Don't Let Your Hope Fade

Panting Jenna urged Zeus after the others, quickly catching up to Rynn. They needed to get out of this area and fast. But it seemed that fate was not smiling down on them today. Hearing the noises behind her Jenna turned her head and gasped. She saw Cole's ninjackle go down and she turned Zeus in his direction.

They quickly made their way over to Cole and Jenna called Zeus to a stop. "Grab my hand," she said quickly and stuck it out. Once Cole grabbed it she helped pull him up. Just as he was settled the black clad figure swooped in and saved them all. Letting out a sigh of relief the tension in her body left her and she sagged against Zeuses neck. Without a word from her he started after the others.

Jenna was furious at herself. Why hadn't she done more, acted faster. Looking around she saw how hurt Nick was and that Adam was hurt. She was mad that Cole's ninjackle was now gone. She should have done something more but she had been extremely scared. Without thinking about it her hands tightened into fists, tugging on Zeuses hair. Hearing his growl she quickly let go. "I'm sorry Zeus," she whispered quietly and sat up straight.

Feeling a warm feeling in her ears she brought her hands up to touch the humming objects. A small smile spread across her face as the humming quickly turned into her sisters voice who was tisking her. "What more could you do Leaf? Take this as something to learn from." Her voice drifted off into more humming and then was gone.

Shaking her head Jenna patted Zeus and then turned to look at Cole. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

After following in the path the mysterious ride made for them, the heroes finally arrived at the town. Though shunned at first (for being outsiders), they were eventually brought into an inn which, to their luck, had a medic stocked up in one of the rooms.

With the wounds mended and the fear of nearly dying lessened, the heroes gathered round a small fire to hear some tales from the elders of the nation. It wasn't before long that they were shuffled off to bed and given a small patch of food to graze on. Although the room wasn't pleasant, as hay was to serve as their bed, at least they were out of nature's way.

When the first of them began to awaken, it was from the smell of what seemed like bacon. Eager as could be, each of the young heroes wandered down to the dining level and were met with a nice, warm brunch.

It was nearly noon, but, despite the time, the day was still young. Once their bellies are full, Nick would attempt to lure his friends to his house where they would seek out a book that would make the journey all the more easier.

WTF. This is annoying. Made a post and freaking WTF decides not to post it.

Long post short. The la'Ronk aren't here. These next few posts will be fillers. I need to sort out the next course of action in this roleplay. Feel free to have characters mingle with one another and the locals.

Adam was happy to make it to town, the gash on his chest was throbbing. But luckily Gavyn was able to bandage him up nicely. While the gash was terrible he wouldn't lie he was somewhat glad he got it as it allowed him to spend some alone time with Gavyn.

Once he was bandaged up he felt somewhat better. "Thank you Gavyn, I probably would've done a terrible job at bandaging myself up. While we have this limited amount of free time in this city would you perhaps like to go out on night when it's quiet. If you don't want to of course I completely understand! I mean if you want to focus on the la'Ronk I understand but if by chance you wanted to go do something one night we could..."

Adam was rambling and needed to stop he shut himself up he could feel his face flushing. "Well I have thoroughly embarrassed myself so I'm going to walk off..." Adam turned and began to exit the room.

The heroes had spent a good day recovering and it was the following morning when Nicholas lead them to his vacant home. While resting, the heroes engaged in a few good gambling games and learned that Nick had one hell of a poker face. But it was expected for he was the Hero of Darkness.

While the heroes played some games, they also had some time to really confess their feelings of the journey and each other. Reluctantly, some of the men were less upfront about their feelings. Cole and Nick were actually the two not to engage in the "let's reflect upon our lives" little pow-wow. It was the two of them that decided they would just watch and keep to themselves. Adam, though a part of the circle, was relatively silent too, but he was sitting beside Gavyn, which might have been why he was so still.

Speaking of Gavyn, it was it her idea to pay tribe to those that had fallen during their little journey. It was also she who was the first to admit that, despite the dark journey that laid in their wake, that she wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world.

Jenna was more like Adam. She spoke, but she didn't really have as much emotion as Gavyn. She did, however, pipe up when they got to talking about their ninjackles. She actually had the most to say and it was her idea that they let the ninjackles go free once heir quest was over.

With Nick not being in the circle, Rynn was left to sit beside Jenna and Gavyn. Between these two, she did her best to contribute to the circle's discussions, but it was pretty obvious that she was distracted by Nick's lack of involvement. Jokingly, the bartender at the time had cracked a joke about Nick being in love with Jenna, which actually caused Rynn to fall silent for the remainder of the evening.

When the circle discussion was over, each of the heroes went about their own way. Gavyn, Adam, and Cole were the first to hit the beds. Jenna and Nick actually paired off and went for a little midnight stroll which left Rynn to drink alone and drinking she did. Although she had not consumed enough enough to get her tipsy, she was set to bed by the inn owner. When Jenna and Nick finally returned, Jenna was sent to her quarters while Nick was given a good verbal lashing for having a romantic moonlight stroll with Jenna rather than Rynn.

Going to bed mad, Nick had a rough time getting a decent sleep. Rynn, like Nick, also had an awful night's sleep. The rest of the heroes, however, slept perfectly.

With the rising sun waking them from their slumber, the heroes began their little walk to Nick's house. In an oh-so-happy mood, Nick nearly danced the entire way to his home. He even told stories revolving around his childhood and how he once ran around the yard naked to protest bathing.

All had appeared well and safe. The day was playing out all too perfect. But upon entering the house, a sickening feeling hit the guts of all the heroes. With blades and guns pointed at their chests and up, the ban of heroes knew that this was all a trap. The la'Ronk army, who had heard that the heroes would need a rare book perched on the self at Nick's home, had arrived just hours before the heroes had entered the house. Having the place surrounded an epic battle broke out.

Without hesitation, the heroes run head-on into the mess of soldiers. Though they were outnumbered, their sheer willpower seemed to give them a bit of an edge. It was going okay until Garnette, Teresa, and Kyle showed up.

Teresa. Oh poor Teresa. Her heart couldn't take the battle. The blood. It was everywhere. It was actually a sharp pain that really did her in. A stray bullet grazed her, which instantly dropped her. Kyle, who was nearby, took to warding off the hero that he believed to have slain his dear friend. In a heartbeat, Kyle shoved the tip of his sword into the thigh of Jenna.

Jenna, now injured, knew that she needed to retreat but was unable to move her leg as it was rendered useless. Cole, seeing his injured comrade, immediately came to her side. Fighting with such vigor, Jenna watched in awe and admiration was Cole protected the woman his heart desired.

Just when Cole seemed to have Jenna and himself in the clear, Kyna's wild hounds torn Cole apart, limb after limb. The hounds circled Jenna, but were pulled back to their master when Nicholas engaged the blind woman in a close-combat battle.

For a while, Kyna and Nick was out of sight for the two had fumbled down the hill and into the fog covered valley below. There fight, though, was quite beautiful. Between the nipping jaws of the hounds and the dark magic cast by Nick, their battlefield was scorn and worn.

Sweat dotting his face and soaking his body, Nick collapsed before Kyna. Exhaustion finally kicked it. But, to his surprise, Kyna called the dogs off. She said, "I will not kill you when you're down due to fatigue. I want to kill you fair and square." It was then when she, too, felt her legs buckle out from below her and she dropped to the ground. The hounds, as odd as it was, actually took to lapping up both Nick and Kyna's wounds for they knew that the amount of blood both had lost would bring about their death had they not treated the wounds.

While Kyna and Nick were rolling around and sparing, Garnette had managed to engage in a battle with Gavyn and Adam. The two tag-teamed and ended up rendering Garnette's hands useless. In a fit of rage, she took out not only Adam and Gavyn, but also a large chunk of la'Ronk soldiers. Dropping dead, she wore a smirk on her face for she had claimed the most lives during the battle.

Rynn, who was busy trying to move Jenna to a safe zone, saw Adam and Gavyn take a great blowing. Limping to their side, she singlehandedly carried them to safety.

Being the last hero, she felt the tears of defeat swell in her eye as the prince and his elite soldiers circled in on her and her knocked out comrades.

Just as the tip of Kyle's sword cut into her cheek, a bellowing whinny sent the la'Ronk fumbling back. The mystery rider. She was back. Reaching down, she picked the defeated heroes from the earth and raced down the steep slope behind Nick's house. Missing Nick and not having enough time to round back and get him, she pressed on and thundered off into the black forest that are virtually impossible to navigate through, unless you were familiar with the woods.

Dropping the heroes onto a mount of snow, she shook her head in disgust before vanishing into the darkness of night.

Suffering a great loss of their own, the heroes would eventually stir to find that Cole was gone. They also discovered that the la'Ronk Teresa was at their side, which made them realize that she must have been the knew hero of light.

Distraught and broken, the heroes now mourn the loss of their fallen brethren.

Back at Nick's house, the prince rounds up the surviving la'Ronk soldiers and has them come with him to Kittmund. Seizing Nick, the prince decided he would take the hero as a prisoner, figuring he would lure the others out of hiding. The prince gave Kyna full responsibility over the Hero of Darkness as he figured she would best suit him.

A full-scale war was about to be declared. But before war was announced heroes needed naming. Kyle would be crowned a hero as would Kyna. Garnette would go down in fame and Jenny Lynn... well, she was no where to be found....

Those of you that do not have DECEASED before your character's name are allowed to post. If you're a hero, you should be posting here. If you're a la'Ronk, you need to move your posts to Kittmund.

Heroes: You should probably worry about yourself and getting healed. Probably mad at Nick for blindly leading them into a la'Ronk trap. Probably thankful that the mysterious woman rider showed up. Also probably debating whether or not it's worth saving Nick. But there is good news... you managed to get the book Nick wanted....

la'Ronk: You're probably pissed that the heroes got away. You'll be attending a round table meeting. You'll probably want to investigate the rider that saved them. And Nick? Feel free to harass and torture him. Maybe he can spill some secrets on his comrades. Oh, and you might also noticed that Jenny Lynn wasn't there. Might want to question her whereabouts. Wait... she's still not here. Hmmm.... Oh, and why is the prince acting all weird. Upon returning to Kittmund, he's been acting very... strange....

It was cold. So very cold. Had she died? Rynn thought she had. She'd been surrounded, the only one conscious as the soldiers pressed in. They were going to die. They were going to fail at the very beginning. How pathetic. But then, as these angry thoughts filled her mind- Rynn realized she was still capable of thought. She could feel cold around her, hear the silence of the snow, not to mention she felt the stare of something. Death would have silenced everything. She would have seen her family again if she'd truly died. That luxury had been denied her. Which meant she was still living.

Opening her eyes, Rynn finally took in the scenery, bracing herself to find out who was staring at her. She was lying on her side, staring down a little white rabbit. Well that was harmless enough. Apparently it wasn't a captor or a murderer watching her rest, just a bunny. The rabbit hopped over to her, and sniffed at her cheek. Its fur was incredibly soft and warm. Rynn wanted nothing more than to cradle the snowy bunny, but as soon as she moved her hand to hold it, the rabbit hopped back, its whiskers moving rapidly as it continued to sniff the air. A moment later it was gone.

Sitting up, Rynn stretched her muscles, feeling the soreness from the battle everywhere. As if a light finally went off in her mind, she remembered her unconscious companions. Looking around herself, Rynn saw Jenna, Gavyn, and Adam. That was it. Cole was no where to be seen. The light hero they'd so recently acquired was already dead. Nick wasn't near her either. But she knew he hadn't died. They wouldn't have killed him.

In the fury that engulfed her just then, Rynn sent a firebal at one of the trees right near them. She was so angry. Angrier than she remembered feeling. Standing up quickly, she drew her blades and and took out her fury on the tree. Rynn said nothing, but the gashes her blades were leaving in the tree were deep, proving that she most definitely had some anger issues to resolve, though she'd never show it to her allies. They needed her to be their leader even now, especially now that they'd lost so much.

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Kyle sat at the table in a long hooded robe. It was one of his few other assassin outfits that was more acceptable for meetings and parties and such. He didn't care, but he thought Teresa would've liked it. He wasn't one to mourn, but he had liked the girl, of course her lack of battle experience had probably killed her. He was almost certain of it. He realized that the nutty Kni' la'Ronk had also died. He couldn't believe that Theresa was actually the light hero. He was glad he wouldn't have to kill her. It wouldn't work well on his conscience. He may be an assassin but he still strives for peace and order. He strives for Balance. He didn't understand why, only that he felt close to the ancient hero. Balance was why he became an assassin, he didn't understand why.

He didn't like the fact that they decided to decree him some sort of hero. He wasn't one, especially not to the la'Ronk, he was only an assassin. Stabbing the lightning hero was his job. Just like a tailor's job is to fix clothes. He did make it so the girl wouldn't die, at least not immediately, but his reaction was also partial due to Teresa's death. The Dark Hero is what worries him the most. There's no way to hold him. unless you make him completely drunk, but then you wouldn't be able to get anything out of him. His will is too strong, it would take months to get information out of him by coercion and Kyle had the serious doubt torture would do much to the angst ridden young man. and above all else, Kyna has to look after him. That'll be fun.

As Kyle waits for the meeting to begin, he thinks back on the past few days. He realized something. Whenever a hero fell, or got seriously injured, he felt something pull out of him, he couldn't tell what. It was stronger when the ice hero and Teresa fell, like he had just lost a limb or control of part of his body. It wasn't physical, in fact it was more like his soul and spirit were being torn to shreds. He then realized he had intended to stab the girl through the stomach, making her die within a few minutes, but his blade changed course somehow. He was getting a headache now. He couldn't possible be losing his edge. He was only 18. There was something else, like his spirit itself was fighting against this job. Like it couldn't kill the Heroes.

As if suddenly given a shot of breath into her barely moving body, she sat up suddenly in a gasp. Her eyes were wide now, as she tried to steady her blurry vision. After a few moments, the shapes around her practically engulfed in white were now forming to be her friends, laid out in the snow. But not all of them, no there were a few bodies missing.

Slowly, the events that transpired came back to her mind. Nick was gone, he had been taken away… but was he safe? And for how long? Everything was so very hard to remember, and with every memory came a sharp pain in her skull. “Oh right, Rynn…” Rynn was the last person she saw before slipping into unconsciousness, she was carrying Gavyn’s wounded body to safety… to protect her and Adam. But as she spoke of Rynn, a repeating sound began to catch the girls attention. It sent her into a panic when she thought it was the sound of an attacker, but after taking a look around she saw that it was Rynn in a frenzy, taking out her anger on a nearby tree.

So there was Rynn… she thought to herself, looking around and the bodies beside her. Adam…, Jenna…., and… wait, who was this? Rubbing her eyes, the form could in no way belong to Cole, it was a female form. Her face, it was recognizable, wasn’t she apart of that battle?

“Wait… Cole..?” She called out, moving only slightly at first, her body almost begging her to remain still. Her voice quivered as the realization soon came, that Cole was gone. “Oh… no…” Curling her lips she pressed them together, bringing her hand to her face, bits of dried blood staining her fingers. She couldn’t fight back the sudden stream of warm tears that came out of her as she silently tried to calm herself. It was all too much, the deaths… the damage… it was now that she finally let herself break down a little. What were they to do? Look for Nick? Blindly walk into another battle they weren’t prepared for? They couldn’t rely on this mysterious ride to always be there to save them. That wasn’t being a Hero at all.

Wiping her face clean the best she could, she took a deep breath through her nose and calmed herself. The others, they still weren’t awake yet. Everyone needed to be examined, and they needed to get their bodies off ice. As much as Gavyn wanted to ask Rynn to inform her of the details that had gone on, it was more than likely best to not get between her blades at the moment. Instead, she rolled over and attempted to wake up the closest person to her, Adam. “Adam…” She brought her hand to his body and rubbed along his shoulder, trying not to be too rough knowing he was most likely in pain as well. “Adam… please, wake up.” All she wanted was for everyone to give her a sign they were okay. She hated being out of control like this, being so oblivious and lost. Trying to pull herself up off the ground she winced and reached for her flask of purified water. It would be weak, considering Gavyn herself was still weak but she would attempt to use her healing magic to at least help them walk to the nearest shelter where Adam could mix a few herbal drinks to help the process along.

Eyes, the bluish grey color of lightening, popped open and stared up into the sky. She was numb, very very numb. Not just physically but emotionally.

Jenna didn't blink, or move a muscle. She just stared silently up at the sky. Her mind was going back over everything, everything the battle had taken from her. Taken from all of them.

It was Cole that made her so numb. He had saved her life, fought so bravely and so amazing to make sure they didn't die. But in the end..she wanted to scream, cry, throw her lightening bolts at someone, something. Cole was special, she could have loved him she thought to herself. There was just something there between the two of them. Right after they met she knew, she knew he was something special.

And now he was gone...dead in a horrific way. What made it worse was that he died protecting her. It would haunt her for forever.

She was so numb that she didn't even feel pain anymore. She didn't feel the burning and aching of the large hole in her leg. The sword that Kyle had stabbed her with had gone all the way through. It was a nasty wound and if she didn't do something to it soon she would bleed out.

But she was just to numb to care. Tears, tears she didn't even know about ran down the side of her face. They dripped into the snow she was laying on. Jenna blinked once and that broke through her numb state. She started to cry harder and harder, after a few seconds she started to sob. Cole..Cole was gone.

Rolling over onto her side she buried her face into her arms and continued to sob. Her whole body shook from her tears, she was about to hyperventilate. But still she couldn't feel the pain in her leg, her mind had shut it out. Right now it was focusing on the pain in her heart.

A soft stirring behind her. A gentle voice begging someone to wake up. The sound of body wrenching sobs. Through her blind fury, these sounds managed to sneak in. Telling her that she was no longer the only one awake, telling her that they knew. They saw her and they knew. They knew there was a temper beneath those big green eyes and calm facade. Hearing Jenna's sobs pick up, Rynn stabbed her blades into the ground, falling to her knees as she did so, her crimson curls hanging limply about her face. The fire heroine could feel the soft sting of tears threatening her eyes, but she refused to give in to them. Wiping them away quickly, Rynn drew in a long deep breath and stood up. She sheathed the blades and turned back to her companions.

Gavyn was shaking Adam awake and trying to do something with her flask, trying to sit up. Jenna was hunched over, the tears shaking her body. Eyes following the line of Jenna's body, Rynn soon saw a deep crimson in the snow next to her. She was bleeding. Badly. Snapping into action, Rynn went over to the girl. "Jenna... look I know its hell for you right now, but you have to stop crying long enough to let someone tend to your leg." Rynn said softly, placing her hand on the lightning heroine's shoulder and the other on her leg near the injury "You are going to die if you don't patch that up..." She spole gently, not wanting to further upset the girl. Taking it upon herself to at least staunch the bleeding, Rynn pulled a few large pieces of cloth out of her bag and grabbed a sturdy stick from nearby. Jenna was going to need a tourniquet if she was going to survive this one. Slowly moving Jenna's leg to an easier to reach location, Rynn began to work on cleaning it up and stopping the bleeding.

"Gavyn I know you're weakened right now and I know you are worried about Adam- but don't be, he's alive and resting from exhaustion. I need you to tend to your wounds if they are serious, but if they are something that can heal naturally just as well, please help me with Jenna, she could die if we don't fix her leg..." Rynn's voice was calm, gentle. She didn't even look up from Jenna's leg as she spoke, as she knew that Gavyn would help her if she could.

Adam didn't know what happened, he only remembered being entering Nick's house and then BAM he blacked out. His eyes finally opened to see Gavyn running over to help Jenna and Rynn was near a tree. Adam ached all over and could barely see straight. Even trying to roll over onto his stomach was a challenge, once on his stomach he used his arms to push himself upwards onto his feet.

On his feet Adam could barely stand, he swayed back and forth quickly grabbing his staff to regain his balance. "Oww...what the fuck just happened? I remember Gavyn and I beating up some chick and BOOM! Now I'm in the snow...and everything hurts."

Adam looked around noticing Nick was gone Shit! on a closer scan he noticed that Cole was gone as well Fuck! This is bad! Adam was in a lost of pain and was having trouble standing even with the aid of his staff. SNAP his staff snapped causing Adam to smack into the ground dislocating his right shoulder "Fucking A! Dammit!"

It was the sound of a grumbling man that soon set the heroes on edge. But just before they were given the chance to attack the mumbling fool that they believed to be a la'Ronk, a young child appeared out of the thicket.

Eyebrows cocked and a foul expression playing on his face, he set a hand on his hip while the other one extended forward with a shaking figure.

"Now just you listen, whipper snappers. I ain't about to deal with you little punks and your little punk attitude. Now drop and give me fifty!"

But before he could bark out another command, he pulled out a cane and hobble his way over to the heroes that were still sprawled out on the ground with defeat and exhaustion.

"Eh? The la'Ronk kick your keesters?" Cackling as if he were an old man, the funky haired boy waddled over to Gavyn. "Ah. Very nice. Very nice. You will make a find young wife," he said while jabbing Adam with his cane.

It was then when a gust of wind picked up and blew his thick fringe from his face, revealing a set of jewels that seemed to scream "Wind Hero." Drawing a cheeky grin on his face, the boy boastfully awaited their applause. But, when none came, he scowled. "Eh. You kiddies not know a hero when you see them. You must be blinder than me," he said hobbling over to Rynn.

Stroking his beard (or at least an imaginary one), the old man trapped in a boy's body circled around over to Jenna. "Eh. You say something? My ears ain't like they used to be. You'll need to speak up," he said patted her on her head as if she were a ninjackle.

As his rose colored eyes danced over the fallen heroes, he let a smug little look squirm its way onto his face. "C'mon, c'mon. Follow me. Let good ol' Yeri-sensei fix you up a spot of food. C'mon, c'mon."

Again with the hobbling, he started to walk around from the small group of heroes. But he whirled around real fast to give them the puppy dog eyes look before he whipped around to continue his slow walk toward his little hut in the middle of no were.

Nick wondered if it would have been weird to shout out, "You'll never take me alive!" because he was, in fact, still alive and they had definitely taken him. Ah but he loved the idea of causing drama and mayhem. Mainly mayhem.

It was then when icy cold hands poked and prodded his mainly parts that he immediately stiffened and barked out, "The hell are you man handling me for! I only have one of that and if you keep touching it like that it'll break and I'll kick your teeth in. So, if you please, LEAVE MY DICK ALONE!" The backside of a hand collided with his face as a whip wielding woman strutted up beside him.

"They will touch wherever I want them to touch. Besides, we need to make sure you're not packing anything."

"Heh, sorry, toots, but that's all me."

"I can see this."

"Well, that's good. For a second I thought you were blind."

"Or maybe you're just small."

"Oh please. Does it look small to you? I think not!"

"Maybe.... But still.... You just say the word and I can end your life."

"Like I'd die by your hands," Nick scoffed.

Just as her hand was about to slam against his face again, another person walked into the room.

"That will be enough. The tests have confirmed that he is safe. Well, he will be once we... well... you know."

Cocking a brow, Nick leaned forward and puckered up his lips. "You know... what?" He begged them to share just by batting his lashes and looking all adorable.

"Oh, you know."

"No, really. I don't." Nick said behind now gritted teeth.

With a rag going over his mouth to silence him, the three guards assigned to him pulled him into another room. This room, unlike the last, was significantly warmer. It was nice and it caused his body to relax, some. That was until a large cattle prod with the la'Ronk insignia on it was being pointed at his pretty little face.

Eyes wide, he squirmed and kicked, but the rope that was around his wrists and ankles had already dug its way into his flesh. Raw and red, Nick knew that resisting would only make them brand him harder and longer.

Tears slipping from his eyes, his heart raced faster and faster as the red-hot metal moved toward his chest. The closer it got, the faster it beat, and the other he became.

When it was finally on him, Nick felt as if his chest would burst into flames. The fiery-colored metal pressed into his flesh, which caused the room to flood with the scent of a burnt man. But it wasn't over, oh no, not yet. As if having a giant chest branding wasn't enough, the la'Ronk ordered that he be given a special mark over his left eye - the very eye that wore the sacred item that warned him of la'Ronk attacks.

Screaming and writhing in pain, Nick was locked away in a cage until Kyna was finished with her round table meeting. When she would eventually pay Nick a visit, she would see the man bent over himself, shivering with cold as he was still without clothing. He would also be pretty badly shaken up, but Nick still refused to discuss the whereabouts of his hero friends.

With the top of the top la'Ronks in the meeting, the royals and the upper class began their meeting on how they would deal with the heroes. Although the prince was originally there, he was called out and forced to leave when word of an injured Jenny Lynn surfaced. Now without the prince there, the princesses were left to rule the court and the knights.

Lauren was the first to speak for she was the oldest. "How dare you let those mutts flee! You should have killed them all right then and there. Now, because you weren't fast enough, we have to draw them out with their petty little Dark Hero who would be better off dead than alive. I say kill the hero! Let them know that we mean war!"

"Sister, you are too rash. You know that the heroes will be reborn. They have a chance to reborn, given that their is another that has the heart of a hero. So if we kill Nicholas Allen Fusion, there is a chance that another will rise up from his ashes," Lorraine added.

Lavina cackled before leaning into the table. "Idiots. Nicholas is a rare breed. The Hero of Darkness is only born once. It is said that there is only one true heart of darkness born in each lifetime. Nick can die and he won't be reborn. Light is another story as is Wind, Ice, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning."

The sisters seemed to bicker back and forth for a bit, but it eventually decided that Kyna was to decide whether or not Nick should live. It was also decided that Kyle would watch over Nicholas too, as Kyle was hired to assassinate the heroes.

"Kyle Alan Gear, would you protest to watching Nicholas, too. You are a trained assassin. You might be able to read him better than dear blind Kyna Riddle. Perhaps he will open up to her... romantically. And he will slip secrets to you... as a brother."

Kyle was brought out of his reverie when the young princess asked him to look after the Dark Hero. He didn't feel like it. But he would do it. It would probably be the easiest part of the job. He would just talk to him. Or not. Whatever Nick Preferred. He would not, however, become like a brother. It would only annoy him and Nick. He simply didn't have the ability to take that. He couldn't take the place of the brother Nick had already lost. And Kyle understood that. After his mother died, the other escorts took care of him, but none could replace his mother.

Kyle looked at the princess and said, "Whatever."

Then he promptly stood up and walked out of the room. He intended to go visit Nick. He didn't care if he wasn't dismissed. He didn't like the la'Ronk anyway. And anyone who tries to stop him will get a dagger in their thigh. He walked out and into the dungeon where Nick was being kept. He sat on the far end of the room, staying at the young hero, studying his face. He wanted to know what made this guy tick. He also was debating on talking to the Hero of Darkness.

At first, Nick wanted to hiss and say the hell with clothes, but when that damp breeze ruffled his hair, he thought otherwise. However, Nicholas would make certain that this was the last time he'd take something from the la'Ronk, as he didn't want to be in debt of sorts.

"Thanks," he muttered while gently tugging the blanket from her fingers and draping it around his shivering, pale, slender body. Those bloody red eyes of his flicked between Kyna and Kyle for a bit until they finally ceased to move for they were permanently fixed on the hounds at Kyna's side. "They are quiet beautiful creatures," he whispered as he leaned against the bars that held him in. Letting his skin and bone hands slip between the bars, he held them just before Faline's flaring nostrils. "What kind of hounds are these?" Nick questioned as he left his fingers dancing before the sleek black creature's nose.

He knew better than to make enemies with the people that were left to guard him, so why not schmooze his way up to the woman. She was, after all, not half bad looking. In fact, she was quiet stunning. The fact that he had ruffed her up some only made it more interesting. Still being in the nude, Nicholas kept himself calm and collect so that he wouldn't hint any sort of arousal or attraction as that would not only be foolish but rude.

She was focused on helping Jenna, but soon another voice, an unfamiliar voice made its presence known. Rynn had noticed when Adam had awoken, though he'd apparently just fallen down. Finally, Jenna's leg was in a position where she wouldn't die, though they needed to get to a strong water source soon so the Gavyn could finish the healing process. But there was this voice. This rattling angry voice. Frustrated, Rynn stood up quickly wiping Jenna's blood from her hands.

Emerald eyes on fire, Rynn took in the young man who sounded like he was eighty. What the hell was that. And what was he going on about? "Drop and give me fifty"? Was he serious? Rynn also saw Adam laying in the ground apparently in a large amount of pain. "God Dammit..." Rynn hissed, the snarl picking up in her voice as the pressure mounted inside her. Anger was an understatement for what was bubbling up inside her.

"God dammit would you just stop it?!" Rynn finally yelled as the old man wandered around barking orders and telling them to move "Can't you see that Jenna can hardly move, Adam likely just re-injured himself and Gavyn is still a bit weak? We can't exactly drop and give you fifty..." She spoke, surprised at how even she was keeping her tone. The man was clearly the wind hero, though his presence here seemed confusing and strange and just generally unusual here "Who are you, and yes I know you're the wind hero, but what is your name? How can you help?" Rynn sighed, the stress mounting in her. How the hell were they supposed to win now? They were down three heroes, Light, Dark, and Ice were all dead or gone. As badly as she didn't want to think about it, Nick kept creeping into her thoughts, but she managed to control herself enough to push him away. Far away. Until they found him, he would live in that part of her mind where her parents and younger brother stayed, back in the part of her mind reserved only for when she had time to mourn or more often back there to be forgotten.

She simply couldn't focus on him right now and manage to save the rest of her heroes as well. "Look we'll go with you, but we need some help getting there. I don't know where our ninjackles ended up."

Not too far from her, Jenna had woken to the harshness of reality. Turning to look over at her, she had fidgeted around enough to let Gavyn get a good glimpse at the massive wound in her leg. But she knew that those heavy tears that fell in a steady stream from her eyes weren’t because of the pain from the battle, but the pain from losing someone she cared so deeply for.

Rynn came to Jenna’s side, trying to calm her down while also tending to her wound. It was amazing how responsible the red head was, even though she was suffering through a fit of emotions she still managed to calm herself and calm her allies. The soothing and calm tone she used made Gavyn understand everything a bit more clearly. Now understanding what she had to do, she wabbled to her feet and made her way over to Jenna and Rynn. “I will do what I can… at least try and do enough to get you on your feet… but won’t be able to fully heal you until we find some kind of water source.”

Sadly, as she popped open her flask, she realized she had far less purified water than she had thought. But she will make due with it for now. Gavyn had to take a moment to calm herself, it was bad enough she was weak, if she had a weak state of mind as well she wasn’t going to get anything done. Rhythmically breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, she felt her rather dim inner power now coming back to life.

Her hands hovered over the wound in Jenna’s leg, closing her eyes she concentrated all the power she could summon until she finally felt the tingling sensation of the purified water activating and centering itself in a swirling ball under her palms, it slowly enclosing the wound until it seeped into her skin and vanished from sight. Opening her eyes, she could see the faint glow of her element on Jenna’s skin, but couldn’t help but feel dizzy after using all that energy.

“Can you… move it?” She asked with concerned eyes as she closed up her flask once again. But then a voice met her ears she hadn’t heard before. Looking up at him, circling the group with a look in his eyes that she just couldn’t place. His choice of words were peculiar; talking about push ups, their earlier defeat and her making a good wife?! What a strange, strange boy! Was he a boy? He had an air about him that made him seem not so young… it was all so perplexing.

The wind hero….?

“If I were still walking this earth… yes sir…” The words of her grandmother emanating in her ears made her rather shocked. She whispered in an angry tone to her voice, “Knock that off, he looks to be my age!” What on earth had gotten into her? She’d never heard her grandmother say something like that before. She had been silent so long and she comes back saying that? Either way, Gavyn couldn’t follow him until everyone was awake and well enough to follow as well. Nobody was going to be left behind, no one.

Elias Diden couldn't believe he was here in Lief tutoring the youngest princess and yet at the same time it was truly feasible. He was the prodigal son of the illustrious genius couple that were responsible for a few wonders in Kittmund. Honestly though he couldn't understand the la'Ronk and their odd ways, and had a hard time fitting in these dubious halls with their exalted guests. Where he did spend most of time was at the library- researching every little piece of knowledge that could fit inside the well of his mind. It was a fathomless depth and it honestly had no end or beginning. While he was more talented at mechanics, schematics, and the inner workings of modern technology there were unknown secrets locked away in those papery bindings and all he had to do was tip a book open.

Yet for everything that Elias could understand he failed to comprehend one very important factoid- why wouldn't this tiara come off of his head? A few days ago he had retrieved his mail only to find this odd piece of jewelry lost amongst the tabloids there. For a while he just stared at it and wondered which one of his many colleagues it had been that had sent this to him. Out of an odd curiosity- and somewhat planning a joke- he had placed it atop his crown only to find that it wouldn't come off. He tried several ways to remove it and they all ended up rather desperately failing (a couple had bruised him- but honestly he didn't know where he had placed his intelligence he had grabbed a baseball bat). He was left with a few options- one involved cutting his hair off for fear that his friends had invented some new peptide bonded glue that wouldn't' come undone for anything- or he could always research an odd hunch he had. That pictorial memory of his shot a few pleasant images of various pages of a book that spoke of a tiara an and it compelled him to journey to the library in hopes of quelling that surge of questions.
Glancing at himself in the mirror- Eli figured he could probably hide the tiara via a hat and that it would work quite well with his ensemble. The man was of average height and weight- his muscular build hidden by his clothing layers. He was wearing a deep cerulean blue button up, white tie, gray waistcoat, equally gray slacks, white shoes and interestingly patterned argyle socks. So he just grabbed that gray fedora that hung unused on his hat rack and bolted towards the library.

Adjusting his glasses didn't help- what he was reading seemed to almost mock him. The same tiara that was atop his head (and neatly hidden) was the same one in this book, but that seemed impossible. It spoke of heroes that would come and overthrow the la'Ronk and one such hero of ice would be eternally bonded to a gilded tiara until death. "This is preposterous, unfeasible, and probably some poor joke perpetrated by those of lesser stature than myself." He sighed, "damn peer groups. Very well- this might be of use if it truly was penned by the same people who did this to me."
It wasn't that Eli was a criminal but he had lifted several books from the library before- he just slid them under his shirt and waddled away towards his room.

When he entered- he became swiftly aware of the time- the princess would arrive any moment for her tutoring session and he hadn't prepared tea, set out her lecture or shooed Percival (the male calico cat that lurked constantly under footfall) from the main room. He dumped the book on a small table by the door as he began to busy himself with preparations- all the while keeping that fedora snugly on his head.
Elias was assured he could fix this- but wished not to cut his own locks to free himself from this humiliation. Eyes flicked about and made sure the colossal walls of books, crates of computer parts, and the ordered study desk in the corner were all in its place (of course one would wonder why he ever checked as he was an anal perfectionist to the tightest of 'T's). Well he did spot one article out of place- a picture of him as a child with his parents. The backdrop was the undersea of Wayfter with his parents arms draped over his shoulders. There he was- massive glasses, semi-curly hair, those light freckles he still had over his nose, and the brightest grin one could imagine over his suspender little-boy suit. Only problem was the fact that he was rather immensely overweight and all the cuteness of that he radiated was from the fact that his cheeks were undeniable chubby (and probably seemed jovial whenever he was in a hissy as well). While waiting for the tea to boil he grabbed the picture and turned it down- glancing in the mirror as he did. While he was cloistered in the nerdiest of clothing imaginable he was still sleek and exhaled everyday that he would never return to that- foulest of forms.

About that time his teapot whistled and he returned stove-side. The heat roiling off of the burners caused him a moment of faintness before he had to step away; he glanced at the steeping pot. Vertigo racked his form for a lazy moment and he had to grip the edge of the kitchen counter top before he felt righted again. "What was that about-?" He questioned slowly- but only in enough to hear the buzzer ring outside his door. Quickly he turned the stove off and pulled the somewhat frilly white apron from his body before running to answer the door.

"Oooooohh, Eli-Weely!" Lani burst through the door not even giving it a second thought that she was, technically, breaking and entering into someone's house. Granted, she was a princess, so, technically, she was allowed to do as she pleased (within reason).

Nonetheless, there she was. After the morning meeting's swift end (which she was more than proud of as she hated the boring lectures that her sisters always drew on for hours on end), Lani had skipped, hopped, and danced her way to Eli's doorstep. Now, despite her age, you could easily assume that Lani had the world's biggest crush on the nerdy male. Batting her lashes and trying to look prettier than ever, the young princess seized Eli's hand and tugged him into the living room.

"Oh, Eli-Weely! Today's meeting was so boring. Can we just read fun stories today? I don't want to learn. Learning hurts my brain. And after all that fussin' from my sisters... well, I just want to have fun."

Wiggling her cute, little nose, Lani pushed a sincere grin to her face.

Just then, she recalled some wondrous news she just had to share with the male. "Oh oh oh! Eli-Weely! We caught the Hero of Darkness! We did, we did! He's in prison right now. Serves that hero right! He's been really naughty. Sis says that he's a 'glutton for punishment.' No idea what she means, but she sounded real angry...." Trailing off, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I heard he's pretty cute though... hope they don't behead him."

Honestly if there wasn’t a chance for him to be marked a traitor and thrown off of the side of Kittmund like some pitiable refuse- Eli would promptly halt the calling of himself ’Eli-weely’. Out of all the nicknames that could be contrived from his more than colorful existence he was quite baffled at the sheer childish ‘complexity’ of this one. Either way- he enjoyed his job (and on a higher note- living) and so put up with Lani’s almost unbearable mutilation of his name.

Yet beyond the grating renaming and almost inglorious tone she used to say his name (or any word really)- Eli didn’t much mind her presence. The uptightness of his colleagues and fellow engineers was almost unbearable and so on occasion it was fun to tutor a child if only to wonder how one’s imagination spawns from the smallest molecule of interest.

“’Fuss-ing’,” he corrected. “ ‘Fussin’ sounds like you are not well equipped to speak amongst royalty- which you are Princess Lani.” He exhaled as she practically adhered to him much like cyanine does to guanine. “And I suppose we can go over a few things that are ‘extracurricular’ today- though we should really learn about physics and how even the slightest movement or alteration in reality has a cataclysmic affects somewhere else- every action has a reaction. Have you ever heard that the flap of a butterfly wing could plausibly bring forth a mighty hurricane over the ocean?” He hesitated for a moment. Right she had asked for something lighthearted and here he was telling her that beautiful insects could bring the ruin of a peoples.

It wasn’t that Eli was macabre he was just practical to the point of cynicism.

Yet what Lani said next made him pause. “Oh the hero of darkness?” It was then his eyes skidded over to the book on the stand by the door and he exhaled. “Yes how about we discuss that- you tell me what you know about these legends. Does that sound like fun? You can even act it out if you want.” It was then he patted her head softly and smiled, “and we’ll just leave explaining ‘glutton for punishment’ until you are older and possibly married. I’m not getting thrown off the side of Kittmund for allowing you to understand exactly what that means.”

Eli pondered if the arrival of this ‘hero’ and the tiara adhering itself to his head were connected. Yet he quickly brushed that aside- very quickly. If they threatened to behead some hero that they caught far away from Kittmund- what would they do to him?

Preposterous.

He was considering himself to be this fabled ‘ice hero’- that was- incalculable.

’Shhh- you can almost hear everyone else’s back snapping in two from the immense weight of your intelligence. Yeash- would you listen to yourself? Common sense Eli- or you are going to get yourself in trouble.’

With that Eli quickly jerked around and glanced about the room in a frantic haze. “Who said that?” He questioned tightly and then turned his gaze to Lani. The voice was obviously masculine and not at all what was the norm for the princess. “Um,” he paused. “Yes go on- explain it to me. Here I even have a book to help.” He grabbed the tome and brought it over to the table- almost losing his balance all the while. His hat slipped off for a second- a flicker of the tiara shown underneath- before he rammed it back atop his head.

Honestly the last thing Elias Diden needed was more nicknames.

Pouting as if he were nine, the teenage looking lad crossed his arms over his chest and stomped off. Not giving a damn if the others were following, Yeri moved at his fast as a snail pace toward his hut that was nestled deep in the woods. But, seeing as he was moving painfully slow (on purpose I should add), he figured that the heroes would eventually get their wits about them and follow him.

It was then when Yeri realized the damage that had been done. He had known about the battle for he overheard the sounds of swords clashing and blood being spilled from miles south of there location. You see, despite what others believed, Yerik was the Wind Hero. Yes, Devyn had the jewels on his face like that of the Wind Hero, but he was just a hoax. A hoax that Yeri had conjured up.

With his age and wisdom, the Hero of Wind had plotted for a long time how he would deal with the heroes. Originally, he was just going to show up at the end and worry about helping them with the orbs - Truth Orbs - but due to the chaos that swallowed the lives of two of the heroes, Yeri had no choice but to join the crew. They needed guidance and he was, sadly, the only one to offer such support, especially during this grave hour.

Lose, though it was expected, had really knocked the heroes from their prideful stance. Perhaps the war that they were fighting was finally becoming real to them. Yerik half figured that the heroes were a bunch of misfits and, from what he could see, he was right. They knew not of their power nor of the underlying mission they were to fulfill. To make matters worse, the one that seemed to know the most (due to his obsession with the tales and stories), was swept out from under their noses and locked within the prison of the la'Ronk.

"Did you know that ninjackles are the guardians of the heroes for the past? Recall that hundreds of years ago, the heroes of legend rose up to thwart the evil that was shaking the land. When those heroes were separated, they used their great hounds, the ninjackle, to communicate with one another. Well, sort of."

Yeri cocked back his head and pursued to lips, as a sorrowful howl rippled in the still, heavy air. It was with that initial howl that the voices of the nearby ninjackles lit up the darkening evening sky.

Their eyes were soon around them and the wagging tails of happy dogs came trudging through the snow. Cold noses and warm licks melted the hearts of the defeated heroes, giving them a sense of hope.

"Ninjackles, as I said, are the guardians of the heroes. They can melt hearts and lap up wounds. They can also be the ears for their rider." With a calm step toward Nick's hound, Yeri rested his head on the muzzle of the beast. "If the bond between rider and hound is strong enough, you will be able to hear what is happening, though it is only for a fragment of time. But, I can see that you are all worried about the Hero of Darkness, so hearing that he is alive might be enough to offset your upset stomachs."

Turning to Kapu, Yeri dropped to his knees and gentle stroked the ears of the hound. This repetitive motion continued for a good minute. After a minute of petting, the Forgotten Hero's lips began to move, muttering words not loud enough for the others to comprehend.

"Thanks," Nick's muttering voice came from the mouth of the ninjackle. "They are quiet beautiful creatures," was the whispering words that followed seconds later. And then, in a questioning tone, Nick spoke again, "What kind of hounds are these?"

As the hound opened its mouth again, the heroes would hear a female's voice. "They are Unai," spoke the ninjackle, mimicking Kyna's actual voice and tone. "A rare breed that is usually only given to the highest ranking la'Ronk if any at all." Continuing on, Kapu added "They've been with me since I was a child."

"See," Yeri said while closing the mouth of Kapu. "Ninjackles all you to hear what is happening. From the sound of it, it appears as if your comrade is with Kyna Riddle, a very formidable foe," the small lad added.

With that now out of the way, Yerik wondered if the heroes would begin to pay him some respect. Unlike them, he had much to offer. He could, essentially, answer all their questions.

Kyle was beginning to get bored. Kyna was obstructing his vision so he couldn't read the Darkness Hero's face. He didn't care much, but still groaned when he got up. He went over and pet the top of Faline's head. This was just to get closer to the boy obviously. He looked at Nick's face, analyzing the most minor detail. He didn't see much of any interest, save the Piercing of Darkness on his brow. He looked like your off-the-shelf goth. All Black hair and clothing, dark sullen eyes. He wasn't bad looking though.

Kyle decided not to say anything yet. He intended to continue watching Kyna interact with the boy.

As soon as Gavyn came over to Jenna, Rynn moved away from her and towards Yerik. As he walked away however, she shook her head and moved instead to Adam. Kneeling beside him, Rynn gingerly helped to life him into a seated position. "Where are you injured?" She asked, knowing that Gavyn would not be able to help them now, not after using so much to rescue Jenna.

But then the man was back, and his words caused a lightness in her. How a lightness was able to even spark Rynn would never know, but it seemed survival instincts had decided to kick in. Standing up from Adam, Rynn moved closer to the strange man to hear better his words. It seemed the other three were far too distracted to really pay attention to what was happening and it was up to her to understand. "They are guardians?" she asked, before the howling had begun "I had never thought about it that way. I suppose I didn't pay enough attention to that legend..." But her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a sound that made her heart leap a bit in her chest.

Howling. Except Yerik was the one howling, but a moment later, the howls were returned. She heard a familiar one in particular. Ary. As the happy animals bounded towards them, Rynn ran to Ary, stumbling through the snow a bit as she did so. She wrapped her arms around the beast's neck, the creature nuzzling her for a long time, letting out a small whine of comfort and sadness. Ary could read her, Ary knew a tragedy had passed.

After reuniting, Rynn walked with Ary over to Yerik and Kapu, still keeping her hand buried deep in the ninjackle's fur. At the moment it seemed at her grip on Ary was the only thing even keeping her standing. She kept a respectful distance, wondering what was happening. Then Rynn heard it. His voice.

Her gripped tightened instinctively on Ary's fur, her knees buckling beneath her. Rynn nearly fell to her knees in the snow, her eyes wide and fighting back tears as she heard Nick speaking. Ary nudged Rynn, keeping her stable as she threatened to collapse in her shock and sadness. Hearing his voice wasn't something she was prepared for. Rynn could handle locking him away in a deep cell in her mind, letting him rot as her heart rotted, but hearing his voice- hearing his words, even though they were simple and told her very little wasn't something her controlled emotionals could handle. Much to her dismay as she listened to Nick and then Kyna and then Yerik, she felt tears stinging at her eyes. "We can't leave him there..." she whispered, walking closer to Yerik as Ary nudged her forward "I'm sorry I was rude to you before. I just... I'm in a little over my head..."

"Explain. Oi. You're supposed to be the smart one, but I suppose it can't be helped! You aren't a royal like me. So, peasant, I guess I shall have to educate you on the heroes and their forsaken ways of destruction... I quoted my sis on that last part." Eyes flicking to the door, the girl shoved her hands into her pits at the sound of a gentle knock. "Stupid sissy, she's trying to steal you from me..." Lani pouted.

Like Lani, Lorraine didn't even wait to be welcomed in. Although, to Lani's surprise, it wasn't the sister she suspected. "Ohhh~ It's Rainy!" she spoke in the tune and rhythm of a song bird. "Rainy, Rainy! You are just in time to tell Eli-Weely the story of the stupid heroes."

"Am I now?" Lorraine said with a smirk and an almost matter-of-fact chide.

Twisting her arms and whirling them around as if they were a toy, she battered her way into the prettiest princess of them all. "PLEASE! You have to."

"Very well..." slid out of her mouth like the hissing sound of a snake's tongue.

Glancing over at Eli, who she was not really all that fond of, Lorraine slipped her dainty body over to the nearby patted chair. It was really quiet the ugly chair, but Lorraine knew better than to nit-pick the man's home. After all, it wasn't like he was royalty... yet.

Once she was seated as comfortably as she could, Lorraine pointed her slender, pale fingers toward the book that rested beside Lani's round face. "Bring that here," she breathed in her soft-spoken voice, "I would like to make sure I don't stray off the beaten path for I know all too well what happens to those that start rumors and lies."

Lani's chubby little fingers wormed there way around the binding of the book. With her innocence vanishing by the second, the once baby-faced princess started to look more and more like her demonic sibling. Both were out for blood and both hated the heroes with no end.

"Make it bloody," the little piped in before handing the book off.

That ghastly smirk that she worn before came sliding back onto her face. Like Lani, Lorraine's face lost its beauty and became jaded with wrath and sin. Despite her outer beauty, Lorraine was as ugly as the rest on the inside. All machine and cold. Not an ounce of justice or concern for the lives of those that dared betray their crown.

"More than seven hundred years ago, the world was at chaos. Peace was impossible due to the opinions of those that refused to be governed. They fought - tooth and nail - to destroy and even overthrow the rulers of the time. Sickened by the sinful nature of mankind, the son of the king poisoned his father. He did it because he knew the world needed to be shown what would happen if people lied, cheated, and fought the crown."

"Although chaos followed for a great many years, it eventually vanished -- and not because people lived in fear. No, no. It vanished because the people knew what would happen if disorder were allowed to wreck havoc over the world. All vowed to stomp out traitors. Those that opposed the crown... they faced the most gruesome of deaths."

"It was then when two foolish humans cried out to the gods and begged to have man sin. One offered her life to Balance. The other offered his life to Void. It was because of these two that the world was purged and civilization was forced to restart."

"A hundred years had passed and all seemed to be okay, but there were whispered rumors that darkness was creeping in. The night of darkness was thwarted when a strong, brave, and valiant young woman took control of the land. She, with her own two hands, tried the broken nations back together under one rule. It was she who was able to save mankind from their sinister nature. It was she who brought unity and hope to the people."

"But Balance and Void refused to let her live with a bit of happiness. They both took the lives of her children. All but one, that is. He, the one left alive was our great, great grandfather."

Looking from Eli to Lani, who was acting out the various scenes between her gawking and squeeing, Lorraine rolled her lip up in disgust. "Which now brings us to the Prophecy of the Balance and the Curse of Void."

Without hesitation or respect for the book, Lorraine peeled the ancient-looking book open. "Before the la'Ronk ever came to power, the six gods spoke of seven heroes and a forgotten priest. The forgotten priest was said to be the knot between the string of the heroes."

"I'm jumping ahead," Lorraine moaned. "Let me step back."

"It was the gods that originally spoke of the heroes. They said that when Balance and Void were not strong enough to save the planet and seven heroes would rise from the ashes of those oppressed by the doers of evil. The doers of evil, though I refuse to believe it, are the la'Ronk."

"Needless to say, the gods each crafted a hero's affinity. The Goddess of Life created the Hero of Light. The Goddess of Death was to craft the Hero of Darkness. The God of Earth took control of the Hero of Earth. The God of Wind was given the Hero of Lightning. The God of Water begged to have the Hero of Water. And the God of Fire reigned over the Hero of Fire. It was then when the heroes realized that one was missing - the Hero of Ice. Why was he missing? Well, he wasn't. They just needed a seventh member to tip the scale should the heroes not agree on something. And thus, the Hero of Ice was born."

"With the heroes conceived in the hearts and souls of the gods, the gods have had to wait a lifetime to give deserving humans the chance to be infused with their godly powers. Now, I should mention that the gods and goddesses got to hand pick who they wanted to entrust with their powers. And I should also mention that by giving mortals their power, the gods are rumored to have lost their elemental affinities. But, being gods and all, it's impossible to slay them. That and it is unwise for the la'Ronk would never want to destroy a god as it is the gods that watch over their ruling."

"It was not until recently that Void and Balance came to the High Temple and told the priests that the heroes were being born. They are believed to be anywhere from sixteen to twenty-six years old, as they fall within the timeline." Lorraine just wanted to add that part on for she knew Lani was going to ask if she could marry one. Of course, within seconds, the girl pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Anyway, the Prophecy of Balance says that...

'Upon the dawn of the bloody sky, the heroes will cast away the hatred of those with too much pride.'

...very cryptic if you ask me. There's not etched in stone date or time, so we can't even be certain it will even happen in this lifetime. And then, the Curse of Void was sent to us in our dreams. It went like this...

'Blood you seek and blood you shall pay.
When the curse of justice reaches the gates of hell,
All the land will be freed from your rule.
Try as you might and fight as you will,
You shant not win this duel.
Blinded by hate and guided by sin,
You will be defeated from within.'

...again, it's very mysterious."

Lorraine sighed before her eyes flicked over to the clock on the wall. "Oh, shit! I need to go. I was to meet Lauren minutes ago," and just like that, the woman was gone.

"Well that's lame. She didn't even finish the story. Oh well, maybe next time?" Lani plopped herself on Eli's lap and purred a bit before jumping up from him. With a devious look in her eyes, the young princess plowed her way into the slender male - arms flailing and head moving. "Fear the wrath of the mighty Lani!" she shouted with the utmost amount of glee.

"Eh, it happens to the best of us. Well, not me. But that's because I'm da bomb." Throwing up a pair of peace signs, Yeri looked at the group of misfit heroes. They were probably labeling him a kid right off the bat, but Yerik didn't mind. In fact, it was the best thing ever, as it masked the fact that he was really an old man trapped in a boy's body.

His pink eyes soon flicked to the sky to take in the shifting clouds and the changing breeze that just couldn't ruffle his hair (he made it that way). It was pretty evident at that point that Yerik had control over the win as there was no other way possible for him to not have messy locks of hair.

Sucking his teeth, the lad shoved his hands into his pockets before protesting that they 'get a move on.' Although he understood their pain and suffering, he also knew that staying in the cold any longer would result in the loss of limbs and life. One day they will learn to respect me. One day....

Eli wasn't going to lie- truly- he found Lani to be adorable in the oddest of manners. Sure sometimes she carried on a bit too high pitched than he would have wished, or was a bit more hyperactive than he wanted to deal with considering how many books, articles, and parts were stacked about in his living space. Still she seemed more well intentioned than her siblings- which currently could easily be rated on a steep scale of elitism. While the boy had far from grown up in poverty- he had also not known the decadence that was currently flaunted about in the la'Ronk. So along with Lani's lessons he occasionally attempted to instill morals of even-handedness. Honestly he had no idea if they held true given her continuing mannerisms.
At least the history books could record that he did try.

Yet Raine- who floated into his abode as effortlessly as a wasp on the breeze- was far from altruistic and Eli could honestly feel it ebbing off of her. Yet the odd timing of her arrival coincided with his question- which Lani easily pawned off to her elder sister. Immediately he felt a shimmer of cold run down his spine, and his fingers glistened along the edge of his hat he attempted to pull it down further. This honestly was a bit more stressful than he wished to find purchase in. "Princess Lorraine- I was not expecting you or I would have taken some extra care in cleaning my living quarters." It was then his eyes flicked to Lani, "but I do appreciate your visit. What do I owe this unexpected surprise?" It wasn't really that hard to guess why the princess was there- probably to make sure he wasn't slacking off in his education to her younger sister. Either that or she enjoyed watching the tutor squirm underneath her indomitable gaze.

'Make it bloody,' Lani piped as they sat down in their allotted places for this story. "My princess- you shouldn't speak like that- it isn't very noble." He on occasion corrected her manners in hopes that she would barrel from here someday and speak the most foul of incredulity and he would have a mob wielding pitchforks and torches outside his door- not that he assumed they would go that barbaric to filed him. "Either way I am honored for such a history lesson." He stated in his most prostrated of manners.

The tale of the Seven Heroes was not what he expected- and Eli wished so increasingly so to be able to haul out a few of his history manuscripts to match up the events via date and time. This all sounded so familiar but at the same time it lacked the sustenance to lodge itself in the pit of his mind. Either way the way that Princess Lorraine spun the tale it was almost ghastly to assume what would happen if these events came into fruition.
Or at least he supposed they had- considering Princess Lani's previous words involving the Hero of Darkness being locked inside the castle.
'Also may have something to do with that fairy-princess crown atop your noggin'- and there it was again that obnoxious voice that kept chiming again and again in the back of his head. It was particularly easy to snuff out with a bit of concentration in which he returned his attentions back to Lorraine.

Yet as swift as she began- she ended it. Eli's mind swam with the various heroes, of Balance and Void, and inevitably the footnote that was the 'Hero of Ice'. How very pleasant that was- once again he was nothing more than an unimportant footnote.
'So you are accepting your fate now?'
Eli just scoffed a bit- to inform that pestering voice that he was not. That this was all a fun fairytale and he running his thoughts in manners of 'what if'.

Still maybe some of his nervousness was alleviated when Princess Lorraine excused herself from the room- and he bowed softly at her departure and wished her a good day. Not that he figured she recognized any of it or acknowledged it. Either way he flopped back in his chair and turned his attention to Lani- which was steadily climbing into his lap as she usually did. "Alright- I suppose story time is over. Time to get back to your tutoring- and if you are good I'll-" about that time Lani decided to be her overly childish self and take this time to 'play'. Of course she would choose now- it only made sense.

By the time the tutor stilled the girl his hat had been knocked clean off of his head, and his hands were quite delicately looped around her hands in hopes of stilling her writhing form. "Hey now Princess Lani- no rough housing. You know if I am going to be your boyfriend- when you get older far older- you need to not act like a crazy person." Stating any sort of romantic obligation to Lani was the best way to calm her down. He always felt a bit vile for doing so- even if he mentioned over and over again it wouldn't come to pass until she was of age- but the feeling waned when she usually calmed down.
It was then Eli was aware of a soft coolness upon the top of his head- which was then met with a tight blush as he realized what was evident now. Maybe she wouldn't make the correlation~ he hoped. Yet his lips failed to blubber out any excuse regarding it.