Lord of Azure Flame: Chapter 8: To Catch a [s]Predator[/s] Demonic, soul-sucking mesh

[-Cynthia-]

After Helen's outburst about magic, Morgan's attnetion turned to Katie. She saw the symbol written on Proxima.

"So, you are both trying to hex someone here, and you risked just setting us all on fire? Either way, you are clearly acting against the group, and your loyalties were suspect to begin with. Check her eyes, she may be the shapeshifter in disguise. Even if not, she may be another spy sent to deter us." Morgan said with an acussing finger pointed in Katie's direction.

[the_whistler]

Heinz looked up to see Esphyr's sword swing back, aimed right at him. Aiming for victory eh? Let's see how you like this then. He feinted right and then ducked down, almost falling to the floor as he kicked Esphyr's legs out from beneath her and threw a dagger right at her arm at point blank range. It ripped through the cloth covering her arms, and left a long but shallow cut on her forearm. Heinz grinned, eyes triumphant with victory until he noticed Esphyr's sword had neatly stabbed his shirt to the ground

Damnmit, I was so close to beating her..... oh well. This fight should be more than enough to prove myself to that shaman, I just have to make sure I get a rematch someday.

"A tie. Good job Esphyr, you fight well for a mercenary," trying to keep the surprise out of his voice. "By any chance, have you fought against anyone else who uses knives or daggers? You seemed like you had experience fighting against someone who uses them before. Oh yeah, mind taking your sword out of the ground now? I'd like to stand up."

[Phoenix]

Isotov and Irina

Irina: When I was waiting for you guys, I saw a bunch of ice melting in the stables. You found Kelas after she was attacked right?

Suddenly the horses riled up! The wagon shook as Clover nearly ran off with the cart in toe! Kelas quickly intervened however and calmed the horses! Irina then leaned back in and began softly speaking to her brother.

Irina: I'm glad she's fine now, but the thing that attacked her was an ice demon.

Iso: I heard about that. I was going to talk to her about it, but I thought she would want some space after being sexually assaulted.

Irina: ... ... ... anyway ... Ixion told me to tell you that the ice demon that attacked her is the same person that attacked you.

Iso: What do you mean?

Frustrated, Irina allowed her voice to rise far beyond normal levels!

Irina: The "assassins"? Remember?! The ones that have been trying to kill you for ten years?! Kelas was attacked by one of them!

Iso: There's only one left! I killed the others four months ago! you're telling me that I was being attacked by demons?!

Irina: Yes!

Iso was confused by what she said. If demons attacked him, crimson weapon or no, he should not have survived for so long. He wanted to figure out what was going on, but he was distracted by Irina's tone.

Iso: Why are you so upset?

Irina: Because you keep forgetting things! It's annoying!

Iso: I'm ... going to go talk to Kelas about this ... I think I need to stay away until you calm down a bit.

Irina: ... sure (I just thought that when I found my brother ... I'd find my brother ... not a crimson weapon wielder with no true sense of family -_- )

[Snowy_One]

"Not directly." replied Esphyr, a smirk on her face as she withdrew her blade. "I've fought my share of knife-using thugs, but never one who wielded a knife in any sense. Here, take my hand." she said, offering the merc a hand to help him upright.

---

Unable to speak or write for fear of breaking the hex, Katie did the only thing she could do, namely stare at Morgan with accusing eyes, blaming her for pushing her to this degree to get her to stop the incessant badgering. But... there was more too it. Katie was about to do something that she had not been able to do ever since she had lost her voice. She was about to cast a spell; and to have Morgan interrupt her was... wrong.

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan looked into Katie's eyes. They were...blue, same color as her hair.

"You have put yourself in a dangerous situation ice demon. Catch it once it transforms!" Morgan took out Midnight and attempted to blast "Katie" into oblivion.

[the_whistler]

"Thanks," he replied coolly. "But I can get up myself." It had been awhile since he had been beaten, and this was sure to bug him for awhile. She's good, but she shouldn't have been that good for someone that young and inexperienced. To think that a mercenary who was paid with less than money could even tie him irritated him the more he thought about it. At least she's a mercenary and not some mage...

Heinz frowned slightly. "How long have you been working as a mercenary anyway?"

[Phoenix]

OOC: Oh god this is going to end badly! >_<

Isotov and Irina

Morgan yanked out her crimson tome attempting to strike Katie down! Without a bit of hesitation, Proxima appeared in Isotov's hands! His eyes were already glowing red, and the flames emerged even while he spoke!

Iso: Proximaaa!!

The raging red flames wrapped around Katie and dispersed Morgan's attack before subsiding! When the flames cleared, Katie was unharmed, but there was a charred patch of ground around her, and smoke rose all around her! Iso stood there ... not sure how things had escalated so quickly.

Edited June 13, 2010 by Phoenix

[Inactive Account]

At the words "ice demon" Kelas whirled in the saddle, drawing her bow and notching an arrow in one smooth motion. She looked over the group: Morgan's tome was out, and her target was... Katie.

Kelas hesitated. Katie was defenseless, someone to protect, not attack... but if she was--

Flames burst out around the wagon, bright enough to momentarily blind Kelas. Was it in defense or attack? She couldn't tell. She kept her bow leveled at where Katie had been, ready to fire if need be.

[-Cynthia-]

"Isotov! The ice demon has duped you! Help me kill it before it gets away! It's probably the same one that tried to rape Kelas, now it just tried to set us all on fire! Someone get this idiot out of the way and help me!" Morgan went to blast "Katie" again.

[Snowy_One]

"About eight year-"

"Proximaa!!"

"STOP IT!" with a sudden scream, Helen turned about from her cart, sizing up the two mages. If they fought, it was HIGHLY likely that they would end up harming something more than a insignificant mage woman. The dragon had to do something lest they blow themselves up and she lose one of the delectable tomes! But what could she possibly do that wouldn't blow her co-AH!

Reaching down, she grabbed the whip that the prior owner had used upon the horses. Though she had no skill in such weapon use, skill hardly mattered in the face of someone who could simply rot out the center with only the faintest trace of magic. Besides, with two weapons in full flare, it was a simple matter. Quickly, she cracked the whip overhead, bringing the tip down upon Morgan's neck! Caught between the two, what little rot she had used was quickly consumed by the flame.

"I said no magic hobbily gock here!"

[Phoenix]

Isotov and Irina

Iso: Ugh! Urgh ... Morgan, don't jump to conclusions here! Why do you think Katie's the ice demon?!

Irina: (That would explain why she's willing to marry you tonight if you come on strong enough ^_^ oh! Uh, that attack was a bit sudden )

[-Cynthia-]

"Blue eyes! Tried to hex someone AND set us all on fire? You really think someone friendly would do that?" Morgan yelled at Irina. "Impale or tie up that creature that looks like Katie or get your idiot brother out of my way, we cannot let it escape. It's probably killed hundreds and raped a few dozen more and yet you're all just standing there!"

[Phoenix]

Isotov and Irina

Irina: Doh! >_< (Stupid contract)

Iso: Irina! Don't even think about it!

Irina: Iso, stand down ... or I'll ... uh ... well you know

Iso: Why are you people just ready to kill her?! What if it's not Shanice?! Are you going to kill Harold's daughter over a goddamn hunch?!!

[Snowy_One]

"She's gone insane!" hissed Morgan. "Can we mute her?"

"Morgan! Snap out of it!" yelled Esphyr, approaching the cart again. "You're losing it! Katie couldn't be a demon. A demon wouldn't be stupid enough to mimic the one person completely incapable of casting a spell, then try to cast! What did she do anyways?"

Katie said nothing, instead pulling her tome out. Let her go. she wrote. I did this, I should owe up to it. Morgan-I'm sick of you calling me useless and I'm sick of being the party mute. I researched your magic.

[Inactive Account]

Kelas clenched her teeth, riding forward a few paces. "Hold. There's... one thing I can think of to test."

She sighed; she'd be glad if she was defending an innocent woman, but if not... "Every time we've encountered something demonic, the animals have gone crazy. If the demon were capable of preventing this, it would have done so before attacking me in the stables. So... Katie. Reach out to Amari. We'll see what happens."

She lowered her bow, but kept the arrow on the string. If she had to, she would shoot.

[Snowy_One]

Katie gave Kelas a somewhat reluctant look, but never the less, got up and off the cart to approach her steed... without Amari freaking out. Her hand reached forth for the horse, and Amari did not freak out. However, she did not touch it, instead too afraid of if the animal would be touchy or not.

"See? Katie is not a demon." said Esphyr. "Morgan, explain."

"She's clearly lost it." said Helen a second time. "Gag and bind her? Mute her? Take away any form of spellcasting she could do?" "Anything to make my take of taking your weapons without risking killing you easier?"

[-Cynthia-]

OOC: I think you mean Helen rather than Morgan for that first line Snowy.

Morgan looked at Katie's tome "A fairly reasonable explanation, but it's one an ice demon could easily conjure up as well."

"People who join our party and attack us are naturally suspicious. Katie is not a demon, though she may be a spy. I was remaining vigilant. Had Tessa, or Chase tried to attack us I would have reacted in a similar manner. We must remain vigilant."

She eyed Helen suspiciously "You seem overly cautious of magic for someone *supposedly* hired by the headmaster."

Edited June 13, 2010 by -Cynthia-

[Phoenix]

Isotov and Irina

Iso let his arms hang with Proxima shut tightly in his hand and bleeding off trace amounts of flame that dispersed upon leaving the tome. Kiev walked over to him and nudged his left hand, trying to get Iso to notice him.

Iso: Kiev?

The wyvern let out a loud but friendly snarl. Irina's jaw dropped. She knew exactly what Kiev was doing!

Irina: You've gotta be kidding me! :o

Iso: What?

Irina: Kiev's letting you ... umm ... have Katie. He thinks you've ... uh ... earned her ... ugh.

Iso: ... ... ....

[the_whistler]

Heinz had just picked himself up from off the ground when he heard the sounds of two people screaming at each other, the shaman and someone else in the cart, most likely. He blinked, just in time to see a huge blast of fire burn a hole through the covering of the cart before subsiding into a cloud of dense black smoke.

From where he was standing, Heinz couldn't make out anything through the billowing smoke, but he could hear the voice of the driver yelling "STOP!" at them and the crack of a whip. Even though the scene wasn't quite the same, this smoke, and that huge blast of fire reminded him all too well of what had happened years ago.

Slowly Heinz clenched his fists, memories of a long dead fire coming back to life within his mind. He was standing guard outside some mage's house, watching for any signs of authority when all of a sudden, flames exploded from the wooden building. "Nooo!" Heinz screamed. He tried to run inside, pry open the door of the house but the sheer heat and intensity of the flames drove him away....... "You kill the guard and any other people who try to see if anything's wrong Heinz," said Markus. You're the best at this type of stuff, and you know Sophie and I will be fine." He grinned cockily, going towards the mage's house.....

Heinz blinked his eyes and slowly the present scene refocussed in front of him. Esphyr had already left him behind and was already at the cart, he hurried to catch up. When I find that mage... he will have much atone for if there is not a good explanation for this.

[Inactive Account]

Amari gently headbutted Katie's hand, as though to ask "Why are you so hesitant?" She considered nibbling the woman's fingers, but decided against it after noticing all the humans' expressions.

Kelas sighed with relief, putting her bow away. "We have got to come up with a better test than blue eyes," she muttered, "or else you lot will scare me to death one of these days."

Her attention went back to Helen, suspicion from before returning. Well, her horse wasn't acting up... nor were ours...

[Snowy_One]

"All it takes is one bad spell and BOOM! No more cart!" replied Helen. "So no more magic hobbily gobbily! Least not in the cart, or you get the whip! Understand?" asked Helenos, snapping the whip in her hands as a warning.

"And Irina... That's just wrong. Tell your wyvern that." said Esphyr.

[-Cynthia-]

"I do not take orders from cart drivers, or anyone for that matter. If I wish to do magic I will and I will have good reason to." she said defiantly.

[Snowy_One]

Morgan, settle down. wrote Katie, handing her the note as she leapt back into the cart. I was in the wrong. I'm sorry. I'm just so sick of you calling me useless and being useless.

[Phoenix]

Isotov and Irina

Iso looked up to see that the roof covering was gone, burned to falling ashes ... the entire party would be exposed if the rain picked up any more than it had. Luckily it seemed as though with so little cloud cover, it would be little more than a drizzle at worst.

Iso: Not again.

Kiev then walked over to Irina and waited. She turned to him and knelt down.

Irina: Kiev ... what did I tell you about claiming things? You're not supposed to act like your father victor, you know. You can't go around claiming things, especially not women from another species. Did you want to be a breeding wyvern or something? :/

The wyvern tilted his head at the word breed and then eye balled some of the others looking for suitable mates. No wyverns. He lowered his head and waited for Irina to do something.

[-Cynthia-]

"A preferable action to possibly endangering us all would be to simply tell us you had acquired magical abilities. That would have simplified this whole matter considerably. Clear communication with the group is very important when dealing with demonic enemies." Morgan thought about her last sentence That was conjecture, I do not actually have evidence for that. Still, it makes sense.