Fragmented (Closed RP)

[Luporum]

"I can't fly but I still kept up with her." Lawfer quiped limping towards Viral's assistance. "ENEMY" His mind shrieked louder than ever before; to the point where Lawfer almost fell over. His body shook with adrenaline. Pain, fear, logic all became irrelevent.

"You'll get your diversion, just act quickly." Lawfer growled tensing up. His eyes began to glow with a hint of red. His body actually began to steam the rain pellets hitting his skin. Never before had he felt so alive. Suddenly Lawfer darted directly at the thin demons. Despite a broken leg he moved at unpresedented speed. The boys machete swung fast in wide archs keeping the twisted figures at distance. It took every modicum of restraint in his body to keep from tossing the blade and fighting the freaks with his fists and teeth.

[The Blastit Empire]

The demons bounced away from Lawfer, their blades whirring past as they deflected attacks by the heavy machete, while their free limbs counter-attacked as he ran past.

I hate it when he gets suicidal! Viral thought to himself. However, he didn't give himself set himself to motion immediately darting to his poisoned blade and thrust towards one of the distracted demons, feeling the blade pass through a thick solid. The veteran smiled as he started to think perhaps these demons were less experienced however, once his eyes fell upon a small piece of leather armor on the grass, he knew he only grazed the sleeve. Worse yet, the demon was now concentrated on him.

The demon swung with his lower right arm and deflected Viral's downward slice with one of its free blades, before slashing down with its third blade; a common tactic of these kind of demons- attack one sword at a time until their opponent was out of hands, especially considering they usually had two extra hands.

Viral was beginning to think he should've brought his pistol as he pulled away from the coming death-trap that the demon had attempted to fool Viral into. "Lawfer, get your hook. I can deal with these...abominations." He ducked under a thrust and sliced below the creature's sword, only to have it blocked by another sword, in which he retreated again. That's how he needed to deal with this, attack, retreat, attack, retreat, until he finds a good opening.

[Rhinara]

Xanath was barely paying any attention to Buzz, since he was focused on the potential threat hiding in the room that he stood in front of, until the wall right by the dragonfly-like thing exploded.

When the man he was hunting stepped out of the rubbles of the wall and mentioned Xanath's own name, the demon managed to keep any and all reaction from registering physically. Apparently Xanath had been hunted down by this strange man, though that man knew not how close he was right now to the very demon he sought.

But what was Xanath to do with this advantage in information? His instincts would be to kill the man right here and now. He did not recall ever meeting a man dressed as oddly as this one was, but if he did make an enemy out of the man previously - something he wouldn't be too surprised about, given his history - it was better to slay him quickly than to leave behind alive an enemy that was smart enough to track him down all the way to here after so many years.

As he considered his options, the overly talkative dragonfly spoke again, and this time her words caught Xanath's attention. Nalia and the other children were in trouble.

"If you do not wish any harm then get out of my way! The both of you!" Xanath stepped over the hole in the floor and moved briskly past Buzz and the heavily bandaged man, but keeping enough attention on them that should they try anything sneaky, he would be ready to impale an arm spine through their skulls.

He moved faster as he went along. Up ahead, he saw the heat given off by the children through the thin walls of the room they hid in. The thermal patterns along the skin given off by someone shivering from fright were distinctive to a demon who reveled in spreading terror for many years, so Xanath was able to tell that something was happening in there just as Buzz indicated.

His quick walk turned to a full run and he slammed through the boarded door leading to the room, easily shattering the planks and the door to splinters.

Although Nalia's back was turned to the door, she instinctively knew that it was Xanath who just burst through. "Xanth! Help!"

The shadow that absorbed all light around it wrapped its arms around Nalia and twisted her so that she faced Xanath, holding her as one would a hostage.

Xanath felt a tickle in his brain, but he steeled himself and shrugged off the sensation. "Release her!" he demanded.

In its flanged voice, the shadow said, "Ah, the traitor makes his appearance. Have you truly sunk so low as to resort to protecting petty, orphaned thieves?"

"Release her now, or I will rip you apart limb by limb after breaking all of your bones and leave you to bleed dry," Xanath said.

One of the children sitting in the corner screamed and thrashed about madly for a few moments before dropping dead.

The shadow's echoing voice replied with, "There are six more children besides Nalia here whom I can kill with a single thought. I would refrain from making any further threats if I were you, lest you truly don't care about these children of yours. Now answer me, and answer truthfully, or I will kill another of your children. Where is your artifact, Xanathanos?"

[Ravea]

Zyergi stared the tall man down, determined not to give any ground to his opponent. Wondering what sort of weapon would be drawn on him, the small fairy girls words barely affected him as he began to recite a patchwork of spells inside his head. The man suddenly walked towards, and then right past him, nearly shoving him out of the way. Surprised, Zyergi ran after him, keeping a firm grip on his weapons.

"Hey! Even if we don't have to fight, we're supposed to. It's impolite to ignore someone like me after all the trouble I went through to get down...here..." Zyergi trailed off as the man smashed through a door, revealing a strangely shifting shadow curling around a group of younglings. Realizing that this threat was far more real, than the watchman, Zyergi drew his sword and pointed it into the room hesitantly.

"Xanth! Help!" One of the young girls-the one he had seen before with the fairy-yelled in terror as the tall man entered the room, Zyergi filing in behind him. Xanth...? Zyergi moved to the mysterious man's right, backing against the wall slightly, but still keeping the shadow-thing in full view.

"There are six more children besides Nalia here whom I can kill with a single thought. I would refrain from making any further threats if I were you, lest you truly don't care about these children of yours. Now answer me, and answer truthfully, or I will kill another of your children. Where is your artifact, Xanathanos?"

Keeping his sword pointed at the shadow, Zyergi quickly unsheathed a long knife from one of his belts and pointed it at his hated quarry. I was staring him down the whole time and didn't ever realize it...His body suddenly seized up with a painful jolt, nearly flooring him as the world began to flash before his eyes. Damn...not now...Barely able to keep his consciousness, he wobbled to his feet, still keeping his weapons trained on both demons as he forced the pain of his curse away with sheer willpower.

"Xanathanos...This is your handiwork...forty years ago, you cursed me, because I stole something precious from you. Do you recognize me now, soul eater?" Glancing at the shadow-thing, which he could only assume was a second demon, he frowned. "And I don't appreciate what you're doing either, demon. The kids are innocent; you're not getting out of here alive after what you've just done. Let them go, and we'll all settle our differences like adults, eh?" He gave a hard cough, feeling blood seeping from his mouth and nose. Zyergi couldn't decide what to go for:the demon who he had searched for for so long, or the demon who held the children of Sanctuary under threat of death.

[Kitab Al-Ibar]

Mhyr curioisty had not been without merit, the girl had apparently been a demon and had given the two 'expereinced' demon hunters a thrashing. He had tried to get an angle on the demoness, but branches from the various trees interfered hiw view and blocked a shot. He had no internet of running headlong out there, but had no interntion of leaving the two to die. With this in mind he dived into the underbrush and tgried to find an area where he could take a good shot at the girl, but the fight rapidly became airborne and as the boy fell to the floor he was torn between following the old man or trying to intercept the injured demon as it landed, but it also banked towards the boys crash site and Mhyr cursed inwardly.

Again dashing through the sodden trees as he followed their movements, seconds later seeing the faster moving demonness rise again from the forest further forward, he ducked under a tree so as not to be visable to her and crept forward to the clearing, seeing the young boy - Lawfer, he had been called - charging a new set of opponents, he would almost deserve to be cut down for his foolish behaviour while the old man engaged one of these demons and seemed to be handling himself reasonably. Mhyr sighed, the two seemed to be terrible demon hunters, but they were outnumbered by demons and he felt compelled to even the odds, with that in mind he launched a bolt at the nearest of the two demons avoiding the boys attacks, then quickly, but gently, placed the large crossbow on the ground - it was large and difficult to reload without time and care. Instead he drew his sword in his right hand and a repeating hand-crossbow, bursting through the underbrush - a cloaked figure brandishing a large blade and unloading a smaller bolt at the demon attacking the old man and readying his sword for a counterattack: "You heard the man, boy, get your weapon."

[Luporum]

Lawfer's reacted without pause or consideration who even gave the order. He dipped his shoulder and bulldozed clean through the thin demons without even slowing. Every dip in elevation, every tiny rock he ran over was a shot of lightning straight to his brain. Fortunately his weapon was easy enough to find, but not so easy to wield effectively. Naturally he went to lift it with his broken arm and let out a painful grunt. Using this one handed would be near impossible, but by choking up on the polearm he'd be able to use it for one attack.

The boy hobbled carefully behind the demon attacking the mysterious newcomer. Watching its movements carefully and waited for exact the moment for it reered its head back. The hook then slid silently right around the beast's throat as Lawfer quickly wrapped his right arm around the back of its head. A sudden violent jerk and both the demon and the boy fell limp to the ground.

"That's about as far as I can go." The boy admitted visibly shaking with pain; struggling to prop himself up against a fallen tree. "Go help the geezer. God's know he can't defend himself anymore." The boy choked out a laugh as he gave the stranger a soft nod.

[The Blastit Empire]

Viral had ducked under another swipe from the demon and swung again, trying to test the angles at which to strike the assassin but it wasn't looking the best. He was battling one of the finer fighters, it would appear. He began to wonder if the demoness had anything to do with this...she certainly was smart enough to command these and she did seem more of their type.

As the boy charged through the demons, another figure burst from the bushes, giving Viral an unneeded distraction. As he expected the inevitable swing into his undefended flank, he noticed the creature growl, its upcoming sword paused as it reached up with a lower hand and pulled out a small crossbow bolt from its half-swung arm. Viral took the hesitation to strike at the demon's wounded arm, best not take bigger risks by striking towards a more vital spot. Besides, Viral took a bit of exhileration by rendering these demons harmless, almost more so than cashing in bounties.

The demon's sword clashed against Viral's- exactly as the veteran planned. He pulled his sword away and menuevering the hilt of the sword fluidly, took off three of the demon's hands. The demon roared a curse and said spun around angrily to face the newcomer. "Wretched mortals!" it growled as it stabbed out with its remaining hand, its leg kicking out at Viral, hitting him squarely in the chest.

Viral let himself fall back with a smile as the demon soon winced and wheezed before it stumbled to the ground, random muscles twitches occuring as the poison worked its way through its system.

"So..."Viral started, noticing the other demons dead. "Who are you?" He got up, walked to Lawfer and held out his hand. "We need to go before another demon or two find us..."

[Kitab Al-Ibar]

The demons dispatched, Mhyr watched the last one twitching, the old man had apparently augmented his abilities with poison and possibly other tricks, he would be one to watch, regardless, Mhyr lowered, but did not sheath his sword and hooked the hand-crossbow back through a loop in his belt: "Name's Mhyr, professional bandit in my own way, but don't hold that against me." He shrugged: "Looked like you two could use a hand."

As he spoke he lowered his hood so that they could put a face to the name, his violet eyes glowed in a flash of lightning and made a stark contrast against his dark black hair, the low light did not clearly show his features, but in the brief flash he could have been mistaken for an elf. "We should get out of this area and out of this weather, your boy there took a nasty fall." Personally, he was surprised the boy could still stand, much less fight, but had seen fantastic displays of strength before: "I have a shelter not far from here where we can get out of the storm, but I think his wounds might need something more substantial." He hooked a finger at the boy.

Keeping an eye on the pair and waiting for an answer he finally put away his sword and stepped back over to the bush he had burst out of to retrieve the larger crossbow and place a fresh bolt into it for if it was needed.

[Mombacho]

Buzz's mouth hung open when the two men both moved in the direction of the kids. They're actually listening to me! I've got to see this. There was some rubble I could hide behind. I may not be able to help, but if they need more help I could always find guards to come to this area.... She quickly turned around and quietly flew after them. Her eyes widened farther when she saw the door burst inward. She quietly landed and snuck behind the men grabbing some dirt and dust to rub oh her hair, face and, with some distaste, on her wings so that it would be harder to see her, especially in the dark.

Traitor? How's he a traitor? He's the one that the creepy guy was looking for? Perhaps I shouldn't have told him anything.... Buzz stepped carefully into the room, keeping out of sight of the people talking and hid behind one of the small piles of rubble, peering around slowly so that she didn't attract any attention, but her mind was whirling. As the child dropped she sucked in her breath and held it before slowly letting it out. Those threats are almost casual. He could be a really dangerous watchman if he can carry out those threats. What just happened to that kid? How can someone kill with a thought? This is way more dangerous than I thought. Perhaps I should go get the guards

“Where is your artifact, Xanathanos?"

Artifact? What artifact? She glanced around the room her mind still going faster than ever. What does this artifact look like? If I knew I could try to fool the guy who wants it. Wait, the name he said, Xanathanos? Isn't that the one that other guy was looking for? Oh no, if those two start fighting without getting Nalia and the others out of danger first, they won't get saved. If it comes to it I'll try to slow and distract the second one so the first will hopefully help the kids.

"And I don't appreciate what you're doing either, demon. The kids are innocent; you're not getting out of here alive after what you've done.”

Wait a second. A demon? I thought it was just magic. I don't know why a magic user would be coming into the slums, but a demon? There is supposed to be one in the town earlier tonight. Perhaps this is a new one, or it could be the same one, but why? I want a better look at him.

The second man coughed and didn't look like he was doing so well. Buzz looked at him worriedly, but didn't let her position away. She started looking around for anything that was small and sharp that she could pick up. After a few seconds she saw a nail that had been holding one of the boards on the door. She started to sneak up to it without drawing the attention of the adults. Picking it up she looked between the two men who were not shown to be friends of the other kids being held captive and moved back to her hiding spot.

[The Blastit Empire]

"Bandit?" Viral looked towards Lawfer, knowing immediately there's a good chance Mhyr and the boy would have some sort of clash. "I have trouble imagining that one of your kind would help us without expecting some sort of profit." He too kept his poisoned blade out, while in a neutral position, point towards the ground, it was positioned so he could perry with a quick flick of the wrist, if it came to it.

His eyebrows raised at the sight of his purple eyes and cocked his head, debating whether to ask about the man's heritage when his thoughts were interrupted. "Aye, we need to get out of here, as soon as possible. I don't wish to be caught off guard by demons again." Or your kind, Bandit... He went to help the boy up again, his gaze constantly turning back to see what the bandit was up to, perhaps even showing a bit of surprise when he sheathed his sword but that expression was quickly wiped off his face when he noticed the large crossbow being prepped. He had to admit, he wouldn't wish to be unarmed in these woods.

"I believe we're going to be leaving here where our wounds can get tended," Viral said stoicly. He didn't want to admit where he planned on going, in case this man came after them while they slept to finish them off or simply tried to rob them. "And we can rest for the night."

[Luporum]

"I won't hold it against you until I can lift my weapon again." Lawfer smirked grabbing Viral's hand and limping to his feet. The boy doubted the bandit wanted them dead. Otherwise he would never have interevened. Of course there was the chance that he was waiting for them to lead him to more of their valuables. His judgements were clouded at the moment; Lawfer's brain power was largely divided between not vomiting and not passing out from the pain.

"You two lead the way." He said while throwing a heavy arm around Viral's back for support."I would take point but I doubt you guys could keep him." A weak smile slid across his bruised face as he winced trying to find his balance.

[Kitab Al-Ibar]

Mhyr laughed mirthlessly at the two's behaviour and responses: "A bandit in my own way." He shrugged and punted one of the lifeless demons as he walked past one to lean against a rock, waiting for the old man to help the boy up: "Either way, I'm far better company than these demons. What shall I call you?" He had already given his name, though the old man seemed content to just call him bandit.

The old man constant glances were not unexpected, many would react similarly to someone callously introducing himself as a bandit, but it was still slightly grating after he had just helped them. If they were looking for somewhere to tend the boy's wounds, there were few options within the nearby area: "I'll help you til you reach safer paths, i'd feel bad if I left and you died. Most of the demons or bandits would leap on you flies."

[The Blastit Empire]

The poison warrior gave a brief smile to Lawfer and started to move slowly towards the horses. I don't even know if Lawfer can make it all the way to the horses...much less mount one... He inwardly cursed at the alternative place he was slowly thinking fate was driving him towards.

Viral thought for a minute, debating whether to reveal his name to Mhyr or not. It's not like he can use it against me... "Name's Viral. And I should apologize if it appears that I am rude but you must understand that it's hard to trust a bandit, even if he did help at the nic of time." There was a particularly loud bang of thunder as it appeared the entire sky lit up, making the war veteran jump in surprise and look upwards as the rain started to fall in heavy sheets. Perhaps I should take up the bandit's offer...I don't want to stay an more than an hour in this weather...

With a hesitant shy, Viral paused what he was doing, and turned to Mhyr. "Mhyr...how far exactly is your place?" he asked with slight embarassment.

[Kitab Al-Ibar]

Mhyr nodded at the old man - Viral as he called himself. "No worries, most people wouldn't, but i'm one of the better class of bandit, ask about me when you get where your going, i'm sure you will hear some stories." Mhyr was fairly sure he would anyway, though depending who he asked it would certainly be different, the rich would likely curse him, but the people he had helped would likely have some praise.

They walked for a moment longer before the heavens opened and the rain lashed down heavier, Myhr quickly threw his hood back on sighed: "Bad night for demon hunting, hopefully the weather will keep them and the bandits hunkered down though." It's what he would usually do in a storm, stay in one of his shelters: "I was only out checking a few traps before I heard you guys and saw a demon flying off with the boy."

He paused at Viral's question, taking a look around to get his bearings: "10 minutes, 15 maybe, it's not far. You changed your mind?" If he had decided to take Shelter, then Mhyr too would be more than happy to get out of the rain, but it did raise a few questions, he was sure the old man would want to keep an eye on him and he certainly wasn't going to let his guard down in case they tried to kill him, a lot of demon hunters after all, were not much more than glorified bandits, at least on the paths they had a common enemy. "If we carry on a bit we should hit a rough path and that will take us most of the way there. Stick close though and follow me, there are some traps around to stop others getting too close" He looked slightly embarrassed for a second before saying: "It's not much, it will keep the rain off us though, and I’ll get a fire going."

The shelters he typically erected made use of natural features as much as possible, this one was no different, the roof was formed by a large overhanging rock, he had shored up the sides with earthen mounds and fallen branches to provide as much cover as possible and leaving only one fairly wide entrance. At a casual glance it would not look unnatural, and if one was curious enough to approach, he had left a number of traps for the unwary in the area around it. Inside it was a fairly large space, but pretty sparse, it contained some blankets, clothes, food, water and little else, apart from an assortment of various - some quite shoddy looking - weapons and crossbow bolts

[The Blastit Empire]

Viral decided that the best course of option was to take the bandit's offer of shelter. This storm was worsening by the minute and by the time they made it to the horses, with Lawfer's bad leg, they probably would have encountered every last blood-sniffing demon in the area. With a sigh, Viral admitted, "Yeah...I think the best plan would be to go with you to your shelter. If your offer still stands, that is."

And so the three of them began to beeline their way to his shelter, worrying Viral as they stumbled through the forests, avoiding traps, sometimes barely at that.
"So are you known as Mhyr in your stories or is there another name I should be looking for?" the hunter asked as they wandered down a seemingly random path. Viral was trying to take the time to memorize the trail, however one can only remember how a certain tree, shrub, or rock looked so few times...not to mention they all looked the same as he walked by. "Actually, it started as a good night for demon-hunting, what with all the commotion in Salvation. Unfortunately, it would seem our quarry thought otherwise. And I thought we had her..." He skimmed through the mental notes he had collected about how to handle this demon and what both he and Lawfer should have done.

He gently set Lawfer down near a rock underneath the shelter provided by another boulder overhead. "So, Mhyr...do demons or bandits ever really trouble you in your shelters? Have you ever seen the demon that dropped my partner before?" While both Lawfer and Viral were safe from the rain, the veteran couldn't help but think of the two horses, most likely still grazing under the canopy. "By the way, do you have any room for horses?"

[Rhinara]

Xanath's head snapped toward the mummified man when the seizure started, thinking that the mortal was up to something. But when nothing happened save for some words, Xanath turned back to the shadowy form to keep his eyes on it. He barely paid any attention to what the mortal man had to say, and replied only with, "Get out of here if you wish to live, mortal. I do not care who you are and I do not need your assistance against that...thing."

"Now, now," the shadow said, almost teasingly, "the more, the merrier." A wall of bricks shot up from the ground and sealed the doorway that Xanath charged through, blocking out the light from the hallway outside and sealing everyone in the room. "I welcome the entertainment the mortal has to bring. No doubt he'll attempt to save them, but will he be quick enough to save any of them before I kill them all with a single command, I wonder? Let us see..." It laughed and the echoing sound reverberated back and forth through the now enclosed room.

Another of the children sitting along the wall screamed and appeared to be having a seizure of his own before falling silent.

"Stop it!" Xanath parted his cloak and the spines along his forearm came out. He took a step toward the dark creature.

"Nuh-uh-uh," came the flanged voice as its shadowy arms tightened around Nalia, causing her to scream. "I repeat, where is the artifact?"

[Ravea]

"Sanctus astrum animus levis." Zyergi's sword grew white hot, illuminating a series of runes that danced across the blade, shining a painfully bright light through the room. He took a defiant combat stance towards the shadow, grimacing as another child was snuffed out of this life. He snorted as Xanathanos ordered him to leave. It was far to late for that.

"You can hardly protect your own charges, by the looks of it. You need all the help you can get." Focusing all his energy on the shadow, he began to prepare another spell. "How much do you know about wind magic, demon? By grinding currents of air together, I can produce a blade sharp enough to splice a shadow like yourself in half." The edges of his weapons began to swirl mysteriously, as he took a step towards Nalia, in time with Xanathanos. "What happens when you run out of children to murder, demon?"

There were several paths Zyergi was considering taking. The first, and likely easiest was to simply stab Xanathanos in the back while he attempted to rescue the children, then deal with the shadow-thing himself. The second was to Ward all of the remaining children with shields, which would provide the kids protection from harm, and theoretically sever any mental link between them and the shadow. He would have to trust Xanathanos to kill the demon, and quickly, for Zyergi only had enough energy for a few seconds of protection. The third was to side with the shadow himself; however, as much as Zyergi desired revenge against Xanathanos, he couldn't justify the slaughter of innocents.

The scenarios played out over and over again in his mind; wracked with indecision, Zyergi glanced towards Xanathanos.

"Any bright ideas?" He muttered quietly, and nervously. "I can create an opening for you, but only for a few seconds. It'll cost you, demon. Promise to lift my curse, and I can guarantee the lives of your precious kiddies."

[Luporum]

The boy loosely clung to his horse. Just mounting the creature was a triumph in endurance, but the path was uneven and caused the horse to stumble. Every misstep was a shock that seemed to shoot straight to his teeth. As if grinding them to a nub together would somehow make things more bearable. Lawfer's tolerance was shattered as they reached the end of their path and the boy fell pathetically from his mount. The tearful yelp he let out was comparable to a child that had just scraped their knee. The boy fell cold to his back as Viral set him down. Too exhausted to even begin to remove his armor, but far too proud to ask for help. His good arm began the extensive process of carefully undoing every strap of his armor.

Through the endless fumbling of his tired fingers he managed to finally shake the last boot from his broken leg. Still he delicately propped his shining platemail against the shelter and meticulously started to clean and, more frustratingly, pick the remnants of the forest from every crevice.

"Mhyr?" Lawfer asked without turning his attention away from his gear. "Why did you help us? A good bandit would have scavenged the items of value from our bodies after the demons had left."

[Rhinara]

Xanath squinted in the suddenly bright room and growled at the mortal causing it. The threat of turning the air itself into blades sounded like something that would kill Nalia as much as it would the intended target. "Stay your magic, mortal! You will not harm the innocent to reach the guilty!"

The demon positioned himself so that he could have both the shadow creature and the mummified man in view, ready to take on either threats to the children should he need to. He brought his spines to bear on both targets.

In the light cast by Zyergi's sword, one could see much more details on the dark captor. Even in the brightness, the creature itself remained darker than a moonless and starless night as it absorbed and extinguished all light hitting it. Its very darkness rolled off in perpetuity its roughly humanoid form like heavy gases that evaporated shortly after touching the floor.

"What happens when you run out of children to murder, demon?"

"Then it will be your turn to to be slain," said the shadow. It then let out a laugh. "I have not had such entertainment in a long time. The mortal torn between slaying the demon who cursed him or helping that selfsame demon, and the demon who refuses any aid at all. Is it his pride? Or does he truly care about some insignificant street urchins? Either way, time's a wasting, Xanathanos. Answer the simple question. Or else, who'll be the third to die?"

The creature wrapped its tendril-like arms more tightly around Nalia, pulling her deeper inside of the swirling blackness.

"Any bright ideas? I can create an opening for you, but only for a few seconds. It'll cost you, demon. Promise to lift my curse, and I can guarantee the lives of your precious kiddies."

Xanath looked dubiously at Zyergi. He had protected these children for years without any major incident, and suddenly the mortal and the shadow appeared in the same night. This seemed too much to be coincidence, and it was far more likely that the two were working in collusion, perhaps with the goal of having the curse removed from the mortal. If he agreed to accept the mortal's "help", he could be falling right into their trap.

Deciding to answer the shadow rather than promise any future aid to Zyergi, the demon said, "It has been destroyed."

There was a brief pause, then a third kid started gasping for air, a look of horror and desperation coming over her face, before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she stopped breathing.

"You're lying," said the shadow.

Xanath snarled and looked at Zyergi again. "Do it! But do not harm the children!"

He then crouched, ready to spring into action if the living mummy kept his word.

[Ravea]

It took Zyergi less than a second to fully comprehend what was going on, and a fraction of that to make his decision. Flinging his knife towards the Nalia and dropping his saber at the same time, he flung both his hands forward and shouted his spell, just before the light from his blade died out on the floor.

"Contego Pulsum!"

Shield of Banishment. It was a powerful spell, designed to protect the user from all but the most powerful demonic magic. Zyergi had never cast it on so many targets before, and he jolted with the effort as he steeled himself and continued pouring energy into the spell. Instantly, a gleaming bubble of energy swirled around each child; Zyergi's knife, speeding for Nalia's heart, suddenly stopped in midair, embedded into the shield. The knife's energy swirled onto the shield, causing the interesting effect of the minor wind spell on it to combine and mesh itself with the energies of his shield. The sphere of light around Nalia began to revolve like a miniature hurricane, as any demonic influence inside it was immediately vaporized. Any outside influence from a demon would produce similar results.

Similarly, the rest of the street urchins suddenly found themselves free of shadow inside their tiny balls of what seemed to be liquid sunlight. The light began to quickly fade, however, as Zyergi felt the absolute last of his energy leaving him. About to pass out completely, he could only hope that Xanathanos would take his chance. Stupid...I didn't even bind him with a promise...Zyergi would truly be at the mercy of whichever demon was victorious.

[Mombacho]

As Buzz watched the scene with interest the cloaked man told the bandaged man to leave, but then a wall of bricks shot up behind her. She heard something behind her with that and whirled around to look. Her hands clasped over her mouth to help her force herself to swallow a scream. What? That wasn't there a moment before! What's going on? I guess I'm trapped here now. If things don't go well for the other kids, I'm going to get caught sometime and probably have the same end as them. Buzz froze with horror her mind for once going blank as she didn't know what to do.

Fortunately for her the scream of a child and the room suddenly shining from bandaged man sword snapped her out of some of her fear. Not even the nobles can kill us street kids so easily or quickly. Who is this guy. When her eyes grew accustomed to the light she carefully moved slightly so as to look the one holding the one kid she thought may actually make a good friend that won't try to steal from her.

She heard the bandaged man mention magic and looked at him half hoping to see some, but knowing she should be thinking of other things right then. Her heart leaped up in delight when she heard the mutter of the bandaged man offering to help the cloaked one against the one holding Nalia. What should I do? I wanna be able to help Nalia since she was going to help me. Without her I may still be running away from the guards. I need to help somehow. Although her face had been fearful, it started to gain a look of determination.

Her hands gripped her rusty nail tighter and she looked around for a mouse hole or rat hole. She saw one behind the feet of the man and moved toward it by sticking behind rubble and near the edge of the room trying to draw no attention and blend in with the rubble if the three larger people looked like they may glance down. As she reached the hole and breathed in deeply and slowly. Ok if they do something to draw this guy's attention....I'll do what I can to keep him from reacting too quickly since it hopefully will help Nalia.

When the gleaming bubble appeared around Nalia, Buzz wanted to examine the bubbles around her and the other kids, but she knew she couldn't. She took off flying directly at the back of where the dark man's lower back should be and held the nail out directly in front of her. When she hit something hard enough to stop her forward motion, she used it to flip off and change her direction so she was diving in a controlled flight back towards the mouse hole. As she reached it, she rolled into it and moved slightly down it, holding her breath she waited to hear what happened. She was hoping against all probability that she was actually able to help and that Nalia as well as the others would be ok.

[Kitab Al-Ibar]

In response to Viral's question he answered: "I don't make a habit of introducing myself, but Mhyrgan is my full name. I'm sure some would know of the bandit with purple eyes." Placing his crossbow down on the wall he gathered up some dry wood and started to build a fire near the entrance, where the smoke would be drawn out, with a smirk he turned to the old man: "You thought you had her? From my end it looked like she got the pair of you pretty good. Not exactly what you expected?"

He cocked his head at all the questions Viral asked next: "I have some trouble with the odd demon or two, the traps catch the unwary. The other bandit groups don’t bother me much unless they have a good reason or want something, different ideals, different methods." He again pointed to the traps as he thought about the demoness that had been attacking them earlier: "No, I didn't recognise that demon, but I rarely stop to look." He had picked up a piece of flint and struck it, the small spark from that should not have been enough to kindle the fire, but within seconds there was a healthy flame burning and he sat himself next to it, slipping off his cloak and propping it near the fire to dry out, thinking about where horses could go: "A horse in this area would have to be tethered, or else they might lose a leg in a trap." He shrugged, gesturing the trees outside the cave which would provide some shelter: "Tied to one of these they would be safe, but i'd have to guide them in."

Turning his attention to Lawfer he smiled: "You two seemed the better sort of demon hunters, I've met a few of your type with reputations worse than most of the bandits here. What was it you shouted? Something about dying for your friends?" He barked a laugh, rummaging in his pack for food and drawing out a hard piece of bread. "I'm not your average bandit, I've got principles, I'll help those in need, usually by stealing from those with more than they need." He'd said this before and usually had some quip back about the dead not needed much and added darkly with his face hardening as he watched the flames of the fire: "I don't kill if I can help it, I've done enough to that."

Mhyr fell silent for a moment, before shaking himself and regarding the pair intently: "So what’s your story then? And what happened in Salvation? Rumours are a bit slow to reach my ears."

[Rhinara]

Xanath saw the flying knife and thought that the mortal had already betrayed him. But the spell took effect and the weapon hung in the air.

As the wind swirled about, the shadow faded in and out, like a black fog trying to keep its cohesion, but it showed no other indication of distress. Nalia, safe inside the bubble, no longer appeared to be in the clutches of the creature, and was instead looking about as if disoriented.

Instead of leaping at the shadow, which would undoubtedly allow the wind spell to start slicing through him as well, Xanath brought a hand protectively over his face as he waited for the spell to die down and his opportunity to strike.

Buzz's heroic strike against the shadow simply went straight through the darkness and the nail embedded into Nalia's bubble much as Zyergi's knife did.

As the golden shields faded away and the room went back to darkness, three of the four living children sitting against the wall scrambled away in search of a hiding spot. The last one, a particularly little child, remained frozen in fear. Nalia still looked disoriented, and the knife and nail dropped to the floor.

The shadow remained, the sharp wind having done about as much damage as it would to mist.

Xanath launched from his lowered position with a roar, closing the gap between the shadow and himself in under a second.

Nalia screamed and squeezed her eyes shut.

The demon collided into Nalia and his momentum carried them right through the shadow and rolling into the corner of the room.

Like the disturbed smoke boiling out of a noxious cauldron brew, the shadow broke up again as Xanath and Nalia crashed into it only to reassemble itself once they had passed through.

Xanath jumped back onto his feet and slashed at the shadow to no effect. The incorporeal creature was immune to his attacks.

"Tsk tsk," came the flanged voice of the shadow. "A worthy attempt, but ultimately fruitless."

Two of the children who hid behind some debris in the room barreled out of their spots and started screaming in pain while writhing on the floor.

"Two are at stake now, Xanathanos. Their suffering will continue for as long as needed. Where is the artifact?"

Xanath's shoulders sagged. "I...I do not know."

The two children dropped dead.

"I told you the truth!" Xanath said.

"And I believe you," said the shadow. "I said their suffering would last as long as needed. You answered truthfully, and I ended their suffering."

Xanath growled.

"Now now, growling is for barbarians. What did you do to lose it?"

The demon remained silent. Scanning the room, he saw the heat signatures of two living children left plus Nalia in the corner, the mortal man lying on the floor, and the dragonfly hiding. If he could only-

The last two children groaned and doubled over.

"I was about to answer!" said Xanath.

"No you weren't. Find the artifact, Xanathanos. I will contact you again once you do. And as insurance that you search for it, I'm taking your little friend. I would advise you to find the artifact as quickly as possible if you want her back."

Xanath looked at Nalia. "No!"

The shadow expanded and consumed the whole room, making everything pitch black. There were no more sounds, no more taste, no more smells, no more sensations. Xanath felt as if he were just floating out in nothingness, and then the world came back.

The shadow was gone, as was Nalia. A large, perfectly round hole cut through the ceiling above, and the ceiling above that one, and another ceiling above that. The edges of the holes were crisped as if burned through, and steam rose up from them as the cold rain came down and hit them.

Xanath jumped through the hole in the ceiling to the floor above, and continued hopping upwards until he reached the rooftop, where he found no signs of the captor or its prey.

[Ravea]

Zyergi stumbled to his feet, completely disoriented, as the shadow expanded and dissipated. Blinking the darkness away from his eyes, he ran smack into a wall before stopping, taking a moment to recover. The shield spells had taken far too much out of him, and judging by the bodies littering the floor, didn't do much good. What kind of demon was that, to resist magic of that caliber? Zyergi pushed the question out of his head, picking up his discarded weapons and sheathing them. Feeling rain on his head, he looked up to see Xanathanos bounding upwards through the building.

"Get back here! We had a deal, demon!" Attempting what would normally be an easy jump for him, Zyergi was barely able to reach the ceiling, just managing to grip the side of hole. The newly charred wood gave way, and he crashed back down to the floor, gasping for air. The combination of curse and magic had pushed him over his limit. Trying once more to stand, he wobbled backwards, hit the wall, and slid down it, giving a frustrated yell in the process. Not only did he fail the children, but Xanathanos could be gone, for all he knew. Zyergi would have to wait in the room, amongst the bodies of the dead, until he regained his strength or someone came for him.

[Mombacho]

Buzz listened to the conversation between the two people in the other room. Her eyes filled with tears as she heard two more children scream. Why don't the guards hear all the screams. I know they're out in force tonight. They need more help and I don't know these mouse holes well enough! I can only wait unless I want to get myself lost again. It could take me all night finding my way out of here....

Buzz sat and waited with some tears falling down her face and gasped quietly when the screams stopped, but started to cry again when she understood that they had died and not been released. She heard a sudden silence after someone yelled no and waited a couple of seconds before walking slowly towards the mouse hole with dread within her heart. She poked her head through the mouse hole and saw the children laying on the ground while the bandaged man tried to jump out of the room. She looked up and saw the holes with a gasp. What did THAT? She came out into the room and flew quietly over one child after another looking for Nalia, hoping that she would be among them, but not dead. As she looked at the children's faces she started to cry a little again.

She directed her attention back towards the bandaged man who was against one wall. Her voice was very sad and worried as she walked up to him and said, “What happened to the girl the shadow man was holding? Her name was Nalia and she was going to help me. She's not among the others. Did she get away? What happened to the cloaked man?”