Bane wandered through the grasslands, his eyes on the ground as he followed the path that would (or so he had been told) lead him to Lomedor. He trusted the white-haired man that had helped him reach Estolad, and had no reason to believe that he was leading him astray. Unless, of course, he had been a demon in disguise, which was all too possible...

Don't be paranoid, he told himself within his head. If he had wanted you dead, you'd already be gone. Reassured by these thoughts, he continued on, though his eyes still had a look of worry in them.

At his side trotted a black-furred timber wolf, it's nose stuck high in the air as it attempted to catch the smell of food on the wind. Bane smiled down at the animal. It had saved him when it had seemed that no help would be found. If it wasn't for the canine, he would still be laying in the wild, slowly bleeding to death. The beast had his undying gratitude. Remus, he had been named, after one of Bane's childhood friends. It fit, for now the wolf was his friend, the only one he had in this world.

Bane turned his thoughts from the wolf to his sister, who was still trapped in the underworld. He had been forced to leave her; if he had stayed behind, they both would have been recaptured. However, guilt still plagued his mind, and since the second he had run from her crippled body, never once had the thought of leaving her there occurred to his troubled mind. He knew that no matter what it took, he would go back to that hellish camp, and the two would escape together. How long it would take for him to prepare for such an expedition, he knew not, but once he was ready, the demons that had held them prisoner would wish that they had never stolen Bane and Karie Falron from their parents eleven years ago. He would make sure of that.

A sharp sound shook Bane away from his thoughts, and his head jerked up as he looked around for the source of the noise. A hand went to his side, where his katana was sheathed, and the other raised, prepared to cast a spell the moment it was needed. His eyes narrowed as he stared around, looking everywhere for the intruder, to no avail...

"Can't see me? I'm over here" The voice was horrible, deathly, suggesting evil with every word.

Bane's hands visibly trembled as he did a full turn, and did not see a single living being besides his wolf. He gritted his teeth and held his ground, preparing himself for whatever threat might come his way.

"Oh, how silly. I could kill you now, you know that? Rip your head right off. But what would be the fun in that? Yes, I suppose I will show myself."

Before Bane's very eyes, a being appeared, one that he was very familiar with, and one that came from his nightmares. It's eyes were the deepest red, it's rough skin was a hideous mix of black and red, it's body was huge, and several feet taller than Bane. On it's back were a pair of giant black wings. In it's right hand was a whip, in the other, it's claws served as another effective weapon.

It was demon, and a powerful one at that.

There was a rasp of steel as Bane's katana left it's sheath and was pointed towards the demon. His mouth was drawn into a scowl, and in his eyes you could see the deepest hatred and loathing. Bane was facing one of the cretins that had ruined his and his sister's life. "Hate" was too weak of a word to describe how he felt towards them.

"You bastard," Bane grunted out, his entire body shaking with a mix of fury and fear. "What did you do with my sister?"

"Ah, your precious sibling. Yes, she is back in our custody. As for you...well, you'll be rejoining her soon enough. You see, that's why I am here. I am Batith, the demon in charge of capturing those who try to escape the hold of the rauko. I would prefer that you try not to fight, seeing as how it would be unpleasant if I must kill a useful slave. Why don't you come with me? At least that way you'll be able to see your sister, eh?"

"Over my dead body." Without hesitation, Bane rushed towards the demon, his sword raised. As he came within striking distance, the blade whistled down through the air, intent on cutting the beast open.

With an amused sound, the demon muttered a word, and Bane was sent flying back, and after sailing several feet through the air, slammed into the ground. Spots appeared before his eyes, and as he struggled back up, the demon approached, claws extended and ready for use.

"It seems you would prefer the hard way. Fine with me."

Godfrey, former Paladin, now a brutal, god-hating murderer, looked across the grassy plains of Salquedor. The stench of demons was in the air, causing the monsterous warrior to draw his masterwork spear. He glanced around, then snarled and scowled. "Demons..." He muttered. As the smell filled his nostrils he snorted, then gripped his spear and rolled his muscular shoulders.

He had been traveling for days in Dor'iba, the land of the dead, honing his skills on the seemingly limitless supply of undead creatures that made the area their home, and had decided to leave after realizing that a large group of Paladins had placed a bounty on him, and had sent a hunting party out to fetch him, as though he were some kind of animal.

In the distance, the warrior could see the source of the foul odor, and grimaced. "Rauko..." He growled. He twirled the large weapon around, then looked around a tad more before charging. The demon's back was to Godfrey, but he could see a second set of feet standing in front of the beast. Just from looking at it he could tell that it was a powerful one, and decided that he would not rush in just yet. Though he doubted such a being could fall to such a scrawny human, he was used to surprises, and figured he would hold back until he saw that the man was in trouble.

Though, the more he looked at the beast, the more he could not help but make his way towards it. He had not had the pleasure of a real fight in ages, and a powerful demon such as this was just the thing he needed. The demon had not yet noticed him, and he tried to keep it that way for as long as he could. He decided that he would not rush in with his spear, but save it for later, so he quickly slid it into a harness on his back, then drew his chain dagger. As he approached he twirled the weapon around his head, then let out a roar as he came upon the back of the devilish being.

He sent his blade into the monster's shoulder, then cursed as it turned around, grabbed the chain connected to the weapon, and ripped out the dagger. It twirled the weapon around, and sent the former Paladin slamming into the ground. He quickly rolled and got up, then got a tight grip on the weapon and yanked as hard as he can, trying to wrestle it away from the beast. "Let go!" He roared, "Before I tear you limb from limb, you insolent beast! Let go!" He charged again, then dodged a large knee that would have knocked him out cold. He jumped, then used the demon's leg as leverage to send himself into the air. He quickly reached for his combat knife, then dug it into the demon's hand, making him let go of the captive chain dagger.

Just as Godfrey was about to land, he felt a large hand wrap around his ankle, then cursed and felt himself being jerked around. He was hurled into the air, then slammed into the ground, unable to stop himself this time. He grunted, and laid there for a couple seconds, then quickly got to his knees and shook his head, and rolled out of the way, just as the demon's foot smashed the patch of earth where his head had just been moments before.

He looked to Bane, then back to the demon as he regained his footing and wiped himself off. The gigantic monstrosity wrapped his large palm around the hilt of Godfrey's knife, then bared his teeth and sent it flying towards its owner. "My quarrel is not with you, fool... This one however, is mine..." He said as he pointed to Bane. Godfrey raised his eyebrow, then narrowed his eyes and took a step towards Batith. "It is now..." He growled.

Gasping, Bane straightened himself up, prepared for the assault that was about to be unleashed upon him. The demon came forward, his claws stretched out, their sharp points capable of easily ripping him open. Bane quickly considered his options. The sword he held in his hands would be no match against the sheer force of the demon in front of him. The only chance he had stood with his spells, yet even his magical prowess seemed small in the face of this monstrosity.

Suddenly, before either of the combatants could make an attack, a man came from behind, swinging some kind of chain weapon as he approached. A blade attached to the end of it came sailing through the space between the man and the demon and stabbed into the rauko's shoulder, causing the beast to turn around and notice the newest threat. Bane watched anxiously as the two engaged in a quick yet brutal battle, one that showed the man's obvious skill as he managed to get a hit on the demon's hand with a knife. Yet, the attack resulted in the man getting slung around like a ragdoll, and taking just as grievous a hit as Bane himself had just received. The words the black-haired man heard next infuriated him.

"My quarrel is not with you, fool... This one however, is mine..."

"Am I, now?" Bane said through gritted teeth as the demon turned back to face him. "Your what? Your slave? I'm not going back!" Without pausing a beat, before he had even finished talking, Bane drew within himself the power of magic, and weaved it to allow himself to defy the physics of space. Immediately, he teleported directly the large demon, and at the same time as his sword sailed down towards the unprotected back, four spinning blades appeared out of thin air, all four of which shot at once at the demon alongside Bane's sword. But before any of the sharp objects could make contact, the giant wings on Batith's back unfurled, causing a gust that sent the sentinels flying back, along with Bane. The demon spun himself around, and the amused expression that had been on his face previously was now one of irritation.

"A violent little cretin, aren't you? Seems like all those years locked up weren't wasted. Ah well, at least this will be interesting. I have magic too, you know..."

The demon held out his hand, his red eyes glowing, and suddenly, a black bolt of magic came flying towards Bane, who still lay on the ground. Working quickly, Bane made a quick hand motion and muttered words to bring his magic into being, and the spell was redirected, sending the dark spell flying up into the skies.

"Ah! Impressive."

Bane scowled. The fact that this demon felt the need to comment on every single thing proved that he was entirely confident that the result of this fight would be in his favor. What unnerved Bane was that the beast was probably right. Bane gave a quick glance over to the man that had charged into the conflict. He didn't know why he had felt the need to intervene, but Bane knew that he would need his help if they were to emerge victorious.

Godfrey watched in contempt as the man used magic to fight the demon, then growled and popped his massive neck, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. He disliked the use of anything but strength and combat prowess when it came to a fight, and thought of magic as petty, and for those that were too weak to defend themselves with a weapon, or those too cowardly to fight hand to hand. He slid his chain dagger back into its sheathe, and decided that his crystal sword would do him more good. As he drew the crystalline blade, he twirled it around, then charged towards the gigantic demon, letting out a ferocious roar as he spun around and swung at him.

The demon turned around, then snarled and shot out his arm, catching Godfrey in the head, making him hit the ground with a thud. He growled, then rolled and jumped up, positioning himself next to Bane. He looked to him, then to Batith. "You any good with a blade? Cold steel will fell this beast... Not some pitiful magic tricks..." He stated, keeping his eyes trained on Batith.

He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, then took a step back. He had never gotten a good look at the beast's face, until now. "You..." He muttered under his breath. He had seen this demon before, during his time as a Paladin. It had almost killed him, and he would have, had it not been for his former bretheren coming to his aid.

Though Godfrey was stronger than he had been in years past, the power of the fiend was immense, and he had no doubt in his mind that it would take both of the men to bring it down, let alone do any lasting amount of damage to it. Batith could not have recognized Godfrey, after such a drastic transformation, but Godfrey remembered the beast well. He slammed his blade onto the ground, then growled and took a couple steps forward. "When last we met, I was not but a fool, serving a petty Goddess and following a futile code of honor... But now... I have nothing to hold me back from crushing you... Your time has come, beast... Die..." He said behind clinched teeth, then gripped the hilt of his blade with his other hand and held his sword to his side.

The demon stepped forward, then cackled and held out a colossal hand, which held a large whip. "You think a pathetic blade held by an even more pathetic man can truly harm me? You really are a fool..." He cracked the whip, then roared and beckoned the pale warrior forward. Godfrey challenged his roar with a fierce bellow, then charged towards Batith and jumped into the air. The demon reared his arm, preparing to smack Godfrey in the head with the tip, from which, small, very sharp tendrils jutted out. As the warrior seemingly flew towards Batith, he raised his crystal sword, preparing to send a swipe right through his adversary's muscular arm.

The whip flew forward, with the sharp end nearing Godfrey's face with every passing second. As he came upon the demon, his whip caught the warrior in the cheek, ripping off a chunk of skin. Though it did not stop him, Godfrey was in pain. His sword connected, but not where he had hoped it would, and after being cracked in the face with a whip, he hadn't put his full strength into the swing. Batith's arm had been cut, but it was a minor flesh wound, nothing serious enough to stop him. The demon chuckled, then grabbed Godfrey and threw him to the ground.

As he landed, Godfrey rolled between Batith's legs, then stopped for a second and took a quick breath. The wound would slow him down, but it would not stop him. He clinched his teeth, then stood up and looked to the gigantic demon. He sheathed his sword, then narrowed his eyes and once again drew his spear. With the beast being as big as it was, he would need a weapon that could do some serious damage from afar.

Bane, who was still on the ground, watched as the stranger made another attempt at an attack. His comment confused him. What did this man have against magic? Yes, Bane knew how to use a sword, but his true skills lay in the arcane. Eleven years of training had made him into a very competent spellcaster, and what right did this man have to criticize his way of fighting? Bane felt insulted, and took offense from the casually stated words. Magic was just as good, if not better, than steel.

"Yes, I know how to use a blade," Bane answered to the question, though the man was probably not paying attention to the response, considering the injury he had just taken in his reckless attack, "but I also know how to use magic. My 'tricks', as you call them, have saved me from demons before, and they will do so again." Bane eyed the injury the man had received on his cheek. He started forward out of reflex, calling up a healing spell, but refrained himself. It would have to wait until the battle was over.

Bane retook his fighting stance as he stood upright, bringing his katana back before him. With a small intake of breath, he rushed forward, made a sweeping slash towards the demon, and immediately teleported to the demon's right. For a second, he thought the feint would be successful - then a giant heavily muscled arm shot out to grab Bane around the throat. The black-haired warrior gasped out as the breath was crushed from his lungs, and he struggled wildly to no avail to break free. Spots began to appear before his eyes as he slowly suffocated, and darkness seemed to be closing in...

Suddenly, Batith let out a roar of pain, letting Bane go in the process. He looked around for the cause of the demon's pain, and saw a small blade hovering in the air next to him, consisted entirely of magic. Bane, utterly relieved, took in several great heaving breaths as he heard Batith cursing nearby. Then, Bane teleported out of range so that he could prepare for another attack.

"Like it or not, I fight with magic," Bane said to the other man, "and if you want to kill this thing, we have to work together." Concentrating, a raging fireball roared to life in Bane's hand, and he raised his arm into a throwing position, the expression on his face grim. This would be the last spell he was able to cast before having to find a way to restore his mana. His power was low, too many spells had been cast in a short time period.

"Come on, let's take this monster!" Bane shouted as the fireball soared from his hand, the aim perfect.

Godfrey snarled at Bane's reply about his magic, but as soon as he saw the technique that had made the beast roar in pain, he figured that maybe this man's magic might actually come in handy for the battle. He popped his neck, then rushed Batith and leaped into the air again. "Perhaps I was wrong..." He muttered, thinking out loud about Bane using his magic. Though Godfrey was not fond of using it himself, he did see the uses in the arcane arts that his temporary ally was using.

"Like it or not, I fight with magic, and if you want to kill this thing, we have to work together." The spellcasting warrior stated. Godfrey struck at the demon and snarled as his attack was parried and he was slammed to the ground. He quickly got back up, rolled away from Batith as he tried to stomp on him, then got to his feet and noticed an opening. He jabbed at the large demon's shoulder, and the weapon connected. He cackled, then yanked the spear from the monster's wound and jumped back. Batith let out a howl, then took a step closer to Godfrey and cracked his whip. This time Godfrey was prepared, and dodged the jagged tips of the weapon, and wrapped his hand around the chord of it. He tightened his grip, then tried to pull the weapon away, but to no avail.

Batith chuckled, and yanked his weapon back, sending Godfrey flying towards him. The pale warrior grimaced as he drew nearer towards the hulking demon, then held his spear out, hoping to catch Batith with the tip, and using the strength of the demon's pull to skewer him. Just as the former Paladin's weapon was about to pierce the demon's breast, Batith's free hand grabbed the spear, and helped Godfrey find his way to the ground with a loud thud.

Godfrey quickly rolled away, and cursed when he found himself weaponless. The demon had stolen his spear! "It looks as though I have found myself a new weapon..." Batith said with a chuckle. He rolled his massive shoulders, then gripped the spear tightly. "How pitiful... To be impaled by one's own spear..." He growled as he hurled the weapon towards his attacker. Godfrey's eyes widened as it flew towards him, then quickly drew one of his chain daggers and batted the edge of the spear away, the force of the impact sending him sprawling to the ground.

Godfrey quickly got back up, then let out a roar, a challenge to Batith's power. As Bane called to him, he nodded and grinned, then swirled the chain weapon around in the air and let out yet another ferocious roar. He watched as the fireball made its way towards the demon, then hastened toward it to deliver a blow to Batith, who he guessed would be distracted by the attack.

((OOC: Major apologies for lateness!))

Bane was relieved to see that this strange an ferocious man had finally realized the importance of fighting together. As Bane's fireball went roaring towards Batith, the fellow rushed forward to attack. However, things did not look good. Bane could no longer cast spells. It would take quite a long time for his mana to charge, meaning that he would be forced to rely on his sword for the time being.

"So be it," he murmured, raising the sword in his right hand and taking a fighting stance. "Time to see if all that training has paid off..." Without hesitation, Bane charged sprinted forward, came into range of the demon, and ducked to the side as the monster's whip came sailing through the air. At the same time, the fireball collided with the beast, causing it to roar in pain as it's chest was seared by the extreme heat. It went down on one knee, clutching it's chest.

"Now, attack!" Bane called to the other fighter, though this would be an obvious course of action to him. Bane side-stepped so that he was at the demon's right, and swung his katana with all the might he could muster.

The demon, however, was not entirely blinded by it's pain. Once again, it used it's wings as a defense, unfurling it's right wing and taking the blow there instead of the more lethal strike to the head or stomach. Then, growling, it stood upright again, and muttered some incantation in it's own dark language. Suddenly, Bane found himself unable to move. Panicking, he struggled against his invisible bonds, but try as he might, the magic held strong. If he still had enough mana, he could cast a defensive spell that would free him, but unfortunately, he had consumed it all in his previous spellcasting. His only choice was to wait for it to restore itself. Or, maybe...

Bane, concentrating, muttered several of his own spellcasting phrases, and suddenly he felt a very small amount of mana return. He had managed to drain some of the demon's own power, yet it was not enough for him to break free.

"Ah, a good fight it was. Yet, twas in vain. You shall return to the underworld, and this time, we will be sure to not allow you to escape again..."

Bane's eyes traveled to Godfrey, whom the demon seemed to ave forgotten about. Though he was unable to make any sign, he tried to somehow convey to him that he should take the chance and attack now. Otherwise, surely the demon would grab hold of Bane and teleport them down into the dark depths of the underworld, where Bane would once again be imprisoned, this time without hope of breaking free.

Do it... he thought urgently, though of course the man wouldn't be able to hear him. However, Bane was careful enough to bring his eyes back to the demon, so as to not remind the creature of its other foe.

((OOC: Fighting this thing for much longer will get stale and boring. Feel free to inflict a major wound if you so wish, and I'll RP the demon retreating in my next post))

((OOC: Eh, don't worry about it lol.))

Batith reached for Bane, grinning and readying a teleport spell to take his prey back into the depths of the Underworld, completely dismissing the fact that a the bloodthirsty Godfrey existed. Ignorant fool... The pale warrior thought as he tightened his hold on the grip of his crystal sword. Though he disliked magic, he happened to like the little ability his sword possessed. He let out a roar and swung the blade, which produced a faint, blue glow. Godfrey snarled and stepped forward, then watched as an exact copy of himself rushed by, jumped, and roared. Batith turned around, arm outstretched, in an attempt to bat the illusion away. His gigantic limb passed right through the mirage, and was left open to an attack. The demon's eyes opened wide as a second Godfrey leaped into the air, right after the other, and sliced into his arm, sending a stream of blood flying through the air.

Batith howled in pain and pulled back his arm, then raised his whip. As Godfrey hit the ground he withdrew his sword, grabbed the hilt of one of his chain daggers and flung it towards the demon's hand, sliding back a couple feet as he did so. It dug into the skin between the demon's index finger and thumb, once again making him howl. Godfrey roared and yanked at the weapon, forcing Batith's hand towards him. He pulled a little harder, ripping the weapon out of the demon's wounded hand and sending forth another stream of blood. "How did this happen!?" Batith roared. Godfrey snarled and sent the dagger flying towards the beasts' gut this time. Batith did his best to avoid the strike, but still got caught in the side. Blood seeped from a gash in his injured stomach, and he cursed. Though it was not necessarily a fatal wound, the battle was won.

"Leave this place, demon, or face certain death!" Godfrey barked, readying his dagger for another strike, this time aiming for the Batith's throat. "You have lost! Leave!" He repeated. He took a step forward, and roared. Though Batith was much larger than Godfrey, the pale warrior was still an intimidating sight. Godfrey doubted that such a beast would fear a mere mortal, not that he cared in the least. Soon, Batith, along with his demonic bretheren would tremble at the very mention of the former Paladin's very name... He would make sure of that.