HOME | DD

Description
"at the moment of my loss of power, they would-"

"Attention all contestants, please make your way immediately to the centre of the city." The PA clicked off.

"What else does she think we're going to do?!" Ari began to yell, "Lie down and die? Its not like there's anywhere else to go in this blasted place. They are so stupid! They guard the gates to keep us in, tell us off for staying nearby then call us right back to do their dirty work. Its stupid!"

Tallula smiled, "You are right."

"And us?! We obey like faithful - ," Ari paused, "What did you say?"

Tallula laughed, " I agreed with you, is that so odd?"

"What did I say?" Ari asked.

Tallula struggled to keep a straight face, "I agree that the leaders seem to be working at cross purposes, at least for what they told us." Here she gave into the laughter.

"Heh, well I guess we will see." Ari said, and then launched back into his rant, "And we obey! Doing the dirty work while they sit on their asses."

He didn't even pause as Tallula killed the crazies who had got in their way. They entered the park and walked beneath the grey lifeless trees, Ari still shouting.

"With all their guns they still see these crazies with their metal bars and they run. And their scared of the dark, sending us through this place first to get rid of the monsters." Ari stopped, then added in a hushed tone "it is quite dark."

"I think we're being watched." Tallula said, "I hear someone walking behind us."

Ari nodded and begun a soft chant. He turned around and with his eyes glowing red gazed at the path behind. He shook his head and turned back to the front. Just as he ended his chant his eyes flashed blue.

"What was that?" Tallula Asked.

Ari frowned and began his chant again, sweeping his eyes over the path ahead. His eyes flickered from red to blue.

"How many?"

Ari ended the chant again, "Too many to count, up in the branches of the trees."

"The same as outside?" Tallula asked.

"As far as I can tell." Ari said, dropping behind Tallula as the continued forward.

Tallula carefully drew her sword, "How close now?"

"I'd say we're in the centre of the group now." Ari said quietly.

Tallula stopped, "An ambush then, in the pitch black, well we'll face it here."

They stood for a long time, tense, waiting for the attack. Ari began to chant again, his eyes flashing blue as his gaze swept over the trees. The tone of the chant changed, his eyes returned to normal and his hands began to glow a deep red. Tallula's arm began to glow. Tallula sighed and sketched a small rune in the air. It glowed for a moment, ever brightening till it became a small fireball.

The trees were still mere flickering shadows. Tallula watched them, her hand just behind the flame, clenched as if to hold it. In the trees shapes flinched back from the light, then charged. Ari crouched down with his arms over his head but his chant stayed strong as they swarmed over him.

Tallula swung her sword, taking out tens at a time, but still they came, swarming her. The flame was extinguished and the only light came from the dull red glow which suffused her arm. Soon though the glow faded and Tallula looked back to Ari with panic clear on her face.

With a grimace of pain she sketched a large rune in the air, it hung for a moment, then was engulfed by a fireball the size of a mans torso. Her hand then performed a pushing motion behind it and it flew forwards. The creatures piled on the the place where Ari had been were engulfed in flames. When they died down all the surviving creatures had run.

All was quiet and once again the melodic chant could be heard. Tallula pushed the bodies off Ari, he was still crouched, glowing red from his own chant. Tallula smiled with relief and reached down to shake his shoulder.

"Ari their gone." She said, "Did I bu–"

But Ari was already yelling, "Stupid creatures , this place is set on killing us! Rewards be damned, this whole place should be destroyed, soldiers and all! They call themselves soldiers, real soldiers would have cleared this place out rather than got a rag tag bunch of fighters to do it for them."

Ari stopped as Tallula roughly pushed him aside and blocked the downswing of the scythe. Ari paused, startled for a moment, then immediately launched back into his rant.

"Why'd you push me? Oh great another madman come to attack us! Just chop off his head already! You missed him! See this is why you should have learned to make those fireballs float in the air, then you wouldn't have to babysit them."

Ari ducked under the scythe blade.

"Watch where you put that thing! You have no right to attack me! No right at all! I am a healer! Tallula kill him!"

"Trying my best here." Came Tallula's reply.

"Make him suffer! Make him bleed!"

"Not really going to happen sorry," Tallula panted, "No blood."

"Oh great! What on earth is he then?" Ari didn't wait for an answer. "And he had the gall to attack me?! Who in their right mind would attack a healer?! Yet he has a collar so he can't be a crazy."

Tallua pushed Ari back behind one of the grey lifeless trees. His response was to merely throw his arms up into the air as he yelled on.

"Don't push me! Get him. Get that beast of a being. He doesn't deserve to live. Cut off his Tail! Slice off his ears! Destroy him! Come on, what's wrong with you, you can't even swing a sword properly. Get him!"

Ari saw the scythe hurtle towards him just before everything went dark. He heard two distinct thuds, then a pause. Ari kept still, and for a moment silent, until the small fireball was reignited, dimmer than before. The light glinted off the scythe embedded in the tree. At his feet lay the head of its owner, some distance from its body. Ari took a deep breath.

"What took you so long! Have you forgotten how to handle that sword of yours?" Ari yelled.

"Ari please just heal me first."Tallula said, pain clear in her voice.

Ari stopped, then saw the blood dripping from a long deep gash on Tallula's left arm.

"When did he do that to you?" Ari asked.

Tallula shrugged then winced at the pain. Ari moved in close, but Tallula shook her head.

"Actually its probably best if we get out of here first." She said quietly.

When the finally re-entered the bright city they were too tired to notice their surroundings. They entered the closest building and sat down on some seats. Ari healed the gash on Tallula's arm, and tried again to heal the burn. Tallula had already fallen int a restless sleep. Just before he followed her he placed her burnt arm into a sling. They rested there for a time.

Description
"at the moment of my loss of power, they would-"

"Attention all contestants, please make your way immediately to the centre of the city." The PA clicked off.

"What else does she think we're going to do?!" Ari began to yell, "Lie down and die? Its not like there's anywhere else to go in this blasted place. They are so stupid! They guard the gates to keep us in, tell us off for staying nearby then call us right back to do their dirty work. Its stupid!"

Tallula smiled, "You are right."

"And us?! We obey like faithful - ," Ari paused, "What did you say?"

Tallula laughed, " I agreed with you, is that so odd?"

"What did I say?" Ari asked.

Tallula struggled to keep a straight face, "I agree that the leaders seem to be working at cross purposes, at least for what they told us." Here she gave into the laughter.

"Heh, well I guess we will see." Ari said, and then launched back into his rant, "And we obey! Doing the dirty work while they sit on their asses."

He didn't even pause as Tallula killed the crazies who had got in their way. They entered the park and walked beneath the grey lifeless trees, Ari still shouting.

"With all their guns they still see these crazies with their metal bars and they run. And their scared of the dark, sending us through this place first to get rid of the monsters." Ari stopped, then added in a hushed tone "it is quite dark."

"I think we're being watched." Tallula said, "I hear someone walking behind us."

Ari nodded and begun a soft chant. He turned around and with his eyes glowing red gazed at the path behind. He shook his head and turned back to the front. Just as he ended his chant his eyes flashed blue.

"What was that?" Tallula Asked.

Ari frowned and began his chant again, sweeping his eyes over the path ahead. His eyes flickered from red to blue.

"How many?"

Ari ended the chant again, "Too many to count, up in the branches of the trees."

"The same as outside?" Tallula asked.

"As far as I can tell." Ari said, dropping behind Tallula as the continued forward.

Tallula carefully drew her sword, "How close now?"

"I'd say we're in the centre of the group now." Ari said quietly.

Tallula stopped, "An ambush then, in the pitch black, well we'll face it here."

They stood for a long time, tense, waiting for the attack. Ari began to chant again, his eyes flashing blue as his gaze swept over the trees. The tone of the chant changed, his eyes returned to normal and his hands began to glow a deep red. Tallula's arm began to glow. Tallula sighed and sketched a small rune in the air. It glowed for a moment, ever brightening till it became a small fireball.

The trees were still mere flickering shadows. Tallula watched them, her hand just behind the flame, clenched as if to hold it. In the trees shapes flinched back from the light, then charged. Ari crouched down with his arms over his head but his chant stayed strong as they swarmed over him.

Tallula swung her sword, taking out tens at a time, but still they came, swarming her. The flame was extinguished and the only light came from the dull red glow which suffused her arm. Soon though the glow faded and Tallula looked back to Ari with panic clear on her face.

With a grimace of pain she sketched a large rune in the air, it hung for a moment, then was engulfed by a fireball the size of a mans torso. Her hand then performed a pushing motion behind it and it flew forwards. The creatures piled on the the place where Ari had been were engulfed in flames. When they died down all the surviving creatures had run.

All was quiet and once again the melodic chant could be heard. Tallula pushed the bodies off Ari, he was still crouched, glowing red from his own chant. Tallula smiled with relief and reached down to shake his shoulder.

"Ari their gone." She said, "Did I bu–"

But Ari was already yelling, "Stupid creatures , this place is set on killing us! Rewards be damned, this whole place should be destroyed, soldiers and all! They call themselves soldiers, real soldiers would have cleared this place out rather than got a rag tag bunch of fighters to do it for them."

Ari stopped as Tallula roughly pushed him aside and blocked the downswing of the scythe. Ari paused, startled for a moment, then immediately launched back into his rant.

"Why'd you push me? Oh great another madman come to attack us! Just chop off his head already! You missed him! See this is why you should have learned to make those fireballs float in the air, then you wouldn't have to babysit them."

Ari ducked under the scythe blade.

"Watch where you put that thing! You have no right to attack me! No right at all! I am a healer! Tallula kill him!"

"Trying my best here." Came Tallula's reply.

"Make him suffer! Make him bleed!"

"Not really going to happen sorry," Tallula panted, "No blood."

"Oh great! What on earth is he then?" Ari didn't wait for an answer. "And he had the gall to attack me?! Who in their right mind would attack a healer?! Yet he has a collar so he can't be a crazy."

Tallua pushed Ari back behind one of the grey lifeless trees. His response was to merely throw his arms up into the air as he yelled on.

"Don't push me! Get him. Get that beast of a being. He doesn't deserve to live. Cut off his Tail! Slice off his ears! Destroy him! Come on, what's wrong with you, you can't even swing a sword properly. Get him!"

Ari saw the scythe hurtle towards him just before everything went dark. He heard two distinct thuds, then a pause. Ari kept still, and for a moment silent, until the small fireball was reignited, dimmer than before. The light glinted off the scythe embedded in the tree. At his feet lay the head of its owner, some distance from its body. Ari took a deep breath.

"What took you so long! Have you forgotten how to handle that sword of yours?" Ari yelled.

"Ari please just heal me first."Tallula said, pain clear in her voice.

Ari stopped, then saw the blood dripping from a long deep gash on Tallula's left arm.

"When did he do that to you?" Ari asked.

Tallula shrugged then winced at the pain. Ari moved in close, but Tallula shook her head.

"Actually its probably best if we get out of here first." She said quietly.

When the finally re-entered the bright city they were too tired to notice their surroundings. They entered the closest building and sat down on some seats. Ari healed the gash on Tallula's arm, and tried again to heal the burn. Tallula had already fallen int a restless sleep. Just before he followed her he placed her burnt arm into a sling. They rested there for a time.