RPG Band of Seven: Awakening

[Drizzt Do'urden]

[CENTER][IMG]http://www.spooncraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/lich_king_by_raneman.jpg[/IMG]

[B]Chapter 1: The Lich King[/B][/CENTER]
The hardest part was securing the bodies. It was amazing to me that the same people who put the band of seven to death, would fight so hard to protect them. Of course, they weren?t protecting them from being destroyed, rather protecting them from people who wanted to do just what I am about to do.

Finding and securing the jewel shards needed was a piece of cake, though the ones who had them in their possession probably didn?t see it the same way. Hell, I even had to pry the fingers open off a severed hand; nobody said it was going to be easy, and I wouldn?t have it any other way.

So here we are, 5 of the band of sevens dead bodies lying lifeless in front of me; 5 sacred jewel shards in my hand, it?s almost time. I just have to wait for midnight; I still find it strange that most major rituals, no matter what the intent seem to take place at midnight. I guess sometimes the line between good and evil really is thin.

As the witching hour approaches I embedded the jewel shards deep in the flesh of the back of their necks. It?s an easy task; the flesh is so decayed they slide right in. I take a step backwards examining the bodies; the plan is finally coming to fruition. Over a hundred years of almost non-stop searching, I have a running tally in the back of my mind of the 400 people that lost their lives during my search; every one of them I killed brought a smile to my face, a smile brought by the knowledge that I was one step closer to this moment.

I open the book in front of me and chant in the language of the ancients, and an immediate chill fills the room of the cave. This is the very cave that these particular individuals were executed in. I thought at first it was an odd place, but the pitch black of the deepest cavern in the region is sort of fitting. The closest place to hell in the area; there is something almost romantic about it.

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Acolyte shielded his eyes as the room was enveloped with the very fires of hell. The heat was unbelievable; even he, born of fire, broke out into a sweat. As quickly as they came, the fires subsided leaving the smell of brimstone, and burned flesh in its wake. [I]?It?s happening even faster than I imagined, their bodies already resemble their former selves.? [/I]

Acolyte continued to watch the transformation as the old decayed skin dripped off the body like it was oil. He continued to ponder the whole time what they must be going through, and how they would take to being brought back. Would they be grateful? Or would they be angry? Either way, he took every precaution. Their weapons were stashed behind the various stalagmites around, the various controlling phrases memorized in the back of his mind. At the slightest hint of an attack he would hit them with more pain then they ever felt, or if they kept coming he would utter the second command word; the one that would cause the jewel shard to evacuate the body, killing them instantly.

The first one was now standing; the skin old skin had been replaced with wet looking muscle. He still couldn?t tell which one this was, but he didn?t care. It was yet again, one step closer to his goal.

[Nessaja]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][I]Izanami opened her eyes slowly. Where was she? She tried to sit up but couldn't. Opening her eyes wide in horror, she saw her husband pinning her to the ground. He accidentally cut off her finger with a quick slash of his kaiken. She tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. Even stranger though, was she felt no pain from her missing finger. Her eyes slowly closed again as he severed both of her arms.

She opened her eyes again when she heard what sounded like her mother crying. However, she only saw a peach garden. She reached out and ate one of the peaches, even though she wasn't hungry. It was like she had no control over her body. A demon grabbed her by the arm and said something that she couldn't make out. He was yelling but she couldn't hear what he was saying. She could only look into his fiery eyes as he planted four tattoos on her body and threw her from the garden. Her eyes shut once more.

The final time they opened, Izanami had a very strange feeling. Which was strange, because she couldn't feel anything before. First, she couldn't see. And second, it was as if her muscles were all coming together from all different directions. Like as if the four winds had brought them on long travels and were just now bringing them back to her.[/I]

Izanami fell down on all fours and panted heavily. The sweat was heavy on her naked body. She still could not see, but she knew someone was there.

"Who's there?! Where am I?!" She yelled, hoping for some answers.[/FONT]

[GothikMoon]

Sasuki shoved at the man on top of her, but her small body could do nothing to lift the large man from atop of her. She could feel the poison running through her veins, quickly weakening her with every movement. Her body was looming on the edge of unconsciousness as a sharp pain coursed through her body. She immediately screamed and clawed at the man trying to get free, but the man only laughed and sunk deeper. Suddenly, the man's face became disfigured and morphed into another man, someone she had killed, then another man, and another, on and on every one a man she had murdered. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them after a moment.

Opening her eyes, she saw a little girl with a silver tail running through the woods. Her sapphire eyes darting violently back and forth trying to find some place safe. The girl leaped into an ancient oak and continued to make her way across the branches. Trailing close behind her was a hoard of vicious demon slayers. They screamed and frivolously stalked her, shouting mercilessly and disdainfully at the young child. Sasuki ground her teeth and unsheathed her sword. Instantly, she sprung into offensive, quickly gaining on the hunters, she leaped in front of them and attacked. Unfortunately, she was nothing but a ghost to them. Every slice of her sword swung through the crowd like a mirage and touched no one. She screamed watched as one of the hunter's arrows pierced the girl's calve. She fell hard to the ground and landed hard, her blood spewing from the open wound. The girl's eyed widened in fear.

"Please, don't kill me! What did I do?" She squirmed backwards onto a tree behind her.

A large man emerged from the crowd and stood over her. "You are a half-breed. Demon scum! The humans hate your Demon blood, while the Demons hate you for your human blood. Your own parents abandoned you. Haha! Your death is needed." He laughed evily and raised his sword.

Tears smeared the girl's face as she screamed....

"Saih!!" Sasuki screamed and shot up from the ground. Without hesitating, she shoved past the man before her and into the night. Her nude body shimmering beneath the moonlight. * Mommies coming baby!!*
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OOC: Here are some pics of Kauran(Her old lover) and Saih (Her daughter) for future references.

Kauran- [URL="http://www.quizilla.com/user_images/A/AN/ANI/AnimeWolfPrincess16/1184706072_cturesharu.gif"]http://www.quizilla.com/user_images/A/AN/ANI/AnimeWolfPrincess16/1184706072_cturesharu.gif[/URL]

Saih- [URL="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t203/crumblingheart/anime/dot%20hack%20legend%20of%20the%20twilight/yyh_OuKabig.jpg"]http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t203/crumblingheart/anime/dot%20hack%20legend%20of%20the%20twilight/yyh_OuKabig.jpg[/URL] She's not mommies little girl anymore^.^

[Ellerby]

[INDENT][FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"][B][U]After Death[/U][/B]

The minute Artemis' throat was slit and his skin went cold his tangled spirit left his earthly body and descended to the fires of hell. There he laid dormant for a few years before his spirit was strong enough to become a lesser demon.

Over the years Artemis fantasized being resurrected. He was well-respected in hell and eventually became a very powerful demon but never was he skilled enough to escape the damned place. The shards was the only way...

Artemis always wondered why he was the only one of the band to go to hell. He was told by other demons that the spirits of his comrades [I]did[/I] lay dormant but didn't have the practice to actually control themselves in that state. Sometimes he wished he was dormant with them, not having to live out this endless torture.

A few hundred years passed when finally hope reached Artemis' ears. Everyone and their mother in hell had begun talking about a possible resurrection of the Band of Seven. Apparently a mortal was attempting to retrieve the shards and bring them back.

Since the day he found out, Artemis tracked the Acolyte's progress eagerly. He watched him so much that he felt as if he knew him. And finally the day of new life for Artemis came. The chanting began and Artemis felt a tug at his soul. He gladly allowed the tug to take over and everything went blank as his spirit rose to his former self.

[U][B]Reborn[/B][/U]

Artemis rose from the ground and opened his eyes. In front of him stood the very Acolyte he'd been watching for a century. Noticing he was the first to awaken and his body was still healing he took the time to make conversation with the man.

[B]"So you are the famous Acolyte. There's been a lot of talk about you down below."[/B] Artemis said with a smirk. He was arrogant but sociable. [/COLOR][/FONT][/INDENT]

[Tetra of sound]

Maia's mind was frozen for all those years. All she saw was an endless ocean of blue sky.

[I]Where am I? What happened?[/I]

She remembered how she was the first to die. She remembered how they went from the youngest to the oldest in killing the Band.

[I]I feel something... a tug... it's pulling me away... Why...?[/I]

Maia awoke in front of a man and her fellow members. "What's going on? Can anyone tell me?" She glanced at the man, then to Artemis, and finally over to Sazuki. She had no idea what was going on.

[Nessaja]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]Before anyone could answer Izanami's question, a voice rang out just outside of the cave.

"Mommie's coming, baby!"

Instinctively, Izanami followed the sound of the voice, It sounded both protective and reassuring. And Izanami needed both protection and reassurance in her moment of weakness. With a little difficulty, she stumbled out of the cave and ran after the voice.

"Wait! Please wait!" She cried.

Izanami continued to run, lucky enough not to trip over anything since the ground was pretty smooth. The moonlight shone on her naked body, but it could not show her the way in her eyeless state so she continued to stumble in darkness. Then she ran into something and fell dwon on top of it. Searching with her hands, Izanami found that it was the woman that she was chasing and that she was also as naked as she was herself. had she been reborn too? If they were both even reborn. Maybe they were in some sort of hell. The woman helped Izanami stand.

I can't see. Who are you? And, I think we should go back. Can you lead me back please?" Izanami asked, as she tried to catch her breath.

Izanami held onto the woman, as they moved back to where they had come from. Izanami waited for some answer from the woman explaining about herself.[/FONT]

[GothikMoon]

Sasuki smiled and picked up the girl into her arms. "I got you darling. Don't worry. I see you haven't got your memory back yet. It's alright, I understand." Walking back to the cave, she slowly sat Izanami down on a large rock and hugged her. " Your freezing Iza!" She looked at the man who awoken them and grunted. " I hope you have something for her. You men are all the same, no respect for a woman's body."

Glaring at Acolyte, she stood up and walked up to him. " So, what's your plan? You must have some big plan to go through all the trouble to wake us up."

[Black-Bird90]

Aderyn had died just like the rest. She knew they had all died, she'd heard their screams before allowing herself to drift off into the darkness. Thats where she sat, in the emptiness of everything. She didnt hear any thing or see anything or feel anything. She didnt push for life like she knew Artemis would, she didnt let herself think to the women who she counted as sisters as she was not sure where they would find their peace. So she accepted her fate and waited, hoping for resurrection to a happier life.

Finally the darkness was broken and Aderyn was flying back through all her memories, the horrible and the happy as her body was put back together around her, making her scream from the pain of her muscles and tendons putting themselves back together with inhuman speed. Finally, the movements stopped, her memories stopped and she focused on breathing and erasing the pain enough so that she could focus on where she was.

Slowly, she sat up, taking in the fact that she was slimy and naked and that there were familiar voices around her, yelling and screaming and talking. Artemis was standing and talking to a man, the only dressed man and the only one who wasnt familiar to her. Izanami and Sasuki were in the cave and Sasuki was just getting started on chewing out the unfamiliar man, and little Maia was up and looking confused. Aderyn shook her head then groaned, realizing just how stupid that was as dizziness and pain shattered her brain. Clenching her teeth, she stood and walked unevenly to the group her hand going to her head as she tried to keep her eyes steady. "If I could get my swords back, that would be great." She said, cutting Sasuki off. "And some clothes for that matter."

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Acolyte motioned to a stalagmite near Aderyn, “Perhaps you could do the honor of gathering everyone’s weapons and clothes. Distribute the clothes, but place the weaponry on the cave floor.” They were disoriented, it seemed only a couple had retained any knowledge of themselves; most notably Artemis who seemed to be completely conscious of the whole ordeal, and disturbingly he knew a lot about the Acolyte’s quest.

It was amazing that none had noticed Natsu’s delay in fully returning. He was back in body, but hadn’t yet done much other than move around a tiny bit. That was something he hadn’t calculated in; before they died Natsu was their “leader”, or rather, was the one who originally started the band.

After clothes had been distributed and the weapons placed on the floor it was time to answer some questions he knew the entire group would have. “You are probably wondering why you have been reawakened?” He continued without a pause, “as Artemis has already explained; I am the Acolyte, and you may call me that. You were once the band of seven, unfortunately I was only able to locate the six of you. It seems one of you has gone missing; that matters not. All you need to know is that I have a mission for you to carry out if you wish to stay this way.”

Instead of giving any of them the opportunity to display impertinence, Acolyte pointed to Sasuki; muttering the words to himself. Acolyte stared in amazement as she dropped to her knee, the pain had to be excruciating, yet she didn’t show it in her face nor did she make a sound. He quickly relinquished the command; the others looked on as she stood up staring at him with a sheer look of hatred. Out of any of the group she was the one that worried him; in history she was told as the one who suffered the most in life. Her particular death would make her untrusting of a man, and less likely to obey orders.

“That is but a small taste of the penalty for disobedience. I’m sure Artemis can explain the details of your resurrection if you wish to know. All I care about is you following my instructions.” Several of the group had looks of pure anger on their faces; it was invigorating having such ruthless killers in such close vicinity without a drop of fear.

“Half a day’s walk east from here, there is a peach garden. There is a woman there, or rather a demon in the form of a woman. This is the demon that possesses Izanami’s eyes, your first mission. Be wary, she is a master of illusion, and will not give them away without incident. I will contact you after the completion of your mission. Be careful though, your powers have not totally returned yet. It will take some time, probably weeks in fact, for you to return to full strength.”

Acolyte murmured the words he had memorized from his teleportation scroll and quickly started dematerializing. “Oh by the way, there are a group of farmers outside. They are the only mortals who know of the Band of Seven’s reawakening. Try to make sure to kill them all, I would hate for you to have to face the Shogun’s
army this soon.”

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Acolyte reappeared at the cave top; the bushes marked the perfect spot to watch the confrontation. This would be his first time seeing the bands skills in action. He hoped they would be as good as the legends told, otherwise the 50 or so farmers slowly making their way to the cave entrance would prove to be too much to handle.

[Nessaja]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]Izanami was handed her two tontos, but she refused to take her manrikigusari. In her current blinded state, it would be too hard for her to use. Besides, these were just farmers. At the Acolyte's explanation of their situation, Izanami's memory had returned to her. But she also had a new reason to fight, she wanted to make sure Sasuki lived to find her daughter.

Even though Sasuki had worried about her, Izanami left the caves not bothering to get dressed. The moonlight shining on her tattoos would give her renewed energy anyways. Izanami shot her hands holding her daggers forward in the direction of the noise of the farmers. They weren't trained warriors, so their sneak attack was not unnoticed to her ears. Her tantos sliced several farmers and the screams in fright only served to give her new targets. She listened as the bodies dropped. However, knowing that her fellow members of the band of seven would finish the rest off, she had more important things to worry about.

Izanami ran to a clearing far away enough from the battle, but not too far that she couldn't observe anyone coming. She set her tantos down and then shot her arms out again. Soon, after feeling around she found what she was looking for. Izanami dragged the farmer's body to her hiding spot. Upon stripping the farmer of any clothes, she found out it was just a young girl. However, that didn't stop her. Thanks to the demon's curse, her hunger was too great. Her body and face was splattered with blood as she tore into the young girl with her teeth. In order to help her feeding, the demon's curse turned her teeth razor sharp, but only when she had to feed. Izanami made quick work of the farmer, and hid the remains. The only evidence of her meal was all of the blood covering her naked body. She followed the farmers' cries to find her way back to the fighting. Her fellow members of the band of seven were making quick work of them. On her way back, Izanami thought about their current situation. She didn't know who this Acolyte was, but it seemed like they had no choice but to listen to him for now.[/FONT]

[Ol' Fighter]

...so quiet...so quiet...so quiet...

Natsu whispered these words with a smile upon his face. His body floating weightlessly in the darkness. This was the most relaxed Natsu had ever been because he could hear nothing but himself, but that century of bliss began to rattle on this very day because of a silly man's desires.

...this fool dares...does he know not to disturb one who wants to sleep...

At the very same time Natsu spoke this, his body became heavy and the darkness began to lift. The seven embedded on his forehead began to glow violently. It was a sign that someone was trying to raise him from his sleep.

...this man...foolish man...he shouldn't try to control...our forces...our might is beyond his knowledge...yet he tries for us...slaves to himself...his voice angers me...

Continuing to feel himself being ripped from the spirit world, Natsu allowed himself a quick and tiny chuckle. Whoever this man was, not only was he bringing him back, but his band as well. Natsu couldn't help but laugh at the entire thing. He felt his body coming together and could sense his bands' as well.

...Acolyte...your voice...it is a voice that I hate most...a voice of desire...human...fiend...celestial...your death will be a messy one...

Saying these final words, Natsu felt his body leave the spirit world and enter into the living. He still just stayed there, not moving a muscle. Natsu's just smiled.

[GothikMoon]

Sasuki got up and quickly put on her clothes. The anger was pulsating through her as she found her Katana. Twirling it around a few times, she noticed Izanami slip out, and she followed closely. She watched with a large smile on her face as the farmers fell. *It's been a long time since I killed a man...* Unsheathing her katana, she seductively walked to the horde of farmers. She smiled sweetly and bowed. "Hello, I'm sasuki. I would greatly appreciate any woman and children to leave. I would absolutely hate to kill them." Smiling again she waited patiently for them to leave.

" Were not making them leave for you! I would hate for my loved ones to see me kill you." The small man screamed at her with utter fear in his eyes. He wanted to run away himself.

Suddenly, a large man shoved his way through the crowd and smirked at her. A large ax in his hand. " What is a delicious woman like you doing with a ruthless band like them? You could do so much better, especially with that body." He grinned and looked her over lustfully.

She hardened her grip on the katana and sighed. "Your right. What am I doing with these savages...when I could have someone like you?" She purred and wrapped her arms around the man. Grinning, she shoved her lips against his.

After a moment, the mans body began to go limp and he shoved her off. " What the hell?! What did you do to me?" Stumbling backwards, he fell to the ground and took one last gasp before dying.

Sasuki laughed and wipped her lips. *God I hate slobs like him! Unfortunately, my powers haven't been fully restored, so I had to make contact longer than I hoped.* "Ugh! He tastes like cheap saki!" Glaring at the cowering men before her, she grinned evilly and raised her sword. " I belong to no one! No band, no race, and especially no man!" Screaming, she lunged at the crowd, quickly maneuvering her way through their flesh like butter, and laughing as they fell.

Starring at the last man in her way, she licked the blood off the tip of her katana and smiled at him. He was a young one, barely 16 by the looks of him. He was leaning against a tree, his eyes scanning the surroundings, searching for a way to escape. "Tell me child, why are you here?"

The boy looked up at her cautiously and answered. "Umm...my father brought me here. H...he thought it would be a good experience for me a..a passage into manhood or something." Tears were rolling down the boys cheeks now, and he fell to the ground. "Please...I don't know who you guys are. I don't know anything."

Sasuki sighed and sheathed her katana. "Alright...but go quickly. The others won't be so merciful."

The boy smiled and ran into the woods. "Thank you."

Running her fingers through her hair, she walked back to the cave, and stealthily climbed her way to the top of the cave. Finding Acolyte watching them, she grunted and kicked the back off his head, causing him to fall to the ground. "Don't ever think you can control me! No amount of pain will make me serve a thug like you! The only reason I'm staying here, is to find my daughter. I will do nothing against my will." Frowning, she took Acolytes old seat and watched the action.

[Black-Bird90]

Aderyn pulled her clothes on, eying her weapons on the ground with a frown but keeping her silence to herself. Once finally dressed she, picked them up, placing their familiar weights where they were supposed to be. The two on her back, the one on her hip, the one on her thigh, they gave her a feeling of peace having them back where they were supposed to be.

Aderyn looked up as Sasuki followed Izanami out of the cave, leaving her with Natsu and Artemis. Taking quiet steps in the still darkness of the cave, she walked over to the rock where Natsu still lay. She could hear him breathing, but he wasnt moving and she wondered to whether or not he was finally awake. "Natsu?" She whispered, wondering if he had tried to fight the pull that brought them back to their bodies.

Turning partially back to Artemis, she looked at him, her frown easing into a look of puzzlement. "How do you know so much of this Acolyte? Why did he bring us back?" She asked, running a hand through her black hair to clear it from her face.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

She was the one; the whole time he knew she was the one who would cause all the trouble. Acolyte picked himself up off the ground and approached Sasuki, even though she wasn't even close to being back to full strength she still packed a punch. Acolyte drew the halberd off his back, it weighed as much as 5 men but he handled it as though it were a tooth pick.

"Am I supposed to be scared?" Sasuki boldy taunted him.
Acolyte pressed the tip to her throat, the whole time her eyes met his gaze. "No, if I wanted to scare you I would just tell you that with one word your jewel shard will lose its glow and you will die again." Still her eyes locked into his. "This time when you die, I will desecrate your body, burn it, so that you may never return. Never have the opportunity to find her."

Acolyte was much, much stronger than her at this point. He quickly moved behind her, striking her with the handled of his halberd in the process rolling her out of his spot. The anger in her eyes seemed to be an attack itself, but something new was aside it. Fear, or rather something masking itself as fear. Loathing, helplessness, it mattered not; this was his game for now.

"Get down there and find that boy you let go, if he tells anyone of your return you and your band will face the shogun far to early." He allowed his eyes to be taken off her, with her daughter in the mix she would not fail him.

"I promise you and the rest of your group freedom if you cooperate with me. Make sure to let the others know that, or don't it matters not. You cannot kill me or your shards will shatter, that one you should pass on. Hate for you to lose your daughter because of one of the others indiscretion."

Acolyte allowed himself to get lost once more in the battle. It seemed Natsu was hesitant to allow himself to be brought back.

[Ellerby]

[FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]Artemis ignored the squabbling between his former comrade and the Acolyte as he put his robe on. He reached into the pocket of the robe and sure enough his dagger still laid hidden on the inside. [i]Perfect.[/i]

"Now," Artemis started. Usually when he spoke he had something important to say and he was the oldest so all but Sasuki looked at him. "The reason any of us are even here and are able to seek vengeance or find lost loved ones is because of this man. If you choose to return the favor with disrespect then I suggest you rethink your plan a little."

There was a short silence before Sasuki decided to voice her opinion.

"And what makes you mister know it all? How do you know this man can even be trusted?" she stated. It was a good point to bring up but it only frustrated Artemis more.

"[B]Because I have spent the past few centuries waiting in eternal damnation for this moment of resurrection and I will not allow the foolish acts of you children screw it up![/B]" he yelled thunderously. The cave walls shook and dark energy emanated from Artemis' hands.

"Fine, but I'm not following his orders. I do what I want."

"Fine." Artemis scoffed. He knew that would be the best he'd get from Sasuki and it was enough to get by. He looked outside the cave as it began to rain.

"Now, there is a boy who knows of our return and he must be maimed. I believe I will do the honor. I need to feel a little younger, anyway..." and with that Artemis darted out of the cave.

It wasn't hard to find him. The meat bag was clumsily running through the forest nearby. When he stopped to take a breather, Artemis appeared before him. The boy fell on his butt in shock and stared at Artemis with horror.

"Are you... one of the others?" the boy asked. There was fear in his voice but not as much as Artemis had wished. Sasuki had given the boy hope. [I]Despicable[/I].

"Skip the chat, just give me your youth!" with that Artemis lunged his hand towards the boy. He screamed with agony as his very living spirit was ripped from his body and transferred into Artemis.

"Ah! The youth! It feels so refreshing!" Artemis' eyes beamed around the forest with a new found hunger for [I]more[/I] but nobody was around. Disappointed he trekked quickly back to the cave looking a few years younger...[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Tetra of sound]

Maia quickly got dressed, grabbed her weapons, and ran out of the cave.

Her innocent and caring eyes stared at every farmer as she shot them in their heads with her arrows.

"Sorry... I hate to do this... but I have to..."

When she ran out of arrows, she began to kill using her staff. Maia retrieved the arrows from the heads of the farmers.

She quickly ran back to Acolyte, done with her share of the farmers.

"I finished my share... I'm not much of one to kill... I'm just pretty obedient..."

Maia shook a little. SHe was nervous, speaking to a man she didn't know.

[Ol' Fighter]

Foolish man...my life being restored...mistake...to him...and this entire world...

With these words, Natsu allowed himself to be breath the air of the living once again. He slowly stood on his feet, surprising Aderyn a little.
"...where is Maia...?...is she safe...?" Natsu said walking towards his clothing.
"She's right there..." Aderyn replied, moving her head in Maia direction.
"Lord Natsu, your back" Maia said happily. Natsu approached her and rubbed her hair gently. He then looked over at Acolyte, sending him a gaze of vagueness which was returned with a stare followed by a sly smile.
"...Acolyte...foolish man...you brought us forth...your desire...fool..." Natsu said wrapping a red ribbon in the middle of his purple hair. As he did this, his body seemingly vanished. All you could make out, were his empty, purple eyes, but even so, it was only for a second.

....I can hear...their voices...their deaths...their screams...

The farmers outside could hear Natsu's words and began to panic. They couldn't see him, but hey could hear his voice all around them.

....die...

With an unbelievable amount of precision, he let loose a shower of needles from his hair. Each on penetrating at a farmer's throat as if, guided by an invisible line. All but one was left to see the terrible rain of death that had fallen on the others.
"Please...don't...I-I-I-I QUIT!!!" shouted the lone farmer, dropping his sickle and running. Natsu showed him no mercy. The man was destined for a death greater than the rest because of his frantic shouting. He ran for quite a bit, thinking the entity that had killed his fellow farmers was gone, but he was gravely wrong as he began to feel his body grow heavy as well as his breathing. The last thing the man saw as Natsu's expressionless face.

Minutes later, Natsu walked back into the cave. His usual lost look gone, replaced by a look of anger.
"...you send wolves after sheep...Acolyte...man of idiocy...you will regret this moment in your life soon..." Natsu said with a small smile

...silence...

[GothikMoon]

Sasuki laughed and sat down next to Iza. " Oh quit Natsu. Your not intimidating. Lighten up a little will you." Stroking Iza's hair, she quickly tied her hair in two pigtails with ribbons. "I am getting very irretated with sitting in this rotten cave, can we please get the hell out of here...I just got a huge craving for some fresh fish. yummmm....fish...." Slowly licking her lips, she stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna go down to the river. See you guys later." Smiling, she walked out of the cave.

After a short walk through the woods, she arrived at a small stream. *Well, it's no river, but it'll do.* Scanning the water, she watched the fish flutter bye, and memorized there patterns. Continuously stabbing her sword into the water, she grinned at the many fish potruding from the sharp steel. " It looks like someone won't be getting one. Hmmm...oh well."

Walking back to the cave, she handed everyone but Acolyte a fish and smiled. "Sorry, I forgot about you." Sitting back next to Iza, she quickly cut up her fish, and ate the sections she enjoyed.

[Black-Bird90]

Aderyn had stood by the entrance to the cave and watched, a frown plastered on her face as she watched the destruction of the farmers... just like her family. Tossing her black hair she cleared her frown off her face, giving each gang member a blank stare as they came back into the room and finally following the last one and sitting on a rock close to the back of the cave.

She took the fish smiling at Sasuki as she handed it to her, wondering why, even though she'd been dead for years, she wasnt hungry right now. The slimy fish sat in her hands as she stared at it's silver scales, sliding her fingers over them absently. "When are we leaving for Iza's eyes? The sooner we get them back the sooner we can do this job the sooner we can...find a life again." She said, looking from Artimis to Natsu to Acolyte

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Acolyte nodded at Aderyn's remark, "I'm glad one of you gets this. There has been a change of plan however. Maia, you are coming with me." The band all stood up in unison, this had been expected. During their reign the band was as strong a family as any, that is where much of their strength came from, that is why they must be tested.

"Maia will accompany me on a seperate mission. One that requires something only she can aid me in. The rest of you proceed to the peach garden whenever you're all feeling up to it." He didn't turn to see if he would be struck down by a vengeful Sasuki, the one who saw all womend and children as her lost daughter. Or possibly Natsu with his inability to contain the anger storm brewing within him. One thing was for sure, he found at least one person in this group that did care whether or not he lived again, and he would defend the Acolyte, whether the rest of the group new or not would matter not.

Acolyte walked out of the cave, sniffed the air, and turned south. He waited for Maia to immerge so they could head to the south and the wolf demon tribe that waited. He closed his eyes and called for their transport, the flaming chariot called by the small flute he keeps in his robes. The same one he pried from his father's dying hand.

[Tetra of sound]

Maia took the scales off her fish, putting them in her bag. She then ate the rest.

'Yes, we do need to find them... at least so she can see the wonderful moon again..."

Maia started playing around with the scales, making them into something. She saved the scales every time, but whatever she made was a mystery.

A few minutes later, she finished a silver pair of gloves made of fish scales. She had made a pair for everyone, using the scales from their fish. She only had enough pairs for the band, meaning Acolyte wouldn't get a pair.

"I appologize for leaving you out... I didn't have enough scales..."

[Ol' Fighter]

Natsu slowly walked towards Acolyte prepared to strike him, but contained himself. He instead looked over at Maia and again softly rubbed her hair.
"Acolyte, if anything happens to Maia...you will answer for it..." Natsu said sternly as he unwrapped the red ribbon in his hair.
Natsu was always concerned for Maia's well being and never really understood why. Remembering that very day he first met the little girl, he vividly recalls the way he killed everyone in the village including Maia's parents. He recalled how passionate they were about protecting their child. How powerful they were. In the end, they too were filled with needles but, to his surprise, the little girl took it upon herself to carry on the fight. That connection mystified Natsu's mind and he wanted to further analyze this as well as this admirable young girl so he took her upon himself.

"....she is special to me...and I now feel that bond that her parents felt..." Natsu said to himself.

[Tetra of sound]

"Oh Natsu-sama! I made silver gloves! Here's your pair!" She handed Natsu the gloves. How she made things was a mystery for all.

"I remember how I had a wolf demon uncle. He was married to my mom's twin sister. They lived in the woods somewhere around here."

[Nessaja]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]Izanami did her best to stumble over to Maia. A difficult task to do without eyes, in a cave like this.

"Maia, wait!" She called out.

Izanami soon felt someone's arms and face.

"Maia, is that you?"

Maia nodded, until she realized that Izanami couldn't see her nod.

"Yes, it is." She replied.

Izanami held Maia close. Which was strange, since she hadn't felt close to any of the band of seven before their new awakening. Maybe she was still affected by the rebirth in strange ways.

"I don't know why, but I feel like I won't see you again. Be careful okay?"

Maia nodded again, forgetting about Izanami's eyes.

"Okay, I will."

After their talk, Izanami found a place to sit down so she could face everyone. Some of her serious attitude was coming back to her. She frowned and addressed the rest of the band of seven.

"Okay everyone, listen up. The demon we will be fighting is very tricky. She is a demon that pretends to be one of the immortals. Because of this, she is very good at illusions. So when we get there, don't trust your eyes, whatever you do."

Izanami sighed and then continued.

"One other thing I almost forgot. She will try to trap us in any way she can. So whatever you do, be strong and don't give in to any of her temptations. They can come in any form."

Izanami got up and looked for her kimono. She finally found it, but didn't put it on thanks to all of the blood she had on. But if her memory served her, then she would find a place to wash when they finally reached the peach garden.[/FONT]

[Black-Bird90]

Aderyn took her gloves, squeezing Maia's arm and glaring at Acolyte over her shoulder. Such a sweet, young girl, she fought with as much passion and skill as any but still appeared to remain innocent to death and pain. "Keep your sword up, missy." Aderyn offered as parting advise before turning to Iza to listen to her instructions.

"So if we cant see, or trust what we see, how are we supposed to know when we've found who we're looking for?" Aderyn asked, pulling out her sword and swinging it in a slow circle to re-accustom herself to the weight and fit, it had been so long. It seemed like just the other day but it had been much longer and being dead didnt just drop from you like some things. Taking a deep breath, Aderyn stepped into a more complex weave with her sword, twirling it around while listening to Iza and the others talk, she wanted her muscles to get back to what they were quickly. It saved her having to duck to much in battle.