Vikktor's Marshland Fortress

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Kadaj glared at the Puppetmaster coldly as he twisted his double blades, scrambling his intestines. He yanked the blades back out, bringing some of the monster's entrails with them, shoving the dying monster to the floor. He stood over him, the sword dripping blood down onto Vikktor's shirt... right above his heart. "I'll let you go fast, end your pain quickly," Kadaj offered venomously, "if you can assure me your goons are free... and answer me one question."

Yazoo matched Fituna, countering her circle with a devious grin. "Depends. I judge each case on its own merits." He kept his guns carefully trained on her. "But if the situation warrants it... yes, I tease when I can... keeps me from being bored."

Loz froze. Yazoo or Kadaj might have been able to think their way out of this one, but he was stuck... Oh, I hate bombs...

Brothers, I'm in trouble. Suicide bomber at twelve o'clock.

Kadaj and Yazoo both stiffened with alarm at this... neither could afford to turn from their respective battles now, so near the end... Tell the boy Vikktor is finished, that you have no need to kill him, Kadaj instructed, almost frantically. He reached out in search of Kamen, whose link to him was growing weaker and weaker... his messages came across in fragments...

Kamen, Loz is being threatened... the young guard... with a grenade... the kitchen... help him now.

[*~Nikkole~*]

Vikktor coughed and curled slightly in pain. He looked up at Kadaj with mixed emotions, none of them difiance though... Vikktor looked up at him, his wound gored and his eyes starting to grow distant. "What... is your question...?" He weezed slightly, wincing. He was debating a comprimise... but he needed details....

Fituna grinned, her bare feet padding lightly on the floor as her long and layered red clothing skimming the ground. "Interesting... for such a reserved man. What do you get out of breaking into a castle and trying to kill its inhabitants? Is it the adrenaline... the thrill??" She asked, her blue eyes boring into him....

Jeremy glared at him, pinned and coiled back from him. His hand was still raised and he had a firm grip, his eyes holding worry and hesitant fear... but nothing to show in his body.

Kamen stopped. "Uh-oh... not good." He looked to Lekki. "Go down stairs and wait near the door... they won't hurt you, I promise." He pushed the younger boy in the direction of the stairs before jumping down and running to the kitchen....

[Amnesty Lazuli]

"Easy," Loz insisted, trying to sound calm but losing the battle. "Easy with the bomb, kid. Look, your master in there is about to take the 'big ride'. I've got no reason to kill you anymore. Put the bomb down already." This is becoming less and less fun every minute... He wondered if he was sweating as he put the knife non-threateningly into his belt.

Kadaj had no mercy in his gaze for the pathetic creature expiring below him. "On second thought, forget about the question. Just order your lackey in there to spare my brother. If you fail to do that for ay reason... if he dies in there... you will still die, but I will ensure you live just long enough to experience hell on earth."

Yazoo scoffed at Fituna's question. "Hardly. Death holds no thrill for me any longer. It has become... a hollow threat." Strangely, there seemed to be a trace of sorrow in his eyes for a moment... it was quickly torn away and replaced by the same impenetrable look as before, but there was no mistaking that it had been.

[*~Nikkole~*]

Kamen stopped when he saw Vikktor, his mouth opened to say something... Vikktor looked back and saw the effects of his 'spike' fading. Their gaze held before they both looked away and Kamen ran off.

Vikktor looked at Kadaj. "He is.. no longer under my control.. but.. as you wish.." He looked away and mentally ordered Jeremy to stop. He looked back at Kadaj and smiled eerily... weakly. "Guess you made the list kid.... good job."

Jeremy started to shake. "W-What?!" He looked around frantically, his hand goinging limper as he searched for anything to prove Loz wrong...

Kamen ran in and stopped at the door. "Jeremy! Stop..." He stepped forward. "You don't have to kill anyone... not anymore. You're free now, Jer. Free to go home..." He tried to reason with the older boy....

Jeremy glared. "Free?" He spat. "Ha. We are never free..." But he had set the grenade down on the counter next to him, facing Kamen not Loz.

Fituna stopped and tilted her head to the side. "Has something happened... to make you this way?" She asked softly, moving towards him. She was hesitant to sheath her dagger but did so anyway, not seeing the threat in him at the time....

Lekki stood nervously near the broken door, looking at all the mess with wide fearful eyes....

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Kadaj knelt and placed the sword against the Puppetmaster's neck. He aimed it carefully and pulled it back over his head, preparing to decapitate his enemy as reward for his capitulation... "The question, had there been time for it, would have been, why did the boy mean so much to you?" He refused to meet Vikktor's eyes as the blades came whistling down, slicing through his neck in a swift, clean blow... but he thought he detected a final message, an answer projected into his mind...

Yazoo wanted to smack himself hard over the head with something very blunt and heavy. He'd gone a little TOO far with the charisma, apparently... but the plan seemed to have worked. Vikktor was dead, and none of his puppets had paid the price for his defeat. A still smile crossed his face as Fituna approached. "Does it matter?" He holstered his guns. "Your master is dead. The contest is over." He nearly turned away... he stopped himself, facing towards the kitchen. "If you're really all that curious, ask me again." Why did I just say that?

Loz sprang into Speed mode, snatching the grenade safely away before Jeremy could realize what had happened. Relief was all too evident on his face. "I've already been blown up twice in a lifetime, kid... two times too many. No fun, period." But even as he mocked him, he felt kinda bad for the kid... he really looked kind of pitiful without his master to back him up anymore... If Ami were, here, she'd know what to say...

[*~Nikkole~*]

Vikktor looked at him before looking to the side and dying after the blow. His answer sent mentally before he really died. Kamen meant so much to me because I was told he was special.... by a woman who I killed. A doll shop owner... I then kept him around because he was like a son... But the message faded too much to be read...

Fituna shrugged when he said her master was dead. "He was bound to die soon anyway. As for this contest..." She grinned as she stopped. "I don't know about that...." She paused at his words and actions before asking him again, crossing her arms loosely. "What happened to you...??"

Jeremy gasped and snarled at Loz before looking to Kamen desperately. "I... I can go??" He asked timidly. Kamen nodded and moved out of his way to let him go... which he did. Hesitantly and nervously at first but he did leave the kitchen and look around.

Kamen smiled at Loz before following his friend....

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Kadaj watched the eyes of the severed head finally close in death. "Special"... "like a son"... never have I known one who was like a father to me. He tried to shrug off the fit of bitterness this aroused in him. If only I could have risked giving him more time. He might have given us more answers about Kamen's past, his ancestry... but there will be time to learn those things without him. Kadaj rose. What matters most I already know: Your slaves are free. Life without freedom is no life at all.

Loz, still carrying the grenade, entered the main hall behind Kamen and Jeremy, and some tension eased itself out of Kadaj's body at the sight of him. "Good to see you still intact, brother," Kadaj acknowledged.

Loz grinned and hugged him. Kadaj coughed as the air was squeezed out of him, squirming a little, signaling that he wished to be set down.

"Quit acting so awkward," Loz insisted. "You know you wanted to."

Kadaj shrugged and hugged him back, mainly because he knew that was the one way he would get Loz to set him down again. The two turned to Kamen... his eye color was turning.

They looked at the other boys around the room. "Since our dynamics in relation to each other seem to have taken a sudden turn... Kamen, would you mind introducing us?"

Yazoo stood apart from the others, motionless for a moment, as Fituna's question sank in. "What is your name?"

[*~Nikkole~*]

Kamen walked in and grinned at the hugs, he knew he was changing back... it was a depressing thought so he didn't think about it. He looked at all of them before looking to Jeremy.

Jeremy stood back from them, arms crossed, head down, tense. He didn't like being around these guys... they just killed his master, kidnapped his friend and turned him against the group...

Fituna looked at them all before looking to Kamen. She smirked and nodded, the boy nodded back. She looked to Yazoo. "My name is Fituna. That is all that is needed... for now..." She shifted and put away all her weapons, giving Yazoo a more friendly smile.

Kamen nodded to her intro before looking to Jeremy. "That was Fituna. This is Jeremy.... and..." He paused and searched before spotting his little friend. "And the flighty one over there is Lekki." He looked to his friends. "You guys... this is Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo." He motioned to each before continuing. "And as long as you don't try to kill them or sneak up on them," He grinned a bit. "You'll be safe..." He said this more to Lekki, who looked to be ready to run....

[Amnesty Lazuli]

"Right," Loz agreed. "Don't try and kill us and we'll all get along just fine." He turned to Jeremy. "Even with you."

Kadaj laughed with the others, but still looked at the dejected boy askance. Anyone unstable enough to threaten kamakaze is potentially dangerous, no matter how sincere their commitment. However, I'll try to give him the benefit of the dobut... I was not long ago in his place. He turned to Kamen. "You have only a short time before the spike's work is finished. Yet... the connection will never entirely diminish. Once a brother, always a brother. When you need help, we will be here."

Yazoo looked back at Fituna, arms crossed, gaze intense. "I am Yazoo. And... I have seen the other side of death." His shell reasserted itself. "It's nothing. Since I have returned... I have not feared it." A dry chuckle. "And just like that, suddenly life means nothing." His expression was a wry one. "I come from a long line of cynical nihilists, so no need to panic. But haven't you ever noticed how many things we enjoy are based on the fear of death?"

[*~Nikkole~*]

Jeremy nodded solemnly. He looked at all of them warily and then looked to Kamen. "You've come a lone way, Anai..." He looked at his changes and how they were fading. "A long way..."

Kamen nodded and smiled before glancing at Kadaj. He nodded to him before looking back to his friend. "If you want to go... then go. I know you're one of the few who's family still lives." Jeremy frowned but Kamen silenced him with a smile. "I won't make you stay..."

Fituna grinned back at the cynical man, their eyes meeting. "I have noticed... must be a shame to not enjoy those things anymore." She glanced to the others. "Yazoo... do your brothers always threaten children?" She still held the grin and light humor as she looked back at him.

Lekki saw the tension fade and tenatively moved over to the group. He swallowed and looked at his feet as he came to stand by Kamen.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

An ironic laugh at Fituna's question from Yazoo... "You have no idea." He shook his head. "Not often, but... we do seem to have acquired a reputation for it."

Kadaj looked around the disparate elements of the group... I can't help wondering where they all came from, and how this VIkktor found them. "Before you go, kid, do us one small favor. I assume there are other prisoners held here in the fortress... I suggest we release them. There's no reason for them to be stuck here anymore. Split up into groups of two or three and fan out."

[*~Nikkole~*]

Fituna nodded and laughed a bit. "I see..." She looked at the others then at the children. "Thank you..." She looked back at him. "I could never have had the guts to stand up to Vikktor...."

Jeremy gave him a wary look but nodded. "There aren't many, we let them go a few days ago when Vikktor wasn't paying attention. The others are spread out in the rooms...."

Kamen walked over to his former master. He looked down at him solemnly before knealing and pushing aside the dead mans robes, picking up the necklace he was wearing. He smiled and blinked away tears as he held the intricate necklace his mother had given him as a child....

He stood and wipped the little bit of blood off the silver chain before slipping it over his neck and looking around. He had a slight smile on his face as he looked around the placethat was his home for years...

Little Lekki stared at the two brothers with huge green eyes as he trembled slightly. He had no power, no back up and the feeling of being trapped again....

[Amnesty Lazuli]

"When he wasn't paying attention, hmm?" Kadaj mulled that over. I wonder... If the stories Kamen has told us are all true, this doesn't sound like the Vikktor I've heard of at all. Could it be he saw us coming for him ahead of time? Is it possible he surrendered before the fight even began. "Jeremy, you're with me. Let's get moving. Stay in touch, people... and keep sharp. Some of the captives could be dangerous." He turned to his until-recently enemy, prepared to keep his guard up around him in any case. "Lead the way."

Loz looked down at the kid staring at them. "Hey. How're you doing down there?" He tried to lighten up a little bit so as not to scare the kid, but given his family resemblance he didn't see how any effort to alter his attitude would really help. It was a surprise to him that no one in the group had tried to cut and run yet. "No hard feelings about the, uh, little game we had earlier, right?"

Yazoo looked back at Fituna. Hmm... I've rarely been thanked before. "You're welcome." He shrugged it off. "What else could we have done? We don't abandon our family to suffer." At least, I hope not... Amnesty, you better know what you're doing.

[*~Nikkole~*]

Jeremy nodded and looked over to Kamen. "You still remember this place, kid?" He wasn't too soft with his words.

Kamen looked over and grinned. " 'Hasn't been that long, Jer. I still know the place."

Jeremy rolled his eyes and looked to Kadaj before walking off down the farther hall, slow enough to make it seem he wasn't going to run. He wasn't planning on leaving just yet. He didn't like these guys but he wasn't stupid enough to attack them.... He headed down the dark hall and glanced about as if remembering the doors and pictures...

Lekki watched them go before looking at Loz. He swallowed and shook his head. "Nuh-uh. We were only doing as ordered..." He glanced around nervously as if something was going to attack him. He looked up at him again, little less nervous. "And... I'm fine. I've withstood worse." He looked away again, subconsciously rubbing his arm.

Fituna smiled and nodded. "I see family means a lot to you guys... thats always a good trait." She looked to Kamen. "We've never thought of ourselves as a family... but we've had to be close to survive. We've had to be friends..." Because alone we never stood a chance against Vikktors.. friends.

Kamen walked back to Loz and Lekki, watching Kadaj and Jeremy. He was back to almost normal now and was a little down... about all of it.

[Amnesty Lazuli]

Yazoo nodded slowly. He remembered too well the days of his early childhood... when sticking together meant more than a form of maintaining sanity. It meant survival itself. "I see," he replied. "Well, shall we?" He headed for the opposite end of the main hall, towards one of the corridors branching off. "You know this complex better than I do."

Kadaj got his coat from the floor as he followed Jeremy cautiously, eyeing the hole the Puppetmaster's blade had left in it. He wiped some of the blood off his Souba with his coattail before sheathing the weapon and putting his arms back into the sleeves. The air took on a distinct chill here...

Loz headed up the stairs, looking back at Kamen and Lekki. "Come on." He waited for them to catch up. "Didn't hurt you too bad, did I?" Yazoo should have been the one to pair up with the youngest ones... he's always been good with kids... guess I just got to make the best of it.