Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 21: In Destruction's Wake

[Phoenix]

Irina

Irina gave a worried look for a moment but as the little one came back toward her and the eggs and the cat vanished, she sighed in relief.

Irina: You know I think I recognize that cat. Wasn't Arrin handling one during one of our road trips once? Can't remember.

Iso: Go to sleep!

Irina: ... sorry. (I need to be more careful in the future. He could have gotten hurt again.)

She leaned forward to take him up into her arms and lie back down hoping he was ready to go back to sleep.

EDIT: Added a different bit from the original.

Edited November 7, 2010 by Phoenix

[Dark Sage]

"Fah. Damn rain," Alferis muttered, getting up and heading towards the tent where he saw the horses and wyverns standing in front of. Nearly soaked by the rain, Alferis headed into the tent, shivering as he went, his teeth chattering.

He took out his blanket that he folded into his pack. and he took off his shirt, wringing it to get all the water out. After a bit of time, the shirt was somewhat less wet but still pretty bad. He lay on the ground, shivering even under the blanket and fell into a somewhat fitful sleep.

[Script]

Luc Altair and the Fargo

"And, done!" Fargo shouted. He wiped some of the water out of his eyes and climbed out of the ditch he had dug. "Um, better hurry before it become more of a pool."

Indeed. The hole was already starting to fill itself up with muddy water. Luc regretted that they didn't have any extra material to cover it for now. Or even the animals. Would they have to endure the rain as well? "Fargo," Luc said. He should try looking for anything on the chance he could make a difference. "Find something to shelter the hole. And the animals."

"Jeez Captain, I'm ragged enough already." The other cavalier sighed.

There was the old Fargo. "Then run yourself to the bone."

"Yes, Captain." Fargo rushed off to find something.

A Paul

"Oy! Will you boyas respond already! I'm all sorts of lonely back here!" Paul put another burst into his legs and inched closer. Dammit this was so slow!

[Balcerzak]

Laughing lightly now—the buzzing in her head almost entirely abated, and no longer chilled nor shivering—Tessa answered back, "Unpleasant? I think I can manage unpleasant."

Laying her head against his shoulder she continued onto his second query, "As for my plans? Well, if you had said 'no', I probably would have tried to head back near Elysima, to try and look for Sir Dustin and the other Brothers. Originally I had imagined it would be a simple affair, and that I would run across them as a matter of course after joining with some travel companions... but then, well, we've managed to get rather far afield, and... I guess I must have been a little naive." Sighing slightly, a faint smile crept across her face, despite the context.

Then it suddenly struck her. Here she was conversing just as easily and naturally as ever, despite all her previous worry about whether it would be awkward, or what to say, or how to manage. She'd really been behaving rather silly, hadn't she? A small flush arose at the realization.

[Inactive Account]

"I could help you try and find them," Arrin offered. "It might take a while, but it's worth it, right?"

He was getting a little drowsy, now, comfortable, and much warmer than he'd been before. He drifted off a bit, thinking of what things would be like after this harrowing journey was over, only to be interrupted by something tapping his leg and a piteous meow. There was his cat, wet miserable-looking and horribly scratched. "Oh no, what happened?" he asked, scooping the cat up in one arm while trying not to jostle Tessa. "Did he mess with a wyvern...?"

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

The cat had decided that there were no lizards in here, so its next mission was naturally to get the Boy's attention. He did his best to look absolutely pitiful, then batted at the Boy, meowing quite clearly that he needed more attention than the other human right now. He was mildly disappointed when the Boy did not devote all attention to him, but he was at least being picked up and worried about now.

OOC: Just messing with time a little tiny bit. Beau will probably be noticed next post or so.

Edited November 8, 2010 by Kiryn

[Balcerzak]

"That would be most appreciated, Arrin. Thank you," Tessa acknowledged happily. She then decided the time was right to apologize...

...however the small mewling from the bedraggled kitten distracted both Arrin's attention and her own. She shifted her weight a little, lifting herself a bit off of his shoulder and peered down at it. "The poor thing!" she exclaimed, and extended her free hand as well to lightly inspect it.

"I'd heal him, but..." remembering that she'd already overtaxed herself, both earlier at the revolution, and then most recently with this latest disaster. "I guess we just keep him warm and out of harms way for now. I dunno, tuck him between ourselves while we sleep or something maybe?"

[Snowy_One]

Altion had been hiding away in the back of the cart ever since the merchant had shouted at him to stay inside. Yet, even though he knew the cart would eventually come to a stop, he chose to remain inside. It wasn't a matter of choice though. His time with the group was done. As far as he was concerned, he was just a bum now whom had managed to hitch a ride and whom had no connection with the group beyond the vaguest allusions. Not his place to interfere, nor was it for anything else.

Still, as he sat within the carriage, he could not deny the rising curiosity. Would the group miss him? Would they even notice he was gone? Did this merchant plan to let him hitch along all the way or would he just drop him off? At last, he couldn't deny it any longer. He had to know. Popping out of the cart for a second, he looked down along the side. "Excuse me sir, but is it alright with you if I follow along inside your cart after you meet with the group? I doubt they will want me back."

Edited November 8, 2010 by Snowy_One

[Inactive Account]

"I guess," Arrin replied, agreeing that healing was currently out of the question. "I can put a little vulnerary on him, too. Besides, I don't think he's hurt anything too badly, except maybe his pride." He got out his bottle of vulnerary and flipped the cat over onto his back, ignoring yowls of protest, then dabbed vulnerary on the worst of the scratches on the cat's belly. As the vulnerary sunk in, stinging a bit, the cat wriggled free, giving Arrin a reproachful look, and ran off to his corner again. He did not like things that stung, not at all, and the Boy was not acting nearly worried enough... even if most of the scratches now felt a lot better.

"Or he can sit over there," Arrin conceded with a sigh. "I think he'll be all right, considering. ...Or he can bother other people," he mumbled, as someone entered the tent and the cat sat down right at their feet. "Oh... is that you, Beau?" he asked, recognizing the newcomer.

[Mercakete]

The hatchling was a little surprised at how uninterested the somewhat-familliar human was. This was his first great victory! Oh well. All was well and warm again and the hatchling quickly fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beau nodded, having only just came into the tent. "Good to see you, Arrin," he replied, clearly a little irritated, though he wasn't intentionally dislaying it. Actually, he nearly always seemed a bit irked and superior. At the moment, however, he was simply glad to finally be out of the rain.

"I need somewhere to stay until it's bright enough for me to find the one I was travelling with again," he informed, "I expect to be able to stay here. However, if I'm not welcome I understand."

He wasn't entirely aware of who all was there, only having noted that he had heared Arrin's voice and was focused on making sure that the water he squeezed from his sleeves and other looser bits of clothing flowed out into the rain rather than into the dry canvas that had been placed on the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Group?" Joe recalled the man talking about a group he had been attached to. "Sorry, lad, but we're not likely to run into too many groups, especially if yours is somewhere east of us. You're welcome to travel with me until we reach the next town, though we're not going anywhere tonight. The horses won't move again. I'm going to let them sleep it off."

Climbing back into the cart, he asked his earlier question again while wondering what happened to that half a loaf of bread he'd given the man. "So, you have a name?"

Edited November 8, 2010 by Mercakete

[Inactive Account]

"Of course you can stay," Arrin replied, a little puzzled at Beau's irritability. It was probably the rain... "We wouldn't send you back out in the rain. Oh... Tessa, this is Beau, Beau, this is Tessa," he added, feeling he should introduce his friends. "Come in, there's plenty of room."

[Balcerzak]

Tessa watched on as Arrin worked with the cat, a little bit less sensitive than probably was for the best, but sometimes animals can be a bit of a handful. The monastery had had a mouser, so she knew a little bit about how to treat them, but the cat wasn't hurt bad enough that what the mage was doing would be problematic, and she figured that if he got himself a few scratches in the process, he'd probably wise up on his own. For some reason she caught herself smiling at the thought.

When the cat slipped free and bounded to the other side of the tent, she followed it with her eyes for a bit before turning her gaze to the nomad's hands. He'd somehow managed to get through this one mostly intact. That was surprising.

What else was surprising was the appearance of another person. Arrin seemed acquainted, and welcomed him, but Tessa was a little unsure, carefully studying the arrival while staying quiet, and unconsciously pulling tighter on Arrin's cloak with the arm she'd had around his back.

This must have clued him in to her unease, as he then introduced the newcomer, and told him to come in and stay the night. Well, in that case, politeness dictates she ought to do the same.

"Bo, huh? Yes, please make yourself feel at home, the weather outside isn't pleasant in the least."

Edited November 8, 2010 by Balcerzak

[Mercakete]

Beau was a little surprised at the other being there, especially since she was...well, a she. (I guess considering the group, there must not be so many tents, but even so, she should be with the other women out of courtesy's sake.)

"So, this is the friend you were referring to before, Arrin?" he asked, facing the other two and coming further into the tent to properly speak with them. Then he politely adressed Tessa directly. "You seem to be a priestess of sorts, Miss Tessa. As Arrin has already abbreviated, I am Beau Adalgiso Bellmire, son to Duke Bellmire and heir to Bellmire Estate in Elyisima. Pleased to make your aquaintence."

As he introduced himself more formally, Beau bowed a little and then inqired a bit further, "Might I ask to which faith you have devoted yourself?"

[Balcerzak]

"F-Forgive me, Your Excellency! I hadn't realized."

Suddenly self-conscious at how casually she'd acted before him, Tessa was about stand up, but as her legs were currently tangled and she was wrapped up in Arrin, she settled for simply deeply inclining her head, before following up on the rest of the young heir's inquiries.

"Priestess is... well, I don't know if I deserve the title, I haven't been formally ordained, but yes... I'm formerly of the Fairbrooke Monastery, Order of St. Pentus, prior to its destruction, and ever I remain a loyal servant to The Lady."

Edited November 8, 2010 by Balcerzak

[Mercakete]

"I see. Yes, that is the norm, isn't it?" asked Beau, obviously pleased with the respect he was finally getting, "I might have faulty information about this, but the Fairbrooke Monastery is here in Septimus, isn't it?" Being cutrious, he sat down with the other two to continue the conversation.

[Balcerzak]

"In Septimus?" Tessa wrinkled her brow a bit in confusion before carrying on, "Begging your pardon, milord, but while it's possible there is another by that name, the place that I was raised lay in Vaorin, just a bit from the border with Elysima actually. I can't say that I know where your dukedom falls within the country, though, as we were always rather insulated from most things political... it's only been since the past... has it been near a month? that I've been travelling."

As the young lord drew closer, taking a seat on the floor of the tent nearby, she gave him a bit more of an appraisal. The troubadour found herself surprised at just how young he seemed to be, younger than Arrin was even, and without a proper retinue? Unlike Count Altair, who was obviously capable of defending himself, the boy before her was dressed simply in robes, and seemed like he wouldn't last in a scuffle of any sort.

Wait... Those robes... that silouhette they made on the tent wall. Something seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Curiosity temporarily pushed back fatigue. Proceeding with a small question of her own, hoping that her replies had proved satisfactory, she inquired, "If it's not out of place for me to ask, how did you make acquaintance with Arrin here?"

[Mercakete]

"Ah, I see. I'm afraid I am not as well-aquainted with the names of the churches as I'd like to be. Yes, now I remember... My appologies for my ignorance," Beau politely replied, "As to how I met Arrin, it was farther east earlier this very day. I was travelling through Septimus when I noticed an injurred man riding a horse. So, I used my physic staff on him and continued onward, hoping to not be noticed for fear that someone who knows my father might inform him of my wherabouts. However, Arrin here, student of TISME, sighted me and asked for my aid seeing as his group was injurred and he had apparently seen my staff. We exchanged introductions and that was the end of it. I helped this company and then continued on my way. I only met with him again recently and helped to heal the injurred of this retinue once more. However, I was searching for someone to help with a merchant I met and purchased a ride from's horses when I stumbled upon this group. Quite honestly, it seems peril befalls this company quite often. How amazing that you're all still alive."

Beau had finally reviled why he had wanted to speak with Arrin earlier. (I'm sure that merchant is fine in his cart. I will find him tomorrow - hopefully with help.)

Edited November 9, 2010 by Mercakete

[Inactive Account]

Tired to begin with and not entirely included in the conversation, Arrin was growing drowsy again. Belatedly he realized that the cat had scratched up his hands, though his sleeves had saved his forearms. "Ouch," he observed quietly, pressing a handkerchief to the scratches to keep from making a mess. As Tessa and Beau talked, he suppressed a yawn. "It's... late..." he pointed out. "Maybe we can talk more in the morning."

[Ether]

As the remnants of the situation were cleaned up, Aiya moved towards Ulfhrahn with a yawn. There was not much else to be done at the moment, and it had become too dark to read the letter without lighting a new fire, so she figured it would be best to leave it for the morning.

Retrieving her bedroll from Ulfhrahn's saddlebag, Aiya curled up near the Bull wyvern, and began to sleep.

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

This man was certainly persistent, the assassin noted in regards to Paul. Still, it was getting dark, and it shouldn't be too hard to lose the man.

Producing a small orb, the man chuckled under his breath. Pulling the release and dropping it behind him, the small orb began to take effect. A relatively small burst of fire magic lit the mixture of substances rapidly, producing a plume cloud of black smoke, covering Paul's field of vision.

Seeing his smoke bomb activate as planned, the assassin bolted off in a seemingly random direction, unseen to the spy. He hoped his partner would do the same.

Edited November 8, 2010 by Ether

[Script]

Luc Altair and the Fargo

Fargo hurried back, bulging with a wide array of items that Luc reasoned were the blocking materials. That easy reasoning soon proved true as Fargo began setting up a roof over the half-watered grave before setting up some more elsewhere.

A Paul

"Fine, be that way!" Paul shouted. Smoke bombs? Really? What happened to the good old days of just outrunning or outfighting your pursuers?

Well, not like he wanted a fight, he really would have preferred to just talk them into suicide, he was too damn old for fighting. Paul darted out of the smoke and circled around. There. The wet ground would work in his favor and leave a nice trail of footprints. Unless the assassins chose to take to the trees. Than he was kind of screwed. Paul chased the foot-trail.

EDIT: Changed Paul stuff.

Edited November 8, 2010 by Script

[Ether]

Aiming for the thicker branches as to cause less noise, the assassin took a quick look back. At the moment, his pursuer appeared to have been lost.

'I hope he isn't stupid enough to leave prints in the mud... still, as long as he doesn't come the same way I did, atleast one of us will get back to base. There was only one guy chasing us, he shouldn't be able to catch us both.'

[Phoenix]

OOC: Not a fan of being held up on multiple fronts so I'm going to quickly move some things along.

Total Bypass

Ivanko: So there you have it. The whole truth, Xenia. It's your choice whether or not you want to be a part of it.

Ixion: She believed it suicide. I still recommend sending her with the others that will be aiding Jace. Safer for her, and we won't have to worry about any of our men suddenly running away at a crucial moment. Speaking of safety ... Ivanko, I need to place an order for exactly four hundred coffins for the attack, possibly more should more men volunteer.

Ivanko raised an eyebrow and Peter's became uttery confused out in the hallway.

Ivanko: "Coffins"? Four hundred of them?

Ixion: You can refer to them as "pods" if it lessens the distraction. Since the fortress and citadels cannot be warped into, the only known option is to fly there, but to this day not even a single sky rider has overcome the storm of ballistae guarding the skies above the capital. There is another way to bypass those walls, but in order for the advanced groups to get inside, we'll need those coffins. They will be modified to suit their purpose, but coffins are the most suitable and least expensive pods we can acquire. I'm not going to mention anything else with three other people listening.

Peter: (Three? How man people are in there? Ivanko, Ixion, Xenia, that guy who screamed ... uh oh, either there's one more person in there or Ixion knows I'm here. Crap.)

Ivanko chuckled.

Ivanko: I can see why you think me crazy, Xenia, heheheheh. Still, Ixion doesn't invest in failure. That's definitely something to note.

Delivery In the Courtyard

OOC: Time frame wise I'm going to have this be roughly the next morning in the rp day, roughly a couple of hours or so before noon.

The Grand Marshall reached the courtyard before too long and began a calming stroll along the walkways. His audience with the king and queen had been a rather frustrating one. While Triton preferred to immediately and directly deal with the attack launched by Halton, the king and queen both agreed that diplomacy should be tried first. In a short while, he would need to send a representative to Altia. It would not be him either, he knew this. He was far too enraged by what was going on to function as a negotiator or diplomat.

Triton: (Gone are the days when the enemy had no way of being talked down and it was sword versus demonic beast. No diplomacy, only our noble victories and defeats. True battle is making its way back into the land and I must stay my hand for the moment. The balance of power is more important to the royal family than anything, and so instead of adapting to this new era we have just entered into, they endeavor to go back into the past and return to their rule as one of the "big three" ... well I dare say those days are just about over.)

From a short distance away two men appeared. One was one of the castle's many servants, the other was the messenger from Halton being led over to the Grand Marshall. Tossing them a quick glance, Triton's face quickly became sour. A messenger from Halton at a time like this.

[Dark Sage]

By the Trees...

Dimitri had trouble getting to sleep, the rain soaking his clothes. The horse kept neighing and making a racket, very bothered by the rain and kicked around grass, it and the dirt landing in Dimiti's face.

"Shut up horse and stop that, or else I put arrow through your neck yes?" Dimitri growled. Fortunately the rain was beginning to stop and Dimitri's horse began to calm down while Dimitri continued to drop off to sleep.

Dimitri suddenly found himself in a black area, completely devoid of any features whatsoever.

"How boring."

Suddenly a bunch of very, very pretty boys appeared near him, rushing towards him with smiles on their faces and trying to hug him.

"WE LOVE YOU DIMITRI!"

"....I love this place."

Edited November 8, 2010 by Red Magister

[Snike]

To Rest

The hole was dug, and the effort wore Derek out. Devoid of any emotion, the man decided to skip the funeral and fell asleep, leaning against a tree with minor rain coverage.

As the discussion quickly faded, Alex moved a bit further away from the group, and proceeded to strip off her armor and helm. Removing her necklace, the woman held it close to her chest, and sighed. Father had taken over so easily... They were on the run... Was the situation ever going to get better? Turbulent-minded, the Comet stayed up for a long time, wishing for a better tomorrow.

[Balcerzak]

Beau's explanations, the circumstances of his encounter with Arrin, once again drove home Tessa's failures from earlier in the day. Reminded again of having arrived back from her overnight stay at one of the local churches to find that only Conrad was still present at the palace... and the subsequent confusion and unsurety of where everyone had gone... Damian had only mentioned a small advance group after all, but everyone had been missing, and the panic had set in quickly. This dampened the young girl's spirits considerably, and the mood for pleasant conversation vanished, like the rainwater soaking into the earth. Arrin's call then—to retire, sleep, and discuss further on the morrow—came as a saving grace, and she welcomed it gladly.

Edits: punctuation everywhere. oh man

Edited November 9, 2010 by Balcerzak

[Mercakete]

The conversation seemed to end there. Beau nodded to the already near-sleeping TISME mage. "Yes, it seems best for us to sleep for the time being. Well, it was good meeting you, Miss Tessa. I will see you both in the morning."

With that, he distanced himself a little from the other two - feeling a bit awkward about sharing at tent with a girl - curled up, cocooned himself in his scarf and rested until he fell asleep.