[Flame]

The Hollowheart hit the young female Kuhna at full force with a blow that seemed to have an intent to kill. The blow knocked Auri, being as small and light as she was already, clean off of her paws, slamming her frame heavily into the stone building behind her so that she fell in a crumpled heap before the crack through which Magia had escaped. As she fell, she could not hold the agony she was in, and let out a sharp cry of pain, blood flowing freely from the slashmarks in her side, her snowy fur slowly becoming pink, then red as the flow stained her pristine coat. Winded and severely injured, she was unable to move, her little body bent, splayed on the cobblestone. Her chest fluttered with uneven, shallow breaths, her eyes closed and her tail twitching feebly.

Seeing her only friend on the brink of death, Galatea let a deafening, infuriated screech of pure fury rip from her jaws, pupil-less eyes blazing with the scorching flame of anger as she reared platinum wings thrashing at the air in a flurry of impassioned movement. How dare that filthy beast lay a claw on Auri! How dare he! Now thoroughly worked up into a frenzy, the bright Hollowheart, threw herself at the dark Hollowheart, her anger now unmatched, even by his want for the Black Mage. Auri was the only creature in Evelon who understood her, cared about her, and now this worthless beast was going to take her away. The Hollowheart now no longer cared about her life as she tore at her enemy, lusting for revenge. One of the most dangerous creatures in the world is that which is about to lose everything she ever had in her life, for no longer does she care about what the consequences of her actions may be, as long as she can hurt the offending beast as much as humanely possible. She heard Si'altha's battlecry behind her, and without turning, roared a warning to her.

"Leave him! He's mine!" This was not only because she wanted the chance to take the Hollowheart down herself, but also for the Penticorn's safety. Interfering in a battle between leviathans such as Hollowhearts was not good for smaller creatures, since they could easily be crushed or seriously injured if caught in the cross-fire.

[robopup24]

The Hollowheart screeched with such terror that it sent chills running down Magia's spine. He curled up tighter, shivering in fear. What was happening now? Why hasn't the battle stopped? The Mage heard the screech again, this time it was one full of pain, a death cry.

The Hollowheart was dying. He had no chance against the odds. The Battleheart and the enraged golden Hollowheart had an advantage over him. For once, number trumphed power. The Hollowheart shrieked yet again, again and again as he fought off to drive his attackers away. It was hopeless, yet he kept fighter, sheer panic giving him odd bursts of strength here and there.

Si'altha came to a dead stop when she heard Galatea's order. The Penticorn almost collapsed right there, her breath coming out in short gasps. But Galatea was right. She should not interfere...

Meanwhile, Magia had finally summed up enough courage to climb out of the crack, curiousity taking over. He was greeted with the sight of blood everywhere, and the rising noise of the battle. Oh dear. The Kuhna! Auri seemed to be bleeding bad. His concern for his friend took over. Magia walked over in his strange gait and kneeled down, eye level to Auri. "Let me help you." He childishly said. "I can...heal..."

It didn't matter if the Kuhna had the strength to protest. Magia had already held his gloved hands over her wounds, concentrating. For a split second, his mismatched eyes glowed an eerie yellow and a strange aura began to flow from his hands to Auri. It manisfested itself around her, molding itself into her body before sinking into her as a blissful warmth. Abruptly, Magia stopped, his eyes flickering back to the awkward blue and green, the aura disappating into a gently mist. The little boy could barely hold his eyes open: he was dead tired from the healing process. Magia sank lower to the blood-stained ground, his clothes suddenly feeling heavy and warm.

Magic. Magia could do magic. Was that why they were after him? For his magical skill?

The Hollowheart was slowly dying by the claws of both dragons, his white eyes starting to lost their fire. Suddenly, a huge shadow fell over the group, stirring the air and stray rocks in a mini tornado as it flew closer toward the battle.

The mighty Purity hovered over the group, his golden eyes holding no warmth.

"Windfall!" The Hollowheart gasped. He was bleeding badly. One of his wing membrane had been almost torn completely off and an eye was covered in a veil of blood.

"Dusk." Windfall coldly replied. "You have failed me, haven't you? I heard your pitiful cries for help. Is this why you have summoned me? To plead for my help? How long does it take for you to catch a ten-year old?"

"Windfall, forgive me!" Dusk horsely begged. "Th-they are much s-stronger than they look..."

At this point, Si'altha was appalled and confused. A Purity, commiting such evil deed? Has the world gone mad? "What do you want?" The Penticorn weakly demanded. "What is it you want with Magia?"

Windfall turned his impassive gaze at the small equine. "Is it your concern? Get up, Dusk." He shifted his attention back to his subordinate. It was obvious the Hollowheart could not if he had wanted to. The Xing Yun snorted in contempt and one of the crismon orbs surrounding the Purity flew over to Dusk and surrounded him in a protective bubble. It then returned back to its master, encircling the huge dragon. "You will not fail me again." Windfall glanced at the severely injured subordinate. Dusk weakly nodded. He now returned his gaze on the tiny creatures below, his maw curled in a snarl. "Do not meddle in our affairs. You will be sorry if you do." Suddenly, with a roar, the Xing Yun dived down at them. It seemed like he would eat all of them in one gulp...and then he pulled up at the last second, flying toward the moon.

The danger was over...or so it seemed. Si'altha numbly stood there, her legs refusing to obey her. All of this was...confusing...Magia...where was he? She quickly scanned the area for the naive Black Mage. There was no sight of him. Her heart stopped right there. She saw him come out of that crack! She saw him kneeled right next to Auri! Fear gave her the strength to gallop toward the spot where Magia had been standing only moments ago. There was no sign of him. Something told her to look up. Fearful, the Penticorn looked up at the disappearing Xing Yun. She collapsed onto the ground. Magia had been captured.

[Firenzata]

(( Time for Toxin to leave.. ))

Toxin backed away, after seeing how it all ended. What the purity had done was out of his range, and it was so confusing. Feeling proud and slightly happy having his victory, he began to let the thought of his enemy escaping go. Then, he turned his attention to the second, brighter Hollowheart. His blue eyes locked in with it's blank, white eyes, and he then let a quick snort of fire shoot from his nostrils. After a few last moments, Toxin merely turned around and charged back the way he came, this time on all fours instead of gliding. He let one, final roar echo through the streets as he headed home.

[Flame]

{Gah...sorry it took me so long to post x3 Life got caught up a bit.}

The young kuhna's breathing was growing ever more shallow, labored, as the seconds wore on into minutes and the battle continued to rage between the leviathans. The tide had turned now, in a blink of an eye, and now, the dark Hollowheart who had made to capture Magia was now at the mercy of Galatea and the other dragon, the Battleheart. Auri, on the other hand, was not fairing far as well. The injury inflicted upon her by the Hollowheart was long and deep, and she was on the brink of death, due to the sheer amout of bloodloss she had suffered. There was an alarming puddle in which she lay: One could simply not believe that a creature as small as a kuhna could bleed so much and still be alive. Only her resiliance kept her hanging by a thread to her life, now oblivious to her surroundings. Her eyes were lidded, her usually delicate features now contorted with agony. She did not notice when Magia emerged from his hiding place, despite her orders for him to remain inside. His words were only a faint murmur in her ears, which went unconceived in her mind. The last thing she remembered was a sudden warm bliss sink into her body, washing away the pain as the sounds of battle faded into nothingness and the world went black.

Galatea, still blinded by her own rage, continued to slash, hack and tear at her opponent, subconsciously noticing that she herself was taking on some nasty wounds, but the adrenaline and furiosity now pumping strong in her veins kept her moving, an unstoppable blur of fang and claw as she strove to punish the Hollowheart with every ounce of strength in her being. She probably wound not have hesitated to kill him had not there been intervention. Suddenly, a whirlwind gust of air rushed through the street, finally materializing into the form of a great Xingyun, one of the purities. The golden Hollowheart only paused for a moment, blazing white eyes piercing those of the deity before returning to her onslaught, as if nothing had happened. The Xingyun had no business here, and she had nothing to do with him. The only thing that mattered to her now was that she would avenge Auri's suffering.

Only when the protective bubble surrounded the dark Hollowheart did she stop attacking him. This was not to say that she did not try, still. Gouging at the bubble, to no avail, she strained to reach the minion, yet the Xingyun's magic was by far too strong for her. Fuming at being defeated, she turned a hot, accusing glare upon the newcomer, her head lowered as she hissed ferally, furious that he had stolen her quarry. None of his words registered, but she didn't really care, she was just about to lunge for the purity instead, when he dove towards the smaller creatures, but then pulled up and away, flying towards a distant, unknown destination. Roaring, her anger still unspent, Galatea leapt after them into the sky, expansive wings straining as she tried to catch up to her disappearing prey. Suddenly, in mid-flight, the exhaustion and her wounds hit her like a sledge-hammer, and it was all she could do to make it back onto land without crashing. She watched as the Xingyun disappeared, a low hiss still seething from her maw as she stood, helpless to help capture him.

Finally, hanging her proud head in defeat, she remembered that Auri was injured. Her head snapped up again, eyes flashing with untold worry as she lumbered as quickly as she could towards where the kuhna had fallen. When she finally reached her, there was alarm evident in her eyes as she observed the large pool of blood that surrounded the kuhna, and the blood that was now heavily matted on her fur. After a moment though, confused, she noticed that there was no wound on Auri's form. Gently picking the small feline up, Galatea nudged her, worry still prickling the back of her mind. To her great relief, the kuhna stirred, her golden eyes opening as she coughed weakly, her small frame shuddering with the effort. She was greatly weakened by the loss of blood, but when she woke, the first question out of her mouth was "Where's Magia?" Her voice was a faint whisper, but it carried well enough in the silence that ensued after the battle had ended.

[robopup24]

(OOC: It's fine ^ ^)
The Concept Penticorn struggled to her feet, her breath coming out in short gasps. "Th-they took him." Si'altha's voice cracked in the unusually empty air. Guilt flooded through her, as did the hot anger at herself. She should have been protecting him, no matter how hurt she was! "The Xing Yun...I-I think his name is Windfall...he flew off with him." Hot tears ran down her face, glistening in the dim light. The sun was slowly rising, casting a golden light over the bloody scene. She failed. That single thought rang through her mind. She failed her mission, and in doing so, failed her master. Don't give up. That tiny voice said. There's still time...you know what direction the dragons went... "I-I'll go find him myself." Si'altha quietly whinnied. "You...don't need to get...involved in this...anymore...it's my own fault and problem. I don't want to shove it on you."

[Flame]

It took a few moments for the truth in the words to sink into Auri's bemused mind, still dizzy and unoriented as it was. Then, it hit her. It had been Magia that had saved her life while she had been lying on the cold street, slowly bleeding to death, and it was he that had healed her wounds. And now, in return for that, he had be captured and taken prisoner by the Hollowheart, and apparently, from what the Penticorn said, a purity, a Xing Yun. This, could be a problem. The kuhna, at times, could be as stubborn as a mule, and this just happened to be one of them. "You think that I am going to let you wander off on your own in search of those beasts?" she said, her voice weak, but determined. "Magia risked his life to save mine, and now he's paying for it. You'd be a fool to think that I would let an innocent person be taken by those...those...monsters." Her sentence was punctuated by a soft hiss, but turned into yet another coughing fit. When it finally subsided, Galatea, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke up.

"What Auri says is all true: There is no way that you, on your own, could take on Windfall and Dusk, not to mention any other cronies he may have up his sleeve as well." Her pale gaze flashed at Si'altha, tired, but still lit with their usual fire. "If Auri is going with you, then count me in as well. I've yet to exact my revenge fully upon that excuse for a Hollowheart." She hissed, her anger flaring briefly again. "Plus, it would be a lot faster to travel there by air, considering that that is how the Xing Yun made his getaway. On foot, who knows how long the journey could take? But first, we must find shelter, so that we can recuperate. We'll be no help to Magia, going in the state that we're in now."

[robopup24]

Si'altha could not believe what she was hearing. They were willing to help? Of course, she would understand if they left, but this? Upon hearing Galatea's suggestion of finding a place to take shelter first, Si'altha felt disagreement rise in her. The Penticorn firmly told herself that the golden Hollowheart was right. "All right then." Si'altha stumbled from her side wound, though it wasn't bleeding as much now. "Let's try to find a good inn for the night..." Half-stumbling, half-galloping, the Concept equine began down the road without waiting for the others. Half-heartedly, she glanced at the rising sun, worry weighing down on her mind and heart. Magia, where are you?

.::..::..::.

Magia was re-awakened to the sight of a reptilline face glowering at him. The Mage let out a startled yelp and started to scramble away, only to fall flat on his face.

"Don't try to run away." It was just a Kuchi Nagi, his arms crossed, his face a bit grouchy. "You won't even get to the danged doorknob." He rolled his eyes. "You do know you're chained to the floor, right, Magia?"

Magia had been rattling the chains on his ankles when he heard the Kuchi Nagi call his name. He blinked in confusion. "How do-"

"I know your name? They told me." The reptile scratched his foot. "I'm here to babysit you." He scowled. "Don't make my job any harder."

Oh! Everything came flooding back to Magia, the battle, Si'altha, Auri and Galatea... "I can get out of here easily!" Magia narrowed his eyes at his captor.

"Try." The Kuchi Nagi yawned. "Go ahead, I'll watch."

Magia focused a concentrated, hot tongue of flame on his shackles. Despite the intense heat, it did not melt.

"It's magic enforced." The Kuchi Nagi kicked back in his chair, bored. "Just wait. You'll be meeting Windfall soon."

"I don't want to meet him!" The familiar weariness after spellcasting was sinking in, making him oh so sleepy. "H-he hurt my friends..." His voice trailed off as he suddenly dozed off, slumping onto the cold floor. The Kuchi Nagi snorted.

"Whatever."

[Flame]

Galatea watched as Si'altha began to make her way down the street, rather glad that she had not put up a resistance to her and Auri tagging along. Afterall, she would need all the help she could get in her endeavor to rescue the Black Mage, especially considering the odds she was pitted against. Sighing half out of exhastion and relief, she dropped to all fours, perching the ailing kuhna atop her back before slowly making her way down the street after the Concept Penticorn. It took her a minute or two to catch up, even with her long strides for she was tired and in a good amount of pain as well, now that her adrenaline rush had dissapated.

"So," she finally said, turning her head to Si'altha. "Do you have any idea where we might be able to shelter for the time being?"

[robopup24]

Si'altha hesitated before answering. "I think so." She barely had the energy to nod at a nearby inn. "Over there should be fine."

If they haven't been so tired, they would have gone to find a different inn. The very sign should have driven them away. The Scurvy Vandal? It seemed in bad condition too, a few of its rotting shingles falling off. Still, they couldn't be picky. "Let's stay here for the night." Si'altha muttered and began to enter the run-down inn.