Kirin screams as the net is thrown over him. He tries to get the net off him. Blackness soon over takes him.

Larissa slowly woke up in some sort or cavern. It wasn't just any cavern though. It was the same cavern she had been held prisoner so long ago. The gray warm stones glowed a soft red in the distance. She groggily took in the red lines that glowed as a cage around her. From past experience she knew to touch them was to cut yourself. They were like fire and burned through you faster than a knife in soft butter. She was too tired to try to stand. The depression of being here, again, took away any desire to even consider it. She looked beside her and found Kirin laying limply on the stone. For him, she would attempt to move. Rolling over so that she was on her stomach, she slowly stretched out a leg, then another so that she could sit on her haunches. Gently gathering him up in front of her, she wrapped her wings around him so that he could rest in peace without seeing the horrible place of her nightmares. The torture chamber deep in a mountain which had only one exit. Kirin's father's fortress at the bottom of the valley.

Kirin groans his eyes fluttering open. He aches all over. Though he feels safe being near her. "Where are we." He mumbles. His voice is rough. He starts coughing.

She bends her head down between her feathers so she can see him. Gently soothing his hair back with her beak, she waits for the coughing to pause. "We are in an unfriendly place being held prisoner. Try to conserve your strength. Your going to need it." She closed her eyes and began going over everything she could remember from last time. Surely there was something there. Something that would allow her to escape again without being human.

Kirin can sense the evilness in this place. He just shakes all over. He hates it here, but at least he's not here alone. He snuggles against the gryphon.

She keeps her wings wrapped around him. The view isn't great. He had been through some hard stuff but one thing was certain, nothing could prepare him for what might happen here. She glances at the cage bars of glowing red lines. You couldn't get through those if you tried. Last time her magic had really done a number on her when she tried.

In another chamber, the blood mage slowly massaged his temples. Something was wrong. Ever since he had taken in that extra energy in the forest, he had felt a bit uneasy. Almost sick. Surely the gryphon hadn't tried anything. Or the boy for that matter. Deciding not to worry about it, he prepared a circle. Fresh molten lava that was hard enough to carry on a shovel glowed a hot red as his minions finished the circle. He grinned as he looked at it. Time to get the boy. His blood was needed.

Kirin can sense the darkness of this place. "This was my father's lair." He mutters. He doesn't know how he knows it. He just does. "He must have taught that man. This isn't good." He pushes down the panic that threatens to over come him. "He wants something from me, but what." He mumbles almost to himself.

Larissa snapped her head up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Four minions all dressed in black robes approached their cage from down a dark corridor. She tightened her wings around Kirin and moved her front legs so that they were in front of his shoulders and legs. Completely protecting him with her body, she narrowed her eyes at them.

Two of them moved to the side, ready to grab Kirin. A third lowered part of the energy in the lower half of the front wall of the cage. The fourth one at the same time the third was acting starting casting a spell. It was designed to freeze in ice whatever the spellcaster chose. In just mere seconds, she was iced to the floor and unable to open her beak. She retaliated with a fire spell. She had forgotten momentarily that in the cage, if you used magic then it would turn on her. The moment she released it, it engulfed her insides. She quickly canceled it out and before herself shuddering in pain.

Kirin feels the gryphon move. He also hears the footsteps. When the ice forms he shudders. He feels her shudder. "My friend are you alright?" He is very worried about all of this. Why were they brought here? What did that mage want? Whatever it was he knew it couldn't be good.

She wanted so badly to answer him. But her beak was frozen shut by their ice. She could feel his trembling frame within her front legs as she held him against her chest. She couldn't protect him. She had tried to, but she couldn't. She didn't even know what it was that this crazy blood mage wanted.

One of the minions sent another blast of ice magic at her. She felt herself go dizzy and black out. The ice held her upright. Another minion pulled back her wings and grinned at Kirin, who sat before her. He threatened, "Hold out your wrists or we will kill her here and now. We don't need her."

"What do you want with me?" He asks trying his best to keep the trembling from his voice. He is scared beyond all reason, but he won't give into that fear. Gryphon needs him.

One of them creates an ice spear and gets into a throwing stance. "Hold out your wrists or she dies here and now."

Kirin holds out his wrists. He knows whatever they want it can't be good. He holds down his panic. He can't loose control. He has to stay calm. He has to keep her safe.

The minion snaps on glowing red cuffs that are magically linked to each other. Red glowing things, it seemed, canceled out the use of magic around here. It would only redirect anything he tried back into himself. The four stepped back and motioned him to step out.

In another room, the blood mage eagerly awaited the arrival of his prey. The son of his master. He had a table with iron cuffs chained to it ready for use. He paced back and forth mentally going over a list of things he must remember and in the right order.

((still trying to figure out what he needs his blood for... but all bad guys spill their guts out with monologue at some point when they think they can't lose.... ^_^))

Kirin takes a deep calming breath and steps out of the cage. He follows the minions. One stays behind him as they walk

Larissa slowly gains consciousness at they lead Kirin away. They are completely focused on him and making sure he doesn't escape. As they disappear around the corner, she feels her spirits lift. They thought she used all her magic ability to try to protect Kirin, and thus would have greatly harmed herself inside this cage. In actuality, she had out of habit used only a little. They must have assumed she would be out for hours, for the cage wall had not been resealed.

The blood mage looked up at Kirin's approach. His minions were doing a wonderful job at ensuring he didn't escape. His lips drew apart in an evil grin while his long fingers tapped together in eagerness. "Put him on the table and secure the irons." He walked sedately to the other side and used a long poker in the fire. This was going to be fun. He glanced over his shoulder as they removed the magic cuffs and shoved Kirin towards the table.

Kirin lets his powers go at the minions after the cuffs are released. He might not be able to win but he refuses to go down with out a fight.

Larissa strained her muscles against the ice. Slowly, enough cracked off that she could more freely use her beak. She began chipping away at it furiously. Though frozen and pained from the cold and magic attacks, her fear for Kirin took precedence. She couldn't know of the battle taking place elsewhere.

The minions were of course not as magically talented as the blood mage. He was a suspicious sort. They tried to find back with little wisps of black darts. They didn't last more than a few seconds before the energy from Kirin's attacks fried them. They slowly slumped to the ground.

While Kirin was engaged with them, the blood mage was busy gathering their dying, agonizing energy into himself. He still felt sick from gathering the energy in the forest, the energy Larissa had poisoned. But this was definitely replacing it and strengthening him. He gathered a fire ball and as soon as the minions were down, he sent it flying at Kirin in a roaring fury.

Kirin senses the water in the air and uses it to send a water spray at the fire ball dousing it. He then forms ice daggers sending them at the mage.

The blood mage creates a hot geyser that jets hot acid water at the ice daggers. With those out of the way, he takes the left over acid and splashes it towards Kirin.

Larissa breaks free from the ice and quickly leaves the cage. She looks down the corridor Kirin had been taken and takes off at a full run.

Kirin manages to get a shield up before the acid hits him. He then pushes that wall towards the dark mage. He follow that by ice shards.

The blood mage puts up his own wall to block the attack. Then he stomped his foot and the earth shook, a crevice started to open up below Kirin. The blood mage struggled a little to keep his footing, but the thought of gaining Kirin's blood this was filled him with erratic glee.

Larissa flew into the room in the blink of an eye. She sped right over the table with irons, which she was all too well familiar with, and crashed into the blood mage. Her roar filled and echoed throughout the room.

Kirin does his best to keep his feet. "Gryphon!" He is glad to see she is o.k. but he is still worried for her.

She turned at the sound of his voice and stared in horror at the crack opening beneath his feet. Twisting around, she jumped towards him and allowed her weight to carry them both across the room. Mid air, she tucked a fore leg around his back and spun herself so that she landed on her back with him on top. Her wings out stretched beneath her.

The blood mage started to sit up but froze at the stab of pain shooting up his side. Slowly working to breathe, he realized the gryphon had broken one of his ribs. He didn't know her name, but he knew the boy's. The whole village knew the boy's name. Knowing only harmful magic due to his background in mage craft, he used an incantation and transferred the wound to Kirin. As he did this, he slowly got to his feet.

Kirin cries out as the pain hits him. He fights the urge to black out. He can't let himself blackout. "Gryphon." He says right before the blackness takes him. As he blacks out his worries are with his friend. He hopes she'll be alright.