Chapter II .: The Cave :.

Hours later, In Game Time, they found themselves standing before a large and foreboding cave. Its mouth rose from the ground as if to swallow them, the ground before it turning from forest to stone, an enormous cliff looming behind it. The shadow from the mountain stretched further as the night darkened, turning a once peaceful forest into a den of creatures that walked only in the night. From the mouth of the cave itself came a feeling of dread that swam over any who stood before it long enough.

A cool wind blew from the opening, caressing over the two warriors standing before its entry. Willow huffed with exertion, straining to catch his breath, while Jace stood there, sweat dripping down his skin under his armor. The path through the forest had not been easy. They had encountered no more players, but the monsters living within the trees did not like their passing, and in fact were designed with the sole responsibility to stop any who dared pass. The creatures had tried hard, and valiantly, but to no avail. Jace and willow were determined that nothing would stop them this night, and it showed in the bite of their blades and the power of the knights magic.

It was always strongest in the dark of the night, when his kind came awake.

The man looked down at his short friend who was at the moment leaning heavily on the shaft of his ax, his face red and blotchy from exertion. Jace had never seen him fight so hard, and had to attribute the vigor to the award that waited for them. Tonight though, his friend seemed more In Character than ever.

"You ready, old man?" He said, nudging the dwarf slightly.

"Old man? Bloody knight… Aye, I'm ready." The short figure stood straight and hefted his ax, both hands grabbing the shaft, allowing the blade to rest against his shoulder. He began walking toward the cave, the shadows within seeming to reach out, enveloping his form in darkness as entry to the blackness was made.

Jace reached behind him and touched the hilt of Gemini, the solidness of his sword reassuring. His eyes followed the dwarf, switching to a heat spectrum so he could better see. The stout man was now outlined with red, and nothing else stirred.

●◦●◦●

Lady Rosilin McKay. That's what they once called her, long ago before she thought to go off adventuring. Now they only called her Ros, and the fear her title once held no longer had any effect in these places. Not that it mattered, really, because as far as she was concerned it was sometimes better to be unknown, than known only by reputation.

Unless of course you were in the middle of a forest at night with no one around you but a young knight of paladin, fresh from the character sheets. Now, instead of the creatures running in fear, they chose to fight her every step of the way.

Not that she cared, really, for it was all just experience, and at the same time the young knight was gaining points as well… so it was ok, for now.

All of these thoughts swam through her mind as ice flowed from her fingers, traveling along the coat of a balrok and into his body, freezing the bear-like creature instantly. She heard a roar behind her and side-stepped just in time to miss being cleaved in two as Tetsu crashed through, his mighty, yet poorly made, blade hacking through the frozen form of the balrok, shattering chunks of ice in every direction, though mostly at Ros.

The young looking woman sighed and glanced down at her bronze colored armor, now stained with blood and water. She ran a hand through her long violet colored hair, feeling moisture there as well.

Lady Rosilin McKay never had to worry about getting wet, or dirty, or being in forests in the middle of the night with hotheaded knights trying to carve a name for themselves.

She sighed again.

The new server really didn't interest her, she was just as happy with the old ones, since she mostly only did small quests to gain experience and hone her skills, which she had been doing for the past year or so. A few weeks ago however, a new player who had witnessed her fighting and wanted to become an apprentice of sorts had emailed her. She had slowly agreed, and since then had began 'training' the young man, though he needed none. Their first mission together had shown her that the boy possessed skill enough to quickly rise among the ranks of the 'vets' and become an elite player, given time and experience.

"Did you see the way it burst, Ros?" The youth in question said, turning from the melting pile of creature. He was resplendent in his silver and blue armor, blonde hair cut short, a cloak of dark blue hanging about his shoulders. In his gauntleted right hand he held his sword, now stained with blood and water. Instead of wiping it on his cloak, as most people would do, he knelt down and wiped the blade upon the grass, cleaning the liquid from the gleaming surface. He then rose and sheathed his blade, his eyes finding Ros's again, awaiting her response.

"Yea, I saw it." She said calmly, then with a bit more force she added… "And I also saw how you almost split me in two, if I hadn't moved. You need to learn to control that eagerness of yours a bit before it gets you, and me, killed." His face fell just a touch, the bright smile turning just a bit darker, making him seem more of his 'age', which in the game should have been somewhere around 19.

Rosilin sighed, then stepped closer to him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You did ok, for a knight. Now, let's get to this cave so we can get to this other level you're so hyped up about." The young knight's face brightened, but the warrior-mage didn't stick around to witness it. She brushed past him and continued on in the direction they had originally been headed, listening for the sound of Tetsu to follow, which he did a moment later, probably taking another minute to savor his victory.

Tetsu watched as Ros walked by, respect and admiration in his eyes. He had only met her a few weeks prior, but since then he'd never seen her break a sweat or lose her cool. She'd always dealt with each enemy with respect, unless they were PK's, then she let out a little of her frustration. Most people, Tetsu had found, looked down upon her simply because she was only an Ice Mage, but in the game she had also picked up steel and had effectively combined both aspects to become somewhat of a legend in other parts of Hybrid. That was how he first heard of her, and then one day he actually got to see her in battle, against a dragon no less.

"You comin', knight?" He shook his head to clear away the thoughts and saw that she'd walked away a good fifty yards before stopping to see that Tetsu had come to a stop as well, so wrapped up in his thoughts. She sighed audibly as he grinned and jogged to catch up with her, his armor jingling slightly, scabbard bouncing against the chain mail on his thigh.

"Sorry bout that, thought I heard something." He mumbled, glancing over at her as they walked. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful, her character at least, but he'd felt nothing more than brotherly love for her In Game persona, and had not a clue of her Out Of Game personality.

"Stop staring at me and watch where you're going." She said, causing him to blush, even though it didn't show on his character's face.

"Sorry." He said, his eyes fastened straight ahead, darting here and there every few minutes, searching the shadows for anything that may be lurking. Above them stars shone, and in the midst of them blazed Munari, the moon of the third cycle, since in Hybrid each season was a cycle, and each one had a different sun and moon. This moon was the darkest of them all, which gave evil a firmer hold on the lands and caused more foul creatures to stir. Tetsu tore his eyes away from the large, dark blue orb and re-focused his attention on the world around them. Enormous oak trees toward over them on every side, their branches swaying gently in a breeze that no one could feel. No sounds of night animals greeted them, not a stirring of a leaf did they hear or see. It was the literal dead of night, when all that walked was those in the shadows.

A perfect setting for the next level, Tetsu thought.

"Hey, Ros-" He began, wanting to ask her opinion on the next level, but as he turned to face her she lifted a hand, halting his speech and movement. Instantly a hand went to the sword at his side, half pulling it free of its silver sheath. Instead of sounding an alarm though she remained in that position, and slowly her pallor changed to that of grey, then black, and then she was gone. The only thing left that proved she had even been there was a slight indention in the soil that also soon faded back to normal.

"Oh great…" He muttered, his sword falling from his limp hand to slide back into its scabbard. The hand that had released the blade lifted to his head and he ran it through his hair in frustration. Her connection had been severed and she would more than likely have to restart at the last save point, which for them would be the creature he'd last slain.

In turmoil he stood there, unsure of what he should do, what she would want him to do. Then it hit him. For weeks he had been in her shadow, walking only where she walked and attacking only where she pointed. She had been his nursemaid, even though he'd grown in both stature and experience, so maybe this was a test to see if he could make it to the cave, and perhaps beyond, without her. Maybe she'd cut her own connection just for this purpose… so perhaps…

Tetsu nodded, squared his shoulders, and resolutely marched on through the darkness, one hand on the hilt of his sword, the other at his other side where rested his dirk. He would make it to level thirteen, or die trying.

●◦●◦●

Rosilin cursed silently as she looked up at her stepfather, his hand on her shoulder, the other hand gripping the gauntlet that he'd pulled off of her head. He was frowning slightly, wrinkling his otherwise smooth face. She could tell that he was worrying about something. Whenever he 'fretted', as he called it, he would run his hands through his hair and leave it mussed and out of place, since it was normally combed into precise place. Now though it was wild looking, his brown eyes holding in them a slight sadness.

"What is it dad?" She asked, looking a little concerned at his serious expression. His eyes went from hers to the thing he held in his grasp.

"Your mom wants some help with the dishes… do you mind?" He said, his voice doing a good job of keeping a normal tone. He set the headset on her desk and let go of her shoulder, then took a step back and waited.

"Uhm…sure dad… but I'm really kind of in the middle of something…" She glanced back at the screen, which had populated back to her login since her father had automatically logged her out. The cursor stood blinking on the blank space where her username went. It was as though the game was calling for her…

"It won't take long, hon." He said, interrupting her silent reverie. Her stepfather turned then and walked out of her room, no doubt expecting her to follow. She cursed again silently and pushed away from her desk, the wheels of her chair rolling on the ceramic tile that made up her floor. Quickly she slipped on a pair of slippers and padded out of the room, dressed in an old pair of jeans, her most comfortable, and a tight fitting white t-shirt with '100 Cute' written across the front of it. Her brown hair, shoulder length, was pulled back in a ponytail.

The sixteen-year-old girl jogged down the hall, her feet making a slight 'whisking' sound on the wooden planking. She slid, literally, into the kitchen, grabbing onto the marble top of the bar in the center of the room to keep from falling. Her mom, an older lady with light gray hair and dressed in a black skirt and loose white blouse, stood at the sink, her hands in the soapy water. Her mother didn't look back at her, but she knew she was there.

"Hey mom." The young girl said as she appeared at her side, taking a dish from her, rinsing it, drying it, and then placing it on the counter where a towel waited for them.

"Hello dear, thanks for the help." The woman said, lightly nudging her daughter and smiling. One look at the young girl though and she could tell that her mind was a thousand miles away. She knew where it was though. That Game.

"Come on ma, speed it up a bit willya?" Ros said jokingly, though deep down inside she was screaming those same words. If she didn't hurry… quickly she rinsed and dried every piece of stoneware that was set in front of her until there was nothing left, the dishwater empty, and a frown on her mother's face.

"Hon, would you like to watch a movie with me and your Don?" Her mom asked as she pulled the stopper out of the sink and reached for a clean towel to dry her hands on.

"No thanks, I have some things I need to finish." The girl said as she picked up plates and set them in their places in the cabinet. Her mother watched her, though she wasn't aware of it, sadness in her eyes and worry creasing her skin.

"I don't know about this game you're playing hon… it seems to occupy a lot of your time.." She started, voicing a concern that had been spoken of many times in the past weeks. And as always, it was ignored, mostly. Her daughter merely put the last glass in the cabinet and turned to her mother, hugging her tightly around the waist, then backed up and started to her room.

"You worry to much ma, I won't be on much longer. Promise!" She said over her shoulder. As her feet left the kitchen and touched down on the hard surface of the hall, she began to run, pushing into her room as if in a race. It wasn't but a moment later when she again had the gauntlet on her head, her eyes seeing another world as she logged in and once again became part of Hybrid World.

●◦●◦●

Tetsu stood panting at the entrance to the cave. Only once had he been accosted on his journey, but after that brief encounter he'd chose to run the rest of the way rather than walk. The one thing he had come across was a lost troll, searching for the rest of its tribe. Tetsu's dream had not been to defeat a lone troll, but it had happened that way, though that lone troll had been of a higher level and not so easily defeated. Couple that with the fact that Tetsu was out of potions… and it made for a wary knight indeed. Now though, he'd made it, a save point. Here his health would be refilled and he would gain at least a moderate amount of rest before the last boss was faced.

Slowly he walked until the mouth loomed over him, darkness waiting on the other side. An eerie feeling slowly stole over his senses, causing his skin to crawl slightly with its power. Something was wrong with this place, he thought. Something that tickled just at the back of his mind, an almost audible voice trying to warn him to not go any further…So he walked on, and entered the darkness.

Immediately he was engulfed in an icy coldness as the game auto-saved, restoring his health and stamina at the same time. He took another stride, as if wading through freezing water, and broke through to the other side. His first few steps were somewhat unstable, as they always were when he entered a place between levels, a gateway if you please. Such was the cave, a place that existed, yet did not exist, for its only purpose was to test those who wished to pass on to the next level.

Bright blue eyes took in his surroundings all at once, searching automatically for any and all dangers that may be lurking at the start of the Cavern. Nothing appeared to him at first, but there were so many shadows… he found himself standing on an uneven floor of stone, strange runes drawn on its surface, which gave off a faint luminescent azure color. The dim light filled the area, illuminating the walls that were starting to seem a bit to close. He looked up and found that the ceiling stretched on into the darkness, the light refusing to meet the top of it. As his gaze traveled back down he spotted against the wall to his right an unlit torch, no doubt there for his use.

So thinking he walked to it and pulled it from its ring in the wall, smelling a faint scent of fuel that would keep the torch lightable for decades. His free hand reached into a pouch on his side and pulled out a piece of steel. He held it in his hand for a moment, feeling the cold metal, his eyes slipping closed for just a minute, relishing the peace that would soon pass. For some reason he knew that once the steel was stuck, the light brought into birth, something would change, the silence that now engulfed him would fall away into death.

A deep breath, a silent prayer, and a tightening of his hand on the torch. He struck the steel against the wall once, casting a few sparks. The hum of the two elements meeting sounded deafening to his ears. His hand clenched the steel, prepared to strike again, when a voice interrupted his movements.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you." Said the voice, soft and almost musical, though somewhat deep. Tetsu's spun, crouching somewhat, the torch held now as a club in place of his sword, which rested in its scabbard. His eyes narrowed as a figure stepped toward him from the cave entrance. Robes of malleable material shimmered in the blue light of the floor, azure and silver with runes etched on the cloth. A hood was pulled up over her head, but beneath it he could capture a hint of lilac colored eyes, and a few strands of light hued hair. His first inclination was to bow to this beauty robed in flesh, but his second took over and he took a step back. Ros had told him never to trust a magic user.

"And why shouldn't I?" He said slowly, cursing himself for keeping a grip on the torch and not on the hilt of his sword.

"Because," The woman said, "You have felt the wrongness, right? Sensed it somehow? I can tell… I can see." Her cryptic message worried him slightly. Yes, he had felt something wrong, knew that there was a strangeness permeating the air.

"And if I have? What does that have to do with the lighting of a torch?" He replied, starting to straighten up somewhat as it didn't appear the woman would attack.

"The beasts that slumber above hate light, and to bring light here would awaken them. Do you want thousands of wereicks angry at you?" All of this was said calmly as the woman stepped closer, more of the strange light revealing her to the knight. Beneath the robes she wore black, as he could tell by her legs as the robes parted slightly with her movement. She was obviously a little more than just a mage. The black was leather, or more precisely, a type of leather armor.

Tetsu knew that wereicks were the game's version of bats, though these would bite you and refuse to release until they had sucked out every last drop of manna from your body. If what she said was true… He looked down now, and found himself staring into her face. Light markings decorated the tan skin around her eyes, what appeared to be wings drawn on her flesh in silver paint, the tips trailing down to her jaw line, leaving a faint trail of mercury.

"I thank you, for I did not know." She cocked her head to the side slightly as he said this.

"Of course you did. Like I said, you felt something strange, but unlike myself, you ignored it. It was really quite obvious if you'd only taken a moment to sort it out. Others have undoubtedly passed before you on this journey, and yet the unlit torch remains. Funny, wouldn't you say?" He tried to speak, but before he could she went on. "Now then, place the torch back into its rung on the wall, and I'd ask for you to accompany me a short ways, as we are both alone and about to face the boss of this level. I'd just assume you would want someone to watch your back, as I would mine."

With that said she swept past him, her robes making a slight swish sound as the brushed against his armor. He stared at the spot she'd vacated, then turned and watched as she walked away, no doubt expecting him to simply follow. He would, of course, for he couldn't let a lady venture into the depths of the cavern alone, but first… the torch was hard in his hands as he brought it up before him, one hand on one end, the other on the opposite. With strength born of experience he flexed and bent the wood, snapping it in half. Splinters rained down on him as the wood shattered.

The woman had stopped and smiled slightly at the sound, then waited as the knight let the two useless halves fall to the ground before continuing. It was only a second or two later when she heard his boots on the stone floor, and then felt him beside her, his gauntlet-covered hand resting on the pommel of his large sword. She glanced up at him as they walked and he took her look to be a question of his actions.

"I didn't want to leave it for someone else to find and use." He said defensively.

"I didn't say anything." She said, trying to hide a smile along with her amusement. She knew by now that he must be relatively new to the game, yet he'd made it this far.

"You were thinking it."

"Oh, so you are a mind-reading knight then?"

He blushed somewhat, if that's possible. "No." He could tell she was making fun of him. He hated that more than anything else. It wasn't that he was slow or anything, just that sometimes the obvious wasn't so obvious. The only person that never treated him like that, or didn't give him those secretive looks, was Ros. Probably because she just didn't care for games or his feelings, so if she thought something, she said it.

"My name is Ceisyl." The woman said, turning her gaze from his face and focusing on the dark path they walked.

"Tetsu." The knight replied, trying to gather back some of his torn dignity. She said nothing else so he took the silence as an opportunity to watch their surroundings. They had left the entrance of the cave and now walked down what could only be termed a hall, the blue runes still lighting the way before them. Above them the ceiling was still out of view, though every now and then Tetsu could hear a slight shuffle as the creatures housed there moved. He was about to speak when something dropped to the stone floor a few yards ahead of them, untouched by the light, and thus covered in shadows.

. Heavy breathing filled the air along with a snort and low growl. Ceisyl and Tetsu stopped immediately, his hand closing around the hilt of his blade, half drawing it from its scabbard. A solid footfall sounded, filling the cavern around them with dread, about the same time as a terrible smell assaulted their senses. Two golden eyes shone from the darkness, large and luminous. Tetsu realized that with the floor glowing as it was, they made a perfect target.

"Minotaur." The woman whispered, a slight edge of fear in her voice. For a creature such as this hadn't been seen in the game since its earliest days, judging them too violent for the characters, since even their programs were almost impossible to control. It was said that in the early stages of the game some Minotaur tribes even went crazy, lost their main programming, and destroyed several villages. Those were just legends though, but still…

"Weren't they all destroyed a while back?" Tetsu asked, pulling his sword free from the sheath it had rested in. The light from the floor reflected off of its gleaming surface, causing the blade to look almost as if it was aglow.

"So I thought…" The girl replied, but no further conversation was allowed as suddenly the creature acted. From the shadows of the cave the nightmare came, a giant hulking beast, bare from the waist up with heavy, corded muscles glistening with sweat. His arms were as large as the trunks of small trees, his chest as wide as a barrel. In both hands he held massive double-bladed axs. His eyes were set further apart on his face than humans, and from this forehead sprouted twin horns, which curled and ran back along his dark hair. Large canines showed yellow and wet in the blue light of the floor as the beast roared its challenge, running in a straight line for the two.

Ceisyl had already begun forming the words, and now finished her incantation as the creature came within ten feet of them. Her left hand shot up, the robbed sleeve falling back to reveal the tan flesh of her arm, strange markings decorating the surface. From her fingers it appeared as if dust began to fall, but before the dust could fall it was caught up by an invisible wind and shot at the Minotaur. The dust became darts, hot and glowing white with heat, hundreds of specks of pain that none could hope to dodge.

Tetsu could only at first stare in awe at the creature, never before seeing anything to rival its brute strength and the force of power that it wielded with ease. Admiration shone in his eyes for a brief second. Then he realized, as if waking from a dream…

"This thing wants to kill us.." He murmured, not realizing he'd said it aloud.

"Gee, you think?" Ceisyl said, her fingers already moving in the intricate patterns of another spell, hoping that her first attack would give them time to act.

The darts hit the beast as he closed in, only a few feet away, his stench now overwhelming. He fell back a few steps, a howl of pain ripped from his throat as he stepped back even further, his eyes locked on the mage, knowing her as the threat. With a low growl he crouched, blood trickling down his body, the smell of burnt flesh staining the air. With his powerful legs, and agility born of evil, he jumped, straight up. It was only a second later that he was gone, swallowed in the darkness.

Ceisyl stopped her spell casting, looking up with worry. In the air the beast made not a sound, he could appear anywhere. Behind, in front again, above…

Tetsu heard it first, the sound of the air being split by something, a whooshing sound that usually heralded… He turned to the mage and shoved her away, then jumped back himself as an ax crashed by, then slammed into the ground in a shower of sparks, the blade biting into the stone. He was about to move when he heard another sound, this one of something else falling, only this thing was larger, much larger, than an ax.

"Run! Run Ceisyl!" Tetsu yelled, backing up against the solid wall of the cave as the enormous beast landed above his ax. It bent down, grasped the large weapon, and with a single tug pulled it from the floor.

He's got to be one of the highest levels… how can I even hope…

The Minotaur weapon retrieved, he turned to where he could sense the lady, the one who had caused him such pain. As close as they were to one another, she would have no chance to cast a spell, this he knew, in his limited intelligence. He would cleave her in two before her first word could be uttered. And so he advanced, his ears detecting the faint rustling of a robe, the one she had worn, the one that would soon be soaked in her blood, the one that the dwarf would be buried in.

Dwarf. The Minotaur looked puzzled for a moment.

"Bloody foul-smelling son of an ox herding whore!" He heard, shouted from the darkness. Before he could decipher the words or their meaning, a familiar sound filled the area, that of something splitting the air again, much the same sound as when he'd thrown his ax at the mage. But he hadn't thrown his ax; in fact it was still in his hand, so what-

A solid 'chunk' sound was heard as a large battle-ax struck the brute in his upper arm, nearly severing the limb. Pain was a dim memory at first, but it was something that was fast coming back to his mind as nerves were frayed and bones crushed in his arm. He looked at the ax in puzzlement.

That isn't mine… he though, just as a small creature leapt out of the darkness, much as he had done earlier, though this one was hairy and wearing a helm, and shouting in a language that the beast couldn't comprehend.

"Now gimme me bloody ax, ye sorry son of an elf!" The creature roared as it landed on his body, the small legs of the man bracing themselves on his own arm and using his momentum to pull the ax free. As it began to come loose from the Minotaur's arm, a sickening crunch was heard, the ax bringing with it several fragments of bone.

Pain registered in the Minotaur's mind, as well as the dwarf who had just attacked him, and the mage that was probably getting away, and the Dark Knight that was stepping from the shadows. Dark Knight? A stupid grin almost fell upon his face as the man dressed in black, bearing the marks of a high order, appeared. Hope flared briefly in the beast's heart, for these were the masters of the Minotaur, so he was undoubtedly here to save him, to help him conquer this place in the name of their Lord.

But it didn't have time to prostrate himself, or to beg for help, for in the confusion that had gone on, Tetsu found the strength to act. It wasn't that he'd been scared, more just unsure of himself. Always before he'd had someone at his side, but now, for almost the first time in the game, he had to think and act for himself. As the beast poured blood from his arm, and the dwarf wrestled with his embedded ax, the knight had leapt. His armor became lighter than air as he jumped, his momentum taking him just above the wounded creature. He was only suspended in the air a moment before gravity took hold and created his descent. In those few seconds left he brought his sword up above him, both fists clasped on the long hilt, the blade pointing straight down, his body becoming a living guillotine. As his knees touched the shoulder of the Minotaur, he struck.

His shout filled the air, mingled with the sound of steel slipping through flesh and bone, the grating sound of cracking skin. Tetsu pushed his sword down into the Minotaur's body, the point of entry being the base of the beast's neck, then down into its heart, severing its spine and lungs. He pushed down with all his might until naught but the hilt remained in his blood soaked hands. His body shook with adrenaline as the dying creature convulsed beneath him, its cries of pain rocking the walls.

Willow, ignorant of all that had transpired, finally yanked his ax free and in so doing crashed to the floor. Immediately he was up though, bloody ax in hand, looking around and wondering at everyone.

"What the bloody…" He started, but the sound of a sword sliding on flesh stopped him and caused the dwarf to look up. There he saw the knight, rising, sword in hand, then watched as the man leapt down to the other side of the Minotaur. The creature gave on last gurgling cry and then collapsed, falling so that its head slammed into the opposite wall, splitting his skull open for all to see.

Jace let his hand slip from the hilt of Gemini, knowing that once again his blade would not be needed. He's only had to pull his sword from its place on his back once, and that was to ward off trouble with another PK, this time a warrior who only wanted their items, not their services.

His eyes took in the scene, going from the fallen Minotaur, to the Mage backed up against a wall, to the lone knight who was sheathing his bloodstained sword. The creature still lay twitching, its blood pooling under its body. It would disappear at any moment, giving the knight and the mage, and willow, experience garnished from the kill. He looked to Willow, the dwarf grumbling under his breath about not being able to finish the thing off.

"I feel that you will have more of an opportunity, my friend." The Dark Knight whispered, his head turning away from the group and staring off into the darkness, which for him wasn't very dark at all. More creatures such as this awaited them; of this he was sure. Evil can sense evil, or so it was said. He turned back to find the woman staring down at the floor, her fists clenched at her sides. The young knight had sheathed his sword and was making his way to her, stepping over, and around, the fallen beast. Concern was evident on his features.

"Willow, we should go. This will have drawn notice, don't you think?" He said, speaking loud enough for the still fuming dwarf to hear. He watched the short figure turn toward him, then look over at the two figures near the wall.

"Are ye thinking to ask em?" He said, hiking a thumb toward the knight and the mage.

"A Knight of Paladin and a Mage? Do you think they would be assets or weights?" Jace said quietly, meaning no disrespect to either, just stating truth.

"Well now… I'm not to knowin that meself… but twoud be rude not to offer it a'least."

Jace sighed.

"Very well… but I'm not begging, nor asking twice." He warned, watching as willow turned and made his way to them. Neither had really been talking, having only just met themselves, so both turned to regard the dwarf as he approached.

"Do ye be wantin' to travel wit us, knight, mage?" The stout man said as he came to a stop before them. The two looked at each other, the knight shrugged while the mage nodded.

"That would be nice, thank you. And no doubt beneficial to us all." She added, her eyes also rising from the dwarf to include the Dark Knight standing on the outskirts of the shadows. She shifted her gaze from Jace to Tetsu. "You don't mind traveling in the company of a Dark Knight, do you, Tetsu?" She asked, almost sweetly.

The young knight took the chance to stare at his opposite. It was only a game, yet even still… there was usually an open hostility to those of the separate orders. Dark Knights were generally bullies, or PK's. It was very seldom that they simply played the game. Yet here one was, and in the company of a dwarf, and had come to their aide…

"I have no problem with it." He said, taking his eyes from Jace and letting them rest on the mage.

"Then it's settled!" She said, pushing away from the wall and walking toward Jace, and the darkness. "Let's get this over with."

Tetsu and Willow followed, but as the woman started to sweep by Jace his hand shot out, catching hold of her wrist. He held it loosely, but even so, Tetsu's hand went to his hilt and hers to her pouch with her free hand.

"Please," He said quietly, "Do not walk before me. My eyesight is better than yours, so it would benefit us for me to take the lead. I am sure you are not accustomed to this, so please allow me this one indulgence."

Her eyes widened slightly, then she snatched her hand away and rubbed her wrist. She regarded him coolly, starting to regain some of her momentarily lost dignity.

"Very well." She said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "But be warned, next time you touch me without permission may well be your last.

Willow started to laugh behind her, but a shifting of Jace's gaze to him stopped the dwarf short. The Paladin of Darkness simply bowed to the mage and turned away, his steps carrying him silently into the darkness until he was gone. No one could see the smile on his face, or hear the silent laugh in his mind. Behind him he heard the others start to follow, the light of the floor-runes guiding their path, he, the embodiment of the game's evil, guarding their footsteps.

And behind them, the body of the Minotaur lay, still, in a pool of its blood, refusing to melt away into a digital hell, as if should have some time ago.