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[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken tore through the forces of the Alliance with a primal ferocity, leaving dead and wounded in his wake. Spearheading a group of his own, Ken's forces made a large, gradual spiral around the Citadel of Olimandias, eventually tightening to create a loos perimeter about the area of the Citadel.

Just as the figurative noose tied around the Citadel, more alliance soldiers tried to break through the line. Ken had immediately gone into action, hacking and slashing. It was a task he took to without joy, but did so none the less, wearing a stoic face. In the course of events, Ken almost got impailed by one soldier's polearm, only to be saved by the help of Lucas Hoytle, the one Ken recognized as the yound man who almost fell out of formation. There little time for idle chat though, so Ken gave the young man a simple nod of acknowledgement.

Finally, the force had come full circle to meet up with Steel, ready for the final great assault upon the Citadel.

"Handled it swimmingly sir," Ken addressed Steel, "And rwaiting for your word."

[Chikara Nadir]

"And your thievery becomes even more petty by the day."

The single window of the inner relic room of the Temple of Diel served multiple purposes-- the building was meant to be a sanctuary to the lost and the weak, a task that had fallen quite abruptly at Selena's hands mere minutes before, and having thick doors and few outside access points was a must -- but also it created a sense of the sacred, a holiness within the stained colors spilling dusty light upon the few forgotten pieces housed in the infiltrated room. As a consequence, it was also quite dark. A black cloak, for instance, had little difficulty blending into the shadows of a corner near the door. Almost as little difficulty as it was for said cloak to pretend to be the frock of a monk when sneaking into the building after realizing that this was the only place of consequence in the direction that Selena had been heading.

Letting the pale light spill onto her velvet cloak, the woman's damask eyes looked upon the Labyrinthine intruder first with fury, then lowered to the side, giving the impression of a somber widow in funeral attire. To be fair, she had been in mourning of her homeland for some time now. Not the feeble sort of mourning that involves starving the senses and losing one's desire to live, at least, but the sort that reeks of vengeance upon they who were responsible for her loss.

"First I was foolish enough to accept you into my family, to not drown you when you were young and helpless, and your gratitude was shown by stealing my kingdom and half my faithful men. I cannot blame them for attempting to side with the one of us who seemed to have the most power, it's in our nature. But now-- to team up with those weak other little armies as though you're incompetent at destroying this kingdom by yourself? And then to use that opportunity to sneak into this-" the woman spat on the ground, "holiest of grounds to thieve around for something shiny to sell on the black market?"

Chikara dropped her hood, pressing her index finger and thumb to the bridge of her nose and pinching at it as though to a headache at the absurdity of the idea. "You could be off killing Khuffie and claiming this entire city -- including this little rat-house -- in the name of the Labyrinth, but nooo...you're only good at barking like the big dogs. Too weak to do any real work."

[Selena]

The voice offended Selena's ears like nails on a chalkboard. So, the queen of the damned had finally caught up with her. Fitting that their personal duel would end up taking place during the single most important battle in the last few years. Selena did not turn around at first, regardless of how dangerous it was to keep her back to her former mentor. The refusal to acknowledge her presence immediately would no doubt be infuriating.

"You're not in much of a position to taunt me anymore," Selena replied. "You're so great a leader that you were incapable of holding onto your 'rightful' power, losing the only dorm you cared about to your younger rival. As for the assault on Khuffie? You can't even command a simple raid on your own, much less an invasion of the Alliance. In fact, one could argue that it would be a mistake to listen to any strategic advice that comes out of your mouth. Perhaps you should have spent more time governing and plotting..."

Selena turned.

"...Instead of shoving your tongue down a certain Zora's throat. You lost your right to govern the Labyrinth when you let it decay over time due to poor leadership. It is my dorm now. And I won't suffer the existence of a rival queen."

She threw the obsidian tablet at Chikara, hoping that it would at least distract her if not hit her. The former queen had never been too terribly graceful, after all. In either case, Selena quickly moved to attack directly, sprinting forward with spear pointed at her mentor's heart.

[Chikara Nadir]

Chikara audibly ground her fanged teeth together, a hand instantly on her whip when her rival began to insult her very skills as a leader. "How dare you, little welp..."

With the one hand she ripped the whip from its bindings at her side, her other arm meeting the side of the obsidian tablet with a screech of hidden armor against black glass. As the ancient work clambered out of the destroyed doors to the inner room and slid down the alter level and across the carpeted aisle, friction allowing a sound not unlike a long sigh to sound as it reduced speed.

She spun on the toe of her steel-tipped boot with long skirts and dark hair let to whirl loose, lashing her leather weapon at the stick in Selena's grasp with every intention of the two being wrapped around each other. When pulled by the leverage of Chikara's movement, the thing would hopefully be wrenched from the usurper's grasp. The former queen could only wish the other woman's arm to come unhinged as well.

[Selena]

The spear was ripped from Selena's hands and crashed against the stone floor, eventually coming to a halt after it collided with the far wall. She would have to expose herself to attack in order to go and get it, and Chikara would surely take that opportunity. Selena withdrew a small knife from a sheath on her thigh and continued her charge without interruption. Keeping her free arm close to her face to block another whip attack, she lunged with the small blade once in range - a short, quick strike that would hopefully be difficult to parry or avoid.

[Chikara Nadir]

If anything, Chikara had meant to pull her opponent closer through her prior attack. She let her focus on the whip lapse, the leather instrument pulling the spear long enough for it to smack into the glass encasing of a nearby relic before she released her grip and the two weapons came loose from their lover's quarrel. Before Selena's small dagger had even caught the light, the woman known far more for her sensuality than her choice of protective gear had kicked up the foot that was already off the ground from her spin, shooting a sharp heel forward and into the chest of her dear daughter as the enemy woman sprinted into it of her own volition.

"That's for insulting your dear 'brother', ingrate."

[Steel Samurai]

Steel narrowed his eyes. This had been too easy. Much too easy. The number of troops encountered had been closer to five thousand than fifteen thousand. He closed his eyes. Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. It had been a trap. A trap they had fallen right into. Ten thousand Alliance troops were streaming into the city, leaving their hiding places in the woods surrounding the capital, slaughtering any dorm stragglers and headed straight for the Citadel, where the majority of the Coalition troops now were. The Attackers had become the Attacked. They only had one chance now.

"Leo! Gather every troop you can find and start fighting your way through to the gates. Once there, scatter, have every man return to his dorm singly. With any luck they won't have to worry about pursuit. Go!"

He watched Leo and the rest of the Coalition grunts head towards the nearest exit..

"Ken. You, Goose, Ransom, Jordan with me." He motioned with his head, and, in a mighty bound, leapt to the wall of the Citadel. Khuffie's elite guard stood in perfect formation beyond, guarding the palace. Steel closed his eyes, and expanded his senses. Selena was in the Temple, doing battle with an aura that seemed vaguely familiar. It was dark and seductive. Khuffie himself was still in the palace. Good. Now. How to get beyond the troops before him? Fighting was out of the question, not with a party as small as theirs. Sneaking around would be easy for him, but he was not sure whether the others would be able to remain undetected. Jordan, at least, had never seemed like the type to sneak around, and that green armor of his stood out like a sober pirate on Lord Juno's Birthday. But, the night was dark, and maybe, just maybe . . . right. That would be easiest.

"Jordan, I need you and Ransom to fly over the guard as soundlessly as possible. Ransom, carry Goose, if you can. Ken, give Ransom your sword for the moment. You'll get it back in just a few minutes. I need you to turn into a wolf and head out into the square. Be as inconspicuous as possible. Sniff around, pee, do what you have to, but work your way around the square to the entrance to the Palace. I'll sneak around and ensure there's no guards at the door. We don't talk again until we're inside."

Without another word, he was off.

In a matter of minutes he had made his way around the square and came to the entrance to the palace. The four guards at the door were quickly dispatched, and Steel stood and waited for the others.

[Crimson Lego]

Nodding, Leo gathered all the troops that had arrived at the Citadel then led them down the street towards the gates. On the way, he recruited as many soldiers as he could, then decided to dig in somewhere where he thought was the center of Olimandias. Turning, Leo did a quick count and estimated he had 70-80 soldiers. Not good. All of a sudden, the first sight of an Alliance soldier came into their eyes. A scout, thought Leo. Not wasting a second, the scout was immediately killed, and silently. As the body was dragged away, Leo turned to the officers from each dorm.

"Before those guys find us, try and see if you can find more troops somewhere in the city," he whispered. "We're gonna be badly outnumbered here."

The officers nodded and split up, each heading their own direction. A second later, the twang of a bow rang out and an Ikana man dropped dead, an arrow in his head.

All of a sudden, an arrow whizzed past his own head. Spinning around, Leo saw Alliance archers just down the road taking aim again. Diving behind a building, the projectiles were missed him, but 2 found their way into an officer from the Woods. The rest of the officers sprinted into other streets to carry the orders. Ducking behind a building, the dwarf tried quickly to organize his forces. Unfortunately, the sudden attack had taken the dorm troops by surprise, and they were panicking. Cursing, Leo knew the only way they could not lose was to make sure the Alliance did not surround them. Acting quickly, the dwarf directed infantry with hand weapons down the smaller streets, and those with bows and rifles in buildings. Grabbing his own gun, the dwarf sprinted after a few other Woods archers, into a building and onto the upper floor. Jamming a round into the rifle, Leo pointed the gun in the direction of the Alliance soldiers and fired. Repeating the action, hope in his heart disappeared slowly. This battle will be extremely hard to win.

10 minutes later, and Leo could see no way of breaking through 10000 Alliance soldiers, whom were all armed, facing a small force of 80. The only good thing that had happened was the fact that the numbers had been boosted by a few reinforcements that had been able to survive the Alliance's initial attack in the city. With these, Leo was now in command of 120 dorm members. Doing a quick estimate and using the troop reports as reference, Leo estimated that
they had killed at least 100 soldiers. Still doesn't really help us get out of here. Reloading again, the dwarf fired his rifle, then tapped the others in the building on the shoulder.

"We're retreating," he said. Nodding, the group moved out of the building, heading down a side street.

At the end, Leo gathered some 20 survivors and told them his plan. "As long as we stop attacking, the Alliance will think we have retreated back to the Citadel. Now we just have to wait for them to leave the entrance." Leading the survivors down the street, the dwarf was ready for any challenge that came up.

Edited by Leo Crimson, 24 April 2009 - 01:52 PM.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan leaped over the wall without another word. However, he did not bother with stealth as Steel had originally intended. No, he wanted to be seen. His leap was too shallow, ending up in front of a large portion of Alliance guards, dressed to the teeth in heavy armor. They spotted him right away in the light of the torches that hung around the area. With Jordan in their sights, the distracted knights wouldn't pay as much attention to the men above or away from them.

"SEIZE HIM!" One of them cried as they charged. It was surprising that they could move so quickly with all that weight. Jordan drew his spears. He swung them horizontally, created a massive blast of wind to knock the soldiers away. However, his attack was met with less than satisfactory results. The guards maintained the positions, unaffected by the upcoming winds.

"Ah Hell." Jordan said as he backed away, placing one of his spears back in the sling that held it. The ground was cobblestone and brick and the walls didn't provide with much open room, this was a terrible place for Jordan to be fighting.

One of the guards drew his sword and came at Jordan while the others made their way to get in range to apprehend (if not murder) him. Jordan leaped again into the air, gaining a massive amount of distance between him and the ground forces. However, the archers had spotted him from below and began to fire. The night was kind to Jordan however, providing his would be assassins with terrible vision. A few arrows flew by Jordan, missing him by inches. He grabbed his spear with both hands and fell fast towards the ground. He managed to spear through the armor of one of the guards, sending him to the ground. When the body touched the ground, a blast of wind using the energy gained during Jordan's descent blew the guards into the stone walls and themselves. The armor they wore only made the blow harder on their bodies, decommissioning most of the men who took the hit. The man who was struck by Jordan's spear was lucky to be wearing armor, or else he wouldn't resemble his former self.

Jordan moved fast, the archers were still in action and the conscious guards were rising slowly back up. If Jordan had anything over these soldiers, it was speed. More guards moved in, cutting Jordan's escape route in their trademark heavy armor. This wasn't good, but his role as a distraction seemed to have served its purpose. Now there was the matter of getting out of her alive. It would be easier to take out the archers than the guards. Jordan leaped into the air again, landing on the small catwalk that was used by the archers of the wall. He rushed towards the closest archer and pushed him off the side and at the guards below.

Enjoying the comedic joy of seeing the small man toppling the larger guard he landed on, he smiled as he rushed by the guards on the small walkway. He would meet with the others in no time. However, he couldn't shake the Labyrinth's presence from his mind. How could everyone remain so nonchalant with their presence?

[Selena]

Thank the heavens for breastplates. If Chikara's heel had slammed into her chest without protection, that would have been potentially nasty. Instead, with the armor on, it only managed to shock Selena and knock a bit of wind out of her. Wheezing to force air back into her lungs, Selena grabbed Chikara's ankle before it could be fully withdrawn. Selena gave it a firm push, throwing the already off-balanced woman backwards. Chikara landed on the stone floor backside-first, and Selena sprinted to recover her spear. She took it up and immediately moved into a defensive position, expecting Chikara to have gotten up by then, and no doubt ready to retaliate.

But, oh, pissing her off was Selena's joy in life.

"What, should I call him 'daddy' instead?" Selena asked. Then she twisted her lips into a cruel smile, and made her voice mockingly husky. "No, how silly of me. That's what you call him now. ...Shame you never won over the person you really wanted!"

[Chikara Nadir]

Chikara had forsaken her whip; by now there wasn't enough time to get up and grab it without exposing her back to a fully recovered opponent. Instead she'd firmly gotten her footing and used the strength of her legs and one free arm to pull herself up, the last limb grabbing the hilt of her sword. A sharp chirp emitted from the sheath, the cover angered from being rubbed by the sharp edge at the wrong angle.

Yet she stopped, not pulling it out all the way to make an offensive move. Something in Selena's words had made her stop short, pondering a response before she lost the opportunity and had to focus again on killing the insolent child. "I have always gotten everything and everyone I wanted, fool. What I cannot have is that which I consider not worth the trouble to pursue."

The Labyrinth queen sighed, anxious for this battle to end and more important matters to be gotten at outside. "If you die here, I will be quick to return to the Labyrinth after the battle and purge the place of any memory of your rule. However, I will be more than willing to accept back any of your soldiers into my ranks without question. I ask that you do the same, if for some reason you actually manage to get the upper hand."

[Khallos]

Crouching on a roof giving a grand view of the city, Khallos reloaded his crossbow. Never the best shooter he found the assault on the city a perfect opportunity for target practice. Even if he missed the soldier he was aiming at, he’d hit the man standing next to him. So far the budding sniper had not been noticed by anyone down below, but that came to an end when one of his targets failed to die, he realised his game was up.

Isolated from the rest the Labyrinth forces he hoped to at least join up with some Coalition soldiers, taking stairs two at a time he just managed to stop himself into a rushing throng of Alliance troops. Backing into the shadows he got a distinctive feeling that he or at least the coalition were being outflanked and surrounded by their disciplined foe.

“Damn them, I wanted a challenge, but not this” Khallos grimaced as helmed face ran past looking his way, fortunately unseeing.

Sneaking behind the next column of infantry to rush past he tailed them in the hope they’d lead him to his own lines. As he darted from doorway to doorway he came to the end of the street and onto a square. Suddenly the vast scale of Khuffie’s forces became apparent. Suddenly Khallos became apparent to Khuffie’s vast forces.

“Oh shit” he yelled as he shot down the big damn hero who started charging towards him, causing a momentary ripple of panic to freeze his pursuers. Realising he couldn’t reload in time, Khallos fled sissily from the now determined squad of soldiers chasing after him towards the cover of the side streets.

Why couldn’t he fight as part of a unit for once!?

[Nevermind]

Keel poked his head around the corner of the temple, absently gazing upon the citizens milling around in fear and confusion. He pulled back and returned to the large temple doors, slumping down against the wall. Stretching his legs, he reached out his staff and began habitually swinging it back and forth along the ground, knocking it from foot to foot in a desperate attempt to pass the time. With a dramatic sigh, Keel glanced at the back of his wrist as if to gain some miraculous indication as to how long Selena had been inside the temple. Another sigh and he leaned his head back against the stone wall. Seeing as no one else really had any need for him at this moment, there was only the wait.

[Selena]

Knowing from history that Chik's actions spoke much louder than her words, Selena couldn't help but smirk. "You hesitated. I'm flattered."

She didn't answer Chik's other statements. Selena would naturally take back any of the 'rebel' Labyrinth members. She had no ill will against them for succumbing to the lure of the former queen. It was more amusing to left that unsaid, however, and leave Chik paranoid. Perhaps the worry would have an effect on her combat ability, or, at the very least, would hurt her a bit on the inside. For however much Chikara liked to pretend, she did have an emotional Achilles' heel when it came to her people. Then again, so did Selena. At least they had one thing in common, despite all their plotting and insurrection and violence. Wait. They had those in common too. Less productive when trying to maintain the bonds of friendship, however.

Selena, now with her spear in hand, took a cautious step forward, muscles loaded, as if she were a big cat ready to strike. She took another slow step, edging her way toward the hostile queen without triggering an automatic response. One leg crossed over the other as she began to move to the side as well, all the while staring her opponent down. Countless years of mentoring, training and friendship had led up to this of all things. A few decades ago, Lena would have never predicted it. But things could not be undone, and the entire Labyrinth was at risk if it remained under that woman's rule. There was no way around it.

After edging a bit closer still, Selena finally darted forward, attempting to pierce Chik's stomach with the tip of her spear.

[JRPomazon]

It would have been better if Jordan actually followed Steel's plan to be stealthy instead of making a mess of things. But he did manage to get all the guards' attention, so it wasn't just for the sake of being an idiot. After what felt like a hour of rushing and running, it seemed as thought Jordan had outrun his pursuers. He felt something sharp across his face, a fresh cut had opened on his cheek. Damn, his wind manipulation was taking it's toll on his body sooner than he thought. All he had been doing was jumping around like a fly.

He looked around himself, no guards around and no archers above. His breathing felt loud and heavy, as if it could be heard miles away. For some strange reason, he felt like his eyes were tearing up. He took his free hand and rubbed his eyes, he was reaching his limit from all the running and jumping.

"Damn it all." He muttered under his breath.

Jordan began to move again, staying in one place would do him no favors in the long term and regrouping with Steel and the others was in his best interests. He was blessed with good fortune, no guards stood in his way as he rushed around. Eventually he found himself in the presence of the others, Steel included. With a sigh of relief, he headed towards the group.

"Boy, am I glad to see you guys." He said with a lazy smile.

Edited by JRPomazon, 24 April 2009 - 11:47 PM.

[Chikara Nadir]

Chikara should have felt insulted that Selena refused to offer her the comfort of knowing that her people would be looked after, should anything go wrong. Instead, the amount of playfulness in her actions and few words was satisfying, a reminder that the spear-weilder was a true Loddie, prone to violence for the sake of play and necessity, but not necessarily a cruel person. The queen had never forgotten what she'd first grown to like about the girl.

"I honestly don't think you want me dead," the woman marked her sentence with a dry guffaw, "You only want to prove yourself to me one last time."

She spun yet again on her heel, releasing her blade to the air and allowing it to catch the light of that awful little window. "You know, Selena-!" the queen shouted, striking the shaft of the enemy spear with the flat side of her own weapon to force both tips to the side and away from harming either fighter. Meanwhile, she moved herself forward into Selena's footpath, coming unexpectedly and uncomfortably close. Her eyes looked up into those of taller, younger woman, then released their gaze as she dared to turn her head and take an intimate whiff of her opponent's neck. Much quieter, she finished, "It's very lonely on top. But it's not too late for us to share leadership...together."

If you can't beat them, infuriate them.

[Selena]

Selena leaned back, lips curling into a snarl despite the flush of red that quickly appeared and then vanished from her cheeks. "You're not on top, and we already did share leadership."

She pushed her spear forward, tossing Chik's sword off. Chikara then countered by slashing out at Selena's waist, but she jumped back even further to avoid it. It was good for her, anyway. Her spear had a longer range that Chik's puny sword. She had the advantage at a slight distance. She once again moved into a slow walk, observing her opponent carefully. Her foot came into contact with the obsidian tablet, and she kicked it with her heel to get it out of the way, sliding it further down the carpet and back toward the main entrance. It felt like an old sparring match, though she knew it was far from that. But Chik was still on the playful side, and the suggestion that Selena did not truly want to kill her wasn't too far from the truth. She didn't - not really. Somewhere beneath the boozing and the indulgence was the old queen, in all her grandeur. The one that Selena had admired as a younger woman. It was just nearly impossible to bring back out on a regular basis. Only in duels such as this did Chikara ever show her past self. Back in the Labyrinth, she lazed around, letting the world go by untouched, wasting opportunities. Chik was breaking the dorm she loved so dearly.

The love affair with the alcoholic, drug obsessed Zora did not help matters. Not that Selena cared. Much. Well, the thought of losing the Labyrinth to mismanagement was still more important, no matter how she felt about the personal issues.

Selena attempted to spear her again, but failed to make contact. "We did share leadership - and I ended up picking up all your slack." Another failed strike. "Then I became the queen they all lacked, while you did nothing but drink and indulge in the men and women." She brought the spear down vertically, but all it hit was the stone floor. She quickly recovered. "But you won't ever acknowledge that I'm the more ambitious leader - the one the Labyrinth needs to survive. And because you won't step down, I have no alternative but to be rid of you. Not that you'll let me live after trying to kill your most beloved 'son.'"

The spear wasn't working, so she needed a different strategy. Selena then charged a bit of dark energy in her right hand and then released it, sending the dark bolt toward Chikara's non-existent chest, hoping that it would at least knock her to the ground if not more. She backed up after that, charging another, again kicking the tablet further toward the doors.

[Chikara Nadir]

"You're the one who let me escape, who allowed our forces to be split in half and never sought to end me and regain the full glory of our empire. If survival means becoming so weak that our nation needs to rely on the help of other dorms to win a battle, then I should nearly choose to honorably end my own life than seek your brand of living!" Chikara spat, moments before finding herself tossed back several feet into the temple pews by intangible energy. The wooden seating screeched, pushed back into the next row by the sheer force of Selena's ability. Oh, it didn't feel pleasant at all. But her body ached no worse than after a good night in the wine cellar, at least.

"If that's how it's going to be..." the woman huffed, slipping her sword back into its sheath and deftly grabbing onto under the end of the nearest pew. They might be far from the Labyrinth, but these two were still unmatched immortals, powerful in ways that most others would not even wish to obtain. The wooden row of seating was easily lifted into the air, creaking at its nails, and tossed headlong into the path of Selena's next energy bolt. In an instant the center of the structure exploded into confetti and sawdust, jagged spears of wood dropping in all directions.

The woman dropped to her knees, shielding her face and drowning her body in the depths of her cloak for a moment of protection. But after the surprise of the immediate threat she was up again, grabbing for and lifting into the air the next ten-foot segment of wood to be thrown at her enemy.

[Selena]

Serious business, now. Chikara was flinging pew.

Selena released another burst of energy, destroying the next projectile in the same fashion as the last. Then another. She already felt a small drain on her power reserves, but she could keep going if she had to. Instead of attacking, Selena did something... not quite like her. She halted the next object in midair and then forced it to drop. Selena held up her hands, though she did not release the grip on her spear. It was a sign of at least some sort of surrender or ceasefire. They could destroy the whole temple, but there was a battle raging outside. They had places to be. The duel could be continued at a later date, and they could be much more lethal elsewhere without worry of the Alliance army pouring through the door to kill them both. There wasn't much point to the fighting if both ended up dead.

Selena took a few cautious steps forward. "All right. You have a point. I should have gone after you more aggressively if that's what I really wanted. Perhaps I didn't want to kill you. As much as I hate to admit it," she said, taking another step or two, "it's difficult to entirely hate you. You were my queen. My tutor. My best friend and closest confidant. When we actually worked on a team, we were unstoppable. If you could only regain your focus."

She was soon just out of arm's reach, ever mindful of the wood that could come back down at her or the sword that could be drawn in another instant. "Would you like me to say I'm wrong? That I want you to come back so that we can rule the Labyrinth side-by-side again? Maybe I am wrong and juvenile about all this. I do miss you. And it isn't the same." Another step. "...If we're being completely honest with each other, then I have to admit that affection is to blame. When I overheard you and the Fish discussing the possibility of romance, I felt betrayed, and it was a good excuse to be rid of both of you. You didn't bother with me, even though you clearly wanted to. You were frightened, perhaps. Not at that. But of needing love in general. Correct?"

Selena grabbed Chikara's arm - quick enough to be a cobra striking - and pulled her closer, lips not far apart, thumb gently caressing skin. "Considering there's a whole army out there waiting to kill us both, why don't we settle this at a more convenient time? I'll be waiting, if you want to kill me. Though if you sincerely promise to reform and rule as you always did, before this sloth and greed got in the way, then perhaps we can forget this, and I would no longer have to worry about our people and their future. What is your answer?"

[Chikara Nadir]

Chikara's nostrils flared with the scent of their dark home under the earth and the ash of settlements and military posts burned during Selena's advance to the city. The smells were intoxicating in their own way, at least to someone starved of their homeland and its native ways of warfare. She did miss the Labyrinth, the people, the quarrels between herself and the girl she raised as her prodigy. It was almost too good a prospect, making it painful to look for the clear ulterior motives behind it.

"You would fight me unto Ragnarok if you had the chance," the queen whispered, with nostalgia more than malice. She chose not to draw away, nor to move closer. This was a good place to be. "But it's never that easy. I can't leave you alive, or you'd find a way for me to suffer more dearly another day. You can't leave me alive, or you'd always be under threat, and also under the scrutiny of your people for being unable to dispatch of one broken woman to claim your rightful throne. The best thing I can give you...is to surrender all of myself."

The woman firmly pushed forward, hesitating midway into her leap before snatching the lips of her enemy onto her own. And yet, for the first time in her life, her focus wasn't on making it a phenomenal kiss for the other involved to be swoon over for ages. She was too busy grabbing onto Selena's hand and feeling the contours of the enemy's dagger beneath her knuckle, the secret weapon meant to execute the queen while she was distracted and sentimental. Chikara gripped onto the hand and the knife with all her might, shoving her own stomach upon the blade with far less indecisiveness than she'd given the kiss. She inhaled once, then twisted her torso a few inches to the side, listening to the tear of cloth, beneath it thin armor, and further yet beneath it her own sinewy flesh.

The queen closed her eyes, daring not to see the world roll in front of her as she lost her skills at focusing, her muscles and nerves unsure of themselves. She had been careful not to hit too high and risk her lungs, though, if only to have the opportunity to mock Selena until the end. "You can go home and give them your word-- even give them my head to prove you're the rightful queen." The woman gasped sharply, finally feeling true pain roll in like crashing waves. "But you'll know. You'll always know." She smiled, swallowing hard as the urge to vomit rose up. "That in the end you weren't the one to kill me." Her head began to fall forward, unintentionally dropping toward Selena's shoulder. "That way, I'll always be with you. Always haunt you."

[Steel Samurai]

Steel nodded at Jordan, then headed inside. Now . . . where would Khuffie be? It had been . . . a long time since Steel had been in this palace. There. That suit of armor looked familiar. Right. That way. He motioned to the others to follow, and sped off down a corridor.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken reluctantly relinquished his sword over to Ransom, but not before giving a small warning.

"Lose it, and I will tear out your throat before you have the oppurtunity to explain yourself."

Ken morphed into his wolf form, rolling in the dirt a bit before heading into the square.

------

Ken did as he was told, though some difficulty and humility were required.

When a small group of guards approached him with some suspicion, he ended up playing a little bit of fetch to trick them into thinking he was just some dog that wandered into the square. Getting scratched behind the ears was not terribly bad though...

In the end, Ken was grateful to make his way around to the Citadel entrance. He noticed that Steel and Jordan had already gone in a little bit. He quickly got his sword back from Ransom, but remained in wolf form, feeling that had more to offer while he had his animal senses active.

Ken trotted in a little bit, and shook off most of the dirt he had covered himself in, revealing his platinum-like fur and face tattoos. He noticed Steel waving everyone over, and followed.

[Ransom]

Nodding at Steel Perseus grabbed Ken's sword and motioned to goose to follow him.
Jordan bolted ahead of them, and jumped into the fray, inexplicably revealing himself to the guards. Perseus gave the sword to Goose to hold, then positioned him below him.
Luckily the skeleton weighted even less than the sword, so flying was easy.
Because of Jordan's distraction, they were easily able to avoid any conflict with the guards, and only had to fly over a few hundred feet of space.

Perseus considered going back and helping Jordan, but the thought was quickly dismissed. Damn pirate could get killed in his own time.

Perseus and Goose reached the door to find Steel waiting, ignoring the dead bodies lying around him.
Jordan finally caught up, looking a bit dirty from his tussle, but very much alive.
Well, well, well, perhaps he had misjudged the spear wielding warrior.
It made sense of course. Steel didn't often befriend the weak.
Except maybe that Shiima girl...
But sex was always an exception.

Unsheathing his knives, Perseus followed Steel through the great iron doors, sprinting lightly. The palace halls had a grand but oppressive feel. Almost as if Khuffie's aura was ingrained into the walls.

Suddenly, he was overcome with a strange feeling.
He knew what it meant.

Somewhere nearby, two girls were kissing.

[Selena]

Selena froze in shock, eyes wide, hand still locked within Chik's somewhat painful grasp. But, that.... but.... She found that her breath was uneven and shaky. Worse yet, she felt a pain rise from her chest, up her neck, and into her eyes, which threatened to water with unwanted emotion. Selena tried to control her breathing. It was the same thing. Selena had planned to stab her. It was the same thing. Chik just made it less effort, that was all. There was no logical reason to feel upset or hurt. Chik would have been dead either way. So why did she feel sick to her stomach? Why was she feeling emotion over the matter?

It wasn't the same. There had been no violent strike on her part. It wasn't a slaying, and thus deserved a much different reaction. That damned woman. She'd stolen the kill and she'd turned Selena into a quivering mass of insecurity that feared losing something that she was going to be rid of anyway. It was the single most sadistic thing Chikara could have done, and she'd fallen for it. Why? Chik could have just killed Selena. It wasn't out of the question. Then she could have gone back to rule the Labyrinth and wipe Selena from existence, as she had promised. So why? She wasn't admitting that Selena had been right about who was more worthy to lead their people, was she? Maybe that was her ego at work. It couldn't have been that. Didn't want to think about it anymore.

Selena finally released her grip on her weapons, both of which clattered to the floor and came to rest beside them. With the dagger removed, blood began to pour out from Chikara's wound, most of it seeping into Selena's own attire, but she didn't care. Her mind in a state of shutdown, it was a subconscious will that made her twist her hand up to intertwine her fingers with Chik's bloodstained ones. When Chik finally sank to the floor, Selena followed, staring absently at the wall beyond them. So. The time had come. After years of fighting and bickering and plotting - both false and legitimate - this was how it ended. Chikara would be absent from her life forever more. No more having to look over her shoulder. No more having to worry about manipulation or deceit. No more anything. It was going to be dreadfully lonely, and this was the worst way it could have happened. Damn her.

And then, like the stupid fool she was, Selena wrapped her arms around the other woman and drew her closer still, holding her as the life force continued to drain onto the floor and the pair of them. She moved her head down, the side of her face resting against Chik's. With her lips not far from her opponent's ear, Selena whispered, in a rare burst of tenderness, "I hate you."

[Chikara Nadir]

This was a good way to go, Chikara had quickly decided. To not die from age, from poison, from being stabbed in the back or in her bed. She had never thought anyone could best her in battle, but if they did...it was an honorable death. Not that Selena had killed her, not really. She had seen it coming, had known the knife was meant for her torso, and took the upper hand. Nevermind that she could have used the element of surprise to twist it toward her opponent's body, could have forced it out of her grip and tossed it to the floor, could have even let Selena have her way. But no, Chikara knew that this needed to end soon, and it had to be done by her. She was the rightful leader, after all.

It felt nice to be so close to Selena, a hug like old friends again. Really, it had been too long since she'd been this close to any human...if that's what they even were, anymore. Oh, that whole bleeding out bit could be ignored. It wasn't so bad...she could just pretend it was a bit of a belly ache wearing her out and forcing her toward sleep. She didn't fight against her invisible opponent, somewhere in the darkness beneath her closed eyes. Opening them, like reacting in any other way, seemed like too much effort. Chik did want to mock her more, though, for old time's sake. Remind her that it would be lonely on top, but that at least her memory would always haunt Selena.

She could have mustered up a breath of air and told Lena that she hated her back, that she knew that it didn't really mean hate, that everything was going to be harder for her now, that everything was going to be alright. Instead, her lips felt numb and her tongue limp, so she gave the new queen what twisted reassurance she could offer best with her last ounce of strength...a smile.

[Nevermind]

"I think you should let her go, now." A man's quiet voice broke the silence.

Selena wrenched her head around, unbidden tears complimenting a vicious snarl.
"I thought this temple was off limits." She hissed. The sneer faded from her face a little as she noted the expression on the one looking back at her.

"Not anymore." Keel was deadly serious. All traces of humour and smiles had vanished, leaving Selena with fleeting wonderment as to whether they had truly existed in the first place. "There has been a polar shift. Diel no longer holds any presence in this land."

Selena's eyes slowly dropped and she saw Keel holding the desperately sought-after tablet in the crook of his arm. "You have your precious brick. Go."
She continued to stare at the black stone, as if directing the blame of all the recent events upon that single, worthless relic.

Keel simply shook his head, "No. I need to take her now."

Incredulity now crossed Selena's face as her gaze once again met his. That hissing snarl returned and she lowered Chik to the ground. The Kanagida called to her. It demanded a blood sacrifice and Selena found herself all too willing to sate its perpetual hunger. Her knuckles white, her blood pumping, she gripped the cursed spear again and aimlessly swept its blade towards this man she had tolerated for far too long. No more. No more ambiguous hints and clues. No more converting her trusted allies. No more damned cloaks!

Her own bloodlust screamed in tune with the spear as they both raced towards a common goal. A head-reeling shock was all she gained as the small moment of rage was completely drained from her body. Keel had deftly caught the weapon and subsequently nullified its effects. Only bitterness remained; part of her almost expected this. She refused to look at him as he spoke.
"I suggest you leave this city. Flee Far to the south. You are no longer needed by Lazu. From where things stand, it is likely you will not be spared if you remain." Keel released his grip on her spear and it clattered as it dropped to the floor.

Selena rose, without a word, and stood face to face with the arrogant bastard that had manipulated her for so long. Her face shone with pure, unadultered loathing. Her contempt for this 'Keel' was only amplified when the face that met her was completely unemotional. The bastard's eyes were so completely empty that if she were to lean too close she felt she might possibly fall in. "I suggest you remain in this city." Her tone was deadly quiet and just as serious. "Stay away from the south. From where things stand, it is most assured that I will kill you should we ever meet again." Calm and composed, whether from shock or resolve, the leader of the accursed Labyrinth slowly turned and marched towards the temple's exit.

"Selena."
She stopped but did not turn. If she had clenched her teeth any tighter they damn well would have shattered. This man! This...damned, self-righteous, manipulative scum. Even at times like these he just had to have the last word. Something landed to her side, catching her attention. It was a rolled up parchment. Centuries old, judging by the degradation. She reluctantly picked it up.

"Two things. Firstly, you should be dead. You're useless to us. In a peculiar occurrence, though, a...particular part of Lazu will not allow you to be harmed by me. If you think about it I doubt you will find it overly hard to figure out just which part that is. It is the same facet of his current existence that grants you the use of that legendary weapon. Secondly, I did at least promise to tell you what was going on. That manuscript should do the job for you."

Without even the slightest of sounds, Selena exited the temple.

Keel dropped the tablet into a small portal and took Selena's place beside Chik, gently lifting her into his arms. In all these years, he never ceased to wonder how someone so small and fragile managed to command so much power and attention. She had lost [img]http://forums.legendsalliance.com/public/ALOT.png[/img] of blood and her life was fading quickly but she still managed to stir as he stood up, still cradling the small queen.
"It's best we move outside for this one." Despite her near-inability to speak, Keel knew she was conscious enough to both hear and register his words. He spoke to her as he exited the temple. "I was outside when it happened. Almost instantly, I felt the shift in power and everything I am was focused into a single goal." He let out a short bark of a laugh. "In one second, you managed to bring thousands of years of work to a dead stop. Everything just clicked into place. With one small act of thoughtlessness, you sealed your fate, as well as my own and many others."

As he wandered up a small street, terrified and confused people rushing past on all sides, Chikara roused a little more and managed to barely open her eyes. Keel could tell it was a struggle but the woman did manage to make out a few choked and husky words."...you're...Keel..."

Keel smiled a little. "So you know why I initially stayed away from you. I'm actually surprised you didn't mention it to Selena. Though I do think she may have had an inkling as to who I was." He laughed again. "Perhaps that's why she hated me so much!"

"Miatch.."

"The one and only. It's good to see you again, my Queen."

"..al...come back.." A blood-choked cough played accompaniment this time.

"Well, we never really left."

It was faint but the remnants of a smile did manage to pass over Chikara's blood-spattered lips.

Miatch came to a small square in the city. It was relatively clear, save for the odd citizen that darted through on their way to hopeful exits. Here he rested the dying woman gently on the ground. His hand dipped into the pavement as if it were but a pool of water, dragging out the tablet he had earlier stored on the other side. Despite his near-permanent state of calm, he was finding it almost hard to believe that he had finally reached this point. A small part of him regretted having to end his reign of chaos and disorder right here. For so long had he spent his existence on the border between this realm and the next. The raging hurricane of absurdities and insanity that usually filled his mind seemed to have calmed. This was the eye of the storm. The tranquility that now filled his conscience was almost intoxicating. His head began to spin a little.

"Chikara, you truly are the Queen of the Damned and you're about to find out just how heavy a title that is. It is only fitting that Lazu should regain himself through our very first Queen." Miatch rose groggily to his feet, stumbling a little as he did so, and held the obsidian tablet high above his head. The Blacklight. The single crystal that Diel had used to seal away the majority of Lazu's primal and chaotic spirit. With as much strength as he could muster, Miatch hurled the abominable object to the stone pavement.

The sound of billions upon billions of tinkling shards filled the air. A noise so profound it could be heard above the shouting, the screaming, the fighting, the dying. In a surreal moment, the entire city had gone seemingly silent as it stopped to listen to this dark and beatific - though sadly short-lived - music. Miatch let his body darken, becoming immaterial. His entire being was now a gateway into the heart of Lazu's dark prison itself. Every single miniscule shard of the tablet, like a storm of black sand, danced and swirled upon a non-existant wind, feeding into Miatch's vortex. The noise had gone from a soft showering of crystal bells to an immense disharmony of roaring, raging winds. The portal expanded; the man's proportions growing larger along with it, stoppingly only when all the horrific granules had been completely consumed by Oblivion.

The deafening roar ceased at once, again leaving the city in perplexed silence. Miatch, now the pure essence of Lazu himself, reached down and - remaining ever so gentle - scooped up the body of Chikara in his now abnormally-large hands. She was completely limp, on the very edge of death with but a single breath left in her. Lazu slowly pushed the former queen's body into the same emptiness that had consumed the Blacklight. His body tensed and convulsed violently as Chikara disappeared inside him. A strange transformation began to happen.

Miatch watched everything transpire from the back of his own consciousness. He had spent literally thousands of years in the throes of insanity but nothing had ever felt so disconnecting - perhaps even discomforting - as this moment now. His own awareness was composed enough to feel itself fading away into a darkness that was blacker than black.

Accompanying him though, was a coinciding feeling of true contentment. He knew where he was going. He was the last piece of the puzzle. He as an individual was fading from existence but he was about to complete something much, much larger. This was peace of mind. Thousands of years searching, desperately seeking a reprieve and with Chikara's one single act of pure insanity, she had ushered in his utmost desire. Vision began to fade. Thoughts began to become more incoherent. More thoughts still began to invade. These were not his own but they were familiar, as well as reminiscent. His solitude was coming to an end. Six others had gone before him and now he was the last. For too long he had wandered this world and waited, left behind to shoulder the final task.

As his thoughts unravelled so too did his memories, flooding his mind as his entire psyche was deconstructed. Collecting Chikara, back to assisting Selena in her infiltration of this city. Great wave upon wave of events rushed past in great torrents, occasionally slowing as Miatch - as well as Lazu - recollected the more standout moments. Travelling the world for the sake of Lazu; great wars and rebellions; drunken pirates; himself and Xeres. The Labyrinth. Memories of the Labyrinth made for an epic memento in their own right. Generation, after generation, after generation dwelling in the dark, enclosing caverns and hallways. Miatch watched them all pass within an instant. An endless flow of denizens gradually petering. Uprisings. Battles for leadership amongst Queens. Free-roaming the underground in tirades of the most destructive fun and pure pandemonium. Miatch and Lazu finally reached the end, or rather, the beginning. The memories had diminished until finally there was nothing left but the place where it had all started. A cold, tenebrous, and unfathomably large cavern. Thick darkness engulfed everything outside of the small, flickering firelight that had appeared a short distance away. Encircling this lackluster fire stood his former companions: Anju; Veteran; Hakubi; Devil Paladin; Pook; and of course Jinn, smirking about one thing or another. All eyes were on Miatch and they beckoned for him to join them. He was no longer in a daze. His mind was rich with a clarity he had not felt in a long...long time. Without a second thought, Miatch strolled over to join the small assembly of comrades. Upon filling his place in their circle, the firelight extinguished and darkness enveloped them as one.

Now sharing the fate - as well as eternal companionship - of his ancient brethren, the idea of 'Miatch' moved into a dark, quiet corner of existence, joining the collection of thoughts, concepts and ideas that already raged within the dark god Lazu.

Before he completely lost all sense of self, Miatch noted one last foreign and very prominent thought that drifted across his dissipating conscience: '1..2..3. Honey in my nose'.

All traces of spasms and convulsions disappeared. Lazu stood deathly still and statuesque. He then began to shrink back to Miatch's original size but did not stop there. The dark shape continued to contract, taking on quite a petite, feminine form. The body reverted to its regular appearance, though not that of the usual avatar that had for so long played host to these godly powers. Miatch and all his aliases had disappeared, consumed by and completing the consciousness of Lazu. In his place stood a small and dainty, yet rather fiery young woman, a black, coiled whip clasped in her right hand. She looked around the square, a disturbing and chaotic smile reaching her eyes.

Edited by Lazurukeel, 26 April 2009 - 11:23 AM.

[JRPomazon]

Several weeks ago, Jordan met an old man who could see the past and future by the name of Tiresias. When the two of them first met, it was during a moment of crisis. After matters regarding a cult that followed the deity "Lazu" had been taken care of, Jordan spent a week in the mountainous area known as the Eagle's Talons. There was something the Jordan asked the old man that was given an interesting response:

"How did you lose your sight?" He asked Tiresias.

"I witnessed a goddess bathing and out of anger took my sight from me." He replied.

"Wait, seriously?" Jordan asked.

"Yes, but as an apology for robbing me of my sight, an action that could never be taken back, she endowed me with my foresight."

"Interesting trade." Jordan said, a smug smile on his face after hearing the story. The old man placed his hand on Jordan's head.

"I will offer you a small portion of my insight, something you will be able to use in the future."

"What exactly are you taking about?"

"When the darkness that once troubled these lands returns, you will be able to see it for yourself. When that time comes Dragoon, you must be prepared. Nothing remains the same forever."

* * *

Jordan and the others headed down the hallways of Khuffie's palace. The grand scenery was ignored, each and every one of them headed towards the man who was to be killed. As he ran with his spears clanking together as they rested on his back, his vision when blank.

"The hell . . . ?" he muttered to himself.

What Jordan saw then was indescribable, as if the colors of the world ran as if someone dumped water over a fresh painting. Then he saw something standing among the fire and flames of the capital, something dark. All he could see was a smile. Jordan's vision returned an instant later, his face paler than usual. Tiresias' words echoed in his head now, that was the only thing that he could think of. The others ran ahead of him, unaware that he was no longer moving.

"Nothing remains the same forever." he said.

Realizing he was being left behind, he picked up the pace to regroup with the others.

Edited by JRPomazon, 26 April 2009 - 04:41 PM.

[Goose]

Goose closed his eyes. He could see things changing. He could see things shifting. There was a definite shift in the way the universe was working now. The Labyrinth was in chaos, but more than that. Laz, the deity that had once offered something to him, had achieved something special.

But that was in the background, it didn't matter. Goose had his own mission. To kill the emperor, and make things right.

Goose said a few words under his breath and a great bang could be heard from where khuff was in the castle. That bang was to lead the way to his destruction. Goose ran in that direction, ignoring anybody standing in his way.

[JRPomazon]

Everyone in that group heard the crashing bang and saw Goose dart off. He found him, he found the emperor.

"Steel! Let's go!" Jordan cried as he pursued the boney bard.

As ran down the hall after Goose, several guards came out from the various nooks and crannies in the palace. Jordan stopped as they approached him.

"OUT OF THE WAY! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR BASTARDS LIKE YOU!" He shouted, grabbing a spear and slamming it down on the marble floors of the palace. Using the force of the strike and his wind manipulation, chunks of the hard rock tile were sent at the soldiers, striking them off guard. Jordan did not reserve himself as he decided to not worry about sparing these men from his spear. He thrust his spear towards the charging crowd, a concentrated blast of wind slicing through the soldier's armor. There wounds were not fatal, but they were bleeding all over the place. Another cut opened on Jordan's forearm, it stung like hell. It didn't matter whether or not he was going to conserve his uses of wind manipulation now, they were almost to the goal.

So the men of the dorms charged on.

[Chikara Nadir]

A dainty hand slid through the woman's hair, letting it float free of any helmet or binding in the cooling breeze that led toward evening. No, not evening. The sun had been scorching moments earlier, but a world enveloped momentarily in darkness quickly loses its heat. Though the sun stood out again, it seemed somehow more distant, forsaking this city out of some instinctual fear.

Her hair was darker, her eyes darker, her smile...far darker. Her skin was still alabaster, moreso the visage of the dead than ever. Her whip seemed both strong and also intangible, as though it could hit a friend with the weight of a feather or slice an unarmoured enemy like a knife through water.

She reeled. She felt like she was at the exact center of the earth, feeling it spin at over 1,038 miles per hour. The woman dropped to the ground, vomiting. She was no longer crouching, she was standing atop a nearby building, surveying the results of the battles taking place below. She could feel her heart beat, Chikara's heart beat, but knew that Chikara should be dead. Was dead. Wasn't dead. Wasn't Chikara anymore. Wasn't sure where she was, what she was supposed to do, but knew that the whispers in her ears were very loud and very insistent. The music in her brain and the colors and shadows she saw with her bright, dilated eyes had never been clearer.

She was back on the street, sliding her fingertips along the side of a building as she walked in no particular direction. Suddenly the bricks that held it together were gone, and the wall collapsed in on itself, taking the main structure of the building with it. Within seconds she was a block away, smiling as a library collapsed into the earth, disappearing into an empty chasm as though it had never had earth below it. Then, on the other side of the city, a set of shops found itself under several tons of dirt and debris, billowing out clouds of excited dust and, oddly, a handful of books.

She felt that she could just disappear and wreck havoc on the world and not care. But no, Chikara knew there were things that she had planned out earlier, though they seemed of little consequence to her now. There was a leader to be slain. Too much effort, make someone else do it. No, not too much effort-- more that it wouldn't be enough fun. There were ways to be aloof but also involved. Also, her people. They had to be protected. No, they could protect themselves. No, she should wipe out every soul in the city and hope that she could get a moment of peace out of it. The damned voices weighed down her skull, they had to be quieted.

Her soldiers had stayed hidden when necessary from the invading forces, or otherwise simply slipped in to join them unnoticed. There was a good deal of chaos and bloodshed, and one Loddie soldier looked like the next. That was the point- it was hardly as though they were going to stop anyone from trying to kill Khuffie. They knew that their queen hated that man more than most, if only because she was an emotional nutcase and a murderous fiend. These were also among the reasons why the soldiers were so faithful to her. And weeks later, the chaos of the invasion behind them, each and every one of them would recall how their queen had appeared without warning among them and warned them that the instant of darkness and chaos that they had experienced was a sign for them to get out of the city as quickly as possible. How she could have been in several hundred locations at almost exactly the same time was something they did not try to think over too hard. The fact that they survived that most of them survived this chaos was enough to be grateful for, much like they were grateful not to be among the few Labyrinth warriors and many soldiers of Khuffie who went wretchedly insane within the next few days.

The woman was gone again, standing in front of a store window. She cocked her head slowly to the side, staring at a beautiful set of heavy armor, meant for someone much larger than herself. It shone in the sun with tones of scarlet and purple so dark it might be mistaken for ebony black, as though it were dipped in fire and the blood of kings before ever seeing battle. Then she walked away, leaving the storefront alone, the windows still solid and the door locked. But she was wearing that armor all the same, and it fit her perfectly. She walked under the walkway between two adjacent buildings, then was gone again.


Chikara stepped out from where a solid wall had been, and still was, staring harshly at a strong young woman soaked in blood. Her back was to the queen, walking with some urgency. The clinking of her armor sounded like a thousand bells in Chik's ears. This woman had killed her. No, no, that wasn't true. She had killed herself. But she was alive now, that's all that mattered, yes? No. If not responsible for Chik's death, she was responsible for Keel's. Rather, for Miatch's. This was Chikara's daughter, whoever Chikara was. Her protege, her second-in-command. Her most worthy enemy. Her friend, and also her...no, that didn't even make sense in the faintest. The woman knew she must be going batshit crazy to have even considered that one. The woman was still walking, oblivious to the smaller, insane individual who had appeared not far behind. That would not do.

"DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!" Chikara shrieked at the top of her lungs, blinking for a moment in surprise as she remembered what her voice sounded like. She grew bored instantaneously thought for a moment about leaving to find the nearest alcoholic establishment, then decided she should at least stay to see what the other had to say.