Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 25: The Road to Jerdon

[Phoenix]

Jasmine

The sergeant grimaced when Beau gave her the servant treatment, but waited until she had a decent opening to inform him of the true nature of their relationship for the time being.

Jasmine: I'm Sergeant Jasmine Maruska of the Elyisimian Army. Before we go any further here, I need to clarify some things for you. First off ... you see that?

She gestured over to Illiam who was still making loud breathing noises and trying to cool off.

Jasmine: That cannot happen again. You should never out pace your escorts. We'll get to your estate when we get there. Now you're being escorted for a reason, so we can't tire our mounts out just trying to get there, or we won't be able to escape if we're actually attacked. Lastly, my first priority is to protect you, Beau, so if I think we're doing something too dangerous, you're going to know about it, and I'll take any action I see fit to ensure your survival. Do you understand everything I've just explained? (And you're just lucky Viv didn't come along, she understands politics but the immediate mission is always more important to her than pissing off a future duke.)

[Inactive Account]

Tobe thought for a moment. He could understand Kelas' fear, then, a little; out on the streets of Worthington he'd kept jumping as he saw people who looked like the more abusive nobles or higher servants he'd known, even though he knew they weren't the same. Perhaps this was something similar. "I don' think she means anything against you by it then, sir," he mumbled, trying to be helpful. "Bein' scairt o' anything makes scant sense, sometimes, but it gets hard to not be." He stared resolutely at the ground. "You said the demons was stealin' peoples' faces? Goddess," he swore. "Well, I guess I dint really need that sleep, anyway." Oddly, he wasn't as fazed by the prospect of a shapeshifter as he ought to be; he figured if they were attacked again, and he hid like he was getting used to doing, he wouldn't be targeted... though he was sort of beginning to hope that a few of the more familiar faces wouldn't be hurt either.

[Mercakete]

"I suppose the one to give you those orders was General Conrad," Beau swiftly replied, irritation clear in his voice as he sent a sharp glare at the pegasus knight, "Well, I outrank him so as of this moment you will be following my orders, Sergeant. And we will be moving at the pace I set. Also, you are to adress me as 'Heir Bellmire' from this point in time henceforth. If what General Conrad said was true, then I am not only the rightful heir to Bellmire Provence, but the only eligable heir seeing as the only two people remaining in this world with Bellmire blood is my father and myself. Protect me as you have been commanded unles it defies my direct orders. Do you understand everything I have just explained, Sergeant?"

Raemond had never seen Beau display this behavior before. Perhaps on a much minor scale but nothing like this. Beau was glaring down the pegasus knight with a very strong air of authority. (Is this what his father is like?)

[Phoenix]

Jasmine

Jasmine: Negative, 'Heir Bellmire'. There are two issues here ...

Issue number one: You're overworking the mounts, and rushing blindly through a foreign country trying to get home, evidence that you're emotionally compromised. With sufficient evidence that my superior is unfit to command, I can disobey orders temporarily.

Issue number two: The Bellmire duchy has absolutely no jurisdiction over Ilyphina's garrison forces of which I am a member. No noble family does. We are solely under the command of Grand Marshal Reese Triton, his subordinate officers, and the royal family itself.

(Stare at me like that all you want, Beau. It doesn't change the fact that you're putting everyone here including yourself at unnecessary risk.)

She crossed her arms and cleared her throat, giving the heir an unamused look.

Jasmine: Now my orders from the General are to escort you. How I go about it is up to me within reason. Now I'm trying to be nice about this, but if you insist on being difficult, you're only going to slow us down, and probably kill one or both of our mounts in the process.

[Mercakete]

"If you are going to impede me, then return to your general," Beau simply replied before actually turning south and walking.

"Oh dear..." mumbled Raemond to himself, letting his hand first rest on his forehead then slide off his face and back down to his side. "I'll try to work this out," he sighed to the pegasus rider, "Could you watch my horse for me while I go get the mule?"

[Phoenix]

Jasmine

Well that was that, Beau would rather storm off than negotiate, so Jasmine stood idly by for a moment to see how far he would go on foot. Raemond then asked her to watch his horse Lantos while he pursued the young heir, which she agreed to with a simple nod.

[Snike]

Coming Home

"At the very least," Derek began, as Charlotte decided on going to Munktan, "You will be adequately protected. The nobles will pose a challenge, but once we relate to them the circumstances of your absence, I am sure they will fall in line." The paladin deliberately avoided mentioning his sister. He wasn't ready to talk too much about her... Yet.

The thought of returning to Munktan itself brought mixed emotions from the heir. On one hand, it would be good to return to the manor after a year. On the other, it just wouldn't be the same, without Father, Danielle, and the fiend. The last one posed a problem, as well. It was going to be difficult to remove all of his possessions before the Princess has an opportunity to stumble into one. If she did see his belongings, it could vex her beyond control, and with these greatly exaggerated reports of her death, a panicked Princess would only undermine her cause. Perhaps he would have to ride ahead.

[Mercakete]

After that confirmation, Raemond hurried after Beau to try to talk some sense into him. Lantos wondered if Raemond wanted him to follow, but figured he'd whistle if he wanted that, so he simply stayed where he was and began to graze.

"You're being unreasonable," the monk told the heir as his quicker and longer strides brought him to the 13-year-old's side.

"My responsability is to my family name and my estate; let the handlers worry about their animals," Beau venemously spat back.

Raemond sighed. This was going to be difficult, especially since Beau was obviously beyong negociation at this point. Softening his tone somewhat, the monk tried again, "If they can't run or fly anymore, we'll have to stop for longer intervuls and take detours to properly care for them. To put it bluntly, you're slowing your progress down by overworking them."

Beau just ketp walking.

"By Oraisunyou, Beau, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Peace of mind!" the heir shouted back, whirling around to face Raemond.

That was when he recognized it. Beau wasn't angry, he was afraid. Being irrational was a common side-effect to fear, especially in children like Beau who didn't know how to handle it.

"We'll get to Bellmire Estate as soon as possible. It must ease your nerves if we keep making visable progress. ... But Beau, what would getting there any sooner or later accomplish? I don't understand; what's happened?" Raemond asked, honestly in the dark about all this.

Beau was quiet for a moment, then, somewhat shakily, answered, "General Conrad showed me an encrypted letter, telling me that Bellmire Estate has been attacked and destroyed. Apparently, Duke Bellmire and all those under his authority have been killed."

(So that's it...) The monk was a little shocked at the news, but attempted not to show it too much. Before he could say anything, Beau continued.

"It was an official letter but it can't be true... My father's soldiers are pleantiful and skilled. No mere pack of bandits could best them; no one is even allowed to enter the estate's grounds without a particular token or invitation bearing our family's seal. It's impossible..."

"Then why are you in such a rush? If it's true, then the damage has been done and you won't be able to stop it. If it's false, then you'll just be running back home where you'll continue life as it has been for you."

"What if someone is still alive? What if they didn't quite kill everyone?" Beau was searching for some form of hope and Raemond could see it.

"How long ago was this letter sent? Do you know?"

Beau didn't answer immediately. Apparently, it'd been long enough that no one would be alive, even if they were left for dead and not outright killed. Instead, Beau weakly gave another reason for his rush, "If I truely am the only one alive...then what would happen if I didn't quickly appear before the counsil? If they think I'm dead, too -- and their search for me won't last forever -- then the others will attempt to take what remains of my inheritence. ... I would have failed to uphold my family name. ... I have to be sure, Raemond. I have to see that it's safe..."

Beau's words held such gravity that Raemond was somewhat surprised. (He cares about his family name that much? I thought he was trying to run away from it... Though I can understant that this is a trgedy to him, I didn't think...) "... This is important to you, I see."

"Of course. To be the one to have failed to uphold our name... I couldn't have a greater shame... Our name's reputation is everything. And besides that, this story is so confusing... There is no way that bandits could have done what that letter says they did, yet the letter was offical... I have to see as soon as possible for myself."

Raemond nodded, understanding what this meant to the 13-year-old. "Of course. So let's work together to get you there as quickly as possible. We should travel at a slower pace to cover greater distances and let the mounts rest at reasonable intervals. You do see the wisdom in that, don't you?" asked the monk.

Beau just nodded, looking southward again.

After a moment, Raemond decided to leave him there while he went to tell Jasmine their desicision. Taking Lantos' reigns he mentioned to the pegasus knight, "I'm sorry about the trouble. This is quite the distressing situation for him. Lets guide our mounts over to him. It's not that far and he's agreed to be more reasonable regarding the pace and letting us all rest."

~~~~~~~~~

When Raemond walked off, Beau didn't remain standing for long. Instead, he sat down, facing his home's direction, hugging his knees and hiding half his face behind them so that only his eyes were looking over the tops of his knees. Not that he could see very well. His vision was blurry and it was dark out. Today had been so exhausting for the young heir. Shifting his tired, shimmering gaze to his signet, he could hardly hold it back. His throat tightened and his vision blurred to the point where he couldn't even make out shapes. Refusing to let anyone see, the 13-year-old burried his face into his legs. (What am I to do now? What if General Conrad is right? Father...can't be dead... What have I done? I... I ran away... How could I have abandoned my station so selfishly? If this is all true, and my inheritence is gone, save the land... No... If it's all burnt, is the will gone, too? What future have I now? I...I may never see it... N-no... Until I see the estate burned with my own eyes, I cannot believe it! I...I simply cannot...)

[-Cynthia-]

"I expect that they will be pleased to have their true ruler back. Knowing him, Jace probably squeezed every penny he could out of the citzenry. I suspect it will be a long road undoing his reign," Charlotte said grimly. "But you are right, with your assistance and everyone else helping as well I think we can do this," she ssid before placing a hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn. "Well I am rather tired and there will be a lot to do tomorrow. Good night Sir Derek."

[Ether]

"It isn't something to lose sleep over." Damian said in response to Tobe, fingering the tip of his braid as he spoke.

"If you ever do come meet the shifter, you'll want to be your sharpest so you can spot the differences, right? It won't happen if you are stumbling about, nearly sleepwalking." Damian finished.

"But I guess you're right. It isn't something I should feel personal hurt over... but I would like to try and patch things up with her if I can... if she disliked me for me that would be fine, but something like this? It seems such a shallow end."

[-Cynthia-]

Xaver (and Blitz)

Xaver was checking over his notebook as he rode along. So that sage seemed earnest enough...guy with the sword looked strong but was kind of a jerk. Troubadour looked like she could collapse at any minute, she should probably eat something. Overall a good day of recruitment. Hopefully Doran and Kamilla are doing just as well. he thought to himself. Suddenly, Blitz began to move at a rapid pace off the path.

"Whoa boy, where are you going?" Xaver asked, startled by the movement, but Blitz continued to trot along, paying little heed to his rider's attempts to steer his elsewhere. Eventually he came upon a group of people resting in a clearing. One of them had a pegasus. And one looked like...wait it couldn't be. Xaver rubbed his eyes as Blitz was moving up closer.

"B-brother Raemond?" he asked one of the men. "I-I thought you died with all the others, that's what Henry and Kamilla said..." His tone was more confused than elated.

[Mercakete]

"Brother Xaver?" Raemond hadn't expected to see any of the Templars so soon after their last attack on the Crimson Weapon wielders. "No, I..." Raemond began to explain, "I went along with the group sent to fight off the crimson weapon wielders. I watched them fall but was too late to be of any aid...so I simply went on to my own assignment. By the time I reached the city with the demon infestation, however, all the demons had left." It was the truth, mostly, and the monk was able to disguise most of his deception with the sorrow he still felt about his old allies' deaths.

Shifting his focuss -- or at least trying to seem to -- Raemond told the young Templar, "I am on another assignment now, however. I am escorting my elder sister's old student back to his home. A tragety has befallen him and he is my sister's old student. So I am safeguarding him." To validate his claim, Raemond motioned over to Beau, who was a little distance away, though hardly visable, seemong only to be a dark shape in the night. He'd actually fallen asleep curled up like that, still sitting.

Edited June 6, 2011 by Mercakete

[-Cynthia-]

"Oh...so she really is dead then," Xaver said, drooping his head a little. "Brother Doran arrived from the Augustine branch shortly after Henry and Kamilla arrived back in Ursibus. We're all helping to recruit new Templars to avenge Althea and the others...and do the Goddess's will and remove the demonic weapons from this world of course," he added quickly afterwards. "I know the Grand Cleric sent you on a different mission Brother but...they must pay for what they've done, he said sternly to the older Templar. "After you are done with this mission, your aid would be greatly appreciated."

[Mercakete]

"I will seek out the crimson weapons when this mission is done if I am able to," Raemond assured, figuring that either the mission will not end (that he will be able to stay in Bellmire Estate because he would still have to keep an eye on Beau) or he would wind up back with the wielders anyway, whether by Beau decidng to return to them or by Heinz bringing him back so as to make sure that he didn't return to the Templars. If Heinz did not keep him prisoner and if Beau did not need him, then he would, of course, help his old allies. "Good luck, Brother Xaver. Tell the others I wish them well," he mentioned to the green-haired boy.

[Phoenix]

Jasmine

Jasmine had been waiting around with Illiam for Raemond to finish speaking with Beau. When he came back, he was alone, so she wasn't sure what to make of it, but Raemond cleared things up a little for her, and she took Illiam's reins ready to move over to where Beau had decided to curl up. That was when what she learned to be one of Althea's men ... boys ... arrived. One of the templars. While they spoke, she stood there deep in thought.

Jasmine: (He just mentioned Kamilla ... and templars ... we've only seen her working with the reformists lately so they must be with that woman that tried to take us out. Ugh, this is so typical it's stupid. We only find out relevant or important information on the road or something. I need to let the General know what's going on here RIGHT NOW and warn him that they're building up their forces to attack us again, but we're in the middle of freaking nowhere. I've got to wait until we reach a town to send a report on this.)

[Inactive Account]

"I donno. Mayhap she won't be scairt no more eventually. Things don't hardly ever work out fair, though," Tobe muttered. He was talking too much again, he realized. Ducking his head, he scurried back into the stables, hoping to find the pegasi. He wasn't keen on the idea of sleeping in the barn, but someone had to watch over the horses in this place.

[Ether]

As the boy scurried off towards the stables, supposedly to check on the horses, Damian turned towards the inn. The sun had fallen low in the sky, and the dull pulse of elder magic still assailed his weathered body, his ears ringing from the dull pang of pain those pulses brought about.

Quickly confirming which rooms were available to them, Damian told the innkeeper his name was Damian, and that he would be in room 3-C if anyone asked. With that done, he moved up the steps sluggishly, and opened the door.

The room itself was not the nicest looking room in existence, the shutters tattered and worn, and the curtain contained several holes, reminiscent of moths. But that didn't matter to the weary lancer at the moment. wishing only to relieve his pained body through sleep, he laid down on the surprisingly soft bed and shut his eyes, drifting to sleep.

[Snike]

Derek

"Night, Your Highness," Derek said, before exiting the room and closing the door. It was time to get ready for the morrow. After tending to Ann, the Jerdonian returned upstairs and collapsed onto a bed in one of the rented rooms, falling to sleep with ease.

Entry

The castle was as magnificent as ever, despite the chaos of the inner city looting. Any casualties of the coup had already been removed from the courtyard and surrounding area, leaving only the broken windows of the castle itself as evidence any struggle occurred. Outside the gates, golden armored soldiers stood guard, wary of any attempts by rogue Loyalists. They relaxed their stances and saluted as Jace arrived, opening the gates shortly afterwards. The Brute nodded to the sentries as he, Nyx, and the two templars entered the castle grounds. With expertise, the hero led his guests into the building, past the entry hall and into a lavish room near the entrance. The room was furnished with several carved chairs, an Elyisiman carpet, and a silver chandelier, which hung gracefully over the center of the rug.

"Stay here, for now. I have some business to take care of, but I will return in a few minutes," Jace said to Henry and Kamilla, before swiftly departing to deal with Nyx and the hostler's fee.

"... He seems to be troubled," Henry said to Kamilla, looking into the direction Jace went. "I wonder what is eating at him."

[Phoenix]

Kami-chan

Kamilla: Troubled? The city is still kind of in shambles. Maybe fixing things up isn't going so well? Wait, how do you know he looks troubled? (I'm still confused about how he gets around at all if he can't read a map.)

She sighed.

Ny-chan

Now that she was back at the palace, Nyx stood around glaring at the hostlers. She was home, but she didn't feel like being handled by those inferior beings.

Viveka

Thinking it was probably a good time to inform the only other relevant authority figure in the party about what was going on, Viveka began a quick search for Morgan. She eventually found the druidess.

Viveka: Hey, I need to talk to you for a minute, Morgan.

[-Cynthia-]

"Hmm? What is it that you need?" Morgan asked, somewhat surprised as Viveka's arrival jolted her out of her thoughts.

[Phoenix]

Viveka

Viveka: Okay, first off, Beau just took off, and some others went with him, including Jasmine, who I think the General is just going to order to keep Beau safe from the looks of things. You can ask him about it when he gets back since I'm not sure what's going on here myself. There's one other thing I need to talk with you about, and preferably in private. Total private.

[-Cynthia-]

"Who went with him?" Morgan asked, closing the door. She scanned Viveka's face as she did so. Doesn't look like Shanice...then again I suppose it never does. she thought to herself warily. "It should be private enough now I assume," Morgan said. She figured that if she were to shout she would be overheard, but normal speaking voices wouldn't carry past the doorway.

[Phoenix]

Viveka

Viveka: I only know for certain that the General and Jasmine left after him. Several people came through the stables but I didn't get a good look at the time. (Was too busy chatting with Tristan ... whoops.) I thought I saw Heinz though.

Morgan didn't want to chat in anymore a private location that the current one, so Viveka conceded. No point arguing with someone who was leading a party constantly ambushed by insane criminals, religious zealots, and demons.

Viveka: ... fine. It's about the crimson weapons. There's just a couple of things I need some confirmation on. I overheard you saying that if a wielder died without being severed, the weapon they carry would be destroyed. Is that true?

[-Cynthia-]

"That is somewhat true. There is a limited window of time in which the Crimson Weapon can be severed from a dead body, after that the weapon is lost forever...which would be unfortunate, as we need all the Crimson Weapons to undo the seal and defeat the Lord of Azure Flame. However, if the weapon is recovered quickly enough, it can be rebound to a new host. Keep in mind that only a fraction of people have mana networks capable of handling a Crimson Weapon's energies. Rebinding to a person incapable of handling the energies will result in that person dying," Morgan explained to Viveka.

[Phoenix]

Viveka

Viveka: (Yep. That's exactly as bad as I thought it was.) And only demons can sever wielders ... from what we've seen ...

The look on Viveka's face was frustration and also some sadness.