ACT COMPLETE Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 2

[Terrador]

Angus jogs over to Hogan, bear and trainee in tow. [Wait--Cass? Out here? C'mon man, keep it cool.] Regardless of his own admonitions, he can't seem to meet the Princess' eye. Rather, he focuses on Talmot, slapping him on the back.

"Talmot, eh? You're gonna have fun with this one--she's mighty tough, don't let 'er size fool you." Sparring under Hogan was a rough affair, but still, Cass wasn't exactly about to get hurt. [i'd be surprised if he can hurt her at all, frankly.] With nothing to bother him, though, Angus' eyes keep turning to the princess--and his mind keeps turning to that shower precious little time ago. Absent anything worth worrying about, he finally manages to focus on Talmot: if he was to come with them, he needed to at least make a decent showing. Angus pets his bear, scratching behind its ear as he waits for the two to square off.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Terrador

[Xinnidy]

Owen remained silent for a good while. The tension could be cut with a knife. Finally, the silence was broken at the sound of Owen's own footsteps, having turned his back to Dettard. "...Five days remain." He started walking away, "I might come back sooner. If you find any wish within you, other than the crown, speak it then." With truly nothing else to speak, Owen made his way out of the dungeon.

Finally escaping the gloom atmosphere of the dungeon, walking through the castle's halls, with no goal in his weary mind. Owen let out a long, tired sigh, the prince was visibly crestfallen. ...Did I fail? Was this a mistake? His mind wondered, filled with uncertainty. Neither his Father nor Dettard would give him a straight answer, perhaps nobody was meant to. Hah... I'm going to become king, yet I rely on other's words so much... how much I'd give to know everyone's true heart. That was a lofty hope, he knew. There was just no way to be truly omniscient but to be Engel. If this was a mistake, the prince would have to learn from it...

[Ether]

Well, enough wandering about for the time being, at any rate. With all of the meetings and other such tomfoolery dealt with, Adeltrudis quickly moved to change into some street clothes... wandering about the city outside the castle in full noble attire was ill-advised, after all. Having finally settled into something comfortable and far from fancy, and tying her hair back into a loose ponytail, the young Lady Herman left the castle grounds, off towards the town square.

After a time, Adele finally reached the veritable hub of the Capital city. Well, hub for the common folk, at the least, Deciding that it might be a nice idea to check out the wares at the local armoury, Adeltrudis stepped inside, and walked up to the counter.

[Shin]

The Armory

The banging and hammering of metal could be heard as soon as Adele entered the building, This was far from the country forge from before. The walls were lined with all sorts of weapons, all polished and ready to sell to anyone with enough coin. The storeowner stood proudly behind the counter in his apron, his bald head glistening with sweat.

"Finest weapons in the continent, don't get much sharper or stronger here." he boasted, slamming his fist down on the table. "Weapons for the proudest of knights, and the most sensible of citizens. Look around, see if there's anything that takes your fancy... if you got the cash."

Armory's items have been added to the sheet!

[Ether]

"Hmm... you do have a reasonable selection." Adele noted, looking over the items on display. There were a few notable items, a fancy and well polished sword, an axe that, quite honestly looked far too unwieldy, and a jousting lance... though the one that caught her eye was a set of chainmail. It looked a little cumbersome, but it could save your life, despite that. Though it was a tad expensive for what she had on hand, unless...

"Tell you what. I have this gemstone here that you could make a pretty penny off of, or perhaps use in an expensive forge, down the line. What say you I sell this to you, and you can take the cost of that chainmail there out of what you'd give me back?" Adeltrudis asked, placing the blue gem on the counter and looking the armourer over.

[SB.]

Claire's smile faltered at the old man's comment. "Okay." she muttered, leaving the codger to his business without another word. She certainly wasn't going to thank him after a comment like that. The person she was sent to looked fairly normal, but kind of out of place in the mage guild considering the bow, which made her raise an eyebrow. Maybe the guildmaster was just messing with her.

"Hi." she greeted, cautiously. "I... acquired this vial here today, and heard some strange things about it." She presented the concoction to the archer, but didn't offer for him to take it yet, by any means. "The elderly gentleman," Her voice carried a hint of sarcasm. "Said that you would know what its purpose is?" There was no point in going into detail about it - in the best case scenario it just made her look like an idiot.

[Shin]

The Armoury

The smith was gob-smacked by Adele's gem, its sheer value making his mouth water. "Aye, lass. That's a fine thing yah got there." he replied, reaching under the counter to provide some "change". Pushing a sack of gold forwards, he picked up the gem, looking at it once more before stuffing it into his satchel. Nodding in agreement, he leaned back, taking the chainmail off the shelf and placing it gently on the counter in front of Adele. Smiling merrily, he gestured towards it.

"All yours, should be good for keepin' somebody safe. Whether it be you or an ally." he added. "If you ever need anything sorted out, let me know. I'll have it ready in a jiffy."

[Jotari]

Emmet greeted the girl with a half smug smile. He raised an eyebrow. "I might be able to help you" he said, suddenly quite conscious of the foreign note in his accent. "But you're either going to have to let me examine it properly or at least tell me what these strange things you've heard about it are."

Edited March 27, 2016 by Jotari

[Ether]

Taking a moment to confirm the sack of gold, taking out a piece to look at, and then quickly feeling the weight of the sack, Adele gave the armourer a smile, taking a moment to hide the sack of money on her person, and took hold of the chainmail.

"I thank you for your business, then. And I'll certainly keep you in mind if I'm ever in need of weaponry." Adele replied, having made sure all of her on-hand possessions were tightly fastened, before exiting the armoury and heading to another nearby shop, the Herbalist.

[SB.]

Claire paused for a moment, before reluctantly handing over the potion. "I doubt you'd believe me if I told you." she admitted, wondering about its real purpose.

[Jotari]

Emmet examined the vial. It was a pink in colour. He held it up against the light where it somehow managed to sparkle yet seemed musky at the same time. "Hmm. Well I don't recognise the mixture on sight. How valuable is it? Any effective test I can do will probably require using part of it up. It might be better if you tell me where you found it."

Edited March 27, 2016 by Jotari

[SB.]

More awkward questions. 'I got it from a 7 foot tall lunatic with an axe' sounded pretty ridiculous and would probably just raise more questions. "I'm not quite sure, but it likely came from Magonsaete." That probably wasn't very helpful, but it wasn't like she had a lot of information on it. And she didn't really need his help testing it - pooring it onto a corpse (or maybe making them drink it?) would tell her for sure that the baron had been conned, although it obviously wasn't the ideal solution to her problem. "How much experience do you have with this sort of thing?" she asked, eyes drifting towards the bow. There was no point getting him more involved if he didn't know a lot about the subject.

[Nanami Touko]

Hogan waved Talmot forwards, the young man seeming rather calm for a man about to fight royalty. The captain tossed the pair a set of wooden weapons - perfectly designed for training, it would take quite the effort to kill someone with a weapon so neutered.

Talmot looked Cass in the eye, gripping his blade. "I don't really like fighting, Miss Princess. But I'll do what I can." he said calmly, putting his foot forwards as he approached their makeshift arena.

Hogan raised his arm, readying the pair in the centre of the hall. Looking from side to side, "On the count of three... one, two... three!" he shouted, his lack of an inside voice ever apparent.

He didn't look much, not much at all. He was probably around Cass' age, and not terribly well built. Was this truly Hogan's best trainee? Questions were answered when the young man came flying at Cass, his feet travelling at a frightening speed. Cass had barely been given a chance to blink before she felt a dull bonk on her side. It wasn't like it was painful, more an annoyance than anything else. Still, he'd managed to close the distance remarkably quickly. He looked up with calm eyes, a complete lack of fire or passion coming from him. Whatever Cass did to respond, she'd need to think of it quickly.

"You know, Captain, if he's not up to the task, I'm sure another one of those tired slackers would be willing to take a beating." That said, Talmot's dislike of fighting aside, he seemed incredibly concentrated. He'd already locked eyes with her, which was a bit worrying. He really must be the best that ol' Hogan has to offer, with such a level of seriousness about him... Or maybe he'd just incredibly aloof? We'll find out, I suppose.

Nothing to it but to fight. Cass took the wood and got ready to start swinging as soon as Hogan shouted three-- but Talmot was faster! Much faster! Where did he-- "Ow!" she shouted, more in surprise than anything. How he'd made it up to her with a strike already was beyond her. It had nearly no power behind it, but the weapon still had heft, and if he continued to fight like that, he'd knock her down eventually. Well! She couldn't have that! With a grunt, she swung at him-- What? He was already gone again! What is this? Am I just not paying attention to-- "Ugh!" she groaned. He'd doubled around her and swung at her leg this time.

"Alright! You're pretty good!" Cass was getting fired up-- she couldn't let her eyes off of him for a moment. Concentrating, she tried her best to focus onto his fancy footwork, swinging the axe and colliding with his arm as he tried to move back around her. "You're not that quick, squire!" She smirked, and took another flurry of his swings, cringing lightly as they connected. She had to end this sooner than later.

For their next few exchanges, she concentrated on doing just that, keeping her eyes on the way he moved and catching him when he went to get around her for easier hits. She'd take them, sure, but she was sturdier than he was, from the looks of things.

Talmot was huffing and puffing after their trades, Cass still standing strong. "You put up a good fight, but I think you'll find I'm more than just a pretty face." He hadn't said otherwise, of course, but Cass liked to prop herself up every now and then~ "Thanks for the fun~!" With a rather manic grin on her face Cass broke her pattern and went to swing straight at him--

Only to miss, as Talmot got a second wind and start beating at her legs again, dodging her quite easily and bringing her down to one knee. Curses, these fast types, every time... Maybe it was adrenaline, but Talmot didn't seem like he wanted to lose at this point, and he was keeping it so! With every attack, he'd step out of the way, swinging just as hard as he had been the entire time, and it was beginning to wear! Cass' legs were getting weaker, her body not taking well to being beaten with a wooden rod.

"Just stand STILL already!" she shouted, with another swing, another miss. She growled as he continued, wondering what she could do to stop him. What if I-- I've got it! He kept aiming for her legs and her arms, so-- "Haha!" Cass wasn't just a pretty face, or a good fighter; she was pretty smart, too! Not that this would work with a real sword, but-- she'd grabbed his stick as he swung it again, pulling him towards her with her superior strength, before knocking the flat end of the practice axe into his side, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Wow! Haha, wow... Exhilerating!" she exclaimed, letting her own weapon fall and propping her hands onto her hips-- before swiftly falling to her knees and collapsing her hands onto the ground, panting heavily. "That was quite the workout! Quite the workout indeed..." She was all smiles, though, pulling herself back to her feet after a moment.

"You've got a wonderful group of recruits, Captain. This one especially. He's rather terrifying!" Truly, he was. It was like he was made for battle, honing in on the fight so quickly. If these had been real weapons, Cass wouldn't have lasted with how precise his aim was.

[Jotari]

Emmet noticed her eyes wandering towards his bow. She was beginning to doubt him, a feeling he was all to familiar with. He closed his fist around the vial and held it close to his chest. He didn't want to give it back now, her reluctance to given him the details had piqued his interest. "I studied at the most prestigious school in Whitwar for five years" he informed her, a slight hint of irritation in his voice. "I've also spent two years in the priesthood. I might not be the most qualified herbalist you'll see in this place but I'll probably be the only one willing to help you." He opened his hand and looked at the vial again. "Magonsaete you say?" he muttered in a more relaxed tone. "Do you have any idea what its intended purpose is?" He looked up and stared directly into her eyes. "Something like...resurrecting the dead perhaps?"

[Shin]

Talmot was caught off guard by Cass' unorthodox tactic, falling to the ground after her final strike. Looking up, he didn't seem particularly disappointed by the defeat, more exhausted from the experience. Smiling as he panted, the young man chose to lay down, unable to gather the breath for words. Hogan smirked, not even disappointed by his pupil's defeat.

"Not bad at all, princess, yer fight like a madwoman, but yer got the right ideas." he laughed, approaching the two combatants. "A good kick in the crotch or a heel to the toe would help yah out too. No such thing as a dirty fight."

[Nanami Touko]

Talmot seemed far worse for wear than Cass did, but she was still heaving the breaths in and out. "Well, perhaps not! But I'd much rather not resort to that unless I have to. I've been trained by knights, I will fight like knights-- mostly," she corrected, knowing that unless they were sporting some strong gauntlets, no knight would grab their enemy's weapon by the blade. She would keep it in mind, though, if it came to that. Perhaps if someone got the jump on her from behind, or something similar. "To hear praise from you, though, means the world. Thank you, Captain. She would've curtsied had she been in any mood to act like a Princess. Alas, she was tired and worked up, so she patted him heavily on the shoulder instead.

[SB.]

What. Claire tried to keep a straight face, but ended up biting her lip so hard that it hurt. She'd thought for the whole time she was just being paranoid about Dettard's words, but the the herbalist seemed to think that there was some truth to them. Which was, to say the least, very worrying. "We shouldn't keep talking here." Claire muttered eventually, nodding towards the door. It was pretty crowded in here, and if this was serious, it was a conversation that wasn't meant to be overheard.

[Jotari]

Emmet nodded. "I don't know this city all that well" He picked up his bow. "You lead the way."

[riariadne]

Sidney piqued up a bit from her quiet walking when she spotted the person she'd become rather fixated with. "Prince Owen!" she started, rushing to him before noticing his dismayed expression. "Ah,what happened? You look like you saw a ghost or something. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. We can visit Hull later when you feel better, if you'd like..." Her own face nearly became as sorrowful as the prince's. "I hadn't even considered how you would feel after that, I was so excited to see the city... I'm sorry."

[SB.]

The mage acknowledged the comment with a nod, but didn't say anything. She began walking without any real destination in mind at first - before deciding that there was only one place they could be sure they wouldn't be overheard. She hadn't been to her own home since they'd returned from Dettard's territory, so she forgot that the place was kind of a mess. "I haven't been home in a while." she muttered.

She didn't spend a lot of time at home even when she was in the capital, spending more time in her studies, leading to her not caring an awful lot about keeping her house clean. It wasn't a wreck or anything, but it was just... messy. There were two seats either side of the table, one normally unoccupied, which seemed to fit their purposes well enough. Claire shoved a wad of parchment and notes to the side in order to make room, took her regular seat by the window, and indicated for Emmett to sit down. "How sure are you about that?" she asked, apprehensively. "About the potion, I mean."

[Terrador]

Angus watches the battle with such intensity that he nearly falls on his face--hellfire, Talmot was quick! The poor squire could hardly believe his eyes... though in all fairness, they barely gave him a cohesive picture of the battle; some of Talmot's strikes could only be inferred. As Cassandra fell, Angus began to stand; however, at the sight of Talmot's fall, that gesture quickly was transferred to one of joy! The bear is startled by a cry and a pumped fist. That sparring match really shouldn't have commanded so much investment, yet there Angus was, grinning ear to ear at his friend's victory.

"Well done!! That was incredible!" She really was a knight to match Angus, that's for sure; it would be a sore surprise if she wasn't knighted after everything they had gone through. For all his joy, the battle stung his pride slightly; besides, he'd been considering something... perhaps not entirely wise ever since he returned. He picked up the training axe Cass dropped, eyeing Hogan up and down.

"Captain! I'd say it's poor form for me t'walk back to the castle unharmed after the princess showed us her mettle, eh~?" He squares off, positioning the axe in his hand--the haft was a bit shorter than he liked, but it would have to do. "What say we see if I can land one on you this time." Angus fully expects to have the crap kicked out of him, even with his new experience... but maybe he was strong enough to actually learn something from the beating this time.

[scorri]

Niko sighed quietly as Doug made his way over with Larissa, but raised an eyebrow at hearing she was a healer. He looked at Doug, looked back at the woman, and then sighed. "Very well. You may join us, but be warned, I'm not going to stand for any sort of improper behavior from any of my new recruits." He included Serge in this look, if only to try and prevent Larissa from getting too offended. "The Reliants have a reputation to uphold, and if either of you cause problems that risk our reputation, you will be paid some part of your full pay and told to leave. Any questions or objections?"

[Jotari]

They walked in silence, Emmet wasn't sure where. He considered starting a conversation but in the end decided not to. The girl seemed pretty sure of herself yet not as perceptive as she let on. She didn't comment on the fact that he spend only five years studying in Whitwar. Nor did she think to ask about his bow. Although perhaps she simply didn't care.

Eventually they arrived at what he assumed was her house, which worried him slightly. If this girl was getting wrapped up in something dangerous then a stranger, especially a man, entering her house would look very suspicious if something should happen to her in the next few days. However the desire to find out more about the vial kept him going forward. His desire to know more about the girl also increased when he entered. The house looked like it was rich enough but there was absolutely no organisation.

"How sure are you about that?" she asked.. "About the potion I mean?"

He laughed, "On principle I'm never sure of anything." He removed the vial from his pocket and began examining it again. "But I never doubt anything either. My expertise as a herbalist might have failed you but I assure you my experience as a storyteller will not. I'm quite the worldly man. In the lands to the west of here these are rumours of a Fountain of Ages, a spring that produces water with absolute healing qualities. It can heal anything from sickness to death, even old age. If this vial is a sample of that water then it's incredibly invaluable. However the true prize would be to find the fountain itself, should it actually exist of course. The thing is a legend and like most legends, there's a large degree of exaggeration as time passes. We can't know anything for sure until we test it." He put the vial on the table and spun it around.

Edited March 28, 2016 by Jotari

[SB.]

"... I see." Claire frowned, retreiving the vial from the tabletop while she had the chance. While the bowman was only telling a story, what he said was interesting. And this was definitely not obvious - how in the world did the guildmaster expect her to know something like that? Never mind. There were more important things to think about. Why would Magonsaete entrust this to Dettard if it was real? It seemed like he'd been their pawn all along, and he wouldn't have been any the wiser if they'd just given him any old drink. What would they gain from it? It was hard to say.

"That's a lot of stock you're putting into a children's story, but perhaps there's some truth to it." Claire sighed. It was a better lead than she'd had before, and the fact he'd come to the conclusion on his own had to count to something. "If you don't mind me asking, um..." Well she didn't have a name yet. "If you're a mage, why carry a bow with you?" It was kind of strange, and she doubted it was just for show.

[Shin]

How Dank are you?

Larissa gave Niko a good look over, smiling sweetly. If Doug bailed on her, she could always go after this one. "Of course not, I'll be on my best behaviour." she charmed, batting her eyelids. "I wouldn't dare do anything unbefitting of such a valiant leader like yourself, Mister Commander."

Things seemed all well and good until the smashing of a bottle was heard. Another came flying towards Serge, shattering at his feet, splashing him with a white fluid that he only could assume was Moloko. Two large men in the middle of the room appeared to be having a disagreement, which was rapidly escalating. "Don't you bitva me, you baboochka." one grunted, waving another bottle in the air. "I'll crack your cluve an' make you creech like a dama."

The other man didn't seem pleased. "Yer'll be joining yer dedoochka soon, an' I'll be takin' yer devotchka for some of the old in-and-out, out-and-in. Yer not as dank as me, yer barely dank at all."

--

Hold on there, brother!

"If yer get in a fix, don't be afraid to get a little dirty. Nobody can say yer fought unfair if they're too dead to talk." Hogan joked, his advice half-serious. "I'd rather a dirty princess than a dead one."

Hogan looked at Angus, the little mooncalf had guts, he'd give him that. Sense though, that appeared to be something he lacked. Approaching Angus, Hogan chortled, cracking his knuckles. "Yer serious?" he asked, stretching his arms. "I'll be gentle on yah, otherwise yer might be needin' a diaper for yerself as well as yer bear."

--

No herbs for you!

Adele's journey to the herbalist was cut short by a surprise visitor. The streets had cleared somewhat and the herbalist was tucked right out of the way - which made her perfect prey for scoundrels and thugs. A hooded man grabbed her by the wrist, grinning intently at her. "What's a pretty little thing like yer doin' all alone?" he laughed, his eyes full of a depraved desire. "'Ow about I relieve yah o' yer purse an' we get to know each other?"

He certainly didn't seem friendly, although his grip wasn't particularly powerful. Still, one wrong move could spell the end, and without any guards around, any help she got would be delayed.