Mercenary on the Winds Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 (edited) Kieran winced as Sylmaria broke, the wounds covered by the bandages, her real wounds, slashed open once more by his words. He grimaced, but, there was nothing else he could do but continue. "...Because we Islexians are cowards. All of us. It's a goddamned poison, and all of us eat it up until we all fall apart." Kieran started to put his hand out to Sylmaria, before stopping himself. He was a part of that poison, even if he'd never met the dragon before this moment, he ate that poison and let it destroy him until it was too late. "...Because like me never fought back. Content to just live our lives knowing that it could always be worse... we could be a clouded or monster, and we displaced that fear onto you. I wonder, what have you done really? Killed people, that much I'm sure--I've killed people too. But I know people who've done heinous shit, and it's fine, because they're human. I think I know more clouded and monsters who would be paragons anywhere else, and they're mocked and derided. Could have said something, did something, but stayed silent. It's not just me, it's hundreds, thousands of people like me, cowards every single last one of us." Kieran leaned back against the wall, "...That's why I gotta believe in Owen. Because he's not a coward. He's putting everything on the line. I don't know you, you don't know me, at best, we'd be acquaintances, but Owen? He doesn't know you, yet, but he's still gonna put his ass on the line, that's who he is. Maybe he's not as strong as Nicolas, or even Kazran, but that's fine, he ain't gotta be. He just has to be strong enough to let his ideals show, so that the people who can win him the fight come along and back him up." Kieran looked out over the training ground; the Evokers, the dark haired swordsman, the Tigers, all of them so strong, and all converging in this one place to defeat Kazran. "It's already worked once... so he'll just have to keep going, and going... then eventually one day, Islexians like me, won't hurt Islexians like you. But we have to deal with the poison first." Pfeh... when did you become so sappy? You don't know this woman, and yet... You know just as well what she's going through. She's been hugged enough, just be here and watch... All you can do right now. Ha, can't wait for Marigold to rake me over the coals for this one... bet she's watching from somewhere. Kieran just stood by and watched Sylmaria sob, staff at the ready if there was anything more that he could do. But the rest, he thought, was up to Sylmaria. Jeremiah nodded his head, "Very well." Jeremiah released a breath that he hadn't realized that he'd been holding in. He chuckled, was he really concerned that Alriana wouldn't accept his words? A glance over at the man by her side quashed that theory, no, he was concerned more about where that argument would have placed Versaris in all of this. You see him and Aegean once in years, and all of those emotions just come flooding back... Gods, Serena would have laughed herself unconscious at all of this... Jeremiah took his stance on the other side of the field while Alriana, and Versaris got their plan together. This would be difficult without simply resorting to using all of the tools available to him; Versaris wouldn't fall prey to many of his tricks, and was simply an excellent swordsman, and Alriana was a bit of a black box--he knew how effective the creations could be but Alriana was Alriana. How she would strike, how she would move with Versaris were things that he didn't have any way of knowing. All of that would be done on the fly, and with the speed that a creation like Alriana was to possess... It would be difficult, but if the two of them weren't perfectly in sync, then he could take them apart--neither of them were capable of handling him on their own, it had to be together. Jeremiah chuckled, "I'm always prepared to be proven wrong, Alriana. If you can win, then show me that you can win." Jeremiah drew his sword, and pointed it at the pair before taking a different stance, "Let's see how well you two fight together. You'll make this very easy for me if you aren't on the same page." Edited March 5 by Mercenary on the Winds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Renais watched as Kise strut her way from the fight, it seemed like she was fine. Jeremiah seemed fine too...well until he got more challengers in the form of Sari and Aly. She would have wished him good luck, but as a Tiger she hoped her allies would give him a run for his money anyway. It is a little nice to see him be pushed so hard... Renais was in awe at Kise's abilities, she really was strong. "Be careful, Jeremiah. I'm taking a break." She made her intent loud and clear before the fight between the student, master and the student's partner began. as she made her way over to her resting girlfriend and Akai. "I'm sorry, Kise. I should have known you'd be ok. But to go toe to toe with the great Jeremiah himself is...astonishing." She got a little dramatic near the end of her sentence as she lifted a hand up, she's been reading drama books with Miria again. "If you don't mind, may I rest with you? It's been a long day after all." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 (edited) Versaris nodded at the situation. Whatever had gone on between the three seemed resolved so far... Hopefully Aly would explain it all in detail when this was over, or even after Kazran when Jeremiah had left. For now... "Let's do this... Aly. Just like with Luthier, but together this time. You trust me, right?" He drew his sword and smiled down at her. "You go first... I'll keep you safe, as best I can, and you keep going. Think I've got it in me to stop him once, at the least... Give you time for a couple of good strikes. Sound good?" Hopefully it did, Versaris holding his sword up, ready. "And lastly... He's right. Don't hold back. Go at him like you're trying to kill him, or we won't stand a chance..." Alriana watched as Jeremiah moved to the other side of the field, pondering if a sneak attack while he was moving would be enough to land a hit. She quickly shook her head, remembering what had happened to the Undergrounder that hadn't even been aiming for Jeremiah's neck. As much as she wanted it to be that easy, so that she could be prideful about it, that was nothing but an unrealistic fantasy. She nodded at Versaris, drawing her dagger. If she was meant to be going all out, but remaining herself, then the added weight of the sheath wasn't something she'd have the capacity to adjust for. "You asking for lot. Voice does want to kill him. Making me balance edge of myself and voice. Pointless if lose that fight, won't be 'me' that won." "Better be okay with losing then," came her taunt from their end of the battlefield. She lowered herself to the ground, the muscles in her legs tensing, preparing to launch her towards the lufirian like a Jeremiah-seeking arrow. "Then you'll just have to shut that bitch out. You might not want to hurt Jeremiah as much as she does, but you want this win more than she could imagine." Versaris felt like he'd missed something since the last time she'd mentioned her voice, but it mattered little. "I only work with you, Alriana... If she wants to butt in, she'll find our footwork doesn't quite match, and I'm sure a mistake like that could cost more than a scar. If she's smart, and she can hear me, she'll stay right where she is." He huffed and nodded... They were as ready as they were going to be. Alriana wasn't as fast as him, per se, but her initiation wasn't something he could keep up with... He broke into a sprint first, Aly lunging after Jeremiah with all of her regular ferocity. It was straightforward, but it was effective; even Jeremiah would struggle with such a zero to one hundred... But not enough, as, savage as her knife slash was, he managed to sway out of the way of it-- but Sari was there too, his sword colliding with and pushing Jeremiah's away, letting Aly swing at him again... to no avail. Sari had lost his balanced parrying such a move, and so, wasn't able to stop the next swing, the flat of the blade knocking her back a good ten feet. "Hahh... Okay..." Versaris was on pins and needles. His hand was shaking, his eyes were racing to follow Jeremiah. "Again... I'll lead, this time." Versaris and Alriana both came in together, hard and fast, they knew exactly what they were up against. Any one would have struggled with Alriana's frontal assault; she was a bullet, one that would track blood, and strike more effectively then even the most seasoned sniper's round... but Jeremiah shifted slightly, so slightly that Alriana could make no adjustment as her blade sailed past him. Jeremiah swung to counter, but found Versaris's sword instead. If there had been time, he would have smiled, but even that much of a slip would have seen the smile ripped from his face by Alriana's second slash which Jeremiah once more narrowly avoided. He caught Alriana on her way by, launching her back, and resteadied his stance. "Close, but not enough. There's something there, but you'll have to find it." Jeremiah took up a defensive stance, if the two of them were content to come at him, then he'd let them come. For a little while anyway. If the time arose, he could see how well they handled him striking at them directly. "Mhmm..." Alriana let out her standard quiet noise of agreement, deciding not to tell Versaris that the Voice was beyond boiling at his words. There wasn't much time to dwell on it anyway, as he had started the charge so to speak. The creation rocketed like a bullet towards Jeremiah, but not once had any of her opponents been quick enough to dodge her when she was moving this quickly. Her slash went wide, the creation sailing past Jeremiah as Versaris blocked the swing of the man's sword. She scrambled to rocket into the man a second time, but all her rashness got her was a harsh hit that sent her sliding back. Just the one hit was enough to make her sore; had Versaris not broken her armor already then just that one hit from Jeremiah likely would've been enough. "Rrrhgh...! You go this time. Should be able stop him at least once. You better when at close range, anyway. Once you hit him, should be easy to copy." It seemed like they were going to go with the same sort of plan; that was understandable given how effective it had been. While it hadn't hit, it definitely would have made quick work of anyone else who they turned their ire on. Well, it was for the best for them to get all of their plans down now, and try to make them work against an opponent well beyond them. He wasn't going to let them connect for free, and just from the sheer force of Alriana's swings... he didn't want to find out what would be broken after taking blows like that. Versaris took the lead this time; Jeremiah's slight dodging wasn't going to work here, but he had a better idea of where Versaris was going to plan his strikes. He closed the gap, and Jeremiah met him, throwing off Versaris's attack enough to slide beneath it, but Alriana was so much faster than even her strikes earlier showed. That defensive desire, that protective instinct propelled her as she lunged to block his counter. Jeremiah chose to evade--had he struck, Alriana would have taken his hand, a poor trade. Versaris was on him once more, but this time he was able to slide to the side, and just as he had with Alriana, send the man flying with a strike of his own. Jeremiah let out a breath, these two were not to be trifled with for much longer. They were adapting to each other a lot faster than most. Even if it was to be expected, they were still outpacing what he had expected from them. Jeremiah pointed his sword at Alriana, "One more chance before I put an end to this. The both of you are surpassing what I expected out of the two of you... I suppose that is what love is capable of." Versaris came the closest to striking me earlier... if I can handle him, then making quick work of Alriana shouldn't be difficult... that would have been the case if not for her protective instinct... how to handle this with this handicap...? If I deal with Versaris, what's to say that Alriana doesn't overperform? Troubling... "GHhn...!" Versaris wasn't as tough as Aly, by a long shot; that swing from Jeremiah had nearly taken out his whole arm. It would've taken his arm had Jeremiah been swinging with intent, but he was still going easy on them in a sense... It was taking all of their serious effort to even land a swing on him, while he was still swinging with sparring in mind; the flat of his blade, hold back on more of his abilities. "Okay... hah... Aly, you're, up again. I'll stop him, no matter what... You just have to hit him. That's all you have to do, and I'll be with you the whole time." He took up stance, again, no matter how much his arm stung, no matter how tired he was swiftly getting. There's no world where I take him on alone, but with Aly... With her, we still have a chance, we still have a shot at doing this! "I'm with you!" "RhRAhh!" It had taken a lot, almost everything, for her to deflect one of Jeremiah's swings, her arms still stinging from the severity of the blow. She'd never once actively protected someone in a fight before, but at least with Versaris it felt natural, her body moving almost entirely on instinct. She struggled to keep her grip on her dagger firm, exhaustion beginning to set in, but as long as Versaris was still standing she would make herself manage. "Fine... But only cause, this is a spar. Talk like this in, a real fight, and knocking out and taking you away..." She steadied her stance as her eyes left Versaris and flicked back onto the Lufirian. If this was their last chance, she wasn't going to lose. "RAhhHHH!" She leapt at him with a sudden cry, bounding across the field with Versaris just behind her, directly at Jeremiah. At the last moment she tried to feint, dropping low to the ground, but though some means unknown to the lizard he had seen through it. The flat of his blade stopped only a hair's width from her, Versaris' arms shaking as he struggled to hold his mentor's blade in a lock with his own. the not-elf's eyes screaming 'DO IT'! "HRaHHRR!" She lunged at the man with everything she had left, maybe even more, her head rocketing into his gut and toppling the man once the rest of her body made impact! They gave it one more go, they just needed something more, something to break through. But exhausted as they now were, Alriana's attacks were simpler to see through; there wasn't the same coil as before, likely meaning that the girl wasn't going to come at full speed, and sure enough, she chose to feint, Jeremiah dodged once more, "I did say once more, so that will be that, Alriana." When Jeremiah's blade hit steel, he'd planned for it, he'd wanted Versaris to come in closer, so that he could finish them both in a single swing, except, Versaris didn't try to strike again, instead, deftly pinning his blade with his. It was too quick, too sudden, and just perfect for the creation. Jeremiah stepped backwards, breaking away from Versaris, getting ready to draw another of his swords, but for the first time all afternoon, Jeremiah was a fraction too slow. Alriana became a rocket, and he was her target, her head crashing into him, and sending the both of them back. Jeremiah hit the ground with a thud, catching Alriana to make sure that she didn't go tumbling after it all. A moment past, and the pair were together in a heap. "...Genuinely. The saying goes use your head, but it's not supposed to be taken literally... that's twice now today. Unbelievable. All of that, correctly dodging your weapons, and it's your head that ends up taking the win? Amazing." The older man grumbled, before moving the lizard off of him, and sitting up, "Well. I suppose I never said how you were to land the hit, so I believe that is a victory for the both of you. Only just is still a victory in the end, you both fought well." Versaris gasped as Alriana took her chance a bit too literally, body slamming Jeremiah and sending the both of them rolling away, forcing himself after the two. Lucretia was after him in short order, the fight more impressive than Kise's on some aspects. Jeremiah didn't look like he was taking things easy on either of them, so seeing them keep up, to a degree, and even land an, albeit shoddy, hit on the man... The Tigers truly had a spectrum of power. "Alriana! Jeremiah! Are you..." Jeremiah was sitting up, seemingly fine, Aly flopped next to him for the moment. He knelt down next to her to start helping her up. "I guess that's one way to do it... Really using your head. Hah... But, we did it." He smiled down at her, as Lucretia let out a serious huff, staff aimed at all three of them. "You people need to chill out! You're making me work overtime AND you're doing stuff that's well beyond what 'sparring' and 'practice' should be! Don't make me sit you all down and start a lecture, honestly..." She rolled her eyes some, moving from Jeremiah, then to Alriana, leaving Versaris for last. "You really are his student, huh? Going above and beyond like this in a situation like training, gosh, gosh... At least you're all alive." Kise watched Renais skitter over to her, almost raising an eyebrow, half expecting some scared words of panicked anxieties over the fight with Jeremiah... But she didn't seem bothered. Now, at least. The fox let out a triumphant little huff, patting the space next to her against Akai. "Of course I don't mind~ And of course, I knew I'd be fine... That foolish Luthier only got ahead of me because I let him; I'm not so far behind these people as to truly lose to them. You've got to have more faith in my abilities, Renais..." Her tails swished a bit, smirking in smug confidence. "I'm only going to get stronger, you know... It's all I can do~ Keep you and Gean safe, and grow even more competent. I'm sure the next time I see Jeremiah, he'll balk at just how much I've grown." She idly checked her nails as she boasted, giggling a bit. "You know, I'm a bit surprised I manage to do as much as I did to him... I nearly took him off his feet with that little blast of magic. If I had a stronger tome, or the tail Luthier stole from me... Ehehehe, I can only imagine how shocked he would've been~" Akai whined at her a bit, Kise rolling her eyes and sighing. "Yes, yes, I'll be good... It was just a test! Just a test. Goodness, you worry almost as much as Renais does." Her eyes turned from the wolf to the healer, smiling more softly. "But, I suppose I can't blame you. Not after what happened recently... Seeing me covered in so many wounds was likely rather upsetting, so I'll let it go this time. However, I'll never let that happen again. Promise~ So have some faith in me." "Wha-- Hey! Laniva! I'm not, she, ahhh!" Syta fell to an even redder level as the cat threw her under the cart, watching the sheep leave them to their devices... she slowly scowled at Laniva and then weakly punched her arm. "Now she's gonna think I'm a pervert! You, you jerk... I'm gonna get you for this later, you hear me?" At the least, the effects of Kisara had warn off, Syta picking herself up and huffing. "You could've just said I tripped and was too tired to get up right away... Ugh... Th-This isn't the image I want to give other people... Dammit, Kisara, dammit, Lani... Rrhhn..." Alvira smiled over at Tio and then Roxanne, both of them congratulating her in short order... She flex an arm, shakily, a bit exhausted from the continued forcing of fire out of her body, but she had to test her current limits. And I have to keep pushing them. If I can get past this on my own, before I meet with Fomalhaut, I'll be all the stronger for it... It's time for some more meditation, tonight. "Thank you, both of you... I'll make sure that I keep trying. She can't keep me out forever; this is my magic and I won't have anyone stopping me from using it, not Goddess or anything." She nodded, more confident than ever. Between her success here, her reaching Fomalhaut those few nights ago, surviving the Underground... You're going down, Mercuria. Then I'll meet my aunt, learn my family, and make my place in Lufiria... I'll give myself, my siblings, Tasha, and everyone here the life we all deserve. I can do this. I can definitely do this... There it was again. The mention of this poison... When did it start? And why had it stuck... Just, because they were different? When did things change? She didn't know. Didn't know more than what was taught in Islexia... Her tears slowly quieted, arms hugging around her knees, face buried against them. "Go away," she whimpered, trapped with too many outside sources of realization, clashing with the big and painful inside source. "I... They've been hurting me, for almost ten years. I've, been, hurting myself, for almost ten years... It can't... It can't be because, they're all, wrong. It just can't... Because if it is, then, why... Wh-Why have I been... I can't..." She couldn't reconcile her own self harm to this truth being forced upon her. The worst part, the bent nail preventing her from shutting this coffin, was that the more she thought about it, the more she knew, Giovanna would agree. She'd agree with everything these people were saying. She'd been preaching it since they were kids... "This whole country... It should all just, go up in flames." Edited March 5 by Nanami Touko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRDRHAWK Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Tanya had finished catching her breath, and was just off to the side watching the Tigers’ training. While she’d wanted to get in on it from the start, she knew ultimately that it wasn’t meant for her quite as much, and she took that in stride. It had been a long time since she’d seen Jeremiah working in some way, so it was nice, especially since her earlier panic had subsided. Of course, now she had another potential crisis on her hands, but this one was much more manageable. ”Oh, we’re heading off now? Alright, little hero, lead the way.” Tanya teased, sure that Miria would probably eat her clean out of her funds. But she didn’t mind quite so much as she thought she would, logically. Mina still felt a little bad for interrupting, but it was assuaged to a degree by both Lord Gaffney, and by the commander — Tasha, she had to mentally correct herself. Gods, this sort of thing was always intimidating for her, and yet Ryon still suggested she go and ask anyways. ”Right. Um, my name’s Mina. Mina Sabnoc. I’m one of the medics in town.” Mina went through the easy part first, then took a deep breath. Her tail swished about behind her, almost like a cat’s. The irony wasn’t lost on her, either. “And I was wondering if you needed another healer for… whatever it is you have planned for the coming days. Something’s telling me you might need it. Nyx watched Ullr take off, then slumped to the ground. Fuck, that hit took more out of her than she realized. Then again, she hadn’t realized that maybe it wasn’t so great an idea to go hard so soon after taking a nasty bump to the noggin, especially when she was… Oh, right. Nyx was a year older now. Granted, it was pretty easy to forget given everything that was going on lately, but Nyx also figured that turning 35 didn’t matter quite as much. Considering a lot of those years were either fuzzy in her mind, or spent doing some heinous shit, it was probably for the best, but still. Deciding that laying ass-up on the ground was also pretty terrible for her, Nyx sought comfort from the most comfy person in the group, practically draping herself over Syndra. “Don’ mind me, jus’ gotta get some girlfriend cuddles in.” Nyx teased, before realizing she was almost definitely interrupting something between her and Owen. Oops. “Uh, don’ mind me, Lord. Jus’… uh, yeah.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Gean grunted as she swung her axe into the training dummy before her. Despite repeated attempts, she failed to replicate the move that let her succeed with her uncle. Gean wiped her brow in frustration, before turning her head to more sword swings. The source of the sound was Aly and Sari both teaming up against Jeremiah. There was a fierce back and forth, both sides going at with the same intensity that Kise had just moments ago. It… stung at Gean how little she understood of fights of this caliber. Speaking of Kise, she was relaxing with Renais and Akai. The sight did bring back the blush to Gean’s cheeks. She was just… she knew how to stick herself in Gean's mind. Her beauty of course but she was strong, even after all that happened with the underground. I said I wanted to catch up to Lucille, but she's not the only one now. Gean tightened her grip on her axe and returned to swinging, her determination renewed. She'd need to talk to Kise later, and thank her for this experience. For now she needed to get this footwork down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 "Hm? Ah... I figured." Owen spoke in a hushed whisper as he heard Marigold's voice, turning his head slowly towards the source. "I can't condemn people freeing anyone they wish over personal judgements... but let's call it a trial of his conviction under watch. This time." The prince wondered whether he had a penchant to find very willful subordinates, or if his authority was that lax... but most certainly, it wasn't the time to ponder these sorts when he got approached by another --The Belrose, in fact. "Ah. Syndra... a question, is it?" Owen turned to address her, tense and hushed in response, turning a head quickly to see if he disturbed Kieran's conversation --which gladly wasn't the case, before taking a few steps back, and turning towards the Belrose. "Do go on, I have the time." He was still able to catch a glimpse of Kieran's conversation, though time to process his words would be another matter. "Mmm." And it seemed one of the other Tigers was also fond of Syndra, Owen acknowledged the woman with a brief nod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy12510 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 "Ah well I promise not to take- oh, Nyxied?! You... I'll allow this, I guess I did promise you some 'physical activity' following the training session after all." Syndra said as she failed to hide the blush on her face and exasperation in her voice. It's not like she hated having her arms around her anyway, and she wasn't really disturbing anything. Syndra cleared her throat and looked back at Owen and said: "Anyway Lord Owen you had mentioned something about Kazran's forces the other day, most importantly that my father wasn't assisting him currently. It would be beneficial to all of us if that's the case, so I was wondering if you knew anything pertaining as to why my father pulled his forces out from Kazran's domain." Even if Owen didn't have all the answers, any knowledge was useful, especially since getting through Islexia would be a lot easier for the Tigers if Syndra's father was pre-occupied with something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 "Ah. No, I wouldn't say he ever invested his forces hard on Kazran's domain to begin with. Rather..." A quick pause to find his words, Owen wasn't expecting the question from Syndra --rather, that her perception on Islexian politics was off, but not knowing how long she was away, it seemed reasonable to explain. "It was more of a matter of waiting and letting things resolve themselves. While my stance can be interpreted as a threat, Kazran is a greedy buffoon. Between his deals with bandits and the Underground, and his tactless self-assertions, I've no doubt Nicolas knows the man wants to expand his land until he matches the Belrose's influence. Lofty, and a fantastic way to lose crucial support." He cleared his throat. "I think your father knows that leaving Kazran to exhaust himself in this siege is the better option, even if he might not win." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 "You really are the one of the last of the people I need to worry about, it's just my nature to be concerned for everyone's safety. The closer you are to my heart the more I want you safe and sound." She stepped over and sat next to the kitsune and Akai. "But you're right, Jeremiah isn't an easy opponent when he's serious, so I really do think you'll be fine. It's just Luthier really gave me a scare, I want nothing more than to..." Her thoughts drifted to a darker side, Renais had never hated anyone as much as she had that man. Kise could see her face twist into a slight scowl, but Akai's whine brought her out of it and back to a smile. "Ah, no. He's not worth the thought, not when there's work to be done." She gently put her hand on Kise's. "I know you'll keep your promise, Kise. I'll try not to worry as much, but I was thinking, once our business concludes here maybe we can do something fun. You, me and Gean. I think we could use the R&R, maybe I could convince Lucy to cover for me too. I'd feel bad giving her so much work but...well I'll make it up to her." She looked Kise in the eye. "What do you think?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakezuGD Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Elisa watched Alvira's exuberance at the show with a somewhat sheepish smile. She's really pushing herself just because I decided to show off, huh... I really should try to teach her a little more now that her affinity's coming back. Still, just like Tio's praise indicated, the dragon's showcased ability was quite good, considering she could barely even call upon her fire on command without heavily exerting herself... and doing her best to mimic how the Evoker had cast her own spell was a good enough mood booster, with how dreary things had been ever since Sylmaria had shown up. "That's a really good effort, Alvira, but you should try to keep things in moderation, don't want you collapsing just out of excitement, do we?" Her concern punctuated with a small laugh, the strawberry blonde refocused her attention on Jesse, now that she had come up to show off her own thing. Though the form was certainly different to that of Miria's armor, both in looks and function, the actual underlying mechanics felt very similar at first glance. Just looking at the effects didn't feel like a guarantee that everyone who was able to use these things would have the same abilities manifest, more like something that took the person using them into account somehow... how that could have been was beyond Elisa's understanding of magical engineering and circuit-resonance amplification, even when she was a relative expert on the latter. "I do get the same feeling that I did from Miria's armor, but that magic of yours seems to match its affinity, unlike hers. It's difficult for me to tell exactly what's going on, but it's clear to me that yours is wind-based, while although Miria's is earth-based, it comes out as fire magic in her case, to which I can only speculate as to why that is." Speculation best left in her head for now, and maybe something to talk about with Tio later. She cast a brief look toward Sylmaria, who seemed to only continue being distressed, now being spoken to by... him. Well, if he was out and about, and managing to pull the waterworks out of the downtrodden dragon, they could probably leave him alone for the moment. It didn't take long for another person still to grace them, the same Clouded who had put on something of a show against Jeremiah earlier with her rather flashy style of magic, getting a small twirl from Elisa as she pivoted to meet her. "You'd be correct! Elisa Candialia, wife to this lovely lady right here and the Alliance's foremost fire mage as well as expert on magic circuits and spell development. You left a bit of an impression with your fighting earlier, the technique feels similar to how Tio does things but in a more kinetic fashion, even if your control isn't quite at the same level yet." Behind everything, this time it was Alriana and Versaris's turn to push Jeremiah a little by the look of things, but that one felt like they'd easily contain things on their own. This girl was pretty cute, and also very useful, if she was a proficient healer. They'd gotten into a much better situation recently in terms of medics than just having to rely on Renais, for sure, but you could never have too many, unless they were all you had. Still, the request seemed... a bit gung-ho, for lack of a better way to explain the thought to herself, to Tasha. This was a real military-on-military conflict they were heading into, and she wanted to be certain that much was understood. "I won't say no to having the assistance of more medics, but I want to make sure you know what you're getting into. We're heading into a full-on military assault, and I'd rather only have people with combat experience with us at the front, yeah? If that sounds like too much for you, we'll still appreciate having more people doing field hospital stuff, so your contribution would be welcome regardless." Tasha found her gaze drifting again as Aly and Sari put up a fierce fight against Jeremiah, definitely again looking more like a real battle than the training matches he'd had against the others, but she was reasonably confident that those two knew where their limits lied. Still, the teamwork between the white bullet of a monster and the swift swordsman was a thing of beauty to watch, almost enough to make her a little jealous her and Alvira's fighting styles differed so much... but such limitations were designed to be worked around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 (edited) Kieran looked over at Sylmaria, her facade was broken, and he wasn't sure if it was coming back. The reality of the world was crushing her, crushing her being like it had so many others. Sylmaria was only lucky that it was only metaphorical so far, as so many had feel the crushing weight translated upon their bones by the swing of an Islexian's axe. Kieran's eyes closed as he pondered the question; it was a question he had to ask himself recently, a question that pervaded his thoughts now that he had been made to question all that he had known. When Kieran finally opened his eyes, he was staring towards the sun, now approaching the zenith of it arc, "I don't know. I haven't answered that question for myself. It's nothing like what's happened with you, but... I can say that I was doing the same thing. Maybe we all are." Then Kieran's eyes drifted back down to the distraught dragon, and nodded, "Yeah... maybe it does all need to burn. Islexia truly... this place and our leaders, our history... I don't know, but I do know one thing at least. We can start by taking Kazran's head from his shoulders." Versaris wandered over and expressed his concern for Alriana, Jeremiah chuckled to himself as Versaris started collecting Alriana, who still hadn't really moved since crashing her entire being into Jeremiah, "Sparing a hand for your significant other before your teacher... it seems as if you're already learning well, Versaris." The man snickered, but stopped as Lucretia walked up waving her staff over the trio, frowning all the while over their spar. Jeremiah blinked for a moment before the snicker returned as a hearty laugh, "Sorry, sorry... it's just... I know you've never met her, but, Serena really would have been saying the same thing about a spar like that." And probably more given what Alriana is... That will be a difficult conversation. "Please don't take my laughing as dismissive, Lucretia. You're quite right, there was no reason to engage in a spar at that level... on the surface at least." Jeremiah stood up, letting Versaris focus all of his attention on Alriana, and began to whisper to the buxom healer, "I needed to be sure that the two of them would be able to handle fighting together. I couldn't let them go without knowing that the two of them are going to be in sync with one another, and that they realize that they'll have to fight together if they both plan on facing what they plan on facing together. The confidence to know that they can keep up with me, even if I am holding back, will help them going forward, both on the battlefield, and in fields like this one." Jeremiah then backed away, and offered Lucretia a warm smile, "Genuinely, thank you for your concern in your work; I'll have to pay it back to you at some point. Now then... I believe there's still plenty of time to hone their edge..." Jeremiah wandered off to watch, and help instruct the Tigers. He could see it plain, this was a very unique group, and that couldn't be more evident then through how quickly the Tigers seemed to improve fighting one another, and himself. Many of them seemed to have latent potential that seemed to be waiting for the moment to come forth. Perhaps that was why they'd crossed paths with Lucille; she too was a talent well beyond her years, and with time, she'd easily surpass even the best mages in Lufiria, if she hadn't already. Jeremiah's eyes looked to the skies, knowing that he wouldn't see the princess's diminutive pegasi gliding through the air as they so often did. Where exactly had the Princess gone, and why exactly had she been so adamant on protecting the Escaflowne? Jeremiah looked over at the Evokers; he hadn't found the time to converse with them over the veracity of Alvira's claims--claims he'd already accepted as a possibility. But what exactly did that mean? If the Tigers really had encounter Mercuria, and she had tried to command them to bring her the Escaflowne... had Lucille been commanded herself, or was there something more to this? Jeremiah shook his head, Lucille knew far more about the happenings across the continent, and without her or their expert, he was as in the dark as anyone else, and he knew that Lucille was far too magically gifted to be swayed in such a manner. He'd just have to find her, and with any luck, the Tigers would lead him right to her--there was no other way to explain how fortuitous it was for the Tigers, and then Celine Altair to happen across Lucille. But that was time he needed to spend later, now was the time to make sure that the Tigers were even capable of surviving the jaws of Islexia... June 15th, 1218 PAF Location: Off the Coast of Northern Islexia. Time: 8PM Despite not having been officially selected for the mission itself, Kieran milled about on the desk of the Maelstrom. It was all so perfect. Too perfect even. Aegean, and Cass managed the heading of the boat down to the minutae of what this Leon fellow had laid out for him. Marigold had long since explained that the man wasn't Leon, but was in fact, one of Lufiria's top officials, but Leon made more sense to him. That man had stayed behind, along with the Evokers, as the three of them were political bombs of proportions that dwarfed that of the Evoker-- Stop that and focus. This is going way too well... Even if Kazran's not the brightest spell in the bunch, we haven't seen a single goddamn ship of his since we set out. While fortuitous, it was concerning. Had Kazran caught wind of their attack? Even Kieran knew that Kazran's ships patrolled this area decently well, even if Jeremi--Leon's instructions were perfect, there should have been something but as the fog on the seas began to part, before them appeared the entrance to the sea cavern. "No fucking way it was this easy..." Kieran hopped up, and made his way to the helm of the ship, "We're ahead of schedule, there's the cave opening." Kieran could feel his body starting to quiver, he wasn't even going to be on the ground--resigned to protecting the Maelstrom--but with the cave opening in front of them, and seemingly no defenses in sight, their fortunes couldn't be better. "I can't be the only one who's thinking this worked too well, right? Shouldn't we have seen something?" Location: Beacon Castle, Islexia "Stop. Moving!" An exasperated, feminine voice shouted as Cereza glared at Kazran. "You're only making this harder and harder, when you could just ask one of the--" "No." Kazran said, his voice filled with malice, "I'm not trusting one of those hacks to handle this. I'm not trusting one of her hacks to handle this, when it was her who let this happen to me!" Kazran almost growled the words out, words nearly bursting forth as flame. "I need someone who I can fucking trust to do things right, and so far, it seems as if it's only you, Cereza. Damned halfbloods, damned filth... Didn't think they'd come back, and use the fucking cave. Impossible. It should have been impossible, but that fucking hussy can't even line proper defenses!" Cereza kicked Kazran, "Yes, I do remember telling you that she wasn't worth the name of her family, but I'm quite sure you weren't listening to me while your eyes were glued Galari knows where." She rolled her eyes, and worked with the blades of metal, trying to draw the bullet lodged in his shoulder. "We're killing the pirates tonight, right? I don't plan on having such filth stinking up our castle for long. I know you likely have plans for the women, but... what of the one who shot you? Surely you won't find anyone willing to part with much for... that?" Kazran barely flinched from the woman's kick, but winced as she went in deeper with the blades, "I plan to auction all of them off. I'm sure that Luthier would be dying to see how some of these pirates tick, especially the one with the coward's weapon. He was interested in the stain that we took from her ship. I still plan on breaking her apart slowly; Luthier will only need her breathing, and I doubt he'll care if she dies on the way to whatever place that demon takes her. All I know is that she's going to die, and it's not going to be fast, and easy, it's going to be slow, and agonizing. Then I'll find the stain, and make sure that it knows that I'm going to send it to meet her. Where's fucking Giovanna? I want to know all of the fucking damage that she allowed to happen under her goddamned watch. When we're done here, go and tell Vermeil to make sure that the prisoners know that they aren't going to see another sunrise." Edited March 10 by Mercenary on the Winds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 The days in Eslcas had managed to both fly by and yet also crawl at a snail's pace. Roxanne had found herself imbued with knowledge from tutors she could have only dreamed of having the chance to study from, had met and made a few fast friends even if their time together would be short. Yet, every moment where she was unsure about how this assault would go was painfully slow. Unable to tell M that Jane was safe, to cool her temper just enough to coordinate their vengeance without need to rush and ensure her safety. A letter sent ahead was the best she was able to do, and with no way to know whether M had received it with no coordinates to find her, naught but a vague direction from which she would sail, the tension was becoming unbearable. At least they were arriving. By the end of the night, Kazran would lie dead, or instead they would in the attempt. Yet Roxanne found her nerves not at all calmed. It was quiet, far too quiet. Even now, as their avenue of attack came into view through the fog... no patrols whatsoever. It had always been sparsely guarded, that was the whole plan. Break the meager defenses, swarm the keep from the inside and sever the snake's head from his body. But no resistance at all? No ships at all, not even a scouting vessel dotted in the waters? And no sign or M either. They were ahead of schedule to be certain, but not so much that M would have not yet been nearby, and surely nothing prowling the coastal waters would have been enough to waylay her from this, of all things. As one of Gaffney's men pointed out the obvious ease of their arrival, the pit in Roxanne's stomach grew, the sheep grinding her teeth and fidgeting as she leaned just a little further over the railing, eyes desperate to make out something, anything to tell her that the rest of M's crew were just now to sail into view. Shark Tail Spoiler Cass had worked her way down to the rooms they were sharing with the mercenaries, and now the few additions to their Kazran assault party. The dragon was one thing; it didn't matter to Cass how beautiful she was, she had ‘do not approach’ written all over her, but the sheep… Cass went over a few lines as she walked towards her room, finally glancing over her clothes. “Too casual…? Well… it is late, but…” She'd left the dress in her room, opting for her nightwear: short shorts and a tank top, enough to let the skin breathe and the guns stay out on display… Not that you're nearly buff enough to start flexing like that, but… It feels good. She finally stopped in front of Roxanne's room and blushed a bit, hesitating to knock… for a moment. “Hey,” She called as she tapped against the wood. “Hope a visit this late isn't… frowned upon, in your lovely pirate group." Roxanne had been in the process of winding down, laying on her bed provided to her in a loose nightgown and absentmindedly looking over a light tome, when a knock came at her door. She certainly hadn’t been expecting a visitor, not at this time of night at any rate. The voice that accompanied the knock quickly identified the visitor. “Oh, Cass. No, not especially… let me open the door.” The sheep answered, setting her tome down on the bedside table as she exited the bed with a small leap, wheeling her arms about upon landing to maintain her balance. Faceplant successfully averted, Roxanne took a few strides towards the door, opening it to reveal her visitor. Well, whatever it was Cass intended to speak with her about couldn’t have been anything overly serious or professional, given she had come garbed in nightwear. The sharks arms and legs were left quite evidently on display in the outfit, generating a small blush from the sheep. “What can I do for you?” “You can let me in, for starters… How's that sound?” Cass didn't push her way in, but she did smirk some at the sheep already turning red. “Cute… Just came to have that chat, like I suggested. Maybe more, if you're amenable… I'm careful when I kiss, promise.” She winked and smiled her sharp smile, leaning against the door frame. “Mostly… I'm curious about you. What Lufiria is like… What your pirate friends are like. This boss of yours, and… I guess, your dreams for the future.” Cass’ smile fell some, following it to the ground with her eyes. “I'm… Really putting on a tough show, Roxanne. To the point that even someone I've just met, I'm willing to admit it. This whole ordeal with Kazran… It's been many long years. I'm… I'm only eighteen. Barely an adult… Owen's the same. I don't know how he does it, my brother is… Truly amazing. Yet, here I am batting eyes at women much older than me~” She regained her smile and leaned a bit closer. “Doesn't bug you that I'm fresh off the presses?” “Oh, yeah, of course.” Roxanne replied, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as she stepped aside from the door and gestured for Cass to enter. A somewhat goofy smile adorned her face alongside her blush as the shark began to explain what she wanted to talk about, although the mood quickly turned just a touch as Cass mentioned her worries. It didn’t take long for Cass to rebound, but it didn’t stop Roxanne from leaning in and giving the shark a quick hug, resting the younger woman’s head on her abundant floof, gently petting her hair. “Well… that’s quite a few topics, Cass. We can start wherever you want… but you know, you don’t need to put on a show for me. I’m sure being the Lord’s sister is… a lot of pressure, especially during times of conflict, but I’m not one of your subjects so… don’t think you need to keep up some kind of decorum or whatever. We’ll get rid of Kazran… rid Islexia of him, rid Eslcas of him. This place is… I didn’t think a place like this could exist in Islexia. I don’t think I could manage to be in your position, to be honest.” Roxanne began, trying to comfort Cass as best she could, although… “I’m not that old… I’m only twenty-four. From the way you’re talking it sounds like you think I’m in my thirties or something…” “H-Hey…” Cass was a bit startled to get hugged, but it wasn't a bad feeling, slowly holding her and listening to her words. It was a lot of comforting repetitions, but it was stuff she definitely needed to hear. “You're sweet, Roxanne… And hey, twenty four is still plenty older than me. Although, that's not what you should be concerned with.” Cass’ hug got tighter, squeezing the sheep close, as she nuzzled her lips to her neck and planted a kiss, then another, slowly kissing up to her cheek. “You're brave to get so close after all that I said… Unless you were looking forward to this~?” “Nnh~!” Roxanne shuddered a bit as Cass moved in for the attack, the sensation of kisses floating up her neck foreign to her. It wasn’t unpleasant by any definition, but it caught her woefully off guard, face turning bright red. “Ahaha… if I told you I hadn’t even thought about you doing… that, would you believe me?” Roxanne admitted with a nervous chuckle, letting herself lean into the warm embrace, trying not to squirm under the unfamiliar sensation. “Well I guess, mmm-ah… you seemed confused about me not being used to flirting, so I guess that’s a place to start. M’s crew, well… we’re all misfits, of sorts. Didn’t fit in back in Lufiria… for me, it was because of my magic. It’s… broken. My conduits aren’t a parlour trick, I need them to use offensive magic at all. But for the rest of them… most of us aren’t what most would call… socially acceptable monsters. Captain M… she’s a full on moth. Compound eyes and mandibles, the whole nine yards. I got sent here above anyone else because I look… for lack of a better term, normal. I don’t stick out. Everyone… they’re all sweethearts and I love them, but I’m not really what they’re looking for in a partner. Remind them too much of the so called ‘regular’ Lufirians that looked down on them.” Roxanne explained… talking was good. It kept her grounded, stopped the pleasurable feeling of Cass’ lips dancing on her neck from doing more than making her breathing a little heavy and turning her face into a ripe tomato. “So that’s… mmm… that’s my deal. Not a lot of flirting with the crew, and back in Ulara… I fell so far behind on my magic studies before I got those things that all of my classmates… well they were actually young enough to think I was an old lady.” “Mmm… It sounds like you've had it pretty rough. Magic is really serious in Ulara, then? In Lufiria?” Cass pulled back enough to watch her face, enjoying the reddening, the increase in her breathing, the flushing… But she didn't want to be rude. She was genuinely curious. Magic, huh… “Sounds like the rest of your crew is missing out. I'm not a very normal Clouded, and I don't see anything wrong with you~ Full on moth though, huh… I look forward to meeting her. I've never seen an insect Clouded before, save for that little girl the mercenaries brought in…” The thought of someone with mandibles was… Interesting, to say the least. “Since you've been so open and inviting… You wanna know a secret, Roxy?” Cass smirked a bit and slid a hand around her waist, tugging her ever so much closer. “You got a bruise or anything left from all that training?” “Pretty serious, yeah. Ulara is the border city, so whenever folk like Belrose get fancy ideas, it’s the place they attack when they get across the sands. I’ve never been further inland myself, but I’m told that aside from maybe the Capital, Ulara is pretty much at the forefront of magical tech.” Roxanne noted, wondering for a few moments just what had changed back home since she had been away. Things in Ulara moved so quickly that it was difficult to imagine what they might have come up with in the meantime… “Mmm, they don’t think there’s anything wrong with me, really. Just personal baggage, I suppose. As for M… I’m sure she’ll be happy to entertain some meetings after Kazran is dealt with, when we bring Jane back to her. She’s a tad peculiar… loves to tinker, has a fully customized pistol that’s basically her pride and joy… but she means well, and has kept our little ragtag team together.” The sheep continued for a few more moments, until her rambling was cut off by Cass sneaking in closer once again, eliciting a yelp and further reddening from Roxanne, the sheep’s gaze drawn to the movement of the lips that had not long before been assaulting her neck. “A secret? If you’re comfortable, I umm… bruises… I don’t think so? Not that I noticed anyway…” “No bruises? That's fine. Let's see if we can't help some of that general fatigue, then.” The hand on Roxanne's waist slowly slid up her back, fingers tracing her spine, definitely on purpose, until it was resting, flat palm against her. Cass closed her eyes and focused, as a wave of comforting energy washed over the sheep, finally opening them again with a sigh. “Oops… Not only a Clouded, but with her own innate magic… Only Owen knows I'm capable. He said it'd be best not to give people any more reasons to hate me here. They've got a real penchant for spitting on magic, y'know?” Cass smirked and was all hugs again, slowly walking the sheep towards the bed in their close, gentle embrace. “Just a little secret between you and me, since you've been so open about yourself. I've gotta say, Roxy, a nice, sweet little woman like you, I just can't see you diving head first into a battle with someone like Kazran…” Cass slipped onto the bed and tugged the sheep down with her, smiling across at her with something of a giggle. “But I'm looking forward to it, all the same. Make sure you save some for the rest of us, yeah?” Her digits slid across Roxanne's nightgown, lightly tugging at it… Roxanne wasn’t exactly sure how Cass setting the nerves in her back on fire with her tender touches was meant to do anything about bruising… fatigue perhaps, until the familiar sensation of healing magic flowed into her through the point of contact, Roxanne giving Cass a slight questioning look as her face smoldered, the shark explaining herself. “I’ll never understand it. Magic is so fascinating… I guess I can get the idea of being scared of someone who can immolate you on the spot, but folk are really going to get judgey over someone being able to heal your wounds?” Roxanne mused, allowing herself to slowly breathe in and out to try and balance the feeling that had shot up her spine, as Cass began to walk her across the room to the bed, the shark pulling her down onto the soft sheets. Roxanne couldn’t help but avert her eyes with a slight chuckle escaping her at the implications of the position. “Well, I appreciate that you trust me enough to tell me. You might call me sweet, but… that man needs to die. He’s a blight… you didn’t walk up until after, but the big guy said that I was more suited than any of the Tigers for the sort of scrap we’re going to get into. Although saving some of Kazran… not really my call. M has been polishing her gun, assembling and disassembling it like a woman obsessed ever since Jane was taken. It’s her intention to end him with one perfect shot between the eyes. I don’t think you’ll convince her, so try to get your hits in before she can take-” Roxanne prattled on for a few moments, before the hand sliding across and tugging at her gown pulled her out of her words, catching in her throat as she gulped at the touch, flustering and shrinking at it. It was frankly a miracle her limbs hadn’t gone numb, there surely was no blood for them left in her body. “The shot?” Cass finished Roxanne's sentence for her before climbing on top, her hand having snuck its way into her nightgown. “That's fine by me… I'd love to kill him with my own two hands, but, so long as he dies, that's all I need. If you've got a beautifully angry side hiding under all this fluff, I'll be looking forward to seeing it.” She leaned in close and pressed their foreheads together, smiling lightly. “The real question is… Do I stop here, and leave it at teasing, or do we work off some stress, then cuddle up for the night… What's the call, Roxy? I won't be disappointed with either. Don't feel pressured just because I've got my hand in your clothes… It's just nice in here. That's all~” Her palm gently ran across the sheep's stomach, sliding ever forward, Cass more than aware of how hard she was pushing this. “I promise I don't bite~” It was a good thing that Cass had managed to finish her sentence, because Roxanne was thoroughly lacking in ability to do so herself. Cass had effectively mounted her, the shark’s hand invading her gown as she pressed in close, their faces touching. Roxanne made a few paltry attempts to give Cass some sort of answer, her lips not managing to do more than uselessly flap without making an appreciable sound past an impotent squeak, as Roxanne felt her heart beating at an increasingly rapid pace. It was all she could do to maintain eye contact with Cass, that simple action taking up just about all of her available brainpower. “Err, I umm, that is to say- hyih!” Launching a veritable word salad could not save her composure any longer, as Cass slid her fingers across her bare stomach to cut the attempt before it could get off the ground. Heart pounding, breathing heavily as her chest heaved, Roxanne could do little past feel her vision draw down to Cass mouth as she promised not to bite, the juxtaposition of her deadly teeth and soft lips intrinsically inviting to the eye. “That, is, to, say…” Cass kissed across her cheek again, down to her neck, teeth gently sliding across her skin. She didn't dare try to nip or play bite at her, lest something go wrong, but the scare of such always excited her. “I'm not gonna do anything until you give me an answer. Well, anything more than tease you. You keep squeaking like that, maybe I do this all night~” It was tempting, very tempting… The hand on Roxanne's stomach stopped just shy of her bounty, keeping to her word, even if she was testing the limits of it. “So soft… So cute. Can't believe someone so fluffy and adorable is gonna go sear folks in a few days~ I do love a woman that can be both cute and killer…” That was it, then. If she didn’t give Cass some sort of answer, the shark was just going to combo her to death off of the bedframe. While Roxanne’s heart continued to race, Cass stopping her advance on cue at least gave her a momentary lapse. Was it enough to collect herself? Heavens no, there were likely pieces of the sheep that would never be collected again, however… “To say, umm, err…” A low moan quivered out from her lips as the neck kisses and near nips recommenced. “Perhaps… begin with the cuddling, so I might catch up?” Roxanne offered, not wanting to outright reject the shark’s advances. None of it was unpleasant, but she was assuredly far out of her depth. “Okay~” Cass quit her touches, retreated her hand, and squeezed Roxanne tight, resting against her with a quiet sigh. “Not going to complain about getting to hug someone so cute. If you get brave enough to want more… Then gimme a kiss, and I'll take that as a sign~” Hopefully that would do, nuzzling up nice and close to Roxanne. “So soft… must be what makes you a sheep.” “Well actually, I think it was my dad. Sorry, that was awful.” Roxanne joked, Cass easing off the gas as Roxanne asked to slow down a little… a lot. It was appreciated, gave the sheep the opening she needed to be a bit of a dork as a coping mechanism to prevent her heart bursting from her chest. Allowing herself to wrap her arms around the shark as opposed to lying uselessly at her side, Roxanne leaned into the nuzzle, gently petting Cass hair again. “Sorry for, ahh… breaking down so completely. Just… fast, very fast. This is nice. If you, uhh… had other things you wanted to ask me, well…” Roxanne offered, still quite red and radiating heat. “Me? Ask any more? I’ll get your whole life story out of you at this rate. ‘Ah, when I was five, I tripped over a birthday gift before I unwrapped it and landed face first into my fluff. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life’... Or something like that~” Cass couldn’t help a chuckle, squeezing her only tighter as she was pet back, comfortable, soft, forgetting about the future and her duties. “I don’t like to have any regrets… And you’re too pretty to ignore, Roxanne. Maybe it was different in Ulara, or with your pirate pals, but…” Cass looked up, a moment of sincerity upon her. “If you were staying, I’d be serious about you. Plenty serious… But, I can’t leave Eslcas, and you’ll probably go back to your crew… Maybe… Stop by, every now and then…?” She let something of a sigh out, but it was quiet, it was hidden. “Otherwise I’ll have to settle for one of my retainers… Gods forbid something arranged with another duchy. Can’t imagine any other lord out there would want me as anything other than a freak trophy or a fetish item~ Ah, Islexians…” She shook her head a bit, smiling again. “None of that matters right now. Tell me about whatever you’d like, I’ll listen. Intently… And if you’re too frazzled to think of anything, then we can just stay like this. You’re very comfortable, Roxanne…” “How did you know? Are you some sort of spymaster? Seriously though… the most embarrassing moment of my life, well that’s obvious. It was when despite the gift my parents gave me, both mages with a strong light affinity and good circuits, and raised in an environment to nurture my magic… I couldn’t cast. Not a single ray of light. When I found out I was broken.” Roxanne replied, her ears drooping for a few seconds before she let out a sigh, nuzzling into Cass harder and giving the shark a fervent squeeze. “Bah… enough about that though.” Roxanne pouted, meeting Cass gaze as she became serious. As much as this was being treated like a fling by the shark, that really was the reality of things. She was the Lord’s sister, and Roxanne would be departing from Eslcas in short order. It wasn’t that Cass didn’t want things to be serious, to be real in a sense, but the realities of their stations were simply as such. “I… I can’t speak for M but… the Tigers rescued Jane, and after we put Kazran down, with her safe and riding in with the cavalry… I feel like she, all of us, will owe you a great debt. I don’t think she’ll refuse you visits. Especially not with a friendly port.” Roxanne replied, gently petting Cass as she did so, letting her fingers flow through the shark’s soft hair. Trying to imagine Cass as an obedient trophy wife in a loveless marriage… to say it suited her would be the furthest thing from the truth. “Somehow I can’t imagine someone like that avoiding the bad end of your teeth overly long. You seem like way too free a spirit to get caged like that… I’ve not spoken all that much with your Lord brother, but he didn’t seem the type to doom you to such a thing.” “Aww, Roxy… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… Mmm.” It seemed as though she’d stumbled across something truly troublesome in the sheep’s memories, leaving her sighing, ever so quietly, trying to focus on everything else. “Yes… If I was stuck in that sort of marriage… I’d probably get myself out, not long after it started, consequences be damned. And I know Owen would never do something like that to me… On purpose. After Kazran, it’ll all be politics. Boring, tiring politics… And I’m a piece on that board~ I’ll have to handle things like that whether I want to or not… Hahhnn…” Cass gave Roxanne a sudden tight squeeze, nuzzling her face into her chest and getting extra comfy. “We’ll see how things shake out, then. It’d be nice to have you visit more, so hopefully… After giving her back her daughter, killing this menace, and maybe giving you some more safe waters to work in… Yeah~ It’d be nice. It’d be really nice…” Cass slowly closed her eyes… Not drifting off, not that easily, but it was nice to imagine a much better future. “It’s not your fault, Cass. I just feel bad, I guess. Everyone seems so impressed with my magic, but really the only thing special about it is the tool I have to use to even be able to cast at all. I can’t heal without a staff, either… if anything, you’re a more impressive mage than I am in that regard.” Roxanne shook her head, there was no need to get heavy, at least not in that direction. There was enough weight already upon them, with what they needed to do in a scant few days. “I can’t say I really understand politics, especially not those of Islexia but… if you’re ever going off somewhere where you think you’ll need an escape by sea, don’t be afraid to leave a letter for me. If this all works out, I think we might have collaboration in our future. It would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Roxanne cuddled a bit closer as Cass rested on her, allowing the shark to get comfy. Much easier to do that now that her chest had stopped heaving at a rapid pitch. “Heh… You’re a real sweet talker, you know? You know what to stay, despite how embarrassed you got before… Mmm, okay. I’ll make sure to leave a letter for you, Roxanne. Hopefully you’ll come for me, in my hour of need~” This was the most comfortable she’d been in weeks, maybe months… Her retainers, much as they served her brother’s interests… Admittedly shied away from her, for reasons they simply couldn’t remove from their minds. Beliefs ingrained in them due to the soil they were raised on. They didn’t want to shed further Clouded blood, but that didn’t mean they wanted to lay with one. So this… This was wonderful. Beautiful. Peace. “Well, I don’t know about that. I’m just speaking my mind… despite being born of an awful thing, this whole situation here… it worked out in such a marvelous way. We just need to stick the landing. It was never about the gold, the loot… all we ever really wanted was to get back at the sorts of people who would deride us for who we are. Things we had no say in, how we were born… guys like Kazran. Take them down a peg, put them in the dirt. A place like Eslcas, an oasis in this desert of bigotry… I think M will want to see it thrive. And if I can tug on her ear a little… I’ll swing the ship by if you need me, to the best that I can.” Roxanne added, snuggling into Cass a bit further, getting comfortable. This… this was nice. This was within what she was prepared to handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Sylmaria had nothing left for herself. Her wounds were open, bare and bleeding for anyone to see. She couldn't close them, so she'd focus elsewhere. Focus on what mattered. "I'll kill him. I'll gut him and crush him and rip him to pieces... Like he'd do any less of he got his hands on me. Mark my words Kazran... I will see you writhe." Her claws sunk into her arms as she gripped them in anger and frustration, biting her lip hard and shaking a little... as the moment subsided, she leaned back against the wall and looked up to the sky. "So beautiful. Watching over a place so ugly..." I want to see it. You getting angry. Truly angry... Please show me one day, Renais~ "Of course we can! We can be together any time you'd like~ All you have to do is ask, silly... We'll do whatever it is you're interested in, okay? Whatever comforts you wish to indulge, I'm sure we'll find something we can all enjoy together~" The fox was all smiles, genuine smiles, nothing like Jeremiah has received. "You just say the word..." Alvira stood upon the deck of the ship, going through her tomes and equipment. Rather than any anxiety, she was almost excited. These were truly awful people working for a truly awful man. She needed such arenas to truly calm down in the face of what she had to face going forward. "Hahh... Hopefully we land sooner than later. I'm not cut out for boat rides... And I want to get started as soon as we can." She snapped her book shut and looked out over the waters, hoping to catch a glimpse of something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Gean let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding as the Maelstrom approached their destination. To say she was nervous was an understatement, but thanks to her lessons over the last few days, and Cass’ help, they had arrived not only in one piece but also ahead of schedule. “Well that’s step one, now to land us.” As Gean said those words to herself, Keiran approached to mention how easy things had been, which wasn't helping her nerves either. Gean called out to the leaders of the operation. “What's the call? We ready to land?” Jesse stood by on deck peering through the fog. She would not be one of the assault group, instead keeping watch of the ship. She was feeling confident, the training from the last few days had borne fruit for all present, especially the Tigers, and she had learned a few more things about her armor in the process. The green knight approached Miria with a determined look. “Come back in one piece alright partner? We still have to ask Jeremiah about our armor.” Even if Jesse couldn't be there, she'd give her support. Speaking of, she looked around for a certain winged mage. Koba was going out this time, and Jesse wanted to extend the same sentiments to him as well. I know ya’ got this Koba, even if you're unsure yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRDRHAWK Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) Nyx still hated being on boats. Dammit, she may have looked like a pirate, and talked like one, and previously drank like one, but damn if she wouldn’t rather be on solid ground right now. Fortunately, she had a little something else to ground her — or, rather, someone. A certain ice mage Nyx was draped over pretty intently right now, wanting to calm her down before the coming fight. ”Heh. Oi, Synnie, pretty sure this’s ‘ow we started, you n’me. As a whole thing, I mean.” Nyx clarified, pretty sure she hadn’t been brought by boat anywhere before that would matter to Syndra. Then again, that might not be true after all. Fuckin’ Luthier, messing with her head and shit. “‘Member that time we were on th’boat an’ I was posin’ fer ye n’shit? Fun times.” Ignoring the part where Nyx pissed off that one twink. She wondered where Marianne and him were right now, but… ah, surely it wasn’t important. She was just getting sentimental. Tanya’s tail was popping up again, and she annoyedly tried to fluff it back down as she made her way to stand by Miria and Jesse. She worried for the little hero, reminding her so much of Yuria — was that why she always felt drawn to Miria? Huh. Explained quite a bit. ”Hey, you gotta stay in one piece, too, if we’re gonna guard the boat.” Tanya called out to Jesse, as she stood to Miria’s other side. “Don’t worry about our little hero. You know as well as I do that she’s one of the toughest we have on this boat.” Well, maybe not quite the same way, but Tanya didn’t feel like mentioning the time she had a brief gay panic mere seconds after getting her ass beat in an arena fight by Miria. Edited March 11 by MRDRHAWK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy12510 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 The day had finally dawned, hopefully it would be Kazran's final day. Syndra was all smiles as the boat sailed into Kazran's stronghold. Syndra was confident, perhaps overly so, but there wasn't a doubt in Syndra's mind that the Iron Tigers would succeed, even if it took time and effort to do so. Still, after what the Tigers had had to put up with getting this far, its not as if they were going to slow down at this point. The other thing giving Syndra the confidence boost was the ever-charming rogue draped around her right now, bringing up the end of the last boat trip the Tigers were on. "Oh yes that little incident, if I think about it, I probably got us into more trouble there then you did. I still couldn't imagine us winding up as item after that though, but since you brought it up..." Syndra took Nyxied's chin in her hand and looked straight at her. "I don't think I ever paid you back for that... it's a shame we won't get the time for that for a while. Hey, at least it gives us something to look forward to doesn't it?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Laniva stood on the deck of the Maelstrom, patient and pensive. She wore a thin cloak over her armor, today, though not for concealment - no matter how good at sailing Gean and Cass were, nothing was going to hide the Maelstrom in open waters but the fog they'd moved in through. No, it was for the sake of her armor; the last time they'd been aboard a ship, she'd learned that the salt air of the sea had rather a tendency to make maintenance of her armor quite the hassle, and she intended to avoid a repeat of that as much as possible. Not to mention the other inconveniences typically associated with sea travel... this was her second time, now, and for quite some time she'd gone without thinking of the unpleasantries of time spent aboard a ship. The seasickness wasn't quite as bad this time - comparatively a short journey, this one - but she bit her lip and stayed closer to the center of the boat, anxiously awaiting their group's disembarkment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Miria leaned on the taffrail and watched as they made their approach. Boats were never an issue for the cub, she did her best to be used to them after leaving home, as she thought she'd have been back and forth a lot more often. Even with a battle on the horizon, it didn't stop the little hero from embracing the moonlight, and the feeling of the wind on her face. It was better to have calm nerves before the storm of blades that she'd soon be a part of. Her focus was interrupted when Jesse arrived and asked to return safe, both for their sake, and to gain information from Jeremiah. "Yeah. Of course, that's the plan." And she gave a thumbs-up. "Same for you too, be safe." As she was about to return to watching the ocean, Tanya hung by the other side of her. She also flashed a thumbs-up to her. "I gotta live up to your big expectations, I guess." Being called one of their best did feel like an overstatement, even with being proven and told multiple times she was capable. She was good, but she truly wasn't always sure. Miria swallowed that worry, if she felt poor, she'd perform poorly. There was no time for that. "I'll be careful, though. Promise. To both of you." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Alriana tumbled down with the man, in no way able to keep standing after her 'hit' on him. In a real fight it wouldn't have been her head making impact, but rather her teeth tearing into his midsection; she was sure the Lufirian knew as he was quick to get out from under her, not that it bothered her. She didn't want to spend any extra time on top of him, she had just been too spent to move. She laid there like a lump until Versaris had come over, attempting to return his smile between labored breaths. She couldn't stop the huff at Lucretia's complaining, quietly mumbling out a "you lucky it wasn't my teeth that 'hit' with". She let Versaris pull her to her feet as she finished her mumbling, watching Jeremiah turn towards other Tigers that were still in need of training. Her feelings for the man remained conflicted, even with his supposed apology, the Creation unable to quiet the Voice entirely. True to what Cassandra had envisioned for her, Alriana sat in the crow's nest, watching the water for any sign of enemy ships. The job had been surprisingly boring, not a singular ship in sight during the entire voyage. From what she had been told, they had been expecting for there to be at least some vessels in water for her to spot, otherwise they wouldn't have put her up in the crow's nest. As there destination came into view she remained on alert, yet at the same time ready to scramble down the mast if the need arose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Cin was a bit off from most of the group, sat cross legged, with his hands on his knees, trying his best to center himself, to grab a hold of the emotions that were running rampant. This was going to be like the fight against the Underground. Dangerous, yes, but also infuriating. These people viewed him and most of the Tigers as less than, as if they were animals. Worse, even, as they likely took better care of animals than of Clouded or monsters. The same rage that had burned against the Underground was still there, deep in his chest, wanting to break free, to be in control. He had lost that battle against the Underground. If he was being honest, he had barely tried to fight the battle. He couldn't do that now. This was going to be a harder fight, a longer one too, and he couldn't let his anger control him, not when it led to him being reckless. He inhaled, counted slowly to ten, and then exhaled. I will control my emotions. Not the other way around. I need to. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the sky. There was a lot to do today. He needed to be reliable for his companions and that meant being in control. He could... He would do this. Koba sat up at the front of the ship, staring at the cave in front of them. This was it. He fiddled with the various items in his pocket, medicine, a few coins, a worn set of lockpicks, the few remaining pieces of his past life. The life he had left behind to come here instead. If he had known, when he had agreed to do this, to join the Tigers, would he have made the same decision if he had known that it would have led to this? If he had known that saying yes would result in him being part of the strike force aimed at taking the head of one of Islexia's Warlords, would he still have turned from his thieving days and joined? The answer left a aching pit of shame in his stomach, knowing that the answer was likely he would have pretended to say yes and then vanished in the middle of the night, especially given how close he had already come to that at points. Ren, and now Jesse, had kept him from that, but the truth was still there. He wanted to help the group, he knew that, but he also knew that compared to most of them, he was more likely to end up a liability rather than a boon. He clenched his fist, frustration building. How pathetic was he going to keep being? Everyone else was so ready, so prepared, and here he was, scared again. Will I ever not be scared though? I've been running my whole life. I'm tired. Maybe I just have to do this. Scared or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakezuGD Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Much of Tasha's time following their training session was taken up by additional preparation, but things were lined up already, and most of it went into getting things onto the ship itself in the right places. While Owen's people would handle general outfitting, it fell to her to get everyone's equipment and stationing sorted, especially since the lord himself was coming with them. Something about Islexians not approving of the idea of a leader who wasn't fighting on the front themselves, like the barbarians many of them were - she didn't quite approve of the idea, but knew she couldn't do much about it. The country's situation was what it was and the tiger wouldn't pretend to be more knowledgeable about it than her current employer. Now actually underway to their destination, the commander was on point at the helm, trying to use her strong eyesight to their advantage... but the sea fog was so thick, she wasn't being of much use. Approaching the cave mouth, she could at least keep her rifle dialed in, yet there really wasn't anything she could see. A slight confused shrug came from her in response to Aegean, briefly turning her head to give the actual reply. "The call is can't see shit, captain. If this is a trap, they're being real patient about springing it on us." Actually getting to know her fellow mage in service to the same lord brought Bella's spirits up a little regarding the upcoming excursion, but at the same time it raised some questions she hadn't thought of properly since she came back to Islexia. Despite their cordiality, they had been assigned to different parts of the assault team, and so she'd spent the trip on her own, making sure she had enough potions available for a technically non-magical triage for anyone who might need such. Defending the ship wouldn't be too difficult for her either... still, a small sigh left her, looking out at the foggy coast from the crew cabin. She wouldn't get a direct chance at what she left Eslcas for, but she could help the people who would do it in her stead regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 (edited) Kieran grimaced, but from the looks of things, they'd gotten all the way through, and it was going to be time to push forward. Roxanne, or that was what Kieran thought her name was, mentioned something about there being another ship that they could have linked up with for the attack, but it to was nowhere to be found. To him, it seemed obvious what they had to do, but he wasn't going to be the one on the ground--he was going to remain on the ship, with Bella and a number of the others to protect the ship as an escape route if things really did go south. Kieran shook his head, "It doesn't really matter at this point. We've made it this far, the only thing left to do is to push forward, right?" Kieran looked over at the sheep; her eyes had been darting from place to place they'd been getting close. "Hey, eyes focused on the prize. You know that whoever you're looking for is here. They're fine, and you're going to go find them with the others. That's all we've got to go on at this point." With no way to turn back, the Maelstrom entered the sea caves, and when the fog started to clear, it suddenly became clear that things had already been in motion. Just ahead at the docks--also without guards--was a second ship, that didn't look like any ship that Kieran had ever seen before. It didn't flip the standard of Kazran's men, and the general make was more modern than anything Kazran, or even Islexia had its hands on. "...I think we've already got our answer then..." But if there were no guards at the dock, this was going to be the easiest landing that anyone had ever made. Only Kieran couldn't expect that things were only going to get more and more difficult the moment that the Tigers set foot onto the dock, and started making their push towards the castle... One man walked down a set of stairs into a musty basement like area, droplet of water dropping from the ceiling. He clicked his tongue, he truly hated the dungeons, but he'd always been the one that had to give the orders, and execute Kazran's orders. Mostly the latter, he had a damned monster that he could 'trust' would follow his orders to the letter. "Krystal!!! Krystal, where the hell are you?! Haven't got time for your disappearing acts..." Fully armed men and women were patrolling the caves, an unusual sight, but the night before had been an unusual evening. They were still accounting for the dead, and the missing. The attack was swift, and oddly well handled, so it hadn't been other Islexians. Turns out, it had been a band of pirates, a band of pirates with a death wish, and with nothing but a well laid plan, and fury befitting that of the Six Tribes themselves tore through the caves, and then broke into the manse. That had been their undoing. Lord Kazran might have been a philanderer and a fool, but what he could do was fight, and one by one, he tore through the attackers leaving only their captain conscious or alive. She'd taken a shot, and hit the man, but he was a brute, and with his castle on the line, only a bullet through his heart would have sufficed, and he was unsure if that would have been enough. "Captain Vermeil! Reporting in sir, we've confirmed that we lost 60% of the dock guard, and the cave guard in the attack, we're doing as Commander Giovanna suggested but--" Vermeil put his hand up, "Do not call her Commander. That woman is the reason we are in this mess. She should be executed for her part in allowing half-breeds to get this far! I cannot believe that Lord Kazran saw fit to leave them alive for this long... Blast it, where is Krystal?! She is to give the damned pirates the news of their coming demise!" Elsewhere in the caves, a prison situated in the center of the caves, a man lie on the ground in one of the cages. His arm had been severed at the joint, and barely wrapped with what remained of the clothes from his two companions, or rather, the two surviving companions. The pain had almost gone, which made him wonder if he was close to the end, or if he had simply lost all ability to feel. "Boss... Ha... We fucked up, huh?" "Shut up..." Came a voice from the other side of the cage, a small lizard woman with a gash across her face, also wrapped in tattered clothing. "You've been saying nothing else for the past couple hours. If you're gonna die, at least do it in quiet so the rest of us trying to get out of this can think." She huffed, trying to gauge anything, find any hope to latch onto. She'd been trying for hours, but there was nothing. Or rather... there was nothing before now. She could feel it. Movement, and not just the movement of the guards... something coming from where they'd come. "...Hey, Boss... Not making any promise, but I think I hear something coming... A lot of something." Map Start! Objective: Defeat Vermeil, then have one unit arrive in the Top Right Space! Mastery: Rescue one other of the surviving Pirates! [This Mastery has multiple parts, be aware!] If there are deployment requests, changes, or anything, please let me know immediately. Edited March 12 by Mercenary on the Winds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 (edited) It was time. Having been selected as part of the group, Üllr was light on his feet, walking around the deck as the ship continued on its way. He'd been restless as the hour drew closer and closer, attention drawn to the cave as it was pointed out by Kieran. He approached, looking at its direction. "Mrrr... No matter what, we'll be fighting in their place. It won't be easy just because of this." Üllr was expecting a lot of enemies, no matter what. It was the hornet's nest, Kazran wouldn't be alone. Even if they caught him off-guard, he'd have a lot of men there. Surely. "Haaah..." Despite his leadership, Owen was doing his best to keep composure, going in with the mercenaries was a dangerous proposition, one made for the optics of things, to speak that this was his issue, and that he wouldn't sit aside while sellswords did his work, in Islexian culture, that'd paint his a way that he couldn't afford at this point. Dialogue with the people, stubborn as they were, necessitated action, values of respect. He knew it was a risk, but with his sister and the Tigers at his side, perhaps he could keep the danger in check. That Kazran is a monster, still. What will happen when I meet him face to face? "And one loop here, tighten here, and... hmmm.... " Chris was focused on tinkering his platform, setting his weapon of choice. For an enclosed space, something that didn't fire in an arc would be preferred. "First tactical use of this platform... and our mission is indoors... whew. But then again, protecting the ship wouldn't make too much sense, these things are made for offense." Deeply fixated in his work, Chris wagged his tail, spirits relatively high. "Time to make history! And on a big battle like this too, hmm, I wonder what my teachers would say..." Soon enough, they were at treachery's doors, guards were gathering up now --a bit slow to the act, which Üllr wasn't going to complain about. "Alright, time to fight!" Stanced up, Üllr lead the charge on one of the sides, seeing a soldier getting a bit too close. "Rah!" It was time to start the job they were here for, with morale high. Üllr to 25,4, punch soldier 1 with his iron knuckles. Edited March 12 by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 While the man's... Kieran, she thought she recalled, encouragement was well intentioned, it ultimately didn't last. Entering the sea cave, things were immediately obvious. The Black Swarm was docked, which meant M had already launched her attack. And there were certainly no sounds of fighting echoing through the cavern and castle, which meant... Roxanne bit her lip as the Maelstrom drew closer, drawing blood from the force. As their ship drew to the dock, agonizingly slowly, the picture was painted clear. Or rather red. Blood splattered on the floors, obvious signs of damage to the infrastructure, discarded and broken weapons. There was no way to try and sugarcoat anything any longer. "That's the Black Swarm... no, M, no no no no..." Roxanne choked out, tears starting to stream down her face as she hung over the railing, every detail becoming more vivid as they approached land. She needed to get closer, see what had been left behind, for any hope that maybe it wasn't as bad as things looked, but... "M... why didn't you wait... why, why, why..." The sheep barely managed to croak out, as the faces of her companions flashed before her eyes. This whole thing had been a suicide charge from the outset... they all knew it to some degree. That was why M had bothered to send her out, to try to find something, anything. A deep part of Roxanne wanted to believe they had won, but it seemed impossible. As soon as the Maelstrom came close enough to land, Roxanne took a few steps back before breaking into a sprint, vaulting over the side of the ship into the dock. She stumbled upon landing, but was back up and sprinting within moments, dashing to the nearest signs of battle. As she had made out from the boat... blood, obvious fighting. But no bodies. The victor had taken the time to clean up the corpses, and the Black Swarm had not departed after the battle. Roxanne lowered herself to the floor, hugging her arms around her knees as she buried her face in them. There wasn't any more denying it... M had beaten them here. she hadn't given Roxanne her week, she had attacked beforehand. And the pirates wouldn't have cleaned the corpses of Kazran's men from the docks and occupied the Keep, which meant the current state of things... The dam broke. Roxanne began to sob into her knees, violent and ugly, chest heaving as she couldn't control the wailing from escaping her. The ball she had curled up into shaking as she sobbed. The message had been a long shot but Roxanne couldn't have done anything but trust M would wait for her. Trust that hadn't played out. Had anyone survived? Kazran had taken a prisoner in Jane before, but that had been a small skirmish, nothing... nothing like this. "Everyone... everyone is... no..." Roxanne whimpered through her tears, barely audible over the heavy sobbing, each breath racking her frame as they violently left her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 (edited) Seila took a deep breath as the group strode deeper into the cave; she was no stranger to combat, of course, and with Amera at her side there was scant little to fear from the battle itself. There was little concern for their exit, as well; Bella was guarding the ship, not to mention it seemed their little attack party was squarely between the ship and the only exit towards it. She didn't know very well those she stood now shoulder to shoulder with; but that, too, was of pressing little concern - such was natural of course for most mercenaries, herself being no exception. There was blood on the ground - it was in the air, too; the moisture of the sea made its scent all too apparent - this had been a recent battlegrounds, and the guards would still be primed for battle. There would be few surprises today, it seemed. No; what she felt wasn't fear, but a softly smoldering fury. Within these walls laid a number some significant number of turns worse than the last mercenary company she'd spent time with, and for a moment she allowed herself to idly wonder whether they'd name her traitor to her kind or spare her a blade instead, but there was precious little time as there was - rather than ponder upon the answer, she stepped forwards, tome at her side in her left hand, her right raised high, uttering an incantment singlemindedly. Seila to (14, 8), Lightning Flash Myrm 1. There was a quickness to her step as Laniva disembarked from the Maelstrom, eager to once more set foot upon solid land, but more for the fight. Their purpose here was singular, unquestionable in its plainness, and by this day's end they would have delivered justice, or fallen in vain like those that had come before. The sounds of the beginnings of a battle rang out in the narrow halls; she closed her eyes for a brief moment, then stepped forward, throwing her cloak off her shoulder, hands finding hilt as naturally as she breathed. There was evil here, and today she would be their bulwark against it. Today, the next... and ever beyond. Laniva to (22, 4). Edited March 15 by mcd900 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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