Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 20: Bait and switch

[-Cynthia-]

"Well aren't you...hospitable." Xenia said, sitting down at a nearby table and pouring two glasses of vodka. She pushed one towards Peter. "So, you do something with maps right? What are these maps of?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow. Svetlana continued chewing on the mackerel.

Edited October 24, 2010 by -Cynthia-

[Inactive Account]

"Huh," Kelas replied, picking up the puzzled, slightly unnerved expression she always got when magic was being discussed. "I take it this isn't the usual weird magic stuff again, then? I don't understand any of that..."

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso: Far from the usual. Tome pages don't just go missing and there aren't any signs of it being torn out. I don't understand this one bit. It's not like I can have other people read this to find it either. While I was being chased by the demons I learned that Proxima is written in some bizarre language. It looks like common to me but Miranda said she needed me to translate.

He quickly shut the tome and it disappeared in his hands.

Iso: Memorized every word and just when I thought I knew everything there was to know about this tome, something new springs up.

Viveka (Pre-TS) (retconning to Pary approaching Viv and Jasmine for his own sake)

Viveka let Derek go and get his horse as she took Susann's reins and headed back over to Jasmine not realizing she had a very strange look on her face. Jasmine pointed it out immediately.

Jasmine: What did he say to you? You look like someone just gave you some seraphim gear but want you to work for it.

Viveka: What? N-no. I just ... have a bit of thinking to do. No. A lot of thinking. (Is he being serious?)

As Pary came by he asked them if they were ready to go. Viveka shrugged.

Jasmine: I guess we're just waiting for the others to get ready.

Peter

Peter: Well ...

Before continuing he put the glass close to his lips preparing to take a drink. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. He'd never had an alcoholic beverage before, but he wouldn't back down now. He took a big gulp and then sat the glass down and wiped his mouth slightly emulating the tougher men while he was at it.

Peter: I have a lot of jobs as an assistant but Ivanko needed those maps for a bit of planning. They uh ... they're maps of the Zaftran borderlands. Um, did he tell you about what's coming up, yet? (I figure that he only let her back without so much as a slap on the wrist because we need all the people we can get for this. It's not really my place to tell her if she doesn't know yet though. Hmm.)

[Inactive Account]

Kelas shook her head. "I guess that's weirder than usual, yeah... I got no idea how any of that stuff works, can't even read that well. ...I hope it turns up, I guess?" She shrugged uncomfortably; magic wasn't really something she enjoyed talking about.

[-Cynthia-]

Xenia eyed Peter. Kid's never taken a drink in his life I'll bet. "Well, Ivanko told me to ask you. As you're obviously a very important person around here, he thought that you would have all the information that I needed to know." Xenia leaned back and took a large gulp of vodka herself.

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso: Well, it's not the end of the world ... I just don't understand it. Maybe if there was some reasonable explanation for why it's gone I wouldn't feel so aggravated. This is just completely random. What if that message was more than it first appeared to be?

He gave a heavy sigh and the shrugged a bit as well.

Iso: Not much I can do about it for now I guess.

Peter (BA:.01)

Peter: He did?

That was certainly a relief. Ivanko must simply not have wanted to say anything directly so as not to seem to needy. If that was the case then he felt he should tell her more about what was going on.

Peter: Okay, where to start ... um ... you probably know that the Zaftra's been pretty much reduced to the capital city, right? The rest of the country is in desolation. I'm not exactly sure how long Ivanko has been preparing, but he aims to fix that by restoring the country since the royal family insists on hiding in the mega fortress. The mission requires a large force get to the capital, a force strong enough to force a surrender or something. He hasn't told me much else yet, but he wanted those maps so he could get back to searching for routes that would be more effective for getting heavy units in unnoticed. I don't know what he plans to do when they get there that will help Zaftra, but I do know that he's waiting for Ixion to do ... something before the operation begins. Weird since he left for Septimus. (You'd think he would just take the throne, but he didn't even hint at that. I hope he's not lying to me or leaving things out, then again, he must have left something out since what I know is pretty vague by itself. Oh I knew it! I'm not important enough to know all the information! Just great. Of all the times.)

[Snowy_One]

"Don't worry about it." said Mana, waving her hand lightly as if to dismiss the notion of there being any such thing to worry about, just as she said. "You are hardly the first person to try such a technique on me Ixion. I know how to handle myself. I also know just what it is that will help you the most. I assume you aren't interested in seeing my wedding night or when I gave birth for example. You do not need to see more than two hundred years of memories to be able to figure out what you need to know. Oh! And I'm going to warn you. If you look at my childhood memories, when I was subjugated to such things as dark magic with great regularity, you won't understand them. I couldn't make out the world normally back then. Too attuned to the winds to make it possible."

Mana quickly hopped up on the table, smiling at Ixion. Quietly, her mind shuffled through her memories, picking and choosing three or four and bringing them to the forefront of her mind. Simple things, like how she missed the touch of kitten fur, the scent of banana's in the morning, the memory of having a banana-covered daughter pounce on her startling her from her sleep on her birthday, and the night she had laid a beat down on Harold for... doing Haroldish things.

[Phoenix]

Through Her Eyes (<---Another song name, but so so soooo appropriate here)

Ixion: (I can only hope that these memories aren't too disturbing. Frankly I'm more worried about behaviors of the past than her visual perception of her surroundings.)

Ixion careful positioned his hands near Mana's head as he began forging another thread. As soon as it was spun it reached out to clasp them both establishing the connection. The moment the thread was completed Ixion felt a great pressure coming from it. He had long been used to his own aura's effect on the thread, but he had never been linked to someone who did the same. With so much power and such close proximity to one another, the thread was fragile at best, entirely unstable at worst.

Ixion: Alright then. Show me the world as you see it.)

The researchers stopped what they were doing and watched from a short distance away, some of them leaning in a bit trying to get a closer look. Ixion closed his eyes and began focusing all of his attention on Mana's outgoing thoughts. His face winced slightly as visions began to come out of the darkness. The world about him was overrun by vivid color and swirling clouds. At first blush, Ixion felt as if he had fallen into another world, another realm. He carefully suppressed the frustration that was rising as a result of all the confusing spectacles. He quickly reminded himself that his intent was to understand her perception of the world and how that effected her. There wasn't much need to directly understand the memories themselves. With that, he kept his focus on everything that was different about what she saw.

Meanwhile the researchers began whispering to each other speculating about what Ixion was seeing. Ixion himself had finally gotten up to recent memories and was astonished to see Harold being beaten up with a fist that seemed to be covered in magical strands. Once Harold was released, he saw himself through her eyes standing close by. He looked almost nothing like he did in the mirror. For the first time he could see his dark power, not simply feel and envision it. What he had first interpreted as clouds of black weaved together in a few primary channels were in fact an entire network of hundreds upon hundreds of threads varying in color and saturation.

Ixion: I'm ... impressed. To behave as close to normal as you do with this type of vision is an astonishing feat.

He was speaking but still observing her memories as they came. The researchers turned to each other. Remembering "as close to normal" made them wonder exactly how bizarre her sight was. Of course they couldn't help but lean in a little further to see what was going on.

[Snike]

To War

The messenger made his way back outside, a smirk on his face. Fools, you just wasted your chance at peace, he thought, before producing a horn. Stepping out into the courtyard, the soldier blew it three times, quickly dropping the instrument, before tossing off his cloak and brandishing his weapon.

Outside the city, a patrol stopped upon hearing the horn, then dropped their cloaks, and turned back.

All around the Capital, cavalry, soldiers, archers, and mages all tossed aside patches concealing a symbol of a golden axe, Jace the Brute's crest. The sky grew dark as hundreds of pegasus knights came upon the castle, all wearing the same symbol. Within minutes, a full scale battle was underway, with Jace's traitors cutting down the loyalists. Catapults whirred, men shrieked, and the smell of smoke began to fill the air, as the assault entered the streets.

In the noble quarter of the capital, a golden helmed warrior stepped out of the mansion. The Brute himself was on the battlefield, steadily heading towards the castle. Any man in his way was cut down with a single swing of his axe.

Back at the city gates, a Jace sentry shouted, "There's the princess!" Instantly, the patrol sped up, and barred the Crimson Brigade's path.

Victory: Escape (defeat enemies)

Soldier X 2 HP 12 STR 4 SKL 4 SPD 4 DEF 2 RES 4

Axe Cavalier X 2 HP 15 STR 5 SKL 2 SPD 3 DEF 6 RES 0 Wrath

Sword Cavalier X 2 HP 15 STR 4 SKL 4 SPD 4 DEF 4 RES 0 Adept

Fire Mage X 2 HP 9 STR 1 MAG 4 SKL 4 SPD 3 DEF 1 RES 5

Shaman X 2 HP 9 STR 1 MAG 6 SKL 2 SPD 2 DEF 1 RES 6

Boss: Halberdier X 1 HP 15 STR 5 SKL 5 SPD 5 DEF 4 RES 5 Pierce

Edited October 24, 2010 by Snike

[Phoenix]

Enemies At The Gate

As soon as the patrol appeared, the party readied themselves. Irina hopped onto Kiev and brandished her lance! Lev shrugged and waved for Krinkov to wait. Iso quickly re-summoned Proxima and readied a fire spell. Viveka was about to fight as well but realized she was unarmed.

Viveka: ... uh ... dammit.

She turned to Jasmine who was holding a lance of her own and snickered.

Viveka: I'm not out of the fight just yet!

*yoink*

Jasmine: Hey!

Viveka stole Jasmine's lance from her and quickly mounted Susann before taking off and attacking the nearby fire mage! She came in hard and struck him twice! He quickly retaliated with a fire spell but Susann flapped her wings down hard as the spell approached and the spell was doused!

Fire Mage: Oh no! Blasted pegasus!

Meanwhile Irina flanked and struck a soldier nearly killing him! His counter cut into Kiev's hide but he was mostly alright! Next, with Iso's own fire spell ready, he sent the soldier up in crimson flames creating a spectacle in the streets!

Iso: Who's next?

Viveka rolls 4,3,6

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737318/

HIT 8 vs Evade 3 = HIT

DMG 5 vs DEF 1 = -4 hp

Vantage activated!

Viveka rolls 3,2,6

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737324/

HIT 7 vs Evade 3 = HIT

DMG 4 vs DEF 1 = -3 hp

Fire Mage rolls 5,2,1

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737330/

HIT 9 vs Evade 7 = HIT

DMG 6 vs RES 6 = Tink

Viv HP 12/12

FM HP 2/9

Viv Exp: +5

Irina rolls 4,4,1

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737335/

HIT 7 vs Evade 4 = HIT

DMG 10 vs DEF 2 = -8 hp

Soldier rolls 3,4,4

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737341/

HIT 7 vs Evade 5 = CRITICAL HIT

DMG 8 vs DEF 6 = -4 hp

Irina HP 11/15

Soldier HP 4/12

Isotov rolls 1,1,4

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737344/

HIT 5 vs Evade 4 = HIT

DMG 8 vs RES 4 = -4 hp KO

Isotov HP 8/9

Iso Exp: +10

Irina Exp: +5

EDIT: Added fluff.

Edited October 24, 2010 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan sighed "More obstacles it seems, let's remove them and be on our way." She attacked one of the fire mages blocking her path

(6,3,6)= 11-5= 6 damage

Counter (4,6, 5)= 10-4= 6 damage.

(4,2,5)= 10-5= 5 damage. Fire mage dead.

Morgan obliterated the mage, though she received wounds herself in the process (Morgan 4/12.)

[Inactive Account]

So close

"What the hell?" Kelas demanded, bow already out with an arrow on the string. Amari appeared at her side seconds later, and she swung into the saddle. "We're gonna have to punch through these in order to get out of here, aren't we?" She took aim for one of the shamans, who was staring intently at Charlotte and muttering something assuredly evil.

(3, 1, 3) Hit! Kelas does 6 damage!

The shaman staggered as the arrow punched into his leg, but turned on his heel and fired the dark ball of energy he'd been pulling up towards Kelas.

(6, 6, 3) Miss!

Kelas dropped down, hanging off Amari's side, as the sickening pulse passed harmlessly overhead. With a yell, she pulled herself back up, and shot again.

(3, 6, 1) Hit! Kelas does 12 damage!

The shaman fell, an arrow through his throat. "Come on, let's hurry up and get out!" Kelas shouted, as panicked citizens began to crowd towards the gates. "We can't get separated!"

Arrin was stunned for a moment as chaos broke out. "What's going on? Why--" There was no time for questions, he realized. He rode closer to Tessa and got out his tome, ready to do his part to get them out of there. He targeted one of the sword-wielding cavaliers.

(2, 5, 4) Hit! Arrin does 9 damage! Arrin takes 1 damage from Daranau!

The cavalier turned, attempting to cut Francis out from under Arrin.

(5, 1, 1) Hit! Critical hit! Cavalier does 2 damage!

Francis sidestepped, panicking, and Arrin fell from the saddle. He picked himself up from the ground with a little pain, readying for the next attack. He'd have to grab Francis before they were separated... had to stay near Tessa...

Kelas 15/15, Arrin 9/12, Sword Cav A 6/15, Kelas 10EXP, Arrin 5EXP

The streets

As fighting broke out in the streets, the masses panicked. The smarter civilians fled indoors, the flightier ones headed for the gates. Despite the fighting going on at one gate, it was soon packed with civilians, running in between the combatants in an attempt to get out. Livestock ran through the streets, equally panicked, and unfortunates began to be trampled by those fighting and fleeing.

More combative civilians began to take loose cobblestones and throw them, some at Jace's faction, some at the royalists, some at whatever they could see. Injury numbers quickly grew, and fleeing refugees got underfoot of all combatants alike.

Edited in civilian fluff.

Edited October 24, 2010 by Kiryn

[Dark Sage]

"Oh god. Guards? Shit," said Alferis, charging one of the soldiers, swinging the axe at a soldier, striking a hard blow at his head. The soldier tried to hit him, but Alferis dodged easily, making a rude gesture in return.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737332/ (Alf's roll)

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737340/ (Soldier #2's roll)

Alferis (6,5,4) Hit! 6+5+1-4= 8 damage. Soldier #2 4/12

Soldier #2 (1,2,4) Miss!

Alferis gets 5 exp.

Reika charged a shaman, ignoring the feeling in her gut. She stabbed him in the stomach, dodged a dark vortex and struck him again in the head, the shaman falling over dead.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737336/ (Reika's first roll)

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737347/ (Shaman #2 roll)

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737347/ (Reika second roll. Note, mistakes with a couple extra. I only used this roll, the first of some mistakes.)

Reika (5,2,4) Hit! 2+2-1= 3 damage. Shaman #2 6/9

Shaman #2 (4,4,5) Miss!

Reika (1,6,4) Hit! 2+6-1= 7 damage. Shaman dead.

Reika gets 10 exp.

Edited October 24, 2010 by Red Magister

[Snike]

Panic!

Eric wasted no time in drawing his weapon, nailing the first axe cavalier he saw. After flipping away from the counter swing, he struck the soldier again, weakening him slightly.

[spoiler=Roll]http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737329/

[1,2,2] = Critical! 2(7-6) = 2 points of damage!

[1,2,1] = Miss!

[5,4,1] = Hit! 9-6 = 3 points of damage!

Eric 9/9 HP

Axe Cav 1 10/15 HP

Eric gains 5 exp.

Derek took on the other axe cavalier, landing a solid strike, before evading the axe blow handily.

[spoiler=Roll]http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737333/

[6,4,1] = Hit! 9-6 = 3 points of damage!

[2,4,1] =Miss!

Derek 12/12 HP

Axe Cav 2 12/15 HP

Derek gains 5 EXP.

"TRAITORS!" Alex yelled, before going after a third cavalier. Her spear grazed the soldiers' side, but the Comet was dealt a heavy blow from his sword.

[spoiler=Roll]http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737342/

[3,2,1] = Hit! 7-4 = 3 points of damage!

[4,5,3] = Hit! 9-5 = 4 points of damage!

Alex 5/9 HP

Sword Cav B 12/15 HP

Alex gains 5 EXP

Enemy Phase

[spoiler=Rolls]Axe1 VS Eric [3,3,5] = Miss!

Axe2 VS Derek [3,3,6] = Miss!

Sword2 VS Alex [1,6,2] = Miss!

Sword1 VS Arrin [5,5,5] = Critical! 2(9-4) = 10 Points of Damage!

Soldier1 VS Alferis [3,3,6] = Hit! 7-4 = 3 Points of Damage!

FM1 VS Irina [1,3,5] = Hit! 7 points of Damage!

Boss VS Morgan [1,1,5] = (Pierce! RES - 4 Morgan DEF - 2)Miss!

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737388/

The enemies retaliated at their attackers, yet only 3 hit their mark, as citizens began to rush towards the exit, confusing the soldiers slightly.

Player Phase

Edited October 24, 2010 by Snike

[Psych]

Pary:

As Pary watched Viveka and Derek fight, he quickly reached for his staff. "Watch out!" He called out.

He looked over towards the bandit, noticing him fight a soldier.

Link

Soldier #2 KO!

"Sorry, were you two fighting?"

Edited October 24, 2010 by Psych

[Snowy_One]

Esphyr Attacks Axe Calverier #2roll (Arcanium active): 5, 6, 2 HIT! 12 damage dealt to RES. Axe Calv has 3 left.

Axe Calv #2 Counter roll: 2,6,3... Between his WTD and Esphyr's evade... Miss. Can't even add 2 via wrath.

Esphyr attacks#2 (double, Arcanium): 3, 2, 3. I don't even need to figure it out. Arcanium allows RES target. Esphyr wins.

---

Altion attacks sword calv, 4, 1, 1. CRITICAL FOR MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF ONE DAMAGE! WEEEE!!!! (1 damage Sword calv 5/15. Adept activates though).

Altion Adept activate: 6, 6, 6. (DAMN YOU NO CRIT ON ADEPT ROLLS! Altion hits for 5 damage. Sword calv #2 has 0/15 HP. DEAD!

Edited October 24, 2010 by Snowy_One

[-Cynthia-]

Arrin appeared to be conscious, but very wounded, so Charlotte went over to heal him. +6 Arrin (7/12). This is terrible...are we really going to run away from all of this? she thought to herself.

Tristan saw the city fill with Jace's soldier. "For the glory of my mother and father I will strike you down!" he shouted, charging towards an enemy, sword drawn. Unfortunately, this caught the attention of a soldier manning a ballista who promptly shot a bolt, striking the rider and pegasus.

Bellerophon could not believe it. A magnificent creature such as himself, struck down by a mere mortal? How was this possible? He began to charge again towards the battle. However, due to blood loss, Bellerophon interpreted the battle site as some vague distance westward. Both rider and pegasus collapsed somewhere off the side of the road.

Edited October 24, 2010 by -Cynthia-

[Phoenix]

The Battle Continues

As Viveka came by for another pass she impaled and killed the fire mage with one final strike! Meanwhile, Irina flew straight for the Halberdier leading the patrol aiming to cut him down! The halberdier saw her coming and sidestepped her attack but quickly twirled his lance and struck at Kiev's side! Irina swung her lance down and weakened the incoming attack with a slight parry! Iso used the distraction and launched another spell that nearly engulfed the patrol leader! Finally the halberdier struck out and landed a gruesome blow on Iso's chest that sent him back barely standing, and bleeding all over.

Iso: It's never that simple I guess ....

Viveka rolls 5,5,1

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737406/

HIT 10 vs Evade 3 = HIT

DMG 7 vs DEF 1 = -6 hp KO

Viveka HP 12/12

FM HP 0/9

Viveka Exp: +10

Irina rolls 1,4,6

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737418/

HIT 4 vs Evade 5 = MISS

Halb rolls 5,1,1

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737419/

HIT 10 vs Evade 5 = CRITICAL HIT

DMG 6 vs DEF 6 = -1 hp

Irina HP 3/15

Halberdier HP (unchanged)

Irina Exp: +10

Iso rolls 3,6,3

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737425/

HIT 7 vs Evade 5 = HIT

DMG 13 vs RES 5 = -8 hp

Halb rolls 1,3,5

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737426/

HIT 6 vs Evade 4 = HIT

DMG 8 vs DEF 1 = -7hp

Miracle activated

Iso HP 1/9

Halberdier HP 7/15

Iso Exp: +10

EDIT: Added fluff

Edited October 24, 2010 by Phoenix

[Mercakete]

Namid flapped upward in surprise at the fighting below. "Agh!! Whoa!" Tas was taken off-guard at Namid's sudden change of pace and having been distracted himself from the sudden activity on the ground and in the air. As he was used to doing, he hardened hismelf in an instant, thinking critically and logically. Namid's small burst of surprise and ascent likewise passed in only a moment, both suddenly level-headed. "There's a greater risk up here since there are pegasi whirling about. There looks like there are mages down there, though. Still, our chances are better down there with the group than up here all alone," muttered Tas, unsure if the attackers would see a wyvern courier as a threat or not. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "I wonder if the prince is alright?"

Tas directed Namid downward in a dive, pulling near Lev to deliver a quick message. "I'm going to see if Prince Tristan is flying about. I can't fight very well anyway; I'll just avoid any combatants I come across in the air. I'll see you outside of Burgosas!" then he was gone: a mere, brown speck in the sky with Namid's terrific speed and manuverability already making it difficult for anyone to catch up to them.

"Now, let's check the castle..." muettered Tas as he steered Namid around the structure. Namid suddenly flapped upward again, avoiding a ballista bolt that proceded to a different target. Tas' eyes widened as he saw the injurred pegasus fly westward...and fall.

"Prince Tristan!!" Tas leaned in as Namid flew through the wind currents towards the falling, wingged horse and his rider, only able to soften Bellerophon and Tristan's landing last-minute as Tas grabbed a saddle-strap and Namid stuck his snout under the pegasus to slow their decent until they were on the ground once more. "Are you alright, Tristan?" Tas was a little worried and had no idea how to treat a pegasus and - admittedly - couldn't treat human wounds either.

Edited October 24, 2010 by Mercakete

[Inactive Account]

The gates

The cavalier's next attack took Arrin by surprise and he fell, nearly losing consciousness from a bad chest wound. He used all his willpower to get to his feet and clamber into Francis' saddle, just as Francis panicked and bolted for the gates.

Kelas saw the civilians flooding the area, and realized that she couldn't keep shooting in case she hit them. With trepidation, she drew her sword instead.

Francis was bolting for the exit-- she had to make an opening. Kelas charged forward towards the enemy leader. "Everyone keep together, let's get out of here!" Clumsily she swung for the halberdier.

(6, 1, 3) Hit! Kelas does 3 damage!

The halberdier swung around in an attempt to cut Amari out from under Kelas, but the mare sidestepped, and his lance cut through empty air.

(2, 6, 1) Miss!

Kelas turned Amari in a tight circle for another attack.

(5, 6, 3) Hit! Kelas does 8 damage!

She got a lucky hit in, and the halberdier fell. "Come on! Let's get out of here-- before we lose anyone!" she called. The civilians were getting in between them now, pulling the others every which way, making it hard even for the horses to move. She circled around, pulling up beside Isotov, who was once again badly wounded. "Come on, we've got to get you out of here!" She reached to pull him up into the saddle behind her.

Kelas 15/15, Halberdier killed, Kelas 20EXP

The palace

The palace was in a state of chaos; men-at-arms were engaging the traitors, servants were fleeing. Owen had been pulled away to safety somewhere, but nobody had such cares for Tobe.

He knew what he had to do: get out. Via the shortcuts he'd learned early on as a servant, he scrambled out to one of the back doors, dodging combatants who had no attention to pay to an underfed ten-year-old. He fell into step with a few other fleeing servants, fleeing through the streets, avoiding other jostling refugees. The flight took a couple of hours; it seemed like minutes. He managed to sneak out through the gates and didn't stop running, heading down the road as fast as he could.

The exhausted boy barely registered the two armored figures in front of him until it was too late, and crashed straight into Vera's armored middle. "Lady, you don't want to go in there!" he said earnestly as he backed up, nursing a newly bleeding nose in addition to the other cuts and scrapes he'd picked up during his flight.

EDITING IN MORE FLUFF. ARRIN WILL NOT BE ATTACKING.

Edited October 24, 2010 by Kiryn

[Snike]

Panic CONTD.

Eric scratched the cavalier again, but finally was caught by the axe. Enraged, he beheaded his foe with one swift blow, then moved on.

[spoiler=Roll]

3d6 → [3,3,2] = Hit! 9-6 = 3 points of Damage!

3d6 → [2,1,1] = Critical! 2(7-3) = 8 Points of Damage!

3d6 → [3,5,5] = Resolve. STR X 1.5 (6 MT) Critical! 2(11-6) = 10 points of damage! Axe Cav is down!

Eric gains 10 EXP.

Alex struck a bit deeper with her second blow, but was hit hard in her right arm. Adrenaline rushed into the soldier, as the Comet crushed the cavaliers' helm with a single blow.

[spoiler=Roll]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2737422/

3d6 → [3,2,6] = Hit! 7-4 = 3 points of damage!

3d6 → [6,2,2] = Critical! 2(6-5) = 2 points of Damage!

3d6 → [5,2,2] = Resolve. STR X 1.5 (7 MT) Critical! 2(9-4) = 10 points of Damage! Sword Cav is down!

Alex gains 10 EXP.

Victory

"They're all dead," Derek shouted to the others. "Let's get out of here!" He followed his own advice, leading the way out of the city gates.

Edited October 24, 2010 by Snike

[Dark Sage]

"Ow," said Alferis, a soldier striking him in the chest.

"Thanks I guess," he said to Pary, nodding. The others seemed to handle the rest of the enemies. Didn't matter that Pary stole his kill. One less Septimus soldier was better for the world.

"Run! Who knows how many are coming!" said Alferis calling out, running towards the gates, Reika hurrying on ahead. Alf backed up slowly, his axe in his hands, ready in case any more enemies came over.

Meanwhile the blonde haired bard was caught in the crowd. Realizing it wasn't safe to stay, she ran out of the gates, not noticing Alferis or Reika, just heading out. Looks like the performance would never happen.

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte looked at the rest of the group. They all appeared to be...leaving? But the king and queen, and all the citizens...were they all just leaving them there? I won't run away...not again she thought to herself, riding away from the gates and back into the city.

[Phoenix]

ESCAPE

Iso remained standing up until Kelas killed the halbedier. Once that powerful enemy fell, so did he. Landing on one knee he braced himself. He was still vulnerable to attack, and the stray arrow that whizzed by his head was a clear indication! Kelas quickly rode up to him and offered her hand which he immediately took allowing her to haul him up behind her ready to escape with the others. Irina flew after them at low altitude to avoid the ballistae strewn throughout the area.

Levski could only watch as Tas flew back to the palace.

Lev: He really shouldn't be going alone. Hey! I'll catch up to you guys!

Viveka: Lev, are you nuts! You can't just go off and play hero with my cases!

Lev: Uh ... oh look, a discount!

Lev quickly took off riding Krinkov and flew after Tas leaving Viveka with a puzzled look on her face. She then spotted the pink wyvern following after Kiev. Normally she would have taken the opportunity to leave, but she was getting hungrier by the minute and on Kiev's back was a bunch of chickens. She would try to escape after she was fed.

[Psych]

Vera:

"I'm afraid that is not an option. I am looking for a General Conrad Jackson. He was supposed to be here. I'm afraid I'll have to go in anyway." Vera reached down to her hip, feeling her bow. She needed to be prepared.

Back at the carriage, with Rosy noticing the fighting, she reloaded the carriage, getting ready to leave in case of emergency.