The Unforgiven (Phoenix City Chronicles)

The world came back to Vincent swiftly... A cold rush went up his spine as he was brought back from the dead. "W... where? Why..?" Vincent muttered in sheer confusion.

"Looks like it worked." she says sarcasticly keeping her weapons ready "Question is is he still nutsoid."

"Vincent," Tal looked him in the eyes, "Revived, have you been, by the will of Demeter. Understand me, can you now?"

Vincent's lips curled up in that familiar smile he has... "Now why did you do that? I did just try to kill one of you, although I do not know whom they were." Vincent replied with a sort of chuckle.

Placing one of her blades in infront of Vincents neck "The names Kaylea." She sayswith a sadistic grin then whispers to him "And I wouldnt recomend reminding Knuckles of that, he tends to get over protective."

"You don't want piss me off today buddy," Knuckles growled, "I've been through hell!"



"Getting us nowhere, this is," Tal sighed, "Please, Vincent, a terrible mess we are in, and all due to Jacen Koriander. Surely, help take your revenge on him, you would be willing to do?"

"Jacen!?" Vincent hissed with rage, baring his vampiric fangs. "Who is it that I've been fight till now?!" He cried out in a mix of rage, shock, and hatred.

"Who?" she says puzzeledly withdrawing her sword from his throat and turning to Tal.

"A demon most foul," Tal narrowed his eyes, "Responsible for the madness that took Cellus, the rage that got myself and Mason killed, and working directly with the man who killed us, he was. A heartless monster, is this incubus, who toys with lives like a child with dolls. Long ago, a similarly terrible plot, he hatched, for revenge on Vincent, which cost us the life of an innocent."

"Mezerella! Mezerella was her name! I... I saw her after I was killed back in the castle... She... She helped me leave my hellish insanity." Vincent looked down at his feet. "I... I will help you, with my kin, I will help you defeat this bastard once and for all!" Vincent said looking back at Knuckles and nodded.

"Just what we need, more bad guys..." she sighs "Well now that he's on our side, shall we get goin'."

"There is power in numbers..." Vincent said smirking as he snaps his fingers.

As he did so, four pale-skinned warriors with bows stood from their camouflaged positions and walked over.

"We're ready, Master Vincent!," they called out in unison.

Sure enough, as the group assembled, a column of light drifted down through the trees, which as the heroes were well aware by now, lead upwards in a skyward pull to the next level for all who entered it.



"Wonder, I must, what new challenge will await us," Tal pondered with a hand to his chin.



"We'll never know until we get up there, so what say we stop talking 'bout it and find out!," Knuckles grinned, motioning to Kaylea, "After you."

"Thank you luv" she says as she steps into the column of light "See chivilry isn't dead outside of those stuffy-shirted knights."

The next level didn't appear all that dangerous. It was a tranquil forest with what appeared to be a hot springs resort of sorts set about the middle just before our heroes.



Emerging from the resort to greet them was a lovely woman in a kimono, "Greetings adventurers! You've reached the half way point in your journey. Please, spend some time to rest and heal your wounds at the Kohana Onsen. I am Aleicia, anything you ask, I will provide"

Vincent looks around in surprise at the change of scenery... He then sees the woman greet them. "Anything..?" He mutters to himself.

"Huh, really?!," Knuckles asked, a little too excited, then looked sheepishly to Kaylea as he realized how that must have looked, "Uh... well, wouldn't mind a hot bath and a healer looking at these eyes."



Tal appeared to be less impressed, clearly looking around for something, but snapped his attention back to the woman before him, meeting her eyes with a canny look in his own, "Kindly, I thank you. A simple bath, will I require."



"Funny, I don't remember this being here before...," Zeaken muttered as he walked inside.

"Maybe its a perk." she said hapily 'Finally a chance to relax a bit, and now I've got him back!' and she shoots knuckles a mischivious grin "Honestly a bath sounds great!"

"The leader of this tournament is a staunch believer in fair play. He wants everyone at their best when they arrive, Come let me introduce you to my assistants," Aleica smiled graciously as three women and a man came out of the spa, bowing politiely.



"Jessalyn specializes in healing and can make even the dead feel lively," Aleica introduced the first girl, who giggled in turn as she looked to Vincent.



"Vora is very helpful when finding your way around," Aleica motioned to the second girl, who winked to Tal.



The third girl met Zeaken at the door, "My name is Margaret sir. I can tell you're a traveling man. I, too, have been to many places. Perhaps we can talk about them together?"



"And this is Bo," Aleica smiled to the one man among the group, who had a very calming manner about him.

He, in turn, walked over, smiling gently to Kaylea, which got a cross look from Knuckles, "If there's anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, please let me know."

'I better keep my guard up... I remember last time I let me guard up around a woman..." Vincent thought as he smirked. He then nods to his cohorts and they disappear into the shadows. "Well then, shall we?" He said walking after Jessalyn. Out of all of them, this girl intrigued him the most.

"Actually I think the bath can wait..." she yawns exageratedly "Could I get someplace private to take a nap?" she asks Bo.

"Of course," Bo smiled to Kaylea, then Knuckles, who was still pretty uneasy about him, "Shall we then?"

"We shall." she smiles mischiviously again walking after Bo twards a room, she walks up to Knuckles grabing his hand and draging him behind her "Of course im going to need my favorite pillow..."

As Margaret led Zeaken off for "tea", Vora began to escort Tal to the shower room, "Oh, you'll love our special room. In addition to the warm, relaxing water, there's a sun roof!"



"Hai, sounds... lovely," Tal gave a nervous smile as he followed.

As they reached the room, Tal disrobed, keeping a canny eye on the maiden as he sunk into the water, thereafter letting out a relieved sigh.

"See, isn't that nice?," Vora smiled softly.



"Vora, would you be a dear and handle our unattended guest alongside Bo?," Alieca instructed with her usual grace, walking over to sit behind Tal at the edge of the bath, "I will attend to him myself."

"Yes Mistress," Vora nodded, turning and walking out of the room.

"Very nice of you, it is, to personally see to your clients," Tal acknowledged.

"Well, here at Kohana Onsen, we like to give our customers a very personal touch," Alieca smiled winsomely, letting her hands idly massage at the grasslander's shoulders to work out tension as she spoke, "And I must admit, you're quite the special client. Rarely do we get one with such tremendous spirit energy."

"Much training, have I endured, to raise the level of my spirit...," Tal closed his eyes, letting out a content sigh as she began to work her way over his collar bone and across his chest...

"No doubt, you have, Mr. Kadorin," Alieca smiled tenderly.

At this, Tal bolted straight up and turned to face her, "Explain, would you, how you know my name?"

"Gladly," Alieca nodded, "The nature of the spa is that it manifests your heart's desire at that moment in time so that everyone is as relaxed as they can be. It's safe to say I know everything about you Tal."

"I-I see," Tal gulped, having just now noticed the woman had entered the water and was nude before him.

As she reached up to circle one hand around him, the other placed a finger on his lips before he could protest, "Just relax, and I'll take care of everything."

With that, she leaned in for a kiss.

"BITCH!" Cellus shrieked as she burst into the room, diving into the water to give Alieca a clean left hook to the jaw. "I'll teach you to lay a finger on my man!" she yelled, swinging punch after punch at the girl.