She stared at Kirin laying prone on top of her. What? Then evil laughter caused her to snap her head over to glare at the blood mage. She rolled over, letting Kirin sprawl to the floor, while she threw up a barrier. If either of them were going to live, she had to focus. This was her nightmare's apprentice. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes. He tried attacking various points of her shield, looking for weaknesses. There were none. She counterattacked mentally. He was a blood mage and wouldn't have worked on defense as much as offense. With her jumping the gun ahead of him on that, he wouldn't have a chance to do anything but defend. She pounded at him under he blacked out.

Then and only then, she turned to examine Kirin. He had magically gotten a broken rib. Shaking her head, she slowly began mending it. Slowly, she moved the rib into it's proper place. Then she carefully built the bone back up. After that, she stitched all torn muscles back together. Finally, she eased the bruising away and gently pushed at his cheek with her beak.

Kirin's eyes flutter open. He lets out a groan. "What happened?" He mutters. He groans as he sits up. He looks to the fallen mage. "We can't let him live."

She glances at the prone figure, "He won't be out for long. Whatever is done must be done quickly. Do you want to or shall I?"

"I will." He says though he hates the thought of doing it. He grabs the knife that he knows was to be used on him. He goes over to the mage. His hands are shaking as he raises the knife and aims for the heart. He brings the knife down.

She creates a shield between the knife and the blood mage. Walking up behind him, she wraps a wing around him. "Your not a killer. Your magic is untainted. I don't want you to be exposed or develop a taste for blood. Leave. I will dispose of him." She looks up at the staircase that leads upstairs. Perhaps that way. Then there was always the way they came, and the entrance to the valley. She would let him decide.

Kirin nods, not trusting his voice right now. He just wants out of this evil place. He moves away letting her do what ever needs to be done.

She waits there, "You should leave. I will not kill him in front of you."

"I'm not leaving with out you." He says. He can't bare to be apart from her in this place.

She growled at him and put him into a protective shield. Tapping the shield around him with her talons, she nodded her approval at the thunk sound it made. "That should keep you from any taint this mage has." She turned to finish off the blood mage. He was starting to wake up, a small groan came from his lips.

Kirin is shaking all over. He sees the blood mage start to wake. He is worried for her. He knows she is capable yet he is still worried for her. He knows this man is evil. He watches, to see what happens.

She jumped over to where he was still laying down and in one swipe used her talon to sever his neck. For a moment nothing happened. Then his body seemed to suck in on itself in a vaccum until a small red ball of glowing energy compacted tight was there. She backed away from it, quickly constructing a shield in front of her. Suddenly it exploded outward in furious energy. It blasted against her shield and kept exploding against her shield. She felt her magic draining that was sustaining both her shield and Kirin's protective bubble. She let her's slowly weaken. If she held onto both of them, it would kill her. Finally just as the explosive storm ended, she let her own shield drop and flew backwards across the room towards Kirin. Landing on her side, she slowly struggled to get up. The blood mage was gone. But not the room was glowing red in his residue power. She stumbled towards Kirin and the bubble he was in and shoved at it, sending him safely out of the room.

"NO!" He hollers as he is shoved out of the room. He tries to break out of the bubble. He has to get to her. He has to help her. Tears run down his cheeks. "Gryphon!" He hollers. He can't loose her, he can't. He sinks to his knees sobbing.

She felt the tainted magic gravitating towards her. She looks back at it. It's red tendrils start to lengthen as they searched for the presence they knew was in the room. She wasn't worried about them touching her. It was what the tainted magic would do to her mind that she was concerned about. The reason she sent Kirin out. His magic was white and beautiful, unblemished from the dark arts.

As the red misty tendrils reached her, they caressed across her feathers and slowly started covering her. It was times like these she wished that she couldn't see the magic that was a part of daily life. Humans were so incredibly lucky. Soon, she felt it piercing her mental barricade and probing for her mind. She resisted. It whispered seductively of power, of granting her the desires of her heart, and being able to do anything she wished. She knew the price though. Killing innocent blood. Always more death.

You see, magic is fair. You don't gain something for free. What is given is given back. What is taken is taken back. If your good will towards others is strong enough, you can perform amazing feats. If you want power, life energy is required. She would not be a part of that and refused. Repeatedly. Finally exasperatedly, the tainted magic turned to a threatening emotion. It was about to die out and slowly go away with time. Her refusal to take it up was making it desperate to leave its legacy. Before she knew it could, it did harm her physically. She was changed, again, into a human. It left her alone then. She stood, naked, looking at what appeared to be an empty room with her human eyes.

Knowing that the residue taint was still here, she turned and weakly stumbled out. As soon as she was human, her magic was gone. The bubble around Kirin had collapsed. If she didn't leave, he would come back and it would strive to influence him as well. Leaving the room for the dark corridor, she felt the tears return. The human tears that always came when she was in this state. It wasn't a new moon though. She was human when it wasn't a new moon. What exactly had that tainted magic of the blood mage done to her?

"Gryphon!?" He calls heading back to find her. "Where are you?" He moves through the hall. He has to find her. He has to make sure she's alright. He hopes she's alright, he's very worried.

She hears his calls as she leaves the tainted room. She must have pushed him further down the corridor than she had thought. He sounded so far away... or what that the blackness that was threatening to take over her? She was having trouble staying awake. She had used a lot of her life energy and with magic no longer able to be used to sustain her...

He spots her and rushes to her. He doesn't ask questions he just scoops her up. He starts heading away from that evil room. He has to get them out of there. He'll figure out what to do after that. He makes his way through the caves and soon ends up back to where they had been held prisoner. After a little while longer he finds his way out.

She tried to keep her eyes open, but it was pretty hard. Humans. Such weak creatures. She felt her distain for herself grow. Maybe it wasn't humans she thought of as weak. Kirin had been through so much in his life and still was a good person. Maybe it was herself she as a human she hated. How she didn't have that inner strength the human race somehow survived on.

She kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Despite that though, she was always aware of Kirin's arms holding her. That and his heartbeat. Leaning against his warm chest, she could hear with clarity his heart. It was rather fast, but strong. As sunlight filtered across her face and it's warmth spread across her body, she realized they must have exited via the valley floor's entrance.

If there was one thing, one regret, that she had out of all this... besides obviously losing her mighty gryphon state... it was keeping something from Kirin. Something that he, as her closest friend, should know. "Kirin..."

Kirin lets out a content sigh as he feels the sun on his face. He is so glad to be out of that place. Now all he has to do his find his way back to the temple ruins. It takes him a moment to hear him call her name. He looks down at her. "Yes?" He says just glad that they are both out of that horrible place.

She wonders if it is awkward for a moment for him to be carrying a completely naked female and realizes she had allowed herself to sidetrack. Refocusing, she whispers, "My name is Larissa." There, she had said it. It was the first time in years she had dared to utter her name. The power to control others simply by knowing their name could be devastating. He was her friend though. He deserved that much.

And hopefully it would give him some peace of mind. They had a long journey ahead of them. Without her ability to fly, they were going to have to walk the whole way. Probably spend the night halfway up the mountain, though not in the same place that the blood mage had. Anywhere but where he had been. That thought was just uncomfortable.

Kirin is filled with a warmth to know that she trusts him with her name. "It is a very pretty name. Thank you for trusting me with it." He says. He heads towards their home, some how knowing where to go. As the walk he uses his magic to form clothes around her. The clothes are light and airy, but warm.

She feels the clothes form around her like the soft touch of a fairy. He was very handy with that magic of his. She felt herself slowly falling asleep. Her last thoughts were literally, Darn it, humans are so weak.

Ahead of them a hermit rested in the shade. He couldn't see the travelers slowly hiking up the mountain. He didn't particularly go out of his way to find any that might be about either. He had sensed the presence of the blood mage earlier and felt justified in that. He offered, however, a pleasant dwelling for those who might wish to spend the night.

Kirin carries Larissa as she sleeps. After awhile he sees the hermit beside the edge of the road. He wonders if this hermit would know a safe place they could rest, and get a bit of food. "Excuse me," He says bowing his head a bit, as he can't bow with his whole body. "I was wondering, if perhaps you would know of a safe place my friend and I could rest, and get a bite to eat? We have been through much this day."

The hermit raised his eyes from their faraway destination to take in the bruised and battered boy. He carried a young thing in his arms. She looked to be a rather worn out herself. Was there a war going on that he didn't know about? Perhaps he could figure his character out. "Sure. The hut behind me has food and a bed, if you're willing to work for it. How handy are you with an ax?"

"I've never used one, but I am willing to learn." He says. He has always used his magic to chop wood for his fires. Though he is not sure he should let this hermit know he has magical powers, he could try to make him uses his powers for ill.

The hermit humphed, "Well go put her inside and get yourself back out here. Don't dally wag, I don't have all day." Actually, he did. But being grumpy was his nature.