act complete Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 3 Reunion

[SB.]

After the last exchange between Laudine, Owen and Cassandra, Claire felt like she was finally up to speed - even if it seemed like the conflict was winding down. News of a conspiracy to send Wyke, Raewald and Deira to war was alarming, but who gained from it? Myrcia or Wihtwar? Maybe, but there was one much more obvious threat looming over them.

Malaphar was waiting for us, wasn't he? When they'd reached the shore, he was here almost immediately, like he'd been waiting. The three missions he'd given them were to help him obtain the elixir, rescue Esclabor and to rescue the captain. But the third task had sent them straight into battle with Deira, escalating the conflict. If this was intentional, then what did he have to gain?

For a moment, Claire was worried that Adele would have another outburst, but her temper seemed to be under control now, even if the atmosphere still grew tenser for it. "Lady Laudine," she interjected, before the rider had a chance at a response. "Do you know anything of a man named Malaphar?" Maybe she didn't, and maybe the mage was completely offbase with her suspicions to begin with. But asking couldn't hurt.

[Vestige]

"Very well, be safe Lady Claire," he nodded watching as she returned to the unfolding conflict. And now he was left with just Marcus, his beast, and Emmet. What he just said makes him sound like the villain of a cheap third-rate novel. But he couldn't simply brush off Emmet's ravings as nonsensical. There seemed to be a strong possibility that perhaps Emmet knew that he was dead to rights. Perhaps. Or perhaps not? At least, Claire didn't seem too perturbed by his comment so there was a chance he was just the only one. If that was the case, there was hardly cause for concern whether he explained himself or not.

He sighed, turning to Emmet. "Now listen Emmet, Sir Emmet... before you continue, allow me to explain something to you. You're asking the man who fell unconscious after being set upon by the enemy what he's doing being alive. Think about this question, and now think about who you're asking and what state he was in. I am not a doctor, nor am I a cleric. I cannot diagnose the answer to your question. As far as I am aware, Sir Emmet, I was asleep, and now I am awake," he said, frowning. "Honestly, do you question all your patients with this much vigor? I may not have physical wounds, but I assure you I am not feeling up to par. Now if you could carry on with the task you were called here for I would be most appreciative," he finished.

[Frostivus]

Hey, We're Back in Magon Again!

The wind breathed upon the church bell chimes.

Susan watched in confusion. The doors and windows were all closed — how was there wind blowing indoors?

The priestess looked up from her veil, smiled and gave Susan a pointed look, “When the wind breathes upon the chimes, it is a sign that someone, somewhere, has been reborn.”

Susan rolled her eyes, “Of course. Engel gives life back and he always takes it away, right?”

“The void is the domain of another god, child, not Engel’’s,” she replied without hesitation. She took another joss stick from Susan’s hands, carefully placing them upon the trays. “Thank you very much for helping me.”

“It’s the last place in this town I can go into without being driven out,” Susan admitted wanly. After the debacle back in the bar, she had been defenestrated from nearly every establishment. Here she was now, helping an old lady with her prayer rituals.

“Perhaps trying to spread all the bad rumours about Owen’s friends wasn’t such a fruitful idea?” For a second the two women stared at each other, and Susan found herself paralysed by the genuineness in her eyes. She had to drop her gaze to the ground. The priestess sounded disappointed in her. It meant she expected more. That was a new feeling.

“I don’t know what the townspeople see in him or his group,” she whined.

“He listens. Most youth never do. He is wise beyond his age.”

“Ah, so you’ve met him too.”

“Briefly.” There was a small hiss as she lit up the joss sticks, the smoky incense billowing up to the ceiling. “But I am an excellent judge of character.”

“Sensitive,” Susan parroted, “That’s how I described the men whom I rejected. Sensitive. Now suddenly it’s a good thing here to have. Oh, poor Owen, that sensitive soul,” she shuddered, “The women in this town have a few nuts loose if they think that’s a redeemable quality.”

“You know better, Scuttle. Sometimes imperfections are what makes a person beautiful.”

She’d been reprimanded before, sure. She’d had people yell and spit and curse at her, and tell her she was nothing but a bitch. But never from someone whose opinion mattered. Never from someone who had her best interests at heart.

There had been someone once.

“And I believe, that concludes my morning altar duties,” the priestess declared, reaching for her cane. The joss sticks smouldered in their trays, in memory of long-departed saints. “You’re welcome to stay here however long you like.” Their gazes met again, “Though something tells me there’s already someplace else you need to be.”

The old lady hobbled out the back door but Susan barely noticed it. It was just her now. Her and the incense and the wind and a maddeningly quiet hall. Her and the saints of a hundred years past and their ashes.

Imperfections are what makes a person beautiful.

“Then call me gorgeous.”

She grabbed a spare joss stick, lit it, and placed it to join the veritable bouquet, inscribing a name onto its handle. The priestess will never know the origins of the saint Susan was commemorating nor its significance. After all, there had never been a saint in Engel’s service by the name of Javier.

She made her way to the chapel doors.

The wind breathed upon the church bell chimes.

[Shin]

The Devil You Know

Laudine didn't appear terribly troubled or even familiar with Malaphar's name, if anything she was puzzled. "Spellcaster, I am not familiar with name Malaphar, I am afraid that it means nothing to me." she replied, the distraction from Adele's threats easing her temper. "Prince Owen, I shall take your word as true, I shall return to Deira without the lance nor the life of one of your minions. If there is another force behind what has occured, King Olaf must be made aware immediately."

The Reliants around Laudine grumbled among themselves, it appeared that there was a great deal of disagreement among their ranks. Phrases such as "Wykian liars" and "Ywein's honour" echoed through them. Reluctantly, they all started to take to the air, preparing to leave the battlefield. Pulling her Holy Diver from the ground, Laudine walked up to her mount, climbing on top of the beast. "However, if I find that you have lied to me, Prince Owen... even Engel will not be able to save you." she warned, her wyvern beginning to lift itself from the ground. "Reliants... fly ownwards! We have a long journey ahead of us."

Laudine led her group into the distance, Owen had managed to both secure Rhongomiant and the safety of the Reliants.

However, there had been one member of the Reliants who hadn't been so content with leaving the scene so calmly. As most of the squadron flew onwards, one wyvern remained overhead - its rider a heavily armoured man armed with a monstrous spear. "You think you can kill Commander Ywein and get away with it? The man truly believed that the world could be a better place... and you swatted him from the sky like a fly." he roared, drawing the attention of the riders near him - of course far out of earshot as Laudine. Pointing his free hand at Serge, he made a proclamation. "Prepare to die, imposter! Your evil campaign is over!"

With that he hurled his spear towards the ground, directly It was no ordinary javelin, its vast size was far greater than any lance they'd seen before. Any response would have to be rapid, the incredible speed of the spear left very little room for error. It would be the most daring feat of Serge's entire life... or the end of it.

Serge and those involved in the discussion with Laudine are free to respond with a single post each maximum!

Edited January 10, 2017 by Shin

[Nanami Touko]

That was all, then... Laudine was off, along with her cadre, as unhappy as they seemed. Whatever. Her brother died as a mercenary does. She can wish for her vengeance all she wants, that was his lot in life... As will be hers. With little sympathy for how this woman felt, Cass turned her back on their group leaving. A mistake.

It seemed the leader could not corral all of her men. One heavily armored fellow had other thoughts for Serge. Thoughts that went by too fast. "What? He's mad. Did he not pay any attention to what... She's already gone, oh, for Engel's sake." What Cass didn't think could happen did, though. Steel was suddenly flying through the air. Oh my God. He is mad. Her eyes shot open, turning to shout, "Serge--!"

Edited January 10, 2017 by Nanami Touko

[Ether]

It had seemed that they had gotten off relatively unscathed, with Laudine taking her troops and flying them away. If only it had been so easy... one of these Reliants staying behind and shouting a declaration, basically one of war. He readied his spear and hurled it at incredible speed. Luckily for Adele her adrenaline was still pumping, but all she could do was flail and pray it worked.

"Serge, move!" Adele shouted as soon as her voice came back to her, detaching the shield from her arm and hurling it through the air. She had always been rather good at tossing the discs for skeet, but this was quite the different game, the shield balanced far differently. If it could impact the projectile in the air in any way, it just might do something, but how likely was that? Worth trying, at the least. As soon as the shield had flown, Adeltrudis grabbed at one of her hand axes, and looked to the sky. Letting the weapon fly directly towards the wyvern rider, she took what little time she had to aim at the area between the rider's own neck and the wyvern's wing. If she managed to hit either, it would be the end of him...

[riariadne]

The situation seemed to have cooled off rather easily, Sidney's hand moving from her knife and sighing with relief. Of course, it was too soon to be done with anything. "You two-faced little...!!" she started. Grr, can't keep your idiot army in line! Accursed woman! Sidney's hand moved to her bow instead, firing hastily. It probably wouldn't help Serge, but realistically she wasn't strong enough to do anything about him if he wasn't going to get out of the way himself, and if this armored buffoon thought it easy to betray a deal their leader had agreed upon, he was in for a rude awakening.

[Xinnidy]

And with Laudine's final words, that would be it. "Understood." Owen let out a held breath as soon as the woman turned away, her wyvern mid-flight, taking her to her group. I don't need this... something truly odd is happening, but at the same time, it seems like history is repeating itself. He turned away on his own, ready to put that episode behind him. If it weren't for the shouts of his sister and friend.

"Wha--" He turned again, to Adele's direction and then to the direction she threw her shield. "What is the meaning of this?" He unsheathed his sword, eyeing the wyvern. That man... he had no plans in attacking Owen, no. His target was somebody else. Serge? That explains the shouts of his sister and Adele, but he was coming down too fast for the prince to do anything about it. What is he doing?! Didn't he hear her? Serge's reaction didn't seem any on time, what, was he going to just sit there and take it after all they've done to save his hind? No time to think.

The wyvern was too close now. Owen dashed as fast as he could, in hopes of tackling the mercenary out of the way.

[SB.]

No word of him? Hm... It seemed that he wasn't manipulating Deira directly, at the very least, but the response still didn't tell her much. She nodded in acknowledgement at the answer and was glad to see her leaving, at any rate. Claire felt her shoulders relax slightly as the rider took flight once more, leading her companions back towards their homeland.

Of course, the one that stayed was the real issue here. The enormous javelin was hurtling towards Serge, and now Adele, and Claire doubted very much so that the shield would be able to withstand the force of it. Whether or not she or Charlotte could knock down the rider, it didn't matter. She quickly reached for a tome - although she doubted that even Razorwind would be able to slice through the spear in time.

What she found wasn't Razorwind, but in fact Cass' gift from earlier in the day. For a splitsecond, she paused. She'd read spent maybe thirty minutes earlier on the farm reading and getting to grips with the tome while waiting for others to arrive. While she now understood what it was supposed to do, whether or not she would be able to pull it off properly was a completely different matter. But when Owen made his move, she realised didn't have much of a choice. He's a mercenary, don't die for him! Face contorted in concentration, Claire fired off the spell, perpendicular to the projectile's flight path and held her breath. If it wasn't enough to send it veering off track, there was nothing she could do.

[Dandragon]

It seemed like everything worked out in the end. Laudine was content with letting his mercs live for now, along with the spear she was after. And as she flew off with all of her riders, Serge felt relief. Relief that despite everything he had said up to now, that there had been a way out. A way that didn't end in bloodshed. A way that didn't end in someone dying for the sake of vengeance, even after he had offered up his own life for the protection of his men. A way that lead to them getting closer to this conspiracy.

Of course, Serge should have known by now; nothing truly ever goes his way. It all happened so fast. A straggling rider. A thrown javelin, larger than he had ever seen, speeding toward him like a shooting star heading for the ground. A spell to deflect it. A thrown shield. A hand axe. An arrow. People yelling his name. He knew it was coming. He could SEE it. But his body wouldn't move fast enough. He moved to draw his sword, in a vain effort to try and block it like he had done with the hand axe in the sewers all that time ago. But that axe had been small, and was at half the speed than this thing flying at him. He was no scientist, no mathmetician. He was just a guy with a sword. But even he knew, should the tip of that spear even come in contact with his sword it wouldn't be enough to block it. Most likely it would break, and then go straight through him. At that was only it he sword even got in front of him before it connected. Why wasn't he fast enough? Why couldn't he move his feet? Why? Why?!

[Shin]

Metal will never die

With so many members of Owen's group reacting to aid Serge, the chaos that resulted was over before anyone could blink. Claire's spell, whilst lacking in grace was enough to force Adele's shield into the spear's path. The clang of metal against metal sounded loudly, the tone resonating throughout the lance's journey. Adele's shield crashed against the ground, dozens of feet from where it had originated - blasted away by Claire's makeshift incantation. The weapon whizzed over Owen's head, the tip of the spear cutting the air above him, barely missing him and Serge as they both fell to the ground with a solid thump. Both Owen and Serge had managed to avoid the lethal projectile, a few inches lower and it may have found its way through one of their skulls.

The wyvern rider had been caught off guard by Sidney's response, not expecting an arrow to his chest. Driving its way into his chest, he grasped at it in pain, struggling to remain atop of his wyvern. Adele's axe was enough to seal the deal though, her aim had been extraordinary, striking him in the head and sending him falling to his doom. His wyvern twisted in the air wildly, breaking away from the retreating squadron its rider had been with only moments before. However, he had not been the only one felled. The spear had not met with the ground though, there was no crash or thud - only a sickening squelch and a restrained cry.

"Boss... Thank goodness..." Emily began, her knees growing weak. The spear had found its way right through her abdomen, its shaft impaling her body. Collapsing to the ground, the other reliants hurried around her, the blood pooling beneath her starting to spread. Hans holding her head up gently. Emily looked up wearily, her face contorting with pain as she looked over at Serge. "At least it hit me... and not you..." she panted, barely able to force a smile. "You can... still be a hero..."

The wyverns who had remained looked at the ground grimly, saying nothing as they flew ahead to join the rest of their group. Not one appeared to have the courage to face what their ally had done, nor acknowledge it. Laudine had gained what she had initially demanded, although long after she'd decided against it - and by means that would have likely horrified her.

[spoiler=Death Poll]

DEATH

Larissa x2

Emmet

Hans

Lars

Morganna x4

Emily

LIFE

Serge x2

Emily x4

Emmet

Hans

Larissa

Morganna

Evil Notes:

- The results are actually flipped, the person most selected for life will die

- Lars will take Hans' place if he wins

- Morganna will accept her fate regardless

- Hans will take Larissa's place if she is selected

- Larissa will take Lars' place if he wins

[Ether]

It had all happened in an instant. Owen had darted past her, content to throw himself into the line of fire. She didn't have time to grab him and pull him away, and had darted forward after him, fearing the worst. It hadn't been quite the worst, but it was still bad... her shield had somehow impacted the spear, sending it off course and away from Owen and Serge, and her axe had knocked the rider from the wyvern, to his death on the ground below. Of course, instead of hitting the ground harmlessly, the spear still found a target... one of Serge's. Blast it, they had gotten what they wanted in the end. With Owen and Serge now safe, Adele dashed past them, coming up to the heavily bleeding mage.

"Save your breath, just relax, try not to move, okay? Cass, Emmet, Sebastian, get over here, immediately! She's badly wounded!" Adele called out to the group's healers, before turning to the other axeman who hadn't moved to hold the wounded mage.

"Can you try to find some water and some clean cloth? We don't have much time."

[Dandragon]

The crash never came. The feeling of pain never came. What arrived to his ears, was something he would never be able to forget. He turned to face his comrade, and saw her, with the large spear going through her chest. Her blood was now a puddle across the ground around her. He could see her face. It was full of pain. She was dying. She was dying. She was dying and he couldn't do anything about it.

"You can... still be a hero..."

"Emily...no...EMILY!" He was shaking. His face was full of shock and horror. His eyes were wide, but his pupils were so small. Why was this happening? And why to him?! He felt his tears roll down his face uncontrollably. She had been the most devoted out of anyone that had joined, and he had sworn that he would keep them all safe. And now here they were. Him holding her body as her life was draining from an attack meant for him. He screamed in uncontrollable sadness and grief. In all his time, never had anyone close to him died like this. And it tore him apart. He was finally experiencing the loss that Apellon had wanted to give him, but Emily wouldn't come back. His sadness was morphing. It was changing inside of him. It was becoming something more fierce than before. And it was growing. His teeth were grinding against each other as he grit them openly. He had stopped shaking, and he was curling up.

"I'll kill them." He said, quietly. His sadness had changed to anger. Anger and hate. Hate...for the Reliants. "ILL KILL THEM!" He yelled to the sky, like a wolf howling to the full moon at night. He stood up, drew his blade, and faced the riders as they flew away. "GET BACK HERE! COME BACK AND PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE! FACE ME LIKE THE BASTARDS YOU ARE! I'LL KILL EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR THIS!" Before he could take another step forward, he felt himself get held by someone from behind in a massive hug. "LET ME GO! LET ME DOWN! I NEED TO KILL THEM! I HAVE TO! I'LL SPLIT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM APART FOR EMILY! DO YOU HEAR ME!?" He continued to wail in fury. His rage had taken control, and his crazed look had already returned. Serge was out for blood, and the only thing stopping him was Angus holding him with every ounce of might that he had.

[Shin]

Wishing Well

Emily looked up at Adele, trying her best to stay still. "Is that you, Princess Mustache? You're really good at throwing thing... but you don't have a mustache." she laughed dreamily, her eyes appearing somewhat vacant. "My uncle had a mustache once... except I accidentally set fire to it. It never did grow back."

She brightened up a little as Serge held her, his tears dripping down onto her. "It's OK, Boss... please don't be sad." she begged, clutching his jacket weakly. "I was happy I could be part of your stories... I knew they weren't all real, but I liked to pretend that you were the greatest hero ever... and I was one of your sidekicks. I wanted to see you save all of Angelcynn... everyone would see how amazing you are... and maybe you'd...marry a princess, maybe you would have invited me to the wedding and I'd have gotten to see you... shining, shining like a star."

Sebastian approached Adele, shaking his head. "Lady Adeltrudis. It would be impossible to heal her wounds with magic." informed Sebastian. "We would need to remove the spear in order to close the wound, she would lose too much blood, even with several healers. All we would do would give her an agonising death."

Emily gulped, her breathing growing more laboured. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I wasn't very interesting... I got expelled from the mage academy after a year... because I failed all the classes. I never knew my parents... Uncle Morgan looked after me... even after I came back, he taught me magic. He was always so nice to me... when I was little... he used to pretend to be a mysterious villain I had to stop... he called himself... Mr. E... I'd always figure out... his identity... and save the day." Emily coughed, looking up as Serge shouted to the sky. "Maybe if you didn't get married to a princess... you'd maybe... marry me instead. Even if you didn't love me... it would have made me happy. Serge... please don't be sad, you're the greatest man I've ever known... you even accepted a failure like me..."

Emily's eyes closed slowly, her breathing coming to a halt. Her pained expression had subsided, she even looked peaceful. Emily had passed on.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Shin

[SB.]

For a second, Claire had allowed herself to breathe, thinking that she'd done it. The spear had been knocked off course, and Serge and Owen were both fine. However, Emily's cry of pain soon snapped her back to reality.

The relief on her face quickly made way for a look of horror. Did I kill her? Please, no... Perhaps all she'd done was change the victim, but that did nothing to make her feel better. First Ceirch, and now this... It seemed like whenever people needed her, Claire would always find a way to fumble it. Watching Serge's breakdown was enough to make her feel sick, but she couldn't avert her eyes. She wanted to look away, but instead she slowly stepped forwards, stopping at Cass' side.

"Do you still have the vial with you?" Her voice was hushed, and her gaze never left Emily and Serge. She wasn't sure if it would work - or what the consequences would be if they did, but Claire couldn't just stand and watch her life slip away. If there was ever a time to use it, this was it.

[Nanami Touko]

As the sickening crunch resounded over their battlefield, and the target wasn't Owen or Serge, Cass began to feel calm, again, but then her brain reminded her: ground doesn't crunch. The spear had managed its way into Emily, one of Serge's mercenaries. An unfortunate loss, to be sure, but one that came with the job, she reminded herself. She felt a tinge of sadness, watching Serge wail over the loss of his comrade, and she was sure that he was going to exact his revenge. All in due time... How sad.

Really, though, why was everyone so upset? The girl was just a mercenary... Someone that knew the risks when she signed onto the job. Serge's reaction made sense, of course, but everyone else... Perhaps Cass was missing something. It was like a soldier dying in battle, that was the risk of their occupation... But Angus dying would've made you sad, wouldn't it? Even before he became a baron... Cass ended up biting her lip, feeling something of a tear well up in her eye. There was something more to this than just mercenaries living out their lot, as she was finally experiencing. "It's not right that this is how I am taught, though..."

To add to the mess, Claire had approached her about the vial. "Preposterous. Waste the vial on a mercernar--"

"...he called himself... Mr. E..."

Cass froze. Slow eyes drifted over towards the dying form of Emily. "What did you say?" Cass hadn't been listening to her dying words, mostly noise in the back of her mind, but the call or a Mr. E was picked up without any trouble. "What did she say!?" It was too late to get an answer from her, her life had left her. Preposterous, huh...

"Sebastian, to me, now. Remove the spear. Patch up her wound as best as you can. You, lumberjack holding her, open her mouth, make sure she swallows this. Sebastian, I will be helping you path up the wound in her side once I am finished administering the vial." There would be no objections, and no one would stop her. This woman knew the identity of Mr. E. Whatever this liquid was going to do to her, Cass didn't care, as long as it gave her a moment to speak again.

And she wasted no time, retrieving the vial, luckily still intact, from inside of her dress. Cass assumed that Sebastian was going to move without questioning her, and didn't stop, opening the dead girl's lips, popping off the cork, and dumping the solution into her mouth. "Massage her throat, make sure it gets down there, all of it! Sebastian, do everything you can!" Without missing a beat, Cass started pulling on the spear, determined to remove the damn thing so the physical damage could be solved.

[riariadne]

"Damn," Sidney cursed at the aftermath. Her and Adele had slain the culprit, but the aftermath was no less bitter. She closed her eyes, listening to the poor mage's words. Mister E? Where have I heard that? "Thank you, Emily," was all she could say before the younger woman passed on. "Accursed woman. Failing to keep that idiot in line is as bad as failing to keep her own end of the deal," she muttered, obviously upset but not unrestrained in her anger. "Perhaps next time my arrows will be aimed for her instead... inaction in cases like this is treachery." Claire and Cass were acting quickly and muttering about the vial- oh, this again- but she wasn't entirely sure what they were trying. Whatever it was, it was something beyond her assistance.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Reinfleche

[Xinnidy]

There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know?

Oh goodness, he could feel the spear graze his hair, the top of his skull, the smell of danger hit his nostrils, nauseating. He'd hit the floor, but not soon enough to feel safe. Was he alive? Why did he do that?

He remembered, it had to do with... saving that mercenary. A man like any other, one that meant nothing to the prince. Why? Destiny... He wanted to change it, he remembered. It was just like when Malaphar challenged them, in his world. There seemed to be no hope, his vassals would die for him, but Owen didn't want it. He wanted change, he wanted to fight that dreaded fate. He wanted... to be change. He'd been bold once, and he'd be bold again, however many times it took to be the prince he wanted to be.

The fall didn't hurt, but he was quickly cast aside, Serge began to shout again. Owen brought himself to his knees, finally looking at the outcome of the attack. Is that... All that shouting, it finally made sense. That had hit somebody in full, somebody their party, but who was she? Wait...

Owen had brought himself to his feet, walking towards that lady. There was too much chaos around him, he opted to filter everybody else, focusing on her face. I... wait, she's "Earl Edion's niece. What is she doing here?" He'd spoken to no one in general, still lost in his focus. "What a twist of fate..." He'd never paid much attention to her, but the recollection of the day they'd met --what was he, 10, 12?-- came clear when he looked at her face, and heard her last words. She hadn't been anybody particularly important, just a vassal to Morgan, as far as anyone was concerned, he'd never even talked to her aside from whenever he'd pay visits to Morgan with his father. "I never called for her, why is a noble I never called for here?" He thought he knew his entourage well, how confusing.

Alas, her eyes closed, no matter how much people panicked, that should be the end of her story, the end of her chapter. "Edion's heart is going to break." He placed a hand behind his back, standing in respect of her departure. "Goodbye, Lady Emily." Owen closed his eyes. May Engel bless your soul.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Xinnidy

[Jotari]

"My patients don't usually brush as close to death as you did" Emmet told Alain. "I checked your vitals during the battle. There is no way you should be standing now. Even with the best mage this company has, you should be lying there in agony, much like Sir Nealon was." Emmet grabbed Alain and felt for a pulse at his neck. Before he could find one however, someone shouted desperately for him from behind. He turned and seen someone impaled by a large javelin. "I'm not finished with you" Emmet said to Alain darkly.

He left the diplomat behind and hurried to see what had happened. He watched as Emily lay dying. He concurred with Sebastian's assessment. There was no saving her. She had been a cheerful girl. One of the most easy to like among the mercenaries. And as far as fighters go one who had the most potential. A shame to see her go.

Then Emmet caught a look at Claire's face. He knew what she was thinking. The same thoughts were crossing through his mind, albeit for entirely different reasons. Then he saw the mage whisper to the princess and he knew he had to do something. "Wait" he cried. He placed his hand over the dead girl's mouth. "Princess...I understand your feelings but I don't think it will work. This injury, I fear it's too great even if we use the entire bottle. I told you I revived a badger, correct? It died. Immediately afterwards." Emmet turned and nodded at Claire. "Miss Bennet was there with me. She knows too." He looked down at Emily's frozen face. "I have no doubt in my mind that if you poor that elixir down her throat she will return to us, but all you will do is force her to experience pain beyond imagining a second time. Even if she has the information you need, it's unlikely she'll be able to focus enough to tell you it. Can you really do that to a person?" He took his hand away from Emily's mouth to give the princess the option. With his eyes he pleaded her to see sense. But she poured the vial down the girl's throat regardless. Perhaps she hadn't even heard him at all. With a sense of dread and horror, Emmet looked down at Emily's face to see what would happen.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Jotari

[Xinnidy]

Something hit the prince out of his focus, like a chill that spreads through the gut. Emmet's words woke him up. Elixir. The vial? When he had come to his senses, Cass had already done the act, vial empty held on a hand. "Cass! How do you-- What have you--" He made his way to Emily's side as well, kneeling between her and Cassandra. "That is dangerous, we don't know how its side effects work!" He held his breath, holding Emily's head steady. "H-heal her wound before she comes to her senses, at least!" Oh Engel above, please protect her soul. Please don't allow her a dreadful fate, what will I tell Earl Edion? What will I tell HER?! No, I can still save this... if we ever learn how to nullify the vial's effects... It seems like his and Claire's research just gained yet more importance. "W-what was that for, Cass?" He held his tone, trying to calm down, and not sound like he was chastizing his sister. That was genuine confusion.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

"I can and I will. Now stop gawking and help me! Gods, Emmet, you're one of the few healers we have, and closing something like this is... G-Going, to take some... Eeeefffoooort!" with that word groaned out, Cass managed to pry the spear free from Emily, with another disgusting shlick of blood and skin.

"Ah! There! Start healing her!" Cass scrambled to her feet to start helping, but Owen's talking stopped her. "Who? Earl Edio--" Cass' mind put one and two together, and the terrible realization of the situation dawned on her. "Earl Edion... Mr. E... Morgan. It was Morgan. Hahah... Ha! Hahaha!" Cass placed a hand on her face and laughed, but only at herself. "Of course! I asked my mother, I asked her, could two women marry? I asked her of Adele and myself! And who else is closest to her? I trusted my mother's word, and believed her when she said he was a good man... Damn, how well I have been played! What a fool, Cassandra." With one final laugh, Cass smiled at Owen, shaking her head.

"This is why I have to bring her back. She knows everything about that man. I must know what she does!" I can only pray that our efforts actually work... This was perhaps the most baseless gambit she'd ever placed her faith in. If they could close Emily's wound in time, that is...

Edited January 11, 2017 by Nanami Touko

[Jotari]

Emmet felt many things. Shock. Anger. Resentment. Despair. But like a switch in his mind he shut them all off. He took his stave in hand and focused on healing the corpse. The vial was gone. Squandered by fools. But that was in the past. The only fruitful and logical thing to focus on now was to ensure their recklessness would not go to waste. Emily had to survive. He needed her to survive. He had to know what the results would be. Everything depended on it.

[Vestige]

Alain shrugged as he watched Emmet depart, rubbing the side of his neck as he did so. He seemed wholly apprehensive about Alain's condition to the point where a lesser man might have come to the conclusion that perhaps Emmet himself had orchestrated the whole thing. My vitals, huh? Despite his menacing tone, poor Emmet would have to sleep never having quite figured out the answer to his conundrum. He could poke and prod all he wanted, but if push came to shove, Alain would call it Engel's miracle and be done with it. Failing that, and he might consider admonishing Emmet for not being as competent of a medic as he might have supposed himself to be.

More importantly though was the shouting he could hear in the distance. It was Serge's turn now to be doing the yelling, but the distance and his lack of focus made it hard for him to grasp the unfolding situation. The 'Reliants' were departing so he assumed whatever business they had was concluded. He also saw that one of them had fallen to the ground, drowning in a pool of his own blood and that's presumably what the commotion was about. The poor fool must have been thrown off of his wyvern.

By now he was starting to grow tired again, and he found little point in continuing to stand. He dropped down onto the floor, pulling his hood up as he lay resting on the grass. Were Marcus and his beast not right beside him, he'd consider drifting to sleep. There was likely little he could to do assist his allies, and he was part of the wounded anyway. And of course, following Emmet would only make him cause more of a fuss later on. Marcus for his part, hadn't said a word since Claire departed. "Listen, you don't need to stand there. If you'd like to go help, you're more than welcome to do so. I can handle myself here," he said, dismissing the man. Or tell me who you are or why you're here at the very least.

[Terrador]

The moment Laudine asked an oath of Owen, Angus collapsed to his knees. She'd begun to calm, and with the Prince near, that would be the end of it. The mooncalf imagined it the perfect moment to permit a quick rest. And quick it was--a shout from the sky could pass for a mouthy grunt, but an explosion of movement couldn't be mistaken.

Angus saw the spear a moment late. The rider's immediate, thunderous fall told the whole story, leaving the boy numb... with nothing to do but watch Emily expire. Her smile puzzled Angus, even through the nascent grief. Jeeves was ready to die; he saw it coming. How could she die calm so young? Afraid, in pain, but not distressed. It was unimaginable. Every one of them was so important, so worth protecting, and that odd little mage was no exception; still, Serge was her only concern. Even to the end.

Her commander.

Her Prince.

[she was like me.]

In that moment, Angus finally put it together. Emily had higher duties, higher loyalties, so her death had little sway in her heart. It was okay, at least to her. Maybe that didn't matter, but maybe that made it okay for Angus too. Enough, at least, to embrace Serge as he lashed blindly. A whisper, from a head in Serge's back, hoped to coax him back to earth.

"No more. 's over."

Edited January 11, 2017 by Terrador

[SB.]

Claire didn't really care about Mr E at the moment, but if that was what it took to get Cass going, then that was fine. Emmet could protest all he wanted, even if his concerns made sense, it was as she told him this morning: she couldn't just leave someone to die if there was a chance they could save them. Especially if she was partially responsible...

Still, the mage was powerless to do anything but watch. The healers were working on Emily's wound, but there was nothing for Claire to do. That realisation made her start fighting back tears. Perhaps a better mage could've prevented the situation entirely, but all her magic could do was destroy. Please, bring her back. Her plea could've been directed towards any number of people: Cass, Emmet, Sebastian or even Engel... as long as one of them managed it, it didn't matter - as long as they saved her.