(( >.< ))

"Tch...fools," the mercenary woman spat. "It ees only trying to understand us. Heeting it will only make angrier. You must face eet and not be fearful of eet.

She cast a look at Karthus, "After all, one should not fear ze reaper."

Her own shadow creature darted forward, entwining itself with the bloody shade. Instead of straight out attacking it, she wanted to gauge its reaction. Her shadow would attempt to speak with the crimson shade, 'You and I, we are alike, are we not? We are both creatures of darkness. Every person has darkness within their soul, death comes for us all, yes? Nertazen knows this as much as any other mortal. Why fight with us? Why fight me? What is your purpose, crimson one?'

A howl broke the eery silence as blade after blade cut through the creatures blood formed arm. Once it healed from Curciatius, it was quickly taken again from Lizzie's blade. This time, it was slower to heal. It struggled and it required concentration. Darkness oozed from its injury, and it grasped the opening with its claws.

"You... lich, will need to forsake your good if you wish to bes death itself." The creature hissed as the other shade pounced on it again, holding back its arm from ripping it to pieces. It growled, snapped with its fangs but could not get hold of the mercenaries spectre. "Release me!" It was then that the other spoke to it in the language of the damned. It inquired about it, its origin, its intention.

It wasn't until the dark reflection mentioned Nertazan that it snapped. "You are a wretched fool!" The crimson fiends arm reformed, using the blood spilled earlier from Cruciatus' globes. Its hand shot forward, punching through the shade and ripping out a handful of black. The creature immediately dispersed. "You command the dead, foul human! I am life, born of it, live for it, kill for it! I am life in its most primal form!" Now, the crimson one pounced at the mercenary.

As the creature was injured, Takuma pulled his whip away and backed off, he made a note to thank Lizzie later.
"I suggest we listen to Darkeye and just head inside, I dislike fighting things I can't hurt."
He watched the creature carefully, slowly moving away. As it pounced for the mercenary, he swung with his whip, trying to get it to wrap her around the waste and pull her away, in case she didn't dodge the creature.

"Life and death, light and dark, object and shadow, " the mercenary shrugged. "Eet's all based on a matter of perception. You are a shadow, you are the opposite of life. To say you are deaz and you are life ees a paradox."

She cracked her fingers, and whipped her hands upwards. A wall of shadow erupted from the ground in an attempt to block the crimson shade's attack.

Closer. Come closer, crimson brother. Come closer.

(( >.< )))

Because the shadow was distracted, Cruciatus decides that it would be a good time to get to a safer place. Trying hard to stay down and stay quiet, he creeps towards the mansion. Raising his unbroken arm to his throat, he applies mana to the gaping wound. It begins to slowly heal.

((So, suddenly everything is dead...))