A World in the Balance...

OoC: It's finally up now. Sorry it took me so long.

BiC: A thousand threads spread out before their gaze, twisting and turning into a hundred different patterns. The tapestry of their world shifted constantly, never still for more than a few moments before some fresh movement would force the threads into a new guise.

Satisfied with how the pattern progressed, the twins widened their gaze and focused on a larger part of the great tapestry. The many threads from their own world worked around and between those from other worlds, creating a breathtaking landscape that few in all of Creation could appreciate. The Light and the Dark relaxed for a moment, enjoying their rare privilege before resuming their eternal search.

A minor shift in the pattern caught the pairs’ eye. They turned towards it, and watched as it spread. Thread after thread moved and twisted, changing the pattern from the harmony they saw into something from their worst nightmares. The twins’ appreciation of their gift faded as they watched their world sliding into nothingness, it’s purpose ended long before it’s time.

This is a serious problem, brother.

Agreed. Can you see where it shall begin?

Here. Their vision narrowed until a single thread was left suspended in the void.

Can you see…

Terminate it. Send Fenrir.

No, sister. The second awareness shifted it’s attention to the first. There is a better way for us to do this. Watch Caesar.

Silent, the first of the two watched the change begin again. This time, a thread of pure silver lanced into the pattern and touched against the thread that began it all. Fur others snaked closer to the two, tangling into a complicated knot. Ripples spread through the pattern, redirecting the lives and actions of those it touched until the balance had been restored.

Why must it always be him? the first whispered.

He must be shaped. You have seen it as clearly as I. Clearer.

Very well. Send him.

And why must it be me?

The outcome is more sure.

I cannot see it.

You said it yourself, my brother – my vision is clearer than yours is.

True. Keep your focus, sister – I do not wish to slip on this one.

We will not. Now go.

Turning away from the tapestry, the immortal being focussed on the old centaur’s position and willed himself there.

Caesar.

The immortals’ servant stopped for a moment before lowering his body into a centaur-style bow. “My Lord.”

You need not bow, Caesar.

“Respect, my Lord,” the centaur replied, rising. “One does not dishonour the gods lightly.”

A truth, Caesar. But we have need of you.

The warrior nodded. “What is it you wish of me?”

There is one of another world who will disturb the balance if we do not act. You must face him in battle if the course is to be changed.

“Battle holds no fear for me, my Lord.”

This one is as the dragons once were, Caesar, though he does not realise it. He holds considerable power.

“If the Moon wills it, I shall do.”

Very well. Four others shall join you in this battle to come. You shall know those who fight alongside you by a sword of gold and the ears of an elf. Any who oppose the three of you must be dealt with.

“It shall be done, my Lord.”

Step through the portal, Caesar, and do not fail. If you do, so shall the world.

The centaur turned to go and pushed the portal open, but paused when his god spoke again.

And Caesar – do not get yourself killed. My sister isn’t likely to forgive you for that.

With a sudden grin, Chetarren Caesar leapt through the portal and into the wood beyond.

OoC: There we go. Hope that lived up to expectations.

Let the battle commence!

OoC: Oh, and this battle is only for myself, Tiroth, Southern Belle, Hyrulian Hero and those of the PG he has chosen to battle us. Let the fight commence.

BiC: The Centaur and the Neko demigod entered the quarters of the two weavers of the tapestry of fate and looked at them with intense focus. The purple skinned god was interested with what was happening, and looked at the odd goings on with their magical item. His servant, who's hat covered his eyes seemed to be staring at the two gods, but it was hard to say. He tilted his hat to reveal his eyes, one golden and one red with strange slits about it; the Neko flexed his claws, seemingly anxious about something.

It is good to see the two of you again, Cenarius told them.

What are you doing here, God of the Druids? one of the two stated as they looked upon him and his servant.

I have come to tell you my hero is coming to aid your servant, the thorn bush haired man conveyed to them.

A man with a golden sword? one asked.

Or a woman with elf ears? The other asked.

The one with the golden sword, the Neko demigod told them.

And you are?

I am Kurenkento, son of Macha, Neko Goddess of Temptation, he spoke for himself, bravely.

A demigod then?

Quite.

Yes, my servant is the one that wields the golden sword, and he has been on the trail of the disturbance you have found as well.

What is this disturbance? One asked, narrowing its eyes at the two.

A god. My servant will stop him from causing destruction, do not worry, Cenarius assured.

We don't need your help, but we will allow your servant to help ours.

Works for me. I shall take my leave now, the purple skinned god told them as he and Kurenkento vanished.

***o=)---------- ----------(=o***

The fencer jumped from branch to branch, keeping his eyes open for the god that had escaped him when the train had been blown from its tracks. His feet lightly touching the heavy branches, hoping that they wouldn't break, but who knew. His green hair waved in the wind as he leapt through the air gracefully as he could, hoping to catch a sight of his foe. The fencer's weapons and armor clanked as he landed on a branch and pushed off towards the next are; his green eyes falling upon a centaur that stood in the forest as a voice entered his head.

Zorlo, stop here and meet that Centaur, he will help you with the escaped god.

The Aura Master stopped and jumped down, skidding as his feet hit the ground and he slowly came to a stop. His green eyes looked upon the elder creature that stood before him. Who is this man, Master? The fencer asked, keeping his eyes on the ancient warrior.

His name is Chetarran, and he is a warrior of the gods as well. A different group of gods, but still, his masters are our allies. Introduce yourself and tell him what we are facing.

"Hello, good sir Chetarran, my name is Zorlo, fencer of Tasogare and servant of Cenarius, God of the Forests and Druids," the Aura Master told him with a bow. "My Master has told me to inform you of our situation: our foe is a god named Lhaeo, who is a master of fire, air and earth element magic. I was going to defeat him a little while ago, but fate stepped in and now I'm looking for him. When he comes, I'll defeat him," the green haired man said, brushing some of his green haired locks back slightly. "What do you know of our foes?" The Aura Master asked the very tall man next to him.

“Again!” Lhaeo barked, darting forward. His blades wove through the air in front of him, forming a wall of metal. The short sword hit the translucent, ever-moving wall and was thrown back, as was the covertly thrown ice shard. Currents of air joined the weaving blades, Lhaeo flying through the routine faster and faster. Sweat soaked through his shirt and ran down his jaw line, dripping off the tip of his chin. Akira hurled another ice missile, following with a series of quick thrusts from her magically summoned sword. Kellson rolled around from behind her, darting under the deflected missile to jab in at Lhaeo’s side.

The blonde-haired man clenched his teeth as he turned, keeping one kodachi to each side to ward off the two warriors. His muscles strained as the blades caught fire, leaving a blazing, swirling trail as they whirled back and forth. Akira and Kellson pressed in on both sides, their own blades darting back and forth as they sought and opening in Lhaeo’s whirling defense. The young god winced in pain as Akira’s ice blade wound around his kodachi, scrapping along the length of his forearm. His attention drawn away by the sudden pain, his right arm faltered, hesitating for just a second. Kellson’s blade quickly found the opening, nicking his bicep.

“Ah, damn!” Lhaeo swore, falling back from the two. Seeing the Elemental Master move away, Kellson and Akira lowered their blades, each leaning against a nearby tree. Silver flames surrounding his hands, Lhaeo quickly ran them along his wounds, closing the cuts instantly. Breathing heavily, he looked up at the other two. “Again?”

Kellson and Akira shook their heads in unison, their own breathing ragged. Shrugging, the Elemental Master slid his twin blades into the wooden sheath slung across his back, each emitting a sharp click as they slid home. A sharp whistle from Kellson brought his eyes back up, quickly followed by an intercepting hand to catch the tossed wineskin. He took a long pull from the soft doeskin, and tossed it back, none of the three saying a word for several minutes.

“Well,” Akira broke the silence, his breathing back to normal, “You’re getting better. We can barely touch you anymore.”

“No,” Lhaeo said, shaking his head. “I fell apart after you got me that first time.” Akira shrugged, beckoning Kellson for the wineskin. Lhaeo knelt down slowly, falling over onto his back to look up at the midday sky. The three—with nothing else to do—had been sparring for several days now, each practicing their own new technique. Lhaeo had nearly perfected his elemental whirl, only to find several critical flaws in it. The constant whirling put too great a strain on him to maintain it for more than a few minutes, and he always slipped up after the first attack got through. More than that, he couldn’t move quite fast enough to protect every side equally. If only he could find some way to rotate quicker . . .

Still, he had to admit, the concept was ingenious. The whirl itself deflected nearly any and every attack, and he could simultaneously launch his own, usually arcs of fire, blasts of air, or shards of rock. Granted, he couldn't aim even a little bit while in rotation, but still. The young god sat up with a groan—and was promptly met with a flying hug attack from something very furry. Lhaeo reached up with one hand and peeled Percy off his face.

Are you done yet? Ready for lunch? The flying squirrel asked, his bushy tail bobbing from side to side eagerly. Lhaeo sighed and dropped the squirrel, rising to his feet and striding over to the other two warriors.

“Alright, lets eat, and then we’ll get at it again.” A high-pitched cheer went off in his head.

“You eat. I’ll be back later,” Kellson said. He strolled over to his satchel and withdrew his amulet of strength, dropping it over his head. Fatigue washed away as new strength flowed through his blood. “I’ve got me some trees to kick.”

“Cheater,” Alamis chuckled, nodding at the amulet. The regicide flapped his wings good-naturedly before striding off deeper into the woods.

Maybe he was cheating, giving himself infinite strength while training. No, he thought, shaking his head almost instantaneously as the first thought finished. Cheating would be using it when sparring. In regular exercise, however, it was impossible to cheat. Kellson slotted one of his many knives into a belt that crossed his chest and back, checking to make sure he wasn’t missing any. It always annoyed him when that happened; somehow, having a full set of blades felt good.

Stopping before a large oak tree he had found days before, he shrugged off his shirt and chain-mail for better maneuverability. Lhaeo could spin his way through their attacks, but Kellson had decided, days before, to use the down-and-dirty method of bone-crushing kicks. He had met an Asian who told him about a martial art in the Orient called Muay Thai that could augment punches with kicks, knees, and elbows. People died fighting without ever picking up a blade. Kellson, immediately impressed, had asked the Asian to teach him some basic moves. The first thing he had learned was a kick.

He squared up to the tree, pivoted on his front foot, and brought his hind leg’s shin slamming into the tree with a smack. Thank God he had had enough common sense to cut off most of the bark where he would be kicking, or blood would be everywhere.

Kellson knew that this kick would hurt—he hadn’t tested it out on Lhaeo or Alamis yet, preferring to experiment with a new sword technique where he held the blades reversed—but the main reason he came back each day too fight the losing battle with the oak was that he needed desperately to kill every bloody pain receptacle from knee to ankle.

Soft smacks echoed throughout the wood…and something else. Voices?

The demi-angel flapped his wings and silently ascended towards the emerald canopy. Latching onto a tree limb, he strained his ears to hear.

“…sir…Zorlo, fencer…Master…fire, air, and earth…defeat…fate…”

Kellson silently cursed his own ears for not listening hard enough. He glided down to the moss-covered floor and went back to his companions.

High above the forest floor, a young woman lay sprawled out, her red hair flowing down around her face and spilling onto her shoulders. The curve of the branch as it met and joined with the tree trunk created a perfect bed for her.

Some might find it strange, sleeping in a tree. It's certainly much less... fluffy, when compared to more traditional sleeping places. But to one raised in a forest, it was quite a natural and comfortable place to sleep.

And so Bella lay there, slumbering quietly, completely unaware that below her, scattered throughout the forest, several people were gathered, both friend and foe. The oblivion of sleep claimed her, and she would happily spend the day lazing in the branches of the large, wonderful oak that housed her.

Or rather, she would have, had the tree not started shaking on her.

Loud thumps from below awoke the Hylian with a start. Each thump was met with a slight rumbling of her leafy bed. Blinking sleep from her eyes, Bella looked down through the branches, trying to find what had woken her. At first she saw nothing, but as another rumble shook her branch, forcing her to cling to it or fall, she spotted the culprit. It was a man... kicking the tree.

Bella blinked. What kind of person kicks a tree? she thought, bewildered. Doesn't he know some of us are trying to get some sleep?

She looked down at him once more, planning on giving him a peace of her mind, when he stopped suddenly and looked away. What- Then Bella heard it too, voices drifting through the forest. And what's more, one of those voices sounded familiar... very familiar indeed.

The man below suddenly spread a large pair of wings and began flying up into the lower branches of the tree, landing on one only a few feet below her. Bella stared for a moment. Always with the wings! she thought. Can't ever run into a normal ground person like myself, nooooo... She grinned. Ah well, at least they tend to make life interesting.

The voices drifted over once more, and, temporarily forgetting about the winged man below her, who was oblivious of her presence anyways, Bella strained to hear what was being said. She would've loved to have moved closer, but she doubted she could move at all without alerting the man below, and she wasn't certain she wanted him knowing she was there just yet.

After a moment, the winged man glided away, looking deep in thought. Bella, though she had missed a good deal of the conversation, had been able to pick up quite a bit of it. So, Zorlo is off to fight someone... and it seems he's already found himself an ally. She looked in the opposite direction, where the winged man had taken off to. And there's a very good chance that that man is one of his opponents... I should warn them about this.

She took off, leaping from branch to branch, until she spotted a familiar bright green head slightly above the ground. She'd found her old friend once more, and he stood next to... a centaur! Well well, this was certainly new. Bella grinned. Looks like this will be a most interesting adventure...

She dropped down from above, landing lightly next to the two men. "Hello," she said brightly. "Zorlo my friend, are you aware that you are, or rather were, being watched?"

OoC: Ok, but just to warn you, she’s crazy! You don’t want to mess with her . . . Even before she goes all berserk . . . Cause she’s crazy!

BiC:

Akira was exhausted. She wasn’t used to vigorous training like this. She flopped down on her back, breathing heavily, her blue wings spread out on the ground around her. Kellson let out a sharp whistle and threw a water pouch to Lhaeo. She tilted her head up slightly, realizing just how thirsty she really was. The demon set her head back down and breathed out a breath of freezing air, materializing it into cold water and letting it splash all over her face. She laughed a little and did it again, this time catching most of it in her mouth.

The ice innate sat up after a short while, hugging her knees. “Well” she said to Lhaeo with a big smile. Her breathing starting to settle. “You’re getting better. We can barely touch you anymore.”

“No,” Lhaeo said, shaking his head. “I fell apart after you got me that first time.” the demon pursed her lips, shrugged and looked to the side. She reached out with her mind and her ice puppet walked out from its hiding place. She smiled, this time it hadn’t run off and melted. Although it had still wandered around and wasn’t as big as he should be. She giggled and called the minion over to her. As it waddled over, she added more ice to the puppet, making it its original size again. She formed some cubes of ice in her hand and tossed them at the minion. A round mouth opened up on it front and it jumped up to catch the ice cubes. Of course it didn’t need to be fed, that was purely for her amusement, and it worked.

Akira jumped a little as something hit Lhaeo in the face. She giggled as he pulled his squirrel of his head. “Alright, lets eat, and then we’ll get at it again.”

“You eat. I’ll be back later,” Kellson said. He strolled over to his satchel and withdrew his amulet of strength, dropping it over his head. “I’ve got me some trees to kick.”

“Cheater,” Akira chuckled, eyeing the amulet. The regicide flapped his wings at her and she flapped back smiling. He then turned and strolled off deeper into the woods.

OoC: See, look. She’s crazy. Yish, tis a short post, but I don’t feel I have anything else to add, or I’m just lazy. you choose.

*Waves magic wand* Thread Revive!

OoC: To quote a very bad song: "Let's get this started, in here." Although those aren't the propper words of the song, I give this thread life... again... again...

BiC: "Aye, I know all too well that we're being watched by someone. The funny part is it is someone familiar to me. The power of the person watching is different, and yet the same as someone I knew." The fencer shrugged and looked at Bella smiling. He looked out into the distance of the wilderness and knew that Lhaeo was out there. But even so, Lhaeo was not alone. Rather, Lhaeo was flanked by a man who's aura was similar to that of Kellson, whom Zorlo had heard had died from word in the Dome, and a person with a unique, demon aura.

"There are three of them out there," the fencer whispered, looking from the hunter to the centaur. "Given, I get to fight Lhaeo-" the fencer was cut off as Chetarren launched forwards.

"I have a job to do, so the god is mine," he yelled back, noticing the fencer was trying to catch up. Even so, the horseman had an edge of being built for speed, and the fencer knew he couldn't catch him.

"Don't leave me. I guess I'll help you two with... whatever you are doing," the nature innate said as she ran to catch up to the fencer who was slowly falling behind Caesar, who continued charging. Before long, his aura had met with Lhaeo's and the fencer had skidded to a stop.

"Dammit," the fencer muttered as he looked back towards Bella who wasn't that far behind him. He smiled as she walked and looked at him, still wondering what they were doing. "Chetarren and I are here to slay a god named Lhaeo. Naturally, he's got people helping him, which means it is good you and I are here, so the Centaur can fight Lhaeo in peace."

"I see..." Bella said looking at Zorlo wide eyed. Noises and aura came from the sides of the fencer and the archer. The two stood back to back, the fencer with his eyes closed, keeping his Spectral sight on how near they were.

And then, the sound of a gun being fired and a bullet ripping through the air. "Damn," the fencer whispered as he shoved Bella out of the projectile's path and ducked under it. "A gun... what wimp uses a gun?" the Aura Master asked in annoyance as a skeleton stepped before him.

"The kind that has come for a taste of vengeance," the skeleton spoke in an annoying, familiar voice.

The green haired man stood up and dusted off his jacket, looking at the attired bone structure as it holstered its gun. "So you aren't dead... but rather you are the unliving now, eh Kellson?" the Aura Master asked, smiling at the bones.

"Bugger Kellson. He was weak, and when he died, I came into being. The name is Johnny Bones now, and I guess it must be my lucky day. I have a chance to kill you," Bones muttered, looking at the fencer.

"And a chance is all you'll get," the fencer responded, looking at the skeleton of his former foe. "I don't care what you call yourself, but whatever you are won't be enough to stop me, you know?" the green haired man stated, looking at the former regicide.

"You still talk to me like I'm that weakling Kellson. I'm stronger now, and that means I'll defeat you this time," the undead spoke, walking in a circle, the fencer moving in the same manner.

"Okay then, but if you believe that there is one God, then why aid a person that shouldn't exist? After all, Lhaeo is a god, so how can you deny that there are more then one god in the world?" the fencer asked, slightly unsheathing his sword and getting ready for combat.

OoC: Okay, there we go. the battles are nice and set up, so let's get started already. ^_^

OoC: For those who didn't know, Kellson is changing his character of choice to Johnny Bones. And I'm not going edit my first post again, so let's all just pretend, shall we?

IC: “Ahh, bloody hell!” Rhayin swore, power flowing from him in a crushing wave. His Eye in the mortal realm watched as the scene before it blinked, color flashing away to be replaced by black and white monotones. The skeleton, fencer, and girl froze, minds and bodies both halted. Power lanced through Johnny’s frozen mind, wiping out the last two seconds from his memory. Color and motion returned to the world as quickly as it had left, the three subject to the momentary freeze oblivious to the occurrence. Rhayin’s hands tightened around the arms of his Throne, the knuckles white with tension and worry. An endless black void surrounded the god, alone in his great, silver chair, with only the wide, circular window before him. Silver smoke drifted from the edges of the portal, curling lazily in an ignorant contrast to the scene it displayed and Rhayin’s anxiety.

“Damned fool mortal!” Rhayin growled through clenched teeth. “Would you please not say incredibly stupid things?” Those around Lhaeo, especially those closest to him, needed to know of his true heritage even less than Lhaeo himself. There was no telling what they could or would do with this knowledge. The circumstances of outsiders possessing knowledge of Lhaeo’s immortality spawned a thousand possible outcomes, all but a few of them acceptable at best. At worst, Lhaeo’s existence would be forever erased. And there were countless paths that would end as such. Word could—would—leak to those who sought immortality for themselves. Word could pass to Lhaeo himself, and drive his mind beyond the breaking point; something that Rhayin had strived to prevent tirelessly. Rhayin’s long, silver mane fell around his face as he bent his head. He would not let that happen, no matter what. Under no circumstances would he allow his brother to die. Not ever.

And yet, the God of Intrigue’s control in the situation was slipping, for there were far too many hands of other gods in this battle. Far, far too many. If it hadn’t been for Zorlo’s godly masters, Rhayin would have already wiped his knowledge of Lhaeo. But that was impossible; the fencer had been told by another god, and even if Rhayin had dared to meddle with the mortal’s mind, his god would just tell him again, as well as strike back at Rhayin. The same went for the Centaur. The only reason he felt same in tampering with Johnny’s mind was that his god wasn’t involved in the situation, and wasn’t likely to regard the tampering with any ill thoughts. Rhayin buried his face in his hands. This was far too discomforting for him to bear much longer. It was hard enough just being around his brother in his ignorant state. Hard enough to gently prod him along the path to regaining his rightful powers and Heavenly Throne without alerting him to his heritage. Hard enough not to weep and throw his arms around his brother rather than smile benignly.

The silver-haired god shook his head and straightened his back. He reminded himself that he was a god as well, and it was unsuited for him to fall into such despair and sorrow. Hardened resolution replaced the bleakness inside him. He swore, for the thousandth time, that he would protect his sibling, even if he had to raise his hand against other gods to do so. Even if he had to raise his hand against several gods. After all, Lhaeo was his responsibility, not theirs. They had no right to overstep the boundaries of their own realms. Anger joined resolution and determination. Dammit, they had no right! And yet . . . there was nothing he could do. Not now. Rhayin forced the passion and anger from his being, shuddering as the emotions flowed from him. For now, as long as they sent servants to deal without Lhaeo instead of intervening themselves, it would be alright. After all, he thought with a wry grin, they were all underestimating Lhaeo, servants and gods alike. The Centaur and fencer were not equipped to permanently kill Lhaeo. No matter how powerful the got, no matter how many times they “destroyed” him, neither of them could kill Lhaeo beyond the point of resurrection without direct aid from another god or high-level devil. Bella didn’t even fit into the equation; she wasn’t even a servant of any god as everyone else but Akira was. And that was assuming that they were even able to defeat Lhaeo in the first place. Rhayin grinned at that. For all his ignorance, Lhaeo certainly wasn’t any pushover.

<====}=0 – 0={====>

“Ahh, bloody hell!” Lhaeo swore, flinging the apple core away and jack-knifing to his feet. Johnny shrugged and took off again, disappearing into the trees. The Elemental Master glanced over at Akira, who was playing absentmindedly with a bit of frost in the air as she watched the skeleton run off. Innocent and naive as always. The blonde-haired man thought ruefully. “Alright, Akira-chan!” He called cheerfully, placing both hands on his hips and leaning forward eagerly. “Why don’t you go after Kell—I mean, Johnny, and see if he needs any help?”

The demon girl pursed her lips thoughtfully, considering the idea. “If his skull gets knocked off, you might get to play with it.” Lhaeo prodded insistently. That seemed to make up her mind, the winged, blue-skinned girl leaping into the air with a noise of agreement and taking off after the undead man. Her shadow passed over the line of trees just as a very large, thundering creature shot out from under it. Quick as a thought, Lhaeo leapt back onto the lone stone in the middle of the clearing, blades in hand. Hooves tore at the earth, sending clumps of dirt and grass into the air behind the Centaur. Spear in hand, the four-legged creature veered around the flat-topped stone, circling the god atop it.

"Sooo . . . how are you?" Lhaeo asked with a false cheerfulness.

This was a bugger.

Johnny let out a sigh that sounded more like a death rattle, sliding a fresh clip into his pistol as he stared Zorlo down. Kellson had gotten his ass kicked by the fencer a short time before his death. It hadn't been that long since Johnny's creation and, all in all, meeting the Aura Master so relatively soon was not high on Bones's To-Do List. The skeleton zipped up his bulletproof jacket, the fleshless hand brushing against unnoticeable, grenade-shaped bumps under the leathery material.

Zorlo watched him, apparently expecting an answer to something. Johnny ignored him and holstered the Beretta. Like a skilled magician, Johnny had an incredible supply of tricks up his sleeves...he wasn't just a one-trick pony like Kellson had been. Zorlo was underestimating him, grossly underestimating him.

Thank Christ.

He pulled his sword off of his back as the temperature began to rise. His glowing crimson eyes shone, vision focusing in on the green-haired man's face. Zorlo involuntarily sweated slightly as Johnny's vision zoomed out.

"Well?" Zorlo asked. Johnny looked at his sword. Quid Pro Quo, it said. God's way of saying, "Let's do each other a favor." Save some lives. As far as Bones knew, it wouldn't increase his soul count to kill someone. Lucky, that.

The temperature rose until sweat poured down Zorlo's face and dead leaves on the ground were smoking. With an explosive whoosh, Johnny's sword lit up like the New York City skyline, flames rippling along the edges. Spinning the heavy sword like it was a weightless stick off of the earthy ground, Johnny's lipless, frozen grin seemed to widen as the sword made a flaming circle. Holding out one hand, palm up, he made a mocking beckon.

"Come and get some."

OoC: Rewriting this from after the hack (and very much delayed <<) so... if the post kind of sucks, sorry. XD

BiC:

Bella found herself face to face with a winged girl, with cat-like ears and tail, and who was a brilliantly bright shade of blue. Off to one side, Zorlo and the walking skeleton were preparing to fight. Far ahead of them and to the other side, the sounds of battle between the centaur and Lhaeo, the one they had come to slay, resounded through the trees.

The catgirl smiled innocently at Bella. "Hello! I'm Akira, who are you?" Her voice was high and energetic, and she seemed very... bubbly.

The tracker blinked. "Uhh... I'm Bella." The tree branches around and above them were, quite suddenly, blown back by the force of an explosion coming from where she had left Zorlo. Bright orange flames glinted through the trees.

"It would appear," Bella said, looking back to Akira. "That your friends and my friends have started fighting. And, as I don't intend to stand by and let them face danger alone -- and I'm sure that you don't intend to stand around and watch me attack your friends -- I guess that means we'll have to fight now, huh?"

The catgirl frowned slightly, seeming less than enthusiastic about the idea. "I... I guess..."

Bella looked at her, and smiled a bit. "But, hey... first, do you want to know something?"

Akira's eyes widened, and she nodded. "Yeah!" She smiled broadly.

"Well..." Bella looked one way, and then the next, stalling for time while she strengthened the plants around Akira. "The first rule of combat," She began, setting her trap into motion. "Is never let your guard down." As she said this, plants of all manner -- vines, branches, bushes, even the grass on the ground -- leapt up and around the catgirl, binding her tightly to the spot. The tracker was leaping into the trees before the plants had finished wrapping around her, and was soon a good distance away, her bow nocked and at the ready.

OoC: Awesome ^^ *plops this back into place*

IC:

Akira’s mouth opened as she looked sadly up at the hylian in the tree. “That is not very nice” she called, in her somewhat high, girly voice. The vines, branches, and roots wrapped tighter around her, thorns cutting into her blue skin and slowly squeezing the air from her lungs. Almost reluctantly, the demon girl tapped into her ice powers, ice forming on the foliage that restricted her. The ice cooled the small scratches on her skin, relieving the small amount of pain. Akira closed her eyes and the ice spread faster, and after another second, she stood back up, all manner of plants shattering and falling harmlessly away. She looked down at the broken plants and frowned a little. She didn’t entirely like having to destroy them.

An arrow whizzed past her head and she shot her gaze back up at the tracker. “Aren’t you going to fight me?” Bella asked

“Do I have to?” Akira replied, somewhat put out.

“Well... I guess if you were to stay out of the way, I could go help Zorlo with his opponent... Do you want me to do that instead?”

“The green man?” she asked, glancing over where Johnny and Zorlo stood. Akira didn’t really want to fight, but she didn’t want Johnny to have two opponents.

“Ok... I guess I will fight you then...” the demon said hesitantly.

Another arrow zipped by, narrowly skimming her wing. “Ok then, stay sharp.” The tracker stated. “I don’t want you holding back on me now.” Bella flashed her a smile.

Akira huffed and shook her hands at her side, shields of ice forming on her forearms and protruding out by her hands. Bella fired another arrow, this time aimed for the cat demon's leg, but Akira was already in the air. She wove gracefully through the branches of the trees, slowly making her way to the hylian as she zigzagged back and forth. The tracker kept a keen eye on the blue girl, which wasn't hard, as she stuck out like a sore thumb against the green and brown, and her bright leathery wings probably didn’t help matters. This fact gave a hint of confusion to the tracker as the demon girl disappeared from her view. The hylian scanned the area over again, but to no avail.

A few seconds passed and the track had scanned the whole area over several times. There was a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye and an arrow zipped over to meet it. Before Bella could get a proper view of what it was that had caught her eye, a massive snowball smashed into her face, just barely hard enough to cause her to fall out of the tree she was in. The hylian flipped backwards and landed in a crouch, whipping the snow off her face, but was immediately met with another snowball that she narrowly dodged. Bella grinned a little and scanned the trees. “Come out, come out, where ever you are.”

Despite the fact that she was bright blue, Akira was fifty-percent cat, which gave her a natural ability to sneak around unseen. All she had to do was fold her wings closely to her back, and keep something between her and the tracker at all times. She was quite small, and could move around anywhere without a sound.

However, the tracker's eyes were very good at this sort of thing, and another arrow flew right past Akira’s ear as she was slipping around a bush. Her eyes widened and she let out a small noise that sounded more like a squeak then anything. The hylian nocked another arrow and aimed at the source of the noise, only to find that her opponent had seemingly disappeared again. The noise came again, a little ways away, and Belle let loose another arrow into the bushes. There was a loud thunk, along with the sound of something spraying on the leafy ground. Bella frowned slightly and took a few steps forward, bow at the ready.

“Oof!” The tracker was pounced from the side, getting thrown to the ground and sliding along the fallen leaves, the ice demon pinning her arms and sitting over her.

“Do not shoot the little ice man!” Akira exclaimed, as she started encasing Bella’s arms and torso in ice.