Azador burst out in sudden laughter, seeing the woman so casually walking out of the inferno kasei had conjured.
"hahahahaha....I must applaud you for surviving such an attack."
It was not unusual for the calm mage to lose his composure at the brink battle, and his laughter sounding menacing and completely out of character.

"hehe.. You seem to be quite a worthy foe, but truly none of the magic users here are without merit, including my self."
The mage stretched his arm to conjuring a dark flame floating on the palm of his hand.

"The magicians you have slain must have been quite pathetic, allow me to give you the challenge that you so desperately seek."

"Heed me great powers of darkness! Allow me to obliterate the fool that dares stand in my way." In instant the dark flame consumed Azador, surrounding his body in aura of shadows.

"I will show you that your confidence will only lead you to an early grave."

OOC: Sorry, my mother got addicted to Facebook, and I haven't been on the one computer in the house that much because of that.

IC: Prior to the inferno that Kasei caused, and even before Dogura went to investigate. Azador had spoken to Simon. Other than Kasei light pause and gaze at Simon to show that he too noticed the scribe, Simon had been ignored. Not that it mattered. An extremely odd happening was afoot. Simon spoke back, at this time (sorry for going back and bringing up this moment, but Simon couldn't just not comment). "I don't mind traveling in groups," he assured the mage.

Then, he stepped back, and let the more experienced analyze the situation. He too was trying to think it over, but his mind wasn't as experienced as his associates'. Thus, it was only natural that his associates had the better ideas first. Dogura thought he noticed something, yet it apparently had turned out to be nothing. Kasei, meanwhile, wished to set fire to all, to remove any hiding places this fake Hyrule had to offer to their captor(s), should they be in this place as well. Simon at first was hesitant to stand by and watch all those buildings burn. Yet, he came to realize that this indeed was a place of illusion.

Before he could add to the inferno, it was over, and the flame had consumed almost all in sight. All except a female warrior. Her long blade seemed sinister. The light battle armor didn't look like it could have repelled the flames from her. Perhaps the blue gem had shielded her from fire. Simon just brushed it aside, realizing she was indeed a threat, and they should deal with neutralizing her first.

Five important questions though had to be answered. One, did she participate in gathering them her? Two, were there others who she was working with? Three, what powers did she possess? Four, did she have power of this world? And five, which made Simon rethink the gem, how did she shield herself from the inferno?

Simon took a defensive stance. He didn't have the answer to any of the five questions yet, and the last three seemed to make them think before he launched and offensive. Kasei would be Kasei, and his recklessness tended to pay off. So, Simon wouldn't complain. Yet, that was the not the route he would take.

Kasei's scythe cut through the flames and towards the mysterious woman, and it appeared as though she would not survive. However, Kasei's scythe was halted in the midst of the blazing fires surrounding the woman, and as the fires cleared way it revealed that the woman had survived the flaming attack unscathed and had blocked the vicious scythe with her own sword - which was a good four or five feet long. She twisted her weapon and forcefully swung it, releasing her from the lock of their weapons and sending Kasei reeling backwards. As for Azador, he discovered that his body-shielding flames had simply dissipated, leaving no trace of their existence.
"Magic. So powerful, and yet so helpless before the strength of a real warrior." She looked at Kasei and Azador in disdain. "Where I come from, a magician is a wannabe warrior. Someone who could not learn the power of steel and so took the cheap way out, opting to learn the ways of a cheater and simply magic his way into the ranks of the warriors. We cast out magicians. Magic is for the weak. Steel is for the truly strong." And with saying that, she flipped her sword in her hand so she was holding upside down, then charged the group; her long blade came up in a slashing motion so as to wipe the whole crew out in one swipe.

OOC: wouldn't be a fight without music.... Here you go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdA4xHpTOYc

OOC: This is getting pretty good.

IC: Simon absorbed the woman's words carefully, paying close attention to her words. He also witnessed how simply she repelled Kasei's attack and vanquished Azador's fiery shield. This meant that she was both a skilled warrior and could dowse out magic better than most. However, this could also mean that indeed, she might have been able to influence Kasei's speed or the magical aura surrounding Azador because she, along with her presumed colleagues, controlled this illusion and all that resided within it, save for the adventures' life and their freewill. Or, perhaps she was just incredibly talented in combat. Both options seemed valid. Perhaps both were correct.

Meanwhile, Simon was ready from his defense stance to attempt to dodge her slash. He made sure he aimed for several yards past the length of her sword, should the blade be able to admit some kind of shock wave or beam of sorts. As he recovered (notice, this could be from a blow he received or from his own dodge, I don't want to god-mod), something clicked.

She alone could not be the controller of this false Hyrule, if there was a controller. At least they knew that she was working with the people who created this fiendish falsehood. The creator(s) would not leave their higher plane to descend into this trap unless all of their subordinates had been disposed of. And, this woman spoke so disdainfully upon magic. Certainly, unless an earlier topic was right, magic had born this illusion. Did she know that? Certainly, she must have. Simon was unsure.

Standing straight and reassuming a defensive stance, Simon wondered in his own mind, if this woman thought down on magic and favored steel, than certainly words would not be what she would expect. Perhaps diplomacy could be their ally. His companions might have been hot-headed, but Simon might be able to make a good impression.

"Jinx," he spoke, calmly but assertively, calling to her, and getting her attention. "I understand that you were sent here to kill us all. I have no doubt that you are a skilled warrior with a blade and that many mages have fallen before you. My name is Simon Grendel, son of Westin. I wish to implore why it is your calling to kill us? Don't you wonder why your captain did not come down instead? Certainly, if keep up this performance, you will defeat us with ease. Yet, couldn't your master beat us faster, wouldn't that be wasting less time? You seem like a really dedicated person, but do you realize what you have dedicated yourself to? In the mind of your boss, you are disposable. Why else would they send you down first to test out our powers? I can assure you, both Kasei and Azador hold more forces than those tricks you just exceeded. Not only that, but my powers to you yet remain a mystery. Jinx, hear reason! Back down now and aid us, and this will not have to end violently. But, I can assure you that if you choose to fight us, you run a strong risk of dying. You know nothing about true powers, and your masters could care less about your life. Please, Jinx, I do not wish to see anybody be manipulated into being a martyr just to estimate the strength of so-called enemy!"

After this, Simon stood there, adamant in the words he had spoken. Yet, with the defensive stance he stayed, hoping that Jinx would see the light and understand, that way his foot work would not be necessary. Of course, Jinx probably would not, but Simon thought it was worth a shot, and he had no regrets about saying it. He just kept looking as though her natural answer would be to accept. If not, certainly his words would spark a response that brought other truths to light, at the least. He gave her a smile and sympathetic look, letting her know that she was welcome amongst them if they could just come to peace.

Kasei careened back for a moment before planting his foot in the dirt. Options, ran through his head. She was strong, he realized this now, her earlier escape of his inferno was no fluke. One option was to resort to his shadows to annihilate her, to smother her in infinite darkness, but she would probably stop that as easily as she had vanquished his fire. He needed to know how she stopped his fire, fire that was fueled by ancient magic.

Another thing that worried her was that she stopped his attack so easily. He was no Goron, true, but he knew he was far stronger than a human could possibly be. This meant that she herself was certainly not human or, if she was, she used magic to augment her own skills. "Looked down upon, indeed." He muttered.

Still, he was no stranger to difficult opponents, as soon as he regained his footing, he lifted his scythe above his head and began twirling it in an elaborate motion, the blade swinging around, faster and faster. He stepped forward, hand gripping the staff of his weapon in the center, and began attacking her with a twirling motion, so that the blade curved down on her and, if she blocked or repelled it, he would simply have to bend one way to send it right back at her. It was not incredibly fast, no, but his use of not only the blade but also the blunt end of the scythe as a weapon made it so a swing was not one attack, but several waiting at a time. In addition, the length of the weapon and the reach of his arms meant that even with a good three feet of blade, she would not be able to counter attack.

Let Simon ask questions when he was done dissecting her.

Jinx was about to reply to the questions aimed at her, when suddenly she was defending herself for dear life. The attack had caught her off guard, as she had thought they wanted to talk first, then fight, as many of her "assignments" had. But of course, these were no ordinary assignments. That must have been one of their battle tactics; distract then attack. It was so obvious Jinx felt rather sheepish for a moment, but kept concentrating on defending herself from Kasei's twirling scythe. It seemed no matter what she did, he just kept coming at her. Maybe there was more to this "mage" than she thought... Time to let it all out.

She thumbed a small mechanism on the hilt of her sword, causing jagged hooks to pop out from the blade of the sword, catching Kasei's scythe and holding it in place. He was very strong; even she, with all of her training and all of her people's natural inclination for combat, found that it was not easy to keep back his blade. With a deft twist, she broke the embrace of steel and did a backflip, landing a few feet away from the group.

"Alright. I can see you all won't die too easily." She lifted the necklace up and away from her body, holding the blue gem in her hand.
"Sorry, Master." She whispered, then smashed the blue gem on the ground. It hit the ground and smashed into a dozen tiny fragments, scattered all around her feet. The glow was gone.

Suddenly, there was a feeling of oppression over the group, as if they were being suppressed. For the mages in the group, they had lost all connection with their supernatural abilities.
"Good luck trying any magic now. It won't work, no matter who you are, where you come from, or what kind of magic you use. I engage only in fair fights of steel and iron. Now," She said, readying her blade once more, but not attacking, "Who wants to be first to die?"

Kasei shrugged slyly as he felt his connection to magic disappear; such a thing was not really too much of a difference to him in combat; he was still skilled enough as a fighter to take on Jynx.

He redoubled his grip on his weapon and stepped forward, ready to charge her again with his merciless attacks, when suddenly his knees bucked and he collapsed forward, losing his grip on the scythe as he stumbled onto his knees, using his hands to hold himself up. His weapon seemed to turn to a dark mist as it vanished. "Wh-what...." He began, and he felt himself lose strength. He looked at his fingers; they seemed pale, decayed, lifeless. My immortality.

It was true, Kasei's immortality, perfect as it appeared, was still an act of magic, even if it was by the god's will, a spell was a spell, and it was losing it's power over Kasei. He would live on, but he would not be able to act much in his current state.

He glared up at his enemy helplessly. "Such a position for me to be in, eh?" He joked, before finally falling to his side.

Simon was stunned. Here he was, trying to solve things diplomatically. He knew Jynx would have answered him. Yet, Kasei, eager as he was, chose to attack Jynx, confusing the woman of their intentions. Now, more than likely, she probably thought Simon's words only served to distract her.

Then, she surprised him, deflecting Kasei's attack. Well, that wasn't exactly surprising at this point; it was what she did next. She took her blue jewel, and smashed it. Immediately, Simon could feel the oppression. At first, he did not know what was being blocked. Yet, once Jynx told them that magic had become useless, Simon realized that indeed that was what was being forbidden.

Then, Simon turned, seeing Kasei's scythe vanish. Kasei himself was growing weaker, and Simon could tell that. Then, before he knew it, his colleague had fallen, injured or possibly dead. Now Simon was at an impasse. He could check on his friend's status, and possibly safe his life, but that would put him at risk of being unable to block Jynx's next attack. Or, he could trying going head to head with Jynx in a battle of iron, but Simon knew that he stood little chance of succeeding.

Instead, he choose again, words, chosen carefully to get his message across concisely as possibly. "I meant what I said," he spoke, before dropping his staff, as a sign of piece, and going to check on Kasei. The life of his comrade mattered just as much as his own life, and if they was anything Simon could do to help, he needed to try.

OoC: I'm going to wait for someone else to reply before I do... because right now, Jynx's only option is to attack you.

Kasei was not moving at all, and his breathing came in short, quick rasps. Simon could see that the Rebel Flame was starting to go deathly pale, and there was no need to touch him to see that he was beginning to run cold. Something like murmuring came out of his mouth, and it would have taken Simon a bit to get anything useful out of it. It would have sounded suspiciously like "water....".

Simon pulled out a flask, and lowered the dispensing tip to the Rebel Flame's mouth. Soon, water, cool and cold water was flowing into Kasei's mouth. Simon kept a close eye, making sure he wasn't drowning Kasei. Yet, also, he looked up at Jynx, pleadingly. He was completely open to any attack she would wish to throw at him. "Please. What did we ever do to you, Jynx?"

Jinx pouted."You're no fun at all, are you? And I was told this would be a difficult job... Jynx lowered her sword and continued. "Ah well, if you're so willing to die anyway, I might as well make this interesting myself, hmm? Here's what you want to know: My master has much more important things to worry about, and many things to manage. He could not afford to leave his position, especially when he wouldn't have to because I am sufficiently powerful enough defeat you. And he did not order me to go - I offered. All that we do is for one thing- the great plan - which you would interfere with. It is the way of you... adventureres." She said, sneering at the last word.

At that moment, she felt a sharp stab of pain in her gut. Jynx winced but did not falter in her stance. What? She thought inwardly. Why am I reacting this way? My abilities should be able to subdue all of their magic... the only kind of magic strong enough to try resisting me is Holy Magic. Could they be...? Jynx shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She brought her weapon back up, faced Simon, and spoke. "Well, lets find out what kind of powers you posses. Come on then!

OoC: Aighty now, a reply from someone would be very well appreciated.

Kasei coughed several times as he struggled to gulp down the water. It was quickly becoming evident that he was aging; his sky-blue hair was turning a perfect white, and though his muscular build did not change much, his skin was clearly that of an ancient man. After finishing the water that was offered, he did his very best to struggle to his knees.

Once up, everyone could see his sunken, dead eyes. They almost seemed to vanish completely. "Simon," he rasped, "I don't have too much power left, and she has no intention of letting us go. The magic of the gods is still keeping me alive...barely. I can fight, but I need to know that you'll assist me." He said quite simply as he struggled to stay on his feet.

Leth glanced at Simon, and gave him a nod. Hopefully the scholar would be able to keep Kasei alive long enough for them to dispose of Jynx and rid Kasei of whatever was ailing him. He looked over at the warrioress and sized her up. She appeared to be much more proficient at close range combat than he, in fact, Leth was uncertain how to go about fighting her. His only hope was to keep his distance and not let her blade touch him. Fortunately, he had a small amount of skill in wielding a Rapier, although he highly doubted that would hold up for very long against her fiersome-looking weapon. Even if it did, he couldn't wield both his Rapier and his bow at the same time. This was going to take a lot of careful planning, which usually took time, which he didn't have right now. In fact, every second he spent planning an attack, Kasei got closer and closer to meeting his fate.

He needed to think of something, and quick.

OoC: I'm going to give everyone one more chance to post something before I take matters into my own hands.