Shattered Innocence (IC) [M]

[Azlan]

Ty smirked as he stared at his chair, in a low voice he responded to Garis, "with age comes wisdom, to gain wisdom one must do.  If you do not make your own mistakes, you will not grow.  Even Kedered shall become wise some day.  I wonder what he plans to do to Nicha?"

[Lisky]

Garis nodded then replied "as great as it is to be able to learn from one's mistakes, it is also helpful to point out when one person's emotions are possibly endangering the group as a whole... honestly i wasn't thinking things through very clearly at all... " Garis turned to kassin "i'm sorry if i put you through anything awkward or unpleasant... and i'll try and avoid doing things like that in the future..."  he then talked to both of them " if anyone's hungry, i can go and whip something up in a few minutes... after that, any idea as to when were going to get moving... or were were headed?"

[Noone]

It doesn't take much to catch up to Nicha, you're able to get close within less than a minute.
Nicha continued running. Upon hearing Kedered coming after her, she turned around and jumped backwards. She held her hands up, and her claws started to extend. She slowly paced backwards, displaying fear.
"What do you want?" She said in a demanding tone, trying to display confidence, yet for the most part, failing.

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

Kassin shook his head, he wasn't hungry at the time. He didn't want to think about Nicha, yet, his thoughts kept distracting him. His eyes displayed a worried expression, and he found it hard to look at his companions in the eye. He took a deep breath, then finally managed to weakly speak.
"I'm not hungry... and we should get moving as soon as possible. Considering Ithralia's general geography, Northwestern Ithralia is dangerous, a lot of hostile beings populate the area, and aggressive demons like to roam there, most of Southeastern Ithralia is a .... " he shook his head at this. 'All those starving people, all the destitute, I wish I could help them but I can't, and it hurts to know that there are those who could help them yet refuse...'. With another deep breath, he managed to continue. "Depressing sight... I think we would be best of heading in a north-easterly direction, I think we should be safer in some of  the more densely populated areas...". Something about his facial expressions however, made him seem unsure of himself.
'But what if that dream of mine is true?' he thought, 'Doing that would put them all at risk, I barely know them, it's not right of me to tell them to risk themselves for me like that... I know, he... he's on the third page, I was on the first, and he is on the fifth..., but who were those people anyways that were talking about me and the touched, and what did those insignia mean?' He closed his eyes with his thoughts, trying to shut them out, he didn't want to believe what he was thinking.
'No... it was just that, it can't be true, just a vision, is all, an extension of my imagination... I hope.' He opened his eyes after thinking about that, he took a look outside.
"Come on, " he motioned to Garis and Tyrian, "We should get going." He slowly started walking towards the entrance of the ruined inn.

[Lisky]

Garis followed Kassin out into the cold... looking around, he felt the fear radiating off in the distance... Kedered had probably caught up to Nicha, either that or some poor fool had wandered into the demoness... Garis contemplated the situation, then mentally shrugged it off... he thought 'i gave her a chance and she ignored it. now whatever happens is her own damn fault, and it's her problem to deal with...

he walked along with Kassin, wrapped in his massive wings and enjoying the sun... He'd picked up some of Kassin's thoughts, but to Garis they were incoherent, and seemingly unrelated... although this confused the incubus, he let no outward sign of it show.  Trying to make a little conversation, Garis asked in a soft, and pleasant tone "so, anything you feel like talking about?... you seem a little confused, perhaps a little unsure of yourself?"

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered, still wrapped up in his speed enhancement spell, heard Nicha's demand for his purpose like it was being strained through water,  and he dropped it momentarily. His pride would not allow him to simply cut her down without a bit of gloating first.

"Really my dear, I am quite disappointed in you. You did not honestly think we were all so slow and stupid that this pitiful attempt at escape could possibly succeed? I suppose I would have prevented you from contacting your friends back with your mistress, but really, an escape attempt like this is just insulting. Stupidity is the only universally capital crime."

Kedered wrapped the speed about his form once more, and ignited the flaming sword in his right hand. Held low, he rushed at her, and when she appeared within range he swiped a quick lateral slash at the lower end of her neck.

[Noone]

Kassin took a quick look a Garis, and then looked at the floor. He took a deep breath before coming up with a response.
"I...." he started, "You're right, I am a bit unsure of myself, I mean... if this town was destroyed because someone was looking for me, is it my fault that it was destroyed? I was thinking of going to a city to be safe, but what if it isn't, what if they're not welcoming towards us, or they get attacked? I..." He closed his eyes and shook his head, "I think that recent events have been taking their toll on my mind, I need to... need to..." He stopped talking for a moment, trying to calm himself down, he had trouble getting gory scenes out of his head. In a moment, he clutched his neck with his left hand, fell to his knees on the floor, and yelped in pain.

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

Nicha extended her claws, but her limbs were somewhat stiff from the cold. She wasn't fast enough to evade Kedered's swing entirely. A step back prevented her head from being severed entirely, but it still cut across her neck. She didn't blink once struck, and fell to the ground, crashing against the snow.

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

Kassin managed to regain his composure relatively quickly, the feeling passed, yet it's sting remained. Kassin got up and sprang outside, darting into the cold landscape. He stopped when he could see Kedered, his limbs froze, and his eyes were locked onto Kedered. Kassin's thoughts were a confused, cluttered mess.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Child's play. Stupid chit.  He let the spells go, and then washed what blood came out of the girl off of his clothes and fur by heating up a bit of the snow.  Hygene accomplished, he started to head back to the inn, but could sense the jumble of confusion and nausea heading towards himself that could only be Kassin. He waved towards the angel. "I am all right Kassin. I hope that you are well?"


He continued striding evenly, sedately, until he was within arm's distance of the angel he was committed to protecting.

[Tipod]

Upon first seeing Nicha dive out the window and make her mad dash through the snow, Raffiele simply stared for a brief moment before shifting attention to some of the other ruined buildings. There wasn't any racket to indicate fighting just prior to her escape, and what was she going to do if she somehow managed to locate her former group? Tell them that she'd gotten herself flattened by an incubus in about two seconds of combat and admit to the shame? Once again, he couldn't help but look at her like a wayward little sister that didn't know what the hell to do surrounded by semi-hostile strangers.

And then Kedered took the charge, gracefully carving a swath right across her throat (or what he assumed was the general vicinity of her throat, given the distance and view). "Hey!! What the shit is going on down there?!" Without further pause, Rafa leapt from the rooftop and tumbled across the snow in an awkward recovery, quickly getting to both feet and approaching the incubus angrily. "What the hell just happened?!"

[Azlan]

Tyrian followed along, keeping pace with Kassin and walking to his right.  Though he trod over the ground like Garis and Kassin, the fox left no paw prints to signal his passing.  He enjoyed both the sun and the cold, earning a strange mixed sensation that would be difficult to convey to his environmentally vulnerable comrades.

He crossed his arms and simply stared at Kedered as he approached, "must you do things to trouble this poor child?"  Ty indicated Kassin as he spoke.

[Lisky]

Garis was in the process of forming a response to what kassin had said... suddenly the angel collapsed again  Garis felt the pain, but in a far different way than he imagined Kassin does. 

watching the angel bolt, Garis followed outside... he felt a sudden burst of anger from somewhere above and behind him, great, i go from having to deal with the fairly cute, horribly inexperienced demoness to what might be a skilled warrior... i really don't want to get involved, but i owe kassin a debt... to ease that job, i'll need Kedered or Ty to help me out... which means i now have to keep them alive too... damn it, what the hell did i do to deserve this

Garis kept his outward appearance fairly calm, but, he was already preparing a pair of simple fireball spells.  His wings unfolded from their cloak position, into something more like a cape... covering his back, and arms, but no longer intertwined in the front.  Garis lowered the mind shield he'd put on earlier and immidiatly began trying to communicate with Kedered, sending 'If the demon tries something, i need to keep you alive if we're getting this Angel somewhere safe, i'm not sure where Ty stands, but he seems alright for now... if something goes down, and you think your starting to loose the upper hand, move out of the way, and i'll start showing you what i'm really capable of... 

A predatory smile grew on Garis's face as he was aware that some type of confrontation was about to start, and if it escalated... he was prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure that kassin makes it though safe...

[Noone]

"I....I...." Kassin meekly started. He paced over to Nicha's corpse, she was clearly dead. He sighed at the sight, then turned back to Kedered. He closed his eyes.
'Did she really have to die? What she did was inexcusable I...' he thought. He closed his eyes, thoughts leaked out in an incomprehensible mess, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. 'I think I've seen enough death for a lifetime...' He thought. He paced back to his companions, trying to shut the images out of his mind.
Kassin wasn't oblivious to the tension between his companions, yet, he felt some helplessness as there was nothing he could do to diffuse it. He took quick glances between all of them, particularly Raffiele and Kedered.
Kassin started pacing off, eyes closed. 'I've spent too long in this place already...' his thoughts concluded. After he got some distance from his companions, he made a motion with his right wing, indicating he wanted them to follow.
"Come on, we should get moving, the less time we spend here, the better."

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered watched in a vague sense of amusement as the entire group quickly made their way to the scene and started babbling, demanding knowledge, satisfaction, his account of what happened. He raised his arms, palms down, to indicate that he wanted some calm, and when the voices died down, he spoke, directing a flow of soothing emotions towards Kassin, and shrugging in a half apologetic tone. He "heard" Garis's mental projection, but gave no indication that he would respond in kind. He already distrusted his demonic companion, and turned to face him more than the others, ready to bring back his sword if needed.

"She was an enemy, in case anyone had forgotten, an ineffective and stupid enemy, but someone wishing us ill and willing to act violently to ensure it. She was attempting to flee, and I for one have no desire to be dodging her friends throughout this journey if I can avoid the necessity. I suppose I could have captured her again, but what would be the point? She would need to be fed, guarded, and possibly dragged along with us, slowing us down and diffusing our attention. And what would we do with her? In fact, Raffiele, one wonders why you are so concerned with her welfare?" A pause, as if to gather his thoughts, although this was a deliberate cessation. "  But Kassin is right. I do not believe there is any reason to tarry here longer. We should head somewhere that isn't likely to be attacked by marauders."

[Lisky]

Garis kept himself between Raffiele and Kassin, and he kept his magic a mere flick of the wrist away, he was also prepared to launch his tentacle if need be... he kept himself ready, and alert, paying extremely close attention to the emotions of the others.  He got closer to Kassin when Kedered refused to respond...

he thought to himself 'typical arrogance, one day he's going to need help, and if he doesn't learn how to ask now, he'll get himself killed when he gets in over his head

Garis increased his pace until he was a few steps away from Kassin, once there he matched pace with the angel, and kept his tone gentle and polite... he said "is there anything i can do? i can feel your apprehension and i can tell something is bothering you... if you want to let it out, know that if you want this to stay between you and me, you can trust me... i owe you a debt, and if there's anything you need that will make your life easier, or better, let me know... i swore to keep you safe, and unharmed, and i intend to fulfill that promise to the best of my abilities"

[Azlan]

Tyrian listened to Kedered's rant and justification of murder.  There were so many creative ways of handling the situation, but Ty had to stop himself, children always resort to violence and murder, but hopefully it will serve as a statement that we are not to be trifled with... if her body is discovered.

Tyrian turned away from the incubus and continued to follow Kassin without a word.  He matched pace with Garis and eyed him questionably, "you play an interesting game Garis, but you can only use the same plays once before one can no longer trust it.  Earning trust is important.  If Kassin wishes to talk, let it be at his own terms to whom he chooses.  Though I advise being wary of those that play off of emotions, be sure you can truly trust them before you divulge too much."

[Lisky]

Garis snorted a bit at Ty's little rebuke... he replied in a polite tone "i'm trying to ease this child's obvious pain and fear... we're all a little on edge, and i'm trying my hardest to change the initial impression everyone here probably has of me as being the one who is quick to resort to violence, and is of little use beyond a simple bodyguard... i meant no offense Ty, just trying to make the journey more peaceful for everyone... especially the one i owe the debt to... speaking of which... I know that Raffiele has a particular dislike for our young angelic friend, i'm pretty sure Kedered has a similar feeling of loyalty to young Kassin as myself, but were do you stand?"

Garis let out a sigh and released the magic he'd been saving back into his body... Looking back at Nicha's body Garis knew he should have chased after her... but the past cannot be change, and we must move on... He shook his head slightly and said in a near whisper "such a waste... whatever this mistress firestorm wants, it's not worth this kind of mess..."

[Tipod]

Yeah, ineffective and stupid. That's exactly the reason you went all out, isn't it? But hey, I can't blame an Aldoraethar for being too piteous and weak to confront something more than a novice combatant. Raffiele knew in the back of his mind that Nicha was going to meet her end sooner or later, but the fact that Kedered was the one to do it really grated on him. Would it have been practical to carry her around? No, but knock her unconscious and tie her with chains, dump her off in some jail in the next county, something, anything other than rub out such young potential.

He didn't say anything in response to Kedered's last statement other than looking aside and thinking one last, quiet thought. Poncy little bastard.

[Noone]

Kassin eyed his companions with fright, he didn't like the idea that they might come to blows. He gazed over them, and took a few steps back, afraid of what might happen. He wanted to try and defuse the situation, yet, he wasn't confidant of himself, his thoughts strained with what he thought might happen in the future, his present situation didn't help.
He paced back to his companions. He looked at Tyrian. "I... he's right... there has been something bothering my mind, I have  tried to convince myself it's nothing but..." he looked at the ground, finding it hard to make eye contact. "I'm not so sure, and I'm afraid it is something that might put you all at risk." He took a deep breath, as if ready to make a long speech.
"Last night... I had a dream, I've never dreampt so vividly before,..." He took another sigh, 'It's nothing, just a stretch of my imagination, I'm sure... but... it might help them calm down... maybe they won't go after each other's throats... I don't think I can stand to watch any more violence.' He took another deep breath before continuing.

"I had a dream, it took place in some kind of office, there were some beings, a canine at a desk, a feline in a blue robe, and there was another canine, who looked to be in poor condition. They were talking... about us." He closed his eyes and shook his head for a moment before continuing. "They put bounties on us, primarily on me. The one in the blue robe, she said that I was responsible for what happened at the Whistling Willow, was behind all the murders here in Sharakha, and said I was the mastermind behind various soul-stealing crimes in Southeastern Ithralia. She put bounties on you all, saying that you were my accomplices and helped me commit such horrible deeds. The one who looked haggard, he claimed to be a survivor... an eye witness who saw me, and the rest of you kill everyone here. The one at the desk, he made a pamphlet and said he would distribute it, it was a bounty notice on us. I was on the front page, and the bounty for me was much higher than the rest of you." He stopped as he made a glance towards Raffiele. "You were on the second page,", he then turned to Garis, "You were on the third..." He closed his eyes and shook his head before finally looking at Kedered, "You were on the fourth...", and finally he looked at Tyrian "And you were on the fifth. He said that he would get these distributed to adventurers throughout Ithralia as soon as he could manage it." He stopped for a moment, and looked at the ground. He had more to say, yet, he found it hard to say what he was saying. With another deep breath, he mustered the courage to continue.

"It continued, after the blue robed lady and the wounded canine left the room. They went somewhere else, somewhere private... I think, they continued their discussion, but not before the blue robed one, cast some kind of enchantment, or dispelled one, and the canine looked strong again, his appearance changed too, different hair and eye color, height, everything about him. He then asked her if she had doubts for being dishonest to the other being, she replied that..." He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, as if in disbelief of what he had said, and was about to say. He continued, "That I was the most dangerous creature in Atharra. She said that if I wasn't killed soon, there would be far reaching consequences, but... she didn't specify what those were. They then talked about the 'touched', she said that you four had to be eliminated as well. The canine also mentioned someone called the 'first touched', and asked if he should be eliminated, yet, at this she seemed interested in keeping him alive, and said..." He took a deep breath at this, trying to recall her exact wording, a woman's voice could be heard in his mind, as he finally said, "Remember what you stand for. We cannot do such a thing, we'll not become like the creatures that ravage these lands. I believe that he will be a great hindrance to our plans, and maybe the Claws will kill him, but we cannot harm him. Doing so will also have other consequences, and will assuredly weaken our foothold in Ithralia. At that, another being came in, he was wearing heavy armor, and had some kind of insignia on it. He told the others they were ready to move out, and that's where it ended."

Kassin exhaled deeply, with some relief that he got that off of his chest. "I'm pretty sure that my dream is nothing more than an extension of my imagination, but, it's been what has been giving me doubts." He smiled. "I think I feel a bit better now though." He paused, waiting for reactions.

[Lisky]

Garis nodded, and put his hands on kassin's shoulders, looking him in the eye with a gentle gaze, he said softly "if it was all just a dream, it shouldn't worry you so... if it was premonition, or some other type of vision, then i think our troubles have really only begun... i don't want you to misinterpret this, but if it is the latter we very well may need to do more killing... i understand you abhor violence and bloodshed, and i'll do my best to keep both to a minimum, but if we are truly hunted by the beings, then we very well may have to carve a bloody swath through adventurer infested lands to stop further attacks on us... and if that is the situation we find ourselves in, we're going to need to find a way to sever that empathetic link of yours... not because i don't want you to feel for others, but because, if i need you to run while i hold off several beings, i can't have you curling into a ball, waiting for a rouge arrow to kill you..." 

Garis sighed, realizing he was probably causing far more problems then he was fixing... he put on a genuinely friendly smile then continued in a far more cheerful tone "seeing as it probably was just a dream... lets get moving, after the last few days, i'm ready to go enjoy a warm room, a nice meal, and perhaps the company of some pretty women..."

[Tipod]

Raffiele didn't bother to look at Kassin as he spoke. He merely stared off into the distance with the same agitated expression. Though as the angel went into more and more detail, the fliers and pamphlets in particular, he... continued to stare out into the snowy wasteland, but with his face as blank as a granite slab. He knew that there was something not quite right about Kassin; people like him didn't just have dreams with such specific, normal details. It had to be a genuine vision.

If either incubus were to peer into the demon's thoughts (which they no doubt would, given his recent disposition), they would not hear words or voices, but a very high-pitched tinking sound, like someone repeatedly playing the "Trick or Treat" chant on the upper scales of a piano. His head twitched slightly, and he turned around to face Kassin. Both hands began clenching and unclenching slowly, his chest fluttering and head swimming as he wondered, just how could I kill this person and get away with it?

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered was about to deliver a blistering remonstrance to the rest of the group, about how this girl had been an admitted mass murderer and that their sympathies were better placed elsewhere when Kassin gave his spiel. He listened, cocking his head, trying to puzzle this new information in with some of the odd phrases the angel had uttered recently.

Juggling his priorities, and guessing that calming Kassin down was the highest priority, he spoke in a soothing tone. "It was probably just something brought on by stress and lack of good food. Even Ithralians are not so dense as to put an enormous bounty just on the say so of a stranger. They will probably investigate, and there is no evidence to connect you, or us to any wrongdoing. Let us depart this villiage, and go somewhere where you have friends who can keep you safe. Or, a trip to Astarea might be nice this time of year. It is a lovely country."

[Azlan]

The fox allowed the question on where his loyalties stand fall flat.

Tyrian listened quietly to Kassin as he dictated his dream.  Inside, his heart skipped a beat, the dream was profound and either the product of an over-active, young imagination or a prophetic revelation of great importance.

"If this dream holds truth, then it would explain the destruction of the Willow, the murder of the town, and the reason the demoness' friends are searching around."  Tyrian massaged both sides of his forehead, just behind his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, "as Garis has already stated, we may need to destroy quite a few adventurers and hunters.  If this proves true, then we will need to deal with this blue robe permanently.  However, I am curious as to how you can be such a threat to them.  If this is true, I wonder what it could be."

[Noone]

Kassin looked towards the sky. "I really hope it was just my imagination." Kassin paused after this, he didn't like what he was hearing, he didn't want anyone to come to harm, and the dream, if it was true, only raised more questions in his mind than it answered. He gave himself some peace of mind by refusing to believe in his dream. "Regardless, there is no sense in staying here." Kassin walked towards the edge of the town, and motioned for the others to follow. Within minutes, Sharaka was out of sight, nothing more than a bad memory.

The weather was much more pleasant now than it was before. The snow was light, the weather was cold, yet not bitter, and the winds were more calm. Yet, there was an unexplainable air of tension in the air. The snow covered roads seemed barren, no life could be seen other than leafless trees. An eerie stillness could be sensed, yet not explained.

Kassin kept his eyes on the horizon throughout the journey. He didn't say much, other than a few words for directions here and there, but otherwise, kept quiet. His thoughts were fairly quiet as well. Hours passed as he trudged through the snowy land.

'Such a nice trip...' he thought, basking in the facade of tranquility. 'I suppose I can look forward to the days to come unhindered by madness or worry...'.

At that, someone in the distance yelled. "That's him! Get them!" An arrow was fired, and landed right in front of Kassin. Kassin yelped as he took a leap back, he took a glance down the road, two figures could be seen, one had a bow in his hands, one had a sword. The one with a bow pulled another arrow, ready to shoot again. Kassin then yelped, and rubbed his left hand across his forehead, he took a look to his right, looking at a small clearing in the surrounding woodlands. There was a small hut there, which looked to be set on fire. Two demons exited the hut, they looked like a young pair of feline demons, one boy, one girl. Both of them seemed shocked as they looked at Kassin and his companions.
"Come on, lets get out of here!" One of them exclaimed to the other. They nodded, and rushed towards the woods, soon out of sight.
Kassin felt another shock, in a flash, he darted towards the burning hut and rushed inside.

[Lisky]

With the shout, Garis got worried, when he saw the arrow, Garis was just plain pissed... he thought fighting with a bow, such a cowards weapon... i wonder how they managed to suppress their emotions to the point of going unnoticed...no matter... looks like it's lunch time for me...  He gave a very evil grin at that thought.

Exploding into a dead sprint, Garis took off at an astounding pace, moving in a zig-zag towards the would be attackers... His eyes glowed as his right hand burst into flames and his wings formed a pair of very long, bladed tentacles... He grabbed his dagger in his left hand, underhand style, as he approached... when he'd covered half the initial distance, garis let loose the fireball, aimed straight at the chest of the bowman... he followed the fireball straight in, and when he was about 30 feet out, let the tentacles whip in from both the archer's left and right side...

[Azlan]

Tyrian instantly shifted to action, a seamless and calculated change that hinted to one of disciplined experience.  Seizing the air for no apparent reason, the fox in one motion appeared to yank something and move right into a throwing motion.  Amazingly, all the fire of the burning hut was forcefully torn free and hurled as a fast moving stream right at the bow and sword attackers.  Tyrian was heedless of Garis as this torrent of fire was hurled at their attackers.

"Kedered, I trust you can protect Kassin," the fox said out loud, from outside assailants or from within our team. He thought at Kedered alone.

Without checking to see what result his hurling fire had, Tyrian was absorbed into the very ground.  Traveling faster than any land creature could run, and now possessing of a tremor based sense for those things that strode upon the soil, he darted off after the two young demons.  The angel erupted from the ground in a grandiose display of elemental earth mastery right in front of them.

"I advise you two to stop, I have a few questions that I wish answered." 

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

At the whizzing sound of the arrow, Kedered wrapped a protective barrier around Kassin, and then a second one around himself. He then dropped his own bow off of his shoulders and strung an arrow to nock. The entire process took about 6 seconds. By that time, Garis and Tyrian were already hurling fire at the assailants, and Kedered nodded at the angel's directives.

Which suddenly became a world more difficult when the angel ran towards the building. Wrapping speed around his form, Kedered hurtled after the angel, grabbing him by the shoulder. "You are no warrior. Do not enter until the rest of us have cleared the building. It might be a trap, and your safety means a great deal to me."

[Tipod]

With all the others rushing off in their own mystically enhanced ways, Raffiele simply hung back and drew his weapons, half-expecting somebody else to be circling around to flank them. But with nothing else within immediate sight, Garis engaging the assailants up ahead and Tyrian rushing the two young demons, what else was there to do but secure the rear? ...I'm supposed to report back in three days, he thought quietly. Guess it was a nice gig while it lasted; room and board, good pay, just scouting around and beating back troublemakers. Now there's this. So many new enemies made, and with the potential for more and more if any adventurers they killed had vengeful friends and family.

The demon slowly walked over towards Kassin and Kedered, tomahawk and knife still gripped tightly. The temptation for slaughter was still in his mind, and growing ever stronger with each step. Please, please give me an excuse.

[Noone]

As the adventurer with the bow was readying another shot, he was hit with the fireball and the bladed tentacles. He screamed as he fell to the ground, in flames and bleeding profusely. His companion gasped, shocked at what had happened. Shock soon turned into rage as he gripped his sword with both hands, yelled "This is for you soul-slayer!", but before he could respond, he was struck by Tyrian's blast. He fell to the ground and tried to douse the flames in the snow, with only limited success. 

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The two demons seemed surprised at Tyrian's appearance. Both were panting heavily, their stop gave them a few seconds to catch their breath. At first, they stared at him intently, then they gave each other a glance and nodded. They decided that the best way to answer his inquiries was through excessive violence, the girl muttered "This ought to be fun". They both smiled as they extended their claws, the boy rushed at Tyrian's face, while the other went to sweep at his legs.

Young demons apparently never learn..., it shouldn't take much to render them harmless though.

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Kassin tried to get Kedered to let go of him, struggling without success. "There's someone inside, he needs my help!" A shock came to him, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Two inside", he corrected himself. "They're in bad shape, I'm sure of it."
A shock came to him as the adventurer Garis had struck fell to the ground. Kassin groaned and took a brief look at what was happening, but his attention was focused on the hut, which fortunately, wasn't in danger of being burned to the ground anymore.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

It took a second for Kassin's words to penetrate through Kedered's skull, wiht most of his attention on either the battle, or Raffiele's edging closer to the angel's back. When he did realize what Kassin said, and more importantly the odd edge in the Angel's voice, he had to resist the urge to utter profanity.

"All right, if you feel you have to. But I go first. Give me three seconds to get the attention of anything in there, and then you go in, ok?" Still wrapped up in his odd speed and hoping Kassin could understand him, Kedered dropped his own bow, ignited a flaming blade, and rushed into the building.

[Lisky]

Garis grew weary of the flaming mans screams, he shifted one of his tentacles into a point and speared the swordsman through the head... He took a few seconds to let the shock sink into the other mans head...  he used the same pointed tentacle, still dripping blood from the first victim, to impale the archer through the belly... he then brought the man closer, holding the adventurer's arms and legs in place with his other tentacles, garis began a basic healing spell to stop the bleeding...

Garis held the man in the air once the bleeding had stopped, and forced him to a face to face.  Garis felt his hatred of this pathetic being... he snarled and snapped his fangs a few inches from his victims eyes.  In a hateful roar Garis shouted "who the hell do you think you are pathetic little being, and why are you trying to kill my friends?" for added emphasis on how serious he was, Garis twisted the tentacle in the wound

Then continuing "tell me everything i ask, and maybe i won't devour your soul" Garis lifted the man up and away slightly, then ignited his right hand again, making sure the being understood just how over his head he really was.

[Azlan]

Tyrian's expression switched to annoyance as the two demons made attempts to attack him.  The boy bounced off of Tyrian, having impacted with what felt like the hardest of stone.  The girl's claws raked across his legs, but she found them to be solid granite.

"children children, I appreciate the effort, but really, I haven't the time."  The fox sunk into the ground just as the boy landed back on his feet.

Tyrian appeared between them as suddenly as he had disappeared into the ground, but they had little time to mount a response as both each found a stone hand erupting from the ground in an attempt to restrain them.  The stone hands were nearly as large as then demon kids themselves.