Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 20: Bait and switch

[Psych]

Pary:

"Well, do we know if he is our ally? He only helped us with warping, and even Stephenie did it. Though Irina and her uncle may have told him to help us. I'm not sure Morgan even trusts him. She's probably just using him, like he is with us. We should probably just settle our debts and let it be."

[Phoenix]

Debts

Viveka: *sigh* Yeah, you're probably right about us getting away from him. Still ... I'd love to kick him up into a tree before cutting ties. Anyone who would abuse people like this deserves it and a lot more. I never did anything to him and suddenly I'm some kind of tool without my knowledge and even a back up nosferatu target. There are some things you can't just make up for.

[Inactive Account]

"All right," Kelas sighed, getting to her feet, "we should get out of here before either the demons or the friendly local highwaymen find us. I suppose if we want people to get moving, we should get Morgan to bark at them." She headed over to where Morgan stood. On the way, she passed Altion and Stephanie; a few steps after passing them she realized she'd heard her name in the conversation. She grimaced slightly and doubled back. "Did I hear my name?"

-----------------------------------------------------

"I... haven't really got one, to tell you the truth," Arrin replied, startled. "My teacher wasn't very religious, so she just had me some read some texts on the main ones... not really enough to make a decision from. It seems apparent enough from history and the functionality of magic that there are at least a Goddess and a demon king, and that various groups have interpreted them differently, but beyond that, I don't really know. I'm not sure how connected to this world they really are anymore; I know that staves don't always necessarily rely on prayer, for example. Thus I'm not really sure about the idea of worshiping."

[Psych]

Rita and Cess:

"*sniff* Just wait here. I'll get you some water."

"Alright. I'll try not to move much."

Rita walked over towards some of the things, passing by Kelas and Altion. She quickly grabbed a canteen.

--------------

Pary:

"I suppose so. But Isotov said he's dealt with Ixion his whole life and he's just as.....uncouth I suppose. Here," Pary handed her another cup of tea. "Relax, I'll go try and find something for a head ache. You haven't really sat down in a while."

Edited October 14, 2010 by Shopkeeper

[Snowy_One]

"Yes. Though not directly for personal gain. There is a difference between cheating for pride or money, and to try and spare the collective sanities of the masses. It is a dishonorable thing to do, and I am loathe to admi-i-i-iKELAS!" It was only when the nomad woman spoke up that Altion realized just how absorbed in his conversation he had become. Ignoring the others in the party, even to the extent of the woman whom he had a crush on, he had been so focused on talking about Rita to Stephanie. Now, with the nomad suddenly involved in conversation, Altion found himself shocked and at a loss for words, to the point where he was wildly blurting out bits of the conversation in vain hope of making enough sense as he looked away bashfully.

"I, we, talking about you just now. Man-Rita-Gossiping-Not We. I mean us. Don't-insult-thinks your- loves-a man. Blegh!" He suddenly made a wild noise, like a man clearing his mouth of booze. A moment later, he started again, making better sense this time. "We were just talking about you; I admit it. I tried to talk to Rita before we came and found our she has a crush on you; because she thinks you are a man."

---

"I would personally suggest you only bother with the lower levels anyways. Actually, let's start with the most basics. You plan on peering into my mind? I recommend you first figure out what my mind is like normally before you try to find out what it is like when it is abnormal. As-is, you have no baseline. Putting me into a rage outright is wildly unproductive. Trust me on this. I don't know how humans see the world terribly well, but I can assure you it is different for me." said Mana before pointing to the ceiling. "And I also recommend you make those windows larger. Well, no matter. They will be larger by the days end. I assure you of that."

[Psych]

Rita:

Rita took the canteen in her hands, walking past Kelas and Altion. "Hey Mr. Nomad. Artisan man."

[Inactive Account]

"Um... I knew that about Rita, she's only jumped on me a dozen times. Why were you discussing it, exactly?" Kelas replied coolly. Given that Altion was involved, she wasn't particularly confident that this could end well.

[Snowy_One]

"Because, dame Kelas, she is a crazy woman. She obsesses over two things, swordfighting and you. The latter is a threat to any of us who wield a blade, for it puts us at the risk of her impromptu challenges. The latter annoyed me pers-p-p Gah!" Altion cut the sentence short in mid word, grateful for the sudden appearance of the swordswoman despite the slander of her character that had been going on. Already, his cheeks had flushed a soft shade of pink as he had approached the topic of why Rita's treatment of Kelas annoyed him so much, due to the sheer embarrassment he had been about to suffer.

"Lady Rita. I was just talking to... Sir Kelas here! He... ummm... Offered to take me out hunting wild stag once this was all over and I promised to take him to the theater! Things that few women are interested in, I am afraid. You are welcome to join us, but I doubt you will desire to do so as they are things meant for a male audience." No sooner had he spoken the words he already wished to retract them. Thinking upon his feet was not his strong suite by any means, and... he had shied away from the chance to assert that Kelas was a woman. Already, the deep shame of betrayal stung into his heart. He pulled his head up, glancing away from Kelas whom he had lied about; only to look at Stephanie. Stephanie, whom he had just been talking to about this problem, and whom he had betrayed as well. Looking away from her, he looked over at Rita, only to see his own lie within her face. It seemed he had been surrounded by his lies. His lies and women.

Edited October 14, 2010 by Snowy_One

[Mercakete]

"Ha! Well, that seems to be something to talk about," comented they young heir as he crossed his arms, speaking confidantly, "You see, my teacher was always asking questions. There were a lot of things that didn't make sense about the world we live in. The main religeon, to her, seemed especially flawed. She told me that she was once a follower of the religeon, but only for a short amount of time." He paused to emphasize his point, "That, Arrin...is when she discovered Lunaism. It made much more sense, though the basic questions remained. For a while, she followed that. Here's a part you may find interesting: She left the church to wander the countryside to learn about other religeons, hoping to find some answer to the questions she's had for so long." Beau paused again, this time to ask Arrin a question and looking at him to see how much of his attention he had. "Can you guess what she found?"

[Phoenix]

Stephanie

She had been about to explain to Altion that cheating couldn't be justified by good intentions when Kelas had snatched up his attention in a heartbeat. She watched curiously as his subsequent words were thoughtlessly spewed out as an incoherent mountain of confusion and babel. His second attempt cleared things up, but he was obviously more than just a little interested in this nomad woman, and Stephanie found it cute at first if not a little unrequited by Kelas' response.

Rita's arrival seemed to have left Stephanie with all involved parties gathered before her.

Stephanie: (Just as well I suppose. We might as well speak on this now.) Ahem. Excuse me but if none of you are particularly busy, would it be too much to ask that we settle an issue I've heard more than enough about already? It concerns you, Ms. Rita.

Ixion

Ixion: I had absolutely no intention of sending you into a rage before we were properly equipped to contain you, and especially not before I gathered all I could as far as useful information is concerned. The first step is to see the outside, then the inside. This chamber is where you most likely will be when the actual trials begin. For now you need only know where to find it. Now we head back so that I can indeed "figure out what your mind is like normally". Come.

He turned to leave the chamber behind and head back into the lab expecting Mana to follow.

EDIT: Changed the quote

Edited October 14, 2010 by Phoenix

[Inactive Account]

"I don't know, what?" Arrin asked, a little confused. He recognized an academic tone when he heard it, but wasn't sure where this was going.

-------------------------------------

"Look, I really don't see what you think you can do to help. If I've told Rita once that I'm a woman, I've told her a hundred times, not to mention she's seen me in a dress and tried to get my tunic off. If there's something you can do for the madness, that's great, but I don't know why I'm necessary for it," Kelas stated, and began to turn away. She didn't want to be involved in... whatever this was... now that Rita had just shown up.

[Mercakete]

Though he didn't show it, Beau was a little disappointed the lack of enthusiasm or interest in the story. "A Nomadic tribe," he replied, "Apparently, this tribe had been attacked and though victorious, many Nomads had been injurried, including their religious leader. So, my mentor took her staff and began healing them. She saved their religious leader and so was accepted as a guest for a while. There, she learned from the religious leader herself and discovered that tribe's views. She travelled from tribe to tribe, healing the wounded with her staff and the sick with knowledge she gained from their healers who didn't use staves. I'm not sure what happened to her beyond that, but I know that she finally gained enough knowledge to form her own religion. Though it's small and just starting out, so it doesn't have a name yet. Also, it is the religion I practice. The Nomads greatly influenced it - as did Lunaism. I'm undertian how many followers it has, but it does not have many - that is certian. I discovered it after I left home, actually. The woman whose story I just described tutored me before she found the Nomads, you see. I only recently learnt the rest of the story myself from a brother. If you would like, I could explain the differences and similarities to both sets of religeons, but I'm uncertian if that would bore you or not." He seemed indifferent as he shrugged, rested his cheek on his fist and closed his eyes, giving a light "Hm."

Edited October 14, 2010 by Mercakete

[Psych]

Rita:

"I'd love to chat, but I have to go bring Cess some water. I'll see you all later. Toodles~" Rita bounded off towards Cess, handing him the canteen. He sat up to drank from it, trying not to put any weight on his left arm.

[Phoenix]

Stephanie

Kelas' explanation had shuck the tar out of Stephanie. This Rita if guilty was either insane or a problem individual! Altion's accusations from earlier made much more sense now, though she still did not believe a duel of any kind would lead to a solution.

Stephanie: Ms. Rita! I implore you to stop! From what I have heard thus far, you are causing trouble for the people you travel with and I would like to discuss it! Wait!

As Rita left, Stephanie sighed in defeat.

Stephanie: It seems that her hearing is as extremely selective as previously mentioned.

[Snowy_One]

"Aye." said Altion, his voice weak as he stared away from all three of the woman and down into the ground. "I seek forgiveness though for what I have just done. I... Did not know what to say. In my panic, I reinforced her viewpoint. I betrayed you and Kelas, dame Stephanie. Though it was not major, it was wrong of me. I feel ashamed. I made the problem worse."

---

"Don't worry about it." said Mana, not following Ixion out. "Though this place is stale, I can still feel the wind moving through it. I can find my way back, no problem." She bent down to the ground, her fingers resting upon the cold stone of the floor. Subtlety, a thin sheath of wind formed around her fingers, allowing her nails to become hard enough to scratch the stone of the floor without leaving trace upon her nails. Not that it was hard to do. As her fingers touched the stone, it proved to be soft to the touch, not much harder than a finger nail. Only a minor reinforcement of her own nails was needed. A second later, a small rune marked the floor where she had bent down, a faint strand of mana humming through it as she got up and left.

[Phoenix]

Stephanie

Stephanie: I forgive you, Sir Altion, though I would advise exercising more control in the future. Embarrassment never really justifies deception.

She put her hand gently on his shoulder to try and emphasize her forgiveness.

OOC: Next Ixion related post will be after a short TS. Ixion's alternating so there will be events that will cover both Damian and Mana along the way. Also feel free to have Damian and Mana speak to each other at times or wander around. You don't need to feel like you're locked in time or anything.

[Snowy_One]

"Thank you, dame Stephanie." said Altion. For a moment, he remained steadfast, unmoving, before his own hand, armored but oddly warm, slid over hers; holding it to him. "Thank you."

[-Cynthia-]

"People appear to be mostly recovered. We should get moving soon, we do have other things to do than hang around here in idle chatter." Morgan said to no one in particular.

Mission

"I'm supposed to take you to the Grand Cleric. You can tell him your story and we'll out a plan of action from there. You're the first real informant we have on the cursed weapons, so we were hoping you would know where they were going." Xaver said, ushering Kamilla near the palace gates.

Booze Thief

Xenia snatched the vodka from Nico's hand and took a long drink. "Might want to get those ribs fixed kid." she said nonchalantly.

[Phoenix]

Group

Stephanie smiled a little wider at Altion, uplifted knowing he at least felt better now.

Stephanie: You are welcome, Sir Altion.

Isotov meanwhile had just finished eating. He stood up and brushed off his coat before scanning around. Kelas was near Stephanie and Altion. Irina was with Aiya. They both seemed safe enough. He had little to do that wasn't mission related but wasn't going to get back to Alferis out in the middle of nowhere. It seemed best to wait around so he sat back down, crossed his legs, and summoned Proxima before carefully opening the tome. As he looked through it a thought occurred. When he was severed, the tome had shown him a message. As many times as he'd read the tome he'd never seen it and it just now occurred to him.

Iso: I can't remember it word for word like the rest of this book but ... something about Proxima's potential. Where is it. I don't know how I know but that passage was in this tome somewhere.

He flipped through the endless pages and couldn't find anything he didn't already remember. It was becoming frustrating. Like it was all a dream or something.

Iso: Where is it?

Castle

Kamilla: Where they're going? I-I have no idea right now. They still think they're saving the world.

She thought hard as they walked but couldn't quite predict what the group would do next. Her best guess was that they would antagonize some great authority figure and be chased around for a bit.

Kamilla: They were holding me here for awhile but left. They suddenly vanished. I don't know if any of them are still around or not, but they were here a little while ago and I was trying to find a way out of here.

Ribs

Nico: That was a damn cheap shot, and you know it! Besides, ya really need a bookworm like Pete fetchin your booze for ya?! For cryin out loud *cough* Urgh!

Peter quickly came to the front of the crowd hoping to do ... something, even he wasn't sure what.

Peter: Can it, Nico! You're lucky Xenia beat you as fast as she did. If Ivanko knew you were taking alcohol from people, he'd defenestrate your sorry a-butt! On top of that, I shouldn't have had to buy her anything in the first place! We should all be celebrating now that we've got one of our best mercs back with a real competition!

A few curious heads began turning back and forth looking at others as voices began chatting about both the idea, and the person it had come from who was acting rather odd as it was.

Peter: Instead, you jackasses are arm wrestling when everyone already knows you've got strong arms, Nico.

Nico had had enough. He approached Peter and stood nearly a foot taller than the man.

Nico: She breaks the blood pact and we should be happy to see her? If I didn't know any better I'd think Ivanko just hates the fact that most of the hot chicks in this company are in Elysima and settled for the deserter who shows up out of nowhere. Those are hard to replace, am I right?

Peter: You don't know any better (He hasn't told you yet, obviously ...)

[-Cynthia-]

Prisoner No More

"And you didn't think to head for the exit?" Xaver asked incredulously. Not the brightest one, is she? he thought to himself. He began to head for the gates of the palace, checking to see if Kamilla was close behind.

Mercenary Issues

"I'll take what booze I can get." Xenia replied to Nico, shrugging. "As for the bit about chicks, Ivanko seems to be more concerned about some sort of secret project than your lack of success with the ladies. It's not as if Levski is running the base here or we'd be up to our elbows in brainless bimbos." she said, snorting at her own joke.

[Phoenix]

Kamilla

She couldn't possibly tell Xaver that she was hesitant to leave partly because she thought she might never see Tessa again, could she? Not only Tessa but what about Shamus? She was beginning to think he merely left her but he was so concerned before, it just didn't fit. What if the group killed him in secret? They wouldn't go that far, would they?

Kamilla: I thought to leave but I ... well ... isn't it suspicious that they simply vanished in the space of a few minutes? What if this is a trap? Those people are crazy enough to do it, even in a place like this ... most of them.

Where Is The Lev?

Nico: Hah, good one. Good thing the bastard is only second, or we would be up to our ears in floozies. Heh. You win this round, but don't forget that just because Ivanko spared you and let you back doesn't mean we'll forget that you walked out on us and the blood pact! You and I have a score to settle ....

Peter: (Score to settle? You stole the vodka I bought for her, and she took it back. You got to live. Score settled. Speaking of Lev, I wonder what he's up to. He may be second in command, but it's like he's always on assignment or something. What's up with that? What's so important about a long term job. Shouldn't he be getting ready for the mission?)

From a relatively safe distance ... safe for the mercs, Victor continued to lie down and rest peacefully. The voices were louder than usual. Sounded like an argument of some kind. Not uncommon but his master Ivanko typically arrived in time to harshly discipline human disunity. He'd been very busy lately looking at those "maps" the librarians had so many of. Didn't matter to him so long as he let his guard down at some point.

[-Cynthia-]

Xaver put his hand to his chin. "Testing to see if you would run if left unsupervised maybe? I'll take a look." He looked up and around outside the gates. Nothing seemed to be watching them...that he could see it anyway.

"I'm not seeing any traps here." he told Kamilla. "We should get out of Burgosas before they return. That is, if they didn't just leave you here." Maybe she's a spy working for them, this is just too easy...

Well, I wasn't exactly expecting a warm reception. Still curious what this mission is though... Xenia thought to herself. "So what are you going to do about it then? I can kill if you want, but Ivanko might be upset that I made a mess. Not that I particularly care what he wants either, so if you want to settle something, just do it." Xenia said to Nico, looking at the man expectantly.

[Phoenix]

Kami-Chan

Kamilla: Well ... if they really aren't around, then I think we might be okay, but it's just strange that they disappeared like this. Before that wyvern lord ... Levski I think. Before, he was just making sure I didn't leave the castle grounds but I never went back outside last night. By morning they were mostly held up in an area near the entrance but when I sneaked back over to check, they were gone.

Copping Out

Nico: Hold your wyverns, Xenia. We'll settle this when I'm good and ready. Enjoy your drink while ya can. When I find you again, we're going to have it out on the spot and I'll knock you down flat. Count on it!

His hand drifted down to where Xenia had hit him and he held it though still trying to play it off as less than it really was.

Peter: (Too bad he'll probably be a bit more prepared next time. Still, at least I got the satisfaction of seeing Xenia put him in his place. Hmm. I wonder what Ivanko would do if someone actually died in a scuffle. It's never happened before. Sure the threats come in droves, but an actual death ... and at this stage? Yikes. Nikolai better wear his damn helmet. I don't know if Xenia even has one ... doubt it though.)

[Inactive Account]

Kelas sighed and continued on her way to Morgan. "Seems about time to move out," she remarked. "Everyone ready to walk?"

------------------------------------------

"It certainly sounds interesting," Arrin replied, "but I'm afraid I don't have the grounding in any of the others to understand all of it. I don't really know anything about the nomads' religion, for one; I was very young when I was taken away. But, anyway, maybe I'll understand a little?"

[Mercakete]

"Ah, basics, then," Beau nodded to himself as he put together the summery in his mind, "Well, The Nomads have two gods and two godesses that they follow. One of each of the gods and godesses is a protector while the others mend. To put in more useful terms: attacking and healing. They follow four elements: Zia of the Wind - a goddess of attack - Tani of the Earth - a goddess of healing - Orai of Fire - a god of attack - and Sunyou of the Water - a god of healing. That pretty much sums up the Nomadic beliefs as I understand them. Devouts of Sunyou, for example, will be exemplarary healers while devouts of Zia may wield magic to defend his or her tribe instead. Now, Lunaism... The basic beliefs of that is that the Lord of Azure Flame and the goddess both seek to help the Human race in their own ways, the goddess protecting us and the lord trying to expose us to danger to toughen us up." The young priest had been fairly uninterested in his summery of Lunaism, and only slightly more enthusiastic about the Nomadic culture. However, this upcoming subject recieved his full attention. "Now, for thier combination... Zia and Tani are the goddess - two aspects of her- but the goddess - Ziatani - is not a goddess. She is a very powerful spirit, but nothing more. The lord, likewise, is Oraisunyou and himself, no more than a powerful spirit. Although, these are not balanced. It is evident by Oraisunyou's desire to hammer strength into society that his 'Sunyou' aspect is not very strong, just as Ziatani's 'Zia' is weaker than her 'Tani.' However, the 'Tani' and 'Sunyou' aspects exsist in both, therefore they both care about humanity; simply in different ways. Thus, the combination of religions. However, as I mentioned, they are not gods. If there is a god or goddess, then he or she would have to be perfect - without fault. After all, that is what a god or goddess is: a perfect, powerful, just spirit being. Since Oraisunyou and Ziatani have made mistakes and keep making the mistakes, they are obviously not perfect and thus not a god and a goddess." Beau finished his argument satisfied, glad that Arrin had wanted to hear about it and proud in his storytelling abilities, even if they weren't as good as others'.

Edited October 15, 2010 by Mercakete