Chapter II: Stronger Than Light Adrian looked at the far horizon as their vessel skidded over the sea towards the frozen, far-away lands of Trabia. He seemed sceptical and lost in his thoughts, but he was actually rather absent-minded. The rest of the team were also sceptical. Zerel was at the steering panel, keeping ther ship on the correct course. Kiara was with him, helping him with the maps and coordinates. Adrian was leaned on the gunwale of the ship, and looked at the horizon. His hair waved in the light breeze. His eyes were cold like ice. "Hey Adrian..." Adrian turned to Jade. Jade offered him a mug. "You look concerned. Here, have some warm beverage, its a mixture of herbs. It will keep you from the trip's exhaustion." Adrian took it with gratidute. He had eaten almost nothing since they had set off, but his stomach wasn't complaining. He knew that he had to put something in it. "Thanks." he said. "...Are you a doctor too, aside from your other skills?" Jade shook his shoulders. "I have to. Being a fighter that specializes in magic and GF...I guess its only natural that I am a doctor of experience." "I see..." Adrian said and drunk some of the herb tea. "It must be exhilirating for you to return to Garden's servise after so long, and your family as well." "It would seem so, but strangely, seeing my family again, my friends...I feel more isolated than ever. All my time away from Garden I have changed much. But...it seems that the world hasn't." Adrian said looking at the sky above them. "It's odd. The world that hated me sent me in prison for five years. I accepted that sentence to prevent a war within Garden. And now the Garden has brought me back to face a clan of demons who threaten to destroy it anyway." "Don't be too hard on yourself. Being the descendant of a great family as the Leonharts is a great thing. And I'm certain that being a half-demon does not affect your kindness." "On the contrary Jade. I am responsible of so many people now. Your lives hang on whether my decisions will be accurate, and the world's fate lies within my hand. Ironically, I am only halfly human. The rest of me is demon. What am I to do? Once the world finds out its fate is trusted in a semi-demon's hands...I don't wanna think of their reaction. No, I will not accept no less than victory or death. I cannot be soft now. My family has protected the world for generations. I shall not be the one to disappoint the family blood." "You'd make an excellent SeeD Adrian." "It seems that fate has chosen a different path for me in life. Nevertheless, I thank you for your compliment." Adrian said, and turned away to hide his slight blush. Then, his posture changed, turned into anxious. "...Jade, I need to tell you something. I can't keep it on my chest anymore, its like a rock that threatens to crush me." he said then, and sounded a little panicked . "What is it?" "I think Evans is lying. What if...there is no portal and it is all a huge lie?...You have any idea why Evans sent a team to follow me in this doubtful mission? I know Evans; he'd never let excel SeeDs follow a half-demon, unless...he wanted them to die." "What do you mean?" Jade asked him shocked. "This is a suicide mission for Kiara, Zerel and you. And maybe me as well. Evans hopes we all get killed. You said you had pasts that make you repulsive to other people. Evans hates that sort of thing. He gives too much attention to the 'spotless past' of his students. And that will be his end." Adrian said. "He hopes that you get killed with me. For you and Kiara its obvious that it is your past. And for Zerel...its because he's related to me." "You mean Evans sends us on the mission with the hope that we get killed?" "Not the hope, the certainty that we get killed." "Goodness...What are we going to do?" "We have no other choice than to set off and hope that God has not lost his sympathy to us entirely. I only hope...that the portal thing is just a fat lie of his. Or else...I just hope we get there in time and seal it." "How are we going to seal it?" "We must destroy it. Somebody must be keeping the portal open. We just have to kill him and destroy the portal's ritual. The portal will collapse." "I see." "Jade...what is your past? What is the reason Evans sends you off to die?" "..." "If you prefer not to, I'll just..." "I killed someone." "...A fight?" "An accident." "...what happened?" "That guy had killed...my son three years ago." "I'm sorry." Adrian leaned on the gunwale. "...you didn't mean it?" "True. I never intended to avenge my son that way. I never wanted to kill someone. But...that accident...my spells were not always so accurate. And one nimble monster brought the disaster...The man exploded. The largest piece they found from him was his ear. Then...my trouble began. I fled...and hid in Garden. It was...I don't quite know why Evans took me in. Its strange..." Adrian listened silent. "What about Kiara?" "Kiara is...her whole family is a misfit in this world. They were all thieves, payed assasins, mercenaries...her mother was a prostitude, if I am correct. People say that family blood makes all of them evil and criminals. But Kiara is kind and gentel. She may be slutty and offending at times, but she hides a fragile heart. The reason she came to Grden was to clean her name up. After all, she has commited several murders, and needs refuge..." "I see. So, we're all outcasts over here! How interesting!" Adrian sarcasted their situation. Jade listened calmly. "...What baout you Adrian? What makes you so repulsive to Evans? What is your past, aside from being half-demon?" Adrian did not reply. He calmly took his mug and left from where he was standing. Jade did not insist. "We should be there soon, eh?" Zerel asked Adrian. "I hope so. I want to end this the sooner I can." "Tell me...if we do finish this, and make it out...what will you do?" "...I don't know. I certainly won't stick around Garden. Evans would only hunt me." "Yeah, I know. But, I'll some with you, wherever you go." Adrian smiled at Zerel. "I know. Thank you." "...You know...Seth was sayin' the other day..."Zerel looked a little sad as he said those. "What?" "He said you'd better be off dead. I know how much he dislikes you but...I can't believe he says things like those." "Some people are like that Zerel. Seth just never forgave me." "...Have you forgiven Seth?" "I have." "...And your father?" Adrian looked down. "Zerel...my father and I are two totally different entities. We can't get along. I can't forgive him... for many things. First of all for spawing me in this world. I hate him for that." "...But, I am grateful. Because, if it wasn't you, I would be alone. And I don't want that to happen." Adrian looked at his little brother leaning on the gunwale, starring at the ocean. Zerel was always a little sentimental and attached to the people he valued. When their mother died, he had gone brokenhearted and melancholic for long. Adrian never had the chance to see him recover. He was imprisoned by that time. But he could see that Zerel's will and mental force were strong. He was glad about that; they were going to face the worst fears of the world, and Zerel stood straight up against that perspective. Just like a true Leonhart, Adrian thought. Inevitably, his thoughts turned to his family line. They were straight descendants of Squall Leonhart, whom centuries ago had defeated one of the most powerful Sorceresses that crossed time. No one knew if she would ever rise from the ashes of time. 500 years had gone by from that time...and nothing had happened. Some said that killing her in the future inevitably killed her throughout all time. Perhaps destroying the powers of a Sorceress can kill her for always. But no one knew. However, Adrian thought of his ancestor. His mother had told him many stories about him, and he always listened to them mesmerized. But now...he didn't feel much pride about being a Leonhart. "I have only brought disgrace to my family. Being half-human and half-demon...hated by the world my family protected for generations...Why did this have to happen? Why did I have to be born a half-demon? I will never be able to honour my family. And yet...I am the Head of the Family.I am the bearer of the Lion Heart. Only the really worthy ones of the Leonharts can yeld it, the firstborn ones. Why was it me? I am the disgrace of the family, being half-human, half-demon. Why did the Lion Heart choose me? I have wondered this for years and yet I can never come down with a satisfactory anwser..." His mother's words suddenly passes into his thoughts. "Adrian...do you believe?" "I believed in the past, but now...I'm not so sure." he thought. "Hey Adrian!!" Zerel said aloud. Adrian was abruptly brought back to reality. "Yes?" "You got absent-minded. I was talking to you. Look, we're aproaching the Trabian shores." Zerel said, pointing at the horizon. "Yeah, I see." Adrian said. "Better get ready for landing. Tell Jade and Kiara...Get ready for hard combat as soon as we disembark. I don't want to predict bad things, but I bet my head that some demons will come as welcoming comitee once we set foot on Trabia." "Alright..." Zerel said and went to find the other two. Adrian kept watching at the shore that aproached. "Squall...Look out for us." he muttered. "I don't see anything." Kiara said as they stood on the moisty, frozen sand of the beach. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean that they aren't around us." Adrian said. "Well, you know them better than us my friend." Jade commented. Adrian's sight was scanning the beach and the land ahead of them with the sharpest look. He looked carefully for signs that would betray any demon stationed around the beach watching them. "There might be no demons around, but that doesn't mean their minions won't hang around here." he said. "And remember, these demons are vampires; they are mostly active at night, but light won't stop them from going anywhere." The others nodded. "Ok then, lets move." Zerel said. "We won't go very far today." Adrian said as they climbed up the small. snowy hills. "We should camp in those woods up ahead." he added, nodding at a clump of forest ahead of them. "Why's that?"Kiara asked. "...I have a way of finding out some more things about what we're heading up against." Adrian said, and after that, went quiet, and walked ahead. "Your brother's quite silent." Kiara commented to Zerel. "...He's always been like that Kiara." he replied. "But he is one of the best men alive. Our mother always used to say that Adrian has inherited the darkness of the demons, but the compasinate nature of the humans. I know that side of his well." Kiara smiled at Zerel. "I understand that. Judging from his affection to you, he must care a lot about you." Zerel nodded. "Adrian doesn't need to voice his feelings. I know what he feels, and vice versa. We know each other well." "Do you think that five years in the DDPrison might have changed him?" "No." "You sound very sure about that." Jade commented. "My brother's will is forged in a fire that makes it impossible to bend. If he doesn't want to change, no one will ever make him change. Our mother taught him well." Zerel paused for a moment. "If there is one weakness Adrian has, that is his inability to accept his fate." "I see..." Jade said. "I understand that it must be hard for him to walk on in life with his nature." Zerel nodded sadly. "Sadly, that is true. You will see that he plunges in battle without caring if he shall die." "...How sad." Kiara said. "A great fighter like him, careful in his words and strong in heart, chases after death." she really sounded dissapointed. "Indeed Kiara. But, perhaps it is that that keeps him alive." Jade said. "Huh?" Zerel said. He knew Jade had seen many things in the 27 years of his life, much more than him or even Adrian, and even his speech puzzled him. Kiara looked equally puzzled. "Kiara said that Adrian chases death. Haven't you wondered that death may not want Adrian to catch him?" Jade said looking in the horizon. They had reached the small forest by evening. The cold had been bad, but now it wasn't so bad, and they had camped in a small clearing on a hill that allowed them good view of all sides. The fire they had lit in the middle blazed pleasantly as they warmed their frozen limbs by it. They had set up three tents, and now they sat by the fire skeptical and silent. Suddenly, Adrian stood up from his seat, and without a word, headed on his own into the woods. The others were surprised. "Where's he goin'?" Kiara wondered. "Let him..." Zerel said. "He...he's going to talk with demons...to find out about the Vergarals. " "What?" Jade asked shocked. "He is actually going to come in contact with demons!?" "Yes. He is half-demon, and he knows how...it shall not be the first time either. As long as it is part of him, it can't be helped." Zerel sighed. "People that talk to demons are heretics, I know. But Adrian is different. He...he's merely talking to his...his kin. He is not seeking their advice on matters of darkness. He...he's just talking to them. I've never seen him do it...it is forbidden to mortals to be around when such a ritual takes place..." "Oh..."Kiara said. She noticed that Zerel was a little shaky. She opened her lips as if to say something, but didn't. She just took the blanket she had thrown on her back and covered Zerel with it. Zerel just kept starring at the fire with an odd look. Adrian steepped on the hard rock of the clearing and looked at what he had been working on: a pentalpha on the ground, drawed with some coal, with some mystic symbols of demons on the edges, and a circle drawn all around it. On the center he had drawn another symbol, and something that looked like an eye with a vertical pupil. He took off his shirt and remained bare-chested. He pulled a small dagger from his boot, and raised his other arm. "You don't have to do this." he thought to himself. "...What am I saying...Do I have any other choice anyway? As much as I want to stay away from my...kin, I can't. I'm dependant on these powers and..." He pressed himself to stop thinking, and with an abrupt move made a deep cut on is wrist with the dagger. "Arhh..." he groaned, but didn't say anything more. He knelt, plunged the dagger on the ground and holding his wounded wrist, pressed the would and made the blood flow at a faster pace. The blood pumped warm, and crimson, and dripped onto the frozen rock, onto the symbol of the eye, mixing with the coal that was applied on the rock. The blood dripped, and the eye resonated and let a small, blackish flame out of its center. The blood started to stop, and the wound began closing on its own, as the flame grew larger till in a burst covered all of the perimeter of the large circle drawn on the rock, as Adrian took a step backwards. His wound had completely closed now, and he stood watching at the black flaming circle before him. The flame seemed to be sucked into the ground as a vortex opened there, letting erie black light and smoke from its hollow. "Are you going to come, or do I have to come and pull you out?!" Adrian bawled with anger. A roar was heard, and the upper body of a demon showed itself up from the vortex. It was red and black and covered in flames, and two dragon-like wings sprouted out of its back, and large spikes over its spine. Its face was frightening, like a dragon's with two green, flamming eyes, two small tusks sprouting out of its mouth, and two horns like a ram's cresting its head. The demon gave Adrian a glare and tilted its head. "I see you have summoned me again Adrian..." it said in a strange voice. "Hello Beraska." Adrian said coldly. Adrian looked up at the demon that was his father with a cold look. "You didn't need to cut your own wrist to reach me. You could have just..." "Shut up." Adrian said. "You know I hate involving humans in the affairs of demons. If that's your way of showing some inteerest in my well-being, its just a big flop." his talking was sharp and full of defiance. Beraska did not reply. Only his sight kept piercing his son. "I want you to tell me about the Vergarals." Adrian said, crossing his arms before his chest. Beraska snorted scornfully. "I knew it was all about this." he said. "I trust that that idiot Evans sent you to deal with those demons." Adrian just nodded, looking angry. "...The Vergarals are demons of the realms that are closer to the realm of the humans. That's why they look like humans, but that makes them no weaker. They are demons of great power and you must fear them." Adrian let an ironic giggle. "Oh, even I, the son of the mighty Beraska, the most powerful of demons? Let me laugh Beraska." Beraska looked at his son. There was no feeling in his eyes, just like all demons. Adrian had inherited that look himself. Even when tranquil, his sight was dead, empty from feelings and always cold. "Do not take it lightly Adrian." "I'll take it the way I want!" Adrian snapped. "Now, tell me more about the Vergarals." "They indeed are in desire of infesting the realm of the humans. Vergarals are some of the few demons that can be defeated through regular combat. Humans CAN take on them, but...they need almost superhuman powers to achieve it..." "Yeah, yeah, I know. Anything new? What about the portal?" "The portal has been opened by a human. A heretic perhaps, who has made an agreement with the leader of the demons, Aarek. But, mind you in less than a few days he will lie dead. Aarek has no pity for humans. He will wish to vanquish all of them...Their leader is a very powerful demon- perhaps as powerful as I am and he will stop at nothing in order to achieve his goal of dominating the human realm. Like the vampires they feed upon blood- it gives them greater power than they already posses. You must be careful Adrian, if you are to face them. They are ruthless and determined." "What does Aarek want from the human realm? That's what I really want to know." "I don't know Adrian. But, my best guess is that he is craving for power. More power to his hands would mean that he could easily take on mighty demons such as I am. And perhaps that's his plan. To strike the mightiest demons down and take their place..." "I see...So its all just a stupid power-crave war between demons." Adrian snorted. "Perhaps...but perhaps not. I shall not attain part in this war; it is out of my affairs. They are many...how do you plan to stop their army from invading this realm?" "That's my problem Beraska. Just make sure you keep the demons of YOUR realm out of the human realm." "What my actions shall be is none of your concern Adrian." Beraska snapped. His sight became harder. "I warn you Adrian...I want you to step out of it." Beraska said with a growl. "Hah!...Too late Beraska. I am already duped into this till the neck, and I can't move back. And you're not the one who will make me step back." Beraska roared with anger. "DO NOT TELL ME WHAT I CANNOT DO MORTAL!" he roared right on Adrian's face, only to get a cold, scornful look as a reply. "You may have powers and abilitties of your own, but I am still your father! I still have the power to make you listen to me." "Aw yeah? Like when you killed Kerigan?! Was that supposed to make me fear you and listen to your every word demon!?" Adrian shouted. His face changed; it became more evil-looking, less...human. It was true; whenever Adrian lost his composure, or sometimes when he was in the heat of battle, his half-demon natue would arise, and he would change into a demon... "No! I will never sucump to your orders, even if you are the one that spawned me into this world, I will never do as YOU tell me! And you know why that's so? Huh? Well, it's CAUSE I HATE YOU!!!" Adrian shouted, and it was a roar that came out of his throat, instead of a normal, human yell of anger. "If you cared about me, why did you even bother to let me come into this world dammit!?" Adrian's look was colder than ever, furious, and dissapointed. Through his vertical now pupils, he looked up at the other demon, chocking the crazy desire to pounce on him and tear him to pieces with his bare hands. He contented himself to just snarl like an animal. Beraska gave Adrian one last look, and then retreated back into the demon realm he had come from. The vortex the opened to that realm closed and the flames subsided. The drawed circle on the ground had halfly faded away. "So much for information..." Adrian thought bitterly as he put on his shirt and jacket again and headed back to the camp. "Did you find out anything?" Zerel asked him afterwards, as the two of them sat a little further from the other two, to talk. "Nothing much...There is nothing much to learn anyway." Adrian replied. "The leader of the demons is named Aarek. He's up to conquering out realm just to raise in power and take on all the other demons." "Wow...bad ass." "Yeah...but with all that furious shouting we started, I didn't ask him where the portal is..." "Aw man..." Zerel said looking up at the sky disappointed. "That means we're off looking blindly in the middle of frozen Trabia..." Adrian sighed. "I know. Its going to be very hard, and we don't have much time. We have to seal this portal before it is too late. Unless this Aarek can manage to bring the bulk of his army through the portal, we have good chances to finish this with the least losses. But if we are late..." "I don't even want to think about it..." Zerel said. "Me either. But it will depend solely on whether we find that damned portal soon." "Do you think that Evans is really lying?" "No. Beraska's words confirmed it to me. The Vergarals are really coming. What I don't like is the fact he sends just us four on this suicide mission. He hopes we all get killed." "I can't believe he did this..." Zerel said. "What'll you do if we make it out? Will you forgive him?" "I don't think so. But I won't go kill him either. I wish there was a way of exposing to the world what a man he is, but... you know Evans; he'll move earth and air so that my reasons are never voiced." Zerel grunged. "Tell me about it..." then he asked Adrian something something had been bugging him for a while. "Tell me, if...if we die, and the Vergarals keep advancing...what other options does the world have?" Adrian stood silent for a little. "I don't know." He said. "But...you want the truth? I don't think the world has any other options." Zerel did not speak. They moved on at first light in the morning, and walked quietly through the thick snow. They had been walking for quite some time, when Kiara mistepped and was about to fall, but Zerel caught her arm and supported her till she found her footing again. "Oh!...Ah, thanks much Zerel." Kiara said, getting her balance again. "Welcome." Zerel said, holding her hand till she was steady. Zerel really liked Kiara; he found her tomboyish ways rather interesting, and her calm character pleasant. She was a pretty girl, no doubt; she was tall, red-haired with lovely green eyes that were rather sharp for a woman, but also astonishing. "Do we know where we're headed to?" she asked him afterwards, tightening the thick jacket on her. "My brother says that a portal to the demon realms can't open anywhere, and that there are a few areas in Trabia that were once worship grounds for demon-worshipers. He suspects that the portal might have opened on one of those places. We're headed towards one right now." Zerel replied. "I see. You know, at start, I really couldn't pin down whether I trusted your brother. But now I guess I do. He seems pretty faithful to the duty that Evans assigned him." Zerel shook his head in dissagreement. "Its not Evans that he's faithful to." he said bitterly. "He's faithful to our family duty, and that's all it is to it. Our family has always been faithful to the world, through Garden's pricipals and orders, but moreover, he is faithful to the world...Even if this world has absolutely no expectation from him other than to see him dead on a stake." "I see..." It was late noon when the snowstorm broke out. They walked with diffiulty through the wind, but still they blessed the fact that it was less bad that the ususal snowstorms in Trabia. "I think we may have to stop soon!" Zerel shouted. "No! We can't! We're exposed in the middle of this dammned emptyness!" Jade shouted back. Adrian walked ahead ignoring the snow that whipped his face. He felt less intence the cold that made the other three shiver. Suddenly, he noticed something ahead of them. He raised his arms to make them hault, then looked ahead, trying to see through the wind and snow. He could distinguish a figure in the distance, but he wasn't sure what it was. "Here, use these." Jade said, handing a pair of binoculars. Adrian looked through them. Imidiatly he lowered them and cursed. "What?" Kiara asked. "Its a Vergaral patrol. They're four riders on Banishers..." "What are Banishers?" Kiara asked. "They are demonic creatures that demons use as mounds often. They look like giant lizards that walk on their hind legs. Not a creature that you would want to meet face to face." Zerel said, drawing his Gunblade. He used a model slightly different from a Revolver, but only a little less powerful than the Lion Heart. The Spathi was black and blue in colour with a two-hand handle, powerful gun aspect and a long, slightly curved blade with 'teeth' that slashed through anything. "Let them come..." Adrian snorted. "Let's see what these Vergarals are made of." he added, drawing the Lion Heart. The blade resonated as he drew it and the wind flew on it. "Strike their heads. Cut them off, blow them up or whatever suits you. A demon is defeated when headless." Jade drew the staff from his back's case. His Nervida was a long and strong staff covered in metal with a spiky orb on the end. "Let us see if these demons like magic..." he said under his teeth. "Alright then, let's fight!" Kiara said bravely, drawing two GFX-47 Desert Eagle riffles from her belt and arming them. The four Vergaral riders came through the haze of the snowstorm. They were four tall and bulky men with pale skin and electric blue hair, wearing heavy metal, dark blue armor, and they charged towards them with their swords and axe prepared for battle on four Banishers; large, brownish red lizards that looked like dinosaurs walking on hind legs with short tails, long necks and crested heads with a large and flat hard frill that suposedly protected their necks. Large fangs extend under their upper jaws, and equally large claws armed their short arms and long and vigorous legs. "Watch out for the kicks of the Banishers, they can rip your guts open." Adrian said. "Lets knock them off and take them out one by one, and fast." Kiara already opened fire against them, having loaded her guns with armor piercing bullets. She was quite the accurate shooter, killing one of the four Banishers on the spot with a shot between the eyes and knocking off the rider of another one. "Magic should help nicely here..." Jade bellowed, and raising his Nervida cast 'Quake'. He brought the staff down abruptly, thus driving an earthquake towards the other Vergarals who tried to avoid it by stopping abruptly, but failed. The earthquake knocked down the Banishers, and one even took down its rider, pressing his leg on the ground with its side, making him unable to get up again. "Yaaaah!" Adrian roared as he dashed up to the nearest Vergaral and brought down his blade on the sword of the vampire, clashing metal with metal, making sparks fly as the vampire raised the sword to protect his head. Adrian was less than daunted, raising his gunblade again and bringing down even harder, pulling the trigger as well, thus breaking the blade of the vampire, whom in shock watched his sword's blade shatter to pieces. Adrian brought down the gunblade again, pulling the trigger again, and cut off the vampires head with a terrible, sucking sound of flesh and bone. The headless body fell with a very soft thump on the snow, staining it crimson, and soon the body dissolved fast into dust that brewed away with the snowstorm. A Vergaral attacked Jade on his Banisher, but the mage SeeD was no frightened, and with no hesitation at all summoned a GF to his aide. His figure seemed to merge into air as a beast emerged like liquid from the ground, just as the Banisher stopped abruptly, with its rider seeming surprised as if he had seen the most terrifying thing. It threw back its head and roared, revealing two pairs of thick fangs. It was Yakeo, the beast-form GF, a huge four-legged animal with slightly hunched back like a rhino's and a square almost head with two horns over the small, orange eyes. Its hide was thick and scally and greensig blue, with patches in brighter green, and a green mane starting from the back of its neck till up the hunch of its back. Its tail was long like a whip with a spikey ball on its end. Its legs were thick and had dark red, split hooves. Despite his size and bulk, Yakeo dashed like a bulldoze towards the banisher, lowering its head and targeting its horns towards the reptile who squeaked and its rider's face was a mask of shock. The Banisher did not have time to dodge the attack as Yakeo's horns plunged through it, piercing the Vergaral's leg as well. Yakeo then threw up his head and sent the Banisher and the Vergaral flying. While they were still in mid-air, he gathered a sphere of crimson-red energy and blasted it upon the Banisher and the Vergaral as they came hurtling towards the ground. Both dissolved in midair from the force, and only ashes and lbits of smoking flesh fell to the ground. Yakeo let a last roar before merging back into the eart just like liquid and Jade's figure seemed to return from another place. Zerel was dealing with the Vergaral whose Banisher was killed from Kiara's gunfire. They fought with their swords, blade clashing on blade, and Zerel knew he had underestimated the strength of these creatures. His Spathi clashed hard with the Vergaral's heavy blade, and he watched its owner snarl, revealing vampiric fangs behind his lips. Zerel made a spin and the Vergaral's blade flew behind his back as the Vergaral lost his footing and missed. Zerel made a spin and brought the blade of the Spathi down as the vampire staggered before him. The Spathi cut the Vergaral's head off with surgeon's accuracy, and the headless body and the head dissolved fast into dust. Kiara opened fire at the Vergaral and his Banisher comming right upon her. She had time to change her riffles' bullets to Thrust Ammo, and fired at full speed. The Thrust Ammo pierced the Banisher's head, throwing it backwards from momentum. The rider was flung foreward, but he landed on his feet, just as Kiara's gun touched his forehead. "Bye-bye bastard." she said and pulled the trigger, blowing the Vergaral's head off. "Everyone ok?" Jade asked them when they were certain that none of the 'welcoming comitee' would ever walk again. The rest nodded. "They'll know we're here after this." Adrian said. "It'll only be a matter of time before they send more troops against us. We have to find this portal as soon as possible. We are vunerable here. If I judge from the fact they use Banishers, I suspect they must have their base to the south, where the cold is less strong and there is fewer snow. Banishers can't stand cold for too long." "We head south then?" Kiara asked. "Uh-huh." Adrian said. "Be vigilant and be ready for battle anytime. If not with Vergarals themselves, it'll be their hunchmen and you don't want to mess with them either." He put the Lion Heart back at his belt and moved on. The others, although they would have apreciated a moment of rest, followed him. "The darkness is rising...and when it joins the light, a terrible war begins." Adrian thought. "But, there is nothing true such as light and dark. There is just the world of demons, and the world of humans. I am between those two concepts. I'm neither human, nor demon. I'm somewhere in between; where, I don't know. And I'm not hoping to find it out either. But I know one thing...My dark is stronger than light..."