Alexis stood atop a small, secluded hill, over looking the vast lands of the dead, the reletively flat lands interuped by sporatic towers of decrepid stone and wandering spirits. She overlooked this land, the sky darkened over this barren land, as her cloak billowed around her frame, a gentle breeze whispering around her, tossing her hair about as she smiled. The fabled Lands of the Dead seemed so inviting to her. Her ties with the dark art of necromancy seemed to draw her near, the wanderings of the spirits of the long dead and ancient graves bringing about an excelent time to studie the ancient bones of long dead peoples, whos experience in warfare and life allowed for the promise of gaining knowlege of the arcane powers of the world. She slowly stode down from her perch, as if pulled deeper into these ancinet and decrepid lands.

"Yes, I hear you my dead lords and warriors, I hear your plea. You wish to be revealed, your words long forgotten for ages now. I am here, and I am willing to listen, if only you are willing to impart your wisdom upon me. I beg of you, feel free to teach me your ways, feel free to impart your words and knowlege so that I may learn from you, so that I may better harness your darkest desires."

Deep within the Land of the Dead stood one being within Arda that spent alot of his time here. He was the older brother of Zenith Meria, but unlike his brother, this being did not serve Holiness but served the Goddess of Chaos, Ita. He was even wearing the armour that Ita had given him. A full set of the Bloodshed Armour. Hanging at his side was the Longsword of Bloodshed, a deadly weapon in combat indeed, but the worst weapon this being had was a large Scythe that for now was upon his back. The scythe was a crimson red and black in color, and had once been a Dark Blade.

This being was Alba Meria, a member of the Blood Raven, and a Chaos Phoenix. Alba stood at almost ten feet high and was a bad person for someone to face in combat. Alba was standing so still and tall that most always thought he was some kind of Statue, and today was just the same. A lost man was wondering about the land of the dead and seen Abla, thinking it was a statue the man leaned back onto Alba to rest. The Phoenix not liking this being touching him, reached back and took his scythe from his back. He then pushed the man forward and circled his scythe round taking the mans head off in an instant.

About to let out a sickening laugh Alba heared the voice of a woman. The phoenix looked around to see where this womans voice had come from, soon he seen the figure of a rather tall woman walking into the land of the dead. It seemed the Phoenix had yet another guest.. but atleast this one was evil, that he knew for sure.

Screams echoed throughout the valley of the dead, as the shriek pierced the night, Alexis quickly looking around for their origin. Perhaps some unknown benefactor was here in the darkness, providing more opportunities to advance her dark studies and facinations. Her journey to this land had been an arjurous one, after having to spend days isolated with an arch-angel and some being known as an alefire. She slowly turned, her dark cloak swirling in the wind, as she jumped from her perch, slowly falling to the ground, as if hovering momentarially, as a great armoured being in the distance came into view, as Alexis caught sight of his wicked scythe and the body of his victim. Alexis slowly strode towards him, her feet gently prancing on the ground as she drew closer, the being comming into her sight, a wicked smile spreading across her face. She slowly looked up, her eyes adoring his body, the blood splattered against his armour bringing a fiery passion to her heart.

"Well, hello there my great lord, it is nice to see one who loves the deaths of others as much as I. Perhaps you would allow me to study the body of this man that you have just slain, perhaps there is something that I can learn from him."

Nathaniel shuddered at the sickening wrenching within the confines of his soul - something was trying to break free from his hold from the depths of his blackening heart, and for simple fear of its nature, he fought to hold it back. His fingers sought to grasp the edges of his fluttering cloak, as if by wrapping it tightly about himself, he'd be able to suppress this rising nature that sought to overpower him. He thought that perhaps it was the simple fact that he was in the Land of the Dead, a place teeming with darker magics and festering with, naturally, death. Yet there was something more that was able to elude him - a fact that only evidenced itself by the wretched burning of his hidden tattoo. He clutched vainly at his right arm to soothe its horrid pain, yet he found that he didn't quite want to rid himself of it. It would serve as his only track in the search for the cause, and without it, he would probably be left in a different darkness.

He lifted his shoulders in reaction to a sudden knot in the muscles there, his soft leather boot scuffing unceremoniously against the sooty rocks of Dori'ba. His ever-shifting eyes were burning now, but he simply blinked away the discomfort and forgot about it, using said orbs to glance upward and survey his surroundings. There wasn't anything very special about the land he walked upon, but then again, he rarely thought much about any of the world. He sought for no beauty and for no color, and simply for the advantage that it brought or would bring to him. Right now, Dori'ba was what stood between him and a most immediate goal.

By the time he had removed himself from the last traces of his shoulder cramps, laughter began to filter through the stale and stagnant air. Voices, too, came traveling after it, finding its way to his waiting ears in a muffled and inaudible manner. He shifted somewhat, trying to make out the meaning of their words, but he found nothing in his translation and simply thought to let it go. It was true that nothing in the Land of the Dead should be "let go" or trusted, but he found his care swept aside by the lightheardedness and casualty with which the female voice pressed on. He lifted his weary weight one last step over the next hill, only to find two bodies awaiting just beyond.

His cloak fluttered again, sweeping itself to the side in a way that portrayed him as some unnatural sillhouette. His worn and dirty black clothing seemed nothing but an aging shadow, as if he were attempting to hide himself and only succeeding in giving himself away. If it weren't for his pallid complexion, he just may have appeared inhuman, but by now it had become fair enough to where even his dark garb could not shield every inch of him from wary eyes. He surveyed the two, as if uncaring as to what they might do, and then glanced down to see them stooping over the body of a fallen creature. - Recently dead, he surmised.

"I see you've been entertaining yourselves," he remarked casually yet somewhat darkly, as if he was inexperienced at making lighthearted jokes, yet knew the two rather well. It was the simple fact that he didn't know them well that made him keep what distance he still had left. With the two easily in his sights, he kept his hands holding at the insides of his uncooperative cloak, one of them also gripping rather unmercifully around his burning arm.

Alba looked down upon the body below him with a dark smirk along his lips as he soon heard the steps of another person. Keeping his grip around his scythe Akba was ready to rip the head of anyone that would even think of attacking him. Thats when heard the voice of a female saying, "Well, hello there my great lord, it is nice to see one who loves the deaths of others as much as I. Perhaps you would allow me to study the body of this man that you have just slain, perhaps there is something that I can learn from him." Hearing this the Chaos Phoenix turned round to see the one that had spoken.

A young looking woman who, as it seemed, rather liked her appearance. The Phoenix bared his sharp teeth to the woman and let out a small growl before he said in reply, "Do what you wish with the body, Its of no use to me anyway. But you on the other hand. You might have some uses for me. Yes. It might just work infact. Im Alba Meria, a Chaos Phoenix, and a follower of the great Goddess of Chaos Ita. May I ask your name? And also if you have seen an angel called Zenith Meria?" Alba then shifted somewhat as he picked up another being he had killed before.

With this being in hand Alba raised it to his mouth and ripped into the skin, blood spilling down his face after doing this. The Phoenix was the stopped once more by another voice that said "I see you've been entertaining yourselves," Hearing this Alba looked in the direction the voice had come from only to someone hidding a little within the shadows. The large Phoenix then stood up fully at his nine foot eight height with his scythe in hand. His eyes fixed upon the new figure as Alba then said, "You would dare speak, and not show yourself fully to the ones you speak to. What the hell are you? Some kind of coward." Finsihing this the Chaos Phoenix let out another growl and his grip tightened upon his scythe as if ready to strike in a moments notice.

Ooc: Sorry for not giving you a chance to post, Alexis. I won't do it again - I was just in the mood and figured I'd reply.

IC:
Nathaniel couldn't help but laugh at the demon's remark, finding it all too entertaining - it was too good not to show amusement toward. "Hiding myself?" he asked smoothly, though he did not make a point to look down at himself and see. "Does it look as if it was intentional?" Indeed, if one really did take a look in his direction, they'd find that he wasn't very hidden in the first place. "I assure you," he continued, "If I was really trying to hide, I would have done a much better job of it." To think that this pallid creature wrapped in garments too dusty to mingle with the darkness could have passed as an elusive creature was beyond him. Yet what impression he had given had long been so, and he could do nothing but correct the onlooker's false opinion.

He took a step forward, noncholantly, giving the two a very good sign that he was making no offensive moves. He continued to survey the body as if he took some personal interest in it, but on the contrary, he didn't see it as his own responsibility. The two already had claimed it by simply standing about its sprawled and maimed figure, and he even found it as disrespectful to lay eyes on it for too long.

It wasn't like Nathan had any care about respect, though. That was something that was only hard-earned, and difficult to keep.

"I may not look like much," he added, "Compared to a towering figure such as yourself, but you have to give me more credit than that. If I were truly a coward, would I have surveyed these lands far enough to be speaking with you now?" His eyes, flickering with the sudden dismiss of the very topic, moved to the woman that he now stood a yard or two away from, their icy gaze only remaining long enough to glance upon her face. He then looked at both of them again, knowing full well that he was an intruder in this situation, and glanced one again at the body near their feet. He could have simply gone past them, but for what impression would that have left them? Besides, they weren't the kind of people that one simply forgot. He could feel it in their very presence.

"I didn't come to bicker, anyway," he remarked somewhat coldly, though this was not directed at the two in specific. He knew that it was inevitable for them to exchange some threats, but ultimately he found that there'd be nothing gained in argument - at least not for the moment. "But to disregard you would be an open insult, I'm sure." His eyes flickered to the scythe. "And it's obvious that you wouldn't have liked that, isn't it?"