An Unknown Disturbance?! The Introduction of Nolan and Ikeda!

The trio were walking down a darkened road, leading to a haunted forest, Ikeda was being his usual cocky, perky self, and was practically skipping towards the adventure. Nolan was cautious, looking for any signs of trouble. The dark forest unsettled the young boy. Si leaped from tree to tree, like a silent butterfly, scanning for any possible danger to her two comrades.

"So Elf-Boy, where're we going again?" Ikeda asked Nolan, in a teasing tone. "I mean, we're suppose to be going to a haunted forest, where people keep dying, and have 'You Are Free' imprinted on their heads. Oooo~ Scary isn't it?~" Ikeda chuckled, examining Nolan. "You scared, Elf-Boy? 'Cause I ain't. Heheh." Ikeda poked at his stomach.

Nolan's lip curled. "Please Ikeda-san don't call me that." Nolan etched a rune in the air, causing the area around his body to glow with light. "Now we have light. I just hope we can find out what happened to those men."

Si's visor glowed as it scanned for adversaries above the 2 guild mates below her. She hopped ahead of the group hiding her presence from all who might be trying to sense for them. Her blades of Judgement were ready for combat.

"Oh c'mon Elf-Boy, I know you like that nick name, it's as you should, since I! The Mighty Ikeda, gave it to ya'." he stuck his tongue out, in a playful fashion. As the smell of sulfur filled the air. Ikeda sniffs the air, like a dog. "Oh Jesus, did Sis fart?" he bursted out in a full laugh. Stopping a few seconds afterwards. "Phew, that was a great laugh, but seriously now, do you smell that? Smells like... A rat's ass." he chuckled again.

"Ikeda-san. Please stop, you're being very unkind to Si-san and me. I would like you to stop. Yes I do smell it, it's probably a sulfur deposit in the ground." Nolan said kindly.

"Oh lighten up, Elf-Boy. Sulfur deposit in the ground. Maybe." He stopped, thinking for a few seconds.

"Sis! Go see if that's a dead body or not, please and thanks!" he asked her, in a concerned tone.

Si nodded "Understood" She leaped from tree to tree scanning the area spotting an unconscious man in a ditch. She jumped over to the tree near him, "We have a live one here! He must've overheard Ike's loud voice! Most likely we got an assassin cult type to deal with. Be on guard!" Her blades floating around her as she leaped down to check on the man's condition.

The man was unconscious, but still alive, barely. His breathing was ragged, and fast, his heart rate was too great, he could go into cardiac arrest, if they never did anything first.

"Nolan, go check it out, I'll go scout ahead. Alright?" Ikeda took off, without recieving an answer from Nolan.

The man had a few letters itched into his skill, 'You Ar-' then it stopped, Si got to him before the murderer did.

Nolan bent down next to Si and examined the body. "Si, I'm going to take off his shirt, are you ok with that?" I am going to see if I can heal him.

Si started to float "Do what you need to do. We'll be on the lookout for the target." Si scanned around for any magical power signature in the area, the killer was close and would most likely not want to leave his job half finished.

Nolan unbuttoned the man's shirt and channeled his magic into his gloves. He etched the Heal Rune on his chest and waited. The man stirred and looked up at Nolan. "Who are you?" The man asked, still in shock from his attacker.

"I am Nolan a wizard from the Koma Inu Guild. I am here with my team, we are looking into who attacked you. Do you remember what they look like?"

"H-He wore a mask... A trench coat... And he could turn into other people, like a chimaera, he usually turns into a helpless little girl, that's how he got me..."

About two kilometres from where Si and Nolan are, Ikeda was running ahead, to see if the killer fled the scene, but, he came across a little girl, who was sobbing into her hands, she looked beaten up, she was also on her knees. Her sobs were loud.

"Uh... Hey there, do you need any help? Miss..?"

She stopped, looking up at Ikeda. "M-My Dad was t-t... taken from me! W-Waaaaahhh!!!" she began to cry again, he went to her, and patted her head.

"Don't worry, was he taken by a bad man?" Ikeda asked her.

"Y-yes..." the little girl replied.

"What did he look like?" Ikeda attempted to get information out of the girl.

"B-Big and scary..." she told him.

"I see, was there anything odd about him? Any magic? Or something out of the ordinary?" Ikeda asked her, in a more sympathetic tone.

"N-No, could we leave... it's scary.." she asked him, on the verge of bursting into tears.

"Alright, let's go." he turned around, about to take a step, before realizing something... The little girl wasn't killed, or taken... That wasn't right. "Hey, do you want to go fir-- AGH!" Ikeda fell, a bolt of lightning went through his shoulder, he fell to the ground, as the little girl began to laugh manically, morphing back into a man, wearing a mask and trench coat.

"Stupid boy~" he said, with a sadistic tone, walking towards him.

Ikeda began to crawl away, blood pouring from his wound, as he attempted to get to safety. "Oh god... SI! NOLAN! ANYONE!"

"If you come into the woods today, you'll find a neat surprise~ If you go into the woods today, you'll see that someone'll die~" he laughed more, taking out a sharp blade. "No one is going to hear your screams~"

A blood curdling screech was hear from near Ikeda's location.

"You are all the same, helping little crying girls~ Predictable." The man told Ikeda, as he began to push his knife into Ikeda's thigh, a trickle of blood coming from it.

"I-I have friends... They'll come for you... R-Rrgh..." Ikeda gritted his teeth, as the blade point pushed into him.

The man who was attacked looked around. "D-Did you hear that?!" he asked, terrified.

"Ikeda... I'm sorry sir! I've got to go same my comrade!" Nolan ran through the woods. "Ikeda! Where are you? I'm coming!"

Ikeda was still screaming, if Nolan or Si saw him, he'd be all cut up, blood everywhere, and his breathing is ragged, and frail.

The suspect ran away. As he heard Nolan coming.

Ikeda looked up at Nolan, with a grin. "Hey there... Elf-Boy... How's it?" he asked him, with a small laugh. His whole body was full of cuts, and gnashes. He chuckled to himself. "Should've stayed with the group... huh..." Ikeda coughed. "Where's Si..?" he asked Nolan.

"I don't know, but I've got to get you patched up... Are you alright?" Nolan knelt beside him. "Let me try to help you.." Nolan reached out to touch his chest to draw a healing rune.

There was a hole in Ikeda's right shoulder, blood pouring out of it. "Elf-Boy... You gotta' go, I don't think you'd be able to take him. I couldn't. Even though he got me with a sucker punch." When Nolan touched Ikeda, he winced, gritted his teeth, and whimpered, trying to make it look like he wasn't in pain. "Go, before he comes back..." Ikeda looked at Nolan. "Go get Sis, then come back, she'll cover you. She's strong..."

Si dashed towards Ikeda and Nolan's position slashing through whatever tree was in her way, her visor blazing red at her failure to keep the two safe from harm. She must get back to them before the killer strikes them down, her swords floating around her in a wing like formation as she went to get back to her group.

Nolan etched several runes on Ikeda's chest, the triggered the magic and Ikeda's minor wounds started to heal instantaneously.

"Thanks Elf-Boy." Ikeda straightened himself up on the trunk of a tree, looking around. "Elf-Boy, where's Sis?"

What seemed to be Nolan, brutally injured staggered out from the forest, in front of Si. He began to stagger towards Si, falling over himself. "H-He's in there... Quickly, help me..." Nolan said, gesturing at his wounds. "I think he got... uhm... Ike? Yeah, he got Ike." Nolan coughed into his hand, blood. "Help me please!" Nolan bawled at Si.

Si walked calmly over to the Nolan before him, but she showed no sign of compassion whatsoever, as the blades on her arms engaged and she held them to Nolan's neck "You are not Nolan, only I refer to Ikeda as Ike, Nolan refers to Ikeda as Ikeda, also Nolan has healing magic and so he would be able to heal wounds of that nature." Si was lying about Nolan having healing magic but the killer wouldn't know that, if anything she was looking for proof the Nolan in front of him was Nolan. But her voice was cold, emotionless, and worst of all lacked compassion while this was an act she was sure the Nolan in front of her was fake.