Selfish? Selfless? Attalone: Princess of Dirt

“What was that!?” Attalone whispered in an urgent tone, although no one was there to hear her. The noise was unusual compared to the hearty shrieks of pain she had grown accustomed to in the past 6 months, was it 6 months? She stopped marking tallies on the wall ages ago, so really, it was anyone’s guess.

Realizing she would never get an answer she looked at her shackled, dirty feet and sighed. At least the blood coagulated enough that she wouldn’t be writhing in pain the entire night…. No, not the entire night…. Just half of it…. This life was a far cry from what she knew before the chains, hard labor, and torture. Reminiscing was always very painful, but tonight it was a welcomed distraction from the physical pain that was pulsing through her body. It was almost hard to remember anything at all. This fact amused her in a sick kind of way because she knew it was only a short time ago that she was recognized as royalty.

Attalone was at one time the princess of Sheldy a large, peace loving country known for it’s rolling green hills and exotic wildlife. Creatures most would deem mythical strode, galloped, and flew in large numbers here. They found a haven here and as an unfortunate result, many neighboring hunter based countries grew envious. Sheldy did however, with heavy hearts, go to war, but only when it was absolutely necessary. Attalone cared nothing of this policy or anything else. She was busy, much too busy making sure her servants were attending to her properly. The pursuit of happiness was this sandy blonde’s only concern. The king worried about his daughter and her blatant disregard for just about everything. He remembered his late queen, and although Attalone had inherited her gorgeous ice fire eyes, her sweet temperament seemed to have gotten lost in the gene pool.

So when the king received an offer for his daughters hand from the prince of Rulmen, Claude, he felt he had no choice but to accept. Sheldy and Rulmen had always been at odds, and this engagement promised peace. Not only that, but the king hoped with all his heart that his daughter could learn to love someone unselfishly and unconditionally.

Attalone was furious at this prospect, not only did she not want to be married, but Claude was a greasy, villainous looking man with dark brown hair and coal for eyes. When he first laid those pieces of coal on her they blazed, but not with passion, they seemed to burn with raw ambition. She tried to tell her father that she sensed evil from this man, but unfortunately he paid her no heed. He thought it was just her selfish tendencies at work once more.

The “marriage” was quick and there were no opportunities for goodbyes. When they arrived in Rulmen, Attalone stepped out of the carriage. Walking a few more steps, she tripped, and looked for Claude to help her up, but he just sneered and said “Well dearest, it seems you have found your place sooner and with less persuasion than I expected you to….”

It was after this that the torment began. The marriage had been a hoax, the priest was nothing more than a peasant dressed and groomed for the occasion. The real nature of this fabricated ceremony was to fool the king, lull him into a false sense of security and then fall upon Sheldy when all pawns were set to strike. Attalone was needed only for the first part of the plan. Claude himself wrote the letters to her father telling him how absolutely thrilled she was to be married. He contemplated doing away with her outright, but he was never a man to waste anything he could find some kind of use for, so Attalone was sent to a work farm with a very rogue prison-like regime. Her inexperience with all things work related was apparent from day 1 and cost her many lashings. Oftentimes Claude would come down to interrogate her for any knowledge that might prove useful in defeating her glorious homeland. She knew absolutely nothing of course, having been so wrapped up in only herself when she was there, but Claude wasn’t convinced. He continued to try and persuade her with “fun” new torture techniques he found in his travels.

Attalone shook her head. This certainly had been the distraction she was after, but now reality crept back into focus. She was cold and alone in her extremely cell-like “room”. A guard walked by and she eyed his sword. If she had that kind of power she would never abuse it like she’d abused her role as princess. Her anger building, she punched the ground and instantly regretted it. “Ow!!” She yelped. Then a noise exactly like the one she heard before the trip down memory lane caught her attention, “WHAT is that!?!?”




(*All righty boys and girls I don’t have many rules, but I don’t want demons and the like, however special abilities are definitely do-able, also weapon mixing is permitted and even encouraged, I want some variety. Let’s see where we can take this (somewhere interesting I hope) , I know it’s kind of……. Well…… for lack of a better word gay, but I’m a first timer. My apologies.*)

The feint noise of rattling chains was heard from aways. As they grew closer one could hear the footsteps of 3 people. As these people slowly came into view it was revealed who they were, as they walked past Attalone's cell-like room.

There were 2 guards, holding between them a man in his 20s, leading him to the room next to Attalone.

"So, that makes how many times this month I've been sent here?" Seikatsu Niju said jokingly, making fun of the whole situation, as the guards threw him into the room.

"Your lucky that you get let off so easily for your actions all the time." One of the guards said as they slammed the door closed, and turned a foot and were immediately walking away.

"See you next week!" Seikatsu yelled to the guards, as he flung himself into a reclining position against the wall.

Seikatsu wore long black, almost tight, pants, with jet black boots to match, and a crimson belt around his waist. His shirt was open, and cut short, the bottom of which didn't even reach his stomach, the shirt being the color of black with red cuffs on the ends of his sleeves, and near his neck. On the back of his shirt was a picture of a bright red rose. His hair was white, long and beautiful, hair covering his ears which seemed much longer then ordinary.

"So..." He said aloud, towards the wall which Attalone was behind. "What you in for?"

Attalone was startled at the prospect of having to have a conversation. She was out of practice and to be quite honest still a little bit of a snob. Talking to some strange, flower-backed, peasanty type was not something she would have ever dreamed of doing back home. She put her hand to her forehead in a thinking pose, and heard her chains tink slightly.

This was enough to get her off of her high horse. She looked at herself, and was very glad this man on the other side of the wall couldn’t see her. Her latest ensemble (she got a new one every three months when the old ones could no longer conceal her most obvious of features) was a tattered sad, dirty excuse of a too-big brown shirt, and green bottoms that were loose and ripped from the ankle to the knee. Claude had a twisted sense of humor. He made her wear rags, but these rags had the royal crest sewn on them, the same royal crest that showed up on the underside of her left wrist when she was stressed or in danger, The Twin Griffins, in which two griffins are reared up over a crown. All royalty was born with it, and it was a universal symbol. Upon recognizing the embellishment on her rags everyone would stare with puzzled looks and gaping mouths. It was Claude’s favorite joke to call her The Princess of Dirt. “Filth doesn’t become anyone else quite like it does you dear wife.” He’d chuckle.

Attalone smiled as she ripped the source of embarrassment from her clothing leaving a nice big hole on the sleeve. At least this stranger wouldn’t see her shame. Viewing this as a new start, she was ready to talk. “Ahem.” She cleared her throat of the dust that perpetually coated everything. “Well… I suppose I’m “in for”….” She thought frantically she was going to say for being herself, but that would lead to more questions she was NOT going to answer. “Errrr ummm…..” she stammered playing with her long hair “Stealing!” She punctuated her exclamation with a sigh of relief. It was believable and definitely much better than child molestation, which was the only other crime that popped into her panicked head. “Yes, I stole some chil… I mean...” Shutup stupid kidnapping scenario, She screamed in her head, for now ALL she could think about were crimes. “…I stole some jewelry from the palace.” That was perfect, it was bad enough she’d have ended up here, but good enough that she wasn’t a freak. Win win, proud of herself and with new confidence she asked “How about you?”

Seikatsu rubbed the back of his head as he began to speak. "Stealing from the palace eh? That's pretty rough." He said as he stood up, and stretched his back.

"I'm in for attacking a tax collector, who was starting to get physical with persons who couldn't pay." Seikatsu said with a yawn as he began to pace the room in boredom.

"So, whats your name, miss?" Seikatsu asked politely, smiling at the wall, running his fingers through his long hair.

Seikatsu had always run the image of how handsome he was, and how beautiful life is. One could say he seemed feminine. His entrance or arrivals would usually come with a nice phrase or quote to match the situation, or to boast of his handsomeness.

Uhg this guy was something else. Not only was he some kind of Robin Hood figure, but he asked the most aggravating questions! Her name!?

Attalone’s brain was going into overdrive. Ok ok…. Name…. She looked around at the various objects in the room. She saw some straw, chains, and dirt. Dirtchain? Chainstraw? The last one made her snicker, then she had it.

“My name is Daina.” She uttered the strange hybrid of all three words with pride. She squinted her eyes in the dark at the wall between her and her new acquaintance. “What about you kind sir?” It was her turn for some answers

"Oh me?" Seikatsu said with a small laugh.

"I am, Niju, Seikatsu, but some also now me as, the Dark Adonis!" He said boastfully, smiling. "You may have heard of me?" He asked her, still with a boasting sound in his voice. Seikatsu always thought of himself highly, and that many people knew his name, or his Alias, when really, not many people did. The officers have even come accoustomed to calling him, Mid-boss, for how often he gets sent to jail, but always comes jumping back, also for that fact, that they can never remember his name.

Attalone gagged audibly, and glared at the wall. She didn't know why she found this response to be repulsive, although it was probably because she'd never met anyone as self centered as herself. "I think I'll call you Rosie then, I think you know why" she smirked at her attempt to emasculate and embarrass Seikatsu. She stood and winced when a scab on her foot broke. This man in the other cell must have been bleeding too, she could smell it for some reason.

"Do you get the royal treatment as well?" Her own inside joke amused her.




Ha, edited for color.

"Rosie?! Not another nickname!" Seikatsu said as he hung his head, kicking aside rocks, pouting.

"Yes, of course, the royal treatment, I get that every time I'm sent here." He said in a low voice, sad at the nickname, but then all of a sudden popped right back up to his cheery self. "But nothing the Dark Adonis can't handle!" He almost yelled gleefully, laughing.

Attalone really was on the verge of throwing up everywhere, but the idea of more filth to sleep in made her choke it back down. “Well Rosie, I don’t know what to say other than if you call yourself Black Adonis one more time I will punch the wall down and vomit on your bed.” Which in this case happened to be a pile of straw, but that didn’t make it any less disgusting.

“My nickname is much more suited to you.” She was going to knock this whelp down a notch sooner or later. Her old self was surfacing again. She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but it felt much better than agony and loneliness. She sighed “I too am familiar with the elite class of hospitality they dispense here.” Attalone couldn’t stand anymore and fell on her rump with a thud. “Why do they let you leave if you’re such a scoundrel all of the time?”

It's the Dark Adonis, honey." Sei corrected her, before she continued talking.


"As for why they let me go all the time, I do not know, perhaps they think I am too handsome for this tiny cell." He said laughing.

Sei walked towards the cell door, sighing. "I would really like to check up on the folks who were in trouble....." He began, looking through the bars of the door.
"I'm sure if I go see them quick enough I can get back in here before anyone notices..." Sei said to himself, just loud enough for Attalone to hear him.

“Black, Dark, who really cares it’s
all still the same amount of….wait, out and back?? You’re telling
me that you can get out of this HOLE!?” Attalone was amazed. How
could someone in chains break out of this heavily guarded
prison?

She got up ignoring her body’s nagging and stood
right up to the wall. “Tell me! I demand to know!”

"oh
yea! I've taken visits to people and have come back to the cell
before, it's simple!" As he said so, the sounds of chains
hitting floor rang throughout the cells.

"See? I already
have taken off my chains!" He said as he began to laugh his
usual loud laugh. He quieted down and began to speak. "But of
course I always make it back to the cell before anyone notices, lest
my jail time be increased."

Sei turned to the wall.
"Daina....how long is your sentance?" Sei asked
seriously.

"Let's just say my stay is most likely meant
to be indefinite." Attalone shuddered. "I don't understand
why you even put the effort into coming back though. I'm sure it
wouldn't much matter if you stayed out, considering everyone knows
you'd eventually land yourself back in here in no time flat."

She
was getting angry again and flicked her chains, rattling them
slightly, then crossed her arms over her chest. This punk had all the
luck. She was doomed to a life of misery and Mr. Rosie attention
whore could come and go as he pleased. "Well then,"
Attalone pouted "Guess you better get going...."

When
hearing her sentance, Sei knew she lied about what she had done to
get in here, and it must be something she was wrongfully accused of
doing, he thought.

"Well....let's just say that, I do
have to leave town for something." Sei said as he picked the
lock on the door of the cell. Sei walked to the door of Daina's cell,
and looked into it, smiling he said. "My, you are a pretty one
aren't you? Even past all that dirt and grease your covored in, I can
see that you must be beautiful." He complimented as he began
rattling with the door.

"Such a beautiful being, does not
deserve to be locked away." He said poetically, as he opened the
door. "Will ye accompany thee?" He asked, bowing to
Daina.

If Attalone were anyone other than herself she would
have been flattered and touched, but the way she reacted indicated
neither. "Well." She stammered " I.. I thank you for
the liberation, but I'm quite capable of handling myself from here on
out." She hesitated looking into the darkness that surrounded
them. Her life was full of nevers and this was another one, she'd
never been in the forest alone, and she wasn't very keen on the idea,
she was also well aware of the fact that her chains were still
tightly fastened to her feet. She couldn't back out now though, not
with Sei watching.

"If you'll excuse me," She said
shoving past Sei and bursting open numerous scabs yet again. One of
the many problems with the constant abuse she endured was that her
wounds never healed, especially the ones on here feet. They were
constantly being re torn or replaced with new ones, she was used to
this bleeding, so she continued to move forward.

It was
difficult but She ran into the black night not daring to breath too
heavily. When she got to the tree line she noticed a strange warm wet
feeling creeping down her back. She put her hand on it and then put
it up to the moonlight, apparently more than just her feet were
bleeding. No time for this now! She thought as the feeling began to
creep further down her back, a bit faster and thicker now. Attalone
pressed on but started to feel a bit strange, her footing became
unsure, and she started stumbling.

Sei appeared basically just
out of nowhere, only yards away from Daina. "No no no, this is
no good, the Dark Adonis cannot just leave a women in your condition
to be on her own!" Seikatsu preached as he walked towards
her.

"I must insist on carrying you, in your condition. I
can take you to an old friends house which he doesn't use anymore,
and heal those injuries up." Seikatsu said, nodding his head as
he rubbed his chin.

"You are not going to get far by
yourself, Daina.." Seikatsu said seriously. "And I'm afraid
if you do not accompany by choice, then I shall take you by force, I
cannot allow you to hurt yourself by this mindless stumbling through
the woods, where who knows what could attack you. And even though
it's night, there is still a chance that the knights could find us.
Now, will you accompany me, so your wounds can heal?" He asked
sincerely.


"Ha ha ha, you know what? You
need to stop spinning around annoying, little, big, funny, rose man."
Attalone said as she continued to sway on her feet. Did he make
sense? At this point nothing did really. "All right here is what
will happen, I am going to keep walking and you will keep walking in
the other direction, and and....." she stopped for a moment "you
will get somewhere and I can go home." Home was the only word
she heard herself say as tears started to sting her eyes and the
world went blacker than the night.

He walked to her side,
shaking his head. "My my, they really gave you the royal
treatment badly." He said as he bent down next to her.
"Damn...your really bleeding...and your feet are cut up so
badly..." He said as he worked the cuffs on her feet
off.

Seikatsu slowly, and carefully picked Daina up. "Better
get to the house quickly..." He thought as he turned towards the
direction of the house. Seikatsu bent his knees, then pushed out,
jumping at 10 yards or so a jump, trying to get to the house as
quickly as possible.

After 10 or so minutes of traveling, he
arrived at the house. Jumping onto the roof as he usually entered the
house, he entered through the window to the room he usually used. He
lied Daina down into the bed, and immediately was off getting wash
rags, and medicine from around the house.

Instantly awoken
from his slumber, daggers in hand and body at the ready. Telzian
Remnas sighed to himself in frustration. I finally found some peace
and quiet i didn't think those idiots would have been able to track
me. I havent even been to this place in ages. Whatever ill make them
pay. He was tall and skinny with a very pale skin tone and almost
bleach white hair. Leaving his shirt on the floor he crept from the
room naked from the waste up. Along his back and winding up his neck
and stopping at his right eye was a tattoo of a fierce black dragon.
The tail ended at the base of his spine where it met his pants and
the head was positions as to look like it was eating his eye. His
eyes were pure white except for his iris's which were deep
crimson.

Leaving the room stalking his prey with an almost
boredom he moved from shadow to shadow. There he was, the fool was
looting the house as if it were his own house. Whatever he thought to
himself Ill make this quick...... Sneaking up behind his opponent he
put one dagger gently against his spine at the base of the pelvis and
one around his neck forcing his opponent to look back into his
eyes.

[color:ab18=#000000]Seikatsu?!?! Is that you. What the
hell are you doing here? He said releasing his friend from his death
grip. I thought you were dead or at least captured by someone.

"Moi?
The Dark Adonis will not die so easily!" Seikatsu said doing his
usualy laugh, then he stopped suddenly. "...But I did get thrown
into prison again." He said with a shrug.

"I was
originally going to sneak out and check on some people, and sneak
back in before they noticed like usual, but..." Seikatsu then
explained the whole situation.

"-now she's upstairs lying
on the bed I usually would use, passed out. Heh, I wonder what her
reaction will be when she wakes up..." He said rubbing his
chin.

Shrugging it off, he walked back upstairs, holding wash
rags and medicine. Arriving to the room where she was lain down,
Seikatsu knelt down next to her, and began to apply medicine and
washed her hands, feet, and face from all the dirt that was piled
onto her.

Ugh bugs, Attalone thought to herself
as she noticed the stinging on her arms, legs, and back. Wait...Where
is here? It was still dark but she was lucid enough to realize her
eyes were closed. Upon opening them she saw she was in a room with
two strange men. One of which was strange because she didn't know who
he was and the other was strange because she DID know who he was. He
was the aggravating man she'd dubbed Rosie, sitting there dabbing her
with a cloth.

Attalone's first response was that of a real
lady, she shrieked, slapped Sei, and pulled up the sheets on the bed
covering herself even though she had been completely clothed to begin
with. That's when she got a good glimpse of the man with the daggers,
terrified she sprung off the edge of the bed landed wrong and grabbed
the closest thing she could find, which happened to be a bed stand.
She held onto it steadying herself before she pushed it at the white
haired dagger carrier. It was almost comical how it skidded past him
so far to the right that he didn't even feel the breeze as it went
by.

Wide eyed and panting heavily she sat on the floor as the
strain of what she'd just done took hold of her. Fully expecting to
be stabbed at any moment.

As Daina went through her little
skit, Sei just watched on with an eyebrow raised. He turned to look
at Telzias, seeing the daggers still in his hands, Sei sighed. "Put
those daggers away will you?" As he rubbed his face where she
had slapped him.

Moving the bed back in place, Sei spoke to
Daina. "That is not a beautiful way to act. Now please, lie
down, your not in the state to be up and around." Sei said, as
he straightened the sheets.

Two men were walking through the
prison, clad entirely in armor similar to the guards. One of them was
huge, over seven feet tall, with muscle everywhere. He looked like he
could bend the bars open on any of the cells himself. He had a
claymore at his side and a crest on his chest marking him as a
captain. The other was smaller, only slightly taller than six feet,
and not nearly as well built. He barely looked strong enough to carry
the armor he was wearing and appeared uncomfortable in it. The crest
on his armor marked him as a lieutenant, though he does not look
intimidating without his weapons. He had a scimitar at his waist on
his back and a shortsword on his left side. The larger man was
talking as they walked through the halls.

The prince wants the
"Princess of Dirt" again. He seems to enjoy their time
together. Hahaha. Oh, I wish he would let me try asking her some
questions, I'm sure she'd give some proper answers after a few
minutes. A wench like her really shouldn't lie to proper royalty like
that. But she'll be singing like a songbird after this one, ain't
that right Merzan?

Merzan only seemed half-interested in the
conversation. For your sake, I hope so Captain. Prince Claude won't
be happy with you if she doesn't. He already threatened to strip you
of your rank several times. He might actually do it this time, or
worse.

Bah! Who asked you? He wouldn't do anything. He's got a
battalion of servants to punish when he gets upset. Besides, he's got
more important things to do. Like capture that Tardran oracle. Once
he gets his hands on that, he won't need to bother interrogating this
bitch anymore.

Tardra is a small island nation quite a ways
off the coast. It's also the land Merzan calls home. Though many
don't pay much attention to it, there are two legends surrounding
it's people. The first is the oracle legend, the one in every
generation that can see through time and warn of coming dangers or
find the truth in the past. The other involves dragons, and the
possibility the Tardran people are decended from them. Few nations
have contact with the small island, so none really know if either are
fact. Tardra had always been on good terms with Sheldy, and Merzan
was told to make sure Attalone survived long enough for questions
regarding the "marriage" to be answered, and help her
escape when the time comes.

The two of them arrived at the
cell to discover it was empty and open, along with the one next to
it.

WHAT HAPPENED? WHERE IS SHE? I WANT TO KNOW WHO WAS IN
THAT CELL NEXT TO HER! It was supposed to stay empty. How could this
happen? The captain grabbed the hilt of his claymore. Whoever's
responsible for this error shall pay with his life.

Calm down,
captain. Every prisoner has a cell assigned to them, and documents to
prove it. We can follow the paper trail to the one who did this.
Let's go to the office and find out. We will at least need an answer
when she can't be delivered. Merzan knew exactly who was there and
what happened. He set it up, and made sure the paperwork never
pointed the blame at him. He mentioned the sight to the captain who
started barking orders.

Telzian was about to chase after Sei
when he saw the girl exit the house. There was something about this
girl, she was no ordinary street rat or else Sei wouldn't have tried
so hard but it was so like him to leave her in his care while he ran
away from another fight. Whatever he had more pressing matters to
deal with like finding out who this new person was and why he had
betrayed his comrades. Stepping between the newcomer and the girl
Telzian decided it was time to get some answers. I am about as
confused as you are milady He said to her with a serious expression.
Alright its time for some answers starting with who both of you are
and why i should care. Turning to the girl he said in a serious tone
For some reason Sei has an interest in you and since hes an old
"Friend" of mine i at least owe him enough to keep you
safe. But you on the other hand, he said turning to the other manYou
i require an explanation about are you friend or are you foe speak
carefully and quickly or your tongue shall wag free of its
holder.

Yes, it does involve you. Hell, it's all about you.
No, you cannot get out of it. No, you will not leave yet. I was told
to keep an eye on you, and that's what I'm going to do. And yes, I do
know who you are. As for you, I'm not your foe as long as you don't
try to hurt her. Whether or not I'm your friend is up to you. Now
excuse me for a moment, I need to change into something more
comfortable. I'll explain more when I'm done. And my name's Merzan.
Merzan made sure the captain was securely tied, and gagged, before
going to his horse and taking a backpack out of the saddlebag. He
walked past the stranger and Attalone as he went into the
house.

When Merzan came back out, he could be seen properly.
Pants that seemed willing to fall off at a moment's notice and a
shirt with the sleeves ripped off only showed exactly how little
muscle he had. His brown hair was cut short matched his eyes of the
same shade. The only noticeable marking visible was a blue serpentine
dragon tattoo around his right arm. The tail was near his elbow and
the head looking like it was resting on his shoulder, mouth closed.
His swords were in the same places, and a dagger could be seen
strapped to his leg.

Merzan walked over to the horses and
ruffled through the saddlebags as he started talking, putting some
things in the backpack occasionally. I'm from Tardra and was sent
here a few years ago. The oracle told me to get into a position at
that prison and protect her, when she arrived. And I intend to get
her out of the country to do that. Are you going to help, or go away?
Either way, we walk from here.

"A little self righteous
don't you think?" Attalone was rather pissed that her attempts
to conceal her identity had been in vain. "Since you think you
know me so well, I suppose you know you can't tell me what to do, I
have this!" She held up her left wrist looked at it and mumbled
under her breath "Never around when I need it....."

She
stamped her foot "You know what would be there anyway, and you
know what it means! You can't very well go ordering around royalty!"
Attalone was being completely unreasonable and a spoiled brat to
boot, apparently 6 months (give or take) in a prison setting didn't
change her. She was throwing a fit plain and simple. "Ack!
Nevermind you all, you are not worth my words..." She made a few
casual steps toward the house, turned very abruptly then flew into a
sprint at the forest.

Telzian sighed as he saw the girl who
apparently was royalty, not that it mattered to him in the least, try
and pull a feint and run into the woods. With an ease that was scary
he seemed to appear in front of the girl impeding her path. If you
really want to go that way thats your choice but seeing as im not as
cold hearted as i look it seemed like the right thing to do to warn
you that if you keep going that way you will probably end up as
dinner to either a pit of lightning sand or any of the many meat
eating denizens of these woods. But if you want to keep going by all
means i wont stop you. And with that he kept his word and dissipated
into the shadows of the woods.

He definitely has a point
Attalone thought, looking into the forest and noticing how uninviting
it was. She was obviously stubborn, but not stupid.

It
appeared as if she'd have no other choice than to join this circus.
She was impressed with her new acquaintances physical prowess. That
was some consolation, but having to travel with strange men still
wasn't her cup of tea. She sighed deeply before begrudgingly turning
back toward the house.

Telzian appeared behind the stranger
with a dagger to his throat. I do not trust you and i am watching
you. Know this i can kill you whenever i want to so if you try
anything your dead. Removing his blade he disappeared as quickly as
he had first appeared. Hopping onto the roof and entering the same
way Sei had he went back to the room he was sleeping in and resumed
his sleep daggers in hand just in case anyone tried anything funny.
He would have to chastise Sei for leaving him in another awkward
position but he'd have to do it in a "Beautiful way" or Sei
would complain more about that than the beating he'd receive. But
that was a problem for later right now he needed sleep.

Later,
at the castle barracks, Captain Karasu was being briefed on the
mission status.

"Captain Karasu, you are to apprehend
Seikatsu Neji, at all costs. As you know, he has aided in the escape
of a special prisoner. He is to be tried by court, and executed for
his transgressions." The Commander said to Karasu.

"Is
such extreme action really necessary, sir?" Karasu asked.

"Do
not question it, this is a direct order." The commander spat in
return.

"Sorry sir, just curious." Karasu said as he
gave a salute. "I shall retrieve him as soon as
possible."

"Yes, you will." The commander said
offensivly.

With a tense bow, Karasu left the barracks. With
his white and silver armour shining in the moonlight, he rode off on
his steed into the night.

"...I'll head there first...
even though he has most likely left the house." Captain Karasu
said to himself as he rode through the night.

Merzan finished
packing the backpack and swung it over his shoulder, either not
noticing or not caring that the princess tried to run away and the
stranger had threatened him. Again. He reached into one of the
saddlebags again and pulled out a small bundle which he handed
towards Attalone when she got close.

There's a change of
clothes in here for you. Nothing special or extravagant, but it's
better than what you have on. I'll be in the main room when you
finish changing. We still have some time before they come here, so I
can answer a few questions before we leave. After you get changed, of
course. We'll decide whether or not to wake him- he gestures to the
window Telzian went through -when we're leaving. I'll answer more
questions as we travel, when nobody else is nearby to eavesdrop. And
if it makes a difference, I apologize for being so rude just now.
I've had to put up with Norman here- gesturing to the captain, still
tied up -for too long. It left me a little petulant. And I never
actually said you were royalty, just that I knew who you
were.

Attalone was again at the mercy of men. As unfortunate
as it should have appeared to her, it didn't. These males didn't have
the same lust for power in their eyes as Claude had. Even the
exceedingly scary dagger wielder did not come off as horrible,
intimidating, but not horrible.

At this point she was staring
at the ground. She'd heard what was said to her, and was fully
prepared to take the clothes and go change, but she couldn't stop
staring. Something was very entrancing about the ground, and she
didn't know what. Images started to appear, griffins and soldiers
flew and marched. The fact that she'd started seeing things scared
her. You've been spending too much time in the dirt, she told herself
snapping back to reality, maybe you've inhaled some of it too.

She
looked up, squeaked a small "Thank you.", and then rushed
to go change. Attalone was grateful to be alone, it gave her time to
get her questions in order. In her haste she'd forgotten which room
was free, there seemed to be a few, so she picked one and
entered.

Telzian tossed and twitched as he slept through an
all too familiar nightmare, he was looking through the eyes of
someone he didn't know hearing the screams of people he didn't know.
It was dark and his hands were soaked with blood. Lightening streaked
outside the room he was in. A bloody corpse of someone he didn't
recognize lay in the corner there was a bloody dagger in his hands.
Suddenly a young girl he didn't know came into the room and screamed
at the site of the body. MOMMY NOOOOOOOOO how could you **** how
could you do this to MOMMY. He could never hear the name it was
always drowned out by the thunder. Suddenly the girl attacked him and
he cut her down mercilessly. He then walked over to a strange mirror
that lay at the end of the room. As he neared the mirror and looked
he he suddenly woke up in cold sweat. Panting he punched the floor in
frustration.Why can't i ever see whats in the mirror. And what is
that dream is it a lost memory of mine and if so who are those
people. Damn damn it all to hell why can't i remember anything. he
thought to himself. Years before he suffered a blow to the head and
forgot everything about himself except for his abilities. Getting up
he put on his clothes and armor and walked down the stairs and saw
the newcomer waiting there. Wherever your going with her I am going
to i owe it to Sei to look after her until he returns.

Two miles away, Captain Karasu was
heading towards the house, now at a slower pace then
earlier.

"....The princess is probably still there..."
He thought to himself as he slowly closed in on the
building.

"What..?" Karasu said as he saw his fellow
captain tied up in the yard.

Karasu dismounted off his horse
and walked the rest of the distance towards the house. Reaching up to
the captain, Karasu shook his head. "...Shameful, you were
defeated by a bunch of low ranking people of this society. I'll untie
you after my business is done here..." Karasu said with a mean
sound in his voice.

Karasu walked right up to the door, and
tore open the door, almost off the hinges. Looking around, he yelled
out, "Seikatsu Niju! Where is he!?" Karasu yelled out,
whose voice carried throughout the building.

Attalone heard
the booming voice just as she had finished changing. Panic started to
set in as she considered jumping out of the nearest window. It was
the ground floor and the windows weren't that high, the fall wouldn't
hurt. Especially when her heightened tolerance for pain was
considered. She thought for a moment more, and then decided against
it because her scabs would most certainly break open and the gushing
blood would leave a trail straight to her new location.

It
appeared now that hiding was her only option. She glanced around the
room and her gaze fell upon a heavy metal pitcher. It was empty and
would serve as a good makeshift weapon if she were discovered and
forced to fight. Pitcher in hand she dove under the bed, held her
breath, and waited.

Merzan quickly stood up, cursing under his
breath.

Merzan kept a surprisingly fast pace, not caring if
anyone saw him at this point. He knew he would have to use every
trick he knew to get Attalone out of the country. The celebration was
supposed to be the cover to get her out of the area without anyone
noticing. But it was still days away, and Karasu could easily catch
them before then. Another plan falls apart around him.

Wrong
again, Attalone thought to herself as the serpent shaped beast she
could barely make out in the misty pitch black forrest loomed several
feet higher than Telzian. She looked to him not knowing what his
reaction would be. His face showed no emotion as his body tensed for
the offensive.

They had made good time through the forrest,
until they ran into this little snag. The giant snake-like creature
had seemed to appear out of no where. It's silhouetted form crawled
out of the dense foliage swiftly and silently. It was then she was
truly grateful she'd chosen not to run off by herself.

Suddenly
Telzian pushed off the ground then both he and the giant snake
disappeared into the mist. Attalone heard all that was happening,
lots of loud hissing and thudding. She tried to follow the them, but
with every step she took the battle sounds seemed to get fainter and
fainter.

She attempted changing directions, but to no avail.
Her getting lost in the forrest was most likely NOT part of the plan.
When she came to the realization it would be more useful for her to
stay in one place so that Telzian could eventually come and find her,
she stood still and listened to the sound of her own uneven
breathing.

Captain Karasu, having dropped off the
captain by a nearby guard tower, had already been given his new
order, which awaited him at the tower, in the same sort of magic he
used to send the message reporting his finds earlier.

The
message has simply read, "Your mission is to now apprehend the
princess at any cost, but keep her alive! If you are to run into
Merzon, kill him on sight, but do not give him a higher priority, do
not excessively chase after him. Regarding your search for Seikatsu,
another Captain has been put on order to find and/or kill him."

He
the read this message as he sped on his horse towards the woods,
which he had a good suspicion on where they had gone. Karasu
dismounted from his horse, and jumped into the trees, silently moving
through the forest. His eyes began to slightly glow red once again,
giving him an almost night vision look of the night.

He
suddenly heard the ruckus of a lot of movement, which he took as
someone fighting off some beast. Karasu immediately moved towards the
source of the noise. As he arrived above the scene he could see the
rough looking man fighting off the snake, whilst the princess was a
good distance away, standing, or maybe hiding by a tree.

Within
an instant Karasu jumped down, and landed yards away from the
princess. "Attalone, you are to come with me back to the
castle." Karasu said simply, as he moved towards her. "If
you do not come willingly...." He said as he pulled out his
blade. "I will use force. Well? What say you?" Holding the
blade towards Attalone, he awaited her answer.

Attalone said
nothing as she backed towards the tree, back against the tree in
fear, wielding the dagger she was giving, and held it shakily,
pointed towards Karasu.

"Do you intend to die here,
Attalone? It may be my orders to bring you back alive, but.... I
cannot help it, if there were....say...an accident...." He said
as he ran the tip of his blade through her hair. "Put the blade
down, and come with me peacfully..." He said as he moved close
enough to her, to say it into her face. He noticed her dagger still
wielded and almost touching his chest. "You do not have the guts
to attack me, or to fillet me with that dagger... you are nothing but
a foolish girl." Karasu said with a smirk.

Attalone felt
the cold bark on her back and saw the intensity in this man's eyes.
The last words he uttered, "foolish girl", echoed through
her mind. It was a phrase Claude had peppered into their sessions of
interrogation. A very condescending choice of statement.

Adrenaline
started to fill Attalone's body. Was he right? Did she have the guts?
The thought of taking another being's life was appalling. She
cringed, even when threatened she was having a hard time thinking
about it.

She lowered her dagger in a moment of hesitation and
in one swift movement Karasu had the upper hand. He swiftly moved his
blade close to her throat and in the fraction of a second that
followed, something happened within Attalone.

The adrenaline
was now coursing through every part of her body, her eyes flashed,
intensifying to the point where one would have sworn they were made
of actual blue fire. The earth shook and dust started to rise off of
the ground. Small rocks began pelting Karasu. The birthmark that
Attalone had been searching for earlier, The Twin Griffins, now
glowed on her arm ferociously. Thrusting her small dagger into
Karasu's chest with impressive force she shouted "I SAY
NEIGH!"

Karasu's eyes began to widen as he saw her eyes
begin to glow. "Th-this power.."

Before he even
realized what was going on, her dagger had penetrated into his chest,
just skimping his heart. "Ugh!--" Karasu staggered
backwards, dagger still embedded into his chest. Karasu gave huge,
and repeated coughs, and blood spurted from his mouth. He began
coughing into his hand, blood beginning to cover his hand.

"G-god
damn you! Where did you get this power from? I had no idea of your
power...." Karasu said, coughing as he went. He quickly pulled
out the dagger from his chest, and looked at it as he held his hand
to his chest. "H-how could this dagger have pierced my flesh?!"
He said in frustration, when suddenly his eyes widened again, the
blade seemed to be glowing a tinted blue. "What did she do to
this blade?" He thought to himself.

"Damn it! This i
now how I planned this to happen!" Kurasu forcefully spoke
loudly to Attalone, as he immediately sprinted off, still at an
amazing speed, even though he sustained such a serious injury. As he
ran, a long line of blood left a trail towards where he was
running.

Telzian knew he had to finish his foe quickly.
Dissipating into the fog he found the snakes tail and gave it three
quick jabs with his daggers. Enraged the snake instantly struck where
Telzian had been moments earlier only to slam right into a thick oak
tree stunning it. Telzian took this opportunity to deal devastating
blows with his dagger all along the snake. Jumping on its head he
slammed his daggers into each of its eyes. The snake reared in pain
and tried to shake Telzian off. Telzian heard a disturbance in the
direction that he left the princess in. Deciding it was time to end
this, he jumped up in the air and summoned his energy throwing it all
into his daggers. The daggers along with his eyes turned a deep
purple. Using gravity as his ally he fell towards the beast at full
force. Slamming both daggers into the serpents head he released the
energy on that single point exploding the head in a massive explosion
of blood and gore. Soaked in snake guts and the sting of venom
Telzian landed and sped off towards the princess leaving the still
smoking headless corpse of the snake behind. When he got back to the
clearing he saw the princess holding a bloody dagger and a trail of
blood leading away from her. Walking up to the princess he said Stay
here and stay hidden keep that dagger close I'm going to make sure we
wont be followed again. Running off after the trail of blood he
chastised himself. Why did i leave her alone she could have been
killed what the hell was i thinking. It wouldn't have been that bad
just another death only thing that would have been a shame is that we
couldn't strangle the life out of her with our own hands seeing the
terror in her eyes and feeling her last attempts at breathing. What
the hell was that it was like there was another voice in my head. Of
course there is don't you remember me Telzian. I'm hurt how could you
forget me weve shared so much together. ENOUGH! I AM IN CONTROL OF MY
OWN THOUGHTS. Shaking his head Telzian ran off after the princess's
assailant planning on taking out his new found frustration on whoever
he was.

As Telzian ran off toward Karasu, a familiar voice was
heard as he was traveling along the blood trail.

"You
aren't looking very beautiful at this moment!" Seikatsu said
with is usual loud laugh, and jumped down from a high tree, pulling
two back flips as he landed on one foot, giving extra special
attention to not tripping.

Seikatsu looked different, he had
several bandages wrapped around his chest, and his eyes showed the
look of have been severely injured. Noticing Telzian's response on
his face at Seikatsu's appearance, he explained what
happened.

"Heh...I tried fighting off that Captain, as
soon as he saw me, he yelled, "It's your fault that I am in this
predicament!" and he launched at me. I figured in what looked
like his weakened state, I could have defeated him, but alas, even my
beauty was not strong enough to defeat that man." Sei felt his
chest with one arm. "He got a couple slashes on my chest before
I managed to get away, I guess he wasn't as strong as normally, as he
didn't give chase...heh heh..." Seikatsu gave a huge cough,
blood spat out of his mouth. "Well...this certainly is not
beautiful on my part...." Seikatsu forced the last words out, as
he slowly feinted, and fell onto the ground.

Telzian was torn
between going after his foe or helping his friend. Taking a deep
breath he let his blood lust go. he would have to do some deep
meditation later he normally didnt let himself go like that. Either
way Seikatsu needed his help or he was going to die. Lifting his
friend onto his back he ran back in the direction of the princess.
Your going to be fine Sei just keep yourself alive were not far form
the next village. Coming upon the princess he set Sei down. Attalone
im going to need your help. He wont survive unless he receives some
form of medical attention he will die. I need you to focus
concentrate on summoning the energy like you did before to wound that
man but this time focus it on healing Sei. Put your hand on my
shoulder when your ready and focus on him. I can't do this alone.
Closing his eyes he put his hands on Sei's chest and summoned all his
energy and let it seep into Sei speeding up his own healing process.
Please princess time is of the essence here i cannot do this myself
i'm a killer not a healer.

Merzan arrived just as Telzian
brought Seikatsu to the princess. He walked up and put his hands on
the bandages. He pushed his energy into Sei and started manipulating
it to heal everything evenly.

You can slow down, it's not a
matter of amount. It's all about control. I've had much more
experience than you in healing wounds. Mandatory training. It's not
as bad as it looks, he'll survive. We need to get him to a doctor,
though. I don't know how to fix broken ribs. He took his hands off
and stood up. I did everything I could for his ribs, but it won't
hold forever. We need to get going. Before Karasu gets here. Or
reinforcements. And what's your name, warrior? I was not told before
we separated.

Merzan saw the residual energy on the dagger
Attalone was holding. He was told about it, but never expected she
would be able to use it untrained. More problems and only further
deviating from the plan. Without time to make another, he would have
to do everything on the fly. It bothered him to no end.

Standing
up Telzian looked at Merzan and bowed deeply. My name is Telzian
Remnas. Thank you for saving Sei. And i agree with you we need to
move quickly. Were going to need to make a stretcher to stop him form
hurting those broken ribs even more. Walking over to the nearest tree
he cut down two branches and walked back over to Sei. He took a long
blanket out of his pack and tied it between the branches. Help me
lift him onto this thing and well carry it together unless you have
some trick up your sleeve to make this thing float on its own.

The
princess stood in shock of what she'd just done. It didn't help any
when a broken Sei was brought into view. When Telzian had asked for
help her surprise hadn't worn off yet. She was glad when Merzan
stepped onto the scene shortly after, taking over a situation she
most likely would have messed up. While they were healing Sei she
didn't really hear any of what they were saying.

Her heart was
still beating quickly and her gaze once again fell to the ground.
This time she saw distinctly a hideous pink blood drenched beast
battling fiercely with a noble looking purple dragon. There were 3
bystanders but they seemed to be oblivious to what was happening
right in front of them. The fight was intense but nobility seemed to
be trumping the pink abomination. The bystanders started to run but
the battlers followed closely behind. They came to a large ravine and
stopped. The images then blurred together and soon she was looking at
regular soil again. She wasn't sure what it meant, so she decided it
would be best not to share.

She snapped out of it and noticed
the men were making a stretcher for Sei, and for the first time in
her life she felt truly ashamed. There was no time for the luxury of
self reflection, or silly daydreams, but she had taken it anyway.
With this thought she immediately straightened up and said "I
wish to help in some way gentlemen."

Yes, there is a way
for you to help. Talk to him try and keep his mind off the pain. He
seems to find comfort in talking to things he finds "Beautiful".
So yes talking to him would be a great help. We should reach the next
town in half a days march we should be safer there i have some
contacts there that can give us shelter. Unless you already have that
taken care of...Merzan was it? Forgive me I"m horrible with
names. Turning his head back towards Sei he spoke in a soft voice.
I'm going to tie down our arms and legs to the stretcher to reduce
bouncing. Don't worry old friend well get you out of this and you'll
be better in no time. Then in a much more serious voice and a much
lower whisper that only Sei could hear he said. I swear if you say
anything on how beautiful my words are or how soft im getting i swear
to you i will do things to you that will make those broken ribs feel
like a feathers tickle. Standing up he grabbed his end of the
stretcher and Merzan grabbed the other and they set off carefully
towards the town.

Beautiful? Ha, maybe once, but now my
body is nothing more than a temple of scabs. Attalone thought while
absentmindedly touching her face.

When her fingers made
contact, instead of feeling the rough scabbed skin she was used to,
the texture was smooth. Her endless cycle of scabbing seemed to have
come to an end. That was quick! She kept this personal amazement and
relief private. Now that she knew she didn't look as hideous as she
thought talking to Sei would be easier.

"Rosie, that was
very foolish. I know that it's your nature to take unnecessary risks,
but really, even you should have known better." Attalone caught
the smile, or as much of a smile as Sei could muster at the moment,
forming on his blood darkened lips.

She knew her preaching
would do no long term good, it would go in one ear (did it even go in
the first ear?) and out the other, but that's the only way she'd been
able to relate to Sei so far. Chiding his ear off seemed to be
effective in lifting his spirits, but Attalone decided to take a
different approach now.

"Please remember not to be so
reckless in the future....I think all present would have to admit
that we'd be lost without you." Attalone's expression grew
somber and she glanced over in Telzian's direction. From that angle
it almost appeared as if he every so slightly nodded. None of the
others saw, but Attalone made a quick mental note.

Sei gave a
small smile at Attolone's words, as he forced his eyes open. "I
will try my hardest to not pull anything reckless..." He said
almost as low as a whisper as he coughed.

"This
is...certainly not a beautiful condition I am in..." Sei said,
with a forced chuckle. "But.....at least there is a beautiful
women, and friends by my side..."
Sei gave a huge cough,
blood still coughing out. "Thank you. This moment here....is
where our wonderfully beautiful journey will begin..." Sei
continued to hold his eyes open to view the night sky as he lay on
the stretcher. Has he viewed into the sky, he was able to see a brand
new constellation being born, that of a flower...with four petals...

Finally reaching the safe house in the town Sei was finally able
to get the help he needed. Merzan was off on his own somewhere doing
something and Telzian, still not trusting him in the slightest had a
contact shadowing him. The princess was resting in the chair next to
Sei's bed. Telzian climbed out the nearest window and sat down on the
roof of the house they were staying in. The sun was rising and he
could feel the warmth of the new day on his skin. This was a ritual
for him greeting the new day, it made him feel more human and in many
ways kept him sane. Suddenly a bird landed next to him. He removed
the letter from its leg and sent it on it's way.
Mr Telzian the
special weapons you ordered are ready feel free to
drop by when
you can

Crumpling the note Telzian set off to the weapon
masters shop. It was about time the replacement daggers he was using
were horrible.

Attalone was feeling very peaceful resting in
her chair. She could not sleep, even though she was quite exhausted.
She opened one eye to peek at the sleeping Sei. He didn't look like
such a bumbling idiot when he slept. Maybe it was because he wasn't
moving. There was no chance of a graceful leap turning into a comedic
skit when his body was static.

She opened the other eye for a
full view. He was expertly bandaged and looked well on his way to
recovery. "I bet you're not as shallow as one might assume."
she said quietly. Attalone then saw one of his face muscles twitch.
"Gahhhhh, you're not asleep then either, are you?"

She
furrowed her brow "Now I suppose I have to hear you yammer on
and on about everything and nothing and all that lies in between....
Hmmmm... maybe....maybe that won't be so bad." She relaxed her
face "What must it be like to be someone like you? Someone who
seems so ready to put others before himself." Sei seemed to
think deeply for a moment while Attalone patiently waited for a
response.

Without opening his eyes, Seikatsu simply said:
"Heh.....I guess I could say it's a beautiful feeling." He
gave a smile afterward, opening his eyes, and leaning his head
towards Attalone.

"Thanks for being by my side.....even
with my tattered body in this room, the room still looks beautiful,
thanks to you." He said, as he winked at Attalone.

Sei
yawned, and stretched, as he sat up. "I'm guessing Telzian fixed
me up, heh, he must be tired of doing that whenever I get injured...
I hope you didn't see me while the bandages were placed, I wouldn't
want you to see such a messy sight." He joked as he gave a big
smile.

Merzan went straight to the weapon masters shop after
getting Sei into the room. He liked the weapons he had, but they were
only as good as the military gave him. There were some swords in the
shop he noticed last time he was here that were better. He was hoping
they still were. It took him a little while to find the place again,
partly because he was trying to lose an unwanted shadow. Eventually,
he decided it wasn't worth it and got there at sunrise. The door was
unlocked when he got there, so he went right in.

Hello? Is
anybody here? I was looking for some better weapons and this is the
only place I could think of looking.

An older looking man come
out to the front, stretching like he just woke up. Yes, yes, I heard
you. The swords you were looking at last time aren't here. And don't
look so surprised. I pay attention to what customers look at.
Anything else you might want? Or are the ones you have
enough?

Merzan didn't expect the man to remember him, since he
was wearing armor last time he was here. He walked up to the man and
took off his sword and scimitar. These aren't strong enough for what
I need anymore. The military really has terrible smiths, the swords
break far too easily. I was hoping the ones I was looking at were
here, but I didn't expect them to be. Is there any way you can
reforge these to be stronger? And how much will it cost? Merzan
handed the two blades over to be examined just as Telzian walked
in.

Telzian walked into the Weaponsmith's store, which
happened to be the only on in town, and was slightly surprised to see
Merzan there. Walking up to the counter he observed the weapons that
Merzan had laid out. Your asking for a repair on those? Hey Shopkeep
don't you have those special swords in the back that you were saving
for a true swordsman? The Shopkeep started sweating and getting
nervous looking form Tezian to Merzan. Uh uh II um you mean those
weapons? Yyes i was saving them for a true warrior its s shame you
use only daggers. What about them sir. Smiling in a very
uncharacteristic way Telzian continued seemingly noticing the
Shopkeepers failed attempt at flattery. Well my good sir i believe
this is your lucky day. I have here with me a very capable warrior
indeed. Merzan is 20 gold pieces a fair enough price for you.
Noticing the look of shock mixed with anger on the shopkeeper's face
Telzian added, You haven't forgotten how you got to be the only
Weaponsmith in the township have you? You aren't going back on your
word now Mr. Shopkeep if you are I'm afraid i will have to give some
incriminating evidence to the town guards that shows you as the
culprit who hired an unknown assassin to "Take Care" of the
other store owners.
The shopkeeper hung his head in shame and went
to fetch the swords and Telzian's order. Telzian picked up his
package and put it in his bag without paying. The shopkeeper only
glared. Oh i almost forgot reforge these old weapons for him on me,
you never know when your gonna need em.

Merzan took the swords
from the shopkeeper and looked them over. He could still see it.
While he knew it didn't exist, he still saw the image of a dragon on
the flat of each blade. He knew there was something he could do with
them that he couldn't with any other blade. He just needed to figure
out what. He put them on the counter as he reached for his money to
pay for them.

Thank you, Telzian. I've had my eye on these for
a while. I'll be back tomorrow for the reforged ones. I need to train
a bit right now, and should get acquainted with my new
weapons.

Merzan left the shop and worked his way to the open
field near the inn. It was rarely used for anything, so it was
usually empty. Today was no exception. He drew both swords at the
same time, and started his usual exercises.

Telzian left the
shopkeepers store and quickly headed down a shady alley. He went to
the stables just outside the town and pick up his horse. It was a
steed who's white main and body were a match even for Telzian's
bleach white skin. The horse was one of the few memories he had from
when he was a child along with the memory he was just about to visit.
Setting off due west he reached what resembled a burnt down ruin of a
farm. This was his family's farm before it was burned down and his
family murdered. He got off the horse and entered the remains of the
house. Walking the remnants of the house he started receiving
flashbacks of his nightmares. A little girl being slashed dead bodies
in the corner, and suddenly he found himself in front of that mirror.
It always had a cover over it but this time it didn't. It was the
only thing that had survived the burning. It was a priceless work of
art. Pure silver frame decorated with dragons and an unkown family
symbol and credo. Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc, We glady
feast on those who would subdue us. Such a strange Credo for a
farming family, Damnit why can't i remember anything. The coat of
arms was a demonic looking human that sort of resembled Telzian
devouring what appeared to be a mother with child. The child was held
in the demonic humans hand still attached to the mother. Telzian had
never looked at this mirror before but now that he had he wished he
didn't. All of a sudden he felt sick and felt the same presence in
his mind that he always felt when he angered or during those
nightmares. You can't deny me for long boy soon i will be free.
Little did he know the daggers he had just received were glowing
crimson red matching his eyes. The voice and glow faded quickly. He
felt a presence behind him and turned around daggers drawn ready to
attack. It was his minion he had sent to shadow Merzan. Master
Telzian, Merzan is practicing in the field right outside the
township. Forgive me for leaving my post but i felt the need to warn
you. There is increased guard activity in the town. They are checking
everyone who comes in and out and there is word of door to door
searches. Telzian put away his daggers and stood up. Thank you
Bloodrunn, you have done well, your pay is in its usual place and
there is a little bonus for you. I have one more task and then you
are free to do as you wish. I suggest laying low for a while. Take a
look at this symbol make a sketch and find out what it is and where
this credo comes from. Bloodrunn did as he was told and disappeared.
Telzian went to his horse and rode for town he had to get back to Sei
and Attalone before the guards came knocking down the door. They were
in a safe location but in this world a location is only safe as long
as a tongue is not wagging.

Sei closed his eyes to begin to
get some rest, as Attalone did as well as she laid back in her chair.
After a few moments, Sei overheard a couple of voices from down the
hall.

"...check the room." A loud voice said. "Very
well." Replied one of the nurses. Whoever it is must of had a
good reason to get permission to search the rooms.


At this
Sei bolted upsright, startling Attalone. "You need to hide."
He said quickly as he looked around the bare room. "Damn...
nowhere to, oh wait!" Sei motioned to Attalone to comer towards
him, as he began to whisper. "Get under the covers quickly!"
As he waved his hand over the other half of the bed, causing a groove
to form in the bed. "C'mon Quickly!" He said before she
could respond and pulled her into the groove in the bed. Sei then
quickly pulled the covers over the both of them, his head still
revealed. As they grew closer to the door, Sei touched his hair
gently, and quickly, but smoothly, his hair began to change color to
white. Henceforth he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, just as
the door opened.

"Nothing here but an old man." One
of the two guys said, though what he said made Sei's eyebrow
twitch.

"Yea, the princess wouldn't be in cahoots with
such an old geezer!" The other guard said laughing as they left
the room, closing the door behind him.

Attalone let out a surprised gasp as
Sei pulled her under the covers. Her first instinct was to scream,
but held it back when she heard the guards barge in. She heard their
muffled voices through the covers. She thought she heard them
speaking about Sei as if he were an old man.

What the heck did
he do!? She thought to herself. After she heard the door close and
when the guards were a safe distance away she leapt out from under
the covers just fast enough to see Sei change his hair back. Her eyes
got wide and her mouth fell open a bit. "Whaaaa....how....
What's wrong with you!?" Sei was the only person in the world
who would not be offended by that question, but seemed a bit puzzled
by it. Like he didn't know exactly which one of his quirks she was
referring to. She stared in his direction and said "Well?"

As
Sei continued to dye is his back to his normal black he answered,
what he thought, was a weird question to ask. "O well....they
weren't necessarily looking for me, but I had thought of it last
minute just in case as I dragged you under the covers." "Maybe
I shouldn't have done that with my hair..." Sei thought
afterwords, with a concerned look his his face, which he quickly
washed away back to his, or what he believes was his normal self.
"Anyway! I think it was a beautiful escape to hide away from
them!" He said with his usual loud laugh.


"Well,
I really should get some rest now.... Sei said as he lied back down.
Truthfully, Sei didn't need any more rest, but wanted everyone to
believe that he needed rest, it cannot be known by them, excluding
Telzian, as to the fact that his wounds were near instantly cleared
up, and only 1 scar remained on his beautiful body.

Attalone
didn't like the answer she got. Apparently Sei had misunderstood.
"No," she replied calmly. "I'm talking about the fact
that we have no hair dye and your hair somehow became 20 shades
lighter than your original color." She guessed this was not an
attribute of himself that he considered out of the ordinary, as he
didn't bother explaining it, but she was still painfully
curious.

Sei was pretending to be asleep now, and Attalone
knew he needed the rest but reverting back to her old ways for a
minute was entirely excusable in her mind, so she ripped the sheets
off the bed, flicked his head and said "You, explanation, now! I
demand it!"

Sei's face wore a shocked look as she threw
the covers off of him. Sei became slightly nervous as Attalone looked
him directly in the eye, inches from his face with a mean look on
her.

"We-well, it's one of the....many techniques I
developed over my many years of...magic...training.. I...really don't
know how else to explain it." Sei said with a slight nervous
tone. It's not as if he was lying, but moreover just avoiding the
exact subject, and just getting to the 'gist' of it.

"But
tell me, why does it bother you so?" Sei asked in response. "I
only changed my hair color, why must you make me out to be an evil
sorcerer?" Sei further asked with an almost annoyed
tone.

Attalone was a little surprised at the tone in Sei's
voice. "I didn't mean it like that." She looked down. "It's
just....you're not the only person I've ever seen who can do
that...." As she silently sifted through the painfully sweet
memories emotion washed over her, and a single tear rolled down her
cheek.

Her mothers sweet eyes, and melodic voice were the
first things she remembered about her. She was like an angel. There
was never a problem that was too small. She listened to all the
peoples needs and did everything in her power to fulfill them. Her
smile, and her grace charmed all in the kingdom, but the love that
was shared between her father and mother was unparalleled. The way
they would gaze deeply into each others eyes always gave Attalone a
sense of security.

The happiness Attalone felt when she
thought of her mother soon turned to agony, as she remembered what
she could of the tremendously horrid day her mother was taken from
her.

The reason, or there even was a reason, why they were out
alone that day was something Attalone didn't know. She was very small
at the time and all she remembered was her mother bundling her up and
taking her on a horseback ride. They did this sometimes when they
wanted to escape the stress of royal life. Before they left the queen
changed her hair color exactly the way she'd seen Sei do it. This was
something she never did in front of anyone besides Attalone. She did
this so she wouldn't be so easily identified on their romps through
the countryside. The color she had chosen was black which was almost
the exact opposite of her normally blonde hair.

After that
they were on their way, and although the memories were fuzzy Attalone
remembered how beautiful the ride had been. As they continued it
started to drizzle, so they stopped to wait it out under a leafy
tree. She remembered watching the raindrops with her mother and
trying to catch them in her little hands. Then something very fast
and hard hitting came out of nowhere and knocked them both from the
horse.

Everything was dark for a while and when Attalone awoke
she noticed they were inside somewhere, and they weren't alone. All
she could remember was her mothers calm, sweet voice and the harsh
voice of a man. There was an exceedingly fast burst of movement and
then blood, tons of blood, the Queens blood. "MOMMY!" she
shrieked and screamed over and over, and then everything after that
was a blur. She had obviously gotten to safety somehow, but the weeks
that followed the incident were not present in her memories either.
It was shortly after the incident that she changed into the selfish
princess she'd been known as up until now.

When her mind had
reached the end of it's reminiscing she realized she had started
sobbing somewhere in the middle of it, and a concerned Sei was trying
to console her. She felt bad she was crying in front of him, and that
he had no idea what the reason behind her tears were, but she could
do nothing to help it.

Sei was shocked at first at her sudden
tears, but soon after smiled and held her close. "...It's ok
now.." Sei said without thinking of the way he said it.

"Let
the tears flow through, refresh yourself, and become stronger by it."
Even as Sei said these things to comfort her, even he had a tear
slide down his cheek, as he remembered a past event. He could only
remember an imperial knight, wearing full white armor, with shining
white hair, standing, holding a blood soaked imperial sword, his
chest glowing a very bright blue. As a small child cried for their
mother in the darkness.

Sei let go of Attalone, and simply
stated. "Your fine now."

It was true, Attalone was
fine now. There was a great deal of comfort in Sei's hug. She wanted
another, but didn't think it proper. "I don't know a thing about
you....Seikatsu." She used his real name this time. "You
brush off every question I ask with half truths or poetic words."
She looked straight into his eyes, the windows of his soul. "I
also have no idea what to make of this entire ordeal. This was never
supposed to happen, father would have never been so easily taken in
by a charlatan in the past...." her head hung down a little in
shame as she admitted "I would never have been such a spoiled
creature in the past either." she sighed "But things change
don't they? They change all the time..... I changed for the worse and
ruined myself for those around me. I don't want to be broken anymore
Sei."

Attalone was finally tired of being selfish and was
angry that she wasted so much time being that way. She looked at Sei
again and her eyes glistened with yet to be spilled tears.


An incredibly fat man sat at a desk
in a dark office laughing to himself while counting the large sack of
money he had just received. Yes he thought to himself it certainly
pays to do the kings men a favor from time to time.. Chuckling while
counting his money he was completely unaware that he was not alone in
the office. A dark shadow approached him from behind and quickly put
a dagger to his neck. Hello Trizian. You are going to tell me that
the money you have on the table is not from the kings men, and you
are also going to tell me that you didn't betray me to the kings men
you fat tub of lard and greed. The man suppressed a scream mostly
because he couldn't breath as is but also because he knew that if he
did the only sound that would come out was a gurgle mixed with his
own blood. He knew the voice and the dagger, it was Telzian Remnas a
dirty animal of a human if you could even call him human.
Y-y-y-you're right th-this i-isnt blood money this is an increase in
taxes. This seemed to cause Telzian to relax and move his dagger
away. Trizian relaxed and let out a breath of relief, it seems he had
fooled Telzian the dumb animal. Suddenly Telzian grabbed Trizian out
of his chair as if he weighed nothing and slammed to the floor. DO
NOT LIE TO ME FOOL. Trizian let out a tiny shriek of fear. I'm sorry
they came to me first what was i supposed to do. Exactly as i told
you to do take the money do with it as you will but send the guards
out on a fake search. Don't you forget who got you into power.....and
who can take you out i hear your assistant is eying your position and
his morals are even more thin then yours are. Punching the man in his
tub of a stomach Telzian picked him up again and slammed him back
into his chair which was magically reinforced to hold even the mans
colossal weight. Telzian then said in a low whisper Tell me.....who
tipped you off to where they were....answer quickly my blade hungers
for blood either yours or your informants it matters not. His fate is
sealed yours is not so for once use that ever quick tongue of yours
to save your fat hide. Trizian looked directly into Telzian's
seemingly glowing red eyes and told him everything. It was a man by
the name of Grimbane hes an informant. Hes new to the area. If you
kill him there will be dire repercussions. The local guilds use him
as an informant. They wont be happy with you.
Telzian released
Trizian and let out a blood curdling laugh. You fool I am not afraid
of the guilds they are afraid of me why do you think i walk so
freely. With that Telzian vanished form the room. Trizian let out a
sigh of relief and called for the guards to bring him new robes. It
seems he had soiled himself during that encounter.

A woman
screamed as she exited her home. The sight in front of her was a
gruesome one indeed. A man by the name of Grimbane hung from the top
of a fountain. He was gutted and each of his ten fingers were
missing. Soon the 5 guilds in the area would be receiving anonymous
bloody gifts.

Telzian watched form the shadows as he saw the
reaction of the crowd. He hated committing acts of such gruesome evil
but there was some part of himself that seemed to be satisfied when
he did it. almost like a satiated hunger. Maybe it was just his
imagination. He committed these crimes so that his friends would say
safe. Well at lest that's what he told himself.

"You need
not worry any longer, you are becoming a very strong person in these
last few weeks." He said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Your mother would of been proud of how strong you are becoming.
And you will get stronger day by day, to top off how strong you
yourself are becoming, you will be able to control that power of
yours as well as, or maybe...." Sei hesitated, unsure if he
should continue what he was going to say, but decided it would have
to be known sooner or later. "Maybe even greater then your
mother's power."

As Sei said this, he awaited a heated
response, he expected to, at any moment, be barraged by many series
of questions.

"Wait." Attalone said with urgency.
"You knew my mother? You speak of her as if you've met her
before, and as for power, I never knew what she could do beyond
changing her hair color." Attalone starred intently while she
spoke. "Sei there's so much I don't know, about the past or the
future. Couldn't you help bridge all the gaps you can? If you knew my
mother please, please tell me what you know." she paused "Of
course this means I need to know a bit about you too, and more than
just half truths this time. If you don't want to tell me everything
that's fine, but I implore you, please tell me everything you can."
Attalone's voice cracked at the end of the sentence as she held back
those still un-shed tears. She then waited patiently for Sei's
response.

“i...uh...eh...." Sei. for once,
struggled to find the words. "The power you have is passed
through your royal family, it has been so since anyone can remember.
Though, the ability to change the color of one's hair in such a way
as she, and I do, was something special that she thought up, and
developed."

Sei sighed as he got up off the bed, and
paced around the room as he spoke to her, nervous as to accidentally
telling more information then what was currently needed.

"I
will only say one thing about myself as of now, it is not necessary
to speak more about I at this very moment. I was a special trainee
under her, and a close friend. She taught me many of her abilities,
and I have held those times together with her, are the only real
happy memories I have in my life." In some of what he said,
there were lies mixed in, but told in a way that Attalone did not
notice the lies. Though some lies were there, they were not far from
the truth.

"The night when....that terrible night, when
your mother was....murdered.." He had trouble speaking those
words, even a tear fell down his cheek. "I was too late to save
her, and, like you saw it happen before my eyes...but, I was able to
save you...and run from the killer, who had direct orders to kill
her, he was a high Captain in the legion, Captain
Kurasu..."

"Please, let us not speak further of this
matter, at this moment..." He said to Attalone, his eyes holding
back tears.

Sei walked towards the door and opened it.
"Telzian should be back any moment.... I'm sorry, but I need to
be alone for a short while, I know I should stay here, and comfort
you at this time, but I need to be alone for now, as I have been for
so many years.... Please do not follow me." He swung on his
jacket as he left the door, closing it behind him, very quickly. The
only trace of him left in the room were small tears on the ground
leading to the doorway.

Meanwhile, over by Telzian, he had
overheard information that a Captain himself would be coming to the
town to investigate both the murder that Telzian had just committed,
and to look for Attalone. It seems, that it was Captain Kurasu as
Telzian could feel his massive force enter the town, and a feeling of
dread came about.

Left alone with a boat load of new
information Attalone was an entire spectrum of emotion. She was glad
he told her, curious about what he didn't tell her, and furious that
he left. She didn't know what to do with herself at first.

After
a few moments of hard deliberation Attalone decided to go after Sei.
She was well aware he did not want to be followed, but simply didn't
care. As she was about to hurry down and out she remembered to grab
her small dagger just in case she ran into some kind of hoodlum. She
then put on a cloak she found in their room.

When she got into
the streets she realized she had no idea how far Sei had gone. She
hung her head in disappointment. As her eyes met the ground she saw a
vivid picture of where Sei was and how to get there. Without a
moments hesitation she broke into a run in the right
direction.

Telzian saw Sei pass by and was about to tell him
the news but he stopped when he saw the look on Sei's face and the
extreme tension that followed him. Sei was only like this rarely
which meant something upset him. This was not a good time to follow
him. Suddenly it dawned on him. The princess was alone and that was
unsafe. Damn it Sei, you and your temperamental states. He was about
to head right for the safe house but stopped as he saw the princess
pass right by. Right after Sei. Jumping down in front of her Telzian
caught her and stopped her form following him. She seemed very upset
at this. Princess it is not a good time to follow Sei. Ive known him
for years and he is normally a very calm guy but when he gets like
this he needs to be alone. Seeing the look of anguish on her face he
tried to comfort her. Your highness, come with me back to the safe
house i will get us some food and drink and I will try and answer the
questions that are obviously on your mind about Sei to the best of my
abilities. Please know that there are some things that I cannot say
but I will try and accommodate to your questions.

Attalone
reluctantly agreed, although she was still offended that Sei wanted
to get away from her.

When they arrived back she got straight
to business. "Telzian, why is Sei having some kind of episode,
is it really that difficult for him to talk about the past? it leads
one to believe there's something he's hiding. Why must it all be a
mystery?"

Mystery wasn't an everyman's problem, but it
seemed to shroud everything in Attalones' life.

Meanwhile, Sei
had gone to a small, grass filled hill outside of town, and he lay
there staring into the sky, and he began to talk aloud, with no one
around.

"She isn't ready to know everything
yet..."

"..."

"I know but.... even
I am having a hard time thinking of the past..." Sei said out
loud depressingly.

"..."

"Heh, you
always did say that to me whenever I felt down... to always look on
the bright side of life."

"..."

"Your
right, I have someone new to protect."

"..."

"Yes....some
obstacles are still in the way..."

"..."

"I
shall help her, train her to be as great, or greater then you, do not
worry. Your daughter already is strong, she's just like you, when you
were a child."

"..."

"I just wish I
could see you once again, not just able to hear you....it's almost
like a curse.... But I can still remember your beauty as if you were
standing in front of me. I will do my best." As he spoke those
last words, Sei quickly stood up, and sped off a little bit away from
town.

"But first, I need to take care of some obstacles."
He said as he pulled out the small marble like device that is used
for sending messages.

"Telzian, protect her while I'm
gone, there is something I've got to do. And I know you felt it as
well, Captain Karasu has entered the town, get out of there quickly."
Sei spoke into the marble. He then through the marble into the air,
and it sped off towards Telzian and Attalone.

Telzian was
taken aback by the rapidness of Attalone's questions. Sei is a very
odd character, the irony of course being one such as me calling him
odd but that's besides the point. Sei has trouble talking about his
past because his life has been filled with sorrow and woe. He wants
to protect you cause you make him ha- Suddenly Sei's voice filled
Telzian's head. "Telzian, protect her while I'm gone, there is
something I've got to do. And I know you felt it as well, Captain
Karasu has entered the town, get out of there quickly." Telzian
grimaced at the message. He had noticed the presence but he thought
they had time. Damn that man moves fast.
Im sorry princess but
your questions will have to wait our old friend Karasu has found us
and Sei has left me in charge of your protection. Taking out a marble
of his own he sent a message to Sei. Im getting the princess out of
here I'm taking her to my family's farm she will be safe there, meet
us there and be safe my friend. Telzian grabbed Attalones hand and
ushered her out of the house towards the stables outside of town.
From there they rode off in the direction of Telzians farm.

"If
I am not there within a day, continue on without me, go through the
mountains to reach Sheldy. I will hopefully catch up to you by the
time you reach the top of the mountain. Be careful climbing it, you
will have to go through a large cavern at one point, and it could
easily cave in, so be quick about it when you enter it."

That
was the last message Telzian would receive for the next two days, as
the threat of a message being intercepted by Kurasu was high. This
two day absence will have heavily worried both Attalone and
Telzian.

Captain Karasu walked into the town, and the first
image he saw was of the informant hung about. "...Easily
replaced. Case closed." Was all Karasu had said to any
investigators that had asked for his assistance.

"I am on
a more important mission..." He said as he lifted a picture of
Attalone towards each of them. "Have you seen this girl before?"
Many people have said no, and he responded with a simple statement.
"...useless, the lot of you."

Karasu then took a
trip to see Tilzian. Again he simply asked, though with a demeaning
look, "Have you seen this girl before?"

"No-no
I haven't" He replied, while trying to hide his fear.

Karasu
simply put the photo inside his armour, and slowly looked into his
eyes.
"LIAR!" Karasu screamed as he slammed the desk in
front of him in anger. The desk, after three seconds, suddenly turned
to wood chips, and fell to the ground like the sound of rain. "TELL
ME WHAT YOU KNOW."

"I-if I say anything I'll be
killed!" The main trembled out.

"You decide whats
worse. Being killed quickly by that vigilante, or slowly, and
painfully in the Imperial Cell's....whats your choice?" Karasu
basically had dared him to disobey.

"O-ok, I think they
had run towards some old farm, I am not sure on this, but I do know
they had left in that direction." He said as he pointed the
direction.

"I can see you know nothing more, thank you
for your cooperation." Karasu said simply, just before he rushed
Tilzian, holding him by the neck, and against the wall, the chair
still underneath him, having been torn from it's stop on the ground.
"Let this be a warning to never lie to an Imperial Officer
again." He said as he let go of his throat. Tilzian dropped to
the floor, fear still loaded in his eyes.

Just as Karasu left
the door, he stated, "And clean this place up."

And
he left. After he had left the room, the wood chips he had turned the
desk into seemed to sprout white flowers.

Karasu was now on
his way towards the vicinity of the farm house, it will take him a
little under a day to reach it.

"Telzian!" Attalone
shouted, her gaze fixed intently on the ground. "He's coming
HERE, NOW!" She watched as the horrific images flashed before
her eyes. The massacred informant, the fat pig who ratted them out,
all blurring by one after the other. The newest image was the most
terrifying, the Captain making a bee-line straight for them.


"What
shall we do!?" Her eyes flashed with panic, she wanted to leave
immediately, she'd seen the damage that was done to Sei. She really
didn't want an encore for Telzian.

We need to get the hell out
of here. Telzian thought to himself. "Come on princess the
mountains are only a short ride from here." They set out as fast
as Telzian could push the horses until they came to a point where
they had to abandon their rides. "We have to continue on foot
from here Your highness. The climb is hard but there is a cave we
need to get to and climb through. Do not be afraid I am here to help
you, Your safety is my top priority and seeing how much you mean to
Sei i will gladly lay down my life to see you to safety. If for
whatever reason Karasu catches up to us i want you to run as fast as
you can. Sei or i will find you but do not come looking for us.
Karasu is a dangerous man and may be a match for even Sei and I
combined." With that being said Telzian started the long hike up
the mountain side. The entire time he felt a dark presence drawing
near and there was still no sign of Seikatsu he couldn't even sense
his aura. Could he have been killed by Karasu? That wasn't even
possible was it? Shaking himself from his thoughts he noticed
Attalone having trouble with the climb. Time was of the essence so he
doubled back. "Princess time is of the essence please allow me
to carry you on my back we will go faster this way. Every minute we
waste is another minute the demon Karasu will gain on us."
Without waiting for a reply Telzian picked up Attalone and started
speeding up the mountain at a much faster pace. They finally reached
the cave passage and Telzian set Attalone down. Opening up his pack
he took out a water sack and handed it to the princess. "Here
drink up we can only rest for a few minutes we have a demon on our
tail and these caves aren't known for being stable." He popped
his head out of the cave and reached out with his senses. Karasu was
getting closer and he knew exactly where they were. "Damn how
they hell did he catch us so fast. Im going to kill Tilzian when get
back. Sorry princess looks like our rest has been cut short. Hop on
we need to get out of here now.

Attalone was actually grateful
they had to move, she needed to rest, but felt it was good to push
her limits. She and Telzian took off, she ran much better than she
could climb, and wasn't lagging behind as much.

The cavern was
very dark. It was hard to see, but Attalone could make out Telzian's
luminous figure as he ran in front of her. The rock that lined the
cavern was very brittle, and crunched beneath their
feet.

Unfotunately for every step they took Karasu seemed to
take two. He was gaining fast, much too fast, and this caused a
massive adrenaline increase within Attalone. The extra set of
crunching feet was getting louder by the second.

Much to her
delight the vast, dark cavern seemed to be coming to an end. She
could see a beam starting to light their path.

Suddenly it felt as though a huge wind
passed by Telzian and Attalone, a wind large enough to stop them in
their tracks, and cause them to cover their eyes. As they opened
their eyes, Captain Karasu stood before the exit of the cavern.

"I
cannot allow you to pass." He said as he began to walk towards
the two. "This is the final bastion of defense to stop you from
entering your home land." As he grew closer to them, his armor
and hair shone a magnificent white in the little light that was in
the cavern.

"I am to offer my life in order to stop you.
The wheel of fate has already decided, I, Captain Karasu will die
here, tonight. But even knowing this, I WILL STAND BY MY DUTIES! I
will stop you!"

He then drew his sword, helmet shining in
the light.

"From the many years of being loyal to the
imperials....I...will soon be out of this world, and I, myself will
be hated by all once again, and my life will return to the way it has
been throughout my long, long life......This is Captain Kurasu's Last
Stand!"

"Take your best shot at me...." He
finished saying as he got into fighting stance.

Attalone
reached her breaking point without knowing it. They were threatened,
they were at a disadvantage, thus pure instinct took over. The fire
in her eyes started to blaze, and in one brilliant burst, two
griffins made of the pure blue energy that flowed through her royal
veins shot out, twisting and rotating in the air faster than lighting
as they approached their target.

As immediately as the blue
griffins were summoned by Attalone, they targeted right into the face
of Kurasu's helmet. A small, blue explosion took place of his helmet,
sending a large crack through the face of his helmet.

"....And
thus, Captain Kurasu fades, and only hate is left...." Kurasu
whispered aloud, and the words echoed throughout the cavern.

The
crack began to grow, and extend, splitting it in half. As the helmet
began to slide off his head, his bright white hair began to change,
to a dark silky black. As the helmet fell to the ground, like a
domino effect, several more explosions took place on his armor,
shattering it, and cloaking him in a smoke.

Slowly as the
smoke died down.... a bright light shone from the cavern's exit,
bright enough to clearly see a man standing there, shining black
hair, black clothes, with a rose on the back of his
shirt......

".....This does not change a thing.....
Attalone....Telzian....fight me, defeat me, kill me, there is only
hate left....let Captain Kurasu, sink into the rift of time."
Seikatsu Niju said, coldly.

"Ugh......." was the
only thing Attalone could choke out. Her mind was racing, she could
barely hold it together. Karasu and Sei were one in the same? This
couldn't be, she thought, as doubt and confusion whirled around in
her brain. The confusion was out weighing the doubt at the moment,
but not by much.

Fighting was definitely out of the question,
though she was starting to feel incredibly betrayed, she still
couldn't strike down the only person she'd ever been able to share
her feelings with.There would be no honor in that. "T...Telzian!?"
she stuttered through tears and bewilderment. She looked to him,
wondering what he could possibly be feeling, having seen such an
abomination occur right before his very eyes.

Telzian was
deeply shocked by the sudden turn of events but he had a job to do
and that was to protect the princess. Stepping in front of her he
drew his daggers and entered a fighting position. "Prin-....Attalone,
I will create an opening I'm going to need you to run. Keep following
the tree line until you reach the next safe house . Keep the mountain
behind you." Telzian charged the only friend he had ever known
and clashed weapons with him. Deadlocking him for a few seconds.
"ATTALONE GO NOW!" Telzian screamed. Suddenly Seikatasu
wasn't himself he was attacking with the fierceness of Karasu.
"Damnit Sei snap out of it don't make me kill you."

Sei
gave a laugh as he loudly spoke. "You know damn well you have no
chance against me by yourself! You will need Attalone's powers
and....your special self... To Defeat Me!" Sei then swayed the
deadlock to their side, and forced his right hand forward, sending a
blue flaming Phoenix towards him, causing no damage but pushing him
back into a wall.

Sei then quickly turned to Attalone. "Stop
with that scared face! That is certainly NOT beautiful!" He
yelled as he launched a large blue flaming wave towards her, again
not causing any damage to her whatsoever, but almost pinning her to
the wall.

As they both hit the walls, small rocks tumbled from
the ceiling. "Your not being series! Get serious about this!
Hurt me! Damage me! Deliver pain down onto me!"

Sei
yelled as his chest began to glow slight blue.

Attalone felt
the brittle wall on her backside. The blow didn't hurt, but it was
very forceful. Though the fact that it caused no physical harm was
irrelevant for her. It might as well have killed her as far as she
was concerned, infact, at that moment, she wished it had.

Even
after that her heart did not desire to fight Sei, so when the
griffins rematerialized at her sides she was quite surprised. "No!"
she cried, "Go away! Please!" she pleaded with them, but
they only pawed the ground and growled. These two, the embodiments of
her powers, refused to leave.

She was very frightened, she
seemed to have lost control. Attalone was at the peak of her
emotions, the blue fire in her eyes was intensified by her tears,
they started pouring down her cheeks, without warning the griffins
cried out in unison with Attalone's dismayed shriek of desperation
and took flight. The phoenix that had been fired at Telzian,
returned. Thus the griffins took on the blue bird, and were clearly
superior.

With the Phoenix vanquished they moved onto their
intended target, Sei. When they got to him instead of attacking they
separated from each other and began to encircle rapidly. Sei became
entrapped within their blue lighting circle. It would have been very
beautiful to an onlooker. It resembled a tornado, or what a whirlpool
might look like from under water.

The cavern was way past it's
threshold of stability and it was more than halfway done collapsing.
Telzian was much more aware of this than Attalone, who was horrified
by the wild actions her powers had taken against her will.

With
her safety still top priority just as he knew Sei would still want it
to be, he grabbed her arm, and attempted to pull her towards the
exit. In his haste he grabbed the wrong arm and got a nasty burn from
her birthmark, but time being of the essence he barely noticed and
simply grabbed her other arm. Attalone tried to fight it "NO!
SEI! WE MUST SAVE SEI!" She wailed.

They made it out, but
only by a small margin.

Telzian was shocked that Sei would
even suggest what he suggested. Bringing out his other self....that
was something that he couldn't do by will...that annoying side of him
only came out when his life was threatened. Shaking himself from the
shock of Sei's magic he noticed the cavern falling around them. "I'm
sorry my friend but her safety is my top priority. Goodbye Seikatsu
you were and always will be my only and best friend." Telzian
said as he grabbed Attalone and ran for the exit. He carried her out
with little effort even though she was kicking and screaming about
not leaving Sei. Right as they left the cavernous passage it
collapsed behind them leaving Sei either trapped or dead within. In a
fit of pure rage Telzian screamed and started beating the rubble with
his fists until they bled. "DAMN-IT SEIKATSU YOU IDIOT WHY THE
HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME. I COULD HAVE HELPED. IF ANYONE KNOWS ABOUT
DEALING WITH ANOTHER HALF IT'S ME YOU MORON. WHY DAMN-IT
why.....why...." Telzian said falling to his knees as his anger
gave way to calmer sobs. After a few moments he dried his eyes and
chastised himself for being so visibly open with his feelings and not
even seeing if the princess was ok. He got up and walked over to her.
He got down on one knee and faced her. "Attalone I could not
save Seikatsu for this I apologize and I don't ever expect you to
forgive me. Seikatsu saw something special in you and now so do I. He
gave his life before his quest to help you was complete. So I Telzian
Remnas, pledge my loyalty and life to you in his stead. His only wish
was to protect you so now I shall take up the wish of my dearest
friend. Seikatsu's memory will live on in us."
Merzan waited
at the next safehouse, reading the notes the oracle had sent him. The
first was quite clear, giving him directions to the safehouse and
instructions to get there as soon as possible. A mention of Karasu
being nearer than he thought was mentioned, as well as the princess'
safety being assured for the moment. While he doesn't normally
abandon a mission for any length of time for any reason, orders from
the oracle take highest precedence. What worried him was that the
note said nothing about Sei and Telzian.

The first note was
delivered before Telzian and Attalone left the town, so Merzan was
able to reach the safehouse well before they would. Attached to the
door was another note with the oracle's crest and his name on it. The
key was inside, so he waited in the main room while reading the next
note. While it had two pages, the first had very little written on
it. Was was written left him shocked.

"Telzian shall
arrive with Princess Attalone shortly. Destroy this first page before
they arrive. The princess has the powers of an oracle, in addition to
what her lineage in the royal line has granted her. Question
Seikatsu's location when they arrive, and show them the other page
and note if they ask. The foes you will face will only become
stronger, and it is important Princess Attalone returns home safely.
Her security in Shelby is a necessity to survive the coming
devastation.
--next page
Permission to use the Dragon's Rite
has been granted and release has been approved as you see fit. All
levels shall be used if necessary, but do not be reckless. Your new
swords can more efficiently channel your energy. You need not leave
one hand free to use your techniques, and you will realize more as
you travel. Help train Princess Attalone as you travel. Rampant, wild
power will only bring pain. The next safehouse has already been
taken, but the tavernmaster is also Tardran, and has been informed of
his task. Do not remain long in his security, we are not dealing with
fools. There is one more Truth waiting at that tavern. Do not forget
to seek it out. The answers she seeks have not yet been found, but
will be known to all soon. While I cannot tell you anymore, there is
something else you must know. It becomes difficult to see the future
when an oracle is involved with the event. The powers clash, and
little is made certain. This may very well be the last message you
receive from me. Be wary of traitors."

Merzan read the
note again, just to make sure he understood it properly. "Be
wary of traitors." The same message ended the other note, and
every note the oracle wrote that he knew of. He focused his energy
and burned the first page of the note as he waited for the others to
arrive. He knew what the Dragon's Rite was. There wasn't a Tardran
alive that didn't. He also knew the last time permission to use it
was granted was almost 200 years ago. The massacre ended a century
long war. And only Level 5, the first release, was used by the four
of them. The fifth released further, but nobody knows how far. The
massacre was done mostly by the fifth, but the power difference when
released at all is immense. And he was just told he could use the
Level 0 release if he felt it was needed.

"What on earth was that?" an
indifferent Claude muttered to the other dark figure in the room.
They were a great distance from the blast, but noticed it
nonetheless.

Claude was taking turns shuffling his documents
and moving his risk-like pawns across a multicolored map. He was
plotting something very grand, but his first target, and most
important was becoming less and less obtainable by the minute.

His
brow furrowed slightly at the thought, "Well, what do you
suppose it was?"

Teslament was hesitant with her words.
"....The only being that could generate as much power as it
takes for a....display like that..." She began saying as her
face grew angry. "...Is an Immortal."

Teslament got
up off her chair to stand by, and look through the window.

"So
one of you survived..... but...which one...?" Teslament asked
herself as she viewed through the window, her face littered with
hate.

She looked away from the window and walked up to Claude
in a quick motion like a snake. "We must find and destroy
him...." She simply stated to Claude as she awaited a
response.

((too tired to write a description of how she looks
atm, so combine these 2 images together for now.))
With an equal
calm Claude replied while smoothing his oily hair "If that is
what must be done, make it so." He looked away "You know
what I'm after..."

"However if this is some sort of
extra curricular affair. I won't have it." He turned his head
back in her direction and glared "I worked very hard to
demoralize....I mean interrogate my "wife," He laughed "
granted that was mostly for fun, she's still the first grand step to
what I desire, but now Miss High and Mighty is running a muck with
those troublesome commoners, and because of this my whole plan is in
jeopardy." Claude's eyes got wild "That fool who was sent
apparently had no idea what he was doing, and his personal failure
has become my own."

"I don't like losing Miss
Teslament. That's where you come in..."

Teslament's eyes
grew cold as he said those words of commanding. She hated being
commanded by someone of lesser power then she.

"....Yes...sir....
I will be on my leave then, it shouldn't take to long to find him."
Tesla said as she opened the the wooden panes of the window
sill.

"Good bye." She said as she jumped out the
window, and as she did so the winds kicked up and surrounded her, and
she began to fly as one with the wind, towards the location of Sei's
explosion.


Attalone normally would have been
touched by Telzian's words, but nothing could touch her now. She
broke down into a sobbing heap. Nothing mattered
anymore....absolutely nothing. She didn't remember, or care, why they
were even standing where they were.

The earth dampened,
seemingly to sympathize with her. She hadn't felt pain like this
since she'd lost her mother. It was a different kind of pain, but
just as gut wrenchingly excruciating. This time however was her
fault. She could have helped Sei, maybe if she'd stayed a little
longer, pushed Telzian away, she would have been able to gain control
of her powers and would have gotten everyone out. Yet another selfish
act on my part she thought bitterly, but this time it's cost me
dearly.

She'd only known Sei a brief while, but it felt like
many life times. There had always been a peculiar familiarity
there.

Her sobbing quieted although her tears did not cease.
They streamed down her face and where they hit the ground the dirt
turned to diamonds.

Still in a heap she muttered "These
tiny bright stones....a vicious mockery of my grief." There was
complete silence for a moment. Then Attalone slowly lifted her head
and looked Telzian straight in the eye. "Kill me....if there is
any mercy in your heart you will save me the trouble of doing it
myself." Her eyes had lost their fire, they were blank and
devoid.

Telzian saw the look on Attalone's face and heard her
words and they seemed to echo deep within him. All of a sudden a
great hunger took over him. He wanted to kill her, he wanted to
satisfy the hunger that burned withing him. "Kill her....do it
Telzian kill her and give in to me." Who are you.... "YOU
KNOW DAMN WELL WHO I AM TELZIAN" No i don't DAMNIT I DON'T GET
OUT OF MY HEAD! Suddenly in his mind a shadowy image appeared. He
lunged at it in an attempt to attack and made a small slash on the
shoulder. He instantly grimaced as pain ran through him and he looked
down, his own shoulder was bleeding where he had cut the other.
"No....it's not possible YOU CANT BE. ahahaha Telzian you fool
you finnaly get it. Stepping into the light the shadowy figure
revealed himself as another Telzian only this one was distinctly more
evil. I AM YOU! Suddenly snapped back into reality Telzian unsheathed
his daggers and lunged at Attalone ready to kill, a look of pure evil
on his face. At the last second he dived to the side and slammed into
the nearby cliff wall. "Attalone....run...i...cant control my
other self...GET OUT OF HERE NOW OR KILL ME.

Was he mad? Run?
Kill him? Clearly. It mattered naught what happened to her. Her
instinct of self preservation was gone. She was certainly not going
to kill him, he still had his whole life ahead of him, a future of
sorts.

She had been subconsciously aware of Telzian's other
half for a while now. She didn't know who her strange vision had been
related to, the two beings duking it out, but it was now apparent
that Telzian was very conflicted with himself.

Her desire to
help Telzian was the only thing that motivated her to rise. She
calmly walked over to him, not at all sure of what she was going to
do. Telzian was struggling with control, one could tell it was taking
every ounce of his self control not to kill Attalone.

Attalone
was also conflicted. If she did nothing then Telzian would surely
give her what she'd requested. If she helped him his lust for her
blood would dissipate. With a deep sigh in her heart she decided that
he was much more important than her selfish yen for death. She
suddenly noticed the burn on Telzian's palm the he recieved when he'd
tried to grab her to get her out of the collapsing cavern.

Going
purely on instinct Attalone grabbed his hand, and just as the other
strong arm plunged a dagger through her shoulder, she pressed her
birthmark onto his burn and concentrated. Her cry of pain was mingled
with the words "Peace to your heart my friend." She
withdrew her arm from Telzian's hand, and wrenched the dagger out of
her shoulder, dropping it next to him. Her shrieks of agony all the
while were piercing. She knew the fact that he'd stabbed her shoulder
was the mercy side of Telzian, the other side had surely been aiming
for her heart, she would have been grateful for this, but life was no
longer her goal, thus in her mind it had been counter
productive.

Telzian no longer struggled and was temporarily
calmed. Attalone had pushed and buried his other self for now, it was
not known when it would surface again, but for now things were
peaceful.

Very peaceful Attalone thought as she fell back and
hit the ground. The pain ripped through her shoulder, but it was
comforting to know she could bleed to death. As the crimson pool
quickly stained her hair and the surrounding earth she was solaced.
Perhaps she would see Sei again after all, certainly not in the way
she would have originally hoped, but she definitely wasn't
complaining. The sweet sleep preceding death was setting in while
blood poured gracefully from the artery inside of the hole Telzian's
dagger left. The rest of her body had a few small convulsions and
then the world faded.

The clouds grew darker as Teslament sped
through the the sky in the direction of the explosion. All the while
with both a confused, and angry look on her face, sparks of
electricity coming off of her eyebrows.

"How could one
still be living after that massacre? Are we far more Immortal then I
had thought? No, nothing is Immortal, everything can, and will die,
but then why has one survived? I watched them all vaporize, or burst
into flames, one even turned into a tree as he died..."

As
Teslament came closer and closer to the mountains, Sei, who was a
moment ago passed out, suddenly came to, with great fear in his
eyes.

"What is this fear?" Sei asked himself aloud,
as he viewed his shaking hands. "This powerful force....what is
causing it? And why does it feel so familiar, and death
threatening..."

Sei stumbled as he tried to get up, he
had to use nearby tree to help him up. He looked into the sky, and
saw it turning a dark black and gray, with many lightning bolts
screaming through the sky. "What is coming?" Sei asked as
he looked towards the ground, and began to walk, the direction he was
going, unknown to him, but just walking, out of fear.

Telzian's
breathing calmed as he once again regained his composure. What he saw
next filled him instantly with regret. Attalone was bleeding to death
on the floor and his bloody dagger was lying a foot away. "What
have i done.....". Crawling over to Attalone, Telzian examined
the wound. It was deep but not fatal. Suddenly he remember his
Herbology lessons living on a farm. "This area has Dockleaf if i
can find some and stop the bleeding she will be fine until i can get
her to some help." Feeling around he found some and took out
some bandages from his pack. Luckily it started raining and that
meant mud. Taking some mud he applied it to the leaf and set it on
the ground near Attalone. "Now to stop the bleeding..." He
summoned what strength he could and focused it onto the wound the
combined pressure form his hands and his energy stopped the bleeding.
Taking his hand made Poultice he applied it to her shoulder covering
the wound. The natural healing powers of the leaf would stop any
further bleeding and stop any infection.The mud would hold it in
place and seal the wound. He then wrapped the bandages around the
wound. Telzian couldn't move Attalone very far until she awoke but he
had to get her into shelter. He found a nearby cave. Entering it he
was attacked by a bear. He dispatched the bear with little effort and
after making sure there were no more interruptions he moved Attalone
into the cave. Finding some wood outside he made a fire and skinned
the bear. "Well at least your safe for now. We'll make it out of
this i promise." he said to a sleeping Attalone.

A few
hours later Attalone awoke in a cold sweat. She was very disappointed
to see she wasn't in heaven. "All you had to do was leave me
there Telzian." She whispered

This isn't fair! She
thought. "Why did you not grant me the only thing I've ever
asked of you?" She struggled to sit up, her body wasn't yet
finished replacing all the spilled blood; though the wound was
healing nicely thanks to Telzian's recollections and quick
thinking.

She stared at the fire while waiting for a
response.

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

Meanwhile............

Claude
was no fool, he knew well the danger he put himself in when he
solicited Teslament's help. So he took this opportunity to adjourn to
his innermost chambers and continue his clandestine preparations, in
case dealings with this creature of legend turned sour. "Always
have a plan B." he said out loud as he took out his chest of
ancient artifacts.

These, will not only prove useful in
preventing a mutiny....... they will also come in handy for absorbing
the Sheldy princess's fully awakened powers when the time comes, he
thought. "Oh Claude," he said again talking to himself, and
smiling at his reflection in the stone he extracted from the chest.
"you will make a handsome unstoppable force of malice and
destruction, won't you?"

Telzian stared into the fire thinking
of a response. "Sei wanted you protected and that is what is
going to happen princess. I will not let your selfishness make Sei's
death a vain one. I suggest you get some rest before we move out it's
a ways to the next safehouse." Telzian was not in the mood to be
blamed for saving someones life. He had enough problems of his own.
His other side was getting worse and worse. This was the first time
since he lost his memories that his other self had taken control of
him. It seemed to be getting worse day by day. He couldn't tell what
exactly but he felt an ominous feeling like something bad was going
to happen. He didn't like it. Without waiting for the princess to
respond he started moving towards the exit of the cave. "I'm
going out to scout out the area. If you wish to die then go ahead but
stay here where its safe."

"huh?!" Teslament
said in shock as she stopped immediately in the air. "That felt
like....no impossible, it's only a coincidence..." She spoke to
herself as she began to slowly move more towards Sei's location.
"Though....I should check it just in case." She decided
suddenly, this feeling disturbing her.

Within minutes of that
feeling she was 400 feet in the air above the cave where Telzian had
just walked out of. Teslament took notice of him immediately and
glared down on him from up above.

"Whoever it is....he
isn't an immortal... heh, he prob has that feeling to him because he
was with immortal....or maybe even....the princess..." She
thought as Claude's words came into her mind about needing to capture
the princess again.

"Ugh, that's his orders, I don't care
if she's alive or dead, I have higher priorities, like finding the
damn immortal that survived." Teslament chuckled to herself. "I
guess I'll start by asking that poor sap if he's seen him, heh heh
heh."

Teslament said, laughing, and she immediately
launched towards him at great speed, spinning in circles generating a
small tornado around her. The tornado struck not far from Telzian,
giving him a huge shock. As the fact that the weather was normal as
usual beforehand.

As soon as she landed the wind and debris
that made up the tornado vanished into the air, and she immediately
began walking towards Telzian.

"I'm pretty sure you've
met with a very special person recently....an immortal, ha! What was
I thinking, you would know nothing of such matters!" Teslament
began to laugh loudly as she spoke her words.

Teslament wore a
long beautifully white dress which separated at her legs, like a
Chinese kimono, golden lines running along the edges of the clothes.
Her skin was as white as the wind itself, her hair an electric blue,
her eyes the color of the sky. Though a vision of beauty, one could
see that she was an ugly person in personality, just by looking at
her, judging a book by its cover esq. She wore some thing gold
bracelets around her wrists and ankles, along with pure white high
heel shoes, that showed off her gorgeous and perfect white feet, toes
and fingernails painted with a beautiful mesh of light and electric
blue.

Telzian barely avoided the cyclone. Rolling into a ready
stance daggers drawn he looked at the sky and saw a creature of pure
beauty but also pure evil. Suddenly he felt very angry. Immortal? Was
she talking about Seikatsu? Or did someone of power meant the
princess. Either way he would not let the freak pass. Gathering his
anger he lunged straight at her. "YOU WILL NOT LAY A HAND ON THE
PRINCESS!" Teslament easily blocked the thrust but when
Telzian's blade made contact, his other side released. "FINNALY
IM FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! HAHAHAHA WHO ARE YOU? YOU LOOK
LIKE FUN HOW BOUT WE HAVE A LITTLE FIGHT." Summoning all his
strength he began to push back against Telzament in an explosive
burst of fury. "Is that all you've got bitch. Come on you ugly
old hag get angry a small child could best you. HAHAHAHAHAHAA FIGHT
ME OLD WOMAN."

As Telzian's other self surfaces and began
full out speaking, a huge feeling of power, and familiarity flowed
into Teslament.

"What is this? You are not an immortal!
How can you have power such as this?" Teslament said calmly, and
questionably as she easily blocked each and every attack.

In
response Teslament jumped backwards, readying her arm as wind
encircled it. She swung her arm, the wind flowing past her and
pushing Telzian against a tree, the wind going with enough force to
inflict deep cuts, but while his other self was around, he seemed to
not feel pain, nor got any injuries.

"....How can you, a
mere mortal, withstand my power?....It's almost as if, you have the
same power as I....but that cannot be, I am all powerful, while you
lay a tiny little mortal."

Telzian kept on blindly
attacking, like a bear clawing at its prey, and without faltering
Teslament easily pushed back each attack. As the fight continued on,
Teslament had a growing migraine, growing larger by every second she
connected with Telzian.

"No power is greater then I! Only
a power of equal value will ever dare to compare to me! Yet you small
and insignificant pea on this land, are somehow putting me into a
weakened state!" At these words, Teslament fell onto one knee,
still fending off any attacks from Telzian.

"NO! That's
enough of this tom foolery!" Teslament yelled loudly as her eyes
began flicking off sparks of electricity. Teslament swung both her
arms towards Telzian, creating a small tornado which spun
horizontally to the ground, launching him into the cave where
Attalone was. She quickly glided over to the mouth of the cave, and
stood at the mouth of the cave. "Just as I thought, your
protecting that bitch! Her powers haven't even come to fruition yet,
how worthless!"

Telzian arose as if nothing had even
happened and once again charged Teslament seemingly unhindered in the
slightest. She blocked every blow with simplistic ease but with every
blocked blow his fury began to increase and each blow seemed like the
very wind itself was backing it. "Your fight is with me you old
hag. That bitch over there is mine to kill." With a primordial
cry he charged with all his might and forced Teslament to back up
while she blocked the attacks. Suddenly with a huge burst of anger he
forced Teslament out of the cave and right onto her ass.

"Ho-how
is your power so similar to mine?...." Teslament said calmly as
she got up quickly.

Teslament's anger then began to rise
substantially, as deep blue electricity began flowing from her
eyes.

"YOU AREN'T AS STRONG AS I AM! YOU WILL DIE WHERE
YOU STAND NOW!"
Teslament yelled out loudly as she began
forming circles in the air with her arms.

"GO TO HELL!"
She yelled as she thrust her hands forward, a solid, but clear beam
of electricity materialized and sped towards Telzian, at life
threatening force.

"You can't dodge this.....now die!"
She yelled as the beam closed in on Telzian. But just as the beam
were to hit, what looked like a black shadow flashed by the front of
the beam, taking Telzian with it. The shot kept going, and embedded a
large crater in the cavern wall.

Teslament was shocked at
first but was on top of it rather quickly. "I've been looking
for you, how you survived is beyond me..." She said as the dust
cleared up, revealing a man in black holding down Telzian into the
walls, vines coming out of his hands and embracing him onto the
wall.

"....How have you been then, Seikatsu Niju, the
Immortal?" Teslament asked him with a devilish laugh.

After
fully binding Telzian to the wall, Sei turned around to face
Teslament. "And who, may I ask, exactly are you?" Sei asked
as he formed a sword out of many vines in his hands.

"Oh...poor
boy, seems like your memories of the past have faded away, aw tsk
tsk." Teslament said in a pouting like voice.

"Pity
for you to die in such a state, but it must be done, ha...ha.ha."
She laughed as she built up another beam, the force surrounding her
hand seemed a darker blue then before, and bared a resemblance to
Attalone, and Sei's summons.

But as she was building up power,
Telzian began screaming out the same cries as before, about claiming
the people in the room as to be his kill, and putting heavy strain on
the vines that bound him. A power seem to begin to glow around him,
and as it did so, it seemed to have an effect of Teslament, to the
point where she even let out a short just audible scream.

"Agh,
another time then..... I don't know what power that, demon, has, but
I'll find out later." Teslament said as she quickly turned
around and began floating into the sky. "Enjoy your last moments
of life, for I shall return at any moment for your life!" She
yelled towards Sei as she sped off into the sky, leaving Sei standing
there, holding Telzian against the wall, and looking into the sky
after her.

Merzan watched the storm come and go, then come and
go. He knew it was anything but ordinary, but also knew he wouldn't
be helping rushing in recklessly. If they were near whoever was
causing the storm, they would have sought shelter. His mind wandered
back to the note on the table. And pert of the section only he would
ever get to read.

Telzian was furious with himself. He
let the other side take control, he knew it would happen eventually
and he would have to face it. Sei had told him that when he was
younger but he never expected to have to so soon. Now was not the
time. Regaining his composure he walked back to the cave and found
Attalone. "Princess i believe we should move to the safe house
soon. I am no longer fit to protect you in my current state and there
is business that i must conduct soon to deal with my little
"outburst". As soon as you are ready we can move
out."

Attalone found it secretly amusing when people
tried to downsize the reality of a situation. The rampaging madness
she and 2 other individuals had just witnessed was a "little
outburst" according to Telzian. She had to fight back a
grin.

"All right, that sounds logical." was what she
ended up saying out loud. "In what direction should we travel?"
Just then she had a vision, it was a map outlining the safest route.
Telzian was about to speak, but she held her hand up and said while
smiling "Never mind, I got it." he looked somewhat puzzled
"I'll explain later." was all she offered.

With that
they set off. They walked a good while, and then came to the cliffs.
It was a very long way down, and the thought of descending didn't
thrill either of them.

Dreading the impending ordeal Attalone
sat in a patch of long grass. It took her a moment after flopping
down in it, but she soon realized this grass looked very familiar.
"Yes!" she practically shouted. "This is Griff
grass!!!!" Without a moments hesitation she picked a blade and
put it to her lips. At first nothing happened seemingly there was no
sound and Telzian was looking at her like she'd lost it. "Wait a
minute...."

Suddenly there was the sound of beating wings
as a group of large creatures started landing in the vicinity.
Telzian was at the ready immediately but Attalone wouldn't have it.
"That won't be necessary, I promise." that being said he
sheathed his daggers as she continued filling him in "These
beautiful creatures are griffs, they are very closely related to
griffins, but lack the ferocity, infact; they are much too friendly
for their own good. I know what you're thinking... why have you never
seen one before? Well it's an ancient Sheldy secret they only come
when one uses griff grass. They are excellent at hiding amongst the
cliffs and caves. " As she finished, the biggest griff came over
and nudged Telzian playfully. Telzian's body was tense the whole
time, Attalone could tell he wasn't convinced. It was understandable
that he was apprehensive. Anyone with sense who sees a giant lion
bodied bird, with a beak that could easily rip apart soft flesh, and
wings that were powerful enough to shatter boulders would naturally
be uncomfortable.

"Relax." Attalone assured as she
went over to a sleek bodied female griff. She grabbed the odd scruff
of fur and feathers under her neck and gently led her back to the
edge of the cliffs. "Now keep an open mind Telzian......"
she said biting her lip "We are going to be riding these the
rest of the way to the safe house." Telzian raised an eyebrow
and took a step back. "Ok, if that's how you want to be, but I'm
going with or without you." with that Attalone jumped on the
little female and took off, leaving Telzian wide eyed. It would be a
pathetic thing to back down after something like that, so Telzian
took a deep breath and jumped on the large male who wasn't quite as
graceful as the female, but more powerful. They caught up to Attalone
in no time. The four of them made excellent time and soon they came
upon the safe house. Attalone's griff made an elegant landing in
front of the house, while Telzian's brute landed with a
"thud".

Merzan was waiting around the corner of the
house to see what these approaching creatures wanted. He did not
expect to see Attalone and Telzian to dismount. He walked over to
greet them, noticing that both of them were wounded. He coaxed them
inside as he talked, making sure they saw the notes on the
table.

What happened to you two? Where's Seikatsu? And when
did you find the time to train griffins? Come on, get inside and sit
down so I can do something with those wounds properly.

Merzan
was working on Attalone's shoulder wound by this point. It was slow
going, but he knew she would be fine if he kept doing it for a few
days. I hope you didn't get caught up in whatever caused that strange
storm earlier. It looked terrible from here. The notes on the table
are from the oracle. You can read them if you want. How long do you
think we can stay here before Karasu catches up with us
again?

Telzian walked into the house and briefly noticed the
notes on the table made a mental note and went to a corner and sat
down. Merzan was being strangely kind it was unlike himself. Telzian
didn't trust him one single bit. "You seem to be awfully cheery
and motherly today where have you been this entire time i wonder."
Not waiting for a response he got up and started walking to the door.
"I'm going to find Sei and drag his ass back here. I deserve
some answers and I'm gonna slap him once for doing the vine thing he
knows i hate thorns...."

Attalone knew it wouldn't be a
good idea if Telzian left. "Hey, hey!" she said as she
walked in front of him, smiling, while blocking his way. "It's
really not a good time for you to go out right now. Come on, you're
not in the best shape, and traveling conditions have grown
unfavorable." She hoped and prayed he wouldn't go.

Telzian
just stared into space. He didn't even look at Attalone as he turned
and walked towards one of the rooms. When she heard the door close
she turned to Merzan, "I will look at the notes and tell you
what has happened in your absence, however, something must be
addressed right now!" she said in urgent but hushed tones.
"Telzian is struggling with his control, to say the least. He's
had 2 severe episodes already." She continued to give Merzan the
details and gave him a minute to process things and think about the
impending problem. "We musn't let him leave. Who knows the kind
of trouble he coul..." Attalone stopped mid-sentence as her gaze
fell to the packed dirt floor.

The image of Telzian leaving
through the window and running flashed before her eyes. She jumped up
and yelled "No!" as she ran towards the room with an
alarmed Merzan right behind her. When they arrived, it was just as
she feared.....Telzian was gone.

Merzan couldn't leave the
princess on her on, no matter what. Thankfully, she refused to be
left behind. They quickly followed Telzian, hoping to catch up before
he got too far.

Attalone swayed for a moment. "That's
funny..." she put her hand to her head. "I feel like I
haven't been here in a while." The others seemed a little
disoriented as well. She shook it off. "Yes that's fine Telzian.
The sooner we get moving the better." Attalone replied with a
new sense of clarity.

From the beginning? The proper beginning
if farther back than is needed. Merzan started running his fingers
across his tattoo, luring the powers it bound to be released slowly.
It was already clear that he would need to begin the Rites before any
more threats arrived. I'm sure you both know the legends of Tardra.
They are both true. The oracle lives and leads, only telling us as
much as is needed to get us where we need to be. We were raised to
never question the oracle, and I was told I needed to look after
Princess Attalone. I didn't ask any questions, and until now I didn't
think I would need to.

As for being descendants of dragons, I
can assure you that one is true as well. There are even a few dragons
still living on the island, acting as guardians to the oracle. The
powers I have, and the one I mentioned in the woods, are linked. The
presence of dragons can bind our powers, but they can also be
suppressed through an ancient ritual. If I perform enough of the
ritual, I can unleash all of the power the dragons left in my
blood.

Merzan felt the ritual being completed, moving his hand
so his companions could watch his tattoo shift and move. It unraveled
its tail from its arm, stretching down the entire length to the back
of his hand. The head reared up, shifting to appear as if it were
waking up slowly before the magic spread to the rest of his body. The
power just released caused his form to strengthen, muscles growing
noticeably. While less noticeable, his nails and teeth sharpened
slightly as well. Any Tardran beyond the influence of dragons is
bound 6 times. The ritual counts backwards, so the one I just
performed was the Level 5 release. And the legacy of this power is
not pleasant.

Merzan sat down, looking at the table as he
began the tale he was told so many times. 200 years ago, there was a
lush jungle on this continent. Maintained by magic and creatures of
power, the city at its heart was a shrine to ancient gods long
forgotten. The caretakers had no interest in any other land, but
turned no respectable visitor away. 200 years ago, its power was
immense. And then 5 Tardrans visited... The reasons are unclear, but
one of them released his seal multiple times. How far he went is
unclear, but it's usually assumed he released to Level 3 or Level 2.
The others released to Level 5 and tried to fight him off. The clash
of the powers, the sheer might of aggression being so concentrated in
one spot, destroyed them all. And then the power swept across the
land. When next anyone new, the fabled city was in ruins, and the
once beautiful jungle was a desolate desert.

He looked up at
his companions as he finished his tale, hints of amethyst at the
edges of his eyes. Everyone on Tardra knows that tale. Everyone who
intends to leave must commit it to memory. And the oracle, the
highest authority on Tardra and the one any use of the Dragon's Rite
must be approved by before use, has told me I need not ask to use the
Rite. Are there any other questions?

"Ah yes, that was a
terrible battle indeed." Came a flamboyant voice from outside
the nearby window. It seemed as if he had decided against waiting for
his own wounds to improve as could be evidenced from the gashes along
his body, and the obvious pure power wounds he held. He did not even
look towards Attalone as he tried to avoid being brought into a
conversation. "Tell me then," He said as he did come into
the story late. "That makes you exceedingly powerful does it
not?"

Telzian almost smiled as he slowly walked over to
the window and punched Sei square in the face. Without a word he
returned to his previous position and sat observing everyone and
everything in the room. Things were starting to get interesting,
events were starting to come together loose ends tying together and
yet as more and more things came together and questions answered a
multitude of more loose ends theories and questions reared their
heads. Why was Merzan revealing his secrets now, why had Sei appeared
just at this convenient moment, Had he broken Sei's jaw?, he hoped so
but that was irrelevant. He turned his attentions on Attalone who
seemed to be growing paler and weak. "Attalone, if you are not
feeling well please retire to your chamber and rest. If you wish i
shall escort you."

"I..I'm fine." Attalone
stammered. She was trying very hard not to cringe or cry out when
Telzian dealt his blow to Sei. It was quite shocking to say the
least, that Sei had suddenly reappeared. She wanted so much to say
something, ask him questions, demand truths, but was it really worth
it?

She fought her instinct to help him up. This was all so
confusing. She stood for a moment, thinking. "Merzan, Are we on
the right path?" Was the only thing she could think to say.
"This all seems so much bigger than any of us. All I've wanted
to do is go home and warn my father," she paused as she thought
of her father. "and even though it's been a dangerous journey,
it almost seems selfish to have so many powerful beings in my
presence alone... Unless there's some kind of more important reason
you're all with me."

She sighed. "Are we really
doing what we are supposed to be doing right now?" Her
uncertainty actually stemmed from some recently grown
maturity.

Merzan shrugged as he picked up his things. I can't
answer if this path is the right one any more than Telzian, Princess.
All I can tell you is this is the path the oracle sent me down.
Whether or not we follow it is up to you.

He thought for a
moment, looking out the window. Was it really just the Oracle's
orders keeping him here anymore? As for whether or not this is what
we are supposed to be doing... Turning towards Attalone, he knelt on
one knee. I know this is what I am supposed to be doing. It was clear
from early on that I can do the best by staying near you and aiding
you on your quest. Whatever you choose to do, I will assist you.

But
we cannot remain here forever. Are there any further questions, or
shall we continue on our way?

Telzian took a deep breath finally
calming himself and regaining control of his visage returning to the
normal solemn Telzian that everyone had come to know him as. The only
difference was a barely discernible gleam in his crimson eyes that
slightly betrayed what lay beyond his otherwise cold and calculating
visage. Stepping from the woods he entered the cabin and found
Attalone and Merzan chatting. They both looked up at him, Merzan
moving his hand near his blade and Attalone adopting a similar
stance, both ready to act if Telzian tried anything. Nodding to
Merzan, Telzian moved past him and knelt before Attalone. "Please
forgive my actions of late. I will not speak of what happened but I
will tell you that such an outburst shall never happen again in your
presence." Getting up Telzian moved to a corner and stood there
facing the other two. "So what now?"

Attalone's face
revealed her bewilderment at Telzian's instantaneous recovery. She
was apprehensive to say the least. "Well I imagine that we
should press on." she furrowed her brows. "I mean that's
all any of us can do right? In a world such as this one, with forces
that need to be vanquished left and right." she eyed Telzian
"Oh! Merzan, I almost forgot, I need to read that note."
with that she picked up the note and read eagerly. "I'm not sure
what any of this means, but I suppose an explaination will have to
wait....they usually do."

Merzan shook his head and
pointed to the letter. Not this time, Princess Attalone. This may be
the last time we have a chance to discuss anything in true privacy.
Whatever questions you have about that letter, I will answer. What
shall I begin with? He wasn't certain what to think about Telzian's
sudden return, but he had other things to think about right
now.

Telzian looked at the note that seemed to be the item of
interest. He did not really care what was in the letter all he wanted
was to get moving and get away from this place. "Merzan how
about you explain to us from the beginning whats going on. You
obviously have things to hide as do we all so lets skip the questions
and just have you tell us all you think we need to know. If that is
ok with the Princess of course, I have my questions but they can
wait."

Seikatsu stumbled up with a bloody nose, but still
with his usual smile on his face. He wiped the blood off as he leaned
back into the window. "Whicher we choose, Teslament will come
back within an eighteen hour time frame." He said as he looked
towards the sky. "Haha... anyway, your the one to choose what to
do now, Attalone." The way he said her name probably sounded
completely different after what had just transpired, perhaps even a
haunting voice.

"There is really no choice then,"
She said in a determined tone. "we need to continue, stop
Claude, and rescue my father. If we can thwart him now, the other
lands will be safe as well." She shuddered at the thought of
being anywhere near that disgusting man.

As her gaze fell a
vision stole into her mind. "You..." She pointed at Sei,
with an entranced look. "You have information about what we're
up against. There are things you've been keeping from us. The time
has come for you to tell us all you know about the one called
Teslament." ^_^

Merzan spoke up before Sei could respond.
While I also wish to know more about this witch, we are running out
of time. I answered every question asked of me, and as I Seikatsu
confirmed this very location is no longer safe. We have to gather our
things and leave, quickly. Otherwise we may lose the innkeeper as
well.

He quickly moved to gather what little there was,
readying bags for travel. He knew that unless they left within the
next few minutes, their safety on the road to the town could not be
assured...

Attalone was very disappointed. What she'd seen
disturbed her, and they all needed to know whatever Sei could tell
them. "Right," she responded. "we'll gather everything
up and head out." Her voice was sad. Part of her wanted answers,
while the other part of her didn't want to know. Either way she knew
she'd always end up only half satisfied.

Merzan had already
gathered up most everything before she'd even finished speaking. "If
you would be so kind as to lead the way." She gestured humbly at
Merzan. It felt awkward to make that particular motion, but it seemed
like the right thing to do. She was indebted to him and all the rest
who'd decided to aid in her quest.

"Yes as it was already
stated, time is running out." He began as he rested his arms on
the windowsill. "The imor- witch is coming soon, none of you,
even together, has what it takes to face her one on one, not yet."
He forced himself to stray away from the world immortal least he
begin to worry them of what they were up against, hell, they did not
even realize Seikatsu himself was an immortal.

A very light
siren like noise seemed to begin to emmenate in the distance, and as
it did so it seemed Seikatsu's hair began to turn white as he held
his head with one hand as if to shake away a headache. "Go now,
I will meet up with you later on," He said as he turned around,
waving a small goodbye before bolting off into the direction of the
feint siren.

Telzian frowned as he once again saw Sei running
away...abandoning them once again. At that point something broke
inside Telzian, for someone normally so quiet suddenly he felt more
open, more confident...confident enough to run after Sei and chase
him down. Telzian caught up quickly and positioned himself in front
of Sei. He growled out the words angrily, "Why...give me one
good reason why I should let you disappear again...Give me that or I
swear I will drag you along by your hair....behind
us...."

"Telzian..." Sei said as he held his
head, holding back dearly on his transformation. Sei walked up to
Telzian, placing an arm on his shoulder. "Please, I cannot be
here now, I will not be long." He said weakly as his hair was
nearly completely white now. "If this happens here, it will do
nothing, but assure Teslament of your whereabouts, I am doing this to
protect Attalone, so let me go for now. I will be able to explain
later, when I am not in such a dire state." He asked Telzian
pleadingly as he looked into his eyes showing his care although his
eye color was now changing as well.

Telzian frowned as Sei
pleaded not really buying the excuse but he knew they didn't have
time for this. "I will let you go...but when you get back...THIS
is going to be explained....We don't have the luxury to allow you to
keep running off..." Telzian quickly moved back to the group
while a thought crossed his mind. Was Sei's eyes always that
color?

Merzan handed the bags out as soon as Telzian returned,
helping Attalone balance hers properly. He glanced at Telzian before
turning down the road. I take it Seikatsu isn't coming with us? No
matter. He has proven he can take care of himself, and that he cares
for the princess. So long as we don't run into much trouble, we
should reach the city shortly.

He looked back towards where
Sei ran, then back forward as he began marching down the path.
Princess, I think we will begin your training with some simple
meditation when we reach the inn. In the morning we can begin with
focusing your energy. Hopefully it will not take long to find that
"Truth" the Oracle mentioned. Telzian, please don't wander
too far. I don't want us to be any more separated than we must be.


"Thank you Merzan."
Attalone was grateful in so many ways, but she couldn't help but
wonder about the others. She looked over her shoulder, in the
direction Sei and Telzian went. No doubt Telzian had gone to try to
persuade him to stay. It was confusing and frustrating that Sei ran
off so abruptly. There was so much to catch up on and discuss. She
wondered if he just couldn't stand to be in her presence.

Sighing
softly and forcing a smile she said "I hope they'll be able to
find their way."

Passing through the mountainside, Attalone and her companions could hear voices, carrying on the wind.

"Damnit! This is the third time this week! What the hell are you doing, Giddeon?!"

"I-I'm sorry sir...They didn't have anything..."

"Nothing?! This is the third town I've sent you to with no taxes returned! His Highness was merciful enough to spare you, and this is how you repay him?! The Knights are not meant to look as fools!"

"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again!"

"You're damn right it won't!"

The sound of a blade being drawn was clear, the sliding of metal on metal.

"Wait, sir...What are you doing?!"

"I was given specific instructions by his highness, if you failed me again, I was to deal with you myself!"

"Wait, please!"

"Restrain him!"

A struggle could be heard, and still more begging ensued.

"Please, don't sir! I won't let this happen again! PLEASE!"

"Goodbye, Giddeon. May you be more useful to the Gods than you are to me."

"NO!"

The harsh sound of blade and flesh could be heard, and more men could be heard speaking afterwards.

"Captain, he's still alive."

"Leave him, let him bleed out as punishment for his failures."

And with that, the troop of knights resumed march, leading off into the distance.


Telzian froze and raised his hand for silence as he heard the voices on the wind. He signaled the rest of the group to wait there and trusted at least Merzan would understand his meaning if not the symbols. Without waiting for a reply he drew his daggers and stalked off in the direction of the sound. Luckily the area was was heavily wooded and he was able sneak up on the scene unnoticed. He crept toward the obvious wounded man and put a dagger to his neck using the weight of his knee to hold him down. "Speak now and I may just end your suffering quickly...Who are you and whom do you serve?"

Frail and weakened, the young knight's pale eyes widened. His uniform was coated in blood, a stab straight into his stomach, he was pale, clammy, becoming sickly as fever and delirium began to set in, short brown locks sticking to his head as the sweat poured from his body.

"Giddeon...Maercer...Knight in His Majesty...Lord Claude's Military...Or at least...I was..." He squeaked out as he coughed up blood.

"Looks...Like I won't be doing anything soon..." He whispered.


Telzian looked at the wound and made a split decision, this man would not live long and a living informant was better than a dead one. Looking around he saw what he was looking for. He ran quickly and grabbed a handful of two different plants. He held Giddeon down and he ripped his shirt near where the wound was exposing the torn flesh. Immediately he squeezed one of the plant over the wound and a syrupy clear liquid poured forth onto the wound causing steam to rise from the wound. "That is going to sting but it will keep you from getting infected for now..." He then placed the other plant, more of a leafy type, onto the wound and took some cloth from his pack and bound the wound tightly. "That...should do it for now...Do not move...I will not hesitate to kill you." Telzian whistled loud knowing that Merzan would hear it and know what to do.


Merzan didn't have the patience for more delays. He had given Telzian some time to look into it, better than being caught off-guard. But he couldn't put up with the lengthy delay it seemed to be turning into. Leading Attalone towards where Telzian went to, he saw him treating the wounded soldier. He didn't need much time to arrive after the whistle. His impatience and temper was clear on his voice as he spoke.

The next time you want to go gallivanting off to spy on someone in the distance, you might want to make sure your companions know whatever "signals" you are accustomed to. Though I must admit... Merzan knelt by the soldier, recognizing the insignia on his uniform almost immediately. He checked what Telzian had done, looking for anything that could help them move him. His voice had calmed slightly as old habits picked up, trying to help the wounded relax. I am surprised to find you helping a soldier of Rulmen. I had expected you to kill the ones you found. Though I can't say the change will make our tasks that much easier, it is relaxing knowing you can restrain yourself.

Turning towards Attalone, he almost called her by name. His mouth hung open only a moment, one that most people wouldn't notice. Daina, I might need your help. We need to make sure he won't die, but we must move quickly. It's early, but it's time for your first lesson. I'll walk you through closing a wound and help you, but we need to move quickly. Remember what's behind us.

As the young knight was lifted onto the makeshift stretcher, he groaned in pain, still in the throws of fever dreams.

As day turned to night, a campsite was made off the beaten path of the road, a small fire at the center of the group.

Giddeon's eyes began to flutter, and slowly he opened them, face still red from fever, chills running down his body.

"Where....Where am I...?" He asked those around him. Was there anyone else even there? He was too tired to notice, perhaps he was still in the throws of a dream, asking himself this most basic of questions, "where am I?"


Merzan rested a hand on Giddeon's shoulder. Easy now. You're safe, for now at least. You still have a lot of recovery ahead, but you're alive. I'm told your name is Giddeon. I am Merzan. Tell me about yourself.

Merzan glanced at Attalone, wondering if she was listening. He had showed her the basics of meditation earlier, relaxing to clear the mind, shortly after they had setup camp. But he still wanted her to hear more, think clearly and make a proper decision. He wanted her to lead, but first she needed to learn about people.


Attalone sat silently practicing the techniques Merzan taught her. It wasn't going very well. Her body remained tense, no matter how much effort she put into the meditation. She was sure she wasn't doing it right.

Inhaling deeply, and closing her eyes even tighter, she instead applied the focus to listening to Merzan and Giddeon. A relaxed and clear mind was too lofty a goal right now.

There was a little leftover apprehension in her mind about Giddeon. Though she was hoping it would all be dissolved after she heard him tell his story.

They'd only just started the conversation. She waited patiently for it to continue.


Giddeon struggled to turn his head so he could see the person who was offering him this comfort, sighing and turning to a coughing fit.

"Sorry about that..." He wheezed, tired and defeated by his own sickly body.

Once he was certain he was not going to move any further for the rest of the night, Giddeon stared into the night sky above him, the twinkle of the stars above providing an almost...tranquil comfort.

"You...wanna know about me...? That's a first." He attempted to chuckle, which only resulted in another cough, a faint smile still present on his face regardless of the pain.

"I grew up in a little town to the far south of here, we didn't have much involvement in Lord Claude's activities, just a simple little farming town. Guess you could say I was the village screwup. Every job I was sent to do would go wrong, usually with some form of property damage." Giddeon chuckled at this prospect, once again battling his wheezes.

"Eventually Claude's militaristic needs came to our little town." He looked off into the starlight, smiling as one of the lights in the sky gave a twinkle, almost as a kindred spirit to him, alone in the heavens above.

"The villagers couldn't get rid of me fast enough. Even my own mother had me tossed onto the cart of 'volunteers' for service in the knights." He scratched at his chest, the hole in cloth where his insignia once was began to itch and feel a chill.

"Can't say I was a particularly GOOD knight, they mainly sent me on tax runs and debt collection for the war chest. I guess I had a bit of a...problem...with watching a mother of four turn her house upside down just for five gold pieces to pay the Lord to leave her alone for another week. My runs would always come back slightly under the desirable amounts." He grinned as he shut his eyes, almost proud of this accomplishment.

"Naturally I was NOT one of our Lord's favorite knights. I was eventually reassigned to Captain Teagrin, who patrols the outskirts of the borders. I would still get sent on tax runs and collections, but, as I'm sure is apparent, I was rather...forcefully...sent into early retirement from my position in the knights as well, wonderful severance package they have." He said with a grin, eyes still shut as he faced towards the heavens, almost willing himself out of the bed and into the skies above.


A wave of guilt washed over Attalone. Merzan was right... She never thought she'd feel this way when she'd been so angry. She thought that no matter what Giddeon had done or hadn't done she'd still hate him. She thought she would have to just accept the hate, but try to ignore it. Not forgive him, but tolerate him.

Now that she heard his tale true forgiveness was coming into her heart. What kind of pig headed moron had she been before? How was she ever going to become the leader of a country when she had more to learn than there are grains of sand on the beach?

Attalone got up silently from her fake meditation, and draped a blanket over Giddeon's broken body. She sat down on the other side of him with large tears in her eyes. She gently took one of his hands and looked just as sincerely into his closed eyes as she would have if they'd been open. "Good sir," she started in a choked voice. "I know you don't know for what, and I pray you never do, but please, please forgive me..." Her tears fell onto his hand.


Giddeon slowly opened his eyes, confused as the small drops of salt water landed on his hands.

"Who...?" He slowly looked up to Attalone's tearful face, confusion apparent.

"Ma'am, why? Don't ruin that face with tears, especially over me! I mean it's not like I'm dead or anything, only halfway there!" He said with a smile and a forced chuckle, once more wheezing. Giddeon may not have been the most well-presented, or a gentleman by anyone's standards, but nobody could deny he put on a brave front for the woman in front of him.


Attalone's response was somewhere between a chuckle and a sob. "Don't strain yourself being so jovial, you need rest." She wiped the tears away. "But there is something I must say." She furrowed her brow. "For as long as you decide to stay with us, you will be taken care of. A good heart like yours will not be squandered in this company." Her look softened.

She hoped this statement would comfort Giddeon more than confuse him. The more she looked at him, the more she could relate. Maturity comes in strange bouts she thought to herself.


Giddeon mustered a smile as wide as his cheeks would let him.

"I think I'd like that...Heh..." He coughed out with a beaming grin on his face, however, this smile was soon overcast by a shadow of seriousness.

"Honestly, all I want though? Justice. I've seen what Claude does here...I don't like it. He needs to be brought to justice....I want to see him dethroned."


---------

Attalone's face was one of intense surprise. She was shocked he'd say something like that so soon. He didn't know much about them at all, perhaps it was his fever talking. Though she wanted to believe otherwise with all her heart.

For now she decided to stay neutral. It pained her not to be able to dive into this and tell Giddeon her story. To tell him what kindred spirits they were, how much she loathed the sight of that conniving scum, and most of all what they were going to do to him once they found him.

"Don't worry, there's much you do not know, but we'll fill you in later." was all she could say. She wanted to ask if he had any inside information about Claude's armies, or what he was planning, but she thought that was better left to Merzan. "Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable?"

Giddeon smiled once more, exhaustion once more setting in.

"Some water would be nice...And some food to, if you have any to spare? It's amazing how hungry you get when you stare death in the face." He chuckled out with a cough, huddling in towards himself to preserve heat.


Telzian sat on the edge of the camp thinking to himself on all the events that had happened to them. He had somehow gotten directly involved in a war he normally would have no part of but yet he seemed oddly content. He had met some strange people and had learned a lot about himself. He had come a long way from the reclusive assassin he had been and was now...well what was he...that he did not know. He had beaten his anger and mastered it but yet he was scared...he was feelings things he never felt before. He was acting on impulse much more than before. He looked to his right and saw his reflection in a pool of water. For a split second the face in the puddle changed, it became monstrous, the eyes glowing red and the face twisted into a scowl. Telzian froze and blinked but when he opened his eyes it was his normal reflection. Shaking his head he got up and walked over to the others. "We have plenty of food and water...we are not in any danger of running out of supplies. I can always hunt for more food if need be so please if you need anything just ask." Telzian said with a rare attempt at a smile.


---------

Attalone nodded at Telzian's words. "Just a moment." She said as she rose to get Giddeon some of the stew they'd had earlier in the evening. She pulled out one of the extra plain earthenware bowls they'd chosen to bring along just in case.

As she bent over the pot, the smell came up to greet her full force. She inhaled deeply, welcoming it. It was delicious when they'd had it hours earlier. The small fire underneath had kept it nice and warm.

Something was different this time however. She could tell the soup was still good, but there was something about the smell that revolted her. She tried to ignore, the now offensive odor, while she scooped it hastily into the bowl.

On her way back to Giddeon a light breeze picked up, rushing the stew's steam onto her face. As a result a strong bout of nausea overtook her. Unable to stand it for another moment, Attalone walked with great speed towards Telzian. "I'm sorry, could you serve him? I have to take care of something urgent." Without waiting for a response she practically shoved the bowl in his hands and ran off into the woods.

Merzan moved closer to the edge of the camp, standing watch while Giddeon talked. He was a bit surprised to hear the former soldier speak so against the crown already, but he was glad to hear it. Something still bothered him, though. Everyone was getting along, and everyone was being nice. It was strange to have so much go well for him.

Merzan got up quickly as Attalone dashed off, not wanting to leave her alone in the woods without knowing what was happening. He followed at a short distance, making sure he could turn around if she just needed some "privacy" for a few minutes.

Attalone was disgusted with herself. She'd always taken pride in having an iron stomach. Her father ordered exotic foods all the time when she'd lived in the palace, and had been just regular stew. It was as confusing as it was frustrating. She wiped her mouth after she was done spilling the contents of her stomach. It was getting cold, she wondered what the others might have thought about her abrupt departure.

Wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm, Attalone headed back to camp. She still didn't feel like herself, but at least she was no longer nauseous. The night was starless and the brush was thick, it was a wonder she made it so far without tripping or running into something.

About halfway back she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, but upon turning it was gone. This caused her to quicken her pace. The fire had died down a bit in her absence. "I'm sorry, I had to take care of something personal." She explained apologetically. "I hope I didn't worry anyone."

Looking upon Attalone with mild concern and interest, Giddeon gave a slight cough and smiled.

"Are you alright, M'lady? You didn't look well when you left." He asked, a serious tone on his voice, despite the clear inflections and overtones of humor that coated his regular tone. He wasn't sure of what it was, but something had bothered her, and he was curious to discover what it was.

Attalone smiled and inwardly marveled at how such a gravely injured man could inquire about her well being. They'd definitely made the right choice in saving him. "Thank you for asking Giddeon, the stew didn't agree with me is all." she smiled back "Nothing to be concerned about, it's you who deserves the concern." She walked into camp a little further and sat down. "Are you warm enough? I'm sure I can find you more blankets if you need them."

Giddeon smiled weakly and let out a faint laugh.

"HAH! This is nothing! I'd brave a thousand winters to see you smile, M'lady!" He said with a chuckle, doing his best to hide his cough, and occasional shiver. Despite any of his misgivings or claims, it was clear that the wounded knight was cold, weakened, and sickly.

"Please, don't worry yourself about me, it'll give you wrinkles, and that would devastate me!" He groaned out as he lay back down in a dramatic fashion, hand draped across his head.

Attalone laughed heartily. She'd almost forgotten what real laughter felt like, it was a wonderful feeling."I think I'll go ahead and get one anyway, just to be safe." Anyone with eyes could see Giddeon was cold, he probably still had a bad fever. Attalone sighed while looking through the bags. It was no certainty that Giddeon would even make it through the night. She felt a twinge of guilt. Those twinges would probably last her entire life. She found the warmest blanket in their possession and wasted no time in draping it over him and tucking it in. "There now, that should be better. I'm sure it would do you good to get some rest now." She said gently.

Giddeon smiled weakly and looked to Attalone with a gentle gaze.

"M'lady, stay beside me and I guarantee you I shall resurge stronger than ten men tomorrow." He struggled to wink, fever clearly still gripping hold of him, and exhaustion once more setting in.

"With an angel such as you by my side, death cannot take me..." He chuckled out as he slowly began to fall back into a restful slumber.