[IC] Sunrise, Sunset

[TheWendil]

The desert winds blew ever so hard. It was like this at least until December, in which at that time, the area became deathly cold and the dirt would harden beneath your feet. But December was a long time from now. No, it was mid-May and the winds blew harder than ever. Despite this truth, the weather did nothing to deter the lone figure.

She had her hood on to protect against the blowing sand, and she only looked up when she noticed a nearby town. Perfect place to stop. Who knows? Maybe something interesting would happen? Grinning to herself, the figure kept walking, until finally reaching the sign that marked the small town's name: Durgen.

---

Upon entering into the town, the existence known as Kiara Bastion lowered her hood and took in the sight before her. Honestly, it looked like any old town. Almost like something out of a wild west story. Next thing you knew, there'd be gunslingers just waiting for an ambush....Kiara shook her head of such thoughts. She was only passing by. To get from point A to point B. That's all.

As she strided pass the local buildings, she received a few stares. "Has to be what I'm wearing." she reasoned to herself. Which made alot of sense. She looked fair enough physically: long brown hair with equally brown eyes....yeah, it was definitely the clothes. She wore a dark blue shirt covered by a hooded long coat. Dark pants and boots covered her lower torso. For her, it was simple and normal clothing. To anyone else, she looked just like an outlaw. Which was understandable at best.

Suddenly, she noticed a woman with a dusty yellow dress. Curious, Kiara walked right up to the lady. "Excuse me? How far is the next town?" The woman gave her a suspicious look, eyeing her up and down. "Aren't you a bit young to be traveling these parts?" the woman challenged. Kiara rolled her eyes. "I'm not that young. I think I can handle myself."

After a slight pause, the woman shrugged. "Miles away. There's supposed to be a sandstorm later today, so don't be expecting to leave this town soon sweetey." Kiara held back a sigh. "Terrific." Wandering away from the woman, Kiara found herself in the middle of the small town where a huge fountain stood. Gazing at it, she stuck her hands in her pockets in thought.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

---

Somewhere far away.

The sand crunched underneath the man's boot. The figure came upon the town as quietly as a shadow would, barely making his presence known. At least, not until it was too late."Hold on there!" The man turned to see a group of men, all with guns raised and poised to fire.

"You there....you're trespassing in our town! Leave now or we'll shoot your ass outta here!"

The man said nothing. Nothing at all. Dressed in a dark gray shirt and pants, a pitch black coat swirled around him. A cowboy hat, the same pigment as the coat, rested on the man's head and a black blade materialized in his hand. It was the only thing of value to the man.

The townsfolk, in their anxiety, began firing warning shots. "G-Get back! I;m warning you, next time I'll shoot to kill!"

But the threats fell on deaf ears, and the man continued walking toward the group of men. More shots...and several more. The townsfolk were terrified now. Something...something about this man...he didn't stop, didn't flinch. He never spoke a single word.

And he never stopped walking.

[AkiBlue]

"How troublesome..." Gold eyes squinted up at the sky as the wind blew. Luckily, nothing fell into those eyes because early they had made the mistake of looking up just as a heavy gust of wind blew.... Sand in one's eyes was never a pleasant thing. The person who possessed such rare colored eyes pulled his gray hood down to shield his eyes. He sported a simple white shirt sleeve shirt, giving up the long sleeved buttoned shut awhile ago and trading it in for the light jacket with a hood. His pants were a dark material, but it wasn't like his wardrobe caused too much suspicion. He had been walking far too long and his patience was wearing thin. All the dry sand was making his throat dry, and he had ran out of water miles back.

Fortunately, as if someone was watching over him, a town appeared in view. As he got closer the sign 'Durgen' could be seen. It was an average small town, more than likely with a population if twenty or so people. Of course, that being an exaggeration...more or less. The last town he had came from probably had around fifty people at the max, this one looked no larger. At the moment, none of that mattered because the male, known as Vincent Asher, walked into a small tavern. He took a seat on a stool and took his hood off, letting the excess sand fall to the floor. "Excuse me miss, may I get a glass of water." The woman behind the counter, wearing an old yellow dress, gave a warm welcoming smile and nodded. "Will get to you in a moment darling." He gave a simple nod and waited his turn.

"Thanks. Uh, by the way, do you happen to know where the next town is? I have to get there... Well, after the sandstorm."
The woman crossed her arms under her chest. "What is up with you young ones wanting to hurry place to place? Especially all on your own!" When she was given a confused look, she continued. "A young lady earlier asked me the same question- although she wasn't aware of the storm. As I told her, I'll tell you. The next town isn't for miles. It's a long trip, but you better get comfy here since a storm is coming."
Vincent gave a lazy smile and nod. "Thanks for the info, I'll take your advice and find some place to get well rested."

Vincent was well overdue for another nap. His lazy tendencies were kicking in and he was getting rather sleepy. With a yawn, he set the now empty glass down and got ready to leave. The male paid for his drink and wandered out the tavern to find a hotel in the small town. Instead of wasting energy on wandering he decided to go up to the first person he saw and ask for directions.

A hooded woman that was sitting by a fountain was his best bet. "Excuse me miss? Do you happen to know where the hotels are in this small town? I kinda want to get to one...before the storm hits." He didn't realize that she looked a little lost as well.

[TheWendil]

Realizing that she was being addressed, Kiara turned to look at the newcomer before giving him a shrug. "Sorry. I'm just as clueless as you here stranger." She offered out her hand, instantly reading the tell tale signs of a traveler. "Name's Kiara Bastion. Looks like we're both stuck here for the time being then. Do you plan on staying here, or are you just passing through?" As if it was meant to derail the conversation, a gust of wind passed though the entire town, bringing with it a shower of black sand. Black sand? Well that was strange. Kiara put her hood up in an attempt to block out the dark particles.

"The storm's coming!" A voice cried out.

"Everyone, get inside!"

"Don't let it get in your eyes!"

That didn't sound pleasing. Kiara nodded at the newcomer before striding away to find shelter. Black sand? That was a bit....impossible. But here it was now, staring back at her in the face. Sighing , she decided that yes, there were still some things in this world that genuinely surprised her. Was it an omen? A warning of some sort? Honestly, Kiara didn't know and it didn't really matter one way or the other. She really didn't want to find out.

Noticing a nearby tavern she chose that to be her sanctuary and burst through the doors. Entering, she was surprised to see several others hiding out in the small space. It wasn't more so the fact that they took shelter here, but the underlying fear that was felt between them. Some were shaking. Others were weeping. Some were glaring at her, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. And still, one of them put her hands on her hips in exasperation. The woman from before with the yellow dress narrowed her eyes.

"You again?"

Kiara hastily took her hood off and waved at the woman nervously. "Er, can I stay here until the storm lets up?"

"And why should I do that?"

"Well, you could of told me that the storm would happen in the next two minutes."

After a long pause, the woman sighed.

"Fine, fine. Just make sure that other traveler gets in here as well. It'd be a shame if he'd wind up dead cause of all this."

Kiara blinked. "...you want me to go get him?"

Silence. This time, Kiara sighed. Without another word, she put her hood up again and entered the dark storm.

"Oh, and don't let it get in your eyes!" the woman called out.
.

[AkiBlue]

"Ah, that's too bad." He sighed and then gave a shrug. Vincent took the handshake as he introduced himself. "Vincent Asher. And I-" The gust of wind made him turn around immediately. He flipped his hood on shut his eyes, listening to the screams of distress. The winds stilled, giving him time to realize the sand was black. "This is new..." As Kiara nodded her farewells, the storm seemed to start again, and he was in the middle of the town. He let out a short groan, not wanting to get sand in his mouth.

The only place he could go to now was the tavern, but the storm picking up deterred him from knowing which was it was. "What a pain." Being in the middle of a storm of unusual black sand was not the number one thing on his list. Sleep in fact, could've been number one. He tried retracing his steps, but he continuously ended up at the fountain. At least he knew for certain that he was still in the middle of town. "I should really leave...before this kills me or something." Now he was concerned about actual safety.

Surprisingly enough, he was once again fortunate. That was two for two on his luck streak. How long would this last? Unable to speak through the storm now, Vincent rather calmly offered the female traveler's assistance. 'This is why acquaintances are always nice to have.' His thoughts were interrupted as Kiara tugged him along so he wouldn't get lost. It took a minute or so, but they did eventually reach the tavern.

The male took his hood off, and dusted the black sand off himself. "Well that was eventful.", was the first thing that came out of the male's mouth. He was impressively calm still and once again took a seat on a stool- the same one to be exact. "Thanks Kiara. For the guide here. I would've had to wander my way out of that." He noticed the others cowering for safety, slowly catching on to the fearful expressions. "By the way, Miss?" He spoke to the lady in the yellow dress as if he had never left. "Correct me if I'm wrong... Black sand, that's not normal around here is it?"

[TheWendil]

Kiara shrugged. "Yeah, don't mention it. But you are right...." She turned to face the yellow dressed woman as well. "What's with the black sand? I've never seen anything like it." The woman looked nervous, suddenly put on the spot by the gazes of not one, but two travelers. After a few silent moments, she sighed and finally caved in.

"Alright. Not like it affects you two anyway. You'll probably be dead before you know it." The woman looked around the room, making sure everyone was safe and accounted for. At least, those lucky enough to make it in the tavern. She beckoned for the two to come closer. Kiara took the stool next to Vincent's awaiting the woman's explanation.

"That there black sand ain't no ordinary sand," she began. "See, urban legends used to say that black sand is an omen. A sign that's something evil is gonna happen soon. Of course, back in my youth, that's all it was. A legend. But recently...." She looked around again, as if something unseen was watching her. "Folks have been dying. And not just accidental, mind you. Whole cities have been reduced in population. They say someone's going around and killing people off. These aren't some small time bandits either. Rumor's going around that this here is a planned thing. Someone wants to go around killing."

The storm outside intensified, as if a testimony to the woman's words. She continued with, "They say that if that black sand gets in your eyes, you start to go crazy. You hallucinate, see all kinds of things! Then you hear a voice. Like something out of a horror story. They the voice keeps talking to you, making you panic, until you wind up stone cold dea-"

"Dead!"

The door to the tavern burst open in a frenzy and a deranged looking man, probably over the age of 60, stumbled forward into the bar sobbing and bawling his eyes out. Several people looked on in disgust and some gave him an irritated look.

"All of them dead! Cut down before the blade! The blade of despair that comes for us all!" The man raised a shaky finger and pointed to the ceiling. "He watches us even now! He who knows no mercy and speaks only lies and deceit! He comes for us! Spare me! Spare me!"

[AkiBlue]

Vincent rested his head on his arm, watching the woman beckon them closer. He didn't budge, only glancing over as Kiara took a seat next to him. "Oh that's kinda harsh don't you think?" He didn't want to be proclaimed dead before he reached an old age. Especially by some random woman during some unforeseen circumstance.

The next thing the lady said only made him sigh softly. Well of course the sand was unusual... It was black after all. He listened as she spoke of the truths and legends of the black sand bringing death. It was something way beyond what he knew. In fact, he had never heard of the legend until the woman spoke of it. Even though she made it seem so dramatic and upsetting, Vincent gave an unconvinced gaze.

"Well, that's quite a tale," The male started sitting up, but ended up stretching and yawning. He was by all means not trying to be rude, sometimes that's how things seemed in someone else's perception of him. "Well, lucky for us, we didn't get any in our eyes. At least I didn't." He glanced over at Kiara.

Behind him, regular citizens started to mumble in suspicion, at the moment, too low for them to hear. It was briefly interrupted by the cries of some old man that bursted in. Vincent turned his attention to him, but then put his head back down. "Is that the symptom of the black sand?" This time, he did sit up figuring sleep wouldn't come any time soon.

"This hasn't happened in many years...in fact, not since the town was built.."

"We were all fine, even with the sandstorms... But then those two showed up and this started once more."

"Now, we can't go makin' assumptions about them. It's not right."

In the small town where everyone knew each other, of course it would be kind of odd when not one, but two young new travelers came up and the black sand appeared. It looked bad, but at least some were willing to approach the situation fairly.

[TheWendil]

Noticing the stares they were getting, Kiara moved closer to Vincent, whispering so no one else heard. "I get the feeling that there's gonna be alot of running involved. Maybe some angry townspeople too." When met with more glares, she stopped, giving them a shaky grin. Muttering secrets to each other only helped to hurt their reputation, and honestly, they didn't need an entire town turning on them for being too nosy. Trying to change the focus of attention, Kiara glanced at the old man calling out, "Who? Who's watching you?"

The man turned on her, his eyes wild with a mad frenzy. Upon closer inspection, one could see that black grit stuck to the corners of his eyes. Black sand. Well, at least one thing was confirmed. Black sand in the eyes led to some messed up mentalities. Finally, the man shuddered, making a creaky wheezing sound.

"It was a normal day...like any other day! We were...we were all so happy! And blissful! And ignorant! And like a hawk sent from Death, he descended upon our peaceful town! We warned him not to come any further...we fired at him! But he kept walking....he didn't flinch at all! He didn't stop. He kept killing...and killing....men, women, and children....he spared me! Curse my soul, he spared me! A messenger! An example to be made of! A warning to all the peoples of this Earth!"

The man's breathing became more intense, and his eyes dilated, seeing something beyond their reach. "No!" the man howled suddenly. "The eyes! He watches us even now! His eyes see all! Its glare still burns my skin! His eyes! His eyes! Hi-" The man gave one final jerk, before folding over onto the floor. His own eyes rolled into the back of his skull, his face still retaining a look of horror on it. Silence filled the tavern, as the woman in the yellow dress hurried over to the man's broken form. Putting a hand over his chest, her gaze darkened as she confirmed the worse.

"He's dead."

Whispers began to rise once more, as the chattering became louder and louder.

"Look, look! They killed him!"

"They pushed him too far!"

"Murderers!"

"Now hold on there. It was past the old man's prime."

"He'd have died sooner or later."

"No...no we can't trust them...it's too sketchy to tell...."

As the tension in the room began to thicken, Kiara placed her right hand casually in her coat pocket. She tensed up, ready for anything. "I really, really hope you can fight," she said to Vincent. "Cause I don't know if these guys'll let us out of here alive."

---

Somewhere not too far away.

The dark man lifted his cowboy hat to get a better view of his latest victim. Crimson eyes began scanning the helpless form: a young woman probably in her late twenties. Strands of black sand held her up in the air, pinning her arms to her sides and slowly crushing the air in her neck. The man unsheathed a blade as black as the sand and rested it on her chest.

"Greetings Miss," he said politely, his tone almost soothing. "You mind telling me where the nearest town is?" The woman remained wide eyed and silent. Whether it was out of fear or loyalty, the being known as Webster Pelgado didn't particularity care. One way or the another, he'd get his answer. "That's too bad," he said in false sympathy. "I was really gonna enjoy using you. Maybe invade your mind a little bit, ripping it apart, you know? A little snip here, a little tear there....you could have been my own personal human bomb. Send you off to another little town just like this one, and....well, you get the point."

Lifting the tip of his blade away from her body, Webster shook his head and tipped his hat in thought. "You're boring," he mused. Turning back to the black storm around him, the dark man called out, "Come on out Rebel. I've got wonderful idea for a new game I just made up."

[AkiBlue]

"This must be what I get for passing up the opportunity to stay at the last town." He mumbled low enough for her to hear. Running didn't sound so fun, but by the looks of it, Kiara was probably right. He turned his full attention to the old geezer and narrowed his eyes. Black sand. "That old guy has that sand in his eyes." Vincent whispered to Kiara. He watched the theatrics carefully. As the old man spoke, he flailed and moved about making sure everyone was paying attention. Unfortunately, everyone was. And not only to him, but to the two travelers. Every small movement they made was under someone's eye.

Even the lady in the yellow dress had grown weary. She stepped away from them, gravitating towards the citizens. If those two were behind the legend then all she could really do was beg for mercy. She was still standing, but she moved amongst her friends and family trying to hold her ground. But every time she caught their gaze, her eyes would avert to the ground or off to the side. A loud gasp was heard when the old guy died. People drifted toward him to check, only clarifying his death. While they weren't looking, the lady in the yellow dress glanced behind her bar counter to make sure her weapon of defense was still there. It was only for emergencies like bandits or threats...but this was a pretty big emergency too.
She didn't grab it, but she made a mental pathway in order to lunge for it if she needed to.

The mumbles were louder, and all clearly directed towards the travelers. "What did we do to deserve such harsh judgement..." The question Vincent asked was rhetorical and he glanced over at Kiara when she spoke. He returned her statement with one of his own. "All travelers should know how. Although I think it'd be best to spare their lives and not create a myth for ourselves."

"Look at them!

"Whispering secrets and plans together!"

"They're planning another attack!"

"We shouldn't be so quick to judge."

"Those legends were created way before their time."

"Reincarnates! They are both murderers!"

"Look how the male is so calm! He's definitely a killer!"

"This is going to be a problem..." Vincent looked over at Kiara and then glanced outside. "I don't think it's safe to make a run for it outside- not with all that sand."

---~~~~---~~~

Out of the storm, casually, Rebel walked toward Webster. He was clad in his normal red and black bartender outfit. His red hair had specks of black in it thanks to the sand so calmly shook it out.

His dark, soulless eyes glanced up at the woman and out of spite he gave a small wave. With a grin he stepped toward Webster. "A game you say? Heh, you're games are always fun. What's this one about?" His arms crossed as he waited for an answer.

[TheWendil]

Kiara tensed herself as took in her surroundings and options. Like Vincent said, going outside was out of the question. Not unless they wanted to become raving mad men and suffer an untimely death. So that left staying in here trying to convince these people they were innocent. No easy task. But certainly not impossible either. "Don't do anything yet," she told Vincent. "I'm gonna try something out and see what happens, ok?" Without a moment's hesitation, she focused all her energy on the group of people, not letting any of their words reach her.

She blotted out the world and focused on the task at hand. Moments passed, but they felt like an eternity to Kiara. Finally, after concentrating and waiting, she let out a sigh as-

"Hey, who are those two?"

"Were they always here?"

"The poor dears....must've got caught up in the storm..."

"Hello there travelers! Do you folks need any help?"

Kiara gave Vincent a wry grin. Simple magic. Nothing too complex, but this was her specialty. Making others forget. "Piece of cake! Now I guess we just hang out here for a bit more. Once the storm lets up, we can get the hell outta-"

The woman in the yellow dress shook her head wildly, a look of terror in her eyes. She pointed at the two travelers, shouting, "Demons! They're demons! It's magic! Black spells! Don't look directly at her! She'll. . . she can mess with your mind! Make you forget stuff!" Kiara offered Vincent an apologetic shrug. Well, she never said she'd mastered her magic. But it was worth a shot. Unfortunately, it seemed to work against them.

"Magic?"

"Devils! They've deceived us!"

"They can't be trusted...they must be punished!"

"Death! Death to the demons!"

The woman in yellow lunged to her counter, drawing out a hefty double-barreled shotgun. Without a second thought, she aimed the gun right at Kiara.

---

Webster twirled his blade in thought. "How about we make a contest out of it? The person who makes her talk first gets to slaughter the next town? Deal?" With a flick of motion, the Devil made a clean cut across the woman's left arm, blood splattering the ground beneath them. The woman held back a scream, biting on her tongue. "Cute," Webster commented. "But that's just a warm up."

The black sand swirling around them focused on a single point and began to swarm the wound inflicted by Webster. The woman still refused to scream, but tears were streaming down her face now as the dark substance began eating away at the fresh cut. The dark man shook his head at the woman's stubbornness.

"You turn," he told Rebel.

[AkiBlue]

"Don't do anything yet? Heh, I didn't plan on doing anything before." Vincent was going to just sit there and let them yell and go off some questionable myth. They didn't seem like the immoral type to just start killing off travelers, so he didn't mind a few curses and harsh words. It seemed as if Kiara had other intentions in mind though. "What could you possibly do?" That was answered in the next few seconds when suddenly everyone forgot who the two travelers were. He raised an eyebrow. It was the most change in expression he had all day. Vincent had to admit, that even he was kind of impressed. "Magic. Nice. If only we had a way-"

Well...it was nice while it lasted. Apparently the woman in the yellow dress was immune to the magic Kiara performed, so with a sigh, his hand reached over to his belt, feeling his gun still there. He nodded to her shrug and then watched as people stood up. "This could be a problem..." Anger and fear lit in everyone's expression. They wanted to attack, but they were scared to come close.

"Death Penalty!"

"Kill the demons!"

Next thing he knew, there was a gun aimed at Kiara. "I'm guessing that means it's my turn to try something?" He reached over and pulled out his pistol, pointing it at the lady with the yellow dress. "I don't, well we don't want to kill anyone here. We aren't demons... Just travelers who didn't get so lucky."

"Lies!"

"Your filthy lies don't account for that black magic!"

"There time of judgement is now!"

"Be careful...we don't know what this demon can do..."

Even the ones that had given them a chance were now skeptical and untrusting. The two had no one on their side. Realizing he'd be contradicting himself, Vincent put his gun up knowing way too well that she would've died before she was able to shoot Kiara. "Let's be reasonable...and calm." Slowly, he pushed the barrel of her gun towards the floor, hoping she wouldn't start shooting.

"...If we attack...all at once, we may be able to take them down."

Now ideas were floating in their heads. There were glass bottles around that people started to grab- along with some of the chairs. "Okay, maybe this is worse than I thought." Vincent said, looking over at Kiara. He was now starting to sense the real danger the townsfolk were putting them in.

---____-----___----

Rebel acted like an excited child at the thought of having a contest with Webster. He clasped his hands together in delight and grinned. "Your games are always fun. And the prize will most definitely be worth it." He watched as Webster made incisions on the woman's arm. "A stubborn one she is. We'll have to fix that." Rebel pulled a knife from his sleeve and poked at the new wound that was created. No sounds, just tears. It made him frown a little. "Why must you be so complicated? You and all of the other humans will die anyway, you're just prolonging it." He stepped up and looked into the woman's eyes.

He was positive that Webster was aware of his abilities, so there was the thought that he only wanted Rebel to use it in order to get information. But, it didn't matter. Rebel didn't mind it as long they made it into a 'game' of some sort. "Look at me dear. Right into my eyes." He still held a playful smirk. She had been watching in fear, so when she was commanded to look at him, it was too late to look away. Her eyes dilated as she sank into the depths of those dark abysses. From the outside world's view, it was merely a face off between a demon and a terrified woman. But that penance stare was able to do so much more.

Rebel decided hypnotism would be the best use at the moment. "Where's the next town?" Stuck in the trance, she was forced to speak.

"Durgen... The next town is... Durgen. It's only a few miles west." She fell unconscious when Rebel turned to face Webster.

"Heh, piece of cake! I win!"

[TheWendil]

Kiara scoffed at Vincent's words. "Uh, yeah. You think?" At this point, the townsfolk had been reduced into a mindless hoard of scared animals, hellbent on destroying anything in front of them. Unfortunately, that entailed two weary travelers. Subtle magic wasn't going to cut it, but Kiara didn't want to kill anyone either. But if it came down to a fight. . .finally removing her right hand from her coat, she produced a chokuto with two handguns melded on each side of the blade above the weapon's guard. The townsfolk stared at the weapon for a moment before resuming the mad craze.

"Crap! I thought Volunta would scare them off. Apparently not. . ." Kiara ducked as the bottle throwing began. Knowing that the situation was now life or death, she made a quick decision to get the hell out of there as quick as possible. She'd risk the storm outside; anything was better then being cooped up in this hell hole. Apparently knocked out of her daze, the yellow dressed woman raised her gun again and began firing at her, sending sprays of bullets through the walls.

As a cluster of gunfire almost hit her head, Kiara couldn't help but look at the damage being done in dismay. "Jeez! They want us dead that much?" Talking wouldn't work, and the mob split off into two groups. Half of them went after her, while the other half closed in around Vincent. The woman turned her attention now on him, firing away with her gun. Kiara's group began to throw chairs, tables, and whatever furniture they could get their hands on. Kiara sliced through each one with ease. Still, she noticed that she was being pushed back into the corner.

She gritted her teeth. It wouldn't be long before they were completely swarmed.

---

"Durgen, huh?" Webster sheathed his blade after witnessing Rebel's handiwork. It always amused him to see the infamous Penance Stare put to use. He couldn't help but chuckle at his underling's sadistic tendencies. "She needs to die," he told Rebel. "No witnesses. We don't need any higher ups ruining our fun." He placed his hands in his coat pockets and began in the direction of west, the black sand circling around him like a death plague.

"We'll be leaving shortly. Until then, do what you want with the body."

[AkiBlue]

"Your plans aren't working too well are they..." Vincent had moved away from the gun as bottles were thrown. "How bothersome..." He sighed and looked at the door. They were trapped in still. The storm an an angry mob were blocking his path. It was time for him to pull out his own weapon. The simple pistol was drawn and he shot through each bottle that was tossed, purposely making the glass shatter on the floor. Maybe that would stop them from advancing...

It turned out, since they were really mad, they didn't plan on stopping- any time spoon. He noticed Kiara in the same predicament he was in. They were being separated and then backed into individual corners. "Can we just-" Another piece of furniture was thrown, and he ducked. "I guess not." He noticed that instead of being cornered, he was surrounded. People were on all sides of him. He really, really didn't want to kill any of them... So he shot at their feet, making them stop in place.

With a sigh of annoyance, Vincent called out. "Hey Kiara... It was nice meetin' ya. Even with the...poor circumstances." He chuckled lightly and suddenly felt glass impaling his side. Gunshots rang through his ears, but they weren't from his own gun. His gun was tucked away again. The male doubled over with an unknown pain in his chest. "Dying hurts worse than I thought."

********

Rebel held a triumphant grin, hearing Webster chuckle. Good, he was satisfied. The grin turned into a devious smirk when he was given the orders to kill said victim. "You'll enjoy my torture. They always do." Rebel faced the victim and gave a wink. Claws unsheathed, but hearing the clarification, he gave a childlike pout before nodding. "Without a sound, without a trace. Yes, sir."

"Look at me." He commanded again, this time holding the woman's cheeks in one strong grip. She had her eyes shut tight and he growled lowly. With his blade, he created a few gashes to get her to gasp out in pain. Once her eyes caught his, she was locked like before. "Good girl." He cooed and then chuckled. "Penance stare~" He said softly and watched as the woman's eyes widened with fear. Suddenly, parts of her body became petrified and with a tap, the stone shattered and turned to dust. Rebel clasped his hands together as she stayed frozen in fear. Slowly, the rest of her turned to stone. "No witnesses." He tapped the stone again and she turned into sand.

"Not the most exciting death, but it'll suffice." He noticed Webster leaving and he quickly caught up.

[TheWendil]

"Heh, stop acting like we're gonna die or something." Kiara sliced through more bottles and furniture, her back to the wall of the tavern. "It'd suck to let a few crazy farmers kill us off like this." A shot to the arm served to cease the girl's banter, and she hissed in pain as the bullet stung her arm. Dropping Volunta, the weapon dematerialized, leaving her defenseless. More shots rang out, this time to her other limbs. Her knees buckled, and she clutched her stomach, feeling a wet surface. Looking down, she saw stains of crimson. Blood.

That wasn't good. Looking over at Vincent, she saw that he had collapsed and wasn't moving. Grimacing, she could only assume the worse. So much for surviving the farmers. The woman in yellow walked up to her, her gun pointed point blank at the girl's chest. Gritting her teeth, Kiara looked right up at her killer.

"So, er. . . I don't suppose you were offended by that farmer comment?"

The last thing she heard were two bangs.

---

". . .wake up. . .wake up. . .hey, are you listening? I said wake up you lazy asses!"

Kiara bolted upright, only to be met by a blinding light. Covering her eyes, she gently peeked out to take in her surroundings. This. . .was new. It seemed like she was in the middle of nowhere. Literally. From miles upon miles to see, there lay nothing but sand. Sand everywhere. A desert. Looking to her left, she noticed that Vincent was here was well. She rolled her eyes. Great. This was just great. First she dies. Then she gets stuck with another traveler for all of eternit-wait a minute.

She blinked in disbelief. They had died. They were actually. . .dead.

"Well, not exactly."

The mysterious voice from before spoke again, as if reading her thoughts. Kiara turned around to see a most peculiar sight. A man who appeared to be in his late thirties stood over her. He wore a torn brown coat with cowboy boots to match. His hair waved wildly in the wind, and his mustache concealed a grin. Well, not for long anyway.

"Name's Sandal Walker," the man introduced himself. "And today's your lucky day. For both of you. Any questions?"

[AkiBlue]

". . .wake up. . .wake up. . .hey, are you listening? I said wake up you lazy asses!"

Vin could've sworn he heard a voice. It was unfamiliar, so he continued to lay there. Though, once he felt his consciousness wake, he was almost sure he wasn't going back to sleep. . . Especially with that damn bright light! The male rolled from his side to his stomach and looked at the bright sky. It was cloudless, and then he noticed the endless amount of sand everywhere.

"I always thought the afterlife would be more... I don't know, inviting."

Slowly, he sat up and glanced over at Kiara. Well this was weird. He was dead with a chick he barely knew. It could've been worse. She mentally shrugged and looked up as the man above them spoke. He examined his wardrobe and then looked at him. Maybe he was stuck with two people for eternity?

Vin cleared his throat after Sandal introduced himself. "Uh, yeah. What do you mean it's our lucky day? We're dead aren't we?" Eventually, Vin's sitting became standing, because he didn't want to look up at the man anymore. Just because, Vin decided to put his hand out, offering to help Kiara up.

"If we are dead, what does that make you?"

Dead or alive, the sand was still annoying. Thankfully, it only got info his hair and not his clothes. He was easily able to dust that off.

[TheWendil]

"What does that make me? Well boy, from where I'm coming from, it makes me God Almighty!" Sandal bellowed out a hearty laugh, and it almost felt as if the entire landscape shook and vibrated with each breath. Kiara stared at Vincent's outstretched hand before finally taking it. Standing up, she dusted the sand off of her coat.

"So, we're just stuck here for all of eternity then? With you?" Another laugh. Kiara frowned. This was getting repetitive. But the man finally calmed himself before fixing his unblinking stare at the both of them.

"Yep, pretty much."

"And you're just gonna keep laughing at us then? Forever?"

"Sounds about right."

". . .that's it?"

"Glad you're catching on Kiara Bastion!" Sandal turned to Vincent. "Your partner here seems a bit dense. Tell me Vincent Asher, how many drinks did she have?" Another roar of laughter as Kiara crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Oh yeah, this is gonna be a fun eternity. . ."

Sandal scratched his head. "Hey, it's not that bad. Honestly! I mean, look at all the sand here. You can make sandcastles, bury each other. . make bigger sandcastles, cheat death, bury each other agi-"

"What was that?"

"Hmm? Sandcastles?"

Kiara raised an eyebrow in interest. "No, the other one. Something about cheating death?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, that. Yeah, I'll give you two a second chance. No big deal. Me and the Big Man Upstairs have it all planned out anyway. You just got a little favor to do for us, right?"

Kiara's eyes lighted up at the prospect of returning to the living world. "And? What do we have to do?" She smirked. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"Not too hard, huh? You're right. It's not hard at all. All you have to do is hunt down the Devil himself and his twisted little assistant before they set the entire west to flames." The smirk evaporated form Kiara's face, and both travelers were met with another round of sarcastic laughter.

"Sandcastles it is then. . .you got a shovel Vincent?"

[AkiBlue]

Vincent looked back and forth between the two as they went back and forth. Kiara was pretty much asking all the questions he had.
'So we're dead, he's a...messenger to break the news to us, and we're stuck here for eternity... Well, at least I'm not burning...for eternity.'

When the conversation was directed toward him, he blinked and then chuckled lightly. Before he could reply, Kiara spoke again in annoyance.

"It's better than burning right?"

"Hey, it's not that bad. Honestly! I mean, look at all the sand here. You can make sandcastles, bury each other. . make bigger sandcastles, cheat death, bury each other agi-"

As lazy as Vin was, even he knew he'd end up dying a second time out of boredom. "Yeah, what's this about cheating death? Sandcastles may get a little redundant after the first three... I think I need a plan... A."

"Not too hard, huh? You're right. It's not hard at all. All you have to do is hunt down the Devil himself and his twisted little assistant before they set the entire west to flames."

"You want us to fight the Devil and his assistant..." Immediately, Kiara gave up. Vincent shook his head. He was not about to build sand castles for all eternity. He hadn't finished venturing out into the world. "As impossible as this is, what's the catch? Do we get help or are we just going to keep getting killed until we get it right? We're only human ya know."

He looked over at Kiara with a smirk. "Might as well try. In the end, we're bound to be back in this place again right? At least this time we'd die with a cause. Death by scared civilians is not how I wanted to go out." He slipped his hands in his pockets, looking back at Sandal. "Besides, I'm still young. I haven't finished all my traveling yet. So. . . You in?"

Of course, that was directed to Kiara.

[TheWendil]

Sandal grinned widely at Vincent's words. "That's right. You're only human after all. That's why you're gonna fight like humans. One shot, one kill. Only one life. No continues. Anything else?" Kiara took a few moments to ponder the situation. Honestly, she had nothing to lose. Both in the spiritual sense and the physical. Besides, Vincent was right. They'd just wind up here anyway.

With a sigh, Kiara looked at her newfound partner in crime. "Alright, fine. We can go demon hunting. As long as it gets us out of this sandbox. So how does this work Sandal? Do you just send us back like th-" A bullet pierced the girl's heart, and she fell backwards. Her eyes were unseeing and lifeless as Sandal reloaded the shotgun that had apparently materialized in his hands.

"Sorry about that," he said to Vincent. "If I told her how I'd do it, you can bet your ass she would have complained." Chuckling, he aimed the the gun at Vincent. "And remember, don't screw up. Got it?" His fingers squeezed the trigger, sending the other traveler flying as well.

---

Kiara blinked awake and bolted upright. "What the hell was that for?!?" She looked to her side to see that Vincent was here too. Wherever here was. Turns out they were in the exact same tavern as before. Only thing was that it was pitch dark outside and empty. Turned out everyone had gone home. Still believing they were demons, no one dared or bothered to move their corpses. Happy days indeed.

Rubbing her head, trying to get adjusted back to the living world, Kiara stood up and looked at Vincent. "Next time I see that damn cowboy, I'm gonna wring his neck," she vowed. Somewhere far away, that same cowboy was laughing his inhuman ass off.

[AkiBlue]

Even Vincent gave a look of surprise when Kiara was shot. "You've got an odd way of doing things." Without further conversation he gave a two finger salute before he was shot and well...dead...again?

*********

He woke up with a slight cough, and then slowly sat up. "It was the only way to get back." Vin tried to offer an explanation, but he had a feeling that wouldn't work. So, he gave up as he started and looked around to see where he was. To their fortune, or possibly dismay, they were in the same old tavern. At least the people were out, and at least they still had their weapons. At least, he felt he had his when he shifted to his feet.

When Vin stood, he stretched and yawned as if he had really just been asleep. "I look forward to seeing that." He chuckled and then leaned over the bar counter. "Since we're dead anyway, I don't think they'd mind us taking something to go right?" He glanced over at her and then gave a more questionable look. "That guy sure didn't leave us with much...."

He glanced upwards, assuming that he was probably still heard from way up there. "I don't suppose you guys know where the devil is? Or at least if we have to fight other demons before we get to him.

The male then shook his head and plopped on the stool. "What have I gotten myself into... It would've been fair to at least get some type of immortality or some cool weapon to help."

[TheWendil]

"Sorry. Doesn't work like that."

Kiara jumped back in fright as one moment it was empty air, and the next, Sandal was standing among them. "Is this gonna be a daily routine?" Sandal gave her a toothy grin.

"Hardly. Only on Tuesdays." But it was Thursday. Before Kiara could point this out, Sandal gestured outside the tavern to where the sandstorm once was. "Obviously, the recent outbreaks of black sand has been caused by the Devil. Or, Webster Pelgado. That's the name he's been going by in these parts. Fancy name, I'd reckon." Kiara raised an eyebrow at Vincent before hearing out Sandal. "Anyway, he's got this little assistant of his. Ragsy? Rebel? Roadkill? Think it was. . .Roadkill. That's his name!"

"You sure about that?" Kiara asked.

"Absolutely! And if not, well hey, at least you died noble. Anyway, you don't get special weapons. You don't get special treatment. But you do get me. Not my support mind you, but my commentary. That's gotta count for something." Kiara was slowly losing patience with this man. Sandal ignored her and glanced outside again. "They'll both be here tomorrow at sundown. Probably. They most likely sent a scout ahead just in case."

A loud grumbling echoed in the tavern, giving off a blood curdling howl. Sandal grinned. "That's you cue," he told the two travelers. "Don't mind me. I'll pop in here and there every so often. Just don't screw up." And then he as gone. Just like that. The howling only got louder and closer, putting them both on edge. One was certain about Sandal's words. It was their problem now.

[AkiBlue]

Unlike Kiara, Vin was mildly entertained by Sandal. His jokes and sarcasm was rather amusing- and he didn't deny the comedy when he toyed with Kiara. But as usual, he stayed silent as they had their back and forth, or more rather when Kiara got upset with him. "So Webster and...his assistant." Since the name was questionable, he left the assistant's out.

Sandal went on to tell them how he was practically going to be a useless benefactor in the situation. "Well this sucks." The male shook his head. Not even he wanted to accept Sandal's little joke. Not this time. It had gotten too realistic for him. The Big Man Upstairs must've had some serious faith in them. 'I hope you remembered that this is your own enemy, not ours. Well, in the sense of, it would've been nice for you to smite him for something.'

His rambles in his head were ceased as the growling proceeded and grew louder. That didn't sound too promising to start with. So much for being eased into the situation. "Just jump right in, huh?" Sandal had disappeared at that point and Vin spoke with a trace of sarcasm. "Tch, he's given us plenty of time to 'learn the ropes' and hope not to die." Casually, Vin pulled out his gun as the growling grew even louder. "Alright, you heard the guy. Don't screw up."

Just as the click of his gun could be heard, there was a shift of movement on the ground floor. The color was seen first, being a pale gray. "At least they don't blend in with the sand?" He tried to give a positive thought as the small handful turned into a large group of these pale gray creatures. They resembled large lizards in a way, with their thick scaly skins and heavy tails brushing through the sand behind them. It caused a cloud of dust, which Vin made sure he would steer clear of. The little monsters were quick on four legs. "Sharp claws and sharp teeth. How about we just make sure we don't get hit. At all."

There were probably around twenty or so of these rampaging demons. They hissed and growled as they approached. At first, they all planned to scatter through the town to see what they could find- but seeing two humans standing there, almost challengingly, made them growl more. "They obviously don't like people..."

Vincent aimed his gun and fired right at one demon lizard. He shot its back, causing the impact to knock it off track, but it jumped up once again, more furious than before. "It didn't work?" He gave a look of frustrated confusion, beginning to shoot them once more. A few times, he would get the same result, and others would die once they were hit.

"They're armored. Don't waste your time on shooting their backs. Straight shots to the head." He informed, as Kiara attacked the little monsters too. Noticing one trying to sneak up on her, he pointed his gun as if to shoot at her head, but instead of hitting her, it hit the demon mid-jump attack. He gave a faint smirk and turned to his own issues. "You can thank me later."