Forgotten Shelves (Abyss Master, HH, Kishíro D)

Ooc: Well bleh with the title, let's get this thing going. xP

Bic:

The clanging of her hammer could just barely be heard from outside her shop. The hustle and bustle of the city outside could just barely be heard from the inside of her shop. The wall between inside and outside was the only thing that heard both clearly, but it was inside the shop where Haze was still working.

Horseshoes again. She was growing tired of making the same farming equipment over and over again. For the past month she hadn't had a single offer for a weapon of any kind. The fletchers were the only ones making any weapons now, as the only fighting these days was hunting animals in the dunes. If Haze had planned on staying there any longer, she would have learned how to make arrows already.

Alas, how desperately she wanted to be on her way, Soledad's libraries and bookstores had nothing she was looking for. All stories of immortality and ever-lasting life found within the publicized books were fables and lies that had long since been debunked. If the key to true immortality was public knowledge, there would be no need for fletchers or weapon smiths because no one would ever die.

A sudden knock brought a small spark of hope to her heart. Could it be a weapon contract?

She sauntered casually over to the door just as the visitor knocked a second time. It was odd someone would even be knocking with her shop open and all, but it didn't matter.

She swung the door open with the best smile she could muster, but no one was there. “Hello?” She asked, feeling rather stupid as the streets were filled with people, one of which probably just had a lame sense of humor.

With a sigh, she closed the door behind her. As it clicked shut, she instantly felt another presence in the room, drawing her blade in preparation for anything. “Who's there?”

“What a nice weapon!”

Haze swung her blade toward the source's neck, who didn't flinch when the blade touched his skin.

“Hello.” Was the old man's cheery greeting.

Haze's stare widened. Red eyes, black claws. This man was the Exsecror who saved her in the desert all those years ago. She stumbled away from him, surprised that he'd appeared to her so suddenly. “Wh... what are you doing here?” She wasn't sure whether she should be amazed or frightened. Somehow he had found her, for some reason he'd come to her. She'd only spent a couple minutes with him the first time they met; it wasn't enough time to discern what kind of person he was.

“Ah, finding you wasn't the easiest thing, let me tell you...” He said with a chuckle.

There were so many questions he'd left unanswered the last time she saw him. For a while, she didn't even believe he was real. She'd thought he was just part of a very realistic dream, yet here he was: In the flesh.

“What do you want with me?” She asked simply, cutting the pleasantries short.

The man's smile froze for a moment, but quickly faded as he knew she wasn't buying any of his fake cheer. Down to business. “Don't ask how I know this, but I know what you are searching for.” He paused for her to finish his thought, but she just stood firm with her weapon clenched at her side, hand on her hip. He continued. “... the fountain of youth, right? Immortality?”

Her interest was now piqued. What secrets did he know? She may not have fully trusted him, but he'd already demonstrated his power once before. The man wasn't crazy, despite the way he had previously acted. Could he have the key to everlasting life? “Why do you care about what I'm searching for, old man?”

“Don't waste our time with meaningless disputes, woman, just hear me out!” He was almost shouting. His sudden change in tone was startling. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment. “This is a picture of a book. This book is a very special book located in a very special library. It is vital to your goal. It would benefit us both if you get your hands on this book.”

Haze felt awkward having him suddenly spew out all this information to her without immediate reason, but the old man didn't care how she felt about it. He shoved the paper in her hand, wrapping her fingers around it. “This is what the cover looks like. It should make searching the library slightly easier. Now hurry, there isn't much time.”

Haze “What's the rush, old man? Why are you even helping me, how does this even help you?”

“Do you want to die, Haze? If not I suggest you carefully listen to every word I'm saying.”

Though she wanted to hit him, he had shut her up for the moment.

“You need to head to the east gate of Soledad within the hour. A man by the name of Carcaroth will be leaving the city then. He blends in well with the crowd so you need to keep a watchful eye. He has black hair, blue eyes, and stands a little over five and a half feet. He's nineteen and carries a sword. His most distinguishing feature will probably be his lighter skin tone because most people here, as you know, are rather tan.”

“Alright, so why do I need to find him?” Haze spoke up again.

“Actually, you don't need to find him, you need to find someone he knows.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, who would that be then?”

“His name is Kerel. He knows where the ancient library is located, the one that has this book. Just tell Carcaroth you wish to speak with him and he'll know who you're talking about.”

Haze was trying to commit all this to memory, but it was so much to take in at once. “What if I can't find him?”

“If all else fails, start a fight. Carcaroth has a heart for the innocent and will most likely try to stop you from doing something stupid, given he sees you.”

Haze laughed nervously for a brief moment. What was he thinking? “Are you suggesting I start a fight? I can't do that, I actually like some of the people here.”

“Well that's just it, Haze, you're leaving this place behind. Take your sword, it's all you will need. I already have food and supplies collected for you right here.” He handed her the satchel he had slung over his shoulder. She took it without question, though she certainly had some she wanted to ask.

“Don't be afraid to make allies as long as they don't know what you're looking for. You won't be able to make this journey alone, I can promise you that. Just watch your back and be slow to trust. The library won't be easy to get into. Now go, quick! Do that roof running thing you do so well.”

“Wait, old man, I don't even know your name!”

The Exsecror elder swung the door open for her, the ruckus of the city filling the room. “The name's Kegan.”

“Well thank you, Kegan.” She bowed slightly. “I trust this isn't the last we'll see each other.”

“Given you don't die, I hope to see you again real soon. Now go!” He waved his arm out the door. “If you hurry, you should have ample time to locate him.”

Without saying another word, Haze leaped out into the street. Kegan watched from her shop as she bounded across the flat roofs of the city, working her way eastward. He smiled to himself. Everything was falling together.

***

Haze reached the east gate in under ten minutes. She lived practically on the other side of the city, but using the rooftops got her there quick. She slipped through the gate, just outside the city walls. She took some time to catch her breath, hoping she hadn't missed him. There were a moderate amount of people going in and out of the city, thankfully not as much as usual, but still enough to the point it was nearly impossible to keep track of all of them. She scanned the crowd as quick as possible, but Kegan's description was too broad.

Twenty minutes went by. She started to feel rather embarrassed. She'd stopped nearly every other black haired young man she could find, but all she was getting was awkward looks and failed flirts. She even resorted to calling out the man's name from time to time, but she wasn't getting a response. She was actually considering starting a fight, but there would be no way to know if he was even around to get into the fight. Still, if he was the sort that would run toward danger than away, it was probably her best choice. Oi, she would never stop regretting this. If a guard interfered first then this would all be for nothing, but so far everything Kegan had said had been right. She really didn't want to risk not doing what he said. It could very well be her only chance at finding him.

She searched around for the biggest and strongest guy she could find. It didn't take long to pick him out. He stood nearly a foot taller than everyone else. A deep scar lined his face and he carried a sword nearly as tall as she was on his back. She could handle him if she needed, but she at least needed to make a scene. She casually made her way toward him, weaving through the crowd carefully. This was such a bad idea.

She bumped into him. He bowed slightly and started to excuse himself, but Haze cut him off with a gasp. “Why the nerve!” She shouted, punching the man square in the jaw. No turning back now.

“What the hell!?” He shouted. He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and lifted her off the ground. “What was that all about, woman?”

“Help, help me!” She started screaming. She felt like a fool. This better work.

Ooc: Yeah, just throw your characters in however you see fit. No particular posting order.

"This was such a bad idea."

Carcaroth sighed to himself as he exited the library. Not only had he not found anything to help him further on his quest, but he had wasted over two days in that building. He felt foolish for ever suggesting that they ought to stop in this town and check it out.

I friggin' told you so, you dumbass, Kerel complained from within his mind. I told you that there's nothing here we could use, but nooooo...

Look, Carca replied bitterly. I know you're right, but we can't do anything about it now. Let's just go.

The demon fell silent, which Carcaroth took as a sign of agreement. He checked if his equipment - sword and daggers - was still in place, before stepping out into the streets, blending in with the crowd. For a town, there sure were a lot of people. The sooner he made it out, the better.

"East gate, wasn't it...?" he muttered to himself. The demon sighed.

Yes, moron. East. So you turn left over here.

How do you know? Carca asked.

I just do.

Turning left, he was indeed heading for the east gate. He could recognize his environments for once - this was where he had been walking from his inn to the library for the past two days. He hadn't even noticed. That would be why Kerel knew where to go. Demons did have a keen eye for the small, insignificant details afterall... when they were not fighting.

Commotion. Carca frowned and raised his head a little, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on up ahead. A tall guy and... someone shorter... blond hair, long... could be a girl. The man was holding her by her collar, keeping her hanging and yelling... something. He couldn't hear properly, but it certainly looked like trouble. He began moving closer, excusing himself as he bumped into both men and women while trying to maneuver through the crowds.

" - me! Heeeeelp!" he heard her scream. It seemed that the scene before him had caught Kerel's attention at last, as well.

You know, a gentleman would have gone up to that guy and asked what's the problem.

Carca snorted as he passed by more people.

I think both you and I know that I'm no gentleman, at least not while you're around.

So very true, Kerel sighed. You're still going to help her though.

I'm curious to what's the problem, Carca replied casually. That's all.

Kerel snickered. Don't play coy with me, you know that I can see what you're thinking, and right now you're calculating how you can take on a man that size without casualties.

Carca was not paying attention. Can you see his weapon?

Yeah, that sword on his back.

Where? Oh, there, I see it now. Carca frowned deeply, letting his hand rest at the hilt of his sword. What do we do?

Allow me to present you a few scenarios, Kerel announced amused, sounding as though he was really getting into the situation. One; you go over there and knock the guy out straight. No silly conversations, no blood, you save the girl, everyone wins.

Carca waited impatiently, and Kerel continued.

Alright, two; you ask what's the problem, and either you calm the dude down or he won't listen to you. In the worst case, he attacks you instead. You'll have to draw your sword by then, because no way are you gonna win in a wrestle against that guy.

Is that your preferred scenario? Carca asked.

No, that's number one. But anyway, three; you do jack **** and we just stand here watching. Maybe he'll kill her, maybe he won't, but at least you stayed out of trouble.

"Well, we know what options are out of the question," Carca muttered to himself. He had reached the man and the girl. The crowd had formed a circle around them, keeping away from the scene and just watching. The man seemed to notice Carcaroth approaching, and he turned his head. From within his mind, Kerel was talking.

- know, I think we should give him a nickname or something. How about Bill? Or Dick, I don't mind -

"What do you want?" he growled. The girl had stopped screaming, now just staring at him from where she was dangling. Carca had to refrain from smiling at how odd it seemed.

"I, uhh, would like to know what's the problem."

"Mind your own damn business," he replied shortly. "Get lost."

Carca sighed. He crossed his arms. "Put her down, please?"

The guy slowly turned his head again. Oh yes, this was trouble alright. The girl fell to the ground, and Carca turned his head to see if she was okay. At the worst moment too - as soon as he had done so, the man's arm shot out and it was now Carca who was dangling from his grip.

"Ugh," Carca groaned, sounding almost casual. "This wasn't what I had in mind."

"Why don't you learn how to stay out of people's business?" the man yelled, raising his fist. It flew through the air, hitting Carca square in the face with such force that he flew back, out of the man's grip. He hit the ground hard, moaning and putting a hand to his face.

Useless git...

Carca's body got back up on its own casually, as though it had simply fallen over. Kerel wiped the noseblood away from his face with a smile.

"Now, I'm not one to complain - " he said pointedly, " - but you hit like a ****ing girl, Bill."

The tall man before him raised his eyebrows, blinking and obviously wondering what was going on. "What happened to you, wimp?" he laughed. "You were so polite just a minute ago?"

Kerel cracked his knuckles. "I had a change of heart." He started approaching the guy. "Getting punched might have been the reason."

Kerel jumped. He was high above their heads. He came crashing down at the man, launching a punch straight into his face as he did. The guy tumbled backwards, but he quickly recovered. His fist flew through the air once more. Kerel caught it.

"Nuh-uh-uh, Bill," he grinned. "Never try to bully someone stronger than you."

He grabbed Bill's arm, swinging him over his shoulder and throwing him straight into the ground. As his body crashed, Carca could hear the painful cough he gave off. Bill lay on the ground, clutching his head and moaning in pain. With delight Carca found that he was once again in control of his body.

You are very welcome, Kerel said.

I could have handled him, Carca replied. But thanks, anyway.

Pffft, you'd still be fighting had I not taken care of him.

Carcaroth sighed and brought a hand up to his nose. He was still bleeding, and his nose was still throbbing, but it was certainly not the worst damage he had suffered through in his life. He fished a napkin out of his cloak, drying his nose as he turned to see what had happened to the girl. But she was gone.

"Huh..." he said to himself as he turned to leave. There she was. Right in front of him.

"Carcaroth?"

He blinked. "Do I, uh, know you?"

A smile spread across her face. As though she had found something valuable after a long search.

Isaac set a knife point-down and flicked it into a spin, keeping his index finger on the pommel. A map spread out before him, with a series of colored strings crawling across it. Humming slightly, Isaac traced the path of the strings, adjusting one here, removing one there. Finally, when he was satisfied, the assassin lifted the knife and plunged it down, embedding it in the wood beneath the map. Yes, he could do this. Easily. It wasn’t the first time he’d taken a job of this nature. Getting up from the table, the man strode over to a large wooden armoire, it’s surface covered with intricate carvings and designs. Pulling it’s double doors open, Isaac silently gazed on the dozens of outfits within.

He ruffled through them unceremoniously, shoving those that displeased him aside and pulling out those that did. Closing the doors again, he turned to survey the pile of outfits he’d selected. It took but minutes for him to select a guise from these, putting the rest away again. Humming again, the assassin made his way to a trunk sitting at the foot of the large four-poster bed. He dug around in the mess of hair within, withdrawing a gray-white mane. Striding across the room, Isaac glanced once more at the map, where the knife point had cut through a small cluster of houses just offset of the larger city symbols.

Kuroshiro made his way to the exit out of the inn he was staying in the night before. The walls were ivory white and had nice eye pleasing desings on them, but nothing too special. His heavy suit case full of clothes was swung and some gold coins clanging together in his pocket. As he approached the door someone spoke,

"Oh, you're leaving so soon Crow?" It was the girl behind the counter, the inn keeper, at least for the moment until her shift ended. She was cute, nice face and slender body, modest figure. "I thought you might want to stay for lunch?" she asked him with a smile, hoping to get the response she wanted. He felt her ki, it was warm and inviting, he knew she wanted him to stay.

"Oh umm... yea, I usually only stay for one night in a town so I'm off now," Crow said, sprinkling a smile at the end but Kuro felt her ki dim with disappointment and her smile vanished "...But the breakfast was great thanks for giving it to me on the house," he said and this time her smile came back.

"It was my pleasure, not many men around here would be willing to take time out of their day to help a girl out. My boss would have killed me if I hadn't found the keys to the third floor," she said peppering in a little chuckle at the end.

"Yea well, I mean, any decent person would of helped I think. I'm just happy I was there for you. Last night was fun, but it's time for me to go," Kuro said as he turned around and headed for the door.

"Kuro!" She said but then paused before she continued, "if you're ever back in town, don't be afraid to swing by okay?" Kuro kept his back to her but turned his head to look at her and smile.

"Sure, I'll do that," he said as he then opened the door and walked out.

***

"Why did you thank her for last night? All you did was talk," Riko said.

"Yea but I could tell she just really needed to talk to someone, and I just like sitting back and getting to know people,"

"Most men would done a lot more than just talk, i mean she was practically throwing herself at you,"

"Yea, but I'm not most men, besides, it would of just made things more painful when I left this morning" Kuro said ending the conversation.

The Prince made his way through the crowd of people to get to the east gate, but noticed a slight commotion happening nearby. There was a red haired girl who was being harassed by a larger man, but someone had stepped in and a fight began. He had black hair and gave off an unsettling aura. Kuroshiro grasped the handle of his rapier and kept watching. 'If things get out of hand I'll have to step so no one dies.' he thought to himself but soon the black haired man ended the fight and the dark aura vanished. Him and the red head looked at each other and began to talk.

"Something doesn't feel right," Kuro whispered to himself. "Especially that man. I think I'll follow those two for a little while until I know for sure they want be putting other in harms way,"

"How noble of you little prince," Riko hummed at the Prince. Kuro just shushed him and carried on.

Ooc: Sorry for the delay. I just recently got back from visiting family and am trying to get resettled.

Bic:

She wasn't used to acting so out of character. More than likely she probably could have killed that brute in two moves, but that would have defeated the purpose for starting the commotion in the first place. Regardless, it worked. There Carcaroth stood, just like Kegan predicted. Haze smiled amusingly. How could he have possibly known that this would work?

"No, you don't.” Haze said in response to the boy's question. She glanced over his shoulder at the gate. Guards were now on the scene. “If you don't wish to be incarcerated, I recommend you follow me. I'll explain myself once we're out of sight.” She turned from the scene and slipped away from the quickly thickening crowd. Once free from the masses, she picked up speed, occasionally looking back to make sure Carcaroth was keeping pace with her.

When she felt they were a safe distance away from the front gate, she stopped. Carcaroth did the same. She retraced their steps with her eyes, making sure no one else had followed them. The last thing she wanted was the guards after her, especially because of something as small as that was. “Alright, I think we're in the clear.”

“Do you mind explaining to me what's going on? Who was that guy trying to beat you up?”

“Hm? Oh, that guy was nobody.” She turned her attention back to the stranger. “But I do need you for something. I need to speak with Kerel.”

Carcaroth froze on the spot. His heart-beats slowed down, like the ticking of a watch that was about to stop. She knows. She knows, she knows, she knows -

She can't know.

He scanned his mind as fast as he could while he stood staring at her blankly. How could a complete stranger - a young girl - know about Kerel? And how could she know that Carcaroth was somehow connected to the demon? Did she even know who Kerel really was? Had someone told her about him? If so, who?

Hey, you.

Kerel sounded interested.

Yeah, you. Let me talk to her.

Carca bit his lip with a frown. The girl looked at him curiously, still waiting for a reply.

No.

That's not your decision to make, Kerel snarled. I will talk to her, end of discussion.

Carca opened his mouth, but he knew that it was already too late; the demon had seized control before a single word had escaped his lips. The young human was thrown back into his own mind, forced to watch from within as Kerel put on the most devilish smirk he could possibly muster. This change of attitude clearly caught the young girl off-guard - she raised her eyebrows a little and crossed her arms over her chest, staring at him like he had suddenly disappeared into thin air.

"Yeah?" Kerel said impatiently, plucking at his shirt. The girl closed her mouth, shaking her head a litle.

"I - but I said, I need to speak with - "

"Kerel, yes," the demon replied casually. "And you got him. Right here."

There was a moment of silence. The girl was quick to catch the drift, however.

"You?" she said surprised. Kerel nodded, an expression of delight and acknowledgment on his face.

"Yeah, congrats. It usually takes a long time before anyone realizes."

"So that whole "Carcaroth" part is just a - ?"

"Oh, no," Kerel said with a small chuckle. "Carcaroth is real. He's just... not present, at the moment. I have taken his place for now."

The girl scanned him with her eyes for a few seconds before continuing. "So you are...?"

"That," Kerel said with a tone that was starting to become threatening, "is of no concern to you."

She did not flinch or back off in fear. Instead her eyes were fixed upon his, like a prey that was daring the hunter to strike. Kerel finally smirked, closing his eyes.

"Fine, fine. What do you want?" he asked.

"Information," she said. "I need to know where I can find a certain library."

"There are loads of libraries in this land, woman," Kerel said pointedly. "Hell, you can find one in this very - "

"It's not an ordinary library, as I'm sure you would have figured out by now," she continued, as though Kerel had not said a word. "It's a library that holds a certain book... this book."

She held up a picture. It did indeed show a book, and upon seeing it Carcaroth could hear Kerel say something in his mind, but he did not understand it. It was Kerel's own language, a demonic language that he would often speak in, just to annoy Carca. Now, however, he sounded dead serious.

"Well? Do you know where it is?" the girl asked.

Kerel looked at her. His gaze had changed completely - before it had been curious and snide, now it was intimidating and scary. It was a face he only put on otherwise when he was preparing to make a rather brutal kill. However, Carca could feel no hatred or bloodlust.

"Who gave you this?" he asked.

"Nevermind that," she said with the same dismissive tone that Kerel had used when she had asked about what he was. "Do you know where it is?"

"I do," Kerel replied, scratching his head. His serious attitude disappeared, as if it had only been an illution. "Getting there is half the task, I'm afraid. You're better off not going."

Looking at her, he knew it was not an option to suggest that she ought to give up.

"Okay," Kerel sighed. "I don't know what kind of book you're looking for. To be honest, I couldn't care less. But that place... what you're looking for isn't a children's book, woman."

"I'm well aware of that - "

"Are you?" Kerel asked, and Carca could feel his curiosity build up as the demon started to circle around the girl slowly. "This place you're looking for... people have lost their minds while trying to find their way. Some have suffered fates worse than the most painful death. You're not going to make it there without help."

She stared at him for a long time before speaking again.

"So you suggest that - "

" - I come with you? Yes," Kerel replied. Carca noticed the demon's amusement bumping up a notch as he saw the girl close her mouth yet again. He clearly enjoyed to interrupt her talking. "This isn't anything you can take on without help. My help, to be exact."

Carca expected the girl to ask why. But she didn't. It was as if she had just decided to go with it and trust him. But Kerel was not as convinced.

"If you want to find this place," he said, " - if you want to find that book - then I'm your only chance. If you like it or not."

She stared at him again. For a moment she seemed to be slightly in doubt. However, she quickly recovered and slowly nodded her head.

"Alright," she said lowly. "Alright. But if you try something - "

"No worries, milady," Kerel said smoothly. "I'll be as sweet and gentle as a little kitty."

He offered a hand, for a handshake. She looked at it for a second with a flat expression on her face, before looking back at him. Then she turned her back on him, starting to walk down the pathway. Kerel quickly followed.

"We'll leave as quickly as we can," she said as soon as he had reached her and begun walking beside her. "The sooner we go, the better."

"How about right away?" Kerel said, amused. "I have no business left here - "

He fell into silence as he turned his head a little, glancing upwards to the side. The girl didn't seem to notice at first, but as he kept his head turned she looked at him.

"What is it?"

"... nothing," Kerel replied, looking away. "I just thought I saw something. Now then, on we go."

But Carca could read Kerel's thoughts. Something had moved up there. Something was following them. And the sooner they got moving, the better.

Crow quickly backed off the edge of the roof he was on. 'Damn I think he saw me' he thought to himself. "Don't worry, with your speed you're just a Haze," Riko said to him. He had followed the two he was trailing into an alleyway so he scaled the house onto the rooftop next to it to watch from above.

"It seems to me they are looking for something dangerous," Kuro started. Even if his ears aren't as keen as most elves, they are still quite sensitive.

"So what do you propose to do about this. You going to look the other way? Or do you plan on nosing around in other people's business again?" Riko told him. The Fairy knew Crow all too well.

"Like I have anything better to do," Kuroshiro answered him playfully. "Besides, the energies of those two are unsettling. The girl seems normal enough but it's suspicious for anyone to be looking for something dangerous. The man on the other hand has two auras. That by itself isn't all too bad, but that second energy just feels so sinister." The Prince paused for a second then walked over to the edge. He looked unto to his targets. "I guess there's no talking you out of it is there young Prince?" the fairy said. "Guess not," he answered.

Crow jumped over to the next rooftop, deciding that staying elevated would aid him in his sleuthing. He made sure to stay far behind them and jumping every so often to stay hidden. They seemed to be heading to another gate that lead out of the city. The two made their way outside and soon a landscape mostly rock with scattered trees. 'This is gonna make things more difficult,' the prince thought to himself. Kuroshiro had learned some slight tracking skills from his ex lover Leona, but they were moderate at best. 'I guess I'll see how things play out.'

Haze watched Kerel carefully as they moved on. She didn't trust him, at least not completely. Kegan had faith in him, though, which means that this so called demon was worth at least a little something. But was that even anything good to go on? Even Kegan she didn't fully trust, but he was the closest thing she had to an ally.

The two walked on, not saying much else to each other. Haze kept a careful eye on her supposed comrade, being sure he wouldn't try anything foolish. She hid her suspicion well, but she would never keep her guard down.

The sun shown bright in the sky. The city behind them waned smaller and smaller into the horizon. The trees and bushes had begun to thin out the further they moved away from Soledad. Boulders and jagged rocks systematically began to replace the softer land as the oasis reached the border of the desert. After an hour had passed, Haze finally broke the silence. “There should be a fresh stream beyond these rocks. We need to fill up on water if we hope to survive. We have about a day's worth of desert to cross before we reach civilization.”

“Well let's get to the water then.” Kerel replied in a sarcastically caring manner.

Haze still didn't know what to think of him. Was he really two people in one body? She had a hard time believing it, despite witnessing some pretty weird things in the past. It's possible he could have multiple personality disorder. Still, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that he knew where the library was. She'd let him lead her there, she'd get the book, and then they'd go their separate ways. If he really did have the intention of turning on her, it would be a very poor decision.

Haze pulled out her canteen as Kerel did the same. She dipped her container into the stream and began to fill it to the brim. She glanced over her shoulder, hearing a clatter in the rocks behind her. Logic would say it was a lizard or some other animal, but still... something felt amiss. She proceeded to act like she didn't hear anything, tightening the cap to her canteen. She dipped her hand in the water and drank her fill. Kerel was doing the same. When she had finished, she stood back to her full height, slinging her container over her shoulder.

“Ufuk, like you said, is a mere day's walk from here.” Kerel explained. “We can suit up on supplies there.”

Haze nodded in response. Her people were known for their endurance in many different ways, she could easily go a day in the desert without food, or even water. Still, sustenance always made the trip easier. “How far is the library from Ufuk?”

Kerel smirked darkly. “Hard to say.” He turned from the water and began walking again. She followed cautiously. She still didn't know this man's motives; until she did she would remain cautious. From the way he looked, she probably could handle him in a fight if he ever tried something foolish, but looks were always deceiving. Besides, if he was going to kill her he would have probably tried already.

Ooc: Hmm, suspicion, egad! xP

Kerel's thoughts had been mysteriously quiet since they had left the city. Carcaroth suspected that the demon was hiding something, and that was a frightening thought. Not having insight to Kerel's plans meant that he would be powerless to stop him, no matter what. It seemed that the demon had become very much aware of just how open his mind could become, and he had gone through all the measures necessary to make sure that his thoughts remained entirely private. If only Carcaroth had learned how to do that...

"What kind of name is Ufuk?" said Kerel suddenly, breaking the silence. Haze did not reply, remaining ever cautious of her companion. The demon's attempts at conversation the last half hour had been uncomfortable; ranging from highly detailed stories of his most brutal kills to questions about Haze's personal life. Really personal questions. In fact, Carcaroth was surprised that Haze had not slapped him and walked the other way already. Finding the library seemed to be important to her.

"Ufuk... I'd like a city that would be called Fuku. Or Fuk U. You know, fook yoo? People would feel welcome there."

Silence still. Carca felt the annoyance build within the demon. His thoughts he could hide, but not his emotions. And when Kerel got annoyed, he had to -

There was a swish! and a chock! before Carca even realized that the demon had jumped. He was suddenly standing on a branch, on the lone tree that they had been passing by. In his hand he held his sword, and a cleaved body fell to the ground. As he jumped down, Carca noticed Haze's sour expression.

"Who is that?" she inquired.

"What does it matter? He was waiting to ambush us, and I made sure he didn't."

Kerel sounded irritated. Perhaps he had wished for the ambusher to be a little more skilled, or at least capable of defending himself for a brief second.

"He was probably planning on robbing us or something. I mean, look at us. A pale, skinny kid and a girl. He must have expected instant kills or something. I know I would, if I had been stupid and amateurish."

Haze seemed to not be impressed at all. "Can I trust that you'll refrain from killing unless it's absolutely necessary?" she said sharply.

"No," Kerel replied with a smirk. "Not at all."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Nightfall came eventually, and the two travellers decided to have a small rest before continuing. Or rather, Kerel had insisted. Carcaroth suspected that he did everything he could in order to tick off Haze as much as possible, something Carca himself had much experience with. He knew how incredibly annoying it could be, but he had never been able to suppress the demon. He wondered if Haze would have more luck should she ever get fed up with her companion.

What are you up to? Carca inquired from within his own head. Kerel did not reply, instead poking in the fire they had set up with a small stick.

Say... the demon eventually responded. What if I told you that the more you know, the more trouble you'll become?

What do you mean?

Oh come on, you're not that stupid. The reason why I'm not telling you anything is because... well... you're not supposed to know.

Not supposed to know?

It's a surprise.

Carca felt annoyed. I don't care about surprises, if you plan on killing her or -

Whoa now, the demon said suddenly, sounding amused. I'm not going to kill her... I think. Besides, why would you care? She wouldn't object one bit if you got your throat slit tomorrow, she only needs you because I'm bound to you.

Carca knew that the demon was right, but did not pay any attention to that particular subject.

I'm just saying -

I know, I know, don't kill innocents and all that jazz. Now shut up and listen.

The tone suddenly changed. Kerel sounded serious - he who had always been sarcastic, humored or annoyed, had almost never talked to Carca in a serious manner. Carca had no choice but to keep his mouth (or thoughts) shut.

This girl isn't your regular "helpless damsel in distress". If she had been, she'd have freaked out when I killed that guy back there. She didn't even blink.

And?

And, mister detective, if you recall, we found her in the grip of a man who no doubt was even weaker than the one I put down.

Carca thought over it.

And what does this have to do with her supposed level of skill?

Nothing, I just like messing with your head. Anyway, I can sense that she's holding back a lot from us. Or me, because you wouldn't be able to figure something out even if she flat out told you.

Shut up.

Fine, but just think about it. Don't go telling me to not kill her when you hardly know the girl.

Neither do you.

Yeah, and that's why I haven't killed her yet.

Carca suddenly felt control of his body return to him. From within his mind, Kerel yawned.

You can accompany her to the lovely city of "f*** you". I've had enough of walking, especially with such a lousy crowd to talk to.

Carca sat up, rubbing his head. The demon added:

Oh, by the way. Keep an eye out for followers.

What are you - ?

But the demon had already gone to sleep.

Kuroshiro waited few minutes before starting off into the light forest. He wanted to wait until they were completely out of sight from each other first. There was enough grass and debris on the ground for him to follow their foot steps. Moments passed when all of a sudden he heard a crack from a branch and the shivering of leaves. Crow froze for a second then hid behind another nearby tree. He glanced over and saw a man jumping from branch to branch.

'Good he didn't notice me.' Kuroshiro thought as he released the handle of his rapier. He seemed to be following the two as well. 'Is he their ally or their enemy?' "It's also possible he just happens to be going in the same direction," Riko told him. "Yea, maybe," he doubted it though. "Last night I saw blood in my dream. It was vague but still unsettling. I'll just see how things go,"

***

Time passed and Crow was starting to lose interest.

"These people don't seem as dangerous as I thought. Maybe I was just over analyzing things," he told Riko.

"So what do you plan on doing now? Going back?" the fairy questioned.

"Naw, I was finished with that town so I may as well go off into the next-," but his words were like tar his throat, as he looked on and saw the worst possible thing he could at the moment. "It's the man from earlier," Riko said calmly. The Prince wasn't so calm however. He rushed over to the corpse and closely looked at it, "He was murdered," Crow said as his face twisted in anger. He growled and punched the soft ground, leaving a deep square from his fist with four deeper ridges for each knuckle.

"They definitely won't get away with this," The Prince said as he stood up. He sped off into the distance, but quickly slowed down. "But I can't confront them now, it'll be a senseless fight. I'll wait until they get into town, then I'll make sure the authorities have them repent their actions,"

"How are you so sure it was those two who did this?" Riko asked.

"Aside from their foot prints, their energies left faint traces in the air. It's hard to see even for me, but it's here,"

***

Night fell and there were less trees now, the landscape was resembling a desert more. The air was frigid like most desert nights and Crow had decided against building a fire. The two were now in sight with their own fire glowing in the distance. The darkness of night completely cloaked the prince's dark figure so he wasn't worried. "Riko, remember to wake me when the sun starts rising. I don't want be visible when they wake up," He didn't respond, but he didn't need to, he was always there and always listening, a constant companion for a lonely prince.

That night Kuroshiro had more visions, premonitions of things to come. This time they weren't so vague. He saw more blood, enough to fill dry corpses and the faces of his targets. Bad omens filled his dreams, dangers were definitely to come.

This demon, if he really was one at all, was really testing Haze's patience. So many times she just wanted to pummel the man into the dirt and be done with him, but she couldn't. He was the only one she knew of who could lead her to the library. Aside from that, he had shown a small bit of skill killing the supposed robber early on, albeit a possible unnecessary murder. He would prove to be handy in battle in the future, given the possibility of running into any hostiles in the wild, but his prodding questions were testing her last nerve. She refused to even acknowledge most of the questions he asked, rarely giving more than a one word response. The sooner their journey together was finished, the better.

While the sun was low in the sky, the two began setting up camp. Haze insisted that it was meaningless to rest for the night during a mere day's walk, but Kerel was persistent. It was almost as if he'd decided to set up camp simply to annoy her, but she complied with his desires regardless. It might actually be a good thing to get to know her comrade a bit more before reaching the city.

The camp was simple, but effective for desert weather. A fireplace at the center, wood gathered from what little brush they could find, and two small trenches dug for each of them where they could sleep with protection from the strong winds. The weather wasn't suitable for any sandstorms, so there were no worries there. Still, they couldn't stay long. The desert was the host to many unsavory creatures. Most of the beasts were more prevalent during the day, but there were a few certain ones known to come out at night.

Haze glanced over at Kerel, who was apparently all set for a rest as well. She'd sleep with one eye open tonight, figuratively anyway. If she felt the slightest disturbance in her sleep, she'd be wide awake. Of course, she was always that way. The only thing that mattered to her was survival.

Ooc: Meh, couldn't think of much.

The morning arrived as quickly as the night had done, and the sun woke them up early. Inside Carcaroth's head, Kerel was snoring loudly. Haze was the first to get up, jumping to her feet before Carca had even managed to push himself up into a sitting position. With a deep yawn he managed to stand, and before five minutes had gone they were both ready to travel once more.

"Right," Carca muttered. "Let's go."

It seemed that the change of personalities did not pass by Haze after all. As soon as he had uttered those words, she glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"So, Carcaroth again?" she asked as they began walking. He gave a small nod, then an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry about... well, his attitude - "

"So he lives inside you?" she interrupted him, perhaps her way of saying "don't worry about it". He nodded again, explaining in short how Kerel and he shared the same body and so had insight to each others' minds. When he was done, Haze seemed to be in deep thought.

"Must be disturbing to have someone else looking into your mind," she said. Carca smiled a little.

"Not as disturbing as looking into his mind," he replied quietly. From within his mind he heard Kerel make an approving sound.

Yeah, right on!

Carca decided to refraining from talking much. Not only because Kerel could suddenly decide to pop in during a conversation and utter some really obscene words (something Carca had much experience with), but Kerel's words from the night before remained in his conscience. He did not know if he could trust the girl, and the less he said, the better.

They had already put a big distance behind them, and before many hours had passed they could barely see Ufuk in the distance.

Okay, my turn now, Kerel chimed in, and once again Carca was pushed back into his own mind.

"Yay, finally," the demon said flatly. Haze groaned.

"You again."

"Oh sunshine, it is always a pleasure to see you smile."

They arrived at the gates shortly after. Haze stretched, glancing at Kerel who leaned against the stone wall as he stared at one of the soldiers guarding the passage-way.

"What is it?" she asked.

"He looked at me in a funny way," Kerel muttered.

"Forget about it," Haze sighed. "We stock up on supplies, then we leave. No killing, no fighting, no delay at all. We just get our stuff and get out. Okay?"

Kerel made a deep bow. "Yessss massssster," he wheezed. "Whateverrrrr you dessssssire..."

To annoy her even further, he made sure to hump away as slowly as he could while being hunched over.

Ooc: Alright, I am officially removing the posting order rule from this RPG. HH has only posted once so far and Kishiro D isn't all that active at the moment. Both are still open to post if they wish, but the posting order will be removed so that people who want to post may do so while others are procrastinating.

Bic:

The two travelers spent the rest of the day in the city gathering supplies and horses for travel. Money wasn't much of an issue as Haze had plenty from the job she'd held the past few years. The city was big, but wasn't nearly as densely populated as Soledad. It was a city on the border of a desert, not something that many people traveled very far to see.

At the end of the day, they were set for travel. Both had small bags filled with essentials and two horses on leads: a white mare and a black stallion. Haze had already staked a claim on the stallion. They were now looking for an inn to stay the night, despite it feeling like they'd only just woken up. Now it was necessary, though. Haze had no idea how long this journey was going to be, as Kerel was being very vague in his descriptions.

At last, they stopped in front of a suitable inn, the only one they could find in town with a stables. A wooden sign swung over the doorway. Haze read it aloud. “The Iron Liver.” She held back a chuckle at its hilariously bad name. If she had another choice, she wouldn't have chosen it. She didn't like venturing into taverns and bars, but there wasn't another good Inn where they could keep their horses. It probably would have been best to get them in the morning instead, but she wanted to be sure they were well rested as well.

"The Iron Liver."

Kerel did not move one inch. There was a grimace on his face, like a mix between utter disbelief, disgust and amusement. Haze made for the door, but turned once she realized that he was not following. She looked at him confused.

"What is it?"

"You can't seriously expect me to go inside a building called "The Iron Liver"."

She sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. There was a silent moment, Haze probably cursing herself for ever seeking Kerel out and the demon continuing to stare at the wooden sign hanging above the door.

"It's not that - "

"Bad? Oh it is. There are way better names you can give your inn. I don't trust the people here to be very bright in their heads."

"Well, that doesn't matter, we only need a couple of rooms."

"But Iron Liver..."

"Kerel."

"It might be what they serve here, you know."

"Kerel."

"That should be an interesting toilet visit."

Haze seemed to have given up. She turned her back on him, going over to the door. "Fine, sleep outside. As long as you're here by tomorrow morning, and ready to set off."

As she opened the door, however, the demon was right behind her. She turned her head to look at him, and he gave a shrug.

"I wouldn't want to let you stay in such a place alone, that would be heartless," he said with a smirk. As they went inside, the smell of beer and beef hit them right in the face, and it was quite warm.

"Geez, these guys must have some pretty wild nights," Kerel muttered as he went over to the disk, where they found a short, round woman dozing off. She snapped awake as Haze gently coughed, and she had to lift her head to be able to look at their faces.

"Yes, children?" she said with a high-pitched voice.

"Two rooms," Haze said before Kerel managed to utter a word. She seemed to have learned that letting the demon to strangers was not a good idea at all. From within his mind, Carcaroth had to acknowledge that she had been far quicker at understanding Kerel than he himself had been.

The woman bent down for a second, but quickly looked back up.

"Sorry, just one key left."

"One?"

"Oh what's the matter?" Kerel said with a bright smile, patting Haze's shoulder. "We can share!"

"Like hell I would - "

The woman chimed in. "We can arrange for two single beds, if you want."

It was with great reluctance that Haze agreed. Carcaroth knew why too. Having spent more time with Kerel, she would now be even less inclined to share a bedroom with him to sleep in. As they received the key, Kerel snatched it and hurried up the stairs to their right, which led to the rooms above.

They had been assigned a rather small room - at least for two people. There was only a double bed in there, and a mirror on the opposite wall. The windows were small, and there were no curtains.

"Top class," the demon commented as Haze entered the room after him, casting a glance over it.

Two tall men eventually arrived with the two beds that they were going to sleep in. When they were done, Kerel dumped down onto his bed - which he had chosen because he meant it was just a teensy tinsy bit softer (saying "Well, you got to choose the black horse" to Haze) - and let out a satisfied groan.

They went to bed in silence.

“Morning, sunshine.” Kerel's irritating voice was what woke Haze from her slumber. His speech startled her, her hidden blade poised at the demon's neck before she'd fully awaken. She blinked her eyes, rubbing them with her free hand. Noticing she'd had her weapon at the idiot's neck, she pulled it away, promptly sitting in bed. Kerel was laughing at her, probably over her violent reflex, but she'd already learned to ignore him.

Sunlight was already pouring through the open window. She hadn't realized how tired she'd been. She planned to wake up earlier, much before Kerel would have. She never liked sleeping for long periods of time, but she'd gotten the rest she needed. She didn't like the idea of him having conscious eyes on her while she wasn't aware; still... the freak hadn't killed her.

She swung herself out of bed, finding no need to fix the covers. She shouldered her way past Kerel who was spouting off some random comment about her legs. She worked her way into the hall to the bathroom to freshen up. In a mere few minutes, she was out and ready to go.

Kerel was downstairs in the tavern, making various patrons angry with who knows what. “Kerel, we're leaving.” She said with a sigh, tossing the keys back to the fat lady behind the desk. She opened the door and the two of them escaped the stuffy atmosphere of the poorly-constructed bar.

“Wow, that place was loaded with jerks!” Kerel spouted off.

The two walked into the stables, quickly finding their horses and pulling them free. The two mounted their steeds and swiftly pulling out and away from the Iron Liver, hopefully never to return. There was nothing particularly offensive about the place, it was just a rather uncomfortable environment, at least for Haze it had felt that way.

Their horses moved at a moderate speed, working their way through the bustling morning of Ufuk, though there weren't too many people to navigate around. There was no gate to the city, buildings simply began to get less and less dense.

It wasn't long before kerel had begun to talk again. “So Haze, you never told me what it is you're looking for in this library. A particularly captivating novel, perhaps?”

“Hardly.”

“Well we'll mark that off the list.” He responded dryly.

“I don't really see the need to explain myself to you when you've barely done much explaining yourself.”

“Touche.”

I really like this one, Kerel told an apathetic Carcaroth. I know I said that before, but I actually mean it now. She's the most fun I've had in decades.

Oh I thought I was fun, Carca responded dryly.

You're boring to talk to.

Kerel smiled a little to himself as they rode along the way. Ufuk was now effectively behind them. And before them were vast plains and mountains in the far background.

"So, lead the way," Haze told him. He threw a glance at her, before facing the mountains again.

"You see those?" he said. Haze nodded. "Well, we're not going to be seeing those when we reach that library of yours."

He turned his head a little and spat, before continuing.

"There are several ways of reaching the place, and to be honest I don't know which one is the quickest. So let's just keep going and see what happens."

"That sounds like a bad plan."

It really does, said Carcaroth. Kerel groaned internally.

"Look, we will reach the library, one way or another. So just... relax, okay?"

"It's not easy to relax around you," Haze retorted. Carcaroth laughed a little. Kerel fell silent.

Still like her more? Carca asked.

Yes, Kerel replied. In fact I'd really appreciate it if you just took her and let me -

Forget it.

Oh c'mon, just because you've never been with a woman -

She'd kill you - or me - before that would even happen.

Not if we put some work into your seduction skills, Don Juan.

Carca snorted in disbelief. You're crazy.

You're just afraid that you wouldn't be able to please a woman, said Kerel mockingly.

That's - you're lying!

How? I'm reading your mind as we speak.

Carca made a mental snap at the demon, which went unanswered. Beside them, Haze was minding her own business.

Get out of my thoughts, Carca warned.

I'd love to, but the only way for that to happen would be for you to -

It'd be terrible of me to let someone else be terrorized by you constantly, Carca said with a determined tone in his voice. It was clear that there was no point in arguing.

Fine, fine, Kerel sighed. But you gotta admit that it wouldn't be the worst piece of meat you could -

But Carca had already stopped listening, retreating further back into his mind. It took every ounce of control Kerel had to resist the urge to just tell Haze what he had just been talking about, but it would probably have led to awkward silence afterwards, and he was supposed to keep details of his demonicness hidden from her.

He turned his head a little. There it was again. The presence he had been feeling ever since before they came to Ufuk. He had not shut his eyes for the entire night that they had been staying over at the inn. He had been on his guard throughout the entire day, but he would not tell Haze about it. If this was to go as smoothly as possible, she had to know as little as possible. The more she knew, the bigger the chances would be that something would go wrong.

He knew that she would object to what he was going to do once they reached the library, too.

All the angsting made him bored. He moaned in agony, tilting his head back.

"Booooooriiiiiiiing. Let's race!"

He kicked his horse, and the mare went into gallop. Haze shouted something, but he was far too busy gaining a lead to listen. They rode along the country road, over hills, through small forests, across bridges, and over plains.

When Haze finally caught up with him again, he had come to a complete halt. His eyes were scanning the area.

"What is it?" Haze asked, looking around as well.

Carcaroth looked at her. "He's not here right now."

She looked back at him. "Oh. Well... Carcaroth, right? What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," he replied flatly. "Kerel just left control to me and he hasn't spoken since."

"... well, do you think we should continue?"

"Yeah... yeah, let's do that," he said. "We're going south from here."

As they rode on, the sun slowly slid behind a large, grey cloud.

"Prince wake up!" Riko yelled as Kuro exploded back into consciousness. Two brutes then immediately grabbed him by the arms and slammed him against a small withered tree, soon followed by ropes wrapping around his body. He looked around, he was surrounded by bandits dressed very familiar, the air around him was malicious and bloodthirsty.

"You bastard!" someone yelled as a fist plowed into his face. All of the men standing before him wore lose garments, some with their entire faces covered in clothes except for their eyes. Then someone stepped forward, it was a man, significantly older than the others, with a scar over his eye running from his brow to his jaw.

"Tell me why you did it!" He yelled in Crow's face then firmly gripped around his neck.

"Did what?" the prince asked. The apparent leader snapped his fingers and someone dropped a body onto the floor. 'The bandit from yesterday!' he thought.

"I just wanted to at least let the man who killed my little brother explain himself before he dies," the old bandit said as he pulled out a jagged blood stained knife. He raised it.

"Wait! It wasn't me! Somebody else did it!" Kuro yelled.

"Liar! You di-" but he was interrupted.

"Wait! He might be telling the truth," Someone said as he made his way through the crowd of bandits. "There are other foot prints around here. There were at least two other people around here," It was a very young outlaw, probably in his late teens.

"Yea I think I remember him saying something about going to go rob from some blond and a black haired kid,"

"So, that doesn't change the fact that he was the closest to my brother's corpse and this kid is black haired," the leader said.

"So, maybe at least you should check his weapon before you decide to kill him," the young on suggested. The leader released his grip around Kuroshiro's neck and then stared at the boy, disdain on his face.

"Ok," he said as he walked away. He looked at a few of his fellows in the crowd and motioned his head at Kuro's weapon. Immediately someone came up and grabbed Argos by the hilt and pulled. Right when it was out the rapier fell to the ground.

"There, it's clean see? No blood on it," Kuroshiro said.

"Fine, then we follow those other foot prints. Where are they headed?"

"They seem to be going to Ufuk," the boy said.

"Good, then that's where we go," He said as he started walking away. everyone followed his lead.

"Wait, aren't you gonna set me free?!" Kuro yelled at them. None answered. However one turned around, the young one from earlier. He walked to the Shadow Prince and cut the rope. He looked him in the eye, still saying nothing, then turned around and ran to his pack.

"This isn't good," Kuro said himself as he went to pick up Argos off the floor,"

***

It was night time and Kuroshiro stood infront of building. "The Iron Liver," he said to himself. "Sounds interesting," Riko answered him. Kuro had made it to Ufuk without a hitch after what had happened. As he entered the city he felt the energies of the bandits, so filled with rage and hatred. It seems like they might be setting up some kind of trap in the south or something.

"I'll just sleep out here in front of the inn for now. I don't wanna go inside and make m presence known. When they wake up I'll make myself scarce, but I still need to think about what I'm going to do about this situation,"

"Be careful Prince," Riko said softly. Kuroshiro went into the alleyway next to the inn and fell asleep.

***

Crow awoke, the sun was just about to rise. He decided to hop onto the roof and stay until his targets left. Pretty soon the two came outside and rode off on their horses.

"Dammit! I don't know what to do!" Kuro said as he paced back and forth on the roof. "Should I go and help them? Warn them at the least? Or let karma work its twisted magic?" All of these were more directed at himself then to anyone specific, but Riko was always there to chime in.

"Just think, what does your heart tell you to do?" the fairy told the prince. Kuroshiro paused and then looked out into the distance. The two now but small dots on the horizon. 'No one is going to die today,' he thought as he leaped from the roof.

OoC: I don't know, this isn't what I really had in mind for my next post. You guys just kinda posted quite a bit. Oh well let's just see what happens now.

Kerel? Hey, Kerel!

No response.

Carcaroth rubbed his forehead in frustration. He had gotten so used to the demon's presence that it was almost as annoying as when the demon actually was talking. He had been so secretive lately. What exactly was it that awaited them, that he simply would not speak of? It was concerning to think about. Kerel, who was always so happy to share his thoughts, now resigned to himself...?

Just that was enough to worry Carca.

They had reached a thick forest. The trees grew larger the longer in they went, and the road was overgrown and thin. Few travelled here.

A sudden sound had Carca's hand shoot for his sword, but he immediately relaxed. It had merely been the cry of a bird that had taken off from its nest, high in the tree-tops. Haze had noticed his reaction, and she gazed up.

"I suppose it's kinda easy to grow paranoid out here," she commented. "Especially in such an ideal place for an ambush."

As though the word 'ambush' had triggered it, Carca suddenly felt the presence of Kerel shoot forth within his mind. The demon seized control of Carca's body immediately, threw himself off his horse - and straight at Haze.

The two of them crashed into the ground as their horses came to a halt. Before Haze could react properly, Kerel had gotten to his feet and scared the horses off. When Haze attempted to get up too, the demon put his foot on her chest and kept her down.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed in a mix between confusion and anger. Kerel's face was stiff, his eyes turned towards where they had come from.

"Whatever you do," he muttered to her, "do not move."

He proceeded to remove his foot, moving over to one of the trees. Haze raised her head a little to be able to see.

"This is it..." he muttered to himself. "Closer than I expected."

"What's there?" Haze asked. Kerel turned to look at her.

"Stay down," he said. "They're here."

The sound of hooves were heard. A group of bandits were heading their way. Carcaroth expected Kerel to make a move, get up into the trees or perhaps prepare a spell, but instead the demon stood entirely still, not even drawing a weapon.

Then Carcaroth once again found himself in the possession of his own body.

"What the - K-Kerel!" Carcaroth exclaimed. He tried to reach for his sword, but too late - the bandits had reached them, and as the horses passed them, he felt something blunt and hard hit him in the head.

He fell, and everything went black.

The moment she heard the horses, Haze scrambled to her feet. She was not going to stay put just because that supposed demon had told her to. Her blade was in hand before the horde of bandits even came into view.

"What the - K-Kerel!" Carcaroth exclaimed. Haze turned just in time to see the horses, galloping directly for them. Carcaroth moved for his blade, but was hit squarely on the top of the skull. He fell like a ragdoll to the ground.

There were so many of them, there was no way she would be able to take them all on herself. She briefly glanced down at her ally's limp body, suddenly realizing that getting to the library was probably now a lost cause. Seeing the bandits' rapid approach told her to run. Survival obviously came before the desire of eternal life.

She hopped off the grassy floor, kicking off one of the horses with her left leg, then another with her right. Blades sang past her, just barely missing their mark. She swung her sword through the arm of one of the scoundrels, providing just the opening she needed for her escape. Leaping off of the man's horse, she jumped into one of the many trees that loomed above.

Stabilizing herself on a branch, she paused for just a moment to get her bearings. She found a suitable tree and leaped off.

A sharp pain stabbed through her right leg in mid-air. A deadly accurate arrow, fired by the bandit leader, had punctured her upper thigh. Her foot slipped off her target, causing her composure to be thrown completely off. She slammed hard into the opposing tree. Her body bounced off of a couple more tree limbs before finally before dropping to the ground with a solid thud.

Everything went dark.

Kuroshiro kept running down south through the desert, soon hitting some sparse trees and then a full forest. He jumped onto the trees and started jumping from branch to branch just to be safe. For every hard thrusting kick he gave from one branch he landed just as gracefully onto the next. 'I hope I get there on time,' Crow thought to himself.

The closer Kuroshiro ran the stronger the auras of the bandits got, but suddenly, the ki of the two victims quickly vanished. "No!" Kuro yelled under his breath then kicking it into high gear. Soon he stopped, they were right beneath him, the thirty or so bandits who had tied him up earlier were now now surrounding the lifeless bodies of the two. A lump swelled up in Kuroshiro's throat.

"Take them and tie them to the tree. I want them alive so I can see the light leave their eyes." said the leader. Suddenly relief shot into Crow and the lump passed. "In the trees!" Someone yelled. An arrow flung through the air, catching Kuroshiro off guard, it grazed his brow leaving blood to splatter against a tree. He jumped to the center, everyone else seems stuck in slow motion, he wrapped him arm around the chief and pulled out his rapier. "You!" He yelled as the archers put down their bows, not willing to hit their boss.

"Yes, me!" Kuroshiro retorted and held his sword up high. "Now Riko!" he said, soon the scenery got dark and the sky seemed to blacken. The horses of some of the bandits got spooked, kicked off their owners, and ran away. In an instant the whole battle field was devoid of any light and soon only blackness filled their eyes.

***

Color returned to the trees, the grass, and the sky. The bandits laid unconscious around him, all of them, minus one. The young, the bandit who had freed him early was on the ground, but still self-aware. He looked at Kuro and Kuro looked back. 'I guess I didn't hit him hard enough. I don't like hurting people who don't deserve it.'

"How did you..." he started but Crow didn't let him finish.

"It's easy for me to fight in the dark, it's where I spent most of my childhood. Be happy I was able to keep everyone alive." he told him. Kuro went over and picked up a rope and both of his targets up. "Damn they're heavy," he grunted. He then sped off deeper into the forest.

***

The Shadow Prince stopped at a stream running through the forest. He filled up a little canteen and walked over to a large tree. He had decided to tie up his captives to the and decided he would do a little questioning. Kuro had pulled the arrow out of the girl's leg and tended to the wound, using some of the boy's shirt to tie around he thigh. He popped the cap open and splashed it across their faces. Their eyes flickered opened they and looked at him with confusion. Kuroshiro quickly realized he had no idea what he was doing.

"Umm... hi," he said as he lifted his right hand like a wave. They just looked at him with disbelief and then to each other. 'Damn,' he thought. He looked at their eyes and now saw they were surveying their environment, so peaceful and calm, completely different from earlier. "They're gone, don't worry about them anymore, but I'm here now and I have questions. I want to know about the book and depending on your answers, I 'll decide whether or not to let you go." The blond one looked at Kuro amazed and confused, the boy just stared. 'I already know they're dangerous and if this book is what I think it might be, there's no way I'm letting these guys leave until I know they aren't a threat to others,' he thought.