The Battle Begins.

"Here they come." I yelled opening my eyes having watched the army movements. "Their moving heavy on the hill. You have command up here." I said to the lead ranger. One of the rangers waved a flag to them. The leader nodding from the hill and sending the signal down the line. The one thing I hadn't seen was the dark elf witch. The orcs were being thrown to the slaughter. I jumped down and used the whirlwind to slow my fall and headed to the grove. As much as I wanted to stay in the battle and take command myself guarding the grove was more important. The high priestess nodded having armed herself with a staff. Some of the priestess had armed themselves with bows having learned to hunt in a past life I guess. Willow had left a few fighters as well. They where good swords men but lousy archers according to her words.

"Now we wait." I said walking along the edge of the pool keeping an eye out. I wondered who it would be. Nox the dark elf. Prince Warwick. Someone I didn't know. What face would **** wear today. I could here the sounds of orcs screaming. Was it in pain or a cry for battle. I hated this feeling. Suddenly I felt something. A tingle.

"The barrier is down." The High Priestess said. I drew my bow and arrow. I heard the rush of air and felt the tingle of magic as three people appeared. One of the Priestess fired an arrow which hit the large shield of the Prince. The second one was Nox who fired an arrow at me making me dodge and fire back as the Prince shielded her. The third face caught me by surprise as I saw Raven. Her eyes were black as night. She smiled at me then looked away as she ducked a sword swung at her head then stabbed the attacker in the throat. She moved like Raven but it wasn't her.

"We meet again." The prince said coming toward me. He was decked out in heavy armor this time. He charged at me with a sword. He was lax in his defense though leaving himself wide open. I let him get close and fired a second before he got close enough to take my head off. I felt the wind as his sword went over my head. I came back up to see the arrow sticking out of his visor. I drew my sword cutting the arrow off before he could pull it out. I lunged away and blocked his sword staying on his blind side.

I saw Nox fire at me and threw my arm up as it grazed off of my wooden flesh. Slowly I could feel my other arm and chest begin to change to wood as well. I saw Raven go after the high priestess. I slung my sword at her and she dodged aside easily.

"Ad manus mea." I said calling it back and she ducked and smiled at me. The Prince came at me swing which I blocked and put him between me and Nox as she fired at me again. The Prince knocked me back with his shield and swung at me again. He wasn't as fast as last time. It was his army that was slowing him down. I dropped my bow and switched hands with my sword. I blocked his swing and grabbed an Arrow from my quiver driving it into his other eye and snapped it off. He dropped his shield grasping at his helmet. He pulled it off as well as his chain mail coif and I swung my sword into his neck with a spray of blood. He fell forward to the ground gasping his neck as it began to regenerate and I brought my sword down severing his head from his body.

"No." Nox screamed and fired an arrow that hit me in the chest with a thud. I pulled it out and kicked up my bow. She drew and fired as I did the same. "lacus statim locus" I said and teleported a second after my arrow left the quiver. I had only moved a foot to the right but it was enough to dodge an arrow meant for my head. She wasn't so lucky as the arrow went into her neck. I aimed at Raven who had the high priestess prisoner. We were the only three left standing other then the battle going on around us. I saw the sword she had at the high priestess throat. A blade as black as midnight.

"Let them go."

"But I like this skin. She wears so many faces. So many lies. So many desires. She is perfection made flesh." She taunted me.

"If you think I won't kill her..."

"Oh, I know you will. She would even won't you to probably if she had a voice in this. There is nothing she wouldn't do to achieve her goals which I love. She did not give in without a fight. What makes this so perfect is you are the only one she admires. She sees you as a better person then herself. Someone she wishes she could be but can not and it angers her. Something she could never be. Even now her blood boils from the memories fueling me. Only the blackest heart can wield the dark blade. You made her heart black by how good you are leaving her open to me. She knows so much about **** and killing. So many ways I could kill the priestess. So many ways to make it hurt. For the priestess to suffer as my vessel suffered when they trained her. How shall I kill you before I thrust the dark blade fueled by my own magic into the tree."