Chapter Four: Darum

I sat over in the corner, alone, seething in anger. How dare he? Stand before me and act as if nothing had happened, how dare he have the nerve to even consider it. I bit my lower lip, tasting the warm copper that was my blood run across my tongue. He and his three friends, scum, that's what they were, scum. My mind flashed images and memories of that night, where they stood over the body of my dying lover and laughed coldly down at us, while I clutched onto him. 'Well', I thought, smirking inwardly, 'at least this will save me the hassle of having to hunt him down.'

I waited, running my finger around the rim of my glass, the water being pulled in the same way, swirling due to my magic. I kept my head down, but I was alert at all times. A young bartender came over to my table, he was about 17 and looked like he hadn't shaved or brushed his hair this morning.

"Would you li-" he began.

"No." I interrupted, my tone cold and angry.

The bartender looked shocked and took two steps back before turning on his heel and hurrying back behind the bar.

I lifted my gaze and stared intently at the assassin who helped kill my lover. He was quite handsome and right now had 3 dancers floating around him. "Sluts," I thought. He was quite tall with short blue hair, cropped around his head. He wore dark blue assassin clothes and his katars were stuck in the ground. He was drinking a lot and was getting noticeably louder. "Great," I mused, "what an idiot, it'll make his eventual death much easier." He turned to me and caught me looking at him, he was laughing at a joke told by one of his friends and winked at me, beckoning me over. I narrowed my eyes before smiling and standing up, picking up my staff that was resting behind my seat. I walked in his direction before turning and leaving the inn.

I was crouched upon the roof of the inn with a clear view of the entrance to the inn.

"Please don't stay the night," I begged any God that was willing to listen. I chuckled at the hidden irony of begging a God to help me seek revenge, but when your time comes, it comes, and I'll be damned if I don't fast forward the clocks a little.

Finally, the time came, the moon was casting illusive shadows over the entire city, it obviously being past midnight. The assassin, Darum his name, staggered out of the bar with a dancer under his arm. I bit my lip again, I was hoping he'd be alone. I checked my supplies and my clips, yes, I could pull this off. I waited until they were almost around the corner before jumping from the roof, landing silently on the floor. Strange, a Sage stalking an Assassin and I'm the one having to use the stealth. I slowly followed them around the corner, Darum still drunk and groping the dancer, who was squealing loudly. "A real charmer", I thought. They were obviously heading to one of their houses, I tried to stay my distance so I didn't get caught. I flicked my red hair from my eyes, and followed them.

I managed to keep quiet almost the entire way, until I accidentally stepped on a lunatic, which let out an almighty squeal. Darum and his dancer turned to see the Lunatic rush across the road. I managed to jump out of the way just in time, but Darum was curious and left the dancer to come see what the sound was. I was cornered, he was going to come round this corner and see me and I was going to die the exact same way my lover had. I shuddered inwardly and pushed myself flat against the wall. 'I can't let this happen', I thought. I gripped onto my staff and prepared myself for battle.

"Oh Darum come on," I heard the dancer cry out.

"But-", Darum complained, his normally deep voice a little higher in tone due to his severe alcohol intake.

"I've got something more exciting for you to see once we get inside." she cooed.

I heard Darum turn and head back towards his dancer, laughing dirtily.

"Sickening," I thought, sighing in relief and relaxing before peeking out from my hiding space and continuing my chase. Thankfully, the lunatic had given me a perfect idea on how to seperate the dancer and assassin.

I followed them round a few more corners before they came to a street and the dancer began to giggle and point to a house that must've been hers. "This is my chance," I thought. I leaned down and pressed the heel of my Sleipnirs, the small wing on the heel glowing slightly in response. I crouched slightly before jumping high into the air, soaring over and landing on a rooftop. My land wasn't perfect and I felt a pain in my right foot but I ignored it, I was silent enough. I could now ran faster thanks to the power of the Sleipnirs and ran along the rooftops to the crossroads at the end of the street, Darum and the dancer still not at their front door. I looked down and saw a large garbage bin and smiled, checking over my shoulder to see the couple staggering down the road.

I held my staff out infront of me with one hand, and held the other hand out palm facing outwards. I stared at the bin and muttered, "Earth...", my hand glowing in several colours and the amethyst stone in my staff crackling with silent lightning. "... Spike." I finished. There was slight rumble and a large spike of earth erupted underneath the bins causing them to explode sending garbage flying high into the sky.

"What the fuck?" I heard Darum call out and I smiled inwardly.

"Wait Darum, don't!" the dancer cried out.

"Stay here," he commanded and began to run down the street.

I took my chance and swiftly ran across the rooftops, jumping from them and landing neatly behind the dancer, pulling out a red jewel from my bag and holding it in the palm of my head. "Stone Curse!" I whispered, ramming my palm into the small of the dancers back. 'Please work', I thought. I waited a second and then heard the soft crack signifying the spell had worked. My heart jumped with glee, the dancer had been stoned. I watched as her entire figure slowly turned a hue of grey. 'Unable to move, brilliant.'

I ran past the dancer and down the street, the sleipnirs carrying me faster than Darum, as I reached the corner of the street, I stopped and peered round the corner. Darum was checking the rubbish to see what had happened, my earth spike by this time, had vanished. I grinned again and used both my hands to hold my staff out in front of me. "Fire Wall", I cried, slamming the pointed end of the staff into the floor. The amethyst sparkled again and with an explosion of red flames, a large wall of fire burst forth from my staff and ran across the floor, creating a towering wall of fire. Darum was now trapped.

"What the HELL?" he shouted. "Who's there?" I heard him cry.

I walked through the fire, it not hurting me because of my staffs connection with it.

"Remember me?" I asked cooly. Darum's eyes flickered in recognition and he gripped tightly onto his katars.

"Hello again squirt," he said jokingly, "what's with the fireworks?"

"Oh, I think you know." I replied.

Darum crouched down slightly, holding his Katars out and stared back at me. "Maybe I do." His figure vanished and appeared before me, his katars in the air poised to attack, I instantly lifted my Staff in a vertical position and there was a loud sound of metal hitting metal as I blocked his attack. He grinned down at me, his strength versus mine. "Do you really think you can beat me?" he sneered. I stared into his eyes before collecting my saliva and spitting in his face. "You don't know me anymore." I replied. His face contorted in rage and I took this momentarily lapse of concentration and used it to my advantage.

I pulled my staff down and crouched down low, his Katars missing me. I muttered, "Safety Wall," before pulling the circular end of my staff upwards, it connecting with his jaw and knocking him back a few feet. I twirled my staff like a baton and brought the pointed end crashing down, smashing a small blue jewel I had placed on the floor. The air around me crackled as a large pink barrier appeared just in time as Darum cried out "Sonic Blow", his attack sending sparks flying from my protective barrier. Realising he was unable to attack me he took a step back and stared at me, wiping his jaw with the back of his hand. "So I see," he said cooly.

I stared at him as he suddenly back flipped onto the walls surrounding him and flew high into the air before vanishing from sight. I was confused for a split second before I realised what he was about to do. I lifted my Staff high into the air and cried out "Sight" at the same time he cried out "Grimtooth". I felt a sharp pain in my legs as a ball of fire suddenly appeared around my staff. It was too late. I looked down just intime to see the area around my feet freeze before my entire body did so. I was frozen, unable to move. The cold was excruciating. I looked and saw that Darum had reappeared thanks to my Sight which was still circling my staff loyally. He glided down and landed infront of my, using his staff to hit my safety wall once, it making a sound like shattering glass and vanishing into beautiful multicoloured sparkles which quickly dissolved.

Darum walked towards me and smiled cruelly. "Such a pretty boy," he muttered. He pulled his Katar's back and smiled again. "Such a shame".

'No!' I thought inwardly. 'It can't end like this!'

"Sonic Blow" Darum cried out, the air around him turning a venemous deep green and his own body sparkling white as his Katars crashed through the ice at light speed, assaulting me. The pain was tremendous as he slashed at my body. I screamed in pain as his final blow connected with me and I flew through the air, spinning wildly and landing heavily on the floor, my staff clattering on the floor beside me. I looked up, my vision blurry and I could see the stars above me, 'so pretty' I thought. I could feel blood trickling from my body and a tear ran through my eyes. Darum appeared in my vision, "You fail again, just like he did, and you're going to die the same way." He said cruelly, his voice once again deeper. "You're such a pretty boy, I would have loved to have used you. That was Kane's problem, boy, he loved you too much." Darum leaned down and ran his callous finger over my cheek as he said this, wiping away my tear. "He was a selfish boy, didn't know how to share."

I felt my blood boil at these comments, and smiled at him. "It's not over just yet," I said, clutching my staff and swinging it forth, it crashing over his head. I positioned the staff and ignored my own pain as I pulled myself up from the floor onto a knee. Darum was back up and charging at me.

"Frost Diver!" I shouted out, all my anger soaring through my body as the air around me turned cold and my palm glowed ice blue as several icicles burst forth from it, them connecting with Darum. He let out a small groan as they connected with his body, dealing him damage and simultaneously freezing him. I pulled myself up, wiping my blood-stained lip. I dropped a small blue gemstone, my fire wall behind me still blazing on. "Safety Wall," I said, connecting my staff with the gemstone and the pink barrier appearing around my again.

I looked at the frozen body of Darum and lifted my hand into the air, pointing my index finger to the sky. "Lightning..." I said, the sky above me letting out a thunderous roar, "... Bolt". A bolt of lightning careered it's way from the clouds and connected with my finger, the lightning power coursing through my body. "Bang Bang!" I shouted at Darum, pointing my finger at him and the lightning escaping my body, crackling it's way through the air and connecting with Darum's frozen form. There was a shrill cry as the water and lightning mixed together, electrocuting him. He let out another call of pain before the ice finally shattered and the lightning dealt more damage, finally evaporating into thin air. Darum looked at me in shock, staring at me before collapsing to the floor, dropping his katars.

I walked over to him and used my foot to kick him over.

"You look at me as you die," I said., staring down at him. He stared up at me, struggling to breath, his eyes rolling slightly.

"You're... going to go," he began, coughing slightly as his life slipped from his fingers. "... to hell for this."

I looked down at him, not a bone of sympathy in my body. I collected my saliva and spat on him again.

"I'll see you there," I said, my fire wall finally dying down and vanishing, leaving the moon to be the only thing illuminating us. I stared down at him in the pitch blackness and relaxed inwardly.

I turned on my heel and left, behind me I heard Darum let out his final breath. I turned to look at the dancer who was stoned. I heard the soft crack signifying the spell was over and watched as she turned around to see what happened, before looking at me in confusion. I stared at her for a second before leaping backwards once and flying high into the air, landing on a roof and vanishing from sight. Not long after, I heard a high-pitched scream signifying she'd found the body. The sky lit up as the fireworks in Comodo exploded above me as I continued to run across the rooftops. 'One down, three to go.' I thought.