Darkest Nights

[Arcala]

Hmmm, thought Raven. Yes, the assasin did start to look familiar to him, now that he thought about it. The way she spoke, moved, even her wariness combined for an interesting match to a person he was sure he'd known before......And try though he might, he couldn't remember who! Now he must be even more guarded. If this person from his past was an enemy, he hoped to figure that out before she attacked.

He stopped this paranoid train of thoughts quickly and waited a little impatiently for the mist-creature to answer.

[Willow Oran]

The spirit thought carefully about the question before answering, and when she did answer, the reply made little sense.
"Sent by them, to here. They need your help and so they brought you here."
Isis sighed and tried again. "Yes, but who are they and where is here?"
The spirit looked confused, "They are... well... I'm not sure, but they created us so they must be something, but I don't think they are anyone specifically, and as for here, this is nowhere."

[Earniel]

As amused as Alethea had been by Raven's veiled anger, so surprised she was at the appearance of the new woman. The answers she gave were a little vague to say the least and Alethea was reminded strongly of the vaguity of the Elves she had met often at her home. But she now knew for sure there was more going on than a little misfired spell.

"What help of us would they need of us? And what is your part in this?" she asked the woman, watching her with curiosity and interest.

[Nariel]

Seri heard voices. The others she had been with seemed to disappear, and suddenly she was in a room with many others. A little firghtened, she returned to her normal size, with an orb of light surrounding her.

[Elfmaster XK]

At that moment another being seemed to stumble upon the meeting. Isis turned to see the light the newcomer weilded. She was small, and by the looks of it, a fire creature. The spirit, who had remained silent even for Alethea's question, smiled on the appearence of the fire creature. It seemed she expected her. Isis' patience was beginning to wear thin.

"Okay, can you please explain what in the name of all that is sacred is happening?" she said to the spirit. "How can this place..."she walked to the wall and rammed her white sword into it. "This, solid place..." she removed the sword and some dust and stones fell around her feet. "Be nowhere? And who are they? I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to believe we were brought here, to nowhere, by no one." She put her hands on her hips and looked to the spirit. The spirit looked unmoved. Isis sighed.

"What's your name?" she asked, directing the question at both the spirit and the fire creature that had just entered.

[Willow Oran]

"My name? My name is Iliya, and you were not brought here by no one, it is simply that this place is nowhere but here and those who brought are undefined, but they are not no one. As to why you are needed, that is simpler, I am to tell you that something has gone wrong and a doorway has opened between your world and a less pleasent world. Suffice to say there are now demons and all sorts of nasty creatures coming through into your world. Those who create brought you here and they need you to get rid of the invading nasties. Is that clear?"

[Earniel]

Alethea noticed the fiery new arrival. A sylph, she thought amused, these 'they' who need our help really like some variety among their chosen people. But before she could say anything to the newcomer, something Iliya said captured her attention.

"A breach between two different worlds?" asked Alethea amazed. "Then I'd say that something that went wrong is quite big. The power needed to open a passable doorway between worlds is no small amount."

[Elfmaster XK]

Isis glanced at Alethea as she spoke, all irritation dissolving immediately.

"And surely, something of that much power...I mean, if they can't deal with it what can we do? There's nothing special about us." She looked at the few who were gathered there, thinking that this task better be assigned to a grand army than these few creatures. She looked back to Iliya.

"Why us?"

[Willow Oran]

The question seemed to amuse Iliya, "Why you? Why not? I have not an inkling of an idea of why you were all chosen. I'm sure there is a mystical reason having to do with finding hidden talents and all that but if there is I am not privy to that knowledge. As I said before, I am merely the messenger, and the chauffer. Are you ready to be taken to the first creature you are needed to slay, it is a demon and I shall tell you more when I know you are ready."

[Earniel]

"Ready?" Alethea wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. "You've given us but very vague reasons for why and where we are here. I can understand you may not know much of it either, Iliya, as you said that you're only the messenger."

"But we," Alethea said with an armgesture that included the whole group, "hardly know eachother. In fact, a good hour ago, we had never even seen each other before. So how are we supposed to work in team? That is, I assume is the meaning of this since we're all brought here together. "

"Also, I'm not overly fond of cleaning up somebody else's mess. No one should toy with the walls between worlds unless they have enough power to address the consequences. It's common sense. A lone demon, I can handle," she continued, "but I do not look forward to spending the rest of my life battling invading armies, certainly not with that little information to go on."

[Willow Oran]

"Invading armies? Oh no, you will not have to do that, just one demon at a time I promise. And you will be able to rest in between. It is not cleaning up after someone else's mess, I guess you could say that it is keeping the mess from spreading while others clean it up. I realize that this is all very sudden and confusing and that you don't know eachother very well, but it will have to be well enough for now. The longer you spend here the more demons there will be to get rid in the long run. You'll be best off if you start now. Now I ask you once again, are you ready?"

[Nariel]

Seri realised that this would be fun. "Sure," she said, increasing in size and her light waning. "I'm ready if everyone else is. I do like a good battle here and there." She stopped growing and ended up the size of a human, with no light emanating from her. "Shall we proceed?"

[Earniel]

Alethea decided to be satisfied with the answers Iliya had given. All would probably become clear in the end, she decided.

The witch quickly made a mental inventory of all the possible offensive charms and spells she had to fight a demon with. She found she possessed enough. With a quick glance at her companions she tried to rate their weapons and skills.

"The sooner we start this, the less demons we have to fight. Well, then. I suppose I am as ready as I will ever be,"she said at last.

[Elfmaster XK]

Isis sheathed her sword again and nodded to Iliya.

"Well I guess I am ready too then. I suppose we can't delay if such evil has indeed gotten free. But one thing I must ask...how do 'they' know we are the right people to send on this quest? Or is this, as I suspect simply one of many groups who will live and die for this quest?"

[Willow Oran]

Iliya smiled, "For my part I suspect that you suspect right. But that doesn't matter now. You have said you are ready so let us stop delaying." With that the cave faded and the group found themselves on a windy dock in an unfamiliar city.
"Where are we?" Isis demanded.
"You are where the first demon has decided to settle." Iliya called over the crashing of the waves, "It is your job to slay it or send it back to its original dimension."
"But you still haven't told us what type of demon it is!" Alethea cried.
"There is no time, I must leave you now. I will return when you are finished. Good luck! And be careful, this demon is stronger in water!" So saying the spirit dissapeared, presumably, back to the cave where they had found her, just as the demon erupted from the water behind them.

[Nariel]

ooc: Ha Ha! good thing we have a fire nymph!

ic:
Seri immediately shrank back to normal size and got behind the demon, who hadn't noticed her. As it fought the others, she stayed behind it, keeping it from jumping back in the water. Whenever it turned, she created massive flames covering the surface. Once the creature caught on fire, it weakened a little, and the others moved in on it.

[Elfmaster XK]

Isis saw Seri's lead on fighting the demon, and she jumped sidways as it hissed and spat at her. She slashed a sword through it, but it had little effect on the water creature. It did howevrer, give Isis an idea.

"Ssssssssssthea! You cannot send me back..." it screeched before taking another swing at Raven who easily glided out of harms way. Isis grabbed Alethea's arm and pulled her aside quickly.

"Alethea, can you freeze him? It'll take a lot I imagine, but if you do then I can smash the pieces."

[Earniel]

"I should be," said Alethea thoughtful. "But it'll also take time. Judging by the size of him it might take about 2 minutes for the freezing spell to immobilise him completely."

"Good enough for me, do it," answered Isis as she let go of Alethea's arm.

The witch drew her own silver dagger. Seri's fire had chased the demon out of the water and now it stood on firm ground, much to its own displeasure.

Alethea ducked under its swinging arm and crouching, she threw a faint, sparkling dust at the demon's feet.

Then she hastily retreated well out of the reach of the demon and sat down on the wood of the dock. As she started to sing softly, ice cristals started to form on the demons feet, slowly creeping upwards over his legs. Sweatdrops formed on Alethea's face as she continued to sing and the ice crept slowly over the demon's watery body, solidifying it. The creature screeched in rage.

[Arcala]

Raven could see that Alethea's spell would soon freeze the demon completely, but he could also see that it might not be soon enough. And right now, they couldn't take any chances.

So he glided higher in the air, the mist sparkling around him as he formed his favorite attack: ice shards. He aimed them at the creature's face and neck, and fired. The stinging missiles did not do much damage, but it enraged the creature and Raven watched with pleasure as Alethea's spell enveloped it completely.

It was frozen now. Raven and Aleathea stood back to admire their handiwork as Isis leaped forward.

ooc: I don't mean to say that Alethea couldn't have done it without Raven, but I just had to find something for him to do.

[Elfmaster XK]

As she watched in almost utter amazement, Alethea and Raven froze the water demon eaisily together. The ice crept up the creatures' body and it screamed in rage as the two magicians worked together in their attack. As soon as the creature was frozen comepletely, Isis drew her second sword and leaped forwards. She gracefully somoersaulted through the air and with all her might brough the black and the white sword down upon the creature's frozen form. The blades dug deeply through the ice, fractures forming and digging themselves deeper. As she wrenched the swords out the ice shattered and the pieces fell to the floor in a glittering, crashing finale to the battle. They slid across the wooden dock and a few fell back into the water, but most simply halted at the feet of the victorious warriors and a silence awaited them.