Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 27: War

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte

"Oh...all right," Charlotte conceded, not particularly pleased at not being able to do anything, but was also not particularly eager to stand out in the rain.

Tristan

Tristan figured the discussion of where Tobe would be going could wait until they were indoors, so he attempted to weather the storm as best he could until then.

[scorri]

"Yes sir. I understand what I have done and I regret the situation that it has put me in. However, I promise to you that you are still my lord and my first loyalty. I will do what needs to be done, but when this is all over I plan to follow you as long as you will have me as part of your guard." As the weather turned sour, she grimaced. "Perhaps we should move this indoors?"

Adena didn't wait for anyone else, but grabbed Snips and followed Conrad to the stables.

[Inactive Account]

With the group heading inside, Kelas followed Conrad and his people to the stables. The sooner Amari was warm and dry, the sooner she herself could be.

She stuck close to the group of soldiers, unconsciously making sure that she was always within sight of a few of them. Hastily and a little bit shakily, she began to groom Amari.

---

Arrin attempted to come up with some sort of response to Raemond, but cold, wet, exhausted, and fed up with the monk's inability to listen, he found nothing and simply gave a shrug of futility. He then headed into TISME, stopping in the entrance hall to wait for the group and work out what to do next.

Indoors it was gloriously warm, dry, and devoid of the fallen, but the crisis was still obvious as mages hurried back and forth and the injured were brought in on their way to the infirmary. He didn't know if the group was expected or not, so he pulled one of the less urgent-looking students aside. "Er, if you've got a moment... I'm here with the group containing the wielders of the Crimson Weapons. We need to rest and recover from the fight; we just took out a dragon and some of us are about to fall over. Can you tell the headmaster that we've arrived, and ask her permission to use some of the guest rooms? We don't need any medical attention, only room and board for a couple of days."

"Uh... sure?" The student looked dubious, but headed over to the nearest mage he could find in possession of a spirit doll. Arrin watched as he passed on the message. He wasn't surprised that just running up to ask the headmaster was out of the question; she must be swamped right now. He waited for a reply, a puddle forming at his feet as the rain dripped off his clothes.

Edited December 30, 2012 by kdanger

[the_whistler]

Moving

Heinz frowned when Raemond reported the demons' movements. Probably Miranda, although with who's left it could be almost any of the wielders there... or weapons. The count was cautious with good motive; the thief looked on wordlessly as the nomad returned, questioning her brother's whereabouts.

As Lev and Morgan arrived back Heinz listened intently, sheathing one of his knives. So Miranda bound the crimson sword to Tiria. Perhaps she felt the sword was necessary to kill the demons? She was rather furious with sorrow at the time, he mused, casting a glance to the duke and monk. They were upset, understandably so. Heinz readied the other knife in case the swordswoman was to be attacked, but the templar remained calm. How honorable. The mercenary put the knife back on his belt. Fight a demon? Looks like the girl has a bit of a self-esteem problem. Too much frustration, pride. Does she even know which demon she needs to kill for revenge?

Heinz looked at the wind sage, then back to the wyvern. If everyone's regrouping, I'd rather not dig. He made a mental note to talk with the templar later regarding the weapons before nodding towards the shaman. "Of course," he responded, although suddenly there was a downpour of slush. "How about we talk indoors?" the thief suggested.

Hunger

Ralf was starving. Really now, the cloaked man had gone running off and after coming back had simply ignored him. The horse attempted to shake off the sleet for a few minutes, eventually giving up. Trotting over, Ralf nosed the mercenary's shoulder impatiently. It was time to get out of the cold.

Edited December 30, 2012 by the_whistler

[-Cynthia-]

"Very well- I suppose TISME will work well enough, provided we do not touch any more deadly experiments," she said to Heinz, hinting at the subject of their next conversation. She made her way inside and began searching around for a broom closet or something where they were unlikely to be overheard.

[the_whistler]

Brooms?

His mouth twisted; the subject Morgan wished to discuss was clear. Or had been at least, now she was ash. Heinz patted Ralf and swung himself into the saddle. The ride was brief and putting away his mount quickly, he followed the shaman indoors. TISME was roughly the same as he remembered; fiddling with a doorknob, the thief found a closet with a few nondescript odds and ends lying around.

"This room seems unoccupied," Heinz said to Morgan. Though calling it a room was probably a stretch. At least there seemed to be a light.

Edited December 30, 2012 by the_whistler

[-Cynthia-]

"It will do," Morgan said, coming in and shutting the door. "I wish to know what you observed regarding Esphyr's death. For her to die in an "accident" seems very convenient given her status as a Crimson wielder and the company present," she said to Heinz plainly.

[the_whistler]

Sword

"Well as you know, Beau, Raemond, Esphyr, Tiria, and I were here earlier," Heinz began. "Tiria was looking for her uncle, Professor Draper, and we were directed to his office. The place was messy, Esphyr was looking around when an assistant came by to lock up. Esphyr had her hand touching one of the metal circles on the table; I turned around just in time to see her go up in smoke. Nothing left but some metal. Apparently it was an experiment the professor had going on," he shrugged awkwardly.

"Afterwards the research assistant broke down and Raemond tried to destroy the Crimson Sword. I tackled him, Tiria picked up both swords, and everyone was kicked out. You know the rest," Heinz concluded, smiling faintly.

"I took away his tome, but I gave it back to him when Raemond sensed the demons heading toward us, while you were searching for Miranda. I overheard what he said to Tiria later though, don't think he'll kill her now that the Crimson Sword is bound. I can keep an eye on the templar however, if you'd like," Heinz offered.

Edited December 30, 2012 by the_whistler

[Mercakete]

Tiria's response to him did lighten Beau's mood (which had been made downright sour by the weather) and it showed as he offered a somewhat impressed look and a nod. "I will hold you to that then, Captain." Then, he frowned again and added, "Yes, we should go inside for now, I think. We must return to the palace soon, but I would rather travel in more accommodating conditions... Captain, would you mind seeing if there are any in the stables who would offer us a ride in a carriage to the palace when this weather lightens some?"

[-Cynthia-]

"Having an experiment out that can kill on contact is incredibly foolish, but the templar and his companions do not appear to have been involved which is fortunate. The news of the templar attempting to destroy the sword is unsurprising, although I doubt he would be successful. Still, his intent to sabotage our mission is growing increasingly frustrating- unfortunately killing him would become rather complicated," Morgan responded to Heinz, rubbing her temples.

[Inactive Account]

Approval

Headmaster Athenais was still outside, watching and continuing to direct operations as the last few injured were moved from the roof. An unexpected blink from a dormant spirit doll interrupted her for a moment, and she listened to the news with a frown: the Crimson wielders were asking for a place to stay for the night.

She'd been dubious about aiding them the first time round, though Mana had been headmaster then, and had airily overrode her concerns. Admittedly, she did have that time as evidence that they were able to at least refrain from destroying the school... and it would possibly be useful to have a few military contacts present at the moment, and she knew the Elyisiman general with the group to be reasonable. She supposed she couldn't turn them out into the cold for now. "They may stay for now," she told the messenger reluctantly, and put that spirit doll down in exchange for one of the ones she was using more frequently at the moment. For now she would resume her leadership of the cleanup effort, but tomorrow she'd have to talk to the leader of the Crimson group, to discuss their arrangement.

News

Shortly after, the student Arrin had flagged down returned. "She said yeah," he told Arrin. "You're lucky, Headmaster Athenais is a strict one." He ran off before Arrin could ask any more.

It was all right; Arrin knew what he needed to now, though he was surprised to learn that Professor Athenais had suddenly replaced Mana. He vaguely knew the new headmaster as someone strict but fair; he wondered if this would have any effects on the group. All would be known in time, he supposed. He continued to wait in the entrance hall for Morgan to return and the others to enter so that he could pass on what he'd found out.

[Phoenix]

From the Stables

Conrad and his men saw that their horses would be fine for the moment and then Conrad left. A few followed him, but some stayed behind to guard the animals and to keep out of the rain. Conrad and those that followed him headed for the entrance, stopping by Lev and Jasmine on the way.

"Sergeant, put your mount in the stables before she gets too uncomfortable."

"Oh, right," Jasmine replied. She motioned for Lev to follow her since they would be heading to the same place. It seemed like a good idea, so he followed along while Conrad and the others headed on inside.

Conrad wasn't surprised to see Arrin inside and for all intents and purposes by himself, but it was a little strange to see him waiting in the main hall. Conrad quickly reasoned that he was waiting for the others. He didn't say anything right away, but continued walking, heading in Arrin's general direction. He wasn't the frantic jumpy arm waving type, clearly.

On the Move

Iso and Irina(and Iris) were inevitably caught in the rain one their way back to TISME. Once TISME was in sight, however, Irina began to pick up speed. She wanted to get Nikita into the aeries and get inside before she was completely soaked. Not much chance of that, but she was certainly going to try. Unfortunately the increase in speed had the ice cold raindrops hitting them at angles that made it harder to keep their eyes forward at all times.

"Would you slow down?! We're already waterlogged," Iso pleaded.

"The sooner we get inside, the better," Irina countered.

"We won't make it if we crash into a building, dammit!"

"Don't worry! Nikita knows where we're trying to go! We won't crash, I promise!"

"But-"

"She's not Kiev!" Irina didn't want to have to point that out, but if it would shut him up, then so be it. Kiev knew she still did and always would love him, even if he was obedient to the point of flying straight into buildings without a second thought.

Palace Security Is Subpar

When Ixion arrived at the palace, he found the place swarming with soldiers trying to recover the injured, the dead, and the arms. The last thing they wanted were bodies looted and weapons scavenged by civilians and criminals. Ixion somehow managed to draw six soldiers to greet him, though, probably because of the chimeras flanking him. He had hoped he could get closer before having to send them away, but the perimeter they had secured was much larger than he anticipated. "Don't mind them, they're chimeras, not demons."

"What's the difference?!"

(So I got one of those grunts, did I?) "If you would like a detailed description, I would gladly give you one, but for the moment I would just like to seek shelter. The chimeras shouldn't be left outdoors for too long either ... or it could cause a panic."

"First of all, some of the demons we saw looked human ... a lot like you. Second, if you didn't want to cause a panic, you shouldn't have brought them to Ilyphina in the first place."

"Perhaps," Ixion answered. "Still, I required them to both assist in the battle and ensure my own safety against the odds we faced. Creating chimera variants that look human may cause less of a panic, but ... I'm against it." (I prefer the disturbing and unnatural appearance of my chimeras due to the potential to insight fear. I feel odd that the 'jokes' Miranda would bombard me with if I created chimeras that looked human is my primary reason for not doing so. That reason shouldn't be good enough. Human shaped chimeras could solve some of my escorting problems and only at the expense of some combat potential. It would be worth a try, despite her inevitable prodding.)

The soldier raised an eyebrow and then stepped forward, oddly confident given what he said next. "You must be one of the demons. You're trying to waltz right into the palace and attack the royals and the nobility. If you've got any weapons aside from those things, place them on the ground slowly, and surrender."

"... o-only Isotov could give my frustration the most fitting words here. You honestly believe that one of the Zaftran representatives at the summit in Vaorin is trying to assassinate the Elysimian nobility?"

"Zaftran representative? Wait a minute ..." the soldier turned away to talk to the others in some semblance of privacy while Ixion stood there and his chimeras loitered. "So ..." the soldier returned. "You must be the one we've been hearing about. The Zaftrans fight beside monsters now or something like that. Are you one of the monster tamers?"

"Heh." Needless to say, Ixion was amused by the spinning of the tale. "Something like that," he answered.

Not Sure Why These Two Are Even Talking

Miranda's plea to avoid TISME had worked and so Harold escorted her somewhere roughly a block away. They stopped and rested on a bench that had enough shade to let them dry off. They would have gone into the tavern they had stopped at, but there was a recent and clumsy attempt to block the door that was visible from the window. Miranda was amused by Harold's contentment with freezing half to death outside just to keep her company but hid it well enough.

"I'm terribly sorry for your losses," he began some kind of conversation.

"It's okay ... I-... I'll be alright." That's right, she was pretending to be a TISME mage, but she felt nothing for those people. To keep her facade from breaking down too easily, she began to think back to the real tragedy in her life and the real friends she had lost to the demons. They were old wounds, but not well healed ones and she could use that here. "Time heals everything, right? So I'll be fine ... maybe not today but ... eventually ..." she tried to smile to reassure him.

Harold smiled back, but seemed sad about the whole ordeal. "I too may have lost friends and loved ones today. It's difficult to fathom ..." he began rubbing his chin. "If only we had been faster ... well ... never again. Things will be different from now on. Lord Harold Bellamy will never again allow such widespread destruction within his own country."

"'Lord Harold Bellamy' ... where have I heard that name before?" Miranda feigned obliviousness. She was bored, and maybe messing with the hero could take her mind off of how horribly things were going.

"S-surely you jest ..." (Though that may explain her relatively balanced attitude. All women love me but they're either too unsettled by their feelings to admit it or are very straight forward about it, fawning over me on sight. Hmm ...) "Perhaps the stress of this horrible battle has gotten to you, my dear ..."

"Perhaps," Miranda admitted. Then Harold took her hand and held it between both of his.

"Perhaps we should head indoors. I'm certain that I can refresh your memory of who I am beside a warm fire~"

"Oh my, what are you proposing, Harold?" Yes that was feigned surprise too.

"Well I ... good lord-err-goddess. 'Good goddess', what am I doing?" Harold frowned and his hands dropped with Miranda's hand still between them. She looked down at them wondering what was going on. That bit of surprise was not feigned.

"Miranda, there is ... a woman. All women inevitably find me irresistible, but she ... she is perhaps the most unsettled by her inner longing for me and I fear it will keep us apart forever. The problem is I ... believe she is the one. In my grief I seem to be letting my old habits take root and I ... I seem to have caught myself in the act."

(Pffft, I slept with my student the first chance I got. Wait ... what the hell am I doing? I couldn't possibly beat Harold in a game of sexcapades. That's not even remotely possible. Well better pretend to be oblivious then ...) "What are these habits of yours?"

Harold's expression grew miserable just before he began his explanation. "How many innocent young women have been robbed of my true affections by her face ... her face, that eclipses theirs even as I approach for our first kiss. Years ago this did not bother me ... and yet ... now? Now I cannot ignore it."

"Is that why you think she's the one?"

"... of course. But alas, she cannot admit her feelings ... perhaps not even to herself ..."

(Uh oh, if I don't start empathizing soon, I'm going to bust out laughing!) "I ... I'm so sorry to hear that. Unrequited love is a painful thing to have to experience ..."

"Indeed. Regardless, I'm sorry to have been so forward like that ... at least so prematurely. Someone as beautiful as yourself must have already had her heart stolen by a dashing young man."

"Well actually it was bled dry, then I got half of another one that was stolen from someone else. It's yet to be taken, thankfully," Miranda explained with a genuine smile.

"I uh ... fail to grasp the metaphor, heheh," Harold nervously replied.

"Metaphor?" she replied with a blank stare. Harold began laughing more earnestly after that, figuring she was teasing him.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Phoenix

[scorri]

Tiria

"Yes sir." Tiria saluted the duke and walked over to the stables, hoping to find some men there.

Adena

Adena stored Snips in the stables, handed him some carrots, and walked back to TISME. Seeing some of the others from the group, she walked near them and waited to see what was going on.

Snips

CARROTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Inactive Account]

Arrin

Seeing Conrad approaching, Arrin waved. "I just made sure that we have permission to stay here in the guest wing," he told him when he got close enough. He thought that telling Conrad would help the news spread faster, and then he wouldn't need to talk to Morgan about it. "It sounds like there's a different headmaster now, though I wasn't able to get more information. I don't know if that will affect us or not."

[Ether]

The rain had escalated fairly quickly... what a fitting scenario. Damian still found himself struggling to process the news.

'Esphyr touched some TISME experiment and... died?'

The man had fled the area after that... supposedly a search had been mounted for Miranda to reseal the sword... it was none of his concern, really. He had done naught but wander about aimlessly, his own thoughts clouding his vision... had there been people up and about as there would usually have been in Ilyphina, he would have undoubtedly been trampled in the crowds but... no one was there. He found himself haphazardly bumping into the remnants of the warzone, from broken walls to fallen bodies... Damian Kleine paid them no heed, simply opting to wander alone.

'Could I... could I have done something... anything?'

A rather confined alleyway... on a normal day, to wander into a place like this in such a way, it would find you left mugged at best, raped and killed if fortune stood against you... yet today was no normal day, but rather one of multitudinous despair and destruction... even brigands and thieves knew better than to pillage on such a foul day... a day where the skies themselves found it fit to weep for the creatures below, and lament a sorrow hymn of thunder's clap.

'In the end... we never did make up, did we? After all was said and done, we never even made an attempt to recover our friendship... was she bitter about what happened between us...?'

Damian didn't even feel the sting as his fist slammed into the brick wall beside him, pulling his arm back and repeatedly bashing the wall was all he could do to bite back his anxieties, his hand beginning to grow red from scraping against the rough surface, his jaw creaking with the extent to which his teeth were clenched.

"Esphyr... damnit...!"

The lance to which he owed his fame... a tool of death stained a crimson red... perhaps of it's own will, perhaps the man's own unconscious desire... it found itself in his hand... in a blind fusion of rage and impending dread of helpless demise, the man began to swing the lance wildly, with no real target, e found himself striking nothing but the air.

*Thu-Thump*

As the man's eyes began to glow not red, as was accustomed to those who play host to the Crimson Weapons, but rather his own personal shade of neutral lavender, Damian Kleine took in his surroundings for the first time in earnest since he began his wandering. The first, truly the only relevant point to be taken in was the circle of runes that had materialized at his feet... a mix of symbols both demonic and holy, such an archaic form of casting was not a common sight, yet in his mind, he could not help but trust it... the symbols emblazoned in crimson... they could be nothing but from his own body's design, and the contrasting cyan holy marks, they were his assurance that it was not merely Gae-Bolg attempting to break free.

In his current state, such a conclusion was only logical.

"Rrraaaaaaaagghhhhhhhhh!"

That was why... with a shout, he set it loose. The spell circle responded in earnest, a pulsating glow illuminating the alleyway prior to an eruption of magical energy from the center... in what could only be described as a burst of cannon fire, the beam of chaotic energy shot from Damian Kleine's body to the skies above, piercing the canopy of the clouds and continuing further... how far could not be seen.

As the man looked, with a visage that could not truly be called actual recognition, at the destructive path the cannon left in it's wake... nothing truly of value, just the singed tops of an alleyway left smouldering from the heat generated by the blast... it couldn't be said to have left an impression. As the man began to take a step forward, that was when it hit him... the immense drain one would expect of firing off magical energy in such a way without the assistance of a tome, or other magical aide... surely the use of the parasitic Crimson Lance could not be considered a helpful factor in that regard either. As the man fell swiftly to his knees in sheer fatigue, his body let out an anguished cry and to make it known, blood which had coagulated in his throat came gushing out before him, leaving the man heaving for breath, before collapsing on the floor of the cobblestone alleyway, the blood which had fallen already being washed away by the torrent of falling rain, the only remnants of the event the runic spell circle, now burned into the ground where it had been laid.

Edited January 5, 2013 by Ether

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte

"It is gracious of the new headmaster to allow us to stay, but we are not so tired and wounded as to be rendered useless for the rest of this evening. What should we do regarding the reconstruction of the city? I am sure there is much to do," Charlotte interjected in the conversation between Arrin and General Conrad.

[Phoenix]

Making Ourselves Useful the Counter-Intuitive Way

Conrad couldn't be certain a new headmaster was good or bad for them either, not until he had more time to think on the matter, but for the moment it seemed 'good' in that this headmaster was being cooperative. "Either way, good thinking," he complimented Arrin.

Charlotte was there too and cited the restoration issue and how the party was still fit enough to help overall. "As a group, we've done enough for now," Conrad answered, with just the right intonation to indicate he was about to expound on that reply. "We aren't ready to focus on rebuilding just yet, not beyond filling in the tunnels and setting up barricades around the triangle points. The city's defenses barely held up and the demons have an unknown number of troops remaining and require little rest if any. We need to make certain that we're ready to respond in case they return. We're one of few groups that had a low number of casualties. If you feel the need to help out, do what you can, but under no circumstances should you exhaust yourself completely. This battle may or may not be over yet and we'll be needed if they return." What Conrad left out was his assessment that the city was completely compromised defensively and no amount of repairs could change that at this point.

Do You See That?

"Irina?" Iso tried to get his sister's attention.

"Yeah?"

"Do you see that?" He pointed his arm out in front of her at something that was bolting up into the sky at high speed. Irina gawked as it punched a hole clear into the heavens. "What was that ...?"

"I don't know, but it came from over there! Let's go! We need to make sure there are no more demons lurking around here!"

"You've got the reins ... I'm ready when you are ... hope Iris can keep up." (Yeah ... I bet we're going to get scolded really good for this one.)

I Feel That

Miranda gasped, causing Harold to lean closer curiously. "Something wrong?"

"Please don't tell me we lost another one?!" she yelled standing up and looking off toward the source of the disturbance. "If you're curious then follow me, but good luck keeping up ..." Miranda then raced off as fast as she could, which was an inhuman running speed that caught Harold completely off guard. Despite the impossible display of agility, he took off after her, straight into the freezing rain.

[Mercakete]

Beau and Raemond were inside TISME if only because the young duke wasn't about to stand in the sleet any longer than necessary. Tiria was off doing the work Beau had given her. Something odd occurred, though, that had Raemond grimacing and looking into a distance, as though he could see through walls and he'd caught sight of something curious.

That was...odd. Some sort of...haze? No, more like a distant rumble... Demonic, but...hm. It felt sort of like the crimson weapons. Yet...not as..solid, I suppose. Hmm... the monk puzzled. A crimson energy...but residual? I can't quite discern it...

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

"What's that?!" Tas exclaimed in fearful surprise as something a ways away shot into the air. It looked like magic of some sort -- it was glowing, after all -- but it'd been so sudden and he'd only just begun to calm down after all the demon-fighting. Naturally, his first reflex was to think it was some sort of demon still in the city attacking something. It was all quite frightful. He'd jolted, which scared Namid into hissing and pulling up some, looking around himself for any danger Tas might have been alerted to.

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte

"Hmm, you are the general and this is your city so I suppose you would know best," Charlotte admitted. I would rout the remaining demons in the city instead of waiting for them to strike again, but the general's caution may not be unjustified.

Tristan

"Something not good probably," Tristan answered Tas as honestly as he could, remarking on the strange glowing from afar. "I'm not terribly eager to investigate it at the moment myself."

[Phoenix]

Priorities

Viveka was silent at first, trying to focus on exactly where on the ground the light had originated from instead of chiming in on the conversation. She wanted to avoid it and reach TISME, but it was almost in their path. There didn't appear to be a need for course correction just yet, however, so she stayed quiet and kept moving toward their destination.

Convergence

Miranda cut through quite a few alleys on her way to the source of the sensation she felt, and Harold was forced to just try not to lose sight of her. Not too far away, Iso and Irina were descending near the source themselves. Miranda then decided that she didn't want to be the first one on the scene should this take a turn for the worst and slowed her pace, giving Harold a chance to catch up and in doing so ensuring she had at least one eye witness available to vindicate her.

And so Iso and Irina were the first to arrive. They found Damian in the alley on his knees at the center of some black markings on the ground. "Gaaaaaagh! Damian, what happened?!" Irina called out, leaping right over Nikita's head and rushing over. It turned out that he had already passed out and so when no response came, she tried to help him up, only for him to behave like a ragdoll in response. "Iso, I need help," she quickly called out.

Next, Miranda appeared alongside Harold coming from the opposite direction. Miranda's first words were, "I don't know quite what that was, but I'm amazed he survived it ..."

Iso and Harold both approached to help Irina carry Damian.

TISME

Once their mounts were put away, Lev and Jasmine headed into TISME and encountered the group in the main hall. "Hey," Lev greeted. "So I guess we got pretty lucky there, what with the mass retreat and the rain putting out all of the fires for us ..."

"Mm," Jasmine had a different take on the situation, though she did agree with the great help the fire extinguishing weather was. "Well it did help with the fires, but now it's freezing out there, ranged accuracy is pretty much gone, the rain's grounded our pegasus knights, the terrain isn't the safest to be galloping on, it won't be long until sundown and nighttime warfare is nightmare fuel, and morale is bound to be low in general right now ..."

Lev sighed saying, "Well when you put it that way, it seems like we're screwed if another wave of demons attack."

"Not quite," Conrad chimed in. "The first wave was devastating because we didn't see it coming, many were caught out in the open, and most of the people lost were civilians. Now the triangle points are all secured and many of the noncombatants have fled the city or bunkered down wherever they can. The next attack shouldn't be as overwhelming as the first one was because there isn't much left to protect, putting it bluntly. I'm not saying it would be easy--by no means--but it would take an excellent feat of strategy and battle prowess on the part of the demons to completely wipe us out."

"Speaking of being wiped out, what do you think the royals are going to do about this? They're not going to turn the palace into a fortress and just hide for the rest of the war are they?"

"It wouldn't be a repeat of Kalten, but after an attack of this scale, the nobility will be pushing for increased security here in the capital, even if that means withdrawing our forces from the coalition armies. Triton will try to convince them otherwise, but it will be difficult ..."

Edited January 9, 2013 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte

"The responsibility of a ruler is to protect her people first and foremost, but such protection often requires action. The demons are not an enemy that can be defeated by hiding behind castles and walls, Elyisima will fall if the rest of humanity does and fortifying themselves will not avail them in the end. If the Grand Marshall permits it, I will entreat the king and queen for aid," Charlotte interjected into the conversation. Hopefully with more success than when I approached them regarding Jace...

[Phoenix]

TISME

"I'm sure Triton could use the help," Conrad replied. "No matter what the decision is, it will come down from the palace, so that's where you should go if you want to intervene. This weather is menacing, so don't go alone."

[Inactive Account]

I SAID I WOULD POST TODAY but augh

Kelas had underestimated how nervous going back into TISME's stables would make her. As the crowd of soldiers began to thin out, she finished grooming Amari, haphazardly stuffed her brushes into a pack, and made a quick exit. She was able to keep from breaking into a run, but every instinct was telling her to get away in case someone there wasn't who they appeared to be.

When she made her way shakily into the entrance hall, she found Arrin listening to a discussion between Charlotte and Conrad. She came to a halt near them, but not close enough to be in the conversation; she didn't much want to talk, but she definitely didn't want to be left alone here, or appear to be alone. If she did, she'd be unable to properly calm down at best, and at worst... Shanice would be lurking somewhere. She was at least armed now, but that wasn't enough to buy full peace of mind.

----

Arrin saw Kelas approach, but she didn't appear to be feeling well. Between her current pallor and the blank, thousand-yard stare she was currently sporting, and remembering their last visit to TISME, he could guess why, and he was pretty sure she wouldn't want to talk about it in front of everyone. Instead of calling attention to her with a greeting, he just gave her a little wave to show he saw her there.

[eclipse]

Midori's attention was drawn from the idle chitchat to the strange light in the sky.

I do NOT have a good feeling about this, she mused, as she took a couple of steps closer to the main group. She was pretty sure that if she had to fight that by herself, she'd lose badly.

[Phoenix]

Hold Up, Wait A Minute ...

It took some doing, but Iso and Harold managed to move Damian back onto Nikita. Iso wasn't sure if the wyvern could safely carry three of them. Kiev had managed three people before, but never with one of the passengers unconscious as far as he could remember. "Is it going to be safe heading back with all three of us on her?" he came right out and asked.

"Not really ... it's so cold out here I can barely steer anymore. I think we should head back on foot just to be safe. We can fly if you can't bear it any longer but my hands are really starting to hurt," Irina explained as she nursed the hands in question.

"Oh great. They can handle Zaftra but not this?"

"They weren't wet when we were in Zaftra. Now it's just unbearable ..." she countered, shaking her hands off and then tucking them underneath her arms to try and warm them up.

"... alright, we'll head back on foot, despite the fact that we'll all have colds by the time we get there ... well save for Miranda I guess. I sure hope that doesn't make Damian's condition any worse."

"Me too ... look, if we need to fly back ... can you take the reins, Iso?"

"M-me?"

"As long as I'm with you, I think I can get Nikita to cooperate."

"Urrrgh fine." Turning to Miranda, he said. "Umm ... I guess now still isn't a good time to talk."

"... yeah not really."

"Later then."

"Uh huh."

Within another minute, Iso and Irina left with Iso driving, and Irina keeping Damian secure. Harold turned to face Miranda once all of the zaftrans had left. He looked concerned, but not for Miranda. "So ... tell me, Miranda, how are you able to move so swiftly?"

"... you don't want to know ..."

"Oh but I believe I do."

Stables

"Are you boys going to hang out in here all day?" a female hostler asked the few cavaliers that were still there, loitering beside their respective horses.

"We'll head back out once the weather clears or we get new orders," a soldier answered, glancing over at Tiria as she entered the stables. "Until then we might as well look after our steeds."

"So much for having this place to myself for once," she muttered. "You," she spoke to Tiria. "You're not taking shelter here too are you ...?"

Edited January 20, 2013 by Phoenix