Inflexible Ideals

Coming to a halt, the platform lands, allowing everyone upon it to walk off onto the peak of the mountain. Chu-ya, being the first to take the steps onto the rocky surface, Luck following, yet stops to wait for Karma and the others to get off.

Chu-ya takes but a moment to stop, waiting for the others to follow her, but once she does this, she feels two nearby energies, respectively, both at her domicile. And with speed unlike that of an elderly woman, she takes off, bursting with instantaneous speed toward her abode. Leaving everyone else behind.

Luck's eyes widen in awe-striken magnificence. "She is fast." He cleanly states, keeping what he said simple, he looks to Karma and Thirteen.

Karma had already taken off after the old woman. "WAIT!" cried Hecate, who was nowhere near as capricious.

Stopping at her home, Chu-ya takes notice that it has been burnt to the ground, flames still licking the woods at they intake gulps of air like savage creatures to a lone animal. Chu-ya stares at the destroyed domicile, feeling depressed at this sudden turn of events.

Karma glared. Her hands clenched into angry fists.

Luck floats up, "Wow, how unfortunate." He merely states, though with sincerity.

"My home." Chu-ya barely speaks above a whisper. "...It's gone.."

The remains slowly scatter into the wind, like dust scattering itself across a room, particles take flight, to never return.

"Oh my-" Hecate says, dumbstruck.

"Someone is going to pay." Karma growled.

The elderly woman approaches the ruined abode, poking her stick with whatever she could find that would be able to be salvaged.

The results: None

Not one single thing survived, everything was incinerated to a smoldering, soot black, crumbled remains, at most, only the garden was unaffected, though that proved only how merciful the culprit could be, though that was hardly anything.

Luck floats over, "I can try to see if I could form a projection of what occured here before we even came from Time's Tower." He mentions, to which Chu-ya merely nods in appreciation.

Luck gathers energy from the nearby smoldering ruins, and with his power, Luck froms a projection of what occuered.

Two figures stood at the front door of the building, both apparently wearing pitch-black robes, missing hoods, showing their faces completely. One appeared to be quite young, yet had hair compared to that of an elderly man, eyes gleaming pure gold, the other looked older, yet had hair that could compare to the robe's color, eyes a menacing purple.

The younger one looked at the older one, "This is the place, right?" He asked, receiving a grunt of approval from the older one, to which he asked another question, "So we kidnap the old woman, that's what the pink one said." Once again, another grunt of approval.

Breaking down the door, the silver-haired man walked in, and quickly busted the place up, finding no trace of Chu-ya, to the annoyance, "She isn't here, where would the old witch be?" To which he got no answer, the older one simply extended his hands, shooting fire big enough to be a mini star into the house, setting it aflame.

After doing their duty, the duo left the place to burn. The projection then vanished.

Chu-ya stares absentmindedly at where the projection was.

"I have a feeling that they'll be looking for us," Hecate said.

"We'll be ready for them." Karma fumed.

"But where would they go?" Luck asked, "Even though they are searching for us, would they come back, knowing that they destroyed this place?"

"They will come back." Chu-ya states, "I recognize those two."

"Who are they?" Hecate asked.

"Former students of mine, though they could not master the powers of Balance." Chu-ya states, "They are both very powerful with the very abilities they were born with. Zaiynde, the younger one, and Kadan, the older one. They together are known on our planet of Thyria, as Strazio, they are wanted, but elude everyone. I suppose it was my fault that they left to their own devices. both have caused massive destruction, their purpose is still unknown."

"If they never mastered the Balance, then they'll be no match for us." Karma said.

"Yeah? Even after your little... episode?" Hecate remarked.

"Shut it, fairy." Karma fumed.

Chu-ya turns to looks at Karma, "They are more powerful than you think. They may have never mastered Balance, but their powers from when they were younger are just as deadly."

Just as she finished her sentence, thousands of swords came flying down from the sky. Chu-ya used Order to make the attack suddenly stop, and fall harmlessly to the ground.

"Well well. You still have some power." Zaiynde's voice spoke out, as he walked toward the group, Kadan behind him. "But it won't be enough."

"That's why I'm here, bastards!" Karma challenged.

"Oh, looks Kadan, we've got a foul-mouthed bitch on our hands." Zaiynde laughed, Kadan stared at Karma, hardened eyes piercing through her, before he grunted as if he didn't care.

"You watch your mouths you lousy, good-for-nothing, conceited little assholes!" Hecate raged. "Once I'm through with you, you'll be begging to die, you evil shitwads! Why, I'll tear out your intestines and tie them around your throats! I'll rip out your spines and bash your skulls in! I'll-"

Karma and the others merely stood there and listened as an angry Hecate ranted about the horrid things she would do to Zaiynde and Kadan in great detail- none of which were remotely pleasant.

Luck slightly backs away from Hecate.

Zaiynde stared at Hecate, "Believe me. I would love it if you could do that to me, little flying bug," Zaiynde states, slowly writing some words in the ground, "But that's not going to happen. Kadan, you stay to the side, I'll kill all save for the old woman. You can have them after."

Kadan grunted and walked off far to the side.

"Now flying bitch bug, and the man-girl. You're first to die."

"Man-girl? MAN-GIRL?!" Karma raged.

"Oh shi-" Hecate managed to say, before being interrupted by Karma.

"DIE!"

Tapping into her powers of Chaos, Karma willed the earth to rise and batter Zaiynde. What she didn't expect was the sudden ease of doing it- it had never been this easy before.

Thirteen stepped forward as if to help, but was blocked by Hecate fluttering in his face.

"I wouldn't interupt," Hecate said worriedly. "Especially when Karma get's like... that."

The symbols Zaiynde drew onto the ground rise up when the ground beneath his feet is affected, he jumps out of the way beforehand. Due to the symbols, they explode, destroying a great portion of the ground and the nearby scenery, barely getting near Karma.

Zaiynde draws more strange symbols into the ground, and then moves a finger around in the air. "Is someone a little mad? Do you need to cry home to daddy? Or will your bitch of a mother come and comfort you? How about some cookies, made especially by your six-foot under grandmother?"

"You've got a smart-mouth for someone out of his league!" Karma exclaimed, continuing to tear up the ground and hurl the debris at Zaiynde.

Continually jumping back, the symbols appear and blow up whatever debris comes toward Zaiynde, he laughs as one symbol appears right in front of Karma, and explodes into massive energy, threatening to kill her and everyone else within her group.

Almost immediately however, with surprisingly little effort, Karma calls upon the power of Order to restrain the power of the symbol to a smaller radius; leaving her to be the only one left in the blast radius.

"Karma!" Thirteen and Hecate cried out.

More symbols continually form, some actually right near Hecate, Thirteen, Luck, and Chu-ya, who attmepts to stop them from making a large explosion with Order as well.

"Die, bitches, die!" Zaiynde yells as he makes more of the symbols.

"ENOUGH!" Karma cries, mounting a powerful psychic assault on Zaiynde's mind, that strikes like a number of daggers. "Order to calm the body... Chaos to empower the mind..."

When the psychic assault hit, Karma felt dark energies penetrate her mind, both of two go through whatever attack was on their minds.

''"Oh, no you don't!" ''Karma thought angrily, pressing the full force of her willpower against Zaiynde's mind like a wall of pure force.

Two cyan eyes materialize inside Karma's mind, time seems to slow down within the real world, as Zaiynde slowly falls backward from Karma's psychic attack, only to sit back up, slightly annoyed.

The cyan eyes, using their power knock Karma's willpower down slightly, and slowly.

Karma, shocked, immediately retracts her focus back within her own mind, creating a mental shield.

"How do you feel?" The cyan eyes questions, "Doez thiz hurt you?" It laughs, as the mental shield slowly withers, from the immense strength the eyes contain.

"You bastard!" Karma cries out. She falls to her knees.

"Karma!" Thirteen calls, running over to assist her.

The eyes themselves burst through her inner psyche, "I'll cook your mind, juzt like your pitiable mother." The voice of the eyes states, before powering itself to devolve Karma's energy and power, blasting randomly at anything, and as suddenly as the eyes came, they vanish.

Time appears to go back to normal.

And Zaiynde appears to be somewhat fine after the mental strike. Kadan standing far to the side, his gaze as hard as ever.

Karma's vision goes blurry; her eyes shut and she collapses, sinking into the dark depths of oblivion...

"Karma! What the hell?! KARMA!" Hecate yelled.

Thirteen suddenly find himself thrown through the air by an insanely powerful punch. He twists through the air and lands on his feet a distance back.

"The hell?!" he muttered.

"Karma! GET UP!" Hecate roared, fluttering around the unconscious girl's head.

Hecate gets slapped away by enough power to move a mountain, who slams into Chu-ya and Luck.

Kadan, the one behind the quick attacks, appears to be standing where he was originally, holding Karma by her head.

"Let her go!" Thirteen roared, activating a rune circle on his right gauntlet, and sending a powerful ball of air rocketing toward Kadan.

The ball of air appears to slam into Kadan, but when the dust and smoke clears, he appears to be standing directly next to the crash site.

Zaiynde appears next to Kadan, "You asshole!" He yells, "I was going to take care of them!"

Kadan grunts.

Thirteen hurls several more balls of winds toward Zaiynde and Kadan.

Turning to Zaiynde, Kadan stares at him and nods, they both suddenly vanish into nothing, as if they teleported, but what truly occured, was raw speed.

Chu-ya gets up, looking around she asks, "Where's Karma?"

"They took her!" Hecate cries.

Thirteen falls to his knees. "DAMMIT!" he roars, pounding a fist into the ground, creating a small crater.

Confusion
Karma hits the hard floor with a 'thump' as Zaiynde, who took Karma off Kadan's hands, drops her like a sack of potatoes. Zaiynde smirks, "Looks like you just got caught, my little whore."

Kadan grunts as he walks off to make himself something to eat.

Karma, who would've normally responded to such an insult quite violently, was still unconscious.

Zaiynde laughs slight, as he smacks Karma a few times, hoping she'd wake. "Wake up, bitch!"

Kadan walks in, eating a sandwich, and shakes his head as he chews on it, he leaves the room once more, only to return with a cup of water, and hands it to Zaiynde, who pours it all over Karma.

"...gggAAAAHH!" Karma gasps as she snaps awake. It only takes her a moment to register her surroundings. "Get offa me, creep!" she yells, shoving Zaiynde off of her and hurling a ball of Chaos energy at him for good measure.

Zaiynde gets knocked back, slamming into the wall, he smirks, "You've got fight in ya, I like that." He stands up.

Kadan, who stares at Karma, seems to be unaffected by Zaiynde getting knocked far back, continues to eat his sandwich.

Black, crackling energy forms in Karma's hands. "What do you want with me?" she growls.

Kadan grunts as he walks off back to the kitchen.

Though Zaiynde smirks, "I want you. Just you. With me." His voice holding a morbid tone to it, though for someone like this, love could make it the appropriate term.

Karma was taken aback. "What?!"

Making an approach toward Karma, Zaiynde smirks, "You know exactly what I'm talking about." His eyebrows making strange erratic movements, he licks his lips, "I want you......."

At this exact moment, Kadan walks back in.

"Dammit, Kadan you asshole!" He yells, "Get outta here you old bastard!"

Kadan stands there, obviously ignoring said comment.

Karma frowned. "Not interested." She threw another orb of Chaos energy at Zaiynde.

The orb was suddenly stopped by a hand, of which was holding the Chaos orb, which was smashed. Kadan was standing in front of Zaiynde. He speaks for the first time to Karma, "I don't want another hole within our home. It could just cave in on us."

He then walks off once more, to the kitchen, whilst Zaiynde looks to Kadan's exit. "What's that old bastard up to?" He mentions to himself, before once again turning to Karma, "Now, like I said earlier, I want you." He licks his lips once more, combing a hand through his hair as he approaches her, "And I always get what I want."

"Sorry to disappoint and all, but not this time!" Karma said, trying to keep her wits about her. She ducked beneath him, rolling across the floor, and kicked out at Zaiynde, trying to throw him off his balance.

Zaiynde jumps out of the way, and knocks one of the nearby boxes into Karma's direction, "I'm not disappointed," He states, "Not to sound like ever other man, heh, but I love fiesty women." Zaiynde smirks, as he makes a small symbol and has it float in the air. "It will not explode, so Kadan doesn't have a hissy fit."

Karma leaps back toward the other side of the room, keeping her falcon-like gaze on Zaiynde and his symbol.

Zaiynde puts a symbol over his own skin, and in second he seems to become invisible. The only thing seen by Karma is the floating symbol that's stationary where it floats, suddenly, it vanishes.

Karma narrows her eyes and begins to search over the area with her mind, trying to discern Zaiynde's location.

Karma finds herself suddenly pinned to the wall, and Zaiynde appears, "Got ya." He practically purrs.

Karma responds by kicking upward at Zaiynde.

"Woah!" He practically yells, before jumping high out of the way, he lands down, a few feet away. " Kitty has got some claws, mrow." He smirks, "Of course, I could just skip straight to the fun, ya know."

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Karma asked incredulously.

"I'm not sure." Zaiynde answers, before suddenly pinning Karma to the wall, stepping on her feet so she doesn't kick, and holding her hands against the wall. "You just, turn me.....On...." He pervertedly states.

"Well, turn off then or I'll break you in half," Karma says threateningly.

"Believe me, that's what'd I'd like." He retorts, a few seconds later, Kadan comes walking in, wearing some sort of cooking robe, "Dinner is done." He merely states, hardened gaze sat upon Zaiynde.

Zaiynde lets go of Karma, to go eat, whilst Kadan just stares at Karma.

"You know what? Screw it all, I'm leaving." Karma said. "Where's the exit?"

"The exit." Kadan states, "Is somewhere." Kadan turns around, "You are welcome to dine. I've made enough." He walks back off into the kitchen.

Karma stares after Kadan. ''"What is it with him?" ''she thought to herself.

Silence stays within the abode, until a loud boistrous "Bastard!" is heard, and the house shakes for a few second, throwing things off balance.

Apparently, Zaiynde had set too much pepper onto his soup, glass is heard breaking a few seconds after.

Maintaining a scowl on her face, Karma takes a bowl of soup and sits as far away as possible from Zaiynde.

Zaiynde smirks, "You'll want me sooner or later."

Kadan grunts.

Zaiynde looks offended, "What?! I can do whatever I want at the table, you jackass."

Kadan grunts once more, shutting Zaiynde's mouth.

Karma stares at her bowl suspiciously. Experience told her never to take anything from an enemy. She sniffed the soup, as if trying to see if it were poisoned.

"It is not dangerous." Kadan states, "If I wanted to poison you, there would be no point."

"Yeah, ya normally kill them with your own hands when forced." Zaiynde finishes.

Karma stares at Kadan, as if trying to look into his mind. Sighing, she lifts her spoon, dips it into the soup, and drinks. The taste was surprisingly delicious- spiced to near-perfection and creamy enough to slide pleasantly down the throat. Karma took another spoonful.

Zaiynde practically drinks the whole broth down within seconds, as always, finishing whatever Kadan makes in seconds. "Hey, Kadan. Thanks."

Kadan nods.

Zaiynde looks to Karma, "I'll see you later." He says before leaving.

Karma finishes the rest of her soup in silence.

Kadan moves off and takes her bowl and whatever was left of Zaiynde's, as well as his own to clean, only taking a few moments to do so before walking out of the kitchen, to go to his own devices.

Karma made a motion as if she had half a thought to thank Kadan, but she hesitated. "He's my enemy, in the end," she thought to herself. So she opted to sit still and hang her head. Her nerves were tense.

It was until hours later that Zaiynde came back into the picture, completely dazed and drunk to the core. "Wher's teh bioth?" He barely said above a yell.

Karma simply remained in place, trying to avoid Zaiynde's attention.

"Not this again." Was the response, coming from Kadan. "Where did you go this time?" He asked as he approached Zaiynde.

"Teh tave'n." Was the drunken reply.

"Then go to bed, you should not worry over anything as of now." Kadan added, while pushing Zaiynde into his own room, and shutting the door. Kadan then walked to where Karma was. "Sorry, you must be annoyed by his behavior."

"You confuse me. I'm your enemy," Karma said in curt reply. "Why do you suddenly care for my well-being?"

"Perhaps you do not have to be rude to an enemy." Was the reply. "I can have a heart of stone, I can shed my being, and become a living, killing machine. But I choose not to. I'm not evil, I'm not good. Those are just basic terms between what everyone decides to live with. Good and bad, suffice to say, even that is not correct. There are other ways to label others. If you prefer, I can be "mean", but I find it more useful to be hospitable to a guest."

"Oh," Karma said. "That's... strange."

Kadan looks at Karma with a bemused expression. "Any more questions?"

"Yes. Why did you kidnap me?"

Kadan's gaze hardens, "A pink cloaked figure approached us, told us to kidnap the old woman, Master Chu-ya. But things change. You're the bait. Excuse my uncouth manner." He states as he starts cutting up nearby vegetables.

"Alright. I'm leaving." Karma said, standing up, turning and walking away.

"To where?" Kadan asks.

"Somewhere."

"Don't stray too far." Kadan replies, getting back to chopping the vegetables.

Karma looks back before sighing and walking away; not bothering to mention that she was intending on departing for good.

Kadan continues to chop the vegetables into little slices, as Karma begins to get near the exit, Zaiynde's door opens up, the drunkard coming out of his room.

Karma doesn't even glance at him as she approaches the exit.

"Whe're youse goin'?" He gurgled through his drunken states, trying to form coherent words.

"Someplace." Karma responded through her teeth.

"You aren't goin' any'her'." He responds to Karma, before practically falling onto her.

"Get off!" Karma yells, pushing Zaiynde off of her and running out.

She immediately comes across a waterfall, her being behind it, which is also placed inside a dank cave. A few needles come flying from the doorway, Zaiynde exiting and following her, throwing needles every second, even in his drunken state, he is dangerous, as it seems.

Karma creates a shield of energy to block the attacks.

Zaiynde slams down hard on the energy shield, he continues slamming down on it, trying to shatter it, before making a symbol on it, it explodes.

Karma reinforces her energy shield with more power before it could wholly shatter; she doesn't even turn around to acknowledge Zaiynde as she runs through the waterfall; her shield acting as a bubble of protection.

Zaiynde screams angrily, "You bioth! Get back here!" He chases and yells forming symbol after symbol to try and blow the shield to bits.

Karma only continued to run.

Zaiynde screams angrily as he continually uses his symbols which eventually blasts the shield to bits.

The force of her shield breaking caused Karma to stumble; with a cry of shock she tumbled to the ground.

Zaiynde stood over her, anger clearly spread across his face, he grabs her ankle and begins to drag her back to his home.

Karma throws a ball of energy at Zaiynde imbibed with the power of Chaos, all the while twisting and pulling away.

Zaiynde gets knocked down, sitting back up he growls, "You little brat!" He stands back up, making a symbol, he has it appear in front of Karma, and it blows up, the least damage being that knocking her unconscious.

Karma was unable to lift a shield of energy in time; the blast slammed her into the ground, leaving a cracked indent in the stone and her unconscious body in it's center. Her skin, hair, and clothes were slightly singed.

Zaiynde grabs Karma's ankle, and drags her across the ground as he opens the door to his home. Dragging her past the entrance to the kitchen, where Kadan was still chopping up vegetables for whatever he was planning on making, Zaiynde dragged Karma across to his room, opening the door to a room of pitch-black darkness, taking her into the ever dark room, shutting the door.

He plopped Karma onto his bed, leaving her there, he left his room, and locked it from the outside.

Deals and Greed
It had been two nights since Karma had been locked into Zaiynde's room, having to deal with the dark statues, evil paintings, and dark tomes written in thousands of different languages that hung on the shelves. With the additional symbols that Zaiynde had written upon the walls of the room, disallowing Karma to perform any of her Balance powers. Even with this, Zaiynde came in and out every hour or so just to check up on her. And each time, Karma simply sat still and refused to acknowledge him. In fact, sitting still was what pretty much occupied most of Karma's time.

Opening the door, Zaiynde smirks, "Kadan wants to know if you're hungry? The asshole continually keeps asking me that."

Karma merely shook her head and continued to stare down at the space where the wall met the floor.

"KADAN!!" Zaiynde slammed the door shut, yet his voice still shook the whole house. "THE BITCH DOESN'T WANT ANYTHING!!"

Karma remained silent. Her mind was blank. Her eyes had a hollow look to them, as if she had left herself in some secluded part of the world.

About five hours later, Zaiynde comes barging in, "We're going to the other base. You're coming with." It wasn't a comment, it was an order. Zaiynde was in complete control, with his binding symbols that suddenly appeared floating about her.

Karma stood up like a mannequin.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy this trip." Zaiynde states, "But with ol' jackass being around, no fun can happen."

Karma, unable to think due to the strange power of Zaiynde's symbols, simply waits.

"Now follow." Zaiynde walks out of the room, Kadan waiting outside, he goes to him.

"The bitch'll be here in a few seconds."

Kadan grunts and rolls his eyes.

With Zaiynde's symbols floating around her like a malignant ring, Karma exits the room, remaining devoid of expression or sentiment.

Kadan sighs, "Give her free thought, she looks dead."

Zaiynde sighs, and growls, snapping his fingers, he lets up on the mind-control. "Happy?" Zaiynde asks, "...Ass..."

Kadan grunts.

Karma blinks as conscious thought returns to her brain. "What the- Where are you taking me?!" she demanded, immediately growing furious.

"Be quiet bitch." Zaiynde responds, "R'halle, how can anyone understand women?" he asks as all three exit the cave, out into a forested path.

Despite having her mind released, Karma's body was still not in her control; the symbols forced her to keep walking alongside Zaiynde and Kadan. She tried fighting back with her mind, but to no avail.

Kadan's gruff voice echoes, "Getting out of Zaiynde's symbol seal is quite impossible. Unless you can effectively counter it."

"SHUT UP, ASSHOLE!" Zaiynde screams like a little child.

"Are you always this childish?" Karma asks Zaiynde with contempt.

"You have no idea." Kadan adds.

Zaiynde folds his arms and grunts, seemingly angered, he moves on farther ahead, not even bothering to answer.

Karma too is silent for some time.

The trio walks for sometime, eventually coming across a large bridge, Kadan looks around, as if he senses a presence.

Zaiynde, on the otherhand has gone back to cursing and mumbling under his breath.

From between the trees suddenly leaps Thirteen, hurling a flaming punch at Zaiynde.

Zaiynde jumps back, forcing Karma to vanish using a symbol of his, only to reappear behind him. "The same bastard again."

Luck follows suit, attacking Kadan, who stops the move with his very own arm, then jumps back with Zaiynde, Kadan grunts, most likely out of surprise.

"HEY YOU, BASTARDS!" Hecate roars, fluttering in on the scene like an enraged, glowing dragonfly, Chu-ya comes from the forest, the bushes originally in her way move by powers of Chaos.

"Aw, the bug is upset." Zaiynde laughs, Whazza matter, firefly?" He asks in a mocking voice sounding much like Hecate.

"Zaiynde, shut up." Kadan states, seemingly annoyed by the intrusion.

"Take this!" Hecate shouts, slamming (pathetically) into Zaiynde's head.

Zaiyned laughs before swatting Hecate away, then runs to Chu-ya, who dodges each attack.

For Thirteen, Kadan appears suddenly in front of him with insane speed, Kadan stares down at Thirteen. "Are you sure you wish to fight?"

Thirteen backflips out of the way, and activates his cyber-eye. "Don't even ask me that," he said, assuming a battle stance.

Kadan shakes his head, "Zaiynde, take off. I'll deal with them."

Right then, Zaiynde runs off, grabbing Karma, they both vanish from thin air.

"You four, versus I." Kadan states.

Luck, giving no heed, immediately attacks, using some energy beams, to which Kadan dodges, and slams Luck, who goes flying toward Hecate.

Hecate zips narrowly out of the way and summons a horde of phantoms that attack Kadan en masse.