Shadow Of The End

"Hear what?" Eiria said.

Lyn ignored Callio, her eyes still looking fiercely upon the creature above them.

"Cut the bullshit," she snarled, her fists tightening around the bow and arrow that she still held aimed towards his head. "Get down here and fight or get the hell out of our way."

The creature laughed. It was low, grinding laugh, and there was something incredibly odd but intimidating about it.

"Thats what your friend said to me." he said, grinning, and suddenly dragging something of the walkway. It was Allard, and he really wasn't in a good way. He had cuts and bruises all overhimself, and as he fell he stopped in mid air, held by a rope that was tied around his leg. He wasn't moving at all.

---

"How sweet..." the man said slowly. He suddenly took off his hat, and pulled out a bottle filled of yellow liquid. He sat it on the table, and pushed it towards her.

---

"I heard something move!" Aediox called as the blizzard got louder.

Lyn's eyes widened slightly as she saw Allard hang unconscious from the rope. However, she moved her eyes back to the creature- and they narrowed.

"Wrong. Choice," she growled dangeorusly.

And, in the blink of an eye, she let her arrow fly- but at the last possible second, her angle changed only slightly, and the arrow whizzed through the air, slicing clean through the rope which held Allard up. Before he even hit the ground in front of her, she'd fitted another arrow to her bow and re-aimed it back at the creature, snapping, "You think you can just toy with us? Not so long as I'm here, you bastard!"

Allar hit the ground, and lay still.

"Actually, little moth, I can do whatever I want." the creature said. "I risk sounding arrogant, but it really is quite true. And frankly, I'd rather not waste time explaining why, especially providing how you so rudely barged into my home."

---

"Medicine." the man said. "Not a cure, but...just a little pick me up. And it tastes of lemons."

Lyn glared at Callio, jerking her head once to Allard to tell him to go check on him. She reset her focus on the creature, and, with his words, snarled in realization.

"So you're the one responsible for the kidnapping of these innocent civilians?" she snapped, drawing back her arrow even tighter.

Callio nodded at him, and went to check on Allard.

"What?" the creature said, and suddenly vanished. A collective, short scream from the women in the cage indicated that he'd appeared in there with them.

"You mean these people?" he said, holding out his hands. "Yes, I'm guilty." He laughed at himself a bit.

One of the younger women tried to sidle away from him, and he instantly clamped his hand over her shoulder.

"Ah, ah, ah..." he tutted at her.

---

"Not here, no. That would be ludicrous, silly." the man said. "But what about when you were awake?"

"Get your filthy hands off of her!!" Lyn practically screamed as she whirled around to face him, taking a few large strides into the cage, her arrow still pointed right between his eyes.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not hurting her..." the creature said softly, reaching over and brushing a strand of the girl's hair out of her eye. She was literally shaking, and hand her hands tightly wrapped around her swollen stomach, as if trying to protect it.

"No, don't be scared..." the creature whispered to her. "Everything is just...peachy."

And then, oddly enough, he kissed her on the cheek. It all proved to be a bit much for the girl as just then she started crying.

---

"Maybe." the man said, smirking.

That was it.

Lyn let her arrow fly, aimed right between the creature's eyes.

The creature was hit, and he didn't quite fell off his feet but went into a position like he was doing the limbo from the knees up. The women scurried of into the comfort of one of her friends arms.

The creature didn't move for a bit, simply remaining in his limbo position. And then, he slowly stood up, and arrow still sticking out of his fore head. He grinned at Lyn.

"...holy shit." Callio said flatly, his eyes wide.

"...really, you shouldn't of done that." he said, pulling the arrow out of his forehead. "Personally, I prefer to learn peoples names before I kill them...manors, you know."

Lyn couldn't care less if the arrow had killed him or not. It had gotten him away from the woman, and for the moment, that's what mattered. She had already fitted another arrow to her bow and aimed it right back at his forehead, hoping this time to split her own arrow in half.

"My name is Lyn," she growled, her eyes narrowed into slits. "And I will defend these people or die trying." She wanted to yell at Callio, tell him to get the hell out of there and get the women to safety, but she knew she couldn't take her eyes- or concentration- off the creature.

(How could he? Lyn and the creature are in the cage with the women)

The majority of the men had made thier way out of the cage, but they neither they nor Callio did not move to save the women, fearing that the creature would harm one of them.

"Very good...Lyn. It has a nice subtlety to it." the creature said. "You can call me Doloris."

He looked over her shoulder. "My, my...you really have ruined what I had going here, haven't you?"

( Oh, I thought the cage went away when the Darknuts were defeated. xD Nvm. )

Lyn didn't tear her eyes away from this 'Doloris' creature, instead keeping them narrowed and focused.

"Kidnapping pregnant women and enslaving the men, making them powerless to save their wives..." she spat, her blood boiling. "You are a monster."

(It wasn't made from the barriers...)

"I was aware of this." Doloris said. "Unfortunaly, it would seem that none of these lovely women and men are quite the people I am looking for...though you will have to see some repurcutions for this little fiasco."

He tilted his head, and vanished. He appeared outside of the cage, and suddenly a large barrier formed around him, Lyn and Callio.

Lyn thought for a moment about what Doloris had said. He no longer wanted the women...? In that case, she might be able to-

And then her thoughts were interrupted as he vanished, and then reappeared out of the cage, with a barrier now trapping her, Callio, and him inside of it. Lyn lowered her bow calmly, and walked to the center of the barrier, glaring at Doloris- though this time, something much different in her eyes.

She put away and slowly got out her broadsword, saying as she did so, "How about we make this fight a little more... interesting, then?" she asked calmly, raising a challenging eyebrow at him.

"And what would that include, little moth?" Doloris said, putting a hand on his hip. Callio pulled out his sword, and stood beside Lyn.

"You don't want them anyways, so, either way, all these captives go free," she demanded- but, then smiling, added, "If we win, you must leave this place and never return. If YOU win... You are free to do with me how you wish." She lowered her sword, her smirk disappearing and her face growing serious as she emphasized, "Kill me, torture me, whatever your twisted little heart desires." She raised an eyebrow.

"Deal?"

"...nah." Doloris said. "Try not be such a square."

He liked his lips. "I'd like to say I won't enjoy this, but..."

He laughed, and swung out his hands, his fingers extending into claws.

Well, she had to try. Lyn frowned, taking a cautious step backwards as he hands turned into claws. Just what kind of demon WAS this?? She raised her broadsword, pushing the irrelevant question from her thoughts. Whatever it was, she was going to slaughter it all the same.

Doloris ran at her and slashed with his claws.

Lyn charged equally at him, swinging her heavy broadsword to block his claws, and at the same time, try and slice them off with the sheer bulk of her sword.