On top of one of the obilisks masked not o ly woth the well known on parpvora white ceramic face of a fox  but by an invisibility spell stood the assassin of the infamous family of Nisshoki gazing down upon the hordes of the undead. Cold, emotionless eyes scanning for any kind of weakness. Throughout the area knifes and throwing stars with his symbols littered the ground and area, making his attacks easier and lethal. A fresh horde of the mummified undead approached, sensing his presence but unable to see his location. He would do what he could to stop this madness, this scourge upon the world of revaliir but in his own way. He would keep the path clear to the pyramid so those whose skills do not depend upon stealth could proceed. It was all he could do. He didn't dare put himself in more danger for fear his new wife and child would end up without a father. Fear, that was a new concept to him, but he held it close, giving himself strength from its presence as he activated his ability and quickly teleported from one symbol to the next etched upon his strategically strewn blades cutting down one undead monstrosity and then the next, disappearing before  any counter attack could be made. As quickly as he could he started thinning the numbers of the undead from a horse, to a group, to a select few, to nothing, before retreating to his hiding place for a short period of recuperation.  Is breath came heavily as he waited for the next horde. Nothing would stop him from keeping his newly found family safe. Once he had been an emotionless being, only going about is days as a cook in an easy to overlook noodle shop as a perfect disguise for his real occupation, an assassin, but the moment she had walked in, that had all changed. The one he knew from the very moment he saw her that they were meant to be, the priestess of the goddess Angela herself, Nadine. He knew he had to keep this up, no matter how tired he god, now matter how close the calls came, he must keep up his watch, to keep the vanguard open to continue, whoever they may be. Weary pi k eyes looked over the sand that threatened to engulf the lost city with hope. Hope that someone would come and end this madness that threatened the life he was about to start not as an assassin, but as a man, with Nadine. His dear sweet Nadine, who had found was carrying his child, or rather, children as the goddess proclaimed there would be more than one. He would not let his children be born into a world of terror. He would protect the peaceful…ish…. world of revaliir with everything he had, I. The only way he could, with sneak attacks and assassin ways that would not save the day, but would be part of the pavement that would lead the way for the one who would be called the savior, who would be the one to go forth into the pyramid and destroy the thing creating this chaos. He would be the stepping stone for someone else… to protect his newly formed family….. or die trying.

Eyes that mimicked the sky with their clear blue color looked out from under the tan (it was once white) cloak with its good drawn. He was coming close to the cursed city now. For years this person had been wandering the world, trying to find a way to prove to his family he was not the failure they seemed to think he was. He hadn't taken to their ways, instead had found something that suited him much better, but for that he was looked down upon and seen as nothing. His family, if he could still call them that, was a proud one who prided themselves on their traditions so to have a son that didn't fit in, didn't do as expected and take up the same life as all of those before him, he was a dishonor and black sheep to his family. So he had set out at the tender age of fourteen to find himself, to prove himself worthy of the family name in his own way. And what better way to prove yourself than in battle, in the war with the undead that now raged on.

Walking silently through the sand he crossed under the once grand stone arches to beyond the wall, into the city. A feeling of unease began to grow as he saw none of the dead that were supposed to be spewing forth from this place like a plague of locusts. His steps paused in the middle of what looked to maybe once have been a small market place. There were freshly dead undead here, their bodies slowly turning into sand to return from where they came. His eyes narrowed as he spotted something shimmering in the midday sun, a knife, not any kind of knife but a throwing knife. A small ball of panic tightened in his gut as he quickly scanned the rest of the area. Knifes and throwing stars were littering the place. He cautiously walked over to the nearest one and pulled it from between the stone bricks it had been wedged between. As he examined it his eyes widened and pulse quickened as recognition flooded over him. The knife was marked with a small symbol. He knew that mark, it was the mark of the fox dragon assassin…Kiryu. 

The knife dropped from trembling fingers as he took a step back. He was stunned for a moment but quickly centered himself and bent over and picked the knife back up. He stabbed it back into the brick dividing wall where he had found it. He knew better than to move those knives. They were all strategically placed and the movement or removal of one may disrupt his plans. Clear blue eyes didn't bother looking around for the man, he knew he would never find him…unless he wanted to be found. Instead he remained where he was and sighed. He didn't know if there was enough animosity between them where he'd be killed on sight, but he figured he had to try, he couldn't just continue on knowing he was here. The man slowly lowered his hood, revealing a mess of white hair as he called out, "Would you mind coming out for a moment, there's some things I think we need to talk about….brother."

The winds were changing, he could sense someone approaching, but only one. He sighed in frustration, thinking it must be another so full of themself that they believed they alone could defeat the horrors here like some fairy tale hero. He had already seen several of those type go in and from the screams, they had all died horribly painful deaths at the hands of the undead, overwhelmed by the sheer number of them all. Another child to the slaughter. He thought as he saw the figure in a tan cloak passing the outer wall and approaching his location of choice. When the stranger came to a stop he tilted his head in interest, none of the others had stopped when they had seen the carnage he had made, but continued forth as if sure they were missing out on becoming the hero they thought they were.His grow furrowed in frustration as the man removed one if his knifes, it was messing up his carefully created grid if that knife was moved. Sure he could easily change his attack pattern bit he didn't want to. He was about to defend and strike the man down when the reaction he had to examining his blade stopped him. He could feel the shock echoing off of this man. Had he recognized his blade? If so he would probably scurry away like a frightened mouse. Kiryu's reputation was not one to scoff at. The blade had been replaced. This drew on Kiryu's curiosity, who was this man that he knew to replace the blade? His eyes widened in shock as the hood was lowered and the man spoke. One word was whispered from his lips, "Kyo."In an instant he had appeared next to his brother, releasing the invisibility spell and gathered him into a hard hug. It was his brother, the one who had left so suddenly after telling his parents he didn't want to be an assassin despite his skills in combat. "Kyle, where have you been all this time!" He said as he let his brother free from the crushing hug. No sooner had he spoken did another horde of the undead mummies appear and rush forth to meet them. He knew his brother could handle himself so quickly went to work, drawing his urumi and teleporting between his marks, flicking out his blade whip….thing…. with expertise that showed how hard he worked to master such a weapon. Head of the undead were flying off of their bodies as he worked, his combat seemed to be a good fit for his brothers own form as he stole a few glances to see how the boy…no, he was a man now….to see how the man was doing, making sure he was holding his own alright. As soon as the last of the undead were dispatched he wiped off his blade upon the ragged cloth of the finally dead…undead. He turned his attention back to his brother, his vibrantly pink eyes staring into him trying to understand why he had left all those years ago without speaking the question. Yes, their mother had been disappointed, angry even, and the two of them had fought, but his decision to leave had hurt them all in ways Kyo probably couldn't even imagine. 

He felt his presence next to him the moment he teleported and whirled around to face him readying himself in case it came to a fight, even though he knew he would lose, but it never came to that. He was encased in a hug so tight he could barely breath and for a few moments was too stunned to react but as soon as he recovered he embraced his brother in his arms, hugging him just as hard. He hadn't realizes it until just that moment, but he had misses his brother and the rest of his family deeply, so deeply that it pained his heart when he thought of all the time he had spent alone these last seven years. To his brothers questions he started to answer, "Well, I've been…" but before he could properly answer he heard the screaming of the undead as a horde attacked. From what seemed impossible he withdrew an Arriese glaive from under his cloak and twirled it around a bit to warm himself up for the fight. At the same time Kiryu went in for the attack, so did Kyoya. He danced around his brothers range of attack only entering when it was necessary to get a straggler. As it became apparent they were seeing Kiryu as more of a threat than him, he couldn't bear the thought of him being overwhelmed by sheer numbers so he opened his mouth and let loose the ability born to him in his family, the one that made him different than the others. He said a single word, "come" it seemed to be I fused with magic as the undead that heard it found they had no choice but to focus their attention on him instead of Kiryu. He had found out quickly that disembowling had no real effect upon the undead so was swiftly cutting off as many heads as he could manage while dancing between their attempts to harm him. The blade upon the glaive flashed in the desert sun as it too danced about the field of battle with it's master. Any time he came too close to one of his brother's sword whip's attacks he could just tell where it was and where it was going and would dodge it as it shot out to devour the unlife of the undead. They had instantly clicked when it came to fight g side by side, just as they had when they were children. It was second nature, something they couldn't forget even after all these years. It came as naturally and easily as breathing.

Once the dead were done he too wiped the blade of his weapon off upon one of the fallen foes before hiding it back under his cloak. (OMG HOW DOES IT FIT WITHOUT BEING NOTICED??!?) his attention was drawn to his brother, who was staring a hole into the back of his head. He looked at his brother, pink eyes meeting clear blue and they remained locked. Expressing without words that they were not the only ones who had been hurting. He had felt betrayed, unwanted, and lost. But now, with his brother here with him, the pain he had felt then was nothing. Kyoya was the one who looked away first, not able to keep staring into those eyes that seemed to be accusing him for leaving as he did. He cleared his throat and pretended to ignore that stare. "As I was trying to say before, I've been all over the world, proving to myself that I'm not as worthless and a failure as mother told me I was." He said, but that burning question from Kiryu's eyes was still there so he continued, explaining once and for all, "I know now that she didn't mean it the way I thought she did, but at the time it was enough to truly destroy me. That night, I found out what my gift was and told her, along with how I believed I should use it. How I felt more connected with that way anyways than trying to fall into line with the rest of the family. My gift does the exact opposite of what's needed as a member of our family Kiryu. It draws forth others and focuses them onto myself. That is not a skill an assassin would use. You may have noticed me using it just a few minutes ago. I am not built to be an assassin, but one who draws the eyes of others so the job can be done by another. Mother didn't agree that I should choose that path to walk, she denied my ability and even after I showed her by using it …on her… she still refused to acknowledge it, or me. She raged, angered that I didn't want to be the way everyone else was, that I would rather stand out than hide in shadows, but that just wasn't me. Yes I could do it, but it never felt like that was what I was meant to do. We were loud enough so you probably heard most of it. She….she told me to get out, that she couldn't stand the site of me, that no son of hers would be the one standing in the middle of it all. Thats when i left. Back then i thought she was saying she didnt want me anymore, so that was what made my choice. A few years later, when dealing with an issue over on Cantelux I finally realized what she truly meant as I found myself surrounded. It wasn't that she couldn't stand the thought of one of her son's not following the family's traditions, it was that she couldn't stand the thought of me pulling the attention upon myself, and becoming the target for their gathered, terror, violence, any if it. She wanted me safe in the shadows, not taking the stage." He sighed unable to look his brother in the eyes as he continued, "By the time I realized it, I thought it was too late. No one had come look for me in those few years, and the news that traveled those dark little channels was that everything was better than ever. I… I didn't want to stir up trouble by suddenly showing up, I didn't think I could forgive myself for doing what I did. I was weak and it was hard. So I made a promise to prove myself in a way that would make mother proud, no… in a way that would make me feel proud to be myself enough to be able to stand upon that door step and knock upon that door." He looked at the wall, feeling slightly depressed by his story and unable to face the family that stood before him.

As much as he wished they had time for a proper reunion, it was clear they didn't as more and more of the undead came pouring from deeper within the city. 

"Kyoya, there is much we have have to talk about, but this isn't the place or time. I wasn't planning on proceeding further into the city from here but if it's with you I will continue on." He said with a serious look upon his face. He sighed as he looked at the incoming dead. "I'm married now, and she is pregnant, with twins, so I didn't dare take risks more than what I have." 

He looked to his brother then to the undead and nodded, sliding his mask down in place once again. Without words he darted forward with his brother, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake as they made their way through the city towards the pyramid and what ever horrors may lay inside.

The closer the two made their way to the pyramid at the center of town the stronger the dead seemed to become. It was taking longer and longer to dispatch the ever growing hordes of the undead. 

Finally they had made it to the entrance to the pyramid. Kyoya braced his hands upon his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Hopefully it doesn't get much worse inside, but it probably will. The closer we come the stronger they get so my guess is that inside they will be a whole new level of hard to kill." He said as he stood up straight once again. He looked at his brother and continued, "But don't worry, I'll make sure you get back home safe, no matter the cost." With those last words he headed into the pyramid, his glaive held at the ready. 

Inside statues adorned the place, gods being beaten down by one entity. Kyoya assumed this was the god that lich priest was trying to resurrect. The green flames that lit the torches, giving them their only real light cast an eerie glow upon the stone faces, making them seem twisted and distorted.

Silently he made his way farther into the pyramid. The number of corpses of the dead seemed to be increasing. It seemed like someone had already come through this way. "Follow the road of the dead? May find the way, or someone else living." He said in a hushed tone. Making their way deep into the pyramid they noticed the walls, ceilings, and floors were lined with sarcophagi that seemed to be feeding off the energy of the ruby hidden deeper inside. Littered among the sarcophagi were the bodies of countless mummies, defeated by someone else. As they progressed they found traps that had been sprung. There were arrows littering some hallways, what looked to be poisonous darts in others, bottomless looking pits made an appearance every now and then, along with strange puddles of what looked to be water. 

After a few hours of following the path of destruction Kyoya sighed and ruffled his hand through his hair. "Looks like we're late to the party. This must have been exhilarating to go through." He commented as he leaned against a wall and took a drink from his canteen. Just then noises of a distant fighting could be heard. "Maybe not late for everything. We should help. Whoever it is must be getting tired after dealing with all this." He rushed forwards, leaping over a spike pit and into a large chamber.  For a moment he stood awestruck at the size of the ruby before him. It was huge. His attention was quickly brought back to the situation at hand. A bull if a man had just smashes in the lich priest's head and let put a triumphant roar. Not soon after the red flow of the crystal surrounded his corpse and he rose again, spewing flesh eating beetles from his mouth.  They surrounded the man and slowly he was being eaten alive.

From far off in the corner a web of light shot forth and the beetles disintegrates upon touching it. "Keep him busy! I've almost got It!" A squeaky voice shouted out. Next to the crystal was a mage pouring out some form of magic upon the crystal. The barbarian of a man nodded, he looked a bit worn put after having his flesh torn at by the insects. 

The lich priest roared and extended his hand, imbued with death magic towards the barbarian. A spear shot forth, piercing his hand and pinning it to the wall. Kyoya let out his breath, he had barely managed to get out and throw the spear in time. He had recognized that magical intent the priest had and took action. "Back up has arrived, do what you need to do oh brave heroes." He called out before taking up his glaive once more and diving in to try and keep the priest away from the mage.

His brothers promise of protection brought a soft smile to his face under his mask. Kyoya really was a kind soul, and when all of this was over, he would bring his brother back home and they'd be able to be a family again.

The whole time they traversed the pyramid Kiryu had an uneasy feeling that was growing in his gut. It felt like something was going to happen, something bad. The feeling only grew exponentially as they entered the chamber with the crystal and the priest. 

He immediately took advantage of the deep shadows in the dimly lit room. Those green torches really made it easy to disappear into the darkness. His brother taking all the attention helped as well. He stepped out of the shadows near the mage and asked from behind his mask, "how long do you need?" The squirrely mage was startled but managed to hold his concentration on whatever magic he was performing. "Oh my gods, ah just a few minutes, it's almost done." The mage answered before focusing on his work.

Kiryu disappeared back into the shadows and opened a pouch at his waist. Inside were the multitude of marked throwing stars and knifes he had collected during the fight with the undead when this all started. He gathered six at a time in his hands and tossed them about the room. He waited patiently for the right moment as the barbarian of a man and Kyoya engaged the priest. At first things were going smoothly but the longer this fight was drawn on the more magic this undead creature seemed to use. 

Finally spotting his moment he tossed one last throwing star directly at the back of the priests head, teleporting to it just before it hit him in the back of the neck, bringing a katana sword down on his skull before quickly teleporting to one of his throwing stars in the shadows. The barbaric man seemed surprised at his sudden appearance and disappearance but he knew Kyoya would know what to do.

The priest wouldn't stay down for long though.  The power of the crystal continuously resurrected him. The minutes passed slowly as he let forth a series of sneak attacks once the others gained his attention. This seemed to be going well, that is until the mage called out in triumph. The crystal started to crack and fall apart, the magic held within it became unstable and was falling apart. It seemed that the barbarian and Kyoya were distracted by this victory, thinking that the destruction of the crystal meant it was over, but Kiryu still had that uneasy feeling and kept his attention upon the lich priest. The foul thing was spewing out in rage, flesh eating beetles were scattering. Thinking that now hopefully he wouldn't regenerate Kiryu drew his blade once again and teleported to the priest ready to strike, but apparently the priest had been expecting this. A dark spectral blade appeared in the priests hands as he whirled about to lunge forth to sink the blade deep within Kiryu's body. He didn't know what he could do for Kiryu also seemed to be trapped in some form of paralysis. His wife's face flashed before his eyes and as he waited for the inevitable pain and death he could think but one thing, I'm sorry my love.

As Kiryu appeared, made his attack and vanished Kyoya knew what to do, the priest was momentarily stunned by the attack and Kyoya kept in, bringing down his glaive with such force that it cut clean through the priests arm and sparked upon the stone floor. The arm fell to the ground and the lich let put a mighty roar, this made Kyoya wonder if the undead could still feel pain. His thought quickly vanished as moments later the arm seemed to have reformed, the cut off one disintegrating into dust. 

This back and forth continued, the other man catching on quickly to how Kiryu's attacks worked. It was both a good thing and a bad thing. If this man had caught on so quick, surely so would the lich priest. Just as he thought these thpughts the mage was successful at whatever he had been doing to destroy the crystal. He looked away for a moment to see the crystal cracking buy his celebration stopped there as he felt the energy from one of Kiryu's teleports. He saw the priest whirling around with a blade made of magic and the lack of another instant teleport from Kiryu told kyoya that he had been trapped. He cried out and without a moments hesitation he moved faster than he ever had before skidding in front of Kiryu and holding up his glaive so the magic blade being stabbed forth would hit the pole of his glaive between his hands. His eyes went wide as the blade moved through his weapon and stabbed into his chest, pushing him back against his brother. The pain as the blade entered, tearing into his flesh was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Not a moment later the giant warhammer the barbarian had produced partway through the fight crashed down upon the priests head, which exploded in a gorey mess. The body didn't revive but stood for a moment wobbling before collapsing to the ground. The magic holding Kiryu vanished, along with the spectral blade. 

Blood poured from Kyoya's chest as he fell to the ground gasping for breath. He coughed and blood splattered the ground in front of him. His vision was spinning and getting fuzzy as a pool of his own blood started to form under him. He could tell he didn't have long, there was too much blood too fast leaving his body. Despite the warm desert air he felt so cold….but..his brother was safe. He would be there as a husband, as a father to his children. Despite the knowledge that he was dying he smiled up at his brother and said weakly, " I told you I'd keep you safe. I'm sorry I won't be able to meet my neices and nephews, or the woman who has melted your heart my brother." His vision was all but gone and he was losing strength, he wouldn't have the chance to tell her himself, so with the last of his strength he managed to say, "Please, tell mother, I love her, and …. I'm…..sorry." with those last words his eyes closed and his mind faded, for what he thought would be the last time.

In that moment he was ready to accept his fate, that he had failed his wife, his children. They would grow up not knowing their father and Nadine would raise them with all her love and kindness alone. He stared into the priests undead eyes as they stared back at him with an enraged but triumphant look. If he was to fail in the resurrection he'd at least take one of them with him. He prepared himself mentally for the pain that would a company the blade but it never happened. His brother slid in front of him in a defensive position, he would block the attack. If anything Kyoya was the best at defensive positions. Fear and horror devoured his mind as Kyoya was pressed back against his paralyzed form. He could feel the tip of the spectral blade pressing against him through his brother and a warm and wet sensation blossoming around it. Panic set in and the moment the man smashed the priests head and the magic holding him vanished he stood frozen from shock for a few moments. He fell to his knees, tearing off his mask, sending it flying across the room and shattering against the wall as his brother collapsed. He rolled him into his lap and held him close. "Kyo, no. Why would you do that! Youre my little brother, im supposed to protect you!" He yelled as his eyes blurred and tears he had never been able to shed, not since he was a small child began to fall. 

This couldn't be happening. He had just found his brother, he couldn't lose him already. Around him, as the crystal broke and crashed in pieces upon the ground the walls began to crack and shake. It seemed like this whole place was going to collapse now that the magic of the crystal was gone. But he didn't care. His brother lay dying in his arms, Kiryu was nothing but sorrow yet Kyoya had somehow managed a smile. As Kyoya spoke Kiryu couldn't help but shake his head. "No, you'll see them. You'll meet everyone, We'll all be together as a family again,  just wait. We'll heal you up soon, just hold on." As Kyoya spoke his last words and his eyes closed Kiryu looked up to the mage who was looking around in a panic. "You! You know magic! Quick heal him please!" He called out in desperation. The mage looked to him with sadness and shook his head, "I can't. I don't know healing magic, I'm so sorry."  

The building gave a mighty shake and the man and mage looked to eachother. "We have to get out of here, this whole place is going to come down on top of us!" The mage proclaimed loudly over the sound of stone cracking, breaking, falling to the floor. The barbarian of a man nodded and rushed over to him "Quickly, let's go before it's too late."

Kiryu pulled away from the man, clutching his brother tightly. "No! I won't leave him!" This grief was so overpowering he couldn't think rationally. He should be thinking of getting back to Nadine, to remain safe so that his brothers life wouldn't have been lost for nothing, but he couldn't seem to grasp those thoughts through the pain of losing Kyoya for the second time. The mage and barbarian shared a look, the mage nodded and the barbarian nodded back then said, "Im sorry, we cant just leave you here." He then punched Kiryu in the face, sending him to the ground unconscious. The man picked up the unconscious assassin and ran from the room with the mage, rushing through the way they had come until they exited the pyramid and ran for the city wall, it seemed the whole place was collapsing. 

Finally they made it out of the city then back to the outpost where they left Kiryu in the capable hands of the healers and went to get looked after themselves.

She had been in Aestas, like shad had been for such a long time now. The suffocating feeling eminating from the crystal was getting worse and worse each passing moment, but suddenly, something happened. It was like a ripple from dropping a stone in a pond. She fell it flow over her and then the feeling was gone. The suffocating air was clear. Someone had done it. The crystal was gone, but who kniws what became of the ones who had defeated the horrors of the undead city. 

Even from so far away the vibrations from the collapse could be felt. Worry flooded through her as she expanded her minds eye towards.the xity. She could feel where the crystal had been, the sorrow and despair that clung to the room so tightly. Someone was still there. It was dim but she could feel their aura struggling to maintain itself. She kept up from her bench. The cat that had been on her lap looked at her questioningly. She wasn't paying attention though, just focusing instantly on the room inside the undead city. There was only one way to get there in time, she wouldn't have much time while there, a few moments at most, that's all she could hope for before her magic would run dry. She quickly summoned up all the magic she could muster and created a portal leading to the pyramids crystal chamber. She rushed through the portal. It wavered and collapsed behind her.

She emerged in the chaos of the collapse and looked around. They were here, but the magic of the crystal still lingered, filling her senses and quickly eating away at and collapsing her portal out. She let out a quiet curse and she dodged falling rocks and jumped over ever widening cracks in the ground. She quickly came upon what looked to be a dead body but their aura was still there, they were alive. The young man before her was pale from bloodlines and wouldn't make it much longer. She dove and landed next to gim, narrowly missed by a large portion of the ceiling. She grasped hold of the young man and forced her magic into him to stop the bleeding as she shoddily made another portal. She didn't have time to set a destination so she didn't know where it would send them, but the ceiling above them was falling now. With magically enhanced strength and speed she tossed herself and his body through the opening portal and prayed wherever they ended up would have solid ground, and not be burried somewhere.