~~~ Awakening ~~~

-~-~- Sarah -~-~-

Sarah walked out of the restroom and into the main room of the Vizaga Training Hall. There were only a few today, inside what had seemed to become the most popular place in Treegum overnight. Rashaad was there, in the middle of the ring, a man lay breathing hard on the ground beneath him. Another man, opposite Rashaad had his back turned. Sarah had arrived just in time to see Rashaad turn and drive his rapier through the man's back, dropping him to the ground.

"Just like Rashaad to stab someone in the back," Sarah said as she rolled her eyes, shook her head and started for the exit.

"Yes," Rashaad replied, "Just like me..."

Moments later, Sarah was struck by the familiar feeling of an arrow piercing through her body. She looked down to see the tip of the arrow protrude through her front. Several more arrows joined this one, pinning her wings to her back. Suppressing the urge to immediately spin around and return fire, she took a deep breath, then turned to face Rashaad who continued his assault.

"You realize this is an attack on me" she said, taking a few steps forward as several more arrows pierced her. Due to her condition, she felt no pain from the arrows, but it was an attack on her none-the-less. Rashaad said nothing and continued slinging arrows at her until she made her way out of the hall.

"That's it..." she said to herself as she began removing the arrows from her body, she looked like a pincushion.

After taking a walk through north Treegum to collect her thoughts and reflect on the numerous troubles Rashaad had put her through in the past, she decided it was finally time to end things.

"I challenge you to a duel to the death, Rashaad." she said, having returned to the training hall. She spoke softly, calm and collected, "If you refuse, then I will be forced to deal with you when an appropriate time presents itself."

Rashaad and Lisa argued with her for awhile, but Sarah remained firm. Rashaad's deceit and treachery had gone on long enough. Striking her was the last straw. Rashaad declined the duel and Sarah left them there. She returned, however, silently, sneaking along the wall to listen in to what they might be plotting now that she was "gone".

"We may have to deal with the 'Sarah problem'." Rashaad said to Lisa.

"Let's go to the brewery." Lisa replied.

Sarah fled home at that time, snagging Kasak along the way. There she explained to he and Vayri'nee all that had happened and that she felt it was time to finally deal with the situation. Vayri agreed and gave her her blessing.

"I know you can do this" she said to her. Sarah wasn't so sure. She knew Rashaad had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, and knew he wouldn't be alone, despite Sarah sticking to honor. Vayri's words brought her a slight bit of comfort, however.

Sarah asked Kasak to come with, but stay a good distance back. To only be there for if she fell, so that he could make sure they didn't defile her body or anything of the sort. She hugged Vayri and set out to find Rashaad.

~|~

It didn't take long. She had made her way through North Treegum and into the northern woods. Dashing quickly, silently, from tree to tree, she saw Rashaad and Lisa not too far off. Rashaad was standing up on the ruins of some long forgotten structure, waiting. It seemed as if it were a sort of ambush. Sarah snuck around to the side of the ruins and leapt way up over the wall, landing behind Rashaad.

The conversation was brief. Rashaad started rubbing at a strange talisman and chanting some demonic ritual. After one warning to stop, Sarah wasn't going to let him finish and brought her swords down on him. Her decisive action may have been all that saved her. As the ritual was interrupted, the pit fiend it summoned seemed to be somewhat drained of its power. It was still no easy battle. Lisa appeared and began hurling a slew of magical missiles and curses. Rashaad struck at Sarah from behind, and the massive pit fiend ahead of her. She was surrounded on all sides, but fought with the strength of a true Champion.

She took no pleasure in killing Rashaad. To her, it was a task that had been put off for far too long. As he fell, she simply turned to face the monster he had summoned. The battle was fearsome. Sarah's blades seemed to have little effect on the creature. The only thing that seemed to damage it was the Blue Star. All the while, trading blows with the beast from the abyss, Lisa continued to hurl her spells at Sarah, until she ceased all together and fled off. Sarah managed to overcome the pit fiend, though were it at is full strength, her demise would be certain.

When the battle finally came to an end, she stood there, breathing hard, looking over the aftermath. Rashaad's body was nowhere... disappeared in a pillar of fire. The beast summoned had disintegrated in a shower of flame. Lisa was gone, Kasak had chased her off.

She hadn't ever felt like the Champion Ra'Ma had called her to be. Not until this day. She dropped to her knees and thanked her Lord for giving her the strength to overcome the evils she had just done battle with.

It was over... for the time. Lisa would, no doubt, try and find a way to bring Rashaad back. It didn't really concern Sarah. She had shown them that she was done letting them walk all over her.

Sarah walked down the ruins and started off home, without a sound...

~|~

-~-~- Kasak -~-~-

By Kersus

"Checkmate Artemis." Kasak said as he moved the giant queen piece down beside his opponents king. The wager had been set, the game had been played and Kasak had won, thus saving him five thousand gold pieces and allowing him to see Artemis kiss another man. Another cheap laugh for the history books.

His victory was short lived however when inbetween Artemis begging about not having to fulfill his side of the wager, Sarah appeared. Looking a little more concerned then usual, which was strange because she was wearing that helmet of Rods that covered her entire face. Shrugging off that bit of abnormality he followed her to her home as per her request.

As they walked home thousands of concerns danced through his head. Was Sarah alright? Did she find the pieces of the vase he broke the other day? Did she find out that he was the one who broke it? Surely she would believed his story that it was Roderick that did it, after all he could have done it with that weird bard magic of his, causing him to move his hand that bumped the table over. Crafty bards, always getting him into trouble. Nope, it wouldn't make sense at all to get himself in trouble when clearly it wasn't his fault. But then again this could all just be about her complimenting him on his success in quelling the evil bear problem. The evil bears were something worth being concerned about after all.

Once within her house she quelled all of them with one simple statement.

"Kasak, I mean to kill Rashaad."

"Okay." He replied, releaved beyond belief that this wasn't about the vase. "No problem, just hire someone to kill him while he sleeps, then you can keep your hands clean." Rather then be pleased by this advice, Sarah shook her head and said that it was wrong for some reason. Nodding and writing it off as more Ra'ma stuff, Kasak agreed to come along with her, convieniently forgetting about the part where she said to wait outside the forest.

As with earlier that day, the pawn had summoned the king and trapped the queen between a rock and a hard place. The king however is always the most useless piece when not used properly. Rashaad hadn't had time to complete the inner binding on the 7th ring of the circle, a circle which must at all costs be perfect when dealing with the lower planes. Looking out behind a tree at the sight, it looked like Sarah had it all under control. But there seemed to be a slight problem with magical bolts appearing out of nowhere and striking her unexpectedly. Ah yes, Rashaads plaything must of been around, it was time to say hello.

Striking her once with his hammer and then dispelling a few of her protections. Kasak took the opportunity to summon up the self molesting fire elemental to aid Sarah. However upon appearing it seemed to only be interested in doing its usual thing... Sighing and looking back at the battle, he saw that Rashaad had been defeated, the Pit Fiend had been sent back to its home plane and Lisa was nowhere to be seen.

Well that went a little more smoothly then it could have. Time for an ale.

-~-~-