The Dragonis War

[Vadriel]

Thaltos nodded at Balthizar.

"I too am quite eager to see this quest fulfilled...it has been long in my destiny, and the anticipation of finally wreaking my revenge upon the foul beast that is responsible for all the woes of my life is...strong."

Thaltos neatly sliced a piece of the boar from its flank and chewed contemplatively.

"Let us eat heartily...today's challenges are stout."

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar tossed a water sack over to Vadriel and said, "Make sure you drink enough water, no worse thing can happen than being thirsty in the middle of combat."

Balthizar turned to Griffinhart, "What about you? I have another water sack if you are thirsty." he said.

[Asakai-miko-Midoriko]

"No kidding?" Marlu laughed offering Asakai some ale."I swear to you. One was as large as a bison, and one is a cranky womanizer, and third one is just like you...only...not as perverted." Asakai declined the foul drink. "Seems like you've been busy. We've all just been sitting around. but your here to stay right?" he smirked." As long as Daemon has control over me I cannot leave." ashe bgan to think to herself,' As long as he is in danger I cannot leave.'her thoughts were interuppted by a hand on hers."What?" She asked. Marlu reached across the table with a leather covered hand wiping a tear from her cheek."You looked...sad..it's just strange to see you with so much emotion...it worries me." She shook her head taking her hand back."I am no reason to worry I..." She was interuppted by Marlu kneeling on the ground his head bowed.

"Esem tells me you deny my command to come to my chambers....is this true neonate?" That errie voice spoke. Asakai stood turning around her eyes full of hate."Get to the point." She spoke coldly.There was a harsh back hand to her cheek knocking her to the ground. Her mark flared to life sending waves of pain through her."Never act as if you are my equal child. I own you Asakai or have you forgotten that? This little time spent away has changed you in a way I do not approve." Daemon grabbed Asakai by her arm pulling her up."I will fix this problem I assure you..." Daemon began to drag her away when Asakai sent him flying. She began panting on the ground clutching the side of her neck."ENOUGH!" Daemon boomed grabbing Asakai by the neck and draggin her. As soon as he was gone Marlu stood smiling."I will deliver the message Asakai." With that Marlu was gone on his way to locate the man named Torque.

[VoxEladrin]

Torque continued onwards with the others towards the village nearby. He wasn't in much of a mood to converse with his friends and his growing dread wasn't helping. He kept on a straight face with a hint of a frown, his chestnut brown eyes reflecting his inner aguish, the stub of his right arm dangled at his side uselessly, and the Death Rune on his back was starting to glow through his tunic.

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar starting making fire jump across from finger-tip to finger-tip, he started making shapes, and figures. "Beautiful thing fire is, isn't it? But as the wise always say, if you play with fire, you're bound to get burned." he said as he made his figures explode in a small explosion. He smiled, but when he looked over at Torque, the smile went away, and a look of concern went across his face. "She's fine Torque, stop your sulking. The sooner we finish our quest, the sooner you can see Asakai...and the sooner I can rip that son of a bitch Daemon's throat out..." Balthizar said.

[VoxEladrin]

Torque shook his head. "Something's amiss. I can sense some kind of dread creeping up my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end." He said distantly. "My feelings of dread are rarely wrong." He concluded before resuming his ignorant state.

[Vadriel]

Thaltos nodded. "Generally, when dealing with matters involving Daemon, something is always amiss. You'd be mad if you didn't feel a certain dread. Look, there's the village."

As they walked through the stonecarved gates of the small village, Thaltos' eyes played across the relief sculptures of the great winged Gorgon that was indubiously supposed to be his mother. He barely remembered her, but the stone visages conjured memories of his earliest years in her caves.

The beast had raised and trained him in the art of combat almost from birth. From the time he could stand and hold a sword, she had pitted him against her temple guards. By the time he was 8, the guards were wary of him. At 9, when they could no longer defeat him, Thaltos' mother sent him to Zeus to begin his life of assassinship.

Now, with the image of his earliest tormentor staring him in the face, Thaltos' heart quickened. A mix of anxiety and eagerness washed over him.

The villagers all stopped what they were doing as the four warriors entered the main street in the town. As Balthizar played with his flames, Torque gripped his sword hilt, and Griffinhart stood silently by as always, Thaltos stepped forward.

All eyes focused on him, and the fear on the faces of the villagers was unanimous as they recognized his obvious relationship to their demonic matriarch.

"People of this village, do not be alarmed. Instead, rejoice...for I am Thaltos. I am the bastard son of your wicked oppressor, the Gorgon Queen known as Astheno. I have not returned to further the woes of your village...I have come for my mother's head."

[Asakai-miko-Midoriko]

As the rather "large bison" looking man was talking Marlu made his move. Asakai had told him through their hand touch everything. It was one of his gifts. If he used his senses he'd be able to track the current deathrune. Any one of Daemon's closely picked killers were able to use deathrunes as tracking devices. He had to move quickly as he observed the other three men behind the "large bison". One was clearly not of this plane,while the other two looked relatively normal. He noted the one whom played with fire looked quite a lot like Balthizar...but Balthizar wasn't human. That left only the man with a stub to be Torque."What do you see in him Asakai?" Marlu shook his head but had to admit the man did look a bit like himself. He managed to move from the crowd and carefully moved through the shadows to a backway. If he was correct the deathrune would react to his presence and glow bringing the man known as Torque to him. "You better be as smart as she says you are...or I'lll get rid of you myself."

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar stopped playing with his fire, he sensed something, rather someone. He walked over to Thaltos and whispered in his ear, "There is someone near, someone that seems very familiar to me. I'm gonna go check it out."

He then slowly walked backwards and behind a wall, then he transported himself in a small, quiet, fire explosion to where he sensed the person. He was about to reach for his zanpakto, but he stopped, as he realized who it was. "Marlu!? I haven't seen you in ages!" he said surprised.

[Asakai-miko-Midoriko]

Marlu looked up at Balthizar quite surprized himself."...so she wasn't lying..Asakai told me you'd turned human." Marlu straightend smiling a bit but the he remembered his mission."Look I don't have a lot of time where's this Torque fellow?"Marlu asked his voice was full of worry something he never really showed.

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar was a little surprised by the emotion his old friend was showing, but then thought otherwise, since everyone and everything has seemed to change.

"He's over this way, follow me." he said as he was walking towards the group.

[VoxEladrin]

Torque stepped towards Marlu, his expression as blank as ever. "What is it you want?" He asked, irritation evident in his voice. He raked his fingers through his long, bleached white hair. His chestnut brown eyes appraised the newcomer. "Did Asakai send you? How is she?" He asked, his tone softening only slightly.

[Asakai-miko-Midoriko]

"Judging by the distance it took for me to get here you fellows aren't too far from the fortress...any way Asakai sent me to help you with this side mission...From what I can tell by the tone of your voice you must be Torque." Marlu shook his head in dissapointment."Pethetic looking one you are...I still don't understand how someone like you could turn her so weak...I mean when I left Daemon was dragging her by the neck to his bed chambers." Marlu spoke like it was nothing but an everyday occurence.

[VoxEladrin]

Torque's anger flared anew now and he rushed towards Marlu. "And you did nothing to stop him!? Some friend you are!" He roared at him. Torque's emotions were running rampart now. He reached out to grab Marlu's collar and shake sense into him, his chestnut brown eyes aflame with his rage and anguish. "You just left her there to suffer!"

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar intervened, he had to, "Torque, do not be foolish. Even if Marlu could've tried, all he would've done was cause Asakai more harm. What he did was the best thing to do, and most likely Asakai's choice. Am I right Marlu?" Balthizar said still standing between the two.

[Asakai-miko-Midoriko]

" All I know is she told me to come here and find Torque no mater what was to happen. She's a big girl and can take care of herself. She's also stubborn and reckless..but that's besides the point.She wanted me to tell you even if..that's when you see her she will not be the same person. Even if you had been there you wouldn't be able to stop Daemon. There were only two people in this world capable of even being level to Daemon. That was Balthizar and Asakai. She can hold her own you forget just how powerful she is." Marlu spoke with venom in his words. Everyone back at the fortress knew Marlu's feelings toward Asakai. She was going to be his after he could obtain her ownership even though Asakai never returned the feeling."I should kill you here and be done with this...you and Daemon both sicken me." marlu gave agrowl at Torque it was obvious that if not stopped marlu was probably going to kill Torque.

[Vadriel]

Thaltos could tell that trouble was brewing between Torque and the newcomer. This simply would not do.

Stepping behind Marlu, Thaltos planted a heavy hand on the man's shoulder. His other hand held a Shear ready against the man's lower back.

"I have come too far to allow my companion to have harm befall him at your hands. I have resentments of the bond Asakai and Torque share myself, but they are nothing in the face of greater values. This man is my friend.

The very blade that was once wielded by Atropos herself is now pressed against your lower back. You make the wrong move, and it will bite through your flesh and sever your spinal column, rendering you an instant parapalegic. From its nesting place there, your life energy will drain into it until your body is an empty shell that once contained a soul. Halt your assault against my friend, or your fate will become that of countless others. I am not one to be trifled with, not in this hour of my eminent revenge."

Thaltos eyes glowed fiercely red. His blood was already up, and he was in no mood for nonsense. He had his hands full enough already.

[Ninja_Blue]

"Marlu, leave. Go back to whatever foul deeds you must accomplish, but heed my word, if you get in my way. I will make sure you suffer torment far beyond anything Daemon could muster up." Balthizar said seriously.

[VoxEladrin]

Torque's opinion of the man had drastically changed now. He realized now that he hated him. It takes a lot for Torque to hate someone and this man has done it. Torque took an aggressive step forward as Thaltos held Marlu in a very bad position. Torque was going to make it worse. He drew the ebony blade of Deathscream and held up at Marlu's neck, the awkwardness gone now. "Thaltos can have his fun with you and then I'd give you real suffering. Your soul would enter this blade, and you would be in eternal torment with the other souls locked inside here, you'd be joining the screams of its victims emmenating every time this blade clashes against something. You'd be locked in an empty abyss with no one to keep you company but your own shadow." His voice hissed like a white hot knife through butter.

[Vadriel]

Thaltos tightened his grip on Marlu's shoulder.

"So you see, you are not one to flounce about with a wayward tongue. I suggest that you keep your grievances to yourself. If you give me your word that you will leave without further conflict, I will release you."

The blade of the Shear pressed against Marlu's back a little harder, and the greedy weapon siphoned a spark of energy from the man. Not enough to really even injure him, but an indication of Thaltos' seriousness.