Dodging a Bullet on Butterfly Wings.

OoC: This battle is for Zorolo, and Wolfen only. Let the three for all begin!

BiC:

Ai sifted through the crowd in the marketplace. The bustling and yelling increased the blister of the midday sun. The gathering of glimmering souls in one place was too confusing for her. The silhouettes overlapped, and formed a slight illusion that they became brighter. She blinked once and returned normal vision to her lifeless eyes. During her concentration, she shifted slightly, her own body forcefully moved by a person bumping into her. A young man looked into her face as he quickly slipped out and apology. Aisha heard him clearly, but her eyes kept her sight straight ahead.

"Did you hear me, pretty lady?"

He asked politely, he didn't seem like one of those pickpockets who would 'suddenly' get their hands severed if they tried to pick the wrong pocket. Of course, they wouldn't survive long enough to relay their tale to anyone. Their dead bodies would be battered and bleeding, left to rot after their souls were thoroughly ripped and fed on. Ai turned to him slightly, looking directly into his eyes, she said nothing. She didn't even nod. Instead, Ai scrapped her trusty blade once again out of it's sheath.

Another foolish one for the books.

Several cries rose out from the crowd as the moved away from the headless body that now laid chest-down on the street. Someone shrieked as the man's head rolled towards them. After that, a deafening silence descended upon them. Only the wind and breaths that escaped trembling lips yearned to be heard. Ai lowered her blade slowly, and putting on foot slowly and calmly in front of the other, she graciously made her way through the dumbstruck townspeople. Blood ran down Hellfire's blade as she walked, the pointed tip, letting the blood loose upon the ground as it dripped silently, mixing with the dirt at every footstep. The small crowd that had gathered made a path for her, they slowly moved away, expecting her to randomly swing her sword around. But, to their relief, Ai kept moving calmly and graciously. The mumblings in the crowd moved back and forth.

Even in this age words of deeds done by people got around all too quickly.

The authorities were too hotheaded and overconfident to give up.

"Stop, lady!"

A miniature army of town guards holding weapons of various sizes and shapes stood before her. They all wore metal armor upon them, complete with similar shields. All glistening in the sunlight to blind any one who looked unto them. Aisha had stopped moving. Her feet placed slightly apart, but her blade still lowered. Her soulless eyes searched each and every one of their faces.

She tilted her head slightly.

One of them advanced cautiously, holding out his hand.

"Now, miss." He said calmly, "Put down the sword, and come with us."

Aisha stood there, offering him a relentlessly icy stare. It was difficult for him to meet her gaze, his hand started to shake slightly. Ai looked down at his fingers as they gently tried to encircle her wrist. At this point, she extended her left hand slightly, and flicked her right wrist, sending the sword from her right hand to her extended left. Aisha's fingers caught and clasped the light sword with ease. It made a searing sound as the air was slashed cleanly in an upward motion until it met the metal of the man's armor. Through the sounds of grating steel, flesh and bone, a bloodcurdling scream rose into the air. He watched, screaming at the top of his lungs as his severed hand wriggled slightly on the ground. Ai twirled the sword a full one-hundred and eighty degrees before slamming it straight into the screaming mouth. His scream ended, Ai twisted the sword and began slicing upwards, splitting his head in two.

Pitiful.

As the body fell to the dirt, she lowered her sword once more and let her eyes fall upon her remaining opponents.

OoC: Interesting! This should be most fun! New character time!

BiC: The strangely crowded streets of the marketplace made it easy to slip through them; the people would pay no heed to someone wandering idly about, and they wouldn't look upon another person with interest unless that person had robbed them, or they were about to loot said person. The movement of person from place to place was far to routine, uninterrupted by anything that happened in the backdrop of the city. A thief here, a robber there, and a gang fight every so often spiced up the normal persons life, but it did little more then that.

It was in this town that a young boy walked through the streets, just as each and every other person, the difference was that this boy had something most people did not. His flaming red hair and dull brown eyes made him fit in amongst the odd people, or if he stood out, it was only minorly; his steps were quick and nearly plotted as the sword on his belt dragged along the ground behind him. The scabbard of the runic sword held power beyond that of anything the average person could imagine, but it also held a darkness that no mortal would dare to face in the circumstances of its holder; this power, even to the boy, was unknown.

He had owned the sword for only a few months and was slowly learning to wield it, but his skills were still highly undeveloped, and that was part of the cause of his defeat at the hands of that man; that man with green hair, who comes and goes from place to place, ever in search of an adventure and forever in search of a worthy foe had defeated the boy without so much as a little effort, but this youth was intent on getting even with the powerful swordsman.

The boy's right hand rested on the hilt of his rune blade as he hummed a relaxing tune nonchalantly as he tried as best he could to get out of this town. The people here were all either silent, or trying to rip someone else off, he figured as he suddenly felt a jerk on his long sleeve shirt as he was thrown into an alley and a man held a knife to him.

"Give me that expensive looking sword of yours, and I won't kill you," the man said shakily, his hand vibrating, trying to hold his blade straight. The man looked to be in his thirties and had brown hair with a prickly brown beard. His eyes were were brown as well, and he wore a brown jacket with his black shirt showing under it. He wore tan pants and his weapon hand had several cuts upon it. The man's clothing was ratty and torn, so it appeared to the young swordsman that this man had been on the streets for a rather long time. "Did you hear me! I said give me the sword!" the man ordered as he stepped closer to the boy.

The young swordsman moved his right hand onto the hilt of his sword and stood up slowly, drawing the rune blade and pointing the sharp tip at his foe. The runes on the sword flared up a light blue and the energy that it emitted glowed for a second as the man stopped his advance.

The demon who had given the young warrior his sword watched, laughing at the robbers poor judgment. "Stupid man, I guess I can have some fun with this," the Demonic lord commented as he began to transmit a message through the lad's sword. This man has lived a life as a robber. He deserves to die, Magnus told the boy who heard only the hints from the whispers the sword transferred.

If he's willing to attack me, does that mean he's attacked others? The boy asked himself as he began energy from the runes of his sword and shaped the ice as an eight inch dagger which pointed at the man. "Why do you want my sword? Give me a good reason and I won't hurt you," the boy told the man, holding his left hand up, ready to throw the ice dagger.

"I need money to feed my family," the attacker explained. "I am poor, and the only way to make a living here when you are poor is to steal from those who have. I thought from the look of your sword you are rich. forgive me, and please don't kill me! If I die, who will feed my family?!" the man asked, breaking into tears.

"Oh!" The boy stated, sheathing his sword and making the ice dagger vanish. "You should have said something, here, catch!" the boy said as he threw two gold coins at him. The vagabond grabbed the coins and smiled. "I have no quarrel with you, you have a just cause, so I have no reason to hurt you," the young swordsman told the man, smiling kindly.

"Really?!" The poor man asked. "Thank you so much. Now I can feed my family!" The man stated with a quick jump of join. "May I ask your name before you leave?"

"My name... Is Zachary Leos," Leos explained to the man as the young warrior left, heading out into the city to try to find his way out. As he moved back into the street, he noticed that the people had parted, and he was in the immediate path of a battle ahead. "It never ends," the boy said as he moved towards the battle, drawing his enchanted blade again.

OoC: Meh. Three weeks late and not all that long.

I feel sad.

BiC:
Veltian breathed in, the scent of blood heavy in the air, lingering in the doorways of his mouth. He licked the air for a taste, flicking it in and out like a cat drinking water out of a small bowl. The vampire closed his eyes, and lifted his head. He sniffed again. From this, he knew the direction the scent was coming from.

To the left. It turned behind a corner of the building. His building, for the time being.

Old blood stained the walls. His prey’s blood.

“Please… No…” She whimpered pathetically. Tears streamed down her face. He shoulders were covered in blood. There was an open wound, a long gash across her shoulder all the way down her back. Veltian stepped close, and looked at her with cold, restless eyes.

Cold, empty grey eyes. His lips opened up, revealing his fangs. White fangs, stained with the faint imprint of dark crimson blood.

His lips met her shoulder. He widened his jaw then clamped them hard into her skin. Blood gushed out, wetting his tongue. Veltian sucked whatever he could into her mouth and let it all seep into his throat.

Her sobs lessened and she grew cold. Cold and still.

The vampire looked in front of him. The old books and blood covered book case sat right in front of him. There was a desk to the side, old and battered. There was a room there as well, it’s door shut and locked.

He looked at nothing. He just sat there, waiting for his next hunger to kick in. The scent of the blood, the new smell that just met him grew stronger.

He walked alone down an alleyway, melted into the shadows. He knelt down and laid the woman onto the pavement. He stood, solemn and motionless.

“Rest well…”

The smell deepened, sinking into Veltian’s senses. He stood, and turned around.

He became hungry again.

He opened the door and walked out into the sun, sheilding his eyes against the blinding light. He shut it behind him and sauntered into the veil of shade leaning against the wall.

He walked until his eyes met the crowd. Dozens, no hundreds of people croweded around that one spot.

There was the slick sound of metal against flesh. And the rush of air bringing with it the scent.

He licked the air for a taste and disappeared from the shadows, reappearing where all could see.

A silence as deafening as a high pitched scream descended upon the scene. The sky literally became darker, preventing the light of the sun from shining upon the heartless murders that had just been executed. Blood seeped into the dirt, crying vengeance and sorrow from the ground.

It's cry would not go unheard.

Hellfire's blade was soaked in crimson, so much so that blood continuously dripped off the tip. Ai's blade had exchanged hands, she held it in her left now. The empty, icy stare she had in her eyes continued it's paralyzing hold over the bewildered guards.

There was a scream in the midst.

A man clad in metal rushed forward out of the group, holding his spear in such a way that the sharp tip scraped the ground and parted the dust, drawing a wavering line through it.

"God, you cowards," He screamed while charging, "get her!"

From start to finish, the line etched into the dirt was mapped. There was a loud metal clank as Ai slammed her foot on the tip of the spear, pinning it to the ground. The guard looked up at her, gritting his teeth in frustration as he tried to rip the weapon out from under her.

He couldn't.

She looked down at his futile attempt, and suddenly put her left foot forward. The spear became nothing short of a tightrope. The metal against her boots echoed as she made her way up the length of the weapon. She leapt off, thrusting into the air with a push pf her left foot on the man's shoulder. Her weight decreased drastically as she moved higher.

Aisha stopped moving upwards.

She began to fall. The ground blurred as the world came to meet her with open arms and wide eyes. Ai increased her weight, stomping on a guard's head, smashing and crushing the metal, etching it into his bloody face. He screamed, but it was drowned out as his own blood seeped into his throat and lungs. Gasping for air, he slammed into the ground, finishing the deed and raising a protesting cloud of dust and sand.

Ai slipped the sword into her right hand as the dust cleared.

She stood still, facing a person that did not belong to the group of guards, and he certainly didn't belong to the commoners of the town. Draped in black, pale skin, long silky-black hair, and dark eyes. He had the very semblance of a vampire, but yet, he wore a crucifix around his neck, not like a vampire at all.

As the boy moved nearer to the people, they closed into a circle around the combatants, saying things about the warriors in the center of the circle. The ice innate couldn't see over the people, all who stood about his height, if not slightly taller or shorter, and was greatly interested in what was going on within the circle of people. The blood curdled cries of pain from someone made the boy flinch, slightly less enthusiastic to know what was happening within the group of people, but then, something happened.

"A-a-a-a-a VAMPIRE!" one lady screamed as she pushed her way through the crowd and fell down as she continued to run away. The swordsman looked quizzically at the crowd as others began to move away.

"They've come to kill us all!" another person cried, fleeing the scene as well, only in a different direction.

Amongst all the cries and screams, the ice warrior stood, only capable of watching as the two figures took shape. One was a very pale man, attired entirely in black, and the other person was a female, holding a very wicked looking sword that dripped blood. The most distinguishing about her is she seemed to be emotionless, something like a doll, was the opinion that the ice fighter took.

As the other people left, fleeing in terror, one human foolishly remained, staring at the two of strange creatures. Leos knew all to well what he was doing, although most would call him fool, he wanted to stay, simply to test his skills in combat. The runes on the boy's sword flared up as he stared upon the woman's sword, and the dark soul within the boy of ice's weapon became enraged.

"DAMMIT!" Magnus stated as he looked at the weapon the woman had through the boy's eyes. "She has the Hellfire Excalibur... HOW CAN THIS BE?! No demon lord was even allowed to look upon that weapon, and yet some girl has it. What has happened to the world," the enraged exile asked himself as he gripped his spear tightly. "If the boy can kill that woman, I could claim her sword and use it to kill the green haired man. Oh am I clever, but now, time to put my stooge to good use." The former Demon Lord cracked a very large smile as his eyes remained on the sword.

Zachary, kill them both, they are both evil, and that sword is filled with the powers of evil! If you destroy them, you can only bring good into the world, the demon whispered through the sword, using the boy to fulfill his own twisted ambition. Use your gift to destroy them and become stronger, and soon, you'll be able to kill the green haired man. Do it, my lad!

The sword's whispers didn't fall on dead ears this time, but made the youth even more receptive as he stared at the two. Zachary had heard that good called for him to slay these two, and he would oblige his conscience as he thought what spoke to him was. He stepped forwards and pointed his blade at the two. He was more then ready to fight, even if it were to the death.

OoC: Wrote this up in 20 minutes.

Blah!

BiC:
Veltian breathed in as the sky darkened, satisfied now. With the light gone, he would not be weakened to the point that he couldn’t fight. He eyed the strange girl in front of him.

She was clothed in yellow and black garbs and set with pale skin. She was beautiful. She held a fearsome sword that dripped blood.

The young girl was emotionless. Her eyes showed neither fear nor anger. There was no smile of a kill or grimace of slaughter. The vampire knew not of her mindset or who she was. His eyes widened and the outer ring of his cornea flickered between golden and black.

He saw her again, this time differently. Her aura was much different than the others. She was inhuman. She had the aura of a vampire, yet not.

A new breed of vampire perhaps?

Veltian didn’t care. She was new prey, and hopefully a worthy fight that could actually challenged him. Preying on the weak made you stronger, yes, but preying on those who match or even exceed your strength showed true courage. And to win… truly more satisfying than to kill a weak man or woman without them even giving a fight.

Screams crept across the silent stare down and echoed across the air, bringing a sense of time back to the two inhuman beings standing in the circle. The scream acknowledged this; people murmured in confusion. Questions whispered to the air and were not answered.

The girl was silent. He blinked twice and put his right arm over his left. The jewel embedded in his hand glowed a faint red. His arm started to transform as his palm traced along it. From his elbow emerged a blade that stretched out to a sharp tip. Veltian let it fall to the ground and drew a sharp screech across the pavement. More murmurs emerged.

The girl was silent.

Veltian spoke first, “You have talent.”

OoC: Bump. ^^

BiC:

She lowered her head, but not her icy stare. Peering through the strands of gold hair that fell before her eyes, Ai saw the pale figure in front of her shift slightly. His hands brought themselves over one another, and one of them glowed.

So... you're not any kind of normal undead. If so, then, what are you?

Her foot inched forward slightly but was interrupted by the slivering sound of silver steel.
Veltian's arm, from the elbow, altered it's physical structure to become something short of sword. The palm of his hand passed over, as if it were commanding this transformation. It descended quickly, forcing a scraping scream from the ground.

The remaining crowd gasped and murmured at the sight of this new entrant. Perhaps he would become their 'savior', but they weren't in need of one, unless one should cross the lady in the black dress. But, would one call the pale skinned vampire a 'savior' once they saw his actions?

Licking his lips and flicking his tongue.

"You have talent."

Aisha stood up, straight this time. Her hand bent back over her shoulder, sliding Hellfire into it's case along her back. She saw the vampire tilt his head, subtly questioning her gesture.

Aisha's empty eyes stared into his gray.

"And," She spoke softly, almost a whisper, but certainly loud enough for him to hear, "it appears that you seem to be holding some talent as well, vampire."

With that, her feet moved forward, beside Veltian. Her head held her eyes fixed with his as she walked past. Her eyelids came down and as they fell, her head turned to face the direction in which she was walking.

But something went wrong.

What happened next played as frames layered upon one another. Frame after frame, slowly allowing her to fathom the suddenness of Veltian's next move.

She knelt swiftly as the vampire's blade made a horizontal arc shape over her. Ai's fingers found themselves once again curled around Hellfire's handle. She forced her body spin while in this position, adding extra force to her drawing of her blade. It made a horizontal swipe at Veltian's legs, a wide sweeping motion.

And it all happened within the blink of an eye.

Veltian had leapt backwards, closely avoiding what would have been a legless defeat on his part.

She stood up straight again and once more, lowering the tip of her blade to the ground.

The ice innate watched as the vampire and the odd girl stood silently before their battle began. Zachary moved slowly towards them, but then turned away, heading into an obviously abandoned house; the red haired boy found a good place to watch, and from a vantage point should he need to attack. He pulled a chair over, cleaning off the dust from it and sitting down, watching the two warriors clash from within the house through a massive hole in the ceiling.

The red haired man watched as the two battled, feeling almost like a Caesar of Rome, watching the clashes within the amphitheater. The movement of their swords and the clashing of their blades enticed the swordsman's desire to fight. He watched silently, absorbing every move they made, making sure to get some feeling of their movements, for when he would finally make his grand entry.

A quick horizontal slash from the vampire quickly found itself being deflected by the mistress' sword, and then a counter attack from the blond haired woman. A quick vertical arc from her was quickly dodged by the vampire, who stepped to the side, and then thrust at the girl, who slid the handle of her sword and pushed the raven haired man's arm away.

The time seemed to inch near for the swordsman to enter, but what would he do? He needed to make a grand entrance, but what would be the best way to do that? He could always just jump in the middle of the battle, but he'd probably wind up getting skewered by their swords, which would be a failure.

The second plan was to step in the most flashy way possible, and that plan seemed to make the most sense to the swordsman. The red haired boy stood up as the two warrior's blade crossed, pushing their weapons against each other.

"Time to step in," the youth stated, drawing his sword and jumping from the second floor window, swinging his sword down. Suddenly, the ice innate's blade struck down hard upon the two warrior's swords and drove them into the ground, driving the ice warrior's blade in as well, but Zachary then pulled his sword back and jumped backwards, holding the sword tightly. "Hey, you guys looked like fun, so I guess I'll join," he muttered, feeling his urge to fight growing.

10 to 15 minutes this time.

BiC:

Veltian leapt back from his position, flipping upside down and landing right at the wall. People’s faces bore marks of fear. The crowd parted quickly.

Two new opponents entered his vision: the inhuman girl and the young lad. Veltian contemplated his next move. If he ran, he’d take his eyes off them. If he struck, he’d be open to whomever he didn’t attack. His right hand went to the gun holstered at his side.

He jumped high into the air and landed on the roof. He cocked the magnum, and pointed it out, straight at Ai.

There was an explosion of a gunshot. Ai struck her blade out quickly, hitting the bullet in mid air. Veltian gave a look of slight surprise. He smirked, and backed up.

Ai jumped into the air, silent, but wearing a mask of death. She looked as an angel of hell, flying through the air, sword drawn. She hit Veltian’s sword right when he brought it up to meet her attack.

Veltian spun and sliced upwards. Sharp and fast, his blade knocked hers out of the way, making her neck open for the attack. He kicked at her stomach and knocked her down. She slid out of the way, and ran.

The vampire chuckled. She was tempting him. He turned his head to face Zachary on the ground.

The newcomer certainly wasn't welcome, Aisha would ignore him for now. He seemed to be a little boy to her, not knowing what he was getting into. When Veltian had leaped backwards out of the three way sword lock, he knocked Zachary to the ground and forced Ai to stumble backwards. He back flipped, raising several gasped from a frozen crowd. They were there, not necessarily because they were frozen in fear, but because they saw this as a new sort of entertainment.

The vampire leaped unto the nearest rooftop, his magnum pulled. He launched a bullet straight at the soulless, who rose her sword quickly enough to block, forcing the projectile to ricochet. Most of the gathering ducked and ran for cover, afraid that they might be hit by a bullet from a smoking gun.

Aisha jumped upwards, towards her target; Veltian. Again two blades scraped against each other as both met each other's violent attack. The vampire spun and slashed, he missed, but in the process his foot had landed a severe blow against Ai's stomach, knocking her down. She slid away, analyzing her current opponent.

He was equipped for both long and short ranged combat, but he had opted for both. If she attacked with Hellfire, his swiftness with his own sword would counter and practically cancel her attack. If she stayed away, she would have no away of attacking. Her only option then would be to run and defend.

Then she stopped.

Why fight? Why fight at all?

There will be most likely nothing left for her at the end of this fight, so why stay and fight? She sheathed her blade and turned towards Veltian.

Her eyes widened, a shot fired.

She wouldn't reach her sword in time, and she would not be able to dodge the oncoming. Her eyes closed as she felt the point of the bullet press into her chest, forcing her backwards. She fell and rolled, dirtying her clothes and hair with sand. Aisha's eyes opened slightly. She felt darkness flow into her as her eyes fell upon Veltian, who now turned to face Zachary.

OoC: Not dead or dying, just temporarily 'stunned'

"Well, I guess its your turn," the vampire stated, patting himself on the back for bringing down the woman with a projectile. A small smirk crossed his face looking at the boy quietly.

"No, I'm just excited. The cowardly weapons, the mystical feel of this battle, I'm just having too damn much fun," the boy stated, materializing some ice and causing three ice crystals to dance around his hand. "And as for fear, you should be the scared one, because I'm not afraid of anyone..." the boy said, his eyes filled with determination. Not even him.

The vampire merely chuckled, returning his gun to its holster and pointing his sword at the frost warrior's head, readying to strike.

"You'll have to subdue me first," the youth challenged, watching as the vampire swung his blade swiftly, but then found it deflected by the massive rune sword the red haired boy used. "You need to take better care of whom you are stupid enough to pick a fight with," Zachary noted, quickly flicking his hand, and driving three small ice shards into the vampires abdomen, causing him to step back and cough up a small amount of blood. "You see, I have a special power, that being, I can control ice, and so long as there is water vapor in the air, my sword can help me create it," the ice innate boasted, using his sword to produce three more shards. "Now then, let me ask you, are you ready?" the frozen warrior asked, quickly sweeping his hand over the flat part of his sword and launching several more ice shards.

Apparently enough, the pale skinned creature had enough time to move as the youth's monologue came to an end, making the ice weapons simple enough to dodge. "Not quite fast enough," he said, changing his movements and swinging his blade arm down towards the ice elemental.

The icy youth held no fear of this vampire, merely thinking him stupid for letting his guard down, and it was very apparent he had already underestimated the swordsman again. Man, won't this jackass ever learn? You never strike down at a foe that can use projectiles at whim. Too bad, the boy thought to himself, mocking the vampire and creating several more ice shards, flicking the ice crystals at the down moving undead creature.

Veltian swerved to the side, evading the sharp blades, but soon found his blade clashed with the flat side of the ice innate's blade, and ice slowly holding the weapons together.

The ice innate had not time to waste, and quickly began to draw energy from his sword and materialize it into something. A small dagger formed, and the youth made his move, grabbing the weapon and thrusting it towards the vampire's chest.

OoC: *bump*

BiC:
Cold ice sifted along Veltian’s arm blade, coating it, sealing Zachary’s sword with his own. A dagger formed into the boy’s hands, and he thrusted it towards the vampire’s chest. The undead felt a sharp pain jut into his bare stomach, straight into his solar plexis, exposed by his coat.

The pain was nothing. An equal comparison would be a pinch on a normal human’s skin. Black blood, the color of the undead’s blood, dripped down to the dirt. Veltian bent his back, then used his free hand to grab the ice innate’s wrist, twisting his arm around his shoulder. The boy winced in pain.

“Too much?” the vampire taunted, smiling grimly, chuckling lightly. He morphed his sword back into a normal arm, escaping the trap of ice. He let go of Zachary’s wrist and reached for his neck, tightening around it. But not too tight. No. He wouldn’t kill him yet. He wanted to have some fun.

By the neck, the undead threw him across the ground. Veltian walked over, reached down, and grabbed him by the back of his skull. He picked him up, and smashed his cheek into the wall. His left hand grabbed Zachary’s elbow, his knee raised up against the boy’s back, and right hand still on his skull.

OoC: Remember, it's the Raisha that was ruthless, emotionless and dressed in black.

Bic:

Ahh... Eyelids opened, letting the sun in. At first, it was too bright, too much to take. While her eyes were closed even in this small state of shock, the rest of her body failed to respond properly. Her limbs were either twitching or moving too slowly. It was a while before she could lift her hand to her chest to feel the wound that the vampire's bullet had caused. She remembered it clearly, frame by frame. The sound of the gunshot, the sound of the bullet ripping through cloth before the shocking sharp pain seared through her body, making her eyes open wide and her feet lift off the ground.

Her index finger pressed where the wound should have been as her eyes fell to the bullet on the ground. The wound had healed from the inside out, pushing the projectile outwards. Aisha remembered the sword at her back. She drew it, pressing the tip of the blade into the ground.
The put all her weight on it, forcing herself to stand up. For a while, all she could do was shift her weight from her blade to her feet. If she depended solely upon her feet for now, she would stumble and possibly fall.

Aisha looked up at the vampire and the boy as they locked swords. The boy seemed to hold some power over the vapour in the air, turning it into ice. An ice innate, no doubt.
In a flash, Zachary spilled the undead's blood, but he retaliated, grabbing the boy's throat and flinging him to the ground. The vampire smiled, reveling in the fact that he had the upper hand and that he would use it to toy around for a while.

"Too much?"

Veltian slammed the boy against a wall, the innate's feet dangling, knocking against the brick.

The vampire grinned.

Running footsteps made their way across the dirt and as if by some magic, Aisha's left arm found itself tightening around Veltian's neck.

"You don't know the meaning of 'too much'."

She did this without stopping, forcing Veltian to let go of the boy and surrender instantly, if only temporarily to being dragged sideways. Her right hand, holding her sword, came up from underneath, twisting her whole body. Ai's sword seared through the back of Veltian's thigh as her left arm pulled his body over hers. Veltian's head went to the ground first. There was a thud as his body came after and the sickening ripping of flesh as Hellfire was torn out of his thigh. The vampire's eyes were wide, caught off guard by the suddenness of the soulless' attack.

It was during this time that she turned her attention to the gasping ice innate. A replay of his ice attacks went through her mind. Drawing in a breath, she spoke with blank eyes, unintentionally showing off her peerless observation skills.

"You utilize the water vapour in the air. Condensing it causing it to liquify and then freezing it. The way you do it cannot be seen by just anyone. It's not that it's fast; you do it on a molecular level... ice innate."

The ice innate dusted himself off, looking at the woman that had just saved him. "Although, miss, you just saved me, you also killed the defenseless today, so I'm still going to have to fight you. It is my path as an avenger," he told her, glancing at her brightly. "And you're partially right on my powers, but you've over analyzed them. I cannot create ice out of thin air... well... not by myself anyway. The runes on my sword create the ice, I use it."

That was right. His sword, where had it gone?! When the vampire had attacked, he'd lost grip of it when the vampire had strangled him. His eyes searched valiantly for it, keeping the wielder of the Hellfire Excaliber in his peripheral vision. Where the hell had it gone before?

Then he saw it, not far from him. To move for it would be a fools errand, she'd strike him down first and fast, so to simply blitz for the weapon wouldn't work. What other way could the ice innate retrieve his sword aside from simply running after it? The other vampire was recovering from his wounds, and the soulless peered deeply into Zachary's eyes, trying to strike fear in him.

The firebrand scoffed at her attempt to scare him. He wouldn't back down so easily, and he had a plan. Reaching his hand back, he brushed the handle of his dagger, for it was the thing he most needed for this to work. All it would take is a quick action, and he'd recover his sword, no doubt about it. But now came the first step.

The avenger, in a flash, drew and tossed the blade at the soulless woman, who merely raised her sword to guard it as he rushed to recover his displaced sword. PUshing forward into a leap, his hand reached out for it, but before the blade could be recovered, the woman's sword fell, missing the boy's hand by near inches.

Even with this move, it was all part of the plan, and Zachary pushed himself up and jumped back as she launched a second slash at him. Her swings were accurate and deadly, so he'd have to be careful. Just a little farther. Just a little more and the blade would be his.

In a quick flash of movement, she spun about and brought down her sword towards him again, and without hesitation, he rolled to the side, recovering his dagger in the process. Without a second lost, the dagger soon found itself embedded in the woman's leg, and the ice innate burst forwards. There was no way he'd miss this time, and grabbed his sword as he summersaulted forwards. Quickly spinning around after recovering the weapon, he stood ready to face down this powerful foe.

I think I might be in a bit over my head this time, the thought with a smile. That was good, he'd need battles like this in order to one day defeat Zorlo. "Bring it on!"