Dante
Dante looked down at Capella curiously. He was somewhat confused at her words, though not because he couldnât understand them, but because she may have misinterpreted his actions. True enough heâd remained, as she called it, âloyal,â in the fact that he kept her in his arms for the duration of the trip and ensured her warmth and safety, but that could be better attributed to Khraeâs insurance that he fulfilled his obligation to her. Thatâs not to say that heâd of rather been without the burden of the Dragoness, but to have to go so long without being able to mess with Khrae, or anyone else for that matter, he found himself questioning why no one else could hold her. Many times heâd assuaged his urge to fidget and do mischievous things by simply tying knots in the hair of the sleeping Dragoness. Of course though, that distraction was short lived when Khrae had lectured him about preserving his own dignity, as well as that of a womanâs, while at the same time having to untie the boyâs fingers from the tangled knots.
In any case, the boy remained silent as Capella finished her statements, considering her words and trying to discern any alternative meanings. Of course focusing at all was difficult with the idea of combat directly in front of him, for all he knew Khrae or Sebastian were engaged in heated combat and he was missing the fun. But then something Capella said caught his attention. She had just admitted outright that he was interested, and that he interested her. No girl.. or Dragon.. had ever stated such a thing, most people, especially the girls from his clan kept a safe distance from him. Of course that made it all the more fun to mess with them, but also rather annoying when he got put down at every other turn. But Capella had claimed him⊠What did that mean? Dante wasnât entirely sure, but the way sheâd trusted herself to him, what she said⊠Did he just get himself a girlfriend?
Blinking a few times, Dante gave a rather childish grin, but then moments later, his thoughts swung to Fay. It wasnât that Capella wasnât attractive, and considering thatâs the closest heâd ever been to a girl in his life, butâŠ
Then the plan formed.
âSo⊠Does this mean weâre going out?â Dante inquired suddenly, completely dismissing the Dragonessâs words about the mage. Dante had forgotten about the battle too, as suddenly he had a strange new opportunity to try to capture the attention of the beautiful Navile. If Dante could get a Dragoness, would that make Fay jealous? But then againâŠCapella wouldnât mind, would she? She was a dragon, a master of subterfuge, sly and willing to do what she would for what she wanted⊠Sheâd understand, wouldnât she? Well, it was probably best not to say anything.
And speaking of which, where exactly was Fay? Heâd questioned Khrae several times, and the man always gave the same, âSheâll be fine, no need to worry,â answer. His master was far too scripted at times. Still, leaving her behind pained him greatly, and often his mind did wander to her, alone, scared, searching for someone to come rescue her. He could be one of those brave knights, riding back and dragging her up onto the horse behind him and galloping away into the forests. Or if she was captured somewhere, sheâd be getting interrogated, or be suffering some awful ill-will, and he could burst in wielding his ancestral powers and save her. Of course he couldnât use his fire now, but eventually heâd unlock it. There definitely had to be some other way than Khraeâs methods. Heâd get his powers and save the damsel in distress, and sheâd be in awe at his amazing power. Why, even Khrae wouldnât be able to contend with his abilities, heâd surpass even his own master. Khrae can breath fire, but the best in the clan can conjure the more deadly types of flames⊠Black and Blue. Ah, yes, heâd do that and impress Fay when he came to rescue her. But first he had to know where she wasâŠ
Dante looked at Capella now, suddenly aware of what was happening around him. He took a moment to regather himself, considering what he could do. Now he had to decide what to do. It was no use having a girlfriend if Fay wasnât even around, but he couldnât just go find her⊠But then again, if he stayed her she could be undergoing unimaginable things with each passing second⊠But, would he look like more of a hero if he saved her then? Then took her back and she found out that he was the great warrior that had upheld the integrity of the Assassins Guild? He couldnât just leave Capella eitherâŠ
âOkay,â he said finally. âI accept.â He gave her a warm smile before reaching behind him and taking hold of the hilt of his sword which protruded just over his shoulder. In one fluent movement, or at least he hoped it was, he drew the blade, gleaming steel which shrieked as it exited its sheath, reflecting the sunâs rays magnificently. The state of his weapon was Khraeâs doing as well, that and the fact that heâd never used it once, but nevertheless, he tried his best to look like he knew what he was doing. He gave it a rough swing, slashing at the air and cutting down an invisible foe before nodding, satisfied. His blade, unlike Khraeâs own two, was sharp. Why the man kept them dull and never used them, he himself didnât know, but that hardly mattered. Now he could prove himself, and then run back to rescue his Princess. Yes, that is what heâd do. Looking to Capella, he tried puffed out his chest slightly and drew back his shoulders, trying to look intimidating as he swung his blade again and pointed it threateningly at the Guild House.
âFollow me Capella,â he said boldly. âYou shall remain safe by my side!â
Then the man appeared.
Dante had begun forward, only to stop dead as the mage materialized before him. No, that won't do. Not at all, men don't do that! Dante backtracked quickly, losing almost immediately anything he gained from the show earlier as the other man spoke. He seemed almost as if he were genuinely apologizing to them, but Dante wasn't at all focusing on that.
"Ah, the dragon-girl. I remember you. And the boy as well. Lets have a bit of fun, shall we?"
Dante regathered himself to try to look impressive again as he stood in front of Capella, sword balanced and held centered before him. Whatever this man would do, he would block it. He repeated that several times in his head. He is stronger than Khrae, he could do this.
Nope, he couldn't. Dante scared last minuted and froze as the attack came, he wasn't even sure what it was or what it did, but it was scary. It wasn't a sword, he could've blocked a sword... probably, but he had no block against magic. Not even Khrae did... did he? He didn't know... All he knew was that he was suddenly lifted off the ground, airborne and going backwards as the power impacted him, seeming to be more of a blunt force. Khrae had done this to him before, and he'd even shown him how to land...
THAT'S RIGHT! Khrae had shown him some things. Rotating last minute, Dante spin in the ground and finally landed several meters back, sliding on the balls of his feet in a sort of kneeling/crouching position, his sword embedded into the ground and quickly bringing him to a halt. Dante looked up, smiling, proud of himself that he'd managed to at least regain himself from the attack, then he stood and swung his blade again triumphantly.
"It's gonna take more than that, whoever you are!" he said loudly, extending his sword arm out towards the man, point leveled at his chest. "Bring it on, pretty boy!"
Khrae
Looking around warily, Khrae nodded as Sebastian split the group. He wasnât going to immediately say that those other two couldnât handle themselves, but taking a moment to gather everyoneâs abilities and then split up accordingly might have been more effective. Because he didnât know their strengths and weaknesses, however, meant that he didnât immediately jump to conclusions about the older assassinâs choice to put the two younger fighters in a group of their own. They could very well be the perfect duo, but now wasnât the time to be dwelling on mistakes that had yet to be labeled as such.
Without waiting the older swordsman followed the assassin upstairs, his bare feet silent on the polished wood. His eyes never ceased moving, noting each and every corner, shadow and possible points of attack. He was far from perfect in his senses, however. In fact many in the clan could only reach their highest levels through uninterrupted meditation. Unfortunately his time on the road had greatly reduced, if not completely put a stop to his usual habits. Nevertheless he reached out with his abilities, searching for those signs of malicious intent, those benevolent auras. Almost immediately one stood out.
âDirectly ahead,â Khrae said as they reached the last step, though it wasnât entirely necessary. Another combatant was in the room with the enemy already, and the clashing of steel was evident. Unfortunately for the assassin, not even his homeland advantage would give him enough of an edge of the mage which had infiltrated.
Khrae remained stoic as he felt the sudden surge of power erupt from within the room, and watched as the limp form was blasted through the door, dragging with it a spray of splintered wood and sawdust before impacting the wall across the way.
Standing ready, the swordsman turned with his right side towards the enemy, feet spread and right hand gripping the hilt of his left sword. Heâd let Sebastian handle it if he so desired, or until he called for help, and while he usually preferred negotiation, he knew that wasnât an option. The best he could do to avoid unnecessary confrontation was to remain as backup and watch the older assassinâs back. That decided, he cleared his mind of any further thoughts and readied himself for the imminent combat as the dark-robed figure glided over the remnants of the destroyed door.