Lord of Azure Flame: Chapter 16: Fracture

[Snowy_One]

Far beneath the earth

The Lord of Azure Flame was stirring. For twenty years, he had been at rest, sealed away behind the Fire Emblem; and now he was awake at last! He could feel the mighty muscles, formed of rock and gem, as they strained against the laughably puny emblem. He could feel the molten blood coursing in his veins as they restored life to the cracked and rough skin, causing minor gouts of fire to belch forth and lap over the gold of the medallion. He could feel the faded might of his armies, stretched as thin as possible across the land. He could even feel the presences, however faint, of Helenos as she dwelled far away; and even farther away, the presence of the Goddess. Too long had he been asleep. Too long had he let his lieutenant roam wild. That was going to change.

Mighty fist pounded against rocky wall as the Lord's arms lashed out in their morning throws, sending powerful shockwaves through the earth so strong that the tremble could be felt far away. A monstrous bellow shattered through the cavern of his imprisonment as he called out to his soldiers; seeking those whom were still loyal. He needed to break free. He needed to break free and punish the traitor whom had sold him out. He needed to break free, and take control of those accursed weapons!

He closed his eyes after a moment, his might gathering as his mind stretched out to those minions still under his control. He would need every last one of them. Then, his eyes shot open; emerald blaze illuminating the dark cavern as he thrashed and wailed against the wall; struggling in fury against his prison!

---

Across the world

The ground beneath the thousands upon thousands of people suddenly lurched beneath their feet as carts careened off course and animals stumbled and fell. Minor stalls, hastily constructed and fabricated with no intent to stand against the mighty throngs of a earthquake, a feat which had been absent for twenty or so years, were suddenly torn asunder by the violent shaking of the world. A shaking soon followed by the faint roar of a demonic beast, distant and powerful. Yet as the people clambered to their feet in confusion and shock, the earth lurched once again, wildly about and in every direction for a full moment before it quietly faded away into aftershocks.

"What the hell was that?" asked Esphyr, as she pulled herself upright, having been knocked flat upon her rear by the sudden shaking of the earth. She looked about the crowd, seeing fallen people and scattered stalls as far as her eye could see. Pulling herself upright, she heard shouts of dismay as the stones of a nearby house suddenly came loose, causing the wall to crash down amidst screams of terror as the bricks poured out into the street. It was not the only house to receive such a treatment as several more screams of terror followed by the tumbling of walls announced that it was not a isolated incident.

Worst of all, the very sky itself seemed to darken in fear of what had just happened; fading from a vibrant blue to a sickly green. Something was up; and it was causing goosebumps to form on Esphyr's skin.

[Inactive Account]

Kelas

"What the--" There was no time to panic; she could hear terrified whinnies from outside. Was the stable going to collapse? As the first quake subsided she was on her feet, only to be knocked back down by the first aftershock. "Anyone with an animal might want to deal with it," she said shakily as she climbed back up again and sprinted for the stables.

Outside, she was shocked to see the sky had gone a sickly green. "<Tani and Zia, what's befallen here?>" she breathed.

The stable looked to still be structurally sound, but if the horses were panicked enough, it might not stay that way. She ran in.

Amari had already broken down the door of her stall and was running back and forth, senseless with panic. All she knew was that something Incredibly Wrong was about, but she couldn't tell where or why or-- Kelas kept her distance, calling the mare's name. In this state, Amari might kick her if she got too close.

Amari heard, distantly, Kelas' calls. This was terrible, this was-- but Kelas. Even if she was silly sometimes, she could fix anything. Amari quieted down and stood, shaking. Kelas ran to her, wrapping her arms around the mare's neck and murmuring in her ear. "<Everything's okay, everything's okay,>" she lied.

Amari was still; Francis was next. The normally calm gelding was rearing in his stall, his eyes wide. Gashes marked where his legs had met splinters as he battered the walls with his hooves. Cautiously Kelas opened the door slightly, again talking softly.

Eventually Francis was calm, and she began to work on the other horses in order of which was threatening to break loose the most, distracting herself in order to keep from panicking.

Arrin

"Whoa!" Arrin managed to break his fall by the doorframe, though his face collided painfully with the doorknob: he'd have a spectacular black eye. As he tried to get up, the second quake hit, knocking him to the ground. "Are you all right--" he began, looking around, as something orange affixed itself painfully to his head: the cat had returned, and it was terrified. Something great and terrible was about. Its claws dug into Arrin's scalp, and he gave up on dislodging it, ignoring the few trickles of blood that the claws had drawn.

"I... I don't think we'd better go inside yet, in case the building's unstable," Arrin said shakily. A look at the sky was enough to dislodge his precariously kept calm. "...I'm afraid," he said miserably, scooting closer to Tessa.

Megae

"Well? You going to read the--" The earthquake cut her off, but the call she felt, that the others must have felt, was more important. "...That was the Lord..." she breathed. "...We better hurry up."

Tanair

Tanair stopped short as the tremors began, though her inhuman grace allowed her to remain on her feet. Instinctively she took her more powerful form and reached out to the land around her, futilely calling it to remain secure.

As the quakes trailed off, she dropped back into humanoid form again, running off again at an unparalleled speed. The presence she now felt was the same one that her sister had pledged herself to, and when she'd taken draconic form, she'd sensed her sister in a different direction than the minor corruption she'd been running towards. Tanair was not strong enough to combat the thing that had just awoken, but she could certainly-- must certainly stop Helenos. Hot on her sister's trail, she ran.

[Dark Sage]

"What...the...hell?" whispered Alferis, who went to bed and was awakened by the powerful shockwaves.

"Reika! Are you ok?" he shouted, going to the other room.

"Fine! Not much time to waste slave. I think it's an earthquake. No sense killing ourselves getting out the door. Jump out the window here if you want to live. Don't have any other willing slaves."

"Good idea," he nodded, running to Reika's window and vaulting off. From the corner of his eye, he saw Reika changing into her shoes and skirt. He landed on his feet with a soft thud and rubbed them to ease the pain. He saw Reika jumping off shortly after. Not much was to be said. The two nodded to each other and ran off to the center of town.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Dark Sage

[riariadne]

Chase heard a sound in the distance. He stopped suddenly, unsure of what it was. However, he soon realized the cause of the sound: the ground all around him was shaking. The sounds occurred once more, louder.

BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM.

"Something tells me that wasn't Conrad!" Chase exclaimed to himself, panicking, and ran off towards the inn.

--

Conrad, too, was bothered by the noise. He heard a shout of "Earthquake!" nearby, and he quickly gathered his belongings and quickly exited the building.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Lightning

[Snike]

Derek and Diving One

"Well, as I said, she was the Du-" Derek began, only to be interrupted as the world shook. "GET DOWN!" were the next words from his mouth, as the inn threatened to buckle under the strain of the quake. A few of the ceiling boards fell through, and Eric had to make a diving save to prevent his princess from being crushed, but otherwise, no one was injured. As the aftershocks faded, Derek got up, arms streaming with blood. "Alright, we need to get out of here. The last thing anyone needs is the army to show up, right now."

[-Cynthia-]

Evil Black Lady

Morgan woke up as soon as the earthquake started, and managed to drag herself to the main area of the inn. "Let's get moveing. Now." was all she said.

Princess

Charlotte found herself tackled by Eric at the start of the earthquake. The impact hurt her back a little, but it was better than being crushed by the roof of the inn she supposed.

"Are you all right Eric? What was that?" she asked him

Fish and Vodka

At the rumblings of the earthquake, the unstable ceiling of the runied cathedral began to collapse! Svetlana got hit by a particularly large rock and Xenia began removing rocks from around her fallen mount at a rapid pace.

"Come on Svetlana, all we've been through...can't be killed by a damn rock." Xenia said with trepidation in her voice.

Rocks Fall, Petros Doesn't Die

"The time of our destiny is nearly at hand." Petros said, clenching his fist excitedly. "Let me read that report."

Report:

The jackasses that left are back with the group ... ... ... more fodder for Megae I guess. The whole group is headed for the capital now for some reason. Since the group was attacked recently ... twice in a row I might add, they're all on edge and probably expecting trouble.

Now Morgan ... that's the severed one. Morgan's searching for a mole in the group, credits to the asshole that's been leaking info to the mercs that attacked them. F*cking convenient, right? That's sarcasm by the way, Petros. Anyway she's about ready to go so I say we just go head and knock her off as soon as the opportunity arises. Iso likes being alone with Katie, so severing him should be incredibly easy. After all, what's Katie gonna do? Helios is Helios so he should either be alone as usual, or pestering Naelia jr. or bownut. Easy pickings, all of them.

The lance is as usual being accompanied by the flying boulder, red head, and crimson sword wielding birthday girl. I don't see a good strategy for taking them out just yet. The good general is usually alone for some reason, so I doubt he'll give us much trouble either, just be quick about it.

Can you people hurry up and decide when to attack? It's hard to remain undetected sometimes. Sure I'm getting better and stronger, but one mistake and someone might spot me. Then it's back to losing as usual.

From your friendly neighborhood con artist, Shanice ☺

Edited August 6, 2010 by -Cynthia-

[Ansem]

Batman

Helios was going to go out back and do a little training when he felt a slight tremor. Then there was a huge quake that sent him flying. He fell on a table. "Conrad!" He yelled still flying around from the quakes. Another boulder flew and was about to crush Morgan when Helios cast Arcwind and tore it apart. "Had a nice nap, Morgy baby?"

Demon bitch

"Ugh." Ruby groaned continually cutting through rocks. "It's getting impatient. We need to make a move..... Fine! I'll give the lord what he wants!" She said warping away.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Solf J. Kimblee

[Snike]

Eric

"Your Highness, honestly... I do not know," Eric admitted, getting up off of Charlotte, and helping the princess up. "C'mon, we should get out of here, before it caves in."

[Ether]

The tremors began. The floor shook under Aiya's feet, eliciting a gasp from the lieutenant as she quickly grabbed something solid and tried to find cover.

The main tremors stopped after a short period, and Aiya steadied herself slowly.

"Nngh... what the hell just happened?"

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

Damian stood near the back of the inn, his armour on the ground near him. It had been long enough since he had actually done any actual exercises, so pull-ups would have to do for the time being.

That was when Damian heard the trembling begin. People began to panic, and the beam of the inn which he was holding himself up on also began to shake.

"That's not goo-"

The beam snapped under the combined pressure of the quake and Damian's weight, and the soldier fell to the ground with a thud.

"Damn... what a time for an earthquake..." Damian cursed, and looked up. he quickly scrambled to move at the sight, but wasn't quick enough, as the support beam that had just snapped caused the overhanging cover to fall.

"Guh!"

The impact of the structure was devastating, and Damian quickly began coughing up blood. The wooden frame of the structure contained a good deal of weight, and had collapsed onto his torso.

'I... don't think anything vital was broken... a couple ribs, and my... left arm. But I can't move...'

Damian tried, futile as it may be, to escape from the confines of the collapsed roof, only to be greeted with a sharp pain.

"Nngh!"

'Okay... broken leg... I can't tell which... might be both...'

Damian cursed, and quickly realized that he couldn't see anyone nearby.

"H-Hey... somebody...? Anybody..." He called out, his voice weak.

He was beginning to black out, his vision becoming spotty.

'D-damn... not here... not now...'

[Ansem]

Nice color, eh?

Blood. I must have more. There must be more blood to shed. Somewhere. I cant be kept locked up like this. I thirst it. I need it. I want it. BLOOD! A guardsmen opened the door and slid some food in. "Eat up, wench." Karma didnt look up. he didnt even move. "Hey, you alive there? Karma!" The guardsmen exclaimed rushing forward. Sadly for him, Karma had his blade hidden. He slit the mans throat and slid back. "You monster." He croaked before he breathed his last. Karma roared with laughter. Other guards tried to stop him but he was a beast. Yes! Yes! Yes! Blood. I can smell it in the air. Fresh blood In a matter of a couple of minutes, he found himself in the middle of the woods. A hex circle appeared in front of him and then formed into the shape of that of a beautiful maiden. Ruby smiled, her face hid by her hood. "Micheal Keel, Karma."

Edited August 6, 2010 by Solf J. Kimblee

[Dark Sage]

The two continued to run through town, stumbling along due to the tremors and hid behind the bushes.

"Wait. What about the others? They're probably trapped in the inn. What if something happens to them?"

"They're fine. They'll probably just get lucky and make it out like before. Nothing to worry about," said Reika.

"Well...maybe you're right. I hope they're ok though," said Alferis, Reika rolling her eyes at him.

"Wonder what caused it? Earthquakes rarely happen around here, let alone at this magnitude," Alf mused.

"Bah. How should I know? Just shut up and look around ok?"

"Fine," said Alf, his voice edgy with concern and lack of sleep.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Dark Sage

[Phoenix]

The Inn hundred fifty thousand pound building about to collapse right on top of us (OOC: All of my guys were floored by that tremor. Just making that clear.)

Iso quickly got to his feet trying to shake off the shock.

Iso: (Nothing like a collapsing building for you. We need to get out of here, and I need to find Katie right away.

Irina and Levski managed to help up some others, and then they started making their way out to the streets.

Grape Wine and Grape Pocky

As soon as the tremors began, Daneka ordered her men outside! If the cathedral collapsed on them, they most certainly wouldn't make it out alive. Nyx ignoring the chaos around her trotted out toward the main entrance hoping Daneka would follow her. Occasionally she would jump to the left or right avoiding a crushing blow from falling debris. Alphonse quickly rushed over to Xenia.

Alphonse: This might progress much faster with assistance, Madame Xenia. Please allow me to help you.

[Snowy_One]

"Damian? Damian where are you?" came Esphyr's voice from outside the rubble. Esphyr had been lucky when the quake hit and had managed to escape mostly unharmed except for being doused in dust from the ceiling.

"He's over here!" called out Altion's voice from just beyond the rubble. A moment later, armored gloves gripped the rubble that had fallen atop the man as Altion gave a might lift, trying to remove the rubble from atop the man.

---

TISME had not escaped the tremor unharmed either. Though the building was intact, the mending glyphs that had extinguished the blaze earlier were now functioning in a overworked state as they zipped throughout the building, extinguishing dozens of small blazes that had erupted throughout the halls and in class rooms. Papers, tables, cabinets, and anything that had not been secured to the floor had been toppled or moved and several walls had collapsed. Students, knocked from their feet, littered the floor; including one shocked and stunned headmaster laying on the floor exposed to the world. A sizable lump was on her forehead and a shattered brick lay nearby, a testament to what had happened.

---

Not even Helenos had escaped the tremor entirely. Resting within the Haltonian capitol, she had been knocked flat on her rear, a pile of rubble having fallen atop her midrift. Despite her power, she had been cut and squashed having been in her human form rather badly. She could feel internal organs groaning in pain as blood pooled about her; but she didn't worry. There was something more at work, and she knew it. He was breaking free, and her time was limited. Worse, a familiar presence was starting to draw near.

[-Cynthia-]

"Graagh!" Xenia yelled, unclear whether her response was affirmative or negative as she lifted up the rubble., revealing Svetlana's head. The sea wyvern managed to lift herself up and out of the cathedral, and the two of them joined the fleeing Septimian forces.

[Ether]

"Owh... isht's y-yuo..." Damian managed, his voice weak, and garbled by the blood escaping from his mouth. It seems the cavalier... Altion, was trying to lift the roof off of him. Damian also heard Esphyr's voice. She sounded... worried.

"Eshp-fyr?" Damian called out, barely managing to put the words together, everything was going spotty.

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

Aiya found her way out of the shaken inn, and through the front, where several members of the group had appeared, seemingly okay.

"Is everybody alright?"

[Dark Sage]

"Ok, I think it's safe to come out now," Alferis whispered to Reika. They crept out of the bushes and raised their hands to show they were friendly.

"Oh, it's you guys," said Alferis to the group. "We're fine, but lets count to see if everyone's there.

OOC: They crept along the bushes back to the inn.

[Snowy_One]

"Damian?!" screamed Esphyr, rushing over to the fallen lumber. A moment later, her hands joined with Altion's as she tried to life the roof off him.

[Inactive Account]

OOC: Apparently people interpreted the quake as being worse than I'd interpreted it as. Thus, I'll assume the barn is now collapsing.

Kelas, Arrin, and a bunch of panicky horses

The aftershocks continued, and Kelas realized the barn's foundation would only take so much. As the ground bucked occasionally under her, she opened stall doors, throwing any tack on and shooing the panicked occupants out. Amari and some of the horses she'd calmed helped start the exodus, clustering outside where at least nothing would fall on them. Dodging bits of falling roof-support, Kelas caught a ride out on the last horse to be freed.

The horses milled around outside, and some of the more reasonable ones began to get the impromptu herd into order. "If any of these is yours," Kelas announced to everyone in earshot as she slid down from the horse's back, "you'd best retrieve it. She located Amari and Francis and led them over to where Arrin and Tessa were. "You two all right?"

"I think so," Arrin said shakily. "We're getting out of here, right?"

"Yeah," Kelas affirmed, seeing the group beginning to assemble outside the inn. "Good job I didn't leave the bags in there. Is anyone hurt bad, or can we move out?" she called to the others.

Megae

As Ruby left, Megae turned to Petros. "We should get Boss out of there, shouldn't we?" she asked. "Not going to do much good where he is now, not when the Lord needs us."

edit: added Megae segment

Edited August 6, 2010 by The Clockwork Alchemist

[-Cynthia-]

"Indeed." said Petros simply. "Though I suppose the question is whether we should get more weapons first, or wait until he is released. he may be upset that we only have one. Shanice is getting impatient...he may blow his cover soon." Petros rested his foot against the ground, sending another tremor to accompany those already occuring.

Edited August 7, 2010 by -Cynthia-

[Ansem]

Manfred Von Karma

"So you came all this way for me to rape you?" Karma snickered. This man. Ruby thought to herself. "Demon's are infertile." Karma chuckled. "So thats why you are dying right now." He said pointing to a knife that lodged into her gullet. He's good. Good thing he is under the impression i am able to kill him. Ruby pulled the knife out and dropped it. "So what do you want, Demon." Ruby removed her hood. "I have some work for you......."

[Inactive Account]

"Forget cover, Boss is gonna get in sooooo much trouble if he doesn't answer that call..." Megae muttered. "I'm going to go see if he's coming." She leapt out the window of the deserted house, landing soundlessly in the street two storeys below. "Don't worry, won't let them see me," she assured Petros as she vanished down the street.

The inn's ruins and dust provided some good cover, and the animals nearby were still too panicked over the Lord's awakening to even react to her. Megae crept about, looking for Shanice.

[Ansem]

The only two people i can handle well. -_-

"What is it? Last job i took landed me in a dungeon." He spat. "It better be good." Ruby smiled. "Of course. There is a group that i want you to attack. You will know who they are once you see them however there a specific people you cant kill. A red haired mage, A male soldier wearing red armor, a mercenary girl, a green haired wind mage, a nomadic mage, an archer, an axe armor and a thief girl. Kill anyone that doesnt match these descriptions. You can help yourself to the women in the group, that is your reward." A circle appeared at her feet. "The group shouldnt be much trouble for you. Good luck." She said warping away. Karma looked around. "Women in the group. What a cheapskate! Guess i have no choice. I need to come up with a group to lay siege on them. Hmmmm."

[Inactive Account]

"Can we leave? Please?" Arrin was interrupted, though: something had spooked the cat again, and it had run off into the dust. "Oh no..." Arrin stumbled after it, quickly getting lost.

"Arrin! What are you playing at? Arrin!" Kelas called after him, trying to see where he had gone. "That idiot..." She wound some cloth across her face, preparing to go after him.

Megae

"Boss, I know you're around here somewhere," Megae murmured. "Come on, this is important."

edit: how did that end up with a quoteblock in it what

Edited August 7, 2010 by The Clockwork Alchemist

[Phoenix]

The Rubble of the Inn

The wreckage had sent up a mighty cloud of dust, and two azure eyes displayed the only visible part of a sinister gaze. The perfect opportunity to strike arrived, with Arrin chasing after a little cat. The shapeshifter made its move transforming into its assassin appearance and snuck up on the blinded thunder mage! With a swift approach, Shanice closed in and flanked Arrin! His arm gave off the same eerie azure flames as before, and he grasped the mage! Within a few seconds, the altercation was over! The demon slipped away into the cloud of debris and dust!

The others made their way from the inn coughing and gagging, barely able to remain on their feet! Viveka fell to her knees and hung her head as Susann flew down to greet her!

Viveka: Urrrrgh! An earthquake?! What on hell was that about?! Argh!

[Inactive Account]

Arrin

"Ah-- who's there?" Someone had Arrin's arm. He struggled... seconds later, the ever-familiar presence of Daranau at the back of his mind was... gone. "Hey!" Arrin wheeled about, looking for his attacker, but there was none in sight. "...KELAS!" he shouted, thoroughly terrified. He was dizzy... as the dust continued to fill the air, he sank to his knees, holding his head. He couldn't fill his lungs for another shout.

Kelas

"ARRIN! Where are you?!" Kelas called back, looking through the dust. "Anyone see where he went?"

Megae

A familiar energy: Boss was nearby, and active, and... successful. "Boss, over here!" she hissed, holding out her arms to catch her master's find.