Lord of Azure Flame: Chapter 16: Fracture

[Balcerzak]

OOC: Yesterday was a slow night, so I go to sleep early, and then things explode. Go figure. Can't really wrap up everything I think I should, so I guess I'll sort of abort a few angles that could've happend, make sure I do what I can to just in general stitch a few things back together.

Arrin had expressed relief after Tessa had explained the other group's apparently benign intentions, and having reassured the mage she had then gone around Anna-Seline, checking up on everyone that had been brought from the cave. Most of the worst had already been treated, so it seemed at first glance that there wasn't all that much to do. Pary had even already stopped healing, and was cooking a warm meal, to help counteract those who had been unduly chilled. Still...

"Okay, Anna, do you mind if I call you that? If you could be a dear and go over to where Charlotte and Eric are, and make sure they're fine, as well as to coordinate with her for a bit more, she was actually inside the cave for most of it, she should have a better idea of what needs doing," waving her staff in the direction indicating the cleric and her frequent accompaniment. "I'm going back to check on Sis... Morgan, I mean, and see what else is what."

She was on her way over, when the knight... Altion was it?, had just ridden back up and apologized to those nearby for his absence. Something about his wording caused her to draw back though in surprise. Never has he fought against what his people used to frighten outsiders away...? Wait, does that mean he has a rather intimate connection to demonspawn of some form or fashion? she wondered curiously. Before she could speak up and confront the man about it, there was a tap on her shoulder, and a cough alerting her to a presence behind her.

It was Alferis, and the axefighter had Reika with him as well. Mentioning that the thief was not doing well, and that he felt she needed some additional care, he had been curious if the troubadour would take the woman with her when they set out to travel soon.

"Eh!?" Tessa exclaimed. She couldn't help but be a little surprised, as the woman had always seemed to hold a grudge against her for some reason, and she was having it difficult to believe she'd suddenly had a turn of heart. "You already discussed this with her and she agreed to it?" she inquired, looking back and forth between the two of them. Alferis seemed genuine about the matter, though Tessa noticed Reika seeming to glower a little.

"I mean... certainly, I don't have any objections at all. While she threatened me in the past, I've sort of assumed that was just her way of telling me to give her space and not to bother her. I mean, since she's never really acted on it, she certainly can't have meant it literally. Arrin seems to be well enough to be riding by himself..." noticing the nomad talking to Charlotte, an unexplained twinge passing through her chest, "...perhaps even taking on a passenger, so it would otherwise just be me and Trevor alone. Where was she hurt, and how badly though?"

Edited August 15, 2010 by Balcerzak

[Dark Sage]

"No. It's...the demons made her sick. And she threatened you?" Alferis said, anger becoming visible in his face.

"No. I don't want to go...blehhhhh." Reika fell off his arms and vomited on the ground.

[Inactive Account]

Before the timeskip

The Battlefield

"I'm all right," Arrin assured Charlotte, as she mounted up behind him. It was, at the moment, about as true as it would be until he got his tome back; the constant headache and stomachache had reduced to a dull annoyance, and he was not currently dizzy.

"Right, let's go!" Kelas called, nudging Amari forward.

After the timeskip

On the Road

"You holding up all right?" Kelas called up to Isotov. It had been a few hours, and she knew that shock could sometimes induce temporary blindnes... though she doubted this was temporary, given how his eyes had looked.

Arrin, despite prior protestations of being fine, was again feeling ill. His head hurt fiercely, and his stomach was possibly worse... Still, he hadn't complained or asked for a rest, knowing that they needed to keep moving.

Several hours later than what the group's currently doing

Near the Miserable Hole

The traveler lay aside her staff. Her healing work was far from done, but she knew that any more would leave her too exhausted to fend off the many dangers that plagued lonely roads, especially with it getting late in the day.

The woman was stable enough to move now, at least. With a bit of difficulty-- the woman was a fair bit taller than the traveler herself-- she slung the woman's unconscious form over her saddle. Taking the reins, she began to lead her horse on towards the next town. It would be a few days' walk.

[-Cynthia-]

"Try and be optimistic Sir Eric.' Charlotte said to him from atop Francis. "The terrain may be treacherous, but we seem to be the only people here. We have braved worse in the past, I'm sure everything will be all right."

[Phoenix]

Flyin Siblings

Irina: Huh? Is that Kelas calling from down there?

Iso: Urrr ...

Iso was awake, but feeling a bit off. He wanted to vomit, but his stomach appeared to be just fine, and in fact, he thought he was hallucinating. He quickly nudged Irina.

Iso: Fly us lower. It'll be easier to talk to her that way.

Irina gave him a concerned look, especially noting that he wouldn't open his eyes.

Irina: Yeah sure ... alright. (I know something's wrong, but ... why won't he tell me what it is?) Come on!

She quickly guided Kiev down closer to Kelas who was mixed in with the group atop Amari. Once Iso was close enough, he finally replied.

Iso: I'm fine ... mostly but ... I'm really hoping we stop at an inn soon. I need ... to do something about this.

He made a quick gesture at her trying to indicate his eyes without directly referring to them. He wanted to find a way to compensate for what had happened so that if by any chance he had to enter combat again, he wouldn't be totally useless. His fluctuating hearing was clearly going to be a complication though.

[Snowy_One]

"Uggg... Why is this taking so long?" asked Esphyr, sighing heavily as the group moved on. "I didn't think the nearest city was THAT far away. No main road either, dang."

[Balcerzak]

OOC: Timeskips? I don't believe they exist. :P

Something she had said seemed to spark something in the man, as Tessa watched his expression darken. Combined with the residual signs of the burning he'd had inflicted upon him, it was actually rather frightening, and she took a step back.

Nervously explaining, she proceeded, "Y-yeah... I, I don't remember precisely what she said but it was something like 'Bitch, you better watch your back, because I'm killing you first.' It... rather threw me off, as I'd only meant to help."

The explanation was cut short there, as Reika suddenly became sick all over the ground. Now with a sense of urgency, she hadn't had previously, she looked around for her Restore staff. She wasn't sure what sort of demon foulry had happened to the girl, or whether it would be effective against it, but there was no way she was just standing by and watching.

"That's... funny... I could have swore... where did it go? Blast, no time for that now," abandoning the search for the moment, she swung down from Trevor, and quickly moved to the sick woman.

"How long have you been vomiting, what other symptoms?" Offering a shoulder to help the woman stand, and then help her into the saddle, she asked her questions, directing them both to the thief herself, and toward Alferis.

[Dark Sage]

"Didn't just start...bleh....till now," said Reika.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I frightened you. I was just annoyed at Reika," said Alferis, looking down at his charred hands.

"I found her on the ground when I woke up. She was dizzy and she had trouble walking about. The slash on her chest didn't help either."

[riariadne]

Conrad nodded his head. "I suppose you're right. The cave was very cold... heck, I was cold and I was barely in there."

--

Chase turned his head around, and asked Morgan, "What's Directus, anyways? I've never heard of it."

[Inactive Account]

"...Can we take a break for just a moment?" Arrin finally asked quietly, as he grew dizzier again.

Kelas looked over, concerned. "Looks like you've got a bit of a rest, anyway," she told Isotov. Raising her voice, she called, "Oi, can we stop for a minute? Some of us aren't well." Halting and dismounting, she ran over to Arrin. "What's wrong?"

"I just... dizzy. Need to sit down for a minute," Arrin said, half-falling out of the saddle. As his feet hit the ground Kelas got an arm around his shoulders, helping to keep him steady.

"Drink some water," she ordered, grabbing a canteen from her saddlebags. "And have you eaten?"

"Not hungry."

"That's why you're dizzy," Kelas sighed. "You've got to eat." She shoved some bread into Arrin's hands as he sat down on the ground.

"I'm still not hungry..."

"Doesn't matter. Eat."

Obediently Arrin took the bread, eating mechanically. Kelas turned back to Isotov. "What about you? You all right, apart from...?"

[Ansem]

The canyon

I hate the warm. I would rather be back in the cave instead. Ironically the situation had changed. First most of the group was frozen and now the canyon seemed to have thawed them out. After a bit of riding he became rather tired but refused to let up in front of the headmaster. "How you doing back there?" He asked the headmaster.

[Snowy_One]

"Overall, I'm doing better than most. Up high, there's a lot of cold, so I'm used to it more." she said before giving a shiver. "But still... Between the demonic magic and the cold, I wish I was better."

[Ansem]

"Well as long as you are okay." He sighed. "Canyon's like these are essential for ambushes. If it does happen then i want you to fall back. Your not well enough to fight and i cant let the enemy get to you."

[Psych]

Rita:

Rita had decided to let Cess take care of Morrey, since he still was feeling a bit dizzy from the ice. She walked along side the group. She walked over to Eric. "Um, Eric....could you help me with something?"

-------

Pary:

Pary walked behind the group, keeping an eye out. (>_>)

-------

??? (>:))

Slowing gliding above her, he watched Ruby walk along. Well, she was part of his responsibility. He might as well help her. He slowly flew to the ground, touching down without even a sound. "Oh, Ruby darling! Your prince is here!"

Edited August 15, 2010 by psychout50

[Snowy_One]

"Heh... I'm not worried about what could be done to me. I'm worried about what would happen if someone was stupid enough to hit me with a dark magic attack. Namely, what would happen to you. It's not pretty."

[Phoenix]

OOC: I'll be honest, I could actually back HeliosxHM. It's not the most retarded friendship I've ever seen in my life.

Canyon Campers

With the group steadily coming to a stop, Isotov hopped down from Kiev and came down to his knee! He shook himself off and used his arm for support.

Iso: Yeah I could use something to eat personally. My stomach is ... acting weird so I need something to shut it up.

Irina hopped down and came a little closer. Iso was acting a bit distant and she really wanted to know why. She wanted to interrogate Kelas for the information and it showed in her face when she looked at the Nomad so she tried not to. She just wanted to know why he was acting so weird, and why he wouldn't so much as open his eyes.

Levski and Jasmine came to a stop near the rear of the group with Illiam close behind. The pegasus nibbled at Krinkov's tail until the wyvern bashed him in the skull with it dazing and slightly injurying him! Jasmine had woken up earlier and was now mostly snuggling up with Lev. She was speaking quietly with him.

Jasmine: This is ... really comfy you know ... kind of like how I imagined having a wyvern riding boyfriend would be.

Lev: That so? Well glad I could be your vision.

He cracked a quick smile before letting her go back to resting her head. He gently rested his head on the back of her shoulder and closed his eyes while slowly admiring the scent of her hair. A pegasus at his tail, and a mating ritual on his back. Krinkov was not amused.

[Inactive Account]

"All right, sit down," Kelas said, getting out some more food. She noticed Irina trying not to look at her. "Have you seriously not told your sister yet?" she hissed. "She's staring at me like Morgan on an interrogation spree."

The food helped a little, but not enough; the dizziness subsided, but Arrin's stomach just hurt worse. He sat still, silent and miserable, hoping the pain would subside soon.

[Balcerzak]

"Hmmm... A slash across the chest, delay of symptoms... I'm not really sure what this might be. But if you'll let me, I'll take care of you as best I can, okay? Here, take this. It'll ease the symptoms for now." Calmly, directly, she addressed the thief, handing her a small wafer, then turned back to Alferis. "Thanks for worrying after her. If everyone has at least one person to look after them, that helps to ensure that nobody gets forgotten. Someone already treated the wound?"

She prepared to get into the saddle as soon as she got Reika up there and situated, the group was ready to roll out.

[Dark Sage]

"Yes. It was Charlotte," Alferis answered Tessa, a smile on his face. As Reika was positioned on the horse, she slumped forward and fell asleep on it's neck.

Slave...you're going to pay me back even more.

[Phoenix]

Isotov and Irina

Isotov leaned in a little so and lowered his voice so it wouldn't carry too far.

Iso: Exactly how should I tell her that I'm literally blind? I'd be lucky if she was still mad at me for punching her and decided she didn't care as much. Gah, this is horrible day.

Irina sat down not far from the two and put her arm around Kiev's head when he came close though she didn't actually look at him.

Irina: (Ever since mom and dad died ... our family's been a wreck. My brother isn't really my brother at all it seems. He doesn't even trust me with a little information about his health ... ... then there's Lev. He'd screw some random girl right in front of me if he thought I wouldn't mind ... he'd probably ask me to make a portrait of it too ... well ... well no ...)

She quickly shook her head and stopped herself. She knew she was projecting and didn't want to take stabs at Lev like that. Iso yes, he was distant, but Lev was the opposite. He was right about having problems with women, but that didn't stop him from always being nearby and up front with her.

Irina: (No, he's just Lev. Lev is Lev. He's too friendly with girls but ... he's still my best friend. I can ... I can live with that if I have to ...)

[-Cynthia-]

At hearing the sound of her name, Morgan turned towards Kelas and Isotov. "Isotov, is there something I should know about?" she said, looking the man in the eye. "You have been acting oddly after our last encounter and I need you focused."

Edited August 16, 2010 by -Cynthia-

[Script]

Cavalry of Directus

"Eating? here now? Can't we wait until Directus? Please?" Fargo whimpered knowing he was going to being forced to eat the food given to Directus soldiers.

"I'll tell the Captain," Jess said with no enthusiasm. She rode up to the man and informed him of the intentions of the others.

After a few minutes of silence mulling over the difficult task, Luc accepted that they really should eat. "Fine, time to eat!" Luc and Jess rejoined the main group.

The Cavalry were less than thrilled with that idea. Fargo was a mean word away from crying; Tom was praying; and the others looked at dread towards their saddlebags. Resigned to their fate, they slowly dragged out the white blocky stuff that constituted Directus field food. Each of them had their own ways to lessen the trauma: Fargo took tiny bites and swallowed a the entirety of the contents of a water-skin before nearly throwing it all back up; Anna-Seline coated the block with some good old dirt to dull the horror; and Luc just plain didn't eat it. The benefits of being a Captain came in handy sometimes.

[Ansem]

Helios

"Really. May i ask what would happen to me then?" He asked bluntly.

OOC: Ignore this if you want i just had to do it......

Ruby

Ruby, hearing her name turned around in a jolt, summoned her blade and threw her it at the persons neck.

Edited August 16, 2010 by Solf J. Kimblee

[Inactive Account]

"Look, either you tell people so they can help you, or I'm the only one who knows and can help, people get strange ideas, and then when I can't be there for a moment you'll inevitably get hurt," Kelas began, still whispering. "This isn't the sort of thing you can just-- shit, now I've done it," she muttered as Morgan came over.

[Phoenix]

Isotov again

Iso: (Crap!) I ... I'm fine ... ... thanks for noticing ... really.

Iso kept his head aimed at the ground and turned away. His heart was racing and he really didn't want to bring up the issue before he found a way to compensate for it.