Day 3 of the Amazing RP

Xan Torez: "You stopped them?" He was watching out of the window now, staring at the storm. It seemed to be getting stronger. Was this a storm caused by the mages? Had they sensed the Necromancers getting in contact with Alex? Was he now putting Rhia and the Thief in danger by simply being here? He pushed the thoughts from his mind, then looked at her, his bright orange eyes seeming a little sad. In the space of a day, his dull and boring life had been turned upside down. As much as he had wished for excitement, finding out he was an enemy to the kind of person he wanted to be wasn't what he had hoped for..

The Author: "That's right." Finally, she found what she was looking for, pulling a book from the shelves. It had less to do with magick, and more to do with the workings of a King's Court, including the myths often involving his inner circle. She flipped through the pages idly as she made her way back over to Alex. Finding the page she wanted, she held it down to him. It was opened to the Mythical section, the page entitled Containers. It had a description of what these 'creatures' were supposed to be able to do, a lot of it a load of huey, but some of it was all too true. The picture on the facing page would be something perhaps very familiar to Alex, though he wouldn't have remembered it until he looked at the picture. It was of a person dressed all in black, carrying a white staff topped with amber, with a black blindfold tied around their eyes, a symbol of their position. "Do you remember ever seeing someone like this...?"

cwkjstr: The words that the other two were speaking were simply not being processed. They could have called his mother a jackal and he'd just keep reading, his nose twitching with excitement. The spells in this book ranged from terribly easy to dangerously difficult. Dom grabbed a bulk of the pages and skipped to the last few pages, wondering what great and powerful magic awaited him. If he had studied like this back when he was a child instead of playing around all the time, he might have actually been something more than a petty thief. But not again, now he had his share of fun and living on the edge he wanted more from life; controlling the mana stream was just the first step. One particular spell caight his eye. "Amaze your friends; walk along the roof!" From what he could tell, manipulating the gravity around yourself using the mana stream was how it was done, but the rest of the page was scattered with equations and tips and warnings. Perhaps he wouldn't try that spell first. Leaping off his chair, he stood tall, the book was quietly placed back on her little coffee table. "Rh--" It just registered that Alex and her were somewhat deep in a conversation, and a revival of the last few minutes confirmed it. "I.. uhm.." he pointed at the door, even thought neither of them saw. "I have to go for a little while. I know a few guys that would pay nicely to know that a certain crowned figurehead is going to be arriving soon." He spoke more to himself than to anyone. "Could I.. uhm.. borrow this?" his fingers, still pointing moved to the book. He smiled. 'Please oh please oh please'.

Xan Torez: His eyes didn't meet the image at first, before he looked at it. He didn't recognise it, but gently he touched the page. Immediately, the world around felt as though it had just shaken in his head, and countless images flashed through his eyes. Underlying words spoke in a foreign tongue, "Saeraes caltyr leola korer.." it seemed to repeat thereafter as he tried to concentrate on the images. Finally, the image he was looking for appeared and he nodded, taking his hand from the page suddenly, "Y.. yes, I recognise them. Only, I think the staff was a little bit different." A new part of him spoke in his mind, and he was shocked to recognise the voice, 'interesting, a container. An ancient design of imperial guard that was thought impractical at first, but was secretly produced.. a royal guard to the best kept secrets of the nation. Hmph, Alexios, listen to me, do not trust her. She is one of 'them'.' Alex closed his eyes, then looked up to her, sighing, "I can hear the voice again. It feels different this time. Normally it hurts, but, right now, it doesn't sound as if the voice is coming from the streams. It sounds like it's me, talking to me, with his voice..

The Author: Her eyes grew dark when he said that, but she paused a moment, hand lifted towards Dom. "I told you the books were not to leave the house. Leave that here. Go talk to your friend, and if you want to keep studying, you come back here." She stood again, snapping that book shut. She made her way towards the bookshelves again, troubled look on her face. "Your blood is waking up... We'll have to work quickly..." She placed the book back into the empty space she'd taken it from, then turned around to face Alex again. "Listen to me, Alex. You -can- trust me, no matter what anyone, even 'yourself', tells you. I am bound to protect this city, and her inhabitants, including you. That means I will not allow any harm to come to you."

cwkjstr: Disappointment swept over his face when she told him no, but he accepted it anyway. Like before, he couldn't really disobey her just yet. Before he got to reply, she was focused on Alex again. What the Hell was with this guy anyway? Why does he show up and take Dom's magic lesson away? A deep sigh told everyone that he had moved from one end of the room to the other, a foot from the door with his hand outstretched. Before he braved the storm, he turned, pulling up his hood and tying it hard; it was getting windy. "I am going to be a little while, and if this storm gets any worse, then the Magi council will call everyone to the castle to keep them safe from the lighting." If the forks kept hitting ground like they were, then fires would start. At the castle that could be stopped. "I don't suppose you'll still be here will you?" He pulled down the door handle, ready to leave.

Xan Torez: Alex looked over at the Thief and shrugged a little, "Personally, I've no idea. If the council pulls everybody into the castle, I'll be called onto duty to help move people in. All guards will be needed at the castle gates. As of yet though, nothing." he tapped the side of his head to say that he had received no mental messages, "except for a voice that really shouldn't be there." It responded, 'I'm trying to help you Alexios, please don't doubt me.. you cannot-..' "Yeah yeah, cannot trust her, sure.."

The Author: Rhia couldn't help but smile faintly, then looked back up to Dom. "I will be here, either way, though if there are fires, I'll be working. You're welcome to come back here anyway, if you'd rather not get holed up in the castle." She lifted her chin some. "Oh, and Thief... I'm sorry I could not give you as much attention as I promised this morning. I did not forsee my conversation with Alex being of such importance."

cwkjstr: He nodded his 'It's OK, I'll be back later on though, and I hope you have more eggs' type of nod, and pushed the door open, a bloody strong wind pushing him sideways somewhat. He would'nt be gone a long time, and chances are she'd be at any fires in the city. Should one arise with Dom at the base, well, at least she'd come to him. "An hour or two, depending on guards and weather. Oh.." he gave both of them a cheeky smirk, "My name is Dominic. Dominic Rysius." With that he turned and forced his way into the cold, closing the door firmly behind him. 'Now, where the smeg is Juno?'.

Xan Torez: His attention now switched back to her and he frowned a look that said, 'So, any ideas?' He spoke quietly, sighing a little as the wind picked up a little more, "Alright, so the voice is obviously here now, and apparently he's in my blood. I have to admit, I'm not happy about that idea, because there are some things in life that should just be kept private." 'I'm not here to spy on you or anybody Alexios, I'm here to make sure she doesn't harm you.' Alex sighed a little and rested his elbows on the table surface, placing his hands into his palms, "So, what was the relevance of that picture anyway?" 'She is one of them...'.

The Author: "The person you remember seeing is me. I've been in service to this Kingdom most of my life." She sat down slowly in a chair beside him, looking off to the side with a distant look on her face. "I knew your parents in passing. The Magi all know of me, though only a few of them know the extent of my abilities. I, like you, am something they don't understand, and can't control, and if it weren't for the King, I would have been done away with long ago." She sighed softly, looking back over at him.

Xan Torez: "You're a container?" 'An entity made almost purely of the Light Mana Stream. She is more attuned to the light mana streams than most ArchMagi. The Dark Mana streams are here opposite however. YOU, Alexios, are here opposite. That is why you cannot trust her. She is a Magi of power, and she will try to control you, like they do.' He ignored the voice and sighed a little, "You stopped them from destroying me.. how.."

The Author: "I used my power over the Mana stream, initially. From a vantage point, I halted their spells and stopped them from casting anything more. I was able to petition the King in time to spare your life, and while he didn't really understand what the whole ordeal was about... Well, he trusted my judgement, and ordered the Magi to not only let you live, but to look after you, since you had no one else." She shrugged faintly, looking down at the floor. "I like to think we're not all bound to the life we're born into."

Xan Torez: it?' 'Correct. The Magi outlawed the use of the Residual Mana streams and Necromancaic arts. People still worshipped it however, and in fear of it rising and becoming worse, the Mage Guilds swore to root out this worship of the Devil. Satanism, indeed.' 'But you DO worship Demons..' 'Do not mistake Necromancy for Satanism Alexios, for then you are no better than 'them'. Necromancy is about learning and strengthening. The Magi are about controlling and power. Who is the evil one there..?' Silently, Alex sat in thought. When it was put into that perspective, the voice had a scarey point, "What do you know of my parents and their fall to the Dark Arts? What did they find in the Mage Council Crypts?"

The Author: She was quiet for a time, looking down at her hands. Finally, she stood up again. This whole thing really did make her quite antsy. She was walking on black ice as far as what her contract would allow her to say... "The truth." She started to pace the length of that living room. The furniture was arranged in such a way that there was a clear path to walk, which probably meant she did this often. "This is difficult for me, Alex.. A Container...we... Erng. I am loyal first and foremost to the kingdom, the good of the kingdom. Under the kingdom, I am loyal to the King. But I am goverened by the Magi. I may not be able to tell you what you need to know without express permission from the King, for the Magi most certainly do not want you to know what I wish now to tell you."
Xan Torez: A part of him suddenly clenched up in anger and he closed his eyes, "The Magi have held enough secrets from me about myself. These are my parents, I have a right to know that, and if the Magi do not agree.." he opened his eyes, looking straight at her, ".. then it seems the Necromancers hold the biggests prospects for me." He lifted some of the sand from the table then let it slip through his hands slowly, forming a small pile, "If you do not wish to tell me, then that's fine, I will not blame you, but.. you know what might happen." By that, he knew she may actually have to do something drastic to stop him from going 'elsewhere'. The voice stayed silent.

The Author: Her eyes widened and she turned to face him. "Please do not think that I don't want to tell you!" She stopped herself and took a bit of a breath. "Alright." She glanced up at the storm, brow arching. "If the Magi are busy either creating or subduing that storm..." Faintest of smiles found her lips and she suddenly became a flurry of movement. "Sit still, please. As little movement as possible." She turned towards the fire, a wave of her hand causing it to simply disappear. She walked over to that table and took a handful of the volcanic sand. She began to lay it out in a solid circle around the table, stool, and the chair Alex was sitting in. She left a piece of it undone, and left the circle to retrieve her staff - that white and amber staff - from a place it had been hidden by the door. She then returned to that circle, and finished it with some more of the sand. As soon as the circle was finished, the bit of amber on the top of her staff began to give off a soft glow, and the sound of the pounding rain was cut off. She sat down on the stool, taking a few deep breaths. This was her first taste of freedom in a long time, and it tasted very, very good.

Xan Torez: Alex looked up to the ceiling and frowned, "A shield?" he hadn't expected her to have to go through all this trouble just to tell him about his parents. Still, he wasn't going to argue. The Magi had obviously gone through a lot to keep all of this from him. It had to have been fate that all this had begun whilst Rhia was around. There was surely no way that this had all been coincidence. The voice clarified that it was still here, 'fate is a wonderful thing, don't you think?' Alex just stayed silent, listening, all the time his eyes on that staff. The more he looked at it, the more he remembered one or two images of a cloaked being with the staff, talking to two other figures; his parents. He was too young to talk or walk at the time, and yet the memories were all there.

The Author: Satisfied with that new sense of freedom, she began to speak, her voice incredibly clear within that barrier. "Your parents discovered records buried with one of the Magi a long time ago, before even I was born. This Magi was a part of a faction within the Council who did not agree with the overall conclusion that Necromancy was equatable with devil worship. There was little they could do, however, for the King at the time agreed whole-heartedly with the notion, and the Magi who did not agree would have been executed the very moment they voiced their feelings. So instead, they wrote down everything that happened, not just what's in history books, but what -really- happened. They decided to bury themselves with the records, in hopes that they would some day be rediscovered in time to save those with Necro blood. For you see... The terrible truth, the plan that had been put into effect two hundred years ago.. The Magi, so terrified that their authority would be overturned and magickry would become available to every man, woman, and child on the streets, set forth a plan to erradicate Necromancy entirely. Not just the practice, but the entire bloodline. Your parents discovered these writings, and this plan. While it is true that many Necromages were not strong enough to overcome control of the dead, for that is a terribly difficult thing to do... Your parents were not that weak." She bit her lip some. "They came to me, asking for my help so that I might be able to give them a safe place to practice, but the Council... They'd caught wind of what your parents were doing, and kept a far too close watch on me. They were found out... However, the group of Necromages whom they had managed to contact during that time remained, and still remain, a secret from the Council. I believe it was these people who contacted you."

Xan Torez: The voice continued, 'Indeed, your parents came to me as ArchMagi. I admit, I was afraid, at the time I was nothing but a humble researcher. I entered the Nether in search of information and teachings, but I knew that it was illegal to do such a thing by the rules of the Magi council. When your parents arrived, I feared for my life, but in time we became friends, and we taught each other what we knew about each form of power. It was easy to see that the Magi feared our control over what they could not, and they were scared that we were more powerful than them. We were hunted, slaughtered, but we never once lost faith in what we did.' He was certainly doing a good job in shedding the light on the Necromancers, 'I am the first to admit that, nowadays, things have.. changed.. a little. We are still aiming for the same goal, in the end, but now we command more power, and are much more of a system than victims of a holocaust. We teach others and preach our ways in the hope that the Necromancer ways will one day be strong enough to be spread throughout the land again. People such as your parents woud then not have to die in vein. As there are 5 Supreme Magi in the High Magi Councils, there are Necromancer Lords, each more powerful than any Mage, ArchMage or High Mage. Each is a pure blood Necromancer, born of the true ways by parents who devoted their lives to the ways of the Nether.' Alex sat, still staring at the Staff. He hoped that Rhia was hearing what the voice was saying, somehow. If she was a container and oh so powerful, surely there was a way she could, 'Necro. Lords are hard to come across as the Mage Guilds put more and more effort into finding us and killing us, but we don't ever give up Alexios. Fate will not let us fall just yet. Not until our purpose is complete.' 'And what is your purpose?' 'To show the truth to the lands, of course, that the Magi Council and the Monarchy have the wool over the eyes of their people! The people are being unwillingly controlled, Alexios, and others are dying for it! We strive to bring out the truth! When the Magi Council has fallen, then the people will know that they have been lied to, and then.. they will be free..' He could see now what the voice had meant when he complained about Necromancy being an old fashioned term. Things had changed. They weren't dark arts performers. They were freedom fighters, truth seekers in a world where the lies were being fed by the bucket-load. And yet, something still didn't sit right, 'I know..' spoke the voice, 'The Dark mana streams. A long time ago, a researcher Magi found that the mana stream was in fact a pair of streams. One resonated at a high frequency, the other at a low one. They were named, the upper stream and lower stream. more research led them to realise that the upper stream interacted with the living world, whilst the lower interacted with the souls of the deceased. Using the lower streams, it was possible to communicate with those who had passed over, but prolonged exposure to this lower Mana stream did strange things to people. They became darker in the mind, and began to worship strange beings they had seen in images that had appeared to them whilst they walked to lower plains. The two streams were then named the Light Mana Stream, or Light Stream, and the other was named the Dark Mana Stream. The Dark Stream. For a time it was limited to trained Magi for use, Magi who would not be easily persuaded by its dark tactics. Not even Magi can defend themselves against it though, and the first Dark Magi were born; they used the Dark Stream to ressurect the dead for their own biddings, and summon demonic creatures from the Nether for their use. It was those Magi who gave the Arts the bad name.' "So wait," he found himself speaking out aloud now, "You want me to be a Necromancer for you, under the rule of a Necromancer Lord, that intends to overthrow the entire Magi Council and the Monarchy, even though you're well aware that my use of the Dark Streams could well turn me.. well.. evil.." The voice chuckled, 'Close, only two things you presume, are infact, wrong. Firstly, YOU would not turn evil. Your blood is that a pure Necromancer, meaning your soul is much more resistant to the dark teachings.' "Alright, but then, if I'm pure blood, doesn't that make me..?" He stopped, not really believing it for a second, but the voice spoke on, 'You will not serve under the rule of a Necromancer Lord. You will BE a Necromancer Lord. Why do you think the Magi went through so much trouble to hold you back from the truth, Alexios? Your power does't just stop at entering the Nether. You are a part of the Dark Streams, of the Nether! the Container may be an entity of the Light Mana Stream, but as far as the Dark Stream goes, you are her equivalent.' Alex immediately looked at Rhia and frowned, shaking his head, "Nowhere NEAR her equivalent. She is far more powerful than I could ever dream to be!" 'In time, you will learn, Alex. In time. That is, if you make the right choice..' He sighed and looked at Rhia, raising his eyebrows, "Please, for the Lord's sakes tell me you heard all of that, I really don't want to have to explain it all.." He was still trying to take it all in. From a boring day in a boring job as a boring Guard, all the way to a scarey day in a comfortable house being told he is infact a Necromancer of the Highest Order and Power. Fate was wierd, nevermind wonderful...

The Author: "Oh, I heard it just fine, and I dare say, I may have actually learned a few things. There -is- one thing I wish to make clear, not only to you, but that voice of yours." Her hand squeezed a bit tighter around her staff, a sign of her conviction in her coming words. "Times have changed. And with the times, so has the King. To His Majesty, the Magi Council are a hive of buzzing bees that would be best thrown through a trash compactor. They only reason they even still exist within the government is because the kingdom may very well collapse without them, for some obvious reasons, and some not so obvious. His Majesty wishes deep in his heart that there were some way to, if not get rid of them, make them more efficient, and more loyal to his own wishes. I believe... I believe that while the Magi Council would see the Necromancers as a revolutionary group, the King himself would see them as Patriots, and the Magi as the revolutionaries. I beg of you, on his behalf, do not count him out just yet. He loves this kingdom, and his people, and had no part in what happened twenty years ago. I believe with all that I am that he would very much cooperate in establishing a new government, one in which both sides can be heard. I ask, Alex, that you do nothing before I am able to speak with the King. I will tell him nothing of you, or this group of Necromancers, but I will speak to him of the possibility of making his dreams for this kingdom come true. Will you give me that chance?"

Xan Torez: Alex opened his mouth but the voice spoke in their minds instead, 'Alexios is young yet, he has much training to go through. However, I will answer in his place. You may not speak to the King about this. He's is a dellusional old man that is long past his time on the throne. He and his merry group of Magi should be cast out as the Necromancers were. We have been hunted and killed before our familes, innocent magick worshippers have died by the King's call and his Magi's hand's, all for their desire for control. The Necromancers will take this to the King themselves, and he will see the Nether for himself.' Alex blinked then shrugged to say, 'It's out of my hands at the moment'.

The Author: Her eyes widened a bit at those words, and somewhat surprisingly, even to herself, a tear drifted down her cheek. She spoke weakly around a lump in her throat, knuckles white as she gripped that staff. "You wouldn't hurt him...would you? He's not as you say he is...you do not live within the castle, you do not know him, you know only what you hear... The Magi are corrupt...but he is not..." Another tear fell and she quickly shook her head, rising to her feet. "If you wish to overthrow all that is here and completely replace it with your own easily corrupted ways, then I cannot be a part of this...no matter how much I ache for freedom."

Xan Torez: Alex stood immediately following her, somewhat concerned as he stood infront of her and took her shoulders, his bright eyes staring into hers, "Are you okay?" The voice spoke, 'My dear, if the king was not corrupt, he would have abolished the ancient Magi system quite some years ago, when this first began to happen. Both Necromancer and Magi ways are easily corrupted, but whilst one is in control, the other is unduefully attacked and slandered. We do not intend to rule ourselves, Mage, we simply seek the truth for the good of our nation by showing the Mage guild for what it truly is. If it was resolvable by words, and without magick, then it would have been done before all of this happened. I'll bet you didn't know that, did you, Container? The Necromancers once braved the halls of the palaces and the Magi Council in a pledge for peace between two worshipping groups. Do you know what happened, that evening? Every Necromancer to stand in those halls was killed where they stood, by Mages and Royal guards alike. The King knew well about this, but stop it he did not. We learnt our lesson the first time, Mage. The Royal Councils are not to be trusted. They are willing to kill to keep their secrets. We are willing to kill to reveal them.' Alex spoke in somewhat of an anger, "Then, I will not join you." 'Do not be so harsh to jump to rushed decisions because there are emotional females involved, Alexios. If you want true female emotion, speak to the innocent widows created when the Mage's tear through Necromancer villages and burn the houses. Speak to the sisters of Pregnant Necromancers who were killed in Cold blood by Fire and Ice! ... speak to the daughters, who's mothers were killed, simply because they wanted to know the truth about the government that runs their kingdom..' Alex's heart was in his mouth, but he ignored the voice, watching Rhia.

The Author: The tears were streaming now, and, with that new freedom, she screamed out a truth she hadn't been able to face for a long...long time... "Those same Magi killed my own parents! My kind have been persecuted, too! I bet you didn't know that, did you, Necromancer? Containers may not be as common as Necromancers, but why do you think that is?! Necromancers can be controlled by the dead, but we Containers can be controlled by the living! Our kind were placed in binding contracts millenia ago, and those contracts continue to be placed on us the moment we're born by which ever kingdom we're born into. I can't even heal myself without express permission of the Council! But even under contract, Containers have found ways around it, same as you Necromancers can practice without being controlled by the dead. And because of that, we were deemed too dangerous and have been killed off the moment we're born, or sooner, our mothers killed while pregnant. I would have been killed, too, had it not been for His Majesty. He was only a prince, then...but he made a contract with me while I was a baby. When the Magi found out, they could do nothing to revoke the contract, but instead... Instead they created their own, terrible contract. He is powerless against them! They would have killed him themselves if it had not been for our contract.." She slowly looked away, trembling with all of the pain these memories brought back.

Xan Torez: Alex held her by her shoulders, listening intently. The voice was deadly silent and Alex began to wonder if the Necromancer was a coward, 'Interesting..' "INTERESTING!?! I'd say it was a godamn bit less than INTERESTING!" Alex swung about, looking around the room, filled with rage. The voice was calm and considerably collected, 'Container, do you honestly believe that a fued that has existed for many years can be solved without magical contracts, and yet without bloodshed?' Alex looked at her, wanting nothing more than to hug her and try to stop her from crying, but he felt that right now, there was nothing he could do. He was simply a communication device it seemed. A very angry one.

The Author: She held tightly to that staff, taking a few minutes to collect herself. She let the tears continue to fall, as it seemed to be lifting a weight she'd been carrying, unable to speak, for nearly eighty years. "No. But I do believe the bloodshed can be kept to a minimum. Not all of the Magi are corrupt...they are simply as powerless as those Magi Alex's parents discovered in the Crypts had been. I know which are which...I can see the minds and hearts of each of them as clearly as you can see the colour of the sky. But under my contract, I can do nothing about it, except point them out." She closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head. "If only there were another Container...this could all be done without any innocent deaths... Perhaps I am too idealistic for you, Necromancer. But Life is what I am... I am bound by life itself to do everything in my power to make sure life wins out over death."

Xan Torez: 'And do you believe that YOU could keep the bloodshed to a minimum? That the truth can be exposed, and not just shunned?' "Cut to the chase, Necro!" 'Your anger will serve you well in time Alexios, but against me it is unfounded. Container, if you believe you can help us, then I believe we may be able to help you..' Alex hadn't actually expected those words. The Necromancer Lord was offering a peace between Rhia and the Necromancers, maybe on behalf of all Containers and Necromancers. 'You seek nothing different to what every Necromancer does; freedom from the Magi Council. If you truly believe the King is not a part of them, and that the council can be overthrown with the King's willing hand, then, I offer you freedom with us, and our backing. I do not ask you to worship the streams as we do. I am well aware that the Dark Streams could well harm you as you are made of its opposite. All I ask is that you help us. Necromancy isn't what the Magi would like you to believe. We want freedom, and together we stand a better chance than doing it alone..' Alex was a little befuddled now, but wondered what her reaction would be. When he first mentioned Necromancy, she seemed to be against it. Now it was offering her a chance of possible freedom after shining a new light upon itself. Silently, he watched, feeling the awkwardness of the room. The skies seemed to be getting lighter, as if the storm was finally subsiding..

The Author: She took some time to think that over, the offer of freedom a great shock. But slowly, she nodded. "I want to help you. I've wanted to help you ever since Alex's parents brought me evidence of the truth. However... I cannot help you within the city. I will have to be able to get out from under the eye of the Magi..." A slow look of realization came over her face, and, with tears still wet on her cheeks, she smiled, a sly little smile rather a shock to see on her face. "And I think I know a way." It wasn't until just then that she caught sight of that lightened sky through the window. But it wasn't the storm subsiding.... "Oh, God!" The conversation was now over, as she tapped the staff against the floor. That volcanic sand burst into flames for a brief moment, completely disappearing. At once, she could hear the screaming in her mind, and the roaring of the flames outside. She winced at those screams and raced to the door. Thank goodness the Magi were smart enough to evacuate the town before any fires could start... What a fool she was! She threw her cloak on around herself, and hastily tied the blindfold on over her eyes. She nearly tore the door off its hinges as she hurried outside.

Xan Torez: Alex was quick to follow, running out into the burning town. The flames, it seemed, were only around the lower end of the houses. They had not reached the upper houses or the castle. Alex tried to think of a way to counter the flames, but couldn't. Only Aqua mages were able to conjure water from the air. The best he could do was make the floor slippery with a sorry excuse for an ice spell. The voice in his mind spoke, 'Your house, before you start wondering, is fine. I have managed to put a fire warding shield around it should the flames reach that part of the town. There is also a package waiting for you there.' Alex was hardly concentrating as he covered his eyes a little. The heat from the flames was burning his face and the water from the storm was not helping anything. At first he thought the storm was a Necromancer Summoned storm, but with parts of the town now in flames, he realised this wasn't the work of a Necromancer. At least not his 'voice'. 'No, Alexios, I did not summon this storm. I cannot work out who did summon it either, if it was summoned at all. It is a peculiar storm indeed, and to have last so long..' He was looking all over. There seemed to be no shouts for help or screams that he could hear, so maybe the town had been very safely evacuated before the flames grew to this size. The problem was, Alex could see no visible way through the flames. His house was beyond a wall of them. Bravely, he tried a spell, "Telesis!" Nothing. not powerful enough. 'A Necromancer Lord's power comes from the Dark Streams, not his ability to verbalise a spell from the light streams.' For a second he frowned, before raising his hands dramatically and focusing. he could feel a new energy flooding into him, and quite shockingly, a circular pattern appeared around his feet, burning itself into the floor. Still he focused on the flame wall before him, and after a few seconds, it parted like the red sea. He immediately lost his concentration however as he instinctively laughed in shock. The pattern around him faded and the flames grew back into position as he stood, his face awstruck. he could get used to this..

The Author: Rhia paid him little attention - though she would take notice of that little feat he'd just performed. She moved past him, the flames seeming to scare her not in the least. She slammed the butt of her staff into the ground, and cried out at the top of her lungs, "Reverto!" Everything seemed to slow, the flames moving as though they were made out of molassus. They then stopped moving altogether, freeze-framed. The amber crystal on Rhia's staff began to glow intensely, even brighter than the flames, and, slowly at first, the flames began to move backwards. They began to move quicker, back the way they'd come from. The strange thing was, the grass and wood it had burned up in its coming seemed miraculously fine as the fire swept back. She stood there, very still, for nearly half an hour, before the task was completed, and the light in the amber faded to nothing. Rhia stood there for a few seconds, before the staff dropped from her hands, and she collapsed to the muddy street.

Xan Torez: Alex immediately ran to her and checked her pulse. Weak, but still there. He ran his hands through his hair then shook his head, "Oh god, I can't heal! What the hell do I do?" 'When magic is not an option, the old methods will always be available..' He had been hoping that the voice would teach him how to heal quickly, but obviously that wasn't an option. Instead he sat before closing his eyes. 'Alright. Someone give me an idea here.'

The Author: That amber began to glow again, and after a few seconds, Rhia gasped for breath, eyes opening, trembling all over again, from weakness and from the chill of the rain. She coughed weakly, reaching a hand up towards Alex. "The....King.... Take me..to him..." She looked up at him. She wasn't physically injured, but while using that spell at all was taxing, using it at such a large scale and for so long had threatened her connection to the Mana stream, a connection that ruled her life. If it broke, her life ended, simple as that.

Xan Torez: Alex shook his head and grabbed her hand, "The king can wait. I doubt he's going anywhere in a hurry. You need to get rest after that. Jesus.." He turned and grabbed her staff, looping it on his back through his belt. it was uncomfortable, but it wasn't far to her house as he lifted her up and carried her back, "The fire's are gone, so we're a little more safe now. I think the storm is clearing a little afterall, the rain is getting less weaker, but you need rest. I saw everything. You tore a chunk out of the Mana streams you used so much of it!" he smiled a little as he got her inside, then looked around for a sofa or anything he could lay her down on to rest.

The Author: She growled faintly and grabbed hold of his shirt, giving it a little shake. "I said...take me to the King...." Before she could explain anything, though, she passed out again. Her breathing was shallow, and she still trembled. Extremely little was known of the contract between a King and his Container...so something like that probably wouldn't even come into Alex's mind as a possibility for why she needed to see the King.. There was no telling, too, if a Necro's relationship with the dead was the same. Most likely it was all the exact opposite.

Xan Torez: For a second he stared at her then when she passed out again he sighed and turned around, "Oh great, she's a stubborn one.." Following his 'orders' though, he began to run at top speed towards the castle. it seemed the guards had seem him approaching the main doors. As he got to them, they opened and a group of healers were all stood ready. Alex didn't stop for them though. There was some kind of strange contract between her and the King, maybe that was what she needed right now. 'I'd agree there. It may work in a similar fashion to the way Summoning works. Contrary to her beliefs, Necromancers are not controlled BY the dead. Necromancers can CONTROL the dead. However, a contract link is formed between the summoner and summoned, so if the summoner dies, so does the summoned. Maybe she requires energy from the king.' Alex just rolled his eyes and he ran up the steps into the castle, but to his dismay he was stopped by two very imperial looking Mages. Archmages. Each of them looked at Alex as if they recognised him, and then looked at the limp body of Rhia as if they recognised her. For some reason, Alex got the idea that the Magi had come to the conclusion that HE had harmed her, as they raised their staffs and blocked the way, glaring at him as another one walked from the side, "What did you do, guard?" he spoke, and Alex glared, "I did nothing, she needs to see the King!" "Nobody sees him right now.." Alex watched all three then sighed, "C'mon Rhia, if you're ever gonna wake up and help me out here, now would be an awesome time.."

The Author: Rhia wouldn't wake, but someone would come to his aid. "Stop," came a commanding voice, however weak, from behind them. It was the King. "No guard could hurt her." The old man gazed with an incredibly amount of emotion into Rhia's seemingly lifeless face. He looked up at Alex, turning some. "Come." If the Magi tried to protest, he would raise his hand, slight look of anger coming onto his face. "He is to come with me. Do your jobs."

Xan Torez: The Archmagi didn't argue however, simply aiming their glares at Alex himself. For some reason, it looked as if they blamed him for the storm. he ignored them and continued after the King. '..Filthy, evil...' 'hush. We're both thinking the same thing..' Whilst walking, he looked down at Rhia and sighed. Just yesterday she had been sat on a fountain and he had aided in losing her twelve silver coins. He still felt bad about it. And now here she was, unconscious and drenched. Parts of him began to wonder if it was his fault.

The Author: The King, surprisingly, led Alex straight to his own living quarters, a large apartment within the castle. He came to a stop beside a daybed set up under a window, decorated with pillows and blankets that didn't seem to fit the rest of the apartment. They were feminine. "Bring her here...please." While Alex did that, the King disappeared into a back room, returning with a box about one foot by one foot. He set it down on a table beside the bed and delicately opened it. Inside the cushioned box was a rather large orb of amber, though a chunk was missing. He turned to look up at Alex again, holding his hands out. "The staff...may I have it?"

Xan Torez: Quickly, Alex plucked the staff from his back, considerably skillfully spinning it in the air. His muscles were trained to use staffs as primary weapons, so he could swing them fast and efficiently with no problems. Carefully though, he laid it across his palms, then held it towards the King. 'You're awfully quiet. I thought you would be cursing the King's name right now..' Silence. Alex frowned a little, wondering why there was nothing. 'Erm.. hello?' Still nothing. He turned a little, and to his surprise, at the door stood an ArchMage, the end of his staff glowing as he stared straight into the eyes of Alex. Alex froze still as he watched the man. Finally, the Man spoke, "Your Majesty. This man is in contact with a Necromancer! We believe HE is the cause of the storm. He may be a spy!"

The Author: "Silence!" His whole body seemed to have to strain to say that one word. "This man brought the Container to me. If he were a spy, he would have let her die. Now leave, so that I might ensure that does not happen." He glared at the ArchMage, and it was entirely clear His Majesty's hate for the Magi. He took hold of the staff, reaching up for the amber jewel. He plucked it right out of its setting, letting the staff lean against the bed. He then slowly slid that jewel back into that missing section of the orb. It fit quite perfectly, and seemed to seal itself into place, creating quite the glow.

Xan Torez: The Archmage look completely dumbfounded and stood for a second in disbelief, before he turned. Alex knew him. He was a general of the Archmagi attack forces, and as he turned, he pointed 4 commands out to other Archmagi that were ready. They wanted to spill some Necromancer blood, and had taken up defensive positions at the doors. Alex wasn't getting out of here alive. Slowly he turned back to the king and the staff and he spoke quietly, more to the voice, if it could hear, than anyone else, "I gotta get me one of those." 'Check the package I sent you..' "So, you ARE there?" 'I was trying to keep quiet to keep you out of trouble. Seems that may be impossible now.' "Heh." For another few seconds he watched, before speaking quietly, "Do you need me, sire, or shall I leave?"

The Author: "If you go, you'll die. Best wait until Rhia can go with you." He didn't even look at Alex, gently running his wrinkled hand over Rhia's forehead. He loved her...it was quite clear in the way he caressed her face and watched her with all the worry in the world. Perhaps that was why he had never married, even to better the kingdom. He had no heir to the throne...something the Magi were quite grateful for, since it could very well mean one of them would take the throne. All the more reason to advance with the plans of those Necromancers. "Your name.. It's Alex, isn't it? You're the boy she begged me to save, aren't you?"

Xan Torez: He sighed a little and bowed, "At your service, My Lord." Outside he could hear the orders of the ArchMagi, 'Watch your crossfire, do not harm anybody else, capture him alive. We'll find out what he knows later'. Alex closed his eyes and waited for the King. There was no way out of this. 'You're more powerful than they are..' 'But I don't know how to use that power' 'You will learn..' Well, I'd best learn damn well soon..'

The Author: It didn't take more than five minutes before Rhia woke from her deep sleep, eyes slowly drifting open. She gazed up at the King's face, faintest of smiles finding her lips. "Sire..." He hushed her, then went about returning that chunk of amber to her staff. "Your friend is in trouble, Rhia. He'll need your help getting out of here." She nodded slowly, and sat up with a slight groan. She glanced over at the door, sighing faintly. Those damn Magi... Her gaze turned to Alex, and she managed another weak smile. "I'm sorry for putting you in this situation.."

Xan Torez: He frowned with a small grin, "Actually, I was about to say the same thing to you.." For a second he watched out of the door. There was almost an entire regiment of Battlemages here now; too much for even a Container to handle. Between them, they might make it out with a few scrapes and bumps. Then the voice spoke, to both Alex and Rhia, 'Now is the time for your choice. Will you join me and help us?' Alex looked at Rhia and then at the King, before speaking out loud, "On one proviso, I get an awesome staff like hers." 'And you, Container, will you help us?' Alex looked at the King then walked to him briskly, bowing in front of him, "Sire, I know you have no reason to believe me, but please, hear me out. I have reason to believe that the Mage's guild has been hiding truths from you and the rest of the kingdom for a long time. I have recently been contact by a Necromancer who wants to expose this truth so that his people can return to peace again after the Magi Guild has spread false slander about them, and regularly kills them. If I can prove this to you in time, will you consider the complete shutdown of the Supreme Magi Council's control over our nation?" 'A long shot, but I can prove to you what you want to know in your training.' 'I hoped so, or I just lied to the King..'

The Author: The King would have a bit of an odd look, looking to Rhia for her assurance. She reached a hand out to him, resting it on his shoulder. "What he says is true, Sire. An opportunity has arisen for us to be able to do this." Which would be news to both Alex and the Necromancer. "We can trust him, far more than we can trust any of those Magi. I beg of you, will you let me do what needs to be done to see this through?" He watched her eyes the entire time, and didn't hesitate in a moment in his response, a clear sign of his trust in her. "Of course. I believe you. Whatever you need, I give it to you." He looked then towards Alex, a slightly troubled look on his face. "My greatest wish as King is to leave behind a better government for this kingdom. If you can do anything to see that happen, my boy, then by all means, I am with you."

Xan Torez: 'And to say I ever doubted him..' Alex smiled and bowed, before approaching the door, "The further we can get from this city and the Mage Council, the better. If I'm to look into this more, I need to yield my true self. I need to speak to the Necromancer Lord that has been communicating with me these past few hours." He looked down the halls at the end of the door. Guarding the exit that was so far away were at least 15 heavily armoured battle mages, with swords high and their hands glowing. The perfect combination of firepower. With one last turn, Alex neck bowed at the king, then looked to Rhia, "I doubt even both of us will make it past, and I don't think they're about to listen to the King when he says 'let the Necromancer Lord go'." He grinned, knowing the King wouldn't have known that Alex was of such high power in the Necromancer Heirarchs. "I think we might have to fight our way past this one, unless either of you have a better idea at all?" Oh, and whilst we're running, we need to make two stops. The first is to my house. The second is to get that damned thief. He's coming with us, whether he likes it or not."

The Author: Rhia glanced to the King. "You'll be alright?" He smiled warmly to her and nodded. "I'll be fine. Just don't die, alright?" She returned that smile, and wrapped her arms around him, in a very unprofessional manner, quite a shock to poor King Justin. "I won't die.. Just hang in there." With that, she let him go, and turned to Alex, holding her staff out to him. "I presume you know how to use a staff, considering what I saw yesterday. I'll protect you from the magick; I'll leave it to you to keep those blades at bay." She looked perfectly confident in herself, and him, the King watching her with an affectionate gaze. They'd truly been together for a long time..

cwkjstr: "The Creaky Drunk". Even stood outside in the rain, the wind roaring past his ears, he could hear the yells and laughter coming from inside. If Juno was anywhere, he'd be in here, drinking his little heart out. Dom pushed his way inside and was greeted with a moment of curious stares with broke out into large grins and cheers. The Unofficial Thieve's guild, right here. Some of them were those that travelled with the market, like Juno and himself, but there were some territorial theieves that were kind enough to allow their brothers in crime to share their watering hole. A beer was thrust into his hand and large muscular arms wrapped around his neck. Spotting Juno in the middle of a crowd he gave a small nod of the head, which was returned in jest. A space was parted to allow Dom to sit and the bartender passed down another beer jug. "Sorry guys, I ain't here to drink. Not today." The cheers stopped for a mere second, until they all separated off to enjoy themselves. Turning his stool to face Juno, they embraced and shook hands. "I'm sorry to say that I bring news that may dampen your spirits." Juno's dark eyebrows lifted. In case anyone was wondering, he was a mute. Born to a life of silence, he either wrote things down or used his fists to talk. "The King is arriving in town today. Soon, and with him comes a guard union. He's staying for a while." Beer went flying as Juno sprang up from his chair, the glass smashing across the floor. Everyone was silent. "You have to find a new town, maybe the next town the market will travel to?" Some of the men started yelling. "Whats e' doin' ere?!" and "How are we sposed to make a living now?!" Dom ignored them, pulling Juno down to the table. "That's not the only reason I'm here, friend." Anger still clear on his face, Juno listened, his head a little closer to Dom's. "I need some weaponry. Nothing too heavy though. Good for travelling." Amusement was apparent in his eyes, as well as a few questions. "It doesnt matter where I'm going or why, just.. will you help me out? Before we part ways?" A soft slap on the back meant yes. Both men stood and vanished behind a thin veil. 'Holy Mother of Jesus..' When the light was lit, shining metal illuminated the room. Swords and daggers and clubs of every design. Some plain, some so intricate you could stare at them for hours. Dom had a quick look around before he stopped dead near the back wall. Two two foot length swords, both curving upwards with a barb cut into the end of the blade. Up along the metal small engravings created a dragon image which shimmered in the light. He took them both down and just stared. "These will do fine." On the opposite wall, he picked up a back harness for the blades, so they would rest peacefully until they were needed. "Thank you Juno. I hope this is not our last meeting, you still have to beat my record." They both smiled a friends smile and appeared back in the bar. Without another word, Dom left, happy with his new armament. Now he had to make his way back to Rhia's, which took about twenty minutes. On his way, he saw a fire break out, but was quickly vanquished. Ah, the dedicated magi of today. When he stood inside Rhia's empty house, he knew they had gone elsewhere. With a lot of hesitation, he took his book from the table and went to the bookshelf, taking another book called "The mana stream and you" and a red book again without a title. He found a cookie tin in her kitchen and, well, who would know, right? A few minutes later he was on the road into town. Where the Hell would a Container and Imperial Necromancer be?

Xan Torez: Gently he took the staff from her, then swung it twice to find the balance point. Once he had it, he grinned, then left the King's living quarters. Immediately the Battlemages at the end of the corridor raised their swords and two ArchMagi began to conjure fire on their hands. Within seconds, Alex was charging at them, the staff brandished. The fireballs launched and he dodged both of them with ease. Now at point blank, the ArchMagi were virtually useless. Fire this close would do too much damage to them. All he had to worry about, until those Archmagi ran back to a safe distance, was the bladesmen. 2 or 3 of these soldiers was a doddle. 5 or 6 was a challenge. 15 was impossible. He blocked the first lot of sword swings before one sword finally broke through his parry. The sharp of theblade sliced lightly into his shirt, but drew no blood. The voice spoke, 'Think on your feet, Alexios. Move quick, and then combine spells you know already. The Magi are bound by rules of spells. We are not.' He blocked several more attacks, before he instinctively thrust his hand out infront of him. His doubts said nothing would happen and he'd look like an idiot. The air around his hand said otherwise as the light rippled once away. 6 battlemages went hurtling through the air, and colliding into the walls behind. Their heavy armour dragged them to the floor, given Alex the gap he needed to run. Quickly he turned and called to Rhia, "Follow me! Stop their spells!" And with that, he took off at top speed out of the castle, staff in hand. The Mages began to charge more fire

The Author: Rhia stayed in the doorway as he started out, cutting off those initial fireballs so they wouldn't burn anything within the castle. She was doubly impressed by his display and slowly smiled. Oh yes, this would all be quite entertaining. The second he called for her, she took off after him. Simple waves of her hands halted those spells before they could even be cast. Within half a minute, she was running right alongside of him, continuing to ward off spell after spell as they were thrown at them. "This way!" She knew the Magi would block the major entrances, but luckily Rhia knew the castle even better than the Magi, simply from having spent months with free range of the castle. She led him down a nearly deserted hallway, thought to lead to a deadend, but a bend of the Mana stream showed that a secret passage had been hidden by a very subtle illusion spell. The entrance revealed a dark stairwell, and Rhia didn't hesistate in flying down those stairs. Another illusion spell lie at the end of the tunnel, leading them out of the ground and into one of the gardens. It was a clear shot then off the property, and she glanced back at him. "Alright...your place...lead the way!"

cwkjstr: Dom, fearing that he had been gone to long started jogging along the streets. He checked down every alley and street, but no-one was around. In the last half an hour nearly everyone had been ordered to the castle or outside the gates, but he doubted that Juno and the rest of them had obeyed, and the magi probably didn't care if THAT particular building went up in flames. He was running down the high street still eagerly searching for them. Still nothing. "Tim's Clothery". Passing that shop, he quickly halted to a stop, pacing back a few steps. A tiny smile appeared on his face as he gazed into the window. One outfit in the window made him grin. A pair of brown leather pants that were cut to allow freedom of movement, and a three quarter length brown leather jacket, the cord used to to tie it weaved delicately into the material. Underneath that, a white silk shirt, tailored to the highest degree. Dom's neck craned upwards at the outfit, then all the way back down it. He looked at his own body, sizing himself up. Then back to the outfit. His grin widened, to the point where his face might split. SLowly drawing one of his new swords, he struck the glass which shattered easily. Stepping inside, he smirked at the mannequin that donned his new clothes. There was no-one around, no-one to see. Within seconds Dom had stripped off, taken the clothes leaving a rather naked mannequin, and dressed himself. He looked pretty damn awesome, especially when he attached his cloak and swords to his back. Leaving a pile of old clothes behind, the search continued. He darted down a smaller street that led to the Western hosuing district, the smallest of the four. Thsi would be a good place to start

Xan Torez: Alex nodded at her command to lead the way, then took over her, speeding ahead. Light body, fast speed. At least THAT part of him hadn't changed overnight. A few streets down and he was there, the Western district. Third house in was his, and as if fate was playing along even more, Dominic was just a little way down the street. Alex whistled loudly to get his attention, then turned around to face Rhia. Immediately he tossed the staff to her, throwing it so it glided softly through the air and lined up for an easy catch for her. A quick left turn and he was facing the door. It was locked, and the keys were in his cloak, which was of course, still in Rhia's house. With the heavy sound of metal footsteps from the Battle Magi approaching, he felt there was no need to squander over damages to his door and he turned his face away to shield it, then placed the plam of his hand against the door. With the same force that earlier sent the battlemages hurtling through the air, a push came from his hand and the door was thrown back through the halls. As he was about to enter the house however, something caught his attention outside. The package he had just blown the doors of his house off for, was not even inside the house. He sighed, then grabbed the box. it was small, about 3 inches long, wide and deep. Inside was a runed stone and a sheet of paper. A teleporting rune? Ha, don't be silly. "You're going to have to guard me, I'm sorry to sound so self centered, but I have to summon this, and I have to do it now." He began to follow the instructions, throwing the stone to the floor, then beginning a foreign tongued incantation that was mysteriously scribed upon the sheet of paper. The soldiers arrived, some with glowing hands, some with glowing swords. All looked as pissed off as the next.

The Author: She caught the staff and came to a stop beside him, backing up when she saw what he was going to do. When he finally picked up that package and told her to guard him, she nodded, then turned to face off with those soldiers. She grounded the butt of her staff into the ground and bared her teeth at them, the amber beginning to glow fiercely. "Leave, or else." 'Or else what?' she knew was running through their minds. The cheeky grins on their faces told her that much. Bastards. She cried out as she expended a burst of the Mana stream, enough to do something very much like what Alex did, just with less of the destructive force. They would be knocked back, but they wouldn't be physically injured. Instead, they would suddenly find it difficult to cast spells. Of course...they still had swords... She darted a glance to Dominic, crying out to him. "A little help?!"

cwkjstr: Xan's whistle did indeed draw his attention, but he made the mistake of actually walking towards it. Within seconds, Battle Mages and Archmagi charged round the corner and came to a hault in their line. Maybe staying at the pub for a few drinks would have been a good idea, considering that the magi gave him that 'interfere and die' stare. Keeping his distance, he let their attention focus on Rhia. Slowly, he untied the cloak from around his neck and let it fall to the ground silently. When he said he was squeamish about killing, he meant it. But that didn't mean he wasn't capable of it. Drawing both his swords he allowed the "Shiiiing!" to echo down the little street. One of the BattleMagi turned just as it was thrown into the air by Rhia. All of them went down, but they were already clambering to their feet. Another sigh came from Dominic. He hadn't sighed this often in a long time. With a quick dart to the left he ran, his new leather pants did indeed allow him freedom. His right hand sword drew high, but the battlemagi closet to him had already got to his feet, brandishing his somewhat larger sword. His eyes dared Dom to attack. With an obliging strike, Dom clashed steel with the magi. His right hand attack was parried, but the magi let go of his sword and used his left hand to charge a small fireball. At this range, it was lethal. Luckily Dom had been gifted with quick reflexes, and combined with the weighty armour the battllemagi wore, he was able to shift his weight around the punch that would have burned out his heart. Before the magi even knew he was dead, Dom's left hand sword thrust up hard, entering the gap in their headgear where it met the neckline. Very little blood, considering that his brain had just been carved. Yanking his sword out from the skull of the magi, Dom turned his attention to the rather large fireball that had just been thrust his way. 'Please, oh PLEASE be burnproof' he begged his new clothes. Diving to the left, he hit the ground hard

Xan Torez: The stone shone after he had repeated the verse three or four times and a pillar of light rose up about 7 feet into the air, fading at the top. 'Walk into it, and stay there for a few seconds. You'll know when it's time.' Alex nodded then followed his orders, walking into the patch of glow. from the outside, he couldn't be seen at all, and was gone for quite some time. Finally, after a minute or so, a figure emerged from the light and it closed behind him, leaving a pattern scorch mark on the ground. The new figure emitted an aura that made his presence feel as powerful as he looked. His robe was a deep red and black, with golden runes written along the edges. In his right hand, with the butt resting on the ground, was a staff taller than he, with a purple stone floating above it, encased by twisting branches of wood that sprouted from the top of the impressive looking staff. perfectly balanced on his shoulders, and surprisingly stationary was a mantle that covered the majority of his neck, and a little of his mouth. Each shoulder was spiked high, reaching about as tall as his head. It too was a blood red, outlined with gold insignias. The robe sported a hood as well, which the figure wore. None of his face was visible, bar two glowing orange orbs underneath. The narrowed and focused on one guard who was preparing to strike at Rhia and then the figure lifted his left hand high. The soldier seemed to follow his hand movement, lifting in to the air and dropping his sword. He was grasping at his neck, as if some invisible energy was holding him high, strangling him with the weight of his own armour. Another guard, getting brave, looked at the figure, then brandished his sword infront, battle charging towards the Robed man. But from his left hand side flew the heavy body of one of his fellow soldiers at it tore through the air and piled on top of him. The sound of broken bones surged out of the heap of two bodies, and the one that had just been knocked over twitched for a second or so, before falling as limp as the soldier who had hit him. The figure then turned and looked at Rhia, light from street lamps catching his face under the hood, and Alex gave a rather sinister grin, "Let us not waste time here. We should make haste.."

The Author: She watched that display after cutting off a few more spells, somewhat worried look coming onto her face as she gazed up under that hood. "Alex.." she muttered to herself, but quickly shook it off. She looked over at Dom, narrowing her eyes at him. "You took my books, you little thief. You're most definitely coming with us." With that, she picked up a steady run towards the nearest gate out of the city. With the storm, those gates would be unguarded. Lucky them. She pushed the doubts out of her mind for now. It had been his first real taste of power...he'd get over it...she hoped... She could not be wrong..if she was...if she was, then the kingdom was doomed...

cwkjstr: Lying on the ground, dust in his eyes and a lot more angry flame people, Dom wasn't about to put this on his top 10 favourite moments list. Pushing himself up as fast as he could, he grabbed his sword and sheathed them, turning to Rhia and Dom. The rest of the people who had been attacking were more concered with the robed guy now that a double sworded trickster. Damn. Two guys with one stone.. well, armoured battlemage as much as a stone. When Rhia yelled at him he grinned, shrugging off her anger. When she started her run, he realised he couldn't follow quite so easily, the bulk of metal and flesh blocking his way. Glancing around, he saw the path he had come from and the path Rhia was taking. The main high street, which led directly to the gates. One 200 yard run and they would be out of the city walls. One more quick look at Alex and he laughed to himself. They both looked the part they liked to play. Turning heel, Dom ran to grab his cloak and carried on until he saw Rhia to his right, barely thirty feet ahead. "You weren't home and I'm a thief!" he yelled, chasing after her

Xan Torez: Alex began to run too, behind them, when a shout caught his attention and he turned. behind him, an ArchMage had cast an impressive sized ball of fire. Alex had little time to think, and he put his hand out. It felt as if his Telekenesis had grabbed the ball, becuase suddenly there was a lot of friction in his arms as the ball was forced past him. Taking the oppertunity, he halted the fire's movement, then without giving the Archmage the chance to defend himself, Alex hurled the ball back. It struck full on, throwing the Mage to the ground. When he stood, every inch of him was burning and he screamed out in pain. For a few more seconds, in fact, a good 15 seconds, he writhed around on the floor, before the sounds stopped, and he only twitched. Alex watched, taken aback by the entire ordeal. 2 days ago he was wishing he was part of something better. Now he was here, killing people. He had never killed anybody before, and suddenly, in the space of 5 minutes, his tally was up to three. The frightening thing was, he was already beginning to enjoy it. Finally he turned and ran after the others. The gat was unguarded and they ran out with no problems. He didn't look back either.

The Author: Rhia was grateful that they were running, because if she stopped, she'd probably burst into tears all over again. There was nothing like seeing the Mana stream leave a lifeless body. She gripped that staff tightly and just put everything she had into running, running until she couldn't run any longer. Finally, nearly five miles outside of the city, she couldn't take it anymore, and slowed down to a walk before finally dropping to her hands and knees. Her staff went tumbling a few feet away as she gasped for breath. The shock, would be that there was no storm outside of the city. She hadn't even realized it until the moment she collapsed and took a few moments to breathe and think.

cwkjstr: Dom ran behind Rhia for the entire time they were going, and he almost cried tears of joy when she stopped and fell. He caught up to her and just.. fell. Lying on his back, his body cried out 'Hallelujah", his legs burned badly and his head felt lighter than usual. The magi had given up about a mile outside the city. Their armoured men simply couldn't keep up. Breathing as fast as his heart beat he felt the flushing of blood to his face and fingers. Laying outstretched he lifted his head just enough to see Xan. Through his panting he smirked, "And.. what.. exactly.. are.. you.. supposed.. to be?" 'And why have you jsut put yourself on the shooting list for the magi? Why have you scuffed your brand new outfit? And WHY, pray tell, are you lying on the dirt! Get on the grass!' Rolling sideways, he obeyed his conscience. "Can someone.. please.. tell me what just went down back there? I wasn't gone long enough to make that many enemies!"

Xan Torez: Alex stopped running along side them, but wasn't panting as he looked out. It was creepy. Outside the city it was broad daylight, but looming over the city was a dark grey cloud, still flashing high up. No sound, just lightning. "You didn't make any enemies. I did. They were after me." He admired the view of the city from far away and sighed slightly, "Every Mage in the land is going to be looking for us now, all three of us. This is beyond the King's control." He looked at Rhia, then her staff on the ground. Finally he placed his own on his back. There was no loop there, and yet for some reason, the staff stayed in place. A grin spread across his face slowly as he started to laugh. "I don't believe it, haha, we just actually escaped from about 20 of the Magi Council's greatest soldiers! How cool are we?!" 'It's always better to dwell on the future, and not the past.' "I'm not dwelling! I'm-.." he drifted into silence as a ring of light burned itself into the ground a few feet ahead of them. A symbol appeared and then above it burst open an oval of spinning light. From the oval appeared a man, in a deep purple robe, his mantle very similar to Alex's in design. He smiled, then spoke with a small headbow. This man was the voice, "The robes I sent you are a perfect fit, I see. You look just like your father did." Alex's eyes widened, "These were my father's?" "Not the robe or mantle, but the staff was." Alex looked at it and smiled as the 'voice' continued to talk before them all, "Ahead there is a town, follow the road and you cannot miss it. Enter tonight, when it is dark. Earlier will prove deeply problematic. If you do not make it tonight, make camp and enter tomorrow night. You must enter when it is dark. I hate to sound like I am commanding you, but it is most important that this be done properly. A Necromancer will meet you there, Alexios and will give you your training book. Read it well. Once you are ready for the next step, I will be in touch." He turned and faced the portal of light, before looking over his shoulder at Rhia, "Oh, and, Container. Take care of him. His parents will be most displeased if he is hurt when he reaches the temple." Alex's eyes looked like they could fall from his skull as he moved forwards, "My parents are ALIVE?!" But the voice never answered, simply stepping through the portal, which instantly closed behind him. Alex ran towards it, but stopped on top of a large pentagram-like symbol which had been burnt onto the grass. He sighed, then looked at the two, "If we're going to prove the Magi Council is corrupt, then our best chance is with its enemy. I say we follow what he says. There's no rush to get to the next town though. I think if we enter tonight, the town will be on higher alert than tomorrow, don't you agree?"