Story: Out of the Shadows [a work in progress]

[Akamai Deredal]

The six of them walked down a short road to a tall, stone, roofless building with a half shading net that was spread over the top, held in place by wooden posts spaced evenly along the top edge. The clattering sounds of steel versus steel could be heard faintly as they approached, making Akai's eyes light up but bringing back bad memories for the other lynethe. When they reached the front gate Zev explained to the gatekeeper what they were doing an who they were. He nodded and swung open the tall iron door to the grounds. At least three dozen people were there, some fighting with swords, some fighting with magic, some fighting with bare hands. Each of them were in their own segmented section within the grounds, and at least one robed official stood on the sidelines. Akai watched two very tall and heavy humans attack each other violently with massive and well crafted swords. The two metals created a flash when they struck against each other, it seemed as if the two were trying to kill each other. Akai winced as one finally came down hard on the other one's shoulder. He shouted and grabbed the wound, but no blood came forth. Instead the only sign that he had been struck was a bruise forming, other then the profanities of course. The official nodded in approval towards the victor as he began to search for another fight. "They're all protected by magical barriers," Zev said as he noticed Akai's slight confusion, "It makes the bouts more realistic, actual swords can be used instead of wooden ones or some other replacement." She nodded, the idea of these training grounds seeming to delight her all the more.

Akai's gaze drifted to a tall, thin man with black hair. She seemed to recognize him, but couldn't tell from where. He held a wickedly curved, razor sharp sickle in each hand. He spun both of them a few times, idly. His opponent eyed him cautiously. The taller of the two, the sickle holder, took a good hold of his weapons and preformed a very practiced and quick pattern. He seemed to do it more out of show than for actual battle technique. His enemy, who was of a race that Akai had never seen before, lunged at him with his broadsword quickly, irritated by his taunting. The black haired man stepped to the side gracefully and caught the weapon in the ring of his sickle, and with a swift spin brought his other sickle in to the back of his opponent. This time Akai spotted the faint light from the barrier Zev had told her about, keeping him from death but letting him feel the piercing pain in his back. The man sank to the ground on his knees, trying not to cry out in pain. Zev let out a howling noise at the sight of his friend's victory. With a grin the sickle wielder bowed, letting his hair fall in front of his face. He stood up and walked away from the fighting ring and towards Zev. "Good job Tokala," Zev said. Tokala?, Akai thought to herself. "Why thank you Zev," He replied. He definitely resembled Tokala, but there was something different. He has dark skin, She realized, It was white the night before.
~~~

[Akamai Deredal]

Tuari felt Kiros’ hand land on his shoulder. "You don’t look like you’ve gotten enough sleep. You can go back to the Inn if you’d like. I think I’m going to grab something to eat. We can leave the women to their fun." Laughing, the two of them started off down the street, leaving Akai and Kacela to glare at their backs. Zev and Tokala only laughed.

“I wonder what sent them off so fast. Tuari doesn’t look like he’s feeling well." Tokala said, watching as the two men turned the corner. "Oh who cares. They’re men. They can do what they want, when they want without being questioned." Kacela said, her voice not holding any of the bitterness it would have, had any other woman said it. She smiled at Zev and Tokala, inclining her head slightly. "I think I’m going to have a look around this place… Might even play a bit." Zev chuckled, "Take it easy on them, Kacela. I don’t think any of them have ever fought one of the cheveyo." "The only thing I can hurt is their pride, Zev. And if they allow me to do that, then they needed the loss." She replied over her shoulder as she headed towards a sectioned area where she could entertain herself for a while.

Akai was still busy trying to figure out why Tokala’s skin had changed over night. Giving her head a small shake she decided it was only her imagination. I only imagined his skin being lighter… After all, it was fairly late and we all had been running the majority of the day… Yes, I only imagined it. "What brought you all down this way so early in the day, Zev? I thought you were going to show them around Jericho." Zev’s ears twitched slightly, changing their angle of their own accord. "I was, Tokala, but the ladies here wanted to come this way before any other." The nirav was watching Kacela with a scythe she’d picked up from the small case mounted on the wall. The weapon wasn’t as large as her own, but it seemed to matter very little to her.

Those who had been in the small arena were now staring at Kacela in surprise, which was understandable. She wielded the scythe with such speed it was but a blur. Tokala laughed, "I pity those that stand and gape at the woman. They might not be used to fighting against one, but they had better learn to accept it and quickly or they’ll surely feel the bite of that blade. Fools, if we ever went to war, they’d be surprised to see the number of women warriors these days." Zev’s different colored eyes followed Kacela’s movements in their fluidity but his words were directed at Tokala, "Do you really think we’d ever go to war, Tokala? We are but a small fraction of other cities, and therefore not even a reasonable force to consider." The man shrugged, "There is no harm in being prepared, Zev. In my years of training I’ve learned that much. If you aren’t, you die, it’s that simple." "Well aren’t we a little ray of sunshine?" Rune said, making Tokala laugh. Zev smirked, "If we aren’t careful Rune, we’ll get a sunburn."
~~~

[Akamai Deredal]

And that would be the end of my second chapter. The third one is nearly finished, though I won't send anything until it is. Let me know what you all think of it.

[PippinTook]

very good akai! I am waiting for that third chapter! very good! I am intrigued by the guy with the changing face! and akai's personality is very well formed. I like zev, but what kind of animal is he supposed to be?

pip

[Akamai Deredal]

Zev is based on a wolf-ish creature. Able to stand on hindlegs and speak much like a human, he thinks like them too, but he has the distinct features of a canine; fur, body structure (such as snout, tail, paws, etc).

[Akamai Deredal]

Turning her head, Akai watched as Tokala felled his second challenger. The look on his face was somewhat smug, making Akai’s old anger burst into flame again. She stormed off towards the fighting area. "Tokala!" She snapped, making his eyes swivel over to her instantly. "What do you want?" He asked, idly spinning one sickle. "Fight me."

He raised an eyebrow, "You don't have a weapon." "I don't need one," She replied, making no effort to hide the annoyance in her voice. He shrugged and turned around, "Alright." After a short two steps he stood at a slightly offset center to the fighting ring. Akai placed herself parallel to Tokala and spread her feet and hands in fighting stance. The blond haired man that stood on the sidelines, which were made of white ropes laid on the ground, raised his hand, "Are you both ready?" Both Tokala and Akai nodded. He dropped his hands quickly, "Fight!" They began circling each other, each of them tense. Tokala loosened his stance the more they revolved, spinning his sickles once again. He never strikes the first blow... Akai thought to herself. He hesitated slightly, "Well, you're the one without a weapon. How about you attack first?" Akai shook her head, "Be my guest." Tokala tried to hide the grimace across his face, but Akai noticed anyway. Tokala reversed his steps and swing one sickle at Akai's face. She ducked under it with ease. The next sickle came lower, Tokala hadn't missed a single step of his momentum. Akai caught him by the elbow using both her arms in an "L" shape.

She struck a quick and light blow to his stomach before they both backed away. Akai smirked at Tokala, saying nothing but mocking him more then plenty with her face. She wasn't going down as easily as the others. Tokala lunged at her again. This time he swung in a upwards motion with his left hand, attempting to land a rough blow in to her jaw. She slid out of the way just in time, the sickle blurring cruelly past her face and catching some of her hair. She slid her feet fluidly around so she was facing his back and moved her hands in a seemingly random pattern. It was obvious she had memorized this pattern, and practiced it more then daily, for her hands we but a blur as a fire swelled in to them. Tokala spun around just in time to meet a hot blast in the face. He dropped low to the ground and stumbled around while holding his face with a shout. Akai burst out laughing, making him open his eyes and glare fiercely at her. "I'll have you know that burns like hell," Tokala said as he stood up and readied himself again. She nodded, "I could tell by your face."

[Akamai Deredal]

Still laughing, Akai spun around, mocking Tokala yet again by turning her back on him. Taking the hint, Tokala leapt forward, both sickles spinning quickly enough to make a small whirring in the air. Just as he reached her, she turned her head towards him, raising one hand and making a small movement with it, freezing one sickle in place, as well as his feet. "What the…" Akai grinned wickedly at him, her hands moving in a slower, more deliberate pattern, and a small blue light starting to grow between her palms. Using his free hand, Tokala lashed out with his remaining sickle and struck Akai across the nose with the flat of the blade, making her shout and stagger backwards. Her hands went to her face, the blue glow fading instantly, and the invisible bonds releasing his arm and legs. Chuckling to himself, Tokala imitated the grin Akai had given him.

Akai lashed out at him, swinging wildly at his face. Her eyes seemed dark and foreboding, as if Tokala had driven a splinter into her spirit. She caught him off guard for a minute, almost hitting him hard in the face a few times. The taller man evaded her blows and hooked her fist in the crook of his sickle. Akai yanked at it once and hard, Tokala put up no resistance and let her pull him towards her. He spun around to her back again and caught the other wrist with the sickle. Akai shouted something as he put his knee in the middle of her back and pulled. She was stuck.
~~~

[Akamai Deredal]

Tuari lay in his bed, staring out the windows of his bedroom. The view was outstanding, even he had to admit that, the way it looked out over the pale walls of Jericho and out into the mountains into the far north. It was nothing compared to his old home though. This was his home now, a city behind stone walls. A city of outcasts that had taken him and the others in. But still… He watched the horizon sadly, his eyes falling onto the thick column of smoke rising from the Amahdy forest. That was his home. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he turned over in his bed. Something inside of him felt as if it were tearing him apart, he could feel it. The ache grew as the vision of the smoke plumes burned themselves into his mind. With a choking sob, Tuari buried his face into his pillow, trying to block out the horrible visions in his head. Visions of his friends and family, of his home… of his life before everything had ended so abruptly.

Another person had seen the slowly rising tower of smoke on the horizon. Kiros was sitting upon the Northern wall, perched precariously, looking almost as if he wished to jump. Thoughts similar to Tuari's drifted through his mind. Memories of friends now dead, and family slaughtered. Yet he could not let his heart be saddened by all that had happened. He had three people, three friends, that he had yet to take care of. Here, he might not be king, but they were still friends, and his only family left. He would not let them be taken from him. Rising slowly, Kiros glanced once more at the blackened cloud in the almost clear sky before he headed for the gate and the stairs.
~~~

[Akamai Deredal]

Struggling against Tokala's grip, Akai threw insult after insult in the Old Voice at him, demanding for him to let her go. With her arms pinned back the way they were, and Tokala's knee planted firmly against her back, Akai was stuck. Any way she could think of to get out and away from him involved her possibly breaking an arm or a leg, or maybe even being skewered on the end of one of his accursed sickles. There's always the barrier… She thought to herself, then brushed that idea away. She might not get cut, but she'd still feel the bite of the blade. And Tokala would win… Again, Akai squirmed, still trying to get Tokala to release her, when she heard him laughing. He was laughing… at her! Throwing another insult at him, Akai lunged forward, ripping her arms out of his grip and taking his sickles with her. His laughter ended abruptly. Throwing the blades to the side carelessly she launched herself at him, kicking multiple times in her sudden burst of anger. Each kick he dodged, the smug smile on his face slowly returning to replace the startled look. Akai's onslaught slowly lessened in its ferocity, and Tokala grabbed her foot as she aimed a kick to his chest. Holding her there, he started laughing again, getting dark glare from her. In an instant, Akai leapt up off the ground and twisted her foot in Tokala's grip. Her bare foot struck him squarely on the nose, and she could feel the cartilage break under the force of the kick. Instantly, Tokala let her go, shouting and holding his hand over his nose.
~~~
Rune grimaced as Tokala yelled, "Zev, don't you think someone ought to go and stop the fight before they find some way to kill each other?" Zev looked at him in disbelief. "Are you insane?! I'm not going in there," he lowered his ears, "I'll get killed." Rune laughed, making Zev shakes his head. Kacela came up between the pair, her borrowed scythe in her hand. What's going on over here?" She asked, peering past the both of them, only to see Akai follow Tokala as he went down. Blood covered half of the man's face, but he seemed oblivious to it as he tried to keep Akai from landing any of her punches. Kacela laughed softly and shook her head, "Someone's going to have to stop them soon. This is going southward, and quickly." Zev's ears flipped up quickly, "I already told Rune I wasn't going in there!" She smiled kindly at him, "Then you're a smart man. They'd skin you alive and use you as a throw rug. Or at least Akai would right now. Tokala's lucky she hasn't done that to him already." The three of them laughed, if slightly nervously as they watched the two out of the corner of their eyes.
~~~
Having given up on trying to block Akai, Tokala struggled to get to his feet. His eyes watered horribly, and his thoughts slowed as if stunned by the sharp pain in his nose. Akai's closed fist landed far too close to his nose for comfort, and Tokala winced. It hurt bad enough without her continuing to crush it, as well of the rest of his face. Opening his eyes to see if he might be able to block a few other of her punches, Tokala glanced up at Akai. The girl stopped suddenly, surprise written all over her features. His normally green eyes had changed to a startling yellow. She only had time to blink once or twice before the back of Tokala's hand swung up and hit her in the face. Akai flinched and half stumbled, half rolled away from him.

[Akamai Deredal]

Turning over, Tokala started to push himself up, having bought himself a short amount of time to do so. But Akai wasn't all that far away. Grabbing a fistful of the dirt she lay on, she rolled over and threw it in Tokala's eyes, making him yell and hit the ground yet again. Muttering something to herself, Akai scrambled up and threw herself at him. Tokala raised his foot and caught her in the stomach, quickly stopping her rush. Grunting, he used her momentum against her, sending her sailing over him to land flat on her back. Pushing himself up, he stumbled over to where his sickles lay, still trying to get the dirt out of his eyes. He found Akai sliding between himself and his weapons, still trying to regain her breath. One hand clutched her side and her face showed some of her struggle to breathe. I couldn't have hurt her that badly… Still he hesitated and she took the opportunity to run at him again. Turning his shoulder to her, Tokala knocked her to the side, sending her tumbling over the official and knocking him down. As he reached for his sickles, a hoarse yell made him turn around, rather than grab the weapons.

Akai's short form slammed into Tokala, sending the two of them crashing across the ring. Tokala grunted as Akai's knee found his ribs. "Get off me woman!" He grunted, trying to push her away. She wouldn't budge. Stubborn girl! Instinctively his hand went to hit her in the face, but a quick glimpse of his fingers made him pull his hand back. Even still, he clawed Akai across the cheek and lip. His hands, like his eyes, had changed. He now had claws.

Akai's stifled scream still pierced Tokala's ears as she stumbled away from him, spurred by surprise, fear and pain. Rising from the ground slowly, and scrubbing the rest of the dirt from his bloodied face, Tokala grabbed his sickles and watched Akai. The girl had made it to the corner and was gingerly touching one of the ragged cuts along her cheek. Her light gray eyes flickered slightly, and she looked up at him. Straightening herself up, she dropped her hand from the cuts and stared directly at Tokala, her breathing as heavy as his. They two of them stood like that for a while, oblivious to everything and everyone around them. Thinking nothing else would happen, Tokala turned to exit the arena to get cleaned up. The slight sound of footfalls made his head turn slightly, before being jumped on and collapsing to the all too familiar ground. He groaned, having grown too tired to do anything in retaliation. Thankfully, Akai crawled away from him and she too hit the ground. Neither of them made an attempt to get up; they just lay there, staring at either the shading net above or the dusty ground they'd become well acquainted with.
~~~

[Akamai Deredal]

Tokala sighed deeply, "Are you finished?" Akai coughed dust and nodded. "Yes, I think so," she said between breaths. "Good, because I'm pretty sure you broke my nose," He touched the swelling red lump tenderly. "Well you did no better! What were you trying to do, rip my lip off?" Tokala chuckled slightly, "Maybe then you would stop screaming at me in that, whatever it is." "It's the old language of the lynethe." Kacela said abruptly. The two raised their heads to look at her, seeing her, Zev, and Rune standing above them. "That was quite a show you two had going," Rune chuckled. Tokala sighed again and dropped his head to the ground, "She was trying to kill me I swear..." "I would have helped you, but, ugh, she's scary," Zev said sheepishly. "Thanks a lot Zev..." Akai muttered. She stood up slowly and dusted herself off.

Tokala shook his head, "I'm going to just lay here for a little while if you four don't mind..." Akai touched her lip, pulling her hand away sharply once she did. The lynethe glanced down at his hands, "What did you hit me with?" He shrugged, "My hand..." "But it made me bleed, a lot." Zev chuckled, "He's kind of weird Akai, you'll get used to it if you don't kill him." She glared at him, making his ears tuck back. Tokala slowly and gently stood himself, holding his hands out around him for balance. "I had odd parents Akai, the races didn't mix so I... change a lot. It's been like that from birth." He ran his thumb across his fingernails. "I think I hit you with my claws. I didn't mean to, it's just a reaction." She stared at him, confusion written all over her face. He looked up and chuckled, "I'd explain it, but right now I need to get my nose fixed... I'll see you sometime later Zev." "Take care Tokala," He said in reply. The black haired man half staggered near the gate and into a small, small door laid inside one of the walls. Akai guessed that it led to the infirmary, though where the rooms were, she didn’t know.

Kacela took Akai’s arm and laid it over her shoulder. “And Kiros though Tuari looked tired. Too bad he didn’t stay a while longer. He would’ve had a good laugh watching the two of you. Now come, let’s go get you cleaned up to.” The woman said, her tone kind and gentle, not sounding at all like the cold-hearted woman she had when Rune had first come across them. Akai muttered, “Yes mother,” in a sarcastic tone that awarded her a nice thump on the head. Letting the older woman lead her towards the same building Tokala had disappeared into, Akai heard Rune laughing quietly. Twisting her hands quickly, she brought a small fire into her hand, and aimed it at the man’s feet. The sound of a startled shout brought a tiny grin to her face as Kacela opened the door and drug her inside. Akai quickly realized that rooms lined the inside of the wall most of the way, most likely either built this way, or carved out of the stone.

A quiet grumbling came from one corner, and Akai turned to see who sat there. A very tall woman leaned against the wall, nursing a broken arm. Her skin was a dark chocolate brown and her hair was just a shade darker. She flashed a sympathetic smile at Akai, her neon yellow eyes glinting with a turn of her head. A lightning bolt of the same yellow lay high up on her right cheek bone, and piercing marked her face and ears. Akai could not help but smile back, no matter how fearsome she appeared.

“Come on, Akai. Do you want a scar to run down your face for the rest of your life?” Kacela asked, pulling her to a small seat.
“Not exactly, but there would be four, Kacela. Besides, they’ll scar anyway. Too deep not to.”

[Akamai Deredal]

Kacela frowned somewhat as Akai took a seat on the ground. The cuts on her face were fairly deep, and the edges were ragged. Weird was what Zev said… That would be an understatement. Wiping some of the blood from Akai’s face, Kacela smiled down at the girl, though there was a tinge of sadness on her face. “You never used to be so violent, Akai. Not this badly. Both your father and mother were cheveyo, so fighting is in your blood. But I never expected…” She trailed off as she saw the flames of anger growing in Akai’s eyes.

“I don’t need to be lectured, Kacela! I’ve heard this before. You try living in a family of warriors! All you do is train and fight, train and fight over and over again! I could never do anything right. Where I failed, my little brother succeeded… I wanted to make them proud of me, do you understand that at least? I found something I liked that would make them proud and prove them wrong! But now they’re dead. Nothing to prove, no one to make proud, but still I study magic. I can’t just stop, Kacela… Once you’ve tapped into it, your heart always yearns for more… but sometimes I get so tired. I can’t control it anymore… it’s almost like it’s a part of me. I can’t help being the way I am. It controls me…”

Kacela’s face hid her emotions too well now, as she stared at Akai. Her gaze was calculating and Akai could not meet her eyes. Turning her head aside, she glared at the floor. “Akai… are you all right?” The woman’s voice was cold again and Akai flinched. “I’m fine.” Her words were clipped and Kacela grimaced. Grabbing her by the chin, the older woman forced Akai to face her. Rather than saying anything, she again wiped some of the blood running down the girl’s face. Wincing, Akai pulled away quickly, snarling something in the Old Voice at the cheveyo. Kacela frowned and let her hands fall onto her lap in resignation. A few moments later, a woman robed in white stepped out into the main room, taking the other woman from the corner, and then returning to lead Akai down the hall.

A loud bellow echoed down the hall as Akai followed the robed woman. “Damn you, Akai!” Came another shout, and Akai cringed. Tokala must’ve had to have his nose rebroken so it wouldn’t heal crooked. Suddenly, Akai realized she wasn’t too keen on crossing paths with the man any time soon. Willing the woman ahead of her to move faster, Akai kept her eyes straight ahead of her, rather than looking inside the other rooms.

Tokala stumbled out of a room behind her. He glanced at her and shook his head, "They broke it again," He grumbled, "As if you breaking it the first time wasn't enough..." His words were barely audible as he walked back down the hallway. Akai put a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, but recoiled quickly. Looking down at her hand, she saw the blood smeared across her fingers. Smirking slightly, she wondered how badly the cuts were really bleeding. The woman led Akai into a small room, telling her in a soft voice to be seated.
~~~

[Akamai Deredal]

Kacela watched Tokala stride down the wall, his hand gingerly touching his nose, as if he hoped it would stop hurting. He inclined his head in a quick greeting, before pushing open the door with his shoulder. After the door had closed, Kacela leaned against the wall with a tired sigh. Honestly she didn’t feel much like waiting for Akai, for some reason. She’d much rather look around the city, see what there was. Standing up, the brief thought of Akai finding her way back to the Inn crossed her mind, but it soon disappeared. The girl really could take care of herself, when the time called for it. “Forgive me Akai… my curiosity seems to have gotten the better of me.” Kacela murmured quietly before pushing the door open.

Kiros found himself staggering backwards as he tried to avoid being hit by the infirmary door as it swung open. Kacela stopped abruptly, looking up at him. “Tokala told me I would find you and Akai here, but where’s Akai?” He asked, peering in over her shoulder. Pushing him away from the door and letting it swing shut Kacela led him towards the gate as she spoke. “She’s getting some wounds treated, Kiros. Nothing too serious, trust me!” She added the last bit as Kiros went to slam his heels into the ground and turn around. “What happened?” “Nothing serious, I told you already. She just had a bit of a tiff with Tokala…”
~~~
Tokala walked casually through the training courts and to the ring where he and Akai had fought, passing beside several ongoing fights without noticing. He kept his head down and tapped his nose lightly. With a sigh he picked up the two sickles that he'd left in the dirt during the fight, This is going to hurt for at least a month. He stood back up, suddenly noticing the soil him and Akai had fought on. Foot prints, outlines of bodies, blood, and deep toe marks littered the small space. He shook his head with a chuckle and walked towards the iron gate that led back to the road. "I never want to fight that insane half-elf again!" He said loudly to himself. "I'm not a half-elf!" He heard a voice yell from behind him. With a groan he turned around, Akai stood next to the wooden infirmary door. "Lynethe, whatever," Tokala replied to her.

“At least you can get that straight.” She said, heading towards him. He muttered, “You’re still insane if you ask me. Besides, you never denied it either.” Her grin was wicked as she reached him. “I have my moments, Tokala.” The cuts in her face had been stitched up and Tokala fought to keep from feeling guilty. She broke my nose after all… Deserved it. “Any idea where I can find something to eat? Haven’t eaten yet.” Tokala shrugged, “I’m sure if you walked you’d find something…” Her grin lost its maliciousness and she nodded. “Well, thanks for an interesting morning Tokala. Sorry about that,” she indicated his nose with a nod of her head, “Maybe I’ll see you around here another time.” “Well don’t run into me next time.” Tokala called after her as she headed for the main gates. Her laughter was light, and he smirked. She might just be a tolerable person after all…

[Akamai Deredal]

And that is all I have so far of my third chapter. Things are still a bit sketchy and I've had to make lots of corrections here and there so please forgive any run on sentences etc. I'm working on fixing those, I promise. And I know I said I wouldn't post the third chapter until it was finished, but i lied, lol I couldn't keep you all waiting. Hope you all enjoy what I have so far.

[PippinTook]

Bravo! very good. the fight seen was long, but didn't repeat itself, so it was okay. I am proud!

pip

[Akamai Deredal]

To whom ever's been reading my work... This particular story has been put on hold for right now. I have no idea how long it will stay like that, but there is another story that I've started if anyone wishes to direct their attention there. Sorry for this, really... but it happens a lot. O=D