Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 5: That which is unplanned

[Phoenix]

OOC: The fort is empty? GHOST FORT!!! GHOOOOOST FOOOORT!!!

The soldiers made their way to the original entrance and came bolting out to meet the reinforcements who were waiting impatiently!

Captain: Did you capture them?

Navigator: Uh ... no ... they ambushed us ... and ... and ... this Shaman! Yeah this tall eerie shaman attacked us with dark magic! We nearly died!

Captain: Why is there a shoe print on your face?

Navigator: She uh ... the Shaman! She drop kicked me! It was awful! Send the cavalry! They're heading for the capital!

Captain: A drop kicking Shaman?

As ridiculous as the story sounded, there was no time to investigate any further. The captain ran back to through the forest to the main camp accompanied by some of the troops.

[Kanami]

"Well, if you say so" Something told her the fort wouldn't be abandoned when they got there, but she wasn't going to argue at this point in time. "I wonder how the others are doing" she said staring at the sky. The pegasus rider from earlier nothing more then a speck in the distance now.

[Snowy_One]

"I dislike the idea of us entering into a fortress with a name suspiciously close to 'Sleezeara'. Especially with a wounded woman in tow. If you were to ask me, it's like asking for something bad to happen. You wouldn't want us to enter in only to find out that there is some horrendous monster within, right? Kamilia, being the sweet and innocent girl who didn't want to come along would be the first to go, and Aiya would be the second. Then it would likely be one of you two men, followed by me. After all, that's what always happens in the bard tails. Maybe we can stop just outside the big scary abandoned monsterde-Imeanfortress?"

[riariadne]

"Wait, what about Katie? Who's she with?"

[Ether]

"It's a meet up point.I don't plan on going in if we still have daylight when we meet up for the others." Damian responded to Esphyr's comment.

"If we do have to go in,we just need to go far enough for a night's shelter,no need to go in far."

[Snowy_One]

"Uh-huh. Riiiight." said Esphyr, rolling her eyes.

---

Katie, meanwhile, had not been left behind this time. Instead, this time she had been perfectly with the group. However, since she lacked the ability to speak, she had been unable to join in any of the conversations, or do anything of any true use.

[Snike]

"I doubt the army would make a night assault, so if we rest there for the night, we'll be safe," Eric said. "If it troubles you that much, I can stand watch, once we get there. But, we may want to hurry. I saw a few pegasi land to our north a few minutes ago, so it may be best to hurry."

[Inactive Account]

Kelas waved Mark off. He was far more tolerable than his idiotic charge, but she didn't need chivalry right now...

...Well, she kind of did. But that was beside the point. She attempted to use a nearby rock as a step to climb onto Amari's back. "Yeahhhh this isn't working," she stated, and had to sit down. "I need a saddle at very least," she said when her head had stopped spinning. "If Chase doesn't mind, I'll take my saddle from the packhorse..."

Arrin fretted. Tessa needed calming down, he wanted to help... but logic said that Morgan would do a better job of it; Arrin had very little practice with people who were freaking out. A little guiltily, he realized that he should help his sister. "Can you manage without the saddle?" he asked Chase.

[Kanami]

"Why thank you" Kamilla said smiling sweetly at Esphyr, her words laced with more then a slight amount of venom.

Turning to Eric she pondered the comment for a few seconds before replying "Probably, but there'd be no point in getting there early if the other group has trouble." Something was bothering her, Esphyr was right about Selizara having a bad ring to it, but she couldn't remember what, monsters?, no it was something else

[Phoenix]

When the captain made it to the main camp (placed right beside the town with the inn), he rushed over to the main tent. Out side the tent, he saw Susann, Lieutenant Viveka's pegasus. She was hitched to a small horizontal pole.

Captain: She's ... still here?

He rushed into the tent to find her sipping tea while sitting in a chair with her legs crossed.

Captain: Lieutenant! Why are you still here?

Viveka: I passed along the message, don't worry ^_^

Captain: The criminals are getting away, Ma'am! We could really use some help out there!

Viveka: Yep ... because I can dominate an entire company of mercs singlehandedly <_<

Captain: Then why are you still here?

Viveka: If this operation hits a critical phase, I need to be here to properly assess the situation. We'll either send in more troops, or withdraw and ambush them at the capital itself ^_^

Captain: I always knew pegasus knights were lazy <_< Wait! I outrank you! I order you to help us!

Viveka: Hahah! You do outrank me, but General Jackson entrusts me as his second during operations outside his immediate reach. Ordering me around is like ordering Jackson himself around ^_^

Captain: But ... you're so talented ... you could beat them

Viveka: Maybe next time. For now ... I'm the ONLY strategist present. I have a lot of reports to go through as it is.

Captain: Fine. By the way ... we need to send the cavalry units in. The teams at the caves got blocked off from the other exit. Those people are definitely heading for the capital.

Viveka: You're kidding

>_< Fine! Do it! I can't let these people get away! I just can't! Move the main camp to the city itself. We'll post up far enough away from the gates so they won't see us until it's too late! Hurry!

The captain saluted her and then left! She stood up and looked at the battle reports.

Viveka: *sigh* ... this isn't fair. We had more than enough men ... things just keep going wrong. General, how would you defeat these people?

OOC: She's just talking outloud mind you

[Balcerzak]

Tessa let Morgan drag her along by the arm. She was dazed, confused, and not thinking straight, but something told her that Sis would look out for her. Perhaps more importantly, she was nearly completely spent, and the shaman had a firm enough grip on her that the one time her nerve broke down and she did try to break free and run away again, she was unable to escape.

The surge of adrenaline caused by her panic attack had worn off, and the sudden low combined with exhaustion from being overworked earlier helped to calm her down. Then Mark collapsed part of the tunnel...

The sound of falling earth and rock nearby was enough to start to whip her back up into a state of fear again, and renewed cries of "Buried alive," and "We're not going to make it," issued forth.

When they were within sight of the exit, though, not even Morgan could restrain her any longer, and she burst forth into the open air, a look of pure relief stretching across her face before she collapsed to the ground, rolled over, and just stared at the blue sky overhead.

[Snowy_One]

Now visible to the outside light, Katie's tome could be seen covered in various rants, raves, and insults to the party and their choice to enter a cave and forget to do some things, like leave signs for them to follow in the event they got lost. But the clearest and most evident was one directed at the druid. One chiding her for forgetting something VERY important.

USE THE NECKLACE I GAVE YOU MORGAN! was written in huge letters, all capitalized, and clearly written with a annoyed hand.

[riariadne]

"Okay now that we're out of here- all this light is painful to my eyes by the way, ugh- Anybody notice the color of the armor? Try to remember it, because that's Conrad's color. We might run in to a few more soldiers under him before we reach the capital, so the less of them we kill the better chance of getting Conrad's cooperation is," Chase told the group. "Hmm... I wonder if we'll run into Viveka. That'd be interesting."