Come inside and be afraid,
Of this impressive mess I've made
Disturbed - Perfect Insanity


The warriors managed to retreat to their village, barely an hour ago they had made an attack on four helpless females they had found in the rain forest. They had thought to capture them, three adults and a child, and bring them back to become brides for younger warriors. What they had come back with was wounded men, wounded pride and a sense that they had made a fatal mistake. For while they had out numbered the women, the women had proved to be warriors in their own right and had fought with dogged determination to the end.

They had killed one of them, an elf woman, and had then been prevented for a time from furthering the attack by a shield of wind brought up by the other elf who was a twin to the one who they had killed. In that time the one armed woman who fought with the strange weapon had gone wild and somehow created for herself a new arm of earth and rocks. When the barrier of wind had dropped the tribesmen had thought to move in and finish what they had started, take advantage of the situation and at least get the two living women, for the child had disappeared.

But the one armed woman had became feral in her fighting, summoning magic that until then she hadn't shown to them she could use. She had carved into them, killed a group of men before they realized what was going on and at that they had sounded the retreat, leaving one of their younger warriors to her. They had wanted to and didn't want to know what fate would become of him, they'd go back later and collect their dead, for now, they were back in their village where they would be safe.

But they were wrong.

In the trees bordering the village that was created in and around some old ruins of a mansion, she stood, wide eyed with rage. She had become a predator, her human body working at its sheer limit of potential from the rage fuelling her Berserker powers and her so far minor wounds fuelling her Reaver powers. Both sides combined to have Larka's heart racing to a degree that she could very well keel over from heart failure, if it wasn't for her magic doing its best to keep her alive.

She knew her time was limited and was determined to take as many of them as she could with her.

The tribesmen hadn't been foolish and had left guards around the village to keep an eye for any attack. But what those guards hadn't expected was one to happen so soon. One man stood with spear in his hand looking out into the surrounding forest as a vine from the tree above him slowly snaked downwards until to snapped around his throat. Her gurgled for breath but was lifted off of his feet as Larka stepped out from the trees as his eyes filled with fear. She smiled to him as she drew a dagger out. ”Now I know where you live, you led me right to you, now you all die.” She laughed lightly as she drew the blade across his throat.

Over the next twenty or so minutes she made her way around part of the village's edge picking off guards one by one in the same fashion. With how soon her arrival was she didn't think the guards would be missing any time soon since they hadn't been out there long. As she killed the last one Larka let out a howl of rage and that caught the clan's attention as the ones who had heard it before were on their feet weapons in hand right away.

She was here!

The manic laughter could be heard as Larka stepped out of the trees slowly making her way towards them. She gulped down the last of her third bottle of rum and tossed it aside as she drew her sword into left hand. Her left arm from the shoulder down was still created of earth and stone, but now her right arm was covered by a gauntlet of dragon scales, an item she had purchased some time ago to give her only remaining arm, at that time, some protection now and then. Plus it offered an excellent form of melee combat weapon if the fight came to that.

”One by one you will die, until either you're all dead or I die.” Larka cackled as she stopped about forty feet from the nearest tribesman. The warriors were getting ready, while the women and children of the village cowered behind them, retreating into the mansion for cover. But would Larka attack and kill them as well as the man? That was harder to say given her current mental state so it was probably best they clear out while they could.

Three younger men charged her, they hadn't been to the other fight so they charged ahead before the ones who had seen what Larka could do warned them of it. Larka's sword flash and it came apart suddenly, forming a whip like weapon with inch long parts of blade connected by some kind of metal wires. She swung this towards them and caught one by surprise gashing open his throat.

The other two tried to skid to stops at that, but Larka's blade was faster, at least faster than one of them. She wrapped his blade around the one's middle and hauled on her blade dragging him off of his feet with inhuman strength. She pulled her blade back to normal again as she stepped over him, stomping her boot into his stomach and then ramming her blade into his chest. ”That's two of you, how many more shall join them before the end?” She laughed but then than that turned into a raging scream. ”YOU KILLED HER! You took my wife from me!” She roared. ”And where is my daughter?! Give me back my daughter!” Larka screamed, believing that they had managed to take Akira with him, not knowing that in fact her daughter was safe with her sister in law Lirin.

But, Larka didn't know that, and the tribes people were going to pay for what they had done. Even those that hadn't been in the fight, Larka didn't care. They, all of them, had started that fight that had taken Celeste away from her, so they would all pay for that murder!

It's been three weeks since Xerxez shifted to his wolf form. For three weeks he let his primal instincts take over. He no longer had rational reason or emotions. Life had degraded to instinctual urges. Time to eat. Must find shelter. Need to reproduce. He forgot what made him change, but he remember he was angry for some reason. He stormed off from the manor in Kuryano and shifted. He figured he'd pout for a while but somewhere along the way the wolf overpowered him. He had become so accustomed to his wolf form, he feared he was becoming feral. A were that falls to his animal, no longer the human he once was. 

He arrived in Lateo a few days ago. The forest was bountiful in game. He fed on the deer, wild pigs, and humans that called the forest home. He fit in well with the forest, being mistaken as just a very large wolf. The native wolves gave him trouble at first. But in this life, away from his family, he was the alpha. The wolves now give him a wide berth of space, fear in their eyes. Lateo did have it's drawbacks though. The heavy rain wet his russet fur. Mud caked his body, and the humidity made him constantly pant. The wolf decided to stay though. Food and water came east, out weighing the discomfort. 

The sun had peaked a few hours ago, now beginning it's decent. The sun cast it's hot rays through scattered clouds and dense forestry. Insects buzzed all around, as the bigger animals howls and grunted. Xerxez, or rather, Xerxez's wolf was busy prowling around a native tribe's home ground. He had heard the commotion from far away. He had been circling the camp hidden in the shadows casted by the tall trees. A woman hopping from tree to tree, slowly taking out one native after the other. It amused Xerxez more than the wolf inside. It was the first time in three weeks he was able to override the Wolf's control. It was the laughter that brought him back. The way she enjoyed the blood bath. It was something Xerxez couldn't do trapped in his wolf form. The wolf wanted to prowel. Biding it's time until the woman escaped into the shadows and pounce. Xerxez, however… wanted to join.

A few more circles and he emerged from the shadows. A native stood not to far away with back to Xerxez. He kept low to the ground, keeping a steady, quite pace. He was so close to the human he could smell the urine and dirt. Xerxez stretched his neck out, opening his massive jaw. He snapped in an instant, locking his teeth around the mans leg. Xerxez instantly back peddled into the shadows, dragging the man by the leg. Once they were hidden, his jaws bit down on the mans neck. The man quickly stopped moving. A moment of euphoria washed over Xerxez. Not the wolf, but Xerxez. This is what he lived for. What his mate trained him for. Before he knew it, he was no longer on all fours. Dirty matted orange and brown fur replaced with clean skin. He breathed in the humid air, the scent of blood driving him wild. His eyes flashed crimson as he quickly dressed his self. Another cackle echoed through the air, and he grinned darkly. He picked up the mace the native had and beat it across his right hand. Heavy and a study stem. Perfect, he thought. 

He emerged from the shadows and made his way to a small ruin. He stood, with his back to the wall, as he peaked around the corner. He was careful not to interfere with the woman. He wanted to have a bit of fun with her, especially since her bloodlust was enough to draw him out of his primal senses. A native made his way around the corner, alarmed at Xerxez's sudden appearance. He flashed a smile, his canines glowing. His hands shot out, pulling him close, spinning the native around as Xerxez sank his teeth into the man's neck. He fed quickly, moving his hand over the mans mouth. When he was done, he took the mace, bashing him across the head. He dropped, sinking to the ground. Xerxez grinned a macrabe smile, with blood stained teeth, "It's good to be back."

A slow exhale escaped her as she pulled herself out of the hot water of the spring. Steam rose from her skin and the dampened locks of her hair. Despite tying her long pink hair up in a bun, a few stray strands at the nape of her neck had managed to get wet. Now that she was no longer in the bubbling spring, the humid air around her made her feel less clean and more grimy.

Her clothing lay neatly folded nearby, and she used her shirt to dry off her body enough that the fabric wouldn’t cling. It was nice to have time to herself, away from the house, away from work and responsibility, but a spring was always far more enjoyable when you were accompanied. Her temporary companion had already expired, and his pale body was half slumped in the water: his veins completely drained and devoid of blood.

The hot water had kept his blood running warm down her throat despite him having died, and yet she still wasn’t satiated. With a light tsk, she redressed herself and tightened the messy knot of hair at the back of her head. It was still much too hot to let it flow down, and the rainforest was so thick that she shuddered to think about the bugs and other such creatures that might try and make her hair a temporary nest.

The sun had yet to go down, but it made no difference to her since her demonic blood kept her safe from the sun’s harsh rays. That wasn’t what had her heart a flutter: it was the prospect of people still roaming about that might be able to quench her thirst. She knew that not too far off was a well-stocked tribe, but she wasn’t one to make an enemy of the natives. Hmm… Maybe they had some undesirables they wanted to rid themselves of. It would be easy to offer her services to…pluck them, so to speak.

Her footsteps were silent as she walked through the underbrush, but her nose lifted into the air when she caught the scent of sweat and turmoil. What was that? A fray? How far? Far enough that she could side step it should she desire to do so. Her mouth screwed up in thought, debating whether or not scavenging the bodies of the dead was worth it. No, she was no buzzard, unless she was absolutely desperate.

Two hours and a dreadfully boring conversation later, she had managed to get within the stronghold of the village and had worked out a deal: two criminals to satisfy her bloodlust, in exchange of doing a favor. Before the barter could be completed though, she heard screams and cry outs from outside. Oh what now?! She thought impatiently.

This wasn’t her tribe, but it was her next meal, and she quietly excused herself and hurried to the entrance of the sun baked residence she had been making her deal in. There was a woman in the distance, picking off the guards one by one and anyone that cared to affront her. Hiromi’s eyes halved in irritation. Such drama. Well, this drama was a road block to her goal, and she walked towards the slaughter; licking splattered blood from her lips as another would be attacker was taken care of. The woman was strong, fast, she’d give her that, but right now she was more a nuisance than someone deserving of admiration. That didn’t keep her from stopping at a safe distance though,

“Hello!” she said, clapping her hands twice to get her attention, jaw locked, “Do you mind?! Some of us have things to do today.”

The last of the three men that had attacked Larka initially had tried to back track to get back to his fellows to gang up on the feral like woman. But he didn't make it far when Larka, still figuring out spells as she went along with her new found magic, raised her hand. From the ground burst forth a cluster of ten tentacles of plant material, they whipped around and one of them caught the man in the side of the head cracking his skull and dropping him to the ground. The rest started to flail about at anyone else close to them, slamming them into the ground, grabbing them and then tossing them into the air or into a tree.

Before she moved ahead to attack anyone else when she heard the clapping of hands and turned to face the pinked hair woman. She was not of the tribe, odd that she was here though, but still, she wasn't of this tribe so Larka didn't care about her. ”I have things to do as well, go about your business.” Larka replied with a growl before she dashed off to attack the tribesmen. She had yet to notice the other man that had entered the area and was attacking the tribes people.

Four men made a stand against her and the Reaver smiled, her sword drawn and ready. She kicked into the air suddenly as black raven feathered wings sprouted from her back and a wall of stone formed under her feet that hung onto her. She flapped hard once, twice and had enough momentum built up that, despite the weight of the stone still clinging to her feet she made distance to the men. She landed on one of them crushing him under the stone wall and released her feet as she swung her blade.

Her caught one man in the kidney area making a deep gash, and her arm of earth came up to block the club strike from another man. The last of the four Larka caught with her long leg and kicked at his ankles, staggering him back a step or two. She pushed against the club pushing down on her left arm and pushed the man back as she did drawing her dagger into her left hand and using it to open the throat of the one she had first wounded.

The last two collected themselves and attacked together, a club and a blade, the club Larka regarded as the larger threat of the two. She put her focus on killing him first, while keeping the other controlled. The club came down and Larka ducked the horizontal strike, but the swordsman guessed as much and followed her. Larka snarled in pain when she felt a hot line cut across her right side, having saw the faint at the last moment and going to dodge it to.

But instead of allowing that to force her back a step Larka stepped into that attack and got behind the swordsman's defence. In close Larka used her dagger to stab him in the stomach twice in quick motions, which got him to fall back. The man with the club swung it and Larka jumped back allowing the blunt weapon to hit the stomach wounded man's chest and sent him to the ground. Laughing manically Larka un-linked her sword again into its whip state and swung it, wrapping it around the man's arm. She pulled, hard, and it flayed some skin off while getting a bit and dragging him close with a cry of pain. Larka drove her dagger into his throat to the hilt and then allowed him to drop to the ground to bleed out.

The those four dead Larka looked back to more of them with madness in her eyes, revenge was all she could think of. An idea formed in her mind, an idea that wasn't her own really, the voice spoke to her again, now she knew what it was and she smiled. Green energy formed around her hands and Larka reached and then made motions like she was pulling something up from ground.

The ground in front of her burst open and a dragon of stone, earth, crystals and gems roared to life, an Earth Elemental. Ten feet tall and fifteen in length with a two foot horn at the end of its snout of diamond and stone. Freed from the Earth and the elemental roared and at Larka's wordless command charged forward into the tribes people to kill anything and anyone that got in its way. Larka howled laughter as she followed her new found friend into the frey.

[OOC: There's a pic of the dragon in my profile!]

Her eyes halved as she was practically disregarded. People like this were the most irritating: sloppy, ruled by emotion, and show offy. She sighed, half rolling her eyes as the crazed woman went about her barbaric display. Quirking an eyebrow, she followed in the wake of her destruction: kneeling down to pick up a no longer needed bracelet off of a dismembered arm here; tucking away a nice, if not bloodstained, sash there ; and making a good job at lining her pockets. Well, if she was going to ruin the tribe, she might as well enjoy the spoils and buffet left bloody and trailing around her.

Really this type of behavior was more aggravating than anything else, but there was a good meal to be taken from it. At least I won’t owe a favor. Seeings as there would hardly be anyone left alive to hold her to it at the rate this creature was going with her killing spree. Just for good measure, she cast a sphere of protection around herself, not that she thought she would need it: this woman was so sloppy it served the fighters right to be taken down by her.

Just as she was preparing to wrest an armlet off of one of the fallen, two things occured: one, she smelled…dog; and two, there was a shift in the ground. The latter kept her attention and she slowly straightened up to watch the ground ahead of her burst and form into a rather imposing elemental.

Her eyes landed on the horn and she licked her lips with temptation. If she could just ever so slightly, well, relieve the creature from it’s horn, then it’d make a handsome addition to her room. And if not she could always leave it on her brother’s temple steps to further intrigue him. She still wasn’t sure why he liked shiny things so much, but this one, yes, this one had her mouth watering.

How to get it though? She stamped her foot once in irritation. No…no this is a day off! She didn’t have time to kill her and immobilize her elemental. But it would be the easiest way to get it. Still, there was a…dog, somewhere. Not clean and upstanding like her beloved, but dirty and grimy like the rest of them. No, it wasn’t just the filth of their kind that stung her nostrils, it was something else mixing with its blood. Where were they? They could cause trouble.

Xerxez watched from the shadows of a ruined shelter. The sweltering humidity causing beads of sweat to form on his forhead. He started to understand why the wolf hated it. Xerxez was still unused to his human form after so long on all fours. In his prime, he would've easily eliminated everything that moved. However, his primal instincts barred him from jumping into the frey. At this point, another woman had joined. She was diffrent from her surroundings but he couldn't place a definitive anwser to it. Brushing it aside, he would wait in the shadows until fleeing warriors crossed his path, pulling them under the concealing shadows and draining them dry. 

Slowly, but surely, strength was returning to his human form. The familiarity of standing on two legs steadily returning to him. From his vantage point, the blood crazed woman killed with out care. An urge of envy ran through his spine. However, when the woman summoned an earth elemental in the from of a dragon, envy bled into anticipation. He saw his chance to leap into the battle. He launched his self from the dilapidated ruins, sprinting torwards the dragon. His mace bashed in the heads of the warriors that he passed, staring the newcomer in her crimson eyes as he passed her. The thought of another vampire worried him. Vaewolfs were an ancient race, and their secrecy was blood tight. Should his family hear word that Xerxez was flaunting the secret in public could have fatal consequences. He forces his self to worry about it for another time as he reached the dragon's attention.

He ducked down as the dragon furiously roared at him. He slid under the elemental, careful to dodge the trampling stone legs. His mace was trusted upwards as he slid, forming a small scar on the underbeally of the beast. As his momentum slowed, he rolled to the side, escaping the threat the being stomped. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as his eyes burned a marron red. A tribesman charged in his direction with a spear poised upward in the air. A hiss escaped from Xerxez's throat, dropping into a fighting stance. The warrior ran towards the hungry vaewolf, his spear pointed towards the stomach. Xerxez easily sidestepped the attack, slamming his mace ontop the man's head, catching his body as his weight went limp. Taking a mouthful of full blood and tossing the corpse aside, he assessed his situation. 

The tribes men would surely fall to the blood lust of the woman. He was unsure of the vampire and would need to navigate carefully around her. Uncertain of the current plan, he would need to let events play out and think on his feet. Mean while, the dragon wreaked chaos upon the battleground.