The note addressed to the phoenix was relatively vague. Even after reading it, the whole thing felt odd. Why would someone send her a letter asking for her assistance on a job? Mirannda wasn't that well known yet. Could he have talked to someone who knew her? Or, perhaps his employer recommended her specifically? There was information as to where to meet him and when for details. It was vague enough to assume that there was a fear of revealing too much in case someone got hold of the letter before she did.

When Mirannda finally got to the forest, her breath was taken away. The forest was literally crystalline filled with a variety of creatures. Best of all were the rainbowed phoenixes that could be seen here and there. Unrelated to these avians, Mirannda felt quite at home. Her grip on her hilt lessened as she felt a little too at ease here. She followed the glowing crystal rods slowly as she tried to take in the beauty of this place. A few fairies were flitting around her blood red hair, yet Mirannda didn't mind as they ran their tiny fingers through it.

Elata screeched from above, having found a perch and was grooming herself next to a purple phoenix. Mirannda giggled. "Making friends?" "If you get your heads out of the clouds, you can hear them yourself." She frowned at the avian phoenix's voice in her mind. The bird knew what had transpired recently. Absently, Mirannda rubbed at her wrist. "Where is he? Shouldn't he be here by now?"

The sun was setting, and soon the place would be dark. Perfect for Tacitus Silanus' undaunted, intrepid mission. Six men could be seen from a distance, approaching the phoenix. Five of them had the same romanesque, ancient-styled armours, while the latter one was dressed as a typical native from the Valley. It was him, Silanus! The best way to distinguish his higher rank was to simply look at his armor. A decorative silver chestplate, with a large red plume and a red tunic underneath, while his four bodyguards had black tempered armours and purple tunics with no plumes or crests in their helmets. When Silanus saw the lonely girl, he recognized her. She had to be the mercenary, who else would she be?

"Ah… Mirannda, am I correct?" Asked Silanus, now that the small group was close to her. "My name is Tacitus Silanus, I see you recieved the letter I sent. I'm glad you are good at following instructions. You'll get the payment when you survive the job… If you do survive." He spoke once again. "Follow us." The group of men walked around the valley, each time darker. "This is where the trip ends, sir Silanus. It's late and we should not venture outside the monoliths." Said the native, to which the General answered: "Unfortunately, this is where my trip begins. I must ask you to leave and speak NONE of this, understood?" Without words, the native simply nodded and answered: "Such a pity we won't see you again." Then left. One of the bodyguards turned to Mirannda and said: "Sir Silanus hired you for the sole reason of your presuemed discretion. You were mentioned. They said you were good at keeping secrets… Well, for your own good, let's hope that is true." Hiding his right arm beneath his large, red cloak, Silanus nodded when the soldier finished speaking.

After a while talking, the place got grimmer and grimmer. This was the no go zone. "You see, I could have brought an army of 100 people here and done the job easier and faster, however, that would draw too much attention… And that's the last thing I need now. I hired you to help us in… Acquiring… a powerful crystal. Powerful necromages and shadowbenders have it, so we'll simply take it from them. Easy, right? We can handle ourselves, but some extra manpower would help so that's where you take place in." After he said that, the men walked slowly towards an alley. After a brief while, one of the soldiers spoke to Mirannda once again. "Scout ahead and tell us if there is any danger. There are rumors of man-eating living shadows here… If you see anything disturbing, yell and we'll go… Earn your pay!" What could be lurking in the alley? Any necromancer? A living shadow? An entity? Or perhaps simply… Nothing?

Six sets boots approached from behind, with such heavy sounds to indicate armored men. "They approach your six." Fitting, she thought, since there were six of them. The blood red haired woman turned, azure eyes regarding the nearing men. Even with the richly decorated armor, and Mirannda in naught but black casual travel clothing and her purplish black cloak, she did not feel under dressed. In fact, she seemed rather confident the way her arms crossed over her chest, weight obviously on one side as she took in the sight before her.

At the question of her name, the phoenix simply nodded. Yet, it was hard not to laugh at the conditions of receiving payment for the undefined job. If she survived? Did he not know what she was? The question wasn't whether or not she would survive, rather whether or not she could complete it. Mirannda had no doubt that she would survive, one way or another. Silently, she followed the men, still trying to work out exactly what she was there for. Eventually, the native left, the words of departure leaving unease to take root in her mind. One of the guards then addressed her, still relatively vague as to the whole thing. A cocky smile spread across her face. "Secrets are half my life."

When finally the job was revealed, the phoenix frowned. A powerful crystal must be acquired from necros and shadow benders, and the emphasis on acquire seemed to hint that this should actually be a job for a thief. Mirannda was a mercenary, graceful as elves on the battlefield, however, never attempted to train anything else. She chuckled low and dangerous. "So you hear of this mercenary who can be discrete, so you automatically assume I'll accept? Two things first. A, I don't answer to peons. I'm not under your employ. Tacitus would be the only one I would consider the employer in this situation." The phoenix was making a point to making eye contact with the soldier who dared order her to "earn her pay".

"Secondly, what makes you think I'm going to agree to being fodder? I get the whole 'dangerous necromages' and 'fearsome shadow benders', the need for discretion, and all that. Just be honest. You're afraid of the possibilities of the rumors being true, afraid you'll be eaten by the shadows." With the darkening of the sky, the shadows grew, and this was just the way Mirannda liked it. Almost instantaneously, Mirannda sank into the darkness. Her laughter could be heard coming from all around them, yet no where in particular. "There are worst things than just your fear of the dark." Yet, as she decided to humor them, the phoenix began to enter the alleyway.

Her senses did not detect anything "man eating" or dangerous nearby. With how things have recently taken a turn for the worse for her, she knew that her senses could be dead wrong. When Mirannda finally returned to Tacitus and his men, she stepped out of the shadows with a mischievous smile. "Aside from a few traps, the way is clear for now. Watch your step. I don't know what the'll do."

Tacitus Silanus turned his gaze upon Mirannda when he talked back to his soldier. With a firm voice tone, he said: "You seem to be strong-willed. That's good." As for the cannon fodder thing, he answered before she left: "If, you were a cannon fodder, we would abandon you as soon as any danger approaches. Instead, we are offering to come once you scout ahead. That's your mission here." When he saw how she adventured in, he and his bodyguards simply observed silently, patiently and awaited her recall.

"Nothing? Perfect." Said one of the soldiers accompanying Silanus. Without any further delay, the group simply advanced, of course, keeping their eye out for any trap. "Traps of what sort? Bear traps? Tripwire? Fire? We need information!" Exclaimed one of the bodyguards, to which Silanus answered: "Just keep your damn feet away from anything suspicous." Everyone, with their hands in their sword-hilt, walked carefully until they were out of the zone which seemed to be plagued with danger, and entered a bigger, cave-like place. "A cavern? Perfect hideout for a necromancer cult, huh." Mentioned the general.

When they entered the dungeon, a fiend who was resting in the top of it fell upon one soldier and in a matter of seconds ate his neck, murdering him. "KILL THAT DAMN THING!" Loudly ordered Silanus. They all hit the black spirit with their swords or spears, until Silanus ignited his blade with a fire spell and thrusted it in the back of it's head, finally killing it. "Torches, everyone. This place has things hiding every…" Before Silanus could finish speaking, three more fiends appeared, all encircling an old woman in black robes. "Attack, my minions! Kill the tresspassers!" Yelled the woman, most likely a necromage. As soon as she spoke, the three night-colored fiends rushed, one from the ceiling the other one from the floor, and attacked the group. While the armed men could handle themselves against the two of them, one of the fiends attacked Mirannda with it's claws. These humanoid creatures walked in all four, had void black scales and ferocious claws and teeths. A formidable opponent indeed!

”At first glance, it appeared as tripwire, but it felt… more like Shadow.” If someone had developed a way to use shadows to create a trap, not to hinder, but to send an advanced warning of intruders, it was ingenious. While practical and amazing in theory, Mirannda feared that they would be in for a world of danger far sooner than they anticipated. Keeping her thoughts to herself, the phoenix began to silently lead the group down the path.

It was eerily quiet with the lack of crickets and other such nature noises. Expecting the worst, she expanded her senses, searching for the danger that must be hiding somewhere. Especially when they entered the large cavernous opening. A frown creased her forehead. Something was stalking them… Above! Before she could give warning, the creature descended upon the group, instantly murdering one.

Mirannda was not skilled at fighting in a group, but rather fighting a group. Unsure how to get in to assist, in addition of being slightly stunned that she had missed the ambush initially. Someone else was coming, and gathering quite a bit of energy. ”Inbound!” Three more of those shadowy creatures attacked, two straight for the group, one for her. Sword at the ready, Mirannda had no hope of completely dodging the creature.

Gathering her own magical energy in her free hand, the phoenix managed to deflect the difficult to avoid attacks. With hand now crackling with power, she directed it into her opponent. The creature’s movement became erratic as it crashed to the floor, jerking with the overflow of electricity coursing through its system. After delivering the killing blow, the phoenix melted back into the shadows.

Without a moment to lose, the shadows yielded to her will, moving her toward that old woman. Upon her exit, a heated blade impaled the enemy’s neck. Mirannda dropped the corpse at her feet, crimson liquid dripping off her dagger. ”Follow the scorch marks. I’m scouting ahead.” Slinking back into the shadows, the phoenix began delving deeper into the cavern.

The fiends were deadly and almost injured one of the soldiers, but at the end, died at the hands of the soldiers and their blades. Although they were more vulnerable to magic than physical damage, a good thrust in their neck did the job! It was good for Silanus to see he had made a good choice in her hireling; she could handle herself against the foul creature and even kill the necromage before she invoked anything else. Perfect! And now, she had the iniciative to scout ahead,leaving a shiny trail for them to follow.

"After all that noise, they must know we're here. Stay on guard, boys…" Said Silanus, with his sword drawn and shield steady, just as his men. While they were following the mercenary, they saw shadows that… simply moved… Stalking them. Even when the Fratians put their torches close to the shadows, they didn't dissappear. It was one of the oddest things they've seen. However, when Silanus casted a minor fire spell on one of the shadows, it "fled", but it's presence could still be felt.

After some moments of walking around the cave, the group arrived at what seemed to be a door to another room. It was wooden and seemed fragile, but could not be opened. "Shield wall formation and charge, lads!" Ordered Silanus. He and his men formed a line, raised their shields, and then tackled the door several times until it was finally brought down. What they saw was not pleasant… 10 necromancers sitting in line on the floor, as if they were waiting for the group. The leader of the group, the Patriarch, was the one with the gem Silanus was looking for. "I believe that gem now belongs to me, hand it over without any attemp of fighting back, or we'll take your life aswell." Said the overconfident General. The necromages simply laughed and invoked a barrier behind them, so they would not try to escape, then, 5 tall, pitch black humanoid creatures with red eyes and huge claws appeared. 

"Whoever kills most of the creatures will get a reward!" Silanus exclaimed. The necromancers simply stayed back and observed, as they wasted all their energies summoning the monsters. These monsters could spit infernal fire, dissapear and reappear anywhere on the room, and cut through steel with their razor-sharp blades. We'll take care of those 3, you handle the rest, mercenary!" Said Silanus, with his sword blazing with fire, before they charged to attack.  

Bright, flashes of fire scorched the floor periodically, marking the path for the men to follow. Onward she delved, silently passing through darkness as she searched for problems and their prize. Shadows began to press against her, fighting against Mirannda's will. Either they were warning her of approaching danger, or someone was using them against her. No matter, the phoenix kept pressing forward, determined to see what was deep in the cave. There was a door that she easily slipped under, thanks to being one with the shadows.

Inside were ten men and women, appearing in a relaxed, almost meditative state. They were saving their strength, drawing deep as they readied some powerful spells. One of them, the oldest of them, sat toward the middle of the line. In his lap was a gem, most likely that which Tacitus sought. Before the woman could contemplate what she wanted to do about the problem, a muffled voice filtered through the wooden door. Suppressing a groan, the phoenix winced every time shields bashed into the door, causing a loud crack to echo and splinters to go flying until at last the door gave way. It crashed to the floor in a broken heap, the men staggering over it at the lack of complete resistance.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! How can Tacitus still be alive with that very blunt, very straightforward sense of authority? Surely, by now, someone would have knocked him down a notch or two off that high horse! The group seemed set on throwing their lives away for the promise of reward and loyalty to their leader. Thinking quick, Mirannda took her pendant, which instantly grew into a nice sized dagger, and stabbed her own hand with it. With the blood oath activated, blending well with her mastery over the shadows, all four men were dragged into the shadows, held there by her own will alone, relocating them outside the door and behind the wall. "Fools!" Her voice echoed through the room, coming from beside them, behind, and all around.

In the shadows, they would be safe. Is this what she has reduced herself down to? A reckless, selfless woman who'd rather sacrifice herself than allow people to die? At the center of the room, a single anomaly appeared behind the line of necromancers now anxious, gathering energy as pinpoints of light streaking to the growing ball. When it got as big as a skull, Mirannda cast protect on herself before it imploded in on itself, causing a massive explosion throughout the room. Flames filled the room as it engulfed all but two of the summoned creations, and more than half of the robed death defiers. This was a major test, and it did not go according to plan. As the phoenix got caught in her own spell, the light chasing away the shadows and revealed the woman now in simple but well crafted black elvish armor, she screamed as the flames licked at her left arm, shoulder, neck and cheek.

Finally the shadows released the men. "Now the field is a bit more even, don't you think?" Two beasts, four necromancers, including their patriarch versus five highly trained warriors, one of which being a spell-sword… Grimacing in pain, Mirannda held her sword at the ready. "Give us that gem, or be sent to Death's eternal embrace." The malice in her voice made it clear she was deadly serious.

Before Silanus could jump into battle, he and his bodyguards were transported to an odd, unknown place. Was it a spell casted by the necromancers? It had to be! They seemed to control the shadows and invoke umbral creatures, so it would be expected from them to trap them in a shadow realm of some sort. "Who dares to call me a fool? Show yourself, now!" Demanded Silanus when he heard the echoing voice. Even with all the odds against him, trapped in an unknown place, his overconfident, arrogant attittude ruled him. None of the men showed fear or dismay, instead, they just waited for something to appear. Fortunately for them, it was not any necromancer who trapped them, but their mercenary companion. If only they had a way to know…


Suddenly, without any warning, they were transported back into reality, the shadows had released them. Before they could see what was going on, Mirannda spoke to them. "More even" She said. Silanus hid his arm beneath his red cloak and said: "Ohh I see, you hid us while you attacked, huh? Very well, gratitude is shown." His soldiers, however, were discontent; They wanted to be part of the battle. "Don't worry, lads. Mirannda left some foes for us to annihilate, hahah!" Rallied the general, as they charged into battle once again, all in formation. The men, including Silanus, threw their javelin-like spears at the beasts, all at once, but it had little to none effect so they all attacked the demons with their swords in what would be a melee combat. Nonetheless, this seemed to be the worst idea possible… One of the beasts' arm morphed into a huge spike and impaled one of Silanus' soldiers, piercing his steel armor as if it was paper. "Back off, back off!" Said Silanus, once he realised the mistake he had done. These beasts were better at close quarters, or atleast it seemed so.

"H-he died in some seconds! Marcus is dead!" Exclaimed one of the soldiers, with a mixture of both rage and fear in his voice. "Here it comes!" Yelled another soldier when he saw the beast running after them, chasing them. Silanus ignited his sword with infernal fire, which had a dark-green tone. He then jumped, leaving his heavy shield behind, and thrusted his sword into the beasts' eye, but once again his attack had little effect. Although it did hurt the monster, the demon counter attacked with a heavy blow which threw Silanus away. "ANNIHILATE THAT NOW!" Ordered Silanus, injured, as he slowly stood up. The men had no option but to throw a second and last round of javelins at it and hope for a miracle. Meanwhile, the Patriarch, protected by his barrier, laughted once and again, and the second beast simply walked towards the Mercenary, shaping his arm in the form of a spike, then attemped to impale her just as the other beast did with the soldier. 

There was no time to register the actions of the soldiers, their injuries gone unnoticed. Screams of pain and proclamations of death echoed without comprehension. Before the elvish woman, the beast seemed fast as a hummingbird’s wings, her own reactions felt sluggish. Sound fell dully upon her ears as scorched, flame licked skin caused every nerve to scream with agony, the torture searing through her body. However, the battlefield was no place to dwell on such trivialities such as blazing afflictions.

A shake of the head, set priorities straight. Live through this moment, time will come to tend wounds. Mirannda has dealt with worse, endured and persevered. This will be no different. As the shadow bore down upon the phoenix, smiled that cocky smirk as she flickered out of view, appearing in the air above it. Sword poised, gripped in both hands, the spellsword landed heavily upon its back, weapon driving deep through its spine. The resulting roar of anger was deafening as she was bucked off.

Mirannda landed with a hard thud, disorienting her for a few precious moments. Once more, the shadow creature was breathing down her neck as she assumed the upright position. Within her hand was a dark blade with a glowing orange streak down the side. Together, each attacked. The phoenix’s will pushed the blade to grow brighter with a furious growl, causing the creature to combust in flames as it slumped over. Unfortunately, she did not escape unscathed.

Her hand futilely tried to cover the gaping hole in her chest as shock began to set in. Breathing became labored. Each pump of the heart sent more blood oozing from her fingers. This was the end… Again. While that barrier still stood between them and the necromancers, this would all be pointless. The last of her strength was sent to her hand, crackling with energy. Lighting streaked from her hand, flashing across the barrier. As Mirannda took her last breath, the barrier broke, exposing the arrogant undead mages to their dismay.

The phoenix’s body fell in a heap to the ground, eyes open, her own triumphant smile still lingering on her lips.

"Look! The other creature is dead! And the barrier disappeared!" Exclaimed one of the soldiers; course, at first glance, none noticed that thr sellsword was almost, if not, dead. The first beast, however, stood strong, ready to fight. A dark beam of energy was shot from it's eyes, luckily, nobody was hit by it or someone's life would have been surely lost.

The second round of javelins did nothing but simply stick in the beast's huge torso… However, this could be used for Silanus's advantage. "You there, hand me your sword!" Ordered the General, and grabbed his soldier's sword. Now, he jumped highly and gracefully landed in one of the javelins! Now, he was at the height of the beast's face.

"Ad mortem inimicos!" Were the ancient words Silanus yelled, as he ignited both of his swords in a dark green fire and stabbed the beast's eyes with them. The other soldiers approached and slashed it's large legs, making the creature fall. The greenish blaze coming from his swords quickly increased, growing bigger and stronger, until the creature's head exploded. Now that there were no remaining beasts and the mages were left exposed, the soldiers charged, butchering them and stealing the gem.

Meanwhile, Silanus noticed that someone was missing. Of course! The mercenary! He saw her, laying down, and swiftly approached her. "Consider this part of your pay." He said, pulling out a red bottle. It was a healing potion, a strong one! He gently opened her mouth and poured the curative liquid inside it. Mirannda's wounds would regenerate, of coursr she would still be injured. "Are you still alive, Mirannda? The mission is finally over!"