A/N: All characters used from "Ayndi" are used with permission of my cousin, "Scott the-swordsman"

A Richard Raul chapter

"You!" I shouted at the Rogue in the doorway. "You must be that messenger the letter spoke of."

"Wha..." He was about to speak when I advanced on him.

"What did you do to my parents! Where are they!" I yelled at him, and he just looked at me as if he deserved my respect. I stomped up to him and grabbed him by the collar of his vest. "Tell me!" I shouted. He seemed confused.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, I assure you," The Rogue lied to me.

"Yes, you do, now tell me where you took my parents!" William walked over to me and rest a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Maybe we're jumping to conclusions here, why don't you calm down." How dare he suggest I was wrong, my parents are kidnapped, and this Rogue appears at my door after speak of a messenger? I would hear none of it, he knew. I raised a fist and swung with all my might, hitting him in the jaw, making him bash his head off the door. I amazed at myself then went cold as the criminal accomplice glared at me.

"This guy knows where my parents are." I glared back, not showing my fear to this coward. "But he's not telling us. C'mon William, we'll have to beat it out of him."

"Now that's more like it!" Mandis yelled in excited approval

"If you're certain, Raul…" William took up his staff reluctantly.

I swung at the Rogue again, but he stepped back, and I almost lost my balance. I dashed at him, but as I swung he grabbed my arm, twisted me around, thrusting his elbow into the ground, I fell roughly, and was weak of breath, I tried to stand and only fell, I kept an eye on him though.

William appeared infront of him in no time, he swung at the legs of the Rogue but he jumped over it. William brought the staff up and swung at his head, but he ducked under it, swiftly, he reached up and grabbed the staff. Just past him I could see Taiki hidden away in a corner, she gasped as she saw William in trouble but stayed put. I got up and snuck behind him while he was busy wrenching the staff from William. Unrepentantly he turned around and tripped me with the staff. I fell hard and watched as he stepped away from the scene.

I got up as William back away and I saw Alexia with an arrow cocked, I nodded to her and she let the arrow fly. He leaned back just in time to be missed by the arrow. He dropped William's staff and ran at Alexia, but Mandis dove at him with her Main Gauge. He stumbled backwards, sloppily, and that was where he made his mistake. Mandis was on him quickly, slashing at him with repeated swooping blows. She was moving so fast I almost missed it when the Rogue pulled out his weapon, whay I knew to be called a Stiletto, he stopped Mandis with surprising speed and forced it out of her hand. He ran at her then, with lightening fast agility, moved around her and tripped her, and without even so much as a two second stop he was running again.

"Practice a little more with that!" He yelled back like a smartass. He then dashed at Angel, and my blood ran cold. He grabbed her and flipped around her arm so she was up against him, his dagger against her throat.

"Angel!" I called out.

"Don't hurt her!" William begged the maniac.

"Back off," The Rogue growled, "Back away from me."

"Richard, help me!" Angel called to me.

"I won't hurt her," The Rogue said. "Just tell me what's going on here."

"You don't know? Maybe he's not the messenger..." William speculated.

"Raul's parents were kidnapped," Mandis spat. "They used to live here."

"Then...you're Richard." The Rogue let go of Angel, and she ran over to me, I put my arms around her and glared at him. "Your parents have told me a lot about you," He tucked his weapon back into his vest, "I mean you no harm. I live in this town, and I knew your parents."

"You knew my parents?" I was surprised, "Then, do you know who could have done this?"

"I haven't a clue," The Rogue told us, "But, we're bound to find out if we wait here long enough. But I cannot stay; I have to get home quickly. I live five houses down though then you receive word of your parents, come speak with me."

Ayndi dashed off. We watched him go then stepped back inside, Mandis closed the door, and just as we all sat back down, there was a knock. Mandis pressed herself flat against the wall beside the door as Raul answered it. A large Blacksmith was standing at the door with an over-sized smithing hammer strung over his shoulder was standing at the door.

"You be Richard I presume?" He inquired with a strong Scottish accent. He looked around seemingly unbothered by the relatively large number of people glaring at him.

"Yes, please, come in." Richard led him in and closed the door behind him, Mandis was hiding somewhere else now, no one had seen her move. He stood in the center of the room as the others stood around me and I glared at him.

"Well, don't be trying anything funny, none of you really strike me as nearly as powerful as me," He chuckled coldly and looked around at us with seeming uninterest. He pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and read it over: "Okay, let's see, you're supposed to meet Jack and Craig in the clocktower at the center of town, your parents are there, and you're to bring William." He tucked it away into his pocket. "That's about it, I'll sit around here and make sure you're other friends don't cause any problems for 'em,"

"I might have something to say about that!" Mandis leapt from her hiding place, she had been on the roof, how she got there I don't know, but she fell directly on top of him, her main gauge out, she landed on his shoulders with her blade to his throat.

"Well, you caught me at a bit of a disadvantage here,"

He looked around uneasily as we closed in on him, he chuckled and grabbed hold of the blade, it cut deeply into his hand as he pulled it from his neck, then he grabbed hold of Mandis and tossed her at us. I ducked under her and she hit William in the chest, they fell to the ground and I leapt at him in the confusion, I watched as Alexia notched five arrows into her bow. I drove a fist into his stomach and he was momentarily winded and fell. I rolled away and she let her arrows fly towards him, each carefully aimed and directed. Two arrows flew into one arm each, and the same for the legs, wrists and ankles, holding him down, the last arrow went between his legs, barely missing him, he let out a cry of agony as Mandis walked up to him, she bent down and smiled sweetly to him, stroked his hair from his face and then without remorse or thought, she took her knife up, stared into his eyes as she placed it on his neck, and blew him a kiss as she slowly dragged the blade across.

We walked away from the crimson soaked room, leaving his lifeless body on the floor. The whole scene still fresh in my mind I felt as though I'd heave, whether it was from the anger and adrenaline, or the thought that Mandis killed him so heartlessly. We stopped for a second to catch some air, breathing in the clean air, and I felt as though I was tainting it somehow by breathing it. While I had not directly caused the death, I was the reason it all happened, and I let it happen, even worse, I wanted it to happen, I wanted to be the one to kill him. Taiki decided to wait behind at the Inn, as my house was not very appealing, and neither was the clock tower. We walked on and eventually came to the house of the sly Rogue, the night barely even noticed around us.

I explained the situation to Ayndi, and, with the permission of who I assumed to be his wife, he came with us to the meeting. We went straight to the clocktower, had I been in a proper frame of mind I would have been scared, I was always afraid of this tower, but this had to be done. I hesitated for a moment and the others saw it, they all stood beside me. Ayndi huffed impatiently and continued on without us. I called for him to wait up and ran after him, Angel at my heels. I wished she had stayed back but this was her place as much as mine, she was my love.

"I don't know..." Alexia quivered.

"Well, if you think about it, the place can't be haunted." William explained.

"Yeah, of a couple of kidnappers can hide out in there, then they're the only creepy things in that place," Mandis slapped Alexia on the back and ran on. "C'mon!"

The six of us walked down the dark halls, feeling the death around us. I swore I felt death itself breathing on my neck, waiting for me to die.

"William, why do you think they want you here?" Alexia asked.

"Shh!" Ayndi hushed them.

"I don't really know," William lied, seemingly hiding something.

"Hush!" Ayndi called again.

"It really is weird." Agreed Mandis.

"I know, why not one of us?" Alexia replied.

"Or even none of us, I'm sure if they wanted to kill him, they'd tell him to come alone."

"Or if they were being sane?" Alexia asked.

"Of course they wanna kill him for some reason or another." Mandis gloated.

"Will you two shut up?" Ayndi asked impatiently. We spent hours walking aimlessly through the corridors. It really was a great hiding place, William pointed out. Suddenly, Ayndi stopped before me. Without any warning I ran into him, and the other four into each other. We sat quietly and listened.

"Do you think they'll bring the advisor?" A black cloaked figure asked his companion.

"They will. I doubt that kid wants to see his parents dead." His fellow kidnapper replied.

"They're going to kill my parents?" I whispered in hushed horror.

"They're not going to kill you're parents, I promise." Ayndi reassured. He then twisted around the corner and darted at the men, I was close on his tail. He stopped abruptly and I did as well, seeing my parents tied before us. The latter man had his sword tip to my father's neck, and I could here their muffled cries for help through their taped mouths. I clenched my fists tightly as the cloaked figure walked up to Ayndi. They stood staring at each other for several seconds before the man turned his attentions on William.

"I see you brought the advisor." The man spoke in a deep, raspy voice, like death, "Good..."

"Why do you need him?" Ayndi asked.

"He is very important to us." The man responded.

"He's looking for something we're looking for..." The other man added, "If we get rid of him, then there will be nothing stopping us."

"Get rid of him?" I repeated in confusion.

"They want to kill me, obviously." William interjected calmly.

"Man..." I turned to William, "What did you do?"

"Just hand him over," The man chuckled, "Master's orders."

"There's that master guy again!" Mandis growled, "Who the hell is this guy?"

"Master..." William pondered; he looked to the deviants, "How do we know you'll give Raul's parents back if I go with you?" The men made no move to reply. "Answer me!" He shouted.

"By the master's orders, they're not to live," The man laughed maniacally, "Kill them now!"

The man with his blade to my father's throat raised the sword to strike the finishing blow, when Mandis whipped her main gauge at him. It went whistling past me and flew into his forearm; he cried out in agony and dropped his sword.

"AAH!" I cried out as I ran out and tackled him to the ground, I launched a fist at his face when the man grabbed my arms, might and not mind would win this test. As I fought with the man who I assumed to be Craig by the silver 'C' on the chain he wore around his neck, my friends were in a battle of their own. I watched as Jack summoned a strange glowing orb above him and sent it hurdling at Ayndi, he dodged out of the way and William pulled Alexia out of its path, it fell to the floor and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Ayndi ran at the man and thrust his knee into his gut with surprising ferocity and dug his elbow into his spine. During the confusion Angel ran to my parents and untied them.

"Thank you, child," My mother tried to express her appreciation, but Angel grabbed them both and helped them flee.

Craig had noticed I wasn't paying attention at this point and got his legs up beneath me and shoved me off. I watched helplessly as he pulled a dagger out and pulled it back to throw at my mother. Mandis crept up behind him and grabbed the blade from him. He turned just as Mandis thrust her own blade into his throat. She pulled it back out and watched as he fell to the ground, blood pooling at her feet. I got up and supported myself against a wall, watching the others in pain. Jack had just knocked the wind from Ayndi. He laughed his sickening laugh as he stomped on the rogue's throat. I watched helplessly as Ayndi turned purple when a fireball hit him, he stumbled back in fear of his burning cloak. He swung about in terror trying desperatly to quell the flame as a single arrow flew into his temple. He stopped in his tracks and fell silently to the ground. Ayndi stood up and stared at Alexia in shock, and she stared back in total silence, completely taken aback. I got up and led the others out, Ayndi stood silently in the middle of that room of death; He turned to leave then hesitated as though he had heard something startling.

"We must leave Ayndi!" William called back to him.

"Well, thanks again." I praised the rogue at his doorway.

"No problem," Ayndi told me in spite of himself.

"May parents asked me to give you this," I held out the rather hefty bag of zenny to him. "They really hope you'll accept it."

"Gladly," He smiled and handed it to his brother-in-law who had been introduced as Artemis; he disappeared into the house with it.

"Well, I'm going home, just for a while at least," I told the man I had just befriended, after trying to kill him only a day before, "I'll see you later I guess." I turned and walked over to the others and looked back giving a short wave to the man who had helped save my parents, and he waved back. We walked on to my parent's home and Alexia spoke solemnly to William.

"I...I've never killed anyone before...It was horrible, I didn't even think, I just...reacted." She whispered.

"It's all right Alexia, I'm sure you only did it to help a friend..." William comforted her.

"Besides, he would have killed any of us without a second thought," I assured her.

"But..." She started before Mandis cut her off.

"Boo frickety hoo, get over it all ready, so what, you killed a man, scary," She spat. William and I glared at her coldly as Alexia cried in his shoulder and Taiki rejoined us from across the street at the Inn.