Crush these Killing Hands (Pain)

[Stitch]

Stitch listened to her words in silence, suprised at how much they related with his very own thoughts. He gave her a sidelong glance, casually studying her Aura, trying not to let his scrunity show. He was curious to how she had come about these thoughts, and what had made her think them. For having the same questions he did, she seemed to be in good shape. He was quite aware that he was in quite a state of emotional disarray right now, but her? She seemed as fiery as ever. He suddenly felt very pathetic. Here he was moping about, dealing with things in such a dark and drastic way... And here she was, fighting against her problems with a great smile on her face. Not only that, but she was trying to help out him, a blind man that she had met in a fighting ring only perhaps a few weeks ago. Suddenly his heart ached, both in sadness at the way he had been acting, and in joy that she had still put up with him. She was struggling with problems of her own, yet she had managed to make time to try and heal his. She had been generous enough to help him, to try and soften his hurt, and here he was. Fighting against her. He had been silent, evasive, and rude. She was a great person, trying to do a loving thing, and he was completely denying her the right to do so. Taking a deep breath, Stitch spoke, his voice distant. "This one didn't originally learn how to fight in the way that you know this one to fight." He paused for a moment, turning his head to fully face her before continuing on in that soft and secret voice of his. " Base of skull: If there is trauma to the head, head ache disorentation or unconsciousness will occur. Sometimes, during head trauma, brain shake or fracture spine will occur." Another breath. "Eyes. Puncture. Permanent blindness will occur. Temporal: It is a very important point. If there is injury to the temporal, disorentation and unconsciousness will occur. Throat: If there is heavy injury to the trachea, a slow and painful death will occur. Solar plexus: If there is injury to the solar plexus, then internal organs can be damaged. Unconsciousness and death may occur. Side of ribs: If there is injury between the 5th and 6th rib bone, loss of lung function will occur. Kidney: Internal injury or death will occur." The once gentle blind man rattled off the list of vital points in an apathetic tone, raising a single hand to show her punches that would accomplish what he stated would occur. A single bladed hand, stabbing like a spear. Two fingers, sliding up the cheeks to hook into the eyeballs. "When this one first studied martial arts, he studied vital pressure points as well. How to hurt, or even kill. The point of self-defense, in this art, was to disable the opponent before he disabled you." Stitch paused yet again, turning his head away from her, his voice growing even more distant. "Disable isn't the proper word. Kill. Maim. Hit them so hard that they did not get up for a long while, if ever. After all, they did attack you. You had the right to defend yourself." He staggered to his feet, brushing leaves and dirt from his britches, extending a hand to help her up. "This one decided to change arts after a particular event. This one wanted to defend people, to help people. Even if they wanted to harm this one, or the ones around him. This one would protect all in his sight, even those that were evil." As he offered that hand down to her, she might notice the palm shaking, the muscles clenching wildly in the blind man's arm. "This one did no such thing. Without a second thought, in the heat of the moment, when this one was protecting his children... This one murdered them. One after the other, this one struck them down. And this one took satisfaction in killing such scum. They came after the children, Pain. They were going to kill helpless children." Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and even as he stood there, his entire body shook with emotion. His voice sounded pleading now, as if he was seeking some sort of forgiveness for his actions. As if he wanted someone to tell him that his actions had been justified. "Why would men do such a thing? This one tried to reason with them. They threatened this one. They threatened them. They threatened my little girl, my twelve-year-old girl! They threated to rap-" He paused, suddenly stopping, little sobs hiccuping from his lips. He knew he was losing control of himself. He tried to take a deep breath, tried to keep himself under control, and then tried to speak again. His voice was shivering so hard. "So this one struck. And ever since then, this one has been thinking... Why couldn't this one simply defend those around him without taking a life? They were scum, but they did not deserve to die. Not by this hand. This one should have been able to take them down without murdering them. They could have had a fair trial. A fair chance." "Instead, this one killed them. Without a second thought, and without an ounce of control."

[Elhaym]

The cold breeze seemed to fit the mood. Pain had gotten a feeling when she first stumbled upon Stitch earlier in the day that not all was well with him. Now, her suspicions were confirmed. She was glad that she had decided to stop and say hello, rather than pass on by. Stitch seemed like he could take care of himself, but sometimes everyone needed a helping hand... and in his situation, she new exactly why. A large group of men. Threatening. Killing. Not responsive to reason. Bloodthirsty. Murderous. Remorseless. She knew the feeling that a situation like that could bring upon her soul quite well. She dared not compare her own experience to Stitch's however, that wasn't the point. While experiences may be similar, you can never guess what events were left untold or what feelings and memories in the past such things could drag out into the open. How the hell could anyone ever say "they understand!" to something like that. You just... can never understand. However, you can try. "Stitch, err... I mean, that's... listen, you did what you had to do, y'know? I mean, so... you killed them. Stitch, you're just a guy, you'll make mistakes. So, you made one, you took their lives. Maybe, you ever enjoyed it a little... felt a little pleasure in seeing them die for what they had done." Pain said, taking a deep breath before continuing. He was visible shaken. "But you know what? The petching deserved what they got. They didn't get a trial? Who gives a shyke. You think they would have gotten a fair trial, Stitch? The knights would have skewered them like pigs Stitch. As far as i'm concerned, you expedited their fate. Sometimes, it's you or them. Taking a life..." Pain took another breath, looking up at the clouded sky. "Stitch, if you were fine with taking another persons life... I would be more worried about you than if you were upset. You can't kill someone and not feel remorse, even if they deserved it... it's just the way we are, Stitch. Killing each other... gods, how do I say this... y'know, we're just not supposed to. When it happens, you'll always question whether you did the right thing. If you look back, I think you'll find that their death was preferable. That's just how I feel." Pain took a few steps away, whistling sharply as she did. She called out for Tanny, using the same odd words as before. He bounded from his resting spot, apparently having recovered from his run just as Pain had. She felt good, but she was tired. "You gotta keep your head up, Stitch, you gotta... uurgh! Petch! PETCH!" Pain's right leg buckled, her knee impacting the ground and her other leg collapsing as well. Fierce, burning agony had erupted from her right hip, and she didn't know why. Her cries of agony would come as a surprise to Stitch, so unexpected in the middle of their conversation. Pain wasn't sure if Stitch could see it, but from her right hip... a bolt. A crossbow bolt. Someone had petching shot her with a crossbow. And then... the voice. "You're a real bastard, Banda. You couldn't even have let them finish their heart to heart... hell, you even went for a wound rather than a kill. What's with you?" It was a low voice, but the man sounded intelligent. A slaver? A bandit? A bit too well spoken for one. If Stitch could make out everything he said, it would have been over the cries of agony erupting from Pain. "Shutup. Take care of the one over there, hell... looks like he's blind. Shouldn't be much trouble for you. Go, Aziz." And with that, Pain and Stitch's peaceful excursion was over. Two men, with no forewarning or obvious intent were attacking them. The one who was called Banda was skinnier than his comrade, wielding a light crossbow and some sort of knife hanging from his belt. The other, Aziz, was much larger, and seemed intent to pick a fight with Stitch. He careened forward, surging with speed and power that would be expected from his size. It was obvious that he lacked finesse. The other, Banda, approached Pain rather leisurely. He was grinning and wide eyed. His fingers dangled at the knife's hilt at his waist. Pain had crawled behind a tree, dragging her leg and was now franticly looking to Stitch. She was injured. "Tanny, Fakal!" Pain screamed. Tanny's ears perked up, and without hesitation he ran. His stubby legs weren't built for running, but he disappeared into the foliage quickly. Pain had commanded him to hide, to run away. Now, she turned to Stitch. Her leg was on fire. Stitch already had one large man careening towards him, apparently intent to throw a wild haymaker in hopes of collapsing the blind man's skull. Pain's opponent drew near, though he hadn't bothered to reload his crossbow. Still, the knife was precariously perched at his waist. "Help!" Banda and Aziz : Banda Skills: Light Crossbow | 27 Kukri (Knife) | 25 Additional: Gnosis (Vexation) | 1 Mark --- Aziz Skills: Brawling | 44 Body Building | 21

[Stitch]

The chilled breeze slapped angrily at Stitch's cheeks, causing the little tear streaks to grow icy on his face. The water from the ocean had long since dried from his bared chest, and was only barely dampening his baggy britches. The sudden sensation brought a shiver to Stitch's body, even though it might be lost within the sorrowful shudders that were already racking his body. The surprisingly cold shock was enough to break him out of his sad stupor, though. He took a deep breath, trying to get ahold of himself, tilting his head upwards toward the darkening sky. He couldn't really see much of a change in the distant Auras of the clouds, yet he could feel the sudden change in the air. The wind was blowing harder, and there was a distant sound of thunder. She was right. It was time to get back. Helping her up, he gave her words close attention, listening as best as he could. She had barely even gotten started before he shook his head no, defiantly so. He continued shaking his head as she spoke, his own words bursting out, trembling as he stated his argument. "They didn't deserve it! This one is not the type of person who can pass down judgement! This one has no right to take life, even in self-defense! There is a chance and a hope for everyone! There can be mercy, repentance, and then change! This one understands if you do not feel the way that this one does! But that is the way this one wants to live his life! This one can protect the people he loves without killing! You are right about one thing, milady! We are not meant to take the lives of other people! That only leads to more killing, over and over again! This one will not fall prey to that cycle!" His voice betrayed his obvious dedication to his belief. He didn't want to kill. He wanted to protect. They were two different extremes in his mind, and he only wanted to follow one. Pain might notice something else was wrong though. In his flustered state of mind, as his shivers had continued to get worse, ttwo large veins had throbbed to life in his forehead. Even though the medical wrap that was circled around his eyes, you could see the veins, bulging underneath. After he finished speaking, he himself seemed to notice it for a moment, his hand shooting to hold his head. "Pain, this one thinks that this one might need some he-" Thwunk. Blood spurted, and Pain cried out, cursing as she fell to the ground. Her cries continued, her pain screamed out to the cloudy sky, and Stitch simply stared. Blood. There was blood on her leg. Those screams. They sounded so familiar. His head throbbed again, and he held it, trembling harder. Why did his head hurt? Why was she screaming? Someone had shot her with a crossbow bolt? Blood. Help us, Stitch! Her voice sounded like Fentya's. The realization exploded into his mind, and he stared at her, cocking his head in confusion. He was dimly aware of two Auras, slowly making their way to the pair. Those Auras were familiar too. They were hot red, and thick with horrifying evil. One in particular reeked of it, a certain part of his body actually glowing with the evil. These men were almost exactly like the one's he had faced at the Orphanage. Hungry for blood and murder, with one of them especially hungry for complete and utter pain. They thought he was blind? Yes, he was blind. It sure looked like it. Words echoed in his mind, assualting him from all directions. "Maybe the little girl, the older one! What if we rape her, blind man? We haven’t had a woman in so long… And you wouldn’t even be able to tell! You can’t even see! You can hear though, can’t you? You can hear as we take her, and make her scream out in-" They were coming closer. One was walking toward Pain, the malice clear in his terrible Aura. The other one, he was approaching Stitch. He was running toward's the orphanage owner, balled fist raised high. He meant to crush in the blind man's skull. No time to reason. No time to think. His body reacted, instinctively falling back on the martial art he knew best. Pain would get to see how Stitch acted in a true fight, one where all formality was thrown away. Stitch turned slowly, fully facing the oncoming man, keeping his features clear of all possible emotion. He didn't want the thug to know that he could fight. At the last possible second, Stitch down, barely brushing underneath the wild haymaker. At the same time, his right hand came up, slipping under the punching arm, striking out with bladed fingertips. The flat strike was aimed directly at the throat, and would also use the momentum of the opponent's punch against him. The man would ram right into the strike, and Stitch would be putting all of his power behind it. He was aiming to crush the throat, if not puncture it. Hopefully the blind man actually proving to be something of an opponent would distract the other evildoer. Stitch was lost in a frenzy, words filling his aching skull, Pain's screams permeating his brain. Help. She was screaming for him to help her.

[Elhaym]

Aziz was caught slightly off guard by the sudden movement in his opponent. The momentum he had created threw him off balance, but he was not a novice in a fight. A lithe arm, firing out like a whip. Aziz tucked his chin, looking down at the blind man as his fingers struck the bony surface of his chin and the gnarled muscle and fat surrounding it. Aziz and Banda survived in the wildlands for a long, long time without assistance from others. They had learned to expect the unexpected. Aziz flailed wildly with his arms, gripping Stitch's attacking arm and pulling it upwards before pushing the blind man back. A booted foot made it's way to Stitch's gut, and Aziz kicked hard, sending the blind man stumbling away. "His eyes are covered, but he can see." Aziz said in a flat tone. Banda looked up, slowing his saunter towards Pain to a stop. He peered at Stitch, and shrugged lightly. "Just handle it, Aziz. I need a... few minutes." Aziz resumed his assault, and he did so with a vengeance. His movements were slow, but from what Stitch could tell at this point, he was pretty good at taking blows. He also favored his arms, which was apparent from the lack of power in the kick Stitch had taken... it hadn't been much more than a nudge. He would try to pummel Stitch into the ground. --- Banda could see Pain's elbows and feet from the other side of the tree, and his lips curled into a sinister smile. Where Aziz was bulky layered with muscle and fat, he was almost sickly in his skinniness. He didn't speak, but he was laughing to himself as he casually strolled towards her. He took a broad path around the tree, until he was facing her. She sat with her back against the tree, her hand gripped tightly around the bolt. Apparently she had discovered that it was no easy task to just pull it out. Her eyes with wide and on fire, like a cornered animal. Pain looked at her attacker. He held the crossbow still, but he hadn't reloaded it. He'd had a clear shot, and had chosen to wound her... and off in the distance, Stitch was fighting the other one. She couldn't quite tell, but there was something different about the way Stitch was moving and striking... almost as if he was utilizing the knowledge he had imparted on her not a few minutes before. Her attention snapped back to Banda as he crept closer, until he was only a few feet away. These two idiots thought they had found a helpless little girl and a blind man. Not so much. Pain lashed out with her left leg, striking Banda just above his right knee. His gasp came quickly, and his leg buckled. He fell to one knee in front of her, and Pain lashed out again, this time kicking him in the face. Her feet were bare and her body was shaky... she had never been wounded like this before. But... she had to fight. If she could hold out long enough against this guy, Stitch would surely finish off the big one, and save her. Pain scrambled onto her knees, and pulled herself upright with a painful grunt. She turned to face Banda, who was already standing before her. His grin was wide, spotted with blood from his nose and mouth. He wasn't imposing, but he was fast. Pain saw him awkwardly reel back, and throw a punch. Laughable. However, with Pain's right leg hurting so badly, she couldn't maneuver like she normally could. No matter, she thought... block the punch, counterattack. As she brought her left hand up to catch and push his blow away, something happened... usually, there was a light sting when someones fist impacted your palm. The skinny man's fist felt like a war hammer impacting her hand. Pain yelped, stumbling backwards and finding that she was now up against the tree. Pain shook her left hand out, but it was no use. The pain that surged through her hand was agonizing, and her wrist felt weak. Banda looked upon her with wild eyes, that same wide grin on his face.

[Stitch]

Shyke. Stitch stumbled backwards, the breath leaving his lungs as a meaty foot kicked at his stomach. The blow ached, but was barely anything compared to the force of that gigantic fist. This man, this "Aziz", he was ridiculously strong. Stitch didn't even want to think about what would happen if the man managed to land a blow. Stitch had just barely dodged that one wild haymaker, and he had felt how powerful it was. The air had split as the fist rushed through it, actually giving off a small gust that had brushed the top of Stitch's head. The possibilities of that fist scared him. Stitch didn't have a problem admitting that. He wasn't a particularly brave man, or a particularly heroic man. He really wished he was, but he couldn't lie to himself. He was merely an Orphanage owner, although a blind one. He knew how to fight, but it wasn't anything he knew how to properly control in actual combat. Sure, he could spar, and sure, he could do it for sport. But when it was an actual fight against someone trying to kill him? Old knowledge kicked in, out of fear. His body reacted, out of fear. He had struck to kill earlier, but the man had managed to block. Stitch's fingers still ached because of the sudden block. But Stitch knew that if the man hadn't have blocked, he would be dying, if not dead. The thought horrified him. He didn't even hear the words of the two men, as he was too deeply involved with his own thoughts. All of this training he had been doing, and he still hadn't found the delicate balance between his styles. He still couldn't control his anger, and his fear. His mind desperately searched out for Pain, and he found her, noting with relief that she was still alive. But for how long? The other evil Aura was approaching her, with an even more horrifying feel to it than the one in front of Stitch. The one that Stitch was fighting was basically a mindless brute, even if he did have some combat experience. But the one approaching Pain? That was one was leaking great black veins of pure malice, with a good amount of purple lust mixed in. It was sickening and horrifying, all at once. Stitch had to hurry. Help us, Stitch! Fentya's voice rang out again, right as Aziz struck once more. Stitch threw up his arms, much like he had back when he had fought Pain, desperately attempting to block the blows. Why was he blocking? Why not just move? Stitch knew the answer, though he dared not think about it. He was tired. He had just ran several miles, and then did several repetitions of quite stressful sit-ups and pull-ups. His body was already somewhat damaged, and now here he was fighting this great brute of a man. Two quick punches rained down, and Stitch's arm's shook, exploding in pain, causing Stitch to yelp out a bit. This wasn't good. Not at all. He needed to fight. He needed to win. He needed to take this guy out, and help Pain. The man's third punch was a hook, and Stitch didn't completely shift his guard in time. The punch managed to nudge his jaw, and that simple nudge was enough to nearly topple the blind man. Darkness swam in front of his eyes, and he felt his stomach clench with nausea. He couldn't take a full blow. Not one like that. The next hook came in from the other side, the thug sensing weakness. Now. Now! Stitch lifted a leg, drawing the knee up to his stomach, almost as if to protect his midsection. He would wobble for a brief moment, but then duck, dodging the blow to the best of his ability. At the same time as he ducked, he stepped forward hard, stomping down with his foot. The stomp was aimed at the closest kneecap, in an effort to completely snap that leg, if not dislocate that knee. Stitch hadn't connected that the weak kick of earlier might happen to be because of a weak leg. He was merely desperate. Hopefully, if it didn't connect, it would at least throw the man off balance. Stitch kept up the attack, leaping forward even further, snapping up his other leg to throw a sharp kick between the man's legs. He was aiming to crush what was always resting there.

[Elhaym]

Aziz was used to the feeling of pain. Because of Banda's... gifts, he often allowed him to "subdue" his needs on himself. Vexation was a powerful tool, a power not to be trifled with, but it came at great costs. Perhaps that was what made them so close, like brothers. However, the feeling that was brought upon him now was no simple pain inflicted on him out of dire need. He had swung, hit, felt the thrill of his thundering blows impacting the enemy... and then, something so horribly crushing that he began to fall. As his world crashed down, Aziz took a small moment in time to view his knee. It was broken, it had to be. It looked... wrong. Rage. His voice bellowed like a war drum, and he reached out with a bear's vice like grasp as he went to ground. He wrapped his arms around Stitch's legs, and twisted his whole body, taking the blind man to the ground with him. Ah, but the pain... it was all he could do to hold on, to contain this fighter. Banda would have to finish him. He had failed. As he constricted his muscles to contain Stitch, he heard a commotion. "What the hell is going on... Banda!?" --- The sound of metal tearing into wood. That hollow thunk. Pain had thrown herself to the side just as Banda's wickedly curved knife tore a graping chunk of bark from the tree she had stood in front of only a second ago. Pain was on her back, and began crawling backwards to get away... but it was useless. She heard a man scream, definitely not Stitch. Maybe he was doing better than she was... --- "You ain't gettin' away, honey. Not today. Not ever." Banda said, flipping the knife in his hand. It wasn't hard to ignore Aziz's plight. He needed this. Badly. It had been two days... the pain wouldn't stop. Here it was, an easy kill... and it would all go away. For a little while, at least. He was barely able to function, it hurt so bad... yet the Pain was a motivation, not something that would stop him. He sliced wildly, stooping over Pain as he did so. He wielded a kukri, a vicious knife if there ever was one, but he was wild and uncoordinated. He swung, and missed... swung, missed... she just kept rolling away, grunting and wincing from her leg's injury, but determined to stay alive. Swung... ahh... blood. Relief. --- Pain's voice filled the air as Banda's blade slide across her shin. Blood erupted from the wound, and Pain watched with wide eyed terror as his face seemed to take in a feeling of ecstasy. Her scream was continuous, and blood curtling... he had just cut off her leg, oh gods... Pain lifted her head, afraid to look at the wound but more afraid not to. Her terror was infused with confusion when she took in the actual wound... it was a gash, a severe one, but... it shouldn't hurt this bad. It felt like... ... and then she was being lifted from the ground. Pain's head hung loose, her body trying to cope with the suffering her wounds had brought her. A flash of silver near her neck... he was holding the blade at her throat, had his arm around her. Holding her... hostage? What? --- Banda has relieved the curse that Krysus's gnosis brought him for now, but as he did so the gravity of the situation became more clear to him. Aziz was hurt, and if the blind man was able to deliver a blow like that to Aziz than Banda himself would surely fall in a one on one fight. He needed a trump card. He took the girl, forced her to her feet... held the knife at her throat. "You there... don't you move now. I'm going to take a few steps back here, with this girl. Aziz is gonna let you go, and if you do anything other than lay there like a dead fish, this girl is gonna bleed out in the forest like a pig. You hear me?!" Stitch would see the circumstances were not in his favor in this situation, clearly. He was being held tight, and though his opponent was moaning and tears and mucus were pouring from his face due to the horrific agony stemming from his broken femur. Yet, just when the situation seemed hopeless... Stitch caught something small, a blur of motion moving in fast from the grass near Banda. Oh, no... "Yeah, you just stay put ther-... Raghh! What the hell!?" Banda screamed. Tanny. It was Tanny. The old dog had taken to the fight, to protect his master. His jaws were firmly latched onto Banda's calf, and the skinny man screamed and shook his leg, finally retching Tanny loose. He kicked wildly, striking Tanny on the haunches and sending him reeling. Tanny cried out, whimpering as he impacted the ground and rolled to his feet, feebly limping away. The knife slipped from Pain's throat. Her rage passed conceivable levels. That son of a bitch just kicked her dog. Pain's right arm flashed forward, pushing Banda's knife arm away by pressing into his elbow. He was disoriented, now off balance. She monopolized on his current state by turning her body slightly and slamming her opposite arm's elbow into his ribcage. Now, Banda was reeling, and had released his hold. Stitch would see that Pain's face, or rather her aura... it was different. Finesse went out the window. Pain threw as hard a punch as she could, ignoring the screaming protest from her hip as she swung her own style of haymarker straight into Banda's jaw. Her whole body moved with the punch, and even as the the sound of bone crunching proclaimed a successful hit, she fell forward. Scrambling now. On top of him. Pinning him down, her knees on his shoulders. Flailing arms. Muffled screams. His jaw was broken, eyes wild. Knife? It was lost. Banda began to jerk his arms around, trying to hit Pain in the face and get her off of him. Pain caught one of the flailing arms, gripping it at the wrist. "You son of a bitch... petching freak! You petching shoot me, try to kill us, try to hurt my friend... kick my dog... urghhh!" Pain said in a wavering voice, grunting as her hand slide up to his fingers. With a brutality she had not ever seen out of herself, she pressed as hard as she could, pushing all four fingers backwards. Snap. Crackle. Pop. Banda's jaw was broken, but his scream would still permeate the mind of every sentient being for a mile. Banda's arm fell to the ground, his right hand ruined. Only then did Pain notice the red veins that crawled across it, only adding to the grotesque view of his mangled digits. Stitch would have to make a choice now. He couldn't see in a normal way, but perhaps his ability to use auristics was even more valuable at this point. Pain was in a frenzy. She wouldn't stop. Everything about her body language said she intended to tear the life from this man. If Stitch were to free himself, he could stop her... but how? Aziz was watching in horror, and his grip on Stitch had increased out of adrenaline and fear. If he were to break free somehow, get to Pain in time, stop her... maybe he could keep her from committing the same mistake he himself felt he had made. However, Aziz was still there, and though injured, could still feasibly fight. Stitch had to know that Pain wouldn't be much use against him. Would he risk expending the last of his strength to save Pain from her sins, or would he take Aziz down to make sure that the they both made it out alive... "Goh... goddess... s-s-save... mehh..." Banda quivered as he tried to speak, his eyes wide in terror. Pain's hands had moved to his face, her fingers gripping hard on his skull behind his ears and her thumbs moving to his eyes. She intended to kill him in a most horrific and brutal way. Stitch would hear his cries of terror. He would also hear Pain's response. Maybe it would help him make his decision. "Your god... can't save you... from me."

[Stitch]

Satisfaction once again welled up deep within Stitch's gut, the sickening crunch of snapping bone reaching his ears. The sound was salvation, and the next blow completely missed, flying wild as the man crumpled. He was stunned, falling, and was completely missing a leg now. Stitch had this. Just one more blow, and he could finish this little scuffle, and run to help Pain. Did she still need him? Raising a hand to strike, planning on chopping the man in the back of the neck as he fell down, Stitch threw his magical vision in Pain's direction for a short second. She was fighting back, it seemed, and he should have plenty of time to help her. Everything was going to be okay. That was when everything went wrong. Pain's scream split the air, and Stitch's head whipped to the side, his heart twisting in his chest. This was the hesitation that Aziz had needed in order to save this fight, even if he didn't know it. He was too busy letting out a cry of rage, lunging forward as he fell to grab at Stitch's knees, and pulling the blind man down with him. Stitch fell, lucky not to twist or break anything, but still panicked anyway. He kicked and fought, struggling as the man's arms wrapped around his legs. He landed with a hard thud, the breath exploding out of his lungs, unable to catch himself in time. He was too busy struggling, trying to kick his way out of the man's iron grasp. It wasn't working! He couldn't get free! Pain was going to die, and once again, he was going to fail at what he wanted to do most! Protect those around him! He raised both fists, ready to rain down a storm of closed fists upon the man's head, but approaching Auras gave him pause. What was going on here? Both him and Aziz stopped all motion, still locked together, both turning as one to regard the approaching pair. Stitch's stomach twisted, and his heart clouded with despair. They had her, and they had a knife at her throat. They had both of them, and Stitch didn't even want to think about how this was going to end up. The man's sickening grin gave him some clue to the future, but he didn't want to think about it. Not now. As the man made demands of Stitch, the blind orphanage owner quietly obeyed, dropping his raised fists and laying still. Even though he was motionless, his opponent did not yet move, perhaps thinking of the best way to go about such a task. His knee was obviously in no shape to hold his weight, and moving it in any way only caused quite a bit of agony. Stitch briefly considered attempting to finish off his opponent, then lunge for Pain. He knew he would never make it in time, though. There was going to have to be a different savior. A different savior came, in the form of a flashing blur. It latched onto the evil aura, and bit down, understanding the dire situation of it's master, and unable to simply sit and watch. The dog was kicked, letting out a yelp that made Stitch wince, and Banda was distracted. His mind screamed for Pain to take advantage of the situation, and that is what she did. She did it amazingly well. A single shove to the elbow, and a shot to the ribs. It was enough to severely befuddle the pain-obsessed man, and Pain decided to capitalize even further. She twisted back, and then threw her weight forward, putting all of her formidable power into a single punch. Stitch inwardly winced again, both him and Aziz only able to watch in amazement as Banda's head snapped back. He began to crumple, and Stitch rose his hands again, ready to knock this one out too. Only the sudden surging of emotion in Pain caused him to stop, and he turned his attention back to her, only to be met with a horrifying sight. She had been angry before, but after that punch had landed, her rage had gone on complete over-drive. Her barely contained swirls of color were now exploding outwards, pummeling both Stitch and Aziz with incredible waves of anger and anguish. She was taking out everything on him, blocking his desperate slaps with a single grab and break. All of her pain, anger, anguish, and fear... She drove it all into her clenching hand as she snapped his fingers, and even then, her emotion wasn't nearly spent. She had plenty more to spare, and she eagerly used it, stepping forward to grab his skull. Stitch barely felt the brute tightening around his legs, nor did he really pay attention to the odd twists that were occurring throughout Banda's Aura. He knew what he had to do. He reacted without a second thought. The thoughts were familiar to him now. Breath, Stitch. Don't stop breathing. Ignore the blossoming pain in your bones, and simply focus on the breathing. Can you see it, with those special eyes? The flow of the Djed, coursing through your veins. Simply tug it in,and hold it. Hold it. You need all it. Keeping tugging as much as you can, and just hold it. He stilled, knowing he only had seconds to accomplish this. Under his voice, he muttered the words, speeding through them at a frantic pace. He wasn't really breathing, nor was he going to attempt any kind of finesse with this. The words just helped speed along the process. The man would be dead soon, if he didn't stop her. He knew she would regret it later. As much as she might not want to admit it, they had some qualities that were very much alike. She would despise what she had done, later. She would be horrified in the way she had gone about it. Protecting someone went far deeper than shielding them from simple pain, or death. He would shield them from all harm. Even if he had to take the harm onto his own body, in whatever form it might be. He frantically gathered his Djed in his stomach, and then just as hurriedly shoved it all into his arm. Breath it in, Stitch. Gather it to your stomach. Ignore the pain. Now as you strike, breath out. And as you breath out, return all that Djed. But not to the proper areas, no. Return it all to somewhere else. Stitch struck, swinging with a full-power haymaker, smashing the fist as hard as he could into Aziz's temple. The strike might very well kill the man. He wasn't so sure. But he knew he had to get that grip to release. He knew he had to at least knock him out, and he couldn't hold back. His muscles bulged mere seconds before he struck, and his "full power" was only increased. It was a Flux punch, and Stitch wasn't attempting to control the amount of Flux he actually used. It needed to be enough to knock out the man. He had to stop this. If he didn't knock out the man, there would only be another blazing fast punch, this one powered with the Flux too. And another. And another. The first punch might break his own arm. If he had to use a second, then who knew how badly he would damage himself. The minute he managed to knock out the man, Stitch moved. He was up from his position on the ground in a heartbeat, leaping toward Pain, landing on the ground right beside of her. Her Aura was pounding at Stitch with insane amounts of rage, almost causing the emotion to fester to life in his own heart. He was already too filled up with desperation to have room for anything else, though. He didn't release the Djed he had gathered to it's normal place, not yet. He struck again, swinging out with other arm, shoving all of the Djed that he could to it. It was much less than the last punch, but it would be enough. Pain was weary already. He swung with all his might, hooking a punch straight into her jaw. "Pain! Snap out of it!" Or get knocked out of it. Either or.

[Elhaym]

Pain was seeing red. Bastards had attacked them for no reason. Laughed about it, been so cocky about it. Attacked them like thugs, cut her up, threatened to take her hostage, kicked her dog... it was all too much. A total violation of what it meant it to be free. She stared at Banda's face intently, watching his whimpering mouth feebly working, trying to make words. His jaw was broken, his fingers ruined. He was in a world of hurt. He deserved it... she just couldn't quite bring herself to do it. It would be gory, horrible. Of all the places her mind could have gone as her thumbs wavered over Banda's eyes, she thought of something she'd overheard her father tell her brother Erik so long ago. "If someone is trying to hurt you, you shouldn't hesitate to hurt them back. Tenfold." I shouldn't hesitate. I should kill this petcher. He's scum, not worth the air he breaths. A blight upon life itself. Quit being a wimp. Push. Tear out his eyes. Crush him. She would have. She was milliseconds away from it. Then, she was moving... her knees free from their perch on his shoulders, her whole body sliding to the side with some sort of impact. Stitch's words barely registered as her world went black. --- Then... the rain came. Slow at first, chilling to the skin. Seconds passed, the icy shower rousing her from her unconsciousness. It began to pour, thunder roaring in the distance as the water cascaded down from the heavens. Pain shook her head feebly, and felt something warm touching her cheek amidst the cold. A tongue. Tanny. She rolled to the side, grunting in agony from her words. But Tanny... he was okay. He looked worried, if a dog could look worried. Pain thought they could. She reached out, touching his wet fur and scratching his chin. "Good... dog." Enough of this. Pain reached to her hip, feeling for the inanimate inturder in her living flesh and bone. There, the thin bolt sticking out from her hip. Pain gave it a yank, but all that produced was a jolting electric sting that snapped her out of her semi-stupor. It already hurt, what the hell. Pain gripped the bolt, and pulled hard, twisting slightly as the bolt's wicked head gave way to her strength. It came free. Hot, bloody pain... but in a way, it felt good to have it out. At last... Pain sat up, taking in the view. It was much darker now, and rain was falling everywhere. Stitch was there, sitting near her. He looked out of it... she couldn't guess why. Banda was unconscious, probably fainted while she was on top of him. The big fellow was out, off in the distance a bit. His leg looked wrong and his chest moved in tiny, shallow movements. A few minutes ago they had all been the picture of health. Funny. Pain reached to her feet, not forgetting the wound on her leg, and unrolled the wet cloth that was wrapped around her feet. It was covered in mud and grime, but she had no recourse. She tightly wrapped it around her hip by angling it up around her upper thigh, emitting grunts and moans as she did so. One last yelp came out, more pitiful than the others as she cinched the makeshift bandage tight. She repeated the process on her gashed shin, stymieing the blood flow in both wounds for the moment. With nowhere else to look, her gaze came to rest upon Stitch. "Ahhh.... gods. Well, I guess you can." Pain said, not really sure if Stitch would appreciate a joke at this point. The cold and the brief blackout had soothed her nerves, calmed her down... the threats were neutralized. Everything was okay. Stitch had stopped her, motherpetching bastard could have been nicer about it, but he had stopped her. Only the tiniest hint of resentment broke through her mind before logic overruled; she would have regretted doing it. Especially that way. It would have haunted her for the rest of her life. Tanny whined and crawled into Pain's lap, limping just a bit on one of his hind legs. Pain held her dog for a moment, comforting him with baby talk before rolling to the side and bracing herself with an arm. She held Tanny in the other as she staggered to her feet, wincing visibly at the pressure being put on her wounded legs. Having seen Tanny limping had invoked a small amount of the rage Pain had felt, and she couldn't help herself. "Bastard!" Pain yelled, stumbling forward and stomping the lesser of her wounded legs' heel into the downed Banda's ribs. Crack. He spasmed, coughing and started whimpering, but he was still out of it. "Don't say a petching word. That didn't kill him. I should give him more, but I can barely stand." Pain said defiantly, trying not to let her voice waver. She was in horrible shape. It always seemed to end up that way, with her beaten and battered whenever she fought. "You... urgh, gods..." Pain started to speak, but her leg caused her to stutter. "Sorry, hurts. You, uh... you okay, Stitch? You look like shyke. This was... insane." Pain stood over him, her weight squarely on the leg with the gash on the shin. She cradled Tanny in her arms and he nuzzled into her chest, trying to escape the cold rain. Pain stooped over, positioning herself awkwardly to shield him from the water, her wet hair dangling. Her red blood flowing.

[Stitch]

Stitch sat there as he waited for Pain to awaken, staring at his single clenched fist. He had not liked hitting Pain. Not one bit. She had been defenseless against him, and he had hit her with as much power as he could muster. For his panicked mind though, it had been the only way. He hadn't been blessed with the time to think the situation through. He had simply acted, and acted in the best way he knew how. Once again, his instincts had left him relying on simple violence. Sighing to himself, Stitch cast a glance at the knocked out Banda, regarding him silently. Remembering. Aziz was on the ground where Stitch had left him, shivering a moaning, dealing with a concussion and a broken leg. Pain was out of it, flopped over on the dirt, bleeding from several wounds and suffering from a broken jaw. That only left Banda. Stitch slowly turned from where he was, letting both arms fall limp, suffering from the side effects of the Flux. The arm he had used to strike at Pain, that arm was fine. It was merely tingling a bit, and the muscles were slowly starting to ache. The other arm had taken the worst damage, and Stitch didn't want to risk moving it. Something was going on inside of it, even if the arm wasn't broken. It felt like there were all kinds of bugs crawling around inside of the limb, seeking to pierce their way up through the skin. He didn't dare move it. He was too scared. One arm was enough to deal with the final bandit, though. Banda was still flat on his back, sobbing and coughing, hands over his eyes. He was in no shape to move. He had seen his life flash before his eyes. Stitch quietly stepped past him, took the forgotten silver knife up from the ground, and then turned to face the shivering bandit. Banda hadn't noticed him, yet. A light smile flitted across his features as Pain arose, the sudden onslaught of rain being enough to rouse her. Stitch didn't move quite yet, he simply let the dog greet her, and gave her time to let her head wrap around their current situation. Part of him wanted to move to her, and help her with the crossbow bolt still protruding from her body. Something made him stop, though. Her and the dog were obviously close companions, and some odd sense of respect for the pair made him hold for the moment. He would allow them their time together. He just watched, turning his head away and grimacing as she began to work on the crossbow bolt. He should get up, and help her. But he couldn't. Not quite yet. "No, no, please, Goddess! I will... I will be good, I promise! Let me live, please, Goddess!" Banda was on his knees now, sobbing, clasping his hands in prayer. He was begging for his life, begging desperately to the man before him. It was Stitch, standing there, cocking his head down at the miserable little flea. A silver dagger was held tight in his good hand, which was held loosely by his side. All it would take was a quick thrust forward, and he would be able to bury it in a multitude of deadily places. Banda was aware of this. That is why he was begging. He reached out with a hand, grabbing to Stitch's britches, pathetically needing the support to hold his sobbing body up. He didn't want to die. With the way he had lived, who knew what would await him in the afterlife? His sobs were silenced to hiccups, his eyes widening in sudden shock. Stitch had dropped the silver dagger, right in front of him. He looked up, mouth hanging open. What was this? The blind man smiled brightly at Pain as she slowly staggered her way to her feet. The smile was directed at her rather ill-timed joke, as if only to etertain her. His silence was odd, and the fact that he wasn't moving was even stranger. Normally, he would be all over this situation, forcing his help upon her. Instead, he just sat there, letting the rain soak him through, merely observing her in a way that left him looking barely interested. He made no move to stop her as she finally staggered fully to her feet, and over to Banda. He turned his head though, not wanting to watch as she stomped his chest. A crack echoed out, and he winced, glancing back at them. She had broken at least one rib on the man, if not two or three. "What...?" Banda questioned Stitch, not yet moving for the dagger, not understanding what game the blind man was playing. Stitch stared down at him for a little while longer, then suddenly turned around, and fell to his knees. His bare back was facing Banda, and the man simply blinked, still not understanding. Stitch turned his head a bit, craning his neck around so he could focus on Banda, and answer his silent question. "This one noticed that you... need to hurt people. This one could see it. You have some odd stain in your Aura, and when you first arrived, it was devouring you. When you hurt her, it went away. The more you injured my friend, the more the stain was cleansed. But now... This one sees it creeping back up again. Consuming you again. It has barely started, but it is there." Banda didn't bother to ask questions, nor did he comment. He had no place to question how the blind man had 'seen' all this. He merely nodded dumbly. Stitch cocked a thumb at the dagger, turning his head away. "On this one's back. Cut this one. Inflict all the pain you need to cleanse yourself as much as you can. Take your fill. Don't argue with this one, don't say a word. This one will trust you. Hurry." Stitch's agonized screams soon echoed throughout the forest. When Banda was done, Stitch knocked him out, easily able to handle the man, even through the lingering pain. It was as simple, and as quick as that. She asked him how he was, and he just shook his head, that smile still on his face. "This one is fine. You look much worse, milady. How about we simply leave them here, and inform the Knights when we return? We shall get healing, and let the Knights handle this rabble. They will be fine here. We aren't that far from Syliras." Stitch finally rose, trembling just a bit, reaching up to his head. Slowly, he unwinded the soaked white bandages that were wrapped around his eyes, revealing them to Pain for the first time. Black color had long since faded, and was a sickeningly milky shade now. Three perfectly straight scratches were across each eye, creating perfectly white rows. The eyes were distant, staring off into a horizon they could not see. Stitch kept the smile on his face, tilting his head down toward her, holding out the bandages. "Here, milady. Use these. This one has no injuries." He would hide his back from her for the rest of the trip. She did not need to see the five horrifying cuts that were drawn across his skin.

[Elhaym]

"Damn." That was the only response she could muster in response to seeing Stitch's eyes. How brutal... it didn't look accidental, either. Pain kept a hold of her whimpering dog with one hand while she reached out and took the bandages with the other. She kneeled down, laying Tanny on the ground before her as she applied the borrowed wraps to further compress the wound on her hip. The ground was soupy with mud and the rain had yet to relent; it was beautiful to be out in this weather in a way. All natural sounds of the woods had been displaced by the singular sound of rainfall. Pain scooped up Tanny, nodding to Stitch as she began to slowly hobble forward in the same stooped posture as before. "Yeah, they ain't goin' anywhere. Petch it, Knights can handle these freaks." Pain said, as she slowly led the way. The scenery looked different now, the light blotted out and the rain interfering with her vision. Pain let a bit of silence go as they walked, but the going was slow for her. She was hurt pretty bad, and a new type of pain began to emanate from her jaw as she walked. Only then did she notice the lisp she had been talking with, and how the burning sensation was blossoming throughout the side of her face. Gods. "Dammit... hey, Stitch. Next time, just... shove me or something, eh?" Pain muttered, choosing to focus on patting Tanny's wet fur rather than look at him. "But... damn, Stitch. I mean... you're one of a kind. Really though... err, thanks. Thanks for stopping me... I lost it. Motherpetchers just got on my bad side, I couldn't help myself. I still think they deserve to die, but i'm glad I didn't follow through with what I was about to do. Kind of... makes me sick, thinking what I was... well, anyway." Another awkward silence between them. Pain wasn't good at stringing conversations along unless it was about exercise, or fighting. She just didn't have that charisma to keep people entertained or to think of things to say. As they trudged on, she began to think about what she and Stitch had been talking about seconds before the attack, and how their mindsets had played out exactly as they had described them. She broke the silence. "You're a good guy, Stitch. Don't ever let anyone try to tell you otherwise." Pain said, finally turning to look at him. His eyes were dead and staring ahead, which was made all the more creepy by the fact that she could actually see his eyes at this point. The trudged onward, until they were nearing the city walls. Pain stopped for a brief rest, pushing her back up against a thin tree and sliding down to a sitting position. The rain had momentarily faltered, only a small sprinkling making it's through the tree's cover. "Just need a minute... everything hurts." Pain moaned. In all honesty she didn't know if she could walk another step. It had been stubbornness and trying to make sure Stitch knew that she wasn't a weakling that got her this far. At this point, her injured hip had made her leg so stiff that she was walking as if it were made of wood. The gash on her shin pounded and burned. Her jaw ached horribly. Even her hands were incredibly sore from absorbing Banda's blows. "So, uh... hey, big guy. How bout' you carry the damsel in distress and her pooch back to the gates? Unless you can't, I mean... your arms look a little gimpy." And they did. Stitch had been acting hurt as he walked as much as she had, but in a different way. Pain wondered if using that magical sight was hurting him the way she had read that the flux could. It occurred to Pain that he may even have used that as well, and she quickly stuttered and tried to take back her comments. "I'm just joking, joking... err, you uh, you didn't hurt yourself with that magic shyke, did you? I read about that, you know. You should quit using it... it will kill you. The flux. It's not safe." Pain said, at first apologetic and then slipping into authoritative mother mode. Whatever would keep him talking. Gods, just a few minutes rest. Just a few minutes... Tanny was asleep in her arms, whimpering in his sleep. He wasn't hurt that bad, but she would take him to the Tooth and Claw to see Lirelle before she set foot anywhere near a healer. That was for damn sure.