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

[Script]

Luc Altair

Drawn by Alferis' cries, Luc reasoned, Derek had decided to come upon the scene as well. Good, he could put this whole issue to rest. And after a time he did, confirming everyone's suspicions--except perhaps that new woman--that this was Danielle. That meant after her dissappearance after the Ball, that the group Reika was working for--that Luc was assuredly reasoned these attackers belonged to--managed to kidnap her. Was that why she had vanished? Or had they nabbed her outside of the city? Either way, they did have a presence at the time, so it made sense. That meant Luc didn't have the time to wait until they were on the road again before he started talking to Reika.

A Paul

So it was the chicky-sister of the cav-dude huh? Well, now Paul was all sorts of glad he hadn't knifed her and be done with it. Though still... faint dreams of a good old stabbing were hard to beat.

[Inactive Account]

"Wait your turn, I still have to deal with her for stealing my horse," Kelas grumbled. "She--" She broke off as the commotion she'd ignored got louder. "Wait, is that-- she was attacking us. But that's-- she was with us before. Why did we not recognize her?" she muttered after watching the proceedings for a moment.

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"Yes, I suppose we should. If we're going to get moving soon, I guess we can put him in the carriage," Arrin replied. "I hope we get going soon, though... why are we standing around where we've just been attacked?"

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"Well, you said you don' need me is all," Tobe replied hesitantly. "I donno, can I stay for now?"

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso: She stole Amari? That was before I came along, right?

Once Kelas' attentions shifted to the familiar face, as well.

Iso: Danielle? Haven't seen her we were staying the in castle in Burgosas. She's attacking us now? Okay I hate to say this, but there's no one I can really suspect more right now than the Jerdonians. First Eric, now Danielle? Charlotte's ... well I don't know about her, but Derek at the very least we can't trust if Danielle's just another enemy.

Ivanko

As Xenia drew close to the ruins of the office, the rubble began to stir and finally gave way as Ivanko emerged holding a dead man in his arms. He stepped out of the rubble and placed the man down right in front of Xenia, and the look on his face made his next course of action obvious.

Ivanko: Give me a moment, Xenia.

Reaching for his tomahawk, Ivanko pulled back and quickly hurled the weapon in Victor's general direction way up on the tower! Victor knew the tiny object was coming but from such a distance he couldn't clearly make it out. By the time he had decided which way to leap from the tower, he was already struck across the back of the neck! The tomahawk had passed right through him like butter and his entire body went limp as he fell from the tower and onto the ground with a loud crash!

Ivanko walked over fully confident that Victor wouldn't fight back. Try as he did, he could no longer move his arms, legs, wings, or tail. His spine had been severed and he was left only able to snarl and roar at the approaching mercenary leader. Ivanko walked right up to him placing his armored boot right onto victor's cheek and nudging him a bit as he smirked.

Ivanko: You were close, but not close enough. You just killed one of my men for nothing.

The wyvern looked back at Ivanko desperately trying to get his limbs to move. If just his neck would work, he could surprise and bite the man in half right there, but nothing. He would have to wait to be healed again before he could do anything and by then Ivanko would have been fully armored and no doubt carrying that tomahawk again.

Ivanko: One of these days ...

He sighed and then let out a loud yell.

Ivanko: MEDIC!!!

[riariadne]

Chase was startled by a sudden swarm of activity near Helios, and turned his head quizzically to see Dani bound in ropes. "Oh, hey, it's Dani. Why's she tied up?" he asked, completely clueless of the situation. "... and didn't she leave a while ago or something? When did she get back? Ow," he continued, smarting from the headache.

[Snowy_One]

"Here. Let me start getting her up sir." said Kaileen, lowering her staff. A faint glow radiated out from the tip as light started to etch across Elle's wounds, soothing and healing them. Yet, it was not a full-blown heal. The goat-cry had tipped Kaileen off that she was not alone in the forest. Even if the cry itself was a normal goat, it had a owner most likely. Worse yet, it could easily be the call of a ambusher, signaling for a trap of some sort. Too add to the stress, a moment later, the clear cry for a medic cut through the forest undergrowth. Kaileen turned about, distracted momentarily, a urge to rush out and heal in her body. She suppressed it though. This was looking more and more like a trap, and if it was, rushing off unescorted was the thing that would end up with her dead. Even someone who simply listened to campfire stories knows not to run off into the woods alone when there is trouble afoot.

---

Jr.'s hand lightly touched upon the snout of the pink wyvern. A smile crossed his face as he tenderly stroked it. "You are a pretty girl." he whispered softly. "Who's a pretty girl? You are. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you... I'm not going to hurt you..." he said as he started to move about the Wyvern's head, approaching her body with slow, calm motions so as to not raise alertness... Until the other wyvern and his rider arrived. Suddenly, the pink wyvern turned towards them, a defensive hiss coming from her maw as she dropped back.

"Awww.... She seemed so nice." groaned Jr. before looking up at the man whom had approached. He rode atop a mighty wyvern, similar to the pink one. Jr's lips pursed in admiration as he looked up, a giddy, joyful feeling pulsing through his body; like a child told he was going to Disney World. He jumped up quickly before looking at the man's wyvern, than the man atop it. "Hello Sir. My name is Henry Jr. Son of Kaileen; a priestess of the Lunarian belief." he said, bowing in respect as he gave the stock greeting he gave to all strangers. Then, looking up at the man in awe, he continued. "You are riding a wyvern? Thatissocool!Imeanthey'resostrongandpowerful,andtheycanfly!Fly!Plustheylooksopretty!" he gushed, his words running together. He turned back to the pink wyvern. "She's pretty too, but she's feral... and not used to others at all. But still, she's a pretty girl." he said, trying to approach her again, wary of her defensiveness now that another wyvern was here.

[Script]

The Fargo

"Huh? I don't remember saying anything like that," Fargo buried his hand in his magnificent beard as he emulated Captain in thinking. "Maybe you misunderstood me or some such?"

Luc Altair

Chase now had decided to gift them all with his presence, immediately asking why Danielle was being restrained. Should he consider he Danielle? Or still an enemy? The priestess at the very least seemed more concerned with just healing her wounds, restraints or no.

A Paul

Yes, that's it, get paranoid, look over every should, see everything as a trap. Paul grinned and jumped to a different tree. This time he let out an expert bird call, which sounded roughly like the last moments of a Pegasus giving birth.

[Inactive Account]

"Yeah, I dunno about Derek. I think we can probably trust Charlotte, though," Kelas replied. "I'm not sure the last two attacks were related; Eric was a demon all along, and this lot with Danielle certainly aren't. Charlotte certainly isn't a demon either, and I kind of doubt she's one of this lot, she got attacked as well. Worst I've ever seen her do is... make bad jokes..." she added, freezing up for a second and going a bit red from remembering what the bad jokes were. She shook her head and continued, "I guess she's sort of a threat in her own right by being wanted by Jace's men, but it doesn't really seem right to just abandon her for that."

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"I thought you said that," Tobe replied stubbornly, then remembered not to push it. "But I guess I c'n stay, then."

[Mercakete]

"Haha! Whoa, there!" Tas laughed, enjoying the boy's excitement, "Henry Jr., was it? Well, you're right. She's more dangerous than the other wyverns here. In fact, I'd reccomend not getting so close to her. Hey, if you like wyverns so much, I could fly you around a bit. You can point out your mother when you see her on the ground. After all, you shouldn't be wandering around here by yourself. It can be a little dangerous. Oh, my name is Tas, by the way. And this is Namid." (I should get him to his mother. I think he called her Kaileen. At least it's less likely that the pink one will eat him now that Namid's here to fent her off if he has to.)

Namid made a slight grunt as a sort of greeting. However his focus was on the pink wyvern, staring her down and keeping his head low in case she attacked.

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso: Bad jokes? What about?

Iso didn't want to suspect Charlotte of anything. She didn't seem capable and her being a demon was long since out of the question. He couldn't be completely sure though and the doubt appeared on his face every time she was mentioned. He preferred to focus on Derek instead since that was easier to make sense of. After all, he wasn't the most social cavalier in the party.

Iso: (I might need to see what Viveka thinks of this. She's one of the few people I've seen hanging out with him.)

[riariadne]

Noticing the grim look of others, Chase suddenly got the hint that it was not right that Dani was bound in rope. "It just occurred to me that something's wrong that Dani is tied up... Um, how much did I miss? And who's that. And that," he added, pointing to several unfamiliar faces.

Edited November 28, 2010 by Luka Megurine

[Dark Sage]

Hearing Chase confused about the whole situation, Alferis took a deep breath and sighed. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen the young archer at all lately. Where was he, missing out on all this.

"Chase, we were attacked by a group of warriors and mages a very short time ago. And Dani here-if that is Dani-was one of the two leading that group. She failed and I guess that guy caught her and tied her up."

Was she Dani? He had no idea.

[riariadne]

Silence reined unopposed for a few seconds, before Chase announced, "Okay then. I have officially missed way too much. I got hit on the head, and well... shit happened and I was out of it for... um... a period of time I don't know. So yeah. That's all news to me," he concluded rather weakly.

[Snowy_One]

"My mother told me to stay here though, Misters Namid and Tas." replied Jr. However, he did back away from the pink wyvern, coming closer to the other pairing. Approaching Namid, he raised his hand once again to let the animal smell it. "Wyverns are such majestic beings. Pegasus are prettier, and I like them more, but they only accept female riders. Funny, because according to some of the tales it was a man who tamed the first pegasus. Horses are nice too, but mommy is scared of riding them, so she won't let me have one."

---

"That can not be a natural sound." commented Kaileen as the sound of a Pegasus giving birth filled the treetops. "Keep your guards up and watch the trees. Expect a hail of darts as we move her back. That is the most likely ambush plan."

[Mercakete]

"Actually, the prince of Septimus rides a pegasus. I would fly you over, but if you mother told you to stay here, that's what you should do," replied Tas. It was rare that he saw human children, especially ones that weren't stuck-up. Namid kept his attention on the pink wyvern but allowed the little human to approch him. Tas didn't seem to mind, so he was alright with it, too. Besides, it'd make him easier to protect from the pink wyvern.

[Script]

Luc Altair

What was that fool Paul trying to do? The previous sounds were bad enough, but now this abominable sound of a Pegasus giving birth? Was he trying to drive them all away? Or... Luc closed his eyes and pictured himself nodding. Of course, this was all some ploy to increase Luc's own status.

The Fargo

"Uh, well I don't think I said anything like that but uh," Fargo scratched the back of his head, "Not like it would be my choice anyway, but even if it was I would have allowed you to stay. Um, right."

A Paul

Of course it's a natural sound! A bird call is the most natural sound of all! It seems all that exile had finally gotten to Kaileen and she was completely mad. Best to put her out of her misery before she walked into a tree or something.

Paul scratched his ass. Somehow.

Or not. Doing nothing was a fine plan too.

[Inactive Account]

"Just about-- aaaah, it wasn't anything important, just silly stuff," Kelas replied. She wasn't entirely sure why she was getting flustered. "JustabouthowIshouldweardressesmoresothat... I... could... gah I don't even know," she added, quickly enough to be barely intelligible. "In any case, nothing that would make me distrust her," she summarized, composure returning.

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Tobe had by now realized that this man wasn't in charge and probably couldn't get rid of him if he wanted to, and for that matter, didn't seem to want to. He wasn't entirely sure what else to say to the man, so he sat down and waited to see if Thunder would calm down at all.

[Snike]

Damaged Hearing

"It's her," Alex and Derek both replied, almost instantaneously. Then, two rather annoying sounds filled the air, interrupting their trains of thought and hurting their ears.

"... Whoever you are, would you mind piping down?" Alex asked. "Too loud. Anyways, I think we should probably move back to the camp, so as to NOT get attacked."

"I'd rather not," Derek said. "They're all going to want to kill her, you know. And I really don't want to fight through everyone." The man looked away as he said the words. As if thinking about something else. "Just leave her here for now, until I get assurance she won't be killed." After finishing up that explanation, the cavalier walked the short distance to the camp, before saying, loud enough so that most of the group could hear, "We've found the enemy sage. Just, I ask for you not to kill her, due to the circumstances surrounding our discovery of her."

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso: (Dresses? Kelas really doesn't like those, huh? Well I guess I can understand that. There are some things I'd be shot dead before being seen in.) Still not sure what to do about her though. She's trying to help her country, right? So I really don't see why she's with us. Even if what we're doing could possibly ensure there's a country left for her to rebuild, she's taking a big gamble staying with us. (I wonder how many times each of us has been maimed.)

Derek's announcement seemed like a prelude to another awkward situation.

Iso: I guess it is Danielle then. ... Morgan'sgonnakiller ....

[Script]

Luc Altair

Though Luc didn't need conformation, others apparently did, so Derek and Alex both said it clear enough that anyone should have no doubts anymore. Paul's insistent noises finally seemed to wear thin, as General Alex asked him to quiet down, followed by her wanting to return Danielle to the camp. But Derek rose a valid point about how the others would react. Conrad's subordinates would likely conflict this--possibly even looking to Luc for assistance. But right now not taking her was probably a bigger risk.

A Paul

"Why don't you pipe down?" Paul thought. Wait... ah crap...

[Balcerzak]

Elle, Dani, whoever she was, had replied with unsurety and general confusion, so Helios tried to clear things up a little bit without trying to force any undue pressure. "What did I mean by 'square away', huh? Well, making sure you don't try to attack us, or that any of the others don't try to attack you. That's a good start. Anything else, whatever it could be─hows, wheres, whys, whos─just questions in general I guess, they can all wait."

However, his efforts were most likely undermined by the appearance and thoughtlessness on the parts of Alferis and Chase, both of which pressing issues that might be sensitive. Turning, he shot them each a venomous look, wordlessly expressing his irritation. When he returned his attention to the sage, the priestess had started in on healing her.

"Thank you, Sister," he acknowledged the hero with gratitude. When the odd animals cries, the ones that he'd for the most part been ignoring, seemed to incite a serious sense of fear in the woman, Helios tried to think of something that would be reassuring. What he managed to say was probably far from it. "We actually just got finished being ambushed, so I don't think it could be another one. Don't know what that noise is, though... now that you mention it."

There was some discussion on what to do, and Derek went back to the rest of the group, trying to figure a way to sort of gently broach the subject, no doubt, while the rest stayed here. Figuring it was best to finish what he had begun, the wind mage disposed of the last of the ropes that bound Dani, then put a hand on Elle's shoulder, gently.

OOC: Tessa bits coming... After lunch, most probably.

Edited November 29, 2010 by Balcerzak

[Snowy_One]

"A man rode a pegasus? Wow. That's hard to do. From what the girls who ride them that mommie heals from time to time tell me is that they have to fight to keep their mounts under control if a man wants to ride with them. Then they usually add something about what the peggie would do if the man rode them. That's gross though! Why on earth would a man want to use a girl like a pegasus? They can't fly!" replied Jr before taking a longing gaze at Namid. Then, looking up into the wyverns eyes, he stretched out his hand. "Can I... Pet him?"

[Dark Sage]

How would the others react? That was a good question. Morgan would probably kill her, possibly Reika too. Who knows who else. Still, that was only two people that he knew of, at most. As far as he knew, most like Dani enough to not want her dead. Whatever it was that caused her to attack them, it was probably not her fault. There was no reason at all to do that. Unless she was a demon? Eric was a demon so that certainly was an option. If she wasn't though, this was going to be a difficult problem to solve.

Assuming she was Dani of course...

All of this going through his head, Alferis stood closer to Dani, a little protectively even. As far as he was concerned, no one would hurt her until they sorted everything else. Or he'd have to make everyone agree to that.

[Snike]

Free Prisoner

"... I guess I can comply...," Elle said, looking over at the bystanders. She couldn't take them all out, the sage knew, and they would definitely kill her if she tried to escape. That giant of a man over there, the one who had stared at her for a while, he could easy snap her in half if he so pleased. Yes, the best way to get out of this would be to go along with the wind mage, at least, for the moment. Then, she was healed by a priestess, soothing the aches in her body a little bit. Helios thanked her before the sage could get a word out, and quickly cut Elle loose. The ropes coming off was a great relief, she realized, rubbing her chafed arms. Then, her savior put an arm on the woman's shoulder. Reflexively, she tensed, but relaxed once it was clear he wasn't going to attack.

[Mercakete]

"What?" Tas asked in confusion, trying to make sense of what the boy had just said. Giving up on that endeavor, he responded to Jr.'s question. "I don't mind it and Namid's pretty gentle so you're not in any danger from him." After a moment, he added, "Though I don't see why men would have trouble riding peagsi. Tristan rides Bellerophon just as well as any pegasus rider I've seen." (Not that I've seen too many pegasus riders... Only Tristan...um... What were the others' names again? Vi...something... And Jasmine, I think. Vir... No, it was... Victoria? Vironica? No, those weren't right... Um... Viridian? No, that's a color. Vi...vi... Oh, wait. Vivi...something... Um...Vivika! Yeah, I think that was it...maybe... Or maybe it was just Vivi? Maybe.)

After a few moments of letting the boy feel Namid's scales - which were thinner than the protective scales of the plain-dwellers - Tas suggested, "You said you like pegasi, right? They're safer than wyverns. I could find some of the pegasus riders and take you to them, if you'd like. Well, if your mother wouldn't mind you riding Namid with me. And, of course, if you don't mind hights yourself."

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

The newly-familliar human was making strange noises. What did that mean? The soon-to-be-named hatchling tilted his head to try to hear the sounds better.

Edited November 29, 2010 by Mercakete

[Phoenix]

Elyisimians

Once Viveka reached Conrad and Jasmine she quickly dismounted and knelt down over the general beside her wingman. With nothing but fear in her voice she asked the question Jasmine knew was coming.

Viveka: Is he going to be alright?

Jasmine: Yep. He was a lot worse off earlier, but Tessa came and healed his injury. It was really bad at the time but now there's not so much as a mark.

She let out a huge sigh of relief at Jasmine's answer. Losing her commanding officer would have hurt her in so many ways that she couldn't even bring herself to prepare for that kind of outcome. He was still unconscious though which made her a bit uncomfortable whether or not he was only sleeping. After about a minute of staying by him, he began to stir and finally opened his eyes. He greeted the two with the moan of an injured man and they both quickly helped him to his feet.

Viveka: Are you going to be alright, Sir?

Jasmine: Maybe you should ride in the carriage?

He held up his hands gesturing for them to relax. He wasn't about to be pampered over a little soreness.

Conrad: I'll be alright. I'll travel on Thunderbolt like I always do.

Viveka: You're sure?

Conrad: I am.

Jasmine: I guess we're ready to go then.

Viveka: Hold it.

Viveka finally noticed what was going on over by some of the others. Derek had been speaking to the group at large as well.

Viveka: Something's going on.

Names

Irina: Okay so I've narrowed things down a bit ... umm ... Nicholas? ... eh. ... Nicolai? Hmm ... Niket? Maybe. Nniikeet ... hmmmm. Let me go see what Tas thinks of that one.

With at least one name sticking for her a bit, Irina began walking over to Tas with the hatchling in her arms arriving only a moment later. She hadn't caught any of the conversation thus far.

Irina: I think I might have a name, Tas. How about Niket? It's small, cute ... (and has absolutely no meaning in Zaftran heheheh.)