• Blood swirled around Bone, weaving through the skeleton like a snake. Blood and Bone started walking toward Jean.
    "You never said anything about fighting this thing!" Jean held her katana out, her hands shaking because of the ritual used to raise this undead warrior.
    "You didn't give your own blood to Blood and Bone!" Craynun screamed in outrage.
    "What sort of death should the beggar suffer, Bone?" The female voice said.
    "Clearly the summoning sword is in the wrong hands, Blood, let's reap the tribute she owes us, with interest." The male voice said from the clattering skeleton. Blood and Bone swiped the katana out of Jean's hands with their scythe. Instantly Jean was overcome by immense pain and fear, without the katana, Blood and Bone looked far more menacing, horns grew from Bone's head, and Blood didn't just look like a snake weaving through Bone, Blood was a red snake, slithering out of Bone's mouth, and as a final addition, black smoke billowed from the scythe.
    "It's just an illusion, don't let it fool you! Quick get back to your katana!" Craynun shouted to Jean. Jean scrambled to her katana, as soon as she touched the handle, the demonic version of Blood and Bone disappeared.
    "Seperate Bone from Blood!" Craynun advised.
    Blood and Bone swooped over to Jean and swung their scythe, Jean made feeble attempts at dodging, just barely getting missed each time. Jean fended off Blood and Bone's attacks as best she could, the scythe always nearly knocked the katana out of her hands.
    "Death will end it all beggar, no spirits to harass you, no monsters to haunt you." Blood said with her chilling voice.
    Jean jumped back, out of Blood and Bone's range of attack, staggered, then dropped to her knees, her hands on the ground, still gripping the katana.
    "It's what you wish for." Bone said, walking toward Jean.
    "I...I..." Jean shot up and slashed her katana upwards, leaving a crack on Bone's skull, "don't think so." The feeling of strength Jean had felt when she first arrived at the graveyard returned. Blood and bone ignored the injury as if they hadn't felt it at all, and attempted resuming the onslaught. Jean pounced on them, slashing her katana wildly, scattering ribs on the ground. Jean lept backwards again.
    "What bonehead? Losing your touch?"
    "Not quite yet." Blood and Bone whispered, then swung the scythe again. Jean knocked the scythe to the side with her katana, grabbed it with her other hand, whirled around, and used it as a hook to seperate Bone from the ribbon of Blood. Bone fell to the ground like a lifeless doll, and Blood fell to the ground into a puddle. Jean set madly to work on chopping Bone to bits as Blood slowly slithered her way back. By the time Blood made her way to Bone, he was almost a pile of dust. The puddle of Blood and pile of Bone made a weak attempt at making some sort of form, then gave up, and sat there as an ugly pile of broken bones and blood.
    "You have bested us in battle, what do you seek..." The voices of Blood and Bone gargled.
    Craynun rushed over to the scene, and immediately began asking questions.
    "Where is-"
    "Only the child."
    "But-"
    "Only the child."
    Craynun scowled and stamped off.
    Jean stabbed her katana in the middle of Blood and Bone's pile, then started asking questions.
    "Ok, how do I get rid of the ripaway spirits."
    "You cannot destroy them, but corruption gathers, their numbers grow, humanity is its own downfall."
    "So, humans are creating ripaway spirits out of their own corruption?"
    "Spirits make ripaways out of the corruption."
    "So which spirits should I trust?"
    "Do not trust vanity most of all, but liers are every where, make sure you always follow what you yourself would do."
    "So how do I know to-" Jean looked at Blood and Bone's pitiful state, "nevermind..."
    "You will find that even the darkest of people may be your friends, all spirits have their own intententions, some may be creating the ripaways for a reason. A greater spirit is pulling the strings, corruption spreads. The one of the crows holds the key."
    Jean looked over at Craynun, as she muttered and kicked around the grass.
    "She holds all you need, to stop the corruption. Our form is fading, we must go, but we will grant you a power, worthy of such skills as yours." The mixture of Blood and Bone swirled around Jean's katana, winded around like a tornado, then faded. Jean picked the katana up, it felt slightly lighter, but that was the only change as far as she could tell.
    "Thanks for nothing..." Jean sheathed her katana, and walked over to Craynun.

    To be continued...