The Dark Water

[King Krios]

In mid-swing the King’s monstrous axe seemed to suddenly stop. The sheer strength required to stop the screaming blade was frightening in and of itself, but the reason Krios had stopped the attack was much more terrifying. The rage that had filled his battle-hardened face was a void of all the anger he had been manifesting during his scuffle with another Chieftain, the lesser-ranked Minotaur obviously wounded several times and was losing blood quickly. But the King paid no mind to his victim. Not anymore at least. His massive head now turned to face something completely alien.

Krios’ initial response was to move forward at the sudden rush of strange looking liquid that had appeared just a few feet from where the two Minotaur were battling, but as the deadly water began to surge towards the two, touching some of the other Minotaur that had been gathered, the King realized this was no time for exploration. As the water touched the first Minotaur, the beast dropped almost instantly, shrieking for only a second into the air before it splashed lifelessly into the rapidly advancing liquid.

It was a time for action.

The King dropped his massive war axe and made a quick motion with his arm, urging the Minotaur that were still able to flee from the advance waves. Like a stampede the Minotaur ran, the ever-expanding water hot on their heels the entire time. But still they ran. Through the burning sands they sprinted, hurtling towards the stronghold Krios had claimed for himself and his tribesman.

Slowly the deadly water was absorbed into the desert sands, beginning to dry almost instantly. But instead of returning to the normal tan color like the rest of the desert, all of the terrain that the liquid touched remained a putrid looking black color. Like some wretched wasteland wrought from the Gods above, Krios stared in dismay at the destruction, his thick hands curling into fists. It appeared they were safe now as the water began to dry, but the blackness bothered the King gravely.

It was a quick order as the King moved through his home, grabbing what little armor he wore during battle and yet another massive war axe. It was almost as tall as he was and the head of the axe had obviously seen many a field of battle. He issued commands to have sentries posted outside of his stronghold and along the borders of this new blackness to observe it as to make sure it didn’t advance any farther. Large trenches were to be dug just outside to allow some sort of filtration and as an attempt to stop the advance should, some how, more water appear.

Krios, however, was more concerned with ensuring the safety of his people. He, along with five other of his most elite tribesman – who had likewise gathered armor and weaponry – started out from the stronghold, moving towards the mountains and eventually beyond them in an effort to discover what else, or who else, was in this alien world.

[Sedian NPCs]

Marcan glanced at his companion and silently shook his head, the Earth Sedi seemed to have become distracted by the minerals in the cave they stood in again. It seemed that he would have to figure his way through this new development on his own. The dim fire that burned deep in the cave provided them some small measure of Light but not enough to be seen outside the mouth of the Cave, it was however enough to make the temperature bearable in the high ice covered mountain tips. He moved to the mouth of the Cave and watched the Party of six massive creatures moving through the pass he and Saelan had come through earlier in the day. Whether or not these creatures were tracking them was still unknown, there was only one unblocked route through this part of the mountains as far as he knew, and it was possible they were just traveling with business of their own.

He glanced at Saelan and sighed heavily. “Seriously Saelan, they sent us out here to find other civilizations, make contact and negotiate borders and trade treaties not to stare at shiny rocks. Now that we have found something other then mountain lions and goats don't you think you ought to pay attention?”

Saelan blinked and glanced at Marcan with a measure of tolerant annoyance. “You Fire Sedi all have quick tempers don't you? Obviously they are diplomats seeking the same thing we are. I'm not sure why you haven't approached them as of yet.”

Marcan tightened his right hand into a fist straining to keep from throttling the other man. “You are so sure they just have to be emissaries? They couldn't be anything else? I mean seriously Look at the size of them! They are obviously not a pacifist culture!”

“And just what else do you propose they are Marcan? They have no pack animals or trade goods with them, which means that they are neither merchants or raiders, after all I doubt they want to carry the spoils of war across the mountains on their backs. Not to mention there are only 6 of them after all, not nearly enough to take down even a minor military camp. Not even if they were ten times as strong as they appear and you know it.”

Marcan shook his head and relaxed his fist. “I suppose you are right, but that leaves us the responsibility of making first contact with them then.” He glanced around the cave quietly and shook his head “I'll fight you for it, I win and you do it, you win and I do it.”

Saelan laughed and shook his head. “I know better, if I am going to end up doing it anyway I want to be healthy.” He turned from the wall he was studying and grabbed his weapons belt. “If you don't watch my back and I get crushed My soul will molest your dead wife in the afterlife Marcan.” He buckled the belt on and set out to intercept the Minotaurs.

Marcan laughed quietly to himself “Nothing to worry about there, My dead wife could crush you in half the time it would take me.” He grabbed his sword and belt and buckled them on as he followed out after his companion.

They made quick time through the pass they had already come through earlier in the day and within an hour they were rounding the bend appearing directly in front of the 6 Minotaurs. Saelan glanced hatefully at Marcan and sighed stepping forward his eyes narrowing slightly at the size and build of the creatures.

“Greetings from Sethia, what are your intentions in these mountains?”

[King Krios]

They were slow moving in this wretched frigid climate, but the acute senses of the Minotaur were as ready as ever. Krios and his group had heard the Sedi approach and two of the six had shifted into what appeared to be battle positions. They hadn’t encountered and forms of life since they had left the King’s stronghold, and weren’t so sure about these small creatures suddenly speaking before them.

Even still, Krios held up a massive fist, his other hand gripping his gruesome looking war axe. The Minotaur’s eyes scanned over the two alien creatures, as if they were taking in every pain-staking detail; the way they Sedi wore their hair, the eye color, basic muscle structure. The King took it all in with a moments glance and turned back to face his companions.

They only looked at their King, glancing to the Sedi for a few moments before back to Krios. Each Minotaur seemed to snort several times, motioning to the Sedi and then back to the King. As if nodding, the King turned around once more to face the two Sedi that had essentially stopped their path, both hands now tightening around the war axe he brandished.

The King only snorted once more he proceeded to move forward, attempting to simply push the two out of his path so that he and his companions could continue onward. No words were uttered, and the King’s focus remained straight ahead, transfixed upon the goal of finding the source the bizarre water that suddenly appeared. His steps faltered for only a second as he turned to glance back, eyeing the Sedi one more time before continuing onward.

[Sedian NPCs]

Marcan glanced at Saelan and the man returned his confused look. The large bovine creatures seemed to ignore them and move on their way, not exactly a hostile move, but certainly not friendly either. Saelan tapped Marcan on the shoulder and leaned close whispering to him. “You don't suppose they are deaf do you? Perhaps they didn't hear us, should I perhaps speak louder?”

Marcan scoffed and shook his head pointing to the biggest of the cow like creatures with the massive War Axe. “Hardly you aren't exactly soft spoken, more likely they have small brains and cant comprehend spoken language, perhaps they don't have a language of their own.”

Saelan shook his head. “Absurd, whoever heard of a race of people that could forge weapons before they learned to speak. Granted they are quite primitive, but they cant be that far behind.” He frowned, “Easy enough to kill them, can't really let them get into Sedian Territory, but I suppose we ought to give them one last chance to talk, I do believe its your turn to talk Marcan, I made the initial attempt after all.”

Marcan sighed and shook his head. “Great, I get to go chew grass with the bovine. Why do I always end up doing the work.” He turned and raised his voice to the Minotaur moving away from them. “Hey you cud chewing beef steaks! Can you speak? Or are you just cattle that walk upright?”

[King Krios]

There was a fierce sound of metal on metal that echoed through the frigid mountain pass. Puffs of warm air exploded from the six Minotaur as Krios moved as fast he could in the cold climate, using his own massive war axe to halt the swing from one of the other Minotaur he was with. His eyes locked immediately onto the small, brash creature, all the fury of the world boiling in the King’s eyes. He took several heavy steps forward, holding up a large fist as a silent order for the other five Minotaur to halt.

It was deathly silence for a full minute, the King’s breathing steady and extremely visible in the cold air. He could feel the slight warmth radiating from the loud-mouth creature, but still Krios was erring on the side of caution. He had absolutely no idea who these rude creatures were, nor what they were capable of.

“We speak.”

The King shifted slightly, moving the massive war axe he carried so both of the Sedi before him could see it better. He snorted once more, sniffing the air. There was something strange about these two, and he could hear the shuffling of the other Minotaur that accompanied him. It wasn’t fear by any stretch of the imagination, more like severe confusion as to how Krios should react. He had heard the insults and, truthfully, he was used to them. There had been many other races unlike his in the Minotaur’s world, and it seemed as though they had heard every name in the book.

“You watch tongue. Or we cut it out. Our lands attacked. We seek answer.”

Once more his massive weight shifted as he leaned, only slightly, on the war axe. He could still hear his companions stirring behind him, and knew what the restlessness was. He, too, felt it, but was more reserved than his counterparts. He hadn’t risen to the rank of King by slaughtering everyone he came across, after all. Simple creatures, yes, but he still understood the slight need for tact, especially when encountering alien creatures in a foreign world.

Feeling as though these two Sedi couldn’t have possibly wrought forth the dark water that appeared suddenly to the North, Krios once more turned. He merely nodded to the other Minotaur with, who returned the nod, moving from what appeared to be defensive positions into more relaxed ones; as relaxed as a Minotaur could be, at any rate. Once more heavy hooves dug into the frozen earth as the King as his men began to continue onwards.

[Sedian NPCs]

Saelan stepped forward shouldering Marcan aside as the Minotaur began speaking, he listened to the creatures words, and frowned slightly. He knew the lay of the earth far better than someone who merely had traveled, after all the earth was in his blood. If these creatures were coming from the other side of the mountains they inhabited the dead wasteland of the deserts there. For someone to have attacked that blasted land had to be an act of spite, or perhaps an accident certainly there was nothing worth raiding out there.

“It's our Job to investigate new races, Our world is relatively empty, there are few peoples here, Most of them were killed off by our Race many centuries ago, but now our race is dwindling, Warriors with no enemies eventually perish. We seek to reestablish allies and borders, perhaps we can help you figure out who attacked your people.”

Marcan glanced at Saelan, he thought the man was a fool for revealing their races weakness to creatures they barely knew, but he kept his mouth shut, he was freezing up here and he was simply tired of playing politician, he was a soldier, and soldiers all look forward to a hot meal and a warm bed at the end of the day, and with the way the sun was sinking the end of the day was coming fast.

He turned away from Saelan and called on the Fire Element deep inside his soul extending his hand towards the cold icy ground. Fire engulfed his hand and caused the air to shimmer around him, he closed his eyes forcing more power through him as sweat beaded on his forehead, abruptly the fire burst away from his hand and stood idly over the melted ice apparently feeding on nothing but the air around it, it hovered there creating a small circle of warmth.

“If there are more of them on the other side of the mountains Saelan they might be in a better mood, at least they might stop wandering aimlessly in the mountains for awhile. Now come over here and make us a cave, this fire does nothing for the cold with all this wind rushing around.”

Saelan sighed and shook his head, turning towards the mountain rock face he touched a crack in it and released his own element into it. The wall crumbled to sand, twisting in and creating a large hollow space, he carefully avoided all faults in the mountain side so it wouldn't create a rock slide or collapse, just a large hollow cave opening to shelter the wind and fire.

“There Marcan, move the Fire inside, and try not to melt the sand into glass OK? I'm going to try one last time to get them to come give us more information.”

He stepped out of the Cave and went after the Minotaurs a little way down the pass as Marcan skimmed the fire across the ground and into the cave where it quickly filled the space within with an inviting warmth.

[King Krios]

The Minotaur stopped mid-stride with the sudden crumbling of the mountain, but only Krios turned to see what had caused the commotion. His eyes went wide for only a second as he saw the two Sedi manipulate their elements. The King’s eye twitched for only a moment, as he glanced back at his fellow Minotaur who nodded in some sort of silent signal.

Ferocious muscles tensed and veins bulged from the flesh as the Minotaur turned to face the Sedi completely. But only Krios held the firm resolve, holding his massive axe in a defensive position once more. Warm puffs of air plumed from his nostrils at an obviously increased rate as he gripped his weapon, eyes locked onto the approaching Earth Sedi.

He went to step forward, in some sort of apparent frenzy from the sudden display of power before his nostrils flared. Krios’ eyes went wide, but this time it was something other than fear that danced in his iris. Four of the other Minotaur had managed to hold some semblance of a fighting stance, at least to the extent that they held their weapons before them and had managed to cover the scent of fear.

All but one.

The first strike seemed almost impossibly fast – at least to the standpoint of the near frozen Minotaur. The massive war axe of Krios screamed through the air in an almost artistic display, the battle-worn blade glinting ever so slightly from the distant fire. With sheer strength alone, the King was able to completely sever the cowardly Minotaur’s leg and cut a massive gash into the second leg. The motion was enough to jar the axe lose from Krios’ hands, imbedding some into the Minotaur’s leg and the rest into the mountain itself.

It was enough for the King as he surged forward, releasing the axe as soon as the leg had been severed. The massive shoulder of Krios caught the shrieking Minotaur hard in the chest. The other five Minotaur quickly realized why their King was assaulting their comrade, and acted with instinct, moving in unison to hold their weapons at the Minotaur that was attacked.

The creature’s other leg had easily been snapped off from the deep wound inflicted from the King’s axe. It shrieked in agony as Krios grabbed its face, picking the massive creature up with one arm to eye level. It was a look of pure hatred and rage in the King’s eyes as he snarled loudly at the muffled screaming of the now legless Minotaur.

“You are coward!”

Krios’ words echoed throughout the mountain pass as he threw his victim to the cold mountain ground. His justice was swift as he moved only slightly, lifting his powerful leg up and bringing it down hard and fast into the side of the brutalized Minotaur’s head. A sick cracking sound and an eerie silence filled the formerly chaotic air as the King’s hoof smashed through the coward’s head, smashing brain and bone fragment alike into the snow and dirt.

But the rage of the King did not seem sedated as he stared down at the dead body, the other Minotaur’s weapons still trained on vital striking points on their deceased kinsman. They held a stone resolve, through countless days of extreme battle and the sheer knowledge that any sort of cowardly act often resulted in death. They held their weapons firm and steady, eyes locked downward, on the body. They followed it as once more the King knelt down, picking up the fallen body with both arms.

“COWARD!”

He turned only slightly and with a mighty throw, Krios hurled the dead body off the side of the mountain, watching it vanish into the snowy terrain below. He roared into the air loudly, smashing his fist against his chest, screaming both his name and the name of his Clan into the cold.

The King’s body heaved deeply with each breath as he moved, walking to his axe that still lay imbedded in the earth, holding up a portion of the fallen Minotaur’s leg. He snarled and ripped both muscled hunks of flesh up, throwing them into the void he had previous chucked the body. Krios pulled the axe from the earth and growled lowly, his teeth showing for only a minute as the other Minotaur brought their fists to their chests and then snapped their arms outwards, smashing their hooves into the ground in a salute to their King.

[Sedian NPCs]

Saelan watched the reactions of the Minotaurs silently as the King raged at one of his own, he understood the reaction, Sedi were the same way, any cowardice on the battlefield was punishable by death from the commanding officer, or even just another soldier if it came down to it. The ferocity with which the King dispensed with his guard was impressive, but again Saelan began to understand these creatures more, Sedi relied heavily on their elemental abilities. Despite the superior speed and strength they had over most creatures, it was their elements that set them apart, for a race without access to abilities of that nature, brutality became a way to show the severity of consequences for cowardice and weakness.

He relaxed visibly, tension leaving his body as he watched the King utterly destroy the other creature, It was refreshing to find common ground, shared ideals, gave him something to work with, of course if he was wrong he'd die for it but if there was a Sedi left that feared death he had yet to hear of it. He glanced back at the cave where the dim glow of the fire shimmered and smiled, there was a fair chance he wouldn't see Marcan again but it made him grin, after all the man was a wretched traveling companion.

He unlatched the bindings to his chest armor, and removed it leaving him bare chested in the cold, then followed by unlacing the his steel backed leather gloves. He removed them and dropped them to his side on top of the armor with a clatter.

The sound brought Marcan to the mouth of the cave, his eyes moving from Saelan to the Minotaur silently and then back again, Silent understanding crossed his face, Saelan was going to fight the Minotaur with no advantages, he had removed the armor and weapons to aid his speed, he had no grip on his element, because it would be dishonorable to use it on creatures incapable of similar abilities. This wasn't war, it was a contest, at least to Saelan it was, the prize would be the Minotaurs respect.

At least the Earth Sedi hoped it would work that way, perhaps they would just slaughter him regardless of how well he fought. Marcan didn't care one way or the other, he wouldn't interfere, to do so would be the height of dishonor. He demonstrated this in the most universal way he could imagine, he leaned idly against the mountain wall crossing his arms and making no move towards or away from the confrontation, simply watching his companion.

Saelan reached down and ripped the weapons belt off, not bothering to unlatch it, his muscles flexing only slightly as the heavy leather tore. He tossed his weapon over the edge of the cliff still sheathed in the belt and walked towards the 5 remaining Minotaurs, his eyes focused and a small smile on his lips.

“Respectable strength King Krios.” He stopped several feet away and cracked his knuckles his eyes narrowing He had gotten the creatures name from when it had bellowed it out into the chasm. “If it's strength and courage your people respect you'll find plenty right here. Great power you have there, All five of you, come attack me, If the only thing I can do to prove the worth of my race to you is to crush you all with my bare hands so be it.”

[King Krios]

The puffs of warm air from the King’s nose and mouth were steadier now as he sort of tilted his head, watching the smaller creature approach him. The scent of blood still filled his nostrils, and that much was obvious in his dilated pupils, his eyes burning brilliantly with the rage of a Minotaur. He watched the Sedi remove his weapons and armor and heard the clattering of the weapons below. But his eyes remained locked on his new adversary.

Krios glanced back only once, turning to face the other Minotaur with him. The King snorted loudly, and his companions merely bowed their heads, taking several steps back before Krios once more buried his massive axe into the mountain. It was – like apparently everything else with his race – a silent understanding. This was what he and his people were all about, which apparently mirrored the same thinking of the Sedi. The Minotaur knew they’d be joining the slaughtered Minotaur at the bottom of the mountain if they crossed the “line” their King had made with his axe, and knew that if he fell, this tiny creature would be the new King. Such was the law of the Minotaur.

He turned back around, muscles rippling under his dark, hairy flesh as he tore what little crude, primitive armor that adorned his body. Thick wood, heavy spikes and other metal smashed heavily to the ground as Krios took several steps forward. He brought his right hand up to his chest and then snapped his arm outward; much like the other Minotaur had done after Krios had killed his kinsman, a salute to the Sedi before him.

“I accept.”

The Minotaur closed his eyes for only a second, his nostrils flaring. His chest heaved only once as the King focused solely on the scent of blood. His eyes snapped back open and locked back onto the smaller frame of the Sedi before him, Krios’ eyes once more flashing with frenzy and rage. He snorted several more times, at a much more rapid pace than before, and dug his hooves as deep as he could into the ground. Once more, the King’s voice bellowed through the mountains as he again screamed out his name, pounding on his chest and declaring his Clan’s supremacy.

Suddenly his bellow ceased as he glanced at Saelan one last time, nodding only slightly before his lips curled back into a snarl, baring his teeth. The King knew his movements would be much slower in the climate they were in, and that he wouldn’t be as able to defend himself as well as he could in the usual arid climate the Minotaur were used too. He would have to rely on sheer strength alone, and as his head bobbed back up from his nod, his body was in motion.

Like tigers exploding forward, Krios moved as quickly as he could forward, lowering his head and shifting his weight in an attempt to either impale the Sedi before him with his massive horns or catch the creature with a massive shoulder check to the torso. The brief silence was once more shattered as he charged, his battle cry echoing through the mountains pass as the contest began.

[Sedian NPCs]

Saelan watched the massive creature carefully as he removed his armor and discarded his weapon, the actions confirmed his suspicions, these creatures had a semblance of honor to them, that gave then a baseline to understand each other from. Saelan was a typical Sedian soldier, trained in moderate use of his element, and extensively trained in physical combat, whats more is he was relatively small for a Sedi, so when training he had focused extensively on techniques that turned his opponents size and power against them.

As the Minotaur began to move he saw immediately that the creatures sluggish movements were going to be his bet chance at defeating him. He wasted no time in charging head long directly at the oncoming massive creature. Every movement that it made seemed slow to the Sedi, but he wasn't blind to the shear power behind its actions.

He tightened his right fist as the creature charged him and leapt to the right speed and strength lending him height to his leap he, lashed out with his left hand reaching to grab the King by his left horn, if successful he would yank the minotaurs head towards himself to lend more momentum and power to the blow he swung with his right fist, he put all his strength into it, coming in to connect solidly with the creatures left temple. The impact should it be successful would crush a human skull, but to a creature of this size and build would probably result more in a small fracture and loss of balance or direction.

The sudden weight upon his huge horn was enough to make him stumble, and the sudden crack to the side of his head made everything wink into blackness for only a second. It was a solid hit, and the faint sound of cracking could be heard as rivulets of blood formed where the impact had landed. Immediately Krios caught the fresh scent, but instead of frenzy he merely grunted with the impact.

His foothold faltered and he stumbled again as the brief dizziness wore off and his vision returned. Krios could still feel the weight of the smaller creature on his person, and deftly shot his arm outwards in an attempt to latch onto Saelan, reaching for an arm or a leg. Anything, really, for the King to grip onto and use as leverage.

Hot air steamed from his nostrils and mouth, his thick muscles tensing and remaining taught as he reached for the Sedi, the other Minotaur the King was with reacting to the situation much like the other Sedi companion. Simple onlookers to some sort of archaic ritual.

The impact of his fist on the Kings head jarred his arm, the creature was built solidly, and the shock of hitting something so massive with such force put his arm to sleep momentarily, he couldn't feel his arm for the moment, but he could feel the crushing grip that closed around. His left leg. He cursed under his breath and released his grip on the horn twisting as his weight pulled him down he brought his right leg up a hard snap kick aimed directly at the Kings throat. It was a purely reactionary move, designed more to break the grip the giant bovine had on his right leg more than anything.

If the kick failed to break him free he knew he would be left hanging by his leg in the kings grip, not a great position to be in, if he landed the kick though he might have been able to collapse the great creatures windpipe temporarily, hopefully the shock would cause the King to spasm and release him.

As soon as his massive hand wrapped around the Sedi’s leg, he grunted again, and it was even more obvious as to the expulsion of air this time than previous. Blood dripped down into his eye, and immediately after Krios felt the weight being lifted from his horn, he, too, twisted around. With the slow movement, Saelan’s kick landed firmly in his chest, and the Minotaur once more stumbled slightly, but kept his iron grip around the Sedi’s leg.

Krios took a sharp breath inward, the kick from Saelan knocking the wind from his lungs, and unlike Sedi, he did not have a second set to fall back on. Even still, the King managed to muster all of his strength and in a sloppy windmill motion, he brought Saelan completely around, his arm moving in a complete revolution in an attempt to disorient the Sedi before smashing his body full force into the cold ground at their feet.


Saelan lost track of the ground for a split second as the King whipped him around in a circle, he caught sight of it again real fast as it rushed up to meet him. The impact cracked the ground below him the massive crash echoing through the mountains he would have screamed if the impact was not so ferocious it ripped all the air from all four of his lungs, and shattered half his ribs in the process.

His leg was the worst off the impact had created a compound fracture in the thigh bone, and ripped it out of the socket to boot. The bone stuck jaggedly out of the skin, blood seeping out and soaking his pants, the pain was unreal, but he was in the earth, the impact had shattered the rocks below him, and he was half buried. He forced the pain to the side and reacted with speed only a Sedi could manage. He slammed his fist into the side of his broken leg forcing the bone to snap back into place, and pushing the leg back into the socket. Darkness threatened to swallow him whole but he refused to let it, embracing the Earth element in his soul he fused the minerals in his bones together, it wasn't perfect, but it mended the bone enough to be used.

Nothing to be done about the slice it had made cutting through the skin, or the weakened muscle that had resulted from the tear, but he wasn't in danger of bleeding to death. Yet. He knew he couldn't let the Minotaur hold onto his leg any longer or it was over, he lashed out with every ounce of his remaining speed and strength from his good leg, landing the kick directly on the wrist of the the hand that held his leg. It should be enough to shatter every bone in the creatures wrist and cause it to let go involuntarily.

The Sedi’s sudden reaction confused the now one-eyed Minotaur, the one side of his face soaked in blood. Fur and hair caked in blood created an obvious streak that told of the blood’s path, the crimson liquid running over Krios’ eye causing him to close it or risk damage to his vision. He stared almost blankly down at his adversary until, once more, everything went black for a split second.

In terms of a Minotaur lifestyle, Krios had relatively few bones broken in his years – further attesting to why he was King of his species. This sudden and completely unexpected attack, however, was the most excruciating pain he had ever experienced. His throat had been slit, his head smashed, deep gashes carved into his flesh. He’d even been impaled and shot several times, but the sudden snapping of every single bone in his wrist along with the tearing of his thick muscle was almost unbearable.

Two things then happened simultaneously that seemed too horrific to be real. The King’s head snapped upward as he roared with what seemed to be all the furry of the Minotaur. The very ground below them trembled slightly from the scream, and the echo was like banshee’s screaming for miles upon miles around. As the chaotic sound poured from Krios’ mouth, the whole of his body went downwards; his right knee extended in a savage motion aimed at what would have been Saelan’s midsection.

His hand dangled almost loosely from the attack, wrist looking like some sort of hot rubber. By now the blood had started to pour from the wound in his head, and with the sudden loss of his hand he was a hairline away from unconsciousness. But he was a Minotaur. The pride of his race. And it was that nagging thought in the recesses of his mind that caused him to remain in the here and now, and to react in frenzy.

He saw the massive creature collapsing down on top of him and he tried to move, but as damaged as he was he simply was not near fast enough. He managed to slide slightly to the right and up, the result was the creatures knee crushed his left hip and folded him in half, starting him into an instant upright sitting position. Blood erupted from his mouth and splattered the Minotuar across its leg to chest.

Pain was not even an issue at this point now his mind had shifted simply into survival mode, only his fierce morals ingrained in him since birth kept him from tearing this creature to shreds with the force of Earth that stormed inside him, but his body was acting on autopilot now. His arms were still fine and his right one shot up in a flash of movement his fingers digging deep into the creatures throat, Saelan's eyes were wild now blood streaking the whites and veins stood out on his arm as he clenched his hand closing off the creatures air supply as his grip tightened.

“Are... convinced... yet... or do I need... to tear your throat... out?” His voice was raspy but there was an odd sound to it, the pauses at first sounding like they came from the pain, soon could be heard, laughter in between them, the crazy bastard was actually chuckling.

[Sedian NPCs]

The King gasped for air as Saelan began to grip his throat, his head snapping down as fast and as hard as he could force it. He could hear his jawbone grinding with the force of the impact, causing his sight to blur once more. Stars flashed across his field of vision as he stared down at the Sedi. His own eyes were primal at best, the savage rage of a Minotaur warrior manifest through a series of red and black streaking through large eyes.

He did not speak. There wasn’t time for that. The wounds that he suffered had been taking their toll and he was closer now than ever to the blackness. Loosing precious air was only furthering his descent into the abyss and he reacted with sheer instinct, bringing his fist down as hard as he could in an arc, aiming for the middle of the Sedi’s head.

The blow to his head was all the could take, the impact jarred his spines and his grip went limp, blackness closed around him and he slumped back his head striking the rock hard as consciousness faded from his eyes and they slid shut. He was satisfied, even if he had lost it was a better fight than he had been in his entire life, some comfort of doing something worth while for his people came with the unconsciousness too. His chest still rose and fell, but the breathing was labored, weak, his pulse was erratic, and most of his bones were broken. Survival was most definitely not assured.

[King Krios]

His lungs begged and pleaded for him to take deep breaths, but all he could do was look down at the fallen Sedi. In what could be described only as a smile he nodded as best he could, satisfied to the point of complete contention. Krios felt his legs go numb first as his massive form wavered. As his eyes rolled into the back of his head, he sank to one side, crashing down into cold snow below.

The King’s mind strained from thought and time as his wounds stole him from consciousness. Snow began to shift color, turning from pink and ultimately into bright red as the blood from the side of his head mixed in with the terrain. His breathing, much like Saelan’s, was labored. He lay still in the cold mountain pass.

Behind Krios’ massive axe, the other Minotaur stared at the scene that unfolded before them. They watched each savage blow and witness the falling of the Sedi and then their King. But they did not move. They remained trained upon the body of their King, muscles tensing as if poised to attack at any moment. The Minotaur were waiting, waiting for any sort of signal from Krios to be at ease.

[Sedian NPCs]

Marcan watched the combatants pass out Saelan first then the large creature, he shook his head wryly, Saelan didn't have a lot of visible injuries, but he was certain he had heard the snapping of bones several times and judging by the the position he was laying in he would be lucky to make it through the night. Neither of them were even remotely powerful enough to teleport to get the aid of a Life Sedi, so he would get basic field care unless one of them cows was some incredibly gifted healer. That was of course assuming that they didn't come to kill both of them for the way Saelan had pounded on their leader.

He considered retrieving Saelan and bringing him back into the cave to rest, but the man was an Earth Sedi, laying half covered in the frozen rocks was probably providing him more energy than anything else at this point. Perhaps it would be enough to keep him alive for awhile, in the mean time his stomach grumbled loudly. They had little or no rations left, soon it would be time to hunt, which was fine with him, fresh meat was far better than that dried out crap issued by supply officers in Sethia.

His attention was caught by the sound of a pebble knocked down the side of the mountain to his left away from the fight. He turned his head slightly and saw the twisted horns of a mountain goat beginning to come around the corner, it was probably coming to investigate the noise from the fight, too bad it wouldn't make it back.

Saelan was significantly slower and weaker than Marcan, and his reactions were completely unaffected by the cold, the fire element in his soul kept his muscles limber. He ripped his sword from the sheath almost too fast to see and his arm lashed out and the Sword left his hand. A brief flash of sunlight off the polished blade was all that could be seen before the blade buried itself to the hilt in the side of the mountain pass. The mountain goat was just starting to poke its head around the corner when the sword flashed passed. At first it seemed as though it missed, but As Marcan calmly started walking over the Goat sank down on its forelegs, red blood spilling down from the perfect slice across its throat that sword had made as it passed by. It was still kicking and struggling futilely as he grabbed it by one horn and removed his sword from the mountain side, then dragged the struggling animal behind him into the cave.

[Sedian NPCs]

The Sounds of impacts and screams told Marli they were heading in the right direction, after all there was little else alive in these mountains and She figured Saelan and Marcan to be bored working off some excess energy before the night set in and it got really cold. Her teal eyes drifted to the man next to her Sometimes she wondered why Life Sedi were such quiet people, Daegan certainly fit the description, short stocky with curly jet black hair he was not the image of the former Lord general his parents had named him after. They had hopes for a Shadow Sedi like they were but instead this was what they got.

Marli adored her little brother, truly she did, but Magick was her element, and she was relatively proficient at it, she didn't see the point in Life Sedi venturing outside of the field treatment facilities, after all if a Sedi couldn't make it back to one he was probably dead anyway. Ahh well she came around the bend lost in her thoughts and ran directly into the back of her stopped brother.

Daegan grunted at her impact and cast an irritated look over his shoulder, he was used to his sisters lost in thought mentality, but there were better places to walk around in a daze than the mountain cliffs. He pointed to the 4 remaining large Minotaur standing in their path surrounding what appeared to be two fallen people, One was a Minotaur and the other was quite obviously Saelan. Daegan glanced around and noted a fire burning in a cave close by, that accounted for Marcan.

Marli blinked and staggered back at the sight of the massive bull like creatures before she could help herself, her foot skidding out from under her and causing her to land roughly on her bottom a mere few inches from a sheer drop off that descended at least as far as the eye could see.

Daegan watched her with a knowing look and then walked forward his eyes locked on the fallen Minotaur and Sedi. They were obviously hurt significantly, but most of their injuries appeared to be within his abilities to heal unaided, at least for the most part, some of these might require a bit of strain.

[King Krios]

The cold was biting and seemed ridiculous, but the four Minotaur would not move. They refused to move. Much like the Sedi, the Minotaur tribes were based upon strict military-like structure. It was one thing to leave a fallen companion behind if there was no hope for survival, but to abandon their King? It was a thought that didn’t even enter their minds. And so they stood, virtually motionless save for the steady rising and falling of their chests and the plumes of warm air coming from massive nostrils.

They stirred slightly, watching the Fire Sedi move from the cave and retrieve food. Stomachs groaned in protest to the silent vigil, but were ultimately ignored as the Minotaur continued to watch and wait. They could see both the Sedi and their King breathing shallowly, could see the slight puffs of air from each exhale, and that was enough to keep them there. To keep waiting.

The sudden movement in the distance made them all snap to attention, averting their gaze from the fallen body of Krios to the advancing creature. They were unsure as to what this thing was, but it looked – and smelled – like the fallen warrior and the one in the cave. They were silent up until the Sedi began walking towards Saelan and Krios. The Minotaur farthest back tried to move forward, but the Minotaur at the front held up his hand.

He snorted and took several steps forward, stopping at the axe that Krios had buried in the ground before them. He glanced back only once at the other three before stepping over it, covering the ground in mere seconds from the waiting spot to where Krios and Saelan were laying unconscious. The Minotaur’s gaze did not falter, it did not move from the dark haired Sedi that approached the two. His muscles were tense and strained, his eyes focused upon what could potentially be the next foe.

He was ready for anything.