Blayze

Phoenix forced his eyes open. His vision was blurred, but it was coming back to him slowly but surely. As it became stronger, he saw a figure standing over him. He forced his eyes to focus, and saw it was him. The one Phoenix had been hunting. Boru, the Malacha'ai demon. "Ah, Phoenix, another change of clothes?" he said smugly. Phoenix looked down at his clothes and saw they were no longer the black and red robe of the White Council, but his own black trenchcoat, back again. This must mean that the White Council have finally left him! Ziarre saved his humanity! "Boru!?" he shouted his voice croaky with underuse, "Get away from me!" He strained his muscles, and got up off the floor, his muscles screaming in agony. He reached to the floor, expecting the warm handle of his halberd, but instead found a sword. His sword. He was Phoenix again! This new revelation gave him strength, and he held his sword in place with practiced ease. "Boru, your time has come. You and I will fight to the death, right now!" "Excellent!" cried Boru, "Finally my return fight with the Hunter who gave me this horrible scar!" He showed Phoenix the scar left by Phoenix's sword in the warehouse so long ago. Then he drew his halberd, and held it high above his head, in a strange demonic battlestance. Phoenix held steady, remebering to wait until the enemy came to him. And he did. Boru ran at the Hunter, shouting with all his strength, and Phoenix sidestepped, swinging upwards with his sword, slicing a gash up Boru's side. The demon turned around, looking horrified. "You actually hurt me!" he exclaimed, "You actually cut me! That's the second time, and it will not happen a third!" He ran and chopped downwards at Phoenix, and caught him with the shaft of the weapon, striking him on the shoulder with such strength that it went dead immediately. This was bad. He was facing the most powerful opponent of his life, and he was already an arm down. This wasn't looking good for Phoenix...

Zack waited silently in the shadows for his mark. The mark should have been in the club for about 2 hours now, so he must have taken the drink laced with laxatives that Zack had planted at the bar. Sure enough, the target left the club in a hurry through the back door, clutching his stomach. He doubled over, and was searching around for something, presumably a public lavatory. He looked shocked for a split-second as the arrow flew into his neck, but then keeled over backwards. Blood gushed out onto the floor, and within a few seconds, Zack was gone, along with any trace of him. * * * "So here's the thousand for completion of the job, and the hundred for equipment," said the portly rich man, counting out banknotes and puffing on a huge cigar. Zack took the money without saying a word, and turned to leave the building. "Wait a minute," the rich man said, "How am I supposed to contact you for any other jobs?" "Use my card," Zack replied, throwing a small white card with his phone number written on it to the man. Then he left the building, stopping to pick up his weapons on the way out. "You won't need it though," he said to himself. He took a small metal object out of his jacket pocket, and pressed a red button on the top. The building he had just left exploded in an enormous fireball. * * * "Thank you very much for your excellent work, Zack. Althoguh I'm sure you didn't leave the deal empty-handed," said the new businessman, handing Zack a briefcase full of money. Zack grunted and picked up the briefcase. "I knew I could count on you, Zack, you always get the job done." He grunted again and left the office, fairly pleased with his day of dirty deals.

Phoenix stopped next to Night. "Where's Ziarre? Zet said she was here with you!" he said through a broken nose. "She just left. What happened to you?" asked Night coldly. "I had a little tussle with Zet. Listen, Night, I'm sorry about what happened to me. But, if I kill Ziarre, then it won't happen anymore." "You can't kill Ziarre!" "Why not? She's with the other side now. I realise that she was our friend, but that Ziarre is gone." "But she was just saying to me that she only turned because of us. She felt we were neglecting her." "But Night, if I don't kill her then I'll be this monster who kills half-demons even if they are innocent. I can't be that person for much longer!" "No. You are not going to kill Ziarre and that is that." Phoenix's voice deepened, although he tried to fight the transformation this time. His voice changed from the deep ethereal voice to his voice, and back and forth repeatedly. "No, Night, I MUST KILL Ziarre! THE HALF-BREED SERVANT OF BORU MUST BE DESTROYED! Help me Night! I need to stop this! DO NOT TRY TO STOP THIS, NIGHT, IT IS BEYOND YOUR UNDERSTANDING help me!" Night looked at Phoenix, seeing him in pain reminded him of the old Phoenix, human and proud of it. "Help meEEE NIGHT DON'T GET INVOLVED with this! Stop this hapPENING!" Phoenix dropped to his knees and broke down into tears. "I don't want to be like this, Night! I just need your help to WHERE IS THE HALF BREED? TELL ME NOW stop this! I know you can help!" He seemed to get at least partial control of his mind and body back. "Night, I ask you this as Phoenix, as your friend, your brother-in-arms. Please stop this change happening. I'm not strong enough to stop the change myself, but I know you are!" Night walked slowly over to Phoenix. He placed his hand on Phoenix's head, in an attempt to calm him down. Phoenix lost control, and the other half of his personality overcame him. He knocked Night flying. "Don't you dare try anything, Night. Just tell me where Ziarre is!" He turned and saw a trail of flame over the rooftops. He smiled and leapt up to the roof of the nearest building, and began tailing the flame trail across the rooftops. He moved quickly, and soon caught up with the flaming half-demon. "ZIARRE! COME HERE AND FACE YOUR DESTROYER!" She turned, dark tears in her eyes, and saw the being on top of the building. "Who orders Ziarre? You inhabit the body of Phoenix, but you are not him," she replied, her voice strengthening. "THE WHITE COUNCIL INHABITS THE BODY OF PHOENIX! WE ARE THE ONES WHO WILL DESTROY YOU!" "Very well, council. If you believe you can destroy me, then come and give it your best shot!" she shouted. The halberd lit up, and glowed like the moon. He leapt off the roof, landing next to Ziarre, and swung the weapon at her. She ducked and moved lithely out of the way. She swung her fist and it connected with his face. He fell over backwards, and sprung back onto his feet, swinging the halberd once more. It caught her across the stomach, drawing blood, and she summoned all the fiery rage within her, and blasted it at Phoenix. He shielded himself with some sort of magical barrier, but it still threw him off the roof. He flipped in the air and landed on his feet. She followed him off the roof, almost landing on his halberd. It caught her on the face, cutting a tiny cut along her cheek. This startled her, and it gave him an opportunity to thrust the halberd towards her stomach...

((Thanks for that, SilverCyclone)) Phoenix brought the halberd down, but Zet rolled out of the way, and twisted her way onto her feet. She stood up and kicked Phoenix's legs out from under him. He fell to the floor, then flipped himself back onto his feet again. He swung the halberd and cut Zet across the stomach, but it was just a flesh wound, not fatal or even particularly dangerous. She used the movement of the halberd to spin around, and she moved her foot so it connected with Phoenix's already broken nose. The pain was unbearable, and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Zet walked casually away, and then ran to find Night or a more senior Hunter than herself, or even a medic to help Phoenix. Blood dripped slowly onto the floor from Phoenix's broken nose, and he was barely breathing. He slipped into darkness, away from consciousness. He was back in the council chamber, although this time he was standing where the half-breed was standing before. He was the one on trial this time. "PHOENIX," one of the council members said, "YOU HAVE NOT KILLED BORU SINCE WE GAVE YOU THESE POWERS. YOU SEEM UNABLE TO EVEN KILL A LOWLY HALF-DEMON! WE ARE BEGINNING TO HAVE SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR USEFULNESS." "Well, I could do much better if you stopped taking my body over! I don't need your help to manage these powers, so just leave me alone and I will destroy Boru myself!" "YOU WILL FIRST DESTROY THE HALF-BREED THAT WORKS WITH BORU, TO PROVE YOUR WORTHINESS." "You mean Ziarre? No way! She used to be one of my best friends!" "AND NOW SHE WORKS FOR BORU. DARKNESS NOW HAS HER, SO IT IS YOUR DUTY AS A HUNTER TO DESTROY HER." "I kno it's my duty, but I've known her for so long. I don't know if I can kill her, but I'll give it my best shot." "EXCELLENT. NOW GO, DESTROY ZIARRE AND THEN YOU SHALL REPORT BACK TO US." "How will I find you?" "WE WILL FIND YOU, PHOENIX." And with that, he returned to consciousness, to find Zet standing over him. "Phoenix? Are you all right? I hit you pretty hard there," she said. "I'm fine, Zet, don't worry. I've managed to deal with my little problem, but there is one thing..." "What is it?" "To regain my humanity completely, I have to kill Ziarre." "What?!" "That's right, I have to kill Ziarre before I can kill Boru on my own. But first I have to find her." "That shouldn't be too hard. I saw a lot of fire coming from downtown. You can bet that that's where she is." "Thank you, Zet. I'm sorry for any injuries you might have from our little tussle." He stood up, breathed in deeply and picked up his halberd. "It's time for me to kill Ziarre."

Uriel sat on the rooftop, this time with Damien at his side. He didn't like Damien. His obsession with holy items irritated him no end, the same as it annoyed Lucifer. "So, you've got to stick with me this time, Gatekeeper," he said tauntingly. "Shut up, Damien. I would work much better without your continuous interruptions. We are close to the Key, I can feel it." "Oh good. Finally we are making some progress." Uriel watched the street below, seeing people come and go, until he saw the one he wanted. A young girl, no older than sixteen was walking along the street, in a subdued manner. She was wearing many talismans and lucky charms around her person, as well as some baggy trousers and a rather strange hat. Her skin was very pale, like she needed to be out in the sun a lot more. Although Uriel couldn't really comment on having pale skin, as his was very white. "She contains much good energy. She is not an angel, so it is possible that she is the Key." He swooped down into an alley, folded his wings away and walked calmly out of the alley. Damien followed suit, and they left the alley and trailed the girl together. They followed her into a small building, where they would make their strike. They followed her in, and as she was walking down a long corridor, Uriel reached out and sensed her power. "She is powerful, indeed, but she is not the Key. The Key is somewhere else, someone else, in this city. We are getting ever closer." "Well, that's excellent, Uriel, but we need results now, otherwise Lucifer may destroy us both." "Lucifer will not destroy me, I am too valuable a warrior, and you make up the numbers of our ranks. She will not kill either of us. Now let's get back to her before daylight." He unfurled his wings and flew away.

(Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I feel suitably ashamed) Uriel flew back to where Lucifer was waiting. He landed, and folded his wings away. He walked slowly over to where Lucifer was sitting. "URIEL!" she shouted as he walked into the chamber, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" "I'm sorry I deserted Damien, mistress, but matters of some importance came to my attention. I found a source of unimaginable good energy, and I thought it may be the Key." "And was it?" Lucifer seemed to be getting excited now. "Unfortunately, no. All I found was an angel." "And did you kill it?" "Of course. I wouldn't find an angel and then not kill it, would I?" he replied with some sarcasm. "Well, at least tonight wasn't a complete loss, then. Are we any closer at all to finding the Key?" "I believe we have made some progress, a view that only very few share with me. But even killing angels brings us closer to gaining re-entry to Heaven, by destroying some of the opposition." "Very well. Go out and continue your search, but this time, stay with Damien. The last thing we need is for some human to see you and have to be destroyed." "Thank you, mistress." And with that, Uriel left the room.

Zet leapt into the air, dodging Phoenix's halberd with graceful ease. She hit the wall behind her and bounced off, landing on the ground in front of Phoenix. She punched him and he fell backwards. "You're going to pay for that, filth!" he shouted. He felt his nose. It was broken, and blood was gushing down hi face. He ran towards Zet and swung his fist at her. It hit her square in the stomach, throwing her back against the wall. She recovered quickly, and stood up, out of breath. "What is wrong with you, Phoenix? You've never been into the whole hybrid discrimination thing before. There's something seriously wrong with you!" "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm better than ever. I'm seeing things so much more clearly now than I ever have before! Demons must be wiped from the Earth, and half-breeds just the same!" He swung his weapon at her again, striking her in the chest with the blunt end of the halberd, knocking her to the floor. "Now you must be destroyed, half-breed!" He raised his halberd, and brought it down towards Zet...

Name: Zack H. Carter Nickname: "Bladebow" or simply "Lucky" Age: 21 Side: Mercenary for hire Weapons/Items: A military longbow, with a scope and a quick reloader, with blades on either end, which he uses as close-combat weapons. He also uses a laser sword. Talents: An extremly talented combatant, who uses his skills to earn money for himself. He can fight multiple opponents in enclosed spaces, always managing to escape only with minor injuries. He is the only person who has mastered the bladebow martial art, which he helped to invent, and is also an extremely skilled swordfighter. He is an expert marksman with his bow as well. Unfortunately he is not the strongest or fastest person ever, but he is very agile and acrobatic. Description: Edit: I didn't like the old picture, so here's a new one: Personality: Zack is a cold-blooded mercenary who cares nothing for no-one but himself. He will do any job for the right price, and he works for himself and only himself. He is cold and will kill or seriously injure anyone who even looks at him cock-eyed. He is the best at what he does and he knows it. He has been hired by the Sheriff many times, as he always gets the job done, apart from when it comes to Robin Hood. He hates Robin Hood with a vengeance, and will take any job which may mean him killing Hood. Biography: Zack was born into poverty, and his parents were executed by order of the Sheriff. Far from ruining his life, this turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Zack. He was taken in by a rich man, who looked after him and cared for him like he was his own son. He taught him how to defend himself, and together they created the martial art of the bladebow. Zack soon mastered his own martial art, and used it to great effect, keeping bullies at bay. But one day, he found out his foster father was a drug baron, who laundered money on the side. He was disgusted to discover that the man he looked up to the most was in fact everything he had ever hated. This incident made him deeply synical, and he developed a black sense of humour to deal with this. He ran away, and started living on the streets, living off what he could scavenge. Then he began to put his talents as a fighter to use, and became a small-time mercenary, taking small jobs involving break-ins and stoppin gang warfare. He slowly worked his way up, until he was the number-one mercenary in the country. He could get any job he wanted, and had gained great riches from it. He succeeded in every job. Until Robin Hood came along that is. Since their first encounter four years ago, Hood has stopped every job Zack has taken. Everywhere Zack takes a job, Hood is there to stop him. Now he has developed a deep-seated hatred for Hood, and will take any job which might end in him killing Hood. He trains harder every day, just so he can kill Robin Hood. This is now his dream. And because of this, he takes a lot of work from the Sheriff, who pays him great amounts of money to work, and gives him immunity from most aspects of the law. Hope this is alright, PM me if its not and I will change it.

Phoenix sat and waited, thinking about what Night had said. He had become so obsessed with destroying Boru that he had all but abandoned his humanity to the council. He decided that he would use the power given to him to kill Boru, but then he would renounce it, give it up. Zet wandered over to where Phoenix was sitting, and asked: "Was that you who threw me into that wall, Phoenix, or was it something else?" "I'm not even sure any more. I think it was something else, but if I was still whole then I could have stopped myself. I'm sorry if I hurt you." "Don't worry, I've had much worse. Do you need anything?" "No, I'm fine..." he turned his head sharply away, and his eyes turned bright white, glowing like candles. His voice turned into the deep, ethereal voice that had overcome him earlier. "You must be cleansed, half-breed filth. the demon gene must be wiped from the Earth." And he drew his sword, which once more turned into the glowing halberd, and swung at Zet...

Phoenix had arrived in the city centre, the place where he had been guided to by these strange forces. He stood in the middle, and shouted: "BORU!!! COME AND FACE ME!!! FIGHT ME HERE AND NOW!!! I'M NOT FIGHTING ANY MORE OF YOUR LACKEYS!!! YOU AND ME, FACE TO FACE!!!" in his strange double voice. With this, Boru appeared in front of him in a ball of fire, spreading his wings out to their full extent. "Ah, Phoenix, it's been so long since we met. I wondered when we would next meet," the Malacha'ai demon said smugly. "We're going to finish this, filth!" Phoenix spat, the deeper voice coming through much stronger than his own voice now. "Very well, but now is not the time or place for our final battle, Phoenix. Go to Raglad, or Final Haven, or whatever you pathetic humans are calling it now. Our final battle will come soon enough." And with that, he disappeared again. Phoenix cried out with rage, then turned and headed to Final Haven. He assumed that the half-breed Hunter would have done her job and evacuated the city, so there was nothing left for him in the city any more...

At Metropolis, Steele took a new Battle Rifle, some more rounds for it, as well as some exploding and poison-tipped rounds, and put some new energy cells in his energy sword. He also stocked up on grenade packs and reloads. He was going to kick some Covenant! He was back on the ship in no time, waiting for the other Spartans to rejoin him, and Master Chief came and sat down next to him. "You all right, Steele?" he asked in his deep, robotic tones. "I just can't believe that we are the most advanced fighting force in the world, and we couldn't stop one Covenant strike force from killing all those people. We should have been able to stop them." "We couldn't have done anything to be more prepared. The Covenant are quick, powerful and clever, but now we are doing something they are never going to expect. We are going to hit them where it hurts. On their home planet, we are going to kill those aliens! So does this boost your spirits?" "A little, I guess. I can't do anything less than fight for eveything I'm worth, and that's what I'm going to do!" "That's more like it!" said the Master Chief, leaving the room. Steele was equipped and ready for anything.

Raptor moved silently across the ground, his footfalls making absolutely no sound whatsoever on the ground. The guards were up ahead. He leapt and grabbed onto a railing above him, and flipped off, landing silently on the ground behind the first guard, knocking him out and stunning the second as well. The third, however, turned and saw him moving. He fired a few rounds of his weapon at the movement, and hit Raptor in the arm and the leg. Raptor's rage took over, and he sliced the guard across the chest and once across the face. He fell to the floor, but as the blade's frequency was only set to stun, the guard was mostly unharmed. He dragged the guard's bodies, with the help of Panther, to the shadows and dropped them off there. He sat quietly in the shadows and bandaged up his wounds. Luckily they were only flesh wounds, but they hurt like hell anyway.

Phoenix moved on, deaf to Zet's calls, filled with no thoughts beyond Boru's complete and total destruction. His mind was filled with thoughts of Boru's death, his demise. His eyes glowed ever stronger, now a silvery-blue light was emanating from them. He knew he was still Phoenix, but also something much more besides. He moved towards a nest of demons, and threw his halberd at the building. It came crashing down into a pile of rubble, killing all the demons in there. His halberd swung around and came back to his hand, and he caught it and threw it again in one swift motion. This time it flew into another building, killing more demons. It returned to his hand once more. "BORU?" he boomed, "WHERE ARE YOU?" Both of his voices cried out, piercing the night air with this question. Suddenly, a purple fire ignited in the middle of the road, in front of Phoenix, and a huge beast appeared, probably sent by Boru to distract Phoenix. It was a dragon-like beast, as tall as a large house, with jet-black scales and blood-red eyes. It breathed a jet of fire towards Phoenix, who stood still, completely engulfed by flames. The fire stopped, and Phoenix was no longer there. The beast looked around, eventually finding him on its back. He plunged his halberd into the back of its neck, killing it, as the blade penetrated the windpipe and the main artery. The beast collapsed, and fell into a heap on the floor, bleeding thick black blood from the neck. Phoenix jumped off the carcass, and carried on into the city, forever trying to find Boru.

The building was adorned with stone gargoyles, shaped like grotesque mimickries of angels. The perfect place for a Fallen Angel. Uriel knelt on the balcony, sensing great power somewhere nearby. It was a force of unimaginable good energy, so it was either an angel, or The Key, which would be much better than an angel, but Uriel could live with finding himself an angel to slaughter. He spread his blood-red wings, given to him by The Almighty Father to scare those who wished to enter the garden of Eden away. He leapt off the balcony and flapped his wings. He flew gracefully through the air, and followed his senses to the power he felt. It grew stronger and stronger as he got closer, then found a humanoid figure perched on a rooftop. It's white wings seemed to almost glow in the dark rainy night. Well, he hadn't found the Key tonight, but at least he could have a little fun with one of his former compatriates. He drew his sword flew towards the angel, kicking it in the head before swooping away. The angel stood up and looked around for it's assaulter. Uriel flew back towards the angel, igniting his sword. It burst into flames, and he slashed as he passed again. The blade took off the angel's head, and there was another dead angel courtesy of Uriel.

Phoenix walked steadily further into the city, not under his own control any more. His eyes were glazed over, and glowed with a soft white light. He drew his sword, which began to glow with the same light, growing stronger and stronger until it completely engulfed the weapon. Under the cover of the light, it changed. It elongated and became a long halberd, glowing with blue-white light. His eyes changed as well. They turned so they were glowing the same colour as his halberd. He walked slowly, and found a group of demons fighting some humans. He moved over to them and swung his halberd. Each and every demon turned instantly to dust, which was blown away by the wind. Zet ran up behind him, and he turned to face her. "Phoenix! What happened to you?" she asked. "My eyes were opened," he replied in a voice that was his own, but there was another, a deep, ethereal voice as well. He held his hand out, and Zet flew backwards into the wall of a building. It smashed and crumbled down on top of her. "I'll deal with you properly later, half-breed," he said coldly, maliciously, and then began moving into the city once more.

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I've been busy doing my school play this last week. Phoenix was travelling into the city, with Zet. He was tired, and dirty from the battle, and had a painful gash on his left leg. He still moved quickly, though, even with the warm blood dribbling slowly down into his boot. He was limping, but it didn't seem to be slowing him down. His head was pounding. He hadn't slept in days, and now he had to evacuate the city. He felt himself slowly dropping out of consciousness, and he hit the ground hard. Zet's yells sounded muffled, and then died away altogether. Now he was in a grand room made of pale stone. He was cold, and there was a young girl chained to the floor in the middle of the room. There was a pale stream of moonlight flooding in through a hole in the ceiling. He was surrounded by a several people dressed in white robes, including a lady. The Lady In White. The other people in the room began to chant something, hitting the ground with their staffs to some sort of rhythm. The girl was screaming. "Let the impure one burn! Death to the children of Hades, all pure and half breeds! We will cleanse the Earth!" shouted the Lady In White. "The council demands it!" shouted another person, a young man this time. The moonlight turned slowly into a beam of pure fire, burning the girl alive, slowly and painfully. Phoenix closed his eyes, and turned away. The girl was a half demon, being burned because of here genes, not for anything she had done. This was what the Lady In White was. A member of an arcane council devoted to the complete destruction of the demonic genepool. This is where his power had come from. The Lady In White turned to him and spoke: WE GRANTED YOU THIS POWER TO DESTROY BORU, AND THAT IS WHAT YOU MUST NOW DO. THIS IS THE WILL OF THE COUNCIL. She spread her arms quickly, and he was sent back to consciousness. He stood up, and was guided forward...

There were two guards in the area. They were moving along a standard patrol route. Simple. Blade Raptor drew his high frequency blade that was his namesake, and moved in silently. Panther and Harrier didn't like over-the-top use of violence, something with which Raptor didn't believe in at all, but he changed the frequency of his blade to stun rather than kill anyway. No point in getting the superiors angry. He ran up behind the first silently, and covered his mouth with one hand, drawing the blade across his throat with the other. The frequency of the blade knocked him out cold, and Raptor lowered him to the ground, and moved the slumped body into the shadows. He moved, again silently, to the second man, and used the same maneuver on him. They were now completely incapacitated, and the coast was clear. Raptor signalled to the team members behind him, and they moved out. they spread, and Panther congratulated Raptor quietly. He acknowledged, but said nothing.

I'm gonna take one of Unborn Lord Zion's angels cos I can't really think of something different. Name: Uriel Race: Fallen Angel Sex: Male Age: Appears to be in his late twenties Appearance: Very tall, taller than any human, short black hair, dark eyes, pale skin, wears a red cloak which completely covers his body, has huge red feathery wings which are also hidden under his cloak. Preferred Weapon: The Gatekeeper-a longsword which looks completely normal when sheathed, but when drawn, becomes wreathed in mystical fire. Background: Uriel once guarded the gates of Eden, a job in which he took a great pride. He was a fearsome warrior, and in all his millenia as a Guardian, not a single soul got into the garden. He was one of the most feared warriors in the Heaven-Hell war, second only to Gabriel himself, and due to this, he has never been able to get very close to any other angel. His time on Earth in a mountainous region of Japan moved him even further away from his fellow angels, something which eventually drove him to side with Lucifer. He realised that he could be much more powerful and respected fighting with the Fallen, and now longs for nothing less than the complete destruction of all his former angelic comrades.

Phoenix smashed open the front doors with a single kick, throwing demons backwards as he did. "BORU!!!" he shouted, "IF YOU WANT YOUR REVENGE, TAKE IT UPON ME. LEAVE THESE OTHER HUNTERS ALONE. THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING!!!" Boru appeared close to Phoenix. He smiled, as if greeting an old friend. "I'm sorry Phoenix, but it is my duty to destroy each and every living Hunter. They have been slaughtering my kind for centuries, and it is finally time for us to get our revenge on all of you!!!" He laughed, then looked Phoenix up and down. He closed his eyes, and began to sense something. "You are much more powerful than when we last met, Phoenix. You will be a worthy match for me. When the time comes, I will take great honour in devouring your soul." And with that, the Malacha'ai demon disappeared in a burst of flame, replacing himself with a hundred-strong squadron of demons. "Oh no..." said Phoenix, and then the demons rushed him.

Phoenix was in the library, looking through books for anything related to the White Lady, or the Lady in White, or anything of that nature. He had been searching for three hours, but to no avail. He was reading a massive book, called the Tome of Arcanus, and he was almost getting somewhere. He had found mention of a Lady in White, and an ancient council of Elders, but it was only a very brief entry. Suddenly, something smashed through the window of the library, and Phoenix recognised it as a burning corpse. Demons loved that sick stuff. He stood up immediately and drew his sword. He didn't know what his new powers could do, but he was confident he could take on anything that stood in his way. Demons flocked around him, struggling to reach him. He swung his sword, and they all flew backwards, hitting the walls and flying out of the already smashed window. Wow, he thought, I'm strong! More demons came at him, and he sliced through the cartilage in their necks, leaving them completely headless. He knew he had to get out, but he also knew what faced him outside the mansion. An extremely annoyed Malacha'ai demon baying for his blood. But he was baying for the demon's blood as well. He fought his way to the front doors, only one thing on his mind. Boru...

Name: Miles, Jason R. Codename: Blade Raptor Rank: Sergeant Serial Number: 683-7 DOB: 10 January 1989 Special Skill: A highly skilled ninja-excels at close combat armed combat and all manner of stealth techniques. Highly acrobatic. Weapon of Choice: High-Frequency Blade (like Raiden's at the end of MGS2) Notes/Appearance: Wears a one-piece bodysuit much like the cyborg ninja from MGS1 except without a mask and with a high collar. His hair is shoulder-length and silver, and he has a large metal shoulder pad on his left shoulder. His eyes are green and his right pupil is in the shape of a hawk's head. Notes/Personality: The quiet type. He keeps himself to himself for fear of compromising the mission. He is very troubled, but hides it behind a deep resentment towards anything and everything. A very cold character, who takes a twisted pleasure in killing, but only if he is killing someone who deserves it. Notes/Past: Mostly unknown. Believed to have served in a black ops commando unit, but apart from that very little is known about this recruit's past. Doesn't help matters by never talking about himself. Notes: Possible cybernetic enhancements from the Cyborg Ninja program-seems to show greater-than-human strength and speed. Also seems to show signs of genetic engineering and chemical enhancements. Hope this is ok-PM me if you need me to change anything!

Phoenix jumped across the rooftops, reaching the slum districts of town. There was usually heavy demonic activity going on here, and it would seem that today was no exception. Phoenix was tracking a group of demons who were racing towards somewhere in the slums. He had no idea where, but he guessed he needed to find out. He raced across the rooftops alongside them, keeping pace with them all the way. It seemed one new ability he had was enhanced stamina. He had been running flat out for a mile and a half now, and he didn't feel the least bit tired. He leapt onto another roof, and stopped immediately in his tracks. He saw something which shocked him. There was a summoning happening. He had seen summonings before, but never like this. In the middle of the street, a huge fiery portal was hanging in the air, swirling and chaotic in its movement. A portal this big could only mean one thing. A mass summoning of a huge number of demons. The world was in trouble. An army of demons this size would be almost impossible for a small group of hunters to stop. Phoenix decided he had better get back to the mansion and warn Night about what was happening. ---------- Back at the mansion, Phoenix burst through the doors into Night's office. Night was sitting in his chair, with his jaw wired shut. This was good. It meant that he couldn't interrupt Phoenix while he was talking. Night looked surprised at Phoenix's entrance, and even more surprised at how he had changed. Selino was checking Night's dressings, and could ask questions for him. "I have no time to explain about my appearance, Master Night, but I must tell you this. There is a mass summoning occuring in the slums. I have no doubt that Boru is behind it, and that he is getting ready to create an army of demons. You know as well as I do what that means for the human race. We are coming close to extinction. We must find reinforcements of some kind to at least slow this army down. We are all that stands in the way of the human race's complete annihilation. There hasn't been a summoning like this since the days of the First Great War. We are going to die." Night looked shocked at this, and tried to speak. It only came out as a mumble. "I ask you now to let me go after Boru at whenever time it is necessary. Do I have your permission?" Night nodded grudgingly. "Thank you." (I hope this is okay and doesn't spoil any plans you have for the end of Hunters: Dark Blood. Really looking forward to Chapter Two! PM me if this is not okay)

Phoenix was back at the manor, in the medical bay once again. Selino was checking over him. "Everything seems to be fine, Hunter, but I'm still mystified as to the identity of this Lady In White you were talking about. I've never read about anything of the sort in all my years, and neither have I heard anything about a Hunter coming back from the dead." "Yeah, well it would be no fun without me, would it?" replied Phoenix. "And I definitely like the new threads." "Thanks. I'm growing more fond of them, too." "So you don't feel any different inside?" "No. I feel the same as always, just somehow more energised, more raring to go than I ever have before." "Strange. We will have to consult Master Night when he wakes up, but until then I don't want you leaving the mansion. Understood?" "Understood. I'm not sure I want to go out and hunt without finding out what happened to me." "Excellent. I must go and check up on Master Night." Phoenix put his new robe back on as Selino left the room. He was liking the new hair a lot, and his new clothes were strangely more comfortable than his old ones. Of course, he had no intention of staying inside the mansion. He wanted to try out any new skills he had as soon as he could. First chance he saw, he crept out of the front door and across the lawn. He was going hunting...

Phoenix saw a bright object in the distant darkness. He fell through the darkness to get to this object. It was a woman, dressed entirely in flowing white robes. Her skin was so pale it seemed to glow, and she was holding a gleaming katana in one hand. I AM THE LADY IN WHITE, she said in her ethereal, other-worldly voice. I HAVE COME FOR YOU, PHOENIX. Phoenix was taken aback by this strange but beautiful lady. Why would she have come for him? I HAVE COME TO GRANT YOU A SECOND CHANCE. I KNOW YOU WISH TO FIND THE MALACHA'AI DEMON NAMED BORU, AND THE DEMON WHO STABBED YOU ON TOP OF THAT BUILDING, AND THIS IS WHAT I WANT AS WELL. IF YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER, YOU WILL BECOME A WARRIOR OF FATE, AND WILL BE GRANTED THE POWER WHICH YOU NEED TO OVERCOME THIS EVIL. DO YOU ACCEPT MY OFFER? Phoenix nodded, unable to speak from astonishment. EXCELLENT. THEN I CAST YOU BACK TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING, AND AS YOUR NAMESAKE, YOU WILL RISE FROM THE ASHES. She held her arms out, and Phoenix felt himself rushing backwards into the light again. He woke up on the floor of the warehouse, and felt re-energised and healthy. Healthier than he had ever felt before, in fact. The wounds Boru had given him were gone, and the blood on the floor was dry. He stood up, much to the amazement of Zet and Ziarre, and looked down at himself. His clothes had changed as well. He was now wearing, instead of his trenchcoat, a black robe, buttoned down to the waist, then open and flowing underneath that, going down to the ankles. The bottom of his robe was red, slowly merging into black further up. The cuffs and high collar were also red. "Phoenix? What happened? We thought you were dead!" asked Ziarre. "I think I was. There was this White Lady, and.....I think I had better tell this to Night first, see what he makes of it." "What happened to your clothes? And your hair?" asked Zet. "My hair?" Phoenix questioned. He walked over to the window and looked at his reflection. They were right. His hair had changed. It was now black with red streaks through it, although it was still the same length. "To tell you the truth, Zet, I have no idea what happened to my hair and clothes!" "Come on, lets go and find Night. He should be somewhere around. Pick up your sword, Phoenix." Phoenix turned, and picked up his longsword. It gleamed like it had never gleamed before. Phoenix smiled and sheathed it, then followed Zet and Ziarre. They headed back to the mansion. (hope this is ok, PM me if it is not)

Phoenix lay on the ground, weakly observing Boru about to kill Zet and Ziarre. He tried to do something, but the immense amounts of torture had weakened his nervous system, and he couldn't get any of his limbs to do what he was asking them to do. He willed them, but his mind had been broken by Boru as well. A huge beam of energy ripped through the ground towards the two half-demons, and Phoenix saw his friends in danger. He rolled himself to where his sword lay on the ground, picked it up by the blade as he had no time to find the hilt, rolled back towards Boru, and, as Zet and Ziarre dodged the energy beam, he thrust the point of the sword into Boru's back, approximately where his stomach was. The Malacha'ai demon screamed, and vanished in a burst of flame, probably teleporting somewhere to heal. Phoenix couldn't take the strain any more, and fell back to the ground, and fell into the blackness ahead of him. The last thing he saw was Zet and Ziarre rushing over to him, and kneeling down in front of him......