Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 22: The Hunt

[Phoenix]

Susann

At first Tobe's words weren't convincing enough for her, after all, he had approached a dangerous human without knowing how violent it could potentially be. The magnificent one soon landed at the scene however and she kneww everything would be alright. Now she could look after the little human until Viveka or the child's father returned. She decided to heed the magnificent one and affirmed it with a soft nicker.

Isotov

Iso was surprised to see the pegasi acting on their own but still caught Kelas' question.

Iso: Yeah. Whatever injuries were left Charlotte took care of. I'll be alright, though I'm not sure if I could sleep on horseback without falling off. Maybe I should just try to stay awake until we set up camp somewhere.

Anglenar Front

It appeared the army had finally reached their doorstep. From a tower a ways from the gates, Harvey and some of the snipers spectated.

Harvey: Why do they even bother? They know we're not going to give up just because they ASK NICELY. Are the civilians out yet? I can already tell this is going to get messy real quick.

Sniper: They're all evacuated to the west but with the refugees scattering in all directions we may have more headed our way from Burgosas soon. It's chaos up there and the locales aren't all informed about this damn invasion yet.

Harvey: To hell and gone we've ventured it seems. Alright, those catapults are going to smash our ballistae before we can take out a decent portion of their riders so we may have to rely more on the close range snipers. Keep ballistae team numbers to a bare minimum and make sure they don't spot the firewall. It's not perfectly hidden since we were rushing.

Sniper: And what of TISME? Do you think they will still assist us?

Harvey: With that speech? Who knows. I'm not factoring them into my plans until I see lightning strikes.

Sniper: And the Brigadier General?

Harvey: She doesn't seem like the type to just surrender. Just keep an eye out for now.

Sniper: ... and what of our reply to Halton?

Harvey: *sigh* ... if any of them come into range ... shoot'em. That's our reply. We're trying to buy the central forces time to organize so it's really all we can do. Kill as many of them as we can and then scatter in all directions. It's not a perfect plan but negotiations aren't likely to happen here.

[-Cynthia-]

Bellerophon

Bellerophon realized that this ugly horse seemed more interested in eating grass than actually being offensive. Still, he could see how she would be offended by the mere sight of the sad creature. His own magnificent presence seemed to soothe the female however, so the situation appeared resolved.

Anglenar

Brunhilde heard the General's speech and snorted in derision. "As if. I didn't fight the demons in years past just to have Halton roll over my country. I don't want to be one of the twenty wives of some Halton noble, and I doubt any of you lot want to be either. We will be proceeding as planned. Wait for the the wyvern riders to get past the ballistae range before we fly in. Hopefully between Harvey's snipers and the TISME mages there won't be much left of them once they get to us." Brigadier General Brunhilde said to her troops.

Diane, on the other hand, considered the General's words carefully. Perhaps staying out of this conflict would be in our best interests. Then again, I am not sure if we can trust Halton to keep their noses out of our business. I think we will stay inside the building for the time being and wait for a response of some sort from Illyphina. The message should have reached there by now, let the military decide how to deal with this. I am a teacher, it is not my place to decide whether to involve Elyisima in wars or not. With these thoughts in mind she attempted to shush her rowdy class and continue on with the lesson.

Ronald

Ronald managed to move his head and saw corpses of cavaliers as well as the bloodied commander laying still, his comrades and friends. "Heathens. Murderers. The Goddess will surely smite you all for such sins, as well as the sins you have already committed. Your actions may have doomed us all..." he said weakly, unable to yell he simply pointed a finger in the girl's direction.

[Script]

Luc Altair

She was trying to thank him for this? Such kindness. Though it was certainly true. Some of the other reformist dead were... in a less than open-faced funeral state. Though Luc couldn't blame some of the others for being so heated, and what of that fate of this monk? Almost as that thought went through Luc's head the very monk awoke. His questions were simple, and though Tessa was able to answer one of them, the other fell to Luc's knowledge. "You are in Septimus, of course," Luc started with the largest location. If he was asking where he was, there had to be some memory clouding to cut through first. "On a road that one would not say was one of significant importance that reaches to a place called Altenau." Though the monk seemed not to care for that anymore. Instead preferring the act of damning them all in sin. That look he gave the other bodies; yes, Luc certainly could understand his reasoning for that.

The 43rd Cavalry Squad of Directus

From the west came a half-dozen swift horses; each was carrying only the needed riding gear and a man atop to ride the horse. Only on the horse running in the rear was the situation different, a second man sat there. But even with that second man the troopers kept their pace. They had ridden hard and with minimal supplies to reach the city as fast as they could. If it hadn't been for their late departure time they would have arrived much earlier, but logistics regarding their departure had been the worse the Squad Sergeant and ever experience in his life. But none of that mattered anymore. Their goal was in sight and they would not stop unless the gate was down. Though all the civilians about made things difficult to maneuver. That was partially the reason why logistics had been a mess.

The Sergeant kicked around and got his Squad into the city. "This is where I'm dropping off. Cheerio!" the extra man cheerfully shouted and slipped off the horse and into the crowd. Within seconds he had vanished. Damnable spies. Shouldn't they have seen all this coming?

The Sergeant didn't have anymore time to waste on them though, and charged his troops forward. Good thing for them, the closest thing to an extra item they had would immediately clear any suspicion. But even in this time, would a flag of Septimus and Directus stop questions? He was about to find out. The Sergeant rallied his troopers near a large gathering of Septimus defenders. "Sergeant Cole, 43rd Cavalry Squad of Directus reporting!"

Edited December 9, 2010 by Script

[Inactive Account]

Kelas chuckled. "Yeah, you don't want to fall asleep in the saddle. Even I fall off sometimes if I do that. I dunno though... I could use a rest too... I guess we won't be on the road too much longer, though, it won't be too long before it gets dark."

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

"Calm down, you two, 'e just needs some help is all," Tobe told the pegasi, patting Gluebag affectionately. He got the feeling that the horse wasn't used to very much affection, so he'd better be nice to it to make up for it. "If I help 'im, 'e'll be all bright'n'shiny in no time." He began going over the horse's tack, tightening and loosening straps to make it fit better.

[-Cynthia-]

Brigadier General Brunhilde looked rather surprised at the new faces. "Reinforcements from Directus are welcome indeed Sergeant, though I wonder as to the intent of your arrival. Are you here to support the Brute or the Crown? Either way, Halton is the bigger threat here, so we'll welcome your aid against that. Of course I had hoped for more, but I guess I couldn't expect much given how quickly Halton has moved. Any help is appreciated." she said to the man.

[Mercakete]

Taking the ration from his mouth, Raemond replied, "No, not a priest. I am a monk of the Reformist Templars. However, this is a very dangerous area to be in; there is a demon in Altenau. In the morning I'm going to attempt to liberate the town from it."

(She probably could tell something like that was happening, having just come from that direction. It is only fair that I warn her about the dangers ahead.) "However, though in that direction lies peril, I'm afraid the road before you holds its own danger: a company of criminals carrying cursed weapons. They...felled several of my brethren."

Raemond again forced the sorrow away. Now was not the time to grieve. "I appologize. I haven't asked you what it was you wanted."

[Script]

The 43rd Cavalry Squad of Directus

"Unfortunately, we'll be all the reinforcements you'll be receiving for now," the Sergeant explained. "As for the position of Directus, I was told to relay a specific message to anyone who asked. That being: 'Directus shall take no sides in the internal affairs of the nation while outside threats stand poised to take our sovereignty.'" The Sergeant looked to his men before returning to the General. "Where do you need us ma'am, or do we get a reprieve first?"

[riariadne]

"Yeah, probably not..." Chase remarked sadly. "I guess I probably won't be going home anytime soon. And, um, I managed to screw up kinda bad... Still haven't completely recovered, I guess. Heh. Thanks anyways..." For the first time, Chase noticed an unfamiliar young boy near Altion's horse, and completely missing the fact that Altion had just arrived himself, pointed to the child and asked, "Wait, who's that?"

Edited December 9, 2010 by Luka Megurine

[Snowy_One]

Altion grimaced as he rubbed his back, leering at the pegasi. Their intention of protecting the boy was clear, not that Altion would have hurt him. Striking a child was a bad thing... a bad thing he had been just about to do. Boy he was a bad knight!

"I'm sorry child. I... I shouldn't have done that."

---

Esphyr finished dragging the first of the bodies into a small place she had decided to pile them, then went back for more. Pulling a second, then a third and a fourth body, she slowly started to build up the pile, muttering her prayer for their dead bodies with each one she brought over.

[Phoenix]

Iso

Iso tried to imagine how falling out of the saddle in one's sleep might actually look like. Each time he saw the rider banging their head against the ground in a rather brutal fashion. Perhaps he wasn't quite picturing it right.

Iso: You didn't ... hit your head during any of those falls, did you? Not that I'll be sleeping on Francis, but the last thing I need is a head injury.

Vivekins

Chase seemed to be alright, or at the very least pretending to be alright, so Viveka considered the issue somewhat settled for now. Chase then pointed out Tobe who was with Susann, Bellerophon, Altion's horse, and the awkward cavalier himself.

Viveka: Oh that's Tobe. I'm not sure why Sunny's guarding him but he's harmless, and cute. He ... also might be Damian's kid.

Viveka still wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Irina and Kiev

As Irina wandered, she kept dwelling on the battle itself, and what she'd done to Kamilla. In truth, she knew that ramming the girl with her wyvern could have very well killed her, but at the time it was a risk she accepted. After all Kamilla was no different from their other enemies now. She was after the lives of the wielders like any of the others. The only real difference she could figure was that the girl was at one point a type of ally ... using the broadest possible definition of "ally".

Yes she wanted to defeat the enemy before her, and Kamilla was an easy target to say the least. Her death might have even been inconsequential save for the friction it would cause between her and people like Tessa. Even failing to kill her seemed to send Tessa into rage. She stood still for a moment having wandered a ways from Aiya and those looking after her. Kiev kept looking up at her face trying to figure out what was wrong? Was the male that big a deal?

Kiev had to stop wondering for a moment when he noticed Esphyr dragging around human bodies. The females were acting odd all of a sudden. One was trying to pummel his master while she was wearing her scales, his master was frowning over a male she injured, another was pretending to be dead, another was flapping her lips more than usual, one had taken off her outer skull which he thought had been a literal part of her all along, the pegasus rider had lost her armor as well, and now the one who had tried to kill him before was gathering up human carcasses. Perhaps they were going to bury them like he sometimes saw happen to the dead. He wasn't sure why they always went underground though. The hungry animals couldn't get to them if they were in boxes underground.

OOC:

Who Kiev's referring to in order, Tessa, Irina, Aiya, Reika, Alex, Viveka, Esphyr.

[Dark Sage]

"A monk? And you're here to liberate Altenau? That's good, but I'm afraid we won't do so well ourselves on our own. There's a bunch of dead people walking around in Altenau and...and...*sniff*" It was too much, being chased around by the undead, the fear she felt being trapped in a building while a skeleton was slamming a javelin trying to kill her and Joe. And speaking of Joe, he was probably dead too. He risked his life for her and the least she could do was help the town now.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just *sniff* that, that...there's so many of those monsters! And they chased me all around *sniff* town and I only escaped because I was lucky. And I don't know anyone else except you who could help. And I don't think we can make much of a difference by ourselves. And it'll take too long to *sniff* go and ask for help from a church or something," Saide cried bitterly, wiping her eyes.

[Inactive Account]

"'sokay," Tobe replied with seeming nonchalance. He'd certainly seen worse, from the wrong sort of noble and from some of the other servants. "So c'n I help with the horse?"

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

"Heh. It's not actually that easy to fall on your head, you have to be doing something ridiculous usually, or the horse has to have it in for you," Kelas replied. "More commonly you just wake up with a bruised backside and your horse wondering what you're doing down there. No reason to not be careful, of course."

[Mercakete]

A look of pitty came into Raemond's sorrowful eyes. (She's seen what the demon has done?) Wrapping a comforting arm about her shoulders, Raemond encouraged the girl, "You needn't tred near Altenau so long as the demon is about. And it has animated corpses? Demons truly respect none. You, young miss, may stay here for the night. However, when I go to attack the demon, you should not come with me. This is my charge."

[Dark Sage]

"No I-I have to," said Sadie, calming down somewhat. "There's this guy Joe, that helped me escape. It would be rotten of me just to run away and not try to at least see if he's still alive and needs rescuing. And you can't do it alone anyway."

[Snike]

A Traveling Soul

A few hours passed, with little event. The man in black continued along the road at a rather quick pace, thanks to the numerous speedwings applied to his boots. Not a soul crossed him during those hours, leaving the man to contemplate recent events. He was rather distracted, but the man caught sight of the other two travelers just in time as to not overshoot them. After slowing to a halt, he could see that they were a bard and a monk.

"What brings you out here, Brother?" the man asked. "And you, miss...?"

Edited December 12, 2010 by Snike

[Ether]

"They show no indication of surrender, General." Major General Raul stated with a sigh.

"I thought as much. Oh well, it was worth a try..." Roartz replied apathetically, looking over the city walls.

"FIRE!" With a flourish of the hand, as his vocal orders, the catapults launched their first shots, smashing into the city walls mercilessly.

"How should we proceed then, General?" Raul asked, wondering what the man's exact plan was.

"Simple enough to start. We will continue the bombardment until it is clear for our Wyvern Riders to advance, and until then, we will hold the line here... where are those mages?" Roartz said, looking around.

"Right here, sir. Ready boys? Let's show them that you don't need to be from TISME to wield powerful magic, yes?" The voice came from the same Sage who had constructed the projection circle, and with a quick incantation, the first Meteor spell flew towards Anglenar as well...

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

Aiya had soon arose, and picked up her armour, which was still somewhat hot, though no longer scalding. Remembering the letter she had recieved, Aiya took the time to mount Ulfhrahn and fly into the sky, telling those nearby she was going to scout for any more reformists.

Once she was out of clear sight from the ground, Aiya opened the letter curiously, wondering what the orders contained within were... surely it would contain orders, what else might they have sent her?

Opening the sealed envelope, something dropped out into her hand. It was... a crest? Curious, Aiya moved to read the accompanying parchment.

Lieutenant Keirich,

I am pleased to have found your whereabouts, as well as the fact that you have survived the ordeals which have befallen your squadmates. I feel as though there is a great potential in you, Lieutenant. You have maintained an outstanding record in the past regarding your orders, and I am certain you will carry out those in the future just as well as you always have. With the recent turmoil, officers with the skill and battle experience necessary to command are in ever short supply, and so, with my own assurance that you shall perform accordingly, and prove my intuitions correct, I give this mantle to you, and so I hope you accept it with pride and vigor, Captain Keirich.

~ General of the Armies, Espeguarde ~

Looking over the crest once again, is was assuredly different from her old one, and was indeed a Captain's crest.

'A... a promotion? This is... I don't even know what to think... but... that means... my people are counting on me... I cannot let them down... not now... not ever.'

Replacing her old crest with the new one gleefully, Aiya fell into a slight daze, the happiness stemming from recognition welling up inside of her.

Tucking the letter away as a keepsake, receiving a promotion was cause enough for remembrance, but one from General Espeguarde herself? Espeguarde was a role model for female militia, and someone Aiya had always looked up to...

A second slip of parchment?

Opening it curiously, Aiya looked to see what the second message said.

Captain Keirich,

The crest you have received is a symbol of your escalated rank, however, it also serves another purpose. You have some semblance of control over your mana network, when you read this message, concentrate a small amount of mana into the gemstone in the center. As well, you must dispose of this particular message completely, and immediately.

Doing so, Aiya rendered the parchment worthless, to the point where not even a single letter could be gleamed from it. Scattering the miniscule pieces about the breeze, after making sure her actions were not in the line of sight of any of her companions, Aiya then followed the instruction.

Focusing her mana into the crest, Aiya wondered the purpose of the ritual...

"Ah, splendid. I was wondering when you would pick up, Captain."

The voice rang in her head, surprising Aiya immensely.

"W-what's going on? What is this?" Aiya asked, managing to retain the focus of mana.

"Your crest contains a gemstone imbued with magic. This magic allows messages to be sent instantaneously across vast differences, with a bit of magical input... and with you now tuned in, the pieces can fall into place, Captain. I assure you that you will play no small part in our eventual triumph." The voice rang in her head once again, no, it was from the stone itself... what an odd invention.

"What do you want me to do?" Aiya said, channeling her mana to activate the connection.

"That will come in due time, Captian. As of yet, there is nothing you must do... just keep a weary eye, and keep yourself safe. For the Glory of Halton!"

"For the Glory of Halton." Aiya echoed, as the voice stopped.

'This is... so weird... but I can't let this get to me... nothing will change... nothing at all.'

With renewed vigor, Aiya landed Ulfhrahn, with a cheery look on her face.

"Well, I don't think there are any more reformists. Not that I could see, at the least."

Edited December 10, 2010 by Azusa Nakano

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso: Hmm ... maybe with some ro- ... erm ... nah. Forget it. I'll just stay awake until we set up a camp. I guess we wait til it's time to go then.

Harvey

As the catapults began launching, Harvey grimaced.

Harvey: Well they sure didn't wait too long before they started throwin crap at us. Alright, send the message out, hold position and wait for those wyvern riders. Tell the ballisticians to abandon their positions when they start taking too much heat. Make sure the hidden units STAY hidden until the wyvern riders show up. Everyone we kill here saves the others trouble down the road.

[Ether]

"There is nothing that needs to be said this very moment... although, Ixion... when will you be returning then? I must agree with the headmaster in that extending my stay is likely not for the best... I would like to begin the next stage as soon as possible." Damian said to the minotaur substituting in for Ixion at the moment.

"Regardless of my own readiness, I cannot begin to move forward until you arrive."

[Phoenix]

Ixard

Howard: We're moving at a rather steady pace. We may arrive sooner than I expected provided we hit softer rock. Still I don't expect to arrive before late into the night. I would appreciate it if you warned Karina ahead of time. Once I arrive, we will continue where we left off provided there are no other pressing issues. And ... headmaster ... please try not to make the minotaurs play nicely. They won't kill each other, or anyone else that stays at bay. Chaperoning shouldn't be necessary here.

[Snowy_One]

"Ixion dear; it doesn't matter if they would be safe or not. I was trying to teach Howard to become something more than what you made him to be; and I see enough in-fighting between magi and nations every day to want to stop this. Either way, this is something that is more irrelevant. I doubt the fate of the world will hinge on if Howard can preform advanced calculus or weave mana into a cancer-cure to save a dying king. Damian, here, does matter though. Be careful as you study him. You wouldn't want to miss anything. Likewise, I am more than ready to resume your attempts to understand my nature if you have recovered. You wore yourself out too quickly last time to reach the good stuff!"

---

"Aye child. You can look at Gluebag and try to help him. I am ashamed to admit, I know little about this fine steed." he said, giving Gluebag a gentle rub. "I don't know how to take care of him, or anything like that. He's not even my horse. I leapt on him and rode away."

---

"Aiya! You are awake!" exclaimed Esphyr, waving as she dragged another body towards the growing pile. Dropping the corpse, she waved and slowly walked over to the newly promoted girl. "You seem... different. Something happen to you?"

[Phoenix]

Ixard

Howard: A bullheaded seven hundred pound mathematician? If it will keep you out of trouble, fine, but don't lower his combat capabilities in any way or I'll have to replace him.

[Inactive Account]

"Shouldn't be too long, looks like most of the wounded are up now," Kelas replied. "Speaking of which..." She looked around. Amari and Francis were right about where she'd left them, and neither were injured. Arrin was up too, and looking a bit miserable. She should talk to him... "Yeah, we should be all right to go soon enough."

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

"All right!" Tobe replied, brightening. "I c'n help shows you how to take care of 'im too, if you want."

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

Elsewhere

Tanair stirred. She'd slunk off to nurse her wounds; after a few days of resting, she was in fine condition again. She stretched and got to her feet. She could tell that Helenos was not too far off, but she'd have to be more careful in the next fight. Her sister was not a trivial threat. She set off on Helenos' trail again.

The sense of jarring wrongness in the earth led her to a hilltop overlooking what was once a city. Now, it was clearly infested. Tanair sat down to observe.

She wasn't sure what Helenos hoped to gain from taking the city, but then, she never understood what anyone wanted to do with humans. What slowed her from acting was that this was a city. Helenos was not, for once, corrupting the wilds. Should she intervene anyway? Cities made her nervous; even with the inhabitants not there to crowd, they were closed-in spaces, with the earth trampled down into floors and roads. For now she would watch, she decided. She'd get a better idea of what Helenos was up to before she acted.

[Mercakete]

"If you came with me tomorrow, then I would have to be watching for your safety at all times. I understand your concern for your friend, but it would be unwise to accompany me. My light--" Raemond stopped as the other man approched. (He is not a demon either. I am glad that these two escaped if he is also indeed coming from the captured city.)

When asked why he and the bard were at that place, Raemond gave him his calm answer, "I have come by the command of the Grand Cleric to rid Altenau of its demonic infestation. Have you come from that place just now, as this young lady has?"

[-Cynthia-]

"Fair enough, we can settle our internal problems once we have repelled the invasion." After this statement, Brunhilde saw the catapults and spells begin to rain upon the city. "I'm afraid there isn't much time for a reprieve Sergeant. We'll go in after the enemy crosses the threshold."

[Snowy_One]

Mana looked at Hixion with a smirk on her face as she turned her back to the man. "Well, 'Mu' to you!" she said in a snarky voice. "It's not like the world is going to war or something and you will need them for palace guards."