The Furry Forums
Creative Arts and Media => Roleplay => Serious RP => Topic started by: Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy on January 02, 2010, 08:29:05 PM
-
(This RP only runs on the realm of my books. In no way does it have any reference to them.)
The war with the Necromancer's Guild had finally come to an end. However, Gaia's inhabitants were few remaining. After a good many years, the inhabitants of Gaia congregated on the continent of Celestia, where war was seen the least. Under the watchful eyes of the remaining 12 Guardians, Celestia was back to relative peace. However, there was an evil behind the curtains that no one had forseen. Guardians turned on their people. Together, they waged war on the people and divided the land into 12 provinces among them. They were led by the strongest of them all, Korius, the Wolf-Kin Guardian who had succeeded Koara Uzima after the Zelot Wars. At first, the people accepted it, saying it would build stronger kingdoms. But, rebellions began to brew, but were subsequently subdued. Now, there were few who would dare go against the Guardians and their tyranical rein. Our story begins in the war-torn Elfin city of Lagoon, the once proud capitol of the Elves whom are now extinct. Five travelers of entirely different backgrounds were about to form the most unlikely of an alliance.
Valius, a once proud knight of the Knights of Gaia, now sat a miserable drunkard in the tavern. His claymore sat next to him, glinting in the dim lights shown through the cracked roof. He swigged down his fifth bottle of wine and screamed at the bartender. "More!" And he threw the empty bottle absentmindedly as the bartender fulfilled his request. The empty bottle flew across the room and shattered on the head of a female thief.
-
(sorry guys just got back in X3)
Clare wandered through the town, making notes of all the bolt holes she could use in case things got hairy. She checked to make sure her knives, which were passed down maternally for 9 generations. "I really ought to find a place to stay. The treasures of the city will be here in the morning." She walks into an inn, it seems to be a very seedy place, perfect for her to hide and make plans. "One room please." She says in her sweetest voice, enough to have most people eating right out of her paws.
-
"Okay now Kitt, look down the stock, keep your aim steaaady.... right, when your ready..."
The taller ranger stood back, his muted cloak flapping around his legs as he watched the young feline, also clad in rather to large for him similar ranger cloak and tunic... The feline stood, overlarge crossbow brought up to his shoulder, the wooden feat of engineering creaked slightly under the high tension of the chord.... Kitt licked his lips worriedly, one amber eye squinted shut, the other watching the wooden target....
~ FTH - WUNK~
A crossbow bolt spat across the distance to the target, little more than a shining blurr... in quick succesion the short feline pulled back on the locking mechanism, fired another deadly accurate bolt, then another, and another... each bolt found its mark in the wooden target with muffled ~THWUNK~ .... in under a minute five bolts where buried up to their shafts in the target, somthing that would have been unfeasible with a regular crossbow...
Kitt stood back, looking from the target to the older Ranger hesitantly, waiting worriedly either for the praise, or the outburst of anger... the older ranger whistled admirably, a good sign...
"Well well young Kitt.... it seems we have a young ranger in the making... five shots iiiin... i make it fourty seconds, impressive for a first time.... right, pack this stuff up, we'l stop off at a tavern in the town to get some supplies before continuing on to the camp...."
The young feline threw a hasty salute, before picking up with difficulty the leather bandoleer of crossbow bolts, sheated his shortsword and swung the crossbow over one shoulder...
-
RRRAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH
followed by a belch of flame, anyone within a good three hundred yards could easily tell that a dragon has been either assaulted, or is assaulting. First thought they would think is that who or what is idiotic enough to fight a dragon?! their question would be answered if they bothered to take a look as a wolf with wings of white was dancing around the dragon. No matter where the dragon swung or from what angle, the wolf always managed to escape its swipe "Come on, swing at me like you're trying to kill me, you can't even hit flies with that speed!" the wolf taunted while swinging at the arms and cutting at the arms that failed to do the same or worse to himself.
After the dragon finally falls, the wolf then has a look of concern upon his face. He then lands next to her and puts his head next to her neck, his weapon lying behind him. He smiles and then hugs the dragon, who raises its head and smiles at him. The wolf laughs and then pecks the dragon's beak before getting a bunch of herbs and patching up the wounds.
One moment they're fighting to the death, the next they're acting like best friends?!
"Elistra, when will you stop faking death already, I get scared when you do that!" the wolf, known by other dragoons as Talin Lazarus. The Dragoness, named Elistra, only licked his face and then nudged him into sitting down. "Actually love, I find it rather amusing and... attractive how you're concerned for wether I'm consious or in good health." Talin just lowered his ears and leered at her. "So you'll keep on messing with me..." the dragoness nodded in response before slowly getting up, and walking to the cave they both live in. "Well, it will be another two years before I can gift you with hybridization, so I want to know you like my mate before we go through with this..." Talin blushed and stared at Elistra "You don't mean we're going to..."
Elistra burst into a roar of hiss-like laughter before responding."No, we're not even going to get that far until way after your change..."
Talin wakes up finding Elistra smacking his face about, with a bottle of sake next to her. "Seriously, stop going to sleep in taverns, we didn't even travel that far!!" He slowly regained his senses and lifted himself up before she continued. "Were you having that 'wing' dream again?"
Talin let out an uneasy laugh before nodding. "I can't help it, you look really attractive with that giant frame of yours, especially from the wai-" she covered his mouth with her bandaged hand and shook him about. "If you value your neck and soul, you will not finish that sentence!!" Talin nodded and she let go, letting him drink the sake he had ordered earlier.
-
Kiana walked down the street with the hood of her cloak up. Her head was angled down slightly but her eyes were looking ahead of her, not down at the street. She used her staff like a normal walking stick as she tried to just blend in with the average folk. She spotted the tavern not too far ahead of her and quickened her pace since she was both hungry and thirsty.
Walking through the door, she casually looked around. Her caught the glint off a weapon and she glanced at the owner. It was only a very short look and then she moved to a table, sitting down and shaking her head. 'Why do men find it necessary to get drunk all the time?' She thought to herself. She ordered a drink but one with no alcohol and some bread. She lifted her hands and pulled her hood down off of her head. Her jet black hair was in its usual tight braid and as she looked around the room, her gold eyes glistened, though she didn't want them to because people stared at her eyes too much once they noticed them usually.
The bartender brought her drink and bread to the table then. "Thank you." She said softly. The place was too empty so she didn't want to speak any louder. She took a drink of her beverage and then took a bite of bread, chewing it slowly.
-
Valius pounds hard on the table, feeling the attitude projected from Kiana. He thought to himself. "Bloody sorceress, you dare to shun me for drinking? Wait till Valia runs you in half." He takes another swig when he hears the tavern doors open in the tavern and looks over as he puts the bottle down. He snarled under his breath and loudly, and pompously, "What would a couple of masterless royal dogs be doing all the way out here in this forgotten city? You're far out of your jurisdiction, rangers." He took another gulp of wine and threw the bottle back, almost hitting Kiana. "Darius!! Get me a prewar dater, I could use the comfort." The bartender eyes him angrily. "Not until you pay me the 10 guilder you owe me for your other bottles first, and mind you, my prewar brews are three and a half guilders per bottle." Valius stumbled off the chair and clumsily untied a metal box from his belt, and opened it, overturning it onto the table. Copper and silver coins spilled onto the table. "There's 14 Guilders in there and about 2000 Shims." He picked up the exceptionally large claymore and, without so much as a hiccup, brought it up and guided the hilt smoothly into the clip on his armor made to holster the buster-class weapon. He stumbled over and sat at one of the three seats that were actually intact, and waited for his bottle. He looked over a Kiana and smirked, his breath reeking of liquor. "Hey baby, wanna spend the day will a real beast? Maybe we can get together and have a little hybrid hero of our own, like that old Legend himself. You know, that uh........ Katame guy from the history lessons. Do you think the rumor of him marrying the last wolf Guardian's daughter was true. I mean, hehe, can you imagine how old that hag had been when she resigned her post? Woman's gotta be at least 900 years old!"
He made very exaggerated hand gestures as he spoke, and hit the wolf dragoon sitting next to him. He snickered and laughed at it and grabbed the new bottle in front of him.
-
Just before Clare recieved the key to her room, a bottle smashed into her head. She whipped around and saw a male warrior aiming a claymore at a sorceress of some sort, apparently. Adhering to her kleptomania she stupidly decided to "take a closer look" at the bartender's wallet while watching the promising fight. Clare wasn't an uncaring person, she just didn't feel the need to throw herself into a fight that wasn't hers, Although.... He had thrown smashed a bottle over her head. "Well I guess I oughta help out then." she said to herself.
Clare took a place next to the sorceress, "Looks like we both got a bone to pick with this drunkard, neh?"
-
The older Ranger spat on the floor "you have no authority you old Rummy... leave your fighting words for in some drunken brawl and save your stinking breath" He walked to the bartenders counter, muted ranger cloak flowing around him, the light armoured tunic clinking. Kitt followed behind him, the large repeater crossbow over one shoulder. As the older ranger stopped by the counter Kitt walked straight into him, the weight of the crossbow overbalanced him and he toppled into one of the tables, standing back up hurriedly, hefting the crosbow with him...
The older ranger turned, pulling down his cloaked hood, revealing feline ears, whiskers and a face almost identical to kitts, though grey around the muzzle and whiskers from age.... Kitt spoke quietly for the first time since he's entered the tavern.. "sorry Dad.."
The older feline smirked "you just be more carefull with that thing son... just wait here n' i'l get us some bread for the journey...."He turned back to the bartender, keeping an eye on the drunken idiot... and what could be a fight breaking out...
-
When the drunk hit Talin, he was drinking the only bottle of sake the place had, and when the bottle broke on his face, he was angry to put it mildly. Before he could realize where his anger would lead him, he got up and nailed the drunkard in the head with his metal covered fist. "The only bottle of sake here, and you broke it!". Then, he lost it, leaping onto the the drunkard and pounding his face in an unusually non-drunk rage. When his fists started getting bloody, a figure clad in cloak and cowl, leather armor, and bandages covering any skin left uncovered, yanked Talin off and held him from doing further harm. "What are you doing, he broke the only bottle when it was two thirds full... that bottle cost me twenty guilder!" Then the figure pulled a knife and he calmed down "Must you act so violent over matters of currency?!" the figure berated him, and he only sighed in response. "Fine... I'll let him li-" she whacked him in the back of the head with the butt of the knife "I mean I'll get him some help..." he corrected before getting up and walking over to the possibly unconsious drunkard.
-
Kiana scoffed. Was he seriously hitting on her now when before he looked he was ready to kill her? But of course, being hit on didn't offend her as much as him speaking badly of the people in history she admired the most. "I just have words for the drunkard, that is all." She said in response to the female standing beside her. While she said that is when Talin attacked the drunkard. She did nothing since someone else was quick to intervene, but she did stand and stretched out her staff in between the drunkard and Talin to keep them separated. "He is not unconscious. No, he is much too hard-headed to be unconscious from that." She remarked, moving her gaze from Talin to Valius. And she did mean he was literally and figuratively hard-headed. "I'm sure you should stay back from him. A Knight is hard enough to deal with, but a drunk one would be a lot more trouble for you than you know." She looked Valius up and down while she said this to Talin. No, the drunkard didn't look like much in this state in this tavern but she could tell what he was easily anyway.
"Now, you listen up and listen good. I do not want to repeat myself because you're not worth that much effort." She said as she jabbed his chest with her staff, not hard but enough to get his attention, then moved the staff to hold it normally while she stood there. "I will not tolerate you disrespecting some of the people that I look up to most. The hybrid, his name was Shinzuu Katame and he was just about one of the greatest warriors this world has ever known. He was far better than you will ever be in your lifetime. The wolf he married, her name was Vee Uzima and she was practically just as good a fighter as he was. She was also far better than you'll ever be. And her mother, Koara Uzima, was a great Guardian and doesn't deserve the disrespect you've said of her tonight." She spoke with anger but it was still a calm anger. She did not raise her voice. "You were probably once a very honorable and proud Knight, but you are just being a sorry excuse for a life-form now. I don't know what the world did to you to make you this way but you need to get on with life." She sounded a little preachy but it was just something she needed to say and that he needed to realize.
"Oh, and one more thing. If you're going to try to be a charmer, at least be sober first. Drunks aren't attractive." She added to the end of her speech. The anger was gone in her voice, like he hadn't even bothered her with his feeble attempt. It just sounded like she was giving him some friendly advice at that point. Then she sat down again, taking another drink from her mug and picking up a piece of bread to start eating again, her staff leaning against the table beside her on the side away from the bar.
-
Valius merely chuckled and stood up. He looked at Talin and wiped the blood from his reopened cut on his face from shaving. "Not too bad, for a dragoon. I used to think you guys were a bunch of dragon 'lovers', but I guess you can punch." He sat back up and reached into his armor pouch and pulled out 20 silver coins and tossed them to the bartender. "Here, for his bottle." Sensing a growing hostility from the thief next to Kiana, he drew Provas, chained to Dio, and launched the dagger to hit the bar pillar right next to her face, just nicking the hem of her cloak. "Don't even think about it, missy. I was the former captain of The Knights of Gaia, Valius, you're hostility won't warrant you any treasure." He pulled out Provas and holstered it with Dio and continued to eye her as he spoke to Kiana. "Well, young sorceress, I'm sure even you have heard of me, then. My men and I were Korius's personal guards. That is, until he and Kyzen decided to take control of Celestia. When we discovered their plan, my Knights and I high-tailed it out of there, but... *sigh* ...my men were not as lucky as I. Now, I have a bounty on my head in all 12 provinces. I'm sure it's no different for those rangers over there."
He drew Valia and ran the large claymore right through the roof. Blood trickled down his sword and he stood up with his bottle in one hand and Valia and the other. He smirked evilly and took a swig and pointed his sword at the door. "I'd love to continue this conversation with you folks, but we have company. Alright, you backstabbing, power-mongerin' traitors! Bring it on!"
-
Clare heard the whoosh of the blades as they caught her cloak and heard the air whistle as they flew past her face. She said nothing. She just gave asmile that said, "You better watch your things... And your back if you wish to keep them." Then she recognized the blades at Valius's side when all was quiet she asked, "Are those blades prewar? Mine are of the same design minus the chain. They hint of an old family. Then again the knights were for old families anyway, neh?" She went and stood next to the two rangers, "Careful around that one. He don't take to kindly to being interrupted it would seem." she whispered to them. She redirected her attention to the knight, "And why in the world did you smash a bottle on my head? Not very kind towards ladies are we."
Now of course during this time Clare had already pocketed the bartenders money bag, unfortunately it had been a bit too early. Those extra twenty silvers would have been nice.
-
Talin walked over to the the apparently noble mage and sat down next to her. "Um... sorry for the outburst, it was idiotic of me but completley ne-" The figure put a hand on his head and he corrected himself. "...it was idiotic of me and completely unneccessary, by the way, my name is Talin...and this is my friend Elistra" a pair of sapphire vertical slits looked at Kiana as though she were smiling. "Pleased to meet someone who practices the arcane..." she offered her bandaged hand which had claws at the end in an attempt at a handshake, while her other hand kept a grip on Talin's head.
-
The older ranger nodded, frowning. One paw around the hilt of his shortsword, the blade already an inch out of the hilt.... "so it would seem... stupid drunkard.... but he's right, i have just as much authority as him... theres nothing i can do, other than protect my son, the one thing i can still do with all my life...."
with that he put an arm around Kitt, his rangers cloak and hood easily two sizes too large for him... Kitt looked up and smiled, hugging his father....
The ranger re-sheathed his sword, leaning against the bar, watching the drunk Knight, ready to at least attempt to intervene...
-
Kiana was surprised that the Knight didn't argue with her and had a more somber attitude than she expected. "I must have gotten to him..." She thought to herself; she hadn't thought that she would get through to him though. She looked at Talin and listened to him. "It's quite alright. Things happen." She responded with a nod. She looked up at his friend then down at the outstretched clawed hand. "I'm..." There was a very short pause as she debated whether or not to say her name, if it would give her away, but she shrugged it off in her head, it was an average enough name. "...Kiana." She said as she shook Elistra's hand. For anyone who was listening, the pause while she debated in her head was a barely noticeable fraction of a second.
After releasing Elistra's hand, Kiana looked at Valius and then at the door. She stared at it, waiting for the "company" Valius mentioned to burst through. She wondered who it was, probably just people after the bounty on his head. She'd only intervene in the matter if she needed to.
-
Valius smirked as he heard everyone's names passed around and 30 black-cloaked men came in through the door and roof, each with a drawn sword or crossbow affixed to almost everyone. "So it seems we all share a hefty bounty on all our heads. Kiana, the runaway mage. Clare, the greatest thief in Celestia, said to be the last to receive the title of 'Kaelin'. Talin, the only dragoon to pact with dragons. And the Szarda Rangers, the last of your clan after Kyzen slaughtered them all. Who would've thought we'd all be in the same room." He laughed heartily and, in a flash, unholstered Dio and threw it straight at one of the crossbow handlers in the face. The others began firing and he drew Valia and began deflecting bolts. "Clare! Get Darius out of here! Kiana, a little help here! Talin, run through in on the right, there's more open area for you to close in. Szardas! Give him cover fire! Go!!"
-
Clare quickly sprung to action, grabbing Darius and running. As she passed Valius she slipped him a note. It asnt very legible but she had two seconds to write it. It said: "I have a bolt hole at Nancy's Tavern. I'll make sure Darius is safe there and come back to help clean up."
"Come on you, let's go. Auntie Clare is gonna take care of you. We are going to see a very good friend of mine." She said as she pulled Darius onto her back. She jumped out a window and sprinted towards nancy's. She heard several of the cloaked figures following her. "ok time for a detour." she ducked through alleys, not disturbing the homeless citizens living there.
-
Kitt looked up to his father, who nodded, already readying his own old repeater crossbow...
"Just like we practiced Kitt..."
The two raised the thick set crossbows to their shoulders, Kitt fired off a bolt, catching a hooded figure in the throat, then his father fired while Kitt reloaded for another shot... in this way Rangers had been trained to keep up a stream of continous fire, perfect for catching an opponenet unaware....
"LEFT SON!"
Kitt spun to the left, releasing a bolt, driving the arrow head deep into the hooded figures chest, sending him sprawling across a table...
-
Talin whipped out his twin voulge, and glanced at Elistra in a silent signal before rushing the right side, almost running on the wall, and spinning into a trio of hoods, either scattering or mincing them when he decended. Elistra then followed up by rending anyone who was knocked down by the initial spin, then throwing needles at other hoods, immobilizing them by hitting joints and pressure points. Some of the hoods caught on to their strategy, and started to make their way towards Elistra. Talin noticed just in time to knock away two hoods with short swords and then immolate the would-be assailants before they reached her. "They're catching on, stay alert!!" Talin shouted before running one blade through the neck of another hood.
-
Kiana nodded and stood up, picking up her staff. She walked lightly to the door, hitting five of the assailants upside their heads on purpose as she moved. She looked over her shoulder when she reached in the doorway and smirked at them. "Follow me gentlemen." She said in an even tone and stepped out of the door and onto the street, which was all earth of course. The assailants rushed after her, afraid of losing their bounty and unaware of exactly what element she called her own.
Kiana was waiting for them, standing in the middle of the now ominously empty street. She smiled at them as they made a circle around her, looking innocent and also attractive to them but still enough like a bounty for them to be ready to fight her. They all stood there for a minute. She was patient. Them, not so much. They were quick but she was faster. Each of them had only lifted one foot off the ground slightly to spring to attack when she turned swiftly in a full circle, tapping the ground with the top end of her staff in front of each of the assailants and raising it up to their full height before they could blink twice.
Now Kiana was standing in the middle of the circle the way she had been when the assailants had first made it, a smile on her face that just looked innocent to unsuspecting eyes. But instead of being surrounded by five assailants, she was surrounded by five statues in the shape of the assailants. She turned in a circle again, slowly this time, jabbing each statue with her staff. Each one toppled over and crumbled on the ground. She moved to the door of the tavern and turned back toward the mounds of earth. Holding her staff in both hands in front of her, she pulled it towards her body then pushed it away to her arms' full extent. This caused the mounds to sweep up together into a pile in front of the alleyway across the street. She returned the staff to her right hand and turned towards the door again, opening it. "You guys finished with your share yet? I'm done, I just cleaned up." She said, acting like she was impatient as she moved into the tavern and out of the way of the door in case anyone happened to get chucked that way.
-
Valius and the others walked out of the tavern, Valius still holding the same bottle since the beginning of the fray. He took a swig. "We're three short, they must have gone after Darius and Clare. They're headed towards Nancy's on the other side of the city... poor [censored], if she knows how to use those knives, they're as good as dead. I know those knives all too well." He unholstered Dio and Provas and displayed them into the sun as they walked to Nancy's. "Dio and Provas have been passed down since the first Knights of Gaia, they're made of the only found supply of Dragonite. Dragonite's the strongest ever made, and they can cut through anything, and they're indestructible. They're infused with runes that'll make sure they never wear down. There was only enough metal to create two sets of short blades, one set for Terra and one set for Celestia. Two daggers and two knives. Those knives she has are Arwyn and Ilyan, though she doesn't know that." They turned a corner to Nancy's Tavern and saw Clare standing over three dead bodies and swords cut up into pieces. "Dang!"
-
Kitt followed behind his father, his hood back up just as his father's was... neither spoke as Valius explained about the Dragonite blades, neither did they speak when they turned the corner to Nancy's tavern, their rangers cloaks fluttering around their legs as they walked. Kitt looked almost identical to his father, so long as size was not taken into acount, and before their whole clan had been killed many had said Kitt would grow up to look just like his dad, another proud Szarda in a line of rangers...
But now, with a bounty on the whole families head, the clan was in ruins. Most had been killed, few lived, indeed the father and son where travelling to find Kitt's mother at that very time, for while they knew that so many where dead, Kitt's father felt that he could not rest without knowing he had tried. Just tried, to bring what was left of the family together...
-
"Dragonite eh, you mean those red rocks back in our cave, Elistra... why didn't you say they could do that?" the figure only shrugged as she kept pace. "I got them from my father, and he didn't want anyone else to have them... now I know why" Talin only returned the shrug as he looked at the sword shards. He picked one up and snapped the piece in his fingers. "The insult, trying to kill us with bargain brand swords..."
-
Kiana had followed along in silence while Valius spoke. She listened to what he said but it didn't spark her interest much. Weapons just weren't her thing. Her cloak hood was up now, not that it mattered much. This group probably looked suspicious anyway. She looked to where Clare stood and looked at the destroyed swords. Impressed as she was, she said nothing about the matter. No one in this group seemed to be the type to congratulate others, not unless the person was their usual traveling companion or close to them anyway. Her golden eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of her hood as she surveyed the area. It could have been a trick of the contrast between the darkness in the hood and how light her eyes were, or her eyes actually could have been glowing. She didn't know because she never noticed and no one ever mentioned it. Yes, just the contrast of the light and dark.
-
Valius walked over to the bodies and inspected them. He also inspected the sword shards, a very clean cut, she is indeed the one who inherited the name of Kaelin, and she knows the secret of how to use these knives. He got up and looked at everyone. "So, it seems we've all been followed out here." He fumbled through the closest enemy's clothes and found a necklace and pulled it off the dead body and sighed. "Kyzen. Looks like more are going to be on the way soon. I call a temporary truce until we get clear of them. Anyone up for that?" He took another swig.
-
"you stay away from my son, otherwise i have no fight with you or anyone else here..."
The oldest Szarda spoke from beneath his hood, eyes shadowed he stood in front of his son, his hand moved from the hilt of his shortsword to down by his side...
"me and my son both have bounties on our heads, somthing i wish he needn't have to live with at such a young age.... and if it means we get out of here alive, then yes, a truce would be wise...."
with that he returned to his silence, watching from beneath the muted green hood, tail flicking side to side aggitatedly...
-
Talin sighed as he got up and looked around, spotting two more similar looking hooded figures approaching casually. "I'll agree to the truce, but lets be scarce now... patrol coming up behind 'Sir Valius'" He took Elistra by her hand and lead her up the wall, hooking onto the crevices of brick and mortar with his claws. He then reached the top and pulled Elistra up with him. "We shall meet outside the north gate, agreed?" he asked while looking down from the roof.
-
Kiana looked at Valius. "Fine by me." She responded to his question. "Anything is better than just wandering around all day every day keeping my head down." She glanced around at the others then back to Valius, her eyes moving down to look at the bodies on the ground. She felt nothing for them. She knew it was part of their job to fight even if it killed them and so did they when they took it. She knew that they would have ended up dead if they had been part of the group that followed her too.
It was weird though. Anyone who looked at her and listened to her now, if they had no knowledge of their own of her being a noble, would think she was nothing out of the ordinary. The regular noble would turn their nose up at the very thought of working with such "filth", something she didn't really consider these people as. There would have been some kind of disgust in her tone when she answered and the reply probably would have ended with something like, "even with the likes of you as my company", but there was no hint of that disgust. No, she wasn't like the other nobles. She didn't desire to be like them. That's why she was the runaway noble mage. That's why she was here.
No, the only thing that bothered her was the drinking. She could knock that bottle out of Valius's hand very easily right now. She wouldn't though, because she didn't feel like upsetting him in anyway. If there was going to be a truce, why start it off by making a drunkard Knight drop his alcohol. She wouldn't do that, she would be nice to him, for now. Still staring at the ground by his feet, she couldn't help but smirk.
-
Valius nodded and agreed as everyone scattered and made their way to the rendezvous point via their own paths. He, however, chose to walk through town directly to the north gate. The two figures who spotted them approached him, with swords drawn. Valius took a swig as he unsheathed Valia and cut them both in half at the waist and re-sheathed it without interrupting his step or swing. Before he reached the first gate, he put down his bottle and drew Dio and Provas just in time to block the sword of another assailant jumping from the roof. To his surprise, the sword was still intact. He pulled away and eyed the empty eyes. "Hmm. Much stronger than the others, I pick. I guess you're in charge of this party?" The masked man didn't say anything. "Can't speak? 'Guess I can't expect much from the remnants of the once proud Assassin's Guild. Oh well." He crossed the two daggers at the hilt and chanted softly the ancient incantations on the handles (which is a dead language), and they glowed. "Well, then. Good bye." The daggers glowed and formed blades made of light that extended its existing ones to the length of short swords (about 3 ft). He charged, and in an instant, diced the man and his sword into pieces. The light faded and he re-holstered Dio and Provas. He sighed as he picked up the bottle for another swig, empty. He turned it upside down and looked inside. "Awww, bugger." :(
-
Kitt and his father made their way through the alleyways of the city, hoods drawn up they walked quickly and quietly...
"Kitt, if ever that Knight tries somthing..."
"...Stick 'im one?"
His father shot him a stare from under his hood, green eyes met amber for a moment...
"no Kitt,just run, and find me..."
He stared into Kitt's amber eyes or a moment longer, he sighed...
"you have your mothers eyes son... i'l always have a part of her in you.."
It was true, for while Kitt was his fathers spitting image when it came to fur colour, and most everything else, all the other Szarda's had green eyes. Kitt's father had married a feline from another clan, and it was her bright amber eyes that Kitt had inherited, that his father had fallen in love with so many years ago...
-
Talin smiled to Elistra as he jumped from one roof to another, showing the same agility he gained from repeated sparring matches with her. "Your turn..." he said with a smirk, and Elistra lept off the roof, and over Talin, almost falling off the roof he was on. She straightened herself up and then walked over to him with a very overconfident swagger. "Anything you can do, I can do better..." Talin took that as not only a challenge, but as an insult towards his pride as a male. He lept one roof, then another and another, then climbed up a chimney and hopped onto an outstretched post of elm wood, and then pulled himself up before making a massive leap onto the roof before the gate. He then turned towards Elistra and waved with a wide grin, making it seem like it was second-nature to him.
Elistra huffed and crossed her arms, looking rather cute in Talin's eyes, but fussy in anyone else's. "Freaking show-offy wolf..." she said before attempting to do the same, slipping on her climbs, but managed to pull off the same bounds, but not with nearly as much grace. "Since I beat you... I want you to strip your clothing and do a dance for me right here..." all he got as a reply was a slap, but she then grinned and hugged him. "Is this good enough compared to the latter and then quickly dying?" Talin nodded, a faint blush across his face as the slap left him unprepared for a hug. "To be honest, I've never seen you nude as a humanoid..." "..And until we go somewhere I won't be in danger... you never will" she added with a teasing giggle.
-
Kiana slipped silently into one of the alleys nearby, diverting to another street. No point in walking with someone who didn't necessarily want you there. She did keep an eye on Valius for the few seconds she could in the alley before not being able to see him anymore, but that was all. He didn't need her help anyway. She moved along the street and then through a few alleys before appearing in front of the gate. She casually walked through the gate, keeping her eyes on the ground. She then went to lean against a tree outside of the gate in the shadows, waiting.
-
Watched from the main road as Vee and everyone else make it to the north gate. "Took you people long enough. Now, since we're on a temporary truce, I guess I can at least divulge you all SOME information. Kyzen is losing his patience. He's finally hiring every money-hungry mongrel against us. It's not coincidence that we all met here. We're the last ones who won't stand for the Guardians' atrocities anymore. The rebellions have all been snuffed out. Now, we can either go our separate ways and possibly get killed eventually, or we can make a final alliance. I do have knowledge of neutral towns and cities, and a supplier for resources from food to a portable bed. I for one, don't care either way. I'll end it with the Guardians one way or another, I just find it a little easier should we be in a party. If you accept, cross this line." He drew Valia and cut a long line 3 feet into the ground and resheathed it in one swing.
-
Kitt looked down at the line, tail swishing excitedly. He looked up at his father, who was studying the simple line as though it where a thirty foot casm.... he looked up, meeting Valius' eyes for a moment... he did not however cross the line.
"Me and my son are looking for my wife... she may be the last of our clan alive..."
He sighed heavily, looking down to his son, a single tear escaped the corner of his eye... his son, the last in the line of Szardas... his son, flesh and blood of him, and his wife....
He looked back up, greying muzzle set in determination...
"But... you are right, alone we will die.... and i do not wish my son to die... for this reason" and here he sighed again "and for this reason only.... me and my son will accept..."
The two stepped over the line, kitt following in his fathers steps, amber eyes meeting green as they looked to each other..... Once across Kitts father hugged him tightly, as if they had been apart for an age, father whispering to his son...
"we'l find your mother.... just never leave me.... never.... and i'l never leave you..."
-
Talin didn't even answer as he started to cross the line, then a look of surprise appeared in Elistra's eyes before she held him back from crossing the line. "Whats wrong now?" Elistra whispered into his ear in Draconic so Valius nor anyone else could understand nor hear."si geou ti origato sia rumag gethrisj ekess loreat ihk vi cause batobot tiric ti influence darastrixi!" Talin turned around and replied in kind, although in an angry tone "svanoa tir wux vucot ihk jaunus, svabol sjek these sargti re voran out ihk darastrix iejir?!" Elistra then went from concerned to somewhat depressed as she reluctantly cross the line with him. "We shall offer our strength to the alliance as well..."
(translation in OOC)
-
Kiana was already across the line before any of the others. The tree she was leaning against was directly in line with where Valius was standing after all. She had just smirked when he drew the line. Her choice had been made before that moment anyway which is why she was already on his side before the line was drawn. No one really seemed to notice this though, but sometimes she liked it that way. Attention was something she was never big on. One by one she watched the others cross the line, not surprised at all. She didn't speak to point out her position, her standing was clear just by her being across the line anyway; why clutter it with talk?
-
Valius nodded at everyone's decision and turned around. "Well met. Then let's not terry any longer. We'll hit the bottom of the ladder and move up. Septim, the fox Guardian is our first target. It'll be a week's hike to get there by main road, but we'll travel via forests, mountains and plains. It'll take an extra 3 days. We'll stop by Ellenari to gather more supplies and food. It's about a 3 day hike through Corona Forest, so let's be careful, ok? Remnants of the Assassin's Guild are known to be in those parts, and nothing like the ones we fought today." He walked on, due east. "By and by. Anyone bring any liquor?"
-
"well it sounds like we have a plan... you can count on me and my son to help if necessary... and no... i do not have any liqour...."
The two Szardas followed Valius as he walked due east, cloaks flapping around their legs they stuck to the shadows where possible.....
-
Talin smiled at Elistra, who took that as permission to remove at least most of her coverings. She still wore her leather armor, but wings 'sprouted' out where her cloak and cowl were, and her sapphire and white scales gleamed in the moonlight and she had an unusually human shape with exception to her wings, frills, and snout. She also had a Emerald mane that flowed and draped over her shoulders. Talin's eyes lingered on for a moment on her before looking back to the forest and they both took to the air, visible only through rare spaces between branches. There they saw the mountains and started flying their way there, until an unseen energy caused both of their wings to become very dense, and they both hit branches before hitting grass. "Okay, I get it, no flying" Talin said before getting up and following Valuis, followed by Elistra, who clung to his right arm.
-
Kiana scowled at the back of Valius's head as she followed along. It wasn't the route they were taking that made her do this, no, it was him asking for more to drink, of course. "Why does he deem it necessary to drink so much?" She thought to herself. "Oh well, it's really none of my concern and the alcohol doesn't seem to effect him any." She looked around as she walked, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious lurking in the extensive shadows. She sighed, not in regards to being bored or anything but just as something to do, not that anyone else would know that. They'd probably think she was just being impatient.
-
Valius kept his senses on high alert and kept scanning with his eyes. He sniffed the air every so often, though he knew that would be useless in this situation if it were the Assassin's Guild. Sunlight gleamed through the branches and bounced off his half-plate armour and Valia. Something wasn't right. "Keep on your guard, everyone, we're not alone." He readied his hands, expecting an ambush. Before he knew it, Valius was tackled from the side and separated from the group. As he hit the ground, he heard the others taking the same hit he just did. He thought to himself, "Darn it! They separated us!" He contracted his muscles and broke free of the surprise attacker and threw them against the nearest tree and heard a crack as their spine was severed by the impact. Valius quickly drew Valia and cut down all trees within 9 feet of him with 2 swings, crushing some of the attackers who tackled his party. He put Valia back on the clip on his armor and drew Dio and Provas and stabbed the other surprise attackers in the arms so they would let go. Before he could kill them, 5 others jumped from the trees and pinned him to the ground. "ARGH!!!" More jumped out of the trees overhead, aiming for the party. "Above!"
-
Kitts father stopped, ear twitching...
A dark clad figure swooped down only to miss spectacularly as both him and his son Kitt ducked, shortswords drawing with the sound of a whetstone over steel. Both turned to face the attackers, using their natural feline agailty to thier best advantage they struck fast, weaving among attacks wherever possible, both hoods blown back over their shoulders and swords flashing sharply...
Kitt's father jumped after the five pinning Valius to the ground, if he could distract them, get them to draw swords or defend themselves maybe Valius would be able to break free...
-
Talin and Elistra immedeatly were back to back, making sure to not get seperated. Then, they started doing what looked like a dance routine, but every now and then, their postions changed a set of assassins fell. Their first turn, Talin grabbed a bladed end of his volgue, and swung it twice in a circle while gliding along the ground. Elistra then threw needles and sometimes her own scales into the ones that tried to catch Talin off-guard, setting them up for the next position change.
After two times, the assassins decided to do hit and run, lunging for an attack but instantly retreating if spotted. Talin could only get about two every three times he swung, so he then licked the flat of each volgue, and then lit his blades on fire with his flame breath, his spit being altered to act as an accelerant. The next time an assassin got hit, he was sent into a nearby tree, which within moment caught fire and either flushed the assassins out into range of Elistra's ranged weaponry, or burned to death any who took too long to react.
-
Kiana stood, having almost been hit by one of the trees Valius had cut down that knocked out the assassin who had attacked her, and readied herself. She looked up above her, a dark look on her face. She rose her hands bringing up big chunks of rock from the ground and flung them at the assassins coming down over her head. Each rock's impact on its assassin caused them to be knocked unconscious, bringing them down limply to have the fall break their necks. The dark look remained on her face as she turned to where Valius was being held down. She approached just like the cheetah she was, ready to pounce. And when she was close enough, she did, taking two of the assassins who had been holding Valius with her as she rolled into the shrubs and out of view.
Cracking and crunching noises came from the shrubs. Maybe a few cries of pain too, but they were muffled. Then there was silence for a moment. A rustling sound broke the silence soon after and then Kiana appeared from out of the shrubs. There wasn't a mark on her and no hint of the dark look from before on her face.
-
With two of the enemies off his back, Valius threw the other three off and quickly reached for Valia and ran it through the first assassin. From there, he wrapped Dio and Provas's chain around Valia's handle and drove them into the second's lungs and he pounced the third. He gave 5 furious punches to the assassin's face, his eyes burning with anger. Blood splashed from the assailant's head onto his armour plate. He got up and grabbed Dio, kicked Provas out of the assassin, and pulled on Dio, causing Provas to swing around Valia's handle like a sling and nailed another oncoming assassin in the leg while they were in the air. The man fell to the floor and picked up his scimitar to block Valius's strike with Valia. The weapon was indeed stronger than before the force behind Valius's attack was more than enough to press the back of the scimitar into its owners ribs and break them. The assassin writhed in pain while he died slowly. Valius flung Dio over between the two Szardas just in time to get an assassin in the face before they could kill the rangers.
-
Kitts father spun round, an assasin crumpling to the ground, the hilt of Dio sticking out of his forehead.... "didnt hear that one coming... i must be getting old..." he smirked, slicing through another assasin with his shortsword... "but this old felines got some fight in him yet...."
Both Szardas plunged thier swords into another assasin, before pulling out their repeater crossbows... loading a stack of bolts into each they pulled hte heavy weapons up to their shoulders.... pulling the trigger the crossbow jolted in Kitt's paws, spitting a bolt across the distance between him and an assassin, pulling back the reloading mechanism he fired again...
-
Talin realized his breath had a draw-back in this location: he could end up burning the entire forest to the ground if the flame spread quickly enough. "We need to push on, this area is going to be burning in a few moments!" A testament to Talin's statement occoured when a tree, its trunk burnt to the point of no strength, began to fall on Elistra. Talin swung his blade into the tree, getting a good 'hook' into it while keeping it held up. Elistra then got between Talin and the tree, losing her artificial humanity long enough to push the tree up and tilting on the otherside, crushing some of the horses the assassins used to get to their location as well as some who were still on their horses.
Elistra collapsed as her body went back to humanoid and Talin hefted her over his shoulder. However, with only one arm avalible and Elistra out of commission for the moment, it was hard to just stay on the defensive, let alone make a counter attack. He ended up backing into Kiana, then lost his balance and spun around to hit the ground hard. He then groggily rose up and got ready to fight again, now that Elistra was at least somewhat safer than with just himself.
-
Kiana felt no frustration in being bumped into by Talin. It didn't have any effect on her really. The peace she felt after taking out the two assassins in the shrubs had disappeared only a few seconds after she walked back out, the dark look on her face having returned. Talin was now the one in trouble. She knew this because she had seen how he and Elistra moved together, seen how he needed her as part of the strategy and movements.
Raising her hands, palms facing down, her staff being on the ground at her feet, she lifted a thick layer of dirt from the ground. She moved it along and then threw it on the flames that still burned, putting out the fire. She definitely wouldn't have a forest being burned down when she could stop it. She did the same move but with her hands balled into fists, raising rocks out of the ground again. She looked up at the trees, running her eyes along each canopy examining them. She concentrated very hard, zoning in, and punched both of her fists in the air. The rocks flew into the canopies of the trees, not all in a straight line, headed for their targets. Each rock knocked an assassin on a branch off-balance, causing them to fall out of the trees. This time it wasn't as effective as before though; they did not fall to their deaths. They landed as if they had jumped out of the trees of their own accord, all thirty-two of them. Kiana stomped, bringing her staff up and catching it in her right hand, and stood next to Talin, her stance saying she was ready to continue to fight.
-
Valius jumped to avoid the flying earth and found himself back-to-back with Clare. They looked at each other and they both knew, everyone's getting exhausted, and Kiana's running out of majicka. Clare spoke up, "Well, now Mr. Drunken Pervert. It seems I was right about your daggers there. Those are Dio and Provas, the light daggers. You probably no doubt know mine are Arwyn and Ilyan, the constitution knives. Your daggers become swords of light, mine grant temporary god-speed for 5 seconds before taking up all your body's energy. So, your predecessors tell you about the legend on how these things work as one?" Valius nodded, "Yea, but I heard there's a bad omen to using it." Clare chuckled, "Well, it's time to see if that part is true or not." The two of them crossed their weapons with the other person's instead of their own while standing back-to-back. They both recited the ancient incantations on their weapons and the weapons came aglow. Blades of light extended both their weapons and they moved with great speed as if in a blur. In 5 seconds, the 20 of the pursuers were cut to bits. The light vanished and they stood back the way the were. Valius chuckled, "Well, I don't feel the least bit tired. Maybe that bad omen was just..." He stopped in mid-sentence as he turned and saw Clare limp on the ground. He picked her up after kneeling beside her. She opened her eyes weakly and looked up at him. "Now please tell me you're not going to rape me." she chuckled at bit and start to gasp for air. "I'm sorry, but I lied. The cost is that it drains all the energy from both users, incapacitating them for exactly 1 day. We're not out of the woods yet, and there might be more of the remnants as we exit. When I recited the incantation and added a little extra to it. Aym het tsoc eb niem. 'May the cost be mine'. It has taken more than just my energy, it's taken my life-energy as well. I have only one regret. Those 20 guilders you dropped after I knocked Darius' bag. Now, leave..." Clare closed her eyes for the last time and breathed her last. The knives glowed and floated from her hands and hovered over her. Slowly, it turned to dust and blew away in the wind. Valius muttered softly, more to himself than the others. "When there is no one deserving of my strength. The power of gods shall be returned hence. Never again will two be one. Lest the line of light be done."
-
Both Kitt and his father had their backs to the pair as they recited the incantations... it was therefore of great surprise to both of them when twenty assassins suddenly fell dead... Kitt's father stood, rather shocked... "uh... i did i do that?"
he turned to see Clare fall limp.... dawning realisation, she had sacrificed herself....
-
Talin looked down at Elistra, and with a pang of regret, went back to his Dragoon teachings. The first thing taught to rookies about dragon slaying is that 'In order to slay dragons, one must adopt their strength and powers' Elistra was against this power since it left the user little more than a blood-drunk monster until they forcibly revert to their original state, that and it was a pathetic parody of a real dragon hybrid. "For the sake of the hunt, this one will become what he kills" was the activation word which now that he has spoken, his fur became brighly crimson, and his eyes now burning slits. "Suffer!!" he yelled as he lunged from assassin to assassin, rending them with his volgue or a taloned kick. Luckily, the form is short-term and doesn't leave any permanent damage to the user as Talin burns out his form and then lands next to Kiana. "Don't expect me to do that often..." he said while parrying a sword, disarming the holder, and then decaptiating with a 360 degree swing.
"Dragoon form" kills: 12
-
Kiana didn't really notice what Talin did. She slowly turned towards where Valius knelt, the dark look on her face turning to one of sadness and disappointment. Her eyes moved down to Clare in his arms. "She sacrificed herself for people she barely knew..." She thought to herself, looking upon the body. It just didn't seem right. Clare was young, too young to die. Kiana didn't like this one bit, but of course she appreciated the sacrifice of Clare. She was glad that she could continue on with life, but for someone who was fighting on her side to be killed for that to be possible was just not her idea of a good thing.
Kiana felt weak and she raised her left hand to her head. She had never used practically all of her majicka before, never felt what the repercussions were for it. She didn't like this feeling. Her body swayed slightly. She didn't want this to happen. She tried to resist it. She thought she was going to die, having never felt this way before. She collapsed on the ground, her staff still in her right hand but only by her fingertips still being curled a little. Her eyes were closed and she seemed almost completely still, but she was still breathing and her heart was still beating. Unconsciousness flooded her head and everything was black, the blackest it could be.
-
Valius hoisted Clare's body onto his shoulder after he holstered Dio and Provas and walked over to the unconscious Kiana. He looked over to the Szardas. "Rangers, Clare is right. There will be more on the way. We need to get moving. But Talin needs to carry Elistra and I need to get Kiana and Clare. The two of us are near exhaustion. We're going to be running straight through without stopping. I doubt Talin has the strength to carry Elistra AND swing that volge around. Can you guys back us up with those bows? Just make sure we get a path. Don't turn around unless they catch up to us. Got it? Let's go." Valius heaved Kiana and kicked her staff, it bounced off the tree and into his hand. He began to sprint with everyone.
-
Both Szardas nodded, loading stocks of bolts into their repeater bows and pulled back the loading mechanism, the whole bow creaking menacingly under the high tension.... "we got your back"
With that they sprinted with the others, one Szarda on either side of the group, ears up and searching for any sound of an approaching attacker. Their muted green and grey cloaks rippled as they dodged to either side of trees, keeping the main group in sight, but slightly apart... ready to fire at a moments notice....
-
Talin could swing the volge around, but it would probably leave his hand and hit one of his 'allies' at terminal velocity. So, he just stuck to keeping pace with Valius, cradling Elistra in his arms, hoping she wouldn't wake up during the chase. It was hard enough to carry someone without them trying to strangle you out of anger. "How much longer 'til we leave the woods Valius?" he asked, still oblivious to the other body Valius was carrying.
-
Kiana didn't hear what was going on nor did she feel herself jostling about on Valius's shoulder. If she had been awake to see her staff get kicked and bounced off of a tree, she would have been pretty close to furious. Of course, Valius couldn't just bend down and pick it up with two people over his shoulders so it only made sense that he did what he did. It was better than leaving her staff behind after all.
While unconscious, she dreamed. Basically it was a dream of running. Running fast, but not away from anything. Running just to run, to be free. This dream would be caused by her being tired of running from being killed, of course. It had no other purpose but to let her feel freedom for a while. It might have been a long run, she didn't know. Time was not a factor in this. But then, the dream faded away.
She could still feel some movement of running but her legs weren't moving now, that she knew of. Actually, during that whole time she had been repeatedly kneeing Valius as she brought her leg up for a stride in the dream before pushing that leg out and kneeing him with the other as she alternated. Now she just felt pressure against her stomach and maybe around her legs. That and a slight bouncing motion. The blackness was too heavy, she couldn't see anything. She could hear though. Four pairs of feet hitting the ground at an all out run, four mouths breathing with the stress, one other breathing like her. She felt at ease being able to hear this, knowing she wasn't captured, that this was her party. But who was carrying her? She wondered about that. Then, her whole body tensed up, her arm having swung slightly and brushed against something that was too limp to be just unconscious. It came back to her then and she realized what her arm had just touched. "Clare..." She thought to herself, making sure her arms would not swing that way again. "Someone carrying two people by themselves? Must be Valius..." This disgruntled her a bit but there wasn't anything she could do about it, not being able to see through the blackness yet or move a muscle. Plus, she'd rather have to be carried by him than be left behind. Now all she could do was wait a little bit more for her sight and strength to come back.
-
Valius sighed disgruntly as Kiana kicked him repeatedly as he ran. He grabbed over behind the knees so she would stop or at least restrain her. He leaned forward more to compensate for the point of contact and weight shift. He growled as he saw pursuers showing up ahead of them. "Rangers! We have company. Watch out for their arrows!" He grunted angrily as he began dodging arrows coming in from the side. "Concentrate on creating a path!"
-
Kitt and his father kept running, dodging arrows and trees, before every now and then launching a bolt into a pursuer, the head burrowing deep through cloth and armour to nestle between ribs or in eyes... An arrow, dark fetching still quivering lodged itself in the tree beside Kitt's head with a sharp ~ftwang~ he ducked under it and kept running, a low dark figure between the trees...
-
While Talin was fleeing with Valius, he started to notice a rather strong looking wolf not that different looking from himself, but garbed in pure black and having a hood over his head. The figure looked back and Talin caught a red glow where the left eye would be, then the figure turned forward, and lept to the left and gave off a briliant flash, exposing a hooded figure with a crossbow, aimed right at Talin. He ducked under the arrow and then looked back, no longer seeing the wolf. He didn't stop moving, but he wasn't entirely focused on where he was going with Valius. That couldn't be... could it? he thought as his memories trailed back to images of his ancestor whom he owed his current lifestyle to: Chronin Lazarus, the first high mage of his family tree.
-
Kiana heard the pursuers and the whizzing of arrows in the air. She blinked her eyes and finally she could actually see. She tried to ball her hands into fists and it worked. She had the capability to move but she still stayed limp over Valius's shoulder. Struggling and making him pause to put her down would not be a good idea right now. She had an idea of what she would do to get down without making him stop but she did not trust her legs to have the strength to let her run at a full sprint when she got down. So now she just stayed where she was, feeling totally useless but knowing there was still nothing she could do.
-
Valius began to breathe harder and harder as they continued to run full sprint. Valia weighs more than these two combined, but having them AND Valia on his back is something else. Plus, with all this dodging and being near exhausted with the last wave was starting to make him a little light headed. Come one, man. Keep it together. Talin's in no better shape. We need to keep pushing. He saw an arrow headed for the young Kitt past his face. Valius stretched his neck over quickly and caught the arrow in his mouth and spit it out. He looked over at the rangers. Bugger, they're almost out of bolts, too. This is looking bad. No choice. He yelled over to the others as he pulled slightly ahead and leaned his body forward almost to the ground. "Try to keep up!" With all that he had left, he went into a dead sprint.
-
Both Szardas slung their crossbows over their shoulders and ran into a full sprint, jumping over fallen branches and low scrub... drawing swords instead they ran alongside Valius... "c'mon champ! just keep runnin'!" Leaping over another fallen branch Kitt's father sliced through an approaching assailant, steel flashing brightly...
-
Talin re-focused and realized he was about to run into a waist high boulder, which would not only cripple him at this speed, but also leave him too exposed to the assassins catching up. So, he lept on top of the rock, and into the branches, knowing he couldn't move quickly while decending. He leaped through tree after tree, trying to keep pace with Valius. These hoods are not making it easy to get even a moments rest!
-
Kiana breathed through her teeth. She could tell Valius was being worn down by all this. It looked like she would have to go with her plan after all. "Alright, Valius, just keep running while I do this. Don't slow down while I'm doing it or after I get down. If I fall behind a bit, I'll catch up quickly so don't worry about it." She said in a low voice to him, but still loud enough for him to hear over everything else. She hoped her speaking out of the blue wouldn't catch him off-guard.
She slinked her legs through his arm's hold, her hands already lightly gripping his shoulder, and placed her feet on the outside of her hands. She only stayed perched there for a second before grabbing her staff out of his hand and springing off of his shoulder. She did a flip in the air before landing on the ground and immediately turned around to sprint after the group. It didn't take much for her to pass them. She was a cheetah after all and though she didn't have as much speed as her feral counterpart, she still had enough to be faster than the others. She made sure she didn't get too far ahead though, it was best if they weren't separated. Every now and then she would duck or jump to avoid an arrow or maybe just a root or rock.
-
Without a choice, Valius pressed onward. They're almost there. Just then, a wall of water sprang from the ground up in front of them. Telling by the size of it, he could tell, they have a water mage. In a final attempt for them to get past the treeline, Valius tossed Clare's body into the air in front of him. Forgive me. He drew Valia and cut the wall with all of his might. A large opening formed and Talin and the Szardas made it through, but it began rapidly closing. Valius caught Clare's body and grabbed Kiana by the robe and dead-sprinted through the crack before the wall reformed itself. They landed onto the grounds of the pasture. The wall of water could be seen far above the trees. Valius collapsed and held Clare close so as not to taint her body. We can't stay for long. Valius laid Clare beside him and got up, but found that his body had moved without his legs. He face planted and reached into his pouch on his belt. From inside, he pulled out glowing, blue knives. He dragged himself over to Clare's body and positioned her into a resting posture. "Clare. I know you wanted more, and you risked your life for us to make it this far. I'm sorry you never found that treasure you wanted. And I'm sorry we couldn't give you a more proper burial." With that, he drove the knives deep into the ground around her body. Each knife bursted into plumes of water under the ground. Clare's body slowly sank deep into the ground. After the body sank far into the ground, and the ground dried, the wall began to slowly lower and separate. He looked over at Talin, Kiana and the Szardas. "Go! We're about 2 kilometers from Septim's territory. If you guys make it past the border, you'll be safe. They won't chase you there." He drew Valia and kissed it. Still unable to stand, he yelled at the others, "Go!"
-
Kitt's father stopped, two fingers pressed to his forehead in a silent show of respect for Clare... "may hope guide your heart, and speed your wings" With that he looked up to Valia, torn between staying to fight and protect him, or to run.... he looked from his son, to Kiana.... Drawing his repeater bow back he pulled the weapon up to his shoulder, Kitt following suit, ready to either flee, or fight...
-
Talin briefly noticed Valius on the ground and was about to stop when a voice in his head rang out. You stop now, and Elistra is going to die by their arrows.... let the archers cover Valius Talin reluctantly followed the voice's heed and kept on moving. He didn't know if he and Elistra would be the only ones to keep moving, for the branches hid what was to occour under his feet.
-
Kiana noticed Kitt's father look at her out of the corner of her eye. She looked down at Valius. "I wasn't left to die. I'm not leaving you to die either." She said, her voice determined. She hit the bottom of her staff on the ground like a signal that she was not leaving. Looking at her now, one would think by the look on her face and her stance that she was very stubborn, which would be correct in a way. Valius was going to get to Septim, even if she had to use all of her strength and then some to drag him there herself, but some earth magic would make that easier if it came to that.
-
Valius smirked, "Who the hell do you think you're talking to!? You really belittle me alot, Kiana. Ever since you walked into the bar. Take the rangers and go. Talin's going to need cover. I'll join up with you guys soon. After you make it into Septim's territory, head southeast for about another kilometer. There's a town there called Marcelus. It was the final resting place of elfin-kind. There is a smith by the name of Korius Lambent. Go to him and show him this. He'll help you guys restock on supplies and keep you hidden. Now go! I'll catch up, promise!" Valius dug into his sash and pulled out a metal shard and tossed it to Kiana, it was the shattered sigil of Koara Uzima. He held Dio and threw Provas to the side, the lightning chain connecting them. "Go! NOW!"
-
Kitt's father was torn between the desire to stay and protect Valius, who had done so much to protect them, and to run, protecting his son. He looked to Kitt, watching how he stood, unsure yet resolute, his overlarge repeater bow drawn up to his shoulder... His son... His... son.... he could not let his Son die, no one was as important to him as that child, even his own life.
-
Talin had turned arond to watch as Valius was still on the ground, then turned back around to continue his dash through the plains. He saw a village in the distance, and what he thought was Chronin sitting on a rooftop looking right at him. Don't stop on my account, keep going, nobody else will see me but you, for now that is.. Talin then felt another arrow make a grazing shot on him, and he felt somewhat helpless for not being able to retaliate without putting Elistra in danger.
I better be getting some answers as to why my ancestor is actually even here!
-
Kiana wasn't taken back by Valius's words toward her. It was just his attitude and she was getting more accustomed to it each time he spoke. She caught the sigil and stared down at it. If she didn't have the hood of her cloak up, it would have been noticeable that she was on the verge of tears. She held herself together though and held the sigil tight. When she looked up from the sigil, there was no sign of that emotion on her face anywhere. "Will do, captain." She responded in a sarcastic tone with a half-hearted salute, smirking. He wouldn't get to her, she wouldn't let him. She turned and started across the pasture. "Come on, you two, I know you don't want to stay here. She spoke over her shoulder to the Szardas. It wasn't a command or anything but she had just sensed that they weren't totally set on staying to fight more.
-
Valius watched as they all left, still on his knees, unable to move his legs. He sighed in relief. Kiana, Kitt, Talin, Elistra. Be strong and venture forward. I am sorry for the calamity and trials you will face ahead.. He looked to the sky and sighed. "Your Liege, I have fulfilled my promise. I have gathered them, protected them and shown them the path. Gaia be with me." He brought Valia and held it in salute, and then readied himself. Valius recited the ancient incantations on Provas and Dio, and the daggers lit up with a brilliant, golden light. Forcibly, Valius got up onto his feet and glared at the oncoming assailants. 5 in total, all in thin, golden armour and cloth. The Assassin's Guild 4 Heads and their mage. Wait for me, everyone. I will keep my promise and catch up to you all. "Come and get me you refuse of the past! The future no longer requires you lot!"
-
The two szardas turned, holstering bows over their shoulders as Kiana walked off... it seemed Valius was set on his choice, as where the others....
"I expect to see you! dont you dare die on us"
Kitts father turned to see Valius drawing weapons, before finally turning and running to catch up with Kiana, Kitt had already caught up with her, muted green cloak rippling around his legs as he ran...
-
Talin didn't know how long he could keep running at this pace. After he passed a few low-rise hills, he felt something tear...
In moments he went from running at mad sprint, to tumbling along the ground. Fly you idiot, you have wings for a reason besides poses!! Talin grunted as he got up, and then ran up a hill. At the top of the hill, he lept and forced Elistra's wings to spread. Of course, the only way this could work, was if Elistra started to regain consiousness....
"Wh- who... what did you do now Talin?!" Great, she probably notices the smell of dragon on me... well, whatever isn't her own scent.... "Elistra, just spread your wings before we both plummet to the ground" Elistra looks at him with confusion, and then realizes his statement as they are quite well above the nearest elevated spot on the plains. She tries to spread them as far as she can, but they still start decending, while still becoming a rather large visual, becoming a massive target for archers, but considering that Elistra still is too weak to lift Talin, his gear, and still be able to keep at a realtively stable running speed. It was basically their only 'quick fix', assuming they both would be able to seek magical help in the next village.
-
Kiana spotted Talin and Elistra in the sky way ahead of them. She shook her head at the sight, not thinking it was a smart move. She had been walking but once the Szardas were caught up with her she started running. It wasn't a very fast run, more of a light one. Her mission was to get away from the danger posed here. She would get them all to Marcelus and find the smith, Korius. She would show him the sigil and get the supplies. Valius would join them. If he didn't, well, she'd have some words for him in the afterlife. She chuckled to herself at that idea and just kept up her light run.
-
Valius stood over five dead bodies out in the field, panting, bloody and tired. He clipped Valia back onto the back of his armour and holstered Provas and looked around for Dio. He walked over to the dead water mage and pulled it out of her left kidney. He wiped the blood off and looked at it. He whispered to the blade, "Thank you, my friends. You two have been quite the lifesavers over the years." He holstered Dio and looked around the empty field. He grunted as he took a step. His right leg's muscle are torn and his left is almost there, too. His head was light and collapsed to the ground. The light faded as he closed his eyes. As he lost consciousness, he heard footsteps and a faint voice that he didn't recognize. "Ho.. on! I ...otya. Yer... onna ...e aight!" The world turned black and he heard no more.
-
Kitt was keeping up the light run beside Kiana, he was watching her with interest as he ran, tail whipping behind him as he jumped over tussocks of thick grass. His father ran on her other side, grunting slightly with every other step, a slight limp to his run...
panting he carried on running apace with the others, he was getting old, there was no doubt about it. It seemed like only yesterday that he had met with Kitt's mother, they had both been young, a run like this would have been a mere walk in the park back then.... he saw Kitt watching Kiana as he ran, the child seemed constantly curious about others, like a small kitten... he smiled watching Kitt, the smile of a prowd father...
-
Talin finally looked back, feeling the adrenalin leave him as he saw no more persuers. "E-Elis-" he finally passed out, rolling to the right and throwing Elistra off-balance. They both ended up plummeting to the ground, but neither suffered any broken bones as Talin's unconsious body dissipated the impact, and Elistra landed on top of him. "Talin, love, you awake? Or will I have to beat you awake for that fake form-change again?!" She lifted him up and shook him about, but to no avail...
In Talin's mind, he heard a rather loud and childish laughter followed by what he could only gather, as Chronin's voice. Man, did you fall asleep at the wrong time, shes probably going to maul you right now!! his laughter continues until Talin truly falls asleep.
-
Kiana saw Kitt looking at her out of the corner of her eye and saw his father watching him out of the corner of her other eye. She didn't get how she could be so interesting. Then she noticed Talin and Elistra plummet to the ground. She made some kind of sound of disapproval. She wasn't going to pause to go over and fetch them though. It wasn't something she wanted to do. The Szardas could go get them if they wanted to but she didn't feel like that was part of her mission. If they did go over to get the other two, it wasn't like she'd leave them behind, she keep pace so she was still in view but she was not stopping. Then she reconsidered.
She slowed to a stop and changed the way she held her staff. Tracing a circle in the grass with the end of her staff, she then pulled it in a line towards herself. This act made the the piece of land that Talin and Elistra were on move over to where she was, and she looked at Elistra. "If you want to come with us still, I'd suggest not shaking him to death and instead maybe carrying or dragging him along..." She said to her, sounding like she didn't care. It wasn't that though; she was just in a hurry. Without really waiting for a response, she started running again, faster this time than before.
-
Valius slowly awoke from his unconsciousness. He couldn't see anything, but he felt like being jostled around and heard the sound of hoof beats. Was he captured? He wasn't bounded. What was happening? He groaned as he sat up, his limbs soar and his legs twitching, still recovering. He looked around and found himself lying on the top of a carriage. He reached for Valia, not there. Dio and Provas are gone, too. His money and supplies! Just then, a glimmer passed over his hand. He turned his head and saw the back of an armoured wolf. Sitting next to that wolf was Valia. Quickly he grabbed it and held the blade against the driver's neck. "Who are you?'
-
Drevo felt the prick of the weapon as it reached his neck. He shrugged it off, smiling and still driving the carriage along the road.
"Finally awake huh?" He said nonchalantly as he scratched the back of his head; a noticable cut on his right forearm. The sleeve from the red robe he wore fluttered in the wind as he scratched his head.
"Don't you know it's rude to ask someone their name without giving yours first?" chuckled Drevo.
"But since you asked so nicely, I suppose I can let you slide..." he egged on in his nonchalant tone.
"It's Drevo, Drevo Lajit," He said, turning his he back, looking at Valius out of the corner of his eye.
-
Kitt and his father slowed to a stop beside Kiana, Kitt still watching her with keen interest as she traced a circle in the ground, magic flowing from her through her staff. His father came to a stop beside the young feline, panting heavily, he brought Kitt into a brief one armed hug... "you... doing... good.. champ..."
Kitt looked up at his father and hugged back, smiling "you aint doing so bad yoursel' old timer"
His father laughed loudly, still panting, he ruffled Kitt's hair affectionately before breaking into a run again to keep up with Kiana...
-
Elistra grunted rather un-characteristically as she lifted up Talin and his weapon, trying to even walk, let alone keep a running pace with anyone. She had no idea where they were going, but anywhere they considered shelter was better than being out in the open plains...
-
Kiana kept on running for their destination. Of course, every now and then she would look back and make sure she could see Elistra following slowly behind them carrying Talin. She used her earth magic at certain points to make sure Elistra was still where she could see her when she looked back, moving the earth gently so it didn't set Elistra off-balance.
She could finally see a village not to far ahead. "Finally. Hello Marcelus." She said mostly to herself. She continued to lead them to the village and when she got there she slowed down to a stop. Using the same magic she had been using during the run, she finally moved Elistra so she was standing with them. Since she was only using the majicka in short spurts at random moments, it hadn't worn her down. "Okay, now we have to find the blacksmith, Korius." She stated, directing it to everyone. She started walking down the road, which looked like the main road in the village to her. It would make sense for a blacksmith to be stationed on the main road.
-
Valius remained steadfast on top of the carriage, holding Valia almost right up against Drevo's throat. "Don't give me that damn tone. Who the bloody devil do you work for? By your armour, I know you're an ex-Voronese knight. From what I've seen you all fall under Kyzen's command, now. So you better give me a bloody damn good reason not to kill you. You are all disgraces to the title of 'knight'." Valius's eyes burned with fury and thirsted for blood and revenge. Images passed through his mind, remembering the day the Knights of Gaia defected from the Guardians. He remembered watching his comrades running with him, being chased by two companies of ex-Voronese Knights. He remembered his wife, throwing him over the end of the bridge before it collapsed. He had cried out to her to follow him, but all she did was toss her claymore to him. She had given him one last, loving look before picking up a broadsword and charging the pursuers. Valius screamed at the memory and lifted Valia, bringing it down towards Drevo...
At the far end of the small village of Marcelus, Korius hammered to the sun's heat. Sweat poured from beneath his glistening, silver fur, and the furnace didn't help one bit, either. He brought the blade he was tempering to the water to cool, when his nose picked up something new. Travelers, what a rarity, and they carry with them, something that smelled familiar...
-
Without getting out of his seat Drevo grabbed his Bowstaff and held it slanted above his head. Valia slid across it's surface as Drevo directed it to swing over the side of the carriage. After that Drevo stood up and turned towards Valius; half black and white face smirking at him. Drevo put his foot into Valius' chest and stood over him, trying his best to keep him down.
"Look, buddy, I don't think you're showing the proper gratitude," said Drevo bringing down his Bowstaff next to Valius' head.
"If you want a reason you shouldn't kill me, remember you wouldn't be alive it it wasn't for me," Drevo pulled up his sleeve and revealed a bandage wrapped around a portion of his arm. "You see this? One of those people attacking you wasn't done with you, he almost had you with a dagger, but I stopped him,"
Drevo pulled down his sleeve and sat back into the drivers seat grabbing the reigns. "And if you must know, I'm not with Kyzen anymore, havn't been for a long time,"
He set his Bowstaff down beside him and scratched his ear.
"If you want to keep fighting, you'll never recover," he said nonchalantly.
"I suggest you just sit back and enjoy the ride, were almost to town,"
-
Kitt followed close behind Kiana... too close for his fathers likings, but he made no movement to stop him, and simply watched...
"how do you do magic like that Miss?"
Kitt had spoken out shyly, still folowing Kiana closely, watching her curiously... he looked up at her with the innocence of youth, inquisitive and curious... His father watched him carefully, while he knew Kitt was in no danger with Kiana he still felt that Kitt could be too mischevious for his own good at times...
"dont mind him Kiana... he's just at that age where he constantly asks questions"
-
Kiana glanced at Kitt and then looked at his father. "No, it's okay." She smiled and looked over at Kitt. "Well, you see, I'm a mage. I was born with majicka. Majicka is the feelings and flow of life running through someone, the very essence of nature itself. One with majicka manipulates this energy with their heart, and controls it with their mind. Anyone can do magic, but those without majicka will die from using magic, even the simplest magic is fatal." She explained simply. "I don't need my staff to perform my magic, I'd do just as well without it. It basically acts an extension of my arm, making some things easier than they would be, and it also helps in fights since it can be used like a weapon. The helpful thing is that running my magic through this staff with this emerald in it makes it so I can perform higher level magic without using as much majicka. I made it myself when I was about seven." She chuckled. "Can you imagine that? A seven-year-old walking around with something this tall? Well, at least I grew into it..." She laughed as she eyed her staff to emphasize that she was the same height as it.
They had now reached the far end of the village. Her explanation of why she could do such magic had occupied them while they had walked. Kiana sniffed the air. She smelled the furnace and though she wasn't too familiar with weaponry, she could tell it was a smell that would come from a blacksmith's shop. Continuing only a little bit further, she spotted the shop. She approached it casually, not really noticing that she was still clutching the sigil very tightly in her left hand and holding it against her stomach.
-
Valius collapsed back on top of the carriage, his energy not recovered yet. His grip loosened and Valia stayed there, stuck down the middle of the carriage. "Take me to the blacksmith's in Marcelus. I need to meet up with my party." He laid on his back and unclipped his half-plate. Valius sighed as he felt the release in tension. Maybe he could finally relax since starting this damn mission. But he had vowed to Koara, and as a Knight of Gaia, his vows and oaths are his life. He closed his eyes and tried to rest. "Say, there. Got any hard drinks on you?"
Korius placed the tempered blade onto his progression rack and walked out the door and eyed his new visitors, particularly Kiana. "Hello there. YOU seem to be holding something of a particular interest. So you lot must be the ones whom he was to find. Though I don't really trust any of you, particularly the rangers, but I will help you anyway I can. I guess he will be joining us at a later time, since he would hand you that accursed Sigil. That man would die to protect it. Seeing as he had you hold it, I'll turn a blind eye for now. Come in." Korius went back inside, not really waiting for the others.
-
"Heh, I've got a bottle of Sake in the bag behind you," Drevo chuckled as he reached a fork in the road. He took the right, which led to Marcelus.
"We should be there within an hour or so,"
-
Kitt listened to Kiana eagerly, amber eyes wide and curious. His father laughed quietly, watching his son, though he too was interested in Kiana's explanation... None of his family had magika, or none that he knew of, and magic was somthing he knew only vaguely about from fighting it.
"so... no matter how hard i tried... i couldnt ever, ever, ever do magic?"
The young feline looked slightly crestfallen, as if a great treat or prize had been snatched from his grip... His father frowned slightly, ruffling Kitt's hair..
"theres no need to be like that.... if you can do magic, or if you cant your still my son... and that makes you special... no one else in the WHOLE WORLD is the same as you..." Kitt hugged his father side, still watching Kiana with interest, especially her staff... he seemed to be trying to picture a seven year old Kiana with the staff, grinning he turned to see Korius.
Kitt's father Smirked, pulling his hood down... "your trust is not needed, only your help... though if it does come down to trust, be sure i will be the first to stab you in the back..." he laughed, stowing his repeater crossbow over his shoulder and pulling Kitt closer to him before walking into the blacksmiths after Korius...
-
Elistra dragged Talin, her strength too little to no longer carry him, over to a wall on the inside and proped him up, then sat in front of him. Her eyes were unblinking as she waited for him to wake up.
Luckily for time-sake, he only stayed asleep for a few moments and then woke up with Elistra's hands around his neck. "Come on, can't ev-" She tightened her grip and then pushed him up the wall, , letting his feet dangle as she repeatedly slammed him into the wall. "Never, do, that, again!!!!" she then dropped him. There was a dent in the wall from where she slammed him, along with cracks in the masonry. He breathed heavily as he tried to stay consious enough to mouth a 'sorry', then just waited as he let his limbs regain connection from that almost traumatic experience.
-
*a heavily cloaked figure walked in from the cold looking around the room surveying the other patrons his face shrouded in a hood only the tip of his muzzle was visible he sniffed the air once.*
-
Kiana chuckled at the father and son. "Yes, Kitt, I wouldn't recommend you EVER trying to do magic. It's not worth killing yourself over." She said, smirking. She followed after Korius with them. "That's correct. He will be joining us later. He's quite the stubborn one so he wouldn't let us stay and help him, just yelled at us to leave and come here." She rolled her eyes. If it had been possible to grip the sigil tighter, she would have when Korius was talking about it. "I obviously made it quite clear when I first met him that I would protect something like this just as much as he does." She had a certain tone in her voice, something like bitterness but not exactly that. Moving the sigil away from her stomach, she looked down at it, taking more time to examine it than she was able to when it was thrown to her.
-
Valius grabbed the bottle and started sipping it slowly. "Thanks for the drink. Sorry about the carriage." He drank away as they continued down the way.
Korius didn't pay mind to the patrons, he merely went around the furnace and moved the progression rack against the wall. He reached around and found an iron ring. Korius tugged on it, which opened a hidden door. He jumped down and disappeared for about a minute. He climbed back out and closed the door behind him. He carried two large quivers, each one glowing with a different color. Korius handed the first one to Kitt, half the bolts in it seemed normal, but the other half glowed a bright yellow. "You appear to have a good eye, however, you are still behind in abilities. Therefore, the glowing bolts, use sparingly. They are embued with thunder magic. After they're fired, you pretty much shoot a lightning bolt." Korius handed the other to Kitt's father, its contents the same, but glowed blue. "You have skills as sharp as those eyes. I'll entrust you with the water bolts. As with your son, use them sparingly, this is all you get. It took a lot of money and pulling of strings to get embued items." Korius walked over and looked Talin up and down, surveying his injuries. He merely nodded and took Talin's weapon to the furnace.
As Talin began to protest, Valius leaned hard against the side of the door. "It's okay, Talin. He may not look it, but his eyes are sharper than the old ranger's and he's the best damn smith in Gaia. You'll find your weapon will cut finer than before." Korius snarled a little as he began heating Talin's weapon, "You bring quite the carnival with you, Captain. After being under you for so many years, I thought you'd be with a better crowd." Korius reached for his hammer as Talin's weapon continued to heat up. Instead of taking down the hammer, he pulled on it, revealing a small compartment connected to the hook. Various colors glowed from it as he reached in and closed it, holding something green in his hand. He walked up to Kiana, "This is the only pure emerald left. This bangle was created and worn by the High Mage Nimali Anil from over 900 years ago. But be warned, the power that runs in a pure element is far more dangerous than you running out of majicka. If you're unable to control its power, you WILL die."
-
Drevo hopped off the carriage and leaned against the wall near Valius; his bowstaff leaning against him.
"I take it you know these people, cat," said Drevo as he eyed the people in the room. First the two Szardas, the smaller then the bigger. He then looked over to the wolf and dragon woman. Then he eyed the cheetah curiously; not looking at anyone else for several moments.
"So what are you all doing...I'm sure you aren't just going on a camping trip..." Drevo asked, scratching behind his ear.
-
Kitt held the quiver, pulling out a bolt and eyeing it curiously. His father did the same, squinting with one eye closed and his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated on the runes marked along the shaft of the bolt...
"these are of great quality. I have not seen such well embued bolts for a long time... i reckon i am in your debt for such generosity.." He held up a paw before Korius could say a word... "i would feel insulted for someone not to accept my debt, i do not hand out such loyalties easily... not anymore that is..."
The two Szardas looked up momentarily at the newcommer, along with Valius, before looking back down and stowing what bolts they had left into the new quivers... "I'm glad to see you pulled through Valius... and you seemed to have found someone new.... it seems random travelers, adventurers and assassins are drawn to you like the a magnet..." He laughed, rubbing his chin with one paw in contemplation...
-
Talin finally got up and stumbled his way over to a pool of water used for cooling off finished blades, and dunked his head in. He then pulled it out and gulped in air. "I... needed that..." he said before walking back to Elistra, then a pair of gloved hands covered his eyes and he shook his head about. Guess who, little one? Talin pushed him away and growled at Chronin. However, since Chronin is only visible in Talin's eyes, all that is really seen is Talin suddenly flailing his arms about, and then growling at the wall. I just want to see if your injuries need healing... or are you already dead? Talin lunged at Chronin, smashing into a wall and throwing his fists at him.
Elistra tried to ignore as her partner continuously swung at the floor, hoping he doesn't get her involved.
-
Kiana looked up from the sigil and leaned her staff against the wall behind her, turning and taking the emerald with a straight face and nodding. "Such a chipper fellow." She thought to herself in a sarcastic way. She could see the wolf who had come in after Valius looking around at everyone from the corner of her eye and noticed he looked at her longer. "What's with all the interest in me?" She thought, shaking her head a little. No one had ever been intrigued by or curious about her before, that she had noticed anyway. It was odd for her.
She turned her head towards Valius. "Welcome back. Upon completing the task you gave us, I found someone who is more unpleasant than you are." She inclined her head towards Korius and chuckled. "I would assume that he's an old buddy of yours..." She looked down at the sigil in her left hand then held it out to Valius. "I would also assume that you want this back considering how protective you are of it according to Korius."
-
Valius held out a hand and took the sigil as he swung a rearing fist and punched Drevos in the gut for his smug comment.
At the same time, Korius had dashed in, punching Drevo in the chest. The force of both their hits knocked him 3 feet back, onto his rear. The two of them spoke at the same time, "He is (I am) not a cat!" Valius looked over at Kiana, "Yes. Despite his young age, he was actually my predecessor as Captain of the Knights of Gaia. He left the Knights after 1 year to serve as both Koara Uzima's personal guard, and her assassin. During and prior to the Defining War, she had taken up the reigns as the proprietor of the Knights. After the war, she greatly aged because the Dark One had destroyed her sigil. When the remaining Guardians betrayed the people, they targeted her. And you know the rest of the story."
Korius unhooked Valia from Valius's armour and examined it. "You've really let go with the buster, haven't you? I know you miss her, Valius. The Mistress gave us the mission and we had to do it no matter what. Valia understood that, that's why she helped us get out. Your favourite brand's right next to the claymore shelf over there."
Valius sighed as he walked in, limping as he went along, and sat down on the edge of the display table, which was littered with blades of all types. He reached up on the shelf next to the table and grabbed a bottle of bourbon. "It's fine and you know it. I bet you think they're quite the lot, don't you?" Korius nodded, "I was pretty sure I knew you better than that, but seeing as they're the Mistress's predicted chosen, I guess there's no way around it." He lowered his voice and beamed at Talin, who was still swinging at nothing. "Who would've thought that the Dark One's descendant would be one of the Chosen. Life truly is ironic."
-
Drevo got up from the floor, supporting himself on his bowstaff.
"Seems I struck a nerve...Heh..." he scoffed.
"My bad..."
Drevo looked at Talin oddly before glancing at Kitt and his father examining their bolts then looking back and forth at the two women in the room.
"The dragon lady seems to be quite the fireball" he thought to himself, before looking at Kiana again. "But her..."
Drevo scratched his ear again, finally recovering from the blow and returning to leaning on the wall.
-
THe two Szardas stood silently, Kitt's father had his dark green hood drawn up, watching the group... Kitt however had his hood pulled down, and was watching everything that was going on with glee... after months of staying in hiding and alone, this was a great adventure to him...
"so Kitt.... enchanted bolts eh?... you must feel like a real ranger..."
Kitt looked up and blushed slightly, mumbling somthing indescernable...
-
Talin kept punching at Chronin, who seemed to either evade his punches, or deflect them with the palm of his hand. Two minutes afterwards he tosses Chronin at the wall. For a brief moment, wether they see it or not, Chronin is completely visible to everyone and then just vanishes again. Talin follows up the toss with more punches, being a bit more successful this time.
-
Kiana had to fight the muscles in her face so that she wouldn't smile at what happened to Drevo. This wouldn't be noticeable to anyone else though, to them her face was completely straight with no sign of her fighting a smile. She listened intently to Valius' story as he explained how he knew Korius and their time with Koara and was obviously very interested in it especially because of how Valius had talked in the tavern. When it got to the point where Korius was talking about Valius' wife, she felt like she was intruding on a private conversation. Her body urged her to leave the blacksmith shop, to just quietly back out of the door, but she stayed since the conversation didn't last long.
She didn't really pay attention to Talin struggling with nothing over by the other wall, but she did know that he was, in fact, doing it. What did catch her attention was Drevo looking at her again and she turned her head towards him, her eyebrows pulled together and her lips in a tight line showing that she was unhappy. "Can I help you with something?" She said, sounding slightly agitated. This was the first time she had really shown an unpleasant emotion on her face and in her voice.
-
Valius and Korius looked each other in the eye as Chronin's image showed and disappeared after Korius's comment. Korius gave Valius a look and he nodded. Valius knelt next to Talin, "Forgive me." He nailed Talin hard in the gut, knocking him out. He laid Talin on the bench near the water reservoir. He eyed Elistra, "Try not to kill him. We're not so stupid as to not know most of his wounds are from you." He sighed and sat on the floor, back against the bench and took another swig.
Korius put down Valia and the whetstone he was using down and took out Talin's red-hot weapon from the furnace. He began hammering the weapon and shaving it, very unorthodox, but effective if one knows exactly what they're doing. He eyed Drevo cautiously, not liking him very much like he does with everyone else. "So where'd you find this one? Let me guess, he said he saved you after you passed out? You know, that cut on your arm is far too obviously self-inflicted. Next time you try that, make sure the blade faces the other direction."
He picked up the whetstone and ran it carefully across the blade, examining it with every little crossing inch. He finally wrapped it in a strongly weaved chain cloth and handed it to Elistra. He went back to Valia and double-checked it before returning it to Valius. He took off his musty smith's shirt, revealing a slick, smooth, silver canvas of fur, drenched in sweat. He wiped it with the shirt and threw it aside, now donning a black, sleeveless gi, matching his black, ankle-tied trousers. Korius then hitched up a small sack and lifted a floor board, pulling out a dusty, sheathed katana, and small leather sheath belt. Valius quickly looked up, knowing those weapons all too well.
Korius strapped the katana to his sash and tied the sheath belt to the back of the sash. Talin stirred behind Valius and a dark glow coming from Talin's back. Valius looked Korius dead in the eyes, "You're seriously coming with us, aren't you? No one's drawn those weapons for over 900 years." He noticed Kiana's curious looks, "Korius tended to Mistress Koara's personal treasures as well. Those weapons are those of legend. The katana of Shinzuu Katame and the sai of Vee Uzima..." Korius finished his sentence, "...and I am a Grand-Master of both. Yes, Captain. I, too, will be joining you. It is the will of the Mistress, the will of destiny."
-
Drevo used Koruis' comment on the self-inflicted wound to dodge speaking to Kiana.
"Self-inflicted? Peh...I saved Valius' life thank you very much...I don't need to take this..." scoffed Drevo as he turned and headed outside to his carriage.
He hopped into the drivers seat and sat quietly.
"Phew...barely dodged that one..." Drevo thought to himself scratching the back of his neck.
"I really should try to catch myself, I don't know what I would'ave said...Heh..."
-
The two Szardas had melted into the background, and nobody seemed to be paying them much attention. This was a skill valued by the rangers and it did not bother Kitt's father that nobody was interested in them. Kitt on the other hand, was still watching Kiana with curiosity... he did not know himself why he was so curious, maybe it was her story she had told, or maybe... he sighed, thinking back to his mother... they had not seen each other for more than two years, and exact memories had become blurred and indistinct, only by his father retelling the story of his mother every night did Kitt keep a incling of his mother, the person both him and his father would not stop looking for.
-
Chronin sighed walked towards Talin, and started to heal his wounds with whatever light magic was availible. Afterwards, he made himself visible to Elistra, but slipped slightly and caused Valius to see him as well. "Is Talin usually subjected to this... because I can hardly see an injury beyond a few cut marks..." Elistra tried to hide her embarrassment as to how she treats her companion. "It must be the training, for I would never inflict that much harm on him daily..." Chronin raised an eyebrow before interrupting "I never said how often..." Elistra gives up her defence and stays silent, wrapping her arms around Talin's weapon. "Well, if you're going to make this relationship work, you can't keep your distance like that."
Elistra reluctantly nodded and walked over next to Talin, leaning against him before finally realizing what Talin had picked up earlier. "Wait, you're his ancestor, right?" Chronin didn't respond and just looked at everyone else, who was probably trying to ignore what they saw as someone talking out-loud, to nobody in particular...
-
Kiana's eyebrows stayed pulled together and her mouth stayed in a tight thin line. She was practically fuming now since she didn't like it when she asked a question and someone didn't answer it, especially when it was a question that involved her in some way. With a slight flick of her wrist she could easily knock Drevo off of his carriage. She pictured this in her head and her expression loosened as she smirked. She only visualized it though because that was enough to make her feel better, if it hadn't been, she would have done it.
She turned her head towards the rangers and caught Kitt looking at her. This didn't bother her because she felt that he was more curious about her than "interested", so she didn't snap at him. While her eyes were on the rangers, she noticed Korius changing shirts so she looked at them longer than she had meant to, but angled her eyes up so she was looking over their heads at an uninteresting portion of wall. She didn't want to be looking at Korius while he switched shirts because she knew she'd feel embarrassed, and avoiding looking (the point of why she was doing so would be obvious to the others) and possibly being ridiculed seemed better to her than actually blushing.
When she was sure Korius was done, she turned her head back towards him in time to see him taking out the weapons. Her eyes widened slightly then went back to normal as she tilted her head slightly. "Those can't be..." She thought but Valius answered her thoughts. She couldn't believe that she was a part of this, that she was so close to things of legend. It felt pretty unreal.
-
Valius noticed Chonin reappearing again and eyed Korius. Korius un-holstered a sai and tossed it over. Valius threw the sai though the image, into the wall, and it finally disappeared.
Korius looked over to Elistra, "As I said, ironic that the Dark One's descendant would be the part of the fulfillment of prophecy to rid evil. By no means should you allow Talin to maintain contact with Chronin. Prolonged contact will allow Chronin's spirit to latch, possess and finally, take over Talin's body. Chronin Lazarus died a traitor over 900 years ago by Shinzuu's hand. However, his spirit still lived. 5 years ago, in the Defining War, Chronin did the same thing to Talin's father. Chronin was one of the few High Mages in history. Oddly enough, he was also the last one, having severed the Anil bloodline and murdering all those in the Academy, including Guardian Carina Gallant, who was his only equal in magic, but was always only ranked a mage, being unable to manipulate life. If Chronin gains control of Talin, it'll be the end of life as we know it."
Valius picked the sai from out of the wall and tossed it back to Korius. "There may be a way to slow it down, but in order to stop it permanently, Talin will need to be even stronger willed than now. Chronin's got him in his grip. As one who loves him, you need to look after him. Now pardon, but this will hurt a bit." Valius rolled Talin onto his back and lifted the shirt up to the middle of the back. There, glowing on Talin's back, was the black light from earlier, shaped like a jewel shard. Korius shook his head, "To think, the Black Gem still passes down to every child of Lazarus. One child, always male. The gem following the blood. That gem is a medium, his connection to his descendants, and the source of life for each descendant. Without the gem, the bearer will die.. Go ahead, Valius. Do it."
Valius took out the sigil from his money pouch and laid it on top of the shard, holding it over it, sigil face up. Valius raised his fist and slammed the rigid edges of it into Talin's skin, embedding it into his back, covering the shard's light. He looked at Elistra, "As long as this covers the shard's magic, it'll limit Chronin's contact with Talin, but not for long. There's barely any magic in that sigil since it was incinerated. It's best if we kill him, but I don't think you'd allow that. We can only hope that he'll get stronger. But make no mistake..." Korius walked beside Valius, "...we will kill him if he gets to stage 2. As the last captains of the Knights, we will uphold our responsibilities. We will never allow Chronin to come back to life." Korius's eyes glared unmercifully at Elistra and Talin, the dark, forest-green eyes that seemed to glow red. The eyes of an assassin.
-
Drevo sat on the carriage for a few moments before looking at the gash in it from Valia.
"Oh...My baby! What did he do to you?!" he said moving over to the gash and looking at it intentively.
"This is going to cost me out the back end to fix..." Drevo sighed glumly with his head hung low.
-
Kitt's father pulled the younger feline close to him, one arm around his sons shoulder he leaned against the wall of the blacksmiths, watching the others closely. He had no reason to wish to draw attention to himself, though Kitt did seem to still be wanting to ask Kiana questions. He smiled as he thought about his son, his mother would be so proud to see him so grown up....
Kitt looked up to his father, then back to Kiana, he did indeed have hundreds of questions... though Kiana was the only person he felt like he could ask any of them to...
-
The pain of the sealing seemed to also awaken Talin from his unconsiousness, and he looks around. "Where is he, where is that..." Elistra grabs the sides of his head and turns his face to hers. "Enough, Talin, whatever happened before is over with" Talin was about to rubuke her when she shook his head. "Its over Talin, get your weapon and we'll wait outside for everyone else... alright?" Talin's will to resist died and he nodded before getting his double volge and carrying it outside, with Elistra very close. However, since Chronin was not able to influence Talin by sight or sound, but he was able to still be visible, he appeared in front of both Korius and Valius. At that moment, everyone in the room could see and hear him. "an incinerated sigil, do you make light of my power, knight of Gaia?" he vanished with a haunting laughter, and then his presence was felt no more.
For the moment, anyway...
-
Kiana was relieved that no one brought her obvious evasion from looking at Korius when he was shirtless, as she listened to Valius and Korius' discussion but didn't exactly understand it. She then saw the figure appear, heard it speak, and saw it vanish. Seeing and hearing that made what they were discussing somewhat more understandable, but she just shook her head in response to what she had seen and heard. She also heard Drevo complaining outside and chuckled.
She then looked over at Kitt who was continuing to look at her with curiosity. "If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask them..." She told him. "Just so long as their not really personal, you know." She smiled.
-
Valius and Korius sighed and turned for the door. Korius grumbled, "Full of crap like usual. But as he said, it won't hold him for long. We must hurry." They walked out with the others, walking up to Drevo's carriage. While Drevo kept carefully examining the carriage, Korius knocked on the door of the carriage and the whole thing fell in two pieces. "I'm guessing you did that, Valius?" Valius nodded and walked off onto the main road. "That's a sturdy carriage to move from the forest's edge to here without breaking on the way. Come on, Drevo, we're walking."
As the party assembled and walked down the street, Valius walked up next to Kiana. "So, I know you're supposed to be a cheetah, but from how you were looking at Korius while he was changing, I could've sworn that you were a cougar with spots. So you're into the very young ones, eh? Robbing the cradle from all the remaining women of Gaia?"
-
Drevo dropped to his knees, jaw almost to the floor.
"Ahhhhh! W-Wha-My baby!" He put his hands on his head looking over the ruins of his carriage. He muttered things unaudibly as the others began on their ways.
"Why did this happen to me?! Gaaaah-haaaa-haaa-aaa!" said Drevo falling over on the ground.
"I didn't even have it payed off!"
"...First I get cut...Then I get assaulted by the guy I save...Then he drinks the last of my Sake, then I'm smacked around and insulted and now THIS!"
Drevo slowly got up and reached into the rubble and pulled out a large straw hat and hung it over his head infront of his face.
"That's the last time I go out of my way to help someone..." grumbled Drevo slowly walking after the rest of them.
-
Kitt nodded to Kiana as his dad pulled him out of the blacksmiths after the others... Kitt's father smiled to Kiana, one arm around his son her muttered quietly to her... "he seems to have taken quite a liking to you miss Kiana. If ever his constant questions becomes tiring then do not hesitate to tell him, enough."
Smiling to her Kitts father kept an arm tightly around his son as they walked out into the street, the younger feline still watching Kiana with the curiosity of youth...
-
Talin was in a mental fog as kept on moving with Elistra. He really couldn't think of what would happen, or even how dangerous it could get. All that seemed to matter now was that Elistra was with him, and won't die if he had a say in it. Tha- Talin pushed the voice out, it wasn't helping him or adivising. It was an annoyance and nothing more. Elistra was only concerned with Talin, for hes the only reason why she could leave the cave her father forced her to be in, and is the only reason she can even tolerate non-dragons.
-
Kiana nodded at Kitt's father as she walked with the group. She glanced at Valius after he made his comment and looked forward again. "Did he change? I didn't even notice." She said, keeping a level head. "And I'm younger than him, if you hadn't noticed. Don't let my level in magic fool you into thinking I'm an old maid." She looked at him and just smirked.
-
Valius chuckled and walked up to the front of the group with Korius, who just walked towards their destination, regardless of what they did. Valius sighed and looked back, checking up on everyone and making sure they were all coming. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself as Drevo kept acting all paranoid and complaining to himself about the carriage. He then turned his attention to the rangers and then to Kiana. Korius spoke softly so that only Valius could hear, "We might need to destroy the Dark Staff. It might be the source what's allowing Chronin to not be suppressed by Koara's sigil. And we won't be able to use the remaining sigils either. They're all tainted." Valius nodded, and kept a watchful eye on Talin.
-
Drevo walked slowly behind the rest of them, his bowstaff rested behind his neck and his arms hung over the bowstaff keeping it in place.
-
Kitt and his father walked side by side, sticking nearest to Kiana without realising... hoods up they looked creepily similar, with only the greying of his fur at the muzzle showing Kitts father as older. One paw resting on the hilt of his shortsword, green eyes watching constantly he followed the group. Quite the opposite Kitt watched Kiana, Valius, passing villagers, the cloud scudding across the sky, his bright amber eyes curious and excited.
-
Talin has been trying to block out the voice, but it just keeps forcing its way in through cracks of his already rattled mind. Wh- i- sh- -ies wh- -en? "shut up!!" Talin yelled, startling Elistra, and anyone who happened to walk by. Talin then lowered his ears and kept on walking, trying to avoid eye contact. Elistra stopped some of the outbursts by jabbing his gut with her elbow, but it didn't stop Chronin from giving Talin one heck of a headache.
-
Kiana was glad that her response to Valius' teasing gave him enough of a chuckle to get him to walk away. She glanced over at Talin when he shouted but then looked ahead again. She was starting to get used to Talin's random outbursts and actions. She glanced back at Drevo, a glaring look developing on her face before she looked forward again. She still wasn't happy about having been stared at and not getting an answer as to why.
-
Korius led the group far, down winding roads and small villages along the way. They never stayed in a village or town. They traveled a good 3 days, not really speaking much to each other, except when Talin would have his little outbursts. Finally, they made it to their first destination. Septim's castle was in view, about 1 KM away from the edge of the little woods. Korius sat the others beside him out of sight and drew into the dirt as they watched him. "Ok, I've been studying the castle for a number of months, now. They completely cleared the area around the castle so no one can sneak in. There are always 50 or more guards at a time. When inside, the audience chamber will be straight ahead, his own sleeping chambers to the right. It won't be easy. There are over 200 soldiers that live in the castle with him. There's no telling exactly how many there will be to meet us. Valius and I will be leading the attack. I want the rangers to bring up the rear, along with Kiana, her magic will make a good backup. Drevo, you're taking the right flank, and Talin will take the left with Elistra. Keep it relatively tight and beware of his personal guard. They will be dressed in golden armour, different from the others. From what I've gathered, they are all blade-masters. Protect Kiana, she will have the greatest disadvantage against them."
Valius drew Valia and kissed it before looking Korius in the eyes. "Very well, let's do it."
-
Drevo nodded before looking at Kiana for a moment, then at Kitt and his father. He then looked in the direction of the castle.
-
The two rangers watched Korius from under drawn hoods, neither enjoyed traveling with the group, rangers clans worked best alone, with rangers... but, nothing was perfect... KItts father nodded, looking from Korius and the others to the castle...
"so... all we have to do... is storm an impenatrable castle, with.... seven, no, eight people?"
He laughed quietly under his breath...
"i knew you was crazy from the moment i met ya's.... but it seems i have no choice..."
-
Talin started to grin as he felt adrenaline rush through his body at the prospect of fighting again. Maybe it came from his family heritage of always being on the frontlines, or maybe hes losing it. Either way, he feels as though his bloodlust is no longer sated with just one or two dead...
The material holding the two volge blades together is now giving off a purple glow, reacting to Talin's eagerness. Elistra noticed it was happening again, a red glimmer appearing in Talin's eyes as he looked at Valius. "Just tell me when we're going to attack..."
Chronin is off in the distance, watching the battle that will soon unfold, his focus on Talin. Hm... the gem seems to have a stronger presence in him than his father. a small voice made itself known in the Dark One's mind, a small light in the void. Why, Talin already has it, why must you corrupt him?! Silence High Mage, the Mages guild paid for their simple-minded lack of precautions, and I will not be satisfied with dying alone!!
-
Kiana scoffed in her mind at the term "backup" and the idea of having to be protected, but otherwise thought the plan sounded good. She nodded to show that she had heard the plan and agreed with it. She smiled a little when she saw Valius kiss Valia. She touched the emerald that was hanging from her neck and then looked at her staff. "I can and will control it. I won't let it kill me." She thought to herself. A determined look washed over her face.
-
They walked towards the castle in their planned formation. It wasn't long before the shouts of soldiers could be heard, having spotted them before they were half-way there. Valius readied Valia and Korius drew the twin sai. "Let's go." Valius and Korius ran at full speed towards the castle. Valius took the lead, wound up, and swung Valia hard, taking down the incoming arrows, the harmless ones just whistling by the group. After the swing, Korius jumped onto Valius's back and jumped off, and began deflecting the second wave with the twin sai and precision kicks. They continued running, now too close for archers to shoot.
A crowd of solkiers came to meet them, and Valius wound up again, this time swinging horizontally. Six soldiers found themselves half the men they were, while Korius ducked under and past the swing, drawing the katana and cutting a small path just enough for the group to advance.
-
Drevo still walked towards the group as they charged into battle with his bowstaff still rested behind his neck. A few guards managed to slip passed the others and cut him off from the group. "Hey, if you guys run away now I won't hurt you, deal?" asked Drevo non-chalantly. One of the three that were there thrust a spear at him. He dodged by only moving his waist out of the way. He released his left hand from his bowstaff and it whipped around from the right and cracked the gaurd in the head; knocking his helmet off and sending him to the ground. His bowstaff was infront when a second one came at him. Drevo grabbed his bowstaff with his left hand and as the man got close Drevo spun and hit the man in the back of his head with the right side of his bowstaff. He then quickly spun the rest of the way around and jabbed the last one in the chest several times in the blink of an eye. "I warned you guys," he said tilting his head back a bit holding onto his hat watching the guards writing in pain.
-
Kitt and his father loaded up stacks of regular bolts, pulling back on the loading mechanism they picked their targets calmly...
"Fire!"
Streaks of silover steel flashed across the distance from the rangers to the soldiers, mean fell as they where caught in the throat, the chest, the head. The bolts tore through the soldiers light chainmail like paper, only stopping when they finally met bone or a raised shield. The two rangers proceeded to fire on any soldier that tried to make it past, including one plucky soldier who had tried to get behind Valius to strike from behind; the soldier keeled over with a scream, a thick set bolt protuding from his back...
-
Kiana stuck her staff in the ground then made a motion with her hands, raising them up in front of her to her height. This caused a layer of rock to move up from the ground and cover her body. She grabbed the staff from the ground and stayed in the formation with the others. She raised a wall of earth and slid it along, pushing aside a group of the soldiers before letting the wall drop on them and crush them. She then waited for another point in the fight where she'd be needed, not wanting to use up all her majicka that quickly.
-
Valius and Korius continued to cut a path for the group, entrusting their backs and sides to the party. While Valius wound up again, Korius jumped forward and landed his feet on two soldiers, kicking them against the door. He did a black flip and landed in a split, keeping his upper body low and just off the floor, and Valius swung Valia hard, decapitating those two soldiers and cutting down the door. With that, Valius ran forward, jumping over Korius into the castle, Korius getting up and following quickly. They stopped not even half-way through the corridor, the remaining soldiers outside stopping, and all the soldiers inside the castle holding fast. There, standing at the door to the Audience Chamber, were three men in golden armour, all of them holding a wide variety of bladed weapons in each hand and all over their armours. Breathing heavily, Korius assessed them and the rest of the room. "Kiana, take the rangers and take down the rest of those soldiers. Valius, you take the dragon on the left, even blade-masters have preferences and his are buster-class weapons. Talin, Elistra, you two take the four-armed horse on the right, he tends to favor medium-ranged blades, beware of his katana-wakizashi chain. I'll take their captain in the middle, we have a little history together. Now, go!"
The captain stayed as his men charged, same as Korius. Valius started with a swing of Valia, meeting the soldier's golden buster tanto blade.
-
Drevo saw the others enter the door, a few gaurds ran at him from affar. Drevo sprinted towards them, still holding his bowstaff behind his neck. In the blink of an eye Drevo unsheathed the hidden katana inside his bowstaff and cut through the gaurds, leaving them on the ground with non-fatal injuries. He wiped the blood from his blade and sheathed it; not noticing the two gaurds a little ways behind him. He then put his bowstaff behind his neck again.
-
Both ranger turned to Kiana, Kitt stopped to lock in a new stack of bolts, pulling back the loading mechanism he brought the repeater crossbow back up to his shoulder... he nodded to his father, who grinned... both spun round to face the remaining soldiers, opening fire they kept up a steady rate of bolts, each striking a soldier with a dull ~thunk~
"how many's that son?!"
Kitt unleashed another bolt, catching an unsuspecting soldier in the throat
"Twelve!"
Kitts father laughed, a soldier collapsing before him as a bolt penetrated his helmet and skull...
"i got sixteen, you got some catching up Kitt!"
Some soldier had made it past the rangers or others towards Kiana or to try and catch the ranger from up close, where their bolt throwers posed no advantage...
-
Talin rushed at the four-armed horse, his grin never fading as he not only got through the reach of his arms, he ended up right at the shoulders, his legs around the neck. "Look at me, I'm riding a horse!" he said with a laugh as he pulled the horse's head back to almost breaking point as Elistra threw three daggers at the neck, but the horse knocked them away with one of his weapons and stabbed Talin in the side, who now fell off the horse and tried to recover, but hit the ground hard on his back.
Meanwhile, Chronin took this time to attempt a possession on Talin, using the fight as an excuse to go a bit wild. When he entered, Talin gapsed audibly, and jumped up, screaming and grabbing his head. "Get out, Get out!!!" The horse tried to take advantage of this and swing, but Talin drew his volge and knocked away the weapon before looking at the horse, his left eye a shining red gem. "Oh, I'm afraid it isn't my time to die yet, its yours..." he started swinging both blades like a mad-man, lacking any sign of attack direction. The horse became overwhelmed and started to get pushed back...
Black energy started to come off Talin as he continued the flurry of attacks.
-
Kiana looked back at Drevo since she noticed he wasn't given a command on who to fight and saw two guards coming up behind him that he obviously hadn't noticed. She raised her left hand like she was holding a glass, raising a ring of earth around the two soldiers, and clenched it into a fist causing the earth to move in and crush the two soldiers.
When she turned around again, there was a soldier almost right up to her. She just stood there and looked at the soldier as he approached. When he was close enough, he raised his sword to strike at her. She was too quick though and once his sword was raised, she stepped right up to him while switching her staff to her left hand then struck him in the nose in an upward motion with the palm of her still rock-covered hand. This caused his nose to be forced into his brain and killed him instantly. She stepped over his body after it fell to the ground, switching her staff back to her right hand, and watched the rangers, waiting until she was needed again.
-
Valius stared up at the towering dragon above him, its eyes blazing red. He kicked Valius square in the chest, knocking him back 6 feet, his feet sliding across the floor. Valius coughed at the impact. Bloody hell, I forgot how strong those dragon-Kin are.[/i] He spat and yelled as he wound up Valia and jumped up, coming down hard on the dragon.
Korius unstrapped the katana sheath and strapped it onto his back and drew the katana. The captain took off his helmet and revealed a face almost identical to Korius's, save a scar across his left eye. He drew a Daikatana and pointed it to Korius. "Ah, brother. Who would've thought that you would come back. I'll be happy to add those legendary weapons of yours to my collection. 'Tis treason to turn against a Guardian, you know?" Korius smirked and met the captain's gaze and position, signifying they know the same style in this weapon respect. "We denied you passage into the Knights, Calin, because you have no loyalties to the people. I see that even now, you flaunt your talents for the wrong side over and over. This is the day we settle this. For my comrades, and for our parents, whom you so graciously slaughtered like cattle." His smirk faded to an emotionless killer's face, that of an assassin.
Valius's strike forced the dragon to grunt as his legs sank into the ground. With a flex of his muscles, he lightened his force, rotated his body and created a counter strike that threw Valius up against a pillar. Valius grunted and staggered, disheveled from the impact. The dragon took advantage of it and rushed in with a thrust. Valius ran Valia into the ground at an angle at the last second, detouring the thrust slightly to the side. He drew Dio and Provas and quickly recited the ancient scripts on it, causing them to glow with the light blades and the lightning chain to connect them. Valius quickly kicked the dragon's wrists with all his might, disarming the tanto buster blade, and cross-stabbed the dragon's heart. Valius breathed a sigh of relief, but found the wind being knocked out of him as the dragon pulled both of his hands with one hand and punched Valius square in the diaphram, sending him into the air, and back 3 meters. Valius thought to himself as he fell back. Bloody hell. Always forget that even the Kin of dragons have 2 hearts.
-
Kitt's father stopped to reload, his son firing off another bolt with a sharp twang..
"thats twenty you old coot!"
Kitt laughed, loosing another bolt, missing a soldier by scant inches...
"Old coot!?"
Kitts father leashed another bolt, a soldier thrown back off his feet...
"I'l give you old coot you whippersapper!"
turning Kitts father caught a soldier across the gut with his shortsword, smashing another soldier in the shield with the butt of the weapon he raised his boltthrower and fired lazily into the soldiers chest...
-
Drevo noticed the two guards behind him due to their screams of agony as they were crushed. He looked at Kiana under his hat smirking. Suddenly Drevo's ear twitched, he rolled quickly to the left and turned to see a large group of guards approaching him. Drevo slowly walked backwards towards Kiana, Kitt and his father as they got closer. Drevo stopped halfway towards the others, thinking. "She's a mage...I can save her some magika if I handle this myself...And those rangers...I don't know how many bolts the have left, I could save them supplies If I do this..." As the guards approached Drevo counted ten of them, instead of continueing his walk back he went towards the guards, still walking. Drevo released a hand on one end of his bowstaff and it whipped around and cracked a guard in his head sending him to the ground. He grabbed the end of his bowtaff and shoved it forward close-lining two guards with their weapons raised. As the two fell Drevo leaped into the group of them and used the momentum to jab another guard three times, once in each shoulder and once in the neck. The guard fell to the ground grasping his throat choking. One of the guards turned around and ran back towards Drevo and got jabbed right between the eyes and layed out on his back. Drevo noticed he was in the sights of a spearman, who grinned as he poised himself to strike.
Drevo heard the whoosh of a sword behind him and quickly placed his bowstaff above him and redirected the attack as he did a back flip and a corkscrew behind the attacker. He took the attacker around the throat with his bowstaff and started choking him. He turned with the guard still choking to the spearman who was about to impale them both. The man thrust his spear towards Drevo, who ducked under it still choking the guard. With a push of his legs and a yank from his staff Drevo hurled the guard he was choking at the spearman and toppled him over. The last two guards stood infront of their archer who shot another arrow at him. Drevo rolled under the arrow and with an upward motion of his feet he kicked the two guards in the chin with his wooden sandals. The force of the two flying through the air blew the archer's hood off and the current arrow about to be fired was diverted and shot away from Drevo. He stood up and noticed the archer was a woman. Drevo planted his bowstaff in the ground and looked at her tipping his hat slightly.
"Ma'am," he said kindly. "Please leave, I do not wish to harm you," She reached for another arrow, not saying anything as she began to string it up.
-
Talin managed to back the horse to a wall, and each time he struck, his strokes got closer and closer to the horse until the blade actually cut at the flesh. The four-armed stallion tried to counter the rush, but the instant he knocked away one blade, Talin swung the other to cut deep into the parrying arm. "Come on, bleed, I want to see you choke on your own blood!" he yelled as he kept cutting at him.
Elistra just stood there dumbstruck, Talin never got this good at the double volge, she thought to put him down and see if Chronin was influencing him, but doing so would endanger tham both as the horse would be free to kill them both...
-
Kiana looked at the action happening around her. She watched each fight for a few seconds each. It seemed like everyone was doing well enough with their battles. She looked back towards the group that her and the rangers were assigned to fight. There were still a lot of soldiers left. A low snarl developed in her throat. She wanted this part of the fight to be over. She clenched her hands into fists and stalked past the rangers to the group of soldiers. She started throwing punches and kicks as well as swinging her staff at soldiers as a weapon. It was obvious that no one in the group, or at least Valius and Korius, thought that she could fight with more than just majicka. It was now obvious that they were wrong.
-
Valius staggered up to his feet, shaken from the impact against the floor. He stared the dragon down, as he struggled to stand up.
Korius bursted into a lightning-speed dash, disappearing into a streak of black, and Calin raised his blade, blocking the slash to his neck as Korius reappeared. Calin ducked under and thrust Korius to the side and rotated into a thrust. Korius quickly released his left hand from the katana, drew a sai and redirected the thrust. He cinched the blade and jumped to spin around to disarm Calin, but Calin spun with him. While in the spin, Korius thrust the katana towards Calin's head. Calin reached for his belt and drew out claws and redirecting that thrust. As they landed, they jumped apart, each pointing their short-weapon towards each other, and their katanas held back near their faces.
Valius braced himself as the dragon drew twin butterfly swords and came in ramming form. Valius crossed his arms in front of him, and the dragon jumped into the air, spreading his wings and swooped down towards Valius. Valius quickly threw Dio up towards the dragon like a whip and he knocked Dio away like a fly, and came in pointing the swords and spinning like a drill. Valius lengthened the lightning chain and ran forward to avoid the attack and grabbed Dio. As the dragon recovered from the attack and landed on his feet, Valius pulled Dio and Provas while still running from the dragon, and the chain wrapped onto the dragon's back. Electricity filled the dragon's body and he screamed in pain. Valius switched hands as he ran back, causing the chain to bind the dragon. As the dragon remained incapacitated, Valius pulled him in while running towards him. With just enough speed, Valius crossed his arms and cut the dragon into 4 pieces.
Korius jumped another space back and sheathed the katana and drew the other sai. Calin tossed the Daikatana into a nearby pillar and drew another claw. Korius started with a jump and a drill thrust. Calin rotated his body in the opposite direction and did a kind of cork-screw uppercut with the claw, catching the sai and tossing Korius aside. Korius maintained his balance and landed his feet lightly against the wall reversed the sai before pushing off back towards Calin. Calin did another upper-cut claw attack while simultaneously doing a hook with the other hand. Korius formed a cross with his arms, the sai up front and parried the attack. Before landing, Korius kicked Calin in the gut and landed on his hands, pushing off and coming in with a hook-attack with the sai still in a reverse grip. Calin quickly retreated, but the sai caught his right eye, blinding him now in both. He growled and screamed as he clutched his eyes. Korius stood over him, "If only you had been a better person. Master might have taught you how to sharpen your senses enough to still fight. I'm sorry brother, but this is where we part." Korius reached over to the pillar behind Calin's head and pulled out the Daikatana and ran it through Calin's heart.
-
As the archer strung her arrow Drevo noticed Kiana fighting hand to hand. "Well I'll be..." he mumbled. "Don't look away from me when I'm about to kill you, Dog!" screamed the woman as she drew back her bow. Drevo cocked his head back and stared at the archer with his head tilted to the side. "Dog?" She released the arrow; in a flash Drevo knocked the arrow away and smacked his bowstaff into her hand. She dropped the bow and and held her hands in pain. Drevo then held the hidden katana at her throat. "Leave..." The archer stumbled back and turned running for her life. Drevo smirked and sheathed the blade before running towards Kiana.
-
Both rangers had slung their bows over their shoulders, drawing shortswords and joining Kiana in the meelee... swift parries and dodges the two used the advantage of feline reflexes over the soldiers.
"twenty three... twenty four..."
Kitt muttered gleefully under his breath as he cut down two soldiers, shortsword slicing through the gaps between the mail hauberk...
-
Talin had pushed the horse pass its limits, and was now showing no mercy as he hacked the horse to death, obviously enjoying the idea of hacking someone who not only dwarfed him, but was physically superior in nearly every way except for speed. He only continued to laugh like a mad-man as he finally killed the four-armed horse, and licked the blood off his hands. "Oh... that felt good... urk!!" Talin dropped to the ground, grabbing his chest, and the darkness started to swarm him before being dispelled by a bright light. The light also forced all blood away from him, and he grabbed the double volge, the blood soaked weapon now dry and clean, like it had never cut anyone's life short. The malicious visage of a mad-murderer replaced with a soft smile of someone who had only come to "right wrongs". "Elistra, you know who I am, but Valius and Korius are only half-right, I did become a monster, but the light magic I possessed preserved the majority of my sanity, sadly it could not overpower the cursed gem like it used to..." Chronin/Talin walked up to Elistra, using the volge as a walking stick. I know of a gem similar to the one in my eye, but it is blue, I need you to find it and use it on Talin when the darkness over-takes him again, that is when the gem is most vulnerable to damage. If my theory is right, the gems will actually combine, and nullify their opposing effects. He will be alive and able to live his life free of the legacy of darkness. Sadly, I do not even have a faint idea where it would be, just that I know it exists, otherwise this one would not be able to exist to begin with... I wish you luck, M'lady. The white glow faded from Talin, and he momentarily blacked out before reaching his arms out and catching his footing. "Ugh... what happened back there?"
-
Kiana smirked when the rangers joined her. She was aware of where they were as well so she wouldn't end up hitting them instead of the soldiers. However, she was not aware of the fact that Drevo was running over to her. She continued to punch, kick, and swing her staff, breaking jaws and ribs, cracking skulls, and forcing kneecaps backwards. In the melee, she spun herself in a circle. As she spun she held out her staff to hit any soldier within its reach since she was far enough away from the rangers to not hit them, and narrowly missed Drevo. She grumbled something incoherent as she saw his face pass by swiftly in her spin, about an inch away from the end of her staff. When she stopped her spin and rested the bottom of her staff against the ground, all of the soldiers were finally down.
-
Septim Intro Post
As the party gathered back together outside the audience chambers, the doors flung open and a lone figure sauntered down the steps, giving a soft applause. He was dressed in a purple robe, with a chest plate on top. His cape flowed just above the ground and clanked with the various weapons holstered on its underside, and strapped to his back was a large halberd. (Almost looks like the guy from 300, but with clothes and a lot of bladed weapons. And, of course, a fox instead of human.) It was Septim, the first Guardian of Betrayal. He spoke, his voice filled with authority and power. "Well done, children. However, do you really think you can kill me? I have more than 2,000 years of fighting experience. I am in a level beyond your imaginations. That is why we are the natural choice to rule these lands. Why can't you see that?" Korius pointed the katana at Septim after he re-holstered the twin sai. "Unfortunately, living this long with that power has long corrupted your mind. You have abused your power and have become the very thing you have all worked so hard and vowed to destroy. You Guardians are the true traitors! You are now the evil of Gaia!" Septim unstrapped his halberd, his eyes now serious and filled with murder. "It's treason, then."
Valius lead the group, and yelled, mustering everything he had into the first strike. Without any effort, Septim thrusted the tip of the halberd and stopped the strike with just the point. Korius appeared from behind Valius and closed in, thrusting the katana at Septim. Again, he stopped the attack eithout effort. With a simple flick of his arm, he caught the blade between his thumb and pointer finger. Korius's arms shook as he tried to remove the sword from Septim's strong grip. "Hahaha! Was that the best you could do!?"
-
Drevo ran towards Valius from behind and jumped swiftly off his shoulders and began to corkscrew over Septim's head taking a swing at him with his bowstaff as he tried to get behind him.
-
Septim rolled back, directing Valia to the side and letting go of Korius's katana, letting the thrust collide with Drevo's attack and, in one motion, roundhoused Drevo into the wall in midair and reversed it, kicking Korius back into the pillar behind him. Without missing a beat, Septim punched Valius hard in the gut, causing him to let go of Valia and bawl onto the floor. Septim raised his halberd and came down with it...
-
Kitt's father loosed a bolt aimed for Valius' head as he brought down the great halberd... maybe enough to distract him and let Valius escape an early death.... Kitt himself joined his father, loading one of the enchanted bolts bestowed upon him by the smith, loosing the bolt with a sharp twang it leapt the distance to Septim an ice blue streak... Kitts father took aim, unleashing an arrow enchanted with the powers of lightning, a sharp crackling bolt og brightest white and gold jumped to greet Septim even as Kitt loaded another of his bolts...
"Your the reason my wife is not by my side! You are the reason for countless deaths! Now it is time for yours, Septim, traitor of Gaia!"
-
Septim jumped back, ducked in a circular motion and deflecting some of the bolts with his cape, but the lightning-enchanted bolt shot right through the cape, including some of the weapons holstered in its lining. Septim threw the halberd horizontally at the rangers...
-
As Drevo smacked the wall and fell to the ground he got up, noticing Septim tossing his halberd at the rangers. Using his speed he grabbed the halberd and spun it around in the air. He then held his bowstaff behind his back with his right hand and pointed the halberd at Septim in his left hand; squarring up with him. Drevo's hat was still pulled over his eyes as he glared at Septim.
-
Talin didn't need to say anything, his blade would speak for him as he ran past Drevo, and somersaulted towards Septim, his blade spinning wildly.
Elistra waited for Septim to block Talin's attack or try to dodge it, and thats where she would throw in some knives to either distract, or to get a few hits in.
-
Septim reached into his cape and pulled out a broadsword in his right hand and an enlarged sai in his left. Korius staggered up to his feet and picked up Valia. He dragged Valius up and charged Septim. Septim blocked the buster-class claymore with the sai and twisted Valia to the side, forcing Korius to strain to the side and open up. He thrust the broadsword towards Korius's heart. Valius ducked in low and helped move Korius aside, who already released Valia and grabbed Valia, rotating a bit and brought it up. Septim dodged to his left, but took a small cut on his right shoulder. Septim landed on top of the halberd and caused it to drive into the ground and kicked Drevo in the face.
Post Merge: February 13, 2010, 02:05:58 AM
Talin didn't need to say anything, his blade would speak for him as he ran past Drevo, and somersaulted towards Septim, his blade spinning wildly.
Elistra waited for Septim to block Talin's attack or try to dodge it, and thats where she would throw in some knives to either distract, or to get a few hits in.
Septim jumped off the halberd and threw 4 daggers from his cape at Talin, forcing him to dodge and deflected Elistra's knives the same as he did the bolts, but he wasn't fast enough and got a cut on his face.
-
Kiana watched the action intently out of striking distance, looking for openings where a little bit of her majicka could be used and be helpful. She crouched down and set her staff beside her. Pressing her fingertips against the stone floor, the top half of her fingers actual went into the stone and she twisted her hands which caused stone to climb up Septim's legs to just below the knee. She pulled her fingers out of the stone and stood back up, picking up her staff and hoping the stone would be strong enough to hold him in place.
-
Septim laughed maniacally as he felt the stone wrap around his legs and kicked out of them. "Hahaha! Did you really think you'd be able to hold ME!?" He jumped from his position and aimed a thrust straight at Kiana.
-
Talin used the bottom blade of his volge, and vaulted into range of Septim, knocking the weapon away with the top of his volge and then made an attempt to at least push Septim away from Kiana, while Elistra kept the other weapon hand busy by trying to disable it with thrown needles.
-
Septim growled and released the weapon, and grabbed Talin, using an Izuna on him, and also using Talin as a shield so that Elistra didn't throw any needles at him. After landing, he quickly grabbed the Kiana's staff in her hand and pulled her in, turning the top bulge of it into her, sending her back a few meters.
-
As Drevo slid across the ground he saw Kiana get hit; enraged he couldn't prevent it he pushed off something sliding him further across the floor towards Kiana. He stood up behind her and caught her. "Are you okay?" he asked in a soft voice.
-
Septim rushed the two of them. "As fine as you will be." Septim threw a strong punch into Kiana's gut and the force reverbed right into Drevo. He then pulled out a short sword from his cape.
-
Drevo flew back into a wall; it cracked slightly from the impact. He saw Septim drawing a sword and dashed awy still with Kiana in his arms.
-
Kiana cringed with pain from both blows but didn't let out a sound. "I'm fine. Just fight." She said in a low angry voice. She quickly got out of Drevo's arms, not wanting to be protected and kept from fighting, and stayed out of striking distance from Septim. She shoved her left hand into a wall and pulled out a stone slab. She then spun around and threw it at Septim's head.
-
Septim quickly blocked and grunted as he impact forced more blood out of the cut. He made a beeline straight for the rangers, drawing another short sword from his cape. He dodged their shots and jumped over them, about to slice them open. Before he could strike, Korius quickly tackled him and rolled off, getting out of way as Valius coordinated a downward strike. Septim brought up the short swords and blocked, the ground cracking up under him. He howled in pain as he kicked Valius off and head first into the wall. Korius yelled over, "Rangers! Now!"
-
Both rangers brought their weapons to bare up against their shoulders, enchanted bolts loaded, and fired....
The ice blue bolt of the water rune and the crackling golden bolt of the lightning rune sped towards septim, but before they could strike Septim himself the two collided... the two colours merged into a great flash and a roll of thunder, a dark cloud spiralled out from the point where the two bolts had collided. Time itself seemed to have slowed to a crawl, The cloud grew larger and larger, small bolts of lightning flashed and sparked, grounding themselves in the earth and the pillars... suddenly the cloud burst into a pure white flash, time seemed to rush back into the room, the moment of wonder gone as a single bolt of pure magika streaked towards Septim, the two bolts, by a chance of a thousand to one, had merged... rune of water, and rune of lightning, had merged to form the incredibly more powerfull rune of the Storm....
-
The bolts struck Septim as he jumped to his feet to dodge. A large cloud of debris and dust formed on contact. Everyone looked and waited to see it that was it. A loud laugh came from the settling cloud. "hahahahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! I don't think I've had a fight like this since the Crimson War from 2,000 years ago! But it's too bad for you." The cloud cleared slowly, revealing an almost naked Septim. The legs were blown off his trousers, his chest plate gone along with his cape. He stood there, holding two claymores and, to everyone's surprise, the Sigil on a metal strap across his chest that held the claymores on his back. "I'll give you all credit for trying sooo hard. I'll be sure to label your graves as the 'Great Assassins'!" With that, he crossed his arms, leaned forward and dashed even faster than before straight towards Talin, ready to cut him into 3 pieces.
-
Drevo saw Septim begin to dash at Talin; he knew he couldn't run at full speed any longer due to the strain on his legs. His legs shook slightly before he darted off towards Septim from behind, hoping Talin could handle himself so he could get a sneak attack. As Septim drew close to Talin, Drevo uncovered the spearhead and charged Septim from behind.
-
Kiana watched and waited for the right moment. Just before Septim was within striking distance from Talin, she punched the air at an angle. The motion causing a jagged slab of stone to jut out from the floor, striking Septim in the chest with enough force to knock him towards Drevo...
-
Septim grunted as the spearhead embedded itself into his back. He growled in pain and back-swiped Drevo, knocking him away with the butt of the claymore. In anger, Septim threw one of the claymores at Kiana.
-
Kiana ducked out of the way of the claymore, but not without receiving a cut in her right shoulder. Her anger was apparent on her face and she shoved her hand in the wall again. She pulled out another stone slab and threw it at Septim, but aimed for his chest this time, hoping she'd break some ribs.
-
This time, Septim was ready, especially since he was facing her afterall. He brought down the claymore and cut it in half. While he was in mid stroke, the Szardas fired their enchanted bolts and hit holes in both his legs. He screamed out as he fell to his knees. Korius took the opportunity, and came down with the katana. Septim, in his anger, turned his upper-body and grabbed Korius's throat before he struck and pinned him to the ground. He reversed his grip on the claymore and brought it down on Korius. Valius yelled, "No!" He ran in and jumped, grabbing Septim's arm (off-setting the strike) and taking the claymore through his chest. Valius dropped Valia and groaned. "...Korius." Korius wiggled and grabbed Valia, running it through the Sigil and Septim's heart. Septim grunted, dropped the claymore with Valius and fell back, slowly bleeding away. He chuckled, "Heh. I never thought I'd ever see this day. So that old had was really right. We had sought the wrong people to kill. But I still think it is all for naught. I am nothing, compared to the others." He laughed faintly between coughs of blood. He slowly but surely pulled Valia out of his chest and did his best to get up and prepared to try to strike down on Korius one more time. "You have been always her pawn, and the biggest pain in my backside since you joined the Knights all those years ago."
-
Kiana had come up behind Septim while he was talking, stone had encased her right foot while she walked. "I don't think so." She said sternly in response to him attempting to strike Korius. She leaned to the left to get more height and kicked Septim hard right in the middle of his back while simultaneously bringing her staff down hard on his hand, knocking Valia out of his hand and sending him towards a pillar.
-
Septim flacked hard onto the ground from the kick, more blood pouring from his chest and back where he had been run through. Korius continued to cough from the pain of being man-handled and strangled. Korius crawled over towards Valius and rolled him over, and tried to keep him conscious. "*cough* Valius. You alright, old fart?" Valius groaned and grunted, his wound hurting him and blood slowly running out of his mouth and coughing. "Ugh... how many time I gotta tell you? I'm not that much older than you, you pompous and arrogant little prat. In any case, it seems your were always the one to lead. No matter how hard I try, I'm nothing compared to a prodigy like you. The boys and I always joked that you were the reincarnation of Shinzuu himself. Now, I might just believe it. Take lead of the party, they're your problem now." Valius turned his head towards Kiana. "Kiana. I'm sorry, but it appears a Guardian was too much for me. Wish I could have shared a few drinks and have those little hybrids with you. Hehe... *cough cough*"
Valius closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Talin, if you're still conscious, listen well. Don't lose to Chronin. The White Diamond was destroyed long ago. Only darkness remains for him. Get stronger, and you might be able to control him, but never let him take control again. You might no longer exist if you let him control you again. That is your only option if you wish to live. Elistra, you watch over him. Rangers..." Kitt's father cut him short. "Save your breath, Valius. We know what you're going to say. Unfortunately, we won't be able to stay with the party. I told you that this was temporary. And after what happened today, I don't wish to see my son in such danger when he's not ready. I'm sorry, but we can't stay. However, we salute you and respect your courage. We'll forever remember your story and will tell it wherever we go."
Valius nodded "Yes, I understand. But remember, you are two of the Chosen. Train, get stronger, but don't ever abandon your ultimate destiny. Especially you. Koara told me of a tough decision you will have to make in order to fulfill your destiny. What you do will be up to you." He looked over to Korius as the light faded from his eyes. He tried to say something, but he couldn't. He pointed a shaking finger towards Valia. Korius nodded and grabbed it, setting it on Valius's chest. Valius shook his head and pushed it back to Korius. Tears flowed from Korius's eyes for the second time in his life. He choked out some words as Valius began to breathe his last. "I've always idolized, you V. You were the reason I've worked so hard in combat and in serving Gaia. I just wanted you to know that." Valius smiled and exhaled for the last time, the life now completely drained from his body.
-
Drevo slowly rose to his feet after he had been knocked away. As he rose he saw Valius laying motionless on the ground with Korius looking over him. His legs were shaking uncontrolably now as he supported himself on his bowstaff. He began to hobble towards Valius and Korius; his legs in tremendous pain. He reached them and dropped to his knees as he held himself up with his bowstaff. "Valius...Damn you..." Drevo muttered. "I didn't save you so you could die here!" he managed to say loudly; causing him to lose his grip on his bowstaff and fallover. He stayed silent after that in mourning as he looked over to Septim's corpse then back at Valius.
-
Kitt and his father walked down the alleyways of the city, hoods up and weaving through the crowds like shadows...
"dont feel bad Kitt, im doing this for your sake, and anyway... before all of this we where still searching for your mother, we're closer than ever and i cant let this chance down... and if we do find her, alive, then i swear on my life we will return to help them, if it means that much too you.."
Kitt nodded, pulling his cloak tighter around him, with one last glance to the group with which they had travelled he turned, and the two dissapeared into the crowds....
-
Talin walked over to Valius' corpse, and held a torch he lit from others around the room. "Unles anyone else has any objections, I wish to give him a warrior's burial, unless you can find a holier place to do this...." Elistra was about to jerk him away, but then noticed one of the rare moments when he actually was feeling regret, and decided to wait for everyone else to voice their thoughts...
However, whatever good was left in Chronin decided to give up the idea of achieving balance, and began to permanetly seperate from the whole of Chronin's spirit. After the good left, the spirit collapsed and a massive amount of evil that the spirit contained was losing its form, becoming a cloud of black magik. But, while the good majik was entering Talin by slipping through the elemental defenses, the black majick swirled into the staff connecting the blades, slowly turning it into a cursed weapon.
However, both events were not visible because the magik was not channeled through any physical object...
-
Kiana continued to look at Valius' lifeless body, his last joke to her ringing in her ears as she realized she would never hear any joke from him again. His last exhale lingered and seemed to make the air too thick (at least to her); she was having trouble breathing. "Didn't I..." She gasped for air. "Didn't I tell you that you weren't allowed to die!" She yelled towards Valius' body, not moving any closer and trying to just sound angry that he didn't listen and not sad but failing miserably since her voice cracked through her yelling. She turned away as she slowly switched her staff to her left hand, not wanting to see the body anymore. She exhaled shakily and stood still for a few seconds before letting out a yell of sadness and frustration and punching the wall. A large portion of the wall crumbled away and left a gaping hole. Seeing that gaping hole seemed to make things even more real, like it symbolized the loss in the group, and Kiana dropped her staff and sunk down to her knees, putting her face in her hands.
-
Korius grunted as he staggered to his feet. He stood over Valius's body as he saluted with Valia and strapped it to his back. Korius watched as a bright light came from under Valius. Dio and Provas glowed with a golden glimmer, the light pierced the darkness in Korius's heart. Dio and Provas bursted into dust, but unlike Clare's knives, the dust floated and covered Shinzuu's Katana, Vee's Sai, and Talin's Voulge. The katana and sai came to life, glowing their own light of silver, rune, magic and ancient enchantments covering the blades. The light covering the Voulge reshaped the blade and the handle to its original form of the Dark Staff, the enchantments showing up on the now enlarged blade, suppressing the dark magic within the staff.
The figures of Shinzuu, Vee and Koara appeared before them all, but only for a brief moment. The figures bowed and disappeared into their respective weapons. Korius watched Koara's figure disappear into the Voulge and panted out in surprise and wonder. "So that's where she sealed the Dark Staff." He walked over to Kiana and laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's best to look forward. Never dwell in the past. Make his sacrifice worthwhile and fulfill your destiny." Korius walked back over to Valius's body and took the torch from Talin and lit the body. "Come, everyone, let us leave this place. Kiana, when we're all out, bury this castle. It shall be the memorial grave of the greatest warrior who ever lived in our age."
-
Drevo used his bowstaff to help him get to his feet, once standing he took one last look at Valius. After that he began to walk slowly over to his hat and picked it up and put it on his head over his eyes like usual. He headed out the door ahead of everyone else, keeping silent, still mourning the loss of his comrade. As he walked to the door he saw Korius comfort Kiana then light Valius' body on fire. Once outside Drevo fell to his knees, still very weak, just not letting the others know. He didn't want them to worry about him, they had enough to deal with. He crawled to a nearby rock and sat on it, as to look uninjured. As he sat on the rock he felt a sharp pain in his chest, he clenched it for a moment before caughing up a small amount of blood. The blood dribbled down his muzzle, he wiped it away smearing it into the white portion of his fur. He felt around his chest, he poked his ribs one at a time until he suddenly groaned loadly as he poked one; It was fractured. Drevo groaned and swore to the wind, about his injuries, about Valius, anything he could think of. His eyes watered as he sat, almost crying, but it was barely noticable. He just sat in wait for the others, clenching his chest in silence.
-
Talin strapped back up his volgue without noticing the changes, and led Elistra through the halls and to the outside, his hair slowly turning white at the fringes. It was not the first time he saw someone he knew died, almost everyone he trained with at the Dragoon Academy died hunting their first dragon, and Talin was sent to finish their failed assassination, whom in this case, was the same dragon that lead to his exhile from the Dragon-slayers: Elistra. But, while this was pretty depressing for him, it only ranked in the third most depressing moment he lived, the first seeing his father executed by Talin's mother....
His vision of the outside became blurred as he started to relive the madness in his father's eyes before his mother ran the volge through his chest, just after his father had 'saved' a village from a disease by burning it to cinders.
Elistra glanced at Talin, and saw the dead look in his eyes. She grabbed his shoulder and shook him for a few moments before Talin came back to the present. Talin looked back at the castle, his solmen face hiding any dark emotions.
-
Kiana didn't respond to Korius, just lowered her hands from her face. She waited for everyone to leave then grabbed her staff and slowly stood up. She turned and walked over to the fire, the smell stinging her nostrils. "I promise they will all pay, even if I end up dying in the process. You will not have died in vain." She spoke softly. "You were a great soldier, one of the best I've ever seen. Now you can be with your wife. Goodbye Valius..." She turned around and left the castle. As much as she wanted to glance back just one more time, she did not. She held her hands in front of her stomach then moved them away from each other, ending the circle above her head before quickly pulling her hands back down to their starting point quickly. The castle collapsed.
-
Korius led the group north his face somber and determined, "We are now going to head out to Porand, it's the nearest city, still within Septim's domain. They'll be happy to hear about Septim's demise, mostly. We have a small chance that some of the soldiers and peacekeepers there would want revenge. We should recollect ourselves and rest before we enter the city limits. It'll be a two-day walk." He didn't say more. They all traveled in silence the rest of the way.
-
Drevo walked with the others; holding his staff in his left hand rather than behind his neck as he usually would. The only thing normal about how he was acting was that he was very slowly losing pace with everyone. He stayed silent for awhile hoping no one would notice his injuries. Before he fell too far behind he spoke up quietly to the others. "Who's next..." His voice wasn't in his charactacistic non-chalant tone as it normaly is; it was more hardend, almost depressed sounding.
-
As the two walked with the others, Elistra got closer and closer to Talin until she held onto his left arm, and didn't let go. It wasn't long until Talin gave her a smirk and leaned his head next to her while they walked. "What, I can't be depressed for at least an hour?" and in response she slowly shook her head. After a few moments of just leaning against the other, Talin slid behind Elistra and draped his arms around her neck, their apperance now looking like an older brother keeping watch over his younger sister, although they thought their relationship much closer than that. "Am I to expect monsters during the walk, or were they all killed off?" he asked the others, his volgue clicking against his back with every other step.
-
Kiana walked along with others at a slower pace than her usual. Her ears tuned out after Korius was done speaking. She looked at the ground the entire time she walked. She watched as it changed, noticed the different colors in the dirt when that was what they were walking on. Every tiny detail was highlighted in her eyes, she noticed everything.
-
They had all walked particularly slow to the city. They ended up walking 3 days instead of 2. They had all slept earlier at nights. They made it to the city gates during the evening of the 3rd day. News of Septim's death had already reached the city, and many were celebrating still. As they arrived near the central square, someone spotted them and yelled, "It's them! It's the heroes!" Korius grumbled, Ah, bugger. I think I would have preferred to have been chased down and get into a fight.
-
Drevo smirked then walked ahead of the group towards the person who saw them. As he walked passed he pointed behind him with his thumb over his shoulder. "Yeah, those are the heroes, go get'em," he said continueing on deeper into the town without the others. He walked the streets until he saw a building with a sign reading "Polseka Inn" As he walked towards it he noticed he was drawing attention to himself, shrugging it off as he walked. Before reaching the inn he realizes he had blood still smeared into his muzzle, he was a filthy mess. He walked inside and up to the counter. Before he could reach it the woman behind it burst out with exitement. "Oh! Your the hero who killed Septim! Welcome!" The woman shrilled and ran out from behind the counter and forcibly shook Drevo's hand. "Thank you so much! Your amazing!" "No...I'm not th-" "Oh don't be modest! Here let me take you to our suite!" Before Drevo could respond she began to pull him along, she took him upstairs then down the hallway into a room at the end. "Here it is!" said the woman almost jumping up and down from exitement. It was a big room, had a big bed, several candles hanging from the wall for lighting, a window with a great view of a fountain in the middle of the town square and a wardrobe against the back wall. Drevo took in the sights as he walked towards the bed and sat down slowly, as to not further the injuries on his rib. "How do you like it? Want me to draw you a bath?" asked the woman quickly. "Yeah, it's nice...Wait wh-" "Okay! I'll go get it ready for you!" said the woman darting off out of the room. "No, wait!" Drevo tried to get up but his injury prevented him from it. He just layed back and relaxed. "Mmm...What did I get myself into...?" he muttered to himself.
-
Parts of the crowd started to make their way towards Talin. He grinned when he looked at them, then kissed Elistra on the cheek before pulling back her hood which had been on since she last slept. Most of the villagers immedeatly took two steps back and the rest left Talin to go meet the others. "So its true..." one of them say, and Talin only shrugged his shoulders as he walked away with Elistra away from the crowd and towards a nearby blacksmith to restock on needles and knives. "The kiss I didn't mind, but why did you pull my hood off?!" Talin chuckled at her spark of anger, mlidly noting the faint red under her eyes. "One, it scares off the unwanted attention of villagers, and two... I like seeing you embarrassed, its much better than that 'high-and-mighty' act you do when I mess up" the red deepened and she looked at Talin with accusing eyes. "Yes, you have been pounding me into walls and into the dirt for doing stupid things, even if they save your life."
After about two blocks, and rock almost hit Talin in the right temple, but he leaned away from its path and then looked for the source, only catching a glimpse of a dress before, nothing. It wasn't a problem until whoever was throwing the rock started using heavier and dener objects. He almost saw a boulder fly at him, but Elistra pushed him down as it soared over him. "Lets get inside before they start 'throwing' arrows and daggers..." she said with a hint of annoyance, to which Talin vigorously shook his head and followed her into an abandoned house...
-
Kiana was bombarded with questions left and right which aggravated her to no end. "Yes, Septim's dead. Yes, we each had a hand in the fight that ended him. No, I don't want to celebrate. We lost a comrade in the fight, so I don't want to deal with all of you!" She snapped, answering questions fast though she was still loud enough for the whole crowd to hear, her voice growing to a shout for the last half of her last sentence. She pushed her way through the crowd and stormed off down the street, feeling two pains now: the pain from the loss that was now dulling and the pain from the cut in her right shoulder which she was just noticing.
-
Korius was entertained by everyone's disdain as he sat on the rooftops, away from people's reach. Though many noticed him there and crowded, he was still on a roof, and no one could get to him, so he had no problem. He started looking around, they needed supplies and medical attention, and soon. Years ago, Chronin had killed all of Gaia's clerics and had destroyed most, if not all white magic documents. He began jumping rooftops as some patrons got ladders and started following him. He came across a medical hut and doubled back around to get inside. As he jumped in through the window, he was surprised at what he saw. There, before him, was a Clerical Mage healing a patient. he couldn't believe it.
-
Kiana happened to look up and see Korius moving along the roofs before he jumped in the window of a hut. She let out sigh. Having no destination herself, she figured she might as well follow him. As she started to walk towards the hut, she noticed someone reaching over to try to touch her staff and she pulled it away. "Touch it and you'll get to experience what I have it for." She snapped at the villager. They quickly backed off and she walked over to hut, cautiously walking through the doorway.
-
*The white cleric took his paw away from the sleeping young child before him and the white aura from the hand dissipated causing a frazzled looking middle-aged woman to raise out of her chair* "Please please.. tell me he's going to be alright." "Not to worry." *The arctic wolf turned to face her with a warm smile* "It was just a fever miss, he will be all better in a couple of hours. Just make sure he stays warm and gets plenty of rest."
*A look of relief goes across the mother's face and she couldn't do anything other than hug the cleric* "I-I can't thank you enough for saving him, please take care and don't be a stranger." *She moved back with a teary smile and sat down by the boy and hugged the child* "I will, thank you." *White hears footsteps and turns around to face the visitors somewhat wearily expressioned from his magicka usage*
-
Drevo sat upright after not being able to handle the pain in his chest any longer from laying back. He tossed his bowstaff on the bed and stood up and walked over to the window and looked out it. He saw people running atop the roofs across the road, he chuckled amused which hurt his chest. He walked away from the window and went to a mirror which he hadn't noticed before and looked at himself. The white fur on his muzzle was smeared with blood, his robes were somewhat torn and his fur was becomming matted. He sighed and turned around to see the woman from before standing in front of him. He jumped startled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him away. "C'mon, this way! Your bath is ready!" Drevo couldn't help but be pulled by her back down the hallway and down the stairs again. "Hey, please, I'm fine!" said Drevo trying to resist with futile efforts. She pulled him into a room that had steam drifting out of it. Once in the room he was hit with a burst of hot steamy air. He saw a bath drawn as she pulled him towards it. She stopped and began to tug at Drevo's robes working to get them off him. "Hey, what are you doing?!" choked Drevo embarresed. "I'm going to fix your clothes for you, silly!" said the woman getting his upper red robe off. He struggled with the last of his clothes insisting to the woman he could take them off and how unneccesary it was for her to help him. She managed to get all his clothes off and pushed him in the tub and ran off. Drevo splashed as he fell into and under the water of the tub, he resurfaced and spat out some water. "Hey! My clot-...Mmm...This feel nice..." Drevo relaxed and sunk down with his head barely above the water.
-
Talin and Elistra went into the house and made sure they had no illumination inside before finding a dark spot and watching the window. In a few moments, they saw women and young girls looking through the windows, some were bears, others vixens in their own right, along with wolves of similar sizes; but, only two were human. Talin sighed and hugged Elistra, possibly the only young female besides Kiana that hasn't at least attempted to kill him for being a 'dragon-lover'. "This is why I wanna be a dragon, other races act too obsessive!" he whispered to her.
-
Korius was about to speak when Kiana came in. He looked at her and quickly turned back. "Are my eyes deceiving me? You're an actual cleric, aren't you? If you can, I'd like you to come with me. My comrades are injured greatly. I don't know how much majicka you have, but if you can, please spare us the time of day. We will be staying at the Polseka Inn. One of our men is staying there right now with a broken rib that's partially punctured his lung. I'll be rounding the others there as well. Please meet us there when you can." Korius, still in disbelief, walked back and jumped out the window onto the adjacent building's wall, sprang from it, and started jumping roofs again, looking for the others. As he approached Talin's hideout that he saw them running into, he ran into a cloaked figure that was turning the corner from an alleyway. He stopped and ran back to help the figure up. "I'm sorry, are you alright?"
-
Kiana just watched the scene in the hut, not feeling like an actual part of it even though she had been noticed. When Korius left, awkwardness settled in so Kiana nodded slightly to the cleric then put up her hood as she turned and exited the hut. She looked around for a second before finding the sign for the inn and then headed for it, just wanting to get away from all the people, the stares, all the questions, and the praise. She entered the inn and waited for the others.
-
*White just sort of nodded without question* "I will take that offer..." *He watched Korius jump away and then tilted his head in question at Kiana and then she left* "Looks like it's time for me to go, take care of your child carefully." *He walked out the door putting his cowl over his head as he left before she could say anything and disappeared from view*
*As he walked along towards the Polseka Inn, White thought of the current event* "What could that man have wanted with me? Broken ribs and such are often dealt with in the normal mercenary manner.. but whatever, I shall take care of any and all patients. Hopefully I have enough magicka for this, if there is any serious infection I may have some troubles."
*Entering the Inn he took a gander around* "I rarely come around here unless we get the occasional sick or injured traveler. The place looks up to par." *He nodded and looked for the man from earlier*
-
Entaru swatted Korius' hand away as he sat up. "Clumsy oaf! Why don't you watch where your running! You could've..." He halted mid-sentence as he began coughing into his fist. As the coughing subsided he cursed under his breath. "Blast it all. Now you've got me over-excited."
Entaru stood up, dusting himself off, all the while muttering curses and profanities. Turning back to Korius with a scowl he continued his rant. "As I was saying...you could've really hurt someone. Running about like a cockroach under a bar stool!" Entaru huffed as he began to calm down. "Where were you headed anyway? And why did it matter if you got there quickly?" Entaru punctuated his sentence with a sharp tap against Korius' chest with his staff.
"Well? Answer my question, boy!"
-
Drevo relaxed in the hot water, the pain in his chest seemed to subside as he began to rub the mats out of his fur coat. As he dunked his face in the water to wipe the blood off he heard a giggle from behind him. He took his face out of the water out of the water and looked behind him; three female Fox-Kin in thin robes stood in the doorway looking at Drevo. Drevo quickly turned back around; hoping he wasn't recognized. "Hey it’s the hero!" shrieked the blue furred fox. "Oh, you're right!" said Black furred one. The White furred fox made her way over to him; followed by the other two. "Dangit, they saw me!" Thought Drevo as the women surrounded the tub. "Hey big boy, got room in there for three more?" whispered the white furred fox in Drevo's ear. "I'm afraid not, sorry!" said Drevo trying to look away from them all. "Oh come now, let me scrub your back," said the white furred fox as she began to scrub his back. He quickly moved to the other side of the tub; only to be massaged by the black furred fox. "Doesn't that feel nice?" asked the black furred fox. Drevo moved again only to be grabbed by the blue furred fox; she began to rub his chest which caused him pain. Drevo jumped out of the tub and grabbed a towel from a nearby rack; it was pink but he didn't notice.
"That robe makes you look sexy," said the white furred fox as the three began to walk towards him. "Don't you want to play with us?" asked the blue furred fox. "Don't you find us attractive?" added in the black furred fox. "Sorry, ladies, I-uh...Gotta run!" said Drevo backing up to the door, holding the towel around his waist. He was soaking wet; dripping all over the place as he turned towards the door, he stepped out and immediately noticed Kiana in the lobby; she hadn't noticed him as he turned back around. The fox women were almost to him; he didn't want Kiana to see him like this but he didn't want to stay with the fox women either. They got close enough to almost grab him; forcing him to back out into the lobby." Ladies, enough is enough," Drevo said bumping into White."Oh, sorry, buddy," The three fox women began to run at him; Drevo quickly turned and darted off up the stairs. They chased him up the stairs giggling, one of their robes flapped back revealing a sheathed dagger on her thigh. Drevo ran into his room at the end of the hallway and closed the door behind him.
They came in after him and quickly formed a circle around him. "Let us at least repay you for your hard work, hero..." said the white furred one as she hung over his shoulders. “No, please, I-“ “We insist…” said the black furred fox putting her leg up on Drevo. “No, please, It’s not necessary!” he insisted. “It’s the least we can do…After all, you’re the hero who killed our master…” said the white furred fox in Drevo’s ear. He froze up in shock at what she said; knowing he was now in trouble. The black furred fox drew a dagger sheathed on her thigh and raised it to stab Drevo. He broke free of their grip and motioned towards his bowstaff; which was in the hands of the blue fox. He knew he was in a bad place; he backed towards a wall as they got closer drawing their daggers.
-
Talin went to one of the doors to see if they left, and a 'thunk' was heard next to his head. He looked around him until he spotted a throwing knife sticking out the door, well embedded in the wood. He immedeatly retraced his steps and sat next to Elistra, who held back a giggle at his somewhat pale face.
Then the door in the back gave way to what could only be described as a battering ram going through two feet of wood. It wasn't until Talin heard footsteps that he got himself and Elistra up to the 2nd floor, and locked yet another door that they hid in. "Why don't you just kill them?" she said with rather strong frustration. "Because the rest of the village will be after me for killing the women!!"
-
Korius left the old man there, "Oh, bugger off, you old codger. I said I was sorry." As he entered the house where Talin and Elistra were hiding, he heard the door at the top of the stairs lock. He cupped his hands to his mouth. "Talin it's me, Korius! Get on the rooftops, we're going to Polseka Inn! I'll lead you there! Drevo's already ahead of us." Korius ran back outside and hopped up on the window and pushed off onto the adjacent roof. "Yes, unfortunately they still look down on dragons. Kyzen's guard is all dragons, 10 of them, and has 5 wild dragons for pets. Let's go." Korius ran towards the direction of the inn, having to make some large jumps since the area they were in had a lot of broken roofs. As he was nearing, he noticed Drevo in one of the open windows, and a girl grabbing his bowstaff. He thought to himself, Can't you stay out of trouble for once? Bugger if I had a Guilder for every time you get yourself into trouble... He ran full-speed and jumped in through the window after Drevo missed his chance to get his bowstaff and drew out Valia and the katana. The katana in his left pointing at the girl with the bowstaff and Valia in his right pointing at the other two. "Now now, ladies. I know he's a bit of a bloody sod, but that's no reason to want to kill him. If anyone, I think Kiana will have a say. So drop the bowstaff, and for Gaia's Sake, Drevo, put some bloody clothes on. I got a white mage coming here soon and the others will be following as well." As he yelled at Drevo, the black and blue furred girls attacked him. Korius turned both blades to face the ground and slapped both girls with the broadside of both swords. "Next time, you get the business end, now drop it!" The two dropped the weapons already and fell to the floor holding their faces and crying. The white one just fell to her knees and cried, wetting herself from the shock that Korius didn't even look like he was paying attention when he hit them.
-
Kiana had seen when Drevo finally exited the washroom and ran off up the stairs with the three girls behind him. "Oh brother..." She rolled her eyes. "Come with me." She said to the cleric as she walked past him and went up the stairs. She had just gotten to the doorway when she heard her name. "Talking about me behind my back, huh?" She smirked and crossed her arms. "And you just had to ruin my fun. I probably would've tossed them out the window if you hadn't showed up." She faked a pout.
-
*White followed without question behind the woman* "What are we doing miss?" *He listened in to the scuffling nearby and some sobbing women* "What in the blazes is going on around here?" *He just sort of looked at the wolf running out of the washroom with a blank expression* "I hope this isn't what I was brought for, I'm no good with the stranger crowd."
-
"OLD?! Who are you calling...hey wait a minute!" Entaru went running after Korius, at least until he saw him leaping form rooftop to rooftop in the opposite direction overhead. "Show off..." He muttered under his breath as he turned around and walked after him. No little punk was allowed to call him old. He'd give him the talking to of his...
Entaru stopped walking as a realization hit him "Dear God, I am old. Blast it...now I have to apologize." Entaru continued walking, shaking his head. Entaru finally walked into the Inn with a grimace on his face. He sat down at a table and waited for the youngster to come back down.
-
Drevo breathed a sigh of relief as he picked up his bowstaff as it rolled across the floor after the woman dropped it. "You didn't have to be so rough, Korius..." said Drevo non-chalantly tilting his head and shrugging. "And I would put some clothes on if I was relieved of them!" he barked pointing towards the door. He looked at the door and saw Kiana standing with her arms crossed. If Drevo didn't have fur they would have noticed his face had turned red from being embarresed. "Gah-doesn't anyone know how to knock?! Get out of my-" Drevo stop short and grabbed his chest; it was burning like fire. He dropped to his knees and held himself up with one hand as he clenched his chest with the other. He spat up a bit of blood and started to gasp for air. He looked up and around the room at the others; his vision had become crossed and blurred as he coughed up a bit more blood. He grunted and soon collapsed on the floor from the shortness of breath; his rib broke completely puncturing his lung.
-
Talin followed Korius out of the house, and dodged various projectiles before arriving at the Inn. He went down the side of the building, and through an open window of an empty room. He helped Elistra into the room and closed the window. "Okay, I need to make sure of one thing before we go downstairs..." He takes Elistra's hood and puts it back over her head, leaning in for a kiss, but got slapped instead. "First of all, stop treating me like I'm clueless, and second, kisses are nicer once a day then every two hours..." Talin let out a nervous chuckle and let go before they walked downstairs.
-
Korius sheathed the katana and hooked Valia back onto the strap. He walked out of the room and patted White on the shoulder. "That's our idiot laying on the floor over there. If possible, don't let him die, but don't strain yourself. He's like the old puppy dog we never had the heart to put to sleep." As he walked out, he bumped into Talin and Elistra. He sighed, seeing the two of them making their way downstairs. "I think we've had enough excitement for one day. Why don't you get inside the room that Drevo got for us and stay there. I'll get some supplies for us. The white mage I found is inside as well. If you have any needs, now's the time." He walked down the stairs of the inn and talked to the owner. "If you can, spare us another room and some extra pillows and blankets. We'll pay for whatever you want to charge us for. By the way, what is the name of the city clinician? I thought cleric-class sorcerors were extinct, let alone a mage."
-
Kiana couldn't help but chuckle at Drevo's obvious frustration & embarrassment and didn't end up answering the healer since Korius beat her to the punch. After Korius left, Kiana walked into the room. "Alright ladies, get out of here!" She commanded as she made them get up and practically pushed them out of the room past the healer. "Come on in and do your stuff." She said and closed the door after he entered. She moved over in front of a chair and stretched her arms above her head as she yawned, cringing from the pain the stretch brought into her right shoulder from the cut. "He's obviously your first patient." She said as she sat down and gestured towards Drevo. "I'll need you too, but I can wait." She paused for a couple seconds. "So, what's your name anyway?"
-
"Oh my I forgot to introduce myself, well I am called White by many, but my real name is White Wolf Guardian. Nothing fanciful about it, but it's my name nonetheless..." *White looked over at Drevo while talking with a developed sweat that was rolling down his face* "Uhh... hold that thought, this puppy of your's could die if I don't medicate him." *White put his paw down close to the wolf's chest and held it there for a moment*
"What have you folks been doing?! This injury could have only been caused by several bashes to his back and torso and judging from that other man you guys must be some sort of fighters.." "Oh man if I don't help these people.. what if they kill me.. That cheetah sitting there, she's injured too and more than she lets on because she actually showed signs of discomfort in her facial expression."
"I will heal him in no time miss." *White laid his hand down on the wolf and started using his magicka to the best of his medical ability to slowly remove the detached rib from the lung. He sliding it out very slowly to judge the possible conflicting issues and finding none he put the rib back in place* "I've never had to use both hands since we had a mercenary come through here... and well it was... uhh... nevermind let me just work." *He placed his other hand but towards the lung to use what force he had to stop the bleeding and slowly patch it up then as soon as it was stable enough he moved onto the rib itself where he reformed the bone so that the inner blood vessels were not damaged*
"He... should be okay soon.. just don't let him move too much." *White was breathing a bit paced and sweating and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face* "Let me rest for a second, that was a lot harder than it looked but you probably know that already since you too have magicka. I uh.. I like to talk a lot while I am working because it makes me less nervous, more likely I won't be fidgety in my work. The mercenary I mentioned died because well his stomach was gone and I can't just make things fall out of the sky as some people think." *White's nervousness was showing well beyond his words and appearance as he tried to butter his fear of them murdering him for pleasure* "Heh heh.. I think you needed some help too... may I ask your name miss?"
-
Entaru strolled up behind Korius while he was talking to the owner. Before the owner could reply Entaru aswered his question. "I've heard that his name is White. He's the reason I came to town in the first place, though I was looking for an apothecary rather than a fellow mage." Entaru held out his hand in greeting and continued. "Entaru Korin, Glass Mage. Sorry about that outburst earlier. Hunger, fatigue, and lack of youth in general have made me a bit...irritable." As if to prove a point, his stomach let out a loud grumble. "Please accept my apologizes sir."
-
As White worked Drevo grumbled in pain; not loudly however as to make him sound weak. As White finished and went on to Kiana he sat up and looked around. He felt only a sore sensation rather than the pain he felt before. He tried to lift himself off the floor and to the bed but fell back on his butt. He looked at White finally and recognised him from the lobby. "Oh, it's you...Thanks, sorry about bumping into you before," said Drevo. The woman that took Drevo's clothes went up the stairs and towards his room, she walked in with the clothes draped across her arms. She stopped and looked around, first at Kiana and White then at Drevo sitting up on the floor, still in his pink towel. "Oh my! Are you hurt?!" shrieked the woman running over to him. As she ran to him she slipped on the water that was everywhere from Drevo who was still wet from his bath. As she fell Drevo tried to catch her but she toppled onto him and he fell back and hit his head on the floor boards.
"Oh my I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry!" she said getting off of Drevo as he sat up rubbing the back of his head. "No, I'm fi-" "Here, let me get you dressed!" said the woman trying to put his shirt on him. "What?! No! I'm still wet!" said Drevo pushing away his shirt. "Then let me dry you off!" she said yanking away Drevo's towel. "Wait- what do you think you're doing?!" barked Drevo grabbing the towel and covering his private areas. The woman took a portion of it and began to rub Drevo down roughly. "Stop it! Your going to rub my fur off!" The woman just gigled at Drevo's plight, not knowing he was just healed. They both fussed back and forth with each other, her trying to dry him off and dress him and him not letting her. It was quite clear Drevo was still in a bit of pain as they fussed.
-
Talin looked at Elistra, who smirked at his new attitude towards her, then nodded to Korius' suggestion, leading Talin up to the room Drevo provided, and they both found a single bed, sitting together, for neither wanted to be alone in this odd village...
Talin's head-fur had now gone half-white and his eyes had an unusual shine in the center of the pupil, but the shine was not seen unless you looked directly into his eyes.
-
Korius was startled by the old man and really didn't know what to say except, "Calm down, old man. I guess hunger and senility are bad combination. Why don't you wait with my colleagues in our room upstairs with the clinician. Just tell them Korius said you can stay. *turns to owner again* And some food would be preferable." Korius dropped 3 Guilders onto the table and walked out the door. Well, at least I still have a couple Guilders left. Might as well try to get some money while we're here. We'll need at least another 2 days to rest up. He walked down the streets and found the local tavern as the sun sunk over the horizon. Korius walked in and was immediately stared at. For a few moments, it was very tense and silent, when all of a sudden, cheers began ringing. He lightened up and sat at the bar. The bartender came up to him. "So... hero. What can i git fer ya? Drink 'seron the house t'nite." Somberly, Korius chuckled to himself as the thought of Valius ordering up their strongest liquor and gorging on it all. He gave a gentle smile, the first one since... well, ever. "I'll take your strongest. In memory of our fallen comrade who died to make Septim's fall possible. And also, any bounties or quick jobs you folks might have." The bartender laughed hardily and brought our the strongest bottle of whiskey in the tavern. He poured himself a glass and handed the bottle to Korius. "So. To who we be drinkin' ta t'nite?" Korius smiled and lifted his bottle. "To my successor and last Captain of the Knights of Gaia. Valius Loral Rampart!" The room fell silent again, and everyone became sad and somber. "Did ye say, Valius Rampart? *Korius nods* We been herin rumors 'bout him still bein' alive, but to know tha' they were true... *Everyone who had a hat, lowered it in salute. Bartender raises his glass* To the greatest shining light of hope for our people, Valius. And also, a thanks for the blessing of this fine party of heroes who be led by his predecessor, Korius J. Lambent. Here here!" The crowd cheered and raised their glasses. "HERE HERE!" They all drank and for the night, they became merry. The bartender then gave Korius a pile of wanted posters and bounty jobs of the town. Korius nodded his thanks and left with them after he finished the bottle. This is for you, my only true friend in this world. May you rest in peace.
-
Kiana just sat there, watching White and listening to him. She laid her staff across her lap. "My name's Kiana. Kiana Katar." She replied and smiled slightly. The smile was wiped off her face when the woman came in the room without knocking on the closed door. She watched the two fuss with each other until she got irritated enough with it to speak. "Lady, I'm pretty sure he has been old enough to dry and dress himself for quite some time now. Why don't you just let him be. He's probably still feeling some soreness and discomfort from just being healed. Your causing more harm than good to him." She said while looking at the two on the floor, only sounding irritated for the first half what she said. Her speaking up was only because she was irritated just watching it so she knew how irritated she'd be if it was happening to her.
She looked back White. "Anyway, like I said before, my healing can wait. Rest as much as you need to before you work on me." She told him then looked away from him, examining the room. "And don't be so nervous. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were afraid that I'd kill you if you didn't heal me..." A smirk played on her lips, still not looking at him.
-
*White kind of just stared at her with strength suddenly renewed* "Oh uh..uh no it's not like that. I'm err.. just not good around strangers..in a room..alone." *He eyed the door* "I'm feeling much better really, let me heal you." *He gave his best cheesy smile* "She's no fool, oh god I am screwed. Maybe if I do a good enough job I will be spared.. hmm well that's worth a shot in all regards!" *He did a little victory stance while standing there and not realizing it looked like a fool probably* "Oops..."
-
Entaru nodded and headed up to the room and knocked four times before entering. "Hello? Korius sent me up here. Why, I have know idea but he did." Entaru looked about at the bunch as he entered the room. Then he spotted Drevo naked on the floor. "Uhhh...did I come in at a bad time?" Entaru asked as he looked at the cheetah.
-
"Oh my, your hurt?! I'm so so so sorry!" said the woman as Drevo slipped from her drying him off. He stood up and took the towel back and wrapped it back around his waist. "No, it's fine...I'm fine...Please...Can I just have my clothes back?" asked Drevo calmly. Without saying anything the woman extended his clothes to him; looking down at the floor. "Thank you," said Drevo taking the clothes. The woman quickly darted out of the room; right passed Entaru. Drevo noticed Entaru as the woman ran passed him. "Does everyone want to see me naked? Geez..." he sighed as he walk over to the wardrobe that was in the room. He opened the door as far as it would open and hid behind it. "Don't look, I'm naked," Drevo chuckled as he draped his towel over the door; dressing himself behind the door.
-
Korius tiptoed into the room at high moon and was surprised to see everyone still in the same room. He walked to the middle of the room and waved the pile of posters in his hand. "Okay, everyone. We're going to stay in town for a couple days so we can get back on our feet. Until then, I have found small single-day jobs and bounties. Starting at sun-up we'll start. Just pick what you can do and get on to bed. The room next to us has been graciously opened to us." Korius then took out an apparent in-town bounty and walked into the next room and laid down. His head swam a little, he ended up staying at the tavern for 4 extra hours drinking. Despite drinking with Valius for all these years, 20 litres of hard whiskey is his limit, and he drank 22 this night. He sighed, feeling drunk for the first time and his stomach started grumbling. Korius knocked on the wall and yelled over, "Hey! Did anyone save me some food? I'm starving."
-
"I know I don't want to see you naked." Kiana replied. "Hence why I haven't been looking at anything but your face, if anything." She continued to sit in the chair and let herself be healed by White, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the back of the chair but remaining alert.
By the time Korius came back to the room, Kiana had been healed and had eaten. She looked through the posters and found one that she knew she could handle, even though she didn't want to hunt a bounty. As she set the poster in her chair, she heard Korius yell about being hungry. She grabbed some food and headed to the room next door. She entered and set the food on a bedside table in silence then left the room. She leaned against the wall in between the two rooms, not really liking her choices. Other than Elistra, she was surrounded by guys. No matter what room she stayed in, she wasn't going to exactly feel comfortable. She sighed and went back into the suite, grabbing her poster and heading for another bed. The bed was separated from the main room by a wall, so it wasn't a hard choice.
-
*White noticed that since he was done with healing Kiana and the continually attacked wolf by women were healed and he was hungry and tired from his work* "Well if none of you need me... I'm going downstairs for some food and then maybe some sleep..." *White yawned and sort of moved side to side and then straight forward out the door going down the stairs to the Bar and sat at a bar stool*
"Ugh, I'm not gonna be tricked again into drinking, that never goes well." "Uhh.. bar keep could I have some chicken over here? I'm starving from a day's work." *He just sort of laid his head on his arms as he waited for a response and closed his eyes for a moment*
-
Entaru was shocked to see so many bounties. He didn't know why, but he started sorting through them to see if he could help them in any way. After all, money was money and he didn't want to make himself a burden to those around him. He was older but still capable and he planned to prove that.
Finding a few choice ones, Entaru (who had already eaten) went to another empty room to look them over before heading off to sleep. Suddenly a jolt of pain shot through Entaru's left leg, causing him to almost yelp. ~Blast it! I need to find an apothecary soon or else I'll be completely useless. But first I need money...and sleep. I can look at them later.~ Entaru limped to his bed, his left leg completely numb. He would get feeling back to it in a few hours, he knew that. Heaving his leg onto the bed he laid down. He prayed that more jolts wouldn't come and keep him awake.
His prayers were answered and he fell asleep peacefully.
-
Drevo was sitting on the big bed leaning against it's bed post as the room had began emptying. He looked at the stack of papers from afar before getting off the bed and walking towards the area Kiana was in. He leaned on the wall near the opening to the area seperated from the main room. He knocked on the wall trying to get her attention before she fell asleep. "Hey, Kiana, you asleep?" he asked almost in a whisper. "If your still awake...You're welcome to my bed, it's bigger than the one in there...I don't mind if you have it over me," Drevo leaned on the wall in wait for a response and looked around the room.
-
Talin went over to get two posters, figuring that between Elistra and himself, two jobs could get done for twice the payout. Sadly, none of the jobs seemed appealing until he found a bounty poster... of himself, with Elistra being the bonus pay. "Korius.... exactly how tanked are you, and where did you get this?" he said, his anger starting to rise until she grabbed his head and shook it side-to-side. "Wether we like it or not, love... the common races deem our relationship, and your betrayal to your former com-" "Its not about that, the charge is being Chronin's decendent, who told them!?!" his volgue started to resonate with his anger, glowing with purple-black energies, which grow in proportion to his rage.
-
Korius growled over to the annoying Talin as he continued to eat. "I'm only buzzed, but I got enough to have a bit of a headache. Besides, remember, there hasn't been inter-species marriage since almost a millenia ago with Shinzuu and Vee. Too many people are still afraid and don't condone inter-species. And don't forget, dragons still haven't been fully accepted into society yet, especially since Kyzen has those pets of his. Chill out, they don't want you dead because of your pedigree, not that anyone knows it anyways. He swallowed the last of the bread and laid his head to rest. He then looked at the poster that he took. It's a bounty, alright, but no can touch him. A large bear-Kin. Maximus Carlisle. Wanted for 50 counts of murder, but is sponsored and sheltered by the underground cage-match gambling facility, which funds pretty much half the city's income. The only way to get to him is to get him removed from being a champion.
-
Kiana had just laid down on the bed under the covers, her staff leaning against the bedside table right beside her, when Drevo came over and knocked on the wall. She looked over at him. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm already plenty comfortable right here." She half-smiled, trying to play nice. She reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the bounty poster. She did her best to look interested in the irate and crazy-looking rhino on it. Azzan Rocha; committed 10 counts of murder; several thefts. It seemed easy enough so that she would be able to get the job done and difficult enough to not be over in two seconds. After looking over the poster a couple times, she took a chance and glanced up to see if Drevo had walked away.
-
*White picked at his plate of chicken and ate every last possible piece he could get out of it then found himself closing his eyes and imagining more plates of chicken being brought and beyond his own perceiving of what was real and dreams, he was asleep in seconds sleeping in his plate of food and practically inhaling the dry bones through his nose* "I wish I could have more, but I don't make enough money being the free to be used cleric that heals everybody all the time without expectation of payment or reward, ugh sometimes I wish I was more demanding..."
*White woke up at a start as the bone had gone into his nostril and he was choking for air and pulled it out* "Ack-ack! Ugh, nasty!" *He threw it in frustration at the ground and groggily got up and swayed his way out of the bar looking for a bed to fall asleep on and forgetting to put on his cowl*
-
Drevo had already begun walking back to his bed after Kiana turned down his offer without saying a word. With no one else in the room he climbed into bed and looked up at the cieling. He didn't pull the blankets over him, he just layed there with his arms across his chest. "I don't think anyone understands me..." he thought to himself as he layed there. His coat of fur always made him over heat easily, which is why he didn't cover up. He was still a bit wet; the window being opened kept a cool breeze running across his body. Drevo pulled his hat over his eyes, sighed and drifted off to sleep. He shook a little as a unusually cold breeze blew in; he played it off and fell asleep.
-
Talin was going to vent some more, but got annoyed with being angry, and went to lie down with Elistra, the two attempting to squeeze out all of the space between them to not only fit on the bed, to find some solace in sleeping together on an actual bed for once. The volgue started to 'buzz' in frustration as its source of anger not only vanished, but turned into a source of calmness, which was toxic to its growth.
-
Korius woke up early the next morning and went straight downstairs and left his weapons next to White with a note.
____________________________________
|White, take care of these. |
| ~Korius |
He bumped into the inn-keeper downstairs and grabbed a loaf of bread as he headed out. It was about an hour or so after sunrise, another hour before the cagefights started. Korius went around town to taverns and galleys to find out where to go. Finally, he ended up back at the tavern from last night and found out that was where he entered and registered. He placed his name in and the rest of his Guilders and was led down a collapsing wall behind the private party room that revealed a staircase heading down. As they reached the bottom, Korius can already hear the bustle of excited gamblers cheering for their favourites. This is a truly high-stakes game. Registration in itself was 3 Guilder, minimum bets being 5 Guilder. Korius breathed in deeply and relaxed himself, mentally preparing for his turn. Apparently, only two others registered for today, so the minimum bet had been raised to 10 Guilder. Korius sat cage-side, waiting for his turn. 2 groups fight it out. The winner of each fight for the title of Champion.
-
Kiana woke up moderately early, not too long after Korius had left (though she didn't know he had left already). She got ready in silence and left the room as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake up Drevo. She headed downstairs and found the innkeeper. "Excuse me, do you know where I can find this guy?" She asked, holding up the poster of Azzan Rocha. The innkeeper cringed slightly upon seeing the picture. "I've heard that he hides out in the woods on the edge of town. I wouldn't recommend going after him, miss. I don't think the risk is worth the pay." The innkeeper answered the question. She just smiled at the innkeeper and left the inn.
Kiana put her hood up and walked through the streets. She mostly took the alleys because she wanted to avoid the villagers at all costs. She didn't feel like being praised or questioned or anything like that today. She just wanted to find Azzan and get the bounty hunt done with.
-
*White woke up in a puddle of drool and a note next to his paw* "Hmm?" *He groaned and looked at the note closely trying to read it in his morning stupor* "White, take... care of these.." *White looked a little bit upwards and saw some weapons* "Ugh..." "I have to baby sit the weapons... great and that means I'm responsible for what happens to them, I probably have customers today... Hmm maybe I can dump this on the other guy upstairs... no that would be a bad idea because that Korius fellow would beat the crud out of me if he lost or misplaced anything and I would be to blame >.>..."
*White crawled to a bar stool and helped himself up then sat on it thinking what to do with the weapons* "Why do I always fall asleep on some sort of floor... well I could take them with me to the clinic or something, what exactly does he plan to do with me? I mean I'm not in his party or anything?? Does he think I am, I don't even know!" *White's head started to hurt from confusion* "GAH! Whatever I'll deal with it later..." *The wolf grunted as he got a cart from outside the inn and put the weapons in it and trudged off to his clinic*
-
Entaru awoke as another jolt of pain shot through his arm. "Gahh!" The shout was followed by a string of loud curses and obscenities. Holding his numb arm he stood up out of bed. The disease had been merciful that night and had actually let him sleep for once, but it was apparently bored and tired of waiting.
Entaru threw his robe back on and walked to the desk that he had placed his bounty papers on. He looked them through for a few minutes before deciding on one. Apparently a large boar-kin by the name of Griswolden Phetter had taken up to trashing local taverns, killing the owners, and using them as his own filthy playpens until his resources run out. So far he's killed around 30 or more innocents in his escapades. To get the reward one would have to bring back Griswolden's custom made eyepatch, unfortunately the paper didn't specify how much the reward was but any money would have to do. According to the paper he was last seen about a mile out of town, taking residence in the 'Bearded Frog Tavern'.
Entaru, no longer hungry, left the Inn without eating and made his way to the tavern. He didn't need to ask anyone where it was because he had passed it on the way to town. He had knocked on the door to see if he could mooch some food but all he heard was snoring on the inside. Griswolden must've already have taken residence. Entaru pulled a shattered hand mirror out of his pack and looked at it's distorted image. Grimacing he put it back.
Someday...when I've paid for what happened...I'll finally fix it...
-
Drevo had slept until much later than the rest of them. He was clealy comfortable due to his loud snoring with his head tilted to the side and his tongue hanging out. He suddenly woke up from a feeling of wetnes on his face; it was drool which had covered the majority of his pillow. "Huh? Wha?...Where...Eh..." he mumbled hazily before ploping back down on his pillow. He rubbed his face and sat back up putting on his hat. He then hopped out of the bed, stretched and looked over the stack of papers. "Missing pet...Lost umbrella...Mass mugger...Hmm, that seems nice..." said Drevo mulling over the papers. He took the "Mass mugger" one and stuck it uder his robe and continued searching. "Delivery...Another missing pet...Missing family Heirloom...Hmm...Big reward..." Drevo took the "Missing heirloom" paper and put it under his robe. As he went back to the papers he noticed two more missing pets." Hmm...Lots of missing pets..." he mumbled to himself. He set the stack down and left the room with the two he had. As he went down the stairs and out the front door he pulled his hat over his head and walked into a nearby alley way.
-
Talin woke up just after Drevo walked out, and nudged Elistra awake. She only grumbled and stayed under the sheets as he got out to read his two posters again. The two he picked were simple at face value, but got harder as one read on. One was a bounty poster for a demonic cult leader known to have former soldiers in his ranks, which would give him military presence in this village, but not enough to rule it. The other was a hunting poster for specific gem thats rumored to be in a quarry just northeast of the village. Talin pocketed the gem poster before handing the bounty to Elistra's barely awake form. "We're going hunting... that means you can't stay in bed for now." Elistra groaned rather uncharacteristically before slumping out of the bed and then dragging herself to the door. Talin shook her until she started swating at him, then he let go so she could open the door.
They both left through the attic and onto the roof, using the agility gained through countless hunts through the tree-tops to go from roof to roof towards the cave the target was last seen at...
-
Korius was in the second round and watched as his target, Maximus, in the cage the first round. He stood over 7 feet tall and was big in every aspect. His challenger was an alligator-Kin of fair build, and stood at about the same height. However, the difference in their strength was all too apparent as the round ended abruptly 2 seconds after the bell rang with Maximus rushing his challenger from a squat and clothes-lined the alligator's neck and subsequently knocking the man unconscious. The crowd cheered as they watched their champion get them closer to more money, and those who cheered for the challenger hung their heads as their faith, and money, were revealed to have been misplaced. That was quick.
The bell rang a second time and Korius stood up and entered the cage after Maximus left and the challenger dragged out. The other challenger to enter the ring was a fighter who looked similar to Korius in build and height, a kangaroo-Kin, one of the few rare-Kin species. After the bell rang, the challenger hopped around and around, throwing punches and kicks every so often, trying to keep moving. Korius kept his eyes trained on the challenger and just dodged without really much effort, as they were just basic attacks, nothing special since this opponent concentrated more on staying in motion rather than perfecting technique. The crowd all booed Korius, since no one bet on him, for starters, and that he didn't really show them any action. Korius maintained his dodging and found the pattern in the opponent's movements. After about another minute, Korius dodged the predictable punch with a full roundhouse and knocked the challenger face-first onto the cage floor, completely knocking them unconscious.
The crowd booed even more excessively as Korius exited the cage for a quick water. After a quick sip, he walked back into the cage, watching Maximus make his grand entrance. The bell rang...
-
Kiana had walked into the woods about a mile. She thought she heard something flying through the air when knife whizzed past her face and stuck into the tree beside her. She quickly looked in the direction that the knife came from and spotted Azzan in a clearing. She casually walked towards the clearing, her eyes locked on Azzan. His expression matched the one he wore in the picture exactly. She stopped in the clearing about 20 feet from him.
"So this is who comes to try to kill me? A little girl? This shouldn't take long." Azzan scoffed. "Just shut up and fight me." Kiana snapped. He smiled crookedly. "Such impatience. Not a quality of a good fighter." He emphasized the last word by throwing a knife at her. She made a motion, bringing up a rock to block the knife. He growled and threw two more. She made the ground move under her feet so that she slid out of the way. He huffed and charged at her, so she brought up a wall of rock to block him. She brought up three more walls to surround him and moved away so there was just 10 feet between them now.
Azzan busted through the rock using his natural brute force and snarled. He threw three more knives at Kiana, aimed for her head, heart, and stomach, and drew a sword, charging at her again. Kiana blocked the knives with chunks of rock again. Dodging his charge, she hit him with a slab of rock in the chest, knocking him backwards. She encased him with rock, pinning him to the ground. Standing over him, she held her left hand high in the air which kept a huge slab of rock held over his head...
-
*White rolled the cart till it was inside his office in the clinic and he placed it securely in the corner and wrapped a couple of chains around it to the support beam and covered it with a tent canvas* "That ought naught attract too much attention >.>..." "Oh hell who am I kidding, everyone will see THAT!" *He facepawed for a few seconds and then turned to his desk looking at some parchments and some letters* "Ugh... taxes, a cousin hello, and hm?" *White looks at a red envelope that says In Dire Need*
*White read it and it followed up about some old man in town that needs some medical assistance and as some sort of skin deformity which is impeding his health; White looked over at the cart again* "This means I have to carry that all the way there... and back.." *He threw his paws into the air in frustration and then went to work to unshackle the weapons*
-
Entaru walked up to the door of the "Bearded Frog Tavern". There was an aura of stench emanating from the building now that hadn't been there the last time Entaru had visited.
Griswolden was definently here...
Entaru put his ear against the door to see if the new owner was at home. His question was answered as a loud snore came from inside. "Perfect, the oaf is a late riser..."
Quietly opening the door, Entaru walked inside. The room was strewn with piles of busted chairs, tables and rotting food scraps. Amongst the largest pile were several rotting bodies, most likely the patrons and previous owner. The floor was covered in broken bottles, spilt ale, and filth. Entaru listened for where the snoring, now louder than before, was coming from. He didn't have to go far to see that Griswolden had taken to his bed behind the bar. Entaru looked down at the snoring oaf with disgust.
To say that he was ugly was an understatement. The orange-ish fur that the bounty had described was stained brown and matted with filth. He still held a tankard of ale in one hand while another was spilt all over his chest. His only clothing was a poorly placed loincloth and the eyepatch. The eyepatch stood out in stark contrast against the filthy brute that wore it. It was brilliantly multi colored and had a red gem (probably fake) in the center.
While Entaru could've simply killed the brute right then and there, he found it unsporting and would at least give the poor fool a chance. Entaru looked up at the liquor cabinent just above the boar-kin and smiled as he saw a very heavy bottle of gin just above the boar's head. Entaru, using a small bit of his magicka, lifted the bottle into the air and let it drop.
Griswolden roared to life as the bottle smashed open against his head. "Grahhh! Who dares disturb the rest of Griswolden the Grotesque!"
Entaru cooly took a few steps back and gave his response. Entaru Korin...and first blood is mine you unruly grunt.
-
As Drevo walked through the alley he felt a sharp prick in his back. "Drop your belongings or I'll kill you where you stand!" demanded a man who had a dagger pointed at Drevo. "Alright, no need to be hasty..." said Drevo calmly raising hands into the air with his bowstaff in his right hand. "No funny stuff, I'll kill you, I'm a wanted criminal!" said the man proding Drevo with the dagger a bit more. "Wanted, huh?" Drevo thought to himself. In a flash Drevo brought down his bowstaff behind him and hit the man in the hand causing him to drop the dagger. The man stumbled back holding his hand in pain as Drevo turned around and jabbed him in the face with his bowstaff. The man fell backwords onto the ground unconscious. "That was easy pay..." mumbled Drevo taking out the wanted posted. He grabbed the man by the collar and held him up with the poster next to his face. "Yup, this is the guy," said Drevo tucking the poster back into his robe. He dragged the man out of the alley and down the road until he was spotted by a gaurd.
The guard quickly drew his short sword and pointed it at Drevo."What's going on here?" asked the guard eyeing both of them. "Easy now, I'm collecting this man's bounty, he's the "Mass mugger" that's wanted." said Drevo dropping the man and showing the poster to the guard. People began to gather around at stare at the situation, faint whispers could be heard amungst the onlookers. "Thats the hero" "He caught that mugger!" "He is so amazing!" "This is definately him, good work, hero!" said the guard. The guard shackled the mugger and lifted him over his shoulder. "Come with me, you can collect your bounty," said the guard walking off with the mugger. Drevo followed him for a ways until they reached a building with a few guards out front. They walked in and the guard headed for a staircase leading down somewhere. "Talk to the man at the front for your reward." said the guard before he desended the stairs.
Drevo nodded and walked up to the man behind the counter. "Just nabbed this guy," said Drevo showing the man the poster. "Right, one moment," said the man kneeling down behind the counter. He got back up and handed Drevo three guilders and thanked him before saying "Next!" Drevo took the guilders and left the building and looked around outside. He continued on down the street until he heard his name called nearby. He looked around and noticed a blacksmith waving at him from inside his shop. Drevo walked over to him curiously.
-
Talin got to the cave entrance and flagged Elistra over to his side, they slowly walked in, and were greeted with what looked like two raving lunatics with daggers in both hands. Talin would have laughed at their postures and running if he were not their target, in which he responded by taking his volgue and lopping off both of their feet with a low swing, then beheading them on the return swing, their looks showing both shock and disbelief at their quick demise. Elistra drapped her cloak in the blood's path, then shook it off before following Talin into the cave. His weapon gave off a purple glow that lit up the cavern, making the journey all the more quicker and somewhat safer. "We are but dust in the eyes of Honis, however, once we unlock the powers of this book, we shall give him reason to spare us as we bring him back from the nether-realms to wreak havoc on the same village that mistreated you for simply not dying a glorius death after returning from your defeat... come, let us redeem ourselves in 'His' eyes, and the nay-sayers will be silenced for us!"
"Okay, thats definatly the man we're going to be killing." Talin verified as they slowed and quieted their steps.
-
Maximus eyed him curiously. "Your fight was interesting. Will you actually give me challenge?" Korius smirked, "Let's find... OUT!" Korius closed the gap in two steps and gave his hardest punch square into Maximus' chest. Maximus stood there, unmoved and laughed out loud. "Puny wolf has force of 10 men. But Maximus have constitution of 20 men!" With one hand, he grabbed the top half of Korius's head, lifted him up and threw him against the side of the cage. Korius staggered back up to his feet, his head spinning. Well, now. It's been quite a while since I've faced brutes, or even thrown like that, for that matter. Maximus roared and charged Korius with an arm out. Korius rolled under the think arm and caught it with his left, gripping hard to twist the arm around, and brought it up to the back of Maximus' head.
Korius pushed in to further Maximus' momentum and pinned him to the cage side. "You know, the funny thing about the body. No matter how big or small you are, your joints are always your weakness." Korius pushed up on Maximus' elbow and pulled the hand towards the shoulder. In one heave, the arm snapped and Maximus screamed in pain. Korius let go and kicked Maximus behind the knees, forcing the brute to his knees. Korius grabbed Maximus' face and turned it towards him. "Plus, your head's the one part of your body you can't build a defense on." Korius pulled Maximus' head around more and punched him with everything he had. Maximus grunted and hit the floor, falling unconscious. The crowd booed relentlessly at Korius as the owner rang the bell and declared Korius the winner. Korius walked out of the cage, dragging Maximus behind him. The owner came up to Korius and held out a hand. "Woah, woah, woah. Where are you taking him?" Korius grabbed the man's hand and torqued it to the side, the man leaned over in that direction and cried like a little girl. "He is my bounty and no longer under your protection. I am the new champion here. Send my winnings to my room at the Polseka Inn. If you short change me, I'll come back and claim this arm for my own. Understood?" The man whimpered and nodded furiously in agreement. "Good." Korius let go of the owner's hand and dragged Maximus out of the arena, up the stairs and out of the tavern, towards the bounty station.
When he walked into the station, he tossed Maximus' unconscious body to the feet of a few of the guards. "My 40 Guilders, now." It took 4 guards to drag the heavy prisoner away and a fifth came out with a small bag of money and handed it to Korius. Korius took the bag and walked out. After stepping out, he noticed Drevo walking towards the town smith. He called over to him,"Hey! Heavy sleeper! How was your bounty? I raked in 40. How about you?"
-
Kiana paused a moment to recall what the poster had said. "WANTED ALIVE" is what she had read at the bottom of it. Her lips tightened into a hard line and 4/5 of the rock she was holding crumbled into dirt, flying off in the wind as she wished it had said different. She looked into Azzan's eyes and saw the defiance in them with fear trying to hide behind it. "You won't..." He said, trying to sound confident in his words but failing. "This is for my brother." She growled. She let the remaining chunk of rock drop. Azzan was only able to let out a "Wha-?" before the rock struck him in the head, knocking him unconscious. She moved the rock that had encased him off of him, taking his sword sheath and putting it on herself before picking up his sword and sheathing it. After picking up the five knives that she had blocked and dodged and putting them inside her cloak, she grabbed the Azzan's horn and started dragging him behind her by it. She did use some majicka to help with the dragging as she walked. As she went on, she plucked the last knife from the tree it had stuck in and put it with the others.
When she got back to the town, everyone that saw her would start whispering things to their companions or just staring in surprise. It no doubt had something to do with the rhino she was dragging behind her that was at least three times her size. She ignored them all though and just made her way to the bounty station. When she got there, she released Azzan's horn, dropping him in front of the guards. They looked at her in disbelief. "You couldn't have taken him down..." One of the guards said, gaping at her. "I did and you're lucky I left him alive as was requested. Now I want my pay." She responded. One guard nodded and handed her three Guilders as two other guards carried Azzan off. "Good day." She nodded towards the guards who still watched her in disbelief as she walked away. She pulled the throwing knives out of her cloak and looked down at them. "Now what to do with his weapons..." She thought to herself.
-
*White slumped against the wall out of breathe at the house that the old man was staying at* "Oh man I hope this is worth it, these weapons are so heavy, my back hurts.." *White stretched and raised his paws in the air making a loud cracking noise in his back* "Oww...." *The wolf looks down at the door in rustic hinges on the old wooden door in front of him and examines the house from the outside noticing the lovely features of the home* "Wow these people must be well off, perhaps nobles? That would be awesome if they were, because I'd be honored to meet their acquaintance..." *White positioned his paw before the door with nervousness* "Alright here we go..." *As White was about to knock on the door, it swung open rapidly and White fell from his hard swing into the doorway* "Why must I get hurt everytime I try to do even the most simple of tasks.." *He brushes himself off and gets up looking inside the doorway seeing an old woman raising an eyebrow at the clumsy wolf in front of her as she spoke with a hint of anxiety*
"Can I help you?" *White studied her features for a moment, noticing that she was indeed beyond middle aged and probably at least 70 years of age, a leopard kin with beauty retained in her features from years past* "I am White Wolf Guardian, the town cleric. I am here on behalf of a sick resident here, would you happen to know where I could find them?" *She looked at him surprised and a small smile* "I never thought I would see you here... I mean my husband is probably of such an extreme state that I'm afraid there's by no means we could possibly affor--" *White cut her off abruptly* "I never charge for any of my services, I am here to assist the town to the best of my abilities without the expectation for personal gain as it is my wish to help others for the sake of being a good Samaritan." *The old woman seemed somewhat lost in the young wolf's words and then nodded her head at him and moved to the side for him to enter*
*White walked inside and found a bedroom at the end of the hall on the right and looked inside seeing an old man leopard kin, but nothing apparent seemed to be wrong with him* "I shall go talk to him." *The old woman looked grimly at him as she shut the door* "I hope you can help Samuel." "So Samuel be his name, I shall see what I can do." *She looked down at the floor not looking up but nodded in reply* *White walked over to the bed and sat down at a chair next to the leopard Samuel* "Hey there, it's White here. I'm the town cleric, I've heard you haven't been doing so well Samuel." *The man turned his head over at White and with a glimmer of something dark and mysterious he looked White in the eyes* "Why hello to you too white mage." "Wait... what?" *The sheets on the man's bed burst open and several chains wrapped around White's limbs* "What, what are you doing?!" *The man jumped off of the bed in a quick stride and smirked at White* "Acquiring a lovely ransom, what does it look like I'm doing? Healers are a hard thing to come by these days, I know someone out there would love to purchase your services" *He cackled in the wolf's face as he took off the mask, the old woman behind him doing the same*
-
Griswolden burst into laughter as he looked at his challenger. "You? BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Don't make me laugh shrimpo, now get outta here before I hurt you." He began to settle back into his 'nest' when Entaru began to laugh himself.
"HA! You mean to tell me that you're afraid of a little old man like me?" Entaru continued laughing as Griswolden glared daggers back at him.
"AFRAID!!! All right, you old coot, I warned ya!" The boar-kin hefted a chair and hurled it at Entaru. Leaping out of the way, Entaru landed in a pile of broken bottles. "AH! Now that stings. Time to skin this pig." Entaru stood up and lifted his hands, palms up, above his head. Soon all the shattered glass strewn across the floor began twisting and melting, breaking and swirling, all into a small glass sphere. Griswolden, unimpressed, charged Entaru meaning to gore him.
"Bye bye, pork chop"
Entaru threw the sphere at the ground and dove behind one of the trash piles. The sphere exploded on impact with the ground and sent it's condensed payload in every direction. The glass shards shot through all but the thickest materials, leaving only Entaru unscathed. Griswolden wasn't so lucky. Entaru would later describe him looking like a snowflake with the way the shards had impaled the boar-kin. Walking over to his fresh corpse, Entaru ripped the eyepatch from Griswolden's face and left the brute to rot like all of those he had killed.
-
[temporarily standing in for cuddles]
Drevo heard the voice from behind him and looked down at his 3 Guilder, pocketing it quickly. "oh, a fair amount. Why don't you take a walk with me." Drevo walked with Korius, over-describing his hunt for the "mass mugger". When he reached the smith's he turned to Korius. "Sorry, but I have to talk to him alone." He walked in and stood in front of the smith. "Ok, Jerik, what's up?" "Drevo, I have some bad news. Your family has gone into hiding and are being hunted by your old comrades. You need to go help them! They sent this emergency letter two days ago. They said that they are heading towards the southern shore near Rodentham. Get there as soon as you can!" Drevo rushed out the door and bumped into Korius. "Listen, I'm sorry, but we'll have to part ways now. My family needs me!" He ran full speed towards the steeple at the end of town. "You still owe me a carriage, Korius!" As he reached the steeple, he tossed his whole bounty at the owner's face and grabbed a horse and left.
-
Talin crept over to an alcove standing over the right side of the congregation, trying to locate his target. There was about one-hundred, or possibly more, followers in that one chamber, all facing towards their leader, who stood proud behind the bony remains of a dragon. Great, a ressurection, just what I need to worry about. he thought as he held his double volgue, waiting on Elistra to get into position before they sent this whole cave in a panic...
-
Korius couldn't get a word out before Drevo dashed off. I guess it's for the best. He walked in the opposite direction, heading back to the Inn. Don't die on us, you crazy idiot. On the way back, Korius was bombarded with people asking questions and marveling at him and his party for catching bounties. Annoyed, he jumped up onto rooftops. He jumped into the window of his room and walked over to the next room. White wasn't there. Korius growled and set off to find the white mage. As he passed by a building, he heard White's cries and watched him get dragged out of the large home. Before he could do anything, two bolts flew past Korius' head and hit the two kidnappers in the shoulders. Korius turned around and saw two green figures holding repeater bows.
-
Kiana spotted Korius running along the rooftops and just shook her head. She continued walking down the street until she found a merchant. "Ah, what can I do to help you young lady? Are you intere-?" He would have interrogated her about buying merchandise but she cut him off before he had the chance because she couldn't stand it when merchants did that. "Yeah, I would like to sell these items..." She said as she pulled the throwing knives from her cloak and set them on the table they stood at then took the sheath that held the broadsword off and set it down as well. "How much would you say these are worth?" The merchant examined each of the throwing knives then moved onto the broadsword, unsheathing it and looking it over thoroughly before sheathing it again and setting it back down. Kiana watched him closely the entire time. "Well, I'd give you 100 Shims each for the throwing knives. As for the broadsword, I'd give you 700 Shims for it. So in total that would be...one Guilder and 300 Shims. Fair deal?" He said, looking at her with a little curiosity in his eyes. "That sounds good enough to me." She smiled slightly but not genuinely. "Okay, here you go." The merchant handed her the money and looked down at the weapons again.
As Kiana turned to leave, he looked up at her again. "If you don't mind me asking, miss," He started, his curiosity getting the best of him. "Why are you getting rid of these? They're in fine condition..." His voice trailed off. Kiana glanced at him out of the corner of her eye then looked down at the ground, her eyes narrowed. "Because I had to get something out of the beast who killed my brother since I wasn't allowed to kill him." Her voice was soft with remorse but still had an edge of anger in it. She turned the rest of the way and headed for the inn as she heard the merchant say, "I'm sorry, miss..." She waved a hand behind her, dismissing the issue in a silent matter as she was afraid to speak another word because she thought she might breakdown, and continued towards the inn.
-
*White stopped trying to call for help for a moment as he realized his kidnappers had stopped in their tracks* "Oh thank whatever higher powers that be, I think I have been saved!" *White wriggled in his chains with excitement as he saw the two thieves get hurt and tried to peer up at who saved him but couldn't tell from such a distance*
*The young guy winced in pain in his right shoulder as blood riddled his shirt with its stain* "I'm going to kill you!" *The leopard pointed at White and then lunged for him, the girl on the otherhand was screaming in pain on the ground clutching her wound in agony as she was trying to get away from the scene* "Oh no, please don't hurt me!" *White covered his face with his paws*
-
Entaru, unaware of what was happening in town, made his way back from collecting his reward. The Captain of the guard had given him 25 guilders for his trouble. Entaru's legs had begun to hurt, so he decided it was best to sit down. Finding a small bench he plopped down and rubbed his feet. "I've definently gotten old...I've only walked two miles and my feet are already covered in blisters" Replacing his shoes, Entaru pulled the broken mirror out of his pack again and looked at the distorted image of himself. He had no idea why he still kept it, all it did was bring back bad memories.
Horrible, horrible memories...
-
Talin signaled Elistra to attack, but was the first to move as he lept from the avlcove, landing right on top of the target, and running his volgue through his gut, then sliced the next. Elistra appeared behind him with a somersault decent, and both of them had hoods on, to add to their 'fear' factor. He gave a dark and gritty tone to his voice to make him seem unnaturally strong "The dead are to stay dead, anyone who speaks against death, come join your 'leader'..." a large number ran in fear of the figures, but all of the soldiers got their weapons, some tactically placed armor, and advanced towards Talin. He flipped over the front line, and cut the backs of their necks with a high swing, his other edge coming around to knock away the line behind him. Elistra tackled one of the spear-wielding soldiers, and tore his throat out before showing her predatorial eyes.
While the soldiers were momentarilly stunned at her sudden ferocity, Talin cut the ligaments connecting the legs of two guards that stood to the right of Elistra. She, taking the initiative of some moving room, threw some needles into the neck of one soldier, and rammed a kunai into the forhead of another, angling her way past the helmet, then pulled it back out as she only had two of them to replace her daggers. All that was left was one soldier with a battle-hammer, who dropped it and ran in fear of death. Talin smiled and hefted the double volgue onto his right shoulder before looking at Elistra.
"I'll bring the head, see if you can find any gold on the dead, not like they'll use it..." Talin said before walking towards the still body of the cult leader. He brought up his volgue, now literally glowing with bloodlust, and brought it down on the neck, completely severing it past the bone. Elistra found a sum of two guilders on the bodies, as Talin carried the head by its long hair. They soon got out of the cave, and made their way back to the city.
-
"Got one, I got one dad!"
The shorter of the two figures pulled his hood back, revealing long feline ears... the taller figure pulled his hood back as well, almost identical in looks other than shorter ears and going grey around the muzzle, Kitts father strode towards Korius and the wolfs assailants...
"Korius! it seems our paths cross again! what a stroke of luck... though you may call it 'fate'..."
Kitt slung his own repeater crossbow over his shoulder, running to catch up with his father, ranger cloak that was still slightly too long for him flowing behind him....
"see dad!? i told ya's we'd see 'em again... i told yas'!"
Kitts father frowned slightly at his son before drawing his shortstword and motioning to the remaining kidnapper..
"get away from that wolf before i run you through! i may be a ranger but our time of loyalty is long gone, and it wouldnt matter i sinch to me if i cut you in half or not...."
he looked over to Korius, smirking... despite himself, he was glad to be back....
-
Korius smirked back and jumped down from the roofs. He walked over towards the three and open-palm smacked the back of White's head. "I hope for your sake that you treated my weapons better than you've been treating yourself." He walked into the house and searched around, finding the cart with his weapons in it. Korius examined each one before strapping it back on or holstering it. He continued his search of the house and his nose caught an interesting scent. He called out to the Rangers from the window, "Hold those two! We're going to get a bounty for this one!" Korius continued to follow his nose and stumbled onto a loose plank in the wall. He removed it and two others fell with it. Inside, Korius discovered three dead bodies, the Governor's son's family...
Korius removed the bodies and laid them neatly onto the floor and bowed. "Namu satsu..."
-
Kiana saw the Rangers in the distance along with White on the ground (Korius having already went inside the house) but didn't feel interested enough in what was going on to actually go check it out. When she reached the inn, which she was a lot closer to, she went inside. She got some food and a drink then sat down. It was very quiet in the inn, most of the guests had either checked out or at least left to do things for the day, and she ate slowly.
-
*White gripped the back of his head* "YOWCH! Why did you hit me?! I carried your weapons around all da..." *White watched Korius walk off inside the building before he could finish* "This sucks.. great that means now I owe him for saving me, oh no maybe this was part of his plan all along and after nabbing these two now I have to get forced into his party and go on those mercenary quests. Darn it!" *White slowly figured out the chains, let himself out of them and got up brushing himself off, he looked around for a moment and raised his ears to Korius talking about a bounty* "Well at least I found something worth talking about..." *Sigh* "Healers are no good fighting.. now if I had somebody with me things would have gone a lot differently!" *White growled at himself under his breath*
-
Entaru had begun walking again, trying to remember his way to the Inn. He wished there was some sort of apothecary in this city but the closest thing they had was the Cleric, which was good but didn't help him at all. As he turned another corner he found himself face to face with a dead end.
"Awwwww c'mon! I could've sworn it was this way! That's the 5th dead end in the past hour! Why do these cities have to be so **** COMPLICATED!!!!"
-
Drevo rode the horse as hard as he could all day until night was begining to settle in. He stopped the horse and set up camp for the night. He made a fire with some wood from a broken down wagon he found. He hudled around the fire and let the horse rest while he took a small catnap against a rock. After a few hours of sleep Drevo woke up to a noise; the horse had walked off a bit and crunched some dried leaves under it's hooves. He looked around and saw the horse and shrugged it off. He looked up and looked at the moon before nodding off again.
-
Talin stopped before entering the city, and took out the poster again, looking for the address of the inn where he thinks the bounty is to be claimed at. "Why do they just give me names, a map with a dot would be much easier..." he groaned, then put the poster away so he could keep a look-out for the nearest street to turn at as Elistra, oddly illiterate considering the amount of written knowledge she knows, was keeping two paces behind him. "Why don't we just climb over the roofs like before?" "Because I didn't bother to remember what the roof of the inn looked like..." Elistra mouthed 'lazy wolf' while keeping an eye out of random objects.
In the shadows, cutting knives were sharpened, and frying pans were being prepared...
-
The two Szardas stood either side of the wolf's assailant, swords drawn and at his throat...
"you chose the wrong wolf to attack... it just so happens that he has the support of Korius... who has the suport of two AWOL rangers who are willing to slice you open like a satsuma..."
Kitt turned slightly to watch White getting back to his feet, sheathing his shortsword he extended a paw, despite his father frowning, to White...
"Th' names Szarda... Kitt Szarda... pleased ta meet you mr.Wolf.."
-
Korius left the house and grabbed both the assailants by the injured arms and pulled them along mercilessly. "White, show the rangers where we're staying. They have a destiny with our party. You all wait for me there. I'll get you your share of this reward, then you can go on your way. Thank you, for your help." He continued to drag the would-be assailants to the bounty station. The two continued to scream in agony. As he got into the station, he tossed the two over to the cops and they groaned, crying from the pain that they had been put through. The guards looked at the two on the ground and looked up at Korius. "These two don't have any bounties on them. Why bring them in?" Korius scoffed, "No bounty yet. They attempted to take your city's clinician at the home of the governor's son's home. By the way, these two killed that family and stowed them away in the wall of the upper bedroom. I've laid them out and gave them a prayer. Now give me my money."
-
Kiana finished her food and drink then stayed seated for a few more minutes. Deciding that she wanted to take a bath, she got up and headed for the washroom. She entered the washroom and closed the door. She leaned her staff against the tub, which worked like a fountain so it was always full, and undressed herself, setting her clothes on the counter and putting her shoes on the floor below where her clothes were. She moved her staff to lean against the counter then slowly got into the tub, sinking into the water. She closed her eyes and let the warm water relax her. "Much better..." She sighed.
-
*White zones back in to what's going on around him* "Oh hi I'm err.. White!" *The cleric shakes the Ranger's hand* "Nice to meet you Mr. Szarda.." *White hears Korius tell him to take them back to the residence* "Okay... well I suppose you should come with me Kitt, the Inn is this way." *White starts leading the way hoping for the Rangers to comply with Korius's request* "I am by no means commanding, I hope they follow me because Korius said so..." *The cleric sweats as he moves forward*
*White arrives in the lobby at long last and takes a seat at a table then looks to the two rangers* "Korius has a room upstairs, if you have any healing or personal medical assistance that needs to be taken care of, come visit me.. I'm not really going anywhere.." *White lays his head on the table*
-
"Not again!" Entaru stood helpless as he stared in defeat at another dead end. "Why does this always have to happen to me?" Sighing he put his face in his palm. I guess I'm going to have to ask for directions Entaru looked about and walked into the nearest building. "Hey does anyone in here know where I can find the Poleska Inn?"
A few of the building's patrons kinda looked at him funny. "Well, can you?"
A man behind the counter piped up with a bit of a smile on his face. "Sure can, mister. You're already there."
*Camera zooms out showing Entaru standing in the doorway of the Poleska Inn. Laughter can be heard on the inside as camera zooms in to Entaru's face*
"..........." Entaru's eye twitches a bit as he walks by the laughing patrons and up to his room.
-
Drevo woke up again to the horse licking his face this time. He mumbled and pushed the horse away as he stood up hazily; letting out a loud yawn while he stretched. With the moon still in the sky he mounted the horse and rode off again; the moonlight luminating the path. As he rode his stomach growled; he hadn't eaten since he got to town yesterday. "Man am I hungry..." he thought to himself as he rode off into the darkness of the night.
-
Kitts father nodded to White "well thanks you.... im going to see if this inn has a wash room, me and my son have been on the road a while now and a good bath would do wonders for an old cat... Kitt, stay here and dont pester Mr. White too much..."
Kitt nodded, sitting beside White and watching the now sleeping wolf with interest as his father walked off to find the inns washroom... finding a likely looking door he nocked politely..
"anyone in there?"
he waited for a reply, wiping a layer of blood and mud from his fur as he waited...
-
Korius walked back from the station with his money and noticed Talin and Elistra walking around with body sacks. He walked over to them and chuckled, "Bounty station's down the road and take the second right. It's the only building with guards all over it, which I assume is where you're going. See you guys back at the Inn." Korius left them and rounded another corner towards the Polseka Inn. As he walked into the inn, he noticed White with his head on the table at the dining area and walked over. Korius tossed a small sack of coins in front of the wolf. "The newly made bounty for those two murderers became 30 Guilders, since they killed a noble's descendants, especially his son's family. I've charged you a 10 Guilder butt-saving fee. 20 should still be enough to feed you and pay the rent on your clinician for about a year."
Korius walked off as he sniffed himself. Ugh... I've had my share of bad places, but that arena is a nasty of its own. Korius went back up to his room and disrobed, grabbing a towel to cover himself and went downstairs to the men's bath. As he approached, he noticed Vladimir waiting outside of it. Without saying anything, Korius opened the door and found the bath to be filled up with old, rich men. He came back out and looked at Vladimir, "Point taken, you don't want to go in with those old farts, either, eh?" Not really realizing that Vladimir had no idea it was a public bath. "I'll just use the women's bath then, no women are around anyways, and Elistra's out with Talin, anyways." Korius sighed and walked down the hall to the women's bath and relaxed into the bath and sighed in relief. "Ah, that hits the spot." Korius laid there relaxed, unaware that across the large bath, through the steam, lay Kiana.
-
Kiana didn't hear the door open and just figured that the movement of the water was the ordinary replenishment of the tub since it was always running to keep it filled. It wasn't until she heard the sigh followed by the voice that was obviously male that she recognized as Korius's that her eyes shot open. She swiftly pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "What are you doing in here?!?!" She yelled at him, mostly because she was embarrassed.
-
*White woke up to the sound of money clinking on his table and looked up seeing a bag and then opened it finding 20 Guilders* "I vaguely remember someone gave this to me while I was laying on the table... probably Korius giving me some sort of pension for finding some troublemaker profit." *White looked around somewhat still out of being awake and noticed Kitt still sitting there next to him* "All this excitement today made me tired.. *yawn*.." *White turned to Kitt* "So... how did you meet this Korius fellow anyhow?" *White scratched his back with a paw and stood up* "And err hold that thought for a moment... could we talk about this upstairs? I don't really trust just anybody in this town and definitely not now that those darn people tried to kidnap me." *The wolf went up the stairs hoping Kitt would follow in the Inn looking to see if anybody was still around and then sat down on a chair inside the reserved room waiting for Kitt*
"Now that I think about it, business has been extremely slow lately. The last real ~ahem~ customer I had was the single mom and her kid but even then she didn't pay for my services, I can't hold up the clinic on meager resources forever.." *White looked down at his bag of Guilders* "Even this will run out after awhile and then I'll be forced to close down the clinic.. people around here are too cheap to assist in the costs and I've never been in favor of nobility since I offer my services to anybody for free." *The wolf put a paw to his forehead and looked at the ground* "Maybe I need to..." *The wolf said aloud and continued to think* "Perhaps I should try traveling, if I could raise enough funds I could establish a hospital or maybe even better... A wolf can dream can't he? I shall request to ask Korius the favor of contract if he permits me the chance... but I'm not very good at being assertive. It's for the people though, so I will do my best!"
-
Entaru collapsed onto his bed with a grimace. Why was he cursed with such bad luck? My feet hurt even more now...and this blasted robe has me overheated. Entaru pulled the robe off to relieve himself of the heat. God, I really need to find a better way to live...going from town to town, just picking up jobs. I could at least use some companionship. Maybe I can go with the others, that Korius kid and his friends.
Entaru stood up with confidence spread all over his face and thrust his finger in the air in personal triumph. "That's it...I'll join them!" Suddenly a strange odor filled his nose and Entaru looked at his arm in disgust.
"Maybe I should take a bath first..." Entaru grimaced again as he sniffed himself. Grabbing a towel he headed down to the baths, unaware of what was about to transpire.
-
As Drevo rides through the night his ear twitches for some strange reason. "I feel as if I am missing out on something..." He shook it off and continued riding. His stomach growled again; louder than before. "Damn...Need something to eeeat," Drevo saw an apple tree coming up in the distance; he slowed down until he stopped under it. "Sweet, a bite to eat!" he said gleefully. He grabbed one and quickly devoured it before grabbing another and doing the same. Drevo got off the horse and grabbed a few more and fed them to the horse as he ate some more. "Mmm..."
-
Talin had long since tried to find his way around the city, and climbed up a wall with Elistra in close proximity, to the roof. But when he got to the roof, he was greeted by many maidens, with many weapons. "Explain to us, 'hero', why must your affections be for a dragon, are we not acceptable... or do you get off from scales?" Talin jaw dropped at their bluntness, but he got in front of Elistra, noticing how some of them were eyeing her with jealousy and hate. "Theres two other men you can go hunt for, why don't you just lea-" he got cold-cocked with a flying frying pan, and hit the ground, and Elistra tried to get him away from the others, but was unable to jump to another roof with the weight on her back, plummetting into the alley and into unconsiousness.
After she regained consiousness, Talin, gear and all, was nowhere to be seen. With her dumped off at the Inn, but the bruised scales show that they dealt some damage before bringing her to the Inn. She walked inside, and looked for her 'friends', finding Kiana and Korius in the women's bath. "Um... regardless of whats occouring before my eyes. Talin's been abducted, along with the- you know what... just go along with whatever you were doing, I'll get someone who isn't nude to help."
-
Kitts father was no help either, he was having the time of his life laughing at the womens bath doorway, slapping his knee he laughed so hard that he could barely speak...
"oh.... god Korius... you do have a nack with choosing awkward moments...."
He continued laughing, leaning on the door frame...
"Haha! oh..... god, youve made my day....."
Kitt followed White uncertainly, he slung his huge repeater crossbow over one shoulder and followed him upstairs quietly, tail swishing behind him he walked into White room and stood at the door feeling awkward.... he pulled the dark green hood of his rangers cloak down from over his head and looked about the room, one paw resting on the handle of his shortsword for comfort...
-
Korius was surprised to hear Kiana's voice, but kept his composure. "I'm taking a relaxing bath, what do you think? It's been a rough day, and I don't feel like soaking it up with those rich old prunes in the other bath. Personally, I didn't think you were here anyways, not that I can... *Cranes his neck for a peek* ...see much. But if it'll make things easier, I'll leave. Korius stepped out of the bath and went to the door to grab his towel. He didn't bother to dry and flung the door open, hitting Vladimir in the schnoz. "It's not nice to hang out in front of the women's bath and snickering like a 12-year-old boy. People might think you're a pervert." Korius went up to his room and dressed. He then went into the other room and waited for the others. Meanwhile, he sat there catching up with Kitt.
-
Kiana growled at Korius when he tried to look at her. Glaring at him, she watched him leave. She muttered incoherently as she quickly got out of the tub and grabbed a towel, quickly drying herself while eying the doorway to make sure Kitt's father didn't look in. She dressed quickly and grabbed her staff. "Did you get your fill of amusement for the day?" She snapped as she pushed past Kitt's father, heading for the room. When she entered the room, she just sat down in the chair she had been healed in the day before and didn't say a word. The embarrassment had left her mind for now and all that was left was fury. Her eyes were practically burning a whole in the floor.
-
*White noticed Kitt walk in and then looked nervous in the environment* "Kitt I think it's okay here, we have that Korius fellow around. Besides that, the only threat to you that I have in my possession is this..." *White brings out his butterfly knife and flips it open for him to see* "I've rarely used it though, I have my magicka imbued in this weapon so it's not like I can just get rid of it." *The wolf puts it away in his cloak* "Have a seat and relax and uhh..."
*The wolf paused for a moment upon hearing some scuffling and loud talk downstairs with some laughing. Korius followed up the stairs and came inside for a sit nearby Kitt by the door then Kiana walked up the flight a couple of minutes later and went to another room in what looked like an enraged mood with eyes that could kill a man* "...I guess something bad must have happened downstairs, I probably shouldn't ask." *White turned back to Kitt after looking out the door* "I'll talk about what I was going on about later Kitt.." *White then stopped and looked to Korius* "Thank you for the 20 Guilders Korius and especially for saving me. I am most gracious for your help." *White holds up the bag and then puts it back down on his lap with a small bow from his chair* "I err.. wanted to ask you a request when you're not busy." *The wolf pulled at his cloak nervously after uttering those words*
-
Entaru had seen the two go by and thought nothing of it. He had better things to do...like soak his poor blister ridden feet. Finally at the bath, he undressed and joined the men as a fellow old prune. His feet gave out little 'squeals' of delight as they were finally free from their pain.
"Ahhhhh...now THAT is better."
-
Elistra took her equipment, and in a rage, threw it to the ground and stormed off. "Useless, the whole lot of you!!" she yelled before leaving the inn, never to return even if she saved Talin.
-
Vladimir rubbed his muzzle, thuroughly sobered up after Kiana and Korius' comments.... he followed them back upstairs, sliding into the room with WHite, Korius and Kitt quietly and stood beside the door, rubbing his muzsle gingerly having learnt his lesson....
Kitt looked up to see his father sliding quietly in, and walked over to him, pulling his hood up he leant against the wall, imitating his father in his stance.... his father looked down at his son and smirked, trying not to laugh at this....
-
Korius sighed as he broke the silence, "I'll start the meeting now. Unfortunately, Talin and Elistra will be leaving us. They're going to journey on to Terra to find a way to save Talin. Now, down to business. Our next stop. We'll be heading out west towards Bronn Loraine's territory. From general knowledge, we all know him as a water upper-mage. He doesn't have the ability to manipulate life like Kyzen, but he is still a force to be reckoned with. Word has it, that he's hired a bounty hunter to take us down. Some second-rate warrior by the name of Felodran Vanrad. Anyways, from what I've gathered, Bronn's personal guard consists of 10 sorcerers and sorceresses, 2 of each basic element. Though Kiana is a mage, we still want to be careful. Also, his soldiers, though few in number, are rumored to be some of the best fencers in the world. For now, everyone take a break, and get ready to move out by dawn. I'll sharpen any weapons here, but everything else, it's up to you. Also, thank the good doctor for helping us."
-
Kiana listened to Korius, although she didn't really want to, she knew she needed to know what they were up against. "Yeah. Be careful. Wouldn't want anybody's heads knocked off or anything." She growled, mostly to herself but the others would have been able to hear her. Her eyes were still locked on an uninteresting knot in a floorboard. She laid her staff across her lap then took hold of the emerald around her neck. She fiddled with it in between her fingers before pulling it up to examine it, trying to occupy herself since she had nothing to do to prepare before they left.
-
*White listened in and after hearing the story of the water mage and figured his chances were higher now more than ever and feeling his chance slipping away after Korius spoke about thanking him upon leaving, the wolf decided to pursue the request in a more affirmative manner and just ask the question directly. The wolf moved up closer to Korius, but keeping his nervous 5 feet distance only enough to hopefully gather his attention.*
"Korius.. I've been thinking about life here and I wanted to inquire about your travels. My clinic hasn't been at optimal performance for quite some time and it continues to go down the drain, I'm not making enough income to keep it up and running forever. Even with this bag of 20 Guilders, after that's gone it will still just keep going downhill as I never charge for my services and I depend upon donations. If I so may request, could you perhaps allow me to travel with your group? I of course can offer my healing at no cost at all, I just hope to gain some wealth on the journey as my ambition for being in the party so I can invest in a better medical facility. I do not take much space as what I wear now and my knife is all I really own and I am willing to give you back my 20 Guilders if it will help with traveling expenses."
*White was sweating after making such a long speech to a person whom to him was probably mercenary, he had barely known for less than a couple of days. The fear of being turned down on the offer was the fear more upsetting because he knew another chance like this to have social mobility would not come along again for a long time if never.*
-
Felodran was casually striding down the dirt road. Bronn Loraine didn't even have the courtesy to lend him a horse to track down the bounty with. "If the targets are so important you'd think he'd show a little more concern..." He mumbled under his breath as he marched onwards.
After a long three day's time of forced marching, with little breakfast or food for that matter, and weird occurrences, namely a very angry woman who looked like she was going to try and destroy the world, she was mumbling to herself in an unknown dialect and hefting a large amount of supplies and weapons. He asked if she could lend some supplies but she just trudged onwards, not even glancing in his direction, soon enough however, Felodran finally saw the gates of Porand. The town was the supposed location where his targets were staying. He nodded to the gate guard, who called to his cohorts who went about opening the gates.
"My thanks to you friend" he called as he gave a 'thank you' wave to the guard.
The targets in question were an intriguing of sorts. The highest ranking criminal on the list was one Korius, a very dangerous melee combatant, Bronn asked for his head to be brought in on a sliver platter, and actually supplied the platter. Next highest was the Earthen mage Kiana. They didn't elaborate on any other possible targets except compatriots of Korius and Kiana.
"Before any hunting and violence... a warm meal.... " he said to himself as he grabbed the arm of a passing villager.
"Excuse me sir, but which way to the closest inn possible with the best eats around here?"
"Why yes, you just take the right down this street, and keep walking until you find the Poleska Inn"
"Thank you for your time good sir"
With this new found knowledge Felodran practically sprinted towards the Poleska, his grumbling stomach agreeing with his train of thought.
"Finally, something besides cold rations!"
Opening the door he quickly took a seat at the bar and looked around. From the various foods the patrons were having he knew he found the right place. The smells of the delicacys assaulting him from all directions, it took all of his self control to not rob the patrons of their food.
"Barkeep, get me a tall glass of your best ale and the best food you got in this joint!" He demanded with a great big grin on his face. Sighing as the barkeep left, he took off his helmet and let his hair hang over his eyes. It was a long way over here, bounty or no bounty now was the time to just kick back, and relax.
-
Entaru, by this time, was back from the baths and had listened in on the conversation. He would have to follow them out fairly early.
Dawn...ugh. My least favorite time of day. Well at least the infection will most likely wake me. God, I say that like its a good thing. Oh, well. Better get packed...oh right...I'm wearing everything. Excellent...less work for me. Entaru's thoughts went through his head like lightning.
A waitress walked up to him. "Can I get you anythin' hon?"
Entaru looked at the waitress, startled. "Huh? Oh! Yes, I'll just have a leg of mutton, thank you...that is unless you're on the menu." Entaru grinned wolfishly.
Now it was the waitress' turn to be startled. "What?" A second passed and the woman started laughing "Oh, you scared me there. Wow, you are just like my grandpa. He's always teasing me like that. I'll get your mutton."
Entaru's jaw dropped as the waitress walked away. "G-g-g-grandpa? Awwwwwww!" Entaru's head clanged to the table as he dounled over in disbelief.
-
Kitt and his father listened to Korius, Vladimir nodded, sitting down on a spare chair heavily...... looking up at Korius he pulled down his hood and sighed, ruffling back his hair....
"you have the bows and heart of me and my son.... i am still searching for my wife, and until we find her, you can be sure to have me fight by your side..."
Kitt sat down cross legged on the floorboards, he watched everyone else in the room from under his hood, inquisitive and young he listened to the conversations with mild interest....
-
Korius nodded to the rangers as White came up to him with his question. Korius thought deep about it. "Well, it would be great to have the world's last white mage with us. Very well, this will be interesting. However, keep that money. You earned it, no matter how indirectly. Here in this party, you keep what you earn. Now, if you'll excuse me." Korius got up and went back to his room next door. He pulled out whetstones from his duffel and started inspecting Valia, Shinzuu's Katana, and Vee's twin sai. He very carefully fine tuned all of them, making them as sharp as possible and to make sure that they don't lose their edge for a long time.
-
After looking at the emerald for a little while, Kiana released it and let it hang around her neck again. She took her staff off of her lap and stood up after Korius left. She walked over to the window and sat in it, looking out to the street below. She watched as people bustled to and fro below her, completely content with the lives they lived. As she watched out the window, her tail swayed softly behind her as she started to relax a little bit.
-
*White put the bag in his cloak and did a bow to Korius* "Thank you kind sir, I'll grab a medical kit from the clinic so we have something for minor injuries." *White walked out the door and smiled as he left* "I'm so glad I can go, now I don't have to worry about things." *White made his way out of the Polseka Inn and opened up his clinic then grabbed the med kit and took a last look at things* "Last time I'll probably see this for a long time... farewell." *White closed the door and the room went to darkness*
-
The bartender slid the drink and food over to Felodran, who almost began scarfing down when the bartender stuck his hand out.
"Five Guilders bub"
"Oh right... the money..."
Fishing in his pockets for the money, he gave the bartender a pleading look, and fished some more.
"Yea.... about the Guilders.... i'm about 5 Guilders short" he said while making a grab for the food.
He was met with a quick punch to the face for trying to steal.
"Ok that hurt a little bit there... while i'm up I wanted to ask you where I could find these two criminals" He said, holding up a wanted poster of Korius and Kiana
-
Drevo rode along still at a fast pace but not as fast as before; the sun's light coming over the horizon. He rode until he saw a figure in the distance; he began to slow down as he squinted to see what it was. He noticed it was a Dog-Kin riding a horse. As Drevo got closer he noticed the Dog-Kin was chasing a small Wolf-Kin boy. As they got closer to eachother Drevo heard the boy screaming for help; his voice familiar. "That voice..." "Big brother!" shouted the small Wolf as he neared Drevo. "Kiril?!" As Drevo said that the Dog looked up at Drevo and readied his longsword for an attack. Drevo jumped from his horse and tackled the Dog off his horse and they both tumbled a ways along the ground before scrambling to their feet. The Dog went for his weapon but Drevo tackled him to the ground and started punching him in the face; each hit he took he shouted. "Keep...Your paws...Off..My brother!" The dog began to fall limp before Drevo delivered a final knock out blow to the chin. "Now stay!" he said mockingly as he got off of the dog.
"I coulda took him myself, bro, he wasn't fightin' fair!" barked Kiril as he came up behind Drevo. Drevo grabbed his bowstaff off the ground and turned to Kiril. "What was unfair? Him having a horse?" asked Drevo non-chalantly. "You know it wasn't a fa-" Drevo picked up Kiril by the scruff of his neck and brought him eye level. "Why did you send for me?" he asked in a stern voice. "Your friends the Voronese knights are after us! Idiot, what'd you do this time?!" barked Kiril furiously. "Where are they?!" barked Drevo in retaliation shaking Kiril until he got an answer. "There at the lighthouse, a mile or so from the port town of Iradan!" Drevo dropped Kiril and walked over to his horse. "Home..." "Come on, Kiril, lets go." said Drevo hoping onto the horse; exending his hand to Kiril. Kiril took his hand and was pulled up and placed behind him. They then rode off towards the light house.
-
Vladimir Szarda pulled out his repeater crossbow, and continued to tend to the compex piece of engineering.... oiling the reloading mechanisms and treating the wood with beeswax he concentrated entirely on his work, silently, tail flicking....
Kitt Szarda still sat on the floorboards of the room, he watched Kiana sittting at the window with mild interest... standing up he padded quietly over to the window as well, and peered out, as if expecting to see the most wonderous sight of all times, a huge fight, or some other intersting goings on... What he saw was just another regular city day, people bustling about their day to day lives and the sun shining half heartedly over the roofs...
Sitting down below the window sill he looked up at Kiana for a last time, wondering what she was thinking, and then set about copying his father and oiling his crossbow... though with considerble less skill or finesse...
-
Korius heard some rustling downstairs and went down to investigate. Probably just another stupid customer who barged in drunk. Korius re-epuipped himself, strapping the katana to his sash, the twin sai holster on the back of his sash and Valia onto the strap onto his back. He peered into the other room where pretty much everyone just sat in silence. "I'm going to go downstairs to see what is going on and then I'm going to grab food. If you want a choice on what you eat, you had better follow." Korius went down without waiting and found Felodran on the floor with the posters, under the bartender's towering figure. Korius picked Felodran up by the back of the collar, not really knowing who he was or who was on those posters.. "I'll pick up his tab, barkeep." Korius took Felodran to the front door and threw him into the mud out front. "Stay out you filthy thief. Next time, it'll be a sword in your neck!" Korius then walked back inside and walked over to the bartender. "Yes, my party and I would like to order some food..."
-
Kiana didn't look when Korius spoke to everyone, still looking out the window. When Korius left, Kiana mocked him silently, mouthing the words he had said and making a face to imitate the look she figured he had when he spoke. Then she sighed. "Why do you even bother trying to stay mad at him? You know it's pointless, especially since you're calmer now. Just let it go." She thought to herself, the voice in her head sounding very reasonable and level-headed. She let the calm take over her as she continued to look out the window for a few more seconds.
Careful not to kick Kitt in the head when she swung her legs around, she got to her feet. She then walked over to the door and exited the room. When she got downstairs, Korius was just telling the bartender that he wanted to order some food. "Yeah, I want spaghetti and meatballs with spaghetti sauce on top. Some bread too, please." She said as she walked over to the two. "I'm not taking any chances that he might not get something I like." She nodded to Korius while looking at the bartender and chuckled a little. "Probably doesn't even know what women like. I'm surrounded by men in this party so I've got to watch them all." She laughed harder.
-
*White walked away from his clinic leaving the past behind him and back towards the present Polseka Inn noticing the man in the mud and looked at him for a moment then thought for a few seconds about his possible troublemaker status and then thought that he probably was not work his time because it could just cause more problems for him, the fears of getting kidnapped again welling up to the brim* "Well... It's kind of my day off and I don't really work here anymore so it's more of a moment of celebration for me right now... and I really don't want to get kidnapped again and then lose more Guilders for getting saved. I would rather just not take anymore chances for today and get back safely to the party." *After justifying his fears and semi-laziness, White did a small leap over him and looked around then went inside the Polseka Inn and quickly noticed Kiana and Korius in front of him a few yards away at the bar talking to the barkeep and he slowly made his way over by Korius putting the medical kit on the bar counter* "All preparations have been made for the travel, what would you like me to do next Korius?" *The wolf looked stern and readily coherent for all possible commands to be had*
-
Not expecting to be picked up and thrown out so hastily, Felodran didn't offer any real resistance. Landing in the mud with a splash, he raised his fist up in the air and began yelling.
"Hey I was gonna pay for it... maybe not in Guilders but in hard work.... friggin suck up!"
"Great now I got mud on my armor, and i'm outta cash... and i'm still starving...."
He said while looking down at his grumbling stomach. Picking up the posters he took a good hard look at the man through the window that threw him out, and nearly fell over in shock.
THAT BIG GUY IS KORIUS!? Ahh crap I've got my work cut out for me.... and that must be that Kiana woman...."
He thought, reeling back at the size of Korius.
Ok maybe I can solve this without getting my face beat in..."
Wiping as much mud as he could off himself and his armor he walked back into the Inn and sat down, avoiding the glaring gaze of the bartender.
"Don't worry Mate i learned my lesson last time... just let me sit here..." He said, debating on how he was gonna get this bounty.
Then he noticed their friend. Felodran watched as the man walked over to them and joined their conversation
"Ok that makes it abit easier then.... now to take him hostage, get the two to surrender, and boom I get payday!"
He thought with a smile to his face.
-
Entaru sat sullenly in his corner as he ate the mutton. I'm not that old...sure I'm no spring chicken, but Grandpa? I'm not old enough for that...Father maybe, but not Grandpa. He sighed as the waitress walked by again. He couldn't be that much older. He was only 42 years old. His Magicka had taken more of a toll on him than most mages. "Bad luck...if I didn't have it then I wouldn't have any." Entaru bit into his mutton again.
-
As Drevo rode with Kiril sitting behind him he remained silent until Kiril spoke up. "Hey, big bro, how've ya been?" "I've been well, right now I'm traveling with a few friends to...Do some good in the world," replied Drevo. "Ya mean like fightin' bad guys?! Sweet!" said Kiril exitedely. "Yes, Kiril, bad guys." chuckled Drevo. "So, who is all in hiding, Kiril?" asked Drevo looking back at Kiril slightly. "Practically everyone! Mother, Father, Uncle Jeril, Aunt Leera, Big sis, Cousin Fardell, even Ferdande and Alexia are there!" replied Kiril. "Alexia and Ferdande?! What are they doing there..." "They're all exited to see you, big bro." After riding a bit more, off in the distance they could see Iradan. "Tell me, Kiril, why has the family fled our hometown?" asked Drevo looking back again towards Kiril. "It's real bad, big bro...The Voronese Knights stormed the town lookin' for ya...There was too many to fight so we had to run..." said Kiril glumly. "Hey, I'm here now, besides, I'm sure you could have taken them all out if Mother and Father would have let you, right?" said Drevo trying to lift his spirits. "Heck ya I could've! I'd've got'em all too!" Barked Kiril loudly raising a fist into the air.
Drevo laughed heartily as he raised a fist into the air aswell. "We gonna get'em?!" shouted Drevo. "Yeah!" shouted Kiril in response. "Who's gonna get'em?!" asked Drevo loudly. "We are!" barked Kiril louder. "Who?!" asked Drevo even louder. "We are!!" shouted Kiril now standing up on the horse holding onto Drevo's shoulder with one hand; still having his fist in the air. "Yeah!" they both shouted together before laughing wildly. Kiril pushed down on Drevo's hat making it slide behind his head. At the speed they were riding the hat caught a lot of the wind and blew Kiril right off the horse. Drevo stopped and jumped off the horse and rushed over to Kiril who was getting to his feet and dusting himself off. "I'm fine, don't worry about me, nothin' to it!" said Kiril cockily. Drevo knelt down and grabbed his hat and put it back on. "I was more worried about my hat." chuckled Drevo teasing Kiril.
Before Kiril could respond Drevo pushed him to the side and dodged in the opposite direction as a spear stuck into the ground where they were standing seconds ago. They scrambled to their feet and looked in the direction the spear came from. Several Voronese Knights stood between them and Drevo's horse.
-
Kitt and his Father followed the rest of the group downstairs, sitting at the same table as the rest of them they kept their hoods up as always.... Kitt daydreamed silently, while his father listened to the conversation....
"some kinda meat soup if ya dont mind Korious.... and bread if we can..."
with that he looked down at this son and pulled him closer along the bench, holding him tightly...
-
Korius didn't pay the man any mind and kept his back to the man. He turned to White, "Get yourself fed and get some sleep. You're sleeping in Drevo's suite tonite." He sat there and chomped into his 3 pound steak and finished it in about 7 bites. He then washed it all down with a pint of Rum. Korius sighed in satisfaction and dropped 8 Guilders to the barkeep. "Here's for the food, a wake-up call, and for all non-guests to stay off the third floor. I'll drop 3 more tomorrow morning if we get some decent sleep." The barkeep gave a short bow as he took the money. "With pleasure, sir. I will be sure that your section of the inn does not get disturbed by anyone. *Points to twin axes on the wall behind him* I guarantee it. What time would you like to get up, sir?" Korius kept walking, but turned his head over, "Sunrise, please."
-
Kiana ate her food at a normal pace. It tasted great, no doubt about that, but she wasn't going to waste it by eating it extremely fast. She looked over at White after Korius had spoke to him and grinned at him. In case he started to panic though, she went back to her normal expression. "Don't worry, as long as you don't make me infuriated, you'll be fine." She said to him then went back to eating her food.
She finished eating about 10 minutes or so after Korius left. She drank a glass of water then got up from the table. Heading up the stairs, she glanced back at the stranger for a quick second then looked forward and continued upstairs. She went into the suite and shut the door then went over to her sectioned-off room. Leaning her staff against the bedside table, she climbed into bed and closed her eyes, dozens of thoughts running through her head.
-
*White nodded and then thought about what he was going to have for food for awhile* "Now that I think about this I've never really had a decent meal in years..." *He looks down at his scrawny stature then back up to the Barkeep after Korius was finished talking to him and then heard Kiana tell him not to be afraid and remarked before she left* "That makes me worry more.." *White shrugged and looked to the waiting Barkeep* "I would like some chicken please, oh and can I have one of those err.. ales?" "You've never drank a single drop of liquor in your life have you?" "Uhh.. maybe?" *The barkeep facepawed and bent down and brought up some ale then pouring him a pint* "Enjoy." "I bet a guilder on lightweight." *White dropped a couple of guilders into the Barkeep's outstretched paw connected to a blank expression and then White took a sip at the pint in front of him*
*His face made a twisted raisin look as the flush color quickly followed* "That tastes really hot going down and yet so terrible.. but I bought this whole thing I can't let it go to waste.." *White downed a bit more* "Feel a bit more lightheaded, but elated and strangely more uplifted because I'm not thinking so much." *He finished the glass and then felt very tired and looked up at the Barkeep* "I..I'm going to bed.." *Yawn* "Night night.." *He got off the barstool and fell over then hobbled to the staircase, succeeding up a couple of steps then falling down again and crawling the rest of the way up until eventually finding the door to Drevo's room and crept inside then climbing onto the nearest bed; loud snores soon followed* "Tired-happy drunk." *The barkeep chuckled to himself and kept a note for the chicken for the morning for the wolf that left for bed*
-
Standing up to stretch, Felodran was surprised to hear a jingling from his pockets. After some careful searching and numerous curses, Felodran managed to find his money purse.
"But I....thrown out.... had money the whole time.... just my luck too!" He swore to himself as he smacked his hands on the counter, summoning the bartender over.
"Hey I'd like some of the best grub you got and some of your strongest mead, and DOn't throw me out this time, I can actually pay for it!" He said.
Receiving a smug grin the bartender went to go get his food.
Glancing towards his right the bounty hunter noticed Korius's friend stumble about like a drunken manaic.
"Ok... that makes life easier for me, now to rest up, wait til he has a nasty hangover, take him hostage, get the bounties, rake int he cash, and move to a small coastal town and live out the rest of my days in relative comfort"
After he made this observation, he was surprised to see a hot steaming bowl of lobster, and glanced at the Bartender like he just saved his life. Taking the mead in his right fist, he pumped towards the sky and proposed a toast to no one in particular. He sprinkled the guilders on the counter and gave his thanks to the bartender, who took the coins.
Then he ate like a king.
After finishing the last morsel of the lobster and downing all the mead.
"I'd like a room for tonight... and a wake up call, before sunrise please"
"Alright sir, here's your room key, and I'll see you before sunrise"
"Man thanks good sir, and my compliments to the chef, I don't think I'll ever dine on food like that as long as I'll live!
-
Entaru, finished with his meal, made his way up to his room. He wouldn't need a wake-up call...the infection would take care of that. As if to hammer home the point, a spike of pain shot through his left leg whilst he was climbing the stairs.
"GAH!...OH SH-!" Entaru came tumbling down the stairs as his leg gave out from underneath him. He landed on the floor with a incredible thud. His possessions went everywhere, scattering like cockroaches in a well lit room. Entaru rolled himself over with a groan and stared up at the ceiling.
"****...why me?"
-
As Drevo and Kiril were staring down the group of Knights Drevo stepped infront of Kiril. "Stay behind me, I'll handle it." Kiril went around Drevo and took out a sling shot and aimed it at the knights. "I can handle these guys, big bro." said Kiril cockily as he released a rock at one of the knights. The rock hit the man right between the eyes; he stumbled back and shouted several explitives. They then charged at Drevo and Kiril drawing their weapons. "Damnit, Kiril, get out of here!" said Drevo dashing off towards the oncomming knights. Before Drevo reached them two of them got a bolt each in their chests and dropped dead. Drevo knew what was happening; now smirking he unsheathed his Katana and cut into one of the knights. Another tried to attack him from behind but recieved an arrow in the back and fell to the ground dead. Drevo turned around and slashed at another one; he then noticed one of the knights swinging at Kiril. Suddenly a barrier of ice enveloped the knights weapon before it hit Kiril. Kiril punched the shocked knight in the groin; dropping him to his knees allowing Kiril to further punch him in the face.
As Drevo continued to fight he noticed the ground becoming increasingly wet. "Move, brother!" shouted a voice in the distance. Drevo leaped away from the group of the enemies; just as he did shards of muddy ice shot up from the ground impaling the majority of the knights. They screamed in pain as the ones caught within the attack died off. The remaining few knights fled screaming for their lives. Drevo flicked the blood from his katana and sheathed it and walked towards Kiril. Kiril was still beating the knight; who was now bleeding severely. "Enough, Kiril." said Drevo grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and pulling him off. "C'mon, let me at'em!" shouted Kiril squirming in Drevo's hand. "Alright you three, you can come out now!" said Drevo releasing Kiril. The bushes in the treeline rustled as a masked man emerged; followed by a human woman in a light blue blouse and skirt. "Alexia! Ferdande! What are you two doing here?!" said Drevo as if he hadn't seen them in ages. Drevo walked over to them and hugged Alexia and gave her a peck on the cheek."It's nice to see you too, Drevo, it's been years." said Alexia softly. "What, no hug for me?" said Ferdande sarcasticaly as he took off his mask; showing that he was human aswell.
Drevo walked over to him arms open when he suddenly punched Ferdande in the gut playfully then put him in a headlock giving him a noogie. "Ah! You bum, not my hair!" shouted Ferdande as he squirmed free. "So where is my big si-" Drevo quickly held his bowstaf slanted above him diverting a strike from a staff. He then turned around and smacked the assailant upside the head softly. "It seems I taught you well, Drevo." said Nayala. "Indeed you have, sis!" said Drevo heartily before giving her a hug.
-
Kitt and his father gulped down the meat soup and bread hungrily, Vladimir chuckled quietly as White stumbled off and was about to stand up when the barkeeper walked over to them with a suspiscious eye...
"Say.... you two wouldnt be... Rangers.... would ye?.... only thems not welcome in the Polska inn no more...."
Kitt looked up, and with all the naiivity of youth almost shouted out...
"Actually Mr. Barkeep, I'M only a Ranger in Traini... urk..."
That was as far as he got for his father suddenly clamped a paw over his sons muzzle... Looking up at the barkeeper from under his hood he frowned lightly...
"The crossbows and hoods kinda give it away?.... yes we're Rangers, but we've paid our share, and we aint causin' no trouble..... we're with Korius and just want a place to sleep... im sure that would be... reasonable.."
And with that he set off to serve more ale, as Kitt and his father made their way upstairs to get some sleep before Dawn...
The Barkeeper looked down at the younger Ranger and his frown lifted slightly... "Sure... that would be reasonable... for tonight.... but you Outcasts aint welcome in Polska, remember fer next time..."
-
Korius grunted as he got up the next morning. The intense training he had been through since his childhood have finally started showing their ugly faces. White might be able to do something, but it might be difficult to get with him 1 on 1. He can't show the others that their leader had a handicap. However, he will have to get White to help out soon. Korius got up and geared up and then opened the window. Not sun-up, yet, but the morning air was sure refreshing. However, his bliss was cut short as he heard the barkeep wake someone up down the hall and the sound of what sounded like armour and weapons.
-
Kiana woke up to the bartender knocking on the door and giving them their wake up call. She groaned and rolled onto her back, though she was used to getting up this early having gotten up early practically her whole life, she still didn't like it right now. More bangs on the door. "Yeah! We got it! You can go away now!" She yelled but still managed to not sound rude or irritated.
She sat up and pushed the covers off her then got out of bed. She walked over to the mirror and looked at herself. Her reflection made a face of disgust back at her as she eyed her hair. "My, aren't we looking lovely this morning?" She thought to herself sarcastically as she examined the random tufts of hair sticking out of her braid and standing up on the top of her head. Removing the hair tie, she combed through her hair with her fingers until it was perfectly smooth. Instead of re-braiding her hair and putting the hair tie back in place, she put the hair tie around her wrist. "I'm sure I'll have time before the next fight to tie it up again. It should be let loose every once in a while anyway..." She smiled at herself in the mirror. Turning away from her reflection, she grabbed her staff and headed for the door, glancing at White on the other bed and stifling a chuckle. "Up and at 'em!" She teased as she prodded him with her staff as she passed. She opened the door so the others knew they could come right in then sat in her usual chair and waited.
-
*White rubbed his tired and reddened eyes, getting out of bed* "Ugh... no too early.." *After Kiana prodded him he crawled out of bed on the floor* "Fine, give me a second to stretch." *White stretched and yawned raising his paws in the air and then followed Kiana over to the chair* "I don't ever want to drink again, but the taste was good.." *White stood there in front of her like a zombie and looked at her quite emotionless hoping for a command, barely a thought processing in the back of his mind*
-
Entaru woke up with a start the next morning as his arm suddenly screamed in pain. The room was still dark, and the sun had just begun to show its face.
"Wonderful...for once it actually helped me." Entaru sat up in his bed, rubbing his numb arm and pulled on his robe. He still had everything in its many pockets so no packing was needed. Grabbing his staff Entaru listened to the door and waited to hear Korius and the others leave. He would follow them, if a bit behind, and surprise them with his help...if and when they needed it, of course.
-
Vladimir Szarda woke to see the sun making its delibrately slow way over the rooftops of the city... stretching and pulling on his Rangers cloak and strapping his shortsword across his belt he turned to his son, to find him still snoring away in his bed...
"Kitt..... wake up buddy..."
The young feline mumbled somthing, and then turned over away from his father... Vladimir sighed, before grabbing the sheets and yanking them off...
"Wakey Wakey! rise and shine sonny!"
Kitt gave a mewl of surprise, rolling out of the bed onto the floor where he scrambled onto his feet and grumbled about early mornings...
-
Korius sighed and looked at the two Szardas. "Stop messing around and let's go."
meanwhile, Felodran leaned against the wall of the inn just around the corner from its entrance. He snickered to himself, Heheheheh. Now all I have to do is snatch that magic-using friend of theirs and I'll be raking in the money in no time!"
As Korius entered into the suite with Kitt and Vladimir, he found Kiana sitting in wait with White at her feet like her own personal pet zombie wolf. "You know, Kiana. Enslaving may not be illegal, but as far back as history goes, necromancy is." He gave off a quick chuckle to himself and opened the window to the suite. "Alright everyone. Our next target is going to be Provas, mage Guardian of Iliad. His palace is more than 4 day's hike. We'll have to be extra careful, though. Now that Septim's dead, all other territories will be very dangerous for us to be out in public. Particularly with me. Since I was head of the Knights and Koara's personal assassin, there isn't a single Guardian or bounty hunter who doesn't know my face. From what we know, he is a Wind Mage, but we don't know his exact abilities. His personal guard is made up of 10 sorcerers of all different elements. I hear he has two of each element, except Light. Also... *lowers voice* I think we're being watched. We'll leave the inn via the window. I have a really bad feeling. White, you're with me." Korius picked up the half-dead wolf and jumped out the open window, landing on the low roof of the store across them.
-
Kiana stuck out her tongue at Korius' comment. "It's his own fault he's this way right now." She said, shrugging. She listened intently to Korius as he told them who they were after next and heard herself groan inside her head. Following him out of the window, she let her unhappiness free. "Great...a wind mage..." She grumbled to herself before jumping down. "Don't expect me to be much help against our actual target since his element is my opposite." She commented as she landed, her long black hair flowing behind her in the light breeze.
-
*White without knowing it was grabbed by Korius then sent out the window in Korius's grip and then by time they hit the roof together, it was either the combination of the wolf's severe fear of heights, the sunlight beating into his tired eyes, upset stomach combined with fast speed that led to motion sickness or maybe the strong wind that went through his fur that woke him up relatively fast upon the store landing* "I'm awake now." *His brain finally caught up in the race with his body and he looked up at Korius, talking in a low voice*
"I'm glad I'm still tired enough to not know how far you just jumped across a dangerous height from the air.. I suppose you'll be doing that again so that we can get to the ground below?" *White just took his paw and pinched his skin to think of the pain more than the next outcome of the situation* "I really... really.. hate... heights."
-
Entaru watched the group leave from his window and frowned as he saw them traveling by rooftop. "What is with these people and running on roofs. Can't they just travel on land like the rest of the world" Entaru sighed as he left his room and headed out of the Inn. He knew his feet would be covered in blisters by the time he caught up with them. "Well...here goes nothing." Entaru trotted slowy behind the group, just out of sight range. Boy would they be in for a surprise.
-
Drevo finally arrived with the others at the lighthouse after a few hours of walking. He walked in followed by the others; the room fell silent as he looked around at his several family members. "Drevo!" exclaimed several of them. "Oh, honey! I'm so glad to see you!" cried a woman as she threw her arms around Drevo. "I'm glad to see you too, mother." said Drevo hugging her. "There's mah boy!" said Drevo's father walking over and patting him on his back. "Father, It has been awhile, you got old!" said Drevo heartily. "Hahaha, still young enough tah tan yer hide!" said Drevo's father grabbing him around the neck playfully. "Oh there's my gradndson! Come give me a hug." Drevo walked over to her and gave her a hug. "It's good to see you, Aunt Leera."
As Drevo looked around the room the front door was suddenly kicked open and someone stumbled in. "We got trouble..." said the man. "What? What is it, Fardell?!" asked Alexia. Fardell dropped to his knees revealing an arrow in his shoulder. Drevo and Nayala rushed to the side of their cousin and helped him over to the couch. "Are you alright, Fardell?!" asked Drevo. "Oh...Drevo, you made it..." said Fardell chuckling a bit. "Who did this to you, buddy?" asked Ferdande. "Voronese Knights...Their here..." replied Fardell. Drevo quickly stood up and marched outside; he looked down the hill and saw several knights marching towards the lighthouse. "This is not good..." said Drevo glumly. The others came out and looked at them aswell. "Holy crap...There has to be atleast fifty of'em!" said Ferdande.
-
Kitt and his father rolled their eyes and jumped out after Korius... following the rest of the group they leapt from roof to roof, slipping and sliding along the shingles and roof tiles which where easily displaced...
"so.... we gotta plan.... lets do this.."
-
As they reached the town gates, they slowly got off the roofs and Korius put White down. "That should be okay for now. I don't think they noticed us. From here, we head west. Let's get on it. It's only a day's hike into their territory, so we can't get horses. Remember to keep your hoods up when we pass the border, everyone. Also, we're going to have to avoid all the cities, so our four-day hike might take longer. Let us hope that the bounty hunters on that side of the border aren't smart enough to travel in packs or go to small villages. However, I don't believe they know about anyone but Valius, Drevo, Kiana and myself. But just in case, in villages, stay loose, so if we do get in trouble, the rest of you can break off without being noticed and take their backs. Minus you, of course, White. Oh, and I almost forgot. You know that old woman who's son you helped when we first met? *takes out a scroll from his gi and hands it to White* She may not be rich, but she has very valuable antiques. It's a white-magic scroll. Apparently, for barrier magic. I suggest you read it, it might come in handy."
Felodran yawned as the sun hit high noon. Yep, anytime now. They're going to come through that door and I'm going to be rich beyond my wildest dreams. He rubbed his hands together in greed and yawned again, keeping a sharp eye at the door.
-
Kiana followed along, jumping down from the roof and landing gracefully. As she walked, she listened to Korius talk. Her eyes scanned the area as they walked. A four day journey sounded extremely boring but she knew she was going to have to get used to it since she'd be doing much of the same for a while now. Her mind reeled back to her bounty hunt the other day. She really wished she could have given the beast what he really deserved instead of having to keep him alive for the bounty. "I hope you're at peace now, Kamau." She spoke softly to herself as she looked towards the sky. "Thanks for everything, brother." She looked forward again and tried to think about better things.
-
*White shook away the green feeling on his expression, but still retained his ear-splitting headache from the hangover and took the scroll with as much curiosity possible in his state and interest from Korius, looking at it like a treasure; he squinted at the scroll paper after opening it* "Huh... it's blank, but I can see a faint imprint of some words." *White took his head back then thought back to the woman he helped and then to himself did a bow back to the urban area* "Thank you Miss." *The perplexed wolf's mind fogged with separated thoughts then turned back to Korius and now Kiana who was getting ahead of him while he was standing there*
"Oh crud, wait for me!" *White trudged over and tried to keep up while trying to hold up his seemingly heavy head feeling it rock around in his skull* "I really really... don't want to be like this again." *White walked a little faster to catch up to Korius and tapped lightly on his shoulder to gather his attention and walking at his side looking from side-to-side and behind him to make sure he knew where he was going* "Err.. how do I read this scroll?" *White raised up the blank sheet and pointed at the faint imprints that he saw, hoping that Korius would notice* "There doesn't seem to be a way to look at this thing.." *White turned it in like 4 different directions while walking along and then pressed it against his face trying to eye it closer, but then stopped short hitting a tree in his walking path* "...." *He stayed silent then recovered from his mistake and lowered the scroll returning to Korius's side in the line of walking without saying another word while feeling embarrassed to a whole new level of imbecile*
-
Felodran almost fell asleep.
"They said they would wake up in the morning... where are they!"
Then like lightning, the realization hit him.
"Wait a minute.... what if they already left before I could find out... and are leaving the city right.... now"
He facepalmed and sprinted out of the inn, knocking a pair of wealthy looking nobles
"OUTTA MY WAY RICHIE!" He yelled as he high tailed it to the gates.
However the nobles weren't the kindest of people, and for some reason one drew his sword and gave chase.
"Oh bugger... I know the perfect way to get rid of him though!"
"HELP HELP, I'M BEING REPRESSED!" he yelled, and a guard came outta nowhere and smashed into the nobleman, who was promptly taken away for violence against another.
Smiling to himself, he forgot to look ahead of him, and smacked face first into the town gates, nearly breaking his nose.
His helmet ringing, he stumbled backwards, trying to regain control of it.
After he did, he leaned over a barrel and nearly deposited his lunch inside of it.
-
"What are we going to do? There is too many." said Alexia panicing. Drevo grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "It's okay...We'll get through this." he said assuringly. Alexia began to blush and look away from Drevo embarresed. Ferdande scoffed as he put back on his mask and took out his bow. "No time like the present." he said stringing up three arrows. "You think you can hit them that far off?" asked Drevo. "Just watch me..." as he said that he released the arrows and they sored through the air and hit their target with deadly force. "Awesome!" said Kiril exitedly. He took out his sling shot and picked up a rock and tried to shoot that far aswell; he didn't notice any definate hit. "Here, Kiril, take these." said Ferdande handing him a bag of small metal balls. "Cool!" Kiril exitedly loaded one up and shot it randomly down range at the approaching force. Surprisingly to everyone one of the knights fell off the side of the cliff into the ocean. Kiril jumped up and down in exitement.
"I'll go slow them down." said Drevo walking towards the knights. Nayala stopped him short and stood infront of him. "No, this will be easy for me, they are right next to the ocean...This is my playing field..." Nayala said cockily. Before either of them could debate any further shouting came from atop the lighthouse. "Hee hee hee, time tah see if ah still got it!" said Drevo's Uncle Jeril as he strung an arrow on a bow and shot it at the knights. He continued firing arrow after arrow as Drevo's father and mother darted past Drevo and Nayala. "I say we all just go!" said Drevo's father. Like it was an order the rest of them charged down the hill towards the knights together.
-
Korius waved off White's question, "You're better off asking Kiana. From what I know, only magic-users of the same affinity as the scroll's spell can read it. Kiana might know, since she knows high-level spells." He walked a little quicker for the rest of the day. It had been very uneventful and long. The border was another 2 hours away when the sun set on them. Korius looked for some trees and pulled down some branches, digging a pit. "We'll camp here for tonight. Tomorrow, we cross. Once that happens, we'll be on alert all day and night. Relax while you can." After starting the fire, Korius sat against the tree next to the fire and took out a bar of metal. Slowly, he carved into it.
-
Kiana tuned back in when she heard her name. She thought Korius sounded a little rude when he brushed off White's question but she didn't mention it. Just in case anything happened to anybody, she didn't want to regret anything that she had said. She didn't ask about what White wanted to know until they made camp. Sitting down on the opposite side of the fire from Korius, she looked at White. "What do you need help with, White?" She questioned him and patted the ground beside her for him to sit down. She smiled, but knew this would bring back memories...but maybe sharing a little bit would make her feel better.
-
*White's hangover by that moment, was basically gone, but now he was just on level ground and decided to just go with the flow from Korius's tidbit of details and then after taking the opportunity given by Kiana, the struggling wolf followed her and sat down looking at the scroll with a continued frustration* "I.. don't know how this scroll works.." *White put a paw to his face nervously and raised up the scroll by holding the top of the parchment which caused the weight of it to come down revealing the apparent clear sheet of paper in front of Kiana* "I can't make any sense of it, but I can see some glyphs that I can actually see which is weird.. though not clear enough to actually read, does this mean I'm not the correct type of magicka user or perhaps not qualified enough?" *He sounded somewhat desperate as he pointed at the faint imprints with his other free paw in his request for dire information to the puzzle the wolf could not solve with what little inexperienced information he had and turned to face her avoiding her eyes* "It would feel disrespectful to look Kiana directly in the eyes this close, so I'll keep my tact." *He lowered the paw to his leg and fidgeted nervously while holding the scroll with his other hand as he had not ever really been up this close to another magicka user before*
-
Drevo and his family fought the knights deep into the night; until they finaly brought it to an end. They wouldn't have been able to manage as well as they did if Nayala hadn't used the ocean to their advantage. She, along with Alexia summoned a series of waves of water that brought the battle to an abrupt end. Tired and drained they all walked triumphently back up the hill to the light house to rest. Little to their knowledge a small elite team was stealthily approaching...
-
Korius listened into the conversation around him as he continued to carve the special metal bar that he had in his hands. It was really flat, and about 2 feet long. As he carved into it, he thought back to the days when he was ordained as the captain of The Knights of Gaia. He also started remembering his days that he spent alongside Valius, before naming him his successor. The memories brought a smile to his face and he continued on with his work. He had been at this for 3 hours now, and there was barely any noticeable difference on the bar, but he just kept working at it, slowly fading into a deep sleep.
-
Kiana shook her head a little and removed the scroll from White's hand, laying it down on the ground in front of them. "Don't stress so much about it." She said as she looked at him and then at the scroll. "What you need to do is put your hand on it and transfer some of your majicka to it. How much majicka you need to use depends on the level of the spell. Once you get it right, you should be able to decrypt what it says." She smiled slightly, looking back up at White then over at the fire.
"My brother actually helped me figure that out my first time." Her golden eyes seemed to sparkle and glow in the firelight. "He let me practice my moves on him since he was always strong enough to defend against them because as I was getting better with my spells, he was becoming a better warrior. He was years ahead of me anyway." She let out a slight chuckle at that. "I always loved how proud I seemed to make him. More proud than I made my parents. They didn't like their little girl fighting. Noblewomen weren't supposed to fight, they were supposed to be helpless and need protection. Kamau knew I was strong and he knew I didn't like the way things were supposed to be for me. I didn't like how the world of nobles worked. He helped me become what I am now, what I love being." She sighed but it was at least a partially happy sigh. She watched the fire dancing as she scooted away from White a little bit and laid down on her side, slowly starting to doze off.
-
*White listened intently to her instructions and her story* "Oh... I had no idea Kiana..." *He watched her go to sleep* "I wish I knew she was a noble, otherwise I would have been even more nice...but at least I know what to do now... I think."
*White looked down at the scroll before him and placed his hands on it like he did for his healing practice and focuses his magicka into it* "Alright, here's my go!" *He spread the glyphs about on the page and they seemed to go in completely random directions to him* "This is definitely going to take awhile, but damn I love puzzles!" *The wolf looked over it carefully again and then rolled it up and began to drift off to sleep while sitting up thinking about it still*
-
Entaru trotted tiredly to a halt as he saw the smoke from the group's campfire. More than once he had lost them throughout the day. Entaru rubbed his aching feet and pulled a exceptionally large thorn out of his boot. "Ugh...its about time. What are kids made of these days? Waaaaay too much energy...that's what it is." Entaru flicked the thorn away, sat down next to a tree and let his head thud lightly against it. He began humming a light tune to himself for a moment as he watched the smoke curl about.
Then he stopped humming...but something else still was...and it was getting much louder and angrier. Entaru's eyes widened as he felt what was to be the first of many stings.
"YAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!" Entaru ran screaming as a swarm of bees enveloped him. Then he remembered the smoke and how much bees hated smoke. Still screaming, he ran towards the camp, all the while swinging his arms about and tripping over his robe.
-
Korius snorted as he heard screams closing into the small camp. He opened his eyes and drew the katana as Entaru ran over the campfire. "What the...? Old man? What the hell are you doing here? Are you stalking us, you old pervert!? *Places the katana at Entaru's neck after the bees disperse* Or are you here for the reward on my head?" Korius's eyes glared into the old man's ready strike down the old mage if need be.
-
As the night dragged on the stealthy invaders reached the lighthouse; unknown the Drevo and his family they were poising themselves to blow the lighthouse up. Amongst the team of the dark dressed individuals there was two fire mages channeling their energy together for a powerful blast. Due to the energy they gave off a light was created, alerting Jeril who was begining to nod off atop the lighthouse. He shouted to the others; who quickly rushed outside only to just to barely escape the lighthouse exploding with Fardell and Jeril still inside.
-
Kiana had just fallen asleep when she heard the screaming and then some scuffling. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Korius drawing his sword on an old man. She closed her eyes again while he was questioning him. "Could you keep it down. Some of us are trying to sleep here." She groaned. Curling up into a ball, she tried to go back to sleep and ignore them.
-
*White looked up with cracked red eyes that had heavy eyelids attached after hearing some loud screaming* "Gr...ughh.. Yeah seriously, I'm trying to get some sleep here!" *White barked in a fairly loud manner with bitterness underneath as he grumbled and mumbled his way back to sleep, falling over not that far away from Kiana* "Puzzle... will... be... mine.." *The wolf snored on a low level*
-
Entaru glanced at the two before staring down the blade once more. "Stalking? Heavens no! Tracking? Yes. Bounty? Huh?" Entaru listed off his answers in a genuinely frightened tone. "I'm sorry for rushing in like this, but I had a small problem with a beehi-YEOUCH!" Entaru shook out his robe and a small bee came fliting out of it.
-
They all looked in grimace at the lighthouse after getting to their feet from the explosion. "My darling!" roared Leera with tears in her eyes. "Father, no!" shouted Drevo's father. Leera drew a short sword and rushed at the four assailants. "Aunt Leera, no!" shouted Layala. Leera ignored her and attacked the four wildly; Drevo and his father rushed in to help her but she was cut down before their eyes. Enraged, Drevo's father lost control and blindly attacked the four with his dual daggers along his son. Drevo took one of them while his father took the other as the two mages fled. Soon enough the remaining two assailants ran away; knowing they were out matched. Drevo and his father took chase as the others followed behind to help. As they reached the bottom of the hill and chased the assailants across the beach Drevo's father was tripped from a hidden assailant under the sand. Drevo noticed and helped him up; just as he did several more hidden assailants rose from the sand. They all surrounded everyone individualy, excluding Drevo and his father.
-
Korius glared into Entaru's eyes to make sure he wasn't lying as he spoke. Slowly, he retracted the sword and sheathed it. He went back to his spot and picked up his little metal bar again, just picking at it. Eventually, he fell back asleep and dreamt of the past again. When he awoke the next morning, Korius stretched and noticed some bustling over the horizon at the border. There was a group of heavily armed soldiers on horseback heading south from the border station. "Everyone wake up and hide, now! Kiana, cover that pit!" Korius quickly hid behind a wide, split tree and watched carefully. Elistro's elite squad!? Where are they headed?
-
Kiana had slept pretty well. She dreamed about all the good times she had had with her brother, about them training together. When Korius spoke, she awoke and was on her feet in seconds. Covering the pit without question, she hid behind another tree. Looking around the tree, she spotted the soldiers that were obviously the reason Korius had been so abrupt and she watched them carefully.
-
*White woke up with a start hearing Korius saying for him and Kiana to hide and jumped up looking around as Korius said to wake up and noticed Kiana going for a tree and then he saw a boulder* "YES!" *He ran over and slid behind it and peeped over the boulder noticing soldiers as well then ducking back down* "Oh yeah, I forgot that's why I don't usually associate with mercenaries.." *White sat there staying quiet and strangely thinking about sleep* "I don't remember what I dreamed about, probably the puzzle I really want to solve." *The wolf looked over at Kiana and then looked over at Korius* "I suppose he know's what he's doing, I'll just wait for a command."
-
Felodran was in deep trouble. Not with the bounties, but with an angry man who just got horse jacked.
The man walked through the town gates, flouting his riches, and just annoying the crap outta everyone. Felodran thought he was doing everyone a favor by pulling him from his horse and giving him five across the face, then stealing the horse.
The peasants and downtrodden immediately started cheering, but the nobleman wasn't so happy. He called for guards, and they mounted their own stallions and pursued.
"Ahhh the price I pay for having a lil' bit o fun!"
he said as he rode the mighty stead, weaving in and out of trees, and just confusing guards. Glancing to the east, he expected to see the pursuers, and was genuinely surprised when all he saw was smoke.
"A camp sight? All the way out in this neck of the woods? Probably bandits or something.... finally something to kill!
-
Entaru had spent the night curled up next to a tree and was still aching from all of the stings when he woke up. Startled, he did what he would normally do...duck and cover in a bush. Peeking out of the bush he looked around for what had alarmed Korius in the first place, but saw nothing. From where he was sitting, he was surprised he could see anything. Entaru moved some of the leaves back into place, deciding it would be best not to reveal himself for the sole purpose of seeing the enemy. Or what Korius viewed as an enemy, at least.
-
As Drevo and his family engaged the assailants they were forced to run. They all managed to escape; but they were pursued. Drevo's father and mother decided to hold them off as the rest ran. Drevo was against it at first, but he was then ordered to; he did what he was told and ran. Drevo and the rest of them ran north, in the direction of Korius and them. Little did they know Elistro was riding in their direction.
-
After Elistro and his men disappeared, he came out of the trees and pointed to the station just on the horizon in the west that the soldiers came out of. "Onward to the west. We have to keep pressing. If we can continue to take them down in a timely manner, we might be able to cause confusion. However, we may become predictable, so we have to get this right. The men that passed just now were the elite of the Voronese Knights. They're Kyzen's replacement for armies and they're led by Elistra's brother. We have to be careful where we tread from now on. Let's go."
-
Kiana moved out from behind her tree. "I wonder who they're going after. Must be something big and important." She said after listening to Korius while swiftly weaving her hair around itself into a braid and tying it with the hair tie that was around her wrist, only taking her as long to braid it as it took her to say what she did. She just shrugged off the curiosity as she began walking. She reached back with her left hand since her staff was in her right hand and put her hood up, her eyes bright and alert within the darkness of her hood.
-
*White noticed he didn't have his hood on at this point upon noticing Kiana put her's on* "Oh yeah I forgot, I usually do that too... but I suppose the new environment and all the quick happenings have left me out of touch with my usual habits." *White puts the hood over his head and walks out into the open towards Korius after the soldiers are out of view* "So... does this mean we are going to kill some soldiers?" *White puts a paw in his cloak and takes out his butterfly knife as he stands in between Kiana and Korius*
-
Entaru came out of the bush warily upon hearing Korius' voice. "Last night you said you had a bounty on your head...are those the people who are hunting you?" Entaru had been traveling from town to town and never had enough money to stay at an Inn. Any rumors or news within the past five months had yet to reach his ears, leaving him clueless to all that has transpired.
-
Drevo and the rest of his friends and family kept walking North; hoping to catch up to Korius and the others. "So, Drevo, tell me more about this "Kiana" lady, are you in love with her?" asked Nayala deviantly. Both Drevo and Alexia jumped a little at the comment. "No! She is just a friend! Nothing more!" blurted out Drevo embaressed. "She is a Cheetah..." "So she cheats?" asked Kiril cluelessly. All but Kiril laughed; leaving him to become a bit angry. "What?! What'd I say?! Stop laughin' at me!" he barked. "What about those rangers? They sound cool." asked Ferdande. "Don't really know much about them...They keep to themselves mostly." They kept walking for a bit more in silence until Alexia asked Drevo something. "Um...Drevo? What happened to your carriage?" "It got destroyed by my friends..." replied Drevo pulling his hat oover his eyes begining to sulk.
-
Kitt and his father stood in the background, hoods up, stocks of weapons set firmly to their shoulders.... Kitt's aim wavered as he stood, breathing heavily, they had been travelling for a while now, and the repeaer crossbow, while deadly; was a dead weight for long distance travelling...
His father nudged Kitt's bow with his own...
"Keep it together, and keep an eye out..."
-
Korius watched as Elistro and his men disappear to the south and slowly stepped out from behind the tree. "Ok, let's move on. If Elistro and his men were to spot us, we would have been in serious danger. Those are the best of the Voronese Knights. At this point, we're no match for them, especially since White hasn't even come close to even reading that barrier scroll. If you ever see anyone with that type of armour, run away, and alert the group. The very last thing we need is to fight the strongest army in Gaia when we can barely manage the weakest." Korius flipped his hood up and pulled a large sheet out of his duffel and unhooked Valia, wrapping it and binding it with some string. He walked towards the west and signaled the others. "Follow close, and stay on alert. We cross the border in 2 hours..."
-
Kiana nodded in acknowledgment. Even though she didn't like the idea of running away, she knew it would be best if she got in that situation. Her ears started ringing. "I guess that means somebody's talking about me. Don't know who it would be though." She thought to herself before the ringing subsided. All she had to do was think since there wasn't anything else happening on this walk, so her mind was reeling as she watched her surroundings from under her hood.
-
*White looked blankly at Korius* "If I had any experience whatsoever I would probably be a lot farther.. but I am still trying!" *White opened up his scroll again and looked at it with an intensity of competitive effort reflected within his eyes* "I shall defeat this scroll and then get the last laugh!" *White did a little victory stance feeling confident about himself, then rather quickly fell over on his face* "Aw.. my moment... failed."
-
"Screw stealth.... I'm on a horse and whoever that is probably can't escape me"
Felodran thought to himself, before getting , getting his horse into a full gallop, straight for a beeline at the camp site. He could see the faint outlines of people. That reinforced his bandit camp theory. Before closing the full distance, he drew his broadsword and shield and prepared for a melee.
-
Entaru's ears perked up as he thought he heard something in the distance. What on Gaia is that noise? Entaru stopped in his tracks craning his ears in order to hear better. At first it started out as a distant thumping, but it quickly evolved into the galloping of a horse...and it was moving fast. "Korius? I think we have company! Whatever it is, it's on a horse!" Entaru quickly began readying his magicka.
-
"So where are we meetin' mother and father?" asked Kiril. Everyone knew that they weren't going to meet them anywhere; Drevo and Layala fell silent. "We're going to meet them when we catch up to Drevo's friends." said Ferdande picking Kiril up and putting him on his shoulders. They continued walking until they came upon an apple tree; they all stopped and started eating some apples. Drevo took an apple and walked off to the edge of the shade of the tree. Alexia saw him and walked over and hugged him from behind tenderly. "I'm sorry about what's been happening, Drevo..." "It's not your fault, Alexia...It's mine..." said Drevo putting his hands over hers. "You two shouldn't have gotten involved...What if you were hurt? I would never forgive myself..." "I couldn't just leave your family in their time of need, that's what friends are for." said Alexia soflty. Drevo smirked feeling happy. "Thank you..." Alexia smiled warmly as she hugged Drevo. Little known to them Elistro and his men were almost upon them.
-
Kitt and his father turned to look at Entaru, both raised their repeater crossbows with two creaking clicks.....
"Korius, whats goin' on?"
Both rangers stood in the shadows, hoods raised and only the glint of the repeater bows reloading mechanism showing through the darkness.... Both traversed the woods with their crossbows, back and forth, eyes searching for a target, fingers squeezing the triggers until they creaked with anticipation....
-
Korius turned to the oncoming horse and its rider and sprinted for him. Dammit! I didn't expect to be found this soon already. "Kiana! Pin him down!" Korius took out Valia, though still wrapped up, and jumped up, broadsiding it against the rider and all, knocking him off the horse. Korius landed hard with grunt, the rider's shield having been really sturdy with the man's strength and swung another broadside strike as the rider attempted to get up and attack him. He rushed up from the ground and jumped on top of the man, Valia at his neck. "I know you. You were that broke reject at the bar. So you came for our heads, did you? Give me some answers or else you will die a very excruciatingly torturous death."
-
Kiana swiftly turned around as Korius ran off past her. Watching as he knocked the rider off the horse, she waited for the right opportunity. When Korius had the rider below him with Valia to his neck, she quickly crouched down. Digging her fingers into the earth halfway, she twisted her hands, causing rock to come up and encase the rider's feet and shins as an attempt to keep him down. She then pulled her fingers out of the ground and grabbed her staff as she stood up. As she started walking towards the two to be closer in case she was needed more, she wondered who the rider was and what they were after the group for. More importantly, she wondered how in the world he had known where to find them.
-
*White peeped around from behind Kiana at the man pinned down under Korius* "Who is that?" *White said somewhat worriedly* "I don't want to get attacked. *White moved a bit back and leaned against a tree watching the man carefully* "Not sure if I should be concerned or not, yet..." *White looks quizzically and then around at the current situation* "Well I suppose it can be expected that we would have people after us every once in awhile." *White put an arm on his shoulder and just stood thinking*
-
"Aw shove off you big brute... you didn't let me actually fish out the money I had anyways!" He snapped at Korius "Answers to what? You asked no questions!"
Probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but to heck with pleasantries this guy's breath STUNK.
Feeling his feet and shins encased in what felt like cement, Felodran cocked his head towards Kiana.
"And are you this guy's floozy or pet magician?" he sneered.
"My name's Felodran Varand, mercenary, bounty hunter, and occasional Vagabond. I was hired by one Mister Brom to track you down and capture you... which in all honesty I feel he just used that as an excuse to get me killed... with the no assistance in any form whatsoever. And I found you because I saw the smoke from your camp and assumed you were a band of Brigands. I was planning to capture that guy leaning on the tree to use as a hostage so you would submit peacefully." He confessed, finally realizing he was beat.
"Now I bet your going to kill me, skin me alive, and use my skin as a tent and then plunder the neighboring villages with my head on a pole whooping your demonic war cries as you slaughter helpless peasantry..."
-
Entaru was taken aback by the last comment. He looked at Korius in disbelief, trying to see in his features whether there was any sort of malevolence that would commit such a crime. Entaru quickly shook this thought off, however, and stood away from the group. These people were nuts...always on edge, constantly hunted (or so they had made it seem), assassinating people. Entaru was beginning to have second thoughts about helping these people out.
-
As Drevo was in Alexia's embrace Ferdande heard something; it was the sound of hooves off in the distance. "Guys, we got company!" shouted Ferdande. Drevo looked around and saw several figures approaching in the distance. "Everyone hide! Now!" barked Drevo. Alexia let go of Drevo and they both hurried into the treeline and hid. They stood there and waited; the figures got closer and closer. The sound of hooves beating got louder and louder. As the figures got closer Drevo reckognised the leader of the group. "E-Elistro?!" he muttered. "Elistro?! Drevo you really pissed these guys off!" said Ferdande. The horses got closer and slowed down until they reached a full stop near Drevo and the others. Elistro looked around and saw the eaten apples littered across the ground. "Someone has been here, find them!" commanded Elistro.
His men quickly dismounted and began to look around. Drevo looked to the others who were all looking at him; he mouthed something and held his paw up. He closed finger after finger slowly; when his paw was closed the srung out of hiding. Imediately Layala let out a small stream of water from one of the few canteens she wore on her belt and Alexia froze it impaling one of the men. Taken by surprize Elistro's horse began to kick about as Drevo and Alexia hopped on a horse. Layala got on one too and pulled Kiril up with her. Ferdande fired a few bolts from the small crossbows strapped to his wrists and ran off with the others as they rode off into the distance. "You idiots! Go after them!" roared Elistro furiously as he calmed down his horse and persued. His men quickly mounted the horses and followed after him.
-
Both Rangers took a few steps back, raising crossbows to shoulders.... they couldnt exactly fire at the moment, not without turning the newcommer, Korius, White and Kiana into pincushions.... realising this they instead kept their repeater bows trained on the group, ready to help if they could....
"Dad.... what we gonna do?"
Kitts father looked quickly over at his son, and then back to the group, keeping his crossbow steady, he murmured back...
"Uh.... just... just shoot anything that moves, and doesnt look friendly..."
-
Korius watched Felodran's eyes as he talked. He grunted to get up, but found himself pinned as well. "Kiana! You can let go now! *Looks back at Felodran* So you're that second-rate bounty hunter I've heard about. *Looks over to Kiana and in a more polite tone* Please?" Korius got up after Kiana finally decided to let them go and hooked Valia back onto its strap. He surveyed Felogran and pulled up his hood. "Put away your weapons, everyone, he's not a threat. *Stops for a second and talks over to Felogran without turning around* You know my name, so you know what I used to be. What did you expect from Bronn and the other Guardians? They rid themselves of threats to their rule. You'd best rethink about where you are and who's your enemy." Korius ran ahead of the group and walked at the head. "Get yourselves mentally prepared. When we reach the border station, expect to fight our way through..."
-
Kiana hadn't noticed that she had encased part of Korius' feet in the rock as well and by the time he noticed it and asked to be freed, she couldn't have cared less. Making a swift motion to remove the rock from them both, she ignored Korius' words about putting away weapons and that the guy wasn't a threat. She stomped towards Felodran in fury, causing pillars of rock to shoot up in random places around them with each step. "WHAT did you just call me?!" She practically screamed at him as she moved closer. "If you have any desire to keep your manhood, you will NOT speak of me in that way again!" She threatened as she raised a large rock and held it over the area that no man would want crushed. If someone didn't stop her, it was quite possible that she'd do it anyway.
-
*White stared with his eyes widened at the humongous rock in the air just above Kiana and Felodran as he had learned the man's name* "Oh my Guardian, that rock is several feet off the ground and the size and weight must be at least 3 or 4 digits in weight. That's the scariest girl I have ever seen in my life, I hope never to get on Kiana's bad side... ever." *White just stood staring at Kiana still, missing Korius's words as he had never seen magicka of this magnitude before* "I didn't even know such things were possible.."
-
"My my my... she has quite the attitude" Felodran muttered as he rolled away from the rock that was really heavy looking.
"You should calm down there... magic is a dangerous thing..." he cooed, cautiously approaching Kiana with hands raised.
"I was simply speaking out of turn, and assumed you were like the other women, but I can see I'm staring into the eyes of an intelligent, strong independent woman. And before you say anything no I'm not trying to seduce you."
"If I was a second rate bounty hunter.. then how come I was able to track you down so easily, formulate a detailed and logically easy plan to capture you, and with a few simple words, turn a calm and collected sorceress into an enraged killing machine. If I'm 'second-rate' then the first rate hunters would easily tear you all apart with little effort.
Get your acts together.... your not facing simple disposable soldiers but hardened veterans who know how to play a person to their weakness! I knew Brom was no one to trust... but then I'm a victim to greed.
-
"No offense kiddo, but they aren't as hard to track as you may think." Entaru reasoned "After all, I was able to track them fairly easily. Furthermore, your detailed and logically easy plan was foiled before you even got a chance to implement it. If you're second-rate, then I feel their chances of success have only gotten higher" Entaru leaned on his staff, a clever smirk flitting across his face for a moment.
-
"Sis, there catchin' up!" shouted Kiril standing behind Layala on the horse. He continued to fire his slingshot at the enemy; which did little to nothing. "Drevo, we gotta do something! We can't out run'em!" shouted Ferdande as he ran along side the horse Drevo was on. "Then we have to fight them!" shouted Layala. "Only to slow them down! Try to take out their horses!" shouted Drevo. They all stopped and turned; Elistro knew what he was doing and accepted Drevo's challenge as they both glared at eachother. Elistro's men caught up and they all dismounted and stood there ground. "Drevo you dog, did you really think you could leave us?" said Elistro walking forward a bit. As he did Drevo walked forward aswell. "You murder inocent people! How can you call yourselves Knights?!" snarled Drevo angrily. "Ah...Poor diluded Drevo...That really hurt coming from you, I took you in for your skill and you stabbed me in the back..." said Elistro calmly. Elistro waved for his men to back up; they did without hesitating.
"I will end you here, Elistro..." said Drevo in an uncharacteristicly dark and forboding voice. As the two squared off Ferdande had snuck away and got into position to take down the horses with some bolts dipped in a tranquilizer. "I mean really, Drevo...You didn't even say goodbye!" said Elistro charging at Drevo as he finished the sentence. He swing his very large Katana. Drevo rolled to Elistro's side and swung his bowstaff at Elistro's leg to trip him. He quickly jumped to dodge and quickly came down with a swing which Drevo rolled forward to dodge. Elistro rebounded from the previous swing and followed up with a second horizontal swing headed for Drevo's back. Drevo did a back flip to dodge and in mid flip he smacked Elistro in the face. They both returned to their fighting stances and squared off again. "I see you have improved slightly, but you are still no match for me!" shouted Elistro charging at him again. He swung several times; Drevo dodging them barely by stepping back. Little known to Drevo he was stepping back towards Elistro's men. With nowhere to go Drevo was stabbed in the shoulder and lifted over Elistro and tossed towards his friends. Drevo screamed in pain as he was flung off the edge of Elistro's sword and rolled across the ground.
-
The two rangers kept their repeater crossbows loaded and wound back, but kept them pointed to the ground.... though the crossbows where built to withstand great tension, sometimes the loading mechanism could slip, and whichever unlucky person it was pointed at generally found themselves dead quite suddenly...
Kitt's father, the older ranger kept his hood up as he listened to the bounty hunter, one paw rested on the pommel of his shortsword while the otehr gripped the stock of the repeater crossbow, ready to bring the weapon up to chest height and loose a bolt if ever he had to...
His son on the other hand, obviously was in need of training... for his attention had slipped and he was scuffing his paw back and forth in the dirt, a sharp look from his father soon got him with his ears up and attention back....
"So your after Korius..... but what of the rest of us? Where we named in your bounty?"
Vladimir Szarda looked from the bounty hunter to his son, if they had been named and a bounty placed on his head..... godammit that was why most of the rangers where dead... they needed to keep a low profile.... it seemed traveling with Korios had drawbacks...
-
Korius didn't bother to give Felodran even a look. "My history makes me easy to track, besides the fact that we just killed Septim. You'd have to be blind to not find me out here. That's what money's for, as well as killing Guardians." Korius sighed and focused on ahead when Vladimir spoke up. "That's why I said to remain loose when we go near any populations. I'm pretty sure they only know about the former Captain of the Knights of Gaia and the runaway Noblese daughter. We all have bounties on our heads to begin with, but only Kiana and I were sighted leaving the castle, aside from Drevo, and he's out to Gaia-Knows-Where." The rest of the walk passed slowly, though it was only an hour left, before they reached the border station. Two guards stepped up, crossbows in hand, asking for documentation. Korius scanned the little station. 6 guards on the two towers surrounding the station and two up front. He looked back at the guards after they asked him for documentation again. Korius reached behind, reaching into the twin-sai holster, "Of course, good sirs. Right here." Korius brought the two sai up, pushing the crossbow heads up and stepped forward, stabbing the two in the heart as the other guards became alert above them.
-
Kiana let the rock drop to the ground. "I'm a mage." She snapped, feeling insulted again. She brought up a much smaller rock and flicked it so it would hit Felodran in the head as she turned away from him. It would hurt, but it wouldn't knock him out or do any serious damage. "And I'm a killing machine any day of the week, you just chose the wrong set of words that triggered anger from a previous situation. Don't judge me, fool." She walked off swiftly to resume her usual place in the group as they walked, chuckling to herself.
When they approached the border station, she watched to see what Korius would do. Once he acted, she focused her attention on the guards above them. She remained alert and ready in case she needed to use her majicka to get them through.
-
*White stayed a distance away and sighed in relief as Kiana calmed down and Felodran survived the situation* "I'm just glad nobody had to die and at the same time I didn't get captured." *The wolf said quietly to himself and then followed along behind Korius and Kiana to the border station. He watched Korius talk to the guards intently* "What is Korius doing... oh guardian." *White watched the sai plunge into the men and the alerts going up overhead* "Is there ever a moment of silence?" *White said behind Kiana*
-
"Well isn't that lovely." The sarcasm in his voice almost seemed to bite at the ears of those who heard it. He looked up at the now alert guards. Pulling out a small glass orb, he mumbled a quick incantation.
The orb seperated into two orbs; one flattening, then curling, and becoming opaque until it was a large bowl-shaped mirror, the other stretching and contorting into a thick transparent disk. Entaru held the mirror as the disk floated at an angle in front of him. Then as he postioned the mirror just right, the light from the sun reflected from the bowl in a small beam. The beam struck the disk and all but disappeared as the light became only needle thin.
"Time to MagnifryTM!" Entaru shouted as the beam of light struck one of the guards (who was readying his crossbow to shoot at Korius) and caused his clothes to burst into flames.
-
"Drevo!" shouted Alexia and Layala. Ferdande knew it was time and shot several bolts into the horses. Elistro noticed and infuriated marched towards Drevo who was begining to rise to his feet. He brought his Katana down towards Drevo; who held his Bowstaff over his head to block it. The katana went right through it and cut Drevo across the chest. A look of shock over came Drevo's face as the others screamed out his name. Enraged, Nayala blasted Elistro with a stream of water; knocking him off his feet. Drevo fell backwards as he dropped his bowstaff that was now in two. Alexia caught him and dragged him away as Ferdande came over to help her. "Go! Get him out of here!" shouted Layala. "No...I won't leave them..." muttered Drevo as he was lifted onto a horse. Ferdande got behind him as Alexia hopped onto another horse and extended her hand to Kiril. Kiril ran to his sister and stood beside her and shot his slingshot as she whipped streams of water at the men who were trying to pass her.
"Go! Now!" barked Layala. Ferdande nodded and he rode off with Drevo followed by Alexia. "No...Please..." mumbled Drevo slowly losing conciousness from blood loss. Ferdande held onto Drevo as he whipped the reins to go faster. Before Drevo lost consciousness he mumbled the name "Jarik" and the name of the last town he was in, Ferdande knew of it and rode off in it's direction.
-
As soon as Korius had attacked both the rangers pulled back cloaks, drawing repeater crossbows up to their shoulders and took aim....
"Go for the towers!"
Kitt's father shouted and pointed to the tower where guards where already readying bows, his son nodded and took aim. Both loosed bolts towards the tower, as soon as the first shots where airborne, they where already drawing back the clockwork loading mechanism and firing a second shot, followed by a third, and then a fourth...
The guard nearest to the side of the tower shouted out in surprise, even though it was too late, the woodwork around him literally exploded into splinters and flying metal... The guard was blown off his feet, two fist sized holes in his chest where steel bolts had found their mark, around him two other guards screamed in pain as either bolts or flying splinters clawed their way into flesh and bone....
"We've got this tower! Kiana, could you get the other!?"
-
Korius holstered the sai and drew the katana, cutting right down the middle seam of the gate and cutting down the wooden bard in the middle of the thick gate. He kicked it open and heard a couple grunts to either side as the door swung back shut. Korius leapt through and rolled as he turned around, four other guards protecting the other side of the gate. Two of the guards came running at him and he threw the katana into one guard's face as he ran to the other and punched him. Korius then grabbed the katana out of the fallen one and beheaded the one he just punched.
-
Kiana wanted more action than just her usual distance fighting at the moment so when the chance arose, she welcomed it. "With pleasure." She responded to Vladimir as she moved over to the tower. The archers tried to shoot at her but had difficulty since she was standing right against the tower wall. She covered herself with the rock from the tower and dug her fingers into the tower wall as she began to climb up it.
When she reached the top, she hopped over the side. "Hello boys..." She said, smirking as she looked at the six guards in front of her. They all looked pretty shocked that one of the people they were fighting off was a female mage. She moved swiftly and punched one of the guards that was closest to her with her rock-covered fist, taking his sword and stabbing him in the chest. She then grabbed a chunk of rock from the tower and threw it at the second guard, hitting him in the face and killing him instantly. She threw a couple more chunks of rock at two more guards, having the same effect as the first one she threw.
The last two guards rushed at her, swords drawn. She kicked one square in the chest with a rock-covered foot, causing his ribs to break and puncture his lung. He screamed in pain then collapsed as he began gasping for air. The second one hesitated when he saw what happened to his comrade, giving Kiana the opportunity to hit him upside the head with her staff, knocking him down before going over to him and snapping his neck. The guard with punctured lungs raised his sword in an attempt to slice her in the side. She quickly grabbed the sword that was still in the chest of the first guard she killed and stabbed the last guard with it. With that, she walked over to the side of the tower and looked down over to the over side where Korius was to see what was happening.
-
*White tried to act cool about the serious situation and made little battle cry noises that did very little to help* "Hiiii-YAAA!!!" *He made punch and kick gestures nearby the gate, then a couple of guards noticed him down by the gate* "Yeah... yeah, come get some. You guys can't touch this!" *The guards came running down the steps to fight him and then White turned around looking towards the trees away from the border station in midstep and noticed them coming* "Oh crap!" *White took off flipping open his knife and turning around quickly* "Stay back, I have... a butterfly knife!!!" *The wolf flips it around in his paw and the guards actually stopped for a moment and looked at it in his hand and then chuckled, one holding his sides with laughter* "That tiny thing? What are you going to do, stab both of us?" "Err... yes! WOAH what's that over there?!" "Huh?" *The guards turn to look and White runs up and kicks one in the groin and then stabs the other one in the back and runs away back towards the gate* "UGH!" *Both guards seemed to almost both say simultaneously* "You no mess with the wolf!" *He then rather quickly after that statement screams like a girl as a dead soldier falls in front of him from Kiana fighting above* "Ha..ha..." *Awkward silence*
-
While this melee has been going on, and since Korius and Kiana are probably the most dangerous threats, Felodran considered himself invisible and began to sneak around the camp. Men screamed as they were killed by the party, although the bounty hunter had to admire their bravery... although it could've just been stupidity.
"Now to find the stables... or at least the gate switch...." he thought to himself as he avoided the odd severed hand falling from the battle right in front of him.
Seeing the gate switch, he analyzed what he could do with it. He could see a lever, and decided to give that a shot. Around 5 minutes he stood, struggling to move it, however it would not move.
Standing up and rubbing his chin, Felodran decided to think about how to open this gate another way. He climbed the ladder and glanced at the mechanisms working the gate. All he saw was a bunch of gears and robe and chain. It didn't really mean much to him, he wasn't an engineer he was hired to kill people. Upon closer inspection he saw that there was some sort of blocking mechanisms, that kept the robe from spinning, keeping the gate in place.
"By Jove I have an idea!"
He said to himself, taking an unnecessary heroic pose in the process. Taking a pretty large war axe in both hands. He reeled back for a swing, and chopped downwards on the blocker.
It would take a little bit, but he could chop his way through, as he saw the visible progress.
-
After awhile of riding Drevo, Fedande and Alexia reached the town. They went in and attracted the eyes of everyone. A few town guards approached and questioned them as they looked around puzzled. "What is wrong with that man?" "He needs a Doctor! Now!" replied Ferdande hastily. "That's the hero, isn't it! Please. right this way!" said the guard as he led them towards White's clinic. As they walked down the road a man came out of a smithy and looked at Drevo. "Captain?!" shouted the man as he rushed over. "Who are you?" asked Ferdande. "I'm Jarik, he knows me. What happened to the captain?" said Jarik. "Jarik? Drevo told us to see you, but he needs to get help from the Doctor first." said Alexia. "What Doctor? The only "Doctor" we had was White, the towns Cleric. But he left with some other guys awhile ago." explained Jarik. "Are you serious? Then what are we going to do?!" asked Alexia. "Bring him in here, I'll patch him up the best I can. Quick now!" said Jarik. Fedande dismounted and he and Jarik got Drevo off the horse and carried him inside. Alexia followed after them.
-
Both Szardas continued to loose bolts into the fray, the odd soldier fell from the encampment walls with a scream, a large fist sized hole through his chest or helmet.... One bolt missed its mark and ricochetted off the stone wall instead, missing the guard who immediately ducked, shouting...
"Pay a closer eye to your aim Kitt...."
Vladimir closed one eye and loosed another bolt, sending a guard reeling, clutching his stomach... Kitt stuck his tongue out behind his father back, launching another bolt at the guard who had stood back up....
-
Korius charged the two soldiers holding the door and beheaded them with the katana. He then assessed the station's remains as he listened to the last of the soldiers die from Kiana and the Szardas' hands. Nothing of importance, nor of any usefulness. Korius pulled his cloak back over along with his hood and called out everyone else. "This side is clear! Come one through, and quickly! Their shift change is in less than an hour, we'll have company if we don't move soon. It's another hour's trek to the nearest village."
-
Kiana waited to see the deaths of the last two guards on Korius' side and hear him say it was all clear, switching her staff to her left hand. She then moved to sit on the edge of the tower wall then slid off, seeming like she was going to fall to her death to anyone watching. But when she had only moved through the air about five feet, she instantly reached over with her right hand and dug her fingers into the tower wall. This caused her decent to slow as she gracefully slid down the wall. Her feet landed lightly on the ground as she reached the bottom. "Well then let's get going then." She said as she walked towards where Korius stood, switching her staff back to her right hand.
-
*White heard Korius from a distance and rushed over trying not to trip over a soldier or anything and looked around hoping not to find any spare soldiers around* "Hold up Korius, I'll be right there!" *White followed up and then stopped when he got inbetween Korius and Kiana* "*Breathing* Does anybody... need healing or some medical assistance?" *White pondered looking from her and to him then around to see if anybody volunteered themselves over* "Not much I can really do in a combat situation except the aftermath."
-
Entaru walked up behind the group with a bit of a frown. "I take it that this sort of thing happens often." The two glass creations were back in orb form again as he placed them back in his cloak. Sighing, he thought of the implecations of killing those men. Perhaps they had famlies at home waiting for them. Maybe a son waiting to hear war stories from his father. Entaru knelt down by one of the corpses and shut the man's staring eyes.
Ran away for 20 years and his old life still seemed to catch up...
-
"Set him down here, easy now!" said Jarik as he and Ferdande layed Drevo down on a cot in the back of the smithy. "You can help him, right?" asked Alexia barely holding back tears. "I should be able to help him, I've fixed him up before and I can do it again." said Jarik. Jarik went over to a cabinet and took out a bag and came back to Drevo. He set the bag down and opened it as he sat on a stool near the cot. He then opened Drevo's cut robe then tore his shirt underneath open. Alexia looked away after seeing the cut across Drevo's chest and the hole in his shoulder. Drevo's chest was covered in blood, drenching his fur completely turning it a light red almost pink color as the blood mixed with his white fur. Jarik's face grimaced as he turned and looked towards Ferdande. "You there, get me a bucket of clean water from the other room." Ferdande nodded and left the room. Jarik took out some towels from the bag and began to clean up what blood he could from Drevo until Ferdande came back in the room with a bucket of water. Ferdande set the bucket down and Jarik stuck in a towel then went back to cleaning Drevo.
After Jarik cleaned up what he could he took out a suture and some thread and went to work stitching the lengthy cut across Drevo's chest. "What happened to the Captain?" asked Jarik as he worked. "He got into a fight with Elistro..." replied Ferdande glumly. "He is lucky to be alive then..." said Jarik as he finished up stitching the wound on Drevo's chest. He moved onto the wound on his shoulder after that. "I-...Is he going to be alright?" asked Alexia as a tear ran down her cheek. "The bleeding stopped...Captain was never a bleeder, he should live...As for waking up...That's tough to say..." Alexia was shocked to hear that, she began to cry and ran out of the room. "I'm sorry if I upset her..." said Jarik solemly. Ferdande sighed and looked at the door then back to Jarik. "Is there any way he can pull out of this?" "I won't lie...This doesn't look good...He's lost a lot of blood...I think the only way he'll ever wake up if he get's to the cleric...Quickly," said Jarik glumly as he finished stitching Drevo's shoulder wound. He took a few rolls of gauze out of the bag and began to wrap Drevo's wounds.
-
The two rangers met up with Korius and the others, both still kept hoods up and crossbows drawn....
"So.... we keep moving I guess..."
Vladimir watched Korius intently, making sure to keep the crossbow pointed to the ground... Kitt stood just behind him, watching the others with interest....
-
They reached the village the next day, but abruptly left after quickly grabbing food, as there was an alert throughout the guards stationed at the border. The next two days went by without much conversation. They would hike from sun up to high moon. At nights, Korius would watch the camp and the fire, while carving and chipping away at the same metal bar. He sometimes would watch with interest each night, as White tried to learn from the scroll with Kiana's help. During their daily hikes, Korius kept his eyes forward but couldn't help but get a slight headache with Felodran following them and listening to the prattling of an old fart. He continued to reassure himself as they reached high noon on the third day, Bugger, I can't believe going around the cities are throwing us off by 3 days. A 4-day hike gone to a week. It's ok, though. Only 4 more days of this, and we can scratch off one more Guardian.
-
Kiana hadn't really talked much during the past few days except when she tried to help White figure out his scroll. The information she had given him when he first received the scroll was really the only help she could give to him though. All she did was reiterate it to him when he tried to get it to work. "I'm pretty sure this spell is a powerful one so you're going to have to transfer quite a bit of majicka to it for it to work." She had said one time.
Now they were on the third day of their hike. She was kind of getting bored of the hiking because not much was going on. She looked up at the sky and watched as birds flew overhead and listened to them sing. She looked down at the ground and watched as her staff touched the ground with each couple steps.
-
*White thought back to what Kiana had told him of the scroll* "More magicka... damn it's gonna be a long haul to decipher this scroll. I'm tired from just a few attempts on this thing, too bad there's not more help out there...unfortunately being the only healer really does make things quite the challenge. I can only keep trying to understand though. At least Kiana knows some things, I wish I didn't bring up some sad memories though." *White put his paws on the back of his head and kept looking up as he walked along following Kiana avoiding a possible turn of head or looks just to not experience the awkward silence* "It's been boring staring at trees for the past few days, not that it matters as to me we 'get there when we get there'."
-
During the journey, Felodran asked Entaru a couple questions.
"You seem to know so much about these people... who the heck are they.. and why does Korius always solve his issues with violence... sure it's fun but not a real smart thing to do in enemy territory..."
Later Felodran wanted to know something.
"So Korius... what's the deal with you hunting Guardians? I mean they are supposed to be crazy powerful?"
Now Felodran was no coward to be sure... but he would rather at least fight an enemy on equal terms... or at least not one that can blow crap up with their mind.
-
Entaru raised his eyebrows at Feldoran's question. "Know them? HA! All I know is that I didn't want to be 'waltzing my Matilda' for the rest of my life. These kids have a noble, if a bit suicidal, cause. I've spent my entire life running from everything and I want to do something worth a **** with what time I have left.
Entaru breathed in heavily (as he ran out of air for his rant) and continued. "As for this Korius kid, I don't know why he does things the way he does. But I'd have to agree with you, who knows what kind of trouble his methods may get us into."
-
A day later Jarik loaned Ferdande and Alexia his carriage to help Drevo get to White. He also gave them a few days of supplies before they set out. Ferdande drove the carriage; leaving at night to not draw attention as they traveled. As the next day came they came up to a guard station; it was heavily guarded for some reason. As they approached four guards came up and stopped the carriage. "What is your business here?" asked one of the guards. The other three surrounded the carriage; the archers in the tower readied their crossbows for the slightest hint of trouble. "Just passing through, sirs." replied Ferdande calmly. "What's inside?" Ferdande turned his head slightly; halfway looking back at the carriage. "My wife; whom of which is naked, it's early and she likes to sleep in the nude," replied Ferdande somewhat loudly as to give Alexia a heads up. "Oh really? Likely story...I'll just..." The guard slowly opened the carriage door. "Pervert!" screamed Alexia who was holding a blanket over her chest; which was covering Drevo. She slapped the guard in the face and he stumbled back with a red handprint on his cheek.
The guard chuckled and gave the signal to let them pass. The guards opened the door and they rode through without incident. After they rode long enought to be out of sight Ferdande stopped and hopped off the top of the carriage. "Hey, Alexia, sorry about that, it was all I could come up with." he said as he approached the door of the carriage. The door flew open and smacked him right in the face causing him to fall on his butt. "Just keep driving! Jerk!" shouted Alexia furiously. Ferdande rubbed his face as he stood up. He groaned as he climbed back ontop of the carriage and continued driving.
-
The two Szardas remained silent through most of the journey, though they talked among themsleves they kept reserved and quiet around the rest of the group.... This was typical behaviour of rangers, as most of their kind had been hunted down and killed by the guardians... socialising it seemed came after staying alive and not being killed....
-
As they settled down again, on the third night, something just didn't feel right to Korius. He surveyed their surroundings, and between the trees behind him. Something was definitely amiss. Korius put his stuff back into his duffel and rearmed himself before getting up. He tossed his bag next to White, "I hope you've at least been able to read enough to learn a basic barrier. If not, you better guard that with your life." Korius moved around into the small thicket of trees behind where he had been sitting and scoped around. He heard a faint whistling and ducked as a throwing knife hit the tree where his head would've been. "Everyone on alert! Bounty hunters!" Korius drew Valia and prepared for anything.
-
Kiana had watched Korius as he surveyed the surroundings. She could tell that he sensed something was wrong. Covering her mouth with her hand, she held in a chuckle when Korius threw the bag at White unexpectedly. When Korius alerted them from the bushes, she sprang to her feet and readied herself for a fight. Her eyes were narrowed and focused as she scanned the area around her, watching for the threats.
-
*White sweated as he held the bag close and then his eyes widened upon hearing Korius yell about bounty hunters* "Damn!" *The wolf didn't know what to do other than flip his knife open and clutch it in his free hand and the bag held tightly against his chest with his hand shaking* "These guys probably want me dead too this time, and even if not they will surely not want witnesses.. crap no turning back now for good. and unfortunately for Korius I've barely figured out the first words of that scroll, but I don't know what that will do for me." *He looked around in ever direction expecting an attack scared and excited at the same time* "What's in this bag anyways...?"
-
Felodran whipped out his broadsword and removed the shield from the strap on it's back. Soon after doing so, a bounty hunter rushed him. Felodran dove downwards and grabbed the man's legs, to send him over his back and onto the ground. The man hit the ground hard, and screamed before a broadsword was introduced with his heart.
"Well this'll be a welcome change of pace... finally lawless enemies to kill" He said, wiping his sword on the dead man's tunic to remove the blood.
-
Entaru, upon hearing the warning, jumped into a bush to hide. He wouldn't say that he was a coward, he just preferred to provide artillery cover He whipped out one of the glass orbs and began imbuning it with magicka. It would require a fair amount but, if done right, could catch the bounty hunters off guard. He rolled the orb out of the bush to where he saw the dagger come from. The orb seemed to melt and create a clear sheen on the ground.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty..."
-
Ferdande kept driving, during the day they passed through a village and kept going. It wasn't until a few nights later that Ferdande was too tired to keep driving, and with Alexia already asleep he decided not to wake her. He pulled off to the side of the road, towards the treeline a bit. He gathered the makings for a fire and set it up near the carriage. He didn't get any bedding to sleep on, he just sat in a meditative position infront of the fire. As the night dragged on Alexia stirred from inside. She sat up from lieing down and looked over to Drevo who was still unconscious. "It was just a dream..." she said sofly with a sad tone. She noticedced they weren't moving and looked out the window of the carriage and saw Ferdande asleep by the fire. Alexia crawled over to the side of the carriage Drevo was on and stared at him. A tear rolled down her cheek and landed on his shoulder. "Drevo...I...Know you can't hear me but...I don't want you to..." She began to cry a bit more until she contained herself. "I love you so much, Drevo!" she cried as she hugged him tightly. "I love you, Drevo, I would give anything for you to just open your eyes!" she continued to cry; hugging him tightly.
Suddenly Drevo's arms embraced her as hers did him. She was shocked as he sat up still holding her in his arms. She stiffled her tears as he held her like a baby in his arms a smiled down at her with the most tender and loving eyes. "D-Drevo...?" she squeeked, looking up at him with his puppy dog eyes. "I love you too, Alexia...More than you know..." he said sofly as he leaned slowly towards her. Alexia knew what was coming and closed her eyes; waiting for it. Drevo and Alexia both kissed eachother passionately for a moment. He then looked at her with his loving eyes and spoke tenderly. "You know that we can't be together yet you toy me still..." "W-What? Drevo I-..." "Even though our love is forbiden you still lead me on like a lost puppy..." Alexia's face showed a dumbfounded expression as she looked at Drevo confused. "What are you saying, Drevo?" she choked out almost crying. "The only place our love will be aloud..." Drevo drew a knife from under his pillow and raised it over Alexia. "Is in the next life...Join me, Alexia and let our love reign eternal!" he screamed histarically as he plunged the knife into her chest. Alexia shot up in a cold sweat and looked over at Drevo who was still unconscious. "It was just a dream..." she said soflty. She crawled over to him and hugged him tightly and layed down next to him. "I...Want you to wake up so much..."
-
Korius took out the katana as he found two bounty hunters charging him with spears. He quickly hopped up as they lunged in, the spears hitting into the tree and Korius standing on them. Korius ran up the spears and beheaded the first on the left before jumping over them. As he landed, he brought the katana around and decapitated the other spearman. Korius hurriedly ran out of the little thicket and found three more in front of him, one archer, one with throwing knives and a swordsman. Korius sheathed the katana, drawing the twin sai, as he charged them. The archer and knife thrower barraged him with projectiles. As he got closer, the swordsman came at him. Korius blocked the man's downswing and jumped up onto the man's shoulders in a twist, disarming him and sending the sword into the air. As he landed on the man's shoulders, he threw the twin sai, hitting the other two in the arm. Korius grabbed the airborne sword and drove it into its owner's head. He then pushed off and grabbed the sai from the other two before they could recover from the sudden attack and ran the sai through their heads from the chin.
-
Kiana suddenly stomped her right foot down hard on the ground which shot a pillar of rock up somewhere amongst the trees, causing a bounty hunter to fly through the air, screaming the entire time. The hunter landed about five feet in front of her, knocked unconscious from the landing. She walked over to the hunter who she could now tell was female and found one of her daggers in her cloak. Removing the dagger from the cloak, Kiana stabbed the hunter in the chest.
As she stood up, she heard a rustling. Directing her attention towards the noise, she grabbed the branch to her right and pulled herself up into the tree. The dull thud of someone being kicked could be heard before another bounty hunter came down through the branches. Kiana jumped out of the tree as the hunter was getting back on his feet and drawing his sword. He came charging at her and she quickly manipulated the earth to cover her left forearm, shielding her from being cut when she blocked the sword attack and used her left leg to kick the hunter's feet out from under him. She quickly stepped on his sword arm and disarmed him. Picking up the sword, she raised it over him then brought it down on his neck, decapitating him and leaving the sword between his neck and his head.
-
*White looked around everywhere hoping to avoid getting stabbed by an unseen hunter or other enemy* "Crap, there's a LOT of these guys.." "I hope they don't try to team up on me, because I doubt me, my white magic, healing skills, or butterfly knife are going to save me from throwing knives, swords, tactical and/or brute force. If only I was a fast learner on these hands on objectives." *The wolf tried to stay in an open area and waited silently for someone to come back to the starting point*
-
Felodran was busy looking at the dead hunter, trying to identify anything faction specific or at least a clue to who he was. However before he could get any idea, three more hunters charged in, two archers and one greatswordsman, rushing in through the bushes.
Raising shield, Felodran's arm recoiled backwards a little bit as the arrows embedded themselves in shield. The swordsman used the opening to perform a running downwards swing, which was dodged. Felodran went for an overhead chop but the man deflected the blow and gave a swift kick into Felodran's torso. The force of the kick knocked Felodran to the ground, and he barely rose his shield in time to deflect a stab, and he rolled out of the way of another kick.
Getting back on his feet Another arrows whizzed by, and Felodran took initiative, while the other warrior was avoiding his friend's arrows and grappled him, then shoved him to the ground. With the swordsman on the ground, Felodran raised the shield once again to block the arrows and began to run after one of the archers.
-
Entaru watched intently as the hunters came from out of the thicket. One small group stumbled onto the ground covered in glass, and began slipping and sliding on top of it. But that was not it's purpose. It's true purpose came into view as the group practically exploded in a torrent of blood as the glass shot out of the ground and shredded the hunters on top of it.
The now crimson glass shot towards another group of hunters like serpents, impaling the hunters on themselves. The dead hunters hung there like dolls on a tree as the glass tried to seek out more targets. In the bushes, Entaru's face was grim and without pity. He had used up all but a small amount of his magicka to create the trap and now it was hunting for more dolls to decorate itself with.
-
A knife flew at Ferdande while he meditated, his eyes shot open as he heard it whistle through the silent air. He leaned to the right and dodged it; it stuck in the ground behind him. Three figures approached from the night and stood around the fire looking at Ferdande. "You missed him, now we have to lift a finger!" groaned one of them. As they began to draw weapons Ferdande had dragged his foot towards the fire and kicked up a large amount of ash in the air. The figures stumbled back and waved their arms as the ash covered them. Ferdande spun around on the ground and rolled backwards until he landed on his feet. He aimed his arms at the two outer figures and shot them dead with a bolt each to the neck. The last one finished dusting himself off and saw his comrades were dead and charged at Ferdande with a thrust of a short sword. Ferdande unraveled a thin cable from behind him and let the man charge him; he wrapped the man's arm up as he spun around behind him dodging the blow.
Ferdande pulled on the cable and the man's arm was forced behind his back twisted. The man dropped his weapon in his hand and with his free hand drew a small dager and swung at Ferdande. The attack was dodged and the man's other hand was wrapped up aswell in the same manner as before. Completely helpless the man paniced as Ferdande approached him. He wrapped the cable around the man's neck slowly and tightened it cutting off his airsupply. Ferdande continued to tighten the cable and the man's neck was snapped as a result. Having won the battle Ferdande wound back up the cable and put out the fire that was barely lit as it is then got back ontop of the carriage and rode off once again.
-
Korius turned from his position and watched the fight unfold. A fairly small band of hunters, but large for that circle of people. It was good that they didn't expect anyone else but Korius and Kiana, they have the element of surprise. Korius picked up two throwing knives and ran over back to the camp. Before getting within White's sight, he threw the knives, nailing an assailant that snuck up behind White. Korius held out the sai and stood by White, scanning the area and watching as the others killed their share. "Remember White. You're going to need to learn that spell soon. Even if it's just a shield barrier, it's better than no barrier at all. You'll get to it soon enough, but you need to make some progress!" He grabbed his bag back from White and settled back down to relight the fire. The fighting had stopped, and Korius didn't bother to say anything, he just wanted to relax. As the fire took momentum, Korius sat back against a different tree that wasn't covered in blood and continued to pick at the metal bar. Now everything felt right. Just needed a change of scenery...
-
Kiana glanced down at the body at her feet then stepped over it as she walked back over to the fire that Korius had lit. Sitting down by the fire, she held her staff in both hands lengthwise, examining it to make sure there was no blood on it. She set her staff in her lap and lowered her hood. Untying her braid, she shook her hair out and ran her fingers through it, re-braiding her hair once it had been smoothed out. She watched the fire as she braided slower than usual since she was in no hurry, her golden eyes shimmering.
-
*White just sort of nodded to Korius and gently laid down on some grass* "Thanks for the help Korius." *The wolf took out his scroll and continued his deciphering* "Alright if I put this here and here, I get a scatterplot of glyphs and with some here and here I get clusters, I think if I just do some modifications in my attempts I can make more sense out of the nonsense..." *He stayed determined as he continued his reading*
-
Felodran kept running as arrow after arrow pelted his shield, and when he was close enough he went for a lunging stab on the archer he was running at, which he just couldn't defend against in time. The man slumped over on his blade, and just in time too, the other archer was preparing to fire. Felodran turned and hid himself behind the dead man, hating himself for doing so, but it's survival...
After the bowman finished his volley, Felodran pulled his blade from the dead man's stomach and gave a swift running kick to the knee of the other archer. This man was more proficient in defending himself as he hopped backwards from the kick and drew a shortsword. Since there was no time to gather his shield, Felodran parried a stab towards his gut, and punched the archer in the face to stumble him, then slashed open his stomach. The man screamed and hit the ground, crying in pain, and then blacking out.
However he had left the swordsman alive, who had more then enough time to kill Felodran. The man had watched Felodran battle the two archers, and now raised his sword with quaking hands.
"Leave... and do not return... if you do you will live to see another day. If not you'll end up like these two friends of mine" The man took a step backwards, then tossed his sword down and high tailed it out of the thicket.
Felodran knelt by the dying man, and stabbed him to end his suffering, then cleaned his sword on his tunic.
"Now to get to the others..."
-
Ferdande kept driving down the road; after awhile of it he noticed a man walking along the side of the road. Not wanting to take any chances he reloaded his wrist crossbows before he passed him. As he did pass he noticed he was human, he also seemed quite battle ready. Though his curiousity about him was high Ferdande ignored the man and just kept on going hopping not to draw any unneeded attention to himself.
-
Korius woke up the next morning feeling very groggy, but somehow refreshed with the smell of rotting blood in the air. He shook his head, trying to suppress himself. That's something that's been harder to suppress since Koara's demise. However, the last thing he needed was his party to know this early in hunt. He got up as usual and went through the dead bodies while everyone still slept. It was particularly muggy this morning and the sun was yet to rise. Korius found Shims, for the most part and a decree bounty scroll on each hunter. Apparently very broke hunters. Sure enough, only two scrolls on each person, one of him and one of Kiana. He sighed as he finished his pillaging. This is pathetic. Over 20 bodies and not even a Guilder's worth of Shims, and not even a weapon is sellable from this lot. Well, hopefully we'll still make the rest of this journey in peace.
-
Kiana awoke to an uncomfortable feeling that only a muggy day could bring to her. She sat up without opening her eyes and stretched her arms into the air above her head. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around the campsite as she sat there Indian-style. She noticed that everyone else was still sleeping, except for Korius who was missing. She didn't worry about this fact though and stood up, standing on her tiptoes to stretch out her legs. She bent down, picking up her staff, then walked a little bit away from where the others were sleeping but where she could still see them and be seen so no one thought anything had happened to her. She began practicing Judo Jo Kata, using her staff instead of a Jo.
-
*White yawned and stretched his legs then sat down again on the grass and pulled out his scroll talking aloud* "I think this scroll is starting to make sense... if that makes any sense? I think I'm making progress through it." *He grinned and then his face returned to a neutral appearance as he looked back down at the scroll and went back to work reading away, occasionally looking around to make sure no one was trying to sneak up on him again* "Just a bit paranoid after Korius saved me from near death last night... heh."
-
Entaru woke up and yawned loudly. He looked about, with half-shut eyes, at the others disdainfully. The others' shuffling about had woken him up in the middle of a nice dream about the waitress from the Inn, and he was a bit sore about it. "Do you people have something against sleep? We've been going from sun up to well beyond moonrise every day now. Can't we, for once, just sleep in? Yeesh."
Entaru rolled over and tried to fall asleep again, only to have the sun peek over a tree and hit him in the face. "Gah! Blast it all!." Entaru sat up rubbing his sore eyes. "Alright! Fine! I'm up!"
-
Ferdande stiffled his curiosity and managed to keep driving without incident down the road. As he rode he thought he heard someone complaining, he shrugged it off and kept going. As the sun peered through the carriage's windows Alexia woke up. She noticed she was practically ontop of Drevo, feeling embaressed she quickly got off him; her face turning red. Drevo was still breathing slightly as she checked to make sure she didn't smother him by accident in her sleep. Remembering she was still naked from when they stopped at the checkpoint she decided to get dressed. As she put on her skirt something grabbed her arm. She looked and saw it was Drevo, still lying down with his head tilted examining her. "Don't..." said Drevo in an erotic tone. "D-Drevo...I-" Before she could finish Drevo pulled a knife from under his pillow and lunged forward at Alexia. She woke up; breathing deeply as she assured herself it was just a dream. After a minute or so her breathing went back to normal. She looked over Drevo and saw he was still unconscious; she leaned over to his head and slid her hand under his pillow. She felt around and found nothing; after that she dressed herself and sat normally in the carriage looking over at Drevo.
-
Korius put the coins into his extra pouch and stuck it into his gi. As he got back to the camp, the Szardas had also just woken up and were ready to go. He noticed everyone was up, particularly Entaru, as well and sighed as he watched sun rise up past the horizon. I wonder if that old fart has an down lever for that mouth of his?[/i] Korius took in the morning air and breeze breaking through the muggy atmosphere, and took a deep breath. "Okay, you lot. It is time to proceed. Let us try to minimize our travel time, eh?"
-
Kiana stopped her Judo Jo Kata practice when Korius came back and spoke to them. She tilted her head slightly then looked around before looking back at the group. "Okay...is it just me or did anyone else just hear a carriage?" She questioned, looking from person to person. It seemed like no one else had heard it but maybe they had just thought nothing of it.
-
*White jumped up at the sound of the carriage rolling by and quickly hid the scroll in his cloak* "I hear that too Kiana." "And they are not catching me off guard again this time today!" *White did a small jog towards Korius and stayed by his side* "At least with you, I know it's difficult to get kidnapped, stabbed, assassinated, or shot at. I'm ready to travel anytime now, I don't want to stick around in this same location forever as the smell of blood in the air will surely bring more trouble soon... or at least I can only hope I'm wrong." *A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head to sit atop his right ear after finishing his small proposal*
-
Vladimir looked up, ear cocked to the sound of the carriage... he gave a short slap across the back of his sons head, who had been yawning widely and not paying attention
"Not paying attention will get you killed..."
Kitt mumbled grumpily under his breath, his shortsword already sliding halfway out of its sheath; tail flicking rapidly as he pushed his rangers cloak to one side to allow the fast drawing of his weapon.... His father mimicked him, though he pulled out two long curved blades that had until now been hidden in small holsters strapped to his lower legs, just underneath his cloak... Throwing both blades up and catching them, blade down he waited for Korius to make the decision of what to do....
-
After the dirty business of killing the bounty hunters had been done, Felodran sat up against a tree and tried to sleep, however the stench of the other dead hunters kept him awake. Eventually, he finally got used to the smell, and was about to doze off.
Unfortunately for him, Kiana noticed a carriage in earshot, and his eyes bolted open, exhaustion settling over him. Painfully, he used his broadsword to pick himself up, and to remain steady, and he hobbled over to a nearby bush, and peeked his face close enough to see through the gaps of the leaves, but not so much to be visible.
-
Entaru, still rubbing his aching eyes, clambored into the bushes. Whether they were to fight or flee was up to Korius, but hiding always proved useful in either scenario. Sometimes being a coward had its up sides. You always know where the enemy is going to look, so you find somewhere they wont. For ambushes or for escape, hiding is always good. Entaru reached into his cloak and pulled out one of the glass orbs again. As he tried to put magicka in it he realized that he still had none.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me..." Another downside to his disease. His magicka regeneration had become tempermental with the progression of the illness. That's why he tried to find ways to minimize magicka costs, like using the MagnifryerTM. It cost practically no magicka but did serious damage. Unfortunately he had used all of his magicka yesterday on his Pain TreeTMspell, fighting the hunters.
He would be useless if Korius decided to fight.
-
As Ferdande drove along he looked about the treeline suspiciously. A pair of legs protruding from a bush put him on edge. "Alexia, stay on your guard, I don't have a good feeling about this area..." he said halfway looking back. Alexia was nodding off when she heard Ferdande; she covered Drevo up to his head with his blanket which was drooping over the side of him. She then grabbed a bottle of water, keeping it close as it would be her only means to fight. Ferdande kept driving remaining alert, constantly scanning the treeline for anything he deemed an incoming threat.
-
Korius listened intently, "Make it for the thicket and duck out of sight, this is not the time we want a skirmish. For all we know, they might just be merchants, but I'm not taking that chance. We need to make it to the Castle on time." Korius went back into the little thicket and hit behind the trees and bushes. He signaled the others to follow. This better not be a patrol. If we were to be in another skirmish now... there's no way I can control IT.
-
Kiana nodded and moved into the thicket. She sat down on the ground and waited until they would be able to move on. "Guess I should have kept my mouth shut. I hate waiting." She thought to herself. Using the bottom of her staff, she drew designs in the dirt to occupy herself while they waited for the carriage to move out of the area.
-
*White stopped talking seeing that Korius and Kiana did not want to give away their location* "Alrighty then, don't want to be the guy to give us up. The talking ends and the thinking begins... hmm I wonder how much longer till I can decipher this scroll completely?" *He seemed quizzical of himself and began watching Kiana draw on the ground, he bid his time in fascination wondering what the designs meant or pondered perhaps they were simple doodles*
-
Both Szardas followed Korius into the thicket, Kitt kept his repeater crossbow loaded, and his father kept both blades drawn as they waited... Kitt sat down opposite Kiana, he lay his crossbow across his lap and watched her draw in the earth curiously. His father watched his son with mild amusement, smiling to himself...
"Dad... what do...?"
Kitt looked up to Vladamir and started to ask a question, before his father put one finger to his lips, hushing him... Kitt looked down, embarassed at having forgoteen to keep quiet already. His father shook his head in bemusement, looking back up with both blades drawn and ready...
-
Felodran slunk back from the bushes, and into the thicket. Glancing around, he inspected the corpses of the previous hunters.
"If these guys are Kin, then we're fine.. but if they are human... they could smell the bodies..." He thought to himself. Then it hit him.
The man he let live could've came back with help. Felodran facepalmed and just sat against a tree. His merciful decision could create an unnecessary battle for the party. Felodran used the down time of waiting, and propped himself against a tree.
"Good night....." He said before dozing off, being awake all night had drained him fully, and now was sleepy time.
-
Ferdande heard a small amount of rustling in the surrounding bushes, he quickly zipped his mask closed and put his hands togather. Even though he could not see, he was now able to sense energy signatures. He began to look around, he noticed a few figures in the treeline. Two of them stood out the most, one was glowing a dark green color while the other a bright white. There was three more figures, but they were barely glowing at all, though one was still brighter than the other three. Ferdande kept an eye on them as the carriage kept following the road. When he looked infront of him he noticed several dim glowing figures in the distance. He unzipped his mask and his vision returned to normal, noticing a group of people standing in the road ahead. "Alexia, get ready, we might have a fight on our hands, I think we're about to be ambushed so you need to protect Drevo if anyone gets passed me." said Ferdande loudly to let Alexia know. "No ones going to get him while I'm here!" said Alexia from inside. They continued to ride along and reached the the group of people on the road.
Ferdande stopped and the group of people surrounded the carriage. "You there, give us your belongings or we'll kill ya!" shouted one of them pointing a knife at Ferdande. Ferdande looked around, ignoring the man's demand. He counted twelve in total, four crossbowmen, two spear users and the rest either had shields and short swords or knives. Ferdande was clearly outnumbered and knew more powerful enemies were hiding nearby waiting for the perfect time to strike. "You deaf or just have a death wish?" said the man again waving the knife impatiently. Ferdande jumped out of his seat and ontop of the carriage. All the men around him were startled at his sudden movement. The crossbowmen aimed their weapons at him. He quickly extended his arms and shot two bolts into the chests of two of the crossbowmen killing them. As he did that they remaining ones opened fire on him. He leaped into the air doing a corkscrew and drawing his bow. He shot a few arrows which found two targets, a man with a sword and shield and another with a knife as he landed on the shoulders of the man that pointed the knife at him. He jabbed the bladed edge of his bow into the man's chest before jumping off of him. The fight had now begun...
-
Korius came out as the carriage left past them, down the road. He felt it, a person who uses chakra was on that carriage, but they left without a hitch, so he felt safe. "Alright, you lot, let us get moving. Lucky for us, that carriage is staying on the main road, heading north to town. Let's continue west towards the Castle. If you wish, we can stop by a village on the way. There is a small settlement of once-refugees about a day from here. If we hustle, we can make it by morning tomorrow, now move." Korius didn't want to mention the potential danger that had just passed by them. Ninjas are dangerous. He knows, because he served under one. Koara had proved that, even in early or old age, ninjas were not to be trifled with. They were rare, but strong, like Ki martial artists and Mages. All rare, but powerful. Ki-martial artists can only sense Chakra users, and magic-users can only sense each other. But Chakra users can sense either party. Thankfully, there are only a handful left in all of Gaia.
-
Kiana stood and ran her right foot through the dirt, wiping out her designs. She moved out of the thicket to stand next to Korius. Glancing down the road, she saw that the carriage was now out of sight. "'Thank you for possibly saving our hides, Kiana.' Oh, no problem. It's the least I could do." She said dramatically, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she played out actually getting thanked. "Well, everybody, someone's being awfully pushy so we best not test his patience." She commented as she started to move West like they were supposed to.
-
*White didn't really think much of the current issue between Korius and Kiana as he was very focused on his private objective of discerning the possible deciphers of the scroll* "Just a bit more time, every minute I get into this parchment, the closer I am to helping my party. I cannot fail Korius as if I did I would not prove any use on this journey and thus not receive any sort of benefit from this venture, maybe even the only loss being my own death." *He stopped standing there like a zombie and kept moving, following behind Korius and Kiana, he took one last look behind him just to make sure the coast was clear and continued onward*
-
Felodran kicked his leg a little yawning.
Apparently he was having a bad dream.
"No dad leave me alone! MOTHER NEVER STOLE THE GUILDERS DAD!!! He yelled before falling from his sitting position a little.
"What're you doing?... the Constable!?!? I WON'T LET YOU!!!"
In his dream he was yelling at his step-father, who was taking his mother on suspicion for stealing his drinking money on things a typical family needs to survive, none of which included booze. He wasn't really even a step-father.. just an old friend of his mother's now turned crazy drunk
Dream Felodran was just eight years old back then, and his hair was a lot shorter. While his step-father just laughed in his face, his breath reeked of mead.
"What're you gonna do about it Sonny!!! Your just a kid... and I'm a grown man.... ahahhaha!" He laughed, almost losing his balance. Felodran red raged, grabbed the sword off his step-father's belt and stabbed him with it.
As the man started gurgling and falling to the ground, Felodran fell to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes.
Back in the real world, Felodran was crying, the screams of his terrified mother as she tried to speak to her dying friend. The guilt, the pain he caused her, to protect her? That one question kept nagging Felodran throughout his years, and it still does occasionally.
His nightmare interrupted his brief sleep, and he rubbed the tears and exhaustion from his eyes. Standing up and yawning, he headed off to where he assumed the group was... he couldn't be more wrong. All he saw was a carriage surrounded by bandits.
-
Entaru kept in step with the others. He had no intention of being left behind. He walked up besides White and looked at the scroll over his shoulder. It was completely blank to him but that didn't mean the kid couldn't read it eventually. "You know kid, maybe you're reading it upside-down. I remember spending nearly a year on a single scroll, only to find that I had been holding it wrong the whole time." He laughed to himself and looked ahead of them. "Whoop! Pothole!" He jumped over a large hole in the ground and realized that White was heading straight for it.
-
Ferdande landed on the ground and strung up two more arrows and shot them into the chest of a charging man. The man dropped revealing a bolt soaring right at him. Ferdande was caught right in the chest by the bolt. Ferdande's body exploded into a cloud of smoke; surprising everyone around him. "Where'd he go?!" shouted the one who shot him. Suddenly Ferdande darted out of a bush and slit the crossbowman's throat as he darted by. He was heading for the next crossbowman when the two spearmen came from around the carriage and cut him off. Ferdande quickly leaped over them into a corkscrew as he let loose his cable which lassoed the spears as he landed behind them. He yanked on the cable and the spears came with them. He grabbed the two spears, one in each hand as he ran at the crossbowman who was aiming at him. The man shot and Ferdande used one of the spears in combination with running up the carriage to vault through the air dodging the bolt. Ferdande spun with one spear left and chucked it at the crossbowman; it nailed him in the chest as Ferdande landed on the ground wrapping up his cable. He finished and stood straight up with his hands togather infront of his face and his eyes closed. As the remaining seven men surrounded him, one crossbowman left aiming right for Ferdande one shouted. "Look, he's praying!" The men began to laugh wildly.
Ferdande's eyes opened quickly, his eyes glowing a fiery blue and hands glowing blue as he reached for his cable. The men charged him as he whipped his cable out; the cable began to glow a bright blue as he whirrled it around in the air at high speeds. He spun a short amount of it around, it cut off one of the men's arms; before he could even scream he was decapitated. Ferdande then extended the length of it and whirrled it around low to the ground severing both legs of two men. He then jumped into the air spinning; the cable twirling around as he neared the last crossbowman. The cable cut him diagonally across his torso; seconds later the man split in two and fell to the ground. Ferdande regained his footing and looked over at the remaining three men; still spinning his cable over his head. The men quickly ran away; towards Feldoran as he approached. Ferdande walked towards Feldoran, decapitating the legless men as he did. He then positioned himself between Feldoran and the carriage, spinning his cable as he glared at him with his fiery blue eyes. "For an ambush, I'd say you were a bit late, and I sensed more of you, you should tell them to come out so I can kill you all and be on my way."
-
Korius turned to Kiana after her statement got pretty much got up in her face. "Listen up, you bloody tart! We are in no condition to fight right now, and all you bloody did was sit on your arse poking at the ground! That carriage that passed by contained a serious threat! Oh, and mind you, if not for me, you'd be so lost, you wouldn't know which direction you came from! Now I can put up with your silent attitude, the bloody dragon lover with an identity crisis, a dragon that has its time of the month every day, the grumpy old fart that won't shut up, the extremely perverted idiot who's skills are about as well off as his wallet, the biggest twit who also happens to be the last white mage, and an idiot knight who doesn't know his hands from his feet. But I will NOT be patronized by a perverted old maid who can't even keep her eyes off of men when they change their shirts!" Korius stomped off due west and could hear the commotion going on, on the northern road, but he refused to give it attention. Those men won't last anyways. That ninja will tear them all apart, limb from limb.
-
Kiana didn't even blink as she stood there and took in his words. A smirk played on her lips as she listened to him overreact. When he stormed off, she followed after at a normal pace. "And all this time I thought I was the only girl left in the group." She said after him. "But if that's how you take somebody teasing you a tiny bit, then I guess I was wrong." She looked back at the others following behind then forward again. "I bet everyone was thinking I would have clocked you upside the head without a word after that and maybe I should because you shouldn't get special treatment. But I just thought you might like to know that the way I helped was by hearing the carriage in the first place when no one else was paying attention like they were supposed to be and then kept my mouth shut so I wouldn't be heard. What else am I supposed to do while I'm waiting for a threat to pass by? Dance and sing a pretty little tune to entertain the troops? I don't think so." She made exaggerated hand gestures and spun in a circle while she walked to emphasis her questions then dropped her hands quickly to emphasis her last sentence. "And if you're thinking that we're in no condition to fight then why were you yelling when that is fighting. That's kind of hypocritical." She tilted her head. "And yes, for Gaia's sake, I glanced at you when you changed your shirt way back whenever! Big deal! I may glance at guys when they look good without a shirt, and yes, you did, I'll admit it. But at least I'm not one of those girls who stare with their mouths hanging open, drooling. That's just not me. And if you're still thinking about that, then I think you actually liked being looked at." She shrugged, then went silent. That was probably the longest she'd talked continuously in her whole life.
-
*White nodded to Entaru and looked at the scroll from different directions but he soon forgot about the scroll as he burst out chuckling as soon as he heard the last part of Kiana's speech about her looks at guys* "Sorry but this whole argument makes me laugh inside..." *He stopped short realizing he was probably about to get two wicked stares of hatred at once* "Ehehehe.... oops." *White whistled a tune and kept reading his scroll, strolling over to a tree and not daring to look at either Korius or Kiana*
-
Vladimir Szarda walked alongside the rest of the group quietly... so far Korius hadnt said anything about incompetent rangers, and hopefully if he kept quiet it would stay that way... Kitt followed alongside his dad, attempting to stay quiet, not get in anyones way and unload his repeater crossbow; all of which are very difficult to do if your twelve years old...
Suffice to say Kitt failed at all three things at once, when, after trying to unload the bolt from his crossbow; had slipped over, tripped up his father and fired the crossbow bolt into a nearby tree with a viscious ~twang~...
The young feline gave a loud yelp and jumped back to his feet...
-
"For an ambush, I'd say you were a bit late, and I sensed more of you, you should tell them to come out so I can kill you all and be on my way."
"What? Ambush? Listen buddy... I just woke up from being awake all night and day, standing guard for some people... who I think ditched me... Ya got any water?" Felodran asked groggily. From the look on his face it was obvious he was really tired. After all he could barely stand as it was.
His eyes lazily drifted over to the cable-whip that Ferdande wielded, and then back at Ferdande himself.
"Whoever this guy is... he's crazy... ruthless... and utterly lethal... better not piss him off"
-
Entaru rubbed his ears and looked at White curiously. "What're you laughing at boy? I didn't hear anything." That was a lie of course. On the outside he looked clueless, but inside was bursting with laughter. His lip twitched slightly as he restrained the urge to laugh out loud. White's reaction afterward didn't help either. Entaru lowered his head so his cowl covered his face as he grinned ear to ear (which is hard for any Kin). He would be given away, however by his shaking shoulders as his defenses against laughter dropped one by one.
-
"Don't play me for a fool! I know you have more friends hiding around!" said Ferdande continuing to whirl the cable around. "Tell me who you ar-" As he spoke he heard the carriage door opening slowly. Ferdande quickly returned to normal and put his cable away as he dashed to the door. It was too late, Alexia stepped out and saw the bloody mess that was left behind. She shuddered at the sight, eyes wide open as she looked around until she saw Ferdande, and behind him aways Feldoran. "Alexia...Please get back inside...I don't need you to see what's next..." said Ferdande solemly. "What's next?! No, Ferdande! Enough! Please don't kill anymore!" cryed Alexia. Ferdande nodded and got Alexia back inside. He then climbed up onto the driver's and turned the carriage around, he knew going the opposite way he would have less enemies. As he began to ride he stopped next Feldoran and looked down at him. "She saved your life..." he said darkly.
-
Korius turned and slapped Kiana with the back of his hand. "Know your place, woman. If not for the Mistress' last request, I would have killed you for your attitude. This little private war we're having has already cost me my only friend. I don't need pompous little brats to incriminate me. I personally still question how people like you lot can be the Chosen, but I follow Koara's will without fail, be glad the sovereignty of the last good Guardian falls on you." His eyes were filled with rage now, the toll of losing Valius and Koara now stacked on his heart, knowing that he has to be the leader now. Korius's attention was then distracted as he saw the carriage not even 100 meters from their position. Dammit... can't have him following us.j Korius drew the twin sai, "We'll discuss this later. Anyone who can't fight, stay back." Korius ran straight for Ferdande at full speed, clipping a small chain onto both twin sai and threw one directly at him.
-
Kiana snarled. Hitting her was crossing the line. He was lucky he ran off to fight because she had been prepared to punch him square in the jaw. "We'll discuss nothing! Have fun fighting your big threat without me!" She shouted after him. Walking over to the tree near her, she grabbed the lowest branched and lifted herself up. Sitting on the branch, she would watch the fight. Sure she said that he'd have to fight without her, but if she needed to fight to save his ungrateful hide at some point then she would. He'd be paid back at a later point for slapping her and calling her a pompous little brat, which she was not even close to being one.
-
*White saw the carriage and then Korius running towards it, then watching Kiana leave out of spite* "Oh crap!" *He twisted his head around looking in like six different directions* "Aghhhh!!! Which way to go? Woah, hey, where, do, I, go?!?!" *He looked around deciding and then finally just ran in a random direction and hid behind a tree* "Alright alright alright... I'll just... stay low for awhile... and then when it's over... do something."[/i] *He was terribly afraid of his situation and was basically holding himself together to stay somewhat aware of his surroundings while being worried to death* "I have a feeling this is a more serious threat since it's only one carriage... but Korius seemed very worried."
-
Vladimir loaded up his repeater crossbow, running after Korius to provide cover fire... Kitt struggled to get back to his feet, and reload his crossbow at the same time... a difficult task for the most trained of rangers, and for someone so young was destined to fail from the start...
"Kitt! Get your tail over here boy!"
Vladimir looked back to see Kitt struggling with the crossbow, for once he seemed annoyed at the child... Kitt got to his feet having finally loaded the crossbow and caught up with his father, panting.....
"I'm here..."
-
Felodran yawned again as he silently thanked the woman. "You sure you don't have any water...." He asked again, eying the ninja.
His eyes opened up as he glanced and saw a Sai hurtling towards Ferdande, waking up, and taking out his shield, he caught the weapon in the shield, then dropped both and raised his hands in protest. "KORIUS?!!" He exclaimed, genuinely surprised that his party returned after ditching him.
"Woah wait wait wait! They're not hostile calm down!" he yelled, desperately hoping that is Korius listens to him only once in his life, that time better be now, because he really didn't want Ferdande to think he set him up for an ambush.
-
If Feldoran hadn't stopped the sai, Ferdande might have been killed. Knowing that he felt he should let him live until he had taken care of his new opponents. "Alexia! Protect Drevo, we have more enemies!" shouted Ferdande loudly just before launching both his wrist crossbows at Korius. And as he did that two copies of himself leapt out from behind a bush on both sides of Korius. One headed off Kitt and Vladimir as the other came at Korius from his left, both of them wielding two hidden blades. Ferdande then jumped onto the carriage and strung up three arrows on his bow and pointed them to the right of Korius, anticipating his only move to make. For Korius, it was check mate, no possible way he wouldn't get hit.
-
Korius pulled the sai back by the chain and quickly holstered them He growled as he watched the events unfold. Kage-Bunshin. Dammit! I guess it can't be helped now. Before the clones struck and Ferdande shot, Korius closed his eyes and then felt a surge of beastly nature take over him, having lain dormant inside him for years. He slammed his fist into the ground and it created a shockwave that knocked the Szardas back and the clones into a tree and a boulder, and deflecting the arrows. Korius looked back up, his eyes now a dark crimson red, like the whites of his eyes were stained with blood. He had sworn to never use his Ki ever again, but it seems that it can no longer be helped. "I'm going to make you pay 10 fold for this!" From that point on, Korius lost control of himself, and a wicked smile replaced his normally solemn face. From where he stood, Korius merely threw a punch into the air towards the carriage, but his Ki made a shockwave that traveled its path and broke off a half of the wooden carriage.
-
Kiana watched from the tree in silence. "Well...that's interesting..." She said to herself, even though she actually sounded completely uninterested. She thought she heard the stranger say the name 'Drevo' but brushed it off as nothing. After all, what did she care if that guy was back anyway? It's not like he was one of her favorite people in the world anyway, not even close. Her tail flicked around as it hung down from the branch while she watched, still furious. She didn't care that her tail was hanging down either. She was sitting in plain sight on the branch anyway, no other branches or leaves hiding her from view. It wasn't like she was trying to hide, just avoiding helping as much as possible.
-
*White listened in from his hiding place* "Oh no, Korius doesn't sound too good... well not like I can really do anything anyways." *He almost said in a bored tone of voice as he pulled out his scroll* "Well I'm just gonna read until it's over probably." *White placed it down before him and just kept reading* "I should probably be a lot more scared or concerned, but not like I can help even if someone was about to kill me."
-
Both Szardas where nocked off their feet with the blast form Korius, the crossbow bolt that was meant for Ferdande went wide as Vladimir Szarda was flung off his feet... the crossbow bolt instead found its mark in the chest of the first copy of Ferdande with a loud and sickening ~thunk~...
Kitt tried to jumped back to his feet and charge in once more, only to find someone had grabbed hold of his hood and was pulling the youngster back...
"Snap out of it Kitt! This fight isnt for you.. wanna get yourself killed?!"
Kitt hung his head in shame, shaking it lightly...
"Good... now stay here, alright?"
-
Entaru, who was farther away from the blast, kept his ground but only after sliding around 10 ft. He scowled as he watched the battle. Gritting his teeth he thought to himself What is wrong with this kid? Can't he ever find a solution that doesn't end in violence? If I had any Magicka, this fight would have stopped in its infant stages. He couldn't help but speak his last thought out loud.
"Moron..."
-
Ferdande jumped away barely before the carriage was blasted in half. Fortunately not the side Drevo and Alexia were on. The rest of the carriage tipped onto it's side and burried them under a pile of rubble. Ferdande landed inbetween it and Korius, then looked back briefly to see Alexia frantically uncovering Drevo's body. "Alexia, get Drevo somewhere safe! This is going to get ugly!" ordered Ferdande. Alexia was clearly struggling with carrying Drevo's dead weight and Ferdande noticed. He quickly made four copies of himself and sent them at Korius to buy him time to channel his energy and Alexia time to move Drevo. The copies went at Korius in a pincer formation, the two inside with their dual hidden knives and the two outer ones with their bows. As they did that Ferdande reached into a small pouch on his sides and quickly loaded two tranquilizer bolts into his wrist crossbows and then ate a small pill. He then quickly put his hands together infront of his face and closed his eyes. I have to take this guy down...Without killing him...Or Alexia will be furious... Ferdande's hands began to glow blue, he took his hands apart and opened his eyes. They were back into their fiery blue state as he reached for his cable and swung around a meter and a half of it as it turned blue. He quickened it's rotation and darted in Korius' direction a little behind his copies.
-
Korius, no longer in his right state of mind, released his Ki through his arms and slashed his arms like swords, extending blades of Ki from his forearms and cutting up the four clones before rushing Ferdande. Before he can fire, Korius clapped his hands hard with all of his Ki, sending a powerful shock wave at him, sending Ferdande through the carriage and Felodran into the two figures trying to escape. Korius then rushed up with the katana drawn, ready to kill Ferdande, but his eyes returned to their normal color and closed, passing out and landing on top of Ferdande, dropping the katana and arms wrapping around him.
-
Kiana hopped down off the branch and walked over casually with her staff in her right hand as usual, not afraid for her life in the slightest as her tail continued to flick back and forth behind her to reflect her bad mood. "Alright, alright. You two have had your little battle." She said as she pulled the passed out Korius off of Ferdande, laying him on his back and not being gentle about it either. "Now before you try to cut my head off with that thing or impale me with arrows, listen. I heard you say the name 'Drevo'...as much as I hate to think about it, he was traveling with us for a little while. I don't know if he mentioned us to you or not and frankly, I don't care, but the fact that he was traveling with us for a time should tell you that there's no reason to fight us." Her voice lacked any hint of emotion and was almost completely monotone as she just looked at Ferdande blankly. "I'm ticked at him and I'd rather not have to fight to save his butt at the moment, but if you continue as you have been, I will take you down myself. So think...do you want him to wake up with only one or even zero friends in the world and do something stupid because of it?" She pointed her staff towards Alexia moving Drevo to indicate the 'him' she was talking about. She could tell he wasn't just sleeping, that he was actually injured very badly. "Or do you want all three of you to live?" Resting the bottom of her staff back on the ground, she just kept an emotionless face as she waited for his response.
-
*White looked up from time to time and then finally saw Korius on the ground and Kiana standing over him looking upon the opponent he had never met* "Well... looks like that's one down, now hopefully she can handle the situation, she always seemed tough enough." *The wolf shrugged and looked back down at his scroll, moving glyphs about and working intently, but somewhat concerned of his surroundings and was finding it difficult to focus*
-
Kitt stood away from the main fight, sulking.... noticing White sitting on his own he walked over and sat opposite him, watching him try to interprate the glyphs and symbols on the scroll.... this too got boring after a little while so he pulled out his shortsword and practiced a few slashes and manoevers half heartedly....
Vladimir caught back up to the main fight, only to realise it may already be over... he stood a few metres back from Kiana and pulled his loaded crossbow to his shoulder in readiness...
-
Ferdande thought for a moment, remembering what Drevo had said about his friends. "There's this Cheetah, with a serious attitude problem and a Wolf who thinks he knows everything...Oh, and the two rangers, I havn't seen them in awhile though. And I can't forget our Cleric, he's a Wolf aswell." Ferdande sat up and looked at Kiana for a moment then looked at Korius while he was passed out. "You...Must be "Kiana"...And that's...Korius, right?" asked Ferdande as he stood up. He then looked behind him and saw Alexia looking over Drevo as she was knelt over him. He quickly ran over to them and knelt down beside him aswell. "Is he alright?!" asked Ferdande as Alexia checked his breathing. As she checked his breathing she noticed he was bleeding; his chest wound had re-opened. "Oh no, he's bleeding again!" shrieked Alexia; almost crying. Ferdande quickly looked over at Kiana. "Where is "White"? He is a cleric traveling with you right?!" he asked frantically.
-
Korius remained unconscious as things transpired around him. He dreamt of the days back during his childhood, back in the monasteries of Vorona. Korius had been one of the few gifted young children taken into the monastery to undergo training. This monastery, like so many others around Vorona, taught martial arts to students from very young ages. However, this particular one trained children who had the potential to use Ki. Korius had been the head of his age group and was his master's favourite. He relived all those grueling hours and years training hard. But there was one small problem.... Korius' Ki was too powerful for his body to handle. Every time he would release his Ki, it would burst out of control and make him go berserk. Korius relived the day that he killed his own master without being able to stop. He then also remembered the day that he lost himself again and had attacked Koara. Thankfully, Koara had been able to take him down, being a Chakra user, and having almost 1,000 years more experience in combat than him.
At his request, Koara had sealed away his Ki away and, for good measure, sealed his body as well by jamming all his pressure points and Ki nerves. Only twice since then, had Korius lost himself into a frenzy. Both times, his Ki expelled at an exponential rate and completely drained in 1 minute, resulting in him passing out, just like this time. Koara had foretold of the day he will have to be unsealed, but Korius had been dreading it and avoiding it, afraid that he would lay waist to the people he had sworn to protect...
-
Kiana nodded, confirming that she was who he said she was and so was Korius. She watched as Ferdande ran over to Drevo and Alexia. "White! Someone is need of your assistance!" She shouted as she turned her head in his direction while pointing to Drevo with her staff again. Resting her staff back on the ground, she turned her head towards Vladimir. "Thanks for being ready to back me up..." She forced a small smile for a second before her mouth went back into a straight line. She glanced down at Korius and narrowed her eyes before she walked over to a nearby tree. Sitting down against it, she used the bottom of her staff to begin drawing in the dirt again.
-
*White jumped up at the sound of his name and ran out into the open quickly seeing Kiana now gone over by a tree and a strange looking man looking desperate* "Does someone need my assistance? I hope someone is dying because I really want to read my scroll still..." *White looked around trying to find his possible reason for distraction* "I wonder if I'm losing my caring touch? Or is it just because I'm so focused on one objective it's like I've forgotten the rest of the world?" *White looked down at Korius again* "Does he need help?"
-
Vladimir nodded to Kiana, forcing a half-smile in return... "Ya can count on me..." Unloading his crossbow he looked around the area, trying to find Kitt... he muttered under his breath "Where is that son of mine?..."
Kitt came running out from the clearing, just behind White.. it seemed waiting around had gotten too boring an he wanted to see what was going on, running up to his father he stuck his tongue out.. .obviously still sulking at having been told to wait behind... A stern gaze from his father set him right in an instant...
-
Felodran was thrown... no launched at Alexia and Drevo. Apparently Korius didn't discriminate between 'enemies' and 'allies'. And now the mercenary warrior was paying for that.
Before he attempted to brace himself, but that did next to zilch to prevent his liftoff from the ground. As he flew he got a faint glimpse of the pair before he smashed into them, unfortunately he kept going, and bounced off the ground abit for landing in a bush.
His limbs positively ached, and his head was spinning. He attempted to stand, but that just made it worse. A few moments of waiting and he at least regained his balance.
"Hey guys..... I'm on your team remember?" He asked before falling back into the bush.
Maybe he was right, maybe these people were evil.
-
Entaru shook his head and walked towards the carriage. Seeing that Felodran was having trouble, he trotted over and helped him out of the bush, using himself to steady him. "You, my boy, have bad luck that is second only to mine. You're gonna have to be more careful if you want to survive this little adventure." Entaru couldn't help but chuckle as he helped Felodran back to the carriage.
-
Korius' dreams went on, showing the days following, he no longer was able to fight as he was once able to. Koara had trained with him day in and day out, getting him used to not being able to use full-power. Korius remembered that at the end of each day, they would sit together and watch the sun set. She told him how he had improved with all his formal abilities sealed away and how much it exponentially made his full-power stronger, when the day would come to release his full potential again. A fear always crept down his spine every time he heard that, always afraid of his power...
-
Kiana scoffed when White asked if Korius needed help. "I'm quite sure he will survive since he only passed out..." She said in a sort of uncaring tone without looking up. "He's the one who needs your help." She pointed her staff towards Drevo again. "The same idiot who was in dire need of your help when we first asked for your services." She grumbled. At this point in time, she wasn't bothered by the fact that White had said that someone had better be dying since he was interrupted. Actually, she barely even noticed that he had said it. She touched her staff to her drawing and a sandcastle rose from the ground. She huffed, unsatisfied with her work, and the castle collapsed into a heap of dirt. Flattening the dirt out with her free hand, she began drawing in the dirt with her staff once again.
-
"Uhh... oh yeah I remember Drevo." *White looked up to notice him and almost seemed somewhat unsurprised by what could have been a heart failing moment* "Well he is pretty damaged, but I can fix him." *He returned to his optimistic tone and ran over to Drevo and kneeled before him* "Alright his chest wound has been pretty messed up again, miss would you kindly keep your distance for a bit so Drevo has some room to breathe? I need a lot of open space so I can work without distraction, otherwise things don't always go so well for me." *White had said to the girl before Drevo, making sure he was on a some fairly flat surface, the wolf then put his paws down on the opened chest and began to administer majicka* "Strange, I guess because I've been practicing with my majicka for ages with that darn scroll I feel much better at controlling the output for my work, I guess this will make things much easier and perhaps enable me to work on more patients before getting exhausted." *White focused without looking away and steadily, he re-closed the chest cavity*
-
Vladimir watched White healing Drevo with interest.... he himself had no magika, but the art had always been a curious pull to him, despite the fact he himself would never have mastery over it...
Kitt stood beside him, with little to none of his father's interest... bored, a childs mind will wander... walking away from the group Kitt sat down cross legged and watched Kiana creating things with her earth magika, this he WAS interested in....
-
Felodran didn't object as Entaru helped him up, but he did have something to say to Kiana and Korius.
"Ok... between Korius launching me at two people we just met and trying to kill me, and Kiana and her promise to remove that ninja guy's friends, I'd have to say your the most evil people in this little spot as of this moment." He said through gritted teeth.
His leg hurt a lot more then he thought, he must've hurt it pretty badly when he bounced off the ground. He almost fell over in pain.
"When you get a chance mage... fix me leg"
-
Entaru nearly lost his balance as Felodran nearly hit the dirt. "Whoop! Careful now. I know I don't make the best crutch but try not to rely on your legs too much at the moment." Entaru helped Felodran into a sitting position on a piece of sturdy wreckage. Scanning over the people he was now in the company of, he sighed. Something in his gut told him that these kids would probably get him and themselves killed.
-
Alexia and Ferdande moved back as requested by White. Though they didn't move too far back so they can watch White work. As Drevo's chest wound wound began to fade away Drevo moved slightly. As the wound disappeared he opened his eyes slowly. He moved his head and looked around, he then sat up quickly with a shocked look on his face. "Where are they?!" he looked at Alexia who was barely holding back tears then to Ferdande. "Alexia, Ferdande, where are my brother and sister?!" Alexia crawled over to Drevo and hugged him, crying while a stupid looked appeared on Drevo's face. "I'm so sorry, Drevo, they stayed behind to fight Elistro to let us get you to safety..." A shocked expression came over Drevo. "Why did you take me away?! I could have saved them!" Drevo pulled Alexia off of him. "Drevo, you would have died, we just wanted to help." "I could have done something more! I could hav-" Just then Ferdande walked over and punched Drevo in the face knocking him to the ground before he picked him back up by the scruff of his neck and standing him on his feet. "Listen, Drevo! We were heavily out numbered! If we stayed we would ALL be dead! There was nothing you could do with your injuries! Kiril and Layala stayed behind so we could live, so YOU could live! Your entire family did, Drevo, they believed you can make a difference! Don't let them die in vein or so help me God I will kill you where you stand!" Ferdande let go of Drevo and he fell to his knees. Drevo sat back down and said nothing more, with a grim and blank look on his face. "You missed his shoulder, White." Ferdande walked away from Drevo and stood idle a little ways from Vladimir.
-
Korius' dreams while unconscious led him to the days he was finally back up to a decent level after getting help from Koara. They had celebrated with a full banquet for the two of them and it was a happy evening. He remembered how beautiful she was in that time, and how warm her embrace was under the covers. Weeks after their celebration was the battle of Chronin's return to the world of the living, when Koara's Sigil was destroyed. Then, the months following, as he took care of her as she rapidly aged with each passing day. Finally, the images of the night that he and the Knights attempted to protect Koara from the other Guardians, but were ordered to flee and find the Chosen Ones to rebel against the coming regime. Everything blacked out and he watched as Koara fell into the darkness, farther away from him, bloodied and helpless. Korius broke out of his unconsciousness and screamed as he reached out, "Koara!!!"
-
Kiana's head snapped up as she heard Korius scream. If anyone was watching her face, they would've seen a momentary look of concern flash across her features when she looked up but it would have disappeared soon after as her eyes narrowed while looking at him. She turned her head to look at Felodran next. "Excuse me? I most certainly did not 'promise to remove that ninja guy's friends'." She threw up air quotes. "I threatened the ninja guy and the girl. I'm not going to kill Drevo just because he stared at me a few times." She rolled her eyes before looking back at the ground again. There were no drawings in the dirt now. Slowly, she started to draw a male cheetah who looked older than herself. She tapped the drawing with her staff. Nothing happened. For a dirt drawing to become a 3D thing, it either needed to completely imaginary or had to be alive. There was no middle ground. You couldn't re-create what was dead. She reached back and slowly pulled her hood up. Looking directly down at the dirt, she ran her hand over the drawing, slowly erasing it as a tear ran down her face hidden by her hood and the fact that she was looking at the ground. She didn't look back up, just stared at the little blank span dirt that couldn't bring her brother back at one of the time's she needed him most.
-
*White finished jumping rather rapidly upon hearing Korius's scream ring through his ears and looked up at Ferdande for a moment then to where Korius laid, and then back at the shoulder* "I was getting around to it, I think you would have rather guaranteed his ability to breathe without blood than his ability to flail his arms about in panic, now hold still Drevo and calm down. Otherwise you'll put yourself in a really bad position, also I'd advise you to not make people angry and punch you at this moment. That little show Ferdande pulled could have re-opened your chest." *White gently put a hand on Drevo's chest and pushed him down flat on the ground and began focusing majicka on the shoulder* "Hold still please, this may hurt a lot since you're conscious now. As I can tell now that I apparently have more work after you, I'd like to make sure I move quickly without error."
-
Vladimir pulled up his hood, isolating himself from the rest of the group... he was of no help at the moment, so simply watched the goings on with mild interest.... he watched his son, sitting a little way off from Kiana, watching her... he shook his head, smirking... that son of his was much too nosey for his own good...
Kitt watched Kiana, when she pulled her hood up he caught the slight glint of a tear, looking down at the now blank patch of earth the young feline pulled out his crossbow, and started cleaning the loading mechanism... he decided for once it was best not to shove his nose in it, and give Kiana the privacy she deserved...
-
As Drevo lay there getting healed he he felt pain from it but showed no sign of it. He just layed there until White had finished, sitting back up afterwards. He then stood up without saying anything and walked off aways from everyone and sat down against a tree alone. Drevo hung his head low with a tear forming in his eye as he sulked. After a minute or so of sitting there alone Alexia came over and sat beside him. "Drevo...?" He said nothing. "I'm so sorry about what happened..." Drevo continued to say nothing. "I'm so so sorry, Drevo!" Alexia hugged Drevo as she started to cry again. "I wish I could have done more. But I couldn't, I was too weak! It's all my fault!" Drevo hugged her back and spoke softly. "No, Alexia...It's my fault and no one elses...It was me who caused the deaths of my entire family..." "Drevo..." He just hugged her tightly as he sat their with her next to the tree.
-
Korius felt cold sweat all over him as he sat up, remembering all that had flashed before his mind when he passed out. He looked back over to where the carriage was and saw White over some warrior. Korius began to yell, but stopped quickly when he saw who White was healing. Aww, hell no. I thought we finally got rid of that joker. Dammit, now we have to put up with him again.
-
Kiana slowly stood up and moved away from the commotion, though still in the open area with everyone else just giving herself some more space. She held her staff in front of her with both hands, staring at the emerald in her staff for a few minutes. She wasn't staring at it for an actual reason though. After she was done staring at the emerald, she started practicing Judo Jo Kata like she had been earlier in the day when she first got up. She needed some sort of release. This would help, if only a little and if only for a small amount of time.
-
*White finished up on Drevo and got up walking to Korius upon the ground and looking at him with some tired eyes* "Hey, do you need some help too?" *White pondered for a moment just sort of looking at him blankly, half hoping he didn't need assistance and recalling that somebody else told him that they needed help, but he was tired and thus forgetful* "I think it was that one mercenary or something, where is he anyways?"
-
Vladimir knelt down beside White and helped him up...
"C'mon.. Felodran's over here.... he's only got in injured leg, so... if you just get a bit o' rest, you can fix im up good..."
The ranger helped guide White over to Felodran and Entaru, making sure the wolf didnt fall over from fatigue on the way...
Kitt watched as Kiana walked away... he sighed and slung his crossbow over his shoulders again.... even his own dad hadnt remembered..... sighing again he rolled over onto his back and watched the clouds scudding across the sky, disapearing at the edges of the clearing where the dark trees engulfed them... not even his own dad.......
-
"Yea my leg just hurts only a little bit... I'll only have problems trying to WALK AGAIN" Felodran hissed at the old man who dismissed his injury as a not too serious injury.
The old man wasn't there, didn't bounce off the ground, he didn't know how badly it hurt, and how hard it was to walk on a leg that felt as it it might snap off from too much pressure.
He turned his head to Korius, who was yelling, in a cold sweat, and just looked like he had a terrible night.
"What's your problem Korius... you just destroyed an entire carriage by using whatever power, and sent me tumbling into the ground a couple times... you should be elated"
-
Entaru flicked Felodran on the forehead. "If you're so injured, maybe you should calm down yourself. If it's as bad as you say it is then getting excited won't help any." Entaru looked over at White and sighed. The kid was using a lot of Magicka to heal their wounds. Hopefully he can regenerate his Magicka faster, otherwise we're screwed if we get hurt again.
-
Drevo leaned against the tree as Alexia leaned on him. "So why did you two come all the way out here? I thought you were in magic school." "I am, but I told them there was a family emergency, my teacher really likes me so she let me go." "I see, that's nice." Drevo stood up and lifted Alexia with him. "C'mon, lets take a walk..." Alexia was a little surprised but she just nodded and walked with. As they walked down the road aways Ferdande slowly followed them, disappearing into the treeline as he went.
-
Korius scoffed at Felodran's comment and found a pebble and flung it like a marble through the air, hitting the sun-visor at the top of the helmet. Clank! Hmmm.. that was actually kind of refreshing. He threw another one. Clank! A smile now crept over Korius' face and the child that had never come out in his life was bursting at the seams. "Felodran! You can't walk, right?" Korius began to search the area around him and made a nice little pile of pebbles between the crook of his arm and his chest. One by one, he shot them, hitting the sun-visor each time. Each time Korius fired one, he would try different positions of shooting and sometimes did trick shots off of Entaru's hood.
-
Kiana was still practicing her Judo Jo Kata when she saw what Korius was doing. Pausing for a moment, she looked in the direction of everyone. "Korius, as much fun as you're having fun at Felodran's expense when I don't particularly like him, why don't you just lay off the guy. I mean, he is injured afterall." She said in an un-enthused tone and then turned her head away. "Though I should be glad you're hitting somebody who is wearing a helmet..." She resumed her Judo Jo Kata. She didn't really care if he stopped or not, or even if he had some stupid comment for her. At least she could say that she stood up for someone in the group.
-
*White looks confused as he is led by the feline to the mercenary* "Ohh... yeah I almost forgot about you... err... what was your name again?" *White scratched his head while looking at Felodran's injury and then quickly crouched in front of Felodran as flying rocks came from behind him* "Holy crap! You almost hit me Korius!... ugh." *White knelt before the mercenary saying quietly* "Hold still please." *He focused his majicka upon the leg and the muscles inside tightened until it felt like a constrictor had taken hold of the man* "It's going to hurt for a bit, just bear with me." *He kept focusing and the muscles inside were by fabric to fabric of muscle tissue slowly repairing together and the bone reforming density and melding itself back until after some small twitches it was restored to normal* "There you go sir."
-
Vladimir looked over at Korius, frowning...
"Thats behaviour is what i would expect of my son... and he's twelve!"
Kitt looked up from where he was sitting, and glared moodily at his father.... Vladimir caught his sons eye and sighed, leaving White to heal Felodran he walked over to his son and knelt down beside him...
"Whats wrong Kitt?... You seem... annoyed today..."
Kitt looked up at his dad from under his hood, seemingly almost at the verge of tears...
"Dad.... you know what day it is right?"
Vladimir raised an eyebrow, smirking... "So thats what this is all about...
With that Vladimir pulled out a thin package wrapped in oilskin from inside his cloak... "you thought i'd forgotten right.... well your old dad doesnt forget anything... go on, open it... you've more than deserved it..."
Kitt took the parcel, and carefully opened it to reveal a shortsword of the unique design wielded by rangers... at the hilt was inscribed, SZARDA... Vladimir took Kitt's old training sword with a smile...
"You remember what i said, that at a rangers 13th birthday he gets his own sword.... well... i reckon you earnt that right... happy birthday kiddo.."
-
"Do you ever stop being a fool, Korius?" Entaru grumbled as he batted away a pebble. "I know you have a brain in there somewhere so why don't you use it on something a bit more constructive than torturing the mercenary." Entaru was getting short tempered with Korius. Not only was the boy reckless in his leadership, but he insisted on being a nuisance when the battle was over.
-
As Drevo and Alexia were far enough to be just a blur to the others Alexia stopped. "What's wrong, Alexia?" As Drevo turned to look at her she looked at him with her face red. "Drevo, can I tell you something?" Drevo was confused at what she might say. "Uh...Sure, you know you can tell me anything." Alexia looked at the ground embarresed. "I...Think I'm in love, Drevo." Drevo was exited for some reason, a happy look jumped onto his face at her words. "Really?! Who is the lucky dog?" He was completely oblivious. "I love you, Drevo!" Drevo was dumbfounded as Alexia came forward and kissed him pushing him back up against a tree. The shock eventually left Drevo and he kissed her back. Unknown to them Ferdande was watching from across the road slightly out from behind a tree with a clenched fist. "Wasting your love on something that can never be..."
-
Korius dropped his pile of pebbles, but shot the last one between Entaru's eyes after his comment. "if you have a problem with me, then do as you wish. However, don't forget who had protected Gaia as the Captain of the Knights. I personally don't like this lot in general, but it's the final will of the Guardian Koara that the Chosen Ones be protected and guided to fulfill their destiny to put an end to the Guardians' tyranny. Follow or not, that will be your decision and yours alone." Korius walked over to White and brought his arm over his shoulder, hefting up the fatigued white wolf. "Careful there, you should consider meditating when you rest. I've heard Ki, Chakra and Majicka are fairly similar to each other." He couldn't say anymore, the mention of the word Ki from his own mouth sent a chill down his spine and he acted as White's crutch and tapped on Kiana's shoulder as he walked on. "It's time to go. You too, Szardas! We have to make it to the Palace soon. We don't want anymore unnecessary conflicts."
-
Kiana automatically stopped and pulled away from Korius touching her. She let him get ahead of her and then followed after, not wanting to walk beside him. She saw Kitt's happiness at receiving his birthday present and smiled slightly, glad to see the kid in good spirits again. Unfortunately, she couldn't make the smile permanent and her lips dropped back into a straight line. She stared at the ground as she walked, watching where her staff tapped the ground every couple steps. "Unnecessary conflicts...right..." She thought to herself.
-
*White nodded to Korius rather weakly* "Thank you Korius." *As he was led on with his leader he looked over his shoulder noticing Kiana keeping herself distant* "Kiana, could you walk with me? I feel more comfortable when you're close. Not just because I know you'd save me, but because you're a fellow majicka user." *He was looking closely at her face then back to Korius and said quietly* "You need to talk to her and make sure she knows you didn't mean what you said, otherwise we are going to have team problems when it matters most. I don't want to see anybody die, so please don't hold a grudge before the Sun is gone, you never know if you'll miss a chance to let go of any troubling thoughts between you and her."
-
Kitt walked slightly apart from the group, under strict order from his father, as he practised with his new sword... the silver blade flashed and hummed as it sliced through the air... compared to his old training sword it was as light as a feather, and superbly balanced... using a rapid wrist flick he spun the sword, the blade glowed a faint blue/silver... he eyed the sword with wide eyes, then back up to his father...
"Its embued with an augmentation of armour piercing... makes it as sharp as anything, and requires no repairing or sharpening.. just like any rangers weapon...."
The young feline looked from his dad to the weapon with awe, sliding the sword back into its sheath he smiled for the first time in ages as he caught Kiana's eye for just a moment.... he mumbled quietly, so only Vladimir could hear...
"Thanks dad..."
-
Felodran seethed with anger as Korius was pelting him with pebbles.
"REAL Mature for a Knight of Gaia to throw pebbles at someone with a broken leg, I can see why they failed at everything they did" He thought with a smile on his face.
He cringed a little bit as the magic contorted his muscles back into the correct shape and formation, and as painful as it was, it was soon over.
After White patched up his leg, he gave it a kick tentatively to test it, and then stood up. Magical healing was always strange, in the fact it took getting used to.
Unfortunately Felodran was not used to having his leg broken one second, and then the next second later it works perfectly. "Feh.. unnecessary conflicts my foot... knowing you Korius we'll kill around 50 more people before the Palace is in sight. Thanks a lot Doc, leg's is as good as new"
-
Entaru glared at Korius as he walked away and rubbed the bridge of his nose where the pebble had struck him. As soon as the main group was out of earshot he turned to Felodran. "C'mon boy, I think they're gonna need our help. No point in trying to change people when its easier just keeping them from getting themselves killed. I'll help you along if you need it...and don't tell me you can walk on your own now, Magicka can only heal so much." Entaru followed the group with Felodran, staying towards the back.
-
As Drevo and Alexia were making out Drevo noticed the group heading their way. He quickly grabbed her and pulled her behind a tree hoping they didn't see them. "Alexia...I have to go soon..." Alexia looked down, a little sad. "Don't worry, we'll see eachother again, some day." As they were talking Ferdande walked across the road to them; holding Drevo's bowstaff. "Come on, Drevo, your friends are leaving and they'll likely leave you too if your hiding back here." Ferdande handed him his weapon. Drevo took it and they all walked out into the road as the group neared. Ferdande stood next to Alexia as they both looked at him. "Goodbye, Drevo, it was good seeing you again." "Bye, Drevo..." Drevo hugged them both at once. "Ah...I'm gonna miss you guys." Drevo let go and they waved to eachother as they left.
-
Korius' mind wandered as they continued onto their destination. Lucky for him, the White mage was malnourished, so he was really light. Korius' thoughts went back to his memories of Koara, and it made his heart ache. Though he was pretty sure it's really laughable that he would fall in love with a woman literally 50 times his age. However, Korius' love for her was true and he will carry out his mission as he was told. Hopefully Chrono and Elistra are alright. I pray you two found the White Diamond in Terra, or rather, survive Terra since it's uninhabited by ANYTHING.
-
Kiana glanced up when White spoke to her, before looking back at the ground and sighing in defeat. She walked up on the side of Korius that White was on. At least White was in between her and the one she didn't even want to be around. "But of course he'll act like everything's fine. Apparently, yelling at women when they're only joking around and hitting them is okay in his book. He doesn't give a damn. Then again, it shouldn't surprise me..." She thought to herself, remembering what his attitude was like the first time she met him. She had thought he had lightened up a bit, now she figured she was wrong.
-
*White looked sadly at Korius as he had ignored his words of advice* "Well... I tried to help." *His hope lightened though when Kiana came beside him* "I'm glad you're here." *He smiled at her weakly as she walked* "Are we going to make camp or look for another town next to rest?" *The tired wolf questioned, not really in particular to either Korius or Kiana, he was just hoping for an answer as they kept going along* "It's been a long day."
-
The two Szardas walked alongside the rest of the group... Kitt kept admiring his sword, practising with it as he walked to the point of almost impaling himself accidentally when he tripped over.... sliding it back in its scabbard he walked alongside his dad, who had been watching his son silently...
"And you thought i'd forgotten... your old man never forgets kitt..."
-
Felodran, understanding that a mage would know how magic affects a body in a healing sort of fashion, accepted Entaru's help in walking.
He still couldn't get over how his leg worked perfectly, where moments before it had been shattered. He glanced up to the exhausted White Mage. He looked incredible tired and malnourished. It was sad, he saved Felodran's leg, but was given nothing in return.
Felodran didn't even have any food or water to supply the man, only a 'thank you' and a smile.
-
Drevo rested he new staff behind his neck as he usually did and casually walked with the group. He was walking more near Entaru and Felodran then the others. Drevo eyed them as he reached their pace of walking. He hadn't reckognised these two, atleast not Felodran. He vaguely remembered Entaru but not his name. He was curious but not in the mood to meet new people and just kept to himself as they went on their way.
-
The next 2 days hikes were all in silence. Korius had ignored the others, and the only time he spoke was to either help White or to tell everyone that is was time to stop or start. Each night, he would continue to pick at the bar of metal like he has been since the journey started. He could feel the others' curiosity at times, but just ignored it, keeping it his own agenda and project. One more day until we get to a village to rest, and then one more to get to the Palace, our second target.
-
Kiana had walked in complete silence for those two days. She didn't speak to anyone. She didn't even look at anyone, just the ground or the area that was ahead of them at the time. The only sound that came from her was her feet against the ground and her staff touching the ground every couple steps as she walked. Each night, she was restless. It was surprising that she was actually able to sleep at all since she would walk around the camp about 20 times each night before lying down on her stomach and watching the fire. Luckily, watching the flames always made her eyelids heavy. "I wish we would just get to the next stupid palace already. I need something to do, need something to lash out everything I feel at." She thought to herself before remembering one important detail. "Oh right, the next Guardian is an air mage...well, at least I'll do better with their minions..."
-
*White looked upon Korius and Kiana as they got to the camp* "This is not good... his face tells the tale of mission before companionship, Kiana's looks of frustration, anger, and sadness.. Korius will probably not speak with me unless he has to and I don't really want to bother Kiana, but maybe I can at least cheer her up a little bit." *The wolf moved from his spot on the ground and inched over to Kiana*
"Hey Kiana... I just wanted to talk to you for a little bit." *He kneeled beside her and began to speak loud enough so only Kiana would hear without disturbing the other party members* "I've been healing people for many years whether it be physical, near death or even emotional and spiritual damage.. and from experience I can tell you haven't looked very good spiritually even before we left my hometown, but now that there has been some shared conflicts here lately I would have to say it is now inherently emotional too." *The nervous wolf scratched the back of his head then continued* "I have heard you mention your brother in sadness, your past seems to be a shadow untouched, and now you stay separated from your companions in this unlikely group in a constant anxious state. If you would like I could help with your pain, talking with someone helps more than people frequently imagine. Even some of the toughest mercenaries I have met have down times... I'm not saying you have to talk to me either, I'm just suggesting it because it could help you rest easier." *After finishing his long speech a bead of sweet rolled down the side of his head* "I hope she takes it well... I try not to be condescending when I know I definitely have no higher status than any other ordinary citizen out there."
-
The two Szardas kept themselves to themselves during the hike... rangers by nature prefered to be alone, unless amongst other rangers.... Vladimir sparred with Kitt, training him in the proper use of his new sword, and occasionally helped him to train with his bow as well... The young feline made steady progress, despite still being over-cocky in his fighting style....
When they set up camp, the two slept with the main group, and Kitt always slept nearer to Kiana then his dad.... Vladimir watched as White whispered to Kiana, Kitt was already snoring beside the fire... it was a wonder the kid could keep up with the pace set by the adults... but he managed.... rolling over the youngster mumbled in his sleep, before snoring again... Vladimir smiled internally, before laying down to sleep himself...
-
Felodran had trouble getting accustomed to his 'new' leg at first, but with practice came conformity.
He could almost walk on it normally now. There were still times where it felt incredibly awkward to walk, but those would cease soon enough. During the night, he watched Kiana prance around the camp, wondering what must be making her so restless. He put his thoughts aside as he grabbed a cloth, rubbed it in his special cleaning oil, and started to clean his broadsword. It had been covered with a lot of blood as of late, and some of it hadn't come off.
-
Entaru, not seeing a point in rambling, had kept quiet most of the trip. Sure he would complain occasionally, mostly about his aching feet, but he didn't want to bother anyone. He wanted to help White with the scroll, but he couldn't even see the writing. Kiana and Korius weren't options, as neither of them had seemed a bit friendly towards him as they traveled. The rangers had kept to themselves...but that was just who they were. This new Drevo fellow didn't seem to eager to talk either. So far the closest thing he had gotten to talking to people was helping Felodran around, and with him being a warrior of the sword rather than one of the word...well, let's just say it made it hard to relate to him.
One evening, while they were sitting around the campfire, Entaru suddenly started coughing as a bolt of pain went through the right side of his chest. The illness hadn't been bothering him for the last few days but now it had come back with a vengeance! His right lung now paralyzed, Entaru collapsed to the ground struggling for air. He beat on his chest with his left hand, as his right was useless as well.
-
Through the days he traveled with them Drevo hadn't said a word. When they rested he generally sat away from everyone, particularly to hide the fact he was extremeally hungry. His stomach didn't growl, it roared, which probably would have annoyed the others. He didn't need them to complain. As he sat there up against a tree a few yards from the others and their campfire he lost himself in thought. The only thing that brought him back to reality was his stomach screaming at him "Feed me!". He soon lost the feeling and then his mind in thought repeatedly through the night. A new thing had brought him back to reality this time, it was Entaru. He seemed to be having trouble breathing. Drevo looked to Entaru then to White who was near Kiana. He thought nothing of it really, there was no way he could help and he would just get in the way.
-
Korius couldn't help but hear Drevo's stomach from across camp, since everyone was quiet. From the fire, he took one of his cooked pigeons and wrapped it up in a wet cloth and tossed it over to Drevo. "Next time, try saying something. You're more annoying when you don't do or say anything." Korius then grabbed the other one and put it in his mouth, slowly nibbling the meat off the bones as he concentrated back on his little project.
-
Kiana didn't look at White while he spoke, just stared at the fire while she listened. When he was finished, she sighed. "There's not much to say really. My brother, Kamau, was the one that I was closest to in my family. I didn't really have a bad relationship with my parents but I wasn't really connected with them either, so when Kamau died not too long ago that's when I decided to leave home. There was no point in staying there." She said softly. After she finished the very summarized version of her story was the point when Entaru started having trouble trying to breathe. "Now you can tend to more important 'wounds'..." She wasn't intending to sound rude or anything when she said that to them, but it wouldn't have surprised her if it came off that way because of the tone she had said it in. Still staring at the flames, she tried to ignore Shinzuu being rude to Drevo. She wouldn't be able to handle him being so uncaring too many more times before she would snap at him, and knowing how he had reacted when she had only been joking, it would be much worse when she wasn't.
-
*White couldn't help but hesitate as Kiana advised him to leave her for the glass mage as he edged backwards* "...There are many more things to be said, I won't forget your words." *The wolf turned around and ran to the fallen old man* "I hope you have some resilience built up the massive amount of pain you have been suffering, this is going to take a lot of time and probably going to hurt a lot." *White handed Entaru a small block of wood* "If you can manage to bite down on something, I suggest you bite on this to alleviate the pain." *The white mage checked to make sure the old man was secure*
"Alright hold still..." *The wolf's hands made their way onto the top of Entaru's chest and he pressed them firmly down, quickly causing a rather pale expression to run down the wolf's face* "I have never dealt with this serious of a manner of paralysis before, you are not something I have worked with before so you will have to be the preliminary guinea pig. I am informing you of this because I believe you are entitled to know." *The wolf shifted his focus and spread majicka into his paws, it seeped down into his chest cavity and targeted the neurons leading to the lung and began putting his essence of energy into them, small but steady signals slowly going to and from the brain and back down to the lung* "I must take this extremely careful." *The wolf closed his eyes and began working his way to the arm that connected to the same neurons and began working to bring them back online, his majicka spread and overtook the neurons, replacing them with new ones, codes not understood by his own mind, but his own power had the ability to configure just by the mere wish of its user*
*After much careful study and a tedious process of manipulation of the sensormotors, they were back up and running to a stabilized extent whereupon the white mage collapsed upon his patient from a severe majicka usage*
-
Vladimir watched as White attemtpted to heal the old man, it wasnt like he could do anything to help... Kitt snored lightly and rolled over, keeping to the warmth of the fire..
His father covered the feline in his cloak, smirking as Kitt mumbled somthing in his sleep... he than sat waching White in case there was any way he could help...
-
Felodran, noticed the savior of his leg collapse on Entaru, and fearing the old man's grouchy behavior. He sprung into action, gingerily picking up the man he would've taken hostage to kill Korius and Kiana.
"Blast it it's wayy to easy now, they're both asleep, The mages are wasted, and those two ranger types are somewhere... I could kill EVERYONE! Then i can find that... beautiful woman that was with the ninja guy. I could start a family, move to a peaceful country, start over, and be unhunted for the rest of my life." he thought with a grin.
He placed White on a blanket, then rolled him up inside it and carefully inserted a pillow.
-
"What ever..." The only words Drevo had spoken since they started their little hike and they were directed to Korius. After he started to eat the bird he saw White start to go to work on Entaru. After which he colapsed ontop of him, Drevo himself would have gotten up for him but Felodran beat him to it. He noticed a somewhat smug look on his face but just ignored it and he continued to eat. After Drevo finished he looked at his torn clothing and sighed. There was a gaping hole across the front of it; if his clothing wasn't so loose it would be exposing his chest. "What a drag..."
-
Korius scoffed as he saw what happened to the old man. He talked over to the unconscious White, "You don't have to strain yourself, White. If he's going to croak, just let him. It's just the old man's time. Besides, with the way he talks and never shuts up, I doubt anything can actually kill him." Korius sighed as he continued to pick at the little metal bar in his hand. He noticed, though, Felodran's stupid little smirk. "Watch yourself, newbie. I've killed men for thinking less than that."
-
Kiana had waved off White saying that he wouldn't forget what she said and that they would finish their conversation. She didn't care about talking about it any further. It hurt too much. As she watched the flames dance, she listened to the noises of the camp. People shifting how they were sitting or laying and them talking. She let out a frustrated groan and got up from her spot. She walked around picking up some small twigs, moving slowly to take up time but hopefully tiring herself out. She went back to her spot and laid on her stomach with the small pile of twigs in front of her. One by one, she slowly threw the twigs in the fire. Her eyelids got heavier each time she threw a twig in as the dancing flames entranced her.
-
*White slept comfortably and without a drop in peacefulness in his sleep because of how exhausted he was, it was hardly with any effort, he snored to himself. The wind blew by as he laid there, he dreamed about his hometown and his old life. He grinned to himself in his sleep and lolled his tongue about as he thought of the delicious chicken and the tasty biscuits*
-
Vladimir sat beside his sleeping son, oiling the intricate mechanism on his repeater crossbow... several days of hiking had gotten the cogs and gears all dusted up... giving the bow a final wipe down with beeswax he strung it across his back and stood up, stretching.... Kitt gave a particularly loud snore, and rolled over, dragging his cloak over his head in the process....
Vladimir looked down at his son, sleeping so quietly... and then lay down himself, hoping to get a few hours sleep before dawn...
-
Entaru snored loudly as he went from unconciousness to sleep. His leg twitched in agitation as he dreamed. Well...one would hardly call it a dream. Nightmare would be a more appropriate terminology.
The aching pain in his chest evolved into the feeling of impalement. His dream self looked down at his chest to find a massive shard of glass embedded into him. He tried to move but the shard had pierced his body and stapled him into the ground. He looked about in panicked confusion at the wreckage that melted into view around him. There were massive shards of blood-stained glass strewn throughout the wreckage. They pierced and warped the scene, making it look like some mad cyrstal paradise.
The nightmare was not, in essence, complex. The scene unfolded slowly through the night, ending just as Entaru turned his head to see an injured man walking away from the scene.
-
After awhile with Drevo's hunger sustained for the time being he managed to finally fall asleep. He slept with one arm around his bowstaff as it was leaned up against his shoulder, he also had his hat hung over his face as usual. After awhile of sleeping a smile snuck onto his face, he was dreaming of something pleasant appearantly. Though the smile didn't last too long, it faded back to his usual non-chalant expresion.
-
Korius had a sleepless night, almost. He nodded off a few times, but was quickly awoken by his memories of the past, particularly ones involving Koara Uzima. Korius got up from his spot early the next morning and went decided to go hunt for some food. He was tired of bread, birds and fruit, he needed some real meat. By sunrise, Korius had finally returned, a large boar on his shoulders.
-
Kiana had woken up a little before sunrise, still slightly tired since she had tossed and turned in her sleep but not able to stay asleep any longer. When she looked around, Korius wasn't there. This time she didn't feel anything when she looked at his empty spot, not worry, not confidence that he'd just gone to do something & would be back, nothing. She just looked at it blankly for a minute. Looking towards the sky, she could tell that sunrise was close, about a minute or two away. The others would be up at some point but she didn't care how long that would take at the moment. She walked over to a nearby tree and began climbing it. Sometimes she wondered why she wasn't a monkey since she loved being in trees. "Because your whole family tree is cheetahs..." She thought to herself as she climbed higher and higher into the tree.
-
"Yawwwwwnnn..." *He smacked his lips as he stretched his aching muscles trying to open his tired eyes* "Oh man that must have been some nap, I was just so... tired. Alrighty... I have enough hunger here to make another army, please tell me there is breakfast..." *White looks around hoping to see Kiana, but doesn't spot her anywhere on the ground among the other sleeping party members* "Guess that conversation will have to wait till later...anyways I hope Entaru is going to be okay."
-
The night before, Felodran just ignored Korius's snide comments, and decided if no one would keep watch, he would.
So he stayed up all night. It was a peaceful night, and the knight got to admire the stars, burning brightly in the vast reaches of the sky.
"A reward for my ability to survive thus far? I think so" He thought to himself, as he went on to admire the stars.
The next morning, he was asleep, he was woken up by Kiana shuffling about in a tree.
"Good morning Ma'am... pleasure to see someone appreciate the mornings" He said, with a tip of the helmet.
Sure she was temperamental, but she was a likable character, it would just take time.
-
Vladimir had barely slept, waking at sunrise he pulled on his cloak, sword scabbard, crossbow and quiver of crossbow bolts... and then turned to see Kitt still snoring and deep asleep... He shook his head, and walked over to the feline, giving him a nudge...
"Hey Kitt..... wake up..."
Kitt mumbled somthing, and then rolled over.. still snoring... Vladimir frowned, and then shoved him a bit harder...
"C'mon, its dawn... you wake up now..."
Kitt yawned widely, staring up at his father through bleary eyes... "Aww... c'mon Dad, i'm thirteen now... that means i shouldnt have to wake up so early..."
Vladimir grabbed Kitt by the hood of his cloak and dragged him to his feet, shoving his sword and bow into his protesting paws....
"On the contrary... it means you should be able to wake up earlier seeing as your older.... see you at the campfire..."
With that he walked back towards the rest of the group with a still half asleep Kitt in tow....
-
Entaru's eyes snapped open as his dream ended. Once again, the glaring daylight struck him square in the eyes pulling him fully from his stupor. Unlike before, however, he got up without complaint. His chest still hurt from the healing.
Wait...healing?
Entaru looked around frantically, suddenly aware that he should have died the night before. Then the rest of the night came back to him. "Thanks for the help, boy. Not sure if I could have made it through that one."
-
Drevo was last to wake up, he let out a loud yawn as he tilted his hat back up. He turned towards the other and noticed Kiana was gone, curious wwhere she went he looked around until Korius brought back a boar over his shoulder. Seeing it brought his hunger back, instead of getting up and going towards it he sat there and examined his weapon instead. He took out the hidden katana half way then slid it back in and went to uncover the other side. It was his hidden spear head, satisfied he put the cover back on and use his bowstaff to help him to his feet.
-
Korius threw the boar onto the ground and started the fire up again. After the fire was up, he went over towards the tree that Kiana was on. "Good thinking, smaller trees are good to skewer a boar that size." Korius unwrapped Valia for the first time in days and it glimmered as he wound up and, in a flash, slashed the tree near the bottom cleanly. After the tree fell, Korius rewrapped Valia and took out the katana, cutting an edge on both sides. He skewered the boar and cooked it for a good hour after having cut slits into it so it cooks faster. "Someone help me lift this up and drive the edge into the ground?"
-
Kiana jumped down from the tree and landed on her right knee with her right hand braced against the ground as well, making a dent in the ground with how she cushioned her impact. "Son of a..." She grumbled as she stood up and walked over to another tree, leaning against it. She stayed leaned against that tree for the whole hour that the boar was cooking, just watching the fire. When Korius asked for help, she could have easily done the job but she just looked off in another direction, surveying the surroundings.
-
"Oh that's good, I'm glad to see that I helped in some way Entaru." *White spun around to see Kiana fall down from the tree and walk over with some pain being legible from her facial expression* "Are you alright?" *The wolf asked in a concerned manner, not really sure if he was concerned more about her or himself at this point because of possible further exhaustion* "I hope I don't have to do more healing today..." *His stomach growled* "I'm hungry..." *He looks at the cooking boar and licks his lips in anticipation*
-
Vladimir walked up beside White, giving a brisk "G'morning" as he sheathed his sword and finished pulling on his rangers cloak...
Kitt on the other hand pulled his cloak on halfway, tripped over his own sword, almost fell into Kiana and slammed into the tree she had been leaning on with a sharp ~smack!~... Picking himself up from the dirt, he brushed himself off and sheathed his sword, his hood was up but it still didnt cover the fact that he was blushing heavily... He walked past Kiana, still blushing and mumbled from under his hood "mornin' Miss..."
-
Felodran gave Kiana a really really dirty look, basically staring daggers into her, because she ignored the fact he was attempting to be civil. A look that said "I hate your soul". He turned away from his dagger staring and stood up and yawned, then he quickly got his bedroll ready, having been awake the nigh before.
"The things I do for random people who could very well stab me in the back...." He pulled a blanket around himself, and propped his head against a pillow, and finally slipped away into sleep.
-
Entaru leaned back on a rock and watched as the boar cooked. There was no way he could've helped Korius to move the thing, so he didn't even bother trying. Heck, he probably couldn't even lift Kitt even if he used all of his strength. He stared at the roasting boar hungrily as he waited for it to finish cooking.
-
When Korius asked for some help Drevo noticed no one stepped forward to help him. All the rude things he said to Drevo played in his head as he looked around for a split second to see if anyone had reconsidered. As the memories passed in that split second Drevo couldn't stop himself from stepping forward, his chivilrous nature acted in an instant causing him to walk towards Korius. He didn't want to, but it was too late to turn back now. Drevo let his bowstaff fall to the ground and pulled back his sleeves as he grabbed one end of the skewered boar. "I got you, go ahead." He waited for Korius to make the next move, ready to do as needed.
-
"Just hold still." Korius pushed his end up and then jumped up, driving the end behind Drevo's shoulder into the ground. He landed beside Drevo. "Eat well, we're going to push to get to the village before sunset." With a swift swing of the twin sai, Korius cut off a slab from the exceptionally large boar. He bit into it and chewed heartily on it before swallowing and taking another bite. "At the very least, I don't have to listen to that stomach of yours for a long time."
-
Kiana looked over at White and read his expression. "I'm fine." She responded. "I didn't fall, I jumped. Controlling earth is handy for cushioning impacts. But thanks for actually being concerned about me since no one else seemed to be." She half-smiled to show that she was sincere. Since she was looking at White, she didn't even notice Kitt's embarrassing moment, so she was confused as to why he was blushing when he spoke to her. "Morning Kitt." She returned his greeting before walking around the tree and away from the group. It wasn't long until she found what she was looking for. Holding the bottom of her staff and extending it upwards, she knocked an apple from a tree and caught it with her left hand. She replaced her hand to its normal position on her staff and walked back to the group, returning to the tree she had been leaning against and taking a bite out of the apple.
-
"Oh okay... you had me worried there." *White turned back to Kitt and looked with somewhat dizzy eyes at this point* "I feel like I've been spinning around all morning now..." *He shook his head and could see straight again* "Morning Kitt! I'm glad to see you well." *After saying that unintentional double entendre comment, the wolf's stomach basically growled at him at this point* "Sorry about that... I'm really hungry." *White turned to where Korius and Drevo were at by the roasted boar* "Can I have a few pieces of that meat before we start carrying it? I think I'll be more helpful with some protein sitting in the bottom of my stomach."
-
Kitt had got halfway to the fire, returning White's greeting, and attempting not to meet Kiana's eyes again; before he was stopped by his father...
"C'mon then kiddo... i told ya i was gonna train you how to use that new sword properly... and no time like the present, eh?"
Kitt groaned, his stomach growling.. "Can' it wait till ive had somthin' to eat dad?"
Vladimir raised an eyebrow, drawing his own blade...
"You think an adversary is just gonna wait for you to finish your breakfast?... c'mon, your thirteen now, old enough to handle his own sword..
With that he drew Kitt slightly away from the rest of the group, not trusting kitt's ability to not injure someone while practicing, and then pulled his sword up into the guard position....
"Right.... i'm gonna gaurd against all yoru attacks, you've gotta get through my defence..."
Kitt drew his own sword, the blade flashing silver as the enchantment on the steel burst into life...
"Aw c'mon dad... you know youre gonna be embarased when i beat you..."
With that the two sparred, Vladimir, though getting old himself; blocked almost every attempt by Kitt... the younger feline seemingly got better as they faught, almost breaking his fathers defence once, until he tripped and was sent sprawling in the dirt.... Jumping back up, and trying not to look at Kiana or anyone else, he swung his shortsword again, going for a stopthrust....
-
Felodran took a slice of meat and watched the two rangers go at it. The older one seemed to be in a dance. His moves graceful and swift as he parried blow after blow like he'd been doing it all his life.
The younger one, was making mistakes, but was learning quickly. He seemed to know how to feint, and almost broke through his father's guard with one well timed attack.
"Good swordsmen... better archers... These two could be a very talented Assassin pair. Why are they helping a washed up old knight of Gaia, a mage with temperament issues, an old guy, a healer, and some guy everyone seems to hate. And why help me... the guy who threatened to kill their leaders with a planned hostage attempt?
"Good show you two... Now I know not to mess with the Rangers" he said, crossing his arms across his chest before unsheathing his sword.
"May I join you?"
-
Drevo, almost being impaled by meat, rolled out from under the beast muttering something under his breath. "Jerk..." He got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Guess that's what I get...Whatever..." He quickly dismissed his angry, mostly because he was hungry. Drevo tore a chunk right out of the boar and started eating it heartily, walking back to the tree he slept under. As he did he looked over at Kiana noticing she was just eating an apple. "Wonder if she's still sore at me..." Not noticing it, he was staring again...
-
Korius cut off another hunk as he watched the Szardas have thier little pre-meal practice. while he ate. He yelled over, "Vladimir! We're heading out in 30 minutes, get some food in your bellies. We're going to push to make a small village by sunset, we're a little under a two day's walk from the castle. We're going to need the rest in the village once we get there. We'll only have one night of comfort before our next big fight."
-
Kiana was watching the Szardas duel as she ate her apple. Taking a second to look around, she noticed Drevo staring at her. For some reason, it didn't really annoy her as much as the first couple of times he had done it. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "Can I help you with something, Drevo?" She asked. There was no attitude in her voice like the first time it had happened. It just sounded like her asking a normal question. She probably wasn't annoyed because she had worn out all her negative emotions over the previous days. Now she was just stuck in an in between mood (not positive, not negative).
-
*White just sort of took the ignore as a moment to be quiet and put his hands to his pockets and laid against a tree silently, his stomach still growling* "I guess I'll wait, heh." *His eyes sort of drifted off from awake to a zoned-out meditative state and before he knew it, the white mage was long gone from his current place* "The scroll is much to decipher and I suppose I can re-evaluate it with all the time I have right now in my own void..." *The wolf looked at the scroll in his mind and tried a variety of methods to rearrange the glyphs*
-
Vladimir turned from the duel to face felodran, and paid for his momentary lapse in concentration as Kitt swept him off his feet with a well placed kick... For a moment it seemed Vladimir was unbalanced and fell backwards, only to twist midair and land in front of Kitt with his sword to the felines throat....
"Dead......"
Kitt gulped, the tip of the sword inches away from his adams apple, Vladimir pulled the sword away and sheathed the still humming blade.... "But getting better, if that had been a regular soldier who had been distracted you coulda got him...."
With that he turned back to Felodran, looking from him, to Korius and the meat.... he shrugged apologetically....
"Maybe next time?... for now i think breakfast would be welcome indeed...."
-
Entaru finished his meal silently. No one seemed to care that the old man had nearly died the night before. Sighing, he downed his last piece of boar and waited. A song floated into his head that seemed oddly appropriate to his situation. He remembered it from his childhood in his village, with small children singing it in near unison, giggling. It was along the lines of a depressed little boy, tired of being ignored and doing something that had gotten everyone's attention at once. The song played back in his head at a low volume. Everybody hates me! Nobody likes me! Guess I'll go eat worms! Entaru snickered as the song continued.
-
Drevo choked a bit when Kiana asked him, not only was it the first time someone used his name but he was caught staring again. This time a double punch to the gut wasn't there to help him dodge the question, giving him only two choices; answer, or feel her wrath. Neither choice seemed pleasant, one choice would make it sound like he was coming on to her and the other would leave him dead. He was torn between the choices, clearly having trouble deciding, death or admit his feelings. Normally it wouldn't have been a tough choice any normal person but he had trouble. Until he finally choked out an answer. "I thought you needed protection, I don't want to sound insulting or seductive but I wasn't sure of your power and felt obligated to watch over you, protecting you when needed. I hope you don't think ill of me, Kiana, or despise me, I apologize for not saying it earlier but it was hard for me, for personal reasons. Anyway, I hope you can forgive me, I get the feeling you don't think too highly of me as is." With that said Drevo bowed slightly, saying sofly. "I hope you can forgive me, Kiana." He then walked away.
-
Korius finished his meal and went off to warm up his body a bit. He had been feeling lethargic the last couple days, so it should make him feel better to just do some exercises while he waited. Time passed, and Korius felt invigorated and called out to the others as he grabbed his bag. "Let's go, everyone! If we push hard enough today, we'll be raiding the castle really soon. We're heading for the village closest to the castle. From there, we'll rest easy tonight after we discuss our strategy. Make use of our final night of luxury before our big sortie."
-
Kiana just looked at Drevo and listened, paused in mid-bite. After he finished and walked away and Korius called out for them to move out, she followed after him and did a move to turn the ground underneath his feet towards her and in the direction that the group was headed. "Thank you...for being honest, I mean. At least I know someone would protect me if I needed it, even though I don't. No need for forgiving for no wrongdoing..." She said, only looking at his face for the 'thank you' part and looking at the ground the rest of the time. Turning around, she began walking with the rest of the group.
-
*White awoke from his meditation and followed silently having gained a bit self confidence in himself* "Onward to the journey... man I'm still hungry. I wish Korius would have given me some meat.." *The wolf shook his head gritting his teeth as he kept walking with a pain building up* "I hope we get to the next town soon or wherever we're gonna end up I hope they have at least one place with food that is still edible..."
-
AS Vladimir passed White he pushed a large strip of meat into the wolf's paws....
"Keep your strength up... we could do without a light headed healer..."
With that he carried on walking, Kitt ran to catch up with his father as they pulled up their hoods. Vladimir pulled his sword so in inch of the blade was revealed from the scabbard, and then continued to walk alongside Korius....
-
Drevo was relieved to hear Kiana say that, it was uplifting really to not be insulted or dispised for once. Drevo stopped for a moment, an uncontrolable smirk stuck on his face as he looked at Kiana walk off. "That...Was unexpected..." he thought before starting to walk with the rest of them. He still remained in the back of the group with his staff rested behind his neck, though not as far back as usual. Drevo seemed a bit happier, not as depressed as he was through the past days since his family was killed.
-
The rest of the hike seemed like only an hour or two, what with the happy attitudes all around. They rested at the village that was almost a day away from the Palace. Korius ordered food for them all from the inn keep and rested on the floor, shutting his eyes for a quick nap.
All the while, Entaru had felt something peculiar build up in his chest. As they all settled in, Entaru found himself collapsed onto the floor, gripping his heart. Felodran quickly rushed to the old man, who had been the ononly one to rush to him. Knowing White was still a bit fatigued and tired, Felodran didn't allow White to work on Entaru, as was also agreed by Korius. The local clinician said that Entaru would have to stay at least 1 or more days. He sighed, "I'll stay here with him. You all have a mission anyways. Just don't get killed so that I can kill you myself."
-
Kiana had occupied herself on the hike by looking around at the scenery and up at the sky. Hiking always made her feel more at one with the earth. Her mood still remained in the in between of good and bad though. It was kind of like she was numb to everything. When they settled down in the inn, she watched the commotion with Entaru and actually felt worry for him but then numbed up after the clinician said he needed to stay another day since that made it sound like it wasn't too bad. Wondering where she wanted to sleep, she left the room and went into one of the other two that no one was in yet. Felodran and Entaru's room was off-limits and she knew she didn't want to room with Korius because she still hadn't forgiven him yet.
-
*White nodded to Vladimir in a somewhat zombified manner from his lack of nourishment and the long hike and constant healing work* "Thank you kind sir, I'll have to repay you later.." *The wolf looked down at the meat in his hands and then gobbled it up like a feral wolf*
---------------------------------------------------------
*The wolf stretched having been awake for far too long and was now stuck inbetween the land of sleep and being awake in body and spirit. He looked up surprised to notice Kiana in the same room as him when he walked in.* "Are we sharing the same room tonight? And more importantly... how are you?..." *As he finished that sentence he couldn't help, but release an untamed loud yawn from his throat* "Sorry." *He scratched the back of his head to reduce his feeling of embarrassment*
-
As soon as they got into the room Kitt slumped against the wall and started to snore, Vladimir nudged him, and when this got no reaction picked him up by the hood of his cloak...
"C'mon, you aint gonna be sleeping there... somones gonna trip over you beside the door..."
Kitt just moaned slightly, attempting to break out of his fathers grip and fall back asleep....
-
Drevo walked into one of the rooms, at first glance it was empty of the others. Looking around the room he saw what was in it, a bed, window, table with a few chairs and a chest at the foot of the bed. He walked over to the bed and tossed his bowstaff onto it and began to look at his torn clothing again. Just then a knock on the door came followed by someone calling out "Room service!" Drevo's stomach guided him to the door and opened it for him as he then saw the cart of food outside his door. "Oh thank you, I'm starving." Drevo quickly grabbed a plate loaded with drumsticks and a bottle of sake, closed the door with his foot and walked over to the table. He sat down and poured himself a bit of the sake and gulped it down followed by half of a drumstick. Drevo was now taking the first bite of his third drumstick when he stopped, thinking about where he got his lust for chicken. It was from his father, who was dead, along with the rest of his family. He slammed his fist down on the table with a tear forming in his eye and grabbed the bottle of sake and took a big drink then stood up. He started to mumble something as he clentched his teeth, it gradually became louder until it was almost yelling. "Elistro...Elistro...Elistro...Eilistro!" With that he slammed both hands down onto the table and stomped towards the bed and retrieved his bowstaff. "I will kill you if it takes me the rest of my life..." Drevo then proceeded out of the room, flinging the door open hard enough for it to slam loudly into the wall. "I have to get stronger..." He said as he began walking down the hall.
-
Korius sighed as everyone got to their rooms, but was glad that he shared his room with the Szardas. They were rangers, so he could expect a quiet atmosphere without problems. He was surprised, though, that they didn't choose to sleep on the bed. Korius got up and patted it before laying onto it. It's been too long since he slept in a decent bed. He closed his eyes and went almost directly to sleep. In his dreams, Korius was back to the times that he spent with Koara as lovers. It was indeed the happiest time of his life, and it was the first good night's sleep he's had for years.
Early the next morning, before dawn, Korius got up and quietly left his room. He talked with the inn-keeper about getting some food for the group. Surprisingly, this little village charged more than back in the major cities did, but what could he do? Well, there goes the rest of MY money. Korius handed over the money and sat at one of the few tables in the little inn. Sure enough, by dawn, the food was ready, and the inn-keep set up two large and long tables of food just for Korius and the party.
-
Kiana was relieved when she looked up to see that White had joined her in the rooms. If anyone had asked her who she wanted as a roommate, he would have been her first choice. She would have meant no offense to the others, but she just felt comfortable around him. "Looks like it and it's fine by me." She responded and paused before answering his second question. "I feel numb right now. I know that it's probably actually a bad thing...but at least I'll fall asleep fast, even though it might come back to bite me." She said as she crawled into one of the beds and under the covers. "Sorry, but I'm really tired. Goodnight, White."
Kiana had fallen asleep quickly but was paid back tenfold from being numb during the day. She tossed and turned, mumbling and making sounds of distress. "KAMAU!" She yelled, sitting bolt upright in her bed in a cold sweat and breathing heavily. She looked around frantically and then quickly got up from her bed, grabbing her staff and leaving the room. After she shut the door, she began crying as she walked down the hall towards the stairs that led to the front of the inn. Before she got to the bottom of the stairs she managed to make herself stop crying, knowing the Korius was probably up already. She wiped her face with her free hand and descended the rest of the stairs, keeping her eyes on the floor. When she looked up, she saw tables of food and looked at the innkeeper who nodded so she went to sit at one of the tables. She gathered food on her plate then sat there and stared at it in silence. She knew she was hungry and needed to eat to be strong for the upcoming fight but the food didn't look appealing to her at the present moment.
-
*White kind of nodded with little emotion because even he himself didn't have all his wits about him even at the present moment and he knocked out on his bed pretty fast; the wolf laid there feeling exhausted and just sort of closed them drifting away in a world without walls or floors, felt like floating* "Where am I...?" *The wolf saw his town in the darkness below and Korius in the light above* "Does... this mean that's the world I shouldn't traverse and I should be following a path of revolution?... I guess that was a rhetorical question in itself anyways." *He nodded to himself but was quickly pushed into another place where there was sadness in every place he looked and he noticed Kiana crying to herself without even showing it physically* "Kiana... I can talk to you if you'd like?" *In the dream, she looked up for but a moment*
*The image seemed to blur as he heard a loud echo crash through his mind as a scream broke the impending silence, the wolf scrambled out of bed looking around but didn't see anything except some removed covers upon Kiana's bed and a closed door* "The air smells of negative energy... she must be nearby in a troubled state, that's probably what the dream and the awakening must have been meant for.." *He forgot about his severely exhausted body and dragged himself out the door opening it quietly and looked down the steps to the side, noticing a couple dried stains in the boards* "Sigh... she's a tough girl, this is going to be a core compromised conversation... if she grants me the permission." *The wolf carefully made his way down trying not to be too loud and looked over at the tables spotting his subject, he walked over quietly and pulled up a chair and sat down. For what seemed like a long silence on his part, not even entirely sure if he was awake or still dreaming he began to talk* "I know you are having some troubles...which is why you are here now." *He looked up at her to try to see her eyes with his own* "Kiana... What befell your brother?" *He said in almost a whisper, his face showing fatigue, but prevalent concern in his question*
-
The Rangers woke early, just as every day... fully dressed and with swords at their sides they walked down to the Inn's main bar to find a meal already set out....
Only a few other patrons where up at this time, they huddled at another table, eating their own modest breakfast.... A thick set wolf stood up and muscled his way between the rangers and the rest of the group...
"Oi.... yer Rangers aintcha?"
Vladimir attempted to sidestep the villager.. The wolf steeped in his way again, crossing his arms defiantly...
"You guys is wanted roun' ere.... an' the authorities r' givin' quite a high price for any Ranger's head... dead OR alive..."
Vldimir Stopped, looking the man straight in the face... "You seem to be a smart enough person.... keep your nose out of this..."
The wolf's face drained of colour, the muzzle of Vladimir's crossbow nudged his stomach threateningly....
"Hey... sure.... you guys do whatever ya want... nobodys gonna try turn you in, hehe... man'd have ta be stupid ta try that... dont be minding me sirs..." The Wolf walked quickly back to his own table as Vladimir stowed the weapon back under his cloak...
Kitt sat down and started to immediately load up a plate of breakfast, Vladimir frowned slightly, looking over at Korius and the others, before sitting down himself and eating....
-
Drevo walked into the room from outside, he hadn't stayed there that night. His clothes were somehow clean and fixed back to normal, no cuts or anything. Drevo saw the table of food as he trudged over to them; the wolf was clearly exausted but the sight of a nice bottle of sake kept him going. He plopped down into his seat and grabbed the bottle and took a large swig of it. He then took a bite of a drumstick followed by another drink before falling face first onto the table; out cold snoring loudly.
-
Korius nodded his approval of the others being timely, despite the little rough-in the Szardas had. He finished up his meal in a timely, not rushed, manner. Korius sat meditating and then pulled out a parchment and waved everyone over after they finished their meals. He laid it out flat and ran his fingers through it as he explained the plan. "Alright, so here is the plan. It will take us about 6 hours to get to the Palace, so we should arrive there by the afternoon. Before we're within bow range, we'll be setting up a little camp at the thickets about 1 Km out. We'll prep ourselves there and wait until sun-down. Now, the small fry of the normal forces will be easy to dispatch. The challenge is going to be AFTER we enter. Provas' personal guard is comprised of 10 sorcerers/sorceress, with two of each element except for light, therefore, doesn't really have an army. But be careful, I've heard some rumors from the other villages that they are able to do some combination spells, so beware. Kiana, we're going to be counting on you for those 10. White, how's that barrier spell coming along? We'll need it if we want any chance of winning."
-
Kiana glanced towards Korius to check and see if he was listening in on their conversation. She glanced sideways at White before looking back down at her plate and sighing, grabbing a roll and buttering it. "Kamau was killed by Azzan, a rhino who had never needed a reason to kill another being, just an opportunity." She began, closing her eyes. "Kamau told me to run. He didn't want me to get hurt. I was cowardly enough to hide behind a tree but not enough to leave him entirely. Azzan mainly just wanted my brother's sword. Kamau loved his weapons..." She smiled slightly and shook her head, her eyes still closed. "So he told Azzan no. They fought. I was too afraid, too weak to help him. He wanted me safe and I always listened to him. I was too confident in his abilities to think that he would fall..." Her voice got caught in her throat for a second and her closed eyes tightened more. "But he did. And I just stood there. I stood there and I watched him get killed. I didn't do anything, I just watched him fall!" Her voice raised but was still quiet enough not to really bring attention to them as she opened her eyes and looked at White with disbelief towards herself written in her eyes, then looked sideways at the table. "Azzan took my brother's sword. When he left, I ran to Kamau but I knew he was dead. All I have left of him are memories...memories and..." She reached into her cloak and pulled out what seemed to be one throwing star. With a swift, simple movement while holding it in her fingers, she fanned it out into four throwing stars. "These." She stared at the throwing stars. "I wish I could have killed Azzan when I had the chance back in your hometown..."
That main portion of her story was done before the Szardas sat down. She ate her food slowly after that, never taking her eyes off of the stars. When she was done and Korius waved everyone over, she finally put them back in her cloak. The only time she actually looked up while Korius was talking was when he spoke directly to her. She had listened to his whole speech and gave a small nod. She didn't feel like restating the fact that it'd be tougher for her to defeat the air mages than the others, including the difficulty she would have in their fight with the actual Guardian. She had said it once; if they didn't remember, it wasn't her fault.
-
*White was sort of lost in the moment seeing as how the entirety of the man she believed in died before her and there was nothing she could do about it, the only thing remaining to his name being the shuriken he carried* "You can't blame yourself for that Kiana, you were but a child.. I know Kamau meant a lot to you, but he's gone and he had your best interests in mind when he told you to flee."
*The wolf looked up and pierced a look in return to Korius with a tired seriousness* "That depends on your interpretation of ready." *He smiled softly and looked back to Kiana, he reached out and offered her his hand* "Here, take my hand for a moment. It's just a little something I wanted to show you."
-
Kitt watched as White held out his hand to Kiana, all the while he avidly chewed on a fresh bread roll... Vladimir ate heartily as well, listening to Korius' plan....
"Hmm... Korius, do you reckon there'd be any chance of catching any of the sorcerers alone or seperated from the rest.... if we could fight only one or two of them, are chances would be a hell of a lot better than fighting all at once...."
He took another bite of bread, carefully studying the map while he waited to hear what Korius knew...
Meanwhile Kitt kept one ear out for the plan, and the other on the conversation between Kiana and White... he chewed happily on his bread roll, watching the pair with a childish curiosity and interest...
-
Drevo was slipping off deeper into sleep, but he wasn't far enough gone not to hear the plan. Korius' words absorbed into Drevo's head like the sponge it had become. A bit of blood trickled out of his nose as he layed his head sideways onto the table and fell asleep. Apparently Drevo gave himself a bloody nose from the impact of his face to the table when he initially passed out from exaustion and being a bit drunk. He snored again while he slept.
-
Korius snorted to White's little attitude. "Since when did you grow a pair?" He turned his attention to Drevo and gave him a little glomp to wake him up. "When I said to enjoy the night, I meant for you to get some relaxation, not go drinking your (censored) off and risk us being found. Now please pay attention." Korius turned to Kiana and nodded for her to take hold of White's hand. "Alright, let's see what you got."
-
"I wasn't young enough for that to be a good, acceptable excuse." She mumbled towards the table. "It was only a year and a half ago." She thought to herself. Looking at White's hand hesitantly, she felt the eyes on her and White. "Great...just what I didn't want...attention." She thought as she sighed and slowly took White's hand. She had no idea what he was going to try to do and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to even do anything to her, but with the eyes watching her and with Korius' words, she felt pressured to do it. Closing her eyes, she waited, not wanting to look at anybody, and bit off a mouthful of her toast.
-
*White just held it softly* "You know true majicka, is when it's not even used in the slightest and yet the presence can be felt that beyond comprehension... there is always something to triumph over evil. You will come to the day where Azzan will regret what he has done. My hand with your's shows you that you can still trust people... we... are your companions Kiana." *The wolf took his hand away and he looked from Kiana to Korius in a rather obvious manner* "In the end we have to be watching each other, or we shall all perish. Whether or not this sounds like foolish corn of the crop tales, it is still true."
-
Vladimir listened to White with an air of slight interest.... it was true that they had to stay together.... though as a ranger he had always been one for saving his own skin, and living a life of solitude... he looked over at this son, taking another bite of bread...
Kitt continued chewing on his bread roll, he watched White, Kiana and others with bright amber eyes as he kept chewing.... Vladimir coughed lightly, having finished his breakfast...
"So.... when do we get moving?"
-
When Korius glomped Drevo he sat up and waved his hands around like a fly was buzzing around him. He soon realized what happened when he heard Korius badgering him about being out all night. Drevo stood up and looked to Korius as he turned to Kiana and White, he was clearly drunk as he he took a few wobbly steps towards Korius from behind. "Ooooh shush, you crashy dog you...I was out trainin' to be shtronger, and...And I got my clothes patched up...And...Come'ere." With that Drevo threw his arms over Korius' shoulders and glomped his ear in retaliation to his own glomp.
-
Korius pushed the drunkard off his shoulders and ran his full mug of cold water over Drevo's mouth like a muzzle. "Alright, now let's get back on topic. White, just make sure you can at least make a barrier shield of any kind. Only your barrier's gonna save our butts when we get into the fight. Without it, there's a veeeerrrry good chance that we'll be screwed. Rangers, I hope you guys didn't use up those enchanted bolts. You might just need them." Korius rolled up the parchment and put it back into his cloak. He slung the wrapped Valia back onto his back and picked up the katana, the sai holster already on his sash. "Now let's move out."
-
Kiana opened her eyes but didn't look at Korius when White did but she noticed him do it. Of course, she knew White was right about what he said. Still, the group would never replace her brother. They didn't fit right in that hole. Plus it didn't help that she thought that Korius was still being an insensitive, heartless (censored) so she didn't have complete trust in him still. She would still protect him and the rest of the group though but not having trust in one of them would make it difficult. When Korius said to move out, she got up from her seat and followed after him in silence.
-
*White got up carefully and followed behind Kiana thinking about the scroll* "Guess I'll be as ready as I'll ever be, I wonder what battles await beyond our town here. I think as long as I stay close to the others I should be fine, but the one making the shield might be the direct target, so this concerns me to an extent.." *White shrugged to himself and kept walking trying not to think about it*
-
Vladimir looked through his quiver of crossbow bolts, most of them had the usual dark oak shafts and white fetching, but among them glittered nine sparking and shining golden bolts embued with the rune of lightning...
"Well, me and Kitt have both only used a single enchanted bolt each... and I have at least fifty regular bolts.. what about you Kitt?"
Kitt rummaged through his own quiver, reaffirming that he did indeed have nine enchanted bolts left, and around forty regular bolts....
"Well unfortunately the enchanted bolts need to be loaded in separately and singularly... unlike the regular bolts which can be loaded with up to five at a time...."
Hoisting his repeater crossbow over one shoulder Vladimir pulled up his hood, Kitt copied and did the same...
-
Drevo quickly sobered up having cold water dumped on him. He then said somthing completely inaudible and wiped his face with his robe. He then looked at the others, seeing they were standing up and getting ready to move. It seemed clear they were about to leave so he grabbed his weapon and stuffed a bread roll in his mouth. He then chewed it, waiting for them to leave so he could follow.
-
Korius walked out, apparently having to lead them in directions, too. The walk wasn't anything special, as he mentally prepared himself for the fight ahead. For all the fights in his life, Korius has only feared two kinds of opponents. The first one is ninjas, and the second was an army of magic-users. He's killed many sorcerers/sorceresses over the years, and even a few mages, but an army of them? The fighting strategy was in a nature that he feared to ever engage in. The beast inside him would have to be released, and he might have to repeat the history of seeing his comrades dead by his hands before his eyes again.
Korius shook his head as they hid for the rest of the day, waiting to infiltrate the Palace at nightfall.
-
Kiana walked the whole way in silence. The only part of the upcoming battle that she worried about was fighting the air mages and the Guardian who was one in the same. Facing your elemental opposite could be a very difficult task if you weren't accustomed to their style and pattern of thought. It was one of the things she had studied up on years ago so at least she knew more about it than your average mage. She just hoped that the studying helped her in the upcoming battle. All she felt as they waited in hiding for nightfall was eagerness for the fight. She wanted to just take out all the pent up emotions on someone or something and the fight would be the best opportunity to take it out on those who deserved it. Unfortunately, she couldn't take them out on the prime suspects for obvious reasons. She sighed and tried to think about how she was going to go about fighting all the mages, especially the air ones, as she stared at the dirt from where she sat on the root of a tree.
-
*White laid in some grass by himself to unfold his scroll* "Alright no harm in taking a few more looks at this, since soon could be the worst or the best day of my career in my field of majicka, I'm both excited, anxious and frightened of the consequences or possible ending; probably best if I spend as much time as possible before we go head on into the heart of darkness." *The wolf looked down at the scroll and did his usual routine to study it well and practiced by making sample barriers around in his patch of grass* "Still a few bugs to iron out in here I'm sure."
-
The two rangers, as always, walked in silence. Kitt kept jumping up onto fallen branches, and balancing along them apparently carefree and untroubled about the fight that was to come. Vladimir on the other hand brooded, thinking to himself and constantly running one paw over the hilt of his sword....
His son would be in a lot of danger, to hell with it, they'd ALL be in a lot of danger this time. He sighed, watching Kitt slip from his precarious position on a log, fall and instantly jump back up and try again... he smirked, for some reason he wished he himself could be so innocent, no worries about the future...
-
Drevo sat near Kiana while they waited. He sat like he did before with his bowstaff leaning on his shoulder and his hat pulled over his eyes. He was able to tell something was bothering Kiana, apparant it was something to do with the battle ahead. "So what's troubling you, Kiana?" He knew that air mages were Kiana's opposite element, his older sister had told him all about the different elements. Back when she was alive that is. "If it's those mages worrying you...Just point, I'll handle them. Count on it." With that Drevo layed down in the grass he was sitting in. He was practically lying down at her feet, with his hat set over his face. He did this to mainly conceal the sad and depressed look plastered on his face. Drevo thought of his time with his family as he used this time to rest; the memories didn't permit him to sleep. They were too painful to be able to sleep.
-
It was a long wait, but it was enough for Korius to think of a fighting strategy that'll hopefully work. Something didn't sit right with him, though. Every time he looked at the Szardas, the omen of Vladimir's need to make an important decision kept running through his mind. Koara's omen's are never good for something of that kind. I just hope today isn't the day, only a few days after his son became of age, too. Korius waved everybody in and used a stick to dig out a rough drawing of the Palace. "I don't have any information on the interior, so all I can give is how we're going in and how we need to group. This fight will be far tougher than the fight with Septim. It's more than likely that Provas will be fighting alongside his personal guard, so we're looking at a battle with a mage and 10 sorcerers/sorceresses. As I told you before, they can use combination spells, so don't take them lightly. White, we'll be relying on your barrier, or whatever version you have of it, to protect most of us. We'll need to stay grouped together for a strong defense. In between their attacks, we have to find a way to scatter them and isolate them one at a time and kill them. Kiana will be able to take up to two at a time, but I'm not sure for how long, so I'm going to need the Rangers to stay at White's side. His barrier will be your defense, and you can use your normal bolts to back us all up. I'll lead everyone else to try to isolate and kill each sorcerer/sorceress. Stay tight no matter what. Do NOT let them reverse the tactic, not even if we manage to kill them all before Provas. If we're not careful, we will be easily overpowered. Remember, Provas has been around for centuries, his Majicka is extremely high. Now I doubt there's any more than 20 guards outside, so it should be pretty easy to sneak in, but I'm more than sure that the personal guard will be inside waiting. Beware of the two Dark Sorcerer Twins. They've been known to be Shadow-types, meaning they'll be able to disappear into shadows and move around and see everything. They will be the most deadly of the personal guard. *Gets up* It's time to nut up or shut up. Let's go." Korius led them from the thicket and maintained within the shadow of the Palace cast from the low moon.
-
Kiana didn't get the chance to answer Drevo because he answered his own question for her. She half-smiled at his answer though. It helped her start to get into a better mood, but she held it back because she needed to focus. Korius waving everybody over made her remember that fact. She moved over opposite from him and looked down at his rough drawing. When he started talking, she touched his drawing, working with what he had to make it 3D. She listened to his whole speech, nodding now and then. When he got up, she made the 3D palace collapse and rose to her feet, following after Korius with a look of serious determination and concentration on her face.
-
*White listened intently to Korius thinking his words were deeply important* "I will do the best I can sir." *The wolf saluted him softly and put his hand back down* "Alright just keep me alive and I'll keep doing my shielding, if I get hit even in the slightest, my concentration will turn to utter crap, so I need to be able to depend on the fighters here. I'll make every moment count regardless." *The wolf put the scroll he had out in his cloak and seemed lost in his look as he gazed upon the open air*
-
Vladimir listened quietly to Korius explain what they would be up against. Beside him Kitt, his young double, listened too, absent mindedly running a paw down the blade of his sword....
"Right, we'l do our best Korius... and you can count on us White, if anyone wants to disturb you theyre gonna have to get past two lock and loaded rangers first!"
His bravado only went so far, and as the group dispersed his smile faded entirely.... As Korius started to lead the way, he took Kitt by the shoulder and turned him away from the group slightly, kneeling down so he was at eye-level with his son... he muttered under his breath too Kitt, their hoods making a barrier between them and anyone listening in...
"Kitt.... You be careful... I know you like to think you seen it all... but i dont want you hurt right? I'm sure mother wouldnt want you hurt neither.."
Kitt nodded, bright amber eyes wide...
"look.... just be careful.... right kiddo?"
Kitt nodded again, hugging his father tightly, Vladimir hugged him back, standing upright again... "Just... be careful kid..."
-
Drevo heard the others moving about and looked up to see Korius waving them over. He stood up, walked over and listened to the plan. When Koruis got to the part saying they all needed to group together his expression changed. "What...He's kidding right?" He finished up and they began to walk off. Drevo walked a little faster than normal to catch up to Korius. "Hey, are you an idiot? If we're going up against magic users and we're grouped together they can wipe us out in a single attack. Even if White can cast a barrier around us, that would be the only way we would last in a group." Drevo hoped Korius would take some head to his advice, but in all honesty he didn't expect much.
-
Korius turned around and eyed Drevo directly into the eyes. "So you don't trust your own skills? Do know that if they catch you by yourself, you can kiss your (censored) goodbye. A gangbang of magic-users is the last you would want. Your sword may be swift, but their magic can resist more than you can dish out if they're in a group. We'll have Kiana and White. If you don't like it, I invite you to try and get yourself killed. The only way that we're going to win is to scatter them and take them down one by one, save for Kiana's uncanny abilities."
No sooner did Korius finish, did hands come up from under the ground and grab for Korius' legs. He jumped up and ran a sword into the ground. The hands had already disappeared and the sound of children laughing can be heard echoing from the walls, as they were only feet from it. The upper bodies of two magic-users appeared from the wall. The two spoke in unison, "Heeheehee! It doesn't matter how you fight us, you'll never get us apart. We've been waiting for you. A nice man told us this morning that there were two disgruntled rangers with a couple wolf-kin and a cheetah in town." The large shadow of the castle began to rise from the ground and made a swirl around everyone. Korius lept from the ground towards the wall, drew Valia and swung it right through, destroying a small portion the size of a large passageway.
-
Kiana smirked slightly at Korius' last words. "He's right, Drevo. In this instance, it's much better if we stay in a group." She confirmed as she saw the hands grab Korius' legs and him jump and stab the ground. Watching as the twins appeared through the wall and listening to them speak, her face returned to its serious expression. As the shadow swirled around them, she readied herself for anything. She advised the others without looking at them, "If there was ever a time to be afraid of the dark, it would be now..."
-
The twins slunk back into the wall and the shadow swirling around the party broke open slightly where the moonlight through the opening had shown. Now that the twins had receded into the wall, the shadow swirl rose to great heights, forming into giant jaws and came back down onto the group to consume them.
-
"Dammit!" *White could only reply and instantly put a clear white shield around himself and then followed up by giving a light blue one individually to the other party members causing the mage to fall to the ground on his knees* "I wasn't really for this to happen now!..." *He inhaled as beads of sweat went down the sides of his head* "I'm using too much majicka to move, just make sure I don't get attacked too much because I'm defending primarily all of you fighters!" *He wheezed as he got up and rocked back and forth trying to stay standing up* "I can only imagine how this would actually be on the REAL battlefield, dammit I hope I can deal with the stress of the situation in that magnitude of enemies... as it is now I'm already challenged and this is not a good sign."
*The wolf looked around all over the place trying to spot the shadows and trying to stay clear of anything trying to come out of the floor and attack him* "One hit could be all it takes to completely destroy me probably considering these are trained mages and are used to the idea of killing."
-
multiple shadow spikes slammed hard on all the little barriers. All the ones that hit White's bounced right off and into the floor. As for the others, only one or two were deflected before they started breaking through, just barely missing the people inside them. The twins were giggling in the shadows at White's attempt and spoke up again. "Heeheehee! The silver one might have gotten past us, but you can't!" The shadow spikes began to expand, the top beginning to close up around them all. The hole that Korius had broken into the wall was still slowly crumbling, revealing a little more light, and cutting a little more into the shadows bit by bit.
-
The rangers both flinched instinctively as the shadow spikes rushed towards them, not a moment too soon a light blue shield erupted around them, deflecting one of the spikes. The second spike pushed its way through and managed to slice a hole straight through Vladimir's cloak. Cursing he pulled the cloak away, Kitt smirked, unsheathing his sword...
"Getting a little old dad?"
Vladimir smirked back, unsheathing his own blade, both ranger made swords hummed quietly and shone a soft pearlescant silver... "Oh no... just getting started kiddo..."
-
Atop the Palace, stood three more figures. (Figure 1)"So this is the little ragtag group after me? That is funny. I doubt they'll make it past the twins." (Figure 2)"No offense, sire, but they DID kill Septim after all. We can't exactly take them lightly." (Figure 3)"Then how about a bet, then, Liry? 2 Zera says that they die here." (Liry)"I'll see your 2 Zera and raise you 1 more." (Figure 3)"Heheheh. Easy money, deal."
-
As the shadowy spikes peirced through his bubble of a shield Drevo's hat was knicked slightly. He saw this and grumbled a bit; looking around frantically for the twins ready to go after them. "Hrmph...I guess being in a group means we all get a nice shield, but now we're all going to die. Sometimes I hate being right." Drevo was a bit questioning on what to do, they were all stuck in a crazy swirling vortex of doom hell bent on devouring them. "You would think Kiana could just crumble this castle and leave it at that, or shoot a mountain out of the ground to smoosh these two." Drevo chuckled at the thought of the two being smooshed for what they did to his favorite hat. "So, Korius, now what?!" asked Drevo mockingly.
-
The twins began to laugh at Drevo's words, "Yea, Korius! Now what? You were fast, but you left all your slow members behind!" Korius snorted and ran Valia through the side of his little opening, revealing a little more light, as he ran back to the group. He jumped in through the small opening made by the little bit of moonlight and swung Valia through the shadows closing in, but the sword merely stretched them and slid off, not cut them. The twins continued to laugh, "You can't just cut it open, Korius! Those shadows are impervious to normal blades." Korius snarled and re-strapped Valia as he drew the twin sai. "Then how about these?" With lightning speed, Korius cut through the shadows continuously. However, the shadows repaired and reconnected quickly.
The twins resumed their jestering, "Even with those ancient sai with the magic-canceling enchantments, it almost doesn't take any Majicka to fix those up." The spikes and strings of shadows emerged from ground and the existing ones and shot for Korius, wrapping around his body. He growled and grunted as they pulled him away from the opening made by the light that he tried to make a break for. The shadows squeezed tighter and the sound of Korius' joints slowly separating could be heard over everything else.
-
Kiana managed to dodge the shadow spikes that broke through the shield barrier. As she saw the helplessness of those around her, she knew she needed to take immediate action. Stomping her right foot on the ground, a rock rose up from the ground and she punched it towards the front palace wall, causing the portion it hit to crumble. She repeated the process until the whole front wall was non-existent. "Oh children, come out and plaaaay!" She said in a particularly eerie tone, a kind of creepy grin on her face as she started to move towards the palace. She was now thinking that this would be a rather fun battle but of course she would still take it seriously because her life did depend on that.
-
The twins continued their eerie laughter as their shadows disappeared with the shining of the more-revealed moonlight. "Sorry, but we don't like to play with old, baggy ladies! We'll see you inside." The twins disappeared back into the wall and the shadows that were still active dissipated into nothingness, releasing everyone. Liry smiled under her cloak, "Well now, Kriole, looks like you owe me 3 Zera. Pay up front now." The shadowy tiger growled as his eyes lit up with fire. Kriole took out the three golden coins and his hand lit in a blaze before dropping the burning coins into Liry's hand, and disappeared from sight. She smirked as water emerged from her hand and pooled magically, instantly cooled the coins, not letting them touch her hand and just floating in the water, steam rising from them. Liry looked up at Provas, who still stood looking down on the group, "No offense, big boss, but it's just from what I've seen. Septim's the weakest of the Guardians, but he's still stronger than the twins." Provas snarled, "Just get on with it. They were smart to come at night, but at least we have the twins to make up for the lack of light. Welcome our guests, but make sure their stay is.... indefinite." Liry gave a devilish smile as she disappeared as well. "ooh, touchy."
-
*White fell over with a sigh of relief* "Oh my guardian it's finally over!" *His tongue lolled out to the side as he tried to breathe heavily, his shield and the others quickly crumbling from his loss of concentration* "Sorry guys but I need a break for like at least 5 minutes... or more... I can only hope for." *The wolf struggled to get up, but discovered it was a bit painful to do so and simply stayed put on the floor*
-
Inside the palace, the 10 personal guards of Provas discussed their plans for battle and got in their positions. Provas continued to stand above the Palace, looking down onto the group. He smirked to himself as he raised his staff. Try a little sample of my power. You will be the first to see it in many years. The giant topaz on his staff glowed brighter and brighter in the course of 1-second and then a large lightning storm fired from it, striking towards the group with over 100 bolts.
-
Both rangers had rushed over to White's side as soon as he collapsed, with swords drawn they stood over him....
"Dont worry Cleric, we'l cover you..." No sooner had he spoken, Vladimir looked up to see the maelstrom of lightning... "Well.... actually White.... White buddy old pal?... White!.... Unless you put up that shield again, we are all royally screwed!"
-
Provas chuckled under his breath as he continued his little onslaught against the group, watching the white mage refusing to move while being protected by the two rangers. "Too easy." With his other hand, Provas created a ball of lightning and threw it directly at the three grouped together.
-
Drevo danced about dodging the various bolts of lightning, he did this until he saw the ball of lightning heading towards White and the rangers. He quickly darted for them, he litterally kick White square in the chest sliding him across the floor. He then pushed both rangers one with each hand at the same time; pushing himself just barely out of the reach of the attack. The ball of electricty managed to barely hit his hat, charring it a small amount on the edge. Drevo fell onto his back and looked up, seeing the scorchmark on the brim of his hat and passed that Provas. "My hat...YOU BASTARD!" he barked pointing at him still lying on his back.
-
Provas smirked and disappeared into the Palace. Inside, the others waited for him. He sat down onto his throne and watched as the twins emerged from the floor before him in a bowing stance. Like usual, the twins spoke in unison. "They will be in the Palace shortly, my lord. The loft entrance has been emptied of servants and anything that's even worth anything. As a precaution, Liry and Piry are sitting on the 5th floor balcony that overlooks the whole atrium loft. Kriole and Leo are dying to take the first fight, so they're waiting at the front door. Everyone else is going to be with them as well. We'll run along the walls and wait above the doors. This fight will not require you, sire." Provas grinned maliciously, "Indeed. You are my prized children. You have all done well to replace your predecessors as my personal guard. I am proud of all of you, especially since you are all only 15 and 16 years old and you have all surpassed those useless guards I had prior." The twins bowed even lower, "Thank you... Father."
Korius broke free and dodged around the lightning bolts. During his quick exit, he grabbed White by the cloak and hightailed it out of the storm, tackling Kiana out of the way of the final bolt before the storm died off. Breathing heavily, Korius got up and drew out the twin sai. "Let's go, you guys. We have to keep moving. That's them telling us that they're not going to let us rest up." Korius walked up to the front entrance with the group and flung the doors wide open.
Immediately, Kriole and Leo fired large fireballs at Korius. Korius blocked with the twin sai and he jumped up, expecting another volley to be shot at him.
-
Kiana was just about to do a move that would have blocked her from the final lightning strike when Korius tackled her. "A little warning would be nice..." She grumbled, rubbing her neck as she got up off the ground. She had a bit more to say than that but she kept it to herself since what he did was supposed to be a good thing. She followed after Korius away with the serious, determined look still on her face. The twins comment had never made her look or her concentration falter, especially since she was able to tell that they weren't much younger than her. She readied her staff before Korius flung the door open. She sent up a wall in front of him after he blocked the fireballs (even though she would have done it in time to shield him if he hadn't been prepared) and "shoved" it towards Kriole and Leo.
-
Kriole and Leo merely smirked as two others from behind them jumped over them, bringing down wind barriers around them and destroying Kiana's attack. From the 5th floor, Liry shot a moving whirlpool towards Kiana while Piry shot a shower of ice needles towards her.
-
*White jerked about and looked up with determination and got loose from Korius's grip and made a differently colored yellow shield this time in the front of them* "These guys like fire eh, well let's see what they think of a barrier that deflects majicka rather than just absorbing the blast." *The wolf holds a serious face as he has never attempted this spell before as he didn't have enough time to test it*
-
Vladimir let out a cry of alarm as Drevo shoved him out of the way, landing on his feet he casually flicked his tail... Kitt, not so quick on his feet, went sprawling across the floor.... jumping back to his feet he dodged another bolt of flashing lightning, the distinct smell of ozone in it's trail...
"White! While your trying this thing me n' my son can try to protect you..."
The two rangers took up places on either side of White, swords humming softly....
-
Drevo was getting to his feet when he saw the whirl pool and ice shards flying at Kiana. He quickly darted to her using his speed, in almost an instant he was next to her and the split second he was passing her he said somthing. "Sorry..." And in that split second he shoved her hard to the side completely out of the way of the attacks. Instead he was caught in the whirl pool, luckily the shards of ice following it didn't impale him completely. One just scraped him across his side and another cut his hat. He noticed his hat being cut and managed to grumble even though he was struggling for air being stuck in this whirl pool. The blood from his wound, though small, began to send streams of red swirling around.
-
The whirlpool continued its path and hit the newly-made wall of ice, splashing everywhere. At the same time, Korius just kicked off the wall and dove in towards Kriole and Leo. The two backed up and fired an inferno at Korius. Korius grounded himself and crossed the sai in front of him to block the attack. He wanted to dodge, but Kiana was on the ground directly behind him. Quickly, Kriole and Leo jumped off to the side, revealing the two wind-types and two earth-types with hands together. From their cluster of hands, a typhoon shot out, filled with rocks the size of heads, swirling into a deadly attack.
Korius quickly holstered the sai at the sight of them and took out Valia, running it into the ground in front of him. The impact knocked Korius back and landing him into Drevo, destroying the ice wall. Korius grunted and growled as he coughed up blood and landed on top of Drevo.
-
Kiana was glad to be shoved out of the way, not having the time to defend herself. Her left hand was flat on the ground and she quickly rolled over as the typhoon filled with rocks came at them all, forming a shield of rock over all their heads. If a rock hit the shield over anyone's head, she made sure that it disintegrated into sand so they wouldn't be knocked out. When the typhoon and rocks had passed she turned the shield to make it into a wall and threw it towards the six of them. She then jumped up and, using the move she had used to knock down the wall, sent chunks of rock towards the group.
-
Kriole and Leo raised a fire wall and shot it towards Kiana's rock wall, both of them shattering into nothing. The six magic-users sank into the ground and the chunks of rocks shattered onto the floor harmlessly. Like gophers, they began to pop their heads up from random points in the building. From around Kiana, Kriole and Leo jumped out of the floor and they raised small fire walls on either side of her and let them loose. From beside the door, the two earth-users' upper bodies stuck out of the wall and raised a field of rocks around the Szardas and White. With a clap of their hands, the rocks caved in, rushing to strike and crush the three of them.
-
*White's hands were practically burning at this point from the amount of majicka he was trying to keep up with the attacks* "Damn you all, I'm not going to lose to a few cretins with some fancy attacks, majicka is still majicka in any way, shape or form! *The wolf spread the yellow shield till it formed an egg-like shape around him and the szardas defending him to deflect the attacks* "I hope those attacks all come back upon all of those damn enemy mages."
-
More rocks began to pile on top of another, pressing inward against the barrier. From the fifth floor, Liry fired off a stream of water that swirled around the rocks and helped press it harder against the barrier. Piry backed into a black swirl on the wall behind her and disappeared. Meanwhile, the wind-users popped their arms and heads out of the ceiling and created a vortex around Kiana, accidentally putting out the firewalls and knocking Kriole and Leo back onto their butts. "Hey! Watch it! You guys were supposed to attack the downed ones!"
-
Both Szardas kept their swords raised to the guard position over White.... there was nothing they could really do, neither knew the faintest bit of magika so their lives rested entirely upon white... "C'mon White... this isnt how it ends for us... for you... dammit c'mon you cleric!"
Vladimir had backed right the way up to White, his son behind him..
-
The earth-users laughed maniacally but then slipped out of the wall as the shadows they were sticking out of disappeared with the bursting of the fire-walls. Their spells dispersed, the water being spread out everywhere. "Hey hotheads! Watch it! Just because we have more fun than you with the twins, doesn't mean you can ruin this for us! Father will be mad if we don't kill these people!"
-
Drevo got up from Korius being smashed into him and shook off being drenched now. He looked around and saw Kiana trapped in a whirl wind, but he also saw the downed earth mages complaining. He wanted to help Kiana being that she was against her opposite element and would be having trouble, but he also had the chance to most likely get one of those pesky mages. Drevo made a judgement call, Kiana wasn't in any immediate danger so he darted for the downed mages unsheating his katana, jumping into the air and bringing it down to one of the mages in a stabbing motion.
-
The earth-users sank into the ground while they were still complaining, as the twins absorbed them back into the shadows. The wind-users withdrew their attack and disappeared into the ceiling. All the magic-users disappeared, actually, withdrawing their attacks and all reappeared by the door to the throne room. However, the twins didn't appear with them.
Korius rushed to Kiana's side. "Are you ok? How much Majicka do you have left?" He quickly turned his eyes and scanned over to the group of magic-users before them. The twins must have already used their Majicka to their limits, and the two fire-users must have generated too much light for them.
The 8 magic-users grouped their hands together and a ball of light formed in the middle and grew into a large vortex in a second and shot at the party. A flaming wind vortex shot at them with sharp, needle-like rocks mixed with it, and a sharp, spear-like water jet shot through the middle. The vortex's diameter was more than 3 meters wide.
Korius grabbed Kiana and backed up to where White and the Szardas were. He drove Valia into the ground like before, in front of him, "I hope you have enough to help me block this, White. If not, this might just kill us all."
-
Kiana would have fought against the wind-users attack if she had had the opportunity but they withdrew their attack before she could. "I'm fine. I have enough." She responded to Korius, glancing over at him. She actually let Korius pull her back towards the others. She knelt down and created a short, V-shaped wall in front of the group to block at least some of the attack. "Get down!" She yelled at the Szardas since they were still standing.
-
Vladimir dropped to the floor, pulling Kitt by the back of his hood with him... he threw his son down to the floor and covered him with himself, ignoring Kitt's complaints....
"White, you better have somthing left up one of those sleeves of yours!"
-
*White looked at Korius with a lot of concern and at the same time that "Oh crap" expression* "Well I really hate using this but I guess now I don't have to... I made a backup supply of some of my energy in case I ran out, but I haven't used it in a long time..." *The wolf took his butterfly knife out of his cloak and brought it out, the white color of the handles being absorbed into his paw and the natural blue color returning to the design as the contained energy returned to himself; the wolf put it away after finishing the transfer* "Alright Korius, I'll give this my 'best' shot." *He clenched his teeth as his paws looked like they were being strangled with the wave of energy passing from them; the wave of majicka looked as thick as a miniature monsoon and he poured it into the shield that defended the group making the barrier much thicker and a darker color till it appeared orange* "I literally have given you as much as I can right now, if it's not enough I'm going to need another source..." *His eyes showed signs of fatigue as he tried to stay awake*
-
Drevo grumbled having missed the mages. He sheathed his katana and hurried over to where the others were gathering. Kiana had put up her barrier followed by White's barrier. Drevo was a bit unnerved not being able to do anything to help, it wasn't like he could press himself against the barrier and make it any better. Instead he just readied himself, the mages were clearly almost tapped, and this would leave them vulnarable enough to make another move. He would have done it while they were preparing their attack but he didn't see the twin dark mages, they were likely hiding, ready to defend this immense attack.
-
The attack blasted through the two barriers and destroyed the entire front face of the Palace alongside the front of the outer wall. Luckily all that happened to the party was being blown out of the castle, back into the courtyard with a few minor abrasions and lacerations. Korius grunted as he got up, knees a little shaken at seeing an attack so powerful as to destroy two Mages' barriers and the face of a castle and its protective wall. He looked forward and found the children all on the floor. That must have taken the rest of their Majicka.
Korius hefted up Valia and took a step forward but found himself sinking into the ground. He looked around and noticed that even though they were outside, one of the Palace towers had fallen from the attack and now casted a shadow over the whole party. Damn these kids! However, this time, there was no laughter or giggling echoing everywhere, but the sound of heavy breathing. "Come out you little kids! I know you and your friends are out of Majicka. There's no point in trying to stop us. *Continues to struggle* Why protect such an evil man?" The other magic-users near the door of the throne room also struggle to their knees, gathering together to attempt another attack. All their voices rang in unison. "Our father is not evil, and we will protect him with out life. We are his good children, and good children do not disobey their father."
This time, however, there was no big attack, but 8 individual ones. Liry shot a long, spear-like waterjet. Piry shot out a shower of ice needles. Kriole and Leo shot out a dragon and a phoenix made of fire. The earth-users sent forth a wave a spikes to emerge from the ground, through the floor, that traveled via the ground towards the group. The wind-users, together, shot a man-sized ball of highly compressed air. Korius' eyes widened at seeing the attacks and took out the twin sai, throwing them at the attacks.
The first sai landed the path of the spikes and prevented the center of it to progress, the attack passing harmlessly around the group. The second sai hit the air ball, bursting it while still inside the castle, and the sai being blown and stuck itself right into a pillar. Korius braced himself with Valia, since he was in front of the group. Dammit! if only those twins weren't here, we'd all be able to move.
-
Kiana grumbled as she stood up before the shadow stopped held her in place, not making any sound of pain even though she was feeling a lot of it. With four moves, she brought up sections of rock to stop the remaining four attacks. "They'll be down soon enough." She thought to herself as she stared towards the magic-users. "They would have done another big attack at seeing the effects of that one and since they didn't they must be almost, if not completely, out of majicka."
-
*White growled as he literally jumped off the ground from being pissed off* "Seriously what is up with this overpowering majicka crap!? You hear me you cheaters??? Why don't you fight one on one with one of us, HUH?!" *The wolf clearly had not slept enough and was getting irritated, cranky, and frustrated at the same time but more than willing at this point to fight just anyone to feel like he was at least somewhat successful after several humiliating retreats* "Am I not the only one who thinks this damn leader of theirs' is just some fat cat with a lot of power that manipulates people and then kills them when he's finished?"
-
The twins used more Majicka and the shadows extended arms to pull down the jumping White and restrained him. Their voices could be heard through the walls as they struggled in pain, trying to squeeze whatever Majicka they had left to contain the party. Near the throne room doors, the other 8 were already barely able to keep their eyes open as they crawled over to the group slowly, biting onto small knives in their mouths, desperately trying to finish the job. The twins called out to their "siblings", "Hurry up, guys! We can't restrain them for too much longer!"
-
Vladimir pulled his crossbow up to one shoulder, his muscles screamed in protest as he tensed his finger on the trigger... "White... Fatcat?..." ... he smirked as he brought one of the mages painfully into his sights... He opened fire on the mage who was the most seperated from the rest, in the space of half a minute he had unleashed ten bolts....
Kitt, younger and not expecting the attack from the shadow mages attempted to follow in his fathers lead... only to find he could barely move an inch... he growled in annoyance as he watched his father launch a volley of bolts... "Stupid... magica.... frackin'... annoying... cant... move..." he cursed under his breath, loading a rack of bolts into his bow, even this tiniest of movements tore at every tendon of his arms...
-
The twins' voices conveyed their pain as more arms came up from the shadows and grabbed the Szardas' arms and everyone sank lower into the ground, more than half their bodies submerged into the ground. "You don't scare us. If we don't obey father, we die anyways. But we're good children, we always obey Father. Now, please die." More shadows then came out of the ground, wrapping around half the group's necks.
-
Drevo was helpless to do anything other than grab at the shadow strangling him. The shadows practically eating him, he had his bowstaff under his arms as if the shadows were quicksand and that was the only way he was going to stay above. But even that meant he was still being strangled. Drevo knew there was nothing he could do at this point so with his hand he was holding his bowstaff with tightened it's grip. But during that his other hand that was giving him his only supply of air slipped from it's position and the shadow completely cut of his air supply. Leaving him to gasp while he slowly lost consciousness.
-
Korius struggled with the shadows and yelled over to everyone. "Keep struggling! Make them use up their Majicka! Just -mmphf!!" Four hands came from the shadows and covered his mouth while two more came up and began to wrench at his neck. The remaining seven "Siblings" were still crawling over slowly, trying to drag themselves over to their targets. Finally, the twins couldn't hold out and the shadows released the party, throwing them out of the ground and 2 meters into the air before they fell back to the ground. Korius grunted as he gasped for air. In front of him, the exhausted twins emerged from the shadow, unable to move and barely breathing. Korius drew Valia and held it upside-down, blade at their necks. "You've been a great nuisance. I don't care if you are children. You tried to kill us. I'll have your head."
-
Kiana gasped for air after landing on the ground when everyone was released. When she sat up, she saw Korius ready to kill the children. The memory of her brother being slayed before her flashed before her eyes. She realized that Korius would put them through what she had gone through even though he would kill them all and they wouldn't have to suffer all their lives...it still wasn't right. Standing up, she put her left hand on his shoulder. "Korius...don't. They're just kids, kids who are being taken advantage of by their own father..." She said softly, looking at them all. "It's not their fault."
-
*White already pissed off had his butterfly knife drawn and at the ready, raised in the air and then stopped upon hearing Kiana's talk and thinking of the story she told* "...Dammit. I can't kill children... if only you people were older I'd have my revenge... but you don't even know what you're fighting for and you've been put up to this task because a guillotine rests upon your heads if you don't try to kill us." *He flipped his knife closed and looked from the kids to Korius* "Whatever your choice may be Korius, but may it rest upon your conscience if it be a permanent outcome." *The wolf glared up at the residence of the evil inside* "I probably won't get to kill you... but I will search for some of that wealth you've been hiding." *The wolf cackled in almost an evil manner*
-
The other 7 were pulling harder now, fingers bleeding from the effort of trying to speed up to rescue their "siblings" from Korius. "Leave him alone, you jerk!" "Yea! They're good boys!" "Leave them alone or I'll torture you before I kill you!"
-
Drevo was still unconscious, face down now since he was spit out of the shadows. The fight might aswell have been over here but while he was unconscious he dreamt about his past. "Alexia!...Alexia, where have you gone?!" Drevo staggered into a house, the storm pouring down outside. Lightning struck as Drevo was hunched over in the doorway, bloody dagger in his hand. "Alexia, I know your in here! Please, listen to me! You have to understand me! I-I was just trying to protect you!" "Stay away from me, Drevo!" Drevo slowly approched Alexia as she was curled in a ball in a corner looking at Drevo creep closer and closer. He dropped to his knees and grabbed her, hugging her tightly. "I would never hurt you...I'm so sorry you had to see what I did..." Drevo suddenly regained consciousness and looked around to see the others looking at the mages infront of them. He got to his feet and walked over to Korius who was looking at the two dark mages. He looked at his hat, then to the mages, then to Kiana and back to the mages. "Not infront of a lady..."
-
Torn between decisions, Korius roared and growled loudly before slamming Valia into the ground, away from the twins. With a mighty heave, he headbutted the broadside of the sword. Korius took a deep breath as he lifted his head back up, blood coming from the forehead. "Ok... ok... I'm calm." All the magic-users became dumbfounded for a minute at the little spectacle, but then resumed to crawl to the group with their knives, back for blood. Korius walked over to them and kicked a couple to the side while throwing the others. "Be happy that the nice lady wanted you to live."
-
Kiana cringed away when Korius brought Valia down. She wasn't sure if she wanted to look but since she heard no sounds of horror from the other kids, she decided it would be alright. When she looked, Korius has just headbutted the sword. She was relieved that he had had Valia hit the ground instead. As she watched Korius kick and throw the other kids, she unnoticeably shook her head. "Guess I can't expect him to be totally nice to them...and none of us have any reason to be nice to them really..." She thought to herself as she followed after Korius.
-
*White walked along whistling a tune trying not to attract attention to himself as he noticed for the most part the battle was over and took a few minutes to gaze upon the residence they were invading* "Looks like a nice place, it's a shame that it had to be full of demented children and a crazy parent with nothing better to do than test the patience of others and then result in people coming after him for assassination attempts like now." *The wolf shrugged and turned back to his group* "So... what are we going to do now, go for the head cheese man... probably hiding under a table upstairs?" *The wolf chuckled at his own words, finding the thought of someone being afraid of them to be something new to him and humorous*
-
Vladimir set about the rather arduous process of reloading his repeater crossbow. Drawing back the string he slung the weapon up to shoulder height, satisfied he looked over at his son... "Kitt.... you load your own bow... dont wanna be caught unprepared..."
Kitt smirked, walking past his father jauntily... "Already loaded it dad... try to keep up wont you?"
Vladimir sighed muttering under his breath... "Kids..."
-
As White spoke, the doors burst open into pieces. Provas walked through, lightning eminating from his body, destroying the door pieces into dust. His face was very unhappy, not in a rage, but definitely very unhappy. "You... have been some bad children. You couldn't do what I told you, and now you're being pushed around by this bunch." The "Siblings" began to talk as they gasped for air and tried to get into a bowing position. "F..forgive us, father." "Y-yes! Please, father! We've tried out best!" Provas shook his head and raised his staff, giant topaz at the end. "There is no forgiveness for bad children... only punishment." Before anyone could say anything, large bolts of lightning shot from the topaz. Each bolt hit each of the 9 remaining "Siblings" and fried them to dust. For the 2 seconds they were being shocked, each child screamed in what can only be described as the most sad and painfully sorrowful screaming and crying. Lifting his staff back upright, he slammed the end of it into the ground to make a large Clink! sound. "I am the Guardian, Lazaryos Provas! How dare you even try to attempt at killing me! *Points the staff at the group* I will make you suffer before I allow you to die."
Korius strapped Valia back with one smooth motion and drew the twin sai. "In the name of Gaia and the last of the true Guardians, Koara Uzima, I will be taking your head!" The topaz on Provas' staff lit up and fired a large lightning bullet at Korius. Korius blocked, but was knocked back more than 3 meters. He caught himself in mid-air and landed on both feet and one hand, sliding backwards another foot or so before stopping. Provas laughed maniacally as he slashed the staff into the air and sent a large boomerang of lightning at the group.
-
*White cast a gaze rather quickly in the direction of Provas as he entered* "So there be the coward... Hmm I wonder what he is going to..." *The wolf stopped shocked at seeing him react so harshly by murdering all of his kids* "...I can't believe such a man would do something like this.." *He felt a wave of energy come from places he knew not as he became angry and shouted* "Dammit, you can't just kill people for no reason!" *The wolf casts a heavy shield over Korius* "You better kill that piece of crap!" *The wolf clicked open his knife and raised up his own heavy shield*
-
Korius rushed in front of the group with the barrier, covering Kiana, who was the furthest ahead. He braced himself as the barrier shatter, the spell splitting into two pieces, still going towards White and the Szardas. The rebound shot Korius into the air, hitting the wall about 15 feet above the ground. He grunted as he hit, but slid down the wall controlled, so as not to further get injured. Provas laughed even more and fired another lightning bullet, this one towards Kiana, just as Korius hit the side wall.
-
Kiana felt like her eyes were burning in their sockets after she saw Provas strike down the kids. The numbness overtook her and if there was ever a time that she had been the most focused on a target, it would've been now. She covered White and the Szardas with an extra shield of her own as she saw a piece of the spell still going towards them. When she saw another lightning bullet coming at her, she quickly shielded herself with a dome of rock and laid on the ground beneath it, prepared for the dome to possibly break after impact from the powerful spell.
-
The lightning discipated into the wall protecting White and the Szardas. The bullet utterly destroyed the shield in front of Kiana, the pieces flying over and raining down at Drevo. Provas rushed towards the party and waved his staff around him. A glowing ring surrounded him and, as he got closer, broke into many little lightning needles, shooting towards the party.
-
Drevo darted out of the shower of rocks only to back flip to avoid the needles of lightning; one barely missing his hat. Nothing stopping him, once he landed on his feet he darted at Provas with amazing speed, katana ready to be drawn for an attack.
-
Vladimir shunted Kitt behind him in anticipation of the lightning strike... a shield flared in front of them and White and he saw Kiana out of the corner of his eye, he muttered a thanks under his breath even as he drew his crossbow up to his shoulder...
"Letsa see what defensive abilities this guys got shall we?"
He launched only three bolts at the guardian, not intending to injure him, he used it as a bait....
-
Provas watched as Drevo came to meet him alongside the bolts. He stopped in mid-stride as he charged his staff. Provas slammed his staff into the ground and the staff released a barrier of lightning. The bolts instantly fried on contact. Drevo was shocked and was sent flying towards White. As Drevo just rebounded, in one fluid motion from making the barrier, Provas wound up his staff and the barrier closed around the topaz, and he swung the staff, throwing the barrier at the party like a giant speeding boulder.
Korius, just regaining his bearings, quickly threw the twin sai in the path. Unfortunately, the sai merely rebounded since the attack was so powerful. The sai flew off in two directions, sticking right into the ground. Korius, in his mind, saw Koara in Kiana's place as the attack came for her. No! Not again! Korius quickly ran towards Kiana "Kiana!", getting in front of her. I guess there's no choice but to try. He delved into his body and channeled his into the katana as he drew it. With a powerful swing as he could make, Korius made a downswing of a wind-cutter. The barrier split in half quickly hit the floor on either side of Korius and Kiana, exploding on contact.
Provas hopped back twice from the explosion. "Interesting. I remember Koara had sealed away your Ki, but it seems you can still use it. However, I can already tell that it's taking its toll on your mind. Let's see how long you'll last before you get to killing your own comrades." Provas smirked evilly, and rightfully so. Korius' eyes began to glow periodically bright red, his mind slowly slipping into a bloodlusting rage. Provas then aimed his staff at the party. A ball of lightning shot towards the ground, catching the party off guard and began to form a lightning net on the ground.
-
*White falls over as Drevo smacks his shield* "Dammit, watch where you're... getting thrown >.>!" *The wolf looks over to Korius* "Oh crap, not this again after that ninja fight. Is there any way you can remain sane while doing that, I mean last time we got lucky but this time I don't know with the whole crazy Provas!?" *He quickly noticed the net forming* "Hmm... I think Provas thinks that Korius has screwed himself and us over and intends to trap us in here with him so he can kill us off and then Provas can kill him off..." "Hell no!" *The wolf makes a running start and attempts to jump over the net forming*
-
The net rapidly began to spread. Anyone caught in this will be unable to move and be temporarily paralyzed.
-
Kiana was shocked by the power of Korius' defense with the combination of his Ki and katana as she stood up behind him. When the net was cast out, she quickly dove and rolled out of reach of the net. She quickly got to her feet and readied her staff. She punched the air and a pointed rock jutted out of earth in front of Provas aimed at his chest. She then stomped on the ground, bringing up chunks of rock and punching them towards Provas. She didn't expect them to end up actually hitting him because he was so much more powerful than her but she figured she'd give it a shot anyway.
-
Provas laughed as he swung his staff, lightning forming into a blade at the tip of it. The lightning blade didn't cut, but contact with the blade made the rocks explode. The blade disappeared after a couple of rocks, but Provas made a larger, stronger one in its stead. Lightning emanated from Provas as his evil smiled crawled further across his face.
-
Drevo saw White running at the net in what appeared to be an attempt to jump over it. Not thinking he would be able to make it Drevo gave him a leg up, catapulting him over the net. But as a result he was caught in the net and paralyzed, but it was better than having one of their defenders unable to move.
-
*White stumbled over as he fell over the net and landed on his face* "Oww... ugh wha.. happened?" *White turned around to see Drevo frozen where he had made his brave move* "Dammit Drevo... thank you, I'll return the favor soon enough.." *The wolf whispered to his comrade trapped behind the net and turned to where Provas held his ground* "Alright, well Korius is pretty much going to go chaotic soon, Kiana's moves aren't working, Drevo is paralyzed, and Kitt and Vladimir are busy backing everyone up with their long range attacks... and then there's me and my shields that are faltering... But I still have this." *The wolf raised the butterfly knife and moved away trying to make himself hidden* "This is probably the craziest thing I have ever considered, but damned if I do or don't, we could all die either way. I'll try to sneak behind him and make my move." *The wolf moved slowly and cautiously around the field of combat*
-
Provas chuckled as Drevo got caught in the net. He quickly aimed the staff at him first and the topaz glowed, and fired a large bolt of lightning, the same as the one that fried the "Siblings". In a rush, Korius ran towards Drevo and jumped, kicking the wolf aside and out of the way. He crossed his arms in front of him and concentrated on his Ki. A small barrier of Ki (unseen) raised in front of Korius and took the brunt of the attack, but both of Korius' arms became charred as he flew back out past the blasted front face of the Palace. Korius grunted as he slowly got up, his eyes glowing red more and more frequently.
Provas laughed out loudly at Korius' condition. "Hahahahaha!! The great Korius Lambent completely burnt to incapacitation! Koara always brags about you and how that you have the power to kill Guardians in a fight! Look at you! You're pathetic! Look at how weak you are!" Provas ran up the middle to Korius, since everyone else had cleared out or was kicked out of the way. He grabbed Korius by the face and lifted him up. Provas' size and height as a tiger-Kin showed his prowess as he looked into Korius' eyes between his fingers. Provas' eyes glowed dominantly with lightning. "Time to say goodnight."
-
Kiana watched in slight horror as she saw what happened to Korius. She felt a little like she was frozen in place when Provas ran up the middle towards Korius. She watched and listened to all that was said and done. A slight rage boiled up inside of her after Provas finished speaking. "You know nothing of strength!" She hollered at Provas from where she stood. Her left hand was balled into a fist and her right hand was gripping her staff very tightly. "The only one who will be saying goodnight here is you!" She quickly pointed her staff at the ground then flicked the end upward, causing a wave of rock to come up between Korius and Provas where it came up and collided with Provas' elbows. She then pushed the wall at Provas to push him away from Korius so Korius would have time to recover.
-
Provas' grip released at the surprise of the attack. Truly nothing he expected out of her. As he was being pushed back, he chuckled, "Very interesting, child. For one as young as yourself, to be at a mage-level, you are truly something else. It's a shame, though, that you would choose to go against me. If you repent now, I might forgive you and you may even replace those useless children I picked up from the remnants of the Academy." He pressed the topaz of his staff onto the rocks and fired another lightning bullet, destroying the bindings. Provas then turned his staff on Kiana, the topaz glowing brighter with a charge filling it up for another attack. "You forget, youngling, I have more than 1500 years of magic development under me, and enough Majicka to put an army away."
-
Drevo was suprised to be saved at this point, considering all the saving he had been doing he thought no one would return the favor. But he was glad he was saved considering Provas was charging an attack aimed for Kiana. He knew she would be able to block it but he could try to attack Provas to disrupt him and save Kiana some majika. So with that in mind Drevo shook off what was left of the paralysis and made another dart at Provas ready to unsheath his katana once more.
-
Unaware of Drevo, Korius forced himself up and ran at Provas. As he did, he kicked Valia off the strap and jumped up, biting down on Valia's handle. Korius pulled hard with his neck as he came bearing down on Provas. "Mmmeaff mmfer mmfalonmf! (Leave her alone!)" Provas looked over to where the noise came from, the spell fading away from inside the topaz. "Hmm. Interesting. You can still fight?" Provas slid his hand further down his staff and extended it to hit Korius in the gut as he came down, the staff longer than Valia, considering the owner was larger than life. Lightning spewed from the topaz and shocked Korius. Korius screamed, Valia falling to the ground, in pain until he lost consciousness. Provas laughed maniacally and threw Korius aside, knocking him into Drevo.
-
Vladimir leapt out of the way of the net, grabbing Kitt by the back of his hood he pulled his son with him, ignoring the child's yelp of surprise... raising his crossbow he motioned for Kitt to do the same and whispered in his son's ear, before nodding... The two of them unleashed several bolts, one after the other, all aimed not at Provas... but at the staff he held.... Vladimir launched a lightning enscorcelled bolt into the fray as well, hopefully if Provas was distracted by being attacked on all sides; he would eventually make a mistake....
-
Provas heard the bolts from the bows' strings and pointed his staff towards the Szardas. As the first bolt his the topaz, a lightning shield covered his front. As the lightning bolt hit the shield, it bounced right back at the Szardas, heading for Kitt. Provas laughed, forgetting that there was one more in the party, "Hahahaha!!! I can't believe you would actually try to hurt me with my own element! No matter what you do, you can't surprise me!"
-
*White slowly crept along the edge of the wall looking over to Korius and Kiana trying to stay out of their eyesight* "One false look of the eye to acknowledge my presence would instantly alert Provas... so I can't let anyone know of my mission. It's a do or die and I hope to save all of them." *He crept along making zero noise, controlling the level of his breath, he made his breathing low and kept his head down, his knife kept in an attack position* "I remember I used to do this as a kid back home, loved hunting with this knife. Taken me through tons of hard times, if it wasn't boredom it was cutting some rope or gutting a fish.. just like I intend to gut another today."
*He now crouched behind Provas* "Gotta make this one count." *He studied the tiger's back carefully* "Right through his lung, it'll stop the breathing and he'll die a slow and painful death, for all of those innocent lives he has put to death... and I'll let Korius and Kiana finish him off." *The wolf raised the knife and speared forward for the tiger's lungs*
-
Provas roared as the butterfly knife penetrated his back. With a back swipe, he sent White flying with his mighty arm. Korius took advantage of the situation and jumped on top of the tiger's shoulders and bit down on Provas' neck. Provas roared even more, grabbing Korius by his fried arms and threw him towards White. Korius grunted and finally lost consciousness, the glow in his eyes showing brightly now, through his eyelids.
-
Kiana couldn't help but grin as White stabbed Provas in the back. She had seen him coming up behind Provas out of the corner of her eye but hadn't looked at him because she didn't want to give him away. She was greatly surprised by Korius jumping on Provas and biting his neck. After Korius was thrown away towards where White had been sent flying, she took the opportunity to attack. Quickly raising two walls on either side of Provas, she brought her staff and her free hand together swiftly, bringing the walls together to hopefully crush Provas or at least knock him unconscious so the job could be finished.
-
Provas was surprised to see the walls around him, at first, but pressed his hands on either one as they pushed in and lightning emanated from his hands into shapes of blades, destroying the walls in the shape of his body, the wall closing around him. He clapped his hands in front of his face and busted a hole into the rock so that he could turn his head and quickly inched out. He was now being pushed onto defense.
-
Drevo was a bit dazed after be assaulted with the most deadly weapon of all, Korius, for the second time today. When he got off of him and darted towards Provas biting into his neck he got to his feet. After he wormed his way out of Kiana's attack Drevo used this chance at another attack.
-
"Back from me, boy!" With the lightning blades still formed on his hands, Provas parried Drevo's blade. He made a fist with his other hand, the blade now making a lightning glove around it, and punched Drevo in the stomach. Immediately after, Provas grabbed hold of Drevo with both hands and threw him directly at Kiana.
-
Vladimir pulled Kitt down, the bolt missed his son by mere inches, actually tearing a hole through his hood to the left of one feline ear.... the bolt finally found its mark in Vladimir's leg, it tore through the light leather greaves and nestled in his thigh with a loud ~thunk~...
he let out a moan of pain, one paw clutching the wound... tearing a strip of linen from one sleeve of his shirt, he wound it tightly around his thigh, the white cloth staining red....
"Kitt.... keep up the attack with the others.... go!"
Kitt looked from his blood covered father, to Provas and the others.... shouldering his crossbow he nodded, taking aim and letting several bolts fly, aiming for Provas' head , legs and chest, trying to get a large a spread across the guardian as possible.......
behind him Vladimir clenched his jaw, applying as much pressure around the bolt as he could... if he removed it, the blood flow would increase, and in under five minutes he would be unconscious from blood loss... ten minutes, and he'd be dead.... crumpling onto his side he drew his knee up to his chest, clenching his jaw in attempt not to shout out in pain....
-
Provas heard the bows, but this time while he was still fighting Drevo. He straightened his other hand again, making a second lightning blade form on it. With powerful swings, Provas knocked out most of the bolts, but some had scraped his skin and two hand made it into his side and left thigh. Provas roared and tore out the bolts. In his rage, he ran towards the Szardas. Provas kicked Kitt forwards and back-handed Vladimir aside. He raised a bladed hand and poured more Majicka into it to make it solid. "Bad move, boy."
-
*White tried to move, but realized that he had a weight over him as he gained consciousness of what happened after getting smacked by Provas* "Damn I'm surprised I'm still alive... I should probably stay still since Korius isn't stirring yet above me and I don't want electric man thinking I'm still around." *The wolf focused his energy to Korius above him and attempted to heal him in a stealthy manner* "At least I can try to help Korius so he can finish the job for me."
-
Pain flared through Kitt's chest as Provas kicked him, flun backwards his crossbow was torn from his grip and clattered away across the tiled floor... he met the floor with a thud, his ranger's cloak, still too big for him, covered him as he pushed himself painfully onto his knees....
He reached for the sword at hip, pain flared again in his arm, he pulled the sword half out, growling under his breath.... he looked up at Provas, and for the first time since his mother had went missing, felt true fear......
"No!!!!"
Vladimir stepped up over his son, and drew his sword the ranger-spelled metal shone a soft silver as he swung with both paws, to meet Provas’ blade with his own.....
”I lost my wife, i will not lose my son as well you corrupt tyrant!”
Kitt looked up in horror as Vladimir took the blow for him, even as darkness crept in from all sides, and he finally lost consciousness....
-
Proves laughed after his hand ran through Vladimir's chest. "Hahahaha!!! Oh, how heart-warming! The dear father who places his life over his child's! Oh, it's enough to make me SICK!" With a swing of his arm, Provas threw Vladimir's dead body across the room and turned to the unconscious Kitt. He raised his hand again, about to stab Kitt.
Korius groaned as White slowly healed him. His glowing, red eyes opened to catch Vladimir getting run through. Finally, his mind snapped over the edge. No.... no... this is too soon... a Chosen... this early... Korius roared in a tone unlike any that one would even consider a monster. "Killl...... killl....." Korius jumped off White and looked around, finding the seemingly unconscious White and then a towering Provas standing over an unconscious Kitt. Being the most active, Korius charged Provas with a roar, baring his fangs and his claws, despite his injuries.
Provas heard the roar, "Oh, ho! The little puppy can still move!" He turned towards the charging Korius and fired a large lightning bolt, the strongest he's cast all night. With just a roar, Korius sent a wave of pure Ki that nullified the whole spell into nothing. "Wha-...!?" Korius leapt forward and wound his claws. Provas formed lightning blades on his hands down to his elbows and swung at Korius. Korius filled his claws with his Ki and cut through the blades, sending Provas back into the wall next to Kiana.
Provas grunted as he crashed through one of the pillars before hitting the wall. Korius gave chase, but his target now changed to Kiana, since she was closer and didn't look like she's dead.
-
Drevo got off of Kiana only to see the mad Korius charging at her, he felt something was off about him and grabbed Kiana and carried her hopefully to safety. "Are you mad, Korius?!" He set Kiana down and stood between her and Korius just looking at him. "What's gotten int-" Just then he noticed Vladimir on the ground not moving.
-
Korius steered and followed the hurrying Drevo. "Killl.... must... killl.... alll....!" Korius bore his claws and swiped the air in a cross, sending a Ki attack directly at Drevo. Provas shook his head from the shock and noticed the rampant Korius. Good, this will save me some effort. Now I see why everyone's afraid of him. Lucky for me, he can't control it. He got up and walked over to the unconscious Kitt. "I won't miss you this time, you little bugger."
-
Drevo turned and pretty much tackled Kiana to the ground as Korius’ attack went over them. He scrambled to his feet, noticing Provas moving towards Kitt who was on the ground not moving either. “You halfwit!” barked Drevo dashing at him. He smack Korius upside the head and jumped behind him, hoping he would turn and give chase so he could lead him to Provas.
-
Korius merely roared in more anger and picked Drevo up, throwing him at Provas, the only other one that looked like he was alive. Provas grunted as Drevo hit him, though it wasn't enough to make him move. Provas snarled as he picked Drevo up by the neck. "You've quite the gahones to mess with me, little one." However, Korius began to charge the both of them.
-
Kiana was pretty dumbstruck when she saw Vladimir killed. Her mind was racing as she tried to think of what to do. As Provas was sent in her direction, she ducked away even though she didn't have to since he took out a pillar and hit the wall to her right. She wasn't sure what to do as Korius was running at her since she felt how weak she was, ready to pass out at any minute for too much majicka usage. Lucky for her for the moment, Drevo picked her up and carried her away, but she saw Korius charge after them. As Korius was readying his attack she noticed Provas over by Kitt again. Unlucky for her, she was tackled by Drevo as he avoided Korius' attack and being tackled so many times in one fight when she could protect herself was getting really irritating. Standing up and raising a large rock, she sent it flying at Provas' head. She swayed on the spot before collapsing on the ground. She hadn't passed out but her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow. "This...isn't...good..." She mumbled between breaths. "Korius...better take...him down. I don't...have enough...majicka for...it..."
-
Provas took the hit hard, having given Korius his full attention to stay alive. Provas staggered as the rock smashed against his head. "(censored)!!" Korius came baring down onto Provas, ready for the kill, but his Ki was now completely drained, thanks to the seals in his body. He passed out in mid-strike and collapsed on top of Provas. Provas panted and was surprised temporarily at Korius fainting on top of him. He pushed the unconscious Korius off of him and looked around. Kiana was all but out, the kid's out with his father dead, the White wolf with the tattered hat is out cold alongside the white mage, and the only threat was now unconscious. "Heh.... eh hehe... hahahahaha!!! Oh, and here I actually feared for my life! Oh, how I will now make you all suffer." Provas charged his Majicka into his hands and prepared a storm unlike any he's ever made. Ha laughed even more manically, but all of a sudden, his laughter stopped, and the lightning went poof! as he looked down and stared at a specially shaped voulge sticking out of his chest and through his heart.
-
Talin slowly pulled back Provas and smiled with bloodlust as their eyes met. "Chronin sends his regards..." he said before quickly kicking Provas off his voulge, then bringing it down on his neck for a clean decapitation. Then the bloodlust quickly left his visage as he had no need to kill someone who is now increadibly dead.
Talin had changed from his usual robe-like dress to a complete body cloak, and the hood partially concealed his now pale-white hair. He brought his voulge back up slowly before swinging it to flick off the blood of the now dead guardian before looking about the room and leaning on his blade on his right shoulder. "Seriously, Valius sacrificed himself for you to live, and this is how they repay him?! Elistra, get over here already!!" The dragoness came over to check the wounds of the group, and shook her head before sighing. "Most of them are unconsious, one is dead. But, the cat-girl is still consious, mostly" Talin groaned as he tried to focus his mind, using his hands as a natural medium as he first went to Korius and stared in his face while squatting. "Thanks for ditching me back at the town... or I would be in the same situation as you and your idiot lot" He gathered whatever healing magic he naturally gained from his Lazyrus lineage, which wasn't much since he lacked the training to use any magic outside what he naturally gives off.
However, it was enough to partially restore someone's vitality and stop the bleeding; which was all he needed to get Korius to help with the others.
-
Korius groaned and grunted as he got up. However, something was off about him. His right eye continued to glow red, despite his left eye being back to its plain color. Korius looked up and spotted the returned couple. "Heh, your fault that you two stormed off just because we ignored you. Anyways, thanks for coming back to us. I'd be damned if all the Chosen weren't present. Unfortunately, we've lost Vladimir. Koara had mentioned a trial and choice that he had to make, but I didn't expect it to be so early. You're also not exempt from that prophecy as well, but hopefully, it won't be soon. He sighed and stood up, rubbing his head. Sight from Korius' right eye was still glowing as red as the eye itself. Dammit. It looks like this might be permanent. Korius kept his right eye closed and made a low growl as the feeling of both his arms being almost charred caught up to him.
-
Kiana heard Provas' exclamations and the chopping of flesh and bone. She knew he had been killed. What was surprising to her was the voices she heard, Talin's and Elistra's. "Don't call me 'cat-girl'." She grumbled from where she laid on the ground, her eyes still closed but her breathing had improved some. "And we're not an idiot lot...just overly ambitious." Air came out of her mouth that was supposed to be a chuckle but just sounded like forced out air. She wanted to roll over, wanted to get up. She hated lying on the ground feeling useless even if the fight was over. She tried to lift herself up with her arms only to fall back against the ground again with a groan.
-
*White got up carefully noticing that the situation was in control, Provas had died in but a flash before his eyes as Provas and Vladimir were gone, the puzzle pieces being picked up now.* "As quickly as this whole ordeal started, it's all over now... Korius are you okay... and Kiana do you need some assistance?" *The wolf looked over to where Kitt was at* "I can't really say anything... Vladimir was his father and now I don't know how badly he is going to take the loss if not now, but later alone. This is going to be a shattering day for many as it seems we all had to lose or give up something to get here."
-
Talin walked up to the wolf that he could not recognize out of everyone here, and gave him a once, twice, and then thrice over. "So this is the one you replaced me with, hes kinda scrawny, even for a mage..." He smirked before he went over to Drevo, dragging him off the floor and propped him up against a wall. "So, what do we do with the kid and Drevo?" Elistra went over to Vladimir's body and then looked at Kitt. "Shame we didn't get here quick enough, took us about a day just to find out where you were going... so, shall we burn the body, or wrap it before burning it?" "Elistra, maybe nows not the ti-" "I'm not going to burn it until the child is willing to go on... we'll leave him with the rot-" Talin had already walked over when he knew her words were taking a dangerous turn, and yanked her away from the body. "Enough..."
-
Kitt stirred, opening one eye pain flared through his body... it felt like after a particularly tough training session with his father, but ten times worse.... groaning weakly he rolled onto his side, clutching at his stomach.... it felt like he'd been kicked by a horse....
His eyes shot open... kicked, not by a horse... but by Provas!.... pushing himself painfully into a half-sitting position he called out quietly "Dad?" His voice sounded pitiful even to himself, groaning he sat up, reaching instinctively for his sword as he looked round, seeing the rest of the grop alive.... plus Talin and Elistra had re-joined them.... Vladimir wasnt among them.....
-
Korius gently placed a charred hand on the kid's head. "I'm sorry, Kitt, but he's no longer among us. I watched Provas run him through the heart. Your father died protecting you. I'm sorry, but it seems prophecy wanted to take its toll." Korius walked over to White and squatted in front of him, extending his arms towards the white mage. "Think you can do something about this? My flesh is pretty much cooked, and no need to say anything about my non-existing fur. If anything, at least rid me of some of this crud so I don't rot. I'm not going to be able to fight for quite a few days, huh?"
-
Kiana would have waved a hand to dismiss White's question of whether she needed any assistance but she didn't really have the energy to do so. "Just deal with Korius first. He's of more importance anyway." She said in a low voice since she didn't have the energy to talk loud. "The pictures in my head are interesting enough." Her eyes had remained shut. She didn't want to open them. Harsh realities could wait until later to be seen.
-
*White looked from Korius to Kiana and sighed* "You know I don't have much energy left after this massive boss battle... I can help a little bit but I'm afraid I can't do much till I eat something or sleep... preferably both. I could do a temporary fix and constrict the blood flow so you aren't hurting too badly until I have enough energy to heal you in a much better state, for now I can at best provide physician services unfortunately." *The wolf put his head down somewhat disappointed with himself* "I'm sorry... My shields didn't seem to hold up more than a couple minutes against these enemies, even less against Provas."
-
Talin let go of Elistra and stooped next to White. "I have healing abilities, would you like to assist me in providing a better healing than what I performed on Korius?" Elistra huffed at him, her cheeks somewhat puffed out in a comic subborness before she sighed and went to Kitt. "We'll give your father a funeral, but no more... now will you join the rest of us, young one?" Talin wasn't paying attention to Elistra since his focus was all on the wolf that apparently replaced him.
-
Drevo just leaned against the wall, not like he wanted to but he was exhausted. He looked around at his party, but the most at Kitt this time. If he wasn't so tired he probably would have walked over to him, gave him the whole talk about "How it will be alright", "How I know what your going through". Because he did know what he was going through, his entire family died for him...Drevo would likely wait for the right time to say it, but for now he couldn't really move.
-
Kitt's amber eyes filled with silent tears.... he stood up shakily, the grip on his sword shaking lightly.... wiping away the rears with one paw he looked up Elistra and nodded, the group where the only 'family' he had left... with his father dead, and his mother still captured, presumably dead... they where all he had....
Walking over to his crossbow, the saw the weapon had smashed against one of the large pillars... he picked up the wrecked remains of his old weapon, and sighed, dropping them back onto the tiles.... he walked over to the figure of his father, and took his dad's crossbow... normally a ranger would only get his own crafted bow at the age of eighteen, he sighed, taking the master-built weapon and bolts from the body.... slinging the bow over one shoulder he turned away, not able to look at the dead body any longer....
-
Korius grunted a bit as White helped stop the bleeding and rotting. He got up and walked over to Vladimir's body and knelt by it. Korius reached over and closed Vladimir's eyes. "It's a shame that prophecy has taken its toll on you, already. Don't worry, we'll take good care of the child. He won't get a formal Ranger training, but we'll do our best. Rest in peace, my friend." Korius stood up and did his best to rally up the group. "Come on, guys. Let's get out of here. Elistra, Talin, can you guys help carry Kiana out? The nearest village is a good few hours away. Kitt, walk beside me." Korius walked out past the wreckage towards the hole in the outer walls that they came in.
-
Kiana groaned. She didn't want to be carried around. She hated relying on the assistance of others which is one of the reasons she hated being a noble, things were always done for her even when she didn't want them to be. "I don't want to be carried..." She mumbled so only she could hear it. She couldn't wait until she would be able to go to sleep and gain back her energy. But for now she would have to deal with being carried to the next village.
-
*White followed silently behind Korius feeling exhausted from all his work* "I hope that we find a place to sleep somewhere, I am so tired and I hope not to slow people down by collapsing or something else hindering to the situation. There's already people in a much worse condition than me... I wonder if there will be chicken." *The wolf tried to cover up his drool forming in his muzzle* "Gah, must resist thoughts of chicken."
-
Talin walked over to the one he recalled as Kiana, and at least got her standing on her own two feet. "Sorry, I only carry Elistra..." he said before draping one of her arms over his shoulder and waiting for her to begin walking while Elistra went over to Drevo and hoisted him over her shoulder "Its kinda sad Korius didn't mention carrying this one...".
-
As Drevo was helped by Elistra he scowled at her comment. "Yeah...I'm like the neglected puppy of the group...Cute to look at and fun to have around, but when they're bored, I'm forgotten." It's not like being helped annoyed him, but he figured he would be doing the helping. He tried to stand for himself but every bone in his body ached, slammed into a wall by a whirlpool, slammed into by Korius more than once, thrown around like a ragdoll, almost strangled to death and almost impaled by various pointy objects or crushed and burned by other things. It took a toll needless to say...
-
Kitt walked close beside Korius... he took one last look over his shoulder at the figure of his dead father, and sighed... he pulled up his hood, hiding the fact that a single clear tear rolled down his cheek to the end of his whisker, where it fell to the floor.... after several minutes of walking in silence he sniffed back another tear and spoke up... "Korius.... you dont think..... you dont think my mother could still be alive?..... Me an' dad where searching for so long.... a think she's dead too..."
He looked up at Korius, wiping the tears out of his eyes with one sleeve....
-
Korius growled a bit under his breath as the pain in his arms didn't let up much. He turned slightly to Kitt as they walked, "I'm sorry, Kitt, but I can't really tell you that. Like everything else, there is destiny that guides us all. I cannot say whether or not your mother has shared the same fate as your father or not. Hopefully, you'll find her again. But if you don't, we'll always be here for you. I swore to your father I'd take care of you, and I'll do exactly that. I'll be training you from now on, but it won't be quite Ranger-specific." Korius winced as severe pain shot straight through his arms. Dammit! This is going to be some horrible days ahead.
-
Kiana didn't mind so much that Talin said he wouldn't actually carry her. She didn't expect her legs to let her stand when he helped her up but somehow they managed to. She took a shaky step forward and her knee buckled beneath her. That didn't stop her though. She took another step with the same result. If that was how she was going to get to their destination without being actually carried and only helped slightly, she would rather have it that way. She was a fighter after all so she would have it no other way.
-
*White occasionally looked side-to-side and ahead then got a bit irritated at not seeing anything new or at least inspirational in terms of hope for a better destination* "Ugh.. so tired and so hungry... when will there be something comfortable and edible on the horizon..." *The wolf's mind grew more hazy as he kept his movement with the group, trying to stay awake and not faulter or slow behind others* "I'm sure it's just a little bit further.." *The wolf spoke softly*
-
Talin was somewhat impatient with her pace, and tried to slip in some of his latent healing so she could at least move at a hobbling pace. The sleeves of his cloak hid the white glow of his left hand, but the effects of what could only be called a long-term energy boost were far from hidden to Kiana.
"It could be worse... you could be the puppy nobody wants, and everyone likes to abuse." "Hey, don't act like I can't hear you!!" Talin retorted, his healing somewhat amplified by his sudden spark of anger.
-
Drevo let out a light chuckle at Elistra's comment, even though it hurt. "You have a point there..." He continued to let Elistra support him until he began to ponder, her name rang a bell. "Her name...Elistra...Elistro...Could it be? I wonder..." It was close to Elistro, too close...It sparked a question. "Hey...What does the name Elistro mean to you?" He continued to hobble along waiting for her to answer.
-
Kitt nodded as he listened to Korius... he sighed sadly and hung his shoulders low, tail swishing morosely...
"Thanks......... I know dad would'v been thankful too... "
he pulled his hood back up and walked silently, looking down at the path as he walked.... His mother had to be alive... she had to... but then again, she'd been gone so long.... he sighed again, and ran one paw across the cool wood of his new crossbow... the last thing he had left of his father.....
-
The one day hike had turned into two days, at their slowed pace. Before they had even reached the village, many were already outside its little gate, cheering for the party as they got closer. The village physician and a few muscular fellows came running towards them, picking up Shinzuu, Drevo, White and Kiana and rushed them to his little clinic. There, the physician bandaged those who were injured and made medicine as it was needed. Though far from even being close to white magic, it was satisfactory. The whole village was around the little hut of a clinic and peered in wherever they could. From the crowd, came a familiar human in gold/silver armour. Korius chuckled as he was lying closest to the entrance. "Well look who the cat dragged in. So. How is that annoying old fart? I don't see him in here."
-
Kiana felt Talin healing her and even though she knew it was helping her she didn't like it. She didn't say anything though and just kept on walking. When they got to the village, she was annoyed by getting picked up by one of the men but once again she kept it to herself and only her face showed her annoyance. While they were in the clinic hut and the villagers kept peering in, she was ready to snap at them all but didn't get to since Korius spoke to someone he saw in the crowd. "Must be Felodran..." She thought as she stared up at the ceiling.
-
*White laid on his table looking around and seeing that Korius and Kiana got some help* "Oh good..now wolf can sleep a long time... unless they bring me food." *The wolf tried thinking further about his hunger and ended with his mind in a haze as his eyes felt heavy till eventually he drifted away to a place undisturbed by anyone in his dream thinking* "So.. now what? I don't think we got any treasure at all out of that huge battle, I mean I can make barriers now and withstand extensive majicka usage, but in personal gain there is much to be desired. I suppose there will be more chances elsewhere."
-
Felodran gave a nod to Korius as he walked over to him, picking up his broadsword and mounting it on his shoulder.
"Entaru should be out cold... too much to drink after hearing that Provas was dead. I heard we got you to thank for that."
He said with a smile. Then his face got somber and his voice dropped to a whisper so only Korius could hear.
"Where is the taller ranger... and who are those two? He asked, referring to Talin and Ellistra, pointing to them.
He gave a glance to Kitt, who seemed... distracted to say the least, and then glanced back at Korius, waiting for his answer.
-
Talin looked about until an almost blinding light struck his left eye, which prompted him to identify the source: A human that was speaking with Korius. He didn't want to start something, but that armor the human wore was so much vexing luster he had to at least make himself known. "Please take off your metal coverings, the reflecting light is near the point of infuriating..." Elistra joined him soon after and tried to pull him away, but he yanked his arm out of her hold. "Come on, do you seriously think its necessary to wear all of that armor in a clinic?!" he had to cover most of his vision so he wouldn't go blind from the armor.
-
Drevo had now known the feeling of not getting a question asked. He might have asked again had he not been so tired and sore. He was suprized to see Felodran, he figured he would have counted his blessings and left. Drevo cringe when the physicians were tending to the cut on his side, but other then that he was injury free. The same could not be said for his hat, it seemed to have finally dried but it was still scorched and had holes and tears in it. He sighed as he pulled it over his face and started too nod off.
-
Kitt sat on the corner of one table with his fathers crossbow across his lap. He ran a paw down the carved wood and sighed.... he pulled his hood up until his face was entirely in shadow, and sat silently.... he looked up when he saw Felodran, and gave a half-hearted wave to him, before slinging his crossbow over one shoulder and pulled out a long thin hunting knife... he span the blade expertly in one paw, it had been a gift from his father on his twelfth birthday....
-
Korius kept his voice down so that only Felodran could hear him. "Vladimir has fallen. The prophecy for him has taken its toll, and now he resides with the many brave warriors before him in the Spirit Realm. May his soul find peace and serenity." Korius sat up with a grunt, still a bit hard without being able to use his arms. He eyed Talin, who was leaned against the back wall, overlooking the whole little clinician hut. "I see your little side journey has yielded its reward. So finally did find that diamond, huh? I also see you've managed to suppress your ancestor's soul. Tell me. Are you familiar with the Ki Master, Soria Xing? Rumor has it, that old bag wanders the lands as an aimless fighter. If you have heard anything, I need to find her..."
-
Kiana got tired of staring at the ceiling very quickly. She sat up on the table without a sound though it did strain her a bit to do so. "You probably shou--" The clinic started to speak against her using her energy as he reached out to her but was cut off by a glare. "Don't...touch me." She snapped slightly. "I appreciate the help but I can take care of myself just fine." The annoyance from being shoved aside so many times in the fight and having to be helped to the village along with the irritation of the villagers staring in at them was taking their toll on her mood. "If you say so..." The clinic grumbled as he walked away, not believing her. Turning and hanging her legs off the table, she glared at anyone who was staring through the hut on that side. Some cringed away but others still kept on staring.
-
*White yawned and stretched getting up from his nap, his mind feeling cloudy with tiredness* "Rawr... Okay I'm awake..." *The wolf got up from the table feeling his body ache all over* "A bit too much majicka used eh Kiana?" *He tried to joke with her as he turned his legs to the side and stood on the ground, quickly feeling a bit light headed more than he thought* "Woah... bit woozy, what is the status of..." *He looked up at the hut windows noticing all the staring villager eyes* "Woah... gah!" *He got a bit too excited and fell over on his face from losing balance* "I'm okay..."
-
Felodran sighed at the news of Vladimir dying and White falling over. Reaching down, he grabbed the shoulders of the fallen White Mage and helped him back on his two feet, and then he turned towards Talin, who accosted him.
"Well these 'metal coverings' as you call them have kept me alive on numerous occasions, and sometimes people have tried to kill me in a clinic so yes, I do have to wear it inside." He said, ignoring the worrying look from the medical staff.
Felodran took the sword off his shoulder and glanced at Kiana glaring at everyone, then he turned to shoo them off. "Come on get outta here you gawkers! Can't the heroes get some privacy!" He said in a raised tone as the crowd of onlooker dispersed with grumbles and curses.
-
Talin was still very agitated by the human's armor, and was trying to keep his rage from taking over. "Korius, please get him to take off his armor, or at least help me find a room that doesn't have a window or veiwing hole into this area... I seriously don't want to go beserk considering how much of 'him' I've taken in." Elistra kept her arms around Talin's neck, ready to make him unconsious through strangling.
-
Drevo barked at one of the people who were cleaning his wounds. After a while they managed to patch him up. He sat up asking "Where's a place I can get something to eat?" The doctors urged him to stay and rest but he refused, his hunger giving him the ability to stand up. They finally pointed him to a small tavern and he went on his merry way, limping slightly. It drew away most of the crowd that had gathered outside, they either follow Drevo inside or looked on through a window. Drevo staggered over to a booth in the corner, quickly being approached by a small wolf girl. "Can I help you Mr. Hero, sir?" "Eh...something that doesn't exactly cost anything..." "It's fine, sir, you don't have to pay this time." "In that case...Some chicken and some sake, please." The girl smirked and walked off to get his order. Drevo sunk his head into his arms on the table and nodded off slightly.
-
Kitt couldnt help but snigger when White fell over, but within seconds the smile vanished and he fell back into moodyness... finally getting bored with continually spinning his hunting knife he slid it back into it's scabbard and pulled out his fathers crossbow.. silently he re-varnished the wood, treated the strings and polished the metal mechanism... finally satisfied with it he stood up and wandered aimlessly over to a corner of the room, where he sat down and pulled his hood up over his head....
-
"Felodran, put your cloak back on and take off the helmet. None of us want to deal with this right now." The party rested in the village for another 2 days before heading out west-northwest. With White's help, Korius was at least free from rot. However, he needed constant treatment since his arms aren't able to heal, due to the extent of the damage. He hated every second of this. Korius needed help from the other men to dress and to even strap on his equipment. At meals, he ate like an animal, with only his mouth, but that part really didn't bother him. Everyday, Korius was forced to change his bandages, and White would treat the arms before they wrapped him up again. Lucky for Korius and the party, the village pitched in and gave the party 100 Guilders. It's not much, but at least it's something to fill up on.
-
Kiana spent the two days they had to stay in the village in her room at the inn most of the time. She pretty much only left the room to eat, maybe walk around the village, and check in on Korius and Drevo at the clinic, but that took up all of ten minutes each time. She told herself that the reason she stayed in the room was because the village sucked and there was nothing to do but that was probably only a little part of it. She didn't want to hang around the clinic because she felt bad for the two of them, a little more for Korius though. Plus it wasn't like she was of any help with making people feel better anyway. Lately, her main problem probably was that she felt like she wasn't any help to the group at all. Barely anything she did in the battle had worked and she couldn't even save Vladimir, and the saddest part was that she had given it her all and it hadn't been good enough. She wasn't good enough. And as she sat in her room on the morning of their departure, she thought about the fact that her brother would have had some encouraging words for her. She could hear what he would have said ringing in her head, "Kiana, you gave it your all and that's all that you can do. You can't save the world, baby sis, you can only do your part in improving it. Never say you're not good enough because it's not true. I've fought you, I would know. You'll do something big someday and I'll be just as proud as ever." A silent tear ran down her face and she wiped it away with her hand. "I promise I'll make you proud..." She whispered so only she could hear and stood up. She stood outside the inn, ready to leave.
-
White looks from person to person quietly feeling a bit tired from healing Korius's life threatening wounds daily and feeling a bit out of place in the group* "So uhh... what is everybody else thinking about, like anyone want to share what hopes you have to fulfill by the end of this journey? I personally hope to open up a large clinic someday." *The wolf grinned and hoped that his question would bring some much needed morale and the thought of treasures lying beyond an imaginary fence where the grass is always greener*
-
Felodran sighed, usually he would make an argument about this, but then they did kill Provas, so he pulled out his cloak and wrapped it over his armor and took off his helmet. It felt so strange, his hair now free of the metal cap. He ran a hand through it and found it was much shorter then he remembered.
"How long have I been wearing this helmet.... and if for as long as I think, is that healthy?" he thought, now putting his mind to the rather trivial matter.
-
Drevo looked to White and responded to his question. "I never expected to be dragged into this. I was leaving to drop off the face of the earth after having taken my leave of the Voronese knights. But I ran into Valius and saved his rump*Holds his head down mumbling*And he broke my carriage in return and drank all my best sake...*Lifts his head back up*And after taking his butt into town I met this lively bunch.*He motions to Korius, Kitt and Kiana* And we kill our first guardian, Valius dies, Because well I couldn't save him. In the end we win, get to your town, I get a letter from my family, long story short my old boss, Elistro, kills my entire family. *Drevo looks down again, a tear forming in his eye* I barely escape with my life, meet up with you guys, we go after Provas and I let another of us die. *Drevo's fist is now clentched tightly and his voice sounds like he's on the verge of crying.* All in all I am on a down slope, death is following me, soon it will get me." Drevo looked up at the sky, his hat over his eyes. "Looks like it's starting to rain...*A tear trickled down his face* Definately starting to rain..."
-
Kitt had stayed mostly silent for the two days at the village.... Now as they carried on with their journey, he looked up at White's question.... he thought for a moment, as they continued to walk..... he ran one paw over the hilt of his new sword, the blade his father had given to him not even a week ago. And then he felt under his ranger's cloak and tunic, his fist clenching around the small metal pendant that hung there against his chest... The only thing of his mother's that he had...
"I just want to find my family...."
And with that he pulled up his hood, his face now completely in shadow, as they continued onwards....
-
Korius sighed as they trudged on, the next challenge awaiting them. It would be 2 more days before they reached the next border. Luckily, the party didn't meet any resistance or anyone who is still loyal to Provas. Apparently, he had pretty much shunned everyone who wasn't deemed strong in his eyes. Provas' people lived more in fear than living at all. Korius concentrated on what they're going to be up against, now that they have removed 2 of the 12 Guardians. He finally spoke up on the first night they were out. "This isn't good. We had completely underestimated the power difference between Provas and Septim. Though it's not the favourite topic of this group, that error has cost us Vladimir's life. If it wasn't for Talin, we ALL would have shared the same fate. We must get stronger, and fast. Talin, have you heard anything on Soria yet?"
-
Kiana never answered White's question as they walked along. She knew what her answer would have been, of course. She would have said that she just wanted to make her brother proud and that, other than that, she had no idea what would become of her by the end of their journey... She didn't even know if she would make it to the final battle. When Korius spoke to them on the first night, she raised her head slightly since she had been staring at the fire and looked at Korius from where she sat. Then when Korius addressed Talin, her eyes shifted to Talin as she sort of wondered what he would say before returning her gaze to the fire and the light reflected in her golden eyes.
-
*White sits down leaning against a tree a bit away from the rest of the group, but not more than 5 feet in distance listening intently to Korius's words about the almost apparent end of the story back at Provas's keep. Upon hearing the words "Talin" and "Soria" the wolf turned his attention from Korius to Talin and back in wonderment* "I wonder if I missed something... who's this Soria person they are talking about?" *He thought quietly to himself*
-
Felodran was busy sharpening his blade with a bit of stone, away from the group so as to not annoy them with the scrapping sound.
Scrape Scrape Scrape. Eventually he stood up and tested the sharpness of the weapon against his thumb. It bled and he didnt need to press down. This was good. Now the hard job was maintaining that sharpness.
-
Entaru had been having trouble locating the group for a bit of time now. He had woken up from his stupor to find that he had been left behind. He had remembered that Felodan had left for the rest of the group, but not where they were. Old age had definently taken a toll on his memory. It had taken a bit of tracking, back-tracking, and out and out guessing to finally find them. He made his way to Felodran and, sitting down, let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks for leaving me behind," Entaru's tone was joking, it was his own stupidity after all. "That reminds me of why I quit drinking in the first place...stupid habit...dangerous habit. Oh, well...can't be helped now."
-
Talin tried to balance his voulge on the back of his right hand while thinking of the person called 'Soria'."I remember her making an appearance at the dragoon hall two years ago, Headmaster forced me to have a 'welcome match' with her. She tried to make me her apprentice when it ended, but the Headmaster flat-out rejected the idea since I had to hunt down 'her' two days from then." Talin pointed to Elistra with the movement of his face before looking back at Korius.
"After that, never saw her since; By the way Kiana, can you teach me how to use majick, even if mine only improves a little; please?" Elistra noticed the look in his eyes and tried to hold back a haughty-sounding laugh when she realized how much like a pup he tried to emulate.
-
During the first night Drevo sat a distance away from the group, which no one seemed to notice anyway. He was sulking again but even more so this time, considering what he had said. Death was following him and before it got him it wanted his friends, his comrades...He stood up and turned away from where the group at and pondered. "Dropping off the face of the earth sounds nice right about now...The others would be able to live, I'd be the only one to suffer. I'm more of a hinderance now if death is following me." He scratched the back of his head and looked back to the others. "Hrmm..."
-
Kitt stood on an old branch that had fallen during some storm years ago... he kept his hood up and practised mock swordplay with an invisible opponent. He swung the silver short-sword slowly and in long humming arcs, metal flashing through the night air he slowly got faster and faster, the now lightly glowing blade humming and literally singing as it sliced through the air... finally finishing he jumped down from the branch and looked down the sword, slowly sheathing it back into his scabbard...
Sighing he sat down and pulled his cloak around him, watching the group silently.... he noticed Drevo standing alone, and stood up... quietly he walked up near to him and leant against the nearest tree, pulling out his fathers old hunting knife he spun the curbed dagger handle over blade, watching him silently from under his hood....
-
Korius growled at the news of not finding Soria yet. "She's one of the only two remaining Ki masters in all of Gaia and I need to find her, alongside a Chakra master. If we don't find either one, I might be the next one to perish. As long as my body is sealed, let's not even talk about my arms, my abilities are completely limited. But then again..." Bits of memory from the last fight and from the times of the past when he lost control, brought shivers and fear back into Korius. Suddenly, it hit him and Korius looked over to where Drevo sat. "Drevo! Your friend is a shinobi. Do you know where his master hides?"
-
Kiana had been entranced by the fire the entire time so it surprised her when she heard her name. She looked up to see Talin looking at her giving her puppy eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not really good at teaching others how to do things..." She responded to his question. "All I can do is tell you what I did and that won't be much help since the majick you'll be doing will be a lot different than mine..." She was right. There wasn't much she could do teaching-wise and the majick being different made it a lot more difficult.
-
Kitt spun the blade, faster and faster... until finally he ferociously let it thunk into the tree trunk. It quivered for a moment, before finally coming to a stop.... Sighing Kitt grabbed it and wrenched it out... He sighed under his breath and looked away from the group into the dark woods outside their small clearing... Instantly something caught his attention, movement... He blinked, surely he couldnt have seen what he thought he had seen....
Looking back over his shoulder at the rest of the group, he crept further away from the clearing... Creeping from tree to tree he followed behind the figure, they where walking slowly, and a cloak billowed out behind them... They wore a hood up over their head, much like Kitt had... Getting within scant metres of the figure, Kitt stepped onto a dry twig, and as it snapped the figure turned and drew a thin tapering sword to his throat...
"What you doin' followin' me?"
A dark furred wolf stared down at him, sword shining softly in the moonlight.... across his shoulders was a large repeater crossbow, and the muted grey cloak marked him as a Ranger... albeit one from a different clan to Kitt....
"You'r... your a ranger....."
The wolf frowned, looking from Kitt to the group in the clearing....
-
Drevo turned around to go get closer to the group when he saw Kitt behind his gawking at him. Before he could say anything he stalked off, and before he could say anything again Korius had asked him a question. "Well as a shinobi he wouldn't freely tell me that...If I asked him, sure, but he's with Alexia, home in Telbanth. Unless you have telepathy...Your S.O.L." He then turned back towards where he was standing, Kitt had vanished completly... "Uh...Does anyone know what Kitt is up to? He was just behind me...and now..." He walked back to where he was standing and looked around in the darkness, his eyes weren't completely adjusted to the darkness so he couldn't see much. That's when he heard the twig snap in the distance. He began to walk ing the direction of the noise. "Hey, Kitt, you over there? You shouldn't be wandering around out here."
-
*The wolf yawns a bit feeling more and more bored by the conversation and decides to get up and stretch, walking away from the group to go do some experiments with his barrier majicka* "I wanna see what other colors I can do with my abilities, it would be cool to see an aquamarine color or maybe some mixed colors... a wolf can wish." *He walked over between some trees and started making shields, while cautiously not putting too much effort into them as he didn't want to make himself tired and useless for any unexpected fights* "Ohh purple..." *From that point on he just talked aloud without really thinking about what he was saying, as the healer was used to conversing with himself upon many occasion*
-
The wolf growled lightly under his breath, keeping the curved and tapering sword at Kitt's neck height... "Of course i'm a ranger.... Why else would i wear this get-up, eh?..." Kitt stared down the blade... now would be a bad time to make a witty remark...
"What you doing following us?" The wolf laughed, sword still kept level... "Following you?... My dear boy you are the one following me.... and i thought rangers of the Vestra Clan where supposed to be smart...."
Growling under his breath Kitt stared up the wolf, somthing wasnt right.... and that colour of cloak was familiar to him... every ranger clan had a different uniform code, and he thought he recognised this one... "Well then.... what clan are you from, if your so smart?"
The wolf looked down at him, and sheathed the sword.... "Ruth... of the Esha clan.... And actually i was just on my way to the nearest Inn... not that it concerns you obviously... though i am wondering... what would a ranger in training be doing with such a group of misfits?" It was at this moment that Drevo shouted out, and the wolf drew his crossbow, aiming in the general direction of the newcomer.... It was only a second later that the wolf noticed Kitt's shortsword at his neck-level....
"As it so happens... these misfits are my only family... so i wouldnt shoot if i where you.. Ruth.... and isnt that a girls name?" He smirked as the wolf kept still, watching the sword closely...
"I wont shoot... All i need to do is keep going with my travels, i dont need interruptions form the likes of you... and yes, Ruth is a girls name... well spotted Vestra backstabbing scum..." With that she lowered her crossbow, and pulled back the dark hood... revealing what had made Kitt so unsure.... The fact that the wolf was indeed very feminine... Kitt growled at her mention of scum, hiding his embarrassment at mistaking her for a man....
-
"I already know how to access it, Chronin won't tell me anything, he just dumped these powers on me and left!!" His emotions were peaking visibly as a small aura of black tendrils could be seen around his body, but not physically coming out of his body. "Talin, calm yourself, she said emotions are the root of your lack of co-" "Thats why I need to learn majicka control Elistra!!" he yelled in protest, the tendrils becoming even more numerous and slightly darkening any visible fur.
-
Felodran put the rock down and nearly dropped his sword.
"YOU OLD BUGGER!!" he nearly yelled as he sheathed his blade and gave Entaru a hug and a couple pats on the back.
"You've got some blood in you to tolerate all that much booze! Nearly made me vomit my guts out with that bet... By the way here's your money" He exclaimed as he slid a purse of coin into Entaru's hand while getting out of the hug.
-
Korius got up and rushed over to the small ranger. His eyes still glowed a crimson red and they shown the most as he stood behind Kitt. "Do we have an issue, gentlemen? We don't wish for any troubles. I don't care if you are rangers, we will kill you if we need to. This pup is with us. Anything you have with him, WE will have something to say as well."
-
Drevo followed Korius to the newly discovered ranger, seemed like he had better tracking skills than himself in the dark considering the haste he found them. He didn't say anything because all he would have said, Korius said first. He just stood a few feet from Korius ready to lend a hand if needed. He just eyed the three carefully while Kitt had the ranger under control anyway. Drevo also looked at Korius' eyes glowing red, kinda creeped him out.
-
Kiana barely noticed Chrono's reaction to their discussion of him learning majick. Her mind wandered so easily these days when she wasn't in a situation, like a battle, where she needed to actually focus and concentrate. She did notice, however, that Kitt, Drevo, and Shinzuu had disappeared into the darkness. She could sense them and another a short distance though so she didn't worry too much. With Entaru and Felodran talking, she could barely hear the voices that were already almost inaudible but the situation seemed calm. Staring into the darkness, she waited for them to come back to the clearing as she hugged her knees to her chest.
-
Entaru laughed as he pocketed the money. "I'm just as surprised as you are, boy! I haven't drank like that in 30 years. And for good reason too. I'm surprised the tavern was still standing with me in there." Entaru began to guffaw a bit before holding his head in slight discomfort. "Whoo...not to mention that hangover is still using my head like a drum" Looking around, he saw Kiana with an odd look on her face. Entaru's tone changed to concern as he looked back at Felodran. "Hey, what's with her? She alright?"
-
Talin started to calm down, as well as become depressed. The only way his powers would be of any real use, was if he went beserk, where he had no control of who or what he would attack after the fight ends. "What can I do then... I've got the power of an arch-mage stuffed in me, and rage seems to be the only thing that unlocks at least a fraction of it!" "Why must you think I would have an answer, but going beserk from frustration isn't going to solve any of your problems!!" It was now Elistra's turn to vent on him, and he took it like a husband who just lost an arguement and was letting his wife chew him alive.
Elistra saw the defeated posture and sighed before pushing him a few inches back. "The nature of Majick isn't set in stone Talin, and I give you permission to use 'it' when the situation calls for it. Lets retire now, I'm tired of dealing with your rage and I know you're just barely forcing yourself to stay awake..." Talin's face brightened slightly as a smirk grew from the right side of his face. He followed Elistra to a nearby oak tree, where Talin sat down against the tree, and Elistra sat on Talin's lap. Both were asleep in a minute
-
Ruth let go of her crossbow, allowing it to hang from her shoulders by its strap... "Ah.... When i thought the Vestra clan where problematic, i didnt think they where this bad.... Believe me sir, i have nothing i want from this child... HE is the one who followed me out here.."
Kitt growled, keeping his sword level with her throat...
"Theres many a thing i could say about clan Esha... and if you need to get going then please, dont let us keep you.... though i have a question..."
The wolf looked down at him, and sighed..she shook her head "Fine, fine... doesnt seem like i have a choice does it? What do you want to know... and then i can be on my way..."
Kitt nodded, still keeping the sword close to her neck... "Do you know where my mother is?... She was also of the Esha clan before she married my father..." He held out the locket he wore around his neck so she could see the picture inside.... Ruth simply shook her head sadly...
"I knew your mother once... she left to go with your father, quite against clan traditions if i dont say so.... but i have not seen her for years..... I'm sorry i can be of no further help.... but your father, Vladimir?... I do not see him here..."
With a sigh, Kitt sheathed his sword and stepped back... "Vladimirs dead... and i fear, so is my mother... I'm sorry to have startled you like this when you where simply traveling..." Ruth shrugged, pulling up her grey hood once again... "Always happy to help a fellow ranger, seeing as we're so rare now.... but i am sorry i could not be of better help to you... If it is alright... i really do have to go, there are problems elsewhere and i need to hurry..."
With that she nodded courteously, and carried on into the night...
-
Korius eyed the ranger as she departed into the darkness, and his left eye stopped glowing, though the right eye still did since the battle with Provas had ended. "Pompous little wench, that one. Come, Kitt. Let us get back to the group. We don't want to stray away, and your swordsmanship could use quite a bit of polishing." Korius turned his head over to Drevo as they passed him by. "Thanks for coming over. The fur on the back of my neck is still standing on end with my anger."
-
"I'm fine." Kiana said, now looking at Entaru. "I was just making sure they came back." She nodded her head towards the spot where Shinzuu was just entering the clearing. She made sure she didn't say that she was worried about only one in particular, not wanting to play favorites. She released her legs and laid down on the ground, closing her eyes.
-
Drevo just nodded at the thanks from Korius, smiling a bit. He followed behind him and Kitt as they headed back to the others. Sitting down he spoke up. "Korius, why did you want to know of my friend?" He fought to scratch an itch on his back which wasn't turning out so well. "I mean..What use of him would he be to you?" He kept trying to scratch his back but to no avail, looking like a bit of an idiot until he used his bowstaff as a back scratcher. He sighed in relief as he scratched the itch.
-
*White got done with his spells at long last and felt pretty much like he tried the entire alphabet of the invisible spell book embedded in the back of his brain* "Alrighty... seen enough color to want to see monochrome again, back to the party I go, they've been awfully busy talking up a storm, I wonder what the plan is as far as the traveling goes, but whatever it is I'll be following either way." *He talked aloud yet still not realizing he was not that alone walking back to the fire and quickly quieted down to not look too crazy*
-
"Well, just as long as you're okay" Entaru's jovial mood had gone in a flash as he remembered his reasons for taking his vow of soberiety almost 30 years ago. Already he was regretting his binge the other night. He was only happy that no one was hurt that night, and that he passed out before he could do anything stupid.
A stupid risk from a stupid man. I should've known better...but Vladmir died...what was I supposed to do? Felodran offered a drinking contest in his memory...you don't refuse that sort of thing. NO! Don't make excuses!! A lot more people could've died had you stayed awake. Entaru sat down with the group, his thoughts pounding in his skull. He covered his face with the cowl of his robe, not wanting anyone to see the memories racing through his features.
-
Kitt shrugged, turning back to the clearing... "Clan Esha always where rather full of themselves, even for rangers... I did hope she would know at least somthing about my mother though..." He sighed, swinging his sword in lazy arcs.... "Ah well.... and yeah, I could do with some more sword training... my father only managed to train me so far... i would'v had a least another three years training alongside him...."
Finally bringing his sword to a rest it hummed, the blade vibrating slightly and glowed with a soft inner light from its enchanted metal.... He looked at the blade long and hard, before finally sliding it back into its scabbard with a metallic -shnik- "As for my bow.... well no-one else here really knows how to use a crossbow of this kind... so its up to me to learn i guess...."
-
Felodran looked at Kitt, sensing the hidden sorrow at losing his father. Unlike Felodqran, Kitt's father was actually a nice man, so it must've hurt to lose him... right? The mercenary walked over to the bow and grabbed his shoulder. He had a question to ask of the boy.
"It's been awhile since I've had to use my blade. Care to spar with that enchanted sword you have there?" he asked.
He wasn't trying to sound mean or rough, but instead trying to appeal to the boy's pride in his father's inheritance and gifts to at least use them.
-
Korius nodded over to Felodran and Kitt. "I think that'll be a good idea, just don't practice for too long. We'll need to sleep soon. Drevo and I will keep watch for tonight.." Korius sighed and motioned his head for Drevo to follow. He sat down at the log that they had put near the fire. "You've already seen what happens when I use Ki, right? Majicka, Chakra and Ki are all intertwined in a small way, Ki being the strongest of them all. During my years under my first master, I was trained as a prodigy and had excelled in a short amount of years. However, there was and still is, darkness in my heart. That darkness slowly consumed me more and more, each time I used Ki. It made me strong, but once the darkness consumed me, I lose myself and can't even differentiate between friends and foes, as you probably already found out. during my years with Koara and the Knights, I apparently was almost on par in strength with the Guardians, and almost ended up killing Koara. Thankfully, she was a ninja, though I think everyone knows that. Anyways, after that little mishap, it was decided that my body and Ki be sealed away. Thanks to Koara, she had fully opened all energy channels in my body, so that once my darkness releases, the Ki I end up using is expelled at an exponential rate, which would cause me to pass out and regain my senses, while not allowing me to maintain combat for anything beyond a short period of time. My body's joints were broken and then held 3 centimeters off alignment until it healed up, that would guarantee all my body's movements won't be as wide a spectrum as it can be, and would completely dislocate them all should I attempt to use any of my forbidden techniques. Finally, Soria Xing's father, the only remaining Ki master, had sealed the Ki flow in my body. Originally, it locked all Ki, but my energy broke through, so it ended up limiting my Ki supply. We're going to need to find a Ninja Master, Ki Master, and a Fighting Master. The two we need to find first is a Ninja and Ki master. I need to be able to access all my Ki, and use it without it rushing out of my body out of control, so that I can maintain a fight. Finally, I need a Fight master for the most important part. I need to be able to conquer the darkness, or at least suppress it, and then to unseal my body and re-align it correctly. That's why I need to find your friend's master. There's only two left in Gaia, and one of them is Kyzen's personal guard..."
-
Kitt looked up at Felodran's offer, and then back down to the ground... for a moment it seemed he would say no, before he looked up again and drew his sword...
"Sure thing...though the only enchantments in this sword are to keep it sharp and not break during constant use... some of the oldest Ranger weapons where so much more complicated than this..." He dropped his fathers crossbow, and hung it carefully on the nearest branch... he didn't want to risk damaging one of the last things he had left of his father's... Looking Felodran quickly up and down he was secretly glad not to be fighting him for real... armoured opponents always where harder to take down...
Swinging his short sword in quick arcs the blade hummed before he finally let it be still... standing ready on his toes he adopted the regular posture his father had shown him... His Dad's words came back to him now, from when he had been little more than six years old...
"You're a feline Kid... make sure ya remember that.. be quick, be swift... and if ya get the chance, trip 'em up and kick 'em in the crotch.."
He smirked, remembering the words his father would repeat almost every time they went to practice..... the words his father would never tell him again...
-
Drevo listened to Koruis intently, nodding periodically. "Well, as I said...He's likely home with Alexia in Telbanth up North. It would be out of the way, but I'm sure it would be worth it considering the circumstance..." Drevo looked into the fire and thought of the fond memories he had there. "So...What's the plan? Are we going to go?"
-
Kiana just laid there on the ground with her eyes closed. She listened to what Korius said to Drevo which completely made sense to her. She also listened to Felodran when he asked Kitt if he wanted to spar and heard Kitt's response & preparation for the battle. She could feel his feet shift on the earth into fighting stance. Laying there on the ground was all there was for her to do. No one was talking to her after Entaru responded to her and no one was asking her to do anything. For the first time on their journey, even after Entaru expressed concern for her, she felt completely useless and alone.
-
Felodran pulled the shield off his back and mounted it against a tree stump to keep from stopping, and then he unsheathed his blade. The sharp edge he had been filing down had been retained. A sign of good work on his part, his mother always told the boy he could work in a smithy some day.
Back to the duel at hand, Felodran raised his sword in his right hand and moved an inch to the right. His tightened his left hand around the hilt of the blade to get a double hander grasp on his blade. The handle was large enough to do so.
"Is it an issue if I fight like I have a Claymore, or do you not mind?"
He asked.
-
Pulling up his hood, Kitt swung his sword like it was a thin bamboo cane in one hand... he watched Felodran readying himself....
"Be my guest... I've only really praticed against someone with a shortsword before... so it should be good experience for me..." He stopped, eyeing the blade... it was well made and even better maintained by it's owner... he smiled, looking up at Felodran, a good swordsman always looked after his weapon... With that he waited not a moment sooner, and with a quick faint to the left swung his shortsword in a fast arc to the right, hoping to draw out Felodran and see what he had...
-
*White walked along and stopped by the fire, sitting down watching the others chat around, either it be in his vicinity or further away talking amongst themselves, he felt more or less unnecessary to be around for the moment* "Just a slow moment I suppose, much better than getting shot with arrows or something tossing a fireball at me." *He eyed the others and watched their lips move* "Damn... never could learn how to discern what lips meant, not that intelligent but I do know my way around the block." *He made up for the dullness of his condition and started poking at the fire before him with a twig, moving the kindling about trying to stir some life into the flames*
-
Felodran stepped to the left to catch the feint, little he could do to stop it, but twisted his grp on the sword so he nearly broke through the young feline's guard.
"Feinting eh?" Gotta do better then that boyo!"
He took careful note of how Kitt fought now. Two reasons why of course.
He wanted to help the boy learn so he'll be a better swordsman in the future, and to make sure he adapted to anything new.
-
Korius sighed as the night wore on. He went aside the log and laid down to close his eyes. "We'll do that, tomorrow, Drevo. We can't afford to push it off. We'll have to take that side adventure. I really want to find Soria first, but since Talin's not hearing anything on her whereabouts, we're stuck. If I don't unlock all my abilities, we might not have even a ghost of a chance. Not to mention everyone needs to get better."
-
Kiana kept lying still where she was with her eyes closed. She could sense someone poking at the fire but wasn't sure of who it was but she didn't care who it was either. Random pictures moved around in her mind. Some of them were good memories, others were bad. Some were of just random things, not of events. She watched them in silence, not making a sound to indicate what was going on in her head. Finally she drifted off to sleep, hoping that she wouldn't have any dreams.
-
*White just kept imaging that his eyes were still open, even while asleep he thought he was still awake at the fireside looking at the darkened sky and the chatting allies around, it seemed like eternity and felt like it had become more and more hazy on the sides of the film reel of the subtle actions going around* "I must have not eaten very well, either that or I must be dreaming. Doesn't matter..." *He laid down in his dream and began trying to sleep while in the dream* "Hmm... not working as well as I had hoped, must be asleep and forgot about it... if that's even possible." *Outside where the other persons around could lay eyes upon the sleeping wolf, he drooled upon the dirt below as he laid his head upon his arms*
-
Entaru fell asleep sitting up. He had a long day of tracking the group into the forest and was beyond tired. He began to snore lightly as he sat there. A mosquito buzzed about his nose unnoticed...at least until it buzzed up his nose. With a massive sneeze, the mosquito shot out and into the fire where it popped with a satisfying *TACK*. Entaru fell off of his seat with the force of the sneeze, but stayed asleep even after slamming to the ground.
-
Talin had 'woken up' when the others started going to sleep, and he slowly let Elistra down before leaving the campfire to a small clearing just a good fifty meters away. Lets see if Elistra's theory can be proven... he thought as he stabbed the volgue into the dirt, and started his 'transformation' power, but instead of drawing on pure emotion, he started drawing out Chronin's dark power. The effect was immedeatly visible as his white hair turned gray, and the fur on his chest receded under scales. The hair recession spread to his entire body, and 'black fire' poured out of his eyes before Talin suddenly choked up. The change that was so visible before, had rapidly vanished when he fell on his hands and knees. Yea... theory and practice are two very different experiences... he thought before dragging himself back to camp.
-
Drevo leaned up against a tree watching over the others as they slept. Then Talin walked off, he turned a bit so he could watch him too. It was hard to see in the dark and the distance he was, but Talin seemed to start glowing. Drevo looked back and forth between Talin and the camp. "Stay here and watch everyone? Or go watch Talin? The camp? Or Talin? Gah....He's a big boy..." He adjusted his hat still standing where he can see Talin and the camp watching over them.
-
"Yeah? But if ya had fallen for it, an easy kill in the ribs...A none-too bright foe could be quickly an easily dispatched with minimal effort, and the least chance of retaliation..." He smirked, clashing swords with a clang of metal, before side-stepping backwards... "Though of course i would prefer just to shoot you from a safe distance...." Kitt continued to press the attack the best he could, slicing with fast whirls of his blade he ducked or weaved past any return strikes...
Felodran was using his sword two-handed, and that meant after each strike he left himself relatively open for attack... Weaving past the armoured mercenary he struck out with a flurry of blows, the blade literally spinning before he jumped back, keeping light on his feet....
-
Korius had been listening to everyone around him, particularly at Talin, making sure that the darkness didn't consume him and go on a rampage, either. The only difference between him and Talin, had been that Talin had support and was fighting another soul. Korius, on the other hand, was fighting himself. His own true darkness. Fighting another soul is much easier than fighting one's self, but controlling a power that's not yours is no easy feat. Korius opened his eyes as Talin came back to camp, "Don't force it. It's not in your destiny to be able to go that far in this quest. Even if you can suppress Chronin's soul, you're not making his power your own. Nor can you hope of being able to use it to the level of finishing the Dragon's Incantation. Only one person has ever used that spell throughout history, and he was killed by Chronin, who despite his power, still couldn't complete it. Beware. Take that spell too far when you're not ready, you WILL die." Korius sighed and closed his eyes again. "I'll take watch in an hour. Stay alert for now." The rest of the night was quiet, except for the sounds of the fire and Felodran sparring with Kitt. Even then, did those sounds fade into the dark, star-filled night.
-
Kiana wasn't as lucky as she hoped she would be. She did dream. Well, actually, it was a nightmare. In the nightmare, the group was in a full-fledged battle. Against whom, she did not know, but it was many opponents. As the battle went on, she realized that she couldn't move and when she cast her spells they never worked. They would hit but just have the effect of feathers, so basically no effect at all. All she could do was watch as, one by one, her comrades fell. After they were all dead, the opponents left and she was left standing there alone as if she were invisible. It was her brother's death all over again. Anyone who wasn't inside her head would see her laying on the ground as stiff as a board. Her arms were straight at her sides and her legs were straight. Her face was as rigid as her body with her jaw clenched tight as if she was trying to hold back her emotions.
-
Talin took offense to the 'Only one-' part of Korius' lecture. "Don't thow me in with those idiots who couldn't even fight, let alone kill, a dragon... I already mastered the Incantation, just need to get used to a different power source" he mumbled the last half of his 'defense' as he focused on getting himself next to Elistra, who had now awoken, and feigned annoyance while waiting for him to get near her. "Can't you at least tell me you're going to practice it, before almost killing yourself?!"
-
Drevo leaned against the tree watching over the others as a few of them started to sleep. He yawned looking over to Kitt and Felodran sparring. "You two should get some rest..." He scratched his ear under his hat and went back to looking over the others periodically looking into the surrounding trees. He started to nod off so he shoved himself off the tree and began to pace back and forth. He didn't particularly like keeping watch but it was the only form of protection he can succesfully offer. So he kept quiet and did it without complaining.
-
The next morning, Korius woke up to great pains. To no real surprise, White had situated himself next to him. White woke up fairly quickly, being a light sleeper, and paranoid. He walked over to Korius and examined his arms. "Y'know, Korius. It'd be easier to sleep without having to worry about you guys' injuries. As much as a 'fun' adventure this has been, I really can't stay with you all for too long. I can stay with you all until you heal, but I think I'm at the end of my rope. I'm exhausting myself everyday, and just being with you all is hazardous to my health." Korius sighed as White began to treat his arms. "Are you sure? I'm sure Kiana's going to miss having a pet with her, but I guess it's up to you. You weren't in the prophecy, so you're not required to be with us. Either way, I'm glad you joined us, even though it was only for a short time."
-
Kiana had been awake for maybe ten minutes before Korius and White woke up, having to release her muscles to let them relax since she had been stiff as a board while she slept because of her dream. Her eyes were still closed though as she listened to the sounds around her and then listened to the conversation. "I heard that..." She mumbled, still not opening her eyes. It did disappoint her that White was going to leave since he had been the only one who cared about her after Korius had yelled at her and slapped her, but she wasn't going to let the disappointment show. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up. Her braid was all messed up from lying on the ground so she untied it. Combing her fingers through it, she got out all the knots and a couple little twigs and a leaf. After she re-braided her hair and tied it again, she stretched her arms up into the air and made a face at the soreness she felt in them.
-
"'Tis a shame White mage, that you'll be leaving soon... you are a good person and a heck of a fine cleric!"
Felodran said as he was stirring. The duel between himself and Kitt had been put on hold for another time. Felodran unsteadily grabbed the trunk of a tree and hoisted himself off. He walked over to the mage and pat him on the shoulder.
"Well... good luck to you then."
-
Entaru woke up in his usual way...cursing at the sun and stumbling about trying to get up. He barely caught what White had said but it was enough for him to become even more flabbergasted. "You're leaving? We already get injured too often as is...what's going to happen no-AH!" Entaru, in his stumblings, tripped over the log he had been using as a seat the night earlier and landed with a thud. "OW! See what I mean?! Who knows what kind of injuries we could sustain."
-
Talin was still asleep while all of this was going on, but Elistra was watching as White said his farewell, and the others had their respective farewells or replies to him leaving. "Just realize you're leaving the healing to Talin when you leave, since hes the only one with healing powers...." she said this in such a unique way that most of the group didn't hear her, but White would know whos going to take his 'place'.
-
Drevo was half asleep leaning standing up against a tree with his hat down over his face. He heard White was leaving and pushed his hat out of his face and walked over to him. "Well, thanks for healing my butt so often, I was probably most healed by you...Without you I'd probably be six feet under many times over. Sorry to see you go, you were a fine asset while you were here." He probably would have patted him on the back or something but he was healing Korius and figured it could wait.
-
Kitt yawned, stretching as he woke.... Rolling over onto his side he expected so see the familiar form of his father asleep... Instead there was simply an empty space in front of the dying fire. He sighed, getting onto all fours and from there standing up stiffly...
"Mornin' People..."
He yawned again, slinging his repeater crossbow over one shoulder... Looking up he noticed everyone watching White.... "Uhm... I have a feeling i missed somthing here.... whats ever'one talkin' about?"
-
Korius sighed as White continued to rid the rot and decay from developing in his arms. "He's not only a a good cleric, he's the last one on Gaia, Felodran. Even though Talin's got some of Chronin's powers, he can't use it productively. That's why I've decided for all of us to take a detour in our journey. We're heading out to see the ninja friend of Drevo's. We ALL still need to get stronger. If something like this last fight happens, we're doomed to fail for sure. It'll be 4 days out of the way, but I'm sure we can spare that time. All I can say for you magic users is to learn to cast your spells faster and keep moving while you cast. The more you use your magic, the more your Majicka grows, and you won't have to worry about passing out, as long as you don't spend ALL of your Majicka. We'll be in good hands."
White held in tears and whimpers as many were saying their goodbyes. "I'm sorry, everyone, but I just can't stay. It's not my place to be in situation like this. But I will cherish every moment that I've spent with you all. I'll stay with you all until your training is over. But after you have all finished, we'll be going our separate ways."
-
Kiana listened to everyone's goodbyes to White in silence. She also listened to the plans Korius had for them without saying a word. Right then she felt like she could leave the group without anyone noticing but she also felt that she was overreacting. She got up from the ground and moved away from the group. She began practicing her Judo Jo Kata for the first time in a while. Focusing on that would take her mind off of everything else.
-
Entaru grimaced as White made his good-byes. He didn't get to know him very well but he knew that they would need the kid eventually...especially at the rate they were going. "Well, I suppose that if you have to go then you have to go. Try to be careful, will ya kid?"
-
Talin started to wake up in Elistra's arms, and kissed her 'good-morning' before looking at to see White with a look of sadness and everyone else depressed; all of these could only mean one thing to Talin: He had to figure out the incantation's full potential before their next guardian battle, or things would turn nasty. "Can I. Get up. now?" his voice was strained since his body is still in spiritual recovery after the failed incantation, leaving his body partially dehydrated and his thought process all but non-existant. "No, and nothing about your current health will convince me otherwise..." She hefted Talin over her right shoulder, and he could only hang while living through a magical hang-over.
-
Drevo scratched the back of his head and walked back over to the tree he had fallen asleep against and leaned on it again. He looked around and noticed Kiana had walked off. He casually strolled over to and leaned on a nearby tree and watched her for a moment. "Sorry, you told me not to help you...But I did...A little too much." He scratched his head again and looked away from her. "Have to say sorry again and she'll probably kill you...What a drag..."
-
Kitt hugged White tightly, and then let go hurriedly in an attempt to 'keep his cool'... "Uhm.... Well, keep yourself good White..... we'l be missin' you..." With that he turned and pulled his hood up, casting his face in dark shadow...
Drawing his shortsword he ran a thumb over its blade, just pressing enough to check it's edge... Sure enough the enchantments stayed true, and the blade was as sharp as ever... He swung it twice in lazy arcs, and the sword responded with a none-too energetic inner glow... satisfied he sheathed it again and watched Felodran from under his hood... "Dont you think ive forgotten that our duel was stopped... i reckon i woulda won if we'd kept going!" He smirked, sticking his tongue out like the innocent child he was...
-
White nodded to each and every one of them and brought his hands back away from Korius' arms and wiped the sweat from his face. "That should be enough for now, Korius. One more day, and the rot and decay will stop. *Looks over towards where Kiana was practicing and Drevo was sitting* Now if you'll excuse me, I have another patient to attend to before I stop for today." White walked over towards Drevo and knelt by him. He motioned for Drevo to lay flat as he placed his hands over the warrior's chest. "I'm sorry Drevo, but this will pretty much hurt as much as the last time. The damage done on your body is more extensive than the other battles." As he healed up Drevo, White couldn't help but look up towards Kiana, who was still practicing. It'll be toughest parting with you. You really were my only friend.
Korius sighed as he watched White walk over to the others. However, his mood lightened as he watched Elistra fling Talin over her shoulder. Korius chuckled to himself, "So Elistra. Is that how Dragon Kin find a mate nowadays? Getting captured by the female?"
-
Kiana had completely tuned out the others as she practiced but when she did turns she could see what was going on. The next thing she knew, White was healing Drevo and when she turned towards the group again after turning once since White had started healing Drevo, she saw White looking at her. She saw a look of sadness in his eyes as she looked back at him but wouldn't have it. She didn't pause for a moment as she continued her practice and kept a look of focus on her face. She didn't want to feel anything and it wasn't like he was leaving right after healing them, she knew that. There was no point in getting all sad and sentimental in her opinion. Plus, she didn't want to feel anything at the moment since her nightmare was still trying to plague her mind.
-
"Whose the next target on the hit list of Guardians? Hopefully it's someone who knows how to use a blade" Felodran said. It's been awhile since there was any real swordsmen to challenge. (by real he means not a child nor peasants with swords).
He jumped up a little bit because his legs were falling asleep. Recently he has been growing complacent with everyone just sitting around doing nothing. And to grow complacent is to let your guard down.
-
"I was wondering that myself" Entaru was trying to pull himself away from the matter of White's departure. "The sooner we know about who we're up against, the quicker we can prepare." Entaru was secretly hoping for the same as Felodran. If the Guardian was a swordsman, then he would be able the reinforce the others with special armor during the battle.
-
Elistra shot a look at Korius before looking away. "This is better than him being in a coma... and no, I beat him fairly, only sparing him because he refused to give up." "Elistra. let-" she shook him up, but that only stopped his voice since he kept trying to squirm out of her arm. "You wanna walk again; then you gotta earn that privlege..."
-
As Drevo layed there on the ground being healed he thought to himself. "Why do I always get hurt...Oh yeah...Hmm...Maybe I should learn magic. Then I could protect everyone and not get hurt so much...Bleh....But that would take years. I doubt I'll even live that long at this rate. Maybe I should calm down...? Well, we are going to Ferdande's place...I wonder if that hotspring is still around! Oooh that sounds good right about now. Wonder how everyone's doing? Well it hasn't been that long...Probably just getting there themselves...Well we'll be seeing them soon."
-
Kitt stood, feeling unsure of what to do..... getting bored he leant against a nearby tree with his hood up, casting his face in dark shadow...
Sighing he wiped his nose across one sleeve, and then pulled a face of disgust "Eeeew..." cleaning his sleeve of the trunk of the tree he looked up, watching Kiana practising what looked like a stylised form of martial arts... relaxing against the trunk of the tree he watched her from under his hood. Vaguely interested in what she was practising he watched quietly....
-
Korius chuckled and got up, "The next Guardian we'll be after is Mihael Rakan. He's a high-level fighter of many sorts. Mihael is the strongest, physically, of the Guardians, but he's not very bright. His advisors run his territory, but no one will dare to challenge him. Mihael has probably the lowest intelligence in all of Gaia, but in terms of fighting, he is the smartest there is. Compared to the three Guardians we've fought so far, it'll be Hell on earth. That's why we're taking the detour up north." White sighed as he listened to Korius. "You guys are really crazy. I'm starting to wonder whether or not to even stay with you for your training."
-
Kiana wasn't getting bored with her practice. The healing sessions were taking too long and her impatient had come creeping up on her. After a few more moves, she stopped after a graceful spin as her braided hair moved with her. Holding her staff in both hands in a centered position in front of her, she closed her eyes and let out a long, low breath. When she opened her eyes, she moved over to where Drevo was being healed and sat a few feet away since she knew she was next (and last) to be healed though she didn't feel like she needed any healing.
-
"So, I asume theres going to be mercs sent by the advisors while we're heading to this 'dojo'?" Elistra questioned while hefting around the now sleeping Talin, whom had finally went to sleep after his fidget-like struggle made him fall asleep quickly. She took his voulge off his back, and held it to her right hand. Thats when it changed from its rather twisted state, to a 'normal' version of the weapon.
-
Drevo leaned his head farther back(So his head's upside down) while laying on the ground and saw Kiana sitting near. Needless to say it was un nerving considering he thinks she wants to kill him soon. He looked back up quickly gulping. "Uh...If your talking to me...Uh...Elistra? I'm not even sure if there is a "Dojo". Ferdande doesn't tell me much about what he does or about his master. He's very secretive...I don't even know he'll help us. Even if he's my best friend."
-
Korius interjected before Elistra could reply. "Well we're going to have to impose on them then, Drevo. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like traveling into Kyzen's territory to find the only other Ninja Master left in Gaia." He was very disgruntled at the moment, with his arms still throbbing hard within the bandages. White continued to heal Drevo but pushed hard onto Drevo's chest to keep him down and to also inflict a little pain so that he would comply. "Try not to upset him. If you can remember, he doesn't need his arms to fight, and I'll actually start charging you money if I have to use up all my Majicka on you today. i don't need the both of you opening up your wounds right after I heal them up."
-
Entaru kept his mouth shut. He never messed with ninjas...too afraid of them. There was always some story hanging about where they would wipe out half an army by themselves. Of course, now that he thought about it, there were stories like that for every other kind of warrior as well. Shrugging to himself, he put the thought away.
-
Drevo just layed there after cringing from White. "Well, we'll see when we get there I suppose." He just looked up into the sky through the small opening in the canopy of the trees watching the clouds drift by. He wasn't particularly enjoying this healing process, but he was getting used to it. After all it's been several times now that White has healed him. Probably the most out of all of them, it's not like he had a problem with it but if White was leaving he'd have to be more careful. Injuries seemed to attract to him quite often, expecially when he's running around taking hits for everyone...He sighed as he thought. "This is going to be the end of me...I just know it..."
-
With his hood pulled fully up over his head, covering every part of him from the whiskers to his ears, he couldnt see anyone else... Alone in his little bubble of solitude he sighed, leaning heavily against the trunk of the tree. Sliding down until he was in a comfortable sitting position he watched the group from the small gap between his hood and cloak, with his father gone, and his mother still lost to him everything seemed so pointless...
Whispering under his breath Kitt twisted his tail around one paw in anxiety..."My Mothers dead... Now My Fathers dead.... and My whole damned clan of Szardas is dead, at least i havnt seen another of my clan for years now...." He sighed again, crossing his legs and pulling his hood even further over, until he could see nothing but the close-nit stitching of the cloaks material...
-
White panted and sweated as he took his hands from Drevo. "Phew! That should do for now. Another treatment and you should be done, assuming we don't run into any trouble." He got up and looked at Korius, a little worn and dizzy. Korius returned the wolf's gaze and clapped his hands together. "Alright group! Let's get moving. If we head straight north, we should be there in about 3 days, 4 tops."
-
Kiana let out a sigh of relief at hearing that they were moving out. At least for now she didn't have to think about having to get healed when she didn't find it necessary. She rose from her spot on the ground with her staff in her right hand. It was easy to detect that she was bored by the look on her face. She just hoped that the next few days passed quickly because at least something interesting might happen when they found Drevo's friend.
-
Entaru looked at Korius and nodded in confirmation. He was glad to get moving again. He noticed that his infection seemed more active when he wasn't, so moving was definently preferrable. He looked around at the group as they began to get ready to move on, and noticed the sullen Kitt. Walking over he knelt down beside him and patted him on the shoulder. "You alright kid? You look low enough to walk under a snake while wearing a top hat."
-
Elistra kept Talin on her left shoulder while walking over the occasional rock or wood-based obstacle with the obvious finesse of someone who used to carry a body through the woods. "Unless I have a very stereotypical set of literature, I assume the moment we find any signs of cherry blossoms would mean we're not completely lost" she nearly shouted, somewhat annoyed at how vague the path was that they were going to walk on. "Don't you mean 'racist'?" "Go back to sleep idiot..."
-
Drevo was relieved that White was done healing him. When Koruis let them know they were moving out he happily got up and stretched being free to move. "Aaall right, finally we're going to start moving. I can almost feel that hotspring...Too bad it's going to take a few days, gonna be a drag I'm sure..." He grabbed his bowstaff, rested it behind his neck and followed behind the others as he usually did. He had an eager and happy look on his face, as if he were a child going to the candy store.
-
Kitt looked up at Entaru, his hood fell back and despite himself he gave a half-smile at the comment on snakes and top hats... "Yeah.... I'm feelin' pretty low at the moment..." He stood up, brushing the dust from his rangers cloak and slung his fathers old crossbow over the other shoulder.... "I'l be fine... i think... thanks for askin'" He attempted a smile, but didn't quite manage it...
Turning away from Entaru he pulled his hood up again, setting his face in dark shadow once again as he started to walk alongside the rest of the group.... He turned his head once to watch Entaru, before looking back down at the ground under his hood... In that moment of brief eye-contact he felt glad that at least someone cared about how he felt...
-
Korius sighed at Elistra's comment, "You are being racist on that. This isn't like Vorona, Elistra. Celestia only has trees similar to those in Karasia and Lavardia. Telbanth a a fair-sized city just north of Provas' territory. Hopefully, they'll be heading west to look for us instead of north. This small detour might even throw Kyzen and the remaining Guardians off our tail for a bit." Korius looked back to check on the group as they moved and couldn't help but notice Kitt still moping. Poor kid... to feel the tragedies of war this early in his life...
-
Kiana glanced at Kitt while they were walking and sighed. She knew exactly how he felt. Sure she hadn't lost her parents but she had lost the person closest to her, her brother. At that thought, she remembered Kamau's death and then the dream she had had the night before. She shook her head to try to get rid of the memories of both Kamau's death and her dream. It didn't work though and she found herself feeling completely useless to the group again. Soon enough she found herself pulling up her hood just like Kitt had as she stared at the ground as she walked.
-
Felodran, in the middle of the discussion about who was next on the hit list, had wandered off into his mind, going through different drilling from his enlistment again and again.
"You guard is too fragile boy! Don't slump down either, it ruins the stance. I thought i was sent a hardened swordsman, but instead I got a rookie who thinks he's hot stuff." The Celestian guardsman sparring with him, also the drill master.
It had been hard to try and conform to these new tactics. The Celestians certainly were hard in their training.
At first, the drill master wouldn't have crossed Felodran's mind again. That was until he remembered why the man crossed him and now lay dead.
It was a tragic thing for Felodran. His best friend, Gorm, had been drinking, and made arrangements to have a man to man unarmed brawl with the drill master. The harsh man instead responded with a powerful choke, as he took the life of the man in front of him. The crowd, ignorant to Gorm dying, cheered the drill master on, as Felodran could only watch and yell in despair.
He shook off his trip down memory lane, and realized everyone went on without him. He saw their tracks and laughed to himself that they were laughable easy to track at least.
-
Entaru smiled at Kitt and patted him on the head. "Just know that you're not alone as long as you're with us. We all have scars and crosses to bear but the load is always easier when someone shares the burden." Entaru knew what Kitt was feeling right now. He had watched his family die too, only his was at the hands of a drunken mage. He wasn't nearly as young when it happened, but the feeling was always the same. He couldn't help but think of his son as he looked at Kitt, before that fateful day.
-
"Well excuse me for not having a %#$$#$% map or an encyclopedia on pla-" Talin broke out of her grip, planted his feet on the ground, and had Elistra's back lying on his right shoulder. "Please excuse her ignorance, she was never allowed to leave the cave; until she gave her father a valid reason to follow me around." He kept his right hand over her snout, holding it shut in a vice-grip while grabbing and taking his voulge back from her. He noticed how Kitt still couldn't push away the pain of his father's death, and caught up next to Korius, and whispered into his left ear. "Korius, should I tell Kitt about my family life if he keeps moping about?" Normally he would have told him if Kitt tried to ask, but he didn't know if he would get 'better' before then...
-
Drevo watched as Elistra and Talin were fussing with eachother then Felodran came up behind him. Then he looked over to Kitt who seemed in his down mood. Walking over to him he gave him a hard pat on the back. "So, Kitt, tell me about your father. I'm sure he was a great man. Maybe not greater than my father, my father was a great, great man. I remember whenever I got in trouble when I was young as long as I was honest with he he'd never be mad. Your old man better than that, eh?" Drevo was trying to start a little competition about their fathers to lift Kitt's spirits. He was being a bit forward, but he would either start talking about him or get further depressed.
-
Kitt turned to look at Drevo, shrugging off the pat on the back he spoke from under his hood rather quietly...
"H-he was a g-good man.... E-even after my m-mother had been lost for so l-long he still tried to find her...." Under his ranger's cloak his fists curled up in anger, held so tight that his claws almost drew blood from his palms... "H-he said... 'I'l find her... i'l never give up till i find her... and this family is back together...' So yes, my father was a great man... greater than any other... though perhaps that is just my view of him..."
The last sentence had been said louder than the rest, and he looked up for the first time, meeting Drevo's eyes... a single tear ran down his cheek as he turned and kept looking straight ahead.... he sighed, kicking a stone as he walked...
"He was a good man... and i'm sure he wouldnt want me acting so childishly at his death.... "
-
Korius whispered back over to Talin, "I don't think that's exactly a good idea. Your father was killed to prevent possession, and put you up for adoption. Not exactly a cheering story. Best to keep it to yourself. Besides, the old fart seems to be his closest friend right now. Let them sort it out together. Sometimes the best advice comes from our elders, and he seems to be getting better without us intervening." That day and the next 3 were not too eventful, just merely hiking in awkwardness, sometimes filled with small chitchat, but nothing major. It began to rain on the morning of the day they finally arrived to the borders of Provas' territory. The journey had taken longer than expected but now they reached the gates and sure enough, it was even more heavily guarded than the previous one, with more than 50 guards posted that were visible. Korius stopped the group in a thicket about 800 yards away, just out of sight of the guards. They needed to find a way through without arousing any trouble.
-
Kiana glanced towards Kitt when she actually heard him speak but then looked forward again. She felt bad for the kid but she didn't feel she could cheer him up any. Sometimes people just had to heal on their own time by their own means. For the rest of their journey to Provas' territory, she didn't speak a word. When Korius stopped the group in the thicket she knew that he was trying to think of a safe way through. To her it seemed obvious but she wasn't surprised that he didn't even ask her what she could do. She knew that she could make a tunnel underneath the area for safe passage, but she wasn't going to mention it.
-
Felodran followed into the thicket and took notice of everything he saw the large amount of guards, the fact they had the advantage of higher ground, Felodran surmised a direct assault would be near suicidal, even with the unique skills everyone possessed, he then came out sighing.
"Well we found the usual gates and guards again... this time however it seems to be a bit more serious in keeping people like us out. Anyone have any ideas on how to get past them without too many casualties and notice?
Felodran asked to break that uncomfortable silence that permeated the group, and also because sometimes people just had great ideas.
-
Entaru thought for a moment and an idea sprung into his head. "Kiana, do you think you can use your magic to tunnel underneath the the outpost? If you can, I can use my magic to keep an eye on them while you work" He was already thinking of ways to bend and mold his glass to see whilst underground. If they could get far enough past the outpost, then they could hide it. Afterward, should the time come, they could collapse the tunnel as a distraction, destroying the outpost completely.
-
Talin looked to each side of the gates, to see if they ended at any point. "Why not just go around and avoid this whole mess, or a coordinated attack to wipe them all out in a matter of minutes; I'm partial to either." He let Elistra down, and crossed her arms while staring at Talin with her dangerously slitted eyes. He waited for either Kiana or Korius to decide what to do, as Kiana seemed to have become the second in command while he and Elistra were gone.
-
Drevo kept mostly quiet for the three days aside from trying to cheep Kitt up by getting him to talk about how great his father was. When they stopped away from the checkpoint filled with guards he leaned against a tree. While the others thought of plans he just waited quietly. He was willing to do what ever, but he would prefer to not get injured again. Mainly due to him being paranoid about death following him, he wanted to live at least until he could face Elistro again. He was also concerned about having to get healed by White again, he might "accidentally" kill him this time instead of heal him.
-
For the three days of hiking Kitt kept quiet and to himself, only talking when spoken to... As they sat in the thicket, rain pattered off leaves and the cloaks of the group...
Watching the heavily guarded outpost, he sighed, fingers drumming lightly on the blade of his ranger's sword...
"Well.... a frontal attack is definitely out of the question.... Surprise is our advantage here..." He looked around at the rest of the group... it was the first time he'd spoken in hours and hours, and his voice wavered croakily....
He ran two fingers down his father's crossbow, eager to do somthing, anything... they had been walking and walking, and now it seemed they may finally see some action.... He couldnt wait to set about killing those who had been in allegiance with those responsible for his father's death.... let them all be killed, painfully...
-
Korius shushed Chrono, "Sorry, but we're going to perhaps go with the old fart's idea. We're going to have to avoid a fight with that many, and we don't even know how many are lodging inside between shifts. I guess that little sortie that we had at the other side of the border really forced them to up the ante in security. Half of us aren't even in a condition to fight. It's best if we do our best to avoid battle."
-
Kiana just looked at Felodran blankly when he asked if anybody had any ideas, not planning on bringing up what she could do. When Entaru spoke up and ended up mentioning what she had thought of, she almost snarled but restrained herself and kept the expressionless look on her face. "Of course I could..." She said with a shrug as she looked at Entaru. She glanced over at Korius, still feeling the grudge she was holding from the incident from after their run-in with Drevo's friends. Nobody else probably even remembered the argument that had started with her just trying to joke around with Korius or the slap she got in return along with basically being told to stay in her place because she was a woman, not even Korius. She doubted that he ever felt guilt for things that he said or did. He wouldn't apologize if he did remember anyway, she knew that much. The glance at Korius only lasted about a second then her eyes moved to look back at Entaru as she unconsciously rubbed her cheek (the one Korius had slapped).
-
Felodran glanced around, and saw Kiana, seemingly unnerved, and rubbing her cheek r.. At first he was confused, then instantly remembered. Ever since that day she seemed to lose all enthusiasm, understandable so, but Felodran didn't hold it against Korius that much, he wasnt berating her for being a woman, but for fooling around.
"Korius probably destroyed that woman's confidence that day, even if by accident. It's a shame, she seemed nice, I'll bring it up when there's a moment."
"Well we have a plan, go underground using Kiana's talents while Entaru keeps watch, any objections?"
-
Entaru nodded at Kiana, not really noticing her unease, and turned back to Korius. "Alright, lets get this done. The quicker this happens, the less time they have to discover us." As he began to get into position he noticed Kitt's expression. He didn't say anything but he knew that face. The boy had blood on the mind and vengence in his stance. Placing his hand on the boy's shoulder he looked at Kitt and whispered. "Take it easy, kid. You'll get your chance" With another pat on the shoulder, he got into position.
-
Talin frowned a bit, he was raring to fight, but would have to wait until they got to the 'dojo' until he could fight someone. "My mother once said my father had the ability to bend his enemies to his will; turn them into corrupted madmen and women, but that was only a week before he got possesed. If I was angry right now, I could do the same to the first set of guards... but I'm too intimidated by the fact that they're all armored... armed... and much more confident." For the rest of their conversation, both began speaking draconic, mostly out of frustration. "You're a freaking coward, you know that?!" "Fine, turn feral and we'll storm their base; you know almost more than I do that I can't fight all of them without you watching my back!!" "I'm not there to be your crutch fu-" Talin thankfully didn't have his weapon drawn as he leaped at Elistra, his hand around her neck and the other at her snout. "You know where this goes if you finish that word... woman" the last sentance was said in his normal tongue as he was only a few inches away from going beserk.
-
Drevo heard what Kitt said, then watched Talin, seeing the urge to kill someone. Then he lunged at Elistra out of nowhere. He felt where Kitt was coming from, he too sought revenge. One of those men could provide information where Elistro would be. It was already apparent some wanted blood and action. Almost half the group, they could easily storm them if they could get close enough. The only problem with that would be Korius, and afterward White most definitely. If Drevo went, Kitt would most definitely and Talin and by default Elistra. Three warriors and a Ranger, that would be plenty. Drevo tightened his grip on his bowstaff and started to march towards the outpost. Unfortunately Korius was in his path, he would just go around him when needed. "I'll kill'em all for what they did."
-
Kitt looked up at Entaru, and sighed, forcing himself to calm down... it was hard, but he'd done it many times before... pushing that small voice that urged to slaughter deep down for now, he took a shaky breath and stood up from his crouching position. The rain was getting heavier, and the steely grey drops spattered off every surface, churning up the earth into mud and soaking through Kitt's cloak, despite its thickness...
He watched with mild interest as Talin grappled with Elistra, and noticed Drevo seemingly attempting to go about his own plan... shaking his head he drew his sword partway out of its scabbard, and left it there in easy reach....
-
"Kiana, I'll leave this up to you. Just don't strain yourself." As Drevo began to go around him he kept his voice low enough only for Drevo to hear. "You go out there, you die by yourself. You can already see more than 50 in that outpost, and there's at least the same number inside, if not more. Your wounds haven't healed, nor has mine nor Kiana's. The kid's still green behind the ears and, like me, Talin will end up like me if his blood begins to boil in battle. You best learn patience, lest you have a death wish." Korius walked over towards Talin and Elistra and kicked Talin's armpit, forcing the his right arm's muscles to retract and let go. He then clamped a leg on the loosened arm and lifted that side of Talin enough for Elistra to get free and possibly get out. At the same time, Korius eyed Kitt with a warning look, already feeling the kid's developing feelings of blood-lust. They cannot afford to get engaged into a sortie right now.
-
Kiana didn't wait to hear if there were any objections as she looked down at the ground right after Felodran started to speak. Focusing herself completely, she didn't see or hear anything that was going on around her. She closed her eyes and held her hands with the palms flat against each other then stuck them into ground. Her closed eyes tightened as she separated her hands, forming a large, deep hole in front of her with makeshift stairs going down into the darkness from where she knelt. Silently she rose to her feet and walked down the steps into the darkness. The tunnel wasn't finished but she needed to get down to the bottom of the hole to be able to finish.
-
After the scuffle had taken place, and Kiana descended down the earthen stairs by her lonesome, Felodran decided then was a good time to pose his question to her. He jogged a little to the stairs and took care not to slip
"Kiana... you alright? You seem tense" he called after her, hoping she would at least answer.
-
Talin started to calm down from his rage-based high, and plummeted into a state of despising himself for how he acted. How many times do I have to go through this tunnel of rage before I can finally gain control?! His mental process of answering his self-proposed question was cut off as Elistra put him in a headlock and shook him around in a rather childish manner. "All I need to teach you, is how to take that anger out on the actual threat. In fact, the next one that proposes to me, tear him a new one and any jewlery you find on him is a guaranteed marrige" A flush of red came across his fur while he looked up at Elistra with his mouth agape, after she whispered into his ear. She shut his mouth with one hand and looked at Korius with a smirk. "I'll deal with his anger issues, besides, don't you have a certain leopard to worry about?" she said before Talin lifted her off the ground while getting up at the same time, very ignorant to Elistra's last comment.
-
Drevo ignored Korius and kept walking though he stopped shortly. Still behind the cover of some bushes and trees he began to pace back and forth. After awhile of pacing, out of the view of others he started slamming his fist into a tree. "Damn that Korius...Elistro...Hrmm...GAH! If he wasn't around...No...Don't say that...You can't completely blame him...Just have to get stronger! My time will come...I'll cut that dragon's head off." He stopped punching the tree after awhile and slumped against the now bloody tree. His hand was bleeding but he didn't care or notice.
-
Kitt frowned, sliding his sword back into the scabbard up to its hilt in annoyance... He watched sullenly as Kiana forged a tunnel and stairs into the earth, he couldn't help but marvel at her magical prowess... could only imagine what it was like to wield such power at the tips of his fingers.
Sighing he visibly attempted to calm down... there was no point in killing people out of vengeance for his father... no reason to act revenge upon those who had killed his blood and kin, who had stripped him of his family and deserved to die as painfully as possible.....
"NO!"
He stopped suddenly, noticing that he had shouted out physically and not just mentally... looking away from everyone else he pulled up his hood defensively...
-
Korius let go of Talin's arm and laid a bandaged hand over Kitt's head. "The second rule of all Rangers: NEVER succumb to the thirst for blood. Your father would be very disappointed to see you in such a mental state. Learn to control it, it'll be a cake-walk compared to what Talin and I must overcome. Do your best not to develop that blood-lust. It never leads to anything good. If you feed it, you'll end up like me and Talin, unable to tell who's friend or foe and unable to stop." Korius cut his speech short and walked over to Drevo, hearing him punching the tree. "You are a Voronese soldier, most likely trained with the Banzai state of mind and battle-tactic. However, you must not be used to the life of a true warrior. Do you know WHY many V. Knights left the Order and became rurouni? It was because the Banzai is not the way of the warrior. Look at the group carefully, we're in no shape to fight over 100 soldiers. Hell, probably not even 50. Remember, you're no longer a knight, the Banzai tactic is what'll get you to an early grave in vain." Korius didn't want to say more and headed for the stairs, sitting on them for the next hour, looking over Kiana worriedly, though he won't admit it, and made sure that everyone was in before he went in himself.
-
Kiana didn't turn around when Felodran descended the stairs behind her. She just stood there facing the wall of earth in front of her, concentrating on the task at hand. It was a wonder that she even heard him speak to her. "Tense? I wouldn't say that. I'd say hardened by several years of working with the earth..." She replied, finishing the sentence in her head. "...along with a couple years of sadness and guilt." "So no, I don't believe I'm tense. But thanks for asking." She punched the wall of earth, forcing it further ahead. If she sounded rude, she didn't mean to. After everybody was in the tunnel, she closed the entrance. For the next hour, she continued forcing the wall further ahead. When she thought she was far enough past the gate, she made a hole a little bigger than the size of her head above her then moved herself up to it with earth. Putting her head slowly through the hole so she could see, she looked around and saw that they were in the trees. "All clear." She mumbled. Lowering herself, she made the exit hole with stairs. She climbed out first and waited for the others to come up.
-
Talin lead Elistra up the stairs since her eyes were too adjusted to the darkness to be of any use while light shined through. "Stupid, lizard vision..." she muttered under her breath as Talin tried to be in the way of the light that would have reached Elistra directly. They both came out and Elistra finally got used to the light, then they both leaned on a tree, Talin first. They both then waited for the rest to climb up as Talin absent-mindedly played with Elistra's horns.
-
Drevo followed out after Talin and Elistra, leaning on a nearby tree he made absolutely no noise. You wouldn't even be able to hear him breathe. With the enemy behind them he didn't have to worry about them for the time being. All that was on his mind was getting to Telbanth and getting stronger. But before that...A bit of lounging at the hot spring. Thinking on that made him think of Alexia, and what happened when they last saw each other. It was going to be awkward...
-
Kitt looked down i shame when Korius mentioned the second rule of the rangers..... he was right.... "I am sorry... my father would be ashamed to see me acting in this way..... I'm still not deserving of the title, 'Ranger'..." With that he sighed and walked down into the tunnel.... reaching the other side Kitt clambered out of the tunnel, his pupils going from dilate to focussed in an instance.... he smirked, jumping out of the hole and drawing his sword part-way out of its scabbard... "Gotta love the feline vision...."
He waited for everyone to get out as well, and wondered exactly what the next stage of the plan was....
-
Korius was the last to jump out before Kiana closed up the hole. He looked behind him and saw the wall in the distance. "Okay, we're not too much farther now. It's only another few hours before we reach Telbanth, but we're in a new territory now. We'll have to stay on high aler-" Korius cut short as he heard some yelling and cursing at the wall. He whipped around and saw that a very obese-looking guard had one leg sunk into the ground. Korius realized that the guard's leg was in the tunnel that they had just come out of. "Run..."
-
Kiana close the tunnel behind Korius. She listened to him talk and was glad to hear that it would only take a few more hours for them to reach their destination. When Korius cut himself off and turned around, she looked in that direction as well. His signal was also the signal she took to do something to inhibit the guards. She stomped her left foot on the ground, causing the whole tunnel to collapse in on itself. After collapsing the tunnel, she turned and ran after Korius.
-
After Felodran had left the tunnel, he watched with a smirk on his face as the tunnel, and a lot of guards sunk into the ground.
"Are you sure they won't send someone to investigate this collapse or will they assume it's either poor soil or poor construction?" he asked, because a lot of guards sank into the ground.
It might seem more of a coincidence to a trained eye.
-
Talin was about to voice his agreement with the human tin-can, but Elistra yanked him away and literally dragged him through the grass while she ran with Kiana and Korius. He only folded his arms and didn't bother to stop her; Either I let her pull me along, or I become half-naked, and I really don't intend to fight half-naked... he reasoned before an above-ground root caught his tail and painfully yanked a few hairs off, causing tears of pain to form in his eyes.
-
Drevo didn't run at first, rather he stood his ground looking at the ground cave in consuming many of the men. It brought him a bit of joy as he turned and ran off after the others. Though he wish he could have done something himself, it was hopeless. He knew Korius was right, and he himself didn't need to die before he could get his revenge. The only thing now to do was get stronger, kill guardians until he finds Elistro and finally kill him...But first, the ever so awaited hot springs.
-
Kitt watched as the tunnel collapsed, taking the unfortunate guard with it... he sniggered, laughing at the buffoon's pain as earth and stone crushed him.... he decided against drawing his sword, and instead pulled two long curving daggers from their scabbards at his thighs.... His father's weapons would taste blood again.... The daggers responded to his ache for a fight, and hummed softly, glowing a pearlescant ice-blue...
"Let them drink blood soon, let them slice through air and bone, cleave armour from flesh and strike those who would oppose them down..". Kitt Smiled as he started to run, chanting the litany under his breath.... "And may on this day I drink from the sweet cup of victory, for none shall stand in the path of Ranger...."
-
Korius felt uneasy again as they ran, and it was coming from the kid. He fell back a little to pace next to the child and placed the same bandaged hand over the kid's head. "Ranger's Code #2. Remember it, kiddo. You're father's always watching you from the other side." Korius ran back ahead and they made it far deeper into the forest. Not too long after, Telbanth was in sight, but it stopped at just that as the whole group became surrounded by incoming nets from all sides, no openings. Entaru raised his arms and cut through one of the sides, making a break for it. However, his escape was cut short as his heart struck him just as he passed it. A shadowy figure came from the trees and came down on the old one, taking advantage of his symptoms, and cut him in half.
-
Kiana wasn't quick enough to do anything to stop the nets from coming at the group. She watched as Entaru cut through a net and made a run for it, only to be brought to his end by being sliced in half. For once she actually cringed away from what she saw. When the nets caught them all, pressing them together in one group, she didn't even bother to struggle. She didn't see any point in it because it was obvious that they wouldn't be getting out. All she did was let out sigh.
-
Talin wasn't much hindered by the net since he wasn't even standing to begin with. "Elistra, think you can push these nets off with your 'body'?" She barely heard him as he tried to seem like he was either asleep, or dead. "Yes, but someone would have to draw their attention as soon as the nets come off, it easy for me to get big, but not so easy to shrink with my increase of mass and all that." Talin fought back a pre-mature grin as he started to realize that whoever was left behind, was probably going to die faster than the old mage did...
-
Drevo fell flat on his face when the nets hit him. Rolling over on his side only to see Entaru being cut in half. But being caught in the nets was puzzling to him, it probably wasn't a prank from Ferdande considering if he pulled a prank like this he would have just tranquilized everyone. But even if it was a joke, he wouldn't have killed Entaru. Drevo also thought that in all their present positions, he was less likely to escape, considering he didn't exactly have a bladed weapon. The person most suited to do anything would be Kiana since she was an earth mage.
-
Korius growled at the impact of ended up getting bunched up with the others in the tight, steel-knit net. Several more figures jumped from the trees and brandished wakizashis and katanas. "Looks like we have some royal scouts here. Let's make sure they don't report back to Parodius." Korius growled louder as they approached, "Back off! We're here to see your master. My name is Korius Lambent, predecessor of Valius Rampart and carrier of Koara Uzima's last will. Also among us is one of your own's best friend, Drevo." The figures circled the group, still closing in. They ignored Korius' words and stank of bloodlust.
-
Kiana felt a twinge of sadness at the mention of Valius then was angered by them not listening to Korius when he was telling them the truth. She easily spotted the leader of the group as she eyed the lot of them. "Maybe this will make them listen..." She thought as she eyed the leader. With a small motion of her left hand, she sent a jut of rock up at the leader, nailing him in his "man parts". Normally, with a move like that she would have had a smirk on her face afterward but this time she just had a stern look. "Stop being morons! If you were actually paying attention and weren't so eager to kill whoever came across you, it would be obvious that weren't royal scouts! I mean, seriously, does this bunch of misfits look like a group of royal scouts to you?!" She shouted angrily.
-
"Um, theres two things wrong with what that one 'ninja' said, one, we're not royal scouts, two... last time I checked, we're trying to avoid Parodius." He said only a few seconds before Kiana hit another ninja in the most brutal of low-blows. "Seriously, of all the things you could have done; you crotch-punch a ninja." "Dear, would you kindly shut up before I make sure you can't walk forever?"
-
As the ninja who was hit below the belt was hit he exploded into a puff of smoke. One of the others was not amused and went over to Kiana, and got ready to stab her with his wakizashi. But Ferdande suddenly came from the trees in a flash and kneed him in the stomach before delivering a round house kick to the face sending him into a tree causing him to burst into smoke. As Ferdande finished his kick he shot down two more with his wrist crossbows. The last five of them focused on him before charging him. Ferdande drew two kunais and darted into the group killing two, then he drop kicked another in the chest before somersaulting over another and snapping his neck. He then whipped around to slice the last one in the throat. Moments later they all burst into clouds of smoke. As the smoke cleared a good twenty more appeared in the treeline. Ferdande put his hands together and pulled them apart quickly, sending a barrage of kunai knives at them, nailing them all and turning them to smoke. "Sakai! Jizo! Enough! I can vouch for them!" shouted Ferdande. Just then a figure darted at him from out of the smoke. Ferdande deflected the kunai that was thrown then blocked the kunai in the figure's hand. Ferdande grabbed his hand, kneed him in the stomach and threw him over his shoulder. "Jizo, I said enough!" Jizo got off the ground and darted off. Ferdande walked over to the group in the net and began to cut them loose, giving Korius then Drevo a hand up. "I apologize for the others, they are only doing their job as guards." "You gotta teach me that knife thing, man." "Some other time, Drevo, what are you doing here?" "Well, in a nutshell, we're here to get stronger. We also seek your master, well, Korius does." "Drevo, you know I-" "C'mon, you have to, this is really important..." "I'm sorry, Dre-" "Do it for me, we all need to get stronger. I need to get stronger, I need to kill Elistro...That bastard who is responsible for killing my entire family..." Ferdande didn't say anything for a moment. "Alright, Drevo...I'll see what I can do." With that Ferdande whistled, a hawk flew down and landed in his extended arm. He placed the hawk on his shoulder and took out a small scroll and wrote something on it. He then fastened it to the hawk's leg and sent him off. "I'm informing my master of your arrival, we'll get an answer if she will help you later today. For now, let's go to town, I am sure you are all tired."
-
Kitt struggled against the nets, his twin daggers burned a bright white, flickering ethereal flames running down their blades... they felt his fear, his anger at Entaru's death.... But he was stuck, unable to get a good swing at the rope....
"Cowards! I'd gut every one of you.... You Cowards!"
He struggled still more, tugging against the nets he watched as someone threw a hail of knives towards the cloaked man.... finally giving up, his last reserves of pent up frustration and energy gone, Kitt slumped against the tight net bindings..... he didnt care what happened now....
-
One of the figures jumped up into the trees and the net came loose. Korius sighed in relief as he was finally not up against everyone else. The rest of the ninjas pulled the nets off the group and vanished into the trees. "Ferdande may trust you, but we will be watching." Korius groaned as he got up, stretching his limbs. "Oh, shut up. For a group that was once under my command, you sure are ignorant on who you trap up." Korius' eye glowed a bright red and his other eye began to glow as well, with his anger. However, Korius did his best to suppress himself. He walked up to Ferdande, "As you might be able to sense and feel, I desperately need your master's help, lest you wish to have you and everyone within this vicinity dead. Let us make haste."
-
Once everything was over and she saw that both her earth move and her words had no effect in the situation, she felt like she was completely useless to the group again. She didn't even move when the net was removed and instead just stood there like a statue. Finally while Korius walked over to Ferdande, her eyes shifted to look at her staff and then to the ground. Slowly her left hand moved inside her cloak to where her brother's throwing stars were and she let out a sigh. She lifted her eyes to look ahead of her and nodded to herself then lifted her hood onto her head.
-
Elistra let go of Talin and followed Kiana, and Talin slowly stood up and followed Korius, acting like he just woke up. Elistra was visible in Kiana's peripheral vision, and was trying to get a look at her eyes. "You know, theres being tough, then theres just suffering quietly; you don't have to say anything now if you wish... or you can just ignore me and continue playing 'cool'." she finished as Kiana seemed not even remotely paying attention. But, having to deal with Talin for at least two years gave her a few meters of fuse to burn before she would really go beserk.
-
Ferdande led the group to town, which was about ten minutes away. He led them into the open town gate and shortly it closed behind them. Eyes were on the group as people walked the streets going about their business. Eyes from the dark alleyways, windows, around corners and from everyone else. Though no one said anything. After a short walk Ferdande led the others to an inn. He walked inside with them and turned to them. "There are five rooms upstairs reserved for you all. I payed for the expenses, I've been expecting you. Especially you, Korius. Korius, your room is at the very end to the left, Drevo, yours is opposite his. The rest of you can choose any of the other rooms next to those. I'll be back when I receive word on your request." With that Ferdande walked out without another word, vanishing as he stepped foot outside.
-
Kitt followed the new figure along with the rest of the group, he kept both daggers drawn, but beneath his cloak as they walked.... Both Blades had now gone from a burning white, to a pale blue as they walked into the Inn....
He had kept his hood pulled up during the short journey, and now finally pulled it down once inside... It was warm in the Inn and the weariness of constant travelling, the death of father, and the death of Entaru finally caught up with him.... The prospect of a real bed seemed like a lifeline to safety.... With that he opened the first door and slipped quietly in, dropping his crossbow across the bare floorboards, as well as his cloak and short sword... his daggers however, stayed clenched in both hands....
He wondered to himself whether anyone else would be sleeping in the room with him, there where two small beds, so if anyone wanted to they could... with that he lay down on the bed, and curled up beneath his ranger's cloak, already fast asleep....
-
Korius sighed as he lay down in his new quarters as Ferdande began to walk away, "So where are the others going to stay? Can I get our white mage in my room? I kinda need him with me." White gulped at the sound of these words. He always felt uneasy being in a closed in area with Korius. For some reason, it just feels like Korius would eat him, if given the chance. White pulled Ferdande aside before he left, "If you can, I'd rather stay with Kiana. I need to give everyone medical attention, but I would prefer to NOT stay with Korius."
-
Kiana was listening to Elistra but just paying attention to where she was walking instead of looking at her. "The issue is that people assume too much..." She mumbled her reply as she walked. "I never said I was tough...it was just assumed that I was..." She continued the rest of the walk in silence. When they reached the inn and Ferdande told them about there rooms, she headed to them. She just picked a room that she was sure was empty and didn't pay attention to who would be in the neighboring room(s). She didn't even close the door, just walked over to the bed and fell face first onto it. She hiding crying or anything because she wasn't crying, she was just exhausted.
-
Elistra picked up what Kiana said, but waited until they could be somewhere private before going further into it. "You okay with me just visiting Kiana?" "Sure, just make sure you bring your clothes back with you..." He felt his hair get yanked back before he was looking at Elistra's grim snarl. "I mean, please come back soon..." She calmed down and let his hair go, then pushed him towards the room they were going to sleep in while Elistra herself went to Kiana's room to find the door unusually open.
She sat down on the floor and watched Kiana just lay on the bed face-down. "I believe assumptions are made because someone does not communicate their attitude in a form that is understood by everyone else... I can assume you're a mage with a slightly noble background and a temper issue, but I would like to know what brought this image about." if she at least got her angry, then she might slip a few pieces of her background. There was the idea of beating the info out of her, but she only did that to Talin because he came with the intention of killing her, and it was rather amusing to see him get back up after each injury she inflicted.
-
Before Ferdande went off he replied to White. "It doesn't matter where any of you stay. Just Korius just has to be in that room, and Drevo in his." Drevo walked up the stairs to his room, he passed the open room of Kiana's, who was on the left of the hallway next to Korius' room. There was one more room next to Kiana's that was reserved and the last one on the right side next to Drevo's. He went into his room, a large bed was in the center of the room. It looked like a king size bed. There was a wardrobe to the right, a window to the left, a desk under the window and a night stand to the right of the bed. Drevo leaned his bowstaff against the wardrobe and plopped down on the bed. "Ah...Comfy..." "Lets see...What now? Hmm...I should probably hold the hotsprings until I know what's happening."
-
Kitt snored, snuffling in his sleep.... he was dreaming....
He stood in the clearing of a forest, around him stood his family... more than that, his entire clan.... The Rangers of Szarda stood around him, along with his father.... But at the furthest edges of the clearing somthing was closing in. A swirling fog of darkness rose up and swallowed those rangers who stood furthest away from Kitt... The fog swirled closer and closer, figures disapearing into darkness... He tried to shout out, to warn them, but no-one heard him...
The darkness was circling him, closing in until only he and his father stood together.... the fog swept in, around his father too, until he stood alone in suffocating darkness....
Kitt woke with a start, struggling against the cloying dark fog.... sighing he realised it was just his cloak, and that the hood had fallen down over his head.... groaning he slumped back down onto the sheets, and fell back into uneasy sleep...
-
Korius slept soundly that night, but not as much as White. White dreamt and slept with ease, not being so close to Korius, despite the two women talking right next to him. Later in the night, Korius' sleep was disturbed as he sensed something amiss. He opened his eyes, his one glowing in the night. A shadowy figure jumped down from the rafters and came down with a downward thrust towards the bed. Korius jumped out as the wakizashi struck the bed, and bounced back with a body slam. The figure hit the wall, but burst into smoke. Korius jumped onto the floor and brought up a rear kick, deflecting a slash by kicking the hand holding the wakizashi. He brought his foot back around and kicked the weapon out of the figure's hand. "You are all that Koara has said you were. Even without your arms, I can't assassinate you right away." Both of Korius' eyes were already glowing at this point. "So you must be Ferdande's master, one of 2 remaining Master Ninjas in Gaia, Sakuraba Hajime. So you know my situation and why I've sought you out?" The master nodded, "Indeed. However, I would like to inquire about your companions. Aside from Lady Kiana and Young Master Drevo, I question the others. We cannot allow just anyone into this city's sanctum." Korius sighed as he calmed down and his left eye stopped glowing, "The white one is the last remaining white mage in all of Gaia, the young one is the last of the infamous Szarda Ranger Clan, and the human is a mercenary we picked up. Don't worry, he's an idiot. Your city's sanctity isn't in danger with him. The last two are Elistra of the Dragons, sister to Elistro of the Black Flame, and Talin Lazarus, direct descendant of Chronin. But don't worry, they're not an issue."
Felodran sighed as he tossed and turned while in Drevo's room. When it seemed too much for him, he got up and left the room. "I'm gonna step out for a bit." The mercenary stepped out into the lobby and down the street, looking for a tavern to drink at.
-
Kiana sighed into the bedsheets. She knew that Elistra would come visit her to finish the conversation and what she said didn't anger her in any way. "Depends on the image you're talking about." She said, lifting her head and resting her chin on her folded arms. "If you're talking about the assumption you get of me, that came about because that's what I am...a noble who is a mage with a temper issue. If you're talking about the image of me being tough-slash-suffering quietly, that came from my brother's death. It was a couple years ago, I witnessed it but couldn't help because he told me to hide because he didn't want me to get hurt. My parents pretty much blamed me though they didn't say it, anyone could tell by how they looked at me. I blamed myself as well because even though I wasn't as experienced as I am now, I still could have most likely saved his life. The 'tough' act is just me covering up my pain. Simple as that. Though I am tough naturally too, in my own right." She stared at the wall with a blank expression as she talked since she was lying across the middle of the bed.
-
"Ah, issues from the past... that seems to be a recurring theme in this group, doesn't it?" Elistra mumbled as she searched for something else to talk about...
Meanwhile in their room, Talin was having a nightmare that caused his inherited powers to go off erratically on different surfaces. The overall look of the room was like things were being broken, fixed, then broken again. In his nightmare however, he could feel danger everywhere, and the red gem he inherited genetically from Chronin was his only source of illumination. However, it only gave a silhouette of the attackers, leaving him little choice but to attack those that came near. It was only when he stabbed the attackers did the illumination reveal his mother as the first to die, tears cascading down her face as shock was frozen into her features before falling at his feet. Then he stabbed another, seeing only his father's head resting on the flatside of the blade with rage carved into his stiff face. The stabbing continued until his entire family, as well as Kiana, Drevo, Kitt, and the white wolf were all dead at his feet. Are you satisfied brat, you (censorz) killed off all of them! He heard before the blade of Valius came crashing down in front of him, his gem's glow-range extending out to show both Korius and Valius with their blades drawn...
-
Drevo rolled and fussed about as he slept. By looking at it it seemed he was having a nightmare. And he was. He was standing on the other side of a pile of bodies. The bodies were of his family. As he wept over them Elistro came up behind him and put his hand on his shoulder. "You know...I enjoyed killing them. Unfortunately they were weak. They didn't even stand a chance." Drevo's tears dyed and he became enraged, pushing Elistro's hand off his shoulder and standing up to face him. "I'll kill you!" With that he swung at Elistro, who faded into nothing; laughing. "Even you are weak, Drevo. Give up." Again he punched at a newly formed Elistro, who faded again. "Give up like you gave up on your men. Your family. Your friends..." He continued to punch a fading Elistro until many of them appeared and formed a circle around Drevo. All the Elistro's spoke in unison. "You can't protect them. You can't protect any of them. You couldn't save Valius. You just let him die." "I-...I couldn't do anything! It wasn't my fault!" "You were weak, Drevo. That's why he died!" The circle of Elistros cackled. "Shut up!" "You couldn't even save Vladimir!" "Shut up!" "How can you expect to save any of them..." They began to walk towards Drevo who swung wildly at them until they were all gone. Just then Elistro's sword pierced Drevo from behind. "...If you can't even save yourself." Drevo woke up in a cold sweat. "Bastard!" Drevo got out of bed and headed to the door. "Drevo." Drevo froze and turned to the voice. He saw Ferdande perched on the window sill looking in on him. "Ferdande..." "You should quiet yourself. People are sleeping. Stay in here until morning. I already told Alexia you've arrived. She's planning on greeting you with breakfast, don't spoil it by running off." "So...Has your master agreed? Will she help us?" "It's...Being discussed as we speak. Just stay in here and go back to bed. It will be better for everyone." Drevo huffed and went to lay back down.
-
Aside from the strange dream, Kitt slept soundlessly that night.... Waking slowly he stretched, before falling off the bed with a muffled -thump-....
"Darn... stupid, bed...."
Picking himself up, he wandered over to the window, stifling a wide yawn... the sun's first rays where climbing over the city rooftops, and on the chimney opposite a small blackbird chirruped its morning call.... Kitt mimed raising a crossbow, squared his sights on the bird and...
"Ka-thunk! Gotcha..."
He smirked, lowering the invisible crossbow and watching the blackbird continue to sing joyfully.... how could he have been so full of rage only hours ago?... He smiled, a new day..... a new take on life....
Having got dressed, and gotten tangled in his cloak at least twice, he opened the door to his room and crept quietly out downstairs.... There werent many people around, and most didnt even look up at a young boy wearing a traveling cloak anyway.... Sitting down in an empty corner of the room, he pulled out his repeater crossbow and started the laborious process of oiling the mechanisms, and treating the wood with beeswax...
-
Korius came out of his room and went out to the lobby, where food was prepared for them and a few new faces were sitting at the table and greeted him. Hajime placed a hand on his shoulders as he/she greeted him. "Be at ease. Everyone in the town knows of you and your companions and there is nothing to worry about. You all have been labeled guests of honor and you will be treated as such. The training will begin after breakfast. We have a large ranch in which has an underground training facility that we use. We will take you there soon. For now, eat." Korius couldn't help but notice that despite Hajime's voice and body shape, Hajime had the deep voice of a man. "I don't mean to sound rude, but..." Hajime chuckled, "I'm almost the same as Koara, except I have a man's voice. But we're pretty much the same, otherwise. And no, you're not my type."
-
Kiana re-situated herself on the bed so she was laying on it correctly and leaned her staff against the bedside table. "Yes, it does." She responded. Closing her eyes, she ended up falling asleep quickly without any warming for herself or Elistra. The next morning she awoke early and grabbed her staff before exiting the room. Kitt and Korius were already there eating away so she sat beside Kitt and started to eat as well. She glanced around at the new faces only once and kept her eyes on her food and the table the rest of the time. She didn't feel comfortable with the new people there but she figured they might be the ones who were going to help with their training.
-
Talin stumbled his way down the stairs, only a shirt of chainmail beyond his leggings and shoes to cover his body as he looked like a mess. He started to argue with the chef before heading to a lone table with three different courses for himself. Waking me up only two hours after sleeping to keep me up until I had four hours of sleep... he seethed before almost inhaling two of the three dishes, then slowing down to eat the last meal. Elitsra came down shortly after he was done with his third plate, and had a smirk on her face as she calmly took two meals and sat down next to Talin, leaning on him as she had her breakfast.
-
Drevo was still asleep as the others stirred. The only thing that woke him up was a knock on his door. He sat up rubbing his eyes and looked to the door which was opened. Alexia walked in with a bright smile. "Good morning, Drevo! I brought you breakfast!" "Oh...I didn't expect that. Thanks, Alexia." Alexia walked over to the side of his bed and put the food down next to Drevo. He started eating it and she just stared at him which made him a little uncomfortable. "Uhm...What?" "Nothing, well, I should be going. Enjoy the food." "Uhm...Okay. See you later, thanks for the food." Alexia got off the bed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. "Drevo..." Drevo choked on his food not expecting Ferdande to have returned. "Ferdande, what are you doing here?" "What was that? You acted as if you knew she was coming." "I did, you told me!" "Your an idiot, Drevo...Hurry up and eat. Your request has been accepted. You and your friends will be trained." "So you going to teach me that knife trick?" "No...You wouldn't be able to do it. You've got no chakra, Ki or magicka. If you attempted that...trick...You would kill yourself." Drevo swallowed the food in his mouth and looked at Ferdande. "You just don't want to teach me." "...Eat your breakfast...You'll need your energy." With that Ferdande turned himself around. Looking back he said just before vanishing. "I get to train you." Again Drevo choked on his food.
-
Kitt hungrily gulped down his breakfast.... He only just realised how hungry he had been recently.... It was true that Rangers went for days without food while in the forests. But that didnt mean they couldnt get hungry...
"So Korius..." He swallowed noisily, already reaching for another bread roll "You got n'idea what the trainin' gonna be like?" He talked between mouthfuls of bread, looking up at Korius curiously....
-
As everyone was eating, Hajime stood up at the end of the table alongside with the new faces. "As you all may have already guessed, these people around the table with you are going to be training you all. This stout young iguana to my direct right is Lo, she will be training the young ranger over there. Lo has worked alongside with rangers his whole life and was one of the families that served the Szardas prior to the war. He will teach you everything you know. The fox next to her Bo, he will be training Kiana. Bo's knowledge of Majicka and the best ways to increase your capacity and power is second to none among all ninjas. This vain one on my left *gestures a young-looking wolf with a pompadour half the size of Valia* is Mo, he will be training Korius and Chrono on anger management. I highly recommend Miss Elistra joining in their sessions. And finally, the elderly lady over there is our head medic, Vo, she and I will be working on re-channeling Korius' Ki everyday. I have already assigned Ferdande to train Drevo, and your friend White has long since left to assist our medical team at the training facilities, he will be coming to everyone's aid, but he has requested to stay in our town to study more on white magic. When you are all done with your meal, please follow your trainer to the facility below the ranch. Korius, you will be with Vo and I this morning. You can join Chrono and Lady Elistra in the afternoon."
Felodran awoke at the edge of the village, dazed and confused. He spotted a couple of the ninjas from the day before. "Hey! Why am I-?" One of the figures had turned threw a kunai at him, knocking off his helmet. "Theft is punishable by death out here, particularly if it's our signature sake. You can wait out here until your friends are done training."
-
Kiana listened to Hajime as she ate her food silently. When the fox was introduced as the one who would train her, she glanced up to see just who that was. She caught Bo's eye for a second then looked back down at her plate. "Oh great, a guy...this going to be fun..." She thought sarcastically. She finished the rest of her meal in silence. As she stood up to leave the table, Bo stood up as well and she followed him out of the Inn.
-
Talin didn't hear the announcement, since he went to sleep on the table after eating another helping of food. Elistra hefted him up on her right shoulder and walked over to Mo. "Just know I'm not stopping him if you want to make him go berserk... He might actually get the incantation right" she half-mumbled while giving Mo a side-glance. Although she was a bit peeved that he was only getting anger management while everyone else gets training that she sees as actual improvement. Tame at least fifteen years of rage in four days, right!!
-
Drevo finished his food and went downstairs, noticing the others down there as well. He was eager to find where Ferdande went off to so he could push him to teach him "The knife trick". As he walked to the door he waved to the others. "Morning." He went outside and took a look around, seeing if he could spot Ferdande. "Hmm...Find a ninja win a prize...Where could he be?" He started walking down the road still looking around, in "The places a ninja would hide". "Hmm...If I were a ninja where would I hide? Haystack...Nope. Windows...Eh....Nope. Roof? don't see anything. Barrel? No room in here...Maybe he's invisible. Wait...A ninja...I'm trying to find a ninja." "Drevo." Drevo practically jumped out of his skin and turned around to see Ferdande leaning against a wall. "Where were you?" "Around..." "You should teach me how to be sneaky like that." "Come on...Let's get going." "Wait, I don't have my weapon." As they were walking Ferdande turned to him. "No need, I've prepared your weapons. I told you, I've been expecting you." "Why's that?" "Korius, we fought once before. His Ki was unstable, pouring out at an unhealthy rate. It's amazing he's still alive. I made him take that room because we have seals on it to suppress his powers. But he still managed to over power even the seals, though barely. Your friend is complicated..." "So what kind of weapons do I get?! Are you going to teach me the knife trick?!" "No...I've designed a few for you to use." "Sweet! What are they?!" "You'll see when we get there..."
-
Kitt stood after having finished, and so did Lo opposite... She walked over and gave him a hearty clap on the shoulder...
"One of the last of the Szardas? It's an honour to meet another of your clan... I feared, that they had all gone..."
Kitt shrugged, swinging his crossbow onto one shoulder. Lo had a strange lisp on all her 'S's that at first made it hard to understand. She nodded approvingly, and then lead him out of the Inn...
"So... How far are you with your Ranger's training? Who was it who has been teaching you until now?... No offence meant, but the others in your group couldnt exactly have trained you well if it was them...."
Kitt stayed silent, walking alongside the iguana along the streets... She looked at him sidelong, cocking her head curiously... "Is there somthing wrong Szarda? I must know how far you have been trained so that i can help..."
Kitt shook his head, clearing away thoughts of his father... "Well i'm thirteen.... And still a Ranger in training.... My father trained me.. he passed away recently...."
-
Korius followed Hajime and Vo out of the building before anyone else. However, he was led in the opposite direction of the ranch. "Before you ask, our medical center is on the other side. You'll meet your friend, White there." Korius was led into a small hut and then under one of the floorboards. Stairs led down to an underground center that was exceptionally larger than any clinic that Korius has ever seen. White ran over to him, eyes glowing like a child to a brand new toy, "Hey! I guess sticking with you all until your training was a good idea after all! The medical texts here are amazing! And-" Vo pushed the excited little mage aside, "Okay, sonny, move along now. We have a long morning ahead of us. Please, Sir Lambent, this way." Vo led Korius to a separate room that seemed to glow a brilliant color. Once inside, he found a large circle that seemed to be used for big spells. Hajime and almost 20 other ninjas were seated around the circle. "This is our medical circle. We channel our chakra through this to perform high-level medical operations. However, to rechannel your Ki, we found it necessary to use this as well. I'm not going to lie, it's going to hurt more than when it was sealed away."
Post Merge: July 05, 2010, 12:11:07 AM
Bo led Kiana towards the tavern across the way from the Inn. The barkeep stepped aside from behind the bar and pressed an unseen button, and the sound of string-drawn pullies could be heard and a trap door emerged from underneath where the barkeep had been standing. "This way, Lady Kiana." He led her into the large underground that seemed like an underground Colosseum. Bo brought Kiana over to the far corner where there were lots of straw bales that hung from the high ceiling above. "Today, you will be showing me every spell you know and you are going to be casting them in quick succession. I can read Majicka levels, so I'll be sure to stop you just short of complete depletion and death. I'll stand.... behind you...."
-
Kiana followed Bo in silence. When he said he'd be standing behind her she just rolled her eyes. "I don't stand still." She thought to herself as spun her staff in her fingers then held it beside her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she exhaled, she opened her eyes quickly and started casting all of the spells that she knew at the "enemies". A few of the moves being jutting rocks, creating walls and moving them together to crush her foes, and covering herself with rock, among others.
-
Elistra didn't feel Talin moving beyond his natural breathing, and turned towards Mo, still holding the sated wolf over her shoulder. "I'll wake him up once we get there... if you would kindly lead the way" She said with a hand gesture away from where they were currently standing. It was hard for her to deal with anyone but Talin, since he was the only furred creature she tried to talk casually with. Kiana was also an issue, but she had the impression that she would only turn violent if she was pushed at all, of which Talin was the perfect example of.
-
Ferdande led Drevo through a hidden door in some building, in which Drevo geeked out about. He then took him down a long corridor and finally into a room. The room seemed bare, there was merely a large mat in the center and off to the side a barrel full of what looked like staffs. "Is this it? It doesn't seem very special." Ferdande went over to the barrel and took out one of the weapons, they were all just ordinary looking bow staffs. He tossed it to Drevo who was walking over and took one for himself. Ferdande motioned for him to follow him onto the mat. "Come on...Let me show you one of you new weapons." Drevo examined his weapon as he walked onto the mat. "What's so new about it?" "Apply pressure to the center of it." Drevo did so and the bow staff separated into three pieces linked together by chain. "Woah! Awesome!" "That one will take getting used to, now, do your best to hit me." "Are you sure?" "I can handle it, Drevo." Drevo nodded and returned his bow staff to a single part. After that he darted at Ferdande, who blocked it. "Your slow." "Shut up!" Drevo spun around to try and catch Ferdande off guard, but he blocked it again. Drevo jumped back and came at him again, but was blocked. "Drevo, that weapon is special, use it to your advantage." Ferdande kicked Drevo in the gut knocking him back. Drevo readied himself again, this time he separated the bow staff, taking it by one end and spinning to wrap it around Ferdande's guard. Ferdande ducked and let the weapon wrap around his, which made it smack Drevo in the face with his own weapon. "Good, but not good enough." "That was cheap." "All is fair in love and war."
-
Lo and Kitt walked, and kept walking.... It seemed they had been walking for around half an hour before she finally stopped him, under the shade of a wide oak tree...
"This area is a small coppice, it is used for archery and hunting training, due to its more natural surroundings..."
Kitt looked around, and sure enough, the coppice spread out into a small woodland... full of tall beeches, spindling birch and weeping willow... Lo gave him a sharp slap to the back of the head... "Pay attention child.... Rangers are the master of the woods... or supposedly so.... so this is where we will train, get out your bow..."
Training with Lo was harsh, a routine of simulated fights, interspersed with advice and scornful disappointments... Kitt crouched behind the dappled form of a willow, bringing the target into his sights. A bolt spat across the coppice, and then another, and another... each striking one of the wooden targets, each of which was punched through with a splintered hole....
He smirked, only to replace the smile with a grimace of surprise, and Lo jumped out beside him "A Ranger must be fast, adaptable! Kitt drew his sword, catching Lo's own thrust with a sparking parry...
-
Korius' screams could be heard outside the hut entrance and all throughout the underground medical center. Vo, Hajime and the 18 others around the circle were sweating hard as they concentrated on re-channeling Korius' Ki. 10 other ninjas stood around the group, generating a larger circle around them all, which kept Korius from being able to get up. Korius' eyes both glowed a very bright red and was foaming at the mouth. His screaming continued as his anger had long since taken over, trying to break free and massacre those around him. More ninjas came inside, adding more to the effort of keeping Korius from escaping. After 4 long hours, they finally stopped, and remained in the room for another 30 minutes before Korius was able to calm down. Hajime hoisted the exhausted black wolf onto her shoulders and carried him out. "This is only the beginning, young one. We've only managed to restore the correct Ki channels by 5% this morning. Your afternoon sessions with Mo will be cut short for you so that we can make progress."
Mo led the way for Elistra (Talin in tow) towards the tavern across the street and entered the same door as Kiana had. Inside the large Colosseum training area, Mo brought Elistra and Talin over to the far end, but on the opposite corner from where Kiana was training. Mo gestured for Elistra to set Talin down. From there, Mo took out a small set of needles from inside his pompadour and inserted them into set points into Talin's body, making sure to inflict as much pain as he could, "Now your anger management begins. Lady Elistra will be hitting you at key points at a constant rate, and you must keep yourself composed. Should you even make any sudden movements to retaliate against here, those needles in your body will send even more seering pain throughout all of your pressure points, causing a temporary, and quite painful I might add, paralysis. Now, if you please, *gestures towards Elistra* slap him across the face as hard as you can."
Bo's eyes dodged and weaved along with Kiana, but concentrated more on her behind. MMMmmm..mmmmmm... Even for a cheetah, these royal girls really are foxy. He became so distracted that he almost missed out on watching her Majicka. Kiana was nearing depletion and he had to stop her. Bo jumped from his spot and restrained Kiana. "That's enough for now. Take a bit of a... nap... and we'll get together with the others for midday supper."
-
Kiana could feel her body wearing down as she cast her spells in quick succession. When Bo finally stopped her by restraining her, she weakly tugged against his hold. She didn't like him touching her. She didn't even know the guy and he was holding her when it was the hardest for her to fight it. "Get...your hands...off...of me..." She growled. By that time though, she was feeling very tired and even though she wanted to be sure that he wasn't touching her before she fell asleep, she ended up slowly drifting off and sinking to the ground.
-
Elistra closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Talin's 'torture' while she slapped him. This only seemed to annoy him underneath the excessive pain;"After all I put you through, you still havn't got the will to sla-" he was cut off as she did just what she was told to, although it did leave injury since her draconian heritage designed her nails to tear through rock and flesh with equal ease. Chronin's 'voice' started to creep into his head since his mind was too pre-occupied with dulling the pain. You're just going to sit there and let that 'Mo' boss your mate into slapping you?! it 'yelled' as he just ignored the storm of pain in his mind. "If you need me to hit him again, can I choose some other method beyond a slap?" she asked, almost in a pleading voice as she didn't want to scar his face just for him to control anger.
-
Drevo was flung back from an attack by Ferdande, getting to his feet he took his fighting stance. "Your weak, Drevo." "What?" "Your family died because you were so weak." "What did you say?!" "How can you expect to keep protecting your friend if your so weak?" "Shut up!" Drevo rushed at Ferdande, in the blink of an eye. Ferdande almost couldn't block it, Drevo's speed was startling to him and kept him on edge. "Your weak." "Shut up! SHUT UP!" "You can't save anyone." "Yes I can!" Drevo kept at him, still getting blocked until he was kicked hard into the wall. He quickly came back at Ferdande who grabbed him and slammed him into the floor and restrained him as he wriggled trying to get free. "Gah! I'll kick your-!" "Drevo! Calm yourself, you can't lose control!" Drevo slowly calmed down, Ferdande still restraining him.
-
Kitt lay on the coppice floor, panting and completely out of breath... Lo stood over him, with her sword at his throat, her frown relaxed into a half-smile... "You fight well for someone your age, and with so little actual training.... that is enough, for today..."
She sheathed her sword, reaching down to help pull Kitt to his feet. He was still panting heavily, barely able to lift his sword arm... "But it would seem we need to work on your endurance... although you are young, so that will come with time...." She knelt down to Kitt's height, putting a hand on each shoulder... "I know about Vladimir Kitt... we where... close before the war..."
Kitt tried to pull away, but Lo held him tight, her claws digging in through his cloak... "Kitt... your father would be proud... now then, enough training for today..."
-
Korius was weary after he finally calmed down. Hajime hoisted him up and pulled him along. "Come, you'll need your energy and rest. You're going to need it for Mo's training. To be honest, if he didn't have to train you and Chrono on anger management, it would've been easier to contain you during these re-channeling sessions. Mo may not look it, but he's actually our head medical ninja, and he's far deadly with his needles." Hajime, accompanied by other ninjas, brought Korius up to ground-level and over towards the tavern. They sat him into one of the tables. "We're still a little early, so we can wait here."
Mo was already holding a mace and a mega-ton hammer by the time Elistra had slapped Talin and turned to him. Her suggestion of torturing Talin in her own way slightly intrigued him. He made a comical upset face and tossed the weapons aside, "Sure, have at it. We just need to make sure we stop in a couple hours, ok? I'll sit here and supervise. If he ends up losing it and gets paralyzed, I'm going to need to undo it quick or else he'll die. My needles were placed so that EVERYTHING in his body stops, guaranteeing that he calms down fast and is not a threat. Have at it."
Bo laid Kiana down gently and squatted next to her, watching her sleep for the next hour. Others at the training grounds eyed him cautiously, but didn't get any closer. They all knew he was a pervert, but they just had to make sure he didn't do anything.
-
Kiana slept for an hour though in her dreams she felt like someone was watching her all the time. When she woke up, she felt someone over her so she didn't open her eyes. In the blink of an eye, she raised her staff and whacked Bo hard in the head with it. Opening her eyes and getting to her feet, she glared at him. "What the hell is your deal?!" She spoke angrily. "Don't hover over me while I'm sleeping!"
-
Talin thought that if the lingering sting of Elistra's slap was going to end, she wasn't going to use any real method of inflicting pain. But he was only capable of guessing so much as Elistra nodded and stradled Talin, making sure not to press on any of the needles as she looked Talin in the eyes. Talin's hopes of a less demeaning torture were dashed as he saw and heard Elistra crack her knuckles before balling up her hands into fists. "The first set is for looking at Kiana the same way you look at me..." she growled before throwing a right hook at him, followed up by a left hook. Talin was being submissive at first since he actually believed he deserved the punches. But as it dragged on, he was forcing himself to sit still as the anger of being hit and the frustration of not being able to block began to take its toll on his patience...
She knew it hurt, but she also knew he would be all better after he took a rest, since she was sure none of her punches would even fracture his jaw.
-
Drevo stood a ways from Ferdande eying another bow staff in his hands. "So...What's this one do?" "Spin it around." Drevo did just that, he spun it around and two chained knives came out of the ends. "Holy crap, this one is cool!" "That one is dangerous, it-" Just then one of the knives cut Drevo on the shoulder. "Ow! Crap! This thing is dangerous!" "It's clear you can't handle it..." "Wait, what?! Oh come on! Gimme a chance!" "No, for now training is over. We need to go eat."
-
Kitt and Lo walked into the tavern, to find that only Korius and Hajime there already... Kitt sat down heavily on a bench, slumping over the table and instantly snoring. Lo leant over to give him a sharp slap to the back of the head, but stopped and sighed... "The child has had a hard day... Its best he gets some rest..."
With that she smirked, and sat down beside Kitt, careful not to wake the young feline as he snuffled in his sleep...
-
Mo jumped in as time ran out and blocked Elistra's punches with his pompadour. "That's quite enough, Lady Elistra. Let's rest for now. Also, making this personal defeats the whole purpose. If it becomes personal and a lover's quarrel, he'll come to accept the torture, and you won't bring around his anger. Perhaps it's best that I work on Sir Talin and you can work on Korius after midday supper. Come." He backed Elistra up with his pompadour and, with two fingers, punched around the needles and removed each one with high precision and speed. Mo then helped Talin up before leading them both upstairs back into the tavern.
Bo took the brunt of the hit and chuckled as he backed up a bit, "Yes, Ma'am. Anyways, let's go. It's time for midday supper."
Korius watched as everyone started coming in from the trap door and Drevo with Ferdande from the front door. The barkeep and some other workers in the tavern brought out food from the back and began serving. Hajime looked at Korius, "You'll be going down with Mo after your meal, and I hear that Lady Elistra will be helping Mo with YOUR training."
-
Kiana turned her head towards the opposite corner when she heard Elistra say her name, but hadn't caught the whole of what she had said so she just shrugged and looked back at Bo. She felt more anger when he just chuckled at being hit, now knowing that he would just like being knocked around by her for doing something she didn't like. That meant that if she ever had to spar him, it wouldn't be as fun for her as she wanted to be and it'd actually be enjoyable for him. She followed him up to the tavern and sat down at the table with the others as the food was served. As she looked at Bo across the table, she couldn't help but think that without his perverted ways he'd be a decent guy and that he was actually good looking. She looked down at the food in front of her and started to eat. She knew his perverted ways would be all she focused on though so she believed she didn't have to worry about ending up liking him.
-
When Talin was seated, Elistra went to the counter and brought over four plates of food for Talin, and three for herself. "Again? Didn't I already have a massive breakfast?" he asked as his partially conscious mind somehow slipped into using dragon tongue rather than the language he was born into."You should count yourself lucky that Mo didn't see your tail, otherwise they might put you through the same pain as Korius if they see those scales as a 'disruption in Ki'... now eat your surplus so you don't collapse from hunger like last night" she snorted and replied in kind, while pointing her chop-sticks at the other three plates. Talin sighed and felt tears of shame fall off his face as his mate was actually forcing him to eat more than his body needed.
-
Drevo sat down at a table silently, a plate of chicken was brought to him. Just as he was about to eat Ferdande nudged him. "Three minutes." "For what?" "Until we get back to training." "Are you serious?" Ferdande didn't sat anything further and just walked over to a wall and leaned on it. Drevo could tell he was serious and started eating as fast as he could, practically inhaling his food. "He's such a jerk sometimes! I hope I get a break or something."
-
A plate was set down in front of Kitt, but instead of waking up he simply continued to snore... Lo frowned, nudging him with an elbow... "Hey Kid... food..."
He continued to snore, rolling over slightly to get away from the nudging... Lo frowned even more, and gave him a sharp slap to the back of the head... "Wake up!" With a yell of surprise, and the -shing- of a half drawn sword, Kitt fell off the bench and onto the floor... He stood back up, yawning widely and sat down again.... He blinked twice, before realising there was food in front of him.. "Oh sweet... food..."
He started to eat hurriedly, leaving Lo with an exasperated and humerous expression on her reptilian face...
-
Korius was interested in seeing how he would be getting anger management training. He was particularly how such a vain person as Mo would even be able to do anger management. However, he didn't feel it necessary to question Hajime's judgment, so he just finished up his meal and waited for the others to finish. Korius then followed Mo down to the lower levels and was taken aback as he was taken off guard by the needles like Talin had been. "I'll be helping out Sir Talin for his sessions from now on. Lady Elistra shall be giving you yours." A smile ran across Mo's face before he tended to Talin, who was then taken down again by the needles just 20 feet away.
Bo stared at Kiana during the whole meal, only occasionally whistling at some of the female workers in the tavern. As everyone began to go to their training, he got up and led Kiana back towards the trap door. Before going down, he got behind Kiana and almost brushed up against her. "After you, m'lady."
-
Kiana ate her meal in silence. When she was done, she got up and followed Bo back over to the trap door. When he moved so close behind her and spoke, she cringed and a chill ran down her spine at the same time. She went down through the trap door ahead of him and headed over to where they had spent the first part of her training. Stopping and turning around to face him, she crossed her arms. "So what now?" She questioned as she looked at him.
-
Talin let out several curses as he was once again stuck with needles, but didn't move since he knew how much it would hurt if he did. Elistra walked over to Korius, and with a look that showed a lack of concern, started kicking, punching, and stomping various body parts in an attempt to figure out where it hurts the most. "I've been told it hurts more if you try to get up..." she said with a rather sinister grin as she continued to pound at his body, doing her best not to truly injure his body, just inflict pain.
-
Back in the wooded coppice, Kitt stood silently as Lo looked him up and down... She stopped, one clawed hand resting over his crossbow... "This was Vladimir's bow.... a very old and powerfull weapon... however, only as powerfull as the bolts it fires... show them to me"
Kitt took his quiver of crossbow bolts, and handed them over to Lo... She took one out, and tutted sharply, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth... "These are not fit for a ranger, even a ranger in training... poorly made, what kind of armour do you expect to punch through with these?" She tapped the bolt against kitt's head, tutting again...
"Now then... you stay here, run through the basic swordplay movements with your father's daggers... by the time i have come back i expect you to be able to recite the movements perfectly... until then, i shall go and see what we can find for our budding ranger to shoot with, eh?"
-
Mo stood before Talin with a smug smile on his face, holding the mace and megaton hammer that he was holding earlier that morning. "I'm going to try not to enjoy this too much." Mo raised the weapons and had at it with Talin's face, stomach, back and groin. Korius grunted as Elistra wailed on him. By default of his upbringing, it wasn't long before his other eye began to glow and both eyes glowing much brighter with his anger. Within only 30 minutes, Korius snapped and he reacted to Elistra's hit across the face. As soon as he got up, Korius roared out loud as the needles did their job and sent extreme pain throughout his entire body while completely paralyzing him. Mo stopped hitting Talin for a second, "Be right back, precious. It seems Sir Korius is a bigger hothead than you, though I'm sure you're near your breaking point. Or do you love me more than your lady dragon?" He laughed as he ran over and removed the needles from Korius' body. Mo helped the wolf up in a sitting position again before reinserting the needles. "Let him rest a few minutes before starting again. This time, don't be afraid to break a few bones. Our medical teams are nothing to be underestimated, and we're training White to be able to do more than just cosmetic healing. Just keep the legs, head and arms intact, and he'll be fine. We have several medics here at all times who can patch him up in minutes." Mo ran back over to Talin and picked the weapons back up, "Did you miss me?" as he continued to wail on Talin, this time, more roughly.
Bo smiled at Kiana's question. "This time, I want to try casting two spells at a time. Take a 5 minutes rest before we start so that your Majicka goes back up to full. The food you all ate were cooked with our own special healing herbs. Yours in particular has some of my special herbs that are specified for Majicka restoration. After this morning's exercise, your body should be able to withstand more spells at once and higher level spells without much pain. Also, from this morning's training, you now possess Majicka almost equal to a full-fledged certified mage, whereas you had quite a bit less. After you cross the threshold into that amount of Majicka, your increase will slow down, but if you become stronger, you'll be able to keep going. How let's see you shake that a- i mean, cast those spells."
Meanwhile, Ferdande continued to train Drevo vigorously. About an hour in, he stopped their training session. "Drevo, your actions are still too sporadic. Even though you fight well, sometimes, you are still lacking a lot in movement and reaction. What would you do if you were hopelessly surrounded and your party is down? Are you going to let them die?" Ferdande placed his hands together and thousands of clones appeared around Drevo. "These clones aren't like our normal ones. These have physical bodies and can do real damage. I'm the only one in the clan who can do this. I'm about to show you exactly how badly you've let yourself go." With those words, Ferdande came at Drevo with all he had, not even hesitating to pull any punches so that Drevo knew exactly why he needs to train harder.
-
Kiana just stood there with her arms crossed as Bo explained what she was going to do and how her majicka level had gone up, ignoring his little slip-up at the end of his answer and trying not to pay attention to his nice smile. After he was done talking, she counted the seconds in her head while remaining standing as she waited for her five-minute rest to be over. She turned and looked towards where Korius and Talin were getting their training. She felt herself getting slightly mad when she saw Elistra wailing on Korius and then slightly worse when the needles took effect when he got angry and moved, even though she knew he needed the training. The anger didn't show on her face though, just the blank look she had already had while looking at Bo.
-
"What kind of animal do you take me for, Talin is the only one who ever rips off limbs!" She yelled at Mo before doing a back kick right into Korius' solar plexus, then closed her eyes as she started cutting shallow marks onto his arms and back. Talin had actually passed out during the last two minutes of the first set, but had awoken just in time to hear 'Did you miss me'. He took a few hits before blacking out as he forced his body to roll backwards, his now prehensile tail grabbing the mace from Mo as he regained consiousness quickly enough to slowly get on his now shaky legs as his tail held up the mace rather awkwardly. "You hit me one more time, and you'll regret it." Talin said with a rather raspy voice since his throat dried out from a lack of water on Elistra's part. She only got him enough food to last the rest of the day, and managed to completely forget hydration. Stupid needles, my legs feel like they're being ripped off while being roasted over a fire!
-
Drevo looked in awe at the thousand Ferdandes that surrounded him. They came at him quickly, as hard as he could Drevo fought them off. He smacked two in front of him with his bow staff knocking them down then ducked a kick from behind. He delivered a sweep kick that tripped him and while rising he spun his bow staff over him taking out a few more. Drevo then rolled over the back of another and jabbed at another before being tripped. One tried to stomp on him while he was down but he rolled out of the way of it. Getting to his feet he continued to fight them off the best he could.
-
Lo walked back into the coppice, in time to see Kitt perform the last movement of basic swordplay... His twin daggers where humming softly, and glowing a pearlescant blue.. he was obviously calm and at peace... for if he had been fighting, bloodlust and angered, they would have burned with ethereal sliver fire, and sang a song of death.... She smiled, a rarity, and walked over to the young feline...
"Very good... It seems your fathers daggers have accepted you as their new masters... i assume you did not know, that a ranger's weaponry can kill someone attempting to use it... if you where not worthy, they would have burned you terribly..."
Kitt flinched, as if to try and drop the daggers... Lo laughed, another rarity... "Do not worry... they obviously recognised their master's kin... and i think they would have accepted you anyway.. the heart of a true ranger beats within you..."
She walked closer, handing back his quiver of bolts... It was now full to the brim with gold-fletched arrows, with ebony shafts and serrated tips... She had not finished however, and handed over another quiver, this one not so full... Kitt pulled one of these bolts out, they where longer than the others, with a heavy bodkin tip... "These other bolts... they wont fit in the loading mechanism... how do i fire them?"
Lo took his crossbow, and loaded one of the bolts singularly into it... "You must load and fire them one by one.. slower than your normal repeater shots... but far more deadly..." She took aim, and pulled the trigger... the large bolt flew true, smashing a wooden target into smithereens...
-
Mo smirked as Talin's body hit full paralysis as he grabbed the mace with his tail. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You should know better, Talin. You move, you lose all bodily functions, including breathing." Mo waited a few seconds for Talin to calm down before doing the same as he did to Korius prior. After the wolf was propped back up and needled again, he threw the weapons aside. "It seems I'll need to give you another approach since it takes a lot of attacks to get you going." Mo took out a feather and tickled the dragon's chin. "Maybe I should give you a kiss?"
Korius groaned and grunted as he was being beat and feeling the lacerations through his arms and his back. Before Elistra could land another blow, other ninjas came down and stopped her. "That's enough for now. His presence is requested by Master Hajime and Vo." Mo came over for a second to remove the needles before going back to teasing Talin. Korius was dragged up the stairs and back down the medical center's stairs. There, White attempted to mend his bones, though he needed two other ninjas to help him with it, as Korius laid in the circle. White smiled and left without a word as Hajime, Vo and the other ninjas, now numbered over 30, gathered around the circle. With that, they commenced with the operation, Korius yelling and roaring more than he had that morning through the pain.
Bo watched as Kiana fired off spells after spells. "Faster! Make the spells simultaneous! Don't lag behind!" Though he ended up staring at her rump again.
Ferdande was not impressed with Drevo's attempt to fight off the thousands. Drevo had taken down almost 20 before the rest swarmed and grabbed his limbs, while Ferdande himself came up and grabbed Drevo's throat. "I hope that now you have a full grasp of what you lack. And I hope that this example is enough to get you to take this training more seriously and listen to me. If you train seriously and obediently, I'll teach you a new technique. And no, it's not the knife trick. You'll die if you attempt it."
-
Kiana grunted as she cast her spells. She wasn't used to doing two at a time so she had trouble with it at the beginning. When Bo yelled out his commands, she wanted to snap at him but resisted. "He's only trying to help, he's only trying to help..." She chanted in her head as she picked up the pace and started getting the hang of the technique.
-
Talin growled at Mo at the mention of 'kiss', along with the appearance of black tendrils snaking out of the joints of his body. Elistra popped Mo right in the jaw as soon as she also was put in the situation. "Don't. touch. me." was all she said, trying to keep her own mind from going beserk at this rather annoying 'ninja'. She had tolerated everything until just this moment, and she started wondering why Talin didn't already 'break out' of the needle-based hold.
-
When Ferdande said new trick Drevo broke out of his hold and started wagging his tail happily. "New trick?!" He was clearly exited like a puppy almost drooling. Stamina somehow renewed he wanted to go attacking them again, but didn't know if that's what he wanted. "So what do you want me to do?! Take on your army?? C'mon, tell me tell me!" He took a battle stance again just in case he was to go at the rest of them again.
-
The Clash of metal on metal filled the small coppice, as Lo pushed Kitt to his utmost limit. In-between dodging her sweeping attacks, and attempting to get at least one of his own daggers in under her defence, Kitt tried to count just how many times she had made him run through the basic and advanced combat moves. A moment later, and he paid for his lack of concentration, as Lo brought the blade of her sword up to his throat... She sighed, dropping the sword away from his neck, and rubbing her chin thoughtfully...
"You still are not fast enough... You have your natural feline agility... but this is not enough it would seem..."
She lunged again, this time Kitt brought both daggers up, locked together and catching her sword inbetween... She gave a half-smile, but one that was calculating and slightly worried.
"Hmn... there is however one thing we could do... technically it is not allowed until you are at least eighteen... and for one so young as to go through it, i do not know... i shall have to talk to Korius about it first...."
-
Mo laughed as he landed softly on his feet. "I almost forgot about you. Master Hajime wanted you to be trained, too, right?" Mo chuckled and, in a flash, closed the distance between him and Elistra. He punched her hard into the stomach to bring her to her knees and, like the others before, filled her with needles at critical points. "I think your training will help with Talin's as well." Mo took out his weapons again, about to give Elistra a beating.
Korius' voice rang throughout the underground and top-side for the entire afternoon. Near sunset, they released him from the room after he had calmed down. Hajime dragged Korius up towards the tavern like usual. She laughed after setting the tired wolf down, "I guess that's why they always say to not rush things. I can't believe you broke out twice when we tried to re-channel your Ki at a faster rate with more medics. After the meal tonight, we're going back down to work your Ki. Sorry, but you're not sleeping tonight with the others. Take a rest, the others will be up in a couple hours."
Bo giggled to himself as he stared at Kiana's behind as she cast her spells faster and more precisely. Only after two hours, Kiana's Majicka was already dwindling. Bo quickly ran up and restrained, but found his hands on her chest and quickly switched them to her arms.
-
Kiana growled when Bo's hands grabbed her chest. He was lucky that he switched his hands to her arms because he most likely would have ended up lying on the floor, unconscious. She took deep breaths as he held onto her arms, deciding not to bother trying to struggle against him this time. "Are we done for today?" She asked him. She didn't really care if they had to train more because it kept her mind off of other things, but she figured they wouldn't be able to do more with her majicka dwindling now.
-
Talin fully understood that this was to help him curb his anger, but that didn't take out the emotional sting of someone threatening to harm a loved one. It was like re-living his parents being killed, except screamed in his mind that he had to do something to stop it. The dark tendrils that had formed from rage and had taken a more tangible shape. Then after being announced by a feral roar, two of the ones that 'came out' of his shoulders had begun to home in directly at Mo.
However, after that moment he stopped listening to the voice as it told him to get up, or pull Elistra towards him. He felt that Chronin had two energies for a reason, and didn't trust the black tendrils to leave her unharmed upon contact. He was only focused on keeping Mo away from Elistra; she seemed very surprised to see that Talin could actually have a degree of control over Chronin's power, with only a limited practice in magic.
-
Drevo didn't get his answer so he just sucker punched one of the Ferdandes. He drew one of his new bow staffs from his bad, spinning it in the air the chained blades shot out. He spun it more fluidly than before, twirling it around his body as he did a few spins himself. It cut through several of them as he just mowed through the crowds. Eventually making a clearing he switched over to the segmented bow staff. Splitting it up he flung it while holding one end like it was a whip.
-
Lo watched as Kitt drew his crossbow up to one shoulder... She snapped irratably, slapping a taloned hand at his chest... "Breath in more... hold yourself strong and upright.." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, shaking her head as he tried to readjust his posture...
"No, no no... Like this..."
She pulled him closer to her, grabbing his hands in hers and forcefully putting him in the correct stance... She tutted and clicked as she worked, slapping elbows that where out at the wrong angle, and occasionally slapping the side of his head... eventually, she sighed and nodded...
"There... you have it now... practice that stance, every morning... i will make sure you do not get breakfast until you can show me that posture perfectly..."
-
Bo gave a nervous chuckle, as Kiana hadn't passed out this time, and lowered her to the ground gently. "That'll be it for today. Rest up for now and we'll head up to the tavern, soon. If you want, you can turn your attention to your left and watch as Mo trains Elistra and Talin."
Across the way, Mo had already begun with Elistra's training. He wasn't surprised with Talin's initial reaction. Mo had no prejudice against the couple, but love is the same with any and all species, and he had to use it for their training. He proceeded to let Elistra have it, working on both her pride as a strong dragon, and Talin's strong love for her.
Ferdande watched as some of his clones get hit and disappear. "Not bad, Drevo. You're starting to get used to the weapons. However, there's still a couple problems." Ferdande pressed through the clones, and intentionally took the staff's blade into his left arm while powerfully grabbing Drevo by the throat and lifting him up in the air in a grip not possible to be broken from. "Your enemies are not only numerous, but are also trained to resist pain. In Elistro's case, he doesn't feel pain, just another beat of a fly's wings." Ferdande dropped Drevo and pulled the staff from his arm. He turned and walked off before creating more clones. "Let's practice for these last few minutes before we retire for the day. I'll run the thought of teaching you the technique through Korius... he is the creator of it, after all."
-
Kiana stood up for a minute, turning so she was facing where Talin and Elistra were being trained. She removed her cloak for the first time in a while since she was hot with it on after all their training and set in on the floor as she sat down. Her knees were bent up and she wrapped her arms around her legs. She had almost forgotten what her tunic-dress looked like along with her tights. She watched Talin and Elistra being trained and was thankful that she didn't have to do through anger management training.
-
Elistra never really had any pride, her brother Elistro had usually taken the bulk of her parents' attention for most of her life. However, she had plenty of shame in not being able to stop Mo from beating her. The only times she relied on Talin was when in moments like this, but at least she felt safe when he put himself in danger for her. However, this was different as Talin was too far and apparently Mo was getting past Talin's attempt at 'pushing' him away.
The only thing that kept her from breaking down was also because Talin would probably try harder to protect her, and might end up trying to break himself out of the needles before doing his best to end Mo's life...
-
Drevo grinned ready to fight even though he was getting tired. When he said he would go over it with Korius his hopes were dashed. He knew would be like "*Laughs* No." Like and evil father or something...But he just went at the clones. But he was tired and didn't notice one sneaking up behind him, by the time he turned he was hit right in the face and knocked him out. He let out an "Ouch." just before thudding on the ground.
-
With a sigh, Lo pushed Kitt's crossbow down from the raised position... "Good... that shall do for today... We should head back to the tavern, it will be getting dark soon... and I have a special form of training for you after dark.." kitt gave an internal moan... training at night, could only mean that he wouldnt be getting any sleep...
Lo gave a disapproving click of her tongue "Do not be like that young ranger.... For if you really wish to call yourself that i need to train you in every art of ranger tactics... one of which happens to be night-fighting... Many of your kind are... where... felines, and so I am going to test your night vision capabilities... to their utmost.." She gave a reptilian smirk, as they started to head back to the tavern...
-
Mo sighed as time ran out, "Well, that wasn't too bad. I'm surprised, Lady Elistra. You've been able to fight your anger from shame. However, Talin, YOU on the other hand, need some severe help with controlling yourself. Tomorrow, I'll have something special for the two of you. Tonight, though, you'll eat and sleep and get plenty of rest." Mo waited for the two of them to cool off before he removed the needles and led them back upstairs.
Bo sighed as Mo led the others up, "Aw, I was hoping to see Talin break another 3 times. He looked so funny every time he became paralyzed when he attempted to lash out at Mo. Despite his demure, Mo is one of the strongest in the whole village. That pompadour of his isn't just for looks, it's an actual weapon as well as a weapons cache. Now let's get your roun- er, let's get you upstairs for some food. You're done for today. The hot springs will do your joints good. I'm pretty sure your body's sore from exerting so much in one day."
Ferdande's clones vanished as time ran out. He walked up to Drevo and helped him up. "That's enough for today, friend. Let's eat, be merry, and get some rest tonight. I'll be keeping watch of the village with Mo tonight."
Korius was snoring away from fatigue as everyone began walking in. Hajime giggled from behind him, walking around to prepare the large table for the night's banquet.
-
Kiana stood up and picked up her cloak, draping it over her left arm and keeping her staff in her right hand. She examined Mo when Bo talked about him. His pompadour did look completely ridiculous but even with it he didn't look like someone she cared to mess with. She followed him up to the tavern, thinking about the hot springs and whether or not she wanted to use them tonight. She sat down at the table and stifled a chuckle when she saw Korius asleep and snoring. "Somebody's worn out..." She said softly, not really surprised that the day had exhausted but surprised at seeing him sleeping since she had always been asleep before he had even looked like he was going to fall asleep. She sat there patiently while the people got everything ready for their meal, really looking around at the tavern for the first time.
-
The darkness that was pouring out of Talin had faded away when the needles were removed and Elistra lifted him up. "Don't beat yourself up over what Mo sa-" "You were going to cry right in front of Mo, did it really seem that familiar to your treatment by your father?!" Elistra nodded and was about to cry while carrying him, he just covered his eyes and quietly shushed her. "Don't show that guy tears, he probably gets off on seeing girls cry." Elistra's frown changed to a smile as she began to chuckle, brushing off his hand as she carried his tired body to the tavern for another over-kill of food...
After they ate, Talin carried himself up the stairs, and Elistra opened the door for him, but he walked past the door and went over to the window, looking outside with concern. "I couldn't hold him back..." she growled and pulled him away before shoving him at the wall. "So thats it, one failure and you droop like an idiot!" She held him up by the bottom of his jaw, and Talin started getting his own spark of hostility at being held up like this by someone who was crying a meal ago. "How do I know I wo-" he was cut off as Elistra banged him into the wall again, making a rather nice dent. "Master the incantation, and his po-"
Talin kicked her in the gut, making her double over as he couldn't get past how frustrating it was for her to make it seem simple. "You don't have a High Mage living in your body, how will a dragon body help?!" Elistra recovered enough to pop Talin in the jaw, then bang his head in the door to their room. "I'm doing the best I can to help, now shut up and get in the room before I snap your tail in two!" The rare moments Elistra showed authority was where regardless of how the situation played out, Talin 'knew' that he could not dominate until she calmed down. He just rubbed his head as his Ancestor accelerated his healing, fixing fractures and a concussion as he walked into the room to begin their own training session...
-
Ferdande plopped Drevo down in a seat for the table. Shortly he smacked him in the back of the head to wake him up. He sat up quickly and shook his head. "Huh? Wha? Oh...Dinner!" Drevo quickly went to work on a plate that was in front of him. He looked around the table noticing lots of food, and a snoring Korius at the end. Drevo snickered to himself "Heh, I guess I outlasted him. even only for awhile." Drevo watched as the others came in, not really paying them any mind. Though tired, after eating Drevo stood up and headed to the door. "Hot spring time!" He laughed as if he were drunk as he went out the door and over to said hot spring. He went inside, greeted by someone who directed him to a changing room. Drevo stripped down to a towel and headed into the spring to relax.
-
Kitt walked into the tavern with Lo, overly pleased to see food and a chance for rest... However, even as he moved to sit down, Lo slapped him sharply across the back of the head... "Practice! I wasnt joking when i said you wouldnt eat until you could show me the correct stance..."
Groaning, Kitt pulled out his crossbow... It felt so heavy in his weary arms, and no matter how hard he tried to perform the standard firing position, the bow kept wavering and drooping downwards... Lo sighed, taking the crossbow carefully, and directing Kitt to a chair... "Okay... tonight is an exception... You did well...."
As Kitt started to eat, Lo walked up to Ferdande, clicking her tongue expectantly against the reptillian roof of her mouth... Making sure that Kitt couldnt hear, she shook her hands in mild desperation... "Ferdande... he is too young!.... The training you are trying to make me teach him, should be learnt through the duration of years... not a matter of days!...." She turned back to look at Kitt, he looked just about ready to fall asleep right there... "I dont know how much i can push the child..... but, there is one other possibility... a ritual of the rangers, it may help.... I would need yours or Korius' approval first however..."
-
Hajime giggled as Kiana and Drevo made their comments. "Re-channeling his Ki isn't easy, and plenty dangerous. Korius broke out of the restraining barrier twice when we tried to hasten the operation. Plus, he doesn't get to sleep tonight, unlike the rest of you. As the elite of the ninja clan, the medical staff and I can go days without sleep. However, it is still rude to sleep at the table." Hajime gave Korius a good slap in the back of the head to wake him up. Korius snorted and slowly got up. Hajime giggled even more, "You know, you've survived every assassination attempt known to be possible, but after only 1 day of re-channeling your Ki, and you can't even guard against a slap?" Korius growled at Hajime, "Silence yourself." He ate in silence, still a bit angered about the slap. After dinner, Korius left to go to the medical center, but Lo and Ferdande pulled him aside. "Korius. Ferdande and I have something we both need to discuss with you. I'll start first. Since the responsibility of Kitt was left to you by Vladimir, you're the only one who can approve of anything with the child. I don't want to, but if the child is to survive any longer on this quest, he'll need to learn the Ritual of the Rangers. However, it's still extremely dangerous, and i would rather you leave the child here to train longer." Korius shook his head, "No, teach it to him. We'll stay the extra day if need be. Vladimir would want the same if this were his choice right now. Just make sure the child knows the risks." Lo bowed and vanished into the tavern to stay with Kitt till he finished his meal. Ferdande then stepped up, "I've been training Drevo in the many different types of staffs, but he's still lacking in skills and dexterity. I want him to learn the Dragon's Breath, but I know that that technique is yours for training the Knights that you approved of, and for masters who use the staff and katana. I learned it from my master, and am the only one who has learned it in the village and I want Drevo to learn it. It'll help him sharpen his skills and overall ability. Plus, he's my childhood friend. I want to help him any way I can." Korius shot Ferdande a very serious look, "You realize what you're asking me, right?" Ferdande nodded, "Yes. And I... realize that it might kill him. But I still want him to learn it!" Korius shook his head, "No. He's too immature and lacks any kind of discipline. With one misstep, anyone can kill themselves learning it." Korius brushed past the upset Ferdande. Before he got more than 2 steps in, Ferdande grabbed him by the shoulder. Korius reacted and turned to that shoulder's side and threw a punch that Ferdande blocked with a shaking hand. With a determined look on his face, "Drevo must learn it. There's no other way." Korius' eyes both glowed brightly as he returned the glare, "Then you'll have to vouch for him." Korius kicked Ferdande hard in the stomach, sending him back 3 feet, and cracked his knuckles. Ferdande clenched his hands together and many copies of himself surrounded Korius.
-
Kiana wanted to snap at Drevo's comment about outlasting Korius but Hajime spoke before she could. "He has harder things to deal with than your freakin' training with a ninja! Of course you outlasted him when you don't have to go through extreme pain!" She thought in an angered tone, but her expression stayed blank as she ate her food. "Ugh...he's going to the hot spring...now I don't know if I even want to go..." She thought but couldn't resist it so when she was done eating, she headed out of the tavern and towards the hot spring, which was at the inn. There was no way she was going in naked though, so she changed into her spare undergarments in the changing room and wrapped a towel around herself, then went to the hot spring and sat on the edge. She let he lower legs hang in the water, letting herself get used to the temperature before removing the towel and slowly slipping into the water.
-
Talin held out his double volge as he began the incantation under Elistra's watch. His tail returned to it wolfen state as the change started from his legs, slowly rising up. However, as soon as the change reached the groin, he had to experience some pain as he had to have his entire physiology changed from wolf to dragon. It only got harder from there as the change penetrated past the skin and started affecting the muscle and bone. His change had shown progress as the locations of change began gave off a black and white flame to show how far his change had gone underneath his clothes. He could only reach as far as the solar plexus before the flames simply went out and the changes 'relaxed' back to their original state. "I can tell you're not used to the pain, so its slowing the change. Understand that what you have done so far is astounding considering you've been pulling not only from your energy, but from both of Chronin's energies. However, this does not excuse the pace and lack of practicality of the incantation. The 'Dragon Incantation' becomes combat-ready when you can change quickly while moving, and you still can't do it while in a solid stance; again."
She kept making him do it again and again until he ended up with only a pair of horns, and he fell to the ground, too exhausted to continue. Elistra lightly kicked him in the gut before huffing. "You're really having problems with this... I guess either a different approach or more food is needed." Talin didn't move beyond heavy breathing as Elistra carried him onto the bed, then they both went to sleep.
-
Lo sat opposite Kitt, watching him as he finished eating... She clicked her reptilian tongue anxiously, drumming her claws on the tabletop... Once Kitt had finished, she stood up... "Kitt.... I have somthing i need to ask you..."
She pulled him up of the seat, for it looked as though he where about to fall asleep, and looked him in the eyes... She sighed, a half-smile forming as she put a claed hand on one of his shoulders... "You look a lot like Vladimir did when he was younger.... Yes, I knew him. Knew him well too... There is somthing we could do, to help you in your training... Korius has said it is fine with him, but i am still concerned... What do you know of the Ranger Ritual?"
Kitt frowned, yawning... "All i know is you have to be eighteen to perform it... its dangerous and painful... And is how a trainee ranger can dedicate his life to the path of Ranger, forever... It binds you for life, and even when you die it does not release..." Lo grimaced, putting a hand on his other shoulder as well... "Yes you... You got the basics of it.... Except for one thing. You do not have to be eighteen to perform it, not strictly speaking anyway.... Some rangers performed the ritual as young as ten.... They where the founders of the clans, and well... I ask of you whether or not you could perform the ritual... tomorrow..."
Kitt looked back at her, wide eyed... He pulled out of her carefull grip and sighed.... "I would like to think it through... In the hot springs if that is okay... I feel i could do with a relax, and this is not somthing i want to rush with a simple yes or no..." With that he walked away from her, leaving Lo to watch as he walked towards the springs... She clicked her tongue agitatedly, sitting down on his vacated seat...
-----
Kitt pulled up his hood as he stepped out of the tavern. He skirted around the fight between Korius and Ferdande, not in the modd to explain himself, or get caught up in their arguement...
Reaching the hot springs, Kitt Stripped except to his breeches and belt, in which where the twin daggers... they would not rust in water, neither loose their sharp edge... And for some reason he felt safer with them there... Walking in he ignored everyone else who was already in there and lowered himself down into the hot water with a sigh.... It was a hard decision...
-
Korius scoffed at Ferdande's clones and charged straight in. The numerous clones swarmed Korius fast. There came a flash and it broke into shards. The many clones turned to smoke as they were all severed in half or more. Korius appeared in Ferdande's face, claws out with light trailing them. He closed his fingers and drove his claws through Ferdande's heart. Ferdande was surprised at Korius' movements and had barely created a doppelganger to evade the thrust. With some quick hand movements, a small circle glowed from underneath Korius and exploded, sending him into the air. Ferdande jumped up while spinning. When he was level with Korius, he kicked with all his might. Korius was sent flying in a straight line right through the top of the Inn. Korius landed hard into hot water, the impact splashing it all away, and growled as he caught his bearings and reached for anything to raise himself up. "Bloody ninja." He stood up and watched Ferdande dropped back down to the ground near the tavern. Korius was about to leave for a rematch when he noticed that he was still holding on to what he pulled himself up with and noticed that it was two pieces of torn cloth. He looked over and froze as he noticed a naked Kiana standing before him. Korius' jaw dropped and his face went a red far brighter than his eyes glowed, which were now fading as he fainted. He awoke minutes later, being dragged down the stairs to the medical center by Ferdande. Ferdande laughed as he noticed the wolf awaken, "The strongest of men to ever live without having become a Guardian. Falls prey to the sight of a woman's bare body. Let me teach Drevo the Dragon's Breath and I'll keep this situation a secret." Korius gave a low growl, "Fine, but only the basic form. It took me 4 years to perfect that technique, and if he tries to do it in full too soon, he'll kill himself and end up a bigger burden than he already is." Ferdande cheered in his head and looked forward to teaching the move to Drevo the next day. He quickened his pace in happiness and let go of Korius after placing him in the middle of the operation circle, and left back to his guard duties with Mo. Hajime and Vo circled around Korius, "Let us begin. We have some people that have been over-burdened these last few days prior to this party entering the village, so we'll stagger those who have been doing overtime so we don't lose pace. By the way, Korius, I hear that there is a particular new love in your life."
-
Kiana was fully relaxed in the hot spring with her eyes closed and her head rested back on the edge of the spring. Out of nowhere, something caused a loud crash above her and then water splashed in her face. She quickly stood up, wiping her eyes so no water would get into them when she opened them, and when she did she felt her clothes being torn and pulled off. Her eyes shot open to find Korius looking at her with a shocked look on his face and her face turned bright red. "Not again!" She groaned in embarrassment as she quickly grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her as she scurried out of the hot spring towards the changing room, but Korius had already fainted by the time she had covered herself anyway. She dried herself off in the changing room then changed back into her regular clothes and grabbed her staff. Heading to her room, she was still completely absorbed in her embarrassment. She shut the door behind her and leaned her staff against the nightstand, flopping onto the bed on her stomach.
-
Drevo heard the commotion in the hot spring, not really knowing what it was or caring to find out. He got out, dressed and headed back to the Inn. Too tired to even notice Korius and his predicament. He just went straight to his room. Once in his room Drevo dove into his bed and adjusted himself to go to sleep. "Wonder what he's going to teach me...Wonder if Korius even said yes. I doubt it, the scrooge. Oh well, I'm sure Ferdande whooped him into saying yes." Drevo relaxed and eventually fell asleep.
-
Kitt lay back in the springs, mulling it over... He looked down at his bare chest, running a paw over it... That was where they would.... would.... well, he didnt dare think about it... "If i do it... theres a chance of me dying... or being crippled... but if it was succesfull..."
he sighed, pulling himself out of the spring, and getting dressed...
Reaching the Inn, Kitt found Lo still sitting on his vacated seat, staring into the middle distance... She looked up as he walked in, a worried look on her reptilian face... "Kitt... I will not force you to do this, it is dangerous..." Kitt shook his head, sighing.. "No... I want to go through with it... For Korius, the others... And my father... i want to bare the title Ranger..."
-
Korius began to protest when his head was snapped back down onto the ground by the restraining circle's activating. "Now it's time to commence. Back-up guards, stand by." The operation started without sound, but was quickly disturbed within seconds. Korius roared and howled in excruciating pain. Within minutes, his voice rang far past the medical center and throughout the village. Korius' eyes glowed bright, and he was going stark mad, fighting the restraining circle to kill everyone around. Hours later, in the middle of the night, the medical team had switched out and continued to work on Korius' Ki. Many ninjas had congregated outside of the operation room to see what the noise was. Hajime became irritated, but an idea struck her head, "Those of you who are awake enough, come in here and help with a full reinforcement of the restraining circle! We might have enough to double the re-channeling!" Able ninjas up for the challenge ran into the room and joined the others around. Seven additional seals appeared within the circle and glowed with high intensity along with the operation circle. Korius nearly jumped off the ground from the doubled re-channeling speed incurred even more intense pain onto him, but remained restrained as the high increase of the guards' numbers kept a strong hold on him. Later, by the wee hours of morning twilight, the operation ended and Korius was dragged out of the operation room. He was then laid onto a cot next to a sleeping White, who was slouched over a large, hefty and old book, back against the wall. Vo walked over and shook White awake, "Wake up. Now is the time to put your training to the test. Korius has broken his right arm in three place and his left arm in four." Korius gave a glare at Vo as if to say, "You have got to be *****ing me." Vo placed a reassuring hand on Korius' shoulder. "The child has been through a LOT of training in the last day you guys have been here. His Majicka count hasn't gone up too much, but he's been able to do more per procedure, and at the same time. Skill-wise, he's gotten much farther than Lady Kiana." Vo kicked White's foot, since shaking him didn't seem to work. The old ninja turned back towards Korius, "He's been working the hardest out of everyone, though I think it's just his child-like interest in medical magic."
Ferdande retired from his watch shift and groaned as he stretched. "Well, Mo, at least I didn't have the chance to fall asleep with all that screaming." Mo sighed, wishing Ferdande had fallen asleep during the night watch because he couldn't stop rambling about how he was going to teach Drevo the basic form of the technique and how excited he was.
-
Kiana groaned as the screaming from the medical center woke her out of a sound sleep. She grabbed the pillow out from underneath her face and pressed it against her ears and the back of her head. "You have got to be kidding me..." She groaned. "I need sleep!" After a few minutes, she had zoned out so much that she didn't even know if she was awake or asleep, or if the screaming was in a dream or still Korius' screaming. After a while in her zoned out state, she finally "woke up" and got out of bed. She adjusted her clothes on herself then grabbed her staff and left her room, closing the door behind her. It was still pretty early and she figured that training wouldn't start for another hour or two, but she wasn't sure. She headed over to the tavern and sat in a corner by herself, ordering a drink.
-
*White slowly opened his eyes for what felt like a long time since he had last opened them with an aware mind, realizing Vo was trying to awake him and speaking somewhat critically about his character he jumped up from the kick* "Hey I'm not a kid! And uhh that was quite some study yesterday..." *the wolf yawns and looks at his badly injured leader* "...I didn't even know there was such things as underground medical centers especially in any village for that matter...You really messed yourself up this time! Korius's arms need to be treated post-haste!" *The wolf heaved himself off of the book he leaned on and walked around the cot past Vo to examine Korius* "Alright I'll put my training to the test!" *He focuses rather quicker than average upon the left arm first, since it was in the worst condition and easiest for space* "Alright you gotta hold still as best as you can, this will hurt for a couple of minutes." *The wolf spread upon his white aura onto the injury and began the process of healing*
"Fortunately for me, Korius is tougher than most so he won't resist too much and then the patching up part of the process should be fairly painless for him, but to make it sound better I'll cross that bridge when we get there..." *He occasionally eyed Vo next to him as she made him nervous, but made him think of other things* "I wonder what the others are up to right now? And for that matter, what time is it?" *Tactfully he removed his nervous quality with practice to not think of his surroundings and just think of the work and personal thoughts, less error was to be made as the wolf looked down at Korius in wonderment as he looked upon his face* "It really must be painful to be him some days, who knows what thoughts travel those eyes."
-
Talin woke up with a start as he heard the scream, and was about to say something before Elistra tugged both of his new horns down to the bed. "If you're going to do anything with that mouth at this unnatural hour, this should be your first..." She held his neck tightly enough to where the moment she released, he took in a heavy breath or two. He looked back at her in shock, which was subdued the moment their lips met and parted a moment later. "That, is the second thing you should do... now go back to sleep before I have to knock you out." Talin grinned rather dumbly as he went back to sleep with his arm around her waist.
-
Kitt rolled over in his bed, trying to ignore the screaming... He sighed, rubbing his eyes and standing up ungainly. It seemed tonight he wasnt going to get much sleep.... Pulling his cloak back on, he walked quietly downstairs. There he found Lo, sitting at one of the long trestle tables and reading a thick book... She looked up as he walked in, frowning...
"What are you doing up?... You need rest for the ritual..."
He sat down at the table, shrugging "Couldnt sleep... What you reading?" Lo stopped frowning, half-closing the book so he could see the cover... The heavy leather was imprinted with the symbol of a sun and moon, conjoined together, both imprinted with a crossbow... The sigil of the Rangers...
"I needed to read up on the Ritual... It is dangerous to me, as well as you.... so i need as much information as possible..." She opened the book up again, and carried on reading... Kitt sat beside her, attempting, and failing to follow the scrawled lines of text...
-
Korius could see the worried look in White's eyes and he could guess how the wolf must feel. "You get used to the pain over the years. Even though you can't toughen your internals, you learn to resist the pain. That's what makes a warrior. It was also my fault. I used my arms in battle prior to the operation, which made my arms weaker, making them break when I lost it in the operation room. It's something I hope you don't have to go through, but I think that it be best that you learn at least minor pain resistance aside from hits that get past your barrier. I know that you don't want to stay with us, but I'd like to know what you plan to do after our training here." Korius laid still and let White talk and heal him.
Later, at sunrise, Hajime came back down to the medical center to pick Korius up and helped him up the stairs and to the tavern. Both Hajime and Korius were surprised to see Kiana there drinking. "Isn't it a little early in the day to be spooging, Lady Kiana? Very unbecoming of a noble's daughter." She giggled as she lowered Korius on the seat next to Kiana. Hajime winked at Kiana before he/she walked off towards the kitchen, "I'll give you two lovebirds something special this morning." Korius was too far zoned out to even notice anything around him, still too drained from the operation from the night before and from his conversation time with White.
Ferdande dropped from the rafters over Drevo's bed and landed just beside it. "Wake up. Alexia's bringing you breakfast again. Meet me down in the training area this time. What I'm going to teach you today will require adequate surroundings and away from outside eyes."
-
"It's becoming of a woman who never wanted to be a noble..." She mumbled and drank the last of her drink. She had only had one bottle anyway and it wasn't like it would affect her in her training, that she knew of anyway. She shifted uncomfortably when Hajime set Korius on the seat next to her as the memory of the incident in the hot spring the night before. "And we're not lovebirds!" She said in a sort of agitated and defensive tone.
-
"Actually I had only said that because I didn't see if any potential gain was coming and a combination of fear from jumping into a mess that I could not turn away from unless it is completed because surely someone will try to kill me just for being associated with your group. So it wouldn't make much sense to leave now since there is impending doom, I'll have better chances with a group of fighters. So after the training, I would like to see the mission through." *He finished up the arms in a few minutes later and walked away from Korius quietly not expecting a reply and not as tired as he would have been prior to the training, thinking about his thoughts again*
"It is the right thing to do whether I want to do it or not. I should have known this journey wasn't about the money, nobody can do a job just for money in the long-term. I made a presumption too quickly about the lifespan of the group and yet they are still alive, so I should not leave." *White then laid against a pillar in the underground area for awhile until sleep found him, up through morning*
-
Talin woke up rather instantly and could easily see that he was still in bed with Elistra, not really changing position during their sleep. However, he was shaken from his rather blissful rise from sleep as he felt a bulge where Elistra's gut would be. He immedeatly threw back the covers and his jaw hung loose as he saw the bulge showing on her belly. He immedeatly shook her awake, and got a swat in the face before she looked down in shock as well. "What...happened?" "I should ask you the same, I thought we were incompatible!!" "So you took advantage of me in my sleep?!" "I don't even remember what happened after the kiss you gave me, besides, we did it before and you didn't end up like this!!" "I was in my feral form, only a pure-blood dragon can cause this while I'm in that state, this form is too compatible for such careless coupling!" the room was filled with draconic tongue and assorted roars for the next hour, then they both went downstairs, doing rather well at acting like everything is fine.
Talin however, was going to be more protective during the training due to the idea that his mate and child could be in danger if Mo goes too far...
-
When Drevo woke up he looked at Ferdande. "Alright, your going to teach me after all." No sooner did Ferdande leave Alexia entered. "Morning, Drevo. Working hard?" Drevo yawned and stretched. "Yep. Ferdande told me you were going to stop by again. Thanks." "He told you?! It was supposed to be a surprise!" "I- uhm...It's the thought that counts?" Alexia fumed as she walked over to the side of Drevo's bed and set his food down. "I'm gonna kill him!" Drevo got out of bed as Alexia headed to the door, he grabbed her from behind. "Hey hey hey, we don't need any of that. I'm sure he's sorry. Besides, why don't you stay with me for awhile? It's been awhile." Alexia blushed as he grabbed her from behind, he did calm her down. She turned to him and replied "Alright." with a smile. Drevo walked back over to his bed, sat down and started eating. The two talked for a good hour before they both left the Inn. They went their separate ways, Drevo went to the underground facility and met up with Ferdande. "What took you?" "Me and Alexia just got caught up in talking. So what's this big technique your going to teach me?"
-
Lo still sat at one of the long tables, and looked up when Talin and Elistra walked in... She immediately looked back down to the thick book and continued to read. Kitt sat beside her, snoring with his head on the table, and covered by his hood... Lo gave a half-smile, standing up... "C'mon Kitt... wake up kid..." Kitt gave a particularly loud snore, and rolled over slightly away from her... Lo rolled her eyes, and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.. "Wake up!"
Ten minutes later and Kitt was at least awake, and eating a hearty breakfast... Lo had urged him to eat as much as he could, for the ritual would be a gruelling challenge, not made any easier by an empty stomach... "I would go tell Korius that you are read..." Lo looked over to where Korius sat, completely zoned out... "But i have a feeling he wouldnt quite understand at the moment... I'l give him time to wake up... and then... and then we can get underway with the ritual..."
-
Hajime came back from the kitchen with the other workers, holding lots of food. He/she carried the food over towards Kiana and whispered into her ear. "This is how you get a man's attention without getting naked.~" Hajime winked and set the food right under Korius' muzzle. The aroma of gourmet breakfast food snapped Korius out of his daze, "Huh? Food already? That was quick." He began to dine on the food and called for ale as if everything was normal. Hajime patted Kiana on the back, "And don't be so modest, dear. In this village, we have no boundaries for love. *Louder* Speaking of which here come the new proud parents of a baby wolf-dragon!" Korius spit all his food back out that he didn't already start choking on, "WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?"
Ferdande led Drevo towards the training grounds entrance in the tavern and walked in just behind Talin and Elistra. Ferdande was not surprised by Hajime's announcement of Talin and Elistra's expected. He leaned forward and patted the two on the shoulder. "Congratulations, you two. Good to see more people who don't choose to hide their love. This is spectacular, indeed. However, if you'll excuse me, I have someone to train. Enjoy your meal. I'm sure Hajime already prepared a particularly big banquet for you both. Mo gave us the news yesterday, but he said to wait until you two realized before we said anything." Ferdande went around the couple and opened the trap door behind the bar, leading Drevo downstairs to the training area. As they approached the bottom of the stairs, they just turned right to the nearest corner. Ferdande grabbed a bowstaff from the weapons rack along the wall and walked back into the more open area. With a clamping of his hands, about 100 clones appeared. "I'm about to show you the true form of this technique. You only get to see it once. I'm only going to be teaching you the basic form, and that will be it. If we tried any further, you'll kill yourself. Master the basic form, and Korius will teach you the rest. I wanted to teach you this technique because of the weapon you already carry with you. *Reveals the blade within the staff and closes it back up* This technique was developed by Korius to teach to the Voronese Knights when they were still allies, as a gift and symbol of their brotherhood. This is also Elistro's ultimate attack. I'll show you why." Ferdande cradled the staff in his left arm and pointed it forward while bending his left knee and stretching out his right foot back, folding his right arm so that his wrist was touching his shoulder, elbow out. The 100 clones all attacked at once, varying attacks from a wide variety of weapons to chakra attacks. Ferdande's body moved in a flash and seemed to split into 20 shadow-like bodies and moved faster than the eye could see. To anyone, it looked like just 20 shadows flying out of him. There were several clusters of light appearing at random places. In 3 seconds, he was back to his original spot and position, weapons were diced up into pieces, and all the clones were gone. The imprints in the dry dirt on the ground around him formed a large yingyang. Ferdande then collapsed to his knees, using the staff to hold himself up. He breathed heavily, "And that... hah... is what... hah... happens... hah... when you don't keep up practicing it."
-
Kiana rolled her eyes at Hajime's comment but then chuckled at how easily the food brought Korius out of his daze. She just kept her mouth shut when Hajime patted her on the back and mentioned that they had no boundaries for love. "And apparently no boundary that keeps their noses out of things and stops them from bugging people about something they know nothing about! I don't love him..." She thought, glancing at Korius at the end of it. The thought passed through her head rather quickly as she happened to catch the end of Hajime's announcement. Her mouth opened then, but just for her jaw to drop as she looked over at Talin and Elistra. She quickly closed her mouth and looked down at her food, starting to eat and wanting to get at least her attention off of the couple since she was sure they didn't want any attention at all.
-
*White woke up a couple hours later and stumbled to his feet* "Nghh.. I'm hungry. Oh yeah I'm still in that underground medical facility, hmm.." *He stopped for a moment and sniffed at the air that was coming to him from above causing his ears to perk up* "I smell breakfast..." *He looked around eagerly until he found the stairs leading up out of the place* "I guess the others are probably eating by now, feels like forever since I've seen anybody because of that training." *He climbed the stairs and made his way to the tavern* "I hope there's some sausage oohhh and maybe some bread." *He salivated at the thought*
-
Elistra was starting to cry from the mix of emotions that not only came with being 'heavy' with her first child. Talin pulled her hood over her eyes, and tried to get her out of the room and to the baths, or somewhere other than where they just came from. Luckily he was able to get her to the bath's and he made sure the woman's bath was empty before getting her in there, and helping her disrobe while keeping his eyes averted to prevent unneccessary oggling. He half-listened to her cry as he started washing her in an attempt to see if that bulge was just some trick of the clothes, and to help her calm down. He stayed with his clothes on because he still had to get her food.
In a few moments she calmed down, and he stood back up and went back to diner, getting her food before heading back to the bath to bring her the food as she saw him and getting a slight smile. "Unless we have some kind of dirt-phobe, I don't think it would be a problem for you to join me..." "I was too worried about putting you through more shame just because I ended up making your first child a half-breed; so I was trying to get you away from the crowded areas." She pulled his hand just after he set the plate down, but her pull was not enough to get him in the water. "I've calmed down now, and I would rather have a half-breed child than some hatchling gotten from an arraged 'mate'. Just make sure that when we have the second, you had more than just horns." he grinned and sat down, not really paying attention for anyone entering the baths...
-
Drevo watched as Ferdande did the trick in complete awe. He was amazed at what he was about to learn, but a little disappointed hearing Elistro knew it. But that made him all the more eager to master it. Drevo went over to Ferdande and helped him up. He took the bow staff and examined it, it was just like his own, nothing really special. "That was amazing, man! I can't wait to learn that! But are you sure it has to be Korius who teaches me the rest of it...?" His face grimaced as he mentioned Korius. "Well I'm ready, what's first?"
-
Kitt sat in the middle of a small clearing, at the very heart of the wooded copse. Sunlight streamed down between the branches, as Lo and two supervising healers prepared everything. Lo walked over now, clicking her tongue in agitation as she looked down at the young feline “I need you to take off your cloak and tunic, I am sure you know why... And the healers are here to try and lessen the pain...”
Once everything was in place, with Kitt sitting the centre of a small patch of cleared earth, Lo pulled out a long ceremonial dagger. Its hilt was in the shape of the Ranger Sigil, metal wire twisted and forged into the shape of a sun and moon intertwined. Lo took a step closer, kneeling down in front of Kitt “It is a quick ritual, the pain will be overwhelming... Just try to hold through...”
She spoke again, this time louder as if to an audience of a hundred people “This child, which has come before us... He wishes to follow the path of Ranger... And although he is young, I ask of you to bestow him with that gift, so his arrows may strike true, his patience be untold and his skill grow!”
As Lo spoke, the air grew thick with static, and the dagger in her hands burst into ethereal flame. She did not flinch, for the fire’s heat was not meant for her... She leant closer to Kitt, holding the hilt of the dagger up to his chest, the Sigil of the Rangers glowing white hot... “May he bear the title... Ranger...” Even as the metal touched his chest, Kitt blacked out in an instance, pain searing through every nerve of his body...
----
Many hours later, or perhaps mere minutes, Kitt woke abruptly. He scrabbled madly at his chest, where a burning pain still lay, only to find bandages in his way. A calm hand pushed him back down onto his bed, along with the soothing voice of Lo. She smiled down at him, a smile that could not cover her worry... “You sure kicked up a racket while unconscious... I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole town heard you screaming...”
She picked up an apple from the bedside table, throwing it “Here... you need to eat something, catch...” She threw it hard and fast, yet Kitt still caught it deftly in one paw. Lo smirked, turning to walk out of the bedroom door... “You may find that your reflexes are quite a lot faster than before..."
She stopped beside the door, closing it and walking back beside the bed... “There was a problem during the ritual. As you know, if performed badly, it can kill both the caster and target... I managed to stop it long before that happened, but... It had its consequences” She sighed “The spell aged both you and me... Thankfully by a very small amount, due to managing to stop it early, but still... It has taken a full two years from our lives... I believe that would make you fifteen, and me quite a lot older than that” She attempted a half-smile, before walking away “I shall tell Korius the news, you should be fine to travel by tomorrow, Ranger...”
-
Korius recovered himself from his choking and continued on to eating. "So they finally got it done, though I doubt they had planned on it, seeing the looks on their faces. Hajime, do you know the reason why?" Hajime thought for a second and chuckled at herself for forgetting to mention it to Elistra when they had first entered the village the day before. "I'm sorry, I was supposed to let Elistra know about the anti-magic above ground here. My guess is that Elistra normally changes back to her feral form at night, but here, she can't. Just as Kiana and White can't use magic above ground, Elistra can't revert to her feral form. She's a Kin, so to revert to a feral form requires a dragonic incantation. That's also probably why Talin has horns right now." Korius growled as he bit off another piece of his sausage, "Bloody tart! If there wasn't that anti-magic you all have here, that spell could have killed him. How many times do I have to tell that bloody idiot!"
Ferdande sighed as Drevo helped him up. "You're not going to be able to pull that off, but I'll teach you the basic form. Here, like the position I was in before. Lean on your left leg and extend your right leg behind you. Hold the scabbard side of the bowstaff under your arm and hold the staff right at the hinge. Hold your right hand back towards your shoulder with your elbow facing out. Try just holding the position first. I'm going to poke you. Your objective is to stay still and not move a bit. If you flux from that position, you'll fall over, and then you'll need to run the exercise again. Just a forewarning, it took me almost 4 days to pull it off."
-
Kiana just kept on eating without saying anything or looking up from her plate. It was good that there hadn't been an issue that she needed to use her magic for in the town since she had just been made aware of the fact that it couldn't be used there. She wondered what Bo would be having her work on today in their training, but knew that one thing was for sure, he would be just as perverted as ever.
-
*White walked through the ninja village taking a look around on the way to the source of the food scent* "Well there's some things you don't see everyday." *He stopped for a moment with utter realization of a possible brilliant idea* "Ohhh, ninjas have weapons!" *The wolf hastily takes his butterfly knife out of his cloak and looks at it for a moment* "I still remember I got this from some traveling stranger, perhaps I could find a better one here, this one squeals like a pig when I open it now because of long-term usage. Not exactly as stealthy as it could be, hmm..." *He turned his head about to look for someone that might be able to help him on his side quest, forgetting about food until he could settle his personal weapon fetish*
-
Drevo felt a bit weird at how he was supposed to do this. But he did it anyway. He leaned on his left leg, extending his right behind him. He tucked the sheath part of his bow staff under his arm and held the end of it. Then he pressed his right hand to his shoulder pointing his elbow out and looked over to Ferdande. "Okay...I guess poke me. Just not in the side, you know how I'm ticklish...You wouldn't exploit that weakness right?"
-
Kitt lay in his bed, a searing pain stabbing into his chest.... "Two years from my life?" He sighed, unwinding the bandages, despite Lo saying he shouldnt... "Two years isnt so bad, seeing i coulda died.... Its not so bad...." He stood up ungainly, leaning against the bed post... It was then that Lo walked in, giving a shout of surprised...
"Kitt! Get back in bed this instance... you need rest..." She walked over, pushing him back into bed... "You took off your bandages too...." Kitt looked down at his chest, but before he could see the results of the ritual Lo had retied the bandages.... She sushed him as he tried to protest, pushing him down into bed... "Maybe i could go tel Korius that you are willing to rest... Im sure he would be understanding that the new ranger of the group has no patience...." That shut him up, as Lo walked downstairs...
-
Korius had finished up and gotten up when Lo rushed in. She whispered into his ear about what happened with Kitt. Korius nodded, "Let the child rest, he'll still feel pain beyond what he's ever felt yet. Best let him have this day if the pain of the spurt hasn't already started to take its toll." He slowly made his way back to the medical center, accidentally bumping into White as he exited the tavern. "My apologies..." Korius continued on, somewhat in a bit of a daze at the thought of having to go through that torturous process again.
Mo took the dragonic couple down to the tavern after having found them at the Inn. "Come. Just because you are to be parents, doesn't mean you get to skip out of training, Talin. Our village will take good care of her, but you will follow me back."
Ferdande thought to himself for less than a split second as Drevo spoke and poked him right under the arm, causing Drevo to fall over. "Your enemy won't hesitate to exploit ANY weakness. You have no choice but to be subject to all kinds of areas being pushed and poked. I haven't even gotten into hitting yet. This is why you need constant training. This is why you are currently as weak as you are."
Bo emerged from underneath the tavern. "Kiana, I have something very special for you~" He gave a rather questionable smile and motioned for Kiana to follow him back down to the training area.
-
Kiana had just finished her food when Bo emerged from the trap door. She wondered what the "special" thing was that Bo had for her. It was probably just some new training technique or something. His smile made her worry a little bit as she got up from her seat as Bo went back down through the door. She went through the trap door and closed it behind her as she went down to the training grounds. She walked over to where Bo was and stopped. "So what's this 'very special' something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
-
*White looked around for a bit and traversed the ninja village further hoping to see an arms dealer or a trader of some sort* "Err excuse me ma'am? MA'AM?? Sir! Ninja guy!... gah, everybody's busy." *The wolf continued walking and kicked a couple pebbles on the ground and looked back in the direction of the tavern and grumbled for a bit* "I don't want to get lost here since I don't know anyone that well and I don't seem to be having much luck, I should probably go back." *He turned around and made his way back taking out his knife and flipping it around in his left paw to pass the time* "I guess I must have a low threshold of entertainment, it seems like almost anything will do the trick."
-
When Ferdande poked Drevo he fell over laughing. And when he said he was weak he stopped and got back up. "I'm not weak..." He retook the pose after a few moment. "I won't fall over this time..." "Concentrate...Elistro can do this...So I have to do this...I have to become stronger than him to avenge my family." He shook his head to get the thoughts out of his head so he could concentrate on not being poked over.
-
Kitt lay in his bed, slowly dying of boredom... The fact that his chest felt as though someone was repeatedly gouging it with a knife didnt help either. He sighed, reching to his bedside table, where Lo had left the thick book that was the Book of Ranger... He skipped the prologue and started to read... What he found was not expected.
The book outlined various techniques used by Rangers, most simple use of tactics or trickery. But as he got further into the book, Kitt started to feel more and more entrigued. Rangers, due to their intimate link with the created during the ritual, had a basic form of magic. It did not require Mana or Ki, and instead fed directlz off the strength of the Ranger him or herself. The extent of the power was limited to things such as guiding an arrow so that it could not miss, qickening the users speed or even limited stealth abilities. But still, it was enough to keep Kitt reading for several hours without stop.
Lo walked quietly in, to find him still reading. She smiled, glad to see that he wasnt in so much pain now "It is good you are getting rest... And i wouldnt attempt anything shown in that book yet, you need time to recover. If it where alowed i would demand you stay here, so that i could train you in such skills... but this is not so..." She sighed, turning back to close the door.... "Happy reading, Ranger..."
-
Korius' roars and screaming were heard throughout the day in the village like usual. Now that it was day time, they had more ninjas packed in the medical center to restrain Korius as well as to speed up the re-channeling process. The midday supper ended up being a little later than the day prior due to everyone's training plans.
Bo smiled at Kiana's question and made a "Ta-Da!!" pose as he pulled out a very skimpy outfit that resembled a long, thin piece of cloth that wrapped around the body like a one-piece bathing suit that barely covers the naughty bits. Literally, just BARELY would. A large grin spread completely from ear to ear across Bo's face,"This will be your mental training. Perform the same dual-casting exercise we did yesterday with this on so that you can reinforce your mentality and concentration."
Lo went down to the medical center to help restrain Korius after having checked on Kitt. Hajime didn't look up, but inquired to the lizard, "How is the youngling doing?" Lo sighed as she made a series of hand signals and brightened the restraining circle more, "The child's body should be feeling the extreme pain any minute now. I felt sorry for the child, so I've let him read the Book of Rangers. But he'll be off it soon. The pain of the growth spurt will catch up soon. He's going to miss the midday meal so I'll grab some for him when we do go up."
Mo ran his beat-down on Talin, throwing insults and death-threats on his upcoming child and lover. He was upset that these empty words still infuriated Talin enough to move and paralyze himself, but it gave him hope that it took longer each time to break the wolf's anger. That's right, Talin. You must fortify your mind and heart. Rid yourself of self-righteous anger, and know the patience and force of righteous anger.
A shop owner came out of his little hut and shushed White. "Please keep your voice down and who you mention as ninjas. We may be a secluded village, but shouting loud enough can be heard outside our borders. If you wish to see a smith, come to my shop, I'll take you down to my furnace and I'll show you my wares."
Ferdande continued to just poke at Drevo all morning and into the afternoon. Drevo didn't laugh when poked in the spot anymore, but he couldn't stay in the position for long. It wasn't surprising since it wasn't a normal technique. Ferdande chuckled to himself as he thought about the nature of the technique, The most unbalanced technique from the most unbalanced warrior. However, it's still no cake-walk for anyone to learn. The only technique in the world that is based off of all affinities of martial arts. Even if Drevo does master it, it'll slide more towards his own affinity. Even mine is too ground-based, not even close to the power that Elistro can generate. Indeed, it would be best for Korius to finish Drevo's training. After all, being the creator, he is the only martial artist to master all 4 martial arts affinities, and show Drevo the true power of the technique.
-
Kiana smiled at the outfit when Bo produced it and explained what it was supposed to be for, like it didn't bother her. She looked over the outfit then looked him up and down, her smile turning into a excited-looking grin. While she was doing all this, her hands were behind her back and she had switched her staff to her left hand as she bended rock and made it encase her hand and up to her elbow. In a instant, the grin changed from an excited one to a vicious one and she punched him in the face with her rock-covered hand. "I am NOT here to be your eye candy!" She yelled at him. "I take my magic very seriously, including training!" She switched her staff into her rock-covered right hand then crossed her arms.
-
*The wolf stopped quickly upon turning about* "Huh? But if we're in a secure area, why be silent about the obvious?" *He looked confused* "But you have weapons? I'm looking for a particular item...here." *He showed his knife in the closed position and flipped it open with a couple flicks of the wrist* "Balisong aka butterfly knife for the local folks, I think I need a replacement as I've used this one up for many years, do you have any in stock mister? I'm traveling with Korius and the others, or at least I was until I got here and I'm willing to pay with what I have since I know they are not cheap to make." "Ohh I'm so excited I can hardly stand it, I love seeing knives!" *His lost expression at the end of his spoken words to the man revealed more than he liked about his fantasies of blades*
-
Talin had all but blocked out Mo, and he managed to keep his breathing even though ragged. He would just have to bide his time, even though he thought he could taste blood in his mouth from that last hit. Just wait for him to take out the needles... he thought as his body was actually going numb from the pain, regardless of the fact that pain is all he can still feel.
-
Bo's figure dissolved into smoke, but his body that was backing up behind it couldn't dodge the hit. He had seen the Majicka build-up, but he was too distracted with imagining Kiana in the string-like outfit to react fast enough. Bo's nose bled as he scampered another couple feet backwards. "I do too, m'lady. However, if you can work hard under embarrassment, you'd do even better under pressure." Bo forced a fake, innocent smile, but his true intentions literally bled through his nose. Before another assault on his face was to happen he quickly placed his hands in front of him. "But let's just go back to double speed-casting for now. heh-heh..."
As Kitt read on, his vision began to blur all of a sudden. He placed the book down when he felt a small tightening in his chest. Kitt placed his hand on his chest and then felt the muscles on his back and shoulders convulse and fell back onto the bed. Kitt cringed again as his legs kicked up to his chest as it began to constrict itself. He screamed in pain as the after-effects of the ritual began to riddle him with pain.
Mo stopped his beatings after a while and switches his tactics. He began to tease the wolf as if he was trying to seduce him. As they neared the end of the morning training, Mo could only smile more as he sensed Talin's killing intent grow. He didn't fear the wolf in the least bit. However, Mo decided to humor the wolf and decided to let him fight for a bit. With a swift motion, Mo removed all the needles from the horned wolf's body. "How about a little exercise before our midday meal?"
The shop owner shook his head at the white mage's inability to pick up everything that he had said and failure to realize that everyone knew who he was. This kid needs more sleep. He just shrugged it off and opened the hatch behind his counter and led the mage downstairs. "Well, if you're interested in Balisong, I have this back wall portion set off for short blades. I have more than 50 different types, take your pick."
Ferdande's training to Drevo barely reached to punching when it was almost time for the midday meal. "For the rest of the time, just try holding the position."
-
Kiana saw right through his excuse and fake smile. She wanted so badly to spar with him at that moment to alleviate her anger but held back because her really wasn't worth the frustration and it probably turned him on anyway. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she let the rock fall of her arm and switched her staff to her right hand. She began doing her double speed-casting as instructed, focusing hard.
-
*The wolf rubbed the back of his head feeling stupid and his stomach grumbled a little as he nodded and followed the smith keeper* "Oh boy! I've never gotten to see so many different butterflies, I just wish I could have them all!" *His head felt like it twisted into a pretzel and tried to keep running free* "Okay okay, uhh well... let me think about this for a moment." *The wolf flips his knife open and closed in many different maneuvers until he had a thought and dropped the knife on the ground* "Err... I need one with weighted handles, single-sided blade with no serration, preferably with the average blade length of 4" and it can be with or without the closing latch but it needs to be swift, have a strong structure, and I'm kind of hoping for a Damascus blade with steel handles. Of course no vertical flippers or multi-layered types as those are off balanced." *White finally caught his breath and inhaled* "That's all!" *He gave a cheesy smile* "I hope my vocabulary wasn't too colloquial to understand." *He worried at the idea*
-
Talin slowly stood up, then straightened himself out. "If thats what you want..." the power given to Talin had briefly re-combined to 'wake up' Chronin's spirit as he stood there with white hair blocking his eyes. I guess you deserve to use it this time since you got better at keeping control. Don't want to end up killing your sanity like your father, you're too much fun to get rid of. Talin finally raised his head, and a fiery red gleam was in his right eye as white magic formed a healing 'shield' around his body as he took a stance with an unusually calm 'killing intent' shown on his face.
-
Due to the continuous strain on his body for accelerated Ki re-channeling, Korius ended up passing out within the last hour before meal time, which made it easier for the medical team. Hajime sighed as they continued on with their efforts to speed things up, "I guess I'm going to bring this child his meal today. Though I can think of someone more suiting to do so..."
Bo ogled over Kiana's body as she continued her training. However, he really couldn't let her continue on as her Majicka began to dwindle again. This time, to avoid any misinterpretation, just placed a hand on her shoulder, "That's quite enough, now. Besides, it looks like we're about to see quite a show. You're about to see why almost everyone in the village fears Mo."
Kitt wished to all hell that the pain would stop soon or at least pass out, but he wasn't given the satisfaction. As his abilities had increased, so had his endurance, and it was something that seemed a curse, now.
A large smirk creeped onto Mo's face as he saw the transformation. His pompadour seemed to straighten with excitement. "Aside from Ferdande and Master Hajime, no one's ever given me even close to a challenge, and it gets monotonous when you fight the same 2 people over and over for several years."
The store owner pulled one out to White's specification and ran it in rotations around his fingers, opening and closing it in a single flow of motion. "I'll need to oil it a little more, so why don't you go back to the medical center? I'll have it sent over when I'm done. I'm sure Vo will want you to continue training and studying instead of idling around."
-
Kiana almost swatted Bo's hand away and attacked him because at first she thought he was an attacker since she had been so focused, but she quickly stopped herself. She glanced back at him as she shrugged his hand off. She looked over to where Mo and Talin were training and waited for the fight to start. She crossed her arms as she waited, wanting to keep training but knowing she had been stopped for a reason.
-
*White's eyes jumped for joy and he hugged the smith* "Thank you! I'll be waiting." "In anticipation might I add." *He hopped and skipped up the stairs and went out the store back towards the medical facility and then all the way back underground after a long time* "No food as of yet, oh well! I can get some laters, knives help me forget." *He shrugged as he excitedly sat down and looked around carefully hoping to avoid getting attacked by Vo and slowly picked up a book to hide his face in* "It'll be like I wasn't gone at all, just studying away!" *He chuckled and practiced some shielding and continued to read from the seemingly endless tomes awaiting his new defense ally*
-
Talin stood rather motionless for a moment, waiting for Mo to start the attack, then goaded him by changing his aura from white to black, then lashing out with a fireball-like form of Dark magic, then went back to the white 'shield' before the attack had a chance to connect. He wasn't going hand-to-hand, he either had his main weapon, or he was going to resort to Chronin's power for mid-range combat.
-
Mo smoothly slicked to the side to avoid Talin's attack. He laughed in almost a giggle, "Oooh~, slinking into someone else's magic source I see. I hope you're not going to rely on that by itself, or else this will be more boring than fighting with Bo." Mo jumped into the air and began to spin rapidly and came down head first like a drill, his pompadour as the tip.
The operation on Korius ended half an hour prior to meal time. Hajime got up and sighed as he/she patted their shoulders, "I think, for once, I might actually be getting old. Vo, come with me to the kitchen. I think I'll need an extra hand with the cooking and preparing a few large food packages." Vo nodded, "And I'll go check up on the white runt. He's been missing all morning, and I sensed him returning about half an hour ago."
Bo chuckled as he watched, but it turned to a frown as he heard himself mentioned, "Hey, shut up!" Flustered, he crossed his arms and sat onto the ground, pouting.
Drevo's joints were sore as it reached just under half an hour till the meal, and collapsed onto the floor. "Dammit! This is really hard." Ferdande sighed, "I told you, Drevo. it took even me 3 days to just hold the position, let alone take hits"
-
Kiana watched the fight with a straight face as Talin tapped into Chronin's power. She thought it was weak of him to use powers other than his own but it wasn't like she had any say in the matter so she stayed silent. Her silence broke though when Bo was insulted by Mo and had started pouting, and she chuckled. "So it is possible to hurt you after all..." She glanced down at him then looked back at the fight. "Just got to pick at your pride instead of trying to hurt you physically." She smirked for a second then went back to a straight face.
-
*The wolf looked around for Vo again and continued reading, feeling some nervousness* "I gotta study, but..." *He yawned* "I'm tired and all this excitement without food hasn't helped much, I guess for a moment I could take a small... nap." *He laid his head on his book and then got down on the ground turning over until finally the sounds of light snoring could be heard with a small smile upon his face he dreamed* "Food... everywhere!" *Cooked chickens fell from the red and blue sky as he ran to catch them and gobble them up*
-
Talin actually smiled as Mo took the bait, and jumped back at just the right moment to avoid the drill and catch Mo off-guard as he formed a copy of his weapon from Chronin's dark energy before bringing it down on Mo. He couldn't pull out his actual weapon since that would actually require him to get a magical link to the weapon that stretched outside of the training area; also he really didn't think it would go over well if he actually caused Mo some serious harm during a 'warm-up'.
-
Kitt looked up at Lo as she walked softly into his room, eyes tired, with dark shadows beneath them. Lo sat down on the end of his bed, and opening the leather satchel she carried... "I have a few things for you.. That i feel are rightfully yours..." She pulled out what appeared to be a bundle of cloth, which upon being unfolded, proved to actually be three cloaks wrapped around the ´Book Of The Rangers´. She pushed the book over to him "Even if i wont be able to train you. Learn from this at least..."
Even as Kitt took the book, She unfolded the first cloak, the same muted green and browns as the one Kitt had worn before... "This, was Vladimir´s... He must have been around your age, so i feel it should fit better than the cloak you currently have..." She shrugged at his questioning look "We where childhood friends. When the Rangers where more commonplace... He left them here years ago now..." Handing the cloak over, Lo unfolded the second cloak. It looked the same, except the colours. The cloak and hood where warm oranges and reds, autumnal colours. Rangers where renowned for the different colorations of their cloaks, some where dependant on the seasons, other on clan. All had a practical use.
Finally Lo unfolded the last cloak. The one that had caught Kitt´s eye straight away... It was a pale Teal colour, the inside lined with silver fur. As she handed it over, Kitt felt that it was also coated with waxy lanolin, making it waterproof... "Technically that cloak would be worn by Clan Esha... But most of the Ranger clans also wear it during winter... It was your mothers...." She paused, waiting to see Kitt´s reaction... He held the cloak tightly, running a paw through the fur lining... He looked up, as Lo stood started to walk out... "Thank you" his voice was husky, but he smiled for the first time today... Lo smiled back "It was the least i could do..."
-
Mo's attack didn't stop just from hitting the ground. He continued to burrow right through in an instant and curved right back around, while Talin's forged weapon struck only ground. Mo shot out from right under Talin and split into 3 full-body clones, sticking needles into Talin's body, paralyzing everything. The three clones quickly just as the needles went in far enough, "I'm not as good as Ferdande when it comes to those clones. They're not for combat, and I can't maintain them, but they do the trick. So I guess you're in the same category as Bo. But I wonder if you'd last as long if I were to spar seriously with you. Here in the village, our sparring matches aim to kill. Now take a rest, I'll unparalyze your lungs and heart." Mo quickly removed certain needles and walked off. "I'll be back in 2 minutes to take you upstairs for food. Master Hajime's preparing a tray for you to take to your darling lover."
Bo stuck his tongue out as Mo mentioned him again. "Hey! Don't put me in the same category as this kid! Come on, Lady Kiana. Let's go help out with the kitchen." Bo got up and stormed towards the stairs.
Vo went up to White just as he was dozing off with his dream, and kicked him on the foot again. "Bloody hell, child! You played hooky all morning and now you take a nap!? I swear to Gaia, youngsters these days. Now sit up straight and recite to next chapter on bone mending for me."
The surges of pain began to shoot through Kitt not too long after Lo had left him. Like before, the pain was unbearable, and surged through every fiber of his body. The young ranger clutched his body tight and ravaged himself all over the floor as he screamed out in pain. Lo couldn't help but sigh in sadness as she heard Kitt from just outside the Inn. Poor child. Even your father didn't even dare to go through the ritual.
Drevo trailed behind Ferdande to head over to the tavern early. He hung his head low and walked with a slump. Ferdande sighed at the sight, "I told you not to worry about it, jeez. It's not like anyone's ever done it in a morning. Come on, Drevo, it's not the end of the world. You have 2 more days after today to just get the stance with me supervising. After that, I'm sure it'll be more vigorous with Korius as your instructor. It IS his technique, after all... Damn, I would sure hate to be in your shoes. I just remembered that he's rumored to be more merciless than Master Hajime, and that nearly killed me. Hope he doesn't kill you, friend."
-
Kiana just shook her head after the so-called fight was over and Bo suggested they go to help in the kitchen. She wished she had left earlier since the fight wasn't very entertaining in her opinion. What was a little entertaining was how upset Bo was getting about what Mo said about his fighting skill. Now she thought she wouldn't care to spar with him since it seemed to her that it wouldn't be much of a challenge from how Mo made it sound. She couldn't really tease Bo any more than she just had about his sensitivity since she tended to be just as sensitive when it came to her fighting ability. She followed Bo upstairs to the kitchen.
-
*The wolf almost jumped up out of the void and yelped as he instantly woke up at the sudden shock* "Gah, just a few more minutes..." *He yawned* "Fine... I'll practice, jeez I haven't eaten today and I'm still not exactly familiar with this place around here. " *He rubs his eyes and sits up straight heaving the book up and flipping through the pages* "Ah, bone mending!" *He slid his paw across the page and delved into the intro and got to the beginning part* "So... Do I have to read you this entire section?" *He grimaced at the thought and twitched a little* "I can only hope there's a light at the end of this tunnel."
-
Talin was ashamed of how much he relied on Chronin's power just because he didn't have a stick with two sharp edges. Chronin simply cut off Talin's link to his power since not only was he doing poorly in combat, but he lacked the focus of a real mage to minimize the amount of energy needed for long battles. But Chronin's feelings on the matter were of little concern in comparison to the kind of people he couldn't stop from hurting Elistra. He wanted to be back on his feet and start exercising, sparring, and learning new styles; anything would be better than just sitting there while someone just beat you up while your body is not allowed to block or defend. Whats the point of anger management if my power only amounts to this much?!
Elistra was in a similar, yet not as physically draining, issue as she was practically forbidden from exercising as the nurses feared her own body would crush the egg from how strengthened her midsection would have become. However, she did manage to get a 'theory' book of copying techniques with the excuse of 'good reading material' and thought that Talin, being of an order that copies dragons in order to best them, would probably make the most out of this book as he was a bit lacking in the pure physical brawn that Korius possesed. I don't think I told him that his muscles were the last thing I was interested in... well he'll find out soon enough she thought before putting away the book and grew a smirk at the memory of him crawling along the cieling, and taking out the target in a single strike. Still, she had to keep up to put up the impression that she was the more agile, despite being of draconian heritage...
-
Kitt woke with a pounding headache. He was on the floor, with no memory of how he had gotten there... "Ugh, what the?" His voice was croaky and painfull, it felt as if he was in the grips of the worlds worst hangover. Pulling himself up by the end of the bed, he looked down at his chest. There the emblem of the Rangers was clearly burned into his flesh, and with it came memory of exactly what had happened...
With a grunt of pain, Kitt pulled himself up onto both feet. The pain had lessened to a mere throb somewhere in his chest, but even so it took several minutes to steady himself. On the other side of his room, stood a full length mirror. Curiosity won over fear, as Kitt limped over to it. He gripped the edges of the mirror, trying to stay on his feet. What he saw both shocked, and fascinated him...
The likeness of his father was incredible, the same tan fur and long feline ears. He still looked like himself, but Lo was right, a person could change a lot in two years. And there where other things as well that caught his eye most of all.
The first where his eyes. Before they had been the same green as his fathers, but now they where a bright Amber. As well as this, the tips of his dark hair had turned a silvery white. Not signs of early aging, but as if they had been dipped in some kind of dye... He twisted one lock of hair side to side, watching how the light glistened off it. His mother, like most of Clan Esha had silvery-white hair, and amber eyes.... He needed to ask Lo some serious questions....
-
Hajime welcomed Bo and Kiana in the kitchen and pointed them to help with fetching more cooking water from the well. While they were out, he/she prepared the trays and had them stacked next to her. Lo walked in to pick up two of the trays before heading back to the Inn. Hajime smiled as Kiana and Bo came in. She/he handed two closed trays to Kiana, "Here you go, dear. Take these over to the medical center. One of them is yours. Be careful they're very heavy. Also, let Vo and White know that it's meal time. It should be ready by the time they get here."
Mo came back and removed the needles from Talin, "Well, it's about time for midday supper. Let's go. Master Hajime's already prepared some trays for you and Lady Elistra." He led the wolf towards the exit, sighing as he went. Kids these days. Having children at such a young age.
-
Kiana did as she was directed and went with Bo to fetch water from the well. When Hajime handed her the trays, she didn't falter a bit from their weight and she didn't question why she needed two. She figured she was delivering Korius just from how Hajime had been teasing them lately, but she didn't see why she needed to take her food with her when she could just go back and eat. She let out a sigh as she turned and left the tavern. She went to the medical center and found White reciting a section of a book aloud to Vo. "Hajime said to tell you that it's meal time." She said, shifting the trays on her arm. She asked another person in the medical center where Korius was and followed their directions to him. She walked over to Korius who was still passed out on floor and knelt down on the floor a couple feet away from him. She quietly set the top tray in front of her knees on the floor and set her staff beside her before going to take her cloak off when she realized she hadn't put it back on since taking it off the day before. She took the second tray in both hands then extended her arms out at full-length and dropped the heavy tray on the floor next to Korius. "Meal time!" She yelled, her voice echoing off the walls.
-
*For a moment White stared at Kiana looking up from his reading when she walked in, feeling like it had been a century since he had spoken to her* "She looks well, I wonder what news..." *After hearing her announce the meal time, he got up rather quickly* "Oh sweet Gaia! I can esc...I mean go to dinner now! Studying time for later, food time for now." *He put on a grin and quickly got up, moving like a zombie towards the wafts of succulent sweet smells of food above the underground complex* "I will make it without falling asleep! I can almost guarantee that unless somebody knocks me out on the way there." *He put on a look of determination as he passed by Vo*
-
As Talin entered the hall, some of the nurses were having issues with Elistra as she clung to a book rather obsessivly. This at least brough him out of his funk for the duration that he spent trying to get the nurses to back off. After that small incident, Elistra brought all the trays stacked on top of eachother with only one arm, which served to deepen his depression. "Was Mo too sadistic because I wasn't there to deck him?" she asked as he took off the top try and pratically nibbled at the rice before looking at her. "Chronin gave me some power after Mo said to spar with him... I couldn't even scratch him!" "Oh come on, its not like hes a Guardian, there had to be moments where he was open!" Talin started calling off times where he could have attacked, how he could have countered Mo's drill, but none of it seemed to register to him.
There was a smack and the breaking of pottery as Talin's snout was immersed in rice, and half the diner glancing at them before going back to their meals. "Yet you lost?!" she was going into 'lecture' mode but instead caught herself as she remembered what she probably didn't make clear to him. However, that didn't help her forced grin seem at all real when she pulled his head out of the rice and held him at eye-level. "How has it not occoured to you that as a dragon, I am born to be physically stronger than your wolfen frame can hope to accomplish attractively. I picked you out of five other dragons who would probably put Mo's strength to shame because you actually had something between those flaps you call ears!". She started to calm down afterwards, and gave him the book that she was earlier trying to keep from the nurses. "I figured you could make this theory a reality since you posses both mystical and physical skill." She noticed him glancing down at her slightly bulging gut, and flicked his ear in annoyance. "Now you don't need to worry about having multiple children as your first experience in parenting, you managed to knock me up when I wasn't in heat, so only one egg was possi-" halfway through the 'rant' Talin had lapped up the rice, and then washed it down with some sauce before planting a kiss right on Elistra's lips to cut her off.
He pulled away, then put an arm to her shoulder as she attempted to go further. She was able to leave her temporarily aroused state, then had shown embarrassment before eating some food to hide her facial expression. "I know you miss me, but can it wait 'till we're in our room?" he said in a joking tone, only to get a playful punch from Elistra as she went to her next tray, leaving Talin with four trays of food as 'adjustment' to how much food her kind would usually intake for a day's worth of food.
-
Lo walked quietly into Kitt´s room, carrying the trays with her "You awake Kitt?" She closed the door behind her, turning the face the room. She was very surprised to see that not only was Kitt awake, but he was standing up and halfway through pulling on the autumnal Ranger cloak. She placed the trays down, and went to help him.
"You know, ive never heard someone curse so much while trying to get dressed..." Finally he had the cloak on, and collapsed back onto the bed. Lo pushed the tray over to him, and nodded to the food on it "Eat up... You seem to be over the worst of it, but i´d rather you ate your fill."
As Kitt ate, even just getting the food from the tray into his mouth and ardous and painfull task, Lo looked over him with an expert eye. She paused over the most obvious changes, and sighed. Kitt however was the first to speak "Its somthing do with my heritage isnt it? Mixed Clans, and the magic in the ritual reacted with it somehow..."
Lo smirked, studying him carefully. "Yes... That is the conclusion i came to myself... Unfortunately i have some bad, or good news however you look at it... The effects could fade away in a matter of days.... or.... they could get worse..." Kitt stopped eating, staring up at her. "Wait.. what do you mean, worse?" Lo shook her head, smile now gone "I dont know... I have never seen this happen before. After all, breeding between clans was always highly frowned upon... We shall see with time..."
-
Korius almost shot up at the clang of the tray and Kiana's shouting. He groaned as his joints strained him. "Thanks..." Korius had no idea what to say to Kiana. However, he voraciously consumed his meal and gulped them down. After consuming half of his meal, Korius sort of stared down into his food and sighed, "So how is your training going? I can already feel a much higher Majicka volume within you. My senses have heightened close to what they used to be back when I was with the Knights. However, I'd be lying if I said I'm still not afraid of my power. I really hope we find Soria soon. If we end up finding her last, there's a good chance I'd end up being the one to kill you all."
Bo, Mo, Vo, Ferdande and Hajime met in the kitchen as the meals were nearing completion. Ferdande was the first to speak up, "Drevo needs more time to at least get the stance down. It is taking longer than I thought, and I just need that extra day." Mo nodded in agreement, "I'll also need the extra day to train Talin. He has great power, much stronger than my own, but he can't even touch 5% of that. If he can't control himself, he'll end up as the next Chronin incarnate, and we'll have to kill him." Bo just kind of nodded. "Lady Kiana's doing fine with my training, but I guess that's expected for magic-users. The group IS in a hurry, though, and we all know what the Guardians have planned in the shadows. If THAT happens, it's the end of Gaia, end of story. Perhaps we can at least lend them some horses and carriages to make it faster if we keep them here longer." Hajime nodded with agreement with Bo but snapped at him at the mention of horses and carriages, "You know damn well why we can't do that. Hunters and loyalists are rampant anywhere and everywhere, regardless if their Lord Guardians are dead or alive. If they travel like such, they'd be easy targets. Their in a constant state of fighting all the time, they don't need extra baggage." Vo cut in quickly, "Unfortunately, they need to be trained properly, or else it will end with their next battle with the Guardians. We need to alot them one more day. Especially the white one. He's been very lazy and acting like a child."
-
Kiana smirked at Korius' reaction and nodded in response to him thanking her. She ate her food in silence and at a normal pace. When Korius spoke, she listened to him without looking up and waited a minute before responding to him. "It's going alright, I guess. The hardest part of it is actually dealing with my pervert of a trainer." She responded. "Can't believe what he tried to get me to wear today..." She added in a mumble before finishing her response. "I'm not too worried about you. You seem to have it all together..." She took another bite of her food and chewed it.
-
*The wolf sat down at a table and ate by himself, feeling in another world* "I haven't been thinking very clearly, but it's been a long day. I got the weapon en route and got some food, but haven't really gotten to talk to anybody, but hey if it's for the team I'll study. Just needed a day break, but back to work after this meal." *He worked away at the meal trying to finish it quickly and making a small ball of white majicka in his other paw to focus on his primary objective* "I'm gonna make that Vo proud, I'm capable of a lot more just didn't feel like working at it, which is quite bad when I think about it. I could really get us killed if I don't take this seriously." *He sweated for a bit about the thought at hand* "Better not screw up." *He muttered aloud to himself quietly*
-
After the two finished eating, Elistra leaned her head on Talin's left shoulder as he read through the theory book. After a twenty or so pages, he put his index finger between the pages before closing the book and imaging the cloning technique of Mo's since he didn't have Ferdande's apparently far surperior form. He broke it down to two possible ideas: either they're hallucinations brough out by an unseen injector of hallucinagenics, or his own life energy was projected out as hollow clones that would vanish if penetrated by a blade or arrow. Elistra saw how serious Talin was thinking as his face was pratically motionless except for blinking. She couldn't help but break his focus by pushing him onto his side and almost making the book fall out of his hand.
"What the heck is that for?!" "There was smoke coming out of your ears..." "Really, I thought I cleaned out my ears when we were at the spa" "Or maybe you were only thinking about tonight..." Talin then quickly fell off his seat while laughing, but he was also making an effort to keep his eyes on Elistra. "I seem to remember you yelling at me this morning about 'careless coupling', yet fornication is the first thing on your mind when you look at me!?" she had a face of pure shock at the statement, and tried to hide a blush when yelling back. "No its not the first, its the third!!"
-
Drevo sat in silence, not really caring to do much else. He leaned on his hand lost in thought. "How much longer is this going to take? I want to get stringer, this is so lame...There has to be a quicker way to do this. This'll take foreveeeer...Geez...*Sigh*...I wonder where Elistro is...If I'll even see him again...No, I have to. I will find him, kill him and avenge my family. But I'm tired...I wish there was a simpler way to train."
-
Kitt ate in silence with Lo. He stopped once in a while due to pain aftershocks from the Ritual. Lo made a face each time and sighed as she left with their empty trays, "I'm sorry, but I won't be back for the rest of the day. I'll see you tomorrow for the rest of your training. We have two days left. We'll make the best of them."
Korius sighed as he shoveled a few more chunks of food into his mouth, chewed and swallowed, "No one's actually ever cared for me... except HER. My own men, everyone around me, they only cared about themselves, or the well-being of Gaia. It never really bothered me, but it changed a bit after being moved over to being Koara's personal guard. It was only then that I realized that there was more to life than just worrying and looking out for the greater good of all of Gaia, to look after my own happiness for once. But, as you know, that was pretty short-lived." He continued to eat more and ate a little faster, drowning out the increasing sorrow coming from those memories. "Maybe it was just the heavens telling me that love is nothing that I can have. It seems that my sole purpose is to just protect Gaia..." Now all that's left to complete that purpose, is to unlock my full power...
-
Kiana didn't really know what to say to Korius. She felt bad for him and how he felt like he needed to take care of everything himself. She wasn't very good at saying things to cheer people up, especially when it came to relationships since she had never had one. Hearing him talk the way he was actually made her a little mad. "You can't honestly believe that that's the only reason you exist. I mean, I haven't known you all that long and I still think that's not true." She said before taking another bite of food. She chewed and then swallowed it before continuing. "As for love, I couldn't give you any advice on something I have had no experience with. I probably would have had an arranged marriage if I had stuck around with my parents...either that or they wouldn't have even cared if I became an old spinster because they hated me so much after my brother's death..." She mumbled then ate some more of her food.
-
*The wolf finished his food and then quickly left hoping Vo would not notice him leaving and headed for the medical facility* "I haven't seen Korius since the operation, I hope he turned out okay." *White started walking underground in the medical facility and then suddenly focused his attention from his ball of energy that was still in his hand rather quickly to Kiana and Korius talking, eavesdropping on Kiana's part of the conversation* "Oh great Gaia! A moment of long since needed peace!" *He listened intently from his position as he kept walking closer* "I've waited a long time to see him value Kiana as an important person to him, though undervalues some others who care about him." *The wolf grumbled, but remained cheery for Kiana* "Well time to get to work, whenever Vo gets around I'll be waiting. Probably best not to bother those two either." *He moved quietly and went to his studying area*
-
Talin was starting to get impatient with Elistra, one moment she was leaning against him, the next shes hugging him tightly, then it gets as far as nuzzling his neck and face, then she just stops and sits there fidgeting until it repeats again. He finally stops studying the theory book and closes his hand over her snout. "I'm trying to make sure Mo has to at least put some effort into beating me, but if you insist..." he kissed her quickly enough on the lips to catch her in the middle of her emotion shift, and her hormones did the rest of the job in knocking her out from shock and surprise. Its ironic, normally I would do anything for her to be like this, and now its a hinderance!!
-
Drevo got up quietly without a word and left the table. He walked slowly up the stairs and to his room. Once in his room he looked at his bed, but he didn't get in it. Instead he took the pose from training. He held it for long periods of time, as long as he could each time he did it. Though tired, he kept pushing it. Drevo shook slightly as he took the pose again, his leg gave way and he fell on his butt and then fell backwards onto the floor sprawling out on the floor. Soon enough he just fell asleep there.
-
Kitt sat on his bed, the aftershock pains now reduced to simply a dull ache that stayed with him always. He sighed, drumming his fingers against the wooden frame of the bed as he looked longingly at the door of his room. He stood up, the pain that normally would have flared in his legs simply giving a slight growl of annoyance and leaving it at that. He took a few tentative steps. The pain didnt increase...
Shrugging, he pulled the autumnal cloak around him and walked out of the room. Closing the door behind him a small moment of triumph burst into life within him... Just this slight show of regaining control was enough to make him the happiest he had been in days. Walking downstairs, with only a limp to show any pain, he sat down at a bench.
-
Korius sighed, listening to Kiana, "Destiny is an intricate and complicated thing. Possibly, in order for you to fulfill your destiny, fate had to remove your brother from you, just as fate had removed Mistress Koara from my life. Valius, Valia, Marco, Arthur... they all had their fates sealed. At least you had a family to grow up with. Anything or anyone that ever even came close to being family to me have ended up dead. The monks, my fellow students, Koara, Valius... it's all too more of an affirmation that things such as love are not meant for me... which is why I've been avoiding you..." He shook his head one more time like he had a headache as Hajime and the others came back inside. "Okay, dear, meal time's over. Time for your afternoon trainings. Korius, you lay back down." Bo stood at the doorway and motioned for Kiana to follow with the trays and led her back to the tavern, and then into the training area after dropping off the trays. "Let's continue..."
Ferdande walked into Drevo's room and found him laying around. "You know, I'm glad you're working hard, but you're supposed to be training with me on that. Come on, get up. Everyone else has already finished their lunches and gone back to training. No time to be lazy. We don't have much time left."
Mo walked up to Elistra's room door right around the time Talin started talking and yelled right over after he was done, "Let's go, Talin. If you want a larger beating, just say so. I'll give it to you..."
-
Kiana wasn't quite sure about what she had just heard Korius say last, but she didn't have a chance to say anything since Hajime and the others came back at that moment and Bo motioned for her to go with him. She grabbed the trays which were now much lighter than before and followed after Bo, glancing back at Korius with a puzzled look on her face before closing the door behind her. She didn't even notice White sitting in a chair nearby and just kept following Bo looking like she was trying very hard to figure something out. She dropped off the trays in the kitchen of the tavern and then followed Bo down to the training area. "Same old, same old?" She questioned Bo about the training in a low voice, her thoughts obviously still focused elsewhere.
-
*White looked up for a moment to watch Kiana leave and then looked back down at his book, studying rigorously* "Gotta make up for all that missed time... so I put my hand here and my other hand here, then cast a shield, focusing on the center point of the object and make it small, therefore more stable, but not too small so the edges have freedom to move, then moving outside of this layer create another layer and continue to build upon each layer, thus it will take more than one powerful attack to break through..." *He muttered to himself aloud, hardly concerned with anyone that could drop by*
-
Talin saw Mo as he walked through the door, and put the book down by Elistra before getting up and following Mo to the training hall. He had studied the entire theory book except for the index, so he was going to put the theory to the test when Mo had him "spar" again. But thats not until Mo has had his fun beating him up and provoking him to go beserk in a multitude of ways...
-
Drevo got up when Ferdande came in and picked him up. He stretched and followed him back to the training area. "Is there any way to speed this up at all? I want to get stronger...Quickly. I'm sure you have something that can help, or some kind of method to do the trick, right? Come on, you can tell me. And I really don't want to have to train under Korius...He's a jerk. I get the feeling he doesn't really care about me. *Shrug* And I don't think Kiana is too fond of me either...Or Kitt for that matter...I mean...I wasn't strong enough to save his father...White probably hates me too, it seems every scuffle we get in he has to heal me up. *Sigh*"
-
Kitt stood up from the bench, stretching. The Inn was empty, everyone away at their respective training, and for that he was grateful. In all honesty he didnt know whether or not he wanted people staring at him right now. Looking both left and right, checking for Lo or anyone else who might tell him off, he drew his sword. It hummed expectantly in his grip, glowing. Its colour had changed however, before it was a pale blue, now a inner light of gold flowed through the blade.
Tensing his grip on the sword, Kitt swung it a few times experimentally. Aside from a short pain in his shoulder, the simple exercise was easy enough. Indeed, after a few more swings and shorts parries against an invisible opponent, the speed and precision of his sword handling was startlingly more advanced than before the ritual. He swung the sword in a wrist-bending spin, ending in a powerful stop thrust. The blade now flickered with flames of shimmering gold and silver, sparks dancing onto the stone floor where they hissed into nothing. He smirked, sliding the sword back into his scabbard. Despite the pain and weariness, he couldnt wait to see what else he could do now...
-
Mo continued his training for Talin, but took an entire 180 degree approach. Instead, after needling Talin up, he produced a pill from his pouch and held it in front of Talin. "Here, I have a special pill that will speed up your training. However, it will work on a special part of your instincts that will trigger an impulse to move and attack against me like no other. Will you accept?"
Ferdande frowned at Drevo's complaining. "I told you, there's no other way, and that it took me well over 4 days to do myself. You have to know that there are no real shortcuts in life. And frankly speaking, there's no one better to teach you the technique than the maker himself. There's more to his life than he lets anyone know. However, it's not my place to tell you. Let me see how well you can hold it. I'll start a little stronger and slap you off your rocker." A sort of devilish smile crept over his face, "Or should I have Alexia do it for me?"
Korius roars and screaming rang throughout the entire village like before. The operation room was filled to the brim again as numerous ninja helped out with restraining Korius while they continued operation at an accelerated speed. Vo had left another large pile of books for White to read before entering the operation room with Hajime earlier. She left a warning to White, "Make sure your little buns stay there or else it will go from white to red for being a misbehaved little boy."
As Kiana began her training again, Bo watched her intently, and continued to ogle her body. However, unbeknownst to her, there was a reason for him always scanning her body while she practiced. The eye-candy was just a bonus... "Keep on going..." However, his perversion still came through with the drool dripping down his mouth.
-
Kiana caught Bo drooling and became agitated. "How about you stop drooling and focus on what we're doing instead of my body!" She snapped at Bo as she continued casting her spells. She cast two spells at the same time each time. She pushed herself to cast faster and faster as she continued on. She needed to be better. She needed to be stronger. She needed to be useful to the group instead of not being any help to them. She had to make her brother proud. Her brother... what had Korius said about her brother when they were talking? "'...Possibly, in order for you to fulfill your destiny, fate had to remove your brother from you...'" His words rang in her head. "Fate. Didn't. Kill. Him. A. Greedy. Idiot. Who. Wanted. His. Sword. Did." She grumbled irritatedly, casting two spells together as she said each word. "My brother would have been a better fit for this whole thing than I am..."
-
*White hardly noticed Vo come by when he was reading, as he was transfixed by his book, but he finally looked up to the sounds of screaming* "Korius. Probably in an immense amount of pain, hopefully he didn't move too much today or stress himself otherwise I'm probably going to have to visit again...huh?" *He set down his book and walked over to read the note on top of the pile of books that wasn't there earlier, his face turning to a look of neutrality* "I should have expected that sort of reaction from Vo after today's small escapade, but oh well I have to make up for it either way. Speaking of which, I wonder when that knife that I ordered will be coming by?" *He heaved the books up and carried them nearby his chair and picked up the first one and started reading the first lines, knowing it was going to be some long hours of training ahead*
-
Talin reluctantly mouthed his agreement to the idea of taking a pill and restraining himself rather than take physical abuse and do nothing. He waited for Mo to put the pill in his mouth before swallowing dryly. He couldn't tell what was happening, but he made a mix between a whimper, scream, and screech as his insides apparently started to vibrate. "Please tell me this will stop before I go nuts..." he said as he tried to get back up on his feet and keep a decent stance.
-
"Oh your bad...Don't drag her into this...It's not like she would actually be able to..." "Unless she got un-...HAH, like I'd be that lucky." "It still doesn't change the fact that I would rather not have to train under Korius...Just don't tell him I think he's a jerk. I'm sure he has enough of a hate for me as it is." Drevo took the usual pose, fairly quickly, thought he lost balance a bit because of it making him have to retake it again.
-
Lo walked into the Inn, carrying a stack of LongBows. She stopped at the door, staring at Kitt "What in the name of the Guardians are you doing!?" She dropped the bows, sending them clattering over the stone tiles. She she muttered under her breath, picking up the pile of weapons. Once they where safely back in her grip, she walked over to Kitt, putting a palm to his forehead "You should be resting... Not playing around with your sword..." She sighed, opening his mouth and looking down his throat "Though you do seem rather recovered... hmn" She prodded him in the chest, this definitely got a reaction, as Kitt winced in pain...
-
As soon as Talin attempted to get up, he was immediately paralyzed. Mo repositioned the horned wolf and removed and reinserted the needles faster than he removed them. "It doesn't mean you can move, boy. And don't worry, the churning will stop in another 2 or 3 seconds. What you just ingested is a super-digestion pill. That churning just now was your body digesting everything you ate today almost immediately. You will experience a pain equivalent to 2-weeks starvation in the next hour. Every hour after that, it'll feel like another 2 weeks. I'll be giving you the antidote before dinner. Oh, and you will be going nuts soon, because I had intentionally skipped midday supper and made my own barbecue. Ah, speak of the devil." Some of the workers walked up to them and dropped what looked like a grill and set up a pile of wood into the stove of it and set a large platter of meat on top of a stand that was placed next to the grill. Finally, the last person placed a bowl of some kind of sauce next to the meat and used his chakra to light the grill before leaving. Mo walked over and began to lather one of the large slabs of meat into the sauce before sticking it on the grill. "You know, before the Guardians betrayed the people, my sauce was famous throughout all of Gaia. I wonder how long you'll last before you start moving."
Half-way into the afternoon, the operation with Korius finally ended. However, even after it was over, Korius still continued to struggle in his berserk-mode. The medics, instead of leaving, stayed and helped to reinforce the restraining circle. Now that Korius' Ki had now been fully re-channeled, his berserk state ran longer. The more tired of the group began to leave, but they decided to stay as they turned at the sound of a snap. Korius' arm had snapped, pushing through the restraining circle. Only one left, running to get more reinforcements from the other ninja villager, since the all the strongest ninjas were currently training the other party members.
Bo kept his eye contact on Kiana's body. He walked up to her and hit two of the pressure points in her back, though fast and unnoticable, cut the power of her spells in half. "Keep going. Don't slow down."
Alexia walked over to the guys as Drevo took his stance. Ferdande chuckled, "If you want the truth, she volunteered to do it. She said she wanted to help you with your training any way that she could, and I told her this was it. After all, she IS the only one who could break a blade with raw strength. We'll see how her... 'love taps'... will help you out. Or would you rather me hit you first?"
Lo frowned, "You see? You're not ready to get moving at all. Now sit back down and rest. Read if you must, but you cannot strain your body anymore or else you'll never heal up."
-
Kiana was getting rather annoyed by the training. It felt like she wasn't even going anywhere with it. She didn't feel anymore powerful than when she first arrived at this place. She didn't get why Bo told her not to slow down because she hadn't even though about slowing her pace, let alone actually do it. "What are you talking about 'don't slow down'?" She questioned as she continued casting spells. "I've only been speeding up since I started today." She was thinking that she would like to test speeding up her spells on him at the moment.
-
*After a long while White finally made it through half of his assigned readings and started thinking on the side a bit more as he trudged onward* "Ya know I am beginning to realize that this reminds me of my earlier days back in my home village, but definitely a different kind of reading. The only thing to do inbetween operations and some small idle conversation was reading. And that was very boring.. I suppose the more though that I read, the closer I get to the light at the end of the tunnel" *He yawned and stretched, and continued his work picking up another book* "As continued on page CLXVI, single limbic nerve areas can be healed on a further micro level with more focus, meditation, and practice..."
-
Oddly enough, Talin stopped moving after the 2 to 3 seconds passed, and seemed to have glazed eyes when he looked at the food being cooked. He wasn't really focused on the food itself as his vision blurred into blacknes before he started to hallucinate to a time before they embarked on this mad quest...
You think its easy trying to not attack villages when they have their wildstock right out in the open to get eaten? he was recalling after he was reliving a moment where he apparently went to far in a certain comment, and was now being punished for his short-mindedness. Its basically the same as watching the other kin set their food down right in front of you, and eat it while you are working to the bone to get half as much she did a literal example of it by already having her meal put in front of him, and also put his own meal on top of hers. It was obvious that most of the movements she made were to just frustrate him as he sat there starving while she stuffed her face. Now until you agree to give half your food to me for a month, this is how you'll spend all three meals, waiting for me to eat my full before taking whats left.; he caved after the second month, but it gave him a stronger control over his feeding impulses and also improved his hunting skills when he strived to get an overabundance of food rather than just enough to get by.
Which brings him back to reality as his gaze shifts up to Mo and only his eyebrow moves. "You have no idea what that dragon put me through before she started force-feeding me three plates a day. I hope you have something for me to do while we wait for the second hour to pass."
-
Drevo looked at Alexia when she walked in. Immediately she walked over to him. "Go easy on me?" "You would never learn if I did that now would you?" With the she immediately started tickling him, which made him lose his stance giggling. "Not fair." "If you can't even resist being tickled how will you ever get this?" While retaking the stance he looked at her. "Well...Uhm...You're-" Alexia smacked him on the head, making him lose the stance again. "Focus! You'll never get stronger if you can't get this down!" Drevo shook his head and retook the stance once more. "Okay...Gimme your best shot..."
-
Kitt grumbled under his breath, as Lo pushed him back down into a seat. She walked upstairs, returning with the book of the Rangers in her hands. She slid it across the table to him "Here... Read this, the section on small Ranger Magyks..." She sighed, sitting down beside Kitt "Look... I know your frustrated, and want to get back to training. But it will be worse for you in the long run if you continue to strain yourself..." She stood up, ruffling his hair as she walked out "Nice hair by the way, mother's side looks good on you..." She winked, leaving Kitt to read and rub at his now very sore chest...
-
As the second hour started, the digestion pill inside of Talin's body increased it to the effect of 4 weeks starvation, an equivalence of not having eaten in a month. Mo smiled as he heard the Talin's stomach growl louder than his mouth earlier.
Korius finally passed out as his Ki finally subsided. Everyone in the room sighed in relief as they got to relax. Vo took the time to sit with White and go over the readings. She wasn't impressed with his distracted mind and so she reached into her robe and flipped out the balisong that White was waiting for. Vo flipped it around, and spun it through her fingers, opening and closing it as it continued to snake through her one hand. "If you get everything read and then pass my test, I'll let you have it."
Bo smirked at Kiana's remarks as he watched her struggle to keep up her spells at the same magnitude. Her Magicka was keeping up, but she was not. However, his brain went straight from his head to between his legs.
-
"Stop looking at me like that!" Kiana snapped at Bo as she caught a glimpse of the look on his face. She continued to cast her spells but she could feel her body getting tired. She could feel that her Majicka was still at a good level though so she didn't understand why she was getting so tired. "Don't slow down, don't slow down..." She chanted in her head. "You can't be weak. Not for even a second. Never." She murmured, not realizing the words had slipped out of her mouth instead of staying in her head.
-
*The wolf looked up from his book for a moment to watch the balisong flipping in Vo's hand* "I am working as well as I can, I have completed much of the reading. Yes admittedly I have study fever after 2000 pages every inbetween, but who doesn't?" Though I should probably not see that until later, it makes it hard to think but thanks for the encouragement Vo. *He smiled for a moment and then went back to reading his book* "I hope she didn't think my commentary was rude, I'm just trying not to get overly distracted... especially with my favorite item."
-
Talin had still not moved from his position as he was still keeping a fresh memory of what two months without food felt like, and this was nothing in comparison. He was probably going to just act delirious just to alleviate the boredom of just sitting there for hours. He started reciting the old vows that each dragon slayer would have to learn by heart just to get the chance to prove their worth, and as the ultimate insult to that practice he recited it in Dragon-tongue, while snorting at the few vows he broke in order to be with Elistra.
To anyone not familiar with the language, it sounded like crazed hisses, growls, and general babbling...
-
Alexia cracked her knuckles when Drevo told her to give him her best shot. "Oh shi-" Just then she nailed him in the face sending him across the floor. "Ow!" "Uh...Alexia, you're helping him, not killing him. You know that, right?" "I guess I don't know my own strength." she giggled. "Ow..." he started to get to his feet holding his face. "Aww...I didn't mean anything by it..." Drevo stumbled back to his position he was in and Alexia came over to him and gave him a hug. "There there...NOW GET BACK TO WORK!"
-
Kitt sighed, flicking through the pages of the thick-bound Ranger's book. He was reading the section Lo had advised him to, on Ranger Magic, and in all honesty most of it didnt make the slightest bit of sense. Though the book said not to worry, and that most of what was explained in its pages would become understandable with practice and time. He sighed again, reading an entire page devoted to 'How to increase speed and agility, basics for a Ranger'. This at least made some sense, and despite feeling thoroughly put out at not being able to even go and see anyone, he couldnt wait to try it out...
-
Mo sighed and just walked back and watched Kiana practicing with Bo, eating all the while. Lady Elistra may not like it, but this wolf boy's going to have to remain like this for the rest of the night. We'll see how long it'll take him to break after he reaches 3 months.
Bo didn't like Mo walking over, "Hey! Get out of here. This is my jurisdiction." Mo just merely continued to eat and watch. Bo could smell the sauce emanating from the slab of meat and his lips began to water more than when he was staring up and down Kiana. "Can I get some of that?"
Vo continued to flip the balisong around and even began to hum to herself, though she made sure that it was loud enough for White to hear. Let's see how well you can concentrate with a bit of distraction here and there.
-
Kiana wasn't bothered by Mo walking over to watch her train. What did bother her was when Bo became distracted by the food. "Excuse me! I'm trying to train here! Why don't you try to keep your attention on what you're supposed to be doing!" She said as she continued to cast spells. She then stopped her casting quickly even though she knew Bo wouldn't be happy about it and turned to Bo. "Or would you rather we make it interesting and I train on a target...a living one particularly." She smirked as she looked at him, not expecting him to actually say yes and just trying to get him to pay attention to the task at hand.
-
*The studious wolf looked up somewhat displeased, but almost unsurprised* "I shouldn't have really expected her to be following MY words. I would suppose since this is a ninja village, it would be indefinitely possible that there are pop quizzes in almost any form at any possible moment. Among my biggest recurring problems is maintaining concentration with small distractions, almost like a disfigured form of obsessive compulsive behavior, I just cannot stand little disturbances in the middle of my thought process, either it has to go away or I make the issue stop. In this case, I don't have either of those options, so the only thing I can do is... *He thought for a few seconds, everything seeming to slow down around him, the clicking of the metal on metal going at a snail's pace as he tried to comprehend details* I will have to use the method from CLXVI! If I concentrate on the words on the page like I do with my magicka, it should flow almost like a current of the energy... of course. Now.. to test my theory *The swing of the blade in the background resumed its quick pace in his awareness as he stared into the ink of the papers below*
-
Behind Mo, there was a light snoring heard as Talin relaxed himself to the point of falling asleep so he wouldn't have to consiously wait for the pill to really mess with him. His dreams made little sense during this 'forced' sleep, and the only true moments of peace he got was when Elistra was within his reach during the dream. He was even treated to exclusive 'visuals' of what Chronin saw during his final moments, then the events started to go backwards through Chronin's life until Mo either interrupted him or shook him awake.
-
"This sucks..." Drevo groaned as Alexia screamed at him. He retook the position again, concentrating to try and drown out her barking of orders. He was so focused on tuning her out he didn't even notice her poking him in the ribs to tickle him. He only noticed when she gave him a hug. "You did it!" "Huh? Oh...I guess I did." "What were you thinking about? You looked like you were concentrating really hard." Drevo's eyes widened, he knew she wouldn't like the answer but he just couldn't help but say it. "You shutting up..." he choked out with a nervous scratch of the ear. She stopped hugging him and took a step back. Drevo looked over at her and she was looking down. He took a step towards her, about to say something when she gave him a fierce upper cut sending him into the ceiling. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO NEEDED HELP! AND HERE I WAS BEING NICE! WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME I'M ANNOYING FOR HELPING YOU!!" Her eyes seemed to emit flames as she screamed at Drevo who was slowly falling out of the crater in the ceiling only to make another by crashing into the floor. Soon Ferdande came up behind Alexia and hoisted her over his shoulder. "Okay, okay, I'm sure he was just kidding. Come on now, lets get you out of here before you really do kill him. If you havn't already..." Alexia kicked and screamed still wanting to get a piece of Drevo. When he got to the door with her he turned back to Drevo. "Oh, Drevo, Uh...I'll be back to get you checked out. You just...Relax."
-
Back in the Inn, Kitt was snoring with his head laid across the open book in front of him. The pages where still open, at 'Enchanting Arrows'. He muttered to himself in his sleep, shifting slightly so he was more comfortable on the wooden table. At the doorway to the Inn, Lo smirked, watching him sleep. For a moment she considered waking him, but decided against it "I'l let him sleep for now... But if he ends up drooling on that book, Gaia help him!" She smirked again, turning to leave the Inn...
-
Vo stood up as Ferdande came down and asked for help, but Hajime came out of the operation room. "Don't worry about it, dear. I'll go and do it, you stay here and help out little White." As they got back to the training arena, Hajime couldn't help but notice the dent in the roof, 40 feet in the air. Hajime sighed and shook her head before grabbing Drevo's foot and pulling him up. Hajime examined Drevo with her chakra. "Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn. Only Alexia can deliver an uppercut THAT strong. You're lucky to be alive."
Mo cut the remaining slab in half and gave it to Bo. Bo happily took the meat and tore into it. "Don't worry about it. Just keep working. I've got my eye on you. You're fine... I mean... uh... you're going fine."
-
Kiana just shook her head at Bo's response. "Scaredy cat..." She muttered to herself. She took in a deep breath and as she exhaled she began casting her spells again like she had never even stopped at all. It was pretty obvious by the look on her face that she was getting bored from the repetitiveness of the training she was doing. If they didn't start doing something new soon, she was going to have a very difficult time making herself train.
-
*Continuously reading, the wolf hardly even heard the commotion outside of the area, the words just bouncing off of his head as he continued to study. A variety of variables, translucent pictures of anatomical parts, and medical tools seeming to appear floating off of the pages in what seemed to be the formula of lucid dreaming although he was thinking very clearly. After awhile he reached the last paragraph of the book and thought to himself an overview of his work* "Alright just two more books in this pile, a lot of really useful information in here. At first all of this was relatively boring, but now it seems to be fascinating because I would have never even dreamed of some of these ideas and uses of my type of majicka. The very mention of healing with majicka outside of my village was like hearing superstition and folklore, if even then someone had met many majicka users... and so we continue." *He closed the cover of the textbook he was reading and picked up the next one and began another inspiring read*
-
Talin was now seeing the memory of Chronin before the events that made him truly infamous, and was also feeling Chronin's body as his own until he was at the Mage's Tower. Then he became a spirit-like form of himself as he followed his small ancestor through his life. His father did not have such a luxury of being able to see all of Chronin's past, just the parts that drove him to murder; this is possibly because the hunger-pill was weakening the barrier that kept Chronin's memories and Talin's isolated despite Talin's effort to maintain his spot as the dominant personality.
-
Drevo just laid there unconscious as Hajime examined and treated him. He dreamed of facing Elistro again, he was encircled by many clones of him. "You will never defeat me, Drevo." "Shut up! I will kill you!" "You're weak..." With that said Drevo took the stance, concentrating on doing the technique. "That move? Pff...You won't even scratch me with it!" "We''ll see about tha-" Just then he was impaled from behind and then the rest of the ones encircling him appeared before him impaling him all over. "Too slow...You will never beat me that way."
-
Kitt woke with one side of his face stuck to a page of the Book of the Rangers, and with Lo watching him from the opposite side of the table. She was slowly sharpening a quiver of crossbow bolts, and then enchanting each of them with some basic magic. She smiled as he gave a wide yawn "Morning sleepyhead... Glad to see youve been studying there..." She smirked, watching as he rubbed his eye and yawned again...
-
Hajime finished her treatment and got up, "The child will be fine. Thankfully, Alexia was still able to control herself a little bit. If she had hit him like she hits in our training, that probably could have killed him. Anyways, I'm going to head up to make supper. I'm sure the dearies are all hungry. Mo, why don't you help with Kiana's training a bit, make a bit 'challenging' for the girl." Mo bowed, "Yes, ma'am."
Mo walked up to Kiana, "We have just a little under an hour before supper, so how about we do this? I'll give you a moving target. I only have one rule, cast your spells as if to kill me." Mo smirked as he went back into his playful mood. Knowing Bo, he's already covered most of her Majicka points. She probably won't even be able to give full-power anymore."
Korius stirred deep within the operation room floor, and groaned as he awoke. He found himself propped up against the far wall. From there, Korius could smell the blood from the minor patch work done on his arm. They must be saving that for Whtie's next test. Damn them.
Vo stopped and placed the balisong back into her robe. "It seems your test has come. Today's assignment for you is to fix Korius' arm. His bones in his left arm are almost shattered. Since all his Ki has now been fully re-channeled, he was able to break through the restraint of 30 ninjas. If Bo, Mo, or even Lo were here, this wouldn't have happened, but they're all busy training the others. So here's what you have to keep in mind. I'll be seeing how fast, painless and precise you do this. I will give him a full examination after you think you're done."
-
"Oh ***..." She thought when Mo said he would be her target, but she didn't show her concern as she hadn't stopped casting spells when he came over and actually just kept going like she hadn't even heard him. "Well, at least it'll be a change of pace..." Suddenly she spun around and sent rock jutting out of the ground towards Mo's neck while sending a chunk of rock a little bigger than his head towards his head.
-
*The wolf stopped reading for a moment to look up and face Vo, nodding with a look of seriousness* "I guess the readings and note reviews will have to wait, there are many things I can do now to speed up the process and make this go along much more smoothly this time. Failure to innovate further is not an option for our party leader and I will do the same for him." *He looked back down at his book and closed the cover thinking about all the teachings together* "It's almost like putting together a pocket watch, all the tiny pieces come together to make the entire device in its mass and function." *He got up and set the book in his study pile* "Let's go to work."
*Moving from the study room to the operating room with Korius on the table where he was left, the wolf looked at the injured arm and then back to Vo* "I will be done soon." *White moved over and pulled up a chair and started looking at the wound while seeing many books that he had read, putting his concentration to the test* "Try to relax, it should not be that painful." *His hands started to glow with the majicka and started healing underneath the patchwork*
-
Talin could tell it was getting to the point where his father had been taken over as the memory began to distort towards what Chronin made out and not what actually happened. Talin however, was already knowing where this was going since Chronin tried to immerse his decendant into the memory as much as possible, but the immersion only went as far as the five senses. By this 'time' Chronin was actually a teacher and was now doing some private research leaving his 'pupils' to the gauntlet that practically ran itself until he had to stop it due to serious injury.
Outside the dream however, Talin's body was now burning up precious reserves of energy. His face could almost be described as nothing but skin and bones as the pill tricked his body into literally draining the life out of him by simulating months without food.
-
Lo continued enchanting the arrows, until the entire quiver was done. Kitt sat, still half-asleep as he watched her complete the task. She sliding the quivers across the table to him "Basic enchantments of accuracy and swift flight... Nothing that will kill a guardian, but especially with your already enhanced senses this will hopefully prove usefull..."
She walked around the table, pulling him up into a standing position. She was surprisingly strong, getting him to his feet with only one arm. She stood, examining him for a moment "Your healing well... Which is a surprise i must admit..." She laid a clawed hand over his chest, and a warm sensation spread from that point to the tip of every finger through Kitt's body, accompanied by a flow of magica. Lo held the spell for a moment longer, bright blue energy flowing from her, into him.
Finally she let go, stumbling backwards very slightly. She smiled, though rather wearily "That should have gone some way to helping... I only restored some of your energy, as if we where to hand you over to White, there is technically nothing wrong with you... no physical injury or damage..."
-
Korius groaned when he was lifted out of the room and onto one of the tables outside of the operation room. As White proceeded to heal him, Korius felt quite the tingle in his arm. It didn't hurt as much as it usually did when White healed him, but it was still painful. He grunted from time to time, but he wasn't much fazed by it.
Mo quickly lowered his head and the rock that was originally aimed at his neck shattered from the impact with his pompadour. He then quickly sidestepped and swung his hair like a bat and bursted the other rock into pieces as well. Mo's playful smile stayed wide across his face. He lept over Kiana and reached into his pompadour, then threw a shower of needles at Kiana from behind.
-
Kiana turned and sent up a wall of earth to block the needles before they could reach her. She dug her hands into the wall and started to climb the short way up to the top. "It shouldn't have surprised me that you were the one suggested to change things up. From what I heard earlier, Bo is a terrible fighter..." She said as she climbed, standing up on the top of the wall and looking over at Bo with a smirk on her face. "And I'm someone who needs a challenge." As if to emphasis her point, she jumped down from the wall, slamming her left fist into the ground as she landed in a crouching position and sent a shockwave of earth at Mo.
-
*Taking his hands away from the arm, he got up and looked at Vo then Korius, even the skin had come back in its original condition and if all went as the wolf felt everything should be stable* "You should be fine now, but as I always recommend you should sleep and not push yourself for a day." *He walked away from the table yawning* "I'm not tired from majicka usage, I'm tired from reading a lot. *He shrugged waiting for the review from Vo and of course Korius himself*
-
To anyone who could see Talin or was within ear-shot of him, there was a loud 'thump' as he hit the floor with his chin on the dirt. The only movement was a very light breathing as his body could no longer support its own weight under the demand of hunger while he still slept through the effects.
Inside the dream Talin was now witnessing Chronin's fall and decent into villany. He had shared his research with the guardian of magic, and his only reason for still staying with the Academy: Carina Gallant. She actually approved of his use of magic since he only planned to use it once they were able to get their relationship public without causing problems with her fellow guardians. Talin could feel his devotion for her, and also what he tolerated just to be with her at the end of the day. Sadly, he couldn't let the emotions have too much an influence since he know why Chronin is showing him this.
He wants to justify his desire to live again, and only if the owner of the body relenquishes control can Chronin be reborn again...
-
Drevo woke up to something poking his nose, it was Ferdande crouched next to him poking at him with a twig. "...Hey...*Poke*...Heeey...*Poke poke*...Hey Drevo...Time to get up...*Poke*..." Drevo brushed the twig away after awhile and sat up, rubbing his jaw. "What...Happened?" "Hmm...*Poke*" "Stop it." "To put it bluntly...*Poke poke*...You got knocked the hell out...*Poke*" "Quit it-By Alexia?" "Yep. *Poke*" Drevo finally took the twig and tossed it over his shoulder. But Ferdande pulled another one seemingly out of nowhere. "Well, it's time to eat...*Poke*...You have been out for a bit...*Poke*" Drevo ignored the poking and started to get up. Then Ferdande suddenly flicked the twig and hit Drevo square between the eyes, knocking him over. After that he stood up and helped up Drevo. "Come on, lets go eat."
-
Kitt nodded in thanks, feeling the point where she had let the magica flow through him... He sat back down at one of the Inn benches, but was instantly pushed back to his feet by Lo "Oh no... If your ready enough to swing your sword, i need to check that you arent going to tear a ligament by doing so... c'mon, draw your blade and go through the most basic and most minor swordplay moves... nothing fancy..."
She watched as he did so, wincing slightly whenever he brought his arm over shoulder height. She sighed, through appeared at least content.... "You are imrpoving... Though even after performing the ritual, you are a sloppy swordsman.." She tutted under her breath, slapping his hand into a better position, and pushing his shoulders back "Legs further apart, anticipate balance... You lack the finesse that you should learn over years... And here i am trying to teach you it in mere days..."
-
Bo's face turned redder than his fur and yelled, "I'm at least enough to fight you!" With many quick hand motions, smoke popped up around Bo and, when it cleared, made him taller, his fur now spiked, fangs extended and so were his claws. Mo merely giggled like a giddy school girl and clapped, "Oh, goody goody. My little pet is back! However, you are only to train her, not to spar with her. You know you can't control yourself very well when you're in that state." Bo ignored him and leapt straight at Kiana, but Mo jumped into the way. Mo reached into his pompadour again and sent a shower of needles. Bo merely swatted them away in an instant, an instant that allowed Mo to create 3 clones and do a flying drill attack that sent Bo flying several meters away. The four Mo's then struck a pose almost like Power Rangers and spoke at the same time, "Uber beauty hair attack!" They all let out a cheesy smile that those watching could have sworn seeing all their teeth give off a shining glint of light. The three clones disappeared right as they finished and Mo began to pant a bit as he got back up. He waved for Kiana to head upstairs. "Sorry, but I wasted too much time on Bo. And... I used up a bit too much chakra for those clones. Why don't you head up for some food? Dinner should be ready by the time you get up there." As Kiana passed him by, Mo whispered into her ear, "On a serious note, he IS still dangerous. When he uses his wild transformation technique, not many can fight him off. Especially for you, since he can actually see Majicka, he is far too strong. We only give him a hard time because he is very obnoxious and gets a really big head when he knows he's very strong."
Mo then walked over to where Talin was and propped the wolf back up, removing and reinserting the needles with lightning speed. This time, he used sticks and rocks to keep Talin propped up. Mo then brought the little grill closer and restarted the fire, slapping on the largest slab of meat onto it, lathering it completely in his sauce. He then proceeded to fan the tasty fumes towards Talin's direction.
Vo examined Korius' arm both inside and out, using her chakra. She neither made any motions nor sounds. Finally, Vo removed her hands and glomped White. "You did well, however, you didn't apply enough Majicka to give enough anesthetic effect to remove the pain. As a ninja, we rely on medicine and homemade anesthetics. YOU are the last remaining white mage in all of Gaia. I expect you to make your predecessors proud! Now, come. It's supper time. You may take the books with you if you want." Korius sighed, "Can you at least bring me back to the operation room? I like it better in there than on a table." Vo slapped him on the forehead as she and White walked by, "Crybaby. I'll send someone down to carry you back. You are just too much weight for me."
Hajime was humming a cheerful tune as she brought out trays for the carry-outs. "Hmm.. let's see. Two for the lovebirds, two for the rangers, and one extra-extra-large for the expecting mother." She smiled and walked back into the kitchen.
-
Kiana didn't look impressed at Bo's transformation but on the inside she was moderately surprised. She was prepared to block or dodge his attack but instead she got to watch as Mo fought him off. When Mo directed her to go eat she walked towards the exit and paused when Mo whispered in her ear. "Well then someone needs to teach him a lesson and knock him down to size, because I'm tired of how he acts. I get no respect from him...I'm just a piece of eye candy." She muttered to Mo while glaring at Bo. She walked off and exited the training grounds into the tavern. She peeked into the kitchen after glancing at the carry-out trays. "Am I correct in guessing that I'm supposed to deliver Korius' food again?" She asked, looking over a Hajime.
-
*Stunned from being glomped by Vo, he held back his initial opinions on her character* "I suppose people are not always how they seem, she's quite nice. Also I'm very relieved to know I did better than I myself expected, since I've not trained in probably the best ways, but I think I followed the books as well as I could myself." *He snapped out of his astonishment to notice Vo smack Korius* "Oh well next time I will use more majicka then, was so into the teachings I haven't really gotten used to the new methods as of yet, but I'm sure it will get more stable as time progresses, although speaking of my predecessors Vo, why are all the white mages gone, and why of all people myself to retain this power? If you don't mind explaining now or later, and I'd like to help Korius get to the Operation Room if that's okay? I'm in no hurry to get to dinner." *He thought further on the predecssor subject* "I'm surprised I never really thought of asking that question, though I suppose there hasn't been much time for thinking about such things and for most of the travel Korius would have probably only known the overview of the situation which I can probably answer just as well from experience."
-
Talin saw what happened just before Chronin went mad, but he chose ignore the emotions that Chronin gave off. The response to his pessism was only silence as Chronin formulated a method to convince him, but Talin instead proposed a deal that both would agree to perform: find the grave of Carina Gallant, and Chronin's spirit will join her where his body could not. Talin yawned as he finally awoke, then stared rather hatefully at Mo when he brought the meal closer. "I think its important to tell you that I am actually trying to move my arms, but your pill worked better than advertised. Now can I have something to eat before I die of starvation?" He still had his energy from waking up, but he was still rather scrawny and tired.
-
Ferdande led Drevo up to where they needed to eat, once there Drevo sat down and looked around. "I'll go let Hajime know you're here." "Okay..." Ferdande walked off into the back, leaving Drevo to look around rubbing his jaw. Whilst rubbing his jaw he looked back to where Ferdande had went and Hajime was already walking towards him with a plate of food. She set it down in front of him cheerfully. "Alexia helped me make this. She felt bad about what she did to you. It's laced with some medicine to help with the bit of pain you're feeling." "Are you sure it wasn't poison?..." Hajime chuckled. "Only in large doses, sweetie. Now enjoy." "Thank you..." Hajime walked off and Drevo hesitantly started eating.
-
Lo finally stopped trying to teach Kitt swordplay as the food was brought out. She nodded towards the bench, allowing him to sheath his sword and finally sit down "Hopefully after a hearty meal we can continue some more training... Nothing physical, for i fear of injury at such a critical stage, but something can definitely be arranged im sure...."
With that she sat down, nodding in thanks to Hajime and elbowing Kitt in the ribs to do the same... When the plates where set down, Kitt started to eat with a rapturous appetite. Lo smiled, glad to see he was eating well, and started eating as well... "I shall make sure to inform Korius of your good progress.... Though we have little time left, and there is so much i need to teach you..."
-
Vo nodded to White's suggestion of helping Korius over to the operation room. "Don't take too long, youngling." Korius grunted as White helped him up off the table, his body's strain from the day still catching up with him.
Hajime nodded to Kiana as she asked her about the food. "Yes, dear. If you would please." She went straight back to the kitchen to bring back out everyone else's food before grabbing the super large tray herself and headed over to Elistra's room. "Hello, mommy-to-be. Your dearest won't be joining you tonight due to his training, so I'll be spending time with you."
Mo continued to fan the scent over towards Talin's nose and just watched as the wolf tried to fight himself. "You'll be fine. Wolves can survive quite long without food. You may be a Kin, but your roots still define who you are. So I think I'll just enjoy the show."
-
Kiana nodded in response to Hajime as a way of saying that she would. She picked up the two trays of food and headed out of the tavern. She walked over to the medical center at a casual pace then headed for the operation room after she got inside, figuring that that would be where he was and passing Vo along the way. When she entered the operating room, she noticed White was there as well. "Oh, hello White." She said, looking at White before looking at Korius. "Hajime had me bring your food again, Korius." She raised the trays a little in her hands as an indication then walked over to them.
-
*White helped move Korius to a chair in the operation room and noticed Kiana when he turned around being greeted* "Hello Kiana, you look like you're doing well. I guess I gotta go though, don't want Vo to get mad. I'll see you later at the tavern I hope." *He smiled and looked back to Korius* "I figure this might be more comfortable than laying on a table while eating, I'll leave you be for now sir. Don't push yourself too hard!" *He eyed his leader for a moment looking at his arm and then turned back to her and nodded as he passed by, going upstairs to perhaps catch up with Vo* "I wonder if she knows anything about that history subject I mentioned..."
*The wolf entered the tavern and looked about, scanning his delectable options*
-
When the smell it Talin's nose, he expected something that smelled better than what the chefs in the tavern cooked. This proved to be true, but the best he could manage was to fall out of the support that Mo set up since Chronin cut him off from the power he had given him earlier. All he could do was just give him a look that said 'Did you really expect anything more?'.
Elistra didn't even try to eat as she heard about Talin. "Why must I feed after doing nothing but lounge, while my Talin starves?" she asked as tears started to form on her eyes as she started to have recourring fears of him permanetly weaked from starvation over something as trivial as an ignorant remark. "Why is he paying for my mistakes?!"
-
Kitt and Lo both finished eating rather quickly, for Kitt was eager to do some actual training... They stood up at the same time, plates cleared away and walked out of the Inn... Kitt smiled happily, revelling at the scent of fresh air after being confined indoors for so long... Lo smirked, leading him away towards the coppice where they had trained before "As a Ranger who has undergone the ritual, you will have a much more intimate link to the forest and nature than ever before.... I cannot really explain it, but i am sure you will understand once we enter the woods..."
-
Korius groaned as he looked at the food. He was hungry, but the pain that he's gone through all day had set off his appetite. Korius watched as White went out of the operation room and probably to go eat with the others. He sighed and looked at Kiana, "So I'm guessing that we are going to be dining together again? You are so considerate..." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but he meant it sincerely.
Hajime sighed as she was almost about to force-feed the dragoness. "Your mate is a stubborn one, and more than arrogant enough to kill the whole party. Your little mating is nothing. Talin is prideful, and a fool. He would not be a fit warrior, mate, nor father if he doesn't humble himself. That is why Korius must also undergo anger management. Pride is the death of all men. However, your mate has a worse case, being the destined reincarnate of the Black One."
-
Kiana uncovered her food tray while Korius spoke then looked up at him when he was done speaking. "I guess so. That Hajime person keeps choosing me to bring your food to you. Seems like she's got in her head that we're in love or something." She said and chuckled. "But it's not like I have anything else to do with this meal time so bringing you your food won't kill me. I'm probably the only one who would take the job though since I'm the only one in the group who isn't exactly intimidated by you in any way." She looked down at her food and sort of smirked before she started to eat.
-
*The wolf sat down and ate by himself thinking further about everything that has happened so far while he's been in the ninja village* "Let's see... I got ancient texts and studied them rigorously, know methods unknown to everyone else in the world, my healing abilities have been heavily increased in speed and my shielding abilities while untested are probably far more than what they used to be. And I got a new.... HEY! Where is that knife, I think Vo still has it. Gah... I forgot to get it, my prize for all my work. Where have you goooone." *He looked around* "Crud, I need to find her."
-
Elistra grumbled at Hajime's lecture, but was able to think outside her possibly hormone-enhanced emotions to realize she made it sound like she thought of him as weak. "I'm sorry, I spoke under the influence of 'motherhood'. But, you are wrong when it comes to your judgement of him. What little arrogance Talin had was lost when Mo sought to 'spar' with him, my only concern is that he will not be able to feed himself after tonight." She picked up the plate with one hand, and put it on her lap as she started to eat.
When she finished the plate, she put it down and looked back at Haijime.
"May I go get a second plate?"
-
Once done eating Drevo just rested there, pain in his jaw subsiding. He was kinda enjoying the doped up feeling of the medicine, the tingling of the numbness. But sooner than later he realized he couldn't move at all, he was numb all over by the time he had realized it. He could tell there was people coming and standing around him. "Okay, get him to his room." "You know...When I offered to help you with this little scheme of yours you didn't tell me you were going to drug him..." "It's an extra special treat for the birthday boy!" said Alexia with glee, thrusting her hand into the air. Ferdande sighed and lifted up the paralyzed and limp Drevo, carrying him to his room. You could hear Drevo's muffled groaning as he was carted off. "Sorry buddy, I had to...Hope she goes easy on you..." Drevo mumbled something clearly sounding like "Up yours" and some other things to express his hatred of Ferdande at the time.
-
Lo waited patiently, as Kitt stood at the edge of the clearing with one hand pressed to the thick trunk of an oak tree... She smiled, watching as he ran his fingers through the cracks and crevices in its ancient bark "I honestly have no idea what your feeling now... Every Ranger experiences it differently... But all are the masters of the forest...." Kitt looked up, a look of radiant joy in his amber eyes....
Ten minutes later, when Lo had finally pulled Kitt into the middle of the clearing, she drew her sword... and threw it away to the edge of the clearing... "We will not need weapons for this... But you will need willpower..." She pulled him close, placing two fingers against his forehead "Okay... Now just concentrate, or dont concentrate, whichever works for you... Reach deep inside you, and try to remember what it said on page 112 of the ranger's book about speed and swiftness...."
-
Hajime shook her head, "That's why I brought 3 with me for you. The large tray is all yours, mine is just a single plate I carried in with me. As for my judgment of character, you haven't lived near as long in this world as i have. Perhaps you may not have noticed, but every ninja in this village has a very, very unique technique of their own. As you may have guessed, Mo, Bo, Lo and Vo are not their real names. The four of them, alongside Ferdande are my strongest warriors, and each possess very powerful and deadly skills. Ferdande is the weakest of them, and is the only one openly known as my right hand man. When, in fact, I have 5. Bo's abilities to see and manipulate a Majicka user's Majicka flow is unparalleled, coupled with his transformation techniques that make him extremely deadly. Lo has served the Ranger clans all over Gaia under many names, secretly running as the torchbearer of their traditions and code. Mo is the deadliest of them all, he is possibly the only person in Gaia who is closest to Korius' full potential who is not a Guardian. Vo is the greatest manipulator of the body's growth process, she has lived for centuries, and has only used this art on those who have earned the title of 'O'. You may remember my other name, since I was once your father's master..."
Korius blushed a little under his fur when Kiana mentioned what was going on in Hajime's mind. The truth was that it was how he felt, but his pride was on the line, and he felt that to acknowledge these feelings would be a betrayal to Koara. He did his best to shake it off, and grabbed some of the food, not really strong enough to have the dexterity to eat normally. "I wonder why she thinks that?"
-
Kiana was quiet for a few minutes as she thought about what Korius asked. "Why would she think that?" She asked in her mind. She ran through the time since Korius joined them to the present moment rather quickly in her head, scanning her memories for any indication of Hajime's idea being true. "Maybe that's why I felt so much hurt alongside my anger when he struck me. Maybe that's why it has been so hard for me to keep up my grudge and avoid him. I mean, I am with him now and talking to him, even though I don't want to forgive him. Maybe that's why I've been feeling so bad for all the pain he's going through and why I was so angry when I saw Elistra wailing on him during training. Maybe..." She shook her head slightly as she continued eating. She hoped that the fact that she was eating had covered up her long pause so that it just seemed natural. "I'm not sure. I mean, it's not we act like those other two around each other. We just act like normal people traveling together, in my opinion." She said, shrugging and trying to act like she had no idea what it could be that had Hajime thinking like she did. Actually, it wasn't too hard to accomplish since she knew that Hajime knew nothing about the past events. Intuition wasn't hard evidence.
-
*The wolf began his search around the room asking random people hoping to find anybody who knew where Vo went* "I really want that balisong, I need some mindless activity to prevent the indefinite doom of boredom." *Several attempts later where the wolf slumps down at a table* "I've really never been good at finding people, thank Gaia I have people who are. If I wasn't in this party, I'd better be at a town otherwise I would be pretty helpless. Crud... well I guess all I can do now is sleep or keep waiting for Vo, I guess I'll wait for either to come."[/i] *He laid his arms on the table and put his head on them closing his eyes*
-
Talin couldn't tell how many hours had past, and was only thinking of how he could get food with momentum as a driving force. He was even seeing how he could get the food to fall off the grill and into his mouth.
Sadly, he lost his patience when his third plan failed to work in theory, and he simply lunged at the grill. This act alone locked him his neck and upper body so he simply flopped back down, but this time with feral hunger in his eyes.
Elistra was back at her depressed state, but she now ate at a faster pace when she came back to her seat with her second plate. Yet, she stopped eating the other half of her second plate and gulped down what was still left in her mouth. She started to think of a question, then her mind jumped off that rail and started listing all o
I'm stressed, a bad judge of character, emotionally dependant on an apparently arrogant wolf, now lets add 'heavy with my first child'!. she speculated with mock enthusiasm before making eye contact with Hajime, but couldn't remember the question she wanted to ask before she spoke.
"I could not recall your name out of the countless times my father compares me to Elistro. He eventually stopped that and resorted to magically locking me in the cave, then started tossing me ar-; well, enough about my problems and issues." She finally caught herself complaing again, and finally remembered what she was going to ask.
"How could you teach my father anything?! He was more stubborn and arrogant than Talin ever was!!
-
Lo's training consisted of a strange version of the childhood game 'tag'... She would chase Kitt, the pair of the them ducking weaving and running between the trunks of the forest, small branches whipping at their legs as they jumped over stumps logs and boulders.... Every time she caught up and tagged Kitt, she would slap him curtly across the head, and tell him to re-focus on his speed and swiftness....
-
Korius finished eating rather quickly and sighed as he sat back against the wall, "Dear Gaia, Hajime makes a mean dish. Those herbs and medicine really work well, but the accelerated healing process is about as painful as White's prior healing ability. It brings back memories..." Korius' mind slipped back to his days of happiness and love, and his voice let slip in an audible whisper, "Koara..."
-
Kiana swallowed and chuckled. "Yes, she is quite the cook." As she took another bite of food, she could have sworn she heard Korius whisper 'Koara', but she didn't understand why he would have said it in such a way when he had just been her personal bodyguard. Unless... "No...he would never do that. Would he?" She glanced up at Korius. "What was that you just said? I couldn't quite hear you." She said, sounding nonchalant about it. She chewed on her last bite of food. She didn't expect him to give her an honest answer but she figured she'd ask anyway to see if he would actually tell her so she wouldn't be stuck with just guesses.
-
*The wolf yawned and got up* "Alright I'm just wasting my time, I'm gonna go back to the medical facility and read some books." *He stretched his arms and got up from the table, walking out the door and going again downstairs* "I'd much rather fall asleep on a comfortable chair reading a book than some food table any day, the end result usually being horrible back pain the next day. Which I really don't want to see anytime soon since it carries me around for most of the day." *He walked past the Operation Room not really noticing Kiana or Korius and sits in his study lounge picking up where he left off with his books* "Hopefully these last two left will maintain the interest of the last many I went through..."
-
Lo knelt down beside Kitt, putting a clawed hand carefully against his chest as he sat panting against the trunk of an oak tree... She sighed, letting a thin trickle of magica flow into him and help relieve some of the pain "Perhaps this was too much all at once... There is no permanent damage, just some chest pain..." Kitt nodded, biting hard on his tongue...
Lo sighed again, letting the magica flow increase and lessen the pain to a dull ache. Kitt let out a relieved sigh, opening his eyes and sitting further up. Above them, through the tree canopy, the moon shone bright as Lo helped pull Kitt to his feet and help him back to the Inn....
-
Hajime chuckled at Elistra's question, "Your father was quite the problem child back in the day. The reason he became the way he is was because of the training I gave him. I tutored your father back during the war, when he was a child. He was a prodigy, and had done me proud. But because of the hardships that he went through during that time, it had hardened him, alongside me having to harden his heart so that he would learn to kill without hesitation. As for your mate, he had only fought many that were weaker than him or close to his own level. He relies on you to be his other half in battle, but will not admit it. He believes within his mind that he is the strongest, and that there's one who can top him. He doesn't realize exactly how little he is compared to even half the party, especially to myself and my Five. If he doesn't learn, then his journey ends here."
Mo sighed as Talin finally gave in with the dive into paralysis. "You have quite a bit of stubbornness in you, and that's only as large as your arrogance. You only had a taste, the other day, of how weak you really are. Your mate is with your child and you must go on without her. You still look down on those stronger than you, and at your own companions. You let your anger cloud your judgment and you even resort to allowing Chronin temporary control over you. If you can't stand on your own two feet and fight with your own strength, whether it be a mental or physical battle, it will be the duty of us here in the village to end you so that you do not become a liability of Gaia's dwindling future. Now, you may eat a little." Mo quickly removed the needles and sat the wolf up, leaving a plate of a large slab of cooked meat in front of him. He took out a pill and crushed it in his hand, and laced it over the steak. "There's the antidote to the super-digestion pill. Eat up. You can go see your mate after this, but you may only have an hour before you must return to the Inn."
Korius snapped out of his trans, "Uh...umm....I'm sorry, just memories from the past... can you... keep a secret? You remember the story of me nearly killing Koara when I was her personal guard? Well... after my Ki was sealed away, she attempted to restore my 'humanity' and before I knew it... we became lovers... But that was short-lived. Months later, those bloody Guardians rose up with their betrayal to Gaia and killed her. Also, while growing up, I never once got attached to anyone. However, I grew attached to my masters after a few years. But, again, months later, they were all murdered by some angry mercenaries. Every time I get close to anyone, they end up dead, that's why I'm..." Korius' words trailed off as he slunk back into his trance of depression.
Vo emerged from the shadows near White, still flipping the balisong skillfully. "Pop quiz time. If you fail, you don't get this until tomorrow night, before you leave."
-
Kiana listened to Korius, nodding when he had asked if she could keep a secret. What he said about him and Koara being lovers surprised her but she didn't let it show on her face. When his words trailed off, she thought about what he had said the last time she had brought him his meal. "...it's all too more of an affirmation that things such as love are not meant for me... which is why I've been avoiding you..." His words rang through her mind and she realized that that was where what he was just saying was going again when his words had trailed off. "Which is why you've been staying away from me..." She whispered while looking down at her empty tray, more for her to hear the words out loud than to finish the sentence for him. She moved the tray off of her lap then looked up at Korius. "You know, you can't go through the rest of your life thinking that everyone you get close to is going to die." She said in a soft voice. "I never started thinking that way after my brother was killed...of course, he was the only person I was close to...but you've just got to go with how you feel. It's unhealthy to hold things back." She glanced over at the tray on the floor, looking at the light reflecting off of it. "But I hold things back all the time...maybe I shouldn't be giving him advice..."
-
*The wolf probably jumped up about a foot out of his chair half-awake dropping his book to the floor* "GAH! Hu-whaat?" *He blinked a few times and noticed Vo rather quickly* "Why do you have to be so sneaky about where you are...? Jeez I could swear you're a ghost sometimes!" *He got up from his chair and picked up the upside-down open book and closed it then put it back in the unfinished reading stack, looking back up to notice the balisong* "Oh my prize! I want... I'll do anything to get that cold metal into my paws. I wish that shop keep would have given it to me, so much trouble just to get my replacement blade! Makes easy leverage for this lady against me though... oh well." *He stopped his thought sequence to ask further about the aforementioned pop quiz* "What would you like me to do for this "pop quiz," Vo?"
-
Talin had heard what Mo said, but wasn't listening to him until after he devoured the steak and felt the drug take effect. It made sense in a logical way that since she was pregnant, she would be a liability if she was about to give birth; that did nothing to take the sting out of Mo's words however. The arrogance he was unaware of was completely against the notion that he wasn't even among the strongest of the group.
He just sat there for an unknown time, trying to get his emotions in check so he could at least say his farewell to Elistra. He was facing the sobering fact that he had relied on Elistra to back him up, and was thus unable to stand alone...
Elistra was facing a similar emotional issue, but it was because she let him rely on her too much, and was no longer the dragoon that fought her to a tie. "There is one thing I know, the last thing he'll do is ask for help. But, if he does..." She bit her lip at the thought of it, then breathed out slowly. "Can you have Mo train him?
-
Lo helped Kitt sit down on his bed back in the Inn. She tutted under her breath, muttering things like "Much too young.... Dont know why I allowed you to commit to the ritual.... Going to cause so many problems...."
She stopped, putting her hands on hips and watching as he settled down under the covers, rangers cloak slung over the bedstead with the rest of his clothes "You are not to move from this bed, until i get back... I am going to go and find Korius, tell him how your are getting on.... And then go get some sleep... You should do the same young Ranger..."
Lo sighed, looking down at him, and the frown changed to a worried smile "Youre doing well... Keep it up, and I reckon you will be a Ranger to rival your father..." She sighed, turning and walking out of his room, and back downstairs to find Korius...
-
Hajime gave a warm smile at Elistra's request, "It had already been underway since this morning. As for combat, Mo will be helping Talin at least to control himself a bit more, but this time, against Chronin. His own physical and mental battle should be over now, but his power to fight on his own, and to at least refine his skills a little, will start tomorrow. I've allowed Talin one hour to be with you tonight. He will be waking up very early tomorrow morning for training. Talin will be learning the true meaning of fear..." With that, Hajime got up and left, closing the door behind her.
Vo's face grew angry in an instant and she slammed a punch into White's muzzle, "That's MASTER Vo to you, child! Who taught you such disrespect for your elders!? Now, let's begin." She returned to her normal self and flipped the balisong around as she quizzed the wolf. He was partially distracted as he was quizzed, but he managed to stay with the questions enough to answer them satisfactorily. Vo gave an almost devilish smile as she flipped the balisong in a way that made it look like it crawled up to her elbow and crawl back down her arm, into her hand closed, and held it in front for the wolf to have.
Korius grunted and sighed as he struggled to get up. "The monks who raised me... the ones I came to call brothers and sister... my Love... all sent to their deaths only months after I become attached to them... 27 people can not be just coincidence. I'm going to check with Hajime, there are a few things I need to know about tomorrow, since it WILL be our last day here in this village." Hajime walked in as Korius finished, "Indeed, you are right. Tomorrow, you will be undergoing the rest of anger training. You will be sparring with me all day. I will see how well you can control your emotion when you're forced to use your Ki. And don't worry, I'm no needle expert, but I can achieve the same effect as Mo can." A smirk crawled over her face before he walked over and hoisted Korius' arm over her shoulders. "Now let's get you to bed. Vo has already prepared a special potion for you to drink to help with your body readjusting to your full power again. I'm not going to lie, it's going to be the most foul thing you can ever taste in this world."
Lo met up with Korius at the Inn and filled Korius in on Kitt's progress. Korius nodded and passed out almost right after, having already spent 10 minutes gagging and almost vomiting Vo's potion. Hajime laid him down and tucked him in before taking Lo with her.
Mo stood at the rooftops with Ferdande, on watch again. "So tomorrow's the last day... how's your training with Drevo? Has he managed to at least stand a hit? I heard Alexia gave him one of her big punches." Ferdande chuckled, "Yea, but he'll survive. She controlled herself enough not to kill him. How about Talin? I heard that he finally passed his personal fight. How are you going to train him to resist Chronin?" Mo sighed, "I'll be beating it into him. His fight with Chronin's no different than Korius' fight with his dark Ki. I actually wish that Talin was as good as he made himself out to seem." "Why's that?" "Master Hajime is going to be training Korius tomorrow. She'll be fighting him full on. I want to be there, both to see such a monumentous fight and to make sure if Korius loses it, to back her up. I'm worried that she might not be able to handle him. After all, it took almost the whole village to barely restrain Korius." Ferdande chuckled again, "I'm sure you and the others will be able to jump in to stop him." A smirk crawled over Mo's face, "No, all 4 of us will. You are to take Drevo to the training grounds with us, and..." Hajime jumped up onto the roof with Lo, Bo and Vo. She finished Mo's sentence, "From hence forth, you are recognized as a master. Therefore, from this moment on, you will be shed of your birth name, Ferdande, and shall from now on be known as Fo." Mo, Lo, Vo and Bo circled around Ferdande and each made quick hand movements and placed two finger gestures around the areas of his neck. A faint glow came from their finger tips and they traced a pattern onto the area around his neck. As they retreated, Hajime approached Ferdande and, after quick hand movements of her own, pressed a strong, thrust with her palm onto his chest, which burned through his shirt, and left the symbol 黑 (Shadow) on his chest. Hajime stepped back and Ferdande bowed. "Thank you, master. I, Fo, shall live up to the title of 'O' and fulfill my duties and responsibilities as the shadow master."
-
Kiana sat there looking like a small child as Hajime spoke to Korius, feeling like a kid caught in the middle of an important conversation its parents were having. After Hajime helped Korius out of the room, Kiana let out a sigh. "He's never going to listen to me..." She said softly then lifted herself off the floor. She walked slowly out of the operation room, glancing over at White and Vo as she passed, then continued out of the medical center. She walked over to the Inn and up to her room in a lazy fashion. When she entered the room, she shut the door behind her and walked over to the bed, dropping her staff on the floor and flopping down on her bed. She fell asleep soon after her head hit the pillow.
-
*Holding his nose now to prevent the blood from leaving it he took the knife cautiously* "I didn't name you master because I like to think of most people as friends, I am sorry I disrespected you." *He flipped it in his free hand and flipped it closed* "It was worth the wait, well balanced as promised, thank you for giving it to me." *He bowed for a moment and walked away with the glint of a tear looking at the blood on the top of his paw, but he shrugged it off putting his hand to his side as he focused on healing his face and continued up the stairs* "It's amazing that people will hurt or even kill over a simple label or logo. I don't hold it against her, but the culture that enticed the idea. If I were disrespectful, I don't think Korius would have brought me with him. Gaia be with him."
-
Talin was lead to the room where Elistra was waiting, from that moment and for ten minutes straight, they kissed, hugged, and did all sorts of lovey-dovey stuff until Talin broke away.
"Mo told me you had to stay here, because of the child." "With the way the nurses act, I seriously doubt you could sneak me out anyway..." Elistra pointed out with a smirk, and it spread to Talin's face as well. But his went away first since he needed to admit a few things.
"I've got more to work on than just my anger, which is why I'll need my needles back." She slowly nodded, and took the thigh back off and tossed it to Talin, who instantly strapped it on upon catching it.
"I'm still amazed that you began to believe the ruse you set up. I'm also amazed that nobody wondered why I would be using needles if I was Dragon-kin, but I guess since we became mates they assumed anything else was possible." Talin let out a half-hearted chuckle as he balanced a needle on his finger.
"I'll need to practice with these again, two years can do some degradation to the hand-eye-coordination." "Just promise me that you won't lose to your ancestor, Father already hates me for leaving the cave, coming back with a child would do nothing to prove my worth as a warrior." Talin looked at the window, then sighed and shrugged.
"He is the last archmage, and he is capable of using two elements that don't mix naturally. The only thing I got going for me is being able to think on my feet and some acrobatic skills. But, if I make it through tomorrow, I'll promise to come back and master the incantation." Elistra snuck up on him as he spoke, and wrapped her arms around him and led him towards a couch.
"Tomorrow can wait, we have at least forty-five minutes to make this a farewell to remember..." Talin was going to say 'you read my mind', but she slung' him onto the couch and leaped on top of him...
When the hour was up, he gave her one last kiss before getting up and walking out. Elistra then curled up and went to sleep as Talin went to the Inn and arrive in time for last call on food.
-
Drevo woke up the next morning sore, with his head in pain. "What...Happened...?" He sat up holding his head and looked around. There were questionable objects lying about the room, and upon further inspection he noticed Alexia next to him. Asleep, and naked. He also noticed at that time he too was naked. "Oh god...We didn't...Did we? I don't even remember anything...What did she give me? What did she DO to me? Man...I'm so going to get Ferdande for this..."
-
Lo walked into Kitt's bedroom, pulling back the curtains to allow bright sunlight in. She hummed under breath as she walked, dark cloak fluttering around her as she walked up to the bed "Wake up young Ranger.... Its a new day!" Kitt took one look out of his bed, groaned, and rolled over to pull the covers over his head. Lo frowned, prodding the bedspread with the tip of her sword "C'mon... Up, up, up, up!"
Finally losing patience, Lo grabbed the bedspread, and yanked it straight off. Kitt gave a sleepy mewl of surprise and attempted to pull it back. Lo smirked, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck "A Ranger wakes early... I hope illness has not made you soft..." Kitt grumbled, pulling out of her grip and grabbing the autumnal Ranger cloak. Lo nodded, walking back out of the room "Dressed, bed made... Breakfast and then training..."
-
Korius woke up groggy, but not sore. Hajime had already been standing at his door, "I see even the most foul-tasting substances can't lower your guard while you slumbered. Come, we spar until breakfast. I'd say we have 2 hours before everyone else wakes up for meals. Let's start without Ki or chakra, I want to see how far you've come in strength and technique." The two left the Inn and went down into the training area under the tavern. 2 hours later, the two of them emerged from underneath, completely battered and bloodied, but laughing heartily as they staggered into the tavern. Vo came out from the kitchen with Lo and Mo to serve food and they all had a very surprised look on their faces, "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU TWO!?"
-
When Kiana awoke the next morning she found herself lying on the floor next to her staff. She figured she had tossed and turned a lot in her sleep. Grabbing her staff, she stood up and straightened out her clothes. She left the Inn and went to the tavern, entering the door just in time to hear the question that was being exclaimed. She looked up to see Korius and Hajime and felt herself feeling a little jealous about how happy they looked. Once again, that true emotion didn't show and she just looked like she normally did. She took a seat at the table, leaning her staff against the wall, then untied her braid. She combed her fingers through her hair so it wasn't messy anymore then re-braided and re-tied it. The look on her face while she did her hair said that she wasn't interested in what was going on around her.
-
*White yawned and stretched, first feeling his nose and seeing that it was better and flipped open his knife* "Ahhh... much better with a new friend." *He petted the unsharpened swedge side to feel the cool metal on the heat of his paw then flipped the knife closed with his hand and put it away in his robe* "Alright time to go get breakfast at the tavern! I think the training is probably about done with, so I wonder what Korius plans to do next. Haven't exactly been updated on the plans since I had originally considered leaving the group and decided it was best not to know. So it's probably a good idea to ask and then perhaps get some sort of idea of what we'll be dealing with." *The wolf look around after thinking, noticing the bench he was just laying on and then the buildings around himself* "Oh right... I fell asleep here, was a bit hot last night." *Noticing the tavern off to the right of his view, he made his way in that direction*
-
Talin woke up to a rather uncomfortably empty room, and remembered that he couldn't sleep with Elistra anymore. He got up and expected the horns to be gone, but got a bit of a surprise as the horns were still there, and his head resembled what he thought a 'wolgon'-kin would have. He banged his head into the dresser, in hopes of the change being only a self-made illusion, only to have his horns stuck in the wood.
"Well, on the bright side, at least my fur hasn't fallen off my face..." He mumbled as he pried his head off the dresser and strapped on his volge as he walked downstairs. The feeling of her arm around his waist was just that, and it was a mild annoyance that his body wouldn't stop reminding him of what he currently no longer had.
-
Drevo sat at the table leaning on his hand. He was trying not to think about what might have happened the previous night. He noticed Korius all battered along with Hajime in relatively the same condition. Then Ferdande walked in behind the two with a sigh at them. He saw Drevo and walked over to him. "Hey, Drevo, nice to see you alive and well. How was your birthday surprise?" "I'm not even sure..." Drevo sighed. "Hmm...Well, I know today is your real birthday, technically, so I got you something." Drevo turned around in his seat to look at him. "Oh really? And here I thought you forgot." Ferdande reached into a pouch on his waist and pulled out a small scroll. He handed it to Drevo and he took it examining it. "And this is...?" "Knife trick." Drevo's face lit up like a kid opening the Christmas present he's been always wanting. "I had it made especially for you, though you only get one use. But yeah...Don't mention it." He got up and hugged Ferdande. "Oh my God this is awesome! Thank you thank you thank you! You're the best, Ferdande!" "Uhm...Actually, it's not Ferdande anymore." "Huh?" Drevo said, raising an eyebrow and ceasing to hug him. Ferdande pulled down his shirt a bit revealing the shadow symbol. "You could say I was promoted...I kinda have to change my name now. It's Fo." "Fo? Does it mean something cool?" "Uh..." "What ever, I'll still call you Ferdande." "I expected that, anyway, get some food, just because it's your birthday doesn't mean I'm going easy on you today." Ferdande said as he started to walk off.
-
Kitt walked into the Tavern, making sure not to meet anyone's eyes as he did so... Sitting down at a bench he sighed, watching Kiana braid and tie her hair. He ate quietly, sitting with his hood up and fringe hanging sparsely over his eyes. The tips of his hair glinted silver when they caught the light, as Lo sat down beside him "So... Official Ranger of the clan Szarda... Hows breakfast?" Kitt looked up, shrugging. Lo sighed, laying a clawed hand on his shoulder "Look... As soon as you've finished... Why dont we get down to some real Ranger tricks, eh?... I reckon we have enough time before you leave...." She stood back up, leaving Kitt to eat alone at the table...
-
Hajime chuckled as she sat down at the head of the table, seen being served food for the first time to anyone. "Here here, let us raise a toast to our guests of honor. This is our last day of training, so let's make it the best we can. So for now, let us eat heartily, we won't be eating until supper time. No mid-day meal today." Korius raised his goblet with the others and took a small sip. "Don't worry, children, no alcohol in the morning, it's merely cider." Korius eyed Hajime for a second and downed the rest of the cup, his face cringed at the taste and he gagged a little. "Except yours, Korius. Your goblet is 50% potion, it's required to accelerate your healing again, like myself." Sneaky wench... Korius looked around the table and surveyed the others. It felt exceptionally odd and out of place, being back to his full power. He noticed every little detail about everyone, from their fitness to even the magic users' Majicka levels. It had been ages since Korius was able to sense others to this magnitude. He even sensed Kiana's emotions, and how they were directed towards him, as well as Talin's drifting out of the building, most likely towards Elistra.
-
Kiana raised her goblet when Hajime made the toast but just set it back down on the table instead of taking a drink from it when the toast was over. She took a bite of food and smirked when Korius gagged on his drink. It amused her slightly. She only ate half of the food on her plate, not taking one drink from her goblet, before she rose from the table. She went around to where Bo was sitting and grabbed him by the arm. "Come on, I want to train now. Bring your plate if you must." She said, tugging on his arm. "Even if I have to do something stupid to make up for making our training start early, I don't care." She knew she'd probably regret what she had just said but at the moment she didn't care. She just wanted to get as strong as possible before they had to leave.
-
*Walking in the the building, the wolf quickly noticed the Hajime's loud toast and confirmation of today being the last training day before returning to the field* "Cheers!" *The wolf picked up a free standing glass of apple cider on the table and downed it merrily* "That always tastes good no matter what time of day it is, I wonder what *Master* Vo has in store for me today. Apparently there is no warning to the traditions of this village with that being said I should probably ask if there's any other taboos in the dialect since I know nothing about outside cultures, I've been stuck in a small town my entire life. I would have though someone of such age would have understood that and patience. Though this world is continually full of surprises... I wonder where she is now?"
*He looked around and then turned around to make sure she wasn't stalking him again and hiding somewhere* "As soon as I give up, she's going to scare me again." *He shuddered at the thought*
-
Talin kept to himself as he took his plate of food and cider, then sat at the back corner as he ate and studied the book. He soon just tossed it away as the book didn't help him get any better if he couldn't understand what was written I just need to eat, reading that book just reminds me of her. He went back to eating until there was a piece of meat sitting right on the middle of the plate. He opened up the satchel of needles and entertained himself by sticking needles into them, then balancing another needle on top of two others.
He tired of that as well, and pulled out the needles before eating the last piece of meat.
-
Drevo turned back around tucking his new scroll happily into his robe. He then chugged his cider, believing it was some form of alcohol. But to his disappointment it wasn't. So he went to eating the food on his plate. It was primarily chicken and chicken related food items, he almost thought Alexia had her hand in crafting this particular dish. That thought made him hesitant to even eat it but his stomach you could say kicked him in the behind to get him to start eating. A little into the dish, he didn't feel anything, so no "Birthday surprise" today. Thankfully...
-
Kitt and Lo walked out of the tavern together after breakfast, walking towards the small woods where they trained each day... As they walked Kitt glanced over at her, thinking "Lo.... When was the last time you saw a proper Ranger?"
She stopped, frowning "Well I'm looking at one now arent I?"
Kitt shook his head, stopping as well "Besides me... When was the last time you ever saw anybody from my Clan.... Or indeed any of the clans..."
Lo stuttered, as if about to speak, and then stopped. She looked down at Kitt, sorrow in here eyes "You are the first for many years... The Ranger clans are nowhere near as numerous as they once where... And they tend to keep to their respective territories... Clan Szarda in the great forest of Kazyen, Clan Isha in the mountains of Urayl... And so forth...
She sighed, gripping his shoulder tightly "But that is not what matters... You are here to continue the blood line, albeit in a rather unorthodox fashion..." She smiled, pulling him now "Come on... Enough dilly-dallying... More training..."
-
Mo appeared in front of Lo and Kitt, pointing back towards the tavern, eying Lo with a stern look to remind her where she was to take Kitt for training today and why. Lo nodded and looked down a bit, a little embarrassed that she had already forgotten what she was told only an hour before, and led the new Ranger back to the tavern and towards the trap door. Mo followed them back in and grabbed Talin by the ear on the way as the wolf finished his last bit of food. "You're mine, now."
Vo patted White softly on the shoulders. "Come, child. It's time we finished your training. We'll be in the training room today instead of the infirmary. We'll be on the far wall to right with Bo and Lady Kiana." She gave a warm smile and pulled the wolf by the foot as a surprise. And almost in tune and timing with Mo, "You're mine, now."
Bo was really excited when he heard what Kiana had said. When they were on the ground in the training room, he pulled out the same, stringy piece that he had produced the other day and handed it over to Kiana with a cheesy, and very obviously perverted, anxious look on his face. Alright, I get to see all of her!
Fo led Drevo downstairs after he was done with his meal. "Alright, our goal today is to get you to stand after taking a hit before supper time. Remember, this is our last training session together, do it well. And also, Korius is gonna be there, so show him your determination."
Korius felt revitalized after his meal. He and Hajime headed for the stairs behind the bar with everyone at the same time. Of course, they all left 15 minutes after Kiana had already dragged Bo away. Korius and Hajime were the first to get down. Kiana and Bo were on the far end on the right, so he couldn't see very well since the training area is so large. When everyone was down, Hajime spoke up, "Ok, dears, listen up. Kiana's already in her usual station, but the rest of you will be having a bit of a change. Vo, I know you wanted to be near where Kiana's training, but you're staying here at the stairs, so your books might survive. Fo, take Drevo directly to this right corner. Mo will be taking Talin directly to the left corner. You boys can have your brawl there. And Talin, try to keep it away from the stairs, though I doubt Mo will be able to handle that. Lo, take the right section in the middle. You will have plenty of room there. I'll try to keep Korius' training contained as much as possible, if he loses it, you all know what to do. Good luck to everyone. Today's our last day of training, make the best of it."
-
Kiana wasn't surprised in the slightest to see the string-of-an-outfit brought out by Bo again. It was pretty much what she had expected. She stood there for about five minutes just looking at the thing as Bo held it before she finally snatched it away from him and walked over so she was standing right in the corner. "Don't get too excited. You're not getting a free peep show. You'll see enough once this is on me. You don't need to see the tiny parts it actually manages to cover." She said as she turned to face out away from the corner, looking at him. She brought up a wall of rock to complete the triangle of earth that would be her changing room for the moment. While behind the wall, she took her time changing because even though she had urged Bo that they start their training early, it was mainly an excuse to get away from her thoughts and the cause(s) of them. By the time she had finished changing and had set her folded clothes in the corner, Hajime had started speaking. She climbed the wall and looked over the top while Hajime was speaking. When Hajime was done, Kiana dropped back down onto her feet. "Alright, let's get started..." Kiana said and dropped the wall so it wasn't hiding her anymore.
-
*The wolf looked at his softly held shoulder for a moment and then back up to staring at nothingness* "I totally called it. HA!...Crud." "Please don't hurt meeee." *He then realized his foot was being dragged and instantly upon this realization he hit the floor and started clawing at it as he moved towards the stairs* "Wait what about being your's, wait what?!" *He screamed in a high pitch sounding feminine in a way then stopped sharply* "Oh crud, I hate it when I scream, now they are all going to make fun of me. But but... why such a statement, was it just to mess with me?! Oh Gaia I can't fight! I'm just the healer, the medic, the LAST RESORT!" *He put his head down as he neared the training area*
-
Talin left some of the needles behind as Mo dragged him by the ear. He recalled yelling curses, then heard Mo say something before his feet left the ground, and then he was twenty feet in the air above the ground of the training area before blacking out.
He regained consiousness a few moments later, standing up and holding onto his volge as Mo was holding his head by a single finger under the chin.
"I suppose I deserved that..."
-
Drevo almost snarled when he heard Korius would be in the same room, he wasn't even sure why. It's not like he hated him that much. "Does he have to? This will be annoying...*Sigh*...What ever...Let's go, gimme your best shot, Ferdande." With that said Drevo grabbed his weapon and took the stance, concentrating to keep everything out and to keep balance. If Korius even did give him the time of the day he wouldn't lose focus this time. Not even if Alexia and Kiana, in her revealing attire, were to start making out it wouldn't throw him off. (Lulz, don't hate me)
-
Lo showed Kitt the area she had set up with an exuberant flourish of one clawed hand. She recovered quickly from the mild embarrassment and memory loss, throwing Kitt's crossbow to him "There are five targets at the end of this shooting range.... I want you to hit ALL FIVE, with just ONE ARROW.... Use whatever skills I have shown you, or you have read in the Ranger book that you see fit...." With that she stood back, leaving Kitt to stand gawping at her.
Lo frowned, stepping up again and turning him to face the targets "I do believe at least aiming at the targets may help.... Remember what i have shown you... I personally can think of at least three ways to complete the task.... Just concentrate, and try to work it out..."
-
Bo had a hard feeling of distraction, but he put that aside as he put on a straight face. "Now see if you can hit me, and then see if you can hit me hard enough to stop me. Oh, and Korius might be watching when he gets near here~" He took a deep breath as he threw off his robe and his body transformed like it did before. With lightning speed, he scaled the walls, floor and ceiling.
Korius walked out towards the back-left corner with Hajime and could see the rumblings of earth ahead. As he got closer, he finally noticed where Kiana was and then noticed what she was wearing as she moved around while casting spells, particularly parts that played occasional peek-a-boo when she moved particularly fast that she would cover-up again before continuing her casting. The blood left his brain, and his head felt dizzy as it super-cooled in an instant and he fell over. Hajime picked him up by the scruff of his gi and sighed. "Men...." She threw Korius into the corner, "Ok, loverboy. Now's not the time to be ogling. You still have to fight me." Hajime roared as she summoned her chakra out to the open. Korius snapped to, feeling the powerful aura of her chakra and readied himself. He was hesitant at first, but then allowed the Ki to flow out of his body. It was both exhilarating and frightening to him. Korius felt anything and everything around him, and he narrowed his concentration onto Hajime. Lo, Vo, Mo, and Fo looked in their direction immediately as they felt Korius' power releasing slowly. Bo also turned, but had to recline his attention as he almost took at hit square in the face from a small pillar that rose from the wall.
Vo then turned her attention back to White to make sure that he continued to study.
Mo then turned to Talin and smiled playfully before turning to a more serious look and his pompadour straightened on its own. "I suggest you don't hold back, unless you want it to end here and now."
Fo approached Drevo as fast as he could and punched Drevo in the gut with everything he had, causing Drevo's legs to buckle and collapse under him. He scratched the back of his head and helped Drevo up, "Sorry, you did tell me to hit you with my best shot..." Fo chuckled nervously before splitting into his clones and started with slapping Drevo.
-
Kiana wasn't surprised by Bo's transformation this time so she didn't have to hide anything. She did as she was told and cast spells at Bo, trying to hit him. It was a difficult task though because she had to keep pausing to adjust her outfit to cover herself again. She could feel the eyes on her but she just tried to ignore it and because she was connecting with the earth so much she actually ended up sensing it when Korius hit the ground. She only glanced over for a split second to see Hajime pick him up and throw him in the corner. At one point, a small pillar she sent at Bo almost hit him when he was distracted by what Korius was doing. "Almost is NEVER good enough. You're better than this! You're not trying hard enough!" She thought as she continued to cast spells, starting to cast even faster.
-
*Feeling his rear starting to go numb on the staircase the wolf continuously shifted positions on his sitting spot* "I... hate... sitting on stairs. It always hurts in about 20 minutes or less." *He ignored his pain and kept reading his book somewhat grumpy* "Just 3 more books from yesterday, unless Vo gives me more. I hope so, but at the same time I wish I had some sort of pillow to sit on." *He sighed for a moment as he dreaded the thought of boredom*
-
Talin nodded before shaking his head as he stood back up. He then let out a snort, loud enough to 'wake up' and got into a hybrid stance. Talin knew he had little to no chance of beating Mo in terms of raw power or skill, but since this was the last day the skill was not as big of an issue. He tightened up his legs and sprung in Mo's general direction, but spun his volge around at angle that would hit him high if he jumped. His swinging arm was parralell to the handle as he reached into his needle satchel and expected for him to either dodge, block, or attempt a counter.
-
Drevo coughed when he was hit in the gut. "Don't be...I won't get it down if you hold back..." he grunted getting back up with Ferdande's help. When he started slapping him with some clones he was getting thrown from his stance slightly every time, but he quickly began to endure it and not lose balance. Soon the clones took turns hitting him in the gut, but in a way they hit him every fraction of a second. He again started losing balance due to the speed it came, eventually falling to the ground from the pain. "Are you su-" Yes!" "Alright..." With that one of the clones kicked Drevo in the gut which sent him rolling across the ground. Ferdande stood back watching his clones work Drevo over. "Your enemy won't give you a chance to get up." "I know!" As he got to his feet another clone tried to kick him again but he caught his foot and flung him away and retook the stance, taking more beatings from the clones the descended on him. Punches to the gut, elbows to the back and slaps to the face. Drevo fell repeatedly but got back up quickly fighting off the clones to give him some room. He lasted longer and longer each time he rose. Soon Alexia came down and stood by Ferdande. "He's getting better, don't ya think?" "Yeah, he is. Though he's pushing himself hard...*Takes a look to where Korius is*...I think he's trying to become stronger for more reasons than to kill Elistro..."
-
Kitt took several deep breaths, eyes closed and thinking... Lo watched him from the edge of the shooting range, tapping a clawed finger on her chin... Exactly how the child went about the challenge would be interesting...
Sighing, Kitt thought back over what Lo had taught him on Ranger's abilities. She had told him that every ranger weapon was infused with magica, a source of power that a ranger who had undergone the ritual could tap into. Kitt frowned, clenching his fathers old crossbow in his hands. Sure enough, he could feel a strange tingling warmth inside the wood, ready to be goaded and used however the owner saw fit... Reaching into the wood, Kitt felt a powerful rush of heat run through his arms...
As Lo had told him, the Ranger did not even have to be a magica user. The magic simply ran through them, remotely teased into the shape and use they needed. Kitt smirked, he had an idea... Aiming his crossbow at the five targets, he concentrated on the pent up magic coursing through the bow and his own body... When he was finally ready, he pulled the crossbow trigger...
Lo watched as Kitt drew from the magica pool in his father's crossbow. However much he took, would be rejuvenated whenever he was in the forest, or close to the natural environment of the rangers... When he pulled the trigger, a single crossbow bolt flew out, flashing bright blue midair. It burst halfway towards the targets, becoming five separate arrows the swerved in wide arcs, smashing through each individual target. Lo clapped, smiling "Well done... You actually chose one of the rather more complex methods... A multi-arrow type spell... And i reckon by the end of today we could teach you a few more tricks...
-
Mo smiled, My observational powers aren't an amateur's. Mo's body switched into multiple shadows as Talin tried his multiple attacks. Since they were just shadows, the attacks passed through them. Mo appeared behind Talin and with a thrust of his shoulder, sends Talin flying into the wall. "Come on, Talin. No tricks, no pranks. Fight me seriously. Show me your strength."
Bo then began to start hopping from wall to ceiling to floor at random intervals rather than dashing. Each time he made a pass by Kiana, he would hit her either on the arm or in the stomach. Every couple passes, he would even cop a feel on her behind.
Vo sighed as White's face just spelled out his discontent for sitting on the stairs. She glomped him upside the head and nearly growled at him, "You have to learn patience child! You think you'll always have the luxury of comfort!? Pay attention and stop slacking off!"
Korius began his strike similar to the one back at Provas' castle. He bore his claws and swiped a sharp wave at Hajime. Hajime made some quick hand motions and clapped her hands, sending a wall of Chakra to deter the attack. She then rushed up to Korius while making lightning-fast hand motions. Hajime took a deep breath and blew out a torrent of fire and lightning. Korius took a deep breath and let out a roar that created a shockwave, dispersing the attack. The two of them collided fists and exchanged hits, the other blocking each attack. Their movements were fast and powerful. Any on-lookers would have saw blurs instead of arms. The two broke apart and Hajime had executed more hand gestures while she was flying back and she separated into 3 clones similar to Fo's. "As you may have known, someone did have to teach my right-hands their skills." All 4 Hajimes made more fast hand gestures, all different. Korius didn't want to let her finish and rushed in with the same attack that he started with. One of the clones finished first and slammed a fist into the ground which raised a shockwave of earth spikes, both negating the attack and countering. Korius pushed off the ground to avoid the spikes and closed in, concentrating his Ki into his fist for a powerful punch. The second clone finished her hand gestures and stopped Korius' attack with a wind-like barrier around her fist as the third clone countered with a fire burst from her palm-thrusts. Korius quickly crossed his arms to block and was thrown towards the long wall. The real Hajime finished hers and placed both her palms onto the floor. A hole formed in the wall where Korius was about to land and a feral dragon's giant maw emerged from inside the hole to consume Korius.
All the right-hands sensed the fight if they were not already watching and they all thought the same thing. Wow, haven't seen that in decades...
-
Kiana continued her barrage of attacks aimed for Bo. Each time she was hit, she became more determined to get him back and each time he copped a feel she became more angry at him. "Why is my fighting so horrible?! I'm supposed to be better!" She snapped at herself in her head as she adjusted the outfit. She tried to anticipate where Bo would go but he was moving so randomly that it was working, so she switched to attempting to force him into her main attack with a sub-attack.
-
*White looked up with a unsurprised blank expression* "Master Vo I'm more than willing to sit even on spikes or charcoals if it will improve my meditation and skill level, but that doesn't mean there's no room to complain." *He grinned, feeling in a more entertained mood now* "Not that I want to test her, I just want to show stairs are a bother not a halt on my work."
-
Talin got up and dusted off his clothes, before looking at Mo with annoyance.
"In all honesty, I gave Elistra the needles since she didn't like playing what she thought was the 'dominant' role of combat." He then twirled his volge around with unusual ease before walking towards Mo with a rather casual swag. The moment his blade was within range of Mo, the look in his eyes changed as he swung right at Mo, tossing aside strategy in his attempt to simply kill the pompadour ninja that put him through all of those idiotic forms of 'anger management'.
-
Drevo continued to take a beating from Ferdande's clones, he was able to keep his stance now no matter what they did. Then Ferdande himself casually strolled over and once again hit him in the gut, but this time he didn't collapse, he merely flinched. He smirked and whipped out his chain and flung it around Drevo's leg and yanked it. He fell easily and Ferdande swung him in a full circle before smashing him into a wall. He coughed up blood and staggered to his feet. "That was cheap...You threw me..." "Your enemy won't hesitate to do the same thing..." Drevo wiped the blood from his lip and went back into his stance, ready for more attacks.
-
Kitt continued to train with Lo, the targets at the end of the archery range becoming so clogged with crossbow bolts they finally had to pause to pull them all out. Frowning, Lo nodded "Enough with the bow.... You have great skill with it, a true Ranger after your father, but your opponent will not always allow you the luxury of fighting him from afar... Draw your sword, and i shall show you how you can draw upon the magica stored in it, as well as improve on your still meagre swordplay..."
-
Korius' battle with Hajime had been intense for the entire first hour. Sweat had begun dripping from Korius' brow, and his body was feeling the strain of using so much Ki for the first time in many years. He had plenty of Ki left, but his body was not used to exerting this much in a day. Korius began thinking of ways to limit the Ki usage without dropping his defense. Hajime was giving her all, and he cannot afford to do less than his best. A flashback entered Korius' mind, back to the day when he was only 8 years old. He was sitting in front of his master. "Now do you understand, Korius? If your body cannot sustain your output or you are running out of Ki, there is a way to utilize it that you can maintain your high power without using up too much Ki. By combining it with your fighting ability, you can create a power that can transcend even that of the Guardians someday..." Korius snapped to in time to see all four Hajimes surround him with lightning-enhanced swords. He quickly slammed a fist into the ground and created a shockwave barrier that knocked away the four ninjas. As the dust settled, Korius took a fighting stance, but what was surprising to Hajime was that Korius' eyes were glowing very bright red and lightning ran along his left arm while fire ran along his right. Vo was the first to rush over, but Hajime stuck an arm out, which kept the others from joining in and stopping Vo in her tracks. "No... I think he's finally found his peace. He has not lost himself to the darkness and his Ki output is lower than the beginning of the spar session. It's the very first time that I've actually felt such a fear inside me..." Hajime's arms shuddered a little as she watched Korius, trying to see through him like before. However, her sense of his change kept her from seeing through it, or even guessing it.
Mo smirked and blocked the volge with his pompadour, surprising Talin. "This isn't just for looks and storage, kid." Mo perried Talin's volge to the side and swung his pompadour into Talin's stomach, sending the wolf back a few feet, though he wasn't surprised that the partial hybrid ended up landing on his feet. "Not bad. I can get into this." Just then, he felt Korius' little change and was about to follow Vo when he noticed Hajime's signal to not go. He grit his teeth and concentrated back onto Talin.
Lo, Fo, and Bo also noticed, but also went back to their training sessions at Hajime's command. Bo, though, did not return his full attention back to Kiana and face planted right through one of the stones she hurled his way, but he kept moving only staggering for 2 seconds. Dammit!
-
Kiana noticed when she finally hit Bo but wasn't satisfied in the slightest. Bo had been distracted so in her mind the hit didn't count. She wouldn't be happy with herself until she landed a hit that was actually fair. Of course she knew that in real combat sometimes she would need to rely on someone getting distracted to strike a good blow. As she thought about everything, she stood there and didn't move for a few minutes. Then without warning she started sending attacks at Bo again, trying to be two steps ahead of him as she thought about where he might move to next.
-
*The wolf spotted Bo touching Kiana inappropriately and slammed his book shut getting up rather quickly zoning on them across the room, noticing it for the second time* "What kind of training is that?! He shouldn't touch her like that! Master Vo how you can that even be permitted?!" *He looked quite upset and angry* "I can't stand such men." *He clenched his left fist, making a glowing white aura around it forming a miniature shield around his hand* "If you don't mind, I would like to confront him. My books aren't going anywhere..." *He dropped his book next to his feet, then slid it with his foot to the corner of the step* "I mean come on! You can't just let that kind of behavior flourish!"
-
Talin smiled as he stood up to stretch. He was pleasantly surprised that the hit was more of a push than an actual impact.
He is probably holding back, but was that half his power, or a tenth?He jumped towards Mo and swung his volge down, and noticed Mo side-step in anticipation. The moment the volge came down, he switched hands and did another swing at Mo.
-
Ferdande called off the beaten his clones had been giving Drevo after turning his attention back to them after almost going to help Hajime. "What are you doing...? Giving up so soon?" "Not quite." Ferdande chuckled. "You seem to endure my clones quite well, I think it's time for me to step in. Take you to the next level...And after that...I'm going to let Alexia loose on you." "Fine...I can take ya..." "I'll give you a chance to rest, but this is your only chance...Do you want five minutes?" "Are you kidding me...? Bring it on already!" "He's getting stronger..." Ferdande casually walked over to Drevo and stared at him for a moment as he held his pose. Then in a split second punched him in the gut, though not as hard as he usually would. It did nothing. He then followed up with a roundhouse to the face which made him stumble. But he quickly retook the stance again starting to take more blows that increased in strength. If he flinched or stumbled Ferdande did the same move until it didn't affect him then stepped it up a level.
-
Kitt stood doubled-over, panting and heaving with his sword lying in the dirt of the training room floor. Lo circled him, claws clicking as she walked, thin rapier held to his neck "You are still a sloppy swordsman... Though the small magics i have taught you can help swing a fight in your favour, you cannot rely on them... What you should be able to rely on, is your ability to swing a sword properly..." She picked up his sword from the floor, throwing it to him easily with one hand "Again... This time try to move with the fight, rather than standing like some puppet..."
-
Vo grabbed White by the collar of his tunic and pulled him back. "It's part of Lady Kiana's training, whether you like it or not. Kiana has much pride in her and her spells are also affected by her emotions. Unless she can stand up to that lecher at his prime, she won't be able to control her own magic when it comes to other situations. Whether it be under intense stress in battle, or even an accidental walking in on her naked. If you insist on going over, I'll have to disable your legs. Lady Kiana accepted her training. It's none of your business how it proceeds."
The second swipe merely passed through Mo. It was a shadow. An arm came from underneath the ground and grabbed hold of Talin's leg. A pompadour popped up as Talin was pulled down into the ground, the pompadour nailing Talin between the legs. The pompadour sank back into the ground and Mo rose from the ground a few feet away. "If you insist on playing around, then don't expect to get anything serious from me. This is the time to be testing YOUR strength, not mine."
Bo kept his speed up alongside with his dashing and darting. Now it's time to step the game up and give her some incentive to push her limit. As Bo would pass Kiana by, he now poked at the skimpy, stringy outfit, making a small hole. "I'm sure you know what I'm doing now. Remember, if you don't want Korius to see it all again..."
Hajime looked at Korius with a devilish smile that almost seemed evil and mad (crazy mad, that is). "The flow of positive Ki. The sign of one finding peace within himself, rather than relying on the dark Ki of his anger and malice. However, I wonder how long you can hold onto that peace." The Hajimes made quick hand gestures and placed their hands into their stomachs, which seem to sink right through. "On my chest, bear the mark 常 (infinity). I possess a specific ninjutsu that no other ninja in history has ever possessed, not even Master Koara." From within her, the Hajimes pulled and threw a large barrage of bladed weaponry, all bursting with various elements: Ice, lightning, cutting wind, sharp earth, glass, shadows. Korius let out a howling roar, creating another shockwave, but only half of the weapons were knocked off course. "It symbolizes the full spectrum of Chakra with infinite possibilities!" Korius quickly slammed a fist into the ground and caused the earth to form a wave to deter the weapons. However, the shadow and wind cutter weapons pierced right through it and Korius was forced to dodge. Despite his heightened speed, he was still nicked in various areas. Korius kept his cool, and countered by drawing the katana for the first time. He made several wind cutters before rushing in behind it.
-
Kiana could feel her anger rising. "How'd he know about that?" She thought as she sent more spells Bo's way. "Oh, nevermind how he knows, you fool. Focus." And with that, she paused for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. After she centered herself and brushed off her anger, she started sending more spells at Bo, looking more focused and determined than ever to bring him down.
-
*With what Vo had told the wolf, he calmed and sat back down* "I like my legs, I don't want them paralyzed... but if you hadn't said that, I would have approached him!" *He growled and went back to reading his book, pinching the skin with one hand above his nose because of his irritation* "I still don't agree with such training, but I will put up with it since I don't have a choice." *He focused on the pages and the text flowed as it did once before, sending him into a concentrated field of energy, the knowledge from the tome flowing into him as his eyes crept across page after page*
-
Talin's eyes bugged out as the pompadour made contact, and he had to lean on his volge again to keep from hitting the floor. "You dodged my first attack, so I went into a second attack. If that is 'playing around'..." he tightened up his legs and lept right at Mo, who simply took a step to the left to avoid the hit.
However, when Talin landed just a few feet behind Mo, there was a sliver of red on the tip of the blade, as well as a shallow cut on Mo's cheek. "Then I don't have the option to miss the first hit." He tried to crack a smile as the attack took its toll; it had been a long time since he pushed himself to swing that quickly.
-
The sound of clashing steel and sparks continued to come from the archery range. Lo pushed Kitt to the very extremes of his swordskills and reactions, drawing him into every faster ducks dives, weaves dodges, parries and swipes. Blades flashed and collided, sending up bright blue and gold sparks as enchanted metal met violently "Faster! Do not think, simply act, let the power of the ritual and your training take over!" Lo shouted inbetween swings, goading Kitt as he parried... "You can do better than this!..." She swung again, blade flying to meet Kitt's.
Suddenly her sword was no longer in her grasp, but embedded in the dirt several metres away, humming where it stuck out of the ground. Kitt swung his blade in a lazy arc, lines of shining gold flames running down the length of his Ranger's sword. He brought it up to her chest height, the very tip of the blade hovering inches from her flesh, before he dropped it back down.
Lo sighed, smiling "Much better... Though there is still one thing we must get rid of first... Your cockiness..." With that she grasped his sword between the flat of her palms, kick-twisting it out of his grip and into the air, from where she caught it deftly... "It is your cockiness that will get you killed in a fight..."
-
Mo ran a thumb over the little cut, which disappeared as the thumb passed over. "Oh? Someone WAS holding out. See what happens when you try? You begin to be able to hit me when I'm standing still."
Bo poked a few more holes and copped a few more feels as time wore on, however, it had become more difficult to do so as Kiana had pushed her speed and power after his little statement. He made another pass, but went face first into a pillar and flipped over it with his body's momentum, poking another hole in her outfit before bouncing out. For the first time, the poke caused a tiny tear in the outfit. Despite his physical and mental state, Bo smirked, "Uh-oh. It seems that you're tearing quite a bit."
Hajime's clone blocked the wind-cutter, but it was stronger than expected and the clone disappeared. Through the smoke from the clone's demise, Korius ran a straight thrust right at Hajime. The other two clones parried the thrust and Hajime closed in with a powerful punch which sent Korius flying up to the ceiling. Korius concentrated his Ki into the katana as he rotated in the air and landed softly on his feet against the ceiling. Before falling to the ground, he began to swing the katana at a blurring speed. Thousand death strike! As Korius descended, a barrage of wind cutters preceded him, laying waste to the ground all over the place underneath him. The two clones deflected the blades to protect the real Hajime, but became overwhelmed as Korius closed in. In a quick notion, Hajime made quick hand gestures and drew her wakizashi, matching Korius' strike's speed and clashing blades with him, sending a shockwave that seemed to push through the whole training area.
-
Kiana smirked when one of her attacks actually hit but her happiness was short-lived. The tear in the outfit caused by Bo's poke made her mood slightly sour again. "You can't let me have anything, can you?" She asked, standing there looking at him with her arms crossed. "I get a proper hit in on you and you still have to ruin it for me by keeping up with your games." As the shockwave ran through the training grounds, she remained rooted to the spot where she was standing, only "swaying" about an inch in the direction that the shockwave was going. "You never set an amount of time that I had to wear this thing so I could just change now and end your fun..." She said as she started to walk over to the corner where her regular outfit was lying.
-
Talin could only laugh at the remark as he regained his breath. This fight was turning sour quickly, since it took him about five seconds to recover from the leap, and he couldn't keep leaping like that past ten times. He instead did a smaller leap, and let his knee slide along the ground while he sent the blade right at Mo's knees...
-
Ferdande delivered a hard round house kick to Drevo's head which sent him to the floor. Before he could get up he was kicked in the gut and sent across the floor. Ferdande didn't stop with it, he delivered kick after kick until Drevo started coughing up blood. "Ferdande, stop!" "I *Kick*...Can take *Kick*...It...!" "Drevo has to learn to defend himself. There is no enemy that will let him do such a technique. It's going to increase his endurance." A few more kicks and Drevo stopped moving all together. That's when Ferdande stopped and Alexia rushed over to see if he was even alive. Ferdande walked over to White and Vo casually and scratched the back of his head. "Yo, think can borrow your student, Vo? I think I went a little to crazy on Drevo..." Drevo was alive, but unconscious and bruised and bleeding all over.
-
Kitt and Lo moved on from swordplay back to archery training, and back, and forth, and back, and forth. Kitt's arms ached as he raised his crossbow for what felt like the thousandth time and aimed. Lo frowned, slapping his hand "Do not let fatigue lessen your aim... If you are tired when fighting you still need to hit your opponent..." kitt groaned, raising the bow up to shoulder height and squinting down the sights...
-
Vo walked over and assessed Drevo's body, but stopped in mid-stride as the shock-wave reached their end of the training area. To see Master Hajime fight like this for a 2nd time in my life, that boy must really be something. She stood over Drevo and examined his body. "Very well, I think this will be a suitable practice for him. Child! Put down that book and come here." Vo eyed Alexia as White made his way over, "And YOU, child. Bare in mind who you are and remember to show respect to those who received the title of 'O'. I know you are all childhood friends, but we have rules. Remember your upbringing." Alexia made a pouting face and looked to Ferdande for him to say something, but he just shrugged as if to say "What do you want me to do?". Vo smirked a bit as White knelt and assessed Drevo. "Here's a whole new test, child. If you mess this one up, he'll die. So make sure you cover everything, including emergency first aid."
Bo was faster, and snatched up her clothes before she could even get close to them. "You accepted the training conditions, now there's no turning back. However, if you need persuasion, I'll give it to you." Bo appeared directly in front of Kiana, reverting to his original form, and thrust his fingers into the magic channels in her body, releasing her of the locks she had been working under without knowing. "Cast any spell on the wall behind me. You'll see how much you've actually grown in these last few days." He covered his face as the shock-wave rumbled the area where they were, since they were the closest. "Looks like someone's getting it on. This is only the 2nd time I've ever seen the Master fight like this. Your beloved seems to be stronger than we gave him credit for."
Hajime grunted and deflected Korius off to the side with as much strength as she could muster. Korius caught himself in mid-air and gripped the ground, catching himself and skidding several meters before finally stopping. Hajime chuckled as she sheathed the wakizashi, and made three more clones which stood at the ready to fight while she began a long set of hand gestures, doing them as fast as she could, "This is one jutsu that no one has ever seen and lived to tell about. Not even my elite have ever seen this before. Let's see if you can fight it." The clones rushed Korius in a very coordinated fashion. Korius began to fight back, but they were not messing around and disarmed him first. It was a speed that Hajime had been holding back before, and was now showing. Korius cursed himself as the katana immediately flew out of his hand. Basics of fighting: Your enemy probably has a trump up their sleeve. Idiot. Korius invigorated himself with another rush of Ki and took Valia off his shoulders and swung it in a circle to gain some distance between him and his attackers, and threw Valia at the one clone that was actually off-balance. Korius unsheathed and threw a follow-through attack with the twin-sai at the clone. Clone #2 mustered some Chakra to increase her strength and deflected Valia, while the other increased her speed with her Charka and deflected the twin sai with her wakizashi. Korius used the opportunity and grabbed the katana, taking the all-too familiar stance. Shadow Kill Strike: Fire Form. What seemed like 15 Korius burst from the original and the ground tore as they rushed the closed in towards the clones, tearing them apart, and they disappeared. However, it already took too long. Hajime finished her gestures and her eyes glowed, Light Element Jutsu: Ultimate Regeneration Jutsu. The ground crushed under her feet into a small crater. As the dust settled, everyone in the entire training area could feel a sudden powerful presence. From the dust, Korius could see Hajime standing there, emanating that power, and even more surprisingly, looking as if she was about his age. As she spoke this time, she actually sounded like a woman, but looked more like a man. "This is the most forbidden Jutsu developed by myself, and perfected thanks to Her Majesty Koara. This will be my final test with you for your training." Korius prepared himself, but couldn't help but feel his arms and legs shaking. This was the first time since he was among the Guardians, that he felt power of this magnitude. Vo, Fo, Mo, Lo and Bo also felt all their fur stand on end. Each of them recognized Hajime's chakra wavelength, but couldn't believe the power emanating from it. They did their best not to show it, but even THEY were stricken with fear as Hajime continued to exert her presence.
-
Kiana wasn't surprised that Bo made sure that she couldn't get her clothes. She raised an eyebrow questioningly as she tensed when Bo started jabbing at her and then rolled her eyes at his "your beloved" comment. There had been too many times lately that people had said she and Korius were in love that it made it easy to just ignore their comments and not be bothered by them. She felt the emanating power coming from where Korius and Hajime were training but paid it no mind. Casting a spell at the wall behind Bo, she made a huge hand made out of rock come out of the wall and tap Bo on the shoulder with a finger that was longer than both of their heights put together. She waited for Bo to look behind him then made the hand wave at him before having it grab him and pick him up 20 feet off the ground.
-
*Looking down at Drevo, he just nodded to Vo off to the side and analyzed the situation* "So... here we are again, you have a habit of getting yourself hurt don't you? No worries, I'll fix you up!" *He focused his majicka energy into his hands and went to work quickly, making sure in this scenario to put much more detail into the work, patching together the muscle tissue on a microbial level to make sure there was no mistake in making obvious wounds look like small scars in but a few minutes* "As long as he doesn't put up to much of a struggle with me, all should go flawlessly.."
-
Talin didn't have the sensitivity to notice Korius or Hajime's increase, but he knew something was off as Mo didn't budge when his blade came close to cutting. So to get his attention back while not cutting off his feet, he moved his volge off to the side as he kicked out Mo's right foot.
"I may not have the sensibility for majicka or this 'chi', but it shouldn't have been that easy to trip you... or maybe you had a perverted thought, who knows?" He had the blade at Mo's neck, then jumped away so Mo could get up and re-organize his thoughts.
-
Drevo opened his eyes to see White over him in an all too familiar position. White was once again healing him, though it wasn't as painful as it usually was. He was getting more used to pain. "My bad, White...I guess I just got a little carried away..." He laid back as he usually had to do keeping as still as possible. It was only a couple times he twitched because of the pains, but for the most part he remained still.
-
Bo grunted as he was grabbed, but in a small flash of light, the earthen hand was diced. He landed onto the ground and chuckled, "Not bad."
Mo stood up slowly as his knees kept shaking, "This exceeds even just those who can sense it. Most normal people would even feel that power. Hajime's killing intent, her power, even her very presence is overwhelming. It's particularly more for us who can sense it all, but even those who are atoned to combat can feel it." It's the only time that anyone had ever seen fear on Mo's face.
Lo and Kitt stopped their training in mid-stride simultaneously and looked over. Kitt's knees immediately buckled under him and fell onto ground, his sword falling onto the ground. "What's this feeling? I haven't felt this s-scared in my life..." Lo shuddered, but managed to hold her ground and went over to help Kitt up. "The feeling of the dominance of power. It's the presence of someone who's killer instinct and power are exerted at a high rate to label their dominance. This is the first time that I've felt this myself. In the past, I've only experienced something mild to this when we ran from the Guardians..."
Vo stood off to the side and watched White work his magic. Try as she may, she couldn't hide her fear, either. Alexia had even jumped into Ferdande's arms at the outburst.
Korius shook the urges and fears from his body as he took a deep breath. The dust around him rose as he concentrated and the light of his eyes glowed brighter. Korius roared as the dust burst into a cloud and he released his Ki to max. The dust cleared and Korius emanated his own presence and power. The air around the two seemed to move around the two, and they stared each other down.
Each of the ninjas stopped what they were doing and watched the spectacle. Almost at the same time, they all spoke, "Here comes the last shot."
-
Kiana smirked. "I know." She responded before turning to look over at Hajime and Korius. It wasn't the presence of power that caused her to look just her curiosity as to how it was going to end. For some reason the feeling of all that power didn't really scare her. Sure it was an intimidating feeling and she felt like she could be crushed by either one of the two at any second, but it intrigued her more than anything else.
-
*The wolf ignored the majicka surge in the air and continued to work tirelessly upon Drevo's wounds* "Dang it, Drevo this is going to be a bit harder than I thought, grr." *He growled then looked behind himself for a moment to see Korius and looked back to his work* "If he gets too close to me, it could cause some unintended effects to my work." *He shrugged off his worry and worked faster to try to complete his work before Korius did*
-
Talin was at least slightly annoyed at seeing Mo with fear on his face. "I can sense killing intent and presence without my ancestor or the incantation. But, what you apparently can't do, is remember that we're not participating in that fight!"
Talin's frustration increased as Mo didn't move from his spot, which lead to Talin kneeling down to open up his needle satchel before throwing a needle at Mo. It seemed that it was a facade as Mo quickly caught the needle, but Talin wrote it off as instinct. "If Hajime went all-out, its probably because she doesn't want you to interfere. So, stop shaking your legs like a green-horn dragoon on his first hunt!"
-
Kitt struggled to his feet, but fell again, only just being caught by Lo. She sighed, letting him sit back down to the ground. Looking worriedly across at Korius she sat down opposite Kitt, watching him closely "I guess you can have a rest... You're doing well..." She crawled over beside him, putting one robed arm around his shoulders "You're father would be proud.... And when you find your mother, so will she..." Kitt looked up at her, mumbling under his breath "Thanks Lo... "
-
Korius took his stance for his technique as Hajime made hand gestures for hers. They stared down at each other as they built up their powers. Half the torches in their part of the arena had already blown out, being barely lit from the rest of the arena. Hajime finished her hand gestures and her eyes glowed green. "This is it." Ultimate Jutsu: 1,000 Feral Strikes. Like Bo, Hajime transformed into a more vicious-looking, more powerful version of herself, and rushed Korius in an instant, splitting into 1,000 different clones. Korius' eyes both glowed brightly as he prepared his launched his own attack. Shadow Kill Strike: Final Form All the torches throughout the training area went straight black before anyone could see the attack show itself. Flashes of sparks lit the whole area, revealing only the two clashing sword and claws in one instant. Then, utter silence. They all stood firm until finally, Mo's footsteps could be heard scaling one of the pillars. After some quick hand gestures, there was a quick silence before a line of flames escaped his mouth and re-lit the whole training area again.
Korius stood there, as if frozen in time. His back was to the others, sword down, and lacerations all over his body that leaked blood. Hajime had reverted back to her old form again in the same condition. "It seems you have indeed exceeded the limit... you have... achieved that level..." With that, she fell and the others ran straight for her. Vo began immediate treatment while Alexia and Fo held her still and did their best to keep her alive. Korius smirked and chuckled as he himself fell, being caught by Bo and Lo. Mo rushed in and struck various pressure points throughout Korius' body before inserting needles and stopped the bleeding. "It seems I'll have to work fast on you. I'm sure the dragon wannabe can wait." With that, Mo began to sew Korius' wounds up, removing needles after each stitch. Within seconds, Hajime regained consciousness and sat up, allowing Vo to continue her work. She looked over at Kiana, who was still the closest to the battle scene and mouthed words over to her, making it very apparent that they are words for Kiana alone. His power has reached the level to be similar to the weakest Guardian. However, he can't use most of his techniques with his Ki, and is still mentally unstable. Look after him. You may not want to admit it, but we know. Come to terms and be the sheath to that mighty sword so that it may never strike unto its allies.
Helpers from the village came down not even a minute after the the relighting of the arena and took Korius and Hajime out. The ninjas then returned to their "trainees" to continue their final training session.
-
Kiana watched what was happening, not panicking or moving an inch when the training area went black. When Mo re-lit the torches, Kiana didn't like how either of them looked but was hurt more by the sight of Korius than Hajime. She retained her tough looking exterior though as she stood there watching the two of them being taken care of by the others. Her eyes probably gave away a little of her emotion though. When Hajime looked at her she looked back then concentrated on reading her lips as she mouthed words to her. Her face changed to a stubborn look after the one part about her not wanting to admit "it" but them knowing, but she still nodded in response to show that she understood.
-
*Having pulled Drevo away from Korius by this point he set down his finished patient and looked up to gaze upon Korius* "That energy looks unstable from even my view, I hope these ninjas have some sort of plan..." *He looked over at Hajime and Kiana* "...That probably being related to said plan, everytime they meet it seems to be a private conversation, must be important." *He looked back down at Drevo* "Hope I didn't give you a floor burn, but I didn't want you to get burned or whatever could have happened." *To which he said with little excitement, but concern for his patient's well being*
-
Talin had stuck to his little 'corner' of the training area when the lights went out, but didn't show any concern or even any consious thought as he waited for Mo to return. The moment he returned, Talin's eyes lit up before standing on the balls of his feet. He lazily hopped back and forth a few centimeters as he stared Mo in the eyes. "What purpose do I serve, if Korius can beat me in terms of strength, White and Kiana in terms of magic, and Kitt in terms of ranged combat?" In two steps he closed the gap between him and Mo before making a 'power' swing at his head. Mo lowered his head so Talin would hit the pompadour but instead of blocking it, the blade actually cut into the hair-shield. There was anger in the strike, but it was not rising or falling in the slightest.
"Will beating you give me my answer?"
-
While White pulled Drevo along he managed to watch the spectacle between Korius and Hajime, when he was set down he got a better look and couldn't really look away. When White spoke to him he almost didn't hear him he was so focus. He stood up saying "It's fine, I'll live. Thanks for fixing me up again. I know it happens all too often." He also brushed himself off, still looking at Korius in almost awe it would seem. It wasn't awe, more as a sudden realization of his and his own power levels, how far apart they were. Drevo pictured the two standing next to each other, Korius looking over at him in a heroic pose much larger than Drevo with his smug grin. Drevo had his arms folded looking the opposite direction with a "What ever" look on his face as if he weren't impressed. His face was stricken with a sudden grief taking over the awe as he looked down. "If I can't surpass him...Or even close the gap between us...How can I expect to save anyone? All I am is a hindrance..." He scratched behind his ear, took his usual nonchalant expression and casually strolled back over to Ferdande who had returned from the two's fight. "I still have a long way to go..."
-
Lo pulled Kitt up, handing him his father's crossbow and his quiver of bolts "Now we continue to train... Load your crossbow with five bolts and fire them one at a time at the target, each time you must hit within the innermost circle..." Kitt frowned, looking from the bow to the target... It seemed too easy... he leaned down, locking the bolts in place in their wooden stack. It was as he locked the second bolt into the magazine that Lo slapped him across the back of the head, hard...
She smirked, slapping him again as he gave a brief shout of pain "You think I'd make this easy? How do you expect to load and fire that bow consistently if you are in the middle of a fight, arrows and noise all around..." She slapped him across the back of the head again, each time making him fumble with the bolts "Come on, concentrate!"
-
The pompadour held strong against the volge and Mo looked Talin in the eyes, the utmost seriousness emanating from them. "You increase your skill level first. Power is never the first thing you focus on. Unlike you, Korius was born into war, without family, and was surrounded by combat every minute of his life. His power is the result of post-skill training. Having power is useless if you can't hit or correctly execute a technique. Beating me would be quite the feat. Your goal is to sharpen every swing, add more precision to every strike, and perfect your technique." Mo deflected the volge and gave a few quick shots to the stomach before withdrawing and sent a torrent of needles at Talin.
Fo crossed his arms and sighed at Drevo's comment. "The only reason Korius has even reached that level was due to a ton of different reasons. For starters, he was found at the doorstep without memory and grew up in a monastery during the last war. Fighting's all he knows. As for his Ki, it only rose because he's had it suppressed all these years while still getting stronger. You have no Ki, but neither does Elistro. But it is still possible to become as strong within your lifetime. Though your progression will be exceptionally slower, you can do it. Elistro has, which is why he is Kyzan's right-hand man. Not as strong as Guardians, but the closest aside from Korius." He gave a wink and smile to Drevo and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You may not like it, but Korius will be able to take you the rest of the way. I can only give you the key."
Vo sighed as she dragged White back over to the stairs. "Ok, sonny, break time's over. Let's go."
Bo took a deep breath and transformed back into his powerful form. "Let's pick up where we left off."
-
Kiana tried to make it so Bo didn't detect her rise in Majicka level too soon. She sent her first attack at him with her back still turned and did it as swiftly as she could. After that she then turned and sent another attack at Bo, and another. She did her best not to pause in between spells and keep a continuous flow of attacks going at Bo. Watching his movements, she tried to be one step ahead or at least to be able to guess where he might move to next. She wasn't going to give him a chance to stop and relax, just like she wasn't giving herself a chance to stop and relax.
-
*He got up and brushed the dirt off of his back* "Back to what?....Oh" *He then remembers the books and then turns to the apparently finished reading lying on the steps* "That was done some time ago, I was trying to re-read a few of them over again." *He scratched his head nervously* "You got any more books? I couldn't really get more out of them though I wanted to make sure, but you were busy so I didn't really want to bother you that much Master Vo." *He stood a bit of a distance just incase she pummeled him again for in some way being disregarding*
-
Talin wrapped his arm over the area that Mo hit, then took a drowning breath as he swung the flatside of his volge to knock away most of the oncoming needles. He could only manage to change his position by about an inch, so that two of the ten remaining needles barely missed him.
"Normally, this falls into the area of 'hipocrisy'." Talin pulled out three needles that were just hanging off his abdomen before getting close again for an upward swing.
-
"...He's a jerk...But I have to get stronger..." Drevo said looking off to the right at their area of training. He brushed Ferdande's hand off his shoulder and walked over to the area with his hands behind his head. Ferdande simply chuckled and walked after him. "He sure is anxious to reach Korius' level, I don't even think he'll accept he can't...I just hope he doesn't push himself." "Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?" Drevo turned to Ferdande and took a fighting stance. "Yes, lets." Ferdande created a few clones, sent them at Drevo and followed up behind them. Two of them leaped forward into a punched which he blocked. Then another came from below with a kick to trip him but he jumped up as the real Ferdande jumped over head behind him. Ferdande landed behind him, pushed off the ground and landed a kick to Drevo's back and sent him flying through the air and into the ground. Drevo got back up and used the distance to take the time and get into the proper stance. The clones and Ferdande got back to him and started going at him with a flurry of punches and kicks.
-
Kitt fired another shot, striking the bulls-eye of the target for the final time. Lo raised her hand as if to knock him across the back of the head again, and lowered it, smiling "Good... Hopefully you should be able to block out distractions as you train..." She crossed her arms, motioning to the targets "Go again... Twelve shots as fast as you possibly can, but you must still be consistent with you accuracy... The more you practice the better you will get..."
-
Mo merely deflected Talin's attack with a swift arm and hit the wolf in the chest without disturbing his momentum and flipped Talin right over his head. As Talin landed, a needle could be seen sticking out of his body. "There's a nice little mark there for you to think about. I think the best way for you to learn perfection of your technique is to see where your openings are." Training resumed without a hitch, but with Mo no longer taunting the horned wolf.
Bo maintained his dodging and weaving, though he was caught slightly off-guard by Kiana's surprise attack because her hands had been in front of her, and her attacks had emanated from there. Kiana's attack had just nicked his arm, but it didn't bother him. The training session was long and strenuous. Heh heh. She's got the spunk. She probably hasn't even realized how much more Majicka and stronger she's increased in these last days.
Vo smirked, "Why, I didn't think you had it in you, child. Here's the rest" Vo pulled a scroll out of her robe and unrolled it. On it, were numerous identical seals, but one was missing in the middle. "Each of these seals has 100 books in them. You've finished 1 seal. Since you are so happy with yourself, read the last 900 books." Vo tossed the scroll which then seemed to float around her as she made quick hand gestures. Seal Removal Jutsu In the blink of an eye, White became surrounded by a mountain of books. "Let me know when you're done with these."
Fo stopped the training for a bit and smiled a bit at Drevo. "Alright, that took less time than we thought it would. I guess we have time to teach you blocking in that stance now. I'm not gonna lie, you're going to be falling really easily again. It's going to feel like you're starting from the beginning again, but that's the point of the technique. You learn to ground yourself in that stance as a starter. Then, you learn to block, and then you progress from there. Learning each thing one at a time allows you to build the technique and make it your own, which then shows your true affinity. You've already seen what a dark affinity strike looks like since you already saw me do it. Korius had used a fire affinity version earlier, but I guess I kind of distracted you from that. Also, in that last blow with Master Hajime, he used the true form of the technique that combines all the affinities, and then mixed it with his Ki." Lo took a second to turn her head to Fo as she heard this, "Oh, hush, you. You were the only one who saw that strike to its entirety anyways. All we were able to see was one flash." Fo chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck and faced Drevo again, "True, but the point is that you have much to look forward to. Anyways, for blocking, you continually pivot on your right foot (which is in front), using your left foot as your propulsion and break. However, to be fast enough, you'll need to make sure you don't ground that right foot and remain light and your left as well. To make sure it is fully controlled, you make sure that your left foot's toes don't lose contact with the ground, and that your heel is your propulsion. You must also keep your left foot fully extended while rotating. Next, you block only with your right hand, but the key to that is that you return it back to your original stance position right after each block. In other words, if you are barraged, you don't go from blocking one attack to the other. But rather, you block, return, block, return, etc. Like I said, it's going to be just like before, so just bare with it. The upside is that it won't take you as long, since you get the feel for it, and you seem like a wind affinity to me, which is precisely what this particular part of the technique covers. I don't know, I might be wrong. Each affinity does end up looking and doing completely different things, but are still practiced the same way."
-
Kiana continued her barrage of attacks throughout the training session. She kept going at a fast pace, never slowing down once. Her eyes darted in all directions as she followed Bo's movements although he moved like a blur. As she attacked she continued to try to anticipate where Bo would move to next to try to be ahead of him. It was true that she hadn't realized how much she had improved and gotten stronger. She just thought she was doing so well because she was so focused and determined.
-
*He chuckled at the newfound pile of books* "Well, tell me when you find one of those challenges I've heard about." *He smirked at Master Vo and sat down picking up the closest book and start to read* "They should have added somewhere on this reading 'guaranteed to last a lifetime' since by the time 900 books are read I should be old or my brain will be sucked out of my head into a few printed papers. But somehow I'll manage." *He poured his peering eyes into the ink and the papers*
-
Talin adjusted his stance to cover the opening, then felt his volge get heavier as the Dark Staff it was made from was now being drained by Chronin. Sorry, boy, you'll need to perfect the style without any interference from me. Talin grimaced as he could finally experience what it was like with all the handicaps taken off. Talin took another swing, but it was so pathetically slow compared to the first two swings, that Mo couldn't help but laugh before knocking him to the side with a roundhouse kick.
Talin only had a few more moments to recover, then brought up his blade just in time to block another kick before wrapping his right arm around the leg and making a stabbing motion right towards Mo.
-
"Affinity? Is that some fancy ninja thing...? Is wind better than fire? It is right? Wind can blow out fire." As Drevo explained his logic he thought of a birthday candle with Korius' usual arrogant face on it. It's fire burned largely but Drevo, who was holding the candle, took a deep breath and blew it out. Korius began to cry as Drevo laughed triumphantly. A smug look crept onto Drevo's face as he thought it.
-
Kitt squinted down the sights of his crossbow, aiming at the third target on the range. He bit his lip and squeezed the trigger, bow jolting in his paws as it spat another silver bolt. At the end of the range the wooden target shattered, blasted apart by the power and accuracy of the shot... Lo nodded, her reptilian face showing no emotion "Rather impressive... I have managed to procure you a new quiver, as well as the best quality bolts I could buy..." She handed Kitt a dark red leather satchel, filled with silver-fletched bolts. She nodded again, ignoring Kitt's repeated thanks "It is the least I can do, after your father and mother's cloaks... I do it because it is my duty to give you the best chance of survival I can..."
-
Bo chuckled silently to himself as Kiana continued to cast at her normal rate. "You're going to have to hit me with something bigger than that!"
Mo merely hopped up and rotated on the caught leg and bent on it, and evaded the stab, ending up sitting on Talin's shoulder. "I see you are truly on your own strength now. Not bad for a quick improvisation, though. Try harder." He patted Talin's head and twisted out of his grip and landed behind Talin, kicking the horned wolf in the back, sending him over several feet.
Vo snorted the the young wolf's snide comment and merely smacked him upside the head before walking around to survey the others.
Fo face-pawed at Drevo's question and knew fairly what was going in the young knight's mind. "Well, you know how every magic-user can't control what element of magic they can do? People also have an 'affinity' which determines their 'element' in combat. People's affinity is a description of their fighting style. I'm a dark affinity fighter, so when I finished the technique, it came out as an omni-directional shadow strike. People who are wind affinity are usually the ones who are fast and deadly. Their strikes also tend to be sharper than others, also being swifter. Fire affinity is based on raw power. As we saw earlier, it turns the attack into a single directional strike that tears up everything in its way. I've never seen the others, but earth affinity are people who have a strong defense, and also a strong technique. Finally, light affinity warriors are those that are very calm and smart. They are all tactics and abilities. I'm sure if you show Korius enough respect later, he'll show you what all the different affinities look like. However, try not to challenge him on it. His execution of the attack is a complete combination of all 6 affinites melded into one. Korius is the only one who possesses all 6 affinites, which allowed him to even come up with this technique in the first place. Now come one, let's start. I know it'll be frustrating pretty much starting all over again, but it's how you learn this." Fo waited for Drevo to take the stance before he began to bombard Drevo with slaps.
-
Kiana smirked at Bo's tease. She did a bunch of motions and ended with herself crouched down on the ground with her left hand flat against the ground and her right leg stretched out diagonally behind her while holding her right arm and her staff out parallel to her right leg. It seemed like the motions didn't cause anything to happen but a conclusion like that would have been incorrect. After a few seconds of her staring at where Bo was moving, a rumbling could be heard and felt throughout the training area (and probably on the surface too). All of a sudden the ceiling and the floor moved very swiftly towards each other in the same size and shape of their portion of the training area. There was a hole in the floor area around Kiana that kept her from rising up to be squashed in between the sections of earth so as the floor swiftly rose up she disappeared while staying in the same position.
-
*Turning his head with the blow, it didn't phase him as much as it would have otherwise* "You and Bo aren't the only ones who can mess around with people." *His gaze darkened for a moment and he set down one book and picked up another* "After awhile these seem to run together like run-on sentences, but then again it's a lot of the same idea behind helping people." *Something caught his attention in his head which sounded a bit farfetched, but he had theorized upon it in some occasions*
"Master Vo, there's something I need to ask you. I was wondering if such things as carry of special elements will increase majicka flux of energy? Such as gems, metals, ore, etc. And more importantly, if I am the only healer, how do you know so much about the actual sensation of performing the ability? I take it the only way that's possible is if you have lived a lot longer than you appear to be of age... or you too are a healer?"
-
Talin didn't hit the floor this time, even though his trajectory and 'flight' would likely have lead to the result. He scrapped his hardened claws against the floor, landing back on his feet and facing right at Mo at the end of an almost-graceful recovery. He had managed to regain enough endurance to make up for the previous leap, and decided to see if he could get a bigger cut. He lept again at Mo, a bit faster than before since he now had experience with such a jump, and made a swing that only cut the shirt Mo wore. Talin landed only to jump again at a closer angle, his swing being interrupted when Mo tossed a few needles at him.
He landed with a needle sticking right out of his forehead, but surprisngly less tired than expected. One more flaw to fix, although I wonder how he was able to get the needle to stand up while embedded. He gently plucked the needle out before closing the gap again, grabbing Mo's fist as it came from the right, and shifting his volge to block the right arm before elbowing Mo and running him right into one of the columns.
He jumped away the moment he felt Mo hit the wall, and noticed that another needle was sticking out of his shoulder. "These better not be those 'lock-up' needles you jammed into me for three days..."
-
Drevo was wobbling into position when Ferdande began his attack. It easily messed him up as he kept trying to get it right. He eventually managed to tune the hits out long enough to actually start spinning. But a swift and low kick tripped him and he landed on his face. They stopped, allowing him to get up before going back on the attack. He was able to get a few blocks off but fell again. On the ground he looked over to the real Ferdande. "So..What is the Fire affinity weak to? Water?" he asked getting back up. He had become a little dizzy but continued on regardless, pulling off a block or so more every time he got back up.
-
The target was struck again and again in rapid succession, silver bolts speeding across the archery range to land with dull thunks in the red-painted wood. Kitt smirked, loading another rack of ten bolts into his repeater bow. He yanked back the firing mechanism and brought the oak contraption up to one shoulder, lined up the targets and fired again... "Trigger pull, loading pull, trigger pull, loading pull..." He repeated the mantra under his breath as he fired, pulled back the loading mechanism and fired again, striking the targets over and over... Lo watched form the sidelines, rubbing her scaly chin thoughtfully...
-
Bo whirled around as the earth around him closed in, dicing the portion around him as it closed shut. He stood at the top, "An attack that can double as a defense. Quite the expression of an Earth element."
Vo sat next to White as he continued to read. "I have followed Master Hajime since the beginning. In fact, we both had the same master back in the day. I am a healer of sorts, but only as a ninja. My specialty is fixing up the body, a medical shinobi, if you will. I may look pretty old, but you are correct. My age far surpasses my appearance. Master Hajime and I have mastered a forbidden jutsu many many many years ago. Obviously, it took me longer. The truth is that the title of 'O' and removal of our real names was a result of our usage of this jutsu, 'O' is not just a proof of strength. It is also an approval seal that they can learn the jutsu. We've been known as many different names over the ages. Mo, Lo, Bo and Fo are from this generation, so they are all still wet behind the ears. However, Master Hajime and I have lived for almost 300 years. We made this village not too long before the Guardians' betrayal. Thanks to that, we were able to preserve the existence of shinobi. Don't tell Talin, but the Master's last identity was traveling trainer, Elistra Maiko. We trained Elistra's father in combat for the war. He may be a jerk, but he named his first-born daughter after the Master in gratitude. However, I think that's what drove him to be a bigger jerk to raising his daughter."
Mo smirked, "I only use one type of needles, unless I lace them with something. However, I won't be driving them as deep that would disrupt your nerves. It's just to show you where you leave yourself open."
Fo scratched the back of his head, "No affinity is stronger over another. This isn't magic. It's merely a person's fighting style. Strength over another is merely based on the fighter's skill. Why many fear Korius is because he can fight with all affinities. His style is that of all styles, if that makes any sense. He's not restricted to an affinity like everyone else."
-
Kiana could just barely hear Bo through the large amount of rock between them. She shifted her position and did some motions, causing two hands to come up out of the wall and grab a hold of Bo. She flattened her left hand against the wall of rock. After a second all of the rock she had used except for the hands holding Bo turned into sand and she "drilled" her way through it. When she landed on top of the huge sand pile she felt something hit her chest. She looked down at her chest to see the emerald stone, which she had completely forgotten about, dangling there. It only kept her attention for a second or two then she looked at Bo who was behing held by the hands about 50 ft. above the sand pile that was 100 ft. at its tallest point. She smirked and crossed her arms as she looked up at him. She figured the training wasn't over but she wanted to enjoy this moment.
-
"That makes this make more sense, though I don't talk to Talin, in fact I don't think I ever have. Talking of such a secret aloud should not be done with me, I don't really see any good coming from that, but I take it you have some alterior motive in mind. 300 years must be depressing though, can't really get to know anyone because they'll be dead far before you will so I would perhaps seem pointless and that would explain your distance. Not to be judgmental, but now you seem less forboding Master Vo."
-
Talin shook his shoulder until the needle fell out, then ducked when Mo had used the disctraction to try and score another head-shot. Talin grabbed the leg as it swung over his head, then tossed Mo a few feet into the air before meeting him and trying to knock him back down with a kick to the mid-section. Needless to say, the only way this could have occoured was if Mo let Talin kick a clone into the air.
That is precisely what happened, and the next few moments could only be described as punsihment for being tricked as Mo grabbed Talin by the ear and threw him at the same pillar that he was previously hit against. He then bashed his head against the pillar about two times before letting go of his head and leaning near the blood that was still on the pillar. Talin was completely still for a few seconds, then stubbornly got back up even though all of his limbs shook and his vision was blurry at best.
"Ow..."
-
"That's boring...Oh well..." "Maybe I can cut his tail off, hehehe." Drevo got back up from being knocked down during the thought and continued on. He took the position again and started off, blocking more than he normally did before getting knocked down. He kept getting tripped, which was starting to get annoying. He was starting to reach down and try to block it but he wasn't going fast enough. In an instant he thought of a solution however. He tried again, blocking swing after swing until a low kick came to trip him. Instead of blocking it Drevo lifted his left foot which he used for balance to avoid the kick. It worked for a moment until he came crashing down from losing balance. He laid on the ground a moment dizzy. "Damn...No luck..."
-
Lo watched as Kitt loosed several shots, hitting the targets again and again. They where moving now, powered by simple clockwork mechanisms the red targets jerked backwards and forwards, but each shot still hit either a bullseye or at least the inner circle. She sighed, snapping her fingers "Enough... You may rest, take a short breather while I collect the bolts..." With that Lo walked away, Leaving Kitt to drop to the floor with a weary sigh. She grinned, walking over to the targets and wrenching out the thick crossbow bolts...
-
Bo smirked, "Not bad for a start, but you have more power than that. Majicka is brimming to come out of that body of yours." A quick flash of light seemed to spark up in random places and the hands burst into the sand they were made of and he descended back to the ground. "I guess I should stop playing around then? My claws are powerful and sharp, but they are the least of your worries here." Bo moved his hands a little slower, barely letting light reflect very quickly off what looked like a metal wire from inside sleeves, a small weight at the end.
Vo eyed the young, white mage with ferocity that sent a cringe down his spine with the more foreboding feeling of impending doom. "I may have lived many years and what we do is our own. But don't think for one second that I'm no stronger than I was when I was in my prime." Her eyes were intense and she let out her own killing intent. Fo took a quick break and called over, "Calm down, please. You want to train him, not kill him. You're slowing him down by sending that through him. Even I'm getting chills over here." Vo turned from White and walked off.
Mo sighed, "Good, you remove all your useless movements and maximize your technique and swings. You're almost fighting on par with when you depended on Chronin's power. Your goal is to fight on par to when you also depended on Elistra. You're almost half-way there. This will be the only help I can give you, but it won't be much." Mo walked up to Talin and struck Talin on three points on the chest, dropping the horned wolf to the floor onto his knees. Mo sat behind Talin and made quick hand gestures before flames engulfed his fingertips. Mo struck over 30 different points throughout Talin's body with lightning speed and precision. Talin roared in pain as he spat a bit of blood. Mo stood up and struck 3 other points, restoring Talin's leg movements. "I just primed your muscles and body energy. They will now flow freely within your body, allowing you probably about 5% more power. Like I said, it's not much, but at least you can now say that you fought with everything you had."
Fo shook his head at Drevo's attempt to use his left leg as a block. "Drevo, I've already told you how each part of your body should function for this technique. Using your momentum leg as a block throws you completely off. And what's more, you can no longer execute the technique, which means that you just committed suicide in the fight."
-
Kiana watched as Bo released himself and descended to her level on the pile of sand. She nodded when he said he should stop playing around. She watched closely as he moved his hands a little slower and watched the weighted wire. "So you really could dice me up into pieces if you were actually trying then..." She said as she looked back up to his face and uncrossed her arms. She was ready to block if he attacked but she wanted to wait and see what he was going to do.
-
"I don't understand why you think that was a bad thing... you seemed a lot friendlier." *He looked down and went back to back to reading and chalking the previous situation up to being just like when he called her Vo without the word Master with it* "I swear some people just look for reasons to attack others, if perhaps it was the part where I played with her on the challenge part, then maybe that would make sense. But obviously I didn't attack again on the subject, so again this really doesn't make sense to me unless she WANTS to be forboding. That would be meaning that her living a long time has indeed affected her relationship with anybody else." *He glanced at her as she walked away*
-
Talin only twitched for an instant as he started to get accustomed to the pain, then actually caught Mo with a hack that dug a little into the shoulder. But, it only dug a little as Mo had worn a layer of dense cloth that buffeted most of the attack. There was little evidence of blood as he feinted a left turn before kicking him with the right leg, pushing him away for only a second before closing in with a punch to the jaw. He knew he couldn't stay up for much longer, so he sacrificed any chance of a 'speedy' recovery in the attempt to hit Mo as many times as possible.
It seemed to be a good gamble as it was getting difficult for Mo to keep any distance from Talin to get a duplicate prepared. The best he could manage was to dodge his next attack or parry his swings. But, luckily for Mo, Talin was burning out his energy despite a lack of wasted movement and his next punch only came within inches of Mo's muzzle before he dropped right to the floor and didn't get back up...
-
"Ya ya...I get it..." Drevo said getting back up. "I'll just need to get more practice before I can experiment..." He gave a hand gesture to get Ferdande's clones to go back on the attack and started his spinning and blocking. This time he almost blocked a kick before it knocked him over. Determined he got back up to try again. This time he got close enough to feel the hit but couldn't put enough strength behind it to keep the hit back. Getting up once more he was able to block it finally. Drevo then noticed one of the clones readying a ninja star to throw. Once it was thrown with a well timed swipe he grabbed the ninja star instead of blocking and with the momentum of his spinning threw it back at the clone.
-
Kitt fired the last of his bolts, striking the target again in the bullseye. He grinned up at Lo, a grin full of pride and exhaustion. Lo nodded, pulling him into a tight embrace "Your parents would be proud to see you now... C'mon, I'l collect all the bolts while you go get some rest... I fell I have taught you all I can, and pushing you further would simply be detrimental... Perhaps read from the Rangers handbook, but no more physical exercise, injuring yourself now would not help..." She sighed, watching as Kitt ran out of the training room, careening past White and his stack of books before disappearing up the stairs.
Pulling the crosbow bolts out of the targets, Lo walked over to Vo, nodding respectfully "I have allowed the young ranger to leave early... He is still young, and weak after the ritual, I felt it best..."
Kitt stumbled into his bedroom, dropping his father's crossbow by the door and pulling off his cloak. He sighed and flopped onto the bed, pulling the Rangers handbook out from the two other cloaks that Lo had given him. He flicked through the well-read pages, and started to read...
-
Bo moved with blinding speed where he seemed to disappear and he reappeared behind Kiana instantly, as though he seemed to teleport. His back faced hers, so that they were back-to-back. Bo brought his arm over his shoulder to hand Kiana her clothes. "You might need these." As he said so, a small tear could be heard within inches of them and the whole outfit tore open, revealing her naked body.
Mo picked the horned wolf up and walked over to White. "Have you reached the book set about energy restoration yet? If not, Vo can do it. I just need you to heal him up. He's really giving it all he's got, now."
Fo frowned, "If you try experimenting, you'll end up killing yourself. If you execute it incorrectly, you'll end up cutting yourself into pieces, literally. The precision on this technique is exact. There is no variation on this. It's only that the technique has a different result per person. They all execute it the same way. Now do the block correctly, please. You won't be so lucky once Korius starts teaching you the strike and the other steps before then."
-
Kiana quickly grabbed her dress out of Bo's hand in a way that made it unfold as she took it as she heard the tearing, letting her tights/leggings fall to the floor to be put on later when she had the time. She found the bottom swiftly and pulled the dress over her head, not letting her "whole self" be visible long enough for anybody else to see. As she had pulled the dress on, she had kicked behind her with her right foot to take out at least one of Bo's knees, which would make him off-balance if not make him fall on his face. "I should have known you couldn't go that long without doing something like this. For a moment, I thought you were sick or something." She said as she took a few steps forward before turning around to look in his direction. She readied herself then start sending attacks his way like she had before.
-
"Coincidentally I just finished reading that section, let's do this while I still feel in the zone, I only have 825 more books to go!" *He grinned and clamped his hands together looking hungrily at Talin like some mad scientist crackling his paw ligaments* "Food for the healer is good. When I say food I say guinea pigs, I hope you'll be pleased as this is a great ice breaker for you and me to talk for the first time along with this being my first attempt upon this technique. Side effects may include vomiting, nostalgia, hallucination, and increased peripheral view of aura... but you should be okay you look fairly tough! Just imagine yourself in a blue spherical transparent barrier with your eyes closed and I'll do the rest." *He put his hands above the horned wolf's chest and waited for Talin to close his eyes*
-
Talin felt a vague sense of doom wash over him as he heard the wolf go over the list of side-effects, but eventually closed his eyes. For a moment, his body started to glow white, then the glow vanished before it could have any significant affect on Talin's body. Huh, forgot to cut you off from the healing too. Well, I guess it should be of some praise that you could actually use magic, but you should let the cleric do his job until he starts making idiotic mistakes... Chronin's voice echoed through his mind as he finally felt all of 'his' magic energy being taken away.
-
Drevo sighed as Korius training him was mentioned. "Got it...No playing around with technique." "Hrmm...I don't want to train under Korius..." "...Why can't you just teach me you're technique and we avoid Korius?" Ferdande sighed and face palmed. "Because you don't have the right affinity, and Korius is the only who can teach you. You really shouldn't worry about it so much...Put your rivalries aside, you won't get anywhere like that." "Hey! We're not rivals! He's a jerk and that's all." Drevo said suddenly, folding his arms and looking to the side. "If not rivals...Are you perhaps...Jealous?" "No! Come on, we're wasting time." Ferdande chuckled and created a new batch of clones to send at Drevo.
-
Kitt lay on his bed, turning another page of the Ranger's handbook. It detailed the many variations of the Ranger's crossbows, with intricate illustrations in full colour. The young feline absorbed it all, chin resting on his crossed arms as he read-
"The Esha designed 'stormwind' crossbow is used primarily for hunting, and rarely sees combat in the Ranger clans. It is however used by some individuals, who recognise it's potential for very long range assassinations, due to the bows double-twined string and extra-long bolt."
He turned the page again, tail flicking. The next illustration was that of the crossbow his father, and he used. Short and stocky, it held a stack of five to ten bolts above the bows body, each of which would fall into place as the one below was fired. Kitt tried to push away thoughts of his father, instead focussing on the bow... For he knew that if he thought of his father, for even a moment, he could do nothing but cry in sorrow...
-
Bo vanished again at Kiana's barrage of attacks. This time, however, he didn't just reappear in one spot, but almost everywhere around her, from the floor to the ceiling. "I'm not one for clones, but my speed does allow me some benefits." Random after-images began to close in on Kiana. Though some of them passed right through her, some of the others began to grope her as they passed by. "You know, it is such a pity that Korius gets the affection of this delicious body of yours. I would have liked to have claimed it for my own."
Vo watched attentively at White's energy restoration. He's finally picking it up more quickly now. Good to know he's not a COMPLETE idiot. She surveyed and stepped in as Talin began to regain consciousness and assessed. Still, the child has a long way to go to fill his grandfather's shoes. However, I doubt the child will ever know. Vo got up and turned to White, "First time I don't have any complaints. Now, to the hard books."
Mo merely walked over and dragged Talin back over to their area after Vo finished her assessment. "Okay, kiddo. We don't have much time left, so let's hop to it."
Fo continually threw more and more blows at Drevo, him getting better every 3 hits or so. He's coming along nicely. He's finally noticing the pattern for blocking.
-
Kiana clenched her teeth together in a snarl and clenched her left hand into a fist as her right hand gripped her staff harder, closing her eyes tightly. "Stop touching me! I don't belong to anyone!" She yelled as she brought up a wall of rock that surrounded her closely then forced it outwards at a fast rate like a battering ram except no one was actually holding on to it and it went in all directions. After sending the blockade out, she opened her eyes and looked around, ready to throw another attack Bo's way when he popped up again.
-
*White eyed Vo suspiciously and then looked back to the books* "I'm fairly certain they are all about the same difficulty, either you got the ability to do them or you don't, that just seems to be how it goes. Though seriously this training session seems to go on forever, I mean it feels like it has been two months in here. Just so easy to lose track of time when you hardly see the Sun I suppose...." *He heaved up one of the biggest hardbacks he had ever laid eyes upon and blew off the dust bunnies and opened the cover* "I'm surprised I didn't have to use a crowbar to get this one open." *He snickered to himself*
-
Talin slowly got off the ground, then was a bit surprised as Mo was the first to attack. He was able to lean away from the first hit and block the high kick, then it got to the point where Mo was almost attacking twice the amount of times that Talin was blocking. His skill however, started to improve as he was now using one end to block and then lead with the opposite blade. This only lessened the frequency of getting hit as his speed with the volge could not match up to the style he was still practicing.
-
As Drevo continued taking and blocking hits he eventually fell over and landed on his back. "Man...I keep getting dizzy...How do...You do it?" he said breathing heavily. "You got any cool ninja tricks you're not sharing?" He said sitting back up. He stood back up almost falling back over to get back to training. The clones waited a moment before coming back at him. As he spun a kunai came at him, though he was a bit too dizzy to catch it. In the attempt it cut him making him lose control and fall again. "Ow! Maybe I should invest in a shield..."
-
Lo walked across the street outside the tavern, carrying several bundles of weaponry. She stopped suddenly, looking down at the young feline standing in front of her "Oh, Hi Kitt... Finished reading?" He nodded, rubbing his upper arm awkwardly "Lo... You're the only person I know... Who knew my parents... So I was wondering if, seeing as we finished training early... Perhaps we could talk?" Lo sighed, smiling sadly "You know the answer to that... I wont admit to knowing everything, especially about your mother... But I will always strive to help a Ranger in trouble..." She smirked, ruffling his hair fondly and leading him back into the tavern...
-
Bo was surprised at the monument of a wall that came rushing at him. He dug the weight on one of the wires into the ever-growing wall, and sped around it, barely cutting through it before he got crushed against the wall. Bo noticed the small glint off of the emerald that Korius had given her and noticed its reaction to Kiana's power. He disappeared and reappeared just past Kiana, the emerald in his hand. "You have quite the treasure, indeed."
Vo watched as White continued on with the book on various shields. "I've heard about what happened at the last fight. Do you know why the shadow twins' attack broke through your barrier? I checked the scroll that you brought with you. I unlocked it... in my own way and found that you only deciphered it through the first level, physical barriers. That's why I planned your lesson the way I have. That book you're reading is a guide to the nature white magic, particularly in terms of protective barriers. You won't learn any spells, but it may help you understand the nature of your magic-type to help you unlock more. I won't reveal it to you myself, but I will let you know one thing about that scroll. There are 10 levels of power on that barrier scroll. It is a very powerful barrier, written by your ow... er... one of the best white mages before the Grand War." Vo then took the scroll from before and brought it to the books that White had finished and sealed them back into the scroll. She then took the rest, including the one White was holding, and sealed them into a separate scroll which seemed to glow a peculiar way as she sealed the rest of the books in. Vo then closed up the scroll and made a few hand gestures while holding the scroll between both hands, Seal Jutsu: Majicka Lock With that, she placed a hand onto White's forehead, where a soft, white glow seemed to travel up her arm for a second before it disappeared. Vo then handed the scroll to White, "I have sealed the books into this special scroll for you to take with you on your travels. The books you have yet to read are far longer and more complex than any you have ever read yet. You are not a ninja, neither do you have the ability to use Chakra, so I've placed a special seal that will allow you to pull out any book from within here just by channeling your Majicka into it and picking the book with your mind. Time will slow down, and your mind will escape into another realm to pick out which book to unseal. The book you touch will be the one that unseals. The special seal I've placed on this will only react to your Majicka. No other being will ever be able to access this except you. Now unseal the last book you were about to read, and just reseal it when time's up."
Mo continued to dodge effortlessly, but found Chrono's technique to improve greatly over the last hour. As time ran close to an end, Mo found himself actually using his hand to block one of Talin's strikes. He smiled as he repelled the volge and backed up a little. "You see what I mean? Even if you don't have the power, sharpening your technique, perfecting your movements, and eliminating the imperfections allows you to fight better, or at least fight on par with your opponent. That was the first time you've made me actually block you because I had to. With the help of Chronin's power, I'd say you'd be able to pull off an equivalence to when you fought side by side with Elistra. Now, let's see how much you can polish up in these last 20 minutes."
Fo continued his barrage and helped Drevo up whenever he needed it. "No, you can't use a shield. You, an ex-Voronese Knight, should be ashamed for even thinking of such a thing. This technique is very precise, a shield would only hinder you. Like I said before, do this right, and you'll find that you won't need one. Now come on, we only have a few minutes left."
-
Kiana didn't even feel the emerald being taken off her neck by Bo but when she turned around to look over at him and saw him holding the emerald. "Hey, that's mine! Give it back!" She snapped, sounding sort of like a child who had had her toy taken away, after he had commented on the emerald. She stormed towards him and reached around him, attempting to snatch the emerald away from him.
-
"Vo almost said something, sounds like as usual secrets are kept from me, I'm sooo surprised."[/color] "Alright I'll just do a little thought here and there and ah, it's as easy as accessing a cabinet! Be right back I suppose." *He held onto the scroll firmly and moved into the other realm to go get the book*
"This is a strange place, so seemingly empty, but so full of these books. Man I wonder what would happen if I were killed while I was here, like would I be trapped here forever?! That's a scary thought, I wonder if Master Vo can hear my thoughts and everything now as well... GAH! *He had a paranoid look and then moved faster to go find the making his way through the area while avoiding to touch any book except the right one* "Oh come on, it's like the biggest thing here, it's not hard to miss...." *He looked up at another stack of books and saw it sitting there in an obvious manner* "Oh... yes!" *He jumped up and grabbed it, then the walls seemed to tear and give way until he was looking back down at his body and then jumped back in it* "I got it!" *He looked in his hands and saw the book and wasn't ready and then fell to the ground* "Oof! Forgot this thing is heavy. How long was I gone Master Vo?" *He looked up thinking it was at least 10 minutes*
-
Talin continued to switch between offense and defense as he tried to keep Mo from scoring blows on his body, not really noticing that he managed to get Mo to block with his hand. I'm already half-tired, and I still can't get a hit on him! He tried to pick up his speed, but it made it harder to either block or dodge since he had to take from those areas to get a faster attack. The next block was an accident in the idea that, instead of having the pole block the attack, it was the cutting edge of the blade that Mo was going to hit...
-
"Almost over?" Drevo quickly hoped up and readied to start again. "What are we waiting for then? Come at me with everything, see how far I've come. I think I can handle it!" Ferdande chuckled again and dispersed his previous clones. "Okay, I'll give you a head start then. Three...Two..." Drevo quickly started spinning by the time Ferdande got to one. "One..." After saying that he charged at Drevo himself. Along the way he created three clones on either side of him. He led the first attack which was a drop kick which was blocked. After that one of his clones tried to deliver a sweep kick which was blocked as well. He continued trying to break Drevo's guard but having little luck. He was messing up a lot less.
-
"So my mother was from clan Esha... And she lived in the mountains of the north..." Lo nodded, sitting at the tavern table opposite Kitt "And my father was from clan Szarda, and they fled because of the laws governing the clans... So what does that make me?" She smirked, watching the young feline with a strange curiosity "It makes you, YOU... An individual, and honestly a one of a kind. Not only are you of mixed heritage, but you are the only Ranger I know to have undergone the ritual at such a young age, and survive... You should be proud, and I'm, sure your mother will be proud, wherever she is..."
Kitt sighed, hanging his head "So you do not know either... Father never said where she was, only that she had been taken by the Guardian's men... We looked for her, for so many years... Just us... And now just me..." Lo sighed in return, reaching over the table and ruffling his hair again "Not just you, you've got the others now... I'm sure they will take the best care of you Kitt..."
-
Bo only dodged around Kiana once and then stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, I'm not taking such a priceless treasure. However, I hope you know the significance of this jewel, the last pure emerald, and one of such a size to boot. It's prior owner went down in history as the most powerful earth-type high mage, and even She wasn't able to handle this gem. However, this gem seems to react very lively to your majicka. This being so, I'll teach you a little something. Magic users use harvested gems of their element to enhance their magical usages. Gems are harvested, then taken to an aparthide to be shaped and perfected. Usage of a flawed gem is never even thought of because the imperfections of it would disrupt the flow of majicka, and would back-fire any spell and end up killing the user. However, even more rare than gems, are pure ones. 99% of all harvested gems are partially made of other elements and/or minerals of the world. A pure gem, like the one you carry, are extremely sought out by every single magic-user for as long as history can remember. The amplifications of a pure gem far exceed those of any other gem, and are usually found no more than the size of a peasant's jewel on a ring. In order for a magic-user to make use of a gem, they channel their magicka through the gem and use it to amplify the output. However, for someone of your experience in this, a necklace setup won't exactly help you very much. Go upstairs and eat your last supper here, and I'll get you something better with this gem." Bo reverted to his original form and walked out ahead of Kiana, jumping over White just for kicks to go up the stairs.
Vo gave him merely a "you have a hard time listening, don't you?" look. "It may have seemed like minutes in your mind, but to the rest of us, when you channeled your majicka into it, it just appeared. In other words, you weren't gone at all." After another hour of White just sitting there and reading, and after Bo had left, she sighed and tapped White on the shoulder as she walked around him. "Come, time for supper. To put the books back, just hold onto the book and channel your majicka to the scroll and to the book. It will send itself back inside from there."
Mo shifted his hand and grabbed the volge's blade and flipped it, flipping Talin along with it. He tossed the volge up and held it by the handle, flipping it so that the blade faces away from Talin. "I believe this is yours. You've done well. Now, take up your weapon and walk out of here proudly. You've reached a whole new level of skill."
Fo ended his barrage and finished it off with a slide-in sweep and knocked Drevo straight on his rump. Fo chuckled as he reached down to help Drevo up, "Not all enemies attack head-on and from above. Some will attack low or even FROM below. Keep your feet moving and your eyes everywhere. Now come on, Alexia's already left and made your meal with Master Hajime. Everyone's upstairs, let's go."
-
Kiana listened closely as Bo told her about the emerald since Korius had never given her explanation as to its uses. As he spoke, she kept her eyes on the emerald, admiring it and analyzing it at the same time. After Bo was done speaking, she followed his instructions and went up to the tavern, maneuvering around White to get up the stairs. When she got up to the tavern she sat down at the table and waited for the food to be brought out.
-
*Remembering how he did it last time, he did the opposite and returned the book to its place in the scroll and came back* "...Dinner it is." "Jeez, why can't she ever be somewhat nice, it was obviously my first time. Whatever, this is to be expected from anybody I guess as an alien to this location. I hope we leave soon." *He got up and followed Vo to the trail of the last supper*
-
Talin shook his head as he pushed his upper body off the ground. He also swung his arms in a vertical 360 to loosen them up from all the exertion, then took the volge back before bowing to Mo and still making eye contact. He rolled to the side as Mo tried to catch him with an axe kick, then he casually walked out of the arena and towards the dining area...
-
Drevo hunched over a bit tired. "We're done? Really? Come on, we didn't even do anything! Let's keep going." Ferdande walked over to Drevo and gave him a pat on the back. "No, it's time to eat. I made sure Alexia didn't drug your food this time..." "That's reassuring..." Drevo walked off towards the stairs and headed up them, stubbing his toe on the first one. "Walk much?" chuckled Ferdande. "Shut up!"
-
Lo looked up as Kiana sat down at the tavern table. She sighed, standing up and ruffling Kitt's hair affectionately "Dinner time... I reckon a young Ranger needs a hearty meal..." Still smirking, she walked away from the table to help with getting dinner out...
-
The trainers, save Bo and Mo, sat with the others and ate heartily, laughing happily and having a merry time. It was truly a banquet, and in very large portions, as well. Mo and Bo came in about 15 minutes after everyone started, both carrying boxes. Mo opened his box, revealing a necklace charm, handing it to Talin, "A gift from the expecting mother. It is a marriage charm, one for a dragon-kin. You two shall be wed tonight by the Master herself after supper. You may all attend the ceremony." Next, Bo walked up to Kiana with his box and opened it up, revealing the emerald encased in a golden armlet. "This has been custom-made and fitted for your arm. In these last days, I've noticed you seem to favor running your majicka through your right arm, so I've fitted it to fit it snugly." Korius joined not too long after, needing Hajime's help, shirtless. Vo walked up to Korius and examined him thoroughly, checking major points on his body. "It seems you'll be fine. I'll just work on helping with your muscles after the ceremony. For now, drink this, and no complaining." She dropped a large pint of potion, and it was very obvious that it was not chased, and was very thick. Korius' face turned pale and it showed his disgust. Vo pounded his back before walking off, causing him to cough violently, "I said NO COMPLAINING!"
-
Kiana ate and drank with the others. When Bo and Mo arrived, she looked up and watched. When she heard what the item Talin was given actually was, her eyes widened. Her face went back to normal though when she looked at Bo, she watched him take the armlet out and half-smiled, not wanting to look too pleased. In her mind she thought of a smart comment to make in response to Bo like, 'Well, yeah, I am right-handed,' but she kept it to herself. "Thank you, Bo." She said, looking at him and smiling the rest of the way as she took the armlet and slid it into place on her arm. "And not just for this, but for the training too. Even if you were a perv the entire time." She chuckled, not wanting to sound too nice. When she heard someone come into the tavern, she turned her head to see Hajime helping a shirtless Korius and casually directed her eyes back at her plate. She resumed eating and almost spat out some of her food when Vo yelled, not because it scared her but because it was funny.
-
*Sitting down quietly and playing with his food idly, the wolf just sort of watched everybody else with a vacant expression and ate whatever was in front of him, having difficulty thinking about much of anything he just kept to himself* "Finally gonna be back on the road again, doing stuff, healing people, and the usual. A long while ago I wouldn't have even thought of being a mile away from home. Ironic placement, but I'm sure there's some sort of achievement worth it!"
-
Drevo ate his food happily, he was tired but too busy eating to care. It was his favorite dish after all, chicken. He saw Korius come out with his shirt off, quickly thinking he was showing off for the women in the room. He continued to watch seeing him take his medicine, snickering at the sight of him suffering. He almost choked on his food he was eating, luckily Alexia saw and gave him a smack on the back which fixed the problem but landed his face in his plate. She quickly apologized and insisted she could clean it off as he did so himself.
-
Kitt ate in subdued silence, glancing up at the others from behind his protective barrier of dark hair. He sighed, stabbing moodily at a piece of chicken. It wasnt that the food was bad, or the company annoying, for neither was true. In fact, the chicken was the best he had ever tasted, and the laughter and happy conversation was very infectious. Yet he still remained silent, chewing the chicken slowly...
Lo leaned over, whispering into his ear between large gulped mouthfulls of delicious chicken "Cheer up kid, no need to be the stereotypical moody teenager... Neither I nor you want to remember our last day together like this... Enjoy yourself..." She grinned, stealing a piece of chicken off his plate, getting a tongue stuck out at her in return and a piece of her own chicken stolen. She smirked, sticking her own tongue out in an equally childish manner and ruffling his hair..
-
Korius nearly vomited after downing the whole pint of potion. He ate with the others, though his spirits weren't as high as theirs. Despite having conquered his darkness once, he still feared of it taking over. Korius was still far from being able to use his Ki. All he can do for the moment was apply his Ki to the most basic of techniques, as well as sword-play and basic hand-to-hand combat. Even though his Ki channels are now regulated, he still can't access it all. Re-channeling it has only allowed his Ki to flow properly, not exhausting it all up after a couple usages. And then there was the issue of his darkness. With Hajime's coaching, he was able to control it, but Hajime will not be there with them. She will be here with her O-wabanshu ("O" symbolizing their titles and "wabanshu" means squad or team. commonly used when describing elite ninja groups. ex: oni-wabanshu. demon/ghost squad. (r)Rurouni Kenshin aka. Samurai X), protecting the people that they love until the end of their longevity.
Hajime, now back in her original form, left the table and sat beside Korius when she came back, dropping a pint of ale for him and swing one of her own. "Come on, handsome! Don't be so glum! How about this? After I marry the dragon and the wannabe dragon, how about I marry you and your cheetah girl? I'll even give you two my personal room for a marriage suite! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" Korius snorted at Hajime's comments, but blushed a bit under his fur at the thought of it. It's not much to him, but he has found himself worrying about Kiana nowadays.
-
Kiana continued to eat as she listened to the conversations taking place, laughing on occasion if something came off to her as funny. When Hajime came back to the table, Kiana glanced over at her for a second before returning her attention to her food. She was listening to what Hajime was saying though. When she heard Hajime's question about marrying them after she married Talin and Elistra, she nearly choked on her food. She coughed a few times before hitting herself below the collarbone and dislodging what was caught, then took a long gulp of her drink. She then cleared her throat and continued to eat like nothing had happened, but she was blushing slightly beneath her fur.
-
*Looking up hoping to find some sort of excitement he watched the scene first between Korius and Hajime, finally seeing something good he chuckled under his breath then watched Kiana and had to cover his face with his paws to avoid embarrassing himself* "Too much excitement in a few seconds, I suppose I'll escape this scene." *He got up silently hoping to avoid the looks of both his companions and the respective masters and made his way for the nearest door leading to night air* "I need to be alone anyways."
-
"And so your mother walks in... At this point she must have been around twenty or so, young little thing... Anyway, your father, he was just out of the bath, no towel. Completely naked, dripping wet with nothing but a sword on him. She walks in and..." Lo took a swig from her pint, grinning over at Kitt. He too drank down a large swig, pulling a face at the tast of the ale, but copying Lo nonetheless. She set her pint back down, focusing on the young feline with a little difficulty...
"Where was I?..." She scratched her scaly chin, before grinning again, clicking her claws "Ah, right... Well she walks in... And stops at the door. Your father just blushes like a little schoolgirl... Your mother grins, at least I think she was. Remember I was seeing this from behind.... But she walks in, looks back at me and gives the biggest wink I ever saw on the girl..." Lo demonstrated, winking deliberately and with a sly grin.
She took another swig, again Kitt copied "So she says..." Lo laughed, slapping her knee and snorting with laughter "...She says... My, my, Ranger Szarda. I never knew your clan had such big swords..." Kitt snorted with laughter, almost inhaling half his pint as Lo grinned with a savage smile...
-
At the end of supper, Hajime got up and raised her goblet, while others raised their mugs. "I want to make a toast to all your fine work these last few days. As much as we wish to fight alongside of you all, it is neither our destiny nor our privilege to do so. I hereby toast to all your good health and to yourselves that you will find it in you to fight to the bitter end and free us all from the tyranny of the Guardians. And we also toast to you in honor of our friendship here. To the Destined!" The ninjas and the "O"s toasted in unison, "To the Destined!!" Korius raised his mug in response to their toast before downing his own fill of alcohol. After chugging all the ale down in mere seconds, Hajime sighed happily and loudly, "Ah~! Nothing like a good liquor to end the hardest sparring session I've ever had! Anyways, let's all head out to the Inn! The nurses should have brought Elistra back upstairs and fed her. *Grabs Talin by the neck and drags him out* Let's get this wedding on the road!"
-
Kiana raised her mug with the others then took a drink from it afterward. She eyed the inside of her mug when she lowered it, seeing that half of her ale still remained. Sighing, she set the mug down on the table and looked at her empty plate. When Hajime suggested that they all go to the Inn, Kiana got up from her seat. After Hajime had dragged Talin out the door, Kiana followed after them, carrying her tights/leggings, shoes, cloak, and staff.
-
*White watched Talin get dragged by Hajime out the door after hearing some sort of outburst* "Probably has something to do with Elistra and that wedding I've heard about. Seems like either nobody noticed I left or just didn't oppose the idea. I have this scroll trapped in my head for perhaps forever, so I guess I'll take advantage of it while nobody is bothering me." *He tried not to attract any attention and sneaked away along the side of the building and found a nice secluded area in an alley* "Just a bit of an..." *He went to go get the ancient tome from the other realm then returned to complete his sentence* "...unseal and voila a new book." *He amused himself and then started reading the book as he laid against the wall*
-
Talin had only just finished his goblet when Hajime grabbed him by the neck, and then he was on the floor for a good half a minute before getting back on his feet and following her to the inn with a look of defeat on his face. "Do I really have to dragged by the neck?" He felt her let go of his neck, and grab the horns by his head as he was still being led like a dog to a cage.
-
Drevo had finished his drink and food when he watched the soon-to-be-wed was dragged out of the room, he thought it was funny but didn't let out more than a chuckle. As he got up he thought of something, making him look back at Alexia who was looking at him already. He looked away nervously and walked on quickly. Alexia got up to and casually strolled after him. He figured things in his head about what was in her head which made him really nervous. So nervous his right arm shook making him grab it in hopes it would help.
-
Kitt crouched down over Lo, prodding her cautiously "Uh... Miss Lo?" She gave a loud snore and rolled over, staring up at Kitt through a belary haze of alcohol and sleep "Oh... Heeey there lil' ranger... Shup?" Pulling Lo to her feet, Kitt sighed "I think we gotta go with the others to this wedding... You can walk right?"
Lo grinned, getting uneasily to her feet. She prodded herself in the chest "I.. Am a ninja... A little bit of ale doesn't affect ME..." Kitt watched, with raised eyebrows, as Lo slowly keeled over backwards, still pointing to her own chest. He sighed again, dragging her back to her feet with a roll of his eyes...
-
Korius followed the group towards the Inn, but only stayed at the door to Talin's and Elistra's room. Hajime stood between Talin and Elistra after prodding up Talin back to his feet. Elistra remained on the bed, as her pregnancy had made her tired constantly. She wore a golden, diamond-encrusted gauntlet, signifying the female's belonging in marriage. "Thank you all for joining us here for this joyous union of two souls. As per tradition for the marriage of dragons, the male now bears the Carnal Necklace and the female bears the Trove Gauntlet. As the head of the village and the society of ninjas throughout Gaia, I and all these here bear witness and acknowledge the union and hereby proclaim the two of thee to be one. Talin, take thine woman by the gauntlet and seal your pact of marriage by completing her gauntlet with the gem on your necklace."
-
Kiana stood in the room feeling out of place especially since she was holding a bunch of items of clothing on one arm. She glanced toward the doorway at one point in the ceremony and saw that Korius was standing there, not looking like he was enjoying himself. She only kept her eyes on him for a second though then directed her attention back at Hajime, Talin, and Elistra. She had never attended a wedding before and it didn't look like a very interesting event at the moment from where she was standing, but then again, this was just a small, unorganized one. She wasn't good with the lovey-dovey "air" of the event, making her feel uncomfortable.
-
*Reading through the steps on an illusionary shield and some ways to defend it, he looked around on his environment* "Well there's only two ways in and out of this place, so might as well take advantage of the lovely way to defend it, a little barrier spell here and another there to go under it... and voila!" *He took out a small mirror and got up, opening a small hole in his barrier on one end of the shield and placed the mirror just outside of it to face him and the barrier, which upon showing the alley revealed it to look like nobody was there at all* "Perfect illusion! Now hopefully nobody finds me so I can be undisturbed unless someone attempts to come into this alley for some reason. Now I'll just take that and back to reading." *He scooped up the small mirror and closed up the hole, going back to his sitting spot*
-
Talin had only heard of this ritual once from Elistra, and she was only willing to perform it once he gained the 'horns' to fight and defeat a dragon-kin in unarmed combat. Both of them felt this was rather awkward as they also promised to not have a child before they peformed this. However, Elistra was the first to lose her patience and grabbed a pillow and threw it at Talin. "Get over here before I have to beat you into giving me the necklace, half-breed!!"
That was enough to snap Talin out of his daze and 'cold feet' as he rushed over and almost yanked her gauntlet off the arm. He took the gem and quickly put it into the gauntlet, which gave Elistra 'permission' to yank her arm back and pull Talin with it. She kissed him for a few seconds before shoving him away with a smirk on her face. Talin was back to being confused as he had no clue if he had to leave or spend the night; he was told earlier that yesterday was the last she would see him, and now he was in the room with her performing a marrige ceremony!
-
Drevo was fairly confused with the odd ritual, he had never seen dragon-kin be married either so it was to be expected. Alexia was right next to Drevo with her arm locked with his. Both the wedding and Alexia made him nervous and uncomfortable. It eventually made him quietly leave the building. He walked outside for a bit before seeing White in an alleyway a little ways in front of him. Though he soon vanished witch made him stop just short of the illusion's barrier and scratch his head. "White must be part ninja...Lucky bastard."
-
Kitt and Lo watched the ceremony silently, Kitt because he was interested to see the marriage, and Lo because if she moved even slightly she would probably keel over onto her face. Lo smirked, wobbling ever so slightly where she stood. Kitt rolled his eyes, making a mental note to never bother with getting drunk, it didnt seem all that brilliant...
Still smirking, Lo leant in close to Kitt. Unlike when they had met less than a week ago, Lo only had to lean down slightly. A teenager could grow a lot in three years, even magically sped-up years "Hey Kittrevsky..." Kitt looked, frowning at the use of his full name "Somehow this reminds me of your parents' marriage... With just as strange Ranger rituals. It took place in a coppice near here, for by this time they where both outcasts..."
Kitt looked back down, technically he was just as much an outcast as his parents had been, mixed clan heritage and the son of an outcast, really he had no hope of rejoining any clan... He sighed, looking back up and watching the marriage...
-
After Elistra and Talin consummated their marriage, Hajime smiled a warm smile and turned to point at Korius. "Your turn, lover-boy. Kiana, get your furry little tail over here. We'll do a traditional wolf-Kin marriage, unless you two would like to do either a cheetah or even traditional human?" Korius' face brightened red under his fur in embarrassment and turned around, leaving quickly. Upon leaving the Inn, he hopped up onto the roof and just sat there staring up into the sky. I hate everything about you... but why... do I love you?
-
Kiana looked at Korius when Hajime turned and pointed at him then looked back at Hajime as well. Kiana shook her head at being told to go over to Hajime for her and Korius to get married. "Uh...I gotta...yeah..." She said as she headed for her room at the same time Korius left the Inn. She didn't notice that they had moved to leave simultaneously though. For once when she got to her room she headed for the window instead of straight for the bed after closing the door. She sat down in the window and looked outside into the night, sighing and leaning her head against the glass.
-
*Several shields later the majicka drained wolf stumbled out of the alley, after sealing up his book and made his way to the Inn slowly but was quickly taken aback seeing Drevo* "Hey........." *He sweat a little and couldn't think of a good excuse* "You didn't see anything here, let's leave it at that." *He looked away and walked off not really turning around as he tried not to look suspicious"I doubt anybody even noticed a thing...but now Drevo noticed. I hope other people don't find out about my little escape, but anyways the wedding is probably over now, not as loud as it was before."
*Looking around inside to avoid any glances, he tip toed up the stairs and walked by Kiana's room hardly noticing Kiana's distant appearance in her placement but saw her at the window without much thought, but some hopefulness involved he broke the silence in the room* "Nice view tonight! Today has been a hardy day, probably will be better tomorrow after we get moving again. *Yawn* Have a good night Kiana and I hope you get some rest soon, you're gonna need it." *He tried to make himself not look physically tired to hide his overtime work by standing up straight in case she turned around to face him*
"That should make me less inconspicuous I think." *He turned and made his way to his own room and found his bed then rather quickly laid down curling up without putting on any covers where his heavy eyelids fought against his eyes until they won within a few short minutes*
-
Talin was still unsure if he should stay in the room, and sat down next to Elistra. She made an effort to push him onto his back, but she could only manage to wrap her arms around his shoulder and lean on him. "You know, maybe it would be better if you're a half-breed. I just need you to be half dragon for father, since I rather like the feeling of fur."
Talin lowered his head and sighed at the ground before letting out a very small whimper. "So my failed transformation is just a convenience to you..."
"The fur part is true, but I am a bit concerned as to what would happen once you leave the village..." Talin's ears flipped up and he rose his head to meet her eyes.
"Please don't tell me I've been doing this in an altered space..."
-
Drevo was even more confused after White had emerged from the alleyway, and a bit freaked out when he talked to him. "Uh.....Right..." He turned and watched him walk away confused before deciding to go for a dip in the hot springs. Finally there he disrobed, donned a towel and went out by the side of the water. He waded in and sat with his arms on the edges with his head tilted back. "Ahh....Finally some relaxation..." No one else seemed to be around, he was alone.
-
Lo looked from the door where Kiana and Korius had disappeared through, back to Hajime "Finally... Now I can just sleep...." And with that she collapsed into the nearest seat, snoring loudly. Kitt smirked, leaving her be and walked back to the Inn.
Finally he reached his room, sword, belt and bow all fell to the floor beside the door. next came cloak and supple leather armour, halfway between door and bed. And finally Kitt himself, falling onto the bed with a soft thump. Pulling the covers over himself he fell into sleep...
-
Korius heard White talking through one of the windows to Kiana. He tried to ignore, but he was curious to hear what might transpire. Korius' blood boiled at the thought of Kiana and her so-called "feelings" but at the same time, his heart raced and sometimes even skipped at the thought of her. It was a complete mix of his feelings towards the Guardians and Koara put into one. An extreme conflict fought within Korius' heart and mind, and he had to strain himself to remain quiet.
-
Kiana didn't move when White spoke but she did hear him. "View?" She questioned as she came out of her trance then remembered that she was looking out the window. "Oh...yeah...right..." She turned her head to look at White after he finished speaking. "You sayin' I look bad?" She questioned raising an eyebrow. She was joking, of course, but she sounded kind of serious. She watched as he left to go to his room then turned her head back to look out the window, looking up at the sky. "I'm doing my best, I really am. It just gets kind of difficult sometimes. You may remember that I was treated as inferior and slapped across the face earlier on in this mission, I told you about it. Nothing bad has happened within the group since then really but there's always a chance that something like that will happen again since it seems like another member of our group doesn't like our leader. But anyway, there has been a happy part, I guess. Two of our group members got married today. That's good for them, I suppose. The leader of the ninjas has been harassing the leader of our group and I saying that we're in love and tried to get us to marry too. I don't get it. I just don't understand these things, these...emotions, I guess. None of it makes sense and it's got me so messed up inside. I mean, there are these moments where I see good qualities in him, but then I can't stand him most of the time. He's so hot-headed and stubborn." Kiana spoke quietly, talking to her brother. 'So are you, Kiana' rang through her head in her brother's voice and she sighed. "Yeah, I know, but... Well, I should probably go to bed now. Still got a long journey ahead. I'll talk to you again soon. Goodnight, Kamau..." She turned away from the window and moved over to her bed. She leaned her staff against the nightstand then crawled underneath the covers as she heard 'Goodnight, little sister' in her head.
-
*The wolf rolled around in his bed for a little over an hour and rolled off the side of his bed with a loud yelp sound* "That was some falling dream...ugh I'm still in the Inn. I can't sleep, oh goodie! I can go practice some more defense methods... but I have to get past the others." *He slowly opened the door to his room and walked very slowly, getting to the stairs and tip-toeing until he got outside* "Korius is probably asleep by now, I should be fine." *He walked into the moonlight and over to his favorite alley while looking for Drevo* "Not this time pal, I don't know how you came upon me last time, but you won't see me!" *He used the invisibility shield in a very low perimeter around himself until he got into the dark alley* "This place could use a little light... hmm. I'm no wizard, but if I put one of my light reflective shields against one of the building walls and just aim it at the right angle over here, I could make a nice lit area with the help of Mr. Moon!" *He grinned and made sure to make his shield the same color texture as the wall and just set it up to face the moon, which as desired made a light ray into the alley* "Perfect! Now I can do some more reading." *He moved back into the alley and sat down with with another book in hand from the scroll, going back to reading and practicing some other types of shields*
-
"...and thats why it took several hours for a single horn to grow out despite the amount of focus you put forth."
Talin tackled her to the bed as frustration built up in his mind. "You didn't think this was important enough to inform me when we were supposed to meet for the 'last time'?!" Elistra headbutted Talin with enough force to make him let go and fall onto the other side of the bed. She then grabbed him by the back of his collar and pushed him off the bed.
"I was more concerned if Mo was going to kill you then over some stupid magic field!!"
-
After some time of relaxing in the hot water of the springs Drevo finally got out. He went inside, got dressed and started walking back to the inn. As he walked he couldn't help the feeling he was being watched. He stopped in the center of a large opening and looked around. "Ferdande, that you?" he asked nonchalantly. Two figures jumped into the area with Drevo and surrounded him. "Hey there, guardian slayer..." said Sakai and Jizo in unison. "You two...You're those sentries from the border, right? You killed our comrade without thinking of it!" "We'd do it again." Said Jizo. There was a faint smell of sake lingering, the two seemed drunk. "What're you two doing here? Looking for another fight?" "Yeah, actually. We are!" said Sakai rushing in at Drevo. Drevo dodged the attack, managing to trip him. "Crap...Need a weapon...Not good at hand to hand..." He looked around for something to use, spotting a barrel of cleaning supplies near a building. He dodged Jizo who came at him and made his way over to it and took out two things which happened to be a mop and broom. Jizo and Sakai looked at each other and laughed as Drevo looked at his weapons with a scowl. He broke off the head of both mop and broom and stuck on in the ground. Spinning the weapon around to look intimidating he took a battle stance. "Alright, I'll take you both on!" The two looked at each other and quickly made several copies of themselves and surrounded Drevo. "Crap...Definitely outnumbered now..." Drevo lunged forward quickly and took out one of the clones with a thrust, it poofed into smoke. Two came at him from behind which he sensed and turned quickly and tripped them with his staff. He too was tripped and almost stomped on but he rolled out of the way. Getting up he whirled around and took out a few of them. Their numbers were fading which made Sakai and Jizo make more of themselves, refilling the ranks many times over. Since they were drunk they over did their clone making, but also due to the their clones were a bit sluggish. Drevo grinned at the numbers, it made him lunge straight into them taking out several as he spun his staff around, spinning with it into attacks. After a while of fighting Drevo grew tired, he cleared a group of the enemies and took the stance ready to try his Dragon breath technique.
-
Lo sat down beside White, giving a faint hiccup as she did so "You should know, to the well trained eye your shield leaves a slight shimmer... With practice though you have great potential..." She glanced across at White, slightly cross-eyed and squinting.Placing a clawed hand on his shoulder she suppressed another drunken hiccup "I didn't come and find you, simply for company White. I need to tell you something, because it weighs down on my chest, with every passing day that I have not told someone... Just promise me, dont tell Kitt, i fear it would break his heart.."
Lo sighed, her head hanging low "Though I fear, by not telling him, or at least someone, I may only be postponing that time..." She looked back up, meeting his eyes, no longer squinting, but deathly serious "I am not sure how much you know, but Kitt's father is obviously dead, and the pair have been searching for his mother for a long time... I would guess it was the only thing that kept them going, and definitely the only thing that keeps Kitt going now..."
Lo's grip on White's shoulder tightened "She is dead, White... And has been for a number of years... Killed by an agent of the Guardians. I scattered her ashes myself. The boy... Is filled with false hope..."
With that she stood up and walked away, her pretence at calm authority went no way to disguise the tears that ran down her cheeks as she left White alone in the alley once more...
-
Korius had lain on the top of the little cove of a roof just above Kiana's window, listening to Kiana. The thought of her feeling almost the same about her made his mind numb with thought. So you feel the same, huh........? After she left the window to go to bed, he hopped up from his laying position and walked off, jumping rooftops leisurely without much effort. Some noise made his ears perk and he looked off to where it was coming from. Without even seeing it with his eyes, he could feel the presence of chakra and the usage of small amounts in high numbers disappearing, Must be movement doppelgangers. Korius sped his movements to head over to the source and came up to the edge of a rooftop and looked down, watching Drevo's fight take place. He recognized the people Drevo was fighting, and saw the peculiar stance that Drevo took. This might end up ugly. Korius jumped off the edge, keeping his emotions and Ki suppressed, and landed on Jizo's shoulders. Korius clenched his heels at the base of Jizo's neck, knocking the ninja out, and jumped off, kicking Sakai in the face before landing on one foot, pinning Sakai against the wall by the neck with the other foot, and drawing the katana. "Take your friend and go. I'm sure Hajime knows of this, but let's just keep this down before you get into any more trouble. Drevo, as much as they might piss you off, please refrain from picking a fight. We owe this village our lives for their assistance." Sakai quickly grabbed Jizo and dragged him away as Korius sheathed the katana and removed his foot from Sakai's throat. Korius watched them as they left before leaving himself. "Get to bed, Drevo. We're waking early tomorrow. Your lady friend's also waiting for you back at the Inn. This might be the last time you'll see her. Spend your time well." Kiana's face flashed before his mind as he finished his statement to Drevo and jumped up back into the roof and headed off towards the watchtower to hopefully clear his mind.
Mo and Bo were at the tower when Korius showed up. They greeted him and talked with him throughout the night about just how he planned to get through the mission and what needed to be done, over a large barrel of alcohol, of course.
-
Kiana thought she heard movement on the roof after getting into bed but just figured it was some feral animal moving along the roof. She laid in bed with her eyes closed as her mind swarmed with thoughts about her brother, about Korius, about what lay ahead of the group on the journey, about whether or not more of them would die. Anything and everything swirled around in her mind like a tornado until it plunged her into a very odd dream. Since the dream was all of her thoughts mixed together, it didn't make much sense at all. After a while, the dream ended and the rest of her sleep was peaceful.
-
*Twitching and still being frozen in space from Lo appearing out of nowhere, he shouted after her* "WHY... ME...?!" Why does everyone tell me the worst secrets possible?! And have we even talked before??" *He flabbergasted and then looked with irritation at his shield's small shmmer* "Grr... now how am I supposed to focus with now one of the most depressing truths I have ever heard and now a compromised location... and not to mention I just yelled... crud!" *He slammed his book shut and sealed it back up, making his shields dissipate he walked back to the Inn* "Don't think of Kitt, don't think of Kitt! Sleep good now, sleep!"[/i] *He made his way inside and then walked back to his room and shut the door quietly, going to sleep*
-
Talin and Elistra were at it for a few minutes, both fighting with not a single word spoken between them until Talin fell onto the bed and Elistra had him 'pinned' under her weight. "You're lucky I got tired from my last training session, or I would have you pinned against the bedframe by now!" Elistra wrapped her hand around his mouth and closed it shut with a strength that seemed to go against the stereotypical feminine side she gave off during pregnancy. "Someone is getting very cocky for just getting pinned by a pregnant woman." She kissed his closed muzzle then continued to hold it as she started to doze off on top of him...
-
When Korius showed up Drevo was aggravated...If you could call it just that. He stopped the use of his technique to only see him running off. He threw his makeshift weapon in his direction missing by miles. "YOU ARROGANT (Censored)! (Censored)! (Double censored)! (Many many censors later)!" he shouted punching the dirt on the ground after having fell to his knees in anger. He was very angry needless to say. "Why?! Why did HE have to show up and RUIN everything!" he continued on. "I'm just going to go give him a beating!" he said getting to his feet. He took one step and was suddenly yanked upwards by his foot. The force of his sudden ascension made him smack into a wall and get knocked out. Ferdande showed up letting loose the cable he had snagged around Drevo's ankle making him fall nicely on his shoulder. "Geez...I've never seen you like this, Drevo...Has the death of your family really changed you this much...?" he said as he carried him all the way to his room.
-
Lo leant against the corner of the Inn wall, plucking the petals from a large ox-eye daisy. She muttered under her breath as each petal fluttered to the ground "I tell the boy... I tell him not... I tell him... I tell him not-" She stood with just the yellow head of the daisy left and she sighed, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
The daisy fell to the ground and was crushed underfoot, along with the petals, as Lo walked away into the night...
-
The next morning, long before even twilight, Korius awoke in his room, a passed out Bo on the ground, and having slept on top of Valia. He groaned as he got up and scratched the back of his head. Korius took out a cleaning cloth and started wiping down the massive blade of all prints and smudges begotten from him sleeping on it. He then took the leather belt and wore it diagonally across his chest and then put on his gi. The back of Korius' gi had a custom-cut/mended hole in the back where the clip on the belt was and he then placed Valia on it before taking the katana and tying it onto his sash. Korius kicked the bottom of Bo's foot before heading out of the room and down the stairs to the lobby, where Hajime was waiting for him. "I know what you're planning. Don't even think about it." Korius sighed as he stopped in front of her, "They don't need me. Besides, it's not like they had any interest in having me stay with them anyways. I'm merely a guide, and they now know the path." Hajime stood firm and quickly drew her wakizashi, holding the blade just against his throat, "Then what was all that training for? What does your mission mean to you? YOU are Her Majesty Koara's final will. YOU are..." Korius interjected, becoming progressively irritated, "Mistress Koara's wish was only that I show them the way, nothing more. Besides, now that my Ki's out in the open, I'm a greater threat-" "-to your lover. Yes, I know. You know, you really shouldn't hide your feelings from her and yourself. Your love is as plain as day to me. It is the same as when you and Her Majesty were mating all those years ago..." Korius slapped Hajime across the face, using the other hand to push the sword arm away. He rounded around Hajime and left the building. Outside, Fo, Vo, Lo and Mo were waiting, blocking Korius' way. "Please rethink this. Those children need you. You are their leader. Don't think of them as leaning on you as a crutch, but rather as a shield to lead them on. White himself is quite ignorant and oblivious to the world. He'll need you there to keep him focused." "And Kitt is still very young and inexperienced. He may be a ranger now, but he still needs someone to lead him." "Talin's always too pompous and extremely arrogant. Without someone to keep him in line, he'll end up jeopardizing both his life and the life of the party. On top of that, he needs to realize how much stronger he has yet to become, and someone to get him there." "Also, Drevo needs to get stronger to survive. The death of his family has almost completely changed him from his old self. Also, I've only managed to teach him basic blocking for your technique. You're the only one who can take him the rest of the way. I know he despises you, but I'm sure he at least can respect you as a fighter." Bo popped in from the roof and landed in front of the group, "And you can't leave Kiana behind. We all know that you two are in love. You may not express it like everyone else, but it's more than obvious to everyone here. She needs you, Korius. Be there for her." Korius let out a low growl, pushing them all aside. He stopped short, however, when he heard the others coming down to the lobby and Hajime greeting them all.
-
Kiana awoke early the next morning, opening her eyes and sitting up in the bed. She shook her head to get her tangled mess of a dream out of her head then got out of bed. She pulled on her tights/leggings then put on her shoes before throwing on her cloak. She untied her braid and combed her hair out with her fingers before re-braiding and retying her hair. Grabbing her staff and leaving her room, she headed down to the lobby where she was greeted by Hajime. She looked around the lobby and then looked back to Hajime. Hajime nodded her head towards the door as if reading Kiana's mind and Kiana headed for the door. Kiana threw the door open and stepped through it. She locked eyes on Korius immediately even though he was back-to her. She had noticed Bo, Fo, Vo, Lo, and Mo standing there but it didn't affect what she was about it say. "Just where the HELL do you think you're going?!" She snapped, glaring at the back of his head, obviously somewhat sensing what he was intending to do.
-
*Rubbing his eyes, the wolf looked out his window at the sound of yelling* "Kiana?" *He saw her standing there looking at the turned Korius and then noticed the Masters standing in the pathway* "Ugh, must be some sort of business, probably none of my concern." *He rolled over in his bed and tried to go back to sleep, putting his hands over his ears trying to drown out the noise* "Nghh... too early, people should go back to bed and chilll..." *No sooner did his slurred sentence end than his eye lids falling shut*
-
Talin had some issues waking up as he didn't bother to get Elistra off of him, he managed to get her halfway off and then she wrapped her arms around him just before she rolled off. Normally this would result in him having to wake her up, but leaving while she was still awake would probably prompt him to stay, and he still had something to finish. He reached behind and gently pried her hands off so he could slide through her arms and be at the door with volge in hand. "Sorry..." he gently opened the door and went downstairs gently until he heard 'HELL' being yelled up the staircase, and had frozen stiff for a few moments before continuing to go down the stairs. "Whoever just yelled, can you make sure to not wake 'her' up?!" he had the same intensity as if he was yelling, but it was nowhere near as loud as what he was walking into.
-
Drevo woke up and rubbed his head sitting up. "Ow..." He looked around his room suddenly but found nothing unusual. "Ugh...At least that didn't happen again..." he groaned slidding out of bed. He got up, grabbed his original bowstaff and headed downstairs. As he went down stairs he heard Kiana's voice. He figured a similar situation had happened like what happened with himself and Alexia and Korius managed to slip away. Once at the bottom of the stairs he spotted Alexia staring at him from across the room. He walked over to her and was immediately hugged followed by a peck on the cheek. He noticed a large back pack behind her as he was hugged. "...What's that...?" "I prepared something for your travels. To make your life a little easier on the road." she said with a warm smile. "That bag is...Really big..." "You can carry it, I know you can." She said with another warm smile. He groaned before she puled out a small envelope. "Oh, I think this is for you. It's a letter." "What now...?" He took the letter, opened it and began reading it. "Don't think we forgot about that carriage. It's coming our of your (Censored). Have a nice day." "Lovely...Loan sharks..." "What is it?" "Nothing..." Drevo crumbled the letter. "So this is it...Huh?" "Yeah...It's going to be a long time until we meet again." "If I even come back alive..." "I wish I could have spent more time with you...It feels like we didn't get all that much time with your training and all..." "I know...Hope that training helped..."
-
Lo walked into Kitt's room, flinging the curtains open wide. Sunlight spilled over the messy contents of the room, clutter that had built up over several days, sword capes and arrows everywhere. In the middle of it all the culprit of the mess slept with the covers over his head. The pile of bedcovers snored loudly, rustling. Lo rolled her eyes, walking over and yanking the duvet away, simultaneously shouting in the most cheerful voice she could muster "Gooood mooorning!"
The shout was followed shortly by a loud thump, an obscure curse, and the tired grumblings of someone trying to crawl back into bed despite. Kitt clutched at the edge of the bedcover, but was held tightly by his tail. Lo raised an eyebrow, still holding tightly to the struggling feline "As soon as you stop struggling, I let go..." he complied, falling to the floor with a thud. Lo rolled her eyes in return, casting a glance over the mess "You are supposed to be leaving today, and everything is an absolute mess... Come on, get it all packed and ready to go..."
Lo sighed, grinning "The way I keep going one, its like I'm your mother-" she stopped, the word caught in her throat and she looked away from Kitt. The door closed with a slam as she walked away, without so much as a backwards glance, leaving Kitt to rub his eyes in bleary confusion...
-
Korius merely turned his head a little to see her in his peripherals, "I forgot my cloak at the watchtower. Be right back." Korius hopped up onto the roof across from him and leapt through the rooftops and landed into the watchtower from the night before, and picked up his cloak. He flung the cloak over his shoulder and wrapped it around, covering himself and most of Valia. Korius then stood there, staring off into the distance in front of him, pondering of leaving right now. However, after a few minutes, he hopped out backwards and headed back to the Inn. Korius arrived back and landed in front of Kiana, before walking past her towards the tavern to see if Hajime and the others had cooked up their food yet. "See?"
-
Kiana ignored Talin's warning and her eyes followed Korius as he leaped away across the roof tops after saying his excuse. It was taking him too long to just grab his cloak and she was going to go after him when she saw him appear again. She watched as he landed in front of her and acted like he had never had the intention of running off, like she was just being dumb and paranoid. She turned on her heel as he walked past her, her clenched teeth showing. "Don't you try to make me look stupid!" She snapped, raising a fist as she readied to punch him in the back of the head. Bo grabbed her arm from behind, stopping her. She struggled against his grip. "Come on! Just one hit, that's all I need! Knock some sense into him..." She sort of growled and her muttering continued until she finally stopped struggling and Bo released her arm. She continued to incoherently mutter her discontent as she walked into the tavern and sat down heavily in her seat, waiting for the food. Bo and the rest of the ninjas followed her inside, Bo with a smirk on his face.
-
*Rising out of his bed at long last he yawned and stretched, scratching his back with one hand and walking downstairs rubbing his eyes with the other* "Hmm... Something doesn't feel right here." *He looked around seeing the place a bit quiet, too quiet* "Uh... something doesn't feel right around here, probably has something to do with this morning when I heard Kiana yelling. Probably don't want to go to her directly to ask about it though, time for a small investigation." *He ventured over to Drevo and Alexia and intervened in their moment and tried to not look conspicuous* "Hey Drevo and Alexia, any idea what happened with Kiana this morning? I heard her yelling outside the Inn this morning, but I didn't get up to go look..." *He trailed off as he looked around again to see if she was still around the inn* "..And speaking of which, where is Kiana?"
-
Talin had went upstairs after both of them had left as he was getting too uncomfortable with just walking away and not letting her see him off. He opened the door and saw Elistra upright and looking out the window, she turned to the door and her face turned into something that could only do her dragon ancestors proud. "How dare you leave me alone for even three minutes without waking me up!!" Her anger was soon quelled as he did nothing but come to her side and lift her up like his bride, and carry her downstairs. He pushed a chair out with his right leg and set her down on the chair before backing away with his ears down. She made a good attempt at mustering frustration as she rested her head on her upright forearm, then elbow slightly digging into the table. "Much better..."
-
Drevo turned to look at White and say something, but before he could Alexia spoke. "Oh, Korius tried to run off I think. And Kiana got maaaaaaaad." Drevo was a bit shocked at hearing that and turned back to Alexia. "How-..." "I have good ears." "Why would he....try to leave?" "Hmpff. Good, let'em. Not like we need him." He said crossing his arms. "Aww....Were you worried?" Drevo almost choked when Alexia said that. "N-No! I don't care if he left. He's a jerk."
-
Korius sat at the usual table and hefted his feet up as he leaned back on the chair. Hajime walked into the tavern not to long after that kicked his legs off the table before heading into the kitchen, "We'll have none of that here. Now just cool off and be patient. The others will be in here soon. Speaking of which, can you run back to the Inn and help Talin carry his wife over? The boy's strong, but a pregnant dragon, Kin or not, is heavier than all of you put together. That boy will collapse before he gets half-way here." Kiana entered not too long after that, so Korius hefted a sigh and got up to walk back to the Inn.
-
*The wolf slipped away from the two lovers astounded at what he had heard and left the inn deciding he was hungry. Upon going outside he quickly noticed Korius pass by as he was halfway to the tavern going towards the inn when he turned his head around, but noticed his leader to be looking distant in his walk, which quickly put him to thoughts about Lo and the team* "Seriously, why would she tell me something like that? I hardly talk to Kitt and I don't need to know the depressing future! I mean if he knew something like that he would probably lose all drive to continue working which I don't want to see happen. We can't risk losing any allies in this journey with several odds against us. Now Korius of all people! Why the heck did he try to leave the team? I mean it's like doing a 500 mile trip and then turning around when you only have 10 miles to go to get to the destination, talk about giving up! I know better after I already gave up once and I just wanted to leave this group entirely for my own reasons which quickly made itself clear was a bad idea. He'd probably regret it if he did it and I hope he doesn't, I mean not only because it would surely lead to death, but poor Kiana needs him even though their love and hate relationship is continually ongoing, they still have managed to stay alive this long together."
*He strayed off the thought as he arrived at the tavern, he went inside and saw the source of his questions sitting alone at the table waiting for food* "Kiana!" *His mind yelled, but his body knew better as he walked in silently and pulled out a chair and sat down at the table about 5 feet diagonally from her place* "I suppose the food should be done soon, so I'll just wait for it to be done and avoid talking about Korius..." *He inhaled some air and could only manage a couple of words* "So... food should be done soon." *He gave his best attempt at an uplifting smile, though certain that even if he gave the best sales pitch from a traveling merchant it still wouldn't make the slightest difference to influence Kiana's mood at this point*
-
Talin stetched his arms and legs and then went to pick up Elistra as Korius entered the Inn. Elistra crossed her arms and glared at Korius as if she knew what he was going to do. "Don't even try to help, this idiot was going to leave me in my room while he left the village with you lot!" Talin seemed to ignore them both as he strapped on his volge and lifted Elistra with both arms, visibly struggling to carry her to the Tavern but saying nothing. If anyone saw this, they would seriously doubt that I am even a little arrogant, but then again she is the exception to stubborness...
-
Kitt hit the floor with a loud thump. It was the third of several such meetings with the hard wood floor-boards this day. Lo sighed, rolled her eyes, and pulled him up again "I think I see your point, the bag may be a little over-packed..." Kitt panted, struggling to keep both himself and the leather satchel upright "Y'think?"
He hit the floor with another thud. Lo looked down at him with a raised eyebrow, grinning "But I think that last one, and perhaps all of them, where rather exaggeration..." Kitt grinned, stood up, and stuck his tongue out. The pack was swung across one shoulder with ease as he turned towards the door... "Yeah, perhaps...."
-
Despite Elistra's complaints, Korius jumped in and helped Talin by hefting some of the forward weight onto his back as they kept going. He grunted almost immediately, not expecting exactly how MUCH a pregnant dragon-Kin really is, and now he wished he didn't find out. They moved as quickly as they could down the path to the tavern, almost 30 meters away from the Inn. After placing Elistra down at her chair, Korius groaned as he held his back, stretching as he stood up. (Extremely long line of cursing, swearing, and the utmost explicit words ever heard in the universe) He kept silent and sat at his usual seat as Hajime emerged from the kitchen with the group's final meal in the village.
-
Kiana didn't even notice White come into the tavern as she was just staring at the table in front of her with her arms crossed. She was still muttering to herself although only some of what she was saying was actually coherent enough to be heard. "The nerve...stubborn, ignorant...treated...inferior...just one hit...show...feels like..." That was the gist of what could be heard. She didn't even hear White when he spoke. Finally when the others entered, her muttering stopped but her face still had a look of concentration and frustration. When Hajime came out of the kitchen with their final meal, she finally removed her gaze from the table and looked up. She just had a straight face and her emotions couldn't be found in her expression.
-
*White just sat there staring at her for a few seconds and then sort of gave up while hoping she wouldn't lash out at him and looked away to twiddle his thumbs* "Well.. that didn't work. At least I didn't get beaten up this time or cursed at, could have been worse." *He leaned back in his chair looking up to see Hajime walk in to announce the food preparation* "Ohh food! I want I want!" *He got excited in his chair, unconsciously wagging his tail* "That's one thing I can always look forward to, food never gets old unless you leave it out for too long. Thankfully it also makes me forget bad situations." *Considering to glance towards Kiana at the end of the thought he quickly dodged the move and kept looking towards Hajime*
-
Talin picked up his plate and offered his food to Elistra, but she didn't even look at the plate. "You don't think that I'm already being fed? You're the one whos going to be on the run, you'll need it more than I ever will." His face didn't change as he still held out the plate and waited for her to take a piece. She growled inwardly before snatching a piece of chicken and chewing on it, apparently giving him permission to sit down and eat the rest of his food.
-
After having magically appeared in the Tavern Drevo sat at his usual spot with Alexia right next to him as usual. When his food did arrive he ate silently, trying to avoid Alexia's stare. He had guessed a few things she might have wanted to say. His first thought was Korius. "I'm not jealous...He's a jerk. Why would I be jealous? Maybe I should beat him up...Maybe I of all people should leave! Ugh..." "Something on your mind?" "No...It's nothing. Nothing at all..." "You've changed you know." "What?" "Ferdande told me what happened last night...You got so worked up...We're worried about you." Drevo said nothing and continued eating. "You were always so relaxed before your-" "Enough. I don't want to talk about it." He got up and walked went outside. Once out there he got up to the roof and laid back and looked at the sky.
-
Kitt ate quietly along with everyone else, hood down across his shoulders as he chewed happily. Lo grinned, glancing across at him. The smile petered out however as she glanced over at White. Internally she struggled, digging her claws into the table-top, considering whether the truth could be handled by such a young child.
Lo sighed, tapping the table and glancing repeatedly across at Kitt. Finally she stood up, picking up her half-eaten meal and walking out with a final glance over her shoulder at the group...
-
Korius ate his food formally and silently as everyone enjoyed their final full, non-still-wriggling, formally cooked meal. Hajime clinked her spoon near the end of the meal, and the "O"s rose and stood behind her. "I would like to formally send you all off to fulfill the destiny you have all been born into. You are all the shining hope of the world, and you will be the ones to lead us out of this darkness, and back into the light of a prosperous future. May our contribution be of help to you. Good luck."
-
Kiana ate her food in complete silence except for the occasional sound of chewing. She looked like she was concentrating on something really hard as she ate and maybe it was because she was thinking about how much she would like to hit Korius. When Hajime hit her spoon against her glass and she & the O's all stood, Kiana lazily looked up at them all. As Hajime finished what she had to say, Kiana's eyes moved to Bo. "Yeah, the contribution of being taught that all men are pigs and can't be trusted should come in real handy..." She thought to herself and looked back down at the table.
-
*The wolf hardly heard what Hajime was talking about as he looked at his food as an enemy that he must dispose of, he gobbled up the meat like there was no tomorrow* "I love food too much, but it's just so good." *He licked his hands and then cleaned them with his napkin* "I suppose I probably look like a pig right about now, if only there was a medical cure for that." *He chuckled to himself and glanced over at Kitt* "Ugh, Lo I wish you hadn't said that, now I'm going to think about that everytime I look at him." *He glared at Lo quickly then at his empty plate and leaned back in his chair looking up at the ceiling* "I can't wait to use my new skills on this adventure, it sounds dangerous, but exciting."
-
Talin stopped eating shortly after Hajime finished speaking, and looked right at Mo with a confused glare. "Would it be possible to integrate my ancestor's power into-" His head suddenly came into contact with the table, and then hit the table again before Talin could move his head.
"Nevermind..."
-
Drevo faintly heard what was said inside from being on the roof. "Lead us out of this darkness? Like hell...I couldn't even-..." he slammed his fist onto the roof cracking a tile before standing up. "I can't even protect my family, how the hell am I going to save the world?!" He jumped off the roof and landed on the ground and walked off to the entrance of the town with the intention to leave. "Screw this...I'm going to go find Elistro and kill him!" As he reached the entrance he stopped, realizing he didn't know where to go. "...Grr...Where would he even be?! I got it...I'll ask Korius, he'd know...Then I'll leave the following night. If he doesn't know then...I'm on my own..."
-
Kitt met White's momentary glance and grinned childishly. Looking back down to his plate, now empty, he pushed it away and watched as Hajime said her goodbye. Lo watched the young feline in return, cringing under White's glare. She knew what he had been thinking...
When the "O's" finished Kitt looked back down at the table, a hot flush rising up his cheeks. Somehow the idea that he was the hope of anything was far-fetched in his eyes. He sighed, running a thumb along the edge of his empty plate in contemplation...
-
Korius sighed as Hajime talked, "That's a rehearsed speech that I've heard and had to say myself before. Bloody hell, let's just get out of here and..." Korius stopped as he felt someone's taste for blood. He looked over at the source of the aura of bloodlust beyond the wall. "Only one person with that much hate that would be out there." Hajime sighed and walked up to Korius while he was talking about Drevo and landed a fist to the back of his head, "You don't get to speak. Now get your (censored) out of here before I decide to skin it myself. Take your sheep and go, shepherd. And please, not to the slaughter."
-
Kiana looked up once again when she heard a fist make contact with a body to see that Hajime had punched Korius in the head. "I could've done that..." She mumbled under her breath, irritated that Hajime got to hit him but she was held back from doing the same thing. When Hajime told Korius to leave, Kiana got up from her seat and followed Korius out of the tavern.
-
*White growled at Hajime's statement about being sheep and left quickly behind Korius* "I best leave quickly before tempted to say something I'll regret." *He walked outside of the tavern into the sunlight* "A new day, a new start. The adventure begins anew! Battles and hardships await, our leader Korius shall lead us to victory and keep Drevo out of trouble." *He took out his new butterfly knife and hummed a tune while flipping it about his wrist* "Finally free of this place and I get to keep a lovely library of books on hand anytime I'm bored or want to learn some more majicka healing."
-
Talin finished his meal, then went over to Elistra, who tried her best to look either uncaring or annoyed since a snout tended to make both look the same. "I-" "As your wife, and regardless of how long this 'quest' takes, I expect you to be back at this village before the year ends. Otherwise, I'll kill whoever you decided to fool around with and drag you back here by your tail if I must." Talin's arms wrapped around her and he lifted her into the air in a hug before laying her back down on the chair.
"See you later, hopefully as a husband and father and not some arrogant runt like these people constantly say." he spoke in dragon-tongue as he tilted his head down to keep his tears from being seen, then he followed the group towards their journey to 'save the world'.
-
As Drevo stood near the entrance of town Ferdande approached him. "Don't you go running off, Drevo..." "What does it matter?" Ferdande handed Drevo four bowstaffs. "If you run off now it would be bad-..." "Why?! What the hell does it matter?! I didn't sign up for this crap!" "No, but your family is still dead from a result. If you run off now you will likely get killed. Especially if you went up against Elistro, you're not strong enough. You would be killed and then no one could avenge your family." Drevo turned and took Ferdande by the collar of his suit practically growling. "Shut up! That's all any of you say! It wasn't YOUR family that was killed!! I'm not-" Just then Ferdande punched Drevo and knocked him to the ground. "Get a hold of yourself! This isn't like you, Drevo!" There was a silence as Drevo slowly sat up. Ferdande dropped the bowstaffs, turned and walked off. "Now take yourself and say goodbye to Alexia...Drevo."
-
Kitt followed out with the rest, he passed Lo and grinned waving happily. She sighed and waved back, the hint of a tear in her eye.
Still grinning, Kitt caught up with White "Hey White... We never really got to know each other all that well did we?" He adjusted the strap of his crossbow, so that it wasnt digging quite to painfully into his shoulder "Training went well then?" He flicked his fringe out of his eyes. It had grown substantially since when he and his father had first met the group.
"Shame we couldnt stay longer here... nice people..." He hadnt waited for White's answer to any of the questions, instead continuing to try and forget the fact that he was leaving Lo, possibly the last person who had known his father he would ever see... Well, until he found his mother of course....
-
Korius walked out of the tavern and walked on, but stopped as he saw Fo drag Drevo back to the tavern forcefully. I guess I wasn't the only one... He turned, arms folded, "Fo! Make sure you bring him back to us. We'll wait at the edge of the village." Korius then turned back towards the direction they were headed and walked on. He looked around the area and saw many various buildings that he never bothered to notice before. One of the buildings was a small chapel-like structure, though it looked like every other building, except that it had a 7-point star with a scepter in the middle, signifying a chapel. Seeing it brought in the thought of Kiana, so Korius just shook it out of his head and walked on, not saying a word.
-
Kiana followed behind Korius as the headed towards the edge of the village. When she saw Fo dragging drevo, she shook her head slightly. "That guy is seriously messed up now more than ever..." She thought to herself. She kind of looked around as they walked but none of the buildings interested her since she was still ticked about not getting to hit Korius. "There won't be anyone out there to stop me if there comes a time where he deserves it again...except these guys...but I don't expect them to stop me..."
-
*White felt bad when he turned to face Kitt, feeling guilty about the information he withheld from him, he felt like Lo had no right to keep it from him, but still knew for his own good it was just not a good idea to share it until a critical moment* "No unfortunately we didn't, but then again not that many people ever knew me haha. Meh, I wasn't a fan of Vo, she wasn't the nicest of sorts, so I'll have to disagree on that last statement, I don't think that many of them cared for me though that weapons forger was really cool!" *He gave Kitt a closer look of the butterfly knife that he flipped in his one hand and stopped on an open position* "Really convenient storage device too, just put some majicka in this puppy and grip it in the heat of the battle when I'm out and I got some more power to heal again. I bet I won't need it nearly as much as I used to though since we've been going daily without much halt, I was always glad to return to bed at the end of the day..." *He glanced over at Drevo for a moment giving a slight glare with his head turned away from Kitt* "...He better not tell anybody about that one night I was out of my room. I'd rather keep my skills out of view until they are properly produced." *He turned his head back to Kitt and flipped his knife closed* "Sooo... tell me, how was it for you in the ol' ninja village?"
-
Talin just kept to himself, making sure that he wasn't bumping into anyone while keeping his head towards the ground. Every now and then he would look up and he would see either the outline or Chronin himself just staring at Talin with his etheral arms behind his back. Talin finally looked towards Korius and tilted his head in a passive attempt at getting his attention. "What will happen to me once we leave the anti-magic field?"
-
Drevo broke from Ferdande's grip and stood up. He put his bowstaffs on his back and continued towards the tavern seeing Alexia outside waiting. "Alexia..." "Yeees...?" "Good bye...I'm leaving now. I'll miss you two." "Best of luck, Drevo...Take care of yourself." Alexia gave Drevo a small kiss before saying "Come back soon, I'll be waiting for you when this is all over." "When this is all over...? Hmph..." "I'll come back then..." He turned around and began to walk off, looking half over his shoulder back at them. "Take care of Alexia for me, Ferdande." " I know...Farewell." Drevo kept walking and got to the entrance of town again. He kept to himself as he waited for them to go.
-
Still grinning, Kitt watched White's butterfly knife with wide eyes. He snapped out of his mental drooling and shrugged "Its been good. Lo has taught me more than I've learnt in a lifetime... It was almost like-" He stopped and a hot flush spread through his white-furred cheeks "-It was almost like I had my mother back..."
He sighed and shrugged again "Ah well... I got you guys right?" Grinning, he punched White's shoulder in a display of over-compensating bravado "Who needs a dad anyway? I'm doing fine without him..." Kitt's voice trailed off as he looked away from White and the others, rubbing his upper arm gingerly "Doing fine... without him..."
-
Korius turned to Talin at his question, "As long as you don't do anything more with that incantation, you'll just be a walking circus freak, and ridiculed by everyone we walk by, mistaking you for a child of a dragon- and wolf-Kin. If you try to invoke the incantation, I'd say you'll end up like 100% of the people who tried it before you, dead. Just keep your hood up, and I'm sure no one will notice those horns. You're already lucky enough that the anti-magic field stopped it at that." When Drevo finally caught up with the group, they went on. "Anyone know where the hell Felodran ran off to? Hajime said that they made him stay out here because of his drinking."
-
Kiana stood with the rest of the group as they waited for Drevo. "I could remove the burden of those horns, if you like." She said with a smirk and cracked her knuckles. She was joking of course. She had no idea how horns could be removed through earth magic but then again, hitting them hard enough might work. The thought of wasting her majicka on breaking off horns wasn't really interesting to her anyway. When Korius mentioned Felodran, Kiana looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. "Who?" She questioned, seriously not remembering anyone by that name.
-
"Kitt, I'm sure even in death your father is still with you, he cared about you greatly." *He patted Kitt's shoulder and tried to change the subject* "Get any new weapons from the village perhaps from Lo?" *He thought again to Lo and then what Kitt said about her* "Odd way to talk about his trainer, but maybe he got one that was actually nice and not all mystical about her own presence beyond just trying to teach a simple formula. I suppose Lo knowing the truth would at least tempt her to provide care for Kitt as he looks desperately to find his mother." *He grimaced in his mind at Lo's image again*
-
Talin let out a nearly inaudible sigh as he was informed of his fate. He only glanced at Kiana as she made her suggestion, and couldn't help but crack a smile. "No thanks, she would probably beat me again for trying to 'reject' the change by removing the horns. As for the fabled '100% fail rate': every generation has a better chance to surpass the previous. If that wasn't the case, you probably would have had no chance against Hajime. The Guardians just have the luxury of outliving a few generations before a group like us comes along to wipe them out. By the way, what are ya'll gonna do once this all blows over?" his question was directed at the group, but his eyes were focused on Korius since he heard of him being born into conflict.
-
Drevo didn't answer Chrono's question, he remained silent. He walked with the group saying nothing, not making a sound at all. "What am I going to do after this...?" Images of Alexia and Ferdande flashed through his mind. And the time when he had helped Valius, what he was planning on doing after that. He wanted to disappear from existence, retire to some far off land where no one could find him. "I doubt I'll ever get out of this..."
-
Kitt looked up as White spoke, a strange half-smile catching the corner of his mouth "No. My father is no longer with me. To remain in the land of the living, is a fate befit of a coward or a criminal. Not my dad." he sighed, surreptitiously running a paw across the smooth ivory of his father's crossbow "No, my father has gone on to Vaz'resi... While we Rangers may be divided in life, we share one ideal of heaven. That is where my father is..."
With another sigh he withdrew his paw from the crossbow, and instead tapped it against the large pouch of crossbow bolts strapped to his belt "She replenished my stock of bolts, ones far better than the crude creations of the smith I had my last from. Other than that, we merely trained with what I have..." he pulled his hood up over his head, and glanced up at White "I suppose I should stay positive, my father died honourably. He would have wanted that. And my mother Is still alive, that I know..."
-
Korius sighed as he led them forward on, "I don't count my chickens before they hatch, Talin. I live each day as it comes, like it was my last. However, if I were to think about it, I'd say I would move out of Celestia, back into the mainlands in the wild. A self-sustaining, peaceful society doesn't need a warrior like myself. I will probably salvage what I can in the wild and hone my skills until the day I die."
-
Kiana was glad that Talin took her joke well since it seemed that most of the time people didn't get her humor. She thought about Talin's questions and listened to Korius' answer to it. "I have no idea what I'll do when this is over. If I live through it, that is. My parents hate me and I doubt me helping in the defeat of the Guardians will change their opinion of me. Guess I'll just wander from town to town, alone." She responded. Her answer didn't please her though. It sounded like the rest of her life would be very boring.
-
"The Vaz'resi sounds like a nice place, though I'm not much for believing in a final destination, I don't know if things are that simple... Hopefully I'll get to open up my own hospital someday if I could get enough funding to make one, would be a central nexus to treat travelers. At least make a fair chance for all that take some damage while fighting wars and even minding their own business. It probably won't ever happen, but there wasn't much going for me back home anyways. Might as well die doing what I do best for some higher purpose beyond my comprehension. Even if we were to die today, somebody would still remember us for our attempt to overcome the evil ruling the land. Your father should be honored as well even after this is over one way or another Kitt."
-
Talin seemed somewhat confused when both Korius and Kiana spoke as if they would never see eachother again. "So our cleric wants to open up a hospital, and our leader and earth mage both want to be drifters and outcasts. Why is it so hard for you two to just say 'we will get married'?" He started to laugh before pulling out his weapon to defend against any replies from the 'pair' that Hajime wanted to marry.
-
Drevo began to lag behind the group, he seemed to be lost in his own little world. He also seemed very gloomy. He wasn't really thinking of anything. He listened to Chrono and the others give their answers. He listened to Korius in particular, his answer seemed like what he had planned to do. thinking of that made him think of Valius, which made him think of his death and then his families deaths. Slowly his blood began to boil at the thought. Elistro popped into his mind and finally Korius. Korius being so smug, standing over him, being so much stronger. As Drevo imagined strangling him he held his hands up slightly, palms facing up. His hands seemed as if they were choking something as he looked at them. The thought of having to train under him angered him even more, he was on the verge of doing something stupid and end up regretting.
-
Kitt shrugged "That is just what my traditions say. I do not know if I really believe it, but at least it makes things simpler, and means I can get on with the here and now..." He glanced across at White, eyes cast in shadow by his hood "Do you honestly think people will honour, or even remember us in a hundred years time?"
With a sigh he drew his sword and brought it slashing through the air in a few lazy twists and spins "We're just a group of no-bodies... Fighting an enemy a hundred times stronger than us, continually trudging onwards in an attempt to find some kind of end..." The slashing became faster and more repetitive, blade swinging through the air with a soft hum of steel "And one by one we die... Who would remember the band of misfits?" Finally the deft sword-play came to an end as Kitt let his arm fall to his side. The blade's soft glow dissipitated and he glanced back at White "Its a story no-one would want to tell..."
-
Korius merely turned an eye to the horned wolf in anger and aimed a force palm to the handle of Talin's volge, sending him back a couple feet. The group traveled back south and to the west without incident, 4 days behind schedule as expected. Hopefully, this delay wouldn't affect their quest to take down the Guardians. The fact that Elistro and royal hunting parties weren't tracking them down really started to irk at the back of Korius' mind. They must be up to something big if all they do is send out wanted fliers with rewards on them. I would have expected, at the very least, they sent assassins or something big after us after we just killed a couple of their own. Korius sniffed the air as they walked on, "Smells like rain..."
-
Kiana held back what would have been her instant reaction to what Talin said, laughing instead at seeing him ready to defend himself if they ended up attacking him. After Korius had given his "response" to it, she raised her left hand slowly like she was preparing a move but when it got up to her shoulder height, she just flicked a small pebble out of her hand at Talin, hitting him right between the eyes. The pebble would have only hurt a tiny bit because of the force behind the flicking. She looked forward again before actually giving a verbal response. "I am not the lovey-dovey type, Tied Down One. I don't do things just because everyone says I should because it's how things are 'supposed' to go. And I definitely have no intention of marrying someone just to be treated as inferior to them and have to tend to their every need. That's not who I am." She said as she walked along. "Him and I may have similar attitudes but it doesn't mean we belong together. When two people with such stubbornness and temper collide, well, that's just a catastrophe waiting to happen. It's dangerous enough just traveling together, if that wasn't apparent back a ways about the time we first met Drevo's friends...of course, you weren't there..." She was of course referring to the time when Korius had taking her joking the wrong way, slapped her across the face, and basically called her inferior because she was a woman, but she didn't expect any of the others to know what she was talking about, not even Korius. Speaking Drevo's name made her remember that he was there and she turned around, walking backwards, to see him walking a little ways behind strangling the air. She stopped and walked towards him as he was walking in the direction the group was going. When she got to him, she forced his arms down and clapped her hands together hard in front of his face. "Snap out of it!" She said then turned around and continued to walk with the group, resuming walking in the same position she had been before.
-
"Well I think we're all worth something and we only get one chance to make something of it..." *He looked at the dynamic activities of Kiana as she nicked Talin and clapped in front of Drevo* "And uhh..." *He couldn't really finish what he was thinking and then whispered to Kitt* "Do you think that Kiana and Korius seem to be more distant these days... and not just them, but everybody seems distracted by something that happened while we were in that village. This can't be good for the group, like what if the entire group separated over a simple argument that just pushed the envelope after everyone was already on the edge... Perhaps I should at least suggest when we stop next that we get whatever issues we have out in the open now before it's too late. It could mean certain death if these issues cause even momentary hesitation in the peak of battle. What do you think Kitt?"
-
Talin passivly rubbed where the pebble hit as he put back his volge, his smile now becoming a smirk as he kept his distance. "Yes, like I was 'supposed' to kill any dragon I come across, and my first target becomes my wife. Like how the incantation was supposed to kill me long before anything happened. You may never know what might happen in the weeks or months ahead. Heck, with the animosity right now, I bet it will only take a week..."
-
When Kiana had clapped her hands in front of Drevo he snapped back to reality and looked up. Realizing what he was doing he put his hands back down. He figured he should thank her later for that. He stayed behind the group still wanting to keep to himself, he went back to making no noise mindlessly walking. After awhile of walking he took his original bowstaff from his back and began to use it as somewhat of a walking stick, idly kicking it with the tip of his wooden sandals making a noise.
-
Kitt sighed and shrugged, answering White with an equally quiet whisper "The group is simply held together with hope and a bit of luck... I think it perhaps best that we try and sort out grudges, for a team fractured is a dead team..."" He shrugged again, sheathing his sword and kicking a stone along the track as they walked "Really though, I think we're lucky to still be alive... Those of us that havnt already been killed that is..." He glanced up at White, and then back down at the dirt track... He wasnt as gloomy as he sounded, but nonetheless he couldnt think of anything particularly positive to say...
-
Korius sighed as his prediction was right and it started pouring within minutes. He pulled his cloak over his head and continued to walk on, paying no mind to the others as he had been doing for the last 4 days. That night was the first night that they all didn't have any fire going, and had trekked an extra 3 kilometers after their usual stopping time just to find a damp cave to rest in for the night. After a long silence, he finally said something that wasn't provoked by Drevo or Talin, "Has anyone noticed anything off since we first killed Septim?"
-
Kiana clenched her teeth and her fist in response to Talin. He was lucky that she held back or else he would have received either a fist or a rather large rock to the face. Her face and hand had finally relaxed shortly before the found the cave to rest in. She sat up against the wall and was glad to be resting somewhere that she was surrounded by rock from almost all directions. When Korius asked his question, she just shrugged her shoulders in response.
-
*The wolf looked away thinking about what to say to start the discussion later* "I suppose I'll propose the topic when a moment of silence arises or when there is a conversation that I can jump into."
*At the cave, the wolf listens in to Korius after the silence* "Well this will be a moment as good as any probably with my luck, Korius mentioning a noticeable change since the previous battle is a great way to start it off maybe... or go into a completely unwarranted direction that he wasn't cluing into." *He put a paw to his mouth and said with a bit of gruffness* ~Ahem~ "I'm not sure if this is where you're headed with that statement Korius, but I have noticed that among our group there has been a growing distance between our party members. Perhaps... all the things we have not wanted to say that is perhaps causing this best be mentioned now before we continue into a more dangerous part of this journey? Like... personal issues maybe?" *A bead of sweat dropped from alongside his neck to the rocky cave floor followed by a conditional justification* "Just a thought to put out there of course."
-
Talin was mostly unaware of the troubles his group had faced since he and Elistra took a different route when she went to release him from the dragon-haters that held him captive. "Well, they might not have noticed that we've left the village, or even realized where we went after killing Septim. Being gone for four days would cause some of the less passionate to give up their hunt..."
-
Drevo sat away from the others on a rock in the corner. He was hidden in the dark well enough. When Korius asked his question he thought on it. "...Wanted posters...Was there anything else...?" When White spoke he wanted to just call out Korius. But he kept his composure. "I haven't noticed anything out of the usual...But I haven't been with you since the beginning...The only thing I'd want is Elistro..."
-
Kitt shrugged, running a whetstone across the blade of his sword. It was unnecessary as the magic in the metal kept it both clean and sharp, but he sharpened it nonetheless, the feeling of ownership and caring better than any magic "We are at our weakest since first getting together... Low morale, fractured friendships..." He sighed and stood up, swung his sword in several lazy arcs that made the metal hum, and then sheathed it back into its scabbard. He glanced back over at Korius and pulled up his hood "If I am honest... Our chances look slim. White is right, we need to talk about these problems, or else we all die, and all this was in vain..."
-
Korius sighed, "I wasn't with the group either, Drevo. Now this party has already killed 2 Guardians, and all we've fought so far were just menial lackeys and idiots who are looking for a quick Guilder. Two territories no longer under their grip, and there's not so much as even an assassin out to get us, let alone a Guardian's personal killers. Every Guardian in history had their own personal squad of covert assassins. Koara was probably the only one that ever had only one. But there are plenty out there who do their jobs and do it well. Some are even as strong as I was when you all first met me. I've been expecting them since the moment you all stepped into my smith shop." He then turned to White as he spoke, "As far as I've seen since I've joined you all, there never has been any unity. The only reason we're still together is because the majority of you lot are the Destined who were prophesied to bring the end to the Guardians, and the fact that we need each other to survive. It's a manner of co-existence, not friendship. What we get from this adventure is our own, personally. I merely need all of you alive as long as possible since I think every little bit will count."
-
"If he's got nothing to say and not a care, then neither do I. Saying that he got to me by hitting me and expressing that I was inferior because I'm a woman will only boost that already-large ego of his." Kiana thought to herself with her eyes on White still from when she was listening to what he was saying. Her expression most likely said that she was thinking about something and that she wasn't happy about it. She directed her eyes down to the ground in front of her as she sat there Indian-style and pressed her hands against the rock-ground. She pressed down with very little effort and made hand-prints in the rock then lifted her hands to make the hand-prints raise to a little higher than the rest of the ground then pushed them back down further than the surface again.
-
"I think a lot of things are unwritten inbetween the lines of our destiny here, unity is a necessity. I am no good for example without someone to fight while i defend, an archer can't fight in close range alone, even the most stealthy need help in some sort of way, and a mage needs support and we all need a leader.Beyond staying together there has been far more than wanting to complete this task, depending upon each other is something we can't do without." *He put his head down hoping someone would back him up* "I can't get across to Korius without more agreeing, we can't all stay silent forever. Hopefully if not now, before it's too late."
-
Talin leaned back and stared at the ceiling, his volge held tight in his right hand. "Basically, we're the mercenaries of 'Fate', and our reward for doing our job is a momentary peace before riots break out from the sudden loss of forced order. Then we're hunted down as scape-goats since we killed the guardians and their personal guard. Shall I get more pessimistic, or can we sleep now?"
-
When Korius spoke about prophecy and all that jazz Drevo got up and walked out of the cave. He stood in the rain, tilting his hat down slightly. The rain pattered on his hat and dribbled down it creating a veil of water over his face. He just stood there with his arms crossed and sleeves connected together, pondering about everything. One big one was training with Korius, thinking about it made him angry. "Ugh...I can't believe I have to learn something under HIM...Why couldn't it have been someone else who mastered the damn thing...I'm not even in this damned prophecy he keeps babbling about, why shouldn't I leave? I doubt any of them need me...I can't protect any of them, I'm not strong enough...Useless..."
-
Kitt glanced between Korius, and then to Drevo as he walked out of the cave. He sighed and shrugged, pulled up his hood, and followed out into the rain. It pattered over his hood, sliding off the waterproofed spell that lay deep in the cloth and stitching, falling to earth a moment later to splash onto the already waterlogged earth. Kitt glanced across at Drevo, but for a moment said nothing, instead just breathed in the cool forest air.
Finally he turned back to Drevo and cleared his throat "Standing in the rain on a quiet forest eve. Nothing better for collecting your thoughts, eh?" He sighed and glanced down at the earth, covered in pine-needled and sodden leaves. The rain continued to fall with a slow and constant patter of droplets...
-
Korius flicked a couple pebbles at Talin's head before getting up and stretching, "No one asked you NOT to sleep. *turns to White* But as the idiot says, we're mercenaries of fate. Cooperation doesn't necessarily mean friendship. The Knights were no different in some respects. Depending on which corps you talk about, each time we have a different, new recruit to replace a prior, things change. However, our purpose is what kept us together. People always think of the Knights as some extraordinary group that loves each other and work together through friendship. I'll be the first to tell you that that is a load of (censored). Before Valius took over as Captain, the final team that I led didn't exactly get along. We fought amongst ourselves alot, and never got along. However, we still fought together and worked as a team when the need arose. As part of the Knights, you learn about the people you fight alongside, whether it's a Knight, a civilian, military, whomever. You learn how your partner(s) operate, and you work around that. I'm ashamed to say, but Elistro was one of the finest men I've ever had in my team, when he left the Voronese Knights to do something greater for Gaia. I've been through 3 corps' in my 2 years in the Knights, but I will say that we did have that little lovey-dovey ragtag group that everyone thought we were back when I first started as Captain. But things just change over time. Not everyone's going to like you or others as much, but can always compromise themselves. Anyways, I'm going to head out for a second." Korius pulls on his hood and heads outside, moving to stand in front of Drevo. He spoke directly to Drevo, making it so that no others can hear, "I know what you're thinking. Ferdande told me all about it. Even though I didn't know the little details, I already knew what you were thinking. If you think you're that much higher than Elistro, forget about it. The reason I knew what was going through your mind is because I already put up with the same attitude from Elistro when he used to be in the Knights. And to answer what else is floating in your head, there's no other person who's truly mastered that technique. Valius never even learned it. I don't care if you hate me or even want to kill me as much as you want to kill Elistro, you are going to be learning from me whether you like it or not. Ferdande vouched for you to be able to learn this without messing around. Are you going to put your best friend's integrity in the grave because of your stupid pride?"
-
Kiana watched as Korius left the cave then looked at White. "We all have our issues and no manner of talking about them is going to change anything. When a person is set in their ways and something they do effects someone else badly, they're not going to just stop being that way. No one can change their blood or their past, and those things are what makes any person act the way they do." She spoke to White then leaned her head back against the cave wall. "I know stubborn and hard-headed, you can't change them." After all, she was stubborn and hard-headed.
-
"That's more than true I know." *He nodded towards the entrance behind his direction* "Well that didn't do much of anything, except express concern. I'm almost certain Kiana meant some of those words in a much deeper way which is what I was trying to get to, but I guess it could be a toss up now on how this adventure is going to end. Hopefully, Korius doesn't say something he's going to regret at a high point during the big battle. At least Kitt tried to assist, but with Talin's addition against and Drevo's eagerness to leave it was probably never going to work. When this is all over I still get to say I tried so I won't have to feel like I let anything happen at this point." *He yawned and went over to a more rounded group of rocks in another loose corner of the cave and curled up waiting for sleep to come and hoping tomorrow would be a more successful day*
-
Talin didn't budge when the pebbles hit him, wrapping his arms around the pole of his volge and curling his fuzz-scaled tail around his waist in a vain attempt at feeling something akin to Elistra being with him. It took little time for him to fall asleep, but his subconsious forced him awake by making him revisit Chronin's memories at their lowest moments. The rock caused his volge to make a -clang- when he snapped into consiousness and swung out at a non-existant threat. Your swing was too slow, my assailant would already be across the room by the time you started your swing!! Sorry for not being a freaking High Mage, but why would I be the first to be atta- Because you're the reason this group even made it past Septim when they should have been six feet under!! Now get out there and perfect your style so my next body is at least marginally better than the one that Shinzuu already chopped up! Talin let out a weak groan as he stood up, hit himself with the broad-side of his volge to wake up, and slowly walked towards Korius.
I think I preferred it better when it was just Elistra who wanted me to excel...
-
Drevo turned to Kitt when he spoke to him. "Yeah...I enjoy the rain..." After that Korius came over and talked. In response Drevo leaned closer, his hat barely reaching over hood so there was no veil of water between their faces. You could even say they were close enough to kiss one another. He put both his hands on his shoulders applying a little pressure from a lingering anger towards Korius. "You're right. I don't like you. I probably won't, but that won't stop me from training under you. I'm determined to get stronger...My grievances or feelings won't get in the way of it. I tagged along for Valius, not you. I'm not apart of your damned prophecy...But following you is the only way I can get to Elistro and his men...The guardians are a bonus in my eyes...Nothing more." He wanted to hit him to get it out of his system, but he merely pushed Korius lightly and returned to his previous stance.
-
Kitt listened closely as the pair spoke close together. It was a bit of a strain over the constant pattering of rain, but the ritual had done more than simply make him stronger, almost every one of his senses was at its peak and the words where easily discernible. He sighed as Drevo finally pushed away. Turning away he started to walk out into the forest "I'm in no mood to sleep. I'l be back within the hour Korius..." And with that he was gone, faded green cloak disappearing amongst the undergrowth...
Not a single bush rustled, and not a single twig snapped as Kitt walked silently through the forest. Slowly he padded along a wild deer-track, winding between the large pine trees who's needles lay thick on the forest floor. The rain still fell with a soft patter and the enticing smell of pine and a cool breeze tickled the young ranger's nose. He sighed and jumped onto and then over a fallen tree, landing noiselessly at the edge of a small clearing.
A lake, or perhaps merely a slow moving stream swelled by the rain, rippled in the falling rain. Each drop sending out tiny wavelets that rebounded off each other in tiny spirals. Kitt sighed and sat down, rain pattering off his hood as he merely sat with his thoughts for company...
-
Korius scoffed as he drew the old katana, "I told you, I don't give a damn about your feelings towards me. However, I'm more bound by my vow as a Knight. I only ask that you bite your lip, grit your teeth and shut up. You'll need to fully master this technique, not just in your basic element. Elistro had trained under me, but at least he had the balls to listen to every word I said. What you're going to learn, you'll need. Because Elistro was to be my original protege, but he was barely able to do much after mastering his basic element. But he has mastered 3 of the elements, and might I say, all the power-based ones. Dark, Fire and Light. I'll be putting you through a very special treatment every night and every morning. You are going to hate it, but it's the only way I can think of to change your "self". By being just who you are, you can only unlock your base element of the technique. The technique is done the exact same way no matter which element you are, the result is what varies. Do you know what makes up a person's affinity in martial arts despite not being able to use magic?"
-
Kiana stared at the ceiling of the cave for some time. Her head swarmed with thoughts as she zoned out while looking up at the ceiling. So much was going on in her mind that she couldn't even sort out what was what. After a while, she straightened out her legs in front of her and closed her eyes. As she sat there with her eyes closed, she listened to the rain pattering on the leaves of trees and on the ground outside.
-
Talin went past Korius and a little farther away from the camp, pulling out his volge and held it out. He stood completely still, then struck out to the right just as a black form was coming at him, dispelling the form just in time for another one to be made. Until Korius is done with that 'Drevo', I'll be helping you deal with the multiple targets that Elistra will no longer help you with. Have fun! Talin parried a black sword that came from behind, and brought up the second blade to cleave the shadow's head in two. He only had a split second to lean back and jab the next blade into the gut of another of Chronin's shadow images.
Talin continued to stay in that position, not sure if moving would prompt another image to come attack him.
-
Drevo listened to Korius holding back his anger. when he finally asked him something. "No...I don't." He figured he would have told him anyway. He was curious about what Korius had in mind for his new morning and nightly routine...Even if he hated it he would do it to get stronger, to kill Elistro and avenge his family. Drevo waited for him to do something after he drew his katana, just taking in the feel and sound of the rain.
-
The small stone skimmed lightly across the lake, bouncing three times before being swallowed by the water. Kitt bent down to pick another, rain pattering off his hood and cloak, slowly soaking through the material and into his fur. He skimmed the second stone and sighed as it went straight under with a -plunk-. Deciding that there was no point in his catching a cold, he turned around and walked back to the cave...
Quietly he slipped past Korius and Drevo, slinking into the relative warmth and definite dryness of the shelter. He pulled down his hood and sat with his back against the wall. From inside his doeskin bag he pulled out the Ranger's Handbook, turning its aged pages to the section on crossbow maintenance... After less than ten minutes he was asleep, curled up in his cloak with the book lain open beside his bow and sword...
-
Korius took a step back and closed his eyes as he took the stance. Due to the heaviness of the rain, no one else would be able to see or hear him except Drevo. He kept his eyes closed as he began to talk, the hand and sword didn't seem to move, but wind-cutter shock-waves emanated from him, cutting the rain finely and passed safely around Drevo, though nicking some tips off of some wayward strands. "The majority of Voronese Knights and particularly for your style, technique, finesse, are the focus. Also, you work on honing your mind in controlling your heart-rate, listening with your body, not just your ears, and to hit that particular point. Your point of view, your ideals, and your philosophies are all influenced by it. Therefore, that habit will give the result of the wind affinity, and will look like this when you execute the technique." Korius' technique stopped with a loud chime of the katana being resheathed, and the rain seemed to drop in a mist for a few seconds before pouring hard like before. Korius then turned off to an angle and, like in the training area, seem to split into several versions of himself pushing forward in one direction, tearing up all the ground beneath them and even the tear the trees in its path. The rain seemed to pour exceptionally harder for a couple seconds afterwards. "There are those who fight using raw power, relying on their feral instincts and their physical senses. There's no strategy, no skill, and has only one objective, to destroy. Those are the ones of the fire affinity, and that is the result of those of fire using this technique." Korius then rotated back to face Drevo directly. His body then seemed to stretch out into a blurring extension and looked like a bunch of blurry, fast-moving tentacles that disappear after striking the ground all around him. "When your mind becomes one with your environment, and your mind is clear, your see all and flow with nature. Anything that passes to you, passes through you. Things you cannot dodge, you absorb and return with an amplified power, never really generating your own. You r mind's transparent, and nothing bothers you. Those who fight as such are of a water affinity, and the technique results as such." The blurry apparatus shrank back to Korius in the stance. His eyes still closed, his body rotated in portions and seemed to just change positions in an instant, but with every swing, there was a large shockwave several feet tall and a couple feet wide. It compressed the ground below it and seemed to bend the trees it encountered, though not break them. Portions of the ground were cut really clean, but no further than a meter from where Korius stood. Rain would be cleared in the path of the shockwave before resuming over it. "Many fight to their last breath, and fortitude their defense. They face many trials with a positive attitude and cannot be shaken no matter what happens. They are battle-hardened and don't go down easy. They use the world as their weapon and their shield. They are the earth-affinity, and this is their result." Korius then returned to the stance, and then split into multitudes of himself, flying into all directions, before receding back into himself. "You've seen that from Ferdande, I think. There are many that fight from the shadows and do it quick. Their minds are on their objective, and only that. They disable anything or anyone in the way, and have an iron will, and not afraid to die. Those are the ones of the dark affinity, and that's what them using the technique look like." Korius then held the stance, looking seriously into Drevo's eyes, "Finally, there are those who have no trace of taint in their hearts. Those who are bound by their vows and seek to protect everything and everyone. They are pure strategists and seek passiveness of the heart. Their fighting habits are extremely balanced and are very flexible in battle environments. They, too are always prepared to die, but seek to make the most of everything. They are the light affinity, and when they use this technique, it looks like this." Everything seemed to fade into the shadows as a burst of white lights seemed to emit from around Korius and disappear far behind Drevo, almost like a tunnel of white lines with only Drevo being visible. "Our semi-daily routine will be to break your mind and your habits. You must learn to think, fight and understand anyone and everything. I will be beating philosophies, different fighting styles, points of view and mind sets into you every night. In order for you to truly master this technique to its finest, you must learn to be omnipotent in terms of your mental state. You need to fully expand yourself to a state of neutrality, alleviated of your personal thoughts, feelings and opinions. This will allow you the ability to learn and master other styles of martial arts, and therefore use them as needed. It's the biggest taboo of any fighter in the world, Mastering and Mixing multiple styles. In short, you're going to break every single habit you have and ever will develop." With that, Korius skid back into the veil of the rain and, in an instant, the whole area seemed to darken slightly, not as much as before, but the rain veil seems to lift into nothingness as Korius seemed to float towards him in slow motion, leaving a trail of clones and leading with others while light seemed to outline a concentrated flame rather than a tunnel. He then seemed to disappear and reappear behind Drevo, everything that was see-able to Drevo accelerating with Korius and destroying everything in front of Korius and around Drevo. "You will learn to master this, or you will die trying. This is a full commitment. If you even show signs of wanting to back out, I will kill you myself. I will not have another Elistro walking this world. I made the mistake once, I will not make it twice." Just as Korius finished, the veil of rain retook its place in the void it was emptied of.
-
As Korius demonstrated the technique outside, Kiana was so in-tune with her surroundings that it was as if she could feel his movements through the earth and how the pattern of the falling rain seemed to change every few seconds. Finally she noticed the rain go back to its normal falling rate. As she kept her eyes closed, she started silently mouthing things as she sat there, more than likely talking to her brother though only Korius would guess that since he had heard her do it once even though she didn't know that he did.
-
*The wolf looked around squinting his eyes in the darkness of the cave and looking around after feeling what he thought was a tremor* "Grr... no good falling dreams probably, all of it is a no good waste of my time in this frazzle mazzle...vrudugenurfrenku....." *Mindless blabber and dream nonsensical mumbling finishes his sentence as the wolf lays back down to sleep after the ground settles back to normal, he curled up and rolled over to face the rock wall, snoring a little bit*
-
Talin continued to fight copies until the sounds in the background stopped, then turned to see the two just standing there and staring at eachother. When Korius resumed, Chronin appeared before Talin and paced away from the cave to direct Talin's attention. Now lets see, since it seems it has fallen upon myself to help sharpen your skill, who should I emulate to get you to the skill level required? Chronin's etheral form paced about as he tried to think of a good 'partner' for Talin to fight with.
-
Drevo listened intently and watched Korius' demonstrations. One after another he watched until he floated over to him. "I won't be giving up so easily...You can count on it..." "This is probably going to take forever...What a drag..." Drevo cracked his neck and popped his knuckles and adjusted his hat. "So what's first then? I'm sure you want this to be our first night..." He seemed determined to start as he stood there looking at Korius.
-
Kitt opened one eye, cocking his ear to listen to the demonstration outside. The individual words where all but lost, drowned out in the torrent of rain that not even his magically enhanced hearing could discern. He sighed and rolled back over, pulling his cloak around him and trying, yet failing, to get comfortable on the cold stone floor of the cave...
Finally he gave up on trying to sleep, and instead picked up the rangers handbook from beside him. Leaning against the cave wall, wrapped up in his travelling cloak, he started to read again. And of course, in the space of only a few minutes, he was fast asleep again...
-
Korius sheathed the katana and turned, "We'll rest for the night. We'll continue to train you in your affinity first. I'll make sure that you master the basics of this technique, first. After you complete the first step of learning the technique, only then will we begin to break your mind, and reteach you everything from the ground up. Everyone grows up developing their own ideals, philosophies, habits, and personality. That sets up barriers and mental blocks to other types. We'll tear down every single one after I've seen you master the basics of this technique." Korius walked back towards the cave.
-
Kiana chuckled when she heard White blabbering about random things. After she was done chuckling, she returned to silently mouthing things with her eyes still closed. She was still doing this when Korius re-entered the cave and even though she heard his footsteps, it didn't stop her from continuing. Sometimes she would smile after mouthing something and other times she would frown or have a straight face. One of the things she heard her brother say in her mind was, You know you look crazy right now, right?, referring to her basically talking to herself. And she mouthed back, "And as you know, I don't care what people think." The expression on her face after this was a smirk.
-
*The wolf rolled around in his sleep, occasionally hitting his head on the massive rocks next to him and rubbing his head in his sleep where in his dreamland it was getting hit by pebbles in the head* "Darn children again, I swear they just love to bother me. Oh well, the weather is perfect today for laying about in the snow." *In the dream he laid down in the snow and rolled around in its cold heaven* "It's perfect, too bad this weather didn't stay too often in my town." *In real life he kept mumbling nonsense in his corner and rolling around while drooling along the edges of his placement, thus making him feel wet so in his dream the snow melted* "Noooooo!" *He put his head down and walked toward some mountains in his dream* "There's gotta be snow in that direction!"
-
Chronin stopped his thinking posture and threw a sphere of black energy at him, Talin leaned away and 'saw' that it hit the cave and made a big explosion. Time to train your reflexes... so think fast decendant! Chronin yelled before throwing more spheres his way. Talin wanted to get closer and stop the attacks so the others wouldn't get harmed, but there was simply too many to safely dodge and get in for a strike. Chronin smirked inwardly as Talin fell for the illusion perfectly, trying to close in on a mage thats throwing spells. He was neglecting to mention that this is all happening in his mind, simply because that would kill the motivation to dodge and stop Chronin.
-
Drevo sighed after he heard what Korius said. He was a little disappointed but relieved at the same time. He waited in the rain a while longer before eventually heading inside. He wasn't very wet despite having stood out there for so long. He sat down near the entrance of the cave and leaned against the wall as he had been doing since they've stayed in caves. He then tipped his hat down and drifted off into a light sleep.
-
Korius laid down and slept a dreamless night away through the loud pounding of the storm, his senses always high on alert, but his body and mind resting. He awoke early the next morning just as the sun gave light to horizon, but before it rose over it. Korius sighed as he looked onward towards the sunrise. It barely peered over the horizon when his mind then flashed back to the days that he was happy with Koara. He remembered how they would watch mornings like this and just hold each other, savoring the moments for what they were. She was thousands of years old, but she looked far younger than he was. And no matter what they did back then, and even after the couple years they were together, she didn't age a single day while he continued to grow and change, particularly his facial features, as he surpassed his year of "manhood". Korius chuckled to him as he remembered that boys become men at the age of 15 years, and were treated as such. His mind then ran back to the stories of all the young heroes of the past who, when they just gained passage to manhood, had already changed the world. The first Guardian ever, Kyzen's mother, High Mage Carina Gallant. Iridian had also just hit the point of manhood for 1 year when he became a Guardian. Zhael Fall, became a war hero at age 17 and eventually a King not too long after. Kistrev Szarda, Kitt's long ancestor, had been the youngest member of the Knights of Gaia in history. Gight Nightwing, first to succeed a Guardian's title, did so at age 15...
Korius looked down at his hands and then back up towards the sun, which had finally just rose completely over the horizon. I'm nearing my 10th year, and I'm still not where I need to be. What were you really thinking, Koara? What did you see that you refused to tell me, my love?
-
Kiana had fallen asleep while still mouthing things to her brother. She woke up a couple minutes after Korius was already awake and outside. Yawning and stretching, she got up from where she had been leaning against the rock wall. Slowly, she walked towards the entrance of the cave. When she saw Korius further out away from the cave, she decided not to intrude on his alone-time and just leaned against the wall of the cave right at the entrance. She wondered what he was thinking about but it wasn't like she was going to approach him and ask. Leaning there against the wall, she just looked out towards the sun just over the horizon, looking like her mind was somewhere else.
-
*White stretched his legs and rubbed the back of his rather quickly* "Oww... it feels like someone hit my in the head several times.." *He looked at the softened rock that was the perfect height for his head while laying down* "That would be the culprit I presume, headaches suck." *He scratched his back with one hand and got up looking out towards the light coming into the cave* "Dang it, it's morning. Well at least now I don't have to worry about getting beaten up by Vo or something for being late to some sort of training session. I wonder how far we'll be traveling today?"
-
Talin hadn't gone back to the cave when Korius turned in for the night, so he was now sleeping on his volge. It looked like he was still awake since his hands were still holding onto the volge, but his snoring said that he simply went to sleep during his training an hour after Korius went to sleep. Dried mud covered the majority of his clothes as he spent his last waking moments dodging phantom magical attacks.
-
Drevo had been awake since Korius was, he slept lightly at the entrance of the cave taking an unasked for guard duty. He stayed silent and looked as if he was still asleep with his face hidden under his hat. He was still leaning against the wall. He looked up slightly enough to see Kiana's legs on the other side of the entrance looking at something. He turned ever so slightly and was able to see Korius out of the corner of his eye. After that he took a deep breath and exhaled, enjoying the morning air.
-
Kitt pulled himself to his feet, drunk with tiredness and an insatiable desire to go back to sleep.
He pulled his cloak around him and slung crossbow and satchel over his shoulder. His shortsword slid into its scabbard with a ring of metal and the quarrel of arrows clipped to his belt. Amidst a great yawn he walked out of the cave entrance past Kiana and collapsed immediately to the ground. There he made no move to get back up and instead the sound of snuffled snoring could be heard from underneath the pile of green cloak and hood, along with a very muffled word that sounded like "G'morningsss-"
-
Korius' senses snapped him back to and he noticed everyone but Talin stirring. He looked about, and then just closed his eyes and sensed a slightly active magic source. That must be him. Korius walked over to the source of the feeling and found Talin there, and just walked back over to the cave. He merely motioned with his hand for Drevo to follow as he walked inside. "We'll start each day developing your concentration. To utilize the sharpest and cleanest execution of your techniques, you need to meditate without being distracted. I will assign you tasks to perform each morning which you must execute precisely and swiftly, training your dexterity. This morning, you will be taking these chopsticks and you will stack these kunai into various shapes that I will call out." Korius laid some kunai from his cloak and then began calling out different things from pyramids to different types of buildings.
-
Kiana watched Kitt walk past her. When he fell on his face, she couldn't help but laugh right out, not holding it back. She would have pulled him to his feet but since Korius walked back into the cave and started to instruct Drevo, she figured the boy could rest a little longer. She started to spin her staff in her right hand. Faster and faster it spun as she stared out at the horizon. After a minute or two, she landed the bottom of the staff on the floor of the cave with a *thunk*. Turning, she leaned her back against the wall of the cave instead of just her shoulder and looked over at where Drevo was building the things that Korius called out.
-
*The wolf got up and watched Kitt walk out the cave entrance* "Well looks like it's time to go." *He picked up his knife and put it away in his cloak noticing the light to suddenly change too quickly* "I wonder what happened to Kitt?" *He walked over slowly hearing Kiana laugh* "Well it must not have been too bad then." *He moved into the light of the morning Sun and noticed Kitt on the floor* "Kitt are you okay? Do you need some help?" "The last thing we need right now is another injured teammate.
-
Drevo followed Korius over and sat down where the kunai were. He took some chopsticks and made the shapes he called out, though they were shotty as it started out. He didn't give him time to fix them or make them perfect. But he quickly got better and better. Though he struggled with the chopsticks immensely, most of the time he just nudged the kunai into place rather picking them up. "I hate chopsticks..."
-
Kitt mumbled and got back to his feet with a struggle "N-no... M' okay"
He yawned widely again and stretched. His back cracked several times as he scratched distractedly at his ear "Was just catchin' up on sleep." He grinned up at White "Thanks for askin' anyway. Anyone for breakfast?" He glanced around from White to Kiana, grinning. The chance of breakfast could cheer anybody up.
-
Korius sighed after 1 hour and took the kunai back, getting up, "You'll have to learn to pick them up, as well, Drevo. To be able to do this exercise will be showing the perfection of technique and dexterity to use that technique. The kunai are the exact shape and weight that they can only be stacked in various shapes with precise dexterity. We'll be doing this every morning until you've finished your affinity. At mid-day, I'll be training you as we hike. Foot placement is a big contribution to the execution of technique. Your sloppiness has caused your focus to think about your power, and not your technique. At midday, after midday supper, you will be walking a kunai path that I lay for you for 1 hour. Also, you will be expected to remain in the front of the group. Each time you slack behind, your night training will last longer. At night, we will be working on your memory. When concentrating on a technique, you will not always have the luxury of seeing everything around you constantly. You will be shown one scene and you will only be given 1 second to take it in and then recreate it on papyrus. I've brought 5 scrolls with us from the village, be sure we don't have to use it all."
-
Kiana looked to her right at Kitt when he got up off the ground. When he asked about breakfast, her response was just a shrug. She wasn't particular hungry and she didn't know what there was to eat anyway. She turned her attention back to Drevo working on his training. For the next hour, she switched her attention between Drevo & Korius and the rising sun outside the cave. When they finally finished, she let out a sigh of relief. She had been getting very impatient.
-
"I could go for any form of food right about now, I would love breakfast." *An idea instantly him as he eyed Kitt's bow* "He's a crackshot with that slender beauty, surely he could bring down some sort of animal with that and we could feast!" *His eyes moved back to Kitt* "Soo.. Kitt, maybe you could use your masterful archery skills and hunt some mammal for breakfast?" *He became excited at the thought of something made of meat* "Rabbit, deer, wild cows, maybe some chickens. There's so many things out there to get. I'd gladly help with cleaning up whatever you claim." *He flips open his knife to gesture the action*
-
Talin began to stir, not completely realizing he was still standing up until the volge slipped loose of its earthen anchor and had him fall onto the dirt in a rather comical manner as dust temporarily hid his body. It took another minute or two before Talin could back up on his legs and dust himself off. He was unaware of his lack of aching muscles as he tried to adjust to the setting around him. "So... how long will it take, if no attacks occur, for us to reach the next guardian?"
-
Drevo shrugged when Korius said he'd have to pick them up as well. He didn't exactly know how to use chop sticks so that was probably the hardest part. Aside from him not being and artist either. He sighed when Korius got to the end. It all seemed like a bunch of work. "Ugh...Staying at the front? Slave driver..." he thought as he got up. "How'd you know I was awake?" he asked jokingly. He tried his best to make as if he were sleeping, guess he needed more work to hide it from Korius.
-
Kitt grinned "Deer? I hope your not serious. To catch a deer the hunter must spend days tracking the group, following their movements and watching them. He can only strike then." He swung the bow down from where it hung over his chest and, with a load -chakk- , loaded a bolt into the firing position "As for rabbit? Fair game." With that he pulled his hood up and walked swiftly into the woods, quickly disappearing amongst the undergrowth...
The morning was fresh and only cold enough to give a slight bight to the air. Kitt weaved between bushes and trees, pine needles crunching underfoot, still damp from a night of rain. He grinned. Ahead through the forest where a set of rabbit warrens, and beyond that a clearing. He stopped at the edge and crouched. They sat together amid the dew-laden grass, quietly eating with the occasional flash of a white tail.
With a faint creak of wood Kitt pulled back the string of his bow. The first bolt fell into place, ready to fly. He pulled the stock of the bow to his shoulder, and fired. The bolt sped through the clearing with a low whistle, quickly accompanied by a second, a third, and even a fourth arrow. They shot into the long grass with soft thunks as the rabbits scattered. Kitt grinned triumphantly. Four shots in quicker succession than he had ever managed. Lo would have been proud...
-
Korius sighed as he walked on, "Try learning your own battle-type better. The Voronese Knights have always learned to keep their alertness as instinct, rather than a conscious effort. You're trying too hard. Any highly experienced warrior can tell that you aren't sleeping. You're breathing was too fast and uneven, and your body's too tense." He looked off towards Kitt as he ran off to find rabbits, "Just hurry back, kiddo. We're off in a few minutes."
-
Kiana groaned as Kitt ran off to get food and slunk down against the cave wall (still right at the entrance to the cave) until she was sitting on the ground. "So much for moving out when that stupid training was finished..." She thought to herself. It was obvious by the look on her face that she was getting irritated. As a way to at least do something while they waited, she used her magic to create a sort of net on the opposite cave wall out of the rock and started flicking pebbles, attempting to get them in the net and succeeding almost 100% of the time.
-
*The wolf sat down and pulled out another book to sit down for a study session* "Well I suppose these books will never run out of information, I think I'd be an elder person by the time I finished reading all these books." *He read through the pages* "It's amazing how many different ways healing magic can be used, in the beginning I thought it could only have literal purposes for majicka first aid and surgery, but to actually have battle use like defense and ailment changes... I'm glad I'm not a fighter, would just be scary to face someone up to the teeth and eyes but inches away with a sword or staff." *He shuddered* "Back to reading before I make nightmare into reality!"
-
Talin seemed to gnaw on his lower lip as nobody bothered to be listening to his question, which lead him to just sit down and wait for Kitt to come back. In case it slipped your mind, you should be aching from all the jumping and fighting you did. Really now, wasn't the whole thing just a dream? My attacks harming the group, yes, you actually trying to get at me, far from false. Talin lifted a hand and noticed an occasional shimmer of white light as Chronin's power seemed to be seeping back into the body. I took the liberty of 'giving back' your new ability of increased regeneration, but don't expect me to just hand you the black magic since you obviously lack the competence to use it sparingly.
-
Kitt emerged from the edge of the forest, triumphantly carrying six rabbits and grinning.
He walked over to White, still grinning and dropped the rabbits down beside him "Caught the first four in a clearing not far from here, and the other two down by the stream." Pulling a curved knife out from its hidden scabbard he glanced up at Korius "Uh... Should we skin them now? Or keep them for later, that is if we want to get going now..."
-
Korius knodded to Kitt, "You do that. I'm pretty sure no one's in the mood for breakfast right now. Come, let's get a move on." He motioned for the others as he walked by them to tell them to get moving. The next week went the same as the first. By the 10th day, they reached just outside of the town that the next Guardian's castle resided. They all camped past the outskirts of the town, the castle barely in view. They stayed in the forest, just inside the edge. Korius laid on his belly and pointed towards the top of the castle where red lights seemed to dance around everywhere. "You all see that? Those glowing red dots are the eyes of some of the best archers in all of Gaia. They can shoot anything within 800 meters with deadly precision, but they're even deadlier at night. Their vision expands through darkness, giving them an additional 800 meters of vision, from the power of enhancement magic. If the few of you who know about it, they are the last of the people to consume the Bali Fruit. The Bali Fruit gives the consumer extreme vision during the night time. However, the price is that you go completely blind in 15 years. Kyzen lords over the last vineyard of Bali Fruit, and it's near impossible to get close to it. Our first task is to find a way to eliminate them before we try to even storm that castle, housing our next target, Baron Von Dikenschtein. Think of him as a reincarnation of Iridian. His personal guard, if you haven't guessed, are the archers, though 50 archers still don't compare to a fight with him, but it'd be that much easier on us if we can eliminate his whole personal guard without alarming them. The trick is to do it BEFORE they notice any are gone."
-
Kiana had followed Korius out of the cave. Over the next ten days, she pretty much kept to herself except for silently talking to her brother every few days before she went to sleep. While they were camped out on the tenth evening, she listened to what Korius had to say about the archers. "Could just crush them all but no one would go for that..." She thought to herself as she watched the red dots moving. "Would attract too much attention, I guess..." Continuing to watch the red dots moving about, she tried to think of ideas for how they could get rid of all the archers.
-
"Maaann I wanted some of that rabbit now.." *White said to himself as he quietly without hesitation followed behind Korius* "Well at least we're moving again, I hate being in one place for more than a couple of hours unless I'm sleeping."
*As the days passed he kept to himself reading his books until the next location was met, whereupon he closed his book to meet the red eyes in his view in the distance listening to Korius talk of the fruit that caused the phenomenon* "I wonder if those archers were fooled into eating that fruit or were misinformed about what will happen to them, it's a sad fate for what they may think is a noble cause." *The wolf said quietly*
-
Talin had followed along silently, more wary and possibly high-strung since Chronin last 'spoke' with him. When they arrived, Talin was able to calm himself down since he could clearly see the threat they were up against. "They might be able to see in regular darkness, but what if its fabricated with magic? Like have Kiana kick up some dust and keep it in the air..." His tone sounded hopeful, even though he compltely believed that a magical cover was possible.
-
Drevo went on with the others doing Korius' odd training rituals along the way. It took him about a day but he got the hang of it fairly quickly. When they stopped close to the castle he didn't say anything, rather just listen. When Chrono spoke of magical means of entry he thought of that night he saw White vanish into an alleyway. "Didn't White go invisible awhile back? I could have sworn...Yeah...I remember. In the alley. And-" White's voice saying "I'll kill you if you tell" played through in his head. "Eh.....Best let him tell the others on his own....."
-
While most of the group became quieter and more removed over time, Kitt became more boisterous, constantly chatting to whoever would listen. Even now he could not refrain from almost butting in as Korius explained "Pah- The Rangers are still the best archers in the land. These are merely fools who are mislead and betrayed by their own leader."
He grinned and rolled onto his back, staring up at the tree canopy above "But you are right Korius, we cannot merely walk up to the castle, especially not at night. I have no idea to speak of that would work..." Flicking his fringe to one side he pulled back his hood, turning it into a rather comfortable pillow against the hard ground "We'l work something out. We always do..."
-
Korius eyed Talin, "That's the thing about the fruits, magic is very visible to them even in the middle of the day. The second you try to create a shroud, you'll have 100 arrows in you before you would have noticed what happened." He then looked over at the child, "They ARE rangers. More specifically, the Pendragon Clan. The Baron himself was also one of the founding fathers of them. He wasn't a leader, but he had been a helping hand in the Clan's creation. That's why we have you, kid. You're going to be taking them out. With the help of Kiana, we're going to try to monitor their movements and find their locations. Use your enchanted arrows for those indoors. Kiana, I know this range will be very taxing on your Majicka, so just rest here after you and Kitt take care of the guards. It won't be an easy fight against a 2,000 year-old ranger, but we'll manage."
-
Kiana was slightly irritated with Kitt's chatty and cheerful mood, but she didn't say anything or let it show. "The kid lost his father not too long ago, don't take any happiness away from him." She thought to herself, but still listening to Korius. The part about her resting at their campsite while the other went on to fight to the Guardian really caught her attention. "Wait a minute, are you saying you expect me to just sit around here while you all go fight the Guardian?!" She snapped, but kept her voice low still. "There's no way I'm agreeing to that..."
-
"Korius, if I could come as well, I could provide defense majicka for you if you think it will help, or if you think I will be too vulnerable I can stay behind. I have been working on a certain majicka trick where we manipulate the area behind where we are walking to appear in front of us via some reflective shields that give the illusion of invisibility. But... well since these archers have a night vision, perhaps the light of their eyes would reflect off of the shield and not work, I don't know exactly how their vision works.."
*A thought occurred to him as well at that moment, he quickly turned towards Kiana* "..Wait hold up, Kiana can't you actually manipulate the material of the castle? I mean surely it's made of ground material. If it is used to fight these archers, there's no way they could hurt anybody if they are fighting against the very ground they stand upon?" *He turned back to Korius to see if he liked the idea with a hopeful expression*
-
Talin almost hit White across the head, but restrained himself to keep from making too much noise visually. "It still requires range, regardless if she throws a boulder or if she crushes them against the stone walls they're trying to defend. Now, do the four of us just wait out for them to take out all their archers, or do we use their 'distraction' as our way in?"
-
"...So what should we know about our target other than he's old, and he shoots things." Drevo finally spoke after listening awhile. "But hell...If Kiana could just bring down the entire castle like the first time..." He stopped talking, figuring that last one was too hopeful. He went back to concentrating and waiting on what to do next. Hopefully Korius could provide some more information. But his biggest concern was that someone would end up dead, that's not something he'd want to happen.
-
Kitt raised his eyebrows dubiously, but madeno witty remark or snide comment "Pendragon? The name rings a bell for sure, a shame I dont know more about the clans. My father only taught me what I needed to know..." He paused and glanced back to the castle, or what could be seen of the castle through the dim twilight
"So. What do you propse Korius? I'm a good shot, there's no point in being modest about it, but I still dont see how we can pull it off... If you havent noticed, it would be fifty or more bows versus my one." Grinning, Kitt rolled over onto his front and glanced over at Korius "You'd better have some sneaky trick up your sleeve. Because we wont win this in an outright fight..."
-
Korius sighed and rubbed his temple as he listened to half the group just ignore almost everything he just said, "Again, White. They can see the emanation of Majicka, it's one of the traits of the fruit. Also, like most castles, they are not completely made of stone and earth. Hurling rocks will merely alarm them, and we'll all be stuck with arrows before we know it. Kiana, you're useless to us there, and we can't even get close without your help, working with Kitt. I've heard a very few number of Earth mages can actually use Majicka to use sound vibrations as second eyes, like bats and bat-kin do with sound. If you're the Earth mage I give you credit for, I'm sure you're one of the few." He sighed as he slunk onto his behind against the tree, as if tired, "The Baron's one of the founding fathers of the Pendragon clan, but there's more. He's the one who wrote and trained all the original Rangers of history. He is the father of the Order of Rangers. His combat abilities range from long-range to close quarters combat. He is also the first person who had came up with imbued arrows. Everything that each clan teaches, were first learnt from him. He's a very wiley one, more slippery than any assassin or ninja."
-
Kiana listened to the others as she sat Indian-style on the ground and had to resist shaking her head at most of the others missing all that was said by Korius. When Drevo mentioned her bringing the first castle down, she smirked at first thinking about having enough power to do that back then and not pass out, but the smirk faded and she sighed. She heard Korius basically compliment her, which surprised her, and although she was still unhappy about having to stay back while they fought the Guardian, she accepted it anyway. "But the first castle was brought down to memorialize someone, not to kill a bunch of people, Drevo. No strategy involved." She finally said after Korius finished talking. "Unfortunately, it's very complicated to make everything fall where it will kill everybody and, like Korius said, castles aren't completely made of earth." With that said, she closed her eyes and pressed the palms of her hands against the ground in front of her legs, concentrating on trying to see through the earth to test whether or not she could do it.
-
"Well no one liked any of those ideas, not sure if that means I'm coming with the group or staying here either, all I know is I would rather not give our enemies an opportunity to acquire leverage by kidnapping Kiana while we are distracted with getting inside the castle walls. I can just imagine that happening, one Earth majicka user against several more majicka users. If the Guardian captured Kiana I'm sure more than likely Korius would not let anything happen to her so it would just be very bad for what he could be manipulated to do. Maybe I should stay just at least to hope to protect her, I wouldn't want to see her gone because then I wouldn't have that many friendly companions to talk to besides seemingly the archer Kitt and our team would quickly fall apart without the majicka help. However if I don't go with them and one of them gets shot or worse injured and I'm here, I can't help or save them. It's entirely up to Korius..." *White looked towards Kiana while she focused* "I wonder what she's planning on doing?"
-
Talin sighed, but unsheathed his volge and stuck one of the baldes into the dirt. Something tells me four days won't cut it for this guy, but I guess preparation is 70% thought, 10% percent action, and 20% percent luck. He took a deep breath, and tried to ease the tension in his body so that the powers his ancestor gave back wouldn't give him away like a searchlight.
-
Kitt glanced over at Kiana. He had never worked with her much, not that she was unkind, quite the opposite in fact, but that they simply never seemed to talk much. It was strange, for while they talked little she was one of the few whom he enjoyed being around. Obviously all of this he would never have admitted to her or anyone else.
Instead he looked back to Korius "Its sad really, that I know so little of my heritage..." He paused and then snapped his fingers, reaching for his doe-skin bag "But, Lo gave me her Ranger's handbook." Pulling it out he grinned sheepishly "I've only read the section on weapons and uniform. They're the parts with the best illustrations..." He flicked through the pages of the small book until he finally reached a page headed 'Clan Pendragon' and started to read silently.
-
Korius sighed as the child sat there and read and then turned to Kiana, "So can you get a clear view of everyone in that castle? I know it's a bit far, but any closer, and we'll be spotted for sure. I prefer not to do this during the day, but if you can, let me know. Make sure you get a clear count of 50 that are soldiers. Kitt, you better read fast. If Kiana can get an accurate sight of the castle, we need you to be ready. Remember, we're looking at a full 1,600 meters. Be quick, but be efficient."
-
Kiana was still concentrating when Korius spoke to her. She raised her left hand as if to tell him to hold on a minute as she was counting the soldiers in her head then placed it back against the ground with her other hand. "I'm only counting 48..." She said quietly while her eyes moved back and forth under her eyelids, searching for the last two. "Wait...yes...there they are. That's 50." She nodded, proud that she had found them all.
-
*White watched Kiana in amazement* "Damn, I wish I could do that. Now I wonder what Kitt's going to do next, is he actually going to use some sort of technique to kill the archers all at once? That would be interesting to see, also what Korius has planned for me. I'm hoping it's not being laid out as bait for the obviously stronger opponents. That would not be fun, but to save myself that sort of trouble, I should probably not think about it otherwise I'm going to be even more paranoid about everything again." *The wolf stood silently and just glanced at Kitt every once in awhile*
-
Talin continued to wait for those two while occasionally stretching his legs, midsection, and arms. You would think they send out scouting parties in case of attacks such as this? Come on, they know theres a group of misfits thats hunting down the most powerful entities in this land and they're just fine with only archers at the castle walls? Talin would continue to strech until either Kiana and Kitt attack, or someone manages to trip him up while streching.
-
Drevo idly examined and preened his weapons. As he did so he pricked his finger on one of the blades as he tried to rub off a speck of something. He let out a small "Ow!" and began sucking on the finger. Still sitting there he thought of how the fight would turn out. "I hope my hat doesn't get shot..." he thought as he pulled his hat down to examine it. He looked at the damage on it, recalling how it got there. After which he let out a small sigh before sliding it back into it's normal position.
-
Kitt closed the book and slid it back into its doeskin pouch. He slid his crossbow off its strap on his shoulder and checked it over, ensuring the complicated loading system was clean and that the string was oiled and supple. He glanced over at Kiana and grinned. Somehow his simple ability to shoot someone dead seemed much less impressive compared to what she had just managed...
"So. Korius, is there any actual plan? I'm not much of a mathematician, but fifty rangers versus one and an earth mage doesn't sound like good odds." He set about loading ten bolts in his bow, each individually from a special bag that Lo had given him. He handled the arrows carefully, as if they where straining against his grip, each locking into place in the bolt rack set into the top of the bow.
He grinned slyly "Though, what I've got here may tip the odds in our favour. Provided you have a plan other than walk straight up to a castle full of archers and take them on..."
-
Korius sighed as the kid spoke, "You're shooting them from here. We're 3 meters past their 1,600 meter view. Be efficient and quick, kid. Like I said, we don't want them to be alerted. After you dispatch them, you're staying here to protect Kiana. Talin, Drevo, White, and I will be running straight up to the castle, but we can't move out until you take them all out. Now, Kiana, I want you to give him heights, distance, and when to fire, all the timing's on you. Kitt, don't aim for the eyes, use your training and shoot where Kiana tells you to. There's a full second difference from where they are and where we are, and you have to compensate for the arrow's running time. We're counting on you two."
-
Kiana opened her eyes for a moment and looked over at Kitt. "Ready? Because we're starting..." She said and closed her eyes again. "Now." At that point, she scanned the castle with her majicka to find their first targets. After she found the first targets that no one would notice when they were taken out, she started to call out directions to Kitt so that he would know where to aim, what angle, and when to shoot.
-
"Ah crap, I'm not a fast runner... I guess I have to keep up now, so basically I have to compete with two pseudo-ninjas to get up to the castle as fast as I can... *sigh* I wish I could make some sort of shield that moves the space around me so that I basically walk right to the finish line if that were even physically possible." *The wolf started to do a couple of limb stretches while watching Drevo* "This is going to be interesting, I've never seen him move fast before. Maybe he's faster than Korius, now that would be amusing."
-
Kitt glanced across at Kiana, a hot flush spreading up his cheeks. The idea that he was to 'protect' her was almost embarrassed, he felt sure that if danger came their way It would most likely be Kiana saving him. He nodded anyway, readying his bow as Kiana closed her eyes. He took in a deep breath, listening intently as Kiana called out the first target. Drawing his bow up to the instructed level he adjusted it ever so slightly for the wind-speed and fired.
The bolt whistled through the air, travelling in a long arc to the castle. Normally shooting a crossbow at such distance would be pointless, a hit barely guaranteed, and a bolt wasted. This time however, there where several factors swinging luck to their side. The first, and most obvious, was Kiana's ability to spot the archers from so far away. The second however was less visible.
As the bolt neared the castle it started to veer slightly left, taken further by the wind than Kitt had estimated. Almost instantly the arrow veered right again. A slight gold shimmer pulsed through the metal head as it did so, and finally the bolt struck true with a dull thunk, an archer dropping to the stone floor with a crunch...
Kitt grinned, already aiming for the next target that Kiana had called out. Homing arrows supplied by Lo. His grin widened as he dropped the second archer just as he had done with the third, gold shimmer passing in an instant as it veered through the window of a tower and disappeared. "Two down... Forty-eight to go."
-
Kiana then called out the next eight targets. "Make sure you do all these targets and the rest of the groups of targets I give you after this in the exact order I'm giving them to you. If you mess them up, we'll be found out and dead before you know it because they're in certain places where if you switch any targets, another archer will notice." She said with her eyes still closed and her hands still on the ground. She then went on to give him all the directions he needed for the eight targets.
-
Nodding, Kitt flicked a switch on the reloading mechanism of his bow. Several cogs turned and clicked into place as he readied his bow again. The next shots came quickly, string reloading at a faster pace than before as Kitt fired, pulled on the loading crank, fired, loaded. Each time he fired the bolt whizzed out of view and a new one took its place.
The tenth shot was the last in the current stack, requiring Kitt to pause and load a new stack once fired. He fired and the last bolt flew out to the castle. Faster and faster it sang through the air, wind whistling in its black-feather fletching. It flew straight and true...
Up on the ramparts of the castle, Jeraz paced back and forth, tapping his bow against his thigh. Nothing happened. Every night he paced back and forth, and yet nothing. He sighed and turned to walk back along the rampart for the sixtieth time tonight.
Halfway along his allotted walk he stopped, glancing down. A silver coin was stuck between the stone tiles of the rampart, glinting in the moonlight. Jeraz grinned and stooped down to prise the coin out. He stood back up again and grinned, pocketing the coin "Tonight is my lucky nigh-" The arrow arced up and over the rampart wall to meet Jeraz with a soft -thunk-
At the tree line Kitt grinned gleefully, loading another stack of ten bolts into his bow. He raised the bow back to shoulder height and glanced over to Kiana "Even dad would'a been envious of that last shot... Where next?"
-
Kiana managed to chuckle at the last shot because she had seen what the archer had been doing just before he was shot with the arrow. She went back to being serious after that though and found their next ten targets on the wall of the castle. "Wait for it..." She said softly to herself. Once the moment came when it was safe to shoot, she began instructing Kitt again on his new targets. She kept an "eye" out for anyone who may stray from their courses and see what was going on while Kitt was shooting.
-
Kitt waited obediently, glancing back to Kiana occasional. As soon as she started calling out targets again he let loose with another volley of arrows. In the space of only a few minutes another ten archers lay dead across the parapets and walls. Kitt paused to load in another stack of bolts "So that's twenty now... Almost halfway there."
He grinned and drew the bow up to shoulder height again, lining the sights up across the castle walls again. The fact that no alarm had been raised showed just how well Kiana was selecting the targets and watching out for any others guards that could come across their dead comrades. Pausing, Kitt glanced back to Kiana with a sly grin "If any are close together, in a group of two or more, then tell me where. I have a little trick that will sort them out..."
-
Kiana watched as each of the targets fell while simultaneously watching out for other archers who might discover what was happening. None of the others strayed from what they were doing though, proving that she was getting the timing down just right so the others were heading away from those who were targeted. She found four that were grouped together who seemed to be talking to each other, obviously bored with patroling. She instructed Kitt about them first then found three more groups of two each spaced out along the wall to the point where they wouldn't notice the other groups being taken out. After Kitt had taken out the group of four, she followed through and instructed him on how to take out the other three groups of two.
-
Kitt pulled a single bolt out from a special bandoleer slung across his chest. Unlike the seeking bolts it did not quiver, or attempt to break free, instead it looked very ordinary. Kitt loaded it in manually, locking it into place below the bolt that would have slotted down from the stack above the bow, and aimed the sights across the castle. He grinned and pulled the trigger.
The bolt whistled through the air, heading for no particular part of the castle. It flew straight towards the ramparts and, with the tiniest of shivers that ran down its wooden length, split into ten identical bolts. Each veered off in a separate direction, and each met a surprised archer with a quiet thunk.
Grinning, Kitt yanked back the loading crank, dropping a regular bolt into the firing position. He glanced over at Kiana, sounding rather proud of himself "Ten with one bolt... I only wish I had more than two of those arrows left... Only twenty to go now."
-
Kiana watched as all of the targets fell from the arrows they received then listened to what Kitt said afterward. "Two of 'em, huh?" She said with a smirk while her eyes were still closed. "Well I think it's time to use both of them or at least one more." She found the last twenty of the archers which were in random groupings, though some of them were standing by themselves. She gave directions for all of them even though she knew Kitt would only be using one or two arrows to do the job. Then she waited for Kitt to send the arrows flying and watch the last of the archers fall while keeping an "eye" out in case anyone changed position.
-
Raising his bow, Kitt let launch with several seeking arrows one after another, taking out the archers who stood alone. Finally, and with only fourteen of the archers left standing, he loaded another enchanted arrow "The more targets there are, the more the arrow has to split, and so the weaker each of its copies are. I could have shot the arrow at all twenty of them, but taking as many out first decreases the chance of any arrows missing..."
He grinned and levelled the sights towards the final group.The bolt flew with a muffled thunk and disappeared. He dropped the bow down to his side and glanced over to Kiana "Got 'em?"
-
Kiana was silent for a moment. Kitt had gotten all of his targets but she wanted to see if she could make him worry a bit about it first. After a minute of silence, she finally took her hands off of the ground then opened her eyes and looked at Kitt. "Fifty targets..." She said with a straight look on her face. "Down and out." Finally a smirk appeared on her lips as she looked at him. It slowly faded from her face though as she looked over at Korius. "Guess it's time for you guys to finish it." She said, obviously still not happy that she wasn't going to be permitted to fight. It could be seen in her eyes that she was low on energy though and she would be useless in the fight.
-
Kitt waited with growing tension as Kiana said nothing, gripping his bow tighter than necessary and chewing his lip. Finally he gave a great sigh of relief as she told him and literally jumped for joy. He grinned up at her and across at the rest of the group. Sliding his hand underneath his cloak he ran a finger across the moon and sun emblem of the Rangers burnt into his skin. He sighed, the innocence of childhood was long gone...
Placing his hand back onto the pommel of his sword he nodded to Korius "You better get back here in one piece. Or else I just wasted a hell'ova lot of arrows..." He grinned and sat down with his back against a tree, hood up and massaging his arm and wrist...
-
Korius nodded to the kid as he got up to run, "Talin, help carry White, since you're the slowest of us all. Drevo, try to keep up." Korius' figure seemed to fade into a blur as he quickly ran down the hill through the empty streets. It was a matter of seconds for Korius and Drevo to get half-way there, when Korius then jump and ricocheted between buildings and hopped up on the roofs, stopping to turn and watch Talin's progress with White for a split second before continuing on, jumping roofs this time. At the base of the castle walls, Korius unhinged and launched Valia straight at the wall and stopped, extending his arm out, and launched Drevo up before jumping up to Valia himself and pulled it out of the wall as he made his second jump up the rest of the wall. He then re-holstered the large sword before dropping a long rope down the wall, and tying it tight before leading Drevo down the other end and through the halls, trying to find the Baron.
-
After the others ran off, Kiana sighed. "We're going to miss everything..." Sounding like a child who was going to be late to some interesting event. She sat there for a moment, staring at the ground a few feet in front of her. Finally she realized something after a bit. "Wait a minute...I may miss actually being involved with the fight, but I can still watch it." She smiled a tiny bit, closing her eyes and putting her hands against the ground. She almost instantly became light-headed though so her smile disappeared and she let out an "ugh" as she took her hands off the ground, putting her head in them. "Guess that's not happening..." She groaned.
-
*White looked down at Talin as he was being carried* "Well this was not what I expected, but it's almost amusing. I wanna say something like run faster and crack a whip, but I think at that point he would severely beat me to death, but gotta enjoy the little things inbetween a subtle moment and perhaps one of the last battles I might live to see. Talin is pretty fast even though he's carrying someone, I think by me not even seeing Korius move from point A to B I wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance to catch up in even a couple of minutes." *The wolf sighed and just kept looking forward to the castle*
-
"Since you're the slowest" huh?! I'll show him!! Talin's competitive and arguable arrogant side started to show as he was pushing himself to move faster than he probably should for someone carrying another person while freerunning. When the two reached the wall that Korius tossed Drevo up, he went up to the marks in the wall and repositioned White to wrap his arms around his shoulders. He then grabbed onto the dents in the masonry, his new talons digging in to give him a much better grip than if he was still entirely wolf. 'Just like a cliff, but its easier to recover if something comes loose. Just like a town or city, but only the strong make it effortless.' Of all times for me to remember their lectures on freerunning, it had to be when I'm carrying someone! He continued to seethe as he fought for every three feet until reaching the top and only stopped for half a moment to breathe before catching up with Korius and Drevo. "Why do you leave me with the healer, and then start showing off with tossing people around?"
-
Drevo was glad he was able to get going, when Korius took off he couldn't keep up but he was almost as fast. Taking Korius' hand up and over then down. Once down he scanned the area in hopes their stealthy infiltration was a success. He didn't see anyone at first so he relaxed before waiting on the others. When they got there and took off he kept his eyes open for any dangers, and the Baron. Hopefully they would just find him and get out.
-
Kitt glanced over at Kiana as she attempted to cast her 'eye' over the castle again. He watched, unsurprised, as she stopped almost immediately. With a sigh he clenched and unclenched his fist, wincing slightly. Cramp was one of the most dangerous enemies to an archer. Getting to his feet Kitt drew his sword and swung it absent-mindedly "Well, I guess neither of us would be in good enough condition to fight. Really we would just hinder Korius..."
He swung the shortsword in lazy arcs, cutting at imaginary foes, sidestepping and blocking the imaginary attacks slowly and purposefully. Finally he grew bored of sword practice, made all the more boring by not having a partner with which to practice, and instead sat down opposite Kiana. He sat a good distance away from her and watched curiously from under his hood.
He cleared his throat "Uh.. Kiana?" He paused, picking at a loose stitch in his muted green cloak "Do you think I will ever find my mother? Me and my Dad searched for so long and..." He glanced up at Kiana "... Well. I was just wondering if he ever expected to find her..."
-
Korius cursed under his breath as he searched around with Drevo, Talin trailing behind with White on his back. Without a sound, an arrow shot right in front of Korius' face. He abruptly stopped and tried to see where the arrow came from, but it was nothing but an empty area. Another arrow came in and hit Valia's hilt, just behind Korius' neck. "Holy shit!" Korius scattered, motioning for the others to follow. The arrows continued to barrage the group, but they were barely off their mark, literally only by a single millimeter, since all their speeds are well over the normal warrior, however, it was more taxing for Talin, since he's not used to moving as fast himself, let alone having a passenger. "Drevo, we need to find Dikenschtein, and fast. Talin can't keep up this speed for much longer. But be careful, don't slow down. His shots are extremely accurate and silent. Even I'm not able to hear the shots that are puncturing through the walls. I'll try to give Talin and White cover if they slow down."
-
Kiana lowered her hands down to rest on her lap and listened to what Kitt said after her failed attempt at "seeing" what was happening. "I hate being useless..." She muttered, glaring at the ground. When Kitt got up and started practicing sword fighting, she looked at him and watched him at random moments. When he sat down across from her and addressed her, she looked up at him. "I'm not really the person you should be asking questions about that connect with having hope..." She responded, looking back at the ground. "All I can say is, if you believe that you will find her, then keep believing it. You're a good kid. You don't want to end up like me." She chuckled slightly and smirked, glancing up at him through her bangs without raising her head.
-
*A couple of arrows whizzed past his head and cut some of the hair on his ears* "Oh crap I don't want to die yet!" *White quickly put up a light barrier on himself and then Talin* "Just keep running, this shield isn't going to hold for very long, especially since whatever is shooting isn't too bad at hitting targets either..." "And now this bright shield basically says 'hit me' in the dark background of this area." *He held onto Talin with one arm and gripped the knife in his robe* "I hope it doesn't come down to using the backup energy stored otherwise our chances against the boss here will not be so good perhaps."
-
Talin heard a tear in his cloak where an arrow or two got tangled up. "Think we should bring some things back for Kitt, the old man won't be able to use these arrows once he eats the dirt, know what I mean?" Talin could tell White was throwing up the barriers, and almost stopped until one of the arrows made a screaming noise as it grinded against the barrier and flew into the wall ahead. "You don't need to keep this up, he'll probably start moving if he hears that scream get closer to his hideaway..."
-
As Drevo went to take cover his hat was hit clean off his head and stuck to a far wall. "Sweet mother of-!" He grunt and darted for his hat like and idiot. Upon reaching his hat he removed the projectile from the wall to free his hat and inspected the damage. "Another hole for the collection...I'm gonna kill this ba-" Another arrow came at him, nicking his ear which prompted him to begin his run back for cover. All the while Korius was giving him orders. "Okay, gotcha." After which he ran off in search of the Baron.
-
Kitt frowned, glancing up at Kiana "What d'ya mean? Your the best earth mage I know..." He paused and grinned "Although, admitedly, you are the only earth mage I know... You always stay calm, even in situations where someone else would panic. Your clever, and your pretty-" Kitt stopped at the last word and blushed, pulling his hood up further so that its shadow fell over his face.
After a moment he cleared his throat and glanced back up to Kiana. Even though he was now fifteen, and soon to reach adulthood, his eyes sparkled with childish naivety "Why would I not want to be like you when I'm older?"
-
Korius let out a low growl of frustration as the arrows continued to come in from all directions, not even slowing down when they pierced the walls. Indeed, the bow-work of a millennium-old ranger, and an equally powerful bow. He continued to move, dodging and weaving to not become predictable, and searched everywhere around the open atrium of the large castle. He's fast. I can't even see him moving up there, only his arrows. Lost in his thoughts, Korius slowed a little, taking an arrow right under his left shoulder. He roared as it hit, his eyes instantly lighting up. Korius ripped the arrow out, and slammed his fist into the ground, shaking all floors for a bit, and sending a shockwave that knocked away 5 arrows that were about to hit him. His claws glowed red as he sent Ki-powered slashes all around, cutting whatever was in their paths, when a shadow finally jumped out from a balcony on the 3rd floor, shooting another 5 arrows in quick succession towards Korius. He drew the katana and deflected them as he threw one of the sai up at the ceiling towards the figure. It dug into the ceiling and Korius used it to pull himself up, getting over the suspended figure and kicking it down to the floor near where Drevo was, thought it landed lightly on its feet, drawing its shortsword.
-
Kiana blushed slightly at being called pretty as she looked at the ground, not used to getting compliments or at least any of that sort. When Kitt spoke again after a moment of embarrassed silence, she looked across at him again. "Believe me, there are plenty of things about me you don't know. I have traits that you don't want. I have a life that you wouldn't want." She responded to him. She drew absentmindedly in the dirt without looking at what she was doing.
-
"Well then don't turn me into holy cheese! Let's keep going." *He put his hand up and imagined cracking a whip* "I've always wanted to do that." *He turned his head up back to the castle hoping Talin didn't notice his moment of fun* "Thinking about this topic further, I don't even like horseback riding, part of the whole afraid of heights thing." *He kept ducking his head until he noticed the arrows had suddenly stopped coming at the wolf and the hybrid* "That's strange, I bet Korius probably has something to do with that."
-
Talin continued to ignore the mage on his shoulders, since whatever he said was probably going to annoy him to the point of inflicting pain on him. He was able to notice though, that he was no longer hearing tears or 'screams' and that Korius had just made someone fall off a cieling. Talin shook off White and pulled out his volge, focusing his gaze on the short-sword wielding figure before him.
-
Drevo jumped a bit back as a shadowy figure fell from the sky. When he saw it draw a weapon he did so too. "I'll say this once. Drop your weapons and surrender, I really don't want to hurt you." All while spinning his original bowstaff around his head. He stopped it behind him taking a stance. Drevo didn't want to have to fight, but it was likely going to happen. About that time Chrono showed up with White. "What took ya?"
-
Kitt unsheathed his short sword and laid it carefully across his crossed legs. Pulling out a whetstone, rag and metal polish he watched Kiana out of the corner of his eye "Well, you could've fooled me." He ran the whetstone back and forth across his blade, the soft ringing sound of stone on metal filling the silence between them.
Finally he turned the blade over and paused before sharpening it too. He glanced over at Kiana and cleared his throat again awkwardly "Would you care to share some of those things then?" Still holding the whetstone just above the surface of his sword, Kitt watched her with honest curiosity "We've never spoken much. So I guess we both know quite little about each other..."
-
The figure charged towards Drevo, pulling out a small repeater crossbow and fired three bolts straight behind him at Talin. Korius quickly pushed off the ceiling, the sai being pulled out in the process, and took out Valia, coming down in a powerful downward strike. The figure quickly holstered the crossbow and quickly moved off to the side in mid-stride by digging the sword into the ground and pushing himself away. Valia dug into the ground, just in front of Drevo, breaking the ground below, concrete slabs shattering and throwing Drevo off his feet a little.
-
"Well, let's see..." Kiana said, looking down at her finger that was still drawing in the dirt then up at the sky as she thought. After a few seconds, she looked at Kitt. "I have a horrible temper, which isn't as good in a fight as you would think. Even though you get more power, you don't think straight. It also means that I could hurt someone who is on my side on accident, either if they tick me off or I get angered in a fight." She glanced at the ground then back up at Kitt. "And you should be happy that you had at least one parent around and that parent actually loved you and cared about you. My parents didn't like me before my brother died and then they hated me after he died. He was their favorite, which didn't bother me. I love, I mean, loved, my brother." She shrugged. "You get used to it after a while and my brother took care of me enough to make up for their lack of love for me." She looked up at the sky for a moment then sighed and looked at Kitt again. "Unfortunately, you already have one thing in common with me that I really wish you didn't...you have lost the one you loved most in the world. I'd change that for you if I could. It's not something you should have had to go through. I was absolutely useless in that battle..." Her gaze fell to the ground as her finger continued to move through the dirt.
-
Drevo brought his staff up to block, but then a wild Korius plowed into the ground in front of him. "Hello!" He said riding a wave of tiles away practically. Holding his hat all the while so it didn't blow away. He figured he would have been the one to have recovered the quickest and darted at the figure to engage it in attempts to buy some time. He refrained from having to draw his hidden katana, and wanted to save something like that, figuring this person would have a few aces up their sleeves as well.
-
Dikenschtein parried the staff with his arm and kicked Drevo in the face. He then brought the shortsword down towards Drevo's head.
-
Drevo fell to the floor from the kick. He noticed a sword coming for him too and rolled to the side and swept his staff to try and trip him with it as he got back onto his feet himself.
-
Dikenschtein went with his momentum and his feet left the ground just enough time to stand on top of the staff, pinning it to the ground, and swung a backhand with the sword, aiming for Drevo's neck.
-
*Upon seeing the three bolts come forth, the wolf high tailed it out of the way and rolled over into a corner of the area* "Dammit I'm a doctor, not a warrior!" *He looked over to Talin to see how he was doing and started working on a new shield* "We'll turn the cards in our favor my hybrid friend, pay no mind to me while I work and make sure this enemy doesn't notice me trying to do my majicka." "Hopefully this attempt proves useful to somebody, I would try to help out Korius or Drevo, but they are moving so quickly and are closer than Talin so it probably wouldn't work without being noticed."
-
Korius quickly jumped in with the katana, sure that Valia was firm enough pinned into the ground to not get pulled out just by anyone. The shortsword stopped just within a hair's width of Drevo's throat, and Korius kicked Dikenschtein back a few feet. "What the hell are you two doing, Talin!? White!?" For a short burst, his eyes glowed again and Korius shot a wind cutter at Dikenschtein, who then bent backwards, dodging by a mere hair's width as well, and drew the repeater bow from the holster at the same time and fired 5 shots towards Korius and Drevo.
-
Talin finally got his bearings, and let more of his power out, changing the volge from its normally heavy form to its much lighter and much more 'natural' state. He couldn't tell if his legs were hurting from the strain as he got in front of the shots and knocked them away with the spin of his blades. "I guess I'm just waiting for the moment to save your butt, since I'm too slow to fight and save you! Now, where were we?" He shifted back into his offensive stance, and then started to run in circles around Dikenchtein, slowly closing in while keeping his volge close enough to deflect any shots the old ranger might fire off.
-
Kitt sat with the whetstone still held just above the blade of his sword. He let the hand drop to his side, staring across at Kiana. With a mumble he glanced down at the ground "I didnt know..." He sat awkwardly, picking again at the same loose thread in his cloak. Finally he looked back up "You weren't useless though. We where all less trained, less ready back then... We should be glad really that so many of us have survived this far."
With a sigh, Kitt stood up and sheathed his sword. He paced back and forth like a caged animal, and then sat back down again, crossing his legs agitatedly. Still fidgeting restlessly Kitt glanced back over at Kiana "Your brother..." He scratched the nape of his neck, glancing back down to the ground "What- What was he like? He sounds like a real good guy..."
-
Kiana shrugged. "Of course you didn't. We didn't hand out our life stories when we joined this group." She responded to his statement that he didn't know. While Kitt went through his restless moment, she continued to run her finger through the dirt. She was either drawing something really intricate or not really drawing anything and just running her finger through the dirt to occupy herself. When Kitt asked his next question, she smiled slightly at the memories that flooded her mind, but quickly shook her head, her smile disappearing, when the last memory was his death. "He was a great guy and an excellent fighter. He took care of me. He made me who I am today...except he has nothing to do with my bad attitude and me neglecting my emotions. Well...he does, but...well, his death is the problem, not him. It's hard to let go of something when you feel like you could have changed how things happened." She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. "To sum it up, he was a better person than I will ever be."
-
Dikenschtein stood back up straight and kept only an eye on Talin as he closed in, seeing Talin in almost what seemed to him to be slow motion. He kept his eye on the messed up wolf's feet, seeing the strain that it's going through and quickly reloaded the 8-shot repeater bow in an instant and fired straight at Talin's legs, creating an opening enough to rush Korius and Drevo, while making Talin put more strain on his legs. Korius quickly grabbed Drevo's shoulder and tossed the wolf into the air, taking his stance, Shadow Kill Strike: Wind Form Dikenschtein's blade glowed a bright blue with magical runes and clashed with the invisible slashes coming from Korius' attack. Major attacks down the middle were blocked, but many swipes began to eat away at Dikenschtein's hand and arm. The temporary impact sent Dikenschtein flying back a little bit, who fired more bolts at Drevo, who was still in mid-air.
-
"Ah crap! I really didn't want to put my neck out here." *The wolf got up from his hiding place and made a mad dash for Drevo while working on his shielding majicka to cover himself and then Drevo and Korius to block and evade the bolts that were coming once again* "I hope this is worth the trouble, because I'm just a means to making this Baron stronger if I become a hostage. That should do it, I hope. I made three layers for each of them since they are taking the brunt of this assault." *He slid over to the wall crouching down to the side of the battle and waited for the next move to be made*
-
Kitt listened silently to Kiana, his only movements made to pull off his boots. They where thigh-length, supple leather and perfect for the quiet nature of a Ranger. He slipped them off and stretched out his legs. Kitt matched Kiana's smile as she reminisced of her brother, but lost the smile just as quickly as she did. He sighed "I have never had a brother, or even a sister for that matter. So I cannot compare, but I now know how it feels to have lost someone so close..."
He sighed again and shifted to sit cross-legged "But if you do not mind me saying, you are too harsh on yourself. I was equally incapable of preventing my fathers death. I was there, I saw the sword come down but I could do nothing... And yet, I know that he would not want me blaming myself, and hating what I am for him. He would want me to continue with my life, and learn, be stronger in what I am..." Glancing up at Kiana, Kitt gave a curious half-smile "Maybe your brother would have wanted the same..."
-
Kiana looked up at Kitt and listened when he spoke. She shook her head slightly at the last of his words. "He would have wanted that, yes. But he also knows how stubborn and hard-headed I am so I wouldn't do what he wanted anyway." She sort of chuckled but it was half-hearted. "The one time I actually listened to what he told me to do, that wasn't fighting instructions, was the one time I shouldn't have. It was different for you in the case of your father. You were pretty much knocked out, you couldn't do anything. I was just hiding, like I was told to. I actually could have helped." She sighed. "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty with what I'm saying. I'm just trying to explain how the cases are different and how, in my case, feeling guilt actually makes sense." She looked down at her feet and pulled off her leather shoes then put her legs out straight in front of her and wiggled her toes.
-
As per White's fears, Dikenschtein charged straight towards him, firing bolts and shortsword at the ready. Korius swung the katana to deflect the bolts and grabbed White and threw him far backwards rather harshly and quickly as he blocked Dikenschtein's attack. With a step back, he positioned himself enough for Drevo to land on, "NOW!"
-
As Drevo went into the air he swore a few times in his head. And when the bolts were sent flying he braced himself to be hit. Only to watch them bounch off White's barrier he put around him. At that time he was beginning his decent and he heard Korius shout out "Now". As he fell he grinned, unsheathing his katana. He did a front flip to give the attack som extra momentum as he brought it down over Dikenstein.
-
Kitt unclipped his sword from his belt and laid it down in easy reach. He then crossed his arms behind his head and lay back, watching the night sky through the tree canopy above "No need to worry, I dont feel all that guilty about it. It happened and my father did what he felt best. Nothing can change that now..." He sighed and glanced over to Kiana "Well regardless, I still think your overly harsh to yourself. Though I understand what you mean, I guess..."
Glancing back up at what star strewn sky was visible past the trees Kitt continued in his chatty nature "Its been nice talking to you Kiana. Nobody ever seems in the mood to talk, either that or we're fighting for our lives again" He laughed, short and derisive, but he grinned nonetheless.
Suddenly he glanced back to Kiana and sat up slightly "When this is all over... Once we've done what we've got to do and this whole nightmare is over and gone... What are you going to do? This quest has taken over everything in my life, I can barely think what I will do when we're finished. I may never see you again. Or anyone I knew..."
-
Dikenschtein cursed under his breath and quickly jumped back, getting his thumb cut off. He distanced himself a bit more from the others as he tore off a piece of his cape and tied the shortsword to his hand, "First time in centuries I've had anyone come close to nicking me, especially not to actually injure me. You children have come a long way, but all for naught. I've killed armies upon armies on my own! You don't stand a chance against me."
-
Kiana stared at her toes as Kitt continued to talk. "Not like either of us anything better to do right now." She said with a shrug. "If we weren't talking I'd probably be completely focused on thinking about how much I'm missing over there." She nodded her head in the direction of the castle. She chuckled slightly at his next question. "I believe most of the group discussed this but maybe you weren't paying attention. I think you were talking to White at the time." She responded, looking at Kitt. "I don't know what I'm doing after this is all over...IF I'm even still alive then. I'll probably just wander around to different places. I don't really have a home after all. Although others seem to think that Korius and I are going to be together for some reason..."
-
Talin skidded to a stop after dodging the bolts, and only gave his legs a moment of rest as he expected an opening. In the middle of his speaking, Talin made another dash at him with his body very close to the ground. He hoped this attack would land since the act of stopping might cause more harm than good to his body. Just as Dikenchtein finished with 'You don't stand a chance against me', Talin was attempting to dig his blade into the man's spine with a close-range lunge.
-
Kit listened silently, laying on his back and watching the canopy above rustle in the wind. He smirked when Kiana mentioned how much they where missing "Better than worrying at any rate." At her last words he rolled over onto his front, staring at Kiana "You and Korius?" He grinned and raised his eyebrows dubiously, but said no more.
-
"Oh god, not you too!" Kiana responded to Kitt's question along with raising his eyebrows, looking at him in disbelief. "I don't get it. We can't stand each other...why would people think we're going to be together? We're too stubborn and hard-headed to coexist in any peaceful manner." She shook her head then looked at her toes, wiggling them again. After a minute, she looked up at the sky then back at her toes.
-
Dikenschtein's ranger ears and hearing alerted him of Talin's blade pushing through the air, and jumped up, the blade passing just under him. Dikenschtein lowered his hand, pressing the weapon to the ground and used it to rotate his body and kicked Talin in the face, and raised the shortsword for a killing strike to the head.
-
"Wait what the shi----EEEE!" *He flew backwards and slammed into the wall after Korius grabbed and threw him out of the way* "Agh... thank goodness for shielding, otherwise my spine would be higher than my head." *He got up tiredly and watched Talin move in for an attack during the Baron's speech and then the predictable block* "Something tells me the opportunity will be all the more reason for the Baron to exemplify his power." *He rubbed his aching backside and focused more shielding on Korius his apparent savior, next Drevo and then Talin* "Talin really wears down his shield quickly." *He sighed while trying not to make himself conspicuous again*
-
Dikenschtein's impact shattered Talin's shield, the impact bouncing him back a little. Korius took the opportunity and ran up for another swipe at him, but the Ranger's reaction and abilities surprised him as he turned in midair and parried Korius' attack and pistol-whipped him in the head with the butt of the repeater bow, and aiming for Drevo, firing off another salvo of 8 bolts, but all aimed at Drevo this time. Korius was barely able to catch himself on the ground, but already heard the bolts fired, trying to shake off the shock on his brain.
-
Talin rubbed his face, and was partially thankful that the guardian hadn't just let him fly past. A partially damaged mouth was more preferrable to having his entire body hit the wall. Okay, so offense won't work at my current speed, guess I have to change to that style. Just wish I had more practice in it than just one fight with Mo. He adjusted his volge so that the blade blocked his upper body and the lower blade protected his legs. He was only able to hold that stance for a few seconds though, and had to break it so he could get to Drevo and knock away the bolts. One thing I'm thankful for though: these bolts are much easier to spot than all those needles I had to block just a day or two ago...
-
Dikenschtein was a little surprised at Talin's ability to come to Drevo's aid, though it didn't change much. He had expected to make a kill with that attack, on whomever was going to try to save him. However, it wasn't going to stop him. Talin had no more barrier, and he knew it. After landing, Dikenschtein fired another salvo straight at Talin, and trailed only inches behind them, rushing Talin. Even if he were to deflect them, it would leave him open to Dikenschtein's attack.
-
When Drevo's attack managed to cut off Dikenschtein's finger he smirked. However it faded after bolts were flying in his direction. He was ready to deflect them the best he could until Talin got in the way. Looking passed him he saw Dikenschtein's next attack coming. "Isn't his-...Crap." In one quick movement Drevo delivered a sweep kick from behind Talin tripping him and making them both be low enough for the bolts to fly straight over them. In the same movement Drevo came up unsheathing his katana to meet Dikenschtein's blade that was just behind the bolts. The force of the blow dropped him to a knee as he blocked it.
-
Grinning, Kitt shrugged "I didnt say whether I thought it would work or not..." He shifted into a more comfortable position and stared up at Kiana "Your right though, about you two being stubborn... But that doesn't mean stuff couldn't work out between you." He shrugged again, still grinning with childish glee "But what do I know about that? If you say it cant work with you two, then I guess it cant work." Finally he pulled out The Rangers Handbook and flicked through to where he had left off, a double page spread of finely inked illustrations on clan-specific crossbows.
-
Dikenschtein was yet again taken by surprise at the group's resourceful "teamwork". Though, to him, it seemed extremely coordinated. Korius took the opportunity and threw the twin sai with the chain, pinning one of Dikenschtein's feet to the ground, and threw the katana straight at him. Dikenschtein quickly used the opportunity he had from pushing Drevo to his knee to bend back enough for the katana to just miss and hit the wall further away. Korius rushed in and let loose his Ki, he didn't want to use it, but the only way to beat Dikenschtein was to keep him off balance and guessing, and NOT to let him regain his momentum. Korius let out a roar that pierced the air, not doing any physical damage, but temporarily threw off anyone in its path. Unfortunately, Talin and Drevo were a mere 1/2 a meter away from Dikenschtein.
-
"Crap not again, Talin you're really going to make work for this fight aren't you.." *He focused again and restored Talin's shield, but this time adding a couple more layers then went back to Korius and Drevo, restoring their shields; at the end of it the wolf began to show signs of fatigue* "*huff puff* Okay, might need to use my backup soon." *The healer clutched his knife under his cloak waiting for the next opportune moment that will inevitably come to be using it* "This should give me some time to recover while I deplete the majicka stored in here."
-
Kiana sighed and didn't really respond to all that Kitt said. She wasn't even sure of how she felt so could she even say anything else about it. After a minute or two, she looked over in the direction of the castle and sighed. "Wish I knew what was going on over there." She mumbled. "They better all come back in one piece or I'll bring them back and kill them myself." Kitt would probably get a laugh out of that but she was being completely serious.
-
Dikenschtein groaned as he covered his ears, but did his best to quickly get away. However, Korius wouldn't let him, charging at full speed and his claws extending like glowing blades. Korius swung ferociously, forcing Dikenschtein to back step by step, unable to regain proper footing to fight back.
-
Kitt did indeed grin at Kiana's comment, or at least until he noticed the serious look on her face. He cleared his throat awkwardly "I'm sure they will be fine. Korius will keep 'em safe. And so long as White is okay he can try and heal anyone that gets injured." He glanced back down to his handbook and turned the page. Again, everything was illustrated with finely coloured inks, displaying the intricate way that a repeater crossbow mechanism could be disassembled and reassembled. Sighing, Kitt closed the book and slid it back into its doeskin pouch. He sighed, standing up and stretching, trying to get some feeling back into his right leg which had gone numb.
-
When Korius let loose his attack Drevo covered his ears along with Dikenschtein. A sharp ringing was left in his ears as he staggered to his feet feeling a little concussed and deaf temporarily. He saw Korius charge at Dikenschtein, he went at him too though it took him several seconds to do so. It's like the thought took extra long to be carried out by his body. Going to the right of Korius, Drevo came at Dikenschtein with his bowstaff. His response time was still several seconds off, with the ringing still sounding in his head.
-
Dikenschtein noticed Drevo's attack, but was spending all he had to try to keep Korius off him. However, remembering that the weapon has a blade in it, he pulled out the repeater bow and blocked it not even a second too soon.
-
Kiana let out a frustrated sigh then let her upper body go backwards so she was completely lying down instead of sitting up. She laid there with her arms spread out to her sides, finally seeming like the teenager she was even though she almost wasn't one anymore since she's nineteen. So many thoughts were swirling around in her head that it made her slightly dizzy. She lifted her hands and covered her face with them, closing her eyes. For some reason, she just wanted to scream, but she knew that wasn't the best of ideas. It would have drawn attention to where they were and if the Guardian heard that there was a girl nearby...well, there's no telling what he would do, especially if he learned that said girl was with the people he was fighting. Somehow he'd probably use that against them whether he actually came and snatched or just taunted them it. She restrained herself making any loud vocalization as all her thoughts continued to rage in her mind so that she couldn't think straight. The strain kept her in a dizzy state and she felt like might throw up if it didn't stop so she took deep breaths to try to calm her stomach and her mind.
-
Glancing over at Kiana, Kitt sighed. Whatever she was going through he had decided he couldnt help with, and so instead he resorted to trying to alleviate his boredom. Dropping bag, bow, cloak and sword to the ground he walked over to the nearest tree. It was an oak, large and gnarled, bark cracked and split. He grinned, glanced back at Kiana, and then scrambled up to the first branch...
"Climbing trees..." thought Kitt "...is something I havent done in ages..." He jumped to the second branch, almost missed, and scrabbled madly up. Getting to his feet Kitt's tail swished back and forth, keeping his balance. He walked along the branch casually, barefooted claws gripping the bark. Finally he sat down where the branch met the trunk and rested his back against the tree...
-
Talin fell to the floor with a complete lack of grace, and almost blacked out as his head soon followed his body in hitting the floor. He was just then getting up as Korius let out a roar, grabbing his head in pain and almost falling to the floor again. He was able to keep himself from getting moved by the soundwave as he was (almost) on all fours and was vaguely aware of what was going on as Drevo attacked Dikenschtein, to no apparent success. Talin got back on his two feet and acted like he was to go around Korius and Drevo, but instead feinted and went towards the guardian ranger before trying to grab the ranger from the back. It was already too late to reconsider his half-baked move as he was now behind and to the right of Dikenschtein as he reached out to grab his clothes at the very least, but hoping for his sword-tied arm.
-
Dikenschtein noticed the horned wolf get around, but couldn't get away, getting his clothes grabbed. Oh, shit. He tried to swing around to get Talin on his blind side, the rotation being strong enough to knock Korius and Drevo back a few meters, Korius more than Drevo. However, after being knocked back, Korius threw one of the sai, which caught Dikenschtein's arm just a hair's width from Talin's face, pulling Dikenschtein away as well.
-
Drevo drove his staff into the ground so he didn't go as far when he was flung away. The hit was enough to snap him out of his daze. Shaking his head he tried to get focused again. He stood up and pulled his weapon out of the ground seeing Dikenschtein being pulled away from Talin. He decided to use this chance to get a hit off. Drevo rushed towards him readying himself to strike; his shields would protect him from any of his bolts and he wasn't in the best position to counter his attack.
-
Dikenschtein fired off a few bolts at Drevo, shattering what was left of the shielf and turned his sword to Korius, which cut through the shield like a hot knife through butter. The sword made a shallow hit on Korius, and Dikenschtein used Korius' movement with the hit to kick off and ran his sword right through Drevo's torso. The two of them landed onto the ground, Drevo's back, and the sword dug into the ground behind Drevo. He tried to let go of the sword, but realized he had tied it to his hand for a reason. So he tried to pull the sword out, but the sword had penetrated past the stone into dirt/clay underneath, trapping the blade, since the tip did bend a small angle. It wasn't enough to lower the sword's effectiveness, but it was enough to pin it into the ground, temporarily, so Dikenschtein began to tug on the blade and even twist it a little.
-
Kiana didn't have to uncover her face to know that Kitt had climbed a tree, she heard him doing it. "You better not fall." She muttered to him as she kept her face covered. "You know I can't fix it if you break a leg or something." It was another moment or two that she laid there before she suddenly shot up, sitting up straight, her hands having dropped from her face. Something was wrong. She sensed it. She didn't know how, but she did. Pushing herself off the ground, she walked a few feet in the direction of the castle. "Something's wrong..." Her eyes darted back and forth as she looked toward the castle. "I should see..." She started to take another step toward the castle.
-
Drevo was getting ready for his attack when he was stabbed just below his chest. When he hit the ground he coughed up some blood. Roaring in pain he dropped his weapon and grabbed the sword as if it were instinct. He further cut his hand as he tried to free himself from the sword. He growled again in pain as he twisted the blade, blood was starting to pool under him. Everything seemed to slow down, his vision blurred and images flashed in front of his eyes. He saw Alexia and Ferdande, along with his parents and memories of the past. "What...Happened...? Am I-" An image of Elistro flashed into his head, he was laughing menacingly. "I can't be-...I'm...Dead? I can't be dead...I...Have to kill him...I can't...Die..." His vision was fading, as it did without thinking he forced his hand up and grabbed a hold of Dikenschtein in a last effort to be a help to someone.
-
Grinning, Kitt opened one eye to glance down at Kiana "Cats don't fall out of trees unless they want to... And I 'aint climbing high so no worries." He closed his eyes again and sighed peacefully... Finally some time to himself. Suddenly Kiana stood up and started off towards the castle. Kitt opened one eye again to glance down and groaned, muttering under his breath "What does a guy have to do to get a nap around here?"
When Kiana made to move towards the castle again, Kitt dropped down to the next branch "No, Kiana!" He jumped again to the last branch, but slipped, and landed with a thud on the leaf-strewn floor. Immediately jumping to his feet Kitt tried to get in front of her "Kiana, we where told to wait here... Korius told us to wait here..."
-
Kiana leaned to the side to look around Kitt with a worried expression on her face. "Yeah, but Korius could be hurt..." She said as she continued to look toward the castle behind him. "One of them could be dying, Kitt!" She wasn't yelling at him, she just sounded desperate and worried and, most surprisingly of all, scared. She had already seen three people die. Clare. Valius. Vladimir. She didn't want to see that fate happen for anyone else. Angling her head down and closing her eyes, she tried to get a picture of what was happening even though she knew she didn't have the energy for it. It only took a second for her to start swaying where she stood and she held her head with her right hand as she slowly sank to her knees on the ground, letting out a frustrated sigh.
-
Korius tried to recover from the minor cut and massive concussion he got from the launch and took the moment of surprise on Dikenschtein's face at Drevo grabbing him at the arm, and ran in, severing the sword hand. Dikenschtein yelled out loud and quickly got away from Drevo, firing the rest of his bolts at Korius, embedding into him all over. Korius roared as the impact of the bolts sent him flying back a meter. Dikenschtein panted and quickly tore off the rest of his cape, trying to quickly wrap up his shoulder where his right arm used to be.
-
Talin had recovered from not only the head-rattling roar, but from being tossed around by Dikenschtein. His recovery was so timely, that he chased after Dikenschtein and starting swinging the moment the ranger tried to wrap the cape over his missing arm. Come on half-breed, you stayed awake through two months of hunger, keep fighting!
-
Dikenschtein couldn't retaliate, so he did his best to evade Talin's attack, but the voulge moved just slightly faster, severing his left foot. Dikenschtein stumbled when he tried to land, and ended up rolling down the floor, landing on Drevo's face, his other shoulder tapping the blade of his shortsword. Meanwhile, Korius was pulling bolts out of one arm and stumbled over and grabbed Dikenschtein's head. The only reason he was able to move was because his Ki had taken over, though he was still partially aware of what was going on, but definitely not in control. "The end, Baron Von Dick-Head." With his emotionless statement, he pulled hard on Dikenschtein's head and severed it from the body by using the blade in Drevo's torso. Korius then tossed the remains aside while, with a powerful pull, removed the sword from Drevo's torso, the tip broken off, still in the ground. "And for you..." Korius raised his arm to strike, but the red light faded his eyes as the poison that were in the bolts took effect, and he dropped the blade, falling over to the side.
-
Talin stopped attacking as Korius took over, and watched as he decapitated the guardian and almost kill Drevo. He walked over to Korius and took a deep breath as he tried to pull out any white magic Chronin might have accidentally left behind. "White, I need some emergency training in healing if these two are going to make it..."
-
Kitt sighed, watching as Kiana sank to her knees. He ran a hand through his hair "Yeah, they could be dying... but what can we do? I used up most of my ammunition taking out those guards, and you have almost no magika left. All we would do is get in the way, or worse, get someone killed..." He walked away, back to where he had left his equipment. Shrugging on his cloak, he clipped sword to belt and slung his crossbow over one shoulder, before walking back "They'l be fine Kiana... I'm sure Korius is fine..."
-
*The white mage got up after Korius seemed to be finished with his assault upon falling to the ground. He was still shook up when Talin approached him* "I can't believe he almost killed Drevo..." *He lost his trance as Chrono's words faded in just as he was ending with "...healing if these two are going to make it..." *The wolf nodded to the hybrid and he revealed what he was clutching under his cloak. The knife, embedded with his majicka reserve, he made sure to take some and save some in it* "I have already set this up so you can simply heal the next person after yourself by placing this while it is closed on them, opening it turns it off and vice versa when closing it. I suggest you take care of Korius for a bit... I need to see Drevo. The majicka should slow down the poison long enough for me to finish." *The wolf handed Talin the knife without putting much thought into what Talin's plans were, as he worried more to lose a more vulnerable teammate*
*He turned, then quickly ran as fast as his legs could carry him to Drevo and knelt down next to him, in a way reminding him of the boy he healed right before he first met Korius at home* "Drevo.. I don't know if you can hear me at this point, but if you can, please do not give up." *He placed his hands on the deep cut that extended through the severely injured wolf, quickly getting his hands covered in blood* "Think of what you still have yet to accomplish, people you care for, that you have lost and live for." *The healer put a great deal of his majicka into this effort, knowing that from looking at Drevo's aura his time was limited as it was fading fast. He was trying to stall for time to get his organ systems back in minimal functioning order to refuel the energy needed to keep the wolf alive, he had to keep uttering encouragement for both Drevo and himself* "The fibers are forming back, and some muscle is regenerating, blood level still low however no longer escaping, and a couple of nearby organs are a bit affected by exposure. Just a few more minutes and it will be sealed up soon followed by muscle replacement."
-
Kiana stayed the way she was when Kitt walked off and she heard him picking up his things. She took deep, slow breaths as she knelt there on the ground with her hand still holding her head. After she calmed herself some, she slowly lowered her hand to rest with the other on her legs. "It's over. I only caught a glimpse, but it's over." She said softly. The fact that it was over didn't make her feel any better though since, in the glimpse she had, things didn't seem good. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked toward the castle a little over a mile away from her. "I hate this..." She muttered. If the others came back and saw her kneeling there, she would only look like she was desperate to be involved in the fight, even though that was only part of what she had been feeling.
-
Drevo's vision faded after he grabbed onto Dikenschtein. He passed out and his mind wandered. He saw a bright white light and walked towards it, down a long tunnel. "I must be dead...It's so damned bright...Why can't I stop walking?" Upon reaching the end he found a door, he tried to open it but couldn't. He heard a noise and turned around to see a large dragon-kin standing behind him. Noticeably there was a key around his neck. "Do I...Know you?" "Who I am is not important, Drevo." "Then..." "Do you want to get through the door?" "Yeah...More than anything...But...Why? Who...Are you...I know you from somewhere..." "The answers you seek lie beyond that door." said the dragon pointing behind Drevo. "I have in my possession the key to the door. Do you want it?" "Yes..." The dragon chuckled lightly. "Then steel yourself, you must take it from me by force!" the dragon's voice echoed loudly, for what seemed like forever. Drevo ran at him and threw a punch. The dragon caught the punch and threw Drevo aside as if it were nothing. Drevo flew through the air and rolled across the ground which he didn't even see. He got back up and ran at him again to only be sidestepped and he fell on his face. He just stayed there for now. "You must try harder. You will never defeat me that way." "How do I know you..."
-
Korius remained motionless, completely past consciousness and near the brink of death from the poison in his system. His Ki remained active, but the flow of it slowed rapidly due to the poison sapping his energy. Korius' life then flashed before his mind's eye, and recounted every single thing that's happened in his life. Though it was only mere seconds, each moment passed by as if in realtime, forcing Korius to see all that his life had been all over again.
-
*White noticed at this point that Drevo must be either unconscious or non-responsive and stopped talking* "It's completely sealed, just a few muscles here and there to fix up on the edges, blood flow returning to normal, heart rate is still low... he better not give up." *The wolf got up from Drevo and looked over to Talin* "There's nothing more I can do for him, the rest is up to Drevo." *He darted over to Korius and got down quickly while also sweating a bit, in fear that Korius could still be volatile to his own allies* "I hope that he stays still or doesn't try to resist, there's no way I can hold him down by myself..." *The white mage turned to Talin* "Could you hold Korius's legs while I work here?"
-
Korius groaned as Whtie began to work on him, the removal of the poison putting stress on his body. His eyelids glowed periodically, getting more intense with each glow, as he's fighting against his dark nature. In his mind, darkness consumed his world, seeming like a dark abyss in the midst of space. Before him, a doppelganger of himself appeared before him, a shadow with the bright, red eyes that show more intensely than when he normally uses Ki. In short, it was his dark self that all warriors who reach a certain high caliber develop. It has always been a mere rumor and a lore to most about such things happening to a warrior, since most become satisfied with where they are, while the ones who devote their entire life to attaining that level of power, cannot breach past the mental blocks in their minds, which prevents them from exceeding that point.
-
Kiana let out a frustrated sigh and got to her feet. "I can't take this any longer." She said impatiently. Quickly moving over to where she had been sitting, she grabbed her staff then turned back around. Pulling her hood up, she headed toward the castle. "I'm going over there. I need to know what's going on." Her pace quickened the further she walked and before she knew it, she was running toward the castle. She wasn't going full speed but she still got there rather quickly. It didn't take her long to find where they were since she had gotten a little idea from her glimpse at the end of the battle. When she got to them, she saw Drevo on the ground, apparently unconscious, and she saw blood on his clothes and the ground but since she noticed he had been healed, she didn't worry about it too much (but she still worried some, of course). She then spotted White healing Korius so she walked over to them. Keeping her face as straight as possible, she looked Korius over, noticing his eyes glowing behind his eyelids every now and then. "Do you need any help?" She asked White in the calmest tone she could muster, which was pretty good.
-
*White jumped for a moment realizing Kiana was behind him* "If you could, just make sure if he tries to fight me while I'm working, to hold him down because there's no way I can while healing. It would probably work better if you helped because he you know him more well than me and perhaps it would help ease on the poison as I remove it." *He turned back to his patient and kept working on trying to get the poison out of Korius's limbs* "Damn this is a real mess, that ranger must have had some poison. Not even sure if normal methods of healing or treatment would save anybody with this infection."
-
Talin wrapped his left arm around Korius' legs, then handed the knife to White. "If you need more than whats in this knife, then you can take it from me... not like I can do much beyond pain-killing..." He looked around the room as White went to work, and noticed the handbow that the ranger had used to put poison in Korius in the first place. He reached for his volge, then used the curve of the balde to 'grip' the curve of the wood and pull it close enough to make it within arms reach. He hefted it up and held it between his left arm and the left side of his body. Either this will fetch a nice amount of gold, or Kitt gets a new bow. Either way I'm taking this...
-
Drevo continued to lay there unconscious, as a battle went on in his mind. The dragon, now with a large dai katana, came down on top of Drevo with a strong swing which Drevo rolled out pf the way of. He came back at him unsheathing his hidden katana and clashed swords a few time. The dragon came back with a strong enough hit to knock the weapon from Drevo's hands. After that he grabbed him with his large claw by his face and lifted him into the air. "Our time is done. Better luck next time, Drevo..." With that said the dragon applied a little pressure to Drevo and he shattered like glass into several thousand pieces. His eyes opened and his head turned to the side. There he saw Korius on the ground with the others around him. His vision was still blurry and going in and out. He tried to sit up but couldn't find the strength, rather pain. He let out a low grunt in pain. That's when he noticed his hat was missing, looking around he saw it near a pillar a yard or so away. Drevo mustered what strength he could and staggered to his feet barely and tried to walk over there. He fell without even standing straight up a few steps in and rolled a little ways. Sprawled out on the floor now, blood dripping from his clothing leaving a trail to where he is now, he reached for his hat. But to his dismay, he was about an inch away from it, even though his hand was stretched out towards it. After trying, he fell limp again. Blood loss and exhaustion got the better of him and he closed his eyes to rest.
-
Kitt gave an exasperated sigh as Kiana hurried away. He stood with his cloak half on, sword clipped loosely to his belt and trying to juggle the rest of his equipment "Ah, fine! I'l just stay here on my own then!" Hitching the cloak further over his shoulders he glanced around "Stay here on my own, in the big dark forest, with no one else here but me... KIANA, WAIT UP!" Kitt set off at a run after her, madly scrambling to keep a hold of everything as he ran pell-mell out of the forest...
Finally catching up with Kiana, Kitt collapsed onto the flagstone floor in a pile of cloak, equipment and panting feline. He sat up with difficulty and glanced around the room, noting the smashed flagstones and decapitated body "Place could do with a bit of a redecoration... Seems I missed all the fun too-" He stopped mid-sentence, noticing both Korius and Drevo on the floor. The childish grin wiped itself off his face in moments...
-
Korius' mind continued to fight with his dark side as the poison was still being syphoned from his body. The doppleganger was just as strong and just as fast as him, but he was growing tired while it was not. Korius and the doppleganger continued to clash swords and even identical Ki attacks. The two of them fought visciously, when something unexpected happened. The doppleganger begain to glow a crimson red from within his core as he took and unusual stance. Not possible... The glow then seemed to sprout arms with swords out of the doppleganger's back and before anything happened, a blinding light flashed, and all Korius could see was a giant, white ball shrinking in front of him. He couldn't see the doppleganger, but heard struggling within the orb. Before he could take a step or think about what was going on, an old face appeared before him that caused his knees to buckle and to fall, crying as he did, "My love!" There, as young as the day she was first a Guardian, stood Koara Uzima. "Are you still calling me that? Hon, I have already long since passed away. What you see before you is merely a portion of my chakra that I had implanted into you during our time together. I knew the day would come when you would have to unlock your abilities to use your Ki, so I implanted this Chakra in you as a fail-safe in case you had to make this bout. However, unfortunately, this will only work once. Now go an recuperate." "Wait! Don't go! I need you with me! I need you to guide me! Mistress!" Everything around him started shrinking and fading away, "I'm sorry, love, but this is how it is and must be. Let go of the past, and live for the future. There is a young mage who also has a fire for you in your heart, but you have to let go first. My life is at the absolute end now, feed HER fire. Lead the life that I had trained you to live." With that, all disappeared. This whole event in the real world was no different then before, but when Koara's Chakra had intervened, a seal appeared on Korius' stomach as well as his forehead, and they faded along with what Korius saw. Korius yelled as he quickly shot up, his head running right through White's, and his body reacting to being held down by instinct, and punched Talin square in the jaw, sending him a few feet back.
-
Kiana glanced over at Kitt's approach and would have chuckled when he fell over had the moment not been so serious. When she saw that he realized how serious it was, she returned her attention to Korius, watching intently. She was puzzled when she saw the seals appear on Korius so when they faded she didn't expect an immediate reaction from Korius. After his head had collided with White's she had quickly knelt down beside him but wasn't quick enough to stop him from punching Talin. "Korius!" She snapped with fierceness in her eyes, putting a hand against his chest and shoving him back down then managing to muster up enough majicka to put rock over him to help hold him down with her hand encased in it. She tried to be gentle about it because of the state he was in but it was kind of difficult to do when she had to force him down against his will. "What is wrong with you! They're helping you!" Her gaze shifted and she looked back and forth between White and Talin. "Are you guys alright?" Her expression didn't change as she asked them about their condition, the fierceness remaining as she kept the rock-hold on Korius to keep him down. During all the commotion, she didn't notice that Drevo had gotten up and attempted to do something.
-
"Grandma, I don't want any more puppies, I already have seven..." *The wolf laid there dizzy and putting a hand to his now bruised forehead realizing this wasn't family nor even a house* "What... hit me?" *Everything was slowly coming back to him as he laid there for a few more seconds* "Korius resisted... and managed to throw two people at once. This is just great... oh wait." *He watched Kiana shove him back down to the ground* "Ngh... hold him down, I need to get the last of the poison out. Gaia I have a huge headache now." *He padded over on his knees and hands back to Korius and moved more towards his chest this time* "Please don't hit me in the head again."
-
Talin recovered quickly, still holding onto both the crossbow and his volge. "I'm fine... Elistra hits a little harder than that. Swear she would throw a tree at me if I annoyed her enough." He gazed about the room until seeing Kitt, then he released his hold on the cross bow so he could hand it to him with his left hand. "I assume from the change in height that you missed a few birthdays, so heres a gift: The crossbow of the ranger guardian himself."
-
Kitt stood up, still managing a grin despite the situation with Korius "Sweet..." He glanced down, still grinning "Yeah, looks like I have several years worth of birthday presents to cash in." Taking the small crossbow from Talin with only one hand, Kitt promptly hit the floor again with a muffled thump.
From the floor came his rather strangled voice, surprised and yet again in mild pain "By the gods Talin, this thing weighs a ton!" Kitt struggled to his feet again, hefting the bow now with both hands, eyeing the dark wood that it was made of curiously "If the guy was strong enough to fire this with one hand, I'm kinda glad I wasn't around to try and fight him..."
-
Korius snapped out of his little surprise frenzy and relaxed, panting, "I'm sorry. It's just... never mind. Just instinct. White, if you want to avoid that kind of pain, try not hanging your head over theirs when you're healing them." He grunted a little as White siphoned out the rest of the poison from his system. Afterward, Korius sat up and caught his breath, remembering what happened while he was unconscious.
-
Once Kiana was sure that Korius wouldn't hurt anyone any more than he already had, she removed the rock-hold and her hand from his chest. She stayed kneeling next to Korius while White finished up the healing, trying to keep her eyes on White's hands and not on Korius. When Korius sat up, she got to her feet and looked around, spotting Drevo a couple feet away from his hat. She walked over, picking up Drevo's hat then turning back to where Drevo laid on the ground. She went over to him and gently turned him over, not phased by his blood-soaked clothes since she had had the deep-down feeling that something like this had happened. She put his hat on top of her staff and switched the staff to her left hand. Crouching down, she wrapped her right arm around his upper chest underneath his armpits then stood up and slowly dragged him back over to where White and Korius were. Gently, she laid him back down on the floor and set his hat on his chest then switched her staff back to her right hand. She looked at White, hoping he really was alright, then looked at Korius. "What do we do now?" She asked him as she scanned his face.
-
"I'm gonna need to... sleep or something, can't think so well." *He put his left hand back to his forehead* "That poison is some bad stuff..." *He looked over to Kitt* "It would probably be best to check that bow for poison, it would be bad for that to get somebody else unintentionally. Especially since now that I am drained, I'm going to need some time to restore majicka and eat... and hopefully find some sort of cold object to ease down this swelling." *He got up feeling a bit woozy* "A tad light headed, but I'll be fine."
-
Talin had a goofy grin as he smacked Kitt on the back. "Aw come on it can't be that heavy, I had to carry white-fluff over there up a wall, and he weighs five times as much as that bow! You just need some meat on them bones." Talin walked past everyone and went towards the doors that lead to this room. "How long before the barracks realizes that their commander is dead?"
-
As Drevo laid there unable to reach his hat he didn't expect Kiana to carry him over to the others. "I never expected you to pick me up...Heh..." he said with a cringe. When he was set down and his hat dropped on his chest he grabbed it. Slowly he put it over his face. "I *muffle muffle* Kian-*muffle muffle* be stronger than K-*muffle muffle* Thank you, *muffle muffle muffle* it. And so does my hat." After that he let out a deep breath and laid silent.
-
Kitt stuck his tongue out behind Talin's back, but grinned nonetheless... Placing his crossbow and sword down on the tiled floor he hefted the handbow up into a firing position. Despite the unexpected weight the bow was perfectly balanced, neither tipping forward nor backwards when held by its long handle. Kitt squinted down the length of the handbow, watching as his aim wavered back and forth, a pain already forming at his shoulder, muscles aching. He dropped the bow back to his side with a painfull grunt...
"I would guess the range of this thing is only half, or even a quarter that of a regular repeater crossbow..." He looked closely at the bow string, no fraying visible along its thick length "Though I think it more than makes up for that in power and speed... One day I can use this bow to seek revenge on those that killed my father and the rest of my clan. Slice their throats and let their blood run-"
With a literal shake of the head Kitt attempted to clear the thought. Korius had told him to be stronger. He had told him that revenge was not the way of a Ranger. But nevertheless... He sighed, pulling up his hood and returning his weapons to their usual places. As he slid the handbow into his doeskin bag he muttered under his breath "But maybe revenge is the only way for me..."
-
Korius got up and rubbed his joints, "Dammit. That was just too close for comfort. Barely made it out of there alive, and I almost kill Drevo." He looked over at Kitt playing with the handbow and the look on the kid's face before putting it away in his bag. "Don't underestimate that bow, kid. It may be small, but it was living hell for the rest of us alongside his bow today. Here, hand it to me, I'll show you." Korius took hold of the handbow and one of the bolts that was pulled out of him. He strained a little as he pulled back the string and notched the bolt. Korius pulled up the handbow and pointed it straight at the pillar about 3 metres in front of him, his arm shaking a bit from the weight, Damn, it's almost as heavy as Valia. With the best of his ability, Korius took aim and fired. The bolt pierced through the pillar and stuck into the far wall. If someone were to look through the hole in the pillar, the bolt would be completely level with the hole and Korius' arm, where he fired it. He laid it back on the floor next to Kitt, "It's centuries old, but it's the strongest bow in all of Gaia. I doesn't have the range of a longbow, but it exceeds even YOUR crossbow." Korius sighed and grabbed the katana and twin sai, holstering and sheathing them. He then took a long walk over to the other end of the castle and straightened his gi before picking Valia out of the ground and clipping it on the rear strap. He didn't even bother wearing his cloak, just carrying it in hand. "Let's go. And Talin, Kitt's already killed all of Dikenschtein's personal guard. Stop daydreaming about your bride more often, and you wouldn't be so oblivious." Korius' first two steps staggered a bit, but he walked normally after that, heading out the broken down front doors.
-
Kiana got the idea of what Drevo was saying but didn't think she could ever be stronger than Korius. She felt ignored when Korius didn't answer her question and went on to talk to Kitt, but at least she sort of got a response at the end when Korius said they should go. His first couple staggered steps concerned her, though it didn't show on her face. Looking toward Drevo, she hoped that he could walk on his own because she didn't want to carry him around. She looked toward where Korius was walking and sighed. Keeping her hood up, she followed after him in silence.
-
*The wolf shrugged at being ignored from his pain as well, detecting with what little of the senses left he had that Kiana didn't like it either* "I don't like it when Korius ignores her because then it makes her feel bad or like she did something wrong, the nerve of that guy! And not to mention giving me this bruise, I hope it's not permanent. That's the last thing people want to be greeted by in the morning is a war stricken face that basically says 'I have been in a few fights' and then it will scare people off..." *White got depressed at the thought as he followed along with the group*
-
Talin let out a snort as he slinged up his volge and walked behind Korius. "Sorry for wanting something to look forward to after we finish off the last guardian. Besides..." Talin whacked Korius in the back with the pole of his volge. "Half the time I was getting knocked around by you and Drevo!!" He pulled his volge back and braced himself for another hit that would probably hurt as much as the face-punch.
-
Drevo continued to lay there as the others were walking on. "Don't worry about me. I'll stay here with White! He'll keep me company." he said moving his hat above his face. He looked around to see that White too had left. "White? How could you betray me, White!?" he said jokingly. He rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself to his feet, not even standing all the way he stumbled forward into a pillar. Running into it face first he managed to keep himself upright. "Oh...Hello pillar. It's been awhile since you met my face." he said somewhat dizzy. "Oh my! You aren't looking too well!" he exclaimed, noticing a hole in it from where Korius had shot the bolt. "Okay well I have to go." he said shoving off the pillar, using the momentum to stumble in the others' direction. He saw his bowstaff on the ground as he fell towards it. He turned the fall into a roll and grabbed it. Drevo used it to lift himself back up and then to walk again. "That hurt. Don't fool yourselves." He almost seemed drunk from his lack of blood, but he was moving none the less.
-
Kitt took the bow back, sliding into his doeskin bag with a slight feeling of resentment Kind of useless though, seeing as I can barely lift it with one hand though... He pulled up his hood and sighed, watching as Korius walked away. The bitter resentment didn't get any better as he slung his crossbow over one shoulder and started to walk with the others.
He paused before walking out of the front doors, turning to watch Drevo stumble about. A snigger was barely contained as he slammed into the pillar, stumbling after the group a moment later. Kitt sighed and pulled down his hood. The amusement of watching him stumble around had finally gone "Need any help there Drevo?"
-
Korius ignored Talin's little comment and walked on. An old fear had resurfaced itself into his mind and heart. So it's not over yet. And my free outlet is only going to last me until I unlock the final seal, and even then, there's no guarantee that I'll remain myself. Dammit! Korius entered went to town and found a whole crowd in front of the limits as the sun rose behind it. He could see the looks in their eyes and knew what they were thinking. "Yes, we killed him. You are no longer under his rule. You're all free now." Next thing he knew, Korius was out cold. Many of the villagers came rushing to lift him up, but the weight of Valia kept them from doing so. Six men came and unhooked Valia, moving it back to the village while two other people carried Korius back. The rest cheered and some even ushered the others to come as well.
-
Kiana walked along in silence with the others. When she saw the villagers at the town limits, she looked from them to Korius and then back to them as he answered their unspoken questions. Suddenly, she noticed that Korius wasn't standing anymore and looked down at him in surprise as the villagers rushed in. It was kind of comical seeing the villagers struggling with the weight of Valia and seeing six men having to take it into the village, but she was too concerned about Korius to laugh. The surprised expression removed itself from her face as they carried Korius off. The only reason she followed the ones who ushered the rest of them along was because she wanted to know where they were taking Korius and didn't want to lose him in the madness. She wanted to tell the people cheering to shut the hell up but she stopped herself from doing so and kept walking at a brisk pace, keeping her eyes on the people carrying Korius while also keeping a straight face.
-
*The exhausted wolf looked behind him at Drevo calling to him in some pseudo-dark humor* "Nghh... if I wasn't so tired right now Drevo, I would fight you for fun or something. Besides, that wound is gonna be slowing you down for awhile now. You best not be testing it if you don't need to." *He gave the fellow wolf a wicked grin and turned back towards the crowd carrying Korius away* "It's funny how always the leader gets the majority of credit, the people usually giving the followers more of a sidekick profile when describing them. Not that it matters much, we'll be moving along shortly." *He glanced at Kiana walking nearby*
-
Talin pulled up his hood the moment the townspeople came into view, and avoided the crowd while following them from afar. Now I know what my kid is going to go through if he, or she, ever has to go to any villages. Hopefully they have a private place to shower. Oh come on, you can easily take on anyone who has a problem with you. You have my power and my staff at your disposal, not even taking into account your strengthened body! The voice of his ancestor had some influence, but the most it caused was for him to rejoin the group as the crowd passed by some homes...
-
"Oh, Kitt, the little ranger. Say, with that new bow you could be a powerful even more ranger. Erm...A power ranger! Yes, one of them. Come'ere you." he said stumbling for Kitt. However he fell passed him but quickly got up. I'm fine, just fine. I can walk. Yeah, no problemo." As they got to town Drevo was still using his bowstaff to walk. When Korius passed out and the townsfolk whisked him away he pushed through what was left of the crowd. "Coming through, I'm bleeding a lot, look how manly I am for not passing out compared to someone with no sign of bleeding!" he said loudly and arrogantly. "Who wants to point me in the direction of a bath house? Or a clinic with a cute nurse?" After breaking through the crowd he spotted a large sign reading "bathhouse" in the distance. So he went, as he walked he was accompanied by two lovely ladies. The fox on his right was in white carrying a clipboard. "You look like you could use some medical attention, I can examine you if you like." she said. The feline on his left then spoke. "I see you looking at my bath house, lets just get you on over there and clean you up." Escorted by the ladies he was taken to the bath house. However he wasn't in his right mind yet, the lack of blood made him essentially an idiot.
-
Kitt neatly sidestepped the falling Drevo, allowing him to hit the floor with a smack. He raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the group as they continued to walk away "You sure your o-?" He never finished the question as Drevo jumped back to his feet and set off towards the town. Kitt sighed, pulling his hood up again he muttered sarcastically under his breath"On we go... Off to the land of adventure..."
The crowd was one vast jostling mass of villagers, cheering, dancing and shouting. Kitt pulled his hood further down, shadowing his eyes. The large number of people made him nervous, for it seemed he had started to pick up the tell-tale signs of a ranger already. His grimace of annoyance turned to a sly grin as he caught sight of a young maid at the edge of the crowd. She was young, around his height, still holding a long-handled broom and watching curiously as the villagers carried Valia and Korius.
Pulling down his hood, Kitt shirked around the crowd and walked up to her "Hey, what is someone with as sweet a face as yours doing sweeping floors?" She blushed and twisted the broom between her hands "Oh, the quiet kind are you? Well if you want we could ditch this crowd and go someplace..." Still blushing she flicked her tail and grinned, only to suddenly be pulled away by brusque hands.
A large man had grabbed her by the scruff of her apron and spoke with a loud and gruff voice as he pulled her away "You keep away from that ruffian if you know whats good for you girl... Nothing but trouble these adventurers!" Kitt groaned and shouted after the man as he walked away, young maid in tow whether she liked it or not "Hey, no fair! I wasn't finished with my stunning charm..." He kicked a stone in moody resentment and pulled up his hood, following the rest of the group as they walked towards the village, muttering quiet obscenities as he walked...
-
The villagers took Korius into the town clinic. The doctor examined him right away while the nurses, for some reason were all white, female minxes, quickly helped White over to another bed and started giving him attention, giving him liquids, getting him a pillow, etc. "This one's exhausted, and it seems that mage over there's the same. Nurses, just make sure that the mage receives adequate water. This one will be fine, he doesn't show symptoms of dehydration like the other. I'm just going to make sure the others are good." While Korius laid there, nightmares of his past continued to plague him and he tossed, turned and groaned as he laid there.
-
Kiana somehow ended up next to Kitt right after rejection, sadly not being there in time to defend him. "I'll punch him later for you, if you want..." She whispered in his ear and grinned mischievously at him as she moved away. After that, she continued onward to the town clinic where they took Korius. Standing against the wall just inside the doorway, she watched as the doctor examined Korius while the nurses tended to White. A small look of concern moved onto her face as she watched Korius toss and turn and listened to him groan. She wished that she could help him but since there was nothing for her to do she felt completely helpless and useless. Her face hardened once again as she forced the emotion off of her face. The look of concern was on her face long enough so that if anyone was paying attention they would have seen it though.
-
"Hey wait what are you dooo....!?" *The clinic workers took him to a bed and laid him down* "Ngghhh I'm not sure whether to accept the treatments or just let it happen." *He turned to Korius* "He looks worse than me... but then again I haven't looked in a mirror lately." *White eased his head into his pillow and decided to relax a bit, deciding he was no longer in danger now; as he laid there drinking water, he started to fade out in his consciousness and wanted to sleep* "I only wonder what is next though, I don't think I have asked as of yet..." *He closed his eyes for a moment*
-
Talin watched the group with indescretion until the doctor went straight to him after the first three were taken care of. "You and your fixation for white minxes will have no power over me!! All I need is a place to bathe and food." Talin refrained from hand gestures as the pseudo-talons on his fingers would give away his temporary 'half-breed' condition.
-
Kitt couldn't help but grin at Kiana's whispered remark "If I thought he was worth it I woulda' punched him one already... Thanks anyway" he smirked, spirits lifted slightly he followed Kiana through to the clinic. Standing somewhat awkwardly against on wall, he watched as the nurses tended to those who needed help, and noted Kiana's fleeting look of concern.
He sighed and pushed off against with the wall with one hand, walking through the numerous nurses over to Kiana. He stopped beside her and leant against the wall, hood pulled down and a curious look on his young face. Glancing from her to Korius he whispered in slightly hushed tones "When you said you dont have feelings for him... At what point where you going to realise that wasn't completely true?"
-
Korius' dreams brought him back to the days with Koara again, and he shot awake. At first sight, he saw Koara standing there next to him, and he quickly sat straight up, "Koara!" and gave her a passionate kiss. After he kissed her, he noticed that the muzzle was a bit shorter than he remembered. When Korius opened his eyes, he realized he just kissed Kiana and quickly shrunk back, coughing as if he just sneezed. Without looking at Kiana, he briskly walked out of the room. When he reached the entrance of the clinic, he found Valia sitting against the wall next to the door alongside the katana and twin sai in their sheaths. Korius quickly equipped the weaponry and stopped short as the doctor stopped him. "Don't worry, just take your time in helping out my party. I'm just going to grab some food. I will be back for treatment when our white mage is up and around again."
-
Kiana turned her head to look at Kitt when he came over. Her lips parted slightly at his question as she was caught off-guard by it then she closed her mouth. She was silent for a few seconds, and that in itself was too much of a hesitation for her response to be taken as the truth. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She said just before Korius spoke out. The exclamation got her attention so she had turned her head toward him just in time to be met by his lips. The kiss stunned her and when she got to the point where she was starting to relax and was going to kiss him back, he had pulled away. She saw the realization in his eyes when he opened them and just stayed frozen in place while he got up and left the clinic. Her mind was reeling as she stared straight ahead. "He...he kissed me...I can't believe h--wait, what did he say? 'Koara'? Of course...no wonder I can't believe it. I can't...deal with this..." The look on her face in reality was one of confusion, but there was something else in her eyes. Pain. "I need to lie down." She mumbled as her knees buckled and she grabbed a hold of the table to stabilize herself. The doctor rushed over and helped her onto the bed and told her to rest before walking off. She glanced over at Kitt but only for a second before pulling her gaze to the opposite direction. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't look at anyone, and she didn't want to be looked at. She felt weak in more ways the one and that was not something she liked to feel. Tough and resilient, that was her. Emotions just got in the way. She wasn't supposed to be like this.
-
*Stretching his arms, the wolf climbed out of bed, not really remembering how he got to where he was at the current moment* "Ngh... all I remember was being put into this bed, I had some water... a lot of water, I had a nice pillow, Korius.." *He slumped over and looked at the now empty bed across from him* "..Is Kiana? Maybe I was delusional and I got those two names mixed up?" *He shook his head and looked around, yawning as he got up stretching his legs* "Ohhh my head feels a bit swollen still, thank goodness for fur otherwise I'm sure I could be called pink..." *He eyed Kiana again noticing that she seemed a bit out of place now that he was more conscious* "Hey... you okay?"
-
Talin was still unaware of how much his body was suffering since Chronin's power acted like a painkiller. It got to the point where a group of nurses had to grab him and drag him across the ground to a private room to get washed. When they took off his upper-body clothing, shrieks ensued as they didn't expect a half-breed Kin to be one of the people they had to take care of. "What part of 'I am fine' don't you understand, now give my back my clothes!!"
-
Drevo had eventually made it to the bathhouse and into a bath. The nurse following him the whole way inspecting him. "You are covered in blood...Are you sure you're not injured?" she asked. "I'm fine, I just lost a lot of blood. And have been feeling reeeally dizzy. And I don't think this hot water is...Helping....Like....At all..." replied Drevo. He began to wobble a bit as he sat in the bath, after a moment he passed out and fell forward into the water. The nurse grabbed the scruff of his neck and pull his face out of the water. It caused him to wake up, long enough to stammer out of the tub, grab a towel and put it on. After that he passed out again on the floor. "I see..." muttered the nurse before walking off to go get help.
-
Kitt jumped backwards as Kiana fell to her knees, instantly feeling stupid and so moving to help her back up. The doctor shooed him away absent-mindedly as he lead Kiana to a bed. Kitt sighed, meeting Kiana's gaze for the second it lasted. He walked over to the side of her bed, scratching the nape of his neck awkwardly as he mumbled "Sorry Kiana... I-" He paused, staring down at his feet "I shouldn't have kept pestering you like that. It wasn't respectful of me is what it was." Wit that he turned and left the clinic quietly...
The town was small, peaceful and rural with roads of beaten earth that wound between the small houses and met at the little village market. Kitt set off down one such road, pulling up his hood and sighing. Quiet walks alone where always the best...
No one to annoy him but himself and all the time in the world to contemplate- "E'scuse me. That offer to go someplace, you still makin' it?" Eyes turned bashfully to the ground, the young maid from earlier had caught up with Kitt and tugged on the sleeve of his cloak. She looked quickly over her shoulder, as if expecting to be followed, and ran her hands back and forth across the front of her apron.
From behind her long dark hair she smiled and glanced up at him slightly "Travelers don' often come by here... I'd love to here where you been and what you done..."
Kitt grinned... Walking alone was overrated after all.
-
Korius went all around the place, looking at various things, nothing in particular. He grabbed a couple apples and ate them slowly as he walked around. When Korius returned to the hospital when he heard the screams from the back room. He rushed in and saw the nurses screaming and seeking to find something to beat Talin with. "Hey, hey! Put those down, now! He's just had some problems with a spell because he's an idiot. But make sure you don't tell anyone. He's part of the group, and his destiny is to help with the ending of the Guardians' reign. Now get out of here and keep quiet."
-
Kiana heard Kitt apologize but didn't look back at him and listened to him leave. She had closed her eyes and when White spoke to her, she kept them shut. "No...I'm not." She responded, and it was evident in her voice that she was telling the truth. It was also evident that it was hard for her to say that she wasn't okay. She turned her head in the direction of the ceiling and opened her eyes. The look on her face seemed to one of concentration, like she was trying to analyze the ceiling, like it held some answers for her. "Just let your feelings go..." Echoed a voice in her head. "'I can't...I can't do that. I can't be weak.' 'Was it weak when you loved me as your brother? Was it weak for you to cry when our parents upset you back then?' 'That was different. I--' 'No, it wasn't. You have to let yourself feel, sis. Really feel. Let it all go. Let your walls down.' 'I can't!' 'Why?' 'I don't want to get hurt!' 'Kiana...you have to take the risk. Just like you're taking the risk of going on this mission of destiny. Come on, let it go.'" A frown had spread over her face and she looked like she was fighting something else that wanted to happen that she didn't want to happen.
-
"Oh..." *He looked at her longer only really seeing her more troubled* "I don't think there's much more I can do here, well time to go walk around and hunt for food. I can practically smell that meat just running to me and jumping in my mouth where I can savor its deliciousness for several hours and then enjoy it again and again... ahh food the one thing that never stops giving." *He started to drool and then wiped his maw clean with his paw and got up quickly shuffling off once again*
-
Talin watched as the minxes left, then put his clothes back on. He then stopped all movement for a second and took his upper-body set of clothes off. "If you're calling me an idiot for making it this far, then I guess its better than ending up a dragon from the waist down..." Talin went over to a back door and pried it open slightly while holding his robes in his left arm. "Thanks for calling them off though, not really sure I couldve handled that situation without harming anyone."
-
Drevo continued to lay on the floor, wet and nude from his bath in only his towel. Soon the nurse came back in and hunched over him. "The other nurses were busy with one of your other friend..." She sat there for a moment crouched next to him. "Uhm...Wake up wake up wake up..." she said waving her hand at him trying to give him some air. Soon the bored nurses that pestered Talin came by seeing a hero in distress and crowded him. They giggled since he was naked and put some robes on him and hauled him off to the clinic.
-
"Wow... You guys have seen the world twice over..." The young maid and Kitt sat on the lowest branch of an apple tree, in one of the village's many orchards. Her name was Evelyn, apparently a very common name in these parts, and an unmistakeable trace of awe could be heard in her voice. Kitt shrugged, glancing across at her "I dunno about that. We just travel a lot.."
Grinning bashfully, Evelyn met his gaze "I've never even left the village..." Kitt smirked and surreptitiously slid his hand over hers. Evelyn glanced down, almost flinching back "I should be going, mister Ferdinand will not be happy when he realises I'm gone." Still grinning, Kitt leant in close, and this time Evelyn did not pull back. They kissed. And while both of them would have never have admitted it to anyone, it was their first...
Ferdinand tramped through the village, pulling his large jacket closer around him as he walked quickly and determinately. He muttered under his breath as he walked, nearing the orchards "That young missy is going to answer to a beating when I find her..." He stopped, staring up at the nearest apple tree, and bellowed... "You!"
Kitt broke away from Evelyn and stared down at the large wolf below. He grinned sheepishly and kissed Evelyn once more on the cheek "If I get out of here alive I'l see you again sometime!" And with that he jumped, rolled, and set off at a run back to the village. His cloak whipped around his feet as Ferdinand broke into a run after him, shouting and bellowing as he went... Kitt laughed as he ran, zigzagging between stalls and carts...
-
Korius sighed as he left Talin's room, "Whatever makes you feel better about yourself." He walked around and ended up in Kiana's room, "Hey, I got a couple apples in the market. Have one, it'll help." Korius tossed one that landed softly into Kiana's hands and then closed the door. He pulled up a little stool and sat beside her, "Listen, about what happened..."
-
Kiana had laid there staring at the ceiling for a bit after the debate in her head. "Didn't even try to be of help...that's unusual..." She had thought about White after she had listened to him leave. When Korius entered the room and spoke, she groaned inwardly but caught the apple without really paying attention. She sat up on the bed and took a bite out of the the apple. Not looking at Korius sitting beside her, she stayed silent for a moment. She swallowed the piece of apple she was chewing before deciding to speak. "I know, I know. It was a mistake, you weren't thinking clearly, you thought I was somebody else, and it won't happen again..." She listed off the reasons and everything with a flat tone. Taking another bite of the apple and looking at her feet, she waited for him to confirm what she had said.
-
*The wolf stumbled upon a small inn on his way through the town and noticed a bar inside* "That means... there's food here somewhere!" *He ran inside and fished in his cloak for some coins* "I'll buy a steak, make it a big one. And if possible a heaving supply of potatoes, and ohhh bread yes some bread to go with it!" *He made a small pyramid with the coins on the counter, expecting some sort of amazement of a reaction at the obvious food addict* "It'll be ready in about an hour, care for a drink?" "No I don't drink alcohol, lightweight. Besides that stuff doesn't taste that good anyways. Buuuuut I'll take a water." *He turned away on his chair for a moment*
-
Talin had left the clinic and stuck to the shadows until coming across the baths. He went around the building and climbed over one of the walls to directly access a bath, then put his clothes aside before submerging into the warm water. He didn't know if he picked the right bath or not, but as long as nobody showed up during his bathing, it wouldn't matter.
-
Kitt rushed through the clinic, sliding around corners and under beds, all the while Ferdinand chased after him. Scrambling madly he burst into Kiana's room "Dont mind me, passin' through!" Still running at top speed he leapt through the open window into the street outside. The wolf burst through the door a moment later, bellowing at the top of his voice as he scrambled through the window with some difficulty "Get back here ya' scamp!" The room fell quiet again, followed a moment later by loud crashes from the direction of the marketplace...
"Got you at last! Ya' theivin' buggah!" Ferdinand held Kitt up by the scruff of his cloak, apples rolling in all directions from the overturned cart. Kitt squirmed for a moment and pulled out his sword, swinging it wildly "You'll never catch me alive!" The gruff wolf looked down at the sword, watching the blade point swinging several inches away from his chest. Kitt grinned sheepishly, feet running in mid-air as Ferdinand held him up higher "Eheh... Short-swords, not much length in them..."
-
Korius hesitated at responding at first, but stood up and began to leave, "At first, but it wasn't exactly what I DON'T want, either. Koara's final lesson to me was to let go of her and find real lo..." He didn't finish the last word and left out in a bit of a hurry, "I better keep the kid out of trouble." Korius left the clinic and backed around the side where they had Kitt and pulled out Valia, holding it at Ferdinand's neck, "But this one has plenty, now put him down. I would prefer not to kill someone that we just saved, but I will if it means keeping my party alive."
-
Kiana didn't believe what Korius said or what he was about to say, probably because she was used to him being just like her and not going with such emotions. She got off the bed right after Korius stepped out of the door, grabbed her staff, and walked towards the exit of the clinic, ignoring the protests of the doctor and leaving. Not feeling the need to sneak around, she walked to the marketplace from a direction where Ferdinand would see her coming, finishing off her apple while she walked. She tossed the core aside just before she got to the three guys. She stood to the side of the group, farthest away from Korius, and examined each of them one at a time. Her eyes started on Kitt then moved Ferdinand then to Korius, then she focused on the group as a whole again. While standing there with her blank expression, she might have looked like just an innocent girl to the untrained eye, and the only untrained eye to her strength in this group was Ferdinand. Finally her right hand balled up into a fist and she sent that fist flying at Ferdinand's face without looking at him again. All of the emotions she was feeling behind that blank mask were packed into that punch and it struck the side of his face harder than one of her rock-covered punches. Ferdinand was knocked backwards by the punch and had automatically released Kitt when the hit had landed. Kiana's eyes moved to Kitt. "Told you..." She muttered and turned away, making a reference back to what she had said she'd do to the guy earlier. As she walked off, her hand felt like it was throbbing but she ignored it and didn't look back at the group.
-
*The wolf sipped at his water and looked out through the entrance at the outside life* "I wonder what everybody else is doing, Drevo's probably getting into some sort of trouble, Korius is breaking up some sort of issue, Kiana is probably not doing any better, and Kitt is doing Kitt stuff." *He laid his head back and looked up at the ceiling, feeling his stomach growl at him* "Hey don't get mad at me, I ordered food... which will come soon I'm sure of it." *He turned around and noticed that he had been brought some bread* "Oh thank heavens!" *He grabbed the load presented and chewed on its hard surface until he go into it and chomped it down within minutes* "Ahh... appetizers."
-
Talin continued to lounge in the pool, then heard footsteps coming, he immedeatly went over to a rock that was put in there as scenery and tried to hide himself. He stole a peek and noticed that three women were getting into the bath, all of them were of different Kin races and all were built like fighters. He tried to slink out of the bath and get to his clothes, and was halfway there when two of the girls spotted him. The last thing he heard before panic shoved consious thought out of his mind, was "Kill that perverted half-breed!!"
-
Drevo woke up on a clinic bed, several of the nurses looking him over. "What happened? Where'd I go?" he said sitting up. He fell back due to the lack of strength from blood loss and groaned in pain. "You shouldn't move too much, you lost a lot of blood it seems." "Yes, you passed out at the bathhouse and we brought you here~!" "Oh...I see..." said Drevo, moving his head around to see them all, still hovering over him. "...Is there something wrong?" "You were almost naked when we found you." "Oh. I see. Uhm...I-" "Food's here!" interrupted one of the nurses. Two other nurses rolled in a cart cluttered with food. They stopped it in front of him while two others propped his bed up. Drevo's mouth watered at the sight of the food. "Oh man...What's this for?" he asked, looking at the food and then the nurses around him. "Your healing process of course!" "Ah...Heh....There's so much...Do you really expect me to eat it all?" "Yes of course!" "You're a mighty hero~!" "Aheh...Thank you-" Before he could say anything further a nurse interrupted. "Eat it." she said sternly. After she said that all the nurses surrounding him pulled syringes, or scalpels, or various other menacing medical tool. "Or we'll make you eat it!" they all said in unison in a dark and demonic tone. Drevo's hand found strength to reach out for a plate and he held it up. "Aheheh...What's first, ladies?" he said, sweating a little.
-
Kitt dropped to his feet, brushing his cloak for a moment before grinning "I had that under control..." Ferdinand rolled over on the cobbles, groaning in pain. Kitt jumped away from the wolf, one hand reaching for his sword again, only to swing his arm in awkward embarrassment and rub the nape of his neck "Okay, maybe he was about to skin me alive... But if it wasnt for that stupid apple cart I would've gotten away!"
Villagers stared at the three, whispers spreading around them like wildfire. With a groan Ferdinand pulled himself to his feet and stumbled away, rubbing his jaw gingerly. The men and women watching did not seem angry at Kiana or the others, instead smirks and grins flitted about. The crowds parted to let Ferdinand walk through, muttering under his breath as he went...
-
Korius hooked Valia back up onto its hook-strap and sighed, tossing a Guilder over to the cart owner, "Sorry about my little friend." After walking away before the man could refuse, Korius picked Kitt up by his cloak, the child's feet dangling above the ground. "I am going to get us a few rooms for our party, but YOU are staying in yours for the duration of today. We need rest and food, and we're leaving tomorrow. Now behave yourself before I skin you alive myself." As he made his way to the Inn, thoughts ran through Korius' mind, mainly, What the hell did she look at me for?
-
Kiana walked along, ignoring the stares and whispers. At one point she thought she heard somebody say "good job" but she didn't respond to the person. As she walked, she examined her hand, moving each finger individually. She determined that her hand wasn't broken but it did hurt badly. The throbbing was irritating but she tried to ignore it for the most part. After walking for a bit she came across an inn so she went inside and slumped into a seat at a table in the back of the bar area. Pulling her hood up, she scanned the place from her seat and spotted White sitting at a table. She rolled her eyes at his gluttony and slouched further in her chair, staring at the center of her table. When someone came over and asked if she wanted a drink, she said yes and told them what she wanted without looking up. The person yelled her order plus another then, to her surprise, sat down across from her. "Hey, aren't you the girl that punched Ferdinand and knocked him on his ass?" The guy asked. "News travels fast..." She muttered as her answer. "You are!" The guy exclaimed. "Yeah..." She said flatly, keeping her head angled down but angled her eyes up to look at the guy from beneath her hood. "Got a problem?" The guy smirked and held up his hands up defensively in a sort of playful way. "No, no. I've just never seen a girl throw a hit like that." He said, sounding slightly impressed. "I've done worse. Killed people." She said, not sounding either happy or upset about it. "I thought you were a killer when I saw you, but not in that way." That smirk remained on his face and, as she finally actually paid attention to his features, she noticed that he was a cheetah too. "If you're trying to flatter me, it's not working." She said and lowered her eyes to look at the table again as their drinks came. "Well then I'll just have to try harder. In the meantime, why don't you tell me about your escapades? Because what you just said basically tells me that you're part of that group that has been killing the Guardians." She took a gulp of her drink then looked at him again as she set the glass down. "Now why would I want to do that?" She said, tilting her head to one side, but not in a way to look cute, just inquiringly. His smirk grew into a grin as he leaned forward against the table, closer to her. "Because you're bored and you need a way to pass the time. I'm the perfect way to do so." He stared at her intently. For a moment, she deliberated it in her head as she kept her eyes on him. "Oh alright, if you're burning for gossip so badly..." She smirked slightly and began to tell him about the fights. She didn't go into details that would give him too much information about their party though. No names were used. He listened to intently with a straight face, trying to hide how interesting it really was.
-
*The food arrived in front of the wolf from the barkeep* "Food time food time!" *He grabbed at the piece of meat chewing on the bone, trying to suck out as much of cooked bone marrow as physically possible* "Ohhh so good, my compliments go to the chef, inn keeper, and proprietor of this whole town." "Yes that would be me, I do both the cooking, inn keeping, and bartending." *He went back to hacking away at the nourishing supplements with his teeth and not making much noise other than his ravenous gobbling, turning behind him to notice Kiana talking to some other guy* "Hmm... I wonder what Korius will think of that, if I get to see fur fly here it would be like dinner and a show."
-
Drevo finally finished after several, several plate fulls of food. He held his last finished plate up letting one of the nurses take it. After which letting his arms fall limp to his side. "Ugh...." he groaned, with a bloated belly. "So...Much food." "Yay, you finished it all! We knew you were the hero!" exclaimed one of the nurses. "You just rest there now, let all that food digest. You'll be better by morning~!" chimed in another. Just then a doctor came in, a female human striking an amazing resemblance to Alexia. "Alright girls, leave the patient alone!" she snapped. The lynxes quickly dispersed, giggling as they went. "I apologi-" "Alexia?" interrupted Drevo. "Excuse me?" "I...Sorry. You just look like someone I know..." "Do I now?" said the nurse with a slight chuckle. "Well, you just rest. If you need anything just give me a call. My name is Alexis." She winked as she said her name, then left the room.
-
Kitt struggled valiantly for a moment, legs running in mid-air. With a deep sigh he finally gave up and allowed himself to be carried bodily towards the inn. Glancing up at Korius Kitt crossed his arms and blew his fringe out of his eyes moodily "You know, it wasn't my fault... Well, maybe knocking over the cart was. But I had nothing to do with-" He trailed off, noticing that Korius was deep in thought, and not paying attention to his rambling excuses. Shrugging his shoulders, Kitt pulled out the apple that he had swiped from the cart and rubbed it against his sleeve. Crunching on the apple he grinned, everything had its silver lining...
-
When they got to the inn, it was larger than any of the others that they've been to so far. Mainly, it was the fact that the city itself was made of three separate villages that were small by themselves, but created the main area between them, connecting them and unifying them to stimulate their economy. Obviously, after what happened, people stared and gawked at Korius carrying Kitt as they walked in. Many of the men whispered, "How the hell can he carry that thing?" Others uttered, "It's hard to think that kid is part of their group, too. He's so little." When Korius got up to the main counter, the manager greeted him warmly, "Welcome! Welcome, honored heroes!" "How much for your rooms? My party needs a few for some rest tonight." The manager laughed hysterically, "Oh, dear hero. The rooms for you and your friends will always be free! Please! Take our suites! No one normally can afford them anyways. They're the rooms that make up the whole third floor. Here's the keys." Korius gave his thanks and took the keys, while still holding Kitt. When making his way to the stairs, he noticed Kiana at the bar chatting with a gentleman who seemed enticed by her. Korius' blood boiled and dropped Kitt and handed him one of the keys, "Go to your room and stay there until I come up with your food." After that, Korius walked over, anger apparent in his eyes, not his face, drawing Valia. A few of the people in his path quickly got up and moved away, but stayed to watch what would happen. With that, Korius thrust Valia, blade up and down, right under the man, cutting the stool in half. The stool stayed standing, since the cut was really clean and the man's weight was evenly distributed on the stool, but the slight difference is that the blade stuck up to the point where he could feel it between his ass and against his private area. Korius merely gave a friendly smile, though with the blade it wasn't fooling anyone how he really felt, "My party is a bit tired and we have to continue our journey tomorrow. I would appreciate it if you not disturb them." Korius then removed Valia and re-hooked it. Some people marveled at how he did that with one hand, while still hooking it on under the cloak that was over where Valia went. Meanwhile, the onlooking Cheetah Kin that were eying Kiana decided that it was time to down their drinks and call it a day.
-
The surprise was evident on the guy's face as he looked at Kiana but he had had a little warning that something was going to happen by the look on Kiana's face, though he had had no clue what that something would be. The guy took it all in stride though, even with Kiana throwing an unpleasant look at Korius. "Too bad you have to leave tomorrow. You'd be interesting to have around here." He said nonchalantly with a wink as he stood up right when the sword was taken away and she gave him a half-hearted smile. After turning around, he gave Korius a casual nod before moving around him and leaving the inn. Once he was out the door, Kiana's gaze moved to Korius and she stood up abruptly. She didn't need to pay for the drinks because the guy had managed to slip money onto the table while she was distracted. Moving swiftly, she made sure she shoved her shoulder into Korius as she moved by him and continued to the stairs. "I'm allowed to talk to other people, you know. It's nice to have a regular conversation once in a while." She snapped at him as set foot on the first stair and started up them. She hadn't thought to grab a key from him but she didn't really cared about that at the moment as she stormed up the stairs, somehow managing to control her irritation and not stomp her foot down on every step like she wanted to.
-
*White watched Korius come up behind the guy sitting at the table with Kiana from the counter at the bar, laying an eye to the side the wolf noticed the barkeep shuffle away behind him rather quickly and muttered under his breath* "Hey where you goin? This is the best part." *The wolf grinned and sipped at his water to see the sword fly through the stool and yet it still stood, though shorter than it originally did with a new found metal companion under the rump of the man* "Sucks to be him right now, nobody messes with the girl that Korius continues to avoid breaking the ice with." *He watched the man slip away rather quietly* "Well I best be going off to my room." *He jumped off his stool realizing he was rather bloated now* "Ah crap, I guess I'll be taking it slow." *He waved a hand to the hiding barkeep in a term of thanks for the food and made his way over to the now alone Korius as Kiana quickly distanced herself from her current opposing magnet* "I know this isn't the best of times, but can I have two of those keys to the 3rd floor? I'll give one of them to Kiana so you avoid some trouble." *The wolf thought to himself while saying that aloud* "Usually I am not this blunt, but I mean it's so obvious about the sputtering compassion, I can't avoid trying to help him out here. I mean it would be difficult for me to propose the idea of love."
-
By the time Talin had realized what he was doing, he was on some unknown roof, putting on his lower half of clothing and almost breaking his ankle with the amount of force he pushed his foot with. He calmed himself down, and was able to get the rest of his clothes on and take his volge back up. I managed to get to a roof without any injuries, I probably outran them all. Then again, my luck hasn't been going well since that fight with the ranger. Eh, I'll just find the inn and hopefully find Korius getting a little tipsy. Talin waited until everyone was out of sight before dropping into an alley and casually making his way through town, only stopping for directions one time...
-
Drevo rested in his bed at the clinic, being bored for the most part. He couldn't get back to sleep. "Heeey, anyone? Where're my clothes? I wanna leave now." Instantly the nurses from before reentered and surrounded him. "Oh God..." Drevo muttered under his breath. "You need clothes?" "What do you wear~?" "We can help you pick something out!" "I uh-" "Ladies! What did I tell you about bugging Drevo?!" snapped Alexis from the door. "Thank heavens you're here..." Drevo said relieved to see her. "We're sorry miss Alexis!" said the nurses in unison before taking off. As they left Alexis came forward, Drevo's clothes draped over her arm. "My clothes, you found them." "Your old clothes were riddled with cuts, not to mention far too drenched in blood to clean. I had these made at the tailor. How someone could have worn those is beyond me. You must fight hard to get them like that..." "You could say that...I seem to be the injury prone one of the group. If it weren't for White I'd have died many times over. But I can't complain too much...Most of the times it's my fault anyway...I can't help but to protect everyone else. Which ends up bad most of the time..." "Nothing wrong with protecting those you care about." said Alexis folding the robes and setting them on the table next to him. "Thanks for the clothes. I appreciate it." "It's not problem at all, you and your friends are heroes to us all, it's the least we could do." Drevo ran his paw over his head, that's when a sudden realization came to him. His hat was gone. "My hat! Where'd it go?" "You mean this one?" asked Alexis, pulling out Drevo's hat seemingly from nowhere. "Y-Yes, that one. Can I have it?" Alexis placed it on her head snuggly, donning a teasing grin. "Nah, I think I'll keep it a little while longer." she said in a playful tone. She knew Drevo couldn't move. "Ugh..." "I'll give it back before you leave, I promise. She said, beginning to leave. "You get some rest now." After she left Drevo facepawed. "Women..."
-
Kitt took the proffered key from Korius, watching as he strode towards Kiana and a male cheater-kin "Go to my room, stay in my room... I got it..." With that he scampered away up the stairs, glad to finally have been put down, and not willing to wait around with an angry Korius on the loose.
The door to the suite opened with a click of the lock. Kitt opened the door into the room, mouth slightly ajar. Taking a hesitant step in, he glanced around, taking in the large king-size bed, velvet drapes and thick shag-pile rug. He closed the door behind him and dropped his bow and bag on the floor. The rug was thick and soft, Kitt wiggled his toes and grinned "Now this is luxury..." And with that he flung himself onto the bed...
-
Korius returned Kiana's little glare and walked off towards the barkeep, ordering an assortment of food for the rooms he got for the party. He then tossed the remainder of his money onto the table to pay for the food and went to the bar to grab a drink. On the way, he tossed the two keys over to White, not really in the mood to talk. The bartender immediately had a feeling on what he wanted and placed a mug with Whiskey in it. Korius was about to protest when the bartender stopped him, "It's fine, sir. I know the feeling. You've saved our asses more than anyone else will ever give you credit for. It's the least I can do for you. Any drinks you want, it's on the house."
-
*The wolf caught the keys in one hand and snuck away, hoping not to talk to Korius any further than he already did he replied...* "Thanks." *...as he climbed the stairs and met Kiana on the way up* "Hey there! I got you a key for the third floor." *He tossed her a key and walked up the stairs rather quickly* "I don't want to get in her way right now and besides, Korius already did a number on her in a way." *He sped through the hallway and up another flight of stairs and unlocked the door leading up to the 3rd floor* "Haha I escaped once again!"
-
Talin walked into the inn, making sure his hood was up as he lazily walked to the bar, conviently a stool away from Korius. "May I have the strongest drink this place has to offer? I need to forget a few things..." Talin kept his hands under the table and the hood over his snout as he waited for the drink, making sure to have his hand on the side of the mug that was facing himself when it was made.
-
Rolling onto his back, Kitt stared up at the white-washed ceiling. He sighed and reached into the doeskin bag, pulling out his Rangers Handbook.
It was a good read he considered, reading with his back against the wall and propped up against the soft pillow. It wasnt just a handbook on weaponry, tactics and fighting, there was a lot on the history of the clans. His history...
He stuck out his tongue slightly in concentration, reading a particularly strangely worded paragraph. Vladimir had taught him to read. Unfortunately learning to read had come after learning to shoot a bow. He turned the page and glanced up at the door, wondering when that food Korius had talked about would arrive...
-
Korius had already downed quite a bit of whiskey by the time the food was done. The barkeep quickly left his station to help out. Korius looked at the man suspiciously, "What's your banner, you old codger? You seem awfully helpful today." The barkeep chuckled and opened the collar of his tunic, revealing a scar which looked ordinary until one took a close look at it, oath of a Knight of Gaia Captain. "From one former Knight to another. I know the pains of leadership, and I have now seen you go down that road twice."
-
Kiana caught the key White tossed to her without even looking and didn't say a word to him. Lucky for her, it didn't seem like he wanted to chat anyway since he practically ran up the stairs afterward. She had no interest in being anywhere near anyone else, so when she got to the third floor, she found the one empty room left and unlocked the door. Indeed she had managed not to stomp on every stair on the way up but after she entered the room, her restraint ended and she slammed the door shut, the sound ringing out through the whole inn. It was a wonder that the door didn't break. If she wasn't so attached to her staff and worried about it being damaged, she probably would have thrown it across the room. Instead, she made her way to the bed, leaning her staff against the wall beside it then sitting down on the end of the bed. She then crossed her arms and stared at the floor.
-
*The wolf rather quickly before celebrating further unlocked his room and shut the door behind himself* "Alright, home free. No chance of getting in the way of Kiana or Korius." *He looked up to check out the details of his room* "Wow this is a special floor indeed, a full size bed all for myself..." *He walked over and poked at the mattress* "So soft, ohhh this is gonna be a good night's sleep, all the trouble we go through on these adventures is totally worth it when we get this kind of service." *He fell into the bed and let his arms hang off the other side while going through his scroll for another suitable book to read* "More spells, more chance we get to live long enough to stay somewhere like this again." *He flipped through the pages and started reading*
-
After Talin had his drink, it was obvious he had no or little experience in being drunk as he fell off the stool, slowly got up, and tried repeatedly to climb the first step. After the sixth stumble, he managed to get his foot on the step, and repeated it for the rest of them until he realized he doesn't have a room. He was about to go back down to buy a room or ask if Korius already had the rooms set up, but neither happened as he fell down the stairs and passing out the moment he hit the first step again. Normally I would laugh, but this is just too idiotic to not take seriously. He could easily hear Chronin's voice in his mind, but he couldn't reply to it before he went to sleep.
-
Korius and the barkeep brought the food up to his room, and set half of it down. The barkeep took the other half next door to Kitt, "I know about the kid, don't worry. I'll give him his food." Korius nodded as he began poking at his food, "Just make sure he knows that I'll be making sure he doesn't leave his room. If he dares to sneak out, I will not be so lenient on him." The barkeep smiled as he left the room, "I'll keep an eye on the kid. After all, I am one of your predecessors, and once a part of the Uke Clan. Voronese Rangers are the most similar to the Szarda Clan anyways."
-
After a few minutes of sitting on the end of the bed, Kiana got up and started pacing back and forth by it. Her mind's eye was filled with red from anger. It was kind of stupid that she was angry at Korius but she didn't like being controlled in any way so him stopping her conversation did irritate her. Since she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing, she tripped over her own feet and landed on the floor on her hands & knees with a loud thud. She sighed and got up on her knees, brushing herself off, then sat Indian-style on the floor and stared out ahead of her.
-
*Rather quickly nodding off soon after going through a few chapters, the wolf dropped his book off the other side of the bed down onto the wooden floor and his arms fell limply down not too far from the old read, White fell asleep and dreamed of crawling* "Alright if I just keep crawling across this grass I'll find the prize at the end of this maze... wait aggghhh the ground is falling on me!" *He awoke rather quickly as he smacked into the floor off the end of the bed having fallen off from moving in his sleep* "Ah crap not again, I hate doing that." *He picked up his book and climbed back into the bed rather irritably* "Maybe this bed is too comfortable.. can't believe I'm saying that."
-
Kitt glanced up from his ranger's handbook, ear flicking towards a loud thump from one of the other rooms. He raised an eyebrow curiously but couldn't guess which room it had come from, or who was even that room, and so he simple turned back to reading through the history of clan Esha. The clan of his mother fascinated him just the same as the history for clan Szarda, if not more so...
At the noise of the door handle turning, Kitt's ear flicked up again as he reached for the sword that would normally have been at his side, but now rested beside the door frame. He stopped, hand clenching on the bedspread. That had been stupid, they where safe enough here, he was getting as jumpy as White around a full course meal. He sighed and made to place a bookmark where he had gotten to in the handbook, as the barkeep walked in with a tray of food.
-
"Your leader's taking a rest after he eats, so I volunteered to take your meal to you." The barkeep noticed the handbook next to Kitt as he put the food down on the nightstand. "Doing some catch-up? From the looks of it, you recently went through the Ritual, too. A bit young for that, aren't you?" When Kitt gave a weird look at him, he chuckled, "Despite how old I look, I know quite a few things about Rangers and fighting." The barkeep walked over to the door and pulled Kitt's short sword from its sheath, examining it, "Ah, the pride of the Szarda Clan, their sword craftsmanship. It really brings back memories from my days after I left the Esha Clan all those years ago."
-
*The wolf tossed and turned and then finally gave up on reading his book further and stopped halfway* "Okay time for a break, I'm gonna go see if Korius has cooled down on the first floor, maybe even get a drink of water from that barkeep. Getting a bit dry and it has been way too quiet in here, I need some interaction." *White opened the door and walked down the hallway, tip-toed down the stairs and peered around the corner to see if there was anything interesting in the lobby*
-
Kitt looked from the sword to the barkeep and spluttered incomprehensibly "You-" He started again, this time a curious glint in his eye "You where part of clan Esha?"
Still watching the barkeeper cautiously, Kitt crossed his arms defensively and clutched one hand to his chest where the sun and moon where burned into his skin "I was fine and old enough to undergo the ritual. The side-effects turned out to be a small price to pay I think..." He paused and uncrossed his arms slightly "Not like I had much of a choice... But still..."
-
At the mention of the clan, the barkeep lifted up the chain necklace he was wearing, and revealed the Esha Clan insignia at the end of it. He put it back in his shirt and also pulled his shirt open at the collar like before and revealed the scar that was on his shoulder, "This is another brand that is just as prestige. It looks like a normal battle scar, but there's a secret about it that not many know, especially in this time. Yes, it's a real scar, but put your face against it, and you'd be able to see the oath of the Knights of Gaia, particularly the Captain. Regular Knights merely wear the insignia on their armor, but only the Captain ever receives this mark. I'm pretty sure you never noticed on Korius, but his is right on his face. That scar on his left eye is his mark."
-
Kiana finally let out a groan of frustration, impatience, and restlessness. Pushing herself up off the floor, she walked over to the window near her. When she got to it, she opened it up and looked down at the alley below. She narrowed her eyes then walked over to the bad and grabbed her staff before walking back to the window. Carefully, she climbed down to the alley from the third floor and landed softly on the cobblestone. Pulling her hood up, she walked down the alley. When she rounded the corner, she almost ran into somebody who was leaning against the front wall of the inn right next to the corner. Looking up to see who she had almost run into, she saw that it was the guy she had been talking to before. "Well, hey there, little earth-cat. Did you sneak out just to see me?" He said, one of those smirks on his face. "Don't call me that. I didn't even know you were here." She responded. "And I didn't sneak out." The guy leaned around her to look down the alley and shook his head as he straightened back up. "I see you coming from an alley and an open third-floor window in said alley. I'd say you're lying." He said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not lying. It's just more interesting to climb down a wall than walk down some stairs." She said and received an unconvinced look in response. "They're not going to notice I'm gone and even if they do, they won't care." The guy shrugged. "So what's your name anyway?" He asked her curiously. She pondered whether she should answer him or not, but decided there was no harm in it. "Kiana. You?" She looked up at him. "Kiana...hmm...that's a good name. I'm still going to call you little earth-cat though." He said and she rolled her eyes & waited to hear his names. "Name's Adam. So what were you planning on doing after your escape?" He smirked. "I told you I wasn't--ugh, nevermind. I don't know, probably just walk around." She said, looking away from Adam and down the street. "Well, come on, I'll keep you company." Adam said, still smirking. Kiana was going to protest but didn't see much of a point in it so she just nodded and they started to walk along the street together. Adam pointed stuff out sometimes but generally they both stayed quiet as they walked.
-
*The wolf snuck out into the dark after finding little of anything of interest around* "Well probably gonna go for another night study, that would be fun. Just like that time I was working on that invisibility trick that didn't really work out and Drevo saw me, which sucked. However there's another chance now with Korius, Kiana, and Kitt busy. Drevo should stay away and just do some ninja stuff or something... okay time to find a better hiding spot." *White walked along outside and creeped around like he was up to no good, searching for his secret place*
-
Kitt raised an eyebrow curiously "So you where part of clan Esha... And a Gaia Knight Captain?" He smirked and shifted over until he was sat at the edge of the bed.
"You have lived the life of two men, if not more, it would seem. But... ah, I was wondering if..." Kitt clenched and unclenched his fists around the folds of the bedspread, and by now he was sitting on the very edge of the bed, leaning forward as if in anticipation "Well, I've only ever met one person from clan Esha before, and she wasn't much help." He sighed and glanced up at the barkeep with a faint air of desperate hope "I was wondering if you might have known someone by the name of Katarina Esha? We- I am trying to find her."
-
The barkeep frowned at the sound of the name and sighed as he sheathed the sword, "So you ARE her son. I saw it in your eyes, but I thought it was just the darkness of night playing tricks on me. You better stay seated, son." The barkeep pulled up one of the elegant chairs that was placed next to the vanity mirror, and sat down on it. "I never thought I'd live to see this day, but here I am. I raised your mother in the clan, and trained her very well. But when the Betrayal happened, I heard she was one of the many hunted down and captured. However, I have no idea if those rumors were true or not, but I am too old to go out to look for her. Having as marvelous of a past as I do, I haven't held a sword since before the Betrayal. If you wish to find her, don't give up, and search anywhere and everywhere you can, something I cannot do." He patted the child on the head and was about to leave when he noticed the bulky, crossbow-shaped bulge in Kitt's bag. "So you've chosen to be Gloria's new owner, huh? She's a fine crossbow, created by and named after the founder of the Esha Clan. It was made especially for Von Dikenschtein when he volunteered to join up with the other Guardians to destroy the Dark One all those millennium ago. And here's my parting gift for you." The barkeep turned back around to Kitt and took off his chain necklace, hanging it around Kitt's neck. He then turned around and left out the door. Before closing the door, he spoke without turning around, "My name's Varmous. It warms this old man's heart to see his own grandson. Do me proud, boy. Find my little girl and tell her that I love her, and that I'm proud of her." With that, he shut the door and headed downstairs. Varmous threw some money onto the reception desk and talked with the manager of the Inn. Afterward, he walked out and disappeared.
-
Kiana continued to walk around the town with Adam. Their conversation stayed casual. That is, until Adam decided to bring up a subject she didn't want to discuss. "So...your leader seems to be pretty protective of you." Adam said while casually looking up at the sky. "More like controlling." Kiana scoffed. "You know what I think?" "I doubt anyone knows what you think." "I think," He continued. "That he really cares about you." Adam looked over at her as they walked and she looked over at him. She didn't say anything in response to him though. "Do you care about him?" He asked her as they stopped at the end of an alley. "I don't know." She said with a shrug. "I'm not used to those kind of emotions. I mean, I care whether he lives or dies, but other than that...I don't know." After finishing speaking, she looked down and lightly kicked a pebble, listening to it as it bounced and rolled along the cobblestones. She leaned back against the wall on one side of the alley with him standing about a foot in front of her. "You can't go your whole life without caring about somebody." Adam said, looking at her with what seemed like the most serious expression she had ever seen on his face. "I can sure as hell try. Caring only opens you up to being hurt." She responded, looking him in the eye. "With what you are doing, you're risking getting hurt or killed every day. Why wouldn't you open up to emotional risk?" "It's different." She answered quickly. "No, it's not." Adam said, stepping closer to her so they were pretty much toe-to-toe. "You're just making up excuses to block yourself." She looked up at him, noticing how much the gap had closed between them but saying nothing about that or what he said. "You won't be able to hold back forever." He leaned in even closer to her. She gulped and tightened her grip on her staff as she looked at him, wondering what he was going to do but already having a pretty good idea of what it was.
-
*The wolf jumped into a box nearby an alley where he overheard some noises, one of which reminded him of Kiana, but decided against finding out the source* "Meh probably some kids messing around. It couldn't be her anyways, she's still in her room and I won't be running into her out here." *He grinned then used some aura and made himself a light as he flipped through his book inside the box, giving it outside a luminescent kind of faint glow through the cracks of the wood* "Ohh this is cool, apparently drawing these strange symbols with certain materials magnifies majicka for certain types, some of which I've never even heard of, probably long since extinct as these books are older than me a few fold over." *He flipped through some more pages*
-
Kitt sat in a dumbfounded silence as the barkeep hung the Esha clan chain around his neck. He remained just as silent as Varmous closed the door, finally getting his voice back as he leaped off the bed "No... Wait!" He opened the door into an empty hallway. With a mad determination Kitt ran back into his room, leaping over the bed in a single hurdling jump and reaching the open window just in time to see a lone figure disappear into the night mist.
He sighed and leaned against the window frame, one hand clutching the chain necklace to his chest, the Esha clan insignia at the end twinkled in the moonlight "I'l find you Mother. Even if all of Gaia stands before me... I will find you..." And with that he turned back into the room, a fiery determination burning in his chest like it had never burned before.
-
Korius finished off his food and his whiskey and slowly drifted off to sleep. Despite how luxurious the room and the bed were, he ended up finding himself falling asleep sitting up against the back platform of the bed and holding the katana against his shoulder. For the first time in a long time, he dreamed about nothing, but had a restful sleep. Before sunup, he woke up full rested and energized, smiling for the first time in a very long time. Something was different about today, but he just didn't know what.
-
Kiana was dumbfounded and that was all Adam needed. He completely closed the gap and kissed her. That was what she had expected him to do but she had hoped that she was wrong. For only the second time in her life, she didn't know how to react to what was happening and after what seemed like an eternity, she finally relaxed and started to reach her free hand up to his neck. It was at this point that he pulled away with another one of his smirks on his face. "Told you." He said as he looked down at her. She felt her face heat up under her fur and she directed her eyes away from him. "And I'm not even the one you want, so that's saying something. Even though I wish you would want me." She finally looked back up at him after a moment. "You're crazy." She said softly. "Is your leader crazy?" He questioned. "Sometimes I wonder..." "No, he's not. And I'm not either. You just need to let your guard down for longer than a moment and accept all the feelings your hiding in there." Adam said, lightly touching her head and then her chest but not going anywhere near the promiscuous area of her chest. Kiana sighed as a response and he pulled his hand away, snapping his fingers as he produced flames above them. The fact that he was a mage surprised her and she stared at the flame. "This flame is like your feelings. It burns intensely and if you let it run its course it will grow and grow." He looked directly in her eyes as she looked back up at him. "That fire is one that you don't want to extinguish." Kiana nodded slightly then yawned. "Alright, time for you to go back to the inn and get some rest." "Alright." She responded and they walked down the alley. "Don't stay up too late, White." She said as they passed by a box down at the other end of the alley without looking at it. After they rounded the corner, Adam guessed that it was one of the people who was part of the group and she confirmed that he was correct. The rest of their walk to the inn was in silence and Adam followed her down the alley beside the inn. "Remember what I said, okay?" He said as he looked down at her with a serious expression. "Okay." She said. "So I guess this is goodbye, since I probably won't see you tomorrow." "Yeah, I guess so." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Kiana could tell that he didn't want to actually say the word 'goodbye' so she didn't make him. Turning away from him, she slowly climbed up the wall to her open window. Once she was back inside, she poked her head out of the window and looked back down at him for a moment through the darkness. "Thanks." She whispered to him and saw him nod. She pulled herself back inside and closed the window. Adam stared up at her, knowing that it would be the last time he saw her. He finally tore his eyes away and walked off down the alley, disappearing around the corner as Kiana watched. After he was gone, she went to the bed and crawled under the covers after taking off her cloak and leaning her staff against the wall. She slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, she woke up around sunrise. She laid there staring at the ceiling for a bit until finally sitting up. Moving to the edge of the bed, she sat there and looked toward the window that had been her escape last night. She got up and moved over to the window, looking out the glass down at the alley below. After a minute, she let out a sigh then grabbed her staff and sat on the end of bed, facing the door and staring at the crack underneath it.
-
*He looked up from his book to hear a quick word of advice* "Oh thanks Kiana, now back to page............. WHAT?! AGGGGHHH DAMMIT!" *He pouted for a couple minutes realizing he had been caught again, the box shaking as a quick result* "Is there any place I can hide?" *He lost interest in his book quickly being dissatisfied, climbed out of his ex-hiding place like a bad relationship and returned to the inn falling asleep rather quickly with a few last minute thoughts* "Not only had I been caught, what was she doing out of her room? There's no way she could have slipped by me..."
*He drifted off shortly and in what seemed like an instant the morning dawn had interrupted his slumber a few hours later* "Ugh... sunlight." *He tried to hide under his covers for a few more inevitable minutes*
-
Kitt woke with a grumbling moan and rolled over. A sharp -plink- came from the window and his ear twitched, glancing up at the sudden sound. Stumbling out of bed, Kitt opened the window just in time for another pebble to hit him squarely on the forehead "What the?-" He looked down into the alley below and saw Evelyn standing with a look of surprised apology across her feline face "Oh! I'm sorry, I didnt think you would open the window so quick." Kitt sighed and went to close the window "I'l meet you outside. Just let me get dressed first..."
-----
The Inn was silent, save the few muffled sounds of its residents waking up. Kitt crept through the bar and unlatched the front door, sliding out into the morning air. Walking around the side of the Inn he reached the alley below his window and stopped, Evelyn was there, but she wasn't alone. Beside her, sitting on one of the cider crates, was a dark-feathered bird of prey. "I heard you guys might be leaving today..." Kitt nodded, looking from her to the bird "Yeah... We are. Whats with the bird?"
Evelyn glanced over at the bird, and wrung her hands worriedly "Mr Ferdinand breeds falcons, for the huntsmen. And, well... I wanted to give you something to remember me by." Kitt shook his head, even as she pressed a leather glove and tether into his protesting hands "Mr Ferdinand will notice the bird is gone, but I dont care... She's called Evelyn, like me... And this way at least one of us can go travel with you. Let her see the world, please..."
Kitt sighed and nodded, flinching as the falcon flapped twice and landed neatly on his forearm, strong claws digging in "I'l come see you again Evelyn, when this is all over I'l come find you..." She smirked and shook her head, kissing him on the cheek "No you wont..." And with that she walked away down the alley, leaving Kitt to look down in dismay at the falcon. The bird merely looked back at him with a bright amber eye and clicked its sharp beak twice...
-------
Kitt slid back in through the front door and pulled the latch down again. He sat down at the nearest table, glad to finally get the bird off his arm. The falcon hopped onto the wood and looked him up and down with its beady eye. Kitt sighed, slumping his head on the table "I sure hope theres a section in the Ranger's handbook on falconry... Or neither of us is going to last a day..."
-
Korius wiped the smile off his face and left his room, rounding up the others from theirs. When he saw White still passed out on his bed, his face turned disgruntled, and decided to play a joke on him, "Wake the hell up, White! There's a fire consuming the Inn!" When Korius found Kitt downstairs, he noticed the falcon right off the bat and walked up to it, stroking the falcon's wing, "Reminds me of the real Valia. She always had a thing about training these things. They like raw meat as feed."
-
When Kiana heard Korius at the door, she slowly got up off of the bed. She grabbed her cloak and threw it on then, with staff in hand, she headed to the door and went out. After leaving the room, she headed downstairs as slowly as she could, dreading having to follow the advice that Adam had given her the night before. There was no way she was going to push it though, of course. She was just going to ease into things. Plus, she didn't want to shove Korius into an area that he was just as uncomfortable with. She smiled a little at the surprise kiss with Korius in the clinic but removed that smile before anyone else could see it as she entered the lobby/bar after getting to the bottom of the stairs. She sat down in a random seat, not really paying attention to whether anyone else was around or not, and stared at the texture of the wooden table, tracing it with a finger.
-
*The wolf jumped out of the covers instantly after hearing Korius come in the hallway and hearing his door open and close with words of warning* "What?! I have to go now! Why did I not hear any alarms, agghhh!" *He stretched and adjusted his robe with great haste, quickly going out the door and making his way downstairs to the lobby* "Oh look there's Kiana..." memories from last night hit him again* "....Ugh. Wait a minute why is she just sitting there, this whole place is coming down, she could die!" *He rushed further in and then stopped his behavior almost immediately realizing he had been tricked upon seeing an unchanged lobby* "Korius!" *He shook his fist in the air*
-
Talin slowly got off the floor, only mildly aware of his surroundings as his hangover muffled all sounds and smells. Right now, I wouldn't mind dying, but I guess my luck is working against me in that wish. He continued to struggle for each step until he reached a table, where he willingly flopped himself onto it and let out a pained groan. "Cow leg, I require roasted cow leg!!" he yelled while grabbing his head in pain.
-
Drevo awoke silently from his hospital bed and quietly slid out of it. He then crept over to the door, strangely enough the lynxes were passed out against the wall outside it. Shrugging it off he went back for his clothes to get dressed. He did it quickly and quietly as to not wake up the nurses. Once done he crept out of the room and passed them. Finally he made it out of the hospital, he decided to wander to the nearest inn. He figured that's where everyone would be. As Drevo walked, however, he noticed he was being followed. He turned to see Alexis wearing his hat still. "Morning, Drevo." she said casually as she strolled up next to him. "Oh...Morning." "You don't sound too thrilled." "It's not that...Anyone could have been following me." "You don't need to worry here." Drevo turned an continued towards the inn with her. When they walked inside sure enough there was Korius and Kitt. He just stood off to the side, looking at the falcon, not really expecting a new addition to the team.
-
Kitt looked up at Korius "Raw meat? At least one of us knows something about birds then..."
He glanced back down to the falcon and held out a hand to stroke it. The bird clicked her beak, but then bowed her head and allowed Kitt to stroke the dark plumage.
With one hand stroking the bird, Kitt pulled his Ranger's handbook out from its bag with the other. Still stroking the bird carefully with two fingers Kitt placed the book on the table and started to try and find a section on falconry. For once it seemed his mind wasn't set on breakfast.
-
Korius looked at the bird with sorrowful eyes, as his memories of the past haunted him again, "Yea. Valia taught me about these birds. She was our newest recruit into the Knights back in the day, not too long before I resigned my post to be Lady Koara's personal guard. In fact, when she and Valius were still courting, I saw that damned bird every single night and day, as it passed letters to and from the two. Originally, I wouldn't allow such a thing to happen, but I made an exception, since Valius was still a close friend. Having been my mentor before I surpassed him, I couldn't help but have an attachment to him, you know? Valia was also a master craftsman. She created this buster-class sword with her own two hands for Valius. However, the night she finished it was the night of the Betrayal. Because she and the rest of the Knights risked their lives for him to live, he became the bearer before it was named, so he dedicated it to her. It's sad, to be honest... Valia was pregnant at the time..."
-
Kiana listened to Korius speak as she stared at the table and traced the texture of the wood. As the story went on, she felt it get harder and harder for her to think she could actually do what she and Adam had talked about the night before. It was no wonder that Valius loved to drink all the time. She figured she would too if she had been in his shoes (and been a guy) and lost the love of her life along with their unborn child. At least she could hope that they may be together right at this very moment on the other side. After a moment, she sighed. "I can't do this..." She muttered to herself but it was in a volume that would have been possible for others to hear. A frown of concentration but also sadness was on her face. Sadness for Valius in life, for his death, and for the fact that she wanted to try what Adam talked about but it seemed to be getting harder every second to actually do so. The concentration was just her thinking about things in general. About the story, about watching Valius die and demolishing the castle as a memorial to him, about how things could be if she tried (both positive and negative outcomes). She hated being afraid. She felt stupid for it but she just couldn't help it. Defending herself in a battle from physical harm was one thing, letting her walls down to open herself up to possible emotional harm was another. If anyone looked at her at this moment, she would have looked the most confused, unsure, and vulnerable she had ever been up to this point in the journey.
-
*Yawning for a moment after quickly forgetting about Korius, White just looked around looking for something to do mostly* "What are we supposed to be doing, why was I in such a hurry to get down here while I could have been sleeping... hm?" *He looked towards Kiana who was looking pretty distant over at her bench in expression* "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be awoken to talk to her, besides there's nothing I can do to get her to talk to Korius at this point. It's going to be a long struggle for her to just SHOW strong emotions." *The wolf shrugged and walked into the bar hoping to find food again and looking for anybody familiar*
-
When Korius said his story the mention of Valius made him crouch down. The thought of how he couldn't protect him raced through his mind. Alexis who was still standing next to him put his hat on his head and leaned on his head. She was merely trying to be cute and cheer him up, since she saw Drevo moping. It didn't help, but it didn't really make it worse. The only reason he was allowing it was cause she looked so much like Alexia back home. Which kind of gave him a soft spot, so he humored her.
-
Kitt listened to Korius' reminiscence, one hand flicking through the Ranger's Handbook, the other stroking Evelyn across the head. Almost at the same time as Korius finished, Kitt found a section of the book for Falconry under general hunting and trapping.
He looked up, and was about to comment on Korius' story when his ear flicked back to Kiana. He frowned slightly, and then turned back to Korius "Many people where lost in the betrayal, my mother amongst them." Still frowning Kitt glanced over at Kiana before looking back down to the book, no longer stroking Evelyn. The falcon gave a disgruntled click of her beak, prompting Kitt to stroke her absent-mindedly again "I guess we just have to embrace the life we have, here and now. Pass down the story of those who died, so that they are never truly lost..." He ended up half-mumbling towards the end, and finally turned his attention back to his book...
-
Korius closed the kid's book and pushed it to him, "No time for the moment. We have to leave." He then turned and was about to speak when he noticed Kiana's disarray. Korius walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You okay? I know it's taxing, but it's destiny that we see this through. You may not enjoy the idea of providence, but it's for the sake of all of Gaia that we see this mission through."
-
Kiana was surprised by Korius' show of concern but she didn't show it as she casually looked over at the hand on her shoulder. "I'm..." She started then looked up at his face before quickly looking back down. "I'm fine." "Liar." "I have no issue seeing this mission through. No issue with that at all." It seemed like there was a little bit of emphasis on the word 'that' to show that something else was bother but she didn't continue on about it. She got up from her seat, letting his hand slide off her shoulder. "Let's just go." She said, stepping around him and starting to move toward the door.
-
*The wolf eyed Korius with a look of doom shortly after leaving the empty bar* "You... And what happened to that barkeep. Now I'll never get my food." *He bit his lip and then looked at Kiana* "WHEN is he going to just say he loves her, it's not that hard." *He sighed pretending not to have watched* "She hasn't talked to me in a long time about things, I wonder if I should ask her how she's doing later." *He took out his butterfly knife and proceeded to flip it in motions to pass the time*
-
Talin got off the table and stumbled towards the exit of the inn. I'll have to remember this when I feel like drinking again, this must not happen again until that wife of mine is within arms reach... he vowed to himself as he walked out into the street, and wait for something or someone to indicate where everyone is. Even from a distance he acted drunk, not even capable of standing upright without tilting to the right or left.
-
"Taxing...Mission...I can't believe I was dragged into this. Again I almost died. Maybe the next time I will. Ugh...How many does that make? Three? Four? I'm losing count...Still we have a long way to go...Gotta remember why I'M doing this...To kill Elistro...Then I'm done. I don't care...If anything I'd be a rest on White's magic use...Maybe I should have learned magic...That seems like it'd be easier to protect people with. Just shoot up some big ol' barriers to protect everyone. Like White does. He seems more able to protect anyone compared to me...Am I jealous of him? No...Maybe envious...Ugh..."
-
Kitt slid the book back into his bag, somewhat peeved at not getting a chance to read it. He sighed and stood up and, biting his lip, looked down at the falcon "Well, I suppose I'm gonna have to carry you... But once we get outside your putting those wings to good use." The bird simply clicked her beak and hopped onto his proffered arm, claws digging in to the leather hunting glove. Kitt slung his crossbow over one shoulder and made to turn to the door, stopped, and then walked over to White instead...
"Hey, White... I uh... Wanted to tell you something, about the barkeeper who was here yesterday." Kitt bit his lip hard, glancing over his shoulder at the rest of the group. "Should I tell them? They'd want to know that he was my mother's father... And why do I feel most comfortable telling White?" He sighed and flicked his growing fringe out of his eyes "That man is my grandfather..." And with that he turned away, quickly sliding past Kiana and out of the Inn door...
-
Korius backed a little at Kiana's little show of attitude, "Very. Come." he said, pointing at the others. When the others were all out, Korius led them further northwest. It wasn't long until the castle and the city under it disappeared from sight. A cold breeze was blowing, making their cloaks flutter lightly in the wind. The falcon flew overhead only for a few meters before receding back towards Kitt, but when the kid wouldn't give her an arm after a couple attempts, she flew ahead and landed on Valia's handle, standing rather awkwardly on it since it was angled. As they travelled along, the sun just refused to come out from behind the clouds despite how thin and sparse the layer is. This is very troubling, indeed. I know we killed all of the personal guards this time, but we're still neither being hunted, watched or anything. Something wrong is really going on. They've always killed off ANYONE who've even spoke ill of the Guardians, let alone killing them off.
In the darkness of a dark meeting room, Kyzen emerged from within the shadows and appeared as a dark figure in front of the lone candle. "Thank you for joining in on such short notice. The plan is succeeding as planned. As to their word, the others have refrained from sending out parties and bounties for Korius and his little band of freedom fighters. Gight has graciously lifted the bounties throughout his province. Bounties in his jurisdiction tend to get out of control. Anyways, once the final head has been cut, the moon shall give our plan complete fruition." The other two then seemed to disappear into the darkness, and Kyzen disappeared last when he snuffed the flame out.
-
Kiana moved outside after Kitt moved past her and stood there until the rest of them came out. When they started to walk, she spotted Talin. She walked over to him and turned him in the direction that everyone else was going. "I hope you learned something from your night...now come on." She said then continued to walk with the group. As they walked along with the breeze blowing, she irritatedly tugged the hood of her cloak up every time it was blown back. She tried to ignore the fact that the sun just didn't want to come out. If she paid attention, she would feel like it was an omen to what she was supposed to do.
-
"Crap... why did Kitt tell me that. First Lo and now him, why me. I don't need more stress, I already have to worry about my shields failing to hold up everytime we go into battle..." *He just stood there for a few seconds still thinking about the terrible truth he thinks about every time he looks at Kitt* "Well at least he has no idea what I know, so that gives me an advantage. But why was his grandfather here?" *He thought about it for a long time* "Hmm.. odd place to stay, either it was dumb luck or this guy knew Kitt was coming." *He looked up noticing the group was leaving him in the dust* "HEY! Wait for me." *He ran to catch up and walked along following behind Korius*
-
When Kiana turned Talin around, he nodded as he followed behind her. "Just getting used to the idea of self-discipline, and its not all that its cracked up to be..." After they left the city and castle in the distance behind them, Talin's headache started going away even though he really couldn't get himself to be alert. "So, who are we going to behead next? A muscle-head guardian, a female guardian?"
-
Drevo left with the others, followed by Alexis. "Take care out there." she said as they neared the exit of town. "Yep." responded Drevo without turning around. He walked along in the silence, observing the falcon. He always enjoyed birds. When Talin had mentioned a female guardian Drevo blushed slightly and pulled his hat down to cover his face. The thought of a female guardian, surely he would die. "If there is a female...I hope she's last...Killing...Let alone hitting...A woman...I'd rather die. Let's just hope it won;t come to that."
-
Kitt walked silently, casting his eyes over the scenery before them as a faint smile caught at the edge of his mouth. He pulled down his hood and whistled. Up ahead the falcon turned her head slightly, before turning away again.
Kitt sighed and whistled again, this time holding out a gloved hand. The falcon clicked her beak and let out a shrill shriek, then she unfurled her wings and glided over to Kitt, swooping past the various members of the group as she went. The falcon fluttered to a stop and perched on Kitt's arm. He stroked her head absentmindedly as he walked and held the bird close to his chest.
-
Korius sighed at the thought of the next fight, "Our next target's another one of Iridian's proteges. Daxus Ferdinande. You know, after being around for as many years as you have lived, I would think you would at least know which guardians control which areas, and their names. Anyways, he's a man of very few words, but a very strong one. The only man in the world who can fight with 8 weapons at one time. In terms of physical strength, he is one of the strongest, despite his ranking among the Guardians. Like our previous fights, we can't half-ass this."
-
Kiana listened to what Chrono asked and, at the mention of the possibility of a female guardian, she seemed to get a little excited. That little bit of excitement was squashed as soon as she heard the name Korius said and knew it as a guy's name. "Didn't half-ass the last one and that didn't turn out so well for two of you." She muttered, not in an angry voice, just a reminder of information that was already known. "But at least Kitt and I can fight in the big battle with this one." She didn't know that for a fact but she sure as hell hoped that it was true. Sitting out of another battle would surely drive her crazy.
-
"I still remember how it ended too, my head agrees with me everytime I remember." *He softly touched the bruise on his forehead* "Dammit I must look so ugly now." *He parted his hair trying to cover it up and sighed looking away from the others, feeling that he probably made himself more noticeable than he was comfortable with* "It's not my fault that Korius smashed into my head after I HEALED his poison." *He cracked his knuckle and then hid it*
-
Talin kept himself from snorting loudy, but the attitude was still there. Making it sound like we actually coordinate our attacks, I can't be the only one that knows that our group has no qualms in tossing people around. He was finally aware that his hangover was completely gone, even though he was still very hungry. Man, why didn't I eat before getting drunk?!
-
"I didn't think we did all that bad...I cut his freakin' hand off! Or was it his thumb? Hrmm...Well...We have a falcon now. Maybe it can punch something!" Drevo mused in his head. The thought brought a smirk to his face. "Anyone think it's been too quiet? I mean...I think the last time we-...An attempt was made on our lives was when those women tried to kill me. What do you think, Korius?" "Maybe I'm crazy..."
-
Kitt glanced up when Kiana spoke, grinning "Yeah, I 'aint sitting out on another fight like that..." With a sudden flutter of feathers Evellyn leapt from Kitt's arm and flew upwards over the groups heads. Kitt flinched momentarily, before watching the falcon curiously.
As the bird reached her third spiral upwards she suddenly dropped, wings folded and rocketing towards the ground. The falcon disappeared from view in the long grass of the field to the left, followed a moment later by a shrill squeak. The falcon emerged a moment later, flapping hard to carry the body of a small vole in her talons. Kitt grinned as the falcon landed in a small tree further down the road and started to eat "Well... At least this is a pet that can feed itself, eh?"
-
Korius' ear twitched a bit as he heard Kiana while thinking about the situation, "Well, that will help quite a bit. A fight with Daxus is going to be exceptionally harder than our fight with Dikenschtein. Being one of Iridian's proteges, he's a whole new league compared to a weapons specialist. Even IF Dikenschtein is the founder of the Rangers... the power of a Weapon Master is far beyond what Dikenschtein had achieved." He then stared into the sky, his mind swimming in the thoughts of trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with them not being pursued. So much so, that he didn't even hear what Drevo said.
-
Kiana glanced at Drevo then at Korius when he spoke. She was partly surprised that Korius had even heard her speak since he seemed to not acknowledge her sometimes. Her mind turned back to Drevo's posed question. "It is quiet..." She said then paused for a moment to think. "I have a feeling that they have something big planned. Maybe..." She hesitated and looked about as if that would reassure her that it was okay to think of such a thing since the guardians were quite horrible people anyway. "Maybe they want these guardians to get killed..." After she finished speaking, she looked at the ground and kicked a small stone up the path they were walking on.
-
*The wolf whistled a tune and looked off to the side as the group walked just looking into the distance* "This whole slaying thing seems to be abnormally undisturbed, because after you just assassinate someone very powerful, it's almost expected to have someone to come after you later or at least attempted arrest, bounty hunters, assassins, the other powerful people involved directly. In fact I wouldn't doubt if somehow there's another trap waiting for us. Though I think we can handle just about anything as long as we don't get separated, that would be highly inconvenient for someone like myself... probably a quick death without someone to defend, since defending myself only goes for so long until the majicka runs out."
-
Talin continued to stay silent, trying to focus his hearing on the areas that his eyes could not see. He avoided reflecting on the lack of noise by constantly doing a pattern of listening left, right, then back and front. But, he could not maintain that for long, as the headache returned at twice the intensity. He staggered to the right, and held his head as his shoulder rammed into a pine tree. At first he was only focusing on the pain, then he had a momentary respite from it as he noticed the horns he had upon leaving the village now felt like nubs sticking out above his ears. "In your knowledge of the incantation, does it say anything about my horns being shoved back into my head?"
-
Kitt glanced over at Kiana, musing over her last words. Why would anyone want the guardians to be slain like this? Surely it was in their interest to keep the power they had built up?
He sighed and whistled as they passed underneath the small tree, greeted a moment later by Evellyn as she fluttered out of the branches and landed on his arm. The small vole she had caught earlier gone "Good meal?" The falcon simply looked up at him with bright amber eyes and clicked her beak. Kitt shrugged as they continued walking at the same trudging pace "Not much of a talker are you."
The falcon clicked her beak again, this time folding her wing over head. With a small grin Kitt pulled up his hood with the other hand "Easy for you, sleeping all the way while I carry you..."
-
Korius' thoughts were interrupted by Talin's little question, "Yes, and much more. When someone without enough power recites the incantation, they initially do become a dragon. However, the side-effects are most harsh. If you don't have enough power and magic to support the spell, all the portions of the dragon then recede into your body. When that happens, your body over exceeds its carrying capacity and explodes. That's why it's deadly. Becoming a full-fledged dragon or dragon-Kin inexorably increases your overall body size, and additional appendages and body parts like horns, scales, extra large tail, oil glands in your mouth. When you revert, it takes all that you gained and stores it in your body. Dragon bones and your original bones in the same body, more than enough to kill anyone. However, your transformation only gave you horns and a couple scales. They'll lay dormant in your body until they decompose in about 20 years or so. That's about the average shedding cycle for most dragons."
-
Kiana listened to Talin's question and Korius' response with little interest, although the word 'explode' got her attention for a second and her head raised for a moment. After that moment, her eyes moved back to the ground ahead of her. Every time she came upon the little pebble, she kicked it further ahead and it seemed to get bigger each time until it was about the size of a head. At that point, she picked it up and eyed it for a bit as she continued to walk then tossed it aside with one hand like it was nothing.
-
*White stopped thinking for a moment to listen in as well to Talin and Korius talk about Talin's current predicament with the hybrid issues* "Wow that's pretty cool, I wish I could do something like that... successfully. You get benefits of both the dragon and wolf if you can combine them, it's no fun that it will be painfully over for him in the long run with the dragon features. Which makes me wonder though if other oddities are out there in majicka world..." *After Korius finished his explanation about the process, the wolf decided to ask his question* "So... are there shapeshifters about the world too or is that all urban legend?"
-
Talin, despite the splitting twin headaches, finally understood what Korius ment by 'you will die' every time he spoke of how idiotic it was for him to attempt the incantation. He was able to get away from the tree and make his way back to the group. "So the incantation makes a dragon-kin body within the user, instead of changing the user into a dragon-kin? How can Elistra live from going twice her size to being a dragon-kin, but I die if I change species?"
-
Drevo walked silently behind the others pondering the fight ahead. "Hmm...Eight weapons...That's a lot. At one time anyway...Would probably be hard to engage him at close range. But then again...I doubt projectiles would see better luck. Unless..." the thought of Kiana lift a very, very large boulder came to mind. She threw it at a figure crushing him flat. She flexed afterward showing off her strength and how cool she was, with everyone else swooning over her. Drevo looked at her as he thought this. "Is she really that strong? Yikes...Hmm...I need to get better...Dikenstien ran me through. Well I cut off his hand! Hrmm...I wonder what White is going to do? Maybe he has some sort of...Holy light magic that will cast down a beam of light and...Melt this guy...Should he be a vampire or something...That would be cool." "Daxus uses eight weapons? Do you know what those are? Are they all swords? Or crossbows? Or half and half?"
-
Kitt glanced up at Talin as they walked "Heh, kinda like with the Ranger's Ritual... Only now that I've had time to read up about it do I realise how likely it is that I should have died back at the ninja village..." He grinned, stroking the falcon who was still sleeping with her head under her wing "At least the magical feedback only made me age a few years... Could have been worse 'suppose..." With that he pulled his hood further up until his face was entirely in shadow, staying silent as they walked...
-
Korius' face turned sour at the mention of shapeshifters, "One of the two most powerful sub-forms of Light element magic. Only 4 people in the whole history of Gaia have ever mastered or even been able to use it. Today, there's only one who can do that kind of magic, and that's Kyzen. He has effectively broken the balance of magic and power when he succeeded his mother all those centuries ago. He has the blood of multiple mages over time, allowing him mastery over several different elements, but the bloods are fighting his, which even ONE other magic blood mixing with anyone's is enough to violently kill them in a matter of minutes. I don't know what, but he's developed a serum that keeps the bloods in check, but I have no idea what it's made of, or how he makes it. That son of a bitch is very crafty and powerful, but we'll get there when we do. Our main focus is our task at hand, and to get stronger." He didn't say any more after that. Anger had welled up in Korius just having to mention Kyzen, and it showed. The next two days were silent as well, until they hit the next border.
-
To Kiana it seemed that everybody was full of questions except for her. She looked around at each person as they spoke, but noticed Drevo looking at her out of the corner of her eye before he had spoken. By the look on his face, it seemed like he was thinking of some sort of plan that involved her. She shrugged it off though and listened to Kitt and then Korius speak. After it went silent again, her foot had found another pebble to kick. Once again she let it get to the size of a head before she picked it up, examined it, and tossed it aside like it was still a little pebble. Any other pebble she kicked during the next two days stayed the same size and she only kicked them as some form of entertainment.
-
*White kind of looked with some fright as Korius suddenly got angry over a simple question* "Oh sorry I didn't know anything about Kyzen... that's some power." *He looked away more in amazement than fear of the subject* "Wow a real shapeshifter... too bad he turned out evil, sounds like some ability." *He took out a book of his realm and flipped through it while reading* "Well I suppose that question will be unavoidable for here on out until he's dead, so might as well get to reading." *And so the wolf did, for the following days that passed, finishing a few more books along the way*
-
Drevo was bit annoyed when he was ignored again. It led him to remain silent for two days following. He continued his musings of ideas, though at this point they were becoming down right ridiculous. One involved Kiana trying to seduce the guardians. He also realized she was the only female in the group. The thought of a female guardian made him curious, what she looked like or what she could do. He probably should have known, but he never really paid attention when it came to them.
-
At the border, there was a sight that caught even Korius by surprise. The checkpoint was completely destroyed, leaving a large hole in the wall, enough for an army unit to fit through. "What the hell happened here?" Korius rushed over to the wreckage and found torn bodies every which way, scattered all over around the wall as well as in it, from the edge of the ragged edges, to the resting lounge areas inside certain portions of the wall. He examined some of the mutilated bodies and portions of the wall, noticing some distinct marks and some more of the all-too-familiar kills. "Elistro's been through here..."
-
Kiana hesitated in her steps when she saw the destroyed checkpoint. After Korius rushed over to examine the place, she followed after him. She looked over the bodies that were all around the wall as she stood there. She may have killed others, but this sight even got to her. As soon as she heard Korius say the name 'Elistro', she glanced at Drevo out of the corner of her eye. He was the one who she thought would have the biggest reaction to this.
-
*The wolf closed his book upon seeing the disaster* "Wow this is a mess, ugh gonna get blood on my robe just trying to walk through here." *He looked up towards Korius when he mentioned Elistro being involved* "Fantastic, we're going in the same direction as a maniac... Man I bet these guys even had families and maybe children. I suppose they knew the risks when they took on this job, though I don't know if Elistro counts as a general attack to be expected." *White looked around rather worried he still might be lurking*
-
Talin noticed the headache stopped the instant the nubs had gone in, and was able to focus on the carnage at the checkpoint. "She told me her brother was a bit crazy..." his voice trailed off as he stepped past the bodies and kept close behind Korius. "Isn't Elistro allowed to pass through checkpoints? Did he do this just for the sake of spilling blood??"
-
Drevo walked with the others, being in the back he was last to see the carnage. As he looked about at the corpses he heard Korius mention Elistro. "Elistro..." he growled lowly. His blood had begun to boil with a growing rage. The images of his family flashed through his mind and how they were all dead. "Then he must be just up ahead. I'm going to kill him!" "Korius is going to stop me. I know he will. He can't interfere." In the split second he thought he stomped on a shield, flipping it into the air. He caught it like a frisbee and flung it at Korius to disract him long enough to get some distance. "Kiana is going to try something because of this...Gotta move...Kitt could shoot me. Talin...Nothing. Same as White." he thought as the shield went flying. As he let it go he kicked over a table at Kiana before taking off running. He sprinted as fast as he could before any of them could do anything. He didn't want to hurt any of them, but he was over taken with rage at the thought of getting the chance for revenge.
-
Kitt drew his crossbow, a bolt already sliding into place with an expert flick of his wrist, the string drawn back a moment later with a quick pull on the corresponding lever. Evellyn took flight, flapping higher and higher until she stopped and started to circle the group "How long ago do you think-?"
He was interrupted as Drevo suddenly burst into movement. The table, which had been aimed at Kiana, caught him squarely in the shoulder, nocking him to the ground with a muffled yell of pain. As soon as Kitt hit the ground, up above his falcon burst into movement of her own. She shrieked and dived, wings folded and eyes set on Drevo as she swooped past him, sharp beak flashing as she swerved and dived at him again...
-
Korius already heard Drevo stomp on the shield and had already turned around in time to see him throw it. It was expected, he guessed, and he caught the shield. The falcon's swoop hit Drevo's hat, nicking it enough to tilt it into his eyes. Korius took the opportunity and threw the shield back at Drevo, taking his knees out from behind. He whistled the falcon back with a special tune, and it came back down to Kitt's side, landing on his arm. "You're letting yourself be emotionally compromised. I told you before. Unless you master the technique, you won't even have a hair's width of a chance against him. Don't forget, all of your old allies are with him, too. He has a full squad with him, you don't even have a chance to get to Elistro. Now calm the (censored) down before I have to break your legs. I've killed for less before, don't make me do it again." When Korius got up to Drevo, he grabbed the white wolf's tail and dragged him back over to the wall. He looked over to Kitt, "You okay, kid?"
-
Kiana knew in an instant that it had been a good idea to have her eyes on Drevo when she had heard Elistro's name come from Korius. She knew Korius could fend for himself when the shield was tossed at him and when the table was sent towards her she spun sideways to dodge the end that came at her although the other end hit Kitt. She was ready make a move to hold Drevo in place with some magic but Korius had already knocked his legs out from under him. She listened and watched as Korius spoke to Drevo and dragged him back by his tail. Her eyes directed to Kitt with the same question when Korius asked him if he was okay, then moved back to Drevo to make sure that he wouldn't try anything again.
-
"I'm surprised you're not asking me that question, you just pulled me by the tail! Agh, if you haven't noticed having a longer than average tail isn't exactly fun, not to mention hurts about as much as being pulled by the ear." *He jumped behind Korius and started working on a shield* "Since you seem to feel the same way about people staying close, I'm setting up some defense for our travel." *He eyed Drevo at the end of his response*
-
Contrary to Drevo's assumption, Talin was going to stop him, but only if Korius didn't stop him first. He already had his hand on his satchel of needles, ready to take down Drevo in the least lethal method he had available. When Korius took his knees out, Talin simply took his hand off the satchel and started looking around for any food. Come on... fruits, cabbage, where the heck is the steak or jerky?!
-
Unfortunately Drevo didn't make it far. When the falcon made his hat tip in front of him he moved it back up. However, the shield he tossed came back taking out his legs making him fall over. He didn't expect to make it very far, but he expected to make it farther. But Korius wouldn't let him. He grumbled as he was dragged back to he others. Standing up he looked at them all, he saw he hurt Kitt and was a little disappointed. He let his anger get the better of him. "Sorry, Kitt...I didn't mean to hurt anybody. I just..." Drevo was a little happy that it was Kitt, considering he could understand where he was coming from.
-
Kitt got to his feet, rubbing his shoulder with one hand. He shrugged and winced at the movement of his shoulder "S'fine... Really, its fine..."
Glancing down to where his crossbow had fallen, he saw the falcon sitting with one bright amber eye fixed on him. He sighed and knelt down, picking up the bow and allowing the bird to hop onto his arm. Straightening up he attempted a grin "Kinda funny really. After fighting soldiers, guardians and who know what else, the one thing that injured me the worst was a table..." With that he slung his crossbow over his back and pulled up his hood. At his wrist the falcon watched Drevo with bright eyes and snapped her beak...
-
Korius sighed as White worked on a shield barrier on him and the others. Looking around, he saw Talin rifling through the provisions in the guard lounging area inside the wall, and he could pretty much guess what Talin was looking for. "There's no meat of any kind out here in these posts. They're too hard to maintain and preserve out this far from a town. Just be happy with any food at all." Korius walked around himself, and started picking up some of the food, putting them in his pouch that he had on his sash. Being completely broke was something new for Korius, even when he was forced into hiding after the Betrayal. He recalled when he went into hiding, selling all his weapons onto the black market and getting enough to start his own smithy. Suddenly, Korius' memories somehow slipped past even his childhood and into a time further back into the past. For some reason, he saw himself at the tower bridge of an old castle at night. He seemed to be in a duel with an Eagle-kin that he'd never seen before. The man was dressed with gold and purple, signifying royalty. Korius then snapped back to reality, finding himself knelt down and breathing heavily. He clutched his right eye as his eyes glowed blood red again. Korius' Ki was flowing more freely now, but something was off. It's almost as if it wasn't even his to begin with.
-
Kiana watched everyone else as they went about doing different things but always kept a sense of what Drevo was doing (without really looking at him), just in case. She noticed Korius kind of zone out as he was gathering food that was lying around the place so she kept an eye on him since she didn't know what was going through his head. When he went down on his knees and was breathing heavily, she quickly went over to him. She bent over beside him and looked at him. "What's wrong?" She asked as she looked at him.
-
*The wolf watched Korius go about for abit, noticing Kiana as well follow him soon after. White studied in his book for awhile, as the party didn't seem ready to move on just yet. After finishing another ancient text, he looked upon his shield design once again deciding it needed more work. With another couple layers under the first shield, he felt pleased and sat down a bit more relaxed*
-
Talin ignored everything Korius said after 'no meat', and went straight for the fruit. As he happily indulged in the produce, he only paid mild attention to what was going on around him. As he reached for the last apple, it suddenly flew out of his reach and was up in the air. He jumped towards the apple, and dropped to the floor as whatever was holding it up was suddenly gone. Did that get you to stop eating? You have better things to do than stuff your face with food. You know what, you know what?! Stop it...
-
Drevo stood around for a minute or so waiting for them to all move on, but to no luck. "Why aren't we going?! Every second we stand here resting the farther away Elistro gets!" he said, seeming agitated. "It wreaks of death anyway..." he continued, more calmer this time. He walked ahead of them a small ways, clearly eager to hurry. It was probably apparent what was on his mind, it's not like it would have been a secret. Part of him wanted to make a run for it again, with Korius seemingly off his rocker it would improve his chances.
-
Kitt pulled a strip of cured meat from his bag and held it out to Evellyn. The falcon leant forward on his arm, wings flapping twice before she snapped it up and swallowed it with a ravenous appetite. Kitt fed the falcon another two small strips, stroking her feathers between feeding. The falcon looked up at him with wide beseeching eyes and gave a shrill cry.
Shaking his head, Kitt closed his bag "You've had enough... There isnt much of that meat left and your lucky I dont give it straight toTalin, or myself..." The bird gave another shrill cry, this time quieter but no less irritable. With a distinct ruffle of her feather Eveyllyn turned her back to Kitt, turning on his wrist and sticking her head under her wing. Kitt frowned "Dont you turn your back on me missy!" He suddenly went quiet, glancing embarrassedly at the rest of the group, glad that Kiana was distracted with something Korius was doing...
-
Korius did his best to catch his breath, his heart finally calming down enough for him to finally relax, "Memories. Those that weren't my own. Somehow penetrated my mind. I'm not sure if it was because of magic or some kind of trick, but they were definitely not my memories. It looked like Terra from far before the Betrayal, and even before our time. I saw an Eagle-Kin that was of royalty, but there hasn't been one in centuries..." When he regained his composure, he stood up and surveyed the group, particularly keeping an eye on Drevo, especially since he spoke up. "It's 3-day old death. We won't catch up to their cavalry unit. They're all on horseback. No way in Hell, we'd be able to catch up. Just be patient. Besides, keep in mind that we are all broke now since the last city. We need provisions, and I never really spent time studying Celestia's map since I was in hiding from the Guardians by order of Lady Koara. So unless you want to die of hunger before you get your revenge, I recommend you shut up and follow orders."
-
Kiana nodded after she listened to Korius' explanation and straightened up before he stood up. She looked towards Drevo as Korius addressed what he had said then chuckled and glanced back at Kitt at hearing him talking to his bird. Her eyes moved back to Drevo after Korius finished speaking. "In other words, don't even try it." She said since she could sense that he really wanted to try to run off again. "I know that you know that I could take you down if you tried, hence why you threw that table at me last time. I'd rather not hurt you." She smirked slightly at the last part but was still serious.
-
*Despite being a food addict, the worries of food, provisions, and money didn't worry White as he knew what he could do to help* "Well Korius, I know it has been a long time, but I'm sure I could easily rack us up some money by doing medical work for people. Since people of my profession seem to be difficult to come by and I've trained by far from what I could do the first time we met. It won't take very long since my majicka is mostly going to be used for illnesses, common injuries, and whatnot from those we meet more than likely. While if we don't find civilized locations, we could always ask for the help of one of the best archers we know for woodland foraging." *The wolf motioned towards Kitt*
-
Talin finished up his last piece of fruit, and sat down at a bloodied chair whose former occupant is now at Talin's feet. "White does make a good point, and I can go bounty hunting if none of our posters are still up. Otherwise, lets just get whatever food is left here and ration it." Talin leaned on his volge while sitting down, looking like an old man leaning on his cane even though the only part that seemed old was his white fringed hair.
-
Drevo began pacing back and forth, irritated that they still weren't moving. He thought of all the things he would do to Elistro when he got him. "I'll cut off his fingers one by one...Rip the scales off him. All of them. Then his toes. Pull out his teeth...Break his arms and legs. Throw him in a river. Off a cliff. Then if he survived, hang him. All too good for him...DAMNIT! I wish they would hurry the hell up...Stop wasting time. Each passing minute he gets farther away..."
-
Kitt grinned when White mentioning him. He flicked his fringe out of his eyes and tapped a hand against the smooth handle of his crossbow "Rangers used to be the royal hunters... Now that I have a falcon I think I fill the role quite nicely." As if she knew that she had been mentioned, Evellyn gave a soft call and ruffled her feathers before taking off from Kitt's wrist. The falcon swept twice around the group before landing nearby White on a pile of rubble, bright amber eye watching him inquisitively...
As the rest of the group continued to gather provisions or wait to leave, Kitt approached Drevo. He stopped a few meters away and gave Drevo space to continue pacing. With one hand still on his bow, Kitt pulled down his hood and glanced from Drevo, to the trail of hoof-prints and churned up mud that showed where Elistro and his men had traveled.
He sighed and scratched his ear absentmindedly "You really hate Elistro don't you..." Kitt glanced back towards the others before continuing "Everyone has a story, a person they hate, despise or envy... I still live in hatred of the guardian who killed my dad. And for those that still hold my mother as prisoner..." And with that he turned back to the group, whistling for Evellyn to return to his wrist...
-
Korius shook his head at Talin and White, "No, whatever the Guardians want, it can't wait that long. Non-local bounty hunting is the only kind that brings in money, and we don't have the time for it. And you, White, are the final remaining White Mage in all of Gaia. There's money on your head anywhere that's loyal to the Guardians. You advertising yourself like that is going to attract too much unwanted attention and troubles, and not just for us."
-
Kiana stood with her arms crossed among the wreckage and watched everyone, her eyes following the falcon when it flew over and landed next to White. After that, she watched Kitt as he went over to the pacing Drevo, who she wanted to crack upside the head with a rock at this point because he was really starting to bug her. She listened to Kitt as he spoke to Drevo and couldn't help but agree with Kitt. "He's got a point. I hate the...thing...that killed my brother. Had him right under a gigantic boulder, had his life in my hands. Couldn't kill him though...had to keep him alive for the bounty, even though they were going to kill him anyway. Probably escaped before they could do it..." She said, muttering the last part. "Point is, you're going to have to restrain yourself, no matter how hard it may be. Just like how you're restraining yourself right now...but it's harder when the person is right there in front of you..." After that, she looked off into the distance and she seemed to be off somewhere else as her eyes seemed to be glazed over. If something did happen, she would snap right back to what was going on, but for the moment, her mind was somewhere at that moment.
-
*The wolf sighed and looked away* "Just trying to help, even standing here right now, someone could have me in their crossbow sights. Taking chances everyday with crazy people! Though I suppose putting witnesses to my majicka in danger is not good, so you're right." *He laughed at his own dark humor from mention of the crosshair* "If I didn't think some of my own comments were funny, things would be much more boring around here some days... others I wish for a moment of subtlety."
"So if we can't make any money, how are we going to get any?"
-
Talin let out an even bigger sigh than White. "Then that leaves two equally practical options: Either loot every checkpoint we come across, or sell whatever weapons we can carry out of the next Guardian's base..." Talin took a hand off his double volge and examined it as it gave off a white shimmer. "How hard would it be to use magic for someone who just obtained magic?"
-
Kitt walked back to the group, stroking Evellyn's head in a distracted manner. Hood up and eyes cast down to the dusty floor, he listened carefully as the conversation went back and forth. Finally he sat down on a small pile of rubble and pulled out his Ranger's handbook, flicking straight to the section on falconry. With one ear perked up to keep listening to the conversation he started to read silently. His falcon hopped down from his wrist and took flight, circling over the heads of the group in large circles, held aloft by the wind and thermals...
-
Korius finally tied the satchel to his sash and sighed, "Alright, let's get a move on. Take whatever weapons and armour pieces that aren't worn too badly so that we can at least make a couple Guilders in the next town." He personally stacked a couple shields that were unmarked and tied them together with some of the rope near where horses used to be. He then slung them over his shoulder and waited for the others. "Make sure none of them are marked with Guardian Servant insignias. We'll arouse too much trouble with those."
-
Kiana took a few knives from a few of the bodies and tucked them underneath her belt. She also grabbed a pair of hand/forearm armor pieces and slid the over-sized things on her own hands since it was the easiest way to carry them, then grabbed a helmet from a body whose head seemed to be about the same size as her's and put the helmet on her own head. She had made sure that none of the items she grabbed had an insignia on it.
-
"Uhh okay..." *White looked among the dead bodies and picked up a couple swords, not seeing any insignias on them and some pre-existing Guilders every so often* "Not much to pick from here, too bad we don't have some sort of cart to load these weapons into." *The wolf kicked a rock in boredom* "Not much left to do now except wait to see which direction we're going." *He put the swords under one of his arms and took another peek at one of his books to read*
-
Talin looked around for all the two-handed weapons, and only non-guardian weapons found a few pole-arms and a broadsword. He wished the change hadn't occoured sooner, since carrying all of the weapons plus his own volge, made it difficult to get through doorways as well as run for long periods of time. Well, at least this will help get my legs in better shape. Seriously, how slow can I be if a man bigger and heavier than me can outrun me with a sword like Valia?!
-
Drevo didn't respond when Kitt and Kiana spoke about their loss. Rather just keep pacing. When Korius said to try to find some stuff to sell he looked around. "You both got to do something to the person who killed a single member of your family...You still have family out there somewhere. Whether you like them or not. I have nothing. They're all dead. All of them. I have no real family left. All because of Elistro. He was responsible for their deaths! I swear I will kill him...Even if it kills me." he finally spoke as he gathered a few polearms. "What would you do? Killing so many people on this journey, most of them just following orders. Can you tell me you wouldn't kill a person who had wronged you in such a way? Death would be too good for him...I wouldn't care if he had a bounty on him for every last guilder in all of Gaia. I would savor the moment of ending his existence." The last part he meant towards Kiana, a way of telling her she did wrong for letting the man who wronged her live for money of all things.
-
Kitt knelt beside a soldier, an officer judging by his uniform, and pulled a gold ring from his dead finger along with a fine looking dagger. He dropped the ring into a pouch an stood up, glancing to Drevo "I have family... My clan still remains, in what tattered and severed ways it does. But that goes no way to ease the pain of my loss... Perhaps it is just the cultural differences, but I see other ways to make the people you loved proud..."
Strapping the dagger and its scabbard to his thigh Kitt started searching the pockets and satchel of another soldier "I would, and I do, kill in the name of my father. In the blind hope that I find my mother... But I dont go wishing my own death simply for revenge. If you truly wished to serve your family well, continue the name so that it will not be forgotten..." He spat onto the ground as he pulled a long-bladed knife out of the second body "Revenge is not the only way you can make your ancestors proud... "
-
Korius shook his head at Drevo's excuse for his little uprising from earlier, "You obviously haven't paid much attention this whole trip. Valius and I lost all our families and people we called family during the Betrayal. Elistro and his men were the ones who killed Valius' wife and unborn child, as well as the rest of the Knights whom he had come to call his brothers and sisters. But that man willfully gave his life to save your asses without regret. I was the one who killed my own brothers and sisters at the monastery alongside the monks who adopted me whom I had come to call my parents. You have to learn acceptance and tranquility into your heart, or else you're useless. I learned all that from Valius, and if no for that lesson, I would never have achieved THE technique. Kiana had learned the same lesson, but just in a different way. Same with Kitt. If you can't come to terms, you'll never get stronger and die. But like I told you before, you deviate, I kill you myself." He then looked around and saw the others ready to go, so he began to walk up north. "All of you, let's move"
-
Kiana scoffed when Drevo finished speaking, picking up on the last thing he said being directed at her. She would have spoken up immediately but she let Kitt and Korius speak, nodding along with what they said, especially what Korius said about her. "Don't even bother telling me what I did was wrong." She said while looking at Drevo. "My brother was an honorable guy. He would not have wanted me to kill that useless piece of garbage to avenge him or make him proud. It would have disgusted him and made him disappointed in me. I know Kamau and this whole mission that we're on and me catching his killer in order to get us money, THAT is what he would want." She moved her eyes away from Drevo and followed after Korius. "Don't tell me..." She muttered to herself as she looked at the ground as she walked while her mind drifted off to something else.
-
*White just avoided the conversation entirely thinking back to his childhood* "I never really think about that at all, I have no past. So I always look forward, I guess because there's not much to think about. I don't really remember anything about it." *He looked distant for awhile and the conversation in the background just faded out* "Who am I?" *The wolf whispered while following closely to the group and shook his head out of his trance, reading another book* "Well I guess I can pretty much be the only person to give credit to Drevo for something of importance." *His thoughts strayed for another moment*
-
Talin followed Korius, only to get stuck trying to exit the door. He did a few test steps to see if it could be easily pried, only to have the pole-arm be wedged in further. So, he put his foot on the pole and tried to pry the blade out. After the blade snapped off the pole, He just gave up and decided to shave the rest off when they got to town and try to sell it as a Bo-staff. Who knows, I might be able to sell it for a better price if I promote it enough...
-
Drevo fell silent, kinda feeling like an ass. He just continued to gather the weapons, getting a stack and tying it together with a bit of rope he found. After that he hefted it over his shoulder, keeping the points behind him. He tried to ignore the feint thought of not killing Elistro. "...Damnit...Looks like once again I find myself being the ass...I hate this journey...I hate the guardians...I hate walking..." he thought as he moved on, lingering behind the group as he usually did.
-
Kitt walked alongside the group, letting Evellyn fly off ahead. The falcon would swoop off along the path before flying back, never quite disappearing from sight. Kitt finally let her settle back on his wrist and pulled up his hood, casting his eyes in shadow and stopping the wind from tugging at his fringe. He sighed under his breath and kicked a small stone sullenly off the path... I've been trying to stay positive, to not feel resentment or anger over the death of my father, like Korius said I should... But now Drevo reminded me that if my mother isnt still alive, I really wouldnt have any family left... He shook his head in a desperate attempt to clear the thought from his head...
-
A good majority of the day was spent walking, but they managed to reach a very small village. Upon entering, Korius already noticed many windows closed and boarded alongside a few bodies on the ground. He muttered before they entered the gates, "I guess we won't be selling shit here." The sun was just over the horizon and falling rapidly. Shadowy eyes could be seen staring at them all from within the cracks of all the homes. The little market section was overrun with produce all over the floor and the smithy was burning slowly since it was damp from recent rainfall. The ground was riddled with broken farm tools and deep hoof-prints. Korius held the shields by the rope in his left hand, low and not over his shoulder, and then gripped Valia at the handle, ready for anything that might happen. He hoped he won't have to draw the weapon, but he would if he had to. I could get away with just knocking the wind out of the villagers if I have to. Though I'm sure just drawing the blade will be enough to scare them back, if need be.
-
Kiana let her mind wander while they walked for most of the day, but still stayed aware of what was going on around her. When they got to the small village, she pulled herself fully back into her head and her eyes shifted back and forth between the buildings on both sides of the "road". A slight chill ran up her spine but she didn't make it apparent that it happened and she tightened her armored right hand around her staff. She could easily knock people out with a rock if they decided to come at her because she definitely wanted to avoid seriously injuring or killing 'innocent' people. "Don't really want to waste my majicka...of course, if I punched them in the head with these armored hands or headbutted them with this helmet on it'd probably be just as effective as a rock..." She thought as she examined the armor on her left hand for a moment before adjusting the helmet a tiny bit and returning her gaze to the buildings around them.
-
Drevo walked silently, when they reached the village he looked around seeing the state it was in. If needed he would fight should something happen. To make it better he had scavenged polearm weapons, which would transfer over well with his bow staff. The thoughts of wielding two spears had crossed his mind. "Was this Elistro's doing again? Control yourself...Have to...Hrmm...If I could just--...." Drevo clenched his fist and shook his head to try and not think of it.
-
Kitt felt no such apprehension at drawing his weapon and pulled his crossbow from his back. He kept the bow unstrung, but his hand remained near to the lever that would load a bolt and draw the string all the same. Evellyn took flight as he hefted the crossbow and circled above the rooftops around the group. Kitt watched her fly for a moment before continuing with the others, amber eyes searching over the many windows and shadowy alleyways. He was simply glad that he had decided to take daggers and smaller items, leaving both of his hands ready to use his crossbow...
-
Out of nowhere, a shadowy figure jumped off of the roof of one of the buildings and landed right in front of the group. Korius quickly drew Valia and stopped the blade just short of the figure, the follow-through was enough to blow the hood off the figure. It revealed a smirking human. "Goddammit, Lester, you know I don't like it when you do that. I could have killed you." The human stood up and laughed, "What!? The legendary Korius Lambent unable to stop his own blade? Impossible. I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you until I saw Valia on your back. Only two people in all of Gaia who could use that blade, not too hard to figure out friend or foe. But seeing you with it, I'm guessing he's gone now, isn't he?" Korius' face hardened, "Yes. But he went out a warrior and a hero. Nothing more, nothing less." Lester then looked over Korius' shoulder and looked at the group, "The Destiny Heroes, eh? Wasn't there supposed to be another girl? The heir to the Kaelin name if I'm not mistaken." Korius sighed, "I was told she shared a fate similar to Valius. Anyways, *turns to the group* this is Lester Trepe. He's one of the last Great Masters in Gaia. He's a claymore master from Levardia, though his hand-to-hand combat can rival most." The man laughed a hardy laugh, "Once, maybe. But now I'm merely just a smith for our little village of Gilliad. But enough about us, you lot won't be able to dawdle here for long. Elistro and his men trampled through a few days ago, and we're expecting his follow-up group to be shortly behind. From the looks of things, you're looking to sell those armours and weapons. I'll happily pay for them. I kept a majority of my money from back in Terra, and brought it over. Come! I know my smithy's on fire, but that's just for show."
-
Kiana had produced a rather large rock from the ground when the figure had jumped down from the roof to land in front of Korius. As the conversation went on, she held the rock on her hand palm-up and looked back & forth between Korius and the human he called Lester. Her ears flattened slightly against her head under the helmet when Valius and Clare were brought up in the conversation, but she quickly pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. When the conversation was over, she finally dropped the rock and stood ready to follow the two, deciding that it was okay to do so since Korius was fine with Lester.
-
*The wolf closed his book immediately seeing the man appear out of seemingly nowhere* "Oh crap not again!" *White quickly put up a shield and had fallen on the ground from his clumsiness; he watched Korius talk with him for a few seconds, soon to discover it was a friend* "Ahh... damn had me worried I was gonna have to use all my majicka again on another fight." *He retreated the shield and got back up, brushing himself off, looking kind of foolish now, pretended like nothing happened*
-
Talin was going to throw his recently crafted Bo-staff at Lester when he appeared, but hesitated when Korius started talking, then eventually just let it fall out of his hand. "Should we introduce ourselves, or have our bounty posters already come through here?" Talin probably stuck out just as much as Korius as he was carrying the pole-arms with the blades pointed to the sky and the handle itself only halfway down his height.
-
Drevo casually watched Lester appear, seeing the others ready themselves for a fight. He figured if it were an enemy they wouldn't announce themselves as such and just attack. For all he knew it was just some random person who liked jumping off buildings, or a guard or something. He adjusted the weapons on his shoulder and looked around should any real attackers show up. He turned with his body, making the points of the weapons wave around blindly. They went over White's head as he fell after putting up his shield. He was none the wiser.
-
With a soft -kachunk- a bolt was already loaded and strung, the crosshairs of Kitt's bow aimed directly at Lester. He lowered the bow as soon as it became apparent that he was not a danger, and instead he pushed the loading lever back and unloaded the bolt back into the rack of ammunition. Kitt watched Korius and lester with mild curiosity from beneath his shadowed hood, holding out an arm for his falcon to land on where she proceeded to ruffle her feathers.
-
Korius followed after Lester and examined the wall that was on fire, "Levardian lilies, pride of Levardian horticulture and extremely rare. Their sap is flammable and has the ability to burn indefinitely. The flowers were said to have gone extinct a hundred years ago." Lester laughed as he rifled through some stones in the other wall, "Indeed, that was the general thought, but my family long since grew their own in inconspicuous places, since the ability of its sap with fire was going to start another war. We froze all the fields and shattered them all, destroying all the saplings of the majority crop, leaving a small amount in our private farm." He finally pulled out a large bag and pulled a ton of Shims and a few Guilders. Korius walked over to the smith bench and checked the money. "Come on, you can spare another guilder for my shields." Lester chuckled as he tossed another silver coin onto the bench, "That's fine. Just make sure to tell your friend over there that a broken spear won't pass as a bowstaff no matter how he tries to cut it."
-
Kiana watched and listened to the conversation between the two with mild interest as she followed them. What they were talking about didn't really concern her and she was more focused on getting out of the god forsaken village. When they were in the smithy and the money had been found, she removed the helmet and set it down. She stared at the hand/forearm armors for a moment before taking them both off one at a time and setting them next to the helmet. To occupy herself further, she took hold of the emerald around her neck with her left and raised it up to look at it.
-
*The wolf watched blankly not really focusing on the conversation, other than the mention of the flowers* "Sounds like it would make a great fire for camping." *He whispered silently while watching Lester and Korius* "This is pretty boring..." *The wolf kicked at a few rocks to the side and leaned up against a wall while watching his companions to pass the time, taking out another book to read for the time being* "More spells, more fun in the future."
-
Talin was ticked off at the outright 'rejection' of his idea, and even more so since he didn't even say anything. However, his answer didn't really match his emotions. "You honestly think I would waste our time trying to sell this broken pole-arm to someone who can actually tell the difference?! Please, I am not that desperate." Talin eyed the sack of money, and then looked back at Lester, then catching a glance at Kiana. "Go ahead, if you think you'll get a better emerald..." He did not think that she was only keeping herself busy, only assuming that whatever is being inspected is what they were expecting to sell.
-
Drevo set his haul down after walking in with the others. After he finished he sat down in a corner on a crate, he didn't care to say anything. He didn't expect to get paid, normally the money went to Korius anyway. He leaned back against the wall, pulling his hat down over his face with his hands behind his head and his bow staff leaning on him. He thought about the flower they mentioned, how it would burn. He pictured his bow staff doused in the stuff and him twirling it around. Then he saw himself catch on fire from doing so.
-
With a sigh Kitt dropped the knives that he had scavenged from various soldiers, along with various other pieces of unnecessary equipment, leaving two long blades that he had buckled just above his boots. Overall he felt a lot more nimble and agile without all the unnecessary weight, leaving the two heaviest objects on his person to be his crossbow, the guardians handbow (still in his bag and wrapped safely in a winter cloak) and the large sheaf of crossbow bolts.
Glad to finally feel more like the scout and Ranger he was supposed to be, Kitt walked over to where White was lent against the wall and sidled up alongside him. Pulling his hood down he glanced over at the book White was reading, eyes roving over the symbols and diagrams as he attempted to decipher their meaning.
-
Lester sorted through everyone's spoils, calculating the cost of each piece of equipment. Meanwhile, Korius walked out for a little and looked around the little town, everything within sight, when all of a sudden, a sharp pain went through his head, and images flashed through his mind again. This time, he saw himself getting off a boat and surrounded by elves, all of whom seemed to give him a sour look, save for a taller one whom stood over the others, extending a hand in welcome, though he couldn't hear anything. Korius peered at the lips and it almost seemed to say "Welcome to Celestia, Shinzuu." After that, he snapped out of it and found himself on the ground again. Lester walked over and dropped the bag next to him, "Your money's in there. I've separated everyone's and already given it to them. You okay?" Korius nodded as he caught his breath and stood up, picking up the sack of coins, "Yea, I've just been seeing visions lately. This is the second time. Memories that aren't mine." He then noticed the look on Lester's face, "Tell me." Lester shook his head, "No. I'm forbidden. If you want to know, you'll have to ask Soria. She's the only one allowed to tell you about that, and she will find you when the time is right. For now, just keep your eyes on your mission."
-
Kiana dropped the emerald back against her chest and looked over at Chrono with some kind of 'what are you thinking' look on her face. "Sell this?" She questioned, touching the emerald with her finger tip. "You can't be serious. It gives me more power behind my magic. No way I'm getting rid of it." When she spoke, she avoided sounding angry or like Chrono was stupid for saying such a thing because she knew he didn't have much knowledge of how things worked for mages. She thanked Lester when he gave her the money for her things after she had put down the daggers as well then tied the string of the little bag to her belt before walking out of the smithy.
-
*The wolf looked up from his reading for a moment to eavesdrop by the mention of memories not of his own by Korius* "Hmm.. that doesn't sound good and since the other guy Lester won't talk about it, that's a given." *He shrugged and went back to the pages in his book* "Not my concern, I just want to keep moving, hopefully we have more money now." *Uninterested, White flipped another page and studied the words going across the lines of text* "I think I'm going to give this book a rest." *He put it back in its realm and looked around, spotting Kiana show a bit of disgust at the prospect of selling her majicka item* "I definitely know what that's like, if I lost my majicka storage item in battle I don't think I'd be so successful in some cases."
-
Talin started out the door, using the broken handle as a walking stick as he collected his share of the loot's worth. He put the coins in with his needles as the coinage wasn't large enough to overcrowd the purse and the needles would prick, and hopefully alert him to, anyone that would try to pickpocket him. Talin stopped after walking about five steps from the door, and looked over at the 'burning' house. Flames like this don't last long, exactly how much in a hurry was Elistro if he couldn't notice this?
-
Drevo felt someone approaching him, though he was surrounded by allies so he didn't budge. He didn't expect a sack of guilders to be dropped in his lap. A smirk crept onto his face at the thought of having gotten money. Though it wasn't from greed, more as a realization he was wrong. He took the sack and placed it away in his robes, still without moving his hat. He wanted to relax until the time to move again came around. Drevo was still feeling a little dumb for the bit earlier.
-
Kitt grinned as Lester handed over his own small bag of money. He instantly handed over half of what he had been given and nodded towards a barrel full of arrows and crossbow bolts "Ammunition is worth more to me than gold..."
Lester returned the grin as he pulled out two handfuls of crossbow bolts "The Ranger knows what he needs! Bodkin quarrels, armour piercing and with a punch, should complement your stock of regular bolts nicely..." With that he ruffled Kitt's hair and turned away, leaving the young feline to slot the bodkin arrows into a separate pre-loaded rack and pull his hood up in mild annoyance.
-
Korius growled as he got up and walked on towards the edge of town, "We're leaving!" Lester placed a hand on Korius, who shook him off, "I don't need your bullshit." Lester shook his head, "Actually, my wife's got some food for sale. I merely wanted to ask you to buy from her first." "Let the others if they want to, but I'm leaving. I need to find that bitch to unlock my ki to full power, and to find out what the hell is going on." Lester sighed, "Fine. At least you haven't changed much." He ran back to tell the rest of the group as Korius situated himself just out of sight of the town, surveying the area and waiting for the others.
-
"Korius, knock it off." Kiana said assertively before Korius went off out of town. She rolled her eyes at his attitude and went back with Lester, buying some food from his wife but not a lot. When she was done, she left the place and walked to the edge of town, knowing that the others would be able to find their way just fine. She could see Korius a little ways away when she got to the edge of town so she headed towards him. "What's with the attitude?" She said as she got within a few feet of him. "I know you're stressed, that's obvious, but there's no need to snap at those who only want to help you when they can." She kept a strong, guarded expression on her face as she spoke to him but she was seriously concerned about what was going on with him.
-
"Hmm... he must be worried about something to do with those memories." *The wolf sighed and took a bow to Lester as he walked past him, following after Korius and stopping when he realized Korius was going quite far away* "Let's just hope he didn't do something regrettable again, last thing we need is to attack useful allies that could have made life easier." *He turned back and went to Lester's wife to get some food and then followed after Kiana who went to Korius's direction*
-
Drevo got some food from Lester's wife, a large amount of smoked meat, jerky and some bread and a sack to carry it all in. When he found Lester he asked him. "I'm not sure if you're a smith yourself...But do you know of any along the way to our destination? My blade is becoming dull and in need of a bit of sharpening. I only ask for one along the way because Korius seems so hasty to leave. Also..." he said, looking around. "Do you have any sake? I mean the good stuff...I haven't had any of it since that bu-...My carriage was destroyed. I still have guilders if needed."
-
Lester's wife handed over a satchel of raw meat, passing her eye over Kitt's hawk with a curious eye "Nice bird you have there... Have her fed on meat whenever you can,keeps her plumage nice and glossy." Finally she drew him into a brief hug before turning away... It was obvious from her stare that she disapproved of a child of only fifteen travelling with Korius and the others. Kitt merely pulled his hood up and hurried off to meet with the rest of the group.
-
At Kiana's little scold, Korius didn't back down or argue back like he normally would. Instead, his whole mood changed into a deadly one, glaring at her with his blood, crimson, red eyes, with death and a stronger killing aura than anyone had ever felt or even witnessed before this moment, making even the training with Hajime seem like a baby's tantrum. The stare in itself would be strong enough to actually kill a normal person, or paralyze most highly skilled warriors. Lester, who was still in town and was about to apologize to Drevo with his wife about not having sake, suddenly fell to their knees and shook violently at the wake of Korius' energy. "What the hell is he doing!?" Korius maintained his glare for 5 seconds before turning and looking back on the horizon, feeling a bit light-headed from the sudden release of Ki and the rush and filling of completely dark Ki, instead of partially dark Ki that he's had up until now. There was no pureness and the energy that he had rushing through his body was, rather, pure darkness. In a dark voice, he gave a small reply, "There's something about these memories, and I must know about them to win." Korius never spoke to anyone for the rest of the day, nor the following day. In fact, he was the only one that didn't say anything for the whole 3-day hike to the next town. He rarely ate, and was always by himself whenever they stopped.
-
Kiana looked straight back into Korius' eyes with extremely strong defiance and determination. She dropped to a knee, which pissed her off because it made her feel like she was kneeling to his power and being weaker than him. She heard the darkness in his voice when he spoke after turning away from her. This was exactly the kind of thing that Hajime had wanted her to help him with and protect the others from. "And if, in your blind raging search for answers, one or more of the others get hurt, what then? Will it be nothing to you because you need to win? We're a team and these memories are making you lose yourself. Get a grip." She said sternly as she swiftly stood back up. She never got a response from him though as he remained silent for the next three days. Every night they rested, she had muttered softly to herself, which was really her talking to Kamau. It was a lot more than she usually did since it used to be once a week or so. This wasn't a sign of her losing any sanity, it was just that she had a lot more on her plate to deal with that she needed to get off her chest just from that one incident.
-
*The wolf kept to himself for the following days not saying much of anything, noticing Korius and Kiana grow distant once again, he never talked to anybody and just stayed quiet while studying his books, only thinking of the inevitable problem to come* "I hope Korius gets his new mission over with because everytime he gets involved in something related to this quest, he just seemingly ignores everyone that cares about him and doesn't worry about it then expects everyone to forgive him without admitting he was at fault again and again." *White flipped through the next chapter*
-
Talin had gotten his fill of meat before Korius had his episode of pure darkness, which he could hear Chronin snicker in his head as Korius seemingly calmed down and stayed quiet the entire time. Talin also kept quiet, as Korius was one of the few people, including Kiana, Elistra, and the remote possibilty of Kitt, that he would speak to with at least some respect. In a possibly vain attempt to get him to drop his guard, Talin tried to approach him at the end of the third day by going to the barkeep and ordering him a pint and putting it in front of Korius. "A pint for your thoughts sir?"
-
Drevo sat back down as he heard the news of no sake, also right as Korius gave his super powerful epic stare. He felt the power but blew it off since he was sitting down. When he got going he too didn't speak. He usually kept to himself anyway so it was nothing he wasn't used to. When he got to the town the first thing he did was find a suitable smith, after leaving his weapon with him he set off to search for some good sake. Finding some he decided to go relax and get a little drunk.
-
While Korius and most of the group remained silent during the next few days, Kitt was the complete opposite. Chatty and talkative, he remained full of a strange optimism and cheerfulness that even if asked he could not explain. All he knew was that his father was dead, his mother was imprisoned and they where going to fight the strongest guardian they had yet faced, and all he could do was grin and comment on how sunny it was today. Naive perhaps, or maybe his own way of staying sane in a world where everything seemed to go wrong at once...
By the time they had reached the next town Kitt's cheerfulness had not receded or fallen away, and it was so that while the others where in Inn or, in the case of Drevo, elsewhere he had found his way to a small archery range that the townsfolk used. A long strip of land dotted with straw-stuffed targets stood beyond a low wooden fence at which several hunters stood. All five turned to look as Kitt walked over, humorous grins and snorted laughter already shared amongst each other.
"That bow is a bit big for ye' laddie. But you seem to be the real deal en'cha... he got a falcon an' all!" The lead hunter grinned and leaned forward, stabbing his knife into the wooden fence "I bet you cant even lift that weapon... Aren' I right lads?" A chorus of cheers erupted from the hunters, as well as from the few townsfolk who had stopped to watch.
Kitt merely grinned and motioned to the wide leather belt with a brass buckle that the man wore proudly around his waist "That fine belt says I can hit that farthest target... Or are you worried that you're gonna lose to a kid?"
-
Korius was exceptionally angered at Talin for breaking his silence of thought and planning. His Ki flared up, his eyes glowing, and the mug exploded, while Korius threw a punch to the side and sent Talin against the wall at the end of the bar. He merely sighed afterward and dumped a pile of Shims onto the counter before leaving, "Sorry for the mess." Korius then went out into the streets in the market square, and merely bought food from stalls of anything that seemed to suit his fancy. While out, he noticed White and Kiana in the vicinity, with Kitt seeming to be placing a bet with a man. Well, in Vorona, 15 is considered a child's entrance into manhood, though he might not actually count...
-
Kiana spotted Korius exit the Inn as she was slowly walking up the street. By the look on his face, she suspected something was up so she casually moved down the street toward the Inn. When she got inside, she looked around and spotted Talin on the floor at the end of the bar. She quickly moved toward him and knelt down by him. "Are you alright?" She asked as she looked Talin over. "What the heck happened?" She was angry because she knew that it was Korius who had done it, but she wanted to know the reasoning for what he did.
-
*The wolf jumped at the loud slamming noise of wood quivering from Korius quarreling with Talin inside the nearby bar* "Dammit, can he ever just stop being violent for a long period of time or at least use it on enemies or even just criminals? I swear he's just looking for a reason to find something to get angry towards since he can't output his frustration with any proper catalyst upon that Lester fellow that we ran into previously just because he wouldn't tell him about some visions. Last time I checked visions or puzzles were our own problems, if anything from dealing with Vo back in that village, everything was a puzzle box mystery that only we could solve. I don't know if he's capable of interpreting his own predictions for future events, but he's going to have to figure it out if Lester can't help him and that's just how it's gonna be."
*White watched Korius emerge from the bar and just shook his head* "Just thinking about solutions, solutions, solutions doesn't help because he can't make an answer, he has to make a contusion. Whether or not it be hypothetically speaking or on the innocent bystander's arm that was curious about his fellow companion. Maybe he's just oblivious that we all suffer on this long and enduring quest in one way or another!" *He angrily blunted his hand into the back wall that he leaned up against in the midst of his anger and for a moment felt his hand go numb with a small bit of a crackling noise then the pain seeped in* "AGH! That hurts." *White bit his own lip with a hint of moisture in the corner of his eyes as he tried to hide his foolish action from Kiana and then Korius as well when the wolf noticed that he was looking at him and her in the marketplace* "Crap I hope Korius didn't see that."
*He hid his hand behind his back and smiled like nothing happened with an awkward toothy grin as the only thing keeping himself from yelping were the canine teeth in his maw gritting upon his opposing set of lower teeth so the pain was distracted from his paw* "I don't think I could have broken it, I probably didn't try to hit the wall THAT hard..."
-
Talin was still for the entire time Korius remained in the bar, and then let himself relax. I can't tell whats more of a surprise: that he made a mug explode without touching it, or me surviving a punch with that much force behind it. He then realized Kiana was over him, and made little noise as he got upright. "I thought he was brooding too much on what happened three days ago, so I got him something to drink. How I'm still alive after that punch, I really don't know."
-
Drevo walked along, sake suspended on a rope over his shoulder. He sipped from a small cup, drinking the whole thing in one go. "Aaaaah....Now that. Is the good stuff." he said as he walked on. He found himself stumbling along when he heard his name called from behind him. Turning, he pulled the bottle of sake up a little over his shoulder, just enough to pour himself another glass with surprising precision. "Huh?" he mumbled. A group of four of men were walking towards him, one noticeably smaller than the other three much larger men. Drevo instantly recognized them as a shady group of thugs which had loaned him the carriage. Which Valius had kindly broke. Swiftly Drevo turned back around making as if he didn't see them and casually walked away. "Drevo!" shouted the shorter, angry man. This prompted Drevo to walk faster, slipping into a nearby alleyway. He took another drink of his sake and hastily walked down said alley, the group of men following suit. Though by the time they had shown up he was already running. However another group of men cut him off ahead.
-
The hunter glanced distractedly over at Korius before turning his attention back to the young feline "Well a bet is a bet lad... but what are you going to put in for your side?" Kitt drew the two long blades from their respective sheaths at his thighs and, with a show-off twirl, stuck them into the wooden fence with a thunk "Fine steel, nice and sharp too... Well worth that fancy belt you got..." The hunter looked over his shoulder to his comrades and then laughed, pulling out his bow "The lad has spirit alright! 'Ere, I'l take the first shot, show you how the professional do it!"
On the second shot an arrow struck home on the furthest target. The hunter had a confident grin on his face "Those knives are as good as mine lad, no way your hitting the target in less than two shots at that distance..." Kitt shrugged and loaded a bolt into his crossbow, only to be stopped forcefully as he raised it to shoulder height "What do y' think yer doin' lad? You gotta use the same bow as me!" The hunter pushed his longbow and two arrows into Kitt's hands "Hah! You thought I'd let you use that fancy crossbow of yours? Lets see you hit it now!"
A few minutes later Kitt caught up with Korius, adjusting the leather belt around his waist and admiring the intricate buckle. He grinned and pulled up his hood "Not really fair, seeing as I've been training with a bow since I was five... Still... nice belt."
-
Korius couldn't help but smirk a little for the first time in the last 3 days, and patted the kids head, "Already hustling people's money? Best keep you away from Drevo, or else you're going to become an alcoholic soon, too." He continued to survey the town, No sign of Elistro ever coming by here, or even passing by. That bastard must have turned off east or west away from here, but why? He's riding with a purpose, but he's not as direct this time. There must be an alternate objective. Off in the distance, near the horizon, he spotted a silhouette, gracefully seeming to float across the line. The Ki in his body seemed to pulse in his chest, his eyes pulsing the red glow, and his head seemed to sting, bringing in another vision from someone else's life. This time, it showed a clash between himself and a cloaked figure who wielded two enormous blades. After locking swords with the figure, the force blew the hood off, revealing a very sickly looking rabbit-Kin.
-
Kiana stood up when Talin did and shook her head at what he told her. "I don't understand what his problem is now. I mean, I know that he's having odd visions, but it's no reason to take out his frustration on us." She said as she looked toward the door of the Inn. "But I'm glad you're okay after that kind of a hit." She looked at Talin then toward the door again. "Well, I'm going to go back out and walk around." Walking to the door, she exited the Inn and started walking through the streets of the town.
-
*White stood there for a bit while Talin was talking about what happened and decided to take the opportunity to escape from being seen with his injury and decided to go do what he usually does when wanting to hide* "Time to find an alley to lay low in while Kiana is distracted with Talin and Korius. I can heal this hand of mine and then go browse about this place. Maybe I'll find something interesting for once like a knife shop... ohh I wonder if they have any of those cool throwing knives. A wolf can dream." *Absent-mindedly he clutched his injured paw with his other and screeched in pain under his breath* "Dammit I hate my own stupidity.
*The healer looked up to see a dark area inbetween two marketplace buildings with some wooden pallets and trash littering the ground after much walking along* "Oh good, I can finally get this hand taken care of." *He walked inside the shade and sat down on one of the wooden pallets while using some majicka on his hand with his other hand* "Crap I really am fragile, I did crack the bone all the way to the bottom of my pinkie. This is why I'm not a fighter." *He sighed as the bone formed back to one piece and he got up from his temporary seat to finally look from where he came, seeing a bunch of kids watching him from the entrance* "Uhh.. can I help you in some way?" *He looked puzzled at them and then as he took a step forward, they ran off quickly* "Well that was shortlived, I hope they won't cause trouble. Besides, who's going to believe a bunch of children that a man just stared at his hand until it was all better?" *White chuckled as he departed from the alley and back into the general marketplace*
-
Having been cut off Drevo noticed a smaller alleyway to his left which was void of thugs wanting his blood. He bolted down the alleyway and came out into the marketplace, nearly bowling over White. "White! UHM...RUN!" he said as he bolted away from him. The thugs poured from the alleyway after him as he ran into another alleyway. He didn't want to cause too much of a mess. As he went into the alley he was cut off again, though this time he jumped up the walls onto a building. After barely making it to the top he mused at his ninja like moves and took another drink of his sake.
-
Kitt grinned as Korius patted him on the head, looking up at him from under his hood with a strange sense of pride and belonging. The grin only grew wider as Drevo suddenly emerged from one alley, thuggish men close on his tail, and then disappeared into another alleyway. Kitt looked back up to Korius and smirked "Better keep me away from Drevo for more reasons than just the drinking."
He drew his sword and gave it a twirl and couple of slashes before running his thumb down the blade "Useful thing a Ranger blade... Never dulls, lightweight, and each one is made for one Ranger..." Glancing up at Korius a brief look of apprehension flashed through his eyes "Korius... The barman who was at the last town we visited, he was my Grandfater." He glanced over at White and then back to Korius "He told me to keep searching for my mother, his daughter, and gave me this..." With one hand he reached under his cloak and tunic, pulling out the small chain and clan Esha symbol "I probably should have told you then..."
-
Korius snapped to just before Kitt started talking to him about the barkeep from two towns prior, "Yea, I know. He carried the seal of a Knight of Gaia Captain alongside the pendant of your clan. Your grandfather was the 2nd Ranger in history that had ever made the rank of Captain of the Knights of Gaia. Now if you'll excuse me." Korius was distracted and headed for the outskirts, "Let the others know we may be staying here for a while." Within seconds, he was out of the town and searching left and right, catching small glimpses of the shadow from time to time, and following it. Finally, as the sun slowly dropped under the horizon, the shadow stopped and formed a dark figure, Korius stopping right before it, holding onto Valia's handle. "Korius Lambent. Parentless child, raised in the Jiang Yung Monastery in southeastern Vorona. A martial arts prodigy and righteous man who gained the title of youngest Captain of the Knights of Gaia. 2 years later, became the youngest Guardian's Personal Guard to Lady Koara Uzima, the Wolf Guardian. After the Betrayal, you and your mentor, Valius Rampart, went your separate ways, but keeping Koara's last will in leading the destined Heroes of Fate to free Gaia from the vicegrip of the remaining Guardians. You may release your weapon, you will not be needing it." Korius let go of the handle, but kept himself fully alert. "You are Her, aren't you?" The figure took off its hood, revealing a very attractive-looking cat-Kin. "Indeed. I am Soria Daywind Xing. I have been waiting for you to arrive here, though I wish our meeting be of a less dire situation. I had not planned on coming before so early, but we are out of time. You must have noticed already, haven't you?" "Yes. No bounties for our heads, no hunters or guards or parties of any kind. Even Elistro is no longer on his post and rampaging throughout Celestia. Kyzen is up to something, but I can't figure out what." "There is something indeed happening. Have you heard of the legend of the Blood Circle?" Korius' face showed actual terror, "How can-?" "It's very much real, and by no means impossible. I've looked into it, and nearly got caught. Apparently, Kyzen chose his allies and gave them territories according to a plan that he hatched well before the Betrayal. He knew that someone would rise up against them eventually, and made it so that the power difference between Guardians were significant to measure. He knew of the Heroes of Fate, and he knew they would need to get stronger and had to kill them in a certain order to get stronger without dying. All the Guardians are just pawns to him. I will help restore your Ki, but to prevent the darkness from taking over, will put your life at risk. You may not be strong enough." Korius drew out Valia, "I'm strong enough to take YOU." Soria merely raised a hand and a flash came from it knocking Valia right out of Korius' hands, landing blade-down several feet behind him.
-
While Kiana was roaming around, she spotted Korius heading out of the town. The urge to follow him was quite strong but she made herself resist, believing that whatever he was going to do he needed to do alone. She felt like she needed to sit alone for a while so she walked toward a building standing on the edge of town, not to find Korius but to find a good spot to think. Using her majicka, she lifted herself with the earth and jumped onto the roof as she had the section of ground go back to normal. She sat in the center of the flat roof, used her majicka to lift a section of stone to make a backrest, then adjusted her legs to sit Indian-style. Closing her eyes, she released the barriers in her mind and let all of her thoughts flow through. Along with those thoughts came several emotions and, as much as she wanted to, she didn't block the emotions from coming. It didn't take long for tears to start running out of her closed eyes, but she didn't make any sound or move, she just let them run and began to let it all go.
-
*White turned around at the sound of speeding footsteps just in time to see a blur of Drevo and then his words fading away in the distance* "White! UHM...RUN!" *He turned his head around again to see three large and one small rather unfavorable looking people running in his direction as well* "Oh shit! Drevo what the hell have you done this time?!" *The wolf tried to follow Drevo until he saw him jump onto the building ahead from the wall in the next alleyway* "Dammit I'm a healer, not a ninja!" *The wolf looked around and saw an unused stack of crates then climbed them with difficulty until managing to reach the rooftop* "I hate climbing." *He growled and looked behind him to see the four men gathering in the plaza and looking upwards at him, he also then looked down to finally notice how far he was from the ground* "Oh gaia! I'm afraid of heights, please don't let there be strong winds up here or badly placed shingles." *He looked towards at Drevo who was drinking sake further along the rooftop* "What the hell is going on? We better get moving because I'm sure they saw me climb up here, COME ON!" *He put his hand on the wolf's shoulder with a hidden grin*
"And just in case we're not fast enough together, I'll make it a lot harder for them to do much of anything when and if they manage to catch up to us. Hehehe." *The healer cast a camouflage appearance to make what is seen to mimic the background* "Our only appearance will be the sunlight reflecting on the top of this barrier, not to mention the shadow of the barrier being still evident." *Droplets of sweat began to form on his head as he thought about the last time he was almost captured by bounty hunters* "That's not about to happen again."
-
Talin had stayed inside the inn as everyone else had left, going back to the bartender and apologized for making a mess. The bartender only laughed and pointed to a mop and bucket. He was going to throw a punch before he saw Elistra flash before his eyes, sitting on a stool just next a few inches from where he planned to swing. He let out a rather audible sigh and went to go clean up 'his' mess. When he finished, a waitress came over with a meal of medium-rare meat with some fruit on the side, saying it was on the house. He thanked the waitress before putting the mop and bucket back where it was, then sat down to have his own private dinner.
-
"Oh, hey, White." he said, surprised to see White get up there with him. "Relax, I can-...Okay. Let's go." He was about to say he could fight them but forgot his weapon was being worked on and not with him. The next thing he did not expect was to go invisible. "That makes things easier..." he said. As he finished a couple of the thugs burst through a door on the roof. Drevo gave White a piggy back ride and ran towards the next building. Running, he jumped onto the next roof. The thugs looked but were confused, passing it off as the wind. After a few more jumps across roofs he stopped and set white down and took another drink of his sake. "Phew...Coast looks clear. Good job!" he said with a pat on White's back.
-
Kitt looked confused as Korius left and the message he had to relay, "But wait, I-! Aww, darn it." Kitt sighed and walked back to the inn with his head in a slump, feeling like an errand boy. While he did, he played with Evellyn, stroking her head as he walked. At the inn, he found Talin sitting there and no one else, so he sat on a stool next to Talin and asked for some water. "So what happened to you?"
Korius growled and drew the katana, expelling some of his Ki and took powerful slashes. Soria merely dodged each one with ease, and hopped back. While she was in midair, Korius glowed, Killing Slash: Final Style- Soria then vanished just a split second before he executed the technique into black smoke and reappeared behind him. She placed a hand on his back, weaved right in-between his slashes that protected his rear and another flash of light sending him onto his face a few feet forward. "Now shut up and listen." Korius rose from his spot and sheathed the katana, tossing it aside, and removed the twin sai holster, laying it beside the sword. His fur stuck straight out as he allowed his full Ki to release, his eyes glowing the bloody, crimson red and bore his claws, which glowed a bright red. Korius then lunged right at Soria, slashing and kicking, each attack avoided or blocked. She still wasn't trying, and it just infuriated him more. Korius then sped up, near disappearing as he circled around her to attack, which she followed in kind. Finally, after a few more seconds of attacks from Korius, Soria finally got behind him and placed a hand on the back of his neck and rammed his face into the ground and another large flash of white light filled the immediate area and Korius was down for the count. "You men are really annoying."
-
Kiana cried herself out on the roof of that building on the edge of town without making a single sound and just letting it run out through her tears. After she was done crying, she wiped her eyes and cheeks with the sleeve of her cloak. When her face was dried, she got up then climbed onto the backrest she had made. She then began practicing moves with her staff while balancing on the one foot long, two-inch wide backrest of stone, the top being three feet higher than the actual roof. Her movements were slow, smooth, and graceful like the crying had cleared out her mind and gave her better focus.
-
*White nearly wanted to scream when him and Drevo jumped across the rooftops and then they stopped eventually frowning upon the pat on the back and thanks of good work* "Why is it everytime I go to be in private in an alley, you show up somehow? More importantly, who the hell were those thugs and why are they chasing after you? What have you gotten yourself in to?" *He turned off the invisibility shield since he felt safe for the moment and wanted to conserve majicka* "I've been working on this shield idea for a long time, but it's still noticeable if you look hard enough, I'm trying to perfect it still in what free private moments I can find. I wish I knew how to jump like you do or run though unfortunately I take it that's part of the bag of ninja tricks though. Being the slowest runner on this team really sucks for things like this, I'm a walking kidnapping hazard!" *He then looked down at the sake in his companion's hands still, pointing at it questioningly* "...And how much of that have you had?"
-
Talin looked up at Kitt as he wiped some fruit juice off his lips. "Tried to get Korius to open up with a pint, got a possible rib fracture. After that, I cleaned up his mess and was given a meal to compensate for the wasted drink and labor." He kept his eyes on Kitt, yet made sure that he was still eating enough food in case they did a three to four day travel.
-
Drevo took another drink of sake before beginning to answer White's questions. "Dumb luck maybe. UHM...They were loan sharks. I got a carriage from them awhile back. When I met up with this...Motley crew of heroes...Valius kindly destroyed it for me. And I didn't exactly have it paid off. And now that I'm saving the world I don't exactly run into loads of money. Buuut even if I did have the money, I still think they want my head now. As for the sake...*Hicup* Not enough. I need to get more before we leave." he explained as he went to lie down. He did so right on the roof, not much caring where it was he laid down.
-
Kitt chuckled a little, "And that's why I don't go near him when he's in a bad mood. You should know by now to never try to 'cheer' him up. It just comes back to bite you in the butt. Or at least, that's what Rangers teach about being near dragons. Where is everyone else? Korius wanted me to tell everyone that he wasn't coming back tonight, and that we might have to stay here a bit longer than expected."
Korius awoke not much longer after the incident and found himself bound in scriptural scrolls. "What the hell is this?" Soria's figure loomed over him, sitting on a branch and watching him, her raised right hand glowing a brilliant white. "Your training. Until you learn to conquer your darkness, you will be bound and disabled. The scriptures I've sealed you in are unbreakable, and will only release you when you've conquered your dark Ki and convert it into normal Ki, REAL Ki. Also, during your incarceration, you will neither be fed nor given any water." Korius growled and his eyes glowed again, but they disappeared as the scrolls glowed and tightened around Korius, dislocating his left shoulder. "Oh, and if you expel or try to use any dark Ki, the scriptures will tighten their hold on you. Like I said before we don't have any time. Either force yourself to unlock your full power, or die trying."
-
After practicing her slow movements and balance, she sped the routine up for a couple minutes then did a flip so that she landed on the regular rooftop. She then turned to the backrest pillar and began punching it repeatedly until it crumbled to lay in pieces on the rooftop. Walking to the edge of the roof, she let herself drop off the edge, digging her fingers into the wall of stone as she slid and landing lightly on the ground. She walked a little ways away from the building so she was a little further away from the edge of town. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her majicka then exhaled before releasing it in the form of a rock-target in the open area. She brought up a large rock and threw it at the target while simultaneously bringing up another target in a random position (meaning that she wasn't paying attention to where she had it pop up). She continued on with the practice, taking out a target while bringing up another somewhere else then moving to that next target.
-
"...He's buzzed. Great, so now if those thugs find us again and he's in a drunken stupor we'll be in big trouble! And..." *The wolf walked over to the edge of the rooftop to look down at the ground below inbetween the building and the next one* "I can't get down from this building, there's no way without ninja skill." *He frowned at his "savior" laying down with his drink* "Ngggh... I'm stuck up here until Drevo wants to leave." *He sighed silently and sat down taking out another book to read, competing with the glare of the sunlight without shade* "I hate overexposure to sunlight, it gets really hot and white paper doesn't fair well against white light." *He turned his back to the sun and bent his head down to read the font on the pages*
-
"Kiana left to probably inflict some form of pain upon Korius, White is being... White. Drevo is probably having a moment of reflection. As far as bad moods go, you can't compare Korius to a dragon." He stopped eating, leaving a drumstick of chicken, an apple, and three berries. "You can have some, Kitt I got it for free. I don't have to keep up a half-dragon body, so a plate is good enough for me."
-
Drevo soon nodded off as he laid down. He was resting on the palm of his hand laying on his side. His hat was tipped over his face and he wasn't snoring so it was hard to tell he was sleeping at all. He didn't dream, however, it was just all black. As he slept he kinda tipped forward a bit and pulled himself back up. His bottle of sake was almost half full, resting in front of him.
-
Kitt took the food happily, "Thanks!" He chomped down into the drumstick and then to the fruits. Evellyn squawked a little for some food and almost pecked at Kitt's head. Kitt laughed as he picked off a morsel of meat off of the bone of what's left of the drumstick. Evellyn took the meat and ate it happily, but then eyed Kitt again, wanting more to eat.
-
*The wolf turned as he heard Drevo settle in a bit, becoming motionless with his hat down* "Hmm... I wonder how keen those senses are when he sleeps with the help of a drink?" *He grinned with an evil idea* "He doesn't need alcohol anyways, nobody does. It probably only helps make me a little richer because of all the people that get injured from alcohol related incidents that I have to fix when they fall on my doorstep. Been a long time since I've had to deal with a drunkard though." *He tip toed his way across until he got next to the bottle of sake by the sleeping wolf and carefully picked it up slowly*
-
Talin thumped the bird on the beak with his index finger while it was focused on Kitt. "If you're that hungry, go find some rats or mice to go eat. I only offered your owner a meal and nobody else." His hand then went right to his head as he grunted in pain. He couldn't figure out what the source of his sudden headache was, but figured it either had something to do with his recent regression or his ancestor messing with the magic he stored in Talin's body. Then again, it could just be his lack of hydration, but he felt better if he blamed someone besides himself.
-
Drevo woke and snatched up his bottle of sake and stood up to face White. "Oh! Trying to take some for yourself, eh? Go on! Drink up! There's still plenty left!" he said pouring a glass and holding it to White muzzle as he had his other arm over his shoulders. "It's good stuff. Go on. Take a drink..." he continued. He sounded sinister when he said "Take a drink" almost sounding as if he'd hurt him if he didn't.
-
Evellyn did not like being thumped on the beak and took the opportunity of Talin's little headache and nipped two of his fingers, making them bleed. She clicked her beak at him in anger and enjoyed her time with Kitt, begging for some more food. Kitt sighed as he finished his fruit and peeled off what little was left on the drumstick and gave it to her.
Korius dodged attack after attack from Soria, while trying to counter her with several kicks and even some shockwave ones with a little bit of his Ki. "You idiot. If you don't even start trying, you'll never hit me, and you'll never be freed from the bindings."
-
Kiana practiced using her makeshift rock targets for hours right into the middle of the night. When she stopped, she wondered why Korius hadn't come back yet and was worried about him. She walked back to the building that she had been on earlier at the edge of town. When she got to it, she paced back in forth in front of it for about 15 minutes, thinking about what Korius could be up to and hoping he was okay. After that, she walked over to the building and sat down with her back against the wall of it, facing away from town. Slowly, she fell asleep as she sat there.
-
"Shit, he caught me." *He looked at the drink not feeling confident and glaring at Drevo, with a sweat drop going down the side of his face* "...You keep glasses too for special occasions...?" *He shook his head not wanting to think about that* "I don't drink alcohol, I was trying to take it from you... which didn't work out so well. Whenever I drink, I get too unpredictable and I don't remember anything, bad stories I've heard so I don't think it's a good idea. So I'm gonna have to say no thank you, you'd have to quicker force me to drink." *He put his hand up in rejection*
-
Several images flashed through Talin's mind as he saw the bird draw blood from his fingers. Two were explicit results of him simply crushing the bird in his hands, one was him making the bird explode by using Chronin's magic, and the last one was him grabbing the bird and throwing him into the nearest closed window. Such images kept him from actually acting on those impulses, and he simply forced a smile. "Exactly what use are you going to get, out of this winged rat?"
-
The thought of forcing White to drink some sake had run through Drevo's mind. His altered state had thought it would be quite humorous to see White drunk. "Come on, live a little! You know I can make you drink. One way or anotheeer. Haha! Come on. One drink. Next time I get fatally injured you don't have to heal me. Deal?" Again he held the glass to White, his grip getting tighter around his shoulder. He still kept a smile on his face trying to butter him up.
-
Kitt frowned at the Evellyn and ate the last piece of chicken himself. The falcon clicked her beak and shuffled where she stood on the table, tucking her head under her wing in what could only be described as embarrassment. Still frowning, Kitt glanced up at Talin "She was given to me by a friend. Her previous owner didn't exactly treat his birds well, so I feel it right to raise her well myself."
He paused, standing up and holding out one gloved hand for Evellyn to sit on. The bird glared up at him with one beady eye, before finally hopping onto the proffered hand. Kitt stroked her feathered wing softly and looked back to Talin "As to what I expect to get out of her? A bit of a nuisance, but a companion... That and maybe I can teach her to catch rabbits for us." He grinned at the last part and pulled up his hood "Thanks for the meal anyway Talin..."
-
He nodded at Kitt, then yawned as the waitress came back. It was either his passive paranoia, or his somewhat trained ability of reading someone's intent, but he was sure that the waitress wanted to spend the night with him for reasons beyond his current understanding. "Sorry, I'm already taken, and she won't let me live when she gets wind of it." The waitress wanted to make it more of an 'if', then Talin got up out of his seat and was going to slap her. He stopped the moment she cringed, and let down his hand with a growl. "I'll be going to my room now..."
-
"Drevo even if I did accept that offer, I couldn't possibly ignore an injured teammate. Since letting you die would also lead to my death as well, I need someone else to take arrows through the chest so I can keep living." *He grinned and took the drink* "Just kidding, but if I drink this, you have to promise not to hurt me for trying to steal your drink." *He sipped it and put the whole concoction in his mouth, not swallowing* "Hopefully he's too drunk to see me hiding most of it without finishing it... but hopefully I get an opportunity to get rid of it before having to ingest it... otherwise I won't remember if I did or not soon. And then I'm going to have to piece together what happened again.. oh I don't want to think about that." *The wolf gestured to his empty glass and gave a thumbs up in silence*
-
Drevo chuckled at White's comment. "That's sweet, White. I didn't know you cared." he said looking off. When White took the glass he looked back to see him drink it. "Woo! Go White! Finally. I thought I might have had to trip you and force it down your throat! Ahahaha! I'm glad that wasn't the case." he said merrily. "Here, have another! You looked like you enjoyed it..." he said pouring some more into his glass. Drevo was getting to the point of falling over at this point, putting more of his weight on White. He fell completely limp for a moment but caught himself almost instantly. He probably wouldn't notice at this point if he would spit out his drink, though he knew he didn't drink his first one.
-
Kitt grinned slyly and leaned with one hand on the table, the other resting on the hilt of his sword "Hey girl, I'm not taken... Whadya say?" The waitress frowned at him and walked away with a huff and a thoroughly peeved flick of the tail. Kitt merely winked at Talin "I'm going to bed too. If that foxy waitress comes by, tell her to stop at my room..." He grinned childishly and walked off towards the stairs of the Inn, snorting with laughter as the waitress walked past him with a seething scowl...
-
The flashes of light lit portions of the thick forested area as Korius fought with Soria. "Come on, you pathetic excuse for a man! You always talk big, about how much better you are against women! Look at you now! I'm a woman, and I'm wiping the forest with your sorry ass! Come at me with everything! Valius definitely wasted his time on you. He died in vain on every prospect of the word!" Korius' anger fumed as his eyes glowed again, but he was stopped again as the scriptures constraining him tightened once again, cracking two of his ribs. He roared as he hit the ground.
-
After about half an hour of sleep, Kiana quickly awoke as if someone had shaken her or a loud sound had gone off right next to her. She looked around her as she sat against the wall of the building and thought she saw a flash of light in the distance. Somehow she got the feeling that that was Korius doing whatever it was that he was doing. Part of her wanted to run to that spot to make sure that he was okay but another part of her told her that he needed to do whatever it was on his own and that there was nothing she could do to help him.
-
*Absent-mindedly the wolf gulped the first drink looking at the glass in horror and then with double horror realizing he drank the poison* "I hate you so much right now, you have no idea." *He took the 2nd drink and drank it* "Well it doesn't mat-ter now...hic. I told yu'hoo I was a lie-ite weight." *He fell over* "Sl-leep through it I 'av to." *Sleep took the lightweight within seconds of the follow up glass and he snored not far from Drevo; He dreamed of food falling from the sky on the rooftop as if he had never fallen asleep, the events of Drevo trying to get him to drink fell away and only his desires remained, all the bad things had seemingly disappeared. For the time being*
-
Drevo laughed aloud when White fell asleep. He said something incoherently and his fun came to an end when he too fell over. He and White just crashed on the roof, though Drevo fell he made sure his bottle of sake safely hit the roof in an upright position. Sprawled out on the roof he began to snore as he fell fast asleep, this time deep enough to not notice things that might be around him.
-
Korius continued to train throughout the night with Soria, unable to even scratch her. By morning twilight, he strained himself to the point of exhaustion. Korius collapsed onto the ground, frustrated, but too weak to go on. Soria stood right in front of him and closed his eyes, "Get some rest, now. I'll head into town, I have some errands to run." She turned and walked out, leaving Korius laying there by himself. Her eyes gazed to her destination, the town, and held tight to her satchel. She needed to give news and certain items to the party, and they weren't all good.
-
Kiana never did fall back asleep that night. Instead, she ended up staring off into the distance for the rest of the night and into the morning. She didn't know why she hadn't just gone back to the Inn after she had woken up, she had just felt like she should wait there just in case. Keeping her eyes focused on the area where she had seen the flash of light in the distance, she waited for something else to happen or for someone, hopefully Korius, to show up. Her hands tightened around her staff that she had laying across her legs, ready for a fight if the need arose.
-
*The wolf awoke in the morning with feelings of regret and dissatisfaction combined with a huge headache* "I hate drinking, nothing good ever comes of it ." *He looked over at Drevo's supply of sake laying next to him* "This time it's going, nobody needs to drink that crap!" *He got up angrily on the roof and grabbed the bottle of sake, looking at it and then down to Drevo* "...I'm not sure if he'll try to hurt me though if he finds out." *The sunlight started to shine through the buildings on the horizon and it met his eyes with a small hiss* "Sunlight is bad for tired eyes." *White set the sake back down and looked around for a way to get off the roof* "I need to get down... and not just because I want to get to shade, but because I really really have to go to bathroom." *He looked back at Drevo again* "Surely that alcohol will keep him asleep for a long time now, I have to find a way down by myself probably." *He whimpered when looking at the distance to the ground below*
-
Talin got out of bed the moment he woke up, getting his outer clothes and boots on as the double volge floated over and attached itself to his back. Despite being sober for more than four days now, he could only gather enough brainpower to groan as he opened the door and went down to the inn's tavern, where the same waitress greeted him with a broom held as if to either dust the walls or beat off trouble-makers.
Talin apparently fell into such a category as she whapped him across the muzzle with the whiskers before he could even register that she was even there.
-
Drevo shot up the next morning, looking as if he had a bad dream. He looked at his bottle of sake, it was still there. "Phew..." he muttered. Looking around he saw White already up and about. Drevo stood up taking his sake with him. He took a small swig to soothe his hangover before taking hold of what White was trying to do. "You trying to get down?" he asked walking up behind him. "Just jump to the next roof."
-
With a wide yawn and a languid stretch Kitt sat up and pushed the covers of his bed back. Evellyn glanced up at him from where she sat on the bedpost and clicked her beak expectantly, Kitt merely stroked her head as he passed and started to get dressed...
As he walked downstairs Kitt caught sight of the waitress catching Talin a swipe with her broom across the muzzle. His grin immediately disappeared as she turned on him, brandishing her broom like a sword. Kitt sidestepped the first swipe and then ran, waitress hot on his heels, broom now aimed for his head. "Get out you troublemaker!" she shouted after the feline as he escaped through the Inn door, grinning cheekily over his shoulder at her. The waitress huffed a loud sigh and went back to sweeping the tavern floor. Kitt sat on a low wall near the tavern and stroked Evellyn, letting her fly off into the sky and circle the village...
-
Soria entered the town, heading straight for the inn. Her senses, being as open as it always is, she knew where Kiana was before she even reached the town gate, but she kept on, knowing that they all would return to the inn, anyways. In the sunlight, her black outfit glistened at the gold lacings that fastened the whole thing together. Her hair was long and black, and her fur was darker than her outfit. She wore traditional Voronese martial artist shoes, and her steps were completely silent, despite her pace of walking. She saw Kitt sitting on the nearby low wall and called him in before walking inside herself, "Young Szarda, I recommend you coming inside. I have important news for your party, particularly concerning your leader."
-
As Kiana watched the area out in front of her, she scowled when she saw a female come into view from the direction that she had seen the flash come from. She watched the woman walk toward the town until she disappeared after going through the gate. If she hadn't been smart, she probably would have ended up breaking her staff in half with how hard she was gripping it with both of her hands at separate spots. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she got up from her spot then let out a groan since her back and legs were feeling pretty stiff. She stretched up onto her toes and stretched her arms over her head then relaxed herself into a normal standing position. Waiting a moment, she finally forced herself to go into town, particularly toward the Inn since she was pretty hungry.
-
"You idiot I can't jump that far, I'm not a damn ninja! Why do you think I stayed up here all night long?! I can't go anywhere without you helping me down from here. Not only that now there's thugs that want your head and now that they've seen me with you they'll probably think I should share the same fate." *He clenched his fists and tried really hard not to take a swing at Drevo in frustration* "Just... please let me down off this building. I won't even tell Korius about your little problem." "That is as long as we don't meet up with those people again, because then I'd like to see him get out of that situation without answering..."
-
Talin sat backwards in a chair, his arms resting on the back of it. He surveyed over the bar, wondering why nobody from the group was in here besides himself. Talin could vaguely feel the waitress giving him the stink eye, but he had more pressing issues to tend to. If this was how she was going to treat you, I would've gotten it over and done with. Like I'm taking advice from the person who killed hundreds over a single grievance...
-
"Okay, okay. Calm down, White." Drevo said waving his hands a bit. He sensed his frustration and wanted to get him down before he ended up on the wrong side of his healing magic. He took a few steps and ran for the next roof. He grabbed White along the way and jumped with him. It wasn't a huge gap and the lower elevation of the next building helped. He continued running along the roof of the current building gaining momentum for the next one. Drevo jumped for it and barely landed on the ledge. He shoved White to ensure he got on though he lost his footing. It was still early and he was groggy with a hangover. He fell over the side managing to hold onto the edge barely. Though his grip soon failed him and he fell into the alley below. Luckily several clothes lines, an awning and crates below them broke his fall. He laid there in pain not deciding on moving. Hopefully White would come to check on him. The roof he was on had a door on the top, crazily enough it was the inn he was planning to go to to find the others.
-
Kitt glanced over at Soria and got up, stretching again and holding out his arm. He whistled and Evellyn fluttered down, landing smoothly on the proffered hand and nipping his finger affectionately as Kitt turned to walk back into the Inn... Hopefully breakfast was ready by now...
Stomach growling, Kitt entered the Inn and sat down near Talin. Drawing his repeater crossbow he laid it across his lap and pulled out a cloth and beeswax, continuing to tend to the weapon meticulously, just as his father had taught him. Evellyn sat on Kitt's shoulder, beady eye watching Soria curiously.
-
Soria walked up to the bar, dropping money onto the innkeeper's table, "Food and provisions that the group needs. We're expecting three more, so make it quick. Whatever food you can muster." She went over to where Kitt was and ran a finger along the top of the bird's head, though it barely even touched. Evellyn quivered and shrunk back, afraid of Soria, her animal instincts telling her to stay still and the cat might go away. "A fine bird you have, child. Though a bit young and naive, it will serve you well yet. I will save what information need be divulged when everyone arrives, and it feels that their all close."
-
Kiana weaved her way through alleys until she got to the street that the Inn was on. When she arrived at the Inn, she looked through the window and saw the woman from before standing by Kitt. She moved over to the door and stood there with her hand on the handle of it for a moment then yanked the door open then entered the Inn. The door didn't exactly close gently behind her but she didn't care as she moved to lean against the wall with her arms crossed. She looked at Soria with displeasure. "So what is it you want exactly?" She questioned, her unhappiness was quite apparent.
-
"Great... he hurt himself again. But you know what, I don't care for these few seconds I'm getting down from this roof and going to a bathroom." *White looked over the front of the building, noticing it was their hotel* "Oh good, this is probably the best roof to land on." *He noticed a small terrace down below that was in survivable reach* "Well I'm not going to waste any time, as much as I hate to admit right now I don't want to keep Drevo waiting forever either." *He hopped down onto the terrace discovering it was part of one of the rooms* "Alright... I just hope nobody is in here." *He quietly crept into the room looking around slowly*
-
Talin watched Kitt walk in with a woman in somewhat flashy monk clothes. His gaze drifted right towards the monk as Kitt sat next to him. "From what I'm hearing, it seems you know where our 'leader' is. If he caused you any issues, then I'm sorry for trying to cheer him up." Talin's arms tensed as he could sense a feeling similar to Evellyn's, but is more inclined to attack rather than flee.
-
Kitt remained tending to his crossbow, checking the string for wear or tear and polishing the wood stock until it had returned to its maple hue. Finally he glanced up at Soria and ran his own hand through Evellyn's feathers, fingers stroking them smooth in an almost motherly way. The falcon blinked twice and stretched her wings with an expansive gesture, shuffling away from Soria across Kitt's shoulder. Still remaining silent he pulled back his hood and slung his crossbow back over his shoulder, eyes looking Soria up and down curiously...
-
Soria's demure was worse than Kiana's, but she kept it under wraps, merely giving a slight glare instead, "Stifle yourself, Earth manipulator. We'll get to it once the last two get here. Your little drunkard friends are stumbling along, and what I have to say to you all must wait until they arrive because it is for all your ears." She sighed and closed her eyes, sitting down onto one of the seats and using her senses to find exactly where White and Drevo were. "And from the feel of their auras, one is still drunk."
-
Kiana scoffed at Soria telling her to stifle herself. "Whatever." Was the response she gave and then looked upward as she heard a thump. Moving to the door, she exited the Inn then looked up to see some kind of terrace. She didn't see anyone there though so she decided to look around, noticing a few items of clothing laying on the ground at the end of an alley. Walking toward the alley, she noticed some clotheslines torn down, a broken awning, and smashed crates with items strewn all over the ground. It peeked her curiosity so she went toward the broken crates and saw an arm and two legs from her angle of view. She moved a little more quickly towards the broken crates now that she had seen limbs and when she got there she saw that it was Drevo. Stopping, she crossed her arms and scowled as she looked down at him. "You've got to be kidding me..." She said as she looked him over. "Alright, well, we've got some haughty woman who needs to tell us crap, so let's go you." She grabbed him by the collar with her left hand then dragged him behind her out of the alley, having no concern on whether it would hurt him or not. Opening the door to the Inn, she proceeded to drag him inside, sit him in a chair, then go back to leaning against the wall like she had been before with her arms crossed.
-
*Suddenly White heard a scream from the corner of the room* "Get out of here you pervert!" *The wolf turned to see a young lemur gal who was apparently brushing her hair in front of a mirror facing in his direction* "Miss you don't understand I'm just trying to go to the bathroom... that was very improperly constructed." "You're sick! Get out of here right now!" *The girl turned around and threw a shoe at the mage* "Gah! Please don't hurt me." *He ran away, rushing through the door and bolted down the hallway, and tripping on the stairs as he tried to make his way down, tumbling to the bottom* "Ughhh... my head feels worse now." *He struggled to get up*
-
Drevo was dazed from his fall, barely realizing he was being dragged. He vaguely knew it was Kiana up until she set him into a chair. About then he snapped out of his daze and looked around to see everyone else except Korius. "What? What are-...Where...*Shakes his head* What's going on?" He held his head in pain from his hangover. He reached for his sake but couldn't find it which made him get a little unnerved.
-
Kitt looked up at Kiana dragged Drevo into the Inn. Grinning, he stood up and walked over to where White had tumbled down the stairs. With a grunt he helped pull the wolf to his feet, still grinning. Evellyn sat at the table, shuffling her wings nervously, beady eye watching Soria. Kitt glanced over at the bird and held out a hand as he helped White up, Evellyn fluttered over gratefully and sat happily on Kitt's arm...
-
Soria scoffed as she watched Drevo get dragged into the Inn, "So much for the once great society of Voronese Knights." Her demure and face grew a little more dark at the sight of White falling down the stairs and not too far from her, "And not too much from the last remaining White Mage." She sighed and stood up, arms still crossed, "Well, to business. Korius is currently going to be training with me for the time being. The Guardians are up to something, and it's nothing good. I'm forcing Korius to quickly unlock the rest of his power, or die trying. We are running short on time, and we can't afford any more delays. You will continue your journey without him for the time being. But you won't be leaving empty-handed, either. You all must get stronger and faster, as well. So in order to fulfill that, you must go on and take care of the Guardians without your crutch to help you. He's not a Destined one, so if he dies from this, it'll be up to you all." Soria reached under her table and pulled up a bunch of small satchels. She walked around and handed them to Kitt, Drevo, White and Talin. "In each of your satchels, lays both a gift and a cursed item that will affect your personally." Inside Kitt's satchel, there laid what looked like a normal map of central Celestia, Kyzen's territory, and a bloodied and mangled crest of the Szarda clan. "That was your mother's, as is the map. It's your own quest to decipher the message within it." Drevo's contained a folded portrait of his family that was partially burnt and a stained dagger that was rusted. "I'm fairly sure you know who that belongs to. Be patient, he will be yours. Train hard." Talin's contained the wedding gauntlet from the ninja village, all destroyed and mangled, and a small item that seemed to be permanently sealed within scraps of scripts. "I"m sure even an idiot like you can figure out the meaning of that piece of ceremonial armour. The egg is safe. The small item in question, do not use unless you're knocking on death's door." Finally, in White's satchel, there was only one item, a lone Voronese trinket box. "In there is the only existing diamond. It's not pure or flawless, but it will give you enough of a boost to make up for your uselessness." Finally, Soria walked up to Kiana, her face only inches from her's. "Your brother is far from dead, young one. But he's no longer the man you remember that he was. His spirit has been ripped from the netherworld, back to ours'. In order for you to survive the coming trials, you are going to need this." Soria ran a finger on Kiana's shoulder and down her chest, passing on Kiana's breast. Without warning, Soria straightened her hand almost like a chop and ran her fingers into Kiana's stomach. With her other hand, she grasped Kiana's face and a bright flash consumed the room. When the light dissipated, Soria was already walking away from Kiana, "Consider that a gift. You'll find that you should have the ability to start practicing on that necklace without too much risk. However, I recommend not trying to use more than 1% of your power to start with." After exiting, Soria vanished, leaving no trace of any kind.
-
There were so many things that Kiana wanted to snap at Soria with as she spoke but all of those comments remained in her head. "Die trying? I'll give you die trying... Go on without him?! Are you *** crazy?! We can't beat another Guardian without him, we barely beat the last one... If he dies, I'll kill you myself!" Kiana thought to herself, her face moving into a scowl as the thoughts moved through her mind. The scowl remained as she watched Soria give everyone their satchels, having no concern about not being named, and told them what was inside. When Soria came over to her, Kiana remained still and her expression didn't change, even though she hated the woman being that close to her. Hearing Soria speak about her brother, her eyebrows furrowed though she resisted changing her expression with any other way. When Soria touched her, she really wanted to pull away but wasn't able to. When her hand was shoved into her stomach, Kiana couldn't resist bending forward as her breath was knocked out of her then was straightened back up after Soria grasped her face. As soon as the deed was done, Kiana watched as Soria walked away as she spoke and exited the tavern. Anger enveloped Kiana. So much so that she had an extreme urge to punch something with all of her might. The anger was quite apparent by the look on her face and her left hand clenched into a fist, also showing her urge to punch something as well as she glared at the floor.
-
"Uhh... yeah about that." *The wolf responded upon seeing Soria* "Totally not my fault..." *He turned for a moment to glare at Drevo while feeling his bladder like a heart beating with terribly clogged arteries* "Oh gaia I hope this doesn't take long." *Sweat beads rolled down the side of his head in the normal temperature environment of the room* "Of course I would be last, that's how the world always works, but hell I didn't get a cursed item thank goodness... err I think. Shit, which did I get?!" *He put the trinket box in his cloak and ran to the bathroom down the hall at long last, not waiting for any sort of reactions to the only diamond being in his possession* "Finally... FINALLY!" *He stood there for several minutes occasionally eying the box in his cloak* "I'm not really fond of using any item that is potentially evil." *He suddenly remembered what Soria said about no longer being useless* "Holy crap... will this thing make me run and jump faster too? I would love to finally be able to jump down from a roof without having to worry about breaking my legs or punching the wall without breaking a hand... again." *He looked at the trinket box fiendishly as he walked back into the lobby among his companions*
-
Talin looked at the gauntlet, the only visible change on his face being the twitch under his right eye. He put it back in the sack, half-tempted to throw the entire sack out the window in anger. Then he flipped a table over, broke a chair against a wall, and back-handed the bartender that tried to stop him from further damage. Black smoke rose out of his clothes as his ancestor tried to take advantage of his rage. The rage and opportunity was short-lived, and Chronin was shoved into a tiny corner of his descendant's mind. Nothing will get done while grieving, or raging. Nothing. He repeated this in his head as he put the table back up and cleaned up the remains of the chair. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes and face before looking at Kiana. "Korius will catch up by the time we deal with the next guardian. Right now, lets get our drunken knight sober again. Then, we'll continue to the next guardian..."
-
Contrary to popular belief Drevo was far from drunk at this point. The hint of the destroyed ninja village where his friends were was on his mind. The last remaining thing he could call family could have possibly been destroyed. He looked at the burnt picture of his family, looking at him, his brother, sister and parents together being happy. He twirled the dagger in the palm of his hand and threw it to stick into the wooden floor. When Soria had made her exit he chased after, taking the dagger from the ground as he shot out of his chair. Outside he didn't see a sign of her anywhere. The thought of returning to the village now had crossed his mind. Looking at the dagger he clenched it in his hand and walked off.
-
Kitt took the map and the crest, watching Soria cautiously with his bright amber eyes. He remained silent as she passed among the others and still remained silent once she had left the tavern. With a deep sigh he ran his thumb across the Szarda emblem, tarnished with blood until it no longer glimmered with the golden beauty it once had. Kitt held the crest in one hand, staring at it in contemplation, and then closed his fingers tight around it "How did she get hold of this, If it belonged to my mother?"
The question was directed at no one in particular, and indeed Kitt did not seem to expect an answer, for he pulled up his hood a moment later "And what did she mean by a cursed item?" He folded the map and slid both items into a leather pouch at his belt, then leaned back in his seat and sighed again. With one hand still stroking Evellyn's head absentmindedly Kitt suddenly grinned "Well... I dont know about you guys, but I'm still in the mood for some breakfast!"
-
Soria reappeared out of the blue near where Korius now sat. He was up, and was waiting. "Keep your mind off your companions, I sent them on ahead of you." Korius nearly roared, "They can't! They're not ready yet!" Soria's figure disappeared and reappeared kicking him in the face and stepping firmly on it, "Like with you, they don't have time, either. If they don't shape up enough to fight without you, then they are as good as dead. Remember, you are not a Chosen One. You are useless without your full power. Unlike them, you are already at your strongest, merely sealed away and tarnished from Lady Koara's pacification of your heart. Your abilities are merely hindered, not undiscovered. You know your role in all this, play it or leave."
-
Kiana looked around the room and was sort of surprised by the fact that it seemed like none of them had even seen what happened to her. Like it hadn't happened. She was also surprised by the fact that Talin seemed to have read her mind when she was thinking angrily while Soria had been talking. Just then she realized that Drevo wasn't in the Inn and she quickly went out the door to find him walking away down the street. "And where are you going?" She questioned when she spotted him, prepared to use her majicka if need be in case he tried to run off again.
-
*White looked around seeing that Soria left and Drevo quickly made an escape* "And... Kitt, the way that Soria phrased how the map belonged to his mother, it's only a matter of time before he figures out what has befallen her. Whether or not I should keep to the wishes of the said fate of her is another story, I don't think I have the courage to break the silence by telling him after all his work that she was dead the entire time. It will just make him give up, hopefully he takes the map as another clue to finding her rather than accepting she's dead." *White also noticed Kiana leave in the same direction as Drevo out the door* "Great, another conflict. You know what? I think I actually am going to join this one, because that punk also got me drunk!" *He rushed out the door not far behind the Earth mage* "I will gladly help collect him this time." *He gripped the diamond in his left hand with a toothy grin hidden under the shade of his cloak while looking towards the ninja past Kiana*
-
Talin wanted to knock Drevo down and drag him back like he thought Korius would, but he refrained as Kiana was getting ready to do just that. He smiled and almost shoved Kitt even though he ment to playfully push. "Just remember that we have to conserve whatever money we have left..." He walked over to the bar, offered Kitt a chair, then promptly got out of sight of the bruised bartender. He went to the farthest corner of the inn, sat down, and finally broke down into sobs now that the immediate issues were dealt with.
-
Drevo turned to see White and Kiana behind him. He stopped and stared at the both of them as if it were an old western showdown. He felt his stomach turn, the fact that they thought he was going to run off again hurt but also that they cared enough to stop him made him feel funny. "I wanted to chase down that cat for hitting you. What else." he said sarcastically. He would have said he was going to retrieve his things from the black smith but didn't care to. It seems no one noticed he was weaponless. With that said he turned and walked off. If he was assaulted he would react as needed.
-
Kitt grinned, even though Talin almost knocked him to the ground "Yeah... But when that black cat walked in, she dropped a bag of money off for the inkeeper, ordering breakfast for our group... Free breakfast is always the best!" He grinned childishly and sat down at the bar, Evellyn on his shoulder like a bizarre taloned-parrot...
When Talin broke down in the corner, Kitt scratched his neck awkwardly. He glanced around but realised that they where the only two from their group left in the Inn and, sighing, he stood up and walked over "Hey Talin..." He paused and shuffled his feet awkwardly, shooting glances at him from under his hood "Need someone to talk to?"
-
Korius didn't want to admit that she was right, but she was. He released more Ki this time, and sped away from underneath her foot, and seemed to disappear, reappearing behind Soria, and throwing a powerful kick. However, like usual, Soria merely dodged it, but this time wasn't unscathed. A small, thin cut appeared just under her eye, "Not quite anything special, but you're getting there. And you men call us overly cautious and weak. Let's go, let me see what you can do!"
-
Kiana crossed her arms as she listened to Drevo's excuse for why he had been walking off. "You're going the wrong way..." She said with a smirk. Glancing back at White, she gave him a look to tell him that his help wasn't necessary. "You can go ahead and go back inside and eat. I'm sure your hungry, you always are." She said with a halfhearted chuckle. "I'll accompany Drevo wherever he's going and make sure he doesn't try to run off." After that, she walked at a quickened pace and caught up with Drevo, walking beside him casually.
-
"Aww man I wanted to try out my new pebble too...Hey I'm not always hungry! Just... most of the time." *He walked away with a disappointment that could have amounted to a small dark cloud floating over his head* "Well that was without adventure, I still want to at least... hit him... maybe a couple times. Damn that ninja." *He returned to the inn seeing Kitt talking with Talin and again thinking back to his conscience* "Yeah I'm going to just avoid this situation and do as Kiana suggested, I am actually hungry." *He walked into the bar area, asking for some steak and sat down remaining silent*
-
Talin wiped the tears away as Kitt talked to him, and looked up with bleary eyes. "Do you know someone who just got news that their wife died only a week after marrige? That they couldn't do anything to stop it?!" He was visibly angry by that time, but went back to being depressed as he took a drawn-out sigh. "I just need to grieve until we're ready to go, I'll be fine..."
-
Drevo continued to walk, even when Kiana had begun to tag along. "You know I could be going to see a lady. Are you going to watch me should I do something?" he said somewhat deviously. He was joking but it wasn't very apparent. He remained silent as they approached an alley that they had to go through to get to the smithy where he was going. As they got into it a few steps Drevo slid in front of Kiana, putting his hand onto the wall to make her stop. "Why?" He asked straight out. He was very close to her at this point, only under a foot between their faces. His face was somewhat angry, or stern. Looking her in the eyes he awaited a response.
-
Kitt scratched his neck awkwardly and nodded "Oh- Okay..."
He walked back over to the bar, glancing back over his shoulder at Talin once more before he sat down beside White "Hey mister 'I got the last diamond in the world'." He grinned foolishly, sitting backwards on the barstool and leaning on the table with his feet up on the next stool along "All this bad news is getting the group down... Not you or me though, eh? Only good news for us..."
-
The day wore on as Korius continued his training. However, he had quite a few more broken ribs after having released dark Ki a few times again. By high noon, Korius passed out from exhaustion. Soria scoffed and sat on one of the stumps created from their training. She tossed a deerskin canteen next to Korius' face, water dripping from it. "5 minutes. You may be able to live without food, but you'll need water to maintain your strength. Your friends have taken the news and items. I'm sure it'll help them get stronger and faster. Unlike you, they're not bound by Ki, so their anger can be their strength, so long as they can keep their wits about them."
-
Kiana continued to walk along with Drevo, not bothered by his comment. "The only woman I think you'd be meeting is one that's not in this town, so I see no issues." She responded as she glanced over at Drevo and looked forward again. When they entered the alley and Drevo moved in front of her blocking her way, she was caught off guard and her face actually showed a little bit of surprise. "Why, what?" She asked at she looked at him with confusion. "Why am I following you? 'Cause you know the answer to that is so you don't try to run off." She had no idea what he was getting at and why she needed to be cut off in an alley to be asked about whatever it was.
-
*The wolf's hair stood up when he recognized Kitt's footsteps and he sat next to him inquiring about the diamond* "Well to be honest I thought there were a lot of diamonds left in the world, but apparently those passerby stones were either crystals or fake diamonds, probably mislead purchases... In good news who knows, I don't really know if this diamond is cursed nor blessed, I only got one item with little explanation." *The wolf gripped on the diamond in his left hand thinking to himself* "I can't just let Kitt live this lie forever, I will at least make a point about some regretable possibility of bad news." *He looked up to face Kitt without looking away* "Have you ever considered it strange that a lot of people you come across have met your mother or have some sort of item of her's and yet nobody is really willing to talk about her or where she might be?" Like Soria had your mother's map, why would she have that unless your mother had stopped traveling... perhaps entirely?"
-
Talin eventually got off the floor, and walked out of the inn. He got up on a stone fence and put his elbows on his thighs as he meditated in his own special way. In this state, he proceded to lock up every memory of Elistra that kept him from thinking straight. However, each time he locked up a memory, the lock would break and the emotion would return stronger than before. Are you really that weak, boy? If by weak as in trying to avoid becoming a man driven mad with depression, then yes... I'm very weak. Yea, I can see how that's working out. Don't talk like you have a better idea, its your fault that we became viewed as 'Cursed'. Hey, I at least had one kid before getting killed. How is that supporting your argument at all?
How is this going to help your 'issue' with grief? Talin couldn't answer him, and simply left his meditation, letting out a sigh as his shoulders were now at level with his knees.
-
When Kiana had answered Drevo he paused for a moment, the look still not leaving him. He suddenly put both his arms around her against the wall, with her in between. Again his face was dangerously close to hers, so close it would look like he was going to kiss her. "Why Korius?! You clearly like me...It's written all over your face." he said suddenly. A moment of silence and he put his paws to her cheeks and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. A short kiss later he pulled away. "Run away with me. Come with me and leave the others. We could find a place in the mountains somewhere. Away from all of this. Just you and me." he said quickly and sincerely.
-
Kitt frowned "Strange? Not really, she was captured, a prisoner... My father said it himself. He said we would find her, that every day we traveled took us closer to finding her." He pulled out the map in question, along with the mangled Szarda crest. On top of the items he dropped the necklace that still hung around his neck, the crest of the Esha clan resplendent and shining. He stared at them with a deep longing, as if willing it so deeply that his heart ached could bring her back. His gaze paused over the crest, the blood-tarnished steel still rusted red.
He stopped, breath caught in his throat. Suddenly he had understood the implication of White's last comment "What do you mean, stopped travelling... entirely?"
A dark edge had slid its way into his voice, eyes staring into White's "That she's dead? That all this time my father lied to me, that everything I fought for has been in vain?" He drew a hand around his mother's lost items, claws scratching the bar surface. He whispered under his breath, voice low and hoarse "You don't know that..." and then again, louder and with a seething anger "You don't know that!"
A silence dropped over the Inn, barkeeper looking hurriedly around, obviously expecting another chair to be flung his way. Kitt had stood, sword drawn, shining steel point inches from White. He held the blade there for a moment, breathing heavy and ragged "Its not true... Your a liar, she's still alive. How dare you lie about that!" And just as quickly as he drew the sword, Kitt turned and pushed his way towards the door of the Inn.
As it slammed shut behind him Kitt look up at the overcast sky, a few light drops of rain already pattering down around him. He clenched his fist around the necklace, hand trembling, and then pulled up the hood of his cloak as he walked away from the tavern...
-
The day wore on for everyone, the late afternoon sky glowed a bloody red, even the moon started rising over the horizon with a red glow. Korius laid motionless on the ground, coughing up blood from a punctured lung as more usage of dark Ki had forced a couple ribs into his left lung. Soria sat on a branch, looking up at the sky and surveying the surrounding area. "This is truly the darkest time that we've all come to see in all of Gaia. When something more destructive and evil than the Dark One himself reigns over the lands. Lady Koara's prophecy is near fruition, but it seems that there's a chance that it might not come to pass. Without you or that Voronese drunkard, there may not be another to replace Clare. If that is so, then Gaia will truly become filled with death and sorrow for all eternity."
-
"What are you--" Kiana had started when Drevo had made it so she had to put her back to the wall, but was cut off by him speaking his true question. A puzzled look moved onto her face as he asked why Korius and stated that her liking him was written all over her face. Her confusion was enough for her not to be able to respond before Drevo put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her. She was shocked once again by someone kissing her and her stomach seemed like it had jumped into her throat. She only had time to think "Again?" before the short kiss was over. Shaking her head slightly afterward, she surprisingly gave Drevo the chance to finish saying what he wanted to say without attacking him or anything. When he was done, she finally raised her left hand and knocked both of his arms away with it. "You have got to be kidding me..." She said as she looked at him, her expression toned down but still somewhat baffled. "Are you crazy?!" She looked into his eyes like she could determine whether he was crazy or not that way. Turning slightly so she was facing the direction they had been walking, she thought for a moment. "One, I don't know what you're singing written all over my face but it's not romantic feelings for you. Two, don't do that again or you just might get hurt. You're lucky that didn't happen this time. And three, that question is just..." She shook her head instead of using any words. After that, she started to walk in the direction they had been going again, hoping he would drop it.
-
*The wolf's expression was hidden under the shade of his cloak hood in the bar as he nibbled away at his steak* "I'd rather be the one to tell him over anybody else, since many other people are pretty unmerciful with cruel information. I think advising to that conclusion over telling it still keeps the promise I have made and is the right thing to do... even if it is disheartening to my fellow companion." *He downed a glass of water that was in front of him quickly* "I hope you can find it in you to forgive my thoughts Kitt." *He pushed his empty plate forward on the counter and left a tip next to it. The wolf said nothing as he too exited the tavern and walked out onto the streets*
-
Talin listened to the forest that was only a spear throw's distance away, then focused on the yelling coming from the Tavern. He could tell it was Kitt, mostly because the voice was young and he was screaming something about his mother dying being a lie. He waited for Kitt to leave the tavern, then got off the fence and advanced towards him. "Care to tell me about the noise you made in the tavern?"
-
Drevo scoffed lightly when Kiana refused his offer. When she walked ahead of him he went with her from behind. "I knew that would get you." he said. Before she could do much he reached around her from behind, placing his arms around her neck. He held tightly, squeezing enough to choke her. He had put her in a sleeper hold, despite her struggling he kept his grip until she began to fall limp. "It's okay...Don't fight it...It'll all be over soon..." he whispered into her ear. Drevo lowered her gently to the ground as she was now unconscious. At this point he felt the rain coming down. He sighed and reached down to pick her up. "Can't leave her in the rain..." he said hoisting her over his shoulder. He carried her to the smithy after that and set her down. The smith there questioned Drevo. "She got a little too drunk. She's a lightweight and couldn't handle what she said she could. Women, ya know?" he said to the bear. The bear shrugged and went to retrieve Drevo's things, assuming that's what he was here for. A moment later coming back out with his bow staff and bag of supplies. Drevo took them both and paid the second half of what the service had cost. "...What do you want me to do with her?" asked the bear as they exchanged payment and goods, motioning to Kiana as she was sat up against the wall. "...She will wake up soon enough...Don't touch her. You'll regret it." Drevo replied before leaving. The rain pattered against his hat as he walked towards the exit of town. Upon reaching it he stood there. He looked at the road that led off into the horizon. "I can go now..." he thought before turning to look behind him. "I can go...My plan worked. I took care of Kiana...Yet...maaaan...Am I feeling guilty? Ugh...I can go! But...Korius won't be there...Pssh...Who cares?! Jerk...I don't...God damn it...Talin would be the only fighter if I left...Having to defend everyone else...Ugh........The plan was fool proof. I even pulled it off. Why can't I-......I have to protect them too..." Drevo looked back at the road just standing there now.
-
Tears rolled down Kitt's cheeks as he walked away from the tavern. Hood pulled low against the light rain he kept one hand tight around the pommel of his sword. He glanced up as Talin advanced towards him and hastily wiped away the tears, even as more welled up in his amber eyes "Its nothing..." he clenched the necklace in his fist, knuckles white as he held it so tight that the metal chain almost drew blood.
"Everything I've been working for... Everything my father was working for.... Everything that kept me going, made it so that I could carry on each day... He kept his head down, hood obscuring his expression as his fist started to shake "Everything... It was all in vain!" With a shout he viciously threw the necklace down into the mud and then ran. Tears obscured his vision, feet pounding and splashing through the mud that was already forming from the rain.
He didnt care what Talin thought, he didnt care about the necklace, or the prophecy or anything. All he wanted was to prove that White was lying, that it was all untrue. That his mother was still alive and that everything would be over once they where together. Tears still flowed down his cheeks as he ran down a dark alley and tripped, sent sprawling in the mud at the feet of an old and hunched over wolf-kin...
-
Soria stopped their training as the storm was coming, and the two of them sat underneath the trees that were still up, though Soria was still on the branches, rather than the ground. "The group seems to be in complete disarray already. Can you sense it? The Voronese one's aura is completely messed up. He's completely caught between leaving and staying." "He won't leave the group. That wolf still has a little bit of honor left in him. He takes his vow as a Voronese Knight seriously, so he'll stay. I think it's all that keeps him sane. So tell me, exactly how long have you been around really? I've heard what happens when one masters Ki. I sense a constantly active flow within you, one that signifies you using it." Soria smirked, "It seems Lady Koara never taught that kind of mannerism. Never ask a lady about her age."
-
"Get me?" Kiana questioned just before Drevo put his arms around her neck. She struggled, dropping her staff and trying to pry his arms off of her. "What are you--" She started but went unconscious before she could finish.
Shortly after Drevo left her at the smith's and walked away out of sight, Kiana slowly gained consciousness again and sat up straight. Looking around, she spotted the bear, making direct eye contact. "Which way did he go?" She demanded as she slowly got to her feet. The bear was hesitant to answer because of Drevo's words about her. "WHICH WAY DID HE GO?" She practically yelled at the bear. He slowly rose his arm and pointed toward one end of the town. She quickly moved away back down the alley they had been in, picking up her staff off the ground along the way. She exited onto the main road and headed in the direction that the bear had pointed. Spotting Drevo in the distance, she moved even faster toward him. "You son of a ***!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she approached. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Forgetting what Soria had told her about how little power she was supposed to put into her attacks, she brought an earthen hand (sideways, it was a head shorter than Drevo) out of the ground and made it grab Drevo. What she didn't know was that the hand was squeezing a lot harder than it was supposed to be, almost enough to break his ribs but just a tiny bit weaker than that. She began storming towards him, her eyes glaring darkly at him.
-
*Worried about Kitt the wolf tried to not think about it as he headed for yet another alley to study his books in* "Well glad that's probably over with, now nobody else has to make the explanation. I'm just going to blame Mr. Diamond here!" *The wolf brought the odd looking gem openly in his palm, looking at all the carets in its shape* "Interesting little thing aren't you, almost like glass but one of the strongest materials on this planet." *He closed his palm again and sat down on a wooden box and started reading yet another book* "Manipulating shield purpose? Hmm... sending an attack back at someone would be interesting, but I gather this would only work on some sort of projectile attack, not a sword hit unless this shield recreated a sword hitting back." *He laughed at the idea of a floating sword*
-
Drevo turned around when he heard Kiana. "Crap...I forgot about her! Shoulda ran..." he thought. Trying to play it smooth he took a step forward. "Tough love ba-" before he could finish his sentence he was in the clutches of a giant earthen hand. The breath was literally squeezed out of him when it happened. He wasn't able to say anything due to the little air he was getting from the tight grip. It was even hard for him to gasp for air desperately. "Ki-...*Gasp*..."Kiana!...*Gasp*...Ch-Choking!...*Gasp*..." he managed to choke out. He felt his bones bending to near breaking point, his face was riddled with pain. He thought he heard a crack but hoped that it was just the rocks in his new prison.
-
Kitt scrambled to his feet, wiping away the tears that streaked his face, now mixed with mud. The old wolf frowned and smacked him across the ear "You young rascal, watch where you are running next time." Kitt shoved roughly past the old man, only to be tripped by the walking stick that he held at his side. With another smack Kitt was sent sprawling in the mud and the old wolf leaned over him "Barging past an old man too? Son, you had better have a good reason for being so rude..."
Still with tears running down his cheeks Kitt looked up at the wolf and shouted "My family is dead you old coot!" The wolf raised an eyebrow and scratched his bearded chin "My, that is quite a reason."
He then smacked Kitt across the ear again "But I still dont appreciate your lip child... Here, you need to get out of the rain." showing unexpected strength the wolf picked Kitt up by the scruff of his neck. It was only now that Kitt noticed the door that lay open beside the wolf, spilling warm light out into the dark alley. It was through this door that the wolf pulled the young feline, setting him down on an old rug beside the fireplace "If you want I can get you some tea... My name is Ferguson, and I think you had better start from the beginning."
-
The rain poured heavily as Korius and Soria continued to fight, trading blow for blow, though Korius' hits were barely even considered as such. Suddenly, there was a powerful impact as his Ki-filled kick made contact with Soria's powerful Ki-filled palm attack. The shockwave pushed the rain away from them for almost 2 seconds before it all came pouring back twice as hard.
-
As Kiana got closer to Drevo held in the earthen hand, she heard his gasps for air and him saying that he was choking. Her eyes widened since she hadn't wanted the hand to grip him that hard. "Oh crap! Sorry Drevo!" She said as she ran over to where he was being held. Quickly, she punched the earthen hand with her left hand causing it to crumble into pieces and free Drevo from its hold.
-
"Well that's probably enough study time anyways." *As the white mage closed his book, suddenly the ground trembled for a moment and there was a loud noise nearby* "What the hell was that?!"
*As the wolf walked out of his alley and went down a few more streets, he caught glimpse of a couple familiar kids running away in what looked like sheer terror. He finally saw Kiana apparently fighting with Drevo down by another road that connected to their area then quickly hid around a corner of a building and peeked to see as she nearly crushed Drevo alive with some sort of hand made of Earth apparently trying quite a lot* "Gaia! She's crazy!" *He was tempted to run over and try to save the ninja, but then two things came to mind at once* "Actually... I rather like watching him be trapped and besides Kiana won't kill him. Nice to see that jerk get something back!" *He did a little victory jump and watched as the earth mage stopped her attack and pried her own earth hand open to get the wolf out* "Uhh... usually she just uses more majicka to undo something like that. This is probably not good."
-
Talin watched Kitt get taken in by some old wolf, but didn't do anything since he knew Kitt was capable of defending himself. "Kitt, you got three hours to come back to the inn, if you don't show up, I'll assume that either you lost the will to fight, or got yourself killed." With that, he left the cat to his own devices while glancing up at the rainy sky. He seemed to be off in his own thoughts, then a spark of realization set in. Wait, how could she have even been found if she was supposed to be in the village filled with the strongest ninja we know!?
-
Drevo collapsed onto all fours once released from Kiana's grip. Gasping for air he choked as he looked down at the muddy ground. He didn't speak until his breathing had returned to somewhat normal. "I'm sorry...I just had to take you down. I needed to get you off guard...So I could run away and find Elistro. With Korius out of the way you were the only obstacle. I just...I'm sorry...I have been blinded by my hatred for him..."
-
Ferguson sat in his chair beside the fireplace and scratched his chin thoughtfully. Kitt had, with many pauses to sniffle or sip at his scalding hot tea, recounted what must have been most of his life and travels. The old wolf leaned back in his chair and sighed a deep sigh "Hmn... Well son, you definitely have been through more than most young 'uns." He then leaned forward, walking stick in hand "Tell me, what did you do with that necklace of your mothers?"
Kitt, head bowed beneath his hood, mumbled shamefacedly "I- I thrown it in the mud..."
Ferguson raised an eyebrow and jabbed Kitt in the shoulder with the end of his walking stick "And is that how to treat a belonging of your mothers? Son, I think she raised you better than that."
He waited a moment before picking Kitt up by his cloak, again showing unexpected strength for such an old man, and set to brushing off the dried mud "What you are going to do is go back and find that necklace, and then you are going back to that Inn and you will apologise to that White fellow for shouting at him... Some people in this world have life easy, others don't. You just got to square your shoulders and take it son, no point moping and sulking."
Kitt merely mumbled, before Ferguson jabbed him in the ribs with his walking stick again "Take it from an old man who has seen enough of the world for his liking. You've done well child, most woulda' given up long before you... Now get out there, and make a man of yourself. No point sulking and becoming sour like me." And with that he opened the door and let Kitt back out into the rain, giving him a somewhat affectionate pat on the shoulder before the door closed again...
-
Kiana watched as Drevo gasped for air but did nothing for him. When he started to speak, she crossed her arms over her chest and listened with an unimpressed look on her face. She did feel sort of complimented by him saying that she was his only obstacle with Korius gone but it didn't make up for the other stuff in her mind. Surprisingly though, after he was finished talking all she did was take the bottom of her fist and knock him on the top of the head with it. It was a moderately hard hit but definitely not as hard as she could have done it. "Do that again and I'll give White plenty of things to heal." She said sternly and smirked slightly as she re-crossed her arms. "So smarten up."
-
"Why do people insist on constantly challenging the clientele list? Gaia I won't have any hands left after the energy takes them from me from having to do so much healing all the time... ugh, well I think it's probably about time to make an appearance." *The wolf walked from his corner and approached Kiana and Drevo slowly* "I watched from afar, Kiana what happened with your majicka? Did Drevo break anything?" *The wolf gave a look of genuine concern* "Well even if it's not the kind of concern she might think it is, it's more like I don't want to use too much energy before we even leave the area, otherwise I'll be no use for awhile, though... I don't really know what this diamond actually does to help." *He felt his cloak pocket to reassure himself that it was still there*
-
Talin was back at the rock fence, contemplating all manners of possibilites that neither satisfied nor pleased him. Then again, finding out how your spouse died a week after you leave is never a good experience. He mused, only reaching to three possible scenarios. The first was that his ancestor somehow arranged for Elistra to die the moment she was no longer needed to bear the next generation. Second was that the Guardians located the village and decided to raze it in fear of an army of ninjas. The last one he didn't even want to put much thought into, and simply stopped thinking before the thought finished in his head. So now he sits on the fence with melancholy on his face, ignoring the rain and almost anyone that passed by.
-
Drevo remained on all fours, looking down at the ground. His head recoiled a bit when Kiana hit him. He remained silent, even when White approached. When he asked if Drevo broke anything he looked up at him. "I break something? Kiana almost broke me. Thanks for caring, White-mage." he spoke, rising to his feet. There was mud on his hand, which he scooped into a ball lightly flinging it at White. "Mud on yer face." he said almost childishly before gathering his things and walking back to the inn.
-
Tears ran down Kitt's cheeks, but this time they were not tears of anger. He scrabbled through the mud, desperately searching for the fine silver chain of the necklace as the rain beat down around him. He sobbed "Stupid... Stupid! Why did I throw them?" and then quite suddenly his finger caught on something metal and he heaved a great sob of relief.
With shaking hands he wiped the necklace clean, eyes still brimming with tears. He sighed and clenched it tight in his fist "I wont lose you again, not so long as I am alive and fighting..." Hands still shaking, he hung the Esha necklace around his neck by its delicate silver chain.
Kitt remained standing, hand clenching the crest tight until the metal became warm from his touch "The old man was right I suppose... There is no point in living an easy life, and my parents did bring me up better than this." He looked up into the sky and the rain mixed with his tears as he walked back towards the Inn.
-
Elistro climbed the exterior stairs up the tallest tower of Kyzen's palace. When he reached the top, he knelt and bowed, "You have summoned me, master?" The rabbit lord did not turn around, but he did unfold his arms, his black and purple cape flapping violently in the wind. "Yes. How is the progress of Koara's little pawns?" Elistro kept his head down, "The children of prophecy have taken rest not too far north of the rebel town. As for the rebel ninjas themselves, I sent the remainder of Lazaryos' men into the town to assault them. When we saw them slaughtered, I used the scroll that you gave me, and incinerated them. But there was a small complication..." Kyzen turned his head slightly with a scrutinizing eye, "Soria Xing?" Elistro hesitated before speaking, "Yes, sir. Because of her interference, the only thing we managed to kill was just the village. My men and I weren't able to recover even the faintest hint of a single body. We did our best to trace them, but we lost them completely after 2 kilometres out." Kyzen nodded and sighed as he stared out to the land again, "Yes. However, I guess it is to be expected. She IS, after all, the last remaining Ki master. She doesn't have the Ki level to fight us, but her abilities and skills are enough to fight a single Guardian to a standstill. However, this wasn't something we haven't foreseen, but we must prevent her from reaching Korius. That child has a level that far surpasses her's. If she were to help him master his abilities, we might have something to worry about if they reach us before the plan comes to fruition. You must stop them by any means necessary. Dismissed." "Sir."
-
"Guess I accidentally tapped into the power of my emerald since I was too pissed to pay attention." Kiana responded to White's question about what happened with a shrug like it was nothing to be concerned about. "He'll be fine." She said to White after Drevo walked off toward the inn. "You might want to wipe that off you face." After that, she headed toward the inn as well. It wasn't like she had anything to do and she was procrastinating living the town.
-
*The wolf looked dumbfounded as the mud slapped into his face and wasn't sure how to react for a few seconds, but soon after hearing a response from Drevo as it was meant to be childish more than jokingly his face turned furious with a hint of red* "That's it wolf, Kiana is the least of your worries now, you're mine. You're right Kiana, I should get this off my face. By beating it into HIS face!" *He created a shield that trapped Drevo before he could go any further towards the inn and made a running start behind him with his fist clenched and his spell binding at the ready* "That's no way to greet help, but here's MY help ninja!" *His fist met with the shield, but continued to go through as it was only made for his two-way access*
-
Talin left his unfocused stare as he caught glimpses of Drevo, Kiana, and Kitt heading towards the inn. He got off the fence and approached the group with a smile, then stopped and saw White capturing Drevo and make the effort to inflict pain. "One moment..." he said, even though Kiana made no move to speak, as he walked past her and went straight for the white mage and knight. "White, the more you hurt him, the more you'll have to fix in the future."
-
Drevo expected some form of retaliation from White, but didn't expect him to trap him in a barrier. He took the hit from behind without flinching. "Did I do something to upset you, White? You seem worked up. I've apologized for having to receive help from you...I'm not sure what could be wrong. Was it getting you drunk? Or something else perhaps?" he questioned in a tone that sounded as if he were trying to get a rise out of him. The hit clearly didn't hurt as much as White had intended.
-
Kitt walked into the Inn, tracking muddy water across the floor as he walked through the now rather empty bar area. He sat down at the bar, still with his hood up, and rubbed his eyes wearily. The barkeeper walked over with a bowl of meat stew and set it down in front of him "You with the group who paid upfront kid?"
Kitt nodded and attempted a grin "Yeah, thanks..."
The barkeeper grunted and pointed down the bar "And I'm guessing that is your bird..." At the end of the bar Evellyn sat watching Kitt with her beady amber eyes. Kitt nodded again and held out a gloved hand, waiting for a moment as the falcon fluttered over and landed. The bird turned away from Kitt, holding her head high and clicking her beak.
He sighed, stroking her wing softly "Yeah, I shouldnt have left you like that... I was being childish." The falcon turned to look at him and clicked her beak before shuffling closer, tucking her head under her wing as Kitt ate his stew silently...
-
Kiana couldn't help but be surprised by the retaliation from what, so much so that she didn't react at first. It was the hit landing on Drevo that made her pay attention again and she briskly moved toward White from behind, switching her staff into her left hand and moving past Talin whose words didn't seem like they would help the situation. "Hey, wait a minute! I thought I was the one who was supposed to act on emotion without thinking or caring!" She exclaimed as she grabbed a hold of White's collar from behind and pulled him back so he stood beside her, keeping a firm grip on his collar. "And you're not helping!" She snapped at Drevo, pointing her staff at him.
-
"Oh come on! You hardly ever fight on emotions, you've held up the neutral exterior for a very long time. Which is highly respectable, not everyone can do that. I never have any idea what you're thinking, now please let me go I have unfinished business with this jerk!" *The wolf glared at Drevo upon the wolf's assertions* "YOU kept me prisoner on some forsaken roof all day yesterday and being drunk was of no help whatsoever and so I tried to steal your drink so maybe you would get off your ass and perhaps be more encouraged to do something productive. I think saving you from certain death many times with majicka would have been easy enough credit to cash in for at least ONE favor. I've had enough of being stepped on by you and everyone else that I come across, you're gonna get it this time from the one who never pushes back. And I'm pushing back, literally!" *The wolf dissipated the other shields while Kiana gripped his collar and created another shield the size of a small room wall* "Take this!" *The shield came forward at a fast speed, the healer sweating at his brow*
"It's not even physical, the only thing it will feel like is a small hurricane blowing past him, the point of this isn't to hurt him, but to make him feel the edge of blade. If I really wanted to cause some damage, I could easily reverse the abilities I do when healing, making a nightmare for anyone that gets in my way. They might have underestimated me before, but after reading enough of those books. I can only keep showing that white majicka is something to be reckoned with."
-
Talin sighed as White continued to voice his issues on Drevo. The moment the second barrier came up, Talin was tightening his hands into fists. As the barrier came close, Talin did the one thing that he knew would throw any man's focus off: a swift kick to the groin area. It wasn't even something that could be noticed unless someone practiced some from of unarmed combat, he kept looking at the barrier as his leg went up, then his head snapped back and the leg connected with its intended area.
-
Drevo held his hat with one hand and clenched his bowstaff and bag in the other. It took a lot to not draw the blade of his weapon when he walked up to White. "Well excuuuse me for saving your life! When I was running from thugs I told you to run! Not follow me! But guess what? You did. When we were surrounded I took you to safety on the roofs. I'm a jerk?! For what?! Saving you from harm?! Sure! I got you a little drunk. God knows you could use a little relaxation, and hell, I thought I'd be nice and share my sake with you. But nooo, I'm a jerk! I'm sorry I saved you, and for trying to get you to relax a little. Last time I do that again!" he said. He was pretty upset, storming off after he finished ranting.
-
The barkeeper glanced over at Kitt, wiping down the bar with a wet cloth and whistling under his breath. The Inn was rather quiet, with only a few patrons left eating or drinking, and the barkeeper liked it that way. As he passed Kitt the barkeep watched as the young feline finished the last of his stew and said "You good there young man?"
Kitt merely nodded, feeding a few scraps of meat from the stew to Evelyn. The barkeep took the bowl away but returned a moment later "So... You're with that group. Seems kind of dangerous for a young 'un like you..."
Again Kitt didnt say anything and just shrugged. The barkeep frowned and returned to cleaning the bar "Are your parents with that group?"
At this Kitt froze, strip of meat held out for Evelyn in mid-air. The falcon watched the meat tantalizingly and, when Kitt still held the meat without giving it to her, clicked her beak and snapped it up from his hand. Kitt shook his head slightly, glancing down at the bird distractedly before saying "No. My parents are both dead..."
The barkeep grimaced and finished cleaning "Oh. Sorry about that." Kitt shook his head and looked up to meet the barkeep in the eyes before saying "Don't be. I'm still alive after all, and I've got the next best thing to a real family..."
-
Kiana listened to White's words, focusing more on the words about her than the rest of the speech about what Drevo did, and it irritated her a bit. She saw Talin's foot moving toward White's groin and quickly yanked him away, trying to make his foot miss his target. After that, she listened to Drevo vent out what he needed to say and let him get it out since she figured the results would be much worse if he didn't. After he stormed off, Kiana turned White to face her, a scowl on her face. "That's right, you don't know what I'm thinking." She said, bringing up what he had said about her. "Which means you don't know how many times I've acted on my emotions. You have no idea what goes on in my head so you have no right to judge me." She didn't use a snapping tone but it was still obvious that what he had said had bothered her. After that, she released him then walked off. "Drevo! Get to your room and get to bed! We're leaving in the morning!" She yelled after him then went the rest of the distance to the inn and went inside. She spotted Kitt sitting at the bar. "Kitt...you should get to bed. We have to leave tomorrow." She said, looking over at him, then continued on to her room.
-
*The wolf fell silent for the few seconds he saw Talin seemingly appear out of nowhere and attempt the kick between his legs, the false shield broke apart before it reached Drevo when his focus was warped. Kiana pulled him away from the kick and he was relieved that he got to stay undamaged* "That... was... a weak... hit Talin." *He thought shakily and then was struck by a seemingly never ending attack from Kiana in response to his thoughts on her fighting style* "...And Kiana you took that the wrong way." *He felt bad about being gruff with the earth mage dropped him and watched Drevo feeling very angry still even after his opinions on his actions he managed one more response even if Drevo did not hear him from afar* "If I had stayed in that alley with those men close behind and saw you talking to me, I could have very easily become their prey if they even thought we were associated. I can't exactly do more than make a few shields you fool, I'm not a warrior. I hardly see keeping me on the roof all day as saving me now for attacking you, obviously my punches will do nothing and ultimately that shield wasn't even real...It would be stupid to hurt allies. There is no time left for relaxation, as we are closing in on the end of this journey and I intend to go through with it, even if it means not coming back." *The wolf got off the ground slowly*
"I care not for what they think of me, I know damn well this entire thing is all business in the end and I'll part ways, probably never seeing any of them again."
-
Talin didn't say anything after his kick, since it cut off the barrier and managed to get at least half the group back to the inn. Talin walked over to Drevo and slapped him across the back. "Thanks for keeping White alive, even if he does act like a punk. Now if you don't mind me, theres a barstool and a pint of fruit juice with my name on it back at the inn." Talin casually walked back into the inn, not even giving Drevo one glance to see if he was going to run again.
-
Drevo heard what White said and scoffed. "Hardly a comeback." he thought. He didn't expect Talin, of all people, to pat him on the back. "Yeah...Sure." he said in response to what he said. He continued back to the inn, once inside he cleaned the mud off himself and things he was carrying. After which he went upstairs to a room, figuring there was one for him. There usually was in the inns of towns they stayed. Inside a room chosen at random he stripped down to his undergarments to ring out his wet robes.
-
Kitt looked up when Kiana walked in and jumped down from the bar stool "Okie dokie... See you in the morning then." He slung his crossbow and equipment over his shoulder and went upstairs to his bedroom. Once inside with the door closed he kicked off his boots and dropped his equipment, falling back onto the bed. Evellyn watched him from her perch on the bedpost and clicked her beak, beady amber eyes glinting in the semi-darkness. Kitt grinned and rolled over, pulling the cover with him and falling asleep in an instant.
-
"At least someone listens to me without question..." Kiana thought to herself about Kitt easily following her instructions as she closed the door behind her after entering her room. Walking over to the side of the bed, she leaned her staff against the wall beside the bed. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she then swung her legs around and brought them up onto the bed, laying down on her back. She shifted herself to lay in the middle of the bed then stared at the ceiling until her eyes slowly closed and she fell asleep.
-
*The tired and worn out wolf made his way to his to the room silently and laid down on his bed* "Kitt's probably not doing so well still, not that much time has passed in the day really. Kiana and Drevo won't be associating with me for a long time, if not until after this is over.. and Korius is who knows where. Talin as usual will keep to himself somewhere, and I'll do what I do. For the moment sleep would suffice." *White turned over on his side and fell asleep*
-
Talin did just as he said he would, sitting at the bar with a drink in hand. As he looked in the drink, he caught a reflection of the waitress and let out a sigh. "Is there a reason you bother me, besides breeding?" "Well, you fix your own messes, and from what I can assume from the commotion, you help others as well. Sure you flipped a table over, not like you killed or permanently injured anyone." "That would be reassuring, if you were not brushing my tail while talking." "What, I like white hair with black fur." Talin stuffed his muzzle into the pint, bubbles surfacing as it muffled his groaning.
-
Drevo draped his robes over a chair before diving into his bed. He laid there on his back looking up at the ceiling trying to fall asleep. "Still sore from that grab..." he thought, letting out a wince as he touched his rib. "At least I'm alive...That move felt excessively strong. White's barrier surprised me as well...Who would have thought he could use a protective spell so passively aggressive? And his invisibility." he continued to think resting his arms behind his head. He reached his right paw upwards, grabbing at a vision of Alexia floating above him. "Alexia...Please be alright...Ferdande is there..." He put his arm back beside his head and continued to lay there. "I've lost everything I hold dear...Elistro...I will get you one of these days." Drevo sat up and grabbed his robes and put them on and exited the room through the window. He showed up at White's window and sat on it's sill looking in. Silently stepping inside and walking up to his bed. He began to unsheathe his blade, the sound of the metal rang lightly in the room and he raised his hidden sword. He paused for a moment before bringing the sword down into the wooden floor. It made a loud noise, hopefully enough to wake White. "White. Wake up."
-
Kitt rolled over in bed, pulling the covers tighter around him and over his head. He sighed and clutched his mother's necklace tight in his fist until it was warm. Tears rolled down his cheeks however, as he gingerly touched the Szarda crest, feeling the buckled metal and knowing it was tarnished with blood that would never go away. His body shuddered and he drew in a gasping sob, and he rolled over again until his face and the tears where absorbed by the pillow.
From her perch on the bedpost Evellyn clicked her beak and ruffled her feathers, watching Kitt toss and turn. She shifted where she stood, claws clenching and un-clenching worriedly, before she finally fluttered across the room. The falcon landed beside the window and, after a moment pecking at the latch, eased it open and flew out into the night.
-
"Ack! Not again, I won't get captured!" *The healer jumped up shortly after a loud cracking noise from metal into wood to see a dark figure with something shiny in front of the window moonlight and reacted by covering himself in a protective barrier instantly* "...Wait, that voice." *He looked at the light of his majicka at the face of his visitor and saw that it was none other than Drevo himself* "...Are you here to finish the fight?" *He gave a blank expression for a few seconds* "I thought we weren't on speaking terms... let alone secret nightly visits again, haven't we done this a couple times unintentionally before in other towns?"
-
Talin continued to chat with the waitress, acting as if he had never heard or even knew Elistra existed. "...so here was the mage, about to kill everyone in my group with a giant lightning spell, then shink, I stabbed him through the chest and beheaded him the moment I pull my blade out." "No way you could have gotten to that point alone, who was with you?!" Talin stopped as he was going to say her name, then the familiar grief returned. "Her name was Elistra, she was a Dragon-kin." "Now I've heard everything: You traveled with two rangers, two Knights of Gaea, two mages, one an earth and the other a cleric. Now you're telling me you were helped by a female Dragon-kin. Explain to me why I should believe that last statement." Talin resisted the urge to look around as his voice drop "We, were together, for about two years." "You and the group?" "No, just myself and Elistra."
Silence ensued for a good moment or two...
"You're a scale humper?" "Excuse me?" "A scale humper, you had interracial sex, with a Dragon-kin. Basically, you committed a double cultural taboo. Have you even told your parents?!" "I can't, they're dead..." "Oh, then I guess the conversation can't continue there." "Yeah..." she got them both another round of drinks, deciding to have some quiet before talking again.
-
Drevo was amused at White's reaction, however he was there for something other than a laugh. He pulled his sword from the wooden floor and lightly tossed it on the bed before White. "Use it on me." he said flatly. "If you want to hurt me that badly do it. Kill me if you must. It's the only way to make up for me wronging you." he continued. His voice was fairly stern, he meant what he had just said, there wasn't any hint of it being a joke.
-
"You've got to be kidding me, I already told you I can't hurt you. Besides, Kiana would beat me to death since at that point the group would be screwed without the only ninja we have. Though... if you really want to make it up to me... you could take me out for dinner." *He raised his eyebrows and charismatically nudged Drevo with his elbow then walked away for a short moment* "You can't be so serious all the time! Besides, I wanted to see if that diamond would do anything earlier today, I guess you missed that little detail. So far it only seems to make me a little braver, either that or I'm psyching myself up." *He chuckled and turned back around* "I'll keep that sword of your's though if you want, I've been meaning to try some more blades... ohh ohh maybe you could teach me some of those ninja moves, I'd love to be stronger and more useful. Oh yeah and forget about the issue earlier, I was still angry about having been chased by some crazy girl, hungering, and almost defecating on myself. Dwelling on such things is a waste of time. So I formally say I am sorry!"
-
Talin could feel a buzz in his head after he finished drinking, and looked at the waitress. "Did you spike my juice?" "What do you mean 'spike'? Unless its water or milk, everything has some form of alcohol in it. Why do you ask?" The hand that had stroked his tail, was now squeezing his arm. "I don't operate well with any booze, so I've been trying to stay sober for awhile." "Oh, that is nice to know..." His hand suddenly grabbed hers as he finished the drink, then he took her upstairs.
He pushed her against the wall, forcing himself onto her, and she vainly attempted to fight back. He stopped, but still held her against the wall, his emotionless face a few inches from her tear-covered face. "What is wrong with you?!" "If you don't like it, stop trying to seduce me while we're talking! I don't do it with women who can't fight back." His face was now up against hers, and his voice lowered in volume while increasing its intensity. "If you want what Elistra had from me, grow a freaking backbone!!" He let go of her and went right into his room, not making a single sound until morning came.
-
Drevo took his sword back and sheathed it. "You won't be having my sword...I can't exactly have a complete weapon without it. There is no trick I would be able to teach you...I know none. I'm not exactly a ninja...My closest friend is a ninja, who is stubborn and wouldn't teach me any of his ninjutsu. Mainly because I have no natural chakra. He did however give me this..." he said. He pulled out a small scroll and extended it to White. "My favorite of his techniques. One that could produce a barrage of kunai knives to send in a direction. He gave it to me as a birthday present before we left the village. You will probably make better use of it than me." he said heading towards the door. "I will see you in the morning. I've kept you up long enough." he said calmly before opening the door. Before walking out he turned his head to speak. "Sure. I'll buy you dinner one of these days." he said. After that he walked out to his room. "If I live that long..." he muttered before heading to bed.
-
The next morning Kiana woke up bright and early. She got out of bed and untied her hair, combing through her hair with her fingers then re-braiding it and tying it again. Grabbing her staff, she headed out the door of the room. After that, she went around to the door of each room that the other members of the group were occupying and knocked on each door to wake each person up. "Up and at 'em. Time to go." She said as she knocked on all of the doors.
-
*White stretched and yawned, rubbing his eyes* "I only missed out on about 10 minutes of sleep last night with Drevo, thankfully I was tired so it wasn't that hard to go back to sleep." *He moved out of his room shortly after Kiana knocked on his door* "Oh yeah I forgot, she's supposed to hate me now... So am I supposed to hate her back or maybe go along with it? Or just try to be kind... hmm." *He looked down the hallway in thought and tried to think of what to do next*
-
Talin fell out of the bed next morning, too lazy to sit upright and dismount his bed properly. He opened the door and held his head as the light coming from the floor below made his head and eyes ache. What I would give for a non-water drink that doesn't have alcohol in it. He went down the stairs, noticing the waitress was nowhere to be seen, letting out a loud groan as the pain throbbed in unison with his mild guilt.
-
Drevo awoke the next morning stretching and getting dressed having taken his clothes off. He left the room when Kiana knocked. "Yeah, yeah...I'm up I'm up." he said scratching behind his ear. "I'm ready for breakfast..." he grumbled as he went down stairs. He sat down at a table waiting on the others. "I bet they're gonna wanna leave...I suppose I can get something to go. Is it still raining outside?"
-
"I'm awake!" Kitt hit the floorboards with a thump, legs still tangled up in the bedsheets and equipment lying everywhere. Grumbling under his breath he stood up and started to get dressed. It took him almost ten minutes before he managed to get downstairs, though this was mostly due to the annoying laces of his leather tunic, the various belts and buckles and having to check his crossbow and clean its delicate mechanism.
When he finally went downstairs it was with a worried look on his face, chewing his lip as he sat down at the table beside Drevo "Anyone seen Evelyn? She was sleeping on my bedpost, but I couldn't find her this morning..." Kitt fiddled nervously with the scabbard of his shortsword for a moment, glancing around the tavern before finally getting to his feet "I'm going to go outside and call for her, save me something to eat would you?"
Kitt stepped out of the tavern, taking in a deep breath of the morning air. A definite chill had entered the wind that followed the storm, but the rain had subsided, for now. Dark clouds still roiled and grew across the horizon as Kitt put two fingers to his lips and whistled. The sound carried over the rooftops but no bird of any sort replied. He tried again, the whistle echoing in the clear air. Again no falcon flew out from the trees or roofs, and it was with a heavy heart that he walked back into the tavern.
-
Kiana was standing against the wall by the door when the others came down from their rooms. When Drevo sat down at a table, she shook her head slightly. "If you want food, get it to go." She said as if she was reading Drevo's mind, which she wasn't of course, she just figured that since he had sat down that he wanted food. She grabbed a banana and peeled down the peel, taking a bite of it and chewing it while waiting for Kitt to come back inside. When he came back in, she realized that White wasn't downstairs yet. "Come on, White! We're leaving!" She said loud enough for him to hear. "Come down, grab some food to go, and get a move on!" After that, she took another bite of her banana as she opened the door and exited the inn.
-
*White heard Kiana's voice echo through the upstairs corridor among the rooms and quickly followed up on her order* "It's about time, we've been in this town for too long. Time to find some food quickly, I'm pretty sure I know what I want is there." *The wolf came down seeing Kiana leaving and asked for some quick bread and whatever breakfast food was quickly available; in a few minutes he gathered the food and ran out the door looking for Kiana* "I hope they didn't leave me behind, it would be bad trying to figure out where they went since I'm not exactly the pro at orienteering."
-
Talin said nothing as Kiana gave the order, only looked around the tavern once again for the vixen he had probably traumatized. He casually brandished his volge, twirling it in his hand as he followed the others out of the Inn. "Did anyone happen to see the waitress from last night? I couldn't see her in the bar, and I think the bartender hates me too much to explain."
-
Drevo got some food to go, some that he could eat later as well. He stuffed what he wasn't going to eat in his bag and ate some other stuff as he left. It was a drumstick which he gobbled up before even making it to the door. "Mmm...Chicken." he thought as he left the inn. While eating an apple he heard Talin's question. "Nope. Haven't seen'er." he said casually before taking another bite of the apple. He washed it down with some sake he had in a small gourd at his side.
-
Kitt followed behind Kiana, chewing his lip with apprehension. He whistled again as he waited outside for the other but still no bird answered. "Why would she fly away? I've been treating her nicely, I've been feeding her and everything..." Tears brimmed in the young feline's eyes, tears that rolled down his cheeks even as he brushed them away forcefully and turned away from Kiana. He pulled up his hood and lashed out at a nearby crate, earning himself a sore foot that only made his anger and sorrow worse...
-
Hajime shushed the children as she led the large group through the forests in the southeastern region of Celestia. Thank god for Soria's help. We were able to save every single person. When the children began groaning again, Elistra walked up amongst them, holding her precious egg in one hand. "Now, now. Behave. If you don't, you'll find yourself being fed to a dragon." The children all turned blue in the face at the thought and were instantly quiet. Hajime gave her a "That was a bit excessive" type of smile and finally came out to a small clearing. Within the clearing, there was a trunk of a giant, fallen tree. Hajime made a few seals and glowed a little before looking normal again. The grass opened up and formed stairs. She ushered everyone inside, and it took quite a long time, but it happened. Underneath, there was a small metropolis underneath, though completely empty, there crates of supplies and running water. In essence, it even looked more beautiful than the village above ground. It was like an underground recreation of Vorona.
-
Kiana stood outside facing the inn and eating her banana as she waited for all of the others to come out of the inn. Once they were all out, she turned in the direction that they needed to go. "Haven't seen her. Not important." She said in response to Talin's question, having no idea why he wanted to know and not really caring anyway. "Let's get a move on." Tossing the banana peel aside into an alley, she then led the group out of the town and toward the next Guardian.
-
*The wolf quickly saw Kiana eating a banana and followed her as soon as she started moving away, seeing her lips moving she dropped the banana out of view into a nearby alley* "I guess that's a good hint that we're moving away from the town, I hope we're ready for this Guardian. Drevo also needs to bust a move, we need everyone accessible for this fight. And wherever Korius is, Gaia only knows at this point. Hope that ki of his pays off." *The wolf caught up close to the earth mage and made a steady pace, glancing over at Talin*
-
Talin grumbled to himself shortly after Kiana said 'not important', but still continued to keep pace with her after she discarded her banana peel. His eyes kept scanning the area around them, occasionally catching sight of his ancestor doing backflips and juggling black spheres whenever he stopped flipping. No wonder he died against a swordsman, the only time Chronin is serious is when he is angry. Beyond that, he would either be asleep or trying to distract with me images that don't physically exist. Its almost impossible to believe he was the last of the high mages.
-
Kitt followed with the others, hood up and shadowing his face. She was just a bird and wouldn't have been any help in a fight. But even so he couldn't help feel hurt that she had left him, and somehow the task ahead seemed that much more daunting without his companion. He supposed that he should have expected such, he was terrible with animals, especially dogs. With a sighed he checked over his equipment before they left the town to fight the next guardian...
-
Kiana kept silent as she walked on toward their next foe. She didn't really feel like talking to anyone and her mind was too preoccupied with wondering how Korius was doing. Her mind was also preoccupied with wondering if they would actually be able to fight the next Guardian without Korius with them like Soria said they would have to. The verdict she was coming up with was a 'no'. She was almost completely sure that they would all be killed especially since everyone wasn't exactly getting along or in good moods at the moment.
-
*Eventually White looked away from Talin noticing that he was deep in thought and apparently not in the mood for conversation about anything other than the prize at the end of the tunnel and looked to Kitt who seemed a bit distant in thought as well* "It's kind of strange that we should all be this worried already, I mean we're like only at a halfway point in fighting all the Guardian enemies, I would hope this isn't going to be fatal for any of us otherwise that means none of us ever had a chance. In fact I hope we overestimate this guy and just beat him to death with ease." *He looked away from Kitt realizing he had stared at him for awhile while thinking* "I wonder if he accepted that his mother is gone..."
-
Talin tried to take his mind off his childish ancestor by trying to get the group thinking about the guardian ahead. "So, our next target is supposedly able to use four weapons at the same time. Since our 'leader' probably won't show up until a day or two after we reach the guardian, is anyone going to come up with a plan? I have an idea of how we engage him, unless someone already came up with a plan rather than an idea."
-
Drevo walked along silently along until Talin had brought up Korius. "We can handle it. Last time we were without Kitt and Kiana, they can pick up the slack. Not to mention White's-...Uhm. Barriers!" he said. After speaking he looked towards White to see if he noticed him almost letting out his super secret spell. "We don't need Korius. He's just a jerk anyway..." he said, mumbling the part about Korius being a jerk and looking away.
-
Kitt walked sullenly, occasionally glancing skywards as if hoping to see the familiar silhouette of his bird, even as he felt more and more assured she would not be coming back. He sighed heavily and glanced up, only to meet eyes with White. Dark resentment flared in him and he shouted "Quit staring!" Pulling up his hood Kitt winced at his own outbreak, scowling as he kicked a stone off the dirt track.
The scowl grew darker and darker, pain visible in the young feline's expression until he suddenly rounded on White "You had no right to tell me my mother is dead!" Ignoring the rest of the group, along with Talin's attempt at conversation, he drew his shortsword and took another step closer to White "Why!? I was fine... I was happy you stupid healer!" Snarling, Kitt lunged at White, blade swinging fast and sharp.
Blinded by his anger and the tears that swam in his eyes, Kitt slipped and hit the leaf-strewn ground with a thud. The sword whistled past White, nicking the edge of his ear before it lodged itself deep into the trunk of an oak tree.
Tears flowed down his cheeks as Kitt stumbled to his feet and pulled at the hilt of his sword. The blade was sunk deep into the tree and would not budge, and it was with a cry of frustration that he finally he sank down into heaving sobs. Mumbled words stumbled from his lips between whimpers as he pressed his forehead hard against the gnarled bark of the oak "Why... must... she... be dead"
-
Kiana listened to Talin speak and then Drevo's response. Irritation sprang up within her and she wasn't able to hold it back. "Well, we don't exactly need to rely heavily on your sake-chugging ass either!" She turned and snapped at Drevo. "But you have to be here because of the prophecy. Korius is here when he doesn't actually have to be. If it wasn't for him, we'd probably all be dead right now. He may be hard to deal with at times but it's worth it to have such a strong fighter in the group." It was after this that Kitt turned on White and attempted to attack him, only to slip which caused him to fail miserably. She watched Kitt until he finally rested his forehead against the tree. It was easy for her to feel his pain even though she believed she wouldn't feel that way about her own parents, but she had felt such pain when her brother died. She shoved her irritation with Drevo aside and slowly walked over to Kitt, kneeling down beside him. After a few seconds, she finally did something that she hadn't done in a while. She gently wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.
-
*The wolf twitched shortly after Kitt had pulled out his blade, while looking at him and nearly cried out for help, just barely putting up a shield to redirect the sword only enough to make it scrape his ear causing him to bleed a little bit, also seeing the archer fall close to him* "Agh! I never said she was dead, I just said it was highly probable...""Though I meant she was indeed gone. Can't break that little request from the village." *The healer covered his ear in pain with his hand trying to focus on healing it while Kitt laid by a nearby oak tree where his shortsword landed deeply in its bark* "...I already feel bad about it little does he know, but he doesn't have to kill me to show he has accepted it. Was just trying to help." *He watched Kiana break out of character for a moment and hug Kitt* "She probably shares that pain in several ways, it's actually pretty normal probably, just rare to see like this." *White stayed silent while watching the two at the oak tree, not really paying mind to either Drevo nor Talin*
-
Talin held little interest in why Kitt was throwing a fit and sword, which helped suppress his annoyance with the said outburst. He walked over to the tree that Kiana and Kitt were standing at, helping Kitt get his sword out of the tree by making the hole wider with a few pushes down and up before yanking the sword out. "Drevo, Korius was the primary reason our half-baked fighting strategy with the original ranger actually worked. Now if nobody has any clue how we'll win against the next guardian, I will think of something by the time we get there." He let go of Kitt's sword, and started walking a short distance ahead before leaning against a tree and looking off into the forest.
-
Drevo grumbled at Kiana's comment. "One bottle! ONE! Get off it." he snapped back. Though she was already heading towards Kitt who had snapped at White. He just walked on fairly annoyed at the whole mess, everyone seemed to be angry at someone else on the team. Ignoring Talin's words he didn't go far, rather a few yards and just stopped. The first thing on his mind was Korius, if he were there he'd probably be slapping Kiana, telling White and Talin to shut up, Kitt rangers don't cry and Drevo is a sorry excuse for a knight.
-
Kitt wiped tears from his eyes, deep sobs already turning to muffled sniffs. He didn't care what the others thought of him, didn't care what Korius would have said or any of it. Eyes still swimming with tears he hugged Kiana back, clutching tight to her warmth. Muttering quietly he blinked away the tears "I dont want to do any of this. I'm not a ranger, I'm just a kid... I- I- I just- " He wiped his nose with a loud sniff and pulled out of Kiana's hug. With another sniff and a bashful look up at Kiana from under his hood Kitt reached for his sword, where it lay among the oak leaves.
"Thanks, Kiana... I-" He stopped mid-sentence and got to his feet, sliding his sword home into its scabbard. Eyes rimmed red, and still occasionally sniffing, Kitt pulled his cloak close around him and shot an extremely embarrassed look at White. He felt that he owed the healer quite a large apology...
-
Across the plains in the northeast, Elistro rode with his unit swiftly towards the group's next intended target. However, he made a roundabout and came into view of the kingdom from the east. Once there, they were let in through the walls already, and he rode straight up to the castle, where he dismounted and ran in, bowing before the Guardian as he was within the steps that led up to her seat. "Elistro and company, under direct orders and personal guard of Grand Guardian Kyzen. I am here with urgent news, m'lady Ikster!" The monitor female stood from her throne. She was dressed in Voronese royal garb. Though it looked very traditional, it was actually made of only 1 layer of silk so as it didn't weigh her down. However, it also made the outfit quite see-through, but then again, no one dared to even look at the feet of the Guardian nowadays, let alone look at her body or worse, her eyes. "What do you want, you lap dog? Any time Kyzen shows his face or sends a messenger, it's never anything good." "It is indeed as your ladyship has said. The late Koara's personal guard, Korius Lambent, has roused several significant followers to bring down the reign of the Guardians. As you may have heard, there was a freeze in the allowance of bounties or seeking them. However, I am here of a personal matter to warn you that they are, at present, on their way now, from the north. They had chased my men and I while we were still weary from our travels, and have chased us since. We had escaped their view by heading to the east forests, but they are continuing their venture down from the north. Please, make absolute sure your guard are to discerningly watch that side for their arrival."
-
Kiana had completely ignored Drevo snapping back at her, not deeming it important to respond in any way. She listened to Kitt and hugged him until he was ready to let go. When he did, she let go as well. Getting to her feet too, she gently patted him on the back. "It's alright. You don't have to say anything." She said to him. It was easy to see that he was having trouble sorting out his thoughts and emotions, and she already knew what he was trying to say so he didn't have to say it to her. Her demeanor switched back to the hardened, determined just as swiftly as it had switched the soft demeanor for Kitt's moment of weakness. "Alright. Let's get a move on again. I want to get this crap over with." She said as she began walking again, not looking at Talin or Drevo as she walked past them.
-
*White sighed and looked away from Kitt, staying far away from him, with fearful emphasis* "Can't believe he attacked me, Gaia! It's not like I'm the one who killed his mother, it's not my fault." *Frustrated, the wolf remained distant from Kitt and kept focused on the mission ahead* "I wonder how much further to this place and since it is quite a distance, how in gaia will he make it to our side in time to help at all? The only thing that I invision happening now is we are all defeated and he comes to finish off the Guardian, but other than that we're pretty much on our own."
-
"Finally, some progress!" Talin yelled, raising his arms into the air as he got off the tree and followed Kiana. Someone is awfully ready to get into a fight. We're going to fight the fourth guardian, that alone should be a great fight! So I take it you don't have a plan? I'm assuming the guardian is male, with an upper-body stronger than the lower body, only marginal experience fighting indoors against mages... There was a long silence before he 'heard' Chronin sigh. Do you have info to back up those assumptions? Well, I think Korius mentioned that we would fight 'him' next, and that the next guardian can use four weapons at once. So you have a second-hand source, whom until now, was just a blacksmith at some random town that Valius took you to. Talin stopped walking and turned right to his ancestor, pointing a finger right at him. "Its not like you're a better source, you've probably been dead long before any of these guardians existed!" Talin's face went from annoyance, to astonishment, then to embarassment as he pulled his hood up and kept quiet the rest of the time. Yea... they can't see or hear me. Will you just shut up?
-
Kitt pulled his cloak tight around him, glad that the hood cast his face in dark shadow and hid the tears that still glistened in his eyes. He looked up to the sky, but of course the familiar shadow of Evellyn was nowhere to be seen. He sighed and wiped a sleeve across his muzzle with a sniff.
However the fight with the next guardian went, his life would never be the same again. It was with a leaden heart that Kitt followed behind Kiana with his eyes cast to the ground. They needed a plan, anything that would help them fight at a time they where weakest... Unfortunately, with half the group turning on the other half, no such plan came to mind...
-
It was a week-long journey north towards the next kingdom, with only very small villages in between. During that time, Loraine continued to fortify her kingdom's defenses on the north, and even assigned watchmen to dedicate their watches in that direction. Upon seeing all this, many villagers decided to leave the kingdom temporarily, afraid of the upcoming battle. Loraine Ikster is one of the few successors of Guardians, and is a formidable fighter. She is a Ki fighter, the top of the Voronese fighters in the past.
-
During the next week of travel, Kiana didn't talk very much, if at all. She was never much for conversation and without their leader around, there wasn't much need for talking since they weren't really discussing plans or anything. Every day she lead the group toward their destination and every night she stopped them to make camp to get some sleep. It was daytime and they were all walking at the moment. Kiana kept her eyes on the area ahead of them as she walked, remaining silent unless someone said something and required a response.
-
*As the following week passed on the journey to the next guardian, the wolf began to grow bored with the silence that never seemed to end among the group* "I swear the most someone has attempted at all was probably yawn before falling asleep, I'm just wondering if there's at this point something wrong with just me or is everyone here pretty indifferent or distant. I hope we get to that next guardian soon, even reading these books for learning straight on through is getting old, there needs to be some other distraction or it's just going to be a void of passing empty time where I don't learn anything without healing the sense of repetitiveness." *White sighed without saying anything aloud*
-
As the week rolled on, Talin had little care into why nobody was talking. In fact, the lack of talking made it easier for him to focus on what was going on around him. One of those days, he heard the shuffling of feet and mumbled words. Near the end of the week, the shuffling and mumbling became too much for him to simply listen to. He broke off from the group and came across a small family of three. He grabbed who he assumed was the father, and shaked him about. "I've been hearing people walking past us for almost a week now, and nobody is telling me why. Now give me your reason or I'll scar your son for life!"
-
The following week of travel passed in silent contemplation for Kitt. Like Talin, for once, he did not mind the silence. These days he was finding it harder and harder to be his old cheerful self. It felt like less than a year ago he had been a foolish child; and that was because technically it had been, and yet in that time he felt like he had aged so much, not only physically because of the ranger ritual but in ways he could not even describe in his everyday thoughts.
It was so that when Talin grabbed a terrified-looking peasant Kitt barely looked up in surprise. Instead he sighed and walked past the two and knelt down beside the son in question, glancing up as the child's mother fearfully clenched the boys shoulders. Kitt ignored her and instead spoke directly to the young boy. It was with a small feeling of nostalgia that Kitt realised the child must be around the same age he had been when he had joined the group.
"Hey kid..." the boy looked into Kitt's eyes with a worried look. Kitt reached into his bag and rummaged about, grinning he pulled out a sling and pouch of stones, made for hunting, and held it out for the boy to take "Here, I used to have a lot of fun with this when I was your age... I have no need for it now though." The child reached out and took the sling, his mother looking down disapprovingly as she clutched him all the more closer and away from Talin. Kitt stood again and sighed, one hand resting on the pommel of his sword as he walked back to the group, pulling his hood further down so he needn't look any of them in the eye.
-
Loraine grumbled to herself as she had been restless the last week, "That goddamn idiot. He let himself get killed by such kids." Her servants brought Loraine her lunch, a large slab of ham. She took it and tore off a large chunk of it, chewing loudly, her fangs shining in the reflection of the midday light. Her 10 personal guards that were in the room with her were more nervous about her wrath than the coming battle with a small band of warriors strong enough to kill Guardians.
-
Kiana grumbled to herself when Talin veered off to question a family as to why people had been moving past them going in the direction they had come from. She stopped on the spot and turned in the direction that Talin had walked off in, not worried about the fact that Kitt had talked to the kid. "Talin, get your ass over here and leave those people alone!" She snapped. The family was no threat to them so she didn't like that he was threatening them. She went over to wear Talin stood holding the man of the family and demanding answers from him. Prying Talin's hands from the man, she turned Talin around and gave him a moderate push back toward the group. After that, she moved around him and got back to the group and began leading them on. "Alright, if any of you have any ideas for a plan, let's hear it, because I have none."
-
"I do actually a collective strategy! Let's put aside our differences and kill that Guardian up ahead. While hoping that Korius shows up soon after we start the fight. Before we get close to the next Guardian's stronghold we should also probably have someone with long distance ability like Kitt scout ahead and/or attack some of the initial defense, you the earth mage use the power of rocks or other earthly conveniences in the ground as shields so that our party can get closer so then I can use my majicka shields to protect us in close combat giving you the chance to have a break for a short while, then Drevo and Talin could keep an eye on my distracted weak points from flank attacks so I can continue to hold up our temporary invulnerability until we reach the Guardian. From there I have no idea how we should approach since every Guardian seems to be entirely different."
-
Talin raised a brow at White, then shrugged. "I just wanted to ask him why people are heading the opposite direction of us. I can't be the only one thats noticed. Even though the bounty posters are apparently gone, our next target is probably expecting the direction we're coming from. If he mentioned the direction where they're fortifying, we change course." He looked at Kitt and rolled his eyes. "Even if he didn't give me anything, I wouldn't have done a thing. I've already seen and lived what its like to lose your parents, why the heck would I make someone else live through it? Also, I vote for White's plan..."
-
"Sounds better then what I can come up with. It get's us to our target. Assuming Kitt can handle being a scout. I'm not doubting your abilities, kid I just don't want you to do something so dangerous if you're not over your demons. No offense...I'm not trying to sound like a jackass but I don't want to jeopardize your safety." Drevo said. He looked ahead before speaking again. "As for taking on Loraine...Talin and I will be the ones doing the most attacking. White should be supporting us with protective spells and if needed emergency healing. Kitt would be providing ranged support and Kiana, since you could go both ways, maybe something in the middle. Like helping me and Talin with the fighting but at the same time defending White and Kitt. That's just my suggestion. I'm far from leader of this group..." He mumbled the part about being leader as he spoke. He didn't expect anyone to listen, he also half expected lip from Kitt. Though since he didn't give him time to respond he figured he was in the clear.
-
Kitt rolled his eyes right back at Talin, flicking his fringe to one side as he listened in silence to the plans that people were voicing. He glanced up at at Drevo and shrugged "No, you're right to bring it up. But I think I can handle it." With another shrug he crossed his arms and looked over at White "No point in me being a ranger if I cant scout ahead for the group."
Uncrossing his arms he looked directly at White now "But I cant do what I did last time. I only had a limited supply of those enchanted arrows, and Kiana was helping me with targeting the guards. I would have to attack them from much closer and risk being spotted." Kitt scratched behind his ear, apparently in deep thought before he continued "Unless... Well It would be risky. But what If someone lured them out? They have the advantage so long as they remain in their stronghold, but if we get them out somehow we would have the advantage of surprise." He shrugged again, glancing around at everyone "Could it work?"
-
Elistro and his men decided that it was time to leave, "Come on, men. Our job is done here." They exited through the south entrance, but something caught his eyes and he broke from his men as they mounted their horses. On the southern ridge of the wall, there was a lone archer staring off into the southern region and he noticed a small group of people heading towards the town in the opposite direction of the villagers. "Shit! I have to warn Lady Ik-" His mouth was covered as a large sword went through his chest, "No. You won't." Elistro pulled his sword out and pushed the body over the edge. He looked over at the party in the evening sunlight, "You now have the perfect cover. Get it done for my Lord."
-
Kiana listened to the others as she walked onward. When they all had spoken, she stayed silent for another minute. "Well, if that's what we've got then that's what we've got." She finally said. "I don't know about luring them out though. With all the people that have been leaving the place, I think people actually coming towards the place is going to get attention anyway, so I don't think we need to risk any of our hides to draw them out when they will already be suspicious if they see anyone."
-
*As White walked forward he noticed what appeared to be a large structure that eventually focused into view as a castle; the wolf looked suspiciously at the castle walls* "Am I the only one that thinks there's something wrong here? Why would there be no archers or even at least someone visible at the top of these castle walls? Maybe they aren't expecting us to come or maybe we're going right into some sort of trap? Perhaps this isn't even the right place, were we given incorrect instructions?" *The wolf wrinkled his forhead and looked a bit confused and increasingly annoyed* "This is probably the wrong damn place, this doesn't even make sense. If this really is the right place, we are definitely missing something." *The wolf looked at Kiana in a perplexed expression with a questioning response unsaid* "What should we do?" *He thought to himself*
-
Talin went past White after he pointed out that there was nobody at the walls, and got ahead of the group so he could get a closer look. He managed to find a body at the side of the wall, facing upwards with a wound through his chest. Judging from how twisted the bottom half of his body is, I'm guessing he was a guard. Hey, whats- He checked the bow that had broken during the fall, and the Guardian insignia was carved on the curve towards the center of the bow. He brought it back to the group, so he wouldn't have to yell and possibly attract more attention than needed. "I believe this is the symbol Korius told us to not take if we're selling looted weapons. I found it on a soldier that probably fell off those walls, also the chest was bloody from a sword wound. You think Korius somehow beat us here?"
-
Drevo looked at the castle as they approached, unsure what to think of the lack of guards. "It is strange, but this will make it easier to infiltrate the castle. If we do it right we can probably sneak right up to the guardian. What ever happened it seems we shouldn't pass up this opportunity, trap or not." he spoke. He looked around for a way up for them but didn't find any. "Well, I can scale the wall and find a rope to lower down to you all, or Kiana can raise us up to the wall. Or even move some stone from the wall silently."
-
Kitt watched as Talin brought back the bow from the corpse. It seemed his skills as a scout where not needed, which was a shame as he had wanted a chance to prove himself after displaying such childish stupidity before. He pushed back his hood slightly and looked once more along the walls, checking that they really where empty "I would be inclined to agree with Drevo... This seems like the best chance we will get." He glanced across at Kiana as he pulled his hood back down, wondering whether it would be a waste of her magika to do either of the things Drevo had suggested she could do to get them in.
-
Elistro and his company road out east and headed back to Central to report his job to Kyzen.
Loraine waited angrily still, until not too long after the sun completely went under the horizon, about the time the team was at the outer wall. What the hell? I sensed a large magical presence just now. She shot up from her throne, "Quickly! Get the archers and castle guard to head for the southern wall! Damn that Elistro. What the hell is he doing?" Loraine's personal guard quickly left the hall towards the inner and outer wall, but it would take quite a while, enough time to even allow the group into the inner wall.
-
"I say we just go with it and take the opening." Kiana said. Without another word, she continued to lead the group toward the castle. She scanned the surrounding area, on the lookout for any movement other than their own group. When her foot hit the ground one time, she used her earth senses for a split second to figure out where the guards were. She continued to run after her quick view. "The Guardian has figured it out. The archers and guards are going to be alerted and will be coming our way. Let's hurry up and at least get inside before they get over here!" She alerted the others as she ran toward the castle.
-
*The wolf nodded to Kiana and followed, as usual finding it hard to keep up with the other group members* "Well at least this is the correct location, though I do wonder what the hell happened to the defenses..." *As soon as he made it inside the wall of the castle, he stopped and took a moment for a breather* "I can't run to save myself." *White stopped being hunched over and looked around inside* "Now what to do first?" *He then realized how now would be an appropriate time to prepare his shields* "I'd rather not be attacked undefended now." *The white mage began working on his barriers, attaching them to his allies and himself*
-
Talin followed her rather closely, making a gesture with his head towards the castle walls. He didn't notice that it was much easier to keep up with Kiana than keeping up with someone like Korius, he couldn't even feel any sort of stress in his legs. "Hey, you need me to carry your staff while we climb the walls? No offense or anything, but I don't think pullng out the masonry is going to make a stable staircase."
-
Kitt ran alongside Kiana, keeping his crossbow slung across his back so that he could keep up. When Kiana warned them about the guards he nodded and quickened his pace "So long as we get there before them, they don't have the advantage once we're in..." His cloak flapped behind him and his hood fell back as they ran, the castle walls looming up over them. He grimaced and dodged aside a thorned bush. It was crunch time, either they defeated this guardian like they had with the others, or die trying...
-
Loraine's personal guard scattered throughout the northern wall, getting guards and archers to head over to the southern entrances. Several of the archers made it over first, spotting the party coming through. "There they are! Fire!" The first six archers that made it there already started shooting as they ran over. Another fourteen archers were right behind them, and had their bows at the ready.
-
"We don't need to climb the walls. There's an entrance right over there." Kiana responded to Talin, pointing over to their right at the entrance in the wall. Just then someone yelled and the archers started shooting arrows at the group. Kiana managed to dodge the arrows that came near her but one was so close to the top of her head that she actually felt the breeze from it as it passed over her head. She raised a piece of the wall on both sides of the group of archers then swiftly brought them together in an attempt to crush the archers as she continued on to the entrance.
-
*The healer freaked out soon after realizing he was almost hit by arrows three times in a row, quickly he started to increase the strength of the shields while running to the entrance that Kiana had pointed out to Talin* "Those barriers were mostly meant for initial attack, so that I would have time to make them stronger, at least now the suspense is over with and we can expect many more attacks, most likely from here on in at close range." *White looked around at the inside of the castle* "This place is huge, bigger than it looks from the outside." *Suddenly the wolf hears a loud tremor of stone smacking against itself coming from outside and the barrage of arrows seems to quiet down* "Kiana's work I would guess, that takes care of one possible problem for now, besides we're inside so long range is probably not too useful."
-
Talin moved his body around the incoming arrows, until he realized White's barrier made the motions pointless. It feels weird trying to dodge arrows when they hit the barrier anyway. I guess I'm just adjusted to letting the arrows pass and not actually harm. Maybe I should tell White to weaken my barrier so he isn't spending so much of his power... nah, he has that knife, he'll be fine. He suddenly lowered his head and heard the arrow grind against the barrier. "Drevo, after our last fight, this doesn't seem like much, does it?"
-
Drevo somewhat casually dodged the arrows, somewhat out of instinct. If he could avoid his own barrier from breaking so soon he could save White what ever magic possible. When Talin spoke to him he turn his head to look at him. "Yeah, the last guy was a much better shot. These guys seem amateur in comparison. Either way they get lucky sometimes. If you can dodge them you should, it would save White the trouble of having to replace your barriers." he said.
-
Kitt grinned as he noticed the pearly sheen of White's shields glimmer ever so slightly. Reaching for his crossbow as he ran Kitt paused just long enough to loose a bolt, rewarded with a scream as a guard who had escaped Kiana's rock-attack collapsed to the ground. Immediately he was on the move again, dodging an arrow sent in his direction as he cranked the crossbow to load another bolt.
Passing White swiftly Kitt grinned in his direction "Nice work on these shields White!" He took in the castle interior as they continued to run, quickly noting that if he kept to one side he would be able to fire down corridors at a diagonal, catching anyone who tried to charge at the group in crossfire. He grinned to himself as he kept close to the right hand wall and readied his crossbow.
-
However, the team's spirit was too soon as they entered through the outer gate. More than 80 archers were already lying in wait, bows drawn, and they fired a large volley, seeming like a wall of death flying right at the entrance. The backup archers, numbering at over 100, were climbing the main central tower, preparing to fire off their volley after the main archers' volley so that it can be a continuous wall of arrows.
-
Kiana pulled up a barrier of rock when she saw the wall of arrows heading their way. Even though White had barriers up, she wasn't sure that they would last for the entirety of an attack like that. Once she believed that it was alright to do so, she tossed the barrier between the group and the attack of arrows at the archers then continued to move, trying to progress while there was an opening for the group.
-
*The wolf all of the sudden noticed the arrows coming forth, several tiny dots. A foreground before a background of archers, and more climbing higher to fire upon him and the group again* "Shhhh....!!!" *A massive piece of rock came up and shadowed White and the other group members and he ended his short sentence with a large exhale of empty-worded air* "Even my shields weren't prepared for that as of yet, more like single hitters. That's just insane, a bit overkill much?! In either case, thank you Kiana." *The healer turned back to his work and tried to strengthen the shields further while staying close to Drevo*
-
Talin was going to spin his blade like a fan so he could push and deflect all the arrows going at him, but Kiana threw up the barrier as he readied his double volge. He slowly let it down as she continued advancing, then gave chase. Talin brought his blade up high in time to knock away an arrow going to where he was going to be in a second. Took them long enough to use ballistics...
-
Drevo figured Kiana would do something against such a large barrage, though he was ready just in case. He followed along near Kiana so she could block the barrages of arrows. He watched Talin take off to kill some of the archers but decided to stay put. He noticed White practically clinging to him so he didn't want to freak him out by running off. "I saw over a hundred of them...Not too bad."
-
Kitt instinctively ducked as the volley of arrows came whistling down. Opening one eye cautiously he glanced down at himself, somewhat pleased not to have been turned into a living pincushion. Grinning he leaned up against the wall at a gap in the rock. A moment later and a dozen steel-tipped bolts found their mark with dull thunks and the same number of archers crumpled where they stood. Still grinning Kitt ducked away from the gap as twenty or so arrows smashed against the rock around him.
-
After reloading, the archers shot another volley, while the commander that was with them observed the enemy. He turned around and yelled orders over to the ones that just came out from the castle doors on top of the main castle tower, "Secondary archers exercise combustion arrows!" The archers at the top of the central tower carried two quivers of arrows, and dropped the deerskin ones, equipping the dragon-scale ones. Each arrow had a small wad of black substance on it, which was harvested and dried nitro. The slightest impact would set them off. The main regiment fired their second wall of arrows, and as that happened, the artillery regiment fired their combustion arrows, which caused many explosions and destroyed portions of Kiana's barrier with each impact.
-
Kiana threw up another rock barrier when a double volley of arrows came toward the group, one from the archers on the wall and another from the archers on the tower. She grunted when the first combustion arrow hit the barrier and destroyed a portion of it, not having expected it. As more arrows came, she replaced parts of the barrier. "I think you thanked me too early, White! If they have too many more of those arrows, I'm not going to be able to keep this up for very long." She said as she continued to move.
-
"This means we need someone to attack them from behind..." *The healer turned around to look at Drevo and Talin, narrowing his focus on the two* "I think we have our guys right here, Drevo couldn't you manage to move fast enough to not be hit by any stray arrows while I use an invisibility shield on you like last time on the rooftops? I feel this would at least distract them once you attack them from behind. Talin you should probably go too since that will increase the odds of success and Kitt you should probably stay here so that if any of the archers turn around to fight a flank attack, you could take the opportunity to shoot them if possible. I'll have to stay here with Kiana and when the earthen shields give out, make a large scale shield that will hopefully last for awhile. If Talin and Drevo go invisible without being seen behind this barrier, they will probably think all of us are still back here without suspecting a thing. While it's not guaranteed, you will still have your shields for me for awhile, so getting hit by a few shots probably won't do anything other than make you stagger for a moment till regaining your balance, but don't risk it."
-
Talin ducked as fragments of the barrier almost hit his head, then focused his attention on White as he spoke. "Well, that plan would work until they noticed their ranks thining by the second. How about this addition: Once we go up there, we make enough noise to distract the majority of them. Drevo and I can handle the arrows once we're on level with the archers. The rest of you get inside during the distraction, and we'll join you shortly after."
-
Drevo winced when the barrier broke up a bit when the explosions came. "Damn, they're using combustion arrows." When White spoke he listened to his plan, nodding when he finished. "Sounds like a plan, you sure you can handle two people being invisible? I'd rather not have it come off in the middle of it all. Think you can estimate how long it would last?" he asked. He wanted to know more before he decided to go along with it.
-
Kitt glanced across at White, wincing as another explosion threw debris over him from Kiana's wall. He grinned "Sounds like the best plan we got." The grin slipped slightly as another combustion arrow hit the wall with a loud bang and shards of rock rained down on them again. Everywhere arrows skittered off flagstones and rock, almost sounding like a very heavy rainfall.
"I'll keep 'em distracted while you get on with that White!" Kitt leaned up against the wall and fired again, aiming his shots carefully as he couldn't rely on sheer volume of arrows to kill the archers. He switched to another section of the rock wall, satisfied as an archer fell from the tower above with a scream all the way to the ground below.
-
Many of Kitt's normal bolts did not hit their marks, though, mainly because of the distance. The wind created by the funneling walls deterred many of his shots, though he did manage to kill 7 of them, and cause the others to hide, but it wasn't enough to slow them down, just distract a few of them. The ones in the main tower continued their barrage, timing it perfectly enough to keep the group under pressure.
-
"If you guys want to try it, go right ahead. Just don't expect me to be right there to protect you if you screw up." Kiana said as she continued to dodge around as she headed for the north side of the castle. "Wish I could just collapse this whole place, but that's just too easy..." She thought as she fixed her barrier then she realized something. "I wonder if tunneling would work or if they would still get us somehow."
-
"Alright, then let's do this quickly. Kiana probably doesn't have a whole lot of time left, and I need to be preparing for the moment the shield does collapse, so stay still." *The healer focused his attention on Drevo and Talin and made the invisibility shields with a little bit of difficulty* "I have never done two at once as Drevo has said, because both of you will probably be moving at different speeds, so the shields must be separate. You probably only have about 15 minutes before this will wear off, go quickly and make haste. As Talin said, you're only going to distract them long enough for us to proceed beyond the archer targeting range." *White waved the two invisible party members off and focused his attention on Kiana* "How much longer do you think you'll last before the barrier gives out?" *The wolf also occasionally glanced at Kitt who was now fighting explosive arrows and the archers above* "Hopefully he doesn't get overconfident and get shot, I can't heal him, keep two people invisible and protect all three of us at once."
-
Talin went parallel to the inner wall, re-thinking his 'climb' as the walls seemed to have all the possible grips filled with mortar. He kept thinking it over, slowly leaning towards giving up until he noticed a door by one of the corners of the wall. "Drevo, I see a door at the end of this corner. Lets see if it gets us up to the walls, or even better, lead us right to the guardian!"
-
Drevo went along with Talin and when he spotted the door he noticed it, too. "We should stick to distracting the archers for now. Let the others get to safety before we join them." The two made it to the door and he took a look around. "We could probably cut through it without making too much noise. Then we could get this over with..." he said. "Being one of air affinity this should be simple to cut through."
-
Kitt grinned at White as he ducked from another volley of arrows "All I gotta do is keep their fire away from where they are going. No offence meant to your shields White, but we need to give 'em the best chance they can have." He fired off another return volley, grimacing as he watched more than half of the bolts strike off stone or go wildly over the wall. Only three or so guards fell to the ground and he frowned "Both Lo and my father would have scorned that accuracy. Though it is a very long shot from here..."
-
The hail of arrows continued to barrage, and Kiana's earth shield had dwindled down to almost nothing now. Luckily, since the group had been advancing fairly well, the buildings were starting to get large enough to provide miniscule cover. However, the inner wall archers' arrows are still accurate and powerful, due to their longbows' tension, many of the arrows piercing through the buildings. The bombardment arrows, however, were the most dangerous. Despite the cover, the houses weren't as rugged as a rock wall. Some of the buildings crumbled from the impact of the combustion arrows, becoming falling debris on White, Kiana and Kitt.
-
Kiana growled slightly as she dodged between buildings. "I'm getting tired of this crap!" She said, narrowly dodging an arrow that came at her. "Stupid archers!" It took her another minute or two to realize what she had said and she looked back at Kitt. "No offense." She said sincerely. She had no issue with the kid and she didn't want him to think that she hated him or anything just because she was irritated with the Guardian's archers.
-
*White looked more than worried as soon as Kiana's shield fell through barely after the end of his last words to Kiana and ran as fast as he could to the nearest cover of a building's standing remnants* "Maybe while we're behind one of these buildings, I could use another invisibility spell... supposing Talin and Drevo have already reached the archers soon. Err... Kiana is it possible of you to manipulate the materials of these buildings and just 'throw' it at the archers? Surely they can't shoot faster than the amount of things that you could throw in vast sizes?" *The wolf hid behind Kiana again after more combustible arrows hit the surrounding environment, causing a great deal of blast noise and leaving small craters in the ground; the healer turned to the party's fighting archer whilst waiting for the earth mage to focus on his question* "Kitt have you seen any sort of alteration yet with the attention of the archers above, like turning around at all?"
-
Talin tested the door by ramming his shoulder into it, feeling something behind the door as well as the possible locations of the hinges. "I don't think its' going to be that simple Drevo, the door has a bar across the back and it is probably metallic. However, we might be able to break the hinges off and simply push the door down. Now since the door gave to the right, I am guessing the hinges are here and here, and maybe a third one in between." He pointed at the upper and lower left sides of the door. "If we had one of those blast arrows, this would be so much easier to deal with..." he muttered under his breath as he wedged his volge in the left side to see if he can tap the hinges from the other side.
-
"We're supposed to be quiet." Drevo said to Talin when he suggested a combustion arrow. "I will try to cut it then...Since you don't want to." he continued. He drew his hidden katana and held it in his paws in front of him. "Okay...Lets see if I can't cut through this like butter..." he thought. He began to concentrate, trying to focus his energy to his blade to make it sharp enough to cut through the door with a few swift attacks. After a minute of concentrating he took four lightning fast swings at the center of the door making a diamond shape cut...
-
Kitt grinned back at Kiana as he dodged an arrow and loosed one in return, deeply satisfied as it was met with a muffled scream "No offence taken." He ducked down as another volley of arrows struck the buildings around them. Glancing up at White he shrugged, ducking again as an arrows skimmed past, narrowly missing his arm "Hard to tell, but I dont think they have noticed Talin or Drevo missing. When they reach the archers, all we need to do is break cover and try and distract as many as possible..."
-
The cuts were sharp and swift, managing to cut without a sound, but the hinges were iron, and their clangs were enough to grab the attention of a couple archers. "Below! Below!" The commander signaled the inner tower archers and 20 trained their arrows below the area that he pointed to. However, it was too general, so the archers shot in the general direction, which was a 50 foot spread, covering 2 towers and the end of the line of archers.
-
"I could just use the ground for that. I did it earlier, remember?" Kiana responded to White's suggestion as she continued to dodge between buildings so there wasn't enough delay for an arrow to actually get through to get her. It was after Kitt responded to White that she heard someone yell out to the archers alerting them to something. "I would say they've been discovered from the sounds of it."
-
"Well this sucks, I guess my plan has fallen apart already, but hopefully the invisibility spell is still holding up, they should probably have about 5 minutes left. If it isn't, that new direction of fire will probably be too much for them in seconds. I do remember Kiana I just..." *Another arrow exploded next to the wolf that was remaining stationary for too long* "Shit!" *White followed Kiana to and fro, trying to avoid getting hit* "I think I have another spell for rebounding projectiles, but I don't think it works on these arrows, the amount of time on them is probably too little for it to be effective at all."
-
Talin stiffened up as he heard the clang of the hinges. He waited for a response for about ten seconds, and an arrow passed his head before five seconds were up. "Hey Drevo, 'we're supposed to be quiet'!" Talin said in a hushed voice as he pulled at the cut wood so he could pull off the bar on the other side and get them both to the walls. After some difficulty, he backed up and jammed his volge into each cut. He didn't really need to focus on stealth now that their location was probably given away, which made it mentally easier on him as he punctured through the rest of the cut on the door. Once it was loose enough, he pulled out the diamond-cut wood and knocked the bar off its holding and the door slowly opened itself. "Since you got their attention first, you go first."
-
The archers on the wall fired straight down, not creating much of a hole in their volley, and put pressure on the two who were yet to get into the door that they barely got unlocked. The 20 tower archers in the castle took their aim and fired, blowing holes into the wall, hoping the debris would injure the invaders. They were all trained for efficiency, and they were shining now.
-
"Yeah, yeah, keep talking maybe you can deflect arrows by word of mouth." Drevo ranted at Talin. When the archers were hitting their own wall he winced as some debri came down. Drevo pushed Talin through the door and went in after him to avoid the falling debri. "Looks like you still get to go first." he jested. After that he bolted for some stairs to get to the walls, feeling it was time for some payback.
-
Loraine was now watching from inside her quarters in her castle, through the window. "Impudent whelps. I'll teach you to stand up to the Guardians. You'll pay dearly for the death of my comrades." She left the window and went up to the tower, questioning the first archer she saw. "As you were. How goes the defense?" The archer did not turn to salute like he was going to since she relieved him of doing so, and kept fire, "We have them cornered out on the eastern side of the city. At least one has infiltrated one of the towers underneath our primary battalion, and we have a couple of our men covering it to kill those bastards before they reach the top."
-
Kitt weaved between the two and fell to a crouch, lining up his bow with where the shouts had come from. Sure enough the commander was still there ordering his troops. Kitt grinned and loosed a volley of bolts in his direction and the other archers around him, emptying the the rack that he currently had loaded. The bolts skittered and ricocheted off the stonework around the commander, a few finding their mark in the group of archers with screams.
It was with arrows thunking into the ground at his feet that Kitt dashed back to Kiana and White, ducking and weaving madly as volleys of arrows rained down on them "I distracted them... Perhaps a little too well. Keep running!"
-
The primary archers ceased their volleys after a while and ducked down behind the wall's protective shielding. "Sir! We're out of arrows! Why aren't the scouts here yet?" On the contrary, despite his poor hits, all the scouts who were supposed to run for arrows after half were gone, were all killed by Kitt's bolts. In the tower of the castle, the archer quickly reported to Loraine, who watched from behind, "The primary team is vulnerable, m'lady! Artillery team! Concentrate all fire on the wall to protect our men! Their running group will take at least 2 minutes to get over to the northern inner gate!" All the artillery archers changed their aim and fired all their combustion arrows towards the 50-foot stretch of walls where the stairs heading up were.
-
Kiana noticed the change in aim of the archers and there was a spark in her eyes. "Perfect." She said quietly to herself. "Now's our chance!" She said to White and Kitt. She continued to run between buildings but now she had the time and the openings to do something more than just dodge for her life. As she ran, she would pause for a moment at random, stomping up a large piece of earth and launching it toward the archers on the inner wall who seemed to be defenseless.
-
"Well since there's not much that can really happen besides the rebound barriers just exploding from the combustion arrow damage, I'll just put the shields up on Kiana's earth as it goes. Ngghhh.." *The wolf focused and tried to make the shields appear around the earth as it came flying to the enemies* "Most importantly I have to keep up all of our party's shields too, so this is draining me quickly." *The healer began to sweat as he continued to lay down the barriers with the earthen attacks flying across the castle air, remaining still so he could focus at his best*
-
"You flea-bitten little..." Talin stopped his thoughts of trying kill Drevo as he dodged another arrow that had gone through the openings made by the explosive arrows. "You know what, I'll kill you later when the archers are gone!" He yelled as he practically jumped up the stairs seven to eight steps at a time, at a pace one would make when normally walking up the stairs. When they both reached the top, Talin pointed to the wall that Kiana, Kitt, and White were still in front of. "They're out of arrows for-" An explosive arrow went off near them, but it mostly just interrupted him rather than actually harming either of them. "Screw it, just kill any archers you come across, and stay out of my way!" Talin ran down the western wall, cutting down every archer that was in his sights during his short journey to the northern wall.
-
With the large holes now growing in number, the artillery archers were finally able to see Drevo and Talin, and fired everything that they had. Meanwhile, several main archers had already hightailed it out of there to retrieve arrows, but were cut off of their return as Kiana threw in the section of earth, knocking out a large portion of the wall, and killing 10 archers.
-
Drevo ignored Talin's words and came behind him taking down the archers he managed to miss. When the other archers took notice of them and began to fire he did his best to dodge and weave passed the incoming fire. Along the way he procured a bow from a downed archer and caught a combustion arrow. He then quickly fired in the the general area of the artillery archers firing on them. He didn't expect it to do much, or anything, considering he wasn't the best with a bow.
-
True to Drevo's thoughts, his aim was downright horrible. Aside from only aiming in the general area, he apparently didn't see Kitt's bolts being affected by wind earlier, and the arrow went straight down and blew up in the courtyard. The rest of the artillery archers returned fire and blew off Talin and Drevo's route towards the rest of the main unit, them being surrounded on both sides with nowhere to run directly to. The archers took aim for the kill when the unexpected happened. The portion of the wall that Talin and Drevo were on began to collapse underneath them, clumps of stone and iron by clumps of stone and iron.
-
Kitt followed behind Kiana, running between ruined walls and flying arrows. He stopped momentarily to reload his crossbow and ducked as another arrow flew over his head. It took several moments to pull out another stack of bolts and lock them in place, then he was off again catching up with Kiana and dodging past White with a shout "White, you might want to keep up. Almost there!"
-
Kiana smirked slightly when one of her sections of earth knocked out a portion of the wall and killed some archers. As she continued to move between buildings, she would randomly throw earth, but she made sure to spare her majicka since she didn't want to be exhausted before reaching the Guardian. After a few minutes, she heard the rumble of a collapsing wall which she knew all to well. Looking back, she saw the section of wall that Talin and Drevo were on collapsing. She was too busy running for the north gate to help them though so they were going to have to save themselves.
-
*The healer stopped his barrier building after noticing Kiana was finished and Kitt telling him to move it, he came out of his trance without thinking started to run and follow the earth mage and the archer* "Oh crap, Drevo and Talin are going down with the structuring, I hope they'll be okay. I don't have time to help them now." *White looked away not wanting to see what would happen as he only looked to behind Kiana and the direction they were going* "We need to get to that guardian soon or we could be finished before the real battle is even started."
-
As the archers lined up their kill shots, Talin looked right at Drevo with a rather sour face. "If you had just gone the other direction-" He couldn't finish his nagging statement when the wall started to give way piece by piece. When part of the balcony started to fall off, he jumped onto the piece and rode the partial balcony down the whole eighty feet, while making sure he was on the edge of the highest part. When it hit the ground, he let himself fall forward and land on his hands. Using the momentum in his body, he rolled across the ground and only obtained a weakness in the legs instead of the fractures or complete destruction of said legs. He slowly got back up, slid his volge back into the sling, then made his way to the north gate expeditiously.
-
Drevo felt the ground under him shaking, realizing the wall was coming down. He turned to hear Talin's words. "Yeah, looks like your weight broke the castle wall!" he barked back at him. He surfed down the crumbling wall in a similar fashion as Talin did as well as jumping around to different rocks on the way down. Once down he didn't bother to say anything to Talin and just worked on making his way back to the others.
-
Kitt ran alongside Kiana, making sure White was right behind them. He continued running, head down, making for the north gate. "Those two had better not die before we get to the guardian." He ducked as he ran, an arrow skimming over his shoulder, snagging his hood. "So long as we all get there in one piece we might have some chance!"
-
The archers receded and the combustion bombardments stopped from the main tower, the artillery archers receding as well, by command of Loraine. Inside, they lined themselves up on balconies on every floor, which overlooked the entrance. The number of archers was now down to just under 100. However, the majority of the inner framework was a mix of metal and molten earth, which was non-manipulable by normal earth magic.
-
Kiana ceased her running when they came upon the north gate of the castle, looking back at the others to see that Talin and Drevo were catching up with them. "Well, since the arrows have completely stopped, I would guess that they're waiting for us inside somewhere." She said to the others, loud enough for Talin and Drevo to hear as well. "Keep your eyes and ears open. This isn't going to be easy." She then turned forward again and started to enter the gate.
-
*White followed behind Kiana and hoped for the best for Drevo and Talin, making sure Kitt was not too far away from him* "Kitt you're basically the only long range fighter we have, I would rather not have you getting damaged during this flight for the gate." *The wolf entered quietly looking around, heeding Kiana's advice for caution well* "This is probably far from over, I know we didn't kill or defeat all of the archers, they're probably waiting for us at some point or another..."
-
Talin was not that far behind, and had picked up his pace just a little more so he would arrive at the gate before Kiana got through the gate. "Wait, if those arrows blasted apart the castle walls..." Talin grabbed hold of White, then let go the moment he realized that Kiana was already going inside. "Oh no..." using footwork and speed that were usually reserved for catching up to faster enemies, he got past White and Kitt before grabbing Kiana by the arm and pulling her back. "Let me get this right, the archers leave the towers and walls, then go into the castle, and you want to go through the front door?"
-
Drevo caught up to the others and listened to what they had to say. When Talin stopped Kiana from going inside, mentioning the possibility of archers he agreed with him. "He has a point, there could be a trap set up. It could be suicide going in there, but I don't see any other choice..." he said. "Save for scaling the building..." he added in. He stood back and made sure no one was going to hit them from behind.
-
Kitt reloaded his crossbow, slotting a few bolts into the rack to replace those he had just fired. He glanced up at White and nodded but said nothing. Watching as Talin pulled Kiana back he frowned and followed Drevo, ranging the sights of his crossbow over their flanks and read just in case. He kept one ear out to listen to what Kiana and Talin where saying though, wondering what the plan would be when it was such an obvious trap...
-
The archers drew their bows and pulled their arrows to full tension, waiting for the party to break through the front door. Loraine sat on her throne in an almost meditative state, keeping 15 of her best archers in the throne room with her, pointing their bows and arrows at the door into the chamber. She then opened her eyes, having been monitoring activity just outside the castle, "They're here."
-
Kiana pulled her arm out of Talin's grip but still stopped and listened to him, becoming annoyed since he pretty much said what she had already said along with Drevo mentioning the possible trap she had warned them about. "I just said that." She said, restraining herself the best she could from snapping at them. "This is the way in, so this is how we're going in. That's how I see it." She then remembered that she could use her 'earth sight' to check out what was waiting for them. Zoning out for a second, she then came back with a shake of her head. "And I can't see in there, so the place must be made of some other material..." She directed her eyes at the door that led into the castle through the north gate, wondering what to do. She would probably pull together a shield before going in, but she had no idea how that would work out or how long it might last.
-
"I have to agree with Drevo and Talin on this one at least in hesitation, especially now that you can't even see beyond this entrance. This would be the perfect opportunity for a quick strike to be made as soon as we walk through that door from the enemy. I wish we had some sort of illusion ability to make a copy of one of our group and just send the doppelganger inside to test the ground. Though at best we should probably carry some sort of really good shield. Invisibility probably won't work this time since they know we're coming this way and I'd hate to see the failed result. I really don't see any good way of approaching this situation as my shields won't last against more than a few combustion arrows in any case. I don't have any particular ideas this time unfortunately."
-
Talin pinched the bridge of his snout as a method of keeping himself from yelling. "Remember the tower Drevo and I climbed to reach those walls? I was thinking that there should be others along the other walls that had not crumbled. If those archers are already inside, then that means there are multiple entrances into the castle. Otherwise, we would have seen archer piling out of the towers and heading right for this gate. My suggestion is for us to use those passages as either a way to avoid confrontation, or to finally get the drop on these guards." Talin looked at everyone else, and raised a brow. "Am I really the only one who noticed how quickly the archers left?"
-
Indeed, Talin was right, but those entrances were sealed off the second the archers got into the castle. Unlike prior soldiers, these were more highly trained, and higher in number. Unlike many, whom only had elites and only did half-assed training for the rest, Loraine believed in fully training every last one of her soldiers to be elites, and all her soldiers shared the same mindset.
-
Drevo scratched his ear before folding his arms. "Those doors are probably closed off by doors. And since they saw us getting through one of their doors, I wouldn't put it passed them to have barricaded them to no end." he said, turning back towards the others. "Maybe Kiana can just drag a bunch of stone into the castle through this door and we can use it as cover. If we stick to one side that would surely reduce the fire on us, hopefully long enough for us to do something. I'm just throwing things out there."
-
Kitt glanced over at Drevo, then over at Kiana and shrugged "Could you do that Kiana? Even if the walls inside the castle are impermeable to your abilities, you could bring in regular earth from out here." He grinned and pulled up his hood as he stood at the sideline, waiting to see what she would say. There wasn't anything else he could except wait and see whether Kiana would be able to do what they asked.
-
Kiana was growing very frustrated, very fast. It was no wonder Korius was in such a bad mood all the time while leading the group. "Yes." She snapped a little. "I did see how fast they left...on the inside of the wall." She placed her left hand on the door then took a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself some. "The issue is that we don't know if they're right on the other side of this door, which I would guess that they are since then they'd only have to focus all their efforts at one point that way." She pulled her hand away from the door. "I could bring in a stone barrier with us, yes, but I don't know how long it will last." She closed her eyes and let out a sigh before opening them again. "Well...lets get this over with." She said as she pulled up a wall of stone that was twice as tall as their tallest member and wrapped it around the group in a circle, though she would adjust the form when they went through the door.
-
Talin kept his mouth shut, his idea shot through with holes that only a cold reality could provide. He pulled his hood up so that his white hair wouldn't give the location of his head away. Once again, we're going into an enemy stronghold with only the luck of improvisation to save us from completely annihilation. Sometimes I wonder why we even plan ahead when we just scrap it five minutes later...
-
As soon as the party entered through the doors, the top floor archers let their volley fire off first, and as they reloaded, the bottom half of archers fired off their volley. However, at such close quarters within the confines of the castle, there was a 1.5 second delay between volleys. The lack of castle-wall ramparts and less room where they were standing, reload times took longer.
-
Drevo followed along silently, a little glad that his idea was used. "I hate archers...Sure a few are easy but THIS many is annoying...Should have just sneaked all the way to the guardian myself, saved us all the trouble." he thought to himself. He deflected a few arrows that managed to slip through the cracks of Kiana's barrier from time to time. As he did he tried to spot a way to get up to the archers.
-
Loraine watched in dismay from her chambers, using her Ki, as the party forged through the archers' defense. Her fury built as she stood up and concentrated her Ki into her left hand and used a force palm, releasing the Ki, which knocked the double doors off their hinges and collided with Kiana's shield, chipping off a good portion from the front, and her elite archers in her chambers aimed and fired at the party.
-
Kiana reshaped the wall once the arrows started flying so that the extra height of it had become a dome over the group so that the arrows couldn't just fly over the wall and get them that easily. When a portion of the front of her shield was taken out, she quickly turned the shield so that the opening was at the back. In the motion, a couple arrows had started to come through the opening but had been knocked away by the rotation.
-
Loraine stomped the ground, her Ki concentrated into it, and it sent a shockwave through the ground, tearing it up as it traveled forward towards the group, and destroyed the earth barrier shield. The archers from all levels let loose all their arrows. There was no where to run, and no time to block. However, a large portion of the castle above the entrance burst open, the debris knocking away all the arrows. As that happened, Loraine sent three Ki-infused punches, throwing three giant fists to destroy the debris and at the figure from behind it. The figure glowed red a little and destroyed the attacks, landing in front of the party, eyes glowing bright red. It was Korius.
-
Talin tried to guard against the ki attacks, or at least take the hits so that the less resilient would be unharmed. He noticed that the attacks had not connected, and that someone else just arrived to the fight. Talin opened his eyes and smirked as their 'leader' was once again in action. "You have a lot of nerve showing up in such an awesome fashion, better have learned some new tricks with all the time you spent away." Talin broke off to the right, hoping that hugging the wall would keep the combustion arrows from being fired at him while he knocked the regular ones aside.
-
Korius smirked, "It's only been a few days. You'll live. Just take care of the archers. I have a little personal vendetta with this one. Think you can handle it?" Loraine hissed as she dug her feet into the ground and sent forth a large Ki-infused double palm towards them. Korius took a stance, bending his knees slightly and crossing his arms, his body facing left. He glowed slightly just before the Ki blasts reached him, and he almost seemed to dispel it with a backhanded fist. However, it seemed like a gentle breeze, rather than the destructive chaos that usually ensues with all of Korius' Ki attacks.
-
Kitt punched the air in childish joy, whooping "Heya, think your so big now eh bravas? Ready to fight now eh bravas!" He dodged aside Korius and knelt down, bringing his crossbow up to his shoulder, then let loose a quick volley of bolts at the archers.
Now with the wind from outside gone and the distance shortened his crossbow came into its prime, bolts punching through mail and armor with screams from the men following them. He grinned, dodging aside arrows with abandonment, all care for safety gone as he ducked and ran in a zigzagging pattern across the rubble-strewn floor.
-
The bolts hit one of the targets. Even though reload times were hindered, the archers were still some of the most elite in Celestia. Korius quickly grabbed Kitt and threw him back at the party as he pushed off the ground to meet the attacking Loraine, "I'll leave the kid in your care!" He turned his full attention to Loraine as their fists met, causing a large shockwave to expand the immediate area. The archers turned their attention to the party and unleashed a large wall volley of arrows, while the archers in the chambers fired right at the two fighters. Loraine sent a barrage of blows, all blocked by Korius, who seemed to be on the defense right off the bat, and feinted a few steps, almost disappearing. Korius' hands glowed and he clapped them together, causing shockwave to stop the arrows in mid-air.
-
When Kiana's barrier was completely gone he grumbled. He tensed up when the arrows came at them all. "Well, that didn't last long..." he said. Suddenly Korius showed up to save the day. "Well look what the cat dragged in..." he said lowly. When he went off to play with Loraine the next volley of arrows came. He was ready to deflect as many as he could when Korius blew them all away. He looked around to see if there was any way up to the archers but there wasn't any easy way to them. The best idea was to cover Kiana and Kitt while they took care of the archers. He figured they knew that so he didn't feel it was necessary to say anything about it.
-
Loraine seemed to reappear right behind Korius right as he stopped the arrows. He quickly ducked down forward, barely dodging a reverse roundhouse infused with Ki, and responded in kind with his own. Loraine quickly blocked with a left forearm, bursting with her own Ki to nullify the damage transfer. The impact of the block let out a small wind, not really a shockwave, also not a normal attack from Korius.
-
Kiana hadn't expected her barrier to be destroyed so quickly but she had also known that it wasn't going to last long in the first place so she partly wasn't surprised when it was blown to pieces. When Drevo said that it didn't last long, she knew he mainly meant the fight but in her eyes it applied to her shield as well since she had said it wouldn't hold up long, which she didn't take as an insult. "Told you it wouldn't." She had said back and had prepared herself to welcome the arrows along with her death. In a way, she was disappointed that they didn't make it to her body but that was overshadowed by the fact that Korius had just appeared and saved them. In her mind, she happy and relieved and saying, "Oh thank god he's alive!" On the outside, however, she didn't really let her happiness or relief show. "Oh yeah, sure, now you show up." She said, but smirked slightly, even though it was a 'lets kick these people's asses' kind of look and not really a 'I'm so glad you're here' kind of look that she was hiding. She wasn't surprised when he threw Kitt back at him since Kitt was being a little over eager which could wind up getting him killed. "Well...she may have destroyed my shield, but I can still use it as ammo!" She said as she stomped her foot, bringing up some of the rubble remnants of her shield, then sent the rubble flying at a balcony of archers. It was easy for her to see that Korius had learned to control his Ki but she didn't say anything on the subject and would let the others figure it out on their own.
-
Part of the second balcony and half of the first balcony, on the right side, took the blow, killing 17 of the archers. However, it didn't shake the others and another volley from all 7 floors came bearing down on the group. The 20 that were in Loraine's chambers disappeared into hidden doors in the chamber and emerged with the other archers on various floors. Meanwhile, Loraine took the offensive in attacking Korius, taking the battle into her chambers while the rest of the party was blocked off and kept busy by the remaining 93 archers in the central lobby.
-
Kiana quickly moved behind one of the knocked down doors to avoid the volley of arrows that were sent at them again. While behind the door, she sent more rubble at the archers. She didn't like that Korius was dealing with the Guardian by himself but she did her best not to think about it and just focus on taking out the archers, hoping that maybe if they took them out fast enough they might be able to help Korius out afterward.
-
The low frequency of the hard impacts from the Ki infused hits and blocks resounded throughout the castle. Despite all her offense, Loraine had been unable to land a single direct hit. She hissed as she became infuriated and the ground beneath her began to rumble as she built up her Ki. Loraine pushed off the ground, destroying where she stood and her fists and legs began to move at blinding speeds as Korius lept up to meet her attack with his own, for once. The exchange of blows were devastating, and emitted extreme loud, impact soundwaves, but the force from the contact was still not generating any shockwaves.
-
*Meanwhile amongst the chaos of the return of an ally to the group, the wolf stayed hidden at the entrance still* "Man screw that, I can't even walk in there without getting shot at with an arrow probably, I'll just stay here until it slows down long enough for my efforts to be even useful, until then they'll get the best of shields I can offer. As far as anything else, they'll have to send it to me with ESP because I'm not walking through there without support of some kind because I'm way too damn slow. This diamond still doesn't seem to show much of an impact on anything." *White took out the diamond again and gazed at it as he stood there* "I'm amazed that Korius showed up, I thought it was just gonna be what was left of our group against the overpowered archery unit and some Guardian hiding in the background."
-
The archers' numbers were dropping as the battle prolonged, however, the floor became more and more littered with arrows, some pointing up from being deflected or bent and stuck in backwards between the stones. As the fight between Loraine continued, her attacks became stronger and stronger, but Korius' defense remained the same, so the attacks were beginning to break through. Finally, Loraine sent a volley of kicks before attacking with a punch straight to the chest. Korius fell for it, and wasn't able to dodge. He crossed his arms and blocked the hit as best he could, but the impact hit hard, and he coughed blood as the hit sent him flying right through the cracked wall behind the chamber and right into the rear courtyard.
-
Talin had grabbed onto the torch holder near the lip of balcony when Kiana threw the fallen barricade at the other archers, and then used it as a launching platform when he climbed up the cracks of masonry that Loraine's 'door buster' had caused. The second he got on the lip an archer was going to stab him with a dagger, but he pulled the archer off the balcony before getting his feet inside the balcony. On that balcony, most of the archers had turned away from the group and were now trying to eliminate the dragoon that had ascended to their floor. His clothes had a few tears and cuts where he couldn't completely dodge the arrows during his climbing, but he was still uninjured as he switched between parrying and dodging the arrows. Two more archers met their end by his blade and he was not stopping his advancement.
By this time he couldn't even pay attention to the situation of Korius, anyone else for that matter, as he was keeping the entire bottom-right balcony from firing on anyone else but himself.
-
However, despite his efforts, Talin bit off more than he could chew. Two arrows entered into his right calf, which staggered him and another archer came over and pushed Talin over one of the broken edges. Landing him on the first balcony of the second floor, and crashing through it as his weight crumbled the cracks in it and onto the ground with a clang, rolling a little towards the party since only half of what he landed on actually broke off. Lucky for him, his armor broke and protected him from an arrow that was facing upward. 10 of the archers leaned over the edge and aimed their bows directly at Talin, firing.
-
He rolled off to the side, spinning his volge to reduce the number of arrows that would actually have a chance at hitting him. He got up and kept his pain from hindering his retreat. He got by the gate and glanced back at White before knocking away more arrows. "Can you give me a patch job? I did something stupid and now arrows are sticking out of my leg."
-
The archers systematically seemed to work very well together, despite their dwindled numbers in random places. The true skill of Loraine's men were showing and it was truly a power that could almost match up to that of a Guardian. 20 archers concentrated on suppressing Talin at the entrance, while 30 stood by with combustion arrows, ready to hit anything more being hurled at them, and the rest concentrated on the meat of the party.
-
*The wolf looked up out of thought at Talin and nearly put a hand to his face then looked back at the wound* "If I heal you, you have to take me with you, and that meaning not leave me in the dust!" *White gripped the feathered end of the arrow and told the wolf to hold still while he numbed it enough to not be felt as he slowly ripped it out of his leg* "You really know how to screw up an anatomy, if you didn't know me I swear you'd never walk again from the look of that femur."
*After about 10 minutes, the wound and the broken bone were renewed to their previous condition* "Now I think you should take me close to Korius, so I can finish this damn fight by protecting him enough to be invincible to most of Loraine's attacks... hopefully."
-
Korius got up after shaking off the impact dizziness, just in time to dodge and heel drop from Loraine, which created a wide crater where he had been laying. He roared as he let more of his Ki flow through his body, but struggled a little to maintain his sanity as he felt the dark Ki start to try to seep in. Shinzuu's eyes flickered between bright red and crimson red for a second before it remained bright red.
-
Kiana stayed behind the door and continued to use the rubble to take out archers. Her supplies were dwindling though from being busted up by combustion arrows even though she had been pulling back rubble that she had already used against them. When she heard a roar that she easily knew came from Korius, she worried about how he was holding up. "I wish I could just collapse all these balconies, or at least chuck these doors at them, but unfortunately I can't control these materials." She thought to herself as she sent some rubble flying. "He shouldn't be fighting the Guardian by himself..."
-
Loraine smirked, "Oh, so your new-found powers has its limits. You haven't conquered yourself, yet. Come on, let it all out. Kill me and then kill your comrades! Grow a pair boy! Warriors like us were always meant to walk solo! Look around you. Ki Masters are meant to be masters, not slaves." Korius frowned, trying to control his anger, "Says the one who threw away her honor. Don't ever put in the same category as you, who betrayed your comrades and your people, who trusted you to protect them."
-
Kitt ducked and dodged the rain of arrows as best he could, his childish enthusiasm at Korius' entrance gone and replaced by single-minded concentration. He finally made it over to where White stood and dropped to one knee. With deft movements he reloaded his repeater crossbow and slung it over his back, instead pulling the guardian's handbow from his doeskin bag.
Arrows still fell around them, far too accurately for Kitt's liking, and so he was forced to keep moving as he loaded the second crossbow. He grinned when it was finally prepared, loaded with the stack of armor-piercing bodkin bolts that he had bought at the last village. Hefting it up to his shoulder with a grunt he loosed several shots towards the archers firing combustion arrows.
This time, instead of ricocheting off masonry the bodkin arrows burst through stone and flew through the air with a searing whistle. Kitt immediately set off at a run again. The handbow was more cumbersome to use than his crossbow, making it harder to dodge the arrows, but he had been training to carry and fire it ever since he had received it at the last guardian fight.
-
Due to the weight affecting Kitt, the shots were still not too accurate, but did kill a few more archers. The battle ensued, until there were only just short of 30 archers left, when the Commander called for a ceasefire, though the archers kept their bows at full extension, ready to let the shots loose if they needed to. The Commander didn't bother to say anything else, but merely smirked as he held a flint stone and dropped it. Unbeknownst to the whole group, all the arrows that littered the floor had small pouches no more than a finger nail's thickness larger than the arrow's body tied to them. Now that the whole party was in the castle, he laughed and threw the flint stone onto the ground, which created the spark, the floor systematically going off like a minefield. To add to the devastation, the archers began shooting again the second the stone nit the ground.
-
When a ceasefire was called for, Kiana didn't trust what was going on at all. When the floor started going off like a minefield, she had to move from her spot behind the fallen door and get a move on. She began dodging back and forth, narrowly missing being blown up quite a few times. The explosions had destroyed what had been left of her rubble so she had no more ammunition to use to fight the archers with. She knew that there weren't many archers left and now she was going to have to rely on the others to take them out since she couldn't.
-
*White looked through the diamond that was still clutched in his hand at the scene that seemed to almost be unfolding in a slow but instantaneous manner in the entire floor of the castle courtyard, soon to become death for anyone left on the ground, unwittingly moved past Talin watching the flint going down on the ground he flipped open his butterfly knife with his other hand and gripped it tight* "I'll have to focus on all of them with equal protection, technically this should be impossible. At this point however, we're all going to die either way."
*Gripping both the diamond and the knife at the same time, he cut into the palms of his hands hoping to grab whatever he could as he made light energy so intense the brightness of the light was basically blinding as he covered Kiana, Talin, Drevo and Kitt with the most powerful shields he had ever attempted* "There's not enough left for me, but at least I'm close to the ex.." *The flint hit the ground and his words never finished beyond the sound and the brightness of the explosion and battle of shield energy against the blast's force*
-
The explosion was grand, and destroyed much of the first floor of the castle, including a lot of the pillars. Portions of the roof crumbled and fell down, hitting hard against the shield, but it barely held. With every impact, there were visible cracks forming in the shields, and they shattered after the crumbling and destruction ended. The commander celebrated with his men, swiftly shouting new orders, "Okay, men! Let's move out and get rid of that last bastard fighting her highness!"
-
Talin coughed as the dust settled, getting back on his feet and looking up at the debris above them. "Hey, has anyone seen White since those things went off?" He looked over at the rest of the group, then spun his volge a few times while heading to the nearest opening. He turned back once again, leaning the pole of his blade against his shoulder."You know what, anyone with the stones and strength to move on should go to through the wall in the throne room. Korius will probably welcome anyone distracting the few archers that remain. If not, try to find our healing mage, or what is left of him." He then climbed out the opening and briskly walked his way to the aforementioned throne room.
-
Out in the rear courtyard, Korius panted as he continued to defend against Loraine's constant barrage. Goddammit. If this keeps up, she's either going to kill me, or I'll be forever lost. Within his mind, he remembered Soria's words that were embedded into him that morning, when he finally broke out of the scripts. He remembered Soria standing there over him in his tattered state. She gave him a nod and tossed a new pile of clothes, identical to his normal attire. "You've mastered a level of your Ki, but the rest will be the hardest. You have yet to finish all your training, but it seems you might have to take a break for now. Your party faces Loraine Ikster, and she is extremely deadly. She was once my sworn sister, and my student. Your friends will require your assistance, and you will require theirs. If you try to force your Ki level any higher than what you've achieved today, your remaining dark Ki will consume you, and you will no longer be able to revert. The less Dark Ki you harness, the more powerful it gets, and you're now at that level that decides the fate of any Ki master. Seek me after you give my old student her peace. I will finish your training then, or give you your peace, should you succumb."
-
When things started to explode Drevo got closer to White, grabbing Kitt as he went. He let him go when they were in the safety of White's barrier. After it was all said and done and the rubble stopped falling he pushed rocks around to give them room to breathe. When Talin mentioned if anyone saw White he looked around for him, too.
-
Korius snapped out of his little flashback as Loraine seemed to appear right behind him. He quickly blocked, but since it was so sudden, there was no Ki in his guard, and his left arm damn near shattered from the impact and he roared in pain. Screw it. I'm no use to anyone dead, and I'd rather die trying than to let myself be killed for something stupid. Korius growled and let out a loud, resounding roar as he released all of his Ki, the glow in his eyes turning crimson and the vibrations from the soundwaves destroyed the vegetation around his feet, and cracking the walls of the castle. The commander and his soldiers stopped to cover their ears for the 2 seconds the roar resounded, and pressed on, but as they passed by the throne room to the outer balcony, they saw Talin, and quickly dropped their quivers, firing several volleys of arrows to stop him in his tracks. Loraine stood before Korius, who was now consumed by his dark Ki, and smirked. Sweat was passing down her neck, and she sensed his power emanating powerfully, "It's about time. I'll show you what a REAL Ki Master can do!"
-
Talin cringed when he heard the roar, unable to cover his ears in time. He was very well stunned for a few seconds afterward. He was able to notice the hail of arrows, but couldn't get his footwork up at the same time as his swing. The arrows that were not blocked, had cut into his clothes and cut at his chest and arms. He could feel his legs on the verge of giving out, but stomped one foot and the shock returned some stability to his stance. Talin's could feel an unusual confidence build in his body as he looked up, but was too focused on the archers to recognize his own arrogance.
"You caught me off guard, and couldn't even deal a killing blow? Loraine can't teach you anything worth a guilder!!"
-
Kiana wanted to snap at Talin and tell him to shut up when he spoke after the archers and commander had moved on, so he wouldn't alert them to the fact that they were still alive. She held her tongue though and got to her feet. "Well at least those explosions worked up the earth enough for me to use it to defend myself." She thought to herself as she headed to the throne room. What no one else knew was that she had pulled a sharp, shard of rock out of her right side below her ribs when she had gotten up. The blood hadn't gotten to her cloak at that point so it wasn't apparent that she was injured and she made absolutely sure that she didn't let it show at all as she walked.
-
No sooner did Talin lash with his tongue, did he get an arrow run right through his shoulder, just above his collarbone, and just through the muscle. Meanwhile, the fight was about to escalate. Loraine couldn't help but feel shivers on her spine and in her legs. Why am I afraid? Yes, he has more Ki, but now his soul is corrupted. He won't be able to control it, and he will be extremely predi- Without a beat, Korius disappeared and reappeared instantly behind her, even despite her fighting ability and perception. She quickly raised both arms and rotated left, just in time to block his powerful kick. Loraine flew right at the inner wall, and the impact cracked it up almost 20 feet around. Loraine grunted before spitting out blood. However, she merely smiled more devilishly and yelled as she released all her Ki, the ground shaking around her, and the cracks in the protective wall spreading.
-
Kiana entered the throne room just in time to see Talin hit by an arrow. Quickly, she moved over to the wall underneath the balcony that the commander and archers were using. She hoped that by moving along that wall that she would at least make it harder for the archers to try to shoot at her. "Move your ass, Talin!" She said in an urgent tone, not wanting or needing him to get more injured than he already was.
-
Kitt struggled on the brink of unconsciousness, a deep ringing in his ears and brick dust in his mouth that mixed with the blood there. He blinked, that simple motion slow and heavy, fist clenching and pushing feebly at the ground. Spitting the blood from his mouth Kitt finally pushed himself up from the floor, grimacing with the effort of it as he struggled up onto his feet.
For a moment he just stood there, glancing around at the rubble around him, coated from head to foot in grey dust and soot. He looked across to Drevo, realizing it was he who had pulled him to safety under the shield. With a shake of his head he cleared the ringing and everything rushed back to meet him, the sound of the fighting, the pain and the dull thumps of his own heart beat in his ears. He grimaced again and picked up his crossbow from where it lay among the rubble.
-
The archers heard Kiana as she entered and yelled, half of them running over and down the walkway, firing over at her as they moved, trying to get to an angle where they could get a better shot, while keeping suppressive fire to keep her on her toes. Over a half a mile away, Korius' and Loraine's fight had escalated over at the inner wall, both attacking and parrying at blinding speeds. To a normal onlooker, it looked like there were multiples of each fighter disappearing and reappearing all over the place. One could even see the impacts of every single hit sending shockwaves that seemed to look like torrential winds.
-
Kiana wasn't exactly surprised that the archers noticed her and rushed to try to take her down, but she had to push herself to dodge the first arrows, grunting slightly. Once she had some sort of opening from dodging, she started to run as best as she could in her state, knowing that she needed to hurry up and get through the archers since she didn't have the material she needed inside the castle to take them down. She was also resisting the urge to put a hand inside her cloak, not wanting to give away the fact that she was injured.
-
Talin forced himself to start running, but could not reach sprinting speeds as he needed both arms to act as counter-weights in case he needs to turn on a dime. He also had to parry all the incoming arrows with the arm that was facing away from the archers. He managed to get behind Kiana, but was slowly falling behind as he had to turn around every two seconds to deflect another volley of arrows.
-
The Commander was angry now, not liking that their normally foolproof tactics didn't work for the first time, and drew his own sword, jumping down from the balcony onto the top of the throne stairway and rushed Kiana and Talin. From behind him, the archers fired arrows that narrowly miss him, and went straight for Kiana and Talin, a true testament to them now putting their full effort into every shot.
-
*The wolf lay under a pile of rubble trying to gather his bearings as to wear he was or how he got there, trying to recall the last few minutes before he got where he was now in the dark continually drawing a blank, not remembering clearly at the moment* "What happened?" *He tried to move and found that he couldn't feel his legs, but he could move his arms and moved some stone from his face and then his body, trying to get a better view as the world blurred in again for what seemed like a long time to him* "Oh crap, I didn't make it out in time." *He noticed that his legs were bruised, bent incorrectly, and probably internally shattered completely* "I have to fix this right now..." *He pulled his other arm to him revealing the diamond and knife in his left hand, basically cut deep into his skin, probably aiding to it still being in it despite the force of the explosion*
"I should be dead, but I managed to last long enough to be conscious again. Perhaps both of these items contributed to that factor." *White started to heal his hands and somewhat hurt arms, his shoulder had felt dislocated, but cracked back into place after some initial focus* "If I could feel my legs, I wouldn't even be able to focus from the amount of pain they must be in right now." *He focused on the bones inside, quickly seeing that they were indeed but a memory at this point and required a lot of work* "This is going to take a long time, I hope the others survived the explosion. I'll be to whoever is still alive as soon as I can..."
-
Talin noticed the commander coming at them the next time he knocked away the arrows. He cursed under his breath before knocking away yet another volley. "Kiana, we got a chaser. I'll need to stay behind so at least one of us can get to Korius." He yelled before turning around and facing the commander head-on.
-
The archers split into two groups again as Kiana pulled ahead of Talin, who stayed behind to fight their commander. One half kept pressure on Kiana, and the others maintain their precision shooting by keeping their commander covered with constant volleys whizzing a hair's width from their commander's body and at the large wolf-kin with the arrow in his shoulder.
-
Kiana continued forward when Talin said that he was going to stay behind to hold off the commander. As she ran, it took a lot of her already-decreasing energy to dodge the arrows that were being sent at her by the archers. She still had no way to defend herself considering that everything under her feet was just clay mainly. She remembered that she had Kamau's throwing stars in her cloak but she didn't want to risk losing them by throwing them at the archers. It was stupid.
-
Talin easily side-stepped the arrows as he knew they were watching their fire rather than trying to 'move' him into the next volley. He readied his volge, and held the blades towards the attacker as he readied a defensive stance. When the commander got close, Talin parried his swing and thrust before kicking him back and avoiding another precision volley. He then pushed him back with some swings and thrusts of his own. However, his swing from the left is noticeably slower due to the shoulder wound. "You lost too many of your archers to dare fight me on my terms. Turn back now or I will cut you down in front of your men."
-
The commander merely laughed and rushed Talin again. He had already noticed the lagtime of Talin's swings from the left. The commander met blades with Talin, but wasn't too worried of Talin's left arm, kicking it aside due to the lagtime, and joggled the arrow around in Talin's wound to force him down on his knees.
-
*The wolf stopped short of trying to heal himself soon realizing whatever he had left earlier in his attempt to protect the party had been used up and gave up on trying to gather any more energy* "Well it's either die from depleting the rest of my life or lay here and wait for support of some kind to come my way. Also hope that nobody comes along that is unfriendly since resisting is futile."
-
Kitt shifted aside the rubble and strewn rocks, hunting for the tip of the White tail he was sure he had seen among the mess. He was sore all over and already near collapsing point, but other than that unharmed thanks to White's shield. It was with a strained, yet relieved, grin that he pulled aside the last of the large rocks that pinned down White's legs.
"You'd better not die now White, not after I went through all that trouble to dig you out." He grinned and sheathed his sword, glancing over White's crushed legs with a woozy feeling in his stomach. Grin gone now, he glanced over his shoulder then back to White "Anything I can do to help? I need to help with the fight, but we need you safe too..."
-
Korius roared as he matched fists with the now full-power Loraine. The two continued to fight furiously at lightning speeds, destroying the ground underneath them, neither one pulling punches nor Ki. The two of them clashed once more before separating and staring each other down. Loraine was breathing heavily, sweating profusely as she stared down her opponent. Shit. How is this possible? Despite his predictability and broken arm, I still can't get a clean hit in anywhere. It looks like I'm going to have to retreat for now, and just let him finish off his friends. He's no longer sane, so he won't be telling friend from foe. I just have to break from him somehow...
-
Drevo, not seeing White anywhere, decided to move some rocks. He noticed Kitt doing the same and helped him out. When they uncovered White he smirked a bit. "So that's where you were hiding." he said, trying to make light of the situation. He saw his leg banged up and grimaced a little. "Can you heal yourself?"
-
Finally, Kiana made it to the huge opening that had been made from the fight between Korius and Loraine. She slowed herself so she didn't run right through the opening and draw attention to herself. Looking behind her, she surveyed what was happening for a moment before slipping around the wall and out of view of the archers. She tried to even out her breathing as she leaned against the wall and looked forward to see that she had come out at a moment where Korius and Loraine weren't clashing but staring each other down. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them, but quickly focused on Korius when she caught sight of his eyes. "That's not good..." She thought to herself then looked down and grimaced slightly before forcing her face back to normal. "Neither is this injury. I don't know how long I have before I won't be of any help anymore..." She looked back up at the two fighters, waiting to see what would happen.
-
The archers that were aiming for Kiana followed her outside, but stopped when they reached the outer platform because one, it wasn't there anymore, and two, they were in awe at the spectacle of the fight. However, while staring each other down, Korius made his move as Loraine tried to plan her escape. Just snapping to, Loraine blocked the reappearing Korius' kick from her right, but he was upside down and ran his right arm through her ribs underneath the blocking arm, and out her chest. "H-h-how....?" Korius roared and let out a blast of Ki before landing on his feet, which blasted Loraine's body into pieces. From the view of the castle, Korius' figure was a mere shadow in the light of the sun on the horizon, eyes glowing noticeably. Without another second, he disappeared again, reappearing in the middle of the group of archers who were watching from above Kiana. Before anyone reacted, he kicked the half behind him up to the roof, splattering their bodies upon impact, and reaching through the head of the one in front of him and pulled the head off the one in front. He then tossed the maimed head, spine still attached, and speared the others shooting at Talin. The stopped arrows immediately caught the attention of the captain who stopped in time to see Korius appear beside him, breathing steam and covered in blood. The captain quickly swung his sword at Korius' head, but it stopped just short as the captain's body froze with Korius' hand in his chest. He then pulled the captain's heart out, who collapsed, and crushed it in his hand before turning to Talin.
-
Kiana's jaw dropped at the sight of what Korius did to Loraine though she didn't feel bad for the woman in the slightest. She then looked up when he went after the archers above her before she moved back around the wall to the inside to keep an eye on what Korius was doing. Watching him take out the rest of the archers, she didn't like that he was getting closer to where the others were, Talin being the first in his path. She watched as he took out the commander and crushed his heart before turning his attention to Talin. Her eyes widened and she started to run towards the two of them with as much swiftness as she could muster. "Korius! No!" She yelled as she ran, or did her best attempt at running, towards them, using her staff to keep herself up and moving every other step.
-
"Thank gaia, you have no idea how glad I am to see you two, I thought perhaps everyone died in the explosion except for Korius and Loraine. I don't have any majicka left I'm sorry, you two might want to just get out of here while you still can. If you try to drag me out of here, you'll probably be killed by a stray archer or even Loraine. The only way I can save myself now is if I were taken to a town somewhere else and given rest or food, it's a futile effort at least at this moment."
-
Korius didn't bat an eye as he threw the deflated heart aside and charged his good arm with Ki and stopped in mid-strike, claws less than an inch from Talin's chest plate, and turned as Kiana yelled over. His form disappeared and reappeared right in front of her, hand on her throat and lifting her as high as his arm could stretch.
-
Kiana's right hand instantly released her staff when her throat was grabbed and she was lifted off of the ground. She grabbed his hand with both of her hands and tried to pry his hand off of her as her legs kicked in the air. "Korius...don't..." She said, gasping for air and kicking his chest, but to no avail. "Get a hold...of yourself... Remember...the mission...Koara gave you..." The combination of being choked and the amount of blood she had lost from her injury had her on the edge of passing out. "Don't lose..." She didn't finish though and ended up passing out, her body going limp.
-
However, despite hearing her words, Korius' body no longer listened to him. When Kiana passed out, he began to tighten his grip to crush her neck, but dropped her as he was knocked away, through the wall next to Talin, and landed just past White, Drevo, and Kitt. He merely got up, eyes still glowing their deathly red and staring right at where he had been nailed from. There, past the wall and holding Kiana, stood Soria, "You bloody idiot. I told you what would happen. Now your soul is torn in half. *Gently lays Kiana down* I'm going to have to stop you, now."
-
Talin almost passed out when Korius was an inch away from probably finishing him off. Then he heard Kiana trying to tell him to let go, which convinced him to get back up despite being humbled just a minute or two ago. Sadly, his body wouldn't let him stand without support from his volge. He was going to make a final dash, using all of his conscious energy to at least break his grip on Kiana, if not remove his arm.
However, that plan didn't follow through as he saw Korius fly past him and through the wall. He dropped to his knees and his jaw also fell open before he turned to see the woman that visited them a few days earlier. He couldn't contain his frustration, as well as his immediate opinion of the situation.
"What is with you 'Ki' fighters?! One minute you're the calmest person in the party, next you're the one ripping off heads and torsos!"
-
Soria sighed, "Why don't you shut up? You know nothing about Ki. A majority of fighters never really reach their full power, or can only go so far. People like myself, Loraine, and Korius reach a power level where it gives birth to our true potential. However, that power comes at a price. Your sanity, mind and soul become no longer existent. It's what we call Dark Ki. It wasn't until 6,000 years ago, when society left the stone age into the iron age that warriors developed a training that allows us to master it. I've warned Korius time and again to maintain the training and not to break it, but he did, and not even his most loved and cherished friends or memories could snap him to. He'll be conscious inside, but his body is no longer his since his soul is no longer in one piece."
-
Drevo heard Kiana's screams for Korius to stop and turned. He watched the scene go down and Korius suddenly get blasted away in his general area. He turned back to White and Kitt, knowing Korius wasn't himself. "We should leave. Now. I think stuff is about to go down and we'd just get in the way." After he said that he looked over White. "You better not break on me if I try to move you..."
-
However, Drevo's attempt backfired as Korius drew the katana from its sheath, using his Ki to send a wind cutter to block the exit, destroying the ground and stopping Drevo from even picking up momentum to run. Korius looked over and charged right at the three of them, roaring. Just before he landed his strike, Soria appeared right next to him as if out of thin air and kicked him over. Unfortunately, the direction he was kicked was the direction of the closest exit.
-
"Wonderful, so now we're all screwed. There's no escape." *The wolf looked on silently after Korius destroyed all hope and Soria finished it with a kick with a grim expression and then looked back to Drevo* "It was nice working with you for the time being, I think you should try to look for a hidden escape route. Surely every castle even one such as this should have one. I won't break on you though if you're so intent on taking me with you, but you'll be slowing yourself down. Korius is probably going to kill you."
-
Soria rushed on forward towards Korius, drawing her straight blade, and concentrated her Ki into it, going in with a thrust into the cloud of dust. However, her blade stopped as an object stopped it, which surprised her. When the cloud of dust disappeared, it could be seen that Korius had already gotten up and had blocked the thrust with the tip of the katana. Despite only having one functioning arm, he was still extremely deadly. He roared as he pumped his Ki into the katana, and the force shot Soria back, who landed on all fours, but slid quite a distance afterward from the force, ending up next to the trio again, "I suggest you just find somewhere to hide. A fight of this level traps anyone within a quarter of a league in the area. There's no escape, only evasion, until the fight ends."
-
Drevo swore under his breath when Korius caved in their means of escape. He looked him in his red eyes as he roared just before he was knocked away again. "Well, we definitely don't want to stay here." he said. About that time Soria made her return trip to the three. After she spoke he sighed. "Alright then...White, since you already look it I think you should play dead. I'm sure Korius now would have no problem making you not be just playing dead...Just need to find a place to stash you." he said, picking him up carefully. As he did that he saw Kiana passed out in the open. "Talin, grab Kiana and get her outta there!" he shouted to him. "Come on, Kitt. We gotta move."
-
Korius' eyes shifted over to the running figures and slashed the katana, firing off more windcutters in their directions. Soria quickly moved, using her Ki-embued sword and dissipated the cuts, leaving nothing but a very light and gentle wind in its place, just like how Korius had been doing when he was defending against Loraine's attacks earlier.
-
Kitt nodded to Drevo, stuffing the handbow into his bag and pulling up his hood. The fight was now no more than a blur to him, the amount of power involved incomprehensible, and he saw no reason to stay or try and help. Instead he rushed over to Drevo and helped him heft White up, careful to mind his broken legs. With a gruff shake of his head he shouted "No, we can run with him... White doesnt deserve to be left behind after he saved our tails back there."
-
As soon as Soria had blocked the windcutters, Korius gave chase to the fleeing targets, almost appearing out of thin air in front of him. He lifted the katana and swung down, but Soria appeared just in time to block the downward strike, the blade hanging dangerously close to Drevo's head, just splitting one bit of hair that had stuck up. "I guess this is it. I'm sorry." Soria released her Ki and blasted the three behind her away and let go of her sword and running a double force palm right through Korius' stomach and chest as the katana continued its trip down her shoulder and ended just under her right arm. She spat blood at the strike, but smirked as Korius' eyes seemed to return to normal. He then collapsed onto the floor in front of Soria. She smiled as she slowly pulled the katana out of her and knelt at his body. "You're the embodiment now, and the last Master. Take care of the new generation in my stead, and remember to never let the darkness reach you." With that, Soria placed her left palm onto Korius' back and a bright light emanated from the contact point and shot throughout the castle, vanishing quicker than it had appeared, and Soria fell next to Korius, dead.
-
Talin had picked up Kiana just as Drevo demanded, and was going for an exit when the fighting stopped and light blinded his vision. He looked back to the source and saw Soria dead, with Korius unconsious. His feet went back and fourth, judging on how he should handle the situation. Then he just let out a heavy sigh as he went back to pick up Soria's body before looking at Korius. Well, I think that is the fourth or fifth time someone has died for our group... excluding the village. He looked at the ground, then at the other three. "Which do you think is better, a fire in the gardens or a burial in the gardens?"
-
Drevo froze when Korius appeared in front of him, the sword cut his hat a bit as well as the hair. When Soria showed up and knocked him away he made sure to get himself between White and the ground to come to cushion the blow. He slid on his back a considerable distance, holding White as tightly as he could so he wouldn't get hurt. When he finally stopped sliding he coughed and got White off the top of him. "You okay?" "God you're heavy..."
-
Kitt got back to his feet, coughing heavily and covered from head to tail in dust and soot for the second time that day. He looked casually around at the scene of destruction and brushed some of the muck from his cloak and fur. With a cold glance he looked over to Talin, remembering that one of those four or five had been his father, and it was with an equally icy glare that he looked down at where Korius lay.
"I don't know Talin... Rangers of my clan are normally cremated. Maybe she'd have wanted the same." He pulled his hood up and turned away so that he didn't have to look at Soria's limp body. His expression was confused and in turmoil, quite different from the elation he had expected to feel when they had beaten another of the Guardians.
-
Korius groaned as he came to, hearing voices all around him, but being fully self-conscious. When he heard the discussion about the fate of Soria's body, he grunted as he struggled to even lift his head off the ground. "No. We're giving her a warrior's burial. Prepare a proper burial and bring her sword. Make sure we clean it up and sharpen it. We-" Korius' arms failed and he fell unconscious again.
-
*For a few seconds after Korius was no longer a thread, the wolf just stared in one direction as to where their distant leader was about to strike the group down, and Soria sacrificed herself to save them beyond sight where before then Drevo was prepared to sacrifice himself to save the healer, she then finished her student off before she faded; He looked lost, but finally came to when Drevo got off of him* "Wow I thought I was going to die, I must be more special than I thought... Yes I'm fine Drevo, I just need to buy myself some new legs." *Upon seeing Korius get up again he shrieked in terror, not hearing what he was saying* "GAIA NO!" *He watched him fall unconscious again and sighed in relief* "Err... what did he say?"
-
Talin nodded at Korius shortly after he dropped back down, turning around to get Soria's sword. He was now officially unable to carry anything more as he looked at his three other conscious comrades. "We're burying Soria as a warrior. Hopefully, Korius won't be joining her for at least a year or four." He continued to carry the living and dead in his arms as he walked through the throne room, and set Kiana down by the blasted masonry so he could get a better hold on Soria as he climbed up and over the opening and into the garden. It wasn't much of a drop, but he wasn't sure if he could hold both females and the sword if he fell any higher than a stair-step. He then looked around for any extravagant plants or trees to bury her by...
-
Drevo got up and dusted himself off after hearing White was okay. He looked towards the scene with Soria and grimaced. "Idiot..." he thought, referring to Korius. "Who the hell is he going to kill next? Ugh...This is getting stupid." he said to himself. He was beginning to get frustrated, part of him just wanted to leave. No one could stop him now. There was also a part of him who wanted to stay, to at least make sure Korius didn't kill someone else on his own team. He began to pace and grumble angrily. He grabbed his gourd that was tied around his sash on his waist and drank.
-
Kitt couldn't help but grin slightly at White's reaction. The smile was only temporary however, and he soon returned to sullen contemplation of the situation. It was with a frown that he walked past White to where Drevo paced back and forth. He cleared his throat and watched as he took a deep swig from his gourd "Could do with some help carrying White... Going to need two of us to lift him without causing too much pain."
He glanced over at where White sat and looked over his bloodied legs. His voice still remained sullen, but lacking the anger and confusion that roiled in his thoughts. "White, do you think it would be alright to move you? Or would you be better off staying here?"
-
Out in the distance, Elistro and his men watched the events unfold and conclude as they watched Soria's body get carried out. "Looks like everything is going according to plan, though the time is taking too long. It looks like we are going to have move on to the second plan. Come! Let us ride out! Master Kyzen wants this done fast!"
-
*White looked at Drevo in a worried expression for a moment as he moved away, walking around and resorting to drinking his alcohol* "I hope he isn't ever an angry drunk..." *The wolf's attention was cut short immediately upon hearing Kitt asking him about his placement* "Well.. if you don't mind, what I could really use right now is some sort of majicka fix. I really want to fix these damned legs before they start smelling or something nasty like a disease. For now though, being moved would probably be good for circulation."
-
Talin managed to find a large enough tree, and set Soria against the tree while he went over to a pond to clean the sword and sharpen it with the whet stone he used to have for his volge until his ancestor showed how easy it was to fix.He was hardly paying any attention to anything beyond caring for the blade, so the tear that fell on the blade was a small shock to him. He stopped cleaning it and moved it farther down his lap as one hand wiped away the build-up around his eyes, that never seemed to stop after every successive wipe. Talin you idiot, you can't start crying now. You'll mess up the finish... The tears came out even more at the imagined voice of Elistra.
-
Drevo continued to pace until he heard Kitt mention White. The drink let him calm down a bit so he wouldn't actually take off. There was a lot to do with White, too. There was no way in hell he would let Korius help him and Kitt was too weak to carry him alone, not to mention Talin was doing something. "We're not going anywhere until Kiana and Korius wake up. I can't carry you all." he said. "I'm gonna go check on Kiana..." he continued. After that he walked over to her and knelt down beside her. He casually poked her in the shoulder with the end of his bowstaff. "Hey...You gonna wake up anytime soon?" he said. After a moment of no response he stood back up and turned to Korius. "That idiot...If he got her killed, too..." he thought as he made his way towards him. There was an anger building up inside of him which made him grit his teeth. He stood over Korius' unconscious body looking down at him. "I could end this right now...He's a bigger threat than the guardians at this point. I'd be protecting everyone, right?" he thought. He put his paw to his face and smiled crazily. "They would all be safe..." he said softly. His paw snapped to his bowstaff and he held it like it was a sheathed sword. Slowly he took out his hidden katana, letting it ring as he pulled it from the sheathe. He examined it, holding it point up in the air. Then he looked at Korius, the same crazy smile and a light chuckle now.
-
Kitt nodded to White, sure that he couldn't help with the majika problem, but wanting to help somehow if he could. "Okay. We can help you move into a more comfortable position, then we can see about patching you up." One feline ear flicked at the sound of the ringing blade, but he didnt turn to look at Drevo.
With a huff he crouched down beside White, getting one arm under the Wolf's and bracing as he help White up "Alright, lets see if we can get you up without too much pain eh?" He now looked across at Drevo, suddenly realizing that he would need his help to lift White without putting pressure on his leg. With another sullen huff he said "Drevo, put the damned sword away and help..." He watched as Drevo held the katana up to the light, suspicion mounting in his voice as he said again "Er... Drevo?"
-
Despite his situation, Korius' mind was very active and had found itself sitting on a beach during sunset out where Linkinshire used to stand. There, sitting beside him, was Koara Uzima. "So. Am I finally dead? Are you to guide me to the other side?" Koara chuckled, "I'm sorry, love, but I'm not. I've merely come to point you back to the proper direction. Your work is still not over yet, and it's time that you finally let go of me. Though I love you as much as you love me, I'm also the manifestation of your dark Ki. Embrace love again, and embrace that woman that you now love. It's alright. Besides, older women like myself aren't ideal wives anyways." A voice appeared from behind them, "Alright, m'lady. It's time we headed off. Let this idiot get back to the world." Koara smirked and got up, leaving without even looking behind. Korius could already tell that Soria was the owner of the voice. "Just don't screw up, kiddo. You just lost your last lifeline. You're on your own for the rest of your path, now." Tears trickled down Korius' face as the two women faded into nothingness. He began to walk towards the sun, but then began to run, and it all faded to darkness as he slowly regained consciousness. Korius was a bit hazy at first, but he snapped to as he felt Drevo's killing intent. Korius quickly drew the twin sai from the rear holster and wedged Drevo's sword and hand with one, pushing it up, and brought the other up to Drevo's throat, stopping just as the tip poked his skin.
-
Kiana slowly came back to consciousness as she felt a weird sensation at a particular point on her body and a muffled voice since she wasn't conscious enough to hear clearly. She opened her eyes in time to see Drevo walking away. She watched as he stared down at Korius and then drew his sword. "Drevo..." She said weakly, but loud enough for him to hear. "Don't be an idiot..." It was after she said this that Korius came to and defended himself with the twin sai he carried. She chuckled a little bit and watched the two through her half-open eyes. Her hand was unconsciously rested on her cloak above where her wound was.
-
*White watched the scene unfold rather immediately upon Kitt lifting him off the ground* "Thank y---Drevo?" *He watched in horror as the ninja slid his katana forward at the unguarded Korius upon the ground* "What do you think you're doing?! We can't have him die on us yet, we need him for the rest of this journey!" *The healer felt his words almost really meant nothing, thinking to himself* "Well... I can't really justify not killing him either at this point, he probably killed Kiana from the look of her on the ground and Soria being dead... I can't logically excuse Drevo from doing this unfortunately. A moral response won't be enough..."
*Suddenly he thought he heard Kiana and turned to see her talking lowly in Drevo and Korius's direction* "I'm amazed she survived that brutal assault." *The thought first came to the surprised mage. His thoughts ended abruptly upon seeing Korius seemingly return from nothingness to reanimated strategic close attack mode* "Oh crap." *White gripped Kitt tightly, watching and waiting for what was going to happen next*
-
Talin finally got over his grief, and resumed repairing the blade. He then placed it on her body while gathering fallen pieces of wood that were collected by the gardeners before their arrival. He then placed the wood around the body and waited for either the rest of the group, or just Korius, to show up for Soria's burial...
-
Drevo simply scoffed when Korius reacted. "Gonna kill more of your allies?" he asked. "Murderer..." he said coldly. He wasn't taking into consideration the possibility Korius was regretting what he did. He was out of his right mind at the moment and didn't care to think about Korius' feelings. The only thing he wanted to do was protect everyone else, which meant killing Korius. "How long before you kill again? You've become a threat to everyone around you." he said.
-
Kitt clenched his jaw as White gripped onto him, trying to keep holding the wolf up, not wanting to drop him down onto his broken legs. He huffed a deep breath of annoyance and then with as much care as he could, lay White back down onto the ground. Simmering anger remained in his eyes as he watched Korius and Drevo locked together at sword-point.
It was with cruel curiosity that he waited. He would never have wanted to admit it, but he was waiting to see whether one would kill the other. Kitt was sure Lo and any other ranger would have frowned upon that thought, and yet he couldnt break the fascination of watching the blades hovering inches from skin.
-
Korius returned Drevo's glare of hatred and anger, but he didn't loose up at all, "You're not part of the Prophecy, so there would be no reason NOT to kill trash like you." With that, he swung both sai and holstered them while turning and walking away from Drevo. Drevo's belt was cut and his Knight pendant fell to the ground, "But I owe you one. Besides... SHE would be sad if I ended you now."
-
Kiana rolled her eyes at the two guys as she watched them. After Korius holstered the sai and walked away, she paid more attention to who was actually there. "Where's Talin?" She asked. She had no idea that Soria had shown up and that was what had stopped Korius, so she also had no idea that Soria had died or that Talin was preparing a burial. Shifting a little bit, she made an attempt at getting up since she was tired of sitting there.
-
*The wolf sighed in relief after the duel between Korius and Drevo ended without bloodshed* "I'm just happy nobody died... but." *He looked over to Kitt* "I can't believe I just did that, awkward..." *He blushed at the thought and moved on trying to avoid further pondering, while also trying to hide his expression* "I need to study a book... or get some rest." *The wolf looked down at his torn up legs and tried to think only about them at the current point in time*
-
Talin sat by the body, doing his own form of thumb-twiddling as he held a throwing needle in his hand. His hands gained a white glow to them as the white magic from his ancestor started to bleed out and into the needle. As it gained a glow of its own, Talin could hear Chronin chuckling behind him. I could teach you some basics on magic, boy. All you had to do was ask. The bleeding stopped and the glow from the needle faded as Talin put it away. It is not my power to u- Do not treat your gifts so lightly boy! If you had any training at all, you could easily stand on even ground with Korius! Talin got on his feet and yelled at his ancestor, all but realizing that nobody else can really see or hear Chronin.
"The only time I would ever use your gifts, would be when Elistra is in mortal danger. But that will never happen because she's already dead!!!"
-
Drevo scoffed after Korius turned and walked away. "Jackass...Who is he talking about? Kiana? All the other "shes" I know are dead." he thought. He sheathed his katana and bent over to grab his pendant, looking at it in his paw. He stared at it before pocketing it and turning towards Kiana. It was at that point he heard her ask where Talin was, which made him look around. He knelt down in front of Kiana and looked her in the eye. "Go ahead..." he said.
-
Kitt watched the scene from the sidelines, flinching away slightly as White gripped tightly onto him. He took a step to one side and coughed into his fist awkwardly. White could be strange at times, and so Kitt let the weird moment slip without a comment, instead focusing his attention to the sky. Clouds hung low, tinged orange and pink in the sun. But it was not this spectacle of natural beauty that had caught Kitt's eye. It was more the swooping shadow that circled high above the group, from a mere smudge on the horizon to where it was now, finally visible for what it was.
Evellyn swooped down with a high mewl, spreading her wings and coming to an elegant landing a few metres from where Kitt stood beside White. The falcon fluttered her feathers a few times and cried again, amber eyes glinting.
"Oh fancy that... Back are you?" Kitt glared at the bird with dark bitterness, his sullen attitude back again. Evellyn ducked her head and clicked her beak, shuffling where she stood. "Yeah, I waited for you to return. Flying off and then not coming back for weeks." Still glaring, Kitt knelt down, holding out one gloved hand.
He sighed and held it out a little further until the falcon hopped up, crooning and clicking her beak affectionately. It was then he noticed the object held tight in her claws, glinting in the sunlight. All anger at the bird gone, Kitt held out his other hand and watched as Evellyn dropped it into his palm. It was the Szarda crest that he had thrown away on that stormy night; still caked in now-dried mud and tarnished blood. The bird clicked her beak and nuzzled into Kitt's cloak affectionately as he closed his fingers around the crest, a grin catching the corner of his mouth.
-
Korius stood by himself and closed his eyes, wondering why he was able to be himself again, and no longer in a rage. After a few seconds, his memory from the last hour came back. He had killed Soria, who had infused him with her own Ki, and he had even said to have her buried as a warrior before fainting again earlier, and even his near death experience in between worlds. Korius kept his eyes closed and opened up his senses, and found Talin about a mile away, recognizing his unique body energy and the presence of Chronin's unmistakable Majicka signature. He sighed and began to walk over in Talin's direction, not caring about the others at the moment. He noticed, as he walked, the lightness of his steps, and how relaxed his body was, despite the damage he had taken earlier.
-
"Okay...everybody just completely ignore what I asked..." Kiana thought as Korius walked off and she finally actually looked at Drevo who was kneeling in front of her. "Could you get out of my face?" She said, her voice was kind of edgy. The edge in her voice was mainly because of the irritation of being ignored along with the frustration of it being hard to get up and annoyance of someone being that close to her at the moment. She finally forcibly pushed herself over onto her knees then placed her hand on the wall as a brace as she got to her feet. Once she was standing, she slowly turned and walked toward her staff that was on the floor not too far away. After retrieving it, which took longer than it would have if she hadn't been really weak, she followed after Korius, figuring that he knew where he was going.
-
*The wolf weakly looked down upon his legs again and paused for a moment as he traveled to his personal library and held up yet another book rather instantly within his hands* "Maybe there's a tome somewhere in this damned mess about what to do in situations where no majicka can be found." *He flipped through pages desperately, but continued to come up with nothing and sighed* "Well that was a waste of time." *He closed the cover and it disappeared back into the book's world* "I guess I'm stuck depending on an archer, a disturbed ninja, a corrupted KI master, the distant wolf and a worn out Earth mage for further support to be moving anywhere for now..." *He trailed off and stared vacantly in one direction*
-
In the time that he had yelled at his ancestor, and the time it took Korius to reach the tree, Talin had already dug Soria's grave. He had stopped to wash his hands when he felt someone approaching, but calmed down when the presence felt familiar. "Korius, did Soria tell you anything about the ninja village? Like, if anyone survived?"
-
Drevo stood up when Kiana tried to stand up, smirking at her annoyance. When she tried to walk after Korius he turned and went to go get White. He carefully picked up White and looked at Kitt. "You should go be a crutch for Kiana. I got White." he said before heading in her direction. If he could carry them both he would, but White was injured and he needed to carry him as carefully as he could.
-
Kitt shook Evellyn off his wrist, the falcon taking off and swooping up to circle above the group. He watched Drevo pick White up single-handedly, wondering whether his help was needed, then nodded when Drevo told him to help Kiana.
Quickly he caught up with her, noting how she walked with difficulty. He merely put it down to the strain of her using magic during the fight and moved up to her side. With a mental gritting of his teeth Kitt put an arm around Kiana and took some of the weight of her legs as she walked.
"You looked like you could do with a bit of help." He shifted to make sure his short sword wouldn't jab into her side and glanced up to her, adding quickly "N-not that you couldn't have walked on your own ... Just wanted to help." His white-furred cheeks flushed and he looked away again, hoping she might appreciate it, and worrying he had done something wrong.
-
Korius shook his head, "No. It's as her first report has been, not a single soul left. *sits down at the tree next to the pond where Talin was washing his hands* You've gotten a lot stronger. Before, you couldn't sense anyone's presence. It seems your senses have finally heightened to THAT point. You're going to have to be careful from now on. The more powerful you become, you won't be able to fully exert yourself like you have done lately, or else Chronin will be able to take full control of you. You may not use Ki, but your risks are as high as us. The others will be here promptly. I'll put her in myself."
-
Kiana almost snapped when someone put an arm around her. Luckily for Kitt, he spoke quick enough that her initial reaction was cut off and didn't get to come out. Since it was Kitt, she let the fact that he was helping her go even though she hated getting help from anyone. "I get it, Kitt. It's fine." She said to him as she walked with him to where Talin and Korius were. She noticed a body and that a hole had been as she approached with Kitt. After she got closer, she realized that the body was Soria and she stopped in her tracks about ten feet away, removing Kitt's arm from around her.
-
"Thanks for picking me up, umm... so where are we going now? I'm kind of confused as to what our next goal is at the moment, I'm hoping it involves going to some sort of village nearby to recuperate and then continue onward to the next Guardian. I'm just glad you're not trying to hand me a sword again, because I'm totally not going to do that favor!" *He joked at the wolf and hoped for a more cheery response* "Give a satirical statement hopefully... get one in return."
-
Talin nodded, acknowledging Korius' words. He felt the others approaching, and turned away from the pond. "Chronin said he could teach me to use the 'gift' he had offered, and with how close we were to losing... it is getting difficult to believe that my physical potential alone will cover the gap." He was going to ask more, but the others were too close for comfort. Talin was only able to tell Korius since he was the only one there that seemed to be at peace with themselves.
-
"We're going to Soria's...Funeral." Drevo said when White asked where they were going. "At there very least I'm sure we will rest somewhere. Enough to get your magicka back up so you can heal yourself so you can walk on your own." He didn't say anything when he joked about the sword. Shortly they got to the others a little after Kiana. He set White down and plopped down next to him facing towards what was going on.
-
Kitt moved away from Kiana once they had reached Talin, glancing around at everyone in the group before he sat heavily down on the ground. With a sigh he crossed his legs and watched Evellyn hover above them, wings straight out and shivering, a dark shadow in the sky.
With a ring of metal on metal he drew his sword, cleaning it and then moving on to his two crossbows. He worked silently, checking the wood and string of the weapons. The hood of his cloak fell down so that his face was in shadow, and he was glad of that, because it meant he didnt have to look up at Soria's grave, or meet anyone else's eye.
-
Korius nodded as the others came close. He got up and slowly picked up Soria's body, which seemed to have progressively aged since before he had been knocked out. Korius was sullen and sad, but kept his demeanor and composure. "Soria Xing. As your successor as Ki Master, I lay you down for your eternal sleep. May your life on the other side be as fulfilling as it was on this side." He jumped down into the grave and gently laid her body down, and jumped back out. Korius went over to where Soria's blade was laying and drew it out, infusing his Ki into it and with a swift swing, collapsed the burial, and sheathed the weapon again, all in one motion. He took the sheathed sword and stuck it half-way into the ground, right at the center of the burial.
-
Kiana didn't move any closer and just watched the others settle themselves close to the grave. When Korius picked up Soria's body, her eyes shifted to looking at the ground. She listened to him speak and didn't look up until she knew he was out of the grave and didn't have Soria's body anymore. She watched him collapse the burial then stick the sword halfway in the earth at the center of the burial. Her legs shook and she slowly sat down, not really having the energy to stand for too long.
-
*White looked fairly unemotionally towards the funeral and felt bad for doing so* "I didn't really ever know her... but I appreciate this diamond she gave me. Though the sentimentality is neither here nor there, I think it's because of all that has been going on it's kind of hard to have feelings for even the strongest of our allies falling to the dark forces." *The wolf remained silent and looked upon his comrades, trying to stay with the dreary mood*
-
Talin sat and listened to Korius' farewell to Soria, then pulled out Elistra's wedding gauntlet as Korius went into the grave. He inspected the damage done on the gauntlet, and made an estimate of how much it would take to restore the memento, hiding it away as Korius returned to ground level and collapsed the grave. "So, do we need to break for extra training... or just enough for White to be able to walk again?"
-
Korius was sullen for a minute before responding to Talin. "We'll rest for tonight and leave in the morning. We're just on time for moving forward. Soria has given us a time restraint, and it seems that Kyzen's not waiting much longer, either. He's planning something very big, and we don't have much time left." He left first, setting up a room within the Inn at the town within the outer wall. The whole town was still deserted, and it seemed quite desolate since the breeze that he had felt earlier when he was atop the wall wasn't reaching them nor making a sound due to the height and size of the outer wall.
-
*White watched Talin and Korius speak of him for a moment, then Korius moved off into the distance* "He's probably going to that town that hasn't been destroyed.... yet. Ohh maybe we're going to get to sleep in real beds tonight." *The blood rushing around his body for his moment of excitement left him in pain soon and he stopped short of getting his hopes up more* "I guess I should try to dull the pain by being depressed or something, that should work... but first I have to stop getting excited about getting depressed to fix it... a vicious cycle."
-
Talin followed Korius, stopping at various buildings to check for anything that could substitute for the needles in his leg pouch. He found some splinters from the explosion, but their crude shape would make it less than useful for anything beyond the small dark magic he could safely discharge. He then realized his own appraisal of the needles, and shuddered at the thought of how at peace he was with Chronin's magic. I still can't control a third of his power, and I'm already thinking of using what I naturally give off. Elistra was right, I can be really hard-headed...
-
Drevo was stuck with carrying White as he followed along with Korius, though much behind him. When they got to the town he noticed it was pretty void of life. When he got to a room he set White down on the bed. "You need to lose some weight..." he said, leaning back to stretch his back. He was teasing him, but it might have been hard to tell.
-
Kitt followed along with the rest of the group, Evellyn returned gratefully to his arm from where she watched everyone with a beady golden eye. Kitt shot several glances across at Kiana as they walked, wanting to help but knowing that she preferred not to allow help from others.
What he did notice as they walked however was the way Kiana held a hand tight to her side as she walked. Kitt frowned slightly, watching closely, then turned his thoughts away to that of a proper Inn bed and food.
-
Korius searched throughout the entire inn, and barely found any food, and of course absolutely no money. It took a while, but he managed to at least make enough hobo stew to last them all through the night and even for breakfast. Korius brought the large, 1.5-meter pot and placed it on the largest table. He also put down several bowls that he was able to find and wash and wasn't too chipped to spill. "This was all I was able to find throughout town." Korius took the first bowl and filled it before handing over to Kiana, and then to the others. His eyes were particularly filled with sorrow for a split second when he handed Kiana her's before getting himself composed.
-
Kiana finally deemed it necessary to force herself up off the ground when everyone was walking off back toward the town. She unconsciously held her side as she walked back with the others and was concentrating too much on moving her feet to see that Kitt had noticed her holding her side. Once she was inside the inn and Korius had brought out the large pot and placed it on the table, she stood by and waited for her portion. When she was given her bowl of stew, she looked up at his face and caught the sorrow in his eyes before his expression went back to normal. She looked away as if she was embarrassed or ashamed or something. She moved off and found a seat, setting her bowl down on the table before sitting down. As she sat down, she gasped slightly then gritted her teeth as she sat there for a minute. Once she had dealt with the pan, she blew on her stew then started to eat it.
-
Talin made his way through the village, following the scent of stew towards the inn. His mouth began to drool, while his stomach made note of his own starvation. He waited in anticipation for Korius to finish filling the bowls, cutting ahead of the other three members of their party in order to get a bowl and immediately start eating while ignoring the initial burn of the hot stew.
-
After setting White down on his bed Drevo decided to head downstairs since White didn't respond to his joke. He assumed he was just a little irritable from the pain and wasn't in the mood for a joke. He walked around a bit, up until the stew was made up and being passed out. He grabbed his and took a seat at a table in the corner alone. He put his feet up on the table and leaned back in the chair to wait for his food to cool a bit.
-
Kitt waited silently, making no fuss over being last in line to get the stew. He stood gently stroking the soft plumage of Evellyn with one gloved finger until he finally got his bowl and sat down on his own at another of the tables.
Once the stew had cooled and he had started to eat, Evellyn opened one beady eye and gave a click of her beak. She repeated the gesture again, moving closer to the steaming stew until Kitt finally dropped his spoon down with a sigh. "Fine... Fine, here you go then..." He picked out the few strips of meat and held them out for the bird to snap up hungrily.
-
Korius ate his meal apart from the others, still lost in meditation and thought as he ate. His attitude was nothing like what anyone's ever seen. He was neither violent, irritated, nor even bossy. Instead, Korius was just quiet, sullen and only partially detached. When he finished, he put down the old bowl and looked at Drevo, "White's majicka level is still dangerously low. Bring him up to get more rest when you're done. I'm going to head out for a bit.
-
As Kiana sat there eating her stew, she thought she saw something across the table from her and shook her head slightly. She could swear she was seeing a transparent Kamau sitting in the seat across from her. "You're going to have to tell them you're hurt, Kiana." Kamau said, his mouth moving but the words only sounding in her head. "Why? It's not like they can do anything about the injury anyway." She said out loud to Kamau, forgetting the fact that the others were around and would be able to hear her. "They could bandage it at least." He said, sounding a little frustrated. "I could bandage it myself. I don't need their help." She responded, sounding stubborn but a little twinge of being unsure. "Just like I didn't need your help?" He questioned and then disappeared. Kiana was left with a wide-eyed expression of shock and disbelief from what her brother said to her, leaving her speechless.
-
Chrono stopped eating his stew and looked at Kiana, then at his hands. He was tempted to offer his help, then remembered his healing magic was less than spectacular due to his lack of ability to put out more than just an aura of said magic that only went out as far as a centimeter. "Kiana, do you think White could teach me to heal others?"
-
Drevo was still leaning back when Kiana started talking to herself. There wasn't anyone she could be talking to since no one spoke. He let his chair fall back onto all four legs just before Korius spoke to him. "Right..." he said. He got to eating his stew and once finished took White upstairs into a room. He wanted to see what was up with Kiana, but Talin had already started talking to her. Not to mention he was still certain she was going to do something to him at some point.
-
Kitt did not notice Kiana talking to thin air, with his hood up and head bowed down over his steaming soup he ate in silence. Beside him Evellyn snapped up the pieces of meat, pecking at Kitt's hood in an attempt to get more from him.
Once the soup was gone, with a few more pieces of meat handed over to Evellyn after a particularly painful peck to the ear, Kitt stood and gave a languid stretch. With a yawn he hopped up onto the table and drew his bow, setting once again to oiling the repeater mechanism. He shot glances up between Kiana and Talin, but said nothing as he worked.
-
Korius stood atop the non-damaged portion of the outer wall and looked out into the horizon as the sun disappeared into the hills. He closed his eyes and, for the first time, released all of his Ki and opened up every last one of his senses. It was exhilarating, and a rush. Korius was able to reach his mind's eye well over two leagues with ease. He was able to sense all the life that surrounded him in all directions. After a few seconds, Korius took a deep breath and released his Ki with a roar, maximizing his output to see how far he could push it without losing himself, and he didn't feel anything, no change, no darkness taking over, but rather, he felt the warmth and soft caress of the power. I won't let your final gift be for naught... With that, Korius stopped as his head seemed to drop him to his knees. There were more visions. Again, in another person's body, and in another time and place. He found himself standing before a full-bodied Chronin Lazarus in archaic, dark armour, with dragon's wings and tail, and laughing maniacally as he floated beneath a large orb of dark magic. "This is the end for you, (inaudible)! This world will be mine for the taking! Your birth was the catalyst for this! Now be sucked into oblivion!" Korius' body got up and drew an all too familiar katana, and stared into the eyes of a legendary blue wolf holding the also familiar twin sai, and held her hand before a bright light shined and the last thing he heard was Chronin yelling at the top of his lungs, "NOOOOOOO!" Korius panted as he snapped from the vision, clutching his eyes as they pulsed, They're HIS memories, aren't they? The Hero? How am I...? He had been out of it for quite a while, but his thoughts finally brought him around when he felt a life fade. Korius turned as he felt the last vestiges of White's majicka disappear alongside with his life signs.
-
It took a few minutes for Kiana to realize that Talin had spoken to her. "Huh?" She said as she slowly turned her head away from the spot across from her, thinking that any second the vision of her brother would appear again and she might miss it. "Uh, I don't know. Probably not. You're not actually a mage, so using majicka is deadly." She said in response. "He wouldn't risk your life." The latter was said softly, mainly because it was directed at herself as well as Talin. She was telling herself that Kamau wouldn't risk her life, so why should he expect her to trouble others with helping her when he wouldn't "trouble" her to help him keep his life. Her eyes sort of glazed over during this moment of though, but when it was finished she shook her head slightly and focused on Talin again. "No, I don't think he would."
-
Talin watched Kiana intently, nodding when she was finished, yet started to smile. "I have access to light and dark magic thanks to my lineage, but I'm still not even in the realm of you and Wh-" His eyes went unfocused for a few seconds, and the smile fell. He couldn't really place the feeling or sensation, but understood it was not something to feel good about. He got up and went upstairs, the realization creeping up his spine the closer he got to White's room.
When he entered and felt only his own presence, he immediately went over to White's body and wrapped his hands in light and put them over the healer's chest. He tried giving the body a kick-start, an idea that came from White using the light magic Talin gave off. Don't die on me, not after all you did to keep us alive!!
-
As Drevo left White's room he saw Talin enter, seeming rather distraught. Curious, he looked in to see him over White from what it looked like trying to heal him. He entered and went to the side of the bed opposite Talin and observed, seeing that White wasn't moving or breathing. He was at a loss for words, baffled at White being dead. He was one of the two he wanted to protect most on the team, considering he was able to help more than himself.
-
With a sigh Kitt jumped down from the table and nodded a goodnight to Kiana, the only person left downstairs other than himself. Evellyn followed with a flutter of wings and a shriek of disapproval at not getting a lift on Kitt's arm.
It was at the top of the stairs that Kitt stood as he watched Talin and then Drevo rush into White's room. For several moments he stood still, a dread sinking feeling in his gut, knowing that whatever had happened it could not be good. The ten or so steps from the stairs to White's room seemed to take an age, and it was with a final surge of ice cold through his veins that he looked through the door to where the two stood over White's bed.
For a moment he stood stock still and silent. Then Kitt swore, lips screwed up into a snarl of anger and despair. Tears welled in his eyes and in a moment of sheer frustration he threw his father's crossbow to the ground with all his strength. A sharp crack resounded through the room as the drawstring snapped in two and the solid wooden stock clattered across the floorboards.
Evellyn fluttered to the bedstand as Kitt rushed from the doorway with a whip of his cloak, running to the first empty room and slamming the door behind him. With the barrier of wood between him and the sight of White's dead body, the young feline finally slumped to the floor and drew up his knees, tears rolling down his cheeks.
-
Korius did his best to regain his bearings before rushing back to the inn. He zoomed past buildings and broke down the inn door when he entered, and jumped over the stairs to get into White's room. There, laying motionless, was the last white mage in existence, and possibly the ned of the line of white magic for all of Gaia. "Shit..."
-
Kiana was confused when Talin cut his words short and headed upstairs, but didn't think much of it since she was still stuck in her head as well. She kind of half-nodded in response to Kitt's nod to her. It wasn't too long after that that she heard a door slam upstairs. Wondering what was going on, she slowly got up from her seat and started toward the stairs. She was halfway to the stairway when Korius broke down the door, startling her and almost causing her to fall over, and went bounding up the stairs. She followed after him, picking up her pace some since now she was really wondering what was going on. "What's going on?" She asked as she was almost at the top of the stairs, gripping the railing tightly with her left hand and holding her injured side with her right hand. She saw the open door and headed for it. When she stood in the doorway, she saw Korius, Talin, and Drevo standing around the bed that White was laying on as she now gripped the door frame for support with her left hand. She also noticed that White's chest wasn't moving. "Oh..." She said and then fell silent, not really having anything else to say at the moment.
-
Talin got more and more frustrated as his efforts seemed to yield no results. So, he did what came most naturally to someone of his background: He pushed himself more than he probably should. The glowing became brighter, and visible strain was on his face as he tried to force more healing magic out of his hands and into White's body.
-
Drevo watched Talin's efforts, noticing they weren't helping any. As the others came in he looked up at Talin. "He's dead, Talin..." he said with a grimace. Talin put more effort into his healing attempt and he walked over to him and tried to pull him away. "He's dead, don't kill yourself, too!" he said, putting a paw on his shoulder.
-
Korius rushed over in a blur right after Drevo, grabbing Talin by the fur on the back of his neck and threw him backwards, into the wall next to the door about 10 feet away. "If you want to kill yourself, do it on your own time, not right now. White gave his life to save you all. As much as I don't want to say it, it was his final act as part of our party. Let it go."
-
Kiana knew that Talin's attempt to revive the white mage was stupid but she didn't utter a word. When he was subsequently thrown across the room, hitting the wall right next to where she was standing in the doorway, she didn't even flinch. Her eyes were glued to the lifeless body that was laying on the bed. After a moment, she finally let out a breath. It was a shaky breath even though she hadn't meant for it to be since it would show emotion in a way and also her weakness since that was a factor in it too. "I'm as good as dead now." She thought as she turned away from the room and slowly moved to the only closed door in the hall, which she knew Kitt would be behind. She rapped on the door with her knuckles in a sort of gentle way but hard enough for him to hear. "Kitt..." She said softly, as a way of being gentle with him but also as a way to conserve energy. "Kitt, can I come in?"
-
Talin wasn't really bothered by how Korius treated him, but by how much he obsessed over trying to heal White. "So this is how it ends? White dies... and any attempt I make at healing is going to get me killed before it saves anyone. I'm still dealing with that my child is somewhere out there, probably still in his or her egg... and my wife is likely dead because I convinced her to come along. Now you're telling me that the white hair on my head is not a sign of me receiving my ancestor's magic, but a possible symptom of his power slowly killing me?" He gets up and dusts his hair off. "Give me one good reason, beyond 'destiny', on why I shouldn't just forget this whole ordeal and try to gather up the remains of my life."
-
At the sound of Kiana's voice Kitt drew in a shaky breath, stifling his sobs. With a sniff he wiped away his tears with one sleeve then slowly he pushed himself to his feet and pulled back the latch, letting the door swing open.
Kitt leaned against the nearest wall, looking down at his feet rather than to Kiana, glad for the fact that his hood was pulled up and hid the embarrassment that made his cheeks flush and the tears that swam in his eyes. He felt like a stupid child again, a stupid crying child, and the thought made his cheeks burn even more. Finally, when he knew he could not keep the sulky act going any longer, he glanced up towards Kiana from under his hood.
-
Korius' tail didn't even move, slumped right against the ground, "The silver hair is you using power your body was never meant to handle. Your body was born with miniscule magic like almost everyone else, and over the years, that's what your body's used to. The gem is in your body, and that's what houses the magic power. When you try to use it, your body is overburdened, and will die just like a normal person trying to use magic. I guess to be more precise, the silver hair is a sign of Chronin taking over your body. Think of him as dark Ki. You tap that power, it takes over permanently. However, unlike me, you have no one to help you out of it, and it's possible you might kill everyone around you before anyone can even ATTEMPT to help you. Chronin Lazarus is the strongest mage in the history of Gaia. No one alive today has that kind of power, not even Kyzen himself."
-
When the door was opened, Kiana stepped into the room then closed the door behind her. She sort of absentmindedly glanced around the room for a moment then looked over at Kitt. She knew he was upset, she didn't need to see his face to know that. When he finally glanced up at her, she figured it was okay to speak. "It's understandable to be upset, Kitt. I cried for a long time after my brother was killed...until I wouldn't let myself do it anymore." She said, though her tone was sort of flat. "Just because you're a male, doesn't mean you're not allowed to cry." Leaning back against the door for support, she could hear the voice of Talin and then the voice of Korius responding to him on the other side but she wasn't focusing enough to actually know what they were saying.
-
Talin started to laugh, then it died even faster than it started. "Does this mean that my usefulness has hit a plateau? That all I'm good for in this group is just an extra blade? Kiana can build walls and probably houses, Kitt can hit a target long before we can even see it, even Drevo is starting to learn new things. You can probably shrug off boulders that are being thrown at you." He growled under his breath, trying to not lose whatever calm he currently maintained. "I need a drink..." He started walking out of the room, and out the inn.
-
Drevo listened silently to the talking between Talin and Korius after he was flung into the wall. He barely noticed Kiana enter and leave. After Talin left he looked at Korius, then to White's body. "What're we going to do about his body?" he asked. Korius was really the last person he really wanted to talk to but there was no one else.
-
"Its not just that..." Kitt turned his eyes down away from Kiana, breathing a deep sigh. "You guys are the only kind of family I have left now-" He faltered for a moment, breath catching in his throat, then continued. "Now I know my mother is dead as well as my father. This group is the only thing that keeps me going, it really hurts when another person is gone for good..."
He turned to look directly at Kiana, and now there was almost spite in his voice as he said "And you're injured... Don't deny it, I've seen how you clutch your side and are out of breath." The malice remained, unnerving in the young voice was that was normally joyous and care-free. "You're going to risk your death, simply because you are unwilling to accept help..."
Suddenly the anger in his voice was gone and was replaced with a choking sob. Kitt slumped down to the bottom of the wall "I don't want you to die as well Kiana... You're the closest I got to a mother any more, and I'm sure the rest of the group would agree." After this he broke into tears that rolled down his burning cheeks as he pulled his knees up to his chest.
-
Korius remained solemn as Talin left, and the question from Drevo, "Clean and prepare him for burial. I can prepare a grave for him tonight. We'll bury him with the rising of the sun." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before walking over to the window, jumping out. Korius landed onto the ground without problems and walked swiftly and silently towards Talin, catching up in seconds and placed a hand on his shoulder. "There is a way, but it will be extremely dangerous. I will say it right now that if it fails, I will not hesitate to kill you. Since all my Ki is now fully released, there is a special technique in which I can use now. Do you wish it?"
-
Kiana looked down as she listened to Kitt at first, knowing it was best for him to say what he was feeling. When the tone of his voice changed, she looked at him again. In the same situation with anyone else, the person's head would probably have snapped up quickly at the tone of his voice but Kiana reacted calmly since she still knew he had to say what he felt the need to say. She didn't make any attempt to deny that she was hurt when he mentioned it. When he was finally on the floor and sobbing, she felt it was okay to speak again. "I don't want to die, Kitt, but there's not much I can do about my injury besides bandaging it somehow." She said with a low tone. After a moment of thought, she headed over to the bed and grabbed a hold of the sheets. She tore a large length of the sheet off then headed for the door. Opening it, she stepped out into the hallway. "There must be a place to wash up around here somewhere..." She muttered to herself then started down the hallway toward the stairs, almost seeming to have forgotten about Kitt.
-
Talin thought about it, then nodded. "The sooner I can get a hold on this power, the sooner I can start healing the wounds like those that Kiana and I sustained after White's barrier." His eyes then showed remembrance as he reached into his cloak and held out a sphere covered in parchment. "Can you also tell me what these coverings are meant for? Like, if they are for keeping something in from getting out, or keeping anything out."
-
Drevo sighed before Korius left, he wasn't exactly thrilled about having to get White ready to be buried. He didn't want to be reminded of his failings. He left the room in search of a bucket of water and some rags. After finding them he returned and did his best to clean him up. He was beating himself up as he did so, blaming himself for what had happened. He had taken White's things and set them on the nightstand. Drevo was now outside the room next to the door slumped up against the wall with his hat over his face.
-
Kitt walked out of the room after a short while, forcefully wiping the tears away from his cheeks with one sleeve. He sighed and walked into White's room, glancing away from his motionless form, and searched for his crossbow.
The weapon had slid to the other side of the room, lying on the floorboards in a sad state. The string had snapped in two, letting the strong arms of the bow to straighten out. Kitt knelt down to pick it up and sighed an even deeper sigh. His father would have scorned him for such treatment of a ranger's bow, and it was only at a flutter of wings from Evellyn that Kitt glanced up from checking the reloading mechanism for damage.
Evellyn sat at the end of White's bed, one gold eye watching Kitt steadily. She watched as Kitt pressed two fingers to White's palm and muttered a farewell, then walked back out into the corridor with his hood up.
-
Korius examined the little sphere with his senses and his face turned grim as he pushed Talin's hand back. "I'll just say this. Only remove the scriptures if you're on the brink of dying. I seriously mean that you only release this when you are knocking on death's door. I am going to collect and set up some candles at the demolished portion of town. Meet me there in 20 minutes. Head back to the inn and drop off all your armor, I want you at my location with just your trousers. Also, tell Kiana to be there in 10 minutes before you have to. I will do something about her wounds, and be sure to bring Drevo with you when you come and meet me. So tell him to finish his duties quickly, and to be dressed in just his covering." With that, Korius seemed to just disappear, searching all over the town for candles. In a matter of 4 minutes, he had fully covered every centimeter of the massive habitation around the large castle, and only turned up with 13 candles. It looks like I'll have to work very quickly. Korius made his way to the demolished section of the town that was closest to the inn, about 10 meters away, but hidden behind some of the tallest buildings in town, within the middle of the business section. He took a deep breath and released his Ki as if he was about to battle, blowing all the debris away to clear the area. Korius then drew 3 circles into the ground: One 4 meters in diameter, one 7 meters, and the last one 10 meters in diameter. He then proceeded to place 24 wood blocks on the 2 outer circles, none of them overlapping, and all evenly spaced. In the very center, he placed one more, putting the shortest candle onto it. Korius then broke the other 12 candles in half and placing them on all the other little stands. Finally, Korius took an abandoned mattress and cut it in half with the katana, and placed them evenly between the inner circle and the candle, facing each other. There was 1 minute left until Kiana was to meet him. Korius took one of the sai and slashed it against the stone wall of one of the buildings while holding an old torch that was in the area and got it lit. He then placed it a hole in the building so that the torch stood upright and went to kneel on one of the pads, using his Ki to avert the flame across the court to light the center candle just as Kiana arrived.
-
Kiana had found a washroom of sorts in the inn and cleaned her wound before wrapping the strip of sheet securely around her midsection. She had just covered herself up when Talin found her and told her that she needed to meet Korius at the demolished portion of town. She didn't question why she needed to go and instead just acknowledged what she was told she needed to do then left the inn. Ten minutes was just enough time for her to get there at her slower, injured pace. She came upon the place where she was to meet Korius just in time for a candle in the center of the area to be lit. Directing her eyes towards Korius, she felt a pang of something inside her but she wasn't sure what caused it. "You wanted to see me?" She asked, trying to straighten up but deciding against it since it hurt to do so. She certainly looked weak and run-down. Her posture was different than her usual posture she maintained when she was strong and self-assured. Now, she just looked frail, like she would collapse at any second.
-
Korius nodded, gesturing to the mattress across from him, "Yes, please remove your cloak and your upper clothing and kneel on the other pad. Whichever direction you face is up to you. Just let me know when you're ready because I'm going to treat your wounds." He closed his eyes and relaxed his whole body, expanding his senses and released all of his Ki, but this time letting out a more tranquil environment instead of the destructive and blood-curling feeling that had been up until now.
-
Kiana nodded and moved to the other pad, standing by it facing away from Korius. It didn't really matter since he had already seen her pretty much stark naked but she was still uncomfortable with it. She took of her cloak and set it on the pad beside her. She then took off the rest of her upper clothing then unwrapped the bandage she had put around her midsection. After that, she moved sideways and knelt down on the pad, still facing away from Korius, and took a deep breath to try to relax herself. "Alright...go ahead..."
-
Korius kept his eyes closed, seeing her majicka rather than her physically and took a deep breath, "Try your best to remain calm, this is going to sting a bit, but try to relax all the muscles in your body." He lifted his hands and fully extended his arms out, and used his Ki and took the flame from the center candle, and made it grow and lit all the other candles around him. Since I can make out that ponytail of her's, I'm guessing she's facing away from me. Korius then motioned his arms in different motions which to any outsider would seem like martial arts training and the flames from each different candle followed his motion to Kiana's body. At first, the flames hit certain pressure points around the wound. Next, with the quick manipulation with his fingers, too, the flames directed right against the edges of the wound, slowly getting closer and closer to the center. When Korius was finished, he quickly made a full motion of his arms and the flames completely came off the candles, forming into a ball over them, and he clapped his hands together, dispersing it into nothing. Korius was sweating profusely as he leveled his breathing, maintaining control of himself. "Get dressed quickly. Talin and Drevo will be here in 2 minutes. Take a rest tonight, and do not drink any water until sunrise."
-
Kiana's heart started to race when she saw the fire coming towards her, so she quickly closed her eyes and tried to think of something else. When the fire hit her the first time, she gritted her teeth some. It was when they moved on to her wound that her hands balled into fists and she started focusing on her breathing in an attempt to forget what was happening. When Korius clapped his hands together, she jumped slightly and her eyes opened. She didn't need any more motivation than that of being told that Talin and Drevo would be there soon to make sure she dressed as fast as she could. Once she was done redressing, she got up from the pad slowly. "Thanks..." She said, glancing over at Korius. She wondered what he needed to see Talin and Drevo for since they weren't injured. At any rate, she didn't feel like walking back to the inn at the moment so she walked over the edge of the area, sitting down on a rock piece of a building.
-
Talin kept his leggings on, even taking the tie out of his hair as he told Drevo what Korius wanted. He wasn't sure why Drevo needed to only wear a covering, but he respected their leader's knowledge enough to follow his commands to a 't'. Arriving a minute ahead of time, Talin stopped as he entered the area Korius set up and waited on Drevo. The moment he caught up, Talin quickly made his way to Korius and took a deep breath as he looked him in the eyes. "Should I have just been nude, or are my leggings acceptable?"
-
Drevo was not thrilled with what Talin had relayed to him. He didn't care to make any schedule of Korius' and took his sweet time in getting there showing up several minutes after Talin. Eventually he stripped down into the requested attire and felt a patch of missing fur on his chest. It was a scar from their earlier battle where he was impaled. He kept his hat on and looked to where Korius was seeing Kiana. "What the hell is on his mind this time..."
-
Kitt did not mind that he had been left alone, while everyone else had gone elsewhere. For him his world now revolved around the broken form of his crossbow. It lay on the floor of the room he had taken for his own, surrounded by the tools and spare parts that normally sat wrapped in an oilskin at the bottom of his bag.
With a sigh he gripped one end of a bowstring between his teeth, hooking the other end over one of the arms of the crossbow. Evellyn watched him from her perch on the end of the bed, clicking her beak impatiently. Kitt huffed another sigh and muttered past the string in his mouth "Jus- oo wait a moment... stupi' bird." He dropped the bow and string with a clatter, frustrated. It was incredibly difficult to restring a repeater crossbow, made no easier by Evellyn constantly ruffling her feathers...
-
Korius shook his head, "No, you don't have to be. What's going to be done is going to revolve around your upper body, so just sit cross-legged on the opposite pad and face the same direction as myself." He wondered where Drevo was, not seeing him enter the area with Talin. "Where the hell is that punching bag?"
-
Drevo stood and watched the others, when Korius mentioned him being a punching bag he scowled at him. "I'm right here, meat sack. Guess your Ki is blinding you too? Or maybe you're just getting too old for this." he said. The thought of being called a punching bag didn't send positive ideas through his head.
-
Kiana was relieved when Korius reassured Talin that he didn't need to be nude since that was something she didn't care to see. Drevo's remarks to Korius irritated her so, against Korius' order to relax for the night, she projected a palm-size rock at Drevo, hitting him in the head. She didn't say a word though and just kept looking in the direction of where Korius was waiting for Talin to follow his directions. She remembered Drevo's smirk from earlier when she didn't do anything when he had told her to "go ahead" and eventually she would get him back for that show of smug attitude but the rock was just in response to how he was acting at the present moment.
-
Talin nodded, sitting down on the pad with crossed legs with his back facing Korius. "I imagine that I won't be conscious for the most of this, but I'm not exactly the smart one of the group." He stretched his arms back, and yawned before returning to his meditative state.
-
"Don't worry. You're not getting what Drevo's going to get." Korius took a deep breath and raised his Ki, lighting all the candles again, having made the little flame in the center candle into a large stream of flames. "Majicka was first recorded in history nearly 20,000 years ago when civilizations were born. It was said that once the masses finally organized and gained intelligence, they discovered that some people had the ability to manipulate different aspects of nature, and some even created." He continued his lecture as he brought the flames from each candle and hit different pressure points throughout Talin's back, and in varying sizes at different times. "Soon, the magic users started a war with those who couldn't, and tried to lay dominion over them. Over that time, research was done on Majicka, and they found that it was the essential life-energy we all have, where those who can use magic merely had an extreme over-abundance of it where everyone else had just enough to live. Throughout the long war, many non-magic fighters, masters of martial arts combined their knowledge and teachings with the research of Majicka. The end result was Ki and Chakra, which had an even smaller number of success. Each was strong in its own right, but it was thought that despite how powerful Majicka could get, it was deemed less refined compared to the other two, and Ki was placed at the time. The ability to sense another's power was a sign. Majicka users were able to sense other Majicka users, feeling and sometimes seeing, the over abundance of flowing life energy. However, they can't sense Chakra and Ki users since they have as much Majicka as any other normal person. However, Chakra takes the elements like a Majicka user, but the ability is unlocked by constant training and one's refinement, sensing each other and Majicka users. Those like Hajime can tell Ki users based on her combat experience over long years of bloodshed. Ki users went the step further, making them the rarest in the world. Instead of using elements, they enhance their own life energy with a non-elemental power. However, a person's element is essentially still portrayed, but merely in style, not in application." While explaining, a cracked, black and clear gem emerged from Talin's back, and stayed only half exposed, glowing brightly, seeing light for the first time in decades. Korius then concentrated the flames to the edge of the gem and finally brought all the flames off the outer 24 candles and into a ball, but instead of dispersing it, Korius elongated it into a Voronese dragon and it flew right into the gem. After he was finished, Korius nearly collapsed, sweating heavily and trying to catch his breath.
-
When Kiana hurled a rock at him it hit him in the face, stumbling back a bit holding his face. "Ow!" he grunted. After silently grumbling to himself he stood back and watched Korius work his magic and explain the history of magic. When he got the the chakra part it made him think of Ferdande, then Alicia. His mind drifted back to when they were young and none of this stuff was happening.
-
Talin kept his eyes downward as Korius lectured on the history of magic, trying to focus on the lesson despite the flames coming towards him and Korius hitting him in various points on his body. He found it somewhat bearable until he felt something move around his flesh and bones, the sensation making it clear that something happened to his back. His breathing became more labored as Korius called the other flames over and judging by the sudden raise in temperature, had sent them into the source of the sensation. If he had to describe what the oncoming sensation was like, he would have likened it to having a burn spread from his back to every inch of his being. When Korius finished, Talin simply looked behind him and did a rather pathetic smirk. "Am I done, or was the burn just a forewarning?"
-
Korius gathered himself as best as he could and got back up, "If you're able to say something like that and look just as stupid, you'll be fine. This is the first time I've done something this extensive so you'll have to excuse, but I've brought out the gem in your body that's been passed down from offspring to offspring. I have made it a part of your flesh, and part of its stored Majicka is now a part of you. What I did initially was open the channels in your body so that it can withstand the Majicka flow. However, don't celebrate just yet. It will take a long time for you to be able to use even the simplest spell without killing yourself, or letting Chronin take over your body. But in time, it will hopefully allow you to use spells later down the line. Now... I think I've rested enough. Get up and dressed to make way for Drevo."
-
Drevo snapped back to reality when he heard his name. He cracked his knuckles and waited for Talin to get up, since obviously it was his turn for whatever was going to go down. He walked over to where he was sitting, he was already ready to get this over with. The more he was near Korius the more he wanted to kill him.
-
Talin, despite Korius warning him to not celebrate 'just yet', could not help but get watery eyed as he hugged the bigger wolf. "Man Korius, you're making me wish I had an older brother so you could replace him!!" Fortunately, the hug was over before Korius could even attempt to retaliate, and the perpetrator was already on the run towards the inn.
-
Drevo sat down when Talin got up. He watched as he attacked Korius with a ninja hug and ran off. He didn't know his story all to well, so he wasn't all too sure what he was so excited about. He glared at Korius from his sitting position. "Maybe he's finally going to put me out of my misery. Or maybe he working with Kiana to plot my payback." he thought.
-
Korius was disgruntled by the hug, but he was already saving as much strength as he could for Drevo's turn. "Get your ass on the pad, cross-legged please." He had already evened out his breathing, and started wiping the sweat off his brow and rubbed his eyes with his right had as he composed himself. Goddammit. This is getting very taxing. At least I don't have to worry about losing to the Dark Ki anymore...
-
Drevo was already sitting, though he wasn't sitting cross-legged. He readjusted himself and took a deep breath before exhaling it. "I guess he is blind. He looks tired, too. Maybe he will pass out. I can kill him then." he thought as he sat. "Come on, lets get this over with." he said, growing bored.
-
Kiana watched all that happened with Talin and listened as Korius explained the history of majicka, finding it somewhat interesting. Her eyes widened some when Talin attacked Korius with a hug, but she wasn't surprised that he bolted right afterward since he probably would have been hurt for it if he had stuck around. She put more attention on Drevo though and what was going to be done to him. It was hard to trust him lately with his attitude and all that. Plus, she was wondering if there was any particular reason he was saved for last.
-
Korius waited from Drevo to adjust and then sat back upright, lighting all the candles again. "I'm not going to lie. This is going to hurt you the most." Unlike before, where Korius had elongated the flames into gentle streams, the flames would come to and circle around his wrists, and he held a fist, save for his index and middle finger on both hands. Korius' hands seemed to move in a blur, thrusting small pockets of fierce flames no bigger than a thumb, hitting every pressure point on Drevo's body. The impact and ferocity of each was enough to make Drevo's body move a bit. Korius maintained his concentration so as to maintain his accuracy. He then disappeared and reappeared behind Drevo, standing now, and with his fingers covered in the flames (induced by his Ki), hit every single pressure point twice on Drevo's back. With every strike, his fingers had dug 2cm into Drevo's body without breaking the skin, and caused Drevo to spit out some blood. Korius then brought his hand back, making an open palm, and the flames gathered on it (including the center candle), mimicking the shape, and he thrust it right onto Drevo's back, causing him to spit more blood and to fall onto his stomach, slowly losing consciousness. Korius himself fell back onto his back, breathing heavily and no longer able to move and sweating profusely. "Kiana... if you can, bring him back. He won't be able to move for 2 days, and he'll be in severe pain."
-
Kiana watched intently as Korius worked on Drevo, her expression completely serious. When it was over and done with and Korius asked her to take Drevo back, she nodded and got to her feet. Walking over, she laid Drevo back then grabbed one of his wrists. Once she had a good grip, she began walking and dragging him behind her, elevating his upper body enough so his back wasn't touching the ground. This was her kind way of taking him back. He was lucky she wasn't dragging him by one of his feet. She went all the way back to the inn and dragged him up the stairs to one of the rooms. Propping him up against the side of the bed, she then put her arms under his arms and lifted him with a grunt then laid him on the bed though not the right way. She didn't want to take the time to maneuver him so that his head was actually by the pillow instead of by the opposite side of the bed from where she had set him. Once he was on the bed, she left the room, closing the door behind her without caring how lightly or heavily it closed.
-
The pain was intense when Korius began to hit Drevo's pressure points. Despite his best efforts he let out a grunt of pain here and there. When he was on his face, the pain seemed to numb everything as well as him being unable to move. He heard Korius speaking vaguely, only catching "Won't move" and "Two days". Before he lost consciousness he was rolled onto his back and he saw Kiana. "She's going to throw me off a building...I just know it..." he thought to himself.
-
Talin got to his room, and almost jumped into his bed. For a few minutes, he didn't even feel slightly tired. In fact he had to tense every muscle in his body to keep himself from fidgeting in the bed. He got out of bed, and bolted down the stairs to get his clothes. He carried them back up to his room, then went back downstairs and dropped onto his hands to do push-ups. He then shifted his weight to only his hands as he pushed his entire weight off the ground as he resumed his 'work-out'. When he still couldn't get the energy out of his body, he simply got back on his feet and went back to his room to put his gear back on.
He started tying his hair as he walked out of his room, stopping as he noticed Kiana. "Hey, do you normally feel fidgety when you're full of magic, or is it just me getting used to the extra 'life-force'?"
-
Kitt glanced up from his work, ear flicking in the direction of a door slamming shut and voices. The others were back from wherever they had gone, but that did not concern him, or even interest him at the moment. All of his attention lay on the crossbow lying across his lap. He had finally managed to restring the bow and repaired the damage the reloading mechanism which, thankfully, had only been minor.
After a quick run over with the wood polish and wax, as well as a final oiling of he mechanism, Kitt hefted the crossbow up to his shoulder. The bow felt as good as the day his father had used it.
Kitt stepped out of his room, holding out an arm for Evellyn to flutter onto. Once the falcon had landed, claws gripping the falconing glove tight, Kitt started towards the stairs of the Inn. He nodded to Kiana and Talin as he went, muttering something about shooting practice.
-
Korius laid where he was, on the half-mattress and closed his eyes, meditating, and evened out his breathing. He was too tired to move, and he had thoroughly exhausted his body for running so much Ki for so long. Korius subsequently fell into a deep sleep. In his dreams, he walked the ruins of the Central Castle, Kyzen's stonghold, with his companions, Kiana in his arms smiling happily.
-
Kiana nodded at Kitt and eyed him until he was out of sight, partly worrying about him. Once Kitt had disappeared, she turned her attention back to Talin. "I guess you haven't noticed, but I don't really run around expending a bunch of energy. Only time I do that is when I'm bored." She said with a shrug. "I don't know. Maybe it's different for you because you weren't born with it so you're not accustomed to it."
-
Talin waved at Kitt, then redirected his attention to Kiana in a disturbingly identical fashion as she did to him. "You also do it when you're trying to hide injuries, but at least you know you're injured. I'm too stupid to stop fighting, let alone put the effort into acting normally." He started walking out, then stopped at the door. "Oh, and then there are all those times where you keep trying to deny you looove Korius, but I digress. I'll be jumping across rooftops if you need me for anything that doesn't involve domestic relationships." He left the Inn and started climbing up the nearest house, getting on the roof and doing some stretches before leaping from roof to roof.
-
Kitt paused for a moment, ear flicking in the direction of Talin and Kiana's conversation, then he continued downstairs and out of the tavern. The air was cool with a slight breeze as Kitt held up his arm for Evellyn to take off. She did so with a flutter of feather and circled high above, before swooping down and landing on a nearby fence post.
After a few minutes Kitt had set up a series of targets made of scrap pieces of wood. He loaded a stack of bolts into the crossbow and raised it to his shoulder, listening carefully to the sound of the string twanging and the wood creaking as he loaded the first bolt in.
For a moment Kitt stood still, breathing slow and calm. This was when he felt most at peace, and it was with a small grin that he watched Talin jumping from roof to roof. The grin remained as he loosed the bolts one after another into the targets, wood splintering under the force of the impacts.
-
Out in another territory, Elistro and his men exited the next Guardian's castle, leaving it in rubble with the body of its recently deceased owner laying mauled and torn at the entrance. Elistro was smiling sadistically, covered in blood and the left side of his armor broken off, his cape covering it. "Ah, it has been quite a few years since I've actually fought for real. Let's go, men!" The wind of the night picked up as they left, and his cape was lifted to waft in the wind, revealing the Guardian's helmet piece with the sigil gripped in his hand, and even more shockingly, 7 other sigils engraved in his arm and chest...
-
Kiana listened to Talin with little interest in what he was saying. When he left without giving her the opportunity, she scoffed. "What a coward..." She muttered as she walked to the next room and opened the window. She climbed to the roof and brought a palm-sized rock up into her hand. Looking around, she got Talin in her sights then hurled the rock at him, which hit him in the back of the head. "Next time you make a comment like that, how about you grow some balls and stick around instead of running away!" She yelled toward Talin to be sure that he heard her. After that, she sat down on the roof and surveyed the town around her.
-
Talin stopped roof-jumping when the rock nailed him in the head, then he turned to Kiana. He made his way right over to the cheetah, holding his tongue the entire time. When he was on the same roof as the earth mage, he took a deep breath. "Sorry, old habits die hard... are you going to punch me, slap me, verbally abuse me?"
-
As Drevo slept, he dreamed. The group was in some dimly lit barroom. Korius, Kiana and Drevo were facing a hooded feline with a crossbow. Suddenly the crossbow went off, hitting Kiana in the chest. There were no clear words, rather muffled shouts. Korius took Kiana in his arms as Drevo tackled the feline, taking a bolt to the shoulder. The dream shifted then, it was a picture of his hometown. Everything was perfect and nothing seemed wrong, a bird suddenly flew over the town. Looking back at the town it was in ruins, burned to the ground. If Drevo were able, he would be tossing and turning in his sleep.
-
Kitt watched the goings on at the rooftops between Kiana and Talin curiously, fetching the crossbow bolts from where they were embedded in the wooden targets and dropping them into a quarrel to be reloaded into a wooden stack later. He grinned as the small rock smacked Talin in the back of the head, walking back into the Inn with a backwards glance up at the two of them, wondering what Talin had said to invoke Kiana's wrath again.
The bedroom was cold, and the walk to it had taken Kitt past White's room again, so he lay on his bed fully clothed. Curling up with the sheets close around him he sheltered what warmth he had and slowly dozed off into a dreamless and light sleep.
-
When Talin came back, she looked up at him then out across the town again. "D) None of the above." She said calmly. "Just stay out of my personal life. I had the courtesy to stay out of yours." Even though she wanted to go inside and go to sleep, she stayed seated on the roof in case Talin had anything he wanted to say. What she said was nowhere near being an attack or tease about Talin's wife not being around.
-
Talin cupped his chin as he thought it over. "You know, I thought it was a running joke that started at the village, but since it is now personal, I'll respect your wishes and keep out. Hope it works out..." He gave her a gentlemanly bow before turning around and resuming his rooftop shenanigans.
-
Korius' eyes shot open the next morning at dawn, his body mostly recovered. He got up and left the city limits in search of some wildlife to have for breakfast as well as trying to find herbs and roots to try to help ease some of the pain Drevo was about to go through. However, Korius' was more worried about how Drevo would respond to the treatment. The night before, he had forcefully opened all of Drevo's Ki channels, allowing him to allocate it. But the problem laid within the fact that 95% people of his level who have this procedure done to them either 100% lose to their dark side, or their bodies couldn't handle it and broke down as the Ki destroyed them internally, and tore open from within.
-
Kiana hadn't meant for what she said to make it sound like there really was something personal between her and Korius. She had only meant that Talin, or anyone else in the group for that matter, shouldn't be trying to figure out her personal life or tease her about things they thought were true about her and somebody else. There was no point in explaining that to Talin though, she knew that, so she didn't bother to stop him and try. She went back into the inn through the window then closed it. Going over to the door to the room, she closed it before going to bed.
The next morning she woke up at around sunrise and stared at the ceiling for a little bit. With a sigh, she finally pushed off the covers and got up. She redressed and re-did her braid so their weren't pieces of hair sticking out randomly. She left the room and went downstairs in the inn, sitting down at one of the tables.
-
Talin continued to jump from roof to roof, getting more and more reckless as he tried to stress his body into exhaustion. When he got tired enough, he simply jumped off the roof he was on and made his way back to the Inn. He tried to sense the presence of anyone else, but he could only locate his own group during his entire walk to the Inn. So he simply turned off his mind and walked up the stairs before crashing on his bed.
The next morning he picked up his volge, parchment covered orb, and his satchel of needles. He walked down the stairs and sat in a lone chair, twirling a needle in his hand while waiting on Kitt and Drevo.
-
Drevo woke up and immediately groaned. He looked around seeing no one in the room, he tried to adjust his hat, which wasn't on his head but his arm fell limp and back down on the bed. "Ow..." he said. "What the hell did that bastard do to me...?" he groaned. He tried to move again but to no avail. He barely managed to move his leg. "Ow...I guess he's going to try and kill me...Lets just see him try..." he thought, eying the room to see what he could muster in form of defense.
-
Kitt woke with a groan and rolled off the side of his bed. The floor rushed up to meet him, landing a loud thump on the floorboards that was followed a moment later by a muffled yelp of pain. It was several minutes before the young feline had finally disentangled himself from the bed-sheets and gathered up his equipment, proffering an arm to Evellyn before he left the room and went downstairs.
He yawned widely as he walked into the downstairs part of the Inn, running fingers through his hair and sitting down in the nearest empty seat. Kitt glanced up to Talin and, amid another yawn, said "G'morning..."
-
Korius had found a few rabbits and had gone back to the inn about the time Kitt had come out, and dropped the rabbits between the two of them. "Try cooking these. I usually just use the open flame and char them. We can't leave for a couple days. Drevo's treatment will put him through the worst kind of suffering for two days. It might be sooner, though, if he dies from it." Meanwhile, as Drevo laid his head back, his muscles felt as if they were tightening with swelling and felt like they were tearing while every breath felt like needles against his lungs.
-
Kiana sat there in silence as she watched Talin come down and sat down away from her. She didn't say anything to him and looked down at the table. She looked up when she heard someone coming down the stairs and watched as Kitt came down then sat in the closest empty seat by Talin, speaking only to him. Shrugging it off, she just looked over to Korius since he had just come in as well and watched the two dead rabbits hit the table between the Talin and Kitt. When Drevo was mentioned, she lifted her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Grimacing, she looked back down at the table.
-
Talin looked up at Kitt when he spoke, and put the needle away before speaking up. "Good morning to you as well Kitt." He then focused his attention on their leader, who had just dumped two dead rabbits on the table. He picked up both rabbits and was off to the kitchen as Korius started talking about Drevo. He grabbed some flint and went out the back to get some firewood and tindle. When he started the fire, he washed his hands before cutting up the rabbits with a small knife. He got out a large pan and placed it on the stove, quickly placing the rabbit meat onto the pan and seasoning it with some leftover salt and pepper.
In a matter of ten to fifteen minutes, Talin had come back out with some gloves on as he placed the pan onto the counter with a cooling mat underneath. He picked up three pieces and walked back to his seat without a word as his mouth began chewing the first morsel.
-
Pain suddenly raced through Drevo's body. His muscles tensed up and when he groaned from the sudden pain it hurt more. He jolted from the pain and fell from the bed. "Ah! Damnit!" he barked as he fell. Pain continued to intrude on his body, falling sure as hell didn't help. Face first he was stuck on his chest in pain, unable to move.
-
Kitt muttered a good morning to Kiana as well, not meeting her eyes as he spoke and remaining in silence as he waited while Talin cooked up the rabbits.
When Talin emerged with the cooked rabbit Kitt leaped up to get some of it, tearing into the meat happily. He sighed and rolled his eyes, then finally gave a small strip of the meat to Evellyn. The falcon, who had been nipping at his ear the whole time that he was eating, swallowed the meat with equal gusto and click of her beak.
Kitt walked over to the Inn entrance, holding out his arm he shook Evellyn off. "Go on, you can hunt for your food..." The bird took off with a flutter and shriek, flying high into the air. Kitt turned and walked back into the Inn, still not meeting Kiana's eyes as he sat down and ate the rest of his rabbit.
-
Korius stood up and hopped down from the roof, landing next to Kiana, "I'd like to talk with you for a bit. Meet me on the shattered section of the inner wall in about an hour. *raises his voice after turning to Kitt and Talin* You guys go ahead and eat with Kiana without me. I've already had some food this morning." He walked away, disappearing behind a few buildings.
-
Kiana mutter her own half-hearted good morning to Kitt, wondering why he was avoiding her. When the cooked rabbit meat was brought out, she got up to get some but paused when Korius landed next to her, listening to what he had to say. She nodded then headed over and grabbed some of the rabbit meat as Korius addressed the other two. She went back to her seat and set down her food, but she noticed the Kitt was still avoiding looking at her. Once Korius was gone, she looked over at Kitt. "Alright. What the hell is your problem, Kitt?" She snapped at him. "Because it's quite obvious that you have some sort of issue with me."
-
Talin continued to eat his meal, then stopped when Kiana snapped at Kitt. His immediate thought was to point out how Kiana didn't want to have her personal buisness being a topic of discussion, but she had no issue of speaking out in the open about it. However, the Elistra in his head told him to shut up and just leave. So he picked up the remaining pieces of rabbit and brought them over to Drevo. He pulled up a chair and sat by his body. "Drevo, nod once if you're hungry, or twice if you want me to leave."
-
Drevo groaned in further pain when Talin of all people came in. When he casually pulled up a chair next to him as he was clearly in pain he grumbled. "Ass...Hole..." he groaned, barely audible. If tried to move but failed, suffering some additional pain. He badly wanted to strangle Talin at the moment.
-
"What?" Kitt glanced up at Kiana, momentarily surprised as he was not often the focus of her annoyance. His eyes flicked to Talin as he left the room, then back to Kiana with a wince.
He shrugged his shoulders and his ears lay flat as he looked up at her "I was just embarrassed about what I said last night..." With another wince at that he rubbed his upper arm awkwardly. His ears flicked back towards the stairs, as though to check Talin had really gone, as he said "... What I said about you being like my mother. I- I was just so depressed by White's death, everything came out at once."
A slight flush rose up through Kitt's cheeks as he looked away from Kiana, back to the floor awkwardly. "So yeah... I just feel stupid is all."
-
Back at the Central Castle, Kyzen stared off into the distance from atop his observation tower, where he seems to have been spending far too much time at lately. As per the magic spell placed on the area, it was still storming and raining heavily. It'll only be a matter of time, now. The circle will soon be complete, and absolute power shall be mine...
-
Kiana noticed Kitt's surprise at being snapped at and she couldn't blame him for it since she couldn't recall any time before now that she had ever yelled at him. She let him get out his explanation which softened up her attitude, especially since he didn't really have a problem with her. Plus, she couldn't really stay mad at Kitt since he was just a kid. Her expression softened and she sat down in her seat with a sigh. "I don't care if you look at me like a mother, Kitt. Though there are much better options in this world than me." She said as she looked over at him. "It just bugs me when I'm being avoided with no explanation for it." Once that was said, she started to eat her food.
When she was done eating, half an hour had passed. "Well, I'm going to go for a walk." She said as she got up from her seat. "Umm...you might want to make sure that Talin is taking care of Drevo right. I'll be back in a bit." Heading out the door of the inn, she pulled her hood up and started walking toward where the shattered section of the inner wall was. She made sure she took her time getting there so that she only arrived about five minutes early.
-
Talin couldn't help but smirk at the situation, quickly feigning surprise as he 'realized' that Drevo couldn't move. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was being too much of an idiot to see that Korius effectively paralyzed your entire body. Here, I'll just drop the pieces into your mouth and see if you choke on them or not." He quickly opened Drevo's mouth and dropped in one piece after the other.
-
Drevo continued to grumble at Talin as he listened to him. Everything hurt, as he was rolled onto his back from being face down he tried to speak again. "...Gonna...Kill...You..." he said before food was beginning to be dropped down his throat. Naturally he wasn't able to chew it or do much with it aside from choke on it.
-
Kitt gave a small sigh, glancing up at Kiana then back down to his food. He remained quiet and didn't look back to Kiana, although this could most likely be attributed to chewing the rabbit hungrily.
When Kiana got up to leave Kitt nodded silently, glancing up from rubbing beeswax into his boots to keep them waterproof. He stood as well, watching as she opened the door to leave and said "Sure thing Kiana... See y'later."
Climbing the flight of stairs Kitt reached Drevo's room, lounging against the inside of the door frame with a slight grin at the scene inside. He glanced from Drevo to Talin and, still grinning, nodded to the latter. "Talin... Kiana said you had better be taking good care of Drevo, or she's gonna tear out your gizzard for lunch."
With a slight frown he walked over to Drevo's bed, tail flicking "What happened to him anyway? And you too Talin, no one has told me what went on when you met with Korius last night..." The frown turned to a grin as he reached the end of Drevo's bed and he leaned against it, childish grin plastered across his furred face "Bet it was something interesting, huh?"
-
Korius was starting to feel the repercussions of the previous night and had gone into meditation to try to suppress the symptoms. However, about 5 minutes before the appointed time, he was no longer able to concentrate on meditation and had been concentrating on using his Ki to dull the pain, but stopped as he coughed up some blood. Thanks to the coughing, his senses were back, and he felt the presence of Kiana's majicka. He quickly wiped the blood from his lips and got up, suddenly able to compose himself, "You're a bit early. But then I guess I shouldn't be surprised since you're one to be early."
-
Kiana noticed the blood but didn't mention it since she knew he would just act like she had when she was injured and make it out as nothing. "It's easy to be early when there's nothing to do." She said with a tone of it being obvious that it would be like that. She looked around then back at Korius again. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" She was kind of nervous, though it didn't show. She wondered why he needed to talk to her, and more-so why it needed to be away from the others.
-
Talin gently lifted Drevo's head upright after the first piece, giving the pseudo-cripple from choking on unchewed rabbit. He then slipped in the other two pieces and kept Drevo's head upright. "You see, when Korius gets annoyed with our lack of progress, he uses his chi-based "black magic", altering our bodies into that of monsters. The only reason we're still normal now, is that the change is gradual." He tilted Drevo's head from side to side as he kept his gaze of seriousness. "Drevo here is going to be ten feet tall with rippling muscle and giant serrated teeth..."
-
Despite his best efforts, Drevo was a puppet for Talin to mess with in his current condition; however every movement hurt. Though his mouth was full, he grunted mostly in pain. It hurt to breathe, even the rabbit going down hurt. "Korius must have been too tired to come kill me himself so he sent Talin to slowly torture me to death."
-
Kitt listened with rapt attention, leaning on the end of the bed, his tail flicking back and forth. His amber eyes flicked from Talin to Drevo and then back again before he spoke. "You're joking aren't you?" He kicked one foot against the other, grinning. The grin was only half there though. Beneath it a worried glance flitted up at Talin with a look of apprehension.
No longer grinning with the same childishness, Kitt took a step back from Drevo's bed and folded his arms defensively. His eyes searched Talin's expression and an attempted grin faltered. "You are kidding, aren't you... right?" With a nervous flick of his ears the feline rubbed his upper arm. "Because there's no such thing as monsters..."
-
Korius was sullen, thinking out his words carefully before answering. Without moving from where he was, he started to speak softly, just in case anyone or anything was around. "You know how much of an asshole I've been these last few months, and that the lives of everyone in Gaia depend on us. However, it's not the nature of our quest that has been driving me to accomplish, but rather because it was the final wish of the woman who was once my first and only lover, Lady Koara. I've been exceptionally rough and distant more recently because something inside me had been building up, and I had been denying it, trying to escape it. I wanted to entrap myself into my past and never move forward... but..." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "It's you... something about you... I..."
-
Kiana listened intently since Korius was speaking so softly. She grew more and more nervous the longer his talking went on. When he got near the end of what he was saying (basically when he said that Koara was once his first and only lover, with the key word in her ears being "once"), she gulped. "Don't say it... please don't say it..." She thought while Korius was taking his deep breath. But he basically did say it and her eyes widened slightly. She wanted to make a joke about it to shrug it off as nothing, but she couldn't, and that was partly because somewhere deep inside her she had wanted him to say something like what he did. "Well, if they joke about us being in love now... just wait until they find out that it's true..." She said with a chuckle then actually realized that she had basically just come out and said she loved him. "Uh, I mean..." She rubbed the back of her neck with her left hand, trying to think of something to say.
-
Talin's grin didn't falter in the slightest, mostly because he was giddy about giving Kitt a scare. He decided he should see how much he could naturally let out, and was inwardly surprised at seeing how easy it was to make his own body shimmer with black energy. "You asked what happened at the meeting, and I'm telling you that Korius plans to turn all the slackers in our group into monsters. If I were you, I would not be standing there like a frightened kitten, I would go and train my tail off so that Korius sees little reason to "enhance" your body." He stopped moving Drevo's head, but still kept it upright.
-
Kitt shuffled his feet back and forth, glancing from Talin to Drevo. He gave a weak laugh that very quickly fled and turned to a nervous wince. "Heh... heh... You're joking right Talin?"
He winced again at Talin's dead-pan stare, body shimmering in darkness and creepy grin. "Okay, sounds like your not joking... Well I will be seeing you bye-" With a clatter of footsteps he fled from the bedroom, tail whipping round the doorway and followed a moment later by the slamming of Kitt's bedroom door.
-
Korius remained as calm as possible, his head raising a little from him looking at the ground, "I see, so I wasn't imagining things. The feeling was mutual after all. I won't say anything concrete at the moment, but..." He walked on forward into the fields through the rubble, "...it wouldn't be bad to have someone by my side to share the quiet life with when the need for fighting no longer exists. I'm going to find some herbs and food for the afternoon. Why don't you head back and make sure that wolf is being taken care of properly. I have a feeling those two aren't doing very well."
-
Kiana lowered her hand from her neck and listened to Korius. "How can he be so non-chalant about this?" She thought to herself while listening to him speak. "Well, if he's going to act like it's not a big deal then so am I. Like it's not even anything." She watched as he walked forward and remained silent until he was done talking. "Alright." She said flatly. Turning on her heel, she went back to the inn. When she got there, she went upstairs to the room Drevo was in, noticing Kitt wasn't there. "So I see I was correct. You're not taking care of him very well. Kitt didn't do a very good job of making sure you treated Drevo right. Where is that kid?"
-
Talin smiled at Kiana as the feeling of danger set into his stomach like a lead weight. "I did give him food, I just forgot to orient him so that he wouldn't choke on the food." His black shimmer faded quickly as he gently set Drevo down and backed his chair up. "Also, Kitt wanted to know about the meeting... so I fibbed..."
-
After the rabbit managed to go down without killing him Drevo was slightly relieve. He saw Kiana enter and noticed Kitt had gone. "Kiana..." he groaned. "Be my...Mercy angel." he continued. He was serious, though it was likely to be taken as a joke. The pain had numbed most of his body now, thought he still wanted to harm Talin in some way.
-
Kiana shook her head in disapproval at Talin. When Drevo spoke, she looked down at him. "You're lucky that we kind of need you, or else I would let him screw with you some more." She said to him with a blunt tone then turned her attention back to Talin. "And I don't know what you said to him, but judging by the black shimmer you were just giving off, I would guess that it wasn't anything good." She looked toward the door then back at Talin. "You should probably go tell Kitt that you were lying. I bet he's scared by whatever you said." Moving around Drevo, she crouched down and grabbed him underneath his arms. She heaved him up onto the bed and laid him down. "There. I've done my part. Nothing else I can do for you though."
-
Talin reluctantly nodded, leaving Kiana and Drevo alone while he went over to Kitt's door and knocked. "Kitt, this is Talin... sorry for the scare earlier, I had a relapse into idiocy. Dreveo and I are not going to become monsters. Korius simply gave our bodies more room to grow. You now only have to worry about the people that come to kill us or the soldiers we intend to engage during our travels."
-
"Maybe next time you can feed me. Something less...Solid." Drevo said after Kiana mentioned not being able to do anything more. "Talin isn't exactly...Smooth." he continued. There was still a lingering pain in his lungs but he had grown used to it enough not to be outwardly bothered by it. "I kinda wish she would get me back now while I can't feel anything..." he thought.
-
From in Kitt's room, through the thick oak door, came the rather muffled 'thwang' of a crossbow firing and a surprised yelp. The sound was followed a moment later by a heavy armour-piercing bodkin bolt bursting through the door and embedding itself in the opposite wall.
The door swung open to reveal a very sheepish-looking Kitt. He glanced from the hole in the door, to the bolt stuck in the wall, and winced. "Sorry about that Talin, I was just-" It was then that what Talin had said seemed to register, as Kitt paused for a moment.
"Oh, right..." He leaned against the door frame, flicking his fringe to one side and pulling up his hood, seemingly trying for most nonchalant person of the year award as he huffed a laugh. "Heh... Yeah, I knew that already. Didn't believe your story about monsters for one moment. Kids stuff..."
-
Korius arrived back at the inn within a few hours. By that time, Drevo's innards were rolling around from within and expanding to the point of almost bursting into pieces. Every fiber of his being felt like it was being torn apart from over expanding. Korius had with him a deer and a large makeshift satchel of herbs. He began crushing them on a table that he did his best to clean. While working on mixing the herbs, Korius stared at the weapons he had laid against the wall across from him. The katana, the twin sai, and the buster-class sword, Valia. Each of the weapons were weapons of history, and to have them in the same place was quite the thought.
-
"I could have told you that much." Kiana responded to Drevo flatly. Without another word, she left the room. She glanced over and saw the hole in the door of Kitt's room and the bolt in the wall. Shaking her head, she turned away and headed downstairs. Finding the washroom, she took a bath then redressed herself after drying off. She was sitting at one of the tables with her feet propped up on the chair across from herself when Korius arrived back at the inn. Her hair was still wet and hanging around her shoulders instead of being in her usual braid. While Korius was looking at his weapons, she had a thought. "You need any help?" She asked, moving her feet off of the chair. It wasn't like she was doing anything else so it wouldn't be difficult to help him out.
-
Talin smirked at Kitt, fighting the urge to treat him like the fifteen year old he was only a month ago. "Kitt, I knew people who still believed that all dragonkin had a desire to eat the children of other Kin. Your mind is still catching up to your physical age in terms of skepticism. We've fought people and armies that would make men of thirty years soil themselves, if I was going to give you a good scare, I don't think anything less would freak you out. Well, maybe the idea that we would slowly turn into the Guardians that we've killed off... but I'll save that for my kid."
-
No sooner did Kiana leave Drevo's pain returned. He grunted, managing to find a sudden strength to clutch his stomach in pain. "Damn, this pain even over powers my previous numbness!" he thought to himself. As he lay there in pain he continued to groan. "Damn Korius...His damned Ki...What ever the hell he did to me."
-
Kitt couldn't help but grin at Talin's last comment, eyes flicking away to the ground as he scratched his chin absentmindedly. It still rather annoyed him how he had seemingly lost three or four years of his life. He sighed, being reminded he was very much still a child in his mind, despite how he looked physically now wrenched at his gut with a cold grasp.
"I wish that I didn't have to try and catch up with my age so quickly. I guess its how you would normally feel when you lose your childhood, but ten times faster... Like your constantly racing to catch up and be someone I really dont feel I am." He sighed again and shrugged. "I just still feel like a kid, but everyone expects me to suddenly be like my father..."
-
Korius normally wouldn't have turned from his work when someone asked him a question, but since it was Kiana, he did. He quickly turned back to his work, blushing a little at seeing her with her hair down and loose. It actually looked quite alluring, and feelings that had long since been dormant within him had began to resurface. Korius sighed as he stopped grinding some of the herbs and wiped the sweat from his brow before pointing at some of the herbs, "If you can, I need those three crushed together in one bowl and the other two in another. I need all four groups separated, so be sure not to even get a spec mixed in with another. I'm going to skewer our lunch and dinner."
-
Kiana got up from her seat and went over to where Korius was taking care of some of the herbs. Grabbing the three herbs that needed to be ground together, she put them in a bowl and slowly ground them up. Once she was done with that, she took the other two herbs and put them in a different bowl. She began to grind them together, glancing at Korius then looking back down at the herbs she was grinding up.
-
Talin flicked Kitt's forehead when he finished speaking. "I'm not expecting you to be like your father, though he was a great ranger in his own right. I want you to be better than him, while also being your own person." He puffed his chest out and looked at the ceiling as if he could see the horizon through it. "I want to say that it was Kitt the Ranger, not Kitt the son of the Ranger, that made it possible for us to survive this long."
-
Kitt grinned and rubbed his upper arm "Thanks Talin..." He scuffed his boot against the wooden floorboards, tail flicking as his smile grew "And I will be able to say it was Talin the dragonkin who fought alongside me every step of the way."
Still grinning Kitt pulled down his hood and ran a hand through his scruffy hair, feeling that it was getting a bit long and could do with cutting with his knife again. Snapping back to the conversation from this thought he clasped the pommel of his sheathed sword with one hand and muttered "I'll make my parents proud... Show them I can make a true Ranger and that we will get through this together and alive. All of us... Perhaps even Drevo." At this last bit he grinned and stuck out his tongue childishly, as if to make up for the serious nature of the conversation.
-
Korius started cutting up the meat with a cleaned rusty knife that he had found, but gave up and took out the katana. Forgive me for using your weapon in such a manner. He closed his eyes for a second, evening his breathing out and exhaled slowly, taking the stance, Shadow Kill Strike: Wind Form. As if he didn't move, the katana swung swiftly, not even visible to the naked eye, and you could hear the clink of the katana when it was sheathed again. The deer carcass slowly fell into pieces, no blood spilling over the floor as the innards fell separate. He slowly picked up the pieces that were edible and stacked them on a single table, "When you're done, do you want to get some wood and bring it into the kitchen? I used up all the logs they didn't bring with them on the stew last night."
-
Kiana paid no mind to what Korius was doing even though she heard him unsheathe the katana. Looking over, she saw the carcass now in pieces and figured that he had used one of his Ki forms to do it. She had just finished grinding up the second set of herbs when he started to tell her what she could do when she was done. "Okay." She said, setting down the bowl. Turning around, she headed out of the inn and went in search of wood.
-
Talin sighed at Kitt's cheekiness, considering on how to either play along or completely block his attempt at humor. "Y'know, Drevo is still useful even though both Korius and Kiana seem to enjoy at least making him suffer. Just imagine, if Drevo dies... who is going to buffer the moments where Kiana and Korius decide to 'discipline' the rest of us?"
-
Kitt snapped backed to serious with only slight resentment, sighing "You know I was only kidding... Drevo is just as much the reason why we have survived this long as any of us..." He drummed his claws on the hilt of his sword, tail flicking "...Actually, I think Drevo is probably one of the strongest people in our group. Despite everything, he does keep going, and you can always rely on him in a fight."
With a huffed sigh Kitt turned and started off towards the stairs. He spoke over his shoulder, pulling his hood back up "I'm off for some more archery, this guardian's handbow is still a pain to use. I need to practice with it some more before I will feel confident I can actually hit anything."
-
Korius sighed after sorting all the meat, "Well, shit. I did not think this one through very well. Too many organs, and even the most careful of people couldn't transport them without rupturing one of those and making a mess. Well, might as well just move it to the side since we're not staying for much longer." He moved off the organs and the head into a corner and had heard Drevo upstairs. Korius traversed upstairs and walked into the room, Drevo on the floor. He stood over him and probed him in various places on his body to check his vitals. Korius finally crouched down and pulled Drevo's head up by the hair, "Well it looks like your body can't handle it after all." Skin was tearing in various areas around Drevo's body now, and blood was squirting from them. Korius let go of Drevo's hair and kicked him over onto his back and placed a hand on his chest. After a couple seconds, he lifted his hand slowly and a large, glowing blue ball emerged slowly from Drevo's chest. "I thought that if I were to unlock your Ki channels and insert some of my own, you would be able to become stronger. However, your body can't handle it, and if I don't take it out soon, it'll destroy your body..." The ball was half way out of Drevo's body, and the light could be seen from well outside of the inn through the window.
-
Kiana wandered around the town, picking up random pieces of wood from ruined buildings or food carts. While she walked around she thought about a relationship with Korius, but shook her head to get the thought away. They both had feelings for each other and that was all there was to it at the moment. She needed to keep her mind off of that distraction. She was on her way back to the inn when she saw the light in one of the windows of the building, knowing it was Drevo's room. "What's he doing to him now?" She said to herself as she continued to the inn and went inside, setting the wood down.
-
Drevo had managed to fall on the floor again. Shortly after that Korius came in and began to mess with him. When he began to take out the Ki he suddenly grabbed Korius' wrist, not letting him continue. "Like hell you do..." he grumbled. "This is nothing! I'll be damned if I let you kill me like this..." he continued with a fire in his eye. The pain seemed to vanish in these few moments as the act transpired. He pulled on Korius' wrist, trying to get him to put the energ back in him.
-
Korius clenched a fist and the Ki slowly started lowering back into Drevo, and he wrenched his hand away. Due to the reintroduction of the Ki being forced back into his body, it already began to tear again and the flood started flying. "There's no longer anything I can do for you, then. From what I can see, your chances of survival is less than 10%. I've made two mistakes in this time with you. The first was to force Ki into you so that you may become stronger. The second was reforming my ways. You chose to not let me remove the Ki from your body, and you will have to be responsible for the consequences." Without another word, he left the room, heading downstairs in time to see Kiana's return. "Hi... want to help me with the cooking?"
-
Kiana absentmindedly looked around the place while she half-listened to what was being said upstairs. "Oh, so Drevo's trying to be better but is failing and actually really being completely stupid again." She muttered to herself. When she heard someone coming down the stairs, she looked over to see Korius. "Sure. It's better than just sitting here being bored." She responded to him.
-
Talin let Kitt walk away without saying anything more, following him downstairs and dodging Korius as he went up. He sat down by one of the tables and perked his ears at Kiana's mumbling while also hearing what Korius told Drevo. When Korius came back downstairs and talked to Kiana, Talin took in a deep breath and gathered the remaining idiocy in his mentality to act as a buffer for his would-be-nervous question. "Do you think that White would mind me reading any leftover books of healing or barrier magic he might have?"
-
Drevo scoffed after Korius left. "I'll be damned if I die before I get my hands on Elistro..." he thought to himself. "I will become stronger...I'll get through this...This is nothing..." he continued in his head. He was lying to himself, the pain was excruciating. He laughed though it hurt, he was on the floor again, this time in worse condition. He made a note to whoever walked in next, he would ask them to just put a pillow on the ground.
-
Kitt wandered out of the Inn back to where he had set up the targets or archery practice, drawing the Guardian's repeater handbow instead of his own Ranger's crossbow. With a slight grunt at the weight, and a moment to accustom himself to the weapon again, he drew the bow and loosed a bolt.
His archery technique went from excellent to downright sloppy with the transition to the handbow. The general effect was frustration, a wavering aim and aching shoulders and arms. Kitt dropped the handbow to his side for a moment, looking over the smashed up wooden targets.
The bow was undeniably powerfull and an amazing spectacle of Ranger's bowmanship. Balanced perfectly and made to last a century, Kitt considered the handbow a beautiful weapon, but the sheer weight of it took its toll on anyone with a physique lesser than Korius or a Guardian.
-
Korius smiled a little and walked over to the kitchen with the food and dropped the smaller bits in the large pot and the large slabs on the iron grill that was only recently cleaned. "If you can, it'd be nice if you can watch the water and make sure it doesn't bubble over. Let it steam and fizz a little, but once it looks like a witch's cauldron, use some of your earth magic and smother some of the fire. I'll place the herbs in a bowl out front. I'll need some hot water once it gets to the proper heat." He tossed some of the wood under both cooking apparatuses and lit them with the flint and walked out. While gathering up the herbs into a bowl, he looked over at Talin to answer his question, "That's highly doubtful. From what I remember, the library is locked to everyone but White, whose majicka is the key. Unfortunately, only Vo is able to undo the lock, being the fabricator."
-
Kiana listened to Korius' instructions on what he wanted to do. "Watching water boil, huh?" She said as she watched Korius light the fire. "I take back what I said about being bored..." She watched as Korius left the room to get the herbs. She pulled over a stool and sat down on it as she watched the fire and the water in the pot. Holding her staff in front of her, she tapped it on the floor in a random rhythm in an attempt to entertain herself.
-
Talin grumbled in response, fiddling with his needle for some time before getting up and walking out the Inn. He heard the sound of Kitt's bolts hitting some wood with a heavy thunk, and fancied a peek at the Ranger's practice. When he finally reached him, he noticed the handbow was weighing heavily on Kitt's arm. "Kitt, you need more basic training in your arms and shoulders if you want to make proper use of that weapon."
-
Kitt huffed a sigh and dropped the bow to the ground. With his hand now free he pushed up his sleeve and then tensed his arm, giving a frown of annoyance and muttering "Huh... What hope do I have Talin? Korius can only just fire this bow with one hand, and I can barely hold it up with two." Physically Kitt's strength and the amount of muscle visible on his body had increased during the magically-induced ageing, but nevertheless he still had a lean figure. His father had definitely had much more upper body strength than he did and Kitt frowned at the thought. "Its probably thanks to my mother's side of the family... The Szarda clan are well known for being some of the strongest Rangers. The Esha clan however are more of the sneaky type, they tended to favor agile and quick-footed members over those that had greater strength." He rolled his sleeve back down and sighed again, kicking up dust with his boots and flicking his tail impatiently.
-
Korius came back after getting all of the herbs in a single bowl and stood by Kiana, "Wouldn't it be nice when life calms down like this every day? I just hope we'll all survive long enough to see it." Soon, he could hear the sizzling and started checking the large slabs of deer meat, and flipped them occasionally, keeping it even. Finally, he left it to go for a while and noticed the water steaming hot with little bubbles. Korius walked over and took the old, wooden ladle and filled the bowl with the water, mixing it all up with the herbs, turning the wet soup-like bowl into a bowl of a thick paste. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Please turn the meat in about 2 minutes and make sure this doesn't get too boiled up."
-
Kiana looked over at Korius when he came back then looked back towards the pots. "I guess so. But I could still use a little excitement every now and then." She responded to Korius asking if it would be nice for life to be calm like it was at that moment, every day. She watched him tend to the meat and then take care of the herbs. She watched as he left again, nodding at what he wanted her to do. After she estimated that two minutes had passed, she flipped over the meat. When it was boiling to much, she put a little earth on the fire to calm it down a bit.
-
The Wolfkin picked up a rock, tossing it around before throwing it at a nearby wall and shattering it before looking at Kitt. "I come from a cursed line that is still haunted by its High Mage ancestor to this day, and I'm a dragoon with almost little to no affinity for magic." He strolled over and picked up the hand bow, dusting it off and handing it to Kitt. "You're a ranger that apparently is the hybrid of the strongest and most agile of your generation, you just need to put in some hard work to strengthen your body, and your ancestry will cover the rest."
-
Kitt couldn't help but give the slightest grin when Talin finished. He rubbed his upper arm awkwardly and took the handbow, tail flicking as he said "Well... Could you, sort of... Help?" His tail still flicked in an awkward manner, reflected in the way Kitt glanced at Talin from out of the corners of his eyes and shrugged. "With the training I mean. My father taught me how best to train at archery, but that was all really. What with being constantly on the road he barely had time to do that properly, let alone any other training besides some basic swordplay and wilderness survival."
Kitt stowed the handbow away into its bag and slipped it over his shoulder along with his repeater crossbow. "I just reckon you would be the best person to show me how I can train well. At least, you or Korius... But Korius kinda scares me sometimes."
-
Korius went upstairs to Drevo's room and found him writhing in pain, the floor already soaked in his blood. He walked over to Drevo with the paste and held Drevo down by the neck, lathering the paste all over Drevo's body until it was all gone. The paste hardened within seconds and Drevo finally stopped moving. However, it wasn't long before the hardened paste began to crack as Drevo's body continued to strongly reject the Ki. That's the best I can do for you. I bought you an extra minute or two at the most. The rest is up to you...
-
Talin wisely nodded, looking around the back for some useful form of lifting weight, and picking up a cracked cauldron for Kitt to lift. He did not bring it to Kitt right away, as he went to another side to get some stones to drop to the bottom. He made it seem rather easy as he lifted it up and placed it right in front of Kitt. But if he picked it up, it would almost weigh thrice as much as the handbow. "Your training will start with lifting this cauldron. I don't expect you to lift it on the first try, but after you're done with this, the handbow should feel lighter than your repeating crossbow with your current strength." He seemed to be forgetting something, then smiled and snapped his fingers. "Thats right, if you don't lift it on your third attempt, you owe me fifty push-ups before resting your arms."
-
Drevo heard someone enter the room and was about to ask them to get him a pillow. However he saw that it was Korius. "I'll ask the next person..." he thought. He didn't resist when Korius began to put the paste on him, though his constant writhing in pain told otherwise. It felt tingly when the paste hardened and he stopped moving, though it cracked shortly after.
-
Kitt watched as Talin dropped the cauldron down with a muffled clang. He dropped his bow and bag to the ground, along with his sheathed sword, and pulled off his cloak. With a quick glance over the large cauldron then back to Talin, he rolled up his sleeves and quickly stretched. "My father didn't train me much with physical strength in mind, but he still taught me the mistake of not limbering up first." He grinned weakly as he walked over to the cauldron and gripped the handle, tail flicking twice as he heaved on the dead weight.
Evellyn swooped down in a low spiral and landed on a nearby barrel with a shriek. The falcon watched curiously as Kitt struggled to lift the iron weight of the cauldron, preening her feathers in a bored way after a moment or two. With a click of her beak she fluttered down from the barrel and onto Kitt's bag, tucking her head under her wing as Kitt dropped the cauldron back to the ground.
"I can't... *huff*... lift it much higher than a... *huff* ...palm width off the ground." Kitt leaned heavily on the side of the cauldron, heaving in a couple of breaths after the exertion. With a huffed sigh he dropped to the ground and started on the fifty push-ups required, going at each one with unusual speed and ferocity, ignoring the burn in his arms that had started around the second attempt at lifting the cauldron.
-
Korius went back downstairs and met up with Kiana, placing a hand on her shoulder and walking past her to the meat on the grill and checked them, "Looks good. Thanks for helping out here. It's usually boring when I'm cooking a meal that takes a long time to cook. Deer meat and a few others are just not able to be accelerated in cooking, even with magic."
-
Kiana looked like she was about fall off the stool when Korius walked in and placed a hand on her shoulder since she was leaning so far ahead. Her eyes and mind had zoned in on the pot and fire, so when he did touch her, she actually almost did fall off of the stool but was able to catch herself my stepping onto the floor. "Boring isn't exactly the word I would use, but it's close." She said and shook her head to clear it from it being zoned in for so long. "It's not like we have a fire mage to accelerate it anyway." She placed the stool back where it went then just stood there with her arms crossed.
-
As Kitt was in the middle of his push-ups, he could hear and feel a stone being dropped as it was taken out of the cauldron. "You can start again once you're done with the push-ups, or you can take a thirty second break. But only use the break if you really can't move your arms or legs, and I'll be checking on the validity of that claim."
-
Drevo heard Korius leave and felt a bit of relief, as well as some regret. Mainly because he didn't have a pillow, though from the feel of it, it felt wet on the ground. "Going to need a bath after this..." he thought. He scoffed a bit, which hurt, causing him to groan again in pain. He rolled his head over to see he was lying in a puddle of his own blood.
-
Kitt shook his head as he finished the last push-up, getting somewhat wearily to his feet and turning to the cauldron. He glanced inside, this time noticing the pile of rocks in the bottom, and gripped the handle again. With a grunt of effort he went at it again. Despite the reduced weight, it still felt as heavy as before in his already tiring arms.
After another three attempts to lift the cauldron, this time getting it slightly further off the ground, Kitt wiped the sweat off his brow"*huff*... I suppose I can't...*huff*... cash in that break now can I?" With a huffed laugh he pushed away from the cauldron and said "Guess not... More push-ups, right?" He dropped to the ground again, going stubbornly at the push-ups. This time he slowed right down as his arms shook slightly and burned, but still kept going until he had punched out another fifty push-ups, pushing himself to his feet with and leaned heavily on the edge of the cauldron.
-
When the meat was ready, Korius pulled them off and placed them onto a group of broken plates. He wasn't able to find any that weren't broken, so he put several of them together to make a platter that would make it for finger food tonight. It was another few minutes before the stew was ready, so he stood with Kiana for a while in awkward silence. When it was ready, he patted her on the shoulder, "It's about time. Go ahead and snuff it out. I'll go get the others." Korius left the inn and went to where Talin and Kitt were. For Drevo, however, the worst was yet to come as the dried up, paste-like substance finally crusted up completely and turned to dust as his wounds tore open, blood spurting from every opening.
-
Kiana stood idly by as she watched Korius take the meat off of the fire and set up pieces of broken plates to make a platter for the meat. She didn't like the awkward silence between herself and Korius as he waited for the stew to be done. "If things were 'off' between us before, I can only imagine how it's going to be from now on." She thought to herself. When she was told to snuff out the fire after the stew was done, she did so after Korius left. After that, she walked out into the lobby of the inn and sat down at a table.
-
Talin pushed Kitt off the cauldron, which he found unusually easy to do since Kitt was putting his weight on it. "You have a break, but don't walk o-" Talin looked off towards the direction he sensed Korius coming from, and sighed. "Korius will be showing up shortly, and the time he spends speaking, still counts as your break time."
-
Drevo lay motionlessly until the paste had hardened and turned to dust. When he started bleeding and the pain returned he sighed as he groaned. "Just have to endure...Time stops for no one." he thought. He tried to get his mind off the pain, though it was never for more than a few seconds. He gave a weak chuckle, thinking he was lucky this place was likely to be abandoned so no one had to deal with the mess.
-
Inbetween several deep breaths Kitt nodded, glancing over in the direction Talin was looking "Sure, I gotcha'... Just give me a minute." As they waited for Korius he stretched thankfully, massaging the ache from his arms and chest. He rolled his arms back and forth a few times, wincing as he did so, then returned to just getting his breath back.
"Hope you don't mind Talin... Helping me train that is." Kitt glanced across to Talin, still breathing rather heavily between sentences as he spoke but grinning nonetheless.
-
When Korius arrived at the scene, he gestured for them to go with him, "Dinner's ready. Get your asses over here on the double if you want any. Or else it's only stew for you. I got us some deer. Probably the last one in the area. If Drevo doesn't survive tonight, we're having wolf for breakfast." Korius turned and left without another word. He wanted to get back to Kiana and Drevo... but mostly for Kiana.
-
Kiana sat idly on her seat as she waited for Korius to come back with Talin and Kitt. To occupy herself, she ran her fingers through her hair then started to braid it into her usual long braid. When she was done, she tied the end of the braid with her hair-tie. She then put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand as she waited for the others. She could have gone up and checked on Drevo but the thought didn't even cross her mind, like she had forgotten that he was up in one of the rooms in extreme pain.
-
Talin grinned warmly at Kitt while putting the stone back into the pot. "Please Kitt, if I did mind, I wouldn't have even brought it up in the first place. Plus it gives me a reason to leave my magic alone, so I don't run the risk of killing myself when I happen to hit my limit of spell-casting." Talin stopped speaking as Korius showed up, nodding at the end and turning to face Kitt. "You heard him, we better get back to the Inn before Korius eats all of the deer." He then leaves Kitt behind and races to the Inn.
-
Kitt scrambled for equipment, quickly pulling his cloak and slinging his bag across his shoulder, before gathering everything else into a bundle. He rushed back to the Inn at full pelt, all fatigue gone at the prospect of food. Evellyn tagged along behind him with a flutter of her feathered wings. She was intent on scrounging any meat from Kitt's meal, overtaking him and swooping through the gap in an open window.
Once back at the Inn Kitt dropped all of his things beside the door, before dropping himself heavily into an empty seat. He panted, drawing in deep breaths along with the smell of the deer "Smells good, I'm absolutely starving." Beside him Evellyn clicked her beak, shuffling back and forth on the back of the chair.
-
Korius ate some venison steaks and downed his couple bowls of stew, though there was enough to feed all of them by itself several times over without the steaks. He sat in silence next to Kiana for dinner, and ate quietly. His mind was far from ease as the realization that their quest continues on tomorrow, and the dread that awaits them.
-
When the others arrived, Kiana finally got some of the meat and a bowl of stew. While she ate, she stayed silent. She didn't even look at anyone else even though they were sitting together. It hadn't slipped her mind that they needed to continue journey the next day, but she didn't want to think about it. She wasn't in the mood to think about fighting or anything of the sort.
-
Talin went up to the rearranged broken plates and grabbed several venison steaks and placing them in the bowl before filling it with stew. He then went back to his seat and ate each portion slowly, savoring the taste of deer, his thoughts drifting from one thing to another. He stopped eating when Elistra came up in his thoughts, then resumed eating as he pushed her out of his train of thought.
-
Drevo continued to writhe in pain as the others ate happily below. He wanted to move, as to cease his soaking in his blood. He was not partial to become a half black, quarter white and quarter crimson furred wolf. However the pain was immense, his nerves were all too tired to do anything; he was surprised to be breathing. "Damn him for trying to stop this...I was fine until then..." he thought.
-
Korius finished his portion and got up, "I'll be sleeping elsewhere tonight. The last thing I need is the stench of that knight's blood keeping me awake. Please do keep in mind that we are leaving tomorrow morning. I'll reheat the stew for breakfast when I get back. I suggest you all sleep elsewhere tonight, unless the sound of screaming agony helps you sleep. The final stages for Drevo end tonight, and it's enough pain for any man to scream out a lung or two the whole night."
-
Kiana looked over at Korius when he got up and listened to him as he spoke, glancing to the floor above when he mentioned Drevo. She went back to eating after he left and finished a couple minutes later. Getting up from her seat, she left the inn without a word. She started to wander through the town, searching for a place that was intact enough for her to sleep in but also far enough away from the inn so the screaming wouldn't be too loud.
-
Talin already planned on sleeping in the gardens, since it was one of the few areas that was not completely ravaged by the chaos of their 'invasion'. He didn't want to go back to his room since it felt like he was going back to someone or something, and sorrow weighed his heart down when he felt he had nothing to go back to. The sorrow was so much that he simply left his food unfinished and left the Inn without a word.
-
As Drevo continued to writhe in pain he stifled it just long enough to make out Korius mentioning to everyone sleep elsewhere. He heard no other words after from anyone. "Not even going to tell me good night...Peh..." he scoffed. It hurt to do so however and caused pain to course through his body as it had been. "Never know when an assassin will show up to finish me off..." he thought, knowing thinking didn't hurt.
-
Kitt waited until everyone else had left, eating slowly and silently. On the table beside him Evellyn pined for more of the food, butting her beak against Kitt's wrist as he ate, occasionally being rewarded with a strip of meat. After a while he stood up and put his remaining food on one of the least broken plates, filled an old pitcher with water from his flask, and carried it all upstairs.
He entered Drevo's room silently, watching as he writhed on the bed, and with a sigh placed everything on the bedside table. Kitt nodded to the meat and water "For in the morning, Drevo..." He turned and walked back to the door, turning to glance back to him and said "You'd better not go dying on me... Korius would never admit it, but we need you just as much as anyone else." As Kitt walked back out of the door he motioned to the Ranger's emblem burned into his chest, then to Drevo - a common sign among Rangers that was both used both as a hearty welcome, and a solemn goodbye.
-
Korius slept like a log in the castle, sleeping in the Guardian's bed that he had thoroughly sliced up to get comfortable. It smelled grotesquely of the woman, but the smell of perfume overcame it... the same perfume that was favored and worn all the time by Koara. He dreamt no more of the past, but rather of a quiet life in the wild, honing his skill around the wild beasts and monsters. Meanwhile, through the night, Drevo's body could do no less than violently convulse as he splashed within his own blood and roared and howled in torturous pain that he had never even felt an ounce of in his life. His life flashed through his eyes, and the fear of death loomed as he felt Death's cold hand on the nape of his neck. Finally, a couple hours prior to twilight, the bright, blue light shone right through Drevo's eyes and appendages, glowing powerfully through the inn itself for a brief second. However, Drevo's body did not burst open, but rather it shrank back to its normal size, 60% of the size it had been the last 2 days. The burst of Ki awoke Korius from his slumber, while the others wouldn't have been affected nor even have been stirred by it. He got up and walked back to the inn, hopping straight up to the window that had been blown open, and walked in. Korius stood over the white wolf's now still body and took a deep breath as he gathered up his Ki and forced a powerful palm on Drevo's back, accelerating the healing process, the wounds sealing quickly. He then sat down on the bed, feet still in the pool of blood on the floor, but rested his elbows on his knees and muzzle on his clasped hands, watching the unconscious little bastard until he awoke at sunrise.
-
Kiana had found some place that used to be somebody's home to sleep in. She didn't like the smell of the place but she still managed to fall asleep in the one bed in the place. She slept soundly through the night though she did have a few dreams about Korius. It wasn't until around sunrise or a little bit after that she woke from her slumber. She yawned and stretched before getting out of the bed. Grabbing her staff, she left the small house and headed for the inn. "Wonder if he made it..." She thought as she entered the inn, Drevo not having slipped from her mind.
-
Talin slept near Soria's grave, the only place in the garden that he felt would be better to sleep at than in the castle or the Inn. His dreams were fantastic, things that would not be 'allowed' in reality have already occurred and seemed completely natural. He was a Dragonkin, raising his half-breed daughter with Elistra. It had gone through an entire day, somehow managing to deviate from surreality while not getting too depressing or dark. But when it ended and he awoke to the sunrise, he put his hands over his face and tried to remember the dream again...
-
Drevo listened to Kitt when he entered, trying to hold his composure in front of the kid. "Thanks..." he said when he put the food down. After he told him not to die on him, he scoffed a little. "This is nothing..." he said. Less than a minute after he left the pain intensified, far worse than what he was used to. Everything seemed to flash before him with every blink, his hometown. When he was only a pup learning how to fight, his parents and friends, even their demise. He faintly felt something grabbing at his neck, managing to swat at it once. Suddenly the pain seemed to intensify as his body expanded, a climax as it shrunk again. The pain seemed to numb and his eyelids grew heavy as he began to lose consciousness. "I guess this is it..." he thought before passing out. When he awoke he sat up quickly, holding his paws out before him wriggling his fingers. Despite what went on, he felt surprisingly well. Suddenly he felt a presence and jerked his head to look, seeing Korius. "Korius..." he said, not particularly thrilled to see him.
-
Kitt woke slowly, slumped against the trunk of a tree with his cloak over him. Yawning widely stumbled to his feet and stretched. On one of the branches above him Evellyn un-tucked her head from beneath her wing and stretched too, wings fanning out in the morning sun.
Grinning up at his companion, Kitt dropped to do fifty push-ups, followed by another fifty and a few stretches. After he had re-accumulated the mild burning in his arms from yesterday, which had never really gone, he picked up all of his equipment and headed for the Inn.
-
Korius smirked, "It looks like your recklessness has afforded you a new life, and a whole new level of power. Welcome to your new world, my first official apprentice." He got up and walked over, reaching a hand over to help the white wolf up. Korius was able to see the aura of Ki surrounding Drevo, something only other Ki users can see. It was miniscule compared to his own, but he had his hidden out of habit.
-
Talin growled in frustration as every attempt at remembering the dream, seems to retrieve less and less information. Eventually he gave up and made his way back to the Inn, stretching his arms, then doing a few practice swings as he went through the motions of pushing his depression away.
-
"Apprentice...?" Drevo spoke, not sure how to even react. He felt his face and other places where he was once injured. He didn't feel any wounds and looked at Korius' hand up. "He healed me...? With his Ki?" he pondered. He got up on his own and sat down on the edge of the bed. That's when he noticed the food Kitt had brought in. Grabbing the plate he tilted his head back and poured it all into his wide open maw and ate it. Once he swallowed he washed it down with the water he had brought, too. "I'm gonna need more of that...I feel like I could eat a horse." he said as he stood up quickly. He sniffed the air afterwards and then looks to Korius. "You smell terrible..."
-
With a sigh Kitt pushed open the Inn door, slipping in and glancing around. The only other person in the downstairs area was Kiana so he nodded a good morning to her and sat down, pulling out his crossbow and various tools. With silent concentration he worked to tighten up the reloading mechanism and rubbed beeswax into the wooden stock and a softer pine wax into the bowstring.
"You manage to sleep alright last night?" Kitt spoke to Kiana with a quick glance up from his work. His ears flicked back as he heard Talin walk into the Inn. With one last polish of the wooden stock Kitt slung it over his shoulder on the appropriate strap and stretched with a yawn.
-
Korius sniffed himself, "It's just a rare perfume made from dragon embriotic glands and the extinct lamicractus flower. I spent the night in the castle, but the majority of the stink in this room is your blood. If you can look on the floor for a second." Indeed, on the floor, all the wood was soaked in Drevo's blood from the last 2 days, only several portions (like underneath Korius' feet) were so thick with blood that it was still a bit goopy. How Drevo didn't even notice how much his fur and clothes were soaked in his own blood, too, was a wonder.
-
Kiana could hear the muffled voices of two people upstairs as she sat in a chair, so she believed that Drevo was still alive. When Kitt came in, she nodded back to him and continued to just sit there and stare at the table in front of her. "Yeah." She said in response when Kitt asked her if she managed to sleep well last night. After that, she looked over when Talin walked into the inn then looked back at the table, waiting for Korius and Drevo to come down.
-
Talin sat down in his seat, gathering light magic in one hand while gathering dark magic in the other. He wasn't going to cast a spell, just let it build then put it into the volge while letting the excess dissipate. He watched as the volge reacted to the input, becoming lighter and more fearsome. He then cut off the flow of magic, and felt the weight and original appearance return. Well, looks like I have more control over the magic, now I just need either more of it or more efficient ways of using it.
-
Drevo sniffed again, only just realizing the perfume. He was smelling his stench from the blood the whole time, thinking it was Korius. Upon looking down he began to notice this was not the case. "Oh..." he said. "I need a bath..." he said as he examined himself and his clothing. "We didn't destroy the bath house did we?" he asked as he headed for the door.
-
Kitt, having no more up-keeping work to do due to the fact that Ranger's swords rarely every required sharpening, watched Talin as he tested his magic. With a sigh he stretched again and stood up, ears flicking as he listened to the sounds of Drevo ad Korius upstairs. All the while his stomach grumbled and Evellyn watched the plates scattered across the table expectantly.
-
Korius shook his head, "Only partially. There are no walls, and there are some pollutants in it, but it should be enough to at least get you a bit cleaned up. We'll be eating on the first floor, when you're ready. We will head out as soon as everyone can get a move on." He left the room quietly, and wiped his feet on the door before heading downstairs. Korius caught up with the others and went into the kitchen to fetch the stew that he had stored away. Meanwhile, Talin's body began to constrict after having tested the release of magic. It wasn't excruciating, but it was enough to cause Talin to show a bit of weakness.
-
It was surprising that Kiana didn't fall asleep while just staring idly at the table waiting for Korius and Drevo. It took her a second to snap out of it when she heard a sound outside her realm of focus. When she did come out of the focus, she looked over in time to see Korius reach the bottom of the stairs. Getting up from her seat, she followed him into the kitchen. She grabbed the bowls they needed and set them out on the counter so that Korius could fill them with the stew. When he finished that, she would take out Kitt's and Talin's first, but for the moment, she just waited.
-
Talin showed confusion as he put the volge away and flexed his body. At first he didn't understand why he was feeling constricted since he was only wearing his clothes and no training weights, then he remembered Korius' words. Huh, so I apparently have new muscles I need to stretch out, or would that just get me another beating from Korius?
-
Drevo headed downstairs and without saying anything to the others continued on out of the building. He was soaked in blood and probably smelled terrible but didn't bother. He sought out to find the bathing house which took a couple minutes and he went in. He prepared a bath and gathered some towels for later. Once it was warm he got in without undressing and began to clean himself and his clothing.
-
Kitt had a hard time hiding a snigger as he watched Kiana snap out of her doze. Still grinning he turned to allow Evellyn to hop onto his wrist, stroking her plumed head with one finger as he waited for breakfast. His grin widened all the more as Drevo came downstairs, nodding a good morning. Still grinning, despite the fact that today they would set off again on their travels leaving the safety of the city, Kitt watched curiously as Talin convulsed "You okay there Talin?"
-
Korius finished a second bowl of stew before heading over to where the owner's counter used to be and picked up the three weapons, holstering them in their respective places. "As soon as that mutt is done bathing, we'll head out. Kitt, why don't you try to find something to carry some of the scraps from the stew for him?"
Elsewhere, Kyzen laughed maniacally at his report from Elistro. "Wonderful. So that two timing bitch wasn't as stupid as I thought she was. Too bad for her our intelligence network far surpasses her's. But still, to have caught on to our plan of allowing the tail 9 to be killed for our plans, there must be a spy among your ranks. I suggest you check them all and weed him or her out quickly, lest you have no problem with executing them all instead."
-
Korius didn't fill the bowls though and instead just had his own, so Kiana filled two of them herself and took them out to Talin and Kitt. She set them in front of the guys without a word or any sort of nice expression or anything. She had then gone back into the kitchen and gotten her own bowl of stew. Sitting by herself, she consumed the bowl of stew at whatever pace she felt like it, not really in a hurry about it. She didn't know why she was in the mood she was in but she just was and there wasn't really anything she could do about it.
-
Talin felt the constriction ease up after a few times of stretching, then he turned to Kitt when he heard his name. Talin smiled at Kitt and chuckled. "I didn't expect magic to constrict my body, I thought it was more of an energy source..." He then took the bowl that Kiana placed on the table and simply tilted the bowl and his head back as the stew poured directly into his mouth.
-
The water Drevo was bathing in quickly turned red with his blood. He scrubbed furiously at himself and clothing. The smell was terrible and stung his nostrils with the foul smell, though it was easier being his own stink. "Gonna need a second bath...Sheesh." he groaned in his head, not daring to open his mouth.
-
Kitt glanced away from his conversation with Talin as Korius and Kiana walked in with the stew. He nodded at Korius' order, as well as thanking Kiana for bringing his stew, then dropped his back to the floor and started rummaging through it. As everyone ate he pulled out several items and things, finally yanking a roll of oilskin out from where it had nestled underneath a stack of crossbow bolts.
After a hurried attempt to stuff everything back into the bag, as well as quickly drain half of his stew in a similar way to Talin, he dropped the oilskin down on the table. "We can wrap any scraps in that, it should still be reasonably waterproof."
-
Korius stood at the doorway for a little before walking out completely, and through the town. He made sure that no one was following him and stood outside the outer wall of the kingdom. There, a shadowy figure waited for him, "Don't worry, I wasn't followed. Drevo's not a sensory type, and he's still green, so he won't be able to sense you out here." When assured, the figure came out, and it was Ferdande, emerging from the shadow figure that was on the ground. "Phew. That was draining to get here. I've got some bad news. Khirch is dead." Korius was surprised to hear of it, and inquired of what details that Ferdande was able to get.
-
After a few minutes, Kiana finished her bowl of stew. Getting up, she grabbed her staff that she had leaned against the table and headed for the door. She didn't say anything to Talin and Kitt and instead just walked out. She didn't go very far though. Digging into the outer wall of the building, she climbed up the side of it. She got up onto the roof then sat up on the edge of the roof. As she sat there, she closed her eyes and attempted to clear her mind of everything.
-
As Talin finished his bowl, he closed his eyes and slowly set the bowl down. He took several deep breaths as he let his new '6th sense' take hold. He could feel Kitt and his bird in the room, the bird waiting for its chance to peck Kitt for more food. He could sense Drevo in another direction, and in much better condition than earlier. He then felt Kiana sitting on the Inn's roof, while Korius was somewhere beyond his new senses. He started feeling a bit better at having gained a new ability, but he couldn't elaborate his thoughts further as he accidentally opened his eyes and saw Chronin staring him in the face.
The chair next to Talin would have had more air time if it did not hit its back pegs on the next tabletop in front of him...
-
Drevo stepped out of his bath after he pulled a Jesus and turned the water to "wine". He was fairly clean but started another bath up to get the rest of the blood off. He sneezed suddenly, not thinking anything of it as he stepped into the fresh bath. Again he furiously scrubbed like a mad man, though the whole process wasn't long actually, about seven minutes into his cleaning.
-
Kitt finally handed over a few scraps from his stew to Evellyn, nursing a rather deep peck-wound on his hand after ignoring her too long. The falcon snapped up the meat with a happy screech, tossing her head back to gulp it down, then sidled up close to Kitt with a soft crooning noise. Kitt grinned and stroked her head before finishing the rest of his stew and leaning back in his chair.
-
Ferdande told Korius all the information he could about Guardian Khirch's demise. However, there was no information on who had killed him. The rest of the information wasn't much left, save to say the status of the kingdom at the moment, and the condition that the body was left in alongside the entire guard and personal guard of the castle. After a quick word of thanks, Ferdande left without a trace.
-
Kiana's eyes remained closed. That is, until an image of Kamau popped into her mind. It made her remember what had been said about her brother not being gone. She knew that whenever she saw him again, it wasn't going to be good. It was a fact that her brother was dead so whatever they had done or were going to do was nothing positive. With a sigh, she placed her elbows on her thighs then put her face in her hands.
-
Talin had stopped seeing Chronin after the chair went flying, but convinced himself he had done enough 'searching' for the day. He went outside and gathered the stones he had put in the cauldron, then carried them to the Inn, placing them on the ground and walking over to Kitt. "When we get moving, you'll be carrying a backpack of these stones. You will only remove them when we are attacked, or if we camp for the night."
-
Drevo continued his second bath and scrubbing, filling the tub with more blood, though not as much as the other one. It wasn't long before he was finished and got out to ring out his clothes the best he could. As he did such he looked around for something to cover his smell. He found a bottle of perfume and opened it up to get a whiff of it. "Berries..." he said as he put it on himself with it. He walked out, grabbing his weapon and gourd as he went. Once out he sneezed again, thinking he had sprayed himself too much and went on to find the others.
-
Kitt nodded silently, glancing over the stones with an appraising eye. This he had done before during his Ranger training, as the profession required him to be able to travel long distances carrying equipment and weaponry. He also noted however that when he had trained in such a way it had been with around a quarter of the weight due to his young age at the time. Mulling this over in his head he reached into his doeskin bag and pulled out a canvas backpack, used by his father for carrying their tents and supplies when they had traveled, and knelt to fill it with the rocks.
-
Korius walked back towards the inn, meeting up with the others just as Drevo had come back from his bath. He wasn't even close to him, but one whiff in the air, and Korius stopped 5 meters short of the group and Drevo, "Phew. Goddammit, you stupid knight. What the hell did you drench yourself in? The smell is so strong, I think I might actually vomit for the first time in my life." Korius held sleeve of his gi to his nose to try to mask the overly strong scent of the perfume, which was commonly used by western prostitutes back in the day.
-
Kiana happened to look over at the right moment to see Korius coming down the lane towards the inn. Climbing down from the roof, she met with him and the others. Her face wrinkled some at the smell of the perfume but she didn't say anything as Korius did enough complaining about it for the both of them. She absentmindedly tapped the base of her staff against the ground as she waited. Part of her really wanted to get going and get it over with, but another part just wanted them to stay in the abandoned place.
-
Talin smiled to himself as Kitt loaded up the stones into the backpack. But the moment was short-lived as he picked up a scent that reminded him of when Elistra had tortured him by directly spraying some of her perfumes into his nose. Before Drevo could even explain himself, Talin immediately ran to the back room, got a pot filled with water, and went back to throw it all over Drevo.
"Why. are. you. using. perfume?!"
-
When Drevo heard Korius' comment he chuckled. "Good, stay away from me then." he said somewhat jokingly. He didn't expect such a reaction from Talin. After being wet again he looked at him blankly, yet the look showed anger. "You know how annoying it is to dry off?" he asked unamused. "It was better than smelling of blood."
-
Kitt slung the backpack over one shoulder, compensating for the extra weight and glancing up at Drevo. As he walked near with the strong smell of perfume Kitt sneezed, but grinned and muttered under his breath "I kinda liked the smell... fruity, if a little too strong."
When Talin threw the pot of water over Kitt gave a loud meowl and jumped back, only to find himself overbalancing from the weight of the rocks and sent sprawling on the muddied ground. With a grumble he picked himself back up, hissing under his breath as he wiped slick mud off his fur.
-
Korius walked away from the building, "Come on, let's go. Kitt, give Drevo his dry food. A stinking mutt like him only deserves food like that." He snorted as the stench of the perfume continued to offend his nose. The walk was refreshing, for some reason. The breeze was light, and the sun wasn't harsh. However, it would have been enjoyable for Korius if not for the disturbing fact that a mysterious assailant has killed their next target. Something was not right...
-
Kiana followed along as Korius led them away. It felt somewhat good to be walking around again with a purpose instead of sitting around with nothing to do. She took glances over at Korius now and again, seeing something in the look on his face that concerned her. Quickening her pace a little to get up next to him, she looked sideways at him then forward again. "What are you thinking about?" She asked quietly in case it was something he didn't want everyone to be concerned about.
-
Talin rolled his eyes, his nose no longer burning from the intense smell. "I'm more tolerant of smelling blood than smelling the odors that she had sprayed on my nose for my "opinion on the scent". Same thing I told Elistra: Dab only your chest, neck, and the hand you'll shake with." He then walked off, snorting out the rest of the perfume that got into his nose.
-
Drevo began to ring out his clothes once again, though they weren't very dry before the third bath. He scowled at Korius when he heard him tell him to give the mutt the dry food. "I remember why I hate him now, he's an unbearable ass hole. And an unstable murderer." he thought as he looked at Kitt seeing his plight.
-
Kitt struggled to his feet and rummaged through his bag until he found the left overs of the food wrapped in an oilskin. With an apologetic look he handed it over to Drevo and started walking with the group, feeling the straps of the rock-filled bag digging into his shoulders already.
For Kitt the walk was also refreshing, despite how much harder it was made due to Talin's training, but was nevertheless a nice change after several days of nothing to do. With a grin he looked up into the sky to see Evellyn swooping effortlessly round in circles over them.
-
Korius snapped out of his trance when he heard Kiana right next to him. He merely gave a smile, "Nothing important. Just wondering about our quest, and to figure out what Kyzen is up to. He's up to something very big, and he's also rushing it for some reason." Just then, his eyes glowed a little as images flashed through his mind, seeing the floating dark figure above him within a crystal cave, and then of a sword made of light and darkness pierced through his chest, and then back to reality. Korius shook his head a bit as he caught up with what was around him.
-
Kiana was about to ask what he meant by Kyzen rushing things but stopped short when she noticed his eyes glow a little. She examined his face as he seemed to be out of it for a moment. When he shook his head, she knew he was back from whatever just happened. "What just happened?" She asked as she continued to look at him. "And what do you know?" She had a feeling that there was something he wasn't telling her.
-
Drevo walked with the others, silently taking up the back as usual. He kept busy with idly drying himself off. He kept to himself and tried to get a grasp of his new Ki powers. The concept was alien to him, how to control it anyway. He used his staff as a sort of walking stick as he went along, looking at his paws as if there would be something different now.
-
Kitt kept ahead of the group, as he had often done when they had first met when he was younger. He grinned at the thought that less than a year ago he had been more than five years younger, considering how few people could ever say that in their lifetimes. Still grinning he jumped up onto a fallen tree and ran its length, tail flicking as he concentrated on balance with the extra weight of the rocks. His breath was ragged and heavy but he kept at least a few meters ahead of the group always, as though trying to prove to Talin that he could manage the training.
-
Korius shook his head, "It's nothing. Nothing..." He trudged on ahead, trying to shake off the tingling sensation he had from it, and the fear that he knew whose memories they were. They were memories of an important warrior from thousands of years ago, and what was more fearful, was the question on why in the hell he was getting that warrior's memories.
-
That was enough for Kiana to slip into a slightly bad mood. "Interested in starting something with me eventually and he can't even tell me what's going on..." She thought to herself as she continued to walk with the group. She eyed Kitt ahead of them for a moment, still wondering how he could seem so carefree sometimes. Her left hand moved up to her chest and she picked up the emerald from it where it rested against the fabric of her clothes. She eyed it for a bit, if only to give her something to do.
-
Talin kept just behind Kitt, making sure he would be within arms reach in case he fell somewhere that would be more difficult to recover from than a three foot fall into grass. While he may not have had the raw speed of the other members of the group, Talin was at least the second best in free-running, so he was easily keeping up with Kitt, and could probably pass him with how he had slowed down on the fallen tree.
He saw Kitt was already getting tired from the weight, which only seemed to bring nostalgia of his days as an apprentice of the Dragoons. The feeling seemed to lighten his heart, bringing out a large grin as he caught up to Kitt. "Just imagine, when you've finally outgrown these weights, you might be able to out pace Korius. Of course, that won't be seen until you've outgrown the next three levels I have in store... I also have more weights in mind for your other limbs, but your legs need improvement for when you need to run away."
-
Kitt grinned as Talin ran up beside him, flicking his fringe aside and dodging a large branch on the fallen tree as he went. He listened intently to Talin as he spoke and while the straps of the backpack cut into his shoulders he let none of the pain show in his expression. With an even wider grin at Talin's last words he jumped down from the tree back onto the path, jogging backwards just in front of him Kitt smirked and said jokingly "Well bring it on... This Ranger is gonna' be the best you've seen."
Above the group Evellyn gave a shriek as she turned into the wind, feathers rustling as her dark silhouette banked left and circled lower, then dove into the long grass with the muffled squeak of some small rodent the only noise to mark her path.
-
The rest of the day brought them through a refugee camp from Khirch's territory to this one. However, unbeknownst to everyone but Korius, Khirch's territory had already been liberated. But Korius was still too disturbed with how it had come to be. Many of the refugees had come up to beg them for help, but Korius had distanced himself from them, pulling from their grip and walking on, his heart hardened and concentrating more on something far in the distance and unknown.
-
Kiana looked around at the refugees as they passed through the camp. She had her eyes on Korius, watching what he did and the look on his face. She was growing more irritated since she knew there was something he wasn't telling them. With her irritation came her yanking herself away from the people who came begging. It wasn't like she could help them anyway, but she did wonder why they were there. Even though she knew the potential reaction probably wouldn't be good, she couldn't stop herself from what she was about to do. Quickening her pace, she grabbed Korius' shoulder and turned him towards her. "What aren't you telling us?!" She practically yelled at him. It was greatly frustrating to her when there was something that she wasn't being told, especially since she figured that since they were in group that they should all have the same information instead of secrets.
-
Talin had stopped running with Kitt when he felt a large amount of people were coming up. Of course, his sight would tell him first, but it was not quite as descriptive as his new sense. He could sense people coming up towards him, and all he had to do was flash a snarl at them. He had kept this up until Kiana yelled at Korius, which admittedly startled him far more than it probably should have.
He was going to press the question, until he was cut off by more refugees. The shock of the yelling combined with the constant annoyance of getting all the sob stories that Korius had brushed off, was quickly burning at Talin's fuse. He could feel his jaws tightening as he continued following Korius, hoping that they get out before he lets the rage out on someone less durable than himself...
-
Drevo looked at the refugees in the camp, when they came to seek help from him and the others he ignored them as he could do nothing for them. It made him feel bad for doing so, but straying from their course would do worse for everyone. His concern for the refugees he hadn't thought as to why they were there until Kiana made her outburst. "Something is off..." he thought.
-
Kitt followed along with the group silently, almost exhausted from the additional weight of the rocks in his pack. He kept close to the others as they passed scores of refugees. He listened in silence as Kiana shouted at Korius, curious as to what their leader may not be telling them, but equally to tired to really care beyond getting the backpack off.
-
Korius was stressed from his thoughts, so much so that when Kiana had pulled him around, he let out a roar. Quickly, he gripped his head and shook out his anger as quickly as it had come. "Nothing more than you do. Now let's get a move on. We're losing precious time. The longer we dawdle, the closer Kyzen gets to his goal. I'll not have Celestia fall under the same fate."
-
Korius' roar didn't phase Kiana in the slightest since she was expecting a reaction of that sort from him. It angered her more that he still acted like he didn't know anything and even though she had had some training to deal with her anger in association with fighting, that training wasn't helping her at the moment. "You're a friggin' liar and it's pissing me off! You're treating us like little kids!" She yelled and stormed past him, continuing in the direction they had to go. "TRUST IS A LOAD OF SHIT!" Of course, Kitt was still a kid but that was beyond the point. At least she had gotten her emotions out directly instead of bottling them up for once. "You shouldn't talk like that..." Kamau's voice popped into her head. "Why not? It's true. People want you to trust them and then they lie to you in one way or another." "That's not true. He probably has good reason to keep whatever it is a secret from you all." "That doesn't matter! If he wants me to be with him, he should tell me things no matter what!" "He could be protecting you..." "Yeah? Like you were when I trusted that you would be okay in that fight?! But it didn't turn out that way, did it?!" "Kiana..." She refused to 'say' anything more to him as she continued to walk.
-
Talin seemed rather unaffected by the outbursts of both Kiana and Korius, even though they seemed to affect everyone around them. Though he was able to take solace in the lack of people coming up to him with their problems. Of course when Kiana walked ahead, some of the refugees resumed their begging, though they completely avoided Korius and went right for Talin and Drevo. Sadly, Talin was not able to quell his frustration and annoyance in that gap of time, and ended up grabbing one of them by the collar and shoving him into the rest of the beggars. He wasn't sure if that also scared the refugees away from Drevo, but he was more concerned with curbing his own temper than worrying about others...
-
Drevo shoved away the refugees as Kiana yelled at Korius. He then walked passed him with a smirk in her direction. He said nothing, but continued on, putting his bow staff behind his neck, resting his arms on it to keep it in place. "Smooth move," he thought. "Gonna get heated around her most likely. That or there will be a lot of silence." he continued with a sigh.
-
Kitt continued with the group in silence, watching the shouting from a distance alongside Drevo. With another exhausted sigh he held out an arm for Evellyn to land on, the falcon having been fluttering around him for a while now, and held her close to him as he walked. The bird shuffled closer to him along his wrist and tucked her head under her wing and slept, prompting a huff from Kitt and a roll of his eyes.
-
The next two days were quiet and awkward. Korius maintained his distance from the others, standing guard when they were to sleep, and scouting whenever the group needed rest or meals. He remained silent the whole time, not even bothering to answer questions. By afternoon of the 3rd day, they all reached the border, and the wall was a lot higher than any of the others that they've seen thus far. In fact, it was almost as high as a palace wall, stretching throughout the border. However, it wasn't a surprise, since Khirch's territory was one of the smallest. There was a portion of it about a kilometer from where they were that was a checkpoint that you could pass, and even from where they were, they could see that it was completely demolished. Might be my first clue to see whose handiwork it is.
-
Kiana was pretty much seething with anger for the next couple of days. She didn't speak to anyone, though at that point it was probably unlikely that anyone would dare to try to talk to her. She also stayed as far away from Korius as possible at all times. With the mood she was in and the fact that it was because of him, she didn't want to be anywhere near him. It was possible that she might blow up again if they were near each other. When they reached the wall, she looked around and spotted the checkpoint a kilometer away. She also saw that it was demolished. It made her growl. The main reason being that it proved that there was something that Korius wasn't telling them. Her flame of anger was huge again and she headed right towards the checkpoint, knowing everyone else would follow anyway.
-
Talin was able to get out of his emotional funk when they passed the first camp, and had gotten back to training Kitt. He had replaced some of the stones in Kitt's backpack with some slightly larger ones while he got some rope to tie the replaced stones to Kitt's wrists, who had to keep his arms parallel to the ground for the last two days whenever the group had to travel.
But when they reached the wall, Talin promptly took off the weights on Kitt's wrists and helped him take off the backpack and dump the stones out before handing it back to the young ranger. "For once, I'd like to see a checkpoint that wasn't demolished before we arrived..." He said aloud as he followed Korius and Kiana to the checkpoint.
-
Drevo followed along in silence, not wanting to upset the couple to be. When the border came into sight he saw the demolished checkpoint, curious as to what happened. He had started to piece together the puzzle, suspecting someone else's hand in it all, though it was still hard to believe and was at the bottom of the list of theories.
-
Kitt would have answered Talin with some kind of agreement of his statement, but instead could only manage a weary nod. With a sigh he followed alongside Talin and rubbed at where the ropes had been bound around his wrists. He was curious as to what Korius was holding back from them, but far too worn out and glad to have the weights removed to actually voice any opinion.
-
Korius examined the stones and destruction of the checkpoint. However, no matter how he looked it out, it was pure raw power. It was a power that you can only find from a Guardian. However, there was a sliver of sensation coming from the bodies. He walked over and checked them, closing his eyes. Korius concentrated on inhaled deeply as he opened his eyes, and stood up. He grit his teeth and looked around inside the wall and found an armory transport cart. What was inside was just the crappy mass-produced armor and swords. He jumped up on the horses and snapped the reins. "Get on! Quickly! Drevo, you drive!"
-
Kiana had sort of wished that there had been someone at the checkpoint that she could hurt, but because of destruction she wasn't really surprised that there wasn't anyone alive there. When Korius went around the wall, she waited a moment then went around herself. She didn't enjoy him telling her what do with how angry she was at him still. "I'd rather walk than be told what to do by someone who lies. Don't even know if he can be trusted." She muttered, only clear enough for her to understand. She climbed onto the cart anyway since she didn't have much of a choice.
-
Talin glanced at the bodies when Korius took a moment to apparently sniff the bodies, but was only getting the slight sensation of 'danger' that manifested as an itch at the back of his neck. The sensation got worse as Korius stood up and visibly grit his teeth and ordered Drevo to start driving some armored cart that Korius found. Talin didn't think of anything beyond following Kiana into the cart, and keeping his voulge close in case of a surprise attack.
-
Kitt followed the others into the armored cart and then dropping down onto the floor. There he curled up and pulled his hood over his head, muttering something about grateful for a moment of not having to walk and killing anyone who tried to wake him up without due reason. Evellyn landed beside him and hopped onto his head, taking roost there despite a muttered complaint from beneath the hood.
-
Drevo really didn't want to be caught in the middle of it, but he didn't want to say "no", either. He quickly hopped up on top of the driver's seat and Korius jumped off. "Head straight for the eastern border! Wait for me there!" Korius' eyes glowed as he took a deep breath and the ground crushed a couple inches beneath him and he disappeared, heading straight for the castle at top speed.
-
Kiana watched as Korius disappeared after telling them to meet him at the eastern border. "Are you serious?!" She said angrily. "Where the hell is he going?!" There was a scowl on her face as she looked east. "Sometimes I just..." Her words continued in incoherent muttering as she climbed up onto the roof of the cart. "I would be faster on my feet than on this cart controlled by Mr. Moodswings down there." She thought as she waited for the cart to move.
-
Talin watched in mild fascination as Korius left, followed by Kiana yelling about the long-gone wolf kin. He moved to the back of the cart when Kiana went to the top, and kept a look-out for the small possibility that a patrol would chase after them. If we're heading to the border after just leaving the checkpoint, then either we're in more danger than we realize, or someone beat us to the Guardian. Well, Korius is probably going to test one of these two possibilities...
-
With a huffed sigh Kitt pushed up his hood, dislodging Evellyn from where she had settled. The bird gave a disgruntled click of her beak and hopped onto the floor instead which was met with a nod from Kitt. Waiting for the cart to set off he settled into a more comfortable position with his head against his bag and with his bow at his side, falling asleep almost immediately and dreaming about Talin telling him to lift boulders and running, constantly running...
-
Korius' surroundings were completely blurred in lines, not even in shapes as he maintained his speed, already feeling the strain on his body. For what would take a whole day, he arrived within hours, which at that point, the group's wagon was already half way to a town that was the midway point to the next gate. Korius was sweating and looked around at the deserted castle. Indeed, the gates were not broken or damaged in any way, just left open. He walked in, noticing the world apart scenario. Even the courtyard was torn to pieces, littered with dead bodies all around, in pieces. Korius' stomach churned with disgust and felt like vomiting. However, it wasn't because of the scene or the smell, both of which he had long since been desensitized to, but more so because he recognized the way the bodies were sliced up, and the pattern of the carnage. He walked cautiously around, surveying the bodies and the deep scars within the floors, walls, and environment. He entered inside the castle and stood at the center of the spiral construct. The castle's architecture was separated into two towers connected by a single wall and door. However, the door was torn into pieces, showing that a body, most likely the attacker, was sent flying through them. However, standing at the center of the larger tower, the main hall, Korius could tell what had transpired, and his heart was already racing from the large remainder of Ki hanging in the air. It wasn't condensed, but there was almost no part of the castle it didn't touch, and the sparse remnants could be felt from every pore of Korius' body. The area he was standing in was the only part that was untouched by the devastation. The carved trenches of destruction split off into 9 different directions, in a swirl, making a perfect pattern around him. Even more, the walls all up the tower as far as 15 meters, as well as how far the carves in the ground went. Perfect distance, leading to the 9 breaks in the walls. There's no doubt. It's the shadow element of my own technique. Elistro you bastard... His eyes glowed brighter with his anger and he drew Valia from its holster and roared as a light emanated from him as he unleashed his technique. An explosion roared in the middle of nowhere as the large flash disappeared from no one's sights and cleared out to nothing but a cloud of smoke. Korius' eyes glowed within the dust as it slowly settled, the wolf panting as he was finally starting to calm down. It should be impossible for him to be this strong... something is amiss... After re-holstering Valia, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and quickly coughed it back up, since it was almost all dust, and calmed himself down after the fit was over. He then ran those same amount of hours straight to the midway town. It was quaint, peaceful, and not super big, but not small, either. He arrived just after the group's wagon, seeing it in the distance, entering the small gates to the community.
-
Kiana was silent for the whole trip as she sat on the roof of the carriage, her chin resting in one of her hands. Every now and then she would look off to one side or the other, not expecting to see anything but just looking around to occupy herself. The carriage was just crawling along and the time it was taking was driving her crazy. "I definitely could've been there already if I'd gone my own way." She thought to herself at one point. When the gates of the community came into view, her ears perked slightly but went back to their normal state after a second. Once they entered the gates, she immediately got into a crouching position then jumped off the carriage with her staff in hand, starting to walk, glad to be able to move again.
-
Drevo took the reigns of the cart and rode on as instructed. "Yeah yeah..." he grumbled to Korius after getting the orders. The rest of the day he said nothing, wishing he had some sake to help with the day long journey. By the time they got through the town gates he felt cramped up from having not moved much on the journey, not to mention standing up leaving his butt to get sore. He stopped a little ways passed the gate and hopped off to stretch.
"We're here." he spoke as he bent backwards to crack his back. He turned his head to the direction Korius was in before looking back to the cart.
-
Kitt glanced up as the cart jolted to a halt. He sat huddled in one corner of the wagon, flicking slowly through pages in his ranger's handbook. He remained staring at a page on how to track during heavy rain then closed the book with a snap. With a yawn Kitt slipped the book into his bag and stood up to stretch.
With a flick of his tail he jumped down out of the cart beside Drevo, holding a hand out for Evellyn to land on with a flutter of her wings. He put a hand on the pommel of his sword and pulled his hood up.
-
Talin, after an hour or so, had dozed off when he couldn't see anyone approach the cart. He had no dreams, just the uneven bumps that kept him from going into deeper sleep. He was still at the back of the cart, so when the cart jerked to a complete halt, Talin hit the back of his head against the floor of the cart. He spent half a minute registering that not only was he on the floor, but that the cart had stopped. "Oh, I guess we've stopped at the border?" He got up and looked around, then frowned, still oblivious to the idea that they have not reached the border. "Funny, I thought there would be a wall at the border... not a town..."
-
It wasn't more than an hour that they arrived, did Korius catch up with them. His legs wobbled a bit since it still took a while longer to get here due to his fatigue from the trip TO the castle. However, he didn't let it show and joined up with the group. "We'll head straight for the inn for now. I've at least taken care of our monetary concerns. The least I can do is feed you all well for a night." His cloak covered his hands, but Korius had taken Kirch's golden anklets and bracers, worth enough to feed an entire small village.
-
Kiana didn't pay much attention to what Korius had to say when he finally showed up. The only words that really registered were "inn" and "feed." Once they started off towards the inn, she followed along without saying a word. Even after a day of riding on a carriage, she was still irritated about the fact that Korius wasn't telling them something and was out right lying about it as well. Maybe her mood would improve after she had a good meal in her stomach, but she doubted it.
-
Talin hopped out of the cart, his interest piqued at Korius speaking of "inn" and "feed" as well. He went to several stalls with the hopes of getting weights to help increase Kitt's strength and stamina, but all that was there was food and lightweight trinkets. He tried to sense for anything unusual about the trinkets, but nothing stood out any more than what the average person could point out...
-
Drevo didn't speak when Korius made it to them. Food sounded good, as well as a soft bed. Sake would be a plus, he would have to sample the town's finest and liberate it from them. All this tension lately, it would help his nerves. He had some smart remarks to add, but felt it would be best to wait until later. He went with the others to the inn, pondering at what foods he would eat.
-
Kitt followed alongside Talin, watching with only mild interest as he looked over the stalls. He sighed and glanced up at the clouds and then back to the group. Evellyn shuffled on his wrist, preening her feathers, oblivious to the surroundings. Kitt grinned, stroking her head fondly, after traveling the idea of a good night sleep and food was sounding promising.
-
Korius brought the party into the inn and opened a tab. After the others started enjoying some food, he made himself scarce and disappeared after opening up some rooms for the party. He then proceeded to head to several different merchant shops and found a buyer for his stolen goods. Korius immediately used some of the money on a couple wetstones and a set of new cloaks for the others. He spent a few hours to himself that night, conditioning and sharpening the katana and Valia. Around high moon, he headed back to the inn, expecting the others to be in their individual rooms and sleeping. He paid off the tab he had opened and handed the cloaks to the owner, asking him to drop them off to each person the next morning. Korius himself was already wearing his new one, and had not rented a room for himself, but the owner allowed him to rest in the tavern portion of the inn downstairs and even drank with him.
-
Kiana ate in silence once they arrived at the inn and she had figured out what she wanted. Once she was done eating, she left the inn, not ready to just go sit in her room yet. For a while, she just wandered around the town. She caught sight of Korius at one point but didn't pay him any mind, still not pleased with him. Others would probably follow someone around if they were suspicious of them hiding something, but she was too fed up with him to care what he was doing as long as he wasn't completely running off. When she was tired of walking around, she went back to the inn. She didn't go back inside though and instead climbed up to the roof of the inn from the back. Once she was on the roof, she laid down and stared at the sky. After a while, she ended up slipping into sleep and rolled onto her side.
-
Talin, still a fool when it came to limiting his portions, was completely ignoring where his party went as he went through an entire plate of food in less than a minute, chasing it down with ale before ordering another meal. Halfway through his second plate, he turned to Kitt and made a frown. "Come boy, your training requires more energy than what our leader can cook for the group. You will need at least two full plates for tomorrow's work, and do not worry about getting fat as the two plates will keep you from getting further thin after tomorrow." He then ate an entire baked potato to punctuate his statement.
-
Kitt grinned up at Talin, wiping the back of his paw across his muzzle. He didnt say anything but nodded quietly and pushed the last of his scraps onto the table where Evellyn snapped them up hungrily. He gave the falcon a brief stroke across the wing and then stood up and got himself another plate, forgoing the ale that Talin had and sat down to continue eating. When he had lived on the move with his father he had never eaten more than a small cooked meal here or there at Inns, and the luxury of having enough to eat had not yet worn of entirely.
-
In the few hours that Korius spent on his own, Talin had started a fight, that turned into a drinking contest... which ended with him winning more than enough money to pay off for all the food and drink that he and Kitt had eaten. He had also drawn some approving looks from the maidens as his inebriation was hidden by both his swagger, and his black fur. Thankfully he was indeed too hammered to attempt flirting or continue chatting with his 'new friends', and he was able to get to his room without further incident.
-
Drevo ate the food that was ordered for the night and afterwards retired to his room. He didn't speak to anyone, though it's not like any of them would talk to him. The faint idea of the mercenary they had with them long ago popped into his head. In his room he tried to do various things with his new found Ki powers, though most of the time was spent trying to channel it. Eventually he just passed out abruptly onto the bed.
-
Kitt watched Talin and his exploits with a disapproving look in his eye. He kept his hood up and himself to himself, but could think of nothing better to do than watch Talin for some amusement. His father had always looked down on drunkenness, as did rangers in general, and just as with food when they had been on the move alcohol had been a rare thing.
He sighed and slunk off upstairs to his room, not entirely glad to see that their rooms were all separate again. He thought back to the groups first days travelling, when they had barely been able to afford one room between them, and closed the door behind him quietly.
-
Korius eventually fell asleep after a few drinks and hours. He wasn't drunk, so he slept soundly, wrapped in his new cloak and had consumed enough alcohol to at least not think about the troubling news and confirmation that he had made earlier that day. Korius' dream was nothing special, just memories of his youth. However, about half-way through his dream, it took a turn. A shroud descended upon the scene in the monastery and became a stormy, muddy field. It was another vision from another person's life. This time, however, he noticed something odd about his vision, probably because this was the darkest environment yet. In the left, he saw everything just the same, seeing his opponent's figure in front of him, and following every motion of the fast-moving blades in his hands. Out of his right eye, he saw everything as clear as day, much better than his left, but the movements of the opponent's were blurry. Korius woke up as blades clashed, and panted, cold sweat seeping through his fur like last time. This time, he knew who's memories these were, but there was one more question, why was he seeing them all the time?
-
Talin dream was very unusual, as he could not recall the location that surrounded him on all sides, or the figures bearing their blades at him. However, the rush of power was very familiar, as well as the madness that such power had brought up. He couldn't hear what passed through his lips as he spoke, but he could finally get a good look at one of the people that was coming to apparently kill him. However, he woke up with little memory of the rest of the fight that happened, and he could feel the headache from last night's activities.
He sat upright and hung his legs over the side as he looked at the door, then the floor. He believed that he should be throwing up whatever he ate last night, but even now the headache was fading away. The guy's name is Shinzuu, in case you're wondering. I'd rather not go in depth on my opinions of him, since you're too sober to forget whatever I say in that regards. Chronin sat on a drawer, looking at his descendent through one fiery red eye. Think of this information as myself acknowledging that you're more resilient than most of our family line. He then crumpled into black smoke and vanished, leaving Talin to his thoughts...
-
Drevo didn't dream while he slept, or rather couldn't remember it come morning when he woke up. Even though he was awake he remained lying in bed having a lazy moment before eventually getting up to look out the window. There was a nice refreshing breeze as he opened the window. It wasn't long before he decided to head out of the room only to receive a cloak from someone. After dawning the new clothes he headed outside for some morning air.
-
Kitt woke with a muttered groan, pushing the pillow off his face. With a muffled cry he found himself to be lying precariously at the edge of the bed and promptly fell to the floor with a thud. From her perch on the end of the bed Evellyn looked up and clicked her beak. With another muttered word against birds and their humor, Kitt pulled on his Rangers cloak, ignoring the new one Korius had bought him, instead folding it up into his bag. With a final stretch and flick of his tail Kitt opened his door and walked downstairs, Evellyn perched on his wrist.
-
Korius came out of his deep thought as the others started coming down. Since it was still very early in the morning, the other few tenants had not awaken yet. However, after another hour, the four of them having breakfast, a thought crossed his mind, Where is Kiana? It's not like her to be this late for a meal. He stood up and asked the innkeeper which one Kiana had been assigned to, and walked right up to it. He knocked on the door, nothing. Korius closed his eyes and expanded his senses with his Ki and could not sense anything living in there, nor anything dead. Where the hell has she gone? He opened his senses a bit more, but it didn't go that much further when he sensed her particular Majicka aura coming from the roof. He left the building through the front door and hopped up to the roof to where she was laying, "What are you doing up here? Everyone else is done eating."
-
Kiana had never slept this long and she was surprisingly comfortable sleeping on the roof. She was only about half-awake when she heard a voice, which made her bolt upright into a sitting position with her hand on her staff. Her head whipped around and she saw that it was Korius standing there. "Sleeping. What does it look like I'm doing?" She sort of snapped. She got to her feet and brushed herself off. Her braid was probably messed up but at the moment she didn't really care. She had never really cared how she looked in front of the guys anyway, even Korius.
-
Kitt could probably notice that Talin seemed unusually alert for someone that had partied as much as he did last night, mostly because he seemed to be eating just as much as he was eating last night. However, he stopped as he looked at the bread he was going to eat before sighing and setting it down on the plate and putting his hands onto his face. Great, the binge-eating from last night re-kindled the former diet she had me on. Though I can't complain with all of the energy it gave me both during the day and through the.... night.
-
After a brief walk around outside Drevo returned to the inn for some food. He sat at a lone table in the corner with his cloak on and his hat next to him as well as his bowstaff. He ate silently when the food arrived like usually. After this he planned on finding a place to fill his gourd with some booze for the journey, he would be needing it.
-
Kitt sat down beside Talin, shooting him a glance and grinning slyly "You sure had fun last night Talin..." He frowned as Talin put his head into his hands, sighing deeply. With a worried look Kitt shooed Evellyn off his wrist and onto the table, rubbing his upper arm with one hand and waiting to see whether Talin was alright.
-
Korius sighed and turned around, standing at the edge of the roof, "Well, hurry back downstairs and grab some food. I'll prolong our departure for one more hour. I'm sure the keeper had kept some food for you. We have to leave as soon as we can. The situation has become worse, and there is a certain someone we have to find before the last three Guardians, and we have some very serious training to take care of as well." He dropped off with a step forward and walked slowly to the gates of the town, keeping out watch, and to get their carriage out of the stable by paying the storage fee.
-
Kiana stared off into the distance with her arm crossed as Korius talked until he dropped off of the roof, not wanting to look at him. "Of course...sigh at me because I'm frustrated with you for not being honest with the group..." She muttered after he disappeared. Going over to the edge of the roof at the side of the building, she brought the ground up to her then stepped on it and lowered herself back down to regular ground level. Walking around the corner of the building, she entered the inn and grabbed some food. She sat down by herself and began to eat, her hair still a mess.
-
Talin looked at Kitt, and chuckled. "Not sure if I partied hard enough... I woke up with only a mild headache that vanished before I even got out of bed. Beyond that, I'm still ready to eat another three courses." He glances at the patrons around him, then leans against Kitt's head to whisper.
"Elistra had me eat more than twice what normal Kin at my age and body size should eat. Then she had me work all of it off both on errands, and in the bed." He did another take, then went back to whispering. "This is why Dragon kin are so difficult to score with when it comes to inter-species: They either force you to a standard, or you die trying to meet it." He continued to glance about, then went back to eating. It can't be determined if he was being silly, or serious, but one thing was sure to anyone else... he was still eating ridiculous amounts of food.
-
Kitt listened to Talin silently, unsure of whether or not it was supposed to be some kind of joke that he did not understand, or if there was some serious message behind it. Deciding that under normal circumstances, whatever Talin said was normally a joke of one kind or another, he just grinned and glanced away...
Although he had not really understood, what Talin had said made him think. He glanced across at Kiana, looking at her in a very different way from when he had been a youngster, to his magically accelerated age now. His cheeks flushed at this brief though, squirreled away into his mind for later consideration.
Thinking silently, Kitt caught the eye of the barmaid. A young lynx-girl of what he guessed to be roughly his age, leaning on a tall broom while the Inn keeper was in the scullery. She smirked as Kitt stood and awkwardly mumbled something to Talin as he passed. The smirk remained as she looked him up and down "A little young-looking for a Ranger aren't you?" With a scratch at the nape of his neck Kitt muttered "Uhm, Hey... You know I... Err... I've killed a guy once..."
The girl held back a snort of laughter, finally breaking down into hysterics, looking as though the only reason she was still standing was the broom she was leaning on. A few other patrons glanced around at the pair as she wiped away a tear. All the time Kitt fiddled with the pommel of his sword, thankful for his hood that meant he did not have to catch anyone else's eye while she laughed. After a minute or so the girl looked like she had caught her breath back and smirked at him "Is that how you try to chat up all the girls?"
-
Korius was walking the carriage back to the inn, pulling on the horse's muzzle strap, and stopped when he met Kitt in front of the inn, "Hop on, kiddo. You can court all the women you wan when we're done. Let's go." He waited on the young ranger. At the inn, the keeper was cleaning up with his wife and smiled at the remainder of the party still there, "We want to thank you for what you're doing. My wife and I have been looking forward to this time for a long time."
-
Kiana thought she saw Kitt looking at her in her periphery but didn't look up from her food since she was close to being done. She did look up, however, when the girl went into hysterics for some reason, seeing that Kitt probably had attempted to talk to her. Kiana was done with her food and when the girl asked if that was how Kitt tried to chat up all the girls, she got up from her seat. She was going to rescue him from the situation, but Korius came up and spoke to him instead. Giving a nod in response to what the innkeeper said, she headed to the door. When she got to where Kitt was, she grabbed his shoulders and turned him away from the girl, gently pushing him through the doorway. "Come on, Talin!" She said before walking outside herself.
-
Talin nodded, and held a loaf of bread in his jaws as he got up and almost strut his way out of the inn. He then pulled up his hood before hopping into the carriage. He stopped worrying about his change in appetite as he waved at the few party-goers that had recovered enough to leave their houses. He then waited for Kitt to get on the carriage before taking the bread out of his mouth. "The 'bad boy' approach is not for you, despite the truth to the amount that you have killed. Besides, it only works with girls like K-." he felt the words die in his throat when he recalled what Kiana had told him about inappropriate teasing, and let out a sigh. "Trust me, you're better off just going slow..."
-
Drevo was on his way out the door when the innkeeper and his wife mentioned they appreciated what they were doing. Drevo stopped to say over his shoulder, raising his paw a bit. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch..." he said before continuing on out the door and to the carriage. He hopped on and waited.
-
Kitt let himself be guided outside by Kiana, glad that she couldn't see the red flush in his cheeks as she gripped his shoulders. He sat down beside Talin in silence, only nodding in response to what he said. With a sigh he kicked his boot against the wall of the carriage, pulling down his hood now that they were out of the Inn.
As Drevo jumped into the carriage after Kitt and Talin, the maid hurried out of a side-door of the Inn. She quickly made her way to the carriage, broomstick still in one hand, and reached the carriage door with a shy grin. In one hand she held Evellyn, the falcon gliding from her wrist to one of the benches in the carriage. The girl proffered a greased-paper package to Kitt, smirking "You forgot you're bird... Also I got some salted beef from the pantry for you guys..." She grinned when Kitt took the food and gave a quick wave to the others in the carriage as she walked back to the Inn "Good luck..."
-
Korius jumped up on the driver's seat and laid Valia into the carriage, closing the iron door that separated him from the interior, and placed the katana at his feet, hidden from view unless someone were to get up next to him. He closed his cloak so that his clothing would be covered so that he wouldn't stand out as someone who shouldn't be driving a royal military carriage. It was another 10 hours before they got to the other side of the territory, but instead of heading on north, he turned the carriage straight east.
-
Kiana climbed into the carriage after the guys did. She wasn't surprised at all the Korius closed the door that separated him from them, but she was taking it the wrong way. She didn't utter a word on their ride out of the territory and just stared at the floor of the carriage. It would have been nice if Kamau had spoken to her to keep her occupied but it seemed he didn't want to speak to her after their last "conversation." She did notice that the carriage turned east after hours of riding in the carriage, but she didn't say anything since she knew it wouldn't get her anywhere anyway.
-
Talin pulled out one of the needles in his leg satchel, and spent at least six hours trying to pour his newly strengthened magic into the needle. He could see the needle gaining a darker shade of color, but he couldn't bring himself to put any more inside the needle, as he only kept it at enough energy to emit an aura.
He could pour all of his energy into the needle, but he had the sneaking suspicion that the attempt would either make the needle blow up in his face, or his body would go through incredible pain in the process. Eventually he just put the needle away and took a nap for the next four hours, still unaware that they are riding in a royal military carriage...
-
Drevo sat in the carriage bored, cursing himself for getting sleep the previous night. He could have slept on the journey to where they were heading and not be without something to do. He would have polished and sharpened his hidden blades on his bowstaff if he didn't leave it up top. There wasn't really room for it inside as it was very long.
-
Kitt sat down on the floor of the carriage, crossing his legs and placing his crossbow across them. With deep concentration he set to restringing it, oiling the reloading mechanism and rubbing the stock down with a wood wax. When that was done he turned to his Ranger's handbook for something to do, reading the pages slowly, following the lines of text with his finger and muttering under his breath. All the while Evellyn followed the carriage from the sky, wings tugging at the wind and updrafts, amber eyes watching the carriage make its slow way far below.
-
The ride was long, and dragged on for quite a while. By sun down, the carriage had not stopped, continuing into its mysterious journey towards the east, away from where the party was expecting to go. They had passed by many towns and villages, but not once had they stopped in one. And for good reason. There were platoons of guards and royal troops in and around their borders. But Korius had no intention of stopping by any of them anyways. They traveled on during the night, Korius having only stopped for a few minutes to give the horses some food/water and some scraps that he had bought for the trip from the inn keeper. He kept silent, and wasn't even near the group during the stop. Korius jumped onto the driver's seat again when the horses were done refreshing themselves, only giving the others a minute to get back onto the carriage. He drove it on throughout the entire night.
-
Kiana was getting very agitated with the ride they were on. She knew there were plenty of towns they were just passing by instead of stopping at at least one of them, but it was more the fact that she knew they weren't going the right way at all that was bothering her. By the time Korius stopped the carriage, her bladder was ready to explode. She quickly jumped out of the carriage and vanished into the trees, coming back a minute later. She stretched for a moment next to the carriage then climbed back in after Korius jumped back into the driver's seat. "This is getting ridiculous..." She muttered after they had rode on for about half an hour longer.
-
Talin didn't feel any biological needs during the entire trip, except for hunger and unease as they passed village after village and didn't stop for most of the night. When they actually did stop, Talin didn't want to leave the carriage. He didn't want to leave because he knew that if he did, he was probably going to destroy the wheels so Korius would have to spend more time here getting them fixed. When Korius returned, Talin had pried the iron door far enough for his voice to easily escape, but seem closed at a glance. "I may have been gone long enough from the group to not know exactly what caused this brooding silence, but seriously, why can't we just crack jokes to get rid of this ridiculous tension? We're going to be fighting and killing other people anyway, there is no point in just being a bunch of self-loathing, angst-filled individuals that will likely turn suicidal once this 'grand prophecy' is fulfilled."
-
Drevo was meditating when Talin broke the silence. He smirked at the idea of some jokes, he didn't really know any. So far the entire journey they had been on was 90% silence, no one seemed to give a damn about each other half the time. It was fighting, then silence. The only talking was plan discussing and tactics. With some added being at each others' throats.
-
At the mention of jokes Kitt glanced up from the pages of his handbook. He grinned and spoke in a surprisingly cheerful voice. "Oh... My Dad told me a good one about the royal guard and the Ranger-" He glanced across at Drevo and Talin, quickly muttering into silence as he stepped hurriedly back out of the carriage.
With a sigh he held out a gloved hand, whistling. After a brief moment Evellyn fluttered down to land on the outstretched wrist, ruffling her feathers as Kitt carried her back into the carriage.
-
Korius started to nod off a little as the morning twilight began to lighten the sky. He was determined to find Him. His mind circled around his goal, and the time crunch that the party and himself are facing. Kalin was planning something vicious, and it's worse than anything he's ever feared. As Korius' mind was preoccupied with memories of Koara, the ground below them exploded, throwing the carriage and its driver and passengers far into the air. Korius' eyes lit as he snapped out of his trance and evaluated the situation. He could feel a majicka source that was larger than any he had ever seen or felt in his life. He rotated his body and grabbed Valia and the katana, strapping them on in midair and grounded his feet onto the side of the destroyed carriage and pushed off to catch the others. His first rescuee was Kiana, then to Kitt. However, upon catching Kitt, another wave of majicka seemed to fill the entire area as a bright, orange light filled up from under them and caused a massive explosion in the middle of the midair carnage. Korius tried to build a barrier of Ki, but his fatigue took its toll, not allowing him to do so. A moment later, the explosion was the last thing that any of them could see. Korius awoke almost a day later, unable to move, but was able to see the others laying around him. They were all in makeshift leather cots and they were all unconscious.
-
Kiana looked at Talin as he spoke about them needing to joke around instead of brooding all the time. The last part helped strike a nerve in her, although basically being told to cheer up bugged her enough as it was. "If I was going to be suicidal, that would have happened after my brother's death." She practically snapped. She was silent the whole time after that up to the time of the explosion. She didn't even sense it coming and when it hit it definitely felt like she should of. She couldn't really get her bearings while flying through the air but she did notice it when Korius caught her. Unfortunately, they were hit by another explosion and she was knocked unconscious. The next time her eyes opened her body tensed to sit up quickly from worrying about where she was, but all that happened was a groan coming out of her mouth from the pain.
-
Talin just grinned when Kiana snapped at him, mostly glad that she showed fire rather than smoldered in silence. "Good. Now show some emotion, pelt me with pebbles, nail me with st-" He stopped when his new senses picked up danger around him. He hesitated to act though, as the intensity of the "danger" had him more concerned on locating the source than actually warning the others. So when the carriage went up into the air, Talin was already recovering and readying for another fight. Though he had to stop his preparation as a blast formed in the middle of the group. His last conscious act in that moment was to bring up his arms, feeling pain across his arms and the whooshing of air. When he regained consciousness, he immediately tries to find his voulge, only to be re-introduced to the pain in his arms and letting out a grunt of pain.