Blayze

[size=1]Talyn came down the stairs, his bags fully packed, half expecting to see Tegan still there. He wasn't, however, and Talyn took a seat on the thrid step, placing his bag down on the floor. He put his head in his hands and relaxed, deep in thought, trying to put all of the day's events into perspective. So he had been bitten. Any day now he would turn into a vampire, one of the things he had been destroying for the best part of his life. It would only be a few hours before the thirst started. He reckoned that he could probably survive without blood for a few hours after the thirst came, but after that he wouldn't be able to control it, and Katima would have to fulfill her promise. However, taking Tegan's advice, Talyn had taken a phial of holy water and a stake and put them in his bag, making sure that he had the means to kill himself if Katima could not. He opened his bag quickly and checked that these items were still in there, and, finding that they were, he closed it again. "I would have thought Sin might need holy water and a stake, but not you," said a voice behind him, making him jump. He turned round. "Oh, hi, Fyoura," he said to the sweating Wakanda, "You just been at the training grounds?" "Yeah. Good 45-minute workout. I try to get at least that much in every day, if not more." "What did you mean about me not needing the weapons?" asked Talyn, slightly sidetracked. "Well, I saw what you did to those vampires at the airport. You're powerful. I wouldn't think you would need weapons." "Well, if you saw me kill the vampires at the airport, you would have also seen me collapse from the effort." "Well, still, most of us would have to concentrate for hours just to amass that kind of power, and even then we'd be in hospital for at least a week afterwards. So why do you need the weapons?" she asked, already knowing the answer. "In case I get out of hand," he said jokingly, trying to disguise the truth. "Ok then," she said, not wanting to push it any further, "Well, I have to go shower. I'll see ya later." "See ya," he replied. She walked up the stairs, and disappeared into her room. Talyn remained sitting, trying to hold back a flood of tears that was welling up behind his eyes... (OOC: Hope that was ok, SolarPrincess) [/size]

[size=1]Carthre couldn't believe it when he heard his name called. When he thought back to his first encounter with Commander Yuri, he had made a complete fool of himself, and turned out looking like an idiot as well as looking dishonest. Even that far back, he remembered not thinking he had a chance in Hell. And yet here he was. He thanked Takai for being such a good sport, and watched as she left the city, before disappearing up to his room. He cleaned the specks of blood from his weapon, taking great care and attention with it, took his armour off and polished it, and then stripped down and washed himself all over. Then he set his armour and weapon down and climbed into bed, needing all the rest he could before the next day. Later in the night, however, he awoke, and found himself refreshed, unable to sleep any more. He pulled some clothes on and went downstairs, his hair flowing in the cool night air. He wished he had wrapped his travelling cloak around himself before coming out, as he felt the chill of the night on the parts of his skin which were exposed. He crossed the courtyard, and saw two of the other successful entrants. He hadn't talked to them personally, though, so he didn't know their names. He decided to introduce himself. "Hi," said, walking over to them, "I'm Carthre. I don't believe we've met." "I'm Noah," said one of them. "Nepenthe," said the other. "It really is a beautiful night. You don't get them like this anywhere else in the world. It's this city, you know. Some people say it has magical properties, and can light up even the darkest night." "It seems to," said Noah, looking around, seeing the stars clearly. "I've never seen a night like this before, though. Nowhere in Minbar has this kind of night. It's breathtaking..." Carthre sighed. "Is there something wrong, Carthre?" asked Nepenthe, sensing the tension resting on his shoulders. "It's just...I don't know why Commander Yuri chose me for this mission. There were others in the ranks who were much better suited to the mission than me. And I made a complete fool out of myself first time I talked to him. God knows why he chose me." "Commander Yuri must have his reasons," said Noah, "And I'm sure you will find out soon enough." "I hope you're right, Noah..." [/size]

[font=Verdana][size=1](OOC: Yes! First to sign up!) Name: Kraven Gender: Male Position: With Reoan [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1] Personality: Since Kraven had been brought back to life after his apparent death at the hands of a legion of demons, he has become focused on two things: finding Reoan and ending the war. However, as he continues to travel, these two things get further and further away, and he now realises that the war is destined to go on forever, so he may as well stay with the side he feels most comfortable at. When he finds Reoan, however, he may change his mind about the whole thing. He is a seasoned fighter, leaving no room for witty banter, merely fighting until he wins, no backchat, nothing. He seems to some to be cold, but he is in fact simply focused on his goals, and once he has become focused on something, he doesn't let go of it, not for anyone. Appearance: Kraven?s managed to find a body that was pretty close to his old one after he died. He still stands around 6?3?, and still weighs around 150lbs. He has the same jet-black hair, although it is now longer, and falls down slightly into his eyes. His eyes themselves have dark rings around them, and he has a stubbly beard on his chin. He wears almost the same clothes as he did in his last body, the black long-sleeved t-shirt, with an armour plate strapped to his chest, with black cargo trousers and boots. He also has a black leather jacket (not a trench-coat) that he wears over the shirt. His swords cross over on his back. However, in the years of war, his jacket has become extremely frayed, the edges ripped and torn, and his skin has become paler, his whole appearance generally more rugged. Scars now cover his body, with three claw-marks over his left eye, which now only has limite sight. [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1] Weapon: Kraven?s weapons are, and always have been, a pair of swords, named Cain and Abel, shown in the attachment. They contain the spirits of two demonic siblings that were involved in a feud which killed hundreds. Kraven finally managed to put an end to the death by trapping their spirits in his swords. When the two swords are put together, and their power combined, they unleash a terrible force which once destroyed an entire human civilisation. Kraven has never combined their power since. [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1]Kraven also carries an H&K USP handgun, shown in the second attachment. [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1] Bio: Once a demonic warrior for Hell, Kraven met his match when he came face-to-face with Reoan in combat. She slayed his physical form, and his soul flitted between hundreds of bodies in the years after, burning each one out before moving on to another. When his soul was condemned to the Inferno by the Dukes of Hell, he committed an act of treason, and fled from his former masters. Roaming the Earth for centuries, moving between bodies, one thing kept Kraven sane. The lust for revenge against Reoan. [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1]That chance finally came when he faced the ex-Guardian across a river when they combined forces to destroy the angel Raphael. She had a chance to kill him again, but she spared him, and after a long debate with himself, he decided to join Reoan in her quest to destroy the Angels that banished her. He helped her with this as long as she helped him destroy the Dukes of Hell that threatened them both, and they destroyed a number of them together. [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1]After centuries of loathing her, Kraven eventually came to respect Reoan, and soon she became something he had never expected her to be. A friend. She stood by him in times of trouble, and even helped him make Lucifer mortal. Eventually the time came for Kraven to give his life for her. [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1]He was with a Zodiac and the fallen angel Asariel, when legions of demonic footsoldiers attacked them. The three of them fought together, but ultimately there were too many of them to hold back. Kraven did something that no-one was ever supposed to do: he absorbed the power of Hell-Fire. This wiped out the demons, but took Kraven?s physical body with it. His soul escaped, and flitted around, trying to find a new body to inhabit. [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1]After several attempts, Kraven found a worthy body, but then discovered that he was in Australia. As he didn?t know where Reoan and her party were at that time, he has been travelling the world, trying to find any sign of them. It has been a long time, but Kraven thinks he is close now? [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1] Show Time: Blood trickled out of Kraven?s chest as the bullet drove itself further into his body. He looked down at the scarlet stream that was now oozing from his sternum, and smiled. It was not like he had never seen his own blood before. [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1]It had been a simple mugging. A street thug, probably a homeless person had attacked Kraven, trying to grab his wallet. When Kraven told the man that he had no wallet, he drew a gun. He asked again for the wallet, and when Kraven did not comply, he pulled the trigger. A bullet blasted from the chamber, and thudded into Kraven?s chest, sending a spray of blood splattering to the ground. [/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1]After the initial shock, Kraven quickly composed himself, and dropped to the ground, where he grabbed a glass bottle and hurled it at the man. It flew with amazing accuracy, and the edge of the bottle struck the mugger sharply on the forehead, knocking him out before he hit the ground. No sense in killing a member of the race he was supposed to protect. He sighed, and his soul rushed out of the body. [i]Great, [/i]he thought, [i]Now I have to find another body. I knew I shouldn't have come to bloody England...[/i] [/size][/font]

[size=1]Carthre and Takai walked back to the city together, laughing and joking about their spar. They both seemed to have bonded with each other, even though it was from fighting one another. Carthre had ripped part of his shirt off and given it to Takai, and she used it to stem the steady flow of blood from her arm. "I still can't believe I did that to you. I'm really sorry," said Carthre apologetically. "I've told you already, it doesn't matter. It hardly hurts at all now," she replied, wincing slightly, revealing to Carthre that her statement wasn't true at all. "We'll get you some proper dressings when we get back to the city," he said, "And the healers can probably do something for you as well. They managed to heal my shoulder pretty good. Although you did open the wound again when you hit me there," he said, indicating a patch of blood on the shoulder of his shirt. "I'm so sorry!" she cried, stopping and looking at the bloodstain. "It's fine, don't worry. You cut me, I cut you. We're square. I'll just get the healers to look at it again, see if there's anything they can do about it on a more permanent basis." "Ok, as long as you're sure," she said as they walked through the gates of the city back into the courtyard. The magic-users were there, as were some of the melee fighters, and Commander Yuri stood on a platform, towering above them... [/size]

[b][size=1]Day 1 [/size][/b][size=1]James awoke in his bed, the previous night a blur to him. He got up quickly, soon regretting it, as his head exploded with pain. He clutched it and got up more slowly, walking to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror, and splashed his face with water, waking himself up a little. He dried his face and walked back into the main area of his room. He found some clothes in the wardrobe and threw them on. Then he saw the clothes he had worn the previous night. There was a deep red stain on the pocket of his trousers. He picked them up carefully, and reached into the pocket, pulling a plastic bag out. There were three bloody trophies in the bag, and upon seeing them, the events of the previous night came rushing back to him. He had left the kitchen-servant's room, slightly dazed about what had happened, and he had staggered out of the kitchen-worker's quarters and down to the drawing room, wher ehe had found a bottle of whisky, or brandy, or some other strong spirit. He drank copious amounts of it, hoping to forget what he had just done, and staggered back to his room, where he somehow managed to undress and collapse into bed. He ran into the bathroom, threw open the toilet seat and threw up. He stayed, crouched on the ground with his head in the toilet for at least ten minutes, and then, when the entire contents of his body had rushed out of his mouth, he got up, took his clothes off again and jumped into the shower. He stayed under the ice-cold jet for a further thirty minutes, before getting out and putting his clothes back on. He wandered down to the dining hall, where he picked what was left on the breakfast platters, but he couldn't eat it all. He saw a young woman, the latecomer from the previous night, talking to a maid. He walked over and sat down next to her. "Hi," he said to her simply. "Hi," she replied, "I saw you at the dinner table last night. You looked a little shocked when you read your card. Shocked and confused." "Yeah, well the Master is one crazy guy," replied James, swallowing his words, not wanting to remember anything he had done for his card, "I'm James, by the way." "I'm Allegra. Allegra Judas," she said, holding out her hand. James shook it. "Nice firm handshake you have there, Allegra," he said. "Thanks. Yours wasn't bad either." "So what are you doing today?" he asked, trying to find conversation. "I thought I might try a little archery," she said. "Interesting. I may have to join you on your little expedition," James said. "You would be welcome to," she replied, "But watch out, I'm rather good..." (OOC: Over to you, Reiku) [/size]

[size=1]Talyn had had his share of bad luck in the past, but this was the worst. Less than an hour back home and now he had to leave again. He cursed under his breath when Tegan told them of their journey to Madrid, and afterwards, he went over to Tegan, who had separated himself of Jade's attention. "We've all been wondering where you got to," he said, sitting down on a step next to Tegan, "Katima definitely hasn't stopped thinking about you since the day you left." "I know I did wrong leaving without telling her, but I had to do it. It was my duty as a Wakanda, and as Katima's brother. In the end, I think I did it because I believed I was protecting her." "So where did you go, exactly?" asked Talyn. "Let's just say I went to find myself, and leave it at that." "I will for now, but I want to know what was so important that you left Katima like that." "You'll find out eventually. Go and get ready, Talyn." "It's good to see you again, Tegan. Hope Katima didn't hurt you too much." And with that, Talyn walked up the stairs, to his room. "You've been bitten, haven't you, Talyn?" asked Tegan. Talyn stopped halfway up the stairs. "How did you know?" "I've been fighting vampires my whole life. You come to recognise someone who's been bitten." "I've talked to Katima. She says she will do what needs to be done when the time comes. I can trust her on that." "Can you?" "Yes!" said Talyn angrily, "I can trust her! She's my friend!" "Yes, but when it comes to things like this, friends are the ones you can't trust. How would you feel if a friend asked you to kill them when the time came? Could you do it? Ask yourself that question, and then you can tell me whether you can trust Katima to do it." "I hate you, Tegan," Talyn said, only half joking. He continued up the stairs, up to his room, where he packed his things. [/size]

[size=1]Sun beamed down on him as he walked across the square, his thick black clothing heating his body up to extremes. Father Osrci Mason did not like the sun. He preferred the coolness of being indoors during hot weather, away from the harsh rays of the sun. However, he foresaw himself having to get used to this kind of weather, as he thought he would be spending a lot more time in Rome over the next few months. He had been living a quiet life in Canterbury, away from all the torments and regrets of life in Iscariot. But now his peace had been disturbed, and he had been called back. While he was by no means happy about this, he accepted his sacred duty and picked up his longsword once more and travelled to Rome to meet Father Giovanni. The weight of his sword felt strange after such a long time, but oddly familiar to him, and it bumped against his leg with every step he took. He had still managed to keep it clean and fully sharpened just in case such an occasion was to arise. Now that it had, he was grateful for it. He pushed open the huge doors into the hall of Iscariot. Five chairs were set out, one for each member of Iscariot, and two of them were filled. Two women, nuns, occupied the chairs, and the familiar nervous figure of Father Emilio Giovanni was pacing up and down the hall. "Father Mason," he said, turning his attention to the door, "I am glad you could join us on such short notice. I apologise for any inconvenience." "There is no inconvenience, Father," he said, kneeling in front of his superior, kissing the hand extended to him, "I knew what I had accepted as my duty when I joined Iscariot. I am glad to do my duty for our Lord." "You may rise," said Giovanni, and Osric got to his feet. "This is Sister Maree Bedeau, and this is Sister Carmita Arroyo. Sisters, this is Father Osric Mason of Canterbury. I hope our other two members will be joining us shortly." At this comment, the doors creaked open again... [/size]

[size=1]James crept through the corridor, looking around to make sure no-one was watching him. The hunting knife remained on his belt, and the feel of the blade on his skin seemed alien, unfamiliar. He was here. The kitchen staff's apartments. There was bound to be something around here he could use. He crept slowly into the kitchen, making sure to let the door shut gently, not letting it slam. There was enough food stored in here to keep the Master of Games fed for centuries. [i]Strange, [/i]he thought, [i]Why would he need so much food? [/i]He carried on, trying to keep completely silent as he tip-toed through the kitchen. He found what he needed. A whole pig, ready to be roasted, with an apple in its mouth. James, quickly and quietly as he could, slipped the apple out and reached his fingers inside the mouth. He felt it, long, firm and slightly spongy. He took the knife from his pocket, slid it into the pig's mouth, and made a cut. He pulled the object from the mouth and slipped it in a clear plastic bag, which he slipped into his pocket. [i]One down,[/i] he thought. He crept out of the kitchen and up to the apartments. There were a lot of people milling around. Presumably one shift had just ended and another had just begun. James used the commotion to slip through the corridor unnoticed. A few men were stood around the corner. James pressed himself against the wall, and listened to their conversation. "My woman is desperate for it, every night. So I just have to give it to her," said one voice. "Same with me!" said a second, "I don't know what it is, but I think it's going around!" "It must be nice having a woman," said the third. James' heart leapt at this, "I've only ever had a couple, both of them in secondary school. That was a long time ago. I guess I just repel women." "That's tough for you," said one of the original voices again. "Yeah it is. Night, guys," said the third man, followed by a creaking and a slam of a door. There were two more slams, and James peered around the corner. All three of the men had gone into their rooms. The third man had gone into a room on the left side of the hall, and there was one door which had a number tilted slightly out of line, like it had just been slammed. James grabbed the door handle, and twisted it. It opened with no resistance, and James walked in quietly. The man was lying on his bed doing something, and as James came into his sight, he jumped to his feet quickly, and zipped his trousers up. "Who are you? Am I on duty again?" asked the man nervously, "Wait a minute," he said, seeing James' face, "You're one of the guests. What are you doing here?" "You don't want to know," said James seriously, "And just in advance, I'm very very sorry." "For what? What are you going to do to me?" and then the man saw the knife in James' belt, "Oh God! You're going to kill me aren't you?" "No. I'm not going to kill you." "Yes you are, you're going to kill me! You have a knife in your belt, so don't deny it! You won't take me!" the man shouted hysterically, drawing a pistol from the chest of drawers beside his bed, and aiming it at James. "Don't move or I'll fire!" he said, his hands shaking, "I swear I'll do it!" "Please! I'm just doing what the Master told me to!" pleaded James, "I can't stop it!" "The Master told you to do this? He told you to kill me?" "Not specifically. It was fairly confusing, but he told me to collect a few things." "Like what?" "I don't think I'm allowed to say. But I think you are part of it. I need something from your body." "You're not going to rape me are you? I mean, I might be gay, but I don't want you to..." "Wait a minute. You're gay?" "Yes. I try to hide it, but I think secretly everyone knows already. I just haven't had the time to confirm it yet." "In that case you can help me out a little more," said James, moving towards the man. He grabbed the man by the neck and threw him onto the bed. He held his neck until the man started spasming, fighting for air. "I'm so sorry," said James, tears running down his face. He hated the Master for making him do this, but they were talking a lot of money here. Soon the man stopped struggling, and eventually he stopped moving at all, settling into death. And once he had died, James set to work on his body... (OOC: Sorry, it's fairly gruesome, but I think its necessary for my task) [/size]

[size=1]Thanks to all three of you, they are all awesome, but I'm going to go with Delta's for now. i may use the others at another time, but for now I will be using that one. Thank you all for creating these sets for me, I very much appreciate it. [/size]

[size=1]Carthre took his place in front of Takai, and bowed. She bowed back, and drew her sword. Carthre followed suit, and drew his. "This is Koden," she said, "I wonder if your sword has a name?" "I haven't developed a bond with my weapon yet. It is too soon to name the blade. But I hope I shall enjoy facing you in combat." "And I hope to take that joy too," she said, before lunging at Carthre with the blade. He stepped aside, trained for guarding against surprise attacks. He was, however, a little surprised, and she did manage just to catch him on the shoulder. He winced, as it was the shoulder that had been injured the previous night. The jolt of pain that rocked through his body sent him to the floor, but Takai's sword was caught between two of his armour plates, and she tumbled to the floor with him. He was the first to get up, and he swung his sword at her overhead. She only just managed to swing her sword up in time to block it, and the clash sent tremors through his arms, and probably through hers as well. He fell back, but brought his sword up for another swing. She managed to block this one as well, but the tip of the blade cut very slightly into her arm. A small rivulet of blood dribbled out of the wound and down the sword. "Nice one," she said to him, smiling even through the pain. "Sorry about your arm," he whispered, just out of earshot of the instructors. If they had heard it would have shown weakness. "No worries. Sorry about your shoulder." "We're square now, so don't worry about it," he said, and then pulled his sword quickly out of the wound, so as to minimise pain. Then he swung the sword around, and placed it on her neck. In a real battle he would have won. He smiled and tapped the sword gently on her neck. She smiled back, and tapped her sword. It was placed on his crotch. In a real battle, he would have been cut pretty badly. "Call it a draw?" he asked. "That seems fair," she replied, "But how do I know that as soon as I withdraw my sword, you won't just go for a proper blow?" "Do I really seem like the kind of guy who would do that? It's completely dishonourable," he said, but, seeing the look on her face, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "We should probably both withdraw our swords at the same time. Does that sound fair?" She nodded, and he counted to three. On three, they both withdrew their swords gently, and sheathed them. They bowed to each other, then faced the instructors... (OOC: There you go, Kitty, I hope that's ok for you. If not, feel free to carry on the spar a little longer, for whatever reason) [/size]

[size=1]Thank you, Butterfly, they are good. I will leave this thread open for a while in case anyone else wants to try, but if not then I will go with them. It's not that they're not good, I just want to give other people a chance as well.[/size]

[size=1]Hey, could someone do me a solid and make me up a banner and avatar set with the picture attached. On the avi just put my name, and on the banner could you put: "My despised skin told me with these fingers that soon will be the day we kill the gods" Or if that's too much to fit on there, just: "Soon will be the day we kill the gods" Thanks muchly in advance. [/size]

[size=1]James ripped his envelope open and read the card inside. He read it through, then again, and a third time, trying to work out what it meant. A look of bewilderment crossed his brow as he read. This was confusing. But he thought he could work it out. He got up, made his excuses, and left the room, jogging through the house back to his room. As soon as he was inside, he looked at the card again, and looked around his room for something to complete the challenge with. Then he stopped for a moment, and thought to himself. [i]This guy is sick. What does he want me to do that for? [/i]But then he thought of the money, and he changed his mind. He dropped to the floor, and looked under his bed. There was something shining underneath. He reached out for it, and his finger hit something sharp, and it broke the skin. Warm blood leaked out of the wound, and James withdrew his hand, sucking at his finger. That hurt. He tried again, and this time gripped it firmly, pulling it from under the bed. It was a knife, but not just any knife. A huge, 8-inch hunting knife, with a solid wood handle and an extremely sharp blade. [i]The Master of Games is one sick individual, [/i]James thought, looking at the knife. He slipped the knife onto his belt, and left the room. He had 48 hours... (OOC: Please no-one interrupt James [i]yet...[/i]) [/size]

[size=1]Talyn awoke to see bright golden sunlight streaming in through the windows. He recognised this place. The Wakanda temple in England. He was home. He looked down at his stomach. The wound was healed almost completely. There were only the last drops of blood on his bandage, and the wound only felt tender when he touched it. He smiled. He has missed his home since he had left, almost three years ago, and now he was back. He slipped out of bed, and walked over to the door, opening it and slipping out of the Infirmary. He recognised everything instantly. The huge stone walls, the stained-glass windows. This was where he was born, and raised, and now he was finally back here. "You're an idiot, Talyn," said a voice behind him. He whirled around to see Katima standing there. "Don't worry, Katima, I'm fine," he replied with only the smallest hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I'm serious, Talyn, you could have gotten yourself killed. You know you can barely summon sunlight without bursting a blood vessel even without a serious injury. What the hell did you think you were playing at?" she asked, real anger in her voice. "I'm sorry, Katima. I just thought that I could help." "You can help. You can help by not dying!" She buried her head in her hands. Talyn went over to comfort her. "Katima, I'm sorry, but you know me. I'll do anything to save my friends," he said, putting a friendly arm around her. "It's not that," she said quietly, "It's something else..." "What is it, Katima? You're scaring me..." "There was something on your body that the doctors couldn't fix. Something that we couldn't heal." Talyn knew that it could only be one thing. "No," he said, his face dropping, "But...I don't...how?" "We think it was when you were knocked out. I was too busy defending you to see that the real threat was right next to you. He crawled out of the shadows, and found you." "He f-found me..." said Talyn, shaking. "Talyn, you've been bitten. A vampire bit you. We don't know if there's anything we can do for you now. It's probably just a matter of time before..." Talyn fell against the wall, and slid down to the floor. He couldn't believe what they had just told him. He looked up at Katima. "Well, as long as I'm here, I can help you as much as I can," he said, "But you have to promise me that when it happens, you do what has to be done. I need your word, Katima, do I have it?" She nodded timidly, and Talyn got to his feet. "Do me a favour, Kat," he said, "Don't tell the others. It'll just make it harder when the time comes." "I won't tell them," she said. "Thanks, Kat," he said, smiling, "I knew I could count on you." He hugged her and walked off, still reeling from the news he had just received... (OOC: I hope that's ok, DC, just PM me if its not and I'll change it) [/size]

[size=1]I love it. AMD was truly great, and now its back, although I don't expect people were thinking that Kraven would be back, but he is! Nothing can kill Kraven! I also like the "his soul lived on. Or so the stories had claimed." Very nice touch. [/size]

[size=1]James was taken to his room by a manservant, and he looked around in wonder as the servant left, shutting the door behind him. There was everything in this room that he would ever need. An en-suite bathroom, a TV, a laser-disc player. He flopped down onto the double bed, and felt the softness of the mattress. It must have been some special kind of down in there. He felt as though he could just fall asleep there and then, but he rolled over and looked at the LCD on the clock. It was already 5:40. He had twenty minutes before dinner, so he tore his clothes off and ran into the shower. Minutes later, he emerged, dripping, from the steaming shower cubicle, and dried himself hurriedly, throwing some clothes on and shaving at the same time. He cleaned his teeth quickly and tried to style his aimless hair, but, failing in his attempt, gave up quickly. He stopped, took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a plain white dress shirt, with a pair of smart, but faded jeans. That would have to do. Hopefully the Master of Games wasn't too picky about what his guests wore at dinner. He pulled a pair of suede shoes on and let the room, looking at his Rolex to check the time. He had five minutes to find the dining hall. He jumped down the last few steps and swerved round the corner, bumping into someone, knocking them over. "I'm so sorry," he said, helping them up, "I'm in kind of a hurry, I was late for dinner." "Don't worry, so was I," replied the woman he had knocked down. A beautiful, dark-skinned woman, the woman he had spoken to earlier, Jacqueline. "Do you want to turn up together? It might make us look a little better," said James warmly. "Sure," replied Jacqueline, smiling. They walked down the hall towards the dining room. The huge doors were pulled open, and the two guests hurried into the room and sat down, taking places next to each other. "Ok, it doesn't look like the Master of Games is here yet, so I think we're ok," whispered James, looking around the table. There were a couple of other people sitting already, including one that James hadn't seen outside. This must have been the one that the Master had mentioned. She was talking to one of the men, but James couldn't recall his name. After thinking about it, James realised there weren't as many men as there were women here. "So where are you from, Jacqueline?" he asked politely, turning his attention back to the lady. "I'm from the Hawaiian islands. I wasn't born on Hawaii itself, but I have been there several times. It is only about half an hour's boat ride away from where I live. And I take it you are English?" "Pure Brit, born and bred. Currently I'm living in London, but I never like to stay in one place for too long. Unless there's a special something there that I wouldn't leave," he said with a sly smile. "I understand exactly. I love to travel. That's why people say I follow in my father's footsteps. He was a traveller at heart, but he was anchored down when he married my mother." "So, what do you think of the house? Of the Master?" asked James. "The house is beautiful. It's a lot bigger than I imagined, and a lot grander. I imagined somewhere with a more cosy sort of charm, if you understand," James nodded at this, and Jacqueline took this as a sign to carry on, "And the Master himself is a little creepy, but I imagine we will get used to him." "Well, someone worth thirteen billion can afford somewhere like this. He doesn't need cosy charm with that kind of cash in his pocket." At this, a gong sounded. James looked around, and saw that everyone was now in the hall. The Master was arriving... [/size]

[b][size=1]Day 1 [/size][/b][size=1]Carthre woke up in the bed he had been laid in after he collapsed the previous evening. He struggled for a moment to remember what had happened, then put his head in his hands in embarassment. He had fainted at the sight of his own blood. How good was that going to look to Yuri? He rolled out of bed, and found a note nailed to his door. It read: [i]Carthre, Your diamonds have been taken and accounted for, and your next challenge awaits you. You will make your way up to the top of the mountain, and bring your blades. You will need them for this challenge. Commander Yuri. [/i]Around an hour later, Carthre arrived at the top of the mountain, after taking the ancient path to the summit. There were the other warriors who had survived the previous challenge waiting there. Carthre saw a few that he recognised, a young man with a bird standing next to a young girl, an arrogant-looking knight who had taken one of the diamonds that Carthre was going for the previous night. Out of these two, Carthre picked to talk to the young man and the girl. They seemed the better option. "Hi," he said, "I'm Carthre." He extended his hand, and the young girl shook it. "Carthre? That's an unusual name. I'm Cira, and this is Fayt," she said, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Fayt," said Carthre, holding his hand out. Fayt shook it, but the bird didn't seem to happy about this. "Nice bird," Carthre said, "Falcon, right? Probably from somewhere around Nin. God knows how it got all the way over here. What's his name?" "Shadow," replied Fayt, "How did you know all that?" "Well, you can tell it is from Nin by the markings. Birds from Nin generally have these long darker streaks over their eyes. Birds from Minbar have the same kind of streaks down their tail feathers. It's difficult, but you can tell the difference between them." "Are you some kind of bird expert?" asked Cira. "No, by no means. It's all part of basic training in the Minbar army. You need to know these things to find out where you are if you get lost. However, if you were lost, and you found this little creature, you might get a little confused. You don't normally get birds crossing over between Nin and Minbar. They're like the people, they normally like to stay apart. So either Shadow here has been particularly brave by coming all the way over here, or else he has been banished by his flock. And from the looks of those bent tail feathers, it would seem to be the latter." "You can tell all that by looking? And you claim not to be a bird expert?" asked Cira. "Well, I did pass at the top of my class for that portion of the training. I just have a good memory for these things." "Interesting. So, do you have any idea what this test is going to be?" "No idea. But, knowing Commander Yuri, it's going to be something mighty interesting. He does manage to cook up the strangest ideas for these things." "Do you know the Commander then?" asked Fayt. "No, I just bumped into him earlier. Also my uncle's a captain in the Minbar army, so he has served under Commander Yuri before." "Wow," said Cira. "Wait, I think they're about to start," said Fayt, pointing to two men standing in front of the crowd of people. They began to speak... (OOC: Hope you don't mind, shadowofdeath13 and DC) [/size]

[size=1]Talyn heard Katima's voice through the fog of unconsciousness, and urged himself back into life. The darkness lifted, and he opened his eyes. Katima was standing over him, her Dark Flame Chain whipping around her, keeping any vampires who tried to take Talyn's body away. He looked down, seeing the wound that had opened in his stomach. Blood was pumping out steadily now, not the constant harsh flow of a newly-opened wound, but rather the steady pump of an old one. Katima's favourite jacket lay across his stomach, now soaked in crimson. Talyn pressed the jacket into the wound, and got steadily to his feet. He could feel that he did not have much blood left, and his face would probably be very pale, but he forced himself up through sheer strength of will. "You shouldn't have used this jacket, Katima," he said hoarsely, "You ruined your favourite jacket to save me. I'm not worth that." "Well I'd rather have you alive and no jacket, Talyn. Without it, you could have died from blood loss." "Thank you, Katima," he said sincerely, "Now let me help you with those vampires." "No, Talyn!" shouted Katima, "You're too weak! Don't try any magic!" But she was too late. Talyn had already gathered up all his strength, forcing it into his body. He threw his head back and howled like a wolf. The clouds outside the airport parted, and sunlight beamed down through them, rays of light literally blasting through the windows, shattering them completely. The shafts of light blasted through the vampires, turning some weaker ones to dust, while others were merely burned. Talyn dropped to the floor. Using this spell severely weakened him even when he was at full health and capability, so it did a lot more damage to him after his near-death experience. He lay on the floor, spasming weakly, his stomach wound leaking blood. The vampires were subdued for now, but they would regain their strength soon enough. And that was too soon for Talyn. "We have to get our plane!" shouted Katima, "Someone grab Talyn and carry him. I don't care what British Airways says about injured passengers, he's coming with us!" Talyn felt someone grab his arms and haul him onto their back, and then they ran, and Talyn slipped out again... [/size]

[size=1]Carthre looked from the sorcerer to the creatures. He certainly looked like he needed help, and if they managed to kill these three creatures then that would mean that Carthre had completed his task. "How many diamonds you got?" asked Carthre. "Four," replied the sorcerer, standing weakly. One of his legs was badly injured. "Same as me. So if we kill these three then we'll each have enough, and one left over. What's your name?" "Morag, and you might be?" "I'm Carthre. We need to stick together, and we'll make it through this," Carthre said, bringing his sword up. The blood that stained it was congealing, turning hard as it dried. Carthre seemed brave, but deep down he was shaking. The sorcerer slit his palm open with a dagger, and threw drops of blood towards the three creatures. They sharpened in mid-air, becoming daggers which sliced through the skin of one of the creatures. The others bounced off. "Looks like that's one diamond fer Morag," said the sorcerer, dropping to the ground to pick up the jewel. He gathered another handful of blood, and threw the daggers at the centipede that was rushing towards Carthre. They knocked the beast to the floor, where it writhed and screeched as it bled to death. "Thanks fer helpin' me, kid. That's a diamond fer you in appreciation fer yer kind deed," said the sorcerer. Carthre picked up the diamond. The third centipede had scuttled away, scared of the fate of the other two. Morag got to his feet and began to limp away. Carthre pocketed the diamond he had taken from the beast and jogged up to the sorcerer, sheathing his sword. "You're hurt," said Carthre, "Let me help you back to the city." He tucked himself under Morag's arm, and let the sorcerer put most of his weight on him. They walked back to the city gates, slowly but surely, disposing any monsters that appeared in the meantime, working together, but leaving the diamonds for others to find. Once they were inside the city walls, Carthre laid Morag down gently on the ground. "You need to get someone to look at that leg," he said. He felt a powerful presence behind him, and he turned around to see Commander Yuri standing behind him. "Still saving people, are we, Carthre?" he asked, but Carthre didn't know whether he was joking or not. "Yes sir, Commander. However, this time, we are both in possession of five diamonds each." Carthre held out his pouch of diamonds, and Morag did the same. Yuri took them both. "Good work, both of you. I'll get someone to see to that leg," he said to Morag, before walking off. "Did he know ya or somethin'?" asked Morag. "Yeah, something like that," replied Carthre in a moody grumble. "Ya migh' wanna get someone ta look at tha' shoulder fer ya, Carthre," said the sorcerer, looking at Carthre's left shoulder. He looked down at it, and saw blood seeping out between the armour plates. "How did that happen?" said Carthre woozily, before collapsing to the ground. He had never liked the sight of his own blood... [/size]

[i][size=1]Dammit, how could I have been so stupid! [/size][/i][size=1]Carthre cursed himself, [i]I'll save the dead guy and take his diamonds, great idea, Carthre! Now I have to find four more as well! [/i]Carthre trudged back into the desert, his spirits somewhat dampened by his encounter with Commander Yuri. His sword was limp in his hand, and he seemed to have no energy at all. He stepped carefully, though, watching out for monsters. But suddenly, three huge beasts, scorpion-like monsters, burst out of the ground, leaping at Carthre. He only just had time to bring his sword up and block the attack of the first one. The second knocked him to the ground, and the third pinned him down. He saw the diamond glittering in its underbelly, and he reached for it, ramming his fingers hard into the creature's flesh. Sticky black blood poured from the wound, and the creature screeched, its mandibles trying despearately to claw at Carthre's face, venom dripping from them. Carthre's hand closed around the diamond, and he ripped it out, a torrent of blood pouring out after it. The creature writhed around and died. Carthre slipped the diamond into his pouch, and leapt to his feet, his faith in himself restored. He could still do this, he could get five diamonds for Yuri. There were his third and fourth standing right in front of him. The two other scorpion beasts looked at each other, apparently unsure of what to do. They decided to jump at Carthre, and his sword slashed through their underbellies, the soft skin breaking easily against the blade. He dropped his weapon and ran over to the fallen beasts, pulling the diamonds out of their skin, and slipping them into his pouch. Now he only needed one more. He fumbled aorund in the dark for his sword, only to find that it was gone. He looked up and saw a small, sly figure running away with it. Obviously he had seen what Carthre had done and didn't want him to get any more diamonds. [i]Sneaky little... [/i][/size]

[size=1]James got to his feet shakily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He walked over to his kitchen, about three metres away from the bed in his open-plan apartment. He poured some coffee from the pot and drank it down, giving himself the caffeine hit he needed so badly. The strong Columbian blend woke him up completely, and he walked over and collapsed on his couch, flicking the TV on. After an hour of channel-hopping, James grew bored, and wandered over to his computer. He switched the monitor on, and the screen burst into life. He took a seat, and opened his email inbox. The computer pinged, and a message popped up. James opened the email and read it through. At first he thought it was spam, from someone called "The Master Of Games," probably some hacker who thought he was "The Master." But something made him open the message. After reading, he thought about it for a while, then clicked the "Reply" button. He typed out his reply: [i]Dear Master Of Games, I would be delighted to join in your little game. It sounds most intriguing, and I have no doubt you will have picked some colourful characters to participate. And anyway, who could resist the opportunity to win their greatest desire? Yours, James Gregson. [/i]James went to his wardrobe, and began throwing clothes into a bag. He also packed a wash kit, with shaver and other personal grooming products, and threw a few personal items in. The first was a photograph of his real father, the man whom he had thought was the butler for twelve years, as well as the only picture James owned of his mother, a small, passport-sized photograph of the woman. He threw some clothes on, and left his apartment, putting a pair of wrap-around sunglasses on. He caught the elevator just as it was going down, and left the building, pushing the glass doors open and stepping into the blinding sunlight. A stretch limo was laready waiting to pick him up, so he opened the door and got in. It was a long drive from London to Scotland, so James amused himself with the music system, and the mini-bar in the back of the limo. There was nothing on the TV, so James settled back and tried to sleep as much as he could... He was woken by the driver, a cockney man with a friendly, round face, saying to him: "Mr Gregson, sir, we're here." James was astonished that he had managed to sleep for almost the entire journey. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and stepped out of the car. It was now around early evening time, and there were a few more people there already, one of whom was singing to a personal music system. "Well, I guess this is home for the next few months," said James, looking at the mansion in slight awe. He had seen mansions before, but never one of this sheer size. He smiled, and walked over to the others... [/size]

[size=1]Carthre darted out into the desert, his feet light on the sand as he flitted across the ground. Once he had reached a spot of the desert that no-one else had occupied, he used his training in the Minbar army to help him. [i]When you are in a tight situation, [/i]his captain had said, [i]Remember not to rely solely on your sight. Use your other senses to feel your surroundings, because once it becomes dark, sight cannot help you. [/i]Carthre remembered this, and closed his eyes, kneeling down and placing an ear on the sand. He heard something, and felt a vibration running through his body. He leapt to his feet, knowing that something was coming. He drew his sword with shaking hands. He had never faced a real enemy before, and he had only fought against his comrades in the Minbar army. Suddenly, in a burst of sand, a huge creature burst up through the ground. It was a worm, well over one hundred metres long, with a huge mouth full of teeth at one end, and who knows what at the other. It slammed down onto the sand, a cloud of particles flying up, before settling, and began to slither its way towards Carthre. "Remember, Carthre, focus on its weaknesses," he said to himself, "It has not eyes, probably used to darkness, lives underground. most likely it has a thick skin impervious to most weaponry." He charged it, more fuelled by fear and adrenaline than bravery, and slammed his sword against its skin. The blade rebounded off, sending Carthre to the ground. The worm turned and altered its course to find Carthre. "Ok," he said, "Definitely has thick skin. No eyes mean it relies on scent and hearing to find its prey. Possibly has some kind of sonar." He dived into a sand dune, and rolled around, covering as much of his body as possible in sand. "That should help with scent problem," he whispered, "Must keep quiet." He stopped talking to himself, and stood very still. The worm stopped moving, and its head turned to try and find its prey. Carthre moved slowly and quietly towards the worm, making sure not to make any sound, but tripped over something as he crept. He looked down, and saw the body of another soldier, the big guy that Carthre had bumped into earlier that day. Two diamonds lay by his hands, which were covered in blood. Carthre debated with himself over what to do. Taking the diamonds wouldn't exactly be completely moral, and that was one of the criteria Yuri was marking them on. In the end, he turned away from the body, deciding to deal with the problem of the worm first. He formulated a new plan quickly in his head, and knew that he had to find the place where the diamond was on the worm's body. It was probably on its underside, the place least vulnerable to attack. So that meant he had to make the worm rear up somehow. He stood on the spot, and jumped up and down, shouting and making as much noise as possible. He smashed his sword against his armour, rattling the interlocking plates. The worm turned to him, and charged. He rolled out of the way, but the worm still clipped him on the arm, sending him spinning to the ground. The worm turned, and screamed, a horrible, bloodthirsty scream, and reared its head up. [i]There! [/i]thought Carthre, [i]I see the diamond! [/i]The glittering gem was embedded in the worm's underside, and it had just revealed it by rearing up. Carthre ran in, his sword flashing, and grabbed the diamond, trying to pull it out manually. The worm began to scream more and more, and Carthre continued to struggle. He rammed his sword behind the diamond and levered it out. It plopped into his hand, and the worm writhed and screamed, swaying backwards and forwards. Carthre ran, getting out from under the worm, as it fell to the ground with an almighty crash. Carthre felt the weight of the diamond in his hand, and slipped it into a pouch on his belt. He then turned to the body of the huge man. He sighed, and picked up the two diamonds that lay by his sides, slipping them into the pouch. Then, with considerable effort, he picked the man up and hauled him over his shoulders, taking the body back to the city, feeling that he deserved more than a lonely death in the desert. He needed a proper burial, and Carthre was sure the city could organise that for him... [/size]

[size=1]There were a few more vampires running towards the group of Wakanda, leaping through the air to gain more ground on them. One of them dived straight at Talyn, knocking him to the ground in a single punch. He lifted his hand up to his face and felt the warm blood pouring out of his nose. The bastard thing had broken it. He got to his feet shakily, and the vampire pounced again, punching him repeatedly, battering his chest and stomach with an onslaught of bone-breaking blows, and he felt several ribs snap. [i]What the hell? [/i]he thought [i]These vampires are a whole lot stronger than the others. They couldn't have held a candle to us, but these ones are beating the crap out of us! [/i]A final, open-palmed blow to the sternum threw Talyn back into the wall, which exploded in a cloud of plaster dust. The Wakanda slumped to the floor, smeared with blood and dust. The vampire stood over him, smirking. "I guess the Wakanda aren't so powerful after all," he said, laughing at his fallen foe. He didn't realise that his foe was gathering a ball of light energy in his hand. He released it, blasting the vampire backwards, where he hit the ground hard. "That wasn't funny, Wakanda," said the vampire, flipping to his feet, a smoking hole burnt in the front of his shirt. He looked down, and tore the shirt off, revealing rippling muscles in his chest and stomach. His arms were pretty big too. Talyn coughed, and got to his feet, shaking his head to get himself together. "Vampires are scum. You don't deserve to walk this earth," he said, his voice faltering a little. "Oh, and the Wakanda are so much better, I suppose," replied the vampire, "If you think about it, you have hunted us as we have hunted the humans for so long. You and I are not so different, you know." "I'm nothing like you!" spat Talyn, a string of bloody saliva flying to the floor, "You kill innocents just to feed! We hunt vampires for our own survival!" "Enough talk!" shouted the vampire, "You are clearly too ignorant to understand the truth!" He launched himself at Talyn, but was stopped in mid-air by a Dark Flame Chain lashing itself around his ankles. He smashed to the ground a few inches in front of Talyn's feet. "Thanks, Katima," said Talyn. "Looked like you could use the help," replied Katima with a smile, then she went back to fighting the other vampires. Talyn turned his attention back to the vampire, and he walked over to the mop that the janitor had left so hastily when the fight started, snapping it in half, the break point now jagged. He walked back over to the vampire, and raised the makeshift stake above his head. "Now to send you back to the Pit you came from," said Talyn darkly, slamming the stake downwards. Time seemed to slow. The stake in Talyn's hands came towards the vampire's heart, the vampire, seeing this, raised his foot and drew a long knife from his boot, ramming it into Talyn's gut as the stake crunched through the bone of the vampire's chest, into his heart. The vampire and Talyn both looked shocked, and Talyn fell back as the vampire burst into ashes. Blood was gushing out of the knife wound, too much to allow Talyn to remain conscious. He fell to the floor, blacking out just before he hit the ground... [/size]

[size=1][b]Name:[/b] James Gregson [b] Age:[/b] 28 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Location:[/b] Hampshire, England [/size][size=1][b]Appearance:[/b] James is a tall, imposing figure, with broad shoulders and a strong chest. His hair is silver, and he has a small goatee beard taking up the space on his chin. His jawbone is rather more square than he would like, but he manages. His usual attire would be some sort of dress shirt, often striped, and a pair of faded jeans, although he has a few designer suits in his wardrobe for anything more formal. Most of these encompass plain, pale pastel-coloured shirts and pinstripes. [b]Personality: [/b]James is extremely indecisive, leaving the decision-making to other people, and instead living in the lap of luxury. He will usually try whatever takes his fancy, from pottery to windsurfing, and he has been called somewhat of a daredevil. He will often endanger his own life needlessly, only for the sheer thrill of it. By all accounts, he is the true essence of a playboy, loving his fast life, fast cars and even faster women. [b]Bio: [/b]James' father was a driven businessman, seeming more interested in his bluetooth chip stock than his son growing up. Since his mother left when he was only three months old, James was very neglected as a child. He could not understand his father's obsessive need to take care of his business every minute of every day, thinking it foolish for him to be wasting his life away. His father put him into the care of a young man in his employ, in the position of what would usually be called a butler, but he did not like this term. Instead he referred to himself as a "House Assistant." He was a trendy young man, interested in the fast life, not to be stuck in the same job for too long. He spent most of his time with James, teaching him the playboy lifestyle, and James lapped it up. He sometimes believed that he was truly the butler's son, not his father's. It later turned out that this was the case. The butler had slept with his mother once, and it turned out that the son she bore was his, not James' believed father. James' father flew into a rage when he heard this, and lashed out, trying to kill the butler, who killed James' father in self-defence. After a lengthy court case, it was resolved that the butler could not have stopped this, and he was let off with a hefty fine. He ended up taking care of James full time, although by this time he was almost sixteen. A further blow came to James when his true father got extremely sick, and soon after he died of cancer. James was old enough now to take care of himself, and both his false father and his true father had left him large sums of money respectively, and he used this money to buy a stylish penthouse apartment, and begin his life as a playboy, following in his true father's footsteps. He has since received the email form the Master of Games, and has decided that entering the Scottish mansion and coming out alive would be the biggest thrill he could ever find. [b]Greatest Desire: [/b]To get the ultimate kick, the ultimate thrill that he has yet to find from extreme sports; to find true love [b]Greatest Fear: [/b]Becoming mundane; ending up alone (Hope this is ok, Kairi. It is James Gregson in name alone, though, as I have completely revamped the character) [/size]

[size=1]Carthre entered the capital city through the main gates. Big mistake. There were hundreds more, just like him, trying to get into the party that Yuri would be taking to places unknown. Trainees all of them, inexperienced in their classes. And there were people of many different classes here. Mages, warriors like himself, mercenaries, thieves, hundreds of them, wanting exactly the same thing as Carthre. Carthre walked on, just taking in the splendour of the city. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. The huge buildings, the sparkling glass windows, the clean streets. He had never been to a place like this before. He was so preoccupied with the magnificence of the city that he didn't realise he had walked straight into the back of another warrior. This guy was huge. He was easily 7 feet tall, with a bald head that looked like he waxed it regularly, and a massive double-handed axe strapped across his back. "You might wanna watch where you're going," he boomed, his hand drifting to his axe, "You might get hurt next time." He had put a lot of emphasis on the word "hurt." Carthre stepped backwards, raising his hands in the universal signal for "I'm sorry," and then he turned away from the huge man, turning so he was face-to-face with a woman with her face hidden by the hood of her white cloak. "Hi," he said, smiling. She raised her head, to reveal a wrinkled face, with teeth sticking out of the mouth at irregular angles. Carthre swallowed a shocked gasp and turned away quickly, following the crowds. There was a registration point just ahead, and Carthre headed for that, trying to dodge in and out of the crowd to avoid being out here too long. It was beginning to get hot in the crush, so he managed to dodge his way through the crowd and get to the registration point. "Name," said the bored-looking soldier who was sitting there. "Carthre Letin," replied Carthre. "Ok, Private Lewison will escort you to your quarters. You will be called when you are needed tonight," said the soldier, giving Carthre a bundle of papers and waving him on. Carthre followed the young soldier who must have been Private Lewison, who led him up to a small room, with a bed in one corner, and he lit all the lanterns in the room, illuminating it completely. "Thanks a lot," said Carthre, throwing all his stuff onto the bed. "I wish I was doing what you guys are doing. It sounds so exciting," said Private Lewison, "But apparently I'm not allowed. I have to stay here and protect the capital, instead of "gallivanting around the world with Yuri." Protecting the city isn't as exciting as it sounds, you know." "Hey, I'm sure you'll get your chance to shine eventually, Lewison. I'm not exactly much at the moment, I'm just a Private in the Minbar Army. I'm not even sure that I'll get chosen." "Well, good luck anyway, sir," said Lewison, saluting Carthre. He mirrored the signal, and then the soldier left the room, closing the door after him. Carthre liked it like this. When it was just him and his thoughts, alone. He settled down to sleep, and drifted off quickly... [/size]