Order looked at her bowing to him for a long time.
Then he forced her back to her feet.
"I was going to say...love. But, surely that is something very far from your thoughts now," he added quickly.
"And as for my opinion on your choices, my opinions do not matter. It is your life, your thoughts, your heart that must be your guide. There is no "path", no correct choice. There is merely choice, and consequence. If you enjoy something, I find following your desires to be the path to happiness. My desires, as a being of my considerable power," he said modestly, "are somewhat limited, but I am always content for I have made my choices and accepted my consequences. You must do the same, Izabel. You must become as supreme a being as possible."
His eyes had not missed a single blink of hers.
"You must become... your own god..."

izabel looked up at him
"love?"
she thought for a moment
"ive never thought about... love"
she looked around at the people dancing, their smiling faces
"do you think i am capable of love?"
she looked up at him
"that someone could love me?"
she thought about what he said about being her own god
"so i need to choose my own path, make my own decisions and choices, is that how you become your own god?"

"Everyone is capable of love. The difficulty lies in some recognizing it when they see it."
Order seemed captivated by Izabel's curiosity, visibly taking great pleasure from the assassin's questions.
"And as for loving you..."
For the first time since their meeting, Order's eyes visibly faltered, and he almost looked away. But he seemed to shake it off and kept their gazes locked.
"You are a beautiful, unparalled creature of grace and elegance. Loving you would be almost too...easy..."
A moment seemed to happen, then it passed.
"And yes, that is exactly what I mean. Only you, not ghosts or rulers, must decide your own fate, your own morality. It is not whether your actions please others - it is whether they please yourself that is truly important in this life."

izabel looked at him with curiosity
"and how would you know loving me would be almost easy? how can someone love an assassin, most people fear assassins, not love them"
she started thinking of all the things she could do with her life
"i guess i have a lot of thinking to do in order to decide what i want to do with my life"
she sighed
"i just dont know where to begin"

"Only fools love others for their profession. You are an assassin. I am a god."
He cocked his head.
"Tell me, do you imagine I would be hard to love?"
He took her hand in his own.
"During the quest you have undertaken, you will discover many things about yourself Izabel. There is no "beginning." One moment you are lost, and the next... you will be on your way."

Chaos started to slowly dance, stepping slowly to the song that was being played to get into the groove of things finally once his footing was on cue with the song he looked down into Ella's eyes smiling as he did. He was strangely happy to see her.

"Darling, You look absolutely stunning in anything you wear, at least for what I have seen you in. The dress looks fantastic on you... I know I am not the greatest person you have ever known or seen, and I know I should have attempted to contact you at some point of time. But I didn't."

Finally, Chaos had leaned down and planted his lips onto Ella's kissing her with passion. It would be an easier way to think of something to say on her question of entertainment or boredem. He finally lifted himself up and smiled at her again.

"I am challenging them, to push their limits, to see the possibilities of what a human is capable of, Excuse me. We are challenging them, If their teamwork isn't strong enough they will fall like the last group. They were a surprisingly good group of people as well. It is a shame they had fallen and the way they did by the basilisk. I am glad you survived."


Ollie had sat down and exaimed her movements closely as he waited for her to finish, he started crafting wooden swords, It would help them for a real fighting experience. He could also teach her more physical and aggressive moves she could harness. Though she would be evaisive she will need to know how to handle certain situations.

He delicately crafted 2 wooden replicas of the sword she was wielding as it would be easier. Luckily he found the wood not to far off from where he was sitting so he didn't have to move. He looked up towards Celia.

"care to put what little you learned to the test? I am making small little swords so we can do this."

izabel looked up at order
"i dont think you would be hard to love, your kind, handsome.. im sure you have tons of women want to be with you. you can have anyone you want, anyone you choose"
she blushed slightly as he took her hand in his
"may i ask why i was brought here, why was i the one out of anyone picked to dine with the gods? is there a reason i was chosen, or was it just luck?"
she looked around at everyone dancing it looked like fun and she wanted to try it but she didnt know the 1st thing about dancing
"thank you for your help, what reason is there to avenge my clan when they are no more,i should just move on with my life and not dwell on the past"


ella blushed as he kissed her passionately, she had forgotten whats kissing him felt like after 18 years. she didnt want the kiss to break and move forwards as he pulled away until it was broken. she quickly composed herself and continued dancing with him.
she remembered the battle of the basilisk
"that was a tough battle, only a few of us survived"
she looked up at him
"if it wasnt for you i wouldnt be here today"
she smiled
"do you think this group will surpass the last? they seem to be a random group but from what ive seen they can put up a good fight."
she sighed
"im a bit out of practice myself, i just hope my......"
she was gonna say daughter
"apprentice celia is up for the challenge"
she looked up at him
"what do you think of her so far"
she wanted to get a feel as to what he thought of her


celia seethed her sword and walked over to ollie and sat down against the tree
"i dont see a problem in it, i need the practice after all"
she looked up at the sky
"i am starting to feel a little tired, can we do it first thing in the morning?"

Komoro walked over to a nearby tree and fell asleep

Once Mike was finally left alone with his thoughts, he stood there awhile, taking in the night, the darkness, and everything that accompanied it. Though the utter silence had broken since they had left, the forest was still peacefully quiet. Or, perhaps his thoughts were simply drowning out his surroundings, he couldn't tell. He took in a deep, cool breath of air, and released it in a heavy sigh. Long, annoying day...

As the moment rushed back to collect him, Mike looked down his nose at the ground, and caught sight of the thing that had hit him earlier- a garter. Probably Ella's, he thought. Izabel didn't seem the frivolous type. Talks like a gentleman, acts like a pervert. Sounds about right for those two lunatic gods... hope the ladies are okay. Without stooping or crouching, he retrieved the undergarment with the end of his sabre's sheath. Resting the weapon on one shoulder, he headed back to camp.

Once he reached the campsite, he moved straight to the fire, if Celia notices her mother is missing, and comes across this, she'll likely go on a rampage... and I could well be on the receiving end... Mike looked around, and found Celia still absorbed in practice with Ollie. Lifting his sabre, with a flick of the wrist he cast Ella's delicates into the fire. Too drained emotionally from his second encounter with Order to keep his watch, Mike threw himself down by the fire and gazed into the flames, assuring himself the garter would burn.

That bastard was so damned evasive! He can't really have forgotten, can he?!
What do they want with those two?
Why did my brand react like that? The only other time was- could it be because of the change?
Too many questions, but I can be sure of this- I need to keep improving if I'm going to kill them...

Lost in these puzzles, Mike's mind followed the garter into the fire, and the lonely oblivion of the night.

Hew found himself the only conscious one on duty for watch, and instantly assumed, from the absence of Ella and Izabel, that they had slept away from the group for the sake of privacy.
As a result, with only a slight "Ho," he prepared for his standard watch style.
He stripped down completely except for his rings, and waited, feeling truly at one with the landscape.
"Ahh, the glory... the amazing feeling of the wind blowing on one's unmentionables..."

"I have told you."
Order took Izabel's hand.
"You intrigue me. You are sometimes so mysterious I cannot possibly fathom your mind -"
He led her towards the dancing couples.
"And in others it is simply child's play to decipher your thoughts. Dancing is not hard, merely follow and eventually you will lead too. Dancing is one of the more intriguing activities, I find. It makes the dancers equal. A king could dance with a peasant, or in our case an assassin with a god - and the dance cannot occur without either."
He started to step back, making Izabel step with him. Then sideways, then forwards, then sideways, then back - and soon they were moving fluently along the floor.
"There is no reason to totally abandon your past, because your past makes you. But devotion to it, letting it control you - no. You may still seek vengeance for those you cared for, who taught you your skills, who raised you - but only through your choice, not obligation."
He was seemingly fascinated by her eyes, his own unknowable, inpenetrable.
"None of the others carry your appeal, your need, your beauty to an extent. I could not pass up the opportunity to get to know you better. Like seeing a delicate gorgeous flower and not going to smell it... folly."

izabel was nervous as they started moving. she kept her eyes to the ground trying not to step on his feet
"what is it you would like to know about me"
she stepped along with him
"there isnt much to tell, i was trained since i could walk, to be an assassin, i didnt have a choice in the matter, my parents were assassins therefore i had to be one."
she sighed
"i wanted to choose my own path in life but it was forbidden, when we weren't training we were studying, when we weren't studying we were training, only a few times i was able to sneak off and have some time to myself"
she stumbled her footing a little causing he to grab order tightly to prevent from falling
"ive never had anyone take interest in me, you can ask me anything you want and ill be honest with you"

"My friend, have you forgotten, I seldom sleep. I am just making sure no one and nothing comes in and attacks Celia, as she will need someone to be her father to keep her in a level headed state."

Ollies voice rang from behind him as lightly as the wind blew. he didn't actually look up to see Hew while he was naked in fact he encouraged it. he also had his sword unsheathed and being held up by his shoulder on his right side which assuming where the voice came from was Hew's direction. He was staring at the ground, in a relatively deep trance after speaking. almost as if he was imagining if life would have been different for him if he were to have made different decisions. Though it seemed he had his whole life ahead of him he understood that he would die some time.

"Y'know Hew, I used to be poor. I mean dirt poor, I could barely afford food, I worked in a factory until I learned to swing a sword. Then I started street fighting for gold. I was a dog backed into a corner for too long, I eventually bit. Though I'd like to say it was by my own accord. I believe I was blessed by their love to grow financially, and physically. I am suprised I came from a ghetto, to have lived in a decent household with my mother by the time I was 14. Though the gods have given up faith in humanity, They musn't have given up faith in everyone. However, If I am intertwined with slaying the gods as fate. I cannot turn away fate. I must embrace it, I must perform my destiny. for such kismet will not be smitten down by me, I will fulfill my duty and exceed my own standards."

Ollie had heard the gentle snores of Celia from the side of him, he hadn't be concerned as no howls, growls, grunts, or rattles were heard. In all actuality it was Him and Hew that were awake. While everyone slumbered he had tried to focus himself to strain his energy by imagining harnessing the power of wind. He lifted his left hand up and imagined, also focused that a small wind funnel was emerging in his hand. It was faint but it was happening, his hand was chilled slightly. but dew had sprung out of it as the inconsistency of temperatures would naturally do so.

"If you'd like. I could make a quick run back to town to get some whiskey, ale, burboun, or scoth. dependant on what your taste is. But, I doubt you'd suggest I leave at such an hour anyway. If you were listening, Just let me know, as I know you're the only person awake.


"She has a tempermant that would Rival that of a Drunken Pugilist, and Is sometimes careless, She has lackluster talent for that of a blade weilder which would mean she has only the abilties that You posses in a bow. I'd assume that she cannot cast or use magic naturally to that of a born mage. All In All, I think she could form into something strong, but if she lets her own anger get in the way then she will ultimately see her downfall before even getting to us."

The dinner bell was ringing, It was an extremely loud and obnoxious ring, However it only signaled for the gods and Selected guests to arrive. Chaos stopped dancing and lowered his hand however he still held onto Ella's and walked towards the hallway and down it to the dining hall. It was as beautiful as the rest of the Castle. It was Lit ever so dimly and elegantly, with candles, and what little electricity technology was available. It was a checkered black and white tile for the flooring with all white covered tables, with Turkey, Boar, Alligator, Feasent, Queal, and Prime ribs. Naturally the gods would take the ends as they're the highest honor of any seat. also were decorated to match the gods needs.

Chaos sat down and Signaled for Ella to sit nearest him to his right or left. regardless of seating it wouldn't have mattered. Among them sat Fallen Kings of many nations, Brian the gods messenger and jester, A few great musicians and A few great beggars. As they had never experienced the true meaning of living in life. Most of the people at the table were dead.

"To answer your question if this group will be able to surpass the last group, I haven't seen enough to see if they shall be able too. If they do, Than so be it. If they try and fail, Than so be it. I am not going to praise nor riddicule them at this moment. however, you must have at least 2 or 3 idiots among the bunch."

Hew shook his head at Ollie, firmly.
"I am fine. You seemed tired. I was simply providing a service. And in regard to the girl, acting as her father is, in my opinion, honorable but not needed. She is grown, any further intervention must be stifling to her. She is fiercely independent. Let her be so."
He looked at the stars.
"I exist solely to destroy evil. If these gods are evil, I shall destroy them. It is that simple. I do not care for their power, or my own. I will train with my blade on every shard of darkness this world has to offer until it could cleave through the heart of the devil himself!" he vowed, his fists clenching. "I shall save the maidens and slay the dragons. No matter what. It matters not where you come from, Ollie. Only that you do not let it bring you down."

Order led Izabel along the passage, and made her sit at his side at the table to eat.
"It is of no concern what I wish to know. What you have told me is music to my ears. I have a long life to recount if you so desire, but not much of note occurred. I fought with my brother and in turn made up. I desired peace, and then saw the folly of simply asking for it. That is all."
He looked at her.
"And as for interest... I think the knight has taken an interest in you. You, perhaps, have not noticed. This, considering your attitude to life, is perhaps understandable. And I would not advise the knight as a partner - he seems to think everything is just a fairy tale. You and I, we know different..."

The hushed voices brought Mike out of his trance. From behind him he could hear Hew and Ollie talking, though he'd stirred too late to catch what they were saying. Otherwise the camp was quiet, had the others gone to sleep? Strange. He could've sworn there had been a voice whispering in front of him, too. What had it said? The fire had stung his face and eyes, so he blinked repeatedly until his vision adjusted... and nearly started at the silhouette in the fire. Another blink, and it was gone.

Unsettling... was he being watched?

Reaching for the flask he'd filched from the decimated bar in town, he took a long swig of ale- surprisingly good stuff, considering its source- and glanced around. And, catching sight of Hew, snapped his head quickly back to the fire , the flames leaping as he spluttered ale over the logs. Well, they know I'm awake now...

"Chivalry shall live on through you Hew. In regards to Celia's independence I am a strong obligation to agree, It is why she has such potential to pursue being a warrior greater than I. Though I have a natural talent to do so, my days will be eventually numbered, and if not a father. I could be a role model or she could be me apprentice. If she is to ever lift this sword I will be surprised." He paused for a quick breath of air. The burning embers of the fire, created a unique aroma in the area.

Ollie didn't notice Mike waking up. Until his head has hit the ground again from his curiousty of who was speaking. Mike seemed on edge and alerted to have taken a sip of Ale as soon as he woke up. Though Ollie's position was ultimately unchanged. He was mostly aware of what was going on around him as he needed to be. Anything could happen at any moment that was ultimately his mentality.

"Michael, If you don't mind me calling you that. What is it that has distracted you? The sun will be overhead in about 4 hours. Which means we should have the girls back in about 3. I say in 2 more hours we should track down some food. Whether it he plants and berries, beef or venison. We need to eat. And don't worry about the fire."


"Ella, You've always had a good heart. At first you were Naive of us, and you never really fell concerned of the group. I am glad you found someone to be concerned about other than I. May I ask, did that Celia girl ever meet her father?"

Chaos was oblivious to if the child was his or not. And instead of concerning himself with that he raised his voice to everyone around the table telling them to "Feast!" Of course Chaos grabbed the prime rib, with some turkey, as he mainly ate carnivorously and cared little for vegetables but understood they were sometimes needed.

"Do you miss anyone from the old group? It had tremendous talent, they just all couldn't transcend their egos which led to their demise, I was looking forward to challenging that group of people it was unfortunate they had fallen. They came so far only to fail."

Chaos signaled for the servants to pour him some wine and so they did without question they even went around the table to pour wine to everyone sitting around it.  of course the gods were the first to he served.

izabel clenched her fists when order spoke of the knight remembering what he did to her
"you mean the one who stripped me down to nothing?"
she looked down at her plate,
"if thats the case he's not on easy grounds with me, not after the stunt he pulled, he made me out to be a fool, and for that its gonna take a lot for me to forgive him"
she looked up at order
"i dont think he is interested in me, if someone was they wouldnt do that to a girl"
when she heard chaos tell everyone to feast she fixed herself a plate and slowly started eatting



ella fixed herself a rather decent size helping and started eating
"i do miss the group, but no one in particular, they were nice to talk to and we battled pretty well together."
she looked up at chaos
"what ever happend to the girl that was in the group, i cant remember her name, but the one order was fond of"
she took another bite of her food
"as for celia, she does not know who her father is, he was never around"
she took another bite of food then sat back
"any reason for asking?"

"Do not think that he meant it maliciously," Order chided.
"He saw what I see in you. A young innocent free woman chained by shadow and darkness from the past, with ghosts as her jailers. He attempted to force you to leave your prison before you knew what it was. I merely showed you the door."
Order took a delicate bite of steak, chewing it, savoring the flavor.
"He is a kind soul. And his interest in you is very clear. He wishes to "save" you. Tch. How very cliche. He shows his interest in the only way he knows - pointless heroics."

Mike shoved himself to his feet, and turned to look at Ollie. "Oh, it's nothing. Well... actually, I felt like I was being watched a moment ago, but the feeling vanished, so I suppose we're okay." He paused and listened to the forest, but heard nothing. "Food? Yeah, sounds like a plan. You seem to know this area a little, so it shouldn't take long if I help you. But, just out of curiosity- what the heck is Hew doing over there?" Feeling more relaxed than before, Mike took a quick head count of the group- and found Komoro.

"By the way, who's this?"

izabel looked up at him
"and how would you do it, show that your interested in someone that is?"
she took another bite of her food and leaned back in her chair taking a moment to savor the taste before swallowing
"even if he was trying to help me he could have gone about it differently and not strip me out of my clothes"
she crossed her arms across her chest, moving her hands up and down
"ive never been soo humiliated, i cant believe i let my guard down for hiim to do that to me"
she had a look of shame on her face

"Being naked, Mike. Being gloriously ready for battle."

Order reached out and gently took her hands away from her chest, holding them.
"In his defense, you would not let yourself be helped. In fact, part of me thinks without his intervention you would not be as open with me now."
He sighed.
"The shame, the humiliation - he went about it a different way. You would not show emotion - so he made you prove to him that you were human. And once that happened, you admitted to yourself you were. And now you are talking with me freely and openly. Hew didn't abuse you or do anything that was truly damaging. He found a way inside the shell you made albeit rudely and unconventionally. And then you decided to walk out."
He smiled at her.
"I owe him thanks, I fear."

Then he paused.
"I would be gentle, kind, treat them nicely, value them. Then eventually I would give them some sort of present, a token of my affection. Why do you ask?"

izabel looked down
"im still angry with him about it tho, i might get over it in due time but i do see what you mean, i guess he did help me open up a bit more"
she he asked why she was asking how he would show interest in someone she slightly blushed
"umm. no reason just curious is all, just to get and idea how it works"
she looked up at order
"this is all new to me, and was just getting ideas how it all works"
she smiled

"Anger leads to happiness. So from anger at him, you smile at me. I am blessed."
Order gave her a genuine smile.
"You will learn with time, that I promise. All things are locked in your heart, and learning their tricks will be a fun experience."
He reclined in his chair.
"I have not had this much fun talking to anyone who isn't my brother before. Thank you Izabel."

"The new person, I guess his name is Komoro, He stumbled upon this group while he was hunting, I think it was a pig, I didn't get a good look, as I was in the middle of training Celia, he means well, and for all purposes he may need protection, so we're taking him along with us till we get to Kryll, than it is his choice if he wants to." Ollie paused to sigh it was mainly of very slight exhaustion."I grew up in Kryll, it is a beautiful town, The sea hits the shoreline perfectly. When I was younger I wandered these woods, and sometimes camped out here. For the most part it is safe so long you don't go too far in."

Ollie grabbed the hilt of his sword from how he was resting it,and shifted his body as silently as he could, his sword hitting the ground, he pushed himself up. The night wasn't to cold, but it had a chill to it. Now that he was standing he began to walk past Hew and motioned his hand for Mike to follow.

"We will be back before sunrise Hew. By then everyone should be awake. If they wake up earlier, and question our disappearance you know what to tell them... Come Mike, Let us hunt."

"In my experience with children, When they lack a father sometimes not all the time, they have a tempermant issue, though it ranges from mild to extreme. Sometimes a child needs a father."

Chaos looked over towards Order to see what he was doing, He was just eating and conversing with Izabel. Chaos has never believed in god to human relationships due to inferior genetics. Which is why he hoped he wasn't pushing his luck already.

"The girl from the last group was killed and banished to my underworld, remember as filled as Utopia is, we need a second place as everyone is not allowed in here. Only a vast majority."

Chaos had long since ate his food. And ultimately waited for everyone to finish, the beggars seemed to be extremely grateful, to be eating like Kings. Brian was even enjoying himself, he was drunk but was entertaining the guest like a Jester should.

ella looked down
"it doesnt help her father has a temper of his own, which makes it even worse to handle"
ella looked over at order
"i assume it was hard on order, he seemed pretty much in love with her, or didnt it work out between the two of them?"
she looked back at chaos
"will that happen to me? i dont live here, but i have come here several times"


izabel bow her head towards order
"thank you for talking to me, it was my pleasure"
she looked up at him
"i had a nice time, it was fun something i rarely get to have"