Furrae Chronicles: Webs of Destiny (IC) [M] {2}

[Stygian]

It didn't really go as planned. Keaton's tentacle almost reached the gun, but the 'man', or whatever he was, was damn quick. And he'd already started pouring much of those... things... out from under his coat. Another tentacle snagged Keaton's, wrapping around it and holding it in a steady grip. Then came the rest of them, darting out in a swarm and lifting her up. He moved in on her, and she felt a hard punch right in her solar plexus, before she too was hurled against a wall. Fortunately, he'd let go of her.
   As quickly as the horrid things had shot out, the tentacles, some of them sporting fanged heads with glowing eyes or clawed hands by then, drew back in under the bat's coat and seemingly seemed to dissolve at the same time, the thick darkness becoming mere shadow. Still, his eyes were specks of fire within darkness, and his teeth were deeply black against his blond fur in his snarl, some thin black lines spreading over a few visible parts of his fur, including his hands. His gun now steady on Keaton, he stood tall and calm as if nothing had just happened, and then cast a glance over his shoulder down on the wolf and the panthress. Closing his lips, he snorted, and then slowly walked sideways toward the door.
   "Be glad. You're getting off lucky this time," he growled. "That damn demon's going to get it. And don't you dare attack us again!"

[Tapewolf]

While pure mayhem took place in the cell holding Gareeku, Jakob and Gabi had succeeded in pacifying the turtle, who now lay asleep in the corridor.  Although there was a strong prospect of seeing blood flow, it was becoming painfully clear to Jakob that the others were in need of help.

"Watch the corridor," he said and began to fade away until he was three-quarters invisible, barely noticeable if he moved slowly in the dim light.

He suddenly crouched as a ewe entered the corridor, throwing his head down as she sent a shower of razor-sharp ice shards in the direction of the party.  When he looked up she had turned into a snow-leopard.  I knew there were some shapeshifters involved in this, he thought, faintly amused that his own paranoia seemed to have paid off this time.

As he entered the room, he saw that Keaton had grown wings and headwings.  So, she is a succubus, eh? he thought.  I wonder which clan?
Keeping to the walls as the others were distracted by the fight, he crept swiftly yet stealthily to where Gareeku lay struggling to get up. 

It seemed quite clear to Jakob that the other wolf was not going to be able to leave the cell under his own power, and that meant Jakob would have to help him.  In any case, if Gareeku was gone, it would free the others up to concentrate solely on the battle without having to protect their ailing leader as well.

Concentrating hard upon the courtyard where they had found the dead guards, Jakob grasped his leader by the wrist and began to make the magical pass.

[Gareeku]

"I don't think you'll be doing anything of the sort." a voice suddenly said in the bat's ear. It was a smooth voice, yet one could sense a tone of darkness behind the intially smooth sound. Before the bat knew what was happening, a powerful force slammed into the side of his head, sending him hurtling into the cell wall. Now standing where the bat had previously stood was a ram demon, dressed in a black outfit that was similar to what one would imagine a noble to wear.

Saying nothing more, the demon shot off a bolt of dark magic at where Gareeku was laying on the floor, causing those who were stood near him to be knocked away somewhat. After he had done this, the demon quickly raised a clawed hand in the air, before bright flash suddenly engulfed the whole of the prison room, Blaze, Ephrael, Arc and Gabi also being engulfed in the light as they too has entered the room where the cells were.

As the light died down, the group would now find themselves in different surroundings. They were in fact in the same room that Ignatz and Mel had encountered the ram demon before when they had brought Gareeku to the mansion. The familar vastness of the hall-like room came into view as the light disappeared and, standing a short distance away, was the ram demon with the injured Gareeku in his grasp. Fresh wounds had appeared on the wolf's body, crimson blood running down his form and staidning more of his white fur a dull red.

"Now then...what kind of a host would I be if I didn't make things more comfortable for my guests..."

[Sunblink]

Just as Keaton's tentacle was about to ensnare the creature's wrist, she found herself swiftly seized by another tendril apparently created by her target, followed by several others. Before Keaton could react properly, a harsh punch to the gut disorientated her. Gasping and heaving as the wind was knocked out of her, Keaton writhed temporarily in a futile effort to escape, only to be effortlessly flung like a rag doll against the wall.

She crashed against it with no more than a loud, exclaimed curse and a groan as she slumped to the ground, holding her head. Dizzily, she attempted to look up into the bat's eyes, although once she saw a glimpse of them she sincerely wished that she hadn't gazed into them in the first place. Without intending it, Keaton involuntarily winced, especially once she noticed the gun leveled at her.

Fortunately, he didn't seem interested in shooting her anymore. With one last comment he turned away from her and proceeded to stalk out the door, the jackal remaining where she was. After all, she wasn't too keen on the idea of earning a nice, gaping hole in her head for her troubles, not to mention she had dropped her mace near where she had been punched.

So all she could do was glare intensely at the bat as he edged his way out the door, a grimacing snarl on her face and a hand resting on the gash on her side.

"I don't think you'll be doing anything of the sort."

This time it was the bat's turn to go sailing through the air. Keaton watched this in shock, too confused as to what had happened than to be satisfied. She glanced in the direction where the bat had once stood, realizing the presence of a smartly-dressed, imperious ram Demon. "Who the hell are y--" Keaton began to say, her previous indignance returning somewhat, only for she and the rest of the group to be knocked to the side by an immense bolt of dark magic.

Slamming into the wall again, this time with the misfortune of landing on her side, where her injury was located. "Ghck--" Keaton managed to restrain what would've been a yell of pain, looking up just in time to see the room become engulfed in blinding white light.

By the time the light had died down, Keaton realized she was no longer in the cell, but in an entirely different room altogether. Rubbing her side so to soothe the irritation somewhat, she glanced around for any sight of the ram Demon who had transported them there, only to find him standing arrogantly nearby, holding a bleeding Gareeku in his clutches.

Keaton couldn't help but wince in sympathy pain for the wolf--his injuries looked nearly intolerable, especially with the addition of the new ones. She wanted to get up and do something, as her weapon had managed to be teleported to the area with them, but it was far out of her reach and she didn't want to risk Gareeku's life.

Damn. This just became a whole lot more complicated.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Paladin Sheppard]

As the light faded Eph spotted the ram demon holding Gareeku. "Gareeku...." She whispered as she saw the hurt done to him.

[Stygian]

That had been all too sudden. The bat got to his feet with a fluent, quick motion, cricked his neck loudly, and then snarled, partly hunched over, his horrid eyes fixated on the demon. He certainly did not like it when someone thought they could sneak better than he, and casting magic at him just like that was inexcusable. Not unfamiliar, yet still.
   "Well, well," he hissed, his voice having returned to a normal tone just like his features for the time being. "He rears his ugly face. Mind if I mess it up a bit?"
   Something was wrong though. While he was standing in the sunlight from the tall windows, the bat should have been able to call out his darkness, if only quickly. But instead he found himself incapable of doing so, his power struggling against some sort of blockage. Immediately, he focused on it, and found a barrier of sorts in his way. He recognized it as an advanced directed anti-magical field; the powerful, selective sort, usually attatched to an item of some kind. That was terribly bad, since it essentially meant that the demon could do his magic, but no one else whom he didn't let could. And with his power held back like that...
   "How about I give you a beauty spot?" the bat growled, instead whipping his right long-barrelled revolver up and aiming it dead-steady at the demon. There were still three anti-magical bullets in it, but they were the last he had, and he doubted that the regular spares still on him would do any good. His left was fully loaded, but unless he could get really close...

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel was just outside the cell door, far enough to avoid being thrown to the floor by the black magic blast, but still close enough to hear the ram and get caught up in the teleport to the demon's throne room. Her first thought was a blast of ice daggers to let ram know what she thought of his business practices. But she found herself blocked. With a growl she looked around to see if she could locate the item the anti-magic spell was attached to.

[Gareeku]

Scanning the room, the demon smiled calmly, seeing that everyone was in the room with him.
"Ah, good. The gang's all here." the demon commented, not taking his eyes off of the others who were now standing against him. In his grip was the injured wolf, his eyes shut tight as the pain in his body continued to spread through like wildfire. "What's the matter? Don't you want save your friend?"
Upon saying that, the demon raised a hand, his claws becoming razor sharp, before plunging it into Gareeku's broken arm, causing blood to spurt from the broken limb as the wolf yelled out in pain.

Turning to look at the bat and Mel, who were now stood closer together, the smile on the demon's face stayed the same; it wasn't a smirk of arrogance, but more like a smile that expressed calmness. This demon didn't seem to be overconfident, yet at the same time he knew he had the upper hand, what with the anti-magic field in place as a hostage in his grip.
"I am impressed that you saw off those assassins." the demon continued, looking at Mel and the bat, while keeping tabs on the others. "But then again, considering who you are, I would expect nothing less."
Hearing the bat speak, the ram demon chuckled. "You're a fool...go ahead..."

[Tapewolf]

Jakob started as the newcomer arrived.  Before he could finish the teleportation pass there was a blast which knocked him away.  To his credit he managed to remain invisible until the blast subsided and the party found themselves elsewhere.  With a start he realised he was visible again... there was evidently some kind of countermagic field in operation.

Oh shit, he thought.  Is HE the kidnapper?

He quickly came to attention as the ram spoke, but in vain, for when the demon twisted Gareeku's arm, he saw a pulse of blood.  He couldn't take his eyes of Gareeku's wound, staring at it in fascination as he desperately tried to steady himself but his mind was already beginning to shut down.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had given the bat a look of profound disbelief as he and the shapeshifted snow leopard went past, apparently now leaving the injured Gareeku in the hands of his comrades.  It was something strange to consider, but the panthress had guessed that the two were the ones who had kidnapped the wolf before.  She considered going after them...and then shook her head dismissively.  They had only one concern at that moment, and that was to get him out.

Then once again, she was proven quite harshly wrong.  The hunter had only time to wonder, demon...?  And then the answer appeared, tossing the others aside in a blinding and furious bolt of magic.  She had only moments to get a look at the ram before the whole group was transported.

Aisha opened her eyes next, somewhat dizzy after the experience, to find herself alongside the others--including the bat and leopard, to her surprise--in a lavishly decorated room.  "What in the name of...?" she had started, only to fall silent as the others turned to see Gareeku held in the grasp of the aformentioned demon, freely-flowing blood further adding to the severity of his injuries. 

"Let him go, filth," the panthress snarled loudly and reached for her sword, anger at the sight mixed with her ever-present hatred.  The smugness of the ram's demeanor, the lack of emotion shown as he hurt Gareeku...it all sickened her.  But like the others she most likely could do nothing...that only sickened her more.  The more frustrating thing was that she might not be able to even sneak up on him.  He must have been powerful.

It was then that the bat pulled a gun on him, and again it seemed to just be a foolish gesture, at the way the creature before them replied to it.  She pulled her dragonblade out of its sheath, the weapon too a heavily anti-magic relic.  Perhaps foolish was the way to go.

The panthress waited to see what would happen.  At the first sign of opportunity, she would spring...questions would be saved for later.

[Stygian]

Rather than fire, the bat pondered his options. He was not sure of the demon's capabilities, other than that he was strong and that right now he was the sole caster in the room. Thus, the problem; could he fend off the bullets from this distance, and could he survive a point-blank blast? 'Ignatz' himself never once considered inching closer to the demon and his captive - the sun shone almost straight through the tall arched windows. It would have been futile. And provocative and stupid. No, what they needed was a distraction.
   "How about I shoot him then?" the bat asked, shifting his aim to Gareeku. "You wouldn't want that, now would you? Don't pretend otherwise. It all falls together, really. You order us to capture him, specifically alive, and he just happens to harbor a huge dark power." That was better. If he could make the demon spill his motive, or at least make him come closer... He might think he was clever to deny them magic or using tools. But the bat was not without tools of his own. Far from it. "You know, if it's really that simple, I'd rather say you are the fool."
   While he talked, the bat slowly clenched his hanging left hand, curling his long fingers up and slowly preparing to use such a little tool of his own. Hidden in his sleeve, held by the black wrappings that were tied around his arms and hands, a slim vial holding some absolutely black liquid glinted darkly.

[Paladin Sheppard]

"Let him go!" A suddenly enraged tasmanian devil cried, as she ran full pelt at the ram, her daggers in both hands.

[Gareeku]

Removed his clawed hand from Gareeku's wounded arm, the demon smiled softly, licking the blood from his hand as he gazed at the bat.
"Oh I could kill him if I wanted to. It makes no difference to me. my superior would not care in the slightest. But what would be the fun in killing him now? I want to see the look on his pathetic face when i dispose of his friends." the ram replied in that calm voice, still smiling that calm, disturbing smile, his tongue licking Gareeku's ear before speaking softly into it. "Isn't that right, Mr. Manoko..."

It was then, however, that the demon saw Ephrael, would had now become enraged and was in the process of charging at him.
"Admirable, but foolish." the demon commented, the gentle smile not disappearing from his face as he waved his arm before him in a horizontal fashion. As he did so, a powerful wave a of dark magic surged forward with alarming speed, striking the tasmanian devil head on, sneding her flying back into Jakob.

Once he had done so, the demon turned to the others and smirked.
"You know what? I think it would be best if I just killed him now. Maybe seeing his death will stir up some more passionate anger within you lot." he commented, before raising a clawed hand above where Gareeku's heart was. As he did so, the clawed hand became enveloped in dark magic, ready to deliver the final blow...

[Tapewolf]

Jakob's head struck the wall as Ephrael slammed into him, breaking the spell.  Although preventing it would bring the danger of regressing to the amoral outlook of Johan Cross, fainting was not an option - it would threaten not only his own life, but endanger any others who might try to protect him while he lay prone.  So once again, he repressed his own feelings of horror - at least for the moment - and that horrible smile briefly crossed his face once again, made all the more sinister by his peacenik appearance.

"Go ahead," he said coolly, as the ram poised to end Gareeku's life.  "He's dying anyway.  It would be a mercy killing.  We can complete the mission without him."
And, he added mentally, when you've got your claws in Gareeku's chest, you won't be able to stop the rest of us from tearing you limb from limb.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha watched as the others made their threats against the demon.  She saw as Ephrael made a move against him, only to be sent flying back...the panthress had to admire the girl's courage, but it wasn't enough to matter.  She was getting more agitated.  The more time that passed, the more that Gareeku seemed to be in pain, and everyone else seemed kept in one spot by fear.

She had to glare slightly at the bat, threatening to shoot the wolf instead, but she knew it was a tactic.  Upon hearing Jakob, however, her head swiveled and she had a look of complete and angered shock, despite how he was.  You are NOT serious...!

The huntress couldn't take any more waiting, the instant that she saw the demon's claws come straight over Gareeku's heart, she snapped, eyes turning to determined, fiery pinpricks.  The grip on her sword handle tightened, her other hand darting into her cape.

"You want anger, then I'll give you anger, basura!" Aisha roared.  Her feet released from her standing place on the floor like coiled springs, her boomerang flashing through the air and aiming for the arm holding Gareeku, a speeding sawblade of light magic.  Her sword she held up with both hands, ready and willing to slice into the ram if the distraction was enough, coupled with her own speed as she darted to the side instead of head-on.

The demon had shown his power, and it was evident through the glaring of her tail ring.  If she too were to merely be tossed aside, then at least she could make an opening for the others.

Either way, there was no way in hell that the huntress was breaking her word.  Gareeku was going to live to see the journey's end.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Standing wobbly, Eph clutched the bow her sister had made for her, as she did her emotions ran wild through pain and sorrow, to anger and absolute rage.

He limbs still slightly numb from the magic unleashed against her, she drew from the knowledge that if Gareeku died all hope of finding Jade would be lost.

Pulling an arrow from her quiver she drew the longbow's sting back.

"I hope this hurts YOU BASTARD!" She cried as she let go.

[Stygian]

Talk about being drastic. Did they know nothing of planning? In the bat's world there was no such thing as simply charging in. He'd learned long ago the lesson of what happened if you threw yourself handlessly into combat thinking only of the next step, let alone the two after. Being single-minded and being focused were two things altogether.
   "Bloody dim-witted...!" he cursed under his breath. That dark magic wasn't waiting for release. If he touched the wolf... But then again, that wasn't his concern. Or was it? He hated not knowing.
   Haste got the better of him though. Two quick snaps, the roaring of the gun magnified in a way that hinted at its magical nature as the sound reflected back from the walls. It was a double-action gun, but despite the somewhat heavy trigger the bat was able to fire off both shots in just a split second. One went for the demon's elbow, and the other for his knee. Now, it was just the matter of stopping the others before he was unwisely killed too soon. And that was what the vial was for.
   The thing slipped in a practiced fashion into the bat's hand, and he threw it into the floor quickly, shattering the glass easily. With a muted, low bursting sound, a rush of darkness bonded and concentrated through alchemy spilled out into the room, and within just a little more than a second, the entire place was obscured. Now, he had to hurry. It wouldn't stay like that for long.
   Simply dropping his gun, the bat sprang. Now, he held the advantage instead. He doubted that the demon could see through such darkness, and within it, the bat could use his abilities almost to their full right. Unless the man turned out to be monstrously strong, he would soon find himself with broken limbs and his throat in a steady grip...

[Mel Dragonkitty]

While everyone else centered their attentions on the demon and his prisoner Mel kept hers on scanning the room. She might not be able to cast magic, but she could still see it and when she found a hot spot it was probably the anchor for the suppression spell. She was still hunting when the light disappeared. Contrarily that helped her concentrate on the magic and she found the anchor.

[Gareeku]

Watching as the others closed in, the demon smiled with satisafaction upon seeing their angered faces, coupled with his sense of amusement at Jakob's reaction.
"Yes...that's it..." the demon said softly as Aisha closed in for the kill, swerving to the side as the boomerang missed him by less than an inch, followed by quickly shooting out a bolt of dark magic at the incoming arrow and vapourising it. No sooner had he done so had Aisha closed the gap between him and her, swerving to his side as she brought her sword in. She was indeed fast, but so was he, and after feeling the sting of her sword scratch again his skin, the ram demon growled, before firing off a bolt of dark magic and sending her flying off towards a wall.

As soon as he had done so, the demon jumped back slightly, the injured wolf still in his possession. Blaze and James were ready to make attacks of their own, but it would be the bat to make the next move, firing off bullets from his guns. The demon had barely managed to defend himself, as when the bat fired off his weapons, he used Gareeku as a shield. One of the bullets buried itself deep within the wolf's gut, causing the wolf to yell out before coughing up blood as the other scraped his shoulder, but the speed of the bullet was enough to scratch the demon's shoulder as well.

"Very good." the demon commented. His smile had changed from a calm expression to a deep smirk, nursing his shoulder where the bullet had scraped. It was then, however, that the room was suddenly enveloped in darkness.
"Very clever." the demon's voice could be heard said, followed by a slight chuckle, before a loud roar was heard as a wave of lightning magic was unleashed, shielding both the demon and Gareeku before burst out across the room in the dark.

As Mel searched for the object responsible for the magic barrier, she would soon find out that it was in fact imbedded in the ceilding; in the far corner of the room past where the demon himself was situated.

[Tapewolf]

Dear gods, thought Jakob as he heard Gareeku cry out in agony from within the gloom.  I hope the demon does kill him - at least it will be quick.  He isn't going to survive the night even if he gets out of this in one piece.  And then I'll be left as leader, assuming we don't join him in death.

He felt a curious sense of relief at the darkness, because the ruthlessness was fast slipping away and he wouldn't be able to sustain his Cross act for very long.  But what could he do?  His tentacles would still work and he was well enough trained to slice through rocks and metal with them, but only a sneak attack in the darkness would work and that same darkness would cloud what he was doing.  The risk of decapitating Gareeku instead of the demon was very real.

Think, think, think! he snapped at himself.  Then the lightning came.

[Aisha deCabre]

As Aisha closed in on the demon, she was moving purely on adrenaline.  Her blood rushed as she brought the sword up, and she roared when the blade was brought down in a swipe that most certainly cracked into his skin.  However she had no time to feel the slight victory, for no sooner had she struck, the panthress was sent flying across the room.  "OOMF!"  She snarled.  The bolt had struck her hard in the gut, and her back in turn struck the wall, both forces nearly crushing her, it felt.

She dropped to the ground, catching herself on her feet and knees, sword clattering beside her as she closed her eyes, trying to regain her breath.  She could hear a few of the others charging in, and the demon's voice, still living.  Aisha growled beneath her breath in utter frustration.  More noises...more attacks that seemed to do nothing...two shots, ringing through the air...

Gareeku's immediate cry of pain...no...NO...

Her eyes shot open, only to be blinded briefly by darkness encompassing the room.  Confused, Aisha didn't know who could have caused it...but it was a perfect distraction.  There was still energy in her body that wouldn't rest until the demon was dead, and their comrade safe.

For the moment, the only small bit of light near her was her tail ring, still emitting a soft and perpetual glow of emerald.  The boomerang she heard whistling through the air, and she quickly called it back to her grip, the handle silently landing in her palm.  Though even with her vision, she could see very little otherwise...where was the beast...and where was Gareeku...?

KRACK!  The lightning spell came as a surprise.  The panthress hunkered in the wall where she was, feigning helplessness while hearing as the crackling bolts rang through the dark against the party.  For a time, the demon's position was illuminated in a shield...he still grasped a wounded, bleeding Gareeku...heavily bleeding...

The rage found her adrenaline again.  This time, she had the thought of using the darkness, the element of surprise.  She took the glowing ring from her tail and hid it within a pocket, to drape her black form.  Taking her blade in one hand, she stood up and ran with footfalls that were barely heard on the floor through her bare feet, watching carefully for retaliation while keeping the ram's back in sight.  The sword was magic-proof, surely it could help break the demon's shield...

[Stygian]

The dry, buzzing snap of the lightning spell ripped through the air, followed by a bestial growl of pain. There was a hard thud as the bat was hurled through the air and hit the floor, tumbling over and back on all fours in a position to leap next. That sort of attack was hardly something one could defend against.
   "Bloody coward..." he growled lowly. Then, he saw Aisha mask herself by taking off that ring of hers. Was she thinking of...? She was, he realized. But she couldn't well attack him like that. His senses dashed around the room, looking for anything useful. And he saw it, on the floor.
   So you like fighting cheap, huh? We both know that game... the bat thought as he stretched out. He still had a few seconds of darkness to go. Ripping blackness tore itself out from him, blending with the surroundings, and tore up the large carpet laying to the side of the ram from the floor. It was a good insulant; it would do well to smother that lightning before it could burn through. He swept the thing and another carpet up, and then pressed them in around the ram. Hopefully that would shut the smug bastard up.
   Now, it was just up to Aisha and her sword. But in the case that would prove not enough, he moved forward, tensing up and extending his claws. If the demon was old enough there might be enough of him left that they could interrogate him before he died.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

As the lightening rolled across the room Mel moved. While her ancestry was mostly ice dragon she did have a bit of lightening dragon in her so she had partial immunity to the effects. Hopefully between the dark and the lightening the demon wouldn't be keeping track of where anyone was and not notice her sneaking past.  She heard lots of running feet, which managed to cover her own sneaking past to the corner. Now for the noisy bit. Since the suppressor was keeping her locked in leopard form she couldn't fly up, she had to climb. A flash of lightening let her notice a tapestry that got her started but the last feet required claws embedded in plaster. Since no spells seemed to be flying her way she could only guess that the others were keeping the ram too busy to hear her. One violent twist pulled the magical ornament from it's mooring and she jumped lightly down. The suppression spell anchor was in her hand and waiting to be ripped apart by dragon claws.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Ephrael made ready to shoot again but had a hard time finding a target. She waited, growing more and more frustraited.

[Tapewolf]

Jakob groaned in pain as the effects of the lightning subsided.  As the dark mist began to clear, he saw a snow-leopard poised to shatter some kind of bauble she was holding.
The suppressor.  It's got to be.
If that was taken out of the equation, Jakob would stand a chance of being a help rather than a liability.

[James StarRunner]

As the the lightning subsided, the emeralds embedded in James' bracers bathed the room in a pale green light. Despite the attack, James stood unmoved. He kept his gaze on the floor where his precious glove lay, singed and damaged beyond repair. James meet the demon's gaze with a piercing glare.

James' eyes were a brilliant white. Now patchless, he unfurled his wings. He now showed his true heritage... An angel. A perfect opposite to demonkind.

"Your first mistake..." said James as his muscles flexed and skin hardened. "Was messing with Gareeku. And the last mistake you'll ever make..." James fur seemed to glisten. "Was underestimating us."

[Gareeku]

In the darkness, the demon smirked. Everything was going according to plan. These intruders wouldn't last long in the present circumstances, and the demon intended to keep it that way. It was then that, with his enchanced eyesight, he could just about see the attack that the bat had made. Reacting quickly, he he conjured up powerful bolts of fire and lightning magic, firing them off at the incoming attack and nullifying them as a result.

As Aisha attacked, she was indeed using the darkness to full effect, though as luck would have it, as she neared her foe, the darkness suddenly receeded, the bat being unable to hold it for any longer.
"Tsk tsk!" the demon laughed as he turned to the attacking pantheress. with his clawed hand suddenly enveloped in fire magic, he swiped at the pantheress. However, his judgement would be slightly off; he had not caused as much damage as he would have liked, but he did manage to scratch Aisha, causing a set of burning cuts to make themselves present on her while the force of the attack blew her backwards somewhat.

It was then, however, that out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure; a figure who was in the process of aquiring the enchanted ornament he had placed in the room. With slight panic evident on the demon's face for a split second, the demon quickly flapped the large set of wings on his back, and with intense speed was upon Mel in a flash.
"Boo." the ram demon uttered in a low voice, an evil smile on his face as he gripped Mel's arm firmly, so much so that it would hurt and cause her to drop the ornament in the process. The ornament itself was a jewel, roughly the size of a baseball and rhombus-like in shape. Putting the jewel inside his cloak, he then swatted Mel away.

Turning around, the ram demon then noticed that another one of the intruders, a squirrel, had shown his heritage; he was an angel.
"My, my. An angel." the demon scoffed, returning the stare to the squirrel with a look of his own. "But you are still no match without your magic..."

As this was going on, Gareeku was slipping in a out of consciousness. The pain surging through his body was incredible. All that was keeping him in consciousness was his determination not to pass out. As the demon was distracted by the others, the wolf mustered up all the energy his could. Then, before the demon knew what was happening, Gareeku lifted up a hand a fired a shot of coul energy into his chest.

Exclaiming a yell of pain, the demon stumbled back. The robes covered his torso was heavily damaged thanks to the surprise attack. Thanks to the force of the attack, Gareeku had also managed to propel himself away from the demon's clutches, having been let go of in the demon's surprise. Landing hard on the floor, the wolf groaned, and as he lay there he opened his hand as the magical jewel rolled from his palm onto the floor.

[James StarRunner]

The demon's words of mockery seemed to hit no harder than a limp noodle as James pulled out a gleaming broadsword. Taking advantage of the blow the demon took, James wasted no time in making his move as he deliberately threw himself between Gareeku and the ram. His gaze still unmoved from the demon. No friend of mine will die tonight.

Distraught from hearing the oracles words, unsettled by seeing Gareeku's near dead body, infuriated from having his only keepsake of his caregiver destroyed, with his secret brought bare to the world, James' countenance was fierce and unforgiving.

[Tapewolf]

.

[Gareeku]

Watching the jewel roll from the wolf's palm to Mel's feet, the demon clutched his now-bare chest. However, instead of a look of panic of anger, there was a smirk on the demon's face as he eyed the jewel on the floor.
"Hehe...very nice." the demon commented. Then, with a snap of his clawed fingers, the doors on either wall aside from the windows burst open, guards streaming in and armed to the teeth with weapons of various sorts. Not only that, but smashing through the windows was a squad of the same type of assassins that had attacked the bat and Mel earlier, their faces hidden in the darkness of their hoods as they scaled the walls and ceiling of the room.

With a smile on his face, the demon waved his arms, prompting the guards and assassins to advance. "Kill them."