"Be ready you two!" Vanelee warned Nina and Matt.

Not waiting for the golem on the right to attack again, Vanelee drew his bow and released the arrow. With amazing accuracy, Vanelee hit the golem in the forehead, if the golem had a face. The arrow clttered on the golem's hard surface easily, but not before it removed a chunk about as big as a fist from its body.

Vanelee now drew another arrow, and readied himself to fire again. He watched as Nina and Matt took on fighting stances, but his attention was mostly focused on Nina.

Her body moved with fluid-like grace and was captivating to the eyes. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman Vanelee had ever laid eyes on, which was a compliment itself considering he came from the elvish kingdom. But the thing that captured his soul the most was the young miss's heart and fighting spirit.

'Be careful young miss...be careful.' Vanelee thought to himself, before he jerked himself from his daydreams of the beautiful mage and focused his energies on the fight.

Nina moved in quickly, seeing Matt barely dodge the golem's attack. Holding her staff straight out in front of her, she created an energy field which burst forth from the end of the staff and shielded herself and Matt from the rock creatures temporarily. 'Now for a closer look...'
Nina edged up quickly to the golems, analyzing their solid bodies. She noted the identical cracks which seemed to run down from their shoulders, dividing their arms from their torsos. Also, the one on the right seemed to have a small crevice across his center.
She yelled back to Dreggan and Vanelee to aim for these areas.
Vanelee had already unleashed an arrow that had shattered part of one golem's "head." 'Amazing,' Nina thought, 'how could an arrow do that?' She glanced back for a moment and watched Vanelee prepare another arrow. He was steady and calm, even in the face of such strange creatures. Nina felt surprisingly safe knowing he was there.

Nina realized that she was a bit too much of an added burden on these boys.
Bringing her arms across her chest, she focused her energy inward on a spell to enhance speed and strength. Shaking off her cloak, she removed the shield from herself and darted towards the golems. Jumping at the last second, she ripped her leg through the air and across the head of the golem that had already been impaired by Vanelee's arrow. The top of the golem's head shattered and crumbled to the ground. Spinning around, she brought the other leg up in a fan kick and finished the job. The decapitated golem stumbled around, swinging furiously. Nina darted and dodged the attacks, leaping backwards to get out of range.

OCC: Is this Dixie as Amarth or Dixie as Dixie.....little confused


umm..nevermind

Hearing Nina's advice through the clatter of Matt's battle with the golem, Vanelee took aim again. He let an arrow fly, which hit the crevice between the arm and torso of the golem on the left. A chunk was taken from the golems body as the arrow clattered off it's surface, though this time a bit larger. This attack hindered the golem a bit, making it's a good deal slower.

"Focus you energies on the left golem you two." Vanelee said to Nina and Matt. "Let's dispose of him quickly, like we did his friend."

With these words. Vanelee looked over to his side to see how Dreggan was getting along.

Matt faced the one with two arms, surrounded by the energy field. The golem punched Matt, but it had little effect.

"Ha! Now taste this!"

Matt threw a punch at the golem but it had almost no effect on the creature.

The energy field is blocking my chi flow outside my body.

"Nina, take the field off me!"

Nina obliged and began to casta spell on herself while Matt powered up as much as he could. He was about to throw another punch, but the golem caught him across the face first. Matt was sent flying and hit hard against a tree. When he sat up, he had a huge red space over the right side of his face that was beginning to bruise.

"You bastard!"

As Matt's rage grew, so did his power. His passion fuelled his chi. He once again lunged towards the golem. The golem threw another punch with his huge arm, but Matt ducked and came with a spinning kick to the point where the bottom arm of the two arm side met with his torso. A burst of wind exploded from where the blow landed as the chi attack flowed through the golem. The spot where Matt kicked was shattered and the arm was sent flying. Matt jumped backwards to avoid another blow and took a fighting stance again.

"Whew! This battle's really gonna test our endurance."

"Let's not test our endurance Matt and get on with it!" Vanelee yelled.

He did not mean to lose his temper, but he never liked battles going on for longer than they needed to. Especially when there was the chance that someone speci...um...he..could ge hurt....

Vanelee quickly drew another arrow and fired it with the same speed. It hit it's mark in the other crevice next to the golem's arm. Vanelee had cosen to aim there to hinder the monster's punch that was meant for Nina.

Seeing that she dodged the attack easily, Vanelee looked up in time to see the monster's other arm launching a small boulder at it's distant attacker, HIM!

The boulder was travelling at a gret speed and he had nearly no time to dodge. The boulder grazed the elf's arm as he rolled to dodge, but seemed to do now damage. For as the elf rolled back into a fighting position, another arrow was on it's way and hit the golem in it's arm again. This time the crevice cracked all the way and the golems severed appendage fell to the ground shattering.

With this arm freely bleeding now, Vanelee drew another arrow and readied himself for another shot.

Nina felt a seething pain slice through her arm even though she had not been hit.
"What the...?" She glanced back to see blood running down Vanelee's arm where she had felt the stab of pain. As she was looking back, the golem she had been fighting swung violently, hitting her in the chest and knocking her to the ground.

OCC:
have to reposition this post to make sense.

Matt shot a blast of energy at the golem in front of him, leaving the front of his torso covered in cracks as he fell to the ground and began writhing in pain. Then, Matt seemed to disappear for a moment, and he reappeared next to the downed Nina, catching another punch that was coming for her from the normal golem.

"You guys gotta be more careful. Stop distracting one another. We're in battle!"

The golem went to punch Matt, but he retreated in a series of back hand springs. The golem began running, best as a slow clumsy golem can, after Matt. The one he originally attacked was finally beginning to stand again. Matt jumped sideways and moved with all of his speed, once again becoming too much for the golem to follow. The next time either of the golems saw him was as his foot shattered the torso of the one he had cracked. The rocks fell lifeless to the ground.

"What a shame, giving life to something like this. It's so sad. When does its pain end once the fight is over? Is it still alive now? It has no meaning, no purpose. I pity these creatures."

Nina got up with some difficulty, cursing herself for being so foolish. She could've died because of some ridiculous infatuation! Once she was on her feet, she concentrated on healing herself...and Vanelee. She thanked Matt for his fervent intervention and then considered what to say to the elf who seemed to be struggling with the same thing.

Vanelee felt the air rush out of his lungs as he released his next arrow. He was able to stay on his feet, and amazingly the arrow still hit it's mark, taking another chunk out of it's arm.

As he stood there trying to regain his breath, Vanelee saw Nina laying on the ground holding her chest. A surge of rage swept through Vanelee.

He drew two arrows from his quiver and mounted them both on his bow. He released the two arrows, and they struck the golem that Matt wasn't enagaging in the middle of his torso, where the other crevice was located. The arrows did minimal damage yet again.

"Damnit!" Vanelee yelled in a harsh voice.

He then drew two more arrows and released them in the same fashion he did before. Again minimal damage.

The elf continued these attacks until a large crater formed in the middle of the golem's torso. Seeing this, the elf reached for two more arrows, but found only one remained in his quiver.

'Shit!' he thought. Only one golem stood now, and he only had one arrow.

He then drew the last arrow and mounted it on his bow. He pulled the bow back as far as it could reach and released.

'Please...' he thought.

The arrow easily hit its mark, and the a deafening groan was emitted from the remaining golem. The boulderous form now split in half, falling to rubble as it hit the ground...the golems had been defeated.

Exhausted from his fit of rage, Vanelee fell to one knee. But he was up in an instant, regaining his focus and remebering his fallen miss. Dropping his bow, the elf ran to mage's side, which was currently occupied by Matt.

He looked her down from head to toe seeing that her shirt was now stained with blood. The injury was not life threatening, a good sign.

The elf, couldn't take his gaze off the injured mage. Thoughts of 'you idiot' and 'stupid elf' kept running through is head. He tried to ask "Are you okay?", but couldn't find the words.

Averting his eyes from Nina for a brief second, Vanelee viewed the groups surroundings. He then turned back to Matt and Nina.

"I think we should move into the forest, out of the open and set up camp."

As the warriors walked to camp, Matt got to thinking (which hurt his brain just a little).

"Hey guys, doesn't it seem a bit suspicious to you that we've been attacked twice already by very powerful forces? The first time may have been intended for the castle, but the second time was definately put here specifically for us, wouldn't you say? I mean, I think the Duke may be on to our plot, and if he is, we need to alert the king somehow."

[OOC: Dreggan, if you want to go back in time a little and post your blows in the battle feel free. (Actually I reccomend it). Or you should at least post something creative about not fighting, y'know? Those are just my thoughts anyway. Sorry we went ahead without you, but we have no lives.]

Vanelee was deep in thought as the group set up camp. He kept darting glances at Nina, who had distanced herself from him after being so close on their morning journey. She seemed angry.

' I thought she had feelings for me...' Vanelee thought to himself, trying to find a reason for the mage's shift in temperment 'Maybe I was being a fool....maybe..'

Vanelee looked over his shoulder as he laid his sleeping mat down, in time to meet eyes with Nina. She immediately turned the other way to break the eye contact.

'Well...' Vanelee thought 'Way to go elf...nice protection..not only did risk her life with your foolish assumptions of true feelings...you also risked the mission..'

Feeling disgusted with himself, Vanelee walked a few yards away from the camp and sat himself by a tree to think.

Nina wanted to go to Vanelee, but she was afraid of her own weakness. He looked hurt and it killed her to do it, but how could she admit that she had fallen for him?
She watched him leave the camp and slump down against a tree a few yards away. "Shit," she whispered aloud. Anca whimpered in reply. Nina realized she had to go to him now or she would never regain her focus.
She approached quietly, startling Vanelee out of his thoughts. "Mind if I sit with you?"

Startled by the arrival of Nina by his side, Vanelee let out a light gasp. In response to her question, the elf only nodded lightly, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

"Are you ok?" he asked, still staring at the ground. "Nina, I..I'm sorry.."

"Vanelee, it's not your fault, I shouldn't have lost my focus like that, I just..." Realizing that she had almost let her emotions take control of her, Nina stopped abruptly. "You did what you could and it was enough." Nina sat against a tree facing Vanelee and looked at the ground. She wanted to tell him that he was amazing and perfect and...why couldn't she just say it?

Vanelee finally looked up at Nina after hearing her words. All he needed was a look in her eyes to confirm what he believed.

' Look up!' he pleaded in his mind. 'Please look up...'

Nina swallowed hard, fighting back a lump that had formed in her throat. She looked up at Vanelee, her eyes glistening and full of emotion.

Matt, not sensing the tenderness of the moment, broke in on it.

"Hey guys! Did you hear what I said or not? Nina, you're a mage and have your crafty ways, is there any way you can contact the king and let him know the Duke is on to his plot? The army he summoned may be in trouble!"

Nina didn't even hear Matt and anyway, his request was not possble.

Looking up at Nina, Vanelee caught a glance of her vivid green eyes before Matt busted in on the moment.

That glance was all he needed to know the mages feelings...her true feelings. A wide grin formed across the elf's face, and his eyes now reutrned to their warm grey.

"I know..." Vanelee said, his gaze still upon Nina's beautiful face.

Matt gave a perplexed look for a moment, looking back and forth between the pair.

"...we do need to alert the king." Vanelee finished his line, turning back to Matt.

"Perhaps a carrier bird of some sort. Can either of you manage such a feat?"

Nina shot Matt a disgusted look, got up and walked off into the woods with Anca by her side.

" I believe I can!" Vanelee jumping to his feet, his thoughts racing back to his forgottten companion.

With these words, Vanelee raised two fingers to his mouth and emitted a high pitched whistle.

The group stood frozen for a few moments, before the sound of flapping wings could be heard approaching them.

Suddenly a light grey falcon swooped into the forest and came to rest on Vanelee's shoulder.

"Fawkes!" Vanelee greeted the bird "How are you my old friend!"

With a smile on his face, the elf turned back to his companions and said " Guys, this is my travelling companion Fawkes. He can carry message to the king."

All the while the falcon nipped tenderly at the elf's raised hand.

Matt was a bit perplexed at the actions of Nina. He scratched his head in confusion, oblivious to the emotions building in his group. He shrugged and turned to Vanelee.

"Cool. Hey Fawkes. Nice to meet you. I'll be right back. I'm going to look for a rock that will suit for writing!"

Matt ran off into the woods to look for such a stone.

' A rock?' Vanelee thought to himself, removing a piece of crumpled parchment from his travelling bag 'Who on Earth writes on rocks?'

"Matt!" the elf called, before the monk dissapeared from view "Why don't you use this parchment I have? All you need is a quill, but you can use a twig and mud if a quill isn't available."

Vanelee held out the parchment to Matt, fidgetting all the while with imaptience. He wanted to join Nina, who had walked off, because he didn't like the thought of her being alone and becuase he desperatley wanted ot finish what they had started.

Matt stopped dead in his tracks and lost his balance, almost falling into the dirt.

"Uh, you look antsy. I'll write the note and give it to Fawkes. You go use the bathroom or whatever it is you need to do. While you're out, how bout getting us some firewood?"

While he was talking, Matt got a twig and a handful of mud, the dirty water dripping from between his fingers.

"YEAH!" Vanelee responded eagerly. He quickly handed the parchment to Matt and darted off into the woods. Fawkes flew off his masters shoulder and landed on a low branch near Matt's head.

Now that he was alone, he could look for Nina, but where had his young miss gotten off to? The elf could no longer sense the mage's power, and looked around the forest for her.

'A mage..' Vanelee thought to himself grinning. 'You would fall in love with a mage...someone who can dissapear whenever they want to.'

Nina let her thoughts wander as she walked. She hadn't meant to get so angry at Matt. She knew he had not interrupted on purpose.
She hadn't meant for Vanelee to follow her, but she wished suddenly that he was with her. She knew he had something to say, she could feel it even now, eating at him. Anca stopped to sniff something in the leaves and Nina took the opportunity to rest, as her recent injury did not allow her to exert herself much. She leaned back against a tree, the sunlight falling through the branches onto her face. She closed her eyes and slipped into thoughts of Vanelee...

"Nina.." Vanelee shouted softly, as he wandered around the forest looking for the lost mage.

As he continued to walk, something caught his eye. A foot...Nina's foot...sticking out from behind a tree.

Vanelee approached his young miss excitedly, but not brashly, not wanting to startle her.

When she came into view, Vanelee saw that she and Anca had drifted off, leaning against a tree. Vanelee could only smile as he saw his lady sleeping, her body illuminated in the rays of sunlight that managed to pentrate the forest's canopy.

Leaning down on Nina's side, Vanelee decided he wouldn't wake her. Instead, he moved her body gently away from the tree so that he could squeeze in between it and her. After doing so, and not waking her up, the elf cradled the young miss in his arms, holding her petite frame like the precious tresure she was. He then gently kissed her neck, and waited for her to awake.

Nina fell asleep and dreamed that Vanelee came to her and held her, kissing her neck...It was the most beautiful dream and Nina smiled in her sleep.
She awoke slowly, realizing that she hadn't been dreaming. "Vanelee...I wanted to tell you..." She let him take the words from her lips with his own.

"I know..." Vanelee said, with a slight smile.

He then gently kissed the young miss gently on the lips. A subtle kiss, seeing as it was the first one he had done in AGES.

The elf had never befored felt a rush as he did when his lips met with Nina's for the first time. All the pain in his body ceased, and a tingling sensation filled his entire body

Though the kiss lasted only a few brief seconds, it felt like an eternity for Vanelee. An eternity, he'd be willing to live in forever. When the pair's lips finally parted, all Vanelee could do was smile.

'Is this it?' Vanelee thought to himself 'Is this true love....finally?'

Another gentle kiss from Nina made him think so, and with these comforting thoughts, the elf pulled HIS yuong miss closer to his body.

Nina felt that her entire being must be on fire. She had never felt so alive and so content. 'So this is what love feels like...' She let Vanelee draw her closer, wanting to melt into him. She could hear his every thought buzzing through her mind and the entirety of his love and her own made her want to cry.

The pair laid in each other's arms, watching the sunlight and the sun itself melt away. Even as the night hours approached they lay there, just content to be with one another...finally.

Finally Vanelee spoke. "Let's say we get outta here...head back for some food. I even think I was supposed to bring some firewood for Matt. Poor guy...probrably starving right now.."

With these words, Vanelee pulled Nina close and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. The kiss was as much for him as it was for him. To let him know he wasn't dreaming.

Matt finished the note and attatched it to Fawkes's leg.

"Godspeed good bird."

Fawkes took off into evening sky. Matt sat patiently on a log waiting for Vanelee to get back from the bathroom. After about two hours had passed, his stomach growled. Man! I guess he really had to go. Well, I can't wait on him any longer. Matt got up and collected some firewood and started a fire. He then went 'fishing'. He could smell the water of a nearby lake and wandered his way there. This'll make for some good dinner! He took off his clothes and dove into the water. He remained submerged for almost two full minutes. When he finally came up, he was pulling behind him a fish the likes of which you wouldn't believe. It was not a shark, but it had huge fangs in its mouth. It was the size of a large shark for sure, but had shape more resembeling a flounder or something. The thing weighed at least 500 lbs., almost entirely meat. "That'll definately do." He drug it behind him back to camp. He went through the process of scaling and cleaning the fish (which was quite a task considering the size and the fact that it had been drug along the forest floor) and then tore it apart, placing the peaces over the fire to cook. He applied his seasonings and oils so that the smell drifted over the forest. While the meat cooked, he gathered some 'plates' from the campsite, feeling proud of himself for remembering ahead of time. The meat had just finished when Vanelee and Nina finally returned to camp. The sun was long gone and the stars shone brilliantly. Matt set three servings on three plates and began to ravenously devour his much larger share straight from the rosting pike over the fire. While coming up for air, he smiled a friendly smile at his friends. When he realized that they had come back together, the square peg finally made it into the circular hole and a look of suprise came over his face.

"OH!" he spurted out through a mouthful of fish.

Nina laughed warmly at Matt's naivete. He had a good soul and she was extremely grateful to him for the dinner. Nina sat across the fire from Vanelee and watched him while he ate, his face glowing from the light of the flames. He was a beautiful creature, elves always were, such grace and inner strength... He caught her staring and they shared a smile and a look of tender devotion. Nina's thoughts were broken by Anca nudging her arm. She handed the wolf some fish and let her mind wander again, but this time she did not think of Vanelee. Her contentment was pierced by the memory of the wise mage from her childhood telling her to travel a long and desolate road, for only at the end of this road would she find purpose...

Vanelee's whole world had been turned upside down with his revelation of Nina's shared feelings.

Nothing seemed to be able to penetrate his god mood. As he sat by the fire eating his fish, he began to appreciate all the wonders of the world more than he had ever done. The stars, the moon, all of God's creatures, fire, sleep, and Nina... The elf couldn't stop giving the mage flattering glances.

Vanelee was perfectly content with the world. But thoughts of the journey kept nagging him. WHat dangers lie ahead?

[OOC: Holy shit! I guess I shouldn't leave this thread unattended for more than a day. You guys got hardcore into character development! Sorry for the delay, but I had a 3-day weekend here in Japan and I only have regular access to my computer at work. Thank you for not using Dreggan for me. However, if you ever feel like he should be involved in a battle or something during a weekend and I can't log in, feel free to dictate a few of his actions, if only to keep him alive until I get back.]

As Matt, Vanelee and Nina were enjoying their dinner, a thought suddenly grew in their minds, slowly growing in intensity. After a moment, all three looked up at each other with a huge question mark over their heads. Two words were spoken in unison: "Where's Dreggan?"

Since the battle was intense and the feelings after even more so, ther group had forgotten their OTHER companion. Looking around, they saw he wasn't nearby, not even casually leaning on a branch, berating them on their sloppy battle techniques. Where could that thief be? Checking their belongings, they were relieved to see that he hadn't robbed them and left, but that still didn't answer their question.

Suddenly, a brustle in the tree nearest them drew their attention. Matt, charged up and the lovers stayed close, ready to face with weary grit yet another challenge on this day.

A body then fell down before them, it was man, dressed completely in black, riddled with needles and with his neck skewed at an odd angle. Another body followed. It was Dreggan's. He also had a few needles lodged in him, but thankfully not in life-threatening areas. His face was heavily bruised and his torso was slashed at a few places. He was still breathing, but just barely. As the group rushed to him with a collective gasp, they all heard his last words before slipping into unconsciousness:

"So wh... what's f... for dinner... honey."

"Fish."

Matt then suddenly realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly got to tending to Dreggan's wounds. He applied all he knew about chi healing, but unfortunately that's not that much. He wrapped the wounds with the cloth from his cloak and made sure there was plenty of pressure on them. Afterwards he tried to attend to the other body, but there was little point. He was long gone. Matt sighed and walked into the woods carrying the body, leaving his group behind. When he had achieved sufficient distance, he set the body down. He meditated for a moment, focused all of his strength, and launched a chi blast at the ground that made a huge ovular hole. He placed the body in the hole and began to push the dirt back onto it. When he was done with this, he said a brief chant and began to walk back to his group.

Seeing Dreggan colapse at the edge of the campsite, Vanelee was immediately on his feet and running to the theif's side. He helped Matt move Dreggan closer to the fire and in tending to his wounds.

After Matt did the burial duties for the other man, and Dreggan was soundly resting, Vanelee sat down on the fireside next to Nina. His fears of what might happen to hsi companions as they progressed on this journey had just been realized, and Vanelee was, to say the least, very uneasy.

He kept having thoughts as to what might happen to him and Nina. Shaking off these thoughts, Vanelee put back on his smile, and began admiring his loves face and he sky.

(OOC: curses! damn you roche...)

The battle had been fierce and had almost cost him his life, but Dreggan knew that it was just the beginning. Slowly opening his eyes, he winced at the pain in his chest and face, but was relieved that it was much less severe than he thought it would be. Slowly getting up, he caught a glimpse of Vanelee and Nina in each other's arms, their backs to him. Why was he not surprised. Meanwhile, Matt was still downing the fish meat ravenously, like he hadn't eaten in... hours.

Hearing that their friend had woken up, they all faced him, with mixed expressions of relief and confusion on their faces. Slowly sitting near the cooking food, Dreggan helped himself to a piece and sighed heavily.

D - "I suppose I owe you all a story..."

M - "I like stories."

D - *sigh*

Dreggan then proceeded to tell them about his past. It was all violence. After the murder of his uncle, the head assassin had taken him as his son, to forge himself suitable "progeny". The Grey Cloud Guild had been annihilated, save for young Dreggan, but the twisted Sekine wanted the last remaining member not only to witness the end of a great, if seedy heritage, but also to be turned to a more "worthy" profession, as a final irony for the hated Grey Cloud.

Dreggan's training was brutal. It lasted 16 hours a day for innumerable years. Sekine was not the first master of the Poison Fist Guild, but he was certainly the most ruthless. No matter how sadistic he might be towards the other trainees, he was always twice as harsh on Dreggan. Failure in assigned duties resulted in beatings and denial of food. The young boy, even before reaching puberty, had to know how to kill quickly and silently.

When it came time to separate the wheat from the chaff, Sekine pitted trainee against trainee, warning them that only the last man standing would remain with the guild to pursue training. Dreggan always survived, blood-soaked, near the brink of insanity, but in one piece. This always brought a smile to his new master's face. His dream of creating someone in his image was working out nicely.

Tears welling up in his eyes, Dreggan told his friends that no matter how harsh the training and punishment, no matter what atrocities he had to commit to stay alive, he never forgot where he came from and his natural calling. He was now a thief trapped in an assassin's body. Trained to kill, but predisposed to steal. He valued this part of him that Sekine could never break. He would stay up many nights to pratice his sleight of hand and pickpocketting skills. Many would be assassins awoke to find their belongings gone or misplaced, blaming other trainees and getting into deadly fights.

All the while, Dreggan sat back and watched. While Sekine knew what was happening, he never called the young man on it. He tought he had broken him and that he was just combining his previous skills with the ones used for killing. He was partially correct. Dreggan assimilated his new trade quickly and found it to be effective. Besides, both assassins and thieves had to know how to move swiftly yet quietly, how to escape danger and how to use disguises to their advantage. Even though he hated to admit it, he was glad he had the chance to know his enemies and all their tricks. Through the guild, he was able to learn the deadly Savate style, the Poison Fist's own secret martial that combined long-range needle attacks with lethal kicks and leaps.

When the time to escape finally came, Dreggan slew almost a third of the inhabitants of the Poisons Fist's stronghold in just a few hours, gathered his equipment, stole enough valuables to get him far away and disappeared. That was 6 years ago.

He knew Sekine would come for him. He knew he had contacts everywhere and that his tracking skills were the stuff of legend, but he still believed that all his accumulated experience could get him by. Judging by the needle in the tree found that morning and the battle that had just taken place, this was obviously not the case.

Slightly trembling, he finished his meal, got up and asked if the group had found the bodies of his would-be killers.

M - "Bodies? I only found one and I buried him over there."

D- "You actually gave one of these twisted devils a proper burial?"

M - "Well, yeah. I thought it was the decent thing to do."

D- "Well, nevermind that... Let's find the others."

As the party searched for them, Dreggan wondered why Matt would show such courtesy to this type of filth. He then realized that he couldn't possibly feel all that the thief felt, even after his little dark tale. His heart was in the right place, and that was commendable.

When they finally came across the remaining two bodies, they all saw the extent of Dreggan's training. The wounds were precise and clean. Dreggan sais had targetted blood vessels, while needles had hit pressure points.

"These ones were easy, but it didn't surprise me. The Poison Fist's assassination squads always have three members: one veteran and two trainees. The whelps attack first, while the leader observes their technique. If they fail, then he or she finishes the job."

Dreggan then retrieved his needles, the asked Matt to drag their carcasses to the site where he had buried the leader.

D- "Leave them there. I'm sure Sekine won't like the warning, but at least he won't bother me for some time."

N- "Why's that?"

D- "The Poison Fist have a code they believe in very deeply. If a target survives an assasination attempt, which can only be accomplished by killing the assassins, then they are left alone out of respect for their skills. However, due to the mess I left them upon my escape, I doubt they'll give me more than a few days' worth of peace.

Listen, I'm sorry for dragging my past into this. You seem like good people. I did horrible things throughout my life, but rest assured that I'm not a cold-hearted killer. When I DO kill, it's always for a reason. Never just for money. I steal money. I don't kill for it."

Turning his back to the group and hanging his head, Dreggan headed back to the camp.

Poor Dreggan...

Matt began to think of his own childhood.

FLASH

Matt stood barefoot atop a spear stuck blade up in the ground in the middle of a nearly dried pond in his monestary. Not only did he have to manage balancing hte spear and prevent himself from being stabbed, but he had to prevent the spear from sinking into the soggy ground. Beads of sweat dripped from his face. He had to use all of his concentration. All of this training, and he was only 7 years old.

"Focus now Matt," spoke his watching sensei. "Focus hard. You must increase your strength. You must learn to protect. There is nothing more precious than human life, you have to protect it. You have to protect the innocent. You have to protect the weak. Protect the righteous. Protect your friends. You have to train to do that Matt! You have to get stronger!"

Matt began to scream and for a few minutes, he stood completely upright. Then, his strength failed him and he felt the sting of the spear piercing his foot. An instant later, Matt was in his sensei's arms. "Well done Matt. Well done indeed," were the last words he heard before he passed out. As he dreamed he heard his father in the blackness, then he saw him, standing in a field, cherry blossom petals falling around him. "Matt, I'm so proud of you. So very very proud. Keep on training Matt. You're going to grow up to be a strong protecter Matt. You'll have the power to protect the world from people like me..."

With that, his father hung his head and began to drift away without moving. It was as though distance was magically appearing between them. "Father! Come back! It wasn't your fault!"

Matt woke with a start. He had been having dreams like this ever since the monk had told him the truth. His father had killed a veritable fortress full of criminals. The crooks were small time opium dealers, hardly deserving such a fate. However, his father's great reputation had preceeded him, and their competition had heard. The competition's boss "recruited" Amarth to their cause. It is more accurate to say forced. Matt was held hostage in his own house. The crooks had surrounded the place, hiding in the woods while Amarth carried out the mission. Amarth was willing to do anything for his son, even comitt a crime that meritted the death penalty. He was beheaded the day he was carried away.

Matt got up, suited up, and went outside to train.

FLASH

"You should be a little more considerate of human life Dreggan, orc life too. They are people, just like you and I. Even if there was no other way (which I personally believe there was), you could be a little more sensitive to the fact that a flame of life has been put out. They deserve to be buried and respected the same as anyone else."

Matt's words sent a surge of anger through Dreggan's body and soul. How dare he scold him on the value of life, when all of the thief's childhood was spent trying to keep the demons out of his heart, even amongst all the death and darkness around him?

"Matt... I... appreciate your point of view, but believe me when I say that the relatively quick death I gave those men was the most decent, human thing I could do. Pity them if you wish, but don't ask me to do the same. At least, not in this lifetime."

Nina eyed the fuming Dreggan anxiously. Shuffling through his and Matt's thoughts, Nina found steadfast resolution on each side. 'Heh, this looks like a train wreck.' With a weary smile, Nina approached the men from her spot at Vanelee's side.
"Boys, boys, let's not fight, there is still danger abroad."
The warning wasn't simply an attempt to shut the two up, Nina could feel the presence of something dark approaching. Whatever it was, it was still too far away for her to identify, but the presence was strong and approaching from the North...
Nina wheeled around and alerted Vanelee to this, thinking his elvish blood would allow him to identify the threat better than she could.

OOC: happy turkey day, ya'll! i'll be out for a couple of days, so ya'll take care in the meantime!

Vanelee looked on at the young mage with a longing look. 'What a wondeful woman' he thought.

"It seems that the Duke has made the next move. I am sensing that he has sent a force to combat our prgress up the mountain. I am not sure what the force is composed of, but I know that it is strong, very strong. I am sorry that my senses are not strong enough to give us a learer picture of our enemies."

"As for you two." Vanelee said in response to the riff that was emerging between Matt and Dreggan. " You both have very different views on life, and they are both respectable. You have lived very different lives, and different views are expected, but I suggest you put your differences aside and focus on the journey.

Looks of objection immediately arose on their faces, and Vanelee knew why. "I know that I must seem like a hypocrite after my performance in that last battle. That's why I am going to refcus my energies on the task at hand."

Giving a look showing his love a Nina, Vanelee spoke again. "Let's say we get a little more sleep before we ascend the mountain?"

'Heh. Sleep, indeed...' Nina thought, trying to hide a smile.

Vanelee eyed his young miss with a suspicous, yet at the same time curious, look as he prepared for bed. After he had made his speech to the others, a mischevious smile had crept onto her face, and even now she was trying to mask it with slight looks of innocence.

'What are you thinking about Nina?' Vanelee questioned himself.

However, his thoughts began to drift as he slipped onto his sleeping mat and prepared to drift off before sunrise, and his suspicions were laid to rest. Nina had positioned herself fairly close to the elf, just out of arms length, Matt had again fallen alseep leaning against a tree, and Dreggan, still a little weak, remained where he had been put to rest.

'Good night all.' Vanelee thought before falling into a light sleep

Nina tried to sleep, but her mind was plagued with images. The dreams presented to her as she slept were muddled and confused, as if she were viewing them through a mirror. She could not tell past from future, although she did pick out fragments that seemed to include herself and her companions in situations that had not yet come to pass.
She awoke with a start after seeing an image of Vanelee calling to her from far away. In her dream, he seemed to be wounded, but she could not see him clearly and, although she ran towards him, the distance between them only increased.
She was somewhat relieved to find him sleeping at her side, but the nightmare haunted her even in waking. She moved closer to the dozing elf, burying her face in his shoulder and pressing her trembling body against the warmth of his side. Scared that he might slip out of her fingers, she clung to Vanelee, weeping silently.
"I love you, Vanelee..." she murmured, knowing he was asleep and would not hear her.

Waking up from his light sleep, Dreggan downed one of his own healing potions, to cure what the previous one and sleep could not.

He had lied to his friends. His battle with the assassins had not been easy in the least. These new recruits seemed even more fierce than any trainee he had ever seen, almost as strong as their leader. How long would it be until he would face such a threat again?

Turning his head towards the sleeping couple, the thief couldn't help but shake his head slowly, speaking under his breath...

"Ah yes, a match has been made. A match that will shift the focus of every battle we'll get into from now on. Lovely..."

Lying back down, Dreggan mentally repeated his training moves to himself, as he once again dozed off.

[OOC: Amarths fault here.]

Matt couldn't sleep. He was sure he had pushed Dreggan too far. After a lot of tossing and turning, he finally decided to go over and talk to the thief. He shook him awake and Dreggan eyed him angrily for having been disturbed from his sleep. Matt had an ignorant smile on his face, not even thinking that the man may have been enjoying his sleep. "Dreggan, listen, I never meant to make your mad. Neither do I want to change your views on life or the way you live it. I was just asking you to consider another way. That is the reason I carry a staff you know. I used to carry a sword, but something happened... anyway, I understand your views and I mean you no ill will." Matt anxiously awaited a reply, fidgiting and playing with the dirt on the ground.

Closing his eyes again, Dreggan answered the monk:

"Matt, your views about life don't bother me. I guess it was just your extension of your worthwhile values to these wretched, servile wastes of human life that caused me to get, ah, slightly miffed just then. It was more confusion than hate that I was feeling towards you at that point. However, I'm over it now. It's in the past, so let's not relive it."

Dreggan then opened his dark eyes and fixed his gaze sternly into Matt's.

"Just remember one thing: the Poison Fist Guild place no value on life other than gold. They would kill any type of creature on this world, even women and children, if the price is right, so please do me a favour: suspend your goodwill towards this vermin. If we encounter them again, which is most likely, let me deal with them my own way. Even giving them a decent burial is a courtesy they should not be afforded. They should rot as they did not live: in full view of everyone."

Dreggan realized that he was clenching his fists as he was talking. He felt his blood run hot through his veins and feared that he would once again lose his quintessential cool. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and turned away from the monk.

"Go back to sleep, Matt. Good guys like you have a lot of work to do in this world. You must be very tired."

"I'm not so *yawn* tired." Matt walked back to his spot and layed back down. As he closed his eyes, he began to think of his own past, and his old sword.

FLASH

Matt walked with his sinsei through a large field. They were merely taking in their surroundings and enjoying themselves after a hard training sessions. On their walk, they came across a butterfly stuck in a spider web. Matt looked on for a moment and then reached to release the creature. "Don't touch it!" barked his master.

"But, I thought we were to treasure life."

"Indeed we are, but to save this butterfly would be to kill the spider that caught it, do you see? To release it would be playing God, deciding which creature has the right to live." Matt looked back at the web, trying to absorb the lesson as he watched the spider crawl towards its victim.

"Understand me Matt, all life is sacred and you must treasure every ounce of it. However, sometimes there is a need to kill. For instance, food." The spider began to wrap his prey in his web. "The animals exist in a balance. If the spiders did not limit the butterflies, they would exhaust their food supply and all die out anyway. We must never kill out of anger, or on a whim, and it is never EVER okay to kill another human being. But there is a balance to life that you must accept Matt, as much as you may want everyone to live." The spider sank its fangs into the butterfly, drawing its juices.

FLASH

The bandits had come without warning. There were many treasures in their monestary, so they had pretty tight security, making an unalerted attack a rare event. Many of Matt's friends were killed in their sleep without making a sound. Matt awoke to his master's shaking him. "Get up Matt! We're under attack!" Matt rolled and fell out of bed, stumbling around trying to make sense of what was going on. He first thought of his closest friends. He went to their rooms one by one, finding them all slaughtered. They had never even woken up. When he got to the last room on the row he paused. He wasn't sure he wanted to see his closest friend Stephen on the other side. When he opened it, he saw him there covered in his own blood. He had not recieved the peaceful death of the others but had obviously awoken before they got to him. His sheets were tossed around the plain room and he looked like he had put up quite a struggle. "No." Matt pulled his sword and ran out the door. He could see the bandits all crowded around the treasures they had pulled out of the storehouse. It seemed as though they had only killed those living in this section of the monestary to ensure safe retrieval of the valuables. He began to run towards them when he tripped over something. It was his sensei. He was not dead, but knocked out. At this sight, Matt could see only red. He ran with incredible speed towards the bandits. He took out four of them before the rest could even realize what had happened. "What? You can't kill anyo..." His sentence was cut short by a sword taking his head off. The twenty or so that were left quickly drew their own various weapons and surrounded him. Matt jumped at one piercing his body with his sword. Before he could fall, he went on to the next, leaving a large gash across his chest, exposing his lungs and heart. He went through the entire group this way, and when he was finished, he stood, covered in their blood, still enraged, searching for his next victim. He felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around with his sword, stopping it just as it touched his master's neck. The man didn't even flinch. "Matt... how could you? You're no different than him." Matt thought of his father and remembered him coming home with his sword covered in blood, just as Matt's was now. He dropped the blade and began crying as he fell to his knees. The stench of blood filled his nostrils.

FLASH

Matt crushed the rock he was laying on as he tossed in his nightmare.

Vanelee did not sleep very restlessly during the night. Instead he lay half-awake all night, thoughts drifting in and out of his mind. His thoughts wandered to...the journey...his new love...the dangers...the future...his past.

He heard Nina stirring, and wanted desperatley to wake and go to her. But why disturb her sleep? Unless...that's what she wanted.

The elf had not been in love before, at least not love like this. The new feeling were overwhelming, and flooded his mind and body like a raging waterfall. His heart beat faster with every touch from his young miss and he found himself utterly stupefied when she spoke.

Perhaps this the real reason he didn't rise to meet his love when she moved closer to him. When he could feel the warmth of his slender body against his own. He had promised to refocus his energies on the task at hand.

The night was Hell to Vanelee, and he was relieved when he saw the yellow crest of the sun rising over the mountains, bringing an end to the night. Salvation.

The elf rose earlier than his comrades so that he could retrieve the weapons he ahd left at the battle ground, his bow and any arrows he could salvage...

Matt jerked up, covered in sweat. Whew! Intense nightmares. Oh well. Matt stood and looked around. He noticed Vanelee was gone and decided it was time to look for breakfast. He decided he had had quite enough meat for a while, so he went running through the forest as he tended to do, searching for a fruit-bearing tree. When he found one, he delivered a stern punch to its trunk, causing all the ripe fruit to fall from its branches. He then moved with all of his speed, catching them all before they hit the ground. When he was done, he was carrying a pile as big as he was. He carried it back to camp and dropped them on the ground. A little dirt won't hurt anyone. After all, we are in the wilderness. He picked up two of the nectarines [OOC: I hope those grow on trees :-P] and tossed one at each Dreggan and Nina. "Wake up guys! It's breakfast time! There's plenty for everyone so come dig in! We have a long journey into the mountains ahead of us today, and the climb will not be easy."

Nina awoke with a start to a piece of unidentifiable fruit hitting her square in the side of the head. She sat up and looked around for Vanelee and was not surprised to find him missing. She had felt his restlessness during the night and her sleep had been equally tormented by the pain of his thoughts.
Nina thanked Matt for the fruit with a warm, gracious smile and sunk her teeth deep into the flesh of the nectarine. She hadn't realized how hungry she was.
She knew she shouldn't go looking for Vanelee, he would come back when he was ready. She began to trudge off in search of a creek to wash herself.
"Where are you off to, then?" Dreggan arched an eyebrow and she knew immediately what he must be thinking.
"I'm going to look for a water source. Just because I'm in the company of men doesn't mean I have to smell like one." She smiled broadly and disappeared into the woods with Anca close behind.

Vanelee moved lightly as he made his way back to the previous day's battle ground. Upon arriving, he found his ivory colored bow and cloak where he had dropped them in the heat of battle. He picked up the bow, unstrung it, and slung it over his back. He still had the cloak draped over his arm.

The gods had smiled upon the world today, because it was a beautiful day out. The air was no longer crisp, but rather very warm and a light breeze fell through the valley supllying a perfect atmosphere. Since it was early, Vanelee still watched the bright sun rise over the mountaineous horizon, which as of yesterday was so distant, but now stood right in front of him.

'I should have woken Nina up to watch this..' the elf thought to himself. He then continued to search the battle ground for any arrows that weren't broken, for he had exhausted his lot on the golems earlier.

After finding a fair share of unbroken arrows, Vanelee returned them to his quiver and turned to head back to camp.

All of a sudden, the elf's senses pricked up, and he sensed the strong force he had sensed earlier. But they were now moving...fast...TOWARDS THE CAMP!

Without a second thought, the elf took off at a all out sprint in order to get back to the others and prepare for battle.

Sniffing himself after Nina's comments, Dreggan whipped his head back. He would indeed need a bath soo enough, but now was not the time. Finishing his breakfast, he gathered his effects.

Suddenly, he saw Vanelee emerge from the woods with a worried look on his face. With a slightly condescending smirk, the thief said:

"She just went off to make herself all sweet-smelling for you, guy. There's no need to panic."

Matt pulled himself out of the mountain of cores he had buried himself in. He stretched and patted his stomach. "That was good!" Suddenly, he became aware of some chi approaching quickly. The orcs?

Nina found a deep pool at the base of a small waterfall deep in the woods. It was a quiet spot. The sun filtered through the branches and made the pool look enchanted.
Nina sighed. It would be nice to relax if only for a moment.
Nina removed her cloak, tossing her hair free. She undid her boots and pulled them off her aching feet. Standing gingerly with her feet in the water, she undid her bodice, removed it and the camisole beneath, and pulled the leggings from her long, toned legs. She stepped down into the pool up to her waist then, closing her eyes, she dipped below the surface of the water, letting the cool liquid caress her bare skin and revive her soul. She came up in a deeper part of the pool, closer to the falls. The water was just above her bare breasts. Her wet hair clung to her back and shoulders. Her thoughts drifted from Vanelee to the mission, then back to Vanelee as she realized how sensuous she felt with the water against her bare skin.

"What!?!" Vanelee said in an alarmed, breathless voice in response to Dreggans words. He had just come back to the camp to warn the others of the incoming enemy.

"I'm not sure what or who, but something is coming our way, fast. It is the source of the energy that I sensed yesterday, so it's strong. Which way did Nina go?" Vanelee spoke these words with a bit of a hysterical look on his face. The first time the elf had lost his cool not in the heat of battle.

Dreggan pointed off in a direction and Vanelee immediately sprinted off in the indicated direction, calling over his shoulder. "I hope I can return before they get here, but prepare yourselves. I will rejoin you soon."

[OOC]: Nina, clean out your PM mailbox so you can recieve PM's

Nina looked down at her reflection in the clear pool, then, cupping water in her hands, she brought it to her face and scrubbed the dirt from her skin.
She hadn't realized she had let her guard down, caught in the enchanted spell of the pool, until she heard a rustling in the trees and caught a quick movement in the corner of her eye. Startled, she thought of dropping into the water, but she wasn't sure how long she would be able to hold her breath and it would be better to face what ever was coming...

Vanelee rushed to where he heard the falling of water, a water source.

'This has to be where Nina went.' the elf thought to himself as the waterfall came into sight. The beauty of the scene caught him by surprise as he closed in on the pool, and it took him a few seconds to register what he was seeing.

NINA! His young mage stood waist deep in the pool, her wet hair matted down over her cheast, concealing its treasures. At first she looked alarmed and ready to fight, but the elf saw her eyes warm as she realized who the intruder was.

BEAUTY! For a few moments the elf completely forgot that the enemy was qucikly advancing upon their position. He could only stand, his mouth half way open, and admire his Nina in all her beauty.

Then, regaining his focus, Vanelee's cheeaks turned crimson red and he immediately turned his back to avert his gazing eyes.

"I'm sorry Nina...." the elf stammered, highly embarassed. " It's just that....."

Nina tried not to laugh. She had nearly forgotten all modesty, having been on her own for so long. She started to go to Vanelee, but realized her clothes were on the other side of the pool.
Unsure what the proper thing to do was and feeling her desire for Vanelee only increasing with every second, Nina took two steps toward her love and caught herself.
"What is it, Vanelee?" she asked gently, trying to conceal the longing in her voice.

The elf turned to face his love who was now only a few feet away from him, and it was all he could do to resist his urges and desires. He continued to avert his eyes from her goddess-like form by looking towards the ground to the side of himself.

"Um.." Vanelee stammered. "Again, sorry..but I came to warn you and the others that the enemy we sensed yesterday are on the move, and they are coming quickly to our position. I think it best if we return and regroup with the others before they come."

Vanelee continued to look at the ground as he awaited his loves reply.

'Ofcourse, how could I be so stupid?' Nina thought to herself. Anger boiled in her stomach, whatever was coming would pay for ruining this moment.
She looked up at Vanelee and their eyes met for a brief second before he returned his gaze to the ground at his feet.
"Um...yes...regroup. I'll be right behind you, I just have to grab my things."
Nina bit her lip and dropped down into the water, reappearing on the far side of the pool. She darted out of the water, snatched up her clothes and began to pull them onto her wet body, grumbling in frustration.

[OOC: You know what's weird about the whole love interest here? It's that Nina is supposed to be a small girl. Lolita action, anyone?]

Dreggan suddenly stood up. Rustling sounds in all directions alerted him to the fact that the camp was being surrounded. He quickly jumped up into the nearest tree and waited.

Matt attempted to mimic Dreggan's actions but missed his intended branch. He grabbed another branch on his way back down, but it only made him swing his feet out and land back on the forest floor with a solid thud on his back. One of these days I'm gonna learn to do that. Matt got up and regrouped himself, brushing the dirt off. Dreggan noticed a small rock in his hand. Matt stood, eyes closed, for a moment and then with a motion so quick that a normal person would have been unable to see it, sent the rock flying into the forest. A small ping sounded through the forest followed by the loud thud of an orcen soldier hitting the floor. The then drew his staff and took a fighting stance as he thought he felt them advancing towards him.

(OOC: A small girl, yes, but a demi-elf, as well, which makes her exact age undeterminable. I think she is significantly younger than Vanelee, but in elf years it doesn't matter much.)

[OOC: So lolita you say...]

[OOC: It's just that Vanelee's description of Nina doesn't make her seem like a young girl... more like a woman. Furthermore, at the beginning of the adventure, you made it quite clear that Nina appeared very young. Ah well, whatever floats your boat, guys...]

Not relishing the thought of fighting even more of these dumb creatures, Dreggan made his way towards the sound of the first orc falling down. Once there, from his vantage point, he saw that their opponents would be a hodge-podge of undesirables: about 6 orcs (including the wounded one that was getting up, rubbing his head through his rusty helmet), 4 goblins, who were laughing hysterically, and 2 trolls, who simply growled to shut the goblins up and send them scouting ahead. The villains seemed better equipped than the previous group they had faced, except for the hapless goblins, who simply had clubs and simple clothing.

Making his way back to Matt, Dreggan signaled to him using assassin's code. Seeing the confusion on his friend's face, the thief sighed and simply indicated numbers with his hands, followed by indications of size, which involved him spreading his arms further and further apart. Matt nodded, much to Dreggan's satisfaction. The thief then signaled for the monk to strike low, while he would remain in the trees.

Matt made his way towards the enemies. He noticed that two of the 6 orcs seemed to be immensely more powerful and much better equipped. Better to pick off the weaklings first. He caught sight of one of the goblins and sent it hurdling into a tree with a strike from his staff. Three others came at him clumsily swinging their clubs. They all got to him at the same time and their clubs went through his after image. Matt appeared behind one of them while they were still confused by this tactic and sent him flying sideways into the other two. Just as he had finished taking out the four worms, he felt what could have been the equivalent of a battering ram hitting him in the back. His chi absorbed much of it, but he was still sent flying forwards, landing on the forest floor about twenty feet away. "Damn trolls..."

Vanelee hurried back to the clearing where the group had set up camp the night before, with his love, Nina, at his side. As the duo approached the clearing, the elf heard the sounds of battle meaning tha the batle had already begun. He immediately loked to his side to see how Nina planned to enter the battle, but she had vanished.

With a confused look on his face, Vanelee focused his energies back on the battle. As he entered the woods where the battle was taking place, he saw that Matt and Dreggan had already dispatched of a few of the advancing enemies, but there were still a few left.

Seeing the troll that had just punched Matt, the elf drew and strung his bow while pulling out two arrows. Mounting the two arrows on the bow, Vanelee took aim and released, hitting the troll square between the eyes and causing it to stumble and collapse in a heap immediately.

Drawing another arrow, Vanelee surveyed his surroundings for other enemies that woud be prone to his arrows. All the while, still keeping an eye out for when Nina would reappear.

Matt jumped backwards, back just a couple of feet over the ground runnig parallel to it. He held his staff out over his head and the two goblins that were just getting back up were nailed by the staff striking them both simultaneously and knocking them both out. He then flipped midair, pushed back off a tree with his feet and aimed himself for a spot over the still standing troll's head. He flipped over the head and brought the staff across the back of his head, sending him down to the dirt not moving any more. When he arrived at another tree he reached out, grabbed a branch and pulled himself up onto it. Yay! He then remained perched and looked for another opportunity to enter the fray.

With a satisfied grin, Dreggan watched as the trolls and goblins were dispatched. At least Matt's technique was improving and Vanelee provided some additional long range back up.

With only 4 orcs remaining, the thief decided to vary his approach. Sheathing his sais, he leaped off the branch and landed a jumping side kick to one of the orcs. Using its head as leverage, he then changed direction and planted his knee in another orc, followed by a split-sweep that sent them both down. They were still alive, but dazed and knocked to the ground.

A third orc was about to land an axe to Dreggan's head, but his hand was blocked by the thief's foot, who had brought his leg up to parry. The surprised orc looked down at the "puny" human, trying without success to push his weapon down. Seeing that the other orc still standing up was charging both him and his comrade, Dreggan yelled out to Vanelee:

"Well? What are you waiting for? Take him out so I can move !"

Nina watched the fight unfold in a blur of movement. Then, her fury relit by her remembrance of what almost was, she charged forward unseen, her clenched fist plunging into the side of the nearest orc's head.
Momentarily stunned by the unexpected impact, the orc stumbled sideways and Nina caught him in the side with her foot, sending him sprawling on the ground. Powering her staff in her hand, she flung a ball of fiery energy into the orc's chest, instantly killing him.
She turned to meet an oncoming orc, who appeared completely baffled by the invisible force that had massacred his companion. Realizing the ease with which she could dispatch the idiotic orcs, Nina let her invisibility shield drop just long enough to wink at the stunned orc, then, swinging her staff around, she hurled an icy blue blast from its tip, splitting the orc open straight across his stomach.
Suddenly, she felt something cold sting her back. She stumbled forward in sheer agony as the cold dug into her flesh, just missing her spine. Clutching her staff, she fell to her knees and dug its tip into the earth. Her eyes glazed over as she poured her energy into the staff. The ground shook violently, breaking the orc magi's concentration just long enough for Nina to stand and face her attacker.

Matt was knocked from the tree by a ball of magic force launched from the orc magi. He fell to the ground with a slightly painful thud. How many times is this gonna happen to me anyway? Matt righted himself and looked to the orc magi who had discounted Matt for out and moved on to Nina who was looking away. "Look out!" It was too late, the icy force the orc had launched caught Nina from behind and wounded her. "Why you!" Matt charged the orc, bringing his staff over head and forcing it downward with all his might. The orc didn't even have time to react, but he didn't need it. Matt's staff caught the magical barrier around the magi which shot and electric blast back at Matt sending him momentarily paralyzed back to the ground. Nina had risen again though, and it looked like she was pissed.

[OOC: Dreggan, do you know he mentioned earlier that two groups of twenty orcs were headed our way, one lead by and orc magi and one lead by and orc overlord? You kinda changed that, but we could work it so that it was two twenty men forces led by orcs and they lost some on the journey. No matter what though, you took out the overlord like he was some kind of peon.]

Seeing that Dreggan was caught in the battle, trying to hold off an attack from an orc, Vanelee turned his aim to the orc and released.

The arrow sailed through the air at a great, but was suddenly stopped mid air by a streak of electric energy that had come off of the magical barrier Matt had just struck.

'What in the world?' Vanelee questioned himself as he pulled another arrow and fired at the orc now bearing even further down on Dreggan. This time, the arrow found it's mark at the base of the orcs neck. Dropping it's axe, the orc grasped his neck, making the universal sign of choking, and fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Vanelee now checked on his other two companions. Matt was slowly getting up after being hit by the repercussions of his attack on the magi orc, and Nina had already regained he stance and was preparing for an attack. A fire in the mage's light green eyes startled for the elf for a moment, until he realized that her true powers were coming to life, and she was about to kick some serious ass.

Nina stood, a bit shaky at first, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
Gritting her teeth, she brought her arms above her head. A small flame erupted from her cupped palm and began to grow. The light from the fiery blaze that shot out of Nina's palm blinded the orc warriors and her companions alike, momentarily halting the battle.
Then in a flash of movement, Nina flung the flame at the orc magi. It broke across him, knocking him to the ground.
Angry and significantly wounded by the attack, the orc magi struggled to his feet, clenched his fist and closed his eyes.
A low rumble rolled through the forest. Nina prepared herself for the magi's attack, searching his barren mind for a clue to his next move.
Grasping the information she desired, Nina smiled. 'That's foolish,' she thought.
Her form became rigid as she prepared a counter attack to finish the orc using his own power.

Matt had felt Nina's chi take this form before, and he knew it was time to clear out. He darted over to a spot next to Vanelee and commented, "Poor orc."

"Your beliefs are your own Matt, noone can ever change that. I am glad that there are still people out there like you who value life so much as to show mercy to thier enemies, and always provide a solution that isn't death." Vanelee said with a warm smile.

Drawing another two arrows and mounting them on his bow, Vaneel took aim and fired at the two remain orcs. They, like the others, fell to the ground as corpses.

The magi orc did exactly as Nina wanted him to. He threw his energy to the sky and lightning like daggers rained down towards Nina. Nina shielded herself and the first of the daggers were deflected. Then she halted the remainder of the razor bolts and, pouring her own magic into them, hurled them at the orc.
The orc had no time to prepare, as her movements were so fast as to be unseen.
The daggers pierced his skull and neck and he fell to the ground in a bloody mass.
Nina found that she was not nearly as exhausted as she had been after their first battle. Perhaps her abilities were becoming sharper and stronger, but why? Why, after all this time, could she harness her power without injury to herself?
Seeing Vanelee approaching her, the question was answered. She was drawing strength from the elf and her love. 'That's convenient,' she thought, smiling wearily.

Hey guys! This is an awesome thread! I was just surfing the games section and read some of it. I was wondering if you guys are going to start another rpg any time soon? I just joined the site, so I'm a little lost! Thanx!

[Post count up 1!]

Matt chuckled a little and scratched the back of his head. "Well, actually, I was joking. Y'know, it's kinda funny seeing a great orc magi brought down by a little girl. He he..."

[OOC Didn't remember anything about the overlord and magi, sorry about that. Still, the enemies that Dreggan saw and fought were simply that: those he SAW. I didn't necessarily take out the orc overlord, just a few henchmen. I also wounded both trolls, but didn't take them out either. Don't worry guys, I'm not hogging the action.]

Glad that Vanelee was able to get that orc off of him, Dreggan darted around and through the battle groundm looking for opportunities to strike. Suddenly, his attention shot to the arrival of the orc magi. Nina and Matt tangled with him, so he stepped back and retreated in a tree. Finally, he regrouped with the monk and rogue elf a certain distance away, to avoid getting between Nina and the magi.

The girl's attack was devastating and for once he allowed the feeling of gratitude to enter his heart. She had some skills, indeed. Turning to his friends, he quickly assessed the situation.

"So, how many brutes are left? I took out a few orcs and wounded the trolls and the both of you finished them off, as well as the goblins and more orcs, so what's the tally?"

" I'm not quite sure of the total tally, but I do know that the force I sensed was much larger than this. This wave of attackers could very well be just be the scouts." the elf spoke.

The battle had not exhausted any of his energies, and so far as he could tell, none of his other comrades felt the weariness of battle either.

As Nina rejoined the group and recieved congratulations and praises from Matt. Vanelee embraced her in a tight hug and gently kissed her forehead. This expression of emotion seemed to repulse Dreggan because his face contorted into a weird look, but Matt was unpahased and smiply smiled his sheepish grin.

While he held his young miss Vanelee thought to himself. 'Nina, it seems like your true powers are beginning to shine through. I don't know why, but if you need any help with anyhthing I'm here.' and he hoped that the mage picked up on his mental message.

"I sense another force is moving towards us, but this time at a slower pace. That might mean it's quite a bit larger." the elf spoke. Then, with an almost devilish smile on his face, Vanelee said "Let's say we meet them this time."

Returning the elf's smile, Dreggan replied:

"I like the way you think, Vanelee. However, we DO need a plan this time. Obviously, we can't tackle a force that big head on, as there are only four of us. Therefore, some hit and run tactics would be best. If we take out some elements at the rear, the group will be forced to stop and investigate. They'll send out more fodder, which hopefully we can then ambush. I don't know whether they'll set up a camp and dig in or just send more scouts after that, but it's certain we'll have their attention. What do you think?"

"Awwww. I hate the planning phase. Just tell me what to punch."

[OOC: I'm thinkin' the orc overlord can be in the second group and can be like ten feet tall wearing armor that Dreggan's needles can't pierce and wielding some huge weapon. That would be fun. Any objections/opinions?]

(ooc btw I have to apologize for not posting at all in the last while. A death in the family had me torn up for about 3 weeks and I'm just starting to have any willpower to do anything but eat and work.

Again I'm sorry.

[OOC: Tiz cool man. Wheneva you can cause destruction and mayhem in your evil way, feel free. Until then, we'll just make our own.]

[OOC: Man you have nothing to be sorry about. Family takes priority over everything in my book and I'm sure its the same way with you. Whenever you're ready, start posting, but there is certainly no pressure from this end. My prayers and best wishes are with you and your family]

"Of course I think we should have a plan before enaging these brutes, but I was just saying let's strike them first." Vanelee said in response to Dreggan. "I like your idea of it and run tactics for our first move. It will cofuse them while at the same time diminish their forces. Let's say we gather our things and move now."

Then, the elf looked at each of his comrades for a look of agreement, although he gave an especially long look at Nina, whose green eyes sparkled brightly in the rising sun.

[OOC: Roche, you're red green color blind right? How do you know what green eyes look like?]

Matt punched one fist into his other open hand. "I like the hitting part anyway." Matt hid all his things in the woods and began trotting off to battle.