Peace Within The War (Silentmalu x SilverRain)

[Silentmalu]

Nila looked up at Daniel when he confessed his feelings and even the feelings of his brother. She glanced at Zach, knowing he felt as such as he had risked his life for her walking into her camp. But soon her eyes looked up to Daniel. He liked her. Reaching up, her small hand touched his face tenderly. Her thumb ran lightly over his skin. "I really like you both as well. I want that future." She responded.

From beside them both, Zach groaned. "Good..." He was waking up enough that he could hear the conversation and Daniel's proposal of a new life and his confession of feelings. He managed to open his eyes to look up at them both, focusing first on Daniel. "I didn't think I'd see you again, brother." He had almost lost his life, trapped in a burning cell. He never thought that he would see Daniel again. He shifted, forcing himself to sit up and prop up against the edge of the pool rather than leaning on his brother. Only then did he pull Daniel into a tight hug.

[SilverRain]

Daniel smiled warmly as he felt Nila's touch. His put his arm over Nila's shoulder as he leaned towards her and kissed her head. Then Zach groaned as he woke up. Daniel somewhat flinched when he heard Zach woke up. He returned Zach's hug, feeling safe in his brother's arms. Even though they were twins, he always felt that Zach was the stronger and wiser of the two. "Glad to see you back. We're in an underground cavern. The Captain's taken over Nila's hometown and it's now in flames. But all that matters is that we get out of here" said Daniel, not leaving his brother's embrace.

Amanda sat up from where she was and looked towards the water. "If... if you guys need a place to go, there is my hometown north of here. I was captured from there and forced to work. I don't know if it's still there now..." said Amanda.

Suddenly, there was the sound of voices from the rocky ledge above. "You sure this place is safe? What if we run into the enemy?"

"We kill whoever we see then take all they own. It's the only way to survive" came the second voice. Then the sounds of two people climbing down the rocky could be heard. It didn't seem like they knew of the four's presence down below.
What about down here

[Silentmalu]

Zach looked to Amanda, putting a finger to his lips but nodded. They would try to make it to Amanda's home, but now they were between a rock and a hard place. Zach moved, finding he was stiff but at least no longer in pain. He climbed out of the water and helped Daniel and Nila do the same. Since they couldn't go up, he pointed to the back of the cave. Perhaps they could hide until the men left or there might be another way out of this cave.

Zach pulled Amanda with him so that they were all paired up and started to move deeper in while the sounds of voices grew louder. Nila moved with Daniel, their eyes attempting to adjust to the darkness without the light from the entrance. To their relief, the cave didn't just end, but continued on deeper and deeper. The air grew stale and dense but they had no other option.

[SilverRain]

Amanda frantically gathered up the clothes and rations and then she followed Zach as he pulled her into the safety of the darkness. She didn't know why, but she liked it when Zach pulled her with him. Somehow, his grasp was firm and strong... protective. It was a bit different to Niles' which was soft and gentle. Amanda found herself to be trying to hide a smile and blush. Just before they went completely into the darkness, Amanda turned back and could see the men climbing down. She didn't want them to discover the sacred pool. Because once they did, everyone would come here and drain it completely or at least taint it. It would be just like the story of the goose that lay golden eggs. Thus Amanda imitated the voice of a haunting ghost, letting her voice echo along the walls. This scared the men away, though she knew that it would be hard to remain down here without being discovered.

The group travelled deeper into the tunnels and Amanda blindly reached out into the darkness. She managed to grab onto who she thought was Niles and they continued walking. Then suddenly from behind them, came a voilent gust of wind that almost knocked them over. Amanda screamed as she cluthed onto Nila. From the darkness, they could make out a shadow. One that Nila and Zach knew all too well. It was the form of human suspended in the air. His pupils were red and glowing, glaring and seething with hatred. His long hair danced and floated around him and around him was an eerie mist. Victor had become a vengeful ghost who could never rest in peace. "You destroyed our town. Traitor, you willl PAY!!!" came the ghost's shout as he knocked away the two brothers and lunged for Nila's throat.

[Silentmalu]

Nila allowed Amanda to hold onto her, still having no idea that Amanda thought she was a man or that she liked her. The gust of wind knocked both girls over. Nila turned on her back to look up in terror at Victor. She had watched him grow into the Captain, but never knew how vengeful he was. Nila didn't even have the chance to speak as he lunged for her throat. She felt his fingers grip around her tightly, pinning her back to the ground. Any time she tried to struggle, her hands and legs simply went through him. However, the hand on her throat was very real.

Zach pulled Daniel to his feet as he looked over to Nila. "Nila!" He cried out, running towards the pair, only to fall right through the ghost as well. He tried prying the fingers away from Nila's throat but their grip was almost too tight. Nila's eyes were rolling back into her head as she was loosing consciousness.

[SilverRain]

Daniel shouted at Victor "Hey ya goddamn dimwit! If you want revegne, seek it on Captain Michaellus! He's the one who started it all! He's the one who sent the troops and even Nila! And blame yourself you prick! It was all you generals who wanted this war!" yelled Daniel who probably hadn't realised that he shouldn't have said the last bit. "You're a ghost now right? You should be using your ghost powers to stop Michaellus!" finished Daniel.

Victor's rage seemed to fade away as his grip loosened on Nila. Amanda pulled Niles free from his grasp, holding onto the guy for dear life. Victor looked at the humans who he hated. "Michaellus has a ward..." he said in a monotone voice.

"Uh, if you let us live, we'll halp you! Right Zach?" said Daniel as he rapidly elbowed his brother. Amanda didn't look like she agreed though. Just when she thought they had escaped the war and turmoil they were now back in the thick of it.

[Silentmalu]

When Amanda pulled Nila away, she was unconscious in her arms. Her neck was red and purple with finger markings around her throat from how tightly Victor had choked her. She was unaware of the deal that Daniel was making but understood his desperation. She would have been the same if the roles were reversed. Nila was hardly breathing, Victor letting her go barely in time.

Zach looked at his brother for a moment before looking back at the ghost. "What about this ward...." He wasn't going to agree to anything until he knew exactly what he was agreeing too. This ghost...this man...had already tried to kill him once and almost succeeded. He didn't want them to run head long into death again, not when they were so close to being free.

[SilverRain]

Amanda kept tight hold of Niles, cradling him. She tried to wake him up but wasn't quite sure how to without attracting attention to herself and the cute guy. She didn't want Victor to realise that Niles wasn't dead yet. But at least Niles was still breathing. She just kept a safe hold of him and blushed a little as she lets the rest on her body. Amanda hugged Niles in a romantic, wanting sort of way. She never really embraced anyone before like this.

Victor's vengeful soul drifted in front of the two twin brothers. "The area ward... is tattooed on his back... Slash it apart... so I can kill him once and for all" was the words that echoed throughout the cave. It didn't seem Victor's soul was in the mood for small talk. Victor then started to disappear. Of course now, there were possibly other ways to kill the Captain. But it wasn't as if they could easily approach the enemy.

[Silentmalu]

Zach glared at his brother but nodded. "Very well...we will find this ward and do as you ask. In return, you will forever leave us alone." Once the deal was struck, Zach watched to ensure that Victor's ghost actually left before looking at his brother. "Are you mad?! We now have to run back towards the man who wants us dead! We cannot protect Amanda and Nila as well as get close enough to this ward. I've never seen anyone around Michaellus that has a tattoo. We can't strip everyone who is left in hopes of finding the right one." Zach as obviously frustrated but considering all they had just gone through he had a right to be.

It was only then that he looked to Nila..."...Amanda...is she..?" From where he was, it looked like Nila wasn't breathing and the way that Amanda held her struck fear into the twin's heart. Had they just lost the woman that he and his brother cared so deeply for?

[SilverRain]

"What else could we do? Fan him and flash him?" said Daniel in a bickery sort of way. "Whoever that tattoo guy is, he can't stay too far from Michaellus. So all we gotta do is scare everyone else away. If Michaellus doesn't run, then nor will that guy. We could probably scare them with fake TNT. But first we need to find Michaellus without being spotted"

Amanda looked at Daniel... "You mean the Captain right? My messenger bird is able to find him. Its original purpose was to deliver emergency messages. As long as you guys follow the bird, it should lead you straight to him" Then Amanda heard Zach's question. She was perplexed. Did they just refer to Niles as Nila? It wasn't just a code name right? And this was the second time they called Niles a she! And the way they looked into each others eyes. Come to think of it, Amanda didn't really get to talk to Niles much and his body was not muscular like the other guys. Amanda looked very doubtfully at Niles in her arms. She... she liked Niles. And now it seemed that her dream would shatter if she found out that Niles was actually a girl. Maybe she had been denying it the whole time. She wanted to have a guy like Niles all to herself. Niles was the perfect guy in her mind. But she knew she could not lie to herself anymore. She had to find out.

Amanda's hand was shaking nervously as she slowly used her finger to gently poke Niles's chest. She felt a mound? Amanda poked it again. Definitely not extra fabric. But she had to make sure... Amanda discreetly felt Niles's chest on the left side for a heartbeat. Oh and also gave the mound a soft squeeze. Yep. Well and truly a breast (plus heartbeat). Niles... no... Nila seemed to make a sound.