[Story] Tales of the Risen (11/25/10) -- Chapter 12, one-shot: Of The Heart

[Aisha deCabre]

((Yeah, so, since I've made an art topic, and yet I've posted my info in the "Author Info Thread", I thought I'd make a separate one containing written stoof...'cause I love to write just as much as to draw, if not more.    This story I just started might be a short one, a little telling that dives into some of Aisha's misadventures.  There are plenty more of them to come as well.

A small thing I wanted to mention; the separate stories won't be in any order yet.  So any new readers can start from any story they wish and they won't be lost.

With the legal things...it's a Furrae-based fan story, and we all know that the world and all its elements belong to Amber...but the characters are otherwise mine.  Customary warnings would be for violence and some language...but nothing explicitly X-rated or anything like that.  Without further adoooo... ))



Chapter 1: Origin of the Sword

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20--Final

Chapter 2: Fated Birth

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7--Final

Chapter 3: The Way to Fight

Part 1--Only

Chapter 4: Brother's Lament

Part 1--Only

Chapter 5: Hunter's Beginning

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5--Final

Chapter 6: Rumors

Part 1--Only

Chapter 7: Of Spirits and Creatures

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10--Final

Chapter 8: Always Secrets

Part 1--Only

Chapter 9: Versatility

Part 1--Only

Chapter 10: Forgotten Knowledge

Part 1

Chapter 11: Another Day

Part 1--Only

Chapter 12: Of the Heart

Part 1--Only




Tales of the Risen: Origin of the Sword
Part 1

   The bowstring was stretched until it held taut and quivering away from the flexible wooden frame.  The knuckles of the hunter's right hand held the arrow notched tightly into the string, muscles straining with the effort of holding it there.  However, the figure draped in darkness paid no heed, her eyes instead focusing on aiming the deadly projectile to the intended target.  The longbow, its length only slightly longer than the width that separated her shoulders, was positioned horizontally so that it only served little hindrance in her camouflage.

   She was crouched on a rooftop in an otherwise quiet and peaceful town.  The heavens were working with her that night, the moon's otherwise bright surface fully encompassed in darkness and the stars obscured by massive black clouds.  There were soft torch lights still on to illuminate the cobblestone streets below, but they only served in the ominous night to create more shadows.  The hunter had found a perfect vantage point, her right side pressed lightly against the silhouetted side of a chimney.  Her eyes were hidden beneath the cowl she wore around her head, and the rest of her body was also kept away from view with the crimson cape draped like a blanket over her back.

   The assassin's quarry was creeping and sneaking between alleyways like a snake.  She had no doubt that this was him; as he walked closer to the building where she was concealed, each foot traversed made the emerald ring on her tail glow just slightly brighter.  The tail curled around her feet and was hidden under the cape as well, so that only the huntress could gauge the brightness of the enchanted meter.  It was serving its purpose well: seeking out the use of dark magic often used by any of her targets...often demons.

   He was darting and weaving, looking around nervously, and generally just being evasive.  With the hunter's hearing in the quiet surroundings, she could hear his labored breathing.  He had been running and jogging most of the way here, as if afraid of being discovered.  Under the lantern's brief light on his side, she saw the proof that was needed to seal his fate: a glinting, blood-drenched dagger set on his belt.  The very slight scent of more blood wafted upwards in the breeze, no doubt his hands and claws covered with it.

   The huntress hid a smirk.  The time comes for another murderer to feel his victims' pains.

   She waited.  He kept walking and passed just a hair away from beneath the rooftop where she stood.  The target was right beneath her feet, in the secluded alley between buildings.

   He hesitated.  Just once.  That was enough.

   The huntress let fly the arrow.  Before the target could even hear the twang of the bowstring, he was unconscious on the ground.

*     *     *     *

   "It's hard to believe still that it was pulled off; he was a dangerous criminal.  And he was undone by a woman, no less!"

   The huntress rolled her crimson red eyes, set in a face covered in void-black fur.  "Don't lose sleep over it, sir," she replied coolly in a feminine, slightly ragged voice that held within it strength and resolve, and with a slight twang in it that resembled a Hispanic accent.  The hood that had covered her head the night before was pulled back to reveal the face of a young melanistic jaguar, perhaps no older than nineteen, her black hair tied back in a braid and the rest of framing her face in short thick strands.  She was clad in light navy clothes with long sleeves and had a black belt wrapped tight around her waist.  The bow she used was strapped to her back, and another gleaming weapon was concealed on her left side beneath the cape.  A snaking tail whipped forth, signaling the feline's slight impatience.  "And I have a name, you know.  Aisha."

   She had arrived in a good-sized manor at the head of the town, which belonged to the mayor and his family, and it was he whom she was speaking to.  A couple of guards stood on either side of the massive and intricate oak double-doors, and the desk sat at the far end under a coat-of-arms pattern, where he was sitting.  He was an equine, probably no older than thirty or forty by his appearance, and his aged face was covered in a bold black and dark-grey pattern of large spots.  He looked slightly comical, but business-like, and had a small curved horn protruding from his forehead.  He must have had some unicorn in him, she deduced.   

   Despite the girl's cheeky lack of respect, his composure kept.  She knew it would...he and the city he looked over was indebted to the bounty hunter for hunting the villain down who had plagued them...who was now locked in the dungeons in the catacombs of the town for their discretion at his fate.  She could afford to be informal.

   He chuckled.  "Regardless, milady Aisha, you're a hero.  The town and all of its lives will be indebted to your deeds for years to come."

   The panther's head shook slightly.  The huntress still wasn't too used to such praise, but still took it with dignity.  "Well, I gain my reward from knowing that lives were spared," she said, and then her serious face broke out in a grin.  "However, I did come for the prospect of the gold reward."

   The equine laughed.  "Oh, yes, of course..." he reached down and gathered a bag of gold coins, the bounty offered for the capture of the criminal.  "As promised."

   She quite liked this part.  Bounty hunting was a bloody job, but at least it was a job, and the more that she rid the world of Creatures and Beings (but especially Creatures) who could do harm, the better.  The money in adventuring wasn't too bad either.

   As she stepped forward to claim the reward, her tail ring took on a faint but noticeable glimmer of green.  She turned back to glance at it curiously, and then met the eyes of the three others who had seen it; the two guards and the mayor.  "What is that?" he inquired.

   Aisha's tail swished away.  "It's my tracker.  The ring is enchanted with light magic and helps detect the presence of dark magic.  It can see quite well through a demon's disguise or when a spell has been cast.  Very useful for my trade...it's how I found the criminal."  She faced him again with a quirked eyebrow.

   He just laughed and pushed the bag over to her.  "Well, what you sense must be Jarkus over there, my guard.  He has a bit of demon in him, but just serves me and my family well despite such."

   The panther turned to look with a bit of suspicion at the guard who, true to his discipline, didn't even move when the mayor mentioned his name.  He was a canine and had mixes of lighter colors in with dark...he didn't strike her as a demon, but then again, anyone could be.  She just shrugged and took the money with a polite bow.  "Well, in any case, thank you sir."

   "No, thank you," he replied and nodded his head.  "Where are you off to now?"

   She sighed.  "Home, probably.  I'll be out of the town by the time the sun's fully in the sky."

   With another nod of farewell, she turned around and walked out of the door.  Her tail ring's glimmer faded the more she stepped away from the desk and flashed off when she passed the guards...there was nothing more to indicate any kind of dark magic in the guard's arsenal.  The panthress paid little heed to it and stepped down the grand stairway in front of the door, towards the square.  She had her reward; there was little use in staying longer than just to get her things ready and to set off on the road once again.  What her tracker couldn't catch was the extra few pairs of eyes watching from the corners of the building.

*     *     *

   The sun shone brightly in the window of the inn as it started peeking over the mountain.  The panther had stopped packing for a second to watch the rising orb with the satisfaction of a job well done.  Another dawn, chica.  Good to see it.

   Aisha heaved a bag over her shoulder that contained the food she bought for her travels and looked out of the window to gaze at the mountains.  The town was small and nestled at the edge of the plains, in the foothills of these mountains that she had crossed time and time again.  It held a valley within its depths, where the adventurer planned on going to visit as soon as she could.  Finding this place after coming back from the lower reaches of Furrae was a certain blessing.

   As she passed the proprietor's desk, the huntress placed a few coins on the table as a sort of generous tip and strode out of the front door, her bare paws feeling relieved when stepping upon the sun-warmed cobblestones.  She placed the cowl back over her face and started outside in her usual silent and anonymous way through the winding and still-quiet residential pathways.

   But the panther didn't take more than a few steps before stopping.  One hand was brought back up to the edge of her cowl, her ear swiveling to catch the slight sounds that she heard.  Scratching and scuffling noises, slowly surrounding her.

   Her other hand, covered by the cape, reached down to her belt and grasped the handle of her most favored weapon.  She caught at the edge of her sight someone--or something--zipping across a low rooftop.

   In a flash, Aisha swerved around and brought out her weapon, a long, bladed silver boomerang sharpened on all edges save for one on the broad side.

   Again something zipped into her line of vision.  There!

   She let the boomerang fly, a whizzing and deadly sawblade, arching towards the roof.  She heard clumsy scrabbling as the individual who had been hiding from her ducked and fell from the roof to the ground with a hard thud!

   It was a young grey tabby-colored feline, perhaps no older than twelve, dressed in light and dark armor that is usually worn by a bandit.

   By the time the boomerang was called back to her hand, Aisha was glaring down at the child.  "What were you trying to do?" she demanded.

   He didn't answer her, but whistled loudly.

   Answering the call, several others dressed in the same way arose from the shadows in various niches of the street, leveling bows and darts at the panther.  About thirteen of them could be counted, and more were probably hiding.

   She was outnumbered, but noticed that they didn't shoot just yet, waiting to see what she'd do.  Rather than fight, Aisha straightened herself, replaced her weapon, and raised her palms in a hopefully peaceful gesture.  "Just what is the meaning of this?"

   The leader of the group, a female who looked about twenty-five and had the same markings as the child, stepped forward with a dagger raised.  "You're coming with us, hunter," she sneered.  "Think of it as being arrested for the assault of the mayor's son."

[Tapewolf]

That seems to be a promising start - I'm kind of pleased she didn't simply kill him outright.
I've added a link to it to the Wiki entry.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Hmmm. Interesting start. :-)

I await the later chapters with bated breath.

[Gareeku]

Ooooh, very very nice work there, Aisha, very well written. I look forwards to seeing more. ^^

[Aisha deCabre]

((Thanks for the nice comments y'all, much appreciated. ^^ Onward!   ))

Part 2

   "...Are you kidding?  Tell me you're kidding," Aisha snorted with a hint of profound disbelief in her voice.

   The female tabby sneered back.  There was a scar under her left eye which seemed to have been put there recently, and it made her expression look all the more fierce.  "No, almighty hunter, I'm not kidding," she mocked.  "Now shut up.  You're obliged to listen."

   "And if I don't?  He's lucky that the town wanted him caught alive, or else I would have killed him outright."

   "Then if you don't, your obligation is six feet underground!" another feline shouted in reply, a male this time.  The leader shot him a look that told him to keep silent, and she still had a dagger drawn over Aisha's head.

   "We don't mean to hurt you.  But one of ours was sent to prison because of you, and he was innocent.  You are at our mercy.  We have a right to be heard."

   The huntress stared blankly at her before straightening up in her seat.  With her arms bound behind it, there wasn't much else she could do.  "Fine."

   After her encounter, the rogues had taken the panthress to their home, hidden in a very secluded corner of the residential district.  She had "surrendered" peacefully and they had confiscated her weapons while doing so.  Aisha was patient enough to let it happen, but blood would have to be spilled if the intent was for anything less than compromise...she was curious as to what they meant about the mayor.  But her claws were just barely protruding as she marched on ahead.

   And now, she sat within a house that was drenched in shadows and looked quite dingy and abandoned on the inside.  But the basement was furnished lavishly and was also much bigger and more extensive than the normal living quarters, and it was on a cushioned chair that she was sitting as about seven pairs of eyes surrounded the huntress in the wide space.

   She had thought that the bandits had stolen this wealth...but soon learned that the truth was far from that notion.  They were all related, mostly distant cousins...and there was one other fact.  They weren't even bandits.

   The female grey tabby took the burden of speaking, eyeing Aisha with just as much intensity as the others.  But if the panther had any discomfort, she certainly didn't let it become known.  "What I have told you is indeed true, and we have proof concealed in many different niches of this house.  We have our family's historical annals and secret charms."  Her eyes had a distant look to them...though her outer appearance said "bandit", the way she spoke suggested "noblewoman".  Aisha's curiosity was what kept her from interrupting.

   "You want proof, here."  She showed Aisha an archival book containing a jewel on the front page which she sensed was holding some kind of magic energy within.  "Our ancestor was an adventurer...he kept this charm with him.  He was a magic user...though sadly that hasn't come into our generation.  He was the one who founded this place.  There is an old story that a demon was trying to access our ancestor's power, also contained in that jewel.  We are all that remain of that bloodline.  A noble family forced to hide and scheme."  The feline's eyes grew dark then.  "The one they hired you to capture was my brother."

   Aisha scoffed, having not believed that story for one minute.  "Oh, I'm quite sorry.  Not for catching him.  But for your having a demonic murderer for a relative."

   "Shut up!" the rogue snapped, her dagger glaring in the dim light of the torches.  "None of us are demons, and neither was he!  Now, are you going to listen, or are we going to have to silence you?"

   There were muttered agreements and murmurs from the others in the room, discussing quickly what to do with the huntress.  The panther's look was defiant, and her fanged snarl matched the dagger's fierce look.  But, it was true; her tail ring wasn't even glowing.  She didn't reply, so the feline took the liberty of speaking again.  "My brother isn't a demon; he in fact was supposed to be the next mayor after our father's murder, about a month ago...but something got in the way.  The usurper is the one who is a demon.  He has some sort of...influence, or something, over his guards; which were our guards once.  Many in town seem to know this but dare not question it."

   An incredulous look crossed Aisha's fierce red eyes.  She remembered how her tail ring had started glowing in his presence, his excuse for one of the guards, and their blank and distant looks.  Still, she remained skeptical.  "He is the demon?  But I sensed dark magic in the target's..."

   "Stop referring to him like that!" the youngster whom she caught earlier piped up this time.  "He's family!"

   "Silence, Matthew!" the female hissed and turned back to Aisha.  "My brother knew no dark magic.  What you sensed was probably planted on him.  The false mayor has been looking for all traces of our family for days...and now that you've helped him capture the heir...he might..." tears started to form in her eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by the huntress.  "They wanted him alive.  Probably for torture.  Or just at that demon's pleasure in eating him."

   "Mm-hm," she said, a little more softly in her tone, a bit more understanding, just searching for answers.  It would be suicide to tempt more anger out of these people when there were tears involved; whether or not they were false tears, she couldn't discern.  "But what about the blood I smelled on him?  The dagger at his side?  And he was running away."

    That was when the leader of the group dried the last of her tears and gave the panther a look she couldn't read; it looked something like hesitance and fear.  There was a long pause before she took a deep breath in speaking up again.  "We often go in regular excursions back to the mansion at night, trying to recover our historical archives or things of that nature.  Several attempts the usurper's life has been made by Victor—my brother—by his own choice, and he often faces guards.  We all do.  There's no choice but to fight and come back a little bloody."

   Aisha couldn't believe what she was hearing.  She had quickly assumed that they were the ones trying to take the position by force...but just offering that possibility would probably get her killed...and it wasn't really easy to trust the words of someone who ties one to a chair while talking.  She had to think of a tactful way out of this situation.

   But before she could question them further, there was a loud slam from upstairs, echoing through the floorboards.

   All heads craned to look up, and everyone had fallen deathly silent.  There was lots of scuffling and shouting...more than two pairs of feet were trampling the floor above.

   The sound traveled to the spot where the trap door led to the basement.  There was a bang and a loud grunt, then the door suddenly shot open and a sentry fell through the stairs, shouting in pain and gasping for breath as he held his rapidly bleeding shoulder.  "They've found us!  The guards!  They've found us!" he coughed.

   "What!?" the leader roared and drew her dagger.  "Damn it, the torture must have been too much for Victor to hold out.  Free the hunter and get the hell out of here, all of you!"

   Someone slit the ropes from Aisha's wrists, and she was quick to react.  Her boomerang, which had been lying in an open crate near the door, was picked up in a flash and with a leap she was soon blocking their entryway, halfway up the stairs.  She heard loud crashes in the upper part of the house, and more shouting.

   Finally, the guards can see to my own quick exit and to their arrest.

   Moving quickly onto the upper floor, she saw one guard lying dead and a few of the other bandits holding injured limbs.  The other was one she recognized as one of the two who were standing by the mansion's doors.  Aisha had closed the door behind her, trapping those who were left inside the basement.

   Facing the guard, her tail ring suddenly started glowing fiercely...in the mixed dark shadows made by the morning sun, the magical illumination had coated the walls in a soft shade of green.  Her eyes narrowed, and she tightened the grip on her weapon.

   "Good, you found me," she started slowly, "those bandits were—"

   She was interrupted when the guard stepped forward and quickly thrust his sword.  Having been alert, she jumped away from the blade as it only shaved off mere inches of the air around her.  The eyes under his helmet were dull and staring forward blankly.  Not one trace of emotion existed in his attack.

   She tossed her boomerang through the air.  Just as he was rushing forward with another attack, the weapon slammed the sword right out of his hands.  She followed up with a strong punch right to the face.  As the guard hit the floor, the helmet rolled from his head...the blank look still kept to his eyes, and they stayed open, staring into space.

 The hunter's tail ring still flashed brightly...and the reason for it rolled away from being deeply embedded in the skin of the guard's palm...a small but thick coin with a sort of runic spell written on its sides.  Once it fell into a large crack in the wooden floor, the emerald color flashed off.

   "...Telling the truth," she finally finished her sentence with a tone of amazement.

   Just then, the lead female came up from behind with the rest of the family following.  They gazed at the carnage before them with amazed eyes, and upon the fallen guard, before finally settling them on Aisha.  "You saved us?" the leader asked, amazed.

   "Hard to believe, yes," the huntress only muttered back and stuck out her hand to where the boomerang fell.  With a quick command it whizzed through the air and back up to her grip.  "That coin.  Is that what they plant on others to make them seem like demons?"  Her question was asked without looking at them.

   The grey feline nodded and answered instantly.  "Yes.  Once it's in the hand, it drives itself into the skin and slowly releases potent magic that eventually drives the mind of a Being under the caster's control.  It's a rare kind of magic; the usurper might just be the only one of his kind wielding it."  She sighed.  "We see it on their guards a lot."  She paused, letting Aisha take that in.

   "...And that was what I sensed on your brother.  Planted there to lead me to him."  Her voice suddenly became low and dangerous as the silence that followed confirmed the truth.

   "You're the only demon hunter we've seen around here that might actually have the will to help us take him on," the leader continued after a second, the others muttering silently in agreement.  "But by now we can't force you to help."

   I was manipulated.  By a demon.  Almost leading to an innocent's death.

   She growled and gripped her boomerang handle tightly.  Her answer had venom in its words.  "Nobody...manipulates...me.  He will not be left to live."

   "So then you'll help us?" the younger feline suddenly asked, shattering the silence.  The others looked at him, and then back to the panther again for an answer.

   Aisha's red eyes narrowed, and the glare she gave the group was slow and hesitant as she turned around.  But the smirk appearing on her face erased any hostility.

[Tapewolf]

Woo!  Was the plot twist planned, or a spur-of-the-moment thing?

[Gareeku]

Uh-oh, Aisha's peeved. o.o *steps out of the way*

Awesome writing there, Am. ^^ Aisha's such a badass. x3

[Aisha deCabre]

*Badass pose*    x3

Woo!  Was the plot twist planned, or a spur-of-the-moment thing?

T'was planned.    Most of this has been planned out before...but I come up with new ideas almost everytime I think about it.   

[Stygian]

Hmm... I wonder who this mayor is... Looking forward to the next update, Ash...

[Aisha deCabre]

(( *Runs in, puts up another part, then runs out going, "dun-dun-duuuun..."* ))

Part 3

   The plan was dangerous and foolhardy...so much so that young Matthew was told to stay somewhere safe (much to his chagrin).  The group had immediately abandoned their house, knowing that soon enough there would be more guards to arrive on the scene and assess the damage.  By the time they did, they found the strewn bodies on the floor, and two of them their own comrades.  But they had no evidence of where the rogues had gone to, or anything to tell them that a bounty hunter was with them and hadn't even left.

   But that was all that was needed for them to put the whole residential district under strict watch and lock...no effort would be spared to find out where they were hiding.  For the true heirs of the town, this was the opportunity they had been looking for.

   They carefully hid out until nightfall, spending the day running and planning.  The panther didn't think it the most honorable of things to do...several times she had suggested just infiltrating the mansion and directly confronting the demon, which was only met with less-than-enthusiastic responses.  During that time the leader (whose name was revealed as Marise Kora) had given Aisha a bit more of a back history to their ancestry, mostly to curb their impatience...but the panther kept it all in mind.  Any piece of information was vital to lure the usurper out of hiding.

   But even at this point, it was hard to concentrate through her frustration.  The coin that fell from the unconscious guard's palm was in a small pouch on Marise's side.

Thinking through her adventures, Aisha had fought a few kinds of demons already, but there was no individual from any clan she knew that had that kind of power to bring someone under their control over a simple trinket.  But she imagined how it could be possible; it was a coin.  Using a Being's greed.  How clever.  No wonder he had most of the guards under influence.

   But finally, after narrowly avoiding confrontations, the night came and the town became peaceful again.  The inhabitants were more than eager to make it back to their homes, however tense it was with the perimeter being watched constantly.  Most of the black clouds had vanished, creating little niches and holes where a sea of stars poked through, their lights unaided still by the darkened moon.  It was about ten o' clock, and only the inn and tavern and a couple of other shops were still open.

   The shadows in the square moved and surged from the corner of any eye belonging to anyone still outside.  One could have caught shimmering steel blades, or heard the quick and steady beat of sneaking and rushing feet, or perhaps the rustling and flapping of fabric in the breeze, all headed to the north-east head of the town, to the grand manor sitting high atop those marble steps.  Of course, the place had sentries on every parapet, every corner, and their eyes never flinching nor blinking from the duties passed to them.

   But not even they could discern the movements of the skilled rogues and a very skilled, very vengeful huntress as they were crouched in the pathway that opened up to the long stone porch.  Aisha's eyes narrowed as they stared up at the door, ringed with individuals in armor standing frozen on their feet beneath the flickering torch lights.

   The leader was beside her, eyes staring off in the same direction and assessing the same situation as she spoke.  "So you know your part, hunter?"

   Aisha's eyes seemed to glimmer.  "Of course I do."

   "And you're ready for it?"

   "Always."  She pulled the cowl back over her head.  "What about you?"

   Marise was quiet for a few seconds before she sent a glare back.  "Just do your part.  Don't worry about us.  Just count on us to be there when you give the word."

   With the same kind of glare returned, the panther stood up.  "I had better have reason to count on you."

   Then, she took in a deep breath, carefully concealing her only weapon.  She had given the bow and arrows to one of the others.  The jaguaress had the only tool for her task hanging from her belt on the left side, the blade clean and thirsting for dark-powered blood.  The bandits only watched her figure reveal itself from the shadows, coming up from them like she was coming up from walking the street that ran through the square.

   Showtime.

*     *     *

   The guards that stood in front of the door, unlike quite a few of the others, weren't all that wide-awake.  Who knew what kind of forces kept their comrades in that state of mind?  Nobody even complained of muscle cramps from standing like that.  Were he not in fear of suffering the same fate as many did, Jarkus would have just slumped over right then and there.  But he wanted to keep his skin just a little while longer, no matter how much he hated it.

   "Look, someone's coming," the one next to him suddenly piped up.  The two of them stood up and regained their composure, crossing their spears in front of the door to bar it just as someone with their face hidden beneath a crimson hood walked right up to them.  The canine recognized her as the huntress that the mayor had hired a couple of days before.

   She stopped in front of them and made a respectful half-bow.  "I would like to see his liege," the feline said coolly, the whites of her fangs just barely seen.

   "For what business?" Jarkus retorted.  "At this time of night it's not exactly wise to disturb him."

   "Oh, it's important, I assure you," the panther argued, her voice level.  "I was held prisoner here by a group of bandits after disposing of one of their own.  I escaped, and I know where they are.  I figure your mayor has a right to know immediately."

   The canine guard and his comrade, who happened to be a badger, both looked at her with interest now.  "So he does.  Maybe you can be allowed in after all.  Jarkus, keep an eye on the hunter.  I'll alert him."  The guard turned and pulled on the door, which opened with a loud creak into ominous semi-darkness.

   Jarkus watched him leave, and then turned back to the panther with a slight incredulous sneer, which looked to be more on the side of his duties as protector of the manor's owner rather than his personal opinion.  "Don't think that you're not going to be watched carefully, though.  First you disappear, then they escape, and then you reappear.  Have you anything to confess before you might be accused of something?"

   Aisha's cowl was pulled slightly so that her eyes could be seen.  She was calm, and to the guard's surprise, very self-assured.  "As a matter of fact, I do."  Her tail whipped out from beneath the cape, showing the emerald ring, which only shimmered under the light of the torch and was otherwise quite dull.  "I know you're not the demon.  And unless you have any objections I merely wish to uncover more truths."

   The canine blinked in surprise and stood upright.  The guard was staring the huntress down and vice-versa, each trying to assess what that statement really meant, and coming up with the same idea.  Aisha didn't feel like she made a bad move with it at all.  Even if he wasn't a Creature, the emotion of vengeance was sensed easily between the both of them.

   Before he could retort, the badger came back through the door.  "The mayor is waiting in the main hall, Miss."

   As per the panther's expectations, both guards admitted her in.  But only Jarkus had a single thought in his mind.  You'd better make good your intentions, hunter.  Beneath the notice of the badger, he closed the door and locked it.

*     *     *

   Putting the matter behind her, Aisha's bare feet padded across the polished wooden floor.  Her eyes wandered through the barely-lit room, the shadows from the ceiling making it look much larger than it actually was.  She wondered just how many of the banners and standards and coat-of-arms patterns hanging on the walls actually belonged to the true family of the manor, and how many were of the demon's...or were even stolen from long ago.

   Gods, it feels so foreboding, always knowing that I am walking into the territory of the dead.  If they're the ones that will be dead, and not me.

   As she approached the desk, the formally-dressed equine looked up from the papers he had been writing on and set his pen down with a smile.  "Milady Aisha?  I was told you needed to see me."  His look turned serious.  "Concerning the relatives of that demon?"

   She nodded with a bow.  "Yes, sir.  I'm curious, but where is he now anyway?  Dead yet?"

   He shook his head.  "No...but there will be a public execution tomorrow.  You'll be happy to know that he has served a good amount of time in those dungeons, rotting for his crimes."  There was a slight smirk on his face.  "On behalf of the town, I do thank you again for helping us to take care of him."

   The panther nodded, but behind her neutral features there hid an expression of complete disgust.  A smell permeated through the air that she was sure that he could also smell himself, but thought he was confident that neither his guards nor the experienced assassin before him could sense.  It was blood...and it coated his hooves though they looked quite clean.  But it couldn't be hidden from her...he had eaten someone just moments ago, and by this time could only hope that it wasn't Victor.

   How could he have no shame?

   "Yes, well," she continued and came out of her bow.  "I'm only glad to hear that.  Had things been done my way though, they would have been killed a lot earlier, to offer a bit more mercy.  Tell me.  How long has your family dealt with this trouble?"

   The equine only laughed, his eyes staring off as if reminiscent into space.  "Generations.  Roughly a few hundred years or so."

   Strike one.  A few hundred years is exactly how long ago their ancestors founded this place.

   "In fact," he continued, caught up in the fine history of the story, "we have a legend that it was taken from out of the hands of the demon.  Their family vowed revenge ever since, but we come from a long line of adventurers."

   Strike two.  The stories match.

   Aisha smiled.  "I would bet.  After coming across them myself, I'm lucky to even be alive.  With your permission I wish to be hired for the aid in their capture."

   He quirked an eyebrow.  "You're serious?  Madam, I've told you how deadly the one you captured is.  There are greater numbers.  It will be dangerous."

   "I've handled more dangerous," she said with a confident grin, "and probably will keep coming across more."  She held out her left hand in offering.  "I will not let you down, sir.  My services are yours.  Do we have a deal?"

   She kept a careful eye on his demeanor.  The way that he narrowed his eyes and looked a little disturbed, especially when her tail ring had started glowing in the room, without the presence of his guards.

   The hesitance, the quick sneer that hid behind his expression...

   And finally, the hand that dove into his pocket to bring out something shimmering hiding in the crack of his palm.  She also noticed that he wore a pendant around his neck that she felt was keeping something at bay...

   That same hand reached out, about to grasp Aisha's.  "Alright then...I think a bounty hunter of your skill would make a valuable asset."

   She withheld her hand just slightly.  "Good.  I won't regret owing my life to the illustrious Kora family."

   "Very good to hear," he chuckled, and then paused quickly, a confused look on his face.  "Wait...Kora?"

   She tilted her head.  "Yes, Kora.  That's what your historical archives say your surname is, doesn't it?  I found one of said books in the thieves' possession."

   The equine hesitated a moment longer, before snapping his head upward as if remembering it.  "Ah, yes!  Well, like I said, it is good to hear."

   He reached his hand out again.  But with his hesitance at the true surname, especially after he seemed so knowledgeable of "his" family history, she finally had the final nail in the proverbial coffin.

   Strike three.

   Her left hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, making him drop the spellbound coin that he was about to use right to the floor near her tail, which caused the emerald ring to flash brightly.  Her other hand came up holding the boomerang, and the blade was suddenly at the surprised equine's neck, beneath the string of the pendant.

   The grin that she gave was dangerous.  "When I said that I am allied to the Kora family...I meant it."

   The mayor's eyes looked wide and afraid.  "What treachery is this?  Let me go!  I can and will call the guards in here!"

   "Go ahead," she hissed.  The blade sliced through the pendant's string, making the thing fall to the floor also.  She crushed it beneath her foot, feeling the energy of the magic it held fall straight away into the air.  She smirked.  "And then they'll see just that they've been serving a pretender."

   The pendant was indeed magic...it was holding back the features that made him what he truly was.  Wide, black wings erupted if made of thin air from the creature's shirt, leathery as a bat's and twenty times as strong, with claws protruding from the ends and from the point of a grotesque thumb-like appendage on each.  Fangs grew glimmering and white in what should have been an herbivore's jaw.  The hooves became as sharp as obsidian crystal tips.

   Before Aisha could even start her assault, the demon's arm shot out like a bullet and grabbed her by the neck.  His eyes were glowing a dirty brownish-gold.

   "Wrong move, girl..." it said in a voice that seemed to echo in and of itself, snaking and seething like the deliberate tongue of a serpent.

   But with the demon caught up in his threat, Aisha actually managed to choke out a very loud "NOW!"

   No answer.

   The demon sneered and tightened his grip.  "Now...what?" he hissed.

   She tried to let out another scream, perhaps louder...surely Marise didn't hear her...?  But it was to no avail.  The panther couldn't make out but a small whimper.

   There was just the scent of blood...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

... Her right arm is still free. And still holding a weapon. :-)

[Stygian]

Getting better and better by the day, I say. I must write something of my own...

[Aisha deCabre]

((I'd like to see that sometime, Styg, that'd be neat.  And that was quite planned, Llearch.   ))

Part 4

   The bearers of the odor had come in suddenly from a side room.  They were more of the false mayor's guards, still under the control of the spell by the shining gold surface of the coins embedded in the crack of their hands.  The demon paused to acknowledge the armored furres as they threw a few bodies that they were carrying to the side.  They were still silent and emotionless, hollow eyes following the bloodied remains of those individuals...who were clad in light bandit's armor.

   No...

   The claws on Aisha's feet dug tightly into the polished hardwood floor, its smooth design having been marred by the scuffle that intended to start a battle.  The equine laughed at the sight and slowly, torturously started to close his grip on the huntress's windpipe.  "And no doubt more of your 'allies' were disposed of.  Just another fool of an adventurer in a long line of failures, you are.  They all tried to help take this town back too.  They overestimated their abilities.  Their hides now coat the dungeon walls, as yours will soon."

   The panther tried not to pay attention to the creature...one of the first things she had learned was not to let herself become intimidated.  Instead, she still waited for some sign that one of the others had even heard her signal.  They were supposed to help...surely they all can't have been killed!

   He didn't seem to notice that she still had a barely firm grip on her weapon, hidden from view as soon as the demon attacked.  She tried thinking fast.  He's hundreds of years old...without the magic, he might be impossible to kill...

   The Creature only snorted and started lifting her off the ground.  "What, nothing to say to your fate?  No last words?"  His sneer was discomforting.  "It's more fun when they beg...especially the women."

   That's when Aisha made her decision and slowly brought her other hand around, trying to conserve her breath.  It appears I have no choice.  Keep gloating, beast.

   His foul breath was coating the huntress's face, sharp teeth gleaming in anticipation for the first bite and draw of an adventurer's blood.  But as he pulled close, there suddenly erupted a loud, painful growl.  The demon drew back and loosened his grip, looking down to notice that her boomerang was driven halfway into his gut like a knife, forced through by both hands holding the handle.

   A smirk appeared on her slightly drained face.  "Not as much a failure as you think," she choked.

   With a roar, the demon tossed her forcefully away to the ground, a clawed hoof coming up to stop the blood from flowing.  She could see that he was trying to harden the skin there more, eyes locked on her target as she flipped around and landed hard on one hand and both feet.

   "What's the matter, basura, haven't fought in a while?  Grown too fat and slow on the luxury?" she mocked with a cold sneer on her face.

   He snorted and rose slowly, the hand coming away from a midriff that was still cut up well enough that the blood dripped to his feet.  But she knew that a little pain only made a demon madder.  This was his second wind.

   "Little bitch!" the equine Creature snarled, and the air seemed to shimmer around his hands.  The bands of dark magic grew until they looked like sickly black flames.

   Aisha's tail ring was going haywire.  Her muscles bunched up in preparation to charge the demon.  "Stop calling names like a child and fight honorably, wretched!"  However, in her mind she was already starting to accept that she might not come out of the fight alive.

   His wings were drawn out to their full length, and the claws became blacker until they were a void, his eyes glowing fiercely in the dark.  "As you wish, Slayer," he hissed.  With a thunderous noise that shook the floor, the demon bounded from where he stood and charged towards her with astonishing speed.

   But she was ready.  The jaguaress leapt backwards into the air just as his right fist met with the hardwood floor and drove through it.  By the time he was back on his feet, Aisha had bounded behind him, about to drive the boomerang into his back.

   The demon swerved around, his arm catching her in the side, in midair.  Aisha took the momentum from the blow and pivoted, her feet carefully meeting the floor and dodging the beast's slow movements as his claws sliced through the air.  Left!  Swish!  Dodge!  Right!  Dodge!  It was an intricate and deadly dance, though she was calculating and he was throwing his power around.  She was too quick for him.  Her smirk was one of confidence.  I might actually take this thing down.

   But, the panther had overlooked one factor during the excitement of the fight, which the demon started to utilize as soon as he memorized the way Aisha dodged.  The wings flapped hard into the air and lifted him from the ground, leaving a whirlwind of air that would have almost tripped the girl's feet from under her.  He was laughing, the dark power encompassing his entire being now that he was up in the air.

   Psh...flying?  I could combat that.  Her arm instantly drew back, eyes aimed with the precision of a bullet, and she let fly her blood-coated weapon.  It flashed through the air faster than the demon could hope to dodge.

   And yet, he did.  His magic had allowed him to be a lot faster in the air than he could ever be on the ground.  The blade shaved a few inches of air from his stomach and whizzed harmlessly past, back to her hands.   

   With a frustrated growl, she let it go again.  He deflected it with a large fireball, and it stuck into one of the far walls of the manor, about halfway towards the roof and into one of the columns lining it.  She tried calling it back quickly, but it was stuck tightly in the marble stone.

   "Damn!" she cursed loudly and rolled away just as another fireball came whizzing past.  The demon cackled at the panther's misfortune...her weapon was gone and she had nothing left to combat with bar for teeth and claws.

   Running away from a barrage of magic projectiles, Aisha roared up at the creature, her voice tainted with exhaustion and anger.  "Stop shooting from afar like a coward!"

   "Like you were doing?"  The demon shot back with a tone of genuine hatred.  All that the panther could do was run across the giant room, hunted like a wild animal until exhaustion threatened to place her in the pathway of his attack.  That's what it finally did.  A sharp shot of darkness crashed into her side, throwing the winded felid to the ground.

   With a triumphant growl, the pretender shot down from the sky, his claws aimed for Aisha's heart.  Paralyzed from the magic, all that she could do was close her eyes and wait.  There was a loud and hideous neighing growl, a breeze, and a loud THUMP!

   When she opened her eyes again, Aisha was looking at the demon sprawled on the floor, trying to rise slowly as if he was weighed down by something.  A familiar jewel pinned one of his wings to his back, exuding an aura of light magic and held fast by an arrow.  Following that, her boomerang had been pulled from the wall and tossed back towards her.

   Her eyes wandered to the darker recesses of the ceiling, illuminated by a fire that burned through the various cloth banners hanging around the room.  Marise was grinning and waving down toward her.  "Hey!  Sorry we were late!  We were deterred and had to get some more help!"  Beside her was another individual whose face she couldn't see, but he was the one holding the bow.  He had shot the jewel containing their adventurer ancestor's magic, from the cover of their archival book.

   Aisha choked out a laugh and got back to her feet.  "About damn time!" she called back.  But she hadn't gotten a few steps before the demon was rushing towards her again.  The boomerang was called instantly back to her hand, and she stood to face the creature as its claws started burning fiercely.

   His eyes were wide, insane with rage.  "You will die!  Die and be consumed!"

   That was when a sword hurled down through the air, having caught the demon by surprise and sliced the other wing off.  Jarkus held it...he was the only untainted guard left standing.  "Never again!" he answered back.

   Aisha had a look of surprise on her face, but it was short-lived.  The demon shot his claws straight through the guard's armored midsection and through the other side.  There was a largely pregnant pause right after that.  Marise and the others stood agape with horror.  The demon still had the slow, crazed look in his glowing eyes as the claws withdrew and the guard fell limp to the ground.

   And the panther's look was one of total revulsion.  He had become too caught up in rage and vengeance.  But he was now slowed down significantly...the charm's light magic was binding his own powers slowly.  He now only had one wing.

   Marise and the one she had with her slowly approached the scene.  Aisha instantly recognized the one holding the bow.  He was pretty beaten up, but there was still no doubt from the scent.

   Victor.

   With an unreadable expression, he tossed the bow and arrows back to the pantheress.  "I think those are yours, hunter."

   Aisha didn't know what to say.  Her limbs slowly worked themselves back into being, the slight poison of the magic wearing off in the presence of the light artifact.  Staring into the face of the one she had mistaken for a demon at the start, and then into the eyes of his family, she stepped back.  The pinned Creature was suddenly very quiet...defeated once again by the magic that had done so in the past, long ago.  "I bet you're here to seek your family's vengeance right?"  She asked with a quirked brow.

   Marise and her brother exchanged a quick glance, before Victor shook his head.  "We did our part and weakened him with the magic.  You're the demon hunter, and the one he tricked.  We see no reason that you shouldn't finish him off."

   There was a quick, thoughtful pause before Aisha gripped the boomerang handle with tight resolve and approached the pinned demon.

   The blade was put up to his neck, his low snarling ringing in her ears.  This is for the guards whose free wills were taken...those that were killed...the innocents who feared...and the family that was tortured.

   And this is for using me.

   A slow, dark grin appeared on her face.  "¿Quién es de los muertos ahora?"  (Who is of the dead now?)

   The demon had only time to blink.  The blade put an end to the murderous creature before he could even answer.

[Tapewolf]

Jarkus didn't do too well out of it.  He'd probably have survived if he'd been possessed 

[Stygian]

Goooooood... Strike me down with all your hatred... give in to your anger...!  *Stygian's face lights up in a fiendish grin, and his eyes glow evilly*

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

"If you strike me down, I will only become more powerful than you can possibly imagine..."

:-)

[Gareeku]

Awesome chapter once again, Aisha.

Gareeku: *grins* that's my girl!!

Shush, you.

[Aisha deCabre]

((*Baps Llearch and Styg with a Nerf bat.*  How's that?    Here's another part, a little more light-hearted this time, finally.   ))

Part 5

   The next morning saw a different mood for the whole of the town.  It was only slowly being noticed.  Then the inhabitants, one by one, saw that they could safely step out of their doorways again and were free to appreciate the beauty of the sunrise, without having to face the suspicious glare of the guards.  There were none near the residential district, not even patrolling the back alleys.

   Many curious glances were set towards the central square, and then past it to the grand staircase of the manor.  Dawn was a noisy one for that area; the fires of the previous battle had long since been put out.  The manor was cleared and the banners restored, set back to the true owners.

   By the time they were done, a healthy crowd of individuals had gathered, having received the news that the mayor's position was being filled by the heir of the Kora family.  Marise and Victor were standing at the head of the stairs, looking out over the heads and no longer dressed in the gear that painted them as rogues and criminals.  Instead, she had a bright silken dress, and he a handsome embroidered tunic and a ceremonial sword strapped to his waist.  The few family members who were left stood behind them, dressed similarly...and little Matthew was sitting over to the side toying with his dagger sheath, which he wanted to keep.  It reminded him of the times he acted more like an adventurer than a child born and raised into nobility.

   Victor glanced at Marise, who had a thoughtful look.  "Are you alright, sister?"

   "Yeah," she answered without looking at him.  "I'm not looking forward to burying the others."

   He nodded understandably.  "Neither am I.  I doubt the hunter would want to, either."  Then his eyebrow quirked.  "That reminds me.  I never did properly forgive her.  Where is she?"

   The look on her face turned to one of slight confusion.  "I don't know...I haven't seen her around since she left the night before.  She's a hero...I hope she's around to notice the party."

   Victor paused, and then sighed, shaking his head.  "Somehow, I doubt it.  Everyone is waiting for the coronation...she would have been here by now.  If only I could remember her name at least."

   "Started with an , I remember that much," his sister answered, ending with a thoughtful mutter.  "The Risen..."

*     *     *

   Well, what have we learned from THIS adventure, chica?  You don't meddle in political affairs, that's what.

   By the time the sun was taking a position to turn the day into the mid-morning, Aisha had already gathered her possessions and left the town behind to head on the easiest path through the hills and into the Shadowed Depths.  She stopped for a moment, taking deep and laborious breaths while turning around to see the town looking like a large jewel of a settlement down below, nestled in the watchful protection of the rocky crevices above it.

   A light smirk crossed her face, hidden beneath her hood.  Rest easy.  Too bad I can't be there.  Mysterious identity and all that.  Despite harboring a good amount of pain, Aisha couldn't help but laugh silently at herself.  The stealth aspect she definitely could get used to as an adventurer.

   She trekked on through the path, turning away from the sight without looking back.  The rocky hillsides soon towered over her.  She liked this part of traveling the best, as there were always lots of mysterious and dark places for things to hide and surprise.  There were times she came across bandits and highwaymen through the other paths...luckily, nothing came to her senses but the whistling of the wind through the jagged heights.

   After a while, Aisha felt exhaustion catching up with her, and she found a boulder to sit on.  Craning her head down, she removed the hand that she had been tightly holding her left side with, and looked through the tear in her shirt...the demon's dark projectile seemed to have had more of an effect than she thought.  The black and barely-mottled skin was thin enough to cause her to easily bleed.

   Poison?  Acid maybe?  Ugh...I can't think...Damn.  I should get some rest, it's still good walk back...I can have it looked at there...

   The jaguaress treated the wound with what was left of the bonds and medicine she carried, deciding that it was foolish to leave without buying more.  It would have had to do, until she reached her destination.  However long that would be...it was starting to seem a little too long, thinking about it.  That's the poison talking...get up and walk, chica, she berated herself.

   So she did.  The path was a little easier for her, winding down slowly from between the rocky crevices.  Then, it smoothed out peacefully, the area around it turning grassy, and it was around here that the dirt path seemed to always disappear into the green hills, like one was walking into a dead end.  That, she knew, was the entranceway to the valley.  Over the next hill, there would be a view of the rolling land and streams, a grand paradise in which nestled the monastery of the Healers.

   Aisha expected to see the building's spire coming up over the horizon soon...but in that instant, she fell to her knees, clutching her side and groaning loudly.  Pain had shot through her nerves from that spot, as if cutting right through her body.  Okay...now is a good time for rest...she thought, gasping for breath and falling over on the ground.

   She was there for a few minutes, already feeling the strength coming back to her muscles after a while; but in her mind she still somehow felt a little too sick to move.  From the corner of her hearing, she heard the grass rustling and parting, footsteps moving swiftly across the ground.  Three sets of them, two of which had stopped on either side.

   A shadow fell across the panther's face, and she heard a loud gasp.  "Lady Aisha?!"

    Her eyes glanced up to witness the bearer of the familiar voice.  It was a somewhat lanky young woman whose features resembled a canine, like a greyhound but a little different; her fur was dark gold in color and she had brown stripes along her back in bands that also wrapped around her rope-like tail.  She was clad in the light-patterned colors of the Healers.  The other two next to her were messengers clad in the same manner, one a two-legged gryphon and the other a younger feline, both male.

   Remembering who they were, Aisha's eyes rolled lazily back to look at the canine-like creature before her.  She had a strange collar around her neck with a reddish-gold jewel embedded in the front.  "Hey, Cheyenne."

   The girl, who was only a year or so older than Aisha, hopped back up on her feet.  "You returned!  I can't believe it, you returned!"

   "Chey..."

   "Where WERE you?  You've GOT to tell me all your travel stories!"

   "Chey."

   "I mean, nothing has to be more exciting than that one time..."

   "Chey!"

   The quirky girl stopped in her tracks and looked down quizzically at the panther with wide black eyes.  "Yeah?"

   "Just get me to the monastery.  And tell the messengers...to inform Mistress Rynkura."

   Aisha's vision had started to cloud.  She saw the two males heading off quickly, one flying and the other running.  Cheyenne's voice cut straight through the air, a little more commanding than the panther had remembered.  "You heard her, Tio!  Get a move-on!"

   Then, she finally allowed herself to black out.

*     *     *     *

   After what seemed like hours, Aisha's eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times to get rid of the sleepy blurs that had taken them over.  The sun's rays gently fell on her face from an open window, as did a breeze from outside.  She was staring at a plain, smooth and grey stone ceiling and lying on a comfortable bed in a good-sized room that resembled one set high above in a castle tower...not too lavishly furnished despite such.  The surroundings smelled strongly of medicinal herbs.

   The panthress sat up slowly.  The sickly feeling that before was washing through her body was no longer present, but the pain on her side remained.  Looking down at herself, her torso was wrapped in bandages and her shirt was on the desk next to the bed...clean, despite the blood that coated the bandages.  Hmph, they work just as fast as I remember, Aisha smirked to herself and put a hand to her forehead.

   "Heehee, you probably shouldn't move yet", a small, whimsical voice cut through the quiet.  Aisha nearly jumped.

   Just then, the air in front of her face shimmered and something slowly materialized from the spot.  It was a small ebony-cloaked mass, but the outline was glowing a bright sapphire.  With a flip in the air, the thing took a small quadrupedal body design, with a paper-thin tail and wide eyes.  It had small fox-like ears and little horns coming from its head...and finally, a circular symbol on its forehead glowed with the same hue as the outline of its body.

   The little creature made another twirl and its little jeweled orbs blinked at the panthress.  She only laughed slightly, having heard of these things once before, and set her head in her right palm with curiosity.  "I take it you're Tio."

   "Yah-huh," the little creature did another twirl.  "I know all about you from Chey."

   She rolled her eyes.  "Bueno.  I just knew I'd have my hands full with her when I came here."

   "I heard that!" a familiar voice laughed.  Chey was on one side of the room, no longer wearing the collar around her neck.  The same symbol that was on Tio's forehead also adorned that spot, just below her chin, much like a stamp in its hard-edged design.  The race in which she belonged was quite clear; a pair of striped bat-like wings fluttered behind her back, with a similar smaller pair on her head.  "So you met my Warp-Aci.  Cute, huh?  I just got him a while ago."  The succubus's head tilted with a smile.  "So how are you, Lady Aisha?"

   She smiled with some slight exasperation.  "Don't call me that, muchacha.  I'm still a pupil, as you are.  And younger than you."  The panther had to laugh inwardly, thinking about the girl...she had met and saved her life on her second adventure.  Cheyenne still tended to admire the skilled feline.  Other than that, she changed quite a bit, and had become more confident.  Having a 'Cubi around was still something of an interesting venture...Aisha was there when her second wings came in, those months ago.  Sometimes, the adventurer still couldn't get used to that aspect.  "What have you been doing, anyway?"

   Cheyenne's eyes rolled.  "Psh, work...I just found out a while ago at SAIA that I'm really cut out for healing..."  She laughed, her eyes wide and excited as if to start saying more...but she then silenced herself as the door opened further.  The heads of the furres and the Aci looked up to see who it was.

   The quiet shadows beyond the door disgorged a distinguished tigress that looked about forty years of age, with pearlescent white fur and bold black stripes that covered her form in a noble waving pattern...she was easily taller than anyone in the room, and her build was strong for a female.  She wore a two-piece outfit with a lower portion like a robe that trailed down to her feet.  The predominant colors were blue, black, and white, set in a pattern that looked similar to ancient Mayan or Aztec design, and she wore sleeves separate from the shirt that went from below her shoulders down to the elbow.  Her completely-white hair trailed down in a braid that was similar to Aisha's.  Her emerald eyes, set in a face that was gentle and fair though stern and hardened by experience, wandered over Cheyenne and her Warp-Aci before setting on the jaguaress with a motherly smile.  "You're awake I see, gatita.  I almost thought that last adventure was too much for you."  Her voice was deep and just slightly condescending.

   The panther rolled her eyes, but bowed her head in the presence of the tigress.  "Good to see you again, Mistress Rynkura."

   At that point, Cheyenne figured it was time to leave.  "I'll have to tell you about my first day at an Academy later.  Hope you feel better, Aish.  Come on, Tio!" Chey gestured and started out of the room with the same energy in her steps.

   "Feeds on pain AND relief... also likes a bit of annoyance on the side," Tio snickered and followed after the young succubus.

   Aisha only shook her head humorously.  I wouldn't be surprised.

   Rynkura's eyes followed the girl out of the door with a quiet chuckle, before turning around and lightly placing her hand on the shoulder of the panthress whom she considered a daughter of sorts.  "I haven't heard from you in quite a while, my girl.  What brings you here?  Other than the obvious."  She gestured at the spot marked with dark red on her left side and proceeded to undo the bandage.  "I'll get rid of the scar."

   She watched the tigress while answering with a long sigh.  "I just wanted to visit.  I've been adventuring as usual, señora.  That shouldn't come as any surprise to you."

   The tigress hummed as her hands glowed in soothing light-magic colors.  The marks left by her wounds slowly disappeared as she spoke.  "Regardless I can't help but be concerned.  It is a dangerous road you've taken up.  All for vengeance.  That never led to anything good, tu sabes..." (You know...)

   "Yo se, yo se" (I know, I know), Aisha answered with a scoff.  "But as long as there's a chance, I see no reason to not keep going.  There's nothing holding me back."

   "You might someday find something that does," Rynkura answered.

   Aisha's expression was stern.  "I doubt it.  I've accepted that I might as soon be killed by a demon."  She cast her gaze to the floor.  "There's nothing to live for in this harsh world than just doing what I have to do."

   "Oh, shush!  I thought I taught you to be a little more optimistic than that.  Eres una tonta joven (You're a young fool), if you think you're going to keep thinking that way."  The look she gave her student was a silent one, riddled with hidden expressions that perhaps only the old mentor understood herself, hidden behind the seriousness of a guardian.  She finished her work and the scars from the battle had vanished, as if the fight had never even taken place.

   The tigress stood up and gave her a look just like a teacher would give an arrogant child.  "Now, you had better get some rest.  As long as you are here, you're going to be sparring.  I will see you in the sword-fighting ring out in the courtyard when you are ready."

   Aisha blinked.  "Sword-fighting?  Señora, my specialty is in ranged weapons."

   Rynkura shook her head.  "No argumentelo (Don't argue it).  A good warrior is balanced with different skills.  And they also know not to depend solely on healers for saving their lives."  She smiled again, gently squeezing her shoulder before starting towards the door, closing it behind her with a nod of farewell.

   The panther sat in silence for a while, taking in the old and comforting mood of the place along with the tiger's words.  She knew now that she wasn't going to get back to sleep any time soon, so slowly she worked her way off of the bed and walked towards the window, pushing the glass panes open further to glimpse down at the ground below.

   The view was a grand one, almost sacred in its appearance under the light of the sun.  She was in her own room in a tower high in a cathedral-looking building, with a medieval feel to it as she glimpsed the architecture that made up the forefront of the monastery.  The hills of green wandered all around it from horizon to horizon in every compass direction, with a few trees bordering the northeast corner in a small tended grove for herbs.

   Aisha could even see off to the side where a few other individuals were walking around, some who served as guardians of the territory and others who were both students and great Healers in their own right.  It had the feel of a sect, but was more like a place for them to come together and develop their trade, and even for anyone else to come and rest.  And it was all started by her own mentor.  The place was made up of a few races, mostly Beings and magic-users...and as far as she knew and was relieved for, Chey was the only 'Cubi.  There was one reptilian walking around which she supposed was a mythos, with two sets of wings on its back.  As she remembered, there weren't that many people around.  The place was small and secluded; very few knew about it.

   With a light smile at the serenity coating the grounds below, Aisha took it all in and more easily she started to forget just how bloody and dark the battle had been only last night.  Her arms leaned on the stone windowsill, and her gaze wandered the distance of the hills thoughtfully.

   Home.

[Tapewolf]

Marise and Victor were standing at the head of the stairs, looking out over the heads and no longer dressed in the gear that made them into rogues and criminals.

Unless the clothes were actually stolen, "painted them as rogues and criminals" might read better.  Alas, I don't really have much else to say about this chapter.

[Aisha deCabre]

Marise and Victor were standing at the head of the stairs, looking out over the heads and no longer dressed in the gear that made them into rogues and criminals.

Unless the clothes were actually stolen, "painted them as rogues and criminals" might read better.  Alas, I don't really have much else to say about this chapter.

Quite alright, at least I appreciate whatever suggestions could be made for a part to be improved upon.  It's edited now, thanks.   

[Stygian]

Oh, it's tigress, not "tigeress". Apart from that, everything else looks just perfect. And I am teeming with anticipation.

[Gareeku]

*waves an Aisha flag* Awesome writing once again, hon. ^^

[Aisha deCabre]

((Thankyou all so much ^^  Here's the new part.  And after this point I might separate each different adventure into chapters.  Chapters are divided into the parts, so don't get the two mixed up.   ))

Part 6

   After she had eaten and cleaned herself up a little, also making sure that the results of the injuries were banished from her system, Aisha closed the door of the bedchambers behind her and started walking down the corridors of the great stone monastery.

   It was a slow and thoughtful walk, one that she made sure to take whenever she found herself somewhere beautiful or even restful to her mind.  The towers were quiet and often felt secluded, so the only sounds made were her softly padding footsteps echoing off the walls and back to her sensitive ears.  With the breeze caught from each open window and door she passed, her cape also fluttered silently.  Silence itself was like music, easily more beautiful than the noises of screaming and pain that adventurers heard throughout their lives.

   Aisha had walked each of these halls several times over when she was young.  The first time the panthress had set foot here, she had thought it would just be a good place to play hide-and-seek, awed at the sheer size of it.  However, she had spent half of her life here learning how to fight and survive, among other things.  But no matter how the familiarity seemed to come back to her with each passing gaze of the solid stone structure of the walls, there was always something different about it; perhaps it was the presence of more people, coming and going, and the impressions they left upon the place?  Perhaps it was the ever-changing spirit of the building itself, as it had stood for far longer even than Rynkura had lived?  It was something that could only be felt, and not dwelled upon.  The place was once an ancient ruin.

    Sounds of others talking soon wafted upwards from the bottom of the stairs, where the tower poured into the main building.  It looked almost like a small cathedral from the outside, with a rounded open window looking down upon the rest of it all like a giant eye from atop the intimidating and yet welcoming front doors.  On the inside it was much the same as a church, bar for the fact that there were no seats or a pedestal where the altar was.  Here, a few different kinds of furres, in many species and just a few varying races, were milling about.  Aisha had come from the tower to a balcony with a central staircase nearby that led to the ground floor.

   She took a second to glance down upon the robed Healers and other guests gathered inside, before heading through another door towards the back that would lead outside to the courtyard.  Along the way she took a step through a hall where a few more guests were milling, though some of them stopped speaking upon seeing Aisha...often guessing or just knowing that she was a demon slayer, some of the Creatures were always a little wary.  She paid them no heed and kept walking.  The place was a sanctuary; there was never any killing.

   Upon exiting the stairway to the outside, she encountered one of the messengers she had seen from before, the gryphon, who gave a quick bow upon seeing her.  Aisha rolled her eyes humorously; most of the Healers knew her as Rynkura's foremost student, but she didn't like being treated like a superior by her old friends...of which the gryphon was one.  "Buenas dias, Jake...have you seen the Mistress?" she inquired.

   He nodded his feathered head and pointed into the giant open space stretching past the door, on a stone path through the nature-decorated courtyard.  "Said she'd be waiting in the training grounds.  Also said you could find a sword in the armory."  Jake's beak set into a grin.  "Remember where it is?"

   Aisha snorted.  "Of course I do."  With a wave of farewell, she started down the path, which wound through a few trees and hedges like a small park.  The panther was trotting a little bit in anticipation of getting there.  Psh, like I'd forget where the armory is.  I used to sneak into it, she smirked to herself.

*     *     *

   It had taken a little bit of thought before the panther had chosen a sword that she liked and could easily wield from the variety of them stashed in the armory.  It was really more like Rynkura's personal collection of things: blades of many intricate designs and uses, from broadswords to wrist blades.  A Healer by trade, the tigress was also a swordswoman and had kept a few things from her own past.  Aisha always thought it quite interesting.  Typically it was thought that only a driven warmonger would have a collection of things that could kill...but when taken into consideration the artistic effort it takes to forge such a thing and the shapes that a blade could take, one could also see it as another hobby.

   Aisha, with a light but strong katana strapped to her belt, stepped over a small hill in the field far from the little courtyard park, overlooking the training grounds.  With the monastery being a place for Healers, this area was seldom used save by herself and any others who really just liked to keep their skills up...the place covered almost everything from an obstacle course for the stealthy types to large circular patches of dirt for the melee fighters...for those who practiced magic there were even targets set aside.

   She spotted the tigress easily, a form of white against a sea of green and brown, standing still with her eyes closed as if meditating and a sheath strapped to her back.  Aisha started towards the ring and tossed her cape to the side, the starts of an adrenaline rush already coursing through her body.

   Rynkura's way of noticing her pupil was just to prick one of her ears up.  "There you are, child.  It took you a little longer to get here.  Your diligence isn't slipping, is it?"

   Aisha had to laugh as she stepped forward and bowed.  "I never resist a challenge...you know I couldn't come fast enough."

   "A true daughter of Cabre, as always," the tigress smiled and opened her eyes, the same familiar strength and confidence showing through their green hue.  They looked upon the girl with a gaze that just told anyone that the old feline commanded respect, with even just a glance.  She bowed back and reached to the side to grab the staff that she always carried, a long and thick wooden thing that was about as tall has herself.  It had on its end an orb that was encased in a claw-like grasp, enchanted with a powerful and somehow unending aura of light magic.

   The panther grasped her sword handle and drew the steel blade out slowly.  "That all you're using?" she asked, nodding towards the staff.  "I don't want to hurt you, señora."

   The tiger nodded once.  "For the moment."  And then she laughed with a voice that was deep in tone and almost mysterious.  "And trust me, you won't."  Rynkura's grin was a ready one, raising her staff horizontally over her chest and outward in a defense pose.  "The first move is yours.  Let's just see if you are good enough to boast that you could possibly hurt me."

   "As you wish..." Aisha answered with her fangs bared in a grin, and gripped the hilt of the katana with both hands.  With the drills of past close-range fights rushing through her memory, the panthress slowly sidestepped around her mentor, gauging her position.  The tiger's eyes were the only things that followed the student's movements.  The rest of her body was frozen in place like a statue.

   Let's see you block this...suddenly, her legs bounded like a pair of coiled springs, propelling her towards Rynkura with a great burst of speed.  The tigress was faster.  In the split second that it took Aisha to raise the sword and drop it on the old warrior, she had turned and blocked the blow, holding the staff with one hand.  Aisha wrenched the blade out of the staff and had made a swipe towards the tiger's feet.

   With a laugh, Rynkura jumped back, sweeping the end of the staff up at the same time, aimed for Aisha's stomach, and hit its mark.  The panther reeled away with only a growl of frustration, still on her feet.  The tigress stared back with a smile.  "Good use of force.  Quite fast.  But you're not watching your defense.  Again, niña."

   Aisha coughed briefly, relieving the slight pain in her midsection before raising the sword and rushing at the tigress again with fierce determination.  Energy surged through her flexible muscles and commanded her mind as it always did in a fight.

   The sword arched through the air and aimed towards the tiger's head from the left.  The staff came up to block again.  Aisha swerved and in a whirlwind move took the blade to her other side.  Again, blocked.  She tried another pivot, but was stopped in mid-turn when she took a semi-hard blow to the back from the staff and fell to her knees.

   Rynkura chuckled again.  "Remember your defense.  And that sword should be light enough for you to use with one hand.  Use two only when you're using the sword itself as a shield, or when you have enough time to use more force."

   "I get it," Aisha muttered and jumped to her feet, this time keeping the blade in her right hand.  She wove and dodged around the tiger's defense, deadly and intricate, trying with each blow to penetrate the virtual barrier and each time meeting with another part of the wall.  She kept the exercise up though, trying from a few different angles each time as per her mentor's rushed instructions.  Rynkura's voice pierced her ears.  "From the air!  Don't leave it there, keep it going!  Good!  No, you're doing it again!  Stop trying to hit me, just do it!"  With each word, Aisha's resolve was strengthened.  The girl felt like she was in a fight with a Demon.

   At one point, both Jake and Cheyenne had come up to the sidelines.  The succubus perched herself on a low wall, having hidden both sets of wings, and the gryphon sat on a low branch in a tree, both watching the sparring match adamantly.  Chey in particular was quite impressed with Aisha's speed and skills, and often wondered just what she would do if she ever came across an adventurer like that.  Will I really have to fight them?

   Aisha hadn't even noticed they were there.  Neither of the combatants was even a little winded as they continued the pattern of blocking, swinging, and dodging.  The steel flashed brightly as it took on the glare of the sun.  The longer they fought, the more aggressive the panther seemed to become.

   Rynkura of course noticed this.  "Don't become blinded by the rage, Aisha!  That's what almost undid you before.  Use it, don't let it use you!"

   Her reply was a defiant growl.  The jaguar's red eyes seemed to flash dangerously.  She took the hilt with both hands and raised the sword, giving it the force of a guillotine should it have hit.  The tiger blocked this, then using the momentum from that same move, knocked Aisha to the ground.  A magical barrier of some sort, emitted from the staff, pinned her there.  "That's enough.  Regain yourself."

   Taking a few deep breaths, the grounded feline could finally sense that her friends were there watching.  The gryphon was laughing and pumping his fist through the air, as if cheering; for whom, Aisha couldn't be sure.  Cheyenne had her head tilted.  The huntress released a long sigh, and then took the tiger's outstretched hand and hopped back to her feet.

   Rynkura's smile was a warm one.  "A fine fight.  Fast and forceful, and your reflexes are up to par.  You can adapt to utilizing your defense.  But you need to work on keeping your head on the fight.  Carelessness, anger, and pride are the greatest causes of death to an adventurer."

   Fighting the fatigue, Aisha still had to laugh, feeling the chemicals that had flooded her system start to recede.  She picked her cape back up and tied it around her neck.  "So, I pass?"

   The tigress chuckled and quirked an eyebrow at her.  "Not until you are ready to be challenged with my sword.  For that you'd need one of your own."

   Rolling her eyes upward, Aisha loosened the katana's straps and set it off to the side.  "I still think that I'd rather use my boomerang.  In close fights it works as well as any sword."

   The old warrior hummed as she sat herself on a boulder close to the ring.  "Ah yes, the weapon that your father forged.  I hope using it doesn't make you feel like you're relying on his protection.  Or the memory of your family, for that matter."

   Aisha whirled around, shocked.  "Are you saying I can't rely on myself?"

   "I'm saying that whenever you try, you inch the door to your death open ever the more."  Rynkura glared.  "Were you fighting an equally old or powerful Creature a moment ago rather than me, you would have been killed.  The memory of those deaths still complicates your vision, and vengeance is still your driving force.  It can't stay like that."

   The panther turned her gaze away.  It didn't show easily at first, but the words stung.  She scoffed loudly.  "You make it sound like I have to get rid of those memories."

   There was a pause, and then the tiger stood up and gently turned Aisha around to face her, a soft expression in her eyes.  "Escucheme, chica. (Listen to me, girl.)  Noboby is saying that you have to get rid of those memories.  Only that you keep them in mind with wisdom."

   Aisha's crimson eyes narrowed as the emerald ones belonging to Rynkura pierced them.  She was about to say something more, when there came a sudden loud call from down the training field, back towards the monastery.

   An armored Healer guard came running up to the four gathered before almost collapsing to his knees, out of breath.  "Mistress Rynkura!  Urgent news!"

   The tigress turned around, with Aisha, Jake, and Chey looking on behind her in curiosity.  "What is the news?"

   Gasping hard for breath, the guard paused for a moment before looking back up at the four.  "There is an injured in the infirmary, just arrived, who says that he must speak to you at once.  And also said that the presence of Lady Aisha, Sir Jake and Miss Cheyenne would be much required."

   Rynkura blinked in surprise.  "Who is this?"

   Now, Aisha was interested.  She only knew one individual who also knew all of their names.  Her suspicions were confirmed when the guard answered the Healer's question.  "He doesn't look it...but he claims that he's Icharus of Stormclaw."

   All four of them gasped at once.  There was a slow hum from Jake, and a slightly fearful squeal from Chey.  Aisha's mind was an echo of Rynkura's words.

   "Stormclaw?  The dragon clan, Stormclaw?"

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

It's always interesting reading your story, Aisha.

Might I point out that, historically, staves have been generally accepted to be well and truly the equal of a sword, in the hands of a skilled warrior. In fact, it's pointed out rather effectively in one of The Wheel of Time books - I forget which, although I could look it up if you wish - by having a barely-recovered guy with a staff take out two trainee swordsmen - I say trainee, but they're basically the best two of the bunch, and -seriously- good... and somewhat over-cocky...

Then you could look into the Filipino Stick-Fighting martial art. When the Spaniards wandered past their little island, they managed to take out a force of armed and armoured knights mounted on horses. The defenders were pretty much wearing grass skirts and carrying sticks.... which says something for the art form, doesn't it? :-)


Despite that, not too bad. I also query - does her blade stick -into- the wood? If so, then over the course of, oh, half an hour or so, the staff is going to get chipped into little pieces...

[Tapewolf]

It still leaves us wondering, of course.  (One of the failings of CJP in my opinion, each episode is too self-contained - you've certainly avoided that.)

I like the warrior ethos thing...

[Stygian]

You're referring to the fight in the training area for Warders outside the White Tower, which I believe is in the book "The Dragon Reborn". It stands between Matrim Cauthon, wielding a staff and as the victor, and Elayne Trakand's both brothers Gawyn and Galad. I'd believe that it is an exceptional case though. Read the book.

In either case, this was yet another great addition. I don't know where you pull them from, Ash.

[Aisha deCabre]

Thanks for the insight on that, y'all.     Actually, Rynkura's staff is wooden, but is very much strengthened, both by light magic and the fact that it's armored on the inside and holds a very dangerous blade.  Yeah, it doubles as a sword, but one that should never be unsheathed.  That's from Rynkura's past.  Maybe someday I'll give the details.   

In any case, thanks also for the compliment, Tapewolf...actually I got done reading CJP a couple of days ago.  I should comment there one of these days.  I think you're doing quite well with it.

*Grins at Styg* I pull them out of that cookie jar.  I dare you to steal from it.   

[Gareeku]

Ooooh...the plot thickens... ^^

*thinks about stealing from the cookie jar, but decides against it* >.>

Awesome writings as usual, Aisha.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

You're referring to the fight in the training area for Warders outside the White Tower, which I believe is in the book "The Dragon Reborn". It stands between Matrim Cauthon, wielding a staff and as the victor, and Elayne Trakand's both brothers Gawyn and Galad. I'd believe that it is an exceptional case though. Read the book.

Depends on how you take it, I think. Yes, I was referring to that, but if you read the segment just after that, where the trainer (Hammar Gaidin) speaks about the greatest blademaster of all time, quote unquote, and how he fought over ten thousand times, and was beaten only once. By a farmer with a quarterstaff.

Chapter 23, if anyone else is interested. Although there's a lot of detail lost if you don't read the rest of the books...

[Aisha deCabre]

((New chapter A bit of a shorter one than usual.  I had some slight writer's block.  But, it might be good.  ^^  Still thinking over any aspects I could change.))

Part 7

   "Tio, are you sure you don't just want to teleport us there?"

   The Warp-Aci did a hard twirl in the air, accentuating his words in reply to Chey.  "Chyah!  Teleporting near a DRAGON and a few very uppity guards.  That's wise."

   Aisha rolled her eyes as the succubus consoled the little creature and told him to hide, while she started morphing the head wings and larger back wings into her body.  At the same time, she was tying the jeweled collar back around her neck, to hide the clan marking.

   After dismissing the messenger, the group was just coming up through what remained of the courtyard, and up the entrance to the infirmary which lay in the longer halls to the side.  Chey had to transform quickly, as a few of the Beings still were uneasy around the Creatures, even if they worked there.  The panthress couldn't blame them, and it only became more apparent as they entered the building.  Rynkura had taken the lead, and she was behind, followed by Chey and Jake.

   A few individuals parted when they saw the tigress come toward the building, not even arguing as she pushed open the door, paying them no heed.  Word had gotten out fast that a dragon had made himself known, and everyone had to agree that it wasn't the wisest thing for Icharus to do...but the only way to get their attention, it seemed.  Rynkura told a few in passing to disperse and go back to their businesses, to which they did with only slight hesitance.

   It was quite a walk up to where the group found they kept him, in one of the towers of the infirmary towards the other side of the monastery.  Those towers were usually saved only for the death-ridden sickly, an effective quarantine.  But today, according to those investigating, it was a hastily-made prison.  They received a few different warnings and cautionary glances before finally stopping at the top floor and pushing the door open into a large bedroom, about the same size as Aisha's.

   There was one guard positioned in four places along the circular stone wall, all keeping a close eye on the individual sitting up in the bed.  He was avian in shape, similar to an eagle or a roc with a wicked bird-of-prey curved beak, with a bold mottled feather pattern of interchanging silver and grey-colored feathers like a storm cloud, and was a bit more on the thin side, though not at all lanky.  Feathers stuck out in a ruff around his neck which were white and very light gold.  The look on his face was one of frustration more than fear, as if he had expected this outcome and was just waiting it out.  His wing-arms were tied behind him, but true to their creed, the Healers had already bound the disguised dragon's injuries with bandages over his otherwise bare torso and left shoulder.  A rich, royal purple vest sat on the chair nearby.

   Rynkura was the first to walk in the room, shaking her head, but nonetheless bowing politely.  "Icharus.  What trouble have you gotten yourself into now?"

   The eagle's head turned slowly, blinking fierce-looking eyes colored a strange shade of silver.  His expression lightened upon seeing the tigress.  "Mistress Msh'taan," he said in a calm voice as he could only nod back.  "Good to see you.  Might you please tell these gentlemen that I'm not here to cause trouble?" a look was darted back at the guards.

   "Of course.  Leave us in peace.  He is an old friend, not a threat," Rynkura said, stamping her staff just once on the floor to emphasize.  The guards immediately walked out past them, and the others of the group were admitted in just as the last one made his exit.

   The dragon sighed with a bit of relief as the tigress cut the shackles from his hands.  "Honestly, do you think that you could hire more jumpy people?" he said with heavy sarcasm.

   "What do you expect, amigo?" Aisha spoke up then, crossing her arms with a smirk.  "You're too confident."

   Jake had done the same.  "I'm surprised someone hasn't had your head on their wall already."

   Despite the comebacks to the dragon, he only laughed.  "You haven't changed at all, Sir Jake."  He then shot a smile to Aisha.  "Neither have you, milady...you've grown up quite since last.  I'd kiss your hand if I could move."

   The panther rolled her eyes and shook her head, just as the last member of the group pushed her vaguely canid head in through the door, grinning at the avian while Tio sat curiously on her shoulder.  "Hey, it's Ick!" she laughed.

   In reply, she had to duck when a ball of lightning flew towards her head and instead hit the back wall.  Jake's hand flew for his spear, and Aisha's clenched her boomerang handle tightly.  Tio made a small squeal and vanished into thin air.

   Icharus wasn't intimidated.  His hand was crackling with electricity, but Rynkura had him pinned with the magic from her staff.  The eagle/dragon sneered.  "I will thank you to call me by my true name, succubus."

   Chey looked up from behind Jake, where she had hidden, pulling his wing down with her hands.  "It was just a joke..." she growled.

   Aisha stepped up to the dragon, sneering back.  "Don't suddenly bring your prejudice in this monastery.  You know Cheyenne; she is a friend, as are we all.  What is your problem?"

   There was a tense pause before Icharus lowered his hand again, dispelling the lighting.  His head bent forward.  "...My apologies.  I ran into a bit of trouble coming here, and I am worked up.  But that is not where I have gained these injuries."

   His eyes opened with a thoughtful sigh, while the others replaced their weapons.  "Time to explain myself.  I come from my clan's home, forced into exile.  As you remember, we have been scattered from our rightful territory by expanding Beings, now warring with a clan of mythos that have invaded."  His eyes were downcast.  "My brethren and I, we have defended the treasures of our clan in that territory with our lives for two hundred years...all in vain.  We have been slain, and I am the last."

   Jake held up a hand to interrupt.  "Aren't you being a bit overdramatic, Stormclaw?  Your clan consists of storm dragons.  Powerful lot."

   The avian's face contorted in a scowl.  "And yet even we can be killed in our sleep!  The mythos have 'Cubi allies!" he shot a hateful look at Chey, but upon seeing her fearful gaze he calmed down.  "I am sorry; I forget that in their terms you are only a child.  But it is the truth.  Sure, damage has been dealt, but there were too few of us left."

   He sighed.  "So, that is why I come here."  The disguised dragon's silver gaze fell upon the others.  "You are the only adventurers I've known and can trust...our home is taken, and I will not try to take it back...but I do want to recover the artifacts left behind.  Without them, our family history is as if unwritten.  We keep our annals not in books, for they can degenerate over time.  Nor can we store memories as can the illustrious Icewings.  They are written in magic runes, invisible and hidden on and in our long-lasting treasures.  There aren't many.  Just enough for everyone to carry."

   At this point, Rynkura had released Icharus from the grip of her magic, which had also long since healed his wounds.  He looked upon different faces for their reaction...Jake's was thoughtful, perhaps sympathetic.  Chey still looked scared, but she too was sad for him.  Aisha was thoughtful, but she had her arms crossed with a bit of skepticism.  "So you want us to risk life and limb to ensure that you have what's left of your own history?"

   His look was soft, for once.  "Life is not a small price to pay for such a thing.  But it is honorable enough a task."

   Rynkura's head lowered briefly.  "His is a noble clan among dragons.  Never once has a Stormclaw taken a Being's life out of spite."  Her tone was in-between agreeing with him, but not directly.

   "Surprises me," Jake muttered with a light snicker from Chey.  Aisha stood on the side, thinking the situation over.  The dragon was prideful, but also honest and as she remembered from the past, a reliable enough ally.  They seemed to forget that, as part of the old party, Icharus was owed much...and sooner or later of course he'd remind them of it.  She caught a brief look from her mentor, and she could tell that the tigress thought the same thing.

   After a moment, Aisha smirked.  Stealing a dragon's treasure back on purpose.  What next?  She stood back up and gave a bow to Icharus.  "I'll help."

   The tiger didn't show any surprise, but certainly the others did, asking a pile of questions with their eyes alone.  She turned to them with resolve.  "Icharus is still an ally, and as far as I'm concerned, a member of the party, muchachos.  Adventurers have a creed, don't they?  Friends are a high priority, and we owe him enough."

   Jake's expression was serious for just two seconds, and then the gryphon barked a laugh.  "Once again, little Aisha rings true.  Of course one can't think that it's another excuse for an adventure too.  That's the reason I'm coming along."

   "Can I?" Chey piped up suddenly.  "I'm better at healing, and you know how good I am with a sword.  And Tio can teleport us out of trouble."

   "Oh right, give me the burden of saving your hide."  The little creature laughed, popping up from behind her.  "Why help a dragon?"

   Cheyenne shrugged.  "Well...Aish is right...and anyway, I don't like the fact that 'Cubi are playing a part in all of this.  And Ick—I mean Icharus—also saved me once.  So I'm going."

   The panther gave her friends a look of gratefulness, though she punched Jake in the arm.  "I told you to stop calling me 'little'."

   Icharus's saddened expression lightened into a spark of true relief as he stood up on strong, scaly talons...it turned out that he was just a hair taller than Jake.  He gave a deep bow.  "My life and much more is owed to each of you.  Very well, I shall see you when you are ready!"  Then, he grabbed his vest and put it on, stepping over to the window and looking down over it.  He looked as if to jump out into the air, but there was a pause.  "If Mistress Msh'taan would please clear the grounds for me."

   A few moments later, an eagle had flown from the window, and the fascinated party (as well as a few interested bystanders) watched as a pair of feathered wings turned into partially-feathered, partially-skinned wings, widening to a full span of about thirty feet, tip-to-tip.  In full form he looked much like a feathered, storm-cloud colored wyvern, the only other limbs being his hind legs.  The tail was like a giant fan, and the long horns protruding from his skull had the appearance of lightning rods.  He landed in a wide-open yard in front of the monastery and turned a great serpentine head up at them, waiting.

   "Show-off," Aisha muttered.