Act Complete! Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 1

[Terrador]

Angus sits in silence, listening to the old man's words. He knows that fear too well; he had seen it in many animals, and this week, no few men before Jeeves. The bear comes as a surprise--enough so for Angus to realize that restraining it would be a novel task--but his focus, for the moment, remains on the old man. Nothing could be done but to make him comfortable... and the squire had an odd shot in the dark.

"I inherited this... from another brave soul, one who gave his life protecting people." Angus produces the music box from his satchel, quickly gathering that it was a very simple instrument. "Perhaps it will soothe you, too." He begins to turn the crank, watching Jeeves intently; should the dying man show a sign of distaste, the music would quickly cease.

[Shin]

Jeeves laughed, the music wasn't exactly melodic, but it had its own odd charm to it. "Thank you, Master Kearney. I can at least say it is on par with your violin recital as a young boy. I recall... it must have been nearly a decade ago... perhaps it was best you became a knight instead..."

[Terrador]

Angus laughs, shaking his head at the memories. "I can't believe you remember that! All I know 'bout it is that, well, things got broken and I got excused from a few lessons." He puts away the box, scratching the bear's head as he waits with the old man. [The others can manage for now.]

[Ether]

Owen had given her a quick reply, and had soon after moved to speak to Angus, giving his own piece over what had occurred. The contrast between the two royal siblings truly was something to behold... speaking of them though, Adele had been about to go and attempt to cheer up Cassandra after her outburst, when a commotion near the entrance caught her attention. Making her way over at a measured pace, the young Lady stopped in her tracks at the sight of the carnage. The sole survivor of Kylander's men grieving over her two fallen comrades, and...

"Jeeves...?" Adeltrudis murmured under her breath. Her heart immediately sank from her chest, past her stomach and even her hips... she feared were she to step forward she might even step on it. It was obvious from the outbursts and the gathering what had happened... the elderly butler hadn't taken a wound, his body had simply given out. Finding herself able to move after a few silent moments, Adele slowly made her way to Jeeves side, as Angus was speaking with him in his final moments, and Cassandra flailing about to try and seem calm.

"Jeeves... come now, what did I tell you about pushing yourself...?" Adele asked in a hushed tone, her fists clenched and her knuckles ivory white, an unsavoury noise leaving her mouth as her teeth ground together all too hard.

[scorri]

Niko shook his head at Cass, knowing that he wasn't in need of any major healing and that she was clearly not up to it right now anyways. "Doug, don't push yourself. Just rest for now, alright?" He paced away from the group around Jeeves, not wanting to interfere in their grief anymore than he already had.

[Toogee]

Cass weakly shrugged off Angus' hand, knowing full well that no amount of magic was about to bring someone back from death. She clutched the old man's staff tightly, slowly raising herself up, knees weak as she tried to stand. "N-No, Doug... It's... It's alright. Gerrard, y-you too. It, it's fine." Her hair had fallen in front of her face but she made no motion to brush it away. "I... I need, to take care of the w-wounded, right? I'm our healer, s-so... Where does it, hurt? D-Doug, Niko, Ger, Gerrard?" She sniffled, wiping her eyes behind her hair, looking between them all, finally pushing her hair away. Her eyes were fairly bloodshot, but she seemed to have calmed down, enough that she wasn't about to burst into crying. At least, not yet. The shock had worn off but the sadness was still there.

"I'm sure you'll all, f-feel better after getting patched up, so... Let me know, and I'll take care of it." She offered a weak smile, which faded fast, and looked down at the ground, avoiding the body of Jeeves, lest she be thrown over the edge again. "I'll get e-everyone else inside after, too."

Doug felt awkward asking for healing next to all the dead people. Still Cass offered, and he really needed it.

"I fell on my back. If I can just stand up, it'll be easier to get out of here," Doug said to Cass. He sincerely hoped it would work, or he'd be out of a job.

Niko encouraged rest. Doug would normally agree, but...

"I should probably do a flyover and make sure we're not about to get ambushed by more reinforcements. That'd be the icing on this crap day."

[Xinnidy]

"...Wait." Owen turned to Sidney as she was done with her piece, "I'm going to need you to check the throne room, Sidney. I was told it is trapped, much like the forest crossing was. There's a chance something important is still there." Owen paused and sighed, still absorbing the rush from their fighting. "I'll leave it at your discretion, but please tell me if something seems amiss."

Owen cleaned his blade, taking a glance outside to hear a commotion. That's Angus' voice... I can hear Cass too. What happened out there? A part of Owen felt reluctant to find out, a chill in his gut as he remembered the mechanism that locked them inside the castle. Damned Dettard, what do you gain from this?! With a final swipe, Owen sheathed his sword and stared at Lionel, half-expecting some advice. "Lionel, go see what's happened outside. I... I probably shouldn't, there's more I need to do here." He quickly dismissed Lionel with a wave of his hand and turned to Sidney once again. "Change of plans, I'm going to inspect the throne room with you. Angus said their commander escaped, but there might still be something about who they are, or why Dettard allied with them. I need to know for myself."

[Oersted]

Gerrard was silent as even more people arrived and began to grieve the loss of Ermin, Zadkiel, and Jeeves. He couldn't face them, let alone begin to find the words to speak to them. At least not yet. His words failed him even when he tried to tell Cass where his wounds were, instead simply point to his shoulder.

[Nanami Touko]

It was a fool's attempt to try and hold back her tears, the dam breaking as Jeeves managed to speak. But Cass couldn't. She was afraid that if she spoke again she would lose all composure and simply turn into a bawling mess, that of a small child who didn't get their way. She made a weak grasp at Niko as he walked off, was he fine? He seemed fine, she had managed to heal him before Baleros fell. Doug's back was hurting, but that didn't seem like a hard problem to deal with. A shaky hand aimed the staff at the area, pouring her magic into him. Gerrard as well, just a shoulder. She nodded and healed him too, hoping he would feel any better. It wasn't until she turned around that she'd noticed Adele. She hadn't heard her talk. Well, she'd heard her, but... Between everything she didn't register it.

"I-I'm... I could, couldn't... C-Couldn't save..." She tried to talk, but it was as she feared, the words clogging her throat, getting caught as they came out between squeaks and voice cracks and tears. "H-Have to... Inside..." She shook, shoulders dropping, staff falling to the ground again. With a hefty breath she collapsed against Adele, grabbing at her shirt and burying her face into her shoulder. "I'm sorryyyyyyy!" she whined out, letting the tears flow fully, finally bawling all the way. "I-I, I couldn't, c-couldn't, save him! I... I...! Adele...!" She wanted to say a lot more, but between hiccups and coughs, pained breaths and tears, it would have to wait.

[riariadne]

"Traps? Alright... don't want anything else going wrong," Sidney agreed. She approached the throne room cautiously, putting her glasses on, remaining quiet for a moments to think of what to say. "Sorry about what happened. Must be really tough on you all. Can't say I was very close with any of them, so I don't really feel the same about it, but I know what it's like, and... yeah." She gave him a brief pat on the shoulder, then when they arrived she started to get to work inspecting the area. "I'll be as quick as I can with this."

[SB.]

It quickly became apparent that Claire wasn't the only one who thought that Angus' behaviour had been out of line. She hadn't been sure how the princess was going to react, but she hadn't expected her to throw the squire to the floor and everything that followed. Claire herself had remained silent as this was going on, unsure on whether to continue tearing into him or not.

Considering Angus seemed to be in a bad way at the end of it, she didn't press it further. Cass left, Angus left and Owen went to talk to Sidney. Claire walked back down the coridoor she'd spent the last few minutes scurrying back and forth in, and spotted Dettard at the entrance. He was still tied up, breathing, but unconscious. It's better than he deserves. After all that had happened, he was lucky to be alive. Owen, for better or worse, seemed to have been merciful. She continued past him, looking back to where they'd came from, but soon wish she hadn't.

"A-ah." Was all Claire could manage. She tried to speak, to say anything at all, but the words got lost in her throat. The inside of the castle had been enough of a mess, but with bodies strewn everywhere, it looked like the real bloody battle had taken place outside. She recognised some of the corpses as Lionel's men, and even the Herman butler seemed to have kicked the bucket. There were also other bodies, of course, presumably the ones who had ambushed them. The battle outside had also been closed out, but it was hardly silent. People were screaming and sobbing - the climactic battle proving far more dangerous than any of the previous ones.

Claire walked back to Dettard. She didn't want to look anymore. Too many bodies. For what? She'd screamed at Angus for risking his life to duel the brute, but she thought they'd all made it out alive. "Why?" she muttered at the figure. "Why, why did you do all of this!?" Her leg thrashed out towards the face of the slug. Hopefully it hurt. And hopefully it would wake him up. There had to be a reason for all of this, and she needed to know.

[Shin]

Jeeves' eyes began to close, his breathing slowing down.

"Forgive me, Lady Adeltrudis. You know me too well... I never leave a job half finished... Master Graham's survival was more important than my well-being." Jeeves replied, his words growing weaker and weaker. "I may have been only your lowly butler... but you both made me so proud... you're both capable of great things, I hope to watch over you from above..."

The butler's eyes finally closed, his breathing halted. With a gentle smile on his face, Jeeves was no more - he had spoken his last words and breathed his last breath.

-

Dettard let out a grunt, Claire's foot striking right into his nose. Slowly opening his eyes, the rogue noble started to come to after the battle. "The vial.... I must..." he groaned, still drowsy. "My father... just for him..."

The fight had taken a lot out of the baron, his words were slurred and his movements were clumsy. Along with the wounds Owen had inflicted, Dettard was unlikely to be in that great a shape.

-

Sidney's inspection was rather peculiar. Despite her best attempts to scout the area, there were no signs of any traps at all within the castle. Had Garath simply relied on the doors? It seemed unusual, the forest had been relatively well mined in comparison.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Shin

[SB.]

"The vial?" Claire repeated. "What are you talking about?" She considered kicking him again until he made sense, but even through her anger, she knew it wouldn't do anything. Was he even worth healing though? The princess was in a pretty bad way, and she wasn't exactly feeling compassionate enough to try and heal him up herself. Maybe he would be more responsive when he wasn't still half-conscious.

[Terrador]

Angus rises, heading back into the castle. His animals trail behind him, as they do; the squire talks to them as he walks. His tone is friendly and gentle, even if the topics are grim.

"Right. We've got this place seized, and Dettard captured. That should be the end of it, at least for awhile, but d'we really know the scope of it? And at what cost?" Angus sighs, shaking his head. "We were outnumbered by regulars, aye, but... I still think I should've been able to do something, you know?" Angus laughs at his horse's placid stare. "Truth is, I took 'is medicine. Didn't even need it, really. I turned out fine. But could 'e have lived if I hadn't?" He shrugs, his prince coming into view. "Who's to say." Upon approaching, Angus hails Owen.

"My prince! I, ah... need a few things. Food, namely, with this one here. By your leave?" He gestures into the castle, suggesting a bit of plundering. It was Owen's by right anyhow, and it's not as if anyone would be missing it.

[riariadne]

"Hmm... who told you this was trapped?" Sidney spoke loudly after searching every nook and cranny. "They clearly don't know very much about traps... there's nothing here at all." She stood up, clapping her hands together to dust them off, and adjusting her glasses. The thief briefly considered lounging upon the throne, before deciding it would be childish- sitting on a fancy chair doesn't make you important. "Do you like them?" she spoke up abruptly. "The glasses, I mean. They're not really that useful because I can see very well anyway, but I like to wear them when doing something that might be difficult. Takes the edge off, doing something small like that. Some people say I look nicer in them, but I suppose that's just taste. But I have been thinking about just wearing them more. What do you think?"

[Xinnidy]

"No traps, no mines... nothing at all?" Owen was taken aback by how uncannily... safe, the castle seemed, upon closer inspection. "My mistake, then. I guess I received word wrong." Still, what's the point of-- Owen's thoughts were cut off by Angus, addressing suddenly with the idea of procuring useful goods. That was sound. "Of course. You're free to take what you think we'll need." Owen nodded, in some sort of self-agreement. "We've already searched the castle for any dangerous traps, either way. Nothing was found. Perhaps you were lied to, to buy the commander time?" Owen continued the train of thought, but quickly digressed.

While Sidney decided against sitting on Dettard's throne, Owen made himself comfortable, appreciating the furniture's relative comfort after a bloody duel and then some. "Right. For the time being, this place is pretty much ours." Owen let out an audible sigh, "But I'm not keen on staying. We leave as soon as things settle down." Remaining in Dettard's for the night would remind him of the battle and the losses, he'd much prefer to ponder on the road home. Unless Cass really needs her time... I'll have to check up on her.

"Hmm?" Sidney's question took Owen by surprise, turning to stare at her, lost in context. "Oh," At the comment, Owen fixated on her face. "Does it help? I hadn't really though of that..." He brought a hand to his chin as he figured out Sidney's facial features. Usually he'd be against judging out of a sense of professionalism, but since he was asked... "Well, it suits you fine, so I don't see the harm in wearing it more often." The levity of the topic helped Owen's mood mellow some, "Yeah. It might grow on people, maybe you'd even start a trend."

Edited March 21, 2016 by Xinnidy

[riariadne]

Not staying... we'll probably have to go to Hull, then. That'll be something, alright... Mulling over potential consequences in her head, Sidney still gave a smirk when the prince stared at her. "They make me feel focused because I don't wear them very much. It's not really logical, but that's how I use them. You like them, though?" Sidney smiled more genuinely this time at the compliment. "I'll wear them more often, then, if you think they look appealing on me."

She watched in amusement as the prince claimed the throne for himself, curtsying before him as a joke. "Anything else you need of me, my lord?" she spoke in a cutesy tone, before giggling- this sort of facade wasn't the kind she could keep very easily. Instead, the outlaw sat down next to the ornate chair. "All kidding aside, do let me know if you need assistance. I was a bit uppity before, but I do like working for you. Stable employment from someone who doesn't treat me like trash is hard to come by in this line of work, and you're a nice guy- a refreshing change of pace from what I was stuck with before. Not everyone is like that, though. When we get to the capital... what should I do? I don't think they'll like me there, a lawless thief, regardless of how helpful I am. I'm sure your father wouldn't be pleased if he knew you were consorting with a girl like me- might shine a bad light on you. Maybe I could..."

Sidney thought hard about what she nearly proposed. I'd have some explaining to do for sure, and I... that's barely me anymore. But maybe I... maybe that was childish of me before. There's only so long I can run away before things catch up to me, isn't there? I like my freedom this way, but maybe it's not worth it. The thief drifted off in her thoughts a bit, not really finishing her sentence and probably confusing the prince a great deal.

[Terrador]

Angus nods, not entirely surprised that Garath lied to him. "Will do, milord." He signals Agro, at least, to wait; the bear would follow, but that was expected.

The squire wanders through the keep, eventually happening upon a pantry. Scaring up several sacks, he stuffs two to the brim with foodstuffs--more than enough to last the entire party until they returned--then tosses Geoffrey a massive hunk of salted meat. "You've been a good boy, haven't ya~?" The bear chomps contently away. Angus continues to search, finding no luck in the armory: broken swords and sodden tomes were all he could find. A few shovels were all that Angus brought from his further forays, and he soon returned to the keep's entrance.

-----

"You see the shape of it. Help us give him peace; he'll suffer less, and you will be safe, on my honor."

-----

The squire's own vow haunts him. "Cethel? I'm sorry." He shooes the curious bear away from the brothers' corpses, beginning the gruesome task of shoveling the smaller one's remains into a sack. Thankfully, it does not take long; soon, he is ready to lash Baleros' leg to Agro's chest, taking both corpses outside.

He begins with the smaller grave, readying at least some place for the poor souls to rest. "Now, now, boy; I'll play with you tonight, I promise!" It was a morbid task, to be sure, but having a task at all calmed Angus a great deal. Baleros deserved far worse, and yet... it only felt fitting, to honor the handler's sacrifice.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Terrador

[Jedi]

Lionel had quietly followed Andromeda outside as the huge man had fallen and his lord had instructed him to he briefly bowed before heading out, the sight was a little much for him to bear as he saw both Both Ermin and Zadkiel laying there, motionless, covered in terrible wounds.

"Forgive your foolish superior..." He said, before welling up with tears "If only I hadn't just charged in... I was so worried about taking Dettard and his kin to justice, I forgot about my own people in a moment of passion." He gave a look towards Andromeda. "If you wish to return to the Kylander lands to give them proper family burials. I understand" and as he said this... he went on his knees, bowing towards both of their fallen comrades out here... Jeeves had also fallen, he had paid brief respects to him as well before coming out here, the old codger was tough as nails and loyal, so loyal he respected him and hoped that he'd earned a happy afterlife for his servitude.

"Andromeda..." He spoke up again, his voice breaking as he said the name. "If you want someone to blame for this... You can put it all on me..." He knew Gerrard had done the absolute best he could, it was in his nature to fight till the end, Lionel could only justify himself being the one at fault.

He sat there for awhile... Although he knew he had to return inside to report to Lord Owen, "So what do you think?" He asked, "Kylander territory isn't that far away... but it could be... a bit strenuous to carry them both b-back..." he choked again, before getting composed.

[Shin]

Dettard slowly opened his eyes, his pompous face bloody from Claire's foot. "The vial... the bandits said... it would bring father back." he muttered, his eyes welling up with tears. "I didn't mean to kill him... my crossbow misfired... he's the only one who would be able to tell the other nobles... about my lineage... If he could tell the other nobles... I would be so much closer to the crown."

-

Andromeda looked up at Lionel with watery eyes. "Lord Lionel... it's not your fault, I know you would have saved them both if you could." she sighed, turning her focus back towards Zadkiel's lifeless body. "We all live to serve you and your family, we know our lives are always on the line. Everybody has to die at some point... I just wish it hadn't been so early for them."

Andromeda stood herself up, wiping tears from her eyes. "Lord Lionel, I shall continue to serve you until my own time comes. I won't throw my life away, but I will ensure that you remain safe."

Angus finds out his bear likes meat!

Angus' Bear Raising game updates!

Owen and Sidney gain a C support!

[Toogee]

With his back healed up, Doug was able to finally stand on his two feet. He quickly called over his pegasus and flew over the area to look for any signs of reinforcements. It was far better to be up in the sky than with the sorrow below. He figured the royals needed time to grieve, so he did his mercenary duty and made sure everything was clear. As sad as the end was, this was the end of their mission. They successfully escorted Adele to Dettard's castle and resolved the problems accordingly. All they had to do was escort her back home and get paid. This adventure was over. There was no way things would get more exciting than this. Doug was looking forward to a period of relaxation to recover his back. Because there wasn't anyway he was getting dragged into a larger plot that would prove far greater than their escapades here. Nope. That's someone else's story.

[Ether]

"Stubborn old fool... when did I say you were allowed to die...?" Adele murmured, trembling as Jeeves faded away, only vaguely registering Cassandra pressing into her shoulder and beginning to weep, the Herman heiress finally allowing tears to flow down her cheeks as Jeeves faded. Adele stood silent for a few moments thereafter, before gently wrapping her arm about Cassandra's waist and giving the crying princess a gentle squeeze.

"It's not your fault... a staff can't heal a heart that's given out. He didn't take a fatal wound, in that sort of sense." Adeltrudis finally replied, holding Cass close for about a minute, before breaking off from the princess, wheeling about as she drew back her arm, and with all of her might, punching a nearby supportive column. Adele's face darkening into a grimace as the force registered. As she pulled her hand away, the skin had been ripped away from her knuckles by the impact, and had already begun to bleed, leaving a red mark on the ivory structure. Pulling back and striking again, again, again, Adeltrudis face remained stoic as the bleeding increased, and it soon became obvious that her knuckles had broken, though it didn't seem to slow her assault in the slightest.

[Nanami Touko]

"A-Adele...?" Cass appreciated the comfort, confused when the girl turned away to face the building. For a moment. She squeaked in horror when Adele punched it, and kept punching it, rushing over, stumbling and finally grabbing onto her arm, trying to get her to stop. "P-Please..." There was only so much more healing Cass could handle, at this point. The whole magical ordeal was getting to her, and the last thing she wanted was to watch someone else get hurt in some way that she couldn't help. "No, n-no more..." She choked that out, coughing, and clearing her throat. "I'll, get the s-staff... Just a moment." She let go of Adele's arm and hoped she wouldn't start punching again, slowly stepping over to pick up the butler's staff, once again.

"We all, uhm... N-Need to stay strong. Right?" She had to ask; someone had to guide her, now. She pushed the staff near Adele's hand and started to heal her again, knees trembling for an entirely different reason. This was the most healing she'd ever done at once, and it was starting to take its toll on her. She gasped a moment, taking a deep breath, but the shaking stopped as the finished healing. "Please, don't... Don't hurt yourself anymore..."

[Ether]

Adeltrudis remained silent through the whole ordeal, as Cassandra stopped her from continuing her abuse of the column, and slowly began to heal her. As the pain faded from her hand, Adele let her arm drop to her side listlessly, her head faced to the floor.

[Nanami Touko]

"Adele? We... We all do, right? Right? Have to stay... Ahh..." Cass flopped onto her legs, sitting on the ground. She wasn't in pain; she hadn't suddenly collapsed from the stress or exhaustion from it all. She was just... Tired. And she had to sit and try to collect something. Something in her head to keep her going. "We're gonna go back after this, right?" she asked, getting coherent again. "And we'll tell Father that we beat Dettard... That things are fine now. He'll knight some of us, we'll eat, laugh, be happy..."