Toki's Tale

"YOU!" Toki screamed, and leapt at Tae'Pan. He vanished and reappeared, laughing. He looked around, almost revelling in the gloom.
"Consumed by anger, are we? Good... I can feel it nurturing my decrepid body already..."
"What are you talking about?"
"I feed on your dark emotions, you anger, your fear. This is why the spellcasters call me Spirit Hunter... Even now your hatred feeds me when my body is so far away. Soon I shall consume your soul entirely," said Tae'Pan, almost drooling in anticipation.
"Not if I kill you first."
"Your mother could do nothing. Are you any better?" Tae'Pan asked, his features twisted into a cruel parody of a smile.
"She is," said Vee. Tae'Pan's expression contorted into a scowl of unimaginable loathing. He turned to face Vee, and looked as if he could vomit.
"You," he hissed, full of venom. Vee nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "Did you miss me, Hunter?"
"My mind is much quieter now, spectre. See it stays that way, or I will get angry."
"Oh, no. I'm here to make sure Toki does the right thing. Then we can spend some time together. Just you... and me, for the rest of your life."
"You know the miserable wretch is your descendant?"
"I do," replied Vee cooly. Toki didn't feel as calm. Vee? Her... ancestor?
"As putrid a bloodline as you degenerates may ever have. It ends with her death."
"You will never kill her, Hunter. She is as strong as her father."
"Her father is dead," hissed Tae'Pan, but Vee merely smiled, his fangs bared. Tae'Pan's triumphant grin faded slightly.
"Not by your hand, Hunter," said Vee. "Darain struggled against Khar for days, and I would not be surprised if she exceeds him. I imagine you shall be, though."
Tae'Pan and Vee stared at each other in silence, the Gargoyle standing upright and the Spirit Hunter crouched like some feral beast, drooling from between yellowed teeth. He looked far worse than when Toki had last seen him, though she felt no pity for him.
"Tae'Pan..." Toki said, slowly. "Get out of my mind."
"You are not one to order me here, creature," Tae'Pan hissed, but his eyes still matched Vee's.
"NOW!" Toki screamed, and a spike of lightning struck the ground by Tae'Pan. The ragged Norn didn't even flinch, and a sickening smile spread over his lips.
"You think you can fight me? I would like to see you try, oh how I would..."
With a quick movement of his hand, Vee was flung across the ruined landscape by an unseen force. Tae'Pan drew his crossbow and fired. In the speed of a blink, Toki had raised her hand in front of her chest and was gripping the bolt tightly.
"Orae told me something before you... you killed him. 'The mind is you own,' he said. And this is my mind," Toki said, advancing on Tae'Pan. "And I am going to make you leave."
The wretched Norn, the focus of her hate, snorted. In a moment he vanished and Toki heard his voice from behind her.
"So you are stronger now... Good, I shall have some fun before I leave you to wallow in your own misery."
Toki span and hurled the bolt at Tae'Pan. In some quick, unseen movement he reflected it back. It split against a huge boulder and fell to the ground, broken.
With a flinch of pain, the Spirit Hunter's hands began to burn with a deep blue fire. Sparks of energy flicked from finger to finger, and lit up Tae'Pan's twisted smile from below.
"This is Maki's Bane, creature. Pure pain in a touch..."
Tae'Pan sprang and leapt, the flame leaving a glowing blue trail from his hands.
"Earth Tremor!"
The rock underneath Tae'Pan fountained up like water and flung him high into the air. He turned, dazed, and snarled.
"Burning Water!"
A sheet of flame covered Tae'Pan and coated him like tar. He screamed a thin, piercing cry of pain and vanished. Toki braced herself as a long shadow appeared over her. She span around and two strong hands grabbed her arms.
"Calm yourself, my child. He is gone. Maki's powers come with a price. To save himself from dying he subjected himself to more pain than you will ever know, and broke his mind link with you," spoke the robed figure. He was dressed entirely in black, but had a curious pack of cards on his belt. Toki had seen Rel play cards many times before, but these were larger than that.
"Dying... But, this is all in my mind, isn't it?" Toki asked.
"Magic knows no bounds," said the Assassin. He bowed low. "My name is Tatsuya. If you are ever in need again, just call for me. I shall be meditating in the real world."
"Wait! Why am I here?" Toki cried out. Tatsuya half-turned and frowned.
"You and Laen are safely aboard the ship. The boy is fine, but you have been frozen to stone, yet still live inside. Whether this is a work of good or evil is undecided, but your mind seems to be racked with inner darkness. We hope that you will awake after your soul searching."
"I don't need any soul searching," growled Toki.
"That is not for me to decide. You should talk to your large companion here," said Tatsuya, gesturing. He faded from view slowly, as if clouds of invisible mist shrouded him from this unreality.
Toki turned to the place Tatsuya had pointed to, and there was Vee, hanging like a bat from a cliff. He smiled softly and dropped to the floor.
"Answers. Now." Toki demanded.

Chapter 10

Chapter 12