That head is going to be pretty hard to get to. Lins has my sword so...

Shinu looked around for a way to attack the bird, but without his sword or any other weapon, he would have to improvise. He looked over to Lins who still had his sword in hand staring out at the fiend that was seemingly paused, waiting to take its own action. Shinu was on the opposite end of the spectrum, he was ready to get this battle rolling. He swiftly grabbed the bow and arrow out of Lins' back pouch and quickly fired a shot that missed wide right.

Ok, this looks easier when someone else does it.

The bird now angry cocked its head back and screamed out. Hurriedly Shinu pulled out another arrow and this time aimed it better, planting an arrow slightly into its right wing. This wasn't exactly the wisest of moves, as now the bird was done watching his prey, and began to swoop in straight after them.

Well then, this should get fun soon.

He made sure he remained in front of Kairi, the bird would have to get through him and a few more men that were standing in his way. As the bird began its lunge forward, Shinu had another arrow ready.

Lins saw the arrow fly over his head and miss widely. Slow breaths Shinu, stay calm, and aim just above your target. Another arrow flew over him and hir the bird in the wing, a good move if the arrow could of gone all the way through the wing, but the arrow became lodged in its wing. Shinu more power behind the arrow. The bird however didn't seem to want that to happen again, which was good sense. No-one wanted arrows being fired at them. So the bird began to swoop down at them. Lins raised Nuraki strait at the bird as he threw back one of his spears to Shinu. Use that if it gets close Shinu.

Lins moved infront of Kai and Shinu, if they where the target, he was the sheild.

A great, crack of lightning smashed against the hellish creature's flank, and it careened wide, destroying pillars and sending more stone raining down on them.

Erk emerged from the shadow of the columns, thunder jumping from his eyes and fingers. The great vulture screamed in outrage, and descended upon the Druid, totally focused on the robed mystic below.

Lins saw his oppotunity, while the beast was saoring lower and lower, at the druid, he could make his attack while completly unseen by the bird. Lins left Shinu and Kairi behind as he sprinted over to where he saw the perfect area to make his attack, and a place where the thing was reachable by Nuraki. Lins was quite the distance away, and dispite all his armour, was an extermly fast runner. He managed to get to the area before the bird and jumped up, as the beast went under him and landed on its back, with Nuraki stabbing it throw its back, next to te spine. All Lins felt now was the heat of the beast and ran along its back with Nuraki dragging along its back. The beast wasn't going to let him get away with it.

The bird stopped flapping it hellish wings and span over onto its back, and went hurteling into the ground, leaving large mark on the ground where it had landed. The bird then span back over and stood up to resume its flying while in the crater was now a badly damaged Lins, his armour crushed and his blood staining the floor. He was wounded by the mighty crash, but fortunatly he could recover from this over time, Lins had been through worse punishment then this. Arghh.....ar...... Lins grew weaker as he fell unconsious, Nuraki still tightly gripped in his hand. The beast how ever seemed totally undamaged, and resumed hovering into the air picking out its next target.

The bird ignored the small pricking in it's side. The only thing it could feel was the sting of the burns beneath it's feathers from the thunder that crashed into it.

The bird reared it's flaming head again, and let out a scream. It focused upon the Druid again, and the dancing lights flying around him. It was clear that Erk was the only thing it considered a threat.

Instead of attempting to sweep into the mystic again, this time, it landed several meters from Erk, and screaming, ran towards the wizard. Erk was caught completely startled, which was just what it needed.

Before the mystic had time to react, the bird's wicked claws had snapped out and snatched him up. With another angered cry, it raised it's foot high, and slammed the Druid down into the crater that it had made moments earlier.

"Ugh... guh...." Then came the words. Shining light blasted from beneath it's hellish form, and the creature staggered back, apparently blinded. Erk limped quickly beneath the cover of the pillars again.

"Flee, you fools! This foe is beyond any of you! We must escape immediately!" Erk vanished into the blackness of the shadows along the unseen wall, and a flare of light, fleeting as a flash of lightning, lit up the wall, and a small pocket of shadow along it.

Mikael waited and watched as few tried to take on the foe. The man with the spear was the first to cause what seemed a fatal attack, but failed to cause any harm to the bird. The druid was next to strike, hitting the bird with a powerful electric attack, this seemed to affect the monstrous bird, but not much.

The bird landed and this time, Mikael knew it was his turn to attack. The bird came charging at the old man and grabbed him with it’s claw-like talons. The bird smashed the old man into the crater, and as it did this, Mikael rushed in for a strike.

Mikael readied his daggers to swiped at the foot, but as he thought he took a chunk out of it’s left foot, he narrowly avoided a thrusting kick from the other foot. As he turned to look at the gash he had made, he noticed it was hardly a scratch. This time, Mikael stabbed both of his daggers into the bird’s thigh, narrowly avoiding burning his face in the process, but as he drew his daggers from the bird, it did not flinch. It just stood there focusing on the old man.

As Mikael saw the old man struggle free, he yelled something to the group, to which Mikael didn’t think twice about doing.

"Flee, you fools! This foe is beyond any of you! We must escape immediately!"

Mikael picked up one of his daggers that he had dropped after ripping it out of the bird and started to run. As he did, he heard a voice from the group yell out.

“What about the guy on the ground, we can’t just leave him!”

Mikael looked back at the guy who was collapsed on the ground. He saw that this man was holding the sword of the man who helped him earlier. This was a chance for Mikael to increase the reward he got if he were to save this man and the sword he was holding.

As Mikael quickly ran back to the crater to rescue the man, he was almost struck by the giant bird, who was now intent on killing the rest of the group. Mikael side-stepped the attack and slashed back at the bird’s legs hoping to deal enough damage to give him time to pull the man out of the crater. As he started to pull the man out of the crater the bird attacked again.

“Well, isn’t someone going to help me? Or do I have to put this ungodly creature in it’s place?”

Mikael managed to side-step another leg that was coming down with force, but he wouldn’t be able to keep it up dragging the unconscious man with him.

“All you need to do is keep is distracted until I can get out of this crater.”

"oh ill help" she said and ran out from behind shinu and ran in front of the bird

"hey bird brain come on this way" she yelled and waved her arms int he air

the bird roared and looked over at her and then swooped down at her

she hit to the ground when it came just barely missing its talons

"is that the best you can do, you dummy!" she said not thinking of any other type of insult to make

Great.

There was no choice now for Shinu but to put his own life on the line. Erk led the way and Asuma and Ialdo already continued through the small alcove where he instructed them to go. Only Shinu, the man he'd already fought with, Kairi and an unconscious Lins remained. He threw the spear straight into the chest of the bird, more as a distraction than anything else.

Run!

He yelled out at the man who was definitely being brave, but about to lose his life. No more words were needed after that as Shinu swiftly lifted Lins and put him on his left shoulder, taking Nuraki out of his hand at the same time and putting it back in its sheath. The bird was making its way again, and Shinu grabbed Kai in his right arm. Holding both of their weight, he sprinted behind the man and tossed Lins onto his back. The man was running for his life, so Shinu was sure he wasn't going to have time to give his concerns. This freed Shinu up enough to use his speed to catapult straight into the man and Lins, knocking them both forth into the hole, all four bodies crashing onto the ground, and the beak of the bird left just inches from tearing Shinu's leg off.

Wow, a little too close maybe? Can we ummm continue before this thing tries to break through?

"o..." kai opened her eyes

she had kept them closed because she was afraid of what might have happened

she gulped and stared at the birds beak

she leaned foreward and touched it lightly

"wow....its cold...." she said almost amazed. the flames were freezing

she blinked and looked around it. then it wriggled and she screamed leaping back over to shinu

"i just had a minor heart attack" she said panting

Erk turned back and saw the fool of the girl reach back and touch the bird's beak.

"RUN YOU FOOLS!!!"

Erk sprinted through the others following behind him, and reached out his hand as if to ward out a blow as he advanced upon the three still within the near the beak shoved through the portal, as the bird's black maw opened...

With a shout, Erk shoved Kai and Shinu into the wall, and threw his arms out wide, as gouts of black flame blasted from the obsidian beak, and washing over the Druid, and seemed to suck the light from their torches and plunged the tunnel into blackness...