The Sorceress, the Ranger, and Potions Anonymus

[hamnat]

For those who don't know, Kishurin is my second character, and Max is my third. So, all bunnies are approved in this story. The title is somewhat misleading...potions don't really come into play in this story. Sorry!

It was dark and cold, and Shenjara was deep in thought, as she read the note over and over again, obsessing over for reasons she knew not. She just felt like she had to read it, or she would loose it or something. She was sitting with her back to a small tree in the middle of a grassy area. Crops were growing all around her, and a river could be heard to the south. She had been following this river for some time, away from Brokenthorn Forest. She had recently caused a massive fire there, and nearly got herself and her companion killed in the blaze.

As she sat there, her thoughts turned to Joran and the Pendant, which she had recently christened Polaron. She was worried that she may have been hallucinating when she had that dream, because she hadn’t heard from Joran in some time. It saddened her to think about it the first few nights, then she gave up hope. “Hope is for the foolhardy” her mentor used to say.

She eventually came to, appalled that she had let herself get so obsessive. She hated how random her thought process was, always changing pace and direction. It sickened her when she thought of how she could go from thinking about Joran to thinking about her Torch faster than the blink of an eye. She focused her thoughts on potions and alchemy as she sat there, trying very hard to keep control of her wandering mind.

She went over the process involved in making a flame infusion, trying to remember the exact process. It was one of her more favored potions, but with a complicated problem: the designer stage….

"Potions, like spells, have several steps that must take place in perfect order. First, the ingredients must all be collected. Next, the ingredients must be individually prepared for the concoction stage. Then, the concoction stage, the ingredients are all mixed together in boiling water. More complicated potions continue into the isolation stage, where the ingredients are all separated or split into groups. After the potion may go into the designer stage in which the groups of ingredients are arranged into an exact pattern which can be altered to cause the potion’s exact effect to be altered. In the arrangement phase, the ingredients are placed in exact locations, which may be altered for effect, for a design that often resembles a summoning circle. In the enchantment phase, magical energies are channeled through the design, giving them ingredients the 'charge' they need. The imbuing phase is where the individual ingredients have energy channeled through them to specialize the effects. In the final stage, the infusion stage, the ingredients are mixed and remixed with more water through a series of shaking, stirring, pouring, and swirling. The infusion is then poured into a glass liquid container, such as a vial or flask. An enchanted stop is then place in the open end to elongate the potion’s 'shelf-life.'"

She was feeling focused now. The review of her Basic Alchemy class was helpful, so it seemed. She felt content with this feeling. She hated confusion. With this new peace of mind, she found that she was very tired. She pulled her robes as to work like a blanket, turned over, and promptly fell asleep. As she slept, she dreamt of the cold outside and the fire inside. A light was coming from the cold. Coming, as she reached for the light...

[Kishurin]

Schwiiiiip............schwiiiiip..........schwiiii p.......

With is back to a tree Kishurin was running his knife over his leather vest, listening to the sounds it made. It was something remarkable to him: sound. For the first 66 years of his life he had been a cloud-being with little capabilities for sight, sound, or smells. Cloud-life seemed devoid of all humanoid pleasures.....even love. He was happy to be away from all of that, as the monotony of those days was disturbing. Here, even in cloud-form, he could enjoy all of these things. Sight, sound, and otherwise.

He slipped his leather vest back on to his mandarin skin, slowly as the leather would cause him friction burns very easily. Pain. Another humanoid marvel, pain was something that cloud-beings never experienced. And despite how masochistic it sounds, he liked being able to feel pain. Pain made him feel more human.

He sighed as he slipped his dark shirt over his leather vest, and donned his cloak afterwords. He picked up his longbow, crafted elegantly out of Yew and drew it over his shoulder the string in front of his body. He picked up his belt and pulled it tight around him, buckling it fast, as his daggers pulled on his belt. His knife went back in its sheath, which was fastned to the lower-left leg of his baggy pants.

He picked up his pack and shouldered it. He looked around at the many trees here, less dense than much of Brokenthorn as he was close to the edge. He began walking to the Southeast, knowing which way he was going because of the stars. Those beautiful stars looked better far away than close up. He tried to point out which ones he had watched over, but there were too many to figure it out. As he came out of the forest, the dense treeland gave way to wheat fields, with nary a tree to be seen. He kept walking for a couple hours, looking at the stars as he did. One of them flickered green, then blue, then white, then red, and finally green again. He waved towards home and said a prayer in Scian.


Colectore masukerei
Ajhimuska triashina
Pilasujin ratakurin
Qeshi'erei dan'u suleit
[music ends]

He looked down and sighed, home looked beautiful as well. He smiled as he thought about Tanalia darting around all the stars, waking them from there slumber to a grumpy stupor. "Blasted whippersnaffer" they would often say, but she usually only did it to a ward in which the stars were meant to be woken. She was like a little sister to him, and he was fond of her as such.

He looked up towards the horizon and saw a small camp. A fire, a long oaken staff, a few odds and ends, and a green entity lay there, the green thing against a tree. As he stepped closer, confusion seeping through his mind, he noticed glowing blue runes on the staff's end. [i]"Must be a mage..."[i] he thought to himself. As he moved closer to the green lump, it moved slightly. He saw flame-red what looked like hair as the green thing turned over. Upon a closer inspection, he noticed pale, pointed ears, remeniscent of an elf, but not as long as one. He also noticed the raised chest and came to the conclusion, [i]"A girl. This mage out here is just a girl! How can a mage go through her studies so quickly, and so young!"

The red-haired girl was very young in his eyes, he figured around 13 in human years, 36 in elvan. That startled him, as mages usually don't begin their studies until 24. And they rarely finish them by 34. Elves were even more suprising. They didn't start studies until 125 most often, and because of the artform they see it as, didn't finish until well past 250! How did this elf-girl do it?

He went ahead and searched for more firewood. When he returned, he refueled the fire and promptly got comfortable. He lay on his side and his azure-colored eyes gazed towards the young elvan magess.

As she turned over, he smirked. "A fair creature. But as she is an elf, it is to be expected." He closed his eyes and drifted towards sleep. "We’ll see what tomorrow brings, young magess.”

[hamnat]

As Shenjara slept, her dreams were taking a familiar turn.

"Shen. Shen, can you hear me?" called the ethereal voice once again.

"Joran, is that you?" She called out into the cold darkness, while around her was like a warm cave.

The ethereal voice replied, "Yes it is me, Shen. You are about to meet someone. He is a friend. He has traveled the stars and loves them so. He is like a light that will illuminate your darkened life. Look around, and you will see a light coming towards you."

As Joran had said, to her left, a dim light was coming towards her. She was afraid at first. "Joran? I'm not a spirit like you, so I don't have the same insight into this kind of thing! This is frightening!"

"Shen.... the cold is the world, my voice, guidance. The heat is you in all your dying glory, and the light, the torch by which the voice will lead. You will wake up to a stranger. Doing what? I do not know. I do know that he his not of this world and is a kind person. Keep in mind, though, that he is somewhat shy and you may intimidate him."

Shenjara began to understand, "I see.....Joran? What is it like to know everything you need to know?"

Joran must have smiled at that, "My lovely Shen...I do not know everything I need to know....but enough to get me by."

Shenjara snickered at that. Joran had always been witty. He continued, "Shen, keep in mind that I am dead now, so I will not be angry or sad if you find someone to...replace me. I feel bad for the guy who falls for you." He chuckled heartily.

She smiled and replied in a mock pout, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean."

The voice chuckled a little, then said, "It is time for us to part. The light is very close now and your body must rest, as well. Until we meet again, Shen!"

"Until then, Joran...."


___________________________________

Shenjara woke to a pale morning. The fire was still going for some reason. She figured it must be the guy that Joran had told her about. As she looked around groggily, she notice a pale man in dark clothing laying on the ground near the fire. "The light" He seemed to be to dark to be refered to as a light though. She was curious, but decided to control herself and let the man, or boy?, sleep. She propped herself against the tree and began to twiddle her fingers, shuffling every now and then....

[Kishurin]

The day was getting bright when Kishurin woke. As he sat up, rubbing his eyes, he was aware someone was looking at him. He glanced over to where the young elf had been when he found her, and sure enough she sat there looking at him with a look of curiosity.

The red-haired elf's blue-green eyes widened and she gasped, “Oh! You’re awake!”
Somewhat nervous, he responded, with a friendly, yet shy smile, “Y-yes, I-I am......m-my name is ke-Kishurin Misohana, a r-ranger of sorts. And hu-who are you, ma-my young elvan f-friend?”

[hamnat]

"He seems shy. A bit lonely, but shy neverless. I had better keep my coolwith this one. Besides, another stunt like the one in the forest might be the end of me."

She responded promptly, "My name is Shenjara "Fire Devil" Flamespire, my good ranger. I'm a bit of a hermit you could say. Unfortunately, Im a pyra, and, as such, I'm a danger to people." She smiled as she said, "So be careful and don't make any sudden moves."

As her humorous rebuttal made him chuckle, a thought shot through her head, "Just like magefire!" She focused, which was always a little difficult, and her thoughts turned back to the matter at hand, "Ok, he's calm. Now let's keep us both that way."

"Oh, and by the way, I'm only half-elven. The left half is human. But my ears are full pointy." He cuckled again, barely containing his delight at her wisecracks."Good...."

[Kishurin]

The elf, "half-elf" was witty, apparently, as Kishurin's ribs hurt from the funny jokes she made. But, one has to have wits to be an effective mage anyways. Its wasn't so suprising. What was suprising is that Kishurin hadn't noticed the differences between this girl and real elves of proportionaly equivalent age.

While her youth wasn't so much of a suprise anymore, her age was still a mystery. Although mages wander from the innate curiosity, which causes the interest to begin with, they rarely venture out into the world with out performing vigorous research in magic. They are usually well aged by the time they complete the obsessional studies. He had to ask her about her strange actions.

Kishurin inquried, "Um, there's a, uh, pon-ponderous thought on my m-mind. You're a m-mage, but you are so y-young, even for a h-half-human. How is it p-possible that you have completed even basic studies? Mages are usually old at this stage in their development. So what's your story?"

[hamnat]

"This one's observant. But, he is, after all, a ranger. Heightened observation is a must for the profession."

"Well, honestly, I don't know myself. I have some sort of "link" to the Elemental Planes. My...another mage told me. I only took basic studies with flame magic. I just began traveling while I study spells. I am also studying alchemy and encantments."

"But, as I said before, I am unfortunately too dangerous to people to stay in one place for too long. I accidently scorched my village when I lost control. My emotions determine my power. When I experience more extreme emotions, such as shock, terror, or rage, my power becomes extremely potent. That is why I began traveling."

[Kishurin]

Kishurin was intrigued. Even though he was not very proficient with the art, he was captivated by it. The mystery and extraordinary abilities it possessed fascinated him.

"I see. Hey! Do you mind showing me a few spells you've learned? I love magic, and I really would like to see what you've learned so far."

He had such a fascination with magic that it seemed to cancel out his shyness. That, and he wanted to know what language the girl used. He had heard many in his lifetime and had become fluent in a few of them, but the most powerful language, Old Daimonic, he had only immersed himself in. He had been teaching himself the language from the old tome he carried in his sack. Maybe it could be useful for more than one...

[hamnat]

"I see, he would like to see my spells...well, for logic's sake, I must start with my little Torch...heh..I hope he likes it..."

She smiled and said, "Well, I guess I could. I think I'll start off with a fire spell called Torch" She closed her eyes and began the incantation.

"Bremnoytricgo nmertocit ailutishca reckña.
Shmeriche amni trescquio maishce."

Shenjara's hand became immersed in an all-too-familiar sphere of flame, lightening her surroundings and creating a little chaos in her mind. As she tightened her control on her thoughts, she moved the hand closer to Kishurin and said, “This was my first spell, Torch. It is my favorite spell and I am quite familiar with its use.” She saw the alertness in his eyes as he looked at the ball of flame from several different angles. He was clearly enjoying this.

[Kishurin]

Kishurin stared at the globe of flame, perfectly spherical and strangely passive for a manifestation of flame energy. He marveled at the control she had over it as the ball stayed a peaceful sphere of light and heat.

"Remarkable. It is so unlike fire spells to be this contained. A manifest of raw flame energy that does not behave as it should. Shen, if you don't mind if I call you that, this globe should be much larger and in constant fluctuation. It would seem that you have an iron will, unusual for such a mage as yourself."

Shenjara chanted a bit more,
"Kamashi suno julseigra alkasho
mus'ciera tolunesc atorisce kiner'e"

The globe of flames blinked out as she banished the fire ball, absorbing the expended energy back into her body.

"Impressive! Please, show me another spell you know...."

[hamnat]

After she had banished the fireball, the chaos seemed to rush into her mind for a moment, before stopping altogether. The only chaos that remained was what she dealt with every day.

But as for her next spell, that one was tricky. Should she enchant her staff again? No, that would require a lot of unrecoverable energy. Should she show her newest spell? That sounded like a plan....

"Another spell I know enchants items so that they can emit flames upon forceful impact, burning the target. But it requires a lot of energy that, unlike Torch, I can't pull back. So I won't show it to you now. Instead, I'm going to show you a spell I recently mastered. I call it Chill. You might want to move away; this spell isn't aware of friend or foe."

As she called the incantation to her mind, she pulled at her robes, preparing them for the sudden burst of cold she would soon experience....

[Kishurin]

As he heard her warning to him, he smirked. She barely knew him, but she seemed as though she had expected him. But, with mages, you never know. As for the cold, his vest would help keep him secure against the piercing cold which he figured would be the result.

He replied to her warning, "Don't worry, I'll be completly fine. The cold won't do me much harm. Please continue."

Hopefully those manipulations of her robe would be sufficient to protect her. He did not want to be the cause of a mage killing herself and everything within a mile radius.

He watched her as she closed her eyes and began the incantation...

[hamnat]

As Kishurin explained that his leather vest protected from the cold, Shenjara closed her eyes and began the somatic preparation for her spell. She had not learned yet how to perrform this spell without the somatic component, which was a drawback because of the time delay it caused.

She moved her right hand up above her head, creating a fist with it, while she moved her left hand to her side, stretching her fingers. She then drew her hands past her face and to her sides so that her right hand ended up on her left side , and her left hand at her rught side, with their third and forth fingers stretched. Her left arm then stretched out in front of her, the fingers of her hand outstreched, while her right hand layed upon her left fore arm. She then spoke the incantation.

"Crieaschno serafre cartonci nachte
Shmeriche cusrevar nalconiscer ashtinca."

Shenjara's mind exploded with impulses, many of them from the uncontrollable nature of the spell, but quite a few from the cold that hung on the air. The ground began to freeze as the plantlife withered and died from the wintery chill. Shenjara opened her eyes to a fog of condensed breath. A space around her about 6 feet wide had porgressed into winter early, though only for a second.

The air regained its warmth and the ground thawed. The plantlife was still dead though, and ice seemed to cling to Shenjara's robe. She shivered from the sudden wave of cold, still feeling the effects of the chill.

[Kishurin]

As he watched her making those arcane motions, he thought about how amazingly complex elemental magics could be. Arcane magic utilized more potent, and far purer, energies than did its cousin, the shamanistic magick, the ritualism of which was far more aligned with faith in its abilities as its source of power, rather than the arcane's requirement for mental aptitude. Shenjara definently seemed to posses both qualities...

Suddenly, he felt an extreme urge to find warmth. He wondered what this impulse could be caused by. Then he realized that Shenjara's spell had created the sudden burst of wintery energy, flooding his mind with instinctive impulses. However, being a humanoid, this body's mind had learned to supress its instincts, and he did not become fearful, for he knew it was only temporary. Besides, he had his trusty vest to protect him.

He looked over at Shenjara and laughed when he saw her huddled in her robe from the cold. He found the snapped icicles to be an amusing sight as he watched her renew her robe's former glory, the chill having formed what looked like snow upon the area, collecting on the tree branches, rocks, some red hair, and a green robe that was draped around a shivering half-elf girl....

[hamnat]

Shenjara began to brush the snowy blanket off of her robes and broke the icicles that had collected on the myriad folds of the very loose robe. She had hoped that she could fold the robe for two layers of protection, but she hadn't had much practice with the spell. This was actually her first time using it without weakening it.

She smiled as she heard Kishurin laughing. "At least, one of us is laughing." she thought to herself. Suddenly, her ears pricked as she felt the presence of several other beings. She looked around, aware that she and Kishurin were being watched. She knew that being out in the open made them very vulnerable to attack. She felt her instincts kicking in to her head, trying to take charge. Although she was afraid for her pale hide and flame-red hair, she held control of her thoughts, supressing the urge to run for cover.

She looked over at Kishurin and whispered hurriedly, "Kishurin, be on your guard. We have hidden company. Just act like we are carrying out a conversation. If you make any suspicious gestures, they may figure it out."

He replied with an inquiry, unable to hide the fear within his words, "Figure what out?"

"That we are aware of their presence...."

[Axeheart]

Mac had come a long way from his home under the Windlancer Mountains. He had been traveling south for sometime, planning to take the very famous Scarabrian ferry to the island nation of Corone. were the elder had told him he could find great fortune. He had decided to start there, but every beginning, must be achieved first, whatever it takes. For Mac, it took a very long walk. He had come up from the subterranian tunnels in the foot hills of the mountains under which his clan lived, which was lucky, because emerging near the peak would not be a pretty sight.

Dwarves have an enormous fear for altitude, stroongly prefering to remain with feet firmly on the ground. The Dukrav were, if not more so, just as adamant about being on solid, somewhat-flat, ground. Despite popular belief, Dwarves are not fond of traveling on mountainsides, as the ground is too steep for their liking. Most mountain paths have been hewn out of the mountainside simply to allow the dwarves less uncomfortable travel.

At any rate, after having left the mountains, he had been attacked several times. A couple of hungry wolves, a few rodents that were larger than they should be, and a spider or two had all been the victims of his conquest, even though it was he who was being attacked.

He had recently come to the open fields of western Scara Brae, and had not since been attacked. He still had an overwhelming sense of suspicion, as though he were being watched. Acouple of times, he had thought he'd heard rustling, drawing his heavy greataxe only to e met with silence and solitude. These fields almost seemed haunted. As he traveled with his greataxe and sword at his sides, he thought of home, curious as to whether or not the cheiftan had believed he had really died. They were actually quite smart for hobgoblins, and this concerned him becase he knew that this may have been the one clan that could have seen throughhis ploy.

He looked up at the sky, looking at the clouds so high up, never for one second having a thought of remorse for being earthbound. As he brought his head back down, he noticed what looked like a camp of two people. One looked like an elven girl wrapped in a green blanket, and the other was a very strange sight. He was pale with blue hair, and clothed in black. As he came closer to the camp, he could see curious frost that had taken the camp, and a runed staff, indicating that one of them could be a wizard, "Probably the girl." he thought to himself, figuring the green blanket could be a robe of a very baggy sort. She was breaking icicles from her "robe" and brushing snow off. The other was laughing like a child at the bazaar, the only place that the hobgoblins allowed his clan to be free, even though it was within the confines of the hobgoblin clan.

Even closer than before, he noticed the other being's strange, black eyes. It was a very strange creature to him. He had never heard of any such creature before in his lore-studies. Elves, on the other hand, were a very common, and highly varied, species, having more than 5 different kinds of elf. High elves, moon elves, sun elves, dark elves which also seemed to be called Drow, and blood elves, who were supposedly a very shamanistic, almost tribal, race.

He had also read about a human rumor that Elves and Dwarves did not trust each other. Although, Dwarves did find the Elves to be a bit flighty, this was not cause for mistrust. An honorable person knows that one cannot simply be mistrusted if they are whimsical and spontaneous. Elves were actually on good terms with the Dwarves, especially the Dukrav, with whom they trade for the great magical armour that the Dukrav could craft.

He noticed that the girl's elven ears, which were suprisingly short from the drawings of Elves in the lore-books, pricked up. She suddenly turned her head, seeming to have heard something. "Me," he thought, "She must have heard me with those acute, elven senses of hers."

He noticed her whisper to the strange one, only given away by her moving jaw. He figured she must have been telling the strange one of Mac's presence. He decided to wait to show himself until they made their knowledge of his presence clear. He would show himself when they asked him to.

[hamnat]

Shenjara was suspicious. There was only one who had shown himself, yet she had clearly felt the presence of at least 6 others. She didn't trust this person, who looked much like a dwarf. He was clad in armor with shiny blue patterns, and had a large sword sheathed at his side, and a massive axe, which also had blue patterns, on his back.

"What do you want of us, dwarf? Tell your comrades to show themselves, as we are aware of their presences." She felt no reason to be civil with these brigands, although she knew that she had used up too much energy already to fight them off. She didn't know of this Kishurin's fighting capabilities, and if the rest of them were as heavily armed as this dwarf, they stood no chance either way.

But for some reason, she didn't care. She just wanted to get the point across that she didn't feel like welcoming them to her camp. She had no trust for bandits, and these people were no different.

[Kishurin]

The half-elf seemed to be a trusting person to him, but she was strangely hostile to the dwarf. Maybe it was all the armor he wore, or maybe she was confused. She had told him that she had sensed several people, but Kishurin doubted that a dwarf would give an elf the feeling that she was being ambushed by a mob of people.

Kishurin felt confused himself. "Another reason," he thought, "Might be the rumored tension between the dwarves and the elven-kin. I have heard that the two species don't trust each other. It seems somewhat asinine that two people would be hostile simply because of their heritages."

Attempting to be diplomatic, "Um, Shenjara, maybe he's friendly. You never know, you might just blast a friendly guy just because he's a dwarf or heavily armored." Looking over at the armored dwarf, he felt a sense of foreboding himself. With a slight chuckle, Kishurin said to him, "Eh, she...uh...she didn't sleep well and is a little cranky. Please don't take it personally." The dwarf, however, seemed just as bewildered as he was.

[Axeheart]

Mac was more confused than he'd ever been. The elf seemed to compare him to several people, and he didn't know whether to take that as an insult, or simply as a mistake. "Hey, easy there. I have no companions, friends, or henchman. I am here by myself, and I was curious about your camp. I was just taking a look, andI'm sorry if I've startled you."

He was going to give the girl a chance, but if she continued in a matter he saw as insulting, he would have to defend his honor. While the girl was young, she still needed to show respect for people. Honor was a large part of a Dukrav's life, and it was not a good idea to damage it.

[hamnat]

"I am no fool, dwarf. I am of elven blood and I can feel the presence of your band of brigands." Shenjara said, seemingly ignoring his words. "Begone, or taste the wrath of the elements." She continued, almost growling as she spoke.

Calling the words to her number one spell, Shenjara concentrated her thoughts on her hand, concentrating her energy on that point to create a more powerful spell. Whispering, Shenjara incanted the larger portion of the spell, leaving off the last part as per her tradition to avoid wasting energy in the case of mistaken hostility. No matter what her senses told her, even an full-blooded elf can be mistaken.

"Bremnoytricgo nmertocit ailutishca reckña.
Shmeriche amni trescquio..."

[Kishurin]

Kishurin heard arcane words, one's the girl had recently spoken. The ones she spoke just before.....what? Remembering back to the show of her spells, the only thing she would need such words for, he pictured her speaking those words, and then a small glowing sphere surrounding the her hand. The glowing sphere of a fireball.

She was going on the offensive. As calm and nice as the girl had seemed earlier, he found himself suprised. She's very vicious. But, when your favorite spell is one of destruction, it's to be expected when you are threatened.

Trying once more to keep peace, "Oh, c-come on, sh-Shenjara. M-maybe he is f-friendly. Don't j-jump to c-conclusions, because th-they might be m-mistaken." He was shaken. The suprising reaction had scared him. She was, to him, rather intimidating, and with the power of Fire at her command, it was with good reason for him to be a little afraid of her.

[hamnat]

Remembering the other's presence when he spoke, Shenjara turned on him, feeling betrayed. "Were you sent to weaken me? To get me to use up all my energy so that you could defeat me with ease!? Answer me!" she yelled, paranoia taking over and clouding her judgement.

In her rageful state, she was too distracted to feel the person sneaking up behind her. She was too focused on making accustations to notice. "Give me a reason not to blast you with flames right n-" Unfortunately, she was unable to finish, her head sporting a small lump as she lay on the ground unconscious. Above her stood a man clad in a leather jerkin and short pants. The top of his head was clad in a bandana tied to be a makeshift hat. In his left hand, he held a small club, in his right, a short-sword.

Looking up, he said, "Give up boys, or we'll kill the girl and you too." Stepping over Shenjara's knocked-out body, he raised his left hand with the club pointing towards the sky. Accompanying a whistle, several other men, similarly armed, came up behind the other two.

[Axeheart]

When he saw the girl fall, Mac knew something else was amiss. The man standing over her was surely a bandit. Mac knew bandits had no honor. They cared nothing about others and would do anything for something shiney. Scowling, Mac reached for his greatsword, only to find a gloved hand and a voice in his ear.

"Now, 'at's not a very goo' idea, chump. You 'ave to learn 'bout the consquencers."

The following thump left yet another lieing on the ground, a groan slipping from his lips. Hitting the ground, Mac felt sleepy. I must not fall asleep. I must not...fall...asleep..... Unfortunately, he did indeed fall asleep. The blow to his head would leave a lump to match that of the girl's. He would not be happy when he next woke. There would be hell to pay.

[Kishurin]

The sudden ambush had caught Kishurin off guard. He was completely unprepared for a fight, his bow unstrung, and his other weapons out of reach. This is just great. he thought to himself, watching both Shenjara and the dwarf take blows to the head and drop like rocks off a cliff.

Knowing he was next, he tried to focus on clouds, so that he could revert to his natural cloud-form and be somewhat unaffected by whatever they would try with him. Unfortunately, the process took a little longer than he had, his head slamming against the ground from his respective blow to the head. Darn it. This is what happens when you get to intrigued by things around you. You don't notice what you need to notice. was his last thought before he too fell unconscious.

With all three of the people knocked out, they were easy pickings for the bandits, who promptly took them and carried them and their possessions elsewhere. They would wake up defenseless and without their gold and other values. Such were the ways of bandits. Take the possessions from the helpless, and leave them somewhere to die.

[hamnat]

Pain. That was the first thing that registered in Shenjara's mind. She had taken a nasty blow and her head throbbed in pain. She remembered some armored dwarf walking into her small camp. He must have done this. It was his fault.

She opened her eyes slowly, and a fuzzy view of the inside of a cave rushed into her thoughts. Opening them a little more, the scene focused. It was indeed the inside of a lit cave of sorts, what looked like a campfire and torches burned, filling the cavern with an orange glow. Looking to her right, she saw the unconcious body of a blue-haired...human? He was clad in black clothes and was still knocked out. To her left, another unconcious man laid upon the cold stone. Getting a closer look, she noticed he was short of stature. The dwarf!

Shenjara tried to do something resembling a pounce on the dwarf, rage clouding her judgement yet again, but found she could not move. She looked down herself to find that she had been disrobed and was almost completely naked, except for her undergarments, and her arms were bound above her head, tied at the wrist to some metal ring attached to the cavern wall, leaving her completely exposed and vulnerable.

"Looks loik dis li'le pri'y one just done woke up! Le's have a look-see, eh boys?" a man's voice said, followed by some deep, evil chuckles. Four men came into view, each clad as one would expect a bandit: a tan shirt and leather shorts. All of them wore ugly smiles on their faces, clearly thinking of something Shenjara didn't want to think would ever happen.

"Hehe..she ain't tha' well-grown, but she almo't loo' loik she could be me li'le gel. Excep'in the ears, o' course." one of them said as he looked her half-naked form up and down.

Getting what she needed from somewhere she wasn't sure of, she asked them, "Who are you? What could you possibly want from me?" She was also thinking of a way she could possibly get out of this situation. Her hands were tied, so there was nothing she could do if they tried anything, except kick and scream. Nothing came to her mind. Nothing except one idea. But she would have to be careful.

[Kishurin]

Pain wracked his mind. A headache, quite possibly a concussion, was the result of the earlier clubbing. As he woke to the pain, however, he heard also the voice of a girl. It was a voice that was strange, yet familiar at the same time. A voice he had heard before, but now filled with a hidden power and strength.

Not moving, he opened his eyes. The picture of the cavern was tainted by a group of men, apparently bandits, standing near a young girl, with pointed ears and long hair that flowed like flames into the night sky. Her face showed both anger and fear, a fear that fueled the anger ever more. The girl reminded him of what his old master, Kanji, had described to him as a dragon: fierce, unyielding, and possessing a power that few could stand against.

Turning his thoughts from the girl's peril, his eyes flitted around, taking in as much of the scene as possible. He was far enough away that he could move a little and go unnoticed as a shadow in the dark. He figured that if he could escape, now would be a good chance, while the guards were distracted with other prey.

He focused his thoughts on a series of fleeting images: the sky, stars, clouds, wind blowing over the sea, his homeworld of Scius. His features and possessions seemed to melt, flowing down and turning into a purple gas. The gas seemed to all converge on a point near where his head had been when he was solid, a small, dark-purple cloud that hovered over the rocky floor.

When the process had ended, and he had become aware again, he felt relief flow through him. The guards had not noticed him turning into his true form: the cloud-form of the Scia. He was small enough in this form that he could pass without being seen more easily than in humanoid shape. He bent his will and flew a little "forward," towards the bandits, but a little to the right.

Well, if I do manage to get of here, it would be best to see if I can't get the rest of my gear, first he thought as he glided past the bandits, which seemed to feel him going by, but must have missed him when they looked. That was a lucky break. Now, on to find my bow, which I'm sure I'll need.

[hamnat]

Shenjara saw a what looked like a purple cloud float past the bandits. She was confused by the spectacle, but she turned her attentions back to the bandits. Her countenance was stern, and she glared at the bandits in such a manner that a wolf would have been afraid of her at that moment. "Let me go, you uncouth ruffians, or it shall surely be your death."

The bandits were taken aback, the girl's hostility in such a situation was strange to them. Most of the women they took hostage were cry and begging them to "spare me." But this one...she had a look that seemed to penetrate into their very souls, and a voice fraught with power. They were afraid, even if only a little. However, afraid or not, she was the hostage in this situation. THey weren't about to let a hostage speak to them in such a manner.

"Oi! Ye half-blooded freak, 'oo you think you are, eh? Were the ones who've captured you. Show some respect...or we might no' be as respectable as we bein now..." the largest one said, following it up with a glance up and down her body. She may have been a half-blood, but she was still attractive to them.

Shenjara flinched in disgust at the man's gaze. No one had ever dared to speak that way to her, and what they were suggesting to her was repulsive. "Listen, dog. If you try anything of the sort, I will kill you. And I will kill you without mercy." Her green eyes were starting to glow a faint red color, the anger weakening her control on the flow of energy through her. And while she was drained of a good bit of energy, she could still blast this cavern with flames a couple times before she was spent.

"'Oo're you callin a dog, missy!? I oughta-" he started to say, but she interrupted him.

"For the last time," she said, her voice angry and ethereal, "release me, or die." She would not give them further warning. She was on the ledge between control and complete chaos, and once she stepped over, there was no coming back until her foes were vanquished or she was dead.

[Axeheart]

A headache the size of a underworld tunnel wracked Mac as he came to. Angry voices filed into his brain. One belonged to a man with a hoarse voice and poor grammar, the other one to a woman with seemingly perfect grammar, and a strong voice.

His turn to open his eyes came and three bandits standing over a nearly naked girl, an elf, came into view. What looked like a purple cloud floated somewhere behind the bandits. The girl had hair more red than many things he had seen. It reminded him of a roaring bonfire, the long crimson locks flowing like the licks of heat that spouted from the flames. He could barely tell her eyes were green because of a thin red-ish glaze that seemed to cover them. He felt power exude from her.

She was the strength behind the voice. He had no doubt about that. But he had seen what was to be seen. Now he had to worry about himself. He looked down and groaned loudly from the pain in his head. From what he did see, they had stripped him of his armor and he had only the leather shorts and white shirt that he wore beneath his armor. He was just as vulnerable as one of his clansmen, now.

[Kishurin]

Kishurin floated along through the cave for a bit until he found what he guessed was the armory and treasure room. There didn't seem to be anyone there, though. The bandits must've been used to all their enemies being in ropes and chains....or dead.

As he solidified, concentrating on the image of himself in humanoid form, he thought of the girl he'd just met not long ago. She was angry with him, of course...thinking that he'd been in on a scheme to catch her off guard, or something like that. Almost immediately, he saw his bow and quiver of arrows. They'd set it off to the side of the rest of their archery gear, so it wasn't very difficult. On the other side of the chamber, a few leather things were strewn across the floor. The vest his master Kanji had given to him was right on top.

Kishurin changed quickly and found all the rest of his equipment, quickly as well...the bandits just threw everything on the top of whatever pile it belonged in. As soon as all his gear was on or packed up, he morphed back to cloud form, the rest of his gear morphing with him. He was about to continue towards the exit, when he thought of the girl. I shouldn't just leave her here with these thugs. Who knows what they could end up doing to her. he thought to himself with a sigh. "I don't think my conscience would let me live this down if I leave her," he said, "so I guess I'll just rescue her."

Kishurin stringed his bow and notched an arrow to it. He also pulled his cloak around him. Quietly, as quiet as he could, he sneaked his way back through the cave to the room where he and other hostages were kept. He would help her out of this. He just had too.

[hamnat]

The ugly bandit's face became even uglier as he roared at her, "That's it, wench! Yer payin' for yer cockiness now!" The bandit took a nearby club and raised it over his head, ready to give her a blow that would knock her out, at least, if not kill her.
She had prepared a special chant for her Torch. One that could evoke the fireball quickly, but would use up more energy. She had just enough energy to do it.

"Caranuscai arelanta!!"

The fireball appeared in her hands, burning away the ropes which tied them together. With all her willpower, she sent the fireball shooting into them. As the bandit began to bring his club down, he was sent flying into his comrades as the ball hit him point blank, exploding and badly burning him. He lost hold of his club and he and the other bandits collapsed to the floor.

With her right leg singed, she stood up. As quickly as she could in her condition, she grabbed the club and with a roar of her own, brought it down upon the bandit, exacting his own punishment upon him. Still furious, she also hit the other two before they could recover from their fall. The three were unconscious, and would not wake again for some time.

Shenjara fell in a heap, exhausted and unable to remain standing. Huffing and puffing, thoughts crossed her mind, Well...I didn't kill them, but I sure as HELL paid them back for their insolence....Ugh...I can't stand up. I knew it would've taken too much out of me. Now I'm going to die here. Damn it....

[Axeheart]

Mac tried to avoid being burned. The blast of fire was rather large and was very hot, a surprise to Mac that such heat could be created from so young a lass. He would have to be careful not to upset her if he ever actually had a conversation her.

She knocked the bandits out with three fearsome blows, large knots forming on their heads from the impacts. If they ever woke up again, they would have some horrible headaches. As it was however, he was still tied up, and the girl was pretty much spent. She even looked like she couldn't move anymore. She wouldn't be untying him anytime soon. There goes one chance o' gettin' outta here...maybe another one will come along soon...

He squirmed a little, trying to get out of the ropes that held him, but he was unable to move, and instead gave himself a small burn from the chafing ropes.Ach...the lass is out fer th' count...I'm stuck 'ere a bit longer i' seems. Gonna have ta make do fer now. If he could have twiddled his thumbs at that moment, he most certainly would have.

For about 4 minutes, everything was calm. Then, Mac was startled by the sudden, if hardly audible, tip-tapping of boots on stone. A slightly hunched-over shadow darkened the cave wall. Mac was scared in all honesty, even if it was just a shadow...who knows who it could have been?

[Kishurin]

The first thing Kishurin saw when he entered the room, if it could be called that, was the charred body on the floor, the head immersed in a small pool of blood. The girl was lain on the floor like one fainted with exhaustion, a bloody club in her hand. Her right leg was singed, burned but just barely...It will heal. She had clearly taken down all three of her captors, though how she did attacked without being killed, he had no idea. How'd she even get loose?

He crept over to her exhausted form and knelt down. She was still in her underwear, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. He took her hand, it was ice cold to the touch, her forehead was burning. I have to get her out of here. She'll die if she doesn't get some proper medicine. But what about that dwarf? Kishurin looked around for the dwarf and found him quietly looking at the girl and what he obviously thought a strange human bent over her. He's been stripped of his armor, of course. I'll help him get loose too.

He took off his shirt, covered her with it, and then ran over to the Dwarf. "Need a good knife for these ropes?" he said as he pulled out his knife and began sawing at the ropes holding the dwarf captive. "My name's Kishurin. Kishurin Misohana, and I'll explain who and what I am later. For now, help me get this girl out of here."

[Axeheart]

"Thank ye', human...er...human-like person-thing...I don't right know what to call ye', so Kishurin will have ta bit it. I hope ye' don' mind. My name's Mac Axehart. Jus' call meh Mac," Mac said as the ropes came off. "Th' lass do look like she be needin t' ge' some good rest. She's nah someone t' be trifled with, tha's fer sure."

He stood up and walked slowly over to the elven girl, rubbing his raw wrists. The cave floor was cold and he was shivering, each step only adding to the cold. He bent down and looked her over once, noting certain things, specifically how flush her face was and how little her chest rose from breathing. She's definitely ill. Mac sighed, "Come on, Kishurin, le'ss ge' th' poor lass outta here before she goes frigid from this cold cave." He picked her up carefully, groaning a bit. He had weakened a bit while the bandits had held him captive, and this strained him a little until he became accustomed to her weight. "We'd better see abou' gettin' everythin' that might belong t' one of us. Ye' seem t' have figured out where th' stash is, so lead on, Kishurin," he said, jerking his head towards the "door" of the cave. He really wanted his armor, though it would be a little bit harder to carry the girl with all that cumbersome metal arrayed about him. Ach...I'll figure it out.

[hamnat]

Everything is dark. I can't see.(man's voice)"Shenjara...." That word...I know that word... "Shenjara!" Wasn't that the name of somebody? "Shenjara!! Shenjara, please!" Who is this person? Why is he calling out to Shenjara? (touch sensation) "Oh gods, Shenjara, get your senses!" Who just touched me? Is this man speaking to me? Who am I? "Shenjara!!!" Shenjara....is that...me? (heavy shaking)I...I am...Shenjara... "Damn it! Snap out of it, Shen!!" Shen...jara...Me? "Open your eyes, Shen!!"[/i]

Shenjara opened her eyes. Over her knelt a man she knew. This man...Joran...Is that his name? The man's eyes were filled with terror, his face covered in sweat and...ash? He wore a robe, filthy and stained, though it was clear it was usually clean. The man spoke, "Shenjara! Can you hear me? Can you understand me!?" I can...understand...him...but why wouldn't I? Shenjara let out a weak"Yes..." which clearly relieved the man a great deal, though he was still terrified of something; his eyes shimmered and were wider than normal, and she could see the fear right through them.

"Thank the Thaynes...Shenjara, there's not much time. You've got to get it together..." Joran said. Shenjara sat up and saw where she was. She was surrounded by a twisting aether of flame, ice, and broken threads. This didn't scare her...This looks frightening, but I feel safe...why? A sudden wave of unexplained terror gripped her and she screamed from the shock of it; she whipped around to see a gaping hole that was sucking everything into it, the blackness of the hole slowly growing and engulfing the world.

A terror came from it. It was cold, but not heat-less. No, it was cold because it was draining her. She could feel herself becoming weaker by the second. She suddenly remembered collapsing to the cave floor after drying herself out completely. Her spiritual energy had become so weak with that fireball, it had taken some of her life force as well.

That draining seemed to have worked like poking a hole in a balloon. She was slowly dieing. Oh no...I shouldn't have tapped into my life energy for a long time coming. I wasn't ready and I didn't even ask for it to happen...I'm going to die... She dropped as a feeling of hopelessness covered her as she let herself slip to death's cold hand.

[Kishurin]

Kishurin led the dwarf through the caves, an arrow notched to his bow. Every few minutes he heard a drop of water that made him jump, thinking someone was coming. The dwarf behind him seemed to be regaining his strength, and had stopped groaning under the girl's weight. She's probably not even that heavy...I'll bet [b]I could carry her, she looks so light.[/i]

After a few more minutes, they came to the thieves' stash. Kishurin turned to the dwarf and said, "Alright. From what I can guess, we weren't out for very long. And since the bandits' organization system seems to be mostly 'Throw it on top of the right pile,' you should be able to find your equipment easily. In the mean time, I'll look for the girl's clothes and equipment. By the way, her name's Shenjara. A good name to remember if you ask me."

He looked around for a bit, grabbing Shenjara's robe and staff first. As he looked for other stuff he was sure was hers, he placed the gear in a neat group near the exit of the room. He wanted to be ready for anyone coming, so he kept his bow strung and an arrow at the ready so he could quickly snatch up his bow and shoot. The next bandit who came through there would be in bad shape if Kishurin was still there.

[Axeheart]

When they found the stash, Mac gently placed the girl sitting up against a wall. She wasn't very heavy, and Mac's strength had managed to return, for the most part. Mac looked around at the piles and found his gear, donning his armor and belting his sword and axe to his side and back. He gathered the rest of his equipment and put it all in a sack he found, including some extra food and a couple of waterskins.

Mac took the robe from the pile Kishurin was making and tried his best to dress her in it without dishonoring her and himself. Luckily, his mother had taught him a little bit about taking care of sick people. He poured some of the water onto a rag he found and pressed it against her forehead to cool. Her fever was unbelievably high to the touch. She would die very soon if she wasn't cooled down. As for the rest of her, though...she was a block of ice. It was strange how ill she was.

"Oy, Kishurin! We need to get her out of here, now! Get her stuff together and carry it. I'll carry her and the staff. Now let's go; she'll die if we wait any longer, and if I didn't know better, I'd say she's actually giving up."

[hamnat]

Everything was black. Shenjara felt as though she were floating in...nothing...absolute nothingness. She could see herself, her arms, her legs, her long, flame-red hair, but naught else. She felt alone, as though forsaken by everything and everyone. Then, a light shined out of the darkness. It was warm and comforted her. The light came closer, growing brighter and brighter.

It was a man, beautiful beyond comparison, that held a torch and a long broadsword in his hands. He smiled at her softly, as if to say, "Come with me; I will lead you to peace." Shenjara was in awe, as if held in a trance by him. He beckoned to her, walking slowly away. He looked back and stretched his hand out.

"Shenjara, come with me." His voice was like the clearest water, refreshing and wonderful. Her hand slowly reached for his, willing to follow him wherever. Out of the darkness, a calm, clear voice rang, "Don't. Don't let him take you, Shen. It's not your time yet, you know that." She withdrew her hand for a moment, thinking It's not my time? What do you mean?

She reached out again, quickly this time, but stopped abruptly. "Fight it Shen. Be strong, and fight. He wants to take you, but don't let him. Fight it!" Shen contemplated these words as the beautiful man with the torch showed signs of impatience. "Just come with me, and let's go, already!" Shenjara was taken aback, the man's face was no longer beautiful, but rotten, like a skull with some of the meat left on, insects crawling and skittering. "Come with ME!!!" he yelled.

That man, he's....he's Death! And to top it off, he thinks he can give me orders!? No...He will not take me yet. Not yet...
In a fit of rage, she roared at Death, "No... not EVER!!!" Death screamed in anger and lunged for her before everything exploded in a flash of light.

[Kishurin]

As they gathered everything together, Kishurin heard the tapping of footsteps in the caves. He could tell that they weren't far off and were going to run smack into the escapees. He looked over at Mac and said silently, "They're on too us. There not far outside of this room, and they WILL catch us. So be ready to fight." He looked down at the girl. She was sweating copiously and a look of anger crossed her face as her head jerked to the side. Her head straightened itself as her face calmed. Clearly, something was still happening inside that head of hers.

"She's definitely not giving up. She's fighting off something within the confines of her mind. Best keep her out of harm's way, Mac," Kishurin said as he moved Shenjara into a corner away from where the fighting would be. She needed to be undisturbed if she would survive her own fight. Kishurin then moved behind Mac, picking up his bow and arrow and drawing back for the shot. As soon as one of them showed his head, he would loose his arrow. The unlucky soul who next showed his face would never again see the light of day, if he had anything to do with it.

[Axeheart]

Mac drew out his greataxe. It was perfect for cleaving heads as they came around a corner. The footsteps which Kishurin had pointed out were very close now, and he heard a bowstring tighten behind him. Ah hope tha' arrow's for one o' th' thieves n' nah me. He looked over at the girl, checking her quickly for life. Her chest rose and fell in quick, short bouts, so Mac knew she was still alive, if only barely.

"Oy! Who's in thar? Is tha' you, Lovinsen? Didn't I tell you nah t' go in thar?" a man said as he came around the corner. When the thief saw Mac's face, he realized it wasn't Lovinsen. "Oy! Who're you!? How'd ye ge' in 'ere? Wha'-wha..." he said before being cut off by an arrow in his chest. The twang hadn't even registered in Mac's ears before the thief was struck. The man fell to his knees, his breath slipping out as he fell unconscious; the arrow hadn't hit his heart, and if he was properly cared for, he would live with chronic chest pain.

"Nobs! Nobs, wha's wrong, mate!?" said another man running around the corner. Mac drew his greataxe back for a wide slash. As the man showed his face, shouting to the rest of the caves, "Nobs is hurt, everyone! Somethin's happinin' in th' vault!" Mac let his axe sink into the man's flesh. Blood shot out and splattered the wall, and more began to collect on the flat of the axe which was sticking out of the man's side. He crumpled, the force of the axe having most likely snapped his spine.

Mac yanked his axe back out and prepared for the inevitable onslaught. There had to be at least 20 more of them in the cave, so the fight would be hard. That girl's fire power would be useful right about now...

[Kishurin]

The first one dropped quickly, a prepared shot striking him in the chest. Not a kill shot though... Kishurin quickly notched a second arrow as Mac cut down the next one. A loud noise came from the tunnel. There must be at least 6 of them. He tightened his bowstring as he pulled back even harder on the arrow. Seven men came charging through, various weapons drawn and ready to kill. Kishurin released his arrow which the first one barely dodged, but hit the man behind him so hard that his legs flew out from under him. He hit the ground, and arrow protruding from his skull.

Forgoing the bow, he drew his knives. He focused his thoughts on the knives, the pressure increasing on the handles as he pumped himself for an attack. He felt the snap and locked his eyes onto one of the bandits. He leaped forward with such speed that the bandit didn't even see the knives coming before they sliced his shoulder and side. The bandit roared in agony as Kishurin slashed at him, cutting his face and arm and effectively neutralizing the man. A club hit Kishurin in the arm, causing a large bruise and a painful ache. Kishurin yelled from the pain as he slashed at the arm holding the club. His attacks missed, but the bandit lost his balance trying to dodge and fell. This battle could go either way...I'd better pay more attention, or I'll get killed.

[Axeheart]

Seven more had come into the "room." One was dispatched immediately by another of Kishurin's arrows. He was obviously not the greatest archer, but with the range so small, it would've been rather difficult to miss anyways. The remaining six split up and Mac and Kishurin were forced to contend with three apiece.

Mac slashed again with his axe, hoping to get two of them with one blow, but he had swung too soon, leaving him open to a counter-attack. One of the bandits managed to stab him in the side, but it wasn't deep and was nowhere near any vital organs. Another tried to slash through his armor, but the short sword just clanged off, leaving a small bruise underneath. The third tried at Mac's head with a club, but his clumsy attack was nowhere near accurate.

Recovering with some pain, Mac turned the blade, and with a roar, cleaved one bandit and cut another. The first one bled through a gaping wound in his chest and shoulder and dropped to the ground. The second one took a little pain in his shoulder but avenged himself with a deep stab in Mac's left arm. Howling in pain, Mac kicked the bandit, knocking him down. Mac's arm hurt terribly, and the weight of the axe was becoming harder to bear. These guys'll kill meh if I don't shake 'em off. I wonder how the human's doing? He chanced a quick glance and saw Kishurin holding his own fairly well, having done in one and knocked down another. Heh...even though he's obviously green, he's actually doing better than me...I wonder if he'll be able to keep his luck up for much longer...

[hamnat]

Fire filled her surroundings. Shenjara seemed to be in a burning landscape, what looked like a large town after being sacked and burned. There was another person there, Joran, of course. Shenjara was breathing heavily from the heat and the effort she'd used to resist Death. "Hello, Joran...*huff & puffing* Mind telling me just what the hell is going on?" she said while she caught her breath. Joran looked at her gravely, saying solemnly, "Shen...you can't use that much energy for your magic...but besides that, there's something else here at work. That shouldn't have drained you like that; you still had a fair portion of spiritual energy left for use. Just so you're aware, you are still rather close to death. Just standing here makes me feel like I'm going to melt."

Shenjara looked straight at Joran when she realized she was still in peril. He was definitely right; the surrounding area was exceptionally hot, even for her normal hot. And since it's within the confines of my mind...I could safely assume that I'm running a very high fever right about now. "Indeed, you are right, Joran. I hope I'll be able to get out of this with my life," she said.

Shenjara was startled as she heard someone walking close by. Joran wasn't moving, so someone else was there. Looking over at Joran, she noticed he was quite tense. What's bothering him suddenly? Shenjara looked around and found the person. It was a human woman, about her height and with simmering blue-green hair. She seemed to know where she was going because she had her eyes closed as she walked. She carried a staff with a dim red light near the top. Strange...are those...runes?

As the woman came closer, Shenjara noticed that she was wearing a red robe and had yellow eyes. Strange eye color for a human "Shen," Joran said quietly, "don't let your guard down." Shenjara nodded her head. On the ground by her feet, she noticed a plain staff made of oak. She picked it up and held it with her right hand; it felt rather familiar...

[Kishurin]

Kishurin lunged at the man who had just fallen, trying to get him while he was vulnerable, but the other man smacked him in the side with a club, knocking him over. The first man got back up and was very angry. Well there goes my chance...agh, my side! Kishurin ached horribly as he lay on top of a pile of what looked like used wine bottles. Now why would anyone ever want to keep wine bottles? Hmm....

As the bandits came closer, Kishurin quickly sheathed his knives and grabbed two wine bottles, hurling them at his foes. One of them dodged the bottle, which broke on the wall behind him, but the other crashed into its target's face, shattering and leaving bloody cuts all over his face. "Take that, vermin!" he said as he picked more up, hurling one over at the men attacking the dwarf and the other one at the guy with the bloody face. Kishurin heard the sound of two shattering bottles followed by two bandits roaring in pain. The one with the bloody face now had a large glass shard sticking out of his face. He dropped and rolled on the floor into a pile of leather goods. He was definitely out of the fight.

There was just one left in front of Kishurin. He grabbed two more bottles, hurling the one in his right hand at the guys attacking Mac and then grabbing a knife with it. The bandit in front of him looked enraged but cautious. Kishurin had already proved he could throw a wine bottle well, but now that it was face to face...well, they would just see. Let's see how this guy likes a wine bottle in the face and a knife in the chest. Kishurin was caught up in the battle. He didn't even care how he defeated the bandits, as long as he prevailed.

[Axeheart]

Dropping his axe and pulling out his greatsword, Mac glared at the one still standing. He had a sword in his hand and bloodshot eyes. The one that Mac had kicked was getting back up, his hand on his stomach. Don't mess with a Dukrav, fool. Mac stabbed at the bandit with the bloodshot eyes, missing as he dodged, but following through and stabbing the other one in the shoulder. He roared in pain as blood flowed from the wound.

Clang

The sound came from behind as the other man tried to break through Mac's armor, but failed to pierce the metal. Mac tried to yank his sword out of the bandit's shoulder, but it had gotten stuck in the rocks. He was completely vulnerable, and the bandit in front of him was switching sword hands, getting ready to strike. As he raised his sword for the attack, something glass flew at him and smashed against his head. He dropped his sword and fell over, wrenching Mac's sword from the rocks. He was on top of Mac now, who proceeded to push him off and yank the sword out of his shoulder.

Another bottle crashed at the other bandit's feet, causing him to jump and howl in pain. Kishurin had found some bottles and was throwing them around. They each had only one guy left to take care off. This is th' easy part. One on one, though I'm worse off then 'im. Good thing they can't fight fer anythin' Mac got up and slashed his opponent's left arm, cutting down to the bone. He countered with an attack that deepened the wound in Mac's arm. Mac nearly dropped his sword, but held firm with an attack that made a deep groove in the bandit's chest, slashing from his hip to his shoulder. The bandit dropped, taken out of combat by his injuries. Ach...meh arm. Ah'd better ge' i' checked out by some healer..

[hamnat]

"Well, well, Miss Flamespire. We mustn't over-exert ourselves. Tsk Tsk." The woman's voice was charming and foul at the same time. The woman reeked of deception, hatred, and lust. She felt evil to Shenjara. Shenjara gripped the staff more tightly. Everything around her was hot, and a drop of sweat stung her eye. As she wiped the sweat from her eyes, she suddenly found herself on the ground, her cheek searing in pain. Her jaw ached, but a quick check revealed no lost teeth.

The woman had knocked her to the ground with her staff, slamming it into Shenjara's face. Using the staff in her hand, Shenjara got back to her feet. The side of her face ached painfully from the blow. With blood in her voice, Shenjara queried the woman, "And just what, by the might of the Thaynes, gave you reason to do that!?" She leaned heavily on the staff; her head was swimming and she could barely keep her balance.

The woman smiled coldly, her teeth showing in the right side of her mouth. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Miss Flamespire. My hand must've...slipped," she said with a mean chuckle. With great skill, the woman twirled the staff around and struck at her left knee. Shenjara parried with her staff, blocking the attack, but losing her balance and falling over again. Her leg hurt from the fall, but it was minor and nothing to worry about. Who is this woman...Why is she attacking me like this?

[Kishurin]

Kishurin seemed to be in a state of bloodlust, unusual for his normally passive demeanor. But the moment the blood of his first kill touched his skin, he had lost all thoughts of remaining passive. He laughed sadistically as he waved his knife around in front of the bandit, who looked a little shaken by this strange human. The bandit began to charge Kishurin. "I'm gonna make you pay, you bastard! You're gonna d-" he said as he charged. But before he could finish his sentence and bring his sword down on the strange human, he had a knife in his gut and one of the bottle points in his shoulder.

He roared in pain and head-butted Kishurin. Kishurin seemed unfazed and shook off the pain in his head. He kicked the bandit, thrusting him backwards into a pile of metal odds and ends, many of them sharp. The agony was unbearable, and the bandit rolled his head around, disoriented from the pain and his injuries. Kishurin came down on him with the knife and the broken bottle and ended it for the bandit.

Breathing heavily, Kishurin pulled his knife out of the man. Huffing and puffing, he looked around the room with wide eyes, searching for more enemies. He noticed only Mac, the dwarf, and began to walk heavily towards him, brandishing the knife. His senses cleared a little and the sudden burst of fury left him. He dropped to his knees, the pain of his injuries hitting him like a lead weight. He felt very tired out, as though he'd been running all day.

Kishurin slowly got to his feet and looked at his arms. His left arm was badly bruised and both his arms had blood spatters on them. Though he'd skinned animals before, seen their blood and guts, he had never experience human blood before. He wretched and nearly vomited just from the sight of it. He felt ashamed of himself for having caused what must be excruciating pain. He hadn't wanted to cause so much pain, but his senses seemed to have left him in the fight. He had become a mad beast, and he loathed himself for it. Such pain...how could I...cause this?

[Axeheart]

Though his arm was badly hurt, and would leave him a nasty scar for the rest of his life, it would definitely heal, quickly too, if his healer was good enough. Mac looked over at the human. He seemed to be very depressed about something, a stark contrast to how he seemed while he was fighting the bandits back. Maybe he's never killed anyone before and it just now hit 'im... Mac sheathed his greatsword and picked his axe up, putting that on his back.

Mac looked over at the elf-girl, who was undisturbed during the battle. Her face was now pinkish all over, as though something hot was right in front of her face. She winced suddenly and jerked her head to the side, almost as though someone had punched her in the face. He rushed over to her and felt her cheek and forehead. They were still hot, but it was no longer deadly. She seemed to be in pain though. Something was hurting her, though whether it was something in her mind or body, Mac couldn't tell. "Oy, Kishurin! Once ye' ge' over yer first kill, ge' yer stuff together and then help meh with this girl. She seems to have stabilized, and her fever's dropped, but she's in pain o' some sor'. Le's ge' a move on. We can worry abou' other stuff later."

[hamnat]

Shenjara was officially pissed off. This purple-haired assailant was about to face a demon's wrath. Even if she had no energy left for spells, and couldn't fight with a staff to save her parents' lives, she was going to beat the snobbishness out of this woman. The flames seemed extra high behind her, as if to affirm her evil-ness.

In a strangely calm voice, Shenjara intimidatingly said, "Before I turn you into a black, red, and blue-green pulp, I would know your name. I would hate it if I couldn't curse it as I kill you." She shot a blood-chilling stare at the woman, who seemed unabashed by Shenjara's statement. In fact, she chuckled.

Half taunting, the woman replied, "Certainly, Miss Flamespire. I will tell you my name. My name is Arajnehs Eripsemalf. And for the question you didn't ask: 'Who exactly am I?' I am...well, that's not important at the moment. Now, shall we get down to business?" She shot a glance at Joran, whom Shenjara had forgotten about, and recommended, "I would move about 50 feet away from us; this may get ugly, and I wouldn't want to ruin so beautiful a face as yours, even if she did."

The woman's remark cut to the bone. Shenjara actually felt like a knife had been shoved into her heart. She was so angry, so mad, that she couldn't hold herself back any longer. "Like she said, Joran, move a good distance away. I don't want her filth corrupting you as I beat it out of her!" She roared and took the staff in her hand, jumped over a couple rocks in her charge, and sent the staff flying at her head. She calmly blocked it, then kicked Shenjara backwards.

With a huff, Shenjara caught her balance before falling this time. Locking gazes with Arajnehs in a death-stare, Shenjara brandished her staff. It was good, hard wood that would really hurt if it hit someone. A spark singed her foot and she yelped. Arajnehs brought her staff towards Shenjara, striking for her stomach. Shenjara managed to side-step the attack and follow through with her own, landing her first hit on Arajnehs, who dropped to one knee.

There was fire in her eyes. Her originally mocking face was covered in hatred. "You finally hit me, huh? Well, Mizz Flame-tire, don't get cocky." She roared and struck at Shenjara. Her attack seemed much weaker and slower than before. Shenjara noticed it, and began thinking. As she jumped backwards over a burning pile of wood, she processed what she'd noticed. She's got a strong arm and great reflexes when she's intact, but she can't take a hit well. She felt like a wool-stuffed practice-dummy when I hit her, only not as hard. I can end her quickly if I can get her a couple more times.

Arajnehs Eripsemalf is indeed Shenjara's names spelled backwards. Arajnehs is pronounced uh-räzh-ness.

[Kishurin]

Mac's call brought Kishurin out of his self-hating stupor. That's right...the girl needs me to help get her to safety. You can mope later, Kishurin. Get a move on! Kishurin brushed aside what he'd done and hated himself for, leaving it for a more suitable time. He made sure he had everything of his, grabbing a few things here and there, and knelt by the elf-girl's side. "I'm feeling better now. Let's get her out of here, okay?"

Necessity had overridden his guilt AND his shyness. He didn't even feel the slightest bit of caution around these people. It seemed more than just necessity, though...Something about them was just...soothing.

Kishurin picked Shenjara up, bent over with the weight of a body, even one as light as hers. Too bad...strength's always been my biggest weakness. He chuckled and thought further: I hope there aren't any more of them. I won't be able to fight with her on my back. He began walking out of the cave, feeling the wind currents for the exit. He looked back a moment and called out, "You comin', Mac?"

[Axeheart]

Mac was bewildered that anyone could go from supreme guilt to normal everyday spunky in a matter of a couple seconds. This guy's different, alright... "I'm comin; keep yer pants on!" Mac grabbed his equipment and started following Kishurin. The strange human seemed to know where he was going. The air in the cave blew through the tunnel they were in, creating a little chill and making the torches dance. Deja vu. They looked like the fireball the girl had called from her hand.

But unlike the girl's fireball, these didn't seem to exude power. They were lifeless. Mac took one more look at the girl. She was beautiful, for certain. Her long hair was a red to rival that of the torches on the tunnel wall. Her skin was pale, fair, and unblemished, for the most part. Her face was one of power and strength. Funny how such beauty was matched with such ferocity.

The air was getting cooler as they ran. Apparently, Kishurin did have some clue where he was headed. The cooler air usually meant that you were either close to water or the exit of the cave. Mac tripped on a rock but managed to stay up. They were almost out. Mac never though he'd be so glad to be leaving underground tunnels for the surface. It was rather, ironic.

[hamnat]

As Shenjara had been considering this weakness she'd just discovered, she had been losing ground to her opponent. Arajnehs had almost fully recovered by now and had a horrible smile on her face. "Not so cocky now, are you Mizz Flame-tire?" she mocked. Shenjara tripped on a pile of burning wood and landed on her back. She screamed in agony; her leg was still on the pile of burning wood. Moving it quickly, she got it out of the smoldering timber and blocked another strike from Arajnehs. The blue-haired assailant was striking at her over and over again. It was all Shenjara could do to block her attacks.

Shenjara felt a sudden burst of energy and roared. A fireball appeared in her hand and she thrust it into Arajnehs' face. The woman screamed as her face was charred. Her once beautiful features were blackened and reddened by the burns covering her face. Damn it...nothing permanent. Those burns will heal. But, on the bright side, I seem to have gotten my energy back. Shenjara smiled a wide, scary grin. Arajnehs was scared, that was for sure.

"You bitch! You think you'll beat me like that!?" she shrieked, "Well guess what!? I can do it too, see!?" A fireball burst forth from her hand. Shenjara was shocked. It looked just like hers only it was a blood red color. With a maniacal laugh, she sent it flying towards Shenjara. It shot towards her and she barely dodged it as it flew past her. She had to lose her balance in order to dodge it, but at least it missed.

The crazy woman was still laughing as she conjured another fireball and hurled it at Shenjara. There was no way to dodge this time, so she put her hands in front of her face to protect it. The fireball slammed into her stomach. Everything went silent. Her vision blurred, and she heard and felt nothing but the horrible agony of her stomach. She would have heard a blood-curdling scream if she could hear, but the pain was so great, it had shut out everything else but her vision. So this is what it feels like to be hit by my fireball...how terrible...

[Kishurin]

A blast of cool air hit Kishurin as he emerged from the cave, the elf-girl, half-elf, on his back not moving except for her quick and shallow breathing. The landscape was dark; they'd been in the lit cave until well past nightfall, and there was no moon that night. The wind blew through the tall grass, whispering the secrets of long-dead men and women. Kishurin's eyes didn't take long to adjust to the darkness. He couldn't see well, but he wouldn't be tripping over big rocks or logs.

He walked away from the mouth of the cavern for a solid 15 minutes before finally resting. His back hurt from the weight, which he wasn't used to carrying. He grabbed his waterskin and took a few gulps before putting it back at his side. He let himself catch his breath before asking Mac, "You wanna take a turn with her? I can't carry her much longer. She's not very heavy, but I'm just not used to carrying a person."

He looked around and searched for anything that would give him an idea of which way they should go. After a couple of minutes of squinting and searching, he spotted the silhouette of a small house. "Hey, Mac, look over there. There's a house or something like that over that way. Maybe they can help us," Kishurin said, pointing to where the house was. If were at all lucky, someone will be there who can tend to our wounds.

[Axeheart]

Mac felt refreshed as the cool breeze passed over his neck and arms. His arm hurt badly still, but it wasn't horrible like before. The cool night air soothed his entire body. I's so much nicer than tha' cave. He looked up at the night sky, reveling in the beauty of the stars overhead; it was a cloudless night and the stars could be seen dotting the sky. The grass waved in the breeze, pushed sideways from the wind.

When Kishurin asked Mac about carrying the elf-girl, Mac laughed, "Yer finally gettin' tired, eh? Well, I can try. But ah'm nah promisin' nothin'." He walked over and knelt by the unconscious elf-girl. She was heating back up, but it wasn't anything to cause great worry about. Her lips were slightly parted in a pained frown. She was fighting for sure. What she was fighting, specifically, Mac had no clue.

Kishurin pointed out a nearby shack and Mac looked over to see what he was so excited about. Where he was pointing, Mac saw a small house, large enough for a small family. A light was shining from inside, which surprised Mac because that should have made the house more obvious. "Let's ge' th' girl over there, Kishurin. Maybe a healer lives there. Maybe they can mend me an' you up while they're at it." He picked the girl up and held her on his back, piggy-back style. It made his already sore arm burn, but he could handle it for the time.

[hamnat]

Everything came back to her suddenly. She heard herself screaming and cursing from the pain. "You bitch! I'll kill you for that! I swear I'll kill you for that! You're going to die, bitch!" She didn't care anymore. Nothing mattered except that this bitch in front of her died in horrible agony. Another blood red fireball appeared. As it flew towards Shenjara, carrying certain death with it, Shenjara shot off a fireball of her own.

"Caranuscai arelanta!!"

Her fireball shot off and each slammed into the other. They disappeared without a trace, surprising both women. This must have been what my instructor told me about counter-spells. When two identical spells hit each other, they cancel out, and each is negated. But it doesn't matter. She seems to be very similar to me...a doppelganger, maybe? If so, then she doesn't have much energy left for her little fireball.

"Caranuscai arelanta!!"

Shenjara sent another Torch flying. Arajnehs' face changed to that of horror as she realized she couldn't call up anymore fireballs. She'd run out of energy. She screamed as the fireball shot towards her and knocked her to the dirt with its impact. She didn't scream or convulse; she just lay there, breathing heavily. "Damn you..." she said with a cough, "damn you." Arajnehs got up slowly, coughing as she did. "You want to know what I am, Miss Flame-tire? Then I'll tell you." Her face was shot with rage as she roared, "I....AM....YOU!!!"

[Kishurin]

Kishurin and Mac trekked over to the shack and Kishurin knocked gently on the door. He turned to Mac and said softly, "I hope they're friendly to strangers..." About a minute later, which was silent except for a few grunts from Mac, they heard someone coming to the door. Light poured out into the darkness, and Kishurin was blinded for a second before he looked and saw an old man with a staff. The old man was dressed in a long white robe which looked like it was made to sleep in. He was holding a candle and was bald and wrinkly, but he looked quite lively. His deep brown eyes were full of contentment, concern, and compassion, the three C's Kishurin recognized behind the eyes of a good person willing to do a stranger a favor.

"Is there some way I might help you three?" The old man said in a surprisingly young voice. Kishurin calmly replied, "We have been in a fight with a gang of bandits and need attending too. Our friend here," he showed the man the face of the elf on Mac's back, "is in bad need of medicine. She's got a very high fever and we need a healer right away. Is there anyone nearby who can help us?" The old man smiled and said merrily, "Well, you young people are in luck. It just so happens that my wife and I are accomplished healers. Come inside and my wife will attend to your wounds."

The old man politely opened the door wide enough for the three to enter and Kishurin left his bow and knife outside next to the door. He smiled at the old man, "To show good faith, friend." The old man replied, "There was never a need. Just lay the elf-lady on the bed there and I will see that she is properly taken care of." Kishurin was happy to see that there were people in the world with compassion enough to take in and help complete strangers. Many of the humans he'd met were quite selfish. It was refreshing, and he knew he would sleep comfortably that night; the house was larger than he'd thought and there were several beds that looked ready for the odd guest or four.

[Axeheart]

Mac followed Kishurin's lead, just quietly standing there, holding this girl while his arm aches and bleeds. Don't ge' mad aboot i'...Yer strong enough t' handle i' anyways, so why nah? Besides, he's probably a better talker than ye are, so i' all works ou' great. Mac flinched when the door opened, but he got used to the light quickly, so he was able to pay attention to Kishurin talking to the kind old man. When Kishurin dropped his weapons by the side of the door, Mac decided he would leave his weapons there too. Carefully, he pulled his axe off of his back and dropped it with a loud clang on Kishurin's knives. He was able to take the sword out more easily and with another clang, he dropped it on top of the rest.

He followed Kishurin inside, carefully turning so the elf-girl wouldn't have a concussion when she awoke. At the old man's prompting, he chose the closest bed and carefully laid the girl down on it. She was beautiful, but he could tell she was often angry. Her face was set in a scowl as she lay still on the bed, taking shallow breaths. Th' poor lass...Ah wonder wha's goin' on inside tha' head o' hers... He winced and grabbed his arm as a sudden pulse of pain shot up his arm. It was bleeding slowly, but it was very painful. He saw an old woman with a cheery disposition and surprisingly long hair coming towards him and motioning him to sit on a nearby bed. She had bandages, herbs, and a needle and thread in her arms.

Oh no...nah a needle...I hate needles!! Those thin's really hurt! I hope she doesn't have to use 'em... He obediently sat where she'd indicated and waited patiently while she set herself up to work. She was pretty for an old woman. He was surprised at how young and full of life they seemed. They must be very happy...

[hamnat]

Shenjara stood up, looking at Arajnehs with a blank face. She started to snicker, then laughed loudly. After a few seconds of hearty laughing, she said between breaths, “You really think you’re me, huh? You’re definitely a doppelganger then. I’ll just have to destroy you quickly. Just hold still so we can end this.”

Arajnehs clutched her stomach as she roared, “NO! I’m NO doppelganger. I am YOU! I am the chaos that runs rampant through your thoughts, the fury behind the power of your little Torch, the anger that drives you to destroy your enemies. And you know what?”

“What?” Shenjara briefly replied, a note of annoyance in her voice.

Arajnehs laughed sinisterly. “I’m stronger than you.” She put her hand up, pointing a finger at Shenjara. Shenjara suddenly felt stuck, as though time and space had frozen her in place and she could only stand there. Everything began to heat up, and the area around her was quickly hot enough to boil water. But it kept going, and the heat moved up into a cloud of red energy above her head. It grew and grew until it began to destabilize and shake violently.

Shenjara suddenly felt free, as though a heavy weight that she’d been carrying had suddenly been taken off of her shoulders and everything was as light as a feather. With this newfound strength, she bounded away from the cloud. Just as her feet left the ground, a column of light came down from the sky and struck the cloud. A pillar of fire incinerated everything underneath. Shenjara had just made it out from underneath the cloud, but a shockwave issued from the force of the spell and knocked her several yards away. She hit the dirt and bounced, rolling across the ground like a ball of tumbleweed. When she finally stopped rolling, she laid still.

[Kishurin]

Kishurin sat down on a bed and watched as the old lady cheerfully tended Mac's wound. It was pretty nasty, but her quick fingers and obvious experience knitted the skin together well enough that the wound would heal without lasting damage. She had applied a few strongly smelling herbs to it that made Mac jump and Kishurin chuckled every time he nearly hit the roof.

He looked over at Shenjara and watched as the old man dabbed at her forehead with a damp cloth, soaking it every now and then in an herbal bath. The redness in her skin had subsided, but it was clear that she was still suffering. She took a sudden breath as though she'd been stabbed and let it out slowly like one who is letting go of their last breath. Kishurin jumped up and ran over to the old man, "What's wrong? Is she dying? What's going on?" The old man looked up at Kishurin calmly and said, "It would appear that she's died. She's stopped breathing, her heart's stopped beating, but all other signs of life are still going. I don't think she's dying, but she's just suffered from massive mental trauma of some kind. It's almost as if she's been seriously wounded inside of her mind."

Kishurin looked bewildered. "How are you able to tell all this?" The old man smiled and said, "I don't, really. But it all makes sense. And after all, the rest of her body is still going. Look, see, she's recovering," he said as she started breathing slow, short breaths. That was really close...who are you fighting, Shenjara? He went back to the bed he'd been sitting on and suddenly remembered the blows he'd taken to his arm and side, wincing in pain.

The woman rushed over and looked at his arm, then lifted his shirt and vest and looked at his ribs. "You've probably got a cracked rib, but nothing serious. It will hurt like the dickens for a couple days, and strenuous activity will be hard over the next couple weeks, but you'll make a full recovery." She dabbed at his ribs carefully with a cool cloth that obviously had a special herbal blend soaked into it. "I'll give you a mixture to apply here for a few days. It will help the pain and speed up your recovery." She was definitely very experienced, he decided as he sat still on the yellow bedspread.

[hamnat]

She saw curtains. Black curtains flowing in a light breeze against an even darker background. She was in a room with one window and one door. There was a bed, a table, and a dresser. The full moon shone brilliantly through the window, tinting the black curtains gray. She could hear nothing other than a slight whispering, as though she were walking down a street and everyone was gossiping about her.

She looked down at herself and she was dressed in a long black gown, beautiful but saddening at the same time. "Am I dead?" she heard herself say, the words echoing several times before the silence was solid again. She looked out of the window and saw that she was in a large complex of buildings with dark gray walls and roofs. She figured she was on the tenth level of the building she was in and was not alone. She saw no lights in any of the windows. She walked over to the door and found it locked. She looked through the keyhole to see a dark hallway.

She was in a world of darkness. It was quiet, it was lonely, but it was peaceful. "This must be the world of the dead. Everything is dark and dreary and the moon seems to be the lord of this realm. I am dead..." She sat on the bed and thought about her life and how sad it had really been. She was glad to be dead, the threat of herself removed from the world. She would never endanger anyone again. She closed her eyes and felt at peace....

[Axeheart]

Mac's wound healed quickly. They decided to hang around and see how the girl turned out and let the healers tend to their wounds. Whenever they asked to pay the old healers, they denied them, saying, "The damage you did to that band of thieves was payment enough. They've been plaguing us and everyone around for 10 miles for months. Hopefully, it's enough to disband them." They always seemed to be smiling, as though life never betrayed them.

He and Kishurin spent their time getting to know each other. Kishurin told of his race So tha's wha's with his funny looks... and Mac told of his. They both listened intently to each other. After several days, the healers deemed them recovered enough for rigorous activity. So, of course, they took their conversations outdoors and conversed with blades. Kishurin was having a hard time blocking Mac's large weapons with his small knives, but he managed it, surprisingly. Kishurin set up a target for archery practice shot arrow after arrow at the target, which was mounted about four feet off the ground on an elm tree. His aim was pretty poor, but it got better quickly.

It took about fifteen days for the girl to awaken. She'd used up so much energy before and after falling unconscious that she'd needed a full recovery before she could wake up again. The whole time she slept, she was very peaceful. A strange presence surrounded the area around her, as though something was watching over her and protecting her. The presence soothed everyone who entered it, and when a man brought his friend, who'd gone quite mad, they sat him by her bedside for an hour. He simply watched her sleeping figure and came back perfectly normal. "It was as though an angel had come to me and made everything feel alright again."

They were all rather astonished by the tale, but they figured it was whatever watched over the girl. Since the presence had appeared two days after she gone into a coma, they were pretty sure it wasn't her that gave off that feeling. That and the fact that she was quite vicious and angry. What ever could drive such a girl to be that way... Mac sat and watched her every night before he went to bed. He probably had better dreams than he'd ever had before afterwards. It was a good time for them all.

[Kishurin]

Kishurin enjoyed the 15 days that he waited for the girl to revive. Getting to know Mac, discovering that it was possible to block such huge weapons with a pair of knives, improving his aim with his bow, observing the old couple, and watching Shenjara. While Mac said he was watching her for, "Sleeping purposes. She's a good dream charm, or at least right now she is."

Kishurin, however, couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. He was always wondering how she was doing and every time he went back inside the house, he asked if she'd awoken, only to be given a smile and a "sorry, but she's still recovering." He sat for two hours one night, watching her hair be nuzzled by a soft breeze that blew through the house and caught her hair. It was a wonderful sight to behold, that hair of hers flitting through the breeze. When she woke up, he was quite anxious to ask her question after question.

He felt unlike himself around these people. Usually he was so much more shy and stuttered constantly. But here, he'd not stuttered yet, though he did stammer when the old woman caught him sneaking a cookie from the fresh batch she had just baked, "I was just...I-I...I just wanted a taste....I'm sorry..." She gave him the first cookie after he apologized, of course. He was different around them...more comfortable...He liked it.

[hamnat]

Shenjara opened her eyes and felt pain. It wasn’t the dark world of Death she’d just been in, but the burning battlefield she’d been sure she’d died on. A voice filtered through the sound of burning wood, “You’ve lucked out this time, Mizz Flame-tire. I’ll be back, though. And next time, you’ll die permanently. Say hello to Joran for me when you see him again, will you?” And just like that, Arajnehs was gone. She closed her eyes once more and let sleep take her. So very disappointing…I was happy to be dead. Why did I have to come back?


__________________________________________________ __________


Shenjara awoke in a warm bed with a red bedspread on top of her. It was bright and every part of her body felt at ease, as though she’d slept for days. An old man came over too her and said, “Ah! It seems you’ve awoken. How are you feeling?” She blinked slowly and sighed as she stretched her muscles out, “I feel like I’ve been resting a long time. How long was I asleep? And where am I?” The old man responded knowingly, “According to your friends account, you passed out in a nearby thieves’ den. They brought you here for your health…and theirs. You’ve been asleep for fifteen days. You must have been exhausted.”


Shenjara smiled, “Fifteen days? I’m happy I woke up at all…’Their health’ you say? Are they alright?” “They’re doing quite well. One of them has a stitched up arm and the other had a cracked rib, but nothing really serious. We were all worried about you, though. You actually died for a few seconds.” She sat up suddenly, “I actually died? I thought that was just a dream!” The old man looked at her gravely, “No…it was real. The night they brought you here, you seemed to be suffering from something, and for a few seconds, you died. We thought you were struggling with something in your mind.”

Shenjara felt shocked. It was all real, then!? That woman…she’s reeking havoc in my mind…it’s because of her that I cause so much destruction…and what happened to Joran? She jumped out of the bed and ran to the door of the house, nearly tripping on a pot that had fallen from it’s shelf. She opened it and looked outside. A human with blue hair and a dwarf were fighting each other and talking animatedly. They were sparring, working on their skills. A target had been set up on a nearby tree and five arrows were sticking out of it, scattered across the target’s face. The green and yellow grass fluttered in a cool light breeze and a small blue flower flitted through the air. Everything is alright…I’m alive…and I haven’t killed anybody innocent…what a relief…

Deja vu, anyone?

[Kishurin]

Kishurin was nearly decapitated as he looked over to the suddenly opened door. Ignoring his almost-fatal encounter, he ran over to the green and red figure he saw there. "You're finally awake! We thought you'd never get up!" She had a sweet smile of relief on her face, and yet another breeze snatched at her hair, tossing it to her side. It almost seemed to be waving at him.

"You look really refreshed, though after 15 days of sleep, that's no surprise." Kishurin smiled at her, happy that this skilled, ferocious, but beautiful magess would live to see another day. After her encounter with death, he was sure that she would defeat whatever had plagued her before. She was truly amazing. "I'm glad you're back. Hey Mac! Stop staring and get over here!" Mac had just been standing there huffing and puffing with his sword stuck in the ground. He'd wanted to say something to "the girl" as he called her.

[Axeheart]

Mac had to quickly avert his sword as Kishurin looked away from the battle. Another couple inches and that would have been that. The sudden effort left him exhausted and he practically dropped his sword as it plunged straight into the ground. Bloody boy...gonna ge' himself killed like tha' some day... The girl was standing in the doorway to the house where they were staying, complements of the healers.

Kishurin seemed ecstatic to speak to her again. Mac chuckled at the spectacle. The boy's smitten! He's bee' captiva'ed by 'er. She's beautiful, for cer'ain, but by Jargoth, he warmed up to 'er quickly. Kishurin had told Mac how he was usually very shy and stuttered a lot. Mac had remembered their first meeting, which was...unpleasant. The boy had been stuttering up a storm when Mac showed his face. Mac was still a little perturbed by how hostile she'd been to him.

When Kishurin beckoned him over, Mac snapped out of his thoughts and heeded the call. He did have a proposition for her, though maybe right after she'd just woken up wasn't the best time to bring up major questions. Still, it was worth a shot. He stepped up to them and said, "Le's talk inside, okay?" He wanted to talk in comfort, at a table, like a council. Maybe it was his Dukrav traditions showing through, but he wasn't comfortable discussing things another way.

[hamnat]

Kishurin, the shy one she'd met previously, was very excited to see her awake. She had seldom seen someone that concerned about her. It gave her a sense of belonging, that she had been accepted by someone for once, despite how dangerous she was. It was nice.

The dwarf, Kishurin had called him Mac, walked up to her and wanted to talk inside. She'd been quite rude to him when they'd first met and she felt bad about it. "Listen, Mac, I'm really sorry about my rudeness on our first meeting. I was wrong, and I'm sorry." He put a hand up as if to say, "Forget about it, I forgive you." She smiled again and said, "I'll ask them if they will pour us all some tea. They just made some and we can sip it while we talk."

She left the door open for them to follow as she stepped inside and said, "Sorry to bother you, but would you please pour some tea for us? We'd be very grateful to you. I'm already grateful for your care while I slept." She took a seat at the large table and folded her hands. I wonder what it is they wish to speak about? Kishurin and Mac walked in and sat on opposite sides of the table. The old woman placed three cups of tea in front of them with a smile and went back to her own doings. Shenjara picked up her cup and smelled the sweet aroma. After a sip, she said brightly, "Now what is it you wish to speak of?"

[Kishurin]

Kishurin, too excited to wait for Mac to start off, jumped right in. "We want to travel with you. From what you told me, I gathered you're looking for a good way to control your abilities. Mac here is trying to build up enough stuff to free his clan from hobgoblins beneath our feet! He might as well travel with you, right? And I could come too! I mean, I couldn't do harm, could I? I can hunt for food and forage for berries and roots and other good wild foods. I could be very useful."

He paused as he noticed her starstruck expression. Perhaps I put too much in at once... Regardless, he continued, though more slowly. "And think of it. You could use a body guard, right? I mean magic will only go so far, after all. If you've got a big guy, er short but big guy like our Dukrav friend here, you'd be a lot safer from bandits, right? And we could both benefit from your magic. So let's all travel together, okay?" He finished and took his seat, sipping at his tea in embarrassment. What an outburst...I'm really not myself anymore, am I? Oh well...I like the change.

Shenjara was deep in thought across the table. She had her head propped on her hands and was staring into her cup of tea, as though she was trying to divine the answer from its leaves. But as far as he was aware, she wasn't a seer of any kind. I don't really know much about her though, so I guess she could be...

[Axeheart]

Mac was put off by Kishurin's outburst. He'd wanted to convey the point slowly and smoothly. He wanted to be at least on his second cup before he finished putting the point across. Guess I ca' ferge' tha' now, though...still, I can put in one of my two cents "Kishurin, while a bi' overwhelming, is righ'. We could defini'ely 'elp each other ou'. We each 'ave talents the others ca' use, and there is strength in numbers."

Mac had tried to sum up the whole idea in that statement, but it felt like it was missing something. Ah...tha's it. "Besides, we can 'andle i' if ye explode again, so don't worry abou' tha'." His point felt complete now. It was brief, simple, and it got the point across.

The idea had originally been Kishurin's. While Kishurin had thought of it because he was smitten with the girl, Mac did see merit in his thinking. After seeing Kishurin's abilities, he felt confident he could trust to have him by his side in battle. And the girl was a great asset. Those fireballs could take out a few at a time and were really useful. And their interests didn't conflict or overlap, so he shouldn't have any problem getting along with his quest for his clan's freedom. He was definitely hoping for her agreement.

[hamnat]

They had a fairly good idea, and they had really good points to back it up. I'm still not sure...I'm a danger to everyone around me...But I could use the extra protection...and they aren't asking for payment. I guess I could use company... She looked up from her tea cup for a second, then took a sip and said firmly, "You are certain you can vouch for your safety while in my company? I cannot guarantee that I will not be a constant danger to you, so you will be at your own risk. Are you sure?"

Mac gave a quick nod and a grunt, and Kishurin nodded emphatically. She sighed and then gave a resigned smile. "If you're certain then, I see no problem with it. I would be happy to have company along my journey." She was happy to have company, but she still worried about their safety. She didn't want to befriend someone and then kill them again. And Kishurin already seemed to be quite attached. I guess I'll just have to figure it out. I can't turn them down now. "Well then, I guess you're heading with me to the city then."


End

Spoils: The formation of Shenjara & Company
gold, maybe? from the thieves' vault?

[Kishurin]

Kishurin felt like he was on a cloud. He'd very much wanted to join up with her and he was going to. He was going to be true to his word and make sure he was useful. "Alright then!! The city sounds good to me, so let's go!" He wanted to get going right away. He felt like he could take on a dragon and pin it down by the neck. He wasn't going to be lonely for a while.


End

Spoils: Formation of Shenjara & Company
Enough arrows to total his stock at 40
An Iron shortsword
gold from the thieves' vault

[Axeheart]

It was all settled then. They would be traveling together. "The city's the bes' idea so I also think we should head there. Since we're all in agreemen', tha''s our destination." Mac knew where he was heading, and he knew, as long as he was with this girl, his clan would have it's freedom. So travel with her he would. 'Twill be an interestin' venture, alrigh'.


End
Spoils: You already know
An iron shortword
An iron longsword
An iron helmet
Gold
Maga points: 40(enough for one low-level enchantment)

[AdventWings]

Hello, Shenjara & Co.! Raven Adventwings is here to deliver your Judgment.

Sorry if I'm a bit harsh... But some advices here should do you some good. ^_^;

Story

Continuity - 4

Well, at around the last post I figured where you were trying to steer this thread towards. But the overall action, story development and reaction to the events whic passed left me quite unfulfilled. If anything, I think you rushed through it a bit too quickly. If only, just a tiny bit.

Setting - 3

While you attempted to include the surrounding and atmosphere well in your individual posts, their iteration and reiteration was sparse and disjointed. I get the feeling that when you wanted to show how the surrounding really affected the individuals, you neglected other aspects of writing and vice versa. You made note of how the surrounding reacted quite well, but you still have a bit of ways to go to improve on getting the characters to unconsciously react to the surrounding.

Pacing - 2

Considering that you reworded a single scene into three points of view, as well as dragging out the initial confrontation between Shen and Kishurin, the story practically crawled until the Bandits knocked the lights out of your three characters. And technicalities in the battle sequence aside, the most fluidly-moving posts were from the last six or so when the three of them contemplated and decided to form the group. What you need to work on is keeping the relevants and shortening the sub-arcs. (Made up word, I know.) Find what the main story is and focus on that - occasionally dropping hints on the other minor arcs, but keep it open-ended for future RPs. Also, work on shifting perspectives from one character to another with as little overlap as possible.

Writing Style

Mechanics - 4

Personally, I think running the text through a word processor would notify you of the common errors and typo. Don't be too generous when using commas and watch your punctuations when you're not using them.

Technique - 4

Well, you tried to use some literary devices to tell your story. I will have to say, though, that none stood out to me and some just seemed a bit awkward in implementation. The dream sequence as well as the Doppleganger fight was... let's say, Anti-climatic.

Clarity - 5

I found nothing wrong, or extraordinary, to comment on. An average mark, on average. The odd sentence structures, however, did throw me off quite a good number of times.

Character

Dialogue - 3

I'll be straight with you - Can you be any more cliche than this?

Shen sounded genuinely pissed off, but her voice reminded me of someone else. There was emotion in her voice alright, but a bit unbelievable in delivery. Kishurin sounded like someone who's got his head in the clouds - all the time. Mac, on the other hand, sounded genuinely like himself despite some short bursts of phrases that just seemed too calm for his reaction.

I don't know how to help you here, since this is a rather personal preference. I've already suggested sitting down with your characters and talk it over about how you would talk and stuff, forgoing the traditional "Hero says this, Damsel says that" and go with "What would you say in a situation like that?"

Remember that words are more than just expressions - they should reflect emotion (or lack thereof, when appropriate) and social upbringing as well. Also, don't overuse stock characters as some good ones are those that gained unique views of their own.

Action - 4

A bit better, bit still falling into a few cliche pits here and there. The fight between Shen and Araj was particularly disappointing in my opinion - you left out the most important part which would have been the climax of the entire thread.

The action sequence, however, was quite well-choreographed. If you could find a format that would allow the movements to flow smoothly from one to another (story-telling wise) then you'll have it in the bag.

Persona - 4

While Kishurin still appears a bit flat, as well as Shen in certain circumstances, Mac actually got the most character development out of all the three. I'd like you to try harder in pin-pointing each individual's motivations and their reaction to it, although you should also take into account who the main player of the story is to avoid hi-jacking your own character's spotlights.

Miscellaneous

Wild Card - 5

Had potential. Came out a bit short. ^_^;

FINAL SCORE – 38!

((Rewards + Spoils))

Shenjara and Co. Group has been formed! Offical Althanas recognition pending.

Shenjara receives 800 EXP and 450 GP from the stash of money the bandits had accumulated.

Kishurin receives 800 EXP and 350 GP. He restocks his arrow quiver, realizing that it can only hold 40 of them at the moment. He should also get that bow, the knife and that iron shortsword checked for durability - I distinctively remembered Mac dropped his battleaxe on them when they got to the healer's. *Innocent whistle*

Mac receives 800 EXP and only 330 GP. He gets his iron shortsword, longsword and helmet... albiet quite scratched up and indeed had seen better days. He also receives the 40 Maga points for all that time he's been relaxing.

See you next time~

[Cyrus the virus]

EXP added!