Amongst the ash

[Nick]

~: He hadn't come back for anything of value that might be hidden in the rubble. He hadn't come back to search for any survivors, for if any had been in this place at its demise they would have long since perished. No...he came here because this was really the only place he could call home. Legion of Many walked alone through the ruins of the House of Chance, sifting through this pile and that clump. His boots were gray with the remains of this place, as was most of his clothing. His bedroll had been laid out in the mire, his stubborn refusal to leave this now-wrecked place apparent on his garb. :~

~: Once the adrenaline had worn off Legion had become completely detached from the world it seemed. He kept to himself and this place for the most part, only venturing out to check the protective traps he had set about in case the Elves returned. Any who tried to speak with him would only find a very dull, lifeless stare and a few words from him before he would just wander off. And he avoided certain townsfolk like they were the plague. Atreus...Ulfgar...Trusk...he kept away from them, even darted off to the shadows and beyond when he so much as caught a glimpse of them. :~

~: A few more sweeps of his gloved hands and he would rise to take a step...only to freeze solid in his tracks. To any outside he would look as though a statue of Legion had been erected, so perfect was his inability to move. His eyes defied the rest of his body, and he quickly looked to his right...there was the hilt of the dagger Godslayer upon his back....then he managed a growl. "This is going to be most troublesome" he thought as he closed his eyes and focused inward to confront his...lesser half. :~

[Nick]

~: On the outside he was just standing there midstep...on the inside it was an entirely different story. Legion had to go have a talk with the other part of this mind, and he wasn't looking forward to that. Not since they had made their deal. Not since they had agreed to the terms, even if Dani hadn't fully understood what it meant... :~

~: This place wasn't much better than the outside as he folded his armor, looking around in disgust. Things had taken a turn for the worst when Dani was sad, and he could tell this was one of those times. He started walking through fields of green, darkened by roiling clouds of obsidian above. Thunder cracked, rain fell and soaked through his dark clothing. He drew his hood up, keeping his golden mask and face from accumulating moisture. :~

"Where are you, you little shit..."

~: He knew where to look, heading for the exact center of this raining place. Then he spotted him, almost an identical version of himself sitting under a great oak tree. The figure had its legs drawn up tight against its chest, arms wrapped around its shins as its face was hidden against its thighs. The cowering person said nothing as Legion approached, looking down with a burning fury in his heterochromatic eyes. :~

"What do you think you're doing? You know you aren't supposed to do this. I played your game. I kept up with my end of the bargain."

~: The figure was sobbing, and when Legion spoke he only tried to sink further into himself. He wanted nothing to do with Legion, he just wanted everything to go back to the way things were. Before he'd been branded
a traitor...he hated that word. It cut to the core, and always brought up the tears. His voice cracked as he spoke, high-pitched and childish yet so full of sorrow it disgusted Legion to no end. :~

"This isn't how it was s-s-supposed to be.....you weren't 'sposed ta hurt anyone...you k-k-k.."

"Killed people? The Elves? They deserved it! If I didn't kill them they would have killed us. Why do you never understand these things? We HAVE to kill people, and since you're too weak to do such I have to do it for us."

"WHAT ABOUT THE TENGU?!"

~: For a moment Legion halted in his words, eyes wide with...shock. This was a new revelation. Dani had been watching, just as he had learned to do so when Dani was in control. Interesting...it seemed the child was growing up finally. :~

"The Tengu had to go. Remember the conversation we had with Noble? With Serith? With Atreus?"

"ATREUS HATES ME BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU LIED TO HIM!"

"No, Atreus hates US. Get it right, stupid thing. We had to lie. Had to be deceptive. They can't know what we know. We have to keep secrets to get our job done."

~: Dani fell silent as he looked away from Legion, his paint running as tears mixed and ran down either cheek. Legion growled as he looked down at this pathetic thing he was forced to protect, unbelieving of his terrible luck that of all people he was stuck with Dani. :~

"Don't forget without me you wouldn't be here. You'd be dead. And if WE don't complete OUR mission even more people will be dead. Charlesk, Edward, Brodwik, that will just be the start. Eventually everyone will die if WE don't do anything. Your little friend Dizzy, she'll be the first to go."

~: That had Dani's head snap up, eyes filling with the same anger Legion's had. He was almost a mirror image, save Legion's golden mask. With a snarl he lept from his crouch, trying to tackle Legion to the ground. But he wasn't much of a match; even if it wasn't much Legion's fighting skills were better. He grabbed Dani's hands and ducked, pulling Dani with him to flip him upside down and slam him back first into the ground. Now Legion was getting somewhere. He crouched down over Dani, his forearms pressed together in an X that met over the weaker mind's throat. :~

"Now...you listen here you speck of nothing. I did my time stuck in here. Five years I've had to save OUR ass when you were too scared to lift a sword. You used that dagger to knock people out rather than slit throats and end lives. You made friends and connections that got US nowhere! I've had to do everything to keep us alive, and its MY turn. So do your part. Keep us moving. Or so help us I will start to do things with us so terrible you can't imagine it in your worst nightmares."

~: Dani whimpered a bit under Legion's wrath, finally nodding a little bit as fresh tears dripped from his eyes. Legion stood, allowing Dani to stand from the mud he'd been shoved into. The rain was doing its job washing that away, and he murmured something as he approached Legion. :~

"I'm living a nightmare...all of my friends are gone since you put that mask on me..."

~: With that he disappeared into Legion, becoming one with him once more. Legion looked about, surprised by this revelation. All of the imaginary figments he'd made for Dani were gone. He'd have to think on that later. It was still raining, he could still feel Dani was crying. :~

~: On the outside Legion opened his eyes again and tested his limbs. His arms could move again, his legs. He stretched and tested each part. Dani wasn't holding back anymore. They were working together again. Good. He'd keep it that way. Then he felt the moisture from his eyes, heard Dani's sobbing in the back of his head. He reached up, through the eye-holes of his mask and dabbed with his fingertips under his eyes. He looked to them as he drew his hand back. Blood. He was crying blood. :~

"Huh..." he exclaimed. "So thats why that happens."

[Haku]

A figure can be seen walking towards the walls, covered in heavy armor with sword and shield in hand. As he passes through the gate his eyes fall on the rubble that he was sworn to defend. Falling to his knees, sword and shield sliding from his numb limbs to lay useless in the mud, he slowly reaches for the golden mask that's been with him since the beginning.

"I had nothing in this world... You who took me in, who gave me something besides myself to live for...

He whispers to the mask, oblivious to anything around him.

"Who taught me the value of selfless defense for another...

His voice cracks with sobs, as tears can be seen slowly splashing onto the black and gold mask.

"Who turned his back on this town, it's people, and more importantly, your brothers and sisters...

His words, which were so soft and barely audible but a moment ago, turn to iron as his grip tightens around one of his few treasures left in this world.

"I will not rest until I have found the truth of this... Whether in this world or the next, you cannot hide from me!

His vow ends with a very loud snapping sound as the mask he had so lovingly cared for breaks in half. Without hesitation he slowly digs a hole big enough to lay the pieces in and gently covers it with the fresh dirt.

"Perhaps the Betrayal Stone chose the wrong master... But I will take your last lesson to heart, for who better to learn it from?"

As he slowly rises to his feet, he spots Legion but pays him no mind. Retrieving his shield and sword, he reflects on the last thing Abaddon had taught him....

"Hope... The hope that I can find you, and bring you to justice... The hope that I can protect this town better than I was able to protect you... And the hope that I find something to live for again..."

He turns his back on the House that he would have given his life for and slowly makes his way through the gate. With no place to go, he stands in front of the gate before he makes up his mind and sits down with his back to the wall. He can be seen painting what looks to be a new mask...

[Goonter]

*A small guthrie, dressed in leather armor and otherwise a very colorful array of tunic, vest, and hat, holding a mace almost as big as himself in his right hand, and a much smaller mace in his left, approaches the rubble, noticing Legion*

"Find anything of interest... or Abadon, for that matter?"

[Nick]

~: He hadn't even noticed Paer' An' until the voice of anger rose and the crack of the mask that was shattered in his fellow Valkin'Vi's hands. He straightens himself up, brushing dust and soot from his frame as he begins to leave the rubble for the gate and his angered...no, companion was no longer the word. Paer' An' had made it clear enough on their last outing that he and Legion were not partners anymore. :~

~: It was customary for their kind to draw upon their face or mask a red crescent moon as a sign of failure. Legion would do no such thing. Even though he was a friend to Paer' An' he wasn't his guardian. He had been busy with other things when the warrior had been taken by the town for questioning, and when he had almost been dispatched by Gabriel. These weren't Legion's failures, no matter how much Dani screamed at him that they were and that he should show remorse. Remorse was for the weak.. :~

~: He spotted Goonter coming to sift through the rubble as well and smiled. Even though he despised Guthrie...and he truly despised this ones voice because of its similarity to Dani's...he enjoyed their antics. They always made such good cover. :~

"No Goonter. I haven't found anything of interest. And Abaddon is probably very far from here now."

"It would seem we have been betrayed, my friend. A deep betrayal that brings the worst of us out. You have lost a home...I lost 2 friends to his treachery."

~: This was said as he walked towards the gate, towards the wall Paer' An' was leaning against and away from the Guthrie. He could guess the reason behind Paer' An''s anger, it was the source of his own. His two friends, Charlesk and Edward had been claimed by Abaddon. He had learned this all too late, and a tree had been the vent for his anger rather than a mask. He exited the remains of the gate, looking down at Paer' An' with almost lifeless eyes. :~

"We aren't going to let this betrayal defeat us though, are we? No...we need to move forward from this. Abaddon must be found and dealt with, and those things he has stolen returned to the town. After that...well...whatever happens happens."

~: He leaned against the wall opposite the gate from Paer' An', arms folded across his chest. His eyes didn't leave the Valkin'Vi though, ears eager for a response. Would Paer' An' bring up Legion's previous "failures," or look past them to the future and a new mission? Either way Legion knew he had research to do. He just didn't know what to look for first. So much to do...so little time. :~

[Goonter]

*The guthrie is surprised at the information about Abaddon being a murderer*

"So it seems you still have a killer to track down... I never would of guessed that to be in Abaddon's nature; he seemed pleasant enough to me while I was gambling. But that is irrelevant, I shall join you on your search. If he is a killer, he must be found and stopped."

[Haku]

Upon hearing the Guthrie's voice, and his promise of help tracking down the traitor, Paer'An stops painting.

"No Guthrie, this is a matter for those he betrayed to handle. Though I do appreciate the offer of assistance, I fear we all have more pressing concerns to deal with..."

He focuses his attention to the other Valkin' Vi'. Thoughts run through his mind, as he tries to voice the devotion he feels to any of the Painted Folk and the subsequent betrayal that is still fresh in the air.

"Solidarity between everyone is paramount now more than ever... We either make our stand, together, because the consequences if we fail is too great to even contemplate. I need to know that you can be counted on when the time comes..."

He starts reflecting on everything that has happened within the past few days. Thoughts of the past, present and future begin to swirl in his mind as he tries to sort through everything...

"Where we go, there is no return. Of anyone here in this town, there is no one else I would rather have at my back..."

He begins to put the finishing touches on his new mask, wondering, hoping, praying that his trust in yet another Valkin' Vi' is not misplaced.
[/i]

[Nick]

~: Legion...Dani...both minds seemed to do a double-take on that last sentence. Those last words....that out of everyone he...they were the most trusted by Paer' An'. After all the screw-ups and mishaps, the failures to be in the right place at the right time...he was still a valued ally in this battle. Legion...Dani...at that moment sort of connected together. The tears of blood ceased and Danimoth closed the gap between himself and his comrade. :~

"...He's right, Goonter. Against Abaddon...this is going to be our fight. Our betrayal, and we'll deal with it as such. But we have other problems to deal with. The Silvan'dar Elves need to be dispatched to make this place safer. Perhaps you should find others who are preparing for that battle, Goonter. Your kind is rather brave, after all."

~: His eyes returned to Paer' An', his right arm extended towards his fellow Valkin'Vi. At least for now the 2 minds would work as one; they'd get along so long as this common enemy existed. All thanks to the kind words they'd never thought they would hear in all of the darkness of this past moon. :~

"Of all the people in the world, I would be honored to watch your back...and have you keep at least one eye on mine."

[Haku]

Grasping Legion's arm, Paer'An allows the faintest glimmer of hope to burn in his chest. It is a feeling that he knows all to well, but it is welcome nonetheless.

"I will always be there my brother. Whether in this world or the next, all the way to Mistrallia."

He slides the new mask onto his face, checks the strapping and gives it a final adjustment. Unlike any of his past masks, this one is devoid of gold paint. It somehow looks darker, slightly more malevolent as if alluding to something...

"We have much to do, and little time to prepare. If the elves accomplish what has already been set in motion then it will be as if we never had existed. It is as Korrigan and Esmerelda said... There is too much at stake to let anything get in the way."

[Nick]

~: Danimoth would give Paer' An' a tug up onto his feet, whistling at the sight of the new mask and silent meaning behind it. Though he admired the color gold and was sad to see it leave Paer' An's mask he understood the need for change. After all, Legion had changed quite a bit in recent days. Now was the time to help. But where to get started? :~

"Well then, perhaps we should deal with our problems as a whole and not as individuals. It might be best to find Korrigan and Esmerelda. I heard of a war council the other day, though I was preoccupied and unable to attend. Lets see if we can lend a hand, shall we?"

~: And with that Danimoth would turn and begin heading for the Inn. It was the most centralized building he could thing of, and an excellent place for a meeting of minds. He was already running through a few things in his head, perhaps he'd used his tracking abilities to monitor the Elves movements, or spend some time digging up information on their portals....either way he'd contribute to the effort as best he could. Oh, and he couldn't forget... :~

"Come on, Goonter! I'm sure they'll have a job for you as well. Perhaps they'll crown you 'Pie King' of the Guthrie."

[Haku]

As Paer'An' watches Legion make his way towards the inn, he glances towards the portal to Avenguard.

"There is a reckoning to be had between us Zyth, but now is not the time."

Without a backwards glance to the ruins and rubble that was once a noble House, he makes his way to the inn and the council of war...

[Goonter]

*Goonter eagerly follows the two Valkyn'vi, eager to provide any assistance he can. He notices Paer'An glancing off*

"What is that you are looking at, Paer'An?"

[Haku]

"A reckoning Goonter... A reckoning..."

Paer'An tells the little Guthrie. Thoughts of Zyth and how he was treated the last time he visited Avenguard are still in the back of his mind, but as he glances towards Legion he is reminded that not everyone there is disrespectful. In fact, some are worth saving.


"Come Pie King, we have much work to do, even more planning and very little time to accomplish both."

Paer'An pushes the distraction of Zyth and Avenguard from his mind, because that is what they have become. Merely a distraction. And he knows that in the coming war any distraction, no matter how big or small, is the same as a death sentence...

[Goonter]

"Ok, whatever you say."

[Eli]

Eli stands by looking at the ashes from a distance. "I wonder if everyone here is going to turn out to be a crazed killer. This is a dangerous group of people I think."