The forest was thick and green, winter finally fading away into spring. Flowers were in bloom, creating a heavy fragrance in the cool morning air. It wasn’t dawn just yet, but a soft gray light lingered, a false dawn. A small three-room house was hidden in the side of a hill that rose up into the forest, or perhaps it was slopping down toward the lake. The doorway was set between the roots of a large tree. The rest of the house was practically hidden by undergrowth, even with winter killing off most of it. The mess didn’t seem so overgrown at the moment.

In this early morning hour, that door opened inward slowly and a tall figure had to duck in order to not hit the frame with a single horn atop her head. She wore a simple outfit, something akin to a dress that reached just past her knees. It was made of a simple slate gray fabric hand woven in two peaces that were sewn together along both sides. She had no need for shoes on her cloven feet. On one arm she had an empty wooden bucket hanging by its the frayed rope handle. Held in her arms was a white rabbit that she absently stroked with the free hand she just closed the door with. Her tail trails behind her as she follows a very narrow path down to the lake.

Reaching the shore she ducks under the branches of a weeping willow, whose branches dip into the water on the other side from her. The place is cool and quiet. She sets down the rabbit and it hops over to the leaves hanging down and starts to munch on them. Meanwhile, she steps into the cold water and bends down to fill the bucket with the clear water.

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In the hut itself sat an old man. The room he sat in was small and a door into a bedroom sat slightly ajar behind him. The chair he sat in was wooden, with a high back and woven leather padding. A blanket was half-wrapped about his shoulders and he was fully dressed in a well-made robe of fine but well used fabric and what appeared to be practically new boots with a layer of dust on them. An open book with worn yellow pages sat in his lap and on the wooden table next to him were many a melted stub of candles. The wax drippings had even spilled of the edge of the table onto the sparse dirt floor.

There was a larger table across the room and a fireplace beyond that. Rows of shelves held all sorts of containers and other paraphernalia. The front door was not far from that table either. There was a third door off from this room, off to the right of the chair. That door was locked. It held things the wizard didn’t want Taika to touch, to know. That room kept his secrets for him for when he was unable to do so. Like now, when he was fast asleep, once again, in his chair.

A small flickering light hovered, unnoticed, about his head. A tiny wisp that had been with him nearly his entire life. It had witnessed his first spells and had been with him through all the good and hard times in his life.

Nervous eyes twitched as they flickered across his surroundings. It had been a longtime since he last ventured deep into these woods and if memory served him correct as it normally did, it hadn’t been on so pleasant of terms. Placing a wayward hand across his chest, he could still feel the presence of where the blades had entered his flesh and tore it to pieces. If it had not been for Ethstar, then he probably would have never been able to make this second trek back here. However, this time was on different terms, this time it was under his terms. He vowed to prove to everyone why he would soon become a god and there was no better way than to take on those who considered themselves strong. Normally he would have never accepted such a crude job such as this, but this was the only way of achieving his goal and the only way to get them to watch. Besides, it was interesting to find out just how strong this man really was. According to the rumors, he was far from some simple pushover and the sheer thought of that seemed to excite him. Oh how he loved the chance to put his power to the limits, to test just how far he had truly came over the years.

Cocking his head off to the side, he listened as a few idle pops reigned forth from the columns of his spine before doing the same to the other side. It wasn’t often that he got to test his powers against a truly worthy opponent; he just hoped that he would actually come out of this the victor. The last thing he wanted was to come this far just to have lost; it would have been like a wasted effort. Because unlike the rest of his battles, this was a battle that he wasn’t so sure that he could win.

Continuing through the shadows of the thick foliage high above him, his eyes continued to scan his surroundings. Where was this place…Could he have passed it already or was it just hidden that well? Then something seemed to catch his eye a good distance off from where he was. At first it was undistinguishable to his eye, but as he slowly grew closer and closer he was soon able to make it out as some form of life. He couldn’t quite make out what it was exactly, but he could definitely tell that it wasn’t of this world. Faltering in his steps a good distance from the creature, his eyes seemed to scour across his surroundings one last time. Surely this was the place, it had to be…

Watching the creature through the corner of his eye a few thoughts seemed to jumble around his head. Was he truly ready for this battle, could he actually come out of this alive, and what if he couldn’t…What then? With a simple sigh he dismissed the thoughts and centered his focus fully upon the creature and in a few dark words he would speak, “I’m looking for Väinämöinen, know where I can find him….?” As soon as the words left his lips, his movements would fall deftly still not wanting to make any false movements to indicate his intentions with this man. Then silently he would wait as he studied this creature, making sure that he wasn’t just simply walking into some sort of trap. Just in case he began to conjure up incantations in his mind to have at the ready should the need present itself. He normally wasn’t this paranoid, but he was in his enemy’s playing field now and anything was fair game…Especially if the old man had foreseen this day coming.

A strange voice rose out of the quiet of the forest and she rose her head in turn to look for it’s source, the bucket full of water in her hand. She saw a stranger in what she had always felt were her woods. Her first instinct was to chase him off, but he had used her Master’s name, so it wasn’t up to her if he went or stayed. Technically she was obligated to bring the stranger to the wizard. Her bright eyes narrowed slightly as she studied him in silence.

”Yes.” She said simply and wished she had remembered to bring her blade with her, but why would one bring a blade to get water? Perhaps she was over thinking things. The half-unicorn came swiftly up on the shore and knelt down to pick up the white rabbit. It fluttered its tiny wings and kicked out with its hind feet in protest, but soon settled down and finished munching on the leaf in its mouth. The white fur covering her own legs was plastered against her skin up to about eight inches from the ground. As she streghtened her eyes went back to the stranger, she was still unsure about him. Not many people visited them. In one hand she held the bucket, water dripping off the side where she had dunked it. In the other arm she held the rabbit.

“Why do you wish to know?” She asked, absently kicking back one leg and then the other in order to shake the water out of the fur. Her tail twitched to the side as she spoke.

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Väinämöinen had been dreaming, his fingers twitched as if, in his dream, he was casting a spell. The wisp circled his head in a slow lopsided loop, brightening a dimming a bit. There was a presence near, between the wizard and his creation. The wisp felt it and in it’s protective nature sought to warn to wizard. He didn’t wake at first and the wisp became more agitated and more animated. It seemed to pulse and it went right in his face.

The dream faded away as quickly as it came, the wizard opening his eyes as the dream slipped away. The wisp did a lazy half circle. He sat forward stiffly, his neck sore from falling asleep that way. The book in his lap slid forward at the same time the blanket slipped from his shoulders. Almost without a thought he cast telekinetics and the book stopped just moments from landing on the dirt floor. He stood and the book rose, closed, and set itself on the simple brown blanked slumped in his chair as he directed it to do so. Rubbing the soreness in his neck he looked around and saw that she wasn’t there. It wasn’t a surprise really; Taika was free to wander about these woods. She was created for his trips to civilization, not to protect him here in his humble abode. The earthen hut was so much more comforting then the cold stone fortress of a tower. Now only if he could remember that dream…

Carefully his eyes watched the woman’s movements as she made her way up from the water and onto the shoreline. She appeared unarmed at first glance, but that would remain to be seen for anyone seemed to be capable of just about anything these days. He wasn’t about to let his guard down, but he wasn’t about to let her get clued into what he had been planning either. Unlike her, he had garnished a weapon, but it hung lackadaisically at his waist, contained within the worn leather of it’s sheathe. The blade itself was rarely ever touched in the course of time in which he had held it, but at often times he used it as a trump card of sorts.

Releasing a deep breath, his dark crimson hues scoured his surroundings again. Something made him feel uneasy out here in the camouflage of the forest, but he would push his worries aside for the moment. Turning his dark crimson eyes back upon the woman for a moment, he spoke up in a soft tone, “Lets just say I have a favor to ask of him...” His words slowly faded off into the silence that surrounded them, before offering a simple, “Is there a problem with that…?” She seemed reserved…Almost as if she had known his intentions for being here, but then again. Perhaps she was just overly cautious just like him, whichever it was, it was beginning to get tiresome...

She studied him again for a moment. A favor? Many people would ask things of her master but it was usually while they were in town, and as a payment for whatever goods were wanted. She paused a moment, drawing out the silence and finding comfort in it. He wasn’t here to talk to her though. No one was ever here to talk to her and she was fine with that. She assumed that it must be a rather important favor for him to come all the way out here to ask about it. There wasn’t even a guaranty he would get what he was asking for.

“Probably.” She said with a sigh and moved past him, glancing at him with narrowed eyes. “This way.” She said softly after passing him by, almost hoping she had spoken soft enough for him to not hear. She didn’t wait for him and she didn’t bother looking back. She didn’t care for visitors, but she couldn’t turn him away.

Her cloven hooves made little sound as she followed the narrow path back up to the house. She set the rabbit down to the left of the door and it did a half jump, half flying bit to the nearest bit of vegetation where it started to eat once more. She then went inside, ducking to avoid hitting her horn instinctually. She went straight for the table and set the bucket on it. Then she looked around the room.

“You have a visitor.” She told the aged wizard when she saw he was awake.

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The wisp seemed excited and he took note of it, but was unsure of the cause. Was it happy for some reason or was it a warning? He had never been able to tell for sure. He readied himself though, for what ever might come. The dream was gone and there was little chance on him remembering it. Whatever clues it held were still locked away.

The door opened and he readied a spell, stun, just in case. When he saw it was only Taika he relaxed some. He was getting paranoid in his old age no doubt. He shook his hand and his head, loosing the spell and letting it fade away, uncast. He didn’t need to make her suspicious or paranoid either.

She looked at him and said in a tone that was nearly flat, “You have a visitor.” Suddenly his gaze went to the door. She had not closed it behind her. There were too many meanings in that phrase. She hadn’t gone for her blade though, or perhaps she was being cautious. Her horn was a formable weapon after all. He had seen her use it in many a fit of rage. Väinämöinen’s long fingers reached for his staff where it was propped up against his chair.

"A visitor?" he asked carefully.

Darkening his gaze, he would follow the woman in a methodical pace. He was in no hurry, nor did he have the time to simply stand around. The sooner this was over the better it was for him, at least that’s the way he felt. But if this man was anything like what he was made up to be, then he wasn’t so sure it would go so quickly. The sheer thought of this man’s power excited him straight down to his core, but he did his best to control himself. If he wanted to prove he was the better of them he would have to maintain a cool head. Recklessness was not an option here, but he wasn’t so sure if the beast inside of him would abide by that. Though…If it did decide to rear its ugly head then things may just as well bode ill for the old man, because the demon in him would stop at nothing to spill the blood of another. Though there were downsides to it though and those were the one’s he would rather not have exploited in this match. It was like a double edged blade, it could or it couldn’t play well in his favor and he’d rather not see just whose favor it would play into.

Calming his nerves once more, he faltered just outside of the doorway. By no means was he going to enter into another’s domain, nor did he wish to get himself caught up in a close quarters combat. Instead, he wanted the old man to come to him…Not vice versa. As he simply waited for the old man to emerge forth from the hut, he backed up a few paces and uttered a few words. Just then a jet black aura kicked up around him, darkening the surroundings ever so slightly with its black light. Fixating his gaze upon the door, he whispered in a soft voice, “Come Väinämöinen, let us play…”

“Yes.” She said, glancing over her shoulder only then to see if he had followed her or not. He lingered outside, which eased her mood. She felt like he was trespassing on her here, but now his was at a distance. It was only a minor annoyance and nothing she wouldn’t get over. “He says he has a favor to ask you. He also asked for you by name.”

She spoke as she busied herself. She poured some of the water in a black kettle and took a small pot of tea leaves and a pair of cups off the shelf, setting them neatly next to each other on the end of the table closest to the fire pit.

“He’s outside.” Taika looked out at the stranger once more and decided she would just wait. It was likely she wasn’t needed for this. She knelt down by the fireplace and held her hand over it to see if there was any heat left in the embers or if she would have to build the fire from scratch. There was a bit of warmth left in the embers and so she sought some kindle in the firewood nearby. Finding some she took a stick that she used as a poker and stirred up the pit, revealing the hot embers and adding the tender to it. The tender burned, but no flame came. Taking a bit more tender she added it and blew softly on it, trying to bring a flame to life in order to warm the tea. It didn’t seem to want to take and she wondered if she was going to have to dig through the shelves to find flint and steel or not. One more try wouldn’t hurt.

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He listened carefully to her words, his eyes flickering to the doorway when she glanced that way once, then twice. The visitor was outside then and she could see him from where she was. Väinämöinen didn’t have that advantage though. He grasped his staff firmly in his hand and leaned on it as he made his way across the room to the doorway. He took the shortest rout, his gate a bit wobbly and slow. He didn’t want to give away the advantage of his boots if they were unknown to his visitor and, in truth, he really wasn’t in that much of a hurry. ‘Let him wait for an old man.’ He thought to himself and enjoying the thought.

Taking his time and reaching ahead of himself with his staff, the wizard came to the doorway and peered out. He didn’t completely cross the doorframe, but paused half inside and half outside. He grasped the worn wooden staff with both thin hands as he stopped; it’s magical runes, like those on his robes, hidden with powerful illusions. His pale gaze played around the entire area before settling on the slowly returning growth just to his visitor’s left.

“Yes?” He seemed to be asking the vegetation. “You have something to ask of me?” His voice gave away his aged state, seeming slightly shaky and a bit off tone.

(( OOC: It's a little bleh, but I'm tired so I hope it's not too bad. ))

Like the patient hunter, he played his part by simply waiting for his prey to show itself. Alas, it wouldn’t be as easy as that for the old man seemed to linger in the doorway like a scared rabbit. Sneering slightly, he looked over this man with slight disappointment. He appeared none other than some old man well past his time; this hardly seemed worth his time. Though, there was no turning back, the contract was signed and he needed to carry it out. Never had he gone back on his word and he wasn’t about to start now.

Something didn’t feel quite right, almost like he was hiding something….He had to be, because the information he was given was to not take this old man lightly. But it was kind of hard to heed those words when the old man wasn’t even really looking at him. Releasing an annoyed sigh, he pushed his thoughts off to the side again, not wanting to cloud his judgment. Whether or the not old man would live up to the rumors would solely rest upon the old man’s will to live. This wouldn’t just be a battle of strengths, but a battle to find out whose existence was the stronger. Regardless of how the old man appeared, he knew deep inside that he wouldn’t just keel over and die without a fight and that’s what got his blood pumping.

Drawing his right hand off to his side a deep red energy seemed to outline his hand before gathering at the palm. Clenching his hand into a tightly woven fist, a thick red light shot forth from his hand and spewed across the ground in coils. His patience was beginning to wear thin as he waited for this old man to emerge from his little hut. So perhaps he could coax him out of there and if not…Then he would flush him out. He was done playing around and the look on his face seemed to tell it all. Bringing his right arm sharply upwards briefly, before bringing it snapping back down to the ground. In swift response to the movement of his arm the red flaming coils lifted forth from the ground and danced their way through the air before coming crashing down to the ground just a few inches shy of the old man’s feet. In a deep demonic tone he would speak, “I wanted to ask you…How it feels to live on borrowed time?” Cocking his head off to the side, a twisted grin would snake across his features, “Now come…I wouldn’t want to destroy your precious little hut in order to get you to fight me, or would you rather I did? The choice is yours…Run and hide or stay and fight….”

A deep blood lust soon took hold of his crimson hues, as his darker nature began to bubble to the surface. The act was in motion and there was no stopping it now, not until one of them were left dead here. The demon inside him would allow nothing less than the blood shed it yearned for and if things went his way then it would be granted as such. Licking his lips, he jerked his right arm back off to his side, causing the red energy to snake back across the ground and rest just in front of him. He would give the old man a single minute to make his decision and if he didn’t…Then he would have to put things into motion himself…

((OOC: don’t worry about it :) ))

Taika was rewarded by a spark of light at her breath but she was quick to frown as it died quickly. She dumped her handful of bark and other tinder in the fireplace and stood up abruptly to go over to the shelfs. There really wasn’t any order to them and she didn’t think she could remember where the flint and steel were. She looked for the flint first. She could use any sort of metal with it to set the tender on fire. All she wanted was her tea, and perhaps to cook some apples in a bit of honey to put on some freash bread. Those all had to wait for a fire first though.

She paused when she heard the stranger’s voice and her frowned deepened. So she had been right. Taika abandoned her search for flint then, moving swiftly to the bedroom door. She shoved the slightly open door all the way open and caught hold of her belt from where it hung on a peg on the wall. The sheath held a longsward that she had been using from the moment she was assigned to fight. She remebered that moment, the feel of the blade in her hand, the way it moved through the air. She paused, taking a moment to put the belt around her waist. As she settled it in place she left the bedroom and started for where her master stood in the doorway.

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The figure still housed in the frame didn’t seem to notice the red for a bit; a confused look crossed his face for a moment and his sights shifted up some, as if he was looking for the speakers face. Leaning on his staff with one arm he seemed to grasp about in the air as he spoke, half-reaching behind him as if he was searching for something else that was evading his grasp. Eventually he found the handle for the door.

“Who’s there? What do you want? I’ve borrowed nothing. I’ve been careful with that. What right do you have to destroy my home?” His voice had become demanding, though it still wavered a bit.

The spells were cast, the third woven carefully in by his almost stumbling gestures. The second was a simple spell called blink that let him teleport to any place he could see. He teleported to where he had been looking, behind the ‘visitor’, slightly to the stranger’s left, by a tree. The first spell masked that he had done such a thing though. He had first duplicated himself, creating the image of himself that stood in the doorway and making himself invisible. So now he watched the illusion of himself step forward from the doorway, shutting it behind the illusion, as if it had been the one to close the door, with the slight telekinetic energy use via the wisp that was now by the illusion. That spurt of power was a sort of announcement to himself and he didn’t know if he would be able to sustain that marathon-like use of magic. He wasn’t as young as he used to be and he felt it taxing on his body even though the power itself seemed un-phased. This was a fight if he ever saw one though. Some self-pretentious man. He didn’t seem to have harmed Taika any, so for now, his half-unicorn creation would remain unharmed.

(( OOC: I know, the post is rather short, but it gets the job done so I'll accept it as that, lol. ))

The old man’s voice seemed to be slightly irregular, which made him think that he wouldn’t be able to keep with Marius’s pace. So in turn he had to have something up his sleeve, but what was it…..? Shifting his gaze around himself once again, it soon found its way back upon the old man. The anxiety was beginning to build inside of him, bubbling its way to the surface as his left hand clenched and unclenched itself spasmodically. What was he planning, did he truly think he could face off with him head to head….?

Silently he would watch as the man made his way from the doorway and towards his current position. In a deep dark tone he spoke in response to the man’s words, “I only want to destroy you old man….I want nothing of your home or your puppet…” Just as his words would trail from his lips, his right arm brought itself sharply forward, lifting the flaming lash from the ground and out to the ‘old man.’ Just as the lash would close in on its target another spell would place itself on the tip of his tongue, just should the need for it arise…And if his guess was right, it might just come in handy…

((OOC: Just a heads up, it is highly likely that I won’t be back on until Monday. My weekends are normally shot, but who knows, I might luck out.))

Abruptly he shut the door on her, before she could even reach it. She stopped and stared at it, knowing what it meant but not wishing to listen. She reached for the handle as her the stranger spoke. Puppet… did he mean her? She wasn’t a puppet, was she? She took a step back and looked around her. The two cups and container on the table caught her eye. She could do that then, while she waited for him to call on her. He would call on her if she was needed. She knew he would. That was why she had been made. She was comfortable in that knowledge and idly she wondered if the reason she felt that way was, if she should fail him and he die, she would die too. He had created her and she had heard in one of their many trips into civilization that because she was made by his magic, when he died his magic would fade and she would be gone too.

With her blade still by her side and her ears trained for her name or another sign of him needing her, she set to looking for the flint again. Her nerves were up though, her fingers itching to hold her blade. She found the flint then and paused by the table, the stone in hand. She listened, her focus on the door. She longed for a window not with it’s shutters closed and locked, and overgrown so even if it wasn’t locked she would still have to force it open. Perhaps she could go out the back door then… but would she get in the way?

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The man proclaimed his intentions and the wizard was tempted to let the illusion be killed. It couldn’t be some simple affair though. He had to make it look as if he was trying. That meant protecting the illusion as if it was himself. He wasn’t really in the mood to fight and this ‘visitor’ didn’t seem to want to do much further then that. Who had directed such a man this way though, and why?

These thoughts were only but fleeting as he cast shield through the wisp, creating a shield of energy that, ironically protected the front of the wisp. Sensing the spell, the tiny light placed itself before the illusion of the ‘old man’. The old man stopped walking, raising his arm as if he was attempting to shield himself with his robed arm. “Who do you think you are? Who sent you here?” The illusion demanded.

Väinämöinen himself, feeling safe while he was invisable, leaned against the tree and wondered for a moment if just letting this man believe he was dead would be a good idea after all. It might just be better to get rid of this ‘visitor’ now. What would be an appropriate way to do it then? He didn’t really have any straight-out killing spells. He was a man of misdirection, enjoying the simple pleasure of watching his supposed foe dance around like a puppet against falsehood and illusions. It would have perhaps been easier if he had brought someone else with him and then, through the wizard’s simple tricks, he would have them kill each other. Perhaps he would simply stun the man and have his Taika slaughter him. She was for finishing off things though, so he couldn’t have her play her part just yet. She didn't need to be injured with out a purpose.

(( OOC: Lol, wow....That actually took me a lot of thought to put together. It's quite fun actually. =) I hope it's not all that boring for you though. )

As the lash trailed its winding way to the old man, it came to a sputtering crash just off to the side. A shield, just what he would have expected and nothing less from someone of his supposed caliber. With a simple twitch of his hand, the energy that made up the flame lash had been dispersed, leaving nothing in its wake. Normally he would have followed up the attack with something else, but the thoughts in his head held him in place for the time being. He needed to think things through, to take the time and hammer out what was the best route to take. But something else seemed to bother him as well and that was the wisp. It had never taken his attention before these past few moments, which is what had worried him. Had he truly been so consumed in the kill that he hadn’t even measured up everything this old codger had to offer?

Turning the question aside, his thoughts moved back to the wisp. He had heard of people using familiars before, but why would something so small seem to hurry to throw itself in the fray. Normally their purposes served better out of the picture, not by simply throwing themselves in the way of the battle. Unless...Unless this was a game of sorts, which was something he wasn’t all too thrilled about. But if that’s how this old codger wanted to play, then he could play that game too.

Bringing his frame back to an erect stance, a smug grin seemed to trace the features of his visage. If his assumptions were right, this old man was playing with him from the start. It was something he should have expected right away, but the blood lust had blinded him and his thoughts. Focusing his eyes on the ‘old man’ for a brief instance, they seemed to slightly stray off and fall upon the wisp just in front of him. If he was going to expose this old man as a washed up fraud he was, then he would have to do something and something quickly.

All expression seemed to leave his face and his eyes would slowly slide shut to welcome on the silence that enveloped him. Thinking for a moment’s time, a spell would fall deafly upon the tip of his tongue while he plotted out his next course of attack. It would take perfect execution to pull through and no less drain him for the time being, but if it would bring out the falsehoods and perhaps play in his favor it would be well worth it.

Just then his eyes snapped wide open and on a brief notice his frame would lurch forward in an all out run towards the ‘old man’s’ position. Upon nearing the ‘old man’s’ position, he would use all the strength he could muster to launch himself high in the air. As he lingered in the air for a brief moment, the first appearance from the real old man’s current view would make it seem almost as though he were actually going to try striking his illusion. ( Seeing as he’s behind Marius. ) Drawing both his arms sharply up over his head, his hands would latch themselves together to create an almost club like nature. In the midst of preparing the attack, the utterance of his spell trailed from his lips, causing a faintly visible orb to engulf his entire entity and a ten foot radius around him. On his descent down to the ground, he brought both his arms swinging down with all the force he could muster, but their real destination was the top of the wisp’s head that just lied in front of the old man. It was at that moment the old man could really see what Marius had up his sleeve, but whether or not it would connect was solely independent from that. Even if it didn’t, he at least hoped that the illusion had stayed in place so his anti-magic field could dispell its existence from the battle field.

She didn’t know what to do really, she didn’t like this situation at all and she felt the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Rubbing her neck to try and get rid of the sensation she turned back to the shelves and spotted the bit of steel. The steel was curved so it fit easily over the top of her knuckles, not including her pinky, and it was flat and smooth on the outside. She took it off the shelf, careful to not make much noise so she wouldn’t mask what was happening outside.

The half-unicorn knelt down before the fireplace again. Her tail trailed out behind her, it’s tip twitching almost like a cat’s from her irritation. She struck flint to steel, once, twice, three times. A spark! It didn’t take. She tried again, striking faster this time. A spark, a cut. That last strike of flint on steel slipped off and the sharp edge of the flint had cut deep into her ring finger. Dropping both the bit of steel and flint in front of the fireplace she stood and shook her hand from the pain. Her hand was shaking some as she held it with her other hand in order to see the minor injury. It was small, too small to worry about healing it with her magic. She stuck her finger in her mouth and turned her attention back to the fire. She was going to have to wait for it to stop bleeding before trying again…

She rushed over and blew softly on the tiny flame that had sprung to life while she had been distracted. It slowly started to grow and she felt triumphant for a moment as she fed the fire larger bits of wood slowly so it would grow big and hot enough to brew tea and make fresh bread. She hated when the fire went out. Why her master let it happen, she had no idea. He never helped her restart it. She stood once more and used a small rag on the shelf to wipe the soot off her hands before setting the kettle of water on the hook and swinging it over the fire to boil. She looked back at the cut when it stung. Perhaps she should heal it anyways.

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The ‘visitor’s’ next move actually surprised the wizard. He stood back up and cast his arm in front of him, palm out and fingers splayed, attempting to cast the spell Flashburst through the wisp as it went down and attempted to avoid the attack. The tiny thing knew the best way to avoid an attack that involved jumping was for it to go under the person before they landed once again, and it also didn’t know that it should be protected by the shield. It was never known to be very smart, but it was still useful.

The invisibility he had cast upon himself vanished as he felt his arm pass through the anti-magic field just inches before him. His arm had passed right through it. The Flashburst never went off and the illusion of an old man was also gone. He pulled back from the anti-magic field as if it was the plague, his face an image of disgust. That was not something he had been expecting. He was now very glad he had used the illusion. Being surprised by someone was not something he enjoyed. Better to wear this one down quickly and to keep away from the anti-magic field…

The plants and other living things around the visitor also vanished, the illusion of them broken. The ground was leveled dirt and the once wooden door was quickly revealed to be metal. The wooden vine-covered walls also vanished to reveal thick stone masonry not unlike a castle’s wall. There was some sparse grass and a few random tendrils of vines and other plants that invaded the very edge of the anti-magic field, the only real plants from that mess that had been the front yard. The tree rising up above the door was no tree at all, but for up to the edge of the spell it was revealed to also be made of stone. It was a small section of a tower. Väinämöinen’s brow furrowed as his gaze fell on the area destroyed by this man. The angelic bunny Taika had let loose by the door looked up in surprise from where it was munching on grass. It had been unseen until then. It was quick to vanish in the undergrowth just beyond the border of the field, flying very poorly in it’s panicked surprise.

He would have to work to repair that damage as soon as possible. His building here had marred the landscape and it had yet to grow back. He hadn’t wanted to announce himself like he had when he was younger. Now he cussed under his breath and cast mage armor around himself immediately after doing so. He backed further away from the anti-magic field, wishing he could do something about it. Time would allow him to remake the illusion, but in the mean time he still had a visitor to be rid of.

“Well done.” He said as his fingers wove yet another spell in the air. There was two of him, then four, then more for a total of eight images of himself each standing about three feet from each other and about that same distance around the outer edge of the anti-magic field. He needed to lure the fool out of the space and he had now spread his images wide enough that it would take at least two more anti-magic fields to be rid of them all. The words he spoke as he cast the spell echoed from all of the images as they grew. He had moved three feet to the left when the first image was created and did so again for the second, making himself further from the tree he had been by. “But what do you plan of doing now?” The eight wizards asked in unison.

(( OOC: I'm REALLY tired at the moment so if it doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll edit it when I get time to fix it. Otherwise that's the best I can do for now. ))

Though his attempts were futile to hit the wisp, he found that he had stumbled upon more success than he had originally thought. Remaining in his slumped state, his arms down off to his side he simply bided himself time to recover from the expense of his magic. Rising back to an erect state, his eyes would slowly dance across the newly exposed surroundings. No longer were they lush and green, but dark and barren. All life seemed devoid of his new surroundings, which brought a smug grin to his face. It was all one big deception….A game of sorts and all the while he had been playing into it, even from the start. Cleaver…He would give the old man that much, but nothing more.

Just then the stale sound of the man’s voice brought his attention trailing off to the trees behind him. Turning around to face him, his right hand clenched and unclenched itself absentmindedly, “I’ve played your game and now it’s time for you to die.” The ball was in his court now; he exposed this man as the fraud and the sham he was, but it wasn’t quite as easy as he had thought. Stepping forward a few paces, his eyes twitched as another image of the man manifested and another until there were a total of eight of them. Perhaps this man wasn’t aware of the fact that his tricks wouldn’t work anymore, he knew them all already and anything he would do now would seem all but pointless.

Grinning from ear to ear he continued towards the eight of them, but when they would ask their question it would slowly fade. What would he do now, they asked? It was simple…He would put a fist in their face, even if it meant going through each and every one of them. Although it would be much more complicated than just that, which was something he was well aware of. Upon nearing the edge of the magic field, he would make no motions of stopping. Because he was going to put an end to this as fast as he could even if it meant draining himself from every fiber of magic that his body could support. Just as he stepped outside of the circle, a few words would slip from his lips and a twisting black and purple sheet of armor seemed to coat his body. Then he would set forth into action the next part of his plan….

Drawing both of his hands up in front of his body, the both of them would join the butt his palms together where a deep red energy would soon begin to formulate itself. The energy seemed to twist and converge into the form of a ball, but as he uttered a few inaudible incantations the ball would return to a mass of unstable energy that still needed to be taken into form. At first glance it would almost appear that he was planning to use a fireball of sorts, but that was nowhere near his intentions. His only hope was to throw off the old man with his spell change up, but that would remain to be seen.

Pulling his hands apart quickly, the energy seemed to split into two, each taking along the way of its own hand. It was only a matter of seconds that his arms were off to his sides since the first moments that he began formulating the spell itself. Soon as his hands came to a dead halt, his digits curled inwardly, forcing the energy to expand outwardly in a violent updraft of magic energy. With a brilliant flash his surroundings lit up with a bright red flare blinding all that would look and the boom that would quickly follow would cause the pour beings listening to go temporarily deaf. Hoping that his masking of the spell would have thrown the man through a loop, it was all but too soon to tell as he simply waited for the effects to take place.

Her attention was suddenly brought back to the sounds outside. They had become quieter or perhaps further away. She strained her ears to hear what was going on. The words that the stranger spoke next caused her jaw to clench and her hand to go to her blade. She started purposefully toward the door, her cloven hooves thumping softly on the dirt floor. Her off-hand went to the handle, the cut left on her finger, and she pulled open the door only a crack so that she could see what was happening.

Her eyes widened when she saw what had happened. The door seemed to turn from wood to metal under her hand. She pulled her hand away from the door as it changed. The floor shifted from packed dirt to a stone floor with a layer of dirt on it. She stepped back, moving away from the strangeness of it. It stopped then, forming a definite line. Taika looked up at the door, left half open, and saw eight images of her master. He was on the other side of this space and the stranger was walking toward him… them?

Without pausing to think about it, she crossed into the changed area, not knowing it was an anti-magic field. She paused just inside the doorway and looked at the images one by one. Then she realized something… Where was the wisp? She looked around for it in the barren circle, and then her sights went to the lushness of the forest. She didn’t see it, where was that little light? Had it been destroyed?

She stopped looking for it then, her gaze falling on the back of the stranger, this visitor who had come out here just to kill her and her master. How dare he do this to her home, her little world was starting to look like a disaster. The plants were gone, the place changed. How dare he do this… Her hand tightened on the handle of her longsward and she loosened it just a bit, letting about an inch or so of cold steel show between the sheath and the pummel. Her gaze flickered from face to face, trying to find out which was real and waiting for a signal, a signal to act.

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

As his ‘visitor’ came out of the anti-magic field the man cast one spell and started another. Annoyed by the show of lights and what he thought was a blatant misuse of power, he simply cast dispel with a wave of his hand. Let the man keep his magical armor… for now. He wasn’t about to be played with though. He was the orchestrator after all, people played under his directions. Then all eight of the images rose off the ground as the wizard activated his boots of levitation and he grinned, looking down at the fool before him. Invisible power crackled through the air and his mage robes sturred about him as the wizard and his mirror images rose up effortlessly into the air. All of the images pointed their hands, palm out, toward his foe.

“I don’t believe that worked too well for you.” His tone no longer wavered as it had before, weather this tone was the false one or not was very hard to tell. A ball of energy, apparently gathered from the power in the very air around the eight images, formed quickly in the palm of his hand. Just as quickly as it formend, the energy leapt forward. The image of eight different magic missiles all converged on the same spot, where the lovely ‘visitor’ stood. Only one of the missiles was real, but Väinämöinen was skilled enough at deception to pull it off flawlessly. He only hoped that the man didn’t decide to retreat back into that cursed anti-magic field. It would save Väinämöinen the trouble of removing the magical armor the man had though…

Only then did his gaze flicker over there where he saw Taika standing in the doorway. She was looking off into the forest then turned her gaze to his images and him. She wouldn’t know the difference any more then their ‘visitor’. He knew then that, if the fool retreated into the supposed safety of the anti-magic field, Väinämöinen would just have Taika move him out of it. He wanted for the reaction, ready to signal his creation to attack upon any sort of retreat into that circle of distrution, the poor illusion that had been there so badly broken.

((OOC: Sorry that the wizard’s post is so short and took so long, I was having a bit of trouble with it… :( ))

(( OOC: Ahaha, it seems it came to only 1,815, but I was almost close to my 2,000 word guess, lol. Anyway, if something's a little fuzzy or a little gray as far as what happened, let me know. I held off on some of the details and descriptions seeing as I'm not trying to write a novel here, so don't be afraid to ask! =) ))

Something deep inside of him had told him that his spell would fail and fail it did. Sputtering out into nothingness, his hands would drop lifelessly back to his side in shear disappointment. He had hoped to put an end to this battle much quicker than this, but it would seem that he would have to indeed have to push his body to its outer limits. It was something he didn’t like doing, no less did often. Things tended to get stickier when they wound down to the end like that, but if that’s what it would take to win….Then he would do so.

Inhaling and exhaling heavily, his body would heave with each and every breath of air, but by no means did it mean that he was reaching his limits. By his measure, he was no where even close to his own breaking point; although others would more the less beg to differ. With waiting eyes he would watch the man and his clones rise into the air, all the while preparing his next form of attack in his head. Having a spell in mind, he began to steadily formulate a mass of energy in each of his hands. Yet again it would appear that he was taking favor in his fireball spell, but this time it was no bluff as the deep red orbs swirled like a mass of life in the palms of his hands.

He knew they wouldn’t do a damn thing to the old man due to his magic armor, but if they could just distract him long enough to get within close quarters. Then and only then would the old man pay for his little game of tricks; that much he was confident about. For he knew that the old man couldn’t possibly hold his own in a state of melee, which is why he favored to hide behind his foolish little clones. Granted, they were doing their part, but once they would no longer become a factor in this fight, then it all would soon be over.

While his thoughts continued to jumble about the caverns of his mind. A matter began to formulate itself within the hands of each of the images, causing a look of surprise to wash over his features. From what he knew this man was strictly a puppet master and nothing more, the shear fact that he even possessed a single offensive spell caught him off guard. Reacting merely upon instinct than anything, he brought both of his hands sharply up and in front of him before thrusting them out to meet the full brunt of the magic energy. In doing so the currents of the two energies converged (Fireballs and Magic Missiles), causing a violent reaction to take place between the two opposing forces, and a small explosion would set forth from it. Having been so close to it, the shear force of it threw him sharply backwards and flat onto his back where he would slide a few feet before falling still.

Finding himself standing alone in the midst of a black void, a lone voice would break the silence, its sound dark and sinister, “Marius…You can’t do anything can you? I have to do it all for you, don’t I?” Marius growled at the very sound of the voice, knowing exactly what its appearance meant, “I told you I’ll do it and I will, so stay out of this, this doesn’t concern you.” The voice broke out into a deep laughter which seemed to carry from all directions around Marius, “Ah, but it does, Marius. I’m a part of you, remember? So, if you can’t get things done then that affects my survival on this plane. In short…It’s only in my best interest to step in and take care of things when my host…can’t.” Releasing another annoyed growl, Marius simply rubbed his forehead out of frustration, “Look, give me a chance, I haven’t even begun to warm up yet, if I can’t do it then…Then you can step in, until then, buzz off.” Just as his final words trailed off, a bright light would cut through the darkness, bringing him back to the mortal realm around him…

Letting out a soft groan, a lone hand would rise just in front of his eyes to block out the streams of light that broke through the thick foliage above him. Rolling over to his side, he would slowly bring himself to his hands and knees before rising to a slumped stance. Straightening out his stance, his head would cock itself backwards slightly as he allowed a smirk to take its presence on his face, “I hope that isn’t everything you have left in you, because I’d be awfully disappointed if it were. I’ve just begun to warm up, I wouldn’t want you to keel off too soon, because it’s just starting to get interesting. So, shall we see how much you truly have left to offer…?” Of course, he was only bluffing the old man with his talk of warming up, because by his measure he had used up a good quarter if not more of his magical energy. However; that didn’t mean that he still didn’t have a lot more to offer, which was something the old man would have to be careful of…

Taking a few steps towards the eight images, his left hand would lift upwards and flick its palm out to one of them. Just then a few crackles of blue energy would snake their way across his forearm and gather within his palm. Although, as soon as he made a motion to set forth the energy a sharp pain would shoot through his entire length of his arm, causing his spell to immediately dispel itself and his arm to move back to his torso. Resting his arm against his chest, his right hand would clutch itself tightly around the midsection of his forearm in hopes of quelling the pain. Releasing an agonizing cry, both of his arms would draw downwards just at waist level, his right hand still gripping tightly around his left arm. Blood seemed to trickle out from the dark confines of his sleeve and trail its way down his spanning digits, before dripping off and to the ground where they would soon begin to pool with time. At first glance, it would appear almost as if he truly was injured from the last assault, but that was no where near the case.

Hidden well beneath the binds of his sleeve rested a series of obsidian markings that trailed up the length of his forearm. However; instead of being their usual dark shading, they pulsated with a red radiant light, but much unlike any ordinary markings these were almost like wounds to the flesh when they became active with their light. They seared the flesh just only where they rested and discolored the areas surrounding it, but it wasn’t just as simple as that. Unknown to even Marius, their true effects were that of a price…In short, they leeched life from the parts they scarred and would spread only when the part could no longer serve a good enough host. This all came as a cause of the demon spirit that rested deep within his body, which needed a sacrifice of sorts in order to come forth in aid to its host. Truly, it was more of a curse than a blessing, but Marius still held little knowledge of just how dangerous this creature truly was to his existence.

The pain was unbearable to withstand and in time it would soon have him down to a single knee. Staring down at the pool of blood beneath him, beads of sweat would trace the linings of his features before dripping off to join the murky liquid. Then it happened, the beat of his heart faltered for a moments passing, before steadily increasing to where it left off until it even surpassed that of a mere mortals. A newfound strength seemed to wash over him, making him rise to his feet. Bringing both of his arms down to his sides, his hands would quickly clench themselves into tightly woven fists and just at a words utterance a deep black aura would kick up around him. The swirling black flames gradually wound around his entire entity, gently licking across his bare flesh and clothing as it had on their ascent upwards. Glowing red eyes replaced crimson shaded hues and course red markings ran the length of his cheeks before tapering off to fine sharp points, each of them varying with their lengths. Each of his muscles became more refined than before, limiting him to a higher grace of strength, but the most distinct change would remain to be seen.

Silently he stood enjoying his moment of freedom from the deep recesses of Marius’s body. Though, it would remain just as that, a fleeting moment. He was here on business and business alone and that was to deal with this old man before him. There would be no fooling around with this old codger, this time it would be put to a stop and immediately at that. Unlike Marius, he didn’t have the patience to simply loll around and wait for the old man to mistake, but instead he would force the old man to make a mistake. That in turn is what separated him from that of Marius and it would certainly play as a deciding factor in this fight. Lifting his dark red eyes up to the old man, they would narrow themselves briefly before speaking, “Don’t think you stand a chance, I will not yield till the last of your blood has dropped. So, show me everything you have to offer…”

Soon as the words would trail from his lips, he would press forward into an all out run towards the eight images. As quickly as the distance closed between him and the eight of them, he launched himself into the air, his right hand snapping off to his immediate right where a red rope would once again form from the palm of his hand. Instantly after it began to take shape, he brought his right arm out in a wide arc from right to left, the fire lash streaming through the air and towards the first of the images at the right (Acerbic’s right) in hopes of bringing it across each of the eight. If the old man somehow managed to escape such an attack, then he would have one of two options, either retreat into the anti-magic field or try his best to get out of range, depending on his location within the batch of fakes. Either or would do well enough for him, but then again, he couldn’t quite count the old man out so soon as he had come to realize.

((OOC: I found that in switching their order I could write this a lot better. Sorry it took so long, but I also haven’t been on much.. :( ))

The reaction between his own magic missile and the spell cast by his visitor caused quite a reaction; thankfully the reaction took place closer to his foe instead of him, knocking the man backwards into the area cleared by the anti-magic field. Väinämöinen lifted his sleeved arm up to shield his eyes from the collision and as all of the images lowered their arms he smiled to himself. The man was prone. In that shield though, so another magical attack would not work. Instead he repeated the spell he had used before, duplicating himself and making himself invisible. He left the false images where they were, hovering in the air. He moved back further once more, waiting. Väinämöinen had no trust in other creatures after the life he had lead. He had been hoping to escape most of what he had fought both for and against in his old age, but perhaps it was all for not. The problem, or so it seemed to him, was that there were so many other races that lived so much longer then a human like he could even wish to live. He wondered for a moment who had sent this man. It could be anyone though. Even those who had been on his side before probably felt alienated by his disappearance into such a life.

The wizard could feel the tug of age on his bones as he made his way around and out of the way of any attack. He moved further back and further to his left. He stubbornly ignored his age, not willing to let it pull him down. Then the man got up and Väinämöinen was pleased with what he was seeing. The man was quick to move out of the horrid anti-magic field and he knew, knew that his visitor would like nothing more then to get him in close combat. But that was why he had created Taika. She is his close combatant, as flawed as that spell turned out to be, the results were still results he wanted. A spell formed in the stranger’s hand, and then… Väinämöinen’s brow furrowed and a frown formed as his eyes narrowed suspiciously. He seemed to be wreathing in some sort of pain… bleeding… then he realized what it was and his gaze went hard, his features turning to stone, blank. Demon. He nearly spat the word the curse it was. He had nearly killed Taika when he thought she was a demon. Thankfully, he realized she wasn’t. The eight wizards that levitated off the ground mirrored his expression only after he had become so serious. He spoke through the illusions then, their voiced in unison and as he did so, his left hand with his thumb, index finger, and middle finger extended moved sideways in an almost relaxed motion.

“Demon spawned is it?” the Väinämöinen illusions said as the wizard himself, confidently invisible, rested his weary bones against yet another tree, about five feet back and to the left of his left most mirror image. “Then it seems that I have a matter to deal with after I’ve finished with you.”

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

Taika had been watching, her fist tightening and relaxing in unison with her heartbeat. The anger she felt toward this stranger as she waited, as well trained as she was, for a signal. She wished to attack, to lash out with blade, horn, and hoof against this intruder, against the taint he was leaving on her home, against the stranger who dare attack her master at home. Still, she waited, her gaze flickering about between the many images of her master and the hated stranger. The longer she watched the more still she became.

She didn’t even realize she was only a tool to the wizard, that her beliefs in the man, of the man, were nearly all unfounded. She only knew she wanted to fight and was waiting, of all things, for permission to do so.

“Demon spawn…” her Master started and then she saw it, the signal she had been waiting for. The rest of the words were lost as her gaze fell on the back of the intruder. She went berserk as soon as her gaze reached him. She pulled loose her sward as she lunged forward, her cloven hooves bringing her quickly over the barren ground caused by the anti-magic field. She gripped the blade in both hands and rose it up over her right shoulder and she lept up as she swung the sword down on the ‘demon spawn’ that was suddenly before her. For a moment, part of her mind screamed at her, that she was too late. The line of fire stretching out had already sliced nearly half of the images of her master in twine. This only drove her further into her rage so that as she brought down her blade on the open back of the intruder, she broke her silence with a cry that sounded not far off from what one would expect from one part unicorn, something like a crazed horse's scream.

((OOC: My next post, the anti-magic field will be done. Now I hope this version of my post will be better suited. Sorry for the delay. -Bows.- ))

Image after image the lash would slice as it quickly came to the midpoint of the clones before beginning its journey back to the opposite side of his body. Just as it would come to his side though, a sharp surge of pain would jolt throughout the entire length of his back, causing him to step forward and away from its source. Countless emotions riddled the caverns of his mind, but the most prominent of them was that of rage. Rage against the one that would sink low enough to strike him from behind when it was none of their concern to begin with. Oh the pain he would inflict on such a person, they would soon beg for their death to come swiftly. Gnashing his teeth together, he would turn around slowly, a look of anger prominent upon his features. Blood red eyes focused themselves squarely to hers as they bore deep within their depths. Burning with hate they would never waver, never stray from their target, but should hers stray then she would realize just what she was up against. She wasn’t just up against some ragged run of the mill human, but instead a full fledged demon. She would pay for what she did, even if she was a woman. Sex played no part in this ordeal, because she stepped across those bounds the second she attacked him from behind.

In a snarl he spoke with a dark tone, making full right she could hear, “A mistake you’ll regret the entirety of your life, puppet. Know well this face that will take from you everything you never came to gain.” The second the last world trailed from his lips, he drew his full attention upon Taika. The old man was foolish to bring his abomination into his own matters, was he really so afraid of him that he had to take whatever he could get as opposed to fighting a fair fight? Perhaps it would be so, but he would soon learn his mistake when he lied lifeless upon his back.

A smug grin couldn’t help but slide prominently across his features as the following actions planned themselves out in his head. If the old man would offer no interference, then it would be good night for this new nuisance, at least in his view…

Though, his pace was methodical, it would not be uneventful for there was a method to this madness he called strategy. Plenty would call him an idiot for acting upon things so slowly, but in his view it was much easier to plan things out when things went by your pace and from what he could tell so far. The only way the old man acted was solely upon his own safety and only when Marius took to the offensive. That’s what bothered Marius the most, because it was most likely that the old man would try to keep these numbers stacked against him.

Keeping his gaze fixated upon Taika, his arms would slowly rise to a parallel base with the ground, where they would falter in their movements. Next his head would drop limply forward, just as his hands would rise up slightly, spanning his fingertips only so slightly so that they had still faced down to the ground. Raising his right hand slightly, the left would drop just as far, and with that he would repeat it with the other side and so on. His actions were meant to imitate that of a puppet on strings, all in hopes of mocking her. Speaking a few final words, “Nothing but a puppet,” the last section of his retaliation would launch itself into action. If she was foolish enough to attack during his preparations, then she would be like a moth flying to the light...A very bright light. And with that, his hands rotated their palms out towards her and a faint purple light gathered within them, also gathered at his chest and down near his ankles. Within a few split seconds the light would shoot across his entire entity and brighten with unbound intensity. Soon after a loud bang would follow the light, leaving all who witnessed it temporarily blind and deafened.

His hopes on the attack weren’t aimed for the old man persay, but for Taika solely since the old man had already known of this trick since he had used it prior to this. There was a draw back though and it was beginning to make itself known. Soon as the spell had passed, his form would slump forward in a hunched over state, his hands placing themselves upon his knees to help support the weight of his weary frame. Riddled with blood loss, the demon’s strain on his entity, and lastly the mass consumption of energy he had been running through were all taking a toll on his body. How much longer he could keep this up would be answered soon it seemed…

(OOC: Thank you very much! It's not what I was exspecting, but it works. Hope you don't mind my post. I’m not sure is the spell would go off or not with the wizard acting now, but these are his last spells. Weather he knows it or not, and he’s not showing it, this is his last stand…))

Väinämöinen smiled to himself. She was more then a puppet and would not respond to the taunt in her rage. To do such a thing was only to create a distraction. He was pleased how well it had worked on this demon. Though most always seemed to think that a physical attack was always more powerful then a magical one. Anyone who knew as much as he did, and who had forgotten as much as he had, about magic would be a fool to think Taika was anything more then a distraction. He chuckled to himself as he readied both of his nature spells. First he summoned a ally to his side. The large tiger that emerged from the foliage near by was more then adequate. He then moved himself away from the tree, holding his staff as gravity seemed to be pulling much too hard on his old bones.

He lifted his hand forward and vines from the thick forest about them crept forward with the motion, moving quickly across the ground and then raising to wrap about everything in a 10 foot radius in thick vines. The spell entangle was a good way of slowing up his foes and as Taika… he saw she was moving to attack and remembered she was still berserk. When had, oh, yes. “Taika! Stand down!” He ordered sharply and sent the wisp over to her. She stopped and then noticed the vines. One reached for her foot and she stepped back. Another step brought her back inside the anti-magic field. Väinämöinen wondered how long the shield had been up. He felt his stance waver and once more activated his boots. This time he only rose barely above the ground. His gaze went toward his home. The door was still open and he could see his chair sitting inside, the blanket and book still resting peacefully on it. He would like to of just blinked over there and go back to his morning, but no. No, his attempt to live in peace in his old age was for naught. His gaze turned sharply to the demon spawned creature sent to kill him. The vines were moving quick and unless he could fly, there would be no escape. “Who sent you Demon?” He demanded as the tiger came to his side. After making that demand he clenched his teeth, determined to ignore the tugging warning at the back of his mind. There was no way his mana could be that low, no way.

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

Taika had no idea what had happened until a voice rang out. “Taika! Stand down!” She blinked, feeling drained a bit. She had lost it that quickly? Damn, it was getting worse if… she noticed vines creeping along the ground and took a step away from them. Another began to wind around her hoof. She pulled away, stumbling into the area cleared by the anti-magic field. She managed to slip out of the vine’s grasp and looked up at the man. Demon Spawn? That was what her master had called him. He did appear to be possessed or something. She grimaced and tore her gaze away from the sickening creature. She moved further back as the fact she stood in the middle of a circle of ruined earth made her stomach churn. It was only then that she noticed that there was blood on her blade. She had struck him, and he was still standing? She must have not been beserk for too long. Yes, not long at all. She had no marks of battle.

Unsure of why she had been called off so quickly her gaze settled on the demon spawn as her Master demanded a answer from him. She wasn’t sure what he was doing, but she was starting to hate him. The feeling came easy and she wondered if that was what had driven her so quickly into her rage. She held her blade at the ready just in case, watching him closely.

((another OOC: If you do cast the spell, consider her blinded for your post. If not, don’t worry about it. ^_^ ))

(( OOC: Just ignore the spell, it's not really important. I'm not going to even worry about it. It's not the greatest piece of work and rather quite sloppy on the descriptions, but it seems to be fine. If you have a question and I missed something important, just let me know in PM. I'll fix it as soon as I can, my schedules been hectic and this is as good as it'll get for a while, sorry. ))

The anti-magic field had finally reached its limit and with a flitter of sparkles it would quickly dissipate into nothing. Now the field would be open again and there would be no safe haven, which was exactly what he wanted. It seemed that the Anti-magic field seemed to play more against him than in his favor, which had aggravated him slightly, but now that it was over there would rest an opportunity in which he could finally put an end to this.

Blood red glowing eyes watched as the abomination known as Taika lingered in the area where the field had once existed, leaving her completely at his mercy. Though, something told him that she was not to be his primary focus and the answer would come in the form of the vines that would wrap themselves around his ankles. A demand…? The old man demanded him as to who had sent him? A faint smile traced his lips, tugging at the corners of his lips, “Demon…Such a nice ring to it, don’t you think? But there’s something that sounds even better and that’s the twisted cries of those who cross a demon. You’ve been marked and you will fall. Save your questions and spare your breath, for you will need it.” The old man was only wasting his magic by simply trying to bind him. No less with something that was weak against Marius’s element. Foolish…was the only thought that traced the lacings of his mind.

Raising his right hand, he would simply snap his fingers, which sent a spray of sparks out from between his fingers and across the vines. The second the sparks would make contact, his hand would span itself outwards quickly which would cause the vines to flare up in a miniature inferno of fire, freeing him from the vines that bound his feet. Now able to take a few steps from his current position, he would turn so he faced neither one of them, but kept both of them at his sides so as to keep a better eye on the two of them. But his actions were not done quite yet, for a deep red energy would gather itself within the palms of his hands. Without pause, they would bring themselves up and in front of his face, spanning out his digits as they had. In a smooth fluid motion, he would bring them both down and continue the process, almost making it appear as if he would doing some sort of odd dance, but that would play within his hands. After a few movements, a few meteors would appear and fall freely to the ground, only to be followed by countless more. Their strikes came at random and hit the ground with a heavy force, leaving all bellow to fall at their mercy. They would slice effortlessly through the thick foliage of the trees above, leaving miniature fires all throughout the woodlands, which would only spread into something much worse given time…

It would seem that even the trees themselves weren’t much of cover either, since the sheer force of the meteors caused a couple of them to crumple beneath the blows. Only to add into the chaos that surrounded his spell. Sure it may have been a reckless choice, but that’s what separated him from the rest. As the end of the spell drew to a sudden end, the energy would dissipate from his hands and he would wait for the last string of strikes to happen. That’s when his attention shifted to the rather large oak that came crashing down towards his current position. Pushing off from his right foot, he would barely slip out from beneath the crashing tree, only to vanish just beyond its large girth. As the tree came to a rest, his back would place itself up against the trunk of the tree, before contemplating his next move. If he played his cards right, he could use the forest to his advantage and perhaps stay out of sight long enough to either plot his next move or recover himself a bit.

Wasting little time, he would thrust forth from the fallen tree and slink behind another massive oak, and then the next all the while trying to keep himself hidden until he would come to a point in which he figured to be about somewhere off to the old man’s right side (Referring to the location before the spell, should he move during it, since Marius’s focus would’ve been on the spell casting and what effects would come of the Meteor Bombardment.) Deciding to rest for a short time, he would rest his chest against the trunk of the tree, as he peaked around it to see what became of the two of them.

The vines didn’t hold the troublemaker too well, and he still didn’t know who was after him. Väinämöinen scowled at his want to be killer as the vines broke loose. With a gesture the wizard motioned the tiger forward to attack. Unfortunately the damned demon spawn had another spell to cast. The air became hazardous as many good-sized rocks burned their way into the forest. His scowl deepened and he shouted an order to Taika. “Get inside, NOW!” He had no way of protecting her from where he was. Her best protection had been the thing that Väinämöinen hated so much, that damned anti-magic field! He wasn’t able to see if she followed his order or not. Mostly because one of those flying rocks decided to fall his direction. He cast shield and instantly regretted it when he felt it pull at his very being.

Pride now over took him. The fool was mocking him. Whoever had sent the demon spawn had known too much about Väinämöinen himself. He wanted to know whom it was and couldn’t even get that much from his would be killer. If only there and been more then one. It would have been too easy then. Taika was also not as disposable as he would like her to be. Perhaps it would have been better to gain more summoning spells then to learn constructs. He wanted to lash out at the presumptions of this so-called “visiter”, but now that the spell was dieing down he had lost track of the man. The tiger, on the other hand, had managed to be hit a few times and was so badly damaged that Väinämöinen could only watched as the summoning reverted and the beast was sent back from whence it came.

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Fire engulfed the vines then and she wondered what exactly was going on. When her Master’s order came she was surprised to see fire flying down from the sky also! She retreated to the house just as he had told her too, at a run. She slammed the door behind her just as one of the meteorites slammed into the metal door. She backed away from the door and saw that the kettle was had boiled over and had also managed to put out the fire. She cussed to herself and glared at the flint and steel on the table. She looked up in surprise as another thump resounded through the forest. The a louder one rang out and seemed to shake the very earth. After that last and loudest bang there was silence.

Taika took a deep breath and listened. Not a sound… now. She went back to the door and opened it once more. The top of a tree filled the doorway. It didn’t completely block it, but getting out this way would not be an easy task. Perhaps it would be easier to simply go out the other side. That ment going through her master’s study though. Taika had never been in there before…

Pain began to rack itself through his entire back, causing him to grimace in response. He would remember that when it would come time to pass judgment down upon that miserable little wretch. She would not escape his clutches and would suffer a fate much similar to her little puppet master. Gnashing his teeth at the shear thought of the woman, he would attempt to concentrate his attention back upon the old man who seemed to be exactly where he had left him. Now was not the time to plot revenge, now was the time to finish this and finish this he would. The old man would draw his last breath here and fall to the superior man in this fight.

Balling his right hand into a tightly woven fist, his thoughts would quickly sift through the best course of action before putting it into play. Coming to a sudden conclusion on which would be the best method to go about this. He would push out from behind the tree, immediately activating the spell Gaseous form and from there he would slink from shadow to shadow, making certain to remain hidden until the moment presented itself. As he encircled the old man, he would come around to his backside before noticing the absence of the previous summoned beast and the puppet Taika. It would be no matter though, it wasn’t as if they could possibly hope to find him, or let alone see him in the current state he had taken upon.

Breaking now from his encirclement around the old man, he would precede full bore towards him, keeping the same strategy as he had. Using every bit of speed and strength he could muster, his legs would bend briefly before launching him up towards one low hanging branch, and from there he would leap up to another until he was at the exact height of the old man. Upon nearing him, he would leap forth from one of the branches, drawing his right arm sharply behind him. Curling his digits menacingly, his razor sharp nails would bar themselves outwards in a threatening manner, as he prepared to launch them at anything he could get of the old man. A target point on the body was of no real concern, the only concern he had was to hit the man and perhaps bring this fight to a screeching halt. The second he would put the attack in action, he would drop the Gaseous form, enabling him to materialize once more and bring the oncoming blow to the reality of the old man. With a coy grin, he would whisper the words, “Got’cha…”