Devil's Last Dance

[The Demon Auditor]

The gaggle of screaming orcs fell at his feet in a matter of moments. He dusted off his hands too look at his handiwork, when the fallen soldier was unceremoniously thrown to his feet by Elyza. Raising an eyebrow in her direction, he turned and rolled his right shoulder. As his arm swung back in the rolling motion, a small black object fell from his jacket sleeve into his palm. Completing the motion, he under-hand tossed the black ball at Elyza.

Not a fast throw by any stretch of the imagination, even by mortal standards, but instead of settling for a lazy toss, the ball exploded into a directed spray of faster, smaller black balls. Upon impact, they explode in a mess of blue goop that adheres to any surface its on, quickly drying into a hard, plastic-like material. Now if that weren't humiliating enough, the flames from the battle around it set the material on fire at such an alarming rate that flames even jumped to pieces which were detached from the whole! Once every exposed square inch of hardened blue material was on fire, the compound reacted and exploded, destroying everything it touched.

No matter Elyza's role in the complicated attack, The Demon Auditor was waiting for her, blackened sword resting over his shoulder. He shifted his weight to one side and watched to see how she would doubtlessly shrug off the explosive goo bomb.

[Catrux]

Dread. A deep foreboding washed over the man and intensified as he drew nearer to the war front. This foreboding was not a selfish fear, it was...unexplainable. Never the less, the man flew on at as fast a pace as he could maintain. Visions of the chaos, death, and destruction already filled his mind much before the sounds of battle reached his ears. The miniature scale he wore around his neck shifted slightly, before his hand clasped around it as he muttered, "No, not now..." The man flew with a renewed vigor, he had to get there soon.

The sounds of war quickly became the only thing to reach the man's ears, not even the beating of his wings pierced the cacophony that was battle. The clash of metal, crushing of bones, and screams of agony that was to be the symphony he would be performing to for who knows how long. The man hovered over the battle for a few moments surveying the scene. Lucien's forces seemed to have the upper hand for the time being, and a dragon was causing an incredible amount of collateral damage.

A sigh escaped the man's otherwise silent mouth as he tucked his jet black, and stark white wings behind him. His dread locked hair whipping wildly in the rush of wind as he plummeted into the maw of chaos. The Vinyakin would snap off his dive above the heads of the combatants, sending a burst of wind at a group mainly comprised of Lucien's warriors, hopefully tossing them about. The winged man would continue his waltz of destruction by unwrapping one of his two chained scythes from around his chest. The blade seemed to shine without the help of the sun.

Skimming the top of the crowd he would deftly lash out with the scythe severing life from body as he passed, dropping as many of Lucian's horde as possible on his way to Moridanu. He was one of her generals, Sehkem, and as such it was his job to keep her and as many of her army alive as possible. As he neared the woman Sehkem tossed the scythe back around his chest, for what he was about to do next, the weapon would be nothing more than an encumbrance.

The Vinyakin seemed to follow an exponential curve as he neared his destination until he was out of sight. With a deafening crack, the man dove once again, this time he didn't halt his descent. Just before crashing into the ground in front of Moridanu, Sehkem righted himself, causing his feet to slam into the ground and send a shock wave into the battle field in front of him. "You're aerial support has arrived," The man said impassively, as more flying soldiers became visible against the dark sky.

Weaving his hands through the air the man began to cast a spell, before a look of pure shock took hold of his body. The scales around his neck tipped back and forth slowly and steadily picked up speed before stopping dead, balanced. Anyone close enough to see the man's eyes would notice that the pupil of his right eye seemed to expand until it took over his entire eye leaving it nothing but pure darkness. His left eye was quickly over taken by the sclera, leaving nothing but stark white. His hands absently reached to try and rip the necklace off, but to no avail. He knew it was as much a part of him as he was of it, there was no escaping what was to come next.

[Crowe]

*Crowe was at Mori's side before she could call for his aid. He held her up and began to pull her back away from the battlefront. Seeing that Lucien was distracted and his forces were clearly overextended, with the battle line stretching hundreds of yards down the burnt and blackened street, Crowe with Mori leaning heavily on his shoulder boomed in a supernaturally enhanced voice, a trick he had learned just lately and found was quite useful in a battle like this, "Defenders of Bendelsain fall back! Pull back to your leader! Fall back to Moridanu!"
As he called, those engaged in battle across the long stretch of chaos between the two great forces ducked and dodged and began to sprint. As the more distant came back, those closer in covered their backs and began to run as well. The steady stream of soldiers charging forth from behind Crowe and Mori seemed to thin and spread out as soldiers took a stand behind and around the red flame of their lady's hair, easily seen from across the battlefield even amidst the many other flames. As the maneuver was set into motion, Crowe quickly glanced around to take stock of the situation. At that moment he spied a winged figure flying above the battle lines and mowing down Lucien's men like stray blades of grass. What luck in timing, he thought to himself, as the motion of retreat was made all the more expedient by his arrival.
As the figure made its landing, Crowe was ready to give orders when a sudden change seemed to eliminate that option. While Crowe could not interpret the meaning in the change before him, he was relatively confident that it would do more help than harm, so he turned away. With the utmost care he released Moridanu from his support and whispered into her ear,
"Don't worry m'lady, I'll be back before ya know it. Got an errand to run 'ere and it won't wait a moment. Just do me a favor and stand as strong as your heart, all them bloody folk'll appreciate it."
He resisted the urge to give her a sly wink as he turned away, heading back into the bulk of their forces. For all his joking and light hearted commentary on the dark times around them, he had felt in that moment of parting that he was stretching the strings of his heart, and that another step further than he needed to go would tear them apart. Needless to say, he was glad when the soldier he was looking for came running to meet him only a few strides from Mori, and he lent that gladness and the strength that he felt to his bond with Mori, along with a bit of confidence at the coming battle maneuver.
After a few quick words with the archer who had come down the line, the soldier aimed a flaming arrow into the sky, well away from any airborn defenders, and let loose. The flaming signal flare flew high in the sky before arcing back to land at an unknown location somewhere in the city. Crowe pat the man on the back and returned to Mori, seeing that the last of the soldiers were almost back to the line.
Then Crowe raised his greatsword into the air, the massive two-handed blade rising high above the heads of the soldiers surrounding. At this signal a group of warriors who had previously simply escaped the notice of those surrounding, even those standing right next to them, emerged from the sides of the street and proceeded to the front lines. Each of these shining warriors wore glimmering plate armor that seemed to banish any shadow foolish enough to linger close. They each held a glowing mace that heartened those who looked upon them and a similarly glimmering tower shield that looked to be stronger than the strongest steel. Their eyes behind their shimmering white helms seemed merry and joyful, yet hardened and strong for those who opposed them. A few dozen of these soldiers, paladins of light, strode to the front of the line just as the last soldier rushed behind it, and they closed ranks to form three solid lines of shields against the coming tide of darkness.
By this time the soldiers of Lucien's horde, still maddened with bloodlust, ran rampantly at the line of holy warriors. The paladins stood strong and alternated holding the shield wall with swinging their deadly maces into the waiting horde of demons. This sudden change in the battle left many of Lucien's forces confused and seemed to give a momentary advantage to the forces of Bendelsain.
As the hordes of demons realized the danger and began to regroup to form their own battle lines to charge the shield wall, they were again caught by surprise. Smaller forces of Bendelsain's troops came pouring from side streets and out of alleyways near the dancing devil inn, the source of Lucien's forces. These forces, lead by smaller groups of the paladins, smashed into the rear of the demon horde, causing more confusion in the ranks of demons and devils.
Crowe, still holding his greatsword aloft, grinned at the turning tides of the battle. Once the conditions were just right, he slashed his sword forward, signalling the army around him to charge the confused and chaotic demon horde and resume the epic battle, this time with morale on their side.
Once the battle was raging again and the armies of Bendelsain in order again, Crowe went immediately to Mori's side to lend her his strength for what would undoubtedly be a long battle.*

[sabis]

(I didn't have time to read the ENTIRE thing, so I do apologise ahead of time if I make any mistakes. Read about Sabis in his character bio if you wish to know more about him)

'Sabis was just wandering. Typical ranger stuff, out for a walk, getting to know new lands, exploring for just the sake of exploring. When he happened on a battle, a big one. He sees soldiers defending their homes from invaders, and while he doesn't really know who is who, he knows he won't be able to leave the area easily with a fight either. Then he recognizes demons. It only takes him afew moments before both his blades are out in his hands, and he's charging in at a rear flank of the demon horde. He's studied them extensively, ancient tomes, research with mages, and especially, actual combat. He makes no attempts at hiding himself, or sneaking up on them. He knows they can SENSE him. ALL supernatural beings within half a mile of him can sense him, so stealth is irrelevant for him.'

'Afew demons turn towards him as he approaches, at EXTREMELY high speeds, but before a single one of them can raise a weapon to strike, he's within their ranks. A whirlwind of flashing death, every strike accompanied by a pained demonic scream as his blades cut the life out of his targets, at the same time blasting them with lightning, the twitching bodies hitting the ground. He's fast, agile, and precise, each swing of his weapons is fluid, graceful, and swift, each motion bringing death to another demon. He works his way towards the gates as quickly as he can, hoping to join the forces defending the town. At least that way he can get a meal and some sleep before having to try leaving in the morning.'

'Imowen, his companion hawk, has already done so, flying quick and high above the town and swooping in a long low angle dive to come in as non-threateningly as she can. She's a wise bird, with orders from her master to seek out the leaders of this place. Orders she follows to the best of her ability. She knows from his thoughts that they should be up high somewhere, sheltered and shielded, and likely either in a uniform of some sort or in finery. The bird lands up on one of the inner walls, searching for such a person. She, thanks to good fortune, ends up only afew yards from Moridanu.'

[Moridanu]

*Moridanu cursed herself for being this weak in front of her troops, as Crowe appeared by her side, helping her to stand as he gently pulled her back and away from the front line. Calling the troops to fall in and return to their leader, Moridanu winced as she tried to stand up to her full height, no sign of pain on her regal features. But her efforts were pointless as her pain and fatigue were clear to anyone who chose to look at her.

Moridanu stumbled, leaning heavily on Crowe to help her stand as Sekhem landed before her. Nodding at his words, she sighed in relief to hear that the aerial support had arrived and were in position. Finally it looked like the wave of war was turning in their favour. Her relief faltered however, when she noticed that Sekhem seemed to be having some sort of seizure standing in front of her. Turning to look at Crowe worriedly, he gave her his usual reassuring grin before telling her that he had to depart to run some kind of errand and that she needed to stand strong for the sake of the men.

She had just enough time to gasp ~Now??~ before he turned and walked away from her, disappearing into the group of soldiers who had now fallen back to gather themselves in a protective fortress around their Queen. Using all of her strength, Moridanu now stood unaided by Crowe, though she ached for his support. As she opened up her mind and heart to allow her essence to travel partly with him so that they would remain connected, she became aware of ODK’s presence nearby. Calling out to him with her mind, she hoped that he would hear her and come to her aid. She did not know how much longer she could stand, let alone fight and was beginning to doubt her own strength when she felt Crowes courage and strength shining out her from beyond her nearest row of soldiers. Just as a flaming arrow shot up overhead, Crowe returned to her side and she smiled gratefully as she sagged beside him just as he arrived to support her. She was vaguely aware of him taking control of the troops, and her eyes closed as she began to fall to the ground. Her feet still clung to the earth beneath her though, and she struggled to remain upright and awake. Having manoeuvred the troops into a more successful battle mode, Crowe was once again at her side, lending her his strength and she leant on him gratefully as her eyes rolled back and she leant her head backwards, resting on his shoulder as she gazed up at the sky above her.

She could see Mitredaur up there, circling about and waiting for the best approach to attack Lucien, as well as Sekhems aerial troops. A small spec was also visible however, and as she watched, Moridanu saw the form of a hawk slowly take shape. The hawk flew down and landed a few yards from her, and Moridanu smiled softly to herself before her eyelids fluttered and she sank into unconsciousness, the invocation she had just performed proving too much for her body to bare. *

[sabis]

'The blood does not merely flow from mounting hordes of demons he has slain, it runs freely, like a river, across their numbers. Every motion he has made has resulted in a kill, but this flank is starting to crumble as they wisen enough to know he is not going to be stopped by their number. He is a warrior of great power and skill, combined with extensive training in how to battle these creatures, he is almost unstoppable before them. However, the ogre-like fiend that steps up to challenge him after the smaller demons flee, is another story.

'This is one huge monstrosity, a good 15 feet tall, with a club to match. While the ranger's speed and agility are probably plenty enough to let him do battle with this one, he looks around and realises he has not the time to do so. The creature swings once, twice, three times at him, all overhead slaps straight at him, easily dodged. But Sabis continues, baiting him, knowing the dull-witted creature will eventually swing sidelong or in an uppercut if he presents it the chance to do so.

'But he does also underestimate this one's stupid nature. It takes it nearly a full five mninutes of such dancework before the thing does as he wishes, and with a great heave the beast swings in a long, hard upward-angled shot. His grin shadowed by his hood, the ranger makes a high leap, sheathing his blades as he goes. As the club comes in, he tucks his legs, then thrusts out hard, kicking off the already fast-moving club to send him shooting back towards the wall. He spins slightly so he can get a better landing, hopefully near the gate, when he realises just how hard the swing was, and that landing in front of the wall is not an option.

'While still airborne, he reaches into his belt pouches, gathering some small tools including some thin silken rope and a collapsable grappling hook. He twirls it only two full circles before throwing it right at the wall, the hook catching right at the top as he sails over the wall, the rope pulling his momentum back towards it. He lets go before he smacks into the wall's inner side, then hops back onto the rope and scrambles to the top, finding himself almost right on top of the woman Imowen showed him an image of, his bird flying right over to his shoulder as he appears.'

Hmm, well it seems we've chosen a side. Imowen, recon, upper altitudes. I'll take care of things here. 'She squawks at him and refuses to fly off, which he thought she'd do anyway. He starts looking around to check for other people close by, while digging out some dried herbs from among his pouches and pockets, crushing them togethor in his hands and sprinkling them over Mori's face, trying to wake her.'

[Gwydion Shadowbane]

Gwydion's arrival was like a miniature sun cresting the horizon. The light of the Sun Herself brought noon-day brightness to the sky above the city of Bendelsain, a solar effigy rising high above that swept darkness from the land for a hundred miles. The holy light of Solanasia radiated from a figure soaring across the heavens like a comet, blazing with the full fury of his patron's physical avatar. Gwydion's flesh was white hot fire, his hair and eyes blazed golden, and massive wings of gold fire held him aloft. Gazing upon him was like staring into the mid-day sky.

Gwydion's eyes fell upon the scene playing out before him on the stage of the land. Far below, war fought in darkness was suddenly thrust into clarity: two great armies clashing like mighty waves of white and black, beating against one another, mingling and collapsing, ebbing away, then building to clash once more. Across the city, across the sky, and the lands beyond the walls, the primordial forces of good and evil struggled for dominance.

Gwydion could feel the war below batted his senses fiercely. The urge to protect the innocent and valorous people below him screamed out inside him in a duet with the righteous fury incited by the presence of the demonic and the undead. Gwydion was still a paladin at heart, with or without the blasted Church, blessed by His goddess to do war upon Her enemies and bring Light into the Darkness. This is why he was chosen. He fought to shut out the screaming as he focused his senses on the pull of the talisman that held a shard of his soul. The girl Arianwen had found her way into peril, and he could faintly sense her status through the link the talisman had created between them. Gwydion could almost see the invisible tie tracing down into the city below, in the area of the Dancing Devil Inn, where Gwydion had first met Arianwen.

Gwydion Shadowbane tucked his wings and descended into the clouds of war, passing through clouds of winged beings and flying creatures battling across the skies above the war raging in Bendelsain. Creatures of Darkness cowered at his approach, and those that did not flee as soon as his light touched their flesh were left incinerated in his wake by the purifying flames of the Sun. Corpses of demon-things rained from the sky, bodies blackened and wings aflame, plummeting to the earth and crashing down into the ranks of wicked creatures below. He stopped to battle none, for only the mightiest of Evils could stand before him as he traveled.

And he came nearer to land-fall, his mighty wings snapped open wide to slow his approach as he watched the ranks of evil creatures nearby ignite or flee, or both, seeking to escape the horrible, cleansing light. As the last enemy within a block was dead or gone, the radiant aura that illuminated the land vanished like a match blown out. Gwydion could not maintain the intense flame as he neared ground-level without risking the combustion or destruction of people, buildings, and scenery alike. The golden-flame wings remained, but the blaze was now simply a brilliant bonfire rather than the light of the Sun. Gwydion himself was revealed, half-armored and clutching a burning brand of white flame in his fist, descending on gold flame wings like an avenging angel sent to bring retribution.

As he came within 10 feet of the ground, the wings snapped open once more in a swooping stall that dropped Gwydion neatly upon his feet as the wings spread wide and vanished. Gwydion followed the tugging in his soul. He would find the girl Arianwen, or he would smite this demon army, in whatever order those events presented themselves. He set off at a run toward the Dancing Devil.

[The Demon Auditor]

In a passing flight of boredom, he turned away from Elyza, and swung his sword in a broad, lazy arc, slicing a few passing orcs in half at the gut. But, he could feel something was wrong, the vast power of Moridanu was retreating back into herself. Was she preparing another attack? He could just barely see her and Crowe through the massive crowd of soldiers and "demons." He didn't offer Elyza so much as another glance as he wandered off, confident she'd show up again sometime, either having fled the battle out of cowardice, or rescued by her lord.

The Demon Auditor wandered through the fighting as if on an afternoon stroll, lazily swinging his black broadsword left and right to brush off flies. The more enemies he killed, the more his sword began to "glow" with darkness. Every lazy arc into the torso or helm of another orc was followed with a trail of pure black.

But, then his fun was ruined as the shadows around his sword simply vanished. Marching right in front of him came the shining paladins, swinging their maces at the fleeing horde. He frowned and stepped off to a side alley, quickly thinking of the quickest way to get to Mori. The last thing he wanted was to get mixed up with the enemy trying to approach the line.

As he started making his way through the buildings to get around the front line, the sky lit up above him as if it were suddenly noon. Squinting at the flaming star burning overhead, he realized it wasn't the sun after all, and rolled his eyes. He kept moving, muttering under his breath, "Showoff."

Finally around the front lines, he made his way to Mori and Crowe. He saw through the guards in his way a stranger shoving herbs in Mori's face, and what looked like Sehkem about to go berserk, and quickly brushed past the soldiers who barely had a chance to react. He hardly noticed the shadows around his body swirling moodily and fading as the brilliant "sunlight" from Gwydion died down.

He stepped in next to Mori's unconscious form slumped on Crowe's shoulder, and looked to him, getting right to the point, "What's happened?" He gave a sharp look to Sabis and Sehkem, waiting to see what they would do next.

[Moridanu]

*It was all lost on Moridanu. The brilliant light of the Paladins, the illuminating brilliance of Gwydion, the apparent coming seizure of Sekhem, even the arrival of the hawk that stood mere feet away from her as though on sentry duty, were all hidden by the dark veil of nothingness that had washed over her the minute she had lost consciousness. Her nostrils quivered as a strange scent reached them, and as the healing properties of the herbs that Sabis had crushed together were slowly breathed into her system, Moridanu’s eyelids fluttered though she did not wake.

She was aware of those around her, of Crowes strength beside her in battle, just as it had always been. She recognised Sekhems aerial power and abilities, even without seeing his face, yet she was also aware of two new beings in her presence, three if she counted the hawk. Being as close to the sun and the moon as she was, Moridanu was immediately in tune with Gwydion, and the sense of brilliant power he represented. She turned her head roughly in his direction as her lips moved but no sound came out, and her head fell down defeated once more. Sabis’ herbs however refused to let her succumb to the darkness, and as she struggled to regain consciousness, she reached out to this newcomer ranger with any scraps of her mental powers that she may still possess. Sensing a neutral heart but one that had already chosen to align himself with her cause, Moridanu’s lips fluttered into a soft smile, before they grimaced with pain as a headache of epic proportions shattered her skull. Holding her head, she screamed as she regained consciousness, just as the Demon Auditor appeared by her side, concern for her safety etched all over his face.

With one eye squeezed shut in agony, she stared up at him with her one open green eye for a few moments, making sure that he really was here. With him beside her, and Crowe on her other side, Moridanu drew on the strength of the two men she loved more than anything in the world so that she was finally able to stand unaided on her own. After a few moments to compose herself, Moridanu wrapped both arms around her lovers neck as she kissed him on the cheek. Her breath was warm and moist in his ear.

~M’love… let us never part again…. Forgive me for m’words.. I twas hurt..~ Realising that now was neither the time or the place for such a reunion, Moridanu whispered ~We shall finish this later..~ as she reluctantly let go of the Demon Auditor and turned to offer Crowe one of her dazzling smiles.

~I shall b’alright for a moment now Crowe.. go.. reform t’battle lines. We must hold fast if we are t’turn t’tide in our favour..~

Hesitantly, as though she fear she might fall again, Moridanu took first one and then another step towards Sabis. Smiling at him, she held out her hand in greeting.

~I d’not know why ye chose to fight for our side, kind stranger, but I thank the Gods for sending ye our way.. ~ she curtsied in front of him. ~T’name be Moridanu Darkflame and I be afraid that all this war.. all this bloodshed and death.. is all because of me ..~ she grimaced as she glared out at the wave of demons that still raged against her troops. ~But, there will be time for a history lesson later I hope.. tell me, how do ye think ye will be best used in battle, sire?~

She looked up for Gwydion but found that he had already dashed off towards the Dancing Devil Inn. Wishing him the Goddess' speed, Moridanu focused her attention on this Ranger before her.*

[Catrux]

War raged around the man as he struggled with his inner demons, demons that weren't content being kept inside. The chaos that lay before him failed in comparison to the chaos within. Vision's of what the man had fought for flashed in front of his eye's, only this time they were bastardized, corrupted. The vision's were tainted so that instead of assisting his friends he turned on them. Cleaving through the lot with two Axes that striped the area around them of light. One by one his companions fell lifeless before him. No, this is wrong...No, this is how it should have been. Came a more malevolent version of his voice. And this is how it will be.

On the outside Sehkem seemed frozen in time. Many demon's attempted to take advantage of the man's situation, but found themselves unable to harm the comatose man. Some of the demons continued to try and attack the man to no avail, others returned their attention to the battle surrounding them. The largest demon of the group grew frustrated with its inability to harm the Vinyakin. In its frustration the demon hefted its mighty club over his head and brought it down with crushing force onto the man's head.

At the instant the club would have made contact with Sehkem's head, the Vinyakin dropped to his hands and knees. With labored breath Sehkem spoke simply. "Run." There was a distinct panic, and anger in the man's voice. He had hoped that his companions would head his warning. Searing pain spread across the man's spine and pressed toward his sternum. Unfazed by these events the demon brought down his club once more to Sehkem's head without harm. Now confused the demon paused to look at the man.

The pain became unbearable it now felt as though he was being torn apart. The mans right hands shot out to his sides clutching at the ground, pulling himself in opposite directions. Slowly his body gave way and split perfectly, but instead of two halves of his body there came two whole bodies. The one on the right had two black wings, the one on the left had two stark white wings. The one on the right rose to his feet first and surveyed the battle with his ebony eyes before spotting the one known as Gwydion. Smiling at the chaos and suffering around him the man spoke to no one in particular, "And death is all around," an obvious malevolence in his voice. With a mighty thrust of his jet black wings the man took off toward Gwydion.

The one with stark white wings was much slower in rising to his feet the man seemed horrified and angered by the death of the valorous. With his pure white eyes the man continued to survey the battle, getting his bearings when he noticed he was standing between Moridanu and Lucien. While he couldn't quite remember who each of them were, he could feel their energy and knew who he was to attack. Reaching for his weapons the man drew two long swords bathed in light, instead of Sehkem's usual scythes which were no where to be seen.

With a righteous Fury the man began cutting his path to Lucien through the demons. As his counterpart chased down Gwydion, both completely unaware of each others existance.

[sabis]

'Sabis stands, bowing his head when Mori introduces herself. Then, something that almost never happens, he pulls his hood back, revealing his face. He's handsome, lightly bearded, his face chiseled like a statue, he has the face of a man from centuries past, when all men were truly MEN, not when just warriors were. His eyes, blue, deep, almost swirling, like oceans, with a natural sparkle to them like sun hitting water at mid day. His hair is a light brown, shortened as best a man can on his own with a knife, and kept in check by a weathered and battered green cloth tied over the top of his head.'

'He speaks, his voice normally an oddball mixture of a variety of heavy accents, but he lets his cover vanish and his voice is an even, strong single Gaelic accent.' I am known just as Sabis, a ranger. I could go back out and join the brawl again if needed, but they won't stand and fight with me there, lessening my effectiveness. If you know of a good archery position, I can take that up with greater force then I could in close range with a blade.

'He thinks about many things at the moment. The battle tactics. WHat troops around the walls can do better. But largely, he wonders what they are thinking of him. He KNOWS everyone near him is supernatural in nature, and he knows they can sense him, feel his presence.'

[Nightspinner]

Daeryn ascended up the stairs, the inferno all around him. The air was barely bearable with the shield around him. Even so, even with the great chance of his demise in this inferno, Daeryn smiled. Death here or elsewhere, it matters not! His stride was even and his purpose strong. It was odd how Daeryn felt fear down those stairs moments before. Afterall, he was more of a friend to the elements than anyone else here. Being surrounded by the inferno only seem to make him feel more giddy. He felt the magic just beyond his finger tips, the power to bend the flames to his will, to gather them around and to spread. It wouldn't be complex, a few words of power, a few quick geastures. But deep within him, Daeryn knew it he shouldn't do it. Oh, right. I'am here to save people. Pity I suppose.

After a few minutes he reached to the topmost level. He could hardly hear the screams on the floor. The roar of the fire made it difficult to hear anything really, but it mattered not. Life mattered at the moment. "Lets start searching then..." He kept walking briskly around, looking into rooms, using magic to keep his shield up, using magic to clear paths through the fire. After the 4th room, he found a small child in the closet. A girl no older than 12. "Lets go child," He said briskly, scooping her up. Now he started to move faster, starting to feel it harder to breath, even in his own shield. The next room had 2 teenagers. Lovers by the looks of it, both holding onto eachother in a corner. At this point, the blaze was becoming strong enough to make Daeryn feel uneasy. "Lets go. He looked out the window of the room, noticing that the girl and the man with the fists were already down at the ground.

"Alright, you two, look down there and tell me what you see," Daeryn said, waiting for the lovers to bow and look down to the ground. As soon as they did so, he pushed them both out with a quick push of wind. They tumbled down, closer to the ground, drawing ever closer, but not falling. Rather, being carried by a wind. They still screamed the entire way down. Humans... He turned to the girl in his arms and gently, "Your next. Its just a ride, thats all." The girl nodded, though she looked frightened nonetheless. "Ready?" She gave a small nod. He held her out of the window, droping her on a wind that gently drifted her down to the rest of the group.

As the girl reached the ground, Daeryn got onto the window sill, ready to take a dive, when the fire behind rose up, hit his shield and him with enough force to send him flying through the air, whirling around like a rag doll. He was stunned, not knowing what happened as he sailed through the air. It was an odd feeling, like being totally weightless. As he fell, he managed to gain his thoughts to cast a spell to catch himself with his own wind. It slowed the fall, but not enough. He landed on his right foot, and shortly afterward, pain run up the leg. Broken. He thought as he fell to his hands, crying out at the pain.

[The Demon Auditor]

The Demon Auditor blinked in surprise as Mori suddenly flung her arms around him and breathed her soft words in his ear. He didn't mind the pressure of her lumpy armor on his bare chest or the flame-dried, sweat-soaked curls of her hair in his face. All his disenchantment with her was dried up in a second. (Though he had to think that was quite possibly the quickest breakup-and-makeup he'd ever been through.) He put his arms around her for the quick moment they had together on the battlefield in front of everyone, and kissed her neck.

Letting her go as she pulled back, he simply nodded at her, and resumed his "game face." ((Shuddap. He's a sucker for the ladies. ))

He nodded in greeting to Sabis when he introduced himself, and then looked over the man's shoulder as Sehkem's split personality finally went their separate ways. "Well there's a bit a luck, some lunatics are finally heading away from us!"

Letting Sabis give Mori his thoughts, Demon Auditor finally spoke up again, "I hate to point out the obvious, but the fire in the city is spreading fast, and it won't be long before it reaches the city walls. Those timbers will likely catch ablaze from the unnatural fires and surround the city in a ring of flame, trapping us in here with that portal spawning Lucien's army. I don't know what you had planned, Crowe, but I think we need to either find a way to stop the fires, close the portal before we're neck-deep in orcs, or both."

[sabis]

Then I shall take that position then. A ranger I am, and while my druidic prowess may not be as great as I would like, a little rain storm should be plenty enough when augmented by some of my other magic to wash the flame away. Get some troops working on dousing it with buckets, it will take me afew minutes to conjure water of the sky.

'With that he strides further back, more towards the inside of the city while maintaing a high position. He mainaly wanted to be less noticeable from the OTHER side of the wall as he begins his chanting, summoning forth all his strength to channel a spell a minor druid could summon almost instantly, but as a ranger it takes abit more oomph to bring out. But Oomph he provides, his blue eyes starting to burn with power, and not a power from nature, nor from the vaults of the arcane. Demonic is out too, and divine caster he is not. He throws his arms up in the air as the clouds thicken, gathering their strength at his call so he can bring forth the rain.'

[Gwydion Shadowbane]

((obligatory combat post))

Gwydion didn't make it 50 yards down the street before he was surrounded. They came from dark alleys and side streets, bearing wicked black-iron blades and licking broken and razor-sharp teeth with oozing purple tongues. Firelight shown on leathery hides and sickly yellow eyes, patchwork armor and matted fur. These minions of Evil charged forth gnashing and slavering, eager to savor his flesh. Gwydion's goodness shone forth to the creatures of Darkness like a flame that inexorably draws insects in the night.

The ex-paladin slid to a halt, and raised the burning brand clutched in his fist. Its light flared, a shaft of pure white flame spawned from the might of his Goddess within his soul.

The creatures came from all sides, maddened by his presence, thick saliva falling from massive jaws spread wide. Gwydion waited until the beasts were within 10 feet, then lept forward, spinning as the momentum of his jump carried him forward. As he landed he ducked low, blade lashing out low. A shimmering half-circle plane of white flame trailed behind the brand as it struck through the legs of three orcs, the blade so hot that the wounds cauterized before their vile humors could spray out upon the street. The beasts toppled over, their bodies falling back as their legs fell forward. At the same time, Gwydion's foot swept out beside and behind him, surprising two more monsters and setting them abruptly onto their backsides as their feet were carried out from beneath them. From his crouch he lept high, bringing the flaming blade in an upward swing that bisected another enemy, sending its head and arm spinning crazily above the crowd of monsters. Gwydion's foot came down upon the remaining shoulder of the monster, propelling him over the body and past the crowd of enemies.

Gwydion came to ground facing the rest of the horde. The air was filled with the sickening smell of burned flesh and The demonic beasts climbed over the bodies of their dead to charge him, howling in fury. The lead beast raised its axe high and lept. Gwydion almost casually slapped the blade aside with his gauntleted hand as his flaming sword swept upward, splitting the monster from crotch to crown. The pieces separated as they traveled, a piece flying to either side of him as he stood impassively waiting for the rest.

They came in a rush, and Gwydion's white-flame blade flashed out, creating bright tracers through the night air. It hissed as it effortlessly passed through vile flesh, severing life from wicked viscera with quick, precise motions. As quickly as the attack had begun, it was over.

Gwydion stood, panting and sweating, blade raised high above his head, casting light about him in a 20-foot circle around him. He lowered the burning brand and stood catching his breath, reorienting himself with the direction he was headed. As he prepared to set off, he felt a sensation that could only be described as sickness in the air. It came to him from the direction he had come, past the bodies of the enemies he stood in victory over. Gwydion knew it was the presence of great evil that caused such, and his heart sank. He turned and scanned the street, but no being showed itself to cause such a feeling. Whatever it was, it was approaching fast. Gwydion closed his eyes, opening himself to the feeling, sensing its approach. In all his life, never had he faced a being like this. The Champion of Solanasia made the sign of the Dawn with his hands, and whispered a prayer to his Goddess.