Back in Mallipi again. Honestly why did he bother anymore? Every time the old wanderer came to Mallipi nothing had changed. Jonnathan still ruled with an iron fist, and that wasn't going t ochange any time soon. Although it was probably a good thing he did. He always wound up getting caught up in something.

The white-haired traveler sat up on a roof. He really didn't know what he wanted to do at the moment. He simply sat up there with his eyes closed, watching all the people in the streets. Maybe that was the other reason he continually came back here. There was always something to do. He may not be involved in any rebellions against Jonnathan, but there was still plenty to do if one were so inclined.

Aiden, keep your eyes open and let me know if you see anything suspicious. he said to his old friend who was flying high above. He didn't necessarily need to have Aiden watch out for him, but he was going to get some rest for a few minutes.

The slight, spaced out and even tap of something hard hitting the streets echoed slightly. An old man in a black hooded robe walked through the streets, a staff of some sort supporting him. The thing that would get most is the skull, seemingly with voids for eyes, that seemed to stare, even when you were barely able to see the eye sockets.

"Rahn, you bloody jester, get out here. I'm getting annoyed at your games."

Really, their relationship was probably the closest either would get to Companionship. They both enjoyed the terror and suffering of others, and neither of them had any real reason to betray each other, as they helped achieve each other's goals. The old man continued to walk, his face shadowed by his hood. There was another sound... hurried footsteps.

"Oh? Some entertainment?"

His mouth twisted into a grin, and he started walking towards the sound of those footsteps.

"Bloody well more entertaining than you, i'll bet."

The soft chuckle of Rahn was heard behind the old necromancer. A slight jingling sound could be heard as the ghost walked a bit closer to the necromancer and placed his hand on his shoulder. The jingling sound was coming from the small silver bells carved into the shape of balls,each with a face that showed some form of human emotion. Ranging from pain to disgust.,of course none of the brighter emotions were included except the mad laughter of insanity. "Wait for it." If one could see through the ghost mask one would see a very sly and wily grin with all of his blackened teeth exposed. Moments after the Jester spoke a family of four came bursting out of their small and drafty house,each member of the family was screaming about a cursed mirror that bled. "You'd be amazed how easy it is to manipulate the mind of the common people."

"So why are we here again old man? The constant gray sky here is killing my mood. I know,why not paint the town red tonight. It'd be easy,slaughter a few innocents here and there,start a riot or two and you have some entertainment. Hell forgot tonight we could do it now." For once Rahn was deadly serious. He never did like Jonnathan,he believed he sucked all of the fun out of life,or well the after life. Whenever he visited any place that the tyrant ruled it was painfully depressing for the jester. "So what do ya say,it'll be fun and don't you need some more corpses or something?

Gale, I'm not sure, but there seems to be something happening.

Gale was already up though. It didn't take much to wake him up if he was in a place like this. Gale didn't know what was going on, but he was going to find out. He quickly jumped to the next roof and continued crossing roofs until he reached the area that was being affected.

Bleeding mirrors? There was definitely something wrong here. Gale scanned the area for anything odd. Not to say it took him any time to notice the decrepit old man standing next to... a jester. There was something off about that jester though, a little moreso than the old man. He needed to get a closer without sounding the alarm. He quickly raised his hand and pulled a long stick to it. Perfect
---------

As the two trouble makers were standing there, a white-haired blind man came out of an alley taping his stick on the ground. As he walked, his stick missed something and he tripped over it. Ah, theatrics... Gale thought as he "struggled" to get up.

Athredar's mouth twisted even more. He walked over to the blind man.

"Would you like some help there?"

without waiting for an answer, he heaved, pulling the man up. It put a strain on his muscles, but he didn't care. As soon as the man was up, he pulled his arm back, swinging his staff around, backing off so the skull was pointed directly at the blind man.

"This should be fun to say the least."

A cold, chilling and evil cackle escaped his lips, and shadows came creeping out from the eye sockets of the skull. Suddenly, as if whipped up, the shadows were converted into some sort of dark energy that swirled in a black vortex around the skull. he pulled it back, and thrust his staff at the man, Skull first.

Meanwhile, the family looked on it total terror, paralyzed in fear as this seemingly harmless old man attacked another person, a blind person nonetheless, with some type of Dark Magic!

"So....would your attacking of a blind man be a yes,no or a maybe?" The ghostly jester asked,a tinge of annoyance in his voice. Rahn was all for beating seemingly defenseless people but when it got in the way of his evening plans it would have to be put aside for a few short moments. Moving with such thoughts in his blackened and insane mind he walked over to Gale as the cackle escaped the Necromancers lips and gently pushed him out of the way. "Wait there for a bit." Rahn then cracked his faded and ghostly fingers as he prepared to rant,he did rants such as these on a daily basis. Mainly when Athredar displeased him or ignored him in some form.

"Well my old crusty friend you never did answer my questions you know how I feel about being ignored,so until you do you won't be terrorizing the blind guy or anyone else." This of course was all one big joke to Rahn. He rarely took things seriously. In fact he trying to stifle fits of laughter as he spoke. "Aw what the hell do I care,go ahead and kill the blind guy." He could barely contain himself,every other word he burst out in maddening laughter. He then strolled back to his position behind the necromancer and began to watch and wait.

Gale was about to accept the help up when the old man pulled him up, which was slightly surprising and Gale would normally have reacted, but instead went with it. This wasn't really looking good. That is to say, these two suspicious characters were certainly a lot more than just suspicious.

The old man put his staff with what seemed to be a skull on top of it forward as he jumped back. If the evil cackle wasn't enough to assure him of the man's intention, the uneasy feeling of the Dark magic's presence sure was. Then the jester jumped in pushed Gale to the side. Honestly, Gale was slightly confused at what the purpose was, however the Jester quickly returned to behind the old man and waited. This situation was looking a little worse that Gale had expected. Dark magic was not something he liked tangling with. If it was used against him just the right way... Gale shuddered a little at the thought. Especially if these two were after what he thought they were after. Gale had two options here, try to continue the idea of him being the blind man, or drop the guise.

You would attack a blind man? You two youngsters should get outta here before something happens. Gale said using an older voice. At the same time Gale used the air to slowly pull a knife out of his pack. He was probably going to have to fight.

He paused in surprise, his face turning to slightly perplexed. Then his grin returned and he took two steps back, and once more pointed his staff at the "Blind" man who, Athredar thought, wasn't actually blind. The Dark Energies swirling around the skull formed a point about a foot from the top of the skull. It curled back, forming a drill of Dark Energies.

"You sound old... Older than any Human should ever get,"

Athredar pulsed the Energies around his staff, making them spin, slowly at first, but getting faster. This produced a low whirring noise, barely hearable, yet aggravating to listen to. He felt the slight mana aura around the person in front of him, almost to small to be noticeable. He started to laugh. Not a short cackle of cruelty like before, but a genuine laugh of amusement.

"Your a Tyrael, aren't you?"

His laughter heightened. He threw back his head, all the more scaring the small family that was looking on. His hood fell back, revealing pure snowy white hair, slicked back to the nape of his neck. This also unshaded the tattoo under his left eye, the thin fang in bloody crimson, extending down his cheek.

"Oh this WILL be fun!"

His laughter slowly died down, and in a quick movement, he swung his staff around to point at the Father in the family. the whirring noise heightened. He released the energy, and it tore through the air, driving at a point directly between the man's eyes. It hit with a sickening grinding sound, and gore splattered everywhere. The man's screams bounced off the walls around them, as the drill of Dark Energy ground it's way through his skull and into his brain. Unfortunately for him and his family, he didn't die until there was a large hole in his head. Some obscure magic in that drill had kept him alive until the very last, keeping him screaming all the while. Athredar was grinning evilly, and there was a gleam in his eye. One lock of his hair must've not been slicked properly, because it was now hanging over the right side of his face, adding even more to his visage. The Father was now slowly trying to rise from the ground, while his family stared in horror. The mindless ghoul rose and shambled slowly in front of Athredar.

"Oh This will be fun indeed!"

Gale watched as the man started laughing again. His comment about how old he sounded seemed a bit off. Gale could tell by the change in the man's laugh that something was amusing the man. Gale did not like whatever magic this man was conjuring either. He only wished he could actually see it. The man was also oddly happy to see that Gale was a Tyrael.

Gale felt the release of the energy for whatever spell the man had cast. Unfortunately, that was all the more he could do other than watch the poor father be killed by the dark magic.

Well, I'm impressed. I guess my act didn't fool you. Not many have knowledge of the Ancient Tyrael. However if it's a fight you want, you can bet your butt, I'm gonna give it to you. Gale told the two as he drew his dagger. He needed to stay away from that magic as much as possible too though.

So, unless you're going to surrender and leave, you had better defend yourself. Gale ran forward, unsure of what to expect from this stranger. He kept his mind ever watchful on the man's staff. Gale drew two knives that he quickly threw at the necromancer; one thrown straight and the other arced up. And so the fight would begin.

The zombie threw out his arm, blocking one, getting it lodged in his arm. I knocked the other one away. The zombie pulled it out, and blood start to drip out. No heartbeat drove it, so it just sluggishly fell. There was blood all over the zombie's face now, and he moved with the speed and agility of the father. Not much, but better than Athredar himself could achieve, and much stronger. The zombie stabbed towards Gale's face, then lashed out with a left hook then attempting for a groin kick. Athredar charged up more Dark Energy in his staff.

"I know many things that most do not. In my studies of magic i have sometimes come across mentions of the Tyrael..."

He held the staff with both hands in a flexible stance, with the Dark magics swirling around the skull. He could see the Magics, a by product of working with them for so long, he guessed. Rather than using the volatile magics go attack, He spread them out slowly, forming a barrier around him with Dark Magic. The Energies he was using were violent, and would make an excellent defense if used right. Fortunately for Athredar, and Unfortunately for Gale... Athredar did know how to use them right.

Fortunately, the zombie posed no real threat. Gale bent back to avoid the knife and quickly jumped back a little as he felt the zombie move his foot. Gale then pulled his feet up and kicked off the zombie's rising leg. Strangely, instead of pushing the zombie's leg down, he vaulted off it and flipped, kicking the knife out of the zombie's hand before landing on his feet.

Well, I'm guessing this is your first encounter then. Gale grinned confidently, although he was subconsciously worried about the man's dark magics. From what he could tell, he had now created a barrier with the magic. Gale would have to be very careful in his approach if he was going to actually make it. Although he knew he should probably finish the zombie.

Aiden, I need you to try and keep watch from a distance and let me know what this necromancer is up to. Gale alerted his friend who was flying high above.

Understood Leothin the falcon answered circling above the three. Gale held his dagger out in from of him. This was not one of the fun battles he usually had. He figured this man probably had some worthy minions and his dark magic put Gale at a disadvantage.

"You guys almost done?" Rahn shouted from his new position,leaning against a house wall. The fight was mildly interesting,meaning there was always room to make it more interesting, or at least give him a good chuckle. He looked around for a brief moment. Then he spotted it. A simple and small pile of gray rocks. They weren't to big. Maybe slightly larger than the egg of a common blue jay. Rahn then strolled towards the small pile of rocks. Once he had arrived at the pile he drew his hatchet and then threw around four rocks into the air and then batted them towards the Necromancer and Gale. He then repeated this process about five more times until he ran out of rocks. "Well that was fun while it lasted. Ranh then made his way back to his position on the wall and continued to watch the fight.

Gale wasn't sure what the other person was trying to do. It seemed like he was just more of an annoyance than anything. However he casually grabbed some rocks and started batting them at the two. This was a decent opportunity to try and test and get some slight idea what the barrier would do. Gale quickly caught one of the rocks and added to it's existing momentum by flipping around and hurling it at the barrier. Strangely, it moved faster than one would expect. Gale waited to see what happened to the rock as it came into contact with the barrier.

All the other rocks seemed to just go off course enough to miss him as he stood there. His control of the air was very handy in such situations. With just enough wind, the rocks drifted out of Gale's path. He was careful though to not push the wind too close to either opponent.

You Jester, don't pick a fight with me, especially if all you're going to do is throw rocks. Gale muttered, not really saying it for the Jester to hear. It was just more tedious than just dealing with a fight with a necromancer.

As Rahn started throwing rocks, he laughed. A slight tap on the ground from the butt of the staff, then back to the flexible stance, feet slightly apart, staff diagonally angled to be closer to vertical. Any rocks that came near him were suddenly sent spinning around the old man like a tornado, then suddenly tearing into jagged shards of rock, getting flung in Gale's and the families direction. They cut through the air like missile, one tearing straight into one of the child's chest, and through his lung, he started to cough a fluttering cough, and a sound like wet paper tearing was heard. Blood started flying out of the child's mouth, as Dark Magic surrounded him. A clearly visible* spike ran through the child's heart. The child rose up immediately, much faster than the Father. The other jagged shards of rock went through the Older child's throat. Another Dark magic spike to the heart after suffering. The necromancer was cackling in glee. He now had two fast, agile minions. just for an added flare, he poured Dark Magic into the both of them, causing several shadow-filled tears to tear through the arms of the children's arms and legs. The mother went into breakdown as she saw the Shadow-Claws burst from the children's knuckles, Wolverine Style.** They circled around the Mother, then in a horrible display of cruelty, they literally ripped out her brains, the Dark Energies spiking and vibrating, throwing splatters of gore everywhere. A splotch landed in the barrier, and the necromancer directed the shield to throw it directly at Gale, just for some extra fun. The gobbet spun, not harmed, yet still crawling with Dark Magic.

"I Believe that will explode with Dark Energy when it hits something!"

Athredar said it with a grin, as he raised the Mother, doing the same thing to her as to the kids. He then used the same Magic on the Father, slightly leaning on his staff now. The Father Discarded his dagger, and a Dark Sword burst from his hand, and the Mother gathered Dark Energies in her palms, like a mage or sorcerer, and Rose up slightly, the Dark Energies giving her the ability to levitate.

"Now Play time is over, Tyrael."

He grinned wickedly as the gobbet of brains spun past him to explode the wall a few meters or so behind him. The Dark Energies ran along the ground towards the Tyrael, but they couldn't reach, so they reached longingly to rip him to shreds. He started to laugh again, a laugh of sheer cruelty. His staff was pulsing now, and he threw back his head and laughed even harder.

*: He has made some of his Dark Magic visible to normal eyes, just for the hell of it. mostly to push the mother over the edge so she was insanely in pain mentally AND physically.

**: Wolverine from X-men.

Leothin, there's a lot of dark energy down there. The boys have claws and the father has a blade. Aiden informed Gale.

I may be blind Aiden, but I can tell that much... Gale retored. He could tell when the energy was release, however he couldn't really read it once it was in existence. Gale threw a knife down burying the blade into the ground where he was standing to mark where he was. He didn't know what the dark energy was supposed to do, but he wasn't going to take a chance, and this spot was apparently safe.

Yes, I suppose it is. Gale replied to the man. He was going to have to take this fight seriously. The seal on his abilities had started to get weaker lately, and dark magic had a tendency to temporarily break it. If his connection with the wind was restored, he would most likely lose it and get carried away. This was certainly a bit of a predicament. To top that off, there was that dark magic barrier too that would get in the way.

Gale turned his attention first to the unfortunate mother. It seemed like she would be trying to use her portion of magic long ranged. Gale grabbed a couple knives and threw them at the poor woman. As he let go of them, he jerked his hand back to start them spinning. Using the air, Gale made them spin faster and directed them towards the mother's neck. It would hopefully be enough to cut her head off. Whether that would actually kill the zombie, Gale wasn't sure.

So, it sounds like you rely on others to fight for you

Gale stayed ready with his dagger still drawn in his hand. However old this man really was, he knew how to play his game very well. It vaguely reminded Gale of his fighting style.

The Mother's head fell to the ground, decapitated.

"I think i should name them... Hmm... How About..."

He Grinned, as Dark Magic coalesced around the head.

"One, Two, Three and Four. The Father can be One, The two boys Two and Three and the Mother can be Four. In order of their rising, all nice and neat."

One suddenly lunged forward, stabbing with his sword. Two and Three circled around quickly, leaping onto the roof tops and leaping down behind Gale. Four stayed where she was, but rose higher, and her head started to hover in mid-air as Dark Energies formed a body for it.

"And, Five!"

Athredar wasn't in control of this one. He could only control Four things at once. He was working his way slowly around that mental limitation, growing closer to five each second. the way this fight was turning out, if he couldn't control five in total by the end of it, he would be much closer. The Dark Magic Fiend stayed back, and looked inquiringly at Athredar. It was sentient, so if the fight moved away from Athredar, he would still have atleast one Fighter... but Gale didn't know this and the Necromancer didn't intend to let him know.

"Maybe i should call you something special... you are somewhat of a lieutenant after all... How about... Halsed..."

He grinned, then with a final pulse of his staff, he released a shockwave. A shockwave of Dark Energy. Halsed wasn't affected, neither was One, but the ground was now running with Dark Energy. Two and Three rushed forward, Two pushing off a wall to come flying at Gale from one side, while Three ran directly at him. This left two escape options*. Up or the other wall.

"Halsed, Get up on that wall"

With a nod, Halsed replied in a deep, slow, chilling and inhuman voice.

"Yes Master"

Great.... this fight was getting harder by the second. And with that barrier up, things would not get any easier anytime soon. The fact that apparently severing a body part only yielded another opponent was not very encouraging. Gale quickly side-stepped One as he swung his sword, using the zombie's momentum to throw him off to the side.

Gale waited again. Sometimes the best offense was a good defense. Especially when you're not sure of what your opponent is capable of, and even more especially when dark magic has a tendency to make him go berserk.

As the two came lunged at him, Gale quickly jumped into action. He jumped up, the air quickly catching him and suspending him above the two. Gale swooped up his arm arm up in an arch and sent the poor boy that flying towards the old necromancer's shield. The other Gale flung at the mother.

Halsed pointed his hands at the two boys. the Dark Energies shot out and grabbed both boys, quickly receding. Using the same principles Gale did, Halsed swung the incoming boys around, using both their thrown momentum and the momentum gained from being pulled to Halsed to swing them around and both directly at Gale. Halsed jumped down, forming Two blades out of his arms. He sprinted towards Gale, some of his Dark Magic forming around him as a shield. Athredar laughed as his creation's head completely dissolved, getting rid of the only flesh on it. then something odd happened. Halsed started changing color. First he changed into Gray... then he started getting features... a simple long sleeved white shirt, long black pants, brown boots, wavy brown hair... and curiously enough, ice blue eyes. His skin was fairly tanned, and his features were handsome. His forearms changed back to exactly that, the swords becoming silver colored, their hilts red, and the crossguard and pommel gold. a single black gem, a mini-replica of Athredar's was on the pommel. Halsed started to slow down until he was still, about a meter infront of Gale. He was fast enough to outrun the Boys in the air. Two and Three rocketed towards Gale, claws outstretched.

"Well, do you like him, Tyrael? I think i may keep him after all. He would be perfect for, ah, shall i say... Inside operations?"

Athredar laughed. He of course didn't know this Dark Fiend of his could change his shape or color. This was getting better and better!

"Master, should i engage?"

Athredar nodded, and Halsed had two dark tendrils reach out from his back to throw Two and Three towards Athredar, while One had manoeuvred back to his Master after his defeat once again. Now there was four defending, and one attacking. Athredar arched his eyebrow as he realised the implications of the change. Halsed was capable of independent thought... Athredar knew that... but the change meant that Halsed might be capable of Personality.

Honestly, Gale was very startled when Halsed's head deteriorated. It made the creature almost invisible to his senses. However something strange happened. As it seemed to possibly be running towards him, it started to change. It developed a body of its own. To be honest, Gale was relieved. Certainly it was concerning that the creature had developed, but as the creature caught the other two and threw them back towards the strange old man, Gale realized this would be a one on one fight here.

Master, should I engage? the creature had asked. Something clicked in his mind. His opponent did not have direct control over this creature as he did the undead family now guarding him. Gale wasn't sure if he could use that to his advantage, but it was a good thing to know.

Well, I'm impressed. You're magic is reminiscent of an old acquaintance of mine. Gale said to the necromancer. Naturally no mention of how he hated dealing with that magic.

Gale landed on the ground again and quickly took off running towards the new player. He was going to try and take the offensive now. He took a large slash at Halsed with his dagger as he threw and handful of knifes towards the barrier and the other zombies. Certainly, he didn't want to run into similar situations with the other zombies, so he wasn't aiming to cut off any limbs. Gale's slashes were quick, however he still was ready to move away in a millisecond, because after all, the best offense was still a good defense. Let's see what this thing can do.

Halsed leant back, bringing his leg around in a quick roundhouse, using the same motion to attack as to dodge. His foot touched the dusty street, and his other leg came around, to slam his heel into Gale's side. He quickly swivelled around and slashed with his right sword, still using previous movements, flowing his every move flawlessly into another movement, creating a fluid single movement. He stopped, and brought his swords into a relaxed pose, held ready but nonchalantly, as if it were an afterthought, by his sides.

"Black Fang!"

His right sword snapped up, a bit of Dark Energy flowing down it's length, then speeding through the air. it went straight past Gale's face, and smashed into the wall behind him. A deep slice appeared in the wall behind Gale.

"Way of the Darkness, Black Fang. A vibrating blade of Dark Magic. Power: Destructive."

With that, Halsed rushed forward, when he got in range, he brought his right arm from the left in a slash, following up a with a stab from his left, then an overhand strike with his right.
Meanwhile at Athredar, he was looking at the daggers spinning around him, being ripped up by the barrier.

Gale felt Halsed's leg move almost as soon as he twitched to move it. Reacting almost instantly, Gale pulled the air from his other side around to create a thicker air pocket, while at the same time, creating a temporary vacuum large enough to pull Gale away from the kick just as it was about to reach Gale.

Gale felt the energy surge and he felt the wall behind him get a large slash mark. Not good.... he didn't even feel that go past him. As he came back to the fight after a quick image of what something like that would do to him, Halsed charged at him. His movements were quick, but easily readable. Gale had been in a lot of sword fights in his 609 years of existence. He quickly ducked underneath the horizontal slash and jumped from his bent backwards position over the stab before finally flipping backwards to kick the last attack out of the way.

Gale landed on his feet noticing the knives he had throw into the barrier being torn apart. He realized something else though. He really wasn't sure what was inside the barrier. He could mostly see inside the barrier. He grinned. It would need to quick, but it could be possible. Gale momentarily tried to move the air inside the barrier. Nothing. Unfortunately, it seemed his connection was incomplete there.

Well, you're real fun. Gale said sarcastically to the creature of darkness.

"Black Tendril!"

He pointed his arm directly at Gale, and the sword melted back into his hand as his arm split into five separate tendrils. They each launched themselves at Gale, from five different directions. one came at his leg, another came at his head, two others came from either side and one drilled into the ground to appear behind Gale and split into another five tendrils to cover from behind, then each drilled through the air to reach Gale. It seemed like a hopeless cause, yes, but he could always use magic or block. not hopeless at all.

"Heheh... Well, time for me to get involved again... slightly."

The Mother started to throw dark magic at Gale, just to add to the confusion.

"I am liking this more and more by the second."

Gale quickly retreated back to the air to avoid the tendrils. He could feel them trying to reach him but it wouldn't be hard to avoid them for the moment. He wasn't sure if he should sever the tendrils or let them be. Considering what happened last time he cut something off, it wasn't a good idea. Gale was beginning to wonder if this was a fight that he could actually win. There didn't seem to be much he could do to actually attack this man.

Just then, he felt the surge. It was already too late though. The dark energy the mother shot struck Gale towards his side. Gale fell down onto a nearby roof. Damn it..... he curse to himself, clutching his side. It wasn't bleeding, but he could feel that unsettling feeling that the seal was breaking. Gale slowly stood up. He needed to keep going for the moment.

Not bad, not bad. Gale admitted, his mind racing still. Unfortunately, he could not control the air inside the barrier enough to actually do something with it.

Four stopped throwing Dark Magic around when one of her blasts hit, and Halsed recalled his tendrils. As they sped back to him, they formed into an arm, hand and sword, the arm being the only thing out of proportion. The arm slid back to it's proper length as Halsed walked over to the wall and leapt up, Dark Magic springing him up, bringing him arcing down to land on the roof next to Gale.

"What is your name...?"

His face had affected a frown. It was an imitation of what Athredar himself was doing. Halsed placed the tip of his sword at Gale's throat. Athredar, whose frown had deepened, looked up to see Halsed just standing there.

"Kill him will you? Don't just stand there, either kill him or torture him."

Halsed looked at the old Necromancer, still frowning, yet the facial expression was seeming more natural, rather than just an imitation.

"Yes... Master"

Halsed drew back his sword, as if to thrust, but then Athredar sword loudly, and a wave of Dark Energy exploded towards both Gale and Halsed, along with some body parts. Athredar, who had been growing confident, had loosened his hold on the family, and Two had swayed slightly and touched the barrier. The result was an explosion of which sent the Dark Energy in Two towards Halsed and Gale. it barely went over Gale's head, but Halsed was blown away, due him standing tall to deliver power into the thrust. Athredar swore some more, and, seemingly, a blob of shadow broke off of the others in the alley and formed into a man, Halsed. He shifted a bit, and his swords were no more than wavering sword-shaped bars of black.

"All that energy, wasted into the sky! Bah!"

Considering the Dark Magic was what Halsed was made of, it had a surprising effect on him. Athredar muttered something under his breath, and with a surge, tendrils of Dark Magic pierced the barrier and slowly moved to Halsed. He took a hold of one, and with a clap of sound, absorbed it. He repeated this process until he stopped shifting and his sword were once more silver bladed.

"Halsed, move back here."

As Halsed obeyed, Athredar eyed the immediate area around him. He glanced at a wall, then Four threw a bolt of Dark Magic towards it. the rocks which went flying everywhere were stopped by tendrils of Dark Energy snaking from the shield. The tendrils drew back, then as the stones were crackling with Dark Magic, they snapped forward and released the rocks directly at Gale.

Gale looked up at the creature Halsed, He could not see it's face, but he could tell there was a cold emotionless expression on his face. Gale swore to himself as Halsed prepared to strike. He could feel the blackness of unconsciousness creeping into his mind. He fought to stay awake to dodge this attack before it could tear him apart. He was just about to duck out of the way when there was a sudden surge of dark energy that blasted Halsed away. Gale muttered a sigh of relief for the moment.

It obviously wasn't the end. He knew he was bound to loose consciousness soon. Although he also knew that it wouldn't last but a moment while the seal was completely released. Fortunately, Halsed was gone, so he wouldn't have to worry about a quick opponent attacking him while he was unconscious for however long he was going to be out. That's when he felt Halsed reform. Crap..... Gale wasn't sure how he was still alive. Although he was a creature of dark magic, so it wasn't unbelievable. However this could spell a bit more danger to him as Halsed was fast enough to attack while he was down.

Quite suddenly, since he was preoccupied with trying to figure out what was going on through the fading sharpness of thought, the rocks came into his perception. With little time to act, Gale threw himself off the side of the building, landing a little hard on the ground. He lay there motionless his mind gave way and unconsciousness broke through. Aiden circled above and watched, the old falcon worried that this would not end well.

The air grew still for a moment and then it changed. The air suddenly had a strange explosive tension in it. There was a slow pressure pulse that started. Not again Aiden thought from his birds-eye view.

Halsed glanced at Athredar, who nodded.

"Black Tendril"

His arms split into three tendrils each, the swords clattering to the ground then melting into a pool of darkness which slowly seeped back to Halsed. The tendrils slowly snaked through the air towards Gale.

"Master... what is that... feeling?"

Athredar scowled while trying to figure it out. Whatever it was, it was worrying Athredar. The old Necromancer boosted his shield, causing him to falter slightly, and partially drop to a knee. At his thought command, the Family of three moved in around the barrier.

"Kill him."

The Dark Fiend nodded, and the tendrils drove towards Gale, possibly to kill, possibly something else.

The pulses in the air grew more frequent and the strength of each pulse gradually increased. As the tendrils grew closer the pulses evened out. Suddenly there was a large blast of air pushing everything not anchored down back away from Gale in a cloud of dust. The dust almost immediately started swirling as the wind picked Gale off the ground and turned him around so he was right side up. His eyes opened as he looked around for a moment.

Hmmm... I must say, I've not met many with skill like your's. Although you're not the best I've seen. Gale said, his voice a little harsher. Without any more hesitation, Gale charged towards Halsed, blade drawn. The air continued to pulse, and although the frequency had dropped, the potency of each pulse stayed the same.

Aiden watched from above. Leothin, don't get carried away..... the bird thought to himself.

The Imitation of a man glanced at the new Gale, then his tendrils formed back into arms, the blades seeming to melt out of the hands.Halsed reacted fast, stepping to one side and bringing his sword around to swing towards Gale's back, while deflecting the blade with his other. The Necromancer was sweating now. The family leapt up on the attack once more. One charged right in, slashing wildly, while Three darted around and attacked from the side. Four threw bolts of Dark Magic whenever there was an opening. Halsed faltered in his attack, and stepped back.

"Why aren't you attacking him?!? Kill Him!!!"

Halsed looked at Athredar, then back at Gale, surrounded by the Three, who were holding their ground fairly well against the pulse of the air.

"I don't see any logic in it..."

Athredar's eyes widened in fury, and Three burst in a surge of Dark magic, the resulting blast of which got sucked into Athredar's shield. The Old man stood up and wiped the sweat out of his eyes. He was staring with fury at his creation, all thoughts of Gale but a dim memory.

Gale reacted almost instantly as he felt Halsed going into motion. He quickly flipped over Halsed's sword using the momentum of his run to propel him after the contact. His free hand was quickly extended towards One, sending a powerful blast of wind towards him. He followed suit with Three before feeling the ground impacted. There was something he couldn't see. His attention then turned to Four he appeared to be casting something, however his blind eyes could not actually discern anything.

Hmmm... being blind is a pain.... he mused disappointedly. He needed to stay on his toes to avoid being hit. He threw two knives at Four to try and pin down her arms.

Logic huh? No, fighting me is not logical. Gale closed his eyes as the wind started to spiral and in a moment, there was a miniature tornado surrounding Gale that picked up him and suspended him a few feet off the ground. When he opened his eyes, his attention was solidly fixed on Athredar.

You're their master, so it looks like you're the real problem here.

Four blasted away the knives, and One and Three got back up again, charging to the assault. Athredar, looking on in disgust, turned to Halsed.

"Get me out of here..."

He waved, and One, he was just outside sword range of Gale, exploded, the dark energies swirling and surging towards Gale. Three and Four's arms jerked forward, and concentrated bolts of Dark magic shot out of them towards Gale, the lifeless bodies falling to the ground. By this time Halsed had already muttered the few words needed to activate his Shadow Walk, and holding onto Athredar's upper arm, he sunk into the shadow of the wall and dissapeared/

Gale felt the energy surges after Athredar ordered the retreat. Not really being able to tell where the attack would be coming, he pulled up to the sky, the dark energy passing beneath him.

Damn it.... where the hell'd you go? Gale cursed as he broadened his area of focus. The pulses in the air lessened in intensity as he searched for where the two would re-emerge from the shadows. He knew that with his blindness, he would not be able to follow them directly.

Aiden circled down and landed on Gale's shoulder. As the tornado dispersed. Leothin, are you alright? the bird asked.

Of course I'm fine. Scout around. Tell me when you find them. he ordered.

Leothin, I don't think you should chase that man. You may not think he can hurt you, but you're blind now and he's using dark magic. I...

NO, I WILL KILL HIM. Gale yelled. Seeming to realize he went a little overboard, he composed himself. He killed that family and then tried to attack me, that more than warrants his death. He'll be dead before he has time to attack. he growled as Aiden reluctantly took flight to do as he was told. There was no point arguing at the moment. He only hoped he could get him to return to normal before something went wrong.

On the outskirts of the town, Halsed reappeared.

"Lets go..."

Athredar started walking quickly away, using his staff as support, Halsed following shortly after, moving directly away from the town.

"Master, I-"

"Shut up."

Halsed fell silent, hanging his head slightly, letting his human disguise fade into darkness, his skin fading to black, his shirt darkening then melting back into Halsed, until everything was black except his eyes, which were glowing a peculiar yellow, golden orbs looking out from the darkness.

Aiden flew around and before long spotted them as they reappeared. He wondered if telling Leothin would really be a wise idea. However he knew that if he didn't tell him, Leothin was likely to spot them eventually and then he'd be mad at him for not telling.

He's outside the town over this way. Aiden sighed exasperatedly. He knew this wouldn't really end well for somebody.

Leothin nodded as he turned in that direction. Instantly the air jumped back to life as he launched from the ground and shot off towards Athredar. The air around Athredar pulsed once. Immediately after the pulse there was an explosion of air shattering the ground in front of him. As the dust cleared, Leothin stood there.

I should slaughter you right now, but it would not truly be avenging the dead. Any lowlife can stab someone in the back. Leothin growled as he drew his dagger once again. Running quickly towards Athredar, prepared to jump out of the way. There was a good chance that he would be intercepted in some way. Hand to hand combat would be difficult considering the opponents skill in dark magic and his minion there as well. However, Leothin was prepared to unleash his signature technique as a last resort now that they were not surrounded by houses and buildings.

Halsed intercepted, and words started flowing from his mass.

"Dammit how persistent are you?"

Athredar threw a bolt of dark magic at Gale, then started moving away.

I'm almost drained. Getting away is my only option. I really should look into these details some day...

His thoughts were interrupted by the inhuman shout from Halsed.

"Master!"

Halsed took ahold of Athredar's arm and once more sank into shadow, jumping further away, about a mile.

"Why don't you just take us out of here?"

Halsed shook his head.

"Can't. Not enough magic left to sustain a long jump."

Athredar growled and started walking. Halsed followed quickly and glanced around. There had to be some way Gale was following them, and Halsed was intent on finding that way out, and, if possible, eliminating it.

Leothin felt the discharge of energy from Athredar and quickly ducked aside. He grimaced as Halsed and Athredar dropped into the shadows again. They couldn't have gotten far though. Sooner or later, the man had to start running out of magic.

Leothin broaded his focus and almost instantly spotted the vague outline of the old necromancer. A small smirk crossed his face as he jumped off in that direction, the wind flaring up and grabbing him to take him off.

Well well, looks like somebody is getting a bit tired. Leothin laughed as he landed in front of the two. His dagger still drawn ready to strike. And here I thought I was going to need to use my old technique to get rid of you.

The old Necromancer's eyes narrowed, and he slowly and carefully placed the butt of his staff in the ground.

"I Still have enough left to do this!"

The magic burst forth in a sphere, blasting away with raw, blistering power. As the wave struck Halsed, his form shimmered a dissipated, coming back together after the blast, though if he were human he would've thrown up.

"I Have none left... We cannot make another Jump."

Athredar cocked his head, and a small smiled crept across his face.

"Time to pull on old memories..."

Athredar's strength in controlling magic, even gaining new magic, stemmed from suffering he had caused. It stems from anything negative, Death, Plague, Injury. Seems like it could be put in reserve, Because somehow Athredar pulled out more magic, putting him back near an acceptable level.

Now i have nothing left. I have to get out of here, else i am dead.

Slowly, Athredar started moving, advancing that wall of energy towards Gale.

"You WILL Let us go, because something has arisen in you. something i like. You WILL let us walk out of here, because There is nothing you can do. You WILL... let us escape, for you are not the kind to relish pain. You are not a cruel torturer, and for that reason, i believe something WILL happen to allow my continuation in living."

He stepped forward again, and the sphere started to spin.

"So... will you let us go?"

It was a simple statement, yet it held a strange sort of power... not anything strong, but a slight compulsion existed, because all people fear the darkness, fear the unknown... Even Athredar, who was so free in using the very thing he feared.

Leothin raised an eyebrow. He wasn't really sure where this extra energy was coming from. The necromancer seemed to pull it out of nowhere. It was a little worrisome because he didn't know how much he could pull like that. However as Athredar was giving his little speech saying that he WOULD let him go, Leothin started focusing the air down to his hand. When Athredar was done talking, the ball of air was spinning at hyper-tornado force speeds and still growing.

You are right when you say everyone is afraid of darkness and the unknown. However, you underestimate me. There are those that ignore their fear to accomplish their goals. You and I have that in common, however I do not wield darkness as a toy. I instead protect the people that fall victim to people like you. Leothin explained as he floated up to try and avoid the wall of dark energy.

The only way I would let you leave is either dead or near dead and crippled for the rest of your days. By now Leothin was almost done preparing the attack. The air current around the two was starting to be affected severely by the spinning of the air in Leothin's hand.

Athredar regarded Gale calmly, then just started walking.

"Fine."

He continued walking, the Dark Magic swirling around him like a shield, and Halsed walked along at his side, Ready for anything.

"You won't let me go, so i will force my way."

Using the shield around him as a sort of battering ram, he continued walking, calm, yet, deep down, slightly scared.

A small frown crossed Leothin's face just before a small grin quickly replaced it. Goodbye necromancer. Leothin said as his quickly swung his arm to unleash the attack. Right before the ball left his immediate control, he gave it an extra spin. The surrounding air was instantly pulled around into the attack's wake. Ground pulled up under the strength of the wind passing over it. As the attack came into contact with the barrier, it instantly tore it apart.

And so ends the life of the poor soul. Leothin said turning around and flying off. Gale would get control over it again soon and turn back to normal. For the time being he was satisfied knowing the guy was dead in the debris.

----------------
About a mile away suddenly a large black orb appeared on the ground and opened up and dropped Athredar to the side. A dark figure also stood there, his aura seeping with dark energy.

I have to say I'm impressed. A very smooth dark voice said with interest. You are lucky I came along. or you would be dead by now. Leothin doesn't take kindly to those like us. Look what would have been your fate. The man pointed in the direction of where the attack had been. The was a long straight crater in the ground. There was nothing on the ground, it had all been torn up really bad.