Lord of Azure Flame: Chapter 1: In the Reddest of Nights

[Snowy_One]

Twenty Five Years ago

The shadows of the night hung in the air like a thick and stifling rag. A rag that had become lodged within the throats of the gathered multitudes of over ten thousand soldiers. Every army and every nation was represented within, from the mighty bulk of soldiers from the twin Kingdoms of Septimus and Elyisima, to those few tiny squads of troops from the shattered nations like Vaorin. Even mercenaries could be seen within the ranks of gathered warriors. It was for one of the greatest causes ever that had brought the armies of the world together. Before them, the giant fissure that served as the gateway to the lair of the Lord of Azure Flame sat with it's giant chasm opened wide, like a giant maw intent to devour all who entered. Less than a hour ago, the armies had stood together in pitched battle before the gate, carving their way through legion after legion of demons to reach that maw. The six heros stood at the head, their valiant figures serving as beacons of light, guiding the desperate soldiers on. When, at last they had reached the laid of the Lord, the six had gone in alone. The dark magic of the monstrous being had covered the land in a heavy shadow veil. A veil that the army had felt weighing down upon their souls as they waited anxiously for their heros to emerge.

Then, at last, a victorious cry sallied forth from the army as, with a triumphant step, the first of the heros stepped forth from the shadows. With a mighty cry, he raised a small medallion coated in red crystal high into the air. The other five emerged pulling the body of the mighty demon behind them, clad in cast iron chains, like a fresh hunters kill. The war was over! They had won! The Lord of Azure Flame had been captured! At last, peace would prevail!

Present day.

The foothills of Vaorin where the small town of Darien lay had always been an idyllic sight to behold. Lush fields and meadows filled with soft and gentle grass that reached out for the sun overhead; filling each and every blade with emerald life that seemed to radiate outwards into the hundreds upon hundreds of fields and orchards that dotted the land. Within each field, amber waves of grain huddled together like a thousand people clustered in to celebrate some joyous event as in tranquil orchards alongside it, ripened apples watched from their wooden towers as the multitudes below gazed back up in response. With a soft gust of harvest wind, one of the apples broke loose, toppling from his perch down to the grass below as the grains broke out into a soft and gentle applause. Nearby, fields of pumpkins and other gourds watched, unmoved by the wind-born joy.

Yet it was a wind-born joy that was lost upon a single, weary, traveler as she trudged over the foothills. With weary, exhausted eyes she peered up at the sun overhead, squinting as it's light beat mercilessly into her head. At her side, faint traces of wiped blood baked into the metal of a heavier sword, freshly used and cleaned. With a sigh of dismay, the swords owner looked up to see it wasn't even noon yet. In fact, it was early enough so that some people might still be in bed if they were decently lazy enough. So early, and already she felt exhausted. Ah well, that's the price of staying up for most of the night.

Lowering her head down, the swordswoman trudged towards the nearby town who's outskits she was almost upon. As soon as she arrived, she headed for the town hall, a frustrated look upon her brow. The town hall was a simple building, made of less than four rooms and two floors, making it easy for her to navigate to her goal. A small man sitting behind a tiny desk with a small sign next to it reading 'Mercenary office'.

"I did what you asked." she said, her tone clearly agitated as she leaned forwards, getting in the mans face to grab his attention. "I waited out by the bridge and caught the pack of wolves that you hired me for. A. Whole. Pack. You hired me for only one wolf! You had better come up with the extra money for that!"

"I'm sorry. The town office can not be held accountable for lack of information." replied the man, reciting policy before he pulled out a single coin made of silver. He extended it to the woman. "Here's your payment."

"That's Septimian money. It's worth less than the silver it's printed on here! You're jipping me?" said the woman, snatching the coin up.

"That... is roughly what our money is worth to other nations right now." said the man. "Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do."

The woman shot him a look as if she wanted to rip his head off. Instead, she simply turned about and walked outside. As soon as she passed the doorframe, she turned about and slammed her fist into the wall of the building, letting out a massive vent of frustration and rage. "Great... Just another ruined day."

With a heavy slump, she knocked her head against the wall, staring at the coin in the palm of her hands. It was worthless. Almost completely worthless. If she was lucky, she might be able to barter a pint of gain for it. Yet, despite its worthlessness... she needed the money. She hated to admit it, but every coin earned was needed to support herself. Palming the coin, she stood up again and picked up her sword before thrusting it into the ground point first. Then with a weary sigh, she fell to the ground before it, using the flat of the blade as a support for her back. With a careful glance to ensure no commoner was watching, she placed her hand against the edge of the weapon, letting it slide between her fingers. Faint ripples of crimson energy flowed across the weapon like bloody smoke trailing behind her fingertips.

"You're determined to haunt me where ever I go it seems." she remarked to the seemingly empty air. "You haunt me like a vile ghost, and I don't even know what I did to hurt you in the first place."

[messy mike]

There's something special in the morning air.

Michael thought to himself as he slowly trudged up the country road. The early breeze, fresh with the scent of morning dew, tousled his hair and caused him to take in a deep breath, then let it out contentedly.

It had been almost two weeks since he had last seen any sort of paid work, and Michael was running dangerously low on funds. He had heard yesterday from the keeper of the inn in which he slept that the town of Darien, about six hour's march up the road, was willing to pay for the removal of some wolves. While it wasn't in his typical line of work, he needed something to tide him over until the next big job, and so he had set out bright and early the next morning.

It was a few hours shy of noon, and despite his monetary concerns and the slight rumbling in his stomach, he couldn't help but enjoy the beautiful weather in the rolling hills. As he crested a particularly high mound, he could see Darien nestled in a valley not too far away.

* * * * * * *

As he entered the town, Michael sought out the largest building, assuming it must be the town hall or some other municipal office. He guessed correctly; after edging past a young woman slumped against a blade on the ground, seemingly lost in thought, he saw a sign for the Mercenary Office. Unfortunately, the man inside did not tell Michael what he wanted to hear.

"My apologies, but someone already took care of that request last night, and the rest of the wolves while she was at it. I'm afraid we've got nothing else lined up right now. If you'd like to register at the inn across the road, I can have old Martha inform you when another job opens up."

"Nah, it's so nice out here I'll probably just sleep under the stars. I'll check in here later. Thanks anyways."

For nothing, really. I probably don't have enough gold to hole up in that inn for long anyways. This could be a problem... well, first thing's first. Time to find something to eat. And maybe drink as well...

Grinning, Michael exited the office into the bright midday sun.

[Ether]

The tussle of camp life was aggravating to many a common man.The squires running every which way,yelling about some nonsense that only concerned one or two people in the camp of over 100.The early morning sun warmed Damian's shoulders as he let out a hefty sigh,which stirred several looks from noisy scouts and soldiers at a nearby campfire,quieting themselves at the thought of angering the officer.The envoy had quite a ways to go yet,as under orders from the king,his squadron had been forced to escort an obnoxious nobleman across the desolate plain to his manor in the middle of who knows where.

Needless to say,Damian was not amused by the antics of this man,dragging them across the countryside in blind fear of demons,which had not been seen since he himself was a toddler...and the insolence of demanding his own presense,pulling him away from the very real threat of bandit raids...and for what?To be yelled at for every breeze which made contact with the "precious" man.

"Colonel!" A familiar voice rang out to him,and he cringed.Damian had hoped to clear his thoughts in the bath,but alas,it would seem that would not be the case this morning...

"Yes?What is it Aiya?" Damian asked his lieutenant,who has just ran up to him,panting from lack of breath.Aiya was a girl of lethe build,who stood about a half head shorter than him,with blazing red locks which matched her persona near perfectly,a hyper,chipper girl,with a rather quick temper...still,her swordsmanship was excellent,and she managed to keep her cool when it was important.

"Duke Leonard has been stalking around the female quarters again...I found him trying to look in on the baths!"

"Damn...it seems someone else found my spot..." Damian began,a playful click of the tongue telling the near exploding woman next to him he was teasing,causing her to calm down after whacking him playfully on the back.This was a routine they had shared for a while now,and Damian wouldn't trade it for anything he could think of,after all,what good was a lonely promotion?

"Well,I'll bring it up to him when I see him next...I swear,that man is nothing but trouble..."

"Thank you,Colonel." A respectful bow,and Aiya had left him to his thoughts again...he decided to go to his original plan,and cool off in the baths...

************************

"Colonel Damian!Sir!"

The man who had shouted out to him was a newer soldier in his regiment,one who's name he could not yet recall,but at the moment,that wasn't important.

"Yes Private?" Damian responded nonchalantly.

"We are approaching the town of Darien,sir!"

"Darien...ah yes...If I recall correctly,the market there is good..." Damian pondered the situation...this would be a good time to buy supplies,and the local crop should have come in very recently.

"Very well,we shall stop here.Tell Lieutenant Aiya to prepare to depart,and to bring several men with her,now would be the best time to restock."

"Yes sir!" The soldier replied,and soon after,Aiya,Damian,and 3 soldiers had mounted and left toward Darien...

[Ansem]

Helios was lying on the grass watching the clouds. It was a lazy day and he didnt feel like doing anything. He stood up and looked around.

........

Helios heard a growl. It was coming from the forest. A pack of wolves came. One of the seemes to be injured. He raised his hand to touch the wolf's paw. He chanted a spell. The injury was healed. The wolf seemed gratefull. They ran off. Helios stared walking down the path. He saw a town not far from here. He kept walking untill he arrived at the town. Helios went to the nearest inn.

........

Helios went inside the inn. There were many people. Drunk people. They all stared at him like he was of some other species. The innkepper broke the silence. "10 gold pieces to stay". Helios reached in his pocket. "Hm i only seem to have 5 gold". he muttered. He turned to leave when one of the men blocked his path. "Thats a nice tome you have". "You wont mind if i take it do you". Helios looked around to see that all the people surronded him.

.......

"Sure" he muttered. "Why not". He handed the tome to the man. The man flipped through the pages. "To bad for you your just a puny mage". "You cant do anything without your tome" he gloated. One of the men came foward. "Sir let me finish him with his own tome". "I happen to be a trained mage too" he boasted. The druken man roared with laughter and gave him the tome. The mage started to chant the spell. All of a sudden a blade of wind came out of nowhere and cut the mage. "Gah what sort of black magic is this" he yelled. Then wind started to blow the whole inn down. Helios simply waited."Are you finished"?

......

He collected all the gold from the druken men. He went to the innkepper who was hiding under a desk. He handed him his gold as well as the gold he collected. "Im sorry it wasnt your fault". "There should be enough in there to compensate for the damage as well as pay for it too". "Just who are you" the man stuttered. "Just someone who is trying to find himself" Helios said. Helios left. Meanwhile the mage got up. "He will pay for this" said the mage.

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan woke up from a restless slumber in the stable of a local farmer in the town of Darien. Being poor was such a bother sometimes. She carefully cleaned the straw from her robes and hair and ascended into the upper level of the house. Unfortunately, she had overslept and did not follow her plan of leaving before the farmer's family woke up.

Morgan walked right into a crotchety old man raking bales of hay. He eyed her up and said:

"Hey, who might you be there missy? Dressed mighty fine for a stray."

Morgan was taken by surprise. She had to think of something...

"I am just a simple...merchant sir, traveing to Darien to peddle my wares."

The old man looked at her with suspicion.

"What you be sellin' missy? Don't seem to have any wares save yourself."

Morgan glared in anger at the old farmer. "Are you insinuating what I think you.."

The farmer let out a raspy laugh."My son be needing a wife, and you look to be in good shape. Nice and curvy for nursing my grandkids!"

Morgan shot him a very nasty look "I do not plan on being any farmer's wife, you disgusting old pervert".

His hands tightened around a large rake. "Then you best be getting out of here missy, before I decide to use this on yer pretty little head."

Morgan bit her lip. While blasting this man into oblivion would be very satisfying, it would also likely garner the attention of the town guard. Being in prison would be rather detrimental to locating the other wielders of the Crimson Weapons.

She decided to flee. In her haste however, she failed to see the small company of soldiers riding down the road towards her...

[messy mike]

Michael strolled down the street, a piece of fruit in hand, his stomach a bit fuller and his pockets, unfortunately, a bit lighter. The streets were really beginning to fill up for such a small town: peddlers were hawking their wares, farmers' wives dragged small children around, locals and villages alike were out and about, enjoying the brilliant afternoon climate.

For such a friendly bunch of countryfolk, they sure do charge a pretty penny for an ale around here, Michael mused. Ezekiel never liked it when his soldiers drank, anyways.

Shaking his head to clear it of such thoughts, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a small troop of mounted soldiers moving in the same direction one street over.

They're definitely not local militia... they've gotta be out here for a reason. He thought, his interest piqued. Wonder if they'd toss this starving mercenary a coin or two for his services...

Michael tossed the pit of his fruit in the gutter and started towards the scarlet-haired young woman riding at the rear of the group.

[Ansem]

Helios found himself lost again. "How exciting he said to himself". He looked down the street to see a bunch of solidiers walking down. "Hm interesting" Helios said. "I hope they dont mind if i tag along". He followed the solidiers. He stopped after a while. "They seem to be searching for someone". "HELIOS"!!!!!!!! Helios didnt turn around in fact he acted like he didnt here anyone. He chanted something and he faded. "Damn it Helios". A young girl sighed. She was wearing an identical robe of that of Helios's. She looked around. "Where could you have gone".

[Kanami]

Reika smiled cheerfully as she arrived at the small settlement of Darien. It'd been an awfully long time since she'd seen a crowd this big, and the bigger the crowd, the better. She reached in her pocket and felt around for anything she had left from her last "hunt". 3 gold peices and 5 silvers she mumbled, not bad but if she didn't recharge her finances here she might get in trouble later. With a sweet smile on her face she wandered into the crowds of Darien-folk while looking for her next prey.

Reika winced as someone stepped on her foot for the fourth time, it was great that there were so many people about, but with this many people about it was hard to do walk straight, much less achieve a good catch. While it wasn't surprising the people here weren't that rich either, and she didn't feel like risking her neck for a few silver peices, that said there wouldn't be any nobles in this rural slum, and merchants these days were harder to steal from then town-guards. She sighed and headed for an alleyway. Every alley had a boss these days, and theses "bosses" would be relatively wealthy due since they charged a toll to anyone that wandered into their alley. As she approached Reika grinned at the sight of a burly scarred man holding a young boy up by his neck.

Making sure she wasn't being watched she approached the duo with an innocent face, "Umm excuse me sir" she inquired with a worried expression. The man who had been beating the boy senseless glared at her and snapped "what do you want wench?". Reika paused uncertainly before replying "I just arrived here and I seem to be lost, I'd be really happy if you could escort me to the inn" she said in a pleading tone whilst reaching into her pocket and pulling out the 3 gold peices. The man grinned as he dropped the boy and trudged over to her. "Oh no missy, the inn here is full, but it's your lucky day you can stay at my place for free" the man said leering. Reika desperately stood her ground, the man didn't scare her but his breath probably could kill her nonetheless. She looked at the mans glinting teeth and counted, silver, black, yellow and.... is that tooth green? She looked at the mans eyes and smiled, "thank you sir but I couldn't do such a thing for free, I know it's not much but at least accept these" she said thrusting the 3 gold peices into the mans hands, "and I'll pay you the remaining 7 peices when we arrive". The man seemed dumbfounded but pocketed the gold quickly. "If you say so missy, just follow me" the man pulled her arm and deeper into the alley. As they passed the battered boy Reika smiled and waved at the boy who shot her a nasty glare. A few moments later she could hear the boy noisily scampering away.

They come pretty far now and after making sure they were clearly out of sight Reika suddenly wrapped her arms around the mans waist "It's so dark here" she whimpered. The man scoffed and looked down at her, his eyes eyeing her body. Reika winced, mentally vomitting at the stench of the man, if he wasn't loaded with gold this sure as hell wasn't worth it. She turned away from the man and her eyes landed on a set of golden eyes watching them from behind a trash can. At that moment the eyes closed and darted away into the darkness tipping the trashcan over in the process. Startled the man looked up at where the eyes had been. "Calamity" she said as a crimson red aura swirled about and solidified between her hands, within a few seconds the man had a new hole in his neck to breathe out of. Reika smirked down at the man who was opening and closing his mouth like a gold fish. "Oh sir, whatever is the matter?" she asked sarcastically giving the mans head a good kick. She quickly retreived her 3 gold peices, and searched the man for anything else. 4 silver, Septimian silvers. She sighed deeply before kicking the man in the head again. Realising there was nothing to be gained here anymore she quickly turned around and ran back towards the exit and into the crowd. Not realising the spatter of blood that had hit her neck.

[Snowy_One]

As Esphyr sat slumped, heavy blade against her back, she doubted that there would be anything else of interest to her for the rest of the day. The coin had been disheartening enough, and there was little else for her to do at the moment. However, her doubt proved wrong, as a moment later several soldiers came into her vision. Esphyr cocked an eye in mild surprise. What were soldiers doing here? They were a sight uncommon enough; possibly even rare enough to be considered highly unusual. What was more, they seemed to be soldiers of Halton.

"What's are the guys of the big three doing here?" she mused to herself. With a practiced spring, she leapt to her feet, freeing her sword from the earth as she did so. Her interest was piqued to say the least. Already, several civilians and other people had started to trail the soldiers, some even going as far to approach them. An unsure aura seemed to hover about the villagers, curious and unsure if the armed men would be friend or foe.

"Best to keep my distance." mused Esphyr. "If they see a armed woman, they may think me a bandit, or try to draft me in. Working for the Hero's is not exactly what I plan to do with my life."

Plus, with her luck... well... with her luck things may start to get real messy real fast. Thusly, as she trailed them, she did her best to move slowly and made sure to keep a bit of distance between her and the soldiers. However, even if they were just passing through... she felt certain that something interesting was about to happen.

[Inactive Account]

Kelas surveyed the town from the hilltop. It was small and looked a bit worn, and a company of soldiers had just entered. There went that plan. The one she was looking for might be there, but to enter now would be unwise. She would have to wait for the soldiers to leave; they were probably just passing through, anyway.

She turned her horse away from the road. It was early in the day, so she had time to wait, and her horse needed rest anyway. It was tired from outrunning the wolves that had shown up earlier. They'd been skinny things, but tenacious, and Kelas had fled in an attempt to not waste any arrows on them. The wolves would make waiting outside risky, but Kelas didn't think they'd show up so close to town.

She unsaddled and tied the horse so that it could graze, but not wander off. Sitting down in the shadow of the hill, she got some dried meat out of her saddlebags. She took out the letters; she had read them many times already, but they would pass the time... eventually, she fell asleep, lulled by inactivity and the warmth of the sun.

[Ether]

"Damian...I think we're being watched..." Aiya said to him in earnest distress.She was not one for attention,and being the only female in the troupe that had entered town,she drew many looks,from curiosity to perverted leers...needless to say,none of it was enjoyable.

"Well,I would think so...afterall,how often do you think they see armed soldiers around here?Especially those of the empire?"

"I guess you're right Colonel...Hmm?" A man who looked like a mercenary had hailed for Aiya,and with a wave from Damian,she turned to address him...

"Hello.May I help you sir?"

*********************

The crowd had thickened,and the mayor of the town had moved to the front to address Damian.

"Excuse me...but may I ask your business in our town?" The mayor asked him in a tone that showed curiosity and worry,which stung Damian slightly...did he seem that threatening to those of the plains?Either way,he stepped down from his horse and looked at the man at eye level.

"Ah...I apologize.We were simply in the area and wished to restock.Could you point me to the market district?" Damian responded sincerely,and feeling no hostility from the soldier,the mayor pointed him toward the left.

Before departing,Damian scanned the crowd.A young woman caught his eye,she looked to be around the age of 18,and she held a sheathed sword on her back...

So...that is the sword...

Damian recognized the aura of the crimson sword immediately...and locked eyes with the woman,who seemed to look back at him with what he believed to be similar recognition,but from this distance,he could not be sure...

Damian was about to walk toward this girl,when something soft impacted his chest.Instinctively,he grabbed the woman around the waist to keep her from falling on her backside,and it seemed the woman who had ran into him was some sort of magic user...most likely elder magic,he deduced,before noticing the presence of the same familiar aura,coming from the tome she held.

Another on the same day...this will certaintly be interesting...

**************************

OOC:I find it kind of awesome that my troupe has become a temporary central point in this RP

[messy mike]

OOC: Since everyone just seems to be waiting around for someone else to make first contact, here goes.

* * * * * * *

Michael leaned against the slightly dilapidated wall of the building next to him, observing the exchange of words. The small, balding man who could only be the mayor or magistrate was doing a surprisingly decent job at keeping his voice steady, considering how close he looked to fainting on the spot.

These people clearly don't see too much trouble. He considered. Four soldiers is hardly an occupational force, especially with all these mercenaries milling about. There are sure to be more of them, but if an invasion was in the works, it would have been carried out long before now.

The man in front turned around, displaying to Michael his imperial crest and officer emblem.

Halton, hmm? Ezekiel's Eagles used to run a few joint campaigns with the Imperial army, but I don't recognize that division...

The dark-haired officer began to move away, so Michael disengaged himself from the wall and followed. Moving next to the helmeted soldier on the group's left flank, he walked alongside of him, gazing only straight ahead; until, after shooting three or four uneasy looks in his direction, the soldier stopped and addressed him.

"Excuse me, would you kindly..."

"Oh, hey. Didn't notice you there." Michael grinned disarmingly. "Heard you guys were stocking up. You don't mind if I tag along, do you?"

"Well, uh, I..."

"Because you see, well, I'm a bit broke, so I figured you'd bring me back to camp and let me convince your boss to hire me for a while. I'm a mercenary of sorts. Actually used to be a military man like yourself."

The Haltonian soldier stared confusedly for a moment at this man who was several years his junior, but then turned to fetch the colonel, who seemed to be disentangling himself from some young woman.

* * * * * * *

EDIT: Sorry Ether, I didn't even notice that you had written in a greeting between Aiya and Michael. I would have had them converse, but I don't know enough about her yet to feel confident I wouldn't mess up her character :)

[Ether]

OOC:I'm going to wait for a little bit to make a full reply,since i need to know what other people are going to do,but you can write a convo between the two if you'd like,there isn't much to know about her that I haven't said already.She's happy,kinda hyper,and a little bit shy,but she'll take you down if you piss her off.If you don;t want to,though,i'll write something between the two in my next post,when the time comes.

[Kanami]

"Damn it" Reika cursed quietly as she entered the flow of people again, all that hard work for a few measley coins, she had been hoping for enough to pay for a bath but doing so would probably bankrupt her. She frowned a bit, it didn't matter how many times she killed she still couldn't get used to this... smell? It was like a cloud of death or something that followed you around, infecting her senses and mind. She was surprised people weren't reporting her as a suspicious character. She sighed heavily not really paying her attention to her surroundings when the man infront of her suddenly stopped. Barely preventing herself from walking into him, Reika winced and took a look around, the flow of people had stopped, they all seemed to be looking at something, but what could be so interesting to stop this hussle and bussle? Not being able to make it through the crowd to take a look, she closed her eyes and listened from behind a wall of people. While there were worried murmurs here and there, she could hear a man talking, which were followed by the clinks of moving armor. Reika felt a shiver go down her spine, had they found the dead man in the alley already? A second later she shook her head, murder wasn't exactly uncommon these days and she found it hard to belive that the city guard would react this quickly. She focused again, focusing all her attention into decyphering the mans voice, when a nearby woman mumbled somthing about Halton soldiers. She felt a cold breeze despite it being a relatively warm evening. In her mind Haltonians, especially armoured Haltonians equated to tax collectors, senseless ruffians which would bring misfortune as they had in the past. Not thinking properly she quickly turned and tried to run through the crowd, it didn't matter where as long as it was far away from those soldiers.

[Snowy_One]

Choice cursewords flickered through Esphyr's mind as one of the men looked at her, his eyes locking with her own. She didn't know how, nor did she want to know how, but that man knew who she was. Rather, when he had looked at her, Esphyr had felt that the man had not seen her as a person, but rather, had been looking at her sword. Not the material one that her hand rested firmly on, but the one bound to her very being. The Sword of Bloody Wrath. That was what it felt like his gaze had been upon.

That was all the information Esphyr needed to know that this person was not one with whom she desired to be aquatinted with. Doubtless he was another mage seeking the legend of the Crimson weapons who wanted to drag her off in the middle of the night to perform cruel experiments upon. Esphyr was not about to let that happen. Carefully, she tried to slip away through the gathering crowd, slipping between people as she ducked down at random, hoping that his watch would be broken. As the crowd started to thin out, she at last reached a open point where she could break out into a open run.

She did so without hesitation. Taking off at full speed, she dashed down the now-open street at full speed, her foot sliding into the earthen road at the first left she could spot. It was a small parting between the buildings, barely large enough to be called an alley, but she took it none the less. With a rapid motion, she almost ran along the walls as she made her escape into a nearby street. Off in the corner of her eye she could catch a glimpse of the opposite side of the crowd, but couldn't tell what had happened to the soldiers.

[Ether]

OOC:Oh,this is too good...sorry for not waiting Cynthia,but you should have been able to notice the Crimson Lance,so that should be enough to go on.

******************

Seeing the girl holding the crimson sword Dash,he realized the misunderstanding immediately.He too had been subject to odd experiments and tests...but he needed to catch her now.

"Sorry,gotta run,I'll talk to you later,if you don't mind." Damian said to the still un-named Shaman,before running to intercept the girl.

Seeing her run into an alleyway,Damian knew he would need to undertake a risky maneuver to catch her,and so he did.With an agile leap,he found himself atop the roofs lining the streets.

Following the girl's path,he found the perfect spot,and cut her off as she darted into another alleyway,which,from overhead,he had seen would lead her to a dead end.

The girl's eyes darted frantically,and he knew he had to be fast,or he would have a fight on his hands.

"Please...hear me out!" Damian called to her,and the girl eyed him suspiciously.

"I know what you're thinking,but I'm not one of those hungry scholars!I'm interested in that crimson sword because of this!"

Revealing himself could be a risky move,but joining up with this girl was worth the risk,as he softly spoke the words...

"Spear of Impaling Barbed Death...Gae-Borg."

The girl looked at the blood red lance which had appeared in Damian's hand,and he gave her a friendly smile,and offered her his hand.

"My name is Damian...may I ask yours?"

**********************

The mercenary had been pointed towards her after Damian had ran off suddenly.She knew that look,it had to have something to do with his Gae-Borg... Aiya let the thoughts leave her head as she began talking to the young man.

"You want a job?" She asked after hearing him out.

"I cannot give you a job directly,that is the Colonel's discretion,but I would be happy to test you at camp later,if you would be willing to wait for that." She told Micheal kindly,awaiting a response.

[Kanami]

(OOC: Umm just to make sure, you are aware that most of us don't have our Crimson weapon equipped by default right Ether? So there's no "normal" way of telling it's a crimson weapon, either way you'd need to have some sort of power to tell it's a crimson weapon anyway. Though speaking from the inevitable gathering of the Crimson weapons I'd like to suggest that the Crimson weapons are drawn to eachother.)

Reika gasped as a woman- no, a girl, came running around the corner. She'd only made it next street over when the girl nearly knocked her off her feet. Making a mental note on how fast the girl reacted after seeing her, and the way her eyes flickered to her sword first she smiled warmly at the girl. "Hi, wonderful day for a little excercise right?" she chirped cheerfully ignoring the expression the girl made. "Umm, not to pry, but those soldiers aren't chasing... umm I mean comming this way by any chance?" Reika maintained her smile while making quick notes about the girl, seemed like a wandering mercenary, not that they were uncommon, but judging from the way she stood she wasn't by any chance new to the business. A quick look at the girls sword confirmed her conclusion.

Just as she finished her analysis, she heard the sound of boots comming their way. She thanked her brother for teaching her how to pick out the sounds before looking at the girl again, "They're comming" she muttered before rushing off into the crowd again, she took a quick glance at the girl and caught sight of a armoured man in the process. "Tch, she's lost" she mumbled"

[Ansem]

Helios warped inside a castle. He looked around and saw many people that were rich. "I doubt i can stay here for long" muttered Helios to himself. "Hey you" a page pointed at Helios. "Why are you here". "Im sorry sir i accidently warped here" said Helios. "Thats not going to help you" said the page. "Guards"! "I could slaughter them but that will blow my cover". They grabbed Helios and threw him in the dungeon. "No problem i could just warp out" he said. He started chanting but all of a sudden he stopped. "Gah i spent to much energy" Helios muttered. He looked around for an exit. "There is no way i'm going to get out of here without someone getting hurt". he said. "Oh well" he said as he cast Elwind on the door.

........

The wind tore through the door and destroyed it. The guards on the other side were dumbfounded. "Witchcraft" one guard yelled. Both guards charged at Helios. Helios quickly chanted a spell. "Elwind". The guards didnt stand a chance. Luckily no one seem to have seen him. He took the pocket of gold one of the guards had. "Hm 12 gold" said Helios to himself. "This will get me a good tome". He looked infront of him to see a mage appearing. "Celia". "The mage took off her hood". "Sir Helios" said the young girl. She had green hair and blue eyes. She had on a robe like that of Helios's except the color. Helios didnt seem surprised. "Your here" he said camly. "I cant get away from you now". "What is it that you want"? "Sir Helios listen there a soldiers in town that are looking for the ones that have the Crimson weapons". "They plan to destroy the world with it". Why didnt you tell me this before" said Helios. "You ran" she said. "Im sorry Celia". "I thought mother sent you". "Its okay sir Helios" she said with a sigh. "Please call me Helios" he said. "We should leave now said Celia". "Im out of energy" He said. "I cant warp". "Dont worry she said. She gave him her hand. He grabbed her hand and they teleported

........

They warped to the edge of town. "Say Celia" Helios asked. "How do the soldiers know if a person has a Crimson weapon"? "If a person has a crimson weapon they emit a red aura that is not visible to the naked eye". "These soldiers are trained to find us by looking at each person and seeing if they have that type of aura" said Celia. "You know the tale of the Crimson weapons do you not". "I do" Helios responded. "The crimson weapons were passed down from one family member to another". "No one else can use the Crimson weapons" Celia said. "Then if that is true then why are the soldiers looking for them" asked Helios. "I dont know why" replied Celia. "Well guess i will explore this town abit more" said Helios. "See what i can find out". "Then i guess i will tag along too" said Celia". "I dont think so Celia" sadi Helios. "You continue your work and i will do mine". "Yes sir" said Celia. She put on her hood and warped away. Helios saw the soldiers again. He took out his Elwind tome. "Good thing Celia isnt here". "ELWIND".

[Ether]

OOC: Hey Kai,by soldiers,are you referring to my troupe by any chance?Or is it another set of soldiers?

EDIT: @ Nadesico: Yeah,that is what I was going for.Because Damian has a crimson weapon,he can tell that she had one,because he had been told about them extensively by his father. She wouldn;t have noticed his at first because she wouldn;t be as attuned to it,and she would have panicked.

@ Kai: Ah...good old misunderstandings...still,it might not be the best idea for a solo mage to attack 4 armed soldiers...

[Ansem]

OOC: Hey Kai,by soldiers,are you referring to my troupe by any chance?Or is it another set of soldiers?

Yeah yours

EDIT: The ones you made up not YOUR group

[-Cynthia-]

Damn it! She was so close, that knight who had grabbed her held a lance with a familiar Crimson aura AND the woman he was chasing after had a sword with the same aura. She had finally encountered the weapons and here they were, running away from her as fast as they could. This wasn't how she had imagined this going at all, though at least the soldier seemed a friendly enough fellow, stopping her from being trampled and all.

Morgan attempted to pursue the soldier, unfortunately her years of study were not conducive to sprinting. He escaped her field of vision, though she managed to deduce that they had run into he alleyways of the village.

With her mind focused on finding the wielders of the other Crimson Weapons, she ducked into an alleyway, almost crashing into a young girl with a mischievous smile on her face. Morgan grabbed the girl by the shoulders and asked with great urgecy:

"Have you seen a soldier or a young woman with a crimson blade? It is very important that I speak with them immediately."

In her haste, Morgan failed to notice something very important about the girl...

[messy mike]

Unsurprised that the young officer with the commanding presence he had witnessed earlier was in charge of the whole outfit, Michael thanked Aiya and accepted her offer with a grin.

He realized the Colonel had not returned in the last few minutes, and mentioned it to the lieutenant.

"He does that sometimes. If you plan on sticking around for a while, you'd do well to get used to it." She explained, wary of giving any details to the stranger.

"What kind of officer just abandons his men like that?" Michael replied, his eyebrows furrowed in a playful parody of shock.

Aiya's face immediately reddened. "I will not stand to hear you insult the... oh... never mind. My apologies." She balefully retracted her statement, a bit annoyed, as she saw the joking smile begin to spread across the mercenary's face.

"No, the fault is mine. I know how fiercely loyal you military types can get. I served in Elyisima myself for a while." Michael said apologetically.

"Is that so? I can tell you didn't retain much of your military discipline," she retorted, half-smiling. "Under what division?"

"The 103rd Legion, Ezekiel's Eagles, before we were disbanded a year or so back."

He had immediately caught Aiya's attention. The 103rd was one of the most elite companies in the Elyisimian army during its short tenure, and it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between actual tales of their exploits and embellished legends spread by the people whom they had served. In particular, Ezekiel, their commander, was reputed to have been an exceptional warrior and a fantastic leader of men as well, until he shamed himself by forgoing his duty for a personal agenda and got himself killed in the process.

"You may have just helped your chances of being hired significantly." She nodded approvingly at the man.

[Kanami]

Reika reached for her daggers but stopped when she noticed the girl wasn't a soldier. "You're hurting me miss" she said wincing as the girl held her shoulders, thought to be honest the womans grip was hardly firm she decided to play the innocent little girl regardless. The older girl removed her hands but the urgency in her eyes didn't dull the slightest. Reika felt a shiver run down her spine for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Something was wrong with this girl, her eyes were.... clouded. As if she'd delved into something mankind was never supposed to touch. Finally coming to her senses Reika opened her mouth. "Umm crimson blade?" she asked cocking her head to the side. Havng grown up away from people she wasn't exactly familiar with legends, though she'd heard rumours about some sort of special weapons the three large kingdoms were looking for. "I'm sorry, I don't know" she replied hesitantly, "though there was a woman over that way who was getting arrested by a soldier. If that woman had a crimson weapon I guess Halton are arresting anyone with such weapons"

[Ether]

OOC: Why does everyone seem to think I'm arresting/hunting people... XD

I have to go... >_>,Kai,I will respond to you tommorow,keep in mind Aiya has a 50/50 shot of one shotting you,and she has backup...

[messy mike]

OOC: In a small, backwater little town like Darien, it's probably so uncommon for soldiers to be around that as soon as Esphyr runs (for completely personal reasons), everyone assumes you're after her :P

Also, hope what I wrote up with Aiya was satisfactory for you.