Out of Eternity -|Ace and Ravial|-

The tunnel was dark. Incredibly so. So dark that one couldn't even see their feet shuffling under them. And still someone was scaling the darkened tunnel as if it were as bright as day. She was a young looking figure, with a small, lithe body. She might have been around five six, maybe five seven, and her arms were just as toned as the rest of her body. Hair, as black as obsidian, hung down to her neck in the front, though the back was short and spikey. Eyes, almost as black as her hair, scanned over the tunnel, seeing what no other could. Perfect vision, even in the darkest of places, was Payne Randansun's gift. Or curse, depending on how one looked at the life of a demonic leader to the most powerful assassin's guild in the underworld. While she looked incredibly human, the fact was Payne was as far from being 'normal' as possible. Raised at the knee of the evil warlord Angher, Payne had suffered great bounds as a child. Though she didn't speak of her past. Ever. To anyone. There was a part of Payne, a dark part that none knew about. Something she'd taken great lengths to hide, to in steel that none knew of. There was a darkness in her, something evil, filled with malice and destruction, that very few had seen. And those that had seen it, never lived to speak of it again. She was an icon in the demonic world. A ruthless killer that held no emotions for granted. She killed, not because she had to, but because she didn't care enough about life to not. Being trained as a small child in her father's war camp, Payne learned the art of all things fighting. She learned how to use every weapon imaginable, and then some. She also learned how to fight hand to hand, her preferred style of fighting, and she learned how to not show mercy.

That was what had gotten her here. The hand to hand she'd had with the past Lehydre of the Assassin's Guild. She'd won that fight. Obviously. But with it, she'd taken in a whole new army of problems. The assassins were crude, rude, and had a general sense of being superior to her, because she was a female. It had made for some... interesting... experiences. But she'd dealt with it. Handled it. Kicked a lot of asses. In the end, Payne was always on top, always the victor, but it had ended up costing her a lot. She'd been beaten, bruised, assaulted, violated in ways she didn't even want to think about. So she didn't. She buried it all deep, ignoring everything, pretending everything was fine, that she wasn't about to break with the slightest movement or touch. Touch... Oh how she hated to be touched. Whatever. It didn't matter. She was here, alone in this tunnel, and highly pissed off.

"Where the hell are they?" She muttered to herself. About an hour ago, Payne had been presented with a request to meet the guild. And this darkened tunnel had been their choice of meeting ground. Though the longer she walked, the longer she searched, the more chills crept up her spine. They'd specifically requested this place. This shadowless place. Somewhere she couldn't escape. All too soon, the realization hit her. "Fuck." She muttered as she realized, too late, that it was a trap. A scam to get her alone, without a means to escape. There was a dark growl coming from one end of the tunnel, and a loud clanking noise coming from the other. She was surrounded, of that, the Lehydre was positive. Her eyes scanned the darkened tunnel, and saw what normal beings couldn't. Three brothers at one end, two at the other. But that leaves one... Where's darling Colby? she thought to herself, just as two very large, very powerful arms wrapped around her waist, hauling her off of her feet. The demon screamed, her feet instantly starting to kick and flail as her hands were pinned to her side. But Payne wasn't completely helpless, not completely powerless. With little effort, and very powerful precision, she jerked her head back, almost laughing at the sound of her skull cracking against something that had to be a jaw. There was a muffled curse, and just like that she was released.

"You dumb bitch!" Came the gasping reply as she backed away as quickly as possible. Damn it, her back was to a wall. There was no escaping them. She groaned as she looked to her left, three assassins stood, arms locked. And to the right. Two assassins standing in the same position. In front of her stood the second in command. Colby. "You broke my god damn jaw." He growled as two of the brothers darted out, grabbing her arms and slamming her against the wall. "You dumb whore." His fist came flying out faster than Payne had time to react, connecting with her jaw, more than likely shattering it. "You'll pay for that. And everything else you've done." His hands started moving faster than she could have imagined, punching into her body like she was nothing more than a punching bag. She felt ribs crack, bones break, bruises, welts, gashes, started popping up on her pale flesh as her face contorted into a picture of grief. And then rough hands where shoving her to the ground and feet were kicking at her mercilessly. More ribs cracked. More bones broke.

She started coughing, blood sputtering out of her mouth with each exhale. "See what you get?! See what happens when you act like a foolish female?!" The threat was so low to her ear, Payne could smell the malice coming from Colby's breath as he grabbed her head and started smashing it into the stone floor. She almost blacked out, thought for sure her mind was going to quit as she felt herself being hauled to her feet. The Lehydre knew what was coming next. Knew what was going to happen as the front of her shirt was ripped open, exposing her naked chest. All modesty aside, she groaned as she felt herself being slammed into a wall, face first. Her arms were spread wide, one brother holding one arm out, another holding out the other. And then she heard it. The distinct sound of a whip uncurling, snapping to life. Pain... So intense she screamed out, flung across her back as the whip curled across her flesh, tearing into her skin, rendering the breath from her lungs. Again and again she was whipped. Over and over until her back was nothing but a raw, bloody, mess.

She heard the whip drop, the mindless clatter sounding more like death won over to her ears, because she knew what came next. A dagger was unsheathed, and Payne started saying goodbye to her life. That was when all hell broke lose within her body. Something, somewhere deep inside, refused to go out without a fight as her entire body became engulfed in dark purple flames. It was enough, just enough, to have the assassins let her go, jumping back with shouts of alarm as she crumpled to the floor. The pain was so intense she couldn't hear the shouts of alarm from the assassins, but her eyes fell on her sweet escape. A shadow, created by the flames on her body, burst through the tunnel. With all the strength she had left, Payne reached out, her hand landing into the shadow, and then the cool sensation of flying was taking over her body, setting her through a maze of wonder as she was pulled into freedom. As she shadow stepped, Payne's broken body didn't even know where, or what, was going on. All she knew was that when she came out of the shadows, something... someone? broke her fall. And with that, the Lehydre let the darkness claim her.

He had been hunting him for three days. The leads he was given were adequate and the man had been running ever since he caught scent of Ravial. He was known, at least, to his own kind, which were dwindling fast over the last couple of years and he was the reason. He was their Hunter because he had to rid the world of the god’s mistakes. His kind were of no longer use and their abominations that were the Piless. As far as he knew, they were no more than half a dozen of his kind left and that was how he preferred it. It was about to be one number less.

Ravial cut him off then, and the man skidded to a stop, chains going up defensively. “Why are you killing us?!” The man asked of him, but he would receive no answer. It was a question he often heard. Then they collided. Chains snapping at one another of their own accord, as the two of them traded punches and kicks, scratches and gouges. Ravial’s next punch snapped a rib and from the way the man wheezed, he knew that he had punctured a lung with it. A smile began to slide across his features, and he pressed against the man harder, punching every chance he got at the man’s broken rib, ramming it further up into the punctured lung, causing audible gasps for breath and blood to spew across the man’s lips.

The man’s strength grew weaker and Ravial’s own chains wrapped around the man’s wrists, stringing him up so he would not fall. Ravial stared at the man’s own red eyes. Ravial, to them, were an oddity. No Piless ever had white eyes, but he did. His birth had sent a catalyst across their group. They raised him. Trained him. Gave him his chains. Then he began to kill them own. He saw that in this man’s eyes. His memories. His past decisions. He did not regret them.

The left chain dropped the man’s arm and then Ravial struck hard and fast. The chain punctured the man’s chest cavity and the man stood stiffened, though he was dead, as the last fading beats of his heart ended upon the end of the chain itself. He then ripped the chain free and the man dropped, the chains upon the man’s wrists rusting, then breaking apart and crumbling to dust. The chains were just as much of the man’s life as his own beating heart was. Once dead, they disappeared so no one could ever find out how they were made.

The chain that had pierced the man’s chest wiped itself off upon the clothing of the man, then wrapped around Ravial’s arm upon it’s own will power. “That’s one more down, boys. Once we finish the rest, we can finally do some relaxation, but not before then,” Ravial said quietly. The chains themselves tightened around his arms as in recognition, and he then headed off towards existence.

Several days passed, the night had came and he was working his way through the back alleys of a street. He had cleaned up, a little at least, his clothes were still tattered and torn, but he still wore them. He would shed them when they no longer gave shelter or when he finished his deed of putting the rest of his brethren in the ground. A tingling sensation suddenly filled his sensations and he stopped dead in his tracks. The tribal markings from head to toe tingled, sensing the use of magic? He was not sure. He never truly learned the complete use of them. That was when someone collided with him, out of the shadows. His arms instinctively caught them as then began to collapse. He lowered them to the ground to look upon them and noticed it was a young woman, at least what appeared to be one. Her shirt was torn, naked flesh exposed, but that was not what had caught Ravial’s attention.

It was the bruises. The cuts. The fresh blood. Someone had attacked the woman and she had escaped them, which meant that they would probably be following to get her. If Ravial got caught up in that struggle, then he would have to postpone his own fight. He would of left her, but the chains themselves were wrapping themselves around her, trying to pick her up as Ravial stood, but he could not stand, not without their assistance. They were tugging at his insides, playing him like the puppet. He picked her up then and they relaxed, though they quietly were coaxing over the female, covering her naked flesh up as best as they could. Ravial could not understand them, why they were doing this.

But he took her with him. Once he made it to his room, heading up the back way into the inn, he laid the woman down upon the bed, it was not the softest of comforts, but it was enough. He grabbed a wash pail and filled it with water, grabbing a cloth and began to clean the wounds. Once done, he covered her with the blanket that resided upon the bed. He then stood and waited, his milky eyes staring out at the city from the window. If someone came, he would not be caught unaware.

Intense agony... That's the only constant that stayed in Payne's mind through her entire ordeal. The only thing she was positive of was it hurt. Everything hurt so bad, she wasn't sure she'd ever not hurt again. In the darkness that had surrounded her, after she'd fallen from the shadows, Payne slipped in and out of realities. She dreamed, and saw things. Her past, what could be her future, her ending. Everything rushed through her mind so quickly, she wasn't sure what was real, what had happened, and what was simply part of a long, never ending, dream. She was seven again, being beaten for dropping her small katana. And then she was twelve, walking into an arena, her very first opponent standing inside the iron gates. She was fifteen again, being taken for the first time by one of her father's men. And then seventeen, when she'd finally killed her father. Twenty, when she finally established herself in the underworld as one of the most sought after assassins.

All these things, and so so much more flashed through her mind. She dreamed she was wrapped in chains, though they weren't constricting, or painful. They were welcoming. Stroking her, holding her, protecting her. And there was a man, though she knew nothing of his appearance, just that he was there, and she felt save knowing that. She dreamed of death, and destruction. Of pain and sacrifice. Temptation and revelations. And all the while were the chains. They were there with her, as was the man. Holding her, helping her discover her destiny.

The fog slowly receded, uncovering Payne's mind and slowly it pushed her back to reality. The pain was there to greet her, followed by the smallest of sighs. She couldn't see... Why couldn't she... Oh, her eyes were closed. Best not open them yet. she thought to herself as she took a shallow breath. She could smell the air, the room, and something else, though what that other something was, she didn't know. Okay, that's one sense down.. I can smell things still. a soft whimper cam out of her lips as she stirred on the... Well, it was softer than the floor. It had to have been a bed. Yeah, definitely a bed. Okay, I can still feel things, and my mind's obviously working.. My finger twitched! Okay, so this is good.. This is good. I can work through the pain.. Last thing. Maybe I can see? She frowned as she laid there, completely motionless except for the soft lifting and falling of her chest. She was scared, actually fearful, of what she was going to see when she opened her eyes. Though... there was no point in being afraid. Being afraid got you killed, nothing more, nothing less. Okay... Here goes nothing. Her eyes fluttered lightly, before cracking open just the smallest of amounts. She could see. Vaguely. Though it was somewhat dark in the room, the Lehydre had little to no problem seeing through the shadows. What was hindering her vision were swollen eyes.

"Ugh..." She groaned softly as she closed her eyes again. She hadn't been able to see anything well enough to look around the room completely, but she could tell, could sense, that she wasn't alone. But the way she felt, there wasn't anything much she'd be able to do to defend herself, should the need arise. Slowly, ever so slowly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, each movements sending licks of pain through her body. But she had to press forward. Had to continue to move, or else she was nothing but a sitting duck. "I know someone's there. If you're planning on attacking me, just get it over with. I'd rather hurry up and fight so I can leave." Her voice was like gravel as she spoke, the sound so low it was barely above a whisper. As she stood, her body rocked, threatening to crumple under the sheer volume of her injuries, but still she stood, refusing to go down. It only figured those bastards would use some type of magic to keep her from healing straight away. Her body began to tremble slightly as she took a couple steps, the act of moving working her battered and bruised body almost giving out. But she made it to the wall, using it to support her small frame as she opened her eyes again, trying to see the figure. "Please... Just do it quick..."

He had not moved from the window, except to check on her for brief moments. She needed rest and he was content on giving her that. He had pulled up a chair beside the window, intent on watching outside, as well as being able to watch the door to the room. In close confines, he was more dangerous than someone with a knife. His head tilted to watch her whenever her eyes had filtered open, though they could not open fully due to the swelled eyelids. Then she spoke. That gravelish tone had to be due to the pain that was no doubt coursing through her body, though it was barely above a whisper. The chains were curled up on his lap, not daring to move, not yet, though they did slink slightly against one another, causing the sound of chains to split the air between him and her.

"You should lay back down. That's one way to get yourself killed, trying to push yourself to the point where you are not able to recover," Ravial's voice spoke up in dark tones, though with no implications behind them. He was not one to threaten, except when it came to his own people. That was when that voice meant everything it said.

He came to a stand then, the chains rattling down beside him as he crossed the room to the woman. "I'm not going to kill you," Ravial growled out as he stepped closer to her, more into the brief light that was given within the room. The most prominent thing that would stand out to her, would be his milky white eyes, which did seem to glow in the darkness. He was not much taller than she was, but twice the bulk. "There will be a medicine man here shortly with some herbs and other rememdies that might help your illnesses as well as your wounds," his voice was in the same tone as before, this time he was close to her, not even a foot away.