Fonhinqann
Gladiator Arena
Five Hours before Twilight

The crowd gasps, but then Xira leaps out of the sand cloud, looking almost unscathed by the bolt, her scythe in hand as she runs directly at Manalagna. Her eyes are cold, and there is no emotion on her face as she rushes forward, almost looking like a grim reaper. By the time Manalagna reacts, Xira is a mere 40ft in front of him.
Manalagna Hammer stood his ground as the image of the Grim Reaper steadily bore down upon the Dwarven Druid as the roar of the arena crowd and the adrenaline pumping into his brain caused a silent, but calm phenomenon to engulf him.

Swiftly calculating the distance needed for what he purposed to do to even the odds that were seemingly stacked against him ... Manalagna Hammer concentrated upon the forces of nature that were attuned to his heart and soul as he unleashed the second of his trifecta game plan!

Manalagna Hammer unleashes a Flame Strike against Xira!
"Dance Your Way Out Of That One!" bellows the Druid Dwarf defiantly as he prepares for his third phase of his strategy against Xira!



For the sake of hurrying this battle along to catch up with the rest of the group for the Twilight update, Manalagna Hammer will concentrate a Heat Metal attack against Xira to deal with both of her Scythes and her armor as the third plan of action in an attempt to even his odds against this seeming juggernaut of a champion!

Plus at the appropriate time he will holler out "Flamer!" to activate his Flaming Scimitar [if not already activated] to engage the battle until either Xira or himself is vanquished in battle!

"If you must insist on this path," replied Dusk. "Then I must stand in your way. You have refused the final offering. Your fate is now your own."

The elf bent down before the child, bending at the knees and waist to gain stability. There would be no quarter now...

"You should back away, child," he said to the cub.

((Full attack with both Ninjato, Dusk will not circle his opponent, preferring to either drive him back and prevent him from attacking the tiger cub.))

Willow almost lost track of the time as she rested. She was quite thankful that she had no duties to take care of today. For a bit over an hour she rested after she got back, locking herself in the place inside her mind where the universe was hers to control. She thought of what she would say once she encountered this 'Casia' in the mailroom, she wondered endlessly what Yin could want to give her, and why.

At one point, it began to register that Yin was late, not that the fact in itself was surprising. He was later than even expected however, so she shifted as if to get up, when another event wound its way into her area of awareness. The sound of a soft knock, mercifully less punishing on the nerves than the one that began the day's episodes. This relatively peaceful knock upon her door was not the sound that had made her still, and listen. She thought she heard, and was now reaffirmed as she listened, the hastey thrum of some running through the halls.

The girl had fully propped herself up just in time to bare audio witness the the catastrophic collision just beyond the safety of her door.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going!" Casia's voice can be heard.

"What is wrong with you!" Yin shouts angrilly, "Most people I know tend to keep their eyes open while running!"

"I'm very very sorry! I was checking all the room numbers for this delivery. Normally I'm to leave the package at the mailbox, but I found all those mailboxes kind of confusing, and a few actually need to be relabeled, since theirs is either peeling off or is missing, but I would've been quite late if I had to wait for that."
Casia very quickly was attempting to explain to her latest victim the circumstances behind being collided with. Willow rolled off her bed and crossed to her door, to intercept what was building up into a perfect little disaster.

Willow just gets to her door as Yin grunts to his feet, "Who's it for anyway?" He queries.

"For a Ms. Hiswena." Casia replies automatically, "Do you know which room she's in?"
Now both standing they are aware of a third head to the conversation, situated some distance above either in the doorframe immediately along the wall of where the interception occured.

"That," Willow said softly as she slid further into the hall, "would be I. Would you give me a moment Yin?" she asked of the man who had nearly been situated to her back as the tall girl found herself in a more advantageous spot against Casia.

She would have prefered to take care of each person's demands individually, starting with getting her rings back. To Casia she spared little nicety before getting to business. "You should take care where you are running, miss. But that aside, I believe you have some things for me then?"

(If Casia expresses bewilderment at this statement)

"Your boss told me earlier that people tend to find their misplaced objects fairly soon after they loose them. I'm merely asking to have mine returned early, so if you have my rings, I would like to have them back."

(Upon delivery of one ring and return of the other, if such a thing is negotiable)

"There, that wasn't so difficult," Willow said, slipping the signet ring back into her pouch. "This ring here," she said, holding the other up, "is a magic ring, if that doesn't make it valuable enough, it is a present from my fiancé. I'm sure you can understand why I did what I did to ensure its safe return." Willow's shyness of such situations seems gone, as she is the one in control, using her irritation to give her confidence.

"I don't mean to accuse you of theivery. To prove it I shall let you go after I am finished talking with you, but should you continue this practice of slipping objects off those you 'meet', I have no doubt that you will 'meet' some one who will not hesitate to turn you in when they don't immediately find their valuables," she unconsciously grabs Casia by the arm in the process of forcing the woman to understand her words. "Theivery is a dishonourable practice. I understand that you don't intend to keep that which you take, but that in itself doesn't justify the deed. To earn by hard work makes the rewards that much greater, but to steal the profit of another's work is robbing yourself of dignity. I don't think I'm going to be the only one you ever borrow from who can find you again." Willow releases Casia's arm, realizing that she had taken hold of it. "I suggest that you return anything else before you get caught."

As Casia departed Willow watched her go, knowing just how much of her lecture had been copied from the person who had taught her why not to steal, as well as how not to have to. Willow's heart began to lull again, now that the tension had gone. She remembered Yin standing behind her who had witnessed, full-on, a side of Willow that he had never seen outside of practice. She smiled slightly and looked down, timid again.

"You wanted to see me?"

(If Casia elects to run at any point before I am done with her, I will call after her to stop before she gets out of hand and hunt her down.)

Fonhinqann
Gladiator Arena
Five Hours before Twilight
Manalagna this time thrusts forward with his flaming scimitar, then twirls it once, twice, then raises it above his head, the fire intensifying along the blade. "This time, face the wrath of Fire and Light!"

The sky turns an eerie red as a column of fire slams into the ground where Xira is. The crowd looks in awe at the spectacle, and Ken can be half-heard yelling something to the crowd in response as well. However, something is wrong, for Xira had also twisted her body around to avoid the core of that spell as well. With a burst of blackness, Xira leaps from the charred area, slightly burnt herself, directly at Hammer!

Seeing Xira's charge, the crowd supporting Xira change their chant. Rather than calling her name, they call for one particular weapon. "Black Scythe! Black Scythe!"

Xira of course, isn't paying attention to them, but rather, to the fiery weapon in Hammer's hands. Without a sound from Xira, her silver scythe slams into the blade raised to defend. Time slows for just a moment, and the blade emits a black aura that intensifies at the point of impact, some of which flies back along the blade and handle into Xira's bandaged hands. She grits her teeth at the pain of the blackness, but nothing more.

CRACK

Spiderweb cracks flow along the flaming red blade. Time returns, and as Xira follows through, she pulls the scythe right through the blade, which shatters.

Xira brings her scythe back across professionally, ending in a good stance to attack again. Xira's dark eyes bore into Manalagna's and, even though she was successful in her sunder, she is not smiling.

Somewhere Between Wanqir and Aqinarr
Plains of Tiancann
Three Hours before Twilight
"Get out of my way!" The hunter futily shouts again, giving Dusk the opportunity to slash him twice across the torso. However, Dusk's third strike glances off of the man's buckler.

"You should back away, child," he said to the cub.
The young tiger nods its understanding.

The man, however, counters with a strong arc angled in such a peculiar way that Dusk cannot manage to evade it in time. It sinks into Dusk's torso, drawing blood. (-10hp Dusk) The man brings his sword through, and then twirls it around expertly to slash across Dusk's arm. (-5 hp Dusk)

The young tiger dashes away through the grass, much to the hunter's dismay. The hunter actually snarls at his seemingly coming failure.

Aqinarr City
Side Road
Three and Three Quarter Hours before Twilight
"That," Willow said softly as she slid further into the hall, "would be I. Would you give me a moment Yin?" she asked of the man who had nearly been situated to her back as the tall girl found herself in a more advantageous spot against Casia.
Still wincing from the collision, Yin steps away, "No problem. Ouch... you must run very very fast." The last comment is directed towards Casia, who shrugs.

"It's not like I can really afford to lose this job you know, so I can't be late." Casia says, now with an attempted air of professionalism that is obviously fake. "Well... I can't be any later than I am usually, put it that way." She says sullenly.

To Casia she spared little nicety before getting to business. "You should take care where you are running, miss. But that aside, I believe you have some things for me then?"
Casia immediately perks up, then looks around on the floor. After finding the package a bit further along the hallway in the nook of another doorway (if that is any indication of how fast she was running), Casia returns to Willow. "Here you go!" She says smiling.

Then Casia's mind registers the plural in Willow's question. "Oh, 'things'?" She asks, "Oh no... don't tell me I forgot a box!"

Casia looks up and down the hallway again, somewhat frantically, like the bank teller who has misplaced a specific transaction record that was requested. It must be an act; it had to be, yet... maybe she was just a clutz after all.

Casia is actually perspiring, with a few beads of sweat forming on her face from a mixture of embarrassment and stress at her situation.

"Your boss told me earlier that people tend to find their misplaced objects fairly soon after they loose them. I'm merely asking to have mine returned early, so if you have my rings, I would like to have them back."
Casia actually begins to shake at the comment, her hands dropping the offered package onto the floor. She shakes her head, several times, and a few tears form in her eyes. "I didn't do it!" She half yells. It would appear she was more adversely affected by accusations than her manager let on.

Fonhinqann
Gladiator Arena
Five Hours before Twilight

CRACK

Spiderweb cracks flow along the flaming red blade. Time returns, and as Xira follows through, she pulls the scythe right through the blade, which shatters.

Xira brings her scythe back across professionally, ending in a good stance to attack again. Xira's dark eyes bore into Manalagna's and, even though she was successful in her sunder, she is not smiling.
And Neither Was Manalagna Hammer!

His costly blade had been dispatched with the seeming greatest of ease ... the Dwarven Druid only had 4sp to his name ... which was far from enough coin to be able to replace the Flaming Scimitar ... and to make matters worse ... Manalagna Hammer was losing his grip upon all reason and reservation!

"Now Look What You Have Gone And Done!"
Momentarily ... Manalagna Hammer considers bowing his head ... to allow Xira to end the charade once and for all ... but the roar of the crowd feeds his adrenaline rush as he musters one last spell to try to disarm the arena champion!


Manalagana Hammer unleashes a HEAT METAL Spell in a last desperate effort to disarm his foe!

Fonhinqann
Gladiator Arena
Five Hours before Twilight
"Now Look What You Have Gone And Done!"
It is a cry of outrage and indignation, but even this is unheeded by Xira. From the look of her eyes, she doesn't care, nor does she show interest at what was said.

Manalagna, for a split second, thinks about resigning, but the thought is instantly banished from his mind. The crowd wanted to see a fight, and so he would show them one!

Manalagna quickly brings another spell to bear, this time with the intent of disarming Xira. However, as he weaves a pattern through the air, Xira's bandaged hand lashes out and merely touches his arm once and once only. Instantly, Manalagna feels as though he is deathly sick, with his heart beating irregularly, his stomach aching, and his breath now irregular. In spite of this, he manages to keep on casting his spell, but his whisper to fulfill the verbal component is hardly comprehendable by anyone.

Immediately, Xira's scythe in her hands and her armour starts turning red with temperature, however it is not yet hot enough to truly affect her. The bandaged scythe upon her back, however, doesn't begin turning red at all. It remains inert, and unknown; a mysterious force yet to be reckoned with.

Xira raises her scythe, and slashes across horizontally, the blow slicing right through Manalagna's defense with its power. Once again, the blade glows black, making the wound far worse, and some of it backlashing against Xira as well, sparking against her hands, causing her to flinch. (-16hp Manalagna) Not done, Xira brings the scythe expertly back across, this time slashing diagonally, but this time it is met and blocked by Manalagna's raised shield.

The feeling of sickness fades, but it is quite clear that Xira is far more than capable of bringing it back, and the unknown scythe upon her back seems more foreboding as time elapses.

Fonhinqann
Gladiator Arena
Five Hours before Twilight
Manalagna's shield held swift and sure against the onslaught of the she-devil Xira.

Quickly his mind raced through the alternatives of each of his remaining spell choices ... seeking to find a suitable weapon to stave off his own imminent death in the arena!

Suddenly a thought came to Manalagna Hammer that if he were to die at this point in time ... more than anything else he would rather die trying to do something good for someone ... rather than trying to take another life along with his!

Mustering up his last reserves of inner strength ... Manalagna Hammer focuses all his remaining might into forming a CURE CRITICAL WOUNDS Spell ... reaching out with both hands to impart one last remaining gift to the tormented Sand Dance champion!

"Moradin Grant Me The Compassion To Impart Life!

Manalagna Hammer puts forth every energy within himself to lay hands upon Xira and impart a gift of healing to her ... if it is the last thing he ever does in this adventure!

Dusk says nothing, barely wincing as the metal cuts into his torso and arm. He had endured pain at the hands of his enemies and worse at the hands of his friends. Even as the silver blade's tip left the lines in his flesh, the elf could feel his muscles tightening, sealing the lifeblood within the wound. They would sting, still, but the damage would not hamper him (+10 HP via Rags of Restraint).

At the hunter's snarl, Dusk re-engaged the human.

Fonhinqann
Gladiator Arena
Five Hours before Twilight
"Moradin Grant Me The Compassion To Impart Life!"
Yet, even as Manalagna draws the power of Water and Light together to heal, Xira has her own plans. As Manalagna reaches out to transfer the healing energy via touch, Xira grabs the offending hand's wrist in a strong vicegrip.

"I can heal myself." Xira says coldly, "Save it for your own wounds."
Concentrating, Xira somehow reverses the process of the spell, so that it was never cast (and so can still be cast). Xira then releases her grip on Manalagna's wrist.

The scythe in her other hand and her armour now glow a far brighter orange, nearing white. The bandages on that hand singe and burn, and, crying out, Xira drops the scythe to smolder upon the ground. Xira reaches over her shoulder, and grasps the bandaged scythe. Instantly, the bandages on the scythe and her hand tear apart with a loud ripping noise and an explosion of blackness. The crowd supporting Xira shout even louder now, and Xira grits her teeth as she brings the scythe in front for all to see, its black aura utterly destroying the bandages on both her hands, revealing them.

The hands are ragged and have cut marks all over them. Some cuts are so pronounced that they even form unnatural rifts in Xira's hands. The reason why is immediately apparent as the scythe in their grasp. The scythe bears a black aura, and its obsidian-like appearance is the only thing that distinguishes the scythe from the aura. The shaft of the scythe is the definition of jagged, with multitudes upon multitudes of razor sharp edges like rough obsidian. Already, blood drips from Xira's hands as she holds the scythe. The scythe's shaft ends in a sharp point on both ends, and from the top extends a cruel blade. The blade itself has an edge in the shape of the bottom of a bat's wing, and just from looking at it, Manalagna can tell that it its serrated edge is perfectly sharp. Carved along the blade itself is an intricate design. In the beginning of the pattern, parallel to the blade's edge is two crescent moon shapes, one curving towards the bottom edge, the other curving towards the top edge. In between the points of the moons, a sideways eye stares blankly ahead, reflecting the gaze of Manalagna's own eyes. This pattern continues three times along the blade, until the two crescent moons converge to a point just before the blade's tip. Under and above each eye is a simple triangle, completing the pattern.

Xira grits her teeth and her face is contorted in pain, but her eyes glare into Manalagna's. However, from what Manalagna can see of Xira's weakening appearance, it is hard to tell who will fall to the scythe first.

Somewhere Between Wanqir and Aqinarr
Plains of Tiancann
Three Hours before Twilight
Dusk brings his blades to bear against the out-of-line hunter. His first hit slashes hard, slitting the man's torso with a deep wound. The second hit, however, slashes into the hunter's chest, causing him to cough up blood.

"No... I will not let this be in vain!" The hunter snarls, stepping back.

He drops his silver sword, and with blinding speed, he draws and nocks his bow. He fires three arrows in quick succession, their course far beyond Dusk, to the tiger.

Being a lycanthrope hunter, it is not surprising that the man's arrows are also silver, and he is incredibly accurate with them. All three hit their mark, and the young tiger nearly collapses under the assault.

Dusk said nothing and did not even watch the three silver-tipped arrows as they flew past his shoulder. There was nothing he could do to prevent the attacks and so no purpose in expending any energy trying to change the outcome.

His concentration dipped again into his soul, tapping into the essence that connects all beings and objects, once again forcing his body into an ethereal state.

((Next only if I can make a FRA)) This time he did not bother to force his blade back through thin barrier between the gray plains and the material, rather letting his whole body shift back once he had moved through the hunter, slicing three times at his back, hoping to bring the human down before he could finish off the child.

((If only a single SS)

Forcing his blade through the thin barrier between the gray plains and the material, Dusk dug the metal into the human, hoping that a hit against his opponent in a vital area would bring him down, preventing another attack against the child.

((Swift to Ethereal, 5ft step, Full Round attack, first being a Sudden strike. I think that works. If it doesn't work to being a FRA, just do a single Ghost Strike

Fonhinqann
Gladiator Arena
Five Hours before Twilight

Xira grits her teeth and her face is contorted in pain, but her eyes glare into Manalagna's. However, from what Manalagna can see of Xira's weakening appearance, it is hard to tell who will fall to the scythe first.
Whether by an actual energy transfer or merely a result of the psychological boost from the CURE SERIOUS WOUNDS being repelled and returned to him by Xira ... Manalagna Hammer found himself drawing upon an inner reserve of spiritual strength that was unknown even to him!

In those fatal few seconds when Xira's weakening eyes gazed into his own ... Manalagna Hammer unleashes a DISPEL MAGIC Spell against the Black Scythe ... in the desperate hope that his action will render the weapon useless ... otherwise ... he knows his life hangs in the balance!

"Weapon of Darkness ... Be Nullified ... Now!

Manalagna Hammer uses his remaining Strength and Force of Will to concentrate the DISPEL MAGIC Spell upon the Black Scythe! He continues concentrating and pointing at the Black Scythe until something gives ... one way or the other!

Somewhere Between Wanqir and Aqinarr
Plains of Tiancann
Three Hours before Twilight
Dusk vanishes into ethereality yet again, and the hunter tenses for the inevitable. The strike is accurate, and pierces the man's abdomen, puncturing the posterior vena cava. The man coughs up more blood, and the bow falls from his hand as he reaches to his neck.

"I... failed."

The hunter slumps forward, the blade sliding out of his truly lifeless form as he falls to the ground. There is a metallic clink at the impact as a locket snaps off its chain around the man's neck, enveloped within his hand.

The young tiger limps back, limping because its front left leg was pierced by an arrow, and two other arrows are in its left side. It stays a slight distance away from Dusk, hesitant to draw near, and sits on the ground.