Out of bounds (Open)

[Barbannis]

.Out of bounds.

(OoC: Trying to get Barbannis on the move again, not certain when this takes place, before or after the current happenings in Deep Forest. Most of this will happen in the wastelands anyway :3 Tis open for the moment, otherwise ill keep posting solo either way)

Ic:

With a sickening slash of metal and bone he pulled at the end of his sword, paw pressed against the beasts head plate, letting the sword end crack out from inside with a spatter of blackened bloot to his fur. The wolf turned, his wings spiraling across and sweeping through the dank air, his sword taking a single strike, meeting a blade in the shadows. He turned, pressing his paw pad deeper into the sandy footing below him, sword grinding in close as he stared forth into its gleaming eyes. With a swing of his left arm he battered his round shield up against the Necrosis's chest, forcing it to take a back step.

Barbannis stepped forward with an instant, his sword slicing in under the humanoids chin, blood trickling down his red dragon blade. The wolf spun back, sweeping the blood from the sword with an arcing line of black as the lifeless warrior dropped to the ground to his feet.

The Tyrai wolf rose his arm across, wiping the blood from his matted fur, his helmet lay astray somewhere deeper in the cave, the fur across his muzzle and over his head spiked messy with blood and sand.

A month had passed by without stepping another foot back within the forest, he had spent long hours searching the wastes for remnants, the left over raiding parties, Necrosis war bands. It had been two months since he had sent Siltharyn beyond the Deep forest in company of Sol and Amarutu, safe, with a soon to be family...

The knight pulled his sword across, slowly stepping up the broken stone hall, following the faded morning light and entering into the wastes open terrain once more, the rocky sides of where the last battle had begun were a good start, so many caverns, so many hiding places. He stepped out into the open, the warm spring air passing through his matted fur. The rumbling sensation through the ground crept up on him swiftly, sand peeling back lightly as something passed below. The knight slowly lowered himself, slicing the end of his sword into the ground as he knelt down on one leg. With a swift curl of his arm he rolled his shield over his back, wings peeling back inwards and holding the round steel against his armor.

While their part to play in the battle was minor, the worms that had swam within the ground, led by one of Ryvius's generals had remained. He had managed to take two down in the time he had been here, but every day and night more seemed to echo within the forgotten battle ground. He ran his hand across the sand, pulling up the dry ground and throwing a pile across the earthy soil. By the feel of the ground moving below him, this was one of the larger ones.

The Tyrai wolf rose up, running a hand back over his face, brushing his fingers through his thickened fur and looking over the horizon, the forest in the distance, its edge of tall thick trees shadowed with darkness as the sun rose.

'I have to stay'

His words to Siltharyn echoed in his mind, the words he had spoken before she left, before he had sent her on her way... to be safe. The knight stared at the forests edge as the grounds rumbling began to dim. The forest had grown quiet beyond the war and battle, Ryvius had fallen, his generals scattered to the wind, Makento and Ubel fell back, disappeared... those that wanted him dead, gone. But lingering on his mind he knew that there was still more to be done, a shadow still itching at the back of his neck.

Barbannis rose up from the ground, the soil pouring down from his open hand before reaching across for his blade. The knight pulled his sword free from the sand with a snort of air. The forest was quiet, but there were many things to hunt while war cared not to call his name.

The Tyrai wolf followed the rumblings of the beast below, sword slung over his shoulder carelessly.

'I have to stay'

[Barbannis]

Strike one. His sword slashed through a long arm, blade deepening through metal, flesh and then bone before sweeping out the other side. He could feel the same splash of blood meet his left leg as the body dropped, the ground rumbling in reply as another Necrosis warrior fell.

Strike two. His sword arced up above his head, using both hands before launching it through the air, the red gleamed hilt curling with each thrumming swing before it met its foe. The light armored barbarian dropped back, his shield falling to the sand as Barbannis approached from the side, his hand curling around the revealed hilt.

Strike three.

"You're out" he growled, pressing his foot to the beasts chest, slicing his blade out from its chest with a sickening crack and wiping the blood against the air with a quick sweep of his sword. The Necrosis fell against another fallen, the small circle of bodies wrapped around the Tyrai wolf, all fallen to the same demise he had given them. His eyes flickered lightly, running a hand across his side, feeling the tingle of a long cut open under his fur, "Lucky shot.." he growled, baring his fangs and kicking at one of the fallen.

The wolf's eyes glimmered up, his tainted black and red messed fur flicking in the sold spring winds. He could just barely make out the forest in the distance, the wind picking up plooms of sand and causing some of the distant landmarks to fade away. He was further out now, hours into the day and still following the same worm...

He turned his head, waving his hand back, a tendril of his wings plucking the sword from his hand and lifting it away with ease. The sound of blood filled lungs gargling into the air made his right ear twitch across. The knight turned and approached, placing first his foot against the Necrosis's chest wound, pushing him down, secound his hand to the edge of his chest armor, near his throat as the wolf leant in,

"Who is left Necrosis?!" he growls, fangs bared in all anger, "Ryvius fell, Nexus gone... is it Khalis? Bana?" he growls as the Necrosis bleeds out, his head slinging back against metal before succumbing to his deep wounds.

Barbannis loosens his footing and drops the body... His eyes flicking to the side as the worms rumblings below begin to fade out, cliff sides and wasteland ragged terrain all around him. He could feel that same itch upon the back of his neck, a darkness, eyes watching ever so close. There was still something of Ryvius's reign that lingered behind... something waiting.. The wolf turned his eyes back to the forest once more, licking his lips.. listening for the sand worm once more... its trail quite evident.

[Windra]

A deep rumbling met elongated ears that didn't quite match the body they belonged to. A casual twitch displayed piqued curiosity. Glowing eyes of lime green peered through the undergrowth, illuminating a darkened space shadowed by overgrown leaves. The fauna in this particular spot within Deep Forest had grown to extraordinary sized due to being undisturbed. It was a peace destroyed in the spanse of only a few seconds. Large ruby claws - each easily the size of a small banana bunch - reached through the green ... promptly ripping the leafery to shreds with hardly a flick of the wrist. Something sleek slipped through the newly-made clearing, its blue and black form disappearing into tall grass - whizzing at such a speed that nothing but a blur remained.

Lengthy grass blades barely parted as the being slipped between them. As soon as the treeline came withing reaching distance, the blur escaped the confines of the ground ... stealthily sliding its way up the trunk of a large elm and vanishing between thick branches and thicker leaves. It cascaded from tree to tree, hidden in their large tops ... leaving nothing but a slight rattle as it moved one by one.

'She' was drawn in by the slightest rumbling that grew louder the closer 'she' got. The earth began to shake - but even that was brief, for whatever caused it was slipping further and further into the distance. At one point 'she' could have sworn that the terrain lifted beneath the trees. This caused a sharp-toothed grin to split 'her' face in half. Oh yes ... this was familiar. Very familiar indeed. There was no doubt what lurked beneath, and for the briefest moment 'she' was glad to be out of sight out of mind. Sharpened teeth and a double-head ... stripes of purple hues ... One look upon that serpentine bodice would strike fear into every undead being, no matter how powerful. Even 'she' held terror, though well-concealed.

Long limbs and sharp claws brought the being to the Forest's edge. Bright and eyes stared out into open space. There was somebody out there ... drawing a blade against peculiar enemies ... Interest risen, the being sauntered slowly down the trunk and hastily behind a large boulder ... cautiously creeping ever nearer, but remaining just distant enough to keep out of the warrior's line of sight.

[Barbannis]

The knight rummaged.

He leant over each body, rolling them aside, moving through the armor, the edges, looking, searching. He knew not of what he was after, whether these things carried items from their master, any sort of proof as to why they remained out here, our in the wastes. He pulled the final body across, his wings still spread into the air lightly, curling, lingering his red hilted blade in the air softly, dangling it above the ground. He pulled back its helmet, revealing the black skinned humanoid that lay within, jaws and maw like some lizard, but face mutilated and changed like some nightmarish experiment.

Barbannis pulled back the helm and looked it over before placing it against the beasts chest. He reached across, pulling up the thinks black blade and stood. With a clean snap of his foot against the steel he broke the blade in half, tumbling it to the ground and throwing it aside carelessly.

He reached down once more, peeling the thick red and black gauntlet from its clawed hands with ease. The long metal claws clicked together, his eyes peering inside for a moment before leaning back. The knight slowly pulled the metal glove over his right hand, sliding his fingers into the grooves with ease, claws clicking heavily. The black and red armor seemed amiss of his silvers and grey that lightly covered his wolf body.

He turned with a sudden click of the armor, his wing slipping past and dropping his blade down, catching it with ease as his eyes peered back to the forest. His only intact ear twitched lightly, turning and moving as he looked towards the trees. There was something... no. He narrowed his eyes once before slowly looking back to the ground.

The rumbling was deeper, causing more of the bedrock below to crumble, he could just make it out. The knight pulled his sword closer. This one was bigger then the others, the sheer sound of it told him that it was moving closer, hungry.

Barbannis snorted softly before turning his back to the trees once more, leaning in and grabbing two of the Necrosis warriors by the collar of their chest armor, dragging them back through the rough sandy ground, blood soaking the gravel with ease. With a couple heaves he managed to pull them closer to one another, one arm over the other before loosing his sword lightly, spinning it around in his hand. With a growl the knight struck his sword down, snapping the cold edge into the chest of the first, straight through the metal and into its heart. He did the same on the second, reaching his blade out with a long screech of metal on metal.

The wolf rose a lip in a snarl before reaching across, flicking out his free hand and using the cleaner edge of his sword to nick at his fur and flesh, dropping a few splashes of his own blood to the sand.

He arched his blade across, spattering the loose blood with one strike over the ground, the copper smell already taking to his nostrils as the blood sunk down... the trap set.

Barbannis slowly reached across his side, sliding out his Tyrai blade, the sword usually emitted a strong white glow, but now, it seemed like nothing, the steel blank and cold, a single chained scale still danging from the edge of its hilt. The Tyrai wolf placed both blades over his shoulders as he slowly took a number of paces back... waiting.

[Luxon Cobrat]

Some time back, the edge of Deep Forest had been a battlefield. It was here that an impossibly huge army had been held at bay by a defending force a tiny fraction of its size.

Isala had ventured out here today to take a look at that battlefield, hoping to find some clue as to how that had happened. After all the time that had passed, though, only bones and worthless debris remained to be found. Just as well for her, as a lot of iron-based weapons and armor left laying around would have forced her to keep away.

But her search for clues was short-lived. As Isala made her way out into the barren land, a glint of sunlight on metal in the distance caught her eye. Looking in the direction of it, she saw motion. Growing curious, she started towards it. And as she drew closer, it became apparent that somebody was engaged in a fight. A group against one lone warrior, it seemed.

That fight was over before Isala reached it, though she wouldn't have known whose side to take anyway. In the end, it was the lone warrior that proved victorious. At that point, knowing that the victorious one wouldn't have the enemies demanding his attention, Isala went for the nearest rock to take cover behind and watch. It appeared at first that the warrior was checking the bodies of the fallen, possibly for valuables to loot, though he broke the sword of one. But then he started dragging a pair of the corpses around

Isala was taken aback by that. Was this... some kind of blood ritual she was seeing?

But then Isala felt the rumbling in the ground. She should have noticed it sooner, she realized. She could only just sense it, but something was moving under the earth. It was approaching. Perhaps the warrior had somehow called it.

For now, Isala just stayed hidden, watching silently to see what she had stumbled into.

[Windra]

'It' watched through the cover of the rock, peering over its edge every few seconds and ducking back down to avoid detection. The warrior out there, with his fur and tail and ears, was in the middle of doing something rather intriguing. Spilling blood upon the hard ground, mingling it with the dirt before spilling some of his own. 'It' watched with some bemusement through wide lime green eyes before realization dawned across 'her' face. A crooked smile etched its way onto distorted features, the corners of her mouth easily reaching the wrinkles below the eyes.

Clever ... very clever ...

The worms were strange beings. They lacked olfactory glands but could pick up the scent of an undead creature from miles and miles away. It was a particularly lethal trait which made them formidable on Saturn ... and any other realm or planet they chose to inhabit. They were the bloodhounds of the subterranean ... the Tremors of the dead ... and the executioners of unwanted souls who had already punched their time cards but hadn't quite left existence. Ultimate bottomfeeders. Completely lacking fear.

And judging from that deepening rumble, it was going to reveal itself very soon ... 'It' remembered Bana's prized collection of Sandworms. One in particular had been the biggest and baddest of the pack: a double-header if 'she' recalled correctly. Why would this warrior be so inclined to summon the terrifying beast up? He was at least safe from being eaten. Sandworms hated the taste of fresh flesh. But that wouldn't save him from getting killed.

Movement from the corner of 'her' eye alerted Kuronai to the presence of another, this one looking just as odd but far less furry. Some more spectators to join in on the fun? And on that note ... being undead, if a Sandworm should reveal itself ... perhaps it was best to conceal her scent as best as possible. Kuronai doubled back to the woods post-haste, moving so quickly that 'her' form was a mere blur against the dead backdrop. 'She' slipped through trees and brush until angled behind the newcomer ... watching from a huge, looming batch of poison ivy. It irritated 'her' deep indigo flesh but Kuronai paid it no mind. So long as the hiding place was undiscovered ...

'She' was substantially downwind now. Any trace of 'her' scent out in the Wastes would surely drift towards one of those two unfortunate sods.

[Barbannis]

The quickest blink of movement caught his senses, just barely catching the Tyrai wolf's sight. His eye flicked up lightly, blood stained grey fur shimmering in the wind, dry and fresh. But within seconds of looking towards the forest, the ground below him came to grab his attention.

Dust peeled aside as the dead blood drenched the course sand below, seeping inwards, calling what he thought was just another worm. He had taken on two weeks back, though small, from what he could tell, were young too, the fight was a lengthy one. Barbannis snorted the air with a slight growl, taking in the forming scent, familiar, old... death.

The wolf tightened his fingers around the hilts of his blades, full attention on the ground before him, watching as the Necrosis bodies gently rolled aside, the ground pooling up with sand peeling and spreading. It was as if a gate was opening below, the sound of the Sandworm could be heard... but it was coming up slow. Slower then the last time.

Barbannis let out an annoyed growl, the edges of his swords leaving his shoulders.

With a sudden snap of sand and rock, the ground below his feet burst open, spiraling a deep cloud of smoke into the air as a long striped tail swept upward. Its end curled as Barbannis was thrown into the air with sand surrounding him. His body shuddered, white wings spiraling and curling into the air as the tail rose up. He pulled both blades forward, eyes catching the sand as it split in the motion of his swing. The edge of his blade just skimmed its deep hide, a long winding boom followed as the tail smacked back against the ground. The surface shuddered as the bodies of Necrosis tumbled aside, meters between one another.

The Tyrai wolf dropped back, his feet skidding against the ground by a few feet, his glowing wings spreading out to their full extent. His body seemed like a shadow against his own Tyrai light, corrupted with blood.

The ground tore asunder, rock breaking back as the long tail slid back in, a curl in the sand peeling open as its craned head rose up through the wastes, rock and stone dribbling from the smooth edges of its snake body. Its stripes were worn and scarred, a collection of at least ten Balraa and Necrosis blades remained buried into its flesh and body, some were fresh, others were from the battle before. Its long head rose into the sky like some dark spire, stretching out as the thick of its form made the ground below it sink as the thing fed itself out of the earth.

Barbannis took a step back as the worms sleek head slowly lowered, teeth peeling back as black Necrosis ooze dripped from its appearent second head, one of the bodies falling from its hide. The beasts body towered tall above the knight, even shadowing the distance, sand peeling outwards from where it had come from before sinking into the depths of its long winding tunnel.

The knight took a breath, still tasting Necrosis blood on his lips.

He curled his left arm back, fingers wrapped around his Tyrai blade before lunging it forward and into the air with a growling heave. The blood let out a deep whoosh as it spun at least twice. The sword made target, snapping into the beasts outer lip, snapping into scale and deathly flesh and sinking deep. Barbannis was already paces ahead, shooting forward with red blade in grip, wings whipping at the ground and speeding his charge.

The sandworm narrowed its vision, snarling maws spreading before closing as its long body darted downward and into the ground. With a booming crunch the ground exploded with another blast of sand and rock, some spattering across and towards the outer area's around them. Its head sunk in before Barbannis could get to it, his blade arcing up to take a strike before it curved its body body brought the ground up from under his feet. The knight rose up a few meters, wings pressing down and catching the wind.

His blade met death, cutting a long slice against its striped body, before he dropped back, tumbling down its winding form, dragging against the ground. He used his blade to ground his form, only moments before being swatted into the earth by the beasts wrapping tail, wrapping his chest into a thick of sand and stone. A cough of blood spattered the dirt as its tail whipped up from him, his wings curling, trying to pick him up from the ground. Had he picked a bad fight?

The earth around the battlefield he had made for himself rumbled as the mighty sandworm agitated old tunnels created by other worms. Rock and stone tumbled, cracking and opening. Most drop holes were small, curved.. but others were long and deep, one such hole breaking back and spreading towards both onlookers with haste.

[Windra]

It was an impressive sight to see something so small take on something so large. Those scars and battle markings ... Easily recognizeable. That particular worm had seen war before. It was Bana's most prized companion and loyal battledog. 'She' was secretly hoping that worm would take a nice big chunk out of the living knight, but all desires were yet to be sustained. Whatever the stranger wanted, the Sandworm desired no part of. In fact when all damage was sustained ... Well, that was surprising! 'She' really expected the beast to come back up and finish the job! But it dove underground and was retreating? Hah, that was hardly befitting of the Naga's pet!

Oh ...

Well, maybe that was why it no longer held interest in the knight who landed some scratches upon its thick, undulating body. Attention diverted. Those ground rumblings changed direction completely. The earth beneath ''her' feet shuddered more and more violently. It was making a turn right for ... !

'She' was no fool. Armed with limber arms and legs and viscous claws, they snatched at the trees like an agile, fast sloth. Hastily 'she' ascended to the thickest portion of the forest's canopy, eager to put as much distance between 'her' and the terrain. No doubt 'she' would have been spotted by the others, though perhaps not as clearly as they would have liked. 'Her' skin was a deep indigo etched with black scales and ruby red claws ... Clothes just as dark in hue ... But distinctly humanoid, despite the outrageous ears.

[Luxon Cobrat]

Isala's fear that the warrior was summoning the creature under the earth to serve him was dispelled when he attacked it. She didn't know why he had lured it to himself, but as the snow queen continued to watch, the fight proved rather close. She doubted that her presence was unknown to the wolf-person now, having noticed him look momentarily in her direction earlier, but remained where she was since it was as good a spot as any to observe from.

Or so she thought. The cracking ground suddenly moving towards her changed her mind about that.

The other observer went up a tree to avoid danger, but Isala was too far from the Forest's edge to do the same in time. Instead, she dashed out of cover and ran perpendicular to the approaching hazard, not caring if she was seen, and not stopping until the collapsing ground moved past behind her.

But then she realized that the worm itself, having gone underground, hadn't come back up yet. And the ground was still rumbling. Aware that a greater danger could be heading her way, Isala steadied her stance, cleared her mind, and prepared...

[Barbannis]

Earth crumbled and broke, three directions spearing off the sides as the dry ground of the wastes broke and battled. The worm was unseen, but its sound rippled through the ground, closer and closer. The striped hide of the beast flickered in sight above the ground, not far from where Isala ran, its form diving back into the thick ground like the stone and sand at its front was nothing but water.

The soil broke apart once more, its large form bursting open from the hard rock surface with a colliding crack of rock and bone. Its striped head hollered out in a piercing howl, large rocks falling from its head as its large body towered once more into the sky. The large tan stone that teetered atop its skull balanced for a moment as the worm swung its head forward, sending the bolder into the sky with a snarl, its second head peeling through with an even deeper growl.

The rock danced through the air a number of times, spinning, curling before snapping into the forests edge with all intention. Its form snapped down the tree adjacent to where the other onlooker climbed. The bark splintered and snapped, wood groaning and breaking with the stone tumbling into the ground. Birds squawked and cried as a cloud rose up from the canopies, wings beating hard as the large tree tumbled down, bringing down the smaller ones around its base in its falling death.

The beast turned, its tail snapping up from the ground, half of its body still submerged in the ground. Dust and rock continued to fall from its form, blood red eyes gleaming across to the closer form the moved not far. Its maw opened once more, stone falling from its head.

Metal met scale once more, Barbannis driving his sword into the side of its head, his hand gripping at his own blade while the other rested using one of the already embedded swords as a hold. He kept one eye closed, a long line of blood dripping down from the wound as his grip tightened. The sandworm shook its head from side to side... not in pain, but more of annoyance, leaving its position open, vulnerable.

[Windra]

Whooooooo .... that was a bit of a close call! 'She' was just out of reach ad harm's way, but the close proximity made a nerve or two shudder. Really, 'she' wasn't afraid of getting crushed or even thrashed wildly against. A creature of 'her' particular standing could easily just get up and walk away, bones a mess and body mangled into a misshapen bulk of meat and tendon. The boulder was nothing. It was what sent it flying that made 'her' long dead heart beat a little faster. And boy ... was that thing close all of a sudden.

While it would have perhaps been a better idea to shift positions, Kurona knew that the smallest movement made would attract some very unwanted attention. So 'she' remained still despite the monstrous quake that ripped the tree nearest to shreds. Birds flew from their perches in terror. Other animals scurried away, sensing impending doom. Kuronai lowered 'herself' to the branch 'she' sat upon ... pressing 'her' torso firmly to wood and peering beyond the brush with glowing lime green eyes. Hardly a breath passed through 'her' maw. What was the point of lungs in something that didn't require biological functions in order to survive, anyway? Why the need to inhale?

"Such a pretty boy," she remarked in a sharp feminine voice matching likeness with another being who roamed these woods. Octave low, barely above a whisper ... and for the most part unheard in the mumur of battle that followed. The knight reappeared, wounded and bleeding. He was a determined little gnat, Kuronai would give him that. Jamming his sword through Worm's skull was a bold move. But it wouldn't stave off a retaliation, and it certainly wouldn't bring Bana's prize pet down. Despite 'herself', Kuronai laughed loudly ... giving 'her' position away in one fell swoop. "OH C'MON NOW!" 'she' barked. "You don't think that toothpick is gonna stop it?!"

Dead claws found a sturdy twig and ripped it off. Staring intently at Barbannis', the being showered him with a crooked grin. Stark realization dawned, and ... why? Why was Kuronai afraid of a Sandworm? Of course it could kill 'her' stone dead - again - but it would have to actually catch her first. And Kuronai was in full potential of all the Reaver prowess granted to 'her' form. The Doppleganger was far from some simple zombie. Besides ... there was still that nasty little ability to bend reality ... 'She' could do it right now and seriously mess up the knight's day for 'her' own amusement. But Wormy had to be very hungry ... Though Sandworm's refused to eat living flesh, who was saying the knight was gonna be alive for much loner?

"Bana may have been a bull-headed bitch, but she sure as hell knew how to train those Sandworms," taunted Kuronai from above. 'She' stood from 'her' position, a figure of oblong claws and skin that didn't match the humanoid body, lengthy ears crooked and curved and tipped with hooks ... and a grin that literally split her face in two with sharpened daggers for teeth. Glowing eyes. Bright, frightening glowing eyes of toxic green. "That one's been her prize for centuries. He'll snap you in two!" Ruby claws tightened about the twig and 'she' broke it in half. After a passing thought, Kuronai laughed smugly and cracked it in another spot. "Or three. If yer lucky, he'll actually kill you before he eats ya!"[color]

[Luxon Cobrat]

Isala had gotten away from one danger, but feared that she had exposed herself to another. She could guess that the worm sensed by vibration, as that would be a necessity for a tunneling creature like itself, and her movement likely told it exactly where she was. That at least meant she was ready to move when it burst out of the ground near her, but she proved not to be the target of its attention.

Kuronai's taunting of the warrior not only gave away "her" position (or would have, if Isala hadn't already been aware of it), but also swung Isala's suspicions of who the "good guy" was in this fight in favor of the warrior. Without a word, the snow queen decided to join in.

Isala held an arm out to the side and concentrated. The air in this area was dry, but there would always be some moisture to be found, and she found enough of it to gather and freeze until it formed a thin blade of slightly greater length than her own body. Then, while the worm struggled with Barbannis, Isala silently ran for the creature and jumped onto its side. One would have expected her to fall right back off, but she stuck, freezing herself to the monster's hide where she made contact. Rising swiftly to her feet, she plunged the incredibly sharp blade into the creature's flesh, then drug it through as she ran along the length of the creature's body, feet freezing and unfreezing to it to keep their grip as she went.

[Barbannis]

His legs were dropped out from beneath him as the worm swung its head from side to side, his feet skipping at the edges of the beasts armor, his hands dripping the blade tighter then before. The bloodied wolf growled, his fingers trying to gain purchase of the blade closest to him. He swung, one hand snapping around the rusted hilt of the old blade, using it to lean up higher on the beast, his other sword slicing out from its bone armored skull.

Barbannis snorted at the air, suddenly hearing the mixture of a voice impairing the snarls of the beast he was attacking. For a moment he caught the sight of something lingering within the trees edge, almost exactly where the sandworm had thrown the boulder from before. His eyes focused, feeling the rush of wind as the worm swung its head across once more, his eyes catching sight of... something. He could not make out its form, but there was something off-putting about the creature. The fact that it called out to him, throwing out names, Bana, Sandworm... it knew very well what was going on here.

The wolf growled under his breath, using his other arm to bring his sword up, letting it slice back into the creatures body, using the other sword as a stepping stone to rise up higher against its neck.

The beast lurched forward, swinging its head with a long hiss, slamming its skull down into the stone and rock at the forests edge. The ground rippled, causing a number of the trees at its edge to shudder with the sheer weight of the worms strike. Barbannis pulled his blade out, one more letting it slice in, closer to the top of its head.. clearly doing no damage as the creature had blatantly called out to him. His eyes caught sight of someone else though, the chill of her movement flashing at the corner of his sights as he turned his head, dust and stone rising up from the air as the worm rose its head with a painful shake. The wolf opened his maw to say something.. but was swung back, his body hanging out from the edge of his blade ledge.

The Sandworm sharply turned its body, its second head whipping out with a snarl, jagged lips snapping back as Isala with all ferocity, just barely missing her form as she ran up the length of its body, swords and arrows alike still broken and attached in its wake.

[Windra]

'Her' position was given away. Kuronai could live with that. 'She' wasn't afraid of retaliation ... and what would they do if they decided to attack? Hope to bring harm upon tender flesh, render death upon what was already dead? No. 'She' actually doubted they would turn hostilities against 'her' ... unless 'she' dove into the fray as well. Picked a fight. Sided with the Worm! It would be massively entertaining, no doubt! Buuuuut ... it would also place 'her' in the line of fire. If they didn't kill the Worm, it would still be writhing and screaming over their dead bodies ... still wanting to vent that bottled up rage at feeling so many weapons shoved through its tough exterior. Kuronai had no intention of being a punching bag for one pissed off Death Eater.

Although ... its skin was nice, tough, and leathery. Could be fashioned into a pair of boots! Wriggling toes, 'she' fiddled with the idea briefly ... dismissing it just as fast with a shrug of sturdy shoulders. What use would they be? Toe-claws were far too large, they'd tear apart any material quickly. What need was there to dress appropriately, anyway? This body was temporary. Once it outlived its usefulness, it would be tossed aside like an unwanted doll. What to do with it then? Perhaps feed it to a Worm. Maybe toss it in lava. That would be sure to piss Naira off. She was rather sentimental of her own bones ...

Was ... Kuronai cackled at the deliciously evil prospect. Was ... Naira wouldn't be around to witness the disposing of what had once been her living body. No recycling for this hunk of junk until the deed was done!

Speaking of ...

Kuronai's eyes were still trained upon the battle playing out before 'her'. 'She' sat back on her haunches and stared with great interest, mentally taking bets on who would do what and deal how much damage. But with 'her' mind ... Kuro concentrated hard, imagining the claws of the right hand being molded like clay. Becoming soft and fleshy, vulnerable ... human. And ... oh, let's add the details, shall we? What was that Reaver wretch donning these days, anyway? Claws? Check! Gloves? Never left home without them. Kuronai found them rather racky, with the steel-plate backing and the leather worn so badly that is was almost feathery to the touch. Feeling something shift about in 'her' claws, Kuronai peered down ... and grinned at the apparent success, sharpened teeth splitting the maw wide open. An almost exact replica, wasn't it? A mere thought and Kuronai had shifted the shape of 'her' hands. Next would be the body ... and really, that was nothing at all! Considering how well Kuro could manipulate his surroundings, really, that would be no trouble ...

Speaking of ... Wouldn't that be fun?

Kuronai thrust 'her' humanoid palm forward, the gesture falling into rhythm with the rippling of trees. The entire surrounding appeared to waver briefly as though a transparent wave had slipped beyond reason, touching all yet leaving all untouched. Beyond where Barbannis fought the Worm alongside the female, the sky was begining to grow dark: a sickly purple, highly unnatural. Clouds were snatched up for this hue change, altering into swirling pits of darkness that absorbed any and all illumination that came upon them, burning the sun into a neverending black hole ... unable to be deciphered amongst the sky that lacked definition and visual. Blackness descended across the land.

They would have felt the ground become soft and pliable. A thick scent enveloped them - one of old metal and something positively more macabre - a subtle hint of what could have been rotting fruit. With no sky-glow to show the way, the Knight and the Female were left to fend for themselves against a foe that they could no longer see. It was a double-edged sword, however. The Worm wasn't able to decipher them either. It could smell them, oh yes! But see? Not a chance!

Simple manipulation, really. To Kuronai, everything was clear. The sun was out. The birds were shining. All that yucky stuff. But to those below ... nothing awaited them but pitch obsidian skies.

"But really," she hissed with a voice that loomed closely to masculine ... louder than before and far more ominous than any wretched beasts that scoured Boundary Mountains in the dead of night, "it's just a matter of perspective."

[Luxon Cobrat]

As she drug her ice blade through the worm's back, Isala kept her distance from the knight lest she be repelled by the iron in his armor. She raised the sword to slice into the creature again, but then saw that she had gotten the attention of its second head, which was now rushing towards her with its gaping maw. At the last second, she dove off the creature's side and rolled away through the sand just in time to avoid being caught in the cavern of teeth that appeared to have claimed so many others.

Just at that moment, the sky started doing... something strange. Not just the sky. The ground, the air... Isala glanced up at the being in the tree and saw "her" gesturing with her hand. Maybe ignoring that one hadn't been the best idea...

And before she knew it, the whole area was pitch black.

With that, Isala was at a disadvantage. She wasn't a stranger to fighting blind, but she suspected that the creature's other senses would be considerably better than hers given that it was a tunneler...

Another perspective...

Inspiration struck.

Isala conjured up a cloud of swirling ice that billowed out over the area. It wasn't a hazard to the worm on its own, but through it, Isala felt everything it touched.

Just in time too, as the worm's jaws came snapping at her again and she had just enough time to spring back and somersault out of range.

[Barbannis]

The battlefield rolled and changed...

Barbannis gripped tight, his feet pressing down against the worms harsh body. His eyes flicked, moving across and watching as the world around him changed. The other figure had leapt away moments before it had changed, his mind trying to follow.. had she done this? No. The wolf growled as the worm began to thrash, its second head diving at the ground.. the smell, the feel of the plane around him was something familiar, something rotten. The knight took no time in letting go, his hand swinging out and gripping his buried sword and lashing out from its hide the moment its second head met the ground, dodged swiftly by Isala.

The air changed with a cold sense of ice the moment the knight snapped into the ground, his claws digging into the ground with one free hand sliding back through the pliable earth, "Gah!" he growled, snorting at the rotten and blood filled air, his wounds still evident, the old blood still covering a lot of his grey fur.

His cut ear twitched, tail flicking behind his hide, rising sword up in a guarding stance, "Show yourself!" he growled, fangs bared bloody and sharp. His voice bellowed over the area, through the dust and winter ice... the sounds that came from the worm were of disorientation, its large body thrashing, whipping tail and fang through the cloud of darkness that surrounded them.

Its body dropped back, colliding once more with earth and stone, through the deep of the wastes it began to borrow down, tail whipping back and forth, stripes evident. The sound of steel and flesh cracked as the weapons left on its hide made new scars to join the others... Within moments its body thrummed under the earth, growling, borrowing in what seemed like circles... the same earth grinding noise lingering.

Barbannis remained in his stance, the fur on the back of his neck risen, tendrils of light just softly curling from the markings on his back, his red hive blade tight in grip... The worm was still close to them, but the darkness that circled was nothing it could conjure.

[Windra]

The bite of ice wasn't something Kuronai had laid out in the battlefield. It was very unwelcome and made 'her' skin clump with goosebumps. Annoyed breaths became visible as clouds of mist, still unseen amidst the darkened hunting grounds. 'She' knew not what sorcery this was, but could assume that it came from one of the beings out there fighting the Sandworm, since Death Eaters showed no capabilities of wielding magic.

This was nothing big, though. It was a small hindrance at best. What was ice going to do? Make them want to build a fire? Huddle up for warmth and become a bigger target for the striped serpent? Seriously. Kuronai stepped back, claws grazing slightly against the smallest stone ... sending wavelengths of motion to Isala ... all without PuppetReaver's knowledge or consent. 'She' wasn't going to know either way. Snapping teeth alerted Kuronai to the Sandworm's location. Sounded like he was getting a little too close for comfort. Time to move! Deft limbs launched 'her' skyward only to land several dozen feet from her starting point, presumably behind where Barbannis was standing although there was no real way to tell. His booming voice echoed everywhere, and the blackness that consumed them altered Kuronai's vision, as well.

One could only assume ...

Lips curled backwards into a sharp-toothed sneer. "Surprise ... !" Naira had such an odd pitch to her voice for a human. It mingled with Kuro's, making it deeper and more manly. It would take several tries to adjust to the right octave and sound ... while it would only take one to seriously screw up the day of the people 'she' was surrounded by.

Kuronai/'Naira' extended both arms out to her sides. In the palm of each of 'her' clawed digits, Kuronai produced four round spheres that mingled colors of brittle red and rotten orange. The different hues seemed to blend in with one another, constantly swirling about each other in a dance of macabre matrimony. Each orb was roughly the size of a tennis ball.

They were launched skywards when Kuronai flung 'her' hands into the air. Two of the orbs went flying left, and the other two went right. Inevitably they diverged onto different paths while in mid-air ... then fell back to earth with loud Pongs! There they sat stationary, one on each corner of the battlefield.