William had a very tough time keeping a straight face when the man mentioned such high rewards for the task... that sword would definitely be something special so he may consider keeping it for himself even if it isn’t one of the twelve... but ten thousand for some random vase or something like that... he’d only have to pick up a few items and not need to work for another year or more... he suppressed his greed at the prospect for a moment to actually focus on the job “Well yes, probably more important than all that... what kind of thing is down there that’s such a threat? There’s no way you’d offer such a reward for something easy to deal with...”

_________________
I... am plotting something... he he he he...

~ Takai ~
~ Collecting Darastrix ~

She dipped her head in a respectful nod to Scias before downing the rest of of her cup. "Thank you, Scias. If we meet again, I hope it will be on terms at least as friendly as these. If so, you may call me by name. I am Takai."

She offered him his cup back before he took his leave, and stood for a heartbeat after he'd gone, turning to stare up at the rooftops where Darastrix and Rei had taken the fight. She sighed softly, shifting her sword-belt so that her blades were at the back of her hip instead of at her immediate side, and darted straight for the wall of the building in question. A few feet from the sheer vertical face, she sprung up, planting a foot on the wall higher than where her head would have reached, and pushed off. A half-twist allowed her to plant her right foot against the wall opposite the first, once again using it as a springboard, but this time toward her final destination: the roof where Darastrix stood. Just as with all of her other movements, her landing was precise and calculated so as not to expend any undue effort, bending her knees to absorb the impact as she landed.

She shook her head to free her face of her hair as she stood, then shifted her sword belt back to its original position--just in case. It wouldn't do to be unprepared if Scias and his friends had underestimated her prey.

"Now that that's done with, I'll have to insist that you come with me, Darastrix Navnik."

_________________

Official Forum Mom

"If you wont leave then I guess I will have to finish you quickly!" Darastrix yelled, darting at Rei. Suddenly a large man stepped out from behind Rei. How had Darastrix not seen him? He held a spear, which he promptly thrust as Darastrix. With no time to completely dodge, Darastrix attempted to throw himself to the side, using his Nen wings as propulsion. He was too late, the spear was going to hit his right shoulder. No matter, the cloak would..."ARRRGH!" he screamed in pain as the spear shattered his hatsu and lodged in his right shoulder. His Nen was instantly locked up, and he felt incredibly weak. He fell to his knees as the giant wrenched the spear from his shoulder with a sickening *schlink* sound. "Wha....what was that all about." Darastrix gasped, grasping his injured shoulder. "H-how did you... "I will let you figure it out"...let me guess, it targets Nen that correlates to dragons? Damn you and you preparation!" he exclaimed.

He was completely at the pair's mercy. He was wondering what would happen next, when Takai appeared. "Now that that's done with, I'll have to insist that you come with me, Darastrix Navnik.". Crap, he thought, the bounty hunter is back. Well this was to be expected, he did wreck the side of that building. He probably should have been more careful. Hindsight was a bitch. "I cant fight anymore, so I guess I have no choice. Where will you take me?" He asked Takai, struggling to his feet and walking over to her, holding his injured shoulder. He turned to look back at Rei and the large man. "This is not over. You are my clan mate and therefore must die like the others will. Next time I will make sure your friend there cant help you." he snarled, his eyes briefly changing before flicking back to there red hue. Turning back to Takai he calmly said "Lets go."

_________________

~ Takai ~
~ Collecting Darastrix ~

She watched calmly, waiting for Darastrix to let his steam off. She did arch a brow at the interesting change in her bounty's eyes, but there was no other reaction. When he turned back to her, she looked him over, assessing his weakness to discern whether he'd be able to travel without her assistance.

"There's a bounty on you. I intend to turn you in and collect the reward. No offense. I just need the money," she said plainly as she moved to lead him (and help him, if it was necessary) off the roof, toward wherever it was that she had to take him to get her paltry sum. Despite her helpfulness (if needed), she did stay on guard. She wasn't stupid, after all.

_________________

Official Forum Mom

Darastrix followed Takai to wherever it was she was taking him. Probably back to the city he had been in when he had jumped off of that building. He was silent for the initial part of the journey as his Nen slowly uncoiled from whatever that large man had done to him. The thought of how that man had so easily subdued him and the smug look on Rei's face caused him to clench his fists in anger. Rei had said something about his brothers. When Darastrix was done with Rei he would hunt them down too. For now it would not hurt to get to know his captor. If she was willing to talk that is. "So what is your name?" he asked the hunter out of the blue. "You know mine already. It seems a bit odd that you would take on this mission, the reward is not that high and I could have made things very difficult. I still could." he stated as he felt most of his power return. "But I wont. Do you really need the money that badly?" he inquired. He awaited his captor's response.

_________________

~ Takai ~
~ Traveling w/ Darastrix ~

"Takai," she responded simply, sparing a glance for him with an arched brow.

"Money does make the world go 'round, you know. And small sums eventually add up. Ride a mule while looking for a horse, and all that," she said. The use of the proverb was almost a quip, but no smile graced her lovely face. Instead, she maintained her serious demeanor as she looked ahead once more, watching him only with er peripheral vision.

"The fact that you mention that you could make things difficult means that somewhere within you exists the urge to do so. Perhaps it is the male condition, to rage so entirely. Perhaps someday, you will learn the discipline to temper your enthusiasm...Or that strength unspoken is the strongest." She glanced at him again, the faintest of smirks curving her lips as she gave him her unbidden advice as she anticipated what he would say in reply.

_________________

Official Forum Mom

"Sound advice, but I assure you my urges are not due to my gender." he replied with a slight smile. His captor was certainly an interesting woman. He could tell that the serious attitude was semi forced and that his captor could, if she let herself, be a lot less cold on the outside. He supposed it was the result of some training or perhaps she truly had such mental discipline. He was impressed. "Once again, I do not intend to escape you. Even now my strength is still on the mend, and I have no doubt that you are a powerful person. I do not envy whoever you turn me over to, however. They will not be so lucky." he explained. "Since we have nothing better to do on this trip, I would like to hear your story. I get restless when I am bored and neither of us want that. I will also tell you mine should you wish to hear it." Darastrix waited for his warden's response.

_________________

~ Takai ~
~ Traveling w/ Darastrix ~


"My story? It is a short and boring one. I became a hunter to earn money. That is all," she said by way of explanation, although there was obviously more to be told.

"I do hope that you will wait until I've secured my payment before causing anyone any...unluck."

Darastrix had been wise enough to not judge her by her immediate actions, but he would find her cool demeanor and disciplined shell harder to crack than he might first suspect, if he suspected that he would take the first overture of friendship to heart.

_________________

Official Forum Mom

"Oh dont worry, I have nothing against you. I also have nothing against the one who put this bounty on me. If he tries to keep me from leaving, that is a different story." he replied with a slight smirk. It seemed his captor was not going to open up easily. Well he liked a challenge. "I'm sure your story is more interesting then that. But if you wont start, I will. I was born in a village owned by the Bahamuti clan....." Darastrix proceeded to detail his life. How the clan had raised him to harness the "dragon" within him. How he had found out about their plan to use him to revive an ancient evil dragon. How he had vowed to destroy them all. "Even Rei. He may have left the clan, but he must have known about their plan for me. Anyone who would go along with that plan must die..." he growled, his voice seeming to change slightly, growing deeper and menacing as the rage of the dragon boiled up within him. He quickly suppressed it. "Anyway, I shared, now you share." he requested with a genuine smile.

_________________

~ Takai ~
~ Traveling w/ Darastrix ~

"I like tea. The art of brewing it is one of my hobbies," she replied, completely ignoring the fact that he was likely asking her to share about her background. "I appreciate beauty in nature. I especially like flowering trees. Cherry, plum, gardenia, dogwood...Delicate blossoms with strong perfume are the ones I like best."

She pursed her lips, brow furrowing slightly as she thought deeply about what to say next. The effort with which she chose her words spoke loudly about what type of person she was. Instead of flippantly pushing him off or spouting off whatever she first thought of, she was circumspect in choosing tidbits about herself that were completely true yet not exceedingly important, at least at first thought.

"I enjoy reading, when I can find the time. I think it is important to keep one's mind as sharp as one's weapon."

She fell silent again, but this time it wasn't in thought over what she would say next. Instead, she glanced at him, one eyebrow arched, although her neutral expression was otherwise unchanged. "Tell me...Can you read others' thoughts?"

_________________

Official Forum Mom

Well it seemed his captor was very adept at avoiding questions. It was a good skill to have. She reminded him of a character he had seen in one of the few movies he had seen. What were they called.....Japanese? Yes that was it. The character was a Japanese women. Of course, the movie was set back many years from the current date. Although that woman did not appear to be able to slice up any one who messed with her. What had that movie been called? He couldn't remember. It was beside the point. His warden had asked a question.

"Read minds? Nah. I am not too sure why you would ask such a thing?" He replied. "You also have not properly answered my question yet, but I wont force you. If you do decide tell me, it will be when you are ready."

_________________

~ Takai ~
~ Traveling w/ Darastrix ~

"If you cannot read minds, then how can you know whether all of your clanmates meant you ill?" she asked plainly, looking away again. "Do not misunderstand and think that I mean to sway you from your course. I only wish to understand your point of view. What happens if you destroy your clan and then later find that you have murdered innocents?"

She glanced at him again, once more avoiding the subject of her past. He was right. If she would tell him, it would be on her terms It would be when she was ready, and she wouldn't be ready before knowing a lot more about him and his intentions.

_________________

Official Forum Mom

Takai's question was one that Darastrix was prepared to answer. "Its pretty simple, really." He replied, his head tilting back to gaze at the passing clouds. "I know that they are all guilty because there was no penalty for leaving the clan. Oh sure they swore you to never talk about the clan to non clan members, but If you disagreed with the clan's views you were not obligated to stay. I saw the process many times. Newcomers would be introduced to every single aspect of the clan." Darastrix explained, putting emphasis on key words. "Including what they were doing to me. If you did not believe after wards, you were free to go. If you did, welcome to the clan." he concluded with a small chuckle. "Every member who was at the rituals and the gatherings. They all believed in the cause. Every last one. There were no secrets that could potentially put off any cult members. So they all thoroughly believed in turning me into the Great Dragon, and for that they must die." Darastrix further explained, his expression darkening in hatred. "So while I may not be able to read minds, I know that they are guilty. None felt remorse or guilt for what they put me through. Even the woman who treated my burns treated me as less than human. They did not care about me. They cared about the Great One." he sighed. "Alright little miss question dodger, I have detailed myself. In a sharing mood yet?" he grinned.

_________________

~ Takai ~
~ Depositing Darastrix ~

"I see. In that case...Should you need aid in your quest, I will offer you a discount," she said with a ghost of a smile gracing her lips.

"As for sharing, that will have to wait for another time. We are here, my friend." She led him toward the door of the place where she was supposed to turn him in. He was nice enough, but she needed to collect her paltry fee. Maybe someday they would meet again under different circumstances.

_________________

Official Forum Mom

*Building*

The police met Takai at the door. They cuffed Darastrix and led him into the car which left as soon as they were ready. A woman walked up to Takai and examined her. She was a fierce looking woman with blue hair so light it was almost white. She wore thin, sharp glasses and a slim uniform. It consisted of brown pants, a white undershirt, and a blue jacket that had an orange strip down the side. At her waist were two sheathes, both occupied. She gazed at Takai for just long enough to make Takai uncomfortable before saying "You are the hunter who apprehended him, correct? The base reward for such a deed is 10,000 jenis. Did you suffer any damages that might cause a need for a greater reward to cover expenditures?"

*The Police Car*
The policemen drove steadily, getting Darastrix from point A to point... C? Darastrix saw the police station go by them. The driver didn't pause in the slightest. Then something strange happened. The entire car began to shimmer. Both of the 'police officers' did as well. When the shimmering stopped, the 'police officers' were revealed to not be that. In addition, a terrible smell suddenly became apparent. When he looked at his feet, he found where it was coming from.

Two piles of flesh that Darastrix assumed were once human were lying at his feet. Both were crushed beyond any recognition. However, Darastrix could recognize the clothing of the officer's. The man driving the car was simply bizarre. Darastrix couldn't see his face completely but from what he could see in the mirror and from his vantage point, the man's entire body was covered in bandages. Strange studs were driven into his skull. A gigantic, electronic eye was strapped to the man's upper face. He wore a purple uniform with the symbol of an eye on the side. The other was covered in a robe but Darastrix guessed that that one couldn't be much bigger than himself. The driver hummed, an awful, synthetic sound that made Darastrix's flesh crawl.


*Mansion*

Nicollo smiled. "I see you have a healthy dose of self-preservation. Yes, I'm afraid that everyone else I has sent out have simply disappeared, without a word of warning. They didn't leave the ruins, that much is sure. Unfortunately, that's all the information I have about that subject."

_________________
Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

~ Takai ~
~ ooh, a Creepy Lady! ~

If Takai was uncomfortable, she didn't show it. She merely stared the woman back, a bored expression on her face.

The questions were straightforward, so her answers were just as straightforward. "Yes. No," she replied in an even tone to the queries posed to her, resting her forearm on her own sheathed blades in a nonchalant manner even though her posture was painfully straight.

It wasn't as if a short delay and a pleasant drink was a damage, and even though it might net her more money, she wasn't a liar.

_________________

Official Forum Mom

"Goodbye my new friend, I will remember the discount offer." he said, slipping into the police car. As soon as he sat down he became uncomfortable. The smile vanished from his face. The door slammed shut and the car accelerated down the street. The unease grew as the time ticked by. When they passed the police station Darastrix stiffened. "That was your stop." he growled "Or was it?" he continued. He felt the rage swirling within him, his Nen ready to flow and shape at his command. He was back at full strength. As the car and its inhabitants transformed, Darastrix's eyes narrowed. So he was being taken somewhere against his will....again. Well not this time. If he had not just endured a capture, he might have paused to question his new captors, but as it was he was sick of being herded around.

Quickly focusing his Nen, he formed the Cloak along his arms, legs, and back. The Nen wings shot outwards, bending the metal of the car. The Nen of the claws quickly burst the handcuffs from beneath the minuscule gap between his wrists and the cuffs. These claws had formed slightly differently than the ones he had used in the fight with Rei. The claws were serrated and had an additional spike pushing forward from the back of the hand. These were designed for cutting. He swiped upwards rapidly, tearing a hole in the roof of the car for him to squeeze through. He scrambled for grip on the roof of the car, then decided to simply fall, it would be less effort. He formed the Cloak around his body as he hit the pavement. He rose to his feet, cursing under his breath.forming the cloak this quickly had already made his mind cloudy with rage. He only lacked the tail and the head of the dragon. He faced the car, waiting to see if it would pursue him. His instincts said to flee, but the rage of the dragon kept him in place.

_________________

*In Front of the Building*

The woman nodded and stepped back into the building, closing the door behind her. A few moments later, she once again appeared before Takai. She handed her the correct amount, then paused. "You don't happen to know what the captive was doing when you captured him, do you? If you can provide good information, there is an extra 10,000 jenis for you."


*The Police Car*

The car suddenly swerved as the driver slammed on the brakes. The car rocked a bit, then the doors opened. The driver was taller than he looked and his mouth was simply not human. Instead of a normal mouth, he had several fangs that folded over an opening. The electronic eye blinked at Darastrix, glowed blue, then reverted. "Kehehe..." The fanged mouth opened but the sound came from somewhere else. There was no way that mouth could have made those sounds. In any case, the sounds were created by some kind of electronic device. "Our Chosen One has some spirit left in him." The robed figure stood by him and sighed. "Tantra, stop screwing around and take him down."

The man(?) called Tantra laughed again. "Alright, Roshe. I'll take care of him." He cracked his knuckles and elbows and... second elbows? Whatever this guy used to be, he wasn't human anymore. "So, Chosen One, care to stand down and fulfill your original purpose?"

_________________
Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

Darastrix stared, confused, at the two would be kidnappers. What on Earth where they? One of them looked like a robot crossed with a crocodile and a mummy, and the other had odd arms. He had no idea what he was dealing with, but he had confidence in his skills. He just had to maintain.....what had the bandaged one said? Chosen....One?......CHOSEN ONE!!! That name, the name that he had been known as all his childhood. The name that was given to him by his clan members. Two and two came together in his mind. His eyes quickly changed. There would only be a brief glimpse of the change before Darastrix screwed his eyes shut as he tried to suppress himself. But this time it was no use. He doubled over, arms clutching his stomach, the cloak mimicking the action. All of a sudden he snapped back and roared at the sky, arms spread wide. The cloak surged and formed with his actions, first forming a winding tail, then a serpentine neck sprouted from where the cloak cut off above Darastrix's head. Finally a magnificent and terrible dragon's head formed on the end of the neck, mouth agape in mimicry of Darastrix's roar. If one could manage to see through the thick, swirling Nen, they might have been able to see Darastrix's scars glowing faintly, almost as if the fire that birthed them was returning to sear the flesh once again. This was no mere cosmetic flourish, rather a signal that the Dragon was fully in control, and had access to most of its power. The mouth of the Cloak suddenly shot forth a jet of flame, burning the air around the blast and sending ripples of heat dancing through the air. With that, the transformation was complete. The Cloak fell to all fours, being a more comfortable stance for its form. The cloak was now about four feet high, eight feet long and about four feet wide. (too big? Let me know) nor including the wingspan. This was a fraction of the size of the Great Dragon itself, but was fairly accurate appearance wise. Darastrix was suspended within the cloak, eyes wide but unseeing, an expression of pure hatred and rage on his face. He was now the mimicker, following the Cloaks movements now. The Nen dragon opened its mouth wide and loosed a jet of flame at the pair. At least for now it had a target, but should it get side tracked the whole city would be in danger. (This imposing transformation doe not come without a price. It will only last a short amount of time, roughly five IC minutes or a few posts. Darastrix will also become unconscious after wards and will be in a large amount of pain upon awakening.)

_________________

The silence on the road as deafening as the young couple drove down the old country road. Dimitiry's occasional snickering breaking the silence every so often; a stark contrast to his wives brooding. The last few hours had been an interesting twist on an old tale. The two had arrived earlier in the day after a freak snow storm had delayed one of their previous flights. It had been along and trying trip, and the two had been exhausted; and to make things worse they still had to drive to the hotel afterward. Both of them just wanted the day to end.

Just as the two had arrived at the station the event in question occurred. While raiding the train to the terminal some had decided that it would be a grand time to cup a feel from one tired Sakuya; that man was terribly wrong, and he only began to realize how wrong he had been after traveling four feet from the ground, crashing unto the ceiling of the car before landing on someones dog. Given the force of the blow, the officials in question had a hard time believing that this had been caused by a reflexive slap to the face; and had proceeded to charge her with assault.

Thankfully things were able to be cleared up at the station once Dimitry had managed to prove that the two of them were hunters, and explained what happened. In the pilot's defense, Sakuya should have lowered the amount of aura in her arm before slapping him; something which he had been nagging to her about for several weeks, and could now enjoy his long awaited I-told-you-sos. Thankfully waiting for everything to get sorted had given the two enough to rest for today.

Now the pair we're about to arrive and the clients locale, a few minutes late, but nothing to serious. Though Sakuya could've sworn she's been in that blasted cell waiting for the cops to finish verifying their information for weeks. Thankfully they had managed to pick up Dani; who had gotten a...tad lost on his way to the location, something involving a pigeon, a dog and a pair of roleplaying five year olds had caused him to lose his directions.

In any case, the trio finally managed to reach the gates of their esteemed clients estate and rang on the intercom. Dimitri lowered the window of the van and spoke in the most cordial tone he could come up with, "Hello this Dimitri Lambert; we spoke a few days back concerning the job, may we come in?"

William sighed slightly... it wasn’t really good to go into a creepy dungeon with disappearing people with no knowledge about it. Though then again that was kind of what being a hunter involved, so he shrugged and held his hand out to Nicollo “Well alright then i’ll do it, are you providing transport or just giving me a location to head off to?” he really needed to get his own car... though for the moment he hadn’t the money to afford buying one let alone covering all the insurance and other bunch of costs.

_________________
I... am plotting something... he he he he...

*In the Street*

Rosche watched Darastrix transform with interest. He pulled out a radio and began talking to someone in a different language. Meanwhile, a car that had been tailing them stopped. Two more men stepped out. One was very tall and thin and the other was squat. The tall one was wearing a very large cloak that obscured his features. If Darastrix could create a conscious thought, he'd probably note that the cloak would have had to have been custom-made. The squat one had what looked like arms made of metal. On a closer look, the metal was simply covering his disproportionately small arms. He had the same eye symbol as the driver located on the back of his head. He also wore a horned helmet. And he was a lot faster than he looked. As Darastrix opened his mouth, he ran forward, into the path of the flames. A field of energy appeared around him and as the fire roared towards him, the energy solidified as hexagonal scales. The fire was diverted around him, saving the driver and Rosche from any harm. "Good job, Geegais." Tantra laughed again and said "If that's the way you want it, Chosen One, we can do it that way." He put up a hand. The tall one and Geegais ran around Darastrix while Rosche backed up. Tantra waited for Darastrix to make the next move.



*Niccolo's House*

The intercom buzzed and Niccolo answered it. "Yes?" William was able to hear the voice of someone else, apparently another hunter. Niccolo nodded, even though there was no way for them to see the nod. "Alright, Dimitri, come on in." He turned to William "Well, you have good luck. You'll have some back up. Don't worry: your pay won't lessen in any way. In fact, if you work together, you may be able to earn more by working together." He waited for the newcomers to come to the front door.

_________________
Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

~ Takai ~
- Go on, take the money and run -

Takai seriously contemplated full disclosure, but...She'd sort of bonded with the boy, and it seemed dishonorable to rat him out after that. Besides, all she really had was speculation, so it wouldn't really be lying.

"I happened upon him by chance. My apologies, miss," she said stoically before turning to walk off. She pocketed her money as she went, not sparing even a single glance behind her, and began to make her way for the next job, which she hoped would pay better.

_________________

Official Forum Mom

~Taka Yaiba~

A slender young man stood against a nearby wall, keeping himself from standing in the middle of the floor while he browsed online through his personal cell. His dark red hair bounced just above his eyebrows, his cool gaze staring onto the small screen. He touched his thumb down, selecting one of the jobs and discovering the details involved working as a guard for a business man of sorts. Taka lightly lifted his eyes, the prospect that the man could be someone influential pleased him.

He accepted the job as bodyguard without another second's thought, exiting to the main menu before pocketing the phone. He had the details and information needed to locate the job, so he turned to begin walking.

Perhaps I can use this man's aid, if this job proves to go well enough. He thought to himself.

_________________

Rage. Kill. Destroy. BURN! More enemies. Look so strange. Small one, metal for arms. Blocked the flames? Impressive. The Chosen One is sleeping. Do not disturb. Flanking now? We shall see.

The Nen dragon reared back as its fire attack was negated. The tall one in the cloak and the small one wit metal arms were running around it. Hissing with fury, the Nen beast spat a fireball at the tall one, whipping its tail at the Geegais in the process. Beating its wings to create a strong gust of wind that would at the very least throw off his foe's aim, the dragon swiped at the tall one with its claws, before darting forward with its jaws agape to close around the body of the tall one. If the bite connected, the Nen creature would shake its opponent in its jaws before throwing him at the nearest building. Meanwhile its tail would continue to strike at Geegais. For the time being it ignored the others.

_________________