<JETMODE> *The approach to the temple is silent, except for the sound of Teal's footsteps. Not even the spectres are out, and a sort of anticipatory hush lingers in the air. A thin haze hovers just above the ground, and it's accompanied by an unpleasant chill.

<TIAMAT> *Teal is nervous -- there's no doubt about it, though he puts on a determined face as he silently approaches the shrine.

<JETMODE> *The temple is a monument to .. well .. something. The architectural style is hard to pin down, primarily because half of it is cloaked in darkness. The light of the lamps from the street reach only the front of the building and its large set of steps.

<JETMODE> *At Teal's approach, however, several large braziers light up with a roar, giving the stairs and temple a hazy, orange glow.

<TIAMAT> *Teal pauses, shielding his eyes from the sudden light, before starting up the steps slowly, occasionally glancing around warily.

<JETMODE> *Nothing on the steps, but as he approaches the top, the area widens into a courtyard, the centerpiece of which is a solid lump of melted stone. It would make a fairly unremarkable center, except that a large sword is chained to the rock, and a strange figure is seated on top of it in an attitude of patient waiting.

<JETMODE> *The figure's head lifts slightly, and he gives a faintly disappointed sigh. He nevertheless rises to his feet and springs to the courtyard tiles, giving a long stretch. His face is masked by a helmet of dragon bone, only his mouth showing. Long, silver hair flows down his back, gleaming in the braziers' light.

<JETMODE> *He wears no shirt, only trousers and boots, and his chest has a couple of large, jagged scars. But most odd are the skeletal wings that stretch from his shoulders, occasionally quivering as if in an errant breeze.

<TIAMAT> *Teal halts when he reaches the top of the steps, tensing when the figure jumps down to the ground, his hand clenched around his sword hilt.

<JETMODE> *The figure gives him a thoroughly amused smile. "Inconvenient. But perhaps it's a boon you came instead."

<TIAMAT> *Teal shifts slightly, but doesn't move. "The mighty Jajara, I presume. *he's got a strange hard sort of look in his eye.

<JETMODE> *Jajara gives a sweeping bow, wings spreading wide. "And you are the exceptionally irritating Baron Teal, come to thwart me, I suppose."

<TIAMAT> *Teal gives him a cold look. "It wasn't exactly what I had on my agenda for this week, if it makes you feel any better.

<JETMODE> <Jajara> *pleasantly* Your agenda is hardly a concern. My agenda, on the other hand, is paramount, and I'm afraid you've been messing it up awfully, boy.

<TIAMAT> *Teal: I do apologize for the inconvenience. *pause* I am curious, though, as to why you brought us here in the first place.

<JETMODE> <Jajara> I suppose you're entitled to a bit of nosiness, as you weren't supposed to come at all. *folds his arms* As she is the one who summoned me up from my untimely grave, I am unfortunately bound to her until one death or the other does us part.

<JETMODE> *He continues thoughtfully. "Strangely, my power wasn't quite enough to break through her barriers and end the bond immediately ... but at least I can use her to break the seal and finish the job properly now."

<TIAMAT> *Teal draws his sword halfway out of its scabbard. "I'm afraid it won't be quite that easy."

<JETMODE> <Jajara> Ah, as expected. *smile broadens* Human nobility is such a fascinating thing.. What is she to you? An annoyance at best, a disaster at worst. And yet here you are. *liquid shrug*

<TIAMAT> *Teal draws his sword completely, balancing it in his good arm and giving Jajara a dark look. "I can't abandon her. Not now."

<TIAMAT> *Teal: Besides, am I to believe you would let me escape from here unscathed if I were to leave her?

<JETMODE> <Jajara> You do have a point, don't you? *smile fades* It's just as well she wouldn't do the work herself.. after a while, you truly begin to irritate me.

<JETMODE> *Then in a lazy motion, he draws his own sword.

<TIAMAT> *Teal raises an eyebrow at that one comment.

<TIAMAT> *Teal: Do the work..?

<JETMODE> <Jajara> *takes a sauntering step forward* She's had ample opportunity to kill you this entire time, and yet here you stand, almost as healthy as ever. *lazily drops into a fighting stance* Must be that nobility at work again. Tiresome, tiresome.

<TIAMAT> *A flicker of surprise crosses Teal's face for a moment, but then he frowns again, looking angrier than before. "Ah. Of course. I'm almost surprised she didn't.. *he trails off, twirling his sword once slowly to get the feel for it in one hand, then drops into a defensive position himself.

<JETMODE> *Jajara eyes him thoughtfully for a moment, then lunges fluidly forward, darting his sword at one of Teal's legs.

<TIAMAT> *Teal sidesteps quickly, using the momentum of the movement to swing around in a wide arc, attempting to catch Jajara in the back with his blade.

<JETMODE> *Jajara's already gone by the time the sword finishes its swing, hopping lazily into the air to land behind Teal and nick him in the back of the knee. Why go for the kill? He wants to play. ^_^

<TIAMAT> *Teal bites down hard to prevent from yelling out, stumbling forward a bit and whirling to meet his opponent. His eyes darken as his blade glows faintly, and he lunges at Jajara, sending a wide arc of electricity at him.

<JETMODE> *Jajara dances away, but not quite fast enough to avoid the electricity, which sizzles as it strikes him. "Effective," he remarks, evidently not offended.

<TIAMAT> *Teal stares a little. Something akin to "oh shit" is probably running through his brain at the moment.

<JETMODE> <Jajara> *pleasantly* Would you like to resume, or shall I strike you down where you stand? *dashes in for another strike*

<TIAMAT> *Teal parries this one and attempts to counter, striking out at Jajara's arm.

<JETMODE> <Jajara> Faster, faster. *he parries the counter, unleashing a series of rapid blows at Teal* It's hardly worth playing if you can't keep up.

<TIAMAT> *Teal parries as best he can but takes a hit in the side and staggers back a bit, but he's upon Jajara again almost instantly, feining to one direction as he ducks low and brings his sword up in a sweeping uppercut.

<JETMODE> *Jajara springs back and away, but the strike clips him, and a small trickle of blood starts near his collarbone. For some reason, this amuses him. "Good, I was afraid this would get boring." He flicks his hand, sending a shockwave of energy at Teal.

<TIAMAT> *Teal, being too close to dodge in time, braces himself, gritting his teeth and clenching his eyes as the energy washes over him and pushes him a ways. He pauses for a moment or two after the attack is done to catch his breath, then points his sword at Jajara and slices it upwards. In the same movement, a cylinder of electricity shoots up from the floor around Jajara, engulfing him.

<JETMODE> *When the light clears, Jajara is on one knee, head bent. He gives a ghastly chuckle. "Oh, excellent. Excellent. Very entertaining." He gets up without so much as a stagger, though he's scorched here and there, and he clearly didn't enjoy that.

<TIAMAT> *Teal's readying another attack ..

<JETMODE> *He bares his teeth in a smile that seems more feral than friendly. "But I think it's time for the endgame." He lifts his free hand skyward and a low howl sounds around Teal. Almost as soon as the howl begins, a wave of darkness washes over him, and he's struck and pierced by what feels like a dozen knives -- nowhere fatal, but all extremely painful.

<TIAMAT> *Teal yells out as he stumbles backward, back arched in pain. When the attack is over, he falls to his knees, clutching his sword (its point buried into the ground) to prevent from collapsing completely and breathing rather heavily. He's also bleeding from several wounds.

<JETMODE> <Jajara> *smiles and applauds* Ah, I knew you were made of sterner stuff than that.

<TIAMAT> *Teal glares up at Jajara darkly, then slowly pulls himself to his feet, stumbling just a little. "You'll have to...do better than that. *he rushes the dragon -- well, as best he can now, anyway -- swinging his sword wide and hard.

<JETMODE> *Jajara parries the strike and slashes Teal across the chest. Then, when he stumbles, the dragon lunges in and thrusts his sword into his chest, carefully aimed to the right instead of the left -- and definitely not placed to kill.

<JETMODE> *Jajara smiles easily and rips the sword free. "A valiant effort." He salutes Teal with the bloody sword.

<TIAMAT> *Teal lurches as Jajara rips the blade free, staring at the bloody mess of his chest as his own sword falls weakly from his grasp. He staggers a moment, coughing up blood as his eyes glaze over, then crashes to his knees again and collapses, a pool of blood slowly forming around him.

<JETMODE> *Jajara gives a rasping chuckle, but it breaks off with strange sound. Rather suddenly, a sword blade is protruding from his chest. He smiles faintly. "Clever girl ..."

<JETMODE> *Genoa is standing behind him, eyes blazing as she grips the hilt of the sword that was chained to the rock.

<TIAMAT> *Through glassy and bleary eyes, Teal sees Genoa and the sword, and a confused sort of look steals across his face.

<JETMODE> *Genoa leans in close to Jajara, murmuring rapidly and harshly in his ear. The dragon's amusement flickers once, and she gives the sword a slight wrench. He finally gives a gurgling laugh. "You do drive a hard bargain, don't you?"

<JETMODE> <Genoa> *snaps* Yes or no, Jajara!

<TIAMAT> *Teal coughs weakly, only half hearing Genoa and not understanding a word she said to the dragon.

<JETMODE> <Jajara> *takes a rasping breath, grinning* Agreed.

<JETMODE> *She wrenches the sword free, and the dragon staggers once, drops to one knee, and fades out without so much as a farewell.

<TIAMAT> *Teal blinks hard at where Jajara was standing just a minute ago, registering slowly that the dragon is actually gone. He half-attempts to pull himself up, but gives a gurgling cough and collapses back to the ground.

<JETMODE> *Genoa scrambles to his side, nearly slipping in the pooling blood. "Don't --" She drops the sword and kneels, trying to get a look at his wounds without hurting him even more.

<TIAMAT> *Teal coughs again, spitting up a little more blood. His eyes are glazed and unfocused. "What..?

<JETMODE> <Genoa> *fiercely* Don't talk!

<JETMODE> *She's having absolutely no luck getting the blood to stop, and she's almost to the point of tears of frustration. "Damn you, damn you -- WHY?" She stops just short of pounding her fist against his chest and starts to cry.

<TIAMAT> *Teal coughs again, then actually smiles -- very weakly -- up at her. "Couldn't ... let him ...hurt you.

<JETMODE> *Genoa stares at him, tears still streaming, then bows her head. "You.. idiot.."

<TIAMAT> *Teal tries to reach for Genoa's face, but he only gets his hand halfway there. "Tears...don't...become you. *he coughs again, this time a lot more blood coming up. "I'm...sorry... *he shudders once, then goes limp.

<JETMODE> *Genoa looks at him blankly for a moment. "Teal?" Panic flashes cross her face. "Teal?!"

<TIAMAT> *He's very much unconscious. Actually, he probably looks fairly dead.

<JETMODE> <Genoa> You -- can't --

<JETMODE> *She looks utterly lost, unable to think of anything she can do. So much that she doesn't notice immediately when the temple fades around them and is slowly replaced by the back hallway they first disappeared in. And that great honking sword that was chained to the rock came with them and is lying on the floor next to her.

<JETMODE> *The sound of footsteps coming up the hall shakes her from her brief stint into the realms of despair, and she suddenly cries out. "Help me! Please!"

<TIAMAT> *A shadow appears at the end of the hallway and pauses. A familiar voice calls ".. Who's there?

<JETMODE> <Genoa> Please! *half-frantic* He's -- he's dying!

<TIAMAT> *The figure hesitates for a moment, then moves swiftly down the hallway, and Jarod steps into the dim light. He stops short of Genoa and Teal, a look of shock crossing his face. "G-Genoa!?"

<JETMODE> *She's still crying -- and she clearly doesn't recognize Jarod. "Please.."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod's eyes dart wildly between her and Teal. "What...oh my god... *he drops to his knees next to Teal, but clearly can't do anything to help. After a moment, he looks up at Genoa in alarm, trying to keep his voice steady. "We have to get him to the infirmary. Can you help me?"

<JETMODE> *Genoa nods, still looking a little dazed. She immediately attempts to lift Teal, though probably not with a tremendous amount of success.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: Stop -- stop! We have to be careful or we'll hurt him even more. *he helps Genoa lift Teal as gingerly as possible, then starts for the infirmary. Unfortunately, if I recall correctly, they're on the first floor. And the infirmary is a few stories up. Thankfully, it's late evening, and not many people are around to witness this little spectacle.

<JETMODE> *Genoa goes along without a word, occasionally glancing at Teal. Once or twice she reaches out to touch his face, but she drops her hand before it reaches him.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod probably doesn't notice much -- he's concentrating on getting to the infirmary as quick as possible. It's quiet up there when they burst through the doors -- the alchemist on duty isn't in this room, and Jarod immediately yells for some assistance as he makes for the nearest bed with Teal.

<JETMODE> *There's a startled fumble from the back and the sound of something breaking, and an alchemist pokes her head into the room, looking harried. "What is it -- oh my HEAVENS."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: Please -- it's an emergency --

<JETMODE> <alchemist> I should say so -- *hurries over* Let's get him to a bed. *she usurps Genoa's place supporting Teal and settles him into an empty bed with Jarod's help* What on earth happened?!

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: I -- I have no idea -- *he glances at Genoa.

<JETMODE> *Genoa has walked carefully over to another free bed and sat down, and she is currently staring at the floor and shaking.

<JETMODE> <alchemist> What a MESS -- *suddenly breaks off* Is this.. this is.. the Baron?!

<TIAMAT> *Jarod's face goes a little white as he nods silently.

<JETMODE> *The alchemist, looking pale, mutters something about needing a priest for this one.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: Is...is there something I can do to help?

<JETMODE> <alchemist> Yeah, go get the priest. I'll do what I can to patch him up here.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod nods silently and takes off out the door.

<TIAMAT> *After a moment, Whisper pokes her head around the corner from one of the back rooms, looking groggy. She blinks at the scene, eyes widening, then spots Genoa, and her eyes widen even more. "Genoa..?"

<JETMODE> *Genoa doesn't respond to her name, though she does stir a little.

<TIAMAT> *Whisper rushes in, pausing with a gasp when she sees Teal, then hurries over to Genoa and kneels in front of her. "Genoa..?"

<JETMODE> *Genoa looks pretty awful, even though she's not really hurt. Her skirt is soaked with blood, and her hands are covered with it, too. Not to mention a spatter or two on her face.

<TIAMAT> *Whisper shakes Genoa a bit. "Genoa? Say something!"

<TIAMAT> *Teal murmurs something very quietly. So he IS alive.

<JETMODE> *Genoa jerks her head up at the sound of his voice, and the tears start again -- this time, however, they're tears of relief.

<JETMODE> *The alchemist is swearing softly as she works. "What in the name of hell .. and where, for that matter ..."

<TIAMAT> *Whisper glances over at Teal, then back up Genoa, giving her a concerned look and still trying to get her to talk.

<JETMODE> *Genoa finally seems to notice Whisper, and her expression becomes very confused. "Whisper..?"

<TIAMAT> *Whisper takes Genoa's hand gently. "Genoa, are you all right..?"

<JETMODE> <Genoa> I.. *she presses her free hand to her forehead* It has been.. a terrible.. terrible day.

<TIAMAT> *A few minutes later, Jarod bursts back in, followed by a black-haired and bearded dwarf, who looks a little grouchy. "What's all the-- *he sees Teal and pauses, looking surprised. "...Oh my. *he hurries over, opposite the alchemist. "What happened?

<JETMODE> <alchemist> Deviled if I know, Greito -- those two just burst in with him bloody and everything. Hurry it up, would you? I've done what I can, but it's just not quite there.

<TIAMAT> *Greito mutters a bit. "Yes, yes, I see that. You'll have to give me a few moments to set it up -- *he breaks off, pulling out a small ankh and starts marking symbols in the air with it, chanting softly.

<JETMODE> *The alchemist snorts something and steps aside to let him work.

<TIAMAT> *Whisper smiles a little faintly. "Yes, I -- I can see that. Are you hurt? *she looks from Genoa's face to her hands to her skirt, all bloody.

<JETMODE> <Genoa> *hoarse laugh* No. Not me. Never me.

<TIAMAT> *Greito finishes the incantation, and the symbol he marked glows faintly, then flashes out. Teal's wounds stop bleeding immediately, and they seem to heal a bit. His breathing, which was hoarse and shallow, slowly regains regularity, and he seems to be sleeping rather calmly.

<TIAMAT> *Whisper watches the cleric finish the spell, then turns back to Genoa. "*quietly* What happened?"

<TIAMAT> *Jarod has been standing back this whole time, watching grimly.

<JETMODE> <Genoa> Jajara. *dull smile* He wanted me, but ... *stares blankly at Teal again* Idiot. Idiot.

<TIAMAT> *Greito pauses for a moment, then steps back a little with a sigh. "That's a tricky one, all right. How's he look?

<JETMODE> <alchemist> *leans over him with a sigh* About as good as he's going to get for now -- I imagine he'll live, though. What a mess!

<TIAMAT> *Greito nods. "Indeed. *he glances over at Jarod, whose robes are caked with blood as well. "Do you need healing, son?"

<TIAMAT> *Jarod starts a little, blinking at Greito. "Er -- no ... no, I'm not hurt. Thanks."

<TIAMAT> *Greito hmphs quietly and turns to Genoa. "And how about you? You three brought enough blood to this infirmary tonight.."

<JETMODE> <Genoa> *looks at him* I'm not hurt.

<TIAMAT> *Greito gives her a peculiar look, nods, then turns back to the alchemist. "Well, you know where to find me if there're any other catastrophies."

<JETMODE> <alchemist> Sure thing. Thanks for your help.

<TIAMAT> *Greito nods and waves a bit, muttering to himself as he ambles out.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod, quietly: He'll be all right?

<JETMODE> <alchemist> *smiles wearily* Looks that way. He'll be under the weather for a while, though. Where the heck did you find him?

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: I -- *he pauses, realizing just how strange the circumstance is* Down on the first floor...at the end of a back hallway. *he glances at Genoa questioningly.

<JETMODE> <Genoa> *shakes her head*

<TIAMAT> *Whisper: Genoa, you ... you look terrible. You should rest...

<JETMODE> <Genoa> I.. ... *softly* All right.