Curse of the Fallen Quest: Ring Bearer's Trilogy

[Sweetp4u]

AnnaBelle

She laughed a little, franticly wondering why she laughed? The pain was so bad, she wanted nothing more than a quick death to end her suffering. Fate was never kind to her, why would she get to go so easily?
She laughed a little more, then groaned with pain. Her mouth aching as she spit again and again, trying to wipe away that horrid flavor on her tongue.
"He can not die.." She laughed again, tears forming and falling. As if something else were controlling her, making her speak, making her laugh.
The protective shield Kat tried to save her with only increased her pain ten fold, yet she , for some sadistic reason, could not form the words to call halt to it. Something was punishing her.
"He can NOT DIE!" She tried again, the knowledge she gained only confused her but one thing stuck in her head.
She rolled to her side, curling up tightly into a fetal position. "Make it stop... please, please make it stop? I will do anything, just make it go away?" Her voice so small in tone, sounded childlike. Pleading, whimpering, begging, not a noble way for her to fight back.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Aria

"Keith?" Stopping a moment, I got directions from kat yet again. Keith was right!
"Damn! Where did you get that thing?" I eyed the sword and took off walking. Grabbing what weapons I could from the car, I turned to Christian and Keith.
"North by North east five to six miles, in a clearing. Listen for voices and surround the area as best we can. Ok? Christian? You alright?" Turning I eyed the forrest. "Let's go." Following behind Keith, we ran into the forest. Would Keith be able to keep up?
"Shit, alright endurance.. You got it keith? Or do you need help?" I spoke as I half ran, half walked. I could give him a little of my blood if he needed it. But he was going to need quicker reflexes than those of a mere human.

 

[poohlive]

Thinking to himself it was probably a dumb idea in the first place, he decided he might as well go with it anyway. Nothing more important then when life or death is involved. Besides, the sword wanted him there, it pulled him there.
Instead of following her to the edge of the forest, Keith got into one of the trucks left from the gypsy camp. It had the keys inside, swinging side to side, which Keith uttered a silent prayer of thanks to whomever helped in that area... Vladimir coming to mind.
The pedal hit the medal, and in a flash of rock and dust, the truck was hell bound for the forest.
"I think I can keep up!" Keith yelled back, diving head first into the darkened shadows that surrounded the trees. It didn't let him go very fast once inside, as there was no real straight and narrow path, but after a half mile into it, he did see something had cleared away the trees.
It was a straight line, and just where he needed to go. Keith gunned it, preparing for the bumpy ride.

 

[poohlive]

Small tendrils of black hellish liquid climbed up inside Anna Belle, grasping at each and every piece of her body and soul they could. They had claws like an eagle, and whever they went, left their mark on her. Parts went to her heart, digging in deep and terrifying her beyond life itself, collapsing the rape to an intensifying horror she lived over and over again in her mind.
Pieces went up to her brain, swimming around through old memories and horrid pictures of fear and loathing. They used this, grabbing at what they could to destroy her will.
A faint black rune began to emerge on her forehead, small and inconsiderate, but growing.
The blackness could feel the fire, burning with white intensity all aorund her. They screamed from their various perches, clawing even harder to keep from moving. It hurt them, and in turn hurt her.
"Stop it," a voice not unlike Mongrel or Lance's trembled in her ear. It sounded deeper though, more distinct. As if some underlying evil were just talking through them to get to her.
"Stop the pain. Accept me, and I will end it all. Accept me."
The dark magic struggled to hold on, clawing at her very soul.

 

[Firegirl976]

Kat

Turning I can sense the turmoil in Anna. I walk over to her comfort flowing from me even as my power did, reaching through the fires that engulf her I gather her in my arms rocking her as I would a child. "Fight it Anna.........fight it for all your worth with all your strength, You can beat it YOU must beat it...You are the stronger and I have faith in you." I begin reciting an ancient incantation of purification and strength as I rock her using bits of my power to project my thoughts and words through the pain to her mind. Never taking my eyes off Lance or the scene I could sense unfolding around me and never letting down my guard knowing that the final act of this part of the battle would surely test both my power and my strength of will.

 

[poohlive]

Lance looked down at the man in front of him. A glowing ember of a man who once was part of this earth. His flesh held on by nothing more than will, senses failing, out of breath, what little strength he had used up just getting here. This was the thing that wanted his attention? This?
"Death... is a kiss," Lance whispered, through something more than lips, through the trials and tribulations of a man who died a thousand times over. It spoke of wisdom, and sadness, but also of tempered pain.
"Death is a cold kiss. It hurts, it always hurts. It is like your very soul being uprooted from your body, but it is a kiss just the same. Inviting, succulent. Death takes away the pain, more than you could ever imagine."
The sounds of others, coming. A car? Something trampling through the woods. Lance's time was nearly up, before they all came. He had to even the sides a bit.
"The last great adventure, Joseph. The only adventure for a man like yourself, who has seen and done almost everything."
Lance picked up the man by his neck, holding him high above his own head, to let what was left of him dangling below.
"Say hello to your son for me."
In a flash of unimagined strength, he threw the man like a ragdoll into the forest to fall where he may.
As Lance turned on the women now, flashes of dark magic ebbed around him, beginning to sparkle and crack in the air that surrounded his now poisoned aura.
"Come, woman? Here to save us all? Lance's trapped soul? Anna's sacrificed body? She takes it, now. The dark one asks for her soul to stop the pain. She will accept, but you... you are stronger. You'll have to be forced."
Lance held his arm out to her, for the final dance, "Come."

 

[Firegirl976]

Kat

"Come, woman? Here to save us all? Lance's trapped soul? Anna's sacrificed body? She takes it, now. The dark one asks for her soul to stop the pain. She will accept, but you... you are stronger. You'll have to be forced."

I reinforce the shield around Anna and step back thru the protective flames. Closing my eyes for a brief moment I take a deep breath and when I open them look at Lance with sadness. MY fangs extended, my eyes having taken on the catlike look I was named for only instead of green they were liquid silver. My hair flowed around me from the power of my aura and as I reach out to him our auras protecting both of us I can feel the opposing forces in him. Love, Hate, Betrayl, Hope, Life, Death, Light, Darkness, they all flow through him constantly warring within him. I withdraw my hand again I stand to my full height looking him in the eye a small defiant smile on my lips as I wet them gently with my tongue. "I saved you once Ashke'.....I will do so again." My hair swirls around me in a firey halo as I call on my power, once again the Dark rune on Lance and the Crescent moon on my facing each other in combat......

 

[Sweetp4u]

Annabelle

She shivered, the pain crushing her mentally, the voice soothing away all but the pain. She can only do what it asks, willingly. For this pain is worse than any she had felt before, and she did wish it to stop.
"Yessss, please!" She whispered, moaning, barely able to breath. Fire erupted on her skin, her body sizzling with something akin to electrical shock therapy. She jumped a little, feeling so drained she could barely move. And she gave in futher in her mind, begging this unseen voice to ease her pain.
Her cold and clamy skin slowly calmed from the pain and fire, but it lingered as well. Her mind gave in, her body and the ring tried to fight it. It was no use, not even the shield around her was helping. This is what it felt like to be ran over, every little inch of skin pressed down so painfully, it felt like her bone would all turn to powder.
"Pleeease make it stop. Anything, anything! Please!"

Kat whispered in the back of her mind, something about fighting it. Hanging in there or something but the voice faded, the faces faded as well.

She rose from the ground, a new energy running through her and a new order in her mind. Kill Kat. It repeated over and over again as she moved up behind the tall red head. Within inches of her it stopped, the voice stopped completely in her head.

She felt nothing, she felt no pain, not pleasure. She did not feel the wind stirring and she did not feel the coldness. She stood numbly a moment. The voice had stopped? Why? What was she to do?

Then it came to her, again whispering like a thousand voices in the back of her mind, all echoing the other until it was one.
"Serve me!" She gave no sign of listening, hearing it, or moving. For the longest moment she stood and then moved again. She moved around Kat to stand between Kat and Lance.

"You can not kill him." She spoke only it sounded hollow. Inside she struggled against the restraints holding her, something marking her skin, her soul. It branded her and held her firmly in check. A small part of her mind was babbling incoherantly, pleading, but the words were those of a silent movie. Seen but unheard.

She backed away from Kat, watching the woman. She should fear for her own life, she should be standing beside Kat, not facing her, but she wasn't. Instead she was standing beside the same man who raped her, and yet she knew nothing of this rape. Nothing of this man?

"You kill him, you die a horrible horrible way, for generations..." She sneered at the woman, and smirked a little.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Aria

I quickly out distanced the others, carrying lesser and weighting lesser. My heart pounded as I heard sounds coming, voices and finally words. My heart stopped beating in my chest. Lance?

Christian and Keith weren't far behind me, but they were close. That gave great comfort to me, but I wondered why there was trouble with Lance?

"KAT!" I called out, not caring who heard it, I had made it into a clearing but had no idea which way to go. I had no compass, the stars were barely visible through the trees and the voices were echoing around me as if in a fun house.

I paused, halting everything, even the breath in my lungs as I listened. Nothing for a moment.. Then I heard the distinct sound of something hitting or landing into bushes.

"THERE!" I had a direction and took off. I could see Kat through a few trees but nothing more as I was heading in a straight line for her. Then I remembered what we were supposed to do, What I had said to do. I halted suddenly, back to a tree.

 

[The GrandMage]

Joseph

A body twisted through air. Moving muscle, shifting weight, carefully positioning itself where it wanted to be.

A foot moved out. Toes forward, digging into the ground, pushing dirt up behind it as an entire body calculated weight and shifted around to bring the other foot down, closer to where it had been, the first foot to touch down was being lifted, all the weight of the fall shifting to the other.

He fell into a run. Not two feet from a tree that would likely of broken bone. He was moving back. He could smell them, all three of them, so close. But he could tell by the sound who was where. Breathing gave away the direction their faces were in, a few voices also. Scent gave away where their bodies were.

But it was the heartbeats that gave away who was where. He aimed himself at Lance, bringing around the sword. Heartseeker. He felt the burning need to kill Lance.

He knew he couldn't kill Lance. But what if instead of going for the kill, he tried to injure him? Enough injury and it would take time to heal. And he had to get Kat and the woman away.

He didn't yell or cry out. Only his feet pounding through the forest and the actions he'd taken could give him away. Death was a kiss. He knew now.

But he wasn't ready to die, yet. And he wasn't ready to let Lance do anything to Cat. He knew what Lance had done to the girl. He could smell it. He had no idea, of course, of the magic that had gone with it, but her tone of voice was strange he could hear that. Were he listening to her words, and he would be more disturbed, but he was too busy to divert his brain to listening.

After all, no one tossed him away like he wasn't a threat and didn't regret it.

 

[Firegirl976]

KAt

You kill him, you die a horrible horrible way, for generations..." She sneered at the woman, and smirked a little.

I look at the girl in front of me, the one I had helped, the one I had taken under my wing and without thought reached foreward so quickly no one had time to react. Grabbing her by the throat and squeezing slightly I lift her from the ground with one arm, knowing that the damage was not yet permanent but that she was also not at full strength. An emotionless expression came over my face and the blessed numbness that I had been taught overtook me, "He and I have an unfinished score to settle that does not involve you fledgling.......mind your own affairs." After saying this in a snarl I toss her towards the direction I sensed Aria in behind me hoping that they would find her before the mental bonds I placed on her wore away. Turning once again to Lance I put my sexiest smile on my face and relax my posture slightly with a slight tilt to my hips not allowing my guard or my power to slip for even a second but appearing relaxed none the less. I allow my scent to wash off of me in waves towards lance knowing that even in this state he would not be immune to such an indirect attack. "So ashke'......you wished to settle something with me???"

 

[poohlive]

.A look came around her, one that Lance had seen before. Care and compassion. It reminded him of an old mother, one who was taut and mean to her child, even though she loved him dearly.
"That?" Lance had to look back, at the woman who now shared more than his blood, "That you care for?"
Weak. Weak and pathetic. He had always thought so, not just of women, but this woman in particular. She had power beyond worship, yet she pitted herself against all the enemies of the world. Here to save everyone.
"But no one's here to save you."
Lance whispered to his love, through some unforseen way of speaking. They were far apart, but when he spoke just a whisper, she heard loud and clear.
"Others are coming, stop them. I want her alone..."
Lance stood to face her, lover against lover. His magic fired and danced around him, as hers did the same. It tried to find a way in, like last time, tried to wrap its warm tendrils around his very soul, to cleanse him. Lance watched as the rune glowed a deepening black, preventing it. He had more this time, something blocking even her best efforts. There would be no healing, no salvation, he would kill them, or they would kill him.
Lance dashed at her, his hands ready to claw at her throat.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Annabelle

She landed and rose, her hatred clawing at her, holding her in a haze that almost robbed her of her senses. Inside she screamed at herself to stop and was smothered, forced back into the darkness and recesses of her mind.. Not to be heard again.

"Others are coming, stop them. I want her alone..." Her head tilted a little as she glared at the woman's back, slowly she nodded her head and turned. Coming towards her was Aria.

That name. It brought such hatred to the surface. Feelings that weren't her own, but imbedded into her mind none the less.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaria...." She called out in a hushed tone. She watched Aria stop by a tree and smiled in a twisted cold manner.

"Aria?" She sounded so sweet and innocent. "He hurt me." She whined like a small child, huddled as she approached Aria's position.

"Anna? Come here! Hurry!" Aria ordered her. Always ordering, the bitch had an attitude problem. So she smiled a little and moved forward.

"Hurry! What the fuck is going on?" Aria grabbed for her, her fingers biting into her flesh a little, but Anna did not feel it.

"I don't know.." her voice sounded small and Aria paid no attention to her. She stepped behind Aria fluidly and grabbed Aria's weapon at the same time. Holding the blade to Aria's throat, she waited for the other two to join them.

"I'm really sorry about this, but you see my lover has an ex-witch on his back he has to get rid of.. Then there is you to deal with." Anna's strength intensified, twisting Aria's arm to the point of breaking or dislocating. Hearing the woman cry out in pain brought a smile to Anna's lips.

 

[Firegirl976]

Kat

I reach out grabbing at his attack our hands locking like eagles talons both of us using out unnatural strength to keep the other one at bay. I bring my face closer to his as we continue to struggle against each other, his thoughts coming through our link to me even against his wishes. "So you think I use my powers incorrectly do you ashke'?", I lean in closer to him barely a breath away from his face now but increasing the pressure of our hand lock, "Do you remember what it felt like when our power was combined, our minds together as our bodies?" A snarl comes to my lips my smile turning darker more feral, "How it felt to share blood, the feel of my lips against yours,,,the feel of my body tightening around you?"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Aria

Slightly annoyed with the hold up and majorly confused over anna's actions I had little choice but to turn and punch her. Once free, I ran for the clearing, coming up short to the sight of Kat and Lance locked in battle.
I spotted Joseph out of the corner of my eye and shouted at him, "JOSEPH! STOP!" Terror that he would sink that thing into Kat.
"What the fu...." My eyes could not believe the scene unfolding. Anna was quickly behind me, grabbing me again, her breath heavy on my ear as she watched the scene behind me.
"Lance?" A tremor sounded in my voice, confused and lost by all of this. Why would Lance attack Kat? Why would she in turn attack him? Then my eyes spotted the symbol on him glowing.
Here we go again!

Fucking Mongrel! Rat bastard! God if I ever got my hands on him...

Anna cut off all thought as she cut off air for a momment, hissing into my ear not to move. She laughed with glee as Lance pressed on, egging him on by chanting, "Kill her! Killlllll herrrrrrrr!"

I wanted badly to turn and rip the girls throat out, she was maybe half my size, but she had my knife for one and two she was alot stronger than she looked.

 

[poohlive]

"Always the hero," Lance pushed her back, a fierce growl behind it, as dark lightening flashed around him.
"That's how you have to be. Saving us all? Me first? And then Anna," He turned to the side, watching as his little lover cooed his name over and over again. It sent thrills up his spine even she could feel.
"Can you really do it? Can you hold the burden of the world on your shoulders? Let go, just let go. For once? We could share in the pleasure I have now, for you, for her, for all of the ring bearers..."
Lance used a move, going limp so she moved forward, and then using it to drop her to the ground, his massive body on top of hers. Muscles taut, their grips still holding each other, his body like a mountain, being fueled by spirits who hovered around sending the sickening thoughts to his pured mind.
"Do you remember K'chara, my love? When you took this all away? I can take it away too...." Lance embedded his knee between her legs, and slowly made her part them.
"I can perform it now, on you... but we'll share something deeper, something darker. You can fight my magic outside, but in? It grabs your soul, and refuses to let go. You won't be able to fight it, my love. You are weak, like all the rest. Your power to heal doesn't give you any more strength than the rest of the mindless sheep. Let me show you real power."
His eyes flashed pain and hatred, pressing her down against the cold earth, "Let me show you pain."

 

[Firegirl976]

Kat

My eyes bore into his, "I've had enough pain!" I growled at him as I head butted him hard enough to open a wound over his eyebrow and loosening his grip enough that I can get out from under him and stand. "Pain from you, pain from Joseph, pain from Aria, pain from Anna, all the demons you fought I took into myself...and my own demons as well, and you offer me more as if I deserve it." As I watch him get to his feet I can see the dark energy crackling like lightening all around him, preventing me from truly reaching him....(What counters lightening??) MY ring began to glow burning into my skin...........(WATER). I glare at Lance a sudden smile coming to my lips and in the blink of an eye the white energy crackling around me changes form, I recite an incantation and instead of the electric feeling my power begins to flow, running smoothly bubbling around like a stream. "I've lost everyone I"ve ever cared about and dealt with it all on my own...Pain you say???" I reach down to my thigh grabbing one of my blades and in the blink of an eye throw it to Aria watching as she catches it, "Silence her but don't kill her." I stayed focus on Lance......"Pain is nothing.........Pain is your ally it let's you know you are still alive after all other senses have left you, it gives you strength to fight long after you have lost the will, and it gives you wisdom....You learn from your pain so you do not repeat what caused it......" I take a battle stance, "You think me weak beloved?? You think I will not be able to fight the evil, the darkness??" I grin ferally all emotion now gone except the thrill of battle, the bloodlust turning my eyes vibrant red my power continuing to ebb and flow around me as his crackles around him. "Let us see how weak I am."

 

[The GrandMage]

Joseph or, How lightning is Conducted by water.

He heard a cry. The voice seemed familiar, but he pushed it under his mind. He could hear them move ahead of him, Lance had her on her the ground. It would make this easier.

He ran forward, coming closer to them, and moved the sword out, planting a foot hard in the ground and bringing the other up, throwing all his weight behind it as it moved towards Lance's side.

He readied the sword. Depending on how he reacted, he might be able to follow through with a short thrust into the man. As long as he didn't aim for the heart, which he could hear from this close a distance, of his head, and the man and Kat were getting quite talkative, it wouldn't be fatal. But if he got a good enough organ, it would hurt like hell.

 

[poohlive]

Lance sharpened himself, eyeing her change in tactic. It did nothing to him, because he didn't use his own magic. The magic buried itself inside him, which was worked by the dark man, the shadow man. He worked the magic, and had an unlimited supply. Lance didn't have to concentrate, or ready himself, he just growled, and fought on with the greatest of ease.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it, saw a way to get inside her. It wouldn't be easy, but he could do it.
"You want pain, lover? You want to feel something that hurts cause it makes you alive?"
Lance rushed at her, not wanting to hurt her, but just get close. He needed to get close to her.
In mid-air, he tackled her, pushing his side against hers, just as Joseph ran up behind him. In a moment, the sword sparkled with the light of Lance's magic, thursting forward by some unforseen hand, some undimensional force.
Lance had to twist, and used his momentum to push the sword in deeper, so it came out of his side, and buried itself into Kat's stomach.
Lance screamed, being pinned against Joseph and Kat, blood that looked neither red nor fresh oozing out of him, hissing against the sword, and, just as he anticipated, finding its way along his wound, to her own.
Black magic ran inside her, as it did Anna. The tendrils found their way passed organs and ran through the blood stream, reaching their claws into her, embedding into the soul.
"Pain," Lance winced, as he moved away from her, dropping to the ground. Pain rose up in him like a vise, as he held into his side. Breathing took a whole new level of pain.
God, he wanted to die.
"You did good, Joseph," Lance said, his head facing the ground, "You did real good."

 

[Sweetp4u]

Anna

She watched in fascination until Lance was wounded. Giving out a cry of pain, she watched as he was pierced with the sword. It felt as if it was piercing into her as well. Her hand tightened slightly, snapped the blade's handle in half.
Energy coursed through her, powers coming from somewhere unknown, she felt stronger, felt a stronger anger well up as well.
"NO!" She shouted out, not in worry but in anger, barking it off in disbeilf that the man was wounded.
The smell of blood in the air made her stomach clench tightly, hunger seeping into her mind. She had to do something! His words whispered in her mind again, their connection so strong that she obeyed without question.
Pushing Aria aside she went to Lance's side to protect him. The knife in her hand, she stood over him slightly. Now standing over him, her pain grew to a magnitude that was crippling.


Aria

I would have went for the knife, if it wasn't for the fact that Anna held on so tightly, I couldn't move. The little shit had more strength than ever before, it pissed me off as well.
Watching helplessly, I tried time and time again to get the two of them to stop, but neither was listening. The fight for life going on and all they can do is banter? Fuck! Why didn't anyone ever listen to me?
Eyes widening, Joseph did not listen either,and now Lance lay bleeding. Kat was injured as well, and Christian still had not arrived? Anna shoved hard, sending me into a tree in her haste to get to the same man who was going to hurt her! Didn't she realize she was in danger?!
Moving slower, I straightened up, trying to inhale deep enough not to pass out. Moving forward, I eyed Anna wearily as she stood brandishing a knife, looking fiercesome and out for revenge.
"Anna.. Don't! Fight it, whatever it is.." I spoke softly, moving towards Lance as well.
"Why Lance?" I met his gaze briefly and went back to Anna, watching her carefully. My eyes noticed the ring still on her finger, there was still hope. Wasn't there?
"What did you do to her?" I could feel my heart pounding harder and harder in my breast, scared of many things happening again all at once, and each time someone dying we can not afford to lose!
"Joseph, please see to Kat's injury!" I asked, not turning my back however.
"Anna, listen to my voice. You can fight whatever it is..." Lance was marked, Anna as well. This was something new, something foreign. Mongrel's doing. I felt anger welling up inside, no one caring for their own safety or the safety of the group, each running head long into things.. It reminded me of my own brash behavior lately. We're doomed.. Thats all there is to it. Doomed.

 

[The GrandMage]

Joseph

He shook. No, no! He hadn't done that! His hand tightened around the handle, and he brought a leg up, Pushing it against Lance and pulling the blade out, using his leg to shove the man off of her.

He dropped the sword, kneeling down beside her, trying to find where the telltale smell of blood was coming from, trying to tell if the wound was bad, but he couldn't see! He couldn't see how far the blade had gone down, he couldn't see what had happened.

He had felt the hilt pull itself forward. He had tried desperatly to pull it back, away from its path. But it went forward anyway. But why had Lance done that? Unless it was fatal? Or,...dear god it had gone through him, too. His blood, it would have run down the balde to... He'd been with that woman, he could smell it, he could hear Aria telling her to fight it. Fight what, what had Lance done to them?

He turned, and launched himself at Lance. "What did you do!? WHAT did you DO??"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Anna

She jumped out of the way of the flying body but took a threatening step towards Aria. Her mind labled Aria as the only real threat here to Lance, something inside his mind that had caressed hers. A little tid bit of information, if only she could grasp it. All she did know was she had to keep Aria from touching Lance.

"Stay back!" She shouted as she thrust the knife at Aria.

"Fight it Anna!" Aria urged, until Anna backed off she couldn't stop Joseph from doing more damage.

"Ok! I am backing off!" Aria backed up a step or two, Anna's look one of a protective mother.

Aria turned and moved towards Kat to check on her, there was little else she could do without hurting someone.

"CHRISTIAN!" Aria called out loudly, "KEITH!" She needed help here, this was going to hell and quickly. Lance could come back, Kat couldn't. Aria knealt beside Kat and applied some pressure over the cut. Kat could heal it, but this might help keep her from being weaker.

Inside Anna her mind was struggling to fight back, Lance's hold was slipping as he weakened on the ground. As his blood ept into the ground, she could fight harder. Pain engulfed her yet again and the knife fell from her fingers. Sinking down into a ball, she held onto her stomach, a groan coming from her lips. His voice wasn't soothing her, his pain was adding to her own and the nasty taste was back in her mouth again.
Tears fell as she glanced around, she was losing the battle but why?!

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Christian

I'd made the mistake of trying to follow Kieth, who'd fallen slightly behind Aria in his pursuit, but carried that sword, but I'd left him when I'd heard the shouts, shouts he might not have heard with mortal ears to listen for them.
It was a cluster of confusion, and I'd stopped, uncertain what I should do. I'd been behind Aria one moment, then saw her and AB facing off, AB holding a knife to her throat while Kat faced off with some man I'd never seen before. I could sense the evil about him, or perhaps the ring told me that part, through Kat or Aria, or...maybe even through Joseph. How was I to know?
Ringbearers facing Ringbearers? And the one who appeared to be fighting opposite the others was Annabelle, the only one among us I'd truly trusted all this while.
I shook my head, knowing that my idle state wasn't helping, but also knowing that a wrong move might bring this to the wrong end. Too much was at stake, and who was this newcomer? The one that seemed to radiate evil?
"Why Lance? What did you do to her?" Aria asked, and I followed her gaze to the newcomer.
Lance? The Lance?
It made no sense, none of it did, but as I looked to AB, I saw something very different about her. The girl who'd been uncomfortable in the club, around tohers of her kind and humans was now threatening Aria, protecting this dark man with an unyielding determination that was unlike the girl I'd employed back in New York. And the change in her since losing her scars? Those beautiful scars? No, there was more to her behavior than those changes would have caused.
My hands itched for my spear, but it was still back at the plane.
And it wasn't as though I were unarmed, now was it?
I moved forward, drawing the two handguns and readying them, my body finding a relaxation I hadn't felt since before Kayla's death. Too much thought, too much deliberation and too many answers to only create new questions. This was battle, my way. Fight now, clear out the bodies when it's all through. No questions, no answers. More importantly, no thinking.Lance was wounded, as was Kat, and both seemed to be fairly bad wounds.
As I neared, Joseph launched himself toward Lance, and I could see AB beginning to cry, though somehow still distant to the act.
I stopped near Aria and Kat, aimed the guns at the other three, drawing back both hammers.
"Okay, Aria," I said, my voice even and calm. "Tell me who dies."

 

[Firegirl976]

Kat

Lying there I could feel the darkness run through me the pain unbearable as I fought against it. Focusing with my eyes closed I internally followed very branch of it tracing it back to it's source then using my power I slowly began to destroy it. Fighting it with all my will, using strength I didn't know I had. The pain was almost unbearable and I screamed as the last shred of it was burned from within, opening my eyes i felt my side and even though it was still tender the wound was almost completely gone. I slowly got to my feet, I knew something now something that was going to turn the tide of this fight.......I grab Aria "Lance is mortal." I watch her shocked expression and turn back to him limping slightly from the residual pain I again call forth my power energy filling both of my hands, "Is that all you have Ashk'e??". The anger that boilds through me surprises me and I fight to keep it under control, "You shed your own blood crippling yourself to turn the tide of something there is no way you can win and YOU call ME WEAK???!!" Pain, anger, torment, betrayl all flow readily through me and I welcome each emotion as the bloodlust begins to take over.

 

[poohlive]

Lance felt himself being hurled to the ground, hitting it without enough force to let out any breath he had left. It crippled him, as he tried to pummel the body that landed atop of him. It wouldn't budge though, Lance pounded his fists against the flesh, but the flesh did not break, it did not bend. It was dead, long since so, and nothing he could do, apart from tear it away, would help any. He punched again and again, but it did no good.
The wound tore through him, black magic of the blood, instead of heling it, decided instead to infect it with whatever darkened magic it dealt with. The wound bled, oozing out pus and other liquids that didn't seem any living being could produce.
"God," Lance cried to the very being that had damned him, as blood shot from his mouth, drying on his cracked lips. He could feel himself weakning, the body losing whatever unatural strength it posessed.
"Aria," He called, desperately, clinging to the only name that had come to him in his fucked up brain, recanting old images of death and destruction.
"Please, help," He held out his hand, screaming in pain that threatened to tear him apart limb by limb, "Help me... save me from them. They are trying to kill me...."