"Acknowledged. You are cleared for landing, and as per your request, Malstronian authorities will be on hand to escort Dark Dance to the proper location. Welcome to New Malstron, Sir Delgato."

 Rigma smiled as he slid the headset off, leaning back in the flight chair and propping his feet up on the console. Mei-Lynn, seated beside him, removed her own headset and smiled. Auto-pilot had been engaged, so landing the vessel wouldn't be a problem. While the Hydra Class airship wasn't all that difficult to fly, the auto-pilot was a very welcomed feature to the craft. "So what's New Malstron like?," Mei-Lynn casually wondered, bringing her hand up to her mouth to stifle a yawn. It had been a long night, and it was finally beginning to take its toll on the young woman.

 Her Mountaineer co-pilot shrugged, casting a quick glance out of the window before turning back to her. "Your guess is as good as mine, Ms. Zhang. I've been stationed in Second Realm since the Haven colony was established."

 "Military?"

 Rigma snickered. "Nah, I had enough of that lifestyle. Mercenary."

 "Too much structure for a guy like you, I suppose." Mei-Lynn cast him a quick grin, to which the Mountaineer smirked in kind. He noted that the Evandalian seemed to enjoy speaking, but was just as adept when it came to listening. It was a rarity, finding somewhat from such a substantial financial background to be interested in anyone but herself.

 "Nah, I spent ten good years in the service of the Crimson Knights which I wouldn't have traded the world for. Traveled all over Second Realm, met lots of people, did lots of good, met the woman I thought I could have spent the rest of my life with..."

 "But...?"

 "You could call her the proverbial 'One that Got Away'..." Rigma shook his head quickly, dismissing the returning memories. It had just dawned upon him that Lia was part of the exodus party to Haven, and hence might actually be running around New Malstron. He hadn't seen her in quite some time, but wasn't quite sure if it was best if he did now. "So tell me Ms. Zhang," he remarked, quickly changing the subject. "I can't help but notice that you possess a number of skills that most young ladies in your situation would... well, how should I put this...?"

 Mei-Lynn arched one of her brows and smirked. "How is it that a pampered rich girl like me knows how to fly an airship, fire like a marksman, and can generally kick so much ass?"

 Rigma shrugged. "Not quite how I would have worded it, but yes."

 The blue haired Evandalian nodded. Crossing her hands behind her head, she took a moment to lean back a bit further in her chair and smile. Having a more than healthy respect for the feminine form, Rigma caught his eyes straying to her well-formed chest for the briefest of moments before returning the gaze to a more respectable level. "Being the hyperactive, tomboy daughter of a high ranking executive of probably the wealthiest company in the known universe has certain advantages. If there was something I wanted to try, it wasn't difficult for daddy-dearest to make it happen."

 Rigma grinned, nodding his head. "You must have an awful lot of free time on your hands."

 "Yeah, but would you believe that this is the first time I've left New Evandalis since being here?," she remarked, sighing. "There are so many places in Haven I want to see... Ardonis, The Dragon, Zoe... my god, I would have -killed- to see that tournament..."

 The Mountaineer couldn't help but laugh at the childlike giddiness that had suddenly overtaken the young woman. It was refreshing to see that some things could still illicit that kind of a response in people. "Well my dear, if you ever do decide to go traveling, then you're going to need a bodyguard..."

 A grin escaped the Evandalian's lips. "Was that an offer?"

 Rigma only smiled as a knock came at the cabin's door, taking a moment to slide his black hat over his brow before responding with a quick "Come in." The chamber's door slowly creaked open as Natalie peeked inside of the room before stepping in. She had just woken up and wasn't exactly that concerned with her appearance at the moment, and was ready to uppercut anyone that had anything to say about it. Her hair was pulled back into a hastily drawn bun and she was devoid of her armor, which was still resting on the floor of her makeshift bed within the holding chamber with the rest of the former prisoners. A yawn stretched its way from her mouth, and halfway through the motion to cover it, Natalie simply gave up and decided that the inside of her mouth couldn't have been that terrible offensive to the others. "Good morning, Ms. Firebrand," Rigma greeted, somehow knowing it was her despite the fact that his eyes were concealed beneath his hat.

 Natalie pondered the anomaly for a moment before finally dismissing it. "When do we land?," she groggily wondered, deeming it too early in the morning to muster a greeting.

 "Another twenty minutes or so," Mei-Lynn answered after taking a quick look at one of the displays. "We'll be in New Malstron before you know it, hon'."

 Natalie nodded and yawned again, this time managing to get her hand up in time to cover her mouth. "That's good, because some of those Earth guys are getting a little obnoxious back there."

 Rigma raised his head a little. "Oh?"

 Making her way fully inside, Natalie plopped down onto one of the chairs within the control room before casting an irritated glance over her shoulder and towards the holding chambers. "Most of it is the 'Are we there yet?' sort of crap, while about two or three have been quite vocal about not trusting us. Then don't get me started on the stupid pickup lines..."

 "Oh?," Rigma repeated, a massive grin forming upon his face.

 Natalie cleared her throat. "'Oh fair maiden, thine beauty has captivated my heart, and I would like nothing more than to whisper sweet nothings into thy lovely ear as we lovingly stare at the ceiling of a quaint country inn...'" She shook her head. "Who the hell talks like that, anyway?"

 As Rigma Delgato stifled a laugh, Mei-Lynn took a moment to press the intercom key on the display. She took a moment to clear her throat before pulling the microphone closer to her lips. "May I have your attention please?," she began, pausing as she heard her own voice echo within the cabin. She couldn't help but grin, acknowledging the almost artificial sincerity of her voice. "We will be arriving in the city of New Malstron within the next twenty minutes, and will be beginning our descent shortly.  Malstronian authorities will be on hand to assist you as we make our way into the city, providing you with food, water, and hopefully a better grasp of our current situation. The New Malstronian weather is currently mild for this time of day, and is expected to peak around 12,343 kuoloms this afternoon, which equates to about 75 degrees. We thank you for your patience, and hope to see you again very soon. Have a wonderful day." Mei-Lynn sighed as she leaned back a little. "Do you think we can sell the males into prostitution? I wonder what kind of price they'd fetch...," she casually wondered, almost to herself but loud enough to be heard.

 "Um, Lynn... the intercom is still on...,"Rigma observed. With a devious smile, Mei-Lynn reached over and cut the system off. "There," she commented, fighting back some laughter. "That should shut them up until we land."

 Natalie placed her hand on her face as she shook her head slowly, not bothering to try and contain her laughter. Dipping his hat once again, Rigma couldn't help but snicker. "That was evil," he remarked. "Funny, but evil." His head began to dip once again, but after a moment's pause, his head quickly shot back up. "And what exactly the hell is a 'kuolom', anyway?" 

 Natalie was pleased at the tone of conversation when she returned to the back moments later. There was a tense silence from most of the male prisoners, while Tara and Darren looked to be stifling laughter. Mei-Lynn's monk friend Kobi seemed indifferent to the announcement, while the earthling Drew regarded her with a raised brow. Natalie slowly shook her head and smiled.

 "Guys, she was kidding," she quickly explained.

 After descending past the layer of clouds, the city of New Malstron seemingly materialized into existence down below. The airship strip was as busy as ever, while the rest of the city looked as if construction, while not completed, was still coming along nicely. Several lights on the strip began to flash indicating where they were to land. The ship continued its descent, and as they came closer, Natalie could begin to make out several figures standing in the vicinity of where they were to land. The early morning sun cast an eerie, red reflection off of the armors of a large group of Crimson Knights, ready to escort the captured members of Dark Dance to the proper locations. There were a few more civilian looking types hanging around also, which Natalie assumed would be the ones helping the Earthlings. The airship landed with a soft thud, followed by the sounds of the engines being powered down. As soon as the cargo doors were opened, a number of the Crimson Knights came aboard the vessel, inquiring as to the whereabouts of the Dark Dance prisoners. After being directed towards the holding chambers by Tara, the group swarmed in to arrest them. Not being too terribly interested with the ordeal, Natalie decided to step outside and get some much needed fresh air.

 Natalie couldn't help but smile as she felt the warm, early morning sun across her face. It was the mornings like this when she truly felt alive, invigorated just by the concept of life. While she enjoyed her trip to New Evandalis, there was just something about a New Malstron or an Ardonis that would always appeal to her.

 "So this is the new Malstronian outpost," Rigma remarked, glancing about the area. He nodded his head in approval. "Not nearly as small as they made it sound back home," he observed.

 Natalie nodded as she began to look around to the other individuals hovering about the recently landed airship. Standing towards the rear of the group was probably the tallest man Natalie had ever laid eyes on, who was flanked by two more of the Crimson Knights. He looked to be a man that took pride in his appearance, as his clothes seemed to be fancier and better kept than the average man or woman's in the city. Natalie could catch but a glimpse of what looked to be well made dark attire from underneath the man's long, navy blue coat, the outsides and details trimmed in red. He sported a well-trimmed mustache and goatee, while the rest of his light brown hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Small gusts of wind would disturb his coat and his hair from time to time, and Natalie promptly noticed that his ponytail extended halfway down his back. The trio stood and watched the proceedings for a moment before finally making their way towards them.

 "It's been quite some time, Sir Delgato," the man greeted, smiling as he reached out to shake the Mountaineer's hand.

 Rigma nodded and smirked. "No need for the formalities, Jansen. How the hell have you been?," he wondered, shaking his hand. "Or do I have to call you 'Sir D'Mar' while you're on duty?"

 Jansen D'Mar stifled a laugh, turning his attention away from Rigma and towards Natalie. He smiled briefly at the young woman before his gaze fell upon Mei-Lynn, letting his eyes linger for a moment before acknowledging Tara, standing some distance behind her. "Ladies," he greeted. Though he spoke in the plural, he seemed to be focusing more on Mei-Lynn. "I welcome you to New Malstron. If there's anything that you require, do ask." He turned back towards Rigma, leaning casually along the side of the airship. The two knights continued to flank the large man, an action that Natalie thought was quite strange. It seemed as if this group was on good terms with one another, and as such she was curious as to why Jansen D'Mar would need them. "I haven't seen Neil among this group," Jansen noted, casting a glance about the area for a moment. "I don't suppose the lad would be traveling with you, would he?"

 "He, Mani, and Narek took a different route to throw off the pursuit from Dark Dance," Tara quickly responded. Though she smiled, Natalie could detect a slight edge to her voice.

 She wasn't sure if Jansen had picked up on it, as the large man simply nodded. "Any idea as to where they went off to?"

 "Sorry, D'Mar."

 He held his gaze on the young woman for a moment before nodding slowly once again. "That's most unfortunate," he remarked, shaking his head a bit. "Prince Baptiste was looking forward to discussing his trip back to Second Realm." He sighed before shaking his head again to compose himself, a smile returning to his face. "No matter," he responded. "In the meantime, the Prince has expressed his desire to speak with the two of you," he concluded, motioning towards both Tara and Rigma.

 "An audience with Prince Baptiste? Dare I refuse an invitation such as this?," Rigma commented with a smile. "It's been a while since I've conversed with the man, Islander to Islander. Lead on, D'Mar."

 Tara, on the other hand, looked a bit less than enthused. Nevertheless, she didn't make any comments that might betray her true feelings. She glanced over her shoulder towards Natalie and Mei-Lynn. "Hopefully this shouldn't take too long. Are you guys going to be OK?"

 Natalie nodded. "We'll try not to get into too much trouble."

 "You shouldn't have much of a problem finding some way to occupy your time," remarked Jansen, casting a gaze about the area. "This is the liveliest I've seen New Malstron in quite some time. Miracles, a number of high-profile visitors... I even hear that Beruk Valmur is returning to the city this evening, and a celebration is planned for the occasion."

 Mei-Lynn's eyes widened. "THE Beruk Valmur?"

 Jansen nodded slowly. "You've heard of him," he observed, the corners of his mouth stretching into a slight smile. "He's a bit of a local hero, you could say. As a Kramen, and as a citizen of Second Realm, I was honored to see him fight in the Tournament."

 At that moment, the impossible occurred. Mei-Lynn's eyes opened even wider. "You were THERE?," the young woman exclaimed, barely able to contain herself. Natalie shook her head slowly. Even though she just met the man, she knew that he'd probably use the fact that he was present at the Tournament as an edge to get closer to Mei-Lynn later.

 The Kramen's smile stretched a little further. "I could sit here and talk about it all day, milady," he casually remarked. "But alas, my duty calls me. Perhaps we would discuss it at another time, if that's fine with you." With a slight bow, the Kramen took his leave from the group, with Tara, Rigma, and his two escorts following close behind. As the two young ladies watched them walk away, Mei-Lynn laughed quietly to herself.

 "I don't believe it," she remarked with a smile. "He was -actually- there!"

 Natalie shook her head slowly. "Mei-Lynn, you have really got to learn to control yourself," she calmly put forth. "I thought that you were about to have an orgasm or something."

 A bit of snickering from behind prompted the young ladies to turn around. Leaning against the side of the airship was Darren, Kobi, and Drew, all of whom were listening to the entire exchange. "So what do you three think is so funny?," Mei-Lynn casually wondered, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis.

 The three young men looked among each other for a moment, seemingly trying to decide who should answer. "Well," Darren began, shrugging slightly. "It's just a few collective observations of ours."

 "Example?"

 Darren cleared his throat. "First and foremost, the obvious. We don't think Tara trusts Jansen very much."

 "What makes you say that?," Mei-Lynn wondered.

 Drew chose to step in at that moment. "Tara told him that Neil and company didn't mention where they were going, correct? Though, as the three of us were discussing, why is it that we all distinctly recall him telling her that they would head towards Ardonis, to throw off Dark Dance's search party?"

 Natalie nodded. "He's right, Neil did mention Ardonis." She glanced over her shoulder, making sure that none of the Crimson Knights were within listening range. "King Baptiste must have sent word for the Prince to detain him. Tara must have been trying to protect him." She recalled that Neil and a number of his associates weren't exactly on the best of terms with the King, and she was sure that the feelings were quickly becoming quite mutual. Natalie figured that the Prince was not aware of the fact that she and Darren had accompanied the group, which would explain why they weren't being questioned also. "Any other observations we should be aware of?," Natalie wondered.

 Kobi shrugged. The young man hadn't said much the entire trip, which made Natalie kind of curious as to what he had to say. "Sir D'Mar seemed pretty interested in Mei-Lynn's chest," he simply stated. No one seemed to expect that particular response from the young man, as was apparent by the sudden bout of silence that it brought about.

 The young woman rolled her eyes. "Ok, screw this." She glanced down at her white tank top and made a face. "After I take a long, well deserved nap somewhere, I'm exchanging some of my credits, and I'm buying some new clothes, dammit." 

The city seemed to contain more people than from the last time she was here, Natalie casually observed as she and Darren slowly walked through the streets of New Malstron. It looked as if the number of citizens had experienced a recent swell, attributed to a number of things brought to the young lady's attention. Among each of those reasons, the most prominent seemed to be the influx of refugees, particularly from Earth. Not unlike the group found in New Evandalis, it would seem that there were many individuals that would seek to take advantage of those from a backwater realm such as Earth. Whatever circumstances had brought them to the city, many were more than willing to help do their part within the growing metropolis. It was almost as if they wanted to be a part of something, of anything, and assisting with the construction within the city was just one way for them to begin to regain some sense of belonging, something that they had not felt since events forced them from their homes.

 "There are a lot of mercenaries here," Darren observed.

 Natalie nodded. "You noticed it too."

 Mercs were nothing new to the two youths, as many companies periodically passed through Kari back on Sukata. It wasn't as simple as just picking out matching uniforms, though it was the situation in a few cases, but more about mannerisms. There was a certain look in the eyes; small groups taking in of their surroundings with hungry eyes, mainly around the taverns in the area. Natalie couldn't recall if this had been the case when she had last been in the city, but she also noted that she hadn't spent much time there before her excursion to Second Realm. But for that matter, New Malstron could probably be considered a mercenary city, all things considered. Many different individuals frequently passed through the city, and many would need the assistance of able-bodied man or woman that didn't ask a lot of questions if paid enough. It seemed unlikely that a war was brewing, but Haven was still enough of a savage land to insure job security for individuals in that line of work.

 "Do you think that we might be in some type of trouble?," her friend asked. The question was a little unexpected, but she knew what he was referring to.

 Natalie shrugged nonchalantly. "We've done nothing wrong, Darren."

 "We both know that," her friend responded, calm as always. "But even so, I get the impression that we might have witnessed something that we shouldn't have on Second Realm."

 "Avalon Outpost being blown sky-high under orders of King Baptiste. Yeah, I suppose that we weren't supposed to see that one."  Natalie's eye's narrowed slightly. "'Attack by Wargod' my ass."

 He was silent for a moment. "Do you think we should leave the city?"

 Natalie shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere," she stated plainly. She paused for a moment as her attention turned towards one of the taverns, where it sounded as if a disagreement of sorts was going on within the establishment. Satisfied that nothing too outlandish was going to occur, she turned her attention back towards her friend. "Though I wouldn't mind talking to Tara the next time we see her. I'm a little curious as to what went on with she and Sir Rigma's meeting with the Prince."

 Darren nodded before he suddenly stopped walking as he turned his attention towards a young man that ran from the same tavern the two heard the commotion coming from earlier, which forced Natalie to slam on her own brakes. She only caught a glimpse of the running youth's back, mainly noting his bright red hair, along with only a fleeting glimpse of his uniform. His tunic and trousers were both black, while the tunic's short sleeves were blue. There was a black band wrapped around his upper arm with something etched on it in red, but Natalie couldn't get a look at the symbol. She quickly turned towards Darren and raised a brow. "What gives?," she wondered.

 Her friend looked as if he was ready to sprint after the young man. "I take it you didn't see that?," he noted, keeping an eye on the disappearing figure.

 "See what, Darren?"

 Without another word, her friend reached out and took her by her hand as he began to make his way towards the young man. Natalie managed a protest or two, but they all went unheeded as her associate actually increased his speed. Darren suddenly stopped as the young man came into contact with a group of similarly clad individuals, all of whom struck Natalie as being mercs. There were about ten total members in the group, and after noting a duo of elves with them, Natalie figured that the group was perhaps Sukatan. Even so, she couldn't quite understand what had gotten into her friend until the young man from the tavern turned slightly, giving Natalie a good look at two thing. The first was the black band on his arm, which bore a depiction of a long-haired woman's torso, surrounded by flames- a very familiar symbol, as it was the crest of the village of Kari. And second, she recognized the young man that wore it.

 Without missing a beat, Natalie casually strode up behind the young man before lightly slapping him in the back of the head. "Long time no see, Krieg," she greeted, a wide grin escaping onto her face.

 The young man winced noticeably as he slowly turned around, the look on his face conveying the notion that he knew all too well who was standing behind him. While the rest of the group snickered, Krieg seemed to pale a few shades as he came face to face with Natalie. He managed a quick smile, but seemed ready to dodge whenever Natalie moved just slightly. "Oh my goodness," he finally responded, his pale green eyes nervously looking at just about everything in the area except for Natalie. "What are you two doing here?" Despite the nervousness he exuded, his mannerisms were all sincere. He was only hoping that Natalie had matured over the past few years, as he had vivid memories of her sending him home crying on more than one occasion in the past. After the slap to the back of his head, though, he was already starting to fear the worse.

 Darren began to speak with Krieg, and as he did so Natalie noticed that the rest of the mercs in the group also wore the black armbands, but the designs differed on each. She recognized each- between the group, there were representatives of Gaia, Tiamat, and Aquaria, all cities that housed the Elemental Gems at one time. "Are there any more from Kari with you?," Natalie wondered.

 The elf maiden, who bore the symbol of Tiamat on her arm, nodded enthusiastically. "Captain Marlowe is, along with the two lieutenants."

 Natalie blinked. "-Eliza- Marlowe?," she wondered, to which the elf nodded again. "Wow," she remarked as she raised her brows. "I never had Eliza pegged as being a merc captain..."

 "Lieutenant’s coming!," Krieg suddenly shouted to the group, all of whom immediately ceased what they were doing and stood at attention. A grin slipped through Natalie's lips, noting that the group was a little more uptight than most companies she had come across. It was a young group, she reasoned, and they still seemed a little unfamiliar to typical mercenary behavior. It would also make sense that they were so formal, especially if Eliza Marlowe was anything like she remembered her to be. She turned to face the approaching lieutenant, and suddenly froze as a noticeable gasp escaped her lips.

 Making his way towards the group was a young man, his long red hair pulled back into a ponytail. Tanned slightly by the sun, his darkened complexion made his green eyes all the more prominent, even at that distance. Not wearing a uniform like the rest of his comrades, his chest was covered in simple leather armor, exposing his lean, muscled arms and his black band, also brandishing the symbol of Kari. Dark pants and boots covered the rest of him, and two slender-bladed swords hung sheathed at either side. Natalie could only stare in silence for a few tense moments before she finally regained her bearings enough to barely speak.

 "...Kevin...?"

 The young man paused for a moment as he suddenly did a double-take at both Darren and Natalie. The three stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity- without saying a word, Natalie immediately rushed over to the young man and embraced him. Darren whistled knowingly and grinned as he stepped away slowly from the two, pausing just long enough to pat the young man on the shoulder. "Good to see ya', Kev," he remarked before making his way towards the rest of the mercs. The group continued to stand at attention, but heads were turned just enough to observe what was going on.

 "Nat..." Kevin was at a loss for words as he embraced her. "Gah... how've you been?," he finally managed to ask.

 "Not bad, Kevin." She backed away slowly, the shock still apparent on her face. "H.. how about yourself?"

 "Good, good. Um... whoa..." The young man reached up and nervously stroked his own hair, also very obviously taken back by the whole situation.

 "I've never seen him like this before," one of the mercs whispered, to which Darren nodded.

 "I haven't seen him this goofy in years," he admitted, shrugging. "Natalie either, for that matter." A number of snickers erupted from the ranks, which seemed to catch Kevin's attention and snap him out of his temporary lapse. The young man excused himself for a moment before continuing towards the rest of his company, all of whom immediately snapped back to attention.

 "At ease, Elementals," Kevin stated, which caused the group to relax their stances somewhat. He cleared his throat and grinned in Darren's direction before turning his attention back towards the company. "Captain Marlowe has asked me to inform you that we're allowed to wear our civvies now, and in fact she wants us to act more casual from here on out. You're free to do what you wish for the time being, but we're to meet back at the Destratos Moon at nightfall. As usual, stay out of trouble and whatnot. Any questions?" There was a pause in which no one said anything, to which Kevin nodded. "Very well then. Dismissed."

 As the group began to fall out, Kevin feinted a punch in Darren's direction, who sidestepped the maneuver and quickly went into a crooked variation of his normal fighting stance, a wide grin consuming his face. Kevin laughed before turning his attention back towards Natalie, who watched the whole exchange, smiling broadly. "Looks like the two of you are picking up right where you left off," she casually noted.

 Kevin nodded, turning to face her. "Listen, I've still got to meet up with Captain Marlowe to discuss a few things... um, you're not leaving the city or anything any time soon, are you?"

 Natalie shook her head. "Not unless someone runs me out of town."

 "Then I'm sure I'll see you again," he answered, a satisfied smile becoming apparent. He looked a little unsure as to how to proceed, before finally reaching out and embracing Natalie once again. "We've definitely got to catch each other up on what's been going on," he commented.

 "It's good to see you again, Kev."

 "You too, Nat." As the two parted from their embrace, his hand slipped down to hers. He held it briefly before finally letting go and started making his way back to where he had come. Natalie stared quietly as he slowly disappeared, her cheeks flushed slightly. She could feel a slight burning behind her face as she watched him leave, the smile never leaving her face. Darren merely grinned as he watched his friend, trying to remember the last time he had seen her this happy.

 Dusk.

 As darkness began to settle over the city and construction slowed down, people usually spent the time conversing with their neighbors and friends, catching up on the day's events and passing along any tidbits of gossip deemed worth repeating. Lanterns along the main areas of the city were lit, casting a light glow upon the cobblestone streets of New Malstron. Even the perpetually active airship field and warehouse district were beginning to slow down, as if the area wanted to take a breather from its own long workday. It was during these times that the taverns did their best business, for there were many citizens who would stop by for the occasional after-work drink or two. A calm had descended the city, a brief moment of tranquillity.

 The calm was then shattered by a loud scream, and the moment of tranquillity proved to be indeed, brief.

 She felt that the multitude of tiny red eyes that stared from the trees were all upon her, a poor girl that just happened to be in the wrong place at the worst possible time. Reason dictated that she should turn and run away as fast as she could, but the icy grip of fear upon her senses refused to yield even slightly to the face of logic. She backed away slowly, praying and praying that she would be able to escape, that she would see another day. There was so much more that she wanted to do in life... so much she hadn't done. "Please... don't kill me," she silently begged, unsure if anyone but herself heard the words that came from her shaking lips. She took several more steps back, away from the trees along the outskirts of New Malstron. This was not how she wanted it to happen. But she knew that it mattered little as one of the hulking monstrosities came towards her from the shadows that masked it earlier. The realization came slowly upon her as she closed her eyes tightly, tears running down her cheeks. She was going to die tonight. She screamed one last time.

 That was when the spider men attacked.

 The creatures' bestial warcries were heard miles away as the horde descended upon the city, attacking anything that crossed their path. They came from the trees in frightening numbers, wielding crude, yet nonetheless effective weaponry. The attackers met little to no resistance along the outskirts of the city, but it didn't take long before the Crimson Knights had taken notice and retaliated in kind. Bloody skirmishes broke out in the streets of New Malstron, steel and flesh clashing with one another as the two sides fought to assert their dominance. While the Crimson Knights had better weapons at their disposal, the K'Yrrel had gained the crucial upper hand by way of the element of surprise.

 While most citizens had run for cover at the first possible moment, there were a few that elected to fight alongside the Knights. Darren felt the chi begin to burn inside of him as one of the spider beasts turned its attention towards him and began to race towards the young man. Rather than flee, Darren did the complete opposite- he charged back at the creature. As soon as the beast lashed at him with the spear, Darren suddenly vaulted into the air, twisting his body as he landed behind the large creature. He could feel his chi continue to burn as the creature quickly turned around, the eight eyes regarding him with obvious malice. The young man felt an ignition inside of him, and as soon as the creature lunged towards him, he launched himself into a backflip, bringing both feet beneath the spider's chin. The creature stumbled back a few steps as its spear was knocked from its hands, which gave Darren enough time to land and prepare for his next assault. Flames engulfing both of his fists, he charged at the beast and delivered a left-handed blow square into its midsection, and finished his assault by leaping upwards and uppercutting the spider man with his right. As the beast hit the ground some ten feet away, another sound began to assault its ears. Opening all eight of its eyes, the K'Yrrel's final observation was the visage of a screaming, young human woman running him through with what appeared to be his own spear.

 Natalie winced as the creature screamed its last. The next scream she heard, however, was her own. Silky strands of webbing began to wrap around her body, and before she realized what was going on, Natalie found herself being hoisted off of the ground. Her eyes widened in terror as she realized that there were three of the K'Yrrel on the rooftop of a nearby building, and that one of them was, in fact, pulling her up. Natalie hit the ground with a painful thud before being dragged across the ground and towards the building, where the spider men seemed anxious at the prospect of a kill.

 "NATALIE!!" Darren's hands began to glow with the flames once again as he suddenly charged at the very building that held the spiders, his face twisted in a combination of concern and pure rage. The entire structure shook as the young man delivered a blow to the brick wall. Foundations began to crack, and before the K'Yrrel realized what had happened, the entire structure's base began to slope. While two of the spiders held on, one found itself collapsing into the narrow alleyway between the buildings.

 The sudden stop jolted Natalie quite unexpectedly, but she managed to loosen the strands somewhat during the confusion. After managing to get to the point where she could move her legs, she grabbed the strands with both hands and swung so that her feet were planted firmly on the wall. With a loud cry, she began to lean back and use her leverage to pull on the strands of webbing in an effort to bring the beast off of the rooftop. Caught off-guard by the maneuver, the K'Yrrel holding her suddenly found himself being tossed to the hard streets below by its mouth.

 Natalie found herself winded as she landed on the ground back-first. It was a high risk maneuver, and she was paying the price. Pain racked her entire body as she forced herself to stand, fully aware that if the fall hadn't killed her, then the spider man was also probably still alive as well. Sure enough, about ten feet away, the creature was slowly beginning to return to its own feet. It looked just as dazed as she was, as if wondering how exactly this young girl had managed to throw him from the rooftop. Darren was nowhere to be seen, which probably meant that he was dealing with the final spider on the rooftop. Natalie began to regard the creature once again, becoming increasingly disturbed by its visage. The beast stared at her as if it were taunting her, chanting in a childlike manner about how he knew something that she didn't.

 That was when she heard the hissing behind her.

 Despite the disgusting, all-consuming fear that suddenly gripped her very soul, Natalie was quite calm as she cast a glimpse over her shoulder. Though it was difficult to make out the details in the shadows, it was still painfully obvious that one of the K'Yrrel was staring at her from the alleyway. The one that Darren had knocked from the rooftop was still alive. Natalie took a very deep breath. This had the potential to get very ugly.

 A bestial scream erupted from the alleyway, but she was quick to notice that it wasn't the usual warcry she had been hearing since the assault began. This wasn't an cry of intimidation- it was a cry of intense, excruciating pain. A loud gasp escaped Natalie's lips as the bloody shaft of a spear protruded from the darkness, followed by the spasming body of the K'Yrrel it had impaled. Whatever was behind the creature was not only strong enough to run the beast through, but also held the massive bulk at least a foot off of the ground. With a quick jerk, the body was shaken loose and tossed to the ground.

 "I told you that we'd meet again."

 A grim smile crossed Kaiser Dark's face as he took steps from the blanket of shadows, the steel of his dark armor clinking lightly with each step he took. Natalie froze as the blue haired man regarded her, for a moment forgetting about the last of the spider men. The beast was as transfixed as she was by the whole ordeal, and looked as if it were having second thoughts about attacking. Dark suddenly stopped his approach and slowly turned to stare at the K'Yrrel. "Most casualties in war are the fools that throw their lives away in a hopeless struggle," he put forth. "Of the millions upon millions of creatures that have ever lived and died, do you honestly believe that your death would be in any way, significant?"

 The K'Yrrel stood in silence as it regarded the man standing before him. It had seen first-hand what the human was capable of. Eyeing the man, and then the spear he held, the spider slowly backed away before scurrying away back into the dark forest that surrounded the city. Natalie stared in disbelief as the creature fled. As she turned back to address Kaiser, she suddenly realized that the man was standing much closer to her than she recalled him being. Attempting to take a step back proved fruitless, as with but a deft movement Kaiser Dark was suddenly upon her. The man quickly took a hold of her by her long, dark hair, pulling just hard enough to tilt her head back. Natalie suddenly felt a wave of fear wash over her body as she stared into the savage blue eyes of the man that had just, moments ago, saved her life. A dark grin worked its way onto the man's face; without a word, he suddenly bent down and brought Natalie's lips to his own.

 He brought his lips just far away from hers to speak. "I lay claim to my prize." Just as suddenly as he had grabbed her, he released her and began to walk back into the shadows whence he came. The shock going through Natalie's body was almost too much to bear. Part of her wanted to scream and tackle Kaiser Dark before starting to pummel him. But despite that fact, she couldn't forget that he had indeed just saved her life. The battle surrounding her began to slowly die off as the K'Yrrel pulled back, satisfied at their guerrilla assault for the time being. Natalie took a deep breath as she heard Darren shout something to her from the rooftop- she slowly looked up and waved her hand, showing that she was indeed all right. It looked as if he had not seen what had transpired moments before. She slowly shook her head. No one was going to believe what had just happened. Even if she did eventually decide to tell someone, she knew that no one was going to believe her.