Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 24: The Schism

[Inactive Account]

Kelas ignored the blast of cold air from opening the window. Now that Miranda was momentarily gone, she didn't feel so uncomfortable talking. "You really think it's going to work?" She wasn't angry, precisely, mostly worried, and horribly conflicted. She kept talking as she walked forward, mostly to try and convince herself that what she was saying lined up with what she really believed. "You think they're not just going to leave you in the middle of nowhere? With demons after you, as well. This doesn't seem at all like a bad idea?"

Whatever she was saying, it wasn't coming out right. She knew she couldn't make this argument. It hurt: she could either let her friend leave on a journey that would likely kill him, or she could try to make him stay, knowing exactly how she'd feel if it were her deciding to leave or stay, knowing full well what a break in trust it would be to try and keep him here. She stopped in front of Isotov, looking him in the eye as the semblance of anger deflated and left. With a sigh she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, heels rising slightly off the floor so she could rest her chin on his shoulder and talk quietly into his ear.

"I know why you need to do this, and because of that, I can't ask you to stay here," she told him. "Just... don't get yourself killed, okay? Even if you don't end up coming back to this bunch of nutcases, I'd rather this not be the last I see you."

This was why she wasn't supposed to form attachments, the treacherous little part of her mind muttered. All anyone ever did was leave or die. She'd become far too attached, and now she was paying for it; she'd just have another life she couldn't save on her hands now that he was leaving.

[Phoenix]

Outside The Inn

Ixion: (A "Paul-like force" ... interesting.) I'll be heading back to meet with Ivanko once my business at this inn is concluded. Levski couldn't have possibly done anything to make it easier for Irina to part with them, so this could take a short while. Follow along if you want.

Ixion began heading toward the inn not caring whether or not Paul followed out in the open, in the shadows, or not at all. Meanwhile the pink wyvern shook herself off as Miranda leaped back onto the roof. She kept low but the pink wyvern still span around to hiss at her. All Ixion heard was a feint zapping sound and then something that sounded like rolling. Next, the pink wyvern came crashing down behind him landing with a noticeably loud thud kicking up dust and dirt.

He had to stop. Turning around he looked the wyvern over. She was still alive but clearly unconscious. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to figure out who the animal belonged to. With that he reached out with his hand and placed it on the wyvern's face. As he began to peel away the layers of consciousness blocking him from the images he was looking for, he began to hear voices in his head. Memories, mostly of a young woman who couldn't be much older or younger than Irina.

Ixion: (Who is this woman?)

As the images became clearer and clearer Ixion began to notice the same type of enclosed environment with the occasional view of the outside. Roars of other wyverns, and another roar as well, one so massive it could be no smaller than a bull wyvern, but it was in the great distance obscure from view.

Soon the answer he was looking for came and it caused an expression of shock to jump up onto his face. Lifting his hand off and standing up tall again, Ixion looked down on the wyvern.

Ixion: Hmm. How fortuitous.

Inside the Inn

Iso: Well, she's right about one thing. I don't think they'll leave me in the middle of nowhere. That would just make Irina turn on them. And I am a crimson weapon wielder so it's not like I'm worthless. Otherwise they probably wouldn't care if I came with or not. I guess we'll just have to hope that they don't push for me to go back. Her plan makes a lot of sense but it's ... risky. I still don't even know how she's going to deal with the Proxima issue. It's not that hard to sense.

Once Kelas hugged him, his thoughts began racing. Miranda's jokes came to mind, but he quickly shut them out. This was too serious. Kelas was a good friend. Someone he could trust, and someone Shanice hadn't killed yet. He did not want to leave knowing that fiend was still out and about ... and likely looking for another way to torment them, but if he didn't help his sister, that left her in the hands of Ivanko and Ixion. Enough said.

Iso: I'm glad you understand, but listen. I'm coming back. This crimson mission is crazy and I don't have much reason to but I'm going to make sure the both of us come back. Somehow.

He began hugging Kelas in return right as Miranda peered down into the window.

Miranda: Well that's sweet. I had a feeling he was being anchored somehow. Couldn't be Morgan's charm keeping him here.

With a couple of taps she caused the glass to sound off alerting the two that she was at the window looking in on them ... upside down.

Miranda: Yeah uh, times up.

With that she forced the window open, flipped in and approached the two.

Miranda: Now then we are short on time so if you two would wrap this up I need to get Iso measured.

Iso: :o

Down in the common room ...

Viveka: Where's Ixion?

Lev: Probably outside.

Viveka: Good. I'm going to put an end to this.

Lev: Viv, just a word of warning. Ixion's not going to be in any kind of mood for your whining today. I put up with it because I understand the stress you must be under and the longer you complain the longer you're around to observe.

Jasmine: *snrk* "observe".

Viveka: I don't care if he's in the mood or not! This ends now!

She stomped toward the door about ready to slug the man the instant she saw him. This would get aggressive.

[Inactive Account]

"I'd say 'be safe', but I guess that's not really how it's going to work," Kelas said. She stiffened slightly, startled, as Isotov returned her hug, but relaxed, shoving the old defense mechanism down. "So I guess it's just 'good luck.'" She made no move to pull away; she realized that she didn't actually mind staying like this. She discarded that thought also; now was not the time. Besides, right now she could almost even believe that he'd manage to come back.

Miranda was invading again soon enough anyway, and Kelas looked over her shoulder. "I don't think I really want to be here for this," she muttered, "I don't really like watching people turn into people I know. Er..." She didn't want to say "goodbye"; that seemed too final. "I'll see you," she concluded awkwardly. She paused a second longer, then pulled away. She quickly pulled on her boots and picked up her bow; she wasn't about to go outside without it. Shutting the door quietly behind her, she left the room.

Once she was out of the room, she couldn't be out to the stables fast enough. She passed a few of the others; she had nothing to say to them. She certainly couldn't warn Irina of what was going on; that would just lead to fighting. She ducked into the barn, heading for Amari's stall. If she had to face what she'd just done, she could at least have Amari's company. Startling the mare out of her bucket of morning grain, she leaned against her horse's side for support; the fact that she'd probably just let her friend go get himself killed wasn't waiting on sinking in. She said nothing, and there were no tears, just the knowledge that she'd failed again; while it technically had yet to occur, she'd let another person she cared about die.

Amari was instantly distressed by her rider's condition. Kelas was utterly miserable; even a human would be able to tell that. Amari hadn't seen her get this bad in a long time. Possibly just as worryingly, Kelas had the red man's scent all over her, far more than she ever had before. Amari didn't want to know if the two states were connected, but she could only really do anything about the first. After a while, she knew, Kelas would start talking, and hug her around the neck, and then Amari might be able to make her feel a little better; for now, all she could do was stay there, and be solid and constant. She wished there was some simple explanation for what was wrong, but it was doubtless some complicated human thing.

[Mercakete]

Tas wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he heard one of the newcomers adess Lev as "commander" and then he heard "wyvern transaction." Those last two words instantly triggered his proffessionalism, usually. However, this time he felt a bit of regret and concern. Standing up and sending Irina a glance of concern -- seeing as she'd gotten up too quickly and shouted on top of it (which hurt his head, too, but he was more worried about her) -- he adressed the apparent mercenary. "You're here for the eggs and hatchlings?" he asked, managing to push back his headache and keep his professional air.

Niket looked around in confusion. Something was going on, but he wasn't sure what. A little concerned, he curled his tail loosely around Irina's neck like a crimson necklace.

[Snowy_One]

OOC: More of just reaffirming existence than actually doing anything. Test today, so focusing on studying. Will try to do something with Altion and Kaileen when I don't have a final midterm hanging overhead.

IC: Dull and throbbing pain slowly pulsated through Esphyr's head as she lay against the doorframe to her room, gnawing at her mind, feeling as if a giant was crushing her skull with every dull pulsation throughout her body. Rubbing her face, her fingers could feel her own skull underneath the dark pouches under her eyes. Slowly standing upright, being sure to balance herself properly, she noted with minor pleasure that nothing seemed to be bleeding, hinting that this had not been some sort of seizure, but her body simply no longer being able to stay awake.

With a slow and cautious hand, she cracked open the door to her room. <i>"But, I guess that isn't something to be surprised at coming from you... you always were straight to the point... I wonder, you hold a Crimson Weapon as well, Morgan... how does this lance make you feel?" </i> Outside the door, standing down in the main room as he calmly talked to Morgan, was Damian. Esphyr's heart leaped up, almost shooting into her mouth, as the headache and sleep deprivation was suddenly replaced by a burst of joy-fueled energy! Damian was back!

Quickly slapping herself to ensure that she was not sleeping or delusional, she peeked out the door again. He was still there! Quickly closing the door, she tried to straighten up her clothes and appearance just a bit, readying herself to remeet him.

[Phoenix]

Inn

The lead wyvern rider came a bit closer to address Tas without being an awkward distance away from him.

Mercenary: Right. We've been informed that they can't be moved yet. Is that right? We just need to be certain before we make arrangements with the innkeeper and such.

While he spoke with Tas, Irina kept herself buried and hidden away from the room. Her headache was either at the top of the hill, or not quite there yet, and she just needed to stay put ... and tea. Definitely tea. Niket was also keeping her from being completely dismayed but she was surprised he was clinging to her all of a sudden. Perhaps he was intimidated by the sudden appearance of people.

When Viveka made it out side she walked right up to Ixion, who had been so close to making it into the inn without any further delay. Now there was an angry pegasus rider in the way. What next?

Viveka: Ixion ....

Ixion: Viveka ... ... you aren't ... usually up at this time.

Viveka: You would know I suppose. That's a problem by the way. I want this connection you put in my head removed. Right now. I'm sick of your little spy tactics and you almost killed me that one night.

Ixion: Not right now. I'm busy.

Viveka: You're ... busy?! Do you actually think this is legal? They could lock you up for a decade for this kind of crap. Don't take it so lightly. Oh and don't just remove mine. Remove Jasmine's too. It's no better using her than me.

Ixion: Viveka. You have my answer now get out of my way. I'll deal with you once I finish what I came here to do.

Viveka: I'm not moving until you get this magic link crap out of my head. You want to try to muscle past me? Be my guest, but you're not shelfing this for later.

Ixion: Ugh.

Viveka: Want me to move? Remove the link, then you can go inside and remove Jasmine's. Then you can take care of whatever business you've got to take care of. Seriously, how long does it take to remove them?!

Ixion: Three seconds, but the subject needs to be calm, and still. Your emotions are running too high and severing it now would actually do some noticeable harm to your mind short and long term. Now I've given you my answer for the time being. Go and calm yourself down, and I'll speak with you on the matter once I'm done here. Alternately I could just sever you now and run the risk of you stumbling out of my way in an incurable stupor as I go about my business. If you won't move then I'll acquiesce to your request here and now ... but I guarantee you'll lose something important in the process.

Viveka: ... you ... goddess damn ... bastard.

Meanwhile upstairs ...

When Kelas left the room, Iso hung his head and sighed. It was a tough choice, and she was right to be worried. Of course Miranda didn't seem to care about any of this much, as she was ready to get back to business.

Miranda: Hmm. Probably a good thing she left. I don't think she would want to see this~

Iso: See what?

Miranda: Hold still~

She immediately put her hands on his shoulders and began examining them, a bit to his surprise.

Iso: What are you doing?

Miranda: Well it's been awhile. If I'm going to mimic you long enough to fool the people you're traveling with I'm going to need three very well copied things ...

As she said that she stepped back releasing him.

Miranda: First ... your appearance. Shirt off.

Iso: Huh?

Miranda: Shirt. Off. Please.

Iso: Why on earth-

Miranda: You want to wake up without it anyway and in bed with Kelas with the door wide open?

Iso: ...

After Iso took his shirt off, Miranda sat it down on the bed and then she came close to him, placing her cheek gently against his chest.

Iso: What the hell are you doing?

Miranda: Understanding your body ... how it feels ... how it works.

She closed her eyes and began slowly moving from one place across his chest to another.

Miranda: I'm not using human senses here, Iso. This is much deeper. Shanice's senses have ... some amazing potential when applied this way. This is how it does it. This is how it can so precisely copy things.

Iso: Uh, are you okay? You're kind of babbling.

Miranda: This ... is more incredible than I thought it would be. I'm beginning to understand the intricacies of the human body. So much ... life.

Iso: (This is making me nervous. Why's she so impressed with demon senses?) I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like demon senses make them any better or smarter than us.

Miranda: No no, this is all unique. Shanice is a shapeshifter based on cubis type demons. I can even tell where Proxima is lurking in you ... and your mana network ... ... hm hm it's nice.

Iso: (Stop being weird.)

Miranda: Okay I understand now.

With that she backed away from him and stood where she once had with her arms crossed.

Miranda: Second ... your energy. Just looking like you isn't enough. If I deactivated this little trinket Ixion gave me, Morgan or some other competent magic user would pick me up in an instant, but if I strolled out into open view disguised as you, and they couldn't even sense Proxima, yet alone any other kind of energy from you, they'd probably start suspecting something was up. I'd rather skip that part.

Iso: How?

Miranda: Faking your mana network is easy. One or two identical junk layers on top of my real one will cover it up against anything but a thorough examination. Even that won't do them any good if they don't already know exactly what your network looks like. It would take months of exams to get that familiar with any individual's "internal layout" so there's not much risk there. I just need to make sure it looks like yours at first glance ... which is easy enough for me at least.

Iso: ... wait. That won't work. Sure you can mimic my outer and inner appearance; but you can't do a damn thing about Proxima. If you sever me I'll be going out there blind and probably deaf too.

Miranda: And if Morgan thought the real Iso was going with them, she would probably say something ... ... oh well I guess that's it then, game over. Time to knock you out.

Iso: !!!

Miranda: ... kidding. Now what I'll do is simple. With your network mimicked, and my own energy in check, I don't have to worry about setting off anyone's demonic alarms for awhile. All we need to do beyond that, is hide Proxima's presence on you, and create some of it on me.

Iso: What if she wants to check to see if you actually have Proxima?

Miranda: It'll probably be too late by then. My job was to incapacitate you and then disguise myself as you. Ixion will probably let Morgan know what's going on so she doesn't interfere and we're both pretty sure that aside from roughing you up it's an "acceptable course of action." So while I'll be mimicking you for a short while, I'll be mimicking an unconscious you.

Iso: Seems like a lot of work just to play someone who got knocked out.

Miranda: Better chance of working if we go all out on this one. So now that those two issues are handled ... there's just one more to deal with.

Iso: Proxima. Right, you said you were going to get its presence off me and onto you ... somehow ... but how exactly?

Miranda: :3

Iso: ... oh crap.

[Mercakete]

The courier nodded. "That's right," he gestured to the smallest of the two hatchings as he explained further, "This one hatched a couple days ago. She's only just beginning to eat insects, but given the season, I wouldn't allow her to even be moved outside until spring. She still needs to be kept safe and warm for a couple more days, but then she should be able to move around some -- just not outside. Irina and I have already gathered some insects, but keep up the supply for a couple more days and don't feed her any dead ones, larva or eggs. After that time has ellapsed, she can eat small birds and rodents." Then he gestured to Niket, "This one is Niket. He's two years old and needs to be fed lean meat -- preferrably mountain food such as goats -- at least twice a day if not three times a day. He's learned to run, though, and is quick as a snake. Believe me, he'll have you running around trying to fix his mistakes if you don't keep a good eye on him. I'd encourage you to try not to break him, though, seeing as if this behavior is encouraged, he'll grow up to be quite the fearless battle-wyvern. You should be careful to let him know you're safe to be around, though, otherwise he'll make every effort to frusterate you."

Lastly, he motioned towards the eggs, "You'll need to give them a proper nest. These are plains wyvern eggs and are both close to hatching. I'd say the lonbgest they have before hatching is a week or so. All four of these wyverns are from different clutches. So, that's one male mountain wyvern hatchling, one female mountain wyvern hatchling and two plains wyvern eggs." (That's as much as I can say until they ask questions. Beyond that, I have to trust them with raising them...)

[Inactive Account]

Tobe awoke to sunlight streaming through the window. Late, he thought in dismay, only to realize that he no longer had anything to be late to. He wasn't on his pallet in the palace, or in a hayloft; he was in a real bed, as the Lady had made him stay in a room in the inn and wouldn't take "no" for an answer. The nomad lady had made him take things too; she'd got clothes for him, new ones. He'd only protested those moderately; the share of money from the sale of the horses she'd offered he'd refused outright, only to find later that she'd shoved a packet of it under the door to the room the Lady had put him in. He supposed it wasn't so bad... he was just suspicious of when it was going to run out.

After putting some of the new clothes on-- he'd even washed, in case he got snapped at for not doing that-- he crept downstairs to try and find some breakfast. He saw what looked like trouble in the common room; there was the Lady, and there were a few people who maybe he'd seen at the ball, but he wasn't sure. The Lady was angry; that did not bode well. He shrunk down a bit; with the right posture and demeanor, he'd been able to make himself virtually invisible in the palace. Quietly he snuck into the room, hoping to find something for breakfast.

[Phoenix]

Wyvern Table

Mercenary: Right, right. I figured. Don't worry about them too much. I'm one of the breeders. You my want to write some of this down though, Chek.

Chekhov began writing on the spot.

Chekhov: Yeah, yeah. Insects, not dead, three times a day ...

Mercenary: Alright then, so let's move on to your payment.

Lev could swear he heard arguing outside. Ixion was right outside the door from the sound of things. It was almost humorous how long it was taking the dark druid just to enter the building. If someone was buying him a little more time, he appreciated it, but didn't figure it would do him any good. With all these people around, what more could he say to Irina to try and make things easier going forward? Nothing came to mind, so there was little point in stalling.

Meanwhile right outside ...

Ixion: Are you going to move, or not?

Viveka: There's no guarantee you won't just warp out of here when you're done. Admit it, it doesn't serve you to take it off just because we're fed up with this.

Ixion: It serves me to quiet you for awhile. Unlike most women I seem to encounter I don't practice deception until it's necessary. Deceiving you serves no purpose right now but to anger you further. If you're patient, I'll deal with you when my business here is concluded. It's just that simple.

Viveka: "Deal with me?" Nice wording. I like how it's just vague enough for you to plug any meaning you want into it later.

Ixion: True enough, I can't say whether I'll remove the links just yet or not. When I say deal with you I mean that I'll discuss the matter with you.

Viveka: Yeah I bet. Fine, go in there and mess up someone else's day. I'll see you before you leave. Count on it.

The pegasus rider returned into the inn and as she passed the group at large she spoke up.

Viveka: Zaftran loving dark magic abusing criminal incoming. Have fun.

Jasmine: W-wait, is he going to remove the links?

Viveka: Jasmine, come with me.

Jasmine: Uh, Ca-

Viveka: That's an order!

Without another word, Jasmine followed Viveka upstairs back to their room. Irina by this point had a tight grip around her own head. Too much noise.

Isotov and Miranda

Iso: M-Mirandaaa ...

Iso backed away slowly as Miranda's hand raised up like she was going to claw at him with it.

Miranda: Iiiii see iiiiit.

Iso: Miranda wait a second-

Within a split second Miranda had driven her arm through his chest! Instead of causing injury, her arm merely passed through him dragging Proxima out with it! Iso's vision went black and the last thing he heard was the energetic discharge of the severing. He stumbled back onto the floor as she held Proxima in her hands. That tome was the only thing he could see, and as she opened it up and began flipping through the pages out of curiosity, he found it was also the only thing he could hear.

Iso: H-heeelp.

Miranda: Be quiet. Your senses are fading. I can already see you're blind again. You're not losing your hearing are you?

Iso: Miranda ... give it back. What are you doing?

Miranda: ... yeah you can't hear me.

She sighed and then knelt down in front of Iso. Her next step was to get the residual crimson presence off of him, and then she would focus on herself and Proxima. A couple of minutes passed and she met with success. After carefully sweeping away the residue, she pulled her energy from the trinket she carried causing it to stop functioning. With her demonic presence now seeming like a humans, she didn't need it. Proxima however would. She drew as much energy as she could from the reluctant tome, which wasn't much and gathered it into one spot forming a dimly glowing red sphere about a fifth the size of the tome itself.

Miranda: This should do but ... man we're cutting this closer than I'd like. Hm?

She looked toward the door and then back at Iso.

Miranda: Ixion's inside.

She quickly attached the trinket to Proxima, and turned it on in the same manner as before. The tome immediately seemed like nothing but inanimate matter to her, and Iso gasped.

Iso: P-Proxima! No! Where the hell is it?! Where did it go?! Miranda!

Miranda: For the love of subservience would you shut the hell up? You said you'd cooperate, so do that and be quie- ... right. Deaf. Never mind.

With one swift motion she put Proxima to Isotov's chest and the book disappeared into his body taking the trinket with it. As Iso was rebound a firestorm of energy was picking up just like in Burgosas and threatened to unleash at any moment. The results would be catastrophic.

Miranda: Sorry about this.

She quickly punched him in the stomach as the first signs of the storm appeared and the quickly ceased with Iso falling unconscious on the floor.

Miranda: I guess I had to knock him out anyway. It's okay though. Ixion's still going to need to talk to them anyway. Now I just need to wake him back up, deal with the whining for a minute, give him enough ammunition to fool Ixion, and then get him down there. Whew. This is a lot of work but it sure is fun~

[Mercakete]

In some ways, Tas was glad that the transaction was happening now. He'ed just run out of gold and hadn't been looking forward to asking for Lev or Irina to pay for his meals until he got his payment from the sale. "How much are you willing to pay for them? Name each price specifically, please," Tas calmly questioned in reply. (Someone else always handled the pricings. I don't want to ask too much but I don't want to be a pushover either. Who knows how long It'll be until I meet up with Father again? This will be it for a while.)

[Phoenix]

ChaChing

Mercenary: Eight hundred per wyvern. Price increases if we find any special qualities we like. With that I should probably get a closer look at Irina's new necklace. How old is that one by the way?

[Mercakete]

"Like I said, Niket is two years old and unlike most mountain wyverns -- which generally stay put -- he's learned how to run. Pretty quickly, too. I wouldn't br surprised if he learned to fly early either, seeing how eager he is to look around. He's just a hatchling, but acts like a fledgeling," Tas replied, picking up on a few key phrases but explaining dutifully and accurately, "You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Niket?"

He smiled at the little wyvern who looked up in responce and growl-chirped his name, "Nnnnkt! Nnnnkt!" The familliar human was talking to him. Maybe these new humans weren't from a rival flock as he'd first suspected. Tas went on, "He's an unusual color, too. Most mountain wyverns have dull, earth-toned scales. I don't know how he got those red scales. And those black horns are uncommon; most are white." The courier picked the hatchling up off of Irina, being careful not to disturb his friend. Niket climbed to Tas' shoulderblade and wrapped his tail around his torso as usual, fanning his wings out a little.

"His claws and the inside of his wings are black, too. I wasn't one of the ranchers who bred him, so I'm not sure how he got these traits, but he's got good traits. He's pretty vigelent, too. He's been helping me guard the eggs. Haven't you been?" Tas continued beforeadressing the little wyvern directly.

He was being complimented for his vigilence -- he was sure of it! Niket puffed out his chest in pride, raising his chin and spreading his wings proudly, letting loose an arrogant snort.

[Script]

A Paul

Paul chose to hang out on the windowsill where he had originated from while Ixion went and played, whatever it was he was playing at. There was no point in bothering people after all!

[Ether]

"There is a difference between an ally and a Comrade in arms, Morgan. It is not something I expect you to understand, after all." Damian replied to the Druidess, before giving Irina a sympathetic glance. Not that she could see it with her head buried in the table, but Damian had started like her in regards to alcohol. When he was younger, one or two drinks would get him loopy... still, he had been around the stuff for half of his life now, and had grown a tolerance to alcohol.

"You'll adjust to the stuff eventually Irina. If you keep at it, after a while you'll be able to drink with the best of em." Damian said to the hangover-stricken Wyvern Lord, looking about the main room once again. Luc and his subordinate were there, and Viveka and Jasmine were outside.

"So I assume everyone is hanging around in or about this building, then?"

[Dark Sage]

Alf awoke as the sun shone through the window and hit his eyes directly. Opening and then squinting them quickly, he got out of bed, dazed but cheery. He had survived the night, the past couple of days were going well, and he got Aiya that present.

Speaking of which he thought I should start thinking about how to teach her. Well, maybe after some breakfast.

On the bed the next to him, he saw Reika get up, a look of irritation on her face at her rest being disturbed.

"Damned sun..." she grumbled quietly. Alf quietly chuckled, noticing Sadie was still asleep. He decided to let her rest. She was quite young and obviously needed more sleep than both he and Reika.

"Good morning Reika," Alf said a little brightly, facing her as he entered the hall.

"Hmmph. A good morning? Probably won't be after breakfast. I can't believe the inn has the nerve to serve us that...food. If it can even be called food."

"Nice to see you still have a sunny disposition. Well anyway," said Alf as he walked down the stairs. "Today's probably going to be a....good....day..." He stopped as he saw the familiar army of the Halton soldier. He heard the voice of Damian below, talking with Morgan and Irina.

"Reika?"

"What?"

"Am I the only here who feels something happy in my life just crashed to an end and it's never coming back? Am I the only one here?"

"You too?" said Reika, not bothering to hide her loathing of Damian.

"Yeah. Well...at least Aiya and Esphyr'll be back in good spirits.....screw that."

"You were saying about a good morning?" said Reika, one hand on her hip.

">_<"

[Mercakete]

The morning light and fog always combined in such an ethereal way. When he hummed some of the hymns in the chilled, luminous morn -- altered versions he kept to himself, except when he shared them with his sister -- it felt not only as a tribute to the resting souls of the dead, but almost as a coaxing. A coaxing of what, exactly, Raemond could not say. Perhaps it was simply helping him relax and focus his light's potential power.

"Seeing the mist swirl and fold into its self only to blossom anew; such is the cold burn of light. Destructive and beautiful: a phial of soliquity. The containment of a staff's aid, the release of a tome's dispair. Destruction has never seen such grace as the gentle healing or sweet exhale of life's breath. Abandoned, are we? We, the ones who wonder at this world's good. Explaining, though never explained to. Excuses? Not to the ardent: those who push through the dark to find the light. But does the maze end? This labrynth of such snares and shadows? We can only pray that this is not all; that there is hope in the distance..." Raemond shifted from singing to humming again as he wanted the light play on what little mist remained in fondness. (Serenity is always welcome, especially when these constant, demonic presences bombard my sence's acuity.)

"I've never heard that song."

The monk hadn't been expecting to be caught in his morning ritual and was quite surprised to see Beau standing there. "Oh. You're awake..."

"I could say the same in responce to seeing you," the young heir dully replied. He had his priestly garb on and his long scarf tied over it again. The weather was just too cold otherwise. There was something else Raemond noticed.

"You have a tome with you," he observed. To this, Beau noded and replied, "I was going to practice using my light magic. I've been using staves for a while now, but I wanted to try my tome again. Will you assist me?"

The monk was somewhat surprised at the question. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with me."

"You have your uses," Beau replied simply with a shrug as he opened to tome and began reading.

Raemond wasn't entirely thrilled at Beau's reply, but decided a bit of practice couldn't hurt. There was one problem. "I could give you some pointers. However, I couldn't actually spar you, if that's what you want, seeing as--" He was cut off by Beau handing him a familliar tome. "...I... ... Thank you," he terminated the old sentence and accepted his shine tome back.

"Pointers first, spar after," Beau instructed, scanning the area for a good practice target and deciding on some rather wind-worn-looking stones. "Those should be fine." He looked expectantly at Raemond who simply gave a light sigh and lookedregretfully at the stones. (This was supposed to be a tranquil morning, too...)

[Balcerzak]

Kelas's rather sudden and loud denial that they go on their evening ride was quite the shock and the surprise. She hadn't elaborated at all on what a 'shadow walker' was either, or why it was so worrisome. Tessa hadn't heard any rumors of anything remotely like that... and the sudden veto definitely had put a damper on her hopes for the evening.

They'd finished the little remaining mending, thoroughly in a state of sort of awkward, with small punctuations of conversation, but never fully getting anything back to comfortable. When they'd all finished, Tessa returned the supplies she'd been borrowing from Kelas, and then departed to drop off the garments where they belonged.

Seeking out Arrin again after, she proposed a bit of a compromise.

"Well, even if we can't be heading out, let's go to the stables to look after the horses a bit. Take care of them, make sure you haven't forgotten what you're doing. Also, make sure that Francis is still used to you. You wouldn't want Isotov to steal him away from you now, would you? Then we'll come back for supper, and maybe your research thing?"

That had been acceptable, and gone over well. The nomad seemed to have remembered everything she'd been working on teaching him in the past, but while they were in the stables he'd seemed a bit more withdrawn, quiet, and lost in thought than usual.

The cause became clear when they were about to leave, with the mage making a quiet suggestion, saying that, just hypothetically of course, if they were to leave now before the sun set, stayed well close to the city walls, and kept vigilant... then there wouldn't really be any elevation in danger than if they were in the city proper, would there?

Her eyes must have lit up at the couched suggestion, and that likely was the final push that led their tiny act of youthful rebellion from the planning stages into the actual. Even though the ride was incredibly short, and even though it was kept entirely standard and cautious, somehow it was one of the most thrilling rides Tessa had ever taken. Perhaps it was because it was because the action was taken in opposition of something that had been directly prohibited. Whatever the matter, the troubadour's heart was beating fast the whole time. The whole affair was so exciting she almost caught herself looking forward to future forbidden, night-time adventures, before reminding herself that this was just a special case, and ultimately harmless. Not to mention they still weren't necessarily out of the woods.

Having put away the horses and headed toward the inn again to dine from the spread, she was still flush, wondering whether their indiscretion had been noticed, and a scolding forthcoming. However when they arrived it seemed that events had conspired to put together an entirely different set of distractions, and a mix-up in drinking orders had left a fair amount of the party suddenly indisposed. Apparently safe, all residual tension melted away, and Tessa had basked in the remainder of a wonderful end to a fantastic day. A brief interruption from Conrad had brought a momentary quickening of the pulse again, had he seen, would he chastise? However that too turned to be an omen of good fortune, as he was simply waylaying a message.

Damian was nearly finished with his training, and should be able to return soon. When pressed on what "soon" entailed, no further details were forthcoming, yet that alone was good enough news. By the time she'd retired to her room, Morgan had long since preceded her. Any training exercises she might have thought to ask for would simply be postponed for another day. The healer spent a good deal of time, just lying in bed, before she finally wound down enough to get some sleep, and thusly she spent a good deal longer in the process of waking up. In fact, it wasn't until the quite loud and unmistakable THUD of something careening into the inn building and shaking the structure from the ground up, that she roused herself.

Stepping out of bed, blinking slowly, then stretching, she prepared for the day a bit lazily. The cause for the awakening was odd enough that it ought to put a spring in her step and a sense of urgency in her actions, but it was fighting a losing battle against inertia. Soon enough though, she had fully dressed, made her way down the stairs, and entered the common area. She seemed to have followed shortly on the heels of Tobe, and while there was certainly some bustle and business going on, at first glance things didn't appear to be on fire, under attack, or otherwise blowing up... Right then, so some breakfast.

Humming a little softly to herself, she moved in the direction of the kitchen, drawing close to before passing by Lev and Irina. Ahh, yes, she'd still need to talk to her again about the Kamilla incident... her rather uncontrolled explosion at the wyvern rider needed a proper resolution. Clearly not now, it was kind of an... awkward matter, and she wasn't sure the right way to broach the subject, leading to having put it off a couple of times now already. Eventually though, and surely before any further encounters with templars. Still, while she didn't have forever, surely there was plenty of time...

"So I assume everyone is hanging around in or about this building, then?"

What's this? A familiar voice... yet unheard for the past how many days now, sharply penetrated her musing. Turning abruptly to the source, she stared in surprise, wondering how she could have managed to simply pan past him just earlier. Was it perhaps a state of morning fog, she unconsciously brought her hands to her face, and rubbed her eyes.

The figure didn't disappear. Could it really be...?

"...Damian?" she ventured, cautiously optimistic.

[Inactive Account]

The argument seemed to be dying down, so Tobe snuck past in search of food. He spied a basket of rolls on the table; that would have to do for now. He grabbed a couple, stuffing them into his pockets, then looked around. What now? He supposed he should head out to the stables; that was the most useful place for him to be, and there wasn't much he could do inside. Still... he might as well stay inside for the moment. He sat down in one of the chairs near the corner of the room and pulled one of the rolls back out of his pocket to munch on while he looked around the room. He wondered what the newcomers were here for; they obviously knew the group. They looked a fair bit scarier than the others, though, so he wasn't at all sure about them.

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

Previously, during the night

As soon as the sun had set, Itzal was out again. Its next target was between here and Burgosas; it did not take long to reach the target. "I have orders for you," it said without preamble, stopping in front of Petros.

[-Cynthia-]

Nighty Night

"You certainly took your time," Petros replied, unshaken by the new presence. "Had you acted sooner, we may have already been able to unseal the Lord. But there's little use in dwelling on the past; what are the orders?" he asked the darkness.

Morning Sunshine!

Xenia woke up in a bed. She wasn't sure where this bed was or what the hell she was doing in it, but here she was and her head hurt like a bitch. How much did I drink last night? Considering how much it takes just to get me buzzed I must have hit the stuff harder than usual... She went to get out of bed, shoving something next to her onto the floor in the process.

Too lazy to check what fell over, Xenia got up with quite some difficulty and began to put her armor on, piece by piece. Urgh, why does this chafe so much...oh right clothes, she thought to herself, dropping her armor then finding some clothes scattered around the room and putting them on.

[Mercakete]

"Okay, I assume my sister taught you the basics of actually harnessing light's potential energy into a damaging force. Is that correct?" the monk asked, trying to get a better handle on what Beau already knew and running through how he'd actually teach the young heir who was, apparently, his new student.

"Yes," Beau replied simply. His new teacher pointed to the boulters that were clustered together and replied, "Alright, show me your best spell by attacking those stones. They make good magical targets since they are rarely actually flamable and magic uses energy rather than brute force."

Beau nodded. That was a simple enough request. It had been quite a while since he'd last actually cast a spell, however, so his first attempt to cast the light spell was both weak and inaccurate.

Raemond sighed. "It seems all you really do know are the basics. That little spark will hardly help you in a fight."

Beau glared at his instructor. "That was the first spell I cast in years. Let me try again." Without waiting for a reply, Beau was able to refocuss and this time attacked the central smooth-edged boulder with an impressive blast of light.

The templar monk blinked in surprise. "You certainly do warm up quickly. ... Try again, but keep the spell a bit smaller and focuss primarily on hitting the boulder as opposed to attacking with as much magic as you can muster."

"... Well, I suppose you should know..." Beau began, himself somewhat stunned.

Raemond looked curiously at his student. "What is it I should know?"

"That attack was roughly twice as powerful as what I thought my potential was and I'm not being modest."

"I believe it," Raemond muttered to himself under his breath, referring to Beau's modesty. He then spoke up, "Well, then, you don't need to practice the power of your attacks. Focuss on accuracy and relax your magical energy."

The exercises Raemond taught Beau were mainly focussed on precision, rather than power...and Raemond proved to be quite the unrelenting instructor. Every time Beau hit his mark, he came to expect the word "again" to sound.

(This isn't unlike trying to please my father's ambitions for me.) The thoughts eventually sounded spitefully in Beau's mind as the urge to rebell grew. To his surprise, Raemond calmly mentioned, "That's good enough for now. You should rest and drink some water. Overworking yourself isn't only unsafe, but futile."

"You underestamate me," Beau scoffed, folding his arms, raising his chin and glaring condescendingly at Raemond, "I've gone through longer stretches of study than this meagar exercise!"

Raemond smiled a little in amusement at Beau's hardly-hidden enthusiasm for light magic's uses. "Oh? You've cast that many spells concentrated into an hour's time before? Studying and practicing magic is different from simply reading material -- even material involving magic. You are being sure to draw your energy from Zia and Orai, aren't you? You're not using your own energy?"

"Of course not! That would put far too much strain on me. Ha! Using my own energy..." Beau replied in agitation. This only amused Raemond further, seeing as the 13-year-old was a bit flustered. It was likely he'd forgotten that basic -- yet important -- aspect recently, based on his reactions.

(Ugh, how could I have forgotten that?! I was so caught up in everything else... Is that why I became so tired so easily when I was healing everyone?) Beau's thoughts were interrupted when Raemond spoke up again.

"You'll tire out much easier if you try to use your own energy, even a little. Remember, we are conduits, not sources."

"I know that!" Beau snapped back, whirling around to face the calm monk, "Don't treat me as though I were incompetant!"

"I am treating you as a student," Raemond replied, "I have been using my sister's methods for casting light magic -- both complete and incomplete -- longer than you have. Thusly, I am somewhat of an expert in comparison. Do you not think it would be wise to listen when I offer my assistance, even if it comes in the form of minor reminders?"

Beau opened his mouth to yell at the monk again, but promptly shut it. He hated to admit it -- and indeed, he would not admit it aloud -- but Raemond had a very good point. He also had Beau's full attention as the monk readied his own spell, holding the shine tome gingerly before himself, practically softly singing the incantation. His eyes remained closed as the light steadily grew in intensity around him and until they snapped open and he thrust his hand at his target. The light around him condensed into a powerful ball of light and sped at the stones, striking them with power and accuracy. After the attack subsided, the stones' rough, granial surfaces had turned glossy.

("Sand, mostly...") The glassblower's apprentice's words eachoed in Beau's mind as he gazed upon the sedimentary rock's surface. (I-...incrediable... Is that...glass...?)

The monk closed his tome and adressed his student. "If a conduit is used too much, it will burn out, however. Keep this in mi--"

"How did you cast a spell that powerful?!" suddenly demanded the young bishop, cutting off his instructor.

"Annother day, Beau," Raemond sighed, "You've worked hard enough as it--"

"I want to test myself against you! Light for light-- whose magic is stronger? I'm not done practicing yet!" the 13-year-old insisted.

The templar monk sighed. (What will I do with him?)

[Inactive Account]

Overnight

"Had I acted sooner?" Itzal replied with the barest hint of incredulity. "Your orders, as you'd probably expect, are simply to speed up; the Lord is getting impatient. It would be useful if you would meet up with Shanice and keep him in line, or Ruby; neither of them seem to be doing their job particularly efficiently, while you at least seem to be undistracted. That is all; I have other contacts to make." Without another word, Itzal turned on the spot and sped off into the dark.

The rest of the night was uneventful for it; in order to avoid delays, it avoided areas of human habitation. There were multiple, lesser demons across the continent; Itzal set out to meet with them to relay simply that it would soon be time to raise chaos again, in advance of their ruler's return. By daybreak, it had covered a fair amount of Septimus, and found a small cave to take shelter in from the light.

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

Kalten

Brigadier General Anatoliy Mikhailovna Borodin took the stack of papers from the messenger standing in the doorway to her office and gestured for the man to leave. With a salute, he turned on his heel and left, closing the door behind him. Borodin sat down at her desk, inspecting the papers critically. They bore the seal of the imperial spymaster; presumably this was just another report copied to the generals about the operation the Ivanko Mercenaries were planning.

Truth be told, she wasn't too sure this was a bad thing for Zaftra. As a member of one of the higher noble houses, she'd been raised with the expectation that she would protect her people in whatever way possible, and joined the military command in order to further that cause. Her talent and ruthlessness had allowed her to climb the ranks despite her sex, and she knew that the rest of command considered her to be competent. Instead of helping the nation to rebuild from the ashes of the war a quarter of a century ago, though, she'd been stationed in the capitol to be another watchdog for the imperial family. While she would do her duty if it killed her, she was simply not sure that her current occupation was, in fact, her duty.

However, if the revolutionaries were as insane as the reports suggested, she would not put much hope into them replacing or changing the current regime. She pushed her hair out of her eyes, a gesture of impatience, as she read the report. "<More of the same,>" she muttered. The numbers it detailed were not nearly enough to take the capitol, especially if it were wyvern riders only-- and air was the only way to approach. The revolutionaries would be crushed-- and rightly so, if they were not strong enough to be worthy to rule Zaftra. However, their leader, Ivanko, could not be stupid; after all, he'd successfully created such a large group, and managed it for years, across three different countries.

"<They've got to have some trick up their sleeves,>" she stated, closing the report and handing it to the room's other occupant, another of the generals considered good enough (or at least, rich enough) to be one of the emperor's pets. He was younger than her thirty-four years, so she suspected the latter; while bright young things such as she had been could be promoted that quickly, it was not all that common. "<What do you think, Zolkov? Are these mercenaries as mad as they seem? Or have they got some extra angle?>" Her tone suggested this was almost a test question, like she'd ask a subordinate in order to judge their competence.

[Balcerzak]

Helios would have preferred to continue to sleep.

His plans for what he had meant to get accomplished last night had been thrown in disarray, due to a mix-up on the wait-staff of the inn. While he had briefly checked in on Elle before the dinner had started, he'd neither said nor asked all he planned, and he hadn't even had a chance to talk with Charlotte again. The only silver lining was that he'd noticed the alcohol in time to stop from getting completely intoxicated, thus managing to avoid any fits of anger or other outbursts, though he wasn't in time to avoid becoming sullen and withdrawn, and no longer in the proper mood to really associate with anyone. As soon as the meal was over, he had retreated, alone and unnoticed, not caring for the joviality of the surrounding table, not in the mood.

He wasn't exactly hungover, but he wasn't exactly spry and fresh either. Leaning up in bed, his muscles were sore, even though they had no right to complain, his stomach didn't quite agree with him, and he was rather parched. Still, the prince made the effort to get moving. Though Beau hadn't been accusing him of running away, the fact of the matter was, he was starting to feel that sort of guilt himself. And though there might still be nothing he could do for Tora... things were maybe in position to make a difference. That was worth getting motivated for.

Having quenched his thirst with some water, Helios decided to simply skip breakfast. Instead, he navigated the hallways, ending up before a particular room. Hesitating for a bit, was she awake or in, would she be bothered? Casting that aside, he knocked and called out. "Princess Charlotte. Do you have time to talk?"

[Phoenix]

Worthington

Iso eventually woke up having no idea how much time had passed, but something was off. His clothes felt different, like they had been moved around. Nothing was on quite the way he was used to. He quickly shot up into a seated position hoping to see what was going on and where Miranda was. He didn't see Miranda at all. He saw ... Iso. A man standing over him who looked exactly like him was standing over him.

???: Hey there.

Iso: Who are you?

???: If you have to ask, I probably did some serious damage. In which case ... oops, sorry! Teehee.

Iso: ... Miranda.

Iso!Miranda: Okay now listen up. You want to help your sister do as I say.

Iso: I'm listening.

Iso!Miranda: To fool everyone else? That's simple. You're you so no problem there. To fool Ixion, you need to kind of treat him like someone you'd bang at any other time of the year, but you're playing hard to get of course.

Iso: Som-eone you'd ... b- ... g- ... gur ... (RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-)

Iso!Miranda: No matter what he says to you, don't get mad. Ever. Remember; he's cute enough, just distracted and kind of annoying. Of course this is just how you treat him if he gets you alone. I've got a few other things to note in case he does that but in public, don't worry about it.

Iso: g- ... r- ... bl-g- ... (-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-)

Burgosas

Daneka awoke to a knock on the door. Surprisingly she didn't have a hangover. Not surprising because she had a lot to drink, but surprising because there was just no way to explain the parrot in the corner of the room, nor the sheets all over the place.

Daneka: ....

She rose out of bed and noted her appearance. Her nightgown was on which was a good sign, but her greaves were also on which was strange. Ignoring that, she answered the door to see one of the mercenaries at the door. He had a piece of cloth in his nose covered with dried blood.

Daneka: Can I help you?

Mercenary: Whoa, nice dress. Oh right. Yeah, where's Peter? I'm gonna kill him.

Daneka: Who?

Mercenary: You know, Peter? The guy all over you and Xenia last night?

Parrot: Peter! Arrrk!

Daneka: Who?

Mercenary: Look, lady I don't have time for this "who" nonsense. Just tell me where he is.

Parrot: That tickles, stop it. Arrrk!

Daneka: Well he's not here ... zough I'm beginning to wonder who ze hell was.

Mercenary: Oh you're no help at all.

Daneka: No help? Listen, dumbass. Myself and one ozer person are handling logistics for ze entire faction until we get organized and it's killing us. I'm not in ze mood, and I won't ever be for zis crap. You want to whine like a little girl, go do it somewhere else. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a parrot to cross examine.

She quickly slammed the door in the mercs face hoping that the fact he was leaning in past the frame would cause a collision with his face. It did.

Mercenary: OOOOH! Augh!

Elsewhere, Peter began to stir when he felt his entire body collide with something. It certainly felt like the floor. When he realized he didn't have anything but his left sock on, he reached for the blanket on the bed and used it to cover himself up. He looked around to see Xenia putting her armor on but his vision was so blurry he couldn't even tell if it was her or if he was still dreaming about ... things.

In the corner, clumsily hidden under a pile of extra blankets and pillows was a fully clothed but hung over mercenary. He had a bottle of beer in one hand that was empty and a sword he had somehow managed to break in half in the other. The tip of the blade was being chewed on by a goat standing near him. He had yet to wake up.

Peter: Waaaaz goin oooon ...?

Kalten

Brigadier General Zolkov, a man heavily clad in ebon armor with a zweihander over his back, sporting combed back green hair and sharp facial hair. He wasn't expecting any questions from Borodin, especially not of that nature, but responded to the best of his knowledge.

Zolkov: <"I am not certain whether or not they have something hidden up their sleeves, but I'm absolutely positive ... that they believe so themselves. If that little mole of theirs is reliable, then either they're underestimating us, or they have something we've yet to see for ourselves. Somehow I doubt the fighting will reach these halls. Our forces have stopped Halton, and they will surely stop Ivanko's mercenaries; whatever they're planning. They're too weak.">

Transaction

Mercenary: Hmm. Hah. I can already tell this one's pretty smart. Even seems to know some of what's going on here. Good. Unique color's also prized for when we want to try breeding to get certain colors. That's an extra two hundred easy.

Chekhov: Aren't we paying a lot?

Mercenary: These aren't horses or oxen, Chek. They're flying lizards, and damn good ones. Try to remember that. Anyway, we're up to a thousand for your little crimson buddy Niket there.

The mercenary kept a smile on his face; not difficult given that he was genuinely amused by the young wyvern and the surprisingly well spoken young courier.

Edited March 25, 2011 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte

Charlotte was a bit surprised at the knock at her door and greeting, but got up and opened the door quickly. "Yes I have time to talk, I've been up for quite a while now really...there's been a lot to think about. What do you need?" she asked Helios.

Xenia

Someone was speaking in the room as Xenia was armoring up. She looked over towards the blanket on the floor and there seemed to be a Peter-shaped object asking what was going on.

"Well we killed some bandits, then headed to a local inn to celebrate by getting smashed. We probably had a damn good time, since I can't remember any of it," Xenia said to him, slipping on her gauntlets. "Svetlana's hungry," she added matter-of-factly afterwards.

Edited March 25, 2011 by -Cynthia-

[Mercakete]

"Hmm..." Tas hummed to himself, thinking the price over. (That's already more than I know what to do with. Even so, it doesn't sound like an honest price yet...) "I have to say, that is a good offer...for a standard mountain wyvern, that is. I'm sure you are trying to be fair, given whatever your company's finantial status is, but considering these traits all in one mountain wyvern hatchling... I'd say a fairer offer for Niket along would be something closer to 2000," he politely replied, "And that's assuming he recieves good treatment. Trust me on this: he'll be worth any ammount of gold. I've seen some lazy wyverns and Niket isn't one of them. Given that you're mercenaries, I'm sure you can appreciate that. He's already davancing in his physical abilities faster than any other mountain wyvern I've seen. Considering that, perhaps 2300 is a better price just for him, and that's taking into consideration that he not only would make an excellent battle-wyvern -- and if you get more mountain wyverns, even a flock leader for a squadron, considering mountain wyverns' natural aptitude for organized assaults -- but his rare coloring and confidant disposition would make him a great breeding-wyvern."

He decided to let the mercenaries mull that over before hearing their new offer. (Niket is worth much more than the standard pricing on a mountain wyvern considering who I'm selling to. He's just too good an opportunity to pass up.) "I'm reasonable, though. I won't charge the 2300 gold for him. 2000 gold is a bargain, though, and one to be considered given that you won't meet annother wyvern like him. That's soemthing I can guarentee." It was a little strange to Tas how relaxed he was being while discussing prices with the mercenaries. (It's probably because I got used to Lev and Irina. No, not just 'got used to.' They're my friends, so this is easier. Besides, Lev's their superior. I keep forgetting he's 2nd-in-command of these mercenaries.)

~~~~~~~~~~

"Fine, but if either of us starts getting tired, we're stopping," Raemond agreed, motioning for Beau to stand a bit farther away from the inn while he took his own position in the field.

Beau readily took his place, eager to try his light magic against someone who wasn't only trained in light magic, but was his mentor's brother. (This will be a good test for me and if I win, I'll have to tell Sisrae about it when I find her. Not to mention Arrin. I wonder if I could test my magic against his sometime. I wonder how different his tome is compared to mine. I know mine is basic, but I remember a little from that book from the Enlightenment series. Though I don't think it would prove effective at all in this situation.)

"Are you ready, Beau?" Raemond asked, readying his tome.

"Of course," Beau calmly replied, though inside he was full of excitement. He was finally practicing his light magic!

"I will strike first, then, if you don't mind," the older of the two mentioned. Beau didn't mind in the least bit, indicating so with a nod.

And so the test of light began.

(OoC: Note: Beau is tired from his training. -2 arrogance penalty to a random stat every exchange. In this case, -2 res when defending and -2 hit when attacking.)

Hurriedly condencing the sunlight into a ball, Raemond's light spell hurtled toward the younger light-user.

(3+4)-6 = 1 = hit!

(3+3)-(5-2) = 3 damage!

Beau 9/12

The light burst against Beau, who shielded himself with a barrier he hurriedly began to project and by holding his arm up to block the light from hurting his eyes. (Grr... How can I be so sloppy? Maybe he's right and I really am somewhat tired...)

"Are you okay, Beau? Remember, just give up if you're not feeling up to this!" Raemond warned. (After practicing the same spell's accuracy for so long, he cannot be at his best... I'd better be careful.)

"Silence, you! I told you, I'm not tired at all!" Beau lied, embarrassed at his lack of foresight. With that, he prepared and cast his own light spell.

(1+(6-2))-4 = 1 = hit!

(5+4)-6 = 3 damage!

Raemond 6/9

In spite of being fatigued, Beau managed so aim his light well enough. Before the light hit, Raemond condensed his mana network into a barrier and only suffered part of the powerful attack. (What sort of magic did Raechel teach that boy?!)

There were no words this time. Raemond simply retalliated, certain that Beau could hold his own without his going easy on him.

Overcast activated! -2 skl, +2 mag!

(2+6)-6 = 2 = hit!

(5+4)-(5-2) = 6 damage!

Beau 3/12

This time the spell was more powerful. (If I don't start putting up better barriers soon, then I don't know if I'll beat him...) Beau was frusterated, but he would not give up. (I can keep pushing myself... Just a bit more...) He cast annother spell, willing it to be strong enough to defeat Raemond.

(6+(6-2))-4 = 6 = hit!

(5+5)-6 = 4 CRITICAL! 8 damage!

Raemond 0/9

All the templar monk could do was try to enforce his mana network, but it was to little avail. Beau had manged quite the lightshow of an attack in spite of seeming so strained. By the end of the attack, bot light users were breathing heavily, but it was Raemond who practically fainted from the strain, landing on his knees and trying to catch his breath and soothe his headache. "Well...done..." he breathed, "I...I can't fight anymore..."

Beau could scarely believe he'd won. Both opted to just sit quietly for a while to try to recover.

Edited March 25, 2011 by Mercakete