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"But aren't we all tools? Just devices to further the means of someone stronger? Relax, child. Your daughter won't be harmed. I assure you she will be more than well when she's served her purpose." Razevi blatantly ignored the calls of the others as she focused on this one girl. "I promise, if you leave now I won't have to hurt you."

Of course, the answer to this was a lunge. A lunge. Didn't she know that the fastest way to open one's self to an attack was to charge in? Obviously this girl hadn't been using a sword long. It only took a simple sidestep of her attack and a duck to plunge her own sword into the girl's abdomen. It wouldn't be fatal (if she left now), but it would still hurt.

She turned away, pulling her sword out of Alihi. "I warned you. But if you continue...I cannot assure you everyone on your mission shall return alive."

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When Abel saw her get stabbed, his world shook, and he felt colder. "Alihi!!" He ran over to her side, and held her. Her clothes were turning red. His emotions got the better of him. "No... Alihi, be okay! Please!" He administered a vulnerary, then looked around at the others. "Somebody! Help her!" His voice was distressed. He tried to hold back some tears, but they still slowly began to build up.

He was relieved when she said she was okay. Even if she wasn't, and he didn't believe she was, she was still with them, and was still holding strong. She was giving orders. She wasn't going to give up, and neither was he. Abel would listen to her, and do what she said. "Yes, no mercy... just hang in there. Stay here with us..."

He gently laid Alihi down, then rose to his feet, and looked at the mask wearer with intensely cold eyes. "...You. First you take Amara, then you do this." His voice was shaky, but still battled to keep it together. "I won't let go get away with it!" Up until now, his enemy had said nothing. She had just stared ahead.

He gripped his blade, and held it outward. "I'll stop you. Even if I fall, even if I bleed to death, or my limbs are cut away from me, I'll find a way! ...Last time, you came up upon me and I could do nothing. This time is different." His held his blade above his head, and the breeze began to pick up rapidly, centering around Abel. "This time... I'll fight BACK!" Suddenly, his slashed his blade forward with great force, and a powerful blast of piercing wind rushed toward the raven. Wind meant trouble for winged units, and with Ganon's tune, Abel's power and speed were improved, and improved even further in his anger.

After unleashing the wind, Abel charged forward to follow up, if his first attack didn't work. He leaped into the air, and swung down upon his enemy, with great rage. "Take this!!"

A vile smirk spread across Vika's face. Seven hundred years. Seven hundred years since Razevi had felt the thrill of battle. Here it was. Her time. Her redemption. Her escape. Fingers tensed around the hilt of her sword. She glanced at the girl she had previously injured only briefly before focusing crimson red eyes upon Abel. "I warned you. But if a fight's what you wish, then I'll certainly enjoy the game!"

Upon Abel's assault, she found herself leaping into the sky, taking advantage of the raven girl's body she currently possessed to gain the altitude needed to avoid the boy's attack. The blades of wind still struck her, however, and she grimaced as her current body withstood the attack. There was something about the tune that bard played. It intensified wind-based attacks, Razevi could feel it. It would also intensify the abilities of those attuned to the wind, this raven girl included.

She swept back down, slashing a wide arc at Abel. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Blossom dashing around her. Razevi flapped wings, attempting to pull off a flip to avoid her, but she still wasn't quite used to this body. The sword dragged heavily across her backside, slicing into the base of one of her wings. The woman howled in pain, but the howl soon turned to laughter as she used her airborne momentum to dive over the two and land safely facing them. Before their eyes, the sword morphed into a golden blade, and electricity spurted from its blade. She remained still, watching the two, blood dripping from her backside. It stained her clothes, but she seemed to pay no mind to it. The sword found itself casually tossed from hand to hand swiftly, almost as if the girl were taunting the two.

And to any observer, it would appear as though her tattoo was actually glowing intensely for a moment before returning to its scarlet hue.

Shaking now,trembling,is a light all alone not a thing to heal the pain...it disappears

A simple request...returning the girl was a SIMPLE request. But did she want to take the easy way out? Nope, villians never do. Its always the hard way. His thoughts were interrupted when Alihi suddenly ran up, winding up with a wound. Next to move was Abel and boy did he look pissed. Blossom followed after, both attacking at full force ti seemed.

No mercy indeed

In less then a second, this battle had already gone fierce. "I'm not about to be left behind" even though he wasn't. This didn't seem like a battle that only two people can handle themselves. Ephraim charged in, perhaps not a smart idea but he wasn't just about to sit back and do nothing.

He could hear Blossom screaming words at her, trying to talk things through. But words didn't seem to be getting through to this woman's thick skull. "Forget it, Blossom! Talking isn't getting us anywhere!" He shouted, passing Blossom. They've already tried and if the first set of words didn't make any sense, then none will. Vika..or rather...this person wasn't willing to listen.

Ephraim leaped toward Vika, spear aimed straight for the mask.

((Crap post is crap ))

with no return, the memories flow all being swept away toward the end of this world

...Injured with pain and sadness, the you that cannot be healed
Shoulder the burden of the past that cannot be erased; don't throw away your will to live...

Roy could only watch. His body wasn't fit to fight close-combat at the moment. Ephraim's lance had been broken, Alihi took a serious wound in the stomach, Blossom was attacking the kidnapper, and all he could think of was where had he met the bird before. She looked familiar, but the mask made it tough to determine her true identity. He knew a few Ravens, but not many.

And then it came to him. This was Vika, who had that unusual relationship with one of Madriana's morphs last year. Man, she had changed a lot. He couldn't take her as a bad guy. So he couldn't fight her. But that mask...it certainly felt like something he had witnessed before.

Ah...

That's right. The incident with Tura was just like this. The mask had a conscious of its own, and was using the host's body to do its bidding. Well, if it was like that, all they had to do was get the mask off. Too bad Vika had just turned into a fiery phoenix-like bird and was kinda sorta rampaging around a little. It went for Ephraim, but Blossom shoved him out of the way. His hand gripped his sword.

No, he wouldn't attack the bird. They had been allies once before. He couldn't fight her. But he could draw her attention away from her for a while, until someone could bind the Raven.

The flames sprung up once more around his blade as he analyzed the situation. He needed to read the movements, and then strike. But not to hit her. Just get close enough to draw her attention to him. He waited for the right moment.

It was a scare tactic. Razevi really didn't want to kill any of them. But...eh, life rarely goes according to plan. The seals upon her were extremely weak for her to be able to summon her own flames. It was only a matter of time...

Aha! A splitting pain wracked her body, sending agony coursing through all her nerves. No sound of reaction came from her form as she swept up into the sky. She turned around, dove towards the ground again, and swept along her attackers, and came to a final halt upon a safe area of the sand as her form melded once again into that of Vika's human. The raven collapsed upon the cold sand, and the mask was sent flying off of her face a fair distance away from the laguz.

It was at that time that Vika realized that she had full control of her body again. She lay upon the ground, gasping for breath after bloody breath. Her wings were ragged, torn. Vika's skin was mutilated, the bloody tattoo having been replaced by numerous wounds and gashes. She struggled to stay away, but quickly found herself weakly fading into darkness.

As for the mask...