Fragments of the Past (take two)

[Zerith]

One week ago…

The last thing he remembered was that he was exploring the ruins of Kithdur. He was hired to, otherwise there was no way he would find something going out into the desert. In fact he wasn’t even planning on going to Fallien anyways. However that changed the moment the Jya asked him for help. It wasn’t the job itself or the Jya that made him want to accept the job. Instead it was the mention of the reward. The amount of gold he would receive would be enough to give him a break from the job of being a mercenary. So what if he didn’t think he was the ‘warrior’ the Jya thought he was? For the amount she was paying, he’d call himself a warrior to anyone.

Everything went black all of a sudden in the middle of the exploration. He was just about to turn around a corner when he felt something hit the back of his head. He didn’t remember hitting the ground though, everything went black during the fall. It wasn’t like it was dark enough down in those ruins. How anyone could find their way around there was a mystery. The cold, empty corridors were filled with silence and the writing on the walls didn’t help the mercenary since he didn’t understand them at all. As he went further into the ruins the only things he heard were his own footsteps echo down the halls and the burning torch, his only companion in the creepy place. Earlier he had though that the torch would keep him safe, if only he knew how wrong he would be.

That was all in the past though, The job, the ruins, the torch and the dark hallways were all behind him. His head hurt now, a groan of pain escaped his lips as he was finally coming back to consciousness. The last thing he remembered was the hit on the head and the corner he was approaching. Yet when his eyes finally opened they didn’t see the corner, his torch or the symbols etched into the walls. Instead saw stared at the sea of sand around him, the black sky and the pile of his belongings that rested at his feet. He tried to bend over and pick up his things, but to his surprise he was unable to.

He was tied to a wooden post. The large amount of robe covered his torso and confined his hands behind him and out of sight. He couldn’t move his arms at all and when he tired he legs he discovered they were tied as well. Fear was taking over and he tried to thrash his body about but discovered he could only move his head around a little. Searching for answers he looked left and right for any clue as to where he was. In the end it proved nothing, the only things around him were the pile of his things, the night sky and the empty desert that surrounded him.

There was nothing he could do to free himself. He didn’t have any understanding as to what was happening and who did this to him either. Eventually when he began panicking he felt like he was being stabbed in the chest. The confused and frightened mercenary tired to calm himself, taking deep breath hoping that it would help get rid of the pain that filled his chest. Until he finally gave into his fears and screamed for help. Begging for someone or one of the gods to come to his aid and free him. The screams carried out over the sand until they eventually died, followed by the cries of a man who was afraid to die alone.

After he cried all he could and was left sobbing. The mercenary saw something move in the distance. The man looked as hard as he could, praying for another glimpse of movement. Then something beneath the cool sand moved again, and again. The mercanary screamed for help again to see if he would get an answer. He pleaded for whatever he saw to come save him and that he would be rewarded. Sure enough the shadow beneath the sand emerged, bring the man’s worst nightmares into reality.

A shriek escaped the form of the nightmare come to life. Filthy, stained wraps of silk covered it’s entire body save for a few sections where the rotted flesh was easily seen. Glowing orange eyes pieced the darkness and shed a small amount of light on a face that drove countless towards insanity. It climbed out of it’s grave in an instant and began to approach the terrified mercenary. The man tied to post screamed continuously, begging the creature to stop as he trashed about in an attempt to break the ropes and grab his things so he could fight the thing off. His eyes stared in horror at the glowing eyes of the Arta, watching helpless as the creature crossed the desert and shrieked again. The mercenary mustered up every ounce of strength that he could to try and break the ropes. Even as the deformed, dead hands of the Arta grabbed his shoulders he didn’t cease screaming and thrashing about. The horrific, orange eyes stared at the Arta’s newest meal until it finally began to eat.

The final screams of the mercenary were like all the others. They traveled across the sands for a good distance until they too died in the desert.

***

Two days ago…

“So you see Mr. Dracosius,” The Jya concluded. “It’s been a real concern to me as to what lies in the ruins of Kithdur.”

“Yes, I think I can understand how you’re feeling” Zerith anwered. “The fact that you’ve sent numerous people there and none have reported back to you his rather suspicious. It only logical that there has to be something there since you’re not getting any answers. Although I’m going to make sure that will change for you shortly.”

“Excellent. I will hire a few others to travel with you. On top of that, I’m going to send Kamura, one of Fallien greatest generals to travel with you as well. He’s what you would call a hero in this country, so I have no doubts that you should have no trouble returning to me.”

Zerith smiled, “I am honored that the Jya would take such measures to ensure my success. I will be sure to return to you with a full report.”

***

After travelling for two days, Zerith was still wondering just how much further it would be to get to these ruins. The heat was getting to him, and the thought of going into the ruins and out of the sun was rather appealing right now. He didn’t regret what he was doing, he felt honored that the Jya called him a warrior and wanted his help. She even went through the trouble of giving one of her greatest generals the task of travelling with them and escorting her newest group of warriors. All of which the halberdier had never met let alone work with before.

In the back of his mind he wondered just what was in store for him, Kamura and the other people the Jya hired. From what the Jya said, none of the other people that had this task returned. So if that was the case, what was the reason behind it?

“Kamura, what do you know about the Ruins of Kithdur?” he asked from atop his horse.

“Well from what I have heard, the Kehlat tribe supposedly dwells there. It gets even better though, apparently they tried to assassinate the Jya before and people are saying they’re plotting to do it again. Also, the Jya told me that she’s hoping to find some information about the Vadhya.”

“Okay, and just what is the ‘Vadhya’?”

“That, my friend, is a little hard to explain. When we get into the ruins I’m sure it will be easier for you to understand,” Kamura answered.

“Alright, fair enough. But how long is it going to take us to get to the ruins?”

Laughing, the Fallien general answered, “You ask that everyday Zerith. It’s not that much further though. We should get there really soon.”

“Good,” the halberdier responded. “Because this heat is killing me.”

As the four of them continued on horseback, he began to wonder just what the Vadhya was and why it was so hard for Kamura to explain. For some reason, the halberdier felt like he just didn’t know enough about what he was getting himself into. That in turn brought an unsettling feeling to the young fighter, uneasiness about what was hidden deep in those ruins. For if there was something someone was trying to hide, how bad could it be if it meant making others disappear when they got close enough. And what would happen if it Zerith and the others got close enough as well?

[Witchblade]

Two Days Ago

Witchblade stood in the elaborated decorated throne room, or whatever the natives of this despicable land called it. The room was spectacular; large stonewalls towering to a ceiling that was over eighteen feet above her head. Stone figures of past heroes and perhaps leader littered the place as if showing off great pride for their heritage and the current leader perched her high and mighty self on her little throne. Sure she was beautiful but Witch was not interested in women, come to think of it she’d never really been interested in men either but that was neither here nor there and not something she should be thinking of at the moment. Then again, being in the presence of people such as this Jya usually made her mind wonder to more important issues.

The halfling had her arms crossed over her chest; her cloak thrown away from her body and her hood for once was not covering her face. She was getting quite a few odd looks and stares from the people gathered in the room but she didn’t care, they could gawk at her red eyes, pale skin, weird purple markings and the fact that her mouth was sown shut all they wanted to. Their opinions mattered little to her though she would love to hear a few of them screaming in agony and crying out for mercy as she ripped them apart, slowly. She wasn’t here for that though, no she was here because someone had just happened upon her out in Fallien and decided that she was a warrior and that she would join some kind of valiant effort of some kind.

Valiant warrior her ass. Courage and bravery was for the weak, strength was the only thing she relied on. Brutal strength and her own skills, nothing more, nothing less.

“So you see, we’re growing rather worried over the fact that we keep sending people to the ruins yet none of them return, not even so much as a message from them.”

Growing rather worried? Was there something wrong with this chick? Clearly all these men or warriors she was sending to these ruins were being killed. If she couldn’t figure that one out on her own then this chick had some serious issues.

”So, let me get this straight, you want to hire me to travel to some ruins with a few other ‘warriors’ you’ve hired to find out what’s been going on?”

“Exactly.”

The halfling sighed and weighed her options. She could screw this crazy lady and go on her marry little way or she could stay and help, fight for the good guys. Good Witch, bad Witch, good Witch, bad Witch. Damn it, she didn’t know who to be and for crying out loud she wasn’t a warrior she was freaking murderer. These people had strayed far from their path thinking she could and would help them.

“I’ve already hired one man, Zerith Dracosius.”

Yep, that Zerith guy sounded like some all-powerful warrior to her all right. Wait a minute…why did that name sound so familiar to her? Searching her mind for any events that stuck out to her over the passed six months, Witch came across one thing; The Cell. Her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched tightly. Zerith, that bastard, she remembered him now. He was the one who had poisoned her during their little battle. If he hadn’t of done that, things might have turned out gravely different. The battle with Rheawien, the bitch who had killed Izvilvin may have actually been killed by her hand instead of the other way around. Though Zerith himself had not killed her he may as well have hammered half the nails into her coffin for Rheawien, he’d hampered her so much during that battle she’d been no match for the elfin bitch.

“There shall be a reward, don’t think I won’t pay you handsomely for this.”

Witch arched a brow and looked back at The Jya. The words brought her out of her memories, memories that surfaced so rarely.

”Do I look like someone in need of petty handouts and petty human money?” The Jya didn’t answer her and well she shouldn’t. ”I think you’re asking the wrong person to help you, I’m not a warrior and I’m not someone to fight for truth and justice and all that other bullshit you people spout to convince yourselves to do the right thing.”

Witchblade turned to go when The Jya finally spoke up again.

“Please don’t leave yet, whether you consider yourself a warrior or not doesn’t matter, we need your help. Others that we have sent have most likely met with certain death and I know not the dangers that await you in the ruins…but please.”


----------------------------

Witch rolled her shoulders as she readjusted her butt. She wasn’t used to riding horses, she preferred to walk or occasionally fly. Being stuck in a saddle for the better part of two days was wearing away at her patience, she probably could have reached her destination by now on her own, but no she just had to tag along with the others in the group.

At least Daegun was enjoying himself. Her little while dragon was perched on the saddle in front of her, his clawed paws carefully holding onto the neck of the horse who didn’t seem bothered by the fact that a baby dragon was riding atop him anyway. He was gazing over the barren lands of Fallien as if he saw an Oasis before him instead of the sand, the dry dirt and the dust. She liked it though, his innocent eyes gazing out at a region of Althanas he’d never seen before.

There was something familiar about the place to her though. She’d only been here once before and it was for a short time, but it wasn’t that, it was something else. Something she couldn’t explain or even begin to understand. Perhaps it had something to do with her past, perhaps something else. She didn’t know and now was not the time for her to explore it. She had eternity.

How did she ever get herself into these messes? Maybe next time good Witch reared her ugly head she was going to decapitate the bitch and prevent any further outings such as this.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

What the hell could she have meant by that? Thought the Freelancer, Ravenok Kinnes. He wondered what the whore had meant when she said that Ravenok would probably encounter others on his little journey, for the same cause. The thought sickened him. Travelling with others wasn't Ravenok's specialty, especially when it meant going into deserted ruins to find some information that apparantly couldn't be acquired by the past legion sent inside, and by the same person! Hopefully though, if Ravenok's luck kept with him, he wouldn't meet up with this other group. maybe he'd even find the incompetent bastards dead within the place, dead and possessions ready for the taking.

The thought had kept Ravenok glad, even hoping a little for the journey. But not for long.

-----------------------------------

He had left about only a single day after the troupe, Ravenok was told by the Jya. He had stumbled upon Fallien only recently, looking for work. He was scouted out and asked if he would like to explore some ruins. No details were given to him, except the fact that people had been sent before him, and they hadn't returned. This thought kept him unfrightened and undettered, until they told him that he may though come across the last group that was sent a day before. He may have not held fear for the dead, but he did fear travelling with lilly-heads on a trip that he could probably do alone. Four people, he was told.

They pointed the reluctant Freelancer in the general direction of the previous four who left before him, said that it would be best that he try and catch up to them before they made it to the ruins. "Plan on meeting up with them? Good luck, my friend. They have a days head start!" No, Ravenok did not plan on meeting up with them, he should have killed her on the spot for even thinking such shit. He was far from a fool though, he had asked several people in Fallien about the ruins, and each time they explained in vague detail the peril and danger lurking within. Ravenok disliked the idea, but decided to embrace it anyway.

He wasn't worried about catching up with the group. Alone he could travel extremely fast, motivated by several reasons. For one, he had accepted the help of the other group, even presumed that he wouldn't be able to do it wihtout them. He was also told that he would be payed a great deal, plus any loot they came by in the ruins could be his as well, if he negotiated with the others. Alone he could sleep for less amounts of time in the night, move faster in the day. Not worrying about the rest of the group slowing him down. Yes, the speed of his trek would surely allow him to catch up to the other group in time.

-----------------------------

He was sweating profusely, sun beating upon his already tanned skin. His journey had slowed down significantly due to the heat. It had been a day snce he left, and he was getting pissed that he had neither found the ruins, nor the group of four said to have come along this way. He was kept to a light jog, with small, meager rests in between. He was rather glad though, when he began to see faint horse tracks. Not gladness coming from him finding them and journeying with them, but gladness that came from the fact that he would be able to slow down after he caught up to them.

He saw them, the four. There was certainly a horse. The sands allowed Ravenok to quietly walk up behind them, he was only abot fifteen feet away now. Ravenok screamed out to them, wondering if they'd be able to hear him. His voice was raspy, he had forgotten to pack provisions before the trip. He was thirsty, and that was pretty much all he thought of at the moment.

"Hey, you! Have you a jug of water or a waterskin I might be able to use for a moment?" He screamed.

[Primal Urge]

God these people are slow thought 271 as he coaxed a little more speed out of his weary horse, if they don’t hurry up, i’ll have to kick the door in without them he concluded before tightening his legs about his mounts waist and hurtling onwards. One of his companions, that mouthy fellow with the big halberd, had started flapping his gums at the ‘General’ again, which only served to aggravate him further for 271 wasn’t one for words, only action and every question he asked was just another delay.

Angrily glaring at Zerith, as he continued to pepper Kamura with useless queries, 271 fought to hold his tongue whilst the answers rattled off inside his head. Does it LOOK like we’re near the ruins? Can you see them in the distance? god, even sarcasm would be wasted on this one. Forcing himself to shift his attention away from Zerith’s dawdling, 271 next let his gaze fall upon Witchblade, a woman with skin as pale as death who, thankfully, was too preoccupied with her pet to waste time talking.

Eventually, 271 managed to suppress his frustrations enough to concentrate on other matters, like just why the Jya had needed to hire so many warriors in the first place, when most people couldn’t handle 271 on his own. Thinking back to the message her lackey had given him, he failed to notice a smile creeping across his lips as he glanced into the distance and finally saw the time-worn walls of the ruins, this is fucking overkill.

Two days Earlier

Memphis Tal was a short and rat-faced man, more suited to pawing over bundles of parchment than actual ‘field work’, but when the Jya had ordered him to find some ‘volunteers’, he hadn’t the balls to refuse her. Taverns in Althanas were like grubby jewels in societies crown, attracting the dregs of life like moths to a burning flame,so it wouldn’t have surprised anyone when he arrived outside the horny goat and muttered “ If there’s anyone crazy enough to accept the Jya’s quest, this’ll be the place to find them".

Entering the den of squalor however, proved to be far more difficult than he had anticipated, because his arrival seemed to, out of sheer coincidence, coincide with an unexpected brawl!

Ducking a table, as it soared through the air and narrowly missed crushing him, Memphis looked around wildly for what had caused the incident and, as fortune would have it, wasn’t kept waiting long before his eyes fell upon the tattooed chest of a giant. This human didn’t just look like a juggernaut though, he seemed to fight like one as well, a reality that became all too obvious when the stranger took on six people at the same time and systematically beat them senseless.

The cowardly clerk bit his lip when he remembered the reason he had come here and would have sorely been tempted to tell the Jya his search had been unsuccessful, had he not known she had spies watching his every move. Death at the hands of this brute paled in comparison to the things she would do to him if he failed her, yes Death would be a blessing he thought before plucking up the courage to address the barbarian.

Steeling his nerves with images of what would happen, should he fail the task he had been given, Memphis stammered slowly” H....Hey Y...You! he said, attracting the large mercenaries attention long enough for someone to sneak up on him” How would you like to earn some coin?”. Before the ‘giant’ had a chance to consider Memphis’s proposition however, a chair came crashing down upon his back and splintered into a thousand pieces. Instead of crying out in pain, a natural reaction to such a dirty trick, the monster unleashed a guttural snarl that sounded more beast than man, as he shrugged off the blow like a meddling insect and whirled upon his attacker with a terrible rage.

Memphis had averted his eyes long before the offending thugs face was reduced to a bloody pulp by the juggernauts devastating fists and only spoke again once the dull slap of flesh against bone had stopped. “S...so you interested?” he inquired, certain that if he could convince someone as psychotic as this to join the quest, the Jya would reward him greatly.

271 slowly rose from where he had been crouched over his assailant and gazed at the clerk with eyes still streaked with blood” Who do you want me to kill?” he demanded, in a voice as cold and unforgiving as winter. Memphis smiled triumphantly at, what he assumed to be, this savages agreement, and hastily ordered them a round of ale before relating the details of his tale.

The present

271 roared with excitement as his horse thundered across the scorching sand, thrusting him towards the danger that awaited them with the reckless abandon of someone with nothing left to lose, and everything, to gain. Probably nothing but a bunch of bandits, preying on lily-livered fools he thought as he dismounted from his horse and started to descend the few weathered steps that still protruded above the sand.

Little could he have known...how wrong he was.

[Zerith]

As he watched the giant that was his companion roar with excitement as he went ahead of the others. Zerith could see how the place got it’s name. Because as the four of them finally arrived, he saw that whoever named the place the ‘Ruins of Kithdur’ wasn’t lying. Originally, he thought that these so-called ruins would be nothing more than a four, crumbling walls that once made up a temple or something. In it they would find some sort of stairway leading to a series of cool, dark corridors and empty rooms filled with dust. Seeing as how that was what ruins sounded like in children’s stories.

Though now as he saw his destination with his own eyes. He so surprised at first that he thought he was seeing a mirage. Kithdur was actually the size of a city, yet all the building were reduced to crumbling walls that reach a maximum height of twelve or fifteen feet. There were no solid, stone roads to walk on, only more hot sand. Even then, they were few of what were once major streets, all connected by numerous alleyways a side roads. Yet without a map, there was no way to tell where you were going, everything looked the same. Far in the distance, in the heart of the dead city stood a massive monolith. It was like a lighthouse in a way, a giant beacon to point out to travelers where Kithdur rested. But as he stood in front of the massive wall that circled the entire city, the tower seemed so far away.

Perhaps the heat was getting the best of the halberdier. Or maybe the dull brown stone wall that acted as a city for the city depressed him, making him feel like the city really was dead and forgotten. “What the hell could we expect to find here?” he asked himself. Then suddenly Kamura’s voice brought him back to the real world, back to the barren, scorching desert.

“We are here, the Ruins of Kithdur,” the guide said, stating the obvious.

“I see,” the halberdier replied as his ears picked up the sound of someone shouting. His head turned around and his eyes immediately fixed on the image of horse and it’s rider. The stranger screamed for water, making the mercenary believe that the man didn’t prepare before heading into the desert. If it wasn’t for Kamura’s guidance, Zerith would have probably been in the same predicament. Thankfully the native to Fallien made sure everyone in the group was well prepared before going into the desert Without thinking, Zerith grabbed his waterskin and tossed it to the stranger. “You’re far from the city, there’s only ruins here. I’m Zerith, and this is Kamura,” he said as he gestured to his guide. He would have introduced the other two that had traveled with him, but he hadn’t quite memorized their names yet. All he knew was that the man was probably big enough to crush skulls in his hands and for some reason, the strange woman looked oddly familiar.

"Where have I seen h-? Oh yeah, The Cell! I tried to team up with her against Rheawien after I poisoned her,” he thought. “Shit. I hope she’s forgiving, otherwise I’m screwed.” He remembered now, he never got her name because the two of them fought against each other in a tournament not to long ago. Thought her mouth was still sewn shut and her skin was still pale, he clearly remembered her being topless the last time he saw her. “Man, even though we tried to kill each other, she really did have some nice br-“

“Zerith?” Kamura called. “Perhaps we should head into the city and see if we can find something. From what I heard, the Kehlat live in seclusion underground.”

“Well then that’s what we’ll look for,” the halberdier replied. “For some sort of method to get underground and whatever we’re supposed to find down there. If anyone has any ideas on where to look, they’d be greatly appreciated.”

There was no use asking the giant to wait, he had already descended the stairway that lead into the city and was probably busying himself with exploring the ruins. The group would catch up to him eventually, but first Zerith wanted to sort something out. “You,” he said as he looked to the man he gave his waterskin to. “What the hell are you doing in these ruins?”

[Witchblade]

She travelled in silence. The guide that kept opening his mouth to speak being enough of a nuisance to her she didn’t want to provoke anymore conversation than necessary, not that she would even have anything to talk about with these filthy creatures. They were beginning to smell too. Travelling through the desert under stifling temperatures and the constant beat of the sun made the humans sweat and even though she was feet away from them her sensitive nose easily picked up the stench and was just as easily revolted by it.

At least Daegun was enjoying himself. He didn’t seem perturbed by the smell coming from her companions instead he seemed very interested in the ruins that were beginning to loom in the distance. Large stone structures that were succumbing to the elements and time were grouped closely together in what was once a vast city. Some were nearly buried in sand that had blown in over the desert and if there ever was stone walkways on which the citizens used to go about their daily business they were either long since destroyed or just buried under a mountain of sand. Witch guessed that at least two feet of the actual were really buried under the desert and given about another hundred years and these ruins were barely be visible. The only reason they weren’t completely buried now was the stone wall surrounding the city which protected most of it.

It was spectacular yes, but it looked like every other crumbling city Witch had ever laid her eyes upon and she’d seen a lot of them and explored a lot of them in her day. Still, it brought about the familiar excitment in the pit of her stomach. Exploring new places was one thing she loved above all else, even killing. Curiosity was one thing she couldn’t deny herself and she had a wild imagination and sometimes wondered at the great things to be found within ruins such as these.

They were always over the top though and barely anything was ever discovered upon exploration of ruins. They were hundreds of years old and many explorers had been in and out of them, therefore much of the stuff to be found had already or was completely lost.

When the extremely large, barbarian of a man excitedly ran off into the place, Witch sighed and shook her head, hoping beyond hope that part of the ruins would collapsed and squash him like the insect he was.

Then there came a yell and Witch twisted around in her seat looking at the approaching man who seemed to be following their tracks in the sand. He was screaming about water and unfortunately Zerith actually produced a water skin and gave it to the man. She on the other hand would have just let the sands have him. If he was stupid enough to come ill prepared into a desert then he could rot out here. Althanas didn’t need any walking its surface as dumb as him, it already had enough.

Turning back around, Witch spurred her horse forward, passed Zerith and their guide Kamura, “I’m going ahead, I’m sure I can count on the fact that you won’t bury anymore poisonous daggers into my back, Zerith.”

The message was telepathic, she could verbally speak but moving her lips caused the string holding them closed to tear into her flesh. It was uncomfortable and she hated the taste of her own blood. The message was also broadly cast, meaning the others around her could hear it as well, she didn’t bother focusing solely on Zerith’s mind. Allow the humans to think what they wanted of him.

At the wall to the city, Witch got off her horse and tied its saddle to a small stone pillar and then grabbed her rucksack off the side of it and threw it over her shoulders. Daegun spread his wings and glided down onto the hot sand, his scales protecting him from what would be rather uncomfortable to bare skin. He ran ahead of her, almost tripping down the stairs leading into the actual city.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

Ravenok caught the waterskin and with a nod of thanks, he began to drink out of it. He pretty much just shoved the thing into his mouth and let the water coat the insides. He quickly tossed it back and nodded with thanks again. After he tossed it back strange words were said in his head, he had no idea where they were coming from, but he also didn't really care what they said. He watched Witchblade ride off after the words left Ravenok's head. He didn't care much for introductions, nor did he care for others introducing themselves. The women who rode off would get to know Ravenok in due time anyway, he didn't know how long he'd have to spend with this little group.

He cleared his throat and dry swallowed a couple of times, letting the water lather up his throat and tongue so he could speak. "What do you think I am doing here? I'm here to explore these 'ruins of death.' And I suppose that you, Zerith, are the one whom I was supposed to catch up to. What luck with timing on my part!" He finished, pointing to the ruins that finally decided to come out of hiding, Ravenok didn't pay much attention to the architectural design of the structures or how much they had eroded away from the elements. What he did look for was the entrance, though.

Ravenok realized that he hadn't said his own name yet... Well, maybe they'd ask him, if they were so concerned about it. Quite frankly, he didn't care whether or not they knew his name, he didn't even care if they died here within the ruins - almost hoping for it. He was here for business, and he didn't want to get friendly with these fools.

He examined everyone that was present with a careless eye, just trying to see how'd they would each measure up in a fight. The only one who actually looked a little strong was the man who had already run into the ruins as Ravenok made his presence known. The women with the stitched mouth looked like a freak, and the man named Zerith showed himself as a goody-two-shoes. He didn't expect any of them to actually just throw him some water, he would expect them to make him pay for it, or something. He already didn't really like this group.

"I hear bad things about this place. I hope this is worth it." Ravenok said, mostly to himself. He sped up his walking pace so that he was only a couple feet behind the group. Ravenok wasn't much into exploring ruins of peril, he was more used to just killing people for money, rather than gathering information for someone for money.

[Primal Urge]

The stifling heat of the desert slowly began to dissipate as eager feet lead him down the steps and into the darkness of the buried catacombs, leaving the other adventures to ‘size each other up’ outside. 271 wasn’t exactly sure why he was drawn to danger, often finding himself being pulled into it like a leaf caught in the current of a whirlpool, but the minute the silence washed over him, his heart started pounding violently.

Most creatures needed light, and felt vulnerable without it’s comforting rays washing over them, 271 however, had been subjected to sensory deprivation on multiple occasions, so felt at ease within the eerie stillness, a predator on the prowl. Squinting for a moment or two, the mercenary’s pupils rapidly adjusted to the lack of light and compensated by filtering in a primal aspect of an animals DNA, nocturnal vision as clear as any owls. They sure jacked me up he thought as the dim world trembled suddenly, it’s features accentuated by his eyes until he saw as well as he had on the surface, Lets see you sneak up on me now.

His newfound confidence though, died like the smirk on his lips, when Witchblade invaded a head that had already been crowded by splinters of his personality, causing a startling reaction in the massive human. Instead of heeding the words, (most men would), or ignoring them (most men could), 271 staggered into the nearest wall, his breath coming in short and ragged gasps as he struggled to maintain his fragile grip, on reality.

Someone backstabbed me?! he thought, as he angrily rifled through his memories, finding no trace of even meeting Zerith before, let alone being betrayed by him, which eventually caused the voice of clarity to pierce his tortured brain. No, not me, he poisoned another he concluded, unsure of how he should interpret this revelation, was this a one-off event when the man had been backed into a corner? Or did he simply discard people when they were no longer useful? The brief insight into Witchblade’s past provided 271 with a troubling perspective that would, no doubt, make him considerably more wary around the halberdier.

271 was alerted to the entrance of Witchblade shortly after he had shaken himself out of his stupor, though not by her footsteps, but by the small dragon she kept as a pet, for the racket it made tumbling down the steps was enough to wake the dead. She walks like a ghost he muttered as he peered back towards her, hell, she even looks like one.

He was starting to wonder just how desperate the Jya had been at this point, as he considered the ‘companions’ she had dispatched to aid him, first he had the betrayer, a man more likely to kill him while he slept than help him, by the sounds of it. Next he had dead-girl, with her bumbling pet, and finally, a mystery guest, who’d been so lazy, they’d arrived a day late. Fucking brilliant, he thought, as he turned a corner and ventured further into the ruined city, looks like i’m flying solo after all, just the way I like it.

[Zerith]

“For the record,” Zeirth said replied as Witchblade passed him and invaded his mind yet again. “I wasn’t the one that was carrying the dagger, you were. Besides, it was kill or be killed.” He explained. Why was he even defending his actions in the first place? He didn’t regret them the slightest bit. The two of them had tried to kill each other and if the circumstances were different, Zerith was sure Witchblade would’ve stabbed him with the same dagger. “Still bitching that I killed you with your own dagger eh?” he thought. “Serves you right.”

Now that Witchblade went on ahead, the halberdier’s gaze turned to the newest member of the group. “Well it’s good to hear that luck is treating you well,” he answered sarcastically. Not a word of thanks was given to him for sharing some of his water. Both that and Witch’s comment were putting Zerith in a bad mood. What perfect timing for it as well, just as they reached the ruins. “You might as well go on ahead and catch up to the others. I just have to deal with my horse first and then I’ll be right behind you.” Once the stranger went off to join the others, Zerith climbed of Exarion and began to tie up beside Witch’s horse.

“I take it that things haven’t gotten off to a good start?” Kamura asked as he approached the halberdier after the general finished securing his horse.

“You got that right,” Zerith answered. “I doubt things will get any better by the end of this mission too.”

“I see,” the guide replied. “Is what the woman said true. Did you really stab her in the back with a poisonous dagger?”

“She had it coming,” Zerith said. “In a match like that, it’s not a case of if you die. It’s when and how die. I don’t see why it matters anyways. All three of them don’t seem to take me seriously.”

“If you want to lead, you have to serve.”

“What? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll figure it out eventually,” Kamura answered as he placed a hand on the halberdier’s shoulder. “When you do, you’ll figure out what the key behind being a leader is. Until then, we had better catch up with the others. The last thing we need for one of them to do is set off a trap or something.” After finishing his sentence, the Fallien native turned and heading into the ruins.

“Those ruins are hundreds of years old, there can’t be any working traps in there. Right?” Zerith asked and turned around to look at his guide. After seeing that Kamura had gone on ahead as well, the halberdier quickly gathered his things and followed his group into the catacombs. “Right!?”

[Witchblade]

Light quickly faded as Witch walked into the darkened halls of the ruins. The words Zerith had issued at her were forgotten. She’d ruffled the feathers and that’s all she’d wanted to accomplish. The fact that he had stabbed her with her own dagger, it no longer bothered her. It was as he said, a kill or be killed situation and unfortunately he’d helped kill her, though he’d not provided the final blow.

One of the members of their little group was already a few feet ahead of her and alerted to her presence by Daegun, her small little pet easily losing his footing on the ancient stairs. He quickly regained himself, looked back up at her and then ran ahead and further into the darkness. She wasn’t too worried, the thought of traps did cross her mind but he was fast and small and would easily avoid traps that she herself would find much more difficult.

The thoughts of the human in front of her—a very odd smelling human—flowed into her mind as she kept a telepathic link open with those she was travelling with. It wasn’t that she wanted to know what he was thinking, he wasn’t bothering with shielding his thoughts and she could do nothing about it. Of course, calling Daegun a ‘bumbling pet’ was uncalled for. He was a cute baby dragon and he was her baby dragon.

Needing no light for the moment, Witch’s eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, her pupils dilating to the point where no colour could be discerned in her irises.

“You know,” Witch began, speaking directly to the large human in front of her, “You should be careful what you think around a telepath, especially when her ‘bumbling pet’ is probably stronger than you.”

The last part of the statement was probably far from true, Daegun had a few interesting abilities but still being a baby there wasn’t much he could do. The human could easily kill him, not that she’d ever give him the chance.

Underground the air was much cooler, yet stagnant. The air was old and had an odd smell to it, one she knew from exploring many ruins. The walls were stone and tan in colour and there was no writing upon them. Of course, this was supposed to be an ancient city, not a temple, she could not expect to find writing on the wall here.

The chamber they were in was not so much catacombs as the large human had thought, instead it was a corridor that stretched and turned and led them somewhere.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

((Sorry for the delay. Normally this would have been up right after Witchblade finished her reply, but I was busy.))

"Hey," Ravenok began, "Wait a damn second!"

The group had pretty much forgotten about him. The vampiric woman had already descended, along with some muscled man that he didn't quite catch a glance of. Now the other two that were right in front of him walked in. Didn't they want to do at least a little strategic planning before just hopping into danger's den? Who would know if a group of marauders were just waiting to pounce on them as they walked in. Whatever... They had all went in and Ravenok was left to take one last look behind him before going inside himself. Civilization was so distant... Who would hear their screams if something were to happen? Ha ha... Death surely would.

With one last look at the golden orb that made up the sun, the freelancer turned and descended down the steps. His little moment of peace was nearly broken when he slipped on a little pebble that forced him on his rump and painfully sliding down the steps. He tried his best to avoid the two already descending, rolling to the side. It was a little fun, actually, but in the end painful. He landed on the bottom with a quiet 'oof!' and eyes darting around to see who was watching him. He felt like a fool, letting himself lose his balance and making a ruckus that could very well alert the group's presence to any entities that lurked nearby. Ravenok quickly got up and brushed off his tunic, acting as if nothing had happened. He looked back to the steps for a second, wondering what the two that were already on their ways down were thinking.

"Fucking A..." The monk thought to himself. He finished the panicked brushing of his tunic and straightened his posture so he could look around. Only one word could really describe the place... Dark. The only thing that let the freelancer see his surroundings was the light that came from the nearby steps, his eyes soaking up whatever spectra they could to paint a picture of the dark tunnels before him. They seemed vast, one could easily get lost within these walls. Or better yet... Ambushed. The thought brought out mixed emotions in Ravenok, a little bit of fear, confusion and excitement all danced within his head. Sure, he had hoped that this day wouldn't go by without a nice battle to remember it by, but he didn't want to be mauled in the process.

The air was surprisingly stale, even this close to the entrance. He couldn't pinpoint one specific smell for there were a countless number of scents that littered the tunnels. Rust... Brick... Sweat, and... Death? No, it couldn't be. Not here in this abandoned place. But... The Jya did state that she had sent people before but they never returned. What, were they just sitting around some fire they made in a dark room because they got lost? Or were they killed? The anticipation was almost dizzying. What could possibly happen?

Ravenok turned his body so that he was facing the still descending couple on the steps, and calmly awaited their arrival.

[Primal Urge]

Expecting someone as mentally disturbed as 271 to conceal their thoughts, around a powerful telepath, was like trying to empty the sea with a wine glass, you could always try, but in the end you had no control over the raging tempest. In truth, 271 had to concentrate hard just to keep the primal urges that crept through his mind at bay and so he could do little to hinder Witchblade dissecting his thoughts with a precision akin to a surgeon.

A slight frown creased his lips when the woman announced that the peculiar prickling sensation he had been feeling in the back of his head, was infact, her nosing around in there and, as if that weren’t bad enough, she then cracked a joke to emmasculate him. Growling in annoyance, 271 whipped his head around suddenly and retorted” Just stay out of my damn head. There’s things in there that would curl even your toes”.

Normally, 271 was a cunning and perceptive hunter, more at home in the habitats of his prey than even they were, but Witchblade had persistently distracted him and so he didn’t feel a certain stone, start to sink beneath his feet.

With an ominous rumbling, the ceiling of the chamber began to tremble, dislodging jagged pieces of earth and sending them plummeting towards the two companions. Primordial reflexes, that were often attributed to a cat, suddenly arose within 271 as the missiles sailed through the air, letting him spring forward in a lightning-fast dive and narrowly avoid a massive chunk that would have split his head clean in two.

Quickly rising to his feet, he managed to fend off several more projectiles with forceful blows from his steel gauntlets, but it wasn’t until the chamber had stopped shaking, that he got a chance to glance back to where Witchblade had been standing. Although he had altered his eyes to pierce the swirling gloom of the tunnel earlier, the added cloud of dirt and dust that followed the trap’s activation made it almost impossible to see if the curious woman had been injured or not.

Witchblade hadn’t exactly ingratiated herself with 271 on the journey to the ruins, and the past few minutes had been taxing on the giants patience, to say the least, but he hoped she hadn’t been crushed beneath the hail of rock. If she really was a mistress of the mind, then maybe, once he had performed the Jya’s task, she could help him unlock the past he had forgotten and it was this thought, perhaps, that made him call out questioningly to her. “ Hey back there, are you ok..?”

[Witchblade]

(Apologies, you may blame Zerith for the wait. We’ll be circumventing the posting order for a moment, I shall post, then Z-Man will, then I’ll post again and it’ll go back to normal.)



Witch chuckled as the human in front of her practically bellowed for her to stay out of his head. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant sound, more like a calculating rumble of noise from her throat that sounded almost too menacing to be considered a laugh.

He was telling her to stay out of his thoughts? Well, if he would stop projecting them at her it would be a lot easier but she had to keep a telepathic link open in order to talk to him, thus some of his thoughts were going to leak into her mind. Personally, she had enough voices in her own head she didn’t need to hear any more, including the ones that talked to him, but really, curl her toes? There was nothing left in the ‘great’ world of Althanas that could curl her toes. She’d done it, seen it and killed it—merrily at that too.

Though the thing in front of her didn’t hear the audible click as he sprung the trap, the halfling certainly did with her sensitive hearing. Even before she knew what was happening every instinct in her body screamed for her to do something. Yet, for that brief moment, she froze. Nothing moved and nothing responded to her mind. It was a mistake, one she could not remember herself making in such a long time but in all actuality her guard had not been as high as it should have been. Her arrogant and cocky attitude had gotten the best of her and she’d forgotten just how dangerous these abandoned ruins could be.

Her dragon calmly walked on ahead of her as if nothing were wrong and as the ruins around her began to shake, Witch leapt towards Daegun. She scooped the baby dragon into her arms and shielded him as the ceiling began to cave in around her, shards of rock raining down on the floors, cracking the stones and splitting into small pieces that rained throughout the tunnel. Dust accumulated cutting off the air causing even her lungs to convulse with the need for clean oxygen. When all the rumbling stopped and the world stopped shaking, the halfling was hunched over, kneeling on the ground holding Daegun to her chest with one arm as the other hung by her side, fingers twitching ever so slightly.

Dark blue blood was dripping down her arm and a large shard of rock was sticking out of her back, right in the area of her scapula. Pain flowed down her back and arm, lighting every nerve ending on fire and making it seem like a thousand devils were mercilessly stabbing at her. A series of protesting grunts came from her pet and Witch loosened her grip on him, allowing him to jump down to the floor below her, his paws slipping on the many shards of stone. He nudged her injured arm, which sent pain shooting across her back and made her grit her teeth and hold back the groan growing in her throat.

She ignored the human thing in front of her as he questioned her health and slowly came to her feet, “Zerith…?”

Where was that blasted human when she needed him? She couldn’t very well remove the stone from her own back and she needed it out in order for her healing abilities to kick in.