RP #11 - Sekhmet. Posted on 8-8-06

As Zelos and the others traveled to their destination, they were watched at a distance as it plotted it's next move. Anna and Zelos discussed everything from him being a chosen at one time to Anna's background to Vanim's strange appearance, Purrti merely listened without comment.
As they arrived at their destination, they were not greeted by the Meltokio people but by chaos of about 20 or so alien like creatures methodically trashing things and killing people in their search for something. As their crafts landed both large felines let out a war cry as they leap upon the creatures nearest to them. Vanim and Zelos shook their heads for a moment to stop the ringing in their ears then joined the large panthers in the defense of the Kingdom. As the aliens fell, Anna noticed a shadowy figure move into town, she yelled something in elven, Vanim turned to notice the movement and took off toward town with several warriors that had joined them in the battle.
Zelos marveled at the prowess of large panthers, he respected them as they moved with grace even in battle, meanwhile Vanim caught up with the individual as he emerged from the shadows, her eyes widened with realization that this was an archangel…

Angel: So High Priestess, you found me. What do you think you can do against me?

RP #12 - White Rose. Posted on 8-11-06

Exire... the abandoned town of the half-elves... The place where this motly group of people would make base for the time being. Soon, the others would arrive. Until that time came, both Kratos and Deadin were up to their necks, trying to transform this lackluster bunch into something at least remotely fearful to these monsters called Tarivians... How ever long it would take...

Deadin had given Terra, the young Irving-Aurion, and now... his student of the sword, a small break from the training that she the others were now enduring, and the girl took full advantage of it. Sitting right on the edge of a cliff on the upper part of the odd floating town in the sky, Terra looked down in awe at the world below her. The view was spectacular.

"Wow..." She said, not believing she was even witnessing this grand movie. A spark of curiosity lit up in her eyes and she stood up. She leaned her body slightly foward... "It's got to be so cool to fly..." The girl said again with a slight whisper as spread her arms wide and looked around at the land. Everything looked like small dots. The forest looked like a giant, patchy clover field that stretched for eons, and the water seemed to match the darkened sky all around them. Animals and people weren't visible at all, save for the birds that flew below Exire. The winged rulers of the sky just appeared to be small black and white crosses, growing smaller and bigger with each flap of their wings and each updraft and downdraft that glided them along their never ending journey. And the only hint of life underwater were the reflections given off from the sun as its light hit the skin of the fish and the other sea dwelling mammals that called the ocean their home. They merely appeared as specks of white light... sometimes blinding to the eye, causing Terra to turn her head a few times as she looked down at the water.

"It's not fair..." Terra said with a small grumble under her breath. "Dad can fly, Mom can fly, Grandpa can fly..." She crossed her arms. "Hell... Even uncle Zelos, and Yuan can fly!" She closed her eyes. "...I wish," she sighed with some anger. "I just wish I could... Just once..." She sighs again... "I yern to feel the wind flow across my body... whipping through my hair..."

Suddenly, a cold and violent gust of wind breezes over Exire, causing all on it to shield their faces from the chilled air. Under veiled faces... a loss of balance... and a slight gasp are heard... "Sh... This is not what I had in mind!" A voice shouted in terror as she loses her footing and falls over the edge of Exire. Another scream... this time, much louder and more panicked... "AAAAHHHHH!"

Immediately recognizing the voice, Lloyd uncovers his face and turns in the direction of where Terra is--or rather... where she was, just a mere moment ago. His eyes widen to the point where they could fall out of his sockets, and he gasps. "TERRA!" He shouts with fear, as he quickly speeds towards the cliff of Exire, followed immediately by Kratos and Colette. Then soon after, like a blur out of nowhere, the Ymirian Were-wolf named Deadin appears right behind his ancient friend.

Getting to the edge of the cliff, both Lloyd and Kratos jump right off of it, to the panic of the rest of the soldiers. Colette brings out her wings and almost manages to jump the cliff with her husband and Kratos, but Deadin lays a hand on her shoulder and tightens his grip, stopping the frantic woman who was trembling with great fear. "Don't worry... they'll get her." He says firmly looking straight into tear filled eyes and with a sincere nod. Colette clinches one of her hands forming a tight fist, and brings her other hand up to her mouth. Nervously, she bites down on one of her finger nails... "Hurry Lloyd!" She yells.

Falling through the air with his father, both men touch their exspheres. An icy colored blue glow envelopes their bodies, and is soon followed by a cascading shower of magical feathers that leave the all too familiar trail as they appear and evaporate in the air. Their wings soon sprout from behind their backs, to the shock of most of their onlookers... The two then precede to tuck in their wings, so as to gain speed and decend faster towards the young teenager. "Terra, hang on!" Lloyd shouts to his daughter who is gazing down at the incoming land below her. Her gaze was frozen, and whatever sweat and tears her body was giving out, were being quickly dried by the fierce, stinging winds that the laws of gravity were forcibly throwing in her face, and across her body.

Terra's eyes widened as the land became ever closer. Tears were flowing from her eyes, but of course, were dried within mere seconds after leaving her tear ducts.

'No... this can't be!' Terra thought with horror. "Daddy!" She screamed with agony, and to the top of her lungs. She tried to turn her head and her body. To gaze up at Exire. A place that was now a receding shadow in the sky. She tried to gaze at the two she heard above her... desperately trying to reach for her. Tears welling up in the eyes of her father. Her grandfather's body was trembling... But her eyes remained locked straight ahead. Frozen with solid, unbreakable fear. Shaking and bulging out of her head. Her body was trembling uncontrollably, and her heart was racing. Beating faster and faster with each passing second. ...So few times had she felt so helpless... so afraid... Her father and mother were always there for her. Noishe and the others were always protective of her ever since she could remember. And her grandfather, the ancient hero had seemingly returned from the brink of death, and had saved her and everyone from certain doom...

Would they really not save her this time?

...'I'm so pathetic...' Terra thought with shame. 'I'm sorry dad. I'm sorry I wasn't good enough to help you at work... to become the blacksmith you always wanted me to be...' Terra paused in a brief thought as a new stream of tears over took her... drying the instant they left her eyes. 'And Deadin...' She paused again, shutting her eyes. 'I'll never be strong enough to be like you or Kratos... Why does anyone even bother with me?' She opened her eyes back up to the realities outside of her own head... and screamed again. 'No...' She thought again with panic...

...The land was becoming awfully close... only several thousand feet until a very tragic end...

"No! Terra!" Colette shouted with absolute horror as she watched her daughter fall even farther from their grasp... Kratos could hear it due to the fact that he was in full angelic form, but as usual, it was out of Lloyd's range, since well... he wasn't really given any angelic abilities like his father.

The older swordsman's eyes shifted to Exire, then quickly back to Lloyd. "Put everything you have into it Lloyd! Now!" He shouts with determination, getting the point across immediately. Lloyd nods, and the two conjure up their hidden energy to allow for an even bigger burst of speed... They were gaining... faster and faster...

...And so was the land... only a few thousand feet now, and falling rapidly with each second.

The two were within feet of the teenager now... Lloyd attempted several times to grab her boot with his hand, but ultimately failed with each flawed swipe. Desperately he tried, over and over... grabbing nothing but the chilled, stinging air in his fingers. He flapped his wings frantically, inching closer to her heels.

Kratos was trying to approach from the side in an attempt to grab her whole body... He could just barely make out the face of his younger kin... his only granddaughter. It was frozen like ice... but he could feel her heat underneath of the cold air... He could read the mana that swelled around her. It had dipped considerably... it was like she had given up... Her body was trembling... scared so badly into a state of shock, he thought Terra was going to pass out, or have heart attack... And at such a rapidly decreasing altitude, either might certainly kill her. His eyes widened and he looked at Lloyd who was just a few inches away from her legs now. He grabbed once again... this time, managing to get ahold of the sole of her boot. And for a moment... her decent slowed...

Terra's eyes snapped out of her trance... had her life finally ended? Where was the white light at the end of the tunnel? Where were the angels to take her away?

...That's when reality hit her once again. She was still in the air... and one of her legs felt colder for some reason...

"NOOO! Dammit!" She heard her father shout with confusion. She turned her head to look at him... and he looked back at her. His eyes frozen, much like hers were. He was stopped and his hand was holding something black and gold... She gasped and her eyes widened. She looked at her foot. Her boot was missing. ...It was resting in his hand, being squeezed so tightly, had it been a balloon, it would've popped long ago...

The girl screamed again, realizing her nightmare was far from over. The land was approaching... just a thousand feet...

Kratos looked back at Lloyd, who had stopped his pursuit. He shook his head and immediately sprang into action. Wrestling the sheeth loose from his belt, he threw out his sword for the time being, and held the leather object out towards Terra. He wasn't quite close enough to reach her, so this would have to do.

"Terra! Listen to me!" Kratos shouted, suprising the teen. She immediately turned her head in his direction. He was so close... yet, he still couldn't get to her. "Grab this! Now! I'll pull you in!" He shouted all at once--his eyes shifting back and fourth between the land and her. Just moments left to spare. He flapped his wings and tried to inch even closer. He smiled at the frightened girl. A true genuine smile that hadn't appeared on his face in a long time. For a moment, he was taken aback by this simple gesture... and the warmth that he suddenly felt in his heart.

She looked so much Anna. And the resemblance to Lloyd and Colette... and even to himself, was astouding. He wouldn't lose her. He wouldn't lose any of his loved ones ever again. Not while he could still fight, and had life in his body.

...Was his return merely a fluke? Or was because of his family? Whatever the case, his heart had grown when he heard Terra fall... the agonizing scream... the human inside her that felt pain and fear... that felt love and hate. Just like he did... when he too, was still a mere human. Feelings that had only resurfaced when he lost his Anna to his own blood stained, and sin filled hands. And then when he lost his Lloyd. And it was all because of Cruxis... the plague that had taken complete control of the swordsman and bent him to their will. But now his former life, the organization called Cruxis was gone, and Kratos had no more excuses to run. He would not feel this way for Terra. He refused. He flapped harder, and inched even closer. He then did the one thing that took him by suprise... He asked one of his most forbidden questions...

"Do you trust me?"

That did it... he had opened the door to his own heart in that one inconspicuous moment. The two family members locked eyes and Terra nodded. "I do..."

The small beating vessel that layed dormant and stoic for so long in Kratos' chest blew up to the size of a mountain... He moved even closer to her, and she reached for the hilt, swimming in an invicible ocean, and swiping at it several times. Her fingers clawing... his eyes moving frantically back and fourth between the land and her.

"I got it!" She said with excitement as her hand finally gripped the leather sheeth. Kratos immediately pulled on the sheeth, and wrapped himself around the girl, holding her tightly. He stopped their descent without a second to spare and looked around, surveying the land below them. He could make out the tops of the the highest trees along the tops of the mountains... They were that close to death... He sighed with relief, and Lloyd's face grew 20 years younger as he witnessed the catch.

Terra looked up at Kratos. New, fresh tears were flowing like crazy... "You saved me..." She said, burying her head in his chest. His eyes narrowed with a slight feeling of akwardness. It was rare that he was ever hugged... much less cried on. But he smiled at her again and rubbed her back to comfort her. "You saved me, Terra..." She wiped her eyes on his uniform and looked up at him again. "I... I was... I didn't mean..." His smile never faded. "It's okay... You're safe now. That's all that matters..." Terra smiled and began to drift... "I love you grandpa..." She said as she fainted in his arms...

Kratos was shocked at those words. Shocked to the point he almost lost his grip on Terra. It held firm though, and he brushed the back of her head. Nobody besides Anna had ever said that to him. Noone had ever seen this side him, besides Anna... His hidden, gentle side... His mouth moved and he fumbled and studdered for the words. They were hard to say...

"I... I..." He paused and sighed, hesitating... questioning whether he would go on. His head told him not to get involved, but his heart... his new heart told him to let go of his past... He could hear Anna's voice echoing through his ears, and in the air. She was telling him the same thing...

The latter outweighed the first option, and Kratos chose his heart...

"I love you... Terra." He said with a whisper to her ear. The girl's body relaxed in his arms and she even seemed to form a small smile... His barrier was shattered once again... The old swordsman laughed... and almost seemed to cry... He shut his eyes and sighed. Looking back at her once more, he turned his attention above towards Lloyd, whom sat in the air, completely speechless... The eyes of the ancient hero grew angered and Lloyd turned away in shame. He'd never hear the end of it now...

Slowly coming up to his side, Kratos turned his head to the young man. "I have her. Let's go. ...Slowly." He said to his son, with a ring of frustration. Lloyd turned his face to his father, and met a chilling stare. "Dad... I... I'm..." He stuttered, not even being able to finish before Kratos cut him off. "You froze. That's all there is to it." He flew past Lloyd who's eyes were welling up. "Apologize to Colette and Terra. Not to me." Lloyd lowered his head once more in shame... "...Yeah..." he muttered under his breath. He followed his dad at a casual pace up to Exire.

Cheers and shouts of joy met their ears as the two finally landed atop Exire once again. Kratos layed Terra down on the ground where she was instantly swept up by Colette who had her buried in her arms. Her tears quickly soaking the teen's clothes...

Kratos sighed and smacked Lloyd across the back of the head. "Don't you ever freeze like that again. So help me Lloyd... that will be the death of you, or anyone you love!" He shouted to his son.

Lloyd couldn't stop staring at Terra... He froze... He almost lost her. If it hadn't been for Kratos... then...

Kratos smacked him again, and with more force. "Do you understand me!" The swordsman shouted again, with a furious voice. One that he hadn't used for quite some time. Lloyd nodded and answered quickly with a dull yes. They both sighed and turned to see that Terra was waking up... Colette's tears turned to joy as she hugged her daughter, squeezing the life out of her. Terra choked and gagged under her mother's strength and Colette loosened her grip with a chuckle. The ordeal was over... relieved that Terra was fine, most of the soldiers left the scene, leaving the four family members and Deadin alone.

"That was quick thinking Kratos. I'm impressed." Deadin said, patting Kratos on the back. The elf had witnessed everything, thanks to his enhanced vision. He looked at Lloyd and sighed. "It's alright Lloyd. She's safe." Lloyd looked back at the elf. "Yeah... but I... I... " His brow furled with anger and his teeth clinched together. The tears were rolling down his face... "...Dammit..." He said, disgusted with himself. Yet another weakness of the human soul was revealed from the stack of cards...

Fear...

Terra rose to her feet, a little shaky, but otherwise okay. She looked at her father with a mixed expression... Deadin glanced at her. "Go hug your father. He tried. To be human is to make mistakes Terra. Mistakes are unavoidable, but are also learned from. Do not forget that." He closed his eyes. "And do not forget who your family is. Never let them go. Ever." Deadin pat his friend on the back once more, and made his way to Lloyd. Patting him on his shoulder and nodding, he walked away and went back to his training area.

The Irvings and the Aurion stood around each other. Nobody knew what to say at that point. Not even Colette...

Kratos bit his lip several times trying to find the words to speak... he was never good at initiating conversation...

Terra kept looking at her father... remembering Deadin's words, she walked up to him.

The man had his back turned and was silently crying to himself... Terra wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, snapping Lloyd out of his heavy state of mind... he quickly turned around and hugged her back. "Martel... Terra, I'm so sorry..." He said, crying on the top of her head. Colette soon joined in to comfort her husband...

Kratos looked on at his family... HIS family... something he never had... a feeling that he had hardly experienced... And a rush of emotions that threatened to overtake him... He slowly walked up to the threesome who were locked in an inseperable bond... Stopping short of the backs of Lloyd and Terra, he shuffled his feet along the ground and scratched the back of his head... This was REALLY awkward for him... He reached out his hand towards Lloyd's shoulder. Hesitating several times and recoiling it... the angel finally placed his shaky, gloved hand on his son's shoulder. Lloyd tensed, expecting another smack to the head... and why not? He deserved it...

But this time, the grip was gentle and caring. Soothing even... the ancient hero cleared his throat, and began to speak...

"Will you accept one more into this... uh... bond?"

The three unburied their heads from one another and looked at Kratos with complete suprise. Lloyd mostly. A smile spread across his face. "Dad..." Colette waved her fists up and down and hopped on one foot. "Oh Kratos! Of course!" Terra simply smiled and hugged her grandpa. A hug for which he returned. Lloyd and Colette moved in and soon the family had themselves buried in one another...

Deadin looked on from his spot. A grin overtook him and he placed his hands behind his head. "You needed that Kratos." He chuckled. You old stick in the mud." he added for good humor. He was soon in a small fit of laughter, remembering times past with his good friend.

As the day started to wind down, the Irvings and the Aurion sat on the grass, looking out at the sun that was just beginning to set. Colette's back was to Lloyd's chest and his hands were wrapped around her waist. Terra sat next to them on their right side with her knees up to her chest and her hands wrapped around them. And Kratos was next to her, indian styled. A long silence followed... Terra looked at her parents, then at Kratos. "Do you think that you guys could take me flying sometime?" She asked, finally breaking the silence between them. Kratos eyed her, a bit suprised. "Aren't you just a little shaken up from earlier?" She smiled at him. "I was... but I know you guys will always be there for me. ...And I'm not scared. Not of the sky, and not of these Tarivians... Lloyd rubbed his daughter's back. "Okay then. It's a promise." Terra's eyes lit up. "REALLY!" She shouted. They nod in unison, and Terra a smile spreads across the teen's face. She throws a happy fist in the air. "AWSOME!" Lloyd and Colette laughed. Kratos' eyes narrowed, recalling Terra's last word in her previous comment.

"Tarivians..." He said to himself with a low whisper, and balled his fists tightly. 'Because of them, war infects this new world that I now call home...' He thinks to himself as he looks back out at the sky. 'They will not lay waste to it. Not while I'm alive...'

RP #13 - Genis Sage. Posted on 8-14-06

Merrick had fallen behind, so Ellyria landed at the gate to Altamira. She started to read the plaque at the base of a large stone archway, about fifty feet high, thirty feet wide, and decorated with ornate gold and silver patterns. "This archway symbolises the harmy of the two once seperate worlds before the fall of Cruxis. No matter how grand this arch may be, it cannot stand without the aid of the foundations buried beneath the earth. Much the same today, a man or woman is only as great as their friends. This archway was built by Regal Bryant, President of Lezareno Company, to show the meaning of peace and friendship..."

"WHEEEEE!"

Panicking, Ellyria looked up and saw Merrick flying his Rheiard, standing up without hands, heading right for the gate! His eyes were closed as he fixed his hair, enjoying the wind. Ellyria closed her eyes and said "ouch!" right as a scream was heard from overhead as Merrick's head collided with the archway. It was a long drop, and during his fall, Merrick was freaking out.

"Terra's family can fly, maybe I can too? They touch these things and grow wings! I have to try!" Merrick touched his exsphere. There was a small flash, but nothing changed. Suddenly, Merrick remembered what Lloyd said to Kratos when he was eavesdropping on him. P."The color of his exsphere, it's just like mom's..."

"Damnit, his mom must have had a defective one, and it looks like I do too!" Merrick cursed as he continued to fall. "Help!" he called to anyone in particular.

Down below, Ellyria had an idea. It was risky but worth a try...

"AAAAAHH!"

Suddenly, Merrick seemed to dissapear, as Ellyria held her Wing Pack. She let him out, but he seemed badly hurt.

"Next time you stuff me in there, take out the Rheiard!"

"... Oops."

RP #14 - Sekhmet. Posted on 8-16-06

As the high priestess of the goddess of the ocean and the ArchAngel of Lighting exchanged bouts of power as they lashed at each other, the skies darkened as the clouds gathered as a storm of great magnatude brews over the land as the people dove for cover as the lighting flashed and crashed upon the earth and the thunder roared in the atmosphere. Purrti watched as the Tarivians were struck down without so much as a blink of an eye as they shot up in flames, fried beyond recogniton.(sp)
As they fought, Zelos nerviously watched from a shelterd area as he wondered what could tilt the balance either way, his head turned to see a large feline figure flip and slide to safety then move in what seemed to be rapid jerky movement caused by the flashing of the lighting in the sky. As the figure became closer Zelos recognized it was Anna as she move to huddle beside Zelos panting from the rush and she was soaked to bone. Her eyes glowed earily in the darkness.

Zelos: Where is Purrti?

Anna: She is over there... as she points to a pile of rubble but she is fine... in fact much drier then I am. her eyes turned to look at Zelos So what do we do now?

Zelos: with a smirk Besides hide? shrugs I'm not really sure unless something can stop those two fighting... they aren't doing a bit of harm to each other...

Anna: nods true. thinks a bit Maybe elven magic?

Zelos just shrugs as Anna looks to where Vanim stands with the staff of the goddess, she glowed with powere as her goddess filled her, Anna pursed her lips trying to think of a plan.

RP #15 - Sekhmet. Posted on 8-18-06

Suddenly as everything started it ended as the archangel vanished, Anna moved swiftly to look around to see if she could find the angel anywhere but he was no-where to be seen or heard. Purrti's ears rose just above the rubble where she was hiding, then fully rose to take a look around. Vanim moved without touching the ground as the goddess within her searched for signs of the angel before releasing her host.
Zelos was in awe over Vanim's power, he watched as the glow around her subsided and she lowered to the ground, stood there for a moment to regain her composer then began going about alone with Purrti to go check on the residence of the town.
Anna was glad she had time with Vanim while they had travelled on the ship to learn the elven magic, though she had much to learn. Zelos and Purrti along with several people searched through rubble, helping as they could as Anna and Vanim healed who they could.
After several hours, the four went to speak with the King. He had them stay in the guest rooms for the night though at first he was unsure of the large felines, but found them interesting to say the least. The next morning, Zelos rose early to speak with the king about the problems that have arisen and the request of assistance. Meanwhile, Purrti was briefing the captian of the guard about the fighting techiques of how to defeat the new enemy and who she knew of the weaknesses. Anna slipped away unnoticed into the town to explore alone while Vanim slept soundly in the "waterbed" that was made just for her, she was rudely awakened by Anna's scream of terror. As the three raced out of the palace followed by a few soldiers, they were just in time to see Anna vanish with the ArchAngel of Lighting. Purrti roared in anger but was unable to help her pupil. Vanim stared in disbelief unable to do anything as Zelos opened his wings to go after the angel, he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning he looked at Vanim.

Vanim - There is nothing we can do for now. But we will find and rescue her.

Purrti nods and lets out a sorrow filled roar. The king from the balcony watches as the three return to the palace.

RP #16 - AngelicAura. Posted on 8-20-06

Later in the evening, Sheena put together a large dinner party for all of the members of the old party that regenerated the world. Aaron, of course, was invited as well. When everyone was seated and had been served food, Sheena led the group in a prayer and then the eating commenced. Forks clattered, people spoke to one another, food was being piled on plates, and Raine even put Aaron to sleep with a rant on how the "magnificent china" was made. Aaron was awoken, of course, with a large red handprint across his face. Sheena laughed, and choked on some of her beef. Genis had to use a spell to force the air out her lungs and push the piece of beef out. Aaron decided that he should cut in to the entertainment with the reason everybody was invited to the private dinner party. He stood up and put his knife to his glass, implying that everyone divert their attention to him.

"A toast? Isn't it late for that?" Raine asked.

"No, not a toast!" Aaron told, "I need to tell you all something."

Aaron paused, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Well, say it already!" Genis said, impatiently.

"Fine, fine," Aaron started, then took a breath, and continued, "Iselia has plunged into war, and in turn, took a turn for the worse. The Mayor and War General have been using the War Department for research on how to awaken the ancient Archangels, beasts of tremendous ability, from their "eternal" slumber. Palmacosta has engaged themselves for war against Iselia, and Triet as well. Palmacosta supposedly already has killed an Archangel, and so has Iselia. In response to this threatening activity, I, Kratos, and Deadin have assembled an army to fight all of those engaged in war."

"That's foolish. Rebelling against a war by fighting against them? It's basically hypocrisy!" Raine shouted.

"We intend to preserve the regenerated world from harm! If they awaken more of these 'Archangels' then we have no idea what will happen to the world! And if we don't stop them, they will awaken all the Archangels!" Aaron argued.

"This is what we did last time. We unlocked all the seals on both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, breaking all the mana links between the worlds. We didn't know what would happen, but we got lucky, and nothing all that bad happened." Genis explained.

"See! He agrees with me...I think." Aaron told.

"No, he's saying that you're being foolish. We were foolish on our mission, but we got lucky. This time, you may not be so lucky." Raine said.

"Actually, I wasn't saying either of those things, I was just pointing out-" Genis started, but was cut off by Raine.

"Shh! I'm trying to prove a point!" she whispered.

Genis pouted.

"I think that if he's fighting for what he believes in, he can't be wrong." Sheena said.

"Foolish words." Raine snapped.

"What?" Sheena said, "You fought for what YOU believed in back then!"

"I was foolish as well." Raine sighed.

"So, are you saying that foolish may not be all that foolish?" Sheena asked.

"I give up. Nobody understands what I'm trying to say!" Raine shouted. The whole room fell silent, then Sheena spoke up again.

"Try and re-phrase what you mean then."

"I'm just saying. This is dangerous, and should be re-evaluated. There are safer methods to bring ends to a war."

"I don't think there's any other way." Presea said, finally.

"What?" Raine asked.

"Well, Iselia and Palmacosta are both very intent on their beliefs, and will stop at nothing to defeat each other, even if it means putting the world at risk. If we stop them with force, they can't fight back. Fight fire with fire." she explained.

"That's why I love you! Brains AND brawn!" Genis exclaimed, hugging Presea tightly. She returned the favor.

"I...guess I didn't think of it that way..." Raine said.

"Well, I'll agree to fight!" Sheena said.

Presea and Genis whispered to each other, then Genis said "Alright, Presea and I will fight for you!"

Everybody stared at Raine intently.

"Fine! I'll fight! Maybe I can figure something out to make this safer..." she told.

"Good, good. Well, we'll depart tomorrow, at sunrise, alright?" Aaron said. The group nodded.

Overnight, Sheena told the Mizuhoans about the depature, and packed up. Raine and Genis practiced spellcasting, as they would need to be in top shape for battle. Presea packed up Genis, Raine, and her own belongings, then sharpened her axe. Aaron lied down, piecing together everything that had happened in the last two days. It was a lot to take in. He finally fell asleep two hours later.

In the morning, the group arrived at the center of New Mizuho, and put their belongings into the storage compartments of the Rheiards. Aaron explained that it would take a little to locate Exire, since it constantly moved. Raine simply explained to follow the movement of the wind, since the wind guides the floating city. Aaron felt like a moron. Then, running up them came Kyoshi.

"Wait, wait! I'm coming!" he yelled at them.

"Oh, I almost forgot about you. Sorry..." Aaron said.

"Yeah, alright, well, I have a good amount of Ozettians coming to fight. I just gave them the leftover Rheiards from what we were supplied by Deadin and Kratos. Hopefully they can all fit on them." Kyoshi explained.

"Good, good. Thank you for doing that for me." Aaron told.

"You're welcome. Now, let's go!" Kyoshi exclaimed.

They took flight and Aaron felt the wind blowing Southwest. They took off, every once in awhile checking the icy cold wind for any change in directions. About thirty minutes into the flight, the wind changed to South. Then, in ten minutes, it wsa blowing West.

"Raine, I'm confused. If the wind keeps changing directions, how do we know we're going the right way?" Aaron questioned.

"I can see the damned thing, that's why!" Raine explained.

"Huh? Ohhh!" Aaron gasped, seeing the floating city on the horizon. Rheiards were arriving and taking off constantly.

It actually looks like a military base Aaron thought.

"Let's go then!" Genis shouted.

They were off, the cold air numbing their faces. Finally, they hovered above the ground of Exire, the floating city. An updraft caught them by surprise, and blew them back off of the city. Some dangled ominously, and Aaron thought he heard somebody shout "Not again!" from Exire, but shoved it off. Everybody recovered from the breeze and then landed down. Aaron showed everyone to their sleeping quarters, and then went to report to Deadin and Kratos of a successful mission, and hopefully, it wouldn't be the last one. There were still many other people missing from their missions.

Don't fail us...all of you... Aaron thought.

RP #17 - Sekhmet. Posted on 8-25-06

Several hours later, Zelos, Purrti and Vanim head to the flying city, after several attempts they finally land, then make their way to where Llyod and the others are. As the enter the small party... In the joyful atmosphere, they are depressed, not really wanting to report everything. Zelos leaves the girls, makes his way over to his wife, hugs her and kisses her with passion. Vanim looks at Purrti, who nods and goes to see if she can find Deadin amoungt the crowd. Vanim takes the news of the Kingdom join their cause, she goes to look for Aaron and whomever else she needs to give the report to.

RP #18 - Runaway Angel. Posted on 8-25-06

Mallee blinked and looked out of the gaping hole in the side of her home. What were those strange things flying through the sky away from their home?

"Tesory, are those...?" she asked her big sister.

Tesory walked over to the hole and her little sister. Everything about her was graceful. Her hair seemed to flow behind her even when she only took four steps. It was like watching a ballet. "Rheiards…." She muttered under her breath. "Nuis! We need-"

"No!" Mallee cried out sadly. "You promised I could have the next watch!"

Nuis took a step towards her. "Mallee…."

Tesory sighed. "We…did promise."

Nuis looked at her in disgust. "Tesory! What are you doing! She's only eight!"

"But… Nuis…" Tesory said sadly.

Mallee jumped up and down happily and ran up the makeshift ladder they had to the outside. Pushing away the piece of debris that any full grown human would only dream of moving, she quickly climbed out and replaced the rock. There was a sudden scream, and all of the visitors ran to the edge of one of the cliffs. She followed everyone and peered down. Three people were falling. Two men, and one young woman, about Tesory's age. She watched as the men dove as fast as they could to catch her. Poor thing. Too bad she didn't have wings like-

Mallee gave a violent gasp as she saw the two men reveal their wings. That wouldn't have been too bad a shock had they both not been human, and one of them… Her eyes widened. It couldn't be. It couldn't really be…

She half dived over the cliff herself, watching. Yes… it had to be him! She didn't recognize his clothes, but his hair and wings… it was exactly like her sibling's memories!

"Lord…" she muttered under her breath in awe.

She watched as the man caught the girl after the other man froze, with what appeared to be a boot in his hand. They slowly started to go up towards Exire. Afraid the man with blue wings would see her, (although she severly doubted he'd recognize her) she ran as fast as he could to the broken house and her her little abode. Bracing herself against the rock (she didn't know why she did this, but oh well), she put her hands on it, ready to push it out of the way. She froze as a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Hae. What are you doing with that rock?"

She looked fearfully at the face of the man. He was an ordinary human, but that didn't change how bad this situation could be.

"Wow. You're kind of young to be up here. Come on. I'll help you find your parents."

Floundering, and at a loss for words, Mallee let the man lead her. Wherever that may be.

Tesory sat on the floor, her head lying on the small table Nuis had made with some rock, wood, and rope. It was way after the time Mallee should have returned. Where was she?

"Stop being so anxious," Nuis said angrily, sharpening his plain steel sword that he had just for times when he was too bored to do anything else. "It's your fault she's out there anyway. I said-"

"Shove it up your nose Nuis," Tesory said angrily, not lifting her head from the table. "I don't have time. I'm actually worried about…" she let her entence trail off, knowing she had accidently hit a nerve with the boy. "I'm sorry," she said, "I'm just worried. Mallee's never even met strangers before…"

Nuis looked at her. "She has never left this hole and knows what the bottom of the ocean looks like. She can identify a male deer from a female deer, and has never even seen one before. She has never seen other people, but she'll know what to do." He looked at her for greater emphasis. "She has our memories. She has everything she needs."

Tesory looked up at her brother. "Those were really terrible examples you know."

Nuis glared at her, but she could have sworn she saw a smile in his eyes. She smiled at him. "Haha. Nuis is smiling…" she taunted the boy. If only she could just get him to laugh…

"Tesory! Nuis! You're never gonna believe this!" she cried out happily, even though Nuis' sword had swung to her throat after saying his name. It had happened too many times before for her to be phased by it.

"Mallee!" Tesory cried happily as she rushed to her little sister. "What took you so long! Nuis and I… well…. I, were so scared! Who knows what they could've done!"

Mallee hugged her sister. "I'm only late because one of the humans-"

"There are humans in Exire!" Nuis exclaimed.

Mallee nodded her head vigorously. "Yeah! And one of them found me and took me to everyone else he could, confused because I was too young to be in the war effort-"

"War effort!" Nuis cried angrily. "What are those scum doing now, and why are they bringing us into it!"

"Calm down Nuis," Tesory said angrily. "What was so amazing though Mallee? You said that as you came down…"

Mallee leaned over and whispered a name into Tesory's ear. It was a good thing she wasn't holding anything, because it would've hit the ground hard.

Nuis looked over to them in alarm. "What is it. What's going on?"

Tesory muttered something under her breath.

"Louder dam it! What is it!" he shouted at them.

"Lord… Kratos…" Tesory said a bit louder.

Nuis was never very emotional, and things like shock, pain, and sadness never seemed to register with him. But this time, he gave such a violent shudder that he almost fell out of the house. Not that that would've been anything to worry about.

"He's… here…?" he muttered to Mallee.

"I'm sure of it!" the eight year old said. "He's exactly like you remember, only wearing different clothes. But it's him alright!"

Nuis scrambled for Solizz while Tesory armed herself with her Sylph Knife and her Wind Bow. They both ran for the hole in the side of the enclosure.

"Stay here," Nuis said forcefully as Tesory dived into the sky. "Wait for us here. If we don't come back in a little while, wait longer. You know the drill." He dived out of the house without another word.

Mallee slumped against the wall. Why couldn't she EVER do anything!

The moon shined down upon the silent city of Exire. Everyone was asleep, except for two figures, who stalked the houses.

"I'll take this house, you take that one. If you find him, get me. Okay?" Tesory whispered. Nuis nodded.

She carefully slipped through the door and looked around. Normally, any human, and even most half-elfs couldn't see with it this dark, but for Tesory… She looked at the beds. There were three in here. In the bed nearest to the door was a man who had seemed to just fall into an uneasy sleep after crying for a few hours. How pathetic. She moved silently along. In the next bed was a woman with long blonde hair. She moved on. In the third bed was a young girl with brown hair. To her surprise, the girl was her age. That was rather unexpected. Shaking her head she turned around to leave. The girl slowly opened her eyes.

Nuis looked around. Humans, humans, and more humans. What did the filth want on Exire? It had been abandoned for as long as he and his sisters could remember. A scream suddenly split the night air, and Nuis ran out of the house in time to see Tesory run as fast as she could from the house.

There was suddenly a strange sound and a man with glowing blue wings appeared, his sword drawn. He dived right towards Tesory.

"SISTER!" Nuis screamed, scared for his sister's life. He ran as fast as he could to her, but to no avail. The figure landed right in front of her. She quickly drew her Sylph Knife, and the battle started.

Kratos, because it was obvious it was him, slashed at the intruder. He could see it was only a young girl, but that didn't matter. It was obvious she had attacked Terra. Tesory dodged and jumped out of the way. She didn't want to hurt him, but knew she probably couldn't.

By now, everyone was out of their houses and watching the battle rage between girl and man. The most surprising thing about the battle was how well the girl fought.

Kratos slashed at her head, but she stopped it with her swords. She took one and aimed for a blow to his stomach. Kratos released her top blade, stopped her second, and aimed for her legs. Tesory jumped higher than any of the humans, including Kratos, could believe, and jumped past the ring of spectators. She was now precariously close to the edge.

Kratos couldn't believe how long this battle was lasting. Ten minutes had past, him going as hard as he could, before he got the girl to trip over the edge and hang on for dear life. Tesory had been defeated.

He leaned down and offered her a hand up, when all of a sudden he went flying over the edge. Staring down at her was Nuis. "Give me your hand!" he cried, trying to get her to let go.

"Nuis! What have you done!" she shouted at him. He glared at her.

"He's an angel! He can take care of himself!"

She glanced down to see Kratos coming up to her like an arrow. "Okay!" she cried and allowed her brother to help her up. Just as she landed on the ground Kratos appeared and moved his sword to Nuis' neck. Game over.

"What do you want here?" he growled menacingly at them.

"Please don't hurt him!" Tesory cried, planting her face into the ground before the angel. "Please don't hurt him Lord Kratos!"

Everyone took a step back. Lord Kratos!

He looked down at her in surprise. "What?"

"Please," she said, tears in her eyes. "I never meant to upset the girl! I was just looking for you! My brother and I wished to speak with you! We were searching when I accidently bumped the girl's bed and she screamed. I never attacked her."

Kratos turned his attention to Nuis. He was staring at Kratos defiantly. "And what say you?"

Nuis continued to glare at him.

Kratos inched his sword closer to Nuis' throat. "Speak!"

He glared at Kratos with an even colder stare. "You attacked my sister. I had to defend her."

"With a cheap shot like that!" Someone in the audience cried. "Where's your honor!"

Tesory suddenly feared for the man's life. But instead of how Nuis normally reacted, he just bowed his head in shame.

"If I had honor to defend, I wouldn't have done that," he whispered.

No one except Tesory, Kratos, and Colette, since she was up, heard it. Kratos sheathed his blade. "Terra, does the girl speak the truth?"

The sixteen year old Tesory had seen earlier nodded. "Yeah… I just woke up and saw her grandpa."

Tesory's head spun around so fast she almost sprained her neck. "Grandpa! Lord Kratos-"

He bent down and helped her up, considering she was sitting down. "Come. Bring your brother, and we'll discuss whatever you needed to talk with me about."

She stood up and blinked. "You're not… mad at me?"

"You did not attack Terra as I thought you had, and I attacked you. I think the least I owe you is a discussion."

Tesory smiled and grabbed her brother's arm. "Thank you. Give me one second though. I need to get someone."

Nuis looked at her. "Let me. You go ahead."

She nodded and started to follow Kratos.

"Grandpa!"

The two turned around. Terra was right behind them. "Can I come with you?" she asked.

Tesory looked up at Kratos. "I wouldn't mind Lord Kratos."

Kratos looked at her strangely but nodded. "Why not?"

Terra smiled and followed them. She looked out of the corner of her eye. She could have sworn she something...

"Wait here for a minute," he told the two girls once they had reached an empty house. "I need to speak with someone really fast."

The two nodded as he left.

"So… I'm Terra Irving!" Terra said happily, extending her hand to Tesory.

Tesory looked at her for a second, then grasped her hand warmly. "I'm Tesory! It's nice to meet you Terra!"

They exchanged smiles for a few seconds. "So how did you learn about the battle?" Terra asked.

"I… I actually don't know what's going on," Tesory admitted. "You guys just appeared and we came up here to see what's going on."

Terra looked at her, surprised. "Up? You mean from the ground below!"

Tesory shook her head. "No. We live-"

"TESORY!"

Tesory and Terra turned to see Mallee and Nuis enter the house.

Tesory smiled. "Hi Mallee! This is my new friend, Terra!" She paused and turned to Terra. "We're friends… aren't we?"

Terra looked at her strangely. "Of course we're friends Tesory!"

Mallee turned to Terra. "I'm… Mallee…."

Tesory looked at her strangely. Mallee's hand went to Tesory's back. Tesory nodded. "Oh… Mallee doesn't speak that much in front of strangers."

Terra turned to her. "It's nice to meet you Mallee. Are…you Tesory and Nuis' little sister?"

She nodded.

"I see everyone is here."

They all turned to see Kratos standing in the door. Mallee blushed. He was even more handsome than in Tesory's and Nuis' memories.

Nuis bowed his head and stuffed himself into a corner. Tesory glared at him.

"So then. What did you want to ask me?" he asked, sitting down.

Mallee climbed onto Terra's lap. She didn't seem to mind.

"What are all of you humans doing here?" Tesory asked. "Exire has been abandoned for as long as me and my siblings can remember."

Kratos explained everything that happened so far, starting from where the strange meteors crashed.

Tesory nodded. "I remember those meteors… one, a small one, almost hit Exire. Made Mallee fell off. Scared the heck out of Nuis and I."

Mallee climbed down from Terra's lap and onto Tesory's.

Terra shuddered, remembering her incident from earlier today. "How did she survive the fall?"

"We have a couple of Rheiards and we just dived and caught her."

Kratos looked at them, surprised. "You have Rheiards? That could certainly help us in this war."

Tesory stood up and picked Mallee up. "Lord Kratos, if it is okay with you, I request to join this war you have started and fight alongside you and my new found friend."

Nuis jumped up. He opened his mouth to speak, but saw Kratos out of the corner of his eye and closed his mouth. Mallee wasn't the same.

"Tesory…" she turned to Kratos. "Lord Kratos… if I my sister will help you, so will I."

Nuis walked over to Tesory and put one of his hands on her back. Tesory smiled wide.

"Nuis says he'll help."

Kratos nodded and stood up. "Then welcome to the army you three. Let's go out and make your presence known."

Tesory and Mallee smiled and followed him out. Nuis let Terra out first, who smiled kindly at him and walked out of the door.

'Why doesn't he say anything?' She thought sadly as she left the house. It was late, and she needed rest after her ordeal.

Nuis pounded his head in frustration. Why had he suddenly felt so weird when Terra smiled at him? As if his knees were made of Gels…

"Nuis, come on!" Terra cried happily.

Nuis immediately forgot his anger and followed her.

RP #19 - Sekhmet. Posted on 8-25-06

Meanwhile elsewhere, Anna sat in a cell unsure of the reason of why she was captured. Her ears caught sounds but nothing that she understood, though most of it sounded like arguing, her nose twitched as she sniffed the air for any scent. She would move but her arms were chained and she was gagged to kept from bitting, she merely sat there thinking and listening.

RP #20 - Newtype06. Posted on 8-25-06

"And do not forget who your family is. Never let them go. Ever."

Deadin felt disgusted with himself. A fool, guiding the foolish. Night had fallen on Exire, and the escapades of the day had ended. Terra had almost died, and Deadin could do nothing. Kratos had proven himself useful yet again, and Lloyd had been forced to realize his own weakness. Deadin understood Kratos' frustration better than any person could realize…

200 years ago…

"Come on D! Lets' go!" she said, her golden hair flowing behind her. Lia ran blissfully through the field, at home in the tall grass. The falling sun glinted of her, casting long shadow across the field. A teenaged elf ran behind her, his black hair ruffling in the wind and his grey eyes constantly darting back and forth with each sound. "Sure Lia, but remember that dad wants us back before nightfall," he said.

Deadin Woodshadow, son of Falin, successor to the twelfth family of the Elvish lineage followed his little sister through the field. She was only in her thirties, while Deadin had just turned 45 a few days ago. Lia had hoped to take Deadin out on the walk for his birthday, but her sickness had prevented her from getting out. Now that she was better, they could spend some time together.

Deadin looked at his sister. She was beautiful, even when compared to others amongst the elvenkind. Her fair hair ran down to her hips, and the modest green dress she wore could not hide her stunning figure. In seventy years, she would be able to marry, and the young elf knew that he and his father would have a field day the day Lia came home with a suitor. Still, the elf couldn't help but laugh. He and his father would be trying to save the poor soul from centuries of "unbearable torment".

Lia looked back at Deadin, her green eyes smiling. "Come on, D, I'll race you to that tree!" She took off, laughing freely and looking occasionally over her shoulder. Deadin bolted, running flat out towards the husk of a tree that Lia had pointed towards. He didn't know why, but Lia had always called him 'D'. Perhaps it was because she saw him in a different light than his name suggested. "Silent-Shadow", that's what his name meant. He was indeed the most silent "shadow" of the Woodshadow clan, but in Lia's eyes, Deadin was neither silent, nor shadowy.

"Come On, you slowpoke!" Lia shouted, giggling hysterically throughout. "There's no way you'll beat me like that!" She ran even faster, laughing and flailing her arms about. Deadin huffed behind her, trying to match her speed. Even though he'd never let her know it, Deadin could've beaten her any day.

But seeing her happy was more than worth losing the race.

Lia flopped down at the base of the tree, and Deadin sat down beside her. She gave him a playful smack on the stomach. "How are you supposed to take over the family if you can't even catch me?" she teased. "I don't know," Deadin said, equally amused. "But how are you going to find a guy that'll put up with your attitude?" Deadin joked. Lia just sighed and sat back. The first stars had begun to poke through the increasing darkness.

"I thought I told you two to be back by nightfall," a voice said. "Deadin, stand and pay attention."

Deadin bolted up, and turned around to find himself face to face with his father, the great Falin Woodshadow. Falin was one of the oldest elves alive, even though he didn't show it. At nearly 650 years of age, Falin still looked like he was in his four hundreds, merely forty by human standards. If there was any elf more respected than Falin, that elf did not live in Heimdall.

"Sir," Deadin stammered, standing straight backed in front of his father. "I'm sorry, sir…"

The grey haired elf smiled. "You understand your mistake, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"And you understand that your sister's condition is a serious one?"

"Of course, father."

"Lia still needs rest, Deadin. Let's go." Falin said, and turned back to the direction of the family house. "Still, it is a beautiful night… Let's take our time."

Deadin Draugdu screamed in anger. It had been more than a hundred and fifty years since he had seen either of them. Falin would be almost eight hundred, putting him amongst the oldest elves to ever live, and Lia would be two hundred and thirty. He had missed her wedding by a hundred and thirty years, at the most. She could already have had sons and daughters, and Deadin would never know…The Grey Elf paced the empty platforms of Heimdall, contemplating the hypocrisy of his words.

"And do not forget who your family is. Never let them go. Ever."

Deadin growled, subconsciously slipping into his Hybrid form. The Hybrid howled solemnly at the moon, before taking off down one of the massive walkways. Deadin ran hard and fast, his claws digging grooves into the hardened rock. He ran as hard as he could, until he saw one single tree ahead of him. Deadin slowed to a stop before the old oak, laying a hand upon the surface.

He had let his family go years ago. He had forgotten them.

Sounds of battle diverted Deadin's attention. Slipping into the shadows, the Hybrid drew his broadsword and stalked the platforms. His nose detected the familiar scent of Kratos, along with several others…

They seemed…different.

Deadin made his way carefully. He didn't want to give away his position to the combatants. Deadin watched as the spectacle unfurled. Kratos battled his way through two attackers, who, much to Deadin's surprise, seemed to challenge the old swordsman.

Rusty…Deadin thought. These two should pose no threat…

But, in the end Kratos pulled through, and defeated the two. They seemed to have some discussion, Deadin's wolfen ears picking up every spoken word, culminating in the group walking off.

The Grey Wolf followed, eager to meet this new challenge.

Kratos, Terra, and the young woman entered one of the main buildings. Deadin followed silently, pausing again as the young man and a young girl burst into the building later. The Hybrid forced himself to revert to his elven form, waiting patiently for the meeting to disperse.

Finally, Terra and the three new inhabitants emerged. Deadin decided to break his silence.

"Lady Terra," he said. "Everything is alright, I assume?"

"Oh yeah," Terra replied. "Grandpa got into a fight with them, but now they're our friends!"

"And a worthy challenge they proved to be," Deadin said in an offhand manner. "Allow me to introduce myself."

Deadin drew his broadsword in a single swift motion, bringing it to a rest in front of him. After a few elaborate swings, he plunged the blade into the ground in front of him. "Deadin, Deadin Draugdu," the elf started, bowing deeply at the waist. "Exile of Heimdall, student of Niten and Aurion." Extending a hand gently towards the three, Deadin indicated that it was their turn. "And you may be…?"

"Tesory," the young woman said, eyeing Deadin up and down. "Heimdall…you… You're an Elf!" she shouted.

"And you are a half elf," Deadin said flatly. "It's a small matter." He turned his attention to the young man.

"Nuis" the half elf boy said, not in the least bit interested in Deadin.

"Honour is in the eye of the beholder. It was honourable to rush to the aid of your sister. Honour is something you strive for for yourself, not for others. If you feel you acted correctly in saving your sister, than you have found honour."

Nuis looked at Deadin with a glare that could light a candle, but the wise elf just let it ride over him.

"And what's your name?" Deadin said softly to the girl that suddenly dived behind Tesory.

"She's Mallee" Tesory said. "She's our sister."

"You're all related?" Deadin said, surprised at the revelation.

"Yes," Nuis said flatly.

"Interesting," Deadin said. He reached back into his rucksack, producing a familiar object. Terra almost laughed when she saw the normally terse and grizzled Deadin stoop down and give Mallee the small training bell he had used on her a few days earlier. "A gift, for a new friend," Deadin said. He stood back up, and retrieved his sword, which was still planted firmly in the ground.

"Lady Terra, if you would like, I will escort you back to your quarters, and see to it that these three are given a proper lodging." Deadin said, bowing his head slightly in Terra's direction and sliding the blade home into its scabbard.

"Sure," Terra said, turning back to her house.

"It's alright," Tesory said. "We have a place to stay."

"Understood," Deadin said. "By the way, your swordsmanship was excellent. I could use you two at my training classes. Please come see me on the northern landing pad someday. Your skills will be of great use."

"Thanks," Nuis said gruffly.

And with that, the group made their way off into the night. Deadin recounted a few stories of his freelance days, back when he was a wandering swordsman and fought in several wars. The three newcomers seemed interested in the stories, and Deadin was all too happy to produce them. Terra left the group after a few minutes, and the three left a short while later.

A family that fights together…Deadin thought. Very interesting… Suddenly, a rock rolled nearby. Deadin wheeled about, hand to his sword hilt.

"Deadin Draugdu?" A voice came from the shadows, "I bring a message from Anna."

Purrti stepped out from the shadows.

"What is it?" Deadin said, an inch of fear in his voice…