Saga: Enemies Unmasked

[zolomon]

(OOC: Yay for posties! Knock 'em dead, Kihaku-sama! ^^ )


Zolomon's massive black dragon wings didn't have the time to even warm up, as only after ten minutes of flight, though he had moved a distance that would take at least that many hours walking, they came to a small city, or a large town, depending on how you looked at it. Laying cozily between two lazy round hills, the last streetlights were being snuffed out, as the people were going to sleep. Seemed like a pleasant place to live. Seemed like a pleasant place to destroy. With a villainous smirk, the winged vampire swooped downwards, his and Reiaz's shape striking black against the darkening red sky, as the sun slowly sank into the horizon.

Swooping down, though not touching the glittering, emerald green grass, Zolomon laid the unconscious Reiaz's body down, letting it roll to a soft halt at the base of a strangely bent, yet obviously healthily growing tree, as a large number of small white flowers were closing into buds for the night. In a moment, Zolomon was gone, his black silhouette merging with the dark, nighttime buildings of the city.

With a loud thud Zolomon's feet crashed into the asphalt, cracks instantly reaching out into all directions from him. He looked around, noting how the many wooden, hand-built houses seemed like one of those particles of the past that somehow remained in this technological day and time, a reminder of more wholesome, friendlier times. "What a shit-hole..." the visitor rolled his eyes and, with but a mighty thunder-like clap of his powerful wings, took down the house behind him. Before the rubble and dust had settled, Zolomon was already surrounded by hundreds of people, carrying rifles and shotguns, lamps, flashlights and whatever they could that they thought would be even remotely useful.

A man dressing in only his pajamas and a long coat stepped forward. "Hey, you! What the h-" yet his words were cut short when Zolomon's claws ripped through his throat, splaying blood everywhere. The vampire's face was splattered with it, and he quickly traced his long tongue over his lips, giving a terrifying grin, baring his sharp, bloody fangs.

"Welcome... to the banquet!"

--

The screams and terror of that night never left the town, as there was not one person left to tell about it when it was over. As Zolomon, once more in his coat-wearing original form, walked forward with easy, carefree, seemingly happy steps, behind him remained crushed, burned buildings, from many of which dark gray smoke still rose into the dark sky, while the streets were lined with blood throughout. Limbs and deformed corpses were laying about everywhere, as if not a man, but a terrible rampaging monster had gone through the aging and yet thriving town.

Zolomon himself, however, felt strangely light and easy, though his mind was still concerned about his strange behavior during his fight with Hydra yesterday. Though he was known for his polaric behavior, being a noble aristocrat at one moment, then a savage beast the next, but this had been wild even by his measures. Not only that, his power seemed to explode with the bestial character as well. 'Oh well... until I get to the bottom of this, I'll just fight in my transformed state, so as not to lose control completely,' the undead ruler noted and approached the place he had left Reiaz before his assault on the not-so-populated-anymore town, the kid was right where Zolomon had left him.

As he ascended the slight incline leading to the tree Reiaz was sleeping at, Zolomon felt something pressing against his side. Looking inside his coat, he was surprised to see the the blade of his longsword holding the Mirror Handle in its holster. Thinking for a split second, he reached behind his back and felt the blade of his Halberd of the Damned pressed against his palm. 'Strange... I could have sworn I left it on the field...' As he pulled his arm back out and looked at his hands, which he didn't remember to have touched the weapon after it getting knocked from his grasp during the fight, he noticed another object he didn't remember picking up. On the ring finger of his left hand was -le gasp- a silver ring. He quickly turned his palm around to see that the silver clutched a pure blue stone tightly, the metal running up its bottom side like a serpent. "What the fuck?' Zolomon swore, obviously puzzled. Obviously control wasn't the only thing he lost when going 'primal'.

He walked up to the tree Reiaz was sleeping at and sat down, pressing his back against the mighty trunk. What the hell was going on with him? And where did he get that ring? Strangely, though he knew nothing of it or its origin, he didn't want to toss it away, instead choosing to pull it off his finger and look at it from all sides, while holding it tightly with two sharp tips of his claws. As he studied the strange trinket, his eyes were met with an unpleasant ray of light. The sun was finally rising in the east, not yet knowing what awaited it when it passed over the city that used to greet it so warmly when it climbed down from the sky in the evenings. Zolomon looked at the boy laying beside him, then back at the tiny strip of light blue sky slowly approaching, wondering what would this day bring.

[dimitri]

Miles away from where the other two had ended up, Dimitri stood still, looking out over the horizon continuing to contemplate his next move. He was sitting on the ground now, the wind kicking up the dust and ash that remained on the battlefield. Aside from the bit of debris that hit his body, the wind was very soothing to him and offered him a brief comfort from the choices and issues that currently plagued his train of thought. He wasn't really sure as to if he should even be idling here, but it was always a good feeling to savor the escape for a bit and just enjoy the sunrise as it started to break over the distant Bedoan heights. The rays were a magnificent red that broke through the nooks and crannies of the mountains and valleys within his view. It was purely majestic.

He leaned back and placed his arms on the ground, well, one of them anyway. The other rested on something that definately wasn't ground. It felt almost slightly metallic as he lifted his hand from it and looked over at it. If it weren't for the brief rays of the sun reflecting off the piece itself, it would have blended in near perfectly with the color of the ground here on the border. He picked up the caramel color trinket and observed the details about it. It had a hinge on it that seemed to lock into place on the opposite end of a kind of opening he hadn't seen before. For the life of him though, he couldn't figure out how to open the piece that he had found on the floor.

Holding the item in the palm of his hand, he figured that a strange object like this could best be explained by someone who had their own strange appearance the day before. Seeing as how Gorgon, Hydra, and Minotaur were not really options, being that they were the ash in the breeze, he decided to try and find Reiaz and either return the item or, well, he wasn't sure what came after the or. He couldn't really tell if this even had any kind of aspect on his life or being so far. Rising to his feet, he dusted himself off and went to pocket the item, but it, on it's own accord, opened and clipped to his waistband right next to Luciendar's clip. Sighing softly, he brushed it off and prepared to do something he hadn't done in a while, fly.

For so long and even to this point being that he was always a human being, he always considered flight to be unnatural for him and rarely used the ability taught to him by Ryan so long ago. His thoughts wandered to his friend who seemed to be lost right now and also to his brotherly counterpart who he had the pleasure of facing deep in hell. Still, he had some more important things at hand. After cleaning the dust off his clothes, he closed his eyes and began to focus his energy. The wind seemed to swirl around him and the dust seemed to create a bubble around him as well. His aura appeared, pressed to his body and not extending outward as he slowly lifted off the ground.

As he continued to rise, the bubble of dust shifted into the appearance of rings around him, making him appear to be the core of an atom. Looking in the direction he saw Reiaz and Zolomon head in, he shot directly out of the rings of dust and was flying cleanly and at an almost incomparable velocity. He had always prided himself with the speed he had naturally, not to mention the speed he had from his quickslash and the extra push that gave him. There was no doubt in his mind that had he followed them immediately, he would be able to keep up with them.

After a few minutes of flight, Dimitri came across a sight that was horrifying to any good soul that would ever lay eyes upon it. A whole town was destroyed, set aflame, and the streets seemed to be paved in blood. It was a grotesque sight that would most likely plague his mind for a time, but he had something he had to do now. Once above the town's main plaza, he came to a sudden and abrupt stop in his flight, so harsh that a loud crash was heard as the sonicboom hit the air. Slowly now, he descended towards the ground of the bloodstained streets, pulling out Luciendar from its clip which was now next to the strange trinket that seemed to latch on to his waistband instead of allowing itself to be pocketted.

His feet touched down on the ground and he proceeded to hold Luciendar as if it was an offering to someone else across from him. He fell to one knee and proceeded to say a prayer he had said so many times before in places just like this. While the whispered words escaped his lips, the wind started to pick up and the area around him became a noticeably bright blue as the souls of the departed came to the sword seeking passage to the afterlife. The massive influx of souls took several minutes of intense prayer just to get them into the blade where they would be saved from damnation for now.

Once the last soul had entered the blade, he finished his prayer and the intense winds came to an end. He rose to his feet again and returned Luciendar to it's clip and noticed that the flames had been put out and the city didn't seem so plagued anymore. It was still filled with blood and the bitter taste of an major evil lingered in the air, but it was at peace. "Who could have done this?" he inquired to nobody in particular.

[kihaku]

In the calming darkness of sleep, Reiaz was finally alone to cope with the immense battle that'd taken place only a few short hours before. His body was physically exhausted, his spirit and energy were almost entirely depleted, though the rejuvinating rest managed to almost completely replenish what'd been lost. As the new dawn approached, the eyes flicked open, bright sapphire meeting brightening purple and streaks of orange.

The eerie silence that pervaded the area was suddenly intensified when the young boy sat up, viewing the burned and destroyed village in all of its gruesome entirety. His gaze shifted immediately over towards the sun, and felt a bit of shock that it rose a bright orange, not the red that he'd expected. Blood had obviously been shed this night previous, but if the sun was not rising red with it's splashing, then where did it go?

"Oh..."

He just realized that part of the bad feelings coursing through his body was because of the vampire not too far off. He shot to his feet, but slightly regretted that as his vision blurred and he was forced to plop back down on his rear for the dizziness. The Promise made a noisy clang as it hit a rock protruding from the dirt, the other end smacking the back of his head.

Rubbing it with a grimace on his face, his azure eyes peered at Zolomon with a slight blush. "Uhm... hi?"

[zolomon]

(OOC: Mehehe... being evil is SOOO much fun... >D )

While waiting for... something, Zolomon noticed a strangely familiar person headed for the very town he had just come from. The vampire stood up, surveying the surrounding nature, which was slowly, sleepily opening its eyes and yawning in its specific manner, much different from the way humans saw it. He grinned, as he observed the subtle changes that every living being over-went with each morning. Though Zolomon was more fond of death, destruction and void, it did not mean he had no understanding of life. On the contrary, taking life away elegantly required the utmost comprehension and knowledge, something that could not be accumulated in any mortal's lifetime.

As he watched the town that would never greet the morning after his... impolite behavior last night, he felt an eerie wind come over him, and his brow furrowed slightly. There was something unnatural about the air coming from that town. Just then the very person who had headed for it stepped forward, coming into Zolomon's view again, a street leading straight to his position. It was Dimitri, the guy Zolomon had fought... near. Saying they had fought together would be overreacting. A normal human couldn't possibly make out Dimitri's features or hear his words at this distance, but Zolomon could do both with relative ease. "Who could have done this?" the man said, seemingly shocked by what he saw. Such a reaction only made a shiver of pleasure run up the vampire's body, from his toes all the way to his fingertips. There was little in this world that brought as much pleasure as the terror of others.

Though Dimitri was quite a bit away, luckily, he was within shouting distance. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Zolomon rose his voice, not quite yelling, but it was loud enough for the man to hear. 'Beautiful...' Such wasn't the word most would use to describe the carnage Zolomon left behind him. In fact, the majority would call him insane, a lunatic, a psycho, sick, weird, a freak and an abundance of other names used to refer to those we don't understand. Whose thinking, in our opinion, is so bizarre, so strange, that they should be cast off from society and looked down upon by everyone. Zolomon knew he was different. Even for a vampire, he enjoyed a bloodshed more than most. But there was just something about it that captivated him more than the beauty of a woman or a painting, or a breathtaking landscape. He could enjoy all of these, but nothing reached out and grasped the very cold, non-beating heart inside him like shed blood.

When he thought about it consciously, it sometimes seemed strange, but Zolomon had long since accepted who he was and how he was, as living eternally when you're in conflict with yourself would be true hell. Bloodshed... carnage... gore... The sprinkled blood on a cold, gray street. Zolomon's razor claws, drenched in the blood of his victims. His fangs, sinking into the flesh of the most unfortunate. Hot, fresh blood trickling down his dry throat. The feeling of warmth coursing through him once more. The moment when one feels the life in another slip away, like a wisp of mist through your fingers. The unbelievable sensation of power, the ability to cut one's life, hopes, dreams, plans, future short with but a simple motion of the arm. When you decide, who lives, who dies, you are God. The visceral thrill of your control over another's life is incomparable, as is the aftermath of a slaughter, when you relish in the splattered blood and innards of those slain by your very touch. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. It was a shame so few understood it.

Suddenly Zolomon noticed a rustling behind him, Reiaz was conscious and had sat up. He grinned deviously, a sinister glint in his eye. The boy seemed uncomfortable. Suddenly Reiaz noticed Zolomon's presence and murmured something, trying to stand up, but fell down shortly after, obviously not yet fully awake or rested, knocking his head painfully against a rock. Zolomon suppressed a chuckle at the boy's misfortune and turned to face him, still holding his arms crossed, as he had since standing up. "Uhm... hi?" he finally said, obviously a little confused.

"Hello. How you feeling? You let loose some serious power back there, I'm surprised you're back to normal so soon." Most who have fought Zolomon or seen him fight, would be shocked at his polite tone and seemingly nice attitude towards the young Reiaz, as during battle he was usually a wise-cracking, arrogant and insulting bastard. His 'better half', as Zolomon often mused with a smile. After giving the boy a moment to come to, Zolomon asked him the question he had been waiting to ask all along. "So, Reiaz, I believe it was... Care to tell me what the hell happened yesterday? What with the freaks and all?" Of course, it wasn't everything Zolomon was interested in finding out, but it was a start.

[Ryan - Loki]

(OOC: I’m just going to jump in here people This happens, for Ryan at least, some time after his battle with Dalian.)

“Him.” A quiet voice, from somewhere behind Dimitri, said in response to his question, seconds after Zolomon's voice had shouted out towards him. “His name is Zolomon Beowulve.” The voice continued. “There are some who would call him a Windigo, a beast who transformed and dined on the flesh of the living…but you would probably be more accustomed to the term Vampire.” If Dimitri turned around in the general direction of the voice, which most people probably would, he would see nothing more than a figure shrouded in the shadows of the doorway that one of the burnt buildings provided.

“In some regions they’re believed to be a corpse, animated by an un-departed soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and disturbs the living, until it is exhumed and impaled or burned by sunlight. A preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of persons, both sleeping and awake, at night.” the mysterious figure continued, his voice kept low but not as low for Dimitri not to hear him clearly. “But of course you probably knew all of that…didn’t you, my brother?” the figure slowly stepped out from within the shadows revealing none other than a smiling Ryan Jiaoimasu.

Slowly walking forward towards Dimitri Ryan opened his arms and embraced his friend, as true friends should. “It has been far too long my friend, far too long. We really should keep the time between encounters shorter.” Ryan placed his hands on Dimitri’s shoulder and looked at his friend. “But it seems that you’ve been kept from harm. My father must be looking over you.” he gave a slight nod and a smile. It had been a long time since Ryan had seen Dimitri, too long if he did say so himself, but hopefully that would change in the future. “I do hope you have continued practising the small amount that I thought you.” he couldn’t help by grin as he spoke, if he knew his friend then he had at least somewhat practised before now.

Taking his eyes, as well as his grip, off of Dimitri for the moment Ryan took a few steps off in the general direction of Zolomon, looking off into the distance. “I could sense his eyes from miles away…almost from as far as I could see the smoke from this village, it trailing high into the Heavens.” Ryan muttered slowly, his voice somewhat more serious now. “I fought him once before, during the war that the Saiyan’s waged upon our planet. I was left behind in Guardinia against a portion of the Saiyan army, by choice of course, and Zolomon arrived…he had more than likely smelt an opportunity for chaos within the air. We helped each other, if that is what one would call it, but in the end I was over-whelmed and captured…” Ryan paused briefly for a moment before turning back towards Dimitri. “He reminds me of Loki, but more of an animal…and if he is to be taken down then I may need your help my friend, but allow me the deed of finishing the beast - I do not wish for his death to on your conscious”

[dimitri]

The voice reached his ears as he turned back to face the now confirmed beast named Zolomon. His attitude and cockiness was one that he wished he could drive his blade into, and he was honestly tempted to do just that. His disgust was increased as the sickly pale person seemed to admire the chaos that it was apparent that he had inused on this town the night before. This was a poor unsuspecting town that just so happened to be in his way. What's more, based on the slowly rising Reiaz he could see behind Zolomon's figure, he had only brought the boy with him for no apparent reason. He came to this town to destroy it and left the battered, but not beaten, boy to fend for himself pretty much. At this point, he was suprised that Reiaz was still alive, considering what he had done to the village.

He held the handle of Luciendar and was tempted to begin a strike on the beast just as Reiaz fell back, making his consciousness known to Zolomon. It was a great opportunity, but one he would have to pass at the moment as a single word echoed in the air. He missed the first word due to his concentration on other things at the moment, but the insuing monologue from a now very familiar voice broke the silence in the air around him. His own voice echoed his good friend's explanation of just what Zolomon was, "Vampire." He turned half his body back towards where the voice had come from, seeing only a silouhette of Ryan. The shadows of his twin reavers gave him away, they were his trademark and he was glad to see them again.

Ryan continued to define just what Zolomon was so eloquently. He always seemed to have a way with words to share his knowledge quickly and concisely. He would expect nothing less from him. "I wouldn't be much of a brother if I too didn't do my research, would I?" He laughed lightly, especially knowing that he still wasn't the greatest judge of character and all the information Ryan had just given him he lacked. As usual, he played the situation cool and allowed Ryan to believe that he was informed on Zolomon to some extent. The fact is, he didn't have the chance to gather as much information as he would have hoped due to the extended training he had underwent with Sofia.

As his brotherly friend approached him now, he opened his arms just as Ryan had to embrace his brother once again, his back almost completely turned to Reiaz and Zolomon now. Ryan carried on their conversation on a more personal, rather than professional, level now as they embraced. He grinned as he responded to him, "It would appear that Master Jioaimasu has kept us both under his wing recently. And what kind of pupil would I be to Master if I wasn't learning from Senpai Ryan." He laughed lightly again after granting Ryan his own title to him. He turned towards the other two again as they released each other from their embrace. "It would be better, my brother, if we could meet in circumstances where the world wasn't in peril." He motioned over towards Reiaz and explained the events of the previous day to Ryan, in detail.

The detailed explanation seemed to drag on, but it was first person information that Ryan may find useful for this particular encounter. However, as the explanation began to come to a close, he turned towards Ryan and stated, "But you already knew all of that, didn't you?" Ryan had probably sensed the majority of the things that had occured. The arrival, the battle, the transformations, and the abrupt end to the skirmish as well. His eyes glazed over a crystal blue again as he stared at Zolomon, "But he is no Loki. Even Loki has a soul that is incomparable to that of a regular human, much like yourself, brother. A soul so strong that it appears as if it will escape from the body and live on it's own. Zolomon is a beast, heartless and soulless."

[kihaku]

Still a little woozy from waking up out of something akin to a coma, the boy instead opted to dodge the question for the time being. If his heart was telling him what his mind was shouting at him, the whatever was going on with "the freaks and all" was way bigger than the vampire or the young Chaos Spirit. "Er... um... well, see, thing is, you and I weren't the only ones fighting, so I'd really rather wait until the other guy Daa... dehhhh... di-Dimitri! Um, Dimitri gets here."

Reiaz pointed in his direction, and then turned with a look of surprise on his face, sensing more than just the indicated individual down amongst the destruction and stained earth. There was another man, this one with twin weapons instead of just the one sword that the Joshuen carried. Reiaz attempted to call out, but suddenly realized his voice was too weak to carry that far, and he wasn't really in the best of shape to try and hike down into the ruined village. Sucking on the inside of his cheek for a moment, he finally flicked on that little lightbulb in his head, reaching back and unhooking the Promise.

Hefting the lightweight ring in his hand, he brushed his left fingers against one of the gold bands, giving a small sigh at the familiar grooves and cool surface of the unique weapon. By his eye, the couldn't be more than... say... half, three quarters of a mile? "Fly true my friend." Pulling his right arm back as far as it could go, the small blue-haired youth pulled a 720 degree spin before heaving with all his might in the direction of the pair.

The metal ring gave a barely audible whir as it left their presence, and seemed to be flying too far up and too far to the left, tilting dangerously to one side like a frisbee thrown by an inexperienced hand. Still, the boy showed no trepidation, even as it began to fall away further and further off course. Suddenly, just as it seemed he'd made a grave miscalculation, the ring gracefully flipped onto it's other side, now coming in directly at the two amongst the rubble from just to their left.

With a loud clang and a metallic wobble-like sound, the ring struck the earth just three feet from their legs, bounced, and ringed perfectly on a thick squarish beam that was protruding from the ruins of a home, spinning wildly before coming to a stop. Hopefully, this would draw their attention upwards and towards he and the vampire. Waving wildly, he raised his power level to help them find him, as well as to indicate he'd like his ring back.

((Holy crap... I had so much fun writing that! O.o ))

[zolomon]

After much stuttering and indecisive looking around, Reiaz answered Zolomon's question... with a suggestion to wait for 'Daa... Deeeh... Dimitri' as he was apparently called nowadays. Suddenly Zolomon sneezed loudly. "Tch... talking shit about me," he murmured, looking over to Dimitri in the distance. Then he realized that the man was not alone. Sharpening his senses, before Zolomon's eyes emerged a vaguely familiar form, which he knew he had seen before, but couldn't tell where from. Since he wouldn't discover the details on the recent strange happenings without Dimitri over here, he figured he might as well walk over to them and extend a cold, dead... helping hand.

With slow, easy steps he approached the two conversing fighters. Even at this distance, he could hear their slightly hushed voices as clear as if they were standing beside him. The mysterious man talking to Dimitri seemed to be under the delusion that he knew something of the nature of Zolomon's kind. It was rather amusing to hear what 'normal' people thought he was, as opposed to what he himself KNEW he was. After some unnecessary exposition and pointless friendship-ridden jabber, the man spoke of something that actually caught Zolomon's interest. Besides the flattery to Zolomon's doubtlessly fascinating oculars, he spoke of a time not past enough to forget, the vampire's encounter with the invading Saiya-jin force. 'Hmm... so it's him.'

As he approached, something suddenly whizzed past his left ear, it was Reiaz's weapon. If he was trying to hit the two for whatever reason, his aim was fucked and he failed. If it was supposed to be an attack to Zolomon from behind... HE was fucked. But it would be resolved when he went back. His eyes followed the weapon as it suddenly flipped about somewhat unnaturally, landing but a few feet before the two fighters. Only a moment later, Zolomon reached their position, his eyes locked onto the dark-haired man, who wielded the twin Reapers. "So... Mr. Samurai, was it now?" the vampire said, smiling wryly. "Long time no see. Would you care to join us? Me and young Reiaz were just having some tea and biscuits, and he was about to tell a funny story as soon as Dimitri joined our little tea-party. Who knows, you might like it!" Zolomon didn't quite know why had he just said that, but he didn't care. He felt like doing it. He turned his head to face Dimitri, but remembered something and turned back to Ryan. "Oh, and about that 'finishing the beast' business. I'd love to kick your ass anytime, but I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment. If you would leave me your number, my secretary will be sure to call you back and arrange a meeting." Zolomon was feeling pissy at the moment. Annoyment equaled aggravated conversations and sarcastic speeches. Finally turning his attention to Dimitri, Zolomon looked the man in the eyes, a sinister, dark shine hidden inside the deep, black, well-like irises. "And you... Do not judge me by what little you know. Nor should you make assumptions based on your sorely limited comprehension on what a 'beast', 'heart' and 'soul' are." What he said hadn't been too aggressive, nor did he say it in an offensive tone, but the sudden switch from depression-induced humor to the seriousness of stone, as well as the eerie, if not ghoulish wind that began blowing just as Zolomon finished his sentence, created an incredibly tense moment, the air quickly turning thick and heavy.

Zolomon didn't say anything more, just gave the two a grim look, then walked over to Reiaz's toppled weapon, hooked it by the tip of his toe and flicked his foot up, catching the weapon in mid-air to bring it back to the young boy. Giving the two a final, grim glance, he walked back to where he had come from, a dark, looming cloud amassing inside him. It might come sooner, or it might come later, but there was a storm at the horizon.

[Ryan - Loki]

(OOC: Sorry about the wait guys, i've been dead busy with everything. I know this post kind of sucks arse, but its the best i can come up with right now >_<)

“Well my friend, whether he has a soul is yet to be seen.” Ryan quickly commented, his back now facing off towards Zolomon and the stranger known as Reiaz. “Remember, everything I have told you about him is merely common belief, apart from my encounter with him - where he did little more than killing hordes of Saiyan warriors - I know nothing more than speculation.” It was but a simple reminder of the facts, and Ryan smiled as he told them. Whatever was happening, or however serious the situation on Dragonia had become, he felt a greater happiness that he had finally managed to see his good friend again.

But that was the truth of the situation, wasn’t it? Something WAS in fact happening upon Dragonia, something that could still threaten the planets very safety and existence, and Ryan had known nothing of what was going on. Dimitri was wrong, Ryan had not sensed anything, nor had he taken notice of anything, the truth was he was blind to everything else that had been going on except for the events that had surrounded him directly. It was that dream, he just couldn’t shake it, and that Dilian character too; something was most certainly not right, as if even the awful situation that the planet was now in was but simply the calm before the great storm.

Whatever had, and was going to happen, Ryan’s train of thought was then disturbed by an all too familiar voice. “…Zolomon…” Ryan muttered quietly, mostly to himself, as he turned around to look upon the Vampire. The vampire then went onto make quite the fool of himself as he prance about on the spot mimicking what can only be commented towards as an extremely bad posh, old English accent. He doesn’t seem completely sane anymore…ah well, in for one credit in for a hundred. Ryan thought, briefly mind. “Tea and biscuits?! Oh splendid! I would very much enjoy such a thing.” Ryan replied quickly, prancing about in just as much of a foolish manor. It was somewhat unlike him to do so, but ever since the day he had left his burnt down home he had forever been changing, if slightly slower at first, perhaps this was just all part-and-parcel of living life.

Glancing off to Dimitri Ryan gave a slight grin and nodded his head off in the general direction that Zolomon was now moving off towards, seemingly the place that this Reiaz was waiting for them. Zolomon had commented about Ryan’s ‘finishing the beast’ comment from earlier, but if truth be told Ryan had ignored it, he had listened to him first mind. Either way, he would push aside his vendetta towards Zolomon for the moment, sometimes it was better to do so for the greater good.

[dimitri]

Sometimes, people say certain things that hit the last nerve on a person automatically. It would just so happen that with Zolomon's last comment to Dimitri, he struck that nerve and inspired within him a rage that was almost animalistic. He clenched his fists and glared over at Zolomon who was now heading to and bending over to pick up the ring that Reiaz had thrown an incredible distance in with such accuracy it would be scary if he hadn't lived in this planet with every other unique individual, including the one who made his blood boil at the moment. The sensation of rage was so much for him that for a moment he almost forgot Ryan was there until his uncharacteristically strange reacton to Zolomon's invitation.

The nerve being struck, the fuse being lit, Dimitri was in a clear adrenaline pumped rage that he would find some way to exert it on Zolomon, but on a later date. Today, he was a necessity to find out what exaclty was going on considering Reiaz refused to speak to Zolomon unless he was acompanied by Dimitri. Still, he wouldn't let this go unanswered for now, he wanted to show that he was serious and one false move would bring about the end of Zolomon, despite his good friend's wishes to be the one to finish him off.

Using his speed once again, just as Zolomon wasturning his body back towards Reiaz, his vision would be met with the tip of a blade, seemingly burning in a blue flame of souls sharing the animosity that he had. His eyes were glazed over a crystal blue now again as he glared directly into Zolomon. To his surprise, he saw something there and it was enough to calm his heart and get him to wonder again. Deep within Zolomon was indeed the vague figure of a soul, only it wasn't a natural color. His soul was burning black. It was unnatural and inhuman, so maybe he had been wrong about the whole heartless, soulless bastard thing, but his pride was on the line now.

In his apparent anger, displayed by his tone of voice, he rebuked what he considered to be a demon on dragonia in his eyes. "Don't you ever dare tell me what constitutes a soul or that I have no idea. I live with the burden of carrying more souls than any person should ever have to and I understand them better than you can ever comprehend. You may be my senior by age, but this is one thing in life that I will always comprehend over you. It's clear to me now that you may not be completely soulless, but your soul isn't exaclty in the best shape in the world. If you aren't careful, you may just lose it on your own, or I may just take it from you and let it go free in peace."

His tone echoed through the streets of the destoryed town as he withdrew the tip of the blade from before Zolomon's face and sheathed it again, the clang of his hilt and the metal clip making another audible echo througout the streets. Without another word, he turned his back to Zolomon and started walking directly towards Reiaz. However, the long walk plagued his mind with questions of the black soul and what he would have had to do to get it that way. The more evil a soul does it starts shifting to a darker red, but how much evil would he have had to do to turn it pitch black. Shaking his head, he looked forward, his eyes reverting back to their light brown as he made his way directly towards Reiaz.

[kihaku]

For some reason, the little boy couldn't help but speak up, the obvious animosity amongst the group one that he just simply wouldn't tolerate. He'd always had a peeve about people arguing points that no one understood 100%, and he'd always gone a little overboard with his reprimands. However, he was restraining himself now during the exchange of words, and he was sure to point out the obvious need for teamwork.

"D'oh, will both of you just... cut it OUT!?" He lost control over the last word, and ended up shouting it. His clenched fists were shaking as he stalked forward, practically snatching the Promise from the undead grasp, not even acknowledging the Joshuen as he stalked past him. Snapping the metal ring back into place, he then stomped away a few yards before he stopped, his body trembling from agitation.

When he turned back around, tears glistened in his eyes, threatening to well over the sides. His voice was hoarce when he next spoke, the true reveal of his disappointment clear in his words. "We are all in grave danger right now! Those monsters we had to fight weren't regular baddies if you didn't already figure that out. Dragonia, all of it, is in SERIOUS DANGER! Just... GET OVER yourselves, and work TOGETHER!"

[zolomon]

Zolomon was most amused when Ryan replied to his 'invitation' in a similar manner. Seemed like his 'slayer' was someone he could at the very least get along with. Now Dimitri... that was a whole different story entirely. Just as the vampire went on to pick up Reiaz's weapon, Dimitri attacked, flaunting his speed. Zolomon could FEEL the killing intent in the man's veins, he could smell the adrenaline pumping and spreading throughout his body, Zolomon could hear the rapid, powerful beating of Dimitri's heart, yet it was clear by his, albeit fast, movements that he would not strike the vampire down. If he had attempted, he would be in for an unpleasant surprise.

As the vampire was about to say something to the aggressive man, he felt a strange tingling in his gut. Zolomon's sights traced Dimitri's face to meet with the warrior's eyes, which had turned crystal blue. The man suddenly broke into a rant, lecturing Zolomon on how HE knows best about souls, about the vampire's souls shitty state, as well as advice that sounded a hell of a lot like a threat. Zolomon couldn't just leave that hanging there now, could he?

"Look, you nutsack, if you're so desperate to have your limbs found miles from each other, I will most gladly tear you a new one. Just fuck off for now. And anyone with any common sense knows that understanding the mechanical aspect of something is not enough. You think you know everything about souls, but you really have no idea. And you can say whatever you want, 'carry' as many souls as you like, yet you will never truly comprehend anything in your limited lifetime. My soul isn't in the best shape? That's bullshit. It's in perfect shape. Only you know nothing about me OR my soul. So just shut the fuck up and stay out of my way. I have no need to kill you now." Zolomon turned to leave, but then stopped, remembering something. "Oh... and whatever you did... don't ever do it again." As Dimitri walked past him, all arrogant and pissy-like, the vampire murmured: "Fucking prick..."

He had always known he wasn't much of a people's person, since most thought of him as a bloodthirsty maniac... which was kinda true... Yet it was fascinated by how much his sole presence aggravated some people, making them angry, rash... scared. The same thing was happening to Dimitri and Zolomon felt an inner evil glee, watching the man walk away, trying to save face. "Well, that's that!" he said, grinning to Ryan. Suddenly Reiaz spoke, pulling everyone's attention to him. He grabbed his weapon and went on to blabber about how they need to work as a team, them and Dragonia being in grave danger and whatnot. These people were starting to play on Zolomon's nerves. "Look, I'm not in this to help, save or protect ANYBODY. I couldn't give a shit less about this ball of dirt you call Dragonia if I wanted to. I've tried. Other than that, it's this bitch who has a problem with me. Strangely, I didn't even hint of aggression until I had to retaliate. Now just pipe down and tell us what the hell is going on. And what is this shit?" he asked, raising his hand so that Reiaz could see his ring. Since all the strange stuff had happened at his meeting Reiaz, it was only logical to start with the questions there.

[Ryan - Loki]

The small group hadn’t had to walk too far to finally meet up with Reiaz, the small boy having made his way forward towards them, meeting them half way. It was obviously that the tension between the group was reaching its limits. For the post part Ryan had placed his urges to rid the universe of Zolomon’s evil until after the more pressing matter of Dragonia’s safety had been resolved, the young man by the name of Reiaz also seemed to realise that there was more at steak than an egotistical feud. Zolomon simply didn’t seem to care about anything except satisfying his own curiosity but it seemed that Dimitri was enraged by Zolomon, although it was uncertain whether or not it had been Zolomon’s terrible actions within the village the night before or his words a few seconds prior - perhaps even a both - but it seemed that at this specific moment Zolomon’s demise was the only thing circling around his head.

Despite everything it seemed that Reiaz’ words had not fallen upon deaf ears as even Zolomon had partially pulled away from his ‘discussion’ with Dimitri to feed his curiosity, but then again it was clear that everyone within the group was curious to see what Reiaz had to say, Ryan especially so as he had already missed out on so much. He knew nothing of the planet’s immediate danger or what threatened it, and it seemed that this young boy had the answers; such a responsibility for such a young person.

Now finally having met this young man Ryan was about to make his introduction when Zolomon beat him to the point and began ranting about what he was, and was not willing to do. Quickly glancing at the vampire Ryan shook his head and sighed before returning his gaze back to Reiaz. “Young sir. Ryan Jiaoimasu, prince of the Jiaoimasu samurai clan at yours, and Dragonia’s service.” He briefly bowed his head as he stood in front of Reiaz, before then looking back towards Zolomon and Dimitri. “If what the Youngman has said so far is true then we have no time to lose. Dimitri, I can sense the anger boiling within you…but you must not let it fuel your decisions, if you do that then you are no better than what you believe Zolomon to be like. Please, this situation is greater than us all.” he quickly commented, slowly returning his view back towards Reiaz. “Please, explain everything as quickly as you can.”

[kihaku]

Reiaz listened to Zolomon, almost looking injured by the rough words the vampire spoke. Surely, the boy knew that maybe he'd stepped over certain boundaries, but he desperately needed warriors who were strong enough to defeat the impending arrival of their enemy, as well as strong enough to work together despite all of their petty differences. Thankfully, at least Zolomon was listening, and this new Ryan seemed genuinely concerned. Already well aware of Dimitri's stand on things, he decided it was time to spill the beans.

"Well... if you want the quick version..." Taking a few breaths to steady his nerves, he launched into his explanation without leaving out any important details. "When we fought those creatures, Ryan wasn't there, those were actually a special breed of warrior called the Minions of Chaos. I know this because I helped create them." He sounded almost ashamed when he said this, but decided to leave his personal feelings and history for another time.

"Those trinkets that were left behind are the last vesitges of their power, a small peice of Chaos that can never be destroyed, a seed to cause more problems even after the weed has been killed. The ring Zolomon has is actually an extremly powerful source of electricity, which can create a punch covered in power, or a bolt of pure lightning from his palm." Reiaz pointed to the blue stone the vampire had been waving about. "The clip on Dimitri's belt allows him to create a pillar of rock, and from it will fire a huge deluge of stone shurikens. I believe you've both already seen what those powers are capable of," he added in an undertone.

"As for me, I'm a Chaos Spirit, one of four. I don't exactly know why, but we've been classified into four different 'categories,' I suppose. The Heart, Hands, Eye, and Will of Chaos. The Minions of Chaos were supposed to be under our direct command, but for some reason about a month ago, they rebelled against myself and Elena, another Spirit and the Hands, and we came here looking for them."

He heaved huge sigh of frustration at the whole situation, still rather hesitant to drop the bomb. "Well... Elena is somewhere else on this planet, as is Kihaku, the Eye. We don't know where the Will got off to, but we think he's about here as well... I also suspect he's the one behind it all. If we find him, we can save Dragonia. I mean, it shouldn't be too hard, right? Finding one man?"

[dimitri]

(OOC: Once again, sorry for the delay and sorry that this is possibly one of my crappiest posts ever.)


It was definately time for him to remember that intense training he had just undergone with Sofia. Wrath, it could not be a part of a clear mind and thats what he needed to be at his peak. He decided to uncharacteristically keep his mouth shut and listen to words of wisdom as they came from around him. He would get the facts on Zolomon soon enough and then things may be different, but for now he heeded Ryan's words and calmed himself to allow his decisions to be made more clearly. He had approached Reiaz now and listened to his apparently short version of the history of the warriors. He tried to pick out all the things that might be useful to him, and something struck him rather hard.

He rested his hand on the hilt of his blade and he reached down, tracing the charm which contained the last of the Minotaur's power within it. He continued to pay close attention, and just to reaffirm a fact, he inquired once he was done speaking. "So, who you assume is behind all this is one of your own?"