The Seal of Eden - Part 1

In ancient times, while the world was much younger than today, it was a dangerous place. An evil veil of darkness covered our planet, posing an everyday-threat to the humans that inhabited it in these times. The darkness corrupted the land and made it ripe for the entities of darkness to thrive and live in our world. Thus monstrous beasts and evil demons dominated the land, being an ever-existing threat to the human inhabitants. These beasts and demons could only exist within this darkness and if exposed to the sound above the veil they would cease to exist. Our world was finally discovered by an otherworld group known as "the Valkyrs". Together with a select group of powerful magicians known as the order of mages, the Valkyrs started to fight back the darkness. The order of mages was an organization of powerful magicians who wielded the powers of the four elements. The Valkyrs granted magic runes to the mages that enabled them to kill the dark beasts. Eventually the Valkyrs and the order of mages pushed the darkness back sufficiently to imprison it. Together they forged a prison existing within another realm which would then be locked by a powerful magic seal - The Seal of Eden.

The Seal of Eden was created by the order of mages with the help and advice of the Valkyrs. The seal was forged with seven locks in which 7 magical keys fit, locking the seal. Only by unlocking the locks one by one, using the keys, would the seal be broken. These keys were then hidden throughout the world in various places. The keys themselves took different shapes from key to key, in an attempt to protect and hide them from evil-doers. The keys as well as the knowledge of the seal and the evilness it contained, was concealed from the world, being protected by various famous sects and brotherhoods throughout history, including the Freemasons, The Illuminati, The Templars, amongst others. The modern fairytales and stories of the occult are the only remnants left from the ancient times when the dark shroud covered the world, only fought back by the Valkyrs and the order of mages.

In the year 2014 on a seemingly peaceful day in spring, the world was invaded by an ancient demonic evil without warning. The Seal of Eden had been broken, unleashing the demonic and dark forces held within. As the world was plunged into chaos in a matter of days, many lives were lost leaving only a few groups of surviving humans left in the world. The animals that were exposed to the darkness had their basic structures twisted, creating monstrous mutations only bearing cosmetic resemblance to their original form.

The truth around the destruction of the seal remains a mystery and one can only guess the details of its unlocking. One thing is sure, the keys were found and the seal was broken. Perhaps the keepers of the keys would be able to answer those questions. For now the future of the world looks dim, with the darkness running loose in our world again, there being no apparent force to hold it back. Neither the Valkyrs nor the order of mages have shown themselves to stand up to the oppressing darkness.
Hope is not lost however. Descendants of the order of mages have been prophisized to exist in the world. Who they are or where they can be found is a mystery, but it is said that they are destined to meet by the guidance of the Valkyrs. Will these descendants be brought together and thus solve the mystery of the broken seal and again bring peace to the world?

Initial setting/premise for characters:

You are one of the four descendants of the order of mages, belonging to one specific element. You don't know this yet, but you've always had an affinity with your element and strange, magical things have happened around you, related to your magic affinity. You will soon know of your calling as an elemental mage, a fighter of darkness, but for now you are as unknowing as every other surviving victim. The story starts a few months after the invasion has occured and you are just starting to get used to your new life as survivor of the invasion. You've managed to remain with a band of survivors in the city your grew up in. The city of Sanctus Terra has always been your home, but it was hit exceptionally hard by the invasion, almost feeling like the place from where the demons and other darkspawn emerged. Once a thriving business city with skyscrapers and busy people pacing the streets, the town is nothing but a shadow of its former self. Demonic and dark beasts roam the streets in search of more humans to devour. Buildings stand empty all over, some of them likely refugees for survivors or devilish nests of evily mutated creatures. It is here your story begins.

The order of mages:

The order was formed by four elderly mages each being a master of their own element. The order works as a military academy for the few individuals that show affinity with the elements. The fighting style and magic types used from element to element are different and all use different weapon types. These mages aren't your usual robe-wearing types, but more like magic-wielding warriors. A fire mage might use a magically imbued claymore while also throwing fire spells around, whereas a wind mage might be using a magical bow while also manipulating the wind. The weapons are central to the mage in that these are the only tools for destroying the evil ones. They are magically forged and imbued with magical runes and can thus slay dark creatures. Conventional weapon like normal swords, arrows and bolts (even modern firearms) won't work on them. This is why the mages become so crucial to fighting back the darkness. The magic can weaken, contain and hold off the beasts, but the killing blow must be made by the rune weapon.

Char creation:

Name: Full name of your character

Gender: Specify the gender of your character

Biography: Biography of your character. Both life before the invasion and the two months between the invasion and now.

Appearance and outfit: Cosmetic looks and the preferred attire of your character.

Magic affinity: Choose the magic element your character will have affinity with.

Inventory (5 item): Choose 5 personal items or belongings your character will hold in his/her bag. [center]

Name: Kiera Belmonté

Gender: Female.

Personality: Kiera is respected by her "Subordinates" and is always looked up to (The main reason for this being because alot of people fear what she may do to those who do not ''follow'' her). Most of the time, she is seen as harsh and coldhearted - but she neglects what people think and meerly suggests: "Survival of the fittest out here now, if someone doesnt take charge and responsibility around here, then our so called "Group" will end up in chaos along with the rest of this damned city! Use your head... Idiot". Kiera is confident in her encounters with opponents, and frequently taunts them before battle. She is the kind of person that's seen as the ''One person you -Shouldnt- piss off". Although she can seem to be stuck up, there are -rare- occasions in which she will compliment someone for a job well done. She'll do anything she needs to to keep -herself- alive, although, if she likes someone dearly, the thought doesnt cross her mind (So being friends with her is a -VERY- good thing, but it's well known that she only has a few friends). She keeps quiet and only speaks when she needs to. Her voice is deep and in a way, threatening which further enhances the idea of people seeing her as "Badass". On countless occasions have men tried to "Get with her" which only resulted in a -strict- punishment (Usually a hard slap across the face, but there has been occasions where she has gone a little "Too far"). Kiera is seemingly unflappable, not showing fear whether she's being attacked by Demons or another person in a fight for survival. She can be serious when the situation calls for it, but she still maintains a fairly laid-back demeanor during such situations and is never without a witty taunt or comeback. Kiera can seem at times to be uncaring or even callous, but actually has a very strong sense of justice and prefers to fight fairly. She can be counted on to do the right thing, even if she makes cynical quips about it the entire time.

Biography: Kiera is now 26 years old, she started working for the 'Navy' 7 years ago. Respectively earning a Middle-High rank of Lieutenant-Commander aboard a famous Warship called "Hastefull Halfmoon", she commanded a small fleet consisting of 4 smaller warships alongside it under the superior command of her Commandor "Graham Tinley" in a new naval war that has just broken out between two strong, opposing factions (Her faction being one of which that belongs to Sanctus Terra). After a hard struggle, the war ended after 3 years. Her commandor was Killed-in-action, and she was asked to take his place as a newly alledged Commador. During the course of the war, she only lost one of her ships. Her knowledge of the sea and her fine physique helped prevent anything else from happening. She had no mutual feelings towards any of her crewmates or higher-ups, so nothing affected her life in a way that somewhat mattered. After another 4 years of hard work and progess in the Navy, the invasion took place. Using the knowledge she had gained from previous adventures amongst the sea, she gathered up a small group of "Tough, strong-willed men and women" and fought their way into a large building, successfully claiming it as her "Base of operations". Her courage and skill on land was just as good as that of which she would of had at sea, therefore, being voted as the "Leader". As the first few months passed, the group gained a name for itself as it helped those in need, taking up contracts from various survivors (Varying from capturing a certain location in the city and slaying a particularly tough demon). It's commonly known that you cannot slay a Demon without the help of magic and a Runed Weapon, as a result, the group demanded that these sort of requests were impossible to achieve - although containing a moster within a certain boundry or cage could be done instead. Kiera has always been fascinated with the idea of "Water", whether it be the Ocean or just a small lake within a forest. It adds a 'spark' to her life. She always seems interested in peoples conversations if they are talking about "Water", and will more than happily discuss various topics about the situation that arises.

As a result of Kiera joining the Navy, her physical ability has improved twicefold, making her rather stronger than your average person. It's also helped her in many other ways such as: Being able to draw up maps, sail ships, predict the weather, having knowledge on various matters of astronomy and ofcourse, Battle-Tactics. All in all, Kiera is -Very- intelligent, always having the thirst for knowledge. Countless times has it saved her life, so her attitude to encourage people to be "A little smarter" is only a gesture of help, not insultency (Ok, maybe a little insultency... ). She's always been good at taking command and leading groups of people, so her leadership is never frowned upon. The only thing that does let her down though, is her ability to -not- be able to see the points of views from others. She is always thinking about herself!

Kiera has heard the stories about the Valkyr, and on one occasion, even claimed to of met one. If this is true, then she may indeed already have some sort of magical abilities. Nobody knows, as she usually works by herself during daylight. (Her one fear, being scared of the dark - How ironic ) Even if she -has- met one, then her abilities will of not been "Fully Developed" within this space of time. Although she has probably tried to improve them herself...

Appearance and outfit: Kiera has long, black hair that she likes to let loose to hang down below her shoulders. She has sharp, brown eyes. Her body is in -great- shape. You can see the tattoo on her right shoulder, as she always seems to be wearing a black, sleeveless top. Kiera likes to wear black fingerless gloves and is almost always seen holding a ciggerette in her left hand. Her eyes have an "Unimpressed" appearence when she isnt interested in anything (Like in the picture). She wears dark, navy jeans with various chains hanging out of one of her pockets. Kiera like to wear light, black boots (Always trying to refrain from using trainers or high-heel footwear). She wears a studded, black belt, in which she likes to keep a small handgun, similar to a Desert Eagle. This is -NOT- used as a weapon, as it has no ammunition and is merely used to threaten people if they start to annoy her.

Picture of her: https://2img.net/h/i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/Izzyvi/Black-haired%20girls/anime-girl_011.jpg
Magic affinity: Water.

Inventory (5 items):
-- Item 1 --
An impressive looking knife, with a black handle and a nice shine to the blade. The underside of the handle is a compass.

-- Item 2 --
A notepad, which Kiera uses to note important things down. She also uses it as a journal. Its accompanied with a few pens, all rather low on ink and a sharpened pencil for sketches. She is -VERY- possesive over this and -NEVER- lets anybody see it.

-- Item 3 --
A first aid kit that seems to be well equipped with bandages and medicines. It also contains a small bottle of strong alchohol.

-- Item 4 --
A flick-up lighter that lights a purple flame when opened because of a 'certain' liquid she used to fuel it. Its wrapped heavily in linen cloth to prevent the liquid from leaking into her bag. The lighter itself has her name carved into it with a small loveheart underneath - A name has been scratched out vigorously.

-- Item 5 --
A small item thats also wrapped in linen cloth, only heavier. The item itself has yet to be revealed...

First Name: Ariadalaid (Ari – a – da – lay - d)

Last Name: Kariander (Ka – ri – an – der)


Gender: Female


Personality: Ari, shortened her name when she was 10 years old ‘cause she believed it sounded poncy and didn’t fit her personality at all, too frilly. No one she has not known from child knows her full name. She knows that the weak do not survive so she makes sure that people know she is not weak. She does not want to lead believes that is too much responsibility and that it would not be worth her while. Ari is all too happy to ‘go it alone’ as it said, she feels that there is no point to be around people that will drag you down. She does not respect authority at all and will challenge any decision that she thinks is wrong. Though she is happy to share her opinion in a loud usually garish manner she does not talk to people she has in her mind classified as ‘Idiots’. She would not think about defending a friend but at the moment she doesn’t have any. She’s not afraid of a relationship but just does not like it overly much, in her own words “You’re putting too much of your life into another person, they could break you so easily.” She is a very upfront with her opinions but not with her emotions. You would have to know her for a long time before you could detect any real kind of emotion behind her loud exterior. Most around her though think they can understand her but they can only understand what she wants them to understand. In short, she is a very loud seemingly happy person that says what she thinks and doesn’t suffer fools gladly.


Biography: Ari is now 24 but acts as if she owns and knows all about the world. She was born on the out skirts of Sanctus Terra and grew up in a small concrete house that was not overly well furnished or pleasant. Her mother died in child birth so she grew up with just her older sister and her father. Her sister ran away when she was 10 (She does not know where she is at 24 but she knows that she is still alive because she writes to her every birthday. Ari never replies.) and her father had turned to worship the vodka bottle shortly after her mother’s death so he was basically useless. So from a young age she learnt to able to street run, being able to float (by the looks of it) across the gaps from building to building. She learnt to steal what she needed from her more affluent neighbours and get away with it most of the time.
She soon fell into trouble though and ended up in a local gang, getting things they needed in exchange for more money than she ever made stealing. She held her first gun at 12 and the leaders of her gang soon realised her talent with the weapon. She was then promoted from the best runner they had (a runner is the lowest rank though) to one of the best and youngest (no one ever mentioned this fact to her) on their gun squid. It was then she realised that people suspected a non talkative girl in a black coat more than a smiling happy looking 13 year old in a dress (the dress made people think she was younger). So this is what she became but she never really changed. At 15 she was the head of their gun squad and had dropped the dress and had gone back to the black but kept the smile, it put people on their guard. A smiling girl in black with a gun pointed at you, it would. She was good with stealth due the 2 years she spent as a runner and now as head of the gunners unit she specialized in the high end assassinations. She left the gang at 21 when she was Head of All Assassinations and Political Extortion after a very unpleasant battle at her house. The battle left her with a scar that goes diagonally across her stomach.
She then headed into the city as a freelancer doing whatever for who ever and not asking too many questions. Doing this she gained a lot of money and reputation for being able to do the more serious jobs. She lived in a nice house during her years as a freelancer and has a fortune that when last looked was about 1 million pounds before the demons came and not that it mattered after. Her working freelance she gained new skills like an ability to use almost any type of technology, surveillance and a knack to see when someone is lying.
It was on her 24th birthday when the demons broke free. She stayed in the house she owned but she let some of the survivors stay there if they had no where else to go and provide them with food and water. She got this by stealing anything she could from any where, like braking into shops and stealing food from there. The gas and water was still plumbed to her house for some reason. She heard about the group Kiera had formed through the people that came to her house.
Ari knows about the Valkyr but has never seen one to date. She feels a really close connection to air, maybe because of her youth street running. She is interested in joining Kiera’s group because she knows that they have the most chance of surviving but she is not sure how to get invited. At the moment she has a plan in her mind and will carry it out later. She is not sure how this will go down with Kiera because before the demons she was a criminal (and still kind of is a criminal).


Appearance: Ari wears a top that looks like Winry’s from FMA but in black (I know this shows her scar, it is meant to). She wears a long black trench coat over it that she has had for years and that looks a bit grotty. It has fraying hems and buttons missing but she doesn’t mind (that means it never closed at the front). She wears a pair of tight fitting black shorts with gun holders on her thighs (bit like Lara Croft). She also wears a black leather necklace with an unrecognizable symbol made of metal attached to the leather. Her hair straight and brown she keeps it down and it frames her face in a nice way. Her eyes are a hazel colour and have a certain thing about them that could be called piercing and always called distrustful. Her skin is lightly tanned so she doesn’t look like a vampire (like some people) but she doesn’t look orange either. She wears big clumpy black boots with metal sticking out of them that she takes of if she has to be stealthy.


Magic Affinity: Air


Inventory (5 items) –

1) Her 2 pistols that she keeps strapped to her leg (like says ^^).

2) Her necklace that she never takes off or lets anyone else touch for that matter. (more ^^)

3) Plenty of ammunition for her guns

4) A dagger that she keeps in the back of her boot. It also has the same symbol carved into the hilt and her name carved underneath it on the hilt of the dagger.

5) A silencer for her guns.

(I had her written last summer XD)

((Going to start this RP with a diary entry, then with a small real-time event afterwards.))

Kiera's Diary Entry 1:
Another day goes by, nothing special happened. The only thing worth mentioning is the few demons I had to go and take care of because my men couldn't handle it themselves. How pathetic... I despise weakness. They expect a woman to do everything for them, ha! It makes me laugh...
I still feel like our search for supplies is going to succumb sooner or later. It's true that we have a whole stockroom full of food and what-not, but that'll only last a week at most with the number of 'followers' I have. Why do they see me as a leader? Am I really that great? Wait, what am I saying? Ofcourse I am, ha! It's about time I stopped using these fools anyway. I think it's about time I took the good 'ol fashioned 'Lone-Wolf' style, and try my best to survive. I only need a group of two or three at most and we'll be well on our way to surviving. Then again, it's going to be one hell of a challenge to find somebody that's up to -my- standards....

Kiera slipped her notepad and pencil back into her bag with a smirk. Now sat casually in her ''office'' infront of an impressive looking table, smoking a ciggerette, she beckoned one of her men over with the other hand. "Hey you..." She stopped to puff out a breath of dense smoke before carrying on. "Get over here... NOW!". The man's smile now dropping into a delinquant frown as he approaches her, saluting at her before kneeling down at her feet. "Y-yes ma'am?" A small, quiet voice eminated from the man's mouth. "Get up... I dont like grovelling..." Taking her ciggerette to her mouth again to inhale, then exhale another dense cloud of smoke at the man's direction. "I-I-I'm sorry miss. It was foolish of me." He stood up, his knee's starting to tremble. "Where's our men? They were suppose to be here..." Kiera stops to check her watch. "... 3 Minutes ago." Glaring impatiently at the man as she butts out her ciggerette, throwing it at his feet. The man returns her stare with a feared one of his own, a drop of sweat dripping down his cheek from his forehead. "I-I Don't K-Know, they should b-be here by now... S-Should I go look for them?"

Kiera let out a sigh of boredness. "Yes, please do... Return IMMEDIATELY once you find them..." She sits up and folds her arms before tilting her head, waiting for the man to leave. "Well...? What are you waiting for?!" Snarling at the man before standing up infront of him. "I-I Apoligise! I'll get going right away Ma'am!" Saluting to her before swiftling running towards the elevator in the lobby just outside. Kiera shouts: "Dont forget to close my door! You insolent bastard!" as the man leaves. He stops immediately with a regretfull look on his face, slamming the door shut before running off towards the elevator again. "HEY DON'T SLAM IT! IT'LL BREAK YOU FOOL!!" Kiera loses her temper and slams her fist on the table. The man smirks as he runs off.

The man peers around the room searchingly in hope that the men had already gotten back. Observing the murky water pouring out of the marble fountain as he runs past it, the cracked tiles beneath his feet crunching as he steps over them. The windows all barred with wood or scraps of metal. The roof, somewhat damp and embedded with moss and finally. The shining silver surface of the elevator he was running towards. As he presses the button, it immediately opens up, with about four men inside, including a cuffed male, who seemed somewhat nervous, trying to keep himself behind one of the men. The man's pushes himself to the side to let them out, his face relieved that they have gotten back this soon.

"Hey Kite, the Commander wants to see you..." He says as he welcomes them all out of the elevator. The man nods and takes a few steps forward, leading a cuffed male into Kiera's office. It seems she'd already finished the first ciggerette by the time all of this had gone through, henceforth catching her lighting another ciggerette, she tilts her head in surprise. She puffed out yet another breathe of smoke, and parted her lips to speak. "Who's this Kite?" She stares at the cuffed male and beckons him over to the chair infront of her desk with an evil grin on her face. "Ohh... You brought me a new toy... How delightful..."

(Might aswell start my intro with a little jotted note then, oh, and there's a single spoken swear word at the very end)

Plan for day 65

Clear area surrounding shelther

Steal supplies from idiots

Find new shelter for the week

Why had he even bothered? His supplies could've lasted a few more days, if he'd've decided to stretch them. But no, he had to splash out.
The memories flashed through his mind. He had snuck up on a passing group of what looked to be hired idiots. Being fairly low on supplies after celebrating- he'd found and old friend of his. Dead, of course, but it was the closure that mattered, not having to worry anymore whether he was live or dead- He'd figured that he would steal a bag or two when these bozos were fighting one of the demons, and none would be any the wiser. Apparantly, they were wiser, wiser than he was expecting. They had set up portable alamrs around the small camp in which the supplies were situated, forcing him to leave what he had grabbed behind, and run for it. Though the Raiders had ambushed him and shot him in the foot, he had somehow managed to shake them, and hide in a pile of rubble, but the blood had given him away.

They must've had blood hounds, or somthing, he could remember. What he did remember, was being knocked out, then awoken by a blinding light as elevator doors opened. He looked up to his captors, feeling dried blood on his face, which had come from his nose. He was still wearing his clothes, more importantly, he was still wearing his coat, the end of which was gathering dirt on it and it dragged behind him, as he himself was dragged across cracked marble tiles.

He looked about the place. It must've been some kind of grand hotel in it's hayday, but what now just as typical as the other buildings, a memorial for the dead, or for the soon to be. As he was dragged up the stairs by these lumbering lumox's, he started to see smoke potruding out of the head office. Knowing it wouldn't be long before he met the scource of it, he decided to try and deduce who the leader was. He hypothosize that she must be female, as these were all male, and they were following he willingly, without complaint or grumble, so she must also be a bit of a looker, either suducing the men, or being a better fighter. He decided on the latter. He then also guessed, that being in charge of such a place, she must either be druk on power, or bored, and infuriated with these idiots, which must've been why he heard shouting, and why the man that met him when the elevator doors opened was trembling so.

The problem was this, If she was so bored, which she almost certainly was, then he must be intended to entertain her, otherwise he would've just been killed on the spot. But what exactly would she desire as entertainment? That thought made him shudder.

It was then they entered the office. He looked up slightly, to the leader, and his hypothesis was confirmed. What she said confirmed it further. He decided to at last speak. His voiced had temporarily been roughened by the sheer amount of the dust in the place, as such, he had to clear his mouth several times.
"Really? I'm afraid you get no refunds for the damaged state your idiots brought me in,"
He smirked slightly, and spat on the floor, looking back up at her as he continued.
"And your receipt wont count for shit,"

Kiera peered around her room, eyeing over the intricate details that surrouded the them both. The walls were a dull-grey, quite obviously matted with dust and jade-green vines spreading out across the surface, entroping themselves in and out of the smashed up windows. These were infact, boarded up with planks of wood and metal, despite them being on a very-high floor. She'd always been amazed with the fact that the elevator still worked. Anyway, back to the point. Behind her, towering above the office chair she sat upon, lay framed certificates and medals granted to her for the fantastic service she'd committed to the Navy before the 'disaster' and even a few blades, which seemed to be well-cared for as the smell of polishing oil and their very impressive shine glimmered out even through the dusty atmosphere. The tiles beneath their feet were cracked, and hardly held their former glory of being astonishingly shiny marble. And to finish it off, the stench of soothing lavender emanated from her person as a breeze enrolled through the boarded up windows, brushing her perfume across the entire room.

Kiera smirked to the younger male and signalled Kite with her hand to order him to leave the room.
"I'll talk to you later Kite... Get out of here... I want to play with this kid a little."
Kite leaves the room, shutting the door behind him quietly. Kiera looks over the cuffed male's shoulder and shouts at the door:
"You see that Liam!? Thats how you close a door politely!"
She cackled softly at her own statement before turning her attention back to the young male infront. She memorised the appearence he held, and jotted some notes into her notebook unrelated to aesthetics before scribbling a remarkably well drawn portrait of him within a matter of seconds. (This would have been out of his view).

"Do I look like a hotel owner to you?"
She looked around her well-decorated office yet again, and embraced herself within her own glory.
"Ok, don't answer that!"
She smirked at him before carrying on.
"What is your name? Where do you come from? So many questions, so little time!" Now sighing as she looks at her watch.
"Please don't keep me waiting... Boy. It irritates me dearly... Take a seat, why don't you? Make yourself at home..."

He followed her gaze as she looked about the room. What with the vines imbedded in the walls, it looked more ike a florists than a decedant hotel office. A florists with a fetish for weapons, that is. He admired the swords behind her, and, while he had to admit that they were impressivly well kept, it was their location that bothered him, why would she place them in such a dump? Did she take pride in this place? Surely not, the only impressive thing about the building was the fact that the elevator still worked; not her perfume, not her damned certificates, and certainly not the broken marble. He Smirked slightly as she doodled in her pad. He would have to take a peak when she was asleep. He gritted his teeth and stared blankly at her while she did this, obviously not impressed, though he made sure to resume his old face when she had finished.
Her perfume wofted to his nostrels, and his face creased instantly, as he shifted slightly- the smell was revolting. How could anyone, especially men, like that fragrance?
Her first question had puzzled him, why should she care what he thought, especially if she took so much pride in such a hellhole?
When she had finished speaking, he thrust himself forwards, leaning up against the table, and using it to help him get up- his hands were still bound. He then walked to a chair and sat on it, shifting forward to be closer to the table. He then smirked as he looked to her, and spoke.
"If you untie me, I may be more cooperable. Woman,"
He made sure to put emphasis on the last word, as well as the accompanying scowl. His little piece of revenge for the 'Boy' comment.

It seems since the door had been closed, leaving them in a somewhat quiet and private situation, that the voices from outside seemed all the more louder. Male groups squabblnig with one another, drinking, gambling the remnants of their past life before the disaster became all the more apparent if you were to listen closely enough. Kiera despised it... Or more accurately, 'them'... Her only motive to stay was the storage of food she'd gathered, having been too lazy to kill them all off. Or perhaps, their was a deeper reason behind it.

The breeze of perfume lingered around the room once more as a final breeze gusted through the window. Oh, how she enjoyed to torment the other males with her disgusting fragrance. Watching their faces shrivel was decent enough entertainment when she wasn't busy bossing them around, and her fake flirting; leading them into a false sense of security before yelling at them for 'making a move' and getting the 'culprit' lynched for endangering them all by angering their 'Boss' was another of her so-called hobbies. How lovely~

Kiera stayed firm, rather amused in fact, holding that ever-present smirk at the edge of her lips she waved a hand and dismissed his words for the time being.
"Now, now... You're in the presence of a lady. Have you not learned any manners? Introduce yourself... Boy."
She butted out her ciggerette and puffed out the smoke towards him, so that both scents mixed with one another to create an even more disgusting stench, and tossed it out of one of the cracks in the window. Nice aim...
"I'll make a deal with you. You do as I say for the next ten minutes, and I'll promise to make it worth your while. Of course, if you agree, I'll uncuff you right away..."
She looked at the male, with a curious glint within her eyes, and continued to speak.
"But... If you try anything... I'll be sure to end your life instantly, and display your head on my wall..."

He smiled slightly, shifting his position on the chair, so that he sat on it sideways, his legs angling around one of the chairs arms, his back over the other. He leant his head back, and closed his eyes, trying to listen to the males as they gambled all that was ever precious to them, and for what? Some smokes? Beer, perhaps? How pathetic. He shrivelled his nose, resisting the urge to vomit over the combines smells of perfume and smoke, and replied to her first comment thusly:
"A Lady, does not smoke,"
He smiled smugly, not bothering to look at her reaction, instead wofting in his own arrogance, rather than hers. He raised his eyebrows at how quickly the smell of smoke went away- she had obviously discarded the cigarette butt.
Then he got to conflicting sides of her- a proposition, and a threat, he thought about this for a few minutes, making sure that the situation sank in, and still couldn't make himself take it seriously, so he replied:
"Now now, that is no way to treat a child, and besides,"
He grinned a little and opened his eyes, tilting his head towars her, as to catch her gaze.
"Why would you want to waste all your effort in making this hellhole looking nice by splashing blood over it? I though Hotel Managers cared about the state of there hotel,"
He motioned his he back slightly, refering to those outside.
"And the company she keeps, I mean come on, Those men are a worthless waste of food, and we both know it,"

Kiera picks herself up from the battered office chair and sighs, pondering around the room, almost as if to inspect the male from all of the various angles as she eyes him over numerous times. Her eyes widen a little as she notices something, but disguises it well with some witty remark, evidently keeping her discoverment a secret for the time being.

"Now, listen carefully. I'll only say it once... Nature abhors a hero. For one thing, it violates the law of conservation of energy. For another, how can it be the survival of the fittest when the fittest keeps putting himself in situations where he is most likely to be killed? If I were to rid of these fools now, I would be putting my own life at risk and that is why, I am giving -you- the chance to be rid of these idiots, so that the both of us may survive. I can see, though do not question how, that you are 'unique', like myself. So technically, killing you would be a complete waste of time and energy. I would rather take my available 'resources' and use them efficiently, and at this moment in time, you... Are a resource. My resource. Though, do not get me wrong, by declining my offer, you are no longer a resource, but junk. Junk that needs to be disposed off. I have no use for you, if you do not wish to work in servitude. Just remember, you are the one in cuffs, and in order to remove these cuffs, you must accept my conditions."
Kiera looks around one more time, and sits back down into her chair before taking a another breathe, thinking over her words rather carefully. She talks confidently, listing out the various rewards for him.
"However, the removing of the cuffs, is not your reward. Oh no... It's something far better. You gain a -little- of my trust, and a little of my -friendship-. You are able to leave, and do as you wish. I will not bother you again. I will not have anybody else bother you. There is also some food in it for you. As much as you wish, actually."

She then holds up her ciggerette packet up in clear view infront of him, and takes a lighter with her other hand. She affirms her hand underneath the packet, and flicks the lighter's wheel a couple of times to spark up a flame. The packet instantly catches fire, and she smirks as she tosses the packet out of the window. The dense cloud of smoke it creates fades away rather quickly as the packet is disposed of.
"As for the smoking comment of yours, I quit as of now. There are no other cigerrettes for miles that I know of. That was indeed, the last packet. Other than that..."
She leans across the table with a slightly modest smirk, and her eyes glinting with the same presence of cunning and wit as before. Her hands come up from her bag, placing her notebook onto the table, with a few ancient symbols and language sketched over the cover of it's leatherbound casing to tease him a little. She then quickly removes it, and slips it back into her bag before there'd even be a chance to get a 'good- look at it.
"I -may- let you see a few pages of this..."
She peers down at the cover again, which has now been placed onto her lap out of view and smirks wider than before.
"Oh look... It says something about controlling fire... How fascinating..."
"

He let his gaze follow the woman, what a sly one she was... but what was her goal? Her end game? He suspected, given the chance, she would be rid of these idiots, though she didn't want to do it alone, and so needed somebody else that was, what did she say? Unique, that was it. Unique like her...

Oh god...

She was.... She must be.....

Oh god...

He kept calm at this revalation, and looked about the room slowly, keeping the same expresion as he had before, not letting on that anything was amiss. He had to figure out to what element was he affinity.
Could it be Earth? What with all those dead plants she seemed to take pride in? No, if she was, she would've been horrified over them...
Okay, then why not Air? That would explain that cheap palour trick with the perfume, using it to confuse and disgust.. No, it was just a palour trick, anyone could do that.
Then it hit him.

She was in the navy- all those certificates of merit, then, concluding from not only that, put the powers of deduction, her affinity must be water. Oh hell.
Water was polar opposite to fire, It could either douse it, or be evapourated by it. He suspected the level of power that they held, not only depended on experience, but a little on age. As such, in a one on one, fair fight, she would best him.

No matter, he would just have to act quickly.

See, what she didn't seem to realise, was that he didn't need a fire souce- he could generate it.

By the time she had sat down, he had burnt away his cuffs, having started when she was smoking, as to not get her attention- there was already smoke. He had extinguished it when she had stopped and walked around him, but had finished when she threw the flaming cigarette packet out of the window anyway, he just kept his hands held tight together to make it look like he was still cuffed.

Smiling to himself, taking a few minutes to "Think" about her proposition, He began to wonder how she had known. Could she sense it? Was it his unnatural affinity for Black and Red? Surely not. It didn't matter now anyway, his plan was complete.

He looked up at her, letting his red contacts shine in the fading sun- it was almost 6PM now- and he smiled slightly. He snapped his fingers, and a small flame trailed out from behind him, and out of the door, flowing along the trail of alcohol left by his bottle that he had left open- filled with vodka, for those nights when he broke down- Not that it mattered now. He had let the alcohol from the elevator, knowing that when the fire got to the electrics- it would surely disable the elevator, and, even if it did not get their attention, they still wouldn't be able to follow.

He started to hear worried shouts from outside, getting louder and louder, and it was now he decided to speak.

"While I will graciously consider your proposition, I believe, fairly soon, you will have my answer,"

He then stumbled to his feet, making it seem he was still bound, and bowed, smiling still.

"Oh, and, Kiera, for, that is who you must be, you would do well not to underestimate me again,"

He then made for the open window, and dived out, landing in the large skip- full of bin bags, as he had suspected. He quickly got out, hearing a loud bang, and then a crash- his plan seemed to have worked. He smiled to himself, picking an old bannana skin off of his shoulder, and set the remaining rubbish in the skip alight, then broke into a run, he had to get as far away as possible, while he still had time.

(Nice of you guys to wait for the poor person with dial up internet who spent this morning doing homework, thanks XD)

Ari smiled she had spent the day bored, her food stock was well above where it had to be and none of the people living in her ‘house’ seemed to be starting anything. Stretching out on one of the battered leather sofas that still remained and had not been used up as fire fuel she sighed, she hated it when life got boring. She seemed to always try to find a way to make life more interesting but that always seemed to end up in her causing trouble not that was a problem, to her any way. She had been giving her way of life at the moment a bit of thought. She was no weakling so no-one had tried to rob anything off her off yet but it wasn’t really her style to go around looking after a bunch of civilians who couldn’t even hold a gun properly. Kiera was seemingly the only option no-one else seemed strong enough to team up with, she could go it lone wolf but that gets lonely sometimes.
She smiled jumping off the couch and picking her guns of the cushion where they had lain moments earlier. One thing she was very good at was making an entrance and making an entrance was what she was planning on. She walked outside before jumping up onto the roof, she liked going across the roof tops they were easier and because all birds were long gone no-one looks up. She continued along the roof tops until she got what looked like an abandoned hotel. Jumping over so she could it on the walls she looked at the scene below, some strange guy was rolling around in the rubbish for some unknown reason but then some people have some strange fetishes. The rest of the people seemed to just be milling around drinking and gambling. She snorted; drunk people are easier to kill than people who are in full control of mind and bodily functions.
Jumping off the roof ninja fashion she landed behind one guy without him even knowing she was there and put her gun behind his left ear and promptly blew his brains out. Still smiling she then systematically picked off everyone in the courtyard a couple of people tried to oppose her but their stupid fumbling when they tried to get their guns out was funny if not hilarious. She walked over to the elevator making sure to step over the dead where ever possible best not to get shoes dirty.
Taking the elevator down to the lower floors the opened the wooden door without knocking and noticed a women leaning out of the window looking at the strange man rolling in the rubbish but she had to repeat strange people stranger fetishes. She turned towards the woman smiling with impish glee. She’d only put one of her guns away so she raised the other to her lips and blew imaginary smoke away.
“How’d I do!? How’d I do?!” She asked doing her best to sound too happy for the situation.

(Right got to got now good little me is off to her Spanish lesson, oh and Dan how was Wrexham? And can you fix the coding on the index it’s starting to annoy me now?)

Looks like his escape had worked. He was running from the burning tip, and all he could here was gunshots, and the screams of men. He expected that Kiera wasn't very happy about his -little- plan. Oh well. That wasn't his priority now anyway. What was his priority, was that needed food and shelter before the night fell, and then he would get out of this city, or at least, on the otherside of it. It wasn't safe anymore.

Or was it? If she had just killed all her men, then it would be a bit hard to find one 15 year old in amongst a city bearing the full weight of the apocolypse. Perhaps she would be killed? No, he sincerely doubted that. If she was like him, he didn't think simple demons would take her down. In anycase, even if she did find him, couldn't he just simply escape again? As he had just done?

It was then his thoughts were interupted, when a shadow came over him. Actually, it was closer to flying over him, at least he felt so. He stepped back as she greeted him, looking at her with an estranged look on his face. He corrected this quickly, to blankness, as he thought about what to do. He looked her, up and down. He estimated she was about a head taller that him, in her mid 20's. Great. Another adult? He'd had enough of them today. Then his eyes shifted to her guns. He didn't look at them for too long, though he assumed that she noticed. He then raised his left hand slightly, to wave politely. He figured he would find out about this woman, rather than put a gun in her face straight away, rather, he would act the helpless child. He smiled slightly and answered her greeting with:

"Oh thank god! You've got to help me! That Kiera was trying to keep me!"

The only thought that remained in his head was this: What if she wanted to join Kiera? Then he suspected he would be used as some kind of bargining chip. If that became the case, then he would simply adapt to the situation as it unfolded. For now, fake tears dropped from his eyes, and he ran towards the woman, embracing her, hugging her at the waist, putting on the act of some terrified child, just wanting help.

The gales of wind rushed through the night engulfed city, whizzing through alleys and broken construction pipes creating a 'whistling' of various tones. The distant, dreary groans of darkspawn demons bellowing out their calls to one another broke the silent populace, or atleast, what was left of them. The only skyscrapers visible in the distance were that of which were burning with the flickering flames of amber and the occasional streetlamp trying to survive on a last 'breathe' of electricity; creating a mellow vibrance of unsteady light. The darkness surrounding the city made it hard to even look at the sky without having to squint in search for the moon.

Kiera peered down out of the shattered window into the gloomy and rather depressingly dark world outside. Half of the shards scattered across her broken tiling floor, and the other half still free-falling downwards; spiralling out of control before hitting the ground with a twinkling melody. A brief yet rather 'foxy' smirk crossed her lips as she admired his attempt at escaping.Cute... She scanned her vision down to the lower regions of her building in search for the male 'escapee', almost instantly finding him amongst a pile of rubbish, struggling to get out.

Another break of the impeding silence caught her attention, gunshots and muffled screams which seemingly came from the lower levels of 'her' hotel before another clashing of glass. Oh great, more trouble... Totally disregarding the fact that her men were quite possibly dead, or severely wounded, Kiera let out an amused sigh.
"How lovely~ Somebody has done part of my job for me, just how I like it..."
Then, a young looking female sprung forth out of the window, showing off one of her rather aesthetically pleasing somersaults before landing, and quite possibly greeting the fallen teenager. Kiera's pair of eyes dulled further into a sense where she was basically about to 'facepalm'. Refraining from the previously said, her eyes scanned over the pair as the male 'begged' the female for some help and despite her impressive concentration, she couldn't quite make out what was being said. Actions were enough for her to decipher what was going on, however.

Another set of howls and screams in the distance confirmed some more kills being made by the enslaught of demonic 'darkspawn', or so, thats what Kiera liked to refer them as.

She took herself away from the shattered window with pride in her steps, ignoring the pair below momentarily, and approached her framed swords. Taking a clenched fist, she threw out her right effortlessly in an attempt to smash the glass protecting the silvery metal blade cased within. Soon enough, she was wielding her own hand-crafted blade made of carbon-fibre steel: It glistened under the embracement of the dim light illuminating the beaten office, and was quite obviously double-edged. The hilt was decorated with purple gems, quite possibly of Amethyst origin and had a single bandage embracing it for an unknown purpose. The blade had no signs of rust, and seemed well cared for. It was medium/heavy-weight because of it's length (About 42 Inches, Longsword Average), yet she held it with ease in her right hand: She'd obviously been training with this weapon for a long time, and being able to wield it so freely showed her strength. Well, atleast all of that ship rigging and what-not had it's advantages...

Nonetheless, now that she had all she needed, all that was left was to confront the pair below with swift intent. Taking a moment to breathe and position herself correctly, she let out a deep exasperated sigh before leaping forth out of the window with natural grace. The breeze rushed down over her body as she began to freefall, inevitably causing her long, dusky black hair to sweep behind her wildly. Before she knew it, she was about to come into impact with the trash heap below: creating none other than a soft thud as her elegance cushioned the fall. Kiera brushed herself down of any garbage and stood up from a slight kneel, smirking towards the pair. It was obvious she had dark thoughts on her mind.

After enough time had passed, he let go of the woman, and pulled away, stepping behind her. He looked about his surroundings. They seemed to be in some barren wasteland, surrounded on all sides by decrepid buildings, the majority of which were boarded up, and the minority of which still had human occupents. The sun had set now, darkness was engulfing them. Though his body language, and his facial expressions didn't show it, he was starting to panic. This place was to open. from where he was standing, even he could see small fires still ablaze in the hotel, probably left by the henchmen. It wouldnt take long until they noticed aswell. He felt his pockets quickly. He felt the hard, cold engravings of his metalic flask, the small plastic handle of an old kitchen knife he managed to grab as he ran out of his home, and the small, intricate handle of his Fathers old revolver. He reached into his pocket. This one, this pocket, was on the inside of his jacket, so no others could see this.

He pulled it out a little, so he could just see the handle, and the chamber. The base of the handle, and almost the entirety of that not lined with metal, was made of wood. Which, he didn't know, thought his father used to boast it was mahogony. He doubted that. For one, his father was an attempted drunk- he could only attempt because he didn't have the money to make it a full time career option. He lightly pushed out the chamber, which he could see was full. Good. He had a box or two of spare bullets, but he doubted that wwould last very long, once things got really hectic. He put the gun back, and stood back up.

He could still hear screams in the distance. Rather than feel pity, he barely felt contempt for those who they found. It wasn't just a case of rather them thant me, but also one of reverse idiocracy. In the end, after a certain length of time, which he suspected to be about a month, all those that society deemed stupid, would surely be dead. In the end, if any humans survived, it would only be those that were intelligent- or ruthless enough, to survive. He liked to think he fell into both catergories.

He heard a faint crashing sound behind him, and he turned his head slightly. Only slightly, so it wouldn't be noticed, but it was enough to see her approaching. He had decided it was too late in the night to take his chances between these women. He knew the only one he could rely on was himself. He let a smirk form in the corner of his mouth, as he let a -small- flame form on the tip of a strand of hair, which just so happened to be situated on Keira's head. That would distract her for a bit. He meanwhile, was running again.

To put it into an exmaple: In a world that was as dangerous as trying to use some sort of electrical appliance whilst having a shower, kiera was definately the shower in this case. No threat until something (Or someone) had that extra 'ignition' to provoke some sort of mildly disastrous scene. It was not just because of her affinity with water, but rather, her ability to cause a chaotic scene out of a simple spark; whether it be literal or metaphorical... And the appliance was just about to be plugged in. The flame to her hair.

Her eyes scanned the immediate distance in which the male, and the female who had taken haste in following him had found their way just metres from a possibly dangerous situation. Her eyes, now seriously focused on the surroundings rather than the pair ahead showed her keen observation skills were about to take place.

Kiera came to a halt, letting her slightly ignited hair dimly light the alley. She was unimpressed, not even bothering with outmatching the attempted trick as she shook her head, sighing out of boredom. And I thought this guy had potential? It sure isn't looking that way thus far...
She clicked her fingers twice, failing the first whilst trying to set her hands into an aquatic form. Before she knew it, all of her fleshy feminine fingers were replaced with wavering ripples of water spraying across the floor. She smirked, hoping to show off a little. It was obvious she'd had more time to practice with her affinity than the others. Perhaps it was her early recognition of the fact that she actually had such powers.

By the time her thoughts had simply scanned through a variety of possibilities for the upcoming night, she'd already distinguished the flame with a buckets volume of water. Despite using more than absolutely necersary, she had a liking to having her hair absolutely soaked to the brim with aqua. It was thoroughly drenched, dripping streams of water down over her shoulders, inevitably causing a shimmering shine to her onyx locks of hair. The floor had also been intruded with small puddles, leaking small lines of water over towards the pair. With another sigh, she clicked her fingers again, bringing her fingers back to the original form.

"Hey now, I shouldn't have to warn you that a couple of steps further would mean almost certain death."

She took a moment to lever her blade upwards, pointing way ahead of the pair towards a shining pair of eyes glaring back at her. A demonic figure approximately 50 metres away was prowling the shadows, leaving a trail of blood in its tracks. It seemed it was waiting for its prey to take a few more steps. Despite what legends told, these demons actually had brains, and could use them rather well if neversary. There had even been tales of demons that had the intelligence to talk.

"If you look closely, theres a nice little demon puppy on a hunt for a new chewtoy. You're more than likely to volunteer, but I assure you that the opposite direction, towards me, is a much safer choice."
She closed her eyes, beckoning the pair back into a safer range with her sword.
"I don't bite, I promise... Okay, well... Not hard, anyway..."

Darkness.

Twisting. Turning. Writhing. Actioning.

Metal

Congragating. Protecting. Still. Hiding.

Organic

Delicate. Soft. Tangeble. Weak.


This was how his mind worked at times like these. When he was in danger. Stressed. Angry. In a hurry. His thoughts were quick. Sharp. Snappy. To the point. There was no need for analyzation. It was easy. Break every object apart. See it's strengths. Compare it's weakness. Evaluate. Everything could be broken down with four words.


Keira

Calm. Intelligent. Ruthless. Safe.


Her looked up sharply as this appiffiny occured. This cross roads of thoughts. True, he and Keira equally annoyed the other. But.

But...

They were the same.

In tactics. In thought. In capability. They knew the other was their equal, or the closest they would find, so why not join forces, at least... for the time being. Until it was no longer convenient. Then they would surely part, he had no misconceptions about that. This was purely because it was a logical move. Not because he liked her style, or any of the rest of it. He was doing this, because it was the best option for him. No one else.

As his head finished this rather monumental conclusion, her voice then rang through his ears. He smiled. For the first time in a while. He smiled properly. He liked her humour. His face hardened again when he realised what he was thinking. He was not some pityful child, eyes full of wonder. He was Kyle Swan, and he's be damned if pretty words would take him.
Yet still he stood, determined, for once, not to let his arrogance disadvantage him. It would not stand in the way of progress. He would swallow his pride, even though it was the only thing he had left. He moved the sheet metal out of the way, and looked to her, eyes ablaze with controled fury. Controlled fury that he would have no intention of continuing to control if things got... messy.

"For the sake of... How shall I say it? Diverging interests? I am willing to ally myself with you. Just this once. If your careful, you may earn a -little- of my trust and a -little- of my friendship,"

The demonic non-anthropomorphic figure stumbling within the boundaries of the shade approximately fifty-metres ahead of the male let out a bellowing call that sent vibrations through the ground within it's radius, causing the water to spray and splash in non-melodic patterns. Despite this, however, it remained where it was, simply observing the pair having their 'conversation'. Again, it churled out another impatient growl as if it was waiting for the male to turn from Kiera and staright into it's mangled jaws. It's claws scraped the cracked concrete of the street as it pushed it's two front appendages out of the darkness. They were blacker than coal and it's claws were nothing shorter than a butter-knife. The other features it holstered remained within the darkness still, but Kiera knew exactly what it looked like. It was one of those 'common' darkspawn. One the middle-classed ones, she suspected.

Nonetheless, she took a few steps closer to the male, keeping the military-fine sword cautiously prepared. She wasn't taking any chances... With neither Kyle nor the foul demon that was about to consider them for dinner. The air was growing colder and the puddles of already-cold water were starting to gain a thin layer of crystallic ice over the surface. The crytals of ice twinkled under the only source of light; the moon, which was barely able to keep it's contrast through the huge mass of clouds hovering over the darkened city. The water she was able to create was thin, not mastered yet, yet if used in swift motions and with clever intellect, it was just as powerful as she needed it to be.

"An alliance?" She thought it through for a moment, literally taking three seconds to decide whether or not she should even consider it. Every possibility was processed and her strategy-generic mind had already thought out a set of rules and/or guidelines that needed to be stated.
"I accept, however, there are terms and conditions. I want this alliance to be handled properly, you hear? Help me take care of this demon and we'll talk. Prove yourself. I do not want an alliance with some preppy school-kid who likes to play with fire..."

The demon, now rather frustrated that the two had not even been paying attention to its rather 'intimidating' act let out a roar, bellowing its foul breath towards them. It stank of blood and rotting meat, not ton mention the layer of its 'wet-dog' smell that had started to emanate from its chaffled fur. It seemed its patience had now been tested. Kiera, took a few steps past the male, nodding to him sagely on the way past as she peered her emerald eyes into the dark shroud that enveiled the beast.
"Come on then, my charming little puppy dog... Lets play..." She spoke with confidence, yet her tone indicated that it was directed at both; Kyle and the canine-like demon. She chuckled wholeheartedly afterwards, raising her sword into a rather unique defensive position that tilted at shoulder-height.

As she spoke her fair words of precaution, he looked deaftly about the scene. Having already taken in moste was now assessing of the details, including the demon, he was now assessing possible combat strategies of his own. Judging from its beastly form, he garnered it wasn't too bright, more instinctive and animalistic. But tough. It had to be. Surely, with the world having gone to hell, it would have been shot, stabbed, bludgeoned? Surely then, it must be invunerable to most wounds. As he turned to face the demon and Kiera, he pushed these thoughts to the back of his head. They wouldn't help his current situation. He could guess that his powers would do enough damage to warrant her loyalty, at the very least.

He nodded slowly as she finished speaking, even blushing ever so slightly at the last line, before growling at himself for doing so. Obviously the child in him still lived, but he hated showing it. He just thanked whatever non caring gods that her back was turned, otherwise he was sure he would never hear the end of it. It was now he knealed, and placed a hand on the ground, erecting a flame where his hand was placed, not 3 seconds after he lifted it from the ground. The area around them was lit, and he could see, in this six metre wide parimeter the finite ground. Mud and dirt, that was so dry, so malnourished, it looked more like sand now. Everything looked like sand now.

He rose again, happy he could see clearly now, knowing full well this demon wouldn't want to enter light unless he had to. He had found rather early on that light, and heat, irritated, and maybe even harmed them. He grinned, the light setting his own features ablaze- his smile was odd. Almost like some kind of humanoid, demented chesire cat, his mouth was almost unnaturally big, too big for his face. He stepped forward, to Kiera's side, and tilted his head slowly, as if his mind was not his own, or he certainly did not want to access his own mind, for fear of the thoughts that dwelled within, so he left in to someone else. Something else.

The flickering lights of fading streetlights were now nothing to support the essence being emanated from the flames. Even Kiera was temporarily dazzled as her eyes adjusted to the new source of light, and the minor warmth in the air that caused her to shiver ever-so slightly. The dark shroud towering the city provided no room for any of the light to shine through, and thus, the other parts of the city still remained in complete darkness. Even the moon's light was nothing to provide the survivors of the new-world a hope, a source of natural light. Religion had even faded from existence, and she couldn't have cared less. The only deity she believed in was herself. Egocentric perhaps? Far from it. She, and the male standing before her, whether they knew it or not, were the only hope left in this war-torn city. She believed she was powerful enough to kill the foremost of the demons that existed, and in truth, she probably was. It was her courage alongside her intellectual mindset that had brought her this far, and she wasn't about to let go of her only advantages.

Needless to say, Kiera had that ever-present smirk of hers edging across her scarlet-red lips, clearly enjoying herself in midst of battle and the flames that lit up the area. Her smirk told a story deeper than anyone would expect, usually having people come to the conclusion that she was some sadistic maniac that liked to slice things up and get 'wet' from it. Such vulgar thoughts irritated her, yet it wasn't far from the truth. In literal terms regarding her power ofcourse.

Kiera, now having witnessed the boy's flames rise up from the ground, was not happy. She didn't like to be outdone, especially not by some preppy school pyromaniac. Lowering her blade on a 45 degree angle, she closed her eyes for a moment, stancing her steps carefully forward as she started to sprint, head-on towards the darkspawn 'puppy'. Eyes still close, she mumbled a word quietly to herself as her sprint become daringly swifter. Her voice seemed attuned to her actions and in-beat with her steps, and her use of language unformidably unrecognisable. Even she herself was not sure what she spoke of, but she most certainly knew what kind of effect it would create.

Out of nowhere, two aqua-formed blades of equal sharpness hovered at both of her, dripping the pureness of their crystallic droplets as the soft gales of wind brushed past her. The blades were identical to the one she was holding, excluding the fact that they were made from water. Her smirk grew wider as she came into melee-distance with the demon...

It's features, which she had noted in quick succession were as follows:
- Black fur, uncared for and mangled. Golden eyes.
- Sharp, rotting teeth. Foul breath. Purple tongue.
- Approximately 7"2 in height. Well built, yet beaten body.
- Definately canine-origin. Perhaps even fox-like.
- Weak spot; Flank? Maybe under-belly.
- Movements; Slow and heavy, definately going to pack a punch if hit.
- Chance of winning alone; 65%
- Chance of winning with the boy; 80%

She nourished her blade forward in an overhead arcing swipe that held great power behind it. Her aquatic blades mimicked the motion, slicing down towards the demon with equal impressiveness. The demon, slashing out one of his huge paws met with one of the blades as if to parry, though quickly withdrew after realising that its strength was no match and his paw had been severely sliced down the centre. Definately enough damage to cause it's movements to slow even further and bring it to a slight limp. It whimpered, crawling back against the building wall behind it. Her actual sword now coming down to meet the ground, cracking the sand-like concrete in a straight line about a metre forward. The cracks oozing with boiling-hot water, which splashed back at her. She ignored it, though it did cause her slight pain and annoyance. Her third song, the other of aquatic form simply died out, splashing down to the ground in a failed attempt to hit the demon. It seems she still had the need for some practice.

Looking back to the male over her shoulder, sure that the demon wouldn't bother counter-attacking for a moment, nodded her head, smirking the widest she had done thus far. If she was to smirk any more sadistic-like, she could have mistakenly been believed to have 'fangs'. She was enjoying herself, atleast. It was not often she got to show off, after all...
"Come on, let's get things heated up, hm?"

He cocked his head to the side, like the barrel of a gun. He did this to the left, and right, a couple of times, as if he was readying himself. His body. No one seemed to know how painful he found using his power, which was why he tried to use it sparingly- such power running through his body could cause him agony, if it was powerful enough. Though he was fine with the lesser sparks, and small flames, which was why he only tried to set alight that which was flamable.

His smile widened at seeing the beast in pain. He chuckled, his glee coming out as somekind of demonic roar. Unsheathing his large kitchen knife, he slowly turned his head downwards to it, and squinted his eyes. The blade itself now started to glow a bright, shining orange, showing the power of the pyre. This was how he normally defended himself againt such things, when running wasn't an option. He would heat his blade, and, even though that would embody but a fraction of his potential, it could cut through them like butter nonetheless.
He stared at the thing, watching it's movements like a hawk. He analyzed his moves, his kind's, or rather, this variations abilities, or most of them. Nothing to flashy, it was a typical hunter, used more as a blood hound by it's superiors. Ha, the irony that he was facing a blood hound now, when it was only this morning he was being hunted by humans and their own dogs. He would have to make it somekind of running joke of his, killing blood hounds that were in any way opposed to him. Bitches, the lot of them.
As he was brought back into focus, he had realised he had distracted himself, and thus had failed to anticipate it charging forward. His mind registered, barely, Keira turning back to tell him somthing, which his reflexes must've registered as funny, because he vaguely remembered chuckling. She must have had said it, because she expected the thing not to counter attack. How he hated it when people were wrong.
He growled slightly, and ran forward, barging past her. He brought his blade up over his head, and held it with both hands, speeding up, until he was but 5m from the black, scarred, demonic anthropormorph when he jumped.


Air rushing past his face.


Bringing arms downwards.


Blood rushing into his head.


Closer. Closer. Bang.

They collided in midair- He had arched his whole body forwards, poking out his chest and stomach, while pulling back his arms and feet, to get the maximum impact when... if he stabbed him intime. He did not. The beast instinctivley knew what he was doing, and jumped later. To be more accurate, he ran on all fours, and dived forwards, into him, tackling him like a proffessional rugby player would've. For his part, Kyle was lightly, and was tackled easily, and would've been thrown to the ground had he not stabbed the best in the upper back. Hearing it's cries of pain, he laughed demonicly again, and repeated, the black blood splurging over his face.

Kiera, observing the male demonically cackle at his crazed antics, could only smirk in a similar demonic fashion, using the cries of her enemy as some form of enthusiastic morale boost. It was evident that the beast was most definately in pain, and that the boy had done a 'fair' amount of damage to the 'pesky pup', however, it wasn't going down that easily, as inticipated. She couldn't help but shout at him, encouragingly but not without that sense of angered-pride she held close to heart.
"Hey, not bad... Not bad at all considering you don't know the effects that that demonic blood of theirs can have on your eyes..." Regardless of her tone and choice of words, it truly was meant as a compliment, and a hint. She just wasn't the type to outlet her feelings in a way people liked to think she might.

The beast, whom had now coincidentally stumbled forwards in a combintion of both pain and counter-attacking the male was perfectly aligned with the crack in the ground Kiera had strategically placed from her earlier 'miss'. It wasn't a miss at all, it was her plan all along. As if she knew the outcome of the battle and every single maneuver was integrated into that cunning mind of hers. The boiling water that oozed and bubbled from the metre-long crack had been swiftly sourcing it's way into the sand-like veins underneath the ground, dismembering the very solidness of the ground that kept them standing. Kiera, knowing all too well, slashed her sword vertically into the ground in one fast motion, embedding it into the rocky 'concrete' underneath. With a heavy sigh, she twisted the hilt of her blade and danced it's steel into a fourty-five degree angle; forthcracking all of the ground that had been slowly disapitating since her water had been eating away at the soft tissue of mud and sand-like caverns underneath their feet (and paws).

Scientifically speaking; the water that had softly frozen over behind the pair had melted by this point and had began seeping into the ground. Having judged the capacity of her weight hitting the ground from when she dived out of the window, she could tell that the ground was softer than most of which urban areas were. It was an immediate advantage and she had taken it by the horns. At the other end of the street, the same had happened; only in a more furious manner from when she had created a crack for the water to be absorbed into. In just a moments time, all of her plan had taken effect, all made possible with the guidance of her slightly-mastered power and a rather deep intellect for backup. An aquatic 'vaccuum' of sorts had been formed, having her cold water absorb some heat that was necessary for the 'reaction' to take place of the boy's flames, which had inevitably softened the ground to a state which made her plan all the more capable, despite it's somewhat minimal output.

In effect, her masterful plan had created a mini-earthquake...

Almost immediately, the ground started cracking and churning, letting out horrific sounds that were similar to that of bones breaking. Kiera used her embedded sword for grip as the ground beneath them shifted into two different dimensions, the left-side having been alternated higher than the right in this case. The moisture of the ground, having been morphed into one particularly effective spot which was rather cleverly the spot that the canine demon had decided to stop upon had originated from a 'simple' yet effective plan. Again, the bellowing got louder and the ground shifted violently downwards this time, smashing both sides of the paired dimensional water-drenched concrete slabs into either side of the demonic darkspawn's torso, keeping clear of the fire-tamed male by inches. It exasperated a high cry, bucking back it's upper rear in the upmost of pain in attempt to remove the male from it's body. It's breath and screams gradually fading away into the night as it's lungs collapsed from the shear force of impact, falling onto the ground half-dead and gasping for air.

Kiera chuckled loudly and somewhat manically to herself, evidently proud of her rather unique and effective plan. Looking over to the male, whom still seemed to have been digging his dagger into the beasts back, she smirked her ever-famous gesture. She tugged on the hilt of her sword, pulling it out of the concrete and slid it back into it's sheath, sighing lightly.
"Well there, boy, looks like we make a nice team after all. Crazy lad... We'll get along just nicely, don't you think?" She made sure that her tone was loud enough for him to hear as she approached the dying beast with caution. Her tone also carried that smug pitch, showing her dominance over him.
"I mean, opposites attract, right?"

He had stood and backed up when the ground had torn itself apart, obviously having been loosened by Kiera's clever water placment. He chuckled, and clapped slowly, wiping his face of the things blood. It appeared that the end of the world had charms. Seeing the fight was over, he released his own mind, bringing back the sarcasm, the focus, and doing away with the anger, the bloodlust, the hate. He let a wry smile slip from his lips for but a second. He was back. He tilted his head, unconfused. He knew where he was, what he was doing. He had seen everything. Hm. So she was worthy of his time. He had to admit, she was rather talented, with the power she possessed.

He felt the cold winds chill him, strong enough to blow him over, and, were he not in her presence, he wouldn't have minded. But he would not be shown to be the weaker. Never. He pulled his coat up around him, in an attempt to seal himself in his own cacoon of warmth. He shuddered slightly, and rotated his head, feeling his neck emit a satisfying click. A sign of a job well done.

T'was now he took note of what she was saying. It wasn't as though he could mss it- she spoke loudly and purposfully. That purpose was to get his attention. That tone either meant she was flirting, or was trying to become the dominant personality of the pair. He never could tell which. Not that there was much of a difference. Not to him. As he threw images of rather warped pictures of favorite video game characters, he tried to think of somthing wity to reply to her remarks with. He smiled again, flushing his cheeks, he must've looked like he was blushing slightly. He coughed into the inside of his elbow, doubling over, which gave him more time to think. Hmnm. The cough lasted longer than he was intending. Seemed that it may be genuine. Damn. They could be killers. He doubted he would fall victim to such a pathetic death. He would only fall victim to time itself, having outlived all these imbeciles. Hah. He had a line, at last. Not that great, but somthing, at least. He turned to her, and smiled grimly, while approaching the demon slowly, now rubbing his hands together for further warmth.

"Let us hope not. I'm what, 8 years your younger?"

His smile faded as he looked down on the thing. How he loved avoiding compliments.

Kiera dragged her blade out from the concrete, now creating a metallic ring and shining ray of light as it came into contact with the everlasting moon's beams of unaltered naturalism. It reflected her personality; Calm, serious and filled to the brim with intelligence. Her whole plan had gone down perfectly, and she was started to doubt whether or not she may have just done all of the work by herself. Oh, how she hated that idea so much. Too much, perhaps. It was as if the sword itself was another part of her though; connected in some unrealistic yet plaudible manner. She liked to think that way and so, it was almost reality. Her training since the day she was able to wield such a sword had not gone to waste. Slipping the blade back into her draconic-decorated sheath, the blood sliding off of the excellently smithed metallic curves. It seemed slightly alkaline in nature; reacting with what was left of her water that ran through the streets like a small river as it seeped back up from the crushed concrete and tar. A very small fizzing like reaction and the dissipation of the content of blood shortly afterwards.

There was debree from the road everywhere and a huge gaping chasm where her sinkhole had been created had now pulled in the monster's corpse and absorbed it into the fiery regions of the undercity and below like a hungry wolf eating a small section of a well-hunted stag; along with the crunching of it's bones. The noise caused a biological reaction in Kiera's lips. They widened into a very sadistic smirk, showing one of her teeth as if it were a fang. It was clear that going near that scientific disaster was evidently more dangerous than putting your hand into a bowl of acid. At least with the bowl of acid hypothesis, there's a high chance of survival. The ground below them was now indefinately unstable. There was no telling when the sinkhole would react and simply engulf the area around it; an estimated 400 metre circumference of destruction.

Eventually, Kiera took the time to listen to what the boy was saying instead of looking over the immediate area and basking in her well-deserved glory. Her eyes were glowing with anticipation as if she expected more to happen. Alas, the only thing happening anytime soon would be her stomach rumbling after depriving herself of food for the last day or so. She caught the last half of what he was saying and immediately started examining the boy's features from head to toe; her expression lessening into a more neutral one as all of the ideas popped through her ever-growing mind. Black hair, that is fairly short and neat at the sides but with a long fringe which reaches down to his nostrels. His hair being a sharp contrast in comparison his skin, that being very pale. Judging from simple biological details, small personality checks, height and weight comparison and the decency of his skin; she created a dedicated profile of the boy inside of her head. She looked him over this time, rather obviously so that he could notice.
"You're 15 years old... So... 11 years, actually. You should use your eyes before making estimates... Or did that little puppy gravy suddenly blind you? As for using the "oh, I was complimenting how young you look" trick you may have been trying to pull off... Well, cut the shit. That doesn't work with me."
Sure, it was a a discrete way of telling him her age; but alongside that was a quickly-thought and rather nice insult to go along with it. That's just how she liked to work. Quick, smart and insultive all at the same time.

She took out her lighter and gave a quick glance at the scratched out name before flicking open the lid. The unique purple flame flickered before dieing out slowly. Kiera gave it a shake; now discovering that she was out of fuel for the damn thing; though she'd already determined that judging by the weight. It was simply for the boy to understand as well, should he still be looking at her. So, despite the fact that all of her ciggerettes were now gone; the lighter didn't really have a purpose at that moment in time anyway. It was simply to check... Check something in the air...
"We have 47 seconds to get out of range, by the way... You wanna start running or what?"