To Kill a Mocking Man

"Oh hello there darling... I didn't see you there." A young woman was being drug out from behind a couch and thrown on the ground in front of a group of rather burly looking men. "Come on darling.. Don't mind the mess." She looked at the ground and screamed when she realized she was kneeling in a puddle of blood from her father. Her eyes looked around wildly for something to help her. Anything. The group spread apart and a man stepped forward, finely dress with shined boots and a bright green vest with a shining smile to match.

"Good evening beautiful..."

The girls' eyes went wide as she stared at the man. "Mercy, I beg you! Please, just let me go!"

Joek took a step forward and pushed the man over onto his back, his slit throat now grotesquely showing. "You know why he died... don't you?"

The girl shook her head, sobbing. "Please, you are a good man deep down, Somewhere, please let me go."

Joek snatched her by the back of the head and made her look at her own father. "He died... Because he was caught..... Stealing money from the others inside his shop."

The girl continued to sob and began rocking.

Joek's smile continued. "I think this dress was paid for by the ones who her father stole from.... Return it to the people."

The men swarmed her while Joek made his way outside the house. He heard the laughter and the squeals and yells until he let out a loud whistle, the men piling out. "Light er up!"

The men began to torch the building, letting the horses go free, the smoke billowing through the chimneys. Joek walked down the street a while and turned to watch the place burn. Oh the beauty of it.

Sharp eyes pierced through the darkness as their owner waited in silence. The shocking green in them gave way as the dominant amber color reflected the sudden glow of the house fire. That girl was still in there...but it was not her concern. No, she was not sent on some rescue mission. Her task was to eliminate that strange looking fellow in charge. She knew full well his danger level and would not make any mistakes. Failure was not an option.

Still...Xala looked back at the burning house. Perhaps her master would be more than satisfied if he knew she went above and beyond her assignment to rescue a damsel in distress. That would be great. With slinky motion akin to that of a nocturnal predator, the woman dashed amongst the shadows to hurriedly make her way through an increasingly warm window. Heat did not bother her as much as it did for humans. No it was the cold that hindered her movement. Finding the girl would be difficult though. The ability to see heat was all fine and dandy, unless you were surrounded by it.

A naked foot caught her eye and she snatched it while speaking gruffly, "Don't panic, I'm here to help you." Thinking quickly, Xala grabbed a cotton blanket that had begun to burn only slightly as its fibers were slow to ignite. She drug the girl by the arm and helped her through the back window from where she crawled in and extinguished whatever flames remained on the sheet before hurriedly wrapping her in it, "Do you have someplace you can go?" The girl nodded, shaking all over. Xala shooed her away and crawled to have the target back in her view. Upon doing so, it came to her realization that what she did could have been the stupidest thing done all night. She should have not taken the target out of sight, even for something like that. Her master would be mot dissatisfied if he knew what she had done. No, she would need to be extra careful now. It would be best to follow him at a distance where she was safely hidden by the darkness and strike when the chances of being ganged up on were much less high. The demon almost melted into the shadows and followed down the street a ways.

Joek's eyes hadn't left the house.

He suddenly turned on heel and began to walk his way down the street, telling the men to stay behind. He began to whistle a small tune through the night, walking with a slight hop to his step. Just what had him in such a good mood was beyond him. His men scattered, leaving him alone on the road with the smoke billowing in the background. If the Assassin needed a chance to attack, this appeared to be it.

Xala stared without blinking for a while, moving with the vibrations and sense of those things around her as not to trip or step on something brittle enough to make noise. Her lock broke for just a moment to take one more look around to verify that they were, indeed, alone. It did strike her as odd that a man of such importance and of social status (as underground as it was) would walk alone at night after a heist. But then, her master did the same thing. She assumed that anyone with the usual agenda of being surrounded by people would want some alone time. Perhaps right after setting a home ablaze and destroying a family was the perfect time for him to relax. To each their own...

He was deadly, so she would need to make it quick. A poisoned blade sunk deeply into his side, and she would bolt before being seen or giving him a chance to recoil. Much like one of her kind would in nature. Hunting was hunting, no matter the ultimate goal or the creature executing the task. Kill your target. That was hunting.

The demon withdrew a slender blade from her waist and milked her fangs with her fingertips before giving it a nice coat of the serum-like substance. He would cry out, yes, but she would be in hiding once again before anyone could come to his rescue. And by then, the toxin would have spread enough that sucking would do nothing for him.

Her movement was swift but silent as she emerged from the shadows and into the dim, glowing light of the distant fire, approaching him from behind. One hand pulled up her mask, while the other braced itself for fleshy impact.

(OOC: Any godmoding in this section has been approved of by both players.)

Joek's eyes stayed forward, his ears trained and his hands lazily in his pockets. When the silly girl finally pulled her stunt, he was more than ready. He twisted around, slipped a hand up, and caught her by the throat. His other hand grabbed her arm holding the knife. With another twist, he kicked her leg out from under her and slammed her upon the ground. He leaped off the creature and pulled his blade from his side, a long sharp fencing sword.

"Oohhhh a demon! The Assassins are getting more resourceful in their troops! How interesting." He began to circle the woman, "So... Why am I also so disappointed?" His smile remained in it's place as he circled. He stepped forward, making a slash at her and quickly stepping back, meant to keep her where she was. He had a feeling she might think of running, he needed her to stay for the fun."You know, it's not too late. If you kill me... no one will ever know of how much of a clamboring little child you really are. If you can that is."

Well...that was unexpected. The fingers wrapped around her throat like some sick twist of irony made her stomach hurt with embarrassment. Within a second her blade was removed from her clutches and she was slammed down onto her back. She rebounded to a crouch with dizzied speed and glared hard at her opponent. The rapier made her frown even more. She didn't embark on this quest looking for a sword fight. She just wanted to kill her target, go home, and curl up by the fire with perhaps some praises from her superior. Was that too much to ask for?

She smirked a little when he started talking. While she was angry her plans had been foiled (pun intended), his voice made her smile. It was...entertaining. Her grin quickly became a frown at his jab at her youth and she brought herself to her feet. Xala struck out her bladed whip with a crack, which sounded more like a screaming metal death trap than a traditional bull whip. Wasting no time, and speaking no words, she flicked her wrist and sent the contraption hurdling toward his face.

Joek leaned back almost impossibly far, making the whip slip over head and safely away from him. Managing to bend himself back forward, his smile only widened. "Looks like snakey has a bit of a bite." He took a step back, side walking and turning her toward him. He sheathed his blade and stood straight up, crossing his arms and tilting his head.

"I think we need a new setting."

With this, the man that had concealed himself in the brush behind her leapt forward, swinging a very, very heavy metal sword at the back of her head, blunt side toward her of course. The young woman was out cold in a matter of seconds. Joek stepped forward and turned the girl's face toward his own.

His eyes flitted up toward the man and he stood up. "Bring her. Fun's just starting it would seem."
~~~

A few hours passed and Joek had set up the stage. They were inside a farmers home, miles from the next neighbor. The sound of whimpering and crying filled the room when Xala was awoken.

Inside the small cottage were 5 people forced to sit upon there knees in front of Xala.A father, a mother, A young woman, a young boy, and a small girl. Joek was standing behind them, his gloved hand stroking the hair of the young girl in front of him. Barely the age of 4 or so.

"Good day madame Assassin. We are going to play a game. Let's start shall we. Who sent you?"

Air escaped her throat as a hiss with anger when the whip missed. By the time she retracted it back and prepared to have it shot to another vital body part, a throbbing and sudden rush of pain came over her. She blinked and her vision turned a different color, her surroundings seemingly underwater. Her head lay sideways on the ground and in her few seconds of semi-consciousness, she let out a slurred "fuck".

______________

When she came to, Xala rolled her head around and let her jaw go slack in a obvious show of weakness from the blunt force against her cranium. The demon's focus crept back to her and she groggily took in her new surroundings. There appeared to be a family before her...why? She didn't know them. Joek came back into view, behind the younger child. She raised her brow and grumbled. A game? Really? No curling up by the fire tonight then.

Xala's expression didn't change and she answered with a tired and groggy voice, "My master. He received the order of your death, and passed it along to me. As for who wanted you dead in the first place..." she grinned a little, "the whole city most likely."

Joek wiped a tear from the small girl's cheek and flicked it to the side before walking down the line. Each of the older famlily members had various bruises and scratches. It was obvious they did not choose to be in this position. "Alright. Well, game start then. Who is your master? What's his name?" He stepped over to the father, slipping a blade from his belt and raking it gently over the man's shoulder, the man's eyes squinted together hard.

"Tell me where your master is little Assassin."

Xala almost felt bad for the family...not because their lives depended on whether or not she answered but because...well...actually, that was it. She almost felt bad because she really didn't care what would happen to them. As a creature of darkness spawned by hate and tragedy, it was hard for to care for people she had no reason to care for. Xala could admit she was not exactly the picture of nobility and chivalry. If Xala told Joek everything she knew and this family was allowed to live, they would need to be silenced anyway, as they would know everything as well. If she didn't, they would indeed...be silenced.

The demon answered truthfully, "Who my master is: master assassin and trainer, an athlete, a legend, and a brilliant scholar. What his name is: I don't actually know his real name. Where he is:...probably home, possibly wondering why I haven't returned yet." Those weren't lies, just probably not the answers the psychopath was after.

Joek's smile only widened further. "Why do you make me do this?" He leaned forward and smiled. "You didn't give a name... That means he dies." the man stood up as if to fight, but didn't even make it a foot up before a blade was shoved through his chest. Joek kicked the man forward, his face turned upward toward Xala. "Look at his face.... He would have had a very happy life with the ones he loved.... Not anymore.... It's. All. Your. Fault. He turned to the little girl, who was fully crying now. Joek took a booted step over one and was now tapping the bloody knife on the shoulder of the woman, silently sobbing.

"Let's try again.... When one ends, another begins. Starting at the end creates tale that always begins. What is it that I am speaking of." The woman began crying again. Who could possibly make sense of this riddle.

"Do you want the blood of the mother on your hands as well Assassin?"

Xala didn't budge and stared at the dead man's face. The loud cries of the little girl made her wonder what it's like to lose one's parents. She wanted to say she was sorry to the child, but she wasn't. In her mind, she had nothing to be sorry for. Sorry she bothered saving that one girl and wasting time when she could have simply stabbed Joek and gone home. At one time, Xala heard that this man only killed those who deserved it. Either those stories were lies or misguided, or the dead guy looking up at her had done some very bad things in his life. Maybe the woman too. Maybe the kids would be better off without their parents.

But maybe not.

Xala grew up without parents and turned out just fine, well...for a demon. But then, not every abandoned brat had the privilege to be raised by a master assassin who would lead them down the path of success and meaning.

The girl watched him recite his riddle with a furrowed brow, "A day."

Joek let the blade leave from the woman's flesh, her eyes fluttering from disbelief. "Yes." He replaced the blade into his belt and looked down at the dead man on the floor once more. Stepping forward, he snapped his fingers and two men stepped out from behind where Xala stood, grabbing onto each arm and dragging him out. He smiled at the girl in the chair before crossing his arms.

"You are a strange little bird.... Fanciful and full of life, yet so cold when faced with death. Now tell me, which is it? Do you cherish life, like how you saved the girl from burning? Or do you feel nothing? As you've shown when you allowed that slaver to die?" His smile only grew as he walked down the line, coming to the girl. "You know, these children will probably starve without a father to feed them... Would probably be better off if I give them a mercy slit. What do you think?" He looked up at the girl, cold calculating eyes fixed upon her.

Xala smiled with relief. Not because the woman lived, but because she was right. This Joek guy was already humiliating her. If she failed at his riddle, perhaps he would have teased her for being stupid as well as incompetent.

Xala cherished life....but only the lives of herself and her Master. Everyone died, just some sooner than others. Like that guy, the slaver apparently.

The demon sighed when he brought up the children again. He was asking questions of her, to which he already knew the answer. Was he trying to get her to announce her indifference on the lives of others? To show the kids that she was some kind of monster? They already knew, so what was the point? Xala answered, "I think...allowing them to live would be a risk. But I don't think these kids are stupid. And they still have their mother. She would probably do whatever she could to keep her offspring alive to carry out their purposes in life. These kids are young enough to be deposited into an orphanage if it came to that. It might not be a fulfilling life, but they would survive. So, yeah you're right, they will probably starve. But shit happens, doesn't it? Determination can get you through most hardships in life." It did for her, for all of her life.

Her piercing gaze turned to the children, "What do you think? Do you want to risk a slow and painful and unrewarding death at the hands of cold and starvation? Or would you rather die now and not worry about taking that chance?" The little boy answered with a shaky voice, "The f-first one."

Xala forced a smile, "You're very brave, little one." She didn't really like kids, but she could find respect in those with courage in the face of death.

Joek stood slowly from his position and slipped his dagger back into his belt. "You are a worse monster than I could ever be Assassin." He stepped toward the girl and threw a hard punch her way. Cracking his knuckles he stepped over toward the boy and lifted him to his feet. "You wish to live? Good. Go and laugh and enjoy life. With us, you will never be hungry. Your father was a bad man, and you were happy. Now be with us, and be even better." The boy was then pulled from the room.

"I have you figured out already demon. You had your kindness beaten from you. The mercy yanked from your very bones. It'd be admirable, if it weren't, so, sad." He tipped her back on the back two pegs of her chair that she was tied to and let her fall. "The world comes tumbling down and what do you have to hold onto? Air! Nothing! You are only what you believe in my friend, and you believe in nothing!" As she crashed upon the floor he shook his head. "I won't kill you. If you had any decency, you'd fall on your own blade." People with no regard for the value of life were useless to him. Lower than mud. "You don't deserve the breath I've spent on you so far." He made a wave of his hand and the men came forward, setting the corners of the room on fire. He looked at the two women and snapped his fingers, the girl was snatched up, the mother was kicked in the face, unconscious.

So here she was., the house burning , Xala trapped to her chair, her gear missing, The woman unconscious and unable to help, and the target she was trusted to kill, wakling happily away.

Xala never liked being called a monster, but she knew it to be true. He was right, but she wouldn't let his words get to her. Not now anyway. Her face took the punch and felt her jaw pop and slack a little to the right. A warm liquid seeped from her mouth, either saliva or blood, or some heinous combination of the two. Her face throbbed and she managed a small wince of pain. In fact, had it not be knocked ajar, perhaps she would have even smiled a little as the children were allowed to live.

Her eyes followed Joek as he continued to speak to her and tried to thrust her body forward to avoid falling back. It failed, and her head banged against the cold ground with a satisfying thud. She turned her head to the side to allow the fluids in her mouth to continue flowing without pooling inside her jaw. She watched angrily as the house was set on fire and the woman kicked in the head. Great. Just fucking peachy.

The little girl's face cried in horror as she was taken away, watching her mother possibly burn to death. Xala felt her absent heart break...just a little. She would be able to escape her ties with a transformation and a good five minutes of wriggling around, but she would not be able to save the woman. She would burn or suffocate before Xala would have had a chance to. All her life she was told she was a monster, and wasn't she? She was a demon. She was spawned, not born. But maybe...just maybe...the human shell in which she resided offered a little bit humanity to her soul. It was unlikely, but was there not a chance at all?

"Waaii--" She yelled but she stopped and grew light headed from the pain in her face. Twisting her neck harder, she banged the side of her face hard against the ground, opening her jaw wider than normal. After a few tries, it snapped back into place with a sickening crack, though the bruising and swelling were still present. It hurt to speak, but she did anyway, "I...I can't save her." She felt her chest pound with a rush of fear, admitting defeat. It was obvious he knew more about her than she thought. He would know that her acceptance of defeat and weakness at the hands of her enemy would be a far greater punishment than death itself. She grew light headed again at the shame she felt of herself and could even feel herself grow nauseated, "Please...don't let their mother die because of me, too."

Joek was standing by the door way when she yelled. He stopped where he was and ran a hand through his hair. A chuckle exuding from his chest as he walked back into the house, almost skipping as the flames licked his heels. Once he as standing in the room he looked down at the girl in the chair and the woman laying near the flames, her hair was already starting to catch. What a pathetic little creature they were.... He held up two fingers and gave a snap.

Two men came rushing in, grabbing the chair and the woman on the ground and rushing back out. Joek turned on heel and looked at the man on the floor with disdain before spitting and making his way outside. Xala was thrown forward, the chair breaking and the ropes hanging slack on her. Joek stepped forward and slipped his blade from it's position. "Alright... Perhaps you have a heart somewhere in there. That's good. Stand."

He stepped forward in the ring of men, her standing completely defenseless. "Try anything and my men..." A few pulled out crossbows and long bows. "Won't let you try anything ever again. So. Now we start. What would you do to save a life? Your life? Her life?" He pointed to the woman. "Would you... Embarrass yourself? Strip. Now. All of it." He smiled, taking no physical pleasure in the sight of her body, but rather by what she must feel from it. Being vulnerable like that.

Xala watched him return inside the house and squeezed her eyes shut at the snap of fingers. The motion of being lifted made her feel funny, but that feeling was soon shattered along with her chair. She remained motionless until she was told to stand, at which she obeyed. This was torture for her...having to obey another so readily. Only her Master and nature could command her, not this laughing freak. But she had to play along. She had to.

Her shoulders slumped in a mix of shock and disbelief at the new command. Xala was ashamed of her body. Nothing was wrong with it, except for the fact that it was female. She was always as strong as her fellow male students, but only because of what she also was. So many times was she told to change professions. That it was improper for a lady to do what she did. That she ought to be a maid, or a seamstress, or a courtesan. She lost respect for her body when everyone else did.

Still, she had to play along. She did not move slowly and roughly unbuckled and strapped herself, her hands shaking. Once the overcoat was removed, she shuttered at the sudden feel of the cold air around her. Xala hesitated for a moment after slipping from her sleeves before finally dropping the rest of the garb, pushing it down over her hips and stepping out of it all. She breathed slowly with the icy air clinging to her skin, creating a rush of gooseflesh. Her eyes remained on the ground in front of her.

The circle of men laughed and yelled and jeered at her while she stripped and did what she was told. Joek's face stayed steady, unfeeling, just a small smirk planted. His eyes showed no lust toward her. His motions had no hesitation as he crossed his arms. He stepped forward once more, "Hold still.'

He slipped a dagger from his hand and snapped his fingers once more, the girl being grabbed and held tight. "This is going to sting... even for you..."

He turned the dagger over in his hands and smirked. "Do you know what this is?" He brought it closer so she could feel it. It was magical. "it's a magical dagger... It housed a very good friend of mine... She was in here so long that it still oozes her essence... Magical Essence..." He stepped forward and grabbed her chin, his smile becoming more cruel. "Call me Master." He pressed the blade to her cheek.

"You have shame etched in your face.... Call me Master and I won't trace it out for you with the blade."

A deep resounding gurgle like sound purred from her throat as the men jeered her nudity. Assholes. She could appreciate the absence of feeling from her target though. That was the only thing she could appreciate about him. When the men came to grab her she was a heart beat from striking out at them, but some instinct in her nervous system alerted her of something. Her eyes automatically drew to the blade the man carried, which was giving off some strange purple-ish glow. Xala liked purple, but this looked scary to her for some reason.

His comment, accompanied by the approaching item, made her twitch with painful anticipation. Like the surge of strain and agony an arm feels as it is about to break. She started to jump a little, like a deer caught in a bear trap, struggling against the men. The magic of the blade felt like a hundred pounds of weight keeping her in place. If he stabbed her with that, she would actually die...the realization that she had to play by the rules was overwhelming. But what he said brought her back to the real present and her now abnormally dilated eyes glared at him hard as she hissed deeply, "Fuck you."

The blade's touch felt like a freezing shard of ice followed by a flaming poker. She whimpered and writhed, trying to twitch away from it.

Master...Master please forgive me. You are my one and only true Master, these words will mean nothing. Please forgive me.

Xala's mouth opened but the words could not form without a short dog-like whine to kick it all off, "...Master. Master please no more." She wanted to cry. Well, she wanted to chew on his jugular, but she wanted to cry just as bad.

Jace's face turned to a smile. "A fledgling. Nothing more." He let the blade slide downward, the blood dripping from it's edge. "Well. Now that I am your master, I guess it is time to really enjoy ourselves." He crossed his arms and walked to one of the men. "Break her arms." In one swift motion the men went to bring the arms they grabbed down onto their knees.

Joek's laughter rang through the air, screaming his joy at the recruit's pain. "I- I have something for your master... It's... It's a parting message that he should not try and "contact" me again." He slipped the blade up again and pressed it gingerly upon her cheek again. Writing a large and blotchy "J" Upon her face. Just as he went to make the "O" on her neck, Joek fell to the ground silently.

The men holding Xala were instantly dropped as well, their eyes rolling to the back of their heads. Shayd slipped from behind them and picked Xala up, slinging her over his shoulder and sprinting into the shadows, vanishing.
~~

Back in the manor, Shayd had Xala laying on a bench in his study. He was standing by the fire, his hands behind his back, his white hair in a pony tail going down his back. He had a stern line for a mouth, and his eyes were watching the flames intently.

He looked over at her. Awaiting for her to stir and speak her excuses.

As the blade sliced through her skin slightly, she choked back vomit. It was difficult as the mere presence of the magical essence in her bloodstream made her sick to her stomach very quickly. Xala couldn't even manage a growl or a hiss at Joek's new order to one of the men and just made a small gurgling sound as she gave one last final jerk to get away. It made no difference, and her arms were cracked quickly. The world around her swam in her vision and her eyes rolled about sickeningly. Xala could not feel him writing the J on her face, but she could feel a sudden burst of that ice cold and molten lava sensation from the blade. Her jaw fell open and more of that gurgling sound vibrated from her throat. This time, it was accompanied by a black sludge like substance that dripped with her saliva. Demonic instincts took over and her teeth fell out of her mouth, replaced by sharper and longer ones. Her eyes bled a little from the lids as her sclera changed into a solid black. The pain from the magic and the now broken limbs overpowered her desire to rip everyone apart, however, and so she simply became a limp, horrific humanoid in Joek's hands as he carved her.

What happened at that moment was nothing but a one second blur as she dropped to the ground and blacked out.

~~~

Xala's eyes fluttered open with a gasp. Her teeth had replaced themselves once again and her eyes, while dry and puffy, were also normal. Her arms were throbbing but she could feel her fingers, which told her her body was healing. The girl breathed heavily and contracted her core, swung around her legs, and sat up on the bench. Her eyes were dry and so she squeezed them shut several times, trying to hydrate them. Shayd came into view and her breathing halted.

The demon could feel his expression as well as she could see it. Xala hung her head in sorrow and shame, "I failed to stay on my mission's track. I strayed to rescue a dame, and fell behind. I was seen and intercepted." She knew she was a failure...but she would let him have the honor.

Shayd kept his hands behind his back, staring back into the fire. "The Code of our order. Our Creed...." He took a deep inhale and looked over at her. "One to die. One to stop. Many are saved." He kept his mouth in a hard line. Shayd had been there the whole time. He watched her get tortured. He could have ended it for her at anytime. Instead, he waited until she was at deaths door.

"You will not make the mistake again." He nodded and walked toward the door. "To your room to heal. No training tomorrow or the next day Xala. I mean that this time." His voice was stern, but there was something underneath it. Weary? Disappointment? The Master's mind was a mystery to all. Sometimes even to himself.

Xala chewed on the inside of her mouth nervously, letting him speak and not daring to interject. She could barely bring herself to look him in the eyes. She only nodded at his first order and gingerly stood up to make her way to her room. Upon his final command she pouted and moved forward a little quickly to answer, "But...but Master, I heal rapidly after a slumber. I'm not as frail as the others!" The motion made her a little dizzy but she stayed still, letting her eyes swim a little and her throat hold back the vomit that wanted to escape. The magical essence probably left some residue still in her system. It felt like a nauseous hangover accompanied by a few bone breaks.

The girl went silent, knowing that arguing with Shayd would never prove to be a victorious battle. She sighed and looked at the ground, "Yes Master, I will follow your orders."

Shayd didn't speak to her. Not finding the correct words to express his thoughts to her. Instead, he turned around and stared at her with his amber eyes. His face, while perfectly smooth and with no emotion on it, told of the untold fury she'd receive if she didn't follow his orders. He merely turned around again and walked to his desk, slipping out a piece of paper and starting to scribble upon it.

~~

It had all happened so fast. One second, Joek was playing with his new friend. The next, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and a blunt pain as he slammed to the ground. Then he felt nothing. Perhaps this would be it.... The death he had been so anticipating. Someone had bested him. Next, the pain in his neck was removed. And a stinging prickling sensation went throughout his body as the feeling returned. "I suppose not then."

"Boss! Boss!" Joek felt himself getting picked up and dragged through the street, felt the hot liquid trickling down his neck. There was one other feeling. A vibration in his chest and throat. Nothing but a rushing sound, but he knew what it was. He was laughing.

The group managed to get him fully into the HQ before being laid down onto the stone stage that had held so many other's blood.

"Someone! Get the LT! Get Karma! Joek's been hurt bad!"