Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 3 (Angus' Party)

[Vestige]

"Hell if I know," Alain shrugged. "It's certainly pretty suspicious, but perhaps he's still in shock? He sounds rather young. And if his story is to be believed, I can't imagine what it might be like for him seeing all of his comrades killed one after the other for seemingly no reason." The steady sound of foot steps had caught Alain's attention, and he held his breath. He relaxed himself moments later when he saw that it was Captain Haddock and his men, rather than any remaining enemy forces, that were coming out from the keep.

"Captain Haddock, it is good to see you and your men well," Alain said, "the prince had other business to attend to, so he sent us in his stead. We will be regrouping shortly, however." He turned to Doug, and Lars, looking slightly perplexed. He had hoped the captain would make it out in one piece, but he was expecting the worst. The bandits down by the shoreline had set upon them at once, with every intent to kill. He wasn't complaining that the man was alive, but it was all very confusing. He had been told Magonsaete was a land full of savages, all brutish barbarians filled with blood-lust and a backwards way of thinking. Saving a group of sailors didn't exactly seem to fit the bill.

"Captain, we do have a couple questions for you, if you don't mind. I was told your ship had run into the rocks nearby, and Gavin, the guard that led you out here, and his, ah, clan, had helped you make your way here, is that right? You all seem relatively well, they didn't attack you or anything? Is there anyone else left in the keep? Prisoners perhaps? Or armed men?" Perhaps he really was just worrying over nothing.

[Terrador]

Angus turns to see the mage very literally talking down to him, his jaw nearly dropping at the nonsense spilling from her mouth. He doesn't give an immediate answer, but her condescension does prompt an end to the flow of tears. Angus sets Ywein's body into the shallow grave, but the head gives him pause. With a grimace, he shuts both his eyes and the corpse's, before finally hiding it from the world. Only then, as young Kearney takes up the Holy Diver, does Morganna merit a response.

"Ain't so simple, either bit," Angus offers flatly. "I'd've surrendered, were it jus' me. Not much worth fightin' someone like him over, but Owen's work, tha's one; sure 'e felt the same about me." He slings Ywein's weapon to his horse; such a thing couldn't be left among these savages. Before he could protest the idea of thinking so blindly about battle, he is interrupted by a lingering crack in the sky. The young knight had fought alongside Claire long enough to recognize it, and a quick turn confirmed his suspicions.

"Shit." Angus mounts his steed, snatching Morganna and pressing her firmly into Agro's back. With only a suggestion to "Grab 'im with your legs", the battered baron charges towards the river. Geoffrey would stay close. As Angus drew closer and closer, though, his grief was supplanted by raw confusion. Gently flinging Morganna from his horse, Angus queries quietly of Serge:

"Am I seein' things, or izzat Apellon?"

Edited September 2, 2016 by Terrador

[Toogee]

"Yeah, we were told you were prisoners. What gives?"

Though it was good the crew was unharmed, they were also well rested. It was almost as if they had better accommodations than Doug did the night before! Had they all gotten captured, they could have had a swell party. The situation was getting weirder as time went on.

[Shin]

Good Choice

Apellon clapped his hands slowly, amused by Serge's response. "Good choice, Serge, a fine choice indeed. But until you've experienced death yourself, you'll never know its true meaning. I've been killed no less than five times, yourself being the cause of the last one. It's so very cold, Serge... and you chose to send me there. I don't think that's very kind of you." he lectured.

Emily nodded, shooting a fireball into the air. Apellon watched as the flame rose, bursting in the air and fading away. "You make up for your lack of strength with the unification of your group... that's touching. The only person I want to fight alongside is my sister, but she's not feeling well. She's been slain twice more than I, so the process is harder on her. She was so disappointed that she couldn't meet Princess Cassandra again."

Rising to his feet, Apellon's sword sparked again. "If you're looking to make challenges, they're more effecting when there isn't a body of water between us... perhaps-..."

He was cut off by Angus' entrance, a face that he was dearly looking forward to seeing again. "Ah, Angus, so kind of you to join us. Serge was just saying he'd like to kill me again, isn't that amusing?"

-

Fishy Story

"When we be crashing into them rocks, I told your group to get going, the chances were that we'd run into trouble." the Captain replied. "We saw all sorts of fellas with axes and spears, but they told us to come quietly an' that they wouldn't rough us up. Numbers weren't on our side, so I figured it would be best to play along, maybe find a way to get out later. Turns out they were an alright bunch, a couple of disagreements with the tribes around them but nothing too nasty. They said they'd have to keep us locked up until their chief figured it out... but they never got a chance. Couldn't hear much but they musta been attacked."

Lars wasn't happy, things weren't adding up. "I'm not trusting this Malaphar, he said that these guys were really vicious. If anything, it sounded like he just wanted us out of the way and these guys dead... can't imagine why though. Sounds like too much effort on his part."

[Dandragon]

"I know when I'm outmatched...and I also know when I have people I can trust to back me up when trouble arrives. ...That I got friends. Comrades." It wasn't as hard to call Angus a friend as he thought. Being in two battles with him made Serge realize that he could pull his weight when it mattered, and right now, it mattered a lot.

And speak of the devil, or in this case the guardian angel, here we has with Morganna riding along. "Watch out...His sword shoots lightning. Careful where you step." Serge's eyes quickly looked down to make sure he wasn't standing in any puddles of water that might of happened to be around. He looked back. "Larissa. Can you patch him up?" 'Him' referring to Angus, as his eyes darted back to the horse riding mooncalf who hadn't bothered to drink up a vulnerary that he clearly had.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Dandragon

[Terrador]

Angus studies the mercenary with care. The voice, the stance, the wildness of his eyes--all of them spoke to an impossible truth: Apellon lived again. The possibility of a Thunder Sword attack from a man who knew little of magic was nothing to Angus, not compared to the chance to understand. There was a power very close at hand. Owen needed to know. Baron Kearney dismounts, clapping Serge on the shoulder.

"Stalemate. Don' worry 'bout muscle; stay if you like. 'e can't get us, we can't get 'im." Once again, Apellon has Angus' full attention. The knight sits on a stone by the river, leaning forward intently. He had no intention of running either his mouth, or the risk of making some error; their past differences could be addressed as they came. For now, this psycho's existence could be useful.

[Shin]

Dancing with the Devil

"This time Angus comes to the aid of Serge? A wonderful inversion that shows your comradery. I still remember the promise you broke Angus, it was very disappointing." Apellon laughed, raising his sword into the air, the blade sparking violently. "Perhaps I can show the same level of sportsmanship?"

A bolt of lightning shot into the air from the tip of Apellon's sword, before Larissa could even pull out her staff. As soon as it had fired upwards, the bolt came crashing down, striking the ground between Angus' legs as he sat. The heat and light of the projectile were very real to the Baron's senses, the power behind it very apparent. Apellon shook his head, tutting as he smiled.

"But that would be uncouth, would it not?" he lectured. "If I were to strike with the same underhanded tactics as you had, it would destroy the beauty of our juxtaposition. Your sacrifice of honour in order to serve your liege... my sacrifice of success to satisfy my own curiosity. What a complex world we live in, do we not?"

Emily had pretty much lost track of the conversation at this point. "Boss, do you think bringing that walking Banjo really made things better?" she asked, tugging on his sleeve. "All he's doing is making him say even more big words. You can deflect spells with your blessed sword anyway, right?"

[Vestige]

"Attacked is one way to put it, but it seemed more like a slaughter to me. We got here during the aftermath of the fight, and there was nary a scratch on Ywein's men," Alain shook his head. "To be honest," he said, turning to Lars, "I'm not really sure I entirely trust him myself. There's something about the manner in which he carries himself that just doesn't sit right with me. I suppose it's just as well that we left the prince with the man in question," he grimaced. "Not much we can do about that now though, I suppose. Only to hope that we see the prince return unharmed once we return to the fort. After your brother returns, we can see what to do about the keep."

"Doug, could you go check on the Baron and see if he's collected himself? Tell him and the commander that the captain and his men are unharmed, and ask them to come to the keep. We can check for rations, and if there are any other prisoners left inside. It may do us well to just regroup everyone and settle inside for a while as we prepare to head back," he said.

[Dandragon]

Serge couldn't help but wince as the crack of lightning appear so near the group, though thankfully not hitting anyone. He felt the tug of Emily on his shirt, with even more wild accusations. "Blessed...That'd be nice to have, yes, but...Look, I don't know who has been telling you these things but..." Serge shook his head. The more Emily spoke, the more confused he seemed to get. He gave out a sigh. "Listen, Emily. Angus challenged Apellon to a duel back on the beach. And I...interrupted that duel. By stabbing him in the back." He turned his head back to Apellon. "Not at his request, mind you. I did it on my own. Sorry, but he didn't exactly go over things with us." He stepped forward, loosening Emily's grip on his shirt as he did. "So, there you have it. I was dishonorable, and now you're here to wipe us out right after a battle, instead of fighting us at our best?"

[Terrador]

Angus sits on the hot rock, unfazed beyond an initial flinch; his fatigue with combat and desire to know more far outstripped his fear of being fried into a slab of Angus steak. Further, in context of a return from the grave, a thunderbolt or two wasn't exactly terrifying. The filthy knight unstoppers his medicine as Apellon lectures. Two things struck Angus as odd, though, and only once Serge was still did he query the menacing myrmidon.

"Success? Didn' think you cared about tha'; thought you were all about the fight. Curiosity, though--you got me good on that. Not sure you know this one, but I'm noble back in Wyke. Landed, knighted, all th'tedious crap that comes with... an' I'd sooner put talk like yours in court than th'slums." He side-eyes Serge, calmly, hoping to communicate that this really was handled. "'nough to make a man wonder if you've always been out here, eh?" [Keep talkin'. Jus' keep talkin'.]

Edited September 4, 2016 by Terrador

[Toogee]

The plot thickened back at the castle, where the captain revealed their captors to be quite hospitable. Before Doug could question the situation further, Alain suggested updating Angus about the status of the hostages. Perhaps he could figure out what to make of all of this.

"Yeah, I bet they're wrapping up that burial. I'll go see what he's up to."

With that, the pink pegasus took off for the south. Aside from all the bodies, the land was relatively peaceful. Then there was a river, where a group of five faced a lone swordsman, separated by the babbling stream. He instantly recognized the group of five as his allies, but the other guy was a complete unknown to him. He concluded that he was merely a straggler making one last stand before Angus and co. pummeled him to death. Doug remained in the sky, preferring to wait until the battle was over to deliver the news.

[Shin]

Questions

"He said these guys were outright hostile, can't get further from the truth than that." Lars added, glad that Alain shared his suspicions. "I've got a bad feeling about leaving him with the Prince. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if he's going to do him in when we're not looking. He didn't choose the best fighters, he was pretty sure who he wanted with him."

Hans had returned from his scouting expedition, the man panting gently as he approached. "There's a door to the north, but there's a bunch of dead guys there too. Don't think anyone managed to get out that way, the furthest one couldn't be more than twenty feet."

Play the Game

Apellon was rather amused by Serge's suggestions of a fair challenge. "Oh, that's truly wonderful proposal, Serge. But as all fine cooks taste test their own food. A chef who poisons his guest is not fit to request a fine meal from his jailkeeper. No matter how he begs and pleads, his own heart is drenched in poison, tainting anything he receives. Tell me, Serge. Are these words from your own heart... or words only to extend your life as much as possible?"

Angus' words silenced Apellon for a moment. Had he stunned the man? Apellon's smile widened, soon followed by a haunting laugh. It wasn't from amusement, but more from sheer insanity. "Angus, Angus..." he howled, consumed by his laughter. "I've been fighting so long, faced death so many times... I don't even remember why I started, or when. All I know is that it is beautiful. To experience the edge of existence, to bring others to it, there is no greater joy in life or death. To understand it all, one must walk the line, and even cross it."

[Dandragon]

Apellon's laugh was unsettling, to say the least. He had seen insanity back in Myrcia from villagers who had lost all hope in life. This was different. This was insanity from a man who did not have fear. Why should he? Death held no meaning to him or the one he cared about the most. Still, it was keeping Apellon talking, rather than killing. For once, Angus and Serge seemed to be on the same level of understanding; keep Apellon talking.

"You're right. It's only to keep me living. Maybe because I don't have the opportunities you got. Pretty unfair that you get to come back after getting killed while I don't, don't you think? Mind telling me how you do that? Sounds like a good deal I could get behind." He hoped it was obvious enough to his comrades he had no intention of actually using whatever this lunatic used to bring himself back from the dead. Not if it made him into the crazed killer that Apellon was.

[Terrador]

Angus rights himself, no longer leaning in towards the river; the madman's laughter perturbed him more than he would have thought. He looks to Serge, only to find a similar reaction to his own... then, a comment with perhaps as much underlying sanity as Apellon's. Despite himself, the young baron joins Apellon in laughter, if only for a moment.

"Fair? Mate, you got some Moloko Plus on you? You did gut th'man after a duel, mind; an' didn't you hear that 'poison heart' bit? Doubt 'e'd give you a drink if you were dyin' of thirst." His comrade addressed, Angus once again faces the immortal myrmidon. The idea of death as life's ultimate purpose was mad to Angus, but the rest... he couldn't refute it. Though he first sat down in hopes that Apellon might let slip some great secret, now... Angus wanted him to keep talking. Across the river was a mad dog; a god; something alien. He knew the unknowable.

"Humor me, then." Finally, quietly, Angus speaks. "What's it like?"

[Shin]

Feels bad, man

"Oh, Serge. You wouldn't like that at all. You'd much rather stay dead." Apellon replied, calming slowly. "It's a beautiful experience... but it is also an agonising one. A pain far greater than anything that you'll experience within your existence. To be unable to breathe or move and then your senses force themselves back into your lifeless flesh. Your agonising wounds searing themselves shut as you gasp for air..."

Apellon gripped the hilt of his sword, running his free hand through his air. "But I've spoken enough, my dear sister is waiting for me. It would be rude to keep her waiting too long. She may get... bored."

Turning his back to Angus and his group, Apellon tossed his sword over the river, his blade striking the earth only a foot or two from Serge. "Consider this a gift for amusing me. You should meet with your other friends, I have a feeling one of them isn't quite as honest as they seem."

With that, the man walked away, entering a wooded area and disappearing from view.

[Vestige]

"In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best of ideas allowing an outsider to dictate our actions, and arrangements. Hopefully the prince will maintain a degree of caution in his dealings with Malaphar. I'm sure he has his fair share of reservations about the man as well," he said.

"I see," he nodded towards Hans, "Good work. If that's the case, then I don't suspect we'll have much to fear within the keep. It seems Ywein and his men were rather thorough in their endeavor. Seeing and hearing of Ywein's handiwork made Alain feel a little less bad about taking part in the man's death. Even a man of god is not without sin. "I suppose all that's left then is to wait for the others to arrive and we can finally get to exploring a little," he sighed, tired from the day's ordeal.

[Terrador]

Just as abruptly as he had appeared, Apellon vanished into the woods behind him. Angus stands, slapping Serge on the back. "Shit, mate!" The baron offers a genuine laugh of surprise; after all that talk of poisoned hearts, this was the last way he expected to see that sword. "Thought 'e wouldn' bother tryin' t'kill us, but a gift! If I didn' know better, I'd say 'e wants t'cross swords with you, eh~?" With a shit-eating grin on his face, Angus waves in both Doug and his pet. Soon, the knight wears a tremendous furball as well, keeping it and himself wide of that pegasus.

"Oi, Doug! Do me a big favor, tell me Haddock's still kickin'."

[Dandragon]

Serge let out a sigh of relief. Apellon had left them alone, not bothering to kill any of them. Serge had honestly not known what he had done had he finally attacked, he had just been hyped up on adrenaline at the time. He jumped a bit from the slap on the back, facing back at Angus. He shook his head at his comment. "I'm not sure I could fight him one on one. Sounds like he's been doing this longer than I've been alive. I'm just glad he didn't fight me today." Then he looked down at the sword that had been tossed at him, poking out of the ground with its hilt still pointed away from him. He sheathed his own blade before taking a few steps forward and grabbing the hilt himself. It was heavier than he thought it would be, but not so much that he couldn't pick it up himself. It felt awkward in his hand for some reason, like the blade itself was trying to tell him that he wasn't ready to use it. He swung it once, and heard it spark a bit as it moved. He looked back on the other side of the river, wondering if he could even cast anything with it. Holding it out in front of him, he wasn't exactly sure how to use it's longer ranged attack, sort of awkwardly standing with it, before giving up. With another sigh, he hefted the thunder sword onto his shoulder, before turning back to the group.

"Right. Everything okay? No one got hurt? Good. Let's get healed up and see if we can't find some place to rest."

[Toogee]

"Such negotiation skills!"

Doug could not hear a word of the conversation below, but from what Doug saw, it was impressive. Not only did they get their enemy to retreat, the swordsman gave them his sword. It was quite refreshing to see words rather than swords save the day. With the conflict over, Doug rode to the group. He landed closer to Angus, as he was the one addressing him.

"Yep, the captain's alive. All his men too. Everything went well. Almost too well actually. Alain's waiting for the other shoe to drop before going inside. He suggested we regroup to search out the castle. I'd have to agree."

[Shin]

Regroup

Within twenty minutes or so, all of Angus' forces had reunited in front of the mountain keep, joined by a rather nervous looking Gavin. The sheer number of people around him seemed to put him on edge, especially after what had gone on recently. Captain Haddock had sat himself on a small rock, lighting his pipe as he prepared to explain his crews' experiences.

"Baron Kearney, it's good to see yer didn't become lizard food." he chortled, legitimately surprised to see the Baron in one piece. "I was just telling yer friends here that the barbarians actually helped us out when we crashed the ship into the rocks. Apparently the groups around here don't exactly work together. One tribe might lend a hand, the other could eat your shoes, it's pretty varied... heard that the flying fellas were looking for some sort of wizard, don't really got a clue beyond that."

Hans and Lars shot looks at each other, they both had a gut feeling who said wizard was. "Boss, that Malaphar guy is sounding more suspect by the minute." Lars warned, hoping his commander shared his concerns. "Splitting us up so precisely, I don't like it at all."

Poor Gavin had no clue who was who any more. There were the flying Reliants... the walking ones, were the guys on the boats another set as well? He'd lost his entire clan in a day, and was now left with an odd bunch of sailors, mercenaries and hillbillies.

[Dandragon]

"I get you, Lars. Between this and Apellon's little warning, I think it's safe to say we've been had. And we just gave him the prince..." Serge scratched the back of his head. Despite they're victory, things weren't looking too good in the grand scheme of things. They were split up and had no idea how successful the other groups were. For all they knew, Malaphar had already killed Owen's group. But, unlike many other instances in his life, Serge felt he had to hold out hope, if not for the sake of his own mercenaries. After all, if their leader was acting depressed all the time, how were those under him supposed to feel? No, from now on, Serge had to act better as a leader, even if his stress was getting to him.

"Well, I think it's pretty obvious what we have to do now. We should regroup with everyone else and explain the situation." Then he turned to the Armor Knight. "All that's left...is you. Gavin, right?"

[Terrador]

The young Kearney gives Haddock a tired thumbs-up, finally beginning to feel the fatigue of the day. "I'd say the same for you, Cap'n. I've played bait for nastier, but it does a soul good t'see you still kickin'. All tha' said, Serge is right on one thing; we best haul ass, get back t'Owen sooner'n later." Angus didn't bother speaking on the issue of the wizard, who could just as soon have been Alain; it wasn't his place to judge. Owen would figure it out, as he always did... and no matter how strong that Malaphar was, he was only one man.

There was one last thing to attend to before they left, though. That armor knight was tough enough that Ywein's Reliants hadn't immediately taken him down, and he was no little help to Haddock and his men; that was enough for Angus, and then some. It seemed Serge was of the same mind, as well.

"Oi, you there." Angus extends an arm to Gavin, still not knowing the lone clansman's name. "You've done us right solid here. I'm not sure if you've still got somethin' keepin' you here, but if not, feel free t'come along. It'll be rough ridin' 'til Raewald, but there'll be a steady gig waitin' in Wyke. If you're keen on it, mind." Between the capitol and his own barony, Angus had no doubt there would be place for another strong arm back home; even better, perhaps Dougistan needed at least one heavy hitter who wouldn't sooner chase a skirt than remain in quiet vigilance.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Terrador

[Shin]

No Sell

Gavin went pale, Angus' proposal was a terrifying one. If these were the kinds of scenarios this group got into, he wanted no part of it. "I think... I'll be fine. There's a few other tribes in the area, they're not all that bad... I mean, as long as I'm avoiding the one that eats people." he replied, wondering if the cannibal clan would be safer than these people. "I think I'll just find somewhere nice where I don't have to do any fightin'. I've seen the way you fight, it's a miracle none of you are dead yet. An'... people like me aren't going to be appreciated in a place like Wyke, I ain't fancy enough at all."

[Toogee]

"You could always stay on the boat until we get back," Doug chimed in. "Wyke isn't as fancy as you think. In fact, if you happen to be good at roofing, the county of Dougistan could use you. With our rebuilding/rebranding effort underway, you could be instrumental in turning Dougistan into the crown jewel of Wyke!"

If everyone was going to try and recruit random people, Doug thought to throw his hat in the ring.

[Terrador]

Angus shakes his head, scooping Geoffrey over his shoulder. "He's right, mate," the baron admits with a wry smile. "Doin' anythin' but turnin' around at th'sight of wyverns on a mountain? That suicide charge t'... well, no need t'rehash." A comforting pat to the bear in his arm. "An', you know, this one. Can't blame 'im for thinkin' we're trouble!" With that, he mooncalf turns. Gavin would seek out a peaceful life here, and perhaps succeed.

Not Angus. Apellon was on the move, and so was the Prince. This, too, the boy would leave behind. He takes up his mount, looking over the crowd he led.

[by Engel's miracle, they all made it. They'll be in better hands, soon.] "Th'only one I'm lookin' after now is you, li'l one!" Angus taps the bear's head with his own, keeping him in the saddle. Ahead of the column, Geoffrey hears for the first time what his mother learned when he was just as small.