Nyx made his way to Greatwood entrance the Sword of Aeon's hardly weighing a thing in comparison to the black faced plate armour he'd put on this morning.

Rescue a kidnapped apprentice, how.... Annoying.

As he walked down the path from the hill where the two stoners stood, or rather swayed, he saw a woman running towards him.

"Oh thank Avo your here!" she praised.

"Avo didn't send me." Nyx said in a low voice and she gulped.

"The bandits went that way." she pointed towards the arch that led to Greatwood entrance. "I'll go to Bowerstone and send more help."

Nyx drew his sword making her cower. "That wont be necessary, I might accidentally kill them."

She ran past him towards Bowerstone and he sighed, the Guildmaster could have sent someone else. Someone who people wouldn't run from. This apprentice must be important.

"Fucking bandits." he muttered. "You'd think killing Twinblade would be enough."

Have you found her yet?

The Guildmaster's voice echoed through his head.

No.

He sent back via his seal wishing that the guy would stop annoying him.

Walking through the arch he froze and listened as he heard voices echoing through the trees.

"I heard they sent Nyx." Said one, quite whiney voice.

"Shit." That sounded like the leader. "You and you go to Fishers creek, draw whoever it is off and we'll head towards Darkwood. If it isn't Nyx they won't follow us in there."

"If it is?" Asked the first.

"We're screwed." The leader said.

"Why did you insist on taking this one anyway Will?"

"Are you questioning me?"

"No sir, it's just…" he paused. "What could he give us that would be worth such a lot of hassle?"

"Gold Tom, lots and lots of gold." Said Will. "Now get going!"

Nyx shook his head, he knew Will of the Bloody Wolf clan, he'd met him in Twinblade's camp. He'd moved up in the world since then however. Then he'd just been a mercenary; the only one Nyx had left alive in fact after the incident.

Making his way down the path Nyx saw three men who had been left there as a deterrent.

One gulped and the other two backed off to make him the one in the front.

He bit his lip and roared a challenge to give himself some courage and ran at Nyx shouting. "I'm not scared of you!"

Nyx side stepped him and swung decapitating the bandit who's head rolled over and over back towards the other men its eyes wide and unseeing through the burgundy half mask.

"You don't have to follow suit." Nyx said.

Uncertainty crossed their faces but it was facing Nyx or their clan Chief Will who would kill them for disobeying orders. They levelled their swords.

"Get ready for the pain!" Said one and the other just made some kind of guttural challenge in the back of his throat. Nyx took a deep breath and saw red as he used the berserk spell.

The two nameless bandits flew backward landing on their backs further up the path. Lumbering towards them Nyx cut both of them down in one massive slash before running on, hearing his harsh breathing and the pounding of his heart as accompaniment.

Taking the arch to the lake he found that the clan had absolutely legged it, maybe there had been a fourth that had gone to warn Will that he hadn't seen. He tracked them to the Hob Caves and paused at the black opening that lead to Darkwood.

"Fucking Bandits!" He repeated kicking the sign, which stubbornly stayed exactly where it was instead of flying twenty metres. Stepping into the cave and running through it to the other side Nyx registered the change in the light and continued, seeing that one of the party had fallen attacked by a group of Hobs who took one look at him and scarpered one of them screaming:

"Darkwood lake!"

Nyx let out a low laugh and set a fireball after them to make sure they stayed scared shitless and didn't bother him in the future. However after getting his feet wet in the stagnant pools and holding his breath as he ran through the marsh when the spores had exploded leaving behind the horrible stench Nyx had the face that sent people running for miles. He was severely pissed off.

"When I get my hands on those good for nothing sons of bitches…" he muttered under his breath as he crossed into the lake.

The bandits however didn't see the hero coming, as they were a little preoccupied… with four Balverines. He drew to a halt groaning at the situation, Balverines were the only thing fast enough to land hits on him, not to mention he couldn't see the apprentice which either meant that they were creating a body wall or they'd dumped it somewhere. And he meant it.

As the black skinned former-men closed in around the bandits snarling for all they were worth Will spotted Nyx and as a last resort called out to him.

"If you don't help us out she might die." He said.

"What a shame that would be." Nyx called back. "Besides, I'm enjoying the show."

"What's the Guildmaster going to say if you fail?" he asked.

Nyx sighed again and surged forward slowing time and going berserk within the same second throwing Balverine and bandit alike off their feet. Attacking the two that were closest Nyx tried to work out where the apprentice was and for his inattention got knocked over but was up again in half a real second swinging at the bloodthirsty monster, sending it flying into a glowing pillar.

When he turned he swore seeing that the apprentice had been knocked out and lay on the damp ground with a Balverine crouching over her drooling with its poisoned saliva into an open wound in the back of her head. Nyx kicked the thing off her and plunged his sword through its body into the ground before picking the girl up over one shoulder and running with her towards the Bordello.

Blue skies greeted him as he sprinted towards the pond and threw her in jumping in after her and scrubbing at the back of her head with a pondweed that came to hand.

"What are you doing?" asked someone and not stopping what he was doing Nyx looked up to see the head lady Madam Maxime.

"Saving someone's life." Nyx said with a shake of his head.

"Not without letting the poor girl breath you wont." She reprimanded.

Nyx looked at the girl and had a moment to register that she had her head underwater and was glowing before finding himself on the shore of the lake, stunned. It took him a few seconds to realise that she'd used an extremely powerful force-push on him.

She stood in the centre of the water her blond hair stuck to her head and her hands tied in front of her swaying with probably a concussion.

"Who are you?" she managed.

He frowned; it had been a while since someone had asked him that….

Nyx cocked his head to one side and took off his horned helmet showing his glowing red eyes. That and the traces of fire and smoke made it quite clear to whom she was speaking.

"Oh."

"Oh." Nyx echoed.

With a splash she slipped back into unconsciousness sinking to the bottom of the pond quicker than he would have thought possible, however within moment's he had her on the shore and taking a potion out healed her with a flash of light.

"Are you going to pay me damages? This is assault."

Nyx looked up to see Madame Maxine with her red wig wet, muddy and slightly askew. Not to mention her heavy dress and corset. She'd been hit by the spell also. He shoved his helmet back on his head and teleported to the guild having enough time to register her screams of:

"You bastard! Come back here!"

But then he was kneeling on the raised Cullis Gate and from the low droning of monks that was coming from somewhere he concluded that he had indeed made it to the Guild of Hero's before the woman could assault him.

"Nothing like a woman Skormed." He said softly before standing and stepping over the girl and making his way towards his room.

"Nyx?" The Guildmaster asked. "Where's Danejella?"

"Who?" he asked feeling the urge to go jump in the river that flowed through the guild almost overwhelm him as the many hinges that made up the armour grated against each other with the grit he'd just picked up

"The girl Nyx, The girl?" The Guildmaster looked around.

"On the Cullis Gate." He pointed.

"Is she…"

"Alive and too much trouble for her own good." Nyx sighed making his way to what had formerly been mazes tower leaving behind a trail of muddy foot prints.

"Well look at you…"

"Laugh it up Briar." Nyx said grumpily to the scholar who had appeared out of nowhere.

"I didn't know he had you rescuing her…" She said.

"I still have to follow orders…" he replied.

She walked with him underneath the roofed arches that led to the tower.

"Well Danijela isn't just any apprentice you know. She's becoming the best mage I've ever seen, fast." She paused. "Jack was interested in her when he was still alive."

Nyx stopped looking at Briar his sword feeling heavier all of a sudden. "Why?"

"Well someone with her amount of ability could give him a run for his money I suppose." She said. "We'll never know now."

"No." Nyx started walking again.

"Well Danjella's a good kid. If you see her around you could be civil."

"Good kids and me don't mix." Nyx said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm filthy."

"Okay, I'll see you around." She said turning back towards the library.

Stripping off in the bottom chamber to his flag adorned undies Nyx poured buckets of water over himself until he felt remotely clean, deciding to leave the armour till the morning before going upstairs and towelling himself off.

Sitting by the fire wrapped in blankets with a mug of mulled wine he found himself thinking about Briars words.

Jack was interested in her?

Jack wasn't the type to be interested in someone because they could fight him; he was too arrogant… Nyx's past simply wouldn't leave him alone it seemed, wouldn't let him forget…

Nyx swore fluently forcing himself to get up and go to bed, putting his sword underneath the bed where he could reach it easily before running his hand through his hair which remained quite disgusting despite the drenching earlier. He was going to have a proper bath tomorrow no matter how many people ran away screaming. Perhaps wearing something less scary would help.

"Fucking Bandits…" he muttered.