[Phantose]

As Crystal Kerrase begins her journey, a young man begins his journey to the capital. His name is Xavier Cryptix, an aspiring alchemist trying to find a way to cure those infected with the Darkness. He is entering the tournament to receive the money needed to begin his research. He is a master with potions, elixirs, poisons, acids, and other combative alchemy forms.

[Crystal_Diamond]

I sighed as I walked through the forest, hearing the guttural growls of animals around me. Great, another problem I didn’t need. I had yet to make it to Hatrus for the tournament, I didn’t need to be slowed down by these battles. I unsheathed my sword, getting ready for a battle that was soon to come even as I strengthened my aura.

[Phantose]

I avoided the forest route for fear of feral animals infected with the Darkness, yet in doing so I inadvertently cut through a town brimming to the teeth with humans infected with it. Their bodies mangled and twisted, what once were human figures were now corrupt piles of writhing flesh trying to survive. The first of their pack notices me, a scout that at one time was most likely a young girl at one time, yet was now a feral beast with sharp teeth, purple skin, and pure white. The scout lets out a loud screech alerting others of my presence. More of her kind appear, those who have completely fallen, yet then I see the very thing I did not wish to see on this journey, a Medium. While on the surface a Medium my appear to be human being, it is an infected that has learned to control the Darkness for its own purposes. Some are benign and have greatly helped with your research, yet this one appears to be a cutthroat, a brutish man with animal skins and knives adorning his muscular body, who was lucky enough to have the magical heritage to be resilient to the full affects of the Darkness. What’s worse is that it appears that will he may have control of his body, his mind appears to have fallen to the Darkness’s whims. ” I am Grulorn, and you are our dinner.” Grulorn then bares his rotten teeth and releases a fierce battle cry to signal the Fallen to attack. This isn’t going to be an easy fight.

[Crystal_Diamond]

I heard the scout’s cry even from the forest, and turned towards it. I cursed under my breath. “What human or animal would be foolish enough to wander into their territory?” I mutter, leaping through the branches at a fast speed. Within seconds I was within sight of the village, and in a few more I was on top of the villagers. My cloak hid the bulk of my body, including my face, which were covered in the markings of darkness. I proceeded to begin knocking out the infected, taking great care not to kill them, even as i took great care to make it so the human couldn’t see what I truly was. I left my sword in it’s sheath as I fought.

[Phantose]

(Out of character, sorry about the grammar mistakes in my last post. I was a bit tried when I typed it.)
I noticed the mysterious stranger knocking out fallen one by one, and decide to use pacifying techniques as well. I grab a flask out of my pouch. In it contained a slurry of herbs and crushed fungal spores that when exposed to air created a powerful knockout gas. “Cover your mouth” I yelled. I then threw the flask onto the ground knowing that while this would work on the infected, Grulorn would just blow it off as it were no more than a petty fog.

[Crystal_Diamond]

I brought my arm up to cover my mouth, breathing through the sleeve to filter the gas. I leaped away from the infected as the gas began to take toll, landing beside the man. I watched as they began to fall over, recognizing the gas immediately.

[Phantose]

Grulorn, after seeing his army fall into disarray, yells at the top of his lungs and charges towards me. I throw a couple of acid vials at him hoping to slow him down. As soon as they hit his skin, the acid started to eat away at his flesh bit by bit. Believing that he had been defeated I head over to the mysterious stranger to introduce myself and to thank him or her for helping me. Right when I’m about to talk I hear a deranged yell coming from Grulorn’s vicinity. I turn around to find a new horror awaiting me. Grulorn had slowly been integrating the surrounding infected into his body in order for him to survive the acid. The beast that now stood before bared no resemblance to any creature found on Earth, a visage of the Darkness’s true form.

[Crystal_Diamond]

I draw my sword and dart past you, attacking Grulorn, knowing he’s beyond saving and if I didn’t do something quick the others would be too. I slashed towards his head, hoping for a hit.

[Phantose]

The sword sinks into Grulorn’s neck, yet instead of spewing a fountain of blood, a stream of darkness started to exit the wound. “Watch out, if you are exposed to that you’ll be infected” I yelled.

[Crystal_Diamond]

I grunt in response, seeming unaffected by the darkness as I continued to push on my sword, aiming to take off his head.

[Phantose]

The sword cuts clean through Grulorn’s neck. Grulorn let’s out one last yell of anguish and then starts to dissolve into pure darkness. I watch as the mysterious stranger jumps away after finishing the deed. “Thanks for your help. My name is Xavier.” I hold out my hand as a sign of gratitude.

[Crystal_Diamond]

I put my sword away after shaking the darkness from it, and adjust my hood. “Crystal.” I shook your hand, keeping my head tilted downwards just enough to increase the amount of shadows around my face, but not enough so I couldn’t see.

[Phantose]

“Nice to meet you Crystal. What are you doing out here?”

[Crystal_Diamond]

“I was heading to Hatrus when I heard the scout. I decided to check it out.” I say with a little sigh. “I see you handle dangerous materials, are you a scientist?”

[Phantose]

“Of sorts, I’m an alchemist. I use combative elixirs, acids, and a form of combative science that to the mere eye would look like ordinary magic. And what is your story, you were able to dispatch our assailant post haste. Are you a warrior or a knight?”