Welcome to the North

(new posting order: Kouzai,tsumi,leo,loola,rose)

((OOC: Since Akira's been banned I'm giving myself power to kill off her charry.  Furthermore, I'm sure it's something you've all wanted to do to her yourself at one point so :p You're welcome.))

Everyone slowly followed the white haired boy, going around the corner in search of the Broken Barrel Inn and his brother, the long haired brooding boy.  Leaving the young girl, Kyoko, all alone.  They declined her offer to stay with her at her house in favour of the Broken Barrel Inn.  After all, it was hard to agree to go to a person's house after you had just met them, and could not trust them, kindness shown to you or not.  Such was a world where you did not know whom you could trust anymore.  Nobles overthrowing the monarchs they had sworn undying fealty to to.  Kingdom's shattered.  Lands and people now subject to the rule of the Order of the Seven Thorns.  Monarchs in hiding, and the spirits and the Spirit World cut off from the real world.

The Spirit King had abandoned the world, for an unknown reason.  And the Avatar was no where to be seen.  Trust and hope had died long ago.  Even the Spirits of the Elements, protectors of the kingdoms and benders of all lands seemed to have gone dormant, as the Order now sought ways to enter there shrines and decimate them.  Kyoko stood there, alone in the snow.  Slowly missing her new found acquaintances.  But before she could bring herself to go after them, a shadow appeared behind her.  Floating down; hooded and smelling of death, like an ominous angel of death.

All she could do was look at him in fear as she watched him come closer.  Slowly, limping; leaning heavy on his staff.  His breath raspy and weathered, like an old dying man.  "Soul.....I need....your.....soul...." rasped the hooded man, "Your spirit.....your energy.....shall be mine.....you shall.....fuel the saviour of this world.....and....my....new......order!"  The hooded man held out his arm, and with the point of a gnarled and bony finger Kyoko froze as if being blood bent.  She was raised into the air and brought closer to the hooded man.  With malicious intent his raised his arms, placed one around her throat, and one on the girl's stomach.

A blue rune lit up on her stomach over her clothes, and his hand's grip tightened around her throat, as if he was choking her.  Her eyes turned white and rolled back into her head and her mouth hung open like she was screaming but no sound came out.  Then, a blue light erupted from her eyes and mouth.  And a blue smokey essence began to fly from the light in her mouth slowly curling into a ball before the man's face.  As the light grew and grew, her skin began to shrivel and wrinkle, shrinking and going from pale and youthful to yellowish and old.  Then grey, then finally brown like a rotted corpse.  Her hair turned white slowly, and seemed to grow as her body mummified, and her nails turned yellow and seemed to grow as well.

Then, there was a thud as she fell into the snow, her mouth and eyes still open like in a macabre scream.  Her eyes still rolled back in their sockets.  She was a mummified corpse now, and the ball of blue light floated into the man's hood as he seemed to have devoured it.  She was dead, and no one was around to witness it.  'A shame', thought the hooded man, 'I could have stood to get a bit more energy by killing the witnesses.  There wasn't much here to take.'  Standing at his semi-full height, he slowly began to vanish where he stood, disappearing once more into nothingness, his next destination known only to him.

Meanwhile, the white haired boy and his new traveling group continued to search the streets for the Broken Barrel Inn.  According to someone they asked for directions, it was a few streets over from where they had all met, and was one of the lucky buildings to have escaped the aftermath of the attack on the North Pole.  It wasn't long before the group stood outside of the building, ready to enter and get something to eat, or at least a warm drink.  New rule or not, it was always cold in the north.  Not to mention, the white haired boy was eager to find his companion.  "Here we are," said the white haired boy happily, "I don't know why it was so hard to find before..."

(tsumi your turn. also kouzia... that was a bit harsh what you did to akira's charri. she was a friend of drago and yami.)

(tsumi plz post)

He turned, breaking off from the party. He couldn't shake this feeling- something very, very bad was looming, just over the horizon. So many questions, none of them answered.

As he looked around, he noticed a glowing beacon of light- not the kind of light that one sees from the sun, but a pale, soulless light. This light was almost as bad as that beast-girl, and just as unnatural. John rushed toward it, drawn to it as a moth to a flame.

Turning the corner, the scene before him etched itself into his brain. That same smell of death was here, but stronger.....and fresher. A man in a black cloak stood, hunched over, and dropped one of the girls he had seen earlier, now a hollow shell of herself. “Mother of twenty thousand hookers...” John said, aloud, staring at the man...if it was a man. No, John decided, whatever kind of thing that could leave a person like that, was not a man. At least, not anymore.

OOC: So, a month after counts as 'later tonight', right?
Also, short post. Didn't want my lack of muse for this topic to keep holding it up. XD

Yami sensed something was wrong even before the prince disappeared. She could just feel it. When you are friends with somebody, there is a connection. When that person disappears, that connection is broken. She felt that connection break and turned at the same time as the prince and ran off in the other direction, right next to Drago. Storm clouds began to gather overhead, a bad omen. Something was definitely not right.

When she arrived at the scene of death, the first emotion she felt was anger. Then she paused and thought back to her training years ago with the Rangers. Will's voice echoed in her head, Never let your emotions get the best of you, or you may make a hasty mistake. Stay calm and assess the situation before jumping into action. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply, then studied the dark figure in front of her. He was no doubt powerful if he were able to turn Kyoko into nothing, and in that little time, not to mention without any blood. He didn't appear to be carrying any weapons, either. Yami reached back for her bow when she saw Drago fall to the ground, setting himself on fire as the mark on his face appeared. She grabbed an arrow and knocked it to the bow, then knelt next to him.

"Drago, calm down. You have no idea what we are up against. I promise, you can't do this on your own. If we hope to accomplish anything, all of us will have to work together, and even then our chances are slim," she said, not just for his sake, but for hers as well. If Drago were to hastily jump in and attack, it could put them all in danger. No, everybody needed to stay focused, and work together. She stood back up and stared at the man, not daring to take her eyes off of him for a second.

((Tsumi, it was two months, you lazy bum ))

((OOC: Rose left, so I'm improvising.  Also, Saru and I shall diverge our fight to a second topic.))

The hooded man looked at Drago, and took everything he could not to break down laughing.  "This boy..." he smirked beneath the hood, "Is incredibly...insignificant."  Then he looked to the girl.  She was powerful.  He could sense her strength.  Unlike the boy, who's spiritual energy, despite the show, could not fill a puddle.  The girl's could fill an entire ocean, and hers was not the first like this that he had sensed.  As they spoke, this man could sense nine or ten others shooting into the sky like beacons.  They were hard to hide, he would go for them later.

"You...girl," continued the man, "You are strong.  Your energy...I want it.  I shall have, it.  And I shall take it...whether or not...you want me to.  No matter how long...it takes, I shall have....it."  Then, the hooded man turned towards the corner.  The only smart one in the bunch.  "Stupid boy...you run out..you put on a foolish show..." smirked the hooded man in a mocking tone, "And stupid girl...you follow him and his smoke and mirrors....but the non-bender over there.  He is smart....he hides...he watches...he waits....he listens....he is patient....him.   Him I shall fight.  Him I shall deem with my power....with the honour of loosing to me."

The hooded man turned, pausing as he was sure that the foolish boy and girl would attempt to attack him.  Regardless he wouldn't be around long.  "Asmodeus," he said simply, "Deal with these children.  Show them...the power of the worlds third oldest spirit."  With that he faded into nothing with the swish of his cloak.  Appearing behind the non-bending boy, the hooded man touched him on the back, and the boy faded as well.  Finally, the hooded man faded again, this time to where Asmodeus had taken the only girl smart enough to follow his mirage.

He grabbed her from the front, as Asmodeus disappeared back to the other foolish children.  Throwing her over his shoulder with all the strength he could muster, he disappeared once more, to where he had taken the boy.  A place only he would think to look.  Meanwhile, Asmodeus appeared before the two kids.  He smirked, ripping off his hood, and there he stood.  Goat-like and man-like both.  The worlds third oldest spirit in the world, even older than Ko the Face Stealer.  He was strong, and he was the former advisor to all Spirit Kings since the creation of the role.  Before that he was advisor to the Great God, Gedo Mazo.

But as of late, he had abandoned his post.  To serve this...mysterious new master.  Whoever he was, this man could not be said no to.  In fact, Asmedeus didn't even know how he got here, or why he agreed but....he...he had to fight.  He was going to fight.  With a primal roar, he charged towards the children, hoping to slam them with his body, his entire force, chi and strength behind him.

Behind John, one of the other party members followed. Seeing the sight of the rotting corpse of the girl, he was driven to...were those tears? According to his emotional outburst, the girl's name was Kyoko. “Man up, kid. I can promise you, there are Much. Worse. Things. Out there, than a simple corpse. Here's a little lesson for ya, free of charge: Save it for later. If yer enemy sees ya cryin', he knows how to hurt you.” John said, after the boy finished throwing his temper tantrum. The beast-girl comforted the boy, calling him Drago. He'd remember that- Drago the emotional basket case.

In front of him, the robed man spoke, in a raspy whisper that set John on edge. "You...girl. You are strong. Your energy...I want it. I shall have, it. And I shall take it...whether or not...you want me to. No matter how long...it takes, I shall have....it.....And, stupid girl...you follow him and his smoke and mirrors....but the non-bender over there. He is smart....he hides...he watches...he waits....he listens....he is patient....him. Him I shall fight. Him I shall deem with my power....with the honor of losing to me."
“Non-bender”? Seriously? Was John's chi so pathetically small, in comparison to this beast girl, that even this....thing in front of him thought he was a NON-BENDER? John's hotheaded side took hold, and he stepped up to the plate, knowing full well he was outmatched by a mile. “I dunno how you know what I do, but I promise, when i'm done with you, you'll WISH you had hidden!” John said, ready for anything.

Anything, that was, except the robed man disappearing, reappearing behind him, and teleporting them both away. With talents like that, John was in for a long day...