Wandering in the Dark (Open/Alexander)

[Saya]

The light danced and flickered, chasing off the shadows that surrounded her. The cold darkness of the night was at her back and the warm light of a small campfire was before her. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes and looking around the area with an almost panicked look. Even safe in the warm light of the fire, she still felt an uneasiness around her. Calm down, there's nothing there, she thought silently. As she tried to collect herself, her usual calm, cold mask slid back into place. It was a blank mask that she had gotten used to wearing so she could shut out the world. It was a natural response for her but sometimes she had to put the mask back in its place. She looked into the fire, the flickering light of the fire blending with the sliver of silver white light that the fragment of the moon gave off gave her a nearly ethereal look. A dream lost in time.

As she watched the fire, she began to feel nothing. Her sense of dread was gone and all that remained was an eerie, silent calm. She let herself be mesmerized by the light. It was the only thing that made her feel at peace ever since the 'incident' at her former home. The emptiness of the night tried to draw her back into its depths but a single voice would be enough to break her trance.

"Help!" a voice nearby screamed, the sound of snarling following the voice.

The voice was enough to break the silence. Quickly, without thinking, she stood up and faced the direction the voice had come from. She could still hear the snarling and the sounds of a panicked child. She was already running towards the noise, the fire snuffed out the moment she moved away from it. She ran as fast as she could, tall evergreen trees dotting the land that she wove her way through. Don't let it be too late, the thought was sudden and unexpected. It wasn't like her to worry for someone. At least it wasn't like her the way she was now. A look of fierce determination crossed her face and she decided to face her demons another day. The trees that had dotted the land were starting to thin out and the noise was close. She slid her left hand into her pocket and pulled out a black glove with a strange red pattern on it. She slid it on her right hand and made her way to the source of the noise.

Monster. It was the only thing that could describe this beast. It was lupine in look but there was something wrong with its features. It was chasing a small, whimpering kid. She stopped where she was as the little kid tripped on a tree root and fell. The beast was only a breath away from the child when the single noise pierced the moment. The sound of someone snapping their fingers. The moment that sound was heard, a rush of flame erupted in front of the beast, blocking the path between it and the child. She charged at the beast and launched herself over the small barrier of flames she had conjured. Colliding into the beast, they tumbled for a moment before separating and going at each other head on.

The beast lunged at her the second the separated but she quickly drew one of her daggers and slashed at it. The blade connected with the beast's side and it drew back waiting for a moment to attack once again. With the beast's waiting came a moment for her to draw her other dagger. With both in hand, she could deal more damage to the thing. She didn't want to kill it but if it came down to her or it she would do what was necessary. As it began to charge at her, she lit the blade of both daggers aflame and slid into a stance that was both offensive and defensive.

As the beast launched what would be its final attack, she moved in a blur of silver blades and bright flame. Her blades slashed the beast as if it had been standing still and she were the only one moving. When the movement stopped, the beast lie on the ground. It was still alive and its injuries weren't bad enough to kill it. The flames died out from near the kid and the flames on her daggers died out shortly after. She put the blades back in their hiding spot and walked up to the little kid. The kid was still trembling in fear as he stared at the beast that was lying on the ground licking its wounds. "Are you ok?" she asked the little kid. He looked at her and gave her a quick nod. He looked on the verge of tears. "You must be pretty far away from your family. Why don't I help you get back to them?" At her words the child's eyes would widen and he'd look surprised. "You would do that?" he asked her, "but...you'd be afraid"

"Afraid of what?" she replied. His words made her curious. That alone was a bad thing. Her curiosity usually led to trouble but would it be worth the risk? "I'm from Nibelhelm. Over there." He pointed in the direction of a small town in the distance. "There's a monster there..."

[Alexander]

Monster.

Such a word deemed necessary to describe one such as that which currently plagued the small hamlet of Nibelheim. Only this was pure speculation embolstered by rumors which lead to hype which lead to a collective belief that whatever dwelt within those walls was indeed a monster. Far be it that this menace was nothing more than a vagrant, or a stray dog, or a wandering cat, or a will-o-the-wisp having lost it's way, no, it was a monster indeed and it could be nothing more.

It mattered not that this "menace," as the townsfolk put it, was yet seen to be identified but by mere glimpses every so often, nor did it matter that this "fiend," as some would say, kept to the solace and serenity of the long abandoned ShinRa Mansion. No, it was a monster intent on devouring their children, intent on engaging in a murderous and unstoppable onslaught before razing the town in bitter flames of spite and hatred and walking in the midst of such a blaze.

Though such a collective mindset was shared by only the most paranoid, most timid, most absurd of minds. Many held fast to a belief that this was simply a rumor and nothing more. Others simply did not believe or believed in the most simple of explanations; a wandered, a vagrant, an animal, or the wind rattling the blinds and curtains from the crack on the worn walls and windows.

"There's a monster there..." Spoke the voice of this small child.

Suddenly there was a shift, as that of a flicker in the air.

And it came to be, when the very fabric of the space they stood in had suddenly become disturbed, that the weight of the greater fear fell upon them and it was as that of emptiness and solitude eternal; sadness. And it was as that of a greater darkness descending upon them though no darkness but that of the night had consumed them, but it did. And the greater fear fell upon them heavily, and also after, when She, who appeared so suddenly, stood before the two, casting eyes upon their very being as though the Reaper come to lay claim upon their souls.

"Se tapah udelleen" She spoke in strange sounds, though her mouth did not move, and her voice was as many; as that of a child, as that of a woman, as that of a man, as that of a demon, as that of an angel. Her eyes, what little of them could be seen behind the mask of her tattered hair, were not but bleak, black, as that of the night skies and empty as the expanse of the heavens devoid of it's stars. Watching them both She stood an obvious specter to their sight; a pale and undead visage rendered revanent of a female child once living having befallen some ill begotten fate and she remained there motionless and now in her silence.

So suddenly did the whispers fill the air around them as though the wind itself but only for a moment's half. Though incomprehensible as such whispered words might have been, their message was clear. For such words only carried a single message felt within the very reaches of the mind and soul and they spoke an obvious foreboding; they spoke "Beware."

And Her eyes did waver.

[Saya]

As the feeling of foreboding washed over the two of them, Saya would look at the being that stood before them. The first thought that crossed her mind upon seeing this...thing, was Death. Every fiber in her being was telling her to be afraid, to run and never look back, but that was no option. The air around them had stilled into an eerie silence. It was as if the world held its breath while they were confronted with this strange being. The silence grew for a moment, helping the all consuming darkness eat at what little light was left. It was in that moment when it spoke. The words were foreign but yet, its voice was layered. Layered in the manner that most spirits have, that ethereal quality to it. Although the words were strange, their meaning was not lost. 'Beware'. Saya looked at the thing. There was no light in her gaze or any sort of emotion present. It was as if she had simply dropped them all into the void of darkness that surrounded them. "Beware? Beware what?" she asked, her voice holding the slightest hint of arrogance. Sparks, small insignificant little flames would dance around the fingers of her right hand, as if it were about to spontaneously combust. "You want me to be afraid, then tell me why I'm supposed to be afraid. As far as i can see this is just a bad joke. It was obvious to everyone that her words hadn't been thought out before they were spoken but they did have a point. You cannot simply be afraid because someone tells you to.

OOC: sorry for the short post but its all i could do before i had to leave for work. let me know if you'd like me to expand it a bit more.

[Alexander]

Dead eyes so obviously devoid of life yet vibrant with an otherworldly air that so distinguished her presence from that of the usual stock of animated dead. It was clear that she was no mere ghost for mere ghosts were quite unlike her and she quite unlike them. Indeed, it would seem as though this one was set apart, different, almost unbelonging in her being when set beside those quite like her own and yet she seemed all the same.

The coldness of the stare strove to sink heavy upon Saya's soul. It was if her very heart was under siege by forces unknown and yet the most simplistic of explanations would tell the tale that such feelings were simply ones of varied fear yet so obviously there was much more given that would forcefully pound upon that veil of pride erected by the girl of whom she stared forth.

She vanished.

In a plume of deep dark smoke that engulfed her from the ground beneath her up feet rising upward to her head, she vanished and yet she had only gone from sight for but a second in time's passing to reappear yet again; that same image but in a place not much further then where she had stood and that stony stare remained upon Saya.

Fear was prevalent in this place.

Even the darkness of the night seemed darker then normal nights.

"Make it stop!" The child called out in fright as his heart, unable to bear the weight of the fear that had fallen upon this place, upon them, gave way to the despair that sought to enter them both. Quite intuitively, the child recognized that such a pressing came forth from this ghastly apparition before them; he knelt down and shut his eyes forcefully whilst covering his own ears with his own hands as though holding back the sound of some malicious voice which battered him with further terrors.

There he remained,

Trembling.

Skin pale with death, almost blue, gave an almost soft glow beneath what little moonlight was shed upon her from between the leaves of the tall trees above. That cold stare remained heavy upon Saya and for all that was given, none was stronger then a compelling, almost intuitive, force that nearly spoke aloud the word "Follow," unto Saya's inner being, yet so clear that it was almost as a whisper spoken directly into her ear. Escape, as some thoughts would perhaps lead, was not an option now and perhaps Saya herself would come to know it well by means of that intuitive force that battered upon her soul.

[helixraider]

Three weeks. Three long weeks of hit and run attacks, carefully planned ambushes and untold number of traps to snare the garrisoned troops of Veli. He wanted to drag them out into a war that never would come, into a fight that never existed. But for all his efforts, his strategy of ambush and hit and run attacks had done little more than increase the number of patrols on the main routes towards Veli. It was starting to seem like nothing more than a wasted strategy. Whoever the garrison's commander was, he was a man who preferred to remain in his fortress, repelling any siege army that might come knocking on their front door.

"A wasted strategy. A siege army would struggle to open the walls of that place. Armoured in layers of iron armour I would say. Wouldn't be surprised about it being true either." He stared at the campfire in front of him, the only visible signs of a camp that he had decided to establish. True he needed no form of sleep of any kind, but sometimes, it was nice to stop once in a while to gather one's thoughts and contemplate their next move.

"A siege army. No one is equipped with even the most basic engine of war let alone the manpower required to operate even one of these machines." The kettle on the fire slowly began to steam, signalling that its contents were ready for pouring. "Assassination? Impossible. The commander would be smart and retain a loyal bodyguard. Siege is out. Really. No method in entering Veli and eliminating their commander? A wasted operation. Return to the lands of south, resupply and head deeper into the heartlands? Its a interesting prospect." He poured out the contents of the kettle into his tankard, his eye never wavering from the flickering flame of the campfire. Already, he was planning his move, two distinctive possibilities were already becoming feasible. Then he herd the roar of a beast and the cry of a boy lost in the woods.

"Others in the woods with me?" His hand leapt for his Relic Axe, its edge gently glinting in the light of the campfire. "Is it worth to discover the cause of the noise?" His mind contemplated new possibilities. "Is it?"

[Saya]

"STOP IT!" she yelled at the being before her as she stood up. Her hands were clenched into fists and she glared at it. Scaring helpless children. What a pathetic creature, causing such fear into such a small child just to make a point. "What gives you the right to scare a harmless child?! Who the hell do you think you are?!" With her anger, the flames of the small campfire seemed to flicker and grow brighter. She took a step forward, the flames now an inch from her. The light flickering gave her an eerie quality of her own. She didn't want to fight this thing since it gave her a bad feeling. She let out a breath, even with the fire her breath was still visible. The darkness ate the light. It devoured the warmth. It came from the being before her but yet somehow there seemed to be a part of it that came from herself. It was as if the darkness was being drawn out from everything around them and being used to suffocate them.

Although she felt its whisper for her to follow, she had no intention of following it right this moment. She remained where she was and glanced quickly at the child. He seemed to remain terrified and it was all this thing's fault. Returning her gaze to the being before her, she tried to remain calm. Fear. It was something she didn't understand. Something she didn't quite know much about, but here, standing in this place with this creature before her. She felt fear. Even trying to mask it, hide it, she still felt it.

[Alexander]

But the revenant simply continued in it's death-like stare.

Saya's words were to no avail and thus they fell on deaf ears in the midst of such darkness. The boy at Saya's side continued to tremble, literally scared stiff, as he silently knelt there in that place underneath the weight of the pressing fear that held itself upon them all, not seen but felt.

"It... its so dark..." The boy muttered in uttered words barely audible underneath the inhales and exhales of the greater fear. It was clear that whatever maleficence now loomed upon them, it was more sensitive to the child, for his eyes saw a darkness deeper than that which was, and yet it was, and so it remained.

Darkness.

Slowly, as though a warning, the ghastly girl lifted upward a single hand in which was raised a single digit outward toward an expanse of darkness standing behind Saya and the trembling boy. Therein was nothing at first nothing but the deep darkness of the night that seemed deeper still in the midst of the fear that covered them. When so suddenly there came a movement as though a dragnet being dragged upon the ground and it crept ever so slowly toward them. Closer and closer still did the sound of heavy footsteps falling fearsomely upon the cold moist soils accompany that dragging and yet still all remained unseen behind the mask of night and brush.

Something approached; that much was obvious.

"Follow," spoke the whisper in Saya's soul; that compelling and intuitive force.

Meanwhile, in another part of the same wood where a fire stood kindled by a mechanical man of sorts, stood a vessel of wrath waiting to be poured forth. Large eyes glowing red in the dark watched from atop the trees and it made no effort to hide it's glee as it giggled maniacally at the sight of it's pray. Should he look, he would see those red eyes gazing intently, wide spanning horns protruding from a well proportioned head that rested on a small yet muscular body of black skin, and black grinning teeth smiling at him in delight.

It was simply matter of time before it struck; the obvious nature of the situation was this.

Demon.

Such is what they would call it.

[helixraider]

Helix sat there for a full half hour, the entire time, his hand never moving from his axe as he silently drank his brew. He couldn't get over the feeling that somewhere, out there, in the forest, he was being watched by something, or someone not of the mortal realms. His feeling of dread and paranoia grew, making him feel even more uncomfortable in his current camp site.
"Screw this. We march north." He sprang into action, dousing the campfire and replacing the kettle and tankard back into his traveling pack. No sooner had he replaced the items where they rightfully belonged, he was on the move, walking at a fast pace through the forest.
"There is someone else out there. I know it." He whispered something else under his breath, inaudible to anyone out of the immediate vicinity of Helix. "I need to get out of here. I've lingered to long in this place." His pace increased, his urgency to be out of these lands ever more evident as he broke out into a slow run.

[Saya]

As much as she would have loved to bolt from this place, she knew it was no longer an option. Not just that, but she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she did. This thing that stood before her was definitely getting on her nerves in the worst way. It wasn't just the staring or the feel of darkness and fear around her but it was the blatant disregard for what was happening to the child that angered her most. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down, allowing herself that moment to glance over her shoulder. She could hear something moving but that was it. There was no sight of anything but yet it was there. Its presence could not be denied. She returned her gaze to the being before her and tried to level her voice as she spoke. "Follow you where, exactly?" she asked it as she knelt down beside the child. She slid an arm behind the boy and her other under his knees before standing up with him in her arms. The young child wasn't all that heavy but he was trembling still. "Stop whatever it is your doing to this little kid and I'll follow you. Whatever it is your doing to him isn't right. Its not natural and it shouldn't be done to anyone."

She looked down at the child in her arms for a moment, her expression softening just a little bit. "Please. Just stop it. Can't you see he's terrified? If you want someone to follow you, then you shouldn't lead with fear. You should lead with something more heartfelt." she said quietly. They were words she never thought she'd have to say. Words she never thought she'd hear herself say. They echoed words that she had heard long ago but they never ceased to make her look like a fool. She returned her gaze to the creature. Empty. It was the only word to describe her gaze. Empty and cold.

[Alexander]

The revenant stared,

The demon stalked it's prey,

Therein was a confusion that would great abound more so in the coming moments. The child's face slowly looked upward to Saya's own and his own was no longer but it was.

There, in that very moment, he was no longer trembling as though all fear had quickly left him and what tears may have been were no longer as though all dread had quickly risen. A wide Cheshire grin crossed his face so obviously unbelonging to such proportions as his eyes quickly turned a pitch black and then a glowing red. Indeed, the boy's very image was transfigured there in that moment for black skin like scales of hard rock covered what pale complexion once was, horns sprung upward from his very head as if rising to pierce the very heavens, and his hands became as claws forged by the fires of hell itself.

Saya would be smart to drop this boy now.

Meanwhile, in another place, where one had previously stalked that mechanical man of sorts there joined many; an innumerable number and they followed from the shadows, hidden, unseen in the cover of night and darkness. It was not long before one of these fell demons, perhaps the most eager, descended from the trees above to stop what path this mechanical man had made for himself and in so doing it grinned deviously in delight and anticipation for the taking of such warm flesh.

There, in these woods, was a greater force at work and none benign but the hearts of flesh and blood that were so unfortunately trapped here, in this place, within the labyrinth of wood and darkness deep.

[helixraider]

No matter how much distance he put between himself and his previous camp site, Helix couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. He stopped, breathing hard as he gripped the shaft of his Relic Axe tightly in his hands.
"I know your following me. SHOW YOURSELF!" His right hand slipped down to his belt, freeing one of his throwing axes from its holster as his voiced echoed through the woods.
"SHOW YOURSELF." He spun on his heel, coming face to face with one of his pursuers. "The hell?" It took him a couple of moments for the sight to sink in.
"DEMON!"
He threw his axe at the demon right in front of his face, its heavy iron head lodging deep into the demon's soft body, pinning it to the tree it had been crawling down.
"Where there's one, there's more." He gripped his axe with both hands, preparing himself for the inevitable onslaught of demons.

[Saya]

Her eyes would widen slightly as the boy's features began to change. Not even halfway through his change, she dropped him and stepped back quickly. Things were seriously beginning to get on her nerves. It was bad enough that a creepy machine thing was staring at her but now there was a demon too. As far as demons went the thing that had just morphed from the boy was no match for an 'old friend' of hers. She gave the ugly little creature a smug grin and snapped her fingers, lighting the gloved hand aflame for just a moment. "Demon! How dare you show your face in my presence? Do you have any idea who the hell i am?!" She said angrily at the beastly little thing. She raised her gloved hand into the air, the lines that detailed it glowing a faint pulsing red like red hot charcoal. Flames would ignite around the campsite, encircling them. "You're nothing but a joke. I'll show you the true power of a demon! she said as she slammed her raised hand into the ground, igniting a strange pattern within the circle of flames and cutting off all movement of everyone within the circle. Her next few words were but a movement of her lips, the sound lost in the crackling of the fire.

The ring of fire seemed to recede for a moment, drawing closer to its center and where she stood. In that same moment, the second the flames faltered, they exploded outward and upward with a bestial roar. Whatever had made that sound wasn't human. Standing up straight she looked at the little beast that had forced her hand in this matter and the mechanical doll that stood opposite to her. "Look down if you dare." Her words were a challenge to both beings but the little deformed creature was the first to break. Its eyes flickered slightly to the disappearing pattern that had surrounded them and to the seared ground. What the creature saw looked like a volcano's molten rock. Any closer and the creature would have seen that it looked like a gate. Not just any gate though. And what made it worse, the chains were broken. The second the creature let its eyes drift to the ground, a clawed hand burst from the ground next to it. Followed a second later by another clawed hand just a few feet away. Whatever was under the ground had begun to pull itself up, tearing the earth along the seams where it would arise.

The ground would collapse as the being rose from its slumber. As the beast rose from under her feet, she would remain where she was and end up standing on its shoulder when it stood up to full height. The creature that had just appeared before them let out that same unearthly roar as it spread its wings, sending flaming embers into forest. With the circle that had surrounded them gone, the giant beast looked around swiftly before resting its gaze on the two little beings before it. From her perch on the giant demon's shoulder, she rested a hand on the side of its head and looked down at them. They were so small compared to the towering figure that was her demon. She was standing higher than the trees but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was the task at hand. She breathed one order to her demon and it seemed to smile, a cruel, twisted, mockery of a smile before roaring once again and forcing flames to erupt along the forests edge. The flames would burn until the demon slumbered once again but that was long enough. Long enough to destroy any foul creature that lurked in the woods.

The creature she had summoned raised one of its clawed hands and brought it slamming down onto the little deformed demon, as if it had deemed the creature unworthy of feeling its full wrath. Turning its gaze on the doll, it paused, assessing the threat level of the mechanical being. Disregarding it, the demon turned around to survey the forest where it would see a horde of lesser demonic beings attacking a rather unusual armored man. Taking in a deep breath, all the flames of the forest died down slightly before exploding into a raging wildfire when the demon exhaled, breathing the fires of Hell on the horde and the man. The sound of screaming and the scent of burning flesh filled the air, giving the monstrosity a reason to continue. It glanced downward at the tiny shadow covered figure that had stalked the little group and snorted.

Looking down on both the doll and the shadow covered figure, the girl would smile. Her smile reflected nothing of darkness she had summoned but it was eerie all the same. "You two shouldn't need to worry, unless of course you have the intent to do me harm." She said, appearing to examine her fingernails. It was an overconfident mistake and she knew that quite well but it had its purpose. With one order from her, she could annihilate anyone or anything that threatened her. That was, after all, the order she had given it. But now, it was a waiting game. The flames around them won't die out until her demon is sent back and she wasn't sending her demon back without knowing for certain the two remaining creatures would cause her no harm. It was a waiting game now. What would come first? The destruction of the forest? Or a guarantee if safety?

OOC: sorry for taking so long. hope you enjoy it. and yes, i had to add that last bit in there about the waiting game. lol.