A (slightly) Less normal Life

Matthew deflected the blast with the force then began a lightsaber blow, halfway through it, Ana ordered him to step aside. When she did so, whatever had taken control of him suddenly fluttered and his own will came seeping through.

Dropping to his knees he let his now unlit lightsaber roll away from him, "Natanel, protect me" he muttered, he said. Finally admitting that the All existed, when something fundamentally changed inside of him and he knew his life would never be the same.

"I'm coming too..." he said calling his white lightsaber to him "There is something going on, whatever it is, it is very dangerous and I need to figure it out" he added as he stood up while igniting his lightsaber, preparing to help Ana in anyway possible.

A (Slightly) Less Normal Life

"You can try to take me to the Temple, but you won't succeed," Vendar's body said scornfully. "Do the Jedi know, Ana? Do they know who you are? Do they know about him? I wonder how long they would let you stay in the Order if they knew you were in contact with him? The One Who Stand Between the Darkness and the Light? I know all about him. I was with him when he created the Order. I was a founding member."

Ana didn't respond to Vendar's verbal attacks with words of her own. Instead she just punched him in the jaw hard enough to send him flying backwards. The Jedi Master landed right at the feet of Ana's Padawan as Aubrey entered the bar.

"This isn't what it looks like," Ana said defensively.

A (slightly) less normal life

"No but this is" Matthew said, as he jumped forward and putting his lightsaber against Vendar's neck "Then man is delusional and we are taking him the the Jedi temple to have his brain checked" he said while looking pointedly down at the possessed man.

Akwardly enough, at the this time Kale walked into the bar looking for matthew to find him above a Jedi Master -who had a bruised jaw and had Matthew's saber agaist the his neck "Kale, this isn't- this is exactly what it looks like" he said with a role of his eyes.

Kale looked over Aubrey's shoulder at her master "What the heck have you gotten yourself into now" she asked raising her eyes. She didn't feel one bit sorry for Vendar, served that stuck up, snotty and jerkish Jedi master anyhow.

Return of the Fountain Fellowship

Sergeant Fred finally arrived at one of the many council room doors, without hardly looking at Ace he barked "Get two of your men together soldier, you and the two you pick may assist me in escorting our prisoner into the room. The rest of you are dismissed. Go back to your posts"

--

Cale looked at Raven and Rachel, “For you who don’t know who VACs is, he’s a transformer, a small one to be exact. He’s a spy, very nifty little fellow and can transform into any small electric device.

Rachel leaned back in her chair “Well, I hardly know you all, but I will help in anyway I can… I owe it to you” she said with glance in Cale’s direction, she still didn’t understand why the heck these guys were helping her but she sure knew why they were fighting the council. Freedom, so she was more then willing to help.

A (Slightly) Less Normal Life

Caeden blinked blankly as all that just happened, happened. Then he snapped out of his daze and hurried after Ana.

"Hey, wait!" he cried, wanting an explanation. He stopped short when they did and the Jedi master fell to the ground in front of another girl and the same Jedi girl who broke into his master's ship.

"Dude! What is going on?" he asked.

-----

Nikolas growled slightly and brandished his Stygian iron sword, holding it to Sylvia's neck. "Listen, whoever you are," he said angrily (which seemed the only way he could say anything when in the heat of the moment). "A man's life is at stake. Now you're going to help us, or I'm going to open a chasm to Hades so big . . . your big, fat head will fit through easy."

"Oh, great," Peter said with a sigh.

"Here we go again," Hero said, rolling her eyes.

-----

Katie followed Miss Lucinda hurriedly, not glancing back at the vampires, rather scared out of her wits by the female one drinking the blood like that and talking about snapping spines.

"Cor," she said softly. "I hain't never seen critters like that before. Cripes! They gave me a turn, wot?"

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Return of the Fountain Fellowship

Ace waited with his men, growing slightly impatient while the commander took his time doing whatever it was he was doing.

At last, the locked door opened, and the commander entered. Ace figured that he would probably order him back to the front steps, for guard duty, but he was surprised when the commander ordered him to get two guards and help him escort the prisoner.

He swallowed, he wasn't sure that he wanted to be there when they questioned her... but the commander's tone didn't leave any other option, and he did want to know what they would do.

So he nodded, and turned to two of the men behind him. His companion stood at attention, but Ace passed him by, he didn't need a backtalker with him. He picked two of the others at random, and then turned to the girl, "Please stand up miss, it's time to go"

Return of the Fountain Fellowship

Kari looked up when Sergeant Fred entered the room, but in silent rebellion she did not stand up. She wasn't going to anticipate their commamds for them. It was a different matter entirely when Ace told her to stand up. She did so.

Somehow, she became a little, little bit more hopeful when this soldier was kind and polite to her. After standing up, Kay took a deep breath to steel herself to go into the room, and then followed the Sergeant and the guards in.

Vayond: The Shadowed Hunters

It was as if the world of nightmare had suddenly merged with reality. They were being pursued by the Shadowed Hunters; masters of the darkness. Stories said that the Hunters never let their prey escape. Sooner or later, all those targeted by their cold vendetta would lie dead. Trying to flee was about as useless as sticking your hand in a fire and expecting not to be burned.

Yet Micah had just done exactly that less than an hour ago.

That wasn’t the only wonderment of the night. The stories also told that the Hunters were extremely stealthy and silent. They moved as fast as wind, silent as shadows, unpredictable as death. No one could foretell of their coming.

Yet the wounded and weary girl whom they were carrying along had done exactly that less than an hour ago.

There was no time to think about the impossibility of it all. Death was at their heels. The group of escapees could only press further in the dark of the forest, hoping to gain some advantage in this nightmarish trap of inevitable disaster.

Not long after they left the river, nature decided to come against them as well. With a shrill blast of lightning that momentarily lit the forest, followed quickly by a deafening roar of violent thunder, the weather picked up into a severe storm. Moments later another blast of thunder resounded, but even before it did the wind had already intensified and a torrent of rain began to pour, turning the very earth beneath their feet into a sticky tempest of mud that sucked at their feet and slowed them down.

“Our only shelter now is the cleft,” Micah called to the others, hoping to encourage them despite the dismal circumstances. “We must reach it!” The rain was falling so heavily that one could hardly see more than a few yards in any direction. Micah found Edmund, who was moving through the adverse weather with the extra burden of the girl.

“Let me help you,” Micah said to Edmund, reaching out to take the girl from his arms. He gave him an encouraging smile through the rain. “You’ve done a good job; I think it’s my turn now.” Then he looked at the girl, and felt a pang of sympathy in his heart. If this was hard for the rest of them, strong and healthy, it must be even worse for here. "We're going to be okay," he said, and distantly wondered if that was a lie.

A few more moments of pressing on brought them to a place where the forest floor opened up in a narrow crevice; just like Jarien had said, the geography of the place in tangent with the thick foliage made the cleft completely invisible from nearly all angles. The group rushed into the hiding place without breathing a word, and huddled under the earthy overhangs to escape wind and rain. A thin rivulet of fast water rushed down the center of the cleft, carrying with it mud and foliage from the forest above. “At least this rain might hinder those trying to track us,” Micah pointed out, but the thought wasn’t quite encouraging enough to cheer himself up at all. The actual cleft was bordered with stone and packed earth, fortunately sturdy enough to hold up even against this intense storm. "We should be safe here for the night," Micah said. But what after that? he wondered. There was no need to voice this thought; he knew everyone else was already thinking the same.

-------

“Rain,” Rokard spoke softly as he surveyed the drastic change in the weather. He and Zorack had guided their horses out of the river up to the bank; the river was now swullen with new waters, nearly twice as high and fast as it had been before. Miniature waterfalls cascades from every leaf and branch of the forest, turning the dirt below into mud. Any tracks, any crushed foliage, any indications of movement at all were now hopelessly destroyed by the unfortunate occurance of rain. “Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day…” Rokard chanted the common child’s poem, his voice carrying the ghostliness of a single bell's toll through the halls of an empty church.

This is the sort of thing that makes one upset, he thought to himself, finding the thought very interesting. Having your plans foiled by the unpredictability of nature… yes, this is exactly the type of thing that would make someone lose his temper. But Rokard firmly believed that losing your temper never helps in such cases, so he took a deep breath, and slowly released it, forcing himself into a state of stoic apathy. That was his trademark; cold, feelingless, get-the-job done; and if a surprise comes along the way, deal with it. No time for anger.

Rokard kicked his horse and turned it around. “They would have been forced to leave the river in this weather; but we won’t find any tracks in this rain. Let’s go back to Dalin and the others.”

Vayond: The Shadowed Warriors

Shyanne frowned, pulling her knees to her chest, trying to avoid as much muddy water as she possibly could. She touched one of her wet, limp ringlets and sighed. She was a mess and she knew it.

Leaning towards Micah, she asked in a whisper, "Micah, please tell me what's going on..."

Vayond: The Shadowed Hunters

Dalin was frustrated. Cold and frustrated. As the raging tempest set in, he had no other choice but to leave the forest. His horse's legs sunk into the deep mud, causing it to neigh in fear. He kicked its sides and sent it leaping from area, pulling its hooves free. He whipped his head around to look at the shadowed dripping forest, lit here and there by fierce flashes of lightening. The clouds over head rumbled in burdened pain as they quickly dumped their loads of water droplets. His hood flew from his head and he quickly replaced it once again hiding his appearance. Neither them, nor their prey could make it far in such a violent squall. By morning the weather would clear, and even though the sticky mess on the ground would remain, they would head out. Sleep will elude us tonight...constant watch. As soon as this lessens we will return to hunting He wished no word of their current failure to reach the king. Of course, admitting defeat was something Dalin never did. He didn't give up and if he did it was because he had been forced to, and very little could force him to go anything. His horse flew across the plain, spooked by the lightening and thunder. When they reached the cobbled road he found the majority of his men congregating already. He gazed around at the group then barked above the howling wind. "Let's go the blacksmiths building.....follow!" he then spurred his horse.

~<>~

Susanne was suddenly drenched by the rain and frightened by the horrid noise of swirling wind and rumbling thunder. She was still held by the young sandy haired man, but could feel his grip on her loosening and how she was slowly slipping from his grasp. She was then taken by the muscled blacksmith who spoke to her reassuringly. She whimpered in response and buried her head into his shirt trying to shield her face from the rain. She could barely hold onto him, for her weak arms didn't comply to moving. They hung limply down from her shoulders. Her whole body was spent. The cold water that rained down on her back made her shiver from cold. The thin dress she wore gave little protection to her skin from the drenching torrent. It did wash her few cuts though and bask her bruise in a soothing liquid. She began crying then, and didn't know why. Maybe it was the fear, or weakness, or the fact her whole world had shattered.

Sometime later, though she did not look up to see where, they came to a partially sheltered area. She felt herself laid down slowly, and she tried to curl up and shut her eyes to the storm. But trying to move her cramped and weak muscles made them hurt and she instead just laid there, staring at the beautiful woman sitting near her.

Vayond

Edmund spoke for Micah. "We are running from the Hunters, who wish to make mincemeat out of us. So, we are hiding in here. Susanna is sick, having been on the run from them since she was a baby. I found out the King was probably in alliance with the Hunters, but when I suggested it I was chased out of the castle. Then, Micah helped us get to the Inn, which was our hiding place until those scalawags showed up. When those scalawags found out our hiding place, we and our new friends had to hide somewhere else."

Vayond: The Shadowed Hunters

"I know this may come as a shock, but who exactly are the Hunters and what do they want with her?" Shyanne asked, hesitatingly, as she pointed to Susanne.

Vayond: The Shadowed Hunters

(((OOC: I have to follow that post by BOE!? That was a great post BTW)))

Jarien nodded to The Blacksmith, "Yes, I can show the way" he said. He pointed with his hand to the deep forest, "this way!"

He forged his way through the water and to the edge of the forest. He swept the canopy of vines aside with his arm, "Come on!"

Adi didn't leave his side as he waited for the others to pass through, and then let the vines drop behind them. The darkness of the forest closed about them, and the heavyness of the air was like a blanket.

Jarien pushed his way to the front of the group, and proceeded to lead them on into the darkness. For some reason, even though Jarien and Adi had been this way a hundred times on hunting trips, the forest felt different tonight.

The air was closer, the humidity oppressive, and it was hard to breathe. The feeling of fear that wrapped around their hearts seemed to encompass the entire forest, and the whole wood seemed to close in.

Jarien took a deep breath and let it out, then forged on, he couldn't let the woods stop him from helping the group. He realized that now he had to help think for them all. Adi came first to him, he had to protect her. But he also knew that they were 'all in the same boat' so to speak.

It was only moments after they had entered the forest that the weather also threw itself against them. The rain made it extremely hard to see, and the wind whipped the branches and vines into a frenzy.

But Jarien knew his way, and they finally made it to the safety of the cleft that he had described. He made sure that they were all in safely, and then Adi and he went in also. He settled near the rest of the group and turned to the blacksmith, "Whats your name anyway?"

Vayond: The Shadowed Hunters

(((OOC: Ha ha, thanks WON. This one isn't quite so long... )))

“My name is Micah Tanniyn,” Micah replied. He quietly searched the faces of those around him, realizing there were several whose names he didn’t know either. “We’ve all been thrust together here; we should get to know each other. Most importantly –” Micah turned to the girl who had brought them all together, “I think we’d all like to know more about you, if we may. Do you know why they are hunting you - why they are hunting us?” The last thing Micah wanted to do was press her too hard in her weariness, but it seemed imperative that they all know more about their mutual enemies.

A (Slightly) Less Than Normal Life

Miss Lucinda suppressed a shudder and pulled Katie into her arms for a hug.

"I'm sorry deary. I always forget how ... different the the differently alive are. Not the kind of critters I should be taking little ones around. Though I suppose one could call it educational. Learning's good for ya, you know? You might even be able to teach me a few things! What kind of magics do they have in your world?"

The ground trembled a bit as the duo walked back through the part of the graveyard the barrow-wights were camped under. Miss Lucinda stomped her foot on the ground and the minor earthquake stilled.

-----

Desdemona clapped her hands happily as the duo of Miss Lucinda and Katie disappeared.

"Free juicy yummy blood, Simon! And killing! Lots of it. I do like this town," Desdemonda said before her expression turned suddenly thoughtful. "The wrinkly old hag was lying to us about the girl. She's no Tibetan thunder goddess. Once this job is over, could we turn her, Simon? I would love a little girl to play with.

-----

Sylvia exploded in a cloud of dried leaves and reappeared a safe distance from Nicholas.

"What's the matter with you, mini-freak? You go around brandishing weapons at goddesses, you're going to get hurt! You're lucky I'm not one of my sisters, they would have killed you for that," Sylvia said, indignant. "As for you, Moira, what the unpleasant-afterlife-designed-for-people-who-cheap-out-on-sacrifices-to-me are you thinking bringing these psychos in here? This is a bookstore!"

"It's not like you were in any danger," Moira replied, a glint of humor in her eyes. "I can assure you that I would most definitely know if a deity was about to die in my immediate vicinity. The migraine from that omening would last me months."

Sylvia's annoyed expression immediately transformed into a pleased one.

"So me dying would cause you pain? Are we talking so bad you can't eat or talk or do much of anything at all or just the kind where you get to sit around and eat ice cream and moan about how much pain you're in so people will massage your feet and stuff to make you feel better even though you're wildly exaggerating?"

-----

"I'm not entirely certain myself, but I think Vendar has been possessed by a Force Spirit. A Dark Side one at that," Ana said. "Aubrey, is your speeder close by? We need to get him to the Temple before he wakes up. Caedan, you're welcome to come if you like."

"Um, I'm parked just around the corner," Aubrey said. She was deeply confused by the current turn of events, but that was pretty much how she felt most of the time around Ana. She turned to look at Caedan and asked, "How'd you get drug into this mess?"

Vayond: The Shadowed Hunters

Susanne looked up at Micah, finally knowing her rescuers name. She wondered if he saw the thanks in her eyes. But her blue orbs were also full of weariness. He turned to her and asked her to tell them more about herself and her, or their, enemies. Every muscle in her body cried out for rest, but she forced herself to sit up against the damp dirty wall of the cleft. Her mouth opened and shut but no voice came out, and she looked down for a minute. A cracked sound then came from her, and she was surprised to hear how weak she sounded. "My name is Susanne....." she sighed, summoning more breath. "I don't know why they hunt me" she turned her face down and hoped the drops of water now resting on her arm would be mistaken for rain not tears. "They've been chasing me for days, I'm sorry you all were drug into this" she couldn't say anymore and had to stop and breathe. What she knew of hunters was very little, but she thought she knew why they were after her. She also knew she should tell all these people the truth, but what her Father had been was a secret and the reason he and her mother were killed when she was a child and the reason they were most likely after her now.

*******

Dalin threw open the door to the blacksmith's shop, the rain creating a flowing curtain behind him. The inside was a dark chocolate black, and all could be heard was the clank of metal. He stepped in cautiously and moved around picking each step with care. He felt along the wall with one wet and cold hand before feeling a torch. He slid it from it's holder and whispered a small word he had learned ages ago from a sorcerer. The end burst into flames. Looking around he saw the typical blacksmith tools and created merchandise. Fine steel, iron, and silver weapons were made here and he saw a few of such specimens lying about. He breathed heavily before replacing the torch and beckoning his hunters in. "Tonight we wait here....and hope for their sake no one else decided to come in" He left Akar unsheathed and in his hand as he stood at a silent vigil at the window.