The Queen, Sand and Moon

[Oona Ondessa]

Oona smiled dryly at Krisztinya telling her she would do better than a nightgown, she headed towards the huge wardrobe and began rifling through it, she could taste the fear and uncertainty in the air, she found what she was looking for a long ancient deep violet material, it looked like an unusual mix between velvet, leather and chain mail, she slipped off her nightgown, ignoring everything around her, no hint of embarrassment or shame on her expression, she wound the material across her chest, under her arms exposing the detailed circular tattoos covering her pale arms, she found a pair of leather pants and boots and put them on. It wasn't long before she returned to Krisztinya, carrying a single curved short sword.

"This blade had to be forged in the Black Moss Forest, this Queen knows far more than she's telling us…"

Oona said to Krisztinya quietly, with an almost pleasant smile she slid her hand towards Krisztinya and went to hold it, before she even touched her cold skin she felt a dark and cold bite of the abyss, she tried to ignore the sudden nausea she was feeling, together they touched the Tapestry. The World shifted, things dropped and lifted around them, as disturbing as the touch they shared was Oona held tight as they seemed to float through space being dragged and pulled together. Oona felt like her entire body and soul was being compressed and stretched at the same time, she saw the Black Moss Forest, her people, the woods and the creatures that dwelled in it. Her 'mother' the willow and everything went black. She hit the ground, still clutching onto Krisztinya and she realised she was in what looked like a labyrinth. They were surrounded by 3 large red stone walls, the sky was blanketed out by stone and the air smelled stale and stagnant

"This is where were supposes to find the Stone I assume?"

Oona said dryly as she let go of Krisztinya

"That Abyss of yours will be the end of you Krisztinya"

She said with a slight hint of disgust in her husky feminine voice.

"Shall we?"

She said as she began to take the lead, moving through the labyrinth, there were no dead-ends or vying paths as of yet, there was only a single road. The World shook and Oona looked warily at Krisztinya, someone moved through the shadows in front of them, a woman leaped from the shadows, she was adorned much like the woman The Queen commanded, yet her skin was pale, she wore a warrior's chest plate each breast was adorned like a ram's horn and a platted skirt

"I am one of the moons amazons…"

She said quietly

"I can't let you pass…"

An invisible wind blew tossing the amazons dark hair flying backwards, she lifted up an incredibly wide long sword and swung it expertly.

ODK, Mair and Mori gathered together, they would have to hold hands but as they did and someone leaned over to touch the Hare, they would all feel the unusual sensation of being pulled through another dimension, They all landed together in a heap in a huge cave covered in purple and red stalactites and stalagmites, floating 20 feet in the air was a large ivory cage, inside the cage was a large hovering crystal, beautiful and red it hummed softly and pulsated raw positive and negative energy, the perfect balance, it was bound by what looked like black material but the material had grown old and withered and now chunks of the crystal were exposed and jagged, tearing through the now paper thin material. Below the cage was a perfectly still black lake. Covering the cage were three full grown Gargoyles. They realised there were intruders in the cave, they spun and hissed at Moridanu, Mair and the other Demon Keeper. They leaped into the air, there huge bat like wings beating furiously. They were fast like a flash they advanced, the biggest a male, Flew towards Mori reaching out to grab at her with its deadly black Talons. A Smaller but equally fierce female roared loudly, flying towards ODK and aiming for a tackle, Her long spiked black hair flew behind her, her pale purple skin was like stone and horns protruded from each joint. The Finale Gargoyle simply hovered over Mair, trying to reach out with its Talons to snag Mair off the ground and lift her up.

Back in the Armoury when Sehkem and Carthax touch the Warrior Queens Amour, they too would feel the now familiar sensation of being torn out of the world, this time instead of being dragged downwards under the castle they would feel like they were being heaved upwards through clouds and stone until they landed on a cold marvel floor. They were surrounded by large ivory walls and a large ceiling, painted on the ceiling was a mural of the night sky

"What are you doing here!?"

Someone called out loudly and furious

"Haven't you done enough already!"

The Voice called, moving through one of the white walls was a woman of unquestionable beauty, far surpassing the Queen or anything on other realms, almost hard to look at it would be a face never forgotten by Sehkem and Carthax. She wore regal clothes; her hair was braded brilliantly low over her forehead just above a small blue crescent moon tattooed on her forehead. She wore a long white regal dress, under the dress were black boots, She folded her hands and waited patiently, her power and anger however radiated off her

"No… there is no more time for speaking, I must act…"

She said almost sadly. She lifted her hands and blue lightning began to pour from her fingertips aimed at Carthax and Sehkem.



((Excuse the typos' Admins if your really not busy and you pick up a doozy can you fix it for me? I've gone over it but I have a feeling there are some doozies! Ok guys, it's another fight time and this plot seems like it's drawing to an end… or is it? MUAH HA HA! Dawn you can take control of the Moons Amazon and do what you will with her. Any problems or Questions just ask me!))[/b][/color]

[Mair Debryn]

Mair is what it is. -Given the chance, Mair may have questioned how he’d ended up the ‘other’ as opposed to the ‘original’ demon keeper, what demons in particular he ‘kept’, and, for that matter, what business Odd Kay had keeping them at all. On the other hand, she was neither proud nor loyal to her own demon heritage and with the number of unsavory demon-types out there, she could not argue that many of them should probably be ‘kept’ out of society in whatever means necessary. Either way the sensation that her insides were being pulled out, tied in a series of complicated knots only an expert Boy Scout would know or even need to know, and then stuffed back in cut off further thinking or discussion on the matter. She became aware of her surroundings again when the three of them landed in a pile on the cold, stone floor of a cave.

A quick glance around had Mair feeling slightly more in her element. This cautious sense of ease came not because she was a cave dweller by nature, but because the cave itself seemed far more real than the red sand, evil moon, bizarre castle, its Goddess Queen, and just about everything else that had come before this point. Simple stone, chilly, stale air, and a crazy, floating ivory cage containing a crazy, floating, ~pulsating~ crystal, all guarded by three rock gargoyles - that she could handle that. Regardless of where in the heap she’d landed, the demoness carefully extracted herself and tilted her head back for a better look at the cage, its viciously horned and spiked guardians, and the cloth bound prize inside. If she wasn’t mistaken- and with any luck she wasn’t- this must be the stone they were here to destroy. Perhaps this mission would be as easy as in and out after all.

Because that is what you get for making premature assumptions, Mair had no sooner decided that this should be a piece of cake when the gargoyles lunged from their perch on the cage and fanned out to attack the three of them. The creepy Odd Kay and his squeamish girlfriend vanished from her mind as the last of the trio dove down on her, talons open and outstretched to grab her. She was weaponless, though she couldn’t think of anything that would have come in overly useful with a huge, stone creature hurtling down on her. She ducked under the taloned feet as they plowed by, spun and sprang onto his back. Once she caught hold, her next move would depend on his. If possible, she would lock her arms around his neck, then wrap her legs around his middle hopefully pinning his wings to his sides and bringing him to the ground. If that failed, there was always option B. Option B involved clinging to the rock beast as best she could manage with one arm while pressing the free hand against the back of its head and firing repeated blasts of energy until it fell off, exploded, or did whatever else it wanted to do. That, of course, would only work if her numerous demonic gifts chose to work this time. Depending on the gargoyles next move, Mair would decide whether or not astral projection would be needed to accomplish her next goal.-

[Catrux]

Sehkem searched out six identical knives to attach to the chains in his hair, before attaching them he put some of his blood on each blade in an attempt to enchant them so they would not cut him. He would only find out if the enchantment worked by testing it out, somthing he was not in a hurry to do unless circumstances dictated it.

As soon as he attached the blades he touched the armour and was once again greated by the lovely sensation of his organs attending a mosh pit inside of him. As soon as the sensation faded he found himself infront of him was a quite beautiful woman. "Ah, damn it." He knew what was on its way, this realm never had a "damsel in distress" all the good looking women were also quite powerfull, and most of the time angry which ended up being quite annoying.

For some reason unexplainable, Sehkem seemed at peace with the posibility that this place was his homeland. With that peace he felt more confident, almost as if the relm was empowering him, giving him all it had for one last shot at freeing itself. This could all be true or the fact that he may have lost more blood than he thought from those ravens. Which ever was the case he was going to fight, and death was going to come.

He leaped back and into the air, just before the blue lightning was expelled from the woman's hand. He then grabbed each of his scythes to begin his assault. To this moment he had not thought to look for Carthax, to see how he faired, at the same time he knew better than to take his eyes off his opponent. If this strike was unsuccessful he would have to coordinate with Carthax. He held the handles tight, feeding the blades with even more energy, the blades began to give off an aura, then the blades themselves took on the color. One a blinding white, the other an enveloping black.

As he dove at the woman, to hopefully slice her in many small, blood covered, bite size morsels, he prepared to deliver a kick that had shattered so many bones before. The chance that either attack would land completely successfully, was in truth fairly small, although if she was being distracted well enough the chances would go up. He didnt expect to get full contact, but even some would aid his cause.

A wordless song that could only be described as a hymn entered his mind, it felt as though he had heard it before and began humming it.

[The Demon Auditor]

ODK smiled politely to Mair, and could see the hidden questions in her eyes. Many demons had given him the same look many times before.

ODK was used to all forms of travel. This included the sorts that started with the middle and worked their way outwards to transport the body mass in a compacted form. The result was usually described as having one's insides attacked with a cake mixer. Which, in scientific testing on some planets, was precisely the case.

ODK took a quick look around at the decor, and smiled as he saw the crystal. "Well, time to get to work then!" Alas, it was not to be as the gargoyles came to life and lunged at them. He had to admit, though, the female gargoyle was pretty cute. Oh, right, save the day. Sorry.

ODK immediately thought of Mori. Surely a shove from him would be far less problematic than a kick to the chest with sharp talons from the gargoyle. So he lunged sideways into Mori, hoping to knock both of them out of the way of the attackers. Next question, though, was how to attack? He doubted gargoyles were allergic to foot powder. Though, it wasn't a bad idea... He pulled the yellow bottle from his coat pocket. Without his magic, he would still put up a damn good fight. He stood, readying himself for the next assault.

[Moridanu]

*Stepping as far away from she could from the strange stuffed rabbit, Moridanus emerald gaze quickly roamed to where two strange looking women were standing near a wardrobe. She watched as one rummaged around inside and appeared to find some kind of clothes, chewing her bottom lip anxiously as she pondered the possibility of her finding some decent clothes, just as ODK at suggested.

She was shaken from her thoughts by ODK’s words as he reached for her hand, her fingers automatically seeking to lace with his. There was suddenly a strange sensation and acting on impulse she reached out to grab hold of the other female that was standing near her. Darkness consumed her momentarily and she swayed with a nauseous dizziness before she found herself inside of a cave.

Clutching ODK’s hand tightly she stared up in wonder at the beautiful display of the purple and red stalactites and stalagmites before her eyes came to focus on the cage hovering in the air. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust but soon she saw that inside the cage was a large red crystal. Studying the crystal for a few moments, she took in the old and withered material that looked as though it would not be able to contain the crystal much longer. It was hard to see the material or the crystal though, as three gargoyles covered the cage. Soon they were screaming through the air towards her. Moridanu squared her shoulders and stood her ground, preparing to defend herself when ODK knocked into her and sent her flying.

Lying sprawled in a heap on the floor of the cave, Moridanu glared up at ODK.

~ We realy have to work on ye dancin’ skills m’love..~ *

[Shizuku Tonderui]

The lightning was of no consequence to him as the blue bolts flew towards him. One hand raised up and simply brushed the lightning out of his way. His eyes were alight for only a moment before they dulled back down once more. To him it meant absolutely nothing. With a sullen look he just sat down where he was and waited for Sekhem to dispose of the woman.

"Games. This whole damn realm is full of games. May we fail and let the land burn." He nodded to himself, the once perky thoughts of helping others selflessly took on a new meaning for him. Dragged from his bed and realm to help a bunch of people he didn't even know. This definantly wasn't in his personality. Hopefully he could just hide away and let everyone else go about fighting for something. He looked to his fingertips at that point, wondering how he managed to brush the lightning away.

The tips of his fingers were blackened, but didn't smell charred or the like. He blew lightly on the tips. He knew he had the magic within him, a residual sort, but he hadn't a God in the realm that would give him more...He would eventually just b e another man. He knew he was repeating his thoughts, but they crossed his mind so many times...

Sighing to himself he looked up towards Sehkem, wondering if he had finished dealing with the Royal woman. He honestly didn't care, but getting rid of one annoyance in his life would at least cause a little bit of amusement for him. He could admit that he thought about turning to the side of the moon to ask for escape and his powers...

"Wait a tick..." Rubbing his chin he thought about the possibility of a portal. That was all he needed was some sort of link to his own world...then he could be at full power. That would definantly be an interesting question to ask next time he saw that strange goddess woman.

[Krisztinya Valkai]

Krisztinya stood silently, looking over the tapestry with detached curiosity. It troubled her that these tapestries held the exact likenesses of both she and Oona. It meant that someone had intended to not just bring ~someone~ to help save this realm, but she and Oona specifically. And the Tzimisce Primogen didn’t like people using her as a pawn. Impatiently, she snapped a glance to Oona, and smirked as the warrioress changed unashamedly. At least she would be undertaking this task with someone as unapologetic as she, even if they valued polar opposite ideals.

"This blade had to be forged in the Black Moss Forest, this Queen knows far more than she's telling us…"

The statement was so obvious that Krisztinya stuttered in her mind, torn between chastising the woman and spitting out a sarcastic reply. But then again, her observation was no more enlightened. “So it would seem…It was no accident that we ended up here, Oona… These tapestries make that clear.”

As Oona took her hand she felt the Abyss shudder with anticipation, and with a lashing thought Krisztinya staved off the malignant entity that far too often took possession of her body and mind. ~That can wait… right now there are more important things to attend to…~ But it was not only the Abyss that bristled with excitement. Her disciplines ignited her blood, craving to be used, craving to sculpt bone and flesh into the macabre atrocities that Krisztinya so coveted. So very infrequently did any touch her without severe repercussion that the fact that she stood holding Oona’s hand gave her pause. Former lovers, her ex husband, even friends received the brunt of her twisted imagination if they dared touch her. Only Stryfe ever quieted the desire in her, only with Stryfe had she ever staved off the inevitable. Only Stryfe… and now Oona.

The dislocation and transportation through the tapestry was not unfamiliar to her. In one of the halls of BriarWood, her Great Grandmother had magically crafted tapestries to be used as gateways to worlds and locations. The sensation was unpleasant, certainly, but reminiscent of her speedy travels to the Tavern, Dragon Lands, and Alamut. And as they tumbled onto the ground, she made sure to displace Oona from the tangle she found herself in with her. It occurred to her as she stood, her eyes sharply narrowed, that she had not checked the Tapestry Hall in BriarWood since their arrival to Morthika. The faint whisper of possibility presented itself-- She may get back there yet…

"This is where were supposes to find the Stone I assume? … That Abyss of yours will be the end of you Krisztinya"

It took Krisztinya a moment to gather her bearings, and Oona’s words brought a malevolent smirk to her distracted features. “Indeed… It is not only ~my~ end it seeks, Oona. But yes… I suspect it will be…” Her usually brilliant emerald glare was polluted with struggling ichorous threads, and she took a moment to place her hand on one of the distinct red walls. Her senses were usually painfully acute, and for whatever reason they were sharpened here, to the point of momentary distraction. She felt the Abyss swirling over her form anxiously, expectantly, and could not help the unprovoked elongation of her incisors. Her fingers began to curl arthritically, her manicured nails elongated and sharpened. Her Kindred blood, the Beast within, was fighting to take control. Before she could regain her composure, her nails curled into the stone. She had to get out of this place, and as soon as possible. She didn’t consider whether Oona had seen the transformation, but as she began to move ahead, Krisztinya shoved herself from the wall, her hands returning to their normal composition, her teeth retracted, but the darkness pooling and storming through the emerald of her eyes refused to abate.

As they moved, Krisztinya did not speak. She hated labyrinths. She hated being toyed with, and more and more she considered the destruction of this entire land a pleasant option. When the world shook and Oona glanced over to her, she met her eyes with her own. It seemed Oona’s choice of weapon might have been a blessing. She, personally, hated fighting with weaponry, and accepted the Shadow Weapons with mixed resolve. She would summon them only as a last, necessary resort. Only if the battle required it. Before they took another step, before the Amazon skirted through the shadows, The Mystress of the Abyss felt her. The shadows were her domain, her dominion, they were not only the fabric of her mind, but of her physical being. She knew the Amazon was there because the shadows knew, and before Oona looked away the Primogen smiled darkly, the inky threads in her eyes engulfing the remaining emerald.

"I am one of the moons amazons…I can't let you pass…"

There were three others, sneaking through the shadows, waiting to “surprise” them. She was almost giddy when the woman confronted them, swinging her expert sword. Her primal urges would have an outlet, and it wouldn’t have to be Oona this time. She looked past the mesmerizing movement of the sword to find the eyes of this Amazon, and there her eyes remained. The Tzimisce felt the prickle of her skin responding to the disciplines of her blood, responding to the anticipation for the fight. Once again her incisors elongated as the shadows coiling from the hems of her cloak readied themselves like vipers.

“Well, now, that’s too bad… I can’t let you stop me…”

A cruel smile greeted the Amazon as she nodded her resolve and acknowledged the challenge. The flash of Krisztinya’s incisors caught the last gleaming light as the shadows began to swell. The shades of Shadow in this world soon thickened, the corners of the walls seeped darkness, oozing the ichors of the Abyss as it crawled over the walls like a contagion loosed on the maze. A distinct empty chill accompanied the darkness from the Primordial Abyss, and soon the red walls of the maze that held them pulsed with the opaque arms rolling and reaching for the Amazon. The ground beneath her feet boiled with the blackness of the rising Abyss. Krisztinya didn’t reach for a weapon, her mind, for the moment seemed to be enough. It was a mere tremor of her skin, a shudder akin to a chill passing over her body, as she summoned her discipline of Viccitude. She moved but a foot to her left, letting the remaining light strike her now Plasmic form. The remaining light bounced over Kris’s skin strangely, reflecting the off-color, reddish hue it had taken on, and with every movement of her body, a distinct swishing of liquid could be heard.

As the first Amazon charged the Primogen, she refused to move, standing stock still, as the woman ran, sword pointed at her heart. At the same moment, one of the other Amazons, supposedly in “hiding,” leapt out at Oona, but the Elf was ready for her. Whether it was her fierce resolve, her training, or her own natural abilities that being an Elf provided, Krisztinya had only a moment to appreciate her companion’s skill with the curved sword. She heard the clanging, the ringing of metal and a few choice words shouted from Oona at the Amazon, as the other two circled, waiting for their turn, for it to be a fair fight. They should have known better.

As the Amazon lunged forward, the sword flew through Krisztinya’s body with no resistance whatsoever, and the look of confusion that washed over the Amazon’s face was priceless when her momentum kept her moving into Krisztinya’s body, only to find she was covered in what seemed to be blood, and Krisztinya was nowhere to be found. The look of confusion had the Amazon spinning around as the pool of blood that had splashed down on the floor upon impact began to reform, growing once again into the form of the Primogen with blood red skin. In her current form, she had no ability to physically harm another being, but only use her essence and mental disciplines, which she sought to do mercilessly. As she reformed, a monstrous form of herself, blood red skin, and eyes black as the Abyssmal shadows she controlled, she opened her mouth in the direction of the first Amazon. A stream of pitch shadow spewed from her mouth racing to close the distance between them, encircling the Amazon, though she fought to swat the darkness away. As if trapped within a tornado of spinning shadow, the Amazon’s sword fell to the ground with a heavy crash and a scream bellowed forth as the Darkness Within that Krisztinya unleashed slowly consumed the body of the Amazon, small, insect-like bites gave way to larger chunks being torn from her form. And the Primogen turned her attention to the next Amazon who sought revenge, barreling forward from her hiding spot with a war cry that refused to be mistaken.

Oona engaged the second Amazon and made quick work of the woman. Her natural agility and flexibility surpassed the trained warrioress who was skilled in crushing and slicing, not adjusting her fight to a quick, agile Elf with a purpose. The Amazon made the mistake of swinging low at the moment that Oona stood from a roll, her own curved sword singing across the neck of the Amazon with remarkable skill and precision. The woman clutched at her throat and fell to her knees as the fourth Amazon leapt from seemingly out of nowhere, to land before Oona. Swinging the sword once in her wrist, she almost seemed to smile at the Amazon, welcoming the next challenge.

The disjointed swishing and squelching of the blood form of the Kindred could be heard again as Krisztinya raised her arm, fingers splayed out, toward the third Amazon. This woman, similarly attired, stopped in her tracks, having learned from the first that the unexpected should be expected from the blonde one, and stood a healthy distance from Krisztinya, thinking about her plan of attack. Ferally, Kris smiled and watched the small ball of Abyssmal darkness swell in her hand as she tapped her discipline of Oubliette. She narrowed her eyes, once it was the size of a softball, and threw it at the Amazon. The woman shuffled backward, letting the ball of darkness fall on the floor before her and shatter. She raised a look of triumph to the Kindred she faced, but only for a moment, as she realized that the world had grown dim around her. The shattered Oubliette arced around the Amazon, reforming around the woman to trap her within. As the large ball reformed, it slowly darkened, like smoke filling a glass ball, filling with the air deprived Abyss, slowly suffocating the Amazon within. Amidst the hollow banging and screams for help, Krisztinya turned to Oona, watching the Amazon pause, seeing the large black orb entrapping her comrade, giving Oona the opportunity to lunge forward, burying the sword in the stomach of the Amazon, just between the chest plate and her skirt. With a horizontal tug, she cut the woman’s stomach, leaving her, too, to collapse to the floor, bleeding to death.

The scent of blood was overwhelming to her, and though she might enjoy a grand feast, Krisztinya fought the urge, summoning her ability to Quell the Beast, to calm that raging desire in her very veins. Slowly the swishing sounds stopped, and the tint of her skin faded back to its alabaster hue. Her eyes were firmly still orbs of black pitch, and her incisors remained elongated. She was all to happy to fight, welcoming the next challenge as she turned her iris-less eyes to Oona’s.

“Now that was just plain fun, no? Shall we see what’s next?”

[Oona Ondessa]

The Gargoyle bellowed in shock as Mair lunged onto it's back, holding on tightly, the Gargoyle did the only thing it really knew how, though incredibly powerful the Gargoyles were slaves, Over the years the beast took over and their brains were reduced to nothing more than a wild animal. The Gargoyle pumped it's long leathery wings into the air, it soared off the ground, reaching back trying to tear at Mair, but at the same time the Gargoyle was having trouble flying, he lifted into the air, circling through the stalactites. The Gargoyle bellowed loudly, feeling defeated, he moved towards the cage, arched his back and tried to slam Mair against it, over and over again hoping she would let go. The burst of energy hitting the Gargoyle hurt but not enough to stop him. The Gargoyle simply had his mind set on trying to get Mair free from his back, by slamming her into the hovering cage in the middle of the lake, if she did fall only the moon knew what was waiting for her under the surface if she let go of the cage.

While incredibly noble the shove to Mori only made the Gargoyle heading towards the ODK angrier and luckily for the Gargoyle easier to target the other demon Keeper, the Gargoyle lunged out, attacking in the typical Gargoyle manor, He tried to wrap his clawed fingers around ODK's neck and immediately began to lift into the air, trying to strangle the demon keeper as well as smash him with his powerful wings from side to side. Somehow this Gargoyle seemed a lot smarter than the one who was currently trying to kill Mair so viciously; this one was more calm and calculating. The Gargoyle moved is head towards OKD trying to head butt the Keeper with his horned forehead, his long tongue lapped out, licking the side of ODK's face, if the tongue connected it would be incredibly painful, like sandpaper being dragged across a cheek.

The Third Female Gargoyle landed on the ground; crouching animalistically she hissed pointed teeth at Moridanu, her spiked tail swung behind her and her leather wings wrapped around her shoulders

"Your blood will taste oh so sweet my queen"

The Gargoyle managed to croak out; she purposely moved blocking Moridanu from ODK and trying to push Mori back into a corner. Now this Gargoyle was smarter than the last, her long thick black hair in itself was a weapon, the creature whipped her hair forward trying to catch Mori in the legs with the dagger sharp tendrils.


The Battle Raged, the Royal Woman's beautiful eyes squinted as Cathax waved her attack away

"You’re a demon of the worst kind…"

The Woman said sadly, she clicked her fingers and a circle of fire erupted around Carthax, the fire was straight from the gods, it would be unlike any flame on earth, hotter than Hell. The Woman was attacked by Sehkem, the winged mans kicks to the face and chest did nothing, the force didn't even move her neck, instead it would have been like kicking a brick wall. The Woman looked at Sehkem, her hand raised her mouth, her big blue eyes began to feel with tears

"Vinyakin?"

The Woman said softly

"Is it truly one of my precious Vinyakin?"

She said quietly as brilliant tears ran down her face turning into crystals slowly, the diamonds landed in chunks around the ivory transparent floor. Under them was the world, spinning and twisting slowly.


Unbeknownst to Oona, her brilliant violet eyes shifted and darkened while she remained attached to Krisztinya, instead of their usual violet they turned utterly black, mirroring the abyss around her due to Krisztinya chilling touch.

The Amazon faced them both, Oona was ready to attack but Krisztinya had already moved forwards and Oona was left to deal with the others who were hiding in the shadows. Oona did notice the Primogen's transformation, she knew Krisztinya was a Vampire, or perhaps something much more than a Vampire know, but never the less seeing the creature that bubbled under the surface turned Oona's blood cold, she hadn't expected, she reprimanded herself silently, truth be told she had forgotten.

"She's no friend of yours fool…"

Oona whispered to herself as she slashed out through the red haze towards the Amazons, they were powerful women well trained and inhumanly strong, but Oona was able to move faster than, with twirls and movement like anything they had ever seen Oona slashed out at them, killing without mercy. Krisztinya's blood magic however sent another chill down Oona's spine, it was unlike anything she had ever seen, terrible and devastating, but Oona took note, one day it would be her on the receiving end and she herself would need to counter the attack and strike through the bone shattering pain. Oona finished off one of the spinning around her stomach gave a heave, her black hair twirled around her face

"Krisztinya enough! End it"

Oona said angrily as she witnessed the Amazon girl's flesh being torn apart slowly. She doubted Krisztinya had heard her, the beast had taken over, that mixed with the Abyss was a terrible sight to behold, she doubted if Krisztinya was still in there. What if she was finally lost and all that remained was the empty hull controlled by both the mindless beast and the unimaginable force that was the Abyss. The Shadows began to eat at everything until they were surrounded by darkness. Oona sighed with relief, it ended as soon as it had began, Oona turned to Krisztinya, her brow raised angrily

"Honestly was all that completely necessary, I know you're more than capable of ending it quickly…"

Oona knew she would get nothing back from Krisztinya, what did she expect that suddenly the Primogen would regret her actions, realise the folly of her ways and turn good. Oona sighed and turned away, she began to take the lead, moving through the catacombs, it didn't seem to end, their were paths leading in every direction, it really was a labyrinth or a maze. When Oona moved her hand towards a dead end, she could tell it was an empty path, occasionally she could tell there was a trap waiting for them. She could sense a power in the distance, something familiar. Oona raised her hand blocking the path for Krisztinya,

"There's another Amazon up ahead, I think we're here, she has the crystal…"

Oona said quietly, she readied her blade and moved with the speed of an Elf and with the grace of a Sorceress, she could see the skirts and the battle Amour, with a battle Cry Oona lifted into the air, aiming to bring her blade across the woman's shoulder and through her chest. Oona's blade connected, but instead the blade simply shattered against the woman's skin. Oona fell to the ground; she tossed her hair out of her eyes and looked up at the Queen. The Goddess who had summoned them all here.

"I underestimated you highly, and over estimated the Amazons"

She said simply

"You're both a great deal more power and intuition then I could have sensed. You see there's a an ancient spell on the crystal so nobody who looks at it while bathed in the light of the moon can ever know it's true intentions. The fools in the cave don’t even realise the moonlight it shinning into the cave, powering the Gargoyles and putting a spell over them, if you were to walk through the catacombs and then look upon the Crystal through the gates you'd realises and stop them from smashing that infernal crystal…"

The Queen, lashed out, kicking Oona in the chest and sending her flying backwards into Krisztinya.

"Oh Krisztinya… you weren’t a surprise not really, I assumed Ondessa would be slaughtered by the Amazons… and I knew you would survive and avenge your 'friend', but you see my girl… I want you to survive..."

The Goddess grinned savagely

"I'll be taking the Abyss from you now…"

The Woman said softly.

[The Demon Auditor]

ODK gave a nervous grin and shrug to Mori as she glared at him. "Whoops, don't know my own strength, heh..." He was cut off though as the gargoyle altered course and attacked him.

ODK acted quickly as the gargoyle nearly crashed into him and picked him up. Grabbing the stone wrists of the gargoyle as they flew through the air, he struggled for a moment, before realizing something... He'd only been told not to use his magic. Sure, there were some good reasons not to, but damned if he needed it now! As he heard the blasts from Mair's energy shots, he realized they'd all been played for fools. Something wasn't right...

ODK's thoughts were rudely interrupted as he received a head butt. Dizzy, but still conscious, he felt the prickling of the tongue against his cheek. Oh, that wasn't kosher.

His hand shot out and grabbed the tongue, ignoring the pain. His other hand shot up under the beast's arms and grasped the jaw firmly. "I don’t swing like that," he growled, suddenly ripping on the tongue with inhuman strength. His feet swung up and he braced himself off the gargoyle's chest, and began tearing at the tongue with both hands. He would use the leverage to climb up, and place a foot on the gargoyle's neck. If the tongue were still firmly attached to the gargoyle, he would go to the next course of action.

His eyes began to glow an eerie blue-white, and the mild tingle of radiation would fill the room. He was going atomic. He focused his mind, though, and the radiation was channeled into his hands, focusing on the tongue, using it as a conductive line between him and the gargoyle. In mere moments, the gargoyle would be filled with cosmic energy, enough to fry its internal organs, brain, and even its bones into dust. Hopefully, though, it could stay together long enough for him to stop the radiation from harming anyone else in the room.

In either event, ODK expected to find himself back on the ground very soon, as he was sure they never flew into the cage, or over the lake. Picking himself up, he looked for the gargoyle again, grinning, "C'mere ya little squirt!"

[Moridanu]

*She rolled her emerald eyes in response to ODK’s muttered attempt at an apology before she climbed to her feet and watched in horror as a gargoyle attacked ODK and carried him high into the thick musty air of the cave. She had little time to react however as another gargoyle, this one covered in long black hair, landed beside Moridanu and began to stalk towards her. Its intentions were clear as it growled that her blood would taste sweet.

Laughing softly, Moridanu growled back ~Your own blood will be scattered around this cave by the time I am finished you vile creature…~

As she herself began to stalk the gargoyle that was in fact stalking her, Moridanu reminded herself that she really did like gargoyles in general. She had a few well-trained ones herself guarding the Den and Kendelah and had grown to hold a deep sense of respect and awe for the magical creatures. The beast in front of her however bared little to no resemblance to the majestic beings she remembered so fondly. Squaring her shoulders, Moridanu prepared herself for the attack that she knew was coming. Without the use of her magick, she felt completely out of her element. As the thought occurred to her though, so to did an another.

Element……

A slow smile began to form on her soft pink lips as she looked up at the top of the cave. Some of the stalactites and stalagmites had been bumped or knocked by the flying gargoyle that was trying to get Mair off its back, and these pointy and sharp spokes were hanging by mere threads. Although she had been told not to use her magick, Moridanu had heard nothing about invoking the Elements. It was a basic form of her magick, one that she felt relatively safe using, but in an extreme situation such as this she realy had no time to hesitate - Especially as the gargoyle that had been stalking her was now lunging itself at her. Four razor sharp talons reached out to swipe at Moridanu, catching her on the shoulder and arm as Moridanu quickly tried to back up out of reach. She knew the gargoyle was forcing her into a corner, and if the searing pain shooting up her right arm was anything to go by, she knew that she would not last long once the beast had her cornered.

Backing up slowly, she raised her brilliant emerald orbs to the ceiling of the cave, her eyes intensifying in their greenness while her long auburn curls seemed to glow in the darkness, billowing around her face by an unseen wind. This wind then began to grow into a gale, blowing throughout the cave and gaining intensity as Moridanu invoked her favourite element. Just as the gargoyle leaped at her again, the wind now became a mini tornado, tearing throughout the cave before she directed it up to the top of the cave.

~Take cover!~ She screamed to Mair and ODK, hopeful that they would hear her in time and take heed. As the wind tore through the cave the stalactites and stalagmites were ripped from their roots, sending them into a dangerous downward spiral. Sharp points pierced the skin of the gargoyle that had been attacking Moridanu, causing it to scream in pain as it was soon covered by falling debris. A few bats were sent flying from their roost and their screams joined that of the gargoyle, causing Moridanu to place fingers in both her ears in an attempt to drown out the noise. Although the gargoyle had backed her into a corner of the cave in an attempt to kill her, the corner now served as a slight shield for Moridanu as she backed up against one wall of the cave and watched calmly as the gargoyle was stabbed repeatedly by the pointed rocks. As it writhed and screamed before her, Moridanu merely watched as the beast finally died.

Curious, and slightly worried that her plan of attack might of in fact impeded ODK’s and Mairs personal battles, Moridanu peered through the murky darkness to see how they were faring.

~Ye guys had enough?~ she yelled. ~Or do ye need more?~ *

[Shizuku Tonderui]

"Great, here comes another story for us." Carthax muttered as he watched the ring of fire encricle him, trapping him in side the fires. There was no surprise or emotion playing on his face as he watched the fire burn and crackle. Straight from the Gods? Though he didn't believe it fully, he knew better than to test the fire.

He could definantly feel the heat and the flames licked at his heels, just enough for him to retract his feet, curling his arms around his knees. He had felt like this before...once...a long time ago when he was young. He had a run in with a crazed Draconic Warrior, and was trapped in a burning forest. He was quite young then, and had been burned badly by the fires. Of couse, he had been healed later on but the memories was enough to scar him for good.

Fear built up in him as he watched the fire burn in front of him. He watched as it scorched the flagstones of the ground and he grimaced, his eyes closing. The sound of the fire still invaded his senses and he held off from swearing or weeping in front of Sehkem and the strange woman.

The woman had said something to him. About being a demon of the worse kind. That thought held a particularly warm feeling as he tried to have it comfort him. At least someone took the time to say something nice about him. He shook himself as he smelled something burning, and packed himself tighter, away from the fires.

Terrin Help me He thought glumly as he stood up now. This was the best way to stop himself from getting singed now. He was angry, angry at himself, angry at the woman, angry at the moon, and angry at the goddess who brought him here.

He knew what it had been like to feel defenseless...he knew what it had been like to feel alone, but here...here was a shining example of it all. There was a soft tinking noise, and he realized the woman was crying crystals for some reason.

Please tell me she's dead. He thought as his arms crossed, watching Sehkem and the woman. He slowly removed one of his daggers and tossed it into the fire. He watched as it reappeared on the other side a glob of molten slag, hitting the ground with a splat. It bubbled and hissed as it started to cool.

Carthax shuddered in disgust. Though he didn't care much for his daggers, he knew there wasn't going to be a chance to jump through this thing. He wondered if the strange woman would let him go or just enclose the circle around him. He couldn't die here. Not like this, never like this. It would be an insult. To die like a commoner in a fire, without his powers, without his God, without anything.

No. Dying was not an option at the moment. Only survival. He HAD to get his powers back if he wanted to survive...He wondered idly about his other companions...maybe that strange aloof fellow with the pockets could help him out...

Carthax would have to ask the fellow if he ever saw him again. He had an inkling that there was a great deal in store for him if he just found the right person. He needed portals to his own plane of existence, and he needed them soon.

[Mair Debryn]

-Perhaps hitching a piggyback ride on a gargoyle hadn’t been the most intelligent thing Mair had ever done, however, it was turning out to be one of the most painful. If she’d thought the thunderous noise and jolting vibration of the beast’s wings had been uncomfortable, being slammed forcefully into a floating cage wasn’t exactly a step up. Unable to see or even hear, she gripped her thrashing ride’s back like a second skin with everything but her right arm which she was wildly grasping for the bars with. It was only when she was 62% sure that she would not lose her grip and fall into the eerie black pool below that she pushed off the gargoyle and dangled from the cage, supported by one hand. Although it was technically three fingers, Mair chose to think of it was all four and a thumb as it eased her queasy stomach.

Every muscle in her body screamed in protest as her free hand shot up to grab hold of a bar and she hoisted herself gracelessly onto the top of the cage. She stayed there on her stomach just long enough to complete a brief injury-check. Shattered or otherwise, her skeleton had to hold out just a bit longer. As she lay catching her breath, she was relieved and even somewhat amused to find the orb they’d come to destroy hovering below her within bars. It seemed now that the bruises forming over her entire body were not in vain after all. If they were all she’d get out of this mission, then this demoness had no complaints.

She immediately got to her knees and began tugging desperately on the topmost bars. Because there was nothing she could do to help the couple she had arrived with, she did not bother to see how they were fairing against their own attackers. As it was there was a gargoyle with her own death in mind flying around, most likely pissed off that she’d ridden it straight to the goal. Disgusted when the bars didn’t crumble in the face of her incredible, super-spiffy demon strength, she closed her eyes a moment to focus and forced energy out through her palms as they closed tight around the only thing standing between her and home. She was left to hope that they would give under the pressure and let her at the infamous orb before the red headed female brought the cave’s rocky ceiling down on all of them. Somehow, despite the rocks and dust raining down on her in a flesh-nicking torrent, she managed to keep up the flow of power through her hands. At last, with a final tug the bars broke and with little concern for the consequences, Mair locked her arms around the ball and pulled it up and out. She carefully caught her balance before spinning once and heaving it at her winged opponent.-

Go long, Ugly!

[Catrux]

Sehkem was not nearly as suprised about the failure of his attack as he was from the woman's sudden crying. He watched as the crystaline tears fell from her eyes, it was almost entrancing. Quickly the sensation was replaced by anger, anger for being called "her Vinyakin" and that she placed his companion in a ring of fire.

He had guessed the woman would be physical resistant so it was of no surprise. He now knew it would most likely take magick to cause harm to the woman. Sehkem was about to conjure the magick untill an idea struck him. He slammed his foot down causing a few of the crystals to fly up to his waiting hands. Once he grabbed them he began infusing each element he was able to control into them. Each crystal harbourd a different element, which he would soon impale the woman with.

"I am no one's." Sehkem stated in a deadly calm voice. Once the crystals were full with the elements Sehkem lunged, thrusting them into the woman. If things were to go as Sehkem expected the energies would react once they are set free in her body, or at least around it. Once the energies react, it would cause one of two things, an explosion or tear at her essence. Either effect would be welcome.

"Hang on Carthax, it shouldn't be much longer."

[Shizuku Tonderui]

"Not to sound ungrateful but don't you think it's better to just ask her? What with the crying and the fact she's stopped attacking?" Carthax called out to him, but still Sehkem decided to attack. Carthax shook his head and looked downwards at the ring circle. What the hell to do now? He was powerless and trapped and his...his...friend was about to make a big mistake.

He tried to summon all the power that he could in his body, but he failed to even conjure a small flame. Cursing his fate he tried a different approach. Maybe absorbing the magic from the fire would help him instead. He tenativly reached a hand out and began to pull the flame into him with what little power he could muster. The fire barely sputtered and soon he could feel the energy with him disappearing slowly, dripping like an icicle. He stopped, it was no use to that.

Cursing loudly and breaking off into a string of vexed words he stopped trying, deciding to watch Sekhem go about his business and try to kill the woman.

"I do hope he succeeds."

[Krisztinya Valkai]

"Honestly was all that completely necessary, I know you're more than capable of ending it quickly…"

What Oona did not know about her could fill the Abyss itself. She gave no emotional cues for the Elf to understand, either. She had not succumbed to the Abyss, nor had she succumbed to the “Beast,” but if Oona wanted to believe that, then all the more reason to let her. It would prove a costly mistake in the long run. In actuality, Krisztinya herself was in complete control during the battle, it was the first moments of their arrival that were problematic. Any entrance into a magical, new realm sent the delicate balance of her body and mind into flux until she was forced to wrestle control back from the conflicting energies and entities. The moment she was in genuine danger, or threat thereof, her will superseded the flux. She looked at Oona in her anger and merely blinked slowly before responding coldly. “Don’t question me little girl. I do as I please, and watching those women suffer was the most pleasurable moment of this pathetic experience thus far.”

She turned toward the direction they were headed, letting Oona take the lead. They wound through the maze and the Primogen moved behind her silently, allowing her mind to tumble over the absurdity of her being in this land. Her senses were harshly acute, sometimes painfully by nature, and she too could feel the growing power as they approached it. Her own eyes continued to swim with the darkness that was as much a part of her as the blood she took from her “volunteers.” Oona raised her hand and blocked the path and Krisztinya merely blinked again, slowly. It amused her just how militaristic Oona could be at times, and it was a lesson she kept close, recorded in detail in her memory for future use.

"There's another Amazon up ahead, I think we're here, she has the crystal…"

“Oh Joy! Another Amazon…” The snideness would not be lost on the Elf, and as Oona took off to attack the now visible Amazon, Krisztinya crossed her arms over her chest, watching. For all the bravado of the Elf, Krisztinya wondered just which of them were more in danger of succumbing to a Beast within—Oona didn’t bother to even evaluate the situation or their foe before charging headlong into an attack. It was her life to waste, of course, and doing so would likely give her some insight on the enemy they were trying to get away from and their strength. As it turned out, it had been that damnedable goddess that brought them here to begin with. Hearing her grating voice only reminded Krisztinya just how much she hated being toyed with. How much she loathed this woman.

"I underestimated you highly, and over estimated the Amazons. You're both hold a great deal more power and intuition than I could have sensed. You see, there's an ancient spell on the crystal so nobody who looks at it while bathed in the light of the moon can ever know its true intentions. The fools in the cave don’t even realize the moonlight it shinning into the cave, powering the Gargoyles and putting a spell over them, if you were to walk through the catacombs and then look upon the Crystal through the gates you'd realize and stop them from smashing that infernal crystal…"

Krisztinya moved from the distant spot she occupied toward the Amazonian Queen, so she could better evaluate the situation they found themselves in, her arms dropped to her sides, hands resting on her thighs as she listened to the tirade that the Goddess gave them. Was this woman daft? She had just sent them into this mess to destroy the crystal, and now she was telling them that they shouldn’t? The Primogen’s eyes narrowed noticeably, and she controlled the urge to walk away. That was, until Oona was kicked into her. She was strong herself, yes, but as she tried to step out of the way of the flying elf, she could not move in time and ended up on the ground once again, with Oona on top of her. It was fast becoming a position she reviled. While most would rouse themselves and barrel headlong into a battle, she pushed Oona off of her, with no concern for the woman, and stood once again, appearing as if nothing had happened.

"Oh Krisztinya… you weren’t a surprise not really, I assumed Ondessa would be slaughtered by the Amazons… and I knew you would survive and avenge your 'friend', but you see my girl… I want you to survive...I'll be taking the Abyss from you now…"

Oh it was just too much, really. “Friend” isn’t exactly the way she would describe Oona, but more like a co-prisoner in a situation that neither of them chose. The threat that this woman just levied was nearly too much for her to bear, it was so amusing. Was this Goddess aware that by removing the Abyss, if indeed she could actually do it without completely killing Krisztinya, she would take the fractious part of the Primogen that actually sparked a flicker of humanity in her. The Abyss is a sentient entity that is, itself, older than the lands that they were fighting over. It was a cognizant being that had no form, no body and needed Krisztinya to inflict influence. The Abyss wouldn’t go anywhere it didn’t want to, and she could only struggle to restrict her emotions to a mere smile. The Abyss was not the source of her power, the Abyss was gasoline to inflame her power, and this Goddess was looking to do what, exactly, with the primordial darkness? Should this Goddess actually be able to convince the Abyss to leave her, the only vessel it has been able to occupy for aeons and only because it had a hand in creating Krisztinya as she now stood, Krisztinya would be once again free to control her own life, to once again be the kindred she had been before the horrors of the Abyss made her take flickers of pity on humanity by keeping it at bay. She would be free to destroy and kill as she saw fit. It was almost too good to be true. She couldn’t help the odd, nearly psychotic laughter that slowly built and rose from her chest.

“Is that a fact?” She actually rested her hand on her stomach, bending over slightly to laugh again. “I certainly hope you understand what the consequences are to a move such as that… You’re a Goddess… so you say… and the thing about Gods and Goddesses is that they exist only because people believe in them. The Abyss exists to create beings such as you… and it has no remorse and will destroy with equal enthusiasm. So please… if you think you can take the Abyss, a conscious, sentient being that has chosen its vessel, please… PLEASE! Do… Return me to what I was and have craved to be since it came to me! Remove the flickers of humanity that weakens me… PLEASE!”

((Danoo... we need to talk before you post, if we can....))