The Midnight Symphony }{ Tamasha after dark...

[rancidparagon]

As the flame spewed forth from Hollow's mouth, igniting his torch, Toya raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"What in the nine hells was that? I don't know if you realized, but I prefer to keep a low profile, and, when last I looked, breathing fire is NOT low profile." He said calmly.

[Vexxus]

When Toya said this, Vexxus quickly reacted, moving to decode the seals on the door, closing it and locking them in the stairwell.

"Is this good enough for low profile?" She asked, smiling sarcastically. Vexx had a very unsympathetic view on those annoyed by other people's actions, unless those actions directly harmed or put others in immediate danger. If indeed anyone had come after Toya, they would have easily been able to make a getaway.

"Well..." She started, looking down the stairway. "Shall we continue?" She asked, motioning for Hollow to lead the way.

[rancidparagon]

"You see, THIS is the type of thing you show me sooner." He said, looking up to the sky exasperated. "How do you have access to this anyway?" He adjusted his sling once more and entered the stairwell.

[Vexxus]

"Well, it was actually Hollow here that knew about it, and got us in. Turns out dragon's tears are quite magical." She smiled at Hollow.

As they began descending the staircase, Vexxus couldn't help but notice the foreboding presence getting stronger. It wasn't as noticeable at the top of the staircase, but as they got lower, the feeling of some greater power hung thick in the air. She was on her guard, ready to transform and defend her companions at any time. But the threat did not show itself immediately. Instead it did what Vexxus always hated and feared most...it stayed, and grew...nothing jumped out in front of them, nothing made big crashing noises...it just lingered.

It was like standing in the pitch black with your eyes wide open even though you can't see anything, and knowing someone is behind you...but they don't touch you, they just stand there, waiting, looming.

[hollowstar]

Hollow lead the way holding the torch out far as the stairway seemed to go on forever he could hear toya and vexxus talking. He looks behind him to see vexxus smile at him as she mentioned how they had opened the seal hollow quickly look forward hiding the redness in his face. As the trio descended further into the deeps hollow felt an almost welcoming presents getting stronger as they went. They final came to then end of the stairwell to what seems to and opening but not even the torch could shed it's light over the whole area hollow seems to be swaying Little as he could he a faint humming almost sounded like a lullaby.

Hollow turns to vexxus and toya who seem to be puzzled at why he had stopped "I feel sleepy." grumbled from him as he slumped to the floor the touch bounced off the floor and flickered leaving the room in darkness. A voice whispered around the vast opening sleep little one it said in a aged female voice as the torch flame reignited it's self, Hollow had vanished.

[Vexxus]

As the torch fell to the ground, Vexxus attempted to lunge forward and catch Hollow, but it was like she was held back by something thick and restraining...like she was in a vat of invisible glue. She saw everything as Hollow disappeared, and she fell to the ground where he was, landing just after the torch re-lit.

Picking herself up slowly, she looked around. "He's....gone...?" She looked at the torch, then reached for it, picking it up, and standing. She looked to Toya, wondering if he had seen something she hadn't.

[rancidparagon]

Vexxus looked over to Toya, who looked back, equally confused.
"Tell me you saw that too..." He said, shuddering. The assassin walked over to the spot Hollow had been laying, and tapped his foot all around the floor "No trap door." He tested the wall with his hand, pressing several spots "No hidden passages. I think it's safe to say magic is responsible, which is more your area of expertise. You ever seen anything like this?"

[Vexxus]

As Toya checked and stated that magic was responsible, Vexxus' memories raced. Something was familiar about this. It was as if a phantom pain fell upon her heart, but she could not put her finger on what it was.

(If you want to read more into this, there's information about a previous RP Vexxus did with another character; after which she lost her memory and forgot, but he had been taken as well, in a similar manner but of course it does not have any connection to this thread. Anyway, continuing. xD)

Shaking her head slowly, she replied. "I saw it...sure enough...but...I haven't seen anything like this...and I felt a presence before, but it disappeared as quickly as he did..." Looking around, she thought she saw a pair of green reflective eyes flicker in the darkness, but then they were gone. She handed Toya the torch, and faded deeper into the shadow realm for a moment. As everything faded to shades of deeper blue and black, something Vexxus did not expect happened. There was some sort of magic barrier that kept her from seeing anything more in the shadow realm than elsewhere. After doing so, she reached out to Toya. "We're going to return to the regular realm. Hold on...it may be feel a little odd." She grabbed his arm, and suddenly six purple runemarks on her left arm began glowing, sending out luminescent veins across her body in intricate patterns, until they covered the whole area of her. When they reached her eyes, the glow seeped into them, imbuing them with the light of the spell; while the real world faded back into view. As they returned, Vexxus' eyes faded slowly, then she winced and released Toya's arm as she felt the energy drained from her journey between realms. She was soon back to normal, but she did not have full energy. It would regenerate quickly enough.

"Well, we can't go back, and Hollow's missing...so we have no choice but to look for him." She motioned for Toya to lead the way with the torch, and began, "So, you're an assassin. What kind of people do you work for? Forgive me for being blunt with my questions. I myself am a sword for hire, but not technically the same as what you are. I've done my share of the dark errands."

[hollowstar]

Hollow awakens from his slumber he bolts upright and looks around he seems to be in a dim lighten room. He look down the bed that he slept open was of Golden treasures that lined the floor. Hollow calls out for vexxus and toya but only his voice bounced of the walls as well as the shuffle of soft yellow metal tapping each other as he moved. He sighs and begins to talk to himself "What have i gotten my self into now." He looks over some of the Golden pieces of treasure then look of shock, excitement and allot of other emotions hit him. some of the gold is lightly melted this is no hide away treasure room but a nest! hollow stands and climbs up one of the hills of gold.

Hollow struggles to reach the top but as he dose he brushes himself down and look across the vast room or he would of. He was right it was a nest he just stands there like a rabbit dazed by bright light as two enormous brown eye's stare back at him. Hollow falls back at the shear size of this monster that's nested a soft and aged female voice came from it asking him not to be afraid and referred to call him little one.

"Who are you and are you what i think you are?" he nervously asked the monster giggled a little before speaking she said i am Tiamat and yes i am what you are thinking little one a dragon. Hollow sit amazed there she was another dragon but as he was about to ask her another question the sound of scatting coins came from his left as three humanoid figures fall off one of mounds of gold. The figure stood up each one different in size they approaches him making them self's more visible hollow eye widened as Tiamat spoke once more. Ah yes these are my daughters there the reason you are here i am sorry that they lured you down here.

[rancidparagon]

"The kind of people I work for? Anyone with two coins to rub together and grudge against another man. I started out as a thief, a job went bad, found out that I had a knack ending folk's lives, and the rest as they say, is history." He looked around to recognize his surroundings. He started walking down a side street, indicating Vexxus to follow him.
"So how long have you been...glowing?"

[Vexxus]

Vexxus followed as Toya explained. When he asked how long she had been "glowing," she let out a ringing chuckle. "Well, ever since I can remember, really. It's kind of something associated with my race. We all have similar abilities such as this. As for where we came from...it's a rather long story...but there's a reason why it's very unlikely that you'll ever meet another." She explained. "So, you know how a lot of people have a concept of heaven and hell? Some might say I come from a place like heaven. But it's not...it's...different. You see, there are different planes of existence on which heaven, "earth", as you call it, and several other dimensions exist. My brother and I discovered an ancient forbidden spell that enabled us to jump dimensions...and here we landed. I furthered my knowledge of magic with a shadow mage in the wilderness, where I forged my runeblade and learned to take different forms." With that, she pulled out the hilt she had unwrapped earlier, a slightly mirrored black finish with intricate designs carved in it. As she spoke a few words almost breathlessly, the carvings began glowing with a dim grey light, and out of the hilt grew tendrils of the same light which wrapped around each other, and molded themselves into a glowing, dark blade, which had lighter grey runes in it. "My runeblade." She smiled, holding it horizontally, one hand on the flat of the blade, the other supporting the hilt.

[rancidparagon]

"Impressive..." He nodded, and offered the torch to Vexxus "Hold this."
Toya then unsheathed a long knife from the back of his belt. It had a blade measuring about a foot long, with a 3 inch spike on the pommel. The handle was wrapped in rough leather that looked as if it had been wrapped and rewrapped many times over the years. Along the blade was a line of elvish charcters.
"This was my father's. It's the only thing I know of him. The inscription says 'justice is a lie.' This blade means more to me than almost anything else in this world. "

[Vexxus]

Vexxus gazed at the weapon, and recognized it as one of the dependable, virtually immortal pieces from it's time. This was an instrument crafted with great care and precision, created to outlast more than one user. Many such weapons had been intentionally destroyed for fear of ancient curses and the like, and it was a great sight to see one of them up close.

"Bladed instruments have a way of becoming very valuable to those who really use them." She returned her blade to it's hilt, and tucked it back in her belt. Still carrying the torch, she looked long down the hall to see if there was any sign of anything ahead. The cold stone walls seemed to go on forever. She looked back briefly, to see how far they had walked. It was practically the same view, both ways. "I don't really know what we're looking for here...and there's really no clues as to where Hollow was taken.." She looked at the ceiling, out of curiosity. Nope, nothing different than the walls.

"I guess we should keep walking...it has to end sometime."

[rancidparagon]

He replaced the blade at the back of his belt and brushed his hair back behind his head.
"How long have you been in the city?" Toya asked walking down the winding passage, his right hand clenching at his scimitar.

[hollowstar]

Hollow's eye scanned the vast space trying to locate Vexxus and Toya he was quickly spotted by one of the siblings. She had worked up the courage to get closer and talk to him she asks if he was feeling alright and what was missing. "I am fine but where are the two people that where traveling with me down here, my..." He pauses and wonders could he call them his Friends but, you worry about them don't you she said, do not fret they will find us shortly but come we have so much to show you.

She takes him by the hand and pulls him towards an old chest Hollow opens the chest to find a single book inside. The size of this book was most unusual as it was enormous he turn the pages thousands of names written upon it's pages. Some of the names have been crossed out he had a sinking feeling as spy's his own name but before he could ask the three girls giggled as one pointed out names that's us they said weirdly as the same time. Hollow looks bemused as they said there name Terra, Maia and Avani. Tiamat spoke once more Hollow why do you hide and dismiss how important you are ? before hollow could speak she found her answer your afraid of your own strengths and hurting people. Terra whispers in Hollows hear telepathy, Hollow who is now very confused about what's going on shouts out loud "what's going on here why am i important?"

Avani spoke up nervously and said you are one of the few males left in race humans have hunted and butcher Lot of dragons. and as of that moment the sound of faint foot steps echoed around the room each step getting closer.

(sorry for such a long wait my pc choose not to work any more >.>