to Truell." The princess looked... kind of hideous actually, when she did the crying thing. But it wasn't the elemental's place to tell her that puffy eyes and a red nose were un-befitting aesthetically. "We'll be accompanied by the mercenaries so... take what you need since I suppose we're leaving soon."

Sakura gasped. Her head flew up again as she whirled around to look at the woman. Was it true? Had her mother seriously sent this woman to travel with her to Truell? It was impossible, right? Her mother wouldn't actually say that she was allowed to leave the palace, would she? It was almost too good to be true and honestly Sakura was waiting for the woman to say that she was 'joking' and that she was actually there for something else.

However as the silence stretched between them and the woman said nothing more, Sakura felt her heart elevating in pace. Not because she was scared or nervous. No, she was happy. Genuine happiness pulsed through her as her lips spread into a bright smile and new tears edged onto her eyes. This woman was serious about the situation, Sakura could tell by her straight face.

"Really? I can... I can go with them? But.. why to Truell? Wait, that doesn't matter. I can go! I can finally leave. Oh my God, Raze will be happy. I think. Maybe. Will he be? I don't know," by this point Sakura had all but forgotten the woman in her room as she bounced up onto her feet and quickly grabbed a few things from her room. The first time she'd left, she left with just the clothes on her back. It was much the same this time, except she was taking a few small mementos.

Her father's earring that he'd made for her out of the crown he used to wear. A brush for her hair and a long white ribbon. The ribbon was simple and in fact was for Raze. Tradition was to give a ribbon to someone that was courting you so that they could wear it to show they were interested in the person that gave it to them. Sakura wasn't quite sure she was ready to give it yet, but just the thought of being able to see him again when originally she wasn't going to at all... well it made her think of telling him that she'd grown fond of him. Especially if something were to happen and she'd not be able to see him again.

Tucking away these small items, she fixed the earring to her right lobe, than grabbed another ribbon with which she tied up her hair in. Once that was done she looked over to the woman who was her escort, "Alright. Lets go. What's your name?"

Fotiá fought the instinct to groan. She just wanted to be out of the room. And in a sense, she was going to be out but with the princess in tow. Her freedom was going to have to wait longer than she would've wanted. Her duty was to the princess... who had suddenly stopped depositing water on the floor and now had the upturned expression she had come to associate with a "smile". Assuming that the situation called for it, the elemental smiled back at the other. "Fotiá. I need to bring this letter down to the mercenary leader so if that's all you'll be needing..." She trailed off, already turning on her heel to leave the room.

Oh wait... she was supposed to be watching the princess. Which meant she couldn't move far ahead of the woman. Sighing, the elemental paused, watching as the princess exited the room before following suit. She picked up stride next to her charge, glancing out of a nearby window with some longing. Just a little more...

In the end, she ended up following the princess through the various hallways, right through the entrance of the palace. Huh. The mercenaries weren't being kept in the dungeon? Surprised and feeling a bit pleased with this turn of events, Fotiá felt her lips turn upwards as they began walking towards the woods. The elemental wasn't aware of it but she was smiling genuinely. Ahh. Soon she would be herself at last.

---

Even though the Drakaani had quite a stubborn personality about being dropped to his knees, Nahvariik knew when to be humble, and this was the time for such. When the bitch of a queen threatened to execute the three, he forced himself to bite his tongue, to deny himself the chance to rip apart these pathetic excuses of a royal guard, the Queen included. It wasn't that he couldn't it was out of respect of the late king that he wouldn't do such things.

Don't expect that I'll bend my knee for any kingdom for long.

After harsh words have been said, from both sides, and the Queen decided against her previous judgment of execution after the princess intervened, Nahvariik and the others were released. The elf remarked about them surviving, though it had only solicited a growl from the warrior. Once he refitted his armor, the Drakaani turned his back on the two in silence, taking his time as he moved towards the castle entrance.

He had been quiet and grim during the return trip to the castle, uncomfortable in being back in a place where he had previously turned his back on after the death of the king, and for good reason. Unknown to most, he was (largely) responsible for the death of the late king, having been the previous Master at Arms. It tore at his insides, however the deed was already done, a burden that he was forced to carry as a secret.

One of the royal guards had approached the Drakaani, the warrior's weapons in his possession. After retrieving and sheathing his weapons, the guard escorted Nahvariik outside to the castle grounds, ignoring most of the guards who were training against motionless targets. "You know, you'll get better if your practice targets were real opponents," Nahvariik coughed out a remark, earning a few glares from some of the nearby soldiers as he marched past the gates and largely into the forest towards the campsite the other mercenaries were staying.

However, deep down, he felt a bitter taste that something big, and that something bad, is going to happen within the next couple of days.

"As you wish."

The words that Raze spoke were like daggers to Shyc's chest as he stared down at the cobblestones from where he knelt. He couldn't believe they were giving up on Sakura!!

Shyc made to stand and ask after the Queen as she marched back to the palace, but Razeluxe beat him to it as he stood up and faced them.

"Well, we survived. That was perhaps a bit too close for comfort, but I was confident something good would happen. Come on, lets leave for now. We've lucked out enough as it is."

Shyc's gaze fell down to the street, his teeth clenching as his fists curled tightly, the edges of his fingernails biting into his skin. He hated being so useless. Not to mention the princess didn't look at all happy when she was quite literally dragged back into the castle. It also hadn't escaped his notice that she'd gotten rather silent two days before they entered the city. Taking a deep, shaking breath, the half-daemon calmed himself.

"It's a shame Willow and the others aren't here to enjoy the reward. Hopefully they'll appear sooner or later."

His lips twisted into a deeper frown then. Thoughts of Dinan rushed through his mind before he tried to forget them. It was bad enough he'd probably caused the man quite a fright with his suddenly getting run through by a sword and then changing into something he was not. Quickly, Shyc shook his head to forget the terrible event. He was just happy that Raze, Nahv and Sakura didn't treat him any differently, as he should have expected anyway.

With that, he followed the other two out of the city and back into the forest where they were ordered to stay until further notice. Even so, the young boy couldn't help but pace rapidly as he tried to think of something they could do to help Sakura. He knew that Raze wasn't about to just leave her there either, but as it stood right then, Shyc wasn't sure what exactly they could do to get her out.

At the camp, he paced between the tree's, running his fingers through his hair often as he wracked his brain for something, "I could sneak in and take her back! Wait no... that would be bad and then that would mean we've actually kidnapped her this time. I can't do that. I could... sneak in and distract the guards so she could leave! Oh... wait, no that wouldn't work either... that would be the same thing really. Umm... I could.... sneak in and send her a note telling her how to get out and how to get here... Damn it. No, that's the same too."

This went on for quite some time as the forest grew ever darker and Shyc continued to mutter to himself. He wasn't entirely sure if he could be heard by Raze or Nahv, but he was unconsciously sure he was driving the half elf crazy with his pacing. Raze wasn't one to pace.

Finally, he stopped and reached up with both hands and rubbed his head roughly as he gave a sort of growling cry of frustration, "Ahh!! I can't think of anything. This is just ridiculous! Raze!" he turned on his heel and faced their leader, who had taken to his usual spot in his hammock, with a somewhat pitiful expression, "What are we going to do?

"How about do nothing?"

Turning around, Shyc frowned deeply at the voice that had cut into his thoughts, "I can't do that! We're not just leaving her there, that would be cruel and breaking a promise isn't in our vocabulary," he answered without thinking.

Her laugh came next as the princess stepped forth and Shyc gasped, "You don't have to. You're not going to break a promise either," she said brightly.

Shyc gave a soft cry as he lunged forward and grabbed her tightly, "Sakura! You came! Wait..." he pushed her out gently at arms length and gazed at her curiously "Why are you here?"

"Mothers orders," she grinned and held out an envelope.



"Where's Raze?" Sakura asked, her heart nearly jumping to her throat. She'd been looking forward to surprising the elf, but with Shyc's cry of her name, she was sure the surprise was over with. Even so, she wasn't going to hold back either. She wanted to see him desperately.

Shyc pulled back as he grinned, looking to be more like himself again since the day they left Duun. Pointing his thumb over his shoulder, he motioned over to a pair of trees where a hammock was tied up to, "Over there."

Sakura wasted no time then, completely forgetting about her new guardian as she rushed past Shyc and ran to the half elf. In her haste, she didn't really process the dangerous possibility of her next actions as she was more thinking about how she wanted to hug him and tell him that she was back (amongst other things). So, as she burst past the young thief who shouted at her in shock, she didn't stop.

The princess threw herself at the elf, wrapping her arms around him as best she could as she smiled brightly, tears edging into her eyes, "Raze!!"

"Be careful! The hammock isn't made for that!" Shyc cried as he attempted to follow, but was far too late in reading Sakura's intentions.

Still, the princess didn't care. All she was worried about was being in the safety of the small group that she'd come to think of as her new family. Here she was herself, and here she was truly free.

---

---

Despite leaving with his head still intact, Razeluxe couldn't help but feel a sense of defeat as the returned to their campsite in the woods not too far away from the palace. As it stood, they had lost most of their group until further notice, giving the place a feeling of emptiness that, although fairly quiet, was unwelcome currently. The worst part is, even though he promised to keep her from being locked up in her room like she had apparently been for quite some time before they met, Razeluxe still hadn't the slightest idea as how to keep that promise. Simply kidnapping her would probably be near impossible - she was likely to be guarded more closely now - and even if they were successful in that regard, they'd be the first ones the Queen would suspect. And Razeluxe was trying his hardest not to have the Queen lust for their demise.

The rest of the day seemed to chug along by, with nothing Raze could say was 'notable' occurring as far as he was concerned. So, like any other time he was able to rest, he did so by laying down on his hammock, his one-stop place for anything the soldier needed not related to combat: comfort. But it was nearly impossible to not have his mind wander over to the events earlier. After all, he nearly lost his head in a literal sense, and even more surprising was that Nahv never busted free of his lacking restraints and went on a rampage. The Queen really did not have any men who could actually keep such a beast of a guy down, at least not for long. Then again, perhaps Nahv would have freed himself if a blade was pointed at him. Considering it never go to that point, one couldn't be sure, but Nahv wasn't likely to let himself go down without a fight. Raze would say the same about himself, but under those circumstances, he hadn't the ability to break free of the cold grasps on his shoulders. He was only human after all... well, part so. And the other part did not give him physical strength required to break free of his imprisonment.

Very soon, the skylight grew dimmer and dimmer until the sun nearly ceased to hang in the sky. He was still relaxed and laying in his hammock, not even half-listening to Shyc, who had been on quite a streak of insane plans that even Shyc himself could see were foolish. Raze was attentive at first, but immediately lost interest when he suggested that Raze dress in a woman's clothing and pretended to be some long lost relative. So, he continued his minimal sway, back and fourth with his arm resting over his eyes and his consciousness slowly fading by the second as Shyc continued on and on. Hell, he was practically about to fall prey to sleep when Shyc finally grew fed up with his lack of plans and called out to him, which he did not even really hear.

Hmm, since Willow's gone, I guess I'll have to make breakfast everyday from now on. Ah... what a pain. I'm sure Shyc'll get bored of leftovers fairly quickly, but there's no way I'm eating some of his poison. Unless... I wonder what Nahv can make? Don't think I ever caught his diet, maybe I can learn something that isn't combat-related from him. Guess we'll see tomorro------

"GYaghua!"

The pain that shot through his stomach was as though he was targeted by a meteor that descended from the heavens specifically to knock the breath right out of him. Then, he found himself quickly being constrained around the body as he was recovering. Was this some sort of attack? What a fool he was for letting his guard down. He had to react fast!

"Raze!!"

Instantly recognizing the voice as belonging to Sakura, whom they had just departed with earlier in the day, his confusion only grew, replacing any threatened feelings immediately. Razeluxe removed his arm that was blocking his view and looked down. Lo and behold, Sakura was embracing him and beginning to tear up. Heartwarming as it was, the half-elf couldn't help but feel awkward. He certainly wasn't one who preferred contact like this, a certain member of his had the habit and it never really was something he got used to. N-not that he hated it or anything, b-baka! "Sakura?" he didn't hide his disbelief as he spoke her name. "It's good to see you again but.... don't tell me you ran away again?" He wouldn't say that he felt happy, but he felt happy that she was back. Worried that he'd be see the Queen's guard behind her any minute now, but happy.

Speaking of....

"And who is that...?" he asked, having caught sight of his soon-to-be harem girl #2 the woman who had come with Sakura.

{Double post has been eaten by a random mysterious monster that was created by Igari's and Qaida's earlier 'merging'.... do not attempt to find this monster >.> XD further feedings of the monster will result in it's sticking around and you shall be responsible of serving it many children, kittens, and virgins...}

---

---

The elemental had been quiet for the majority of their walk to the camp. The princess had taken the letter almost as soon as they had left the castle, insisting on giving it to the mercenary leader herself. Fotiá hadn't bothered protesting, it seemed to please the other adequately. Yawning a little, she began to pick at the skin on her left arm. As she scratched, she played with her morphing, burning off some of her skin to reveal her inky-black complexion. She ignored her companion (for the most part) as they walked, focusing on her skin. Her forearm and fingers had taken on their origin appearance by the time they reached the mercenaries.

She glanced up as the princess released a squeal, running towards one of the men and conversing with him happily. The elemental watched with little interest, tuning out whatever it was that they were talking about. It was ultimately meaningless to her. Her job was to ensure that the princess was safe, not listen to whatever chit-chat was going on. Whatever they had been talking about ended, as the man gestured to another a little ways off. The princess took a running start, calling out to the figure--was that an elf?--and wrapping her arms around his neck. A bizarre display but Fotiá didn't have an inclination to question it. Humans were as they were.

She used the chance instead to gaze at the other members of the mercenaries group. Her eyes glazed over the elf that was currently entangled with the princess, settling first on the man that had given the gesture. He had a youthful face and wide eyes. Nothing too outstanding. She looked on, raising her eyebrows as she took in the sight of what appeared to be a large, humanoid lizard. It was a mesmerizing creature and she stared at it openly, wondering faintly if its skin felt like a human's. And if it caught fire as easily as other creatures. Hm. Probably. It was from the material plane, after all. She took note of the campsite, her eyes tracing to a fire located in the center of the camp. She would be paying special attention to that shortly.

She began to turn towards the forest just beyond the clearing, wondering if she should poke around before settling down when she noticed a sudden lapse in conversation. It was the silence that did it. She glanced back at the princess and the elf. The two of them were looking expectantly at her. What did they want? Maybe it would've helped if she had been paying attention in the first place. Hm. Logical deduction told her that at this point in social interaction, she might be expected to introduce herself. Yes, that seemed to be the proper assumption.

"Fotiá," She offered, albeit rigidly. "I've been ta-ta-ta-ah-achoo!" She sneezed, but there was no mucus to accompany it. Instead, a thin, wide exhale of fire left her mouth. It did not linger once it had been cut off from its' source but (to her private horror), a few plants nearby caught flame and crumpled to ash. The rest of the flames diminished into the air, leaving behind the smell of burned flora. Hmmmm. At least it wasn't a tree. The elemental continued on as if nothing had happened, her expression unchanging.

"I have been tasked by the Queen to accompany you to Truell and provide protection when necessary." Was there something else to said? No. That sounded sufficient. She had no more desire to speak. That fire she had seen earlier needed tending to and she was far more intrigued by it than she was with the people around it.

Without another word, the elemental approached the fire, removing her bag and depositing it on the ground. Subsequently, she removed her clothes as well as she wandered nearer. She had learned early on that clothes could be burnt and they were often a pain to replace. And she, being a woman who didn't really have a need for a great many clothes, knew that she couldn't risk her only set to go up in smoke. Though the concept had been difficult for her to grapple with and understand, she had learned when to remove her clothing to avoid setting it on fire. (She had yet to master the socially acceptable when, however)

Now completely de-robed, she walked right into the flame, feeling the feet lick around her ankles. She could tell immediately. This was a weak fire and there was no pulse of life from it. This was also a strange conundrum of the material plane. Flame wasn't alive and she was very unused to not being able to converse with it here. Oh well. It still felt nice against her. Fotiá descended into the flames and sat atop the wood, adjusting herself so that she would be comfortable. She let her skin progressively dissipate, her hair beginning to glow like embers as it took on its fiery appeal. Ahhh, now this was absolutely lovely.

The elemental was oblivious to her social awkwardness and contently lay back into the flames. When would they be leaving? She found it difficult to care about that when she felt so comfortable. She was herself, at least for awhile. She was completely oblivious to the alarm she might've caused and slid her eyes over to observe the group. Hopefully she'd have a little bit of time to relax, at the very least, before they set off for Truell.

"Sakura?"

Raze's voice almost seemed to breathe her name as he looked down at her after removing his arms that had originally be up over his eyes a few moments ago. She smiled brightly up at him, the tears that she'd been fighting back slowly peeking forth again and running down her cheeks. The princess laughed a bit.

"It's good to see you again but.... don't tell me you ran away again?"

Slowly she shook her head as she tried her best to contain her crying. Sakura wasn't crying out of sorrow or anything like that, she was crying because she couldn't contain her indescribable happiness as she lay on him.

"No, I didn't run away," she assured him lightly. Finally she dropped her head down into his chest as she attempted to compose herself. It was rather difficult though.

"And who is that...?"

Lifting her head a bit she twisted around to look at Fotiá who was standing at the edge of the camp still. It seemed the woman hadn't quite heard them and the conversation but she soon realized and spoke. Sakura still had her smile on her face as the other woman introduced herself.

"Fotiá, I've been ta-ta-ta-ah-achoo!"

Sakura gave a small gasp as she watched the woman and lifted herself off of Raze. She hadn't been aware of... well... that particular detail of her new guardian. "U-umm..."

"I have been tasked by the Queen to accompany you to Truell and provide protection when necessary."

Fotiá continued without pause which made Sakura tilt her head off to the side in confusion. The woman had quite literally ignited a few plants around her and it didn't seem to bother her. How... odd. Sakura took a deep breath and turned back to Raze, her smile returning as her tears had been halted by the strange event that had occurred from the woman's mouth.

"My mother did send me and her along with too. I have a letter here too. I'll read it!" she eagerly opened the envelope knowing that Raze wasn't about to be inclined to wholly believe her until he'd seen and heard the words that were written on the paper in her hands. Unfolding it gently, she began reading the elegantly scratched out words on the parchment.

"Razeluxe, it has recently come to my attention that there may be a cure of sorts for my daughters illness located in Truell. I'm sending with her a woman by the name of Fotiá. She is Sakura's guardian and is there for her protection. Your orders are to take my daughter to Truell and speak with the King there in regards to the cure that he is holding. Come to a proper decision to get this cure for Sakura.

"I am entrusting my one and only daughter to you, Razeluxe."

Looking up, she was brimming with an unbridled amount of happiness yet again and almost quite literally bouncing on her feet. Moving, she went over and handed the letter to him so that he could see it. Behind her, she heard Shyc say something about this being a great thing and that she was now able to stay with them for a long while. He started going off on how many things they were going to show her and that the trip to Truell was a long one and they could certainly take their time if they wanted. Sakura laughed as well.

Then she noted that her new guardian was stepping towards the fire. No... that was wrong. She was stepping into the fire and to add to it, she was naked. With a sharp gasp, she reached over and covered Raze's eyes as she yelled out to Fotiá.

"F-F-Fotiá!!! What are you doing!?" Sakura's voice seemed a little too high pitched as she question her new guardian. "Put your clothes back on! Why... what... Fotiá!?!?"

I hope she doesn't do this every time! And why is she in the fire??? I'm so confused... Sakura thought to herself frantically. This was certainly the start to a rather strange night.

---

---

As Razeluxe might've expected from the princess, she was a bit emotional about their reunion. He could not think of a single time that he had regrouped with someone and had them shed tears of joy. The feeling was alien to he, who was almost comfortable with the stench of decay and the canvas of carnage painted around him. That sort of... human feeling was much too unknown to him. He knew how to worry and care, but not to such an extent.

One like him could envy such a thing.

"Fotiá, I've been ta-ta-ta-ah-achoo!" the woman he had wandered about prior introduced herself with a sneeze, and instead of the typical mucus you'd catch darting out from a person, there was a contradicting shot of flame. As small as it was, however, it only managed to wipe a small plant from the face of the Earth and disappeared without a trace save the raised eyebrow it evoked from Raze. People typically didn't sneeze fire as far as he was aware.

"I have been tasked by the Queen to accompany you to Truell and provide protection when necessary." she informed.

Raze was a bit curious of the new woman, but had more important matters to attend to as of now. He turned his head towards Sakura who was still laying on top of him, and she claimed she was here because of her mother's wishes. Of course, Raze was skeptical at the legitimacy of Sakura's claim, seeing as how she hadn't really informed him about her status when the first met. He wanted to trust her, sure, but trust wasn't something given, it was earned. Lying tends to cause people to lose the ability to trust in others, after all, so without so much as a single interruption, Razeluxe allowed the princess to read this so-called letter that her mother had sent.

"I am entrusting my one and only daughter to you, Razeluxe."

As Sakura allowed him some room to breathe, he took the letter from her and gave it his own lookover to be sure, and there he found that every word she had read was without a doubt on the paper. With the Queen's seal and handwriting (which he recognized from his past mission), he confirmed his mission. He would now be taking Sakura to another kingdom in hopes of a cure for whatever this disease she had developed was. Fact is, he was unaware of the specifics of this disease. He could only figure it was something that would slowly pick away at her, as the events of but a few days ago remained freshly in his mind. How she nearly collapsed as Shyc engaged in battle with that rude man, and needed a breather. For now, it did not seem she'd die from it, but because he was no doctor, it could be a spontaneous death she received from her illness. The best course of action would be to leave first thing in the morning and hurry straight to Truell. If they were lucky, the king here would not be as scheming as the one they had just escaped from.

"Right, then so be it. We'll depart in the morn...."

About the time he was stating his plans was the time he caught sight of Fotiá, who did not seem the slightest bit ashamed of herself while parading around in the nude. Trained as a soldier for quite some time, Razeluxe could not say he was unused to the sight of a fellow ally (since she was going to be working with them, she may be referred to as such) in the nude. He was supposed to be taught not to even give someone a second glace, because sexuality could only ever be a weakness on the battlefield. If people were so foolish as to believe the enemy might not make use of its woman or men's sex appeal to gather information or assassinate someone, then they would probably fall.

That being said, Razeluxe could still appreciate the woman body. She had nice curves.

Suddenly, things went black, and Razeluxe could hear the frantic cries of Sakura, who would panicking. It was proof that she was never trained to be a warrior. What caused him to pause mid-sentence was not the fact that her companion was naked, it was that she was naked for no reason, which confused him. There was no place immediately around for her to take a bath, and her clothes certainly weren't dirty enough from their ride over for them to be a problem. It almost seemed as though she was nude just for the sake of being nude. Anyway....

Raze removed the hands from his eyes, a bit irritated at being treated like a child. He wasn't going to stare at a woman, for he was not that immature or driven by the notion of lust. Just not being able to see at all was an annoyance. He went back to continue with his plans as though nothing happened when he simply glanced over once more and.... well, the woman was looking a tad bit too comfortable resting in their campfire. Quite strange a strange woman. Especially since she no longer retained a human appearance.

Is that..... ?

What remained in the fire was most certainly not human. The charcoal colored skin with a head of flame (this fact a bit hard to tell considering her position in a campfire) and most importantly, brilliant blue eyes that remain as the only feature on her face. Could this be... the incarnation of the element of fire that Razeluxe was told about? The manifestation of one of the elements that had created the world and gave people life? The very thing that Raze drew his power from but days ago? Of all of his previous clan, was this outcast truly the first to witness such a being?

Hesitantly, Razeluxe looked at what should be this woman/thing's eyes. And equally as cautious, he asked said person, "What do you happen to be?"

Did he just check out the equivalent of his god?!

---

---

The elemental had not been paying attention to her surroundings. Perhaps this was something she should consider looking into. Observing, or even listening to the conversation might have helped her figure out her current predicament because, for the moment, she was heavily confused. The princess seemed to be panicking, pushing her hand over the elf's eyes as she appeared to be... Hm. What emotion was that? Was she talking about the clothes? The fire? Material beings were so finicky, it was too hard to find ways to please them all the time. And the princess looked like she was going red in the face. Was that normal?

Fotiá decided not to respond at all, staring back with vague inquisitiveness. The elf had, at this point, pulled the hand away from his face and was staring at her with a far different expression. This was one that she recognized. It was the same look she had gotten from those masked mages or whatever they had been back when she had first been summoned to the physical plane. It was an expression that she associated with "confusion". Why was she greeted by such oddities? Did the material beings not understand that they were the odd ones? With their need to breathe, need to eat, and clumsy composition? They all looked so frail, every single one. It confounded her how any of them managed to survive. And without the constant need for fire!

She peered at him, noticing that he had now established eye contact with her. This seemed like a good time to listen."What do you happen to be?" He asked. Did he not... know? He wandered with a humanoid lizard creature yet questioned her existence? There were still so many things here that made her feel unsure. A question such as his would never be asked on her own plane of existence, there would be no need for it. There were different manner of fire creatures, of course, but all came from the same origin point. Perhaps beings such as he required more explanation... of the obvious. Fotiá leaned up, not leaving the comfort of the fire.

"I'm not sure if your plane has an equivalent for me since all fire here is dead. But," She paused, adjusting some of the logs beneath her and spreading them out so that she'd have an easier time laying upon them. "I believe I would be identified as a fire elemental. I promise not to burn you." A promise she, sadly, could not make to any of the trees nearby. Hm, maybe now would be a good time to meditate. She bored of conversation very easily, words always sounded so grating and harsh on her ears--at least, common did.

She turned back over, gazing back towards the sky and closed her eyes. They were leaving first thing in the morning. Best to relax till then since, well, she really had no need to sleep. But meditation was a nice way to spend the time. At least it was sufficiently quiet.

Her heart lurched to her throat as Raze looked a little irritated by the fact that she'd reacted and covered his eyes. Reaching up, he withdrew her hands and moved over to the woman who was seated in the fire. Once Sakura was calm, she too found the blackened figure fascinating. Edging forwards, she caught Raze's question to her new guardian.

Fotiá gazed up at him with a strange look in her eyes. Was she... confused that Raze asked her what she was? Did she not realize that she was the one who was different? She was sitting in a fire! If anything, she should have been on fire, burnt to a crisp. Fotiá stayed like that for quite some time, watching him as she seemed to be trying to figure an answer for him. Sakura came up and knelt down near them, behind Raze and watched the woman with the fiery hair and brilliant star-like blue eyes.

"I'm not sure if your plane has an equivalent for me since all fire here is dead. But, I believe I would be identified as a fire elemental. I promise not to burn you." she paused between the sentences, thinking briefly before explaining to him.

The young princess glanced between her and Raze, her expression filled with wonder. Her mother had employed this sort of person to protect her. It was rather interesting, at least to Sakura anyway. She wasn't entirely sure what it meant to be a fire elemental, but from the looks of it, Sakura could determine that fire was not going to hurt her. That was fascinating. The princess was going to ask her a thousand questions, all of them bubbling up to the surface but then Fotiá rolled away.

Sakura stopped, her mouth opened and the first words to the string of questions halting as she watched the woman promptly turn from them. Maybe she is tired... Sakura thought to herself as she tilted her head off to the side for a moment. With a bit of a pout on her lips, she lifted a hand and rested her chin there, fingers puffing up her cheek as she looked over to Raze.

"I guess she's tired," she said softly. Glancing around the camp, she sighed, "I suppose we should all be getting some rest soon too, hu? We'll be leaving early I assume. Oh! Raze!"

Sakura nearly jumped up with her excitement as she remembered something very important. Reaching into the small bag that she had carrying her brush, earring, and the white ribbon, she produced the ribbon. For a moment she paused, her fingers hesitating to withdraw from the pouch. Finally, she took a breath and pulled it out. She wasn't sure if he would know what it meant entirely, but she was fairly certain that he would figure it out.

"For you. I... I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again, and well... When I was told that I was going to go to Truell with you, I thought immediately that you should have this." her voice sounded strange to her own ears as she tried to explain to him without saying too much. Her fingers extended outwards as she handed the white ribbon over to him. She was fairly certain it was a universal sign, she'd read it many books before. Unless that information was outdated... then she'd have to take a different approach... well maybe... Sakura's face burned as the thoughts rushed through her mind.

Relax! I'm sure it's still the same, or at least somewhat close... she told herself and remembered to breathe, "Also, I would like to learn how to use a sword. Could you teach me? I don't want to be a burden to you. You can tell me in the morning, it's really late now." this she was deadly serious on. Recalling the last few times she'd been in trouble, she'd been nothing but a weight to them. If she could fight and hold her own against someone else, then he wouldn't have to worry about her as much anymore. That would make things easier, at least she thought so.

Standing up, she brushed herself off. Shyc -who had come to see the woman as well- smiled at her, "You can sleep in that tent there. I'm over there and Raze sometimes sleeps in the hammock or the tent next to yours. Depends on the night."

Sakura nodded and moved over to the tent that he'd pointed out to her. Once she was on the mat, it felt like all of the days stress just washed away, leaving her relaxed and weary. Within a few minutes she was asleep.



When the woman had stripped and entered the fire, Shyc about had a heart attack. His immediate thought was to drag her from the fire because he was sure she was committing suicide. Which, of course, made no sense really since she'd just said she had been ordered to go with the princess. It wasn't until Raze moved over and asked the question of what she was that had him calm down. Oh... well of course... shouldn't have freaked out if Raze hadn't... he chided himself.

He listened intently to the woman as she described herself as a fire elemental. How... peculiar. Though he himself couldn't say much. He was half daemon anyway. The daemon was from another world too. It was understandable that there were other things aside from daemons out there. Reaching up, he gripped his hand over his chest briefly, wincing at the recollection of his other 'self'. Sakura spoke to Raze then, offering him something that Shyc could only barely see until she moved. It was a white ribbon and he couldn't help the small grin that developed on his face. So... she's finally gathered the courage then. I wonder if he'll get it...

After showing her to the tent that would be hers for the night, Shyc beamed at Raze, "Well, what a strange turn of events. You know, the Queen's going to be even more stringent about this now that she's entrusted us with Sakura," he sighed heavily as he stretched his arms up over his head, curling the fingers into his hair, "Anyway, goodnight, Raze."

Though he'd bid his leader 'night, he didn't go to the tent. Instead he moved to where the firelight just barely reached and pressed his back against one of the trees and slowly slid down into a sitting position. He wasn't sure if Raze had noticed that he'd been doing this since Duun, but it wasn't like he could help it. It was getting easier again, easier to deal with being around the others. A little while longer, he thought to himself as he pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around them and staring off into the darkness. He wouldn't sleep. He couldn't sleep, not yet.

---

The crow of birds had greeted him. Shyc hadn't moved from his secluded spot the entire night. He had drifted in and out of sleep, but woke constantly to the screams in his head and the stench of blood all over him. For the last time that night, he woke again, sweaty, heart racing and thinking that he'd killed mercilessly once more. Glancing around the tree, he noted that the camp was quiet. With a sigh of relief, he realized that he'd not gone on a rampage. With his breath short, he took a moment to calm himself before standing up and running his fingers through his hair.

They would be going soon, he was sure. Sakura wasn't one to sleep in and neither was Raze or Nahv. It was still unimaginably early though. Even the trees were still darkened slightly, only just starting to turn purple from the rising sunlight over the mountains. Stretching, he moved about the camp silently. Going to his tent, he fetched a change of clothes before heading towards the stream that wasn't too far from them. He was worried about Willow and Dinan since they had not come back from whatever they'd been called away for. His other worry, though was what they were going to eat. Willow usually cooked for them, and Shyc was no cook at all.

He blushed slightly as he came to the stream and bent down. I should really learn how to cook, otherwise Raze'll be stuck with all the work he thought solomnly. Reaching up, he dragged off his shirt and plunged his hands into the cold water. Within minutes, he was soaked, all except for his lower body. Brushing his fingers through his hair, he sprayed water all around him as he attempted to clean it from the bark and leaves that had most likely accumulated over him during the night, along with the usual dirt too. Leaning forward, he cupped handful after handful of water over his head as he washed. The morning air chilled him to the bone as the water was already cold.

"Ugh... sometimes I wish we had heated baths or something like they have in Ollian."

---

---

Though the color of the flames flickering before them distorted the view of her face, Fotiá'd answered his question with a difficult expression on her face, as though it had confused the woman. "I'm not sure if your plane has an equivalent for me since all fire here is dead. But, I believe I would be identified as a fire elemental. I promise not to burn you." she said, as though it was a natural as anything could get. Considering that the word 'natural' probably was derived from 'nature' (as if Razeluxe would actually know such a thing) and fire was, in fact, part of nature, perhaps this should be true. But it certainly was not.

Razeluxe was unable to question the elemental further, as she turned away as though uninterested in pursuing further conversation. Part of him wanted to assume that a mere mortal such as himself was unworthy of even talking to her, but that part was very small and could very well be described as 'insignificant'. What he truly felt was as though she simply had very little interest in conversation as an action, so it probably hadn't mattered that it was him. Her line about fire being 'dead' caused him to assume that the plane she was from was much different than the one she resided in currently. Perhaps speaking words was unnecessary there. He could not say he'd be surprised, considering fire never really appeared as though it would speak using its nonexistant vocal cords. Some form of telepathic communication? Body language? Perhaps those odd (yet beautiful) fire dances some of the female members of his old clan did as tribute to the elementals were inspired by how elementals communicated? Then again, it's very likely beings of a higher caliber need not speak at all. It was impossible to know unless you were told by an elemental, and this one wasn't appearing to fond of conversation with people. Curiosity was definitely residing within Raze, but he was not going to play the part of the cat in this case.

"I guess she's tired," Sakura guessed, briefly looking about the camp before continuing. "I suppose we should all be getting some rest soon too, hu? We'll be leaving early I assume. Oh! Raze!"

Confused by her sudden excitement, Raze razed raised his eyebrow and spoke. "Yes...?"

"For you. I... I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again, and well... When I was told that I was going to go to Truell with you, I thought immediately that you should have this." appearing nervous and with a face the shade of a beet, she said this before digging into her bag and handing him a white ribbon.

Wait.... a white ribbon?

Suddenly, the man was lost to his past. He recalled an event he witnessed long ago.

Was it a century, or was it two? He could not accurately remember, but then again, it wasn't necessary in the first place. All he could know was that it was a great deal of time ago, back when he was still a bit naive and wore his heart on his sleeve. There was an enemy village of the nation he was currently serving that he had taken refuge in for a few days as they awaited reinforcements. He could not remember what nation it was, nor if they even won that war (though given the circumstances it was likely they had won), but what he did know is that he made some good friends back then. You see, regardless of your reasons, people tend to hold grudges when you are responsible for their loved one's death. Since they had just defeated the men responsible for keeping the city safe, it was pretty obvious that there would be a great deal of hate and loathing the villagers had towards these 'monsters' who killed their friends, their brothers, their sisters, their mothers, and their fathers. Though the fear of death kept them from attempting anything violent, it did not keep them from glaring or 'running out of room' for the men. Seeing the faces of the ones related to those who they had just murdered did nothing to help the soldier's morale, either.

Raze was probably the one most devastated by what he had done.

Despite his career, he was easily described as a 'goody two shoes' back then. He hated the idea of having enemies and he loved to help people whenever he had the chance. Such a contradicting personality to have back then. But still, he wasn't one who liked to think about what he had to do in war. And there was never a point back then when he could say he enjoyed ending another's life. So, as you may have guessed, he wound up meeting many people who had just lost their beloved friends or family. It wasn't the crushing glares he received that got to him, but the pained expressions of the villagers as they tried so desperately not to cry, not to show weakness to the monsters that murdered their family that each one had.

Normally, there'd be nothing he could do. Nobody would really listen to an apology that would easily be summed up as, "Sorry I was part of the army that killed someone you love". It was inevitable that people would always resent them. But perhaps simply out of luck, he overheard the depressed musings of a woman who had just lost her brother. Simply put, he was part of the army Razeluxe had just faced, who were returning from another village to protect this one, as they'd seen the advance coming just in time to react. That being said, it was too late for reinforcements to arrive in time, so they had to make due with their small force, which of course was the main reason for their defeat. But that was unimportant. The real importance of this was that her brother was carrying with him a white ribbon he had gotten from the village he was at prior. She was to receive this from him so that she could give it to their childhood friend, whom she had a crush on (which Raze was unaware of). Thankfully that man was not part of the military, but instead stayed behind to help with labor around the village. He survived, and was working at the time. The woman regretted not being able to accept her brother's kindness and pass that ribbon to the man, since her brother still held onto it even now.

Of course, Razeluxe would not allow that. All he understood is that it was something that a perished family member had they could possibly remember him by, and though the lady adamantly refused him at first, after witnessing his determination to assist her in finding it, he was able to get the details of her brother from her. So, naturally, he returned to the battlefield and begun inspecting multiple corpses that fit the description of her brother, until hours later, he had succeeded. When he returned to the lady with a white ribbon that was only just barely tainted in a dark red, she hesitantly thanked him with tears in her eyes. She could finally confess to the man she loved with the ribbon her brother had gotten her!

She departed immediately to go find the man, and without getting to far away, found him. Razeluxe witnessed the event from moderate distance away.

"U-um... Takeshi.... this is for you..." she held out the stained white ribbon for him to see.

Taking a moment, the man, 'Takeshi', observed the object she presented to him, before his expression tightened to that of a man about to cry.

"F-for me? This...." he was on the verge of tears. It was obvious it had a great effect on him.

Seeing this, the woman couldn't help but smile warmly -- warmer than the sun. She was so happy because it looked as though he was moved by the act. He was going to accept it!... or that's what she thought. Sadly, she forgot how dense said friend was.

"Am I supposed to wear this?!.... I-I'm not... Do I look that feminine to you?" he seemed very worried that this was the case.

The expression on the woman was... frightening. Without so much as another word, her fist tightened and she landed a powerful uppercut on the man, launching him into the stars, probably never to be seen again. "IDIOT!!!!!!!!!"

...

...

...

...

...

...

So from what he gathered... he should probably accept this ribbon if he wanted to live. Yes, that's it. Although he would agree with that man he met many years ago about this being to feminine for his tastes, he really had no intention of becoming a star. He would avoid such a scenario. Thusly, he accepted the ribbon from Sakura.

"It looks good. I'll err, wear it sometime for sure." he said, perhaps even displaying an uncharacteristic amount of nervousness. But said nervousness certainly wasn't from embarrassment. It was fear, clear fear of something bad happening to him.

But what was much more clear was that he was at least fifteen cubic Emiya Shirous dense.

Moving on from that topic, Sakura mentioned something that Razeluxe was certainly - and secretly - glad to hear. "Also, I would like to learn how to use a sword. Could you teach me? I don't want to be a burden to you. You can tell me in the morning, it's really late now." to that, Razeluxe nodded with an almost pleasant expression on him before turning to catch Shyc, who was departing for sleep, but not before giving Sakura a tour of the tent she'd be staying at.

Raze listened to Shyc afterwards, speaking simply, "I'm aware. Lets not give the Queen anything to scold us about this time though." before he waved the young boy off to sleep. With nothing he needed to do, he briefly attempted to bug the fire elemental about sleep, before realizing that probably was a meaningless idea. She seemed the sort to ask about things she was curious about, and she'd not shown any signs of getting tired to begin with. It appeared as though she was perfectly content with the fire she was mediating in, so as far as he was concerned, she'd be fine. After all, she was one of his gods, wasn't she?

He took no time in departing to his hammock. Tonight seemed peaceful enough to relax there.

...

...

...

Despite it being faint, the noise of someone rustling through the camp caused Razeluxe to stir awake with a soft yawn. He only caught the back of Shyc, who departed towards a stream that was nearby, before the boy disappeared entirely. Briefly, he remembered the young man leaving for firewood, and the events that occured then, but this particular place was in a friendly kingdom, so the chances of enemy soldiers being in it without them knowing beforehand were none. So, taking his time, he slowly got up out of the hammock, but noticed something fell off of him and onto the floor of the forest. He glanced down, recognizing it as a small piece of paper. As he picked it up and read it, his gave but an upset sigh that wasn't loud at all.

Essentially, it read this,

"Raze, I've got something to do, perhaps we'll meet again later.

- Your friendly neighborhood lizardman, Nahv. "

So it would then seem as though the man left them before they even awoke. It was a shame, but Razeluxe realized that Nahv was never really a part of his mercenaries to begin with. He was a former ally and they had met up simply due to chance. Of course he'd still have things of his own to do. It was nice meeting a friendly face, and it certainly helped back when they were being attacked. He simply had to hope they'd get the chance to fight together again one day, and that's all he could do.

Razeluxe got himself up and began making breakfast for the rest of the people at the camp. Did the elemental eat? Either way....

The amount of servings seemed so small for a camp that had been so big.

---

---

There's a reason why people are required to eat if they want to survive. For each action one might take, energy is used up and returned to the world in one way or another. There is nothing you can do to halt this process, for even the simple act of existing expends your energy. The way to replenish said energy is by devouring things and absorbing the nutrients. If one were to look at it on paper, there is no reason for a person to be picky about what they eat so long as it provides thing with everything they need to continue surviving. But people in general are.... odd. Razeluxe was no exception.

Today Razeluxe would be cooking some beans for breakfast. He particularly enjoyed such things. One could say that his favorite food was beans, and if there ever were any in stock, they'd be sure to have some. While Razeluxe was masticating away, he could not help but ponder a certain philosophical dilemma.

-- Do beans have emotions?

Some people claim cacti may sense human emotions. What, then, of the bean? They don't scream when you boil them, but perhaps some among them know how to use their 'bean'. Plants may be aware of the world in some unknowable way.

Under such a hypothesis, then even vegetarians would be monstrous mass-murderers. Brandishing their cruel, shining silverware, they gruesomely flay innocent carrots, chop their bodies into sections, and then consume them to the core.

....that's probably enough for breakfast.

Razeluxe had just finished up preparing some beans to eat when he heard the tell-tale signs of Shyc's return to the campsite. By this time, neither Sakura or the elemental had seem to have awoke (though Raze speculated that the elemental hadn't even gone to sleep, but was still meditating) and it was simply just Dane and Shyc alone for now. Perhaps they could speak more about his condition. He was still worried, after all, considering that Shyc went berserk and did not seem to want to cease the bloodshed back then. Hopefully he could learn exactly how to prevent that side of Shyc from surfacing again, as not only was it unpleasant, but it brought pain to Shyc's very heart when it did. So, as Shyc called out to him, he made sure to set his utensils down and stood up, turning to face the young boy.

Shyc was not returning alone.

"His name is Kenji, and... um... well, he's the one who had saved me from my daemon half last time..." Shyc stated as they stood, Shyc himself obviously nervous about Razeluxe reaction to the sight. He had good reason to be. There was no doubt about it Razeluxe wasn't exactly thinking friendly thoughts about this man beside him.

More like he tried to kill you and that was just a side-effect of you surviving the attempt.

Though he likely attempted such as a measure of showing respect, the bow the young man performed seemed to have the opposite effect. Raze's eyes narrowed and he shot glares at both of them. Shyc for being a fool and stumbling into an enemy when he left camp for the second time now, and this 'Kenji' guy simply because he wasn't going to trust someone who they had fought just days ago immediately.

"I do desperately hope you slipped and knocked your skull upon the floor at one point during your departure from the camp, Shyc." Dane began, not the least bit pleased with this situation at all, and so much was apparent from his tone. "Because I'd have to honestly question your sanity if this is not the case. You do realize this man attempted to murder you but a few nights ago, correct? He is very fortunate that Sakura isn't awake at the moment, or I would likely draw my sword right now."

"I do desperately hope you slipped and knocked your skull upon the floor at one point during your departure from the camp, Shyc.Because I'd have to honestly question your sanity if this is not the case. You do realize this man attempted to murder you but a few nights ago, correct? He is very fortunate that Sakura isn't awake at the moment, or I would likely draw my sword right now."

Shyc flinched, he'd been expecting something to what had just occured. Raze was not happy. He felt his face flushing as he faced the man whom he respected. Glancing over to Kenji, he wasn't sure what to do really, "Uh... I-I know, Raze. But if he really had been determined, he would have killed me when he had me against that tree, but he didn't. I don't know how to explain this, but..." he sighed. Stepping forward he produced the weapons that Kenji had given him, "He gave these to me. You can hold onto them if you wish, Raze. I know that at the moment I probably don't have the right to ask, but... would you trust me?"

Despite Shyc's expression swapping from nervours to, well, pretty nervous, Razeluxe's own face hadn't shifted from the glare he was giving out. Listening to Shyc, he thought the excuse laughable at best, but this was no laughing matter to begin with so he hadn't thought about chuckling. Instead, he crossed his arms and spoke.

"The problem is not me trusting you, Shyc. It's me trusting him."

That being said, Razeluxe did not hesitate to retrieve the man's weapons. Not that he had any reason to trust that he wasn't keeping something hidden on his person. Probably a joint. Anyway, why did this man even want to join them in the first place? Suspicious was probably the perfect word to use when describing this man. "What's his intent for joining us?"

Shyc glanced over to Kenji as Raze took the weapons. A frown pulled his lips as he regarded the man and the given question, "He doesn't really speak... well... anyway," Shyc dismissed the earlier event of Kenji simply speaking his name, "I suppose you could try asking him, I doubt he'll say anything though." He motioned to Kenji for him to answer the question hoping that things didn't get anymore tense than they already were.

Kenji felt a bit uncomfortable having Oboro handed over so easily. Oboro was all he truly had, and he never let go of the sword. He wasn't at all surprised that the evil elf rejected his offering. It was clearly the logical thing to do, especially in his situation. He knew his intent, but he wasn't quite comfortable speaking in the presence of so many others. He looked over to Shyc and stared at him intenly. Once again Kenji muttered a single word, "You." He continued to gaze at Shyc, wondering what his reaction might be.

It was definitely the truth. He had thought it over and over again and the only reason he wanted to give his life to protect a princess was so he could be around Shyc. He is kind of a creepy obsession of his, so to say. Not because Kenji is a pedophile, but because he can't get over the fact that this very man made him feel for the first time in many years.

"He doesn't speak?..." Raze couldn't help but let a sigh out of his mouth. This situation wasn't getting much better at all. Regardless of the fact Shyc seemingly forgave the man for attempting to put an end to his life, Razeluxe wasn't so kind... or was it naive? Either way, this man certainly shouldn't expect to get buddy-buddy with Raze anytime soon. Going from a crossed-arm stance to running his hands through his hair in a mixture of confusion and frustration, the young elf continud, "So?" he looked expectingly at Kenji.

Then Kenji said something... strange. 'You'. Without clarification. That was kind of odd. No, it was really odd. There was nothing else added to his single word, so what did that mean? Did he want to finish the job? That seemed very unlikely, since there was absolutely no reason to ask Raze's permission to join them just to try to kill Shyc. Did he want to violate poor Shyc? What a cruel person! And somehow, he got the feeling this guy had been striking through some of his posts. THAT MONSTER. HE WOULD NEVER TOUCH THE YOUNG MAN.

"It's not something I can really even accept by myself." Razeluxe briefly recalled Willow's intervention last time, when they had first met his ship, I mean, Sakura. Razeluxe wasn't for this man joining them, but since he honestly considered Sakura a part of this family, perhaps even more (not really. She has to work at that nerd), he ought to at least get her opinion on this guy. He felt she would realize the danger it posed to not only Shyc, but them. She'd seen what he did too, didn't she? Hopefully she'd be sane. Or holding a bag of strawberries. Or both. That'd be cool too. "We should consult with Sakura when she wakes."

"I wonder, why it is that when I finally find you, it looks as if there is no remorse, no regret, no guilt around you Dane."

Shyc starteled, whirling around to the voice, his hands instinctively dropped down to where his swords were normally, but gripped only air. His heart jumped to his throat, "What?" Shyc asked in return, he didn't like the tone of the man's voice as he moved slowly into the camp, his sword drawn. The young theif was completely confused, not to mention unarmed as this man was slowly advancing with his weapons drawn.

As he grew closer, Shyc noted that he had the ears of an elf, his hair was light in color, a little longer than Razes with cold dark eyes. He wore black from head to foot, a heavy looking bow on his back with a quiver filled with black arrows, their fletchings all black as well. Like Shyc, he weilded two swords matching in length and design.

The young theif moved, having located his weapons near his tent. Kicking up a sword to his hand, he unsheathed it and turned only to meet cold steel right under his throat, the other pressed lightly against his chest. How... Shyc was stunned at how quickly the elf had moved. It reminded him of Raze's speed and agility, something he couldn't quite match.

"Drop it," the elf growled, "I'm here for someone else, not you. If you value life, human, you'll step aside."

---

---

That voice... no, it... it can't be.....

Almost as if he was terrified of committing the action, Razeluxe slowly turned to face the voice he had hoped only sounded familiar. The voice brought up many memories, every single one of them unpleasant. Memories of rejection, memories of hate, memories of regret, memories of despair, memories of sorrow, and memories of a past he had so desperately wanted to escape. They all came flooding back as he saw the face of someone he hadn't seen since he fled from his old clan.

"...Iriyn...?" his eyes betrayed the absolute shock better than anything else could. For the first time in Shyc's life, he could witness a foreign expression his leader had. He wasn't prepared for the past to come creeping back up so suddenly, and it had hit him so hard he couldn't even remember the matter involving Kenji that they were just speaking about not two minutes ago. And because that shock was so great, he failed to even particularly notice that this past of his was gripping Shyc's life in his hands.

...Wait, no. This can't happen. He could not let his past overwhelm him now, after it had been so long. Razeluxe shook his head, as if to dispel a curse that had been placed on him, then brandished his own blade and discarding the ones he had, he said, "Release him, Iriyn. I'll cut you down if you lay another finger on him!"

Iriyn's lips curved into a grin as he turned his gaze over to Raze slightly, "Where was this when we needed it?" he coaxed. Slowly he pulled away from Shyc who let out a soft release of air. The theif shifted, raising his sword ever so slightly. One blade slammed into his, knocking it to the side and in one strike, he was sent backwards onto his back from the elf.

Iriyn turned his body full circle from the kick. Glaring down at the boy, he twisted both weapons in each hand, "Idiot child. Now then, let me repay you." He rushed Raze, closing the distance between them rather quickly. Iriyn leveled one blade to strike the sword that Raze held, to push it off to the side and leave the other elf wide open for him to run his second weapon through him. This blade was held lower than his dominant one.

The young theif shouted as he recovered from the blow to his stomach. Rolling over, he got to his feet and prepared to help.

Razeluxe was lacking his shield at the moment, keeping him from using his preferred battle style, which meant he was at a disadvantage against his fellow elf. Knowing Iriyn, he hadn't weakened in the years they had been seperated, and the guy wasn't really a pushover for as long as Raze'd known him. So, of course, Dane would not underestimate his foe now.

With regret in his heart that he hadn't worn iron or steel gauntlets so that he could possibly parry a blow with them, he sought another solution to the well-executed attack he was about to receive. Any deductions or thoughts were made in less than a second, as that was all the time Raze could bear to spare before he'd simply be killed outright. Razeluxe could wager pretty accurately that Iriyn wasn't going to go easy on him. From the start, there'd be fatal blows being launched. Knowing this at least helped him realize how he should approach and react. Razeluxe brought himself to a serene state of mind by blinking, but in this split second his eyes were closed, he exhaled the air in his lungs.

To fight a worthy foe required you to put your attention solely on him and nothing else. He shouldn't have any regrets passing through his mind or it'd cost him dearly. As far as he should be concerned, they were both born right now and meant to fight. There was no prior experience between them, just the reality of this battle. Yes... that's it. The tension Raze had was disappearing just in time for him to bring his sword up to parry the blow directed at his sword. Perhaps this was Iriyn's intention in the first place, but he was probably forgetting that Razeluxe still had a free arm with which to attack with. A straight punch would certainly require too much time to pull off before the second blade reached him, but a weak elbow wouldn't need more than an instant. At the very least, it was the only real way he could counter given the situation, so he did just that. As their blades collided, one could see sparks fly off from the conflict. But as the true evil elf drew in to attack Raze's exposed body with his blade, well, he'd probably want to deal with the elbow directed at his head.

Iriyn felt his first blade knocked to the side, just as he wanted it to be. For a moment, he was a little disappointed that Razeluxe had done it. Afterall, he'd been waiting for many many centuries to find him and show him just exactly how torn he and the clan were. Revenge wasn't even the beginning of his whole vendetta. In anycase, he'd been hoping for a bit more from the other elf, the half-elf.

It came though, in the form of a hard elbow straight to his head. Iriyn changed tactics, no longer able to go through with the original plan of running Raze through with his sword. The half-elf's strike caught him just slightly, scrapping across his upper cheekbone as he twisted in mid lunge. His sword that had been ready to run Raze through shot upwards, underneath Raze's arm that had hit him. If he was lucky, the deep gash that could happen would be crippling enough to kill the elf later on, if he wasn't lucky than perhaps a shallow cut that would still be annoying no matter what.

His other weapon he dislodged immediately from Raze's as he twisted. He would come full circle to end up behind Raze, ready to strike again.

A pained expression showed on Raze's face as he was cut on the arm, the wound about as deep as you'd expect accidentally running your finger along a kitchen knife would be. It wasn't anywhere near fatal, but it did sting. If perhaps he was a bit less manly, it'd have hindered his ability to continue fighting. But it did show just how close he could have been to losing an arm.

Grateful he was able to avoid a possibly fatal blow, Dane kept the grip on his blade tight as Iriyn's parted from his own. In that movement, Raze could see his fellow elf disappear, and realizing the situation he was in, he tucked down and spun his body, extending his leg. This movement was quite familair to some as a "leg sweep", as its intentions were to knock an opponent from his feet.

A sharp pain jolted through his ankle as Razeluxe dropped down and struck out at him. Already having changed his movements, he wasn't ready for the strike that was down at his feet. The swipe took him off balance and he fell sideways. Hitting the ground, Iriyn shoved with one hand to force himself to gain some distance from the half-elf. Pushing himself up, he glowered at Raze as he regained his footing.

The anger was clear, a smoldering fire in his dark eyes as he shot forward again. To him, there was only himself and Razeluxe, no one else. Aiming for Raze's throat was his dominant blade, the other held down but ready to strike outwards at the next possible opening, hopefully across the chest, should he get the chance.

"Tch." Razeluxe clucked his tongue in annoyance at his follow-up attack being nullified before he could even commence it. It was clear this battle would be one of attrition if there were to be a victor. He could not imagine his opponent being so careless as to making unnecessary movements during a swing or putting all his strength into a single, counterable blow. And after their next conflict, Raze confirmed this.

It was not too hard to see this man's moves in advance. After all, they weren't too different in fighting style, save their preferred weapons. But even acknowledging his moves before they landed did not offer him much of an advantage, for the form and swift blows were anything but lacking and counterable. Razeluxe swayed his head just far enough back to avoid having his throat cleaved open by the first sword. It was close enough that he even had the slightest cut running along his neck to show just how narrowly he'd escaped death. Had his foe only one blade, he would have ended the fight right here. The counterattack Dane launched towards his body would have been enough to inflict fatal damage, but that too was blocked by the true elf's second blade, which caused their blades to lock up. They both struggled for a bit, before the half elf decided to attempt to overpower the other, pulling one fist back and slamming his palm against the dull side of his blade and causing the locked blades to release each other. With an brief opening, the half-elf attempted to quite literally disarm the other, but only succeeded in a small slash across the arm, no deeper than a papercut. It really beat the fact that Iriyn was probably just as good at fighting as Raze.

As the true elf hopped back to recover, so did Dane. Although it may have seemed as though they'd been fiercely battling, the matter of the fact was that this fight could probably draw on for hours if left alone. And with no clear victor, who was to say Raze would survive? The half-elf rubbed the small amount of blood coming from the wound on his cheekbone as he glared at his enemy.