The Forbidden Art

Drake let his adrenaline pump through his veins... He could feel Vexoz's pure rage... He didnt understand why he was so angry.

He dodged a few attacks, and used Zadric once more. He drew the energy directly from his foe, and sharpened his Sword, now it was more potent then ever.

When he started swinging wildly at him, he raised his sword in one hand, and let the blade hit his. Zadric's new sharpened blade cut into his foes, and he through his opponent away from him.

Drake lunged as Vexoz recovered from his blow, and swung at his shoulder. Zadric would cut the armor, but he didnt know entirely if it would pierce.

"I understand Vexoz... but you see... I have to fight... For the last two people I have to love... And for all of my friends... I'll do anything to win this..."

Tellas ignored the Glaive hitting his left arm and swung his axe upwards, aiming to catch Azirak's chest.

Marneila however just shrugged and stated to circle the Mana Spirit taking more shots at her.

"So be it...." Vexoz lunged forward and stabbed at Drake's right side, taking the hit to his left shoulder. In the moment, it was clear what happened. Blood spewed from both thier wounds.

He backed away as soon as he could. Vexoz took a moment to stab his blade into the ground and feel his wound, knowing Drake would probably be doing the same. It seemed like he had cut the bone through all the bloody mess. It didn't hurt, but Vexoz couldn't feel his fingers. He knew it would hurt alot more later. Best to avoid using his left arm as much as he could.... On top of that, his reckless charge had cost him alot of Mana.

Out of some sense of respect, Vexoz grabed his blade and waited for Drake to launch the next attack as soon as he was ready.

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June turned to the people who called her name. One of them was slightly familiar, but she completely recognized the other one. Vladimir! Without really knowing why, she just shouted something that sounded like gibberish at Vlad. Then, June took off her wedding ring and threw it at him! It took her a minute to get her mind together.

"Everyone I love... I just don't...." She suddenly started sobbing for real and fell onto all four limbs. "I don't care who... I'm going to find someone involved in this... ANYONE!" June felt her hand grab some of the ashes around Vonton's body. "And I'm going to make them suffer for this!!!"

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Teaisha tried to jump and doege out of the way of the fish woman's flying arrows. "Cheap trick!" A few of them came dangeously close, making her use her water coat spell incase she would have to make them slide off her skin. Despite how little sense that actually made with arrows. By the time she had positioned herself back behind the wall again, the ice spike had almost fallen apart.

This time Teaisha got on her back and packed the spell tighter together. Ready to shoot at the bird fishy arm woman as soon as she appeared. Even if she floated directly over the wall.... As soon as she would show her head, Teaisha would fire it right at her!

"Too cowardly to actually brave the arrows?" Marneila called, beating her wings and flying over the wall before turning around and fireing another pair of arrows at the Mana Spirit.

Drake felt no pain as the blade slashed through his armor, plate mail, and finally skin. He felt a cold, numbing sensation.

"We'll continue now..."

He took some of his blood, and placed a streak on the edge of his blade.

He could feel his side, but barely, and it oozed crimson blood. He dropped his shield, and took Zadric in two hands. He charged at Vexoz, and struck down upon his raised sword. He could tell that his strike had hurt him, as much as Vexoz's had hurt himself.

"It is good to be fighting someone with Honor... Like myself... It is a privilege to fight with you... And there may be no more courageous way than to die fighting for those you love."

The due quickly approached June and got on their knees so all three were on eye level. Azrael helped her up and let her brace on him. She was still crying, and slumped down on the ground again, crying. Vladimir had caught the wedding ring and only closed his eyes. The two gave her a warm hug, despite the surroundings and nodded. Azrael stood up and looked out for anyone getting too close. Vladimir held June's shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"June...vengeance isn't the answer. It took me a few hundred years to realize this. Everyone you love isn't dead June. This man, his soul is still here, in this body. And…" He lightly felt her stomach. "…his legacy lives within you. I don't want to see you in this state of hysteria June. It will kill me to see you in this way, all jokes aside. I am to blame inadvertently for this man's death, but I can pass his soul into the Yōkai Realm instead of the Heaven here. You could see him there again, and you can get rehabilitated until your child is born. I myself will be departing in three days, and will see to it his soul is restored." He slid on her wedding ring and kissed the back of her hand. "C'mon, you're a married soon-to-be." Azrael smiled, nodding. Vladimir began to heal June under the protective shade of debris piles.

As Satchiyu floated through the village he could feel to the soul shards calling out to him. He pulled them free easily from the humans that were fighting. He imagined the humans probably wouldn't feel anything as he took the shards but just in case, he left some light reservoirs of mana to fill in the holes.

When he had both pieces of the soul together, Satchiyu slammed them back in place. Instantly Cee materialized
"Wha- what the? Sati?"
"Come Cee. I have been watching your friends while you were gone and it seems they need your help." Satchiyu led Cee's soul away from Tellas' fight and towards Vera.

June seemed to pull away from them a little. "I know what you're trying to do.... I know he's still alive. Vonton has to be!" She got in between Vladimir and Vonton's charred corpse. "He's all right. I know he's all right! Aren't you?" She paused, almost as if waiting for him to say something. "It's not real.... None of this can be real!" June almost fell backwards as she suddenly pointed at the sky. "Oh look, a giant chicken! That's normal, right?"

She began to almost seem like she was going to start laughing at the absurdity of it all. Then, she turned back to Vladimir and his 6 winged friend. "Stay away from him!" June suddenly shouted, dispite the fact that neither of them got any closer. "He'll be fine and I'll fix him with magic and we'll be happy!" Then June almost began crying again. "We'll finally all be happy.... No one trying to kill us every day. No wars.... We'll be normal and have normal people conversations!"

Then she slammed her fist on the ground. "I always hated trying to be normal........"

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Vexoz had been weakened. He struggled to fight Drake and raise his extremely heavy blade up with one hand as Drake used two. Whatever respect he had before had to dissapear for him to give in to his rage. The warrior kicked Drake back, then swung the sword across the ground at his feet.

"I don't care how powerfull your blade is!" Vexoz moved forward and stabbed straight at Drake's cheast. Fully expecting his next few attacks to be his last.

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Teaisha magically fired the ice spike at the whatever it was before quickly rolling to dodge its arrows. "How many of those things do you even have!?!?" Without checking if her attack hit or not, the Mana Spirit ran to a nearby building. Using another one of her spells, she made a small ice platform under her feet. Then, caused a blast of water to launch her onto the roof in a less than gracefull landing.

She peeked over the edge and readied 3 more ice spikes to shoot at the flying mermaid archer.

Drake barely stopped the attack from Vexoz. Even with an injury as severe as that, he could fight this well. He slashed at him, aiming for his leg.

He started to feel the fatigue, and had to jump back from another strained slash from Vexoz. The pain in his side now emerging, and a sharp pain, aswell as a constant thud pounded his body.

He jumped towards him again, meeting his blade with both his hands, and he put whatever strength he could muster into pushing at Vexoz.

Azrael shrugged.

"Listen, I'm surprised you still believe in a normal world. I'm a Crusnik, an angelic being that kills Vampires. Those flying chickens are in fact, fire-breathing roosters. Courtesy of Vladimir and myself. Your husband: dead on this earth. Vladimir can send his soul to the Yōkai Realm and you there, but you seem to be on the verge of a mental breakdown." Vladimir cupped her face and nuzzled her.

"June. Goddammit she's about to lose it." He summoned a small water dragon, the beast breathing a torrent of cold water in her face. "This outta bring you to your senses. Listen to me June, close your eyes and think of your husband." Vladimir unsheathed his katana and planted it into the body of Vonton. The blade glowed white, and a small spirit flame appeared and was absorbed by June. Vladimir held June and began reciting a spell. When he was done he and June disappeared. Azrael sighed, shaking his head.

"And then there was one."

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Vladimir laid June onto a bed within his castle. Vonton stood beside him, after being informed of what went on.

"Look, I'm sorry this has happened, but I do hope to see you two through this. Just ask, and the rain spirits will do anything you ask of them, medicine, food or water may it be. Please, I don't want her to suffer. I'll return in a bit to check on you two. Best wishes." And with that, Vladimir went back to Azrael's location.

Vonton sighed, and gently lied down on the bed next to his unconscious wife, and began to gently stroke her silky white hair, and began to speak gently to here, not sure if she could even hear him. "Hey honey, can you hear me? I`m glad, I`m able to be hear with you even if the events that lead to this were, rather unpleasant. I i, found you`r locket and thought you were dead, I i i just couldn`t take it. I went on the offensive." He sighed, and continued to lightly stroke her hair. "I couldn`t bare to lose you you`r sweet, honest most of the time, you can take care of you`r self, you have silky white hair, you have the softish features, the slimmest figure, stunning yellow eyes, you`r just the right amount forceful, you have a willingness to push on, and you`r semi care free but not to much. I even love you in you`r pampered moments. June I can`t live without you." He just lied there, stroking her hair not even sure if she had heard any of that.

Azrael and Vladimir noticed everyone else were in their own battles. The former noticed Robin's aura and called out for her.

"Robin! I love you! I know you'll survive this!" And as that ended Vladimir and Azrael slaughtered more Chosen soldiers.

Asinoir felt, more than saw, Falks' attack. In just the nick of time, Asinoir turned around to block the attack. He also surrounded his arm with the negating polar energy, causing a shower of sparks to come off of each man.

Asinoir made short time of grabbing the arm he had just blocked and sending a quick, powerful kick to Falks' side. He then formed a fist with his free hand and went to punch Falks in the face. If Falks had managed to somehow move out of the way of Asinoir's kick, he would be much more likely to get hit in the face because of Asinoir's trajectory and hold on Falks' arm.

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"The hell?" Kailyn asked, both towards Ret's statement and her powers. She felt a trickle of fear go up her spine. Ret was right, she was much, much more powerful on this plane. Kailyn released more of her Crusnik powers in an attempt to match it.

"Adonis has been my last name since I was born!" Kailyn argued back, determined to at least win this conversation, "The only way he'd have it is if he stole it from me or was my dad's bastard son but tha--" Kailyn paused, suddenly her eyes went wide. She came to a full and complete stop.

"Asinoir's my half brother?" She asked. Suddenly, images of Asinoir's devilishly green eyes flashed in her mind. The same strange eye color she wished she got from her father.

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Vera stretched out her arm and focused her powers into it. In her hand formed a mace of solid wind, the chain dangling a foot and a half long. It was of a pale grey color. She gathered rocks and the like to it, forming the spikes along the smooth orb.

She liked learning tricks like this while she was gone. She also developed an interest in maces, saying they were the underdog of weaponry and no one ever used them.

"The hell is on your sword?" Vera asked, noticing the green goo and pointing at it. She then saw a single strand of hair fall off her head.

"You bitch!" She exclaimed, outraged, "Now it won't be symmetrical!" She then moved forward, bringing back her arm and swinging the mace forward.

Retasouhdal just smirked, "So now you see the truth of it. I think it's time I put an end to this farce..." she said as the winds around her detonated.

"Kailyn. You really want to know why you are breanded a traitor? Simple. The chosen are fighting for an end to the discimination against mages. Before the Magical Genocide was even possible Mages were revered. Healers in every town curing ills, warriors of all alignments and elements able to cast spells without using their own power. Your magic-hating world was once rich with Mana..." She explained then added, "I can return Mana to that world. Bring an end to this hatred of mages. Something you would benefit from. You and the wielder of that infernal over-sized Toothpick. But no... You could not see the neccessity behind anything, you are still too naive."

Light magic gathered on her arms, "And so in Magic's name your life is forefit!" She called firing a large shard of ice at the girl beofre lashing her arms out to fire off six cresant shaped blades to follow.

Marneila rolled to the side, the spike grazing one of her left elbows. She aimed fired her last two arrows without a care for her pain, "I have two quivers!" She replied before fastening the bow to said quivers and changing her trajectory. Now was the time for her to show how painful a scaley tail to the face was.

Robin closed her wings around herself, using them as shields. She opened them again, and drew her other shield.

Robin took in a deep breath, and charged at her opponent. She slashed at Vera once more, now using both of her blades with a unique fighting style. She moved with almost unimaginable grace, and slashed with intense speed.

"Well what is an Assassins most lethal weapon? Of course, that would be poison... An almost incurable poison discovered by me, though I do have the only antidote."

Vexoz tried to fight back against his magic being drained and Drake's blade. He was forced to use both hands. A sharp pain shot through his arm, but he was able to fight through it! Eventually, managing to push drake back a little. If he could just get enough time to gather mana and launch at him in one final burst....

The warrior followed up by using a downward slash at Drake's collarbone in an attempt to make some room. He had been working on a magical ability over the last three months. Just in case something like this had happened.

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June just laid there. Her eyes opened up slightly like she understood that Vonton was there, but didn't know what exactly he was saying. She scooted closer to him for comfort, still lying down. It didn't matter where she was. Vonton was alive!

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Teaisha saw an arrow come out of nowhere and cut the side of her leg! How dare that monster hurt her! As the whatever it was... four armed ariel underwater archer, raised up, Teaisha fired three ice spikes at it. Then, she took a quick moment to freeze her leg around the wound. Forming a temporary bandage of sorts. The Mana Spirit only hoped that whatever that thing was would think twice before attacking again.

Azirak spun his blade at Tellas.
"Who would want a draco lupus? You will probably go mad and rip her limb from limb!"

Tellas felt the blade cut his arm but ignored it, "You're no prize yourself! A man like you? hah. You don't have the strength to protect anyone!" he taunted, his voice showing not rage, but a lack of sanity. As his Axe had mussed he brough his free hand up to rake at the dynari's chest with his claws.

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Marnila emitted a slight shrik when one of the spikes hit her side, causing a wound, but she didn't change cours she swooped towards the mana Spirit, seeming to be aiming to tacke her, then backflipped at the last moment, her tail swinging up towards the legged female's face.

Drake cought the attack with the edge of Zadric. He could see that they wouldn't last much longer fighting like this. He wanted it to end... He thought he and Vexoz were both honorable, but he didn't want either of them to die because of some rebellion.

He jumped back a good five feet, seeing that the final attacks were about to be delivered.

Drake closed his eyes for a second, concentrating with all his might, on using energy from around him, even the desintigrated remains of the barrier. The magical residue left behind from it's destruction... He focused every ounce of his mind into gathering that energy into his body. It wasn't much, but it would give him enough to last him to the end of this battle.

He gathered some of the energy into his blade, leaving him in the same shape as before he gathered this energy, and held it with both of his hands, straight out infront of him.

They were about to find out who would be the last one standing.

Vonton saw, June`s eyes flicker open a little, and she scooted closer to him. He put his arms around, and gently pulled her in closer. "You ok? Can you hear me?" He moved some hair away from her face with his hand. "Were, in the Yokai Realm. Vlad brought us here. Do you need anything?" He knew he`d have to tell her, bout the whole her only staying here till she was thinking straight again, and him not being able to leave, for a thousand years or so, but right now he just wanted to make sure she was ok. Then he remembered something. "Hey Vlad said you had something impotent to tell me?"

Vexoz did the same, jumping back about 3 feet or so. Then, he took another 3 foot jump back for safety. Drake was absorbing magic into his Mana Flayer. This was going to be difficult... but he had to fight on.

He stabbed his sword into the ground and forced his arms together, his hands just slightly apart. The pain in his left arm was severe, but he kept focusing. The smoke clouds above parted as the spell intensified the light from the Sun. It took some magic to draw light, but the increase in power more than made up for it. After this, he would be pretty much screwed. But, with Drake, he had to give him all he could manage out of respect.

The warrior picked up his damaged blade in his right hand. His body glowed with yellow magic and a blade made of light appeared in his left hand. 100% focus. Any less and he would lose ass the light he just collected. Block with your real blade, go for the kill with the magic one. There is only one chance to get this right. Vexoz tightened his grip, knowing that he still had quite a bit of fight left in him.

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June just smiled a little. "I'm not too sure what's real anymore.... I remember seeing this place so long ago. At least, I think it was this place...." She closed her eyes, trying to drift back off into sleep.

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Teaisha took a tail attack to the face! She was knocked to the side, almost falling off the building. The Mana Spirit carefully got up, feeling the bruise. It was hard to tell exactly where the flying thing was now. Her eyes went back and forth, sweeping the horizon for any sign of her. "Where are you, you bitch!"

Marneila smirked before letting herself drop in front of her and aim two tirght hooks at her, one towards the face and the other the chest.

Vonton sighed, June was still out of it seemed. Though he did want to hear what she had to tell him, and he knew he needed to tell her bout the arrangements of there stay but at little moment, he decided to just let June sleep in his arms. Not like he could have dreamed of anything more peaceful then holding the women he loved in a tight embrace as she slept. He sighed, leaned down not sure even sure if it would regstir in her brain, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered. "I love you." After a moment of silence he add. "I`ll miss you."

Tellas's comment cut deep, but Azirak tried not to show it.
"...ooh, that stung." he remarked, as he ducked the claw and jabbed his glaive towards Tellas's chest.