[h3][center][color=#BD3EC2]N[/color][color=#B344C2]o[/color][color=#AA4BC2]x[/color] [color=#9759C3]A[/color][color=#8E60C4]l[/color][color=#8467C4]i[/color][color=#7B6EC5]g[/color][color=#7275C5]n[/color][color=#687CC6]m[/color][color=#5F83C6]e[/color][color=#5589C7]n[/color][color=#5F83C6]t[/color] [color=#7275C5]C[/color][color=#7B6EC5]e[/color][color=#8467C4]r[/color][color=#8E60C4]e[/color][color=#9759C3]m[/color][color=#A052C3]o[/color][color=#AA4BC2]n[/color][color=#B344C2]y[/color][/center][/h3] [sub][@Rtron],[@Lucius Cypher], [@May], & [@Luna][/sub] When Helena hauled Darell onto solid ground, he fell upon his hands and knees for support. His breath shortened and sweat paled his skin tone by his near-death experience. Collecting his calm, his eyes glimpsed the red-haired woman then toss herself back into the fight. He had to credit Twilight College with strong-willed individuals. Both skilled and determined to survive, it was a factor that so few Djarkel subjected failed to reach. Darell’s right foot slid underneath him as he began to stand upright. Every muscle protested in waves at each minuscule movement. His teeth grit to bit back the scream on the top of his tongue. As Annabeth and Helena took down the last Uth, Darell limped toward the others. A gash ran from his knee to his ankle, the muscle exposed through the flesh, bled along his limb. Upon reaching the others, he shot the dirtiest and blatant look at Athalus for his snide comment. “And for being a student at Twilight, you know next to nothing about your own magic,” the tone became taunt in fury. He breathed to soothe his rattled patience before he turned on heel toward the crystal. He paused long enough to shout over his shoulder,“We have to get to the crystal. They won’t stay dead for long and we’re wasting time.” As if activated by his words, the scattered smears along the broken stone began to stir. Dark smoke billowed from each and formed outlines, giving shape to their enemies. Liquid, the decayed and rancid remains, climbed upward to fill the empty space into a solid mass once more. Knowing they had little time, Darell aimed for the center of the room. The mask man's palm pressed to the crystal’s icy surface. They all could feel his eyes continued to glare at them in his newly gain domain and the hatred radiated off him. A raspy sound exhaled through the crow-like mask and the glare narrowed. Without warning, he tensed his wrist and poured more noxomancy energy into the object. It glowed brightly. It illuminated the chamber, dowsing them and the room in crimson color, to banish all shadows within. Darell’s heart hurried into action as the group covered the distance to the center. Far behind them, the Uth began to shake off the death experiences and stalk toward them. Annabeth, still the better of the group, guarded the rear. Using her magic she began to confuse the Uth with illusions. The right turned to attack the left while the middle snapped in reaction. Shortly, they were all at each other’s throats. Darell knew she couldn’t keep it up for long. The Uth wasn't bright enough to understand the young woman’s tricks or it wouldn’t have fooled them. “The Nox is MINE! MINE!” the masked man hissed. He appeared to be a serpent in human flesh, spitting and coiling in a place he didn’t belong. Darell shifted to Athalus then Helena, “Can you distract him long enough for me to get to the crystal?” [center][h3]College Troubles[/h3][/center] [u]Val and Zaad, Twilight College[/u] [sub][@Landaus Five-One][@BlackPanther][/sub] Val’s heavy boots came to a haul in front of the girl that moved to greet her. The girl’s friend held back and seemed to cow behind his wings. On the first impression, the dwarf jotted down two things. He had Esyire blood in him and his blood was one of the ancients. She rubbed her thumb under her nose. Her fierce, green eyes sized the newcomer greeting her. She was a pretty lassie, but very timid causing Val to roll her tongue over her teeth in thought. Inwardly she debated on their motives for coming to Twilight College. Any who crossed the threshold received the same treatment. The moment the woman spoke, the stern dwarf’s expression warmed. “Name’s Val. Wot’s yors and wat’s ye purpose here?” Asked the plump runemaster, her hand extended Elise. Behind Veretu, his shadow shimmered. Something shifted and moved, unseen within. Any unattentive eyes would’ve easily missed such a display. Slowly, something rose from nearest the youth’s foot. Black dust swirled to form a lithe, clawed arm. Slowly it moved toward Salem while the cat was interacting with Val. Before the demon had a chance to react, the hand seized his tail and jerked it. A deep, throaty chuckle could be heard. [color=steelblue] “My, such a scaredy cat aren’t you?”[/color] Zaad, the headmaster's demon, began to emerge from Veretu's shadow. He appeared to be made from a mixture of shadow and sand. His two red eyes narrowed on Salem, a smugness on his features. Humanoid enough to enable anyone to tell he gained amusement at Salem’s reaction. Around his lower torso, black sand swirled and rotated about him to hold him in place. “Zaad!” Val’s voice snapped as she gently pushed past Elise. Her chest puffed out while she drew a gauntlet and tugged it on. Once secured in place, she flexed her fingers then fisted her hand at her side. Engraved into the leather, a small, gold rune glowed at the ready. Fire burst along the outline and crackled, causing the Nox demon to tense briefly. “Shoo! Git along t’ere, ye ‘ittle pest! Donnae ‘ad tis Nox to be patrolling?” Grumbling, Zaad shot her a look before melting into the ground and vanishing from sight. She looked to Veretu before she deactivated her weapon. Her fingers gently touched his wings and her became warmer than honey, "Ye alrig't? Oh sand and s'adow donnae scare ye too bad, did 'e?" [center][h3]Uncovering Shadows[/h3][/center] [u][color=pink]Lyn,[/color] Hysteria (Djarkel)[/u] [sub][@Ryonara], [@Konan375], [@Demonic Angel], [@13org] and [@EliteCommander][/sub] [hr] [center] ~| Lyn |~[/center] [color=pink][i]Don’t Panic...Don’t… PANIC![/i][/color] Lyn’s mind screamed and ducked. The razor sharp edge split her hair, her figure falling to rest in a crouching position. Her eyes widened in shock at how close the blade came. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest and beating her ribs until they throbbed with agony. In a fluid moment, her legs shove backward to avoid the swipe at her arm. Stumbling back to an upright position, her hand pulled back her blade. Her eyes took its aim. The orcish woman grunted and leered at the younger girl’s determination, flexing her muscles. Lyn could feel her panic swelling in her throat as she forced herself to be calm. A feat that more difficult than she could ever imagine. With a well-practiced movement, she stepped and throw the knife at the Orc’s face. Abruptly the handle split open revealing four vine tendrils spread wide. They latched onto the woman’s upper torso just as she lifted her arm to protect her eyes. [color=pink] “Gotcha!”[/color] Lyn said in pride. Her pride that was short lived when the Orc woman shook her head. A gravelly voice mocked the younger girl, “Oh, you ‘got' me alright.” The assassin’s arm ripped the vines from their anchor and twisted around for a better grip. Her enjoyment deepened as with all her might, she ripped the makeshift binds behind her. Lyn, terrified by the sight of her attack doing nothing, felt her feet leave the ground. Her lightweight figure went sailing and crashed into Henri’s at the end of his roll to his feet. [center] ~| Ssarak |~[/center] When the last of the gas escaped the Noxomancer’s mouth, the fog bloomed out to engulf the whole section. On the verge of consuming Ssarak and his doppelgangers, it shrank back and settled to the ground. It seemed to be a waist deep, green fog lingering on the floor. It appeared harmless but one approached at their own risk. The older Esyire’s form straightened after his release. It was a moment of vulnerability as it appeared he couldn’t both use his breath and attack at the same time. This wasn’t an uncommon weakness among Esyire. If he didn't intend to hit his allies, his focus went into precision aim and left him open for attack. While he stood there, his eyes flickered between the three identical black scaled Esyires now retreating out of range. They scattered in different directions. Each one looked genuinely real. Their expression to their appearance, making it impossible to locate the actual mage. The assassin hadn’t counted on this. It was clever to use his gas, a focus spell, and doppelgangers hindered his certainty. Irritated by the situation, his claws tightened about his weapon as he waded deeper into the gas. It would prevent flanking unless the mage enjoyed crumbling to sickness. Being the origin, he was immune to his own magic. Cautiously he stepped to the Esyire he believed was the real one. His eyes narrowed and studied the one closest to the far wall, but his path stopped just within the fog. It would take more than an extended sword swing to get at him. The assassin's legs widened to steady his stance and prepare for any resistance. Slowly his arm began to rotate the chain causing the end to spin before he tossed it out to hit the target’s side. If the doppelganger blocked, it would surely be the real mage. On contact, the chain would wrap upon whatever was solid. While Ssarak could risk it and block it, there was no way of telling if the Esyire was stronger than himself or not. One thing Ssarak could be sure of: confidence oozed off his adversary on the matter. [center] ~| Leith |~[/center] The Wood Elf hadn’t expected the metal sound upon the strike. She frowned, her lips thinned out in displeasure, as she pulled the weapon up once more. About to slam into her victim’s chest, the trickery caught her off-guard. When Leith shouted, “RING!”, she paused in confusion. A moment too long. Her elegant features marred, her sight immediately burned from the light of the ring. It flooded everywhere. Shadows rushed to hide into the warehouse’s nearest corners. The assassin's trident was flung to her side and her unarmed arm to raise protect her eyes. She clumsily retreated back into the nearest pile of crates. One's corner dug through her clothing and into her back, making her aware of where she was. The elf tried to shake away the blurriness from her vision as she took another stance. A defensive one. With her weapon held in front and across her torso, she intended to play rough defense with her lack of sight. It easily block any attack set upon at a moment’s notice. “You’re going to suffer for that, you bastard…” She growled.