The Knight in Black Armor

[Kuros]

***Ye Sagira Ruins Zone 5***

"Tighten the formation on the right flank don't let them get through! Archers to the back!" Kuros shouted out commands just as his blade sliced the head off yet another crawler. "Captain take 3rd Talon and some of the mages to support the right flank, they've taken losses."
"At once my lord." Came the captain's reply, the man ran off to take 3rd Talon with him.
"Archers in position sir!" Another shout was heard from the back.
"Fire at will! Do not let them get to Sebion and his forces!" Kuros shouted to the man in the back. No sooner than the command was given did he hear the twang of strings and the sound of arrows as they soared over his head into the targets ahead. A rumbling sound was heard from the far right followed by a series of explosions. 3rd Talon and the mages made their attack. Kuros was pleased, his men executed their orders to perfection. A sudden hiss was the only warning he received before a pair of gnarled clawed hands reached out for him, another crawler. Kuros side stepped allowing the claws to fly by his side. He shifted his stance then and brought one blade down to catch the creature's arms, the action being rewarded with the creature's shriek. He took another step to the side pivoting completely to gain more distance before bringing his second blade up from a low sweep from behind the creature's legs. The silver blade left a stream of red light as it cut through the air and then the crawler's legs. He was rewarded with another shriek and the creature toppled over. He finished it off with driving a blade to the skull.

He looked at the battlefield again, it seemed things were getting under control again, then he sensed another presence, something landed beside him and whatever it was, it was damn quick.
"All the other zones, including zone four has been secured by the others, my kin have taken sentry positions throughout the area." A familiar feminine voice came from his side. He turned to face the kamael female. "They are on the way here as well." For all the whining Lithillia made at the camp she sure made up for it in this fight. So the girl made progress over the few weeks she was at the camp but he would not tell her, she inflated her ego enough on her own as it is.

***Silver Shield Command Tent - The day before***

"And this is the plan the coalition wishes to follow?" Kuros asked the Captain as he studied the map of Ye Sagira with his officers.
"Yes, my Lord, they are bringing out 14 companies, the kamael have also sent out a few. We were told they wish to secure the ruins." The captain pointed at the various colored markers that represented the Coalition forces on the map.
"What would they have us do?" Kuros spoke again as he studied the map.
The Captain brought out a few silver markers that represented the Silver Shield and then slid them along the map to various locations. "Our mission is two fold, first we are to enter the ruins and help the coalition in the relief of their forces already stationed there." The captain paused and pointed out a few red markers stationed on the map that represented the small garrison. "Second, once we are done we are to spearhead the attack on Zone 5 and link up with Sebion's forces there. He will then explain the next phase."
"What are the numbers of the enemy forces?"
"We don't know but from the reports it seems most of the opposition comes from the resurrected townsfolk that perished when the ruins fell. There have also been reports of Embryo operatives in the area. The Coalition believes they are after something in the ruins."
Kuros considered the plan and found it pretty straight forward. Securing the Ruins completely was something that needed to be done nonetheless. There were secrets in there that he wanted to know and he'd be damned if anyone else got them before he did. "Very well, you all know your duties carry them out. I want to be ready to move out by sunrise. Dismissed."
"At once my lord." The officers saluted their lord respectively and cleared out of the tent."

Kuros waited until the tent was cleared out before he went back to take a seat on his chair. He went over the battle plans in his mind over and over trying to find flaws in it.
"Take me with you." The feminine voice came from the direction of the tent flap.
"Hmm?" Kuros looked up to see the female Kamael standing at the entrance. "How long have you been eavesdropping?" He finally asked when he regarded her with his green orbs.
"Long enough." She replied and entered the tent.
He arched a brow. Her bold actions at entering the tent without his say so amused him so he let that slide....for now. "Why?" He spoke his next question.
"My stay here has been far less than entertaining."
"Looking for some excitement then are we?" He tilted his head to the side and wondered when she would finally make herself known to him again. He did leave her to her own devices ever since they came back to camp. She was not one of his soldiers so she was given free reign here. He did not give her any duties save for cleaning up after herself and maintaining her own tent.
"What makes you think you just won't be in the way?" He asked when he got no reply from her. She seemed to bristle at the question and shot him a venomous glance, one that Kuros drank in eagerly. It appeared he hit a soft spot.
"I am a soldier among my people, I can take care of myself." She finally spoke after she calmed down a bit.
"Very well then, just don't get yourself killed, I won't be held responsible for you should anything happen. Be ready before dawn, we march at sunrise."

***Ye Sagira Ruins Zone 5 - Present***

"Very good." He nodded to her. "This zone is secured as well, the way to Sebion has been cleared, now all that is left is to mop up." Kuros turned form her or was in the process of doing so when he caught a glint of light, a brief flash in the periphery of his vision. "Behind you!" He reached for his blades and crossed them before swinging out in a wide arch. A golden crescent formed itself in the air and shot out with a loud boom over the kamael's head and into one of the pillar's below. There was a loud rumble that followed and a scream as the pillar crumbled in on itself. Kuros saw the figure fall with the massive stones crashing on top of him. He didn't wait Lithillia's reaction and instead ran toward the collapsed structure.

[lithillia]

From high above she could see the display from the fighting soldiers below. Her eyes darter to every part of what she could see, taking in the sight with great interest.
She had been allowed to come and join in the task of defending and run back the attacking forces, though she felt she was of more use to the kamael forces than to Dachande. Even so, she still appreciate the tag along.
Hanging from her hip she had a borrowed rapier, and it felt good to wield a weapon again. She could not remember ever being in training, but she felt that her body responding to this as if it knew more than she did.

Soon the upward movement shifted as the gravity pulled her back down to the ground. And to help along with the speed, she had her wing completely folded into her body. As she fell to the ground feet first, she saw him, Dachande and it was him she was to report to now.
Lithillia dropped quickly, her mind forcing away the memory of the dream where she had been falling with out control. This was different, and she had practiced it and to some extent she had mastered it. The kamael started to figure out new things about her self every week passing, and she hoped she would learn something new to day as well.
The once small display from under her, increased in size, and she folded out her wing completely to break the fall. With a soft flex of her knees she landed just behind Dachande, and her wing made back to its place with no problem.
She spoke as she moved to his side, her eyes forward onto the display of action in front.
"All the other zones, including zone four has been secured by the others, my kin have taken sentry positions throughout the area."
The man turned and faced her as she spoke, and she added to the info. "They are on the way here as well."
"Very good", he said giving her a nod with it,"This zone is secured as well, the way Sebion has been cleared, now all is left is to mop up"
Lith hid her disappointment, she had not yet got much chance to use the rapier, it seamed like that the others wanted to keep her busy with the more trivial things. Somehow, she understood that, but was eager to show what she felt she could do. She wanted to offer her assisting the front line in the last bit of action there before his outcry made her snap out of her trail of thoughts. "Behind you!"
Her soldier mind slowed down the situation, and before she could turn to look what the warning was about, Dach had pulled out his blades and crossed them. As the blades was pressed to the other she could see some light starting to spark between them and realizing something big was going to blast of. What ever he was aiming for would be on the direct path behind her and she ducked down unsure of what to expect from his action. The gold light flared up the air, and she closed her eyes to shield them from it hoping she would be out of the line of fire.
The boom made her tilt forward, and she supported her body with one hand on the ground as she crouched down. The rumbling sounds of broken stone and the scream made her snap back to real time, and her head looked back over her shoulder seeing that Dachande already was on his way over to the scene.
The sight of the broken bits and still showering dust made her want to gape in surprise. He had done that, was he insane?
She stood up and her wing shook out what ever residue that had landed on it before folding it self back with an annoyed flick. She narrowed her eyes a bit letting her hand run over her hair on the top, it felt alright, but still she let the bubble of terror yell after him.
"You could not have fired that /closer/ to my head?"
Lithillia pursed her lips and drew her weapon moving over to him and the broken structure, looking for why he had almost taken her head of.

[Kuros]

Kuros knelt by the rubble and inspected the corpse of their would be assassin. "A dark elf..." He found himself murmuring when he checked the man for anything useful. "You could not have fired that closer to my head?!" Lithillia's voice was heard in the background as she came closer, obviously she did not find his actions too amusing, but atleast she was still alive. Kuros ignored her for now.
"Embryo." He finally said when he found a strange mark among the elf's possessions. "So, they are already here." Kuros got up and turned to the girl. "You have to watch your back more carefully. He almost had you." With that he moved down the path to where Sebion and his men were.

***Some time later***

The meeting with Sebion went well as far as Kuros was concerned. He was rewarded for his work and so was the Kamael.
"Our next stage is to send a small strike force into the ruins. It is believed that they are looking to awaken something in there that has been sealed a long time ago." Sebion explained the plan to both the knight and the kamael. "Terian, one of my infiltration officers is already there waiting for the reinforcements to arrive."
Kuros paused for a moment and examined the kamael female standing beside him, he then shifted his gaze to Sebion. "I believe this fine kamael warrior is perfectly suited for the task. Why not send her to aid Terian, I am sure she is more than capable." He spoke to Sebion as he swept his arm over Lithillia as if to present her to the man. Kuros meant every word he said, he truly believed the girl was capable of completing this task. She has been showing improvement in the days that passed after she was fully able to recover, atleast physically. He wanted to know just what she was capable at this point.
"Very well Lord Stormblade, I trust your judgment." Sebion replied and he too looked at the winged woman before nodding to her. "We shall send young.." He paused.
"Lithillia." Kuros said before she even got a chance to say anything. "Lady Lithillia."

[lithillia]

Lithillia was escorted to the portal. One of Kuros female soldiers had taken it on to her self to do so, and the kamael could feel the human woman’s eyes on her.
"Do you have any questions, My Lady?" Lithillia met her deep brown eyes with her crimson, and searched her mind for any reason to have questions. Her intentions seamed kind, but Lithillia did not want to seam any less in the soldiers eyes, not now when she seamed to have grown a millimeter in the eyes of their Lord and Commander.
"I know what end to hold." She said simply, unsheathing the rapier examining its blade.
"Very well." The other replied before bowing respectfully and moved her self back to the others.
Lithillia let her eyes follow the woman, but her face did not give away her inner feelings. She knew she was not one of them, they had all made it clear for several weeks now. Avoiding her, killing their conversation in her presence... Yeah, she knew she was not a part of them.
Especially Dachande had avoided her, she could barely get a word whit him, and if he had on a rare event spoke to her, it was always about her recovery.
She sighed and stepped into the magic that took her to where she would find Officer Terian.
While she made her way over to the door that would lead her into the dungeon, she mulled over how Dach had looked at her and suggested her to the task. He had even introduced her by name before her mind could ever react to speak for her self. No she did not trust it, nor sure this was not just a trap to have her indisposed and put out of his life.
Yes Lord Stormblade, I know you don’t favor me... Her thoughts burned the image of him in her mind, and so she stepped inside.

The eyes of the officer locked onto her as she moved up to him, and he shifted to stand on the other foot. "This is it then? You are all they send me?"
"Don’t be so quick to judge, have you no confidence in your superior?" Lith retorted back, shutting him up from his complaint.
Terian did not want to engage in much more conversation whit the kamael, feeling stupid enough to be bested like that, and spoke only when he absolutely needed to.
"Are we ready then?" Lith asked and pulled out her rapier again.
"Yes my Lady...?"
"Lithillia." She had forgot to introduce her self, oh well, he knew what her name was now.

They moved inside and hurried silently into the room, surprising a few of the enemy's guard. Lithillia grinned fiercely and made the room across with one jump, breaking the fall with a flap of her wing landing perfectly. "Hello", she said to the one in front of her as she tilted her head to the side. The soldier was not late to attack the kamael, slashing his daggers towards her. With a spin around she avoided them, and with a upwards thrust of her rapier she pierced him right through. The enemy made no scream of pain as his throat gurgled full of blood.
Lithillia let out a satisfied sound, and felt as if recharged after the kill, and withdrew her sword from the dying body and turned around to find the next target.

Soon after when the guards were dead, they moved into the next room, and in the center there was a round device with slots for something to go into.
"We need to find Mark of Belis. Search over there ill go over there." He ordered, and Lith was not a stranger to give him a look before accepting the truth of things. She was here to aid him, so she complied.
She went back to the dead, searching their bodies finding what they needed, and closed her fingers around the marks. A outcry made her crouched form stand up and look towards the new room.
Trouble.
Back at the second room Terian had his work cut out for him. He was trying to fight of two attackers, and a third on his way.
She narrowed her eyes, smiling greedily, wanting to taste the death of every one of them and she readied her blade. The motion of her wing made her jump forward, and when she got to the soldier she did not break her fall as before, she used the man pouncing him to the ground with a low growl. Her weapon was already piercing him, and as he cried out in pain she let go of the hilt and snapped his neck of.
She inhaled deeply as she stood up, feeling that rush again that both tasted and smelled like pure energy. It almost overpowered her, and she did not refocus until she heard the officer yell her name.
"Lady Lithillia!" The tone begged for attention and help at the same time.
The sounds of angry weapons clashing filled the room and she stood up, and then ran to his aid. The second attacker was kicked of balance and she slashed out for him, though the man rolled to his side and avoided it. Feeling angry to have been snuffed out of her fun, she jumped on top of him, pinning his head with her knees. The expression on his face was priceless, and she laughed out loud in some insane euphoria. The guard saw his opportune and flipped her over and pinned her down instead. The woman giggled still, eyes closed and white pearls grinning up at him. The man did not know what to think of her, finding him self mesmerized for a little, though he knew what she had already done to his comrades and with a quick hand he found a dagger from his belt. He moved it to her throat and held it there as he gripped a hold of her neck with his hand as well. When she felt the pressure on her windpipe she woke up from her haze, and she opened up her eyes to see a dagger flying downwards at her. The man sat on her chest, one knee on the floor the other helping to press her to the ground. It would seam like he had her good.
Lithillia narrowed her eyes and bucked her body causing the man to topple of and quick like magic she was over him snatching his dagger. She sat on his chest again, pinning his arms down with her knees and with a palm pressed to his cheek forcing his head to the side. Lithillia leaned down placing the daggers edge to his throat, and whispered into his ear as one single drop of blood came from the first small cut she had made. "Well played..." She placed more weight on the blade pressing the steel downwards.
Her hand shifted to move sideways, cutting him over while now pressing her palm over his mouth." Shhhhhh." she begged and she felt intoxicated again by his life ending.
For a moment all she could hear was her own breathing, the inhale, the exhale, she felt more alive now than in all the time she could remember.

A touch to her shoulder woke her up and she turned around, still sitting on the dead soldier, grabing a hold of the hand. "My Lady!" The officers voice made her snap out of it, and she let go of him. While she got up, she looked Terian over, he seamed hurt.
"You need a healer." she stated monotone.
"We are not yet done. There is one more room." He lifted his arm, pointing towards a new door.
"Wait here, I can handle it..." She turned to leave picking up the rapier with her right hand and dagger in her left.
"My Lady..." She stopped, half turned to face Officer Teiran.
The man did not say what he had on his mind, the image of her standing there covered in blood and weapons in her hands made his words insufficient so he just gave her a nod of approval. The kamael smiled, raising her rapier up in front of her self, before extending it again. When she turned her smile changed into a wide grin and she hurried into the next room.

Well inside of it she was met with the gruesome sight of a monster. A round floaty thing with tentacles stared at her, and she skidded to a halt. Again her soldier senses took her over, and all sounds muffled into confusing sounds to be in the background. Not long after, the being she had her eyes fixed on seamed to dissolve and disappear, and disappointed she ran to the middle of the room. Her heart beat was loud in her ears, and then something else was in the room with her. She turned around seeing this dark creature, maybe once a man, though she did not know how to define him. A demon?
He spoke to her, but she could not catch his words, the rush already flooding through her body, and she anticipated the high from killing this one too.
What was that? Did he call her a rat? She gritted her teeth and folded out her wing making ready to attack.
No matter how hideous he was, she rammed into his body, and he veiled her into his tentacles that sprung out from his back and with them he held her tight. A roar escaped her as she put force into breaking free, and she managed to spring her dagger hand lose and cut one of them who held her bound.
Nemertess sent her to the floor, gaining some distance before coming after, swinging his curved blades for to maim her. Lithillia rolled over the floor until she stopped her self with the break of her hand, but just as she did, she saw his attack coming at her in great speed. Her rapier stopped the blades, but he beat her down over and over again. She crawled backwards, parrying as she did, feeling annoyed about being forced to half lie on the ground fighting.
The attacks delayed for a moment, just long enough for her to kick him in the chest, and the force made her roll over her neck and so stand up once more. Still the sounds were drowned out, and she was so focused on the task she did not notice anything else in the room but her and him.
The kamael barred her teeth like a wild animal and made her wing thrust her up and over the demon. Lithillia twisted her body in mid air and landed facing his back and just as he turned she launched her final assault piercing his chest.
Nemertess, stumbled forward, grabbing a hold of her shoulder but she simply stepped further back, removing the blade from him. She breathed heavily, looking down at him as he knelled.
The rasped chuckle he made came to her mind as if he spoke directly to it. "Defeat wasn’t part of my plan, but it doesn’t matter... My research is almost complete... I have done it all... for the glory of our Goddess...For her... I welcome Death..." And as he had spoken the words he seamed to wither away and vanish through the cracks of the floor. Nothing was left behind and she let out a sigh of relief as she felt his death fill her up with the incredible sensation of power.

[Kuros]

Kuros walked through the halls of Ye Sagira, his eyes darting about as he inspected the structure and the corpses that the kamael left behind. He kneeled down to inspect one of the corpses, he noted the mark where the throat has been pierced with what could only be a rapier. He was about to move to the next corpse when he paused and noted something else about the corpse, something he missed the first time. The man's soul was drained. Was a Soul Taker present here? He turned his way to look down the hall leading to the next room. Sounds of battle could be heard followed by more screams. He got up and rushed down that hallway. If a Soul Taker was present then the girl would need backup she would...

His run skidded to a halt when the scene unfolded before him. The room was a bloody mess there were more corpses of the men he's seen in the room before. He stepped to the side to hide behind one of the far pillars and observed from the shadows. There, over by the opposite end of the room he saw the kamael and another man who could have been Terian caught in the heat of battle against more enemies. The kamael rushed and smashed her attacker's face with her foot before slashing out at him. The man parried by rolling to the side.
Kuros saw the fury on the woman's face and then he watched her leap at the man pinning him to the ground with knees. He saw her laugh then, as if she were enjoying herself very much. Well this is certainly interesting, what else have you been hiding from me my dear? Kuros mused as he watched on, he never realized the girl had such a lust for battle. Something happened then and the situation seemed to have changed, now it was the man who pinned the kamael down, with his dagger in hand he plunged down. Kuros widened his eyes and prepared to step in to fire off a sonic blast but then the kamael moved again, the man was sent flying off her and he saw the girl move with lightning reflexes to snatch the dagger. She was on him again, with knees pinning his arms and the palm of her hand pressing against his face to turn it to the side and expose his throat. She leaned into him as if to whisper something. He watched with much delight when she pressed the dagger into his throat and covered his mouth to prevent him from screaming. "Shhhhhh..." He heard her plead to her victim for that was what the man had become now.

Kuros leaned back against the pillar, he was surprised by the girl's play, it was like watching a cat playing with a mouse. He smiled to himself and turned in time to see something he would did not expect. The man's body started to glow as white tendrils of energy seemed to seep out of his body, the man's soul! It circled around the kamael once, then there was a ghostly wail of despair as it was absorbed right into her. The dark energies he felt coming from the girl were almost overwhelming. He realized then that there was no soul takers in the area nor any necromancers, the one claiming the souls was a kamael, his own, Lithillia and she was enjoying it. His own body tensed at the sight, his heart felt like it was being constricted by the dark energies flowing through his veins. Something tugged at him, something wanted him to let go and lash out for a moment.

Strands of dark energy pulsed in his hand, it's ink-like strands coursing along his arm as they skipped about. Kuros sneered and regained control of himself forcing it all back inside. Was it possible that his own power reacted to the kamael's? Just what sort of power did she have? He had to find out, he wanted it for himself. He turned to look back at the scene but Lithillia was gone and so was Terian. Kuros stepped out from behind the pillar and made his way to the next room and as he did so the illusion that kept his appearance of a Silver Shield knight dropped.

**************************

Terian waited as the kamael instructed him to. In truth he was glad she made him stay back, what he saw terrified the man. He understood killing, but what he witnessed today was most unholy. The woman was a monster, her power was something out of a nightmare. "Einhasad preserve us." He whispered a prayer.
"Your goddess is not here today."
Terien froze, the voice he heard chilled him to the bone. The way those words were spoken, the sheer lack of any warmth in them, there was only a cold and calculated purpose. He whipped around drawing his sword only to be blasted back and smashed against the wall. The man struggled to keep consciousness, he struggled to get up but it seemed his body was not his own, it would not obey. The last thing he saw and heard was the echoing footsteps of a black armored knight with eyes that burned as red as coal.

*************************

Kuros walked past the unconscious man and made his way into the final room. He paused and surveyed the scene before him. The kamael stood before him with her back to him. In front of her stood a shadowy creature that was slowly deteriorating away. "Defeat wasn't part of my plan, but it doesn't matter....My research is almost complete...I have done it all....for the glory of our Goddess....For her....I welcome Death." And as the creature had spoken the words he seemed to wither away and vanish through the cracks of the floor. The Dark Lord watched the kamael sigh in relief just as her power once again came out and tore the essence out of her foe.
"Impressive." He spoke, his voice carrying his words with an unearthly echo. "I didn't expect you to last this long, but than again I didn't expect to see this sort of power." The Dark Lord chuckled, he truly was impressed with Lithillia's performance, now it was time to test her himself. "Show me more." He spoke and brought his hand forward. Tendrils of dark energies formed and swirled around eachother before shooting out right at her.

*******************
((OOC: Btw when I mentioned Kuros' unearthly voice this is how I pictured it

[lithillia]

What ever this intoxicating feeling was, she was left standing on the ground rolling her head from side to side. Her heart whispered in her ear, the sound of its steady beating making its voice heard, begging her to continue, to seek out more of this thrill. The sounds were hollow around her and she did not at first notice the being that stepped up behind her. Not until he spoke. His words reached through to her, as if muffled by water at first. "Impressive."
Lithillia turned around seeing this dark armored knight in front, his eyes glowing like the red hot iron she had seen at camp. I didn't expect you to last this long, but than again. "I didn't expect to see this sort of power." His voice was like hers, as if he spoke from beyond, but the different to it was the cold, and raw edge. She could feel his words send shivers down her spine almost as if he had run his sharp gloved fingers down her body.
His chuckle made her flinch and take a half step back. "Show me more." He demanded, and she saw him extend his hand and from it shot dark energy.
Her initial thought was to turn, to turn, run and hide. He struck fear in her, and somehow he seamed different to those she had fought earlier that day. Her thoughts went quickly through her mind, and while thinking she saw the dark attack grow closer.
The kamael drew her rapier and crouched to the floor, placing one palm down at it. She grimaced, and her white feathers folded out as much as she could before jumping up and away from the projectiles. A hallowed grunt escaped her as she did, and her white long hair waved in the air as she spun around in the air. To escape the attack and gain offensive advantages she had to get behind him.
Her eyes kept on the attacker's form at all times, and soon she would no longer feel afraid. She did not care who he was, or why he was here, it did not matter, because in not to long he would lie to the floor with the rest. Oh how sweet it would be to feel the rush again, she longed for it and her heart whispered the song in her ears. She was full of confidence now, and reassured her self that this one was nothing other than a regular person in a frightening looking suit of armor. And armor... all armor had a weak spot and her thin rapier could penetrate any little crack or thin surface.
She grinned and fanned out her wing and arms, and touched to the ground behind him softly, giving of a little sigh.
Moving as fast as she could, she started to run towards him and at the right time Lithillia jumped sprawling out her wing, arm and legs, attempting a downward thrust with her weapon to the neck of the knight.

[Kuros]

There was a loud crackling sound followed by an ear shattering boom when the black projectile hit the wall. Of the kamael there was no trace. Then he heard it, the slight sigh of her breath when she landed softly behind him. He spun, his red orbs focusing on her once again just in time to see her leap into the air. Her majestic wing unfurled and he saw in her hungry eyes the battle lust that replaced the fear he saw in them earlier. The grin on her face he welcomed, as his own heart raced with anticipation. He too felt his blood rush, the power he held within his veins wanting to come out and play. Yes, that's right show me more! He smirked underneath his horned greathelm and narrowed his eyes. She was fast, of that he gave her credit.
His sword arm pulsed with energy and then with the speed of a striking viper he drew his weapon from its sheath and released the energy in his hand into the blade before slashing out to meet the Kamael's own. Time seemed to slow down and Kurors could see her blade connect with his. Flashes of light reflected off the obsidian plate of his helmet when their blades slid along each other creating sparks. It would seem that she had him and the rapier would strike true. Then came the gale force of his executed counterattack that blasted her away from him to the side.
He watched her fly right at the wall, the wind buffeting her on, she was done for. What happened next though gave the Dark Lord a somewhat pleasant surprise. Her body twisted in midair right before his eyes to the point where she maneuvered her feet to the wall. She seemed to crouch against it, defying every law of gravity. The howl of the wind died down and the sprang right off the wall right at him forcing him to roll to the side or risk a head on collision. "Hmph....not bad at all. This is going to be entertaining." He retorted and drew a second blade. "Let us see how fast those pretty legs of yours can move." The blades powered up and he lashed out firing one sonic wave after another. "Dance for me!"

[lithillia]

Dance? Oh she would dance alright.
Lithillia avoided the attacks by crouching, jumping and pirouetting away from them, and at some point she actually let a giggle slip. The disadvantage was hers, he was to quick to let her get enough time to stop evading and start attacking, and her mind worked quickly to how she could get him to fall to the ground. She had to be able to get to his back again, perhaps knock his feet from under, and as soon as he would connect to the floor she could disarm him.
The air flowing from in and out her mouth started to burn in her chest as she tried to run faster for to get away from the sonic waves. It was getting her dizzy running in this wide circle, but hoped that he too would feel the effect while he moved to face her fleeing form at all times.
To surprise, she broke of her pattern, taking to an immediately right heading directly towards the wall again. She hoped that her sudden choice of direction would make him unable to get in a direct shot, and as if she shifted around the gravity again, she run half way up it.
Once more, her voice echoed at the effort she made to push her self into the air, her wing making a second stroke to spin her around. She went high over above him, as much as the tall sealing would let her. She made a back flip, and felt her feet touch the other wall. Her gaze was on him, and disappointingly she made note that he was on his way to face her again, she was not quick enough. She grimaced annoyed, pressing her self of the wall again. In midair she saw that he turned with her as she flew over his head once more, calculating where she would be with in the next second. His swords sent out yet another sonic wave and she saw no way of to avoid it. The action sent Lithillia up to the higher end of the wall, and she hit it with a loud sound of impact. The kamael found her self falling again, and just before she hit the floor, she managed to break the speed with her wing.
Her head was spinning, bleeding from a crack in her skin above her eye, and she struggled to get to her feet. The body was tired, the ecstasy that came with the death of the men seamed to have left her now, and the limbs trembled from the duress.
She stood there then, on her four looking at him sideways. The burning red orbs seamed fixed on her frame but she could not tell if he smiled beneath the mask. If he thought she would give up he was mistaken.... she just needed a bit time to stand up. She coughed, and cleared her throat of blood. She spat this out, never letting him go with her gaze.

[Kuros]

"Most impressive." The Dark Lord spoke when he blasted her from the air. In his earlier days she would have caught him off guard, possibly even scored that lethal hit she was aiming to execute. There was a certain elegance in her attack that the Dark Lord found pleasing to the eye, but alas that alone was not enough. He watched her topple to the ground only to break the fall with her wing to prevent any serious injury. The laceration she received was minor, she would heal that in no time, he knew. He did note that she was running out of energy to keep up her attacks, he wore her out or rather she wore herself out. "Show me your true power, I know you are capable of more than this." He hissed as he approached her slowly.

Kuros watched her as she struggled to get to her feet, he watched as the limbs trembled from the duress. The look of ecstasy in her eyes that spurred him on fading fast, yet she continued to gaze at him. "Don't give up on me now girl, this can't be everything what you have. I know there is more." His words dripped with a hint of disappointment. "Show me more!"
"Who are you?" She spoke in a low tone and gave the Dark Lord pause. "What do you want!" He watched her get up, body trembling from fatigue but also the rage that formed inside. "You want a display of power?" She hissed through her teeth and Kuros saw tendrils of darkness wrapping around her like serpents. They coiled around her arm and she extended it to point at him. "Yes...give it to me." The Dark Lord spoke in a sweet tone, his red glowing eyes burning with anticipation. He felt the chill run down his back giving him the goosebumps when he heard the crackle of energy that formed in her hand. He extended his arms to the side, presenting himself as a target and again made his way towards her.

The abyssal blaze came, it screamed as it cut through the air. He could feel the dark energies coursing through the projectile, much like they flowed through his own veins. He waited for the last moment, to get as close to that sweet destructive power as possible, to feel that sweet rush when one was on the brink of being destroyed. When that feeling came he lashed out with his blade at the last moment. The impact between blade and blast was like a thunderclap, it shook his body, the violet and black energies almost blinding him. He could feel that fury, it was almost like a dark caress over him and then suddenly it was gone, the projectile deflected back to its point of origin.

[lithillia]

The kamaels body was hit with her own wall of rage. Again she could feel the hard surface of the wall hit her back but it felt surprisingly soft compared to the pain that otherwise crackled through her body. She drew her breath to scream, but the air was knocked from her lungs at the impact, making her grimace instead.
Her form bounced back away from the wall, ending up falling to the ground sprawling out her arms and feet.
With the spare effort, she groaned as the air flowed back into her chest, and her mind clung to the thoughts that spun in her head. I am not going to die... I cant die...
The eyesight blurred, and she tried to blink her eyelids to wash back the veil that covered over her eyes.
It hurt to breath, and in her beaten stare she saw him move again. Someone will save me.. they have to...
Her eyes closed, and the last thing she heard was the sound of his boots as he made his way towards her.

[Kuros]

Kuros made his way towards the kamael, his steps echoing with each calculated step he took. He reached her and knelt down on both knees. His hands reached up and removed the black plated helmet he wore to reveal a smooth pale face. A mane of long blond hair spilled out from underneath and cascaded down his shoulders and back like some waterfall. The red glow in the eye sockets faded out as he placed the helmet on the ground beside him. His green eyes studied the girl for a moment, then he reached out with his black armored hand and gently brushed a few locks of white hair off her face so that he could see it better. A trickle of blood ran down her brow and his gaze fell upon it as if drawn to it. Kuros tilted his head to the side in consideration and playfully brushed her skin with his clawed fingertips before allowing the blood to flow onto them.

He purred when he brought his hand to his mouth and tasted the blood. Mmmm...don't you do taste of power. He shivered and savored the taste. I will enjoy unraveling the secrets you hold. His body shimmered with a silver glow as he once again cast the illusion over himself. The black on his armor bled away like ink off wet paper and was once again replaced by the silver that the people of Talking Island knew him for. Kuros, or rather Lord Stormblade looked down at the unconscious form of the kamael and gently scooped her up into his arms before hugging her close to him. He rocked slowly back and forth, almost as if she were asleep. "Everything will be alright." He cooed and brushed his hand through her hair. "You fought bravely, but now I am here. Rest your strength, I will take care of everything else." His lips curled to form a smile and he stood up with her in his grasp. And when you are yourself again, when you are whole, your power will be at my command. The idea pleased him very much, his eyes reflected it and the smile turned into a smirk. Lord Stormblade, Commander of the Silver Shield, the Savior, the Knight of False Silver turned then, and left the hall carrying his prize away with him.

[lithillia]

The darkness was thick around her, and for the longest time she thought that she was dying for real. The little conscious part of her hid in the back of her mind, afraid to be taken away from the life she knew.
As she covered in the back ground she suddenly got aware of a touch. Something moved over her skin, over her body. Her body was.. pulled? Was this it then, the time had come for her to be taken to rest? Where would her soul go when she could not remember what god she served. Wake up! Wake up! Fight on, don’t let this happen!
Lithillia tried to burst awake, tried to once again command her body to answer to her instructions, but it felt as heavy as never before.
Im being taken! Taken!!
The kamaels mind was also dark and it was hard to find any of the controls, the darkness keeping her as a prisoner.
She thought she heard something, and as if she needed it, she held her breath and were completely silent.
Words.
Someone were talking near her body. The second thought was, that she was able to hear and she focused all she head to clear out the distortion that hindered her to make out the voice. " ...Rest your strength, I will take care of everything else."
I am alive! She cheered from the inside, and tried to focus even harder to remember the words playing them over again. " ...Rest your strength,.." the words echoed through her and she recognized the voice." ...I will take care of everything else."

Dachande...

She could feel it now, a rocking sensation. Where they walking? It was hard to reach out with her senses, but it did not matter anymore. She was safe, he had found her. Soon she would wake up and be as before. Death had not come for her after all.
Her chest seamed to expand and grow with the feeling of relief, and for a moment her thoughts broke through the dark that kept her from waking up.
"I....I knew you would come...." Her words were a whisper, and with them a tear of joy fell down her cheek. I am saved...
The dark washed over her again, growing thick, but she welcomed it now. "...Rest your strength..." Yes, she would rest, rest and wake up stronger.

[Kuros]

***Silver Shield Camp Infirmary - Nightfall***

The tent interior was dimly lit. The single candle that burned on the night table was the only source of light that he allowed to shine while the kamael in his care rested and regained her strength. His hand dipped the cloth in a bowl of clean water and then traced the gash on her brow she received from him earlier. He watched her stir slightly and he eased off the pressure on the cloth when she moaned slightly. She was healing quickly if some part of her was able to recognize and feel the sting from the disinfectant on the cloth.
"Shhhhh..." He cooed quietly and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. Her skin was surprisingly warm to the touch and the feeling he realized was not all that unpleasant. He waited until she settled once more before proceeding to clean the wound more.

I....I knew you would come... Her whisper echoed in his mind when he recalled the event of carrying her off the field of battle.
This young lady spoke highly of you, though she may be confused I believe deep down somewhere, she trusts you. Kekropus' words came next.
Why? His own thoughts asked a question of their own. He put the cloth away and took out a piece of gauze to place it on her head. His hand slid then to the side of her head and under where he would elevate it slowly. Next came the bandages. Kuros unwrapped them with his free hand placing one end in his mouth while the other he began wrapping around her head to keep the gauze secured. When he was done tied both ends off set her head down gently once more to rest.
Would you still if I told you it was I who did this to you? Wold you share your power and fight by my side if I told you what I was? Or would you hunt me like the other hounds do?

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes suddenly, these thoughts of sentiment fading away quickly. What does it matter, the power inside you is all I need. He took the cloth away after he was done with it and placed it in the bowl before taking a seat in one of the chairs by the bed and waited for the kamael to wake, just like before.

[lithillia]

She rested quietly on the bed, propped up on pillows and her head neatly bandaged. The candle that burned on the near table had grown much shorter after the hours passed, but she was still in the company with the knight Dachande.
Lithillia pulled a deep breath, waking up from the dark dream that had held her since she had been rescued. It hurt to do that, but it was not remotely as bad as it had been waking up after the first fall. Even if she could endure the pain she let out a soft moan, and blinked her eyes several times to make out the forms in the dark. The blur made way for the eyes to see, and immediately she figured out where she was. The infirmary.
She saw him then, but he sat to far away for the candle light to touch him, and the dark made his eyes and facial expression hidden from her.
She wanted to ask how he had found her, but that could only lead to explaining her defeat. She lowered her gaze then, down to her hands that folded over the other in her lap.
How was it that she had been spared? She would not have been so kind...
Her eyes closed again for to let her self rest for a bit longer, picturing the dark armored figure and his words. The shivers would be seen from the outside, and she slowly exhaled. She would meet him again, and then she would not fail to be victorious. She would taste the sweet kill, even if she would have to hunt him down spending years.
Maybe Kekropus would know who this man was? She would definitive find his council about the matter.
When stating this fact, planning to go as soon as the sun stood high noon, she opened her eyes again looking at Dachande once more.
"Hello",she said simply.

[Kuros]

It was unknown how long Kuros sat there, he hasn't moved at all during all this time. His mind recalled the events that followed once the Kamael was "rescued" from the Ye Sagira ruins.

***Ye Sagira Zone 5***

"Will she be alright?" Sebion's voice caused the silver knight to turn his head.
"She is a little banged up, but she is in stable condition." Kuros replied to the man and turned back to the makeshift camp they had out here in the ruins. He gave the commands for his men to take the kamael away back to the camp and to clear out of the ruins. Their presence was no longer needed here as the regular soldiers and the kamael were moving in with reinforcements to garrison the place.
"With some rest she will make for a quick recovery, she's a tough girl." Kuros turned once more to face the man. "What of your man?"
"He took a hit but he is already recovering though he doesn't remember much. What went on in there?"
"I don't know for sure, though I do know the kamael was responsible for destroying some sort of demon in there." The silver knight explained the scenario and what he saw when he decided to go after her into the ruins. "There were many dead, most by her blades. It is also confirmed that the Embryo organization was behind this attack, there was also the black knight that appeared."
"The black knight?" The man quirked a brow when he regarded Kuros.
"Yes, he was the one responsible for Lady Lithillia's condition. He fled when I showed up."
"Did he say anything to you?"
Kuros looked at the man considering the question for a split moment before shaking his head. "No, he left without saying a word."
"Very well then, I shall mention this in my report. His presence and the fact that the attacked the Lady does not bode well. As far as we know he may have been the Embryo commander."
Kuros looked at the man and remained silent, he nodded for the sake of agreeing to the man's speculations. Let him believe what he wants to believe.
"Do you have anything else to add Lord Stormblade?"
Kuros turned back slightly to look at a column of his soldiers marching out of the ruins. "No sir, that is everything." He turned back to face the man again.
"Very well then Lord, as always we appreciate your assistance in claiming the ruins. There are many secrets buried in here that may yet help us stop the Goddess of Destruction. Once we know of something more we shall call upon you once again."
Kuros bowed his head slightly. "Thank you sir, and as always the Silver Shield is here for the people. We shall be at your side whenever you need us.
"Oh and Lord Stormblade." Sebion spoke before the man got a chance to leave him. Kuros watched him reach into one of his pockets and pull out a pouch of coins. "Give this to Lady Lithillia for her efforts. She has done very well and if not for her who knows what damage would have been done."
The silver knight accepted the coins and nodded. "I will ensure she gets this, sir." He then turned and began walking away. "Farewell."

***Silver Shield Camp Infirmary - Present***

Kuros watched her stir from her sleep, it seemed she still needed some time to heal but atleast she was moving again. He waited for her in the darkness of the tent, the candle light now barely illuminating his face. She saw him after a short while and still Kuros did not make a move or a sound until she was ready.
"Hello." It was all she said, there were no questions on what happened or where am I or what happened to me. Kuros studied her for a moment before nodding. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Lithillia." He finally said in a plain and simple tone as well. "I was worried there that you wouldn't make it."

[lithillia]

She sat there, trying to pretend nothing had happened. Sure she had been nervous her self, worried the end had come for her. But her weakness would not be shown to this man in front of her.
"I feel perfectly fine. I am sure your healers have tended to me well once again." She moved her hand to the bandage, feeling over where the gash would be. The pain was irrelevant, and easily shrugged of. She just could not breath too deep down.
She gave him one of those long intense stares, before adding to her words. " I am going to town at noon. I need to speak with the Elder."
There was no tone to her voice that asked for his permission, nor any request to be followed. And she would already seam impatient about leaving.

[Kuros]

Kuros studied the kamael, he found it rather amusing that she acted as if nothing had happened and quite astonishing that she was already recovering so quickly.
"I feel perfectly fine. I am sure your healers have tended to me well once again." He simply nodded to her, she didn't have to know it was he who tended to her. He continued to study her as she examined herself and the work he had done. Then came that long intense stare and he returned it. He would have told her at this point that all that was done was having her wounds bound and nothing else, she didn't have to worry about being touched. He was cut off though before he got a chance to say anything.
"I am going to speak with the Elder." Her voice was like a matter of fact to him and he got the message that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Very well then, you have free reign here." He too spoke in his own typical calm and collected tone. "I won't stop you." He waited a while longer to see if she would even ask him anything but all he got was silence from her. She wanted to go, and he wouldn't be surprised if she left now. "Before you go." He slowly stood up from his chair and reached for his belt. "Sebion wanted you to have this as a token of their appreciation for your efforts in the battle. They were quite pleased with you, despite the injuries you suffered." He removed a pouch from the belt and placed it on the night table beside her. With that done he turned and made his way towards the tent flap. "When you get to town be sure to report to Sebion what happened in those ruins and what you learned as you were the only one that entered there." He did not bother telling her about the black knight, she never asked so he never found he owed it to her to explain his side of the story. "Good luck." Then he was just simply gone.

[lithillia]

The kamael walked with fast and firm steps over to the stable, and there stood the white horse ready. Her ribs were still sore, but the bandage was already removed from her head, showing just a pink little scar over her eyebrow. She healed fast, almost scary fast, but as long as it was to her advantage she would not think of it twice.
The lively horse danced as she got up, and the stable master kept a firm grasp on the reins. "He is frisky to day, My Lady, you sure you can handle it?"
Lithillia looked down from her seat and kept a stone face. "Frisky you say?" The one winged woman patted the strong neck."To me he seam to be a bit lazy...Are you feeding him enough?" She collected the horse, and spurred him on. What? Did he not think she could deal with the stallion? What was she... Weak in their eyes? She stood in the stirrups as they were racing past soldiers on their way out of the camp, leaving a dusty trail behind.

*** At the town square ***

She made the horse run with the fury and shame she carried, making them arrive earlier than anticipated. The horseman in town greeted her.
"You have ridden him hard, is something the matter?"
Lithillia just looked at him while ungloving her hands, nipping the fingers out one after the other.
Realizing he would not get an answer, beside that, he continued. "I hope the Lord is well? You seamed to leave in a hurry the last time."
"How much do I owe you?" she said bluntly, ignoring his small talk. The man perked his brows and scratched his beard, looking at her like she was the entire explanation to his last question.
"I will offer this service to day for free, to honor the good Lord."
"Nonsense!" she huffed, and put a few coins into his palm. "You are to earn your keep no matter what honor and who is the lord." She was clearly in a poor mood, and masked her nervousness with gruff remarks. She had to win from now on, was it battles or conversation. She could not afford to loose, not again.
Lithillia turned around and her long hair flowed behind her as a cape. Her feet took her in the direction of the library, the big staircases leading up beckoning her to come. The matriarch had to have answers to her questions, he knew her from years back, and he had to tell her of what powers she could wield. She anticipated that he would come with advices that could lead her to grow even stronger, and she wanted to grow strong fast.
She half run up the stairs, mulling over the chance she could just make the full height of them with one leap, but she decided against it. Better act proper when seeking the audience of Kekropus.
After this audience, she would go to Sebion and report what she had seen during her mission. She would keep it short, and not elaborate on the painful fact that she had missed the 100% win. But she would get her second chance, the dark knight would not escape her wrath then.
Her stride was confident walking into the cool shade of the library hall, and she harvested the stares the people there gave her. She knew she looked impressive, beautiful and intriguing. She was a kamael after all.

Lithillia stopped dead in her tracks, eyes fixated on something further in. She furrowed her brows and moved stolen like to stand behind one pillar. She saw them. She saw him with... her? The girl inched forward for to better see, though kept in mind to stay in her hiding place.
What was this?
The elder, Kekropus, stood outside of the door that led up to his office, and with him she could see the form of a female kamael. The distance between them was far to great for her to listen in on the conversation, but she did well to catch every movement they made.
She had seen several kamaels now, most of them soldiers serving at the Ye Sagira Ruin, and she had not payed them to much mind. They were all creatures of beauty, but none of them had ever made her felt lesser. Not until now.
The female kamael had bright silver hair, and it danced around her form when she made the tiniest movement, the curls bouncing freely. She had to be taller, her legs longer. The posture so rank and proud, and Lith felt her self slope her shoulders. The single elegant wing seamed to be rimmed by gold, and with the silver hair and bronze skin tone made the whole woman the most fantastic creature Lithillia had ever seen.
The strange female leaned forward, putting a hand onto Kekropus's arm, the action spoke of full trust and confidence. The elder smiled down at the woman by his side, and as if Lithillias heart was pierced through she witnessed the woman return it.
Would not the room light up already? Her mind hissed with envy, unable to break the stare right away.
The wounded kamael, turned away from the scene, all of her hid by the pillar. The stone face tried to hide the half way crazed eyes, and she stifled a shudder. Had she overestimated her own beauty? Could she ever compare to the one behind her, the one who so absolutely had the Matriarchs favor?
People stared at Lith again, probably wondering why she stood there, as if with no purpose and all statue like.
When the kamael moved to look out from her place hidden, she saw the other female come towards her. Probably on her way out, finished with her errand at the library.
Fine! Lith hurried out the door before the other could see her, and hid behind a corner. The silver haired Kamael walked quickly down the stairs, and as well hidden as she could, Lith followed.
For what purpose, she did not know, but she had to follow the woman for just a few minutes, just to grasp who she was.
The golden wing was easy to spot among the many people running their errands at the merchant booths, so she could keep some distance, pretending she was on her own errand there.
"Are you shopping, My Lady?" asked a brewer as she stood next to his wares.
"Hmm?" She murmured wildly, trying to keep her focus onto the other female with cat like hunting movements.
"I have extra fine wares to day, could I interest you in a purchase of this fine white wine? It is very sweet, only outmatched by your beauty!"
She gave him a glare. How could he say she was beautiful when there was this other one far more gracious than her?
"I mean only kindness of course." he reassured her, noting the evil eyes that had been cast onto him before she again sought out the form she was stalking.
Lithillia gritted her teeth, seeing how well liked the other was. She smiled to everyone, giving them compliments on their wares, given free samples... Laughing...
"That... I will have that one." She pointed at one dark brown bottle, not giving a single care what it was.
"You for sure My Lady? It is quite strong, perhaps not your taste?"
For crying out loud just take the purchase! Lithillia turned her eyes to him once again, and like the seasons change so did her expression. She smiled sugary sweet, and batted her lashes twice quickly. "It is a gift..."
The brewer lit up in a trusting smile. "And a fine gift it is! It has been with my house for generations, and I am a little sad to sell it, but the situation being as it were...." He cleared his throat and shifted his trail of words. "It is a fine vintage whiskey."
What are you doing?
"And surely worth every coin." She fished up her purse and almost emptied it to pay for the bottle. What ARE you doing?!
"Thank you Master Brewer," She praised him, and collected the now wrapped in gift and placed it in her bag.
She whipped up her head to see the strange beauty, but had now lost her. Damn...

She went back to the horseman and collected her horse.
"Just a quick visit to our town then My Lady?"
"Yes... they did not have what I was... looking for." Her tone of voice was monotone, free from any spunk she had held earlier that day. The man pondered her, scratching his beard again. "I am... sorry to hear that. Perhaps next time?"
Lithillia got up, and took the reins for her self. She looked back to the town square, seeing the big staircase that was the symbol of her climbing to power.
"Perhaps..."
"Take easy on him, he is not ready for another wild run."
Her throat felt thick, and she could not remember ever feeling this way before. She nodded to the stable master, and he could catch the glint of distress in her eyes.
"She must be a handful." He mumbled to him self as she took of.

***Later, back at the camp***

She had listened to the advice of taking it slow, but the last minutes she had the horse running like mad. The beat of the hoofs made her feel better, seeing the soldiers move away from them, just as much. In her wild run she moved past Dachande, where he was having some kind of conversation with some of his men. A few paces after she halted the horse and turned him around to trot back. Well back at Dach's side, she turned the horse once again looking down at the human. Her face would say nothing to him, it would be stone cold.
While the horse caught up with its breath, she fished up the wrapped bottle and tossed it to the Lord. She waited not to hear him speak, and with a bow of her head she sent the horse back into the wild speed and left the men behind.
She had forgot about Sebion and her report, but he would have to wait just one more day.

[Kuros]

Kuros walked through the camp with the Captain and a few guardsmen at his side. Today he inspected his men to make sure they were recovering from the previous battle and those who did not suffer any injuries maintained a strict battle fitness.
"What do the other Talons have to report Captain?"
"All the medical staff report that we are at three quarters strength." The captain replied and continued to keep pace with his Lord. "The wounded are being tended to and monitored for progress. The dead, as you requested have been incinerated after the ceremonies were done to prevent any plagues and sickness from spreading."
"Excellent. I am sure that our good friends here will be needing our services soon. The recent incursions by the Embryo organization have them spooked. I also have received word from our mainland forces that some sort of creature has made it from the Island to the mainland."
"Truly?" Asked the captain. "I thought Ye Sagira was cleared out?"
"That might be so, but I have a feeling our dear ambassador is not telling us something. Hopefully Sebion had better luck with her." He stopped as they reached an area where the men who participated in the battle rested. "At ease." He spoke before they had a chance to get up and salute, they've earned their break. "You've all fought well the other day, I am pleased with your hard work and dedication." He began as he looked into the eyes of each and every man and woman gathered. He paused and waited until all the thank yous and their reaffirmations of continuing to serve without question were done. "I am glad to hear this." He nodded to them with a pleased smile on his face. "However, duty is not what I came here for. It is for your hard work and dedication that I am giving you leave to reflect on all we have accomplished, to honour the fallen and to enjoy yourselves, you've all earned it." He paused and swept his gaze over them. "I am giving you seven days leave. You are free to go anywhere on the Island. So take this time to make the best of it. That is all." Kuros turned to the captain and nodded. "Captain, I leave this detail to you. Furthermore, have some troops leave for town to bring in an order of wine kegs. I believe everyone deserves a break tonight."
"Yes, my lord, it shall be as you command." The captain saluted and proceeded to carry out his orders.

Kuros moved on down the road through the camp with the other guardsmen flanking him in silence. How long has it been since he allowed the men to enjoy themselves like this? Surely if it weren't for the Silver Shield facade they wouldn't have been so....carefree as they were now, but appearances had to be kept, he couldn't let the good people of Talking Island see him as some inhuman Dark Lord now could he? Still, this little operation has proven to be fruitful, they were making progress, the people almost accepted them as heroes and now that Ye Sagira was more or less under control he could venture there without restrictions.
"Rider incoming!" A shout gave Kuros and his escorts pause. No sooner than that happen did a rider fly by him. It was a white charger and Kuros recognized the winged form with white hair flailing behind her. So, the girl has returned, and quickly too. He watched her halt the beast and turn him around to trot back. He arched a brow when she headed his way and wondered what this was all about. Interesting. He mused when he saw the stone cold look on her face after she finally stopped her mount, no correction, not her mount, but one belonging to the 3rd Talon. Oh great, she chose to torture one of the ones from the 3rd. He would have facepalmed if he didn't care to start yet another hissing match with the girl but instead he kept his cool gaze on her. He tilted his head to the side curiously when she fished out a wrapped bottle and tossed it to him. Then without warning she was gone.

Kuros looked down at the bottle, then at the direction the kamael rode off to and then to his men who just looked at him with a confused look that mirrored his own.
"What the hell was that all about?" One of the guardsmen asked.
"I don't know, and I don't think I want to know." He replied and looked down at the bottle again. "She is an odd one, even for a kamael."
"I see." It was all the guardsman could say.
"Guardsman." Kuros suddenly called out.
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Be sure that the charger is still alive when the "ambassador" dismounts."
"Yes my lord!" The soldier saluted and moved off to the direction of the stables.
"And guardsman." Kuros called out again to halt the man.
"Yes, my Lord?" The man halted and turned back to face him.
"Do not provoke her, I don't want her doing anything...illogical, today is supposed to be a day of rest afterall."
"Yes, my Lord. Of course." The man nodded and resumed his trek to the stables once more.
Satisfied that all was in order, Kuros dismissed the rest of his escort and made his way to the kamael's tent with the bottle in hand.

***Lithillia's Tent - A short while later***

Kuros stood at the doorway after being let into the tent and studied the kamael a bit closer now. Something must have happened to her, sure she acted her typical self but she seemed....unsure about something. Not that it mattered really, he wasn't her counsellor or anything of the sort.
"I believe this belongs to you." His voice held it's steel edge. He leaned in and placed the bottle on the side table.
"I have given the men time off, so things are going to be quiet for a while atleast in terms of work. You should take some time off as well, go to town or something." He then turned away form her, it was clear from his actions that he wanted to spend as little time in here as possible.
"As for this bottle, thanks but I don't need it. You shouldn't have wasted your coin on it." With that he was gone. The bottle sat there on the table still in the wrapper. He didn't even look what was it that she bought.

[lithillia]

Lithillia stood in her tent, washing her hands and face of the trip she have had. She refused to look in the mirror as she did. There was nothing in it that she wanted to look at right now.
The tent flap moved to the side and she turned around only to meet the figure of Dachande. Oh him... what did he want now?
She stood silently awaiting what ever words he would utter in the context of his visit. While he studied her, she studied him back. What was he thinking now anyway? Did he take her in visually? Pondering her appearance? Gods forbid if he did! He was not allowed to have an opinion of her, especially not of how she looked.
All her insecurity and hate washed through her brain, and the downwards spiral only stopped at the sound of his words. "I believe this belongs to you." She eyed his movement as he placed the bottle on the side table. Her eyes darted back over to him... what was he doing? This was clearly an rejection.
"I have given the men time off, so things are going to be quiet for a while at least in terms of work. You should take some time off as well, go to town or something." he turned then from her, and she suspected as much that he wanted to end his visit with her as soon as he could.
"As for this bottle, thanks but I don't need it. You shouldn't have wasted your coin on it."
She could have nodded, but to what point, he was already out the door.
Lithillia stared then at the unwrapped bottle. He had not even cared to see what it had been, not seen the vintage whiskey that now would just rot there, untouched.
FINE! She would just return it then, get no money for it, she did not care.
She fumed.
It was not like she had bought it for him, it was a rouse, a cover to keep her self from being detected in her... her....
She gritted her teeth and balled her fists. HER! The kamael narrowed her eyes, the thin slits making her unable to see clearly.
So if she had bounced around with curly silvered hair and golden wings... walk on taller legs and shine of cobber in the sun.. then would he have accepted her gift? If she smiled sweetly like there would be a promise of a better to morrow, if her lips was a bit more pursed... would he then accept her /bloody/ gift?
She still stood in her place, ready to murder anyone that would come with in one jump lengths distance.
He did not want here to be with in his camp. She was not welcome... Oh she knew now, she was a burden on his holy 'shineyness'... well maybe he would then get his wish.
The anger burned, it burned hot and deep, and her sanity was no longer of question.
She belted the rapier and walked out the door. So if she killed of half his numbers of men... would she get his attention? The heels of her boots dug deep into the sandy trails that made the streets in the city of tents. Her eyes burned over the scene of happy soldiers, ready to leave, party and relax.
Insufferable fools...
She kept walking scouting for a good place to start her rampage, but then her attention shifted, someone called out her name.
"Lady Lithillia!"
She turned around, figuring she had already found her first victim.
"My Lady!" A dark haired soldier came running after her, half smiling, his brown eyes fixed on hers. Lithillia kept her self from reaching for the rapiers hilt.
"Yes?"
Alright... so she would at least hear him out first.
"Me and some of my friends planned to spar, and we have heard such words about your talent." Flattery, alright.... She took the bate and let him continue.
"We hoped you could challenge us, give us a firsthand experience of what was the bane of the Embryo organization." He said this teasingly, but only to mock the enemy, and not her.
"With out the actual deaths?" she asked, her tone a bit disappointed.
"If you would honor our lives Ma'am." The young man smiled to her even wider, and it was to his fortune he resembled nothing to Dachande, and even if she preferred 'My Lady', she let that one slide for now.
"I don’t know... it would seam like an awful waste of my time." She could not just give in, could she?
The soldier hid his disappointment well, and just bowed deeply to her. "We would not want to waste any of your precious time... All we wanted was to gain some experience in battle. It would not be often to have the opportunity to learn from one such as your self."
Me, being a kamael, that is? She did not voice the question.
He turned for to walk away, though he had not come far when she called after him.
"I suppose we have several days to kill... there could be worse things to waste time on, than training."
Lithillia did not hurry after him, she walked her normal pace, seeing that he waited for her to join him. The soldier bowed to her as she walked by and fell in beside her.

*** on the grassy field ***

Her heart was not in it. Even though they would give her a challenge worth her time, she could not put in the extra gear that ha driven her to kill the men in the ruins. She brillianced with her tall jumps and elegant landings. She pummeled them to the ground, and foresaw their attacks. Not one moment was boring, and this was perhaps what she needed.
Lithillia made a pirouetted and parried the attack, before thrusting her self from the ground and up in the air. This was one of the things that annoyed the men the most, without their bows they could not attack her at that range, and they had to wait for her to land to continue their assaults.
As she soared she revisited her memories. The taste of the sweet kill teased her, and she felt the hunger for it grow even more. She... wanted it... No... she needed it. Her body seamed lacking with power, she felt weak, like a child compared to an adult. The feeling overcame her and when she landed her eyes had changed completely.
With a beckon of her hand, she invited all three to come at her, and she grinned sheepishly as they took the bate.
It all happened so quick from there, and not soon after she was crouching over the dark haired soldier, closing her eyes while constricting his airflow by her hand.
The feeling she desired started to reach out for her, she could taste it. Would it be wrong to have this one taste?
Her heart sang in her ears, but still there was something keeping her back. To have the feeling she desired, she would have to kill. And would it be in her best interest to kill one of Dachandes men?
She fought with her self, and finally she let go of him. He grasped for his throat, coughing to get the airflow back.
"Let this be the end of the lesson." she said as cold as she could, but the shiver in her voice could witness to the struggle she had just won over.
With out thanking them for the training, she turned, and walked away.

[Kuros]

Kuros walked through the camp at ease and stopped at each and every point to chat with his men. He really wanted to give them a break from all the work he has been putting them through, they were like family to him, he knew they deserved it, but the soldier in him still insisted he make his presence known among them atleast for the first day. Most of the conversations that happened were small talk really. He would ask how things were, how their time off was so far and take any requests for any supplies for goods while he had runners going in and out of the camp.
The men seemed to be in really high spirits and the way they enjoyed themselves seemed as if they weren't the band of knights they were before taking up the mantle of the Silver Shield. It was almost as if the role they played was real to them. Kuros smirked more to himself than anything else. When was the last time he was like this? He nodded to the group of soldiers he was chatting with and moved on along the camp.

Yes, they did deserve this rest, even if it's only for a little while. He continued his solitary walk when all of a sudden his attention was drawn to sounds of shouts, roars and blades clashing. What's this? He pondered and made his way to a field where a rather large crowd of his soldiers gathered around.
A lone winged form suddenly jumped up from the middle and twisted in the air gracefully before disappearing back down. It's Her. He quickened his stride until he reached makeshift arena. Some of his soldiers recognized him but he quickly placed a finger over his own mouth to silence them. Kuros mingled with the crowd making sure to stand in the second row as not to make his presence known.

There she was, Kuros saw her, his eyes reflecting her image among the fires that burned all around to act as light. She was stunning when she fought, he gave her that. With her tall jumps and elegant landings she was able to pummel each of the three men to the ground. Every attack they made she was able to foresee. The battle from his point of view seemed like more of a dance with the way she pirouetted among the men and parried the attacks before she thrust herself into the air again much to their annoyance. Still he noted that they were eager to fight on, she made an impression on them it seems. Kuros' eyes followed her every movement, studied her every tactic and attack, again he found himself grudgingly applauding her. As a kamael she was living up to the reputation of her people, atleast in fighting skill, her attitude on the other hand was a different story.

Her landing was perfect he noted, though at that moment he felt something stir, a kind of feeling that caused the hairs at the back of his neck rise, like the dark energies that flowed through his veins. He watched her carefully at that moment and noted the eyes, there was something different about them, something familiar. Then it hit him, the image he saw of her at the ruins when she slaughtered the Embryo Operatives and then when she fought him. He knew that hunger of hers and the images of those drained soldiers flashed behind him. He saw her beckon to all three men with a sheepish grin on her face. She reminded him of a wolf in a field full of lambs. They took the bait and charged her all three at once and then it was over. There were gasps from the onlookers as they too were shocked at what just happened. None of them expected such a thing to end so quickly.

Kuros hand slid down to one of the blades at his side and partially unsheathed it as the entire group remained silent. The soldier the kamael had in her grasp struggled like some unfortunate creature caught in the talons of a bird of prey. The man was in danger and Kuros moved to a better position and prepared to execute a killing strike. Then she just simply let go and the silence was shattered by the man's gasp and the fit of coughs that followed.
"Let this be the end of the lesson." The voice that came from the woman was cold, though Kuros noted the evidence in it that whatever she just went through was a struggle of will against instinct. She turned without saying a word and walked away.
Kuros sheathed the weapon and stepped out of the crowd while the rest of his men went to tend to those beaten in combat. He followed only enough to step away from the crowd before stopping. So, that was what you were struggling against. He mused as he watched her go. The wind picked up suddenly and tossed his hair to the side with his bangs partially covering his face. His gaze never left the Kamael until she vanished from view. No sooner than that happened did the festivity continued up again, his men seemed to shrug what happened off, believing her to have indulged in the thrill of the moment. The men that got beaten were already up and sharing jokes among eachother, it seemed they would be fine. He considered following the kamael but he best thought to leave her for now, whatever it was she needed to deal and conquer it on her own, for her sake. He turned then and headed back to his own tent. He's seen enough.

[lithillia]

It was darker now, but she found her way back to camp easy enough. Her hair was damp still, wet after taking a swim in the lake, the need to wash up had been far to great to wait for the return at camp. Her clothes were dry, but small bits of rifts and stains of blood to them.
She sighed. The calm had come back, she felt a serene feeling through out her entire being, and the rapier hung clean at her side, already cleaned from after the ordeal that ended a few moments ago.
She approached the camp meeting a pair guards keeping guard through the night.
"My Lady." They both greeted her, and she tipped her head in return.
"Are you alright?" a honest worried voice from the one spoke his concern.
"I am fine." and she did not understand his reason for asking.
"Very well, My Lady... Have a good rest."
Lithillia nodded once more and continued her walk back to her tent, and as she did, her mind relived the evening.
She had slaughtered orc after orc. They seamed to come at her with no end, and she welcomed it. Finally she got satisfied, she felt the hunger for the kill dull after the rampage. Stumbling over them and their hiding place had been as godsend for the kamael, and she had done good to put down as many as she could.
Now she both felt full and empty. Full of the desired feeling, empty of energy to continue. She was almost near to shuffle her feet across the ground, but she kept up her normal walk with a bit of effort. Her mind spun, numbing her. It felt nice.
The camp had found calm and peace too. All the tents were dark, filled with the sounds of men and women asleep. The walkway was familiar, the tents, the smaller roads cutting out from the main one, everything made her feel like she had come.... home? She stopped to pull in the scent of the place, and that was when she noticed the lit up tent. Someone was still awake, and she quickly realized who was the one who lived there.
Dachande.
She moved up to the closed doorway, and lingered there with out saying anything. He would probably not want to be disturbed, and she tucked her wing back into its place. The movement felt sore, probably due to her using it so much this day. She winched anyway, leaning forward onto the tent.
"Am I disturbing" She asked with a soft tired voice.
The dark hid the drops that fell from the tip of her wing and down onto the walkway.

[Kuros]

Kuros laid on his cot with his arms crossed behind his head. He looked into the flame of the lantern that hung over him. Its light illuminated him, giving his bare skin a shiny surface of sorts. It was a warm night and he found that his usual attire was uncomfortable in the heat, the privacy of his own tent didn’t require him to have to be modest about it all either.
Damn this heat. He cursed and turned over to lay flat on his stomach. He crossed his arms over and rested his chin on them. His thoughts went out to Lithillia and at what transpired earlier this night.

The men didn’t seem to say much regarding the incident, they all seemed to slowly accept her. More so now after this little sparring incident. Even her cold nature and princess attitude seemed to wash off them. Kuros knew they were an easygoing bunch, this is why he selected them for this mission to act as the Shield. None of them even realized how close he was to being forced to slay her in front of their eyes. If she didn’t regain control over herself he would have struck her down and he wouldn’t have hesitated either. Damn that girl, why couldn’t she be like the Heirarch or like the others. Things could have gone so much easier and they wouldn’t have to be unpleasant either. He tossed on his back again, his mane of golden hair sprawled beneath him with a few locks sliding to rest over his shoulder.
Treat her well and you shall find her loyalty unshaken, young lord. He recalled Kekropus’ words and furrowed his brow. Easier said than done Heirarch. Of all kamael why did you send this one to represent your people? He sighed and shook his head. She belongs with you, I’m no healer, I don’t know how to bring her memories back. He pitied the girl to some degree, he could understand that it could be frustrating not knowing who you were or what happened to you. Was she really this way before all….this? The Heirarch spoke highly of her, gods he hoped he was right. That kamael sounded like a dark elf with each and passing day and he hated those dark skins, those Shillien fanatics were a nuisance. How ironic though, for all their worship of the mad goddess all she did was reward them with death, it was just too tragic really. Serves the fools right. He hopped the bunch that escaped their home village were more smarter than their predecessors.

He paused suddenly, something told him he was not alone and he sat up on the cot.
“Am I disturbing.” He got off the cot and walked to the tent flap before pausing. That was Lithillia’s voice, but, no, it can’t be why would she come here at this time of night of all things. He pulled the flap back and stood before her, though he barely saw her in the dark and the bright light in his tent didn’t help. He waited a short moment until his eyes adjusted. There was something wrong about her he noticed, this was not like her. He considered asking her if she can wait until morning but then came the Hierarch’s advice once more. Very well then Hierarch, let’s try this your way.
“No, ambassador” He finally said using her title in a polite tone and stepped to the side to make way for her. “Come on in.”

[lithillia]

She could barely see him either, and her brain tried to deal with the information her eyes took in. The dim light from behind him somewhere made him look like he lit himself , an aura forming around him. She blinked her eyes for to see better.
"I... uhm... Thank you." she answered his invite, and tried to gather her self, body mind and soul. It was strange how it all seamed disconnected now. Her mind swam as if in a thick bog, her thoughts sloshing inside of her brain. What was she doing? Oh right... she was on her way into Dachandes tent. Well... all she had to do was to move her legs.
Her body felt fine, she could not feel any discomfort that would seam alarming. Perhaps it was tired? Like her mind, it might need a little rest, but she felt compelled to talk to Dach now.
Wait? Why did she want to talk to him again? oh... right! She had seen his light up tent. Just move the feet now. One step forward.
Her soul was the only thing feeling clear. She had never felt so clear in her life, like she had started on /the/ path. The one destined for her. She smiled at that, keeping her eyes at his, barely making out the shapes of them.
One step forward, why was this so difficult?
"I... " Her voice stopped at that single letter, and a soft sigh escaped her as she started to loose her consciousness. Her balance shifted and she started to tip over towards him.

[Kuros]

His eyes followed her. He watched her every movement and wondered again what could have brought the girl here. "I...uhm...thank you." He tilted his head and studied her. "I..." She took a step. "Ambassador?" He questioned with genuine confusion marking his face. Then came the sigh and she tipped forward toward him. He stepped in quickly, his arms reaching out and clasping around her to stop her from falling. He shivered. Her body was so cold almost as if... "Easy now," He whispered and held her close. "I've got you."
"I... I.." she stammered trying to help her self to stand back up but her body would not do as she commanded.

Kuros studied the kamael for any signs of what could be wrong with her, she looked drained and pale. What happened to her? Then as if in answer he felt moisture on his arm. He brought it back and fixed his gaze on the crimson liquid that now stained it. "You're hurt." He spoke softly just as he allowed his gaze travel back to look at her crimson eyes. Then without warning he slid his free hand behind her knees and lifted her into his arms as he did twice before and carried her over to his cot to settle her down gently

"I am disturbing..." she whispered to him. Her eyes he noted trying to find his again. His gaze shifted though and it glided along her bloodied wing and saw part of the wooden shaft embedded in the flesh. There, his finger gently parted the blood stained feathers and traced the area around the wound. Gods what a mess, what the hell happened to her? He studied the now source of her discomfort, an arrow. "I will be right back, try not to move much." He finally spoke and moved away to a medical box containing supplies. He also grabbed a bottle of brandy on his way back.
"So what ails me....?" She asked him as he approached, and he saw that it strained her to even talk. Her cheek was pressed down onto the bedding, the one eye following his every move.

He reached the cot and placed the bottle down before taking a pair of pincers and placing them on a clean piece of cloth. Kuros looked at her, his eyes showing a sense of seriousness. "There is an arrow embedded in your wing." He spoke and took a knee before her. "I can get it out, but it won't be a pleasant feeling." He paused, "In fact it will hurt like hell."
"Oh..." She shifted again, "Alright then...I am sure i can handle it." She bravely proclaimed, and found a spot on the floor to look at.
He nodded to her then reached for the bottle before presenting it to her. "Here," He spoke and uncorked it. "Drink this, it should numb the pain."
She glanced at the offered drink, trying to prop her self up far enough to take it and drink it. But the pain and position made her unable to. She clearly needed help with this menial task as well.
He reached out and clasped it in his hand. "Here, let me help you with that." He took the bottle and and placed the tip of it against her lips before tipping it only slightly. He wasn't sure how the alcohol would affect her.

She willingly did as he said, without fussing about it... until she tasted the drink. What little she didn't manage to swallow was breathed in and a coughing fit ensued. Her body jerked with the effort, the arrow head burrowed itself into her flesh, cutting more and the bleeding continued.

He placed his hands on her back, gently holding her until the coughing fit subsided. His jaw tightened when the bleeding got worse. That arrow had to come out before things got worse. "Listen Lithillia, I have to work quickly now, there is no telling what damage has been done already. Here," He took a wooden stick wrapped in cloth and placed it in front of her mouth. "Bite down on this." The moment he made his request she glared at him, though grudgingly she granted him that.
"It will stop you from swallowing your tongue." He reached for the bottle again as he held her wing down to expose the arrow. "I'm not doing this to make a fool of you." He added remembering that she was proud and arrogant, but this was no time for such things. His hold on her tightened slightly, his arm pushing down on her to keep her from thrashing. "Ok, you will feel a bit of a sting, don't fight it." As he spoke he tipped the bottle over and poured the golden liquid down on her wing. He didn't give her time to work herself up on how much it would hurt. Better to get that shock done and over with.
She sucked the air past the wood piece in her mouth and soon after she groaned from the pain.

"Shhh....shhh..." He cooed and set the bottle down before taking a piece of cloth and wiping the blood off gently. His actions during this process were gentle and caring, it felt like she were one of his soldiers......almost. "This will help disinfect the wound." He felt the need to explain the process for some reason, as if he wanted her to understand that he wasn't hurting her because he wanted to, though he had those urges too sometimes.
He reached out to grab the pincers finally and once again moved his fingers to part the feathers of her wing. He saw the wooden bit stick out and he placed the pincers around it. "Alright, you're going to feel a little tug followed by some.....discomfort."
"Are you ready for this, Lithillia." He called out to her by name again, not realizing he switched from the formal title he gave her when she first entered the tent.
The kamael appeared to be alarmed by being pressed further down into the cot. Obviously the promise of pain did not calm her down one bit either. She nodded her head once, and the hair fanned down over her face, hiding her frown and closed eyes.

He returned her nod and focused his gaze on her wing once more. He knew that this would hurt her like hell, he experienced this once before, no that he took an arrow to the wing before but still. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. His grip tightened once more and then he yanked back on the wooden shaft.
She pressed her face onto his bedding, and despite her promise, she screamed out. The pain voiced in such a force one would think she gave her last sign of life. It made her dizzy, and when she could not take anymore, or had no more air left, she passed out.
The arrowhead came out without any trouble, it was a clean shot and Kuros was thankful for that. He tossed it into a bowl along with the pincers before reaching for another fresh cloth and the bottle of alcohol. He poured the liquid on the wound again, the blood washing off and spilling to her side. He examined his work carefully, sure the wound was deep he ensured that there were no arrow bits remaining there and when he was satisfied he pressed the cloth against it. He turned to offer some words of comfort, to tell her that it was done, he even reached out for her hand. To his surprise however she fell unconscious.
"I'm.......sorry." He breathed out and sighed. The pain must have been too much for her. He held the cloth there for a while longer before he once again brushed it along her wound and her feathers.
The blood seemed clean, there was no sign of infection. He breathed out slowly and found that he felt relieved.
No sooner than that moment come did the kamael's hand grab a hold of the cot in an attempt to push her self up.

Kuros did not expect this, her sudden movement and with the way she seemed to spring to life startled him if only slightly. "Give me more of that vile stuff!" Her demand only added to his surprise. He complied however and reached for the bottle with one hand while holding the cloth against the wound with the other.. "You sure bounce back quickly." He said in a more amused tone, though his words were genuine and he meant every last one of them. He presented the bottle to her. "Take it slowly, it is pretty strong."
Lithillia grimaced and uttered a unhappy "gah!" The bottle was handed back to him shortly after, and she pinned her eyes close to rid herself of the urge to vomit it all up.
Kuros knew that look, he'd seen it in many novice drinkers when they take something that was too much for them. He reached out for her and prepared to tilt her to the side so that she didn't vomit on his cot. "Hey now, you keep that drink in." He spoke in a half teasing manner. "I know it hurt like hell but I didn't mean it."

"I'm fine... now" She sighed, her breath filled with brandy. Her body however seemed to feel more relaxed. "Thank you." She then lifted her fingers to her mouth, pressing them softly. "Am I poisoned?" she asked calmly.
Kuros was about to let her go to sit on her own when her fingers traced her own mouth. He thought at first that she was attempting to jest with him but the calm in her tone of voice told him otherwise. She truly had no idea what was happening to her. Kuros looked at her for a long moment and studied her. He tilted his head to the side. Was she drunk already? Came his own question in thought. "What do you mean?"
"My senses..."She blinked, eyes feeling out of focus."My lips..." She pressed them again, then licked them, biting down on them. "They are numb."
"I suppose that would be the effect of the drink on you." He answered her question with a slight grin on his face. "Now that I think of it, with the blood loss you suffered and the exhausted state you were in it probably has a stronger effect on you than usual. I assume this is the first time you ever tasted such a vile liquid." He shook his head and gave her a rare smile. A drunk kamael in his tent, the ambassador no less. He only wondered what his soldiers would think of it if they found out. "No, Lithillia you are not poisoned." He continued with the answer to her original question. "I believe, ambassador that you are drunk." Yes, this was quite amusing. "How is the pain? It should have lessened a bit."

"Pain? ..Oh, yes.. I feel it still but.. I am quite alright." She shifted some, trying to sit back up, she was tired of lying down. "I feel numb all over.." The movement made her wince again.
Again Kuros watched her and studied her actions. He moved with her, making sure to keep the cloth covered on the wound while she tried to sit up. "Try not to overexert yourself the feeling will go away in time." He reached under her, his arm tightening slightly and lifted her up to a sitting position. "The bleeding should have stopped now but there is the matter of dressing your wounds as well." Kuros paused and some part of him dreaded making his next request. "I will need you to remove your tunic so I can get the dressing on you."
Lithillia paused and leaned a bit back and to the side away from him to look into his face. She swayed almost unknowingly with the way the alcohol had taken her. "What?" There was another pause as he looked at her, his face a stone mask. Her soft pale skin grew darker in response, and she repeated. "What?"

The reaction she gave was not something he expected. He looked at her curiously noting the immediate change on her skin. "Your wounds need to be bound so that you don't bleed out, that is all ambassador." He spoke again, his tone of voice all calm and even, he was as serious as if he were speaking to one of his soldiers. He paused for a moment. "My intentions are honorable. I promise." He reached down and took a roll of bandages and moved to undo them. "See?" He presented the roll in the open. "That is all I'm going to do."

He felt her inquisitive stare for a longer time after that. She was searching for any clues that would give him in as a liar no doubt. "I will kill you.... if you don't keep your promise...." She finally told him.
"Don't worry, I've dressed wounds in far worse places than yours on both males and females. I know what I'm doing." He spoke in a casual tone. "Alright, turn your back to me, that is all I really need to see." He instructed and reached for a clean piece of gauze. "Whenever you are ready, ambassador."
She lowered her head, the white strands of hair flowing to hide her face again and then as if defeated, she started to unfasten her tunic.
Kuros waited patiently and watched her lower her head, he did not understand. What went on in her head at that moment was a mystery to him. When she started to unfasten her tunic however he did not make any moves. He would allow her to do this on her own at her own pace, there was no need to make her uncomfortable than she already was for that is the impression he got by her reaction. "Is something wrong, ambassador?" His tone of voice was very professional, there was no hint of desire in there, he carried out his promise on the pain of death.

Lithillia shook her head and slowly she let the tunic fall to pool around her waist. She gathered her long hair and pulled it to the front over her shoulder.
The wounded kamael lifted up her wing, to stretch it out to the side and as she did she let out a short breath that contained the sting the effort gave her.
When he heard her reaction to the pain his hand reached out to support the wing, to ease some of that strain she was putting on it. His fingers closed on the soft feathers, his touch gentle and with care, a sharp contrast to the cold and unwelcome feeling that he gave her before. As he held the wing he reached out for a small bottle and held it out to the kamael's side. "Hold this for me if you don't mind. Looks like there are some minor cuts on your back. I'll take care of them as well." His voice was pleasant enough, today he would hold the ice he normally dished out back.
He saw her look over her shoulder to look for what he asked her to hold, and when she saw it she let the free hand available to hold it for him. She sighed again and swallowed before lowering her head even more. Lithillia moved the long hair and modestly covered up her front.

"Why so gloom ambassador?" He spoke deciding that perhaps a conversation was needed to lighten her mood. He dipped both index and middle finger into the bottle of ointment and then gently pressed it over some of the scratches and in some fashion massaged it into her back. "I'm pretty sure whatever did this to you was left in a far worse shape than you."
She seemed to smiled at that, at least he had her attention off her current state for now. "Well.... yes." She cast a glance back over her shoulder again, her eyes now smiling. "It was most enjoyable."
Kuros made quick work of the minor cuts, before finally moving to the wing. He listened to the girl as he did his work. His hand that held the wing slid closer to the wound and parted the feathers a bit to reveal it again. "So tell me, what did happen out there exactly anyway?" His tone of voice was very casual, it was almost as if he were speaking to a fellow comrade after a battle. His hands all the while moved in a professional manner. He dipped a piece of gauze in the ointment and placed it gently on the open wound and held it there so that it seeped in.
She shrugged, "I found them as i walked, they were many." When she spoke, Kuros found that she spoke softly too, trying to mirror his way of being casual. "As soon as I found my self there, I knew..." She stopped her words, drooping her head again.

He finished tending to the wing with the ointment part of the treatment and paused. "Go on Lithillia, I'm listening." He reached out for the bandages and brought one end in front of her. His arm brushed against her warm skin of her abdomen. The sensation was not so unpleasant. "I'm going to start at the waist and work my way up." He spoke and started to wrap the bandages around her.
She tensed at his touch when it occurred, Kuros could almost feel the panic well up within her as she moved her other hand to reinforce her cover at the front. She held the breath when he came around for the first pass with the bandage and sucked it in even more when the next one followed.
He frowned slightly wishing she was a bit more disciplined like his soldiers. They at least understood him when he took care of them, but he supposed that was the difference. They were his soldiers and she was not. "I am sorry that this is making you feel uncomfortable. I shall hurry as best as I can." And he did as he promised, with each pass he made he got higher and higher with the bandage. Despite the accelerated speed however, he still made sure the dressing was nice and snug on her so it wouldn't slide off. When he reached the wing he slid the bandage under the wing and over a few times to hold the gauze in place at the base. It would restrict her movement but that is something she would have to live with. He made his final pass just at the upper portion of her abdomen and finally tied everything off at the back. "There." He said in his casual tone. "All done."
"Thank you" She breathed out, "Can i put my clothing back on?"

"Yes, of course." He replied in a polite tone and stood up to gather the medical supplies and turn his back to her. He walked to the other end of the tent and put everything back where it should be. "I would suggest you take it easy for a few days, and don't put too much strain on the wing if you want it to heal fast."

"Yes..I agree...I will do as you suggest." He heard her say from behind him along with the rustle of clothes as she put her tunic back on. Kuros waited patiently at the medical box until he was sure she was all dressed. Then and only then did he turn to come back to the cot.
"This is poison.....People drink this willingly?" She asked him and when she stood up and almost tipped over again.
His hand shot out to steady her. There seemed to be a short pause and he retracted that hand quickly, with the realization that any contact that she would have allowed him has already expired. He took a step back, which was odd for him because this was his tent, HE was master here not her. That realization alone killed any moment he might have allowed to slip during their shared time they spent. He turned suddenly on his heel to walk over to his private cabinet to cover for that involuntary step back. "Yes, people do drink that poison willingly. It comes in many strengths and flavors."
He saw her soften her eyes for a moment, he did not know why.
"I don't understand why..." She had a little slur to her words, and she quickly covered her mouth with a hand. Her expression shifted then, as if she realized how ridiculous this was starting to become. "In any case... I am sorry you would not find the bottle of vintage whiskey your taste... I understood it would be older than yourself and quite rare..." Kuros listened and studied her. He could almost feel the taint of her wounded pride in her tone, and she seamed to not be able to carry out the train of words.
"I'm guessing... if it had come from someone else..." She made a slight pause. "It would have been a welcomed gift..."

So it did bother her that he didn't take the bottle she offered. A part of him smiled at that, though he did not know why.
He rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of red wine. This should be able to soothe her taste buds he decided.
Here take this one in trade for the one you wanted to gift me with." He presented the wine to her. "It is much smoother than the vile one I gave you. That one was for medical purposes, this one is for enjoyment."
Lithillia blinked her eyes, trying to act normal in this haze. She tipped her head down in a little nod, taking the bottle he offered. "So you will accept it then?"
"Yes," He said after a pause and focused on her. "I accept your gift, Lithillia."
Her ankle shifted out of its steady posture then. "My shoes are not working right." She muttered.
He furrowed his brow and looked at her with some amusement. "No, Lithillia, you're just drunk."
She handed the wine back to him, and bent down to unlace her knee high boots. Half way through it, she had to sit down onto the ground so she would not fall. With a swift, but not so elegant movement of her hand, she pulled of the first one. She gazed up at him, actually grinning wide. "This will solve it." She chuckled her echoed laughter, and started fighting with the second boot.
"O boy.." Kuros sighed slightly when he watched the drama unfold itself. He looked back, almost expecting his men to be watching everything. He honestly did not know what worried him more at this moment, the hunger he saw in her eyes when she fought or the drunk state she was in right now. He knelt down beside her, though he made sure he did not touch her in any way. The woman for all he knew could be a powder keg and could randomly shift like the wind and explode in his face. "What are you doing Lithillia?" He asked in a somewhat weary tone.
She stopped her actions and looked right into his face. She looked really serious like, as if she was going to reveal something really secret and hidden. "I am taking of my boots....."
"That's not what I meant." He placed the palm of his hand on his face and spoke in a not too thrilled tone. This was going to be a long night he realized. The girl was smashed. "Lithillia?" The tone of voice he used this time was very careful almost as if talking to a child. "Why are you taking off your boots?"

Lithillia kept her serious face, still looking at his. "I plan to walk home... and i cant do that in these heels... But if you want me to put them back on, I can. But... then you will have to figure out how I'm supposed to move around." After saying that she cast her head back and roared a hearty laughter. Why for, he would never know.
Kuros threw his hands up in the air, alright fine, why not. He didn't know the mind of a drunken female kamael anyway. What was going on through her head was her problem right now. "Very well then, you've made your point." He got up suddenly and walked to the other side of the cot and sad down on it with his back turned toward her. "Just remember, try not to hurt yourself on your way home. I don't think you'd want to be going through the experience of having your wounds bound again."
Lithillia stopped her movements, and sat silently watching his back. She shuffled up to stand on her own, and clutched the boots in one hand. "I wont I swear..." The laughter was gone now, and the drunk kamael's mood shifted. "I wont impose... I have overstayed my welcome." Lithillia stumbled to the door way, and fought with the flap for it to open. When it finally stayed to the side she looked back at him. "It would have been different...If you found me beautiful...."

The words struck Kuros for some reason and he turned his head to face her. Their eyes met. The statement was alien to him, especially coming from someone like her. "What?" He tilted his head to the side. "What are you trying to get at?"
She looked down and away. "Nothing... Enjoy your evening Lord Stormblade." Lithillia started on her way back to her tent, forgetting to close the tent flap close.
He stood up suddenly and found himself walking toward the tent flap. He poked his head out to the outside but she was gone already. Things would have been different...If you found me beautiful.... Her voice seemed to recall itself over in his mind. Her image of the way she looked at that moment seemed to burn itself into his mind. "....but you are beautiful." He found himself whispering to the wind quietly. He considered for a moment calling out to her but then the thought of how stupid he would have looked crossed his mind. He shook his head to get the stupid thoughts out of his mind right now. Stupid schoolboy stuff... He sneered and anger welled up in him for allowing himself this moment of weakness. The girl is drunk, idiot, she will be her same annoying self tomorrow. The tent flap closed then and he turned back to head to his cot. He had enough excitement for one day.

****************************************************

(OOC disclaimer: Post has been converted from an RP session, thank you Lith for making this possible as I doubt I'd be able to write it on my own. Btw I snuck in a Skyrim reference in there for those who played the game, let me know when you find it. ))

[lithillia]

The walkway swayed as she stumbled over it. How annoying it was, shifting its place as she put her feet down one after the other.
Lithillia was very concentrated as she made her way back to her own tent. Her back was still throbbing, but had been put to the back of her mind right now.

Her vision tunneled, and she was only able to focus on what lied just ahead, anything else moving past her would go by ignored. Her bare feet shuffled along on the dirt path, and the breath felt heavy, and so did her eyelids. The whole ordeal had made her tired, and all she wanted was to go to sleep.
If she could only find her tent!
Her legs miscalculated the step, and she had to counter it by taking two quick jumps to the side.
She would NEVER drink again, this was so degrading. Having less control than a child, fighting the gravity, and endure the insufferable slugged brain. Would she ever return to her normal state?
The kamael was not so sure he had not wanted to make a fool of her. Had not made her to his evening amusement? Lithillia scoffed. What did he know anyway?

Her thoughts lashed out at Dachande, and most of them were with out justice. Why had he ruined the good mood she had built up? She had not laughed like that in... well, in all the time she could remember. It had felt good, and for the first time she had felt like she had been like one of his.
"Bah!" she voiced her unhappy feelings louder. What was he to her anyway? It was not like she would dedicate her whole life to that.. that.. Human!!

She stumbled on, cursing the every failed step taken.

But he had agreed to take her gift after all, and right at this moment she could not even remember how he had changed his opinion of that matter. And not only had he accepted it, he had given her a bottle of wine in return.

She halted.
She had forgot the bottle at his tent.

The drunken kamael turned around. Should she go back and claim it again?
You stupid half brain. She scolded her self. Of course you cant. Not after what you said before leaving. How could you?
Right... and secondly, her visit had not been wanted anyway, his final action had told her all she needed to know about that.
Human...
She could only imagine how she would be greeted if she had returned.
"Ambassador..." she made her voice deeper to take after his... "… Did you fail the simple task of finding your way to the tent?"
She sighed deeply, and felt the bandage tighten across her midsection. It reminded her of the whole event. The memory of him touching her flesh made her suck in air, and she grew tense.
Why had she let him do that? Why had she not asked for his healers to do the work? Why had he not called for the healers?
Lithillia let her hand touch the bandages placing her hand on the tunic that concealed them.

But he had been gentle, and he had seamed alert to her reactions as well.
Would you expect anything less? Do you not expect that everyone to act as you want them to? Expect them to anticipate your reactions and respond to them?
She gritted her teeth. There was a strong dislike to where this "conversation" took her, and she tried to force the thoughts away.

Maybe he had only wanted to see her suffer the humiliation, to see her feel the discomfort of having to undress before him... to touch her.
Your thoughts are illogical... did you not just think you were not welcomed there in the first place?
Lithillia quickened her walking, she was tired of this...
Why do you need him to think you are beautiful?
What was this? Did her own mind betray her? Why was she confronted with all of these questions and accusations?
You want all to admire you... to feed you their long caste glances, to see the envy in their eyes.
She walked even faster.
Its like food for you, is it not? When someone admires you, you feel worth something.
That was her tent, right there!
And even with all them who already do feed you their haunted looks, you want him to feed you as well...
The tent flap was tossed to the side and she hurried in.
Why would it matter if he noticed you? He is just a human!
She sat down onto her own cot and pressed the sides of her head with her palms.
Even if he would think highly of you, it would change when he sees /her/.
Lith let her self fall to the side and pulled her covers over her head.
You wont stand a chance.

The thoughts kept taunting her into the long hours of the night, but finally she would be so tired that nothing could keep her wake.
Her dreams was filled of silver curls, golden wings and cobber shining skin.


*** Later, the next day. ***

It was even warmer this day, and a throbbing headache greeted Lithillia as she slowly returned to her waked state. She groaned and the thirst burned in her throat, but even if the pain everywhere made her shrink in discomfort, she would chose it over the dream she had suffered all night at any time.
With a slight strained effort, she managed to sit her self up.

A movement caught her eye, and she followed it down as it fell. It was shiny, almost like a diamond it glinted in the light that came through the half closed tent flap. It finally landed onto the fabric of her pants, and turned into a dark little round stain.
What was this?
She moved her hand up to her eye, catching something wet from under it. She stared surprised down at her tear stained fingers.

Had she been crying in her sleep?

[Kuros]

The morning started as it always did for Kuros. He started with his morning run through the forest followed by his sword play. When he came back he took his routine bath to relax his muscles and enjoy the quiet moment. Then came the inspection of his troops followed by breakfast when he was satisfied with what he saw. Breakfast was better than ever this morning, the cooks must have been in higher spirit than usual. When that was done and over with he went back to his tent and packed his travel clothes for his destination, the Isle of Souls, home of the Kamael race. He wanted to learn the secrets about Lithillia and her kin and he believed that he would find his answers there. He paused for a moment as he caught sight of a lone bottle laying down by his cot. So the kamael forgot to take this with her in her rush to leave his tent last night. He shook his head and reached over to pick it up. Well, he thought, he was going to go tell the girl he was going away so he might as well give it to her on his way out.

The trek to her tent seemed to take forever, each step that Kuros took brought him back to the night before. His mind raced, mulling over what the ambassador said. Why did she say such things to him? What was she trying to do? He did not understand. Her behavior was odd and out of place compared to what he was used to, but then again, did she reveal something that she intended to keep hidden from him, something that she felt but didn't want to admit? He shook his head, the thoughts and speculations seemed silly to him. He knew her, she was full of herself.

The tent came into view and as Kuros got closer he slowed his pace. He was unsure what to expect from the esteemed ambassador. He paused at the entrance and took a deep breath. "Ambassador, may I come in?" He spoke in a neutral tone as if addressing a political figure.

[lithillia]

"Ambassador, may I come in?"

Lithillia shifted startled on the bed, drying of what ever was left of the salt tears that stained her face. What a timing, would this morning to be added in the every growing incidents of shame?
"Give me a minute!" she found her self almost crying out, moving around to make her cot presentable, washing her face and rinsing her mouth. God her head spun and ached at once, was there no mercy for her?
She was still in the clothes from the night before, the boots were in a corner, thrown there when she had came to her tent.
Lithillia tried to be as presentable as she could be, hoping he would really not care one bit. In fact she counted on that he would not care.
"You may enter." she invited, and as soon as she did she saw her reflection in the mirror. Oh no, her hair...
With a hurried moment she fought to get the hairband out of the long silver strands. Her fingers combed out the worst knots and let it hang down around her.
What did he want anyway? Did he come to see the result of her embarrassment from the night? She could not escape the feeling of an uneasy stomach, and she fiercely believed it was because of her condition she felt ill, and not for being nervous about the visit.
She lifted her chin and kept her eyes forward.

[Kuros]

"Give me a minute!"

Hmmm? The way the kamael answered gave him pause once more. The way she cried out had a bit of an odd sound to it. What was going on in there?
"You may enter." The permission was given before Kuros could ponder any further questions. He reached for the tent flap and pulled it aside before stepping in. His gaze quickly fell upon the interior and surveyed the area. The place looked different somehow, less orderly and more chaotic. The bed was made but it appeared it was quickly rushed. Was she still sleeping when he arrived? He continued his scan, inspecting everything with the gaze of an officer. Her boots were discarded in the corner of the tent. His gaze fell upon her finally and the first thing he noted were the clothes that she wore yesterday. She appeared to have groomed herself but with the way her hair looked she seemed to have been in a hurry. So he did catch her by surprise. He would have smirked but at this moment he did not bother. What struck him as odd were her crimson eyes, they appeared swollen. The whites covered with tiny lines of red. At first he believed it was due to the hangover she was no doubt having. Yet, her voice when she called out to him told him something else.

Has the kamael wept? The evidence was there, the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit, especially when he recalled her words from the night before. But why now? Sure she may have been drunk the other night and Kuros understood the effect of alcohol on people but he was sure she was dead sober now so why would she even care? He wanted to ask her to pursue the answer but with the way she looked it didn't seem like an appropriate time. It was something he would save for a future reference. He took a few steps further into the tent and placed the bottle of wine he held in his hand on one of her tables before turning to gaze at her with a neutral look in his green eyes as to hide his own thoughts on this matter.
"You forgot to take it with you." He started in a calm tone. "I figured I'd bring this to you and save you the trouble of having to come out. I'm sure the secondary effects of the drink aren't making things easy for you this morning." He stepped to the side, walking a slight arc around her so that he stood right in front of her.
"I also came here to tell you I will be going away for a while. I will be leaving the camp under the care of my second in command. I have notified him and the men that you are not to be disturbed and that they are to grant any requests you may have." He paused as if giving what he said an afterthought. "As long as it is within reason. That is all."
Kuros' eyes fell to her wing as if trying to inspect it. When he was satisfied that it was healing well he nodded and turned to leave. "I hope your injuries heal quickly, ambassador." He did not mention anything about the hangover, there was no need to pour salt on an open wound.

[lithillia]

Lithillia had listened to him silently as he spoke, hoping that her weakness had not been to visible, as she knew he was always taking in every details around him.

It was just a stupid dream... She reassured her self, and her eyes followed him where he moved about her tent.
He came with the wine, of course, he would not want her to come to him for to get it. She hid her emotions, not even sure her self what stirred with in her own mind.
The young lord turned around for to leave, and she felt a slight new stirring.

"Dachande?" Her voice sounded too soft to her own ears, and she cleared her throat. She did not mean for it to sound like a plea for him to stay behind, so she quickly moved to where she kept the vintage whiskey bottle for to complete the trade. She crouched down beside the chest and opened the lid and pulled out the bottle with her free hand. The wrappings was still intact, and she stood back up looking at him while moving over to his place. Why did you call him by the first name? He clearly wants things to be titled correctly...
"I believe this would be yours." She offered it to him. Now he would not have to fear for her to come to his tent and disturb his precocious peace.
To counter her soft voice, she kept her eyes onto his. She did not submit to him, she could not afford to let him hold any power over her.

It was such a silly dream!

The silky white bangs fell down into her face, and she brushed the strands back with her free hand.
"Where are you going?" What was up with her voice? She almost gritted her teeth at the softness of it, and a glare came to shine from her red orbs. "And are you sure you should be going alone?"
What is this? I don’t care if he go alone? I don’t care if he travels a hundred miles for a hundred days!
She lifted her head higher, and it made her behavior not fit her voice or words at all. She stared him down while waiting for his answers, still convincing her self that it didn’t matter at all.