Character Lounge

[KarlOmega1]

(OOC: Like I said in my previous post, there are exceptions...like the part where the original caster can make an escape portal)

*Noticing Gareeku trying to get up, Karl shouted at Aisha*

Karl: Dang it! He's gonna kill himself if we can't stop the bleeding! the sooner we can stop the bleeding and heal him up, the sooner I can place a Control Seal on him and open an escape portal...

[Stygian]

((OOC: Oh dear. This looks about to turn bloody. Can't you regenerate, Gareeku?! Someone!))

The girl was laying almost still on her bed now, but she was still twitching, and her teeth were still gritted. Her eyes seemed to glow a soft red, as did the hair-thin lines that had appeared all over her body by now. They were not wounds, that was obvious from the lack of any blood. Instead, the way they were all straight, connecting, turning and forking in angular ways, reminded more of circuitry.
   "Cu-cut it... cut-t it..." Her voice was so low a whisper that it could barely be heard. Her eyes were fixed on Mel, tears watering them. "Pa-painnn... free m-me... cut-t i-it..."

[Boog]

The entity remained hidden, observing as usual.

He's practically crippled, bleeding profusely, and there's about three and a half of us. Yeah, this guy really takes priority over Evil Mcbodysnatcher there. And now he's in the body of someone who probably qualifies as an ally at this point. Bah, best find a niche so I can do- His eyes turned toward the blood pooling beneath Gareeku, -Something...

He slinked forward and lowered one finger until it was touching the fluid. He didn't worry about Gareeku noticing because, since the entity wasn't there yet, there was nothing there that Gareeku could harm. Everything has thoughts, for a given value of the term, and so he was able to insert himself amongst those thoughts to change the purpose of that pool of blood.
Gah, this is both gross and complicated. All these protiens and vitamins and other THINGS floating around. Alright, lets see how this goes.
The blood swirled around and flowed upward into a small, overmuscled wolf; a crimson caricature of Gareeku.
Pattern THIS bit with magical inhibiters and THIS bit with platelets and THIS bit with elephant tranquilizers because I do not trust this guy to stay down...
The mockery-Gareeku reached forward, more careful now that it could be effected, and quickly thrust one open palm toward Gareeku's chest.

[Aisha deCabre]

((OOC: Just a thought, Karl, I'm guessing you're using references from something that other people probably aren't going to get.    Forgive me for being nitpicky...RPing for everyone shouldn't really be something like inside-jokey...it's so everyone can get in without being confused.

...And I hope I get Stygian's phase thing right this time...XD))

Within the mind of the beast she had become, Aisha probably wouldn't have even recognized herself.  The power flowing through her nerves and muscles was more thrilling than anything she had ever witnessed or felt before in her life...not since the first time she could use an enchanted weapon.  This was like her whole body was enchanted.  Stronger, faster, and...much more evil than she would have liked.

But her friend was in danger...bleeding...all because of the fault of Karl, in her mind.  Her own anger coupled with the insatiable rage made the rational mind take a backseat to the animalistic one.

You dragged him here...fiend...attacked him...no more attacking!

"You don't tell me what to do..."

She started to charge Karl, but suddenly her eyes caught sight of Gareeku trying to stand, despite the injuries.  He stood, and fell again, blood coating the sides of his body.  The rational mind stepped forth again with the notice...the worry, that if there was any more tarrying...he would be in big trouble.

The fear that he would attack her in while still in the feral cubus form was placed in the back of her mind, stowed away like only a quaint concern rather than a fear.  She could handle him if he did attack.  An idea that had been there instead came forth, and her eyes, slowly regaining their ruby color, were fixed on her bracer.

"Maybe I could try..." she muttered.

But when Karl again spoke, she simply swung a full-sized blow to his side, flinging him out of the way so she could get back to Gareeku.  Within her mind, Stygian had made a suggestion that she accepted in the hope that he could be brought back to himself at least.  The panther had forgotten that his powers were now her own, and that included affecting magic...

She snapped the light bracer easily from her wrist and stood over the feral creature that had been her friend, whom she knew had sensed the evil within Aisha...and she also knew that he was rising to face it, however it would end up.  With a lunge that she made as gentle as possible, Aisha had Gareeku in a strong hold that willed him not to struggle.  She was going to attempt to take his magic apart...willing him to change back himself.

Snapping the light bracer on his own wrist to allow healing magic within to curb some of the injuries, all she could do was say in a wierd mix of Stygian and her own voice, a mix of both wills...valiant concern for her friend and the calculating cool mind of the other...

"Trust me."

((You guys are quite impatient.  ))

[Gareeku]

Growling and snarling, Gareeku tried to shake himself free of Aisha, but to avail; in his weakened state he simply could not. Gradually, the snarling and growling began to cease as the bracelet took effect, whimpering simply as the darkness within him subsided, the wings on his back and head slowly disappearing as the wolf reverted back to his normal state.
"I'm...sorry..." Gareeku said weakly in the dying moments of his feral cubus form, before falling unconsious.

((OOC: Note: Gareeku won't remember any of the time he was in his feral cubus form, even if he did manage to gain his normal state of mind for a few moments while in that form, like he has done a couple of times in this time)

[Stygian]

From his view behind Aisha's eyes, Stygian was barely keeping hold of itself. Blood, but this girl was strong! It had not had so much effort in trying to keep separate from a host since that affair when it first arrived in this universe. And it was all the more harder because it had to take the back seat, to hold from slowly infesting the girl's mind. With all the influence it had to give, it was like walking a slack rope. On one end was its own health and possibly the death of the girl if they split up too fast, on the other its own sanity and the girl's mind. A misstep, and things would be all but impossible to save. It had to keep the balance. It had to!
   Then Gareeku spoke, and its heart sunk. No! It would not lose him!
   Guiding the girl's actions, Stygian saw, and felt, as her hand pulled back. The skin and fur on her forearm shredded, long blue-black tendrils spilling out into view around a dark, clawlike hand. She plunged it into Gareeku's chest, and both it and the girl stretched out their mind, darkness flowing.
   Blue fire erupted as the claws and spiked tendrils dug into Gareeku's skin, and for a moment Stygian thought it would be swept away. If the former balance was a rope, this was a dagger's edge! And yet, it was not the same. It had to push, to press its way forward along that very same edge with all its strength. It had to force that magic, along with the life, back into Gareeku's form. Pain flared through the girl's arm, its arm, as even more skin and fur was torn apart and shed up to her back, the cloth ripping like paper. One of its "wings" came into view, thrusting through her skin like a jagged bonepipe. They were screaming now, it thought.
   Around them, magic was surging wildly, tearing itself apart and re-forming as it was being ripped out of and forced back into Gareeku. Stygian could not help it, and neither could the girl. Neither dared even think of concentrating on anything but what they were doing. The residual magic lost was enough to make the ground crack, and the wind howl. The air danced with flames and sparks. Magic ran rampant as it formed random shapes, shredding the energy of the place like a jackknife.
   We should never have tried this. How much more magic is there in him? Will he come back? We don't know! Stygian thought. It would have laughed, had it been able to. Heh. At least we died in a good way, fighting and with a woman in our... arms... Its mind began to drift.

((OOC: Ooops...))

[KarlOmega1]

*when Karl was dealt a blow by Aisha, he momentarily felt "fear of loss" coming from her conscience*

Karl: Aisha, I had no choice...If he had been allowed to continue fighting whatever that creature was in the mortal realm, He could have more than killed it...He could have killed us all!

*Karl then saw the energy coming from Aisha and felt something weakening within*

Karl: the...the thing that was in Aisha is sacificing itself to save Gareeku? It is amazing! I...I...

*suddenly, Karl's Wings and Tails liquified...turning him back to normal*

Karl: the shock must have powered down my Fal'dev form...but I still Have enough power left for this!

*Karl opens a portal back to the house...providing a way out for the group*

Karl: Aisha, hurry with Gareeku back to Medbay...I have to think over something...

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha barely heard Karl's voice...it was too far away.  Had to be disregarded.  Nothing more was important than just finishing the task.  The glow of the magic energy bounding everywhere as it was let loose, before once again digging back into Gareeku's body to reconstruct and heal him, flashed all over her eyes and lit up the land of Inferno into a melee of sharp color and contrast, shapes and motion.

The pantheress herself felt great pain.  She was too focused and resisting of Stygian, and slowly felt herself coming back again.  The shape of the dark entity within, morphing and struggling in its vessel, made her skin and nerves tingle with intense pressure and pain.  It was nothing but pure, mass confusion all around.  No doubt, Gareeku wasn't too happy about it either right then.

Aisha was wishing for another way, a less risky one...

Only once did she glance from their work to witness that Karl had backed off and opened another portal, beckoning them back to the mortal world.

"I'll...be...there," she managed to choke out, still holding on tightly to Gareeku as he seemed to finally regain his health...but she had to wait on Stygian's word and action.  He seemed to be drifting further away with each second...

All through the confusion, the terror...Aisha could only help but joke, I am NEVER gonna let something possess me again.

[Stygian]

Stygian was barely conscious. It wanted to hurl. It wanted to double over and spew this girl's guts out, that's what it wanted! And then to lay down and sleep, warm and soft flesh and blood around it, not having to move so much as a millimetre... Pulling back its mind and influence, it pained itself to make the girl lift her friend. You move him. We're too tired. Must leave... Find... Find the girl... Kill us... Its voice was incoherent and weak in her mind, but Aisha heard it. The tendrils out of her arm had receded, and the skin and hair were regenerating with a sick, sizzling sound, only just audible to her heightened senses. Arms around Gareeku, his form intact though now considerably more scarred than before, she stepped through the portal.
   Well on the other side, she carefully laid down Gareeku on the dark floorboards. The light coming through the windows was deep crimson now. Then, she fell over on her knees. She wanted to puke. It felt like her entrails were coming up her throat. And in her back, a dull pain was building. She arched, her spine and head curving in an s-shape, as something ripped its way out of her back, loudly tearing her flesh. That same icy chill she had felt before came back to her, and the stinging. But as it waned, the feeling left behind warmth, pleasure even. She nearly smiled, indescribably glad that she at last be rid of this curse. Then she jerked forward again, and fell over on the floor as her spine seemed to shake loose from her body.
   When next she looked up, Aisha was laying stretched out on the floor. Before her, something that looked like a disease-ridden human man with large portions of the flesh on his body frostbitten, and draped in some barely covering black, tattered cloth that resembled cobweb was on his knees and hands, violently and loudly spewing thick black liquid with fleshy lumps in it onto the floorboards.

Down in the infirmary, E severed the thicker of the threads with little visible effect. Now, would he choose to continue? The choice was suddenly made for him though, as the "threads" attatched to the girl trembled and recoiled. Not all vanished, far from it, but those that did Mel could easily distinguish from the others by some common trait, some similarity. She could not easily tell what it was; all the threads looked wrong and out of place to her. But there was a difference.
   As soon as the threads loosened their grip, the girl immediately became straight-faced. Her pupils shrunk and her blood-red irises expanded until they encompassed her entire eyes. The red lines in her skin widened and deepened, moving and shifting disturbingly, then fixing themselves at a few certain positions, and her fur turned all white. Snaps and popping sounds were once again clearly audible as she sat up, and something began to grow from her back.

[e_voyager]

e looks at Mel then nods. for better or worse the girl had spoken in agreement with Mel with a single swing of morunblade the main thread parted and e felt the sword pulse in his hand as  it seems to be drinking in  power form of the the strands. E also felt his arm react to this power as it absorbed it into his body creating a spare battery to store it in. the feeling was strong but distasteful and somewhat additive.  it felt akin to when he overloaded on the dark energy and proclaimed himself a dark god. but less destructive.. e nearly drops the blade big did not for that that it was trying to seek out a living victim and would have one if he let go.

[Boog]

Oh. That was... Completely unneeded. Huh.
The entity quickly abandoned the borrowed shape and slipped after Aisha, for once not hiding as soon as he came out the other side of the portal.
"Dare I ask what just happened? All I percieved was magic being flung everywhere and a lot of yelling, and I'd like to know how likely it is that the wolf's going to go crazy again."

[Stygian]

"We forced... some of the magic back into him... shaped him into regenerating. He should be conscious in short time, with that braceeeeughlk...!" Stygian jerked his head forward and vomited out some large piece of flesh, looking a bit like a windpipe with tendrils. For a while, it spasmed back and forth like a caught fish when it hit the floor, then stopped and curled up. In front of him was now a veritable heap full of what looked like black, half-digested entrails. They sizzled and smoked, rapidly starting to dry up and turn into ash.
   "You know I hate you for this now, don't you?" he said with a smile toward the boogeyman. Then he fell over to the side, his head splashing into his own dark "blood" that was running out in a large pool around him. "Kill the girl, or she'll murder us all." he then said, eyes closed.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel stepped back, it was done now, for better or for worse. She had the depressing notion that, from the way this day was going, it was going to get worse. This wasn't even where she was supposed to be today. Half of her mind thought longingly of the cool hushed lecture hall at the university where she was supposed to be assessing an upcoming scientist while the other half ran through her spells in case this went horribly wrong. Lightning was her best but she doubted e would appreciate her flinging raw electricity around with his metal exoskeleton. She'd have to pick something else.

[Gareeku]

With the creature's hand plunged into his chest, Gareeku's eyes snapped open, before rolling back into his head as the wolf let out stammers of pain. Being carried back through the portal, Gareeku slipped into the warm embrace of unconsciousness once more...

[e_voyager]

Morunblade was calling for him to kill the girl. It wanted to drink of her soul. It  pulled towards the girl and it pulled towards Mel. E held it in check with his strength but had to raise his power reactor by 5 percent to make it go quiet.  "Mel I do not like this. I'm going to cut more of these threads" e powered up his core to half of his normal strength and looked at Mel. "This reminds me of when I fought king only to find out he was a puppet of my dad." E shoo his head. "No, not my dad though in fairness he is the only parental figure I can recall. I lived with him for 5 years in a body like this.  He tired to destroy me more then once. But even when he succeeded in breaking my body I always became stronger here the name he gave me forte. i'll live up to that name today." e slashed thorough the binding strands ready to  kill any attacker if need be. This was not one of dad's robot army but the stakes were similar

[Stygian]

The girl hunched forward slightly, as a pair of perfectly white, sharp-tipped feathered wings sprouted from her back, red circuitry flashing across them for a moment before it seetled in and vanished. From underneath her now silvery hair, golden slivers slid out, floating up around her head and slowly melting into the shape of a halo, glowing a faint crimson. Her fur had become spotlessly white, seemingly blending together with the long, thin ivory claws on her fingers. Her whole appearence seemed to have become more shapely and beautiful, and the few deep red lines in her skin that were left were fixed and orderly, gleaming softly in the dimly lit room.
   The girl looked up at them with an almost blank face. Her entire eyes were a deep, gleaming red, like polished rubies. She spoke in a voice that sounded dual, but that unlike Stygian's was clean and pure, like small golden bells chiming.
   "Where am I? Who are you?"

[Boog]

The entity frowned. He'd moved too slow; they'd already been getting to work on Gareeku. The best he'd done was complicate things. Frustrating.

He turned toward the girl when she spoke. Apparantly she was the real issue (According to the self-professed creature of darkness. Taking that advice with a grain of salt), and he could sort of see what he meant. The girl was worrying.

However, she didn't seem dangerous. "You're in a place known as the character lounge. Pardon my rudeness, but if I may know your name before I tell you mine? Things have been complicated as of late and you're rather deeply involved, I'm afraid."

((OOC: GAH! Always ninja'd! ))

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha's eyes opened slowly.  They felt so heavy, it was like trying to lift a ton of boulder from her shoulders.  For a second, her vision blurred, and she could have sworn that they were still back beyond the portal.  But as they cleared, the nightmarish place had been left behind, the portal all but dissipated...and in its place the surprisingly comforting vision of the darkened attic of the house.

Exhaustion swept in like a hurricane, and she stayed on the floor for a few moments longer as her familiar muscles reacquainted themselves all over again.  The panther's senses were still acute, and so in a half-sleep she heard everyone's voices...including one that made her very relieved, Stygian's voice outside of her mind.

The girl will murder us?  Her thoughts echoed in curiosity.  She thought that they were saving her before...but trying to comprehend it only gave Aisha a headache.  Deciding whom to believe was for the moment like a complicated math problem.  Instead she had to keep her own stomach's composure as she smelled the thrown-up bile of the creature.

When she regained the feeling of her limbs, she ordered her weight upon her forearms and looked around to see who was there.  Karl, she sensed nearby...the other entity, the last one out of the portal...Stygian, of course...

And finally, Gareeku...himself, but unconscious.  But the bracer had worked...the whole plan had worked.  He was alive.

Aisha crawled up to him and checked to make sure...there was a pulse beneath her palm.  Yes, just unconscious.  "Hey, amigo, you awake?" she half-joked and glanced to Stygian with slight concern.  He had kept his word.  Aisha figured she owed him thanks...perhaps.  In the meantime, she removed the bracer from Gareeku's wrist and watched over him.

"Think we should go downstairs into medbay and rest us all?" she inquired, still a little too winded to even stand.

[KarlOmega1]

*as Karl was still on the other side of the portal, he contemplated what had happened*

Karl's mind: I...I don't understand. Whatever that thing that inhabited Aisha decided to heal Gareeku...but for what purpose? What value does Gareeku hold to it? Or did Aisha force the thing to heal him? Gah...now I'm getting a headache!

*Karl walks through the portal back to the mortal realm*

[Gareeku]

"Nnnughh..." Gareeku groaned quietly as he began to come to. Opening eyes, Gareeku could not help but smile softly and his blurry vision cleared to reveal Aisha watching over him.
"Hey..." The wolf said weakly.

[e_voyager]

E ceases his slashing and with a difficulty sheathes the soul hungry blade in a dark Scabbard that appears at this side. it was Erebus's doing he knew but still the sword and not one that was easy to control. "There is much I do not know but of what I do I will tell you. I am E's strength. you may call me e. may companion is a librarian by the name of Mel." E's scabbard rattles as the sword begs relies. Chaos and dark chaos at that was not easy to quell. "Now that you are yourself again please tell us what is going on. That and why the darkness around here is hiding here within the light?"
e blinks. Was that Erebus that had just spoken himself? He was not sure. Even so with the sword sheathe he shift to a powerful weapon in his body's temporary arsenal. E's weapon of choice changes as does his body's trim changing color to reflect his selected weapon. The powerful thunder wave was now as his finger tips literally. As he waits his body starts to spark with electrical power. E is concerted as a self diagnostic shows his dark energy the sword given energy and his reactor energy are all trying to interact with the thunder wave boosting the number of times he could use it and it's effectiveness.  Was Erebus starting another dominance war now of all times?

[Stygian]

"I just lost a good hundred pounds or more and ripped loose from you without injuring you in less than two minutes. I am entitled to some rest." He said tiredly to Aisha. But then, his eyes snapped open. They had returned to their ordinary black with glowing blue irises, their pupils slowly shrinking until they were not visible anymore. And worry was on his face now, and anger.
   "On second thought, going down to the infirmary would be advisable. Now." he said. He tried to push himself up, but never made it more than halfway and fell back on his knees. His face was pained, and his veins and tendons seemed to be straining. Too much loss. Need something... someone to consume, he thought.
   "Can I have some help?" he asked, looking down in the floor. Bloody wish you had gone back on your word now, don't you?



The girl didn't seem to hear the boogeyman. Her gaze wandered between Mel and E, and the both got the feeling she was... studying them. In any case it was impossible to determine where she was looking with those eyes.
    The girl faced down at herself, sitting in just her underwear and a pair of half-open trousers. She gave a short frown, and then stepped down from her bed.
   "What has happened here?" she asked.

[e_voyager]

"that's what we would like to know" says e getting the feeling that he's about to fight one of his fathers fortress guardians. "if you can tell us what you were doing wrapped up like that and what this stuff is the maybe we can understand what going on." he was at around half normal capacity. that power was enough to stop most robot masters but fortress guardians were another matter. he wanted to power up more but held back  still at half normal and with a max of  500% normal before physical breakdown he knew he had a good chance to  survive wit this body in tact, he just hoped he didn't have to use it. the sword called to him again. it was like it was a special weapon begging to be used.

[Aisha deCabre]

Quickly glancing back down to Gareeku upon hearing his voice, Aisha smiled back gently, a look that wasn't too familiar on her face.  "Hey yourself.  Sorry about being a little rough back there.  I had some...unexpected help," she took an uneasy glance to Stygian as she said that.  Suddenly he was quite adamant about getting to the medical center...but she wondered if that was wise with the girl down there.

She glanced to the others who were still easily standing.  "Karl, perhaps you can call down to the medbay and send up some assistance?"

Then, Aisha stood up with relative unease and offered her hand to Gareeku, to help him stand as well if he could.

[Gareeku]

Gareeku softly again as Aisha responded. It was truely a warming sight for the wolf to wake to; a close friend who was looking out for him. Taking Aisha's hand, Gareeku rose to his feet, though he wobbled slightly at first. Maintaining his balance, Gareeku looked at Aisha.
"What happened? All I remember is feeling a sharp pain in the-" Gareeku began, not remembering anything from the time he was in his transformation, before realising what had happened, a sad expression appearing on his face, "...it happened again, didn't it..."

[Stygian]

Stygian could barely keep up from down. He was wobbling back and forth, he realized, but trying to steady his movements was impossible. His body felt distant and loose, like it did when he morphed into a much too fluid form.
   "Help. Please?" he said. But he was not so sure that they could help anyway. He would have to help himself. He was so hungry, so thirsty. Something had definitely gone wrong in the splitting between him and the girl. It had been too fast. Much too fast. He was used to being able to adapt and regenerate in seconds, to only have to consume for nourishment when he changed too much. Now, it felt as if his body was consuming itself instead. He had to eat, to infect and digest.
   He managed to get to his feet, though how he was not sure. Starving. Famished. Why had he left the girl? He could not remember. He shouldn't have. It shouldn't have. It craved the warmth again, the flesh and blood.

Gareeku and Aisha turned at a low growl from Stygian. He was in his full-fledged form again, but without the wings, and he was gaping at them, razor-sharp teeth parted around a long, drooling blue tongue. Though his gaze had been uncomfortable to start with, the feverish, mindless stare he gave them now was in a class of its own. He hissed loudly at them and hunched down, as if preparing to lunge at them.

They smelled so wonderful, so alive, Stygian thought. Peel their skin. Strip their bones. Yes. Drink the blood and empty them. It would dive its fangs into them and consume them from inside out! First the wolf. He was still weak. Then the girl, when it wasn't so hungry any more. It would play with her... The wonderful screams. It began to slide toward them, but then it stopped.
   The bright one is still down there, it thought. It will burn us. It will steal our meal from us and lock us in again! It looked down through the floor. We will not let her! We will take her first instead! Changing its shape, it backed up, then threw itself against the far end of the room with tremendous speed, breaking through the attic door and flying down the stairs.



The girl's face was still just almost blank as she looked at E. There was something like gladness in her expression though, like a content teacher looking at a well-behaved child. It was in her voice as well as she spoke.
   "I honestly have no idea. I have been unconscious this whole time, and..." Suddenly, she stopped. Her face became completely serious, and she turned against the door out into the corridor.

[Boog]

"Short version; you were found tied up in a closet. You are officially up to speed with the rest of-" The entity stopped, seeing the girl turn toward the corridor, "-us..."
Alright, so answers have to wait. Lovely. What's in here for me to work with?
...
Next to nothing. Plus that pizza that I found earlier. Just peachy.

[Gareeku]

Seeing the growling form of Stygian, Gareeku grimaced, before turning to Aisha.
"Get ready..." he whispered to her, before reaching to his side to retrieve his katana. However, he would find that the weapon was no longer there. Quickly looking around the room from where he and Aisha stood, he found his blade to be lying in the corner, near where the closet stood.
"Shit..." Gareeku cursed quietly.

[e_voyager]

e is starting to feel paranoid an odd feeling for him. this was not battle this was something else . maybe it was the calm fore the war he was not sure. maybe it was because he had others using his body as a time share. whatever the cause right now all he wanted was to have things made clear. would he fight or would there be piece? a mistake her could harm more then help. with out realising hie he was starting to look at the corridor that the girl and the other energy entity were concentrating on. i wish "Gospel" was here as he said  the names a very large drop of purple light drops form outside into the room next to him forming into his pet robot wolf.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha nodded sadly, only confirming Gareeku's realization.  "Yeah, you went all badass powerful to help fight Stygian and Karl here took you into hell.  Bueno, no?" Aisha chuckled...though the situation probably wasn't funny, the panther had to at least put a bit of light-heartedness into it.  She helped him to keep his balance in order to stand up...only to have the both of them watch another transformation.

Stygian...he had turned coat again.  It was eyeing them hungrily, evilly...and Aisha wanted again to just retch at the very idea of feeling that hunger once before.  Then it turned away to the stairs, and a curious look appeared on her face.

Suddenly, realization set in.  "Oh no...we can't let him escape, not again," the hunter stated and drew her own sword.  This time...this time they would finish him or at least try, for the protection of the others.  But the action of grabbing her weapon in itself was slightly exhausting.  She wanted no more than to either sit down or fall asleep, or both.  Only the stress and her own stubborness kept Aisha standing.

"Gareeku...are you sure you are not still exhausted?" she asked her friend out of concern.  Certainly fate wouldn't let him come back from the brink of insanity and near-death only to face it again...