Abysmal Souls Chapter 1: Soul Eater

[CT075]

Ormis was slowing down.

He was getting tired, of course, but that wasn't why he was beginning to falter. Rather, these soldiers were kind of pathetic. After he started running away, the soldiers decided to chase him in one big mob instead of splitting up and surrounding him. Either these weren't the same soldiers that had ambushed them earlier or the group had majorly overreacted when they had been attacked. He was starting to think that he might actually be able to take them in a fight when a saber sliced off a good part of his tattered cloak/scarf thingy.

On the other hand, maybe I should keep running.

Ormis ran around a corner, into the shadows of a building. Inside, he saw... Emerald, thank the gods. From what it looked like, the scream had been from the man lying at the knight's feet. Ormis stumbled to a stop, panting.

"Whoa, there you are. Easy now, I'm not a soldier."

He wasn't entirely sure if Emerald recognized him at all, seeing as they had separated within half an hour of meeting. Either way, if he could convince the knight that he wasn't an enemy, they could probably buy Adrian enough time to get out with Susan. He just hoped that Emerald wasn't about to kill him like that guy on the floor.

[ReformBlade]

Guards

"What in the... fuck? How did you get out?!" Screamed one of the guards. The second one looked at the first one for a moment, "Yes, because it was such a high quality cell" rolling his eyes. Before looking to Susan again. "Come to get something of yours, eh? Figured it'd be kept unguarded, even? I swear to god, women are retarded. They never seem to think about things, just one big bottle of hormones. Well you know what? it's time you learned your goddamn PLACE." He got up, picked a spear from off the wall and was about to charge at her when suddenly Adrian hopped in front of him. Initially, he was honestly surprised, but then he took one look at his weaponry and laughed, "Oh. Oh look guys! 'Oh shit, he's got a fuckin ladle, help, heeelp' Haaahaaaaaaaaaaaa! Kid, you're a riot, I'll-" The 3rd guard stood up suddenly, knocking his chair over, "Are you quite retarded?! Are you going to deal with them or not?!" He shouted, his voice instantly recognizable to the the Adrian and Susan. "for GOD'S sake, just let ME do it!" and for a man his size, he actually moved with a surprising spring in his step, grabbing the lance from him and shoving the soldier out of the way. "You talk to goddamn much, all you gotta do..." he readied his spear, aiming it right at Adrian's heart "...Is not be a complete dumbass!" he finished, whirling around and smacking the soldier across the head with suck force it knocked him to the wall with a thud, knocking him unconscious.

The 1st guard nearly shit his pants at what just happened. What the hell why is he defecting why is this happening to me oh shit oh FUCK oh god help meeeee! He wanted absolutely nothing to do with this right now, he had not signed up for this at all. This was supposed to just be an easy gig, come in and get the goddamn witch and get the fuck out, why thiiiiis?! The man went pale and fainted after a small squeal escaped from his mouth.

The still standing guard looked at the other two, specifically Adrian. "I'm almost impressed you made it out alive, laddie, but I've done a lot of things that are a mite more impressive. Gimme a good drink later and I'll tell ye about it"

Grant

"Shit, already?!" he blurted out, almost unintelligibly as he was about to take a swing at Ormis. His sword was inches from the kids face when it finally stopped before Grant got a chance to see his face. He clearly wasn't a soldier, even talked to him a second ago an- "You! Quick, where are the others?! Is that blasted witch with you?! SHIT!" His mind jumped to every possibility ever, his thought processes getting mangled as well. He wasn't going to be a friendly person very soon, but he focused on the immediate problem. The soldiers about to surround him inevitably. In an uneven fight, he'd be sure of his skill, but not this skewed. He had no idea the number he would face, as such, fear crept into him...

Carrion

Hiding from view, she watched as Ormis ran about stupidly, but she had to give the kid some credit. The soldiers weren't exactly smart for trying to take the exact same path as he did. "What is this, the blind leading the blind? Whatever, not my problem, though he'll probably try and make it mine... though if he does that..." She conjured up a small fireball, smiling at it before letting it dissipate. She walked on into the camp as if nothing bothered her here, and fortunately, none of the guards seemed to notice her either.

Edited May 10, 2011 by SlaveBlade

[CT075]

"Wha-"

Ormis barely had time to dodge out of the way. Emerald appeared to have no idea who he was. The blade was inches from his face when the knight faltered, then started speaking almost too quickly for him to understand. Ormis spun around, making sure that the soldiers hadn't reached them yet. They were still blundering about outside, rather than checking every hiding place in the area. Ormis started to grin, then stopped when he realized that Emerald was going to give them away.

"Shut up, they'll hear you!"

Of course, Ormis had managed to shout that phrase just loudly enough that all of the pursuing soldiers heard him, and turned.

"Shit."

He took a stance. No point in running, the soldiers probably knew this building better than he did. Ormis was almost surprised that the two of them hadn't been flanked.

[Nanami Touko]

"Tch..." Adrian would've been embarrassed at the soldiers' mockings, but the situation was too serious for that. He continued to hold his stance as the larger soldier stood up, grabbing the spear. Adrian readied himself for a blow from this menacing figure, but only for a moment, for as soon as the man started speaking Adrian's stress level shot down, and he smiled. He crossed his arms at the soldier as the spear was pointed at him, trying to contain his chuckles. "I was wondering where you'd disappeared to, Greg." He could only imagine Greg's smile as the other soldier was knocked back, the first fainting on the spot. Geez... It took him long enough, didn't it? Adrian could only sigh as Greg spoke to him, finally chuckling some. "It took you long enough, Greg. And, uh... I didn't exactly make it out alive, but we can talk about that later. Are you alright, Susan?" He smirked back at the girl, who was probably both scared and confused at what was going on.

[ReformBlade]

Grant

His heart was racing, his breathing got louder and quicker, he was prepared for the reaper's arrival today. He'd almost be glad of it the way this job was turning out, but he had other ideas today. His mind began buzzing with thoughts again. Many people pledge to give their lives for others. Few do it with purpose, and even fewer enjoy it. Where do I fit in? Will I be remembered after this? Will this accomplish anything of value? No... None of that matters here. 'Just do what you can with what you've got'... Never truly understood what that meant until today. Ahaha... "Hahahaaa..." He laughed out of nowhere, turning to the kid. "Listen well, kid. Just run. Grab the girl and get the hell out of here. I'll distract em. I won't be much, but I'm willing to bet you two can do something more worthwhile than I..."

A shudder came across Grant's whole body as he tensed himself for the coming battle. His expression contorting with rage, he charged out of the building with a loud battlecry. None of the soldiers expected this, and the closest one to Grant payed with his life, his head severed sloppily from his body. Grant's eyes flashed to his next victim, almost draining the fight out of the soldier right there. This is justice in its simplest form. He thought as he charged at the frozen man. One of the other soldiers, one who was much more level headed than the rest shouted, "Just SWARM him, dammit! He's just one man!"

Carrion

"What the fuck is he doing, charging out alone like that...?" The witch thought out loud. She thought the kid was stupid, but damn, this guy was trying his hardest to outdo him. "Oh don't tell me... Honor? Bravery?" she mused aloud again, "I'll never understand such stupid concepts... though the results are... entertaining, at the very least." She would've watched the 'show', but she was more focussed on finding Adrian at the moment. I swear to god, you resurrect a kid and he thinks he can do whatever the fuck he wants! Infuriating!

[CT075]

Ormis was just about to protest the guy just telling him to piss off, but before he could, Emerald did the one thing Ormis was trying not to do and charged them. He almost grinned.

This guy... I like him.

No sense in charging in after him, though, since it looked like the soldiers were getting ready to regroup and rush the knight. Ormis instead opted to look around for something to throw. His eyes alighted on a javelin leaning against a rack on a wall. He finished his grin.

Walking over and grabbing it, Ormis learned an important lesson in fighting - "Don't try to use a weapon you've never touched before in a fight unless you're desperate." The boy was having trouble even heaving the damn thing onto his shoulder, as the tip kept slipping onto the floor. He cursed, then just chucked the thing haphazardly. It spun around, then hit what looked like the commander in the head, stunning him for a sec. Ormis took a sec to wipe the sweat off his brow, then followed the projectile. His sword was swinging before he put his foot down, knocking the next guy stumbling. The mercenary yelled, loud and hard, then leaped backwards so that he would only be facing one soldier at a time. If he was going to be suicidal, at least he could be suicidal in the smart way.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Lucretia's days had been filled with despair, doubt, and dread ever since she learned of her mother's search for her. As she walked through the town of Leticia, searching for an answer to her problems, her mind wandered to the harsh and rigorous training she endured under her mother's dutiful eye.

"Useless...! How could you ever be a true fighter if you don't want to kill?!"

"Unbelievable! You are so unbelievable!"

"Do you wish to make me proud? Well, sharpen those damned blades and I'll consider it!"

She shuddered at the coldness, as if the atmosphere itself had dropped in temperature. She felt colder and more isolated than ever. The trauma she had experienced bore down on her as if she were at the bottom of the ocean. She gripped the leather handles of her two blades tightly as she dropped to one knee, a mixture of sweat and tears pouring down her face.

"I...have to...keep...moving on!" She repeated this phrase to herself as she walked onward. The traveling caravan was only a thousand paces away. She had discovered her mother was in the villages near Leticia. In her mind's eye she envisioned her mother finding her and the heated exchange that would surely have occurred. To avoid this scenario she packed up what little she needed and began to make plans to travel elsewhere.

The caravan itself stopped into town three days ago, to trade supplies and restock before continuing on their journey into Sapphire. Lucretia had encountered one of the members while buying her usual fruits from the vendors.

"You're going into Sapphire? That's a ways from here..."

"We're traveling to see the world! No distance is too great!"

Although she didn't share their ambitions she believed this to be the perfect opportunity to escape before her mother appeared.

Within a hundred paces, Lucretia could see clearly the group of travelers, of different ages, genders, and nationalities. She smiled and quickened her pace. As she encountered the caravan heads, she looked back one last time at her home for the last few years. It had provided comfort and stability to her hectic life, but it was time to leave. She was saddened to go but at the same time she knew this was her chance to escape her mother, possibly for good. As the group began to move again, Lucretia did not look back, instead she looked ahead to her new life and began to socialize with the people she would now be traveling with.

[ReformBlade]

Grant

He saw the projectile fly by him, striking the commander right on the head. His first instinct was to congratulate whoever threw that, but he realized the only person who could've thrown it from nearby him was the kid, making Grant worry more than necessary. I thought I told him to run! That dumb piece of... "Grrr...!" His thoughts were making him angry again, though all the anger and adrenaline was beginning to take its toll on Grant now. He still hadn't recovered completely from yesterday's debacle, and it looked like he was unfortunately going to pay dearly for it. Luckily, half the soldiers decided to go after Ormis at this point, dividing up their forces, but still maintaining a ridiculous advantage.

A spear thrust came right at his stomach, actually getting Grant in the flesh. He groaned in pain, faltering to one knee. The soldier who got him smiled a little, thinking he had finished the knight, as such he loosened his grip slightly, which would turn out to be his undoing. Grant, mustering up his strength again, got up, pulled the spear out and threw it wildly right at the soldier in defiance. The tip slashed the man right in the eye, causing no end of problems for him. "Underestimate me again. I fucking dare you to!" His stomach was bleeding now, but he could ignore it for the moment.

Susan and Greg

Susan's shock and sudden fear subsided after she heard Greg speak and act. Unfortunately, she was still unpleased to see the man, however useful he was proving to be. How can he still smell like that THIS early??? she thought, but didn't seriously want to know. Her mind only now realized the fact that Adrian was here, right in front of her. She was relieved to see him alive, but right now she just needed to get her book and run. "I'm fine, I'm fine, given the circumstances, I guess..." Her eyes strayed to the table in which the two other guards were playing cards on, noticing her tome. Her heart skipped a beat as she ran by Adrian, shoving him out of the way. She grabbed the tome, inspecting it, looking for any wear and tear they might have done to it. She let out a huge sigh of relief when she found no damage on the tome.

The trio would hear tons of yelling and shouting outside, battle cries and the like. Greg scoffed. "He's probably out there being a dumbass, idn't he? Ah, yes he is..." He said after looking outside. "Well, I've saved your life twice and yours once, and I've got other things to do here. So if you for some reason give a crap about him, you better get moving. One man versus that many is a goner, especially since he ain't as good as me." Greg walked over to the soldier that was lying on the ground unconscious and placed him over by the other guard, getting ready to tie them both up.

Carrion

"This is stupid, he should learn when to just give the fuck up." she stated matter-of-factly. Growing tired of his heroism and bravado, even though it concerned her in no way, she gathered up a huge mass of energy into a fireball and launched it right at the cluster of men. The explosion was loud, violent and extremely intense, knocking everyone nearby back quite a large distance, instantly frying the soldier hit by it.

Edited May 16, 2011 by SlaveBlade

[CT075]

Ormis had just finished smashing a soldier's head in with the hilt of his sword when the fireball came. He noticed it coming out of the corner of his eye, and fairly had the foresight to duck backwards. Even so, the shockwave blew him backwards almost ten feet. Woozily, he sat up. Everyone else seemed to be similarly afflicted, with the man who had been struck nothing but ashes. He held his head for a second, then started panicking.

My sword... where did I drop my sword?

He looked around frantically, but it was nowhere to be seen. Ormis was about to tackle a soldier and take his chances trying to wrestle the guy's saber away, but then he spotted it. It was... right next to someone else's head. He lunged for it, but the soldier grabbed it and almost nailed the boy in the stomach right away. Ormis reached him first, grabbing the blade and making sure to keep the blade away from his own stomach. He started to wrestle, but the man was heavier and wearing armor, pinning him fairly easily. Ormis relaxed, then heaved the guy off before scrambling to his feet. Unfortunately, he was now facing 5 soldiers, himself armed with nothing.

Now would be a good time for you to come and show off your infinite skills, Greg...

Edited May 16, 2011 by Camtech075

[Nanami Touko]

The sounds of fighting had begun to grow louder, and Adrian knew he'd have to go and save Ormis from doing something stupid to himself. That kid can't keep himself out of trouble... And while he thought that, he was grateful for the distraction it provided. He'd rather Ormis be fighting the soldiers than himself. He'd hoped to get the chance to explain what had happened to Susan and grant, but the girl pushed her way passed him to a book on the table, looking happier to see it safe than him. He could only sigh and smile, though, as the book seemed extremely important to her. I should just be happy that they're both alright, yeah.

Greg's words spoke truth, as Adrian nodded, swiping one of the downed soldiers' spears to fight with. It was heavy, awkward, and old, but it was better than his ladle, which he had tucked away into his bag. He was about to head out, when a deafening explosion rocked the building they were in, causing him to stumble down to the ground. The book fell out of his bag, though he hadn't noticed it happen. What he did know, was that this explosion meant only one thing. She's here, shit. I'm dead, I'm dead... again! Oh, Gods, this isn't good! "Greg, wanna save my life again?" He scrambled to his feet, clutching the spear in his shaking hand, and hurried out the door.

[ReformBlade]

Grant

The explosion so near him pushed him far, far back. He landed square against a building, the breath getting knocked out of him, and his wound ripping wider, bleeding much harder. It was all he could do to keep himself conscious, much less able to sustain the fight on his end. I'll be seeing you soon, Andy... He dropped his sword, needing both hands to stem the flow at this point. Thankfully, at least the soldiers on his end were having just as rough a time as he was, trying to recover from the blast.

Susan and Greg

As the fireball hit the soldier, "What the hell was that?" Greg muttered while Susan yelled it. "Looks like someone brought in some heavy artillery, in some form anyway. I swear, you kids have the worst luck, but then again, ye got me here, so victory is assured... but the cost is yet to be seen. Stand aside, I'll take care of this crap for ye." Greg said matter of factly. Taking his halberd from the chair he used to be sitting at, he walked out of the building, virtually ignoring Adrian, for he almost didn't care about the boy at this point, as such ignoring his plea. He viewed the field and gave the most confused expression he could. "What the fuck happened out here?" Soldiers were strewn up next a building, trying to get back up, Grant in the middle of them. More soldiers could be seen trying to go for someone else, though Greg couldn't tell who. All he knew was that that woman from before seemed to be causing all sorts of mayhem here, for better or for worse. Honestly, since it appears she hurt more of the enemies than the kids, Greg counted her as an ally.

Meanwhile, Susan ran out as well, after Adrian. "Hey, careful! Don't just go rushing off like that you idiot!" As she walked out behind Adrian, she saw the field as well, and all she wanted to do was to just get away from all of this. She had her dagger, she had her tome... She had no reason to stay here, did she?

Carrion

She immediately spotted Adrian, again ignoring everything else on the field and making an instant march right towards him. "You..." was all she said, her glare piercing him. She was, in truth, growing tired of this game. He could run all he wanted, but he'd never get far. She'd make sure of that.

[Nanami Touko]

"Hey, careful! Don't just go rushing off like that you idiot!"

Well, at least she cares he thought to himself with the smallest of chuckles, eyes scanning the mayhem until they landed on what had to be the most terrifying thing he'd seen all morning. Carrion, charging straight for him, with the look of death incarnate in her eyes. Just get out the book, and give it back, just get out the book, and give it... no, no, no, no! Where's the fucking book?! He shot his hand into his sack, desperately moving it around to try and find the heavy tome, shuddering as he could not. "Come on, did I seriously drop that?!" He grumbled aloud, his fear obviously showing. He started looking around furiously, looking at every spot he'd gone to in his little escapade into the camp, trying to figure out where he'd dropped it.

His eyes then glanced back into the building, seeing the tome, and bringing hope back into his mind. He dove for it, just in case a swirly ball of fiery death came his way, scrambling across the floor for the book until it was in his arms. "Alright, alright, now I've just got to get it to her before she sets me on fire... I can do that, yeah... I think." Bringing himself to his feet, he shook whatever doubt was still in his mind, and hoped that she wouldn't hurt him too badly.

[CT075]

Ormis was, once again, on the run.

This time, though, he didn't have the advantage and had obtained various bruises and cuts from the soldier's spears, which all had a lot longer range than their sabers. He rounded a corner, trying to lose them when he slammed, facefirst into a wall.

"Ow..."

Ormis fell backwards, turning around to face his pursuers. Shaking his head, he tried to clear his vision before they arrived. He barely managed it.

---

When the first soldier rounded the corner, Ormis tackled him before he could strike. However, he decided not to wrestle this time, and just flat out ran the other way. He'd nearly gotten away when he saw that he was running... straight towards Scarlet.

"Shit, shit, shit, no, not that way..."

The boy almost tripped in his haste to run in a different direction, but there was nowhere to go. So now he was pincered between two options: Take his chances with the witch or try to somehow beat five soldiers barehanded.

[ReformBlade]

Greg honestly wasn't too enthused by Carrion walking towards him, but he wasn't all that scared. He could actually laugh, given Adrian's reaction. Maybe he doesn't know that powerful magic comes at a ridiculous price? Either way, Carrion's march didn't slow, she went right for Adrian and grabbed him by the collar. "And where do you think you're going, kid?" she spoke in a deceptively sweet tone that only made her sound more creepy. Susan instinctively brought her tome out and launched a burst of water at Carrion, making her actually stumble a bit before she realized what had happened. Her gaze turned to Susan, eyes filled with rage and anger, her body temperature rising as she channeled more energy for a spell. "You really wanna do this, don't you? You don't even know the fucker and yet you'd defend him? I don't think you understand the 'contract' he's in is binding, deary!" She shot at susan, who was confused as to what the hell she was talking about. "What contract?! What the hell are you talking about?! Adrian, what's the meaning of this, what happened?" Carrion laughed, emanating palpable amounts of heat from her body at this point. "Yes! Tell her, Adrian! Tell her how much of a blast we had last night!"

The sun was shining upon the camp at this point, and to any who would notice, there was a large group of wagons approaching the camp at a rather fast pace. About damn time thought Greg.

(Hopefully gonna get this show on the road, more or less)

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian paled as the witch grabbed his collar, starting to sweat from his own fear and the heat she was projecting. "I-I'm... not going anywhere..." his shriveled voice said, as he stood there, almost lifeless before her. Her tone was terrifying. If anything, that was scaring him the most, because he'd seen her angry, and he didn't want to know how angry she had to be to talk like this. He held her tome in his hand, fingers grasping it tightly, as if it would save him from her rage. Susan tried to help him, but he wasn't paying much attention to that, just waiting for a release from her grip, if that was going to happen. But now, the two women were expecting an explanation out of him, and he didn't know if he was up to talking at the moment. I've got to start talking; I can't just stand here dumbfounded. He swallowed hard, and gripped tightly onto the tome, shoving it against Carrion. Yeah, we had a blast, alright. It knocked her back a little, her grip failing, as he fell to the ground. He rubbed the back of his head, and looked over at Susan. "I... I died, last night, and if she hadn't brought me back to life, well..." he spared himself from stating the obvious, "...and now I'm bound to her tome."

Edited May 17, 2011 by seph1212

[ReformBlade]

"And that tome is bound to ME! If I die, he goes! If the book goes, he'd dead! In layman's terms, he is my slave, for all intent's and purposes, until I for some fucked up reason decide I don't want him! Isn't that just grand?! Oooo, it just makes me giddy inside! AhahaaaaAAAAAAA!" She grasped the book, smiling at it. She kept smiling as she brought her other hand near it, a fire emanating from her palm. "So heres what's going to happen, unless you don't care about him. You're going to look the other way, and forget about aaaaaall of this, at least everything involving me, capiche? If you truly don't care and you wanna try and take me on, you know full FUCKING well the consequences of doing so. Even beyond what will happen to him..."

"Why is Riya doing this?" came a voice from seemingly the book, causing quite the alarming look to appear on Carrion's face. "What?!" she replied, which in turn made Susan scared and confused. What the hell? She's psychotic and NOW she's hearing voices, it seems? "Why you being mean to friends?" continued the spirit. "They do nothing but try and be nice, but you push push push them away! You know if book goes, Riya goes to! And Faye! Then Riya be truly alone and gone from world, no trace! Why do you want that?"

"Don't you DARE talk to me like that! Don't act like you're the one with all the answers! For god's sake, you sound and act like a child! What can you POSSIBLY know that I wouldn't, huh?!"

"I know Riya. Riya wouldn't act this way. Back when your brother was-"

"Stop it.... stop it stop it STOP IT. Not... another... WORD!" She was almost on the verge of tears at this point, her emotions trying to reach too many spectrums at the same time making her head hurt as well. She desperately wanted to curl up and be ignored by the world right now. She knew Adrian could hear the whole thing, and that hurt her more than any wound could inflict on her. Maybe... Maybe Faye has a point? But she always falls on the subject of my brother, like it's just so easy for me to get over it! She and I are gonna have a long talk...

Greg coughed. "Well, if yer done being a crazy witch, it seems the cavalry has arrived." Took them long enough...

Indeed, 4 wagons pulled up to the encampment at a rather fast pace, each carrying what appeared to be soldiers. As they neared, the captain of the closest one bellowed, "Everyone drop your weapons now or else. This is not a request, this is an order. Comply and you will live." The man was brimming with authority, giving off the air of years of experience, and his face had signs of aging on it, as well as many various scars... and he almost had a smile on his face, hoping someone would dare defy his words.

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian wanted to talk. He wanted to say how none of this was his fault, that it was out of his control; that he didn't have any say in it, which he really hadn't. Instead, he just at there on the floor, staring down at it, with a blank expression on his face. He expected Susan to say something to the contrary whilst Riya went on and on, but she said nothing. I suppose the shock's too much for her. Can't blame her, can I? I still can't believe it... And then Faye started talking, and Adrian looked up at the witch for a moment. He'd rather have not heard their conversation, because, if he didn't pity Riya from what Faye had said before, he did now. "I..." he tried to speak, but there was nothing to say. He couldn't explain all this to Susan without sitting her down and having a long talk, and Riya wasn't in any mood to talk, it seemed. He couldn't blame her, but he was still angry with her. Well, angry wasn't the right word to use. He couldn't describe his feelings with one word, as simply as that. But he wouldn't be able to dwell on that any longer, as Greg spoke up, Adrian hearing the bellowing voice of what Greg had said was "cavalry". Who's cavalry? Are we just going to be carted away to another camp, waiting to be killed, now? I've had enough of this... It it turns out to be what I think it is... I'd rather go down fighting than go through all of this again.

Edited May 18, 2011 by seph1212

[CT075]

Ormis was lying on the floor, waiting for the spear thrust that would end his life when the "cavalry" arrived. He had no idea what the hell was going on, but he was almost welcoming of it, since it could very well save his life.

"Everyone drop your weapons now or else. This is not a request, this is an order. Comply and you will live."

Any other day, Ormis would have either responded with anger and attacked, or bolted like he did yesterday in the forest. This time, however, he had no weapons, was exhausted, and looked it. He didn't get up, though. The boy didn't have enough strength for that.

[ReformBlade]

The Astartians had their orders. 'Don't get caught, or die with honor'. When all was said and done, it was a fairly simple and unnerving order to handle. Many of the soldiers would gladly give their lives for their nation, not to mention go down taking anyone they could with them. The captain smiled as he motioned to his soldiers to fire at will, the foolhardy Astartians becoming pincushions in a matter of seconds. The arrows pierced their armor easily, coating the ground in an almost complete coat of blood around them. The wagons came to a complete stop finally, and the captain stepped out, his troops behind him. He clapped his hands together, "Well, that takes care of that. Terribly sorry for the scare, folks, but I don't think many of you are in the mood for any talking at the moment... Oh damn, did that man not make it?" He said pointing to Grant.

"I... I'm still a...live..." he got out before finally fainting. The captain made a quick motion towards Grant, prompting two of his soldiers to move to him. They began to treat his wound rather quickly, mainly stopping the blood flow until they could treat him completely later.

"Captain Wilson, what took ye so long? I din't think my message was that slow to get t' ye, was it?" Greg asked of the captain.

"Expectations are too high, as usual, aren't they?" Wilson responded, shaking his head. "Either way, did you secure a hostage?"

Greg nodded, "I did one better, got you two." he said, smiling, "Both are out cold at the moment, takin a nice n long nap in here." He opened the door, revealing the two soldiers tied up, back to back.

Wilson nodded, "Well done. Well done indeed. Now then, I think we should all get going, I do believe you're all going to be compensated for this job pretty well, so come along now, there's room in that last caravan over there." As he pointed to the last wagon there, he also motioned for more of his men to go and collect the two bound soldiers.

Susan was quite a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing at first, but she eventually opted for more rest, going to said wagon and taking a seat, trying to nod off. Carrion followed suit, saying nothing in the process. As she entered, she looked at Adrian for a moment. She felt like a complete idiot now, and it was thanks to Faye. She just has to go on like that... Why? Her thoughts wandered nowhere in particular as she took a seat farthest away from Susan. She had calmed down considerably, but she didn't want to start a fight with possibly the only threat to her in the group...

(Gah this feels clunky, but it's what I came up with :/)

[Nanami Touko]

The sound of flying arrows was apparent in the silence, as no one said anything. Adrian listened to Greg speak, and said nothing else. There was nothing for him to say. He'd explained what had happened, Faye had stopped talking, and even Riya wasn't speaking anymore. He simply followed the two girls to the caravan, and sat between them, not wanting to do anything but go to sleep after this night. He opened his mouth to say something, trying to make a joke to levy this heaviness of the situation, but he couldn't. I... I'm starting to wish this night had never happened. He buried his head in his arms, and sat there, waiting for the caravan to start moving. Maybe he could even get some sleep, during the ride.

[CT075]

Ormis sat up.

These men AREN'T after our blood for once?

Blinking repeatedly, he found himself groggily climbing aboard the indicated caravan and taking a seat in the back corner. He kept quiet, trying not to doze off. These men weren't out to kill them yet, but who knew? They could turn on the group at any second, and Ormis wasn't about to sit meekly and accept it. Although... he was kind of tired. He'd hardly gotten any sleep last night, and fighting 7+ guys at once had drained his stamina more than running through the forest the night before. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he could... get some...

His last thought before he fell asleep was to ask this "Captain Wilson" character if they had any spare swords he could use.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Lucretia sat in one of the caravan's covered wagons as it trudged through the land. She was unsure of where they were, but it was obvious that they were in Astarte still. It had been a few hours' worth of travel.

"Lucretia, why are you here anyway?" One of the women sitting with her asked. Nobody had asked her motives or intentions, just allowed her to come. They figured another traveler would brighten the mood.

"I'm running." She responded coldly.

"From whom, may I ask?" The questions continued.

"My mother." The replies continued with equal coldness.

"Your mother?" Another woman in the wagon asked. "Why?"

"She's...coming for me." Lucretia replied. She gripped the handle of Samadhi in her right hand, tightening the grip as her mother's words poured again into her head. "She's a relentless woman, and I know she's coming to hunt me down."

"Why?" One of the women asked. "What have you done?" Lucretia gave her a stone-cold gaze. She quickly changed her question. "What-what happened?"

"My mother, Anastasia, was one of the best swordfighters in Miyako. She traveled the world, or at least she wanted to, in order to fight the world's swordsmen. She met and fell in love with my father instead and then I came along. She trained me in swordsmanship like her own but I lacked the coldness to kill someone. She believed me to be useless and treated me as such." She unsheathed Samadhi and Adyta. "She was a taskmaster and I her slave."

"I-I'm sorry." The women retreated to the other side of the wagon, clearly afraid of Lucretia. Sensing their fear she hopped down from the wagon and instead chose to walk outside with some of the others. She felt alone, even in a large group.

[ReformBlade]

The wagons moved all morning, making great time due to a direct route. When the group arrived at the destination, they would find themselves in a very hustle and bustle town, night time quickly approaching. Under more... 'normal' circumstances, Wilson would've just dropped them off at the entrance, but he was feeling a bit sorry for them due to the nature of the job. As such, he dropped off any who could still function off at an Inn, actually paying for their stay. He figured they'd all be dead tired still, but if they wanted they'd find plenty of things to do in the capital if they wanted to.

Carrion, in all of her anger at the moment, quickly hit up the nearest bar, wishing to kindly forget this day ever happened. Surprisingly, she could hold her liquor down for a girl of her stature. Grant was taken to a hospital for better treatment, so he wasn't able to really do anything at the moment, and Greg left with Wilson.

(Not gonna lie, this is kind of filler here, but I figured you'd all like to do SOMETHING for the moment. I'm really, REALLY sorry for the lack of another arc to go on right now.)

[Shin]

Aurelio - Southwest Astarte (on horseback)

It had been a year since Aurelio had last set foot in Astarte, not that he had particularly missed it. His travels had taken him around Shuthra, the great nation of scholars. Aurelio had never been one for books, being barely literate. Also having no interest in magic, it was somewhat wasted on him. His last lead on his family had been a dud, he must have been truly desperate to trust a spiritualist. Not something he was going to try again. He did appreciate the luscious forests and shining fields, a wonderful change from the plains of Astarte - although they were far more difficult to transverse, especially on horseback.

He stopped for a second He could hear a band of people ahead. Gripping his axe, he prepared for the worst. He had been relatively lucky on this last trip, but he was taking no chances.

Fortunately, it was a small army patrol. He released his grip, they wouldn't attack him unless he struck first. They didn't appear very serious, idly chatting as they walked by. Something about Sapphire, he'd spent a good two years searching there, finding nothing at all. They pretty much ignored him, uttering "The Wanderer", a name he'd been hearing more frequently. Moving on, he started planning ahead, the only thing he could do on long journeys.

"Darn, I really am chasing the impossible. I'm not sure I even know what Lunaria looks like any more. All I can do is stop at the next town and stock up. Funds are going to be an issue, keeping a horse isn't easy."

He continued on ahead, eying a slightly busy-looking town in the distance.

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian ambled his way into one of the inn's rooms, crashing onto the bed. "This day... was too long." he said aloud, not caring if there was anyone else in ear shot. He was wracking his brain for what to do now. He'd probably be separated from the group, now, since his life belonged to Riya. Heck, he'd probably have been separated from them either way, since, he barely knew how to fight. Who would want someone like him in a mercenary group? He knew he'd miss Ormis and Susan, the latter more so than the former. "Why am I getting so worried, anyway? I can't do anything until we find out what's going on... can I? And I don't think Riya will want to speak with me for a while, after what I've heard Faye say about her..." He rolled over, shoved his face into the pillow, and groaned. "Why do things have to be so hard, eh, life?"

Edited May 24, 2011 by seph1212