Lord of Azure Flame: Chapter 10: Flying Supermodel Assault!

[Phoenix]

OOC: Monologue incoming!!

Isotov Irina Viveka and Lev

Seeing the note passed from Morgan to Kelas, Lev sighed.

Lev: Well ... so much for reading it now. >.> hmmm ....

Lev finally noticed Iso lying across Katie's lap and walked over to them.

Lev: Aren't you the deaf wom-I mean mute woman from the armory? :)

Iso: (... please ... please don't let him be interested in her, this is a damn nightmare sent from the fires of heeeeell!! >_<

Viveka: So you will take care of her, right? Not just stuff her in a stable somewhere?

Esphyr's explanation was in fact full of past experiences. Irina's would have to be too.

Irina: Well ... I don't think I could ever see Lev as a ... "leech". He's ... well he's always been there, and I don't mean that in the general sense. I mean he's always been there, most of my life in fact. We grew up together, and he's always nice to me, even when I flip out at him. Even my uncle hasn't always treated me very well. He's not really fit for raising children. Iso vanished one day without warning and never came back, and most of my other friends always drift apart once they come of age to start working. Lev's different. He's beaten up people, killed bandits, smashed thieves and raiders ... and he's always giving me the same reason why. "Not gonna let anything happen to dear Irina!" he says.

She then thought about Viveka and all the other women he'd ... approached.

Irina: I guess the only thing I can't stand is his womanizing ... but that's only because he's successful most of the time, especially when he's not working. I've met a lot of crummy people, especially employers and they're always nothing but pigs and gold hogging snakes. Lev's woman issue bothers me, but when I compare that to the kind of man he could have been, a low life snake, a rapist, a con artist of a mercenary, maybe even a demon summoner, I just get so grateful. I'm not going to turn on someone who's risked his life just to keep me from getting scrapes and bruises during training, and then gotten beaten to a pulp by my uncle even before getting treated for the wounds in the first place. I can't. I don't know how he feels about me, but for me, it wouldn't get much better than that as far as men are concerned.

Kiev and Susann

Having been apparently routed, Susann slowly began heading back to the group, turning back to see if the wingless one was still herding her along. Kiev watched and tilted his head. Winged horses might taste even better than regular ones. Perhaps he could negotiate with Amari for the winged one.

EDIT: Added Mount segment.

EDIT2: Gr4mm4r

Edited June 25, 2010 by Phoenix

[Csquared08]

Save her? Wonder who she could be? I'm curious now... Determined to satisfy his curiosity, he follows the group into the fortress, careful to avoid detection. He follows them until they reach their a destination: a cell containing a single girl and guarded by a single merc. One of the three quickly dispatches the merc and rescues the girl. He continues to track the group until he notices Charlotte break off and follow a man to a small room. Was that who I think it was? Could it be...? Filled with hope, Panamon listens in on their conversation. He is able to catch the end and confirms his suspicions while his hope turns to anger. Attempting to ravish a princess? The nerve! Standing off to the side, Panamon waits for Charlotte to rush off before entering the room.

Travis, still yelling, doesn't hear him come in. Hearing a number of guards rushing to the room, Panamon decides killing the man would likely result in his own death and instead chooses to prevent future ravishment with a well-placed shot. Chuckling to himself, Panamon quickly leaves the room and chases after Charlotte. He follows them out of the fortress and back into the woods. While they pause to rest, Panamon eases himself into a resting position. While doing so, a snaps a twig, alerting Eric to his position.

"Come on. I know you're there. Come out where we can see you."

Realizing the futility in attempting to remain hidden, Panamon steps out from the bushes. "You got me."

"Who are you?" asks Eric. "And what do you hope to accomplish by following us."

"I would like to know why you are traveling with a princess."

"And how would you know she's a princess?"

"As an ex-Septimian general, I knew the members of the royalty of the country we were planning to attack."

[Snike]

"... I don't know who you are, but you're mistaken," Eric said, tense. "We do not have a princess traveling among us. Though, if you are an ex-Septimian general, you're no friend of us."

"Your people sort of wrecked our country, you know!" Dani added, pulling out her tome.

"... And killed our father. At least, mine and Dani's," Derek concluded, pulling his gauntlets down. "Now, you might want to identify yourself more precisely. Who are you?"

[Inactive Account]

"Stable? You wrong me," Kelas protested in mock offense. "Don't worry. Amari," she called, "come show the lady I know animals, hey?"

Amari trotted over alongside Susann. Not sure why she'd been called over, Amari just nuzzled Kelas' pocket until a treat was produced. Another was held out to Susann, who eyed it hesitantly. Amari nickered; Kelas was firm, but not that scary. Silly pegasus.

Leaning against her mare's side, Kelas assured Viveka, "I'm not going to mistreat an animal just because we're on opposing sides at the moment."

[Csquared08]

"Still in denial, eh?"

"...No. Now tell us who you are?" asked Eric.

"...Fine. I am Panamon, former commander of the Ranger Division of the Septimian Army?"

"The what? Never heard of them before." Derek replied.

"That's good. It means they've done their job well."

"Assassins?"

"Of a sort. And I was the commander, until it was decided that Jerdon should be invaded. I disapproved of an unprovoked attack, leading to by banishment."

"And you think this gives us reason enough to trust you?" demands Eric.

"No. But I would like to know why you travel with Charlotte, princess of Jerdon."

Edited June 25, 2010 by Csquared08

[Phoenix]

Isotov Irina Kiev Viveka Susann and Lev(TOO MANY NAMES LOL XD )

Iso clinched his fists and grinded his teeth at the thought of Lev making a move on Katie. Not sure he was actually angry, or how much his anger was showing if he was indeed angry, he closed his eyes and tried to relax.

Lev: So is it you? The one I teased from before?

Susann slowly leaned forward to smell the treat. After seeing that it was edible and realizing that this might actually be a trustworthy hostler like the ones in Ilyphina, she ate the treat.

Viveka: Huh ... I guess you weren't kidding. Usually takes just a bit longer and a bit more rope(stupid amateur hostlers ... the nomad rumors were true weren't they?) -_-

Alright then, I'll trust you to look after her. Don't forget the notes either. Especially #1, #4, and #10 ^_^

[-Cynthia-]

"He knows, Sir Eric." Charlotte said with a sigh.

"For the most part my countrymen and I were brought together as victims of circumstance. But they also serve as my loyal protectors and will strike down any enemy who threatens me--Septimian or otherwise." she said, glaring at Panamon.

"Not a word of this to the others." she said quickly to Alferis.

[Dark Sage]

"Septimian? You people ruined my life! Destroyed my home! I'm not at all letting you come along unless you have a better reason than that," he snarled.

Edited June 25, 2010 by Dark Sage

[Snowy_One]

As Irina spoke, Esphyr simply chose to recline back against the tree, her mind set in her way. To say that what Irina was saying was going in one ear and out the other would be wrong. However, to say that as she spoke, Esphyr was getting her own idea of how Irina's childhood had been would be vastly more accurate. "Irina, do me a favor and ask yourself this, why would he do such a thing? Why would a man who calls a captive his property because she is a woman go out of his way to protect you? Did he see you as a person, or as a valued gem? A man like him can't see a woman as a human being. They never do."

[riariadne]

Chase unwillingly lowered his bow. he waited and listened throughout the conversation, but added, "I won't fly anywhere if I'm not forced to. Please. Anything but flying. I had rather bad experiences in that area..." he trailed off, and shuddered slightly at the thought.

--

Further away, Conrad continued towards the town his army was stationed in- apparently very close to the border of Eliyisma and Halton. Unlike the group before him had done, he did not stop at any places to count numbers, nor did he need to. As he arrived in the town, he quickly asked the nearest soldier, "Where did the mercenaries and Viveka's squad go? No time for formalities, I need to know immediately." The soldier pointed in the direction of the mountains, and before he could say anything else, Conrad left up the mountain path.

(Conrad sorta timeskip'd on his own but it won't affect the group until later.)

[Phoenix]

Isotov and Lev

Iso: Lev, did you want something?

Lev: Well now that I'm here, I definitely want to talk to you about something.

Iso: Go ahead.

Lev: ... so what? Is the mute woman going to pretend to cover her ears while eavesdropping or is she actually going to ignore us?

Iso: Is this an inappropriate discussion?

Lev: No. But it is a private one.

Irina

Irina: He wasn't always like this you know. We were friends even before he realized the difference between boys and girls, and that I'm a girl. Once he got into girls, we became a lot closer. We sometimes played around with the idea of being ... well ... together, but it never happened in the end because my uncle didn't want either of us getting distracted from training ... that and being only twelve at the time of our first real flirt was a clear sign that we needed to wait a bit.

Irina then realized that Esphyr had also mentioned the issue of women being referred to as property. She probably couldn't change her mind in that area either, but she was going to try anyway, even if she had to dip into speculation's territory. After all, she'd never been called "property", and he did occasionally go way too damn far with his jokes.

Irina: I think you're just mad about what he said specifically. In all honesty, if he really considered Viveka his "property" he wouldn't let her wander around freely. He would have tied her up himself, but instead he's letting her negotiate with us, and even run errands. I'm pretty sure he was just taking the hostage joke a little too far.

Viveka

When Viveka inspected the horse she would be using, she got a little curious.

Viveka: ... this is a warhorse ... where did you people buy th- (Hamburg's patrols went dark the other night ...) ... *sigh* ... you didn't -_-

She then turned to Chase again.

Viveka ... one more thing before I set out though. Where did you get that red bow, Chase?

Lucille and Jasmine

Having successfully evaded Ivanko's mercenaries, the two knights relayed the information to Conrad, but they weren't going to stand idly by and hope for the best. Taking a very high altitude route, the two quickly set back out, hoping to launch a rescue mission.

OOC: Time passage is getting raped in this chapter XD

[Ether]

That demon again.The shapeshifter,who had caused trouble before.Damian nearly lunged at it when it took his form,again!It spoke mockingly to Kelas and Esphyr,but dissapeared just before Damian could launch a spear into it's faked face.

Then,the Wyvern Lord reappeared,with Viveka,Conrad's subordinate.

She seemed to be questioning Chase,when Damian walked up to her.

"So,Miss Viveka,we meet again."

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

That Wyvern Lord,he took out all of those Pegasus Knights,only taking a single hit!He even took out the Captain!

Aiya's hand traced the profile of the Lance wound she could vividly remember.A feeling of shame as the memory came back to her.

It was only one pegasus knight,she should have been an easy kill...

'How could I have left myself so open back then...?'

Still,the man was...interesting...Esphyr seemed to have garnered an immediate hatred of him,but Irina seemed to trust him.

'He can't be that bad,can he?'

"Excuse me Sir...Lev,was it?"

[Phoenix]

OOC: Fun, fun :D

Isotov and Lev(now with 50% more Aiya )

Aiya had approached him from behind, and asked his name. The voice was a clear sign of a fit young woman. How the hell he knew that wasn't important. He turned around with a smile on his face.

Lev: That's right. My name is Lev, but now I'm curious, what's yours?

Iso: (and here we ... go -_- )

Viveka(now with forgiven but never forgotten)

Viveka: Mister Kleine ... the man who's motives I just can't grasp. Is there any particular reason you're heading in the opposite direction of the crimson axe ... I mean for something other than just evading the law?

[Ether]

Lev seemed to be friendly enough,quite flirty,but that wasn't a problem in of itself.

"My name is Aiya.I am a wyvern rider like you are...your performance against those pegasus knights was very impressive." She replied to him,extending her hand in greeting.

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

"Oh?Am I that difficult to follow?" Damian said,feigning a hurt look.

"My reasons for leaving the axe are simple.After the mercenary and bandit raids,the timing was horrid to attempt to speak to General Jackson,and you would have been unlikely to wish to deal with us in such a situation,so long as you had the ability to capture us."

Damian chose to begin by explaining why they left,although he was certain she had deduced more than she had let on.

"While getting Conrad and the Axe is Ilyphina would have been nice,it seemed impossible at the time,and garnering General Jackson's help immediately is not absolutely necessary...besides,why is seeing me in Halton such a surprise?Everyone likes to stop at home every once in a while."

[Csquared08]

"Milady, what makes you think I'd be an enemy? I was banished because I wished for your country's survival. And as for your question," He said, turning to Alf, "a banished Septimian is no longer a Septimian, true? Nowadays, I consider myself a Haltonian. And finally, if you want proof of my trustworthiness, there is a man sitting in a tree just above us. Likely a Septimian spy." Before anyone can react, Panamon pulls out his bow and fires off an arrow into the tree, followed by a startled cry and a man falling onto the ground. "Now, if you wouldn't mind pestering me with anymore questions, I am now quite hungry and would like to eat some lunch."

[Snowy_One]

If you want me to leave, I will. wrote Katie. She then carefully set Iso's head upon the ground before getting up to allow Lev and Iso some privacy.

---

Esphyr had no clue what to say in response to Irina's statements at first. What could she say? It was clear to her that Irina had fallen for the man in the same way a captive falls for her captor. Still, it was impossible for her to deny that she disliked anyone who would refer to a woman as property; even in jest. She found it outright sickening. "Look, if you want me to tolerate it," she said, not even granting Lev the decency of being called a man, "I will. Hell, if Damian orders me too and I'll even kiss it out of loyalty to him. But when you catch me hitting that thing about when I catch it rolling about in the swill; don't get mad at me first."

[Dark Sage]

"Ok. But I'm keeping my eye out on you and if you dare betray us to the Septimians, I'll kill you on the spot."

[Phoenix]

OOC: BTW "Leesten" is Russian/Zaftra for "Listen" from now on :)

Isotov and Lev(hmmm ... I'm writing out Iso's full name but not Lev's ... :/ )

He kindly reached out and shook her hand, before commenting on the earlier battle.

Lev: The peggies? Yes I tried to talk them down, but when it's a three on one, they don't want to leesten. Stubbornness aside, I should've worn my damn helmet.

As Katie got up, Iso was ... not sure exactly what to do. He carefully sat up and crossed his legs.

Iso: Don't go too far, Katie. I'm in no condition to protect you ... not without killing myself this time anyway.

He cracked a smile that was sabotaged by the pain in his chest.

Irina

Irina: I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to attack him. He's not a bad guy, really. It's probably a dumb idea, but you should really talk to him about it. You know ... try to reach some kind of understanding?

Viveka

Viveka: Riiight. You are from Halton aren't you? We had to crush the rumor that you were all Halton sponsored bandits to keep the people from spreading silly war rumors. The term "fire bandits" worked quite nicely ^_^

As for what happened during the night of the capital raid, I'm just sorry I didn't see it coming.

[Ether]

OOC:I expect some sort of reaction from this...just to clarify,it isn't one of those disfiguring scars or anything like that.

"I still have a ways to go,it seems...in my last encounter with a pegasus knight,I took a much worse hit...it was even one-on-one...I was careless to get something like this..."

Aiya said in response,slipping off her breastplate and pointing out the remnants of the wound on her chest.The scar was still there,although it had faded,and it seemed it would dissapear...in time...

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

"Yes,what happened that night was unfortunate...I was hoping we could put this all behind us then...but then the mercenary attacks and the bandit raids..."

Edited June 25, 2010 by Ether

[Phoenix]

Isotov and Levski

Seeing Aiya's old injury, Lev squinted his eyes taking a closer look. He was also taking the time to closely examine everything else as well.

Iso: (How long does it take to look at a scar? <_< )

Lev: I'd say you've done pretty well, Aiya. Most warriors are walking around with dozens of "old mistakes" marked on them, not simply a few "big ones". No need to fret over the past, you can't change it ... only make it insignificant by what you do in the future. This is entirely unrelated, but you are quite well figured, Aiya ^_^

Iso: (Better him having to go through Damian to get to her than having it so easy as to step over my injured hide to get to Katie.)

Viveka

Viveka: ... well you did assist us greatly, and I won't forget that. If you have your little meeting with General Jackson and manage not to set either of us on fire in the process, I suppose we can just leave the past where it is ... don't think I won't bring it up to win arguments though ^_^

[Snowy_One]

"I understand him perfectly." replied Esphyr without pausing for even a second to consider what Irina meant. She knew what the rider actually did mean though, and she wasn't about to play the dumb idiot just to have her way and win the conversation. "If you promise to keep him from acting like swine around the group, I promise not to harm, maim, neuter, or any other form of malice him. Okay? Or do you want me to walk up to him and worship the ground he walks on and kiss his rear?"

[Phoenix]

Irina

Irina: Well ... actually I didn't want you to try to attack him because ... I didn't want you to get hurt

He's ... not very easygoing in combat ...

But yeah, I think you should talk to him. I can keep him from hitting on you too :D

[Ansem]

Helios listened as Morgan negotiated with the Pegasus knight whose name happened to be Viveka. After a while he found himself bored with nothing to do. He sighed and sat under a tree. Everyone else was either busy negotiating or hitting on one another. He sighed as he closed his eyes and took a little rest.

[Ether]

'I suppose I should have expected that.Ah well,it is a compliment,I suppose.'

"Thank you for saying so,Lev." She replied to him with a smile.

"I guess it just gets to me that I had nearly ripped the bitch in half,and then she got a lucky shot in...nearly hit my Subclavian and killed me...I fell off of Ulfhrahn and almost smashed into the ground from over 100 feet...but you are right.So long as I keep it from happening again,it doesn't really matter."

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

"Heh...well,that would be nice.I suppose you can't win em all though." Damian replied to Viveka.

"You seem like a sensible person,that's good.Nowadays,they are increasingly difficult to find,I wouldn't want to have you as an enemy,Viveka."

[Phoenix]

OOC: Dammit, Kai! Stop having Helios lonewolf it all the time! XD

Also Skeell for Skill ... I'm finding more of them! :D

Isotov and Levski

Lev: What can I say? I'm honest beyond inhibition. Anyway keep training. Don't let your strength and skeell turn back into what it was the day you got that, okay?

Iso: You know, I honestly don't care who's around. What did you want to talk with me about?

Lev: Heh, she wants in I'll gladly tell you what I think about you and that mute woman.

Iso: Ohhh ... so this is about Katie after all <_<

Viveka

Viveka: You wouldn't? I don't see why not. You and your mercenaries always seem to win somehow, and where will you find another enemy with some tenacity? ^_^