Somewhere Out There

[Zerith]

((Closed. Also all bunnying between Zerith/Ekirei and Jasmine has been approved for this quest.))

“Come on Jasmine, what’s taking you so long?” A young man thinks as he paces back and forth out front of the stables in Underwood. His patience is nearly gone and worry is quickly taking its place. It just wasn’t like her to be gone for this long of an amount of time. Did she fall off her white horse and break a bone? Was she lost? The questions raced through the mind of the halberdier, making him wonder if he should get on his horse and look for her.

As he debates if he should or not, the faint sound of hooves hitting the ground reaches his ears. Quickly, the man spins around and his sapphire eyes search desperately for a woman in blue on a white mare. Alone and scared, the man prays that he won’t have to enduring waiting any longer. He can’t bear it anymore. He needs to see her, needs to see her alive and smiling at him. To hear her laughing and telling him that he didn’t to worry about her.

Out from around a corner a white horse emerges, It’s rider lays face down on top of it. Trotting, the mare approaches the man and stops while the black haired woman in the blue dress lays motionless. Her long hair covers the sides of her face, the sword she usually wears on her hip is missing. Yet even that doesn’t prevent the man from already knowing who the woman is. In an instant he races to her side and pulls her down from her horse…

…only to be greeted with the cold, hollow eyes of his dead lover. Her throat is slashed and blood covers the entire front of her dress. His eyes widen in horror as her lips mouth two words.

“You’ve failed.”

***

“Jasmine!” Zerith shouted as he woke up with a jolt. His heart was racing, pounding so hard thought it would burst. His chest heaved as he breathed heavily, as if he thought he couldn’t breathe at all. His eyes looked around the room, clothes were littered across the floor, Amenzanil stood in the corner and he was lying in a large bed with the sheets pooled in his lap. The morning light poured through the window and his ears could faintly hear people both outside.

As he was claming down, he felt something move beside him followed by a hand gently touching his bare chest. “Is something wrong Zerith?” a soft voice asked. As he turned his head to see whom the voice belonged to, he was blessed to see a pair of blue eyes and a familiar face look up at him.

“No, nothing’s wrong,” he replied as a smile slowly formed across his face. It had just been a dream, a very bad dream. “I just had a nightmare,” he explained. “So other that being a little startled, I’m fine. How are you feeling Jasmine?”

“Tired,” she replied with smile.

Of course she was, it was all coming back to him. It was three months to the day since the two of them left Erebus together. After leaving Alerar, the two of them traveled to Corone and were currently staying at Underwood. Zerith had taken a job to help rebuild the town after a Kedx nearly destroyed it one night. A night the halberdier told his princess frequently. As each day passed he grew more and more eager to see the town when the work was finished. The news that a statue was being built in honor of the people that helped defend the place thrilled him. Simply because he knew that meant a small part of the monument was being built in honor of him.

But the work didn’t tire her out this time. The truth was that they tired each other out the night before, and again that morning. “My apologies,” Zerith said as he laid down on his side facing her. "I'm not to sure what got into me last night,” he added as he snuggled closer to her, enjoying the feel of her soft skin against his.

She laughed a little, “I guess I must be the only person that has that effect on you.”

“Indeed.”

"Well maybe I should dance for you more often. How does that sound?" she asked with a grin.

"I think..." the halberdier managed to say before he kissed Jasmine's neck gently. "That you should think what you would be getting yourself into by doing that."

"Not now Zerith! I think It’s about time we should get up,” She replied. “Snowdrop is waiting for me.”

The morning ride, Zerith knew exactly what she was talking about. It was some sort of ritual of hers where she would always go for a ride on her horse. There was no purpose behind it, no destination for her to reach. It was just a time for her to climb onto her horse and just enjoy herself. Yet for some reason Zerith really didn’t want her to climb on Snowdrop and ride through the forest today. The nightmare he had terrified him to the point where even thinking about it sent shivers down his spine. What if the dream he had really weren’t a dream at all, but an omen?

“Jasmine, don’t you think it’s too late to go on your ride? We’re not even sure if it’s still morning.”

“We have plenty of time Zerith. Now come on, let’s get up and get dressed,” she answered.

“Well if we really do have plenty of time, can’t we just stay here and relax for a bit longer?”

“No,” Jasmine replied as she climbed out of bed and put her clothes on. “I don’t want to keep her waiting all day for me.”

Groaning, Zerith pushed the bedsheets aside, climbed to his feet and got dressed as well. “Jasmine, can you just please not go on this ride today?” he asked when he was finished. Taking her hands in his he looked straight into her eyes, “I just have a really bad feeling about this. Something’s telling me it’s a bad idea for you to go.”

“What’s gotten into you?” she asked. “I’ve done this everyday and nothing bad has happened. Trust me Zerith, I know what I’m doing.” Jasmine said as she opened the door to their room. “Now come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can feed Snowdrop and I can go for my ride. I’ll even make it a short one today, alright?”

There was just no way he could get her to listen to him. “Fine,” he muttered as he finally gave in. “Just promise me you’ll be careful?” he asked as he stepped through the doorway and headed outside.

“Alright, I promise I’ll be careful,” Jasmine answered as she closed the door behind them and followed.

[Jasmine]

Today, Jasmine had dressed herself in a light blue riding dress she’d recently purchased. It was finely made and the skirts were neatly divided to allow her to ride astride without causing her dress to ride up and put her legs on display. She also wore a short pair of riding shoes that matched the dress. All her weapons were left in their room. She never took them with her on this daily ride and she had no intention of starting now.

She listened only half-heartedly to Zerith as the two left their room and shook her head gently from side to side as she followed Zerith down the stairs to the stables. Whatever had gotten into Zerith, she was certain it was just a passing fancy. He would get over it and when she returned he would see that everything was fine, just as it always was. She loved him dearly, but sometimes he was just a tad too protective.

As they entered a the stable, a gorgeous, pure white mare put her nose over the stall door, asking to be petted. This was Snowdrop, her horse. A few month’s ago, she’d sent to Moriah to have the beautiful mare brought to the mainland. At the time, she had still been seeing Raelyse, but now the Myrusian prince was forgotten, especially after last night. As she reached her horse, Jasmine reached into a pocket on her dress and pulled out a small sugar cube which she fed to the mare and petted the big nose.

“Good morning, Snowdrop! Are you ready for the morning ride? Zerith doesn’t think we should go. Tell me again, Zerith, why I shouldn’t go. You haven’t had a problem with it until today.”

[Zerith]

Every so often a person needed some time to just be alone and relax. For Jasmine, that time was her morning ride. It was the small window of opportunity she had to just get away from the world and just enjoy herself. The freedom, the feeling of not having to worry about anything and the ability to just relax and enjoy the world around her. That was what Zerith thought this quiet time of hers was all about. Although he sometimes wondered exactly what went through the princess’ mind and if he himself was ever thought of, he knew those things were none of his business. He respected Jasmine’s wishes and understood how important this ritual was to her. He even recently took the task of feeding the white mare and was gracious enough remind Jasmine that she could take as much time she needed. Yet today was different.

“I know I haven’t had a problem with it until today,” the halberdier replied as he grabbed a bucket and began filling it with oats. “I can’t explain why, but I just have this feeling that going on your morning ride today is a bad idea.”

“Can you believe that Snowdrop?” Jasmine said to her horse. “He thinks going on our morning ride today is a bad idea. What do you think?” she asked as she continued to pet her friend. The mare neighed in response and pushed her head forward, as if asking to be petted more.

As he picked up the bucket and brought it Jasmine’s horse, Zerith rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, that’s hardly fair Jasmine.” He held up the bucket to the white mare, who immediately took the invitation of breakfast and stuck her nose and began to munch on her oats. “We both know she will always side with you.”

“I’m just saying your starting to be a little overprotective. You’re not my parent Zerith, so stop treating me like a child.”

“Well I don’t mean to make you feel like I’m treating you like that,” he answered as he pulled the bucket away shortly just to hang it off the door of Snowdrop’s stall. As the mare went back to eating her breakfast, the halberdier grabbed a brush and began to brush the mare’s sides. “I guess that nightmare I had is just making me a little nervous. Once you come back from your ride, I’ll be able to relax and you can tell me there was no need for me to be worried.”

As her warder went on and on, Jasmine grabbed her saddle. “Well what exactly happened in this nightmare of yours?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Zerith replied instantly as he tried to push away the horrifying images he saw earlier. “Besides, it was just a bad dream. So there is no need to dwell on it.”

Smiling, Jasmine tossed the saddle up on her horse and helped Zerith fasten it. “See? That’s the kind of attitude you should be having. You just got yourself worked up, that’s all”. With that said she climbed up onto Snowdrop while Zerith lead the horse out of the stables. “We shouldn’t be gone long. Though when I do come back I don’t want to see you pacing back and forth, understood?”

The warder laughed softly, “Understood, Just have a good time. I love you.”

“I love you too,” the princess replied before she looked on ahead and kicked Snowdrops sides. The horse got the idea, sprung to a gallop and disappeared around a corner shortly after. Leaving the halberdier behind alone and struggling to stay in control. Thankfully he managed to succeed in pushing worry and fear aside.

At least for the time being.

[Jasmine]

In just a few short minutes, Jasmine left Underwood behind her. Letting Snowdrop slow to a walk, Jasmine thought over the past week. She and Zerith had been very busy helping rebuild Underwood, though Zerith did more of the work that require muscles and Jasmine helped the women. It felt good to be able to do something for someone else and to work with her hands.

As she rode, Jasmine’s mind flicked over the events of the past week, but then concentrated more on the events of last night. She remembered them in great detail.

She’d just come back to their suite by herself. It was almost dinner time and she hadn’t seen Zerith since lunch. She was starting to wonder where he’d gotten off to, when he came out from around the corner, smiling.

“There you are. I’ve been waiting for you. Come and see what’s awaiting you, m’dear.”

Sitting on the rug was a small table that sat close to the floor, set for dinner. Roast chicken, a bit of pasta and mixed vegetables were on each plate, steaming as if they’d just come out of the kitchen. On a second low table, sat a bowl of berries and bananas and a fondue pot. A fire crackled in the fireplace and was the only source of light other than the two tall candles on the dinner table. All of it together, the delicious dinner aromas, the fondue, the romantic setting, all of it made Jasmine wonder just what Zerith was up to.

“What’s all this about?” she asked as she leaned against the wall to take her boots off. “It looks very interesting.”

Zerith took her hand once her boots were off and led her over to the table. “Just thought you deserved a night that was a little more relaxing than usual.”

Dinner was soon over and the young couple began eating their dessert. Jasmine giggled at something Zerith said and placed a chocolate-dipped strawberry in her lips. Zerith grinned and softly bent his lips to hers, kissing her and taking half the strawberry in the same motion. This time though, once the strawberry was gone, he kissed her again.

Jasmine eagerly returned his kiss, letting her hand come up to cup his cheek as his arms pulled her closer to himself. Dessert was soon forgotten as the two young people lost themselves in each other’s embrace.

Time was lost on Jasmine as she combed her fingers through Zerith’s hair and caressed over face and neck. Every touch in return only served make her want more and more. Softly, she pulled away for a moment and gazed into his sapphire eyes, “What are you waiting for?”

Returning her gaze, he spoke softly, lovingly, “I just don’t want to hurt you.”

Jasmine laughed at that, then kissed him briefly before speaking once more, “My dearest Zerith, you couldn’t possibly hurt me. Now, no more holding back, I love you and only you.”

With that, she again kissed him passionately, silently giving him permission again to let his desires roam free. She was quite pleased to notice that he took that permission as she felt the hand resting on her knee slowly began to slide up her thigh. Letting her hand drop to his, she slid it up further invitingly, then raising it up to rest against his chest.

A few minutes later, Zerith picked Jasmine up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. How they made it there liplocked Jasmine was never certain, but wasn’t too concerned with it.

“Mmm, Zerith...” she mumbled as he set her on the bed before joining beside. “Hehe, this is much more comfy.” As they continued on, his hands drifted to the shoulder straps of her dress and began to push them down.

“Ah, ah, ah, not yet. You’ve treated me very nice tonight, now it’s my turn.”

“Jasmine...”

She only laughed at his almost whiny tone and scrambled to her feet. Quickly, she untied her braid and shook it out so that her hair fell in long waves to her thighs. “Think you can keep a beat?”

“Of course,” he answered, wondering what she was up to.

“Then keep this beat.” She began to clap her hands rhythmically, one slow, followed by 2 quick. When he had gotten it down sufficiently, she began to dance. Her whole body moved fluidly from one step to another. Her hips and shoulders rolled enticingly as she danced. She watched him carefully, then winked. “You can speed up or slow down the beat so long as it stays the same, my love.”

[Zerith]

While the princess’ thoughts were occupied with reliving the events of the night before, two men were hiding in the forest, watching her. Their hands and faces were covered in dirt and their clothes they were also dirty and worn. As both pairs of eyes watched Jasmine slowly ride by, the one man turned to the other and grinned, a gold tooth clearly visible. “It looks like we might make a catch today Durant.”

“By the looks of it, a nice sized one as well,” the other replied. His hazel eyes remaining fixed on the woman in blue. “She looks wealthy, how much do think we can get from her?”

“Everything you two talk about always revolves around money, doesn’t it?” a cold, dead voice called out behind them. A cold hand of rotten flesh gripped onto the shoulder of Durant, causing both men to jump and spin around.

“Holy shit! Damn it Ekirei, you gotta stop doing that.”

“Money has no use when you’re dead. In fact, when the two of you sit in the antifirmament you’ll realize just how pathetic your lives were. You can’t take your treasures there,” the repulsive forsaken responded.

“Okay, whatever you say man,” Durant responded. “But since you’re here, what do you think we should do about her?” he asked as he pointed to the woman on the white horse.

Hollow, empty eyes stared at the form of Jasmine as she remained lost in her daydream. The undead actually tilted his head to the right, as if he was sitting back to admire the woman. “Pretty little angel,” he voice cam out softly, almost soothing. “I wonder how you will continue living once I rip off your wings and force you to live the life of a sinner.”

“Um, boss?” The other man replied. “What’s the plan?”

“Well, Jorge.” The forsaken answered before chuckling. “I think you two should go introduce yourselves to the lady. We’re going to bring her back home with us.” With that, the Ekirei left the same way he came and disappeared into the forest. “Do try not to harm our guest. Otherwise you’ll be reunited with Ridley.”

“I can’t stand him,” Durant whispered to his friend. “That guys seriously creeps me out.”

“Well we don’t have any other choice but to do what he says. Remember what he did to Ridley? Only someone sick in the head would do something like that.” Jorge replied. “Now come on, let’s just get his over and done with so we can head back home…”

***

“So what’s the plan today, Corlone?” Zerith asked. The halberdier was standing outside alongside a taller man with short blonde hair. In the man’s hand was a large tool pouch.

Shrugging, Corlone replied, “Not a big job today Zerith. We’re just going to finish up on that house we’ve been working on all week. Today we’re just going to be putting on the finishing touches. I think you’ll be helping paint the exterior today. Nothing too big.”

“Well in that case, would you mind if I ran back to my room and just tidied up a bit. I’m afraid I left the place in a big mess before leaving today. Seeing as how I’m just painting today, I won’t be missing anything if I started a little late.”

“Go ahead Zerith, I’ll just tell the guys you’re just taking care of something quickly. I’ll see you at the place alright?”

Smiling, Zerith nodded, “Alright, I owe you one Corlone.” He turned around and started walking away until he suddenly spun around again. “Oh, if Jasmine comes back while I’m cleaning, just let me know alright? Thanks.”

“What the hell is taking her so long?” he wondered as he hurried off. “She said she wouldn’t be gone long today.”

[Jasmine]

Jasmine snapped back to attention as she felt Snowdrop come to a stop at a stream to take a drink. She had not realized how deeply she’d been thinking about last night. She’d been here before on rides, which was probably why Snowdrop had come here. However, it was much further than she’d intended to go this morning. Chiding herself mentally, she let her mind drift once again while she let Snowdrop have her drink.

Laughing, she continued to dance however Zerith clapped until at last, several minutes later, she decided that she’d made him wait long enough and sat down in his lap. Before he could respond, she captured his lips with hers and was quite pleasantly surprised to find out just how well her dancing had worked.

“Hehe, don’t pull a muscle in your hurry, dear one. I’m not going anywhere.”

Even as she spoke, his lips left a trail of kisses down her throat and to her chest. Then along the edge of her dress and back up the other side. She moaned softly as his hands slid up under her dress, sliding it up her body and revealing lace undergarments in the process.

Once the dress was off, his kisses again left trails down her body, this time unimpeded by her dress. Her head tilted back as his lips fell hungrily onto her breasts and his hands explored all the skin that was now bared. A low moan escaped her lips as one hand traced up her side to cup and massage her breast, pushing the white lace out of the way in the process.

While he did that, her own fingers worked feverishly at the buttons of his shirt and as soon as the last one was undone, she let her hands glide up his chest and to his shoulders. In one smooth motion, she pushed the shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. Almost irritatedly, he shrugged the shirt off the rest of the way, then finished removing her bra, letting it fall to the floor.

“Much better...” he mumbled as he captured her lips again, pushing her back gently so that she was on her back. Jasmine returned his kisses passionately. She no longer worried about anything other than enjoying this night to its fullest.

Jasmine’s face grew warm as she remembered every loving caress and gentle kiss the two of them had shared. Every touch had fanned the flames of their love-making even hotter as the night progressed until they were finally too tired to continue and had fallen asleep in each other’s arms.

“Let’s get moving, Snowdrop. We’re running late. Zerith will be worried.”

Turning the gentle mare’s head toward Underwood, she gave a light prod with her heels. Snowdrop picked her feet up a little faster and soon rider and horse were well on their way back home, both completely unaware of the eyes watching them this whole time.

[Ekirei]

As Jasmine was finally on the way back to Underwood and her warder, Durant and Jorge had already come up with a simple way to get the woman in blue off her horse. Distraction, it was the only idea the two could come up with. They had hid their horses in the woods, and without them they knew there was no way they could keep up with the princess if she tried to escape. So the plan was to get her off Snowdrop as quickly as possible. So before the white mare could really pick up the pace, the two men put their plan into motion.

As the princess and her horse continued travelling down the small trail was that was just wide enough for one person. The tall, black haired Jorge stepped out from the bushes ahead of the two and blocked their path. His facial expression changed before he looked at Jasmine. Sad, guilty green eyes look at the woman. She took the bait, her curiosity got the best of her. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

“I…I feel terrible,” the thief replied. “Like I won’t receive the slightly bit of forgiveness.”

“For what?”

“This,” the man replied as his lips formed a sly smile. As if on cue, Durant emerged on Jasmine’s left from where he’d been hiding the entire time. His appearance had been sudden and unforeseen, so there was no way Jasmine could have been prepared to face him. Before she could react, she felt his dirty hands grab hold of arm and pull. Unable to fight back, the woman’s body was force to go along and follow her limb. Her body shifted to her left, falling off the back of Snowdrop and luckily managing to land on her feet.

The sudden attack frightened the white mare, which only acted instinctively and broke into a gallop down the road and would have ran over Jorge if he didn’t leap out of the way. As Jasmine helplessly watched the white beast disappear into the distance, Durant managed to circle behind her and grab hold of both of her arms. With her arms held behind her back, Jorge approached the screaming princess with a grin still plastered on his face. “Don’t worry sweetie,” he said. “We’re just going to go for a little trip.”

Though she tried as hard as she could, kicking wildly in defense and shouting for help. The two men had gotten the better of her. The last thing the princess would remember of the encounter would be the fact that the man that stood behind her let go of one of her arms. Then something hard hit the back of her head, and her world suddenly turned black.

“Feisty little thing, ain’t she?” Jorge asked his partner.

“You got that right, managed to give me a good elbow in the jaw,” his companion muttered. “You go put her on yer horse and take her home. I got something to take care of.”

“Where they hell are you going?”

“That white horse of her could fetch a pretty penny if you know what I mean,” Durant answered. “I’m going to go find it and bring it back…”

***

“Zerith! Zerith!” Corlone shouted as he ran into the inn the warder and mage were known to be staying at. The man came to a sudden stop as soon as he entered, his eyes darted around franticly for any sign of the halberdier. “Zerith!” he yelled, “Where the hell are you?”

In reply, a soft chuckle came from the kitchen as the halberdier emerged with a smile. “Sorry about that Corlone. I was just finishing washing the dishes left over from last night,” he replied. He flash and quick smile before he began to head back up the stairs to the second floor. “I’m just about finished. All I need to do is make sure I didn’t miss anything. After that we can get to work on that house.”

“The house isn’t the reason why I came looking for you. Something else has come up, an emergency…” his voice trailed off as he tried to come up with a good way to break the shocking news to the halberdier. Eventually, he realized he couldn’t put it lightly. So he was forced to tell the news exactly as it was, “Snowdrop came back awhile ago…without Jasmine.”

The new made Zerith freeze, like he suddenly hit a brick wall. His left foot even hung over the next step up the stairs. Motionless, Zerith’s voice suddenly took a serious tone as he spoke again, not even bothering to turn his head to face the Corlone. “What the hell do you mean ‘without Jasmine’?”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” the blonde haired man replied. “As in the white horse is back in Underwood. But the woman riding her isn’t. People say they she wasn’t even on the horse when the mare came out of the woods.”

It was then the halberdier finally turned to face his friend. Speechless, Zerith’s face was stricken with fear. “Is…is anyone out looking for her?”

“I’ve already sent a few people out to see if they can find any sign of her. Right now I think she might have just fallen of Snowdrop and broke a leg or something,” he answered. The last words didn’t reach the ears of the halberdier, who had already raced up to the top of the stairs before Corlone noticed. “Hey, where the hell are you going?” the man asked as he ran up the stairs after the warder.

Barging into his room, Zerith pulled his shirt over his head and threw it aside in an instant. “What the hell do you think I’m doing?” he replied as he put his chainmail shirt on followed by the one he just threw off. “I’m going to go find her. I need you to run to the stables and get Exarion ready for me to ride. I would ride Snowdrop, but I doubt I can push her as hard as Exarion.” He explained as he retrieved his dagger and Flaming Rogue and placed them into their sheaths. Without thinking, the halberdier even grabbed all of Jasmine’s weapons as well. He placed her longsword on his right hip, her pair of boot dagger were quickly hidden in Zerith’s boots as well.

As he watched the halberdier throw on his armor and grab hold of every weapon he could find, Corlone couldn’t help but smile a little. “Somehow, I knew you’d react like this Zerith…” he said admirably. “Which is why I already got Exarion saddled up and ready to go before coming here. He’s just waiting outside for you.”

“Thanks,” the warder replied as he ran to the corner of his room and picked up his halberd, Amenzanil. “Sorry about the house Corlone. I won’t be back until I find h-“

“I know man. Now just get out there and find her.”

Placing a hand on Corlone’s shoulder, Zerith gave the man a genuine smile before running out of the room, down the stairs and out of the building. Just as his friend said, Exarion was outside waiting. As fast as he could, Zerith mounted his black stallion and dug his heels into the beast’s sides as hard as he could.

Fear and desperation were taking their effect on the halberdier. As he disappeared into the woods, he prayed to every god and goddess he could think of that he would find his princess alive. He needed to, for his sake.

[Zerith]

As each minute dragged on and on, Durant was getting more and more miserable. Originally he thought the woman’s horse would have just run for a little bit before returning to its owner. Now he realized that was wishful thinking. Staring at the trail he followed, Durant cursed his luck. At the rate he was going at he would reach Underwood before he found that stupid horse.

“Why the hell did Ekirei want that woman anyways?” he thought. It didn’t make sense, the forsaken never brought anyone back to the fort. Up until now he was just satisfied with killing his victims and discarding them like old dolls that ran out of use. The bastard, the way he laughed when he looked at the corpse one last time made Durant’s skin crawl. The undead took pleasure in what he did, imagining all the suffering the blood on his dagger caused. The way he licked the blade clean was disgusting. It was like he had never tasted anything better.

When asked why he had that habit, the undead smiled wickedly. “It sustains me,” he had answered. “The blood feeds my broken soul and thrills me. Those pathetic lives we take are just lambs for me to slaughter. The blood they shed feeds my hunger for vengeance. Besides, their pleas for mercy are music to my ears.”

Ekirei’s voice was suddenly drowned out by the sound of hoof beats in the distance. “About damned time,” Durant told himself as a smile formed on his lips. He could just picture it now, the white mare coming from behind the trees up ahead where the trail curved. He could see the horse stopping before him, as if falling right into his hands. When the horse he had heard finally did come into view though, he was disappointed to see it wasn’t the one he imagined. And it wasn’t alone either.

Instead of the pure white mare a beauty rode upon. The thief was getting by a stallion as black as Ekirei soul probably was. However it did have a white marking between it’s eyes, as if they beast held some good in it unlike the forsaken. It’s rider was a man who looked like a born fighter. His brown hair tangled in the wind, and his sapphire eyes stared ahead of him with determination. In his right hand he carried a large halberd, it’s shaft a deep crimson red as if it was bathed in the blood it shed. As his eyes settled upon the short, chubby form of Durant, the man opened his mouth to speak. “What the hell are you doing out here? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Yeah, well hello to you too,” Durant replied. “I’m trying to find a horse if you really want to know. A nice white one.”

“Snowdrop,” Zerith thought. “I saw a white horse not too long ago,” the halberdier answered. “If you help me, I’ll point you in the right direction.”

“Finally, I get a break!” Durant exclaimed. “What do you need mister? I’ll see if I can help.”

“I’m looking for a woman,” the warder explained. “She has long black hair and blue eyes like mine. She was also wearing a blue dress.”

“Holy shit! This guy is looking for the woman we took.” Trying not to look the man in the eye, Durants eyes looked away. “Blue dress, eh? I’m sorry to say this pal, but I haven’t seen the woman at all.”

The warder’s sapphire eyes narrowed as he watch the man looked away before he answered. His body language betrayed him. He had seen Jasmine, Zerith was sure of it. Climbing off his horse, Zerith slowly approached the thief. “I guess I’ll just have to keep looking. But tell me about the horse. If you give me a better description I’ll be able to tell you if the horse I saw was definitely the one you’re looking for.”

“Well the horse is absolutely gorgeous,” Durant answered as he walked towards the halberdier as well. “It is mare with a lovely, pure white coat. I can’t say for sure where it ran off two though.”

“She ran off to Underwood,” Zerith replied with a smile. The description fit Snowdrop perfectly and since he had never seen the man in underwood before, he assumed Durant wasn’t one of the few that were looking for Jasmine. “You want to know a funny thing about that horse? I’m sure you probably know it already but I’ll tell you anyways.” With a sudden movement, Zerith swung Amenzanil as hard and as fast as he could. The wood struck the thief in the side of the head, sending the man down to the ground shouting in pain. “That horse belongs to the woman I’m looking for.”

The way Zerith saw it; he had nothing to lose by hurting this man. He was sure the dirty thief knew something about Jasmine. All the halberdier had to do was get the idiot to talk. The warder had no patience and no time to waste. So he’d inflict however much pain was necessary for him to hear what he needed to hear. After he got what he wanted, he could care less what happened to the thief. All that mattered to him at the moment was finding Jasmine.

Planting his boot on Durant’s chest, the warder pinned the thief on the ground. Taking Amenzanil in both of his hands, Zerith buried the sharp, titanium point into Durant’s right shoulder. “Tell me where Jasmine is,” he ordered and twisted the halberd a little for emphasis.

Screaming in agony, Durant refused to give in that easily and talk. “Go to hell man. You’re crazy.” He replied through clenched teeth.

“TELL ME!” Zerith roared. On command, the titanium blade crackled with electricity and coursed straight through the halberd and into the stubborn thief. Durant’s body shook as he cried in pain.

“Alright! Alright!,” The weasel screamed. “Ekirei took her to Jadet, northeast of here. Just get this thing out of me and go! I don’t want to die this way!” he said sobbing.

“Fine, go do whatever the hell you want. If you see Ekirei, you can even tell him I’m coming for all I care. If I find out Jasmine is dead I’m going to make him in suffer in ways he can’t fathom. And I’ll kill you and your family for the pain you caused me.” Zerith spat before he yanked the halberd out from the man beneath his boot. Rushing back to his horse, Zerith jumped onto Exarion’s back and left Durant to fend for himself. Urging the stallion to a gallop again, the forest flew by as the halberdier quickly disappeared down the trail.

With a name of a person and a destination, Zerith felt like he was taking one step closer. He just hoped this wouldn’t end the way his nightmare did.

[Jasmine]

Consciousness came back to Jasmine slowly and painfully. Groaning, she sat up and winced as she checked the bump on the back of her head. The last thing she remembered was being attacked in the forest just as she was heading back to Underwood. Grimacing, she stood to her feet, fighting off temporary dizziness until she could move without causing her head to swim.

“Ugh, they hit me harder than I thought. Where am I anyway?”

Looking around, she finally took in the details of the unfamiliar surroundings. The room she was in was pitch black. There was no light to be had anywhere, not even from under the door, where ever it was. Reaching her hands out, they came in contact with walls that were roughly made of rough slabs of granite, almost as if the cell had been carved right into a rock wall. Carefully, she felt along the wall and walked slowly around the whole room. After walking six paces along each wall, she found that it was little more than a large closet.

The worst thing, however, was the stench that permeated throughout the cell. Covering her nose and mouth, she tired to look around for what could possibly be causing such a nauseating odor. In the absolute darkness though, she could see nothing.

Finally!” the forsaken exclaimed with a voice that make a child beg to be held by their mother. “My sweet angel finally wakes up. It’s a shame the rest of the Seraphim aren’t here to greet her.”

Jasmine stifled a scream and looked frantically around. She could see nothing but a pair of eyes that seemed to glint even in the lack of light. Gulping and forcing down nausea and fear she spoke in a trembling voice.

“Excuse me? Who are you? What am I doing here? Where is here?” Confused and a little frightened, Jasmine backed up until her back was against the granite wall. The voice seemed to be coming from directly in front of her.

“Me?” Ekirei asked. “I’m the sinner that bathes in the blood I shed. I’m the one that will make an angel be cast down from heaven and be forced to live the hollow, empty life so many people are cursed to endure. You’re here, sealed away in my kingdom. This abandoned fortress I took for my own, where I can assure that remain holy. Set apart from the rest of the world.”

His words both disgusted and frightened her more. She wished that just once, Zerith had followed her and would come through that door. She swallowed heavily and spoke in a soft voice that she tried to make sound brave, “What do you want with me? What have I done?”

The forsaken grinned, showing his rotten teeth, “Nothing, you’ve done absolutely nothing, my dear. You just look so full of life. I’m going to enjoy every moment of breaking your spirit just as much as my body is broken. I’ll delight in taking away your spirit, making you as cold and heartless as the Antifirmament is. When I’m done with you my angel, I’ll take away so much from your life that you’ll beg for death. Then, after you take your own life, I’ll sleep peacefully knowing another soul has traveled to the Antifirmament to take my place. Your corpse will be a trophy to me, and one day I’ll take them all and make a glorious throne for me,” He said laughing.

The evil look in his eyes terrified the princess to the point where she shuffled along the wall in an effort to get as far away from him as she could. She had to get out of here, but she had no idea how was she going to manage that without a weapon.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Jasmine flung her hands up to protect her eyes in the sudden, bright light as a man burst into the room. She hadn’t gotten a chance to see both of her attackers clearly, but she was sure this must be the one who had dragged her from Snowdrop. Thankful for the distraction that took the hollow eyes away from her, Jasmine slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around herself.

Now that the room was full of light, she was finally able to get a glimpse of her captor. The figure that stood near the door looked like a rotting corpse. Seeing what he looked like now made her understand where the awful stench that filled the room came from. The very thought of him touching her in any way as he fulfilled what he'd said he would do chilled her to the bone. Frightened now more than before, she turned her attention to the man that was talking to Ekirei.

“Ekirei!” he shouted, “We need to talk, Boss.”

“Ahhh, Durant.” The forsaken replied. “How did the horse hunt go?”

“That’s just it, I didn’t find her stupid horse!” Durant yelled. “Instead I ran into some guy on a black horse carrying a red halberd. Of course it’s just my luck that he happens to be looking for her!” he shouted as he pointed to Jasmine. “The bastard stabbed me with his polearm and electrocuted me until I talked. This guy is serious Ekirei, he’s gonna be coming for us. We should just let her go before he shows up here.”

“Well, did you tell him we were here?”

“Of course I didn’t, I’m not that stupid. I sent him on a wild goose chase to Jadet by saying you were there. I don’t know how long that’ll stall him though. He’s bound to find us eventually.”

Zerith! That must have been Zerith!” Sudden hope sprang up in her heart as she realized who Durant was describing. Zerith was the only person in the world that rode a black horse, carried a red halberd, [i]and would have been looking for her. A small smile formed on her lips without her realizing it as she pictured Zerith coming for her.

“You,” Durant said as he pointed to her. “What the hell are you smiling at?”

“You’re in for more trouble than you can imagine. The man you described is Zerith and he’s going to kill all of you.” Confidently, she climbed back to her feet, ignoring the small wave of dizziness that still tried to make her fall back to the floor. “The only reason you still live, Durant, is because Zerith was in such a hurry to catch up and decided to let you live.” She shifted her gaze to Ekirei, still brimming with confidence, “You however, will not be so lucky. You are as good as dead.”

“In case you haven’t notice my angel. I’m already dead,” Ekirei said coldly. “But this sure sounds like a romantic story. The knight in shining armor and the damsel in distress, I can’t wait to see how it ends. Durant, take Jorge and go to Jadet. Find this ‘Zerith’ and kill him. Bring his corpse here, too, while you’re at it, I want to see it with my own eyes,” he said before he stared at Jasmine again. “And I can’t wait to see all the hope in your eyes die as you cradle his body in your lap, knowing he died all because of you.”

"You just wait. Your men won't come back, and if they do, it will be as Zerith's prisoners."

[Zerith]

By the time Zerith reached Jadet, the anger that he felt as he left Durant was long gone. Eventually the rage gave way to a sense of hope. Knowing that Jasmine was alive made the halberdier’s spirit leap with joy, and hearing that she was supposedly only as far as Jadet made things even better. It wouldn’t be long until he would be able to hold his princess in his arms again. He seriously believed that his life would go back to the way it was in no time. However this happiness soon disappeared as well. Unfortunately, it wasn’t replaced by a good thing either.

Depression. When it hit Zerith, he felt like something hard hit him square in the chest. The way he saw it, his life would have still been the same if it wasn’t for one thing. He wouldn’t be in such a predicament if it wasn’t for that one thing either. The real cause of all his problems wasn’t Ekirei, it wasn’t Durant and it definitely wasn’t anything Jasmine did either. It was him. The fact that he couldn’t even get Jasmine to listen to his warning meant he failed as a warder. Because of his inability to do what was required of the position, both he and Jasmine were suffering. Zerith Dracosius, the warder gone wrong. That was who really caused all this.

Even by the time he entered Jadet late that night, the depression still held its grip on Zerith’s mind. Instead of trying to find out where he could find this Ekirei fellow, the halberdier went straight for a nearby tavern instead. The interior looked no different from the taverns in other cities though this one wasn’t nearly as big as the popular ones in cities like Radasanth. It was one of those establishments where he got the feeling it was always full of the same people. As he entered he stared at the ground. He was just not in the mood to make small talk with anyone, or even put the effort into meeting someone new. He knew what he wanted and he wasn’t going to get if from some lowlife alcoholic. So he took a seat at an empty table close to the bar and leaned his polearm against his chair. It didn’t take long for him to get some service. A young, blonde woman quickly approached him with a genuine, friendly smile. “Hey there handsome,” she said with a wink. “What can I get ya?”

“Something strong,” the halberd responded. “Something that will help me cheer up. Or at least remind me that my life isn’t all bad.” Once the finals words left his lips Zerith laid his head face down on the table. The sound of the woman walking away was the only indication he needed to know she understood him. Hopefully, she had just the drink in mind for the poor excuse of a protector.

A few mintues passed before he ears heard something land on his table and felt the slight vibrations from the wooden surface. When he looked up his blue eyes saw a glass on the table, as well as a brand new bottle being held by the woman as she opened it and made his glass full. “This stuff should be just the thing for you,” she said as she poured. “Normally it doesn’t take long for it to sweep a man off his feet. But then again I think that’s what you intend to do anyways. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Leave the bottle.”

“What?”

“Can you please just leave the bottle here with me?” Zerith asked as he looked up to the waitress. Sounding as if he was about to cry at any moment, he continued. “I just don’t think I can handle having something else be taken away from me today. If I can at least assure myself the bottle isn’t going anywhere…” he stopped to take his first drink. “I’ll be happy.”

With the most important thing in his life gone, Zerith was slowly becoming lost and didn’t know what he was going to do anymore. “Perhaps,” he thought, “Life will give me a break and show me the answer to my problems at the bottom of one of these glasses.”

[AsukaStrikes]

"Something tells me you really need to get drunk, Z."

Asuka had seen it all, from the sluggish stride and weary sigh the halberdier kept on making even before he made it to the table. It was a sorry sight. Sad? Not really, considering how many more "sad" sights the lass had seen in her more recent excursions within Corone. She had seen plenty of sad sights that would literally rip her heart out and shove it down her throat. For Zerith, the sorry state he let himself fall into irked the maiden to no ends.

Asuka casually slipped off the bar stool and eased into an empty chair next to the halberdier, still holding onto her stein of frothing local beer.

"What's with the long face, Zerith? Normally, I'd either see you with that big ol' grin o' yours or glaring at some thug at the end of your blades. If you feel like it, spit it out so I can know who to knock their lights out."

Asuka was just rambling now, muttering to herself about the raid she made with another adventurer-turned-vigilante on a slave house in Underwood and how it had mostly been his fault for coming up with such a half-baked plan. About how he ditched him half-way to Radasanth and got on another ride to the port city hoping to find some good ale to lay waste on. About how no one ever drank Lavinian Ale anymore and how hard it was to find.

"C'mon, Zerith, fer cryin' out loud. If you got something to say, say it! Keepin' it in or drinkin' it away isn't gonna halp a single bit, I tell ya."

But who would believe a drunken red-head anyway, especially in a tavern where drunken fools and shady dealers were common place and never trust-worthy. At least good old Zerith would remember her, that was what she hoped for. It would only be their countless time since their first meeting in the Serenti, after all. It was not really that far away in history to be so easily forgotten.

[Zerith]

If Zerith Dracosius were to think of someone he knew to show up in his life and try to cheer him up. Asuka Murakama was definitely not the one he expected to see him in his current state. The fact that she was trying to cheer him up was amusing, though her attempt was a weak one at its best. The two originally met in the first round Serenti. The swordmaiden and halberdier even clashed blades and shed blood during that initial encounter. Yet somehow neither one of them died that day, even though nature tried to kill one of them. But nature failed miserably all because one stranger decided to save the other.

“Why the long face?” Zerith repeated. “I’ll tell you why. Because just when I was beginning to like how my life was turning out, it screwed me over and took the one thing that made me happy. Now look at me. I’m left broken and angry at life. All because some bastard doesn’t give a shit about what he does.”

The halberdier went on to explain everything to Asuka. He told her about The Chosen and about the mage and warder relationship. He told her about Jasmine and how the halberdier first realized he was in love with his mage. He explained how he eventually became a member of the Grander’s Order and told her the story of when he discovered that Jasmine was one of Raelyse’s ‘playthings’. From there he went on tell her the story of when Jasmine and Zerith were sent on an assignment to Kachuk, and how that in the process Jasmine left the prince for her warder. Then he explained the sudden disappearance of his lover, and how he found himself with only a name to work with. This brought him to where he was now, alone and miserable.

“So what do you think Asuka? Do you believe that now I’ve told you what made me like this, things are suddenly going to get better? That Jasmine is going to walk through those doors any second now? Life is shit, Asuka. Get used to it-“

“There he is! The guy with the halberd!” A male voice exclaimed. “That’s the guy that tortured me in the forest.”

When the halberdier turned to see who the hell was pointing him out. It was pleased to see the chubby man he stabbed earlier that day. Durant wasn’t alone however, as a tall, black-haired man stood by closing by his side as the two of them approached the swordmaiden and warder. The two stopped just on the other side of the table, both pairs of eyes glared at the man that remained in his seat. As Durant’s friend spoke up, a gold tooth flashed briefly. “My friend here says you caused him quite a bit of pain back near Underwood. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Sapphire eyes looked at Durant briefly and then turned to the stranger. “Are you Ekirei?”

“No, I’m Jorge. I’m the gu-“

“If you’re not Ekirei, I don’t give a shit who your are!” Zerith snapped as he cut the man off. “Just tell me where I can find Ekirei in this town and I’ll be on my way.”

Jorge grinned, “Well you see, pretty boy. Ekirei isn’t here. He never was. So you might as well give up on finding your girlfriend.”

Clenching his teeth tightly, the halberdier made a tight fist as he fought the urge to knock the gold teeth out of the asshole’s mouth. “I’m going to find her. And when I do I’m going to do things to Ekirei that would make what I did to him seem like I just tickled him,” Zerith answered as he pointed to Durant. “And if I find either of you two there, I’ll do the exact same thing to each of you. So just tell me where Jasmine is and I’ll be on my way.”

“Jasmine, is that her name?” Jorge replied with a wicked smile. “She’s quite the pretty thing y’know, and quite the screamer. I swear we could probably her scream from half a mile away as Ekirei fucked her. Though by now, I’m sure she’s learned to enjoy it by now,” he taunted, hoping to ruffle the halberdier’s feathers a little bit.


Zerith’s transition from depression to murderous rage was instantaneous. Before either Jorge, Durant or even Asuka realized what was going on, Zerith had already lunged across the table with his serrated dagger in his right hand. “YOU’RE DEAD ASSHOLE!!” he roared at the top of his lungs as his body crashed into Jorge. The sheer intensity of the outburst suddenly caught the attention of the everyone around them, and Jorge suddenly found himself pinned beneath a crazed man that terrified him. While Zerith slashed wildly and Jorge struggled to stay alive, Durant’s fingers fumbled around to try and grab his weapon so he could try to save his friend. This ultimately forced Asuka to make a choice. Join the fight? Or sit back and hope Zerith could manage to take the two on by himself? The choice was hers.

[AsukaStrikes]

((I'll need to ask permission to bunny Zerith, but maybe this post should go up first.))

Life is shit, you say?

Asuka cocked her head sideways as the man before her droned on about his lost love. Jasmine, was it? Hasn't she heard about someone by that name somewhere before? All the lass could think of was a blank piece of canvas and she groggily accepted the mentality it brought along - It was nothing she should be overly concerned with. Whoever that Jasmine person was, after all, was Zerith's problem. Not hers.

And it did not look like the halberdier would be needing a drunken girl's help sorting out his problems anytime soon. Once the alcohol cleared his system, Asuka believed the man might come up with something more worthwhile than just moping around. He was someone Asuka knew could fight his way out of a problem with no problem - He was able to give her one hell of a beating back in the Serenti Invitational, what could be so bad about a couple of thugs whisking away a royalty who was the halberdier's charge? If anything, it would be his time to shine the way a Knight in Shining Armor should.

He would be fine, that was the thought Asuka felt in her head.

She thought wrong.

"Zerith, you IDIOT!"

Still emcumbered by her intoxication, Asuka leapt into the fray with her hands reaching out to grab the knife. Without thinking, her right hand latched onto the enraged man's wrist almost at the same time the big guy's hand found the upper arm.

"Get ahold of yerself, idiot!" The maiden hollered, blindly grabbing onto Zerith's serrated blade. "Don't let that maggot's words get to you!"

The bodies crashed into each other, pulling and tugging at each other amidst the chaos of upturned tables and thrashing chairs. Other patrons inside the relatively quiet tavern began casting nervous glances their way, some of them sitting by the door wondering if they should call the guards to intervene. The barkeep, seeing the situation not looking too kindly on his humble establishment, pulled aside the blonde barmaid who served the hamberdier earlier and whispered something in a hushed tone. Blondie then disappeared into the backroom, most likely running off to fetch the authorities around town.

Meanwhile, the fighting ensued. Not quite so bloodless, either.

"Quit-! Yer strugglin, idiot!" The red-hair maiden shouted over the din of Zerith's murderous cries and Jorge's frightened plea, finally managing to twist the halberdier's blade free from his bloody grips. Asuka stumbled backwards from the force and landed ungracefully on the beer-stained floorboards, hitting her back against the solid planks shielding the apprehensive barkeeper from the fight in front of him.

"Grh-! That stupid son of a-!"

Throwing the serrated knife aside with a splatter of crimson liquids trailing its flight, Asuka jumped back into the fray and pulled the halberdier upright before slamming him back into his seat.

"That's about enough outa you, moron!" She scolded Zerith, glaring down at him with her angry emerald eyes. "I thought ye looked bad enough with booze all over yer face, but this takes the cake! That Jasmine girl would sure love to see you in this sorry state!"

"As for you trouble makers..." The maiden growled as she turned her attention to them, the bigger one hauling his vile-mouthed accomplice up by his arms. They looked up somewhat curious and unaware of what the pissed-off maiden was about to do.

"GO AWAY!"

A loud crack broke the momentary pause of peace within the dim-lit tavern, yet all the patrons insinctively knew someone had broken their fist on another's jaws. Turning their heads one by one, they glanced curiously at the sight of two thugs growling under their breath, one pretty-face man who was possibly drunk out of his mind and one very angry red-head girl glaring daggers at her foes.

"If you got problems with us, go wait out back! We'll take the trouble to ya, you stupid rats!" Asuka snarled, holding up her blood-soaked fist with pieces of bones protruding from the back of her hand. Jorge glared back with slightly gorggy eyes, wiping a streak of red from his chin and spat down at the floor in front of him.

"Fine, cutie. Makes my life a lot easier to know you're ready to die."

The two disgruntled beings lurched out the door, one of them covered in blood with unclear origins. As the door closed behind them, Asuka whipped her head about and stared down at the mess in front of her eyes.

"Here's your chance to get it right, Z-man. If you wanna break their necks, then let's give 'em some. If ya too chickened to attack them when their weapons're drawn, I'll understand." She nodded, pulling off her black ribbon and attempted to tie her broken fist back together. Sharp pangs ringing through her arm told the lass it was useless and simply left the ribbon wrapped loosely around her fist.

"If you do decide to head off and find Jasmine, tell 'er the Grander's Orders is a lot more spread-out than she thought."

With a wry smirk, Asuka stumbled out into the candle-lit night. Her mind still drugged with beer and legs bouncing against the road underneath, she did not look like someone ready for a fight. To her, it was just another night doing what she always would.

But what a good time for a fight. She could almost taste the blood in the breeze.

"Oh, wait." Asuka paused momentarily, sniffing the still air around her and looking down at her left hand. "That's just me. Eh, could've been worse."

Shrugging off the pain and obvious scent of injury, Asuka continued her stumble towards the back alley where the two thugs had been waiting.

What a fine time for a fight...

[Zerith]

(I have no problem with the bunnying providing you don't mind the bit I did here.)

Although the bar broke into chaos after Zerith lunged at Jorge, the halberdier didn’t care. In his drunken mindset, all he really wanted to see was Jorge beg for his life and die in the most painful way the warder could think of. He didn’t even see Asuka enter the fray or even notice her try to restrain him. All he knew what that he was that before he could kill Jorge, he was pulled upright and forced into a chair.

Asuka, that bitch. Why the hell did she choose to stop him? Of all the people in that damned place, she was the one person that Zerith believed understood the circumstance. He was the good guy, not the two thugs. Although it was probably due to the alcohol, the halberdier wanted to spit in her face all call her a traitor as she scolded him. Luckily he didn’t, as Asuka offered him another shot at the bastards. Staring at the overturned tables and blood on the floor, Zerith slowly climbed to his feet, picked up his weapons and staggered out the same way the red-haired swordmaiden did.

He spoke quietly as he reached out for Asuka, “You...”

“YOU BITCH!”

Dropping his halberd, Zerith grabbed Asuka by the shoulder and spun her around. As he grabbed her collar with both hands, he slammed her back against the wall in the cold, dark alley. Lifting the woman off her feet, his sapphire eyes stared at her coldly.

“I had him!” he shouted. “I had him right where I wanted him and the bastard was about to get what he deserves. But of course, instead of helping me, you decided to only make things more complicated. It makes me doubt you understand the seriousness of the situation. So let me try and explain it to you...”

Spinning around, Zerith threw the swordmaiden to the ground. As she turned around to look at him, he picked Amenzanil back him. “For all I know, Jasmine could probably be suffering somewhere out there. Those two idiots you let go are the only people I can think of that have any idea of where she is.” As if on cue, the blade of the halberd crackled with electricity as sparks leapt and arced across the metal. “So now I’m going to kick their asses and make them tell me where she is. Whether or not I let them live through the night, I haven’t decided yet. What I do know is that I’m going to make them regret what they did and since you let them go, you’re going to help me.”

“Now come on,” he said as he held a hand out to help her up. “lets get going before they run off somewhere.”

[AsukaStrikes]

((Fine by me. Let's dance. Also, Bunnying is approved.))

No words of protest escaped the maiden's lips as she sat there listening to the enraged man ramble on about how his precious princess was suffering at the hands of her captors. She wanted to laugh in his face just to spite him; Zerith looked nothing like the proud man he was when they had their bout at Serenti.

Before her stood a drunk lunatic thinking he's the man who could change the face of the world. One would think someone as intoxicated as he was could fight a thug, let alone teach them the meaning of humility.

"Sure, sure, Prince Charming." Letting out a wry chuckle, she wearily picked herself up from the damp, stony floor. It was not because she did not want to fight... Rather, she was tired of him playing the knight in shining armor. No matter what he thought of himself, in her eyes... He was never a knight.

He looked more like an angry drunk.

"I don't think you have to worry about them running away, Zee." Asuka mused, a menacing grin creeping across her face as she eyed the two shadowy forms a little ways further down the alley. Their shimmering swords reflecting in the moonlight the only sign of their readiness to fight.

Asuka made a casual glanced at the halberdier and heaved a sigh in dismay.

This is gonna take a while...

***

"Ungh-!"

A burly form crashed heavily into the solid brick wall and dropped to the floor, followed by the sound of a metal blade sliding noisily down the cobblestone alley in the dead of night. Candle light casting into the area revealed the man's blood-soaked face and twisted lips belonging to none other than Durant, one of the ugly mug duo who accosted the two fighters earlier that night.

And standing above him was a halberdier, spitting blood from his mouth and a streak of blood flowing from his head.

"Hey, not too shabby, drunky." Asuka chuckled weakly, slumping to the floor with one broken fist and another blood-soaked arm. Kazeryu laid within her tight grip, chipped and scarred from countless skirmishes with the other assailant. She could barely feel her hands, much less see straight, but she was surprised Zerith still managed to keep his head on long enough to knock the other guy senseless.

Not like it was going to get him any answers, anyway.

"Alright, bastard." Zerith spoke through short huffs of breath, the air condensing into cute little clouds and whipped back into his face with every one he took. "Now tell me everything you know and I just might let you live."

When silence was the only answer he received, Zerith snarled and kicked the fallen man in the ribs. Durant jolted, but otherwise remained motionless. Swearing under his breath, the halberdier threw his polearm onto the ground in frustration.

"Wanna try this guy over here, pretty boy?" Asuka chuckled in between coughs, feeling the sharp jab in her side and chest. A broken rib or something, she figured as she sat against the cool brick wall and rolled her head back against it. She would have to find a healer afterwards.

Zerith shot her a sharp sneer, but otherwise remained tight-lipped as he marched over to the other half of the terrible duo.

"Alright, Jorge." The warrior growled, dragging Asuka's punching bag up by the collar of his jerkins and slamming him into the wall. "Now it's time you tell me..."