Beneath the Shadows Chapter Two: Chasing Shades

[Shin]

After much listening, Aeson actually recalled that he was Senian himself! What a surprise! He supposed if one wandered for long enough things like nationality would go to the back of their mind. The conflict between Xane and those who felt like they were being used by him. It was a big pickle... would everyone want to stay?

[Toogee]

Although she was relieved that Xane's capture was not planned, Chandra was not feeling much better about their employer. He basically told them to take the offer or leave. Last she checked, this was Harrop's Harriers, not Xane's. Who was he to tell them to leave the mercenaries if they weren't happy with the job? She feared that Andre was right: the prince was looking for an army to command, not mercenaries for hire.

There was also the issue of her own time here. Chandra had agreed to join the Harriers in order to safely get out of Celisa. Clearly, that line would be crossed very soon and her contract would be up. She was hoping to start over in Feaole, maybe take Raelyn's suggestion and start her own restaurant. Yet if Xane was to be believed, not only would Senia begin its conquest of the entire continent, but the demons would rise to take over as well. Not to mention she would be leaving her friends to face both threats head on.

Chandra got up from her spot near the fire and walked away from the meeting. This was both to think about her next move as well as show Xane that someone would in fact leave. How the other would interpret it was up to them.

[Bluedoom]

"Pardon me, Captain, Prince. Wasn't part of your request to be escorted to Antar and analyze the situation? I'm not sure about the others, but I'd be willin' to go as far as to escortin' you to Antar. Except for the lass over there and Alfonso, I don't think a lot of us are keen on walking blindly into a war which might get us killed for nothin'. I'm Antarian myself, but when I joined Harrop's Harriers, I wasn't thinkin' of leading the life of a soldier." Rimsky stated. Helping out the prince was fine with him since they were still hired... he hoped the Prince had enough money to pay for their services if they decided to see through this whole war.

He watched as Chandra walked away from the group... looked like she was about to quit the job. Rimsky was saddened by the current situation- a lot of the Harriers would probably leave if they went into an all out war. But what could Rimsky do? War always brought about big differences in opinion between in individuals... which could even turn friends against each other.

[scorri]

Xane rubbed a hand over his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that. I'm just a bit high strung I suppose after being in that cell." He shuddered. "I didn't mean to chase any of you away. I just... well... you're the best shot I have. If and when I have access to more troops, you all would be free to go. And that will hopefully be sooner rather than later. I was hoping to send someone to both Feaole and Celisa to warn them of the threat and ask for troops. I just need to know more of what's going on. I... I need to know what happened to my parents." His face crumpled at that and he took a few seconds to compose himself. "If you don't want to help me, I meant to say that I will simply pay you for the job you have done and part ways with you. I did not mean to imply that you would be forced to leave the group or anything. Obviously Andre is still in charge no matter what."

[Nanami Touko]

Linn sighed and managed to get a bit of a smile on. He's probably on edge too. "Rimsky's right. Instead of getting them to decide here, we should get to antar and let them all think along the way. Wouldn't that be better? I think we're all on edge because of what's happened..." She backed herself up from Alex a little, wondering if he wanted more space, and let herself stretch. I could use a good inn to sleep in, too. Just any bed, honestly. And some hot cocoa. That sounds nice right about now.

Edited December 30, 2013 by I have opinions

[Parrhesia]

Malachi hadn't really contributed to the discussion, largely because he couldn't really think of much to say without seeming foolish.

But his initial instincts were to run the hell away, go back home and never come back.

But with thought, granted, things got more complicated. If the Harriers took the job, well... to leave them because they were working with a prince, as an army, that would seem like a betrayal. At the time they needed him more than ever.

At the end of the day, Malachi shrugged, and waited for people higher up on the chain to deal with the events. As long as the pay kept coming, he'd stay with them. Besides, it wasn't as though he could go back now, after everything that'd happened...

[Vestige]

Thoughts of the Silent

Zeff sat there, silent. He rubbed his temples to soothe the pounding of his mind, and listened intently on the words being spoken by the others. In truth, Zeff hadn't really dealt with royalty before. Truth be told, there was but one name that meant anything to him--King Derrick Vesiatia. This was the man that had for some unknown reason declared war on Antar. This was the man who had been constantly hounding the Harrier's with his army. And this was the man whose mere existence now irked Zeff to no end.

Zeff watched as the flames of the fire danced around, crackling and sparking. Demons...The last time they had fought demons, Zeff had gone a little berserk--though he didn't really remember most of it. He had collapsed from exhaustion and emotional instability, and when he awoke, his gauntlet had been punctured--no doubt from the jaws of those hellish hounds. The chance meeting with Reva that he had had--be it in a dream, or her spirit reaching out from behind the gates of death--was all but forgotten to him.

In any case, Senia was his home. He had no immediate desire to liberate Antar. But he was going to fight to free Senia from tyranny. If the freedom of Antar was a prerequisite however, then so be it.

The one thing he prayed for was the safety of his family. But war was good for commerce. His father probably had no problems with letting King Derrick have his way, so long as he could make coin and keep it. So in truth, perhaps there was nothing to worry about. Then again, it was his mother who worried him the most...

He looked up to face Prince Alexander, or Xane as he had previously been known and his gaze fell upon Linn as well. He took in a breath and began to speak, "Prince Alexander I--", but the rest of the words fell short. His stomach lurched, and his heart began beating furiously--so much so that he could feel the pulse inside his head. No...please...

Vera's Proposal

Prince Alexander Kaino, to think we had been so close to each other just a few moments ago. This job would have been much easier if you had told me your heritage from the start, my prince.

Under her breath Vera quickly chanted all of the necessary spells. From under her sleeve slipped out a rustic looking sword. As she held it in her hand, she felt no weight and it made nary a sound as it dangled in the air. She watched as the fire danced to her will, it's light falling where her step would not. Herss would be the shadow unseen by all. She conjured up a third spell, a barrier that coated her from head to toe. Despite her warning, Prince Alexander may choose to act out of instinct and try bind her again, or rather, simply attempt to kill her. But this time, she was prepared in advance.

She stepped out from her place of hiding and calmly proceeded forward. Princess Severine, how quickly it is we meet again. Her left hand shot out and grabbed the princess by the hair and pulled her back. Soon an arm was locked around her neck and a sword was at her throat. Taking advantage of her soon to be mental instability, Vera chanted a spell under her breath and the sword in her right hand began to feel more 'real'. Vera pressed the cold steel closer to Linn's neck, and began to speak, but her eyes were not set on Prince Alexander, nor on Andre.

"Prince Alexander Kaino, I address this to you, and to you alone: Please, do not act rashly...It will not end well for you, nor for your...family," she said will calm regard.

"Now, Harrop's Harriers, is it? Yes, the merry mercenary band of Andre Harrop. I've heard a small bit about you, but it seems others have heard far more," she said.

"It's come to my attention that my prince has caused a great deal of trouble for you all, is that not so? You have been thrust into a war in which you do not belong. I've an offer--give me the life of Alexander. And in exchange, I shall return unto you this girl--Linn as she were known to you all. It's a rather fair deal is it not? A prince for a princess. Though, perhaps the life of Linn has more weight to you all. She is, after all, one of your own, is she not?"

If there was one thing that was bothering Vera, it was the apparent lack of the man who called himself Hale. He was indeed a formidable mage, and it wouldn't do well for him to suddenly jump out and assault her. It would be a shame if you planned to kill Aldrick, and ended up dying yourself though.

"Now then, what'll it be, Andre Harrop? Alexander Kaino?"

"...Zeff Falassion?" As she uttered the last name, her lips began to curl upward and she couldn't help but grin. Indeed, it seemed she had stumbled onto something far greater than what she had originally been searching for.

[Nanami Touko]

Zeff seems worried. This must really be hard on him after that fi-- "Ahhh!" Linn let out a yelp of pain as an unseen hand pulled her by her hair, quickly locking her by the neck. W-What!? What's happening!? There wasn't much time left to think, a sword suddenly at her neck. She wouldn't have to, anyway, as the assailant's voice revealed her to be Vera. Not daring to attempt a struggle with steel at her throat, she listened, her panicked expression shooting from one mercenary to the next. As Vera said Zeff's name, her eyes fell on him too, as her mind struggled to think of what to say.

"D-D-Don't l-listen to h-her, Alex! I-I'll.. I'll b-be..." she choked out, obviously attempting some sort of brave face in front of certain death. It wasn't working at all. She was about ready to cry from the shock of it all! Why is this happening!? Haven't we been through enough in one day!?

[Parrhesia]

Malachi brought a dirk to hand. "Don't do somethin' you'll regret now, girl..." he growled. "I got a better offer in mind - drop the elf, or spend the rest of your life watching your back, waiting for us to come for you, and you will not die slowly. You've seen what we can do - do you really want to fuck with us now? Let her go. Now."

[Snike]

Andre was thinking up a response to the prince and Rimsky, when suddenly a brown-haired woman appeared out of nowhere and took Linn -Severine, he mentally corrected himself- hostage. Well, that was fast. Strangely, it was the prince that the presumed assassin was more interested in, rather than the princess she had captured. In fact, she wanted the half-dwarf himself to make a trade, between Alexander and his cousin. Or... Zeff?

"What is the meaning of this?" Andre asked Zeff, with one hand on his blade. He wasn't inclined to respond to the hostage-taker until he understood what was going on between her and his seemingly unrelated subordinate.

Jacob, on the other hand, decided to listen to the lady with the sword around his comrade's throat, and stayed where he was. The choice was obvious for him: Since Alexander was the one who nearly got them all killed, they should hand him over, especially since Linn or whatever her real name was WAS one of them. The prince wasn't worth her life, in his eyes.

For a second there, the mercenary almost could've sworn he saw a glint of light in the woods.

[scorri]

Alex immediately tossed his tome and his lance to the ground. Stepping away from the other mercenaries, he held his arms out to his side. "Very well then. Even though I am the only reason you are even free to do this, I will agree. Let her go and take me. I am not going to let you kill her instead of me. Linn, don't worry. It will be ok. Once this is over, send a message to your mother. Tell her and Kaia what happened. They will know what to do."

Rayil had been half asleep but was now just staring at the circumstances around him, helpless to do anything. Adari was creeping her hand towards her bow, hoping to get an arrow shot before the rogue mage could react.

[Nanami Touko]

"Wh-What are you talking about? You're not t-turning yourself in over me, don't you even think about it!" Linn held back tears. This is so stupid...

"V-Vera, please, y-you don't have to do this, y'know? We're all elves, r-right? You, me, Alex; s-surely we can talk something out..." It was a desperate attempt at best, and a laughable one at worst. If I can distract her, get her to pay attention to me instead of them, maybe someone can do something... "Why're you trying to kill him, a-anyway? If it's money, we can get you more than whatever you're getting paid! Who cares about your c-contractor, right?" Come on, laugh, taunt me, anything! Linn was praying for any level of distraction from her talking.

----------

Meanwhile, from the shadows, Franklin was now watching the scene unfold. He'd snuck away as soon as something had happened, and was using his lovely size to hide himself against the ground away from the fire. It's too bad there's ne a spot fer me to rush in with. That sword's too damn close t'the girl's neck. If this'un's a good killer she'll slit it as soon as anyone twitches.

Edited December 31, 2013 by I have opinions

[eclipse]

Celine searched her mind desperately. Yes, the elf girl was annoying, but she sure as hell didn't deserve this. Her captain would've had both hostage and hostage taker killed. What little sense Celine possessed told her that her captain's approach was wrong. "It's easy, talkin' when you got an innocent in front of you. An' how do we know that you ain't gonna slit that prissy girl's throat after ya get what ya want?"

---

Raelyn desperately wished that she had the ability to silence Celine from a distance. As soon as Linn had been taken, she'd slipped one of her cosmetic containers into her hand. Someone get her eyes away from me, if only for a moment. . .I can create a distraction. . . she thought to herself, as she eyed the fire.

[scorri]

"Linn. Look at me. Listen to me. It will be ok. Just breathe. You're under my protection, remember? You traveled with me and agreed to work for me. That means that I need to look out for you if I can. And like Andre said. I've just caused everyone here trouble from the start. Maybe this will solve that. All I ask is that your group lets the other nations know what's coming. I doubt the elves alone will be able to fight this." Turning back to Vera, Alexander stood straight; proud and strong even now. "Let her go now. Come take me to whoever hired you and let us be done with this. No one will interfere. And I mean that. All of you."

Edited December 31, 2013 by scorri

[Nanami Touko]

"No, no it won't be okay! She's going to kill you!" Now the tears were going, as she attempted to struggle against Vera, to little avail. "She's going to kill you and this whole fight will have been completely pointless! Don't you dare give in after what they all did for you, don't you dare!" She was tempted to step on Vera's foot and see how far that would get her, but still feeling the sword against her neck was a pretty good deterrent.

[scorri]

Smiling slightly, Alexander shook his head. "Would it be better to let you die? No... this way I will not cause any more trouble for all of you. Someone else will save Antar. I must protect those I have pledged to protect. Something that I failed to do when I was captured. Time to make up for that."

[Nanami Touko]

Linn hung her head as much as she could. She couldn't stop crying. He's really going to go through with this, isn't he? Can I really not stop him? This is all going to be my fault... "You idiot... You big idiot..." There wasn't much else she could do, wishing she had some sort of magic she could use to get out of this situation.

Edited December 31, 2013 by I have opinions

[Bluedoom]

Rimsky twitched as he saw events unfold- Linn was taken hostage, and the assassin knew Zeff somehow. It was pretty obvious now that Xane was not lying- he really was the Prince of Antar. He cringed when Celine and Malachi spoke up. Those fools! They would surely get the girl killed!

" Lass, Malachi, what do you think yer doin'? She didn't come here to back off by threats like yours, go on like that and she might slit yer throats too!" RImsky growled as he eyed the assassin. Her hand was steady, she looked very calm about this. One move by anyone and it'd be game over for Linn. Xane seems calm about surrendering himself to the woman, so does he have a plan? he wondered.

Edited December 31, 2013 by Bluedoom

[eclipse]

"'cause I don't bloody trust her! If she wants princey dead, than that means it's all the more important to keep him alive! 'sides," Celine said, taking in a breath, "I've seen a buncha people like 'er before. Nothin' will stop her from takin' what she wants and then some, short of killin' her first."

[algae]

Since some of the others have spoken up... "We're not really in a position to negotiate, are we? It looks like we've already lost regardless of whether or not she gets what she really came here for. If the best anyone can do is limit the damage..." Aleric trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Hopefully someone has a plan.

Edited December 31, 2013 by Alg

[scorri]

"You'll be fine. You've found people to take care of you. Just remember. Find Kaia, and tell her what happened here. She should be with your mother, I'm sorry about that bit. Everyone else, put your weapons down. You'll find the gold I owe you in my bag on my pegasus plus you can keep whatever extra is there as thanks for saving me. And as an apology for the trouble I've caused. Vera. Come. Let her go and take me away. I'm all you need."

[Parrhesia]

"I'll put down the knife when Linn is safe," said Malachi quietly but calmly. He didn't look nearly so inclined to stop Xane.

[Oersted]

With others voicing their opinions about joining up with Xane, or rather Alexander, Ernce had been pondering his own decision when suddenly there was sword at Linn's neck and a woman demanding Xane be turned over to her. Wonderful, it seemed this day couldn't get any worse. At the very least he knew to keep still and silent lest he have Linn's blood on his hands.

***

"Yeah I got it the first time Conan," Zeke said, thankful for his ability to memorize things in one go if he really tried; thought to be honest, it wasn't the first time he had heard it. Ready to begin the sure-to-be boring process Zeke was about to sit down when he happened to glance back at the fire and noticed that all the talking had died down save for a woman he didn't recognize, the man from the prison and a few of the other mercs, though h couldn't make out what they were saying. "Uh, Conan before we begin do you think whatever's happening over there should be looked into?"

[Vestige]

Discourse

"Sir," Zeff said to Andre. "It is quite possible that what I'm about to do goes against your wishes, however, right now, I can't act on orders. Should I live past this night, I will readily accept any punishment. I'll even leave the Harriers if need be. But I can say that I will guarantee the safety of Linn."

Zeff was standing now, his hand at the hilt of his sword. He was visibly shaking, shivering almost, but his voice remained clear and composed. He turned to address Xane, "Prince Alexander Kaino...I don't think we've personally met, however, I've a request to make, and I hope you will hear me out. You will not die here tonight, and I will stop Vera. You laid down your weapons, ready to give your life, and proclaimed that no one was to interfere--well, I trust that you will stay true to those last words. Part of this is my fault, and I wish to rectify it."

He now turned to Vera, "You will unhand her," he commanded.

Vera's Gambit

Some of the Harriers stirred at her offer. Some remained silent, while others began voicing threats. You're lucky girl, that those threats have remained threats and not turned into actions. I don't wan't to kill you, but of course, I am a woman of my word. If I must, I will.

Of all the people before her, it seemed Prince Alexander had sense enough to oblige to her demands, despite the objections coming from Severine. She had to applaud his selflessness, it was truly a sight to see. Aldrick...tell me, would you be willing to give your life up for someone like Prince Alexander?

Vera let out a sigh, audible only to Linn. This would have been the end of it. She would have grabbed the Prince in exchange for the Princess and walked away. The prince would have died on this night, and Vera would have left the world to rot in it's war. But unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, there was someone else of more importance to her that was here.

Of all the places to find him, she would not have expected Zeff to be here, as a part of Harrop's Harriers. A part of the army-to-be that Alexander was trying to form. To Vera, Linn was worth nothing more than a token chip for bargaining. And though Xane may be her prince, in the end, he was only worth the amount of coin on his head.

There was nothing inherently special about Zeff. He had no title to his name. And no coin on his head. However, there was a little family history...

"Oh dear, I hadn't actually expected you to say anything, boy. Tell me, does this woman mean anything to you?" Vera applied more pressure onto her sword. The cold steel was beginning to bite at Linn's neck, getting ready to draw out blood at a moments notice. "Last I recall, you were stuck in the throes of love. Oh how time passes, eh? And now we stand here, I without a sister, and you without--" she stopped herself short. "Perhaps if you'd been this eager to fight back then, Reva would still be alive? Or is the young princess a replacement? Well, I don't blame you, she's quite a catch, nobility and all."

On his face, there was a clear sign of pain. His emotions were in turmoil. Guilt that had been suppressed for so long began to resurface. Feelings he tried to vanquish, returned. His knees were buckling, but he remained standing.

Vera clutched Linn by her hair and yanked her head back. She leaned in and whispered into Linn's ear, "let's see who dies tonight." Vera lowered her sword and kicked Linn towards Alexander before stepping away herself. She turned her sights to Zeff once more, but addressed Xane. "Prince Alexander, rejoice, I have spared the life of both you and your kin," she said. "My dear brother has saved you both, I trust you can repay him by listening to his request?"

Vera looked at Zeff with narrowed eyes. "You know, my first contract has never been completed. But now I think it's time for me to finally collect my pay."

She paused for a moment, before lifting her sword towards Zeff, "You still seem like the pathetic young boy I knew you as, but let's see if you've grown since then," she said.

[Nanami Touko]

A quick thought of why is it always the hair!? passed through Linn's mind as she was kicked away from Vera, stumbling until she collided with Alex. Coughing, she attempted to pick herself up against him, turning back to the situation at hand. It was a bit tough to grasp. He knew who she was? Why didn't he say anything when I mentioned her name...? Wait, brother? Does that mean the person he lost was... It didn't matter to her at the moment, what did matter was now someone else was about to get hurt. This needs to stop!

Edited January 1, 2014 by I have opinions