"Ah, shit!"

A cyclone of wind surrounded R.D.'s free hand as the pillars began to attack them. It spun around his wrist rapidly, and with a growl, R.D. thrust his fist forward, launching a concussive force of wind from his fist.

"Revolver Cannon!"

The pillars blocking their path broke under the onslaught as the shockwave passed through them, causing a hail of debris in the alleyway.

Even as those pillars were destroyed, more shot out of the walls and ground at various angles.

"Hammer Option!" Hugo's hammer crushed a pillar flying low. "Keep moving!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" R.D. said, pushing forward through the alleyway, leaping and ducking through the storm of pillars.

It was getting ridiculous for him, though. Least he could do is either draw off some of the pillars from the others, or get ahead of them and get the jump on their enemy.

"I'm headin' up top, don't wait for me!" he shouted as he activated the Godhand and smashed his fist into the ground. He was launched high up into the air, towards the rooftops, and grabbed a hold of the edge of one to swing himself up onto it.

===The Grey Mountains===

The dragons did little in the way of waiting for their opponent to strike--as he leaped back, the two Bronze Dragons took to the air and went opposite directions. Now, in the air, where they were hypersensitive to the changes in the air currents, it would be easier for them to evade their opponent.

And evade them they did--Asocura had little trouble in detecting the changes when the silver-haired swordsman flew in at her, she tucked her wings in and swerved, causing the blade to skim across her side instead of piercing through. Blood arced through the air between the cut and the force of her motion, but she ignored the stinging pain and kicked back with her talon to knock him away.

Escape, Jagan, she communicated to the other Bronze Dragon. Return to the Queen. I have a plan to deal with this monstrosity.

Jotaro looked up at the building. Crouching down, he leapt up, and his entire form charged up into the sky, landing on the rooftop.

"Damn," Hugo said. He knew Stands offered some strange powers, but he never saw Matt do anything like that. He sent his grapple flying and scaled the building as quickly as he could.

"Spread out," R.D. said, catching Hugo and tucking the Mettaur under his arm. "Sorry, Hugo, but I'm not sure you can keep up with me."

And with that, he slung his shotgun down from his shoulder and charged forward, leaping from one rooftop to the next as he pursued the enemy Stand user.

Asocura realized her chance when the stranger left to attack the other Bronze Dragon. She descended and looked over her wound, blowing fire onto it to cauterize it. As she touched the ground, she spotted her escape route. Within a second, she was gone from sight.

Jagan snarled as he felt the air currents change; and barely managed to react to the incoming assault. His claw flashed out, parrying the blade and losing part of a nail for his trouble, and then flashed out with his tail blade, blocking the second strike. The force of the attack still pushed him, and he took advantage of it by letting it propel him into the thickest part of the forest below.

"You're fast, swordsman." The Shadowlord then called from the gate entrance. He stood his dark blade in his hand. Red runes began to dimly glow as Ombra, the Shadow Lord's special sword readied itself for the inevitable fight. Dargor stood casually however, the blade's tip touching the ground gently. His black cape rested over his opposite shoulder, hiding the right side of his torso.

"Regardless, I, Dargor Shadow Lord of the Grey Mountains, demand you leave 'lest you suffer the consequences." Dargor then ordered, taking a step forward, his left side pointed towards the swordsman.

"I will not be generous and ask again!" Dargor then warned. Despite all of this...Dargor knew all too well that this man would not simply leave. Rather a fight would break out. And Dargor simply hoped he could either drive the man off, or if things got too hot...escape. To die now would strike a mighty blow in Relayia's plans. He couldn't let her down now.

===Within the Tunnels===

"Be careful my friends," Giro then said, "The tunnels grow darker as we go and these walls won't be here for long." Giro warned as he snatched a torch further down the corridor to help light the way. He handed it to Volent who took it silently, his head down still. Giro took a moment to look at his fellow captain then took another torch. The walls were shown to be made of stone similar to that of the inside of the castle.

Giro took the lead. The torches were weak, showing only about ten feet around the group, even with both going. Some more came up, but the riders had theirs, though they weren't out of reach by any means. The corridor started simple. A long hallway, it was roughly two people wide giving some room, but tall to accommodate for the rider's unusual height.

After some walking the walls would suddenly run out. Giro stopped. He held his torch out in front of him and dropped it. The torch fell down a cliff, the weak flame giving glimpses of a winding and staircase, about half the width of the hallway. It winded and winded down, but the torch stopped within sight as a small yellow dot. Giro took the last torch of the wall next to him.

"Watch your step." He said then began down.

The forest was cold and silent as the stranger entered it, searching for Jagan. But the Bronze Dragon was determined that the stranger would not enjoy searching for his prize.

Even though I'll have to use this form to pull this off, he thought irritably as he waited for the stranger to go deeper into the forest.

===Grey Mountains Tunnels===

Relayia made a motion to Seril, who nodded and picked the small Queen up in her arms, then stepped off of the edge and plummeted down to the floor. Both women grunted as Seril's feet impacted the cold ground, but they were otherwise unharmed. Seril then let the Queen get down, and looked about the dark cavern using her heightened senses. Relayia moved over and picked up the discarded torch.

"And why should I?" a voice rumbled back, just distant enough so that the voice's direction couldn't be easily discernible. Something rustled in the trees, as the same time as footsteps could be heard coming from a different direction.

As the destruction rained down upon the forest, the trees came alive as thousands of birds took to the sky, clouding it in a thick blanket of feathers. The noise of the birds' flapping wings and stressed cawing made hearing difficult, and as such, the noise of a sword being thrown end over end at the stranger's back was barely heard.

It was not a human that the stranger appeared before, but a flurry of scared birds that were still in the process of scattering. Despite this, there was a sound of something running through the forest, feet crunching against fallen leaves, before it stopped suddenly.

"You'll have to do better than that," came the voice again, this time sounding remarkedly different, and much more higher pitched than before. "You want me, come and get me!"

I suppose not, came the telepathic reply.

The ground exploded beneath the stranger's feet, tearing the forest floor asunder as the gigantic Bronze Dragon rose up from beneath the ground, his toothy maw wide open as he snapped onto his opponent's free arm. Jagan flung his head back, the strength of which would send the stranger up into the air.

Edited by RisingDragon on October 1, 2009 at 23:41:45.

A snarl of rage echoed across the destroyed forest grounds as the severed arm impacted against it, and the magic seal set around the stranger fluctuated by an spike of energy.

Jagan unleashed his rage against the stranger as the energy poured out of its mouth, becoming the destructive wave known as Mega Flare. As it impacted with the ground, the world seemed lost in a flash of white light, the roar of the explosion obliterating sound for a moment.

And from the blast, Jagan flew out, clamping its jaws around the severed arm and breathing searing hot flames into it. Another scream of rage ripped from his throat at the pain, but when the Bronze Dragon removed his mouth, the wound had been cauterized. He'll let the stranger have the arm. He wouldn't like what comes with such a prize.

So its safe to come out now? Asocura asked.

Yes. The swordsman has claimed his prize, Jagan growled. Little bastard will be too distracted with having to prepare the flesh to come after us. I'm returning to the Queen. The dimensional transport's already been set up.

Very well. I'll have someone prepare the Gan remedies for when you and Seril return with the Queen.

From the gopher hole, a reptilian creature with bronze skin crawled out, barely larger than a kitten. Asocura unfurled her wings and took to the air, keeping low to the ground as she made her way to the hiding spots of the Grey Mountains' people.

Dargor was rather confused and deeply disturbed as to why the man simply ignored him. It seemed that whatever he was after, wasn't in his kingdom. Dargor gave a small growl for being ignored though. His pride was slightly hurt and while at least he didn't have to risk his life and better measures for his people were taken...he wanted to fight. Oh well, he will another day.

Dargor's steed galloped effortlessly over the rocky surface of the Grey Mountains, never once losing stride. These beasts were truly magnificent, if not exactly nice looking. Dargor gave the steed an encouraging pat on the side of its strong neck as they blazed through the mountain's passages. He would be at the exit of the tunnels soon.

===The Tunnels===

Giro made his way to the bottom finally after the Queen had landed. Volent was coming down as well, behind the rest of the group.

"Up ahead is the exit," Giro said "but I must warn you, follow my path exactly, we have some traps up ahead, such as trip wires and some pressure activated unpleasantness." Giro then said. He came to another hallway, similar to the last, but much larger. Along the walls and floor were old and rotten skeletons of intruders from the past. Giro took a step on a stone and stretched his leg a bit to one two stones over and a little to the right. He continued even jumping once landing on about three at once about ten feet ahead..

"Don't worry as much here, if you land within the nine stones in this area nothing will happen, I'm in about the middle." He explained then stepped off casually, it was the end.

Edited by Blazen on October 2, 2009 at 15:04:07.

Jotaro followed, using the power of his Stand to keep up with R.D..

suddenly, a massive shelf of building-practically the height of the building itself-unsheathed ahead of them, serving as a great barrier that they were leaping towards.

R.D. skid to a halt, looking up at the barrier. "Okay, this makes things difficult," he muttered, backing up to look up at its zenith. "I'm guessing this guy's Stand has power over concrete."

"Buildings are made up of more than concrete," Jotaro said. He walked a bit of R.D., balanced his foot against the edge without any trace of fear. "There's insulation, pipes, carpet..."

"All the pillars and blockades he made were formed out of different shapes," Hugo said. "Did you see that one that looked like a star?"

"Yeah. And the ones that came out of the wall looked like they were carved out of the middle of the room-"

"-just like a cookie cutter!" Hugo finished. "That's his power!"

"... sounds like something Matt would do," R.D. muttered.

The G.A.R.-issued transceiver suddenly crackled. "... R.D.? Do you read me?" came Alasea's voice over it. R.D. laid his shotgun on the roof and snatched the transceiver off of the belt loop of his satchel.

"I read you," he replied. "What's wrong?"

"We can see what's going on from here," she said. "We won't be able to make it over there for a while, our enemy did something to Matt and Helena--don't worry, they're alright, but what happened is gonna delay us--but Ileyna decided to go on ahead without us."

"What? Why didn't you stop her?" R.D. demanded.

"I can't fly after her, you know," came the girl's exasperated reply. "Just keep an eye out for her and try to stop her. She's already taken our enemy's Essence and she's determined to get the other one, too."

R.D. sighed. "Alright, yeah, I'll try to stop her," he said. "Just make sure you guys stay out of trouble. Out."

He clipped the device back onto his satchel. "This is gonna be a problem," he muttered.

Edited by RisingDragon on October 5, 2009 at 18:40:54.

"What?" Hugo asked, squirming a bit. "What's wrong?"