Dawn.

The sun, the great ball in the sky, has barely risen above the treetops in the east. The morning dew, of course, no longer existed. Frost coated the ground in this wintery season. The flowers that once littered the landscape are gone, they shall not appear again untill spring.

A footstep comes down on the ground.

At North Castle, the drawbridge is being lowered. The guardhouse watch men stare as the hunk of wood hits the ground. They turned their attention away from it, to make sure no dangers were approaching the town by the main road, the only road in.

Their eyes opened in shock.

The figure, moving slowly, simply looked at them in their frozen shock as it passed them, and into the town.

Even though it was just dawn, people were already up and moving through the streets of North Castle. Everyday people were running about, shopping, doing chores, or sharing the latest gossip. The merchants smiled as people browsed the merchandise.

The figure stepped through the crowd.

Children, in awe, moved clear out of it's way. Some mothers grabbed their boys and pulled them towards them. Instantly, people were muttering. They were all shocked by the appearance of this being. As it continued down the road, they moved out of it's way. It didn't seem to notice.

It passes through the crowd, just as you arrive from the opposite direction. You two bump into each other. The people hush, and the being just looks down on you.

You get a good look. His shoulder plate is of the finest metal. His chest is bare. His red pants cover his legs. This was no bumb, it was an adventurer, the legendary staff in his left hand told you that instantly.

"Are you all right?" The Son of Grayblade, Nogare, asks you, lending down a hand to help you up.

OOC: Dunananana!!!!! Suprize!!!

He's back......

In case anyone didn't find out: I own nogare as far as HA2 is concerned.....

I want no battles, not yet. I am going to search through the topics and find Nogare's battle style.

It's not as good as the man himself, but I try....

Orpheous was walking down the street, ready to leave town. He had his cloak, watch, cheap fabric shorts, a tunic, and undergarments(which, no, can't be seen, you perverts). His right hand was resting on his staff. The sun was in his eyes, thus he was squinting. This would be the reason he accidentally ran into the figure. His eyes widened during the collision.

As soon as he looked up at the man, everything about him registered itself. Orpheous himself didn't know consciously, but sub-consciously, his mind new the answer. "Sorry," said Orpheous. "I tend not to run into people. I am fine, are you ok?"

OOC: Kasei, you should have kept the plan Nogare made before he left. You know, the one with both the evil and the good Nogare in one body. It should be in his profile 'Nogare, the Exile'.

OOC: Don't Worry....I have every intention to keep that plan....I just have no interest in fighting right now........

IC: Happy to hear the mage was okay, Nogare smiled at Orpheous. The Son of Grayblade turned to leave then. He turned, and realized that something was wrong. This man knew something Nogare wanted: The location of Kasei D Gobi. Nogare looked into his thoughts.

What should I do?

Just kill him where he stands! If he is an ally of Kasei, will he talk?

Killing is out. Deffinately.

What? Afraid that the guards will come?

No, its just-

Kill him, then!

Nogare Blade turned fully to face Orpheous, a solemn look in his eyes. He held his staff firm, but gave no indication he was about to strike. His eyes narrowed as he took a step closer to the inkweaver.

"Mage, I have a question, if it doesn't bother you; do you know the wherabouts of a Kasei D Gobi?" He asked Orpheous.

OOC: I'm gonna have some killin's up in here!!!

"What business do you have with Kasei!?"
Azador appeared quite abruptly in scene.
He did not trust this man as he had never seen him at all and some other people have a bounty on Kasei's head.
He stood with his rood clutched in his left hand expecting another fight.
"So tell me, what do you want with Kasei?" He asked again

OOC: Cool Kasei!!! I'm curious about the story,
since Kasei will be fighting Nogare or so I have heard.

Nogare narrowed his eyes, and glared at the newcomer. "I asked where Kasei is. Why I want to know so is my own buiseness, and I need not disclose it to you, mage." The Son of Grayblade said harshly, tightening his grip on belegcam. Nogare glared at Azador for a short while longer.

He's asking for it! Kill him!!!

That might be trouble.

Nogare mulled it over for a short minuet, then lifted his weapon, and was on the offensive. He crossed the distance between Azador and himself in what seemed no time, and had swung his staff at the mage, giving him a hard crack to the skull. "My buiseness is mine alone." He said arrogantly.

Not far away, the sound of royal knights and guards could be heard. People were screaming; there was a murderer in north castle.

Kasei was on the other side of town. The screaming did not take long to reach his ears. Instantly, he was moving his way through the crowd, towards the commotion.

OOC: Okay, I got his fighting style good, let's bring some doom up 'ins!!!

And yes, I god-modded. Azador can do whatever now.

OOC: Joy, another fight! Wonder if Burlo will need to save Sovelis again? I think he makes a great Superman. Wish I had a prettier Mary Jane though

IC: "Get out!" *SLAM*

Burlo stood silently, blinking as he wiped the spittle off his face. "Ain't no need to be 'arsh 'bout it, mate..." He mumbled, before straightening his coat and walking to the next door. He was about to knock and put on his best begging face when he heard a ruckus. "Wuzzat?" He pondered as he turned towards the screaming, which seemed to be coming from the courtyard, a ways away. "I ain't goin' that far 'way..." He said bluntly as he raised his fist again, when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned just in time to see Sabertache running down the street towards the noise, saber drawn and held out behind him. "Mate!" The Cleric shouted happily as he waddled after the mercenary as fast as he could.

Saber emerged in the courtyard to see the guards preparing for battle and citizens dashing about haphazardly. Then he saw the man from before, with raised staff, and his eyes widened. He had seen this man but twice, and both times were in horrific battle. The second time, he had been fighting against him, alongside several other adventurers. The mercenary had to sidestep as a rotund woman darted past, nearly bowling him over, and he sidled through the mob towards the man, wondering how he could possibly fight with this panicking crowd in the way.

A gust of wind blew across the rooftops, disheveling the hair of a cloaked figure seated upon them. Lyos saw the whole scene play out from his seat upon the parapet. His friend Orpheous, a new face, Saber, and a strange man with a dark aura all converging upon the center of the courtyard. A strange light seemed to glow in Lyos' eyes as he gazed intently at the group of men, his muscles tensing with anticipation of the battle he hoped wouldn't happen.

The new figure appeared to be searching for someone, and from what Lyos could tell, that person would be in for fight if the stranger ever found him.

Suddenly, the dark man dashed for the figure he didn't recognize, bringing his staff to bear. In one sweeping motion Lyos leaped from atop the parapet and drew both his dagger and Kostafrith. Gathering himself upon impact, Lyos sprang forth with almost godlike speed towards the two fighting. His heart racing, he attempted to throw himself between the men, desperately hoping he could dampen the blow enough to save the man from certain death. It mattered not that the attacked was a stranger; he would not stand idly by as another life came to an end before his eyes. In an amazing feat of acrobatics, Lyos arced through the air, one blade colliding with the dark man's staff while the other slashed through the air at the attacker. Its blazing hilt a crimson blur, Kostafrith's blade shone in the dim morning light as it tore through the cloth about the man's left leg, drawing a small amount of equally crimson blood. The blow had connected with the stranger's head which was now bleeding profusely. Though the man now lay motionless beneath him, it appeared that he stood a small chance of survival. Hoping his attack would be enough of a warning, Lyos hazarded a glance up at the dark man's face.
I do not know what sort of quarrel you may have with this man sir but I can assure you that this is no way to greet someone, that it is not. You seem like a noble warrior, so if you would please lower your weapon so we can get this man to the informatory I would be much obliged. he said as he readied his body and blades for the immanent retaliatory response.

OOC: That. Was. AWESOME!!!!!!!

I think we found December's RPer of the month, guys.

And after that: No more God-modding. I'm Accepting Lyos' attack because that post was made of awesome!

IC: Nogare's staff zoomed through the air, the force of a Goron behind it. It did not make it to it's desired target, however, at least; not as it should have. A boy, young by the looks of him, had flew off of a nearby rooftop, and had thrown himself between the staff and Azador, but somehow dodged, and the staff collided lightly with the targets head.

Then there was pain in the leg. As he roared in agony, Nogare looked down; to see that the boy from earlier had ducked down and cut his leg, and a steady flow of blood was pouring out.

Then the boy offered something. Nogare just glared down. "The time for words and offers is passed, now it is just battle, scum!" He said, pulling back Belegcam, and, pointing it down, aimed a shot directed at Lyos' head, so that the boy's brains would be crushed.

----------------------------------
Kasei was obviously getting close; the sounds of battle rained through the streets. He came upon a guard.

"What is going on?!" He demanded of the knight, who turned to face him.

"Sir! The Exile, Nogare, Has returned, he is causing a ruckus. A group of adventurers is holding him off. The guards are moving towards-" He did not get to finish, Kasei had already moved past him.

Nogare? What is he doing here?

OOC: As there is no more god-modding, Lyos; you can dodge that, or another man could use a shield to protect you. (GO, AZADOR!!!) You can also move the staff away, but nothing like:

'Lyos grabs Belegcam, stands up, and beats the crap out of Nogare with his own weapon.'

"I'm not a mage," Orpheous muttered, but Azador had already grabbed Kasei's attention. Then all hell broke lose. Azador had said something, but Orpheous didn't hear. Nogare suddenly rushed up to Azador and attacked him with his staff harshly. At this exact second, havoc broke out in the courtyard. Meanwhile, an angel-winged warrior stood on a rooftop, glaring at Nogare from under a cloak hood. Then, Orpheous saw Burlo and Saber on the side-lines. He tried to get eye-contact as to tell them with his eyes that they shouldn't get involved unless they want to get severally hurt, hopefully they noticed his signals. However, odds are, he knew they would not listen.

Then, as Orpheous was trying to make eye contact with Saber and Burlo, a boy attacked from one of the rooftops, and Nogare began to retaliate. The boy was Lyos, that new guy from the courtyard. Orpheous was now ready, his hand gripped his sword that was concealed within his staff as he swung it at Nogare as he made his move for Lyos.

This fight is useless, I did not wish to create a useless bloodbath.
Not again...
I want to protect instead of destroy again. Is it only because of those single words?

Azador ignored the crowd that had gathered just for this battle, although the yells tried to make him act more violently. He had to concentrate on the fight because rage would only bring loss.

"I must act..."
He stretched his wooden rod en pointed to Lyos.
"Protect this weary soul with the blessing of heaven, PROTECT!!"

An small colorless aura appeared around Lyos, right before the weapon hit him.

[/i]

Ooc: Aww thanks Kasei

IC: The foe was fast, perhaps too fast. Though Lyos was ready for the incoming attack, he knew that it came with such speed and strength that he would not have enough time to parry without sacrificing his arms or head... or maybe both. With no time to sidestep the assault, he gathered all his strength in the core of his torso, heart rate shooting through the roof as it delivered precious oxygen to the muscles in his diaphragm. His inner being exploded with a frenzy of violent spasms in reaction to the deafening shout they produced. So explosive was the force of the sound waves that rather than diffusing radially, the pressurized waves of air propagated directly at the staff, causing it to visibly quaver and slow down significantly upon impact. While he would now be able to stop the incoming attack, it would still likely shatter the bones in his arms to do so.

Suddenly Lyos' eyes were flooded with the brilliance of a blinding flash as the attacker's staff froze in mid swing, halted by some unseen barrier. It was not until then that he had noticed that the man he had saved had regained consciousness and was holding his staff out as if to cast some incantation. With a flash of realization, Lyos gazed down upon the man in awe. To take such a brutal attack and still be responsive enough to cast magic was no small ability. The bleeding had stopped, yet the man still appeared pale and drained.
I must thank you, good mage. My life would most certainly have been forfeit had it not been for your power. Can you rise?

Unsure of how long the strength of his arms or the mage's shield would hold out, Lyos realized that they needed to move before the staff could have a second attempt at their lives. Lyos' heart leaped as he caught a glimpse of Orpheous rushing in to confront the dark man. Perhaps this would give them enough time to get out from underneath the dark man's oppressive offensive.

Ooc: You got it

Many things happened at once. Nogare raised Belegcam for the blow, but when he went for the strike, a barrier got in the way. It was the mage from before. "Pft, nuisance." Nogare said, trying to crush the barrier.

His eye caught something off to the side. Orpheous was now coming, swinging his staff. Belegcam was raised in an instant to parry. The staff of Orph was knocked aside, and Nogare aimed a blow right at the inkweaver's chest, striking him dead-center. "You are all fools."

--------------------

Pushing his way through the last group of people, Kasei saw a shocking sight: Lyos and Azador were both on the ground, and Orpheous was just injured. The cause? Nogare. Filled with rage for a second, Kasei cleared himself of emotions, and raised his left hand while his right drew the scimitar.

As quickly as possible, Kasei attacked Nogare, who turned as though seeing the attack, and knocked aside the blade, and tried the same manuever on Kasei's head. The rebel flame, however, saw the attack, and dodged by moving his head to the left.

Kasei got a grip on his sword again, and brought it up to attack Nogare's side. Nogare dodged backwards, away from all his opponents, and redied himself. "Lyos! Azador! Get up!" Kasei demanded. Now was the time for fighting.

Azador stood up quickly leaning on his wand.
"Kasei? Who is this ridiculously powerful lunatic with an old broom?!?" He said trying to look Kasei in the eyes.

"Well I got to admit that he's powerful but that that branch is easily burned to ashes, I'm afraid." He sounded to confident for someone who had just been hit by the weapon.

A small flame appeared in his hands, trying to intimidate Nogare even more.

OOC: Sorry, Nogare...if you're reading this. I don't want to insult your character.

Saber finally pushed through the last few citizens. He had been unable to see much of what had happened, but his eyes instantly recognized the four adventurers who were currenrly in conflict, and knew they needed assistance. He saw that the weapon clutched in the enemy's hand was a staff--Wood. He focused harder than he ever had before as he held his left hand behind him and strained his tissues, trying to force the energy into his palm. Finally, he felt a trickle of heat. Eyeing the small ball floating just above the tips of his warming fingers, he focused his gaze directly on the ball of flame, and it began to increase faster, soon becoming a half foot across. Satisfied, he put just a bit more of his magical reserve into it to sustain it and squared around on the foe. He eyed the weapon clutched in his hand and hurled the ball at the warrior's chest--If he tried to block it, his staff would hopefully catch fire. Then again, he hadn't experimented much with magic, and he fervently prayed the small ball of fire would do its work.

Meanwhile, Burlo was bowling people over left and right as he trudged through the Courtyard, a practical boulder with feet. "'Dese people 'r gettin' ta be annoyin'." He grumbled crossly, then a cog revolved in his forehead and he put together a plan. Sucking in as big a breath as he could, he squatted down. With a mighty spring, he launched far higher than anyone could imagine, over fifteen feet. Despite his massive size, he stayed afloat as he soared ever closer to the center of the fighting. He saw Saber launch a fireball and raised an eyebrow. We're fighting, are we? He thought without an accent. Then he opened his mouth and shouted in his familiar drawl, "I's comin', mate!" He reached beneath his coats as he began to flatline at twenty feet in the air, his long tangled hair trailing behind, and removed a short, splintered staff. He raised it above his head as he began to fall, unleashing a strange, and somewhat disturbing, yodeling war call. He brought the staff down with such momentum that it was by luck it didn't break upon sheer impact--Although the surface it impacted wasn't known to the Cleric at the time.

If this is Nogare, why is everyone still alright? Kasei thought to himself. Then Azador spoke. Big mistake. Fool! Kasei screamed in his head. Too late, Nogare had heard. He lifted his head, and turned to stare into the eyes with his own, evil ones.

He is a dead man.

"Your existence is worthless, mage. You will be relinquished of that worthlessness today." The son of Grayblade said calmly, then moved. He was in a sprint towards Azador, staff raised for the kill as he aimed it at his target's head once more. It zoomed through the air in an arc, this time, force was behind it, enough to destroy a pety shield.

CRACK

Blood flew, and a roar of pain rang out. Kasei had jumped in between Nogare and Azador at the last second, and raised his own, extremely strong left arm to stop the attack.

He had obviosly miscalculated. Blood drenched the cloth of Kasei's arm, it was evident that the bone underneath the skin was broken. The roar had been Kasei's own. Nogare simply looked, but jumped backwards in fear of a counter-attack. Kasei was injured, but he was still resourcefull.

Then the sound of an ignited flame crossed Nogare's ears. He turned, and saw as Saber lifted his hand and unleashed a fireball. Nogare smiled confidently, and raised his staff, and swung. The fireball was extinguished as Belegcam collided with it in midair.

However, another shock came - a drunk, heavyweight shock, as Burlo tried to flatten Nogare. The exile stared for a second, then raised his weapon once more. It collided with Burlo's own staff, and succeded in sending the Cleric in another direction - to the ground.

Kasei grabbed his injured arm, then turned his head to glare at Azador. "Idiot! Don't antagonize someone like that, you'll die!" He barked, as Nogare charged again, this time, for Kasei. "Aw, crap." The Rebel Flame muttered, and let his right, good arm lift his scimitar once more. It rose with the speed of a bullet(whatever that was), and lached itself in Nogare's left arm.

"An eye for an eye." Kasei snarked, as Nogare jumped back again, bringing Kasei's scimitar with him.

OOC: Time for a battle royale!