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Derek knew as little as Akari about their attacker; never before had he seen anything like this strange demon with her power. He was outright amazed at the way she handled fire, but then again, what could they have expected.

The Tiger Clan was not known for its kindness or its love. Everyone knew of the clan's existence and of their ruthlessness. Even in the modern day, it seemed so unlikely, and yet...so real.

Derek wanted to aid the dragon, for although the creature was not real, it still had something akin to intelligence and that was enough. Yet, he held back, knowing that fighting out right was going to do little good. Against monsters one didn't toss a stick.

"I don't know how to take her down," Akari gasped through pain. "What do we do?"

Derek moved until he standing directly between Shii and the artist, his gaze on the demon. To Akari he said slowly, "Do you draw water dragons by any chance, or something else, like the sea? Water works well against fire, I think." A moment later he said, "Remember, whatever strength you may have comes from wanting it to be true. Have faith that we'll win, and so it will be."

His train of thought was lost about then as Shii attacked. Protect the girl at all costs. This is your duty. To fail is to die. He parried with the stick, but the demon easily sliced through it. Ducking, he aimed a kick at the demon's legs, but she caught him instead. One powerful kick sent him flying against a tree, where Derek promptly crumbled to the ground.

Deciding to deal with him first, Shii moved in his general direction, her sword upraised. Again, the voice reminded him that he needed to protect Akari, and only that notion got him back to his feet. His nose was bleeding and the back of his shirt was in tatters, but at least both were still alive.

Swallowing, Derek ducked the demon's next swing and hit her in the stomach as hard as he could. She stepped back, then growled. Again, she raised her sword above the ground and held it.

"Why do you even bother defying me?" she asked, mocking him. "Do you care that much for the recluse over there?"

Derek blinked. The question caught him unawares, as did the next three blows. Staggering backwards, he looked up at the demon with wide, lavender eyes. "It's my duty," he answered plainly before attacking once again, probably for the last time, for he was quickly running out of both strength and blood.

((To answer your question, you decide based on how realistic your character feels. When I created Derek I made some choices about the kind of strengths he would possess. I decided that he would have almost no magic, be unable to cast spells or do anything else of that nature. Instead I made him very focused towards hand to hand combat. So, when it comes to that, I have some creative license as to what he can and can't do. However, he is not going to be able to do anything magical, such as calling up dragons or making water out of thin air.

His strengths lie more in the battle than anything else. So, he can be a quick healer in some situations and he can aim and get blows in when it comes to battle. His weaknesses lay in his lack of knowledge and ability with any kind of power.

In the same fashion, you can have some fun with your character. Decide what her strengths and weaknesses are. Make a list, if it helps. Then work backwards and try to get a feel for what she can do and what would motivate her to a certain action.

Also, since Shii is an NPC, her abilities don't have to compare with yours. She can be stronger than both Derek and Akari and still lose. In short, Shii's abilities depend on what is needed. In this case what was needed was a much stronger opponent against whom, winning would have some meaning. Shii fits that criteria. You are allowed to kill her with a blast of water however because she has served her purpose.

Hope this helps a little.
Jeremy))

It rained? No that wasn't right, although Derek had this feeling that he'd just been rained on. Standing far too close to the demon he had gotten soaked right along with Shii, although all it did for him was wash away some of the blood on his knees and elbows. Stepping back with a yelp at the cold water, he glanced at Akari with a sense of wonder. How had she managed that he had no idea, but right now he wasn't about to ask questions.

Shii turned to face the oncoming water, shielding her face with her hands. She took one step forwards and let out a shriek, but by then it was a bit too late. The spells that gave the demon strength and cohesion washed away, leaving her as little more than a black blob that hovered in the air for a moment.

Red eyes glared at Derek, then at Akari, then at Derek again. A voice from seemingly nowhere said, "You have no idea what you're getting into, Changeling. Your life is worthless, and now you've made yourself known. The Tiger Clan will come after you."

Derek shrugged and staggered to his feet. "Maybe," he said, swaying a little. "Doesn't matter, though. Begone, creature."

Then, the darkness was gone, leaving behind an ancient and rather pretty dress as well as a lot of muddy grass in one area. Where the demon had stood, the grass had wilted, turning brown and dry, but all around it was now sparklingly green. The sun was shining again, and the wind had died down a little, scattering leaves and ruffling hair.

Derek swallowed past the pain and took a step towards Akari, only to be stopped again by the strange not-quite-memory. It was like seeing a background of the park with someone else in the foreground, someone who obviously didn't belong to the scene. The feeling was near enough to knock him off his feet again.

The black-eyed man was back, grinning. "Very good. I didn't expect for you both to live. So much better than expected. Now, get the girl and go home. You don't want to be here when her master shows up. Guarantee it."

Derek sighed. He was far too worn out for words, but asked nonetheless, "What's next?"

"Who knows," Tamon answered. "Get gone."

He returned to normal, his eyes and hair getting back their original colors. The sword was just a stick again, laying forgotten not too far from Derek's feet. Slowly because walking was a difficult task, he made his way over to the artist, whose name he still didn't know, and knelt beside her.

"Hi," he said softly, voice hoarse and barely audible. "I'm Derek. What's your name, Spell Caster?"

((I've seen people describe monsters so thoroughly that I had no wonder whether the right lower fang was bigger than the left. And that just gets to me. I always see it in this fashion: every player adds to the story so why not let them pick and choose monsters. Seems like if we all work on creature it will look much scarier than if we do it individually.))