Where Spirits Have Lease

It was a rather nice evening, some would say. It had been a typical autumn day; the last pitiful remains of a scorching summer sun desperately trying to warm the chilly earth and trees, while a pleasant and refreshing breeze swept over the meadow, the long grass smoothly blowing in the wind… A person silently sat there, in the shadow of the trees, where the meadow obviously ended. One normally would not be able to easily notice the small figure; because of its stillness, the figure did not draw any attention at all and the person was, after all, somewhat hidden by the trees.

Within the pooled shadows of the forest, beneath the twisted, claw-like branches of the ancient trees wrestled a soul in agony. Stripped of dignity, of life, of the very sanctity of being, it lay bound in chains. Screams tore out through its open mouth as it tried to break the bonds, futilely. Flesh broke against the harsh metal and blood coursed out through freshly opened wounds. Pale white skin was stained with bright rivulets of red. Bruises marred what had once been perfect complexion. Long dark locks flowed down over a back striped with scars. Weighted chains hung hither and thither, the sharp tipped weights at their ends dragging her down. Managing to shift herself ever so slightly, she cried out sharply in inarticulate pain. One of the chains flailed up at the tree above in response to her wails, severing a bough from its rightful location and hurling it with the force of a hurricane out to the depths of her arboreal prison. Tears stained her face as she cried and cried out in pain. Down to her very soul, they had cut her, stripping away all else, so that all was left was a the spirit lacking its proper shell.

Ethereal and ephemeral she was, bound upon the ground when suddenly, one of the chains hung about her neck shot upward into the trees above, grasping itself around a branch and entwining its way, snake-like, pulling its length upward. As it did so, it slowly began to tug at her now limp form, hauling her up by the neck. A strangled gasp escaped her mouth before the tendril about her throat tightened. There she hung, in all her fallen glory, her restraints shooting out, binding her to the tree's trunk, where she hung, forlorn and abandoned, though not forgotten. They could not forget her, would not forget her, would forever regret her. A soundless scream contorted her features, her teeth bared in a wail of torture and agony, crying for mercy, heralding an undesired vengeance.

The other person slowly stood right, as the screams reached that lone figure’s ears. Long dark hair reached the middle of her back, curls waving steadily in the breeze, as she turned around. If one could have seen her face, they weirdly enough would have witnessed a rather strange smile. Considering how it nearly hauntingly distorted her features. She unhurriedly walked to the source of those screams that had disturbed her silence there. The pitch black dress somehow seemed to nearly dissolve behind her while it freely moved around the woman’s body, into what appeared to be a peculiar sort of transparent yet inky material that blackened the air and space around her.

She abruptly stopped, once she noticed a limp form hanging. “Poor thing…”, her smooth voice mockingly uttered as she eyed the chained woman. A chuckle resonated through the forest. Shadows, from the trees she was standing under, gradually began to cling to her body, eventually swallowing her wholly. Until there was nothing left, but the nearly ethereal echo of her quiet laughter travelling, accompanied by shadows, through the air, straight towards the chained person.

The laughter was met by silence, although from her expression one could tell that was not what she felt, but rather the only sound she could emit. Instead of pleading words blubbered through swollen lips then, it was only the scraping and grating sound of the chains twining about her which could be heard. They ran across her frail form, as if alive and cognitive. Slithering their fierce and biting tracks over her skin, they began to reach out. Like hairs raised by static, they gravitated up towards the shadowy form. As it began to fade, they were extending, dragging her towards the congealed darkness, as she hung still from only a single chain. It was as if something in the links of metal knew this person, desired this person, wanted to wrap the mysterious figure in their embrace and never allow her to go. They moved slowly, reverently, as if through water, flowing through the air.

All at once, one of the tendrils shot forward, lancing straight towards the laughter's face. And it stopped just as abruptly, before the faded visage, turning about and wrapping around, circling where a head once had been. The other chains all followed suit, barring the one which yet suspended the hanging woman from her neck.

Her limbs pinned by the tightened bonds of iron, she could no more move then speak. Only the power to blink was left her, and yet she kept her eyes open, full of tears as they were, she would not look away no matter how much it burned. Chains weaved about the clouded shadows, as if they were caressing the inky black figure. Slowly, and reluctantly, they began finally to pull away before shooting backwards simultaneously. As if spooked, they had all retreated and now took up positions so that they appeared like snakes ready to strike out. And there, at their center, the center of that veritable web of metallic death, hung what might have been the fly already dead in its chrysalis of iron threads, or perhaps she was the weeping beaten spider, waiting only for some poor soul to wander into the clutches of her damned net. Could something so destroyed and fragile be so dangerous, though? Could this beaten and bruised woman be a spider when she looked no more fit than to be dangling from the hangman's noose? Was doubting her worth the price? A web of writhing, animate chains said no...

The laughter only increased, travelling around and through the animate chains with an amazing swiftness. The previous quick ‘attack’, as some would say, of the tendrils had not left any apparent injuries. Au contraire, they had only managed to excite the female even more. Swirling and dancing through the air, the nearly unnoticeable darkness that accompanied the ethereal echo of laughter produced what sounded like a woman’s voice, although somehow it seemed as if the words were spoken in a place, far away from this peculiar scene. “Catch me, CATCH ME!” The mockery was followed by another burst of laughter, circling around the tree now as it rapidly dodged the chains in order to get closer to the bruised woman in the centre. Some tresses of the chained female’s hair were obviously carefully stroked by that which was practically invisible. “What are you doing here, darling?” The voice, containing a slightly threatening sound, huskily whispered in her ear.

As the laughter's volume became louder, the chains retaliated with incredible ferocity, whipping about in an effort to tear, slash, puncture, and crush. Of course, they slid through nothing at all, reaching only the trees about, breaking limbs and scoring deep scars into the ancient denizen's of this old forest. It seemed to infuriate them, and then the shadow touched their prisoner. It was as if some ancient force had been awakened within them. The force of their outburst tore apart the nearest arboreal giants, uprooting them and breaking them into splinters. Then, as if in defense, they dropped her to the ground, and began winding around her, constricting their own charge.

When the hand had touched her hair, she had convulsed, swaying back and forth on her chain. It was as if she was attempting to curl herself inward, to hide, but of course her restricted motion did not allow for that. Then, when the chains began to thrash about, she was pulled hither and thither by their violent motions, before they dropped her to the ground. As she fell, she drew in a gasp of air, only to have it knocked from her lungs as her bloodied and bruised body impacted the hard roots. Splinters drove into her frame, and a breathless cry escaped her lips. Before her bonds had tightened around her, pulling back like a shield, she did manage to recover herself enough to whisper harshly, "Please... Kill... me..." But then her breath was once again taken away by the crushing wait levered upon her chest and neck. Even there, unable to communicate, to move, to make any expression other than one of gruesome horror, she stared up at the phantasmal woman with pleading eyes, eyes that would not shut. Tears flooded their red and tortured expanse, begging for mercy.

A sound seemed to emanate from the sky, the clouds parted, and the ground started to shake. The tree's seemed to scream in agony as their roots were disturbed and the area seemed to be in a world of its own, seperate from the rest of the planet, for how could such a small area withstand such tremors? Cracks started to break out of the ground, and trees were torn from their roots, and fell, adding to the symphony of chaos the forest had become. A piercing whistle flooded the air in the forests own bubble of space. If one listened carefully, which would most certainly be harmful to one's hearing, they might have been able to make out words, but it was short lived, as the whistle died down almost as soon as it had erupted.

Then everything stopped, all of the chaos of the last few seconds seemed to have dissapeared, leaving the area of woodland torn asunder. Then, almost out of the blue, a spark seemed to form, and then expanded with explosive force. A golden light was cast throughout the entire forest, the centre of the light blindingly bright. The light faded, revealing trees that had been thrown metres, the area looked as if a bomb had gone off. And stood in the centre of it all, was a man.

The man appeared to be in his thirties, he had stubble on his face, implying he had not shaved in some time. His hair was a dark brown, and was messy. The man wore formal wear, a white shirt, blue tie, black slacks, a suit jacket, but it was what else he wore that did not seem to fit. He wore black shoes, one could call them formal, and draped over his suit jacket, was a tan denim great coat. The man's ocean blue eyes looked on the scene in front of him. The woman coiled in chains, and the strange figure that was revealed with the lack of tree's. The man tilted his head to the right, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It would appear i chose a perfect time to enter this world."

The laughing voice gradually muted, dissolving in the air. At the same time a woman silently walked from behind the partly destroyed trees. She elegantly moved and her stance was proud, apparently not bothered by the rather tumultuous appearance of a person who seemed strangely enough out of place with his clothes. In fact, the female did not even take the smallest glance at the man, haughtily closing the distance between herself and the tortured other who laid helplessly on the ground. To others, her dress nearly looked like it was made of a different sort of substance than the things one would find on Earth. It was fluent like water or ink, yet light as the air, and of a colour that was not unlike the dark shadows that always became clearer, always darker as she got near them. The woman halted right before the chained one on the ground. A smile curled up the corners of her lips. “You did not answer my question”, the voice sounded awfully recognizable, this time a lot more intimidating than the mocking and perhaps slightly mad laughter that filled the air before. She bent down, her long curls falling over her shoulder, partly covering her unusually beautiful face. It was a strange sort of beauty; although she had clearly been gifted with quite a delicate and attractive figure, a certain kind of sadness lingered behind. What was hidden less was the underlying danger. Something about her was not right. Most people did not notice that until she decided to confront them with it, others managed to sense it. The longer one focused on that particular smile, the more that person received chills as the smile began to show what it truly meant. A pale hand reached out, nearly tenderly brushing some strands of hair out of the face of the young woman. It would have been tenderly, if her own eyes did not stare so incredibly callously at the much weaker being.

Blasts of heated wind, fragments of what had been an ancient forest, boulders which had long lain silent in the ground, and a shrieking noise assaulted and battered the helpless woman where she lay. Immobilized as she was, she could could not so much as lift an arm to protect her unguarded face. Yet, she did not scream in pain which she undoubtedly felt at her skin being beaten and broken under the explosive forces released in the descent of some celestial power. Her chains anchored her to the quaking earth which began to split under her, et not so much that she she be but shifted, and her chains would not allow her to fall. Through all, however, she never once even batted an eye, not through the dust flying, the myriad splinters, pebbles, or remnants of plant life. Her glassy eyes only for a moment glimpsed the newcomer before being riveted once more to the elegant and deadly form of a woman dressed in the clothes of night itself. She came closer, and as she did, a longing seemed to be present in the womans eyes, welled up with tears, red from crying and the absence of sleep.

When the words finally came form that ethereal being, that tormenting figure of a woman, they were not the words wished for. It could be seen in the tiny sparkle of hope being quenched. As the hope died, so did the fury of the chains. They fell slack around her, unwinding themselves. Their grip was loosened as they spread out around her in a sort of pool made of metal links. Slowly, she coiled up, like a snake, until she levitated up into the air, with her heavy iron bonds hanging down to the ground. Her eyes were shut tight. Hot tears streamed out from under the closed lids to stain her face. "I waited for you," her voice was no more than a hoarse whisper, "And you never came." The chains on the ground began to slowly flow up into what first amounted to a pillar but began to take what appeared to be a more distinguishable form, that of a man. It was as if it intended to speak when an arrow suddenly sprouted from where the animated metal's head would be... The effect was to dispel the humanness of the chains which fell all to the ground.

"The demon's light shines for the darkest daughter of night," quoth a man's voice from within the broken and wasted forest. A vague form stepped out into view, another arrow drawn across his bow. His brown tunic showed out from underneath a green cloak and hood, but non of his features was remotely visible. His voice was deep and resonated musically across the distance. "You wish to know why she is here," It was quite obviously not a question in his voice, "She is here because she could not die. She cannot die." He did not lower the bow, but then, it was not pointed at either the newcomer from the sky, nor the misty woman and her sadistic claws. "Were you yourselves mortal, her power would have long since dragged you down to the grave by her vengeful spirit's power," his voice grew dark tones as this forest had once grown dark shadows in the middle of day. And those words were met with a slowly rising wail of agony. The woman was emitting the grievous noise, as if her soul had been broken by what he had said.

She merely stared at the man, obviously unimpressed, considering the rather neutral look on her face as a contemplating silence surrounded her, green eyes narrowing a little. The woman took a few steps closer to him, warily watching his moves. “And who are you, stranger”, she grimly asked. “You who so arrogantly speak of me as if you even have the slightest idea about who, or better, WHAT I am?” Anger visibly began to seep into her otherwise more or less composed façade. The air suddenly became very tense, as she slowly got closer to him, not unlike a predator stalking its pray. She threateningly closed the distance; her eyes seemed to peer beyond mere flesh and bone. The curly haired woman halted for a moment as she heard the wailing again, glancing indifferently at the grieving woman. And somehow, the image that briefly met her eyes caused her to turn around, gazing intensely at the other female. A cruel smile distorted her features, “Well, well… You claim to have waited for me?” She threw her head back as she laughed, long curled beautiful hair falling behind her back with that movement. “I’m afraid, darling, that even if I -did- know you…” Her voice trailed off, she licked her lips as the smile only widened.

"The gods ceased to frighten me long ago," the man spoke, never once lowering his bow, fully drawn from the mark of that woman bound in chains. His words mirrored a look that had taken up residence in his eyes some time ago. It was part sadness, and several parts anger, but more than anything it was fear, fear of the creature whom he held at the end of his bow, so to speak. There was something about the way he said it, and that gleam which could be seen if one followed the shaft of the arrow down to his eye. It seemed to ratify his words. That no god could make him fear them, not since he had met this... thing. "When their powers failed. When monsters like this could come to be," he continued the thought, despite the long pause he had taken, "In defiance she stands against God and against man. No power can fell the errant beast which upon its own soul the foul creature feasts." it did sound like he was quoting something. Perhaps he was a poet in his spare time. After all, poetical hunters are not unheard of, assuming of course that he was a hunter. Then again, maybe he had a full time job pointing a knocked arrow at a woman encircled in chains, a woman who just wouldn't die.

"You didn't come to close my eyes," her whisper was so low, so like a child, shocked at finding their parent hadn't come to bandage their wound, "I was ready to go, but no one came." Then a look of pure and utter horror filled her eyes, which shot open at that very moment, "And now I can't leave." A strange effect occurred in that moment, like her pupils expanded across her eyes until they glistened black, only to fade down to a glassy gray color. Her face, which before had betrayed nothing but pain now displayed a new emotion, one that she somehow didn't seem to be aware of, anger. The cold fury bled across her features, taking over her posture, and even spreading down the chains, driving them in to ridged straight lines that extended outwards from her body, accepting of course those which remained to keep her bound. He voice, when it came, was like the shriek of a banshee, "You left me!" The arrow caught in her breast, right where the heart should be. A small trickle of blood made its way down from the bolt. But she did not either react in pain or in anger to the molestation. She was focused still on the elegant lady of shadows. So too were the chains. All at once, they extended as they would, More appearing from the ground, from the sky, from nowhere at all, they appeared and formed a web about the woman. "Know my pain!" Her cry was agony to hear, the cry of a soul in eternal torment.

The smile slowly faltered as the woman was taken by surprise and quickly looked around her at the chains surrounding her everywhere, the scene reminding her of another event in the past that she did not wish to remember in the least. For the firs time, those green eyes showed an emotion, different from the indifference and cruel feelings they had constantly expressed before. A concerned frown appeared on her pale face. Muscles tensed, her senses screaming at her that this was something she could not easily withstand. A last glance was cast at the battered young woman who had without a warning completely changed from a scared and hurt female to a vicious and unmerciful being. Though who was truly relentless here, one would ask himself. Akhlys took a deep breath staying still like a statue before suddenly running forward as fast as she could at an incredible speed, eyes widening in fear since her shadows did not come to change her form, like she had silently demanded. She frantically glanced behind her again, deciding to simply run forwards, knowing fully that there was nearly no chance to get past those chains running.

All about they were, crowding in ever closer, a forest to replace the forest which had been, a prison made up of iron links each connected, until impenetrable they stood all about. A web, an inextricable maze that was ever growing, ever changing as chains shot forth from the very air itself to surround and entrap. And always visible was that malignant force, no longer a woman, but one of the great furies of legend, or so her fearsome countenance would have implied. Like the spider at the center of her trap she hung suspended in the air, a hungry expression distorting her face. "Can you feel it," her whispers echoed all around, through the cold metal of her own cage, "I know you can. It's in every footstep you take. Remember, Akhlys, remember..." A name she had not heard, should not have known, could not have known. And then, through the chains, flickers of another realm, another place and time. There could be caught, glimpses of stone, of iron, of fire, and worst of all was the sound, nothing... nothingness which swallowed the screams and cries of torment. It was horrifying. But then, through it all, through the awful smells and sights, through the chains, he came walking. Delicately he picked his way through the web. Just who he was could not be certain. A tall pale man, a short stubby bearded fellow, a stocky gentleman, no, it was the hunter. He was singing a strange little song, it had the same haunting cadence as did those odd quotations he would suddenly spout, but it was just so indistinct that only the melody could be heard. It traveled along the chains, seemed to soothe their wrath, and they would simply part to let him walk through. So he kept walking, picking his way carefully, avoiding certain points, doubling back when he had to. He passed by the elegant woman of shadows at one point, and as he did, he offered to her two coins, but then kept moving. He would keep weaving his way through until he reached the form hanging at the center of the whole mass. She didn't even glance at him, so focused on the maiden of darkness was she. Not even when he pried the arrow from her chest. He cleaned the bolt, and then went so far as to tear off a piece of his own cloak to make for the wretched creature a bandage. As he finished, he wiped the blood from his hands, and removed from beneath his garments a pipe. Putting it to his lips, he sat before her and he played.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she began to calm, the rage leaving her face, her eyes fading first to black and then back into color. Her ferocious whispers stopped, and the phantom images vanished one by one, but the chains remained, enclosing the three figures although they had thinned to the point where it was more loose, providing more room for motion. He came to a pause in the music, and she rested there, listening for it to begin again. "Do not anger her now. If you do, she will crush us both," he said softly, almost in song, "But treat her gently and the chains will fall away."

The being from the sky had stood silently, watching the events unfold before his eyes. His head was still tilted in curiosity, and when he moved his lips, the sound that was produced did not seem fitting to the face that birthed it.
"State your identities quickly, i wish to know with whom i am currently standing, and whether or not you need purifying." The man's voice held no emotion, it was a single tone that never wobbled into any other frequency of sound, but there was a hint of a second voice amidst the words, a faint whistling sound. He looked at the one named Akhlys, and a spark of recognition appeared in his grey eyes.
"I've seen you before..." was all he said, and his expression gave nothing away.

The woman stood there so unmovingly that one could have started to believe that she literally was frozen on the spot as the horrifying images slowly began to vanish. Her face was completely expressionless, hiding any emotions she could have been feeling on the inside. If it was possible for her at all to feel anything other than sheer anger, amusement and sadism. A click was made in her head as the stranger, who had suddenly appeared earlier out of the sky with much ado, addressed her directly. That was a mistake. Immediately she turned to him, her figure losing that rigidness, regaining its normal smoothness and elegance as she gazed intensely at the strange man. Out of nowhere, a coldhearted grin appeared as she slowly nodded once, acknowledging his statement, before tearing away her gaze from where she knew he was standing –unable to see him because of the chains surrounding her-, then focusing on the other two. The smile broadened as she saw the female becoming even calmer. She ignored the hunter and his words as the images and words faintly echoed in her mind again. Immediately, something changed. Within a mere second, her beautiful face darkened and she inaudibly growled, her whole stance becoming beyond merely threatening. Things happened incredibly fast from that moment. She launched forward without a warning, faint shadows being pulled to her. They nearly behaved like a strange sort of wave, pushing her faster forwards as they increased in intensity and wild movements around her, all of them eventually aiming at the same target, hungrily trying to get past Akhlys to reach the other female first. The female quite literally shove the hunter aside, for he hindered her path. She closed her eyes then, taking a deep breath before the impact. An incredibly pale, nearly claw-like hand then struck down the female, clenching itself around her throat, and pushed her on the ground with an unexpected amount of strength, her sharp nails embedding themselves deep in her skin as the enraged woman quickly lifted up her other arm, the shadows swirling around her arm. She halted for an instance, glancing down at the female with a vindictive look, her eyes showing nothing but intense abhorrence. As if an invisible cue had been given, the shadows abruptly moved literally into her arm and hand, blood trickling down her delicate arm as they pierced her skin with the violent movements. A dark hue appeared to have come over her hand once the shadows were inside, the wounds in her arm slowly closing already. She flexed her fingers, almost lovingly looking at them before the woman began to chuckle, gazing down into the other’s eyes as, after a few seconds passed, she harshly thrust down her hand, right inside the chest of the female, ripping through skin, flesh and bone. Blood gushed out of the body, and the blackness from her hand slightly began to change while she ruthlessly clawed further in the already tortured body; it got a slight green tint as it rapidly spread inside the wound and entered her veins, slowly burning her on the inside, for it became a substance not unlike acid. The woman did not cease the violence in the least, grinning wickedly as she used more force on the young woman’s throat, slowly choking her while the acid did what it was meant to do.

The man, the hunter, had broken from his playing for just a moment, and had obviously been about to address the man who had appeared from the skies. And it was at that moment that he was thrown aside viciously into the chains. Something snapped, but it wasn't him. The chains strangely broke their rigid straightness to catch him rather than break his body. They coiled down to where they laid him softly upon the ground, where he remained, careful not to move after the impact he had suffered from that shadowed lady who was quite obviously stronger than she appeared.

In her calm state, the one in chains had picked up on the motions of the feral spirit. As the creature of misery built herself into a fury, a gleam entered into the eyes of the prisoner. It wasn't fear, or anger, or exhilaration, but in some perverted and disgusting manner, managed to be hope. Her body seemed to become open, thoroughly to attack. She wanted this. That was when they reacted. The chains transformed from a web into a roiling mass of snakes, each striking with the intent to kill. Every muscle in her body strained forward, and it was almost a cry of joy that escaped her before all the air was choked out of her. Tears of happiness clouded her eyes. The corners of her lips even attempted to turn up into a smile, although it had been far too long for them to remember completely how it was done. And then the pain naturally scared away such emotional responses. Scared them away to replace them with screams, which were very hard to make through the lack of air caused by a punctured lung. She gagged, gasping and convulsing, the pain showing across her face. Her hands spasmed where they were trapped against her sides, scratching into her own skin. Blood pumped steadily out of the wound, coursing out, some of it even spurted. The assailant and victim both found themselves covered in blood. But the horror was doubled when she found herself still alive. Her shackles were of a like mind, but they had a different motive and reason. They lanced down at the woman and her shadows, swooping to pierce, smash, entwine, and demolish.

"She can't die," the hunter had come back to his feet. He had recollected his bow and knocked an arrow. His aim lay upon not the attacker, but rather the one being attacked. "Please, if you can't kill her, you will only cause the chains to multiply," his voice was urgent and worried. She couldn't move much, especially with the choke hold, but her eyes turned to him, and she shivered her head from side to side. It could not have been clearer than if she had cried out, "Don't save me!" She wished to die... No redemption, no salvation, just the cold nothingness of Oblivion. Yet her eyes remained upon him. The bow shook slightly in his grip. His even breath missed not a beat. "Please," he whispered so low that it could not possibly be heard over the sound of the chains.

The strange man in the tan coat, having been ignored, decided he was going to act. He did not display an emotion of any sort, for he did not have a heart with which to feel. He stepped forward, lifting his left foot up and gently pressing it into the ground a foot or so infront of him, he then repeated the action with his right foot, he raised his left again, but before it touched the ground, the man had vanished. He was now stood next to the hunter, watching the scene unfold in front of him.
"What demon is this?" The man asked in his monotone voice, but always the hint of another voice present. He turned his head to view the hunter he now stood beside, and he analysed the mans features. He turned his head to look at the two women, his face did not betray any emotion when he spoke. "Your Brother got you out." That was all that came from the man's mouth.

“Foolish man”, her voice growled furiously, it was unclear if she meant the hunter or the other stranger, as she narrowed her eyes at the woman beneath her who still writhed in pain, lasting much longer than anyone else who had received a similar and equally ghastly treatment. It was an annoyance to her, really. Nor could she recall a time where she had been in a similar situation. Or perhaps… No, she refused to think further than that and focused again. Her head slightly turned towards the chains that showed an emotion beyond mere wrath as they aimed at her, determined to completely destroy every single bit that made her what she was. Akhlys gazed at the woman again, staring intensely into her eyes as she searched something. The harsh expression on her face nearly unnoticeably softened a little. The raging chains were so incredibly close to their goal, it was a matter of mere seconds. The next instance the female’s figure appeared to relax, right before her body instantaneously dissolved into shadows, which immediately completely covered the terribly wounded woman, harshly lifting up her limp body. To her it felt as if time was slowing down. It was an incredibly strange sight, the shadows moving wildly around the battered woman, without making any sounds at all, together with the fact that the female truly did float this time. “I envy you”, the bodiless voice whispered darkly in her ears, “Enjoy it.” And the shadows violently pushed her forward, where the chains would pierce their victim…

A veritable storm, the chains did not slow in their onward rush. The sound was horrendous. The rending of flesh and smashing of bone and then just the endless grating of chains whipping about. Somehow, she managed to conjure a scream, despite her injuries. The chains kept ramming through her and then doubling back on themselves again and again, until they pulverized her, separating bone from sinew and muscle from bone. It was strange, blood did not splash everywhere as one might expect, although the chains soon became covered in the substance, nor did her innards find themselves evicted from her frame but rather as with the blood clung to the vicious chains in their relentless path of destruction. They entwined about her then, as her scream died in a terrible constricted rattle. She was battered about this way and that by the force of being hit from each chain, coming from every which way. Soon they had so entangled her that the remains of her body could no longer be seen. A mass of whirling metal bound up her body in the air where it floated, a sort of final prison for a destroyed body, and a destroyed soul.

The hunter looked up, his face exposed just enough so that the incredible sorrow on his face was visible. His lips parted to speak softly, "The demon within us all." He took aim at the roiling mass of iron links and no more than a slight muscle twitch allowed the arrow to glide from the bow with grace and power. It found its mark true, burying its way deep within the folds of metal links. Just as suddenly, they stopped moving, and all fell in a heavy heap onto the ground. The sound resounded with dull clinks and a massive thud. He lowered his weapon then. Standing, watching for a moment, before his head sagged down, and he began to walk slowly past the pile of chains and off into the broken and burnt remains of trees. He didn't go too far off, evidently he had supplies somewhere close. For he began to set himself up a small camp, collecting firewood.

The chains, which had become still shivered to life jerkily, starting to wind away into the nothing from whence they had come, whipping into the ground and vanishing with a harshly metallic sound. As the noise faded along with the bonds, a form began to become distinguishable from beneath the disappearing metal... It was the form of a woman, whole and complete. Her dark hair fell down across her naked body, lying face down, sprawled across the ground. As bit by bit, the shackles left her, her pale skin was exposed to the fading light of day as the sun began to make its final fare well to the world before the onset of night. The hunter had returned, as if the timing of this event were already known to him, just as the last chains made their own adieu to their captive. Removing his large green cloak, he laid it delicately over top of her, to cover her form, careful not to touch her. After this was done, he retreated once more to his small camp some little distance away, without a word to the strange figure or the ever present shadowy cloud of a woman.

As the last rays of sun fell extinguished upon the earth, breath returned to the body of that prone figure, barely covered as she was, and at the same time, a little ways away, a fire sprung to life in the center of a small camp. She looked up, seeing the light in the pale night, not that she would have needed it for the moon already had washed all in its hauntingly white shine. The world gleamed from its power, and in the cold and barren world that it left, the fire was a lone welcoming presence. As if she didn't notice anything else, she rose, clinging onto the cape for warmth, wrapping it around herself as she rose. Like a person not fully risen from a dream, she slowly walked towards the source of heat and welcoming light in the broken forest, beneath the black skeletons of trees which were newly dead. Her bare feet tread softly upon the ground, leaving tracks to be blurred by the cloak which was stretched down to the ground and trailed behind her slightly.

The strange man turned to look at Akhlys, tilting his head in curiosity. A slight smile crossed his expression, but it was crushed almost as soon as it had appeared. "Ok then, you do not seem to pose an immediate threat, escapee. It is not my job here to collect you and send you back, so you need not fear imprisonment. However..." The man paused for a second, watching the lady of shadow. "If you decide to make an enemy of us, we will send you back, and there will be no other chances, we'll annihilate you, remove you from creation altogether. Is this clear?" At no point during his small speech, did the man's voice portray any emotion. He spoke in one tone, and it did not change.

Akhlys stood behind the man, bending closer to him as she smiled sweetly. "You need me", the words nearly happily left her lips. It contrasted heavily in a very disturbing way with her appearance; one arm was completely covered in blood, her dress drenched in the substance as well, not to mention that there were various dried bits of blood on the rest of her body. Quite a frightening look, some would say. "And", she went on, circling around the man, halting right in front of him, "No one is able to 'annihilate' me", her voice sweetly continued, the female closed the distance between herself and the other a bit more. "Oh no, you can only attempt to cage me." Akhlys' grin widened after those words were said. She glanced back for a second. Her face stayed expressionless, except for that smile, as she witnessed a woman appearing, then walking toward the hunter, obviously. Ah, how this annoyance was only becoming worse. "Such a bother", she sighed to herself, returning her gaze to the stranger once more. "Now tell me", she almost joyfully began, her whole appearance becoming more threatening as she voiced these words "what is your name, you who dares to speak to me in such a dreadful way."

Slowly, she wandered into the campsite. A log lay by the fire, empty. Her shivering form moved to it and declined to sit, always keeping the cloak tightly wound around her otherwise naked body. It was as if she couldn't even see him there, as he prepared a rabbit above the flames. Neither did he pay her mind as he worked, sparing not even a glance for the young woman. She licked her dry lips, pressing them together as her teeth chattered away in the chill night. It was a small clearing, made almost cozy by the presence of the firelight, dancing in the center of the hole in the burnt out trees. It might have been frightening but the man seemed to dispel any kind of fear or discomfort with a reassuring manner of holding himself.

Despite herself, she leaned in towards the fire, and by the same motion, towards him. Her eyes had been cast down before, but now they flickered up to him. Her lips parted, so that the sound of enamel hitting enamel could be heard a bit more distinctly, as if she wished to speak. However, before words could leave her mouth, he suddenly removed the rabbit from the fire, distracting her. Laying it out, he took out a hefty knife and began to cut up the meager little creature. Placing what he had on the small wooden plate that he had with him, he offered it to her. By unconscious reaction, she reached out her hand to take the offering from him. One hand holding the cloak, the other came out and grasped the hard wood as firmly as her shaky muscles would allow her. The clink of metal that followed the motion caused her to look down at the manacle about her wrist. She just glanced up, and found him staring sadly at the metal bangle. Horrified for a reason she could not understand, she snapped her hand back as if it had been bitten, dropping the food and plate upon the ground. Regret filled her for both actions, but he simply reached down and collected the discarded meal off the ground. He moved the dirtied meats onto his own plate, a handkerchief, and began to cut her off more meat from the body of the rabbit. It made her want to cry. Her eyes filled with tears. "Why are you always here?" her voice was as wet and ready to cry as her eyes. "Those are for you," he nodded towards a small pile of clothes that lay by the log, "I will go so you may dress yourself." He got up to leave, but her hands shot out again, her regard for keeping the cloak around her gone at the fear of being left alone. She grasped at the sleeve of his tunic, loosely gripping it. But he stopped, looking down into her eyes. He sighed and then swallowed the breath, acknowledging her with his eyes, he turned back to fire and sat by his food. Her hands fell from his arm as he did so, relief flooding her body.

It was then that she again realized her nakedness, as a chill breeze flitted by, causing the hairs on her skin to rise. To the little heap of clothing she was drawn, and with trembling fingers, she attempted to garb herself as quickly as possible. The clothing was loose, but had a weight to it, a traveling dress and a pair of trousers to go beneath it, a lighter tunic for underneath as well as undergarments to protect her, large stockings and heavy leather boots. It was wonderful. After she had all but her feet quite covered, she returned to the fire and the food, her fingers were still rattling too much to get her boots to come on. As it was, that she had managed to get on what she had was a miracle. The plate shook in her hands so that she nearly lost hold of her food again, and would have, had he not steadied it in her hands, and then lifted it from her. Slowly, he picked a piece of the rabbit's less than tender flank and lifted it to her lips. Almost apologetically, she opened her lips to accept his assistance. Next, he brought a small flask of wine for her to sip from, carefully never allowing her too much, lest in her hast to quench her thirst she should take to much of the drought. Her eyes shone her gratefulness to him.

The meal transpired thus, with he alternating, and she either taking or shaking her head when she did not want. When it was done and she brought back from the edge of hunger and thirst, he moved back over to his own food, to satisfy his own needs. She sat and watched him, her thoughts wandering as she did so. "She couldn't kill me," her quiet voice was broken from a still too dry throat and forced into a hoarse whisper from screaming, "Not even she..." His expression cast inward, his face betraying only for a moment the pain that her words brought him. "But I must thank her, even her failure has given me a moment of peace," She lifted her hand to look the the manacle, several links of the chain hanging from it. Already they began to return... "Please, take me to her," her voice was pleading, and so beautiful, even through the harshness brought to it by need of water. He simply rose, and wordlessly began to walk back to where he had left the phantom and her celestial companion. She followed, plucking the cloak from the ground and unsteadily rising to her feet, she almost tripped several times, but every time he reached back and caught her, until finally, they made their way by him providing support to her with an arm around her shoulders. She leaned in slightly to the warmth of his chest as he brought her to the one she wished to see.

"Lady Night Shade, Mist that covers the eyes of the dead," her voice croaked as she addressed the darkly clad woman from where she stood, still relying on the strength of that hunter to keep her feet beneath her, "I... I thank you for your mercy." She attempted to curtsy then and quite fell, though he dove and caught her before she could collide with the ground, with all the delicacy that he could manage. "I only wish that you may have succeeded," she spoke from the ground where he had most gently lowered her. As she rose up again, underneath his power, she did not glance at the face of the one who would have murdered her. "I have no payment for your grace. Please, I beg your forgiveness," her words were obviously incredibly trying on the man beside her, as his face was unable to keep from registering the pain roiling through his internals. Yet he managed to speak for himself. "Will the lady spirit deign to join a humble hunter and young woman around a fire for our meager meal? And the master archangel as well?" he extended his invitation to both the figures before them.

"I have no need for sustenance, this is not a body that requires it to survive." The Archangel replied, looking at the women who had now been clothed. His voice did not even carry a hint of gratefulness for the offer, his voice never portrayed any emotion, or changed tone, but always, nagging at the back of the life forms minds, was a sense that there was a second voice. The Archangel then turned to face Akhlys, "I am an Archangel, and you have never faced the wrath of Heaven before. You know not what we can do." The celestial being stated, as it stepped towards her, and lightning flashed, revealing the shadows of two wings on the landscape, that did not seem to have material form, nor could be seen, but that cast a shadow anyway.

The heavy sound of a metal weight slamming into the scorched earth below impacted the ears of those standing about. It could not be seen, but its effect was evident. The woman was hunched under the force of the addition which gravity made to her. Yet, she did not hardly seem aware that it existed, her eyes were riveted upon the strange man in his odd attire. "Heaven sent," she whispered. In her gaze was a look of... what? Was it really longing? Was she really leaning forward so hard against the arm of the hunter that his muscles strained to resist her urges? But before she could let out any more, he spoke, which distracted her, if ever so slightly. "Men do not live by bread alone," he quoth, "If you have a moment to spare, my lord, we would most welcome your company." He bowed his head in reverence. When he raised it again, he faced instead the woman of night, the look in his eyes was a sort of fear and sadness, but he said nothing. A slow blink took his eyes to the ground. "With your lordship's and lady's permission, I need to get her off of her feet." Her wait had most evidently become an awkward sort of strain on him, for he was listing to one side, and she sagged at the most. Still, he did not move without the leave of the two powerful beings before him.

"You need not my permission, i have no hold over you." The Archangel announced, looking at the woman, before he spoke again. "But, before you leave, i have a question for the woman. How did you know I was an Archangel? I had shown no signs." There was no emotion in the voice, it was a question for the purpose of knowledge, and none other, pure and simple.