Talking About Your Feelings

They had always been close. It was only natural after all, sharing a womb and then sharing the first years of their lives would naturally make two sisters grow closer together. Although they didn't look alike, the twins often shared the same mind, the same interests, and they liked the same things. It was a bond that had always been there, as natural as breathing, and one that had seen them through adversity large and small.

Biara often recalled one of the earliest examples of the bond between herself and Kyliska. It was a memory that stayed with her through the years, and in this moment it came to mind most clearly.

They had been little children at the time, often working or playing beside the building where their father kept his forge. All Castanics were good at crafting things, and their father had been no exception; his weapons had been known far and wide for their quality and beauty. Even as children he had encouraged both of his daughters to take up their own crafts, and Kyliska especially had seemed well suited for weaponsmithing with her attention to detail and innate strength. Biara had been smaller of course, more agile but less strong and it was clear her path would be different; perhaps crafting beautiful jewelry or other items which required less strength and more delicate handling.

Regardless, it had been on one of those occasions where Kyliska was working the forge and Biara was sent to fetch water for the cooling troughs within the building when the first example of their sisterly bond had played out. While on her way to the well, Biara had been intercepted by several of the other children who had taken it upon themselves to first trip the running Castanic child and then steal her water bucket. The teary-eyed Biara had returned to the forge building where Kyliska had stood with her fists on her hips as her weeping sibling explained what had occurred.

Biara remembered clearly the look on her sister's face, even after so many years had passed. The child-Kyliska had marched from the forge to find the children clustered in a group, one of them using the stolen bucket as a seat. The indignant Castanic child had kicked the other off the bucket and snatched it up. As the group of children surrounded her in anger, she had used it to systematically bludgeon the other children until they became a pile of crying, bruised and runny-nosed miscreants lying on the ground.

Biara would never forget the look on Kyliska's face as she slammed the bucket down on one of the ringleader's heads, shattering it. Her sister had risen up and looked at Biara sternly before stating, "Never let others take what is yours Biara. When they strike at you in order to steal from you, you strike harder."

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The words echoed strangely in Biara's mind as her sister's voice whispered in her ear, "Never EVER try to take something of mine Biara."

Kyliska's hands firmly gripped Biara's horns as she violently guided her sister's head against a cupboard in the kitchen of their guild hall in Velika. Biara saw stars for a moment as her head collided with the wood, bouncing off of it with a dull thud. Her red hair fell in her eyes as she tried to blink back the tears that formed naturally. Kyliska was not quite done though, using her grip on her smaller sister's horns to pull and then shove her towards the dining room table.

Biara staggered into the furniture, using her hands to balance herself and quickly flipping over the wooden surface, putting it in between herself and Kyliska. She grinned across the table at her fuming sister.

"A person is not a thing Kyli," Biara responded coyly, "And besides, it's not like I MADE Andissiel go on a trip with me. He REQUESTED to come along into the Cathedral."

It was, of course, precisely the wrong thing to say to Kyliska. Biara knew it. She had said it on purpose. She didn't expected her sister to lunge across the table quite so quickly however. Kyliska's plate armor covered very little of her flesh, giving her far more mobility than the other races. She quickly reached the edge of the table and then was flying over it; Biara's look of surprise comical to the blonde-haired Castanic.

The collision of their bodies made little noise as nearly naked flesh hit soft leather. Biara winced as she felt the few pieces of Kyliska's armor that covered her bust dig painfully into her side as her sister's weight brought them both down to the ground. Slammed beneath her larger sister, Biara's breath whooshed out and Kyliska took the opportunity to grab a fistful of red hair, using it to hold Biara's head in place, her other hand pressing her face against the floor.

"I've had enough excuses from you!" She snarled. "You had better not TOUCH him. He's mine! I expect that next time you decide to take a trip with him, you damn well better take me along. Got it?"

When Biara didn't respond, Kyliska leaned forward, snarling into her ear while pulling her hair, "GOT IT?"

Biara rolled her eyes, her lips parting to say something sarcastic to the other Castanic when her eyes widened and she gasped, her gaze fixated on the doorway. Kyliska's head whirled, blonde hair whipping around her as her gaze came to rest on the Castanic man leaning against the kitchen's doorframe.

Andissiel smirked as he watched the sisters, his hand bringing a juicy red apple to his lips. He took a bite, chewing slowly, the sound of the apple crunching the only noise in the suddenly quiet kitchen. His eyes conveyed hint that he'd been listening to the entire conversation with wry amusement.

"Biara," he said innocently, "I've filed those reports you asked for. They're on your desk. Should be more than enough information for you to report our findings to the Federation."

Kyliska's hands, still intertwined in her sister's hair, quickly released her sibling as she lurched to her feet, "Andissiel! We were...er...we were just having some combat training! Come, let's go for a walk! I've missed you so much and we have so much to talk about now that you're back in the city!"

Andissiel smiled as Kyliska practically bounced over to him, his eyes roaming over her tanned skin. Behind her, Biara slowly got to her feet, watching the two and biting her lip. For the briefest moment Andissiel's gaze met hers and an electrified look passed between them before he wrapped his arms around Kyliska.

"Yes, let's do that Kyli! I'm sure Biara won't mind cleaning up in here. Besides, she's got so much paperwork to complete now that she's the Captain," Andissiel said, amusement tinging his voice.

Kyliska's gaze whipped back around to her sister, speaking volumes about future conversations the two would have. "Yes. Yes she does. She should probably stay here ALL DAY completing that work. It would be a shame if she were penalized by the Federation for not properly filing her reports."

Biara rolled her eyes, dusting her clothes off, "Yes of course. Why don't you two go and have fun. I'll take care of things here. I'll talk to you later about your reports Andissiel."

Now it was Kyliska's turn to bite her lip and frown at her sister. There was little more to be said though as Andissiel chuckled and nodded, "Very well Captain. We'll return later!" With that, he casually guided Kyliska from the room, the Castanic woman all too eager to spend some quality time with her lover.

Biara smiled to herself after the two had left, her hands coming up to straighten her hair out. "You'll need to strike much harder than that sister. Besides, not everything is yours. Sometimes you have to share."

With that she shrugged, beginning the process of straightening up the kitchen. She had much paperwork to do, paperwork that her sister and Andissiel didn't want to be bothered with. It didn't bother Biara though; it would lead her to more power, and perhaps prestige in the eyes of some. Maybe enough to impress them and win them over.

The smile stayed with the Castanic woman for the rest of the day as she filed her reports.

My Sister's Things

The blade glinted in the dying light of day as it descended, the weapon's arc perfectly aligned with the center of Biara's body. Her bluish-purple eyes watched it as it came down, her body tense as she timed her reaction to the fraction of a second. The metal swept towards her, only to find that she was no longer where she'd been; a backwards handspring having moved her clear of the weapon's path.

The blade thudded into the ground near where she'd been standing as she landed and pivoted on the heel of one shoe. Bringing her own swords up and out, she whirled around, her red hair a blur around her as her weapons cut through the humid air of Cutthroat Harbor. The blades clanged loudly as they connected with the huge sword, which had been drawn from the ground and into a defensive block at the last possible moment.

Biara grinned, staring down the length of the crossed blades at her sparing opponent, her heart racing. Opposite her, holding the large sword, Andissiel returned the grin, grunting once as he pushed against the locked weapons and forced Biara's shoes to slide backwards in the dirt of their dueling area. With a sharp intake of breath he brought the weapon up with dazzling speed and lurched forward, the six foot long blade diving down towards the smaller Castanic woman.

Again Biara used her agility to leap out of the way, and the blade narrowly missed her body. She did a cartwheel past Andissiel, her own blades whirling through the air to strike at one of his red-hued arms. He was no novice though, and before her weapons descended he'd already withdrawn his blade and used the guard on the hilt to catch the edge of both swords. A half-formed cry of victory died on Biara's lips as she realized what he'd done, and then her eyes widened in surprise as the larger Castanic male began to twirl the point of his sword in a semi-circle rapidly, forcing her blades to spin with it. The motion made her grip on the blades weak, and she was forced to withdraw them and reposition herself or risk losing them. She took a step back, bringing them up to guard herself even as her opponent used the moment to his advantage.

The huge sword was already coming down, impossible for her to avoid now. She crossed her swords, hoping to deaden the blow and braced as his weapon slammed into them. He was far more powerful than she was physically, and his weapon was many times the size of her two swords. As it connected with her weapons, it knocked one entirely out of her hand from the force of the impact, and drove the flat of the second one into her face. Her last sight was of metal rushing up to meet her mouth and then everything went black for a moment.

A moment later Biara's eyes opened, taking in the sky above her as the sun began to set. She blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of where she was and rolling her head to one side. She watched as Andissiel walked towards her, pausing to plunge the tip of his weapon in the soil. One of her hands came up and slowly wiped a bit of blood from the split lip the impact had given her.

"Taking a bit of a nap Biara?" He asked with a sly smirk on his face before bending to retrieve the upper portion of his body armor that he had discarded before their practice bout.

For her part, Biara simply laid on the sandy beach of the harbor, watching his red skin glisten with sweat as he moved to pick up his gear. Her eyes devoured every curve of that delicious Castanic body, and she felt her heart racing again, only for a different reason this time. It was not difficult to go from battlelust to a much more ordinary form of lust after all. She bit her lip, remaining silent for a moment as he slipped on a sleeveless shirt before reaching for the rest of his armor.

Gods, is he flexing on purpose or something? No! No he's not! Mmmmm.

She quickly looked away as he turned to face her again, the smirk on his face making it clear that he had either seen her or anticipated what she was thinking. His voice drifted over to her again as he continued to put his armor on, "Going to lay there all day or...? I've got things to do. Also, you need to put a bit more practice into your bladework, your sister hits quite a bit harder than you."

Biara's naturally pink skin turned a slightly pinker color which might be mistaken for a flush of exertion or some other emotion. She remained silent for a moment, her eyes locked with his and transmitting a challenge to him from where she was laying in the sand, after a second of eye contact she grinned and slowly sat up, sanding that had been disturbed by her horns cascading back down to the ground.

"I'm working on it Andi," she said, almost purring. "I'm glad you stopped by on your way back to Velika to train with me for a bit. You should do this more often."

The other Castanic gave a noncommittal grunt, turning and walking back towards his blade and stopping to pull it from the ground. Biara's eyes tracked his every movement when he wasn't watching, and a sly smile played across her lips. She slowly rose, leaving her own blades where they had fallen in the sand for a moment as she approached him from behind, her shoes making no sound in the soft sand. She rested a hand on one of his shoulders, letting her fingertips glide across the muscles of his upper arm as she spoke into his ear.

"Are you sure you have to go so soon?" she purred. "We could train a bit more. I'm still good for a few more rounds. Or we could go get a drink..."

Andissiel turned and grinned at her and shook his horned head, "I'm already late to pick up my next bit of work. I don't have time right now. Besides...your sister will probably be there waiting for me." His grin transmitted the fact that he rather enjoyed the rivalry between the two.

A pout spread across Biara's face for a minute before she was able to wipe it completely off. She let her hand trail off his arm, taking a step back and sighing, "Very well. I'm sure Kyliska will keep you in fighting shape while you're there. But don't be a stranger alright? I'm working on the Lok issue from this angle, but that doesn't mean I want to be alone all the time..."

The Castanic grinned, reaching over to ruffle Biara's hair, his hand slipping between her horns. His expression and movements made it clear that he knew very much what her words actually meant, and that he was enjoying every moment of it. With another grin he nodded his own horned head at her before hefting his blade on his shoulder.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied, his voice carefully neutral. With that he shot her a mock salute with his free hand and set off towards the flight master.

Biara's eyes stayed locked on him until he was out of sight, her voice a whisper long after he was out of earshot, "See that you do Andissiel."

She turned to retrieve her own weapons, a smile playing over her face. Kyliska and Andissiel were a lovely couple, a very lovely couple indeed; and Kyliska was her sister, her own flesh and blood.

But sisters did share everything, didn't they? She grinned to herself and nodded. Of course they did.

A Song of Blood

Biara flicked her blade once, the gore on it splattering the withered grass beneath her shoes. She stepped carefully over the bodies of her foes, checking her surroundings, her face still flushed with the excitement of combat. The gloomy, dead woods had given way to a clearing filled with gravestones, and it was there that she had been attacked by the now defeated Blood Thralls. The entire region around Popolion was filled with such sites; areas where the Vampir reigned and their thralls stood guard over their tombs and sleeping places.

Of course, now they had begun to attack the living, and the citizens of Popolion had grown weary of having people going missing on a regular basis. And so the call had been sent out; a call that Biara was only too eager to answer.

Across the rows of crooked old gravestones her silver-blue eyes caught the slightest hint of movement. Her deadly blades came up into a guard position as she tilted her horned head, staring into the floating fog around the cemetery, looking for signs of another foe. With so many thralls in one location, she suspected that she'd stumbled across a place of power amongst the Vampir.

The Castanic had little time to wait before her senses were proven correct. The mist a little distance ahead of her curled away, almost as if by design, revealing a man standing amongst the stones. Her eyes locked with his, the blue of his gaze somehow drawing her own eyes to him. Time seemed to slow as she made a serious mistake and stared into those hypnotic orbs.

He was beautiful of course. Perhaps once an elf in life, although it was hard to tell from her distance. His tall, lithe figure glided closer as she stared, the moonlight glinting from his bare chest and flowing blonde hair. His movements were efficient, wasting almost no energy and making not a sound as he drew nearer, his gaze still locked with hers. In the back of her mind, his voice almost seemed to whisper to her, speaking soothing words of comfort as she continued to feast on the sight of him.

And then he was beside her, leaning towards her. Within she felt a surge of warmth as his hand brushed her shoulder, her pulse beginning to pound in her temples and a thrill running through her body. Dimly Biara heard a dull clatter as her swords slipped from nerveless fingers and fell into the dirt of the cemetery, and then even that was forgotten as the Vampir whispered in her ear.

"Any why do they send you here to fight? Why do they risk such beauty amongst the ugliness of combat," his voice purred. His lips were inches from one of her heavily studded ears, the sound of his words like a siren song. She shivered again as he reached up and brushed some of her fiery locks back. "So lovely. Too lovely to risk losing. Too lovely to allow to fall in battle, or to decay, don't you think?"

Frozen, she didn't move as he stepped closer, the lures of the Vampir almost impossible to resist. She could feel her heart racing in her chest as he ran his fingers along one cheek. His other hand gently took hers, lifting it to his chest as he leaned even closer. The contact sent a surge of thrill through her, and now she could almost hear her heart pounding away, the song of her blood a symphony that she wished would never end.

"I can make sure that never happens," he cooed at her, tilting her head at an angle with a gentle motion.

Biara shivered again, her hand running across his chest, resting where his heart should be, powerless to stop the creature. And then an odd thought crossed her mind as her fingers transmitted the tactile sense of touching him. Beyond the coldness of his flesh, beyond the tantalizing shape of his body, there was nothing. No heart beat, no pulse, no life, no blood flow.

The song would end when he drained her blood. There would be only silence forevermore.

The lust he inspired, the desire and pounding of pulse shifted subtly, became what had been there all along. She felt it surge through her like the crack of a whip. Felt its power, as she had always felt it, the same lure that drove her on with ever adventure, the same pulsing, racing NEED that sent her on adventure after adventure, time and again regardless of risk to herself.

It was not lust, it was BLOODlust.

Even as his fangs dove for her neck she was already moving. It was as natural as breathing to her. Her head tilted and the horns on her head became deadly weapons that threatened to gouge his face. She heard a hiss in her ear as he realized his spell was broken, but it meant nothing to her as her body surged forward and down.

Hands pressed into the soil of the cemetery's desecrated ground as she performed a forward handspring, her fingers slipping under the hilts of her swords as she pushed herself into the air. She could feel the passage of air against her legs as his body narrowly missed colliding with hers and she avoided an attack he'd launched, and then she was airborne, somersaulting and landing on her feet, her blades in her hands once more.

She whirled to face him, only to find him gone. Her own speed as supernatural as his, she whirled again and forced him to leap back as her blades slashed the air where he would have been. He scowled at her and faded, reappearing forty yards away amongst the tombs.

"It is a shame that you deny the gift I could offer you," his voice echoed, all power of enchantment gone from it now. "Even so, your blood will be useful for my thralls. Eliminate her my minions."

He casually waved a hand, turning to walk away. From amongst the crypts and gravestones howls echoed as more thralls poured from the mists, charging at Biara from all sides and creating a barrier between her and the Vampir. She grinned, in her element now. Her shoes dug into the soil and she dashed forward, her blades slashing down one and then another blood thrall as she cleared a path to her objective; a large crypt with a stone statue of an angel on it.

Her steel shoes clicked as they contacted the stone of the crypt, launching her higher and then again as they contacted the head of the angel, and then she was airborne. Time seemed to slow as she sailed through the air, over the howling, surprised blood thralls. Above her, her swords glittered with a deadly shine as she raised them above her head, her body perfectly arched to bring them into alignment with her target.

And then she descended.

The Vampir never realized how fast she was. He underestimated her strength utterly. He certainly never expected her to fight past his thralls or circumvent them. And so when her blade punched through his back and out of his chest, neatly bisecting his heart, his face had a look of complete surprise, even as her rather small weight drove him to the ground brutally.

Biara rose, Vampir blood splattered on her pale pink skin, the howls of the thralls echoing behind her as they mourned the loss of their beloved master. She looked down at the creature, which still struggled on her blade before twisting her arm once, carving its heart out as she withdrew the blade. She flicked the weapon once, letting the blood splatter the ground before looking up at the cowering thralls amongst the tombs, her smile widening.

In her head, in her heart, she still heard the song of blood. It was her own song, her own racing pulse every time she went into combat. The siren song that would forever drive her on, that would make every other song fade to the background. She brought her blades up, shoes digging into the soil again as she charged.

For the blood, for the thrill, for Castanica.

Into Darkness

Outside of the inn the sky crackled with distant lightning as the storm that had been threatening the area for so long moved in. Although the sky had been gloomy and overcast since the moment Biara had arrived at Popolion, an actual storm was a rare thing. It was as if the sky here decided to mock the dead woodlands all around with the promise of eventual water but instead left an oppressive, ever-present gloom.

Biara took in the distant storm through the inn's thickly paned windows before shrugging and returning her gaze to the table before her. In her hand was a tall glass of an amber-hued ale, and she took a sip of it, sighing a little in contentment. After spending two days in the forests around Popolion, it was a relief to be somewhere that was relatively safe; at least here she didn't have the risk of large hunting cats lurching from nearby bushes or maddened soldiers or settlers charging after her in an attempt to take her life.

She sighed, leaning back in her chair and eyeing the crowd around her. As she expected, here and there a few hostile looks met her glance. It was the maddened soldiers in the forest that was the problem after all. Too many Castanics had been driven mad. To be fair, it had not only been Castanics, but after what had happened in the Fey Forest around Lumbertown, any unusual actions by her kind were likely to be viewed with suspicion.

And now some of them had gone mad.

She shook her head, the blade-like horns on her head reflecting the light of the candles that lit the room. The situation was getting more complex now, and she still was no closer to finding out what had befallen her father since she and Kyliska had set out from their home in Castanica. Certainly they had found no evidence of his demise on the Island of Dawn, and she'd seen no hint that he had joined the followers of Lok in the Fey Forest.

The very idea made her cringe and she took another sip of her ale, trying to focus her thoughts. The followers of Lok were no better than demons; Castanics that wanted to return to the old ways, to the time when they had been the chosen of the gods. There was a price to be paid for such power though, and the evil that corrupted them was as clear as day to Biara's eyes. Where her markings and horns represented simply the purity of her race, theirs had become twisted, malformed signs of who they now were. There was no way that her father would be amongst them, Biara knew it in her heart.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a patter of laughter drifted over her table. The voice was female, and sounded like a human. The sound almost made Biara groan as she lifted her head and scanned the inn for the source of the noise, already knowing what she would see.

Through the smokey haze inside the common room Biara's silver-blue eyes immediately spotted a crowd of four people at one end of the bar. Three men surrounding a woman who was in the middle of letting out another stream of bubbly laughter, a hand pressed lightly on one of the men's chests as she shared some private joke with them. Beside her sat a drink and a meal that she likely had not had to pay for. Biara rolled her eyes and mentally groaned to herself.

As if catching the thought from across the room the woman, who was of course Biara's friend Endelle, locked her gaze on Biara and shot her a wink. An entire conversation was transmitted in that brief moment of eye contact and Biara shivered once as she realized the seemingly air-headed woman who sometimes allowed people to call her 'Dilly Black' knew exactly what she was doing.

The Castanic studied the woman for a few minutes, noting how she never let any of the men actually touch her. How she positioned herself to give them the best view without actually ever making good on any of the promises her subconscious movements seemed to give. The longer Biara watched, the higher her assessment of Endelle's actual intelligence became. Clearly the woman was much smarter than she seemed; her skill with magic was proof enough of it and her manipulation of the situation to her advantage was further evidence.

Endelle turned again, and still seeing Biara's eyes on her mouthed silently, "Hi Bibi!" before returning her gaze back to the men she was conversing with. Biara groaned aloud this time and rubbed her temples. The woman insisted on calling her that, and also on showing up at the most unusual times and places. Even so, she seemed to know her way around the forests surrounding Popolion, and on top of that, seemed to know how to deal with the beasts and vampiric creatures that lurked amongst the ruins hidden in the forests.

At least the girl hadn't had any bite marks on her when Biara last met her!

Biara sighed again and drained her glass in one last gulp before setting it back down on the table. She and Endelle had been planning on meeting and exchanging news and information, but it seemed the woman would be occupied for quite some time. It was of little consequence to the Castanic; she would rather be hunting in the forest anyway. It had been too many hours since she'd last drawn blood.

She rose swiftly, dropping a variety of glittering coins on the table to pay for her drink, eyes scanning the bar one last time. Again the hostile stares, some openly, some simply at the horns on her head. It just made her grin as she glanced at Endelle one last time; no one was going to buy her a meal, that was for sure!

Chuckling to herself at her own darkness, Biara headed for the door, swords swaying in their sheaths on her back, the sound almost a whisper of encouragement to draw them.

Soon enough. Soon enough my dear friends.

Hunting the Dawn

The soil began to crunch and shift under her boots as she stepped forward. The demarcation between the living fields of green grass behind her and the burnt and sundered soil in front of her was quite abrupt and obvious. Clearly some foul magic had lain waste to the ground ahead; it's influence only barely kept in check at the cost of many lives.

Her horned head tilted slightly as she gazed across the devastation ahead, her pale blue eyes seeming to glitter almost silver in the light of the sun. Behind her, several of the Federation soldiers that had accompanied her shifted uncomfortably. She paid them little heed, standing still as a statue as if trying to hear or divine what lay ahead, even though they all knew.

"This is a waste of time," one of the men muttered. The man, a human soldier in gleaming silver armor, leaned down and picked up a rock. He hefted it in one hand, as if checking the weight before continuing to mutter, "No one could have survived in there."

Biara Sunfire frowned slightly, not turning to face the man. She shook her head, her flaming red hair bouncing slightly around her pointed ears and the horns that protruded from its fiery mass. "There WERE survivors, otherwise we would not have any idea what happened to them in the first place, so clearly you are wrong."

The man offered a noncommittal grunt and then stepped forward, hurling the rock as far as he could into the devastated terrain ahead. It arced across the barren, blackened ground and some distance away in mid-flight it was struck by what appeared to be a hurled blade. Both the rock and blade clattered amongst the burned stones in the fields ahead. The small group of soldiers began to mutter to themselves, holding weapons tightly as the sounds of scuffling could be heard ahead.

For her part, Biara continued to stand in place, staring intently ahead. The Island of Dawn had many secrets on it that needed to be unraveled, but the most important secret of all was what had happened to the First Expedition. Wiped out nearly to a man, only a scant few survivors had returned to tell tales of the horrors the island held. The rest had died, or gone missing.

Including Biara's father.

The Castanic shook her head again to clear her thoughts, focusing on her objective. She and her sister Kyliska had come with the second wave of adventurers to the Island of Dawn, and she meant to find answers. Already the Island had shown itself to be of interest, and she could certainly see what had lured her father there. The place was filled with old ruins, mystical artifacts, potential treasure, and mystery. It made her own blood stir just to think of exploring the entire thing, and her father likely had felt the same drive.

It was the same adventure-lust that had lead their mother to her own fate after all, as it would likely claim Biara and her sister in their own time. The burning need to be doing something, to feel the thrills of life, drove them onward. Even so, neither sister would forget their father, nor stop looking for him even if there were few clues left as to where he might be. Had he died with the First Expedition's defeat, or did he escape and wander elsewhere in the world now?

Neither sister knew, but a Castanic did not forget their own blood. Not ever. They would continue to search for him until they found him or learned that he had finally been claimed by his last adventure.

Even as the thoughts briefly crossed Biara's mind, the scuffling noises grew louder. Shapes began to emerge from the twisted landscape ahead, their visages corrupt and loathsome. Upon seeing their half-melted faces and the blades jutting from their limbs as well as the circular blades at their mid-sections, all of the Federation soldiers grumbled; everyone knew what a demon looked like after all.

"There is no way anyone is alive over there," one of them muttered. "Let's just go back to camp and report what we've seen. I want nothing to do with those things. We'll end up melted into the charred ground if we go that way."

While others in the small scouting group nodded and murmured their agreement, Biara ignored the comment, one stiletto heeled boot stepping forward onto the blackened terrain ahead. The murmuring behind her grew louder as the men saw her advancing, but she ignored them, her eyes on one of the demons in the center of the group.

A demon with trophies on it. A demon with a necklace fashioned of exquisite gold hanging from one of its bloody, putrid blades.

Her pulse began to race, and a slight smile tugged at the corner of her painted lips as the men called out warnings behind her. She paid them little heed as she leaned her head forward a bit, beginning to move faster now. The battle-lust was upon her, and no matter how loudly they protested they wouldn't dissuade her now.  The thrill of it was like a siren song in her mind. Her boots dug into the soil as she began to pick up speed, the demons turning to face her as they watched her approach.

Running now, a smile truly did break out over her face as the first demon reared back and hurled a curved, circular blade through the air towards her. Almost as if it were child's play, she twisted her lithe, agile body out of the path of the weapon, feeling it pass her like an errant breeze. Two more blades followed the first, the first going low and something she could easily leap over while the other went high. She ducked her head down, the weapon narrowly missing the curved horns on her head as she rolled once and came back up to her feet. Her hands reached back and each grabbed a sword hilt as she drew her weapons.

The first of the demons had little chance as she darted forward. It's cumbersome attempts to impale her on its arm spikes were almost laughable as both of her blades darted in point first and impaled the creature. Biara twisted her body as a second of the creatures came forward, using her momentum to tumble past the first dead demon and evade the blow. Her blades came up in a dizzying whirlwind of steel that slashed the demon's limbs and then head repeatedly. The second foe fell to the ground without a sound, its gray flesh oozing black, corrupt fluids into the soil.

Two more demons charged her, one from either side as she regained her balance from the attack. One of the creatures hurled a blade and she was barely able to get her swords up in time to deflect it. The heavy weapon arced upwards, the flat part of it striking her side and the weight knocking her to the blackened ground. She lay in a daze for a mere fraction of a second as the demons lurched hungrily towards her. Her pulse pounded in her head, the sheer excitement of the moment, the knowledge of her imminent death sending a rush through her entire being.

Her legs whirled, sweeping the demons from what would be considered their 'legs' and causing them to crash to the ground as she jumped back up. Her swords whirled around her in a devastating circular arc that intersected the heads of each of the creatures, and two more corpses tumbled to the ground.

The last demon growled, the sound coming from somewhere within the half-face, half-blades that made up its head. It lunged at her, blades extended on its arms. Instead of deflecting the blow, Biara ran towards the attack, leaping at the last moment. Her castanic heritage gave her the strength to do a forward flip, the blades of the creature narrowly missing the bottoms of her boots as she gracefully sailed over the demon, her blades trailing and mane of red hair flowing around her. She landed lightly behind it, her blades slashing out and impaling the creature. It gurgled and then fell to the ground.

Biara rose from a half-crouch and flicked the corrupt blood from her blades before sheathing them on her back. She looked down at the creature's corpse, the glitter of gold drawing her eye amongst the black corruption there. She reached down, drawing the jewelry from the creature, and studying it in her open palm.

It was an intricately crafted golden chain designed to look like interweaving thorny branches. The thorns came together at a central point along the chain, surrounding a rose made of a deep red gemstone. It was not something that the ordinary adventurer would have, and not even something that many of the other races would have. The craftsmanship of the piece was clearly Castanic, but what was more, Biara was quite familiar with the piece.

It had been their mother's.

Her father had carried it with him always, and now here it was, stuck on the blade of a demon. What did it mean? Was he dead then, or had he simply lost it in battle? Did he ever escape from the Island of Dawn? The jewelry created more questions than answers.

"Hey! Hey you crazy Castanic! Do you want to fight an entire legion of demons? Because if you don't, maybe you could get your ass back over here before more of them show up!" One of the men shouted.

Biara's pointed ears twitched once and her fingers clasped the pendant tight before slipping it into a pouch on her belt. She took a deep breath, relishing in the pounding of her heart and the thrill of recent combat for a moment before nodding her head and trotting back towards the other Federation members.

Her head turned one last time as the group began to depart, looking back at the devastated terrain, her eyes thoughtful. They would find out what happened to him. A Castanic would never forget. And if something happened to him...

Well, a Castanic never forgot a foe either. At least until they were dead.