Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 3: A peaceful respite?

[Phoenix]

Isotov shot Morgan a cold look. Irina knew what was about to happen.

Iso: I know perfectly well what is and isn't flammable, shaman. Your dress for example would be a fine ingredient for a bonfire, you too if you're interested -_-

Irina: Iso! Morgan, I'm sure Iso had his reasons ... right?

Iso: Of course. It was a gut reaction. Everytime someone has attacked me while I was traveling with friends ... my failure to act right away has gotten most of them killed. The rest ... well let's just say even a crimson weapon isn't suitable for dealing with assassins.

Irina:

Irina had many many questions to ask her brother all of a sudden.

[-Cynthia-]

"Choosing not to use one's mind is equivalent to not having one." Morgan chastised. "Emotional, reactive fighters such as yourself don't last very long in the real world. Every action should be calculated, precise, and logical to achive maximum success. Presumably you do have a brain, use it, or you might get us all killed."

[Inactive Account]

"Right, I'm sure this discussion of who is or isn't an idiot's every bit as important as every similar one we've had," Kelas exclaimed impatiently, "but people are beginning to stare! Have we not drawn enough attention for the day? Those men, whoever they were, have likely gone for reinforcements, and you're squabbling over whose fault it is! Now are we going to move off now and discuss the niceties later, or are we going to wait until someone shows up to kill us?" She saw the shaman open her mouth, probably to encourage her to leave. "And no, I'm not leaving-if-I-hate-it-so-much, because my brother's stuck with you lot now, I have spent the past six years looking for him, and it damn well is my concern!" Kelas added before the question was asked.

Arrin gaped. Kelas was getting in on the shouting now, too? This couldn't end well... "Are they always like this?" he asked Tessa, who'd fled the inn with the rest of them.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Darth Lacuna

[Phoenix]

Iso: You appear to have a brain as well. Why don't you use yours and stop riding every person you come into contact with?

Irina: Oi! All this fighting. What do you two have against each other anyway? You're both crimson weapon wielders right? Can't you just be nice to each other?

Iso: I said I'd come with, there was nothing in the agreement about allowing the anima hunter walk all over me.

Irina: Please?

Iso: Don't get me wrong. I'm sure we could get along if certain conditions are met.

Irina: Like what? :)

Iso: Take her voice and give it to Katie, then I don't think we'll have any problems.

Irina:

[Snowy_One]

Katie quickly stood up as the argument started to get heated up. Quickly, she wrote in the diary.

02/13/23 Dear diary. I felt the calling again today. I don't know what it is or why it comes. Just that, sometimes, when I dream, I hear the voice of a womDon't worry. If he steps out of line again, I'll blugeon him with my tome. Additionally, I'll make sure he gets some decent, institute taining which involves learning to not cast fire spells in wooden hoses

OOC: For someone speed-writing all the time, Katie sure seems to have good spelling. Changing that.

[Phoenix]

Not far away an entire garrison of soldiers came marching down the street to investigate the fire. Some of the townspeople were pointing to the group of crimson weapon wielders. The thugs that had escaped earlier were watching from across the street. They were praying that the group didn't leave before the soldiers could apprehend them.

Irina: Okay. Kelas is right! We should get going before anybody else shows up.

The sounds of stampeding feet could be heard faintly in the distance. Iso looked over his shoulder and saw dust kicking up from around a street corner.

Iso: I can't be involved in this. Enough people are dead because of this tome. We need to leave. You people can yell at me later.

[Inactive Account]

"...Oh lovely..." Kelas muttered as the soldiers appeared. "We're not going to be able to fight that many. Do we split and try to regroup unnoticed somewhere?"

[Phoenix]

Irina knew that some of them were bound to get caught if they scattered, but she had a plan.

Irina: We're not all going to get away if we just run. Someone has to distract the soldiers.

Iso: I started this ... let me-

Irina: No! I'm protecting you now. I'll distract them, you guys get somewhere safe. Kiev!

As Isotov hopped down from the wyvern, it moved over to Irina, who quickly mounted him.

Iso: You can't take them all, and I'm not going to let you get yourself killed!

Irina: Take them all? I'm not going to fight them, I'm going to do what I do best, be a mercenary ;)

She quickly flew off to intercept the soldiers. When they saw her coming they stopped in their tracks, put up their shields, and held out their pikes, the standard procedure for archers, and flying units. Irina landed right in front of them.

Irina: You're looking for the ones who wrecked the inn, aren't you?

Captain: Who are you?! What do you want, rider?

Irina: Money.

Captain: Get lost <_<

Irina: That's too bad, I know where the man ran off to and everything

Captain: What?!

The captain had to think hard, but eventually ....

Captain: >_< urgh ... how much?

[Inactive Account]

"They'll be looking for a fire mage to start with," Kelas noted. She turned to Isotov. "We've got to get you hidden. Ch--Tina, I assume you've got some hiding spots in this town?" she asked the disguised archer.

"What should I do?" Arrin asked worriedly, but his voice was drowned out by the others'. He walked nervously over to the horses.

[Phoenix]

Irina continued negotiating a high price for finding Iso, though she had no intention of turning in her own brother.

Captain: No merc is worth that much! Not even a tracker! Who do you think you are, one of Ivanko's mercs?

She wanted to say yes, but since what she was doing was wrong, she didn't want to give Ivanko's mercenaries a bad name by being paid for an unfinished job.

Irina: Hah! You must not have heard of me! I'm the best man hunter from here to Tora! You should be glad I even offered. And like I said, I know where he was awhile ago. No one gets away from me once I see them with my eyes ... no one B)

Her cockiness was starting to win them over a little bit.

Captain: So ... you're sure you can apprehend this man? He may be a magic user as the people say, a fire mage. Can you handle that?

Irina: Yeeees :D

Captain: Fine, 2,000 gold it is. Pay the lass.

Irina: (Profiting from Iso's mistake ... I'm a genius )

Edited May 5, 2010 by Phoenix

[riariadne]

"Not exactly in the town, but I have a very, very good one just outside of it, and a quick way to get there. Now would be a good time, I assume?"

[Inactive Account]

"Very. Come on, let's go," she said, dismounting and catching Isotov's sleeve. "Arrin, you too, lead the packhorse." To Tina she said: "Can you bring the others there after we get there? If we all go in a big group we'll get too much suspicion, but if we stagger it..."

[riariadne]

"Yeah, but it might take a bit of time to get everyone there, depending on the size of the groups. Maybe an hour if we go in groups of 3 plus me, but there's other not as good ones on the way, which would help a bit."

[Ansem]

Helios was just arriving back to the inn when he saw smelled fire. He arrived in front of the burned inn. "Hey what hape........ oh". The damn fire mage had to go and ruin something else. "I see unfamiliar faces amongst us" he said turning toward the waitress. He recognized her from before. "I am sorry for your loss" He said.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Kai-Sama

[Ether]

OOC:

Fire...always with the damn fire...

...Damian was pissed.Aiya looked to him and he nodded. Aiya was known in the regiment for disciplining soldiers,Isotov was liable to be sore for quite a while.

Regardless,Irina had intercepted the soldiers and the rest of the group had left.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Ether

[Snowy_One]

A few moments later, Esphyr stumbled out from the inn, her body stained in ash. There was something highly unusual about her as she got out, namely that every muscle in her body was incredibly lax and a baked look was in her eyes. She could barely stand upright, yet didn't seem to mind. Her eyes gazed ahead vacantly, spaced out and unnoticing of anything about her as she simply looked ahead like a idiot.

"I'm hungry." she said simply, out loud as a soft and gentle buzz seemed to tingle throughout her body. She didn't know why it was happening, only that it made her feel REALLY good! So good, in fact, that she felt she simply couldn't stand there any longer. After some amount of time, either between an eternity or half of a quarter of an eternity doubled after it had been run through a cow and a chicken, she had arrived at the place where the rest of the party had gathered, including Morgan, Katie, and Iso.

"The fire's out." she stated simply, the scent of drugs and smoke rolling off her to fill the air about her. She saw Katie's sandwiches, but... Katie was that woman! The one who protected... someone... She had made them! She wanted Esphyr to eat them! Yea... That's it! She wanted Esphyr to eat them so that she could have... someone... all to themselves! While she was stuffing her face, she could have them all to themselves! She would be able to kill the Lord and get all the fame a glory! All the fame... and Morgan!

Sweet, sweet, adorable, cute Morgan would be fawning over her! Not arguing with her, fawning over her! Esphyr couldn't allow that too happen!

To the rest of the world, after walking in with a vapid look on her face, Esphyr stood slack for a moment before licking her lips at the sight of Katie's sandwiches. Then, a sudden look of revulsion came over her face before she suddenly turned to Morgan and sprung upon her! Esphyr tried to pin the shaman to the floor, door, or anything she could manage as she screamed like a loony about Katie stealing from her again before she suddenly kissed Morgan on the cheek!

OOC: Getting high as seen by someone who doesn't do drugs!

[Ansem]

Helios looked at Esphyr. "Whats wrong with her" Helios said with that look.

[Ether]

"Okay,that's enough of that." Damian lifted Esphyr off of Morgan,and tried to restrain her.

"I think some hallucinagenic fumes must have gotten to her." Damian explained,as Eshyr began to try to squirm out of his grip.

"Uhh...a little help here?"

[Kanami]

OoC: Fire = Much easier then any other naturally active disaster,

"Uhm, yes of course, thank you" Kamilla said blankly not sure what to say, still turning around occasionally to the smoke which probably could be seen from the other side of town. She saw Irina negotiating something with the guards, "Is she stalling them?" she asked no one in particular, having received a nod she frowned. "If she accepts money from them and doesn't catch the crazy man(Isotov) won't she be wanted for swindling the guards, or at least for getting in the way, and being a hindrance?"

At that moment Esphyr returned she was covered in ash, and her hair had frizzled in a few places where it had supposedly come in contact with the flames. "Are you alri-" she started before the woman pounced on Morgan who had been pulling on Kamilla's arm. Due to Morgans thoughtful thinking, she'd let go and prevented Kamilla from being on the floor beside her. "Are you a-" she started when she blushed and turned away at the kiss Esphyr had given Morgan, "Should I book you a room?" she asked trailing away near the end realizing she wasn't working at the inn anymore. "Uhm, err" she managed as a few people who had been watching them escape closed in on the two. Probably to get a better look.

"Homosexuality is not...." she started her sentence but stopped once again, Septimia strictly forbid a relationship between a man and another man. She cited to herself more then others but didn't know she was speaking rather clearly.

"A man shall not bed another man, as man is afflicted strongly with the Demon Lords properties, the only thing which shall be born from such an abominable relation is pure evil"

she paused, "Though I wonder what the case would be in terms of two women, I mean, we supposedly draw on the attributes of the mother goddess, so perhaps such a relationship is pure good?" Noticing people staring at her, she quickly bowed her head "I'm sorry, please don't mind me" she blurted out,

"Congratulations miss, and err miss, I hope you make eachother happy" she said before turning to leave.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Nadesico

[Ansem]

"I can knock her out" Helios offered

[Kanami]

Kamilla looked at Helios rather surprised, only realising his existence now, despite having spoken to him only a few seconds ago. "I'm not sure knocking out a woman and dragging her away is a good idea right now" she said looking around at the people around them, "It'd draw attention, and I figure we don't really want to be sticking out like a sore thumb at the moment"

[Ansem]

"You have any other ideas" He asked the girl

[Inactive Account]

Kelas stared for a moment, dumbfounded. She shook her head as if to clear away the confusion, then looked up the street and back to the group. "You think Irina led all of them off?" she asked. If she had, they could probably get away without splitting up...

"Oh for... load her on the packhorse, we should get moving."

[Kanami]

OoC: *Wishes Kai would stop making one-line posts*

Kamilla frowned at the tone the man had spoken to her, she'd only tried to be helpful, "My apologies, I haven't got any idea, it really isn't my place to say such things, I'm sorry" she said before turning around and heading off to the otherside of the group, it wasn't far, but it was her natural instinct to flee, when people spoke to her like that.

OoC: Don't know what tone you had in mine, (eg curiosity/irritation etc) but I'm just going to go with Kamilla sensing your irritation, (since your group did just partially burn an inn) Probably thinking, "I can't take my eyes of them for a second without them causing trouble" or something XD

[Snowy_One]

"No! Don't leave me! You're going to drag me off! If you drag me off, she will win! She wins! I don't want to win! I... Unngggg.... I feel sick..." moaned Esphyr as her body went suddenly slack, almost collapsing, from the sheer amount of drugs she had unwittingly inhaled.