Inside Riel’s mind he was chanting as he were instructed by the female voice in his mind, and amidst the chanting he began to think about what he were doing. Had he really set his eyes on conquering the entire world of Targon, accompanied by this great Krobon, the Lukkan, and a pale Truan by the name of Curiio. It all sounded like a impossible thing to achieve, yet in his past he had managed to turn the tide of many hopeless battles, yet he had also lost battles when the numbers of enemies became overwhelming. And a entire world was what Riel considered overwhelming…

He moved his right hand in a arch in front of himself and the air in front of him was filled with blue glowing runes which gave a small ethereal humming sound. "Woman.. I will give you a choice and a simple one in that, because you gave me a choice i will give you one... Either you stay silent till i finish with the guards.. Or i will remove your arms and legs so you will be unable to do anything... Note that if you break this i will use the guards living bodies to beat you to a pulp... Stay silent or die, the choice is yours." Riel heard Krobon say and he gave a small nod, Krobon would serve him well from the looks of it, yet he would have to keep an eye on the great Kray beast, he was too fond of power to be fully trusted for the moment. The ground began to shake as Krobon began to destroy the guards, then after a while the ground shook and a enormous static feeling raced through Riel’s body. He opened his eyes and looked towards the Kray which were in the midst of slaughtering the guards; the area around him was scorched and destroyed. It appeared this Kray possessed some kind of inherited weapon; this only made him more useful in Riel’s eyes.

He made a arch with his left hand and the air got filled with more blue glyphs and text began to write itself upon his own body, he was soon done, soon he would had destroyed his former pact and granted himself a new one. He knew full well that this new pact would be weak in the beginning and that he would have to train and experiment on it for quite a while to make it something close to what his former pact used to be. Yet as he was eager to use the powers granted by the pact, within the chanting he had called upon both the guardian force and the hallowed mask. He was uncertain what any of these ‘powers’ was, he was not even certain he could use them for the time being.

Riel made a series of complex gestures with his hands as he chanted loudly, his voice echoing out thought the swampy landscaped to scare away the wildlife, flocks of birds made their way towards the sky and in the distance the twin suns began to rise in the horizon. As the first rays of the sun stretched out upon the gathering Riel opened his eyes fully again and then all the magical glyphs and letters disappeared, firstly nothing happened then suddenly his body was engulfed in a blue glow and black and red tattoo’s began to replace the ones he had lost earlier, also a tattoo of a half moon started to form at his left cheek and grew vertically over his left eye, ending at the base of his hair, the edges of the ‘moon’ pointed outwards toward his temples (More of his new appearance in the character’s bio).

Suddenly a carriage came storming onto the scene as the blue glow left Riel’s body. It stopped not far from the gathered group and just as sudden as the carriage had come a man wearing black luxurious robes opened the carriage door and with a booming voice he screamed "Stop this bickering!" as he screamed Riel’s eyes moved to a dark shape which left the carriage at the same time, sneaking away to a pair of rocks a small distance away. Riel quirked a brow and he focused on the black robed spell caster, raising his right hand to ready himself for any oncoming attack. As he did so a array of blue glyphs formed in the air around him, Riel knew not what the power of these glyphs was nor why they even appeared as he began to channel chaos energy.

"I suggest you halt that ritual, It seems we got off on the wrong foot but thats hardely suprising considering the company your in, I mean a Lukka hardely the best negotiators i always considered them quite savage. Anyway put that behind for now, I welcome you." The robed man said and Riel smirked a little, he was glad the man had arrived just as the real ritual had been completed, and the lingering powers of the ritual must had given him the impression that Riel was still casting. "I see you have murdered some of these peons, you may be powerful but that is not power that is being a coward, but still i propose a truce i feel a relation between our races would be far more beneficial" The man then said and this peeked Riel’s interest enough for him to drop his magical guard a little, causing some of the runes to fade away.

“You speak the words I would have liked to hear days ago, Truan, I am Exarch Magisto Riel, Exiled Primeval of the pandemoniums second circle” Riel’s said in a formal tone to the man “And the power used to destroy these ‘peons’ was solely in the defence of my own, and my friends, well being.” Riel looked to Krobon for a moment, and then he spoke in his native Magisto tongue “You keep watch of who is behind the rock to the right of the carriage, and I also want you to keep an eye out for more guards or assassins.” He then looked back to the robed man, his red eyes lingering on the expensive looking staff he held in his right hand.

“I accept your truce, if you grant me a few things which I will need, firstly I want the Lukkan and the Truan” Riel pointed to Kal and Curiio, “Then secondly I want supremacy over that fort and this surrounding swampland, It will be my land where my rules are enforced” a wide grin began to spread across his lipless mouth, “As a third I want entry to your town called ‘New Haven’ and even have my own residence there, a luxurious one I assure you, us Magisto do not live in the dirt. I also want a position in any form of greater court ‘your’ city might possess” he knew full well that these requests were outrageous, yet he intended to aim high from the beginning, he was to be the ruler of Targon after all. “And lastly me and any of my allies have the right to walk anywhere outside my land, inside the cities of your world.” He let his eyes sweep over the scene once again, the great Krobon at his side, the Lukkan tending to Curiio and lastly the sun peeking up over the horizon. Then he turned his eyes to the robed man “Will you refuse me these requests? And become the first who have stood in my way, and been destroyed just because of that?”

The sun was rising and shining brightly upon the bloodspilled swamp and negotiations were happening to Galadus's delight. Galadus's words seemed to please Riel like a true negotiator would aim to do unlike before which ended in chaos. Galadus caught the magisto focusing on his own staff and smiled at the Magisto .

"You like what you see? This staff has been in my family for decades it is quite the sight i have to admit and expensive but a wealthy family needs an expensive item of importance.

Galadus looked at the Lukka and the Truan before turning his attention back to the Magisto. It had appeard that the Magisto was willing to form a truce on his own terms. Terms which were quite impossible for a Truan of even his influence as such would have to go through the court. This was when the true battle of words would begin however the magisto had left a threat on the end of his terms.

Galadus laughed "You really should not threaten someone you have no idea about. However looking at your terms there is only one i can possibly grant. You may take the lukka but the Truan is to remain, i care little of the lukka im sure she will make a great slave or torture victim, I myself have several Dessarti slaves. As for the Fort and safe entry to New Haven i cannot provide it is not my decision to make."

Galadus paused for a moment looking straight at the magisto "do we have an agreement?"

Galadus readied himself mentaly knowing that the threat could indeed become reality but he did not show any signs of being ready for battle.

Meanwhile behind the rock Rohke had finished counting her 1000 gold pieces and rose her head from beneath the rock peering over at the group. The whole thing seemed rather boring to her but she had run out of things to do so she sat and watched half hidden from view. She had just wanted to go home the swamp was smelly and dirty and she just wanted her daddy to end this delicate matter quickly.

Terms and unconditionals | New Haven camp grounds

"I will not be bartered!" The pale and beaten Curiio growled boldly. He had interupted the two beings and stood there with his hands behind his back. The tall broad form was of no competition but perhaps his mere arrogance was all he needed. "Nor will Kal, that is her name. Use it." He said sternly with narrowing blue eyes. To Curiio he had little to lose, death was perhaps inevitable at this moment, it was either that or prison for some heinous crime. "Both youre ideals are ludacris, for whatever motive you have- it is grossly unachievable; but let me tell you why..." He persisted with a raised gloved hand, noone need of fell silent but this seemed to be a moment where the quiet pale Truan was showing some glory. "However you infiltrate the masses there will always be others, like Kal- that will oppose you. And slaughtering them is not the way. I know little of your origin "Exiled Magisto" But but I know one thing- Ms. A. Veil would not appreciate your selfish conquest." He looked over the tattooed form. "I assume you know of who I speak of? If you do not, then you will listen further"

He began to walk away from the Lukkan who held his golden potion, pacing up and down infront of the Magisto and Galadus with his hand behind his back.

"You look so very much like her. She who sent me to obtain those words. Perhaps mere coincidence that -you- are to use them now, but I doubt it was all for you. I'd be careful who you listen to "Riel..." heh.." He smirked, glancing over the Magisto and pausing his pacing steps. "Can't always listen to that which you cannot see. I certainly wouldn't trust such either, eh?"

Curiio quirked a brow with a small knowing smile across his lips.

"Seems a tad foolish to listen to something, something... so close, inside." The pale Truans words were vague but decipherable. Now he turned to reguard Galadus. "You will not bargain the Lukkans life.. I will say again sir, she has a name. She will not be taken without me. Kal stays or we both go. I'm sure the ape over there.." He reguarded Krobon with a nod.

"Will prefer her company. Which means I am there also. Would it -really- be wise to take the apes posession from him? Do you value your limbs? We are no mere insect to be bartered, borrowed or sold." Curiio's words were dignified, whether treated as hostile or sensical was yet to be known but he stood there now with his arms folded as he peered around at the slaughter.

"Hardly subtle, hardly skillful and hardly worth it. If this is how you people deal with your desires, then you will fail quicker than I." It was unknown as to what Curiio meant by his own failure, perhaps his delivery of the Magisto words to the right hands, perhaps something else. But the sincerity and bold articulation of his voice showed nothing more than wisedom from a young and emotionless face.

"I believe the mind of a male can make the right choices. Even if it is.... occupied" He fleeted a glance toward the Magisto before finally walking back toward Kal, his back turned innocently enough

It was an interesting view, this land and it's clear sky shimmering in the morning... The female Lukkan had tried to bargain with him again. His massive hulking body stood in between Galadus and Riel but before long he moved back to Kal and the seemingly rather strange Truan she was with.

"So I have watched you slaughter men who I considered friends. If you had wished to kill me you would have done so already. If you want to get back to the Rift, then I suggest you let go of me. It is nigh impossible to navigate this swamp unless you know every inch of it. Even if you did manage to get out, you do not even know which direction to travel. You are thousands of miles from the Rift." Kal said to Krobon. However the great creature did not really react for a few of the upcoming minutes, looking at her with a stern look in his eyes.

"I do not need a way back to the rift, the only thing of interest you might give me is satisfying my curiosity." Krobon may have been intelligent and have had leadership qualities, however it hardly ever showed in the way he acted.... Like a brute.

Riel and Galadus seemed to be negotiating however the negotiations were not very successful up to this moment, it was soon after however that the truan stood up and started speaking boldly to Riel and Galadus. This however was not to Krobon's amusement, nor was this bargaining getting anywhere.

Krobon picked up a corpse from the ground and dragged it by it's leg towards Galadus, crashing it down in front of the man as he swung it through the air. "Unless you want to end up like this.. I suggest you give us all we wish and ask nothing in return apart from your life and the one you hold behind the rock there.. If you think you are powerful enough to fight an enemy you have little knowledge of then i say think again... You are at a great disadvantage here and your arrogance will sooner be your downfall then your savior, take one moment to consider or you will die and i will take that little girl of yours and feed her piece by piece to the creatures here in the swamp... Perhaps even eat her myself."

Krobon was not by any means a negotiator, he was used to taking things by violence as that was how everything worked in Kray society. This would be no different, no matter how powerful a mage he should think twice before trying to deal with enemies he knows are at the advantage... Coming in like that and opening negotiations is like going to a hungry dragon and ask if you can brush his teeth.

Krobon moved towards the Truan and gripped his hand around his neck as he stood there with his back turned towards all of them, turning him around as his hand moved around his waist. "This i will tell you now... Do not disturb the conversation any further... You have no control over your life and if you speak up again i will make an end to you and the Lukkan... Your actions now count for the well being of both of you... The same goes for you Lukkan, your actions will affect him as well... thread carefully.

As Curiio brushed the muck from his person, he softly whispered to her, "What happens now?" Kal had no answer for that, for only the second time in her life Kal was completely out of control of the situation and she had no idea what was to happen now. "I really don't know Atlyo." She took the bottle of the golden brew from Curiio, uncorked it and took a small gulp of it. Nearly immediatly the ache in her limbs (from Krobon holding her aloft) receeded. She rolled her shoulders around gently and tilted her neck to the side, the bones issuing a soft crack. Her ears pricked up as she heard the word "lukkan". They were trying to barter her....HER! And the robed one had deeply insulted her pride by referring to her as nothing more than a savage and one to be enslaved. Being called a savage was one thing that Kal would certainly not put up with.

Her muzzle pulled back and she bared her teeth as she growled at Galadus. She was severly outnumbered, with the mage clearly siding with Riel and Krobon and Curiio still recovering from her beating, she was not in the best place to pick a fight with the necromancer. In time he would understand the error of his words, or perhaps for him...just for him, she would make it come true. As Riel and Galadus spoke calmly Kal entertained the idea of ripping Galadus' laryx from his throat so that he could never issue such slanderous comments against her again. A bit of a wicked smile came to her jaws as she entertained the idea.

She was ripped from her thoughts when Riel proposed his ridiculous requests. Kal's jaw dropped open and a bit of a stunned noise emmiting form her throat. She was about to protest the absurdity of such a request when Curiio stole the words from her mouth. At least she was not the only one thinking that this was absolutly ludacris. She smiled a little as Curiio began his tirade, he was speaking for the both of them and Kal's admiration for Curiio skyrocketed. He was intellegent and brash, and he had been thinking exactly what Kal had wanted to say. Kal's grin only widened as Curiio verbally beat down those present. She placed her hands on her hips, shifting her weight to one foot as Curiio spoke.

She noticed the young woman behind the rock, eyeing her suspiciously. Behaps in this woman Kal could find a bit of leverage. If she was even half as proud or audacious as the robed man she had come with then she would be standing aside him as negotations were made. She wished to make a move to bring the girl forth, but her actions were halted as Krobon made his move back over to her. Curiio had finished speaking and now it was her turn again to speak with the brute. She continued to wonder why he hadn't just ripped her arms off yet. "I do not need a way back to the rift, the only thing of interest you might give me is satisfying my curiosity."

Kal quirked a brow at Krobon's response. Curiousity? She did not know whether to take that as a positive thing or a negative one. Then Krobon shoved past her and grasped the charred corpse of one of the guards, dragging it towards Galadus where he forcefully "placed" it in front of the mage. Kal had to admire his style, but it also showed that he was not the sharpest sword on the rack.

As Krobon grabbed Curiio Kal's almost surreal state was shattered. Without even thinking about it Kal drew her left sword, and in a flash was in the back of the beast, the point of her sword poking right inbetween one of the boney plates, threatening to slip into the soft tissue beneath. It was a bold and bad move, and Kal had not even realized what she had done until her sword was already pointed. Her instincts and her primal self (nutured from years of living at the Rift) had guided her to this point, and her conscious self would now have to pay the price or reap the reward. She poked the sword a little further, not enough to break the skin, but enough to allow Krobon to feel that he had a sword to his back. Kal was at his back, and she knew that the beast was less than agile, she was in a good postion to get away, as well as use Krobon for a shield for any spells that Riel or Galadus wished to throw at her. She didn't actually think that she could severely injure Krobon, and she knew that she had made her position infinitely worse, but she was not in this position whether she liked it or not.

"Release him. We are not animals to be auctioned and we shall not be treated as such. I offered you a truce, and the truan goes along with that truce. Your armour is thick, but my swords are sharp and if you have kidneys, I might pierce them, if not, pray I wouldn't hit something vital." Kal knew it was a stupid move, but she and Curiio were in this together, and she had to defend him...though she knew she couldn't do that if she were dead.

[ Order in the chaos / The Marshlands ]

"You like what you see? This staff has been in my family for decades it is quite the sight I have to admit and expensive but a wealthy family needs an expensive item of importance.” The robed man bragged and Riel frowned a little, he had no real interest in the staff he carried other then the fact it meant this person was ‘important’. "You really should not threaten someone you have no idea about. However looking at your terms there is only one I can possibly grant. You may take the lukka but the Truan is to remain, i care little of the lukka I’m sure she will make a great slave or torture victim, I myself have several Dessarti slaves. As for the Fort and safe entry to New Haven I cannot provide it is not my decision to make." The man then said, Riel already knew his demands had been impossible to fulfil yet it had been a test to se just how willing this man had been on negotiating a peace between them.

“So you want me to ally with you and be given a single creature?” he then chuckled “Us Magisto do not keep slaves, and we do not torture our enemies” he looked back to the Lukkan woman and noticed that she were expressing a lot of anger towards the robed man. “To be honest I think-” Riel said but then he was suddenly interrupted by Curiio who barked "I will not be bartered!" to then embark upon a rant which lasted for quite some time until he finally finished with "I believe the mind of a male can make the right choices. Even if it is.... occupied".

Riel had been watching the Truan with interest as he had ranted, a quite sly grin lingering on his lipless mouth. This man was interesting and Riel somehow felt he had to keep him close, he had talked of someone named Veil, a woman who had reminded him of Riel even, could it had been another Magisto which resided inside the city of New Haven? Riel was suddenly waked from his trail of thought as the giant Krobon slammed the corpse of a guard down into the ground in front of the robed man "Unless you want to end up like this.. I suggest you give us all we wish and ask nothing in return apart from your life and the one you hold behind the rock there.. If you think you are powerful enough to fight an enemy you have little knowledge of then i say think again... You are at a great disadvantage here and your arrogance will sooner be your downfall then your savior, take one moment to consider or you will die and i will take that little girl of yours and feed her piece by piece to the creatures here in the swamp... Perhaps even eat her myself."

The giant Krobon said with his deep voice and Riel nodded in agreement, they had no time to waste on negotiations with nothing but a single Truan who thought he held a saying in anything, given the situation he was in now he was vastly outnumbered, even if the Lukkan decided to join the robed man, which seemed to not be a option due to her obvious aggression towards the man, Riel and Krobon would still be able to keep the situation under control. Then Krobon moved back and ‘restrained’ Curiio, which was a slight relief to Riel who did not want to be interrupted once again. He looked back to the robed man, who looked a little unnerved, yet he quickly retained the sense of the scene and his face became indifferent again.

Riel’s eyes began to slowly take on a dark blue colour as he stood silent for a moment, from the looks of it he was pondering upon something. Then he raised his right hand a little, his hand shaped as if he was holding an orb within it, then slowly he began to close his hand which seemed to tremble a little, as if he was trying to crush something… “I am tired of 'this'…” he said with a tone so cold that the robed man quirked a brow, and just as he opened his mouth to talk he was interrupted by a deafening sound.

The carriage he had arrived in suddenly imploded into itself with an unseen force, the sheer power in this force caused a crater to form underneath the carriage, it was as if time froze for a moment, and in this moment a ghostly looking woman appeared, peeking curiously over his shoulder with a playful grin on her lips, then the carriage fell to the ground in a heap of wood and the woman disappeared. The horses which had dragged the carriage went ballistic and ran out into the marshlands.

Riel looked over his shoulder at the gathering, his eyes having a faint blue glow to them; he idly looked at the Lukkan as she held her knife to Krobon’s more ‘exposed’ parts then he looked back to the robed man “Crawl back to wherever you came from, next time you want to make negotiations send someone else… The Magisto do not deal with slavers nor the arrogant...” He boldly turned his back to the robed man and looked towards the group close to Krobon “Join me and I promise you both power beyond your own imagination, your goals will become mine, and with me you can do anything” He made a small gesture with his right hand and the ground shook for a moment, the various branches and pebbles spread across the ground began to levitate for a moment and the trees surrounding them swayed away from Riel, as if they dared not lean towards him any longer "You have nothing to return to after you met with me, your lives are nothing compared to what I can offer..."

A great number of things were happening and Galadus was loosing focus slightly and patience. He has wished to form a truce but that was now not likely to happen. It was then that Curiio moved in disgust at the help Galadus had provided which infuriated Galadus yet also made him chuckle.

"You must really like that lukka, afterall i just offered to save your life and yet you dissaproove of such just for the sake of the the lukka." He smiled at Curiio seeing him as weak but also brave. Curiio continued to rant on about the whole situation but all that mattered to Galadus was a truce yet that seemed to be getting less likely with each moment.

It ws then that Curiio was interupted and the large creature Krobon dropped a corpse infront of Galadus.

"you seemed to have dropped your dinner" Galadus joked

It was then that Krobon threatened Galadus, he even mentioned a girl behind the rock and said that it was his yet to his knowledge his daughter was at home. He became distracted a moment as he turned looking over to the girl and to his horror it was his daughter. The situation was interupted again by the thrusted sword of the Lukka which came at a suprise to Galadus.

All the distractions were taken out of the picture and all that was really left was Riel and Galadus. It was a tense time and Riel was the first to reply. But he replied with hostility blowing up the carrige that Galadus traveled in and killing 2 of his Dessarti in the process. This infuriated Galadus even further and tensions were rising to boiling point and the last thing Riel did would spark a battle of grand proportions. Riel not only insulted Galadus as an infividual but his way of life too, the biggest mistake Riel made though was turning his back on Galadus.

Galadus slammed his staff into the ground and then conjured up a dark energy ball flinging it at the Magisto. Galadus then muttered some words and his image split in to two mirror images. He had used a shadow image spell of himself to confuse the Magisto into thinking there were two off him. Of course one is the real Galadus and the other is the fake, Galadus had hoped this would give him another opportunity to strike again.

Krobon did not flinch as Kal's sword poked into his back. He had issued the warning to her, and he needed not say anything more. He had given her one chance, and he was not the type to give a second. His massive claw still around Curiio's waist, he pulled the pale truan towards him, grabbing ahold of his arm at the elbow. The beast squeezed and the popping and crunching of bones could audibly be heard as he shattered Curiio's elbow. He then hoisted the truan up by the same elbow and tossed him into the mud several feet away. Curiio was not but a ragdoll to him. Krobon twisted his head to regard the lukka at his back. "I gave you a warning, next time I will kill either of you." He sneered at her. As he turned back around, all burst into chaos. The carriage had exploded and Galadus was in full action. His eyes darted around, as he was momentarily confused by all that had happened in the span of only several minutes.

Kal winced at the sounds of Curiio's bones breaking. She was immediately regretful of her actions, she had put her only ally's life in danger and now he paid the price for her arrogance and stupidity. She removed the sword from Krobon's back, sheathing it with a depressed expression. She was caught whether or not to go to Curiio's side. She wanted to aid him to pick him out of the mud and set his arm, but she knew that she had already caused enough damage. This was why she tried not to have friends, she reminded herself as she fought back the moisture crowding the edges of her eyes. Her care and compassion this time, mixed with her arrogance had nearly lead to Curiio's death. She backed away a pace or too, tearing her eyes from Curiio's form and turning her back, the rest of the chaos was not but a blur to her. She seemed almost misplaced from the scenery as all Hell broke loose around her.

Explosions and the arcane arts flung around about behind her as she heavily sat on a mossy rock paying no heed to the eruption to her back. She sunk her head into her hands. Her mind was a mask of confusion and emotions. She didn't know if Curiio was alive or dead, but either way it was her fault. She doubted Curiio would ever forgive her and if he did, she knew she could not forgive herself for the foolish act that she had committed. Her ears flattened back against her head as she pulled up her muddy hood to shield her face both from the others of the group but also from the hot sun.

The sun was obscured by the thick haze of the swamp. Large bugs zipped in and out of the group searching for exposed patches of skin to grab a snack from. A wasp the size of a small cat landed on Krobon's forearm, though the insects efforts were thwarted by the massive armor the beast sported. Krobon looked to the wasp as it searched for a soft spot amidst the armor, he raised his hand and with a slight crunch the wasp was nothing more than a pile of goo on Krobon's arm. The swamp was taking on a rather sour stench as the temperature rose. Kal moved the lower portion of her hood over her muzzle, helping to keep away the foul smell. She dared not look back at Curiio. Shard squeaked from her pouch, but Kal paid no heed. Her mind and heart were heavy. Perhaps foolishly she promised herself that she would remain silent and compliant (to a point) no matter what they put her through. She slumped her shoulders as a bit of mud splattered on her back from the arcane battle that carried on at her back.

His eyes moved over the group in front of him slowly, they all seemed shaken and not to persuaded by his words. He had not anticipated them to jump on his offer like a pack of starving wolves. But he had planted the seed and he were sure they would come around, one way or the other…

He was turning back to the robed man when he felt a tingle shoot through his body, the man was casting magic and it was directed right at him! He raised his hand to counter spell yet he were taken off guard and had no chance to react, thus only a second later he were hit by a dark energy ball, the power from it threw him backwards smoking onto the ground. For a moment his body was completely still, then he coughed and with a groan he pushed himself to his knees.

“You… Should not have done that” Riel hissed and raised his right hand to fire a blue ball of energy at the robed man, but he was ready for that frontal attack and with a powerful sweep of his staff the ball dispersed into a cloud of blue energy as it impacted with the staves head. The robed man then did a elegant gesture with his free hand and another energy ball came flying at Riel, this one hitting him square in the chest sending him tumbling backwards.

He felt it, how much weaker he had become since he had arrived in this marsh. This caster would had proved no match for him if he had been at his earlier strength, yet now they were a equal match… Or at least Riel hoped so for the sake of his future health. He pushed himself to his feet and channelled energy into him self, and yet again the blue runes began to orbit around his body.

“Krobon, stay out of this… Take Kal and Curiio away from here, they need not suffer harm from this battle.” As he finished giving orders he closed his eyes for a moment a he focused, then he made a sweeping gesture with his hand, sending four blue balls of energy speeding at the robed man…

Smoke was rising from Riel's left side and the middle of his chest, a blue almost sparkling liquid dripping from the scorching wounds the energy balls had left.

Bones and Battle. | The Battle within the swamp

Amongst the ambience, the nature of the swamp and the backchat of power, Curiio had screamed. His voice pained as numerous bones within his arm shattered at the mere force of Krobon the beasts grip. The pain was immense, he could not bare it! The pained scream died down, along with his senses.

What little colour of the pale bruised truan was left faded quickly and left Poor Curiio more corpselike than ever, rigid in the beasts grasp. As he was held panting in an aweful attempt at silencing his agony, Curiio was flung away with ease by the beast, landing into the mud several feet away from the scene. His form maimed and concussed as he tried to focus whilst laying on his back. The hazey day to come from the suns and jungle ambience did not help Curiio's vision. The confusion of what was real and what was agony forced him to close his deepset blue eyes, left to lie still amongst the carnage in the swamp. The swirls of red's, purple, green's and black clouded his closed eyes, all but dulling out to a pitch black. Along with the rest of his sense, though in what seemed like a conscious distance the highly harmed Truan could hear that same threatening voice,

"I gave you a warning, next time I will kill either of you." said the beast Krobon. Curiio could make out who was who, but not who was where. The lifeless Truan could not hear the fate of Kal, he could not hear her at all. Squarks, and squeaks from the familiar Shard was heard in Curiio's head. The creatures noises peirced Curiio's senses, illuminating his hearing and sight, returning to the hazey swirl of colour under his closed lids. Flashes of blue and darkness, more concentrated that the swirls of mindless colour crosses his dull vision. Orbs, energy and Magick was raining over the scene, shooting over in what seemed like a battle to Curiio's ears. Hisses and gonging sounds of unearthy energy were being thrown about, but at who or from who was unknown to the lifeless body in the mud.


“Krobon, stay out of this… Take Kal and Curiio away from here, they need not suffer harm from this battle.” Riel had ordered. "It was Riel that was fighting.. If not us or the beast, then who? The robed one?" He thought, the swirls of colour in his blind sight were forming a vague shape of a robed being holding a staff which was emitting all sorts of power. This vision faded to nothing more but colour once again. Curiio's nostrils flared, he could smell burning... Smoke even, he was sure of it.. The pain, then came the pain... His arm throbbing so much that he felt little else. It was hard for the Truan man to focus- yet he tried. He "looked" at the swirling red, concentrating through all other colour and matter from the visual world. That red became intensely bright. Brighter and brighter, it's tone becoming orangish.... Yellow... Gold. The gold he sought in his mind clouded over all of his black & blind peripheral vision and the pain of his injury subsided, he felt knumb... Calm and still. Curiio did try to move his arm but nothing happened. His whole form was still, yet he was "conscious".



"..Wake up Curiio..." whispered a womans voice, familiar to him, yet no vision of colour to match familiarity. All was dark.
"Wake up.. Breathe in. Breathe out. Sense all devout. All dies- but not yet my darling boy.."

Curiio's eyes flickered, splits of hazey light filling the darkness, as he gingerly opened his tender lids, all white filled the baseless black and what he saw was full of beauty and full of epiphany. "Amongst the Chaos, all but light. To truely see you have to be" The voices trailed away from his ears, behind him into the mud. Yet still all Curiio could see was a Chaotic white, the more he focused the less dense it became, revealing the skyline of Targon, through the white, through the haze and the peircing twin suns, Curiio could see an entire truth. People, races, stars and the group in the swamp. Even his own "sleeping" body within the mud. He could hear many voices, voices beyond the current battle. Beyond the jeering and insults, orders and threats.

"Good boy..." and with that same familiar female voice, Curiio focused upon his own muddy body and in the quickest swirls of colour, he awoke, laying on the ground and barely moving, though his eyes took in the reality and he smiled.

Riel and Galadus were locked in a battle of magical delicacy and destruction, something that could quite possibly reshape the surrounding area. Galadus smiled as his dark energy ball stuck Riel it was then that his confidence took over.

he chuckled "I expected more from you, yet you seem weak and pathetic" Galadus was suddenly interrupted by a flash of blue light as 4 blue energy balls were flung straight at him. Galadus quickly attempted a shield absorbing the blast but the impact sent Galadus flying backwards into the ground with a rather large thud.

Galadus was slightly taken off guard but quickly recovered sending a constant dark beam towards Riel from his staff. Riel countered it with a beam of his own and the two were locked in a power struggle, the two beams clashed with a loud defening impact and a huge ball formed where the two rays met. They were locked in a stalemate each trying their best to overcome the others power yet they remained locked. The ball growing larger with each moment until eventualy it imploded with a large amount of energy blinding everyone with the bright light and sending both Riel and Galadus flying and leaving a huge crater in the ground.

Galadus led motionless for a while and his robes were torn to shreds. Galadus slowly stood to his feet with the help of his staff and ripped his robe off leaving just his long pants but his thin smooth chest exposed to the elements. A Scar from a sword cut was visable diagnally across his chest. It was time for Galadus to step it up a notch as Riel had managed to match him in power up to now.

Galadus seeing the distance between himself and Riel decided to use a rather risky spell by summoning two shadowlords, the very lords that come when one uses shadow magic too much and required to pay there debts. shadowlords are quite the threat carrying huge scythes, Galadus is able to summon them because he is the owner of the staff, he and the leaders before him were the only ones who knew that and should Galadus die that knowledge would be lost forever.

Galadus planned to prepare a most devestating spell but it would take time and galadus had hoped that the shadowlords would give galadus that time. The shadowlords would be no easy task for Riel but Galadus knew that Riel should cope and eventualy overcome them.

Kal lifted her head slightly as she heard Riel shout to Krobon. "Take Kal and Curiio away from here, they need not suffer harm from this battle." Suffer harm? Hadn't they already suffered? Hadn't Riel and Krobon taken Kal and Curiio hostage? Krobon had already broken Curiio's arm and had perhaps killed him. Kal was quite confused at the statement the Magisto had made. He suddenly cared about the well-being of those that he had captured? What had changed? Just as Kal was pondering Riel's statement she was thrown into chaos. An arcane ball of energy hit the back of the rock that she was sitting on, exploding in a mass of dark energy, catapulting Kal several feet from the rock, face down in the mud, stunning her.

Meanwhile Krobon had heard Riel's order and had slogged through the mud and grabbed Curiio by the back of his coat and lifted him out of the muck. Carrying him in this fashion, with Curiio's belly towards the ground and Krobon's massive claws wrappedaround the back of his coat, Krobon made his way towards Kal. Though he was less endearing with the Lukka. Ducking as a spell was hurled over his head, Krobon emitted a gutteral growl and plunged his claw into the mud latching onto Kal's leg and beginning to drag her unceremoniously away from the arcane battle.

The blast had sent Kal into a state of confusion, her world was muddy and spinning. She had barely noticed that Krobon had grabbed her leg and was dragging her away. Somehow she had expected the beast to exert more of a pressure on her leg, but he was being surprisingly easy in his hold, despite the fact that he was dragging her. Kal tried to turn her head, her vision was fuzzy, but she could make out the massive form of Krobon, and the smaller frail form of what she had guessed to be Curiio. He wasn't moving, and Kal's mind was too rattled for her to think clearly or come to any conclusions as to Curiio's condition. Krobon's gargantuan strength and strides were taking them from the battle scene, as the sounds were getting dimmer and dimmer. Kal's head hit a log and she lost consciousness.

Kal's first sensation was an acute paint to the back of her head where she had hit the log. She could hear nothing but the faint sounds of the swamp. Her eyes began to flutter open, the suns were sinking low in the sky alerting Kal to the fact that night was approaching. She ran her hands over the ground, feeling that it was firmer than that of the swamp. She could not know how long they had traveled for or even in what direction. She tried to pull herself up in a sitting position, but the pain in her head and her back ultimately halted her attempt. She lay on the ground, trying to focus her eyes. After several long moments, she had concluded that being on firmer ground, that they must have traveled eastward toward the city, rather than deeper into the swamp toward the jungle. Her eyes open, she moved them around the small rocky copse where they were camped. Krobon was hunched over, facing towards the suns sinking into the horizon. Curiio was propped up against a fallen log, the golden potion in his hands. Kal was somewhat relieved that he was alive. Her next priority was Shard.

She shifted her eyes around slowly, but she could not see the knapsack anywhere. Starting to panic she noticed a slight warmth at her stomach. Looking down she saw the small Kazur'ha curled up like a cat next to her stomach. He was covered in mud, but otherwise unharmed and was fast asleep. Kal closed her eyes for a long moment before reopening them to look at the hulking beast resting several metres from her.