The Dark Crystal (Anyone)

I shuddered at the tiny crack that ended the man's life so effortlessly. While I had seen bloodshed before, there was something in the way that man had died, so unsuspecting, so...alone. I had managed to get down on the ground and pretend to be bound before the gaurd had come in, but for one odd reason or another, without my bonds, I felt even more vulnerable than before.

This Ren isn't quite as much hot air as I thought... I had been so used to me being the powerful one, the person that everyone else was supposed to fear. In my village, that was the way it had been, where one only had to look at my eyes to instill enough fear in them to run away screaming. While such a thing had never given me pleasure, I simply believed that it was so with all beings, that anyone with any decency would run from a demon. Yet, here I was in the presence of this man--no, four men, all who were not frightened by me in the least. It felt so strange...strange that I should be the one to fear. It was like getting slapped in the face for the first time, realizing that I could actually feel pain.

With a great effort to conceal the lack of confidence that had come over me, I slowly focused my power into the palm of my hand, creating a small orb of light just bright enough to light the ground beneath me. While the other men appeared to be able to see in the darkness just fine, I would not be able to follow them well without a light to see.

"We should move quickly while the element of surprise is still with us. Only the goddesses know how much time has been granted us."

Despite being unconsious, I actually tailored the spell so I could still hear. the only reason I didn't mention it was I wanted to enjoy Ren not being able to get his last word in. Whatever it was, it would have been worthless.

Even fooling him for laughs was a better idea.

I waited patiently, listening in on what was happening. As soon as I heard the distinctive crack of the guard's neck, I thought the spell to awaken himself. I opened my eyes and raised my head to see Leonna create a small orb of light. I was astonished she risked creating light herself when their predicament was not exactly assuring. I got up, without making any noise, and crept up behind Leonna, Ren, Khaz and Rontu.

"Well, we should be thankful Ren at least had the brains to kill the guard without making a noise. Now we have to deal with the guards outside of the cell, and retrieve our weapons. I've had enough waiting and chatting for now. Who knows when we'll be noticed? I don't speak for you guys, but I'm gonig right now. I'll try to sense Lifa and go to it. Try not to die!"

With that, I poked my head out through the door. There was a guard right next to the cell. He immidiatly turned with lightning speed and swung a steel warhammer at me. I tried to dodge, but it hit me on the edge of my shoulder and broke the bone.

"Gah!" I yelled as I fell to the ground, grasping my shoulder in pain. He was about to strike me in the head to kill me, but i quickly noticed that one of his waterskins was open. I attempted to access my magic... A fuzzy barrier blocked my way. Concentrating as hard as I could, I shook myself into reality again. It worked. Nothing was fuzzy anymore. His warhammer was two feet from my face. I had to act quick. Without thinking, I drew the water from the waterskin and forced it up the guard's nose and mouth.

He dropped his warhammer, grasping his face with his hands, despertly trying to breath. but nothing he could do stopped it. With one last watery gasp, he fell to the floor. I looked around, pleased for s brief moment. I was about to heal my shoulder with magic before the other guards let out a shout, and charged at me.

"Get them before they calls an alarm with telepathy! Also, someone protect me until I can heal my blasted shoulder!

Well, that was quick... I ran out of the cell as fast as I could when I heard the sound of cracking bone. Unfortunantly, I wasn't in a very good position to fight. My flame didn't kill without making plenty of noise of light, something which could easily alert any other enemies in the area. I would have to pick my targets carefully, melt them fast enough to make as little noise as possible. And that meant using an extreme amount of heat.

I ran after one particular gaurd, trying to distance myself from Kuldr as much as possible. Focusing as much strength into my hands as I could, I forced the heat to flow from them. It started off as a flame in my hands, becoming thicker and hotter as it grew. I could already feel the effort burning a hole inside of me, but I couldn't stop now. I let the flame leap from my hands, becoming a thick stream of burning hot plasma as it came at the gaurd. His hair lit on fire immediately, and his mouth opened to scream. Unfortunantly for him, his skull was already melted through and his brain gone before he could utter a word.

To my dismay, my attack had heated up the passageway considerably, and I struggled to calm it. What more can I do? It's either attack or stand here like a sitting duck...

Khaz had been glad for the light for Leonna wasn’t the only one could not see in the dark very well, but when Kuldr was struck with the warhammer he yelped and jumped, not expecting it.

Ren was very annoyed, Adurna’s quips at his intelligence was really starting to get on his nerves, so it was his great pleasure to vent it on the on coming guards. He struck one in the throat to keep him from shouting more, which was enough to crush his entire windpipe and he started to suffocate. Grabbed another’s neck, squeezed and broke it like a twig. The dragon continued about this though finding himself wondering if he cared whether or not Adurna died anymore, but remembered his weapons. If he could sense his sword then Ren’s weapons were bound to be nearby.

Rontu hung back with Khaz near Adurna to protect them. Khaz wasn’t going to be any use here really … unless Takai found a reason to include himself, but Rontu would rather avoid that if he could. Khaz had once been able to pass as a warrior, but ever since Blaze’s torture he hadn’t been able to stomach seeing blood anymore.

The passageway suddenly heated up as Leonna cast her magic. Sweat started to trickle down his brow and face. But of course, Ren hardly noticed.

It took me a moment to realize that I was shaking, but I managed to calm the heat down to a more bearable temperature, though the room was now quite noticably warmer than it had been before. Ren had taken care of the rest of the gaurds, but I was surprised to find that Rontu lingered with his other companion. He sure doesn't seem like the sentimental type...but then again, Khaz did say not to judge. I smiled mildly at the thought. There was definately much more to these strangers than what they made obvious.

"Now what?" I walked back to Kuldr, gazing carefully at his arm. "Do you require assistance?"

Ooc: Sorry if these posts are too short...I just don't really know what else to add...

OoC: Don’t worry about it. Only write as much as you see fit.

BiC:
Ren had finished with all the guards in the passageway. He then went about, grabbing their limp corpses and dragging them over to the cell, past Adurna to hid them in there before more could come and see. He also took care of Leonna’s dead guard while she went back to check on the wounded idiot. He should have let him go first. Ren was made of harder stuff and probably would have seen the hammer coming sooner than that stupid stuck-up elf.

It was a little tiresome to be around those who thought Rontu didn’t know what he was doing either. The drow looked to Adurna and said monotonously, “You don’t need to waste your breath and make unnecessary noise by shouting orders like this. You’re not the only one here with a military background. Believe it or not, your commands were nothing but statements of the obvious.”

Khaz fidgeted, feeling like a burden, and then he went to help Ren drag the bodies back.

(OOC: No worries, it's no big deal. =] I've decided to let one more person be in this RP, considering Eve Sneak isn't active enough so we need antoher person.)

"No thanks... I can do it myself." Ignoring what Rontu said and speaking to Leonna. I managed to stand up, and, ending my long incatation. I grimaced as I felt my shoulder writh and pop as it mended the bone and settled back into place. I felt something I never felt before, as if I owed someone. I turned around, and to every one at once, even Ren, I spoke.

"Uh... Thanks for not letting me die there. I probably wouldn't have lasted alone." Pushing away the thought to the back of my mind, I resumed my common demeanor.

"Now, back to business. We we're lucky then no one got a chance to set off the alarm. But we're still in danger, the second someone sees these bodies and our empty cell, they'll figure out we wanted to get our weapons back from the armoury, considering their value. So we'll have to be quick else we risk getting swamped."

For the first time in a while, I took note of the hall. It stretched for miles in each direction, and was about ten feet high and seven-teen feet across. For the most part it was made of rough, black stone. I assumed it was onyx, but I was never really educated in the form of rocks and volcanoes. Every couple of meters there were torches on both sides of the hallway. Various tunnels split off there and then, giving the place the appearance of an anthole.

I concentrated, trying to locate my sword. It was in an armoury quite far from the prison. Aproximently a mile of space between them, but the tunnels most likely would have it take longer.

"Our swords; well, mine at least, are in an armoury about a mile away, but with the tunnels who knows how far."

"Then let us move quickly." I said, glad to see that there were others here with healing abilities. While I didn't like going in deeper into the dark cavern, I wasn't eager to part with my staff, either. Ren had seemed somewhat happier now that he had been able to kill some gaurds, and now that we were out of the cell, I hoped he would lighten up a little. That thought forced something from my memory again--the cracking old voice of Hemanias.

"Leonna, do not let the voices of the villagers hurt you so. The anger they express against you is more than just an emotion. Anger is built into all of us, a defensive mechanisim that gives us the justification and power we need to do things we could not do otherwise. If you listen to their words, Leonna, instead of blocking them off, you will see what it is that they truly desire, the insecurities that exist within themselves."

And that is exactly what Ren is doing. He seems so upset, so temperamental...

“When you’re this strong you don’t have to be smart or rational, though, I guess being so weak you wouldn’t know. These fools are nothing to me but spiders …”

He seemed so determined to make sure that I knew he was stronger. Ren had become upset when the high elf gave out orders...was he really protecting something? Did he feel the need to be the one in control because he had once not been? Had he been so aggravated in the cell because he was trapped...because he felt his freedom had been taken from him?

And Ren wasn't the only one acting that way. His companion, Rontu, had a different way of dealing with it, the apathy that was so apparent in his voice...

“You’ve never experienced the true nature of drow before. If you had, you wouldn’t be so hesitant to kill them. We are heinous folk. Just a look at my companion here can tell you how their acts can break a person’s mind.”

He spoke as if he had experience himself, and he had acted like it was nothing. Was that his way of protecting himself? Pretending like he didn't care, even though he was in the hands of the drow again?

I have been so utterly blind! These people are facing their own nightmare, concealing it in different ways. Khaz was the only one that openly showed it, this fear that they all seem to share. Just what kind of things have they lived through?

I shook my head in an effort to clear it. Now wasn't the time to be concentrating on other things when we were all still stuck in this evil place.

Ren smirked when Adurna thanked everyone. Damn right, this bastard better start showing more respect.

There was suddenly a thud and Khaz’s voice, “Ouch!” He had tripped on one of the bodies in the dark. “Um, Leonna-chan, could you please make that light again. I can’t see a damn thing.”

Ren and Rontu sighed almost at the same time. Khaz was their friend, but they were here because of his clumsy feet. Of course, they didn’t really know that they should have been careful. They didn’t know there were drow in the mountains. To Rontu’s knowledge, most of the drow in Iki had been banished to the desert. Unless this was a clan separate from the empire’s rule.

He looked around the dark tunnel and hoped it was so. Otherwise, there was a chance they could be doomed. If the empire found them … They had barely escaped Sheinron and Nottuu last time. He didn’t want to be caught here, weakened by drug and weaponless.

“So, Adurna, which way?” he asked as calmly as ever, but really he wanted to get moving. He never much liked being around his brothers and sisters, the drow. He had gone almost two years without seeing any of their black skin and white hair. Two years in a life so completely different than the one he had lived while in their society. Two years of peace and no bloodshed. Two years with Leita and the others had been like a heaven he didn’t deserve.

But even so, the past seemed to haunt in strange dreams. Were they real, just forgot terrors of his life in Delu? Or just nightmares? He wanted to believe the latter. He was done with the past. He had no recollection of ever being hung upside down in some dark room. It was just a nightmare.

"Chan...?" The name he called me was confusing, but I did as he asked anyways. I formed the white orb in my hand again, this time letting it grow brighter until it touched the face of each of the people around me. There was no happiness in any single expression, just the silent determination to survive until we made it out. "I know this light is invasive to the rest of this mountain, but it will be impossible for some of us to keep up without proper light to see with. Now, if you don't mind, Kuldr...?" I motioned to the forbidding passageway before us.

"Um, well, that's kind of the problem. I can only sense my sword's direction. We'll most likely have to take tunnels that lead to it's general direction. Hopefully we'll wind up there without much trouble. Oh, and one more thing, stop calling me Adurna alone or only Kuldr.. That would imply I only have power over water, or only light. Which I don't. Kuldr means gold, then sun metal. Thereby signifying light. And Adurna means water. So my name means Gold Water."

I looked at most of the tunnels, trying to find a suitable direction. A tunnel one hundred meters down to the left looked suitable. I made a torch levitate, and had it float over to the door I wanted.

"That door right there. It's our best chance at getting to where we want. If you don't want to get lost, follow me." Without waiting to see if anyone was following, I ran down the tunnel while at the same time keeping my footsteps silent. After I turned into the corridor, I came into square room. It had the same basic layout as the hallways with the onyx and torches, but it was twenty feet higher and had a giant rune carved into the floor.

Curious, I bent down to examine it. It became soon clear what it stood for: It was some sort of enchantement to turn blood into dark energy. I was nervous, for why would something that took blood for energy be in a standard room? There were no racks, guillotines or the like around. Something must happen.

As if answering to my calls, from one of the tunnels coming from the room came a deep growl. Out from it came some sort of over-sized bear that probably lived here. It was twenty feet tall, with claws the size of my arm. It's head was equally huge, with a gaping mouth that could easily pluck off a head. It let out a roar that made my skin crawl, and then it lunged at me.

I dodge to the right and punched it in the cheek as hard as I could. I hurt my fist a well lot, but I'm not sure if I did more than make the beast flinch. I realized magic may be my only hope here. It swiped it's claws at me, and one skinned part of my kneecap. I ignored the pain for the moment and called on my magic again. After saying a quick phrase, all the light from withint he nearest mile focused into my eyes, and burst out all at once. The beast shrieked in pain, and rammed the nearest wall.

To my luck, he pierced though the stone and breached part of an underground river. Water flooded out from the hole, quickly soaking the floor. I knew we would drown soon enough if it wasn't covered, but first there was one thing I needed to do. I concentrated whilst dodging the bear's attacks, at the disadvantage of taking numerous hits. Just as the bear attempted to gnaw on my head, A blue pulse wave errupted from me. I had focused the water onto myself and started an aqua aura, despite there to have been no seemingly adequate source of water nereby.

Ren nearly growled when Adurna ran off, cursing him for just running off like that. The three started to follow him at their own pace until they heard a roar from the room he had just entered. Ren cursed again and went running ahead of the others being much faster. When he reached the room, Adurna was covered in some strange light. Ren could vaguely feel magic. It was something he started having a sense for ever since he learned how to shape-shift. The giant bear-monster was lunging its great big mouth at the elf’s head.

Ren ran forward and grabbed the thing’s head. One hand on the lower jaw, one on the upper jaw. Its teeth cut into his hands and made his blood ooze out. He had wanted to stop it right in its tracks, widening the stance of his feet, but the ground was wet, so the beast forced him back on his sliding feet and slammed him into a wall, which snaped and groaned as cracks grew out from where his body struck it. It raised a clawed paw to swipe at him. Tensing his arms and twisting his hips, the wall helped give him more leverage, he flipped the beast over onto its back.

Ren’s own back throbbed slightly from being slammed against hard cold stone and his hands stung. He had plenty worse wounds than this before, so he didn’t let it slow him down.

I followed behind the three with anxiety clutching at my throat. It nearly jumped out when I heard a massive roar, reverberating off of the cavern walls like thunder. Ren, of course, was the first to charge off at the unkown creature. I ran past the other two, knowing that Rontu would protect Khaz from anything else that might manifest itself.

I found myself in a large room with water all over the floor, Ren's blood mingling with the clear substance. Kuldr Adurna was glowing with a strange blue light, somehow connetcting to the water in the room. The pull of his magic was strong, even beconing to the energy that existed inside of me. I had to refuse its strong call, forcing in the energy that so badly wanted to come out.

With the creature down on its back, I could see that I had an open chance. I called upon my flame again, forcing it into a stream of plasma again. It took all the concentration I had to create it while trying to avoid the affect of the high elf's magic at the same time.

The firey beam hit the creature in its upper back, melting its way into the creature's heart. This caused the creature to scream such a roar that it shattered my concentration. My flame scattered, mingling with the water to create steam. Such a painful howl struck me harder than if the creature had actually hit me, its pain biting into my heart.

I hardly noticed it as Leonna, Khaz, Rontu and Ren entered the room. Alls I could think of was killing the bear. I had immense power at my fingers, now I had to use it.

The bear let out a shriek as Leonna burnt it, but it wasn't over yet. I Called up a massive ball of water from the ground, drew it infront of me and created barriers aroud most sides of it. The bear turned and tried to crush me under it's weight, but I released the water. It flew in one huge jet so powerful it knocked the bear across the room. As soon as it hit the other side, I called upon more water and made a giant fist out of the water. I held it in place, then using magic sent it slamming at the bear. The blow was so intense I heard a distinctive crack as it's right hindleg broke.

It roared yet again, and alls it saw as an enemy was me. Nothing else mattered to it but killing me. It charged at me using it's remaining legs with it's teeth gnashing and it's claws swiping. I attempted to create a wall of water to block it, but I was a tad late and it's head rammed me in the side. I flew meters away towards a wall but managed to cushion myself with a blanket of water. I still suffered a rather large bruise on my side, but I could hardly feel it in my state. The bear kept lunging, smashing and swiping, but I was almost always one step ahead.

I attempted to end it by doing what I did with the guard, forcing water up it's throat, but it roared in anger and smashed it's head against the wall. It succesfully dispersed the water, but it also made another large hole in the wall. Most people would be forced to swim now, since the tunnels on both sides had slopped downwards to get here. But I was having the water support itself underneath me, giving me the appearance of a god. I finally could feel the energy sapping at my limbs, if I stayed much longer I would lose conciousness. I had to end this.

Without hesitating, I called on the rest of my strength, and drew up all the water in the room and held it there for a moment. I thrust it at the monster and enveloped it in water. I levitated it and smashed it against the wall, on the side away fromt he river. It's body was crushed under the pressure. I let my aura wash off, and I slumped to the floor, allowing the water to fall. I felt as tired as someone who ran a dozen marathons on the equator. I simply had to rest. I allowed myself to float in the water.

"Somebody else is going to have to plug the holes, I fear if I do anything else I may kill myself. I did more in that aura than I ever did before, so I probably won't be the best at fighting and mroe of a burden if I can't spend a while to rest, or if that isn't possible, to relax." Deep inside, I was pleased with myself, despite being useless for the next while.

Sure, Ren could handle fire, but water? The higher the water level got the more nervous the dragon got. He never really had fond memories of water. Ever since he almost drowned in the lake of La Luka Falls as a child he had never had much of a taste for swimming. He was heavy and sunk like stone. Ren waded as quickly as possible through the water toward one of the stone tunnels the slopped upward and scrambled quickly out. He turned to Adurna, snarling, “Idiot! Blowing damn holes all over the place—you wanna drown me?!”

Rontu and Khaz stood up on the slop of the passage Adurna had originally come through, inching up a few steps when the water level got too close to their feet. Khaz stared about curiously, with wide eyes at the battle scene.

“Is everyone okay?” he called out to Leonna and Ren.

Rontu sighed, now they had another useless person. At least he was starting to feel better again. He squatted down and cupped some water into his hands, drinking. His throat was very dry and he was rather dehydrated now that he thought about it.

“Can you still sense your weapon, Adurna ...?” the drow asked. He didn't give a damn what his names meant. He'd call him whatever he pleased.

I would have objected to him not saying my full name, but I was too tired to do anything but let out a small moan. I decided I could at least concentrate for them. After five minutes because of my weakened state, I finally found out.

"Um.. they're directly 500 feet above us. Try taking any tunnels you can. But do me a favour, and leave some sort of marking of which way you took. Perhaps a scrath in the wall. I need to stay here floating for a little bit to regain my strength... Water is as good of a way to feel cushioned as anything. I'll only take about half an hour though, I'll try to use the water to refuel myself. And since I assume Ren won't take very lightly to having to swim since he's stayed far away from the water, I'll help him."

Using the last of my strength, I had the water carve out a piece of rock the size of a coffee table, and made it more boyant. I sent it near the shore where the others were.

"If you don't want to swim, use this to get across. I would have done more if I wasn't so freaking tired, but this is alls I've got. Also, I repeat, someone oughta fill the hole. I'm going tor refrain from talking now, I need to get my strength back as soon as possible..."

I relaxed my muscles and allowed myself to float freely in the water.



(EDIT OOC: Drammor will be joining us with his villain character, Omentus Anima!)

Khaz peered down at Ren, who was drenched, curiously, with the same wide eyes that made the Hylian look a few years younger. “You’re afraid of water, Ren?”

Ren snapped his head to look at Khaz with the expression that he had just swallowed something still alive and wriggling. He stood up and spoke so quickly he practically spat at Khaz. “No! I’m not afraid of the damn water, just don’t swim well! I’m denser than you! I sink like stone, and will that rock boat really carry all of our weight well?”

Khaz bit his lip as he stared at Ren, looking as if he was trying not to laugh. He covered his mouth with his hand, but laughter burst through them. Ren looked murderous.

“Stop laughing!” the boy growled. Ren grabbed Khaz, pulling him forward and sticking out his foot to trip the already clumsy Hylian.

Letting out a comical shriek, Khaz went into the water. Ren was snorting with laughter by the time Khaz's black spiky head bobbed to the surface.

EDIT: OoC: Squeeeee! Drammie's here ^-^

This was insanity! Here the tunnel was filling with water, and they were actually laughing. Ren's hand was probably still bleeding, and the condition of the rest of his body was in all likelihood not much better. The bear had smashed everyone so hard against the walls, like a caged animal trying to smash a fly.

"I may be able to hold the water back for a time, but not for very long. If the drow haven't heard us already, their heads must be full of sand." With that said, I called on my power again, which hesitantly met me. I forced the energy out of me, creating a wall of sheer force where the holes in the rock were. "Will someone please have the sense to find a way out of this?"

Of course, whenever it came to having any sense it was Rontu who took the stand. He stepped onto the floating stone Adurna had provided for them. It sank in a little more but bobbed stably. He jumped on it. It bobbed harder but remained stable. By the time Khaz had resurfaced, the Hylian had joined in the laughter too. They continued to chuckle despite Leonna’s distress. To Ren his wounds were nothing.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Leonna,” said Ren, smirking still.

Khaz swam over to their stone carrier, pulling himself up onto it with Rontu. He continued to giggle. “So that’s why you didn’t like Zora’s Domain. Water everywhere you look,” said Khaz, and burst into another fit of chuckles. Ren’s smirk fell quickly.

“Ren, I think you’ll have to swim. It can carry me, Khaz, and Leonna, but you’re just too much weight. You can swim a little, right?” said Rontu, turning his head to Ren, who continued to look less happy by the moment.

“Yeah,” said Ren curtly.

Rontu’s lips curved lightly into a vague smirk. “Well … you’re not afraid of the water, right?”

The dragon boy glared at Rontu for a moment, and then smirked back, shrugging his soggy coat off. He threw it onto the stone at the drow’s feet. As he took off his shirt he also focused his attention inward and found the bright burning energy inside him. He touched it a little and as he did his skin suddenly turned milky white and all his shallow injures healed, such as his cut hand and damaged skin on his back. He then pulled back what was left of the energy and his skin returned to his normal fair but still creamy tone.

He threw his shirt onto his coat in a pile on the stone. His whole torso was actually covered in a large number of scars; bringing more attention to the scars on his normally exposed arms after seeing all that covered his muscular chest and back. He then sat down and untied his boots, throwing them into the stone next to the pile of clothes.

Ren then slowly eased himself into the water. He floated—barely. He tipped his head back so that he could still breathe through his nose, but his mouth was covered. He then started to slowly swim across the room.

(OOC: My god, you people move fast. I'll join you, just as soon as I can read the thread to date. I need to pick out some key elements before I can get my villainy on.)