Valek laced his hands together. His mind mussing over the chosen. The ones who some say could bring him down. Foolishness! He would not be stopped by some prophecy.... but still better safe than sorry, why give that fool of a queen and her deranged king hope? It would be far better to remove all sense of hope. They shall beg for mercy at the end.... and he would not grant it to them. Their reign was indeed over. He could taste the sweet wine of victory already. Everything was perfect!

Valek suddenly felt a chill run down his spine..... something was wrong! He stood up and ran up the stairs and into his looking chambers. His seeing pool was spinning and steaming. Muttering a few words the spinning stopped but steam still rose. Valek leaned over to look in, he could see people sitting on branches. A dragon stood out among them holding a strange device... then there was an elf.... and three humans.... two men and a woman and..... someone else..... yes the person appeared almost female at first glance..... but Valek was sure it was a male.... curious indeed. He smiled, the queen may have brought her so called chosen but she could not hide where they were from him. He knew now where they were, his smile widening, he would have the chosen and the queen and king would watch in horror as he ended their hope.

He walked back down the stairs, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

Five men cloaked in black robes walked in. Though simple in appearance one should not be deceived, for under the cloaks were all manner of weapons that were made for one purpose..... the art of silent killing. These men were the hunters. Men trained in the arts of stealth and assassination. They bowed to Valek and remained silent. they never did talk much..... but when they did your blood would freeze. Everything about them inspired fear. They were the most ideal for this job. The chosen were new to this world! They would not know how to deal with them.

"Good you have come! The so called chosen have come, they have gathered in the forest just south of here between my kingdom and the queens. As far as I can tell they have not been found. Bring them to me alive before the kings men can find them!"

The hunters nodded and left. Valek laughed coldly everything was going how he wanted it. He was in control now. The king would realize al too late that he no longer held the winning cards.

---

Erik looked hopelessly at Shawne confused as what to do. That was when the new person started talking, his name was Lucian. Erik smiled weakly, "My name is Erik and this is Shawne."

Erik took Shawne's hands looked her straight in the eyes.

"Shawne listen to me! We are not dreaming and this is all real! Snap out of it! Please! I can't go on without you! need you to be focused if we have any chance of getting back home! Please snap out of it!"

Erik was pleading and he knew he sounded desperate. But what else could he do? It was true, he wouldn't be able to make it without someone he knew! Shawne was the only person he knew and they needed to stick together to get through this. Sure Lucian might be in the same boat as them but Erik didn't have a clue who he was and wasn't sure if he should trust him! He had in fact been running from the cops.

Erik lifted his head for a moment.... "Ugh do you all hear something..... cause I think someone is close by."

As everyone was quiet one could here someone talking.... the words were indistinct but someone was close by.

_________________

"Listen to the music of the night.... for in it is the melody of life."

~Master to Butler Vilora

Erik was right she needed to get it together, this was not the time to panic not when it seemed that they had entered into the world from her dreams. Years of therapy and thousands of dollars had been a waste, like she often told her mother, just wait till she got home she was going to so rub it in her mother's face. That was of course if she could indeed find her way home again, she will, she will find a way back for her and Erik; she was not going to start losing it again. He needed her and she needed him, they needed each other and not no other reason then that she was going to keep it together to make sure he made it home safely. For some unknown reason she felt that this was largely her fault and so she was not going to just leave him her to try and make it on his own.

Taking a deep calming breath Shawne looked around the small make shift camp once more, her mind still not really believing what she was seeing but she forced herself to cope and deal. Looking to Lucian and his wound she went to him without a word, "Here....let me take a look at that...." she tells him, having recalled that bit of field medicine her mother made her remember so that in case of an emergency she was not so useless or helpless. Checking his wound carefully she noticed that there was still a good sized chunk of wood stuck in it that would need to come out before it could begin to heal properly. Looking up at the others, "Does anyone have a knife perhaps? I need something sharp to help cut and dig this piece of wood out of his back?" she spoke in surprisingly calm tone as her mind focused on the task at hand, still she knew Erik was a big reason as to her current state of mind so she was going to make sure to thank him later for it.

While the group continued on with their talking, the group of men sent by the king charged across the land, a jeweled pendant held in the hand of their leader. The Queen had given him the item as means to help guide them, the light would grow brighter the closer they got to the Chosen. Thus far it was a low pulse but the further they traveled north the brighter it did seem to become so the men did not waste time trying to stop and ask any of the local village people as they rode through if they had seen of the Chosen. For once the men were truly pleased with whom their King had chosen to marry, even if she was from a witch tribe and spent far too much time in her private chambers doing the Gods know what. At the moment it seemed that she was the one who had brought their salvation to them, she was the bringer of the Chosen and had been the one to find the ancient text that spoke of them. Now one could only hope that this legend was true and they would restore the balance and bring peace back to the land, because if not then they were all surely wasting their time. The Dark lord was a man to be feared for a reason and if the Chosen were nothing but false hopes and dreams created by the witch woman, then it was best to just charge into battle and prey to the Gods for a swift and honorable death.

_________________

Osarin walked nearer to the sounds of voices, rustling and odd thuds. His brow beaded with sweat, his palms soon accompanied them. His mind raced, what could be making this sound? Demons, devils, magic, humans? It wouldn't have surprised him if humans had finally gone off the deep end and decided to hunt down trees. There, in the distance, a group of people, and... no. Yes, a dragon. Osarin's heart skipped a beat, he had heard many legends of great dragons, and the hunters that fled in their wake. A small smile crept over his dark skin, "I can't believe it." he had never seen a dragon before, but had heard many stories from his bardic mentors, how dragons were benevolent and just, wise beyond years and so powerful it took armies to take them down.

His smile faded as his gaze drifted to an odd contraption that lay near the group. He couldn't make it out from his current distance, but it looked colorful. That must have been what made the noise, his mind again raced, why would someone summon such a contraption alongside a dragon? Maybe it wasn't an object, but a creature... His brow furrowed, and his brain told him to run, to turn around, leave the mysteriously dressed humans alone, leave their odd summons alone, and just go to the tavern, sing, and earn your bread. Nope. His heart would have none of it, and before he knew what was happening, Osarin was walking towards the group, "Hey!" He called, raising his hands in a symbol of peace, "Is everyone here alright?" His voice, while soft, held a distinct human temperament. Getting closer to the scene, he sees that the creature is just a lump of colorful metals and black substance... dripping wet. His brow furrowed, e spoke again, this time looking at the dragon, as if attempting to look through an illusion, past the smoke and mirrors, "You are a dragon, aren't you?" Osarin would earn much renown for his newest tale of meeting a Summoner, if an oddly dressed one, her alchemical creation and a dragon!

_________________

Tarathar only now noticed the injury on the man and began digging in her bag for a dagger. She pulled it out and handed it to Shawne, then inspected the injury for herself.

"Yes, this branch will have to be removed, then my magic should help with the rest." she said, "Sir, you should lie down. This is a bad injury." She laid a hand on his shoulder, "Lucian, was it? I'll give you something for the pain."

Again she dug inside her bag and produced a potion, then handed it to him with the cork out, "Here, it will make all pain vanish for a short while. Drink it all."

Drake, on the other hand had been staring into the fire his mind running amok. It was Erik's words that made him blink and turn away.

"Ugh do you all hear something..... cause I think someone is close by." he said. The sounds of breaking twigs and moving bushes finally entered his ears noticed and he turned to the sounds, seeing a boy emerge with his hands held high. He was hard to see in the darkness.

"Hey!" he called, "You are a dragon, aren't you?" Drake stood, towering over all of them as his hand went to the massive sword on his back. He was being overly cautious as there were injured among them and an ambush now wouldn't be the ideal circumstance.

"Aye, lad. What of it?" he asked, "Here to scout for the King's men for a gold piece?"

_________________

The surprise that the girl was so quick to help him was obvious on Lucian’s face but he didn’t say a word and let her address his wound, along with the help of the elf female’s dagger. Although he had to admit, her presentation of the “potion” brought on a questionable look on Lucian’s face which he directed right at the Elf. After a brief moment of hesitation, he took the bottle and looked it over.

“Whatever, I feel like I’ve died already so I doubt it could get any worse” he spoke as he popped the cork off, raised it towards the Elf as if she was accompanying him for a drink then tossed his head back and gulped the entire bottle. The liquid was warm and had a somewhat bittersweet taste to it. The effect was almost immediate as everywhere on his body that was aching or in pain was now tingling and soon he felt nothing. Realizing that lying down would make it easier for them to heal him; he obliged the Elf’s suggestion and laid flat on his stomach, glancing over at the dragon-like creature. The mere existence of such a creature along with the Elfin female was a bit to handle but Lucian kept to himself and let the women work without question.

Suddenly a rustling in the brush nearby seemed to have startled the group and Lucian was quick to get back on his feet, grabbing the branch shard he broke off his body on the way up and stood ready for whatever else he may encounter. Finally a young man emerged with his hands held up, obviously paying no real attention to the rest of the group and was fixated on the dragon, which was understandable. Seeing that the boy was no real threat, Lucian calmed himself and suddenly realized he had interrupted his own healing process and the sudden burst of adrenaline and movement made him a bit woozy so he quickly laid back down to let the ladies finish up, but not taking his eyes off the dragon as he still stood ready for anything which didn’t sit too well with Lucian, but he stayed put so he could be fixed up and ready to defend himself if indeed this kid brought an ambush with him.

Lucian listened to the dragon and his thoughts focused in on a few key words: “King’s men”. That meant that this wasn’t some free world he just dropped into, there was a hierarchy, a King even. The mere presence of this dragon and elf was evidence enough that Lucian and the other two had emerged in an unknown world or realm, but the mention of a King solidified it and made it all the more too real for Lucian. If there was a King that meant an army, and if this local kid just popped in from the woods that meant they weren’t too far from a village. If someone were looking for this kid they might even bring some of the “King’s Men” with and then what? Lucian struggled to shake off the thoughts. He never imagined trying to rationalize a situation that he thought never could have existed. With all the thoughts flying through his head Lucian hadn’t noticed that the ladies’ patchwork was already finished so Lucian stood pulling his shirt back down over his back and abs then bent down to pick up his motorcycle jacket then slipped it on, all the while his eyes wandered the other sides of the forest around them, waiting for armed guards to just spring out swords drawn. Lucian then looked at two females.

“Thanks for your help…” he nodded. Lucian stretched his arm out a bit to test the reliability of the Elf’s healing and surprisingly he felt no pain or discomfort, save for the slight soreness of his muscles in general. He glanced back at the Elf.

“Feels great. Now what the hell are we all doing here?” Lucian questioned, seemingly ignoring the boy who had just arrived.

_________________
"Told me to prove to them what I was worth
We’ll teach you to move without mercy and give you the tools to go after the causers of hurt
You'll become death. You will take breath
This is for everything you’ve ever loved
Use all the pain that you’ve felt in your life as the currency go out and trade it for blood
You are not you. You are now us
We are the only ones that you can trust
You’ll become fear. They’ll become dust
Before this moment you didn't mean much
You are the smoldering vessel of punishment born to do nothing but justify us"

"Aye, lad. What of it?" he asked, "Here to scout for the King's men for a gold piece?"

"No king of mine." Osarin laughed slightly. He wanted little, if anything to do with humans, or their completely futile nobility. "Osarin Taleminesca," His name rolled off his tongue, sounding almost sing-song, He bowed his head slightly, his dark hair falling lightly in his face, "and if it calms you to any extent, I am not here to hunt, I am not a danger, unless you find flowers frightening." He laughed more heartily, the musical sound echoing through the trees. With a small, slow motion, a few flowers bloomed in a nearby shrub, "Simply a bard, I heard the noise and if nothing else could use some inspiration for a great, fame-worthy epic." He smiled. Osarin took a couple steps forward, trying to seem non-threatening, His dark green eyes flicking through the members present. "Or if not an epic maybe a great tragedy, is everyone alright? Your summoner appears ill, and there's a branch in that man's leg."

With a sudden realization of how bad this scene actually was, curiosity of all things, welled inside Osarin. What happened? His mind screamed. He was too worried what the answer might be to justify asking. If the dragon had indeed been summoned, and turned on the summoner why, then, was he not finishing the both of them off? With brow furrowed, Osarin looked from the dragon to the elf, then to the humans. Maybe he and not she was the summoner, maybe the woman was meant as sacrifice? That would explain the odd garb, humans had a habit of making things pretty before they die, or even more macabre, after they die.

_________________

Shawne finished with the man known as Lucian's back, unable but to take note of his muscles and the few scars and abrasions he had that appeared to be old. This marked him as a fighter of sorts, or at least someone who knew their way around in an altercation either way she hoped that he was a friendly sort since what little defense that she knew would probably not be enough to take him down. Standing she handed the dagger back to the elf with a light smile, her mind still in a hazy state of shock trying to process what should for all intensive purposes be just another dream. Yet she knew beyond a doubt that this was not a dream and that meant that she was probably in a lot of trouble, her mind wandering to her dream from earlier as she recalled the ending. How that presence felt? How scared she was? The voice of the unknown woman warning her....it was all so vivid that for a long moment she stood staring at the fire her mind replaying the dream over until...just as the presence reached for her...

“...Now what the hell are we all doing here?”

"The circle...." she whispered at first as she continued to stare into the fire while their newest member to this odd group spoke of his intentions. Still all the while her mind was wrapped up and focused on this thought, on this dream and its meaning. Arms hugging herself in a subconscious effort to provide comfort she desperately needed Shawne spoke up again.

"The circle is why we are here...it has to be completed..." her voice louder this time though there was a bit of a mad edge to it, or perhaps more of an edge of excitement. Eyes finally rising from the fire to look about each member in turn, before finally coming to rest on the elf and the dragon sharing a look between the two of them. "This is your world so you must know just what this 'Circle' thing is? If we can figure out how to complete it then we should be able to go home...back to our world and our lives....I mean that is how it works in all the books and movies. Right now we are living our own little fantasy and it stands to reason that if we do whatever is asked of us then we get to go back to our lives...right?" she asked of them in that same edgy desperate and yet excited tone.

_________________

"Moo-Vees?" Drake muttered, confused, "No, I am unsure of what the Chosen has to do to fulfill the prophecy. I expect it is to become great heroes to save this land."

"Yes, from the Dark Lord Valek." Tarathar spoke up, "The Circle is a group of chosen heroes that appear when this world needs them. They are summoned when the Dark Lord rises to power and threatens peace. This has happened many times before in this world's history, both the heroes and the Dark Lord are reincarnated over and over. Although the Dark Lords soul has remained on Terranu, the Circle has protected themselves by traveling to other realms in hopes to be reborn into a peaceful society where they can mature and live long enough to become the heroes they need to be."

Drake stood shocked for a moment, "Where did you learn this, Love?"

"Long ago I was studying these things from an ancient library my people had found. The rest, the trees had advised me for they are wise from their long years standing." she said, closing her eyes to listen. Drake heard it too.

"And what are they telling you now?" He asked.

"We should leave now." She said, "There are two groups approaching. One could be the queen's men, but as they are coming from two different directions, its hard to say who's who."

"We could assume the group from the city's direction belong to the Queen, but both could claim to be from her and we'd have no way of knowing." Drake said, looking into the fire, "It may be best to avoid both and make our way to the city alone."

"Yes, the Queen would have the answers you seek. She will be able to help you all find your power and learn to wield it to fight the Dark Lord." Tara said, "I shall guide you myself while Drake keeps watch from the trees and air. He has not the best reputation with the Royal Guard here, nor anyone else for that matter." Drake lowered his massive head and turned, putting his hands over the fire as if to warm them, yet the flames seemed to be sucked into his palms, leaving behind smoldering logs. With his hands still over the charred wood, waves of heat could be seen in the morning air rising from the logs and into his hands. When he was finished, frost could be seen inching across the blackened wood.

"Let us leave. Leave nothing behind" he said.

_________________

Erik just stared at the elf and Dragon for a few minutes, they were being serious! Of course he had stupid dreams about being a hero and traveling to a new place and experiencing a new life but it was always a silly dream. He wasn't anything special, he was confused.... and felt weird..... something chose to live in him. If he thought about it too much he might explode. Looking at the others he shook his head trying to make sense of all of this. Dark Lords and people chosen to save a land. Erik really had to wonder if his head was all the way there.... surely stuff like this didn't happen in real life. He was Erik, a college student! It was all so confusing. But he didn't have much choice than to travel with these people. And this king and queen sounded more hospitable than this dark lord Valek. So he didn't think there would be a much harm in going that way. Who knew maybe something would get cleared up. And then the elf was talking about sensing people coming from each direction. If there was one thing Erik knew it was that in a new land you didn't want to meet anyone like this. Not in a forest having to chose between two groups..... surely one of them were bad. Especially if you were dealing with a dark lord.

"Um..... yeah we should move. I don't have anything to leave behind..... well except my car back there..... but it is totaled and there is little we could do about it."

Erik shrugged and brushed his bangs out of his face looking pretty confused.

---

The Hunters road for the forest. They soon caught traces of a disturbance, a magical disturbance. Pushing their horses harder toward the magic. As they came closer they dismounted their horses and began to fan out stealthily. Their leader made his way around and up a tree. The other four hunters formed a star around the small group. The kings men were coming soon, they would need to act fast.

The leader looked from his tree into the clearing and smiled coldly.... they were not ready for them.... three humans... maybe four all unarmed. The only threat was a dragon and an elf. The dragon would be the hardest to take down. No matter though, the hunters had brought down many a dragon some much larger and stronger than this one. The elf would probably have magic.... not too hard either as they had their own arts against such things.

The hunters were in position their bows strung with an arrow dipped in black poison that would cause a deep sleep. The leader pulled out his own bow with a heavy arrow for the dragon. They would show themselves and if these people were smart they would come quickly and quietly.

Nodding his head the leader stepped out into the open along with the other four. There was no escape now.

"Stay where you are."

The leader spoke in a deadly soft hiss that chilled the blood.

"Lay down your weapons elf and you too dragon. Make any sudden movements and you can be sure my arrow will aim true."

_________________

"Listen to the music of the night.... for in it is the melody of life."

~Master to Butler Vilora

"Ha!." Osarin laughed musically, if not patronizingly, "if the kings men are indeed after you, then you should have left this are long ago... leave your ...total kar," he cringed as he spoke, unsure if he was saying it correctly, "behind, and I'd get moving. Of course, if you'd like, nobody knows the forests quite like a dryad." he smiled as he spoke, offering his services, which was cut short.

"Stay where you are."

The leader spoke in a deadly soft hiss that chilled the blood.

"Lay down your weapons elf and you too dragon. Make any sudden movements and you can be sure my arrow will aim true."

Osarin swallowed hard, thanking the gods silently that his newly stolen bow was hidden away in a bag on his back. He raised his hands in a sign of surrender, not intending to surrender by any means. "Now now, surely we can negotiate." Osarin spoke in a particularly feminine tone, soft, and oddly haunting. He summoned all his might into his words, a dryad trick, haunting voice and magic combined could force the weak willed. He spoke slowly, "There must be something else you want. If you just relax, take a deep breath, and calm yourselves." His magic words wound themselves through the forest which heaved a collective, serene sigh. He had used too much magic today, and was unsure how many he could control, but surely at least one would falter... they were only human. He backed slowly against a tree, should his mother's magic fail him in this endeavor, surely he could manage to meld with the trees, a quick, if hardly subtle escape.

_________________

Erik swallowed hard as the men surrounded them. This was going to be ugly, how typical though. In a new world bad guys find them..... hopefully things would play out all well like in the movies where they make an amazing run or get rescued..... Erik was leaning more toward the rescue idea.

He raised hands slowly wishing he could do something more than just stand there.

--

The leader almost laughed as he felt the affects of the magic.

"I would save your strength you whelp. Such petty magic is useless to us."

His words were so cold it cut the affects of the magic right away.

"Did you really think it would work? Now the next person who tries any funny magic business will feel my arrow. Understand that? Now follow me and be quick."

The leader motioned to the others and they brought up the rear. They would have to move fast to avoid a conflict with the kings men.

_________________

"Listen to the music of the night.... for in it is the melody of life."

~Master to Butler Vilora

The men of the King reined their horses gathered about their leader who stared in disbelief down at the talisman in his hand, watching the light flicker over and over before finally cutting out all together. He shook it a few times, before shoving the item into a saddle bag anger evident in his face as he glared out across the darkening land scape.

"Sir?" one of his men spoke up earning himself a glare which cause his tongue suddenly dry now and he lost his voice for a moment.

"Well spit it out!" their commander snapped at him, truly not in the mood to deal with anything extra at the moment.

"What are we going to do now?" the man rushed to answer his angered commander.

For a long moment James was still as he continued to stare off into the distance before he finally at up straight in his saddle, "We continue on in the direction we were going. Let the hounds off their leashes, they will zero in on anything that don't smell right. And we shall pray for guidance for the Gods to smile down on us to grant us with their blessings so that we reach their Chosen before the enemy!" he kicked his horse into a gallop and charged off, soon there after the baying of hounds could be heard as they were released. The hunt was on, though their time was running out and if they failed it was not just failing their king but failing the world.


Shawne moved to her bike determined to not leave it behind but before she could begin trying to get it going again some more strangers stepped out into their campsite, though these had weapons. Shawne stared from her knelt position at her bike, not exactly in shock but not really afraid either. She actually thought it was all rather funny really and so it was with a smile on her lips as she stood looking at the man armed with a bow and looking for all the world like someone she should be afraid of yet she was not.

"How about this...you and your freak party turn around and go on wherever it is you are suppose to be. I am really not in the mood to be coming along peacefully and well there is no way in hell I am leaving my bike. So you can either wait for me to get it running again or you can just be on your way because I am not leaving without it" she said to him in a very serious and somewhat cocky tone. Whether or not this was a good idea or not remained to be seen but all Shawne knew was that she felt pretty damn good standing up to these men and was not going to let him bully her or her friends if she could do anything about it.

Off in the distance hounds could be heard, along with the pounding of horse hooves as the Kings men drew closer.

_________________

Lucian fingered the broken branch around in his hand as he knelt by the fire listening carefully to the girls discuss the story behind the infamous "Circle" that seemed go be haunting everyone recently. The mention of a dark lord and a queen of sorts brought a raided eyebrow to Lucian's face. He remained quiet however. Although hearing about it all is quite unbelievable to say the least, the feeling of urgency and realism to the entire situation was nothing short of real.

Lucian stood and retrieved his jacket, pocketing the dagger sized branch before slipping into the cold hard leather. A sudden and very unwelcomed voice seemed to echo around the small group. This obviously was not the search party they were hoping for. To Lucian, it was just another threat, another jackass that needed to be put in his place, or put 6 feet under. But even a street-wise fighter like Lucian knew the tactical advantage of being hidden with bows and arrows against a group of mostly unarmed members. The only thing he could hope for was to either be taken prisoner, which would force the opposition to get close to him, inside his "killing zone" or hope that the dragon and elf had something helpful up their sleeves.

Much to Lucian's surprise, the new kid spoke up, but it was...different. Almost enchanting. Whatever it was it wasn't a normal human tone. It was...dare he say, magical in essence. Waiting for a response from the hidden threats was getting tiresome and Lucian hated not knowing what or who he was up against but lashing out verbally in a position of disadvantage would be reckless and more likely put everyone in danger. Instead Lucian managed to slide the small pointed branch up his sleeve and worked out a strategy in his head should these assailants attempt to take him prisoner. Just another day in the life of Lucian....

_________________
"Told me to prove to them what I was worth
We’ll teach you to move without mercy and give you the tools to go after the causers of hurt
You'll become death. You will take breath
This is for everything you’ve ever loved
Use all the pain that you’ve felt in your life as the currency go out and trade it for blood
You are not you. You are now us
We are the only ones that you can trust
You’ll become fear. They’ll become dust
Before this moment you didn't mean much
You are the smoldering vessel of punishment born to do nothing but justify us"

They all stood there neither quite willing to give into the other yet neither willing to yield either. The prophecy of the Chosen was enough to make even these brave and determined hesitate in taking action against them. These were suppose to be the CHOSEN of the very GODS, not just your everyday fighter or mage, the powers that they were to possess were suppose to be terrifying.

Their leader barked again about them moving and Shawne continued staring them down, that unsettling smirk upon her lips as she refused to move. A voice somewhere inside of her whispering to her, coaching her, trying to get her to do something. What that something was she had no clue, but it was that very something that made her stand there and hold her ground.

"Go ahead and shoot us already! I know that I am not going anywhere with you assholes and I sure as hell ain't letting you take Erik or anyone else here so you might as well call your own bluff and shoot us or get the **** on with your business!" her eyes flashed a dark emerald green for a moment before returning to her normal hazel. Shawne felt light headed after that, nearly swooning a bit from the odd feeling of being drained, but she managed to hold herself together as she continued to stare at their would be kidnappers.

It was at the point that they looked just about ready to snap and fire that the Kingsmen came bursting from behind the Chosen's impromptu campsite. Hounds snarling and barking up a storm, to the nervous neighing and the thundering hooves that the knights rode. After that everything became a bit of a blur and Shawne found herself transfixed as the fighting erupted between the two sides with the Chosen stuck in the middle. It all seemed too familiar to her and at that was unnerving to her, making her begin to panic and hyperventilate like she was going to pass out and just lose it. Yet as the world began to go black a voice sounded clear in her head...

GET ON YOUR BIKE AND GET OUT OF THERE NOW!

This snapped Shawne out of her daze and she rushed to take action, ducking under a rearing horse she tumbled to the ground then up a few feet away her eyes scanning the crowd before she found what or more to the point who it was that she was seeking. Taking the few steps to Erik her landed a hand on his shoulder pulling him back and down to the ground as one of the men with crossbows fired at him. Still maintaining a firm grip on him she rolled with him as a horse came crashing down, screaming in pain from an arrow in its neck. Now on top of Erik Shawne growled down at him, her eyes that unnatural emerald green once again, "Move it!" she snaps as an order and not a request.

Getting to her feet she help him up if he was not moving fast enough and with him she ran back to her bike. Straddling it she flipped the engine on and of course got nothing, growling again in frustration she turned it off and back on trying to the throttle a bit; still nothing. Really **** she closed her eyes taking a moment to calm herself a bit before muttering something under her breath as she tries the engine one more time. As if by some miracle it roared to life and she looked over to Erik, "You coming?"

_________________

An unfortunate but not surprising outcome of the new kid's failed attempt at distracting their attackers. Lucian let out a small sigh, but he couldn't tell if it was of disappointment or relief because the sick side of him wanted to get down and dirty with the assailants.

"Good try kid" Lucian smirked. His eyes wandered the surrounding trees as the attackers emerged from the woods, arrows drawn back and aimed carefully. These guys were pro's; silent steady steps, and well placed aim. Lucian had experience with this back in his underground days but where he's from, these guys were called S.W.A.T, a real pain in the ass for any unlawful citizen such as Lucian.

But just as things seemed to go down hill, the cavalry showed up, quite literally. Seconds upon their arrival these armor clad knights began to have it out with the assassins and the camp site was immersed in chaos. Lucian ducked and rolled away from a charging horse and found himself at the feet of on of the crossbow bearing fiends. Wasting no time Lucian rose up and tackled the man right off his feet, slaming him hard on his back. Lucian pressed his forearm hard into the man's throat and landed his fist straight into the man's face. Lucian delivered one more for good measure before looking up in time to see another getting dangerously close to Shawne and Eric, who managed to get the bike going. Lucian grabbed the crossbow and took careful aim; one second later the thick arrow whizzed by Shawne's head and landed straight into the kidnapper's. Lucian shot her a quick smile before getting tackled himself by the kidnapper he thought he knocked out. Lucian wrestled for his life as he kept the edge of the man's dagger barely an inch away from his own throat. Lucian mustered all his strength and pushed his assailant's body clean off him, holding him steady before Lucian swung his legs up across the man's chest and back then tightened hard, strangling him against his own arm which was held in the most uncomfortable possitions by Lucian. It took only seconds for him to release the blade and seeing as he was no longer a threat, Lucian took out the broken branch from up his sleeve and forced it into the side of the man's head.

Lucian took a second to gather all his senses again before kicking the lifeless body of his attacker off of him. As he staggered to his feet, the fighting was now over...

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"Told me to prove to them what I was worth
We’ll teach you to move without mercy and give you the tools to go after the causers of hurt
You'll become death. You will take breath
This is for everything you’ve ever loved
Use all the pain that you’ve felt in your life as the currency go out and trade it for blood
You are not you. You are now us
We are the only ones that you can trust
You’ll become fear. They’ll become dust
Before this moment you didn't mean much
You are the smoldering vessel of punishment born to do nothing but justify us"

Erik watched the calvary come in and stood a little shocked not knowing what to do. Shawne pulled Erik and started snapping at him, her eyes were unnatural.... Erik stood up a bit dazed, he was having a deja-vu moment. Everything blurred and something in him felt... weird. He didn't know how to explain it, not did he take any time to think about it. That could wait. Running over to Shawne Erik swung his leg around and sat behind her in the bike.

"Brilliant, glad this thing still works."

Erik was having a hard time focusing again, his vision blurred a few times and everyone looked so different when his vision blurred. It wasn't normal in anyway. He didn't think about what it meat though, alls he could think about was getting out of this alive and making sure he and Shawne got back safely.

--

The Hunters scowled as the group of people back talked, and if the hunter had his way these people would indeed be dead. Unfortunately Valek wanted them alive....

The leader was about to reply to the mangy group but was interrupted by the kings royal guard. The hunters were fast in their reactions. They spread out and fired arrows into the horses and men. ONe hunter climbed a tree and sighted down a guard. The leader brought down two guards and cursed, this was the elite royal guard, they were well trained and the hunters couldn't hold them off. Making a strange noise the leader called the hunters together and they faded back. Valek would not be happy, the hunters would be back though, they had revenge they wanted and they would extract it on the chosen. They had not seen the last of them... and next time the would be marked for death.

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"Listen to the music of the night.... for in it is the melody of life."

~Master to Butler Vilora

Drake stood unmoving, the Bandit's large arrow trained on him. By the size of the bow he had, it would easily pierce his scales and injured he would do no good to the rest in a fight. Remaining still, he growled, his voice echoing deep in his throat.

His attention focused on the enemy, he didn't notice the scent of approaching horses, or the familiar scent of the same squad that had hunted him the night before. He spun around expecting another attack from behind when they burst from the bushes but when they went after the Bandits, he was caught in the middle of the conflict.

His massive sword was drawn in moments and he ran towards the leader, the blade bursting into flames as he neared and readied his attack. Before he had the chance to swing, the roar of Shawne's odd steed erupted over the yelling and the clashing of steel, making most stop to look including the leader and Drake. With the momentary pause in the fight, it was then they chose to withdraw, and Drake let them go, sheathing his sword again. He snorted in annoyance as the threat had passed, or so he had thought...

"Hold on a moment!" the Captain said, "Isn't that the beast the Adventurer's Guild has a quest to kill or capture? It could be dangerous!" Crossbows were instantly aimed at Drake and his guard went up once more. The slender woman standing behind him seemed to fall in a haze of smoke and a black panther emerged from under Drake's wing, her lip curled and fang's bared at the King's men. Several of them went wide eyed as the panther spoke.

"He is no threat to you." she hissed, "Leave him be and just take your Chosen to the Queen like good little minions."

Drake widened his stance, ready for action, whether that was running or attacking, yet he felt anxious. More than he should be with only this many men before him. He felt his adrenaline run high, so much so he began visibly shaking. Enough for Tarathar to notice.

"Drake?" she asked, turning back to him.

His vision blurred and he took a step back. Closing his eyes he shook his head, but his sight would not steady. The world began to spin and he fell to his knee, Making Tara turn away from the Guards and change back into her normal form. The Guards stood staring at something few of them have even heard of. The elf calmly walked up to the hulking Dragon and put her gentle hands on his jagged chin.

"What's the matter?" she asked, her voice seeming to echo for him. The steady sputtering in the background from Shawne's bike started to bore into his mind and he fell forward on his hands, now on all fours. Something was wrong. He felt cold. He has never felt cold before. He was a fire dragon. Fire Dragons do not get cold. Even when they die, they go out in a blaze of glory, quite literally, leaving behind no gelid corpse, only a pile of ash. Tara felt it too. His scales became cold to the touch and she recoiled for a moment when she felt it, then gasped when she saw it.

Drake struggled to keep his vision steady enough to see the scales on his hands and arms turn blue for a moment, then fade back to red, then blue again. After a few moments of the undecided color change, the reverted back to their normal red hue and his vision stabilized, but his breathing was heavy and it echoed in his throat.

"Miss, stay away from it--" The Capatain started, but Tara's scornful look caught his words in his throat and she approached Drake again, taking his large face in her hands.

"Love, what is it? What happpened?"

"I am fine. No need to worry." he said, standing up once more. The Captain's brow raised as Drakes words reached his ears.

"The beast speaks..." He muttered, "You speak our language, monster?"

"Aye. But I'm no monster." he growled, "I could call you the same."

"By order of the Queen we are to escort the Chosen back to the castle for an audience with Her Magesty. This Dragon will come along but bound until it's intentions are made clear and the situation with the Farmers is resolved. It is still a suspect." He announced. Several guards rushed to Drake and pinned his arms and tail, putting chains around him and pinning his arms behind him. Drake had no strength to resist and let them do it, while another held Tarathar back while she tried to fight for him, smoke already beginning to appear around her as she began to change.

"No. Tara. Let them." he said. The smoke faded and she remained as she was, her arms held behind her by a guard.

"I can't let them take you! You did nothing wrong!" She cried, "You helped the Chosen! You should be rewarded!"

"I'm tired of running. I'm tired of hiding." he said, "I'm just tired of it all."

"You're giving up? That's not like you!" she cried, struggling against the guard once more.

"No, not giving up. Just taking another approach." he said quietly as the rest of the guards were distracted by Shawne's bike as she pulled up closer. While they were busy talking, Drake leaned down so only Tarathar could hear, "Let them take me. Lock me away. Whatever they want. But the whole Kingdom will learn that the Queen has found the Chosen and a dreaded Fire Dragon. Everyone will learn of me and I will make it my goal to change their opinion of me."

"What is your plan, Love?" she asked.

"There is a price on my head, but I shall pledge myself to the Queen, and apply for Knighthood under her."

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