Neptune

She certainly looks like an interesting character.

Location: Village of Ryn’tur. Moved to Side Story: Show and Tell Location: Hermitage. When Lucius stood in almost the centre of the village, surrounded by the suffocating darkness, he wondered to himself just what was he doing? After finishing his meal, he had retired to his room while awaiting the night. He had tried to get some information from the other patrons of the tavern, but they were quite tight-lipped about it. Either they didn’t know anything about it, or they didn’t want to talk about it. If that was the case, then it had made Lucius even more curious as to what the mysterious creature was. The moment the sun had set, he had left the tavern and had been patrolling the streets. After several hours, nothing had stirred. The only sounds that accompanied the press of his own armoured boots on the path was the singing of the nocturnal insects. He was beginning to think that there was nothing wrong, when there was a sudden scream that pierced the air. His head snapped towards the direction and he ran towards it, darting between the wooden buildings. When he reached the source of the scream, he skidded to a stop as his single eye widened. The first thing he noticed was a grotesque creature. It looked vaguely humanoid, with two arms, legs, a torso and a head. But that was about as close as the resemblance got. It was skinny, looking almost emaciated. The skin was a dark blue, and seemed to almost hang off of the muscles with a scabbed, almost sickly appearance to it. It seemed to have a hunched back, causing it to seem to bend over towards as it shuffled. The arms were longer than what one would expect on a human, as it seemed to be using them to help it move around. The face was one of the most ugly things Lucius had ever seen. The back of his head seemed rather human-like, with the back of the skull that had lank patches of hair. But its face was elongated with a canine look to it. Its eyes were large and black in colour, glittering a little in the light of the torches. It had a muzzle with sharp teeth that drooled saliva. The second thing he noticed, was that it was hunched over the body of a dead woman as it tore out shreds of quivering flesh from her. The sight made Lucius almost lose his evening meal, but he clenched his teeth to stop himself from losing his nerve. The creature had yet to spot him, so he had the element of surprise. Moving as silently as he could, he moved closer to the creature as he pulled his sword from its sheath. However he got within a metre of the creature when its head sharply rose and turned towards him, the beady and blank eyes staring up at him. Lucius froze, knowing that the creature had spotted him and now had its sights on him. The creature snarled, a hair-raising sound. Now that he was closer, he could smell the stench of mould and rotting flesh that emanated from the vile monster. It seemed to toss the corpse of the woman aside, its attention now entirely fixed upon him. Lucius knew that it was about to attack at any moment, so he lunged forwards with a thrust of his sword. It shifted, trying to move out of the way of his attack. It was quicker than he had originally thought, but he was still able to hit it, although it was not as true as he had hoped. His blade slid through the putrid skin of its shoulders. It let out a howl of pain that caused him to flinch back a little. It lashed out with its sharp claws, aiming for his face. He brought his sword arm up, causing the claws to scrape against the metal of his armour resulting in a metallic screeching tone that set his teeth on edge. What he was not prepared for, though, was the fact that it pushed forwards into him, knocking him back. He stumbled, trying to gain his footing but the creature had overbalanced him to the point where he fell back onto the muddy footpath. It leapt on him, snapping and snarling. With a sense of panic, Lucius raised his sword to press the flat of the blade against its neck, blocking the creature from being able to bite his face off. With each snap of its jaws brought a fresh wave of its foul stench that made his stomach churn in protest. He brought his leg up, grunting as he used his foot to push the disgusting creature off of him. It stumbled back, giving him enough time to get to his feet and move towards to attack again. He swung his sword but it was able to dance to the side where it jumped at him again, its claws outstretched. He wasn’t able to move out of the way in time as it jumped on him, once again pinning him to the floor. Its claws ripped at his armour and he hissed in pain as its claws slipped between the buckles and sank into the flesh on his left side. He tried to push it off with his foot again, but it seemed to wise up to his tricks and it seemed to contemptuously brush his leg off away from it. As it seemed to rear back to bite at his face, Lucius gripped his sword tighter and wildly lashed out at the creature. With him being pinned underneath it, he didn’t expect to be able to do much. But to his surprise, the blade sank into its chest, forcing it to let out a howl of agony as its eyes flashed with fury. Almost idly, Lucius noticed that the creature was not bleeding from its two wounds, despite the second of them being quite severe. The creature had been so infuriated with Lucius that its head snapped forwards and sank into his right shoulder. The metal cracked under the pressure of its jaw, causing the teeth and pieces of metal to be driven into his shoulder. Lucius let out his own pained cry as a wave of agony pulsed through him from his shoulder. He tried to once again shove the creature off but the pain proved to be too much for him and he was able to do nothing more than weakly push at it. He tried to drive his sword into it once again, but it seemed to shrug off his attack with no trouble at all, and he was beginning to wonder if he was going to end up like one of its many victims. The creature seemed to sense his doubt and hissed in delight. It launched for his throat, but he raised his sword and smashed the pommel into the side of its head. The creature shrieked as it rolled to the side and off of him, allowing him to be able to climb to his feet. The moment he was standing straight, the creature turned on him, its dark eyes flashing with hate and hunger. It jumped at him, but he gripped the handle of his sword in both hands, ignoring the searing pain from his shoulder and raised his sword. For a moment, his mind went completely calm as he watched the creature getting near him. He waited until it was close enough before he stepped to the side, swinging the blade with all of his might. There was the sound of tearing flesh before the body of the creature dropped to the floor at his feet, lifeless, as its head rolled off several feet before coming to a stop, the black eyes staring blankly up into the sky. There was complete silence for several long minutes before the aches and pains let themselves clear to Lucius. He groaned a little, closing his single eye as he leaned against the wall of the nearest building as his shoulder throbbed painfully with each beat of his heart. He needed to get it seen to, but he couldn’t find the strength to move just yet. He couldn’t even be bothered to slide the sword back into its sheath. He felt as if he could sleep for days.

Warning: This Side Story will contain scenes of a graphic nature. This includes, but is not limited to, Heterosexual sex, dress up, seduction. If you find either of these themes distasteful, then please do not read. Participants: Rowan and Natia Description: Upon reaching Ryn'tur, Rowan and Natia visited Glenda's shop, where Natia bought a surprise for Rowan, despite encountering a problem with a slave owner. They went to the local inn, sat down and had a meal before Natia requested to go to their private room. -x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Rowan remained patiently waiting as Natia seemed to stare blankly up at him. The corner of his lips twitched a little, finding it very endearing. It made him want to draw her into his arms and to kiss those perfect little lips of hers. But he resisted the urge and contented himself with waiting to see what she wanted. When she demanded that he turn around and cover his eyes, he raised an eyebrow at her, “This again?” He asked, his tone light and teasing. He could see that she was looking rather nervous and he hoped his rather lighthearted tone helped put her at ease. He gave her an encouraging smile before he turned around so that he was no longer looking at him. He then reached up and covered his eyes with his hands to ensure that he wasn’t able to peak, even if he was facing her. That said, that didn’t stop his ears to twitch a little as he listened out for her movements. It was cheating a little, since he could hear very well, but he was curious as to what she was wanting to show him. The only thing he could think of, was what she had bought from Glenda’s, but he had not expected her to show him that so soon. He was certainly curious to know what she had gotten, and how she would look in it. Admittedly, he was rather excited, and found himself waiting rather impatiently for her to get changed. One thing was for sure, though, she was undoubtedly going to make it hard for him to leave that evening to look into her potential friend. If she looked anywhere near how she looked in his imagination, it was going to be hard not to spend all night fucking her into the bed. He also had to make a mental note to not break the bed in the process, either.

Rose felt her body tense up even more as Anhara climbed up onto the bed along with her, her body pressing in a little too close for her comfort. It was with relief when she felt the release of tension in the rope, allowing her to be able to move her hands and arms. She could feel more blood rushing into the extremities, making them tingle and smart. Rose sucked in a breath for a moment before she twitched her fingers, clenching them into a fist before allowing them to fall open again. She then brought her hands around her body, rubbing the slightly reddened wrist as she tried to massage feeling back into them, trying her very best to ignore the other girl in the room with her. But of course, that was an impossible task as Anhara’s voice brought her out of her own private little world. She looked up and over at the girl as she asked her question. She froze for a moment before slowly turning her eyes back to the rest of the room. She actively avoided looking at the more raunchy toys, as she really didn’t feel comfortable looking at them. They made her flush a little, as she had never even seen toys like that. Instead, she looked over at the stuffed toys and dolls. She studied them for several long moments before pointing at an innocent looking blonde doll, “That one…” She said in a quiet voice. She really wasn’t sure if that was an acceptable answer, but it was one of the nicer looking dolls that Anhara had in her collection. And it certainly didn’t look too disgusting like the… other kinds of toys. She just hoped there wasn’t something hidden about the doll.

Location: Sapphire Mantle Hotel and Spa (Luxury Hotel); Early morning Kaylaen continued to hold her for several long minutes, allowing her to get herself under some measure of control. He had no idea what had happened to her in the past week, but clearly she had been through some bullshit to almost break down in front of what was basically a stranger to her. He doubted that she remembered much about the night before, so her only sobre interaction with him was waking up next to him in a hotel bed, with her stuff missing. At least they had one thing in common; they had both been robbed by the same people. Although he wasn’t happy about that. He resisted the urge to sigh as his head throbbed painfully. After holding her for several minutes, he pulled away and smiled down at her as he squeezed the flawless skin of her arms. He caused him to have to resist touching her more, as he became consciously aware that she was only wrapped in a towel. A little awkwardly, he cleared his throat before he stepped back a little, training his eyes on her face to avoid his eyes roaming where they shouldn’t be, “You should get dressed. The sooner we get this out of the way, the sooner we can leave.” He said, suddenly looking away and looking down at the pile of rather tatty clothing. He frowned a little, as he knew he didn’t have much in the way of feminine clothing at home as he had given most of his mother’s clothing possessions away. He supposed he could see if there were any of his clothes that she could wear, and that only made him wonder what she would look like. If she would look sexy in his clothing, walking about his flat. “Er- I’m going to leave you to dress. I want to… wash my face, and go to the toilet.” Kaylaen said, hoping to get those thoughts from his head. It was the most inappropriate time for these kinds of thoughts, especially with how upset and vulnerable she seemed to be. He just hoped that she was fully dressed by the time he came out. He moved around her and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him as he did so. As he relieved himself, he cursed his scumbag brain for doing this to him. It had a habit of these kinds of thoughts when it really shouldn’t. It made him feel like a damn asshole. He shook his head to try and rid himself of his thoughts as he moved over to the sink to wash his hands before he took several minutes to wash his face with cold water. It did nothing for his headache, but it did make him feel a little better. He rubbed his fingers along his jawline, frowning when he felt some prickly stubble. He was going to need to shave later, as he was not planning on growing a beard anytime soon. He pulled away from the mirror, not really wanting to look at his rather scruffy reflection, and reached for the other fresh towel. He used it to dry his face, before putting it on the rack again. He closed his eyes to compose himself before he opened the bathroom door and stepped out, “Ready?” He asked.

Absolutely ^^ I will post one up when I next do a post run.

Location: Village of Ryn’tur. When the door opened and the two strangers walked in, Rowan’s golden eyes were immediately upon them, analysing them. He eyed the woman up and down, noting her unusual attire, not commonly seen especially in villages like this. He noted that the man’s arm around her seemed almost possessive. He also noted that the man was also a little too well dressed. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, as they had certainly drawn his attention, although it wasn’t obvious that he was watching them as his eyes appeared to be glued to his plate as he was soaking up the last of the juices from his plate with his last piece of bread. When he swallowed the last bite, he felt Natia’s much smaller hand on his own and he finally gave her his full attention. He smiled at her happy and excited statement, glad to see her so relaxed. She was much more beautiful when she was relaxed and happy. His ear twitched a little with interest as she seemed to start saying something, but grew embarrassed as she looked away and seemed to have trouble getting out what she wanted. From what she was saying, he gathered that she wanted him to do something with her, but was too timid to really ask. He smiled, lifting the hand still griping his own and giving it a tender kiss, “Of course, my little Lily.” He told her, lowering his hand as the waitress approached their table for their clean plates. As she was doing this, Rowan asked, “Are there any rooms available?” “That there are, sir. Six coppa’s a night.” She replied as she piled Natia’s plate on his own with the empty bread basket on top. “I would like a room, plus the use of your bathing facilities.” Rowan requested. “That will be an extra two coppa’s.” She said as she finally looked at him. With his free hand, Rowan dipped into his pocket and blindly pulled out either copper pieces that he handed her. She took it, slipping it into her apron pocket, and said, “Last room on the right. I’ll let ye know when the wa’er is hot.” She picked up the plates and walked off. Rowan then looked at Natia and smiled, “Come on, love.” He said, before getting up. He didn’t let go of her hand, thus helping her up off of her seat. He then lead the way over to the stairs. He gave the room one last look, noting anyone that watched them or seemed out of place, before he lead her up the stairs and along the corridor to the last room on right. When they entered, it was better furnished than what Rowan was expecting. There was a double bed, filled rather thickly to make it more comfortable. There was a thick woolen cover along with two pillows. He closed the door before he looked over at Natia with a slight curve to the corners of his lips, “Now what was it you wanted to ask?”

“With my sense of logic, where I can keep an eye on it.” Daedrin responded to Izanagi’s first question with a dry and sarcastic tone. He looked over at his friend with a slightly raised eyebrow when Izanagi said that he would not go easy on him, and expected the same in return. Daedrin merely nodded back at him, knowing that otherwise words were not necessary. He would have found it rather insulting if Izanagi had decided to go easy on him. If that were the case, then Daedrin would soundly beat him to show him that Daedrin was not one to be patronised like that. He would have certainly lost respect for his friend in that situation. As Izanagi drew their attention back towards the Crawler, Daedrin’s eyes looked towards it as well, staring at the corpse. He didn’t say anything, letting his friend verbally move through his thoughts as he considered the best way to deal with it. When the solution came, Daedrin watched with bemusement as Izanagi grabbed it, swung it around before throwing the large beast over the trees. He stared at his friend who came back and casually asked who would take the first watch. Daedrin was silent for a few long moments before he suddenly huffed out with laughter, “Well. I can’t say that I saw that one coming.” He said, eyes still staring off to where the carcass had been thrown. He then turned to look towards Izanagi, “You can take first watch. You seem to still be full of energy-” His tone was deeply amused at this point as he glanced to where the monster had been thrown, before he continued, “-and I need to get some sleep. So I’ll leave you to keep watch.” Without waiting for an answer, Daedrin turned around and walked off with only a hint of a limp. He reached his bedroll and got himself comfortable within it. He tossed and turned for a few moments until he had managed to find a position that was even remotely comfortable. It wasn’t long before his eyes closed and his breathing eased out to indicate that he was deeply asleep.

Location: Sapphire Mantle Hotel and Spa (Luxury Hotel); Early morning Kaylaen sighed and ran his fingers through his hair when she questioned the usefulness of talking to the police. Unfortunately, it wasn’t entirely for their benefit. It was for the benefit of the Hotel. If they decided to try and avoid the police when they came, which was going to be impossible, they would look like the criminals instead of being a victim of a crime. He then paused when she said that her age was nineteen, and she seemed to be under the impression that one had to be twenty-one to purchase alcohol. He stared at her blankly for a few moments before he smiled a little and shook his head, “Well it’s a good thing you don’t need to lie. The legal age to buy alcohol is eighteen, not twenty-one. So you’re well within age.” He assured her before he approached her and tried to comfort her by putting his hands on her shoulders in a firm, but gentle grip. He looked her in the eyes and said, “Just let me do the talking, okay? You’ve done nothing wrong. You have no need to worry. We’re in this boat together, and I’m not going to let you overboard, alright? I know it’s unlikely that the police will catch those two, especially if they’re long gone. But you never know. The last thing we want is for the hotel to pin this crime on us two.” He looked her in the eyes for a few moments longer before he drew her to him and hugged her again, rubbing his hand along her back. Honestly, all he really wanted to do was get out of here, get some good breakfast and head home for some more sleep. He had no work today, so he was free to do that. He just had to get over the hurdle of talking to the police which he hoped wouldn’t take that long. Location: Thorndown University Campus Evelyn sympathised with Brighton when he spoke of his dashed dreams. It made her even more curious about his eye and how he had lost it, but felt that it would be extremely rude to ask so early in their conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was drive such an interesting man away. So she continued to listen as she sipped her hot chocolate, savouring the hot, creamy liquid. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her server friend Maria eyeing the two with an inquisitive look, but Evelyn aloofly ignored her. Maria could draw all the conclusions she wanted; Evelyn was just enjoying a conversation with someone. And if that someone happened to be interesting, and handsome, then that was just a bonus. She lowered her cup again when he said that he was studying for Ashaea’s version of the BAR exam. She gave him a faintly puzzled look before saying, “I have no idea what this BAR exam is, but I assume it’s something to do with being a lawyer? Whatever it is, I wish you luck with it.” She gave him a faint grin. She had gleamed one piece of information from him; he lived in an apartment. Going on that information, she said, “I don’t have my own place. Not really. Technically, I still live with my parents especially now that it’s the Winter Holidays. I’m waiting to finish University before getting myself a place. I do have a student accomodation here. It’s in one of the shared dorms, though. So I share the kitchen and living room. Otherwise, I get my own bedroom and en-suite bathroom… which is so cramped it’s about the size of a cupboard. And not the nice walk-in wardrobes, either.” Her grin widened at him.

Location: The Wet Holes, Down Below, Andromeda One, Churchill's Legacy, Andromeda Galaxy. Kalnarr watched as the woman looked down, averting her gaze. Rex glanced from the Zeta to the woman again who seemed to almost deflate at Kalnarr’s words. He looked over at the bartender and accused, “Always making the pretty ladies cry.” Kalnarr shrugged, although his eyes had not left the young women. He could almost hear the cogs turning in her head before she looked back up and into his eyes. People very rarely looked him in the eye like that, and he admired her for it. His movements stilled as her hand came down and slammed on the table. Rex himself jumped, not expecting how loud it had been, “Bloody hell!” He exclaimed as other patrons in the bar turned their heads to see what the noise was about but Kalnarr ignored them as he listened to her offer. When she turned back to Rex, he was staring at her with open admiration, “Alright then… Let’s see how you do…” He looked over at Kalnarr, “You got a holodeck free? I’ll pay for her to use it.” “Aye. We’ve got some holodecks free.” Kalnarr said, accepting the credit chit that was practically thrown over the counter. He pressed it against the register before handing it back before he turned to look at a member of minor bar staff, “Jen’starr should be back soon. Man the bar until I get back.” The person nodded as the Zeta turned back to the woman, “Alright, you’ve got the horns for it. I’ll let you prove yourself. My name is Kalnarr, or Kal’taour as would be more fitting. What’s your name?” He asked. Rex lifted his glass and downed its contents, as he wasn’t going to miss this entertainment just for making his drink last longer. He then turned his eyes towards the woman, curious to know who this woman was to have the balls to stand up to a Zeta after he had stripped her down. He knew it was something that Kalnarr, and most Zeta’s for that matter, respected in people.

The purring of Anhara’s voice made Rose freeze as she felt the hair in the back of her neck rise in terror. She really didn’t like it when the other girl spoke like that. It made Rose think that there was some kind of ulterior motive behind her words and it made her regret ever asking for the rope to be taken off. She refused to lift her eyes and look Anahra in the face, but at the same time she didn’t want to look at the disgusting toys and images that were littered around the room. She did glance up at the girl when she made the provision that she had to sit on the bed. Rose looked over at the well made bed, wondering how such an innocent piece of furniture looked so forbidding to her. She knew that the bed itself would never do anything to her, but it was the owner of the bed that she so disliked. She gulped, her throat jerking a little with the movement before she quietly said, “Okay…” She stepped up to the bed before pausing a little. Due to how thick it was, it came up quite high on her thigh due to her smaller height. She turned and sat down on the very edge before having to wriggle her way up so that she was sitting on the bed. Her feet were now hovering over the floor, making her feel even smaller than before. She glanced over at Anhara before quickly averting her eyes once again, moving them so that she was staring at her thighs.

Location: Thorndown University Campus When he stated that it had been a long day, she smiled in sympathy with him. She often had days like that, where she worked to the point where she dropped onto her bed and fell asleep instantly. She was lucky to have the free time she did right now, and instead of spending it alone, she was eagerly spending it with this complete stranger. Her long, slender fingers tapped a little on her cup, only ghosting across it as it was too hot to keep a constant grip on it. She leaned forwards a little, her interest in what he had to say regarding where he came from showing in the interested glint in her eyes. She had never met someone from one of the Southern states of the United States. Most of the students around here were from the Northern areas, either people with very rich parents or a scholarship that allowed them entrance. Competition to get into the university was extremely tough, but Thorndown did put more priority on the local schools. Foreign students often had to pay a large amount of money, or be exceptionally gifted in order to get into the University due to the sheer amount of competition there was. She smiled when he said that he had come here for a new adventure. Considering that Ashaea was even younger than the United States, it was viewed by most of the world as a rather baby country. Despite that, though, they were as rich and as developed as any of the Western Countries. People often felt that it was a new and exciting place to come and settle. “Oh, I don’t really have anything nearly as exciting as you to say.” Evelyn said with a grin, “I was born here. My Grandparents moved here in the Second World War, before the country properly formed because my Grandpa was part of the British army and his wife followed him here to work in the ammunition factories. My Dad runs his own computer repair business and my mother works as a chef in a popular restaurant. I grew up in this city and I’m unlikely to ever leave it.” She put the spoon down on the saucer with a faint clink before taking a sip of her drink. When she put it down again, she asked, “How are you finding things here?”

Location: Thorndown University Campus When he looked up at her, giving her a rather inquisitive look she almost expected him to tell her to go away. But he answered her question, explaining that he was only a student in the sense that he was new to Ashaea and he needed to learn the ordinances and practices of the country. This immediately made her even more curious to know where he had come from. Now that she could hear him even clearer, she noticed that he didn’t have an accent that was typical to Ashaea. It tended to be similar to British, with a slight American twang to it. She didn’t recognise his accent. She had seen a fair number of foreign students at the university, but no one with his particular accent. He surprised her even further by inviting her to come and sit with him. It was an offer that caused her to give him a beaming smile, showing how happy she was with the conversation. It was a relief to be able to sit with someone and have a pleasant conversation than to head home and idle around for a few hours. She was quick to pick up her drink and turn around to place it on his table. She slipped into the chair opposite him, “Evelyn Thompson, it’s really nice to meet you.” She introduced herself in response to Brighton’s introduction, “I’m a Fashion Design student in my second year. I know, such a typical course. I wouldn’t bother chatting laws at me, it’s likely to go completely over my head.” She grinned a little as she twirled her spoon in her cup before she looked up at him with a curious glint in her eyes, “So you’re not from Ashaea? Where are you from?” She asked, hoping to gleam some more information about him. She lifted her cup and took a sip from it.

Location: Thorndown University Campus Evelyn looked up when there was a light breeze of cold air that swirled around her legs causing her to shiver a little. She looked up from her drink and looked over her shoulder to see a guy entering the café. She only looked at him for a moment before she turned away, looking back to her own drink. By now, the café was mostly full, and the chatter of the other people filled the room with a pleasant background noise. She had eaten her cream to the point where most of it was gone, and so she swirled her spoon into the liquid to mix the sweet scream in with the hot chocolate to make it sweeter. The marshmallows had melted completely, meaning that the drink was going to be just how she loved it. Sweet enough to rot her teeth. She lifted her cup and took a cautious sip, pleased to note that while it was still hot it wasn’t going to scold her tongue. She gently put the cup down on the table, before she heard Moira’s voice behind her, and a masculine voice responding. It was quite deep, but it was as smooth as chocolate. It was very pleasant and she found herself smiling a little. It was a voice that caught her attention very easily within the café. She tilted her head a little as she heard her friend welcoming him to Thorndown University. Curious, she looked back up and turned in her seat to have a closer look at him. Now that she could see him fully, the first thing she noticed was the eyepatch. It made her curious as to why he was wearing it. One might assume it was merely a fashion choice, however the other attire he was wearing threw doubt on that. Which meant that he was hiding his eye for some reason, such as he had hurt it. She allowed her eyes to lazily roam the rest of him. His features were quite strong, and he had a light dusting of stubble on his chin that made her want to run her fingers along it just to see how it felt. His hair was longer than what she was expecting, but it complimented his appearance well. Overall, other than a thoughtful furrow between his eyebrows as he concentrated on his muffin, he looked quite friendly and attractive. Her eyes then moved over to the book and she focused on it to see that it seemed to be some kind of law book. She had never seen him around the campus before but then with the number of subjects that the university hosted, it was unlikely she would ever come across every student. Especially a law student. That was one of the furthest things away from what she did. Evelyn was not a shy person, and she was someone to eagerly begin a conversation with someone even if they were not welcoming of company. And because of that, she gave the man a friendly smile and asked, “New to Thorndown? Are you a student, or just visiting?” She knew that it was more likely that he was merely a visitor rather than a student, as the courses started a few months ago although he could be a transfer student from other University. But it was a good place to start a conversation. She didn’t like being alone, and she hoped that the man would be receptive to at least some company.

Location: Sapphire Mantle Hotel and Spa (Luxury Hotel); Early morning Kaylaen expected the terrified outburst regarding the police, and in her position it was a reasonable fear. Not many people liked run-ins with the police, even while being the victim of a crime. He himself didn’t really like dealing with them. He rubbed a hand against his forehead, wishing this headache would disappear. When she alluded to being too young to drink, he eyed her for a few moments. She didn’t look underage. But then she could simply look more mature than her age, and it made him nervous to even ask. His hand moved down from his forehead to his face as he let out a soft groan before letting it fall back to his side again, “Well, if you were drinking underage the most that is likely to happen to you is that you’ll get a warning. They only deport those that make repeat crimes, or a big crime. But as far as I am aware, it’s possible to do a statement anonymously especially as a victim of a crime. But regardless, I don’t think the police themselves would look into your identity. You might need to provide ID if the two of them are caught and end up in court but with any luck that won’t be needed. For all we know, Sophia, we are the most recent in a long line of victims. Just, when they ask for a contact number, don’t give them one. Let me put down my numbers so that they ring me, instead of you.” He then sighed, pausing for a moment before going on to ask, “Forgive me for asking, but how old are you? You don’t look that young.” Location: Thaene’s House The best Thaene was able to find to live, was somewhere, where he would be forced to house share with others. They were the cheapest accomodations possible. He didn’t really like that idea, since it would mean that the other tenants were likely going to be eating his food among other kinds of bullshit. With a grimace he closed down the property hunting sight, deciding that perhaps it would be a good idea to get himself an actual job before looking into a place to stay. He would need to not only factor in rent, but bills as well. That was another problem with sharing with others. They might rack up a massive bill, when he had hardly used the utility and yet be forced to cough up the money for their shit. That was not bullshit he wanted to deal with. He would much prefer a nice little one bedroom flat that was his own space. He could supplement his income with the money he made selling drugs. His phone chimed at him, indicating that he had a text. He slipped it from his pocket and looked at it to see that it was someone wanting some weed. Easily done. He sent back a text, telling them where to meet him. He then slipped the phone back into his pocket before getting up and moving over to his bedside table. He opened it up fully, revealing that it had a few personal items in it. He took these out before pressing down on the back to lift the front to reveal the false bottom where there were several packets of various drugs. He pulled out a couple bags of weed before returning the drawer to its previous state. He slipped the weed into the pocket of his hoodie before he picked up his keys and slipped them into his pocket again. He then left his bedroom and went downstairs where his grandparents were still watching the television. “I’m popping out. Going to try and look about for a job.” Thaene called to them. While it wasn’t entirely true, he might still make an effort to look around. Granted, most places these days only accepted a CV, rather than a job application but it couldn’t hurt to try. The only places open that day were retail, and retail was not something he really wanted to work in. He slipped his shoes back on and was out of the door into the freezing cold air. He shivered a little, glancing around out of habit before be headed to the end of the front garden and then turned down the street.

Rose hesitated again before she stepped into the laundry room, terrified of what she might see in this place. Her imagination ran wild, imagining that the house was dark and foreboding. That Anhara was going to lead her down into a dark basement where she was going to be locked in a tiny room until she died. She was surprised when the laundry room was a little similar to the one she had at home. Although the provocative clothing would certainly not be seen in her laundry room as her family would never be caught dead wearing those things. She looked at the childish clothing in concern, really hoping that there wasn’t a child running around in this house. If there was, then she felt so sorry for them. She followed Anhara further into the house, glancing at the door that was closed before she was drawn into the kitchen. It seemed like any ordinary kitchen. She tried to look for some kind of torture devices, but she couldn’t see any. She found it mildly disturbing. The only thing she saw that made her wary was the dog cage. It was either used for a dog, which she kind of doubted, or it was used to lock someone in. She tried to avert her gaze from it as Anhara spoke. She wasn’t entirely sure why having favourite food dishes was something funny. She frowned a little when Anhara turned her to and said that it was going to take time to figure out how she was going to be treated. But she doubted she was ever going to be comfortable here. She didn’t want to be comfortable. Not with these two monsters. Her arms strained against the bonds of her arms for a moment but they were too strong for her to wriggle out of and it served no purpose other to remind herself of the hopelessness of her situation. She was then taken into the living room that, again, looked quite normal. It was looking more and more like a normal family home. She looked down at the art, before noticing how lewd it was. With a stifled gasp, she averted her gaze to avoid looking at them. She had never seen anything like it before in her life, and she didn’t want to. She was distracted by the sound of Anhara’s voice again and for once, she was grateful for it. She glanced out towards the garden, looking to see if the fence was climbable or if someone could see into the garden. She then blinked at the ominous warning regarding the shed, and she eyed it warily. What was in there? Some kind of torture equipment? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. She turned back to find that Anhara was already walking off, and not wanting to be alone in this strangely normal house, she quickly followed the other girl. She glanced at the bathroom door, not particularly caring about make-up. She stuff she was already wearing was quite uncomfortable as she wasn’t used to it. She didn’t like wearing make-up, and she certainly didn’t want to make herself pretty for someone she didn’t like. The two then came to the last door at the end of the hallway. When it was pushed open, Rose saw what looked like a little girls bedroom. It was filled with stuffed animals, dolls and other toys. It really looked like the room of a spoiled little girl who’s parents doted on her and got everything she wanted. It made her feel quite out of place. She didn’t like how the room was; she preferred a much plainer room, like her own. This one was quite overwhelming to her senses. The walls were busy with posters and merchandise from things she had no clue about. But they were quite cartoonish, looking like things for kids. To her disgust, some of the images displayed were quite lewd, and she averted her eyes. Her eyes trailed over the large, comfortable looking bed before they moved on towards the toys. It was only then that she saw ones that didn’t look like children's toys. Her face went even more pale and she had to stop herself from throwing up, especially when Anhara said that she could help herself to the toys. She certainly was not going to be doing that. The thought of doing that disgusted her to the core. She wanted to ask if she could go home, but already knew the answer to that. It was pointless to ask. Her eyes darted around the room again, hoping to see a wardrobe or something that she could hide herself in, but nothing really caught her eye. Finally after a few moments she asked in a very small voice, “C-can you take the r-rope off?”

Location: On Northern side of the central Mountain range. “It’s alright, calm down.” Dezrin crooned at Cassandra when she began to weakly struggle. He ran the fingers of his free hand through her locks of hair, being careful to avoid the mattered strands as he softly hummed a lullaby that was often effective on his children in calming them down when they were scared. Now that she was dry and warm, Dezrin decided to take a risk in order to help her. He used the sonic frequencies that he could give off with the gauntlet and used them to essentially ‘shake’ the dirt and grime from Cassandra’s body, leaving her clean. It would undoubtedly feel like a slight tickling across her skin but it only lasted a few moments. He then poured his own energy into her, sacrificing a part of himself to help clear her head slightly. His already hungry stomach grumbled at him as he became even hungrier. But once he was sure that she could think a little clearer and wasn’t starving herself, he stopped the flow of energy. He took a moment to steady himself before telling her, “I’m going to turn you over now.” He did it gently, as if he was handling a piece of glass. He turned her over so that she was on her back, but he didn’t settle her back onto the ground. Instead, he gathered her against him, pressing her head against his chest so that she could hear the rhythm of his dual cardiovascular system. It also allowed him to cradle her in one arm, keeping her safe from the world. His free hand was held out slightly, the lines glowing again for a few moments as he began to gather rain drops in a position above the palm of his hand. He stopped when he had a ball of clean water about the size of an apple. Cassandra would be able to see that it was clean, devoid of any particles. It sparkled slightly in the light given off by his gauntlet. He moved his hand, bringing the water with it as he offered it to Cassandra, “Drink.” He said. His voice was gentle, but it was undoubtedly a command. He hoped that with energy and water in her body, it would at least cause her to function well enough so that they could at least talk so he could explain to her what was going on. He knew that she was very lost and confused right now. There was a flash of light and a loud rumble of thunder that shook the forest around them. Unconsciously, Dezrin drew Cassandra closer, hunching over a little as if he could protect her from the storm.

“Absolutely not.” Daedrin replied to Izanagi’s statement as he pulled out a cloth and cleaned the gore from the blade of his sword before sliding it back home. As Izanagi spoke again, Daedrin looked out across the the forest looking for any other dangers that were going to attempt to surprise them. At Izanagi’s proposal, Daedrin turned back to him and eyed him for a few moments. He wasn’t sure if he should accept or not. Daedrin was an exceptionally skilled swordsmen. Not only had been trained by a Grandmaster since he was a very young child, but he had been practising for far longer than the Kingdom had even been a thing. Thus he was not only highly skilled, but he certainly outstripped Izanagi in terms of experience. Still, the thought of a friendly spa was certainly tempting. It had been a long time since he had sparred with anyone like that. Most people were too terrified to even ask. He then nodded and said, “I would like that. No magic, no little tricks. Just our swords. But no, we are still quite far from Selil. We’ve only just crossed the river to the southern side, so we’re still in the depths of the forest. We still have a fair amount of ground to cover before we get close. But when we are, I’ll be happy to take your challenge.” He decided not to brag about his skill. Not only was it pretty poor taste, he didn’t like to give away secrets that could be used to his advantage. He would undoubtedly going to be the toughest opponent that Izanagi was going to face and he was not going to be able to go down easily.

Location: Village of Ryn’tur. Rowan smiled when Natia snuggled up against him and declared that she loved him before she giggled and picked up a piece of bread to nibble on. He chuckled at her endearing antics before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to him to press a kiss to her forehead, “I love you too, my little Lily.” He said in a soft and tender tone before he let her go so that she could continue eating. She certainly seemed to enjoy the greens much more than she had the meat. He was just glad that there was something she would eat. The last thing he wanted was to have her going hungry. Next time he was going to be a little more careful in regards to what they ordered for her. He certainly didn’t want her to constantly order things she had no real taste for. He ate more of the steak and potatoes with the occasional slice of bread to soak up the steak juices, his golden eyes glancing around the tavern out of habit than any real concern that they were being watched, or followed. Subconsciously, he took note of anyone who seemed to pay any kind of attention to them. He knew how valuable Natia would be to certain people, and the last thing he wanted was someone trying to take her away from him. He would be unforgiving to anyone who even tried. He also glanced out of the window onto the street, seeing that it was relatively empty as the day began to wear on. He watched as a rather overdressed and portly man waddled past, in a heated discussion with a man that was taller than himself, but looked like a rake. It was clear that they were traders of some description, but he didn’t recognise them and he knew most major traders by sight. He turned his attention back to his plate before he looked over at Natia and smiled a little, “How are you doing?” He asked, hoping that there were no other problems with her meal. He made a mental note that tomorrow when purchasing provisions, he would need to ensure that he bought enough to satisfy her. Unfortunately, they couldn’t really carry fresh food with them, as fresh food rotted quite quickly. With any luck, they’ll pass a number of fruits and berries that could be used to supplement her diet. Location: The road south to Hermitage, and Hermitage. Much like the trip from Lathulla to Tiloga, the road further sound was matched on either side by sweeping grassland that stretched on for miles. There were farms dotted here and there, with walls that tried to keep unfriendlies at bay. But during the day they were out in their fields, tending their crop. As Lucius rode past, they eyed him warily, watching him just in case he decided to take it upon himself to attack. Luckily for them, he had absolutely no interest in what they were doing. He saw occasional guards on the roads, made up of both human and Keza individuals, no doubt as a result of the threat from Fenrir’s Graspe. At one point, he did see some of The Black Ones in the distance, but he hurried on to avoid a confrontation with them. He knew that, as a human, he would be outmatched against several Mako soldiers. He stuck to the road as much as possible, only coming off of it to camp in the evenings or to stay at an inn on the way. But he finally arrived at Hermitage, sitting on the edge of the stinking marshlands causing the entire village to smell like a mire. He could have swung further south and continued onto Selil, but he was running out of provisions and hunting was only getting him so far. The room ended up being rather bland and unappealing. He rode into the village, able to slip in easily as they had no guards on duty at the time he arrived. He found that to be rather sloppy, but at least it allowed him in without too much trouble. The streets were somewhat busy at this time of the day, with villagers hurrying along their business. They spared him nothing but a single glance before they went back to ignoring him. He arrived at the local Inn, The Horses Head. He eyed the name for a few moments before he nudged Aeris around the building to the stables. Once there, he dismounted and took care of his animal companion before he moved around the front and entered the Inn properly. It was busier than the one in Tiloga, and the patrons all eyed him suspiciously. The lady at the bar was frowning a little as he approached. He wondered why everyone seemed to be on edge. As soon as he looked back at someone, they immediately averted their eyes. He looked at the barmaid and said, “I would like to rent a room for the night, and something to eat.” “Jus’ passing through?” She asked. The question caused Lucius to raise an eyebrow in surprise. He slowly nodded his head and she seemed a little displeased by the answer. She then said stiffly, “Ten coppers, sir. We have beef soup on the fire.” “That will do.” He said, pulling the money and putting it down on the counter. He then moved off to an empty table before sitting down. He noticed that the people kept glancing towards him, as if expecting him to suddenly jump up and attack. It made him really curious as to why everyone was so on edge. It wasn’t long before the barmaid approached him carrying a wooden plate. In the centre there was a wooden bowl filled with a thick soup, with sliced bread ringing around it. She slid it onto the table, placing down a spoon before she made to retreat but Lucius spoke before she could, “Why is everyone so on edge?” The woman paused before she turned back at him, looking a little anxious as she twisted the material of her spotted apron, “Oh… we live in fearful times, sir. There’s a creature that keeps attacking us. Every night, something comes and someone dies.” Both of Lucius’ eyebrows shot up in surprise before he then frowned, “I see…” He paused for a moment as he picked up a piece of bread and tore it in half. He then nodded for her to go, before he turned back to his soup, figuring that he would see what would happen that night and, if he could deal with it. He was not a monster hunter, but he wasn’t limp wristed with a sword either.

Location: Luxury Hotel; Early morning His lips quirked up a little when he saw the darkening on her cheeks at his suggestion. He nodded slightly when she agreed that taking a shower was a good idea. He watched as she stripped herself once again before turning towards the bathroom and then back again. At her thanks, he smiled at her before he then chuckled a little and said, “Of course it is. We’ve both been shafted here, and not in the way we might like. We kind of need to stick together. Now go for your shower.” He watched as she disappeared into the bathroom before he stood up and moved over to the hotel room phone. He then paused, as he wasn’t sure what room he was in. He looked at the phone, and to his relief he saw a small number outlined in gold just above the number pad. He picked it up and held it against his ear as he pressed the quick dial button for the reception. The phone rang for a few moments before someone on the other end picked up, ‘Sapphire Mantle Hotel and Spa, Amanda speaking, how may I help you?’ A cheery and polite female voice said. At least it gave him the name of the place they were at as before this point, he had no clue. “Ah, good morning. I’m in room forty-eight, and I wanted to know if it had been pre-paid for?” Kaylaen asked. ‘Let me check that for you, sir.’ The lady on the other end said politely before he could hear the soft clicking of the keyboard. He was forced to wait a few anxious minutes before she returned, ‘No, sir. It has not been paid for. In fact the room shows as empty for the night. How are you in there?’ She asked, and it sounded as if she was trying hard not to be accusing. “A friend and I met two people. The first guy called Shez, a kitsune guy who brought us to this hotel and appeared to have paid someone at reception by the name of Emma. She had a key for the room and everything. This morning when we woke up, we found that most of our valuables had gone missing. All I’m left with is my clothes and all my friend has is her phone. I guess it wasn’t worth enough for them to take.” Kaylaen explained. There was silence on the line for a moment before she said, ‘Alright, sir. I would ask that you make your way down to reception. I am going to inform the Police, and we would appreciate it if you and your friend would make a statement to them.’ Kaylaen grimaced, but he knew that it was inevitable. If Sophia and Kaylaen didn’t make a statement, then the blame would likely fall on them. He coughed a little to clear his crappy throat and said, “Alright. We will be down in a bit.” ‘Security will meet you on the ground floor.’ The girl then added, to which Kaylaen wasn’t surprised to hear. No doubt the female still held her doubts about the validity of their story. “Fair enough.” He said, not wanting to ruffle their feathers. He then put the phone down and and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. He was then that he could hear muffled singing coming from the bathroom, and he tilted his head to listen for a few moments. He smiled a little; from what he could hear, she had a beautiful voice. He himself wasn’t much of a singer, but he wasn’t absolutely terrible at it. He turned back to his clothes and dressed himself. He wasn’t as messy as Sophia had been, and he felt he could wait until later for a shower. Right now he just wanted to get this bullshit with the police over and done with. When the bathroom door opened and Sophia stepped out, looking a little more calm than earlier, he said, “I called reception. The room wasn’t paid for. She’s going to call the police and she wants us to make a statement. Hopefully the hotel will have CCTV that will back up our story and with any luck we won’t have to pay for the room because you and I were tricked into thinking that it was. By someone who broke their security which would be embarrassing for them. They won’t want us to make a massive fuss about it.”

Raeghan smiled against her neck when she said that he could get more aggressive if he wanted. He kissed along her neck a few more times, helping to guide her movements when she ground herself down onto him. Each time she did, he pressed his hips up into her, to ensure that his cock was going as deep as it could. It did not take long for them to fall into a rhythm with each other, their bodies moving in perfect synchronisation with each other, allowing them to enhance the pleasure between them. It was only then that Raeghan spoke, his lips brushing against her neck, “Don’t worry, I will get more aggressive. Later, though. I want to enjoy this.” Despite that, though, he encouraged her to speed her movements up a little. The pleasure wasn’t that intense, but it was steady and constant. He wanted to spend a few minutes enjoying the feeling of her pussy. He wasn’t sure if he would get tired of it. The walls of her womanhood were so silky, and even as they glided over his length they carressed the shaft lovingly. He could feel the outer lips of her pussy clinging to his cock, as if never wanting to let go. He knew that if he tried to pull himself from the depths of her body, it would protest and try to cling to him. He kissed his way up further, kissing along her jawline before pressing his lips against her in a slow and sensual kiss as their bodies continued to grind against each other. He could feel her small, but perky breasts rubbing against his chest from how close they were to one another. He felt his desire for her well up even more, but he wasn’t quite ready to stop the love making right now. He wanted her like putty in his hands before he began more aggressive. He doubted that after he nexts cums, that he will be able to continue, so he wanted to make the most of things while he could. He figured that when he felt the urge to fuck her hard and fast again, he would switch them so that she was on her hands and knees. He doubted that Luna would protest.

Rose tensed up again more when the man leaned in closer, before sliding his hands behind her back, and underneath her thighs. The place where he touched her seemed to burn, and she wanted to draw away from the contact but there was nothing she could do. She was helpless as he pulled her out of the truck and, to her relief, he set her down on her feet. When he demanded that she come with him, she hesitated before slowly trailing after him around the back of the truck. It was then that she saw the bin as he lifted it up and lowering it to the ground. When he opened it up, she couldn’t stop a gasp escaping her when she saw Anhara. She looked an absolute mess. She was sweating, and Rose could see a flush to her cheeks as she squirmed around in the box as if she had some kind of fever. She stood still, not daring to move a muscle as the man untied the other girl, who didn’t seem the least bit repentant about her ‘misbehaviour’. But that quickly changed when the man told Anhara that she couldn’t touch Rose until he said so. Rose really hoped that the man would forget to tell Anhara it was okay. She really didn’t want to be touched, by either of them. She just wanted to go back home. As Anhara walked past her, Rose hunched her shoulders a little, more than a little scared to let her close to her. She glanced up at the man before she looked back over to Anhara. She gulped and, with a sense of dread weighing her limbs down, she slowly began to follow after Anhara.

Location: Luxury Hotel; Early morning Out of all the reactions he was expecting, a giggle wasn’t one of them. Still, he was glad that he was able to cheer her up, if only slightly. When she pulled away, he didn’t resist and allowed her a moment to wipe her tears. He smiled when she said he was really sweet. It was something that his mother often said to him. Although those that wasted his time, and were idiots certainly wouldn’t agree. When he wanted to, he could get quite nasty, but he doubted that Sophia would see that side of him. He tilted his head a little when she implied that there wasn’t much consent in her part. He frowned a little at that, but he supposed that she had mentioned that she had been kidnapped against her will because she had carelessly given her details over to the wrong kind of people. When she apologised for dumping this stuff on him, he shrugged and said, “My problems are pretty tame compared to yours.” Which was true. At the moment, the most pressing issue in his life was trying to get his mother’s house sold. And of course, he had just spent the first Christmas alone since his mother’s death. He had decided that instead of staying at home alone all day, he would work and then get drunk at the bar just to make himself forget how lonely he was without her. But compared to Sophia, it was nothing; his life was pretty damn sweet. When she stood up, he watched her moving around and looking for her clothes as she explained why she obeyed him. When she finished speaking, he remarked, “That sounds so confusing. I wish I could help you figure it out, but I don’t think there’s anything I could really do.” He also doubted he could ‘free’ her from this ‘Master’. He had no idea who it was, or what kind of person he was. It would be foolish of him to make some grand promise to Sophia without a means to actually carry it through. When he pulled himself from his thoughts, he noticed that Sophia was getting herself dressed in the tatters of her clothes. He straightened himself up and suggested, “Hey, why not take advantage of the shower? Even if the room isn’t paid for, you might as well use it while you can. I can call reception and find out if the room was paid for, or if Emma was in on some fraud with Shez.”

Location: Village of Ryn’tur. When Natia’s face took on a look of pitiful defeat and relief, Rowan had to resist the urge to take her into his arms and kiss her. It amazed him at how the most simply of expression changes was making him want to dote on her. He turned his attention back to her steak, watching as she attempted to cut the fat again and, to his relief, she succeeded. He smiled at her, “Well done.” He complimented her, proud that she was quick to pick up the skill of using the utensils. Granted, she was an adult and she already had the fine control over her hands that the tools required thus it shouldn’t take as long as it took him to learn it when he had been a young child. He then watched as she gingerly lifted the meat to her lips and put a piece into her mouth before chewing it. He watched her expression, and it wasn’t encouraging. He imagined that, for someone used to eating vegetables and fruits, the texture would be strange and the hot grease would be unpleasant. Her expression seemed almost neutral, as if she were trying as hard as she could not to judge what she was eating. Finally, she swallowed her mouthful and, in a rather roundabout way, suggested that she would actually like to take him up on her offer. Rowan chuckled a little before saying, “You would, would you?” His grin widened as he teased her a little. He then looked up towards the barmaid and lifted his hand, wiggling two of his fingers to indicate that he wanted her attention. She came over to the table and Rowan asked, “Could we have some bread, please?” “O’course, sir.” She said, before hurrying off towards the kitchen. While she was doing that, Rowan turned back to Natia and used his knife and fork to move the meat pieces over to his place. By the time he was done, the barmaid had returned, putting a basket of sliced bread on the table before she moved off as he thanked her. Rowan picked out one of the bread slices, tearing it in half and using one half to clean up the meat juices from her plate before popping it into his mouth. Once he was sure that he had gotten everything, he lifted his plate and quickly moved the greens over to her plate. Now that the meat juices were gone, it wouldn’t taint the taste of the vegetables. “There you go.” Rowan told her with a smile as he put his plate down, “Help yourself to the bread, too.” He then added before cutting off a smaller piece of meat and popping it into his mouth. It was a little tough and chewy, but it wasn’t bad. At least it was juicy, just the way he loved it. He also cut one of the roast potatoes and popped it into his mouth. It was quite crunchy on the outside, while fluffy on the inside. The chef clearly had some measure of talent. Certainly better than the chef at the Royal Palace, who tended to serve everything either raw, or overcooked.

When the creature came closer with the clear intention to cause them harm, Daedrin knew that it was going to die. But he had warned it, thus the only one it could blame was itself. He allowed Izanagi the first strike, as the man used a fireball to hit it. Daedrin flinched at the sudden flare of light that assaulted his senses but the pain died down after a moment as the light disappeared and the Crawler hissed in pain before it turned around and started towards the horses. Daegrin snorted and pawed at the ground, looking almost defiant in the face of this monster as he skipped into a defensive position in front of Lucky. But it was unneeded as Izanagi used his chains to protect the two animals. As Izanagi’s cry, Daedrin focused on the second eye. He lifted left hand, the hand that wasn’t holding his sword. The ring on his middle finger suddenly seemed to spread, covering his fingers, hand and lower arm in a black gauntlet that had softly glowing lines through it in a multitude of colours, some of which Izanagi’s eyes would be unable to see properly. He held out his hand, palm first as he concentrated, running the ‘program’ he wanted. The lines glowed brighter for a moment before a sharp shard of glittering ice formed in front of his hand. It then shot forwards at a speed that most eyes would be unable to follow. The creature hissed and squirred in anger and pain, clearly not liking the way its prey were fighting back. It turned its attention towards them, more angry than it was hungry. Then Izanagi stepped forwards, with his swords. Daedrin carefully moved around the side, keeping an eye on the creature for an opening to attack. He watched as his friend dodged several of the tentacles before slicing his way through move of them in a single move. Then as soon as they both saw a chance, Daedrin darted in, moving quicker than what one would expect of a human. As agile as a mountain lion, he leapt up on top of the creature, out of range of its tentacles. He then planted his feet on top of the Crawlers before he lifted his sword and pointed it down before slamming it into the creatures skull causing it to scream in agony. But he wasn’t just content with that. He shouted, “Get back!” Before he sent a pulse of force energy through the creature, crushing every organ within. It seemed to blow up, but Daedrin used his telekinesis to apply pressure on the outside to prevent it from exploding. Izanagi would be able to see its skin undulating almost like a wave before it seemed to suddenly crumple in on itself. At that point, Daedrin pulled his sword free and jumped off as the Carrion Crawler collapsed to the forest floor dead. He turned back to see his handiwork before he looked over at Izanagi, “Good team work.” He said, before suddenly grinning. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but the fight had filled him with a hunger, a desire to defeat his opponent and to best them in combat. To rip his foes apart and scatter them before him. His blood seemed to boil, and he wished another enemy would show up just so he could fight more. But he had to force him to calm down before he got far too excited.