In the end, it had been too dangerous. Faldain could not in good conscience risk his companions, Ile and Lan, not when the likes of Xalabir, Rue and Rolf were in town. So, that night he had gathered his things and made his escape, stealing away up the Zora's River under cover of night. He had given the young wizard what guidance he could, and trusted the man to do what he thought best by it, but years of paranoia and self-preservation were simply too hard to overcome.

He had since gone back to his old ways, hiking by sun- and starlight across the countryside, doing whatever he felt like. Now after a year of mild chaos he had come to more peaceful climes, to a wide meadow near a waterfall on the Zora's River once again, and made camp for the remainder of the night; when dawn colored the sky he rose, made a fire and prepared a small pot of porridge. A far cry from Ile's generous breakfasts, but such decadence was not in his makeup. As grateful as he had been for the few days' relaxation and good company, the old swordsman was a solitary wanderer at heart, and the simple things were enough for him.

Had he been followed here, though? It was not unlikely; he had a great many enemies, after all. For some reason he found himself thinking of Rolf, the brutish Lynel with all the issues; he had seemed the vengeful sort, and no doubt his Lynel instincts could keep him to a straight track once he had one to follow. "Better safe than sorry," Faldain muttered, reaching for his weapons. A few quick twists had the spearhead firmly attached to the ironwood staff, and with that weapon in reach he went back to his breakfast, his own senses alert for any who would approach his camp.

What a foolish mistake! The murder of the elderly man had aroused so much suspicion and anger in the towns people that it simply was no longer feasible to stay. So, in the dead of the night the Blood Diamond was forced to quietly slip out of their hotel and into the shadows. For the longest time the Diamond stayed mostly in hiding, only venturing out to quench his thirst for blood. Eventually, of course, he grew tired of the occasional soul, and decided to venture back out into the world once more. It wasn't long after this that the Diamond saw a familiar figure heading along Zora River. An evil grin formed on his face as his began his pursuit...

The soft flowing sound of the river beside him created a feeling of calm in the air as the Diamond continued his pursuit. Before long the figure far ahead of him stopped in a wide, open meadow by a waterfall, and proceeded to set up camp. How easy it could have been for the Diamond to attack the man in his sleep; to gut him, steal his soul and disappear again into the night. But no, such an act was more to the liking of the previous owner of the Lynel body, Rolf. Instead the Diamond chose to wait, and watch, until the morning.

The light could not have come fast enough as it began to peep out over the horizon, illuminating the meadow with a soft light. The smell of fire filled the air as the man started up a fire and cooked himself some kind of slush. How glad the Diamond was that he needed no such nourishment.

Sword at the ready, the Diamond stepped out into view and banished his magic away. What was once seemingly thin air suddenly became a lynel, and with that same sly grin still plastered on his face the Diamond clicked his sword against his hooves to gain Faldain's attention.

"You know, sneaking off in the middle of the night is the kind of thing murderers and crooks do..."

"A common misconception not supported by facts," Faldain replied calmly, unsurprised thanks to his sensitivity; he had detected the Lynel the moment he stepped into the clearing. It would have been stealthier for him to simply sneak in without magics. The old man finished his breakfast in an orderly, unhurried fashion, taking his time to wipe the utensils down and dab his mouth off. "I would offer you some of this, but I expect you would only insult me and throw it back in my face, so I shall refrain," he went on, standing up; the spear was in hand, and the rest of his weaponry was in their scabbards.

"But yes; your statement is false," he went on, taking a few steps across the meadow toward the Diamond. "Not everyone who exercises prudence in the face of danger is a criminal; likewise, not every criminal exercises prudence. Me, I am simply an old man who wants to avoid trouble, yet trouble follows me without pause." He gave the Diamond a look, as if to say he was the trouble in this instance. "You, what are you? A crude thing under the grasp of an even cruder thing, a bloodthirsty thug with no control over your actions. Leaving Miss Rue was a mistake, one you will come to grasp even with what power you imagine you possess."

He had been leaning on his spear, regarding the Lynel with eyes that weren't exactly kindly, but not really hostile either. Now he straightened, and his face grew hard; his eyes became the chips of ice that could send little kids screaming, young men to sickness, and grown men to crying. "Judging from your naked blade, you wish to do battle," Faldain went on; even his voice was harder, colder. He closed his eyes; the air whirled briefly about his form; he straightened further, and somehow seemed decades younger. "I will oblige you, and perhaps you will see at least one of the countless errors in your ways."

Lynel eyes widened in excitement at the word 'battle' and a crooked, teeth-filled grin formed upon the Diamond's face. He watched in awe as Faldain straightened up to an impossible height and years of turmoil and stress seemed to melt away from the aged warriors face. Where an old, frail man had just hunched now stood a strong warrior, more than ready to fight for his life. It was a curious sight; to see such a dramatic change in a man so close between his own breakfast and his first battle of the day. While it still rang true in the Diamond's mind that all other beings other than itself were inferior, Faldain was a brilliant specimen of potential power.

Images of warriors slain flashed in front of the Diamond's eyes as his hand gripped tighter and tighter on his blade. So many had fallen to Rolf's old blade, but the Diamond could tell that none had been of such stature or strength as the old man standing before him. Truly, it would be a glorious day if the Diamond could attain such an outstanding soul to add to his collection! But, of course, such a feat would be easier said than done; the sudden change Faldain had just undergone proved that the old coot was tougher than he looked.

"Battle?" The Diamond asked, his words practically dripping with excitement. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to break a bone, old man." He winked cockily at Faldain; perhaps seeking to aggravate his opponent into getting angry, which would then lead to mistakes. "Tell you what," he continued, moving closer to proper battle distance. "You last a mere five minutes before your bones snap under the pressure, and maybe I won't tear your head off."

With that final remark the Lynel sprung forwards, using his powerful hind legs to propel himself forwards with a great force. As he landed the Diamond brought his sword crashing down towards Faldain's head, hoping to cut the man in two before the battle had even truly begun.

"'Five minutes'," Faldain scoffed beneath his breath. "You'll be lucky to last ten seconds, if I were serious about this." He watched the Lynel with his hard blue eyes as the beast moved forward, taunting and prattling before finally making his move.

But such a frightfully obvious move. "Speed, you have," Faldain said almost conversationally. "Power, I do not doubt." As Diamond blundered on by, the old swordmaster had but to stick the butt of his spear out and send him sprawling to the ground; a swift kick knocked his blade away, and he lightly pressed the sharp edge of the spear to the back of his neck. "But no grace. No style. No finesse. You are dead, creature."

He stepped away, removing himself several paces from the beast. "Fight me, creature. Do not try to impress me, others have tried with much better odds, and failed just as miserably. Retrieve your blade, let us try again." He set himself defensively, and awaited the thug's next move.

Obviously he was merely toying with Rolf, or Diamond, or whatever the Lynel called himself. Faldain had learned long ago that death was merely an escape; a far more effective defeat was humiliation, systematically dismantling the enemy's defenses and lightly whittling away at his endurance. The old swordmaster had fought hundreds, perhaps thousands of duels and spars, and hadn't lost in forty-five years; he had no intention of losing now.

The Lynel would be better as an ally, or at least a neutral party in the old man's life. And if he had to beat the tar out of him to accomplish such, so be it. It wouldn't be the first time, after all.

"Impudent worm," the Diamond spat as he lifted himself back to a standing position. "Grace, finesse or style have no place in such an oafish bag of flesh." He gestured to his Lynel body as he leaned down to pluck his blade from the dirt.. "There is only raw, crushing power; almost every move is designed to be the last."

Ready for battle once more, he stared into Faldain's cold eyes and couldn't help but grin. They were so... completely different to the ones the Diamond currently sported, one might even begin to say were almost completely opposite. Faldain's eyes were a sharp, unforgiving blue capable of making children run away, young men cry, and brave men shiver. The Diamond's on the other hand, were of a different sort; dull, red-tinted slits that unnerved the viewer in a way that many felt was hard to describe. Shadows seemed to flicker back and forth between them as whatever dark forces lay there plotted the next move.

Musings aside, however, now was the time for battle.

Clearly, Faldain had years of experience under his belt; enough to easily trip the Diamond's somewhat brutish fighting style right up. This meant that perhaps in this instance, a tiny bit of strategy would prove useful. Lynel legs pressed off the ground once more, launching the beast straight toward Faldain for a second time. As the distance between the two combatants grew almost instantly non-existant, the Diamond rapidly weaved in a quick alteration to his appearance via his illusionary magic. In the instant before the Diamond threw his next attack his proportions suddenly seemed much smaller; an attempt to throw Faldain off by hopefully depriving him of the ability to tell where the Lynels arms and legs really were.

As he attacked, the beast threw in a hard punch with his off-hand before swinging horizontally this time, trying to knock the old man off balance with his fist before attempting to gut him. The Diamond simply refused to lose to such an old man this day.

Instinctively, Faldain stepped back, hissing in anger. "I said fight me, creature!" he shouted, sticking the butt end of his spear forward and up between the Lynel's legs; the beast's charge took him straight into it, and the old man turned his own momentum against him by flipping him up and over his back, to land with a crash on the ground behind. "Save your paltry tricks for someone who might fall for them! Don't waste my time with such things, or yours!"

Instead of retreating, this time he stabbed downward for the Diamond's gut, using his spiritual powers to boost his strength and speed. No blunt wooden tip this time; the old swordmaster was out for blood now, and the barbed, razor-sharp spearhead was what he sent hurtling down at the beast. Although Faldain had no magic himself, he could sense when others were performing it, and thanks to a blessing long ago when he was but an infant he could manipulate his own inner energies for various effects. The most obvious was to bolster his own body, reactions and strength and the like; he could even heal minor injuries on himself or others, and very rarely could produce explosive projections of power.

Such shows needed time to build up, of course, so weren't any good on moving targets. They were most useful for clearing debris, like an avalanche, or for knocking down trees to create a staircase or ladder. But he wouldn't need it in this fight in any event; if he'd been only ten years younger he wouldn't need his powers at all, but there you were.

((OOC: Sorry for the terrible delay, I've been rather busy.))

The Diamond managed to bring his sword up just in time to knock Faldain's spear head slightly off course. Unfortunately, the impact knocked the Lynel's sword out of his hand and sent it flying across the dirt to come to rest by the now fizzling fire. With no weapon and an obviously superior opponent standing above him, the Diamond was running out of options. Perhaps that is why Rolf seized his chance at that moment; the moment when the Blood Diamond was most distracted.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The Blood Diamond itself began glowing like the sun and hundreds of tendrils of red light shot forth and enveloped the Lynel's body, lifting it high into the air. The Diamond screamed and writhed in what appeared to be pain as his stolen body was twisted, turned and torn at by the fierce energy. Suddenly, something burst out from the Lynel's body and flew high into the air, screaming like a banshee. Whatever it was, it looked almost like a Poe, except this thing had hundreds, maybe even thousands of faces etched upon it. They continued to wail and scream as the mysterious light slowly lowered Rolf's body back to the ground...

"You'll never get away with this, Lynel scum!" The 'poe' screamed. Its voice was like a hundred voices yelling at once and they seemed to echo endlessly throughout the area. "You won't be able to hold me out for long..."

Suddenly the 'poe' was sucked into the Blood Diamond, which rumbled and shook on the ground for several minutes before finally growing silent. An eerie calmness seemed to suddenly settle over the area as the mysterious red light was slowly absorbed into Rolf's body. Many moments passed before the Lynel eyes shot open and he scrambled to his feet, quickly grabbing for his weapon and pointing it at Faldain. There was nothing but confusion in the beast's eyes and upon noticing the big red diamond in the hilt of the sword he cried out and hurled it to the ground, backing away as he did so.

"What... what happened?" Rolf said softly. "Where... where am I? Faldain?"

The creature knocked his blow aside, but the action disarmed him in the same instant. Faldain merely brought his spear up for another attack, when everything started to freak out. Hissing in confusion he took several steps back, shielding his eyes from the dire red light. He looked on in confusion as the beast was drawn into the air, and whatever energy the Blood Diamond contained ate and tore at him. Then, marvel of marvels, a giant Poe was ripped wholesale from the thing's body; it screamed in pain and fury, hovering blankly in midair with its many faces glaring every which way, then it was yanked into the Diamond as the Lynel's body fell back to earth with a thud.

"Indeed...?" Faldain muttered, blinking at the inert thug before him. He made to prod at it with the butt of his spear, but he leaped up before he could do so, seizing the cursed sword and threatening the old man with it. "Not again," he muttered in a weary sort of voice, before Rolf regained his senses and threw the blade aside. The old swordmaster did not miss the obvious confusion in his eyes, nor the fact that the Lynel's entire body language had changed.

"You'd be Rolf, then," he declared aloud as understanding dawned. "I remember you, and obviously you remember me, so..." He glance down at the blade, and picked it up. "I'll be keeping this, it's obviously bad for your health; we should find Rue again and consult her." He held his hand out for the scabbard, his blue eyes calm and unyielding. "You owe me, Rolf," he went on quietly. "I have saved you from this disease, now you must stay with me until we can dispose of this wretched thing, before it claims another host." Perhaps throwing it into Death Mountain would do the trick, but the old man did not in the least look forward to such a hike as that.

Rolf's eyes widened in surprise and he staggered backwards, almost falling into the glowing ashes of what had previously been Faldain's fire.

"You can't be serious," he muttered as he steadied himself. "How do you even know that wretched witch could help with such a thing?" He pointed to the sword in Faldain's hand. "We should just throw the damned thing into the river, let it become a problem for someone else!"

Rolf suddenly staggered once more and fell to the ground, blood dripping from several wounds that had been made in his body while trying to wrest control of it from the Blood Diamond. Images of his time trapped inside the Diamond itself suddenly flashed through his mind. Horrific pain, endless suffering and overall, a terrible sense of fear. Anger flashed through his head and he slammed his fist into the dirt as he brought himself back to his feet.

Seeing Faldain's extended hand, the lynel threw him the poorly made sheath the Diamond had been using. "While the Diamond was in possession of my body it rode it far past natural limits." Rolf shook his head. "I fear that now I am back in control it may just begin to break down." One of Rolf's evil grins slowly spread across his face and he looked Faldain right in the eye. The confusion and fear was gone, replaced only with determination. Determination to get revenge on the thing that had hurt him, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

"So," Rolf began. "If we're going to destroy that wretched thing we'd better get it done quickly. I assume you know where Rue can be found?"