Personal opinions after saving our hides. (Wren)

[Ximal]

Liro watched shroud in his cage calming himself. Almost chuckling...Liro listened to wrens arguments back. Claiming the conditions were petty at best...Liro merely smiled. Liro shook free of the chains which bound his arms as he listend to shrouds continual talking. "Would you quit your whining? I'll agree to the trade off once were free, that you can be assured of. Now shut your yap and loose focus. Focusing wont help until you've unlocked the power. Up until that point it's about as useful as shykeing in your pants." Liro was liking shroud less and less. Still he wanted his powers...And to save his hide that might be nice too...Bell after bell passed and still shroud did nothing. It wasn't working his method. He'd just been hammering the wood for no apparent reason and his hand looked like a lump of tenderized meat. "Keep doing that and you'll have a stump and a solid bar, rather than a hand, and a shattered plank. Get angry, there's no other way to activate it..." Then almost in response to his words, liro saw a flash of anger frustration wash over shrouds face. Then he hammered the bar, and fell flat on his ass. Liro would have laughed in any other circumstances. He thought he better at least congratulate his would be and rather lack lustre companion. Instead he threw a back handed insult. "About time. Unlike you i actually listen when advice is being handed out." Liro drew in a deep breath and sighed, this was not a point of contention or a moment to behold as a reverence of power or a moment to congratulate him on learning something very difficult. Right now was a moment for escape. With what shroud said next liro simply smiled. "You live in my head for a week you tell me what's more disturbing after that?...Sill i'll bear with you now as for my bars... Liro looped the chain around and over the bar at the rear of the cage, Solid steel which the cage was, really wasn't going to break with just that, so Liro would improvise. Harnessing more flux focusing with a clear head willing the energy into his arms, harnessing the power into raw will and force, he yanked on the chain hard. What exactly he hoped would happen happened next. The lock on the chain which had been securing it in a loop sheared, and completely snapped. Now liro had a length of chain and an idea of what to do with it. Shroud would be doing something so liro though he better have aback up plan just in case. The bars wouldn't be ripped, and judging by the thickness of the metal. They wouldn't be bent either. if someone hadn't heard a commotion by now. Then the guards were deaf as anything. "Shroud, this plan of yours...Dose it involve the slaughter of the fools that imprisoned us? If so...I know excatly how to use this chain..." The Merciless, smile of utter madness, the glint of insanity in his eyes. Liro knew just what to do with this chain...He'd be taking it with him after this event as well...Liro wrapped the heavy chain around his wrist and over his knuckles...And awaited shrouds next step...

[Wrenmae]

His hand throbbed with Ximal's words, punctuated deeper by the annoying way he spoke, like he was on the verge of laughing. This...imaginary friend Liro, it was any wonder the man made friends at all, much less lived in Sunberth. Testing the bars again, Shroud glanced back at Liro and sighed, putting a hand against his own forehead before standing up. "The only thing I'd find disturbing in your head," Shroud muttered, "Is your penchant with invisible friends and your overwhelming lack of common sense." He knocked gingerly against the wooden bars again, testing their density, finally taking a deep breath and standing back. Bringing out his bloodied hands, he concentrated on the feeling of nothingness, the way it overwhelmed him, embraced him, filled him with the concept of shadow and umbra. Placing both his hands forward, he fed Djed to the idea of nothingness, not mere darkness, but the oblivion of the beyond. Two small black holes opened where Shroud's hands rested, against two bars of the cage. Feeding the little hungry mouths his Djed, they expanded inch by inch till they were larger than marbles, consuming a small section of each bar into the nothingness they were born from. For a few moments they spun, these tiny things, and Shroud fed them till the moment they had torn away two perfectly cut gaps in the bars. Filling the Voids with somethingness, the emptieness of them collapsed, leaving Shroud breathing deeply and rubbing his bleeding hands together. He glanced over at Ximal, sighing, "And flux is the ONLY thing you can do? How limiting." Wringing out his hands again, he put the palm of his right about four feet below the first gap on one bar, the left palm in the middle between gap and his right hand. Breathing out and picturing the void again, he let the little portal spit out of empty air, bring forth its cold shadow onto the bar and cut it away as well. During the course of his conjuration he muttered nonsense, rhyming gibberish that helped focus his mind. Incantations to summon the Void. The four foot length of wood would have tipped forward and fell, but Shroud grasped it firmly by his left hand, and gently placed it down on the ground. He quickly repeated the process on the other bar, loosening it as well and creating a slightly larger gap between the bars to squeeze out. "As a matter of fact," he said, stopping in front of Ximal's prison, "It does involve their deaths. Now that they know, we can't very well leave them alive." Slinking across the room to the door, Shroud waited, crouched, watching through the weathered cracks as the guards spoke in hushed tones. One held the keyring, danging at his belt, and the other carried a spear. They were nervous, unsure if they shouldn't be watching the prisoners. The consenus was that the thin one, Shroud, have powers to bewitch the mind. Technically true, he did, but not in the ways they seemed to think. It took almost three chimes for one of the guards to excuse himself to relieve the pressure building in his bladder. A stroke of luck Shroud was happy to have. Daylight could not be more than four bells from arriving and that meant they needed to move fast. His dagger was sheathed in the remaining guard's belt. Glinting at him from the knotholes in the door. Holding his breath and waiting for a moment or two, at least till the front door to the warehouse swung close, Shroud moved. The door swung open and the murderer deftly drew his blade from the sheath, long cold iron glinting by the lantern light in the hallway. The guard twisted back from him, eyes bulging in terror. Stepping forward, Shroud brought his blade up and menaced him with it, swinging it up against his neck before his opponent could draw his longer sword sheathed at his other side. The man froze, a garbled scream fading in his throat. "There, there," Shroud whispered, enforcing doubt, lethargy, and terror on the man in front of him. His tongue wove the words, but the Djed, think in his mouth, honeyed over his victim like the spider gently spinning web around its prey. His opponent was helpless to resist, doubting he could move fast enough to draw his blade, feeling so tired, how long he'd stood guard, and tranquilized by the fear this mage would murder him if he so much as chirped. "Let's be a good boy and open the cage for my friend, hmm?" The guard nodded dumbly, swallowing, praying to any and all gods that he be delivered from this horror. Walking slowly up to Ximal's cage, he raised a trembling hand with the keys and turned them in the lock, freeing the giant. "Good," Shroud hissed behind him, tickling his neck with the point of the blade, "That wasn't so hard, now was it?" He stabbed him through the throat as he started to shake his head, eliciting a gurgle and a shuddering scrabbling at the sharp end of the blade protruding from his throat. The guard fell to the floor with a solid thud, Shroud immediatley looting him for his coin, and the coin he'd liberated off the murderer when he found him. The hypnotist glanced up to Ximal, wiping his blade on the mans back as he wrested his sheath free of his belt. "That answer enough for you?" He nodded back at the entrance. "His friend will be back for him soon, see that you retrieve your things as well...I doubt all of them are still awake...so we'll need to move quickly and quietly." He surveyed the barbarian, frowning, and then standing and shoving blade and sheath into his belt. Yes. No one must know about him and his magic...he couldn't afford to leave survivors. Not even Ximal.

[Ximal]

Liro observed. Liro watched. Liro became intrigued. the little man before him seemed to have more tricks up his sleeve than that vipers tongue. Black portals into sheer impenetrable blackness. Impermeable and cutting with more force than a blade through silk. Interesting. The man even if he was small held tricks. And liro was only beginning to see the very light trappings of the tip of the iceberg. Just what was this person capable of? And how could liro get his hands on it. Whilst he awaited shrouds breaking free of the cage he wrapped the length of twelve feet of chin around himself. He had a plan fr this and didn't want it being used before hand. Slow, slow breathing. LIro was enjoying watching what this man could do. Whether or not he was on hi side or not LIro had a craving for power. And it seemed a good route too it was through this person. Liro cracked his joints lightly limbering up for the massacre to come. He had a strange craving for death today. Was it an urge for vengeance? Or a lust for retribution? What ever it was it was fuelling liros presence right now. The sick smile on his face sat steady and unmoving as shroud slipped free of his confinement. "The only limitations with flux, is the limit of the pain you can withstand. And how far your willing to push yourself. But one with a lot of magic's would find this limiting within the confines of their own stature." If the jibe at shrouds physical stature did not rile anything then the little man had nerves of steel. If it riled him, well it would only serve to make him more pliable later on. Shroud slid up to the door. Taking his sweet time about liberating Liro from the bonds that still surrounded him. Perhaps he would have been better served to risk braking the chain and pry the bars open. Then the event happened as liro pondered his situation. Speaking but two words he made the cry for his friend die in the man's throat. And then commanded him to come forth and release liro? Oh do tell, how did the small man subdue his larger foe with but two words? And then convince him to tumble his body over towards and release me? I smell yet more magic...And this one i can attune to my preferences. I do quite enjoy the meandering of this man's multitude of multi-purpose magic. As the cage swung open shroud put his knife through the man's throat. Alerting liro to a fact. There was a second guard? Well he would have to be disposed of. But without shrouds 'talents' Liro would have to rely on something he had in leaps and bounds over the smaller man. Strength. Sliding free of the cage. Liro merel shot a look at wren as he slid u towards the wall and awaited the foot steps of the approaching guard. As the poor fool rounded the corner and door into the room he took two steps in. Saw shroud and the corpse of the other guard but before he could raise his voice higher than a squeak. Liro hand his fore arm and bicep crushing the man's throat. Killing his voice where i lie. "Tsk, tsk. We don't want anyone sleeping to wake up do we?" Within the space of a second Liro snapped the guards neck like a twig. The sickening crack and pop of vertebrae and arteries snapping. Liro breathed slow and clam. "And you wonder how i evaded capture for so long?" Liros smile was sly and sardonic. Let the smaller man thin of him as a brute. It served his purpose. Striping the guard whom he'd just killed of Liros cold iron hand-axe. He smilednad watched the light glimmer in the darkness. "Two down, seven to go." Liro had a much finer control over flux then Xi ever did or would. He knew the workings of how it flowed around his body. As Xi used it Liro learned about it. Liro lifted his gaze from the corpse beneath him. Looking directly at shroud. The one who he had just taught flux in it's most basic form. The ice in liro's eyes was cold, heartless, and edged with insanity. Still It was warmer on shroud than it currently was on the bastards who had captured them. Slow breaths. Careful planning. And a skill LIro wanted. He wanted it badly. But he would have to wait. Now was not the time to discuss the subtleties of magic and transfer it between them. Though Liro did simile and ask but one question. "If you had your power to cut through those bars. What in the name of the gods did you need flux for?" Let his opponent in this grand chess match think him stupid. Right now liro held the upper hand. He still could used flux. Sometimes having just the one magic could be better. Shroud had just used three in the space of fifteen chimes. Three different magics. If he was not worn out. Then the little man had more stamina and energy than he gave him credit for. Taking a deep slow breath it appeared the best cource of action was to leave the room. "Do we head towards the sound of the docks? Or to the sound of snoring idiots...Your right i choose idiots too."

[Wrenmae]

Two bodies, the cages lay empty behind him. Shroud cast a quick glance around the space before they left, taking note of the crates stacked chest high against the walls. Most of them spoke of cloth in faded letters, but it was the barrels that drew his eyes, stacked in one corner and emblazoned with three letters in black tar across their front. Oil, Oil, Oil. A small smile found its way to the murderer's face. Yes, the means for his disposal of this whole lot were right here in the thrice damned warehouse. Of course, the damages would certainly attract attention...but by then it would be too late, he'd be long gone into the streets. The old warehouse stood apart from Sunberth, adjacent to a ruined area of docks not yet repaired from the storm. Collateral damage would be minimal, and the gain would be all his. Following the path of boxes and barrels with his eyes, he nodded at the corpse and then to Ximal, stepping out into the hallway cautiously. "I have need of flux for a specific reason," he whispered harshly, moving pace by slow pace toward the din of snores, "You'll know when I use it." But Liro's observation was correct. Shroud's body was weary with the exhaustion of so much magic already. He had just a bit of Djed left for hypnotism or a burst of Flux, had to measure himself carefully. Overgiving was like tripping over a crack at this point and the Sweet Whispers urged him to continue, to cast more and more, open larger and larger voids...swallow them all. Shroud dug the sheathe of his dagger into his leg, the sharp pain pulling him away from his fantasies. He was tired, caged, and now it came to finishing the job...but his mind wasn't where he needed it. The desire to unleash his power...it was nearly overwhelming and he couldn't keep up this pace much longer if he wanted to hold onto his functional sanity. Pausing outside the door, Shroud pushed it open, revealing four sleeping forms outlined in threadbare blankets. He nodded to Ximal, stepping in inch by inch. The four men slept soundly, the largest one snoring like the grumble of thunder, or the roar of some sort of pouncing predator. Shroud pointed him out, indicating him last. The first was a thin man, curled up to himself, grasping his slight body for warmth. Shroud could feel the cold, the way it bit at him, slowly stole the strength from his joints. He brought the blade up, shoving a cupped hand on the sleeper's face. Snapping awake, the man screamed into the cupped hand as Shroud brought down the blade into his throat. With lanky desperation, the victim lashed out at his assailant, punching him straight in the jaw, then the nose, then the eye. And then fell limp. Shroud wheeled off the man, wiping blood from his nose and steadying himself to keep the room from spinning. A dying man had strength far beyond what he normally would...he wasn't careful enough to remember that. As Ximal moved to silence his victim, Shroud repeated the same motion to the third sleeper, deftly bringing his blade across the throat and spreading a red yawning mouth where unmakred flesh had been. Ximal could handle the big one, Shroud fell back against the wall, blood flecking his clothes, breathing heavily. "I need a moment," he said holding out a hand and then bringing it to his head, "Just a few moments to catch my breath."

[Ximal]

Liro looked down at the man on the ground. Happy to have his axe back he gave it a quick swing. Still intact. Reaching down onto the guard he relieved him of another long knife. Looked directly at shroud and said calmly. "I believe this is yours?" Tossing the knife to him Xi slipped from the room out intt the hallway. A crash of waves against the docks to the right and the sound of sleeping idiots to the left. Liro listened to shrouds explanation of why he wanted flux. Shroud was not exactly full of energy from the way his lethargic body was moving. Liros presumption was right, good Liro had a way out nd leverage to get the skill he wanted. Following shroud down the corridor liros weight ed boots muffled by the fact of the floor being coated with hay. The door to the guards bunk room was small but made no noise. Good. Shroud gave the signal for Xi to take out the two on the right. A large one, no the large fat petcher who'd stolen his battle axe. Xi would take that fat bastard out last but first the other idiot sleeping soundly and silently. Xi rolled his feet across the floor to reduce the noise even on the silently crunching hay strewn floor. Noticing his other two axes in this room Liro smiled slid the cold iron hand-axe into his belt and lifted his steel one from the table at the end of the room. The sick smile of murderous intent plastered across his face. Straddling across the man's chest but being careful not to touch him. Liro pinned his arms to the bed and Pressed his hand completely over the smaller man's face. Engulfing it completely Liro kept his fingers splayed open. Allowing him to see the bastards eyes,Placing the icy steel on the man's throat. He roused him from sleep letting his icy black blue eyes stare cruelly into the poor fools fear stricken and addled eyes. Liro wiggled the edge of the axe slowly. The man couldn't scream Tears flowed into those fear stricken eyes as liros smile grew sickly wide and menacing. He leant in close to the poor soul who was struggling violently against liros huge weight and whispered almost callously but with a cold and sharp edge. "I'll make it slow, i'll let you feel the blood flow into your throat as you bubble and drown in your own blood. Don't blame me though. Blame your leader, he'd going to die the most violently out of everyone. Your just going to die slowly." Liros smile twisted and became one of sick pleasure as he brought the axe edge across the man's trachea and carotid artery. Liro heard a rush of water before the edge even sank in. The poor fool had pissed himself in fear. The cold edge of the axe bit deep into the man's throat. Liro smiled. Blood shot up and across the wall directly to the left, and continued to flow out into the cloth fo th bed. Liro watched panic stricken eyes grow cold. Silent. Dead. Clambering off of him he wiped the axe edge clean against the still dry sheets. One down. Just porky to go. Liros face curled into a smile once again. Shroud had dispatched his two victims and left liro to do the fourth and final. Liro lifted the axe from the end of the bed. and dlid it onto his back. Looking around the room liro wondered how he could cause utter fear to spring forth from this poor misguided man. What could he possibly do to cause the man to shyke himself before he died. Then Liro spotted the rope..The sick gears in his head began to turn. This was the one who'd lashed liro's arms together. He would enjoy making this one cry out in agony but no. He had to do this silently. But he could still watch him suffer. Grabbing the length of rope from the edge of the bed he tied it around the fat ones wrist. Double loop and then tied off. Throwing it under and through the bed he tied it tightly the other side to his other wrist before cutting it with his age and tying the man's feet together. How deep a sleeper was this guy? Liro just smiled as he took his time. waling back to the other bed to get a strip of warm blood soaked cloth and cutting it from the bed sheets he strolled back over opening the man's mouth and shoved the cloth within. Cracking his neck silently, his cold hard menacing eyes locked onto his victim. tying a final length of rope over and around his moth he had effectively immobilised and gagged this poor man. His face just smiled evilly. Smacking the man in the side of the face with his cold axed recently cleaned in and of blood. His eyes shot open. Horror and panic were all that ran through his simple brown eyes as he struggled. Liros just smiled with a brutality that wasn't normally him. he whispered smoothly, with an air of frigidity. "Oh. Don't be scared...What did you think would happen? You'd hang me and be done with it? Sorry plans change. And right now...Your on deaths list. Your choice strangulation or decapitation." Liro smiled and let the question sit knowing full well all the poor bastard could do was breath. Let alone make a sound. Liro peeled his eyes round the room silently. Sliding his axe back into his belt he spotted his missing gauntlets. Perfect. Pulling them onto his hands he walked back. "No response? Oh well that means option three then." His face snarled into a vicious grin and he slammed his steel clad fist down hard breaking two or three of the poor fat man's ribs. He was enjoying this the sweet look of agony. Liro brought his other fist down into the opposite side causing the same wound on the opposite side. LIro then picked a small thin knife off odf the counter. Tiny, but long bladed enough to cause sever harm. Liro shot a look of sheer madness oat his victim and a horrific smell filled the room. The poor bastard shyked him self. liro walked over and slid the knife between the mans ribs. Deeply into his right lung and again into his left. Letting the man choke on his own blood and lack of oxegyn Liro turned to face a slumped shroud asking for a few chimes. To catch his breath. Ovek...Why do you love me so? Liro strode over to him far enough way to be out of any sneak attacks should shroud try it but close enough to be heard whispering. "Well whilst you catch your breath, how about you hold up your end of the agreement. Right now your not really going any where so do explain to me what sorcery you used to get that man to open my cage. Teach me that. And we'll call it even. I'll even kill off the last of the guards whilst you sit here and recover. Sound like a good agreement? Oh and don't worry about wheezy over there. He'll die soon. So how about you hold up your end whist were safe and your catching your breath." As of this exact moment liro held all the cards and he knew it. And if shroud was half as intelligent as liro thought he was. Shroud would see that too. Thesick smile faded into a sly conniving grin. Planning. Slowly, slowly catchy monkey.

[Wrenmae]

Ximal's pretend self was brutally slow with his victims, wasting precious time making their deaths slow and memorable. Personally, Shroud didn't see much of a point. After death, what could one take from life? Only this twisted brute would take the memory of what he inflicted, and was it really worth all that much to him? Shroud watched him, taking in breath by breath as he wiped blood from his face. They couldn't afford to sit idly. Any moment someone might come by to wake one of the slumbering oafs for another watch. There was likely due to be a change in a bell, or perhaps the end of this one. In any case, it was too early to allow himself time to fully recover. He'd have to risk overgiving... It brought a pitiless smile to his face. Well, not like he hadn't before. Liro finished with the last, his wheezing death a throttled moan. Shroud stood, having more than adequate time to recover at least a second wind and brushed Ximal's request off. "Three more to deal with, patience." He stood up and stretched, securing the two long daggers at his waist and relieving the men of any coin they still had. He recognized one of them, a bounty posted for the fool around shady corners. Tall Johnny's wanted his head for skipping out on one too many loans...petcher decided to stay in the city. Fool then. Crouching near the wanted man, Shroud nodded his head at his neck. "I want his head, think you can oblige?" Whether he did or didn't Shroud was already moving to the hallway, marking the pale corona of light emitting from the door at the end of the hall. "My magic is called hypnotism, and to use it, you'll have to surrender your defense to me...at least when all this calms down. Just a moment or two, it's part of the initiation." He was lying, of course, but at this point it hardly mattered. The ringleader was just a door between them, and the sun was just preparing to breach the horizon. The nightmare of the evening was only made memorable by the plans Shroud hatched. Tonight...tonight he'd rid himself of all these ludicrous problems, people, their petching meddling. The door hung on its frame by rusty hinges, swinging open as Shroud padded down the hall to emit one of the bandits, laughing and waving over his shoulder at the friends he'd left. Shroud only moved, did not think. Sprinting forward he brought his blade back and buried it into the mans chest, punching the cold iron through his chest and yanking it out, stabbing him again before pushing him back through the open door. Falling backward, gurgling, the other two men were on their feet in an instant, silver mizas and cards cascading over the tabletop as the leader kicked the table down between Shroud and himself. The other bandit had drawn a wickedly jagged axe and advanced on the mage with a snarl on his face. And the leader? He stood in wordless fury, his hands clenching and unclenching. Shroud focused on the other man, chasing him back into the hall, rather than the leader. It was obvious...guy was a blowhard. Hadn't even gone for a weapon. Shroud backed toward where he hoped Liro would soon emerge. This would be simple.

[Ximal]

Liro looked in and raided the draws of the poor idiots left in the room as he listened to shroud shrug off the request. A couple golds and a few silvers. Not much but money was money. Liro sighed as shroud asked for the mans head. To what point and purpose. Liro gave him an incredulous look. Taking the large axe of his back and sliding the other into his belt he brought it down letting the axe follow through with it's eight and watched the head become severed cleanly from the body. shaking his head and wiping the axe on the bloost stained sheets he replaced it upon his person. Six down three left. Liro smiled as he pocketed that knife he'd found. Could come in handy later along with the length of chain. Hypnotism? Interesting...Surrendering defence? Not likely, but liro wanted this power. "Fine When the next three are dead. from the looks of it. We've got about forty five chimes till sunrise. That's no time at all." Liro slunk around the room a few more seconds to see what else he could find. Picked clean...Shyke. Liro wondered where shroud went. Liro then hear the commotion. Fantastic. Liro slid the axe onto his back and chased shroud down the hall. Son of a bitch. Petch. Shroud brought down the man in full view of the others. Well so much for being stealthy. Liro watched an axe emerge into the hallway, and focus solely on shroud completely oblivious to the giant now running down the hall. Liro had a moment of inspiration and flipped back to Xi.

Xi regained control and Liro told him what had happened in a brief flash of information. Great so if shroud lost his head then Xi lost his ticket at hypnotism. Xi focused the distance wasnt too far but he would have to land a hard punch. With steel plated hands that would be easy but Xi wanted to put and end to this quickly. Taking the chain off of his torso Xi wrapped it around his right hand to give his punches a bit more force. Harnessing his flux into his upper and forearm muscles. Perfectly calm and devoid of emotion, the amount of power was perfect the electric snap of strength hitting him like a lightning bolt. Xi wasnt used to the feeling of the ammount of flux he needed hitting his muscles perfectly, incaft he was quite taken aback at how effortless let he'd achieved this. Feeling the flux dart around his body Xi was now learning in silence. Now shouting with a fully charged flux fuelled right straight he roared down the hall. "Oi Suzie." The axe wielding brick of a man turned his face to see Xi's right hand streaming at his face. Sending the man clean off of his feet. The look of pain on Xi's face grew as he heard the sound of the bone shattering impact. Especially as he heard the groan of the man. Still alive. Broken jaw probably but still alive and now very, very angry. Xi thought. Looking at Shroud Xi spoke with an air of confidence. "Limiting? Please." As the jagged axe wielding man rose from the floor liro smiled and stepped towards him. The man was close to Xi's shoulder in height. But that still meant that Xi held the advantage. Plus the broken jaw would offer him small edge as his opponent now had a huge weak spot. Glass jaw? Mr. brick rose from the ground and pointed his axe at Xi before swinging it down at him. Not quite at bulls level but then again he didn't have bulls reach either. Taking a half back step the blade sailed past harmlessly as Xi responded with another punch to his jaw. Xi's stomach twisted as his opponent roared in pain and rage. Xi opened himself up and said plainly almost goading his opponent into loosing all self control. It worked. The axe-man was flailing aimlessly just looking to hack Xi apart. All Xi had to do was back step and dodged as well as the occasional block. Though when he blocked it hurt, a lot. The jagged steel slammed into his solid steel coated forearm. The blow has hard and heavy but Xi only had to suffer three of them. That and the flurry of blows was getting faster and harder until. Bingo. Exhaustion. His opponent slumped over. Heavy weighted by the axe he was swinging. Xi merely smiled and said. "Honestly if you possess such an intimidating weapon at least have control over your emotions." And that brought the beast back to life, calmer, faster, stronger. His second wind was staggering. Xi was barely dodging then a miss step. Petch. The handle of the axe cracked hard into the side of his head. Missing his temple and an instant knock-out by centimetres, and luckily the handle was coated by the brutes knuckles. That knocked the cockiness clean out of him. Xi was now Calmer and more focused himself. Countering a solid blow by back-stepping he closed the gap with one swift vicious kick. Focusing his energy hard and fast he brought his flux into his thighs. Harnessing it holding it, focusing it. Not a modicum of power over or below what he wanted. He snapped the kick round hard and fast. Like a lash the steel lined shin of his crashed with the force of almost three times it's normal power into the bastards ribs. Smashing and shattering them on his left hand side. The bastard coughed blood but would still not go down. No good. Xi would have to go for a throat shot kill. He'd have to enter that arc of where the axe was fastest and deliver a killing blow to the throat. Shunting himself up off his knee he slammed both his hands into the man's jaw. Forcing him to roll with the punch and swing that axe widely. Petch Xi's vision blurred. The axe handle careened into his left arm and he felt something scream in pain. Delivering a vicious blow with his right hand to the bastards trachea he collapsed his wind pipe crushing it but not completely. No breath equals dead bastard. Xi checked his left arm. Nothing was broken. Thank gods. Xiro walked back over and offered a hand to shroud. "Four all. Leader makes five. You want him?" After helping shroud off of the ground Xi recovered his thoughts but Xi's mind was on the person he'd just beaten, and the head wound he'd received. His vision was blurring a little. That didn't bode well. Xi shook his head to refocus his eyes. His vision really was blurring he'd be impaired for this next bit. If he had to fight the leader he'd need Shrouds help, and the impact he'd taken to his arms and upper left arm was starting to reveal itself. Xi took a deep slow breath. Adrenaline. Wonderful stuff until it wore off and the pain kicked in. Then Xi heard some thing he did not want to hear. A groan. Petching petcher was still alive. And Xi hadn't robbed him of his weapon. Petch, petch, petch, PETCH! "Better make that three to four again. Son of a petcher won't stay dead." Xi refaced his opponent ready for round two. This time Xi could feel pain creeping into him slowing him down. Great. Level playing field for round two.

[Wrenmae]

Ximal toyed with his opponent at the first, quick moves, dodges, hand against axe, but the brute had the upper edge in size and training...or at least by a bit. Not once did the jagged axehead sup human blood. Although that was not the same that could be said for the wall, black rents where the axe hit yawned, snarled and snapped in frozen hunger. Shroud watched the fight between the two, and although short, was happy to see the giant winded and tenderized by his opponent's tenacity. Without the brute, he wouldn't have likely been able to take the full measure of the axe wielder. Ximal pulled him off the ground, his lanky chest still rising and falling to his heightened heart rate, mentioned the leader, and turned to face his poorly dealt with opponent. Shroud took a step back into the room, their captor remained where he was, hands clenching and unclenching. When the murderer stepped back inside, the thin captor offered a mirthless smile, holding up his hands. "How like a petching mage," he hissed coldly, "Should have just killed you and your friend, more fitting to die in the gutters." "Two counterpoints," Shroud answered with a smile, drawing his long dagger and flipping it hand to hand, "First, the oaf isn't my friend...second, how would you know how a mage acts? Sunberth rats don't get much of us." He stepped farther into the room, moving widely around the table. His opponent remained unarmed, scarred hands out and plainly visible. It was strange, the scars on his fingers were inflicted almost ritualistically. The gaunt man scoffed, "I've seen enough of your kind, petching monsters. You lose control, lose yourselves, and you force your petching madness on others. You're nothing but a plague, a Vayt-cursed plague." Rage licked across his voice, filling in the spaces between pauses. "I've dedicated everything to killing you petchers, your damn accursed 'art'." He was trembling, his scarred fingers danced back and forth as Shroud neared. ...scarred fingers. He remembered Sable, the sea, the book on... Oh petching gods... As Ximal finished with his opponent, an explosion resounded from the room where Shroud had entered. Shortly thereafter, Shroud exited the room, hurled from the door by a blast of wind and fire. His shirt smoldered, skin bubbling on his chest as he hit the ground and rolled down the hallway. Spitting blood and hissing, the mage was on his feet shortly after, backing away from the door. "The petching mage hunter is a petching reimancer, Gods damn it! A petching reimancer!" "My name is Vellos," The leader snarled, bringing up his hand and hurling a ball of fire at Liro, "You mages burned down my home, murdered my parents, and if that wasn't petching awful enough...you...you..." He punched the air, a blast of flames washing towards Shroud. Hissing, the mage was back on the balls of his feet, falling on his ass and rolling away from them. The fire scorched the walls, burning the corpses in the hall. "YOU GODS DAMNED TURNED ME INTO ONE OF YOU!" Another gout of flames, his own skin starting to bubble and pulse with the strain of his magic. Rage fueled the Sweet Whispers, rage sang in his blood, rage would kill them all. Shroud was on the defensive, unable to get any closer when the maniac was flinging fire...and he doubted Ximal was fairing much better. "Petching can't ever be easy, can it?" Shroud hissed to himself, hurling his body out of the way of flames, singeing his cloak. Never easy. Not once.

[Ximal]

There always one ass-hat who refuses to go down. And apparently today it was the person that Xi had taken on. Fantastic, Xi danced around him putting his opponent between him and the door to the room shroud had just entered. All the thick headed lout could do was roar. Apparently liro had crushed his voice box. Babbling idiot. Xi put an end to this swiftly whilst he could still see straight. That blow had done a number on his noggin. His eyes were bleary and his head was pounding. Another blow to the head and he'd be out cold. Sidestepping the brute's downward cut Xi put an end to the bastard unlooping a section of chain from his hand and looping it around his neck. Pulling it tight he head the breath slowly fall from the man's lungs. Then with a final pull he heard the snap. broken neck and crushed arteries. Xi smiled and lifted the axe up of the man that he'd just killed. Good steel, jagged. Sharp. Xi placed it on his back along side his prior axe, glancing at the door where shroud had entered. Hell he was getting to deal with the petcher who was their leader. Xi just waited by the door the exit to the place. A struggle? Surely the little man was more then enough to deal with one lowly mage-hunt...the door smashed open and out flew shroud. Followed by...Fire? What in the name of the gods was a reimancer? The leader strolled out of the room surprisingly calm. So our leader was called Vellos? That would come back to haunt him...Better remember the name. In the few chimes Xi had had to collect his thoughts his vision has stabilised. His hazy vision had focused and his arms had stopped hurting. Though with the appearance of the leader something told him this was not going to sit well. Xi watched the leader move out of the room and throw a fire ball at him. Wait. He just threw a petching fire ball? So that's what a reimancer is. Petch. Xi took the fire ball to the shoulder not being able to move in time his cloak burst into flames slamming his palm down on it he pot the fire out. But now he had a bigger problem. A mage was fighting him and Shroud, and from what Xi had watched of shroud. He was out of juice. Xi could see shroud struggling to escape. Xi had no such issues he he lifted the corpse off of the ground using it as a make-shift shield until he could get the time break in the onslaught to rip the door off it's hinges. Light screws nothing more Xi then let the burning husk of a corpse fall as he substituted it with the door. This leader was spraying flames like it didn't bother him, and the door was starting to give way under the heat. We did this to him? Him and shroud? Petch no. Xi could feel the door giving, but he wasn't missing a step. Between each blast of fire the son of a bitch was launching, Xi could see the hallway turning black. He could smell burnt...pork? Xi took a back step and he felt a flurry of fire bolts hit the door. The flurry of fire slamming into the door could probably be heard by shroud. "Hey how you dealing with the human torch here?" Still using the door as a shield the force and flurry of fire bolts increased dramatically. The leader obviously thought that Xi was more of a threat. It was probably true Xi had another three to four uses of flux left in him. Before the urge to use more would hit him. That and he had some skill without weapons. Taking a slow deep breath liro loosened the chain on his right arm and used it like a lash from behind the door. He felt the chain thud into something, then yanked the chain. A strong pull and it became clear. The chain had caught on something. Fantastic. Now his only ranged advantage was nullified. Fan-petching-tastic!

[Wrenmae]

Vellos stepped forward, the two mages bouncing backwards at his approach. Neither had the answer for the way he was hurling fire, and Ximal's door was already blazing. Shroud doubted he could hold onto it for long. A petching reimancer at the end of all things, why? What was the point? Why would a mage hunt other mages? It wasn't as though hypocrisy was dead in Sunberth, but the guy seemed to really hate mages. Was he initiated into reimancy forcefully? Dealing with another old flame? Zan asked brightly from Shroud's stomach, Don't suppose you'd introduce me, guy seems like a real go-getter. Shut up Ya know? I'm a little weary of that being your go-to answer. So straight and terse, no banter or dialogue. I'm beginning to think you don't like me. A little busy Yeah, dodging and not getting burned. Great job by the way, with the chest, real hands on avoidance there. Need I remind you that we share pain? Well, if you've a complaint, please do more than sit idly in my stomach. Oh sure, me? I'll just attack a full grown fire throwing human with my magical blobular self, sounds like a real game-clinching strategy. Fine, then at least let me concentrate. See? Was that so much harder than saying 'shut up'? I think we could really get to be friends...if only you'd be just a little bit more agreeable. Shroud stopped paying attention, flattening himself against the wall as another fireball filled the hallway. Behind them, a small fire had begun eating away at the back wall, another indication that a full blown inferno was just a few more fireballs short of trapping them inside. "Charge him!" Shroud yelled at Ximal, "Stop using the damn door to defend yourself and use it as a gods damned battering ram!" It's not going to work, Zan bubbled Why not? It's not a corpse, the familiar revealed, almost sadly, Not his proficient battering ram weapon. Despite the horror of the situation, a smile touched the murderer's face. Beyond him, Vellos was well past his limits. He hurled fire and air as if he no longer cared. His hair had already burst into flames, a mutation he did not seem to register, and his arms bubbled with the backup of Res transmuting inside him. Shroud had never seen a reimancer overgive too terribly before, but witnessing the slow transformation of the body beneath the pressure of magics was a sobering reminder of his own limitations. The heat inside the building had risen exponentially, sweat beading Shroud's forehead as he did his best to avoid the hurled flames. Admittedly, most was concentrated on Ximal, washing over the makeshift shield and scorching his shoulder and back. Vellos screamed, his mouth spewing smoke, and Shroud took this as a good time to full on retreat. He really hoped Ximal was brash enough to full on charge the fellow, maybe knock him over...or better yet, fall on him. Yes. Falling on him would perhaps be the best course of action for them all. Anything before the delusional mage exploded...and killed them all.