As Things Were

[Orchids_Mantis]

*reads*


*silent*


*rereads*


*silent*





....wow





tune in next week

[T3h_SyN]

tune in next week


I can also say it will be done by this time next week.

-Kitone

I wasn't lying... Act 2 is being written right now. I really want to move on to the other story I've been working on in secret, and since it follows after the events of As Things Were I gotta wrap this up first.

[captaingammer]

Neo: You are already dead. Five... four... three... two... one...

In all seriousness, that is quite the effective release for all the background action that has been going on that undoubtedly frustrated some people. And here I thought I was the only one who did two-post chapters. You've got a strong going!

[Dragonfly77]

Epic fight scene Kitone! Applause all around.

[T3h_SyN]

Finale, Act Two: Huntress's Potent Mix

Athemis leaned against the column, holding her whisphone to her head. "C'mon Conjy, answer already." she said, twiddling her thumb impatiently. There was a noise from the other side of the line, some shuffling and a pained grunt. "Conj? You okay, you sound like a wreck..." Athemis said to her younger brother.

"I feel like one..." Conjurator groaned into the phone. "The flow of magic is totally messed up Ath and it's giving me a splitting headache, among other things..."

"Yea, I can feel it too... And if I can feel it I can only imagine how it feels to you. Since I'm in town, how about we meet up and have lunch? Maybe you'll feel better?" Athemis said.

"Uhh..." Conj said, followed by another round of shuffling, "Sure... I guess. Gimme fifteen minutes and I'll meet you near Hans."

"Fifteen minutes, gotcha!" Athemis said, ending the call and running over to Hans to wait.


*~*~*~*

Athemis checked her watch, it had been almost half an hour since she hung up the phone to Conjurator. "C'mon Conjy..." she grumbled to herself, "it's not like I have all day." She scanned the passing crowd, smiling widely when she saw her brother. Conjurator looked as bad as he had sounded; his hair was a mess, his clothes were wrinkled and she could see his discomfort behind the false smile he was wearing. "Conj..." she said, giving her brother a gentle hug, "You look uhh... good?"

Conjurator laughed softly, "Thanks Ath. I'm sorry I took so long it's just that getting ready today was a lot more uncomfortable than usual."

"It's alright Conjy," Athemis said, trying to brush her brother's hair with her fingers, "Let's go have lunch at that place you like so much." When she was finished trying to fix Conjurator's hair the two of them started towards the little restaurant. When they were midway across the square their attention, along with all of Uruga's was grabbed by the loud laughter. Athemis and Conjurator looked around to find the source of the laughter, along with most of the townsfolk. Everyone's attention was turned skyward when an archer exclaimed "Look! In the sky!"

Floating in the air above the giant crystal that lay in the center of Uruga square was a man, his old hempen robes seemed to match his graying hair. He laughed at the town as he pulled a vial filled with a smokey yellow liquid that seemed to glow in the bottle. He pulled the cork out, letting it fall out of his grasp, it instantly vaporized as it fell past his feet. He put the vial to his lips and began drinking. "No..." Conjurator said, "It can't be him, they locked him away ages ago!"

"Who the heck is that Conj?" Athemis said, shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun so she could get a good look at him.

On the ground around the base of the statue that held up the gem a large contingency of guards and Iysan Hunters were gathering, watching the mans movements. "Thats... That's Doctor Coren Etzal... He used to be the premier herbologist and potions maker in all of Isya. At least until he was arrested. His research had taken a more sinister tone. Word is he was dabbling in the dark arts." Both of them watched as Coren drank the contents of the vial, letting it fall to his feet and disappearing like the cork did before it. He looked down at the town below then clutched his gut and reeled forward, howling in pain. The entire town was silent now, watching him with wide eyes. Slowly he stood straight but he had changed. What was just wrinkled skin was now taut, youthful one. What had been gray hair now shone in a lustrous blond. He laughed again, his voice now carrying a youthful ring to it.

"Hahahaha..." he said, looking down angrily at the crowd, "Finally, after forty-five years of work and research it works... You fools laughed at my idea. 'A potion that could make someone a God? Rubbish!' they said, locking me away to rot in that cell. But... Look at me now. A complete success!" The archers and mages readied their weapons and spells, preparing to attack the mage that was floating above them. "You insects should be overjoyed. After all, you just witnessed the birth of a God." With that he began to descend, until he was standing on the barrier around the gem, lightning crackling around his feet.

"That's impossible..." Adrian said, taken aback, "Nothing should be able to come in contact with the ba-" She was quickly drowned out by the loud shout of 'FIRE!' from the Captain of the Uruga guards. A volley of arrows and spells flew towards Coren, who simply watched as the barrage sped towards him.

"Pitiful insects..." He said as the attack closed in. Suddenly the arrows stopped dead in their flight and the spells dissipated into nothing. The crowd at the base of the statue dispersed as the arrows began to rain back down. He raised a hand above his head and balled his fist, electricity crackling around it. With a loud grunt he bent and punched the barrier. The town watched in shock as the magical barrier around the giant gem cracked like a pane of glass breaking. The shards of barrier exploded away from the gem in a bright flash. For a moment the entire valley was still.

The massive wave of magical energy that descended from the gem was almost physical. It sent a cloud of dust streaming off all sides of the mountain-top city. The mages in the immediate area fell to their knees, grabbing their head in pain, even fighters with their lack of sensitivity to magic felt the cold crushing pressure of the magic in the air. Athemis stepped back and grabbed her head. Her ears were ringing loudly, like she had just stood beside a large explosion. She opened her eyes and looked around, watching the desperate chaos that unfolded. People were running about the place, some tending to the obviously wailing mages, some were just trying to get as far away as possible. She saw a member of her guild shouting something to her, but she couldn't hear anything he was saying. She watched as she pointed to her side and so she followed where he was pointing and saw Conjurator. He had fallen to his knees and was slumped forward limply. "Conjy!" she shouted in her head as she ran over to her brother. She lay him down on the floor of the square and pressed her head to his chest. His heart beat a steady beat and she could feel his chest expand and contract with every breath he took. "Thank Teva," she said softly, cradling him in a soft hug, "he's alive."

"A-A-Ath?" Conjurator said feebly.

"Yea Conjy. It's me. Don't talk, whatever just happened hit you hard." Ath said, sitting up, giving her brother room to breathe.

"Ath... You need to..." Conjurator said in a barely audible whisper, "You need to get away. He's... He's going to destroy Uruga."

"What?!" Athemis said in shock.

Conjurator nodded slowly and swallowed hard. "When... When all that magic was released I was... I was thrust into his mind. I saw his plans Athemis, He's going to-" His words were drowned out by a loud crackling from overhead. Athemis looked up to see that the entire town was covered by a magic circle, a pulsating blue one she quickly identified.

"Oh Teva... Look at the size of that Nova!" she said to herself as she scooped up he brother in her arms and ran towards the stairs out of town. Spires of ice descended from the circle in the sky, some as large as the houses of the town itself.

Elves have a natural heightened awareness of their surroundings when compared to their human counterparts. For Athemis this was even more so. Her natural talent and training as an Archer had brought her senses to their maximum. In closing her eyes she blocked out the extraneous stimuli and concentrated only on the motions needed to avoid the attacks. "Left." she mentally told herself, stepping to the side and narrowly avoiding a spire of ice. "Right." she told herself, circling around a spire that had already embedded itself in the ground. "Down the stairs and- Whoa!" she said, jumping backwards quickly to avoid getting crushed by a house-sized shard. Athemis opened hey eyes and looked around for another path to escape. The spires of ice managed to block off most of the town from her, leaving only one feasible option. Athemis took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She broke into a run, feeling another massive spire descending towards her. She ran straight towards the edge of the cliff, stepped onto the guard-rope and jumped into the canopy of the forest below. Through her heightened senses she felt the canopy rush towards her and angled her body to pass effortlessly through the leaves. She fell gracefully around the branches, changing direction and slowing her descent by grabbing passing branches with an outstretched hand. With a slight thud she landed on the forest floor, only to be covered by the loud snapping and cracking of the spires of ice exploding, coating what was left of Uruga and the valley surrounding it in a thick coating of snow almost instantly.

Athemis shrugged off the coating of snow that covered her shoulders and looked down at her brother, he had lost consciousness again but he was still breathing. "Rest up Conjy." she said, running with him towards the gate. When she got to the gate she was surprised to see a large crowd gathered at the gate. "What's going on here?" She asked a nearby archer, a member of her hunting party.

"Ma'am," he said, "it seems that the release of magic from the gem has caused the gates to stop working. It's causing a bit of a panic."

"Yea, most people have never seen the 'off-map' lands." Athemis said, bringing her fingers to her lips and releasing a sharp whistle, "Listen up. The gates aren't working so the hunters from Raime will guide you through the hills to safety. Just follow their instructions and you'll get to Elderine safely." The confused crowd began to calm down, slowly following one of Raime's hunters up the hill behind the gate. "You." she said to the nearby Raime archer, handing him Conjurator's limp body, "Make sure my brother gets to Avon in Elderine safely or I swear you'll beg for Nik to save you from my wrath, got it?"

The archer nodded in fear as he ran towards the hill, shouting behind him, "Yes Ma'am!" Athemis turned her attention back to the hilltop city from which the sounds of battle rained down on her. She reached into her bag and pulled out a white cloak out and draped it over her shoulders. She held Thanatos at her side and looked towards the path to town. "A good hunter is prepared for any terrain." she said running up the hill.


*~*~*~*

"Quickly, get the fallen mages to safety!" Hans cried out to the remaining Uruga Guard, the unconscious form of Adrian supported on his shoulder. He looked up at the floating Coren and shouted, "You really think this will stop the best Uruga has to offer!"

Coren laughed, "Of course not, I was simply separating the worthy from the flock. However..." He paused as he sat in midair, crossing one leg over the other. "I do expect this to stop quite a few of you." With that Coren flicked his wrist and Hans could only watch as a blanket of snow whipped up and headed towards him like a wave traveling across the surface of the water. He braced himself for whatever was headed towards him. The wave hit him, driving his feet a few inches into the hard stone of the square, behind him some were not as lucky. Hans closed his eyes as he heard the fading screams of those that had been knocked off the edge of the town as they fell to their inevitable deaths. Hans looked back up at Coren with an angry glare, gripping the handle of his blacksmith's hammer tightly. He wanted nothing more than to flatten the face of the man that was ending lives so casually but he knew he couldn't. He looked down at Adrian's leg, at the wound she had gotten when the ice exploded. If it didn't get treated soon she would die, and to Hans protecting the life of a friend is a greater priority than ending the life of an enemy.

"Retreat." Hans said softly. "We need to fall back! Get as many injured as you can to safety!" Hans said, making his way towards the slope out of town.

Coren laughed again. "Oh no, I can't let you leave. Insects tend to come back if they aren't killed..." Coren raised his hand, electricity arching around it. He pointed his finger, channeling the energy to release it directly at Hans' back, when the was a sudden crackling from behind him as an arrow slowed to a stop mere inches from his back. "What's this?" Coren said, peering over his shoulder at the snow-covered rooftops behind him, "Another pest rears their head?"

Athemis lay on the rooftop, camouflaged by the white of her cloak, looking down the barrel of Thanatos in shock. "He... He stopped it?! He stopped a shot from Thanatos..." she said before smiling widely, "Correction, he barely stopped the shot. I just need to use more power." With that Athemis pulled the lever on the side of her crossbow back another notch, which resulted in a loud click. Coren turned to face her direction, standing in midair. "Shoooooot..." Athemis thought to herself.

"There you are little bug." Coren said, raising his hand. The snow around Athemis started to churn, spiraling around her fiercely, until she herself rose in the whirlwind. "Begone pest." Coren said, firing a bolt of lightning directly at her. Athemis closed her eyes and to her the lightning bolt just became something she needed to dodge. She quickly analyzed the flow of the air moving around her, moving with it instead of against it, spiraling both out of the path of the bolt but also out of the whirlwind itself. As soon as her feet touched the hard ground of the roof she broke into a sprint, pulling the cloak tightly to her, disappearing again into the snow. "Haha, this is interesting. Someone who thinks they can fight me. Someone who thinks they can go against a god. Listen you insignificant whelp, you're all alone here. It's just you and I left in this town. Do you really think you have a chance agai-"

"You talk too much!" Athemis said, shooting him again from a different position. Coren turned in time to see the arrow stop just shy of embedding itself in his shoulder. The tip poked painfully into his shoulder. Coren pulled the arrow back, tossing it to the ground. A single drop of blood flowed from the wound. Coren wiped it on his finger and tasted it.

"Hmm... Boar saliva. Did you intend for me to bleed out? Silly little hunter, I am Coren Etzal! I know every poison there is under the sun. Trying to poison me is like trying to stab a rock with a paper sword." With a wave of his hand the foundation columns of the building Athemis was hiding in were destroyed. Athemis leapt out of the window to escape the building as it caved in on itself. "Come now, lets end this game." Coren said, sending three waves at Athemis, surrounding her from all sides.

[T3h_SyN]

Finale, Act Two (continued)

Athemis looked around at the waves of snow they kicked up as they approached. She closed her eyes, sensing the bearers of her impending death. They barreled towards her, a solid wall of energy too high to jump over by herself. "If only... If only I had something to step... off... of?" She said to herself, looking down in confusion as she felt the presence of a small platform directly in front of her. "What the heck is going on here?" she thought as she stepped on the platform. There was no doubt in her mind, the platform was there. Quickly she vaulted into the air, narrowly escaping the crushing waves. "Heh," she snickered, "I've figured out your secret Coren."


*~*~*~*

A few months prior to all this, when Conjy had just started teaching magic she had attended one of his earlier lectures. He stood in the middle of a circle of students, holding a small red gem. "This is Magite, it's a mineral deposit that radiated magical energy. Small crystals like this don't radiate much but large ones, like the one in Uruga square, radiate so much energy that it would be painful, as a mage, to be in its presence."

"Which is why there's a magical barrier around the one in Uruga?" a student asked.

"Exactly. If the barrier around the one in Uruga was destroyed it would flood the area with so much magical energy it would be easy to achieve a Planar Shift Effect."

"A what?" Athemis asked herself, surprised at the depth of her brother's knowledge.

Conjurator looked at her and smiled, "A Planar Shift Effect is what would happen if the magical energy of a place got so dense that it could be willed to take on solid form. The problem with this is almost anyone who'd be sensitive enough to be able to will the flow of magic into motion wouldn't be able to stand up to the amount of magical energy needed for the effect to take place."


*~*~*~*

Athemis looked up at Coren, drawing the lever on her bow back to a maximum. "I've figured you out. You aren't a mage at all are you? No... It's not likely, a cleric is more likely to have such a in-depth understanding of poisons. Also a true mage wouldn't be able to stand up to the amount of magic that's floating around."

"You... You silence yourself insect!" Coren said in rage as he sent another wave towards her. Athemis closed her eyes and stepped up a few magical steps, the wave passing harmlessly beneath her.

"I understand how your attacks work Coren, they won't work on me anymore." Athemis said, walking up towards him. She placed her hand on the edge of her crossbow, "I've got a special one for you. A potent mixture I came up with all on my own..." Coren panicked, flinging spell after spell at the nimble archer. Athemis seemed to waltz up towards him, dodging the spells ever so slightly. He cried out as Athemis placed the tip of Thanatos to his gut and pulled the trigger.

The bolt tore through Coren as if he was made of paper. There was only silence, punctuated by the faint patter of his blood dripping to the floor below. He looked down at the hole that the bolt tore in his gut and laughed. He threw his head back in a twisted laugh, "Do you see girl I am a god! You stand no-" He looked over at the archer, she had her crossbow at her side and was muttering to herself.

"The poison should kick in right... about... now." Athemis said, giving him an evil smile. As if on cue his gut felt like it was set ablaze. Coren curled up and grabbed his stomach, the pain seemed to spread all about his body. He instantly felt sick and noticed that the wound wouldn't stop bleeding. He leaned forward to grab the archer but instead found himself falling. He hit the floor with a dull thud, the blanket of snow cushioning his fall. He lay there momentarily writhing in pain, trying to focus his mind on something else. He felt something hard push his side, the archer had pushed him onto his back and stood with her boot on his chest.

"You... What did you do to me?" Coren gasped, coughing up a thick black bile.

"I did what any archer would do on the hunt. I poisoned you." Athemis replied smugly. "Like I said it's my own potent mixture. A bit of everything, literally every poison I've ever worked with was in that shot. Normally I'd only use it an an emergency because it's so dangerous."

"You're lying, I'm immune to every poison known to an Isyan!" Coren grunted through gritted teeth as he convulsed in pain.

"Probably. I wouldn't put it past a 'legendary' herbologist to be immune to poisons. The thing is, with my poison, you're exposed to so many your body can't counteract them all. The cure for one is the catalyst for another, all it leads to you you suffering from every poison we currently know." Athemis said. She pulled the lever on Thanatos back to its initial positon with a loud click and aimed it at his head. "Another reason I only use it in emergencies is that it's too potent. As a hunter there's one rule that should be followed above all else. 'Never let your poison kill your prey, regardless of what you hunt give it the honor of a noble death.' Coren Etzal, I, Athemis Dragonfly, Leader of the hunting house Raime, grant you the noble death you hardly deserve."

There was only a swift whoosh as the bolt left Thanatos and embedded itself in the hard stone of the square. Coren Etzal was killed instantly, the bolt between his eyes guaranteed it. Athemis folded her cloak and stored it in her bag; tossing Thanatos over her shoulder she turned and left the town, heading for Elderine with high hopes of her brother's safety. Had she stayed behind she would have witnessed the dark flames that danced on Coren's body. She would have seen the dark orb rise from the wound she had given him when she poisoned him. She would have watched as it shot towards the nearby cloud-covered mountain peak.

[Dragonfly77]

*sits back in awe*































wow...

[T3h_SyN]

Imagine... I have two more of these at this quality or greater coming...

[captaingammer]

Ath's an action hero.

Ath: What doesn't kill you... *puts on sunglasses* makes it easier.

*cue CSI music*

... I wonder why I'm enjoying making up quotes and references so much? Looking forward to the final acts~

[Orchids_Mantis]

Imagine... I have two more of these at this quality or greater coming...

Unfortunately, production on ATW has halted due to labor disputes and budget difficulties. Producers are in the process of hiring new writers and directors to complete the work, but the finale of ATW will have a much lower budget as a result.

[T3h_SyN]

Unfortunately, production on ATW has halted due to labor disputes and budget difficulties. Mostly true, when I stop working tomoro/next friday and my free time opens up I can devote the 6 hours i need to put both of the chapters out and also the prologue/first chapter of the next series.
Producers are in the process of hiring new writers and directors to complete the work, but the finale of ATW will have a much lower budget as a result. Like I can fire myself, I'm in the process of renegotiating my contracts.

[Orchids_Mantis]

Mostly true, when I stop working tomoro/next friday and my free time opens up I can devote the 6 hours i need to put both of the chapters out and also the prologue/first chapter of the next series. Like I can fire myself, I'm in the process of renegotiating my contracts.

sorry your organization recently went public and your shareholders voted to find someone that would finish the story before 2011...


:p

[T3h_SyN]

Finale, Act Three: The Bearer's Apprentice

Kitone ascended the stairs in a sprint, a head of her she could make out an opening but the closer she got to the opening the more her vision became hampered by a thick fog. When she stepped off the last step she stood on a large, flat fog covered plateau. The fog was so thick that she could barely make out anything past her outstretched hand. She took a few cautious and slow steps away from the staircase, trying to feel her way through the fog.

"Dreadful fog, isn't it. One can hardly see a thing." a male voice said, the same one that told her to come to the gate in Uruga. Kitone tightened up, quickly drawing her swords and turned to face the direction of the voice. "I've been expecting you Kitone." the voice said, followed by the sound of a large blade being drawn. Kitone opened her mouth to speak but her words were drowned out by the sound of rushing winds. Kitone felt the winds rush around her in a frenzied vortex. She watched as the fog lessened until suddenly, in one last powerful gust it was all cleared.

Kitone stood on a large stone ring that was apparently outside. Behind her was the opening that held the staircase that led back to the Library and on the other side of the the ring was a staircase that rose up into the thick fog that still existed around the edge of the ring. Standing in the center of the ring was a lone fighter, his light purple hair swept backwards in an almost windblown style. Spread across his shoulders was a large two-handed sword which bore an engraving of a cloud being swept across the sky. "Who are you?" Kitone asked, holding up her swords defensively.

"My name is Cirrus, and this is my blade, the Tempest." the man said, "And unfortunately for you, this is where your journey ends."

"I don't think so." Kitone said, rushing past him towards the stairs. As she reached the stairs a vortex of wind spun around the stairs, a wind too powerful for her to enter without being blown of the stairs into the fog-shrouded abyss below.

"I wouldn't advise that," Cirrus said, "It's a very long way down."

"I don't have time for this!" Kitone grunted through grit teeth, "I have to get up there..."

"To stop Sylvia from destroying Isya?" Cirrus said matter-of-factly. "That's exactly why I'm here, to hinder your progress. I won't lie to you Kitone, her plans have been a bit... unorthodox at best, but I must insist that they serve to do what's best for Isya."

"What's best for Isya?!" Kitone shouted. "She plans on destroying Isya! How, pray tell, is that any good?!"

"Can't you see it? The corruption that exists in our wonderful country? That foul cloud that so desperately need purging? You of all people should see the need for it. Kitone Wolf, one of Isya's premier researchers, stripped of her position and her 'humanity' because she stood against the Senate censoring her work. Lady Sylvia simply plans on cleaning up the messes that have been created."

"You're dumber than a ratman's droppings if you think she care about anyone's well being. She only wants to destroy everything, it's only a matter of time before she kills you too!" Kitone said angrily.

"You're the wrong one girl. You should have accepted her request to join her, you could have had a part in the cleansing of the world." Cirrus said, an air of disgust floated around his words.

Kitone stood straight and stared Cirrus in the eyes silently for a moment before speaking. "I too wish to see the veil of lies and secrecy that the Senate has in place over Isya lifted, but I know that destroying everything isn't going to get it done. That is why I've got to stop her and if you're going to stand in my way, I'll have to kill you too."

"I see..." Cirrus said unapologetically, "No more diplomacy then. Fine, let us begin."


*~*~*~*

Kitone stumbled back after the last clash with Cirrus, falling to her knee and breathing heavily. He was good with the sword, there was no doubting it, but that's all he was, good. There was something else, something very strange going on with this fight. Kitone looked over at her opponent, sweat dripping from her brow. Cirrus walked slowly over to her, as fresh and energetic as he was before they started fighting yet the fight was nearing it's fifteenth minute. Kitone thought about the fight thus far, and every moment of it had an awkward feel to her. Her initial charge felt noticeably slow and sloppy, as if she was wading through shallow water instead of charging at an enemy. She thought back to the narrow escapes she had, how it felt as if something was behind her pushing her into the attack as she tried to jump backwards.

Cirrus stood with Tempest draped across his shoulders, watching Kitone try and catch her breath. "Is this all I can expect of the 'great' Kitone?" Kitone simply glared at him before rising to her feet.

"I never called myself great. People call me great. Now..." Kitone said standing and holding her weapons at the ready, "Let's continue shall we." With that they started fighting again, the trio of blades clashing with loud clangs. Kitone tried hard to fight against the strange resistance she was feeling but it was clearly working against her favor. A voice in her head said calmly, "Do not panic Kitone, panic is one of a warrior's true enemies. Regardless of how a battle is going keep a level head." Kitone sighed and said to herself, "I'm trying Master, but this guy's not making it easy..."


*~*~*~*

Kitone, like her sister Synna, received her basic training with a sword from her father and, also like her sister, furthered her training under the tutelage of a master of the arts for swordplay. The night when Kitone made her first escape from the prison those years ago was when she met the woman who she affectionately came to call Master. That night when she stepped off the roof of the prison, wholly intent on ending her own life, fate decided to intervene. As the forest rushed towards her, Kitone felt the winds caress her and turn her ever so slightly. As she broke through the canopy of the forest she fell through the branches of the trees below eventually landing roughly but alive in a large shrub below. Painfully she pulled herself out of the bush and started walking. She had no idea where she was heading but she just walked ahead until her aching body felt like it was falling apart. She fell face first into the mud and just lay there, too tired and hurt to move.

That's when she heard the footsteps approaching. Kitone didn't even move to look at who was approaching, not that she could if she wanted. The footsteps stopped just shy of her head and she heard a feminine voice, one so peaceful she couldn't help but feel calm in the presence of whoever this was. "Oh my," the woman said, "you look horrible child." Kitone felt a pair of hands cradle her head gently, pulling her head up out of the mud. Kitone opened her eyes and stared into a pair of eyes, one was a blue as deep and bright as that of the midday sky, the other was a dark green, shining and resilient as a leaf on a ancient evergreen. Kitone couldn't help but stare into her eyes. "Relax, you're in good hands now child." With that Kitone closed her eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Kitone awoke to the bright morning sun shimmering down on her through the leaves of a tree. She blinked a few times, forcing the sleep out of her eyes. She lay on a soft bedding of leaves under a large oak tree covered by a simple cloth sheet. She sat up and realizing she was naked under the sheet, clenched it tightly to her as she looked around. For miles around her stretched a green field, unlike anything she had ever seen in Isya before, in the distance she could see mountains encircling the horizon. She could hear a woman singing nearby, but no words were being sung. Kitone got up to investigate, which is when she noticed the white sun-dress hung over a nearby branch. Quickly Kitone put it on and stepped out from behind the tree, slowly noticing that all the pain she was in was no more. Standing in the field with her arms held out to her side was a woman. She was slightly taller than Kitone was and her hair hung just shy of brushing against the floor. Her hair was unlike any Kitone had ever seen, it started out dark green in color but as it went on it slowly changed into a blue, one the mirrored that of the cloudless sky above them. The woman turned to face Kitone, revealing that she was wearing a dress similar to Kitone's and that she appeared to be no older than Kitone herself.

"Good to see you're awake child," she said, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling... great." Kitone said, "Umm... Where are we? And who are you?"

With a gentle smile the woman replied, "Right now we are in the field that makes up my home, all you see is mine. And my name is Kalym but you may call me Kali." Kitone stared into Kali's friendly eyes, thinking of something else to say. "You were severely injured last night when I found you and your clothes were beyond tattered, so I apologize for your state when waking this morning. I am sure you have many questions you wish to ask me child, but I have one I wish to ask you before you can ask anything, would you like to be my apprentice?"

"E-excuse me?" Kitone asked a bit confused, "You want me to do what?"

"Behind you is a training sword, I know your wounds are healed completely, I'm meticulous in my work." she said. Kitone turned around and, like Kali had said, there was a weapons rack with single wooden blade on it. Kitone picked it up and turned to see Kali held one for herself. Kitone was unsure of what exactly she was to do but when Kali took a fighting stance she took one of her own. "You may begin whenever you are ready child." Kitone charged furtively and her slash was easily parried to the ground. "Not bad child, once more." Kitone quickly got to her feet and attacked again, only to be parried as easily as before. This act repeated over and over again in the minutes following and with each parry Kitone became angrier. Her rage began to cloud her thoughts. "How... How is she able to parry me aside so easily?!" Kitone thought to herself as she pounded her fist against the grass of the field. "Like hell I'm going to let her make me look like a fool anymore!" Kitone thought as she pulled a stone from the dirt. In one swift motion she turned and started rising to her feet, throwing the stone at Kali in a rage. Kitone's sword followed closely behind the airborne stone, intending to strike Kali either after she blocked the stone or dodged it. Kitone looked past her blade, past the projectile and into Kali's eyes. Her eyes stared back coldly, as if she was both disappointed at Kitone's actions and disgusted that her potential apprentice would sink so low. Kali moved swiftly, in a single strike she destroyed the stone completely and also splintered Kitone's wooden sword. Kitone, in pure shock, just kept moving forward eventually stumbling and falling to the ground.

When Kitone looked back at Kali she didn't see the peaceful woman in a white dress holding a wooden training sword, instead she saw a woman dressed in a regal suit of armor pointing an exquisite sword at her. Kali carried six other weapons apart from the sword she pointed at Kitone; another one-handed sword, a two-handed sword, a large battle axe, a spear, a scythe and finally a dagger at her side. But what caught and held Kitone's attention were the wings. There were two pairs of wings coming from Kali's back, a larger upper pair and a slightly smaller lower pair. Kitone stared at her for a moment, shuddering visibly before a passing breeze seemed to make it all disappear in a swirl of dust, leaving Kali standing in her dress with the wooden sword in hand. "Now child, do you understand the significance of all this?"

Kitone nodded silently as she tried to get up, only to find her legs giving way beneath her. Before her stood not just a woman but the woman known in ancient legends as 'The Bearer of the Goddess's Weapons'. She was known to the ancients as the greatest warrior. There were stories of her training those she had seen as worthy to be her apprentice, all of them stories tied to the heroes of the ancient peoples. Kitone willed herself to her feet, standing very unsteadily, and bowed to Kali. The tears flowed slowly from her eyes and she simply replied, "Yes, I will become your apprentice."


*~*~*~*

Kitone hopped back, a flick of her head put most of her hair behind her shoulders, the ribbon that held her hair in it's regular ponytail had undone itself in the heated battle. She had been countering Cirrus's attacks with exploratory strikes of her own, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. "Your sword... it can control the wind, can't it?" Kitone said between breaths.

With a laugh Cirrus replied, "So, you're finally catching on. Yes, Tempest can control the wind, it can hinder, it can attack. Have you realized now that the wind is the strongest element?" With that he swing Tempest in front of him, Kitone watched as a swirling vortex kicked up the dust around her. "What makes this an even sweeter fight for me is the location. Do you know where this is 'Madam Researcher'?" Cirrus asked mockingly.

"Can't say I do." Kitone said, not taking her eyes off her opponent.

"This is the Wind God's Throne, or at least that's what Sylvia told me it's called. The name isn't that important, but the meaning behind it is where the money lies. You see this place, is where all the winds in Isya cross. Imagine that... All the winds..." He flicked his blade filling Kitone's nostrils with the cool, salty sea air of Roumen. "Smell that sea breeze," he said, twisting his blade once more, the scent changing to the distinct smells of the city, "Ah, Elderine... The scent of high civilization," Another twitch of his blade pulled the moist forest air around them, "Finally the city in the woods... Uruga. They're all here, all the winds are at my disposal... You don't have a ghost of a chance..."

"We'll see." Kitone said, "We'll see..."


*~*~*~*

[T3h_SyN]

Finale Act Three, continued

The days turned into weeks, then into months and before Kitone realized it a year had passed. "Really..." Kitone said, sitting in the grass and looking at a passing cloud in the sky, "A year already?"

Kali nodded. "You've trained for a year and mastered everything I've taught you. There is but one final challenge for you to face before I can acknowledge your training as complete." Kitone turned and saw Kali handing her a one-handed sword. The metal of the blade shone in the morning sun.

"A metal sword? What sort of challenge is this?" Kitone said, exchanging her wooden blade for the one she was offered.

"Your final challenge is..." Kali began, tearing her dress off, revealing her armored and winged form, "is a simple spar with me." With that she drew one of the one-handed swords.

Kitone gripped her sword nervously. "You want me to fight you?" Kitone asked. Kali simply nodded. "But I don't stand a chance at beating you. You're... you're... you're you!"

"If you truly trust your abilities with that weapon there is no enemy you cannot beat. Impossible is a word for cowards, no fight is impossible, just extremely challenging." Kali said, holding her blade at the ready. "Whenever you're ready you may begin."

Kitone paused for a few seconds, thinking upon the words of her master. She raised her head and looked at Kali, a fire seemed to burn in her eyes. Without further ado Kitone ran in and attacked.


*~*~*~*


Kitone stepped in as slashed, the current of wind Cirrus whipped up buffeted her attack to almost a stand-still. She was prepared for that however. As soon as her attack came to a stop on the edge of his sword she shifted her weight and punched him in the face with her other hand. Cirrus reeled back, blood flowing from his nose. He reached a hand to his face and grimaced when he saw the blood. "How... How the heck are you getting around my winds?!"

"Simple... No fight is impossible, just extremely challenging. I'm getting the hang of your foolish attacks, and really, if this fight goes on much longer, it'll be you who won't have a chance to win." Kitone said, standing at the ready. Cirrus grunted angrily and rushed in. Kitone only smiled as she started her counter attack, he was losing his calm and it was showing. His form was getting sloppy and the power of the winds he controlled became erratic.

"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to tear you limb from limb and cast your remains across Isya for all to see" Cirrus shouted as he swung, forcing Kitone to back away from him. With each swing she backed away, the winds that buffeted her sides stopped her from stepping around him. She glanced back, the edge of the platform was approaching quickly. Cirrus took notice of her quick glance and charged her with his shoulder shouting, "Gotcha!" Kitone stumbled back a few steps, her arms flailing to regain her balance. He raised his sword overhead and brought it down with devastating force.

Kitone looked him in the eyes and said calmly, "I'm afraid not, it is I who have you!" With that she quickly brought Aphonia up and braced it with her free hand. The force that he was bringing Tempest down with was enough to wedge the hard steel of Aphonia deep into it's blade, stopping it from cleaving through Kitone. With a powerful thrust Kitone kicked Cirrus in his gut, dropping him flat on his back.

Cirrus gasped in air and quickly leapt to his feet, holding his blade in front of him with Aphonia still wedged tightly in it. Between coughs he said, "You got your knife stuck in my sword, so what? You're still close enough to the edge for me to do... THIS!" He quickly raised the sword overhead and slashed downwards but to his surprise nothing happened. "What the..." he exclaimed, looking down at his sword.

"You're not the only one with tricks around here Cirrus," Kitone said walking over to him slowly, "That sword embedded in yours has the power to prevent a magical weapon from using it's ability while it's in contact with it. And this blade..." Kitone said, raising Pyrae with both hands, "This blade can't be stopped." With that she brought her sword down, cleaving easily through Cirrus's raised sword and deep into his chest. His final cry of pain was cut short as he quickly succumbed to his wound. With a few precise strokes of her sword Kitone freed Aphonia from Tempest's grip and started towards the staircase into the clouds.

The sound of a fire being ignited caused Kitone to stop at the bottommost step. When she turned she saw the Cirrus's remains ablaze in a black flame that gathered on his chest, eventually coalescing into a dark orb. Kitone watched puzzled as the orb floated slowly towards her. The orb's surface swirled ominously. Kitone reached out to touch it and as she did she was enveloped in a feeling of deathly cold. When she blinked she saw visions, images of a place she didn't know, people she'd never met. The orb slowly passed through her and eventually came floating out her back, taking the strange feelings with it. Kitone fell to her knees, shaken by those otherworldly sensations. She turned and watched as the orb slowly ascended into the clouds. "Was that... Was that a soul?" Kitone asked. Kitone stood and gathered her composure. "Only one way to find out." she said to herself as she began her ascent into the clouds.

[T3h_SyN]

Finale, Final Act: Ascension

Kitone slowly made her way up the cloud covered stairs, each passing step seemed to take her into thicker clouds, until eventually she was on her hands and knees, feeling her way forward. Slowly though the cloud eventually began to disperse until Kitone could see the shining light of the sun once again.

Finally Kitone reached the top of the staircase, arriving at the top of the mountain. The pinnacle was a tiled platform, like the one she had fought Cirrus. Unlike Cirrus's platform, which was surrounded in a thick blanket of cloud, this one had a view of the world below, even though all she could see below right now was clouds.

"Glad to see you could make it Kitone." a voice said from her side. Kitone turned, drawing her sword.

"Sylvia..." Kitone said, looking at the green haired woman.

"You're just in time to see my plan reach it's climax." Sylvia said, turning away from Kitone, "We're just waiting for the final pieces to arrive." It was then Kitone saw the gateway. It appeared no different from the other gateways across Isya, except that this gate was inactive. It's two pillars stood erect, a pale gray stone instead of the usual colored pillar, the portal was non-existent.

"What other pieces?" Kitone asked curiously, her gaze flitting between the inactive gate and Sylvia.

"Why," Sylvia said, turning to Kitone and cradling the black orb that was Cirrus's soul, "I'm waiting for the rest of my team, the should have succeeded in their missions by now."

"What missions?" Kitone asked, glancing at Sylvia's waist, noticing two jars tied to her belt, each containing a similar black orb.

"Like Cirrus, I sent my noble servants out to deal with a mission. His," she said holding the orb up to the sun, "was a rousing success."

"You... You sent him to die!" Kitone said in a mixture of surprise and anger.

"Yes and no." Sylvia replied nonchalantly. "I sent him on an impossible mission that he gladly accepted. I knew he wouldn't be able to kill you. Neither was Aidan. And Fury taking down Claire? Only in his dreams. Hopefully Alyss and Coren will prove just as capable. You see, it's these I want, these are the key's to my ascension. These will make me a goddess." Sylvia turned to Kitone, and walked slowly over to her. "I'll ask you once more Kitone, will you join with me? You understand what it means to have everything stripped away from you and to have been cast into the darkness. You know first-hand of the evils of the Senate. You more than anyone else know that this world so vividly requires cleansing."

"I also know of the good in the hearts of man. I also have those who I will give anything to protect, my friends and family mean more to me than anything in this world. I refuse to side with you who only acts out of their own selfishness." Kitone said.

Sylvia stood silent, her upper lip quivering in anger. Suddenly she regained her stoic composure. "Fine... I'll just destroy you as well." With that she turned back to the gate.

"Not if I can help it!" Kitone shouted, charging in behind her, Pyrae ready to cleave her in two.

"So impatient..." Sylvia said without looking back at Kitone. Suddenly the floor beneath Kitone's feet gave way as she felt herself falling into what felt like water. Sylvia had liquefied the floor beneath her, trapping her in a pit of thick liquid that seemed to suck her down to the bottom of the pit. "Your death will come shortly Kitone." Kitone struggled to stay afloat in the liquid but she never once took her eyes off Sylvia. She watched as she drew the two soul orbs from the jar at her waist and walked over to the gate. "Listen Kitone, do you hear that sound. The cries that herald the coming of the end?" Kitone stabbed Pyrae into the solid wall of the pit she was in and listened. It was faint at first but is slowly became louder. A shrill whistling could be heard, a sound that Kitone could only liken to what she imagined the cries of a soul in pain would sound like. She turned to face the sound just in time to see two more black orb speed past her and come to a complete stop behind Sylvia. Sylvia turned and guided the two last orbs to float with the other three. "I must say Kitone, your friends surely do not disappoint at getting the job done. They actually managed to dispatch my servants. Kitone... do you see this gate?"

"Yea... what about it?" Kitone said, struggling to pull herself out of the pit to no avail.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize it, considering you're the one who discovered it. 'The Divinity Keyhole' is what you said it was." Sylvia said. "It's all right here, in your field notes." Sylvia held out her hand and suddenly a notebook seemed to materialize in her hands. It's dusty red cover was almost in tatters but Kitone recognized it immediately.

"That's impossible!" Kitone exclaimed, "Those notes were destroyed when I was arrested."

"No, they weren't. I simply made it look like they were. I had heard of your research when I was looking for a way to fulfill my prophecy and oh how helpful you were." Sylvia said. With a flick of her fingers she opened the book to a page that looked like it had been read countless times before. "Day forty-three," she read. "I've come across some scrolls making reference to something called 'The Divinity Keyhole'. Apparently it's a gateway to a power so unimaginably powerful that it almost lead to the ruin of the ancients. They sealed it shut forever and struck the location out of their history forever, lest it be opened again. I can only imagine that those government fools will want me to go looking for it if I so much as mention it, That's why I'm keeping it out of my next report." Kitone looked on silently, remembering the days she spent in that temple library, scouring through text after text to find that information. "The only other thing I could find in reference to this gate was this archaic passage in another text, 'The gate shall reopen for those bearing the five keys of the allies'. Never once have I heard anything about the keys of the allies." Sylvia read. She turned and walked over to Kitone, turning the book to another page, an entry later on in the notes. "At first," Sylvia said, standing just shy of the pit, "I beleived I had come upon another useless tidbit of information, but then I read an entry from a few days later... Day fifty, I think I may have made an error in translating that text about the keys. It seems stranger now than before. The symbol they used actually wasn't keys, it was an older symbol for souls. So instead of five keys, it's five souls. I'm beginning to think that that gate would be impossible to reopen even if I did find it. I've never heard of an spell that could pull the souls out of anything." Sylvia bent down and stroked Kitone's chin, garnering a growl from the red-headed fighter. "Guess what Kitone... There is a way to remove someone's souls, it's an old family secret passed down through the generations. Granted it can only be used on the dead, but as they say, a soul is a soul is a soul..."

With that Sylvia turned and walked back to the gate, the five souls floating in front of it as if waiting to be used. "This is really why I wanted you to join me Kitone... Think of it as a way of showing my thanks for personally telling me how to do what is expected of me." She took one of the orbs and pressed it into the stone of the gateway and with an almost mystical chime it disappeared. "Imagine, the great Kitone handed me the world on a silver platter without even knowing it." Another soul was pressed into the stone, disappearing just as the first did. The third and fourth souls followed quickly, restoring the glistening colors to the gateway. Kitone suddenly felt the floor rise to her feet and slowly push her out of the pit. "Now it is time" Sylvia said, letting the final soul float between the pillars. It sparkled with color and in a bright flash it became the gateway, resonating with color.

"No!" Kitone said, running in a vain attempt to stop Sylvia from entering the portal but it was far too late to do anything about it. As Sylvia stepped through the gate the was a blinding flash. Kitone raised her hands to shield her eyes and when she brought them down there was no gate to be seen. The pillars that has just been bright and colorful were once again the drab gray stone. The silence was resounding, Kitone could hear as the wind made it's way across the platform, whipping up small whirls of dust from the stone floor. Kitone took in long breaths, trying to be as silent as possible. Suddenly she stopped breathing, listening intently to the world around her. There was another sound, a cracking, a faint cracking. "Where is it coming from?" Kitone thought to herself. Slowly it grew louder until there was a single loud crack. Kitone turned to the gateway, a large crack had spiderwebbed its way up the left pillar. Then, with an equally loud noise, a crack fissured up the right one. The cacophony of cracks and creaks that followed ended in the gateway falling apart rather unceremonious. "What the heck is happening?!" Kitone said as she watched sparks of electricity arc from the base of the ex-pillars. The bolts reached out teasingly between the pieces of stone on the ground before shooting upwards and forming what appeared to be an oval of electricity.

Then she appeared. Or rather, her hand did. Sylvia's hand thrust outwards from the vortex of lightning. Slowly she stepped out, her eyes closed to the world. Her once green hair now snow white and shadow black, each color taking one side of her head. Kitone watched in awe as a pair of wings flapped slowly behind her. On the side of her body that was had the white hair was a feathered wing, like a birds. Its pristine white feathers seemed to glimmer in the sunlight. If that shoulder could be likened to the wing of an angel the opposite shoulder was surely that of a demon's. It was almost bat-like, a deep and dark red wing. Sylvia opened her eyes and looked at the sky before her, her emerald green eyes now just white orbs. "Ha... Haha..." Sylvia began, "This power. It... I can feel it flowing through my veins." She turned to look at Kitone and spoke again, "This power is far greater than I could ever imagine. It is infinitely strong and infinitely vast. There would be no one to stand before me with such power. No one, that is, except you..." Kitone raised her sword defensively, as if expecting her to attack at any moment. With a few powerful flaps of her wings she was airborne, hovering high above Kitone. "Let me give you a sample of my power!" Sylvia said.

With that she released a large amount of magical energy. The clouds in the sky were displaced, the broken pieces of the gateway rattled and rolled towards the edge. The density of the magic physically brought Kitone to her knees. The pain coursed through her body. "So this... is what it feels like..." Kitone said as she grit her teeth in pain. As suddenly as it started it was over and Kitone pushed herself wearily from the ground.

"Do you understand the power you wish to fight against? Do you realize just how foolish you are to go against me?" Sylvia said with an evil laugh.

"Yea, I get what I'm up against, and you're right, it is probably foolish for me to go against you but I'd rather kiss a ratman then to die without at least trying to stop you."

"Hmph... As I expected." Sylvia said with an air of disdain. "Goodbye Miss Wolf." With that she raised her hand and a ball of fire grew in it. With a quick spin she threw it at Kitone who stepped into it, putting Aphonia between her and it. As the fireball connected with Aphonia it dissipated. Kitone looked upwards into the empty sky, Sylvia was nowhere to be seen. Before Kitone could react she heard a voice from behind her. "Tch. I must really do something about that annoying weapon of yours..." Sylvia said. Kitone span, slicing at whatever stood behind her with her smaller blade. Sylvia caught Aphonia with her bare hand, stopping it completely. A trickle of blood flowed from between her fingers, but her face reflected no pain. Sylvia tightened her grip on the small blade and Kitone could hear a creaking and snapping, as if glass were breaking, come from the sword. Kitone quickly withdrew her blade, slicing it free from Sylvia's firm grasp. As Kitone took a quick look at Aphonia, which didn't appear any different to her, Sylvia took a look at her hand. A deep cut bore a line across both her palm and her fingers. With a smile she clenched her fist, a golden light glistened in her grasp and when she unfurled her hand the wounds were no more. "Now, lets start again..." Sylvia raised both her hands, conjuring a pair of massive fireballs. She quickly propelled them at Kitone, who dodged the first one and made to deflect the second with Aphonia.

As the flames connected with the blade Kitone knew something was wrong. That split second impact seemed to span minutes as the fireball encircled the blade of Aphonia, then the hilt, then her arm before finally impacting her chest and knocking her aside. Kitone cried out in pain as her arm burned and she quickly patted out the bits of leather strapping on her breastplate that had caught fire. "Im-Impossible..." she said, "Aphonia didn't stop the magic."

[T3h_SyN]

Finale Final Act, continued

"That's right Kitone," Sylvia said, creating another pair of fireballs, "I couldn't allow you to have an ability that perfectly counteracts one of my own." She laughed maniacally as she launched wave after wave of fireball, icicle spear and lightning bolt at Kitone. Kitone didn't have time to think, she dodged as much of the barrage as she could. With each fireball sidestepped she got a step closer. Slowly she inched closer to Sylvia until she was close enough to retaliate. Kitone's attack was swift and Sylvia's reaction was not. Pyrae cut deeply into her skin, blood splayed from the massive wound. Sylvia recoiled backwards and cried out in pain. However any thought of victory Kitone had was swiftly killed when Sylvia's cry became Sylvia's laugh. Kitone looked at the wound, a perfect killing blow, that was now no more dangerous than a paper cut. "You forget Kitone, I am no mere Mage. I am also a Cleric... And..." Sylvia began. She whipped up a swift gale as she took flight, circling Kitone for a bit before hovering over her. She held her hand in front of her as if gripping something. "...an Archer." Sylvia finished. A golden bow materialized in her hand. Sylvia went through the motions of pulling back the bowstring and an arrow that could only be made of shadows appeared, ready to be fired. With a whoosh the arrow took flight, directly towards Kitone.

Kitone dodged to the side, only to jump into the path of another arrow. With a quick twist Kitone pivoted her body and narrowly missed being shot by the shadow arrow. "Is that the best you can do?" Kitone chided. With a smirk Sylvia notched another arrow and let it fly. This time however the arrow split into five parts, four of which flew in random arcs from the main one. Kitone dodged most of the airborne assault but one arrow hit its mark. Kitone grunted in pain as the arrow embedded itself into her left arm, just below the shoulder. Quickly she pulled the arrow from the wound, pressing her hand to it to stem the flow of blood. She quickly judged the severity of the wound and fished a small vial of red liquid from her pocket and deftly removed the stopped with two fingers and drank the contents down. The wound quickly closed thanks to the increase to her own bodies healing ability the potion had given her. With the wound and the pain gone she was finally able to feel the growing numbness in her arm. "Tch... Poison." Kitone said as she tried to clench her fist, only managing to slightly curl her fingers on that hand. Kitone looked skywards one again, her face in an angry grimace as her arm hung limply from her side, Pyrae held in the other.

"Your end is nigh Kitone..." Sylvia said, dropping the bow, which disappeared before hitting the ground. "I will enjoy every minute of beating the life out of you." Sylvia held her hand in front of her, clenching her fist until her nails broke through her skin, blood trickling from between her fingers. She whipped her bloody hand in front of her, throwing streaks of the red liquid through the air. The blood didn't fall but instead held rigid in the air. When Sylvia's hand returned to its place at her side it held a long and jagged blade. Sylvia raised the blood red sword in front of her and looked down on Kitone. With a loud cry she dove towards Kitone, her wings pulled tightly back and her blade held ready to slash. Kitone raised Pyrae and braced for impact. When the two swords collided sparks flew into the air as Sylvia pushed Kitone back a few feet.. For the moments the two were pressed against each other they glared into the other's eyes. With a mighty flap of her wings Sylvia pushed herself backwards off Kitone's defense. She landed and slid a few feet with the momentum she had gathered. As soon as she came to a stop she ran towards Kitone, sword at the ready. She delivered a flurry of slashes, Kitone barely managing to keep up with her attacks. The last slash Sylvia bore down on Kitone caught Pyrae under one of it's jagged edges, pulling the blade, and Kitone, downwards. There was little Kitone could do when Sylvia pivoted and brought the sword up along her side, managing only to sever the leather straps on her breastplate. Kitone hopped back, putting a little ground between her and Sylvia and inspected her armor. It hung loosely to her body, held fast only by the straps on the other side of her chest. If she fought with it in this state it would be more a hindrance than a help so with one sharp tug she pulled it free of her body and tossed it aside. "Hahaha... You intend to fight me without any armor?" Sylvia said mockingly. Kitone stood firm, he resolve unwavering. She gave her numb hand a few more clenches, feeling slowly returning to it. "Come Kitone, this has gone on for far too long..." Sylvia said, beginning her attack again.


*~*~*~*

Their dance of blades continued seemingly endlessly, with both sides taking the offensive at the first opportunity. As the fight wore on it was clear that Sylvia was winning, her endless stamina was slowly beating Kitone's down to nothingness. Kitone couldn't help but realize how similar this fight was to the fight she had with her Master, no matter how hard she pressed or how long she kept her assault up her Master never seemed to get tired. Sylvia brought down her sword with devastating force, shouting at Kitone, "Die you useless creature!" Kitone raised Pyrae to block, but holding it with one hand proved to be ineffective as it was knocked aside by the force of the attack. "Now you DIE!" Sylvia said as she swung the sword again at the completely exposed Kitone.

"No! Not yet! I can't die now!" was all that ran through Kitone's head. Instinctively she threw her hand in front of her face, the poison had just about worn off and it quickly moved to block the attack. There was a sickening sound as the blade tore into her skin only to be stopped by the shattering bone beneath. Kitone screamed out in pain as the warm blood flowed down her arm from the wound.

"So useless... You can't even die properly." Sylvia said as she kicked Kitone aside, pulling her jagged blade from the wound. Kitone fell backwards and slid, leaving a bloody trail in her wake. She fished three more vials of the red potion from her pocket and pulled the stopper out with her teeth, downing the potions quickly. The wound on her arm made a few sickening pops as her bones realigned themselves. Most of the wound had healed but there was still a very bad gash on her arm and with her being out of potions if she didn't find a cleric soon she'd be in a very serious situation. She stood, holding Pyrae with both hands, it's edge glowing a fiery red. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused her thoughts.

"I guess there is no other way... We'll have to destroy her Pyrae." Kitone said to herself as she opened her eyes, "We'll settle this now!" With that she ran towards Sylvia. Each step played out in slow motion, she could feel every muscle in her body ache as she ran but it didn't matter to her, she had one last attack left in her. With each step that propelled her closer to her she heard her Master's final parting words.

"Remember this child, a weapon has only one purpose: to destroy whatever it is raised against. A weapon can never create anything." Kali's voice echoed in Kitone's ears. Kitone swung upwards with a shout, Pyrae deflecting Sylvia's sword skyward. "It is in destroying something that a weapon creates. It creates sadness and hatred by destroying that which brings happiness and love. It creates peace only by destroying that which impedes it." Sylvia flapped her wings in an attempt to get airborne but Kitone was ready for this. Kitone pushed of the ground and leapt, raising Pyrae above her head.

"You can only get a bit of destruction with a weapon, there will always be a trace of whatever you had raised your weapon against... But if you so wish for the utter and complete destruction of your enemy, this weapon shall give of itself to grant it." Those were Kali's last words before she gave Kitone one of her blades, the katana Pyrae, and before Kitone awoke face-down in the mud, clutching Pyrae painfully.

Kitone drove her sword home, plunging it into Sylvia's chest. Pyrae pierced through her heart and out her back, splaying blood as it burst through. Sylvia cried out angrily as she thrust her own blade into Kitone and the two fell to the ground. Kitone lay writhing on her back, the pain slowly fading away as the life left her body. Sylvia stood up, Pyrae sticking awkwardly out of her body. "Have you forgotten Kitone, I am invincible." Sylvia pressed her foot on Kitone's body, gripping the handle of her sword firmly, "and quite frankly, I've had enough of your games." With that she pulled her blade free of Kitone's chest, the jagged edge pulling out bits of bone and flesh as it came out causing Kitone to scream in pain. Sylvia flicked the blood of her sword and raised it, aimed to lop off Kitone's head. Suddenly Sylvia winced in pain and dropped her sword. She clenched at where Pyrae penetrated her chest. The entire blade was glowing a fiery red with actual flames licking at the edge of the wound. Sylvia seized the hilt of the sword in her chest and pulled but the sword wouldn't budge. She cried out in pain as the flames grew from the wound and slowly spread about her body. She stepped back, looking down as the flames burned her, for the first time feeling fear. "What is this?!" she cried in fear, failing to out the flames that were slowly engulfing her. Kitone watched and laughed wearily.

"That... ugh... that would be..." Kitone said, coughing reflexively as blood began to pool in her lungs, "your destruction." Kitone watched as Sylvia's wings were eaten by the flames, as it faded her feet into nothingness. Slowly she disappeared in flames. Sylvia looked down at Kitone, her hair and eyes returning to normal as her body disintegrated. She looked down at Kitone and laughed. The tears began flowing down her face, "Isn't this funny, to gain the powers of a god and only to be undone by my own mortal desires. I should have killed you instantly, but instead I let my pride get the better of me and tried to defeat you in combat. What a fool I am..." She turned her head and looked towards the sun as it started setting behind the horizon. "It doesn't matter what may happen here and now. I have already won," Sylvia said, holding her hand up to watch it disappear in the flames, "I just won't be here to rule in this new world I have created." She turned her gaze to her Kitone and spoke one last time. "At least I can die knowing you won't be around to see this world either." With that she disappeared completely.

Pyrae's blade was no more, the hilt of the sword fell to the ground with a clatter. The edge of what was once the blade glowed with a red hot shine, which slowly faded into the gray of the steel. Kitone looked towards the sky, and cried. The tears streamed from her eyes. She lay there, crying, thinking of all the people who were important to her. She saw her family and friends reflected in the darkening sky above her. "I'm sorry I won't be there with you guys... I know.. I know I'll be in your memories for ever." Kitone closed her eyes again, her breaths slowly becoming shorter.

As the last sliver of the sun set behind the horizon Kitone drew her last breath. And then, there was silence.


*~*~*~*

Moonlight bathed the platform Kitone's lifeless body laid in, the night was perfectly silent. The silence was broken by a series of footsteps as a woman walked to Kitones side. Her jet black hair shone in the moonlight, her featureless mask covered in the moon's haunting glow. Ayrmid bent by Kitone, placing her hand at the side of her head. "You fought valiantly young warrior. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed." Ayrmid said, waving her hand over Kitone. Slowly her soul left her body, a golden orb that floated just above her chest. A second set of footsteps attracted Ayrmid's attention, she turned to see Kali walking towards her, her armor and wings highlighted by the moonlight.

"Her actions truly haven't gone unnoticed..." Kali said. "I have been sent to deliver the will of Teva." Ayrmid nodded and stepped back, disappearing into the night. Kali stood over the corpse of her last apprentice. "Kitone... By the will of Teva, I, Kalym, Bearer of the Goddess's Weapons, restore to you your life." Slowly, almost methodically, she pressed Kitone's soul back into her body and healed the wounds she had received from Sylvia. Kalym crouched and leaned her head against Kitone's.

"Now awaken child, and live in this new age you have crafted."


The End.

[T3h_SyN]

Epilogue

It had been three months since the fight took place on the mountain between Kitone and Sylvia. It only took three months for the entire Senate to fall apart. To say that the revolution had been swift was an understatement. The people quickly stripped the Senate of any and all power, and in its stead created a new government, one that was purely looking for the interest of it's people. One that could be changed if the people deemed them ineffective to lead.

Many things changed during those three months, as the secrets that the Senate had kept hidden started to come to light. It was a second age of learning for most of Isya. People learnt about the world they lived in for what it was, not through the narrow view that the Senate had limited them to. People began to question things now. It was a good time for the worl of Isya, it began to prosper even more now than before.


*~*~*~*

Kitone made her way through the streets of Elderine, her cloak drawn tightly to conceal her identity. Many prisoners and bounties were pardoned when the new government was put in power, she however was not one of them. As far as most bounty hunters were concerned, she was a very profitable bounty. Thankfully, the Isyan Hunters had been disbanded in the change of governments, most becoming town guards, others returning to being adventures, the rest retiring completely.

She made her way to the meeting place she had arranged. Inside the small pub, secretly run by Claire's organization, sat a lone man. His armor decorated with medals for his rank and his dedication to service. He was the one man who could give her the one thing she wanted, her freedom.

She sat at the table and pulled off he cloak, draping it over a nearby chair, and looked the man directly in his eyes and spoke casually.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Captain Shutian..."

[T3h_SyN]

And that's, my dear readers, is As Things Were. I had tons of fun writing it, I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading it and don't worry, my next story is in the works :3

[captaingammer]

*Slow clap into the roaring applause behind me*

Truly, an end fitting of the epic tale that it brings to a close. It'll be sad to see this thread sink, but even more exciting to see another one rise. :3 Great job, and congratulations on bringing closure to this long-standing project.

[john99944]

.-. NO casue i have a awsome mega super cool...................................... A AWSOME NOTEBOOK THAT CAN KILL ANYONE IF THEIR NAME ON THE NOTEBOOK!

Oh yea like that you soo didnt see that coming.

*yawn* The DEATHNOTE has already been invented......oh, and by the way, Kira just wrote our name in it for imitating him...

*sees badfury get hit by an asteroid cause he thought he would be safe in outer-space* That's gotta hurt!

[john99944]

Nice Kit. XD Ugh...zombies...*involuntarily shivers* I hate those things...




Wut? Nothing can 'tame' me in the face of a zombie XD

I hate zombies too......the horror of those possessed ppl......I got scared of them ever since my BFF played "Left 4 Dead" and I watched him...*shudders and looks at Ath and imagined her as a Witch Zombie* AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*faints*

[T3h_SyN]

Yo john, I'm really glad you're reading my story (if not just the thread) but...

1. The thread doesn't need insanely late comments on comments. If you wanna comment on the story that'd be lovely and it wouldn't bother me much.

2. Unless your post pasts 15000 characters or you're bumping the thread there's no need to double post. There's an edit button, use it.

[john99944]

Oh, rite. Gotcha.