[Closed] An End and a Start.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

(Closed to Philomel!!!)

One thing remained.

As happened so long ago, seemed like many lifetimes ago, the Master Elf named Xu Bellaparte betrayed his kin. A lot of lives were damaged in the process, but the most important life was Elthas's Mother. Elthas had sworn vengeance long since prior, but had never been able to finally track Xu down. Too many things got in the way. But a recent contact, a small outpost village that was reaching out to The Trading Company for help, finally put Elthas back on the hunt. Elthas found the description of Xu Bellaparte in the letter that was sent SPECFICALLY to him. Someone knew his past history with Xu Bellaparte. Further more, they knew his feelings about the former Mayor of the town Elthas grew up in. Elthas was already packing his bags the second day after receiving the letter. It was a call from HOME. Xu had been spotted in the area and was up to no good. Elthas knew who'd sent the parcel to him was his estranged Brother. There hasn't been any direct contact between my family and me for at least ten years now... Elthas knew time flowed different for the immortal Elves. It was in constant flux, constantly changing as the great tree grew new branches. The world tree. Elthas wished he'd trained the skills necessary to SEE The World Tree in his youth, instead he'd favored more martial related skills. As he packed his bags, he heard a knock on his door.

"Come." Elthas said. He was an officer for The Trading Company, and held his position with highest respect and authority. It was one of his house workers. The Trading Company had established small settlements all over Althanas as base of operations for it's expanding global network. He saw the older Hume woman named Estelle. She'd been a good friend to Elthas for the past few years now. Assisting him with many matters involving The Trading Company's legal procedures and work ethics. Elthas did not turn around. He could tell it was her by her natural scent. "Estelle." Elthas said with a warm greeting. He still finished up packing his good. "Did you get what I requested out of storage?"

"It's here my lord." She said calmly, he still couldn't get comfortable with people calling him such titles.

Elthas turned around just then to face Estelle. Suddenly, his eyes went wide. "What is the meaning of this?!" Elthas asked. The last thing he saw was the bullet that pierced through his chest from the gun she'd fired...

***

Time passed.

He felt something moving all around him. Carrying him to a location unknown. He heard angry voices and shouts all around and smelled unfamiliar scents. When he came too finally, he was in binds. Estelle! It had all come suddenly back to him. He was in a wagon, that much he could tell right away. Sitting in front of him was Estelle. She held the same weapon pointed directly at him. They were moving, he couldn't tell in what general direction yet. But judging by the scents around him, he could tell they were somewhere in Concordia Forest.

"You're awake." She said. "It's been a few days now."

"Estelle..." Elthas asked. "Why have you done this?"

"Xu got to me and my family first...it's nothing personal." Estelle continued to explain. "I have always respected you and Invetisto. But see, he threatened to enslave my whole family."

That's just like how he operates... Elthas thought to himself. He'd been captured by Xu, SOLD OUT by one of his most trusted workers. "You shot me..."

"It was a Dart, nothing serious. The effects will wear off in due time."

Elthas felt a massive bruise on his chest, it hurt like Haidia. "Is Xu here?" Elthas asked.

"He is." Estelle said in respond. "Elthas, for what it's worth. I am sorry. There is also someone here that you're going to see very soon. I can't spoil the surprise."

"What do you get out of this besides protection?" Elthas was furious, but his expression didn't show it.

"You don't seem to understand what has happened here, Elthas." She shook her head. "I cannot believe that you're so naive." She put the gun on her lap. "Xu got you, Elthas. This is end-game." She smiled softly. "While you were building up your new life with The Trading Company he watched and waited. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And he has now. I don't know what the plan is. I just know he was out to get you specifically. Invetisto himself is too high profile. Anybody could do the job you did in The Trading Company, they won't come looking for you."

Elthas felt lead in his heart. "So you sold me out." That one thought repeated itself over and over in his head. How could I have been so careless? Elthas thought to himself. He felt the wagon stop. Elthas looked around and saw that Estelle was the only other person in the wagon with him. "I hope this is all worth it for you, Estelle."

***

Outside-

There were several heavily guarded wagons making their way noisily through the weather worn trails of Concordia Forest. Sitting in the front of the wagon that contained Elthas was Xu Bellaparte and the wagon driver. Several heavily armed men surrounded the group of wagons. Where were they heading? A small town which produced the Concordian Forest Elves. Xu got up off his seat as they stopped and wore a grin on his face. He was an older Elf by then, about twenty or so years had passed since Elthas's last interaction with him. Xu had platinum colored hair that was long and flowing. He wore majestic Elven robes. He was a magi of tremendous skill level. Xu jumped skillfully off the wagon and walked towards the back of it. Then, he entered and kept his smile on his face.

He spotted Estelle and Elthas.

***

"Ah you're awake. Good, I didn't want you to miss any of this." Xu Bellaparte said.

"You!" Elthas yelled and attempted to rush towards Xu. Suddenly, a massive bolt of electricity ripped through Elthas and knocked him down.

"I'm sure Estelle has already explained what this is has she not?" Xu began. Estelle rose, and trained the gun once again on Elthas.

"He's been a good boy." Estelle said.

Elthas had blood trickling down the side of his mouth. "Haven't you done enough already?!" Elthas asked of Xu. "I didn't pursue you this whole time!"

Xu walked over towards Elthas and suddenly KICKED him, hard. Across the face. Elthas growled and was knocked on the ground. "This isn't about me and you." Xu looked at Estelle. "Get our guest would you be so kind?" Xu commanded.

Estelle nodded and stepped out of the wagon presumably towards another wagon.

Elthas barely managed to sit up. "Then what is this about? Enlighten me, Xu."

"A long time ago you left a loose end in your younger days." Xu explained. "See...this isn't about revenge or petty bullshit like that." Xu leaned down towards Elthas and looked down at him. "You left us when you helped that bastard, Seth Terrentius. They told me that you disobeyed a DIRECT ORDER to not interfere with the people who were attacking Seth. And now, we have all paid a heavy price for your defiance and your honoring of the old alliances. You have no idea still who was attacking him that night do you?" Xu suddenly asked.

Memories came flooding back to Elthas. Memories of the night he saved Seth Terrentius, so many lifetimes ago. The head of The Syndicate chapter operating in Corone. "It doesn't really matter at this point does it?"

"Of course it matters." Xu smacked Elthas hard across the side of his face, the same place he had kicked him earlier. A welt was forming. "They were Inquisitors sent by the Corone Rangers to capture Seth Terrentius. You interfered with a high level investigation of Radasanth."

"Didn't know you were such a Hero, and cared about that shit, Xu."

"They contacted us the week after you joined The Syndicate and launched a full scale investigation against you. Elthas my boy. You have a bounty on your head. I am collecting on it."

"A bounty?" Elthas blinked and wished he could rub the side of his face, it felt numb by that point. "That doesn't make any sense."

"The night you saved Seth, you interfered with a highly classified investigation." Xu said. "We would have remained completely autonomous during The Civil War if not for you and your Father's actions. Your Father insisted also that we honor The Old Alliances. See where that's gotten us now? But he's gone already. Sold out by a carefully placed agent in his squad..." Xu laughed. "This has been carefully planned since that night, Elthas. Ah, there is Estelle." Xu stood up and greeted Estelle and another, hagardly looking woman that Elthas instantly recognized.

"Hylda!" She was older by now, well aged and beat up from constant abuse. Her once majestic hair was dirty and caked with blood. Her once lavish dresses were replaced with simple commoner's clothing.

"The two lovers reunite. How fitting." Xu said. Xu suddenly shoved Hylda hard and she fell to the ground next to Elthas. "You two have a LOT of catching up to do I am certain." Xu said. "There will be plenty of time for that. In the meantime..." Xu nodded towards Estelle and she left the wagon. "Officially you're not even here in the wagon...when you were shot...ah what the hell I will tell you. There's about to be an accident in this whole group of wagons my boy. You and your woman are gonna be burnt alive, together. Fitting end after all this shit you put me and our people through." Xu said. "Well the end begins, Elthas Belthasar. I hope your ideals of honoring the old alliances was well worth it." Xu spit on the floor of the wagon, then left the wagon.

Elthas looked at Hylda, she looked so frail and broken.

"E-Elthas...is that you?" She said weakly.

Elthas began to freely weep. "I-I should have rescued you. I am such an idiot."

"Things don't matter like they should, Elthas. You gave me the best days of my life. I was a fool for what I did to you..."

"I didn't know Hylda...I didn't know what he'd done to you..."

"It's all right, Elthas. Because I am back with you again. All the shit I've been through...it don't matter. Cause we're together again."

Elthas leaned in close to her. "So this is the end?"

"This is the end." Hylda said. "Fitting we should die together."

[Philomel]

Of course, in the beginning, there were the gods. And there were mortals. And there were demi-gods, and quarter-gods, semi-mortals, undead, beasts, burdens, fairies, spirits, ghosts - many more. There was silence, and then there was sudden noise, nothing, then everything. The world was begun in one fell swoop, and Althanas came into being by some will of the divine or chance of science. Intelligently designed, godly inspired, neither is truly known, or was known, from the neandrathals to the proud High Elves of the North.

What was known, however, was that there were gods. There were goddesses, and they blessed their chosen races with intense bais and racism.

"Do you actually follow any god in particular?"

His dim eyes turned to her, and stared at her right in the face in response to her question. Only naturally the faun was taken aback, blinking in surprise at the intensity of his gaze. She shifted slightly in her seat, at least as far as the bench allowed and turned further towards him, yet away from him.

"I only asked because of the guise, that is all."

Mister Draak's large nostrils flared as they sucked in volumous breath. A slight growl came from beneath the tusks. His hands tensed slightly on their hold on the reigns and he found himself explaining himself with impatience.

"What religion is the church, Faun?"

Philomel raised an eyebrow, and gave the answer. "You have no specific. You have cloisters dedicated to Wyron, Am'aleh, Trisgon for the soldiers, Draconus, that Y'edda girl-"

"And even your own. Your 'Drys'."

She raised her chin. "Drys is the creator of all fauns. We are her sacred children. There is none more powerful."

"Just as all races come to us claiming that theirs are the same. Hence," the grand troll monk focused his attention back to the road. The huge auroch that pulled their wagon was necessary for a being of his size. Philomel was just a simple gnat to his load. "... Hence we have many chapels. And sections to the monestry."

"Yes, but who do you follow?" She asked, yet again. Though she knew his patience was short lived, she still pressed the matter. Even though their relationship was not yet even a month old it seemed she knew the herbologist and underworld-genius inside out. Apart from his secrets of course.

His irritation was clear. The growling in his throat sounded again, like an old grumbling fog horn. Yet he still gave an answer.

"Ogdar. He was a troll."

After a moment of confusion Philomel furrowed her brow, "I have not heard of him."

"You wouldn't have. His worship is all but dead."

The troll fell silent. For a while the faun watched him, watched his eyes. The small black irises, pupils and barely any visible sclera kept their attention forwards, just as his attention always was. Constantly aware, yet constantly moving onwards, Mister Draak had no interest in tangents or side opportunities. He had one path to follow, and that was his own. Everything about him spoke of it, and made the reality clear, it was what made simple minds tremble when they came into his presence.

He should be a god, Philomel thought, turning away and leaning back. A whisper of breath left from between her lips in a sigh. He certainly would be able to convince others to worship him. A true, fucking living god. Certainly he had had his impact upon her. Working with him was not easy, yet she took it into her stride. Their relationship was something of a partnership - she did what he asked when he required it of her, he left her to majority of freedom - and it was not without excitement. Every so often there was someone to kill, or a legimate reason for causing chaos; something in which the assassin-whore basked. It wasn't just that she got off on it sometimes (an occurance that was rare in itself) but that also she literally enjoyed what she did.

It even had its benefits. Sometimes, upon a warm day such as today, just the two of them would go travelling into the forest of Concordia to meet a connection of Mister Draak's. For her it was proof of not only his trust in her, but also her usefulness, and she basked in the euphoria of the feeling.

"There," his deep voice abruptly said, as he pulled sharply on the reigns. The huge grey-black auroch haffawed with the suddeness of the stop. Philomel was awoken from her dozing stupor. She looked alertedness over to Mister Draak, who nodded into the trees.

"There is the route we must go. We can only get there by foot however, and I must unhitch the bull. Scout ahead and make sure there are no traps."

"Only hunters lay traps," she smiled at him a little, diverted by the idea. "Or people who are really obsessed with catching things."

"Faun, there is never no reason not to be wary. Now go."

He turned his back, dismissing any more rhetoric. Though her amusement was piqued she knew better than to engage him into a full discussion now, thus she turned her back on him also. Getting down from the wagon was easier for her than for he, and it took one small leap to enable her land. Her tongue clicked a couple of times behind her teeth, and as if on cue the small russet form of her companion, the earth-spirit Veridian, joined her upon the earth. She took a light breath, paid no more attention to the massive troll as he strained to descend - then charged into the wood.

Philomel laughed as she ran, hooves barely making any sound upon the fallen leaves and rotting roots. Her spirit was light, her speed swift. Enjoyment rang in her breast, and in that of the fox-form that lithely paced beside her. With hand on the hilt of her precious sword she leapt, curving high into the air, a joyous giggle ringing out. Veridian just grumbled, and strained to catch up. His paws were not as fast, despite his connection with the element they touched.

She landed, and at once she was placed on high alert. Her giggle fell to nothing, stranded in the air, as instead sounds of bawdy shouting filled the air. Philomel blinked, her eyes attempting to navigate where this sound was coming from - perhaps it was sign of the man Mister Draak was meeting. Running her tongue across her lips she focused, then realised she should be following her stronger sense instead. Twisting, and focusing she allowed her nose to take over and it led to the east, and straight forwards.

Scents; chowder, manure, horses, elves, humans, a trader or two, maybe a merchant from the stench of expensive cloth. Metals, likiest iron, she could not be sure, some of the implements were rusty. Something else ... blood she was sure, and the faint smells of mild burning. Just mild, mind you, not powerful, like a bush fire, and a powder the assassin-whore had barely had much chance to experience. "Gunpowder" they called it, to go with those pistol-things that the engineers of tomorrow used.

The shouting rose. Noise, and vehement roaring. A scream or too as well as a cry of pain.

Philomel crept to the edge of where the trees seemed to stop smelling of wood and leaf, and pressed her face against the foliage.

Ah. A clearing. There were wagons, four or five as far as she could see. All had stopped. Around them were horses, soldiers, weapons, each looking as bored as the next. Some of them were measuring their pikes and muttering about which one of them had the better horse. Something idiotic, that only a dim-witted tank guard would talk about, Philomel thought, and a snigger came to her lips.

It was cut short at the sight of a female, walking. At this distance the faun-whore could not tell if it was a human or an elf, and the mix of smells could not define between the two. But what was clear was the fact she was dragging another woman behind her by her hair; a miserable one if there ever was such an epitome, who was screeching as she begged for mercy.

By Drys, Philomel looked down at Veridian. His golden eyes looked back at her. That is what I call being a bitch.

The fox seemed to get her meaning. His eyes glowed, as they had done a few times before, and Philomel felt at the edge of her ... conciousness was the only word for it - the usual glimmer of intelligence that she had experienced before. Yet, no. Back to reality, not dreams and fantasy.

Firmly, the faun shook her head and focused back to the wagon. By now the sounds of yelling had dimmed a little and there was only faint grunts of pain.

She watched as the female who had been doing the dragging made her way down from the wagon she had been heading towards, and this time with a tall ... elf, there was no doubting the way he held himself. Nor his posh robes. These were what had been so strongly smelling of richness, but he did not look like a merchant. More like a bastard.

So a bitch and a bastard. What a couple.

The two of them walked away with the self-centered grace of villains, and ascended into another wagon. The elf man flicked an arm and something caught. He either lit kindling or magicked the flame into being - the wagon they had just left suddenly was on fire. Starving red and gold licked its way eagerly over the wood and canvas as the company gathered. They came together with speed, all the soldiers now on high alert. Swinging their horses into attention they sped away as quickly as the fire leapt up, springly lightly from foot to hoof to wheel. Philomel watched them with a startled expression, then turned back to the wagon that burnt. She blinked, and strained, but heard no screams.

The girl is in there, she mused, Perhaps she is already dead.

She leant on the tree, trying to comprehend the scents her sensitive nostrils were picking up. Male elf, it kept telling her, fire, burning, female elf. Yes I know, she thought, Yes I know a male elf was here. He has just left.

"FAUN, GET THEM OUT!"

Nearby there was a sudden crashing and splinter of wood. The bellow came with it, from over her shoulder, and it was soon accompanied by the massive figure of the auroch storming through the trees like nothing could stop it. Upon its back was Mister Draak, his eyes, for once, blazing with passion, maybe just a reflection of the beautiful dancing flames. But his stance said something different. He was speeding towards the burning and dying wagon, his fury clear.

"GET THEM OUT!" he roared again, and Philomel found herself moving just an inch in confusing.

"Who out?" she asked, taking a step into the clearing. "Who?"

The auroch slammed into the least burnt side of the wagon with his horns, mooing in frustration and blind fear. Yet not even he could argue against the massive troll who was Mister Draak.

Charcoal wood and melting canvas fell to, some inwards and some outwards. It was confounding for a moment, but the answer became clear to Philomel as to why what had just occurred, occurred. Two figures, not just one, could be glimpsed in there. They were huddled close together and very much alive, not dead.

"GET THEM OUT, YOU FECKING WHORE!" he boomed again, and the faun found herself moving.

She sprinted as a fine hind of a deer across the clearing, making straight for where her part-time employer bade her. Her sword was out, her body bared. Deftly, swiftly, she came over to the burning wagon's victims aid, and helped to pull them from the wreckage. The auroch roared, the wind whistled, the wagon was reduced to ashes.

Saviour. Bitch. Saviour. Whore. Saviour. Warrior.

Philomel raised her eyebrow and looked at the elves, for elves were clearly they were and smiled, slightly as the chaos was torn asunder.

"No need to thank us," she told them. And they stared back.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

A lot of thoughts coursed through his mind as the fire suddenly began to rip through the wagon which was destined to become a coffin.

For one, he was certain that this was it.

The chains felt heavy against his well built body, and he moved to huddle close against Hylda.

He opted to make himself useful to her, even in the end.

He owed her a debt, a debt that could never be repaid.

Surprisingly enough, Hylda held her arms wrapped around him, and she began to cry as well.

The two openly wept, somehow, it was fitting that they should face their maker together.

And then there was a crash against the wagon. Something ancient, powerful, and very angry cascaded with the wagon, rocking it and breaking a sizable chunk of it. Then, a second figure, a woman, made her way to pull them out from the clutches of the defeat. Utter defeat. Strong, powerful hands grabbed me and Hylda that day and saved us from utter destruction. Whatever notions and beliefs about faith and religion that I held up until that point suddenly no longer mattered. The hands may have well been a Thayne that saved me that night. All notions of the Thaynehood that I previously held in my heart were washed away in that one desperate moment. A Thayne may as well have saved me and Hylda that night... Elthas coughed horribly as he Hylda held him close. He'd managed to inhale a large amount of smoke.

By then, the soldiers and the rest of Xu's employ had left thinking the plan to be fully accomplished.

Only the body of Elthas and Hylda were meant to have been discovered by local authorities. Elthas coughed and growled. "The chain is arcane. Please remove it from my body, if I try to any sudden movements, it shocks me." Terribly I might add... Elthas was never a racist person. His whole code of life prompted that he honor the old alliances. In a world gone completely mad, Elthas represented the last of a dying breed. He looked up at that faun, and the god-like Troll that were his saviors. He looked at Draak's form. As Trolls went, Draak had a uniquely unmistakeable appearance. "Draak!" Elthas suddenly yelled, remembering the master Troll from an earlier adventure in his life. "I thought I'd never see you again my old friend."

Hylda growled as she looked up. "Saved by a troll..." Hylda said. "I suppose we cannot always get what we want out of life."

"Hylda. This is Mister Draak." Elthas explained. "That's twice I owe you now, old man. You vanished off that night without saying a word. I would have paid you for intervening on my behalf that night too. I never forget debts I owe." Elthas said calmly as he explained. He looked down at Hylda for a moment. "Hylda needs medical attention." As always, Elthas was putting other's needs above his own, which was considerable. "And I've probably inhaled too much smoke." And not the good kind either... Elthas moved, SLOWLY, so that he would give Hylda some room. He was sincerely hoping that one of them knew some medical arts for some of Hylda's injuries appeared to be fresh. It would take a lot of effort to clean up Hylda Terrentius after all the shit she'd been through.

Elthas moved to a sitting position. He observed the faun with a smile. "Never thought I'd be blessed to see a faun in my life time..." Elthas said calmly. Despite the fact that Elthas was very nearly killed, he faced the whole situation with a very deliberate amount of strong character. He did not seem afraid of Draak or the faun. After all, Elves got their share of shit from racist Humes (Humans) too. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Elthas asked of the faun and Mister Draak. He was certain to include the faun in his words as well.

Hylda suddenly passed out from all the pain she was feeling.

"Hylda!" Elthas cried out protectively, but Mister Draak held Elthas's shoulder and prevented him from moving towards Hylda.

"She's in shock. Better get her to my wagon." Draak said casually. "Take care of Elthas's chains with this key." Draak told the faun and tossed her a special glowing key from a key chain that held many such keys. He then picked up Hylda with powerful arms and quickly dashed towards his wagon on foot. The Troll's companion also followed behind.

Elthas looked at the faun. "My name is Elthas." Elthas said calmly. "If I had been a bit more careful none of this shit would have happened tonight..." Xu...I WILL have my revenge. But I will do it right. For mine and Hylda's sakes.

[Philomel]

"Oh of course you know him!"

Her eyes rolled as she stepped back from the two figures on the ground. The elf seemed vaguely taken aback by the shortness of her speech, but he continued on addressing Mister Draak. The troll himself just stood, firstly calming down the mighty auroch whose nostrils flared like impatient volcano craters, bursting open to melt the world. He nodded, briefly, at the elves as he slipped off the bulls' back, holding tight to the thick rope around its neck and muzzle. Once on the ground he motioned to Philomel who turned, nodding, and set off towards the smouldering remains of the wagon.

"Put it out," he said in a low voice.

The male elf continued on his rant; "I would have paid you for intervening on my behalf that night too. I never forget debts I owe," and she walked away, the few feet to where Veridian currently stood, batting as much dirt over the fires as he could.

There were very few. Luckily the strength of the auroch, ripping the wood right apart, had all but severed the connection between the flames and their food. A small collection liked up the side of a wheel, and a few were struggling their way towards a tall tree - but they were easily dealt with. Tugging loose the flap of her loin covering from under the fabric of her belt, Philomel mad a temporary fire blanket. As the wind made direct contact now to her nether regions she simply strode and slammed the cloth over the larger areas. Her chestnut fur, thankfully, was particularly abundant in that area, and as Mister Draak had once said before she "didn't really need to cover it."

As the last of the ashes were tossed under dirt she heard the words, "Never thought I'd be blessed to see a faun;" to which she directly responded, "I never thought I would save the life of a couple of elves."

Mister Draak looked at her warningly, but the elf seemed not to have heard.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She raised an eyebrow, staring for a while at him. Then his female wench fell unconcious. It almost made her snort, the ridiculousness of the situation, or, in another phrase, the irony of it. But she managed to hold her tongue and just grin, broadly, as the troll-monk threw her a key shimmering with light.

Philomel caught the key from mid-air, examined it. It glowed with a certain magical vigour - unlikey unbreakable, ghost-like, hard to obtain. Yet, Draak being Draak had one of course, and one more probably to spare. She watched him bend down, his mighty arms gathering up the woman. A few monotone orders told her he was going to go, heal her at the wagon, and to release the male.

She shrugged, nodded, watched him leave.

For a while she just stood there, eyes lingering on the foliage of where he had disappeared to. Her chest rose and fell, gently, her eyes fluttering.

"My name is Elthas..."

Snapping back to reality she turned to stare at him.

"What?"

"My name is Elthas. If I had only been a bit more careful..."

"If only all of us were a bit more careful," she said quickly, striding over to him.

She neared him maybe too close for comfort, her breasts hanging somewhat inches from his shoulder. Yet, it was necessary, she concluded, in order to unlock his cuffs and chains. Working quickly she released the few locks that there were, each time the key puslating with a white glow as it slipped into place. The bolts slipped open with a disgruntled clunk, and the elf was free. Free to no longer be burnt to a cinder.

Stepping back she looked at him as he righted himself, her head tilting curiously to the right.

"So what are you? How do you know Mister Draak?"

[Elthas_Belthasar]

"It was a long time ago." I was a different person then...had a different life. "Back then, I wasn't a member of The Trading Company like I am now. You would consider me what is called an officer." Elthas said calmly. When she undid the chains he relaxed after that, he knew he would not get shocked anymore by the power of that bind. He sighed with relief. She came in close to him, and Elthas did not recoil or seem afraid. He simply sighed with a relaxed feeling. Elves were not afraid of their own sexuality, but with Hylda there, he didn't know what he was supposed to do. So he held himself back, he showed restraint. He didn't know what was the relationship between Mister Draak and the woman before him. He didn't remember the last time he'd taken a partner to his bed. But it didn't matter. He stood up and rubbed his wrists, breaking the temporary contact between himself and the handsome woman before him. He rubbed his wrists for a few moments and then looked at the ruined wagons. "I got caught off guard. That's how I got captured tonight." Should be more careful now. It wasn't even her fault...Xu got to her. She mentioned he threatened her family... Elthas shook his head. He coughed a bit, it was hard to breath.

He clutched his chest, his lungs felt like they were pumping fire.

"The man responsible for this is Xu Bellaparte." Elthas growled at the very mention and thought of his old enemy. "I thought I was done for." He looked at the woman before him. "We should get back towards Mister Draak, I am concerned for Hylda." It would not do if she dies as a result of this event, there is too much to say to her...too much to do. Elthas considered. He folded his arms across his chest and took a deep breath. Then he allowed himself a moment to relax. "Xu can't be far off." Elthas said. "We'd better get out of here before he comes back."

***

Meanwhile-

"Something's wrong..." Mark said carefully. Mark was always a cautious guy, even under the employ of someone like Xu Bellaparte. That was why Xu kept him around. "The whole place should be ablaze by now."

"It doesn't matter. Likely someone intervened." Xu Bellaparte was a meticulous man, and hated failure. In another life, Xu and Elthas would have been close allies. But the window for that was long gone.

"The scouts reported the area to be secure..." Mark was frustrated.

"Just means I'll have to be more careful next time." Xu said. He was rubbing his chin. In a world gone mad, men like Xu Bellaparte trumped all. They were the movers and the shakers. "What do you say, Prophet?" Xu turned to look at his companion, one of the mad Prophets of Nenkulor. A cult of sorts that dealt with all sorts of dangerous sorcery. The Prophet was Xu's trump card and it was how he was able to influence Estelle. The Prophets were scions of the Apocalypse and specifically were skilled at end-game manipulations of all sorts.

"It was the fool moving quickly to intervene on the hanged man's demise." The Prophet said. He was well robed, and his head was covered with a large hood.

"Which fool would intervene to save someone like an Elthas?" Xu wondered. Xu wondered what new enemy had revealed himself.

"The fool wears the mask of a Troll." The Prophet said plainly. He spoke in a serious tone, and even Xu would respect everything The Prophet said.

"A Troll you say? Most intriguing. Seems our man has a few tricks left up his sleeve." Xu said calmly. "The night is his. Mark, take your men and go to the rendezvous point. Things have just got complicated if he has a Troll to rescue him."

"The area was supposed to be secured..." Mark grumbled before he got on his horse and angrily galloped away.

"Xu..." The Prophet suddenly said. "The winds work to undo you. You must be cautious now."

"It was just a minor miscalculation on my behalf. I have known setbacks before..."

"This is not a setback. If you are not careful... he will be your undoing."

"I do not fear Trolls." Xu responded.

"Not the Troll. The son of Clan Belthasar." The Prophet said calmly. "A star aligns in his favor."

"Enough of this. He should have been dead. Whoever interfered on his behalf will pay dearly..." And with that, Xu began a set of events that would affect them all. Xu looked off towards the destroyed wagons. "The night is yours, Elthas Belthasar..."

And Xu and his entourage quickly made haste to get out of the area.

[Philomel]

It took her one moment to agree.

"Indeed, perhaps we should," she said, looking the man over very briefly, before twisting on her hairy hoof and sauntering away from the wagon wreckage.

Veridian remained behind for some time as his beloved companion-for-life and the elf-male they had just rescued began back down the path to the cart. His nose twitched as he took in the charcoal scents of the burnt wood and charred metal. Somewhere amongst the fabric remains the forgotten auroch stood, blinking dull eyes. All the action had left him confused and rather dozy - a perfectly normal set of characterisitics considering his low-level of intellect ... yet still. He was not useful here, and had been more so made daft by the suddenness of the actions.

The Earth Spirit blinked his large golden eyes a couple of times, and cleaned a paw. He titled his head at the large member of the bovine family, his own thought much more intelligent and fast than it. As the large mammal let out a low lonely bellow, the fox-form shook his russet-red tail. He skipped on his paws and padded around to the auroch's back. Pausing only for a moment he positioned himself in the direction of where Philomel and the elf had gone, then slipped into action. With a swift and rapid snarl of his jaws he lunged forwards and nipped at the fleshy ankle of the beast. Suddenly freaked, the agitated bull raised his horns, screamed blue murder and charged right the way Veridian wished him to go.

A few hundred metres down the rough trail the faun and elf paced. They then scarpered at the sound of falling trees and smashing hooves as the crazed auroch charged from behind them. Throwing herself into a rhodedendron and Elthas behind an oak, Philomel watched the animal lumber past. Her eyebrow raised slightly as she saw Veridian bound lightly behind, nickering as he went. The giant bull and fox-spirit disappeared into the foliage, as swift as they had come. Silence fell again.

Slightly bemused she turned back to the elf and smiled. "Well that was unexpected."

She later repeated the exact same sentence when they arrived at the others. Her jaw dropped to the ground, and she stared at the small jiggling figure who looked back with a cheeky grin. Apprently the auroch had arrived safely - he was now lapping water with a long black tongue. Mister Draak himself was huffing in annoyance, sorting his time between checking the welfare of his bull and treating the elf woman who was wrapped up tidily in the back of the wagon. She was covered in blankets galore and supported by crates that had been covered previously by a large oilskin. The same oilskin that was now adorning the small mischievious figure.

"Alright, how did he get here, Draak?" she said, for the first time using the troll's given name only. Her finger pointed accusing at the boy. His eyes were crimson, like flames of hell and his feet seemed far too small and stuffed awkwardly into a pair of boots.

"Hullo Philly," the annoying little voice giggled, "I wassa stowaway."

"Stowing away?" she glared at the half-imp. "In the back of the wagon all along?!"

"Felix was the one who told me of Elthas' trouble, faun," Mister Draak said in a low voice, his muslces working hard as he hurriedly mixed a set of herbs and leaves. "We have him to thank for this all."

"Yu-up!" Felix said, dancing so much the oilskin crackled and scraped along the ground like the train of a bride. "An' I a-came cause I sawed t' future for yoo."

Philomel rolled her eyes to heaven, and twisted to address Elthas.

"This thing here is Felix. Annoying idiot, half-imp and telepathic genius. Claims he can see the future but ..." she turned back to the boy, arms folding over her breasts. "That is impossible. Whatever you say I will not believe."

"You'em gonna do may-jick!"

It took her a moment to figure out what he meant.

"Magic," she snorted, "Yeah sure. Magic my ass!"

She dismissed him with a flick of her dreadlocked hair.

"Now, Mister Draak, how can I help?"

[Elthas_Belthasar]

(Minor error but Hylda is actually a Human :) just thought you should know that hahah. But you don't have to edit anything I will work with it at this point.)

Elthas felt more tired than he had in a long, long time.

However, there was work to be done. His mind was ingenious and he had acquired a reputation as being a hard worker. When he saw the strange company that he had come across, or rather, come across him...he didn't know how to react. A troll, a lovely faun woman, and now a Demon ken. Elthas's sharp mind quickly wondered if The Imp thing was from Haidia. He read in some of his history books that Demons hailed from a lost land called Haidia. And according to The Thayne Codex, they also hailed from The After. Now, Elthas was never too much of a religious guy, seeing all that weird shit all at once altered his perspective quickly. Elthas rubbed his chin carefully as he looked at Mister Draak working. He knew that Hylda was in good hands. If anybody could save her, it was Mister Draak. "Don't run off on me this time." Elthas suddenly said. "That's for twice I owe you and I repay my debts." Elthas looked over at Philomel. She was a handsome woman in her own right.

"I am thankful for what you guys have all done." Elthas said. "Mister Draak, it was Xu again. Just like last time."

Elthas growled as he thought about his old enemy. Xu had interrupted his life events more than once, and it would seem as though Elthas Belthasar and Xu Bellaparte were meant to be enemies. I have a feeling that I am going to be chasing his shadow forever unless I come up with a new plan... Elthas thought to himself. If Xu can influence members of The Trading Company so easily already, then I am not safe back home. I have to stay away from the whole thing for a while. He looked over at the imp, then towards Philomel. "Your friend, Felix has an interesting talent. I wonder if there is more to it." Elthas saw that Mister Draak was now working on Hylda again using some sort of healing arts then, suddenly he motioned for Elthas to approach.

"Come." He said seriously. "Her wounds are too great for my power to heal. I'm sorry, Elthas, we weren't in time. She wants to say something to you."

Elthas immediately moved towards Hylda Terrentius. The woman he had always loved, the woman that Xu took away from him. As always, the past was often a misrepresentation of what actually occurred. Memories could be altered with time, and history became skewed and forgotten. But one thing was certain. Elthas was about to loose Hylda for good. He knelt down to her, and began to freely cry. He never held back how he felt about things, he was always an honest person first. And risked his neck to save his friends. She weakly reached up and held Elthas's hand. "Elthas..." She whispered quietly. "...There is something you don't know. About why I divorced you..." She was struggling to speak. "There isn't much time left now. But I want you to know the truth. It has to do with The Syndicate's fall. My Father, Theo Terrentius, Xu got him." She suddenly became very serious as it all made tragic sense and Elthas's failure was complete. "My Father arranged the divorce and Xu threatened us. Our way of life. I want you to swear something to me my love." She said suddenly.

"Anything..." Elthas responded truthfully. He would have walked right into Hell itself, and taken the Devil's horns off at that point.

"Make Xu pay for all the lives he's ruined. Kill that yellow rat bastard for me." And before Elthas could respond, Hylda went limp and died.

"NO!" Elthas suddenly yelled. "Don't leave me alone..." Elthas cried at the loss of the woman who was his best friend and love for a long time.

Sometimes, loss was the worst burden a man could ever have to carry...

[Philomel]

OOC: Huh... Well I have said "elf woman" several times in all of my posts so far. Anyway, sorry this is short, but I was at a loss what to write. Turn the shadows into Xu's soldiers or highwaymen. Have fun :D

As the auroch moved his mighty body some distance down the road in order to taste the sweet grass, the woman died. Philomel found herself hardly moved - after all she had not known her long. Only a few moments enough to see that this elf-man who Mister Draak cared so much about had loved her once, still loved her, and would love her until the end of time. It was like that man that she had met once, in the heat of battle in the Citadel. He had been so passionate about his dead darling, and kept blabbering on about her even as Philomel had bled him dry.

Love, she stared down at the dull, unshining eyes. I will never understand it.

A light-touching yet heavy in weight hand made contact with her shoulder. The faun-whore tilted her head back and acknowledged the troll. His spare hand raised up and motioned for her to step back, and so she did. Mister Draak took her place beside Elthas and his dead love, placing a hand on the male-elf's shoulder and consoling him in a low voice.

"It will be alright, my friend," he said, "We will get revenge."

Philomel lost all concept of the depression of the moment. Immediately her body went rigid and her voice snapped.

"We? We? I beg your pardon, elf, but Mister Draak, seriously, we have nothing to do with this!"

The troll siezed slightly, his stance altered. He began to take in a long-drawn breath, one of anger and fury that would soon explode into a monumentous volcano ...

Then somewhere, nearby, a little way down the road the opposite way from the auroch, the half-imp pointed, squealing.

Two dark shadows were making their way down the path.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

(It's cool it's just a minor oversight, no worries, and yeah I will come up with something cool for us.)

Elthas smelled it in the wind before he actually reacted.

Sweat, anger, and rage. They were being stalked and Elthas had allowed the enemy to get to their location. Elthas closed the eyes of the woman he would take in his heart with him to the end of times. Elves were different than Humes were, and they were passionate about their emotions. Elthas stood up after Mister Draak comforted him. He looked at the old Troll. "For what it's worth, I am sorry to have dragged you guys into this mess." Elthas smelled blood on the scent of the folk stalking them, and he rubbed his chest for a brief moment. His eyes narrowed, squinting in the dark. "Get out of the way!" He suddenly lunged right at Philomel, attempting to tackle her. He noticed it coming before it even whistled past the both of them. He was hoping he was in time to save the lady faun, she was brave and deserved an honourable death.

The arrow head knicked Elthas across the face, cutting his cheek open and spilling blue Elven blood. It made Elthas flinch, but in essence, he'd taken a bullet for Philomel and Mister Draak. "Archers!" Elthas yelled. He ducked low, and ran towards the closest of them, a small sweeping team of Xu Bellaparte's agents. They had broken off from the main group and escaped notice until that precise moment. Instinctively, he pulled his daggers and moved into one of his combat stances. Then, he lunged at Xu's agent. It was a skilled combat position, and he needed to time the movement exactly right. He'd just managed to catch the agent off guard as he was reloading his bow. Elthas spun in mid-air and proceeded to stab one of his daggers into the man's shoulder. Then, he spun around in a skilled pivot, attacking with the anger and hate he could muster. To avenge Hylda Terrentius, he would become the very visage of Death made tangible.


As he attacked, he used the first dagger for leverage in his spin maneuver. The man screamed in agony as the sharp, masterwork steel pierced through his combat armor. Red blood stained everywhere, and Elthas lowered his second dagger, as he utilized his deadly combat stance. His second dagger was suddenly plunged into the man's lower back and he pulled upwards, impaling the man with both daggers. He suddenly ripped his daggers out of the man's body, and his body went spinning towards the ground. He was gasping in agony...still alive. Xu has taken everything from me...it's time to return the favor... The man that Elthas was fighting looked up at him with fear in his eyes. Elthas simply stared coldly, and stabbed downward with daggers, tearing them out of his chest, and leaving a bloody mess of a man dying at his feet. Elthas sharply turned towards the remaining three or four fellows, his heart was pumping acid through his body. He was on the move once again, and worked quickly to run towards the nearest of the remaining tactical squad. The others were spread evenly around the camp, and making their way towards Philomel and Mister Draak.

In that single moment, Hell had broken loose.

[Philomel]

Just before she was pushed to the floor her eyes swept around, calculating the number of attackers. They seemed to come from the woods nearby, surrounding and not just the path up ahead. It was a rough count, but she was sure by the time Elthas slammed into her she had limited the number to under ten and above five.

A soft whumph above them told her the reason for his uncivil toppling. As she lay there, still in the dirt with the elf atop her her eyes flashed to where the arrow thumped into the back of their vehicle.

How about that ... she said. Saved by an elf.

Veridian replied with a swift reprimand. He screeched in her head, Get the hell off your arse!

Droplets of blood formed and dripped onto her cheek. The elf was injured, but not severly by the way he was getting to his feet again. Their attackers, whoever they were, were approaching and fast, though some remained far back. These were the archers, obviously, and those coming in to attack had knives and swords. Without another word the elf threw himself onto one of them, taking the hits for the first bought. It gave Philomel the chance to roll, fast, away from where the action was taking place and towards the end of the wagon. As she came to it many of the others from her party - Mister Draak, Felix and Veridian - turned to join her, each with a mask of horror on their faces.

Not wanting to leave the elf to lonely defend them the faun, who was that shadowy assassin known as the Nightingale, grasped the end of the wagon and used it to pull herself to her hooves. Her hands flapped around, digging around into the cart's contents as she searched. Mister Draak was the first to catch up to her, as he had not been far all along. Unfortunately, however, he was already wheezing and looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"This is not what I was planning faun!" he growled.

Philomel had to agree. She pushed a barrel over and a large collection of knives happened to tumble out. Sharp, and useable but still not what she was looking for. Placing one knee on the end of the wagon she pushed herself into the shadow of the thing itself. She was bemused to the situation as she was sure she had left her weapon somewhere safe. Perhaps Felix's attempt at "hide and seek" had caused its placement to be upset.

An ugly challenge behind her. Screaming and manly. Her hand snapped to the place where her lonesome keris knife as the faun's head turned, but the brute of the human of the brigand did not get far. No sooner had he charged towards her than something slammed into his path. It was vast, unmoveable and akin to a road block.

The meat cleaver hung out of the man's throat like slate from a hillside, blood pouring from the gaping wound - then the troll pulled his weapon out mercilessly. In less than a second the body crumpled to the floor and the simple herbalist monk stood there, like a sentry of the old gods. A thick-tusked grin was on his mouth.

"Your sword's to the left, faun," Mister Draak said, then twisted on his pounding foot. Letting out a mighty bellow like no earthquake had heard before, he roared, and challenged the next assailant to a dual to the death.

Her mouth hung open ... gaping, in awe. A meat cleaver. Of course that was his weapon of choice, of course. Philomel just stared in ... yes. Shock. Awe. Awe and shock. A troll with a meat cleaver. Killing humans.

Thwunk.

Another arrow buried itself. Right. Between. Her. Legs.

She let out a light shriek and grabbed the hilt of where she now saw her sword. The Bastard sung, musically, as he was ripped from his sheath, and allowed to ascend into the sky. Felix and Veridian from what she could tell by the vague mental communication were somewhere to the right, just in the tree line. For now, she knew, the half-imp and her beloved fox would be fine. With Felix's telepathic powers and Veridian's easy instincts there was nothing to worry about. They would be safe. She sent her companion for the end-of-days a message to find the auroch and keep him calm, otherwise they would never get out of here. That would keep them busy, and this fight would keep her busy.

More arrows flew past, one just grazing the shoulder of Mister Draak as he tried to hack a man seven foot tall to pieces. Still smaller than him, but hells a frighting assemblage.

The assassin-whore tucked her hooves beneath her, poised at the edge of the wagon - then exerted her art. Muscles pulled, bones clicked, tendons aligned. She leapt ten foot into the air, in an unsuspecting arch. The heads of the elf, and his curiously bald current victim, passed underneath her, and she landed on the other side. Her sword went snicker-snack and set itself into direct combat with a fine iron rapier, boring but cunning, and the arrows kept coming. More men kept coming. Three, four, five. More joined from the forest.

Philomel hissed darkly, ground her teeth and set her hooves into dancing mode.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Instinctively, Elthas reacted.

He carefully made his way TOWARDS the enemy around him, he knew they were in for a long fight. Elthas didn't want to see his new friends harmed by Xu's agents. Elthas decided on secondary plan. As he ran, he pulled his battle-horn and suddenly began to perform one of his battle songs. He was aiming the effects of the song on Philomel directly. It was his first actual attempt at using ~Horn of Inspiration~ on an ally. He was hoping to provide Philomel with the needed support capacity to continue fighting as long as needed. Elthas concentrated on blowing his battle horn. He played the song of the spell singers very carefully and concentrated fully on it. He stood behind a tree so that he could be relatively safe and was staring at Philomel which was a critical portion of the process. Elthas played the horn for as long as he could. It was a powerful magic, and part of the old teachings. He would buff up his ally as long as he possibly could. The song was a powerful tone, and it was performed with confidence. He held the horn with one hand and kept a dagger in his other. He knew it was only a matter of time before Xu's agents spotted him.

He was acting as quickly as he could. He needed to complete the song before Philomel would receive the benefit of it's effect. Elthas continued to blow on the horn and skillfully play each note of the song. It was a powerful tone, the purpose of the song meant to provide support to allies. Elthas played the song skillfully, his powerful lungs being utilized to their fullest capacity. Elthas could feel his chest rising up and down with every note he played. He sincerely considered Mister Draak a good friend, and further, he knew Philomel was one of Draak's close allies. That made her HIS friend. He would do everything in his power to protect her. As he played the horn, he saw the images of Hylda dying in his head over and over and tears fell from his eyes. He stared in Philomel's direction as he performed the song. Just a little bit longer. The song is almost ready to provide her with needed support. He thought as he continued to play the song. He just needed a bit of time. As the song's crescendo reached it's full tension, Elthas heard a few chaotic shouts nearby.

A new individual joined the battle.

Elthas felt the air tingle with raw power, the power of the ancient magi.

Xu's wild card. I am almost done...there!

The air glowed with a potent residue near to Philomel's position. When the effect of the song would begin, Elthas knew his ally would be able to take on the Devil himself. He finished the song, and placed the battle horn among his personal effects. Then, he drew his second dagger and prepared for battle. He took on his Stance of the Scorpion's Sting. Taking on his aspect of the scorpion, Elthas turned towards Philomel. "Mage!" Elthas called out to his ally. Then, he maneuvered around Philomel and her battle. He started a mad sprint towards the sorcerer. He could see a glowing purple light manifesting in the nearby portion of the woods. The light sent off a terrible power into the air and he could hear the mage chanting as he prepared his power. Elthas had done his job in exchange for them saving his ass. He would take down the mage if it was the last thing he would do. As he ran, he ran at best speed and he saw several individuals reacting to his sudden burst of speed. Fleet footed, Elthas immediately spotted the mage just ahead. The first thing that Elthas noticed was that the sorcerer wielded and elegant heavy oak staff. It was highly decorated in elder runes.

A blistering aura surrounded the mage, he wore fancy robes and had a crest that Elthas did not recognize. It surprisingly enough was NOT the Bellaparte emblem. Elthas knew that the mage would become his target. "You're mine!" Elthas yelled. He knew he only needed to incapacitate the mage and prevent him from casting any further spells. The swirling power continued to gather around his target as Elthas ran towards him. They locked gazes. Suddenly, Elthas took one of his daggers by the handle and threw it towards the man's shoulder. His right shoulder which owned the arm holding the wizard's staff aloft. Elthas's dagger spun in the air as he threw it. He readied his other dagger, still in the scorpion combat stance. With Elven precision, Elthas aimed on the spot and attacked with frightening skill...he watched the dagger land skillfully into the man's shoulder. It was not a lethal attack, but it would do the job. The mage's concentration was suddenly broken and he was knocked backwards towards the ground. Elthas had the pawn he needed. He ran towards the mage, grabbed him and forced him to stand, he held him at dagger point. "Tell your men to call off their attack and you can walk away with your life, you son of a bitch." Elthas was deadly serious, for a moment he felt the weight of insanity at the loss of Hylda Terrentius.

And for that brief moment of insanity Elthas had suffered for a life time.

He would make them all pay.

[Philomel]

She pushed herself forwards with full intent. Around her few fell, and even more were ever-ready to take her place. Her current opponent - a matchless dwarf wielding two one-handed warhammers, desired only to smash her head in. Hammers against her steel Bastard was cruel irony as it was like setting a match against a rock ... but then the match could be struck against the rock and set on fire.

With her teeth gritted and her hooves firmly placed themselves in the ground, she summoned her will to dance.

Like a blow from the past the horn rang out, like a deep bellow of a mighty behemoth. It was the tune of a thousand battles, and a great war cry, the spirit of an aged warrior who had never lost and only died because of old age, and the lifespan of an entire galaxy. Philomel heard it behind her, suddenly not there, and then present, but it felt as if it had always been sounding, long and into the future. A swarm of essence, a fulfuilling of energy - it made her realise that she was not the only victim here, but rather her enemies could be too. Not able to turn around and look for the sake of the swinging warhammers, the Nightingale made a quick decision and eagerly took on the expression of will this sound gave her. It was a call to arms and behind her, surely, there was a swarming army of a thousand-fold fauns and centaurs, ready to crush these people into the dirt!

Rabidly she snatched her keris dagger from wherever it had gone. In the heat of this battle she didn't exactly know if it was still in her hand, unused, or she had tucked it into her belt, or if it had ended up in someone's skull but now it was back there. Magically, quickly, somehow. Her willpower was so strong now, her determination stuck that she did not care - all she knew was that it was going to kill this hammer-wielding imp. His left one struck upwards, aiming at her belly. Sweeping down she met it with the Bastard, and stabbed towards the weakpoint of his leather armour with her keris dagger. It was a series of movements, as fast as the wind blew. Precision and no hesitation, not any thought of self-preservation. Philomel seemed to know she could do it, and it was done. The dwarf stopped, dead, black popping eyes staring, horrified, at her as his right hammer was poised to come down at her head, in one crashing blow. But he was dead enough. The Nightingale let out a cheering cry and planted her hoof on his belly, just below his diaphragm where the hilt of her knife was buried. Kicking hard in syncopation with dragging her weapon out the body, the dead dwarf was cast backwards, right into his ally.

As the human archer was cast back like a ball-and-pins game Philomel let out a loud bellowing bleat of her people, and swung around to face her next opponents. Filled with the fury of the satyrs and golden energy from gods know where she spun blade after blade, keeping up her feet and endurance with a steady rhthym. Where one might be cautious, she felt no need. Where one would plan, she simply acted on instinct. Where one might toy with their assailant to find a weak spot before exploiting it, Philomel threw herself with savage resolve at elf and human and dwarf, knowing each one by look of fear before despatching them. Her willpower was not weakened, and any threat to herself or her colleagues was ignored. As one of them gained close to where Felix and Veridian were hiding, she did not let it distract her.

Veridian let out a cry, a nickering howl, and the Nightingale acted on pure love and want. It seemed natural, as natural as walking or sex or killing. As soon as the agonised yell came out she dropped her keris dagger, kept her eyes and the Bastard solely to fight her current target. Yet - her now free hand swept up, palm flat and facing the direction of where three men had discovered the half-imp and the fox, and where aiming to attack them with easy ferocity. The faun took a quick breath, mind on fighting and her mission to rid this area of the enemy, and the energy surged from the solid earth, to her hooves, to her pelvis, to her heart, then spasmed down her arm. Without any thought or mistake she threw this energy out and pounded the forest with all that she had, her focus on saving the one creature that she could only ever love.

My darling Veridian ...

A whirlwind of storming dust picked up from the ground. It flew into the air from under her arm, and in a neat porabola shot up to where her palm indicated. Something ... powdered, strong, ghostly, rose up around two feet in length and height and depth and was forced upon the mercy of the three soldiers, those who suddenly were crying in stinging pain. Her eyes blinked, she let out a quiet gasp, unsure of what had just happened, her sword just acting of its own accord, separate from her shocked soul that was just standing there in awe. What had just ... happened? She was parrying, still, attacking even but not quite aware of it. The cloud of dust settled, her arm relaxed and fell to her side but still she felt;

What the fuck just happened?

Her body danced.

Then a cry - "STOP!"

A clatter of arms and her current opponent froze. But she had already begun the strike. The Bastard whistled through the air like a viper with Philomel following and met the undefended neck of the foot soldier. With her expression still stuck in confusion she blamed her body's unpredictable movements and just stood there, awkward. With her face splattered in mocking blood she looked like some sort of haunted spirit, eyes dancing around, waiting for the next man to challenge her. But he would not come. Instead they were all as still as her, frozen between clutching at their dusted eyes and to some being whom the elf - oh yes the male elf - had with a knife to the throat. His prisoner was in surrender, mouth open just after making that shout.

Shaking her whole body to gain back control, Philomel tried to speak, but could not quite make out the sounds. Instead she glanced around for Mister Draak. He was standing there, grinning at her, bloody meat cleaver in hand.

"We have won," he said, "And I have gained an Earth Mage."

"Whaaa'? Whose a Earth Mage?" Philomel blurted out in slurred words, "Wha - Wha' are yoo ..."

And then, suddenly exhausted, she collapsed down in the bodies.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Elthas considered his next move.

He clearly had acquired the leader of Xu's operation, and that leader had commanded his men to stop. Elthas held his dagger against the mage for a long moment, attempting to calm down. The man had given the desired command, and Elthas had a look of bloody insanity in his eyes. For a long moment, Elthas only pictured Hylda Terrentius dying, he only pictured Mister Draak, out there fighting. And he pictured his new friend, Philomel, fighting like a hound of Hell. Sent to kill them all. Elthas had done his job and protected his allies, he suddenly began to think and feel like a normal person might. Something like a normal person, he'd managed a battle craze and near hysterics. But in that single, lucid moment, he understood where the Hell he was.

Who he was, and what the Hell he was doing. Fighting. That's right, these are Xu Bellaparte's men, and they have killed Hylda...my love... Elthas was very tired at that point. He kept his dagger held up against the neck of the mage, his eyes locked on the eyes of the poor fellow. For a moment, the two men simply stared at each other, one a mask of total and complete fear and agony. The other, coming off a insane and twisted high. The very moment that had pushed Elthas Belthasar to the edge of insanity and back. His mind thought with a heightened awareness of it all. He looked at the man before him, and several men, there were a total of about twenty strong men. In a fell moment, Philomel, Mister Draak, and Elthas had taken out about fifteen other warriors. It had been enough to stop the mindless assault on Elthas and his allies. The Mage looked around and ordered his men to back up. "Abort the mission." The mage said loudly enough for the gathered to hear.

One of the soldiers, another Dwarf, looked over at the mage. "But Master Xu will kill us...if we report failure." The Dwarf said.

"He will kill us if we stay. We've pushed this man to the edge..." The mage suddenly looked at Elthas. "You've one the day, Elf. But I wish to ask you one thing."

Elthas frowned. His breathing hard, and his eyes shot. He looked at the mage, and removed his dagger from the man's shoulder. "NOW you can ask what you're going to ask." Elthas said, AFTER he'd removed his dagger.

"We were allowed to enjoy your woman. All of us. For days and days, she didn't complain even once." The mage laughed. "You should have seen that nasty bitch." The mage continued. "How does it feel knowing we turned your woman into a WHORE?!" The mage asked.

Elthas suddenly snapped. His pupils became dilated and he only saw Hylda Terrentius before his eyes. Then his image cleared and he saw the mage before him. "Run." Elthas ordered. "Run for your life." The mage suddenly had a look of sheer terror in his eyes at what he'd just seen. He slowly turned and began to run. Soon after, his men left. He pondered killing the mage right then, but, he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. A familiar someone's, and that touch held his composure together just long enough that he didn't pursue the mage and his men. Xu Bellaparte's men. The blades and sellswords of his enemy. Elthas stopped and took a deep breath, he turned around and once again saw the specter of his woman. She was surrounding in a blue halo. She touched the side of his face gently. "Hylda..." Elthas said.

"There was nothing you could of done. My ghost will rest well knowing that I have gotten to see you one last time." Hylda explained. "Go now and be with your new allies. Live. Elthas. Live. For me..." She kissed him gently and faded off into the night.

"Live..." Elthas repeated. He blinked coming down off the battle high. Then, he remembered his friends. Mister Draak, Philomel and Hylda's body. He even remembered their smaller allies. Elthas ran towards where Philomel had fallen. He knelt down towards her. "Mister Draak. They are gone, I think." Elthas said calmly. He looked down towards Philomel. He didn't know why, but he trusted her, he liked her. Elthas knew that Hylda would have wanted him to LIVE. Elthas wrapped his arms around Philomel, picked her up, and walked with the others back to their camp. He placed Philomel on the ground gently, and walked towards Mister Draak. "I owe you my life Mister Draak." Elthas said to him. "I swear allegiance to you Mister Draak. And the lady faun." Elthas said. That was something he COULD do to begin paying back the debt he owed Mister Draak. Then he walked towards Hylda's body. "We gotta bury her." He said. And a wind began to blow, making long hair dance.

There was an enemy they had to kill.

And that yellow rat bastard was named Xu Bellaparte. Elthas swore that he would be the cause of Xu's end...

[Philomel]

She awoke with a start.

It was a rather sudden start, as if creepies were crawling up her arms and nipping tight at her skin. Sudden pinches that revealed blood.

Startled, she sat up, straight and bold, eyes staring out to the world. For a moment she paused there, staring at the blurred image that was life and trees and sky and ground - then she lurched over onto her belly and vomitted all over the place.

Gasping, she hung there for a while, hands grasping what she knew and could find - the barrier of the side of the wagon. Her stomach was pressed flat against it, with her legs sprawled uncomfortably behind her in some mangled mess. As she breathed, gulped and choked a large and strong, yet gentle, hand came down and rested on her back. It patted her shoulder, as if to say, you are doing so well, its fine.

Blinking hard Philomel looked up groggily from where she had aristically ruined the side of the cart, and gazed into the small black eyes above her. Framed in that firm and round face with the mottled skin, the familiarity of them made her smile. Quietly she sighed, despite the acidic taste in her throat.

"So. Where we off to now Mister Draak?" she asked, as weirdly as a drunken dwarf.

The huge monk troll, master of secrets and politics, simply grinned softly back and patted her again. He reached over the side of the wagon beside her. Philomel's eyes followed, curious for a moment, but was disappointed to see his hand return with a cleaning cloth.

His hand folded into a light and non-threatening fist.

"You were sick over my wagon."

"I did magic. I am not supposed to do magic," she grumbled, flopping to the floor again. "My stomach hurts, I feel like its my bloodmoon. Get me chocolate."

Mister Draak was barely amused. He did not throw it but nevertheless flopped the cloth on top of her thigh. "Clean it up later then. But we are moving soon. Elthas longs to hunt for the one who killed his love."

Philomel wrapped her arms over her stomach, hating the feeling of being sick, then not having anyone to pity you. Not even Veridian. She searched with her mind, out, somewhere into the woods around them. Spanning out she caught the flicker of movement, the scent of flowers and the taste of soil. The Earth Spirit felt her connection to him, and turned his nose in her direction, despite the fact he was some far distance away.

Are you alright? she related.

There was a clear feeling of affirmation, and then the brief glimpse of Felix the half-imp standing right beside him. The faun-whore sighed, satisfied, and closed her eyes.

"Go kill the man then, Mister Draak," she said in a lazy voice, "I will stay here with my chocolate."

A grumble, then a slight grunt of amusement.

"Well we just buried the woman. Hylda. We will be leaving shortly. You can lie there as we travel, but don't moan anymore."

Philomel muttered, but snuggled into what comfort she could find all the same. "I am not moaning," was her reply, but Draak ignored it. The troll climbed onto the front of the wagon, and presumably the elf male took a seat beside him. Swords and meat cleaver in tow the reigns were shook and the auroch bull lurched into mode, taking the company into the woods and down the road that would lead them to Xu.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

(Continuing with my Dagger upgrades intact. And sorry for my delay Phi, I hit a slump for a while.)

Elthas was in a somber mood as they traveled in Mister Draak's cart.

Admittedly, he had no idea where to begin searching for Xu Bellaparte or his cronies. The one thing he knew for certain was that Hylda Terrentius was forever gone. He felt a perpetual state of misery at the loss of the only woman he'd ever loved. Given the situation that lead to their separation, his heart had always remained true. He'd never wavered. He'd honoured the old alliances and kept his honour intact. Elthas sang the entire time that they traveled in some sort of a direction. Elthas wasn't sure where to go anyway, he'd not gotten a single clue off of Xu's fellows. The only thing he had to go on was the tracks that they were following, tons of them, leading in various directions but culminating on one specific spot of the forest. He dreaded where the tracks were leading them back. As Elthas sang, his mind wandered constantly to Hylda's face. He thought about the little things that they had shared together in the few years that they had spent together. Elthas was an Elf, and that meant that time flowed different from his people.

As he sang, he sometimes took a pull from his smoking pipe. He'd hand crafted it himself, and usually smoked the cannibus herb out of it. It had a particularly sweet scent and it helped relaxed Elthas who was still coming down from a tremendous state of shock. He sang for approximately an hour as he thought about what to do next besides follow the tracks of Xu's goons. Then it hit him all at once. I know these trees...

"Stop." Elthas broke song and put out the small flame contained in his smoking pipe. "This area is familiar to me..." He knew the signs well. They were all around, trees tempered to become makeshift houses and abodes. Layered villages that they had suddenly found themselves in, though true it was just the outskirts. Elthas gathered his things and nodded towards Mister Draak, he also looked back towards the faun to be certain she was still okay. Two fully armoured Elven guards approached Mister Draak's cart. Elthas looked at Mister Draak, nodded again and then slid out of the cart. He casually walked across the forest grounds and addressed the Elves calmly. "<Guards.>" Elthas spoke in the tongue of his people. He spoke just loud enough for Mister Draak and possibly the faun to hear. "<Me and my companions seek passage through this area...>" Elthas said calmly. He did not want to do anything to agitate the likely alerted guards.

<"Look who it is, Aldrean."> The more dominant of the two Elves said. They were both lofty fellows, wearing dark green armour that was highly decorated. <"The Master said this would happen.">

<"You seek safe passage but you do not know exactly where it is you are, do you, Elthas Belthasar?"> Aldrean was the older of the two but not the more dominant in stature. He looked at Elthas very carefully. <"The GWARTH seeks safe passage does he?">

<"I have no ill blood towards you or your tribe."> Elthas began. <"I just want to come through with my companions as safely as is possible.">

It happened all at once. Aldrean MOVED quickly towards Elthas and struck him with a fist across the face.

Elthas grimaced as he was struck, but then righted himself. He looked at Aldrean very carefully Aldrean spoke first. <"The Master does not take kindly to Gwarth's coming through here. Might as well let members of Thieve's Guild have safe have, no? Turn back the way you came or there's going to be trouble.">

A welt was developing where Aldrean struck Elthas. Elthas narrowed his eyes for a moment and then regained his composure, remembering his place. <"I am after Xu Bellaparte."> Elthas continued. <"We have been following the tracks of his servants to this spot of Ruild."> Elthas kept talking, trying to ease some of the tension. <"Perhaps you can help me">

<"He seeks The Master."> The younger Elf said.

<"The Master ALSO said this would happen."> Aldrean commented. <"I am afraid you do not understand the gravity of things here. Xu Bellaparte, is The Master. He has taken over the Elven Tribes of Ruild."> Aldrean said. <"You have been gone a long time Elthas,Belthasar, leader of The Trading Company."> Aldrean suddenly moved into combat stance and drew an elegant sword constructed in the Elven aesthetics. <"Either go back the way you came or you'll have to fight your way forward.">

Xu's taken everything over!? Elthas thought to himself. He sighed, matters had gotten very very complicated indeed. Elthas did not want to draw blade against his brothers and sisters, but Xu left him without a choice in the matter. He drew his masterwork daggers. Recently upgraded for the sake of battle. Elthas spoke in the common-tongue so Mister Draak could understand everything. "I do not want this but you leave me no choice. I am after Xu Bellaparte and none of you are going to stop that." Elthas pointed his weapon towards Aldrean's neck but did not strike. He felt every muscle in his body grow tense as he stood there and his eyes were deadly serious. Each of his hands held one of his magnificent enchanted daggers. His eyes narrowed and he stared with those steely eyes, cold and calculating. His eyes darting from Aldrean to his companion and back again. "Either make this easy for me or do this the hard way, the choice is yours." Elthas said.

He was dreadfully tired, but the effects of the cannibus herb were settling in his nervous system at that point. He felt relaxed, light, as if he could walk on air like the ancient Elders of his people could. Aldrean and Elthas stared at one another for a long couple of minutes, when suddenly, Aldrean's companion spoke.

"A meeting with Xu Bellaparte can be arranged." The younger of the two Elves suddenly said. "If the Gwarth wants to loose his life so badly, who are we to deny that? Let him go directly to Xu." The Elf that spoke had a sly expression on his face. He looked at Elthas. "You should know, Xu is heavily guarded and expecting you."

"I know. But I have my friends with me, will you let us pass?" Elthas asked.

"We will, I will inform the patrols ahead that you are coming." The younger of the two Elves walked towards Elthas. "And Elthas, if you can dethrone Xu, I want a word with you after."

[Philomel]

As the auroch grunted and was shaken back into movement, Philomel blinked, then leaned forwards, furrowing her brow. Her hands curled over the edge of the backrest of the front bench of the wagon, all to shove her head between the elf and the troll, a low, growl ripping through her throat.

"Okay elf, what was that all about?"

Mister Draak was hunched over the reigns like an old man at the altar. He did not look at her, but he shook his head, responding in the same quiet tones.

"Just keep it down. Keep your head. Elthas knows where we are going."

"Hmm, and just where is that, exactly?" she hissed. "I have been sitting in the back of this wagon for Drys knows how long, sharpening all your weapons whilst you two get high on-"

"Shush!"

The volume of the troll's voice was raised a pitch. Instinctively, Philomel responded with mute silence. Her ears pricked back like those of a startled deer, the fur on the very edges of them tingling. She ducked back, somewhat, the beast part of herself taking over in that moment, ruling over her sentient intelligence, to the extent where she felt she was in the depths of the woods, survival and food her only needs and desires.

They trundled directly past a tall, savage-looking elf who was all brawn and little brain. In his hands he spun an elegant machete which threatened to cleave any head in two. As they passed he made direct eye contact with Philomel and for a moment she felt as if she was the one to die then, stuck as she was in that prey attitude.

However. However ...

Memories surged back into her as the elf was at the level of their back wheel. Suddenly she sat up, realisation pouring into her that actually she was not quite that defenseless. Veridian beside her raised his head, cocking it to the side in wonder and in confusion at her actions. Reaching out to grab the hilt of her sword, Philomel found herself suddenly wanting to launch herself off the wagon and challenge him to a dual, especially as the machete elf sent a michevious smirk her way.

"<The bloody cheek!>" she spat in faunish.

A clamp over her hand. Fingers, like a vice, crushed around her wrist, grounding any possibility of her attacking. Strength like that of an alpha bear grounded her down to the bottom of the wagon, causing her to fight as anger raged through her.

"Stop it," Draak's voice growled at her, "They just mean to aggravate us."

Savagely, Philomel whipped around her head, to stare at the troll and the elf who now, very unsteadily, held the reigns. Her eyes were on fire, full of fury.

"They are they enemy. We are just going deeper into a trap!"

The troll's hold tightened. He nodded, once, and the hint of a grin appeared at his face.

"Oh yes we are," he said, "We are."

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Elthas understood Philomel's concern.

He didn't want to lead his friends to their deaths. However, he knew one important matter for certain.

Xu Bellaparte WOULD PAY.

Not just for Hylda and Seth Terrentius, but for every other harm and crime Xu had performed in his life.

Elthas nodded towards the guards and motioned towards Mister Draak and Philomel. We got passage. He tipped his hat towards the group of guards and then began walked forward through Ruild. His eyes narrowed and his face became serious. It's almost time for vengeance. Elthas would cut every last villager down to get to Xu if he had to. He drew his enchanted daggers and looked at Philomel and Mister Draak for a long moment. There was a pause there and he spoke quietly. "I am thankful that you two are with me. It's nice to have some friends help me face down what we are about to face. For what it's worth I thank you both for joining alongside me." Elthas did not want to have to face Xu by himself. It would likely be a very deadly battle.

Elthas walked again, his eyes narrowed into thin slits until they made it to the front gates of his home town.

Once upon a time, Elthas had a family and a name in that community...that was a long time ago though.

The guards looked at Elthas as he entered, word had reached the township.

Elthas had his weapons at the ready when he walked towards one of the guards. "Where is Xu?" Elthas had a hard time accepting that Xu really had taken everything over.

"In the Elder Tree." The guard said with an angry expression. "We've been told to allow you and your lackeys to pass. He's waiting for you, Elthas son of Belthasar."

Elthas frowned. "Just make sure you lot keep your distance, I don't want to have to cut anybody other than Xu himself."

The Elder tree loomed ahead, a pale shadow of it's former self. The Forest Elves were not like the high elves of Raiaera. They had their own form of magical arts. They had their own secrets, and their own pagan arts. Elthas saw the curved maw of that marked the entrance of the Elder tree. His eyes remained narrowed as he walked past the guards, they allowed him and his companions passage. The roads in the Elven community were covered with grassy growths, but still visible. It was mid afternoon. Elthas saw the familiar passage that lead deep into the Elder tree. The passage had several branch off points and a few connected chambers. The Elder sanctum was built directly into the tree itself and the bark itself had a darker, corrupt colour. Plants and flowers were visible on the bark of the tree, many artistic decorations were present. Insects and birds were also present but not the usual stock, Elthas noticed that even the wild life had become corrupt by whatever Xu was up to those days. Elthas walked forward and finally, after about an hour into the journey, they reached the sanctuary chamber. Elthas saw several of the few remaining elders of his village, and the human from earlier of Xu's mercenary force. Xu and the Human wizard were speaking in quiet tones.

One of the elders looked at Elthas.

It was an elegant chamber, built into the base of the tree itself. There were glow orbs present that gave off a glowing yellow light that was not harsh. Elthas remembered that the chamber was usually a lively chamber, filled with prayer and respect of the Lesser Thayne that his people worshiped. But now, all that was left were embers. The present elders, the few that remained, all wore the robes he recalled from his youth. However, these robes were black now and further offered the telling sign of corruption. Elthas did not wait to be introduction. He looked at Philomel and Mister Draak. "Secure this chamber, and make sure nobody is allowed in or out until our business is concluded." Elthas then addressed the present elders. "I suggest you guys don't piss off my companions." Elthas walked towards Xu and the Hume. "We've had a long last few days you see of killing Xu's lackeys and getting information we needed."

Elthas saw Xu and the Hume had not yet turned to talk to him.

"Xu Bellaparte." Elthas said calmly. "I hereby challenge your leadership capacity in front of the Elders and seek to denounce it." Elthas said calmly. "I am here to claim your spot, Xu."

After several minutes had passed Xu finally looked at Elthas. "Ah." He began. "You're finally here, looks like all the preparations I took to take you out were for nothing." Xu continued. "Your challenge is noted but not accepted. You're not longer a legal resident of these parts and your family has been dissolved..." Xu shook his head. "You have forsaken any right to claim a challenge to me. You are no longer a son of Belthasar..."

"You don't seem to fucking understand." Elthas suddenly said, perhaps a little harsher than he meant to. And as he spoke he saw a flash in his head, and a quick image of Hylda Terrentius' ghost. Elthas walked forward towards Xu Bellaparte. "I'm ending this today one way or the other." That was when he spoke. He turned to look at his companions. "Mister Draak. If you would be so kind, please kill the present except for Xu." He was including Philomel in the order as well. He was deadly serious too. "You've killed off the old tribe, but it will be rebuilt. I have no need of Elders who don't understand the justice of our forefathers." Elthas said. He pointed his dagger towards Xu and assumed one of his combat stances, a basic combat stance but a tight one. The Elders began to panic at that moment, fear and confusion. Elthas smirked. He wanted to make Xu Bellaparte PAY for everything. "Defend yourself Xu Bellaparte. It all ends today." And Elthas lunged at BOTH the Hume wizard and Xu. Already he could hear the sounds of death in the Elder tree.

[Philomel]

With a sideways look Philomel glanced at Draak, uncertain if all this was absolutely true. When the elf had first spoken - the good elf, that was, the one with whom they had this alliance - she had moved to one entranceway of two. This led, presumably, deeper into the tree, whereas Draak took a place firmly at the tunnel which they had come up. He squared himself, boldly, up against a guard of Bellaparte's there, his wide shoulders twice as big as the other man's. The elf, whom he looked down upon easily, for the troll looked down upon literally everyone, winced a little as Elthas had continued his conversation with Bellaparte.

As Elthas finished, and issued his orders, Philomel felt most awkward. She stood there, with sword in hand, uncertain of what to do. After looking at Draak and receiving nothing but a grin, she turned around, counting the guards in the room. Elthas had said, "Kill them all," (or words to that effect) and Philomel was beginning to regret that plan. In fact she slightly regretted even coming here. As she counted her breathing quickened, uncertain. But now - now she knew there was no going back.

One, two, three, four, five. In her view, two to her immediate right and three down the corridor, mouths open at the profanities of what Elthas said. Quickly she crouched, ready in a stance, looking at both groups, who had all heard the orders given to her, and all were, like her, unsure of what to do. She was an assassin, after all, not some bold knight, but apparently today was the day.

As roars, sudden growls, rang out around the hollow tree, hell broke loose and the elves charged. Elthas, out of the corner of Philomel's eye, could be seen charging at both the Bellaparte bastard and his commrade mage. A grunt behind her told her that Draak was cleaving his way through his personal enemies. Soon this place would be a bloodbath and she knew it. All she could do, for now, was defend herself, otherwise -

Too late for thoughts. One through himself at her, and she barely had time to defend. Throwing up her sword, Philomel dodged the blow aimed to her thigh and pivoted. She moved herself firmly into the doorway itself, and, keeping her back to one wall, she proceeded to engage with two enemies from two sides. With the first that had attacked her, she gave him a nice thrust to the abdomen. From the other side, towards those in the corridor, she allowed herself a quick and brutal kick backwards. An unfortunate elf had just been coming. He toppled, like a felled tree in harvest time, over his work mates, sending them all toppling back.

The foolish thing had been to try to take them all on at the same time, and from two sides. When she had considered it, it had seemed like a good plan, however ... clearly fighting two battles on two fronts was not in her capabilties. No sooner had Philomel damaged the troupe of men with her hard buck of her hooves, than the first guard from inside the chamber threw himself at her again. This time, due to her distraction, he managed to get between her blows, and carved a slice up her belly.

Blood oozed like a thick red river and the faun screamed in pain. Quickly she parried, left and centre, cutting straight for the attackers heart. His personal comrade was finally getting into the fight also, jeered on by the one who had just injured her. Philomel gritted her teeth as her hold began to falter and attempted to feint before headbutting up, sharply. It did no use. The men just stepped away, and now her victims from down the corridor were catching their breaths. Draak, it could be presumed, was managing his own, but she was suffering, and Philomel suddenly knew that in a moment's time she could be compromised.

Siezing her keris dagger the faun decided to fight double-bladed, and first lunged from the entranceway, straight for her injurer. He had stepped back, but she flew forwards, faster than he could expect, and stuck her dagger right into his throat. The next she painted with the blood spurting from her belly as she wiped her chest against his, and then smoothly knocked him down with a stamp onto his toe. He yelped, giving her time to turn and deal with the others she had left behind.

Now there were four, but they were funnelled into the chamber by the tunnel. Kicking herself off the ground, the faun screamed, partly in fury, partly in agony, before landing, palms flat to the ground, despite holding the weapons. As before in the forest, anger and emotion got the better of her, and the dust that lay around her began to pick up. Like a storm it rose, spinning faster and faster, until she could release it, right at their faces. Their pretty faces.

They fell down in blindness as something leapt over from behind them. Something russet red and charming, teeth bared to join the fight.

Did you miss me? Veridian said.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

(Phi, feel free to kill all the NPC's however you like. Just keep Elthas's brothers and the incoming guards alive. They are part of the story.)

Like a caged lion, Elthas stalked towards Xu Bellaparte and his Human companion. I have him cornered...there is something terribly wrong... His instincts kicked in, and he realized that the battlefield ITSELF was likely a death trap of some sort. Then, it all hit Elthas all at once. The elder tree's roots were old and powerful. They sang with the magic of his ancestors. Elthas Belthasar, one of the final remaining members of his people, took notice of the battlefield itself. The tree puled with life and energy swam through the air, cascading through it. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite place it. A memory forgotten, slipping through his fingers like sand.

Then he remembered his place.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here with your companions and desecrating the old tree." Xu Bellaparte said. "No matter, this will be over quickly. Jake. Destroy the upstart." Xu took a step back and folded his arms across his chest. His eyes narrowed and he looked carefully at Elthas. "Jake...?!" Xu asked and just realized what had happened.

Elthas had attacked without even thinking about what he'd done. I must press the advantage. He'd gutted Jake, the magus and slid his masterwork dagger up the man's core. Intestines and gore spilled out of the injury that Elthas had inflicted. Elthas pushed his dagger all the way into Jake's body and the man spewed up blood. The look of shock and fear etched on the man's face was priceless. He would make Xu wear a similar mask. Elthas took two backwards steps away from Jake's dying form after he'd recovered his dagger then turned his attention to Xu. "You talk big Xu." Elthas began. "I just killed your pet and you are next." The sounds of screams and violence in the room filled Elthas's ears. His friends were busy destroying the traitors. Elthas then took a step closer to Xu who FINALLY was paying him full attention. "I hope you are ready Xu Bellaparte. One way or the other, I will finish the cycle of events that you've started. Even now the corrupt leaders you placed as false Elders are dying all around you. I hope you are ready Xu." Elthas was within striking distance of Xu.

"False elders? You don't truly believe you can beat me do you? I broke you before, several times..." Xu began.

And Elthas struck. It was a swift backhand strike with his right arm. Xu seemed genuinely shocked at how strong Elthas had become since their last meeting many years ago. "You don't seem to understand this, Xu. I'm going to kill you today even if I die in the process. I will die at least knowing that I have avenged her." Elthas said.

"Her!? Oh you mean the whore, Hylda Terrentius...this is all over her....gah!!!" Xu suddenly stopped talking as Elthas skilfully employed his dagger in a masterful killing stroke.

He'd moved into one of his modified combat stances, and the damage he was capable of doing was modified greatly. "You shouldn't talk about Hylda that way. You don't deserve to even say her name after everything you did to us." Elthas said with growing anger and hatred. Blood trickled down the injury that Elthas had inflicted on Xu. "You always did talk too much for your own fucking good." Elthas plunged his dagger deeper into Xu. It was a very deliberate stroke, he'd stabbed Xu in his stomach, plunging the masterwork weapon into his organs. He pushed the blade deep into Xu. "I want you to know who it was who beat you." Elthas said calmly. He gripped his weapon with both hands and pushed it deep into Xu. Elthas was angry, and at the same time, he felt strangely calm. A great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Elthas suddenly removed the dagger from Xu's belly. He looked right at Xu. "You've been undone."

"No!" Xu Bellaparte yelled. As his life fluids were rapidly spilling out of the injury he sustained. "My life's work...you have no idea what you've just done! You shit, I ascended to leadership and took this place over because we had no stable leadership...Elthas...you have not won!" Xu suddenly stood up. The injury was great but he was still capable of fighting despite the fact he was rapidly bleeding out. "I'm going to take you with me...!" Elthas acted sooner.

In a fell moment, like a scene from some twisted tapestry, Elthas cleanly sliced Xu's throat open. "For Hylda!" Elthas yelled. And Xu began to bleed out even faster. He gurgled as he attempted to speak more, and the look of fear was etched on his face. Elthas had gone far to get where he was at that moment. The screams in the elder tree filled Elthas's ears. His eyes narrowed as he watched Xu Bellaparte, that yellow rat bastard...finally DIE. "I beat you Xu. Remember that as you go to The After." Elthas felt intoxicated by a blood lust he had never felt before, but he felt at peace at the same time. The blood lust, was strangely euphoric. He watched Xu Bellaparte die the whole time and then turned around to see Philomel, and Mr. Draak wrapping up their work on the elders. Elthas himself was covered in blood.

Just then, a contingent of guards from the township entered the elder tree....

Elthas smiled, he was expecting this exact event.

"Son of Belthasar. What have you done?!" One of the guards asked, and Elthas recognized the voice. It was his own brother.

"I have destroyed Xu Bellaparte and everything he stood for. I am claiming his position as leader of this tribe." Elthas suddenly said.

Elthas's brother looked at him with confusion for a moment but understood. He looked his companions, there were ten all together. "Brothers and sisters hear me. We have a new and capable leader, one who will help us reconnect with the old alliances. The old ways." Elthas's brother said. He suddenly turned towards Elthas as the last few dying screams of the old elders filled resonated off the elder tree's walls. Suddenly, he knelt before Elthas Belthasar and the entire contingent of guards also knelt. "My brother, we shall follow you."

"Rise." Elthas suddenly said. "We will need to rebuild after what Xu Bellaparte has done to us." He walked over towards Philomel and Mr. Draak. "You two have done me a great service this day and I will not soon forget it. You both are welcome in my kingdom as allies. I will usher a new era where we honour the old alliances." And bring humility and identity back to my people. Elthas thought. And suddenly, he passed out from exhaustion and his brother immediately moved on Elthas to assist him.

[Philomel]

When the business with the guards was done, Philomel turned her attention back to the chamber. Mister Draak, she saw, had cleaved his way through a long row of Elder elves, pigeon-lined somewhat in a row. They had stood with their backs to the wall, barely able to defend themselves as death came with the face of a fat, troll monk. Dressed in robes and tunics as elaborate as Bellaparte's lies, they waited in lines to die.

Philomel took her part in this minor genocide. To her right, behind the two guards she had eagerly slaughtered, more Elders awaited her sword. Carving heads and hands from bodies was an easy procedure when the victims had few weapons to fight back. Blood splattered, muscles snapped and eyes popped from skulls as she and Veridian slew those whom had taken part in the mass mis-rule of this clan. Elthas said they were wrong and must be killed - Philomel knew none of them personally, but she had little choice in this matter for now. The Elders would sooner destroy her, most likely, for taking part in this sudden revolution; thus she put this down to self-defence.

Slaying those with wicked hearts, to bring about the century of a new dawn.

---

She watched as the many bowed their heads to their grand new leader. Taking the head of dias, the main stage of the chamber, Elthas declared himself leader. There was a small silence, but as the elves who had been granted their lives, and those who had rushed in with the matter of the commotion, looked around at the bodies and blood, realisation fell. The quelling of a demon meant much death, and in this case Bellaparte's tyranny had to end with many hewn limbs. Philomel's eyes flickered left to right as she leant back against the wall, thoroughly exhausted and her hand cupping where the first blade had cut. Beside her Veridian's chest heaved heavily, his stained maw open and panting.

So ... much ... death.

Mister Draak heavily lumbered over to her as he took his final life. His hand snatched up some rag that had been abadoned during the battle. Though his feet made heavy falls, he did not speak, allowing Elthas this time to shine in glory, and he proceeded to patch up Philomel's belly wound as much as possible. A round around her abdomen and a tight knot was all he could do right now, but she thanked him still, knowing that this was just a patch job before the infirmary. The troll had his own wounds, after all, and was not even looking all that mottled green as his palour usually showed.

"You two have done me a great service this day ..."

Philomel looked up, staring Elthas right into the eyes, the new chieftan for this elven tribe. The brown haired man was smiling, looking at her with joy and sincerity. " ... and I will not soon forget it. You both are welcome in my kingdom as allies."

She swallowed for a moment, not sure of what to say. Her mind, for whatever reason, fell onto Felix and where he was in all this turmoil. He had been with Veridian, that was true, so maybe -

"Thank you, Elthas," Mister Draak grunted. He began to nod, then moved into an awkward form of shallow bow. It was the first time he had ever done it in his life, and likely it would be the only one. Quickly the old wise troll rose out of it, and nodded once more to the elf. "Thank you. Its been an adventure."

He nudged Philomel in the side.

Wincing slightly she nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Yes. Well done Belthasar."

[Elthas_Belthasar]

A familiar scent touched his nostrils when he awoke some time later.

It was a honey mint tea and it filled the tree-constructed house to it's very core. Morning was upon them, and the sun shone brightest after their darkest hour passed. Elthas awoke and stirred slowly. His body was incredibly groggy and sore from the entire ordeal they had all gone through. Elthas felt different, he knew it would affect him a lot to take mantle of leader away from Xu...but he'd not expected that. A part of him half expected Xu Bellaparte to beat him, but the battle had been a decisive one. With his friends present, he'd overcome great adversity to claim the mantle now on his shoulders. Elthas felt at ease for the first time in many long years. He felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he could once again be himself. Elthas sat up in bed and stretched lavishly. His body slowly returning to it's normal capacity. Once he'd rubbed sleep out of his eyes he slid out of bed and decided to inquire who was the mystery chef brewing up such a great smelling tea.

Elthas made his way to the kithen area of the "house" and realized that he was following his instincts. He knew the house completely by heart and it had gone almost unchanged from the house of his early youth. Part of him made him regret that he'd abandoned his home-town in pursuit of the old alliances many years prior. His pursuit of the old alliances and his sometimes, stubborn views on that had lead him into a great deal of trouble. Including the mess with Xu Bellaparte. In leaving behind his hometown, it had all gone to shit. It was no longer the paradise of his early youth, but those aspects of the small kingdom could be restored. It would once again be a shining gem in Corone. Elthas was surprised to see his brother, Drathis Belthasar, and several other Elves male and female present in the kitchen and living area.

"He is awake." One of the male Elves said casually he was in full guard attire. He was a guard that Elthas did not recognize.

"Your friends left a few days ago..." A different Elf said. She was probably talking about Philomel and Mister Draak, their crew as well.

"I figured they would have left, how long have I been asleep?" Elthas had to know.

It was Drathis who spoke next, he'd been preparing a meal for everyone present. Drathis also seemed entirely different from their initial encounter when Elthas and his crew first arrived at the town. He no longer bore any hostility towards Elthas. "About a week." Drathis said calmly. The tea pot began to whistle, signalling that it was ready. "Father would have been proud of you..." Drathis said calmly. He shook his head shortly after that and readied a goblet of tea for Elthas. "You fought like our fore fathers fought. You gave everything to save us." Drathis continued. "Elthas...what will you do now?" Drathis asked, there was a certain sincerity in his question.

Elthas took the goblet of tea and took a long pull of the liquid. He was hungry and thirsty, he'd been asleep for a long time. After he'd taken a long pull of the hot tea, he looked at his companions. "A long time ago, I was exiled from this kingdom for helping a Hume. An old Hume named Seth Terrentius. That changed my life from then on. I honoured the old alliances." Elthas continued. "But now the circle has come completely back around and I have taken the mantle of leadership. I intend to stay and help repair the damage that Xu Bellaparte and his followers caused us." Elthas felt completely recharged after the long and peaceful slumber.

"Brother." Drathis began saying. "She must have meant a lot to you. For you to risk everything to come back."

"She meant everything." Elthas frowned, and a shadow passed across his face for a brief moment.

And as a family, the gathered Elves spoke and began to plan in the house that Clan Belthasar once held. That same house would lead the Elves of Concordia Forest to a new age of prosperity. Elthas Belthasar was now chieftain of the small kingdom. And his tenure had began.

~FIN~

[Rayleigh]

Hello to you both! Thank you so much for your patience as I finished up this judgement and put it through the training process. If you have any questions at all about anything I've said here, please feel free to shoot me a message. I would be more than happy to go over it with you.

Thread Name: An End and a Start
Participants: Philomel and Elthas
Judgment Type: Full Rubric

Plot 16/30

Story 5/10
Overall, this was a nice story of loss and revenge. Our two heroes, Philomel and Elthas, met under some pretty unique circumstances. Though they never really seemed to get along, or forge much of a relationship, they worked together to defeat a common enemy; Philomel was prompted by Mr. Draak, and Elthas was driven by the desire for revenge. The opening post provided the necessary background information, and the closing gave the reader some idea of where things were to go from there. The story featured a nice mixture of action and reflection. Though there were issues that complicated the overall clarity and flow of the story (which I will touch on later), you did a nice job telling an exciting story. Overall, my biggest concerns with your story were not with what you had, but what you lacked. There were times when I found myself wondering if the story was a bit too convenient, for example, being able to simply follow a set of footprints back to the lair of your biggest foe. Elthas had a long and complex past with Xu, so how was it that he was able to find him so easily? Elthas even notes that he had no idea how to find Xu, yet they stumble across him in that same post. This was, in some ways, a pacing issue. However, it felt more to me like a plothole that was not quite filled in, or a point that was not fully elaborated on. While it would be impossible to predict every single question or misconception a reader may have (believe me, as a teacher, I've tried), try to make everything as clear as straight-forward as possible, especially when dealing with lore that is specific to your character's own background. Holes may make sense in your head, but your reader may not know enough about your character to fill them in. Remember to make every story you write accessible to any reader, even one who has never heard of Elthas before!

Setting 4/10
While there were instances of rich description, I did not feel like enough of it focused on the setting itself. There were attempts at painting a picture for the reader, such as the scents Philomel smelled in post two, and Elthas’ short description of the chamber in post seventeen. However, these instances were in short supply. Even more than mentions of the setting, I would have liked to have seen more references to it throughout the posts. Weaving the setting into the story itself allows the reader to see everything the way that your character is, and experience things right alongside him or her. I mostly pictured the events of this story taking place in a big meadow, and a sort of Avatar-esque camp. A bit more description when it came to setting would have really helped me place your characters in their surroundings.

Pacing 7/10
This was one of your strongest areas. As I mentioned above, you both did an excellent job of incorporating both high-action scenes and low-action scenes. After each battle, you allowed time for discussion and reflection. Just when the dialogue-filled bits began to grow stale, you threw in a burning wagon or an ambush. While there is still room for improvement, namely in the long introductions from post three to post seven, overall pacing was well done. I also think that addressing some of the concerns to come (action, technique, and clarity) would result in a higher pacing score.

Character 15/30

Communication 5/10
Communication was alright here. There was nothing spectacular that really jumped out at me, but there were no instances where I was overly bothered by it either. I appreciate the way you both incorporated languages specific to your character; that added extra depth to your story, and made it a bit more believable. In a land such as Althanas, with its many languages, it would be unusual for everyone to speak in common all of the time. Dialogue between Philomel and Elthas seemed detached and impersonal, which I imagine was what you were going for, given they never create much of a bond. Body language was one area that I feel could have been utilized a bit more, specifically in Elthas’ case. Don’t simply state that your character delivered a line awkwardly. Go on to describe his fidgeting, or the uncertainty in his eyes. As the age-old saying goes, “show, don’t tell.” Don’t tell the reader what your character is doing or feeling. Show them! For a specific example from this thread, you write about the anger that Elthas experienced in the first post through your dialogue – “he yelled,” “he shouted,” use of exclamation marks, etc. Try moving away from emotion exclusively in dialogue, and focus on how his movements would mirror his words. I think that will make those scenes even more powerful for the reader!

Action 4/10
While I did enjoy the way you switched from combat to non-combat at the perfect times (as noted in Pacing), I felt the action itself was overdone, especially in Philomel’s case (refer to posts ten, twelve, and eighteen). Recently, I wrote what I felt was a fantastic fight scene. When I began showing it off, a number of writers informed me that it was far too much. I had listed every step my character took, describing the swinging of her sword and the rippling of her muscles in great detail, but instead of making the fight scene come to life, it had actually bogged the reader down. A three-paragraph run-in with a simple NPC can easily be shortened to a few key sentences that really drive the plot forward. Do not describe things just for the sake of describing them, and make sure that every action that your character makes is important. I would encourage you both to keep this in mind. I know from experience that it is a hard lesson to learn, but I do think that more is less in scenes like this.

Persona 6/10
For the most part, you both did a nice job of staying in character. Philomel remained the headstrong, capable faun that she is. I enjoyed when you discussed her awkwardness in post eighteen. It hinted that Philomel was not always in control and entirely sure of herself. I truly believe highlighting flaws this way really adds depth to your character, and I would encourage you to continue doing this sort of thing. Elthas continued to act out of rage, with revenge being his biggest motivator. Your characters did not stray too far from these roles, which was fine, but I actually would have liked to have seen something a bit more dynamic for a higher score. Elthas, you did a very nice job showing the wide range of emotions that your character experienced in the first couple of posts, but he grew a bit flat through the second and third pages. It is fantastic to have a character so consumed by one emotion, but if you don't allow him to experience anything else, he can grow less believable, and a bit stale for the reader. Of course, not everyone has to have a character that laughs, cries, and screams in every single paragraph, but sprinkling in emotions other than anger can add extra depth to your character.

Prose 13/30

Mechanics 6/10
There was a distinct lack of obvious typos here, so very nice job to both of you. With that being said, there were problems that resulted in re-readings and clarity issues. There were a few issues that may have been word choice or tense changes. Elthas, one specific instance of this is in the first post, when you wrote “Estelle said in respond.” You may have meant to write “Estelle said in response, or “Estelle responded.” There were also some missing words. Philomel, in post four, you write “Philomel caught the key from mid-air, examined it.” Adding “and” into that sentence would have been an easy way to make it flow a bit better. I had to go back to re-read, thinking I had missed something. I love short sentences, but they get confusing when key words are left out. Finally, you’ll both want to keep an eye on your punctuation. There were a few missing commas, while others were posted in unnecessary places. These are small tweaks, but they can really help keep the reader entirely engrossed in the story you’re telling. You’re both skilled enough writers to avoid errors that spellcheck would catch, but be sure to read the thread aloud to yourself to catch those issues!

Technique 3/10
I hate to hit you both with a score like this, but this was your weakest category. It is not enough to simply use the techniques; you must you them effectively. Elthas, I think that there were a number of missed opportunities to use some really cool techniques. For example, in post seven, you write “Hylda went limp and died.” You could have done so much more with this bit! Close your eyes, and picture being in your character’s shoes at that moment. What is he seeing? What does it look like when she draws her last breath? What emotions wash over him? Now, write it! Letting yourself get lost in the story as a writer will help your reader do the same thing. Philomel, you had a tendency to do the exact opposite, leaning too heavily on unnecessary description. For example, in post four, you liken Draak’s nostrils to “impatient volcano craters, bursting open to melt the world.” How would nostrils melt the world? I think that you were trying to describe them as large, and that his breathing was erratic, but just say that. “…large nostrils flared impatiently” works just as well, and avoids the strange comparisons that caught me up a few times throughout this story. As I noted above, make sure that every description is there for a reason, and doing some sort of job to help you story. Too little can harm the overall experience, but too much can do the same.

Clarity 4/10
Due to the issues I have already outlined above, I did have some trouble getting through the story. In a few posts, I found myself struggling to read on, trying to determine how some of the description I was being presented with was relevant. In others, a lack of setting sort of left the characters hovering in a setting that my mind crafted for me, with little guidance from the description you provided. Despite all of this, there were many posts that read really well. Your skilled pacing really helped you here.

Wildcard 7/10

I’m giving you a fairly high wildcard because I believe this story has a lot going for it. While some of my critiques may seem harsh, and my scores low, you’ll notice that the things I commented on were quite advanced. Knowing when to describe something and when not to is a skill that most people have not yet mastered, myself included. Your characters were great, your plot was great, and overall, your story was great. But how can you take great, and make it better? I would encourage both of you to keep pushing yourself. You’re excellent writers, and I expect better-than-great things from both of you!

Total Score 51/100

Philomel receives 1,100 EXP and 105 GP
Elthas receives 1,050 EXP and 115 GP

[Hysteria]

EXP and GP added!