Welcome to Gaia! ::

Crow chuckled and shook his head from side to side as he stared down Ongaku. A grin slowly played across his features as if he didn't notice the arrows that whizzed past his head, only inches from his high pointy ears. "You would do wonderfully in my queens army, but my queens business is her own and I was requested not to force you to come, at least not just yet. But I'll be back for you, little one. Your friends too, if they survive." He laughed aloud as he spread his wings wide and jumped into the air, soon only a black smudge against the sky. But leaving in his wake a group of gnarled black creatures, some looking only half formed but very large. Their eyes were empty sockets of flesh that seemed to burn with an inner light, their hands holding weapons of mortal death. The one that appeared to be a leader roared loudly, bloody mucus dripping from its jowls. He sounded the attack and the group of creatures attacked the small group with a vengeance.

Zoe ran at the group of creatures sword drawn and swinging, sounding off her own battle cry.


((Have at it guys!))

Ferral shot out a 5 arrows and put her bow away. "It's time to get serious." She said to herself and the writing returned on her arms, there was a small mark where the blood has been wiped. There was time to think about that later she thought and summoned a staff of pure light to battle the dark creatures. She charged straight into the fight quickly stabbing through one. It exploded in a ball of light and the creatures around her stepped back cautiously. "Can you adapt?" She asked standing in her ready position.

Ferral charged through the group stabbing her staff of light into any dark spot she could manage. Slowly but surely the group was making their way through the dark creatures. Ferral ducked and dodged but it only took one to knock her to the ground. "Damnit!" She cursed rolling out of the way. Darkness stained her clothes, she tried to whipe it off with her hands but it only spread. She brought her staff to the darkness and rubbed it against her clothes, it did the trick. "How many more are there?" She called jumping back into the battle, her side throbbing.

Zoe swung her sword arm wide, slashing open two of the creatures with her broad blade. She didn't see the creature waiting in the darkness of the forest behind her. The creature rushed her, catching her shoulder with his sword as Zoe moved to the side. The warm trickling of blood oozed down her arm as she yelped and swung around to face the creature. The creature roared his disappointment on missing his target.
Zoe kicked out at the creature, kicking him hard in the gut bringing him to the ground. She grabbed her sword with both fists, she swung the heavy blade high above her head and was in the very act of bringing it down upon the creatures head when a slender shadow fell across the pair; a third blade came out and crashed against the first as she brought it down, blocking the blow. She twisted sideways, swinging the sword with ease slashing at the creature who had blocked her blow, they crossed blades for a few minutes before Zoe's sword found its mark in the stomach of the second creature, dropping him to the ground. She turned blocking the blade of her other attacker, his arms below his tunic bulging and knotted with cords as the first blow struck, the strident ring of metal upon metal sounding sharp and clear. Zoe's eyes flashed as she slid her sword across his and brought it to his neck, slashing it quickly, ending its life.
She got to her feet and glanced around. Seemed that most of the creatures were now dead or had run off. She pressed her hand to her bleeding shoulder and sheathed her sword.

"Princess Zoe?" An elderly elf stepped out from behind a scortched tree. "It's me...Raghnall."

Raghnall hung his head as Zoe pulled away.

"I am sorry, my dear princess, but no. I am afraid I am the only one." Raghnall knelt befor Zoe and took her hand. "Forgive me, your highness. I was not able to help your family. I was away gathering herbs when the attack commenced. I travelled back as fast as I could, but I was too late. Please forgive me. If I had been here..."

"Ragnhall?" Ongaku looked in disbelief at the man he once knew as his Speaker of the Black Hand. But this man was much older than the elf he knew. Yet still... could it be? "Ragnhall the Silent?"