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

[Inactive Account]

"Looks like... if it weren't one of ours, we woulda heard about it," Kelas mused. Progress stopped suddenly when she tripped over something on the ground. "...I found my saddle," she observed, picking herself up off the ground again. "Also mud. Well, I got stuff in my packs, at least..." She picked up her packs and started towards the tent again.

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Amari looked up, startled, at the expanse of wing that had unfolded over her back. Realizing that Kiev was shielding her from the rain, she gave a grateful nicker, and stood a little less miserably.

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"I'm sorry," Arrin told Beau again as he looked around for Tessa. "It's just-- I want to make sure one of my other friends is all right." He knew she was well enough to heal, but what if she overworked herself again? ...He was worrying again, he realized. Was that bad?

[Mercakete]

"Alright. I'll go get the eggs, then. I'll transfer them myself then look for a healer of that's the case," Tas replied before heading back towards Namid.

Namid was hoping for wyvern stables or something when Tas came back to retrieve the eggs. Finally, he was able to relax and curl up to shiled a good portion of himself from the rain. Then the odd thing happened. Tas normally slept right by him. Whe Namid looked at Tas quizically, Tas just smiled and replied, "Don't worry. I'll be back shortly." then he continued towards a tent. Namid just curled up for now. He would have to make a point of it to hunt in the morning, as much as he disliked hunting where wild plains wyverns held their territory.

When Tas made it back to the tent - holding the bundle to his chest to keep the eggs as warm and dry as possible - he waited outside for a moment, then called in, "Irina, I have the eggs. Can I come in?" After all, he wasn't sure who was in the tent nor what they were doing at the moment. He knew Irina was in there, though, so he thought this tent might be reserved for the women. If one of them was changing into dry clothes to sleep in, he didn't want to walk in on them.

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

Realizing this was a personal matter, Beau nodded and backed off. "I would appreciate it if you come to find me when you are finished. There is a reason I came this way, after all. I will talk to you about it later," Beau replied before going over to the injurred pegasus. No other healer was around and he had the time, so he might as well heal the beast. Ignoring the woman nearby, he proceded to focus his staff on the pegasus and begin healing his injurries.

[Phoenix]

Side Quest Reward

Iso: (You idiot, why didn't you catch her? Urgh, no big deal this time I guess. Be alert. If you can't catch someone you're walking right next to, how are you supposed to kill off a bunch of demons?)

Iso wasn't really dwelling on it, but what really had him so agitated was that the demon he had hated for so long was most likely still alive.

Tentative Issue

Inside the tent, Jasmine was preparing her own bedroll when she finally noticed the little person in the corner and flinched.

Jasmine: Whoa-who are you?!

She crawled back a little pointing her finger accusingly at the young boy. Irina looked over too but wasn't too startled.

Irina: He probably came with those Halton officers.

Another voice sounded but this one came from outside. It was Tas asking if he could come in. It was definitely time for those eggs to receive some shelter and neither of the girls were indecent ... only wet. She made a mental note to try to find a way to change into something else before she went to sleep.

Irina: Yeah, actually, hurry and get them in here so we can get them covered again.

[Mercakete]

"Alright," Tas replied before stepping into the tent. It was almost odd to not feel the icy drops of water patter against him. However, he was focussed on his task. It was fairly obvious where the blanket-nest was so he went directly for it, kneeled down and gently set his bundle down. Then, he gingerly unwrapped the eggs and began placing them in the warm, dry blankets. They were colder than Tas would have liked for them to be, but this tent and the heat from its occupants would help a lot. Once the eggs were set, he carefully folded the warm blankets over the eggs, wrapping them in such a way that they wouldn't go smashing into each other when the new bundle was lifted. "There, that should do it for now," Tas murmured before standing up and promptly heading outside again with a bit of a wave to be polite.

"They should be fine now, but they're not indestructable. If anything bashes into them, then it's very likely the eggs will crack. Again, thank you. This means a lot to me," Tas mentioned to the two women from the tent's flap before exiting completely and returning to Namid.

The wyvern knew what to do. He unfolded a wing a little bit, making a warm hollow for Tas to climb into. It only took seconds for the exhausted man to fall asleep. Namid stayed awake, however and curled his tail around the wing protectively while he rested his head near his tail's tip. No one was getting near Tas without Namid's permission.

[Snowy_One]

OOC: Quick pre-class post. Going to be the last one with Altion in the group unless someone stops him, which I doubt.

IC: Altion's feet kicked into the side of Gluebag as he turned the animal around to leave. It felt as if a heavy shadow had fallen upon his heart as he did so. For a time, he felt as if he had made friends, yet in hindsight, the only real interaction he had held was that one talk with Kelas. Kelas... Kelas.

A quick quiver of the lip shot across his face. Behind him, a deep pain, as if being stabbed in the back, welled up. He had liked the woman, but was too afraid of her to approach her. She was strong and independent, not like him. It hurt to even think of her. He found his hand reaching back to the armor, touching it, a subtle wish that it could, somehow, protect him from the other people.

Gluebag, meanwhile, had taken off at a slow walk, heading back down the path and away from the group. Altion waited a moment before calmly muttering "goodbye Kelas."

[Script]

Luc Altair and The Fargo

Fargo's setup of the tent was adequate for the circumstances and Luc relaxed as best he could inside the portable shelter. This was a unit tent, just large enough to fit seven people if they angled themselves correctly within. But still Luc would have desired a larger tent for all the wounded they were sure to bring in. Thankfully there was still another tent in Thunder's bags, but until it was necessary there was no point in pitching it.

Luc slowly forced himself into a sitting position after finishing applying the rest of the vulnerary. "Fargo," Luc choked out. It was going to be a day at best, Luc summarized, before he could do much more than pitifully chuck his words out. "I want you to try and gather everybody together, and try and find any of the more severely injured and move hem to his tent."

The other cavalier's bearded face flashed confusion. "Eh? But Captain, we don't have the room in any tent ever made! And I really don't know so many of these people and..."

"Quite your gripping Fargo, I need you to do this. Things have changed so radically that I want everyone in on when we need to do." Luc fell into a coughing fit. Damn, he had to speak for this, and doing so would just slow his recovery.

Fargo was silent in, contemplation most likely, before he nodded. "Alright Captain, but I doubt anyone will listen to me."

"If there's one thing I have confidence in Fargo it's that no one could truly ignore your voice." It was mainly because of how often he would just continue to talk despite being told to hold his tongue, but it still counted.

"Aw, Captain, thanks," Fargo smiled and headed outside.

Luc collapsed. Holding himself up like that was far too tiring. And he'd need to do it again when he discussed things with everyone else. Luc closed his eyes to rest just a tiny bit. With so little strength in reserve, any help was a relief.

The Fargo

Fargo stood outside in the rain letting the wetness plaster all over his body again. He took a deep breath, then another. He could do this, he wasn't much of a soldier or hell, even he admitted he was kinda a crummy person, but not helping anyone right now would just make him even worse! Fargo took a huge breath and shouted as loud as he could! "Everyone! Gather! All! Injured! Over! Here!"

Luc Altair

Luc shot straight up at Fargo's yell, earning a strike of pain as he did so. That was certainly one way to get everyone's attention though. Luc reasoned that even Paul could have heard it, as far into the woods as the man was probably hiding.

A Paul

What he wouldn't give to be back inside the nice warm saddlebag. Ah, those were the days. None of this crazy yelling either.

[-Cynthia-]

"Thank you so much." Tristan said to Beau. "I hadn't even noticed he was injured, just like him to act like it was nothing."

Bellerophon, restored to at least part of his previous grandeur, got back up and prepared to charge at Illiam once more. Tristan stood in the way and tried to calm the stallion down by rubbing his mane, which appeared to have little effect.

"Sorry about all of this! He's probably just excited because of all the new animals around." Tristan quickly apologized to everyone who was around.

[Phoenix]

In The Now

Illiam tried to remain a bit still to blend in with his surroundings. His white appearance was making that impossible though, not to mention he was standing in the clearing like everyone else. He didn't have much cover besides Susann and she wasn't going to watch his back if the challenging one decided to pummel him. In fact, she may very well have passed it off as literal "horse play". His human might protect him but she was hiding in one of those giant skins. This wasn't good. If his own human failed to hold him back, he might have to fly into the skin as well.

Seeing that the magnificent one had been treated by one of the light bearers, she finally calmed down before receiving a harsh look from Viveka. Her human was displeased with her it seemed. But that wasn't right. If not for her speedy efforts, the group's one and only savior could have possibly died, or worse! Her human didn't understand how close of a call that was. At least now he was alright though. Now if another thing appeared to claim the group, he could beat up and scare off the thing. Viveka quickly regained the assured pegasus' attention by releasing her and then waving her finger around in protest.

Viveka: Don't ever ever ever freak out over a guy. PERIOD. That pegasus isn't some sort of one of a kind item, Sunny. You start crying and throwing fits over a single pegasus and not look at people for who they are, you'll end up as a stallion tool for making babies instead of a respectable mate.

She didn't know what her human was talking about, but she seemed disapproving of something. If it was about the magnificent one, then she too didn't know what she was talking about ... whatever it was about. Viveka then looked over at Tristan who was apologizing for the inconvenience.

Viveka: Not a big deal, really. It's- ... Prince Tristan?

She barely held back a giggle thinking about his pegasus knight status and looked away for a second. Once she recomposed herself she turned back fatigued from the extreme efforts of suppressing what she found to be hilarious.

Viveka: It's not the worst incident we've had, so like I said, no big deal. Heh.

Meanwhile the mischievous pink one kept her eyes on Kiev, or rather the chickens he was hauling around. After awhile one of those walking meals approached him. She eyed them suspiciously waiting to see if Kiev was going to eat the horse instead giving her an opportunity to sneak up behind him, beat him into a bloody mess, steal all of the chickens, and fly away. Instead he placed a wing over the uncomfortable horse getting a full jaw dropping gawk from her. It was a walking meal not a travel companion. That young wyvern was surely confused about how the world really worked. Still, he was distracted nonetheless. Perhaps she would use the chance to sneak over and rip the cage from his back and then fly off with it. Yes, that was what she would do-*WHACK*

A sudden hissing cry sounded from her mouth as Krinkov's tail came down on her head like an anvil! Krinkov knew he was to keep an eye on the pink one and every time she eyed Kiev, he knew it was time to give her a bit of a pinch. She wasn't to be trusted until broken into a riding wyvern. He also enjoyed picking on her since mating was simply a bad idea. She would probably turn the offspring against him and his master or try to use them to steal more of that odd fluid he'd been guarding.

Lev was planning on picking a tent and relaxing, but first noticed one of the cavaliers preparing to leave. He squinted his eyes just to make sure he was actually seeing what he thought he was. The rain was obscuring things slightly.

Lev: Huh. I wonder where he's going. (Another one randomly leaving, huh? Similar to when Danielle left. Did she at least leave a note? Doesn't matter I guess. She was fun though. Women come and go I guess, can't expect it to be much different for the opposite sex, and after that battle, I can't blame him for deciding to get out while he still can. I'll let Morgan know when I get around to it. ... ah sh*t, Morgan. I'd better talk to her about more than just these boring crap before something else hits my to do list. I need to get Irina on that pink wyvern too. Oi ... busy busy bachelor.)

[Ether]

Damian had taken off towards the fortress with resolve. While he could not be certain that the Gungnir would seal his victory, it was the best chance he could think to give himself at the moment.

And Ixion could get him to it. That man had access to resources and power beyond anything he had imagined before. Had he wanted, Damian wouldn't doubt Ixion had the ability to have a hero assassinated.

'Surely Ixion can break through that shield rune... once we get through that, we can unlock Gungnir from it's rest.'

Hearing the bodyguards call out to him, Damian turned his head, slowing slightly.

"I need to talk to Ixion, this can't wait right now." he told them, turning back towards the fortress.

'I believe we are still linked, Ixion? If you can hear me, surely you can respond as well?'

[Snike]

OOC: About 10-12 hours ahead of main group.

Complications

"...We may have a problem," Elle said grimly to Njordjenka, returning from a voyage to the local TISME branch. "... Burgosas was taken by Jace, yesterday. The group is likely on the run... Also, I did a bit of checking, and, I believe that the Reformists are after our targets, as well... Here...," the sage finished, producing a guiding ring, matching her own. "Sorry about the delay, it took a little while to find one..."

[Dark Sage]

"The Reformists huh?" said Njordjenka, taking the guiding ring. "And Jace has taken Burgosas...that might not be so terrible, Jace could be an excellent client of ours. But the Reformists are a big issue....Geraro used to be part of the Reformists. He should know something about them and we can permanently put them down.

For the group on the run, perfect. We have many bases here, so we have many opportunities to catch them."

Putting the Guiding Ring on his finger, Njordjenka suddenly felt a rush of power that he hadn't felt in a long time. A yellow aura surrounded him and Njordjenka chanted the Thoron incantation smoothly and perfectly, the spell taking full effect.

"...Sehr gut Elle. I never thought this could give such power."

OOC: Njordjenka has promoted to Thunder Sage. Whoo!

Edited November 3, 2010 by Red Magister

[Mercakete]

"No one else was healing him, so I don't see a reason why I shouldn't have," politely replied Beau to Tristan. He was a little surprised at the interaction between the woman pegasus knight and the prince, however. (Why are they being so casual? He obviously outranks her... Why is she being allowed to not show him the proper respect?)

[Snike]

Power...

"... I can barely feel the difference myself..." Elle said, quietly. "... My concern is... One of the other factions may get to them first... Perhaps we should try to... strike...?" The sage bowed her head. Njord was, of course, a senior member of the guild, she knew. He would know what to do, given his experience. Right?

[Phoenix]

The Pioneer

Ixion left the dining room and headed out of the building making a quick crossing over to the large manse near the center of the fortress. He stepped inside the doors and ignored the servants wandering around making his way straight into the halls of the first floor. A minute or two of walking and he reached a large door which he slowly opened. He found O'Donnel inside standing up from his desk and walking over to the door.

O'Donnel: Ixion. Walk with me.

Ixion: (A walk? Of course ... a conversation on the move is best I suppose.)

The two robed men left the office and headed down the hall as their conversation began.

Ixion: What is this about, O'Donnel?

The archsage gave him a mischievous grin before his answer came.

O'Donnel: So why don't you tell me what the extent of you power is, Ixion?

Ixion: Because it is none of your business.

O'Donnel: Oh don't be so illusive. We're on the same side here.

Ixion: (You can never be too sure.) Why do you wish to know?

O'Donnel: Ivanko left it up to you to carve our path to the throne. I honestly believe this to be a severe lack of trust on his part. I have devoted many years to furthering the man's cause and he seems to only trust you ... you and no one else. I won't pry into your relationship, but I would like to speed along this process regardless. Ixion, I will speak frankly. You need help to accomplish this feat, and I am more than capable of helping in that.

Ixion: What are you after? Praise?

O'Donnel: We have been at this for years, Ixion. Years. We are too close to rest our hopes on a single man.

Ixion: Impatience then?

O'Donnel: No, fool! Inefficiency!

Ixion: The plan is more secure in my hands than in the entire collective of magical adepts. Being set back a few months is no serious issue. Even after Zaftra's attack on Irvinheim, there is little they can do to prepare. They have always had maximized defenses. Nothing they do will prepare them for what I have in the works. Nothing.

O'Donnel: How many chimeras do you need, Ixion? Thousands. How many do you have? A dozen or so. You're falling behind schedule due to mistrust and nothing else. You can't hide that from me, boy.

Ixion stopped where he was and O'Donnel had no choice but to stop as well.

Ixion: You are absolutely right, O'Donnel. I don't trust you. I don't trust anyone with a human mind. You're all too easily controlled an manipulated. Knowledge is power, and the more I spread around, the greater the risk to the entire organization. There is no person outside of Ivanko's bloodline that I will not personally kill to prevent his goals from being undermined.

The archsage leaned back a little, a bit surprised by the young man's cold response. If he was going to get what he wanted he would have to negotiate harder, and perhaps get straight to the point this time.

O'Donnel: Ixion, listen to me. I am loyal to the IM's cause. I always will be. I don't need the bloopact for that. I simply know that we can get this done and be past the darkest part of our journey if we work together. You are not alone in this struggle. I can help you if you let me.

Ixion: ... you seem to be getting at something specific. Explain. Now.

He came around to Ixion's front and put both of his hands on the dark druid's shoulder while looking him dead in the eyes.

O'Donnel: Teach me how to construct chimeras, Ixion. Teach me and we can be done with the incompetence of the Zaftran royal family once and for all.

Ixion: Absolutely not.

O'Donnel: What excuse could you possibly have for turning down my assis-

Ixion: I've made it a point to never forget that with the kind of power I wield comes great responsibility. I gave up everything that made me human short of this flesh to safely wield this power. Neither swayed by emotions nor delusions of grandeur. No petty sentimental ideals to get in the way of the ultimate goal. None of that. I see those flaws inherent in you so I will not take that risk.

O'Donnel: I see. So you're conditioned to wield your power for your purpose and little else? I ... can respect that ... I suppose. There is one other matter I wanted to discuss with you though, boy. It's regarding that companion chimera of yours.

Ixion: Yes?

O'Donnel: I don't know what part of your stories are a lie, but I do know that she is a fair bit stronger than the both of us. Whether or not you could create something like her is irrelevant. I simply know that someone with your goals, and your suspicions wouldn't dare create something like her, something stronger than you that did not believe as you do. Don't take me for a fool, Ixion. She is no creation of yours, she is something different isn't she?

Ixion: Hmph. She is a half spirit. Nothing more, and you will never speak of this again. You know more than you need to know already.

O'Donnel: Interesting. So you aren't yet skilled enough to shape a human out of animals yet? Well, you are technically a novice in the art of life forging, be you the first human to do so or not.

Ixion: True enough.

O'Donnel: I'm beginning to feel your chimeras are ... wasted potential, Ixion. You fuse beasts when you could be doing far greater things with organic material.

Ixion: It is the easiest way to keep attention off of the organization thus far.

O'Donnel: Yes, but what if ...

Ixion: Are you actually about to suggest what I think you are ... after your raving speech earlier?

O'Donnel: Ixion, I won't ignore the possibilities and neither should you. Think about it. Normal men. They appear to be nothing but normal men but house the power of beasts. You wouldn't need a few thousand chimeras, you would need only a few hundred willing and able men.

Ixion: I considered that, but I wouldn't be willing to give a free moral agent that type of power unless they were under my control. Those chimeras are bound to me. My mind shapes theirs and I could not replicate the same thing in humans who have suppressed instinct and overwhelmingly dominant free will. I also won't turn members of the IM into hidden weapons without Ivanko's permission. I was specifically told not to do that.

O'Donnel: I bet you were ... stop this nonsense, boy! You are obviously a bit too sentimental. You could easily overpower a human mind and make them tools, IM forces or not.

Ixion: Yes ... but I won't. Ivanko's orders. Come to peace with this, O'Donnel. I think we're done here.

The dark druid turned away and began heading back down the hall leaving O'Donnel staring over at him with a harsh and somewhat murderous look in his eyes.

O'Donnel: (All you think about is the mission. You never stop to think about the here after. You fight to claim one country when you could claim the entire world. Such power and potential yet you waste away on Ivanko's dream? I can understand that you are loyal to him. So am I, but I want more for us than a frozen wasteland to spend our golden years rebuilding. We could have so much more and be so much more. Ixion, if you will not come to my way of seeing things then I may need to take measures of my own ...)

The Message

As Ixion continued heading back through the halls, he began to feel a bit uneasy. The argument was part of the reason, but he felt a slight disturbance along the path of the mana thread he'd attached to Damian. The thread was trying to relay something, but the power driving it was too weak for it to come through clearly.

Ixion: (Is he trying to say something?)

The man closed his eyes and quickly entered his trance hearing everything loud but not clearly. To interpret even a little of it he had to completely release all other areas of concentration. Damian was forcing his thoughts over nonetheless.

Ixion: (These threads are too poor for proper communication ... DAMI- ... ME-T ... ... -E GATES.) Urgh. Hopefully he can at least interpret that. I should head down there myself. He seems to be headed back here.

Edited November 3, 2010 by Phoenix

[Dark Sage]

"That is indeed a good idea Elle. Now that they're weak, we should strike ourselves and if we fail, call in Geraro. We should get going now," Njordjenka said, nodding.

[-Cynthia-]

That blonde haired woman was acting strangely around him again. Maybe she was allergic to Bellerophon? Elysimian pegasi could have different manes than Septimian pegasi he guessed. He took a carrot out of his pack and fed it to the pegasus, distracting the stallion for the time being.

"Not to impose or anything, but is there a tent free? I don't want Bellerophon to catch cold, but he gets rather anxious around new people."

[Ether]

The message came back jumbled. All Damian could make out with certainty was "Gates".

'I guess I should head to the gates of the fortress then.' Damian decided, seeing the fortress approaching as he dashed towards it.

Reaching the gates, Damian stopped, figuring that if Ixion's message was so jumbled, he likely hadn't gotten much of Damian's own message.

'I'm here, Ixion.' Damian sent across the link, wondering just how much would get through.

[Phoenix]

Gates

A few minutes of power walking placed Ixion in view of the gates. The night patrols were all over the place and he could hear voices over by the gatekeepers. That's where he was headed. Meanwhile the gatekeeper were looking out over the edge of the wall down at a man in front of the gates. Two others eventually reached him and waved off the snipers who were already sure they recognized the man.

Sword Master: Could you please not run off on your own like that? We were assigned to guard you, not chase you like a couple of irresponsible babysitters.

He looked up at the gatekeepers and then shrugged. He supposed it didn't matter since Damian was strong enough to stand and lead them on a wild chase all the way back to the fortress. The gatekeeper got the message and unlocked the gates. As they began to rise, Ixion could be seen on the other side waiting. He'd reached the gate in the meantime and had been waiting.

Ixion: What's going on?

At The Camp

Viveka: Uh, there are tents you can sleep in, but I don't think anyone's going to share with the mounts. (Not the first time I've had to leave Sunny out in the rain. Probably won't be the last either.)

[Ether]

"Well, I thought of something that could assist in our... dilemma. However, I would like to ask what you managed to pick up on your own, instead of starting from the beginning." Damian replied to Ixion, as the gate rose.

"Sorry about that, but this is involved with the only reason I came here in the first place."

[Inactive Account]

Kelas stumbled into the tent without further mishap. It was empty except for Irina and one of the pegasus knights, and a small heap of muddy clothing toward the back that might have been Tobe. She sat down in one of the other corners and started rummaging through her pack. "Are we staying here, or just resting for a bit?" she asked drowsily. Her packs were well-made and had been shut tightly, so the blankets and other belongings inside were dry, but she didn't want to start getting things out if they were just going to leave again.

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

"Tessa?" Arrin asked, catching up to his friend. "Er... how are you doing? Is there anything I can do to help?"

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

Worn out from the day's flight and terror, Tobe had simply shut down, curling up in the corner and falling into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. He shivered slightly, clothes still soaked, but was mostly peaceful for the moment.

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At the sounds of panicked whinnying, Amari shook her mane out of her eyes and trotted out from under Kiev's wing. She was tired, but she had to keep the herd together.

It turned out to be Susann, panicking over some injury of the uppity winged stallion. Amari headed over, ignoring the stallion once she saw the small healer dealing with his problems, and stopped in front of Susann. The pegasus seemed to be fine by now, but Amari gave her a questioning whicker anyway. Were things all right?

Francis stuck close to some of the other horses, with his head down, back to the storm, the picture of equine misery. He'd be all right; the fighting was over, the monster was gone, the Boy was patched up and would take care of him when he could, but still... it was raining. And cold. Amari had made it clear that everything was all right for the moment, but... the gelding shivered, and hoped the storm would end soon.

[Snowy_One]

With the conclusion of the dinner, Mana finally took the chance to retreat back unto her room. It was a dull journey, uneventful in the slightest as she closed the door behind her. As she entered, she looked over to the desk which she had been seated at earlier. Fresh parchment and ink had thoughtfully been placed there, most likely by some attentive maid or something similar. Approaching it, she sat down and pulled the seat up, readying the quill from before.

I don't know why I have chosen to write this. she started, the tip of the quill brushing over the parchment with ease. As soon as she had written the words, she reclined back to look at them in bewilderment. She really did have no idea why she was writing these things, what she was about to write. The nature of the wind spirit within her prompted her to things like this from time to time, to simply follow the flow and feeling on illogical tendencies, floating along on faith that everything would be alright in the end. I write this as the Headmaster of TISME for the eyes of Ixion and O'Donnel only though. Consider this as a diary, a thoughtful insight recorded day by day so that you will understand once all this is resolved.

The Crimson Weapons are dangerous. I held no interest in coming here Beforehand Ixion. I am afraid I liEd to you from the start as to my intentions. You are hardly the first person to try to find a 'cure' for my condition. TISME, the organization you see as all law and Confinement, was not always so. Once, it would hAve been youR drEam. A place where knowledge was sought after at any cost, regardless of the sins entailed. It was an organization that merged not only simple beasts like you perFormed oUtside recentLy, but man and beast, man and FIsh, man and bird... and whom sought to undeRstand how the small child, sEnt to their schools to learn by naive parents, could contain so much power. I've seen what the pathway you travel down holds, felt it's harsh sting invading my Body Upon needlepoint day afteR day, and hiddeN away its Scars under layers of makeup. The path you travel is one that is too easy to stray from, and straying with the weapons is something that can not be afforded.

That is why I chose to come. I know I can not guide you like a master or mentor. Any word I say would be tossed aside as the words of someone scared of the unknown beyond. I have decided instead to observe you in secret; keeping watch over you in secret, not minding my own business and waiting for the deviation so I can steal the knowledge you have gained and hide it away. Though you may help Damian, the knowledge gained is something best forgotten. I don't expect you to understand. I don't expect myself to understand. My hand is following the wind as I write this though, and I have faith in the wind.

Toodles.

Edited November 3, 2010 by Snowy_One

[-Cynthia-]

"I suppose I can leave him outside for tonight." Tristan said. He guided Bellerophon over to a tree and tied him off. "Be good, all right?" he asked his pegasus. Bellerophon snorted in response and went to sleep. Tristan decided to follow his mount's example and went to bed in one of the tents, as it had been the most exhuasting day of his life.

"So, do you have a plan for what we are to do next?" Morgan asked Conrad, ignoring the unfamiliar armored woman for the time being.

[Mercakete]

"Oi! You there!" the merchant called to the horseman that was riding somberly to the road from the north, trying to get his attention. (I hope that boy is alright. Maybe this man has seen him.)

[Phoenix]

OOC: In as random an order as I could think of.

Relevance

Ixion: I may have found part of the problem revolving around Gae-Borg's advantage, but putting a solution into practice isn't that simple. It requires a ... very specific mindset to actually do any good though. What have you found?

Things

Susann had kept an eye on Tristan's pegasus constantly and Viveka having calmed her down enough to feel secure with leaving her there trotted off to get back to shelter. She didn't realize that her panic had drawn Amari's attention. As the horse headed over, Kiev reminded himself to stay back. For some reason Amari got upset when he approached the shaky animals regardless of his intentions so he stayed put.

Once Amari got her attention, she shot her ears back and gave the horse a terrible look. It was the humans and their ignorance again. She fluttered her wings slightly just thinking about it. Every now and then extremely powerful things of all shapes and sizes would attack them, and those magnificent enough to protect them were either left behind or ... or ...

She caught a glimpse of Bellerophon being tied to a tree and her eyes widened in utter shock, her head lowering a bit and her hooves shifting weight uncontrollably. How could the magnificent one scare off evil things if he was cruelly tied up to a tree, nature's thing concealer? She turned back to Amari still boggled by the madness. What were they going to do?

Meeting

Viveka made it back to the tent and peeked in before actually setting foot inside.

Conrad: Well that depends. We should probably take inventory and figure out what our situation is. Do we have all the crimson weapons back or are their any others still severed? Who besides the demons are after us? Things like that. To answer your question, my plan by default would be to chase down that dragon you people fought before. A foe that strong ... she hasn't attacked in quite some time compared to the demons which has me concerned. If she needs this much time to prepare then we're better served taking her down before she's ready for us. Still, we lack any high value resources right now and don't have a lot of information yet. (It would certainly be nice to have some spies running about, but quite frankly I left in a bit of a hurry and it slipped my mind. It would be somewhat expensive to hire the necessary amount of information gatherers I would need to get back anything useful regardless.)

Tentov and Wyrina

Iso followed Kelas into the tent and tried to avoid the bundle next to Irina. He wasn't sure what it was but sat down between her and Kelas who was a bit further back in the tent. Irina leaned in a little closer to the eggs making sure they were alright. For some reason she just didn't feel like being anything short of vigilant. She at least answered Kelas' question though despite the extreme egg focus.

Irina: It's raining and people are still hurting. I'm pretty sure we'll be here til morning.

Iso: A rest will do us a lot of good, even if it's on a small battlefield I guess. Irina what are you doing with that wyvern?

Irina: Babysitting.

Iso raised and eyebrow.

Iso: Are you sure you're the best person for that?

Irina: Are you saying I'm clumsy?

Iso: No ... but just look at how Kiev turned out? No offense but either you're bad at wyvern raising or Kiev got hit with a boulder while you weren't looking.

Irina: (He got hit with a boulder WHILE I was looking, you jerk!) Despite what anyone thinks of Kiev he's the best kind of wyvern around. He loves humans but still packs a wyvern's punch.

Iso shrugged and then came a little closer to Kelas.

Iso: Looks like we're getting a good night's sleep. Let's try not to waste it.

Edited November 3, 2010 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

"Reika is still missing her weapon. I do not know where the daggers are at this time, though since Shanice and the fire demon are probably alive, my guess would be that one of them is holding it. As for our enemies, I expect Kamilla will inform the Reformists of our actions and they will probably be unfriendly to say the least. Reika's employers also seem interested in the weapons, though I know little about them. There is also the recent conflict in Septimus to consider, we could easily be caught in the crossfire given the events that have transpired. I would prefer to eliminate Helenos before she becomes too much of a threat, but we should also be wary about anatagonizing too many factions simultaneously- though I doubt any of them are allied with one another which may work in our favor." Morgan replied to Conrad.