Rising In The East, Rest To The West: Chapter 1 "When It Rains"

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In a flash, Fumino was jolted from the bed with the scream that pierced the air. It was an unholy wail that bespoke sudden horror mixed with excruciating pain. Dagger in hand, Fumino kicked the blankets away from herself and flew at the shadows that she could barely distinguish with her honed eyes in the inky dark.

Fumino thought with amusement for a split second that at least Michio had followed her request - he'd woken her all right. Fumino darted through the darkness, finding the a man with his limbs in tact. Venom welled up in Fumino's heart as she reflected on the presence of the intruders over her bed. The thought of their intentions made her absolutely livid. She could hardly contain herself from the decision to stab one repeatedly in the chest, but they might be useful later on since not just anyone would decide to aim for Michio after what had happened tonight.

Instead, Fumino disoriented her target in the darkness by knocking his feet from him. Their eyes were not so accustomed to the light and Fumino chose to use this to its fullest. With every wicked thought in her head, she plunged the tip of the knife into the eye of the man she had tripped, stopping short of penetrating the actual head and instead just rendering the eye bloody and useless. Another scream shot out as the soft jelly mixed with blood to ooze over his face. Fumino tied his hands behind his back with a bit of rope in her bag. She'd get it back from him - it was the last piece she had and one never knew when they would need rope on a job.

Hadn't there been a third man, she reflected, turning on her heel with her dagger raised. She could only assume that Michio was controlling the other one. The man whose hand had been sliced off began to sob softly in time with the man who had just lost an eye. If Michio had any intention of salvaging the one, they'd have to cauterize or tie off the wound, she thought, angry at having to consider the well-being of the one who'd been discovered over her bed.
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[bg=darkgreen]Sleeping peacefully in bed was Celina, with her loyal companion curled up at the foot of it. Both of them felt exhausted from their work, so slumbering in the new environment wasn't as challenging as she initially thought. She was short a pillow and a blanket, which were given to Rafael so he could make the room's chair more comfortable, or the floor. He was one of her dear friend, so rejecting him from sharing the room didn't seem right.

Unfortunately, the dreamless sleep couldn't last for long. There was a disturbance some doors down from her, involving voiced pain and moving weapons. She sat up from her bed with a startle, her hands curled into fists while Amato stood up on all fours to get in attack mode. Both of them were trained to respond immediately to danger, since a person could easily be harmed in their sleep. From the sounds of things, nobody was going to advance to their rented bedroom. That realization eased Celina, however she still jumped out of bed so she could investigate.

And then leave.

Hastily, she strapped on all of her armour pieces and gear, having gone to bed in nothing but her clothes to sleep in. Rafael most likely heard some of the noise as she did, but she still spoke in a hushed tone: "Rafael, we need to get out of here."

Once her pack was secured and her quiver was strapped across her, she picked up her gun and went to open the door and peek in the hallway. Celina had no intention of shooting anyone; there just wasn't time to organize all her items. Plus, it could come in handy to club an attacker in the head if need be. She didn't want to rush head on into any trouble, so she kept a firm position at the doorway, her dog standing silently at her side.

'Someone screamed,' she remembered, biting her lower lip. With her furry companion and Rafael nearby, she felt courageous enough to finally advance. Amato utilized his keen sense of smell to lead Celina towards the scene, however stopped feet away from the room where the Ukyons were slumbering. 'Shoulda known.'[/bg]
 

Rafael had been ecstatic when Celina had accepted his request to split a room. Truthfully, he was a bit strapped for cash right now. Most of his bank notes of credit had been used up in his latest venture, leaving him with little silver in his pocket, lesser gold, and only a single strip of credit left.

He was venturing back to one of the major 'magic cities,' as he called them: cities with a large population of magi. They would be open to him, welcoming even, allow him free home and board for his stay, and offer him their banking structure. He had no real home of his home. He had a dormitory back within the Tower of Magi, on the upper floors with a wonderful balcony view, but he hardly seldom ever used it.

When he had joined her in her room, he had expected to swiftly and easily fall back within the graces of her embrace. He had swiftly begun stripping down, and was bare-chested when she thrust a blanket at him sternly pointed at one of the room's chairs, next to the fireplace. She gave him a disapproving quirk of eyebrow (at least, that was how he interpreted it) before she went to the privacy of her bed.

The night was young, and had barely pass when the shout of pain had echoed down the rustic halls of the tavern and inn. The shout was nigh blood-curdling, and easily woke up half of the patrons. Rafael was one of them, and he was standing upright clutching his leather-sheathed wizard's staff and ready to do battle, his fist already lit up with a brilliant white light. His eyes were wide, adrenaline coursing through his blood, when the light from his magic-filled hand illuminated Celina.

She was already ready to go.

"Rafael, we need to get out of here."

"Lead the way," he told her, taking a brief moment to dress and gather his things. He had hastily done up his leather and armour, and he was clutching his bag and cloak in one hand over his shoulder. His other hand held his staff in front of him, as if he was parting some fabric in his way. In reality, he was standing with shield and sword ready to bear-- with a flick of his wrist, he would be able to cast any man of any size several feet in any direction he wished, granted, the man was standing directly in front of him...

"Why are you stopping?" He asked her in hushed tones. In the darkness, she was staring hard at one of the doors. 'Is this the source of the scream?' he asked himself.

"Well, don't just stand there. See what's going on!" With a wild, toothy grin, Rafael flicked his wrist and send that same telekinetic energy he had been storing to disarm a man into the door, blowing it back as if someone had kicked it in.

 
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Elritch "The Obelisk"​
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It had all gone to hell so quickly. Theda's hand lay in the sheets, while Branz moaned with one less eye, and writhed with his arms bound. Elritch, gritted his teeth, and emitted a low growl much like that of a wild beast. It was cut short as the door behind him was blasted off it's hinges and slammed into his back, carrying him forward across the room, falling over Branz.

He'd had enough of this bullshit. Lifting his left hand, his cloak fluttered as the room was filled with gale force winds, pressing those in the room to the floor, or walls... which ever was closer. The door itself was also sent out the entrance way back past Rafeal, and Celina.

The Obelisk would stand strong.

Michio gripped his sword tightly, and fought against the incredible winds that were bombarding him, yet his movement was sluggish at best, as he inched his sword closer to his scabbard. If he could only sheath it.

It was then, the man's cloak ripped away from his body revealing the form of what appeared to be an elderly man covered in scars, with glowing yellow slitted eyes. Two swords hung from his shoulder in worn leather cases, with a pommel shaped like a bursting star. He was known to all in Kavoch, yet the Ukyons were forfeit from it.

"That's enough boy." Elritch said as his tall form slowly rose to it's massive height of 7'2. Turning to look down at Michio, his eyes burst with light, and from them, a blast of arcane energy raced forward, and struck the Ukyon warrior directly in the chest propelling him up against the wall. "Rest to the west..." Elritch murmured, and threw a hand forward. From it, the air compressed, and slammed into Michio, sending him out the window in a storm of glass shards, and wood.

Glancing then over his shoulder to Fumino, and his comrades, The Obelisk grunted once more. Snapping gloved fingers, the walls burst into flames, and scorched the hallway outside with an intense heat, blocking it with magical fire. "Give up, girl. You've no hope of escaping this building. None will rise to save you. You will come me..." The Obelisk answered sure in the strength of his sleep spell that clung heavily over the heads of those patrons that had remained to take a room for the night, and that whoever had sent the door across the room, would be incapable of deconstructing rune structure of the flames at the door... the rune structure that made his magic so unique. A hand tugged at his boot lace, and caused his attention to turn to Branz, who was still writing in pain, which lead his eyes to Thedas, who had nearly bled out.

Narrowing his eyes, Elritch lifted a hand towards them both, and grunted once more. "SHOKA!" The two men then exploded in a mist of gore, coating the room in blood, and flesh, which instantly cooked, filling it with the smell of burning death. To all but the most hardened person, the scent would be gut wrenching.

If Elritch wasn't stopped, the entire tavern would burn to the ground, and countless patrons would burn to death.


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[size=+2]King Darius[/size]

Remaining knelt at the small altar, Darius's head rose from prayer at the sound of the door being kicked in. Beal was a beast... a beast could only behave as a beast, and he'd long given up trying to teach the creature any etiquette. He however would not have his sanctuary desecrated by Beal however. Turning, he lifted a small talisman, which shown with a brilliant light for a moment. Watching Beal fall to one knee, with hatred, and loathing filling his red eyes, the corner of Darius' mouth twitched in what would have been a smirk.

"Good. One less witch in the world to spread the heresy "Old" gods. You however, have forgotten your place, thing. I will not have you in the lords presence, abomination. He has granted you duty, and purpose under my control, but do not continue to test his mercy by forcing his holy gaze to continuously view your tainted form." Holding the talisman up higher, Beal's feet began to carry him backwards into a doorway, leading to a secret staircase which would eventually lead to a large network of secret tunnels throughout the castle.

The tunnels were constantly changing, and turning to the point that if one were to map it, they'd go mad in doing so. It was strange that Darius always seemed to have such a fine sense of direction, though he was king after all. If such amazing gifts were to be bestowed, who better than the king of the largest nation in existence. With Beal's body marching under the control of the talisman, Darius, and his servant were soon in a large catacomb where several shackles hung from tombstones, and the cave walls. Each were filled with half starved, or half mad captives. Some from war, some for crime, and some for simply being in the wrong place, and the right time.

It was when they reached the form of a middle aged Ukyon man, that Darius lowered the Talisman, allowing Beal some measure of control over himself. "You're next task, is to discover the identities of two Ukyon assassins. They were traveling with this fool, until he gave himself for capture... the royal interrogators haven't been able to withdraw the information from him... though it's said that Ukyons fear no man... and that is why I've brought you beast." Darius said as if it were common knowledge. He would be quite eager to see Beal's response to his demands... for if the creature began to refuse, Darius had no qualms about using the talisman in order to force the point.[/dash]
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Beal snarled as he was driven to his knee before the King. Hemuttered something about not being the only abomination the Lord had a tough time looking at, before his mouth with clamped shut. Pulling at the control of the talisman Beal's muscles and tendons strained but he stopped resisting once the talisman sent a piercing, grating pulse through his mind. Darius lead him through the tunnels, the stench of old fear, blood, and cold sweat floated through his nostrils. Oh he was familiar with this place alright, he had spent quite a few weeks down there multiple times for various reasons. His thin lips sneered at the memories.

Once they had reached the floor and the talisman's power was lowered he shook himself like a dog trying to get rid of it's fleas. After listening to what Darius had to say about this particular man, he stared at him. His eyes smoldered in the darkness of the dungeon, peering at Darius in a sense regular mortals couldn't understand. He stared at him until he felt the slightest little trickle of fear he knew was reserved for him, turning his gaze onto the Ukyon man shackled against the wall when he felt Darius tense. "Aye, sire" he said to affirm his cooperation. Although he hated Darius he did enjoy the opportunity presented to him.

Beal stepped closer to the Ukyon, something rippling out from his body, driving the other men in the shackles to hush briefly before some of them started writhing in their bonds to try and get away. Beal used the same gaze on the Ukyon as he did on Darius. The man had a resolve in him that drew from his pride for his nation, his people. Beal smirked and stared into the man's eyes. The man was about to spit in Beal's face, just on principle, but stopped as he was gathering saliva. His eyes going wide and his body quaking with fear, feeling the presence Beal was leaking out through the mobility allowed him by the talisman. The man's vision faded in and out, the only constant thing were two maddening red circles smoldering from the blackness. Beal spoke as he felt the primal fear rise in the Ukyon, the man flinching when he spoke. His voice scuttled out of his mouth and crawled into the Ukyon's ear like a burrowing insect "Who did you come here with?" The man twisted in the shackles and frantically shook his head. In response Beal leaned closer and opened his eyes wide, a deep pulsing sounding in the prisoner's ears, "Where. Are. They?" Although every fibre in his being screamed for him not to, the man stared into Beals eyes. Then he howled like a mad man, screeching out the answers Darius wanted and more, almost incoherent. For what he'd seen horrified him worse than any earthly notion such as death or torture.

Beal turned from the man as the presence in the room receded slowly. He looked at Darius with an air of devious strength, and a smirk that was more in his attitude than on his face. He then reached back and slashed the man's throat open, causing Ukyon blood to spray out.
 
[bg=darkgreen]An annoyed look was cast in Rafael's direction when he so daringly told her to investigate the situation in the other room. Not a single step was taken, though. She heard something, rather someone, get tossed out a window. Matters only got worse as a terrifying voice spoke and flames began to spread, making it challenging, if not impossible, to enter that room. Nervously, she took a single step back, her face twisting into both disgust and horror. Burning flesh was sickening her stomach and fire happened to be one of her worst fears.

Moisture built up in her eyes, from the putrid odor making her ill and her phobia scaring her half to death. She didn't want to be seen rushing out of the place like a terrified child, though. There had to be something she could do! Whilst thinking it over, she stomped her foot next to Amato and pointed to the tavern entrance, watching with brief relief as he ran out to safety.

"The Ukyon girl. She's in there," Celina said aloud, remembering that two had entered that room. Plus, the stranger in threatening the tavern said to give it up, girl...

She found herself stepping as close to Rafael as she could, evidently intimidated by the blazing scene unfolding. There was magic at work here; something she wasn't familiar with. 'Great,' she thought wryly. A cough escaped her, vomit burning in her throat while her trembling hands went to put her firearm away in its holster on her back. From there, she also took out her bow and an arrow.

"Please tell me there's something you can do, Rafael," she pleaded, knowing he was a mage knowledgeable of things like this. At least, she hoped so. "And if you leave me to die, then dammit, my spirit will haunt your dreams!"

Blinking back her tears, she pulled the arrow back on her bow and watched the doorway for the shape of a man, anticipating an opportunity to shoot him. This was likely the bravest thing she ever did![/bg]
 

Rafael's face contorted as he felt a strange miasma of exhaustion wash over him. It was unique, and out of place; he shouldn't be experiencing this. Waking up to such a sound, taking flight with his female companion, should have his adrenaline coursing through his veins and giving them both vital energy to escape, fight, or trek through the veil of night for several hours.

'I should not be this fucking sleepy!'

Just as he began to mentally wrestle with his own constitution, the wall of flames burst up in front of them. Magical embers licked the old wood of the tavern and inn, and began to slowly spread with the speed of a tumbling snowball. Rafael grunted, seeing the unique rune matrix with his magical 'third eye'; he could barely make them out. As a matter of fact, he could only make them out enough to know that it was magic. There was no way he could deconstruct this!

"Fuck me," he muttered.

"The Ukyon girl. She's in there," came Celina's words in a hollow echo. He could hear her, make out what she was saying and try to covey to him, but Rafael's focus was completely on the flaming wall before them. He didn't pay attention to the sleep spell that was darkening the edge of his vision, nor did he feel the font of power that was barely a dozen feet ahead of him. All he saw were the flames.

Suddenly, the butt of his speared staff slapped the wooden floor hard. The sound echoed, and reverberated, as if a sharp slap of hard iron on stone was made. Raising up his other hand, a snarl stretching over his lips, Rafael roared defiantly. A surge of magical power welled within him, threatened to explode from the crown of his head, when he thrust his hand forward with a sharp, fierce yell.

A bubble of telekinetic energy shot forth, extinguishing some of the surrounding magical embers before settling on the magical rune matrix that had started the flames. It did not extinguish the flames, but rather, captured them. It continued to burn underneath that half-translucent bubble of Force that Rafael had trapped it under.

Holding onto that bubble required some effort, but Rafael was up to the task. With the flames now maintained, the large, scarred old man on the other side was clearly illuminated. Rafael wasn't sure if he wanted to run, piss himself, or try to conjure more magic.

"I'd shoot him." He said, noticing the 'twang' of Celina's bowstring being pulled back. He words came out with a wave of exhaustion; even if he realized the magical sleep settling on him, there was little he could do about it, especially if he wanted to wage magical war.
 
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Fumino coughed, her lungs rebelling with the acrid smoke that began to fill them from the fire's destruction. She had no room to be sickened by the smell or sight of the burning flesh of what had been the man's two comrades. If it was meant to be received as a message, she had gotten it very clearly. Fumino struggled to get to her feet, trying not to cry out like a scared child.

"Mi-Michio?" she called weakly, but she couldn't see that it would help her any. He was unable to help her, incapacitated himself probably, but even if he could... He hated her anyway, there was little chance he would lose such an opportunity to get rid of her without blame falling onto him. Fumino gripped her dagger in her shaking hands, her knuckle bone-white as she held onto the dagger as if for dear life.

Fumino held her breath and, unwittingly, she became invisible for a moment. This moment gave her confidence... there was very little left for her to do. Taking advantage of her natural grace, she leapt to the bed and from there, she lunged for the Obelisk. Her plan was frantic, frenzied, and desperate but she refused to be trapped and burnt to death. The dagger was angled for his throat and her body was steeled for impact in case he tried to block her.

Voices from outside rang deaf on her ears; these people weren't coming to help and she didn't know why but it infuriated her a little bit. Even the words of the man she was trying to kill had little impact on her. Something about coming to him? Well, she was certainly doing that. Hopefully in a way he didn't expect but more than likely, her death would simply be a more heroic one than smoldering in a corner.
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Elritch "The Obelisk"​
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His slitted eyes widened in an eerie manner, as Fumino leapt for him. Catching Fumino's hand at the wrist, Elritch easily disarmed her with a slight bend of his wrist to numb her fingers instantly, and raising her up, he drove his mailed fist into her stomach forcing her to exhale, causing her to reappear from invisibility. Her gasping breath, and wide eyes were met with his as the slits narrowed once more. "Now now, little butterfly. I think I'll have to clip your wings." he finished with his free hand grabbing her hair, and jerking her head back, still allowing her to look at him with the fear he'd become accustomed to by his marks.

The concussive force of Rafeal's outburst drew his attention, as he saw the flames attempting to be quarantined. The slits in his eyes widened once more, as a sinister grin spread across his face. So the Mage had managed to weaken the spell some. The Obelisk felt his blood begin to burn hot with anticipation. Slowly his tongue seemingly snaked out of his mouth, and then he slowly turned back to face Fumino. Dragging his tongue along the side of the Ukyon woman's neck, the girl would feel an intense burning sensation at it's touch, and feel a numbness beginning to spread throughout her body. Elritch would have her paralyzed while he dealt with the newcomers.

Dropping Fumino to the floor leaving her to flop like a fish out of water, Elritch slowly turned his towering body back towards Rafeal, and after a brief closing of his eyes, he darted towards him at amazing speed for a human, his left hand drifting towards his sword hilt, and a blood chilling scream escaping his throat.











 
[bg=darkgreen]The weakened spell was only slightly comforting, but was enough to let her focus more on what was on the other side of the fire, at least. Whoever that man was, he didn't appear human to her. The eyes he had reminded her of a reptile's, though from stories she was told, he was more than likely some sort of demon. That was not a creature she was ever hired to assassinate; she didn't kill anything beyond a simple animal or human. There was a first time for everything, she supposed.

A pang of fear hit her heart when he reached for his blade and started towards them. Obelisk had his eyes on Rafael, who was having enough problems already by keeping the flames down. Either he didn't want to waste time with a woman or he was more worried about his precious fire! Or he didn't see her?

Getting a clear image of the man now, she launched her arrow after having aimed it at his chest. Just as quickly as she fired it, she grabbed another arrow and had it pulled back on her bow. Celina was all about speed and flexibility; she was trained for these moments. Half of her arrows were tipped with venom, meant for the bigger animals so she could stun them. PShe hoped that was what she grabbed and fired... There wasn't any time for her to learn the place of all her equipment. They needed to act so quickly and immediately, since this was no ordinary opponent.

The second arrow was then launched, however a bit blindly. It went zooming in his direction, but Celina's surprise at how incredibly fast Elritch was made that clumsy shot. There would be no fretting, though. If she was lucky, it would stab in anyway; anywhere! She tried to meet his gaze, challenging him like she'd do with predators in the forest. During so, her arm went behind her to grab another arrow. "You're dealing with me, you vile man," she hissed, uncaring if he heard her. Those words kept her reminded that this was real; that she was still conscious.[/bg]
 

As the fires were dulled, Rafael felt his senses beginning to dull as well. It was strange; why was he so exhausted?! His mind raced with the speed and rush that his body should be experiencing. Using this to his advantage (and taking a moment away from focusing on the present entirely), he was able to ascertain that his exhaustion was something of a magical nature. He was particularly irritated that he hadn't noticed it before, but now that he was aware, he began to take small steps to countering the magic.

He had to let go of what threads of power he was drawing up, however, when the massive figure of black and death came charging at him from over the suppressed flames. Coincidentally, a surge of energy and power came back to him, his limbs no longer sluggish. It was as if the spell was suddenly weakening, or his own claim and grip on power was offering him a shield in this most desperate moment.

Or he metaphorically pooped himself and flight or fight was taking over. One of them.

Rafael took a two-handed grip on his staff, an incredibly powerful amplifier for his magic. It was the Spear of A'Grunn, utilized by an Orc Shaman named A'Grunn the Warlord, some centuries before who was an incredibly gifted and powerful magic wielder. He used it in combat, and to conjure fierce and powerful eldritch storms on the battlefield. Rafael used it similarly.

He shouted a powerful, bestial combat roar back at the charging figure. The shout was a release for the magic he was building in the shaft, and just before the towering man could reach them with his sword, another bubble of telekinetic energy came up in front of him and Celina. It was a solid wall, blocking them from one another. As a matter of fact, the wall had come up so fast and effortlessly, it had caught Celina's second arrow just as she loosed it. The arrow was stuck to it and hovered there, as if it had just hit an invisible target.

Rafael shouted again, and went through an intricate spin and twisting kata before thrusting the spear at his telekinetic shield. Bare seconds had passed, but it was a swirl of detail and magical fierceness for Rafael. With the thrust, came another shout, and the wall he had put up suddenly crackled to life, surrounded by magical lightning. His barrier now was both defense and offense!
 
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Fumino was caught like a fish in a net and she was simply furious about it. She chose to show no fear while being held aloft by her captor but secretly, she was fuming about even being caught by him. Who did he think he was? Her anger manifested itself in her beating her tiny fists against him, a child in the arms of a giant, but then she felt icy disgust ripple through her when he extended a snakelike tongue and ran the edge of it over her neck.

"FILTHY!"

The sharp exhalation trailed off with less bite than she had expected when she realized that the lower half of her body had begun to go numb. Fumino flailed more still but slowly lost control of her limbs. Still intent on fighting to the last, Fumino decided to do something that she'd never considered doing before, placing her mouth on the flesh of another person. With the darting reflex of a ferret, she shot her neck forward and tried to bite him but he was already dropping her to the ground.

The impact sent arcs of pain through what little of her body she could feel. Gasping, she watched the fight going on between the man, the woman, and the beast. She closed her eyes, resigning herself to painful death. This untested pair was to be her salvation? She didn't believe it.
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Elritch "The Obelisk"​
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Celina's arrow hit true, and pierced into the Obelisk's chest however his steps continued. His golden eyes locked on Rafeal with a glint of lust hinting in his eyes. "AGH!" He bellowed, and slashed his sword moments after Rafeal's spell ignited to lightning. It's glowing arcs traveled the length of his sword, and soon embedded itself into his limbs, shaking them violently, his sword falling to the ground.

Continuously his body shook faster, and harder, his knuckles gripping to nearly show the bone. His eyes then light ablaze, and he fell to one knee, with smoke rising from the leather jacket he wore. A soft haunting hiss of air escaped his lips only then for him to fall silent... but still breathing. His eyes then flared to life once more, and that wicked grin spread across his face once more. "Nourishing..." Elritch murmured, with his eyes traveling from Fumino, to Celina, and then finally to Rafeal. "I must suck your beautiful bodies dry of all their gifts."

It was then that his body began to become wracked by spasms once again. Sparks burst from his skin, and the air crackled filling with the scent of iron... that of a lightning storm. "May your bodies remain!" The Obelisk hollered out loud, and slowly began to lift from his feet, hovering several inches above the ground, his arms clutching around his torso in what looked to be a painful fashion, though it was dwarfed by the look of complete ecstasy that laid upon his face.

Rafeal had simply ignited a fuse to a very large magical time bomb.







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[size=+2]King Darius[/size]

Darius wasn't impressed, nor was he pleased at Beal's methods for closing conversation. A point made aware as he drew his fist across Beal's face, exposing the talisman so that it would strike against his skin, and scorch him where he stood. "Stupid beast! You will be tamed, and learn to heed the whip!" The king said in annoyance, and rounded on Beal, with his freehand grasping his sword should Beal feel inclined to argue the tone he was being shown.

"Now I know who they are, but am without ample bait to use... dogs are however not used for interrogation. They're better used for hunting, and tracking."

Glancing over his shoulder once more, Darius looked down at Beal as he laid on the ground. "Arise dog. I've yet another witch for you to hunt in the meantime. Her name is Abigail Leknown." Dropping a small trinket from his hand, Darius began walking away from Beal, as a stone section of the wall opened behind the Ukyon. From it wafted the smell of a bog... a secret tunnel to the swamps beyond the castle.

"Find this woman, and return her to me... perhaps she will be able to divine some more information, for a fear a witch may be better than a dog." Darius finished with sarcasm, and disappeared behind another section of stone that swung open for him, and then shut again.








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With a roar Beal flew from where he was on the ground and punched the stone wall Darius had left through, pulverizing a fist sized hole into gravel. He wouldn't be so tough without that talisman. The pain from the scorch on his cheek was beginning to fade, but the mere fact that it hurt irritated him greatly. He felt it slowly starting to heal. Beal snorted furiously before stopping down and picking up the little item Darius left him.

It was a bracelet, braided from some kind of twine with a small turquoise colored stone in the shape of a tear drop. He brought the bracelet up to his face and sniffed at it, detecting scents of the area from where the bracelet came. He also detected the slight trace of magic. Beal opened his senses and stepped through the secret door outside into the bog. The stone door closing shut behind him.

Even though it was dark Beal detected different lights and colors and even textures from many things, energies even.Beal pulled in air through his nostrils, smelling the smelly odor of the swamp. She was close, in the swamp at least. He started off at a light trot, mud splashing up around his exposed calves. Sniffing around for the additional scents on the bracelet he caught something faintly on a breeze. He stared in that direction for a number of minutes and then broke into a jog with the bracelet still in hand. He had a bearing and was on the hunt.
 
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Force of will on Fumino's part was all that she had left. Her tricks had come to nothing so far and her agility had been lost on the beast man who was now sending off electrical charges. The dangerous scent in the air filled her nostrils and she could tell that something was amiss despite her limited interaction with magic of any kind. Steadfast resolve and a refusal to die in some filthy tavern overcame the numbness of her limbs. Slowly, shakily, Fumino climbed to her feet.

"Come on, you two" she hissed sharply to the pair that had been helping her. It was the least she could do, try to help them escape, since they helped her not be eaten or whatever the beastly man had intended for her. Fumino gestured towards the window, where Michio had already crashed through to the streets below and was for now unheard from. Fumino was really hoping that the man would explode but she was also regretting the presence of other people in the tavern.

Perhaps, Fumino thought, the fire had woken and alerted the people. If they were smart, they would have fled the inn. She sincerely hoped that this was the case. Taking a deep breath in, Fumino cleared her thoughts and slithered to the window, trusting in the intelligence of her rescuers that they would comprehend her quite simple plan. Still, at the last minute, Fumino exhaled in front of the window.

"Jump!"
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[bg=darkgreen]They were combating someone way out of their league. That's what it looked like, anyway. The arrow she shot had hardly any effect and seconds later, this beastly man was making his true insanity clear to them. With a horrified expression, she looked to the room with the girl they were trying to rescue. She was awake; that was a relief. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear a word she was saying. Not until the word jump was shouted.

Celina made haste. She snatched Rafael by the hand, pulling him towards the flaming bedroom so they could escape through the broken window. This would be done with pleasure, considering how scared she was. A building wildly on fire was a morbid nightmare for the ranger. She couldn't wait to be out of it. Her comrade and this stranger came first, though. No matter what the protests may be.

'We can't stay here any longer...'

Rafael was shoved away from the spot they were standing in. Once at the window and standing behind Fumino, she tossed her quiver outside for her dog to catch, knowing well that he was out there waiting for his master. Arrows were useless here and she didn't want to further risk it getting caught on fire anymore than she already had.

Right after the Ukyon girl made her jump, they would experience gravity taking them safely to the ground.[/bg]
 
Rafael's eyes set upon the beastly man's eyes, and a battle on the realm of wits, will, and magical muscle began. Rafael felt the steadfast resolve and strength of triumph that emanated from the grey man; he was more than a sorcerer. He was a conduit, and a glutton for what elemental sources that Rafael wielded like simple hammers and sickles. Given the opportunity, he would channel these magical energies through an individual and feast on them.

At least, that was the kind of knowledge that Rafael's Third-Eye gave him.

Rafael hardly noticed the women scrambling about to flee. The Ukyon girl was shouting at them, telling them to 'Jump!' and Celina was hastily moving to follow that very bit of advice. As the women went to work to escape, Rafael's eyes sharpened and his mental acuity came to a sharp point. He was gathering his magical energies and forcing it into a small point, much like a fist.

The magical fist he created grasped at the arrow that had embedded into the Beast Man's chest. He felt tendrils brush against the smoothed, fletched wood, magical whisps that extended like another hand. The telekinetic magic grasped the arrow and slid along the length of the shaft, past the tufted feathers that gave the arrow direction in flight, and back to the nocking. The fist suddenly became a spike, and with an exertion of Force and will, Rafael pushed the arrow as deep as he--

His concentration was interrupted abruptly with Celina grasping hold of him and shoving him aside. He suddenly saw the cool night of the street below, the girl standing several flights beneath them, and suddenly he was meeting the stone ground with Celina at his side.

Rafael wasn't very dextrous, or very coordinated. He hit the ground, twisted his ankle, and bumped his forehead into the cobblestone beneath.
 
As the three escaped the roaring fire from the second story building, they would see the patrons that had managed to escape the burning building huddled in groups. Their faces licked by flame, ash, and tears alike. Some were crying out for others still inside, others stood silent in confusion and fear, while others simply wept.

Among them was a middle aged, portly man who ran a calloused hand through his thinking hair. Bathis, stood a few feat from the roaring fires that were now exhaling outside from the walls. "Right fucked... this night... is right fucked." The Dwarf said solemnly as he watched the fire consume his life's work, slow tears carving through the black ash coating his face like a rusty knife through alabaster skin.

It was then that the windows burst with light, and a thunderous roar raced outwards of the building into the burning night sending all those around in a panicked run... Rafeal, Celina, and Fumino following in suit. The building shook violently, as boards slowly began to rip from the studs holding the building together. Then... in a matter of seconds... the building turned to ash, and cinder as from the second story, where their enemy had proved too much for them... his energy released itself tearing the building apart. The piercing screams of survivors inside were silenced only to be picked up by those who'd escaped the building left now in a crater.

For how long the three ran, the Kavochian's carrying the Ukyon woman with them. It had began raining again, forcing them to wade through a road more turned to a river of muck. Shards of glass illuminated the path they hastened along, glowing with the passing moon light as it escaped momentarily from the clouds that drifted before it. As their steps carried them farther, and farther from the town, they came upon a man slumped over against a tree... garbed in black silk of Ukyon make, surrounded by glass, a white bandage over his left eye, and blood matted on his face, and clung to his hair.

Had Michio lived through such an event?
 
[bg=darkgreen]Celina insisted on carrying the sluggish Ukyon girl during their run away from the tavern, because Rafael clumsily fell from the window and hurt himself. He could use his staff as support to move along if he was too injured, she figured. While she wasn't the strongest woman ever, Fumino was surprisingly light. Probably even lighter than her dog, Amato, who hurried along beside them with Celina's bow still in his mouth.

The ranger's heart beat fast with terror. That experience in the tavern was the worst. She needed to be strong, though. They had to get to safety. The Ukyon stranger in her arms needed to be cared for, too. She was recovering from her paralysis, but Celina was swift and nimble, hence her offer to hold the girl. They just couldn't afford to be slowed down.

Panting quietly, she came to a halt with Rafael and her dog. Another familiar being was feet away from them, slumped against a tree and covered with blood. "I recognize him," she said quietly. "He came into the tavern with this girl. It's fortunate that we found him."

Gently, she set Fumino down in the grass, nodding to the girl with a quick smile. The canteen hanging from her pack was then detached and handed to Fumino; she had to be thirsty. It was filled to the top with water she got from the tavern some hours ago.

Celina then fell to her knees with a sigh, careful of the glass scattered about, and decided to take the opportunity to catch her breath. All the while, she was studying the motionless Michio. Was he even alive? He had to be. From what she saw at the tavern, he was a tough man that wouldn't go down so easily.

Positive of this assumption, she spoke: "How hurt are you? I have some medical supplies, if you need." Her moist, brown eyes flicked to Rafael's direction afterward, silently giving him the same offer.[/bg]
 
Rafael was forced to balance himself on his spear-cum-staff, the leather covering loosely wrapped around the immaculate silver blade. His ankle was killing him, and the world was doing its best to put itself upside down. In the fall, he had neatly twisted his ankle; it would be alright, if he had a few hours of rest, but right now it killed him! His head, too, was bumped on one of the cobblestones lining the hard-packed road just outside of the tavern-inn. He wondered if he was bleeding, but the rain literally washed that thought away.

It wasn't a struggle to keep up with Celina. Not this time, anyways. She was a swift runner, silent even; she moved like a ghost, like a wraith, in the dead of night when it mattered most. She had a heavy burden, however: she was carrying the Ukyon girl! The girl was conscious, but only just. The beast of a man earlier had.. Done something to her.

"That 'beast'," grumbled Rafael. His thoughts went back to the towering figure, a man who looked to be almost elderly, covered in numerous scars, who knew his fair share of dangerous magic. He knew things that could battle against Rafael, and equally, as well. Rafael was not the most adaptable of wizards, nor did he know many 'tricks of the trade', but he was powerful.

It was then Rafael noticed her dog. He had gotten out alright, and was trailing with them on swift, powerful legs. He was silent, his eyes bright and watchful, like a guardian sentinel. "Good dog," he whispered.

They came to a halt, and Rafael nearly slid in the mud before his feet found purchase in the grass. He grumbled, and fell against the ground, sitting next to the Ukyon girl. He looked past her, though, his eyes fixed on the man. He looked worse for wear, covered in bandages and splotches of blood. It was the same man he had spotted for but a moment, when he arrived at the tavern. Apparently, obviously, this was also the Ukyon girl's traveling companion.

"I'll be okay, Celina," Rafael spoke when she turned her head to him, her eyes saying everything. "Bumped my head; wrecked my foot a little. I just need rest.

And a little of that water." He turned to the Ukyon girl and, when she was done with the canteen, took it for himself. He greedily partook of as much water as he could before pulling it away, gasping, feeling smatterings of it spill down his chin. It didn't matter much, in this rain.

"What are your names? You speak our language, right?"
 
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