He wandered the halls of the palace, meaninglessly meandering. On and on, the halls continued, an endless maze that was all but too familiar. His footsteps disturbed the silence that was kept throughout the estate, each soft tap giving away his location. He had been trapped inside for so long. For too long, he had been neglected of the outdoors, bound to his master's wishes. He wanted to be given another mission, another goal that he could accomplish, but alas, his orders had been to stay and tend to his master. Any other daemon would have been utterly ashamed that a demon of his skill should stoop to this level, but he allowed the others to feel the shame for him. The thoughts in his mind wandered as he reminisced on the past, times when he was free to unleash his power in the wars of old. The death and destruction that he had inflicted, the screams and pleas of the mere mortals, his lips curled in a twisted smile. Yes, those were the good days. However, the wars were long over, peace has been restored, and the two races agreeing to never again communicate amongst themselves. How dull, he thought to himself.

His ears twitched has he felt another presence behind him. He turned to see another daemon behind him, one of a far lower ranking. His eyes were wide with innocence that had not yet seen death nor bloodshed. "What is it?" he snapped at the lowly demon in a low, gruff voice. The young one flinched a little, but remembered his place and quickly straightened himself. "Lord Ryuu," he said, a little out of breath, "you...you have been summoned." The daemon called Ryuu peered at him through his slanted eyes. "Did my master say for what reason I am to be summoned?" he asked, his voice lowering to almost a purr. The younger daemon shook his head. "No, sir, just that you are needed immediately." Ryuu looked away and exhaled. "Fine, you are dismissed. Tell him that I shall be there shortly," he said, waving him off. The lower daemon bowed, signifying his leave, and turned and walked in the opposite direction.

He waited for the other daemon to be completely out of his sight before walking in the direction of his master's hall. It was on the other side of the estate that he was currently in, so it was a little bit of a walk, but he finally arrived in front of the beautifully decorated screen door. He stood in front of it, waiting for the approval for entrance. "Enter," a voice said from inside. Ryuu slide the door open, and glided in, shutting the door behind him. In front of him was a curtain, hiding the form of his daemon master, but thin enough so that he could see the shadow of a male figure, reclining on a small mountain of cushions and pillows. Ryuu bowed deeply, to the point where he was on the floor before his master's feet. "You summoned me..." The figure didn't move. "Yes. I have noticed that you have grown restless..." The daemon lord twitched involuntarily, his black and green hair cascading in front of his face. "You do not need an excuse, for I can see it. You long for something to entertain you." There was a slight silence. He didn't know what to say, he was at a loss for words. "Ryuu." His stomach flipped has he heard his name said. "Your wish shall be granted." He looked up sharply, his grey eyes fixed on the shadowed silhouette. "You see, I myself have been...bored with the way things have ended up with the mortals...I long for the battles and the bloodshed that has not been present for the past century." The figure turned his head to face Ryuu. "I know you desire this as well...that is why you are given the honour of starting what has ended. The king of one of the high mortal kingdoms has a daughter that is beloved by everyone. I want you to kill her. With her death, we are sure to go to war once more." Ryuu's eyes flashed. "If that is what you wish, my master."

"It is. You are dismissed."

((That was an awesome intro. I hope I write my posts at your Level ^^))


Wandering from town to town was something Marian Hull did a lot. To steal and break the laws set forth by the king was the only way she knew how to survive. It seemed to her that no one wanted to take in the bastard child of the Kings affair with the castle maid. That was why she made it her duty to remind the king that she was still alive. That tossing her aside like a piece of trash was the worst thing he could have done. The way she accomplished this was by stealing from the caravans that came and went from the capital city. Marian even went as far as the break into the castle and steal the very items that the King treasured most of all, displaying those items for all to see. Those criminal tendency were that landed this young in trouble today.

Marian had been bold enough to steal gold from the Royal knights of Kale, The Castles loyal protectors. She had thought she had gotten away without being notice, but she was very wrong. One of those block-headed knights had seen her and it sent her running for her life. Marian had made it out of the city gates and into the Black forest before the first of the knights had caught up with her. Marians only advantage on the knights was that she as a far faster runner. Although her advantage was quickly lost when the knights drew their bows and fired one round of arrows. The arrows missed her body completely. The closet arrow that missed, hit a tree and pinned a lock of her black hair to it. The knights drew their bows again. There was a very good chance they where not going to miss again.

[[Haha. Thanks.]]

He was pleased. No, he was excited. But upon gazing at him, one would not be able to notice this glee. His stern face kept its dark and calculating disposition, his posture so straight that his back had a slight arch to it. No, the only way you could notice was in the pace with which he walked. It was fast, steady, and with a purpose, as opposed to the light stroll that he had maintained for the past who knows how many years. The forest ground felt cool against his bare feet, the air crisp against his pale skin, the wind blew just enough that his numerous layers of robes flowed freely and he had to brush his lengthy hair away from his face. He missed the outdoors, the sense that he got from the dark depths of the forest. A grin split Ryuu's face, showing his perfectly white teeth. Yes, the forest. To keep future generations from entering the forest, be it from accident or intention, the elders had thus named the woods "the Black Forest." For those of a century ago knew what awaited in within the labyrinth of trees, the daemon kingdom, forever shunned from the presence of light from the gnarled, overgrown branches of the trees. He was sure that his race had long since been forgotten, the terror that they instilled a mere legend, causing superstition amongst the people. None now live who recall those days of war.

He had been walking for about a day now, and not once had he stopped. He could not afford to waste time, not with such an important task dealt before him. Ryuu looked up; bits of blue could be seen from the gaps between the trees. The forest was thinning out, signifying that he was very close to his destination. For just beyond the woods, was the kingdom of Kale, not but a thirty minute walk from the woodland border. He laughed to himself. He was excited. A loud snap could be heard from under his foot. He halted, ears perked for anything that might have heard him. After remaining stationary and looking around for potential onlookers, he shook his head, reminding himself to not get lost in his thoughts like that. It could cause him trouble. If something, or worse, someone were to have heard him--

Again, his mental thoughts were interrupted, but not by his own faults, this time. The forest floor rustled with unnatural movement, followed by raised voices. There were people, lots of them, in the forest. Were they stupid? Ryuu thought to himself. Humans know better than to enter these woods. Who would be so impudent as to betray their common sense? Intrigued, and almost forgetting his task at hand, he strolled over to where the commotion was. His steps were as light as ever, making no noise as to not be discovered. Ryuu's keen eyes scanned the trees before him, looking for the humans he had heard. Within a couple of minutes, the humans ran a short distance in front of him; they had not noticed him. There was about ten men, each heavily armed and protected with their gleaming armour. Fabrics of deep red velvet flowed from the shoulder plates of the armour, signifying their high rank. Royal guards in the forest? Ah, then he noticed their victim of choice: a young girl with slightly ragged attire and raven hair. Arrows flew beside her, one then pinning her hair to the tree. It looked like the guards were going to kill her. Ryuu watched the scene from a couple of feet away, if the humans decided to turn to their right, he would most likely be seen, but he paid no mind to this.

The knights aimed their arrows, aiming for the girl. He gazed upon her face, and wondered if she felt fear of her more than eminent death. Then, a thought came to the daemon lord. If this human girl were from Kale, she could be of use to him in helping him unknowingly. Yes, he would not allow her to die; not quite. Ryuu stepped forward, allowing his position to be given away. The guards quickly turned their heads at him, giving him confused and angry expressions.

"Dear me," spoke the daemon, his voice calm and mellow. "Whatever happened to the thoughts and acts of chivalry that knights used to cherish so?" He smiled softly. "I'm sorry, gentlemen. But I cannot allow you to kill this girl."

((Can I ask you who you got so good at role playing your character and writing posts?))

There was far too many things going on at this moment. The Strange man to her write and the royal knight in front drew her attention in too many direction for her to think clearly of what to do. If this stranger was under her fathers control, like the knights were, he could also be after her head. It did matter for Marian She just knew that she had to get out of the area as soon as possible. Nothing good would come from hanging around.

Marian turned to leave and that was when she saw it. Something was dripping from the arrow hole. Her slim fingers touched the bark and came away red. The tree was bleeding? It seemed impossible to her. Plants do not feel pain. They do not bleed when hurt. Marian looked up into the branches of the tree. They where moving on their own. Without warning a medium sized branch swept down and knocked Marian off her feet. She layed dazed on the ground. The Knights took to defending themselves from the attacking plant. This forest was truly cursed after all.

[[Practice. That's really all you have to do. Also, take more time than you think is necessary for your post. Really think about what you want to write, instead of just an immediate response. But most of all, write as if it were a prize-winning novel; as if other people were going to read it, and you want to be really proud of it. And it may sound silly, but generally speaking, if you write overly-sophisticated, your work can sound better.]]

He was caught extremely off guard by this sudden turn of events. Upon discovering the blood of the "tree," it attacked the girl, sending her flying onto the ground. His head jerked in the direction of the tree, then the girl, then the pathetic humans running for their what was left of their meaningless lives. His eyes narrowed, and he scoffed them harshly. Nonetheless, there was this "tree" to deal with. Although the entire circumstance was very strange to begin with. The tree that was attacking the knights, was not really a ordinary photosynthesizing plant, not at all; it was a tree spirit, one possessed with anger at its sudden injury. Plant spirits were generally peaceful creatures, slumbering soundly in times peace. However, when angered--or injured--they contain the wrath equal to that of a daemon, and the humans had clearly disturbed this spirit. Ryuu had no time to think, and the only thought that occurred his his mind was to destroy the spirit; he had no time for negotiations of any kind.

The tree spirit moved again, with the intention of harming the girl once more. Its branches lifted high, aiming to crash down upon her, like one would step on an insect. Ryuu ran swiftly to her side, stood over her limp body, and raised his pale, clawed hand. The spirit sent its branches plummeting, only to have the daemon catch it in his grasp. He struggled to keep it above his head; his arm shook from the strain. He shut his eyes briefly, and with his free hand, he summoned his internal magick energy. Around that hand, came an inferno of black energy coiling his hand and spread up his arm. "Begone, you pesky, minuscule spirit. You're proving to be quite cumbersome, and I cannot be delayed any further," he said in a voice that echoed, despite the density of the forest. The voice was dark and maniacal. The spirit once again lifted the branch with which it had struck the girl, now aiming for its new threat. As it swooped down, Ryuu dashed to the truck of the tree, plummeting his hand with the coiling inferno upon it into the base. The tree shrieked a ghastly sound, a pitch so high and unbearable that eardrums could implode within the ear. It recoiled and wildly swung its branches around, like that of a dying spider. Yet the daemon held fast onto the trunk, and with one final move, he ripped his hand out of the tree's trunk. Blood poured from this open wound, spraying out like a satanic fountain.

The spirit came crashing down. If it weren't for the pools of blood, it would look just like a human had cut down a tree. Ryuu opened his hand that had been inside the trunk. In the palm of his hand, was the heart of the spirit. It was still beating. He smiled wickedly. "This is for wasting my time, and my energy." He took a bite of the heart, and chucked it to the ground, the remains splattering upon the fallen leaves. It was not exactly a custom, but a daemon could regain some of their lost energy by eating the hearts of their victim. Ryuu wiped his mouth upon the sleeves of his robe, and turned to face the girl, for his back was turned to her before. She was still on the ground. He slowly walked up to her, and knealed down beside her, balancing perfectly on the balls of his feet, his arms resting upon his knees. "Girl," he purred. "Are you alright?"

[Im going to try my best to get up to your writing level ^^]


To say the least, Marian was amazed. She Could never have believed that a tree would walk or for that matter bleed. The person who protected her from the trees attack was not human. She could tell right off the bat. Clawed hands and a demonic looked in his eyes, echoed his forest origins. If she was not careful around this man, she too could end up like the tree.

As the shock of what just happened wore off, the realization of her situation set in. Marian was laying in a pool of blood which oozed out of the broken tree. Her hands were literally
red. Right before her eyes the tree began to rot and die. It was a short struggle to get back on her feet. Her body did not wanna be moved after the beating it had taken. It was easy to say Marian was not accustomed to hits of that nature. Her Green eyes looked the fellow by her side up and down. Every signal part of his man looked like it could kill. Her spoke softly, slowly so not to make a mistake and offend him. Although from the way he spoke he didnt seem like the type to take offense to the small things in life.

"Thank you, I owe you a favor for saving me life. I'll Do just about anything you wish. Can I have your name? Mine is Marian Hull.." With a bow and a proud tone of voice she added "One of the Many thief of this area."

Thief was not a title to be proud of, Especially with the King's Strict thievery laws. Which saw any thief captured put to death in front of a crowd. But that title was one of the Few things Marian still had in her life and she was going to be damned, to let it go without a fight.

[[It's alright. Now that we're interacting, my posts will be much shorter. ^^;;]]

Ryuu glanced over this girl with his narrow, dark eyes. She was nice to look at, with her raven hair and seemingly plain physical appearance, he would admit that. However, he could tell that she looked at him with the view of suspicion, perhaps he had shown her too much with his battle with the tree spirit. He frowned slightly at this prospect; he would hate to have given himself away this early in his journey. Although he did find it amusing how the girl gave her name and position so freely to a stranger. Either she was naive, or simply unintelligent. Still, the notion of her thievery intrigued him. Perhaps she knew plenty of ways to get in and out of Kale. That would be very useful indeed.

The girl had spoken with such softness, a tingle spread up Ryuu's spine. "Thank you, I owe you a favor for saving me life. I'll Do just about anything you wish. Can I have your name?" He could not give his name; it was an impossibility. Should he tell her that he was called Ryuu, no doubt she would cave into fear from the stories and legends of the daemon who terrorized mankind for centuries in the Old Wars. He definitely didn't need that to worry about. He would have to kill the girl if she made such a ruckus. That would be one helpful resource less for him, and he needed someone as naive as this girl to help him enter the kingdom. He looked again at her calmly and smiled with a sincerity that was so sweet, it looked natural. "My name is Allarick. I am very pleased to meet you, Marian Hull, thief of Kale. I apologize for this mess you seem to be in. Allow me." He reached for her hands, which were soaked with blood. He took them gently, and found that her hands were much warmer than his own, despite the freshly spilt blood. Ryuu wiped her hands upon his black robes, clearing them of the red filth. His black and green hair fell into his face once more, and he casually swept the strands of hair behind his ears, allowing his eyes to be shown. He looked up at the girl, and released her hands. He stood up and looked around. "I don't believe that those guards will be back, if they have the slightest bit of intelligence." He inhaled and exhaled deeply in prolonged sigh.

The wind picked up, tossing the daemon's many layers of robes and his waist-long hair around his slender form. The warmth of summer was leaving, giving way to autumn's season. Ryuu turned to look at Marian, and spoke once more to her. "I'm a traveler. I've been to many towns, cities, and countries. Upon traveling to one kingdom, I decided to go through these woods, to save a few days' journey, only to find myself hopelessly lost. Pray tell, do you know how to get to Kale from here?" he asked her casually.

Marian was a little naive from her sheltered childhood. Speaking too freely at times and putting trust in those she should not. She only knew a fraction of the old stories, most of those told to her were twisted to show the Royal family trumping over the evil creature of the forest. Her eyes scanned his outfit, For the area it did seem very out of place. The Craftsman ship was far to good for the weavers of Kale. Marian place a long slender finger on her chin and thought for a moment "You are in the Kingdom of Kale now, Its border started at the edge of the forest..." After a pause she continued to talk "You do look very out of place, Only the Royals dress like you are now. If your not of noble blood, you should change your clothes before you reach town, What other countries have you seen, I my self have never been father the Kingdom of Braid to the west."

Marian was calm as she watched his hands work. For the strength he just showed, 'Allarick' was surprisingly gentle as well. No matter how well he cleaned her hands there was still blood felt behind. This troubled Marian to her core. This was the most blood she had ever seen. The smell stayed in her nose and it threated to make her sick. Without warning she pulled her hand out of his grip. "Continue straight and you will reach the edge of the forest." She tuned and began to walked East. She remember from her last visit to the forest that a
small creek was running near by. It would be a good place to was off the blood. There was no way she was going to get back into the city looking the way she did. She called back to the traveling Boy "I'll be seeing you around, Allarick!"

Ryuu watched Marian get up, wave him farewell, and run off. She was a peculiar girl, indeed. He called after her. "Girl, if you ever find that you're in trouble like this again, you'll be able to find me." He cared not for her response, and continued on his predestined way before being interrupted by the ignorant humans. Yet, what the girl said was true: no doubt his attire would send many questioning glances his way, and he wanted to keep as low a profile as possible. Not to mention the fact that his outer robe was now stained with the blood he had rid the girl's hands of. Ryuu rubbed his forehead, irritated. One more stop before he entered the main dominion of Kale; and for clothing, nonetheless. Well, no sense in remaining still and complaining, he reasoned. And onward he went, leaving the tree carcass and the girl named Marian behind.

Upon travelling for a few more hours, the day began to cease, the darkness consuming the landscape. Shadows crept around him, seeming to play with his silhouette. He loved the night hours; he closed his eyes and breathed. It had been so long since he had been able to relax like this. The coolness of the night air nipped his skin, sending goosebumps up his arms and the back of his neck. The wind ceased, yet the air remained just as cool and refreshing. The sky around the trees was a deep shade of pink and purple, a colourful farewell from the sun. The trees and plant life seemed to give off a daemonic nature of their own as the light began to give way. The stalks and branches looked gnarled and twisted, their otherwise green and brown colors appearing as pitch black. On he walked, leaves brushing under his feet, rustling of those still clinging to their original plantlife.

He finally reached the border of the forest, the cover of darkness shielding him from any eyes that might have been gazing in the general direction. His eyes shifted from left to right, his keen eyesight checking just to make sure that there was no one to see him. Ryuu looked a little onwards, and noticed lights and fires within a small village nearby. He made his path towards it, noticing all of a sudden that he was very tired. For nearly two days, he had traveled with no rest. Upon reaching the village, he found it to be crude, and quite frankly, dirty. The mud and straw thatched houses littered the ground, with no sign of a superior dwelling, signifying the presence of a lord. There was a poorly build wall of tall wooden stakes surrounding the premises. One would think that from all the stories of the woods, this village so close to its borders would better protect itself.

"Yes? Whaddyou want?" said a gruff voice. Ryuu looked over to where the voice had come from. There was a slot in the door through the wall, just large enough to see a pair of withering eyes wrapped in the wrinkles of age. The daemon bowed his head. "Yes, good evening. I'm a traveler, seeking accommodations for the night whilst I continue my journey? Is there a place I can stay in your village?" The slot quickly closed. Ryuu could hear mumblings of two voices, words like "different" and "outsider" could be heard. The slot opened again. "Do you...know magick?" the old guard asked. Ryuu shook his head. "Sir, I know no more than protection spells to help me when traveling." Slot shut. More mutters from behind the door. He grinned. These humans were too easy to fool. Slot opened. "Yeah, we've got a place for yea. Yea can stay with the smithy. Come on." The wooden gate slowly opened, with only the force of the two elderly guardsmen. Ryuu bowed his head in feigned appreciation, and was pointed into the direction of where the blacksmith's residence was. He was welcomed in, upon giving his explanation by the smith and his wife and children.

He lay upon the cot that was prepared for him. Twasn't as comfortable as the bed he had at his master's palace, but he was tired enough to not care nor complain. Shutting his eyes, he found himself drifting to sleep.

A small group of solders rode onto the boarder town that Ryuu was resting at. Those men were fully clothing in chain mail armor and armed to the teeth. It was their job to guard the two women that rid in a covered carriage in the center of the group. The crest of Kale sparking in the pale moonlight. This carriage no doubt held members of the royal family and by the looks of the party and wagon full of priceless treasures that followed behind the royal women. They were no doubt leaving Kale for the outer kingdoms to the East. The commotion in the village grew as the royal party stopped and the knights dismounted their horses. This was the last village between Kale's Boarders and the mountain pass the Group need to take to get safely to the destination. Against the guards wishes the young Princess stepped out of the carriage and looked up at the stars. Her long golden hair was drapped over one should and a white line dress, along with a purple cloak, was the only prection the girl had against the nights cold air. Although the girl , who could not be any older then 16, wanted to stay out side a little while longer; The knights rushed her and mother into a shabby looking building.
Saying, "Princess Kathrin, the night bring out the most dangurous people. No not be fooled by how quite it is.", as they did.


Those Royal knight were right about the night. Marian had found a place to sleep just at the foot of the forest when she saw the parties torches. Her body was sore from the day events, but the call of free gold and the chance to sleep in a inn forced the girl from her camp site. She followed the party for the longest time. There were to many Knight guarding the wagon and carriage for Marain to risk a direct attack. Instead she would wait and take the good the part had brought with them while the men slept. It was a good plan, there was nothing that could make it go wrong or at least that was that she thought.

Like a cat, Marian make her way from roof top to roof top as the party below her dismounted and brought the women into a hut. It had been 3 years since she had seen the Princess and she had grown into a fine young lady. Marian guessed that this trip the girl and her mother were taking was to try to cement an alliance between the Kingdom to the east and Kale, War was always a looming thing these days and it seemed the King thought power was need to keep the peace. It really didnt mean nothing to Marian, She would be gone from this border town with gold soon enough. She jumped onto the roof of the black smith's house. The Knight had just parked the wagon on the other side. Just a few more feet and Marian would have her prize. The light from the torches were far behind her now and the area in front of her was almost pitch black. That was why she didnt see the large hole in the roof. Marian reach out for something to grab and missed the roof beam by inches. The strange thing was she didnt land on the hard ground. She had landed on something soft, warm and breathing. The thief froze with her hand on the dagger at her side. The thing she had roughly landed on would soon awken, that is if it hadnt done so already.