“Hm, suppose you have a point there”, Blaine admitted in turn. Dalanesca was likely an unknown variable in this little game so they could have some sort of surprise in that regard. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how Krys was able to allow himself to be captured like this and it irked him a bit. Out of the two brothers, he was more of the level headed and calculating. Of how he come to let his guard enough for the second Moliira to get a hold of him, he was unsure. All that was known now was that his ass needed to be rescued and a bit of him wanted to gloat about it afterwards. After all, that’s what good little brothers did, right?

“That brother of mine has a knack for getting himself into deep trouble”, he replied before gesturing to Moliira. “She could probably tell you just as much stories as I could about his run-ins with danger.” A part of him still thought that she was hiding something from him; uncertainty though still plagued his thoughts. Between those two, he wasn’t sure which could prove to be a thorn in his behind more sometimes. Regardless, he needed to be saved because he was his kin, and he didn’t want to explain to his children why their uncle wasn’t around anymore.

Dalanesca hadn’t seemed very keen on taking the lead, which made the lycan nod and step out a few paces ahead. Not sure if the doppelganger will have the same scent, but I do know of my brother’s, and he’s here somewhere.” Lifting his head up, he sniffed the air around them. Of course he smelled their scents, but also that of his brother’s, though faintly. THen another that felt familiar but at the same time, different. Likely the other Moliira and her vampircy was what he was picking up on. “That is a possibility. However, she’s not one that will trust others easily for delicate matters like this”, he reassured just before his eye caught something coming towards them. His lips curled into a frown as he prayed to himself of his safe return to his wife and daughter. It was the other Moliira, and the sensation she stirred inside him angered his wolf.

“Where’s Krys? He has nothing to do with your squabble with your other self”,Blaine sighed. Likely this wouldn’t be resolved in a bout of words, and from her own that were spoken, it only proved his point as he took hold of the hilt tightly. The moment she pounced, he went after her and tried to tackle her away from her intended prey in the other assassin. “Now, now. Why go after her when there’s another predator you need to get rid of first? You won’t be touching her or anyone else if I can help it.” The sword was drawn out and he stalked around her, slowly and methodically with cold piercing eyes. Hopefully he could keep her attention on him while Dal could take advantage of the moment. “No give him back or I’ll knock you down a lot farer than you had when Moliira did it.”                                                                                  

She nodded at Blaine, glad that he seemed to agree with her point.  She did not necessarily want to use herself as bait, but she was willing to do so if it would get the job done.  She could tell that Blaine was running through scenarios in his head, but thought better than to ask - she assumed that he would share the information with her shortly, to which assumption she had been correct.

Glad that Blaine understood she didn’t want to take point, she stepped cautiously behind him, watching him carefully as he focused on the many scents in the air.  She had never been too trusting of any sort of lycanthrope, though that was partially due to the numerous negative experiences she had encountered.  She could see Blaine’s demeanor change as he caught a familiar scent on the air.  He did not say anything to her, yet part of her knew that it must be the one they were seeking.

She silently nodded in responses to his words, though she put herself on high alert when she could tell that movement had caught Blaine’s attention.  Without a word, she dropped one of her daggers from its wrist sheath and readied her free hand at the hilt of the sword sheathed at her spine.  The ‘other’ Moliira - whose appearance was quite unsettling to Dalanesca - spoke to them.  Slowly, she drew the sword, holding it in a defensive position - though she was quite unsure as to how this version was going to act.  She hadn’t been fully filled in on the situation at hand, and she was beginning to piece together the fact that this was essentially a piece of the Moliira that she had met earlier.

Without a moment to ebb in a word, this Moliira lunged at Dalanesca.  Blaine in turn lunged towards her as well, seemingly in an attempt to thwart her attack.  Dalanesca instinctively darted to one side, though she found herself on unfamiliar terrain.  Her footing slipped and she slid into an awkward splits position, feeling a sharp rock rip open the leather of her leggings and pierce her skin in a dragging cut.  She stopped herself from crying out, and immediately scrambled back to her feet.  

Blaine seemed to be attempting to keep the other Moliira occupied, and Dalanesca took this as an opportunity.  Moliira had instructed them to lead their target (who she now assumed was this Moliira) into the wilds, where she would take over, and Dalanesca assumed that having the target unconscious would make that all the more easy.  She tossed her dagger in the air swiftly, and caught the hilt backwards in her hand.  Blood dripping from the wound in her leg, she lunged towards the other Moliira’s back while Blaine had her distracted, hoping to smash the blunt end of the hilt into the back of her skull to knock her out.  She prayed that Blaine would keep her distracted long enough for the plan to work, but braced for impact in case it didn’t.  She hadn’t dealt with such a situation in a long time, and was unsure of how it was going to play out.

She could smell the anger on the male, and she only grinned when he asked.  "Oh, he's somewhere nice and safe.  Safe from you.  We've been having quite a few conversations, he and I… Blaine, it is?" Moliira asked.  The shift in his face told her everything that she needed to know.  The information scared her just a bit, mostly because she knew that it was very likely her doppelganger was close by.  But the hunger got in the way, and she lunged for the girl.  But they were quick, and she had lost her supernatural edge.  It was something the vampiric entity was still adjusting to, mostly because she did not want to accept the change. 

And it didn't help that the male was faster than she thought.  This was getting bad for her, and quickly.  But the male kept wanting to talk, and her pride kept her from being silent.  "No, I don't think I will.  You've not earned the right for me to simply give something.  Or someone.  Do you even understand who yo-" she spat out, the full arrogance of a goddess in her voice suddenly cut off at the dull thud to the back of her skull.  It wasn't quite enough to knock the vampire out, but it was damned close.  Stumbling away for a moment, she caught the breathy whisper of an elemental creature calling out to the pair, bidding them to follow.

It took a few moments to find her footing again, and the pair escaped her immediate grasp.  They were heading for a break in the city walls, to the woods outside it.  With a snarl, she pursued.  One way or another, it was time to end this.  It was a quiet torture for her, not being whole.  Not being the dark Goddess she had once been was something that she needed to change, one way or the other.

He cringed once the doppelganger spoke his name out loud. She spewed some words about having talked to Krys, and Blaine's only thoughts about it was that she had interrogated him. And since she was just another Moliira, he could only imagine that he had been greatly and calculatedly tortured. That did nothing but increase his foul mood towards her, but he tried to keep his peace about it. Now wasn't the time to give her the advantage and he would have to be in control, not just for himself, but for Dalanesca and also for Krystopher. Fortunately, the former was able to get away from the former deity but took a hit regardless, while he went in towards their foe.

"Have you ever deal with a wolf's temper? Surely from how you've been taunting me, you have not", he growled, readying to unleash his beast upon her and have her watch him rip her body apart with fangs and claws. His taunts paid off as she was flanked by Dal. It was a good hit for sure and if the situation wasn't too dire, he would have cracked a laugh or two. "Oh, you will give him back to us; I don't give a damn who you are, your highness." He was about to lunge in once again and deal out a blow of his own when he spotted some sort of elemental creature arriving on the scenes.

"Moliira", he spoke quietly. She had horrible timing for his taste- things were starting to get interesting and now they had to fallback and complete the plan. But he knew that they couldn’t play with her for very long, heaven knew how much trouble his brother was in. He could only pray that when they did find him, he would still be in some good health at least. Sticking his tongue at her, he spun around and looked to Dalanesca to see if she was alright before taking off. "Can you even catch a wolf, your highness?", he jested again, hoping to have her chase after them. "Moliira, I hope you are good and ready", he said to himself as he ran with great speed through the city and towards the woodline. As he ran, he shifted into a large golden wolf, with angelic like wings on either side of him. It was a strange sight to behold, and he could only assume that it could infuriate her even more so.

Good.

His head turned to his partner to see if she could keep up. He gestured with his head to get on her back if needed.

[Whit has gmod permission of Blaine if she does have Dal ride on his back :P]

”Damn it all!” she muttered under her breath as her blow to the back of the other Moliira’s head landed true, but only seemed to be enough to daze her.  Being the only truly mortal person in the area, she felt a pang of panic jolt through her mind.  She assumed that Blaine would have a decent chance in a fight with her, but knew that if she herself were to get into a brawl it would probably be her last.  Since she did not feel like having her life’s story end during this fight, she needed her caution at its highest point.

She spotted the elemental not long after Blaine had, and ran as quickly as she could after him when he began to follow it through the trees.  She was in fantastic shape and quite fast herself, but the speed that Blaine possessed was ethereal and she began to struggle to keep pace with him.  Shortly he had shape-shifted into a golden hued world with gigantic wings jutting out from either side.  She withheld her surprise and astonishment at the change and continued trying to keep up, though his speed had only increased when he had shifted.

Fortunately for Dalanesca, Blaine seemed to slow down and look to her direction in recognition of the fact that she might not be able to keep up with him, and he was right.  He seemed to, somehow, gesture for her to climb onto his back.  She nodded, and the pair slowed down so she could hop on easily.  Without either of them coming to a complete stop, she had managed to climb onto his back.  Before he picked up speed again, she did the only thing that made sense.  Leaning down, she wrapped her arms tightly around the now-wolf’s thick neck, pressing her torso flat against the animal’s spine.

Blaine picked up speed when he was sure that she was secured and took off after the elemental, in a direction Dalanesca was sure was going to lead them to Moliira - well, at least the Moliira they were working for.  She could hear trees cracking behind them - was the other Moliira following them?  She clutched tighter to the wolf’s neck, and she could feel the beast pick up speed - perhaps he had heard the sounds as well.

”Where are we going?” she yelled to the wolf’s ear, though she realized how silly it was that she was speaking to a wolf - the assumption was made that Blaine wouldn’t be able to respond in any sort of normal communication as it were.  She also, after a moment, realized that she knew the answer to the question, and assumed that they had reached their destination when Blaine began to slow down.  She was not going to let go until they had come to a complete stop.

The wolf was pushing all the buttons to make her angry.  While the girl smelled sweet, Moliira knew that the male would die under her hands first.  Perhaps in front of his brother.  His blood would likely be rather gamey, but she could endure.  It would be worth it.  But first, she had to catch the pair, and dispatch her usurper.  Her eyes widened for a moment when the male shifted to a golden hued wolf, and the wings almost made her stop in her tracks.  She had never seen such a thing.  Perhaps she would enslave the little brother, rather than kill him.  Such a pet could be very useful to her. 

The pursuit through the woods was short, and Moliira knew she would have to end their flight soon.  She could sense her other self close by, very close.  Drawing her sword, she paused and aimed carefully.  The hurled blade missed its mark, but only just.  The golden wolf crashed into a tree when the blade pinned his wing to it, rather than severing it as she had intended.  The girl was sent tumbling into the woods, and she lost track of her for the time being.  No matter.  Once she was fully herself, the girl would not escape her grasp.  And the fallen goddess was pissed off enough that she could allow herself to feel the urge for petty vengeance. 

And it was then that her usurper, the tainted bitch finally stepped into her view.  They regarded each other for a moment, but it felt like an eternity for them both.  The vampire broke first.  With a hiss and bared fangs, she lunged for the usurper with her drow-forged blade, who growled and drew her own blade.  The wolf-drow deflected the first blow with a frost limned blade, and they circled each other for a moments.  "You won't win this, you know.  You could just surrender.  If you tell me where he is, I'll let you go," Moliira told her other self.  There was still a hesitation in the idea of killing herself in a way.  She had already tried to commit suicide, and this was almost doing the same thing.  She also knew that Blaine would likely never forgive her, though it became a moot point in very short order.

The vampire and wolf kept trading blows, testing each other, and finding themselves almost equally matched.  They were both bleeding from a number of cuts, and neither could get a strong advantage.  But the vampire was hungry, and the wolf started to win.  Parrying a blow, the vampire tried a new tactic, dropping herself low to the ground.  When the wolf jumped to avoid the sword to her ankles, the vampire sprang from the ground and pinned her against a tree.  Her blade held parallel to the ground, she was intent on cutting the wolf's throat.  "Me, surrender?  You of all people should know better!" she hissed as she tried to press the blade into the wolf's throat.  But her other self was strong, and they struggled with the blade.  The smell of the wolf's blood became thick as Moliira tried to stop the blade, and it cut into her palm.  That thick smell distracted the vampire, and her hunger was causing her to lose control.

The wolf kicked out against the tree, pushing them both away from it.  The sword came within an inch of her throat, but fell away as the pair tumbled.  The wolf finally got the upper hand, shoving her knee into the vampire's back and her face into the dirt.  Her arms were pinned with one hand, and the wolf had come up holding the drow forged blade in her other hand.  "Last chance," she growled.  But the vampire only hissed and struggled, leaving Moliira with no choice.  With one swift move, she decapitated her other self.

Sinking back into a kneeling position, Moliira found herself panting for breath.  She dropped the blade, clutching her temples.  A rush of memories was flowing into her head, and a surge of power.  It was disorienting, and painful for a few long moments.  But in that rush of knowledge, she knew in a heartbeat where her mate was.  Rising to her feet, she sought out Blaine and Dalanasca, wanting to ensure they were as unharmed as possible.

Where is that woman at?, Blaine complained in his mind, unable to speak for the time being to Dalanesca while in this form. They had been practically the live bait and hooked the big fish- it was about time for the fisher to reel in her catch and deal with this accordingly. Gods only knew how Krys was fairing right now and he knew the man to be both stubborn and one not to go down with a good fight. That only meant that he was either lured somehow and ambushed or was overpowered. WIth this version of Moliira, he could see either option being viable and that was the last thing he wanted to happen to himself. With Dal as now his passenger, he definitely had to make sure that she didn’t die as well- for one thing he wasn’t going to have the blood of anyone he knew on his hands, even he just met her. Secondly, he could only imagine the lecturing his drowish sister would unleash on him afterwards. While he considered slowing down for her sake as he felt her arms wrapping around his neck for support, it couldn’t be helped. They had to create enough distance to avoid their pursuer and also not be in the crossfire once their Moliira came in. If he could still speak, he would have happily replied to the woman and told her that he was tracking the drow goddess’ scent. He only managed to growl lightly at her, not at anger but at least in reassurance that he wasn’t going to lead them to their demise.

For some reason, Blaine had the urge to smack both hers and Krys’ heads together, but that image didn’t stick around for too long as he felt a sharp pain take over him and he flung against the trunk of a tree. The pain didn’t cease and as he managed to look up, he spotted the sword. Damn it. He was pinned and he couldn’t see where Dalanesca was. A much more audible growl came out from his maw as he felt the blood leaving his wing, but there wasn’t much he could do. Back home he could shift and shift back as he pleased, but for some reason he found out that he needed some time in between the periods. Chaos followed into the ground once the other Moliira, the one that they knew, came to the scene and a fight was ensured. Blaine couldn’t help but feel helpless now. If the doppleganger won, then they were really screwed over and Krys would remain her plaything, if he was still alive that was. Much great restraint was building inside him as to not go and pull the blade from his wing, it felt like hell that he couldn’t help out anymore. There was nothing much for him to do aside from speculating the encounter.

Of course, he wasn’t surprised that the doppleganger wasn’t going done without a fight, and honestly he felt that the world would have been better without her. She wasn’t like his sister, she had done some wrongs in her life, but at least she had made efforts at redemption. This one was pure evil and would likely not feel anything for any wrongdoings in her life. As the fight grew more dangerous, so did the temptation of freeing himself. In the end, he watched with wide eyes as the killing blow was dealt and their side won. About time, he said dry humoredly in his thoughts before he felt like he could shift again. With that, the wolf melted back into the form of a man’s, but with the transformation, it did more harm than good for him. While he was freed, the blade had did some additional damage to his back and shoulder,  resulting in a great wound. Holding onto it with his opposite hand, he moved towards Moliira and grinned. “Need to find Dalanesca and Krys”, he spoke before he nearly fell against another tree, barely managing to hold himself up with it instead.   

A shriek involuntarily escaped Dalanesca’s lips as she was sent flying into the trees after the other Mollira’s attack against Blaine.  Her body hurled into a tree, hitting perpendicular to the trunk.  She fell to the ground and crumpled, the blow having nearly rendered her unconscious.  Her vision swam and everything became blurry.  

After a moment, she managed to pull herself to all fours, crouched much in the fashion of a wild animal.  Her vision had returned mostly to normalcy, and she could hear the muffled sounds of the fight breaking out back where she had been before she had tumbled away.  ”Need to go help,” she muttered to herself, still slightly incoherent.  She had hit the tree with such force that she was sure at least one of her ribs was broken - each breath she drew in elicited a sharp pain.  Unsure if she would be able to stand, she began to crawl in the direction of the sound.

After a few feet, she decided that crawling was probably causing the injury in her chest more pain, and attempted to pull herself to her feet.  When she had entered a standing position, a sharp pain shot through her leg and she looked down only to see a thicker twig shoved into the outer side of her left thigh.  It had passed through the back of her leg, and jutted out like some strange accessory.  She eyed the injury, knowing she couldn’t yank the stick out without possibly losing too much blood, she winced and snapped the longer end off.  Forcing herself to shield her mind from the pain, she took a step gingerly - it wasn’t as bad as she expected - and limped her way to the sounds.

When she emerged from the trees, she could see a strange scene laid out before her - Blaine, now back in his human form, leaned against a tree with a severe wound on his shoulder.  Moliira - the Moliira she was working with - stood, looking the same, yet somehow different.  And the other Moliira lay on the ground, her head some distance from her body.  Neither of the two had seemed to notice her yet, and she heard Blaine say he needed to find her.  

She limped a bit closer and called out.  ”No need to look for me, I”m here,” she said, her voice croaking from the pressure on her lungs from her impact with the tree.  ”I’m mostly in one piece,” she said, though her demeanor proved otherwise.  She fell backwards onto her rear, ending in a sitting position on the ground.  Her gaze glanced down to the branch sticking out of her leg and back up to the pair in front of her.  ”Looks like mission accomplished?” she asked, wincing as she spoke.

Her eyes dropped to the ground for a moment, shame in her eyes when she saw the wounds they had received.  Blaine was her brother, and she was beginning to regard Dalanesca as a friend.  Seeing both of them injured hurt her, and Moliira moved towards them both.  Laying her hands over Blaine's wound, she was at least able to stop the bleeding.  "No matter how things change… I'm still lousy at healing," she said, a lopsided grin finally coming to her face after a long moment of silence.  Moving to the woman, she settled into her ranger's training for a moment, and very carefully removed the stick from her leg.  That wound was easy enough for Moliira to heal, but the cracked rib was different.  The best she could do was to manipulate the bones back into place. 

Her voice was low when she spoke again.  "I am sorry, both of you.  I wish that I could have kept you from getting injured, but I need your help.  I owe you both," Moliira said, conviction in her words.  There were a number of factors at play that had kept Moliira from going on this particular hunt on her own, and in the end the small pack had succeeded.  Though she was weakened on this continent, she still had formidable abilities.  "Come, let us fetch your brother," Moliira said to Blaine before opening a shadowy portal.  It closed once they had stepped through with her, and they stood in a dark cellar.  Her other self's safehouse was under an inn of Kurayo, and there were noises of a busy kitchen above them.  Moliira closed her eyes for a moment, finding her path. 

There was only one cell, and Moliira pulled it opening, knowing it was unlocked.  The black haired male was tied to a chair, keeping him upright so that her other self could inflict gods only knew what tortures on him.  Gently lifting his head, Moliira saw first a flash of fear, then recognition in her mate's eyes.  "I'm so sorry, Krys.  I tried to find you.  But she found you first," she said, distress in her voice.  Her mate seemed more exhausted than physically harmed, and Moliira had a feeling she knew why.  Her kin were more adept at mental torture than physical.  Quickly untying him, the drow pulled him in close for a long overdue kiss. 

He had no knowledge of how long he been kept prisoner, but it must have been one heck of a long time. The bruises and scars along his body were merely testimony to that. That creature that kept him captive looked like Moliira and even had some of her traits. But she was not Moliira, there was no possible way. But once a upon a time he had believed it to be her. Krystopher wouldn’t forget the day that changed everything- that he had been tending to the gardens back at his guild and then the next thing he knew, he was sucked up into the sky. At first he believed it to be one of the drow’s tricks, and surely it it looked to be that way once he found “her”. But something was off, he could smell that she wasn’t a wolf, and worse things were to come once he had regained his consciousness. That drow woman was more evil, more cruel than his mate was. Savage beatings soon followed after their “conversations” and he endured. The vampire in her seemed to enjoy tormenting him while she pumped him for information about himself and the real Moliira. Much of her request was refused and typically that’s when she got angry, and when she got angry, he got hurt, Still, he hadn’t completely given up hope that someone would find him and save his skin. Hell, they had to be somewhere that people frequented since he could hear them on the level above them, but then again he wasn’t sure if they worked for her or not.

Today hadn't been quite too different; Krys had been tied onto a chair, wearing only tattered pants and boots. His normally kept face now had an unruly beard and his dark hair was longer than before. While his captor continued to administer his punish, he couldn’t help to want a bath and get his hair cut. He grew quickly to hate her touches against him, good or bad but he got used to the punches and her daggers. Unfortunately, it was when she tried biting him that he had truly loathed, that and the mind games. “Why don’t you just kill me?” he groaned, though he knew the answer why. He would much rather be killed than to be used as a tool against her better half. “I think you are just jealous of her. My Moliira as atoned for her sins the best she had and is a far better person than you could ever be.” He had expected something heinous to happen to him, but it never came. For one reason or another she left abruptly and he was left all alone. “Damn, she could have at least been polite and knock me out again”, he said, leaning his head back, waiting for her return and what would happen next. It felt like hours that sat alone in the darkness, just him with his thoughts. Where the hell was he and what became of Molirra and the rest of the family? His precious daughter… his friends and home… Krystopher had thought he had paid for his wrongdoings a long time ago, but apparently fate said otherwise.

Upon hearing the door behind him open, he mentally sighed and prepared for another beating. Instead he was greeted by the scent of not her, but of a familiar, more warming one. As the drow came around him, he looked at her a bit crazed. Was she playing another trick on him? But the scent spoke otherwise and he sighed in relief. “Thank the gods”, he said as he recognized her. It was the real deal, she had came to free him from this nightmare. “I told you the world wasn’t ready for two of you, especially a more menacing and cruel one.” He could smell two more scents, one being of his blood kin and another that was unfamiliar to him. But before he could find out who else came to his rescue, he found himself freed and pulled into a kiss, which he returned in kind for sometime before he pulled back and turned to see the rest of the company. Unfortunately as he did so, he run into a fist colliding with his face and it threw him onto the ground. Looking up, he rubbed at his cheek and saw his brother. Perfect.
“Hi to you too, Blaine.” His eyes looked over to the woman with them. She must had happened these two find him, and with that he was already in her debt.  “Sorry about my appearance, miss. I’m Krystopher, the one you were looking for, I take it.” Getting back up to his feet, he tried to go ahead and explain to Blaine what was going on, which Moliira must have not revealed at the time, but as he stood back up, another fist came. This time, he felt it against his stomach, which made him get onto one knee. “I take it that you approve of the two of us then, brother?” he groaned. “You look like crap, did Moliira’s counterpart do that, or did Latoya find you doing something you had no business doing?” His eyes shifted over to the woman again, noticing that she was hurt as well. “Sorry about putting you through this for a complete stranger. You won’t believe what that mad woman put me through.”

“Moliira, remind me to never get on your bad side”, he added.