Sleeping Beauty, Waking Nightmare

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Sleeping Beauty, Waking Nightmare
Chapter One, Night of Dark Omens
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Wind tossed the trees of the dark forest, whipping the branches of the trees and whistling through the valleys. In the heart of the forest, a lone witch stood over her cauldron, stirring and staring into the bubbling brew. Tendrils of blackness curled around her as she watched the goings on of the forest flickering into view within the pot. She found herself blocked from her scan of the forest as the cauldron seemed to latch onto one location, a pair of houses at the edge of the woods. It refused to change, much to the witch's dismay, only moving in close enough to let the woman, and the man who watched her without her knowledge, see through the attic window of one house....



This was it, the night the soothsayer had spoken of when questioned on the location of the princess. A witch, it had been foretold, would show the way. The witch was young, inexperienced, and when Capharas saw her cauldron misbehave, he took it as his moment, his sign. Grinning, he reached out magically, using the makeshift scrying pool to let him view what he needed. He was lucky, or so he'd always been told, and he hoped his luck would hold out, that one of these houses was indeed the house where the girl resided...













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Pyra stomped around, her anger at her family immense and throbbing in her head. They should have told her that Ashur was there, not let him leave without her seeing him. She'd not seen her beloved friend in years. She knew of the death of his family, had mourned them dearly, and knew that he must need her now. But neither Ashur nor her own parents had thought to fetch her. Why, she'd only been in the other room!

She paced through the house, angry at so much. Too angry to go find Ashur when he would need her calm. But there were many things to be upset over. She was not allowed to start her own life, though girls she knew had been married for years and had children. She was not permitted to help her father guide folk through the Dark Forest. Worse, she was not even allowed access to her own things, the Hope Chest in her mother's room that should have been hers upon her sixteenth birthday. In her anger, she slipped into her mother and father's room, grabbing the chest and carrying it up into the attic.

One strike with her father's axe and the lock half off. Another brought it fully. With glee, the woman knelt upon the floor and opened the chest that held the treasure. It would be something wonderful, she knew. Something that would change her life, a jeweled brooch or a magic sword or a dowry sum or... scrolls? Six scrolls sat in the box, plain, unadorned, and not even sealed. Well, perhaps they were property or something of the sort. She'd heard of kings giving such things to those who did good for Duskbright, and her father and mother had never been anything but good. Trying to think the best, she unrolled a scroll.

How very strange! The ink was yellow, almost golden, shimmering faintly on the brittle parchment. It was also very hastily scrawled and appeared to be... rhyming? Like a spell! A spell of beauty, if it was what it sounded like! Without wasting time, the young woman spoke the rhyme.
"Skin of peach and hair streaked gold
Beauty is the future's hold
Blooming quickly, never fading
With rosey cheeks and lips and shading
Softly as a princess should
Never obscured by that which would
And in her bearing, true and sure
The look of a young maiden pure
Will never be disheveled nor
Be lesser than the purest ore.
For she whom beauty will take and hold
Will appear greater far than gold."

Whatever she'd expected, it didn't happen. There was no feeling of anticipation and sudden gifting, no change or brilliant transformation. No, there was merely a soft breeze from a window that had been left open. Frowning, she went to close it. Well, if nothing else, she knew what was in the box. Poetry. Probably love poems from her father to her mother. She suddenly felt incredibly guilty about destroying what had probably been her mother's dowry chest...




Capharas smiled. So the magic had been activated. This, then, was the true princess. He'd be sure to destroy her, then, before any other had a chance to near her. He slipped back into the shadows, starting for her home on the edge of the forest with incredible speed...
 
Soaring on a breeze of her own design, Sonia neared the home of her charge. Spotting the human girl through an open window, the enchanted bird directed her personal breeze to the opening, sending the soft whisper of wind into the room. Sonia alighted on a branch near the window and began to chirp out a happy tune, looking to all the world like an ordinary mockingbird. From her perch, she eyed the now-familiar face of the human she was sent to safeguard. As often as she could, the little bird came to check on this girl, for not only was she eager to please her masters at the Seelie court, she had also become attached to the kind human.
 
The little house that Ashur had grown up in was overgrown and the weeds infested the gardens that his Mother had tended so dutifully. Lily was tethered to a tree so she could graze on the sweet grass. "Isn't this better than being in a barn, love?" Ashur couldn't help to ask the horse, he was in turmoil. The three week trip back to his home had given him all these ideas and things that he could do to take care of his Mother but he had come back too late.



Ashur was always too late. Sometimes it seemed to him that he was just unneeded in every way. Though nearly every commanding officer he'd served under had disagreed with that, counting him as a fine young man who always did his duty. Ashur didn't count his loyalty though, that was natural and part of him and thus couldn't be seen like that.


Lily, a roan mare of good size snorted at Ashur and shook her head at him for talking to her when she clearly had better things to do.


"I didn't even get to see Pyra... I wonder where she was? Is she married? She's certainly of age to be married off, I suppose..." Ashur paced the outside of the cottage. He certainly had no need to go inside, it was still far too distressing. "I should see her before I leave again." He found himself kicking a rock into the forest in irritation. Nothing was how he left it, home was... Home was falling apart and without his parents it wasn't much of a home and Ashur had no interest in finding a wife and 'settling down'.


Finally his restlessness gave out and the man settled on a bench resting against the side of the house. At least for a few moments until he realized that there was somewhere he needed to be. He looked at Lily, thinking about thieves but quickly decided with a smirk that no one would steal his horse. Not in this village. Ashur looked around and found his water skin before heading off into the cool woods.


It was the same as always. A lone stone fireplace stood the test of time though it was perhaps a little more run down and sad looking than before when he had been a child. It was grown up from years and years of no one being there. Ashur found himself clearing away the weeds and bushes before sitting down on the damp ground.


A long time ago, him and Pyra had played here everyday. They had dreamed here and planned here and had been children here in front of this ancient fireplace.


Ashur drifted asleep.
 
Pyra inhaled deeply, still staring at the busted lock, the battered chest, and the remaining five scrolls. To be sure there'd been nothing too them, she'd glanced in the mirror. Nothing but the normal Pyra to be seen. There was a bird, one she knew well, on the window sill.

"What are you doing up so late, little one?" She extended her hand to the bird, though she didn't expect a reaction except for flight since she had no seed to offer. "Oh, little one, how am I going to explain to mother what I've done?"

"That's a very good question." Pyra spun, eyes wide as she looked at her mother in guilt.

"Mother, I-"

"You read the scrolls aloud."

"Huh? Only one, but-"

Her mother crossed the room, taking Pyra by the wrist and dragging her back to the chest. She shoved the other scrolls at the startled girl. Her mother had never been rough to her before.

"Quickly, there is little time. If the dark faeries felt that magic or saw it, you are in great danger, Pyra."

"Dark what? Wait... Mother, are you feeling ill? Perhaps you should rest!" She tried to hold the scrolls and her mother's hand. The woman was not acting herself at all. It was then that her father arrived.

"Listen to your mother, Pyra. Don't argue. Read the rest of the scrolls aloud."

Were they both crazy? She couldn't deny the urgency she heard in their words, but at the same time, this made little sense at all.

"They are spells, then?"

"Yes," said Jenna, her mother, unrolling a scroll from the pile and pointing at it. "Read, then I shall explain."

Frustrated, Pyra took the scroll. This one was about musical instruments. Pyra read it, then the others, in rapid succession. Perhaps this was some joke at her expense and reading would put things back to normal.

She had no such luck. No sooner than she had finished did her mother start to explain. Confusion, fear, anger, and tears started to overwhelm the ranger. No... she was not. She could not be any of this. She couldn't even think of it!

"You've both gone mad! I'm leaving!" Standing, she raced from the room and down the stairs, grabbing her swordbelt and running into the night. She ran without direction, weaving through the edge of the forest and the village. It shouldn't have been a surprise that'd she'd arrive at their place, not after having thoughts of Ashur, but she still felt off guard when she found her way there. She also hadn't been expecting to find someone asleep in the ruins of the old house. Drawing her sword, she advanced, putting the tip of the blade near his head.

Only then did the clouds part, revealing a familiar, yet older face.

"Ashur!"
 
From her seat on the windowsill, the little bird saw it all. With the scrolls she was told about read, Sonia knew that the her real duty was about to begin. From today onward, the human girl would be in true danger, and Sonia would stop at nothing to keep her safe. After the girl had fled the house, Sonia, still in her bird form, gave a quick nod to the two fae in the attic before taking off. She followed the girl as she ran through the trees and stopped near a decrepit fireplace, her friend asleep in front of it. Sonia alighted on a branch which stretched over the small clearing, remaining silent and keeping an ever watchful eye on her charge.
 
The sound of foot steps had Ashur slightly awake but he was definitely groggy from his impromptu nap. With sleep in his eyes though, he couldn't quite see at first though it was clear there was something sword-like pointed at his head.



Ashur reacted before Pyra could finish exclaiming his name and before he could really stop himself. He pivoted on his hands, his leg sweeping out to knock the attackers legs out from under them while one arm went up, knocking the sword out the attacker's hands and onto the ground.


Who ever it was certainly didn't hold themselves like the Pyra he remembered. It was... different. More elegant, not like the woods-going brat of a girl-child he fondly remembered. He yawned though and shook his head, clearly the sleepy cobwebs as he looked over the now on the same level as him person.


"You surely can't be Pyra..." Though it was clear that it was indeed Pyra but by the Horned One she had changed! "You're... bigger." He gestured, a little hopeless. "And those... where did you get those?" He waved a hand in the general direction of her top. "Or did you always have those?" He squinted. "I don't think you did." He grinned, this was definitely his Pyra. Even with her all grown-up and elegant and pretty and different, there was his Pyra there.


"I missed you, so do I get a hug or your going to point your sword at me some more?"


 
Clarence found himself being chased out of town by the local villagers. They were going on and on about bad merchandise and how he ripped them off. The vase only had a little crack on the edges. It was nothing to get angry about. He was a business man and all he was trying to do was make a living. The villagers just couldn't see that. All they saw was a man who was a con. Typical actions from typical people. Clarence had just made it outside of the village before the chase stopped. His heart was racing like a horse through a field and he rested a hand on his chest. Well, there wasn't any reason to return to that village. It would be like asking his death wish if he did that. It was a sure thing that those people would rip him to shreds if he returned.

It wasn't the first village that chased him out. It was like his reputation to be chased out for an unknown reason. After he had gathered himself, he looked back at the village one last time, watching the mob slowly fade away until they could no longer be seen. He swore under his breath, before turning and walking away. He could care less for their business anyway.

Clarence sighed. Oh, how he dreaded his foul luck. It was like a unseen force was working its charm against him. He had only wished that he could achieve his dreams of doing something better for himself. The life of a merchant was wonderful, but the constant chasing of him out of the villages was getting a little old. There was nothing that he could do about it other than to accept it.

He strolled down the dirt covered road quietly. Out of all the bad he went through tonight, at least he got to see the beauty of the night. He stopped when he came across a forest. It looked calm and somewhat peaceful. Though, he had always heard rumors about the forest. Dark and mysterious things were rumored to have gone on deep within the forest. it was also said that many people had wandered in, but very few made it out.

He seriously doubted that the rumors were true, even though he had never been in the forest depths himself. Well, now was as good a time as any to explore. With a deep, long breath, he released it, then walked towards the forest. There was a chilling sensation that washed over him, not fear, but the coolness of the forest. It was somewhat relaxing, so he continued to walk until his feet were on the forest floor.

So far, it seemed pretty calm. there weren't any animals, but he was sure that they were around somewhere. Clarence walked pass tree and little berry bushes. There were even little holds in the ground where he was certain snakes lived. Those things are something that he didn't want to encounter anytime soon.

A root snagged his pants leg and he tripped, dropping his bag. All of his merchandise went tumbling to the forest floor and he quickly rose up. Clarence did his best to gather the pieces and place them back within his bag, before he closed it. He let out a sigh of relief. Any of the pieces went missing, he would be in big trouble.

A rustling from a nearby bush startled him, but only a rabbit hopped out. He let out a breath of relief, then looked down at the base of the bush. There seemed to have been a vase he missed in all his scampering. He quickly made his way to pick it up and placed it in bag. "I really need to be more careful," he whispered to himself.
 
Woomf! Pyra hit the ground, her sword skittering off into the darkness. The wind rushed out of her and she forced herself to focus on breathing as she rolled to one side quickly, in case he still didn't recognize her. At his words, she sat up slowly, rising to her feet and going to dust herself off, not noticing there was no dirt to brush off.

"Hello, Ashur," she grunted, then moved to hug her best friend, holding tight for a moment before she stepped back. A grin forced its way onto her face despite discomfort. "How are you doing?" She looked him over, the grin slipping a bit. He was huge! Broad shouldered and muscular and every bit the soldier to his physique. Where had her friend gone? She only hoped his attitude had not changed so much as his body had.

A flash of guilt ran over her. She had no right to hope he hadn't changed simply because she had yet to get out of the situation she was stuck in. Glancing over her shoulder, she check the path, half hoping her parents-- no, if what they said was true, they weren't her parents at all-- were coming up the path.

***
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Capharas grinned slowly from where he hid, nearly invisible in the shadows. His men were already assembling and in but a moment, the Princess would be dead and the vengeance of the Unseelie complete. In a way, she was lucky. They were simply going to kill her and not bother with a curse that would stay with her family for generations. He licked his lips, keeping his eyes on her, even when his men approached.

"Captain," one whispered, "we are here. Ready to serve."

"Hush. Good. Hrm, I wasn't expecting the big one to be here. We shall have to be certain to do this quickly. Her first, then him. Surround the clearing and be ready to move in on my signal. Also, you will notice there is a man approaching from the southwest. Kill him before he can see anything."

***
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Nearby, to the south, a cleric was just finishing bandaging a wound. Saying a final prayer to set a small healing magic in motion, he gathered his things and readied to leave. There were rumors of witchcraft and dark magic in the woods, and yet the Cleric made his way deeper into them, further north.

Meanwhile, a witch made her way west, toward the edge of the forest where dark fae gathered and a confrontation was about to blossom. Neither cleric nor witch knew the other was on their way, nor did they know the danger they would encounter.

But then, even Capharas and his dark fae had no idea of yet more danger that lurked in the shadows...
 
The hug had been nice but it just helped to remind Ashur what he wasn't. He wasn't in love with his childhood best friend, which was a bit depressing really. Pyra was gorgeous in the moonlight but it was only the pride of having one's sister being the prettiest sister around and a fierce protective urge to keep her from harm. "It's so good to see you, Pyra. You look wonderful." He pulled her hands up to him and puzzled over the lack of a wedding ring with a raised brow.



"Not married yet? I'm surprised. There's certainly not a lack of men in the village and I can't see them not trying to court you?" He teased softly and ruffled her hair like he had done so many times before when he was being 'big brother'-like. "Though, none of them would be quite your equal. You don't look much like a village lass anymore..." Which was a little concerning, actually. She was different. She felt like she didn't belong here now, it was... very different.


"I'm fine." Ashur gave a weak smile. "I had the ride here to get used to the idea of my Father being gone but now I have to come to terms with my Mother being gone as well..." Not mentioning all the other things he had on his mind these days.


"So why are you running around in the middle of the night, Pyra and why didn't I see you at your home?"
 
Something's not right here...

Before she saw or heard any evidence of the dark fae's presence, Sonia could feel them coming. It was a sort of instinctual sense of something wicked being nearby, a feeling that sends a shiver down your spine before you even know why. Soon after this foreboding dread made itself clear, the little bird began to notice signs of the enemies arrival, a misplaced shadow here, a barely audible whisper there and so forth. Luckily, it seemed that Sonia herself had gone unnoticed, taken for an ordinary bird

Still perched directly above the human girl and her large friend, Sonia braced herself for action. Something very bad was going to happen very soon, and she would do whatever it took to fulfill her duty to the human.
 
Why is my luck always so rotten?

Clarence dropped his head down a bit and sighed, as he closed his eyes. Things always seemed to happen and he couldn't explain it. All he ever wanted was to be successful in his lifetime. Perhaps, marry a nice girl and settle down. No, he was a common merchant, trying to sell crap that was worth no more than its paint. Oh well, he would just have to deal with it. Complaining wasn't going to do anything but make it worse.

The coolness of the night helped him relaxed a little bit more. The tension he felt was weird, like something unnatural or maybe he was just tired. He had been trying to sell since the breaking of the morning hour. There was no chance he had to take a break. Well, at least the forest was perfect for resting. The worst that could happen was that he'd be attacked by a wild animal.

If it came to that, he would use his dagger and poison magic to get away from it. Clarence walked over to a nearby tree and sat against it then closed his eyes for a bit. He let out a sigh, but could hear voices coming from the left of him, behind two big trees. People? In this part of the forest? They could have been bandits or something. Clarence wanted no part of it if it were true. Resting sounded good, but he was more curious about who the people were.

Clarence stood to his feet and dusted his pants off, before walking in the direction of the voices. He stopped and peeked from behind one of the big trees at the people. There was a woman and a man. They looked like they were talking, almost like they were close friends or something. In fact, they didn't seem dangerous at all. This was perfect. The two of them looked like they had a lot of money.

Hopefully, they wouldn't chase him away like all the others. He leaned from the tree and straightened his clothes. He wanted to look a little presentable. Right when he about to take a step, he had an eerie feeling, like another cold chill, and not the one from the forest. He shook his head. It might have just been his imagination. Clarence walked through the bush again and stopped two feet away from them. "Excuse me, sir and mam. I am a merchant and I was wondering if I might interest you in some fine merchandise?" He asked smiling.
 

I am invisible.

Standing against the black backdrop of the forest, tucked into the shadows as though he were one of them himself, Dolovhan stood completely still and simply watched the events transpiring. He had been standing for some time now, laying in wait, waiting for her. He had his orders and he would not question them - he was a loyal vassal and bound to serve. From the shadows, he kept watch, though he knew well that there was danger now lurking not far from him. He could sense it.

Far from being unsettled, this excited Vhan. Were there no opposition, this venture might have been supremely dull, so he really had Capharas to thank for that. Perhaps he would be able to kill one or two of the man's more irritating lackeys. There was always hope. Smiling to himself, Vhan tried to remember that he was to try and appear less bloodthirsty, less willing to take life. He was going to feign normalcy, even trying to make himself seem a sympathetic face with whom she could relate. These thoughts of killing those who angered him really must be kept in better check lest he accidentally voice his thoughts. Instead, he tried to recall a pleasant tune he'd heard once.

A rustle in the leaves nearby caused Vhan's thoughts to snap quickly back to the matter at hand. He fought the urge to scan the dark to look for his potential opposition, knowing that his shimmering blue eyes would catch the light and give him away to any who might be looking. He pressed further into the dark, however, and listened for their careless sounds. There were several, better armed than he was, and stronger. Were he to fend them off, he would need to hunt them from the shadows. Exactly how he liked things, anyway.

He would wait here, for them to move, and strike as they did. They would not know what had happened, merely that the shadows had grown claws.

I am the serpent.
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Clouds moved across the moon, darkening the clearing. At that moment, the wind picked up into a fury, blowing dust and small leaves and twigs around. There was a strange, ominous chill to the air that had been absent a moment before, that clinging catch that digs into the skin and pulls at the sinews as though clothing is irrelevant.

Ashur's trained senses may have been distracted and focused upon Pyra, but the twang of a suddenly released bowstring, soft under the sound of the wind, would not go unnoticed. As Pyra moved to pick up her sword, the first shot went mercifully overhead. However, as she jerked upright, the second shot sent an arrow deep into her side. With a shriek, she fell to one knee, desperately hanging on to the now retrieved sword. the pain was incredible! For the split second she had to think about it, Pyra felt she might vomit.

There wasn't a moment's respite as the air suddenly filled with arrows, four fired at once. Pyra threw herself in the direction her uninjured side faced, two of the arrows grazing her swordarm.

As the arrows flew, two of the other dark fae closed in on Clarence, one moving to distract with sword raised while the other attempted to draw a knife across the man's throat to take him out of the fight permanently. Those who had fired arrows were soon to be ready to fire again. The three were outnumbered two to one, but neither bird nor the other dark one had been noticed by the attackers. Capharas, believing the situation under control, grinned. Soon enough, the girl would be dead, it would be over. No thought of possible defeat entered his mind.
 
van-helsing-13.jpg


Cleric Julius Abvon

It was going to be a long while, before would see home again. Yet again, the church sent him on an obscure errand. Head north. Investigate rumors of witchcraft and dark magic. Never anything where he can prove he was more that his current deeds. He seemed nothing more than some nuisance that the church hasn't chosen to deal with. Somehow, they still acted like they were sending him to do anything that actually made a damn difference in the world. Always something to investigate, but nothing to actually find. A playful waste of a diligent soul.

Masterfully clicking and clanking his equipment, Abvon sprung up and started on the road again. Keeping a watchful eye, he tried to make sure there was nothing going to try and take him. If there was dark magic, a cleric of the light would need to be ready. Eyesight wasn't much help, and neither was hearing. However, numerous gut-feelings were just crawling around telling him otherwise. With each crunch of brush and swing of his staff, dreadful moments loomed.

"God, please grant me strength." the cleric softly prayed.
​
 

Natural and flowing as a torrent of rain, and every bit as unexpected, the fighting began all at once. Arrows flew through the sky, aimed for her, and Dolovhan knew that all had begun. He cared little for her, but he was tasked with her safety and survival. As such, he moved, striking like a cobra from his position hidden in the trees, striking against another dark fae. He felt no true remorse - such was his duty. They were doing theirs and he would do his.

From the shadows behind them, two of the archers fell prey to a silent force, killing the first with so little movement that his death went unnoticed by the second. The first was killed quickly, one hand wrenching the neck to the side and jamming the small bones of the nose up into the brain with a sharp upward motion of the hand. The second archer's neck was broken before he even had time to shout warning. Their bodies falling to the ground, however, alerted the others to a hostile presence in the shadows.

Pressing himself back into the darkness, Vhan weighed whether he wished to kill Capharas or not. In the end, he was a valuable asset, one such leader that did not come often. An important resource. He would live. Another archer was not so lucky and Dolovhan came nearly face to face with Capharas as he slit the archer's throat.

"Surprise" Vhan purred, leaping from the shadows into the light to stand near Pyra. The rays of moonlight felt like a target painted on his back and he resisted the urge to melt back into the trees. He stood his ground, though, protectively in front of Pyra and only her. He was slender and dark, but he stood with his stance wide and as imposing as possible.

"Sorry, lads. I'll be keeping this one alive, I'm afraid." He said, his gaze leveled at Capharas with an apologetic smile on his face that concealed a not so apologetic thrill of defying the man. If Capharas attacked him, Dolovhan would have the pleasure of incapacitating the man.
​
 
When the Merchant had shown up, Ashur had blinked in surprise. What on earth was a Merchant doing out here at this hour? Had he gotten lost? The shaggy haired man shook his head and opened his mouth to say that they didn't need anything when...



The twang of the released arrows captured Ashur's attention better than anything else. When Pyra hit the ground with the arrow in her side, Ashur found himself and the Merchant flanked on both sides. Fae? He squinted in the darkness, his brain racing between why they were attacking Pyra and him and what he was going to do.


Doing was the easy part, Ashur moved fluidly; grabbing the arm of the fae with the knife and bringing his knee up in the being's gut. He wrenched the arm out with a hard twist and brought his knee up again, this time to the elbow, dislocating it. The knife hit the dirt and the being screamed in pain.


"Merchant! Get to Pyra and help her with the arrow! Don't pull it out, just keep the wound as closed as possible!" Ashur had let himself be distracted with Pyra's condition and the uninjured fae rushed him with a sword.


The sword came down, Ashur dodged to the left with a violent twist of his body. He wished he had brought his sword! He had his hunting knife though it wouldn't be of any help. The sword came perilously close again.


Someone had moved in front of Pyra? Someone was shielding her?


Another distraction! Ashur couldn't move fast enough and the sword cut into his arm, leaving a nasty bleeding gash. Ashur was just glad that his head was still on his shoulders. He drew his hunting knife out, it would be better than nothing.


Ashur lunged!
 
Clarence was unaware of the danger that was slowly approaching him and the others. His focus was mainly on the two that he saw before him. The woman and man seeemed mostly into their conversation and didn't seem to hear him at all. That was a usual for him/ People were known for ignoring him too, that was ll part of his 'bad' luck. The weird eerie feeling that he had came back swiftly and the girl suddenly picked up speed and made a dash for her sword. An arrow, from which it was shot from a direction in which he could not see, struck the woman in one of her unguarded sides. She dropped to her knee and held her hand over the injured area, face filled with pain.

It was to long after that Clarence was trying to make an attempt to run, not knowing that there were two faes coming up behind him. He could hear footsteps behind him as he they got closer, the footsteps stopped shortly after, followed by bones being cracked and flesh being cut by a blade. Clarence turned around to see that two archers were laying on the ground dead. He made no effort in looking for who took them out, he was just thankful that they didn't get to him and killed him. He could live to see another day.

A smile spread across his lips, then dropped when the man who was with the woman, told him to help her. There were no questions asked by Clarence. The only thing he did was quickly look over to the girl, who was guarded by someone. The person didn't look like an enemy, so he figured that it was okay. Clarence also noticed that the person guarding the girl was talking to someone else. Who ever it was, he had no time to figure it out.

Clarence quickly rushed over to the girl and knelled down beside her. Don't worry, "I'm going to help you out," he said, examining her wound. The arrow looked as if it was stuck in deep, but he couldn't tell with the blood stained area and shirt covering it. Clarence quickly took out a rag from his bag and placed it over the wound. he pushed down on it a bit, so that the flow of blood could stop. Just what is going on here?
 
The battle was being joined, and Capharas frowned. His men had not moved fast enough and now, now things were out of control. The woodsman had incapacitated one of his men and was fighting another. Three others had fallen silent. The sixth was still alive, staring out of the dark like a wild cat, moving to line up a shot. The merchant was unscathed and moving to help the girl and there was Dolovhan, guarding the girl as though it was his right. It was chaos. Still, the chaos of the scene made his blood sing. Tempering the bloodlust with the commanding nature that had kept him alive these years, Capharas raised one hand to the sky. He'd not earned his reputation by continuing upon losing endeavors. Still, he had another gambit to try before abandoning the scene.

Meanwhile, the fae Ashur had incapacitated was working a healing magic on himself before rising to his feet. As Ashur fought his partner, the two circling, the fae retrieved his dagger, moving to plunge it into the merchant's back. Pyra, wincing and watching the Merchant and the chaos around her in stunned silence, was shaken from it by the approach.

"Get back!" she shouted, shoving the merchant out of the way with the hilt of her sword before sweeping the blade at the attacking fae. The pain of this caused Pyra to grit her teeth. Slowly, she pushed up to one knee, not taking angered eyes off of the attacker.

In the shadows, Capharas held his hand upraised, still, grinning. Clouds drew in, obscuring most of the light and making combat for the three humans incredibly difficult. Rain began to pour down, slicking the moss covered foundation of the old house. Another arrow shot through the air, the sharp eyed fae still able to see the girl. As she brandished her sword in an attempt to keep the dagger wielder at bay, the arrow was flying directly at her. She rose to her feet and, through some miracle, the arrow missed her ribs and buried itself just above her hips. A scream filled the air as a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree, lighting the area up momentarily and stealing any nightsight the humans had left. They were blind, helpless, and being drenched.

The sword wielding fae struck forward in the dark, sword aimed to slide into Ashur's belly and gut him. Another arrow flew, this time directly at the dark-blinded merchant's chest. The dagger wielder closed on Pyra and Dolovhan as Pyra hit the ground, blood again flowing freely. Her head cracked against the ground and she slumped, unconscious, rainwater flowing over her form. None noticed the bird.

From the south, the priest approached. The rain that fell was unnatural, it had appeared so quickly. The sounds of combat echoed from the north.
 
Clarence mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts. His eyes remained on the young girl and he could hear the sound of the fighting going on behind him. He jumped a bit, as he heard metal clanking behind him. I don't understand why I keep getting drawn into these things...The man who had guarded the girl was a brave one indeed. To take on such a task of fighting to protect these people.

There seemed to be nothing that he was capable of doing to help these people. He felt so useless, even while helping this girl. A sigh escaped his lips. Little to his knowledge, there was another attacker heading straight for the two of them. The girl struggled to move and he tried his best to to keep her still, but she yelled out and pushed him to the side. Her sword was raised in defense to the attack. Clarence slide out of the way, then knelled down on one knee and watched as the young woman fought off the attacker.

She's injured. There is no way that she could stop this attacker alone. I need to help her! Clouds had begun to draw in and the light was becoming obscured, so it was beginning to get hard for him to see. Rain followed shortly after. Clarence ha a look of fear in his eyes and he shook a bit. What could he truly do to help these people? He felt like such a damn coward in this situation. He stood to his feet and looked between the fae and the girl.

What was he doing? This was the perfect opportunity to run and escape. This was none of his business. He shouldn't even be here. His body disagreed with his thoughts. No matter how much he had attempted to move, he was going no where. Clarence was worried about the people that were fighting. He wanted them to be safe for some reason.

No, he had to run now! These people weren't his family, neither were they his friends. In fact, he was more than sure that they wouldn't do the same for him. Clarence shook his head and turned to run. Out the corner of his eyes, he could see that the girl was struck down. She laid in a pool of blood that mixed with the strange rain water.

At that moment, Clarence stopped in shock and his eyes widened. The arrow that was aimed for his chest, split the night air an rain, hitting him in the back. His head shot up and his eyes widened, as he fell to the ground with a thud. A splash of water from a puddle bounced up, then fell down with the rain over him. He looked over to the girl and reached for her. His vision blackened and within a matter of seconds, he passed out.
 
Ashur had been blinded by the sudden onslaught. Rain poured down his eyes, the thunder rung in his ears. He tried to back up, to create some distance between him and the attackers. He knew he needed to move but he couldn't, he heard the sound of falling bodies. The sickening slump of heavy flesh hitting muddy ground. It was a sound that brought the taste of dirt and blood to him and took him back for a moment to another fight.



The fae used the moment to close the distance, the sword met flesh. It was a glancing blow but deep enough to give the weary mercenary trouble. Ashur gave a grunt of pain and brought his elbow up to smash in the fae's face. The fair faced fae now was sporting a broken nose. Ashur brought his hunting knife up, using the fae's broken nose as a distraction he plunged his dagger into the man's chest. The knife scrapped across bone and ribcage until it found a soft flesh place between that it could sink into. It only took a second.


"PYRA!" Ashur whirled around, still mostly blinded and now bleeding heavily from the heavy gash in his gut. "Pyra!" The Merchant had fallen. The strange man was still defended Pyra. Ashur desperately tried to make out how many people were left but he couldn't. He couldn't see them.


Ashur backed towards the strange man and Pyra and the fallen merchant. "Can you see how many are out there?"
 
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