ACT COMPLETE Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 2

[Dandragon]

As much as he wanted to drift off to the land of dreams, Serge was still wide awake. Perhaps he wasn't as tired as he thought. But he was bored. Again. He sighed as he slowly got up. He hadn't bothered to cover himself in blankets, so thankfully he didn't have to fix the bed when he got off. He still felt mentally tired, but if he couldn't even sleep then what was he to do? He looked out the window in his room. It was still bright out. He decided perhaps he should find Adele. Maybe guard duty would be a bit more exciting. Of course, he had no idea where she was. Maybe somewhere in the castle?

[charlie_]

Claire had spent most of the previous day in the library, poring over any book she could find that had a link to the fountain - perhaps an oddity in the history books which could explained through its existence. Sadly, the information she found was vague, often conflicted one another and in some cases she'd already proven it to be wrong. On top of all that, what kind of devil bled pink blood?

So overall, it had been a fairly useless day, followed by a sleepless night. She'd stayed up until the early hours of the morning, well after the library had closed, and taken the remaining books home to study at home. Eventually, her eyes eased their way shut, and she woke up a few hours later, face nestled next a disgruntled kitten on a very 'interesting' page which insisted that the pope had monopolised the spring and had been using it for years. Upon awakening, she crawled into her bed and returned to dreamland for a few more hours.

By the time she was properly awake and ready to go out, it was past noon. She wandered without purpose at first, having given up on finding anything useful in the library. She eventually found herself at the entrance to the barracks, looking if there was anyone from the campaign around to speak to. Aside from a surprise meal with Charlotte, she hadn't seen any of them since meeting with the king. Hopefully she would find out if she'd missed anything.

It didn't take her long to spot Angus and his pet, the former seeming content to work himself half to death. He'll do. she decided, crossing the room to greet him. "I thought you would be glad the giant didn't knock the life out of you." It seemed to be business as usual for the squire, unlike her. In a way it was admirable, throwing himself back into training as soon as they arrived back, but he'd probably be having an easier time without lugging about the bear cub (who upon further inspection was sporting a diaper - wonderful).

Edited April 12, 2016 by SB.

[Xinnidy]

Owen's attack against the thug was surprisingly effective, though very much so because he wasn't alone. Out of seemingly nowhere, Sidney had shown up and slit his throat, and in came Gewaint and struck the man with a metal bar. "Sidney?" Owen's frown was mostly gone, replaced with surprise. What a time to show up, goodness. The thug was backed to a corner thanks to their efforts, but refused to die quite yet. In fact, the corner the thug had backed himself into was quite fortunate for Owen. "Fool!" The prince charged at the criminal, "You think you can hurt me? My family?! You'll find no mercy in me, I sentence you to a death in fire." Owen struck a harsh kick onto the ruffians' gut with his boot, pushing him further back, he would have no safe corner to stand at, only the blazes of the dungeon, he was nearly down, anyways. Scum. Fall down, you bastard.

Almost entirely absorbed in the combat, Owen turned his face when he noticed an emerald light shining faintly. What? No way... It was his father, sure enough, and the other criminal didn't even stand a chance, already taken down. Owen's blood chilled steeply. "Father? What are you doing? This is too dangerous for you! We've got to take you out!" Owen rushed quickly to his father's side. "Come, let's get out of here first, father."

[Shin]

The goon was knocked back into the flames by Owen's mighty boot, roaring in agony as he began to quite literally cook. Oswald coughed, pointing to the door. "Exit now... we can discuss things when the risk of incineration isn't so high." he announced, ushering the group through. "The mages shall but be minutes, the fires shall be bested."

Dettard limped forwards weakly, taking Cass by the hand. Oswald was noticeably furious, although he managed to suppress himself. Their exit didn't seem too difficult, although it was probably a good thing that they didn't wait around.

[Terrador]

[Claire? She's not exactly a regular here.] A cough is Angus' only answer to her arrival, prompting him to crash ass-first onto the ground. The bloody lance clatters to the ground before Angus musters up an answer.

"My... unh... horse won... that fight." He thumbs towards Hogan, a prime example of why the squire continues torturing himself. "I can relax when I... when I thrash his ass!" He chuckles, looking up at Claire. "An' after all that trouble, I didn' even put 'im down! Jus' as well though. Makes a good story, the Prince killin' a fellow that size, don' you think?" A few moments of bear scratches later, and Angus recalls what he's been teling his comrades.

"Oh! We're headin' to the Goose after Dettard kicks it. The guys from th'campaign. You should come! Even if you can't hold your liquor, it'll still be a right good time."

[Nanami Touko]

With the brute dealt with, in a rather gruesome manner, Cass felt Gewaint take her hand, but nooo nonono, she was leading him out of here, not the other way around! She proudly took her place in front of the limping inmate, dragging him out of there herself. Luckily, the guards had been doing their best to deal with the fire, so it didn't spread any further than death row, but she was still coughing as they came out, taking a huge breath of fresh castle air as they finally made it. Without hesitation after, she pulled Gewaint aside and made sure he was plenty far away from the others or the guards. "Are you alright? Nothing burnt, nothing damaged?" She was pretty much covered in soot, herself, and the fire had caught parts of her dress, though luckily nothing set alight. "We'll get you something to eat and something to change into in a bit. I just... Have to deal with my Father, first."

Edited April 12, 2016 by Melissa

[Dandragon]

"No sign of her..." He sighed as he wandered the long halls and pathways throughout the intimidatingly large castle. At least, it was large to Serge. But at last, he finally found a spot that was familiar to him; the entrance to the barracks. Where he had unfortunately met defeat at the hands of a more skilled swordsman. Maybe he could ask somebody if they had seen lady Adele.

He had walked out into the light of day once again to the sight of soldiers training against one another. But as he looked around, he caught something that made him unsure that he was even on the same plain of reality. There, a young man was...with a bear...in a diaper. Serge blinked several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and sure enough it was still there. His eyes were wide with disbelief, his mouth hanging open, his head cocked to one side. What. The. Fuck?

[Terrador]

Angus cocks an eyebrow at the awestruck swordsman--very rarely did he see a face on the grounds he didn't recognize, and he was too green to be a new recruit.

"Come take a closer look, jackass!" Angus calls, patting the bear's head. "He hasn't bit anyone yet~!"

Edited April 12, 2016 by Terrador

[Xinnidy]

"Right. Everybody, let us leave this place immediately." He urged, turning to meet Doug and Sidney, "Thank you both, for your aid. I do owe you both my safety." Owen took a step closer to his father, ready to help him if he needed any to walk back. "Are you fine, Father? Did you exert yourself too much?" He just took down a healthy, strong brute of a man, somehow. How were they that healthy, anyways? Dettard was gravely bruised in comparison...

[Dandragon]

"The fuck did you just-" He cut himself off and walked over to the man and his bear. "So...what's his name?" He said crossing his arms. He still had a hard time believing this was happening.

[Vestige]

Alain's search had largely proved to be unfruitful. Most of the archives stored within the library's shelves were volumes of magical theory, and the basics of spell-weaving and so forth. Things that he had already spent a great deal of time studying and that he hadn't a particular interest in re-examining. There was, however, one book that he managed to find with some interesting subject matter being discussed. He spent a deal of time skimming through the various passages, absorbing and debating the conjectures drawn by the author of the text. So Belial is less a antagonist, and more of a counter-balance? That's certainly possible, I suppose...

The book further suggested that more potent magic could be accessed, if one embraced Belial in the same way one might embrace Engel. The question Alain then wondered was, how did one go about worshiping Belial? Another matter of great importance was the fact that dark magic was not at all specifically like light magic. That was something he had found out first hand. Light magic could only be accessed by the devout. It was clear that just believing Engel existed was not enough of a precursor for the average mage to pick up light magic and have at it. And if it was, he had crossed the point of no return already, at least according to the church.

But regardless, dark magic was different. There was no church for dark magic, and he didn't exactly consider himself a disciple of Belial, not in the least. But yet, he had managed the task of using dark magic. If Belial was as much of a godly figure as Engel was, and Belial was the source of dark magic the way Engel was, why was there such a difference in accessibility? He flipped through the pages with increased fervor, but by the time he reached the end he was left with more questions than answers. He'd have to give the book a more thorough reading later on. Maybe they'll let me borrow it?

He returned to the guild's surface level, and made his way to the center of the hall, where the elderly man he'd seen earlier upon his arrival, was still seated. He looked like a man of authority, so Alain figured the man was who he needed to talk to. "Excuse me sir," Alain said, knocking on the man's desk to catch his attention. "I'd like to borrow this book for some personal research," he said, presenting the damaged book to the man. "Would that be possible?" he questioned.

[riariadne]

"Eep!" Sidney squeaked, not expecting the brute to survive her attack as her turned towards her. How am I so unlucky? Still, while she didn't slay him, she gave an opening for the others to do so. Sighing with relief, she took a moment to assess her situation- surprisingly, King Oswald was present, and Dettard seemed to be free. Why... well, I suppose now isn't really the time, she dismissed the thought rather quickly. Glancing at her knife, she moved to brush it off before deciding she'd rather not ruin her dress and instead flicking the blood off before sheathing it, deciding it was an issue for later.

Owen addressed her, and Sidney bowed briefly before leaving along with the others. "Thank Engel I was quick enough to help. I had heard the guards upstairs mention a fire and that you and Cass were here, so I made my way here as fast as I could. I'm--" She coughed briefly, accidentally inhaling some smoke. "I'm glad to have helped. You don't really have to feel you owe me, if you don't want- this is what I'm here for. And I would be sad to lose you... err, you two, ahm..." The thief opted to cut herself off, feeling nothing she could say would help her.

[Terrador]

"Let's not give 'im a reason to take the first go at it though, eh?", Angus jokes, before offering the bear's name. "Geoffrey. Picked 'im up on campaign not a fortnight back." He pats the bear's bottom, giving it a prompt to go say hello if it so chose.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Terrador

[scorri]

"Oh, right, sorry. My name is Niko. And you are?" Niko led the man through the city towards the palace where they were residing. As they approached the training ground, Niko spotted Serge with Claire, Angus, and that bear. A thought flickered through his mind and he started grinning. I couldn't... Well, it'd be one way to see how he reacts...

[charlie_]

Claire took a glance at Hogan's build before looking back to the heap on the floor. "You're going to be here for a while then." she replied. It'd be more than a few years until they were equal, she expected, even if he kept up his current pace. Although based on his invitation it seemed he was relenting just a little bit. "I'll come along." she nodded - it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

"Has anything happened with-" And then she was interrupted by some weirdo staring at the bear. Nice. "Please tell me the bear won't be attending." she groaned, ignoring the newcomer for the most part. Classy restaurants and bears in diapers didn't mix after all.

[Jotari]

Emmet tried to hide a frown of disappointment. "My name's Emmet." I could have sworn I told him that already.

He followed Niko through the streets, wondering what kind of people the reliants would be in reality. Suddenly Niko stopped and looked into the distance. Emmet followed his gaze and notice lady Claire standing outside what appeared to be a barracks. There was a man with her but Emmet was more distracted by the clothed bear that lay between them.

[scorri]

With an ever widening smirk, Niko walked into the barracks and gave a slight wave and wink to the group. "Ah, everyone, this is Emmet. Emmet, this is Serge, another member of the Reliants, Sir Angus and Lady Claire, two of the retainers that we worked with in our last job, and this is Geoffrey. The Lord Commander of the Reliants." At the last introduction, he gestured towards the bear.

Edited April 12, 2016 by scorri

[Dandragon]

"Geoffrey, eh? Well... I'm... not going to comment on the fact that Geoffrey here is wearing a god damn-" He was cut off by Niko, surprisingly entering the barracks with some guy, and then introducing the bear as the leader of the Reliants. That's it. He had to be in a dream. He was asleep. Completely and utterly asleep back at Adele's. Yup. "...Right...Ok...So, you wanna explain what the hell is going on here Niko? Or at least direct me to wherever Lady Adele is?"

[scorri]

"Whatever are you talking about Serge?" He'd positioned himself so Emmet couldn't see his face so he gave as close to a 'just play along' face as he could before continuing, "Emmet here asked me if he could talk to our commander. So I brought him to meet Geoffrey."

[Jotari]

"I already know the lady Claire" Emmet said flashing her a sincere smile. "She and I are working on a secret project together. Though I'm feeling a little peeved towards her right now. I asked if you could get me any mercenary work my lady, you neglected to mention you knew a group as famous as the reliants." He nodded at Sir Angus and Serge. "A pleasure to meet the two of you." He kneeled down to the bears level. "But I'm especially pleased to meet you, Lord Geoffrey. You must be a genius tactician to lead such an renowned group. Especially when you've yet to learn the basics of toilet training." He stuck his hand out hopping the bear would approach and allow him to pet it.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Jotari

[Shin]

Alive!

The group managed to escape the burning dungeon, with several guards and spellcasters rushing towards the fire to vanquish it. It had been quite the ordeal but all six of them had survived.

That was until Oswald stepped out and slowly knelt down to the ground, blood trickling from his mouth. As brief as it was, the fight had taken a lot out of him... perhaps more than his body should have given. Duke Herman had joined the guards at the dungeon's entrance, quickly rushing forward to support the king.

Tobias looked over curiously at Cass and Gewaint, deciding not to make any comments.

"Prince Owen, your father will likely require medical attention as well as time to rest." he remarked, leading Oswald forwards along the hallway. "We need to speak once things have settled down, I'm going to increase security in the meantime... do as you wish with your... guest."

As the duke left, Gewaint nodded obediently, he wasn't really in a position to disagree with Cassandra. "Nothing worse than I had before... I think your father might be a little preoccupied."

Edited April 12, 2016 by Shin

[scorri]

Niko burst out laughing. "Alright, alright, I'm done. That was well worth it both for your reaction as well as Serge's. For a proper introduction, my name is Niko Eurus, current commander of the Reliants. As it happens, we are looking to hire more men right now, and while I still suspect you may be more of a scholar than a fighter, it would be foolish of me to turn down a healer looking for work."

[Terrador]

Angus grinned, not terribly perturbed by the prospect. "Aye, that's the point!" It would be good to have Claire along; the more the merrier, frankly!

Niko's arrival puzzles Angus for a moment, but he quickly recognizes the model of a superior taking the piss out of a new recruit. The squire gladly plays along (and takes the chance to have his fun with Claire, as well!), rising to his feet to herald the Reliants' evident leader.

"Ah, Niko! Lord Commander Geoffrey is thrilled to see you. We were considering a night out on the town with a few of the fellows from the campaign, and were wondering if you would join us!"

This new bloke seemed decent enough (the one with Niko, that is), but no commoner (nor a typical noble) was above a good joke! [some more blood would be good; odds are Niko's got a decent eye, too. Maybe these two won't keel over on us right away, Engel rest the souls of Lionel's boys.]

[Jotari]

"Ah so you're the leader" Emmet said, returning to his feet. "Forgive me for not recognising the fact earlier. Since we're at a barracks anyway, how about I give you a demonstration of my unique abilities. I don't want to give you the impression I carry this bow around just for show."

[Ether]

Ah, this was most certainly the life. While Adeltrudis might not have appreciated all the trappings of nobility at times, damn it she was going to reap the rewards that came with them, were she to be forced to suffer through the lows. And today, after her sparring match with Angus, a few laps about the training grounds and light coaching of the recruits, the reward she had decided on was to be pampered, as she hadn't been in a while. It wasn't something she did... terribly often, but often enough that the servants of the house knew the routine well enough. A long soak in a hot bath, followed by a soothing massage, and several other beauty treatments along the way. As of the current moment, the young Lady Herman found herself resting in a wooden steam room that had been constructed for just this purpose, a soft towel draped over her waist as she lay down and take in the cleansing warmth.

Really, this was just what she needed after such a campaign that she'd found herself thrust into. Humming gently to herself without a care in the world, Adele stretched for a moment, before allowing herself to lay back down and rest.