You changed up your makeup
Your DNA I can't recognize
You're a stranger to me
I feel so betrayed, what a waste of my heart and me

---

Luck wasn't on her side today. In fact, it hadn't been on her side since she was born. Born into the royal bloodlines, the princess was destined for greatness but in the bleak, damp dungeons of the Fey, it was probably hard to believe she could ever come into greatness. Betrayed by her lifelong friend, Lei-Ann Rosalinda Thorn, the princess would find no happy ever afters locked down here. Sentenced to life in prison for reasons not even she knew, the princess was beginning to lose faith in the world and herself.

Born to an unlucky fate, the princess lost her parents just months ago. They were to attend a diplomatic meeting to discuss the freeing or enslaving of the anthro-people. Her parents sought to keep the anthro race free, but many other natures did not agree with this stance. Upon hearing of their presumed death, the princess was to have her coronation and take the thrown. To celebrate, Lei-Ann threw a grand party. But that party soon became a nightmare.

An assassin appeared to silence the princess and, in a last-ditch effort to save the princess, Lei-Ann gave up her life. Or so the world believed. Truth be told, Lei-Ann faked her death. She was a powerful sorceress who could conjure up illusions and magic. Faking her death, Lei-Ann charged the princess of treason. However did she get away with it though? Well, you see, the princess never revealed her face, at least not until the night of the coronation. And even then, no one got a good look at her as her face was veiled for she wasn't wed.

Lei-Ann cast magic around the princess, changing the woman's ball gown to nothing but an assassin's garb. Seized instantly, the princess was thrown in jail. Meanwhile, at the party, Lei-Ann donned herself in that same ballgown the princess wore and stepped onto the floor. Weeping over her own body, Lei-Ann impersonated the princess. Carried off by the royal guard to the palace, Lei-Ann was sworn in as the queen. Too bad no one knew she was just an imposter.

With none the wiser (and those who did discover the truth dying mysteriously), the imprisoned royal has lost the will to fight. There's no hope left in her sorrowful eyes, especially being locked away for at least three months.

Then, one day as if by a miracle, something happens. A stranger appears in the dungeon seeking out someone. However, upon discovering that the stranger is an elf, all chaos breaks loose and the stranger is forced to make a choice -- die while trying to find the right person, or escape with a random prisoner. Opting for the latter, the stranger happens across the cell of the royal. Quickly freeing her, the elven stranger takes the princess away. Together, the two escape further into the dungeon's abyss to a waterway system that supposedly links to all the surrounding systems.

All is not as easy as it may seem. As time will soon tell, news of the prison break spreads to the castle and Lei-Ann soon realizes that she must re-hire the assassin from before. That doesn't really matter though so Lei-Ann has already begun preparations for battle. With her grand army started, she will soon show the world why they shouldn't mess with the mistress of manipulation....

Xavi's casting~

Lei-Ann Rosalinda Thorn
Twenty-one
Ability to manipulate visions and create illusions
Vindictive, spunky, and calculating
Prior to betraying the princess, Lei-Ann was her right hand lady and best friend
Currently sits on the throne and pretends to be Miss Deingardt

Spade
Thirty-four
xxx
xxx
xxx

Gindart "Gin" Wexbuero
Twenty-five
He has a magical pair of gloves* that grant him the ability to control fire
Comes across as arrogant and stuck up; is actually a rather nice guy who's upset at his recent life's decisions
He's currently running away from his fiance with the hopes of never seeing her again. He was sent to the dungeon with the hopes of finding his fiance's ex-boyfriend. If he can free this drow, he'll get his life back. If not, Gin fears he'll be stuck with this woman forever, and he doesn't want that.
*His gloves do no necessarily harness the power; they more or less protect him from the burning nature of fire.

Bonick Foxwood
Twenty
His bow can shoot magical arrows that can link onto a target's heat signature
Proud, boisterous, and friendly
Bonick got separated from his herd and has been trying to look for them. However, he keeps running Lei-Ann's army and fears that, if caught, he'll become a slave.

HC-Gal's Casting


Princess Irena "Salome" Deingardt
Seventeen

The true Princess of the Deingardt family, she was kept from the public eye for the majority of her life with very few friends bar her guards and Lei-Ann, the reason for which remained quite unknown, more so when all the guards assigned to her were murdered, leaving only one person, her old friend Lei-Ann with the truth of the matter. Born with the Royal Bloodline, she has inherited a divine source of magic that is guarded by her pendant which in and of itself cannot be removed by any hand other than her own.
Her time in the dungeon has turned a once-cheerful and curious girl into a far quieter and meek one, her mind partly warped by the experience. Being subjected to three full months of torture has left her senses rather numbed to the idea of pain, as such being hurt physically has little effect on her anymore. Whether or not she can even hold her own in a fight is an unknown quantity.


Matthias Von Drake
Almost always older than you

Arrogant, tough and very, very old. Just never say any of that to his face, Matthias is a vampire, centuries old and disillusioned at the idea of a more wonderful world. At his age he is powerful enough that he can stand in the sun, even if it turns him mortal temporarily. He thrives in the shadows, unleashing familiars to attack his opponents or using darkness-formed magic to create varying forms of weaponry. He wears an enchanted suit of armor that was built with the metals from the ground of his homeland, it can transform into a solid metal coffin, allowing him to sleep in any place and restore his strength. Matthias has basic forms of mind control that can trick the weak-willed or affect a level of control over their mind, turning them into Thralls, but as both are powers he considers evil, he rarely uses them.
Sworn to vows that make him hated among his own kin, he never harms an innocent or drinks of their lifeblood. But he has no qualms about draining a more evil man dry to quench his thirst. He can eat a normal meal, but it will do nothing for his powers. Given the choice he will hunt down fellow vampires and drain them in order to increase his power by taking their share, redirecting the lives stolen by their thirst towards what positive ends he can manage.


Abel "Steel Fang" Moreno
Thirty-Seven

Part of a once-slave family, Abel himself was orphaned at a young age as a result of roving illegal slavers still trying to capture their kind, the slavers in question were caught by a wandering swordsman, an aging man by the name of Iori, and were killed for their crimes. Iori found the young pup and raised him personally, teaching Abel the ways of swordplay and balance, to look upon humans and his own kind in equal terms, never judging or fearing either. When he became of age and was recognized by his adoptive father and master as an accomplished swordsman he began to travel, offering his skills with the blade to those who needed it.
Utilizing magic he can unleash a variety of techniques with his blade, his most favored of all being able to cut opponents from a distance with crescent waves of energy. His swiftness with a sword is unmatched by the average man but he strives to ever improve his swordsmanship by finding superior opponents.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______


General Weiss Ender
Twenty-five

Cold and loyal to the point of fanaticism to his princess and ever amused by the day-to-day foolishness of other people. While he has no care for the places of people in society in general, he's only concerned with keeping Lei-Ann where she is, as the ruler of the country. He finds it ever amusing to see where her plans lead, already quite thrilled at how she toppled the previous family and took the true princess' place. Though he has never pried into what made Lei-Ann act in such a way he's always been relatively suspicious that certain things about Lei-Ann and Irena's relationship made her bitter indeed.
He wields a great scythe, using it with grace and speed, able to cut through entire swathes of enemies and their armor while barely ever getting so much as a spot of blood on his uniform. He has been knonw to use magic from time to time where it suits him but he would enjoy finding a perfect opponent for single combat and destroying them.

Saved for a later date~

There were no more tears left, none that she could cry, she wasn't even sure how long she'd been imprisoned, she lost count of the days, be it held up by her wrists for an entire night, blindfolded and tied down like an animal, cruel tortures had been placed on her one after another after another. The torturers were thorough with their methods, be it simple things like beatings or half drowning her, whipping until her back was bloody, exposure to heat until she passed out, lightning magic to burn her every senses, they tried everything but int he end they only forced her deeper and deeper into herself into she no longer felt it at all.

One could say she'd been broken, maybe it was partly the case, maybe they had defeated her, but in their haste they hadn't gotten what they needed from her. The secret to the royal bloodline, or a way to remove the pendant so firmly strapped to her neck, it was the last piece of defiance she could give. Caked in the grime of dried blood, sweat and grime, wrapped in the rags that had once been clothes, she lay huddled in a corner, staring lifelessly at the gate into her cell.

She was waiting patiently, waiting for what came next, another meal before they began again? She wasn't sure which was next, meal time or torture time. Afterall if she died of starvation they wouldn't get what they wanted. She certainly felt a little hungry, at least that was what the noise in her stomach was telling her, if every other part of her body wasn't in agony she supposed she could tell the difference between hunger pains and outright pain of the body. But ultimately, no pain was worse than that of her heart. Now that she had experienced true physical pain, nothing compared to the pain in her heart as she saw her once-friend Lei-Ann, the look on her face, the satisfaction at what she'd wrought.

She still didn't understand why, what had driven her friend to this? What had she ever done to Lei-Ann that was so wrong? It clawed at her mind the same way she had clawed at the gate for the first few days, and the ground as she tried to escape the men that assaulted her each day with every tool of torture imaginable that didn't put her life at risk. Being kept alive for it was perhaps worse than dying form it. They demanded the same thing again and again, but she feared if she surrendered that one thing, it would mean her ultimate demise, they would gain more satisfaction from it, she was sure, they would treat it as the last day and take their time to make sure they finally did every last thing, until her body could no longer take the damage.

They had long given up on chaining her, what point was there to chaining someone who longer even tried to run, even the attempts at torturing her in recent days felt hollow, every whiplash would just be an extra, pointless scar.
Strange, so very strange, she had certainly lost track of time but she was certain they would have come for her soon, it was the only thing she was even capable of timing anymore, yet nothing, there was absolutely nothing. Had they abandoned her? Were they giving up before her? Or had they gotten what they needed after all? For the first time in hours she shifted. She pushed herself up weakly, trying to stand before soon collapsed forward. Oh, that was right, she no longer had a sense of balance, she needed to relearn that first.

Again she pushed herself up, with a strange, growing determination. But she wasn't sure why, was she actually looking for her torturers? Did she just not want to be left alone? Or maybe she just wanted to know if something was keeping them, if she could rest a little longer.. She fell again, several times, eventually clinging tot he walls in order to keep herself standing, tentive steps along it allowed her to somewhat find her feet, though every step felt dizzying as she got closer to the bars. There she collapsed against them, but found herself fruitlessly trying to look in the direction of where the steps usually came from.

It was at that time she finally heard something, a strange noise, not the regular calm footsteps of the usual pain technician, but instead the swifter steps of.. Well.. Running? Something or someone was running. She almost wanted to laugh, maybe they realized they were late, they should have hurried up and started hurting her quicker, they had an important schedule to keep after all. Except.. She lifted her head, sniffing at the air softly, something smelled different too.. Cold air was drifting past her cell, she could smell fire, a different fire, not the everyday torches, something else was burning.

Then the yelling, why were people yelling? They weren't demanding anything from her yet. Was this a new method? It was certainly weird. The familiar jangling of keys filled her ears and she almost leaped with delight, finally they were going to stop messing around and get on with it. Though they were still taking their time.. She waited to see when they would come, whatever would happen next, red eyes dulled, expression as dead as every day for the last month. Yet that pain in her heart continued to dance and stir, something in her remained alive. It was small and fragile, but it was there, refusing to die.

The air was dry and strangely cold for the time of the year. Summer was approaching and yet it felt like it might be a drought in the middle of the winter. Small, swirls of moisture blew from a slender, exposed nose. The tip, a bright red, matched the chapped lips of its host. With the wind biting his sleek, long ears, a sudden chill ran down his spine. Would he stop? No, he feared for his future too much to cover his ears with his gloved hands. As much as he welcomed the thought of warmth, he was more focused on the thought of freedom. Why hadn't the signs gone off sooner? Why didn't a red light flicker before his eyes until now? Hell if he knew! He just knew he wanted out of this. There was no way he was about to marry a woman he didn't love. Even if it shamed his family (and her family), Gindart Wexbuero of the Ashelynn Elf Tribe wouldn't succumb to fake feelings of love, lust, and desire.

Had he be anything other than an elf, he might have tripped on the uprooted tree base. Thankfully, his skilled feet graced the root before collided in perfect harmony with the hard earth. Blazing down the deer trail, Gindart, Gin, took a hard left. He needed to ditch his tail. Opting for the stream, he feverishly sidestepped down the steep hill. With each step, he felt the earth rumble below him. Should anyone even try to follow him, they would slide to their defeat. It was a flawless streak of luck, and Gin was thankful for it. Golden orbs jumping to the blue-gray sky above, he nodded in approval. The heavens were on his side.

Eyes falling back to the path before him, Gin couldn't help but notice the ever darkening morning sky before him. Was it really going to rain? A part of him hoped so, save for the fact that he absolutely hated water. Snow he could deal with, for Ashelynn was a tundra-like village just on the foot of an inactive volcano. But rain? It wasn't really something he enjoyed. Sure, it would pour on his homeland, but with its colder temperatures, it often became snow. Unless, of course, it was during the summer season. But during the summer, the tundra was rather arid. Essentially, Gin came from a frozen desert. Such came with the territory of living beside a volcano, he supposed.

Head ducking, Gin missed a large branch that was dying to smack him in the face. Of course, that was probably the easiest of the branches to dodge. The rest? Heh, they were just coming to life, personified by woodland elf magic. But why did that matter? Gin was elven. Shouldn't he be capable of commanding the forest? Had he not been born in Ashelynn, perhaps. Gin was a different breed of elf. He was a kind that didn't control the forest. His ancestry controlled the land, such as rocks and the earth. Granted, that was generations ago. Ashelynn had no such powers anymore. Or at least they weren't suppose to. But one little boy happened to fall into the volcano. He should have died, but something happened. Something protected him from his untimely demise.

There was mind-numbing silence. Gin came to a stop. Blinking, he fought to see past the wall of fog before his eyes. The area looked familiar, but he wasn't certain he was still heading toward his desired destination. Not wanting to stop much longer for he feared his pursuers would catch up (though from the silence in the forest, it seemed they gave up), Gin moved on. This time his steps were gingerly placed as he moved slowly toward his perceived location.

How long had he been running? Since before the crack of dawn, at least that was all he knew. Based on the location of the sun, it was probably 9 o'clock in the morning. He'd been running good and hard for quite some time now. In fact, he should be relatively close to the dungeons. The dungeons were hauled up in an undesirable area. Who would want to travel so far north to a world of bleakness? No one. Hence, it was the perfect location to house prisoners.

Why would Gin seek out a criminal? No, he hadn't gone mad. If anything, he was feeling compassionate. The woman he was recently betrothed to had a previous mate. He was a pretty crooked fellow and Gin got him thrown in prison. By a strange series of events, Gin landed the girl and wanted nothing to do with her. Not only was she ugly, but she was also dumber than a box of rocks (and that was putting it nicely). He wanted nothing to do with her and hoped that, if he could free her previous beau, she would be able to call off the wedding. Should he fail? Bye-bye, Ashelynn! Hello, life on the run!

A sudden stirring noise caught him off guard. Retrieving the bow from his back, Gin approached the sound with caution. Lacing up an arrow, the shadow walker crouched to the ground and prepared to jump the force of the sound.

"Whatcha think of the new girl?"

"She's hideous. If I had my way, I would go for that girl with the fancy necklace. She looks like shit now, but I could pretend."

"Pfff! Why would you want her. She's got nothing left. She's a broken mutt. She deserves to be in prison."

The word called his ears forward. Rising from his squat, Gin cleared his throat. "Excuse me, prison guards?" Emerging from the fog, the elven man clad in red-brown leather and bronze and silver armor appeared. "I come in search of a man by the name of Brook, Caiblen Riles Brook." With a cloak over his head to veil his ears, Gin hoped these guards would at least entertain him, for now. Unusually only nobility or royalty could pull people from the dungeons. Gin, being neither, came as a law man of sorts. He hoped that his limited knowledge of the law might break the man free. He also had some bribery money, too, should all else fail.

"State your name, sir." The shorter, fatter guard gruffly spoke. He was clearly compensating for his lack of height. Gin was a monster standing at 6-foot, 5-inches.

Rising his right hand over his heart and moving the left behind his back, Gin slid his right leg forward in a bow. He had stolen this boy from a royal guard he saw salute someone a few years back. Who knew if it was a true gesture. At least it looked cool, right?

"I am Sir Lukeheart of the Northern Federation."

The Northern Federation (NF) was the large region that Ashelynn fell in. The NF was led by an old-fashioned prince by the name of James Gryphon. For a few years, Gin worked with the Gryphon Army, which was plain to see as the logo was inscribed on his chest plate. Sir Lukeheart was Gin's commanding officer and the leader of the Scouting Legion. Essentially, this branch of the Gryphon Army was in charge of canvassing the area and being on the front lines. All citizens of the NF were forced to join the Gryphon Army or Service for at least four years. Gin opted for the scouting group for he liked the idea of patrolling and exploring the land.

"Mister Lukeheart, if you please, come this way." Lead into the dungeon, the elf counted about fifty stairs before they came to an elevator shaft. Talk about extreme measures to make sure people don't just break in (or escape).

In no time, he was wandering the halls of the dungeon with the dungeon master Vincent Mackle. At first, all seemed well, but as the minutes soon became an hour, Gin started to doubt this mission of his. Vincent seemed suspicious and was now asking to see his face. There was no way Gin could pull this off so he tried to explain that he was injured and felt embarrassed. This, of course, only pissed Vincent off more.

"If you refuse to comply, then you leave me no choice. Guards, seize him!" Finger flying toward Gin's face, the elf stepped back. In this motion, he tripped and managed to tug off his cloak. Looking up with a bewildered expression on his face, the auburn haired male felt sweat beads forming on his brow. This wasn't good.

"An elf! An imposter! Guards, kill him!"

Feet swinging beneath him, Gin kicked himself up and somersaulted past Vincent. Flawless hair falling from his eyes, he offered a word of warning. "Please, do not pursue me or I will defend myself."

Sure enough, no one held back. In fact, they laughed before throwing axes, knives, and other miscellaneous items his way. Brow twinging, Gin golden orbs snapped up and gave Vincent a look of disgust. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Raising his right hand, Gin snapped his fingers. A spark soon became a full-on explosion directed at an empty cell. With the explosion serving as his means of escaping, he took off down one of the halls. As he ran, he noticed most people were either running to the explosion or toward another location. Interest piqued, Gin took to the shadows and slinked behind some guards moving down to a lonely cell a the end of a hall.

Pulling his cloak up, Gin carefully stepped from the shadows and now stood behind the three guards outside a woman's cell. She looked like she hadn't bathed in years and, from the smell, he guessed he wasn't far off with his assumption.

"Why, among the flames and confusion would three well-trained guards flee to this cell." There was a cocky, calculating undertone to his voice. "May I presume this prisoner is worth more than the rest?"

Using his bow, Gin easily knocked out one of the guards. The other two were a tad harder, but he managed to suffocate one of them nearly to death. The third? Well, he was scared shitless and took off screaming.

"Coward!" Gin yelled after him before cursing at his luck. Eyes rolling, he lined up an arrow before letting it fall the fleeing fool. "Can't have him alerting the entire prison to our location, now can we?"

Fumbling, Gin crouched to search the fainted guard for the keys. "Of course," he scoffed. Running down the hall, his hands patted down the other guard. Sure enough, the one he killed had the keys. "So sorry, chap, but I need these. Hope you don't mind." Seizing them, Gin started to run back to the prisoner but was rudely stopped when an ax slammed into the wall before him. "Shit," he cursed before reeling around the corner.

"No time. Duck." Discarding the keys, Gin raised his right hand.

SNAP.

A flame appeared. Not even waiting for her to move, Gin shot the fireball her way. The second the small flame made contact with the iron pen, a large, thunderous crack came. The entire front-half of the cell was charred to bits and the cells around hers were also half-destroyed.

"Come with me now if you wish to live." His words were cold and short, but it was understandable with the prison guards coming. "NOW," he demanded.

At this point, he didn't care if she came or not. Gin fled down the hall, but was kind enough to turn back upon seeing the frail woman. "Damn, have they beaten the life from you?" From her weak statue and slender, underfed face, he needed no response. Gritting teeth, he looped the woman's arms around his neck. Hands wrapped around his back, he hoisted the prison woman up onto his back. Securing her with his arms just below her butt, Gin took a step forward. It wasn't going to be easy, but at least he could get them out of his hall-

Shit.

Releasing his right arm, Gin put his right hand forward. Biting his index finger, he gave it a quick snap. No flame appeared, but he still pretended to throw something. Before a laugh could come from the amused guard's mouths, a crippling explosion appeared. The blast was enough to send Gin and his passenger flying backwards.

He was probably out cold for about ten seconds. A wet liquid came down his face. Head throbbing and heart beating ceaselessly, Gin forced himself up. Tripping the second he stood, the elf realized his left leg had been impaled by a piece of an iron cell. He would have to deal with that later. Right now, he needed to escape.

Eyes widening, Gin frantically looked for the girl he was trying to rescue. Limping to her, the auburn haired male cupped her face but released it to give her body a good shake. "Miss, if you've still life in you, now's our chance to run."

The girl wasn't sure what was happening. At first she was surprised, these days it only took one guard to lead her, but today three had come to her door. That was certainly different, but then things just continued to get different and weirder. Was this all part of a brand new ploy? She watched as a shadow practically appeared between the mean, knocking one out, suffocating the other and firing an arrow at the third as he fled. This truly was a bizarre new game. She was almost excited by it, yet, the more occurred, the less likely it seemed that this was just a new torture method.

She felt a very real sense of fear when the man snapped his fingers int he direction of her cell. The girl stumbled backwards, covering her eyes as shrapnel pelted her rag-swathed form. All this noise was so different to what she was used to. She wasn't even sure what was happening anymore. When the man yelled at her, she wondered if this was finally when he would start beating her.

Would he hit her if she didn't follow? Or was leading her intentioned with the very idea of beating her later? Before she knew it, the man was upon her, she had almost wanted to scramble away, but she was too weak to do much more than crawl away, something she didn't even have time for once her mind caught on to the fact that he was practically on top of her, putting her arms around his neck. Wait.. That was certainly odd, she couldn't remember being carried like this since.. Her eyes focused forward as the explosion rocked the hallway and the force blew both her and the man back.

The shock of it threw her off his back before she even realized what happened, rolling along the ground once and crumpling into a corner. It took her longer to recover as she was eventually roused by being shook. Dull red eyes stared up at the elf, lifeless, with barely the will to move, yet she found herself trying to sit up.

At first she used her right hand, managing to ease herself into a sitting position. She lost her balance and fell toward her left, but her left arm didn't respond correctly anymore, instead she hit the ground face first. Her left shoulder had dislocated itself during the sudden blow-back of the man's explosive technique. But she didn't cry out, she didn't even shed a tear, instead she awkwardly stared up at the man from her position on the ground, even as red oozed from a small cut in her skull.

Again her right arm moved and in small, disjointed movements, she managed to push herself up again, gaze shifting to the limp left limb curiously, but then she stared past him at the destruction he'd wrought. She was beginning to get the impression that this wasn't a new attempt at torturing her. What was she supposed to call this again? Was she being let go? No that didn't seem quite right. It was as if it was something she'd long forgotten, she struggled to remember it.

If it wasn't for the fact that she was clearly human, she probably looked more like a marionette with only half its strings attached, her right arm and legs still functioned, but her deadpan stare and hanging left arm were a testament to how broken she seemed, yet defiant of her status, she was trying to stand, but her balance was lost to her, she found herself collapsing towards the stranger, managing to somehow control the direction she went so that she could at least hook her chin over his shoulder.

What part of her that was trying to survive had identified something about this man, something that made him the safest place here. Her still-functioning right arm reached up to grasp at his arm, looking for something solid to wrap her weakened fingers around, so long as she could hold on to it. It felt nice to be near something that simply felt warm rather than too hot, or the cold stone floor.

Run. Gah, it was such a foolish word to use. Could they really run? No, of course not. They were dusted with bruised and laced with flesh wounds. The broken miss seemed more bent out of shape than he, but at least nothing looked actually broken in nature. Perhaps her malnourishment was her undoing? That was probable, right? Scanning her form and figure yet again, Gin noticed that she seemed disjointed. Was it due to being a prisoner? The welts around her wrists seemed indicative of shackles and torture. Poor woman, he thought. With ever struggle she showcased, Gin began to wonder if it was even wise to have this woman tag along. She was a liability. She couldn't stand and she didn't appear to speak. Her inability to get a word in due to all the action hadn't registered in Gin's mind just yet. For now, he pegged this beaten woman as a dirty mute.

A part of him cringed at the touch he received. She seemed vile and, dare he say it, sinful? There was just something off putting about this doll-like woman. Whether it be her creepy posture or her lifeless eyes, Gin did not enjoy the feelings that flooded his core. If he had been wise, he would have left her long before the wave of guards came. Had he done that, he would probably be halfway out of this mess.

As he fingers looked to hold something, the elf gave a reluctant sigh. Hesitantly, his hand reached up to hold hers. For now, his strength would be her strength. At least until they were out of this hallway and in the underground sewers.

Unable to fully hoist her onto his back, the auburn haired elf would have to resort to half-dragging her, the brunt of her weight on his shoulders. With each step he took, he would drag the woman's feet along with him, at least until she found her strength to move. The steps were slow and painful, especially having added weight on his skewered leg, but at least they were progress.

Now at the end of the hall, Gin decided to delve deeper into the dungeon. The path he came down was littered with charred bodies and the scent of burning flesh. He had no interest in walking through the mess. It would much easier to go down and then look for a stairwell up.

The dim-light dungeon was beginning to take its toll on Gin. He didn't have a choice anymore. He needed light. With a small snap of the finger, a tiny flame appeared. It wasn't much, but it was bright enough to light the path before them. Of course, doing as such meant that he was no longer holder onto the prison girl. As her weight slid off him, Gin maneuvered himself so that he would support her with his right side. Flamed hand wrapping around to guide in front of her chest, elf let out a low sigh. Things just couldn't be easy, could they?

Scanning the walls, they eventually happened upon what looked like a grate that would leave to the lower sewer system. The scent coming from it was pungent, but it would mask the scent of ash and scorched skin. Gingerly, he kicked out the cover before stepped into the dam, musky hole. Holding back vomit, he dropped to his hands and knees to crawl down the narrow pipe. Keeping his right hand at head level, he did his best to make sure the flame didn't die.

As they crawled on in silence, the elf began to wonder about things. Just what was she doing in prison anyway? Had she murdered someone? Did she rape someone? Had she stolen something? There was too many possibilities. Prostitution was a big issue in the middle country. Perhaps she was a whore? It might explain how she was still able to move and manage after what looked like weeks of torture.

Now was not the time to talk. They needed to stay quiet until the made it to the main pipes. From there, they could walk along the sides and, if desired, share in small talk. At least it was a start, right?

Salome clung quietly to Gin. With him as support, she was able to move her legs, able to walk and keep her balance at the same time. Her torn dress flowed in separate strips and pieces, as caked in grime and mess as she was. She had at least gained more confidence in her ability to walk as she tried to keep pace with him, stumbling a little once or twice, but at least she had him to hold on. Her eyes shifted towards his hand as it lit on fire. She'd seen others use magic to create lights but never hold fire in that fashion, it's proximity to her, however, made her uncomfortable, especially as he wrapped that hand around her, practically holding it in front of her.

She didn't have the lung capacity to scream, so instead she just leaned into him, away from it as much as possible, but she still followed him. She still wasn't sure whether he was a torturer or not. She didn't recognize him, but then why would the torturer kill the others. Were they not doing a good enough job? Was this all just another little game? Pretend that she could escape then surprise her with a whole slew of new torture devices to try out..? But then why the sewers..? Her mind registered this as an escape again, without the warning bells of more torture. No-one went this way, no-one even came this way, because only the royals and their Guard could use them. This man didn't know that, so it was no surprise that when he almost got out of the narrow pipe the very end of it flashed brightly, a magical barrier holding him off from advancing any further. Water and sewage could still flow through but nothing living could pass.
At least not without the right know-how.

The girl turned slightly in the pipe, leaning up against the Elf and raised her still-functioning right arm. Wait.. What if this was his intention? Did he want her to unlock it so that he could lead her somewhere worse..? No, again something in her argued that this wasn't the case.The pendant around her neck came to life, glowing softly, her right arm suddenly layered in multiple levels of blue and white lines. The barrier in front of them shifted, the runic inscriptions and various layers on it shifting and turning, almost representing a mechanical lock that soon opened entirely, spreading from the center like an iris. The lights surrounding her right arm vanished and she leaned against the wall once more.

The girl waited for him to go ahead so that she could follow, eventually crawling out into the large, more spacious sewer tunnel, the barrier behind them slowly creeping shut again. Salome slowly pushed herself up, leaning against the left side of the tunnel and slowly walking along it. However she froze, turning her head partially, trying to tell where the mysterious man was. She lifted her right arm, pointing into the dark of the tunnel, trying to show him the way. She remembered it so clearly, it was almost bizarre to her, but maybe not, she'd thought so many times of escape before, why wouldn't she remember the exact way to the secret royal escape route?

Once more she slowly proceeded along the tunnel, even if she would be walking into darkness alone, she would find her way. Maybe this was a sign that she could finally get away from it all, that she could finally be free. The path ahead was reasonably straight, although a left turn followed by a right would soon lead to what would have looekd tot he average adventurer as a dead end. Sure there were other ways in and out of the sewers, but she knew of this way, a secret way, reserved for her family alone, it was old and unknown but she supposed it would be interesting to actually see what awaited her there. Certainly couldn't be as bad as endless days of torture.

To say that Gin was standing there with his jaw on the floor would be a huge misunderstanding. It wasn't on the floor; it had fallen all the way to hell. Gawking at what this prisoner magically did was more than enough to confuse the elf. He tried to live a simple life and now this woman was whisking away invisible force fields as if it were nothing. And how did she even know they were there? Not to mention, she seemed to know exactly where they needed to go. She lead him down the tunnel as if it were second nature to her. The more Gin sat on this thought, the more he began to wonder if this woman had been chatting with the guards on how she could escape. Had she roped one of them into giving her the secrets of the dungeon? He vividly recalled the three men running to her, rather than aiding their allies in the fight. It was odd and it was starting to make sense. She was clearly on the verge of escape and Gin just so happened to be her out.

Hand rubbing the nape of his neck, he glanced away shamefully. Why had he killed those three guards? They were trying to help and he ruined their lives. They probably had families and friends who were now going to miss them dearly. Cussing to himself, Gin just couldn't believe his rotten luck. First the woman, then the killing of three innocent men, and now he was running for his life with a prisoner who was clearly on the verge of escape.

With his mind back on the thoughts of the prisoner, he studied her backside. He watched her every step. For almost escaping, she sure didn't look healthy. Was it part of the ploy? A decoy to confuse the others? Heavens, it was hard to believe people would go through such difficulties just to escape.

She must be a call girl, or so he figured. He came to that conclusion based off the fact that she was fantastic at masking emotions and acting. Yes, he was still into believing that she had premeditated this whole escape. Until proven or told otherwise, this was Gin's assumption. As foolish as it seemed, from an outsider's prospective, it wasn't really all that hard to believe.

Suddenly, the silence got to him. Wringing his hands as he tried to figure out how to start the small talk, Gin took a gulp before opening his mouth. "Gindart Wexbuero," it rolled off his tongue in an unusual manner. It was pretty obvious he wasn't sure how to start. "But everyone calls me Gin. Who might you be?" Before she could even speak, he quickly interjected with, "Don't feel obligated to tell me anything you don't want to. I've never been a fan of the prying kind, myself."

What had been mere vibrations on the ground at at first as the girl felt the very sounds the man made with his words, at the same time hearing it in a sort of muffled tone, she came to a halt only briefly, leaning against the wall and half-turning her form to look at him. She saw the words being formed, but she couldn't understand him, simply gazing at him in the dark and the firelight he held in his hand, which made her cringe and turn away again, once more working her way along the wall until she hit the dead end in the tunnel. She reached her hand toward it and like before, the pendant around her neck glowed before the unusual constructs of magic appeared around her arm, turning and shifting, forcing their way into the wall and opening a great number of runs that appeared across its surface before the entire wall shifted, rumbling and grating backwards slowly.

Individual bricks pulled back piece-by-piece, changing position until they created a perfectly square doorway for them to pass through. The area on the other side of the sewer door was actually pitch black at first until with sparks of magic, lanterns on a long downward path flared to life, crystals within the bowl upon which the first sat glowing brightly, the source of the energy for these simple lights. It was quite a sight, at least for the eyes of the girl, even for something so ominous as a path leading down into the unknown. It was still far better than being where she was, she gladly accept this over that, and at least she had company, tough she still wondered what his intent was.

Now came a new obstacle, however, the slope wasn't exactly steep enough that walking down it would have been a problem. At least not for anyone in a normal condition, but for her, it was hard, even the first step into it proved difficult, she almost immediately stumbled, finding solace only in the first of the lanterns, using it to keep her balance with her single working hand, But then came the chore of moving on to the next one, she didn't even look back as the brickwork walls began to close in on each other once again, locking them out from returning up the stairs, unless of course she reopened them, not something she was liable to do now that she was finally escaping that place.

She remained silent, focused on moving forward. Freedom, she could finally gain freedom, escape that place, escape those people. She wasnt so sure if she could escape the person following her though, not that she was even sure if she was supposed to escape him. It didn't matter, she simply continued on, stumbling weakly from one lantern tot he next, using them for support to gain her balance, then continued. Every step she took was both difficult, yet a relearning experience.

The further they delved into the dark, the closer a structure became apparent before them, an archway opening out into a bridge with similar lanterns lighting it, guiding them onward. It was a massive underground cave. Sections of it glowed brightly, illuminating an ancient building supported on a plateau at the center, yet in spite of its age, life seemed to come to it as torches and lights began to bring into existence, distant whirrs and clicks, the rushing sound of fire bursting into existence. Without fear or even awe showing on her face, she pressed onward, walking across a flat bridge was far easier than down a slope at least. The entire area seemed to shake and rumble, however, pillars on either side of the bridge began to light up, finally making themselves present, some reaching as far as the cave ceiling high above them, the shaking itself inspired complete loss of balance in the girl once more and she fall forward again, hitting the ground roughly, but she stubbornly started to push herself up again.

Well she's quite the chatty one, Gin said to himself. Eyes rolling, he kept close to her until she eventually escaped his helpful aid. If she was capable of walking, why waste his time aiding her? Not to mention, his leg was really starting to sting at this point. Glancing down, just to check on the skewering, he winced. It was starting to look bad. A puss-like substance was starting to ooze from his wound and the blood still continued to trickle down his leg. Kicking himself mentally, he waved his small flame before the injury. He didn't have a choice. It was time he give himself the first-aid he needed.

The wandering prisoner heeded him little to no attention, or so it appeared as she kept trudging on. As she sought out the right path, Gin seized this moment to deal with his pain. Eyes rolling back into his head, he grunted as he tried to tug the iron bar free. At first, it wouldn't budge, but with the surplus of determination not to die coursing through his veins, he finally got the thing to move. Granted, it wasn't much but at least it was a start. With each tug, he felt his insides ripping. He needed to come up with something better. This game of tug-and-pull would ultimately cleave off his leg.

Sighing, he took his flame and let it collide with the metal pole. Seconds became minutes and before long, the pole was glowing. Warming to a burning degree, Gin grabbed the metal and give it a good strong tug. With it being warm, he was instantly able to cauterize his internal wounds. Sure, it hurt like hell, but at least the bleeding would stop. As far as the outwardly facing wounds went, Gin let his flames tickle his flesh. Within moments, the sewer started to smell of burning flesh. It was an unpleasant smell and, truthfully, it was enough to make Gin retch. He was able to suppress it, but the lingering feeling wasn't about to go away anytime soon.

Now limping, as his leg was very tender, he started to push his way down the tunnel after the prisoner. Looking around, Gin started to wonder just where they were. What was with this place? Why the pillars? The lanterns? The bridge?

"Where are we?" he marveled at the structures around them. "These are rather elegant designs. To think something so breathtaking lives below a dungeon is beyond words." Gawking, he didn't even notice the woman stumble. "Just how long have you been planning to escape?" He had another question to ask. "Was it you who sent a message to that crazy woman who's now trying to marry me? Was all this planned? My arrival, your freedom?" Yes, in his mind he still believe this was all fate. All a part of a bigger plan that he was a part of. His perspective on things couldn't be more skewed, but from Gin's point of view, anything was possible. Perhaps his naive nature would be his undoing? Regardless, he didn't seem too concerned. At least he was away from her and, with any luck, would never have to marry that godforsaken woman.

Again she could hear that man talking, but it was still too indistinct to register, she didn't even bother looking his way, she could understand his words just by looking at him, instead she just pulled herself to her feet again, struggling to manage on her own, but it seemed the man had decided to deny any further aid to her. Was that a sign of something to come? Maybe, maybe not, maybe she would find out. All she knew was that she had to keep moving. In the back of her mind, she was struggling to remember all the details of what she'd been told about this place, it was a long-kept secret of the royal family because.. Supposedly.. There was some kind of guardian here..

The details were too hazy, all they did was bring back memories of her parents teaching her some of these things in private. Sure they were still all silly formalities and such, but she had at least gotten time to them for herself. Mother had always been so insistent that she kept out of sight, in order to protect herself from others, but that clearly hadn't helped. Covering her head and face worked, wearing large dresses too, it was all an act just to hide the girl, so she would at least be seen at their side occasionally. The only time they didn't force such things on her was when she was in the private sections of the castle, the family quarters where only the trusted guards were on patrol.

All of that seemed so distant, yet so close now that she was here. Her eyes were beginning to go blurry, that hadn't happened in a long time, tears streaked down the sides of her face but she continued to walk, regardless, stumbling occasionally but righting herself, it didn't seem like she could count on that man's help anymore. As they finally reached the great stone doors to the structure, she looked up. Now that they were closer, she could hear a rushing sound, the sound of water, pouring down from above into the unusual structure, at the top, then pouring out of the sides, down into pools below where the water churned and flowed out to who knew where? It was strange that they couldn't hear it at first, even she should have been able to identify that sound, at least she believed.

Once more she reached out, her right hand touching the great stone doors this time, her pendant burst to life even brighter than before, trails of light scattering across the doorway, eventually pulling them open. The interior was as grand as outside, stone carved ornately, water poured down carefully crafted pathways and burst up gently from fountains, crystals of light came to life in response to the two new intruders as the girl continued to walk forward awkwardly. However there was very little to help keep her balance.
She let out a rasped cry of surprise as her feet hit something metal and she fell over it, tumbling across to the other side. Practically in the middle of nowhere, a large grey and blue colored steel coffin was rested upon the ground. Only moments after Salome had fallen across it, it shifted suddenly, clattering once, jumping slightly, but then it practically melted, it's solid shape suddenly molding into something different, shrinking, becoming.. Man-like.

The transforming figure began to stand up slowly, parts of the coffin beginning to shift and solidify into specific shapes, taking on the guise of an armored creature, a red cape suddenly billowed out of the back, tying itself to the man-coffin's shoulders whilst the last of it pulled away from a pale face, blond hair scattering around his shoulders. Finally he took in a deep breath and opened his eyes, they glowed brightly as an inhumane, guttural growl escaped him whilst he looked around for whatever it was that had bumped into him. The first thing he saw was the girl, crumpled on the floor, a complete mess. For a moment he wanted to even guess that she was dead, but seeing her shift and breathe surprised him all the more, the lights of this place perfectly illuminated what a mess she was.

He then turned in two clanking steps on the sturdy flagstones, looking around for some-one else, almost immediately spotting the elf. His eyes shifted briefly to the wounded leg, although it seemed the wound had been closed. He sniffed the air, the stench of the girl and the smell of the fresh blood from Gin's leg filled his nose. He could smell ash as well, but no oil, so either the elf had burned the wound closed with a torch or with fire magic. The latter seemed more appropriate for both his species and the ease of use it would present.. But still.. Something was definitely off, especially with that girl's condition,
"I would ask if you were the one that turned this girl into the pitiful mess she appears to be, but you look a little injured yourself.." He snarled calmly, reaching up to his neck with one hand and cracking it either way, "What rotten luck, getting trapped in this old place.. About time some-one showed up."

Gin came to the conclusion that there was no use in helping Salome. She was fairing well on her own and, truthfully, she would regain her strength if she stammered and stumbled on her own. Sure, she procured a few bruises and scrapes this way, but the struggle would be worth it in the end. He was one of those elves that believed in doing things on your own to gain the full net growth and experience. Why half-ass something or ask for help when you're fully capable of succeeding on your own? Granted, there were somethings in life were you needed another, such as marriage or child birth, but Gin didn't want to think of those odds just yet. Even though he was of age, he still had much to do on his lonesome. He had no desire whatsoever to settle down and go about life as a dad. Perhaps five years from now, things would be different.

When they came to what looked like a dead end, Gin moaned. Really, he kept thinking in his mind. Did he really follow her to come to a large stone wall? It was rather elegant looking, as if it were straight out of a fairy tale, but he wasn't looking for a pumpkin drawn carriage; he was looking for a way out. Pivoting on his feet, Gin started his slowed march forward. It was time to turn around and try another alleyway, right?

Light shot from behind him. Whirling his head around, his orbs swallowed in a real life show. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. It was beautiful. But the real magic laid behind it as the wall became a set of doors. Parting and welcoming them to a world of pure water and glowing embers, Gin found his jaw on the floor. It was just like something out of lore. Rubbing his eyes to ensure he wasn't seeing things, the elf stepped forward.

While the prisoner tripped over the coffin, Gin gawked around him. He didn't even notice the human rise from the metal coffin and glance his way. Of course, when a male's voice came from nowhere, his golden orbs shot to the voice. Who was he and how did he get here. Body on alert, his hand slowly dared to move back for a quick snap-thrust. Only, when the thing spoke, it didn't appear to be out for blood. Not lowering his hand, Gin cocked his head to the side.

"Wh-w-how did you get in here?" A look of disbelief plastered on his face, the elf sidestepped over to the prisoner. Although he didn't know her, he felt he at least owed it to the woman to defend her. Brows falling down over his eyes, a grimace held his expression. "Is he with you?" Gin's eyes remained glued to the knightly figure before him, though his voice spoke to Salome only.

The man stared at Gin in some sense of disbelief, he almost wanted to laugh if not for the state of the girl at his feet as he stared down at her again, the more he looked at her, the more even his cold blood boiled, gaze shifting to Gin as shadows seemed to spread across the ground, growing around him and unleashing a menacing aura,
"Are you a born fool?!" He demanded much more loudly, the girl stared up quietly at the man and for the first time in a while she felt true terror again, weakly trying to scramble away, but the shadows rescinded and the vampire stared between them with cold blue eyes that glowed in spite of how well his face was shaded.

"I have no idea who this girl is, have you been letting her walk around in her current state? What kind of idiot are you?" the man questioned, kneeling down by the broken girl as he grabbed her by the face, but gently, staring into her eyes,
"Can't you see into her eyes? She barely has a grip on life, she may as well be a walking corpse." He then caught sight of her left arm, lifting the limp limb, "And it appears she doesn't even have a sense of pain anymore, her left arm is dislocated. For an elf; your eyes are incredibly dull." He growled, with a slick pop and a series of small crunches he forced her arm back into place. She didn't even react to that. When the man let go of her arm, she stared at it, lifting it softly and shifting it, eyes blinking curiously,
"No reaction at all.." He muttered, "I've seen something like this only a few times in my long life and it's a terrible sight every time.. What unimaginable horrors has this girl suffered..?"

He glanced over at the Elf again, staring at him for a moment, he had taken a defensive motion to protect the girl, but frankly the vampire was irritated that he hadn't done more. The armored man stood straight, folding his arms,
"I am Matthias Von Drake, and if you are not entirely without knowledge; it might interest you to know that I am a vampire. Now, that wound in your leg, if I am correct, you cauterized it with fire magic, yes?" He asked, staring over at one of the nearby pools of water, rubbing his jawline softly, however something caught his attention almost too suddenly and he stared at Gin again,
"How did the two of you even enter this place..? Are you a Royal Guard? Or a member of the Royalty itself? And why would you drag a starved, half-dead, tortured young girl down here? What in the blazing void is going on in that castle?"

------------------------------------

He knew this probably wouldn't please her at all, but then half the fun would be finding out how Lei-Ann would react when she was told her favorite pet had escaped the prisons. If anything interested Weiss, it was Lei-Ann and her motives, figuring her out was a long-standing amusement he'd started to enjoy, but what was really important was she never let him get bored, sooner or later, there would be something to do.

He passed the standing guards before the throne, patting down his white cloak calmly as he passed into the throne-room itself, face a mask of calm, a wry smile lurking at the edges of his lips. Behind him, a young woman carried his scythe, her face literally covered with a mask, she wore a uniform similar to his own, but she never responded to anyone else, she simply carried his weapon and observed all he did.

He climbed the final stairs leading up to the throne itself, staring around quietly at others in the court, they had fallen silent as Weiss walked in, the man then looking towards Lei-Ann, or rather The Princess, bowing politely to her,
"Your Highness.. I understand this is poor timing, but I have some rather bad news,"

Since the day it all began, Lei-Ann was enjoying life. Sitting atop the throne came with such power, such feelings. She enjoyed the surge of energy and the ceaseless peons who bowed before her. There was nothing more flattering than seeing someone grovel at your feet, especially if they were of noble blood. It did grow tiring, though. Day in and day out all she did was meeting with people and receive praise. Sometimes someone would be bold and say something brash, but Lei-Ann had no problem offing someone. If they didn't fear her, they wouldn't follow her -- that was her motto.

Signature on a piece of parchment, she handed the scroll off to one of her riders. "Ensure this gets delivered to the southern king. I wish to align with his policies and bring back slavery. As he has successfully quelled all the rebellions in his nation, I, too, would like to find such success." Waving her rider off, Lei-Ann snaked her way back to the throne before slouching into it. Finally, she had some peace and quiet. It was time to think and really start planning her next move. With this slavery thing underway, she would need to grow the army. One cannot thwart a rebellion without men to fight. What was her army at anyway? 50? 100? Try 11,500 men and women who rallied behind her. Lei-Ann had no idea how much hatred the nation had for those furred humanoids, but she wasn't about to tell them it was wrong. In fact, she fed their hatred and bred them to really seek out justice for humans only.

Fingernails tapping the edges of her throne, her eyes flickered across the way. A shadow had appeared. It was about damn time, too.

"Spade," she smirked playfully, "have you successfully removed that pesky handmaid? I would hate for my secret to leak."

"Oh course" the voice whispered.

"Good. Now for your nex-"

Her brows furrowed when the assassin's shadow vanished. Where had he gone? Grimace seizing her face, Lei-Ann went to protest when someone came walking into her room. It was Weiss. Good old, loyal Weiss. What on earth was he doing before her today? Puckering her lips and adjusting her breasts so they looked more desirable, she leaned forward. "Sir Ender, what brin-" She didn't get a chance to finish for his mouth was already revealing what she wanted to know. Eyebrows falling into her eyes, she scowled toward the man. "What kind of bad news, Ender." She was in no mood for games or jokes. She wanted Weiss to be straight to the point so she could continue her talk with Spade.

Weiss had always been aware of Spade, though he paid the existence of that one no mind, perhaps because he felt nary the slightest bit of threat from the man. Instead he watched Lei-Ann and her reaction, a slight smile threatening to curl along his face, but he kept calm as he face darkened, keeping himself gently bowed, hand across his chest as he replied to her,
"The prison was assaulted moments ago, a score of guardsmen have been either burned to cinders or injured by what I assume is fire magic, the.." He paused then grinned, "The assassin you were interrogating appears to have fled, along with the intruder, but interestingly enough; all traces of them seem to stop at a dead-end in the sewers," He looked up at her with a knowing glint in his eye, "It is almost as if they used magic to escape.."

The last line was certainly intended to provoke Lei-Ann, Weiss enjoyed watching her in frustration and the decisions she made as a result, the girl at his side instinctively took a step back, but froze dead when Weiss glanced over to her, she was going to have to learn to weather the storm if she was going to stay by his side. She obediently waited for the results ans Weiss glanced then towards the extra faces in the room, nobles, knights, guards, the usual slew of individuals, but Weiss didn't really care for them.

The man in white was always patient and silent, he knew he unnerved some people, but that simply helped with the intimidation factor he required to be a loyal knight for Lei-Ann, the fake princess. His eyes had soon returned to the woman in question, waiting to see what she would say or do in her fury, feeling safe in the knowledge that keeping an eye on the true Princess Deingardt hadn't been his responsibility, though he imagined hunting her down would probably then fall to either himself or Spade..

"Shit," she cussed from tight lips. Raising from her throne, the woman stormed from her ruling room and down toward an empty room where she could think. Pacing to and fro, her hand started to yank at her hair. In no time, the pink strands were falling out and the panic of the scenario further set in. Lei-Ann was a mess and she knew it, but as far as she was concerned, her world was crumbling down. Why not panic? Why not worry with fear?

"My queen," Spade's body stood behind her. Bending over the table so that she hung her head in defeat, the fake-queen pleaded that he leave. "Now is no time to cower or fear." There was nothing to his voice; no emotion or feeling whatsoever. "Panicking is reckless. Allow the shadows of life to fulfill your dark wishes."

"I can't have you kill her. She has magical powers. Magical princess powers. Powers I need." Whirling around, her eyes now stained red from crying looked up at Spade and, had Weiss followed, her loyal guard. "I might be fooling these idiots now but at some point I will have to perform magic. They will want me to open the gates and let the magic into the kingdom."

Spade cocked a brow. He was clueless as to what Lei-Ann spoke of.

"The summer ceremony. It's just a month away. I need to somehow conjure up magic in order to start the Festival of Life." Panic flooded her eyes again. "If I don't, I'll be found out and killed." Her voice was rather pitchy, a surefire sign that she was seconds from cracking.

"Then kidnap her. Use her magic to open the gates. Once the Festival of Life starts, off her. You'll have a whole year from then to obtain magic." Spade crossed his arms over his chest. "Magic is rare, but you're the queen. You can ask for specific items. Items that have magic crystal bases."

As these words poured into her ears, a grin started to cross Lei-Ann's face. "Spade, I could kiss you. You're brilliant!" Snapping her fingers, she spread herself out over the table, which just so happened to have a map sprawled out on it. "Find her. And bring her here." Yanking a dagger from her garter, she stabbed the map right on a picture of a tower. "Bathe the dragon that guards this tower with gold to ensure the dragon stays on our side." Cackling as if she were a witch, Lei-Ann's hands balled into fists. "Oh princess, your escape was your first mistake."

Weiss followed her movements with a half-smirk on his face, even as she stormed from the room he admired the movements of her body, keeping his gaze ever focused on her as his cold eyes gleamed, he could feel the aura of anger radiating from her, so vibrant, and the quickly settling panic. He paced after her, the cold, calm expression remaining as he did so, the girl at his side following at the same pace, though she kept silent, unbidden. He barely even glanced at Spade, instead staring at Lei-Ann.

Even in her grief and despair, he found the ways he looked quite striking, but perhaps it was simply to his tastes, he couldn't help but enjoy that look.. Seeing false smiles and pretenses on Lei-Ann seemed so unbecoming, he couldn't see any of her before now,
"Magic in itself is not so rare as that, mind your words, it's magic of the royals we seek." He offered calmly, grinning, "Although, I'm sure we can find a way to circumvent that little limitation," He added, watching the false Princess suddenly come back to full life and vigor with her renewed confidence.

Her ordering to bribe a dragon simple made the man lower his head and chuckle. Dragons, only the younger ones were so greedy and vain that they needed piles of gold to satisfy them, he wasn't about to trust the fate of this matter to a young dragon alone. The man turned on his heel, smirking to himself,
"Then, in the meantime, I will find her and any accomplices, make sure to funnel them toward the Tower." He rested a hand on his hip and waved one hand in the air calmly, "Although I suppose it'll take a mercenary or two, perhaps some of our own soldiers, whether they live or not? Well.. That's certainly up to them.."

Lei-Ann's mood couldn't be destroyed -- or so she believed. Weiss just had to chip in that royal magic was harder to come by. Seriously, did he just have to rain on her parade? Honestly, Lei-Ann's mind raced to murder. If she killed the princess, could the magic become hers? Was that even possible? She knew so little about the magical powers of this world and it was starting to worry her. How was she to succeed when she was so uneducated.

Eyes flicking up to Weiss, the woman rest a hand on her hip. "I also want you to gather all the information you can on royal magic. We need to make sure she can't use those powers on me. Not to mention, we need to see if I can gain them at her death. If I were to kill her, would I be granted her powers? Or are they only given to the bloodline." She paced a bit before stopping. "We need to tie up all the loose ends. We cannot leave anything unturned. I don't want something to come back and bite me in the butt." A quick grin passed her lips. She loved her little idioms.

As Weiss spoke again, Lei-Ann grit her teeth. The word accomplices made her brows furrow. Things were going to be complicated. Weiss believed their was fire magic afoot. How and why. Could the wielder be converted? Would he turn on the princess? She had too many questions and not enough answers. It annoyed her, the limit of her mind, that is.

Puffing her cheeks out, Lei-Ann gruffly growled. "We need to eliminate all threats. Take and hire as many man as you need. If anyone asks too many questions, kill them." She looked to Spade who nodded. "My success lays in your hands. Don't fail me."

Gin stepped back and looked a tad confused. What was this man accusing him of, not caring? With a scoff, he turned away with a look of hatred in his eyes. "Before you label me a fool, why don't you ask her if I tried to help. She's more stubborn than you give her credit for." If his eyes could shoot daggers, they would. Sadly, Gin only had the power of fire on his side.

Sure enough, the scolding continued and Gin could only roll his eyes. Was it worth arguing with the guy? From his point of view, Gin probably looked like a major ass. And yet, had he known the whole story, he would probably think the guy a hero for rescuing the woman.

Hands sliding over his chest, the elf cast a glance at the woman. Clearly, she wasn't going to defend him.

"I found her like that in a cell. It's a bit odd that the guards would run toward her cell rather than attack me. I figured she meant something to someone so I bust her out. Along the way, we got a tad beat up. Things happen when you get trapped. Fire's explosive. The more space I have, the better. Smaller. Heh, you've seen my work." He looked down at his own leg, which still stung quite a bit.

At the man's name, the elf smirked. "Gin, elf of ash and tundra. Hence, my fire magic." Orbs falling on the girl, he waited to see if she would offer up a name. Of course, she didn't. Even with Matthias' questioning, she remained silent.

"The girl has magical powers or something. Afraid she hasn't spoken much to me but I can certainly see why the prison guards would move to protect her. Clearly, she's of some value." Eyes flickering up to meet Matthia's again, he laughed. "I might have destroyed our only way out. We found a sewer and she took over from there. Afraid you'll have to ask her the rest of your questions. I know about as much as you." A playful gleam shifted in his eyes. Depending on what his vampire did, Gin would be ready with another fireball strike. And, yes, he would rescue the prisoner, again, although he still didn't quite understand why he would go through that kind of trouble again. Perhaps he was just stubborn? Either that or stupid.

Weiss smirked to himself again, if it were so easy to acquire the magic of the royals, they would have been overthrown a long time ago, the secret of why they controlled their divine power was beyond the knowledge of anyone butt he family and their closest guardians, none of whom would simply turn on the now-fallen royal family. Well, almost-fallen, since one remained.. Oh well, she'd figure that out in time he supposed, for now the important thing was recapturing the true princess and anyone she had with her. He glanced briefly at the girl following him, but then continued to walk, hands rested on his hips, chuckling away as he went,
"As you wish, my princess," he responded passively. It had been a long time since he'd gotten to do something truly fun, maybe he could finally draw that weapon once again, though perhaps it would be prudent to get a little practice in first.

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Matthias glanced at Gin when he called her stubborn, maybe that was what it could be called, but he stared at the half-dead girl. The confused, blank expression on her face left him curious as he leaned close to her again, holding her head softly and shifting it a little as he examined her again, she barely responded to even that, unfazed by his actions,
"Well well.. I really must have been asleep a long time.. I never thought I'd see this.." Matthias said aloud, pondering s he continued to examine her, trying to get some better clothes. His eyes turned to the pendant and for a moment he reached toward it, the item glowed and he pulled his hand back sharply. In that instant he hissed suddenly, his face contorted, turning from the more handsome appearance to a darker, abhorrent creature, his fangs grew and his eyes glowed a deep red, however he forced it away. The girl actually flinched away from him with a gasp, surprised by the sudden change, but when the regular face returned, he stared at his hand, the tips of his glove's fingertips were smoking as if he'd placed his hand in fire,
"That pendant has powerful divine magic in it," He stated rather in a rather matter-of-fact manner, closing his hand for a moment until smoke no longer rose from it, "You see, Gin, elf of ash and tundra, there are only a very small handful of people whom may open these ruins. The royals of this kingdom, the ancients from almost a thousand years ago and those powerful enough to do so without either of the previous means. In her condition, she's hardly powerful, she's not an ancient, in fact..-" He reached to the sides of her head, there was an almost rip-like sound as he lifted her ears. They were not the simple, normal human pink ears that one would have expected, but rather the large, triangular shaped ears of a cat, the ripping sound in question had been the edges of it unsticking from her face, "-She's something new.. If I had to guess, half human, half beastfolk.. I had wondered once if it was even possible."

The girl's ears shifted, pulling back a little and she raised her hands to cover the area beneath as if still trying to deafen herself. Matthias pulled a grim face, his brows knitting with a level of sadness,
"She's trying to shut the world out.." He reached forward suddenly, covering the upper half of her face, his large gloved hand easily gripping her skull, it might have looked like a hostile move, but he stared at Gin, "I'm going to shatter her mind. It is an ability I possess as a vampire, though I do not take pride in it. I will subject her to my will, break her memories apart and force her to focus on whatever good memories she has, then release my control. She'll probably prove much more communicative this way, I cant guarantee it will work, but at this point I'm not willing to allow her to wander around as mindless as she is. Is this satisfactory? I ask you because it seems you are unofficially her guardian at this time. If you aren't satisfied, you're welcome to burn me to cinder."

Keen eyes were trained on Matthias' every move. As far as Gin was concerned, this girl was his problem; his thing to protect. Had he wanted to go solo, he would have left her by now and yet he hadn't. She was rather useful in the tunnels, after all.

As the vampire reached for an object around her neck, Gin rolled his eyes. He pegged the vampire to be a thief and he was just eyeing the jewel that dangled around the woman's neck. However, the smoke that singed his gloves was unexpected. It instantly called Gin's vision to fall back on the pale haired man. How on earth were his hands smoking and smoldering? Gin's curiosity got the best of him and he dared to poke his eyes above her breasts to stare down the object that hung around her neck. To his eyes, Gin saw nothing more than a pendant. It hardly seemed capable of burning a man. Too bad magic was never as plain as it seemed. He knew all too well that the simplest of items can hold the most powerful magic. Or, in Gin's case, the power to control powerful attacks.

He touched his gloves with his own gloved fingers. It felt so weird to feel the fabric, it was probably the first time he'd done so. It was smooth, soft, and rich. It held his hand when his flame needed guidance. He didn't need the gloves to create a flame; no, he used them to protect his hands from taking damage. To hold fire in one's hand isn't easy. Fire-proof gloves with a magical coating, though hard to come by, proved very useful for the elf.

By the time he raised his stare again, his eyes deceived him. The prisoner had... ears?

He stepped back, at first baffled but the thought of such a thing. But it was fleeting. A second later, he stepped closer and heed no attention to Matthias' comments. "A halfie. How... rare," Gin's curious face leaned into Salome as he inspected the woman further. "I thought they were just... myth and lore." He was whispering in awe now.

"Who is she," his mind raced, "and why was she in prison."

"I dont know, lets find out." The vampire responded with a slight smile, it seemed the young man wasn't exactly paying too much attention tot he correct parts of the situation, but that didn't matter too much. He focused deeply, taking a soft breath as the magic within himself focused. The energy shifted and he felt himself reach forward, not physically, rather through the void of darkness in the girl's mind until he tore away the barriers she had been placing up, he was astounded at how much difficulty he was having, but then, maybe he wasn't, however long he had been asleep, he was blood deprived, sleeping in the coffin could re-energize him but he was starved. Even this little task was somewhat difficult.

As he shredded at the final barriers within her mind, the girl herself twitched, her arms beginning to fall. He reached into her mind, to her memories, the images too vast and too many for him to pick anything out, he could see where her mind had focused, on the terror and fear, the pain. The dark claw of his domination spread across her mind, then dug in. The red-haired prisoner let out a strangled cry, but her voice was far too cracked to function correctly, it turned into a dried hiss instead. He focused pressure on her mind, then crushed the memories in one motion. It didn't mean they would cease to exist but he forced them away, tearing through her thoughts until it was scattered before him, like a shattered mirror with many views.

He whispered to her thoughts, telling her to cling to those good memories, the ones that she loved, the ones that didn't hurt her. He couldn't even guarantee it would work as he watched the shattered pieces start to re-assemble, the worst of the memories beginning to fall to the bottom of the pile whilst a number of good ones began to rise, he caught glimpses of hugs and smiles, the sounds of music and a face, a pink-haired young woman that the tortured girl once clung to.

He withdrew his control swiftly, eventually breaking his hand away from her entirely. The girl seemed to swoon, almost collapsing entirely, but Matthias supported her, staring at the girl. She lowered her head at first, eyes remaining dead for a few moments. if breathing were actually a thing he could do, Matthias would have held his breath in anticipation, however the girl eventually looked up, staring at the pale man in the knightly armor. She tried to greet him, but found her throat too dry, breaking into a coughing fit. But there was a significant difference, she was suddenly more animated, looking around curiously. Her ears lifted and changed position as she tried to hear things, even looking up at Gin momentarily.

One ear lowered and the other raised, turning towards him, she wondered for a moment if she should know who he was, he looked familiar. She sniffed softly in his direction, he seemed familiar for definite. She continued to sniff again, turning her head as she did so, trying to get a scent of the entire place, but also for something else, she could hear water. the moment she finally saw the waterfalls and flowing pools within the strange building, she practically scrambled for it.

Matthias stood up and chuckled a little,
"I think we've got a little progress.." He mentioned softly to Gin, watching as the girl scooped up water in both hands, drinking it quite thirstily until she'd gotten her fill, though even from almost ten meters away Matthias could hear her stomach beginning to gurgle,
"Well.. Her thirst is quenched, but I really doubt we can do anything about her hunger.. Young lady, you can hear me, correct?"
The girl's ears had turned backwards a little but then she turned, looking towards Matthias and Gin, eventually nodding softly,
"My name is Matthias, this man appears to be your friend, Young Gin. What do you remember?"
"Ire.. I.. Re.." She paused, seeming to hesitated, her voice was still a little scratchy, but at least she could speak again, "I remember.. Things.. Salome.." She stopped on the name then nodded gently, "S-Salome, you may call me that.." Her gaze then turned to Gin, her friend? "Is he..? I don't.. Remember.. I'm sorry.." The girl lowered her head a little, ears drawing back,
"So.. Young Salome. Do you remember who you are?"
"I'm-!" She paused again, then smiled meekly, "N-no-one special.."
Matthias smirked to himself, she was too weak and young to lie to him, but he felt it was better not to press it any further, she was progressing, this was good enough. The girl was starting to look at herself, she could see that she was a mess. The vampire looked at one of the nearby pools of water, it was more still than the others,
"Young Gin, you have already proven to yourself that fire is not merely explosive by searing that wound in your leg, perhaps you can do the young lady a favor and heat that water there? I'm sure she would appreciate an opportunity to clean herself up."

She seemed like a young fawn that was taking its first wobbly steps at life. Ears alert and flickering about, eyes wide with wonder, and nose seeking out all the scents of the world around them, Gin hardly knew how to react. It seemed too bold to demand a name and shake her until she caved. It was too gentle and foolish to merely let her aimlessly frolic through the waterways that laid below the prison they escaped. There had to be a better way to go about things. His gaze shifted to Matthias who seemed to have the most wits about him. Clearly, he had seem something like this before or, if not, had performed such a chance. It was as if he breathed life into the woman, which was hard to imagine coming from a vampire. Who was he to judge anyway? Was he not the one running around with a broken and deaf girl?

She spoke, though she did not recall who he was. Was it possible that she was blind to all the events that happened just hours ago? Salome, if that was truly her name, had larger cobwebs than Gin expected. It would take much more to reach her and connect with her. It was then, at that very moment, that Gin realized something. He wasn't running from his life anymore. No, he had stepped into another tale, another quest. This story no longer revolved around he and how he was going to free himself from the chains of marriage. Rather, Gin was now hellbent on one thing -- returning this girl to her family and keeping her safe.

His hand grazed his chest cavity that bore his heart. For second, he closed his eyes and breathed a silent wish. It was funny to think he might come back to such a role, a role of protection and guardianship. Was it a sign of things to come? Mayhaps? Even if it wasn't, Gin felt it was his duty to stand beside her. The guards of the prison clearly sought her out. Gin knew there had to be a reason.

To make a fire? His head snapped back to reality. As if right on cue, his head wiggled upward in a rather arrogant manner as he sauntered on to the water's edge. Peeling the glove from his hand, his placed his fingers below the clear surface of the water. For a few seconds, it probably looked like he were doing nothing and then, in great rolling waves, came the bubbles of boiling water. With speed, he jerked his hand from the water and blew a chilled breath of air on it. Grimace on face, he looked from Matthias to Salome.

"Let it cool for a few moments before you use it. Would hate for you to burn yourself."

Rising, Gin dipped his hand into the water once more before pulling it up with him. As the remnants dripped back into their pool of friends, Gin's amber gaze flashed forward and out across all that laid before him. Ears shifting forward and his back stiffening, the elf growled lightly. "It appears our friends above have finally come about." A very faint sound of gunfire and rioting could be heard above the water, if you so actively sought to hear it.