Lord of Azure Flame: Chapter 15: Happy Birthday Esphyr!

[Ether]

"Lie to you? What do you mean? Esphyr, when have I lied to you? Yes, I love Aiya, and yes, we've been through a lot... why do you think that means you don't matter?" Damian asked.

[Snowy_One]

"I never said that Damian. I said you love her more."

---

"Ahhh.... To be fair, I don't. Your talk of how each person came up to you though seems to make me think that it is a small group, as does your desire to interview everyone. But tell me, surely they can make it through a series of simple questions, no? If not through truth, than through thought-out lies? Maybe it would be better to watch them on your own."

[Ansem]

"Next we have Rita, the swordsmistress against Arnold, the lancer. Fight on!"

[Ether]

"I can't say that you're wrong... you're right. I care about Aiya more than anyone, we've been through everything together, and you knew that already nefore you asked. But that doesn't mean that I don't care about you, so why is that what you keep implying? That I don't care? Or do you not want me to care? I don't know what to think anymore, Esphyr... what do you want me to say?"

[Dark Sage]

"Number 20 is ready. The Mountain Man-uh-"

"Alferis," he hissed.

"Alferis vs Gazzak the Warrior!"

As Alferis entered the arena with his axe drawn, he saw the pirate leering and picking his teeth. He was armed with a hefty axe of middling size, clearly made of steel.

"ARRRRGGH! THIS ARENA FIGHT CONTAINS ENOUGH DESTRUCITY TO FILL MY LUNGS WITH SEAFOOD HOAK HOGAN! MARSHMALLOWS! MARSHMALLOWS! YOU HAVE AS MUCH CHANCE OF BEATING ME AS THE CATERPILLAR HAS AGAINST A FIRE SAGE FROM THE PLANET MARS! YOU WILL NEED A BOLGANANE TOME FROM OUTER SPACE HOAK HOGAN AND FIND THE JADE MONKEY TO COMPLETE WITH MY DESTRUCITY JET JACKED! I NEED SCISSORS! 61!!!"

"Yes yes, we know you want to be a singer when you grow up little boy, but really, you sound too much like a wild boar in the heat to ever make money of off that," he taunted, preparing for a blow.

He was not disappointed. As soon as he raised his axe, Gazzak bull rushed towards him, aiming for a blow on Alf's chest. With practiced ease, he sidestepped out of the way, but not before the axe cut his forearm.

"Ow." He was smaller than the crazy man, so he needed to use his superior speed to disorient him. Circling around, he winked at the "Warrior" and said:

"C'mon, don't you want to dance with me? I think you're my type."

"DESTRUCITY!" Gazzak cried out as he attempted to split Alf in half horizontally. Forunately Alf ducked the blow, and moving forward, he hit Gazzak in the jaw, stunning him. Another punch in the gut knocked the wind out of him. A kick in the groin caused Gazzak to fall to his knees. Without a second's thought, he slammed his axe in the mans stomach, though he was careful to make sure he would live.

"The winner is Mountain Man Alferis!"

Edited August 2, 2010 by Dark Sage

[Balcerzak]

"Then we're off!" Tessa exclaimed a little joyfully, tagging along after. The streets were fairly bustling, and for some reason she found herself bumping into people more than she usually did, though so far nobody cared enough to raise a fuss over anything. There were vendor stalls of various sorts in the arcades, and it was fascinating to see the wares on display. It was easily the type of situation one could find themselves getting lost in for hours without a strong sense of purpose or direction.

[Snowy_One]

"I want you to be honest to me Damian!" said Esphyr, prodding him in his seat with her staff. "I'm not Aiya nor am I her equal! If she's your wife, than I'm a mistress! But if you love her, at least act like it!" she screamed, her emotions starting to boil up to the point where she rose out of her seat, missing Alf's act entirely.

[Inactive Account]

"Oh gods," Kelas mumbled at Charlotte's exclamation, looking horrified, as Arrin turned towards the first magic shop they saw. "I'll just be a minute," he promised, running in.

The shop was mostly full of distractions, magical toys and pretty things that spun and glittered and did little else. They were obviously made by someone with potential, but not ambition, Arrin thought.

He did find a section for some of the standard-issue tomes, though. He picked up an Elthunder, checked through to make sure it was the genuine article, and headed to the front of the store.

"That all?" the shopkeep asked boredly. "Not even a trinket for a lady friend, or the like?"

"Er, no, just this," Arrin asserted. He'd considered getting gifts for some of his friends, but this store's selection was not particularly good. "Credit to the TISME research account of Ilony Haldensri."

"TISME account?" The shopkeep looked surprised, for all he lived in a town containing a TISME branch. "...We don't take those here."

"Really?"

"Ehh, fine. I'm just surprised, is all," the man conceded, writing out a receipt. "TISME lot usually don't bother with the shop of a flunk-out like me."

"You make most of these?" Arrin asked, looking again at the magical knickknacks.

"Yep."

"They're not so bad," Arrin said. "If you were to just..."

Forgetting the time, he launched into a discussion of possible adjustments to make in the spellwork.

"Right, is he done yet?" Kelas asked after a while. She poked her head into the shop. "Discussing magic with the shopkeep," she reported to the others, shaking her head. "Reckon I'll leave Amari here, she can help him find us when he's done. Want to keep going?"

[Dark Sage]

Seeing Esphyr in the crowd standing up next to Damian, Alferis went to get her attention the best way he knew.

"Hi Esphyr! Later!" he waved.

Watching him was Reika, who promptly . So much for dignity

[Ether]

"I..." Damian trailed off. He didn't know how to respond to something like that.

"Is that what you want?" Damian didn't know where the words came from, but he didn't think he could stop them at this point.

"Do you want me to treat you like a mistress, like a toy, Esphyr? Yes, I love Aiya, yes, she means everything to me... so all of a sudden, I need to block everything else out? Aiya means the world to me, I couldn't go on without her, but what the hell kind of person would I be if I treated everyone else like a tool or a plaything just because I have her? Is that what you want from me Esphyr? I do everything I can to treat everyone right, to make people that I care about happy! I care about you, Esphyr, I have feelings for you. Aiya is my soul mate, and you are someone I want to share this happiness with, Esphyr... I want you to be happy with us, to feel love and joy and everything that me and Aiya feel... but everytime I do something for you, you push it away. You and I share a past filled with torment and pain, and we can share a future where we are happy, but you want me to treat you like a nobleman's mistress? A woman he calls to his chambers when he gets bored and throws away when he is satisfied...? I don't see you like that Esphyr, do you want me to?"

[riariadne]

"And next, we have Conrad, the gold-clad knight, versus Greg, the blazing spellcaster! begin!"

Conrad muttered to himself. "A mage? Well, I suppose I could do with some practice against them. Take this!" he added, shouting the last sentence and throwing his hand axe across the area, barely missing and lodging it into the wall. The mage chanted a few words, shooting a fireball which Conrad ducked. The knight charged at the man, his axe in his left hand, when he heard him mutter another incantation. The floor below him began burning, and he dashed forward to avoid the pillar of flame. Conrad dealt him a fierce blow, knocking the mage off his feet, when all of sudden the ground began to crack, and fire seeped out of it. The general looked around for an escape area, but he didn't find one in time, and he was engulfed in a flaming torrent.

"The winner is Gre-" the announcer began, before the flames died down and Conrad emerged, hurt, bbbut smashed his axe into the mage to end the duel, resulting in a bellow of, "The winner is Conrad!"

Edited August 3, 2010 by Lightning

[Dark Sage]

"Meh, whatever," said Alf shrugging. What's she doing up there?

Reika sat on the bench outside the arena, rubbing her daggers with a rag.

"You fight pretty dirty for a supposedly honest man."

"Not much else I could do, he was bigger and stronger than me. Beat him up the only way I could."

"Yeah. Weird seeing a big man fight like me, a small thief girl though. Any respect points I may have theoretically gained for you were quickly quelled by your idiocy right before you left,"

"I guess. She didn't seem to notice though. Oh well."

"You know," said Alf pacing around, "You're a pretty young woman right? You're also pretty small right? Well I just had an idea. Maybe you can hire me as a bodyguard for you? Because, every thief needs a muscular partner."

"That's the stupidest thing I've heard in a long time. I would work alone if not for this job. I have plenty of protection. Although, a servant might not be a bad idea," she said stroking her chin.

"A servant? Lady you've gotta be kidding me."

"You can do my laundry, carry stuff I get. I guess that could be useful."

[Ansem]

"20, your next." A fightmonger near Reika said.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Solf J. Kimblee

[Dark Sage]

"Number 20! Reika the Nighthawk vs Spo-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Heh heh. Spoony the Bard! Hee hee!" (OOC Note: If you can guess where the title Nighthawk came from, you are a bigger nerd than I. Plus you win a link to an awesome video.)

Out walked a blond long haired man holding a harp in one hand and a magic tome in another. The tome appeared to be one of Fire Magic.

"Please don't make fun of me. Or I'll have to sing a Lamia Song at you."

"Sure," said Reika, her lips twitching. Spoony? Where has this man's dignity gone?

Drawing her knife Reika tumbled along the edge of the arena and with putting her hand in her pocket, she whispered the command word, summoning a black knife into her hand. To an outside observer, it looked like she was drawing a knife from her pocket. She tossed the other knife at Spoony's shoulder, where it embedded."

"Owwwwww. Why do you have to be so mean? I'm already hurting!" he whined, chanting a few magic words and summoning a pillar of flame to engulf Reika.

She tried to dodge out of the way, but failed and was engulfed in flames. Wincing in pain as she tumbled forward, the flames were smothered and she kicked him in the jaw, breaking it. Summoning Calamity's other pair, she stabbed him in the hands, making him unable to use his spellbook. She pulled out one of the daggers and then stabbed him in the shoulder.

"AIEEEE!" he screamed, passing out from the lack of blood.

"The winner is Nighthawk!"

[-Cynthia-]

"Yes, let's move on.' Charlotte replied to Kelas.

"You two don't have anything...formal to wear, correct? I think we will need to pick up some dresses for the both of you. The Grand Septimian Ball will be in a few short days, which should coincide with our trip to the capital. As princess of Jerdon I will be expected to attend, and you will be invited as my attendants of course." she said, walking briskly and eying the shops along the way.

[Inactive Account]

Kelas stopped short, speechless for a moment. Finally she managed to get her vocal cords working again: "...Gah!"

[Psych]

Rita:

Rita bounded into the arena, her sword in hand. She did a few flips, and the audience cheered. "Let's go already!"

"Heh, alright. Welcome to the stage, Rita the speedy swordfighter, and Leana the feathered flyer!" A large white pegasus flew into the arena. Rita wasn't expecting that. How would she fight someone who could fly, while she was stuck on the groud? "Begin!"

Rita dashed foward, sword in hand. The knight easily flew up, trying to avoid the swipe, but Rita expected that. She jumped high in the air, giving a slice to the animal's wing. The knight used her lance, hitting Rita square in the head. She began falling, and landed on her back, dazed. The pegasus began a steady dive, lance the ready, aiming at her chest.

She rolled to the side, and grabbed her sword. The knight began to swing her lance, aiming to hit Rita. She took her sword, and holding it to block the lance, she drew her ArmorSlayer, and tried sweaping at the pegasi's wing again. It neighed vigorously, and bucked, kicking it's rider off. She dropped her lance, and Rita held her sword at the woman. "We have a winner, Rita he swordfighter!"

[Balcerzak]

The trail of curiousity had paused for a moment, as Arrin popped into a magic shop to accomplish his business. ...Said business was only supposed to take a minute or two, or so the mage had claimed, but five minutes passed, and after ducking in to check up on him, Kelas returned with a sort of resigned look on her face and shake of her head. He was clearly going to be tied up for a while.

The three women reached a decision to leave Amari behind and move onward. As the magic shop was falling away behind them, Charlotte broached the subject of an imperial ball of some sort.

"Formal... I, I don't suppose the proper monastery robes instead of my self-indulgent typical wear is what you have in mind by that, is it?" Tessa ventured a bit timidly. While she'd mentioned in a previous conversation with the girl about how she honestly couldn't picture herself at some fancy outing with a prince hanging from her arm, that had been before she was aware of Charlotte's true status, and the fact that the cleric must have been quite serious at the time.

"And... I'm honestly flattered that you would even consider to take me with you, but I'm sure that I would only end up inconveniencing, and embarrassing your highness," she continued softly. She couldn't refuse the offer, even if she wanted to, which to be honest, she wasn't even sure of. Part of her had always grown up fantasizing about such things, but when she'd been presented with the opportunity to act out the role, she hadn't really known how to handle herself. The ball would surely be much like the dare, only on a much grander scale, and Tessa was second-guessing herself.

In an attempt to steer the conversation slightly forward, she added, "What exactly do attendants do?" The hint at actual curiousity, with a tinge of excitement could clearly be heard poking its way through her voice.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Balcerzak

[Ansem]

Soon after Reika's battle, the rest went out to fight. First Helios went up. With his skill in manipulating wind magic and composure, he beat the foe unscratched. Aiya went out soon after. She suffered a minor injury but was treated. There was another, he called himself Storm night, his swordplay was magnificent as he conquered Moulder the boulder for title of semi finalist number 5. Time flew by quick and they were up to the quarter finals. "And now folks, we are up to the quarter finals and we have, Aiya, the swordswomen, her strikes full with grace. Helios, the wind mage. His manipulation of the wind is pure perfection. Reika and Alferis, the mountain king and nighthawk. We also have the storm night and Rita. And last but not least, Chase, the archer and Brad the fighter. The first round will be Reika versus Chase. FIGHT ON!"

Edited August 3, 2010 by Solf J. Kimblee

[Inactive Account]

"...Look, we can't possibly go to this thing, we're on the run-- I'm one of those "filthy sandrunners," you can't bring me anyway-- I can't wear that sort of dress--" Kelas began, throwing all her possible comebacks into one rant. Charlotte's expression told her she was getting nowhere. "...Can I at least lurk in the shadows like a bodyguard or whatever, if we absolutely have to do this? Which we don't?"

[Ansem]

"This will be interesting." He said. "Two crimson weapon wielders going all out. I cant wait to see this."

[Dark Sage]

After a quick patching up by the healer nearby, Reika drew her daggers and walked out of the arena and licked her lips in anticipation once her opponent was announced.

Time to teach that bow using ass a lesson.

OOC: Sorry about that.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Dark Sage

[-Cynthia-]

"Well I was planning for you all to serve as bodyguards. There will undoubtedly be some Jace supporters there, and well, I'll need protecting from them. However, I really do need to go, King Stefan and Queen Isolde are very big on tradition and not attending their royal ball while I am in the area would be simply ghastly manners." Charlotte said, waving a finger at Kelas.

"Royal attendants serve a variety of duties, such as taking care of the princess's personal items, maintaining her appearance, getting the horse ready for the daily ride, that sort of thing. They also serve as confidants and bodyguards of a sort. Now I will probably be helping you all dress rather than the other way around, but you cannot show up at the ball in a...bloody tunic." Charlotte said, looking at the shabby ststae of the nomad's clothes. "As for behaviour, I suppose I'll have to have some emergency ettiquette lessons for everyone."

Edited August 3, 2010 by -Cynthia-

[Inactive Account]

"I was meaning to fix the issue of bloody--" Kelas began, but realized that she was arguing the wrong thing entirely. "But don't you lot have some sort of rules for who's even allowed to do the attending? I'm probably pretty well disqualified, aren't I?" she said reasonably.

[Ansem]

Seeing Reika coming through the halls, there stood three men waiting for her. "Hey, girl. Our boss got a bet on the other guy. That is why we cant let you win. Why dont you be a good girl and kindly die!" He said brandishing a knife and lunging at her neck.