A Trick of the Light

OoC: Damn! This is for Puck only. Mwah. I have way too much going on to be partaking in pointless battles, so you can take your time =]

IC:

The setting sun cast a luminescent glow across the usually murky waters of Lake Faith. After searching for months for a weapon of mass destruction, Winona thought she deserved a break. The Overworld War wasn’t going to have any dramatic twists now, anyway; it was just continuous blood-shed. Cassidy sat alongside Winona, soaking up the last few minutes of sun. “Want to go for a midnight swim?” the little cat suggested. Winona rolled her eyes in reply.

“Do I look like I want to go for a swim?” In truth, the girl was content to relax: watching the gentle ripple of the lake as a breeze rolled over it; listening to the calming rustling of the trees surrounding the massive clearing. Lake Faith was a paradise so different from the rest of this bland Earth she had seen. If she didn’t have relations up in the Overworld, she would have happily done nothing here for eternity. What will we do then?” Cassidy groaned. “This is boring.”

“Shut it!” Winona snapped back. “You’re ruining the moment.”

Fine, be boring. The cat finally settled down after that, although he did purr louder than usual just to be annoying. Winona dozed off again as the last rays of sunlight trickled down her face. When she woke up, Cassidy’s tail was gently bouncing off her face. The moon had risen long ago, replacing the romantic sheen of the sun’s glow on the water with an eerie reflection. All noise had ceased, and the sky was perfectly clear. This place is breathtaking even at night, Winona whispered to herself. It was getting quite cold by now so she swiftly produced a little ball of flame from her hands. A couple of wisps of smoke escaped the sphere, but Winona paid no heed. Who would be looking for me anyway? she asked herself. The elders are probably relieved that I’m gone.

The Strael glanced over at Cassidy: he was still sleeping soundly, his petite body waving up and down. She tickled the fur behind his ears and let out a deep sigh. Why couldn’t the Strael live like this? In peaceful harmony forever? The humans had their flaws, but this realm was obviously better than the warring Hell where she was born.

A sound.

Winona snapped up in reaction at once; perhaps this world wasn’t free from conflict after all? She quickly shook Cassidy awake to give him his orders. “Scope out the forest surrounding us, especially the place where that noise is,” she commanded. The cat darted off in reply, leaving Winona completely alone. Seconds passed by impossibly slowly, then minutes. She became nervous quickly, and prayed silently under her breath for Cassidy’s safe return. The noise was still present, but considerably quieter; her pursuer knew he had been heard. All of a sudden the unmistakable shriek of her companion could be heard. Winona yelped in fear then shouted in anger: “Give him back!”

She only caught a faint flash of black before Cassidy was in her arms. “I couldn’t see who was following us, but they are being too secretive to pose no threat. “ Winona nodded in agreement then stood up to concoct a plan.

“We have to get out of sight, then spring up on them.” The first place Winona thought of was the trees, but her stalker could easily sneak up on them. She needed a place where she could not be followed, but be in no danger. There were only the trees, the ominous Lake Faith and the mountains at the horizon. The footsteps were easily audible now: she was running out of time. The little girl looked up at the moon as if for help and followed its eerie rays that landed in the lake. An idea sprang into her head like lightning. Without a second thought she secured her grip of Cassidy and dashed into the lake. Thousands of icy needles immediately stabbed at Winona as the weight of her clothes dragged her into the dark abyss. She tried to push out her hands, but Cassidy was hindering her. “Make a bubble!” she screamed at the cat. It obeyed instantaneously, creating a little sphere of air inside the lake to house them.

Winona dropped Cassidy with a sigh and threw out her arms. The bubble grew exponentially and floated up almost to the surface of the water. From here she should be able to see her pursuer with moderate ease. And as it turned out, she didn’t have long to wait. Within minutes a blurry figure could be seen in the distance. As it got closer Winona’s grip on the magic within her tightened, until she let it all go with a thrust of her hands. Gallons of pressurised water rose up in a jet and struck the foe onto the ground with a crash. Winona landed gently on the ground beside the lake, waiting.

ooC: Well i'm glade you see me as pointless >_>

BiC:

“Wait what did you want me to do again, I think something got lost in translation,” the room was darkened to unseeable proportions, the only lights evedent where the sixty sixt candels that lined the outside of the start shaped table in the middle of the room. Around it where twelve figures, some male, some female, but most had bakened their chairs away from the table for it wasn't their turn to speak. Irritable, the old man who sat at the top point of the table spoke.

“I wan't you to find that girl, and bring her to us!” The man said, his face hidden by dancing shadows.

“Ok...why?”

“Stop playing Dumb Ka...!” A peteiet girl in a long black dress, and long black hair said slamming her fists on the table ebfore she was interupted.

“Alice this isin't your turn to speak!,” Another girl, with short cropped blond hair spoke up, she was wearing what appered to be a skimpy blue bathing suite with see through cloth hanging around it to give the appearance of clothing.

“Shut it Wench!,”

“Both of you keep quiet!” The man who sat at the top of table spoke with a highly commanding voice, “Kaze, our reasons are top secret, and we cannot disclose them to you,”

“What?” Kaze said standing to his feet, his hands planted harshly on the table, “Am I not a part of this council as well? Why do i get no say? I have a right to know, just like the rest of you!”

“KAZE! Sit down!” The old man yelled at the wind mages vioelent outbreak, “Only me and Alice have athority to know, your not the only one being keapt in the dark,”

“Fine, but if you continue to keep secerets, you might as well start the rebellion your self,” Turning around Kaze slammed open the two large doors behind him, inot a white hallway sending glimmering light into the room. Now that I think about it, as the table is now perfectly clear, my first guess of number of people in the room was wrong, with kaze gone there was only ten...not eleven.

><><><><><><><><

Slience, perfect silence haunted the forest around the lake. No a birds playfull chripping, or a criket streaching its legs, nothing. It was unnatural to say the least, but the Archmage of Wind had no time to stop and ponder the happenings of such an event, and to be honest, he didn't even notice.

Crack.

Damnit! Just when he was sneaking up he stepped o a twig, if this girl was anything like he was told, then she alreayd knew of his presence. Running forward through the vast wood, he could just barely dodge the intense thicket of trees, in order to get through. As he recklessly snapped thro8ugh branches, and kicked down bushes he suddenly came to a stop....A cat.

No that was hardly a cat, for no cat could have such high magic energy, with a flick of his hand he lifted the cat off the ground, then it started yelping, great. Somewhere he heard a girls voice calling for it, okay. With another flick of his wrist the cat was sent flying through the harsh thicket, and into the alreayd waiting hands of its comardes.

As he charged through the forest, he felt an odd presence, slidding to a stop he already knew what was coming, a high energy magic was about to...be...used. In a torrental down pour of water, the magicly enhanced pillar of water smashed into him slamming him into the gorund, and then continuing to tear down the forest behind him in a makeshift river.

As the water stopped The Archmage of Wind, got to his feet, and dusted himself off, that was a most unpleasent experiance. Now he finally got a look at the girl he was after, boy...she sure was smaller then he expected. With a small smile kaze bowed lightly, and then looked up at the girl, “By imperal Decree, of The high Council of Mages, and Magical Entietes, I herby order you to cme peacefully, OR” kaze said changing the tone of his voice from friendly to malicious, “I'll have to take you by force. It your choice,”

“Who the hell do you think you are,”

“I'm glad you asked,” Kaze said in his usual smile, as the small winds became stronger, enough to blow his cape, and mess with his hair in a heroic fashion, “I am the bringer of the winds, the maker of Storms, and the Lord of the skies, I am the Grand Archmage of The Winds, Kazaisu. But you my dear can just call me Kaze, and what should I put on your prision wall?

OoC: FTR, at the begging that was the mage council that I explained in a short story by Kaze a little while ago.

This pompous fool was enough to sicken Winona, but she held her tongue. “I am Winona Balthier,” she replied in an equally pretentious fashion. “Elder of the Overworld and heiress to the Sahle fortune. You, little boy-“ the man laughed at that, “Are in no position to tell me what to do. I will not need to see this prison wall and I will not address you in any flattering manner.”

Winona calmed the growing winds with an usher of her hands and fluttered back slightly, Cassidy in tow. “You so obviously want to die; it would be sinful of me not to lend a hand.” She picked Cassidy up and sent a ripple of earth towards her foe. The man casually jumped into the air and avoided the tremor.

“You’ll have to do better than that, missy.” He sneered.

“You won’t be saying that when I loom over you while blood seeps out of your every pore.” The girl swiftly outstretched her hand in a fist, shooting a blast of flame at Kaze, while letting go of Cassidy. The whip of fire evaporated instantly when it got near the man.

“Vile little girl,” he spat. “Is that what passes for a spell these days? You’ll have to do much better to break my shield.” Winona sensed that the man was about to go on the offensive. The man muttered something under his breath and five or so razor-sharp blades of wind appeared from nowhere. They sat in mid-air for a second then dashed towards Winona, who only had a second to throw up a barrier of earth.

“I really don’t like you,” she snarled. “If you keep that up I’ll get wrinkles.” The girl smirked at our own wit and jumped up onto a sphere of air. She moved it towards Kaze blindingly fast and started swirling around him, wearing down his mighty shield. She started concentrating on the water of Lake Faith. She bent it to follow the same path as her ball of wind and it soon started swirling as fast as her. After a minute of following the shaded blur Kaze squinted a little and another tremor of his own earth sent Winona’s ball of wind flying away. She focused on the still-spiralling mass of water and contracted it quickly towards Kaze before turning it to ice.

Once she regained her composure Winona stopped for a moment to survey her handiwork. She had trapped Kaze in just the right place: his hands were strapped tight to his sides and prevented moving his legs too. Winona grinned cheekily and readied a final blow. “It should be painful,” Cassidy butted in. He had been watching everything from the sidelines, laughing in his feline way.

”It should always be painful,” Winona shot back. The mage glared at her but she didn’t notice; she was planning with Cassidy. As far as she saw it, he was getting his just deserts for trying to kill her. She had decided that death by Pain was the best way to go. She hadn’t used that spell in a long time. The girl looked back at her captive, expecting to see him squirming or using some feeble spells to escape. But he was gone.

This night just got interesting.

OoC: I suck with Kaze. Don't hate me :3

OoC: Sorry for the wait *sweatdrop*


IC:
The girl look confused at best, she looked around nearly frantically with her large saucer like yes, for any traces of her opponent. It was late by this time, and the sun was almost set, only and orange, red, and pinks mist high in the sky broke through the inky blackness, that was creeping forth. The orange rays of light danced happily on the lakes surface, bouncing off the calm lake in an eery reflection, of what stood above it. The forest to, looked calm, and peace, all but the gaping hole where no tree stood, as the attack busted through it not minutes earlier, leaving a sense of euphoria. All this the young apparition saw, but through all this she saw no enemy.

“Its a lovely view isin't it?” Kaze asked calmly, “The wind blows calmly fluttering the tree tops, and rippling the enchanted pool, all withe the eyes of the moon, and the sun, which lie before, and behind us. It feels a sham to break up something so peacefully such as twilight,”

Looking up quickly, the small looking girl saw the man she had be quarreling with, above her. He stood in midair, and looked as though he was leaning against a wall, with his hands in his pockets causally staring out towards the vast landscape that surrounded them.

With a soft sigh the Archmage continued, “It makes you wonder doesn't it. How we humans...or whatever we are can break up such peace, without even a blink of an eye, how we can senselessly destroy nature, and the world around us in utter disdain. We even resort to killing our self, when the worlds pain doesn't met our pleasure.” Closing his eyes, he sighed again, before continuing, “But even then, as the night approaches so does our demise. All men of this earth are breathing on borrowed air, as sooner or later we will all be whipped out. And as I look towards the sunset, I can't say I'm upset. Often are times when I feel we should put down arms, but such a thought is to mock the very make up of the human ways. We live to fight and die. Even I...I am sorry that I must, but it is the only way to get anything done, I hope you can understand Winona.” He spoke her name as it was told to him during his briefing, “That I never wanted this, I never wanted to fight you. But it is a task I have little choice to make. I live to serve, until the time is ripe, and I can luck it from the tree. My freedom. Please, don't hate me if I hurt you, or if I kill you. For it pains me enough to do so...However...it must be done,” The Archmage gave a slight smile, and stood straight up, looking down at the large eyes that seemed entranced by his words. Kaze lifted his hand, as if to strike down an invisible enemy in front of him, as his cape waltzed behind him in the chilling wind, “Forgive me for I have sin'd...One thousand frozen archers, prepare ye might arrows,”

Striking down five long thin arrow like structures formed from the air around him, and plunged downwards towards the young looking lady. And while each one missed, Kaze still looked pleased with himself, as the arrows burst into the water, frezzing it in flowing form where they struck, only to shatter into shards seconds later.

OoC: Sorry for the monumental delay :3

IC:

It took seconds for Winona to react. Her hand outstretched instinctively as she focused on her spell. Kaze was still laughing when the sickening lurch of Green Frenzy hit him. Winona fought back the urge to laugh as her opponent fell to the ground suddenly, while spasms ravaged through his body. She quickly summoned her Strike, ready to take the man’s life.

“Are you ready to die now, pretty boy?” she whispered malevolently.

Kaze still writhed on the ground.

“No reply?” There will be a punishment for that.” The girl touched Kaze’s shuddering back with her finger and sent a flush of pain into his body. She cackled as the muffled screams met her ears. She was enjoying his demise, so much that she didn’t notice the shimmering blades of air plummeting from the sky.

It was only the forgotten gold anklet that saved her from certain death. As the first of seven glimmering blades of magic pierced her shield Winona shrieked and broke contact with Kaze. Faster than she thought possible, she directed the flow of the swords toward Kaze.

The weapons passed straight through him, vanishing into wisps of air as they touched his skin. “Wind, against me?” the mage howled as he picked himself off the ground. “Come now, Winona. I thought you were better than that.” He dusted his shoulders as if nothing had happened, although Winona thought she saw a glint of disorientation in his eyes. Clearly the Green Frenzy hadn’t completely worn off.

The seconds ticked by, neither foe reengaging in combat. Kaze was sporting a malicious grin; it irked Winona to the point where she nearly unleashed all of her Force just to make it stop. The only thing that restrained her was Cassidy’s calming purr in her mind. In truth, the cat was quite enjoying the battle that was unfolding before him.

Finally Kaze seemed ready to attack. He stretched one leg forward and gathered stability on the ground, then, faster than Winona could catch, his arm lunged forward. Winona immediately blasted a rock in retaliation. Kaze smirked slightly and blew the boulder back with an unseen spell. “I didn’t cast a spell, ignorant girl,” He spat“

“Hey! It’s my turn to be affronted now,” Winona whined, parrying the rock with a wall of earth. “Did you expect that to hit me?”

“Of course not,” came a reply from an unseen location. “But it distracted you.”

“Playing hide-and-seek again?” Winona cried. “Hardly befitting of an Archmage.” She emphasised the last word, hoping his pride would lure the braggart out.

“I’m not as gullible as you think,” he replied tartly.

“And I’m not as negligent as you think.” The girl threw up her hands as a sphere of flames engulfed her. It rapidly expanded until the grass around her was parched dirt. When the inferno ceased, Winona scanned rapidly for traces of his charred body. She found what she was looking for a few feet away: Kaze lay face-down, evidently hurt but nonetheless alive. A weak groan escaped his unseen lips.

“What’d you do that for?” he croaked.

Winona managed nothing more than a smirk. Once again she was in the position to kill, but this time she wasn’t taking any chances. She bound his hands with hand-cuffs of dirt and readied a final blaze to finish the job. “Cassidy?” she called shrilly. “Lend me a hand, won’t you?” The cat reached her in one elegant leap. She turned back to face her prisoner, but her eyes only met his charred knees. She looked up in fear at Kaze’s amused face.

“Why must you continually underestimate me?” he whispered. Faster than lightning, the mage rotated his hands until a small sphere of water lay in them. “For that, you deserve the most painful death imaginable. I would imagine drowning will suffice.”

He really had no intention of killing her, or anything like that. All he wanted to do with this next attack was knock her out in order to capture her as he was so ordered to do. Despite all this he sort of wished he could finish that girl off, she was beginning to irritate him, not to mention the fact she burned his cape.

The bubble of water was already around her head before he finished speaking, and almost immediately Kaze felt a surge of magic around him. With a swift back flip the Grand Archmage managed to jump over a large spike that had formed itself from the ground directly under where he was standing. It was not wise to underestimate that girl.

Sliding back on his heels he smiled a little bit, he was secretly hoping that she wouldn't drown on him, Kaze was having to much fun to let it end there. "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Fell the chilling winds of Hell, Water-frozen touch" As he spoke the glove that was on his hand found itself thrown to the ground as a strange blue mist swirled around it in an eerie fashion.

Grasping his left wrist an ice blade suddenly shot out of it, cooling the air so much Kaze could see his own breath. Charging forward he used his newly formed weapon to smash through the rock structure with a satisfying crash. Looking around the blond haired mage had found that the girl had already moved away, most likely got rid of his water sphere too.

Looking up Kaze had no time to dodge the hail of ice balls now raining down towards him, and even using his blade to block them he still found himself sliding across the ground with bruises already forming from the strength of the impact of those that hit.

"Have you had enough? You cannot win," Winona spat, "You should give up before you find yourself dead,"

"Ya know," Kaze commented as he picked himself to his feet brushing himself off without even looking towards her, "When I first came here looking for you I came for one reason only, and that was so that old man would not be able to ***** at me for not completing my task, but now it's something more. It's about honor now, and I am not about to let someone like you show me up, allow me to have the pleasure of presenting you with a real spell," He looked at her with a devious smile, and before she had a chance to speak her already had his hand touching one side of the lake.

A wave of ice starting at Kaze's finger tips suddenly engulfed the lake, slowing down the H2O atoms to slow down, and become solidified, then with a sound similar to thunder a pillar of ice erupted from the centre directly underneath where Winona was flying. The Clear blue substance swallowed her whole, her face frozen in a picture of pure terror. Kaze chuckled to himself breathing heavy, "Well that was fun,"

OoC: Was that too much? You can beat Kaze up for a few posts now if you want =3

OoC: Short, but it gets this thing rolling again.

IC:

Breathe.

Breathe.

A look of sheer terror encompassed Winona’s face, but it was only a hollow mask. Her icy cell had abolished all thought, left room for only the basic thought processes that kept her living. There was no thought, no time, only the overwhelming cold and the need to survive. Every strand of her hair had been frozen on the spot in impossible positions, a hilarious reminder of her doom to the man standing before her.

Kaze threw back his golden hair with a flick of his head, running his fingers through the locks. “Game, set and match.”

Winona hadn’t changed: her face was still frozen in fright; her head still stood on ends; even her sandals were trapped in an icy purgatory between her feet and the ground. There was no hope. She had been bested, by one pompous mortal. Breathing harder that before, Winona began to say – or at least think – her goodbyes to the world. “I’m sorry, Sahle, sorry that I never got the chance –“

A shrill cry broke her thought train. It sounded like it was coming from behind her. Before she knew it, warmth was crawling back into her bones. Kaze stood in front of her, his eyes simply boggling. He had as little clue as to what was going on as he did. The heat returned nonetheless: a flaming shawl over her frigid muscles. Slowly she felt the feeling come back, starting with her toes. Inside she was amazed by the tiny motions her toes made, but the face was still masked by cold. The warmth crept up her legs, shaking her knees and swaying her hips. Her arms came next: she flailed them madly as her entire icy prison began to melt. Still Kaze stared motionless, utterly bewildered by the scene before him. Even when Winona’s face regained feeling and transformed into a hateful smirk he simply stood.

The girl floated gently down to the ground and picked up her exhausted cat. “You were fabulous, darling.”

Cassidy purred and rubbed his face against hers.

“As for you,” Winona hissed, glaring at Kaze. “I’m gonna kill you now.”

The Strael hugged Cassidy tighter to her body as she commanded the magic. Her eyes closed completely, then began fluttering. Within seconds the ground beneath her trembled, along with her terrified opponent. “Brace yourself for this!” she squealed.

Dropping that cat, Winona thrust her arms upward. A massive tower of earth followed, raging beneath Kaze’s feet. The man glanced down briefly before being thrown wildly into the air. With a smile Winona stretched out her hand, sending out three bolts of lethal, shimmering air.

“Find him, Strike! Kill him!”

OoC: Phoenix Wright was driving me insane...s I wrote this. This doesn't mean I am back into activity, but it might =O

Ic:


Was that it? Kaze chuckled slightly to himself as the three bolts of air tore towards him in malicious fashion, “You must be joking, is that it? Or are your ears clogged up, and your brain too blithering to discern the words coming out of my mouth? I AM THE ARCHMAGE OF WIND!” At that overly dramatic call the, as previously stated, Archmage of wind outstretched his hand and like magic the three deadly bolts of air twisted our of his way and slammed into a tree behind him, “Air attacks can't touch me, and definitely cannot kill me, so before you make such rash and foolhardy statements I would advise you rethink your methods,” Like any good monologue the speaker closed his eyes and shook his head apathetically at the victims stupidity, and like any good warrior would do the victim took the speaker's closed eyes as a cue to make themselves scarce.

“Hey where'd ya go?” The man's dull grey eyes opened in confusion, he would have at least expected the girl to have the common courtesy to stay put when he was talking to her, the nerve. Of course like any question worth asking, the answer came seconds later, this time in the form of fire, “Ah ****.”

The ball of fire large enough to engulf Kaze completely streaked towards him, burning up the air and leaving a trail of smoke in it's wake. Turning quickly Kaze outstretched both of his hands creating a shield of air just millimeters in front of him, even though the fire never touched Kaze, the orange and red flaming mass proved hot enough to severely burn the palm of the Archmage's hands, “Damnit,” he bit his lip and pushed harder as the flame continued to press forward to the point third degree burns could be seen on the Blond Haired Mage's fingers.

With sweat dripping from his forehead from the immense physical effort it took to hold the barricade Kaze quickly dropped his body from the air, and swung his arms away sending the massive fireball somewhere into the atmosphere, leaving Kaze standing on the ground almost completely without harm, other then his now healing hands of course.

“You are making this to hard on yourself,” Kaze said outstretching his hand sideways, “I know you're hiding in that forest,” Air started to shimmer and morph around Kaze's hand, slowly taking a shape, “If I have to I will cut the entire forest down to find you,” The air turned into a long transparent blade in the Archmage hand, “Prepare yourself,” Kaze said pointing his new weapon towards the forest, “This time I will not hold back, I am going to kill you,”

Nice! that seems a good idea .This is a remake of my thread. We may have many reasons to not quit Runescape. What is your reason to not quit and continue playing? It could be that you would like to accomplish goals in Runescape. It may be that you would like to continue to talk to your friends. Maybe it is because Runescape is a never ending game. Please post your reason for you not to quit Runescape. You may have the same reason as another player so you could repeat what the other player said. You will get chance to win fantastic cash prizes completely free by playing free game online, (maplestory,runescape etc.)and win the scores. You will get some entries to enter the lucky draw based on how many scores you have made. If you lucky enough, you can get some rewards, such as cash or gifts. So I think everyone can enjoy everyday life, and I would like to make friends with eeryone of you guys.