Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat ā€” the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! » Long term partner to play an older male wanted »

0
followers
follow

Fukayna Muidrehd

"We are taught to walk forwards, so do not look behind; simply walk and what will fall into place shall tumble into your lap."

0 · 980 views · located in Skyfall

a character in “A Tale of Lastra”, as played by Igari

Description

Name Fukayna Muidrehd
Age 24
Appearance

Image

Fukayna has long locks of silver hair, prone to appearing a stark white when moonlight hits her delicate looking frame. Though it may not appear like it, she can see quite well, despite the fact that her bangs cascade over her eyes. She has never revealed her eyes to anyone as she believes they are direct mirrors into the soul and that kind of contact is not something to be taken lightly. Her warm (and rather soft) wolf furs are usually wrapped loosely around her arms and often hit against her legs. She is of slender build; her delicate frame may make her appear weak but that is a misleading image.

Dragon She will say that she has heard the soft cry of the winged creature in the silence of the night, between waking and dreaming, but has not yet acquired one. "All things at their proper time" is her belief.
Other Though perhaps an odd quirk to others, she does not speak. In her possession are always a parchment and a small piece of molded charcoal for her to write with.

Personality

Coming across as an odd sort who prefers to write than speak, it is easy to misinterpret her as distant or lacking of proper empathy. Fukayna is observant and often compared with being like a silent wraith given her tendency to "appear" without her approach being heard. Though kind, she is guarded and withdrawn from the world. Her quiet manner allows her to be a good listener, though she is not pushy for information and allows as much to be told as the speaker may wish. Though she wishes for companionship, she does not allow that to drive her--perhaps because that scared, girlish heart of hers fears rejection. When she deigns to "speak" to another, it is easy to see how a part of her is still sheltered, for some things may go completely over her head.

Equipment

Weapons Her halberd has been her fighting companion since it was molded and adorned with golden metals and a clear, blue orb. She keeps an assortment of small daggers and throwing knives embedded in her furs to account for closer combat.
Abilities While she does have the capability of using illusionary magics, she does not use it to aid her in battle, or at all for that matter. Preferring longer weapons, perhaps because the dance looks more beautiful and it keeps her in a safer range, she is quite skilled at using pole-arms. What she does not have in strength, she attempts to make up for in speed and agility. Physically, she would be no match for a stronger opponent and avoids closer range combat if she can. Hand-to-hand wears her down rather easily and if she suffers too many direct blows, it is difficult for her to immediately recover.

History

In her younger years, Fukayna had been a part of the Order of Vyldi. Though she hid her eyes even back then, she still spoke in volumes and had been developing her skills as an illusionary mage. However, after the peace had begun to be disrupted, her life began to take an unexpected turn. Her allegiance was brought into question and the young woman was forced into making a choice between gods. However, the strict laws that began to take effect taxed her and she felt she was being forced into a limited existence.

Though unable to relinquish her abilities completely, she swore an oath upon her decision to leave the order that she would never again utter another syllable--as her magic is reliant upon her speech and vocal formation of words to activate the spells. Details regarding her leaving the order and detaching herself from her mage heritage remain tightly sealed behind her closed lips. Knowing better than to expect a warm welcome by others given the cold reception to mages, she instead decided to make her refuge in a place under the rule of one who had mated with a mage. She was careful not to bring news of her past with her and is a newer member to the family of assassins.

Sample
A young woman lay in the bed, the thin covers thrown about her lithe frame somewhat messily. The moonlight streamed in through the window, the scattered rays fanning out over her body. Her silver locks appeared an almost translucent, snow white under the lighting. Her chest rose and fell with gradual speed, breathing paced, indicating she was already in slumber. Yet, her heavy sighs dispelled the thought that her rest was a peaceful one. Her lips moved soundlessly as her eyes moved beneath heavy lashes, fingers tightening softly into loose fists that clenched her sheets. Her breathing began to turn labored as the dream continued, her head turning to the other side.

Her breath caught in her chest and her eyes snapped open, the sequence immediately coming to a hazy halt. Her brows knit closer together as the woman shakily released her grip upon her sheets. The crease on her forehead that came from this motion was unseen, as always, for her bangs fell over her eyes, hiding the top section of her face from proper view. As always, she had woken in a slight panic, mouth half open and agape as if a word was about to escape her. A shiver ran through her body as she leaned forwards to bring her sheets closer about her.

'Another night terror...' She mentally lamented to herself, lashes tilted downwards as she attempted to catch her breath. Just as the night before and for as many nights as she could remember since leaving her position as a mage, she had been plagued by nightmares. It did not matter how the dreams started out, if perhaps she glimpsed a familiar face or two from her past--it always ended the same. She was running, clutching tightly to her furs, heels clicking on the ground. She could not ever see behind her but the fear and dread that filled her stomach told her that they were close--they were watching her attempted escape.

Fukayna shook her head to clear her mind of the visions from the nightmare. No, it was best not to dwell on that night... best not to dwell on her decision. The past was the past and she had chosen a different future than the one she was nearly forced to live. Swallowing down the fear that always came from remembering even the faintest detail, she sighed once more before carefully lifting up her sheets and sliding out of the bed. There was a small creak that came from the movement but nothing that disturbed the overall silence of the night. She grabbed her furs which had been laid at the foot of her bed while she had been sleeping and wrapped them around her arms, the fluffy ends hitting her legs delicately.

She paid it no heed as she walked over to the window, a breeze working it's way through the gap between the glass and the wall, sifting through her hair. The feeling was a welcome one, a vague relief from the experience her mind seemed keen on distorting and reliving. Though privately, she knew it also came from her hesitance. It had not been long since her departure and she was having difficulty acclimating to her new environment.

'Acceptance is an odd thing indeed...' She thought wryly, an odd sort of pained smile finding it's way to her lips. For most of her life, things had been meticulous, planned--everything had always fallen into it's proper place. And her voice, how she missed the sound that had fallen from her lips. But no amount of mourning or want would bring that part of her life back. No, she had renounced that. That was the price she had to pay for her freedom--for her escape from a life tied down by a leash.

She lowered her gaze away from the window as she turned from it, walking back over to her bed. It would do little for her health if she spent the night thinking about such things. Fukayna took off her furs, once again laying them at the foot of the bed before settling down on her mattress. She grabbed her covers and once again brought them over herself, the fabric crinkled where she still held it with her hands. She forced her eyes closed. Things would be better once she woke up in the morning, at least, that was what she told herself as she willed herself back to sleep.

So begins...

Fukayna Muidrehd's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Stephano
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Centi85
Dante & Friends

All in all Dante wasnā€™t having a good day. Albeit, he just struck up a relationship, he thinks, without even having to try anything, but besides that, nothing was going right. So far heā€™d dropped his sword as due to being unexpectedly airlifted by his Dragoness girlfriend, chastised by her for losing her sword, and then just as he was formulating a plan for showing off the melee skills that he only possessed in his mind, the mage had swooped in and put a blade to his neck. That sort of kills the moraleā€¦

So Dante was left, standing stock-still, not wanting to move due to the sharp and very shiny edge pressed against his skin. Heā€™d thought about calling for Khrae, but he knew that the man would only save him to kill him. Besides, he was sure he could handle thisā€¦ Probably.. Maybe. He definitely wasnā€™t going to die. He had to figure this out, because when he went to rescue Fay whom they had left behind, heā€™d need to bring the heroic tale of how he single-handedly saved Skyfall and his new friends. Yes, he couldnā€™t fail. Butā€¦ How could he get out of this predicament? Maybe heā€™d learned something from Khraeā€¦ probably not, but maybeā€¦ Hmm.

Even as he thought about it, the not-very fat dragon of the redheaded assassin made his appearance. After a short little speech, the Dragon readied itself, and suddenly Dante was worried that heā€™d be used as a shield. That would be very unfortunate, and not at all fun. Fighting looked so much more cool and fun when he wasnā€™t in this situationā€¦ He was sure that if he were winning, heā€™d enjoy it a lot more. Or is it fun to lose and be that cool guy that pulls an ace and saves everyone? Dante wasnā€™t sure, but right now, it wasnā€™t very fun.

"Ruining my fun... And things were just getting interesting," the mage spoke suddenly. Dante looked over his shoulder a moment to the man, unsure of who heā€™d just spoken to. He didnā€™t seem to be talking to anyone. Just as Dante was trying to decipher what the manā€™s words meant though, the mage had looked down to him, smiled, and excused himself from the battle. A minute later Dante found himself being pushed forward, away from his captor. Quickly, as he was released, he spun, throwing out a random chop that probably wouldnā€™t have done anything even if it had hit the man. He then took up a heroic pose as the mage disappeared.

ā€œYeah, runaway!ā€ he said triumphantly. ā€œYou will always remember this as the day you almost caught Dante Fuuriah!ā€ (ļƒŸ Totally necessary :D) What that, Dante made a shooing motion, then put his hands on his hips, investigating the situation and nodding as if satisfied of a job well done. ā€œNow, let us continue inside and rid this place of any more pesky mages, shall we?!ā€ With a wave of his hand, he motioned using his other towards the guild house.

ā€œEr, actually, wait a minute.ā€

Quickly Dante rushed across the court yard to gather his sword.


Khrae & Sebastian


Khrae nodded as the man gave acknowledgement to his apologies about the furnishings heā€™d just burnt. Continuing down the hall, there seemed to be no other intruders, but suddenly a large rumbling caught their attention. Khrae looked to Sebastian who returned his gaze, both men mutually agreeing as to the next course of action as they bolted back towards the source.
"Tell me you feel that too..." Sebastian said as they worked their way back down the stairwell to the main floor. Khrae nodded, noting also the dagger which still held firm in the assassinā€™s leg. He gave the man credit and a moment of admiration for his endurance and loyalty, but then dispelled the thoughts as frivolous compared to the commotion happening up ahead. Navigating the mansion quickly, they were just about to turn down another hall when the building shook again. It was now that the assassin seemed to grow tired of the pain in his leg, and finally removed the blade, allowing the blood to flow.

The older swordsman took careful note of that possible hindrance as a factor in any upcoming battles, then continued as Sebastian rushed on. The sight they found themselves facing upon turning the next corner, however, was fairly disheartening.

Khraeā€™s eyes shifted immediately to the mass of shadows hording themselves around a man, then watched as they dissipated, leaving no one left. He made a quick assumption that it was a mage using some form of their cherished and cowardly escape spells, then dismissed the threat as it was no longer present. The man stopped now, allowing himself to take in the scene.

Sebastian had just ran to assist the elf who seemed lost to the world, curled up around himself and rocking back and forth. Khrae looked to the assassin for any sort of sign as to what had just happened, then followed the manā€™s eyes to the girl opposite the boy, further down the hall. Remaining silent, the swordsman watched as the older man abandoned the elf for his fellow assassin. Both looked to be in a terrible state of disarray, obviously sustaining a terribly mentally and physically exhausting battle. Why hadnā€™t they sensed, or at the very least heard it before? Whoever their opponent was, they certainly did a toll on these two, and being so young, Khrae was worried for the integrity of their beings. Frowning, the swordsman approached the boy and knelt beside him. He was in no way a mage, nor did he have any way of dealing with the aftershock of such high-powered spells. His knowledge was vast, but he still found himself unsure of the situation.

Brushing back the hair of the young man, Khrae put his palm over his forehead. He didnā€™t want to try anything for risk that it could make things worse, but at the same time didnā€™t want whatever effects the boy was enduring to continue. Perhaps he could attempt somethingā€¦ It wasnā€™t terribly risky, but he still wasnā€™t sure what it would do.

ā€œDamn..ā€ Khrae mumbled, sounding more like he were talking to himself. ā€œLet me tryā€¦ā€ Closing his eyes, Khrae concentrated, not even bothering to finish his sentence, forcing all other thoughts from his mind, then, barely audible, he began whispering. The words were ancient, extremely archaic prayers to an old god of fire and ancestry. The method was the same that clansmen used to imbue themselves with a momentary surge of devastating power, but also, Khrae hoped, a power that could also be used for other means. Heā€™d read it was possible, but had never had means to try it until now. It seemed most of the damages sustained by the boy were all mental, rather than physical, and Khrae while an ailment to the body was one thing, the corruption of oneā€™s mind was worse. The swordsman was not going to let a young life be tainted so easily, to the point where theyā€™ve broken down entirely and put into a state such as this pitiful scene he was witnessing.

Gathering his strength, Khrae hoped heā€™d be doing more good than harm as he allowed the energy to pour into the boy. He could feel it pulsating through his arm, transferring into the boy through his spread palm. Careful not to allow too much to flow into him at once, Khrae, who hadnā€™t even broken a sweat during combat, was now perspiring. It took a few moments, but finally even Khrae couldnā€™t take the power he felt flowing through him. He abruptly ceased the flow, opening his eyes slowly as he looked at the figure before him. It was spiritual energy, so he hoped it could cleanse the boyā€™s mind of whatever the mage had done, or at least stop it from getting worse. After a second or two, once the energy was completely dispelled, Khrae picked up the elf. Turning to Sebastian, he nodded for him to go on. The task and strain of what heā€™d done, Khrae knew, takes varying amounts of time off all that a person can live. Though right now, the life of a young man was much more important than his own. Even if he did want to try to care, he was suddenly much too tired to put effort into it.

ā€œI hope that helped,ā€ Khrae said softly, smiling rather weakly to the assassin. ā€œLetā€™s get these two somewhere saferā€¦ā€

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Siryn


Sebastian, Armen Sorien, Khrae Var, and Fukayna Muidrehd




Sebastian knelt next to Fukayna, her unconscious form giving him serious cause to worry. He was no mage, and there was no way to tell what was wrong with her. What was worse was the fact that the elf was also in bad shape, his facial features of pure pain and fear were something to contend with. Whomever they'd fought, they had been powerful. To take out his most promising assassin, and a youthful elf. Did the older of their group even stand a chance? What about himself? Wounded as he was, he sure was growing old.

Leaning over he pulled the woman into his grip, an arm under her knees, the other wrapped around her shoulders. She was light as a feather as he stood with her in his arms. Turning, he witnessed the man from the phoenix clan leaning over Armen. His hand was on the elf's forehead and he seemed to be deep in concentration. What was more was the fact that he looked strained. The fight earlier and the display of power he'd shown hadn't even seemed to do a thing to the man's endurance. Whatever he was doing right then must have been even more powerful.

"What company we keep, my Lord," Sebastian whispered to himself, his thoughts going immediately to Lord V'lyn. He watched intently as Armen's face twisted into that of utter discomfort and pain, his body shuddering under whatever it was that Khrae was doing. When Khrae pulled away, the elf collapsed, sweating and seemingly in less distress than before. Sebastian was curious as to what the man had done, but he was more happy to see that the elf was a little bit better. Khrae moved and lifted Armen into his grip easily as well and turned to Sebastian.

ā€œI hope that helped. Letā€™s get these two somewhere saferā€¦ā€

"It seems that the mansion is safe once again, we should take them upstairs," Sebastian said and moved towards the stair case. There was the large room that was usually the medical office where the assassins would go for injuries and the like. It was there that Sebastian led them. Upon opening the door, he found it empty and felt a bit of anger wash through him. Not only had the assassin's who had stayed behind been killed, but it seemed that his staff for medical was also. Grinding his teeth, he walked over to an empty bed and laid Fukayna upon the sheets.

"I'll go get the others and we'll deal with the dead while these two sleep. I'll bring Astrid here too, she'll need to rest as well," Turning, Sebastian faced Khrae, "Thank you for all of your help, but if you're tired you should rest as well," the old assassin said, wording his sentence carefully for he did not want to insult the man in anyway. He had noted the tired look earlier when he'd lifted the elf. The last thing Sebastian needed was for the seasoned warrior to also collapse from fatigue.

With a slight nod of his head, the old assassin moved towards the door and made his way down the stairs and outside. There he found Dante on his way to retrieve his sword and pivot back around to charge towards the mansion. The old assassin put one hand on his hip, leaning on the good leg and glowered at the boy.

"It seems that you lot have had your own share of fighting, that or you're disobeying my order," Sebastian stated coldly. Without waiting for an answer, he turned to the others, "Come inside now. Stephano, take Astrid to the medical room, the rest of you will help me with clearing out our fallen brothers and sisters. After that, we'll discuss what we'll do next," he turned on his heel and limped back into the mansion to get started.



Talon V'lyn, Jennifer Live, and Kaya Xenlyiun



At first, Talon's chest clenched as he watched Jennifer take several hits. He almost ignited his own power to wash over her own and destroy everything before him. However, her cackling laughter told him that what he saw was not reality. Sometimes he really hated her illusions, they were so real they even fooled him. His lips turned into a frown as he watched her, lifting an umbrella over his head as her rain fell and scorched everything before them. Perhaps he'd allowed her to be too forward with her power.

Reaching out, he touched her shoulder. He didn't say anything, his gaze would say it all and she would know what he wanted just by looking at him. They'd been together long enough that most times, he didn't need to say a single word for her to understand his meaning. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at her, his lips still turned into a frown. He remained that way for a few moments until her rain stopped. Then he flicked his gaze over to who was approaching them. The person seemed unaffected by Jennifer's attack, and in response a gush of wind came at them, throwing debris all over as well.

Talon's teeth ground together as he made out the dragon behind it's owner. Then his eyebrow raised as his gaze finally sharpened and took in the man who met them. Lowering his head slightly, his blue-gray gaze turned to molten steel and he took his hand from Jennifer's shoulder to close it into a tight fist. The silver bracer on his wrist started to glow as well.

"Isaehn. I thought you were in Ro'ell," Talon growled, his voice holding a hint of accusation to it, "Perhaps you could explain to me why Jennifer was taken from me so suddenly? Or is it that the Order of Vyldi wishes for total annihilation?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Fay X'san Character Portrait: Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Siryn
Armen Sorien

His eyes opened slowly, a dull headache pounding at the back of his skull. He couldn't really remember what happened, the only thing that was just slightly coherent was that Fukayna had been injured. He pushed himself up, groaning as he went. Leaning on one hand, Armen pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead between his eyes. The headache had moved. He felt so tired, his body aching all over as if he'd just been fighting for days on end without any rest. The elf looked around to find that he'd been brought into a small room. There was only one bed in the room, and it was dark. No one else seemed to be there with him. The only person on his mind right then was Fukayna and upon not finding her near by, he felt panic rising in the back of his throat.

Sliding off the bed, Armen got to his feet. The headache increased and his eyes squinted shut, teeth grinding as he tried to ignore it. He made it to the door by leaning against the wall and using it as well as a chair and dresser to get there. Once he was in the hallway he started towards another door, hoping that he would find her. He pushed it open, but no one was inside. So he turned around and went down the opposite direction and tried the door on the other side of his room.

Opening it, he found Fukayna upon the bed with Sebastian sitting next to her. Khrae was there as well. As for the others, he did not know where they were but he could hear voices throughout the mansion so he figured they were around. Stumbling inside the room, Sebastian stood quickly, worry etched on his face.

"Armen! You shouldn't be up!"

"Fukayna..."

"Sleeping. Hey," Sebastian called as Armen lost his balance and fell forward. The old assassin caught the elf before he could hit the floor.

"Fukayna..."

"She's alright, just sleeping. Damn elf," Sebastian growled in irritation as he held almost the whole weight of the elf, "Come on, sit here and stop moving around. Everyone will be getting together soon here. We'll be discussing what to do next. Our top priority is finding Lord V'lyn and Lady Jennifer. Once everyone is here, we'll begin."

Armen nodded his head slowly, his weary gaze was locked on Fukayna. Sebastian had seated him near her and so he leaned forward and took her hand in his, holding it tightly. If he had the power to heal her, to wake her, he definitely would without thinking twice. However, he feared the power that the cloaked man had woken up in him, and the last thing he wanted to do was undo whatever had helped him to fight off the enormous amounts of magic that had flooded him. Even so, he could still feel it writhing inside him, giving him the body ache and the terrible headache.

"Who was it that helped calm my power? I wish to thank them," Armen asked Sebastian. The old assassin shifted and jerked his head over to Khrae. The elf turned to the man with a surprised look that didn't last very long. He dipped his head down for a moment before lifting it to look at the man, "Thank you. You did not have to do anything."

Fay X'san

"Valentino, we'll be at Skyfall soon," Fay said over her shoulder. Her lips pulled into an intoxicated smile as she laid eyes upon the man behind her. Her horse had been at the gates of Ro'ell the entire time and since it was only one mount, Valentino had to ride with her. Not that she had any complaints about it. Still, it was strange that she was infatuated with this man. There were rare times that she felt some kind of magic pulling at her, forcing her to act a certain way. However, as soon as it came it vanished completely and it seemed like it was only just her imagination.

"I don't think I thanked you properly for saving me. And helping to get my weapons back," she lifted her dark eyes, lashes fanned out over them in a sultry kind of look, "Thank you, Valentino."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Fay X'san
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Centi85
Khrae

Khrae looked up from where he was leaning against the wall as Armen entered. Raising an eyebrow at the young man, the older swordsman watched with stoically as he attempted to make his way to the girl, though it seemed he wasnā€™t entirely in full possession of his motor skills. Whether that was still caused by the magic which had plagued him so, or simply because his body was still adjusting from shock in combat, Khrea didnā€™t know. Nevertheless, he admired the elfā€™s tenacity and loyalty.

Closing his eyes and leaning his head back now, Khrae heaved a quiet sigh, allowing himself to relax if only for a moment. The man still had plenty to worry about, and later heā€™d make sure to allow time for meditation. As it was, it seemed his charge had been claimed by the Dragoness, Capella. It took nearly all of the manā€™s will power to not cut short their little endeavor then and there when he heard the news, and to not simply hand Dante over to one of the clan elders. As it was, the man still wasnā€™t sure if heā€™d chosen the right course by allowing the charade to continue, but to take Dante away from Capella now could be fairly disastrous in more ways than one.

Khrae of course respected the Dragoness enough to acknowledge her simple words, and while he himself didnā€™t take to heart their meaning as she did, he still wouldnā€™t invoke any anger from her. Dante, who obviously knew nothing of what was happening on account of calling Capella his girlfriend, shouldnā€™t be caught between whatever trouble would surely arise. The boy had a knack for getting himself into these situations, but never ones that measured up to this caliber. As it was, Khrae could at least have some peace of mind in knowing that, without him around, Dante would still be kept in good condition; however kept out of trouble was something else entirely. Khrae didnā€™t have an answer, but he made note to meditate on the subject later.

"Thank you. You did not have to do anything."


Without moving, Khrae opened his eyes and looked down to Armen. Offering a tired smile, the man nodded to the young elf. ā€œThink nothing of it,ā€ he answered simply, closing his eyes and resting his head on the wall again. ā€œI merely did what was necessary, just as you would have.ā€ That said, Khrae decided to stand now, feeling as though he needed to move in order to find something soft to collapse on, as well as to give Armen a little more privacy with the girl. Sebastian was watching over a fellow guild member while Khrae was an outsider. No matter how close they may or may not have become, the man still felt it right to make himself scarce for now, at least until needed. It suited him more anyway.


Donning his heavy, fire-patterned cloak, Khrae moved silently to the door, but stopped just before exiting. ā€œYou did a good job, whatever you did,ā€ Khrae stated without turning around, ā€œFukayna is lucky to have such a great friend as yourself. Natural talent can only go so far compared to a good dose of determination.ā€

With that Khrae made his leave, though called back one last time. ā€œI shall be in the courtyard if you require assistance with anything, Sebastian!ā€

A quiet serenity was what Khrae required right now. Heā€™d deal with Dante and that entire debacle later, after he meditated.


Valentino


Valentino detested horses. In fact, Valentino detested most things that werenā€™t human, and even then he wasnā€™t particularly fond of them. As it was, heā€™d barely heard Fayā€™s announcement of their progress, having been too busy trying to forget that he was on such a foul beast, and that each of its clippity-cloppity steps caused the worse case of motion sickness heā€™d ever experienced. With his arms wrapped tight around Fayā€™s waist, and with himself constantly swaying back and forth in such a dizzying rhythmic matter, the mage could barely maintain the veil heā€™d cast earlier, one that suggested that his grip was merely a loving hold.

It was about now that heā€™d wished heā€™d taken up other means of study in the fields of magic. Besides his illusions, he had only a small arsenal of other combat based styles, having adopted them after one mage had decided that their magic was stronger than his, thwarting his little games. Teleportation it seemed would be even more necessary, but that was a level all its own. While Valentino was powerful, all that power went to the task of enchanting, containing and then taking even more sources of power.

ā€œI donā€™t think I thanked you properly for saving me. And helping me get my weapons back,ā€ Fay continued. ā€œThank you, Valentino.ā€

Did Valentino really have to talk? Ugh. The mage put on a smile, even though she couldnā€™t see him behind her. He hoped he could continue this illusion enough that his voice didnā€™t mirror how awful he felt. ā€œIt was my pleasure, Fay. Agā€”a mis-mistress in need is what all men live fooā€”rr.. Blehā€¦ Ughā€¦ā€

Valentino wasnā€™t enjoying himself at all. He absolutely couldnā€™t stand the beast, and he definitely wouldnā€™t make a habit of using them as means of transportation on a daily basis. It was right about now that he was thankful he rarely had to travel, and when he did, he would never complain about walking anymore.

ā€œDear lord,ā€ Valentino said, ā€œOh, stop this infernal thing for the love of the order of Vyldi!ā€

Did the horse understand him? That would be terribly bad if it did, because it was at just that moment when it whinnied, shook its mane, and then snorted. Valentino in response screamed and flipped backwards, falling several feet to the hard ground. Perhaps it wasnā€™t entirely that he disliked animals, but rather was afraid of them.

Landing with a rather solid thud on his back, and flopping awkwardly onto his side, the man finally lost his whatever contents were in his stomach, though to be honest, he didnā€™t remember eating this morning. Rolling over onto his back, he heaved a deep sigh with a mixture of relief, aggravation and perpetuating dizziness. The only good thing the man could manage to think about right now was that he was off the horse, and that the ground didnā€™t move. ā€œSon of aā€¦ Damn that creature and all like it! Ughā€¦ā€ Bringing both hands to his face and covering his eyes, he sighed again. ā€œFay, I suggest we rest here! Thereā€™s a lovely field overā€¦ā€ Without looking up or getting off the ground, the man threw one arm to his side in order to point at the pasture which lined both sides of the road. ā€œThere.ā€

Luscious, green, full of flowers and, most importantly, not moving. Valentino was finally content lying in the dirt along the road, and he wouldā€™ve stayed there forever in order to avoid not having to mount that beast again, if it hadnā€™t been for the toad lying directly next to his face when he finally turned his head.

His scream was less than manly, to say the least. Jumping to his feet, the man dismissed everything else as he dusted batted at himself and the air, now screaming random profanities, mixed into other incoherent sounds of annoyance and bewilderment. ā€œGod damnā€¦ Away, foul ā€¦ Thing!ā€ Taking a foot, the man kicked delicately at the toad, though it didnā€™t move. ā€œGo on,ā€ he said, waving his hands at it after having moved to a safe distance of two meters. ā€œshoo! Sickly wart infested bastard!ā€

Again it didnā€™t move.

Valentino stepped a wide arc around the creature, then pointed at it, sending a miniature blast of electricity streaking towards it. Only the sight of the creature, roasted and with its guts spilled out, freaked the man even more, invoking another fit of yelling and arm flailing.


Dante

Dante poked Capella curiously, like a child testing to see if what they were looking at was worth playing with. ā€œHey,ā€ he said devilishly, ā€œwant to play a game?ā€ With a grin like a Cheshire cat, he nodded out the window towards Khrae sitting cross legged in the courtyard, eyes closed, entirely oblivious to the world. Taking a finger and putting it to his mouth to signal silence, Dante leapt less than gracefully out the little window. It was the ground floor, so he merely had to clear a foot or two in order to be outside. Unfortunately it seemed that not even that was within his capabilities.

With his foot catching the bottom of the window, Dante found himself falling face first into the thick shrugs which lined the exterior walls of the mansion, and that decorated the perimeter of the courtyard. Rolling spastically and jumping to his feet, he took up a simple melee stance, looking as if that was exactly what he planned to do. Shifting his head back and forth overdramatically like someone searching for another opponent, he smiled as he looked to Khrae, who remained unmoving. Chuckling silently to himself, he nodded to Capella now as he crept forward, his footsteps not at all silent along the stone, towards his master.

Picking up a stick from the shrub heā€™d massacred upon his entrance, Dante inched ever closer, extending his arm as far as he could with the object until he was within range. It was obnoxious, like a toddler deliberately trying to coax on another into a game of tag, the way Dante moved. Looking back at Capella now and giving a thumbs up with his free hand, he turned back to the older swordsman and took the last step forward that would allow him to reach his mentorā€™s overly long hair.

Opening his eyes abruptly and standing, Khrae pivoted on the spot, spinning into a standing position while grabbing the stick and flicking it expertly towards Dante. Dante screamed and ran childishly, leaping back through the window, with enough clearance this time, before disappearing down the hall. Khrae simply shook his head as he sat down once again.

After having run a safe distance across the mansion, Dante stopped, snickering to himself. Heā€™d nearly gotten a heart attack from Khraeā€™s sudden movements, yet at the same time knew it was coming. It was always fun to see just how far he could push the man, and even cooler the way Khrae could do things with such precision. Dante would one day reach that level and beyond, but only after he was sure that it wouldnā€™t turn him into a sour-puss too. Taking a moment to calm himself, Dante looked around, frowning. He needed something else to doā€¦

Locating Capella again, he grabbed her, dragging her towards a corner.

ā€œShh,ā€ he said quickly, before she could respond to any of his actions. ā€œMercenary Capella, youā€™re being hired to conduct operations with myself on a hostage rescue mission. Do you accept?!ā€ Looking around, Dante acted as if his games were entirely serious, and that they were in danger of being overheard, requiring urgency. ā€œShould you choose to accept, you shall come with me back to Roā€™ell in order to reclaim subject F, captured by magesā€¦ What say you?ā€

The setting changes from Lastra to Skyfall

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Igari

Image



There were voices.... she heard... someone speaking...

Her whole entire body felt like lead, bothersome, heavy, almost foreign to what she was used to. The young woman found she was having difficulty even opening her eyes--eyelids feeling so heavy that the effort of moving seemed a bit too strenuous for her to even manage. She laid still, trying first to steady her breathing. Yes, she was definitely awake, she could make out some garbled sounds around her. The voices sounded masculine but it was impossible for her to tell who they belonged to. The noise all warped together with the light buzzing in her ears.

Not to mention this headache that was making it all worse.

Fukayna forced herself to take a deep breath, opening one of her eyes with a bit of a struggle. Light flooded her vision and she instantly squeezed her eye shut again. Too bright, far too bright. She tried moving her fingers and found that they were responsive, if but slowly so. Alright... one by one... she could do this! She tried to encourage herself slowly, one finger, then two, there was three. Just a little more.

She wasn't sure how much time passed as she struggled to raise her hand but progressively, she dragged it upwards, settling her palm right above her eyes. Time to try again. Once more, she opened her eye, receiving less light than her first go-around. That was at least faintly bearable... She opened her other eye, vision growing less blurry as she focused on the figure nearest to her. The first thing she noticed was the grayish black hair that she had come to associate with only one person.

Her eyes shot open a bit as her heart did a small leap in her chest (much to her internal embarrassment) as she came to recognize Armen, who was looking her over with a modest amount of concern. A blush found its way to her cheeks and at times like this, she was rather relieved that no one could see her eyes. She wouldn't quite be able to meet his gaze head-on in this state.

Closer observation showed her Sebastian was also in the room but he was farther away, probably by the door. He looked anxious, as if he had been pacing or some sort. Fukayna tried to prop herself up on her elbows to see better but immediately collapsed back down again. Whatever she had gotten hit with had done ample damage to her body. She cringed, settling for looking back over at Armen.

How was she going to speak to him? She didn't have enough strength to write quite yet. Maybe there was another way...
She moved her hand away from her eyes and slid it down to reach for his, offering him a small, shy smile. 'I'm okay,' she mouthed slowly, hoping he would be able to understand her. It belatedly occurred to her that perhaps he had heard her voice in the form of her strangled scream earlier during the battle. She wasn't going to think much on it for now--her head hurt too much for that many thoughts. For now, she was just glad to be alive and that Armen was nearby.

The setting changes from Skyfall to Lastra

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Isaehn Raxieyl Character Portrait: Kaya Lillia Xenlyiun
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Siryn
Talon V'lyn & Jennifer Live

ā€œA trial for what exactly?ā€

Even if her hand was on his shoulder, he couldn't relax. Always, always, they were after her. Something was dragged up in her past that they tried to use against her. In doing so, they were attacking him as well. What was with people and their power struggle? Was it not ever enough? His hand curled into a fist as he struggled to maintain his outward appearance of semi-calm.

The female High Nine who had been standing, leaned forward as the question was asked by Jennifer. Talon could almost feel the sneering smile beneath the dark cowl of the hood that covered her face. The woman placed her hands on the banister before her as she began to speak.

"Perhaps a list will help to jog your memory, Jennifer Live. Lets start with the most minor and lead up to the finale, shall we?" The woman's head turned off to the side. Next to her another of the High Nine stood and pulled out a piece of paper that they unrolled. The deeper voice rang out in the room as he announced what was written on the paper.

" 'Obnoxious and unruly conduct; using illusionary magic to disguise herself; intentional deception on many cases; using magic in public and disturbing the peace; blackmailing numerous organisations; destruction of Laowlee's gates; assaulting numerous officials whilst aiding Lord V'lyn; loitering around using illusionary magic even at this moment; and finally killing the soldiers that had been escorting her to Laowlee.' "

"Well, there you have it, Lady Jennifer, wife of the Lord V'lyn head of the assassin's cult. Since this is a fair trial, let's hear what you have to say for yourself?"

Talon ground his teeth together, "I hardly see this as a fair trial."

"You, Lord V'lyn, will be next, so I suggest you hold that tongue of yours."

"I don't have time for this!" He snapped, "I don't suppose you know of the destruction of Lethandrill do you? Or that the steward of that city has the gauntlet of Barthomel in his possession? I knew that I disliked you all for a reason. You always have something other than the important things to deal with."

"Why were you in Lethandrill, Lord V'lyn? I find it a huge coincidence that the city just happened to be destroyed with that unruly mage woman of yours at your side. That gauntlet has no power, we made sure of that. We also made sure that the Steward there was understanding of the fact that the item was to remain locked in it's chest at the farthest reaches of the treasury."

"Fine job of doing that," the assassin snarled in return, "Believe what you want. But I was there because the gauntlet wasn't were it was supposed to be. That man is drunk on power and he destroyed his own damned city!"

"Enough!" The woman shouted, her voice reverberating through the room, "Unfortunately even you lack evidence of that, V'lyn. To add to your growing list of atrocities, you've got nearly as good a rap-sheet as your mage woman, if not worse. Shall I list it out for you?"

Talon didn't say anything, only narrowed his now molten steel gaze, his head lowering slightly and the bangs of his hair falling down to give shadow to his gaze. The woman didn't seem affected by his threatening presence and continued onward with her so called 'trial'.

" 'Threatening and blackmailing the higher orders; intentional deception on many cases; using magic in public; the destruction of Lethandrill; the destruction of Laowlee's gates; the deaths of several council men in three of the Orders in Lastra several years ago; the death of Lord Astrad of Ro'ell several years ago; the death of Vicount Friez of Letolill several years ago; the death of Lady Sheir of Letolill several years ago; the death of Lord Ive and all of his family including the maids and servants of Laowlee several years ago..." the woman paused to take a breath, "Shall I continue Lord V'lyn? Just because you're the leader of the assassin's guild does not give you immunity to such vile actions. I don't care if another Order gave you orders to do such things. That doesn't give you the power or the authority to go about the land and do as you please. Now, with that out of the way, I think it's time we start discussing your future plans in our cells."

Armen Sorien

His heart seemed to settle as he noted that Fukayna was moving and her lips mouthed to him words that he seriously needed to hear. So she was alright after all, though he was pretty sure she wasn't feeling all that great. Even so, she had strength enough to communicate with him, that had to be something right?

"I'm glad," he told her softly, a smile on his lips, "I was so worried..."

"Now that she's awake, we can get stuff done," Sebastian said, his gruff voice filling the room as he lounged in the chair on the other side of the bed. The old man had his arms crossed over his chest, the leg that had been injured was wrapped tightly and he was nursing it gently by keeping weight off it.

"Sebastian... she just woke up."

"I didn't say I was gonna make her do anything, elf. I told you earlier we would discuss what to do next and I can't wait around any longer for the others. So her being awake helps. She's a part of the assassin's guild so it's important for her to hear."

The elf held his tongue though he didn't really like the assassin's tone all that much. His hand curled around hers and he looked down at her with a slight frown on his lips. Sebastian sighed heavily.

"It's alright, elf. The important thing right now is we need to find Talon and Jennifer. Nothing good can be going on if he's been away this long. I don't like how this feels."

"We can't just up and leave, though, Sebastian. Fukayna just woke up, I'm sure she's still in pain and in no condition to do anything-"

"I didn't say I would make her do anything-"

Armen continued, raising his voice slightly, "And Astrid is still bed ridden as well. As it stands right now we don't have much going for us. Seeing as there aren't a lot of assassins here and there weren't that many casualties too, I'm assuming that Lord V'lyn had sent most of the order out for something. I'm sure if we wait, we'll hear something soon from one of them."

Sebastian watched the youth for a long while before he heaved a heavier sigh than the one before. His head fell forward and he tapped his fingers against his arm. After a moment, he finally looked up slightly to gaze at Armen thoughtfully, "Fine. I see your point. We'll stay here for the time being. Soon as we hear from an assassin... well, we'll go from there I suppose."

Armen released his pent up breath and smiled in return to the old assassin, "Thank you."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and grunted. Standing he hobbled over to the doorway, stiff from having sat down so long, "No need..." he muttered and left the room.

The elf turned and watched the woman lying on the bed for a moment before he turned away slightly, a bit of a faint blush upon his face, "Is there anything you need?"

Fay X'san

Confusion assaulted her as Valentino fell off the horse suddenly as the creature simply snorted and shook. She pulled the reigns to stop the horse and turn it so that she could face the flailing man who was now on the ground. The elven woman couldn't even bring herself to speak as she watched him half in amusement and the other half in confusion.

What was wrong with him? It was just a horse, but it seemed that he'd gotten sick from it. Perhaps it was the jostling. Not everyone got used to riding a horse, she had seen her fair share of that with her own people. Technically the Navile weren't a people meant to be upon beasts for transportation. They had their magic after all. Fay was pretty sure that most elves were not all that accustomed to horses... but then she'd never been out of her forest to have any evidence of this.

She couldn't help a slight laugh at his flailing as he upstarted again, this time it was over a toad in the road. The adorable thing (adorable to her anyway) just sat there staring at the poor man who was cursing at it. After a moment, Valentino finally smote the creature and upon seeing what it turned into afterwards, he was even more upset again.

Fay hoisted herself smoothly off the horse and walked over to him calmly. He'd said something about resting in the green fields next to them. Reaching out she took his hands in her own and started to move them off the road where the roasted toad was at and the horse had wandered to eat some of the grass. Her smile was wide as she watched him.

"My apologies, if I'd know that you were uncomfortable with the horse, I would have used my magic to get us there faster," she told him smoothly. Though at the back of her mind she didn't have the slightest clue as to how she would do such a thing. It just felt like the right thing to say to him at the moment, or maybe it was because she was seemingly infatuated with him. It was definitely a little bit unnerving at times to feel so... out of control for some reason.

"I think it's a great idea we should rest here," she cooed, no it's not... we should be hurrying back to Skyfall an inner part of her mind spoke clearly and harshly. Yes, there was definitely something wrong with this picture, but she just couldn't bring herself to figure it out. Nor did she really want to. Or was it the other way around? It was beginning to get confusing.

Fay settled herself on the ground and patted the spot next to her, inviting the man to join her. She would leave the confusing stuff for later. Right then she wanted to relax and enjoy the man's company. No matter how much the other half of her screamed that it was wrong, that something was terribly off about him, she ignored it completely. A fools smile still crossed her lips as she sat there.

The setting changes from Lastra to Skyfall

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Igari

Image



She watched the faint argument from her position on the bed, shifting slightly so she could see the exchange better. Sebastian did not seem to be swayed from his position at first, his words indicating his anxiety and apprehension. She agreed with Armen though--she wasn't exactly in any position to consider moving at all. Her whole body felt as if it would give way if she so much as tried to stand. She felt fortunate to even be alive after such an attack--had it not been for her halberd... she wouldn't have made it. She knew that for certain.

Her heart gave a happy twinge over Armen's concern for her and she did her best to hide the smile from her face. She felt almost girlish for reacting this way but...

She eyed him from underneath her bangs, shyly taking in his features. He really was a handsome man. She had taken note of this before but she hadn't really had a moment to simply look him over without disturbance. The curve to his jaw, the way he firmly pursed his lips as he spoke, and his eyes--ah eyes! He was looking at her. She quickly looked down at her lap to hide her embarrassment.

Fukayna heard Sebastian's departing words before the door creaked, the older assassin letting himself out of the room. She figured it was safe to look up again, faintly noticing Armen had turned his head to the side a little. They must've both look a bit silly, sitting here with blushes on their faces. His voice was soft as he addressed her.

"Is there anything you need?" Was there? She was grateful to be safe--the only thing that would make her feel better was if V'lyn and Miss Jennifer were here. But she was going to have to wait before she knew anything about their condition. She shook her head, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

He was close, it didn't look like Armen would be shifting away from her any time soon. Perhaps it was the proper time to thank him. If it weren't for him, they wouldn't have been able to fend off the cloaked man in the manor. Yes, it was thanks to that frightening power... She sincerely hoped they'd be able to discuss that at some point. She had not sensed any magic from him when they had first met but now he seemed to be pulsing with it. The hum of it filled her ears, none too intrusive but most definitely there.

Answers would come later. For now... for now....

She sat up as best as she could and before her body gave way, she managed to lift her arms tiredly and wrap them around Armen in a hug. She slumped against him somewhat, not having the proper amount of energy to remain upright all on her own. She hoped the hug would communicate her thanks well since her furs were draped on the seat across the room--with them, her writing pad and utensil.

She didn't pull back and happily breathed in his scent. But was he truly okay?

She lowered one of her hands to his chest, pointing over his heart before making an "o" shape with her hands and then raising her fingers in a thumbs up/thumbs down motion to ask her question.

Armen froze in his spot as Fukayna wrapped her arms around him and hung on him. She fell against him lightly and he wasn't entirely sure what to do. His heart skipped several beats before picking up in pace and he was sure that his face had turned a brilliant shade of red. Slowly he started to wrap his arms around her lithe body. She was so light... so... frail against him he was almost afraid to hug her in fear of breaking her.

Even so, she was warm and the feeling of her against him was most comforting. Taking a moment, he nuzzled his head against hers. Her soft hair tickling his nose as he breathed in. She smelt wonderful. Then Fukayna pulled away just enough to point at him. She was asking him a question. Lifting an eyebrow he watched her carefully. Oh. She was asking if he was okay.

With a smile he beamed at her, "I'm just fine," he answered, though it wasn't really all that true.

She wrinkled her nose at him and shook her hand a bit as if to say that she doubted him just a little. If she was going through the agony she was, then there was no way he could've been just "fine". But perhaps he didn't want to worry her. Maybe she should just enjoy the moment of peace. It was only going to be a matter of time before Sebastian came in and disturbed them with more news about the Lord and Lady. For now she'd just relax.

She re-settled against him, closing her eyes and hoping that he couldn't hear how loud her heart was pounding in her chest. Fukayna was a bit unsure why she felt this way, considering she hadn't even known him for an extremely long time. Yet she felt somehow protective of him, ever since their meeting in the dungeons. Either way, hopefully they'd have time to recover before being thrust back into another battle.

The setting changes from Skyfall to Lastra

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Isaehn Raxieyl Character Portrait: Kaya Lillia Xenlyiun
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Siryn
Talon V'lyn

ā€œMore to the point. Iā€™d like to see you try restraining us. What exactly makes you think that Iā€™ll come quietly?ā€

Talon was hardly fazed by the fact that his lover had dispatched yet another doppleganger to taunt the High Nine. She was of a brilliant mind, and that much he could count on. It took everything he had not to smirk at them, or laugh out loud. She sure had a way with words. When they were finished here and once again back at Skyfall... he was going to have her.

He slipped his arm around Jennifer's illusion's waist, pulling her close to him. The assassin's gaze didn't leave the startled group of High Nine that were staring at the second apparition. He could feel their shock, could tell that they were now uneasy about whom they were dealing with. The only one that didn't seem too far affected was the woman, giving Talon a bad feeling about her.

"You wanted proof? Well, here's one on Jennifer's account, Lord V'lyn."

"Then why aren't you stopping her?" He asked out loud as he leaned down closer to the illusion and whispered in her ear, "Found anything yet?"

"Because there's nothing to find. Sorry to disappoint," the woman said off handidly, "As for your evidence, we have plenty of that as well. You think you clean up well enough, but I assure you, it's quite the contrary," the woman pulled from her pocket a few items which she layed upon the banister in front of her. Talon eyed the gleaming objects for a moment before it became apparant as to what they were.

They were rings.

Rings of the lords and ladies that he'd taken care of in the many years that he'd been the head of the assassin order. His lips pulled into a frown, but it wasn't a frown of being caught 'red handed'. Lifting an eyebrow he lifted his molten silver gaze to her hooded face, "So? A couple of rings gives you the 'evidence' you want?"

The woman's hand curled into a fist as she stood there, clearly his response wasn't the one she was looking for. He grinned at her then, unable to help it this time.

"Well, as fun as this has been, we'll be leaving now. As my beautiful mage stated earlier, we don't have time for this," he said and turned on his heel. The air crackled around him and he registered it as magic. Though he knew that the illusion next to him would hardly be harmed or hurt Jennifer's real body, he still threw her to the side on pure reaction. A black cage dropped down around him, just large enough to hold his size. Talon had raised his hands to cover his head as it dropped around him and when he looked about, he glowered in anger.

Whirling around he lunged forward, grabbing the bars of the cage in anger, the silver of his bracer beginning to glow brightly. The moment he touched the bars, though, the magic surrounding it burst at him. The assassin gave a cry of pain, his body rebounded from it and hit the back of the cage only to have the same thing happen. He dropped to one knee, growling in anger and wincing slightly. The silver bracer ignited, white tendrils of magic curling upwards like flames wreathed his arm.

"Now that was a very big mistake," he hissed between his teeth. The woman pulled away from the banister, her head turning between him and the Jennifer in the seat not to far away. With a sound like a snort of annoyance, the High Nine snapped her fingers together and her body vanished.

Talon already had his doubts about the woman, and with that he was even more convinced. Not a whole lot of magic hurt him all that much these days. The cage around him was definitely of some sort of darker magic that had been banished a long time ago. He snatched his hand outwards and gripped the bar, ignorning the pain that pulsed through him the moment he touched it. The white glow curled around the pitch black bars and began cracking through the magic that caged him.

"Jennifer," he called, knowing she would hear him no matter where she was, "Kill her."

The others of the High Nine stared in shock at the display of magic that the woman had just done. They were immobile, in shock no doubt about the unfolding situation. Talon ignored them. The woman was his main concern, there was something off about her. Though, at the moment he really didn't care about finding that out, hence his order to Jennifer.

His magic pulsed, grinding against the woman's as he fought to break free from the cage. What kind of dark magic was this? Something about it was slightly familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on it right then. He ground his teeth, he was going to have to unleash more magic from the bracer if he wanted to break the cage. How annoying, that damned woman was going to pay dearly for weaving such a trap.

His hand tightened around the bar of the cage, the pain grew in intensity causing his frame to shudder slightly and bend over. The white glow grew as well, engulfing his shoulder as well as it spread out over the bars. He could feel the bar beginning to crack underneath his grip and a few seconds later the entire thing shattered around him completely. Talon went to stand, only to fall forward on all fours, a deep cough forcing its way through. Flecks of blood coated the floor beneath him.

When he was done, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand and glowered up at the seats before him, "If you wish to live you better stay right there and do nothing to interfere," he ordered, absolutely livid.

Armen Sorien

She rested against him and he kept his arm wrapped around her. Armen was more than happy to see that she had recovered. Fukayna had been the center of his thoughts the moment he'd regained consciousness. He'd been fearful that the woman had been killed from the attack. She seemed fine though, tired of course, but otherwise just fine. The elf released a soft sigh and leaned forward slightly to ease his position. His fingers began stroking her silky hair, pulling the locks of white through his fingers. It was so soft.

Fukayna was very small next to him, he felt he could engulf her entirely. He rested his arm across her shoulder, allowing her to lean against him. It was a strange filling that filled his chest, made his heart beat a little faster, and caused the normally pale skin on his face to heat and turn a slight red color. Armen would have loved to stay there forever, lost in her warmth.

However, after a long while of just listening to her breath against him, he felt a sharp pull in his chest. He ignored it at first, not wanting to alarm Fukayna. The pulling grew increasingly and soon he was unable to keep it a secret anymore. Lightly pushing her off him, he turned away and clenched at his chest, eyes shut tightly as he ground his teeth. It was the pain of the magic from before, but there was something else mixed in.

A faint presence began to push against his conscious, the pressure giving him a headache. Slowly he fell forward until he was on the floor. Half curled in a ball, his chest heaved, breath hitched in his throat and coming out in heavy pants. He didn't like the presence at the back of his mind, but the more he pushed it away, the more it came back until finally it broke through. Armen gasped, his eyes flying opened but not seeing what he was facing.

I've been waiting a long time for you, the deep rumbling voice echoed through his mind.

"What the... who... what do you..." Armen couldn't really get his thoughts together, nor could he finish what it was he wanted to say.

Who am I? I'm called Ivorine. I'm a dragon, and I'm calling out to you because you're mine and I am yours. What I want is to help you. I cannot allow my rider to die, that is the way of a dragon. Or rather, the way most were when we had human companions. We are a dying race, you see.

"...what?" he panted, more questions flooding his mind but washed away with the growing pain of the power that had been stirred up by the stranger the day before.

You must hurry, in that condition you won't last long.

"Where..."

The mountains behind your city. I'm only able to reach you because I've gone to the very edge of where I'm being held in chains. It's taken all I can to reach you now, I've been trying to for days. Perhaps it is your magic that is helping, who knows. But right now you need to come to me. I can help you. Be wary of those cloaked in black, my little elf.

As the deep voice continued in it's speech, the pressure in his mind slowly faded and the voice became far off sounding as well. Then it all faded away, all except the pain of his overflowing magic that he struggled to contain. What exactly just happened he wasn't sure. However, if there was a slim chance at fixing what was done to him, he'd take it. It didn't matter if it was some strange dragon who offered it to him.

Lain Gareev

The sound of heavy chains shifting filled the dark cavern where Lain was at. Out of curiosity-- or poor judgment depending on how you looked at it-- he'd followed J'haren into the caves when they'd left the headquarters of the Nine. As of late, his superior was doing some very strange things and Lain was intent on finding out what it was. Of course, he was still curious as to why he'd been ordered by J'haren to kill the elf several days ago. However, nothing had cropped up to answer that question.

So he had started his own snooping around. There wasn't much to find though, J'haren was good at hiding his tracks, even to the High Nine. Lain wasn't all that trusting of the High Nine either, so he'd not gone to them in many weeks with his questions. He figured they would either avoid the topic entirely, or turn it around on him and he would be the one in trouble.

As he crept through the cave, going even further into the darkness he could hear something very large shifting at it's end. Chains dragged along an uneven floor and soon after, the sound of breathing filled the air. J'haren's voice echoed out too soon after and Lain froze where he was, half fearful that the Nine had figured out he'd been followed. The Nine was pretty positive he'd hid his presence well enough, though.

"Still trying, hu?" J'haren's voice curdled the air with it's acidy tone. Lain shivered slightly, he'd never heard that tone before.

"Foolish human," the deeper voice was thick in an accent of a kind that the Nine did not recognize at all. It also sounded as if the common language was not one that it used often, if at all.

"The elf is dealt with, long gone and dead. There's nothing left for you here."

The strange voice echoed out with a rumbling laugh that shook the cave and the tunnel where Lain stood, "Your chains and magic will not hold me for long," scratching alerted Lain that the creature within had dragged it's claws along the ground almost as if it were threatening J'haren, "You can be certain of that."

"Perhaps, but I'm certain that it will be far too late once that happens," J'haren returned and the sound of his footsteps growing closer made Lain move.

The Nine quickly exited the cave before his superior could and he disappeared quickly via magic. He did not return to the home of the Nine, though. He had a bit to think about before returning there and he was also fairly sure that going there right then would be dangerous for his health. Lain tapped his finger against his lip. The only place with enough knowledge to even get him a bit started on his search was Ro'ell.

Time to visit the mages.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Fay X'san
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Centi85
Khrae

Khrae sat motionless in the courtyard, contemplating what he'd just experienced. The answers he received through his meditation were usually fairly cryptic and ambiguous, but this... With a heavy sigh, the man closed his eyes again, allowing his mind to clear once more. He wouldn't continue his meditation, but instead he decided that he'd focus on trying to make sense of--

'You must hurry, in that condition you won't last long.'

Yes, that.

.. Wait.

Khrae opened his eyes again, looking around in a bewilderment. No, it couldn't be... But, yes. There it was again, that voice. Had he really just heard that voice again? It was ancient, dark and powerful, but most importantly, it was still talking.

...Why was it still talking?

Perhaps then it was someone else... Someone who was speaking, but they had managed to break through the man's concentration, their words thus becoming distorted... But the courtyard was empty. It had been so ever since Dante had attempted one of his usual tricks, and the man was certain that this couldn't be just another of the boy's games. Besides, the man's concentration wasn't something easily broken. For whatever reason he'd received this particular message, and normally that wouldn't be strange in the least, as he usually openly accepted whatever answers he was granted, but then normally they didn't follow him out of his meditated state. Albeit the words were fainter now, but he still heard them nonetheless.

'Be wary of those cloaked in black, my little elf.'

Elf?

"Khrae!"

Sebastian had burst out of the double doors, his gaze looking wildly around for the man. The room where the elf was with the assassin Fukayna was right above them, the window shook violently before shattering and letting loose a loud 'boom'. It lasted only for a second, but the pressure that flooded the courtyard held the same feel as the magic that had exploded in the mansion just the other day. Sebastian ducked on impulse before looking up over to the window.

"The elf! Can you do anything?"

Khrae stood quickly, pushing a hand through his hair to straighten it from the sudden explosion of energy as he looked up to the window overhead. While the voice he'd just heard wasn't at all familiar, that surge of power was something he was acquainted with, even if only for a few brief moments. It was the same energy that had crippled Armen the previous day, and Khrae can't say that he was particularly happy to have to deal with it again. With a quick nod to Sebastian, the swordsman wasted no time in bolting towards the now opened doors, allowing the older assassin to lead the way up to the young elf's room.

Wait.. Elf? Armen.. Was it just a coincidence, or... No.

Not important. Khrae dismissed the thoughts for now, feeling that it would be better to interpret these occurrences later, when he could focus better. More pressing was the matter of the state that he found Armen in as he burst into the room. Indeed he was bursting with the same power as previously, and again he appeared to be experiencing the same horrific effects. Moving quickly, the swordsman knelt on the floor next to the young elf, putting a hand against his forehead, giving him a quick look over, and lightly placing two fingers on his neck to check his heart rate. He seemed to be okay, other than the probably excruciatingly uncomfortable feeling that must accompany having a great source of power forcing itself from ones body like an overstressed meat bag.

The fact that an elf had an untapped innate magic was nothing new or particularly shocking, but what worried Khrae was the volatile state it seemed to rest in, and then the potency it possessed when released. Whether or not the power was stronger than last time, Khrae couldn't tell right off-hand, but the man set to work anyway in trying to contain it. It was all he could do for now, and he only wished that it wasn't having any unfavorable side-effects. A powerful mage would probably know what to do better than himself, but it had worked once before and it was all he could offer until he found a way to safely channel the power out in a less explosive manner.

Tracing two fingers up from Armen's neck onto his forehead, Khrae closed his eyes, now searching for where the power was strongest within its vessel. Gently the man placed his other hand just over the young elf's chest, then closed his eyes, beginning his prayers.

Several moments later and Khrae was almost literally blown back away from Armen. While he did manage to put enough energy into the young elf to hopefully clear or suppress his power, the man's own had seemed to escape him, exploding back in his face as if hitting suddenly a brick wall. Normally the Khrae wouldn't have allowed that much to seep in, and if it did, he'd of kept control of it, but he'd allowed himself to slip, momentarily distracted by something which gave him great reason to worry.

Coughing and sputtering, Khrae moved slowly, his entire body suddenly aching not only from accepting all that power, but from having it suddenly reverse back on himself. Rolling onto his side, the man propped himself up on one elbow, trying to support himself as he stood up off the floor, all the while attempting to regain control of his body, suddenly shaking. His chest was tight, as were all his muscles, and the man spent a good amount of time simply leaning against the wall, blinking and coughing until he simply couldn't anymore. Resignedly, he simply allowed himself to press his back against the door frame, then slide down exhaustively.

Looking back up to Sebastian, he offered a weak smile and shrug, then found himself grasping at his stomach as it felt like a hot blade were suddenly piercing his abdomen.

"Ahh, Damnit.." Khrae gasped through clenched teeth. Several seconds and it passed, and the man allowed himself to go limp as he looked to Armen. Still more or less panting, the Khrae blinked again, nodding. "Heh...Agh.. Hopefu-Hopefully that'll hold..." Once the man was in control of himself again, he'd discuss with Sebastian what he had just experienced. It was definitely no coincidence, and that was definitely one of the cloaked figure's voices.

Damned mages, Khrae huffed.

"Damn," the old assassin huffed as he leaned heavily against the doorway near Khrae, "I'm getting to old for this..." Sebastian sighed, "Mages hu? Don't like the sound of this. It would be better if Jennifer or Lord V'lyn were here. In any case, looks like the elf is better. At least for the moment. What about you? That was quite a hit there."

Khrae sighed, shaking his head and waving a dismissive hand. His breathing was becoming easier, and at least he didn't feel like his heart was trying to rip itself from his chest. "Fine," he commented simply, "Just... Got away from me.."

With another huff, the man pressed up against the wall, forcing himself to stand. "We should get Armen to a place where he can rest..." Khrae said tiredly, "Then we should really discuss something concerning..." The man looked to Fukayna, then back to Sebastian, hoping that perhaps he could convey the importance without having to say anything that could possibly worry the poor girl. Until some sense was made of all this, it was no use causing unnecessary trouble. Plus, Khrae wasn't even sure what it concerned... Perhaps Sebastian could help him decipher what had just happened, but the man wasn't about to make any assumptions pertaining to any coincidences that may or may not be just that.

Moving towards the young elf, Khrae knelt to gather him, but just before the man had a chance to do anything, a thought suddenly struck him. One that, by decree of the clan, required more attention than anything else the man had to worry about. "Have you seen Dante?" Khrae inquired suddenly.

"Dante? The little runt that's always causing trouble? No, haven't seen him," Sebastian answered, an eyebrow lifting slightly, "I thought the little trouble maker was with you..." the old assassin muttered.

Pushing off the doorway, he motioned for Khrae to follow him with Armen in tow, "You can put him back in the room he was in earlier to rest, then we can talk in the hall if you wish."

Khrae moved sluggishly, if a bit lethargically, nodding as he picked up Armen and moved from Fukaynaā€™s room, following the old assassin. His meditation had only just settled his mind and body, returning him to a refreshed and rejuvenated state, but it seemed that fate refused to allow him any time to lounge in such comforts. Even before heā€™d completed his meditation, someone or something insisted on gathering his attention, and not seconds afterwards, he was forced to resort to his clans Sacred Powers once again. Of course thatā€™s not to say that the man wouldnā€™t waste any time in doing it again, but the physical toll was extremely strenuous, and already the man felt as though heā€™d aged several more years.

The man was still in his youth, however, especially when compared to some Clan Elders, but already his joints ached, his back and neck felt stiff, and his muscles burned. He knew that there were always some unfavorable side-effects, and the man could suffer through the momentary discomfort usually without batting an eye. What he didnā€™t look forward to were the complications that would arise later in life, most pressing of said issues being a shortened time one had in this world. Khrae wasnā€™t at all afraid of death seeing as he was vastly, if not entirely, a spiritual man, but the clan was dedicated to perfecting the mind to such a caliber and degree that could only be attained from the longest, purest life. Such a long, fulfilling life could only be obtained through the strictest of guidelines in every way each clansman conducted themselves.

Reading supplied the clansman with the knowledge to produce a mind sharper than any blade. Training induced discipline as each man and woman honed their abilities. Everything a clansman did was dedicated to progressing forward, with nary a move put towards counter-productivity. No action, spoken or otherwise, could ever be taken back, no mistake was affordable. The precision of the body, a blunt tool to be guided by the mind was trained to move expertly, each and every movement adequately assessed before enacted. The highest of the clansman seemed to always float, rather than walk. Carried with a certain grace, even the art of taking a step was perfected so that the hindering pauses and unnecessary undulation of the body as weight was transferred from one foot to the other was surpassed. No time was wasted, and speed, as well as every other factor, was constant. Finally, meditation synchronized everything, and even the action of remaining still in an ever changing world was turned into a constant and steady advance ahead.

Combined, a clansman was then granted access to divine enlightenment and further development under careful tutelage from the ancestors, granting abilities obtained by only the most dedicated. Such a gift was truly just that, and a carefully guarded one, not to be employed for selfish reasons, but in order to better the clan as a whole. Skilled in the complete and utter control of this power, the Clan Elders wielded it with enough efficiency as to destroy, to heal, to move, and to think. Spiritual energy. It was much more natural and refined than the raw magic these mages wieldedā€¦

Khrae contemplated this all the while he walked, knowing well that, while he was strong, he still had a great distance to travel in order to even think of matching the level of the Clan Elders. His path was then detoured even more with the acceptance of the task of guiding the free-spirited Dante, but he trusted that the Ancestors plans would surely pay off in the long run. With that thought in mind, and after having put Armen safely back in his room, the man met Sebastian in the hall.

Looking at the older assassin, Khrae sighed, sincerely unsure of where to even begin. The explanation of such a thing as what heā€™d happened to stumble upon was beyond him, but nevertheless, the man took a shot.

ā€œFirst of, let me start by saying Iā€™m still working on attempt to decipher what any of this means. To put it into words seems nearly implausible, so Iā€™d like to try something. It must be witnessed and experienced first-hand.ā€ Deciding that this was the best course of action, Khrae nodded, though it was more to encourage himself than Sebastian. The assassin was obviously a well-learned man, and so the swordsman had no doubt that he would have no trouble in conveying to him the bewildering greatness of what heā€™d intercepted. He still had yet to solidify in his mind that it involved Armen, but that was simply because the man never made assumptions without good reason. Of course it wasnā€™t that he didnā€™t have a good reason to assume so, but he also had a moment to stop and fully comprehend the situation, as well as employ a third-party.

ā€œNow then,ā€ Khrae continued casually, ā€œhave you ever meditated?ā€


Dante

Under normal circumstances, Dante wouldā€™ve been too naĆÆve to notice the look Capella seemed to adopt when he mentioned the details of his plan to her. Under normal circumstances, Dante wouldā€™ve been completely oblivious to a look of betrayal, seeing as how, being the embodiment of innocence and so care-free, such a term was a lost art. Thatā€™s not to say that he didnā€™t have the ability to comprehend when someone wasnā€™t being entirely honest, nor to understand why someone would be angry, but more so he simply always got too distracted by all the other joys of life that so easily outweighed the little things. When he did something wrong, if it was accident, he obviously never meant for it, and unless outright told, never picked up on it; if on purpose, it was usually in good-humor, never malicious intent.

Of course, seeing as this was indeed normal circumstances, Dante remained completely turned off from Capellaā€™s displeased look, only acknowledging her, albeit resigned sounding, acquiescence. With an overjoyed smile, Dante allowed only a moment for himself to be lost in an overwhelming sense of joy, grasping tight the Dragoness and embracing her in a bear hug. A moment later though, he returned to his feigned seriousness, though the playful undertone was blatantly obvious.

Crouching again, with his arms spread to either side as if ready to accept an attack or flee at a momentā€™s notice, Danteā€™s head swung back and forth before he began moving not at all silently towards the Guildhouseā€™s exit.

ā€œDay one,ā€ Dante began speaking quietly, in-between his unnecessary jumps across the hall to hide in doorways, mimicing stealth, ā€œweā€™ve begun our campaign to capture subject F. Dante, witty, cunning, clever andā€¦ uhm. Smart guyā€¦ Heh. Has enlisted the help of Capella, the ā€¦ something or otherā€¦ capr.. capreshe? Caprishush? Dragonnessā€¦.ā€

Running loudly across the hall once more, Dante glanced back at Capella, nodding and giving a thumbs up before spinning around the corner, adopting a fighting stance in order to combat the vacancy he found himself staring at. ā€œThe way is clear for nowā€¦ Enemies lurk. Khrae, the evil, grumpy troll is aroundā€¦ somewhereā€¦ With any luck, we can escape his dreaded castle and return to the task at hand!ā€

Jumping forward, Dante landed awkwardly on his side and rolled comically a few feet, before army crawling and finally dashing to the mansion entrance. Pressing his back against the wall again, he peered through the door to the outside world.

ā€œNo guards or sentriesā€¦ Why say you, Capella?!ā€ Looking back to the Dragoness, Dante waited for her response before continuing outside, wasting no time in karate chopping a random bush and then drawing his sword and hacking away at a stump, shouting out random battle cries before running across the grass, as if being chased by enemy soldiers. His games caused him to momentarily forget that heā€™d left his sword impaled into the truncated piece of wood.

Rushing back, Dante spent another second or two attempting to pull his blade free, landing on his back as it finally came loose. Standing and attempting to cover the embarrassment, Dante swung the blade around and pointed down the road they had come from the previous day. ā€œCome, Capella!ā€ he called probably too loudly, ā€œOur mission awaits!ā€


Valentino

Valentino inspected the spot Fay had chosen for him carefully. No bugs, toads, horsesā€¦ Just dirt. Dirty dirt. Blech. Inwardly wincing and rolling his eyes, the man hated for his beautifully flawless white attire to be stained, and so he held up a graceful finger as an idea occurred to him. It was just enough to distract him from his previous uproar, as well as help impress the beautiful new target heā€™d acquired.

ā€œOne moment, darlingā€ he offered charismatically. Turning, the man walked several paces before coming to a stop. With a blue glow emenating from his fingertip, he drew a square in the air, then began filling in details containing a large circle with several smaller ones inside it, decorated with odd runes. It was a less conventional means of magic, but definitely a more enticing one. It was mysterious and interesting to watch, and usually came with just as good results as if he were to cast a simple spell without the showmanship. Conjuration of a rock entity or whatever else was difficult, but the picnic which appeared was honestly a low-level trick. Easy mastery and it came in handy more times than most cared to acknowledge. Especially during the lonely nights when Valentino was too lazy to actually cook something.

What was laid out after a short chant was simple yet romantic. Atop a plain purple blanket embroider whimsically in gold hearts and vines sat several modest platters of cheese, meats, and some fruits. A small candle sat in the center, burning a strange pink, rather than yellow. Easy, and in truth, the only thing that Valentino could produce. But his inability to do anything other than illusions, short of this and a few other miscellaneous spells, was irrelevant. Honestly this wasnā€™t entirely a spell, but more of a summoning. Encrypted in a tome amongst several other locked away treasures, Valentino had sealed this spell away, enjoying his ability to use it whenever he wished, without ever running short of supply.

ā€œI know how much you must want to be continuing on, but itā€™s no use traveling on an empty stomach. Why donā€™t you tell me a little more about yourself and these friends while we immerse ourselves in a snack? Hmm?ā€

With a wink, Valentino took Fays hand to help her up and relocate her to the purple fabric laid out over the grass. With a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, he gestured for her to sit.

ā€œA little conversation never hurt,ā€ Valentino said casually, taking a seat next to his newfound treasure. ā€œAnd Iā€™d love to hear about these people you were traveling with. They sound like an interesting group, despite leaving you behind.ā€

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Isaehn Raxieyl
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Igari

Image



Well this was...

.... interesting.

Interesting was the word she'd give this whole debacle without being incredibly insulting. Kaya had refused to move from her seat once this trial began. She did not want to be banded with the others. She believed in saving all souls, in attempted purification. But some souls were beyond saving. Such was the case with the lively Jennifer who seemed intent on angering those that opposed her. The man Talon was not much better, though more diplomatic, he was still just as hostile as the mage.

Her hands clenched into fists as the man casually turned on his heel as if about to leave the courtroom when a cage fell over him. The man growled, gnashing his teeth in a threatening manner. And then he gave an order no man ever has the right to give. She could not condone this. Perhaps she couldn't have stopped him in the past--he was the head of an assassin's guild after all.

Now she understood where she had known his name from--why this mage had seemed familiar. Even for one sheltered such as she... these two were known widely for their deeds, especially the woman. Her lip curled in disgust. How could they think they had a right to rid others of life, the greatest gift of all? The man struggled against the bars, his gaze whiplashing to the seats.

"If you wish to live you better stay right there and do nothing to interfere," What did that mean? Was that directed at her? Had he sensed her annoyance? Kaya stood slowly, glowing eyes narrowing as she gazed at the pair. There was no way she could just--

She was halted in her motions by a hand on her shoulder and turned to observe the man with the glasses from earlier. He had been so silent... she had barely even paid him any heed since they entered the room. He shook his head, a faint smile on his lips.

"Let them handle it. I have another plan in mind for you." She moved out of his grip, staring at him pensively.

"You are the one that brought them here. Why should I listen to you?" She questioned, brushing some hair out of her line of vision. The man's smile only widened.

"Because you will not want to be here once that mage woman gets going. Do you honestly think you want to be a part of the carnage?" Kaya did not trust him but the man did have a point. If she were a witness to the scene, they may attribute her to having ties to these two assassins. And the priestess did not want that. She had only come looking for answers as to why Lethandrill was destroyed and she had found them. The mage woman was responsible for the death of her kin.

She nodded, allowing him to place his hand on her arm and lead her away from the seats. He was bringing her closer to the wall but did not seem to be heading directly for the exit. She shot a look back up at the group of hooded figures, noticing that there was still one of them staring at the pair. Hm. This wasn't going to be a simple task to get out of here, now was it?

"What do they really want with them? Are their crimes truly as grievous as all that?" She asked. Even if she did not like the mage woman or her mate... she did not directly agree with the council either. The man just shrugged,inclining his head towards her.

"For the most part, yes. Those two are criminals," His smile turned a touch malicious as it widened to a smirk. "But in some circles, so am I and most certainly, so are the high nine. As for the destruction of Lethandrill, however..." He trailed off, appearing thoughtful. "Let us just say that things aren't always so black and white."

"So you're saying the mage didn't destroy the city?" She asked.

"Believe what you like, I am only an observer." Did no one know how to answer directly? Kaya was worn out simply from asking questions. She looked back over at the events unfolding in the courtroom, now a safe distance away thanks to this man. Whatever was happening... it was bigger than she had anticipated.


Image



Fukayna shifted--something was missing... Her eyes flitted underneath her eyelids as she opened them slowly, intaking her breath as she felt her body shift. Everything still ached--though that much was to be expected... She had let herself drift off for a few moments there. Armen's grip had been comforting enough so she had felt secure enough to try resting again. But now that was missing... why?

She spotted him, the boy knelt on the ground and shivering slightly. She hesitantly went to reach over, to place her hand on his shoulder, but withdrew as she felt it. That same sensation from earlier, back at the mansion. He was exuding that magical feel again--more powerful than she had even felt from... dare she say it, Miss Jennifer. She was hesitant to even compare him to such a great mage but there was no denying this incredible feeling.

The ground vibrated as a tremor passed through the room, emanating from the elf. She had to call for help--she had to get Sebastian, even Khrae!

As if answering her silent wishes, the pair burst through the doors just seconds after she conjured these thoughts. Khrae was quickest on the uptake and immediately knelt down next to Armen, skimming his fingers up to the boy's forehead. She could feel the older man doing... something. Perhaps it was a suppression technique? Either way, it only seemed to work for a moment for not a minute later, the swordsman was blown backwards from Armen and he hit the far wall.

She started, half-getting up from her perch but her body forced her to resume sitting. Sudden movements did not do her well. Sebastian walked over to Khrae and she narrowed her eyes underneath her bangs as they discussed something under their breaths. The look they gave her... clearly it was about Armen. Or maybe even about V'lyn or Miss Jennifer. She wanted to protest, to demand they tell her, but she was in no state to.

The older assassin and the mentor both hoisted Armen up, each carrying a portion of his weight from the room. Where were they taking him? Logically, he would need a bed to rest so... perhaps back to his room? What were they trying to hide from her? What did they not want her to know? Or maybe they thought she would be worried...

No! She had a right to know. She was one of the assassin's guild now. She was a part of the family. She ground her teeth together and forced herself to straighten, ignoring the pain that shot through her legs. She wasn't about to sit idly by and be left in the dark about everything.

Fukayna walked over to her chair, grabbing her furs and wrapping them about her once more. She glanced briefly at her shoes but didn't bother with them--there was no point. She stumbled over to the doorway, clasping the handle to keep herself upright. She was just able to catch a glance of the two men rounding the corner. Yes, she knew where that led. They were going to Armen's room.

She leaned against the wall weakly, trembling as she followed them at a safe distance. She was sure that with as weak as she was, her presence would barely register if at all. She paused as she caught the sound of Khrae's voice in the hallway, smooth as always.

ā€œ... still working on attempt to decipher what any of this means. To put it into words seems nearly implausible, so Iā€™d like to try something. It must be witnessed and experienced first-hand.ā€ She bit her lip, trying to lean closer to hear better. ā€œNow then, have you ever meditated?ā€ Disappointment settled in her stomach. Nothing good ever came of eavesdropping and she was being proved right.

Still she... she had to do something, right? She was different from Sebastian and Khrae. She had been a mage of Ro'ell... maybe if she was just able to observe Armen better....

But first, she had to find a way around the pair to get to his room. She sighed deeply, rubbing her temples. She would do this, somehow.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Fay X'san
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Siryn
Sebastian, Armen and Khrae

ā€œNow then, have you ever meditated?ā€

Sebastian had followed Khrae into the next room where he placed the unconscious elf upon the bed. The old assassin could only hope that the boy would be fine this time. His lips pulled into a frown as he looked at the elf's silent features. Armen had been in so much pain just moments before, it was almost a false calm that had settled over him right then.

Turning back to Khrae as the swordsman asked him the question, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall next to the door, "If you consider sword training a type of meditation, sure. If all I need is to concentrate on nothing, then I should be fine," the old man answered gruffly.

He wondered what it was that Khrae wanted to show him. There was a little bit of worry as well. What could have possibly unsettled the man before him? Granite, he didn't know Khrae all that well, but enough to realize that something was definitely off about the situation. Once again, his eyes laid upon the elf. He was almost a hundred percent sure that whatever it was that had Khrae on edge... it had something to do with Armen. Whether that was bad or good... well that remained to be seen.

Fay X'san

ā€œI know how much you must want to be continuing on, but itā€™s no use traveling on an empty stomach. Why donā€™t you tell me a little more about yourself and these friends while we immerse ourselves in a snack? Hmm?ā€

Valentino took her hand and lifted her up to her feet. She grinned foolishly at him as he led her to the blanket and sat her upon it after kissing the back of her hand. His lips, as they pressed against her skin, left a slight burning and tingling feeling that coursed from her hand up her arm.

ā€œA little conversation never hurt. And Iā€™d love to hear about these people you were traveling with. They sound like an interesting group, despite leaving you behind.ā€

Fay giggled lightly as her eyes laid upon the banquet that he'd summoned up. She was far too giddy for her own good, and yet again that feeling that something was off pulsed at the back of her mind. The Navile woman shook her head slightly, black hair that had fallen out of it's clip crisscrossed over her shoulders as she did so. Leaning back on one arm, she took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well, I don't know any of them very well. The man who's in charge of the entire group is called Talon V'lyn, but most everyone calls him Lord V'lyn. Probably because he's the leader of the assassin's order. Then there's his wife, Jennifer Live. She's a lovely woman but she's kind of mean. She doesn't like anyone other than Talon. Makes me wonder what background she comes from to have such vile notions towards everyone else.

"Then there's a couple of younger assassins, their called Fukayna and Astrid. Astrid is a bit of a trouble maker, especially with her dragon around. Fukayna doesn't speak at all, which is rather strange. But she seems sweet all the same. Then there's the elf. His name is Armen. Such a strange individual. He was injured last I saw him and Lord V'lyn and Jennifer took him back to Skyfall to nurse him back to health. It's almost like he doesn't know himself really, so I'm unsure about him. He seems honorable though.

"Then there's a pair from the phoenix tribe. I've never heard of them before, but they seem to be very powerful. Well, the one at least does. His name is Khrae and he's pretty quiet most times. A very serious man. He looks rather young, but I get the feeling he's much older than that, kind of like myself. Then there's Dante. He's quite handsome as well. He's a bit on the playful side, doesn't take things very seriously, but... I think... I think I..." Fay stumbled in her random string of sentences. Why was she even telling him that anyway? She couldn't really remember, but the moment she mentioned Dante, she started thinking about the youth fondly. Her eyebrows came down in confusion as she sat there, trying to regain her thoughts.

"I think I... might like him?" she ended in a question. Maybe she did like him, maybe she liked him much more than she originally thought. He was attractive, he was adorable almost all the time and she felt a certain attraction to him. Then of course there was that dragon woman who was attached to him too. Capella. Fay's lips pulled into a frown.

"But... there's this woman. Her name is Capella. Well, she's not really a woman, a dragon in a girls body. I'm not sure about her story, but she's claimed the boy as her treasure. As much as I do love Dante, I know that he's clueless to what's going on around him, especially with that dragon. If only I could get on good terms with her, maybe then we could all reach an understanding. It's not like I would force the boy into something he doesn't want, unlike her. She's taking advantage of the fact that he doesn't quite get what's going on," Fay sighed heavily.

She looked over to Valentino and smiled wearily, "But enough of my babbling, really it's not very polite, now is it? I do apologize. Let's eat and get back as quickly as we can, shall we?"

Talon V'lyn

ā€œHow meticulous. Eeny meeny miny mo.ā€

Talon watched as Jennifer waltzed over to the men up in their seats. She promptly sat herself down, putting one leg over the other as she singled out one of the men up there. She leaned forward, and Talon was sure that her usual grin was upon her lips even though he couldn't see it.

ā€œOh my mister, that was such an impressive magic trick. Youā€™ll show me how you did it, won't you?ā€ She asked, her voice velvety as she spoke. That was probably when she was at her most dangerous. The woman's smile was just a cover for her true intentions. Even having known her for many years, it still sent chills down his spine when he thought about everything that his lover was capable of.

The man must have caught on because his voice was far from solid, "I-I-I didn't... that was... A-All her doing! I s-s-swear! She... she must h-h-have gone to the... catacombs.... b-beneath us. Beneath us!" He nearly shouted the last part as if he expected Jennifer to lash out at him at any moment. Which was possible, no one ever knew what she would do next, not even Talon some times.

Talon turned to the woman who had come with them, his lips pulled into a frown still, "Why don't you do something useful and stay here to watch them. No one leaves, understand?"

Getting to his feet slowly, he looked up to Jennifer, "Come, we'll both get her. Now that I think of it, we should ask questions first before we kill her," he stretched out his hand to his lover. The bracer on his hand glowed softly. He was weak, but he still had power enough to deal with one measly woman.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Fay X'san Character Portrait: Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Centi85
Khrae, Sebastian & Fukayna

"If you consider sword training a type of meditation, sure. If all I need is to concentrate on nothing, then I should be fine.ā€

Khrae nodded, but then thought for a moment as to what it was he intended to do. Nothing. There was nothing he could do other than explain to the best of his abilities what had happened, but now that he actually stopped, calmed himself and considered what heā€™d just said, he realized he might have insinuated something beyond what he was capable of. Shaking his head a moment as if the action could reorganize the suddenly cluttered mess of thoughts whirring through his mind, the man clarified.

ā€œOh, no,ā€ he began, ā€œyou wonā€™t need to do any meditating. So long as you understand the premise of what the activity was built upon.ā€ Khrae stopped, trying to judge whether or not Sebastian followed so far, and then to contemplate exactly how to properly articulate his thoughts. Finally having formulated a plan of engagement for the touchy subject, the man wasted no time in diving straight in. He hated beating around the bush, especially on matters such as this. Trivial facts and round-about answers were tedious, and most of the time demanded even more thought to process, let alone fabricate.

ā€œThrough a meditation, one achieves a sound mind and body. They become one, harmonize, and it is through that harmony and clarity that some say they can be granted a foresight into many things.. Simple things like life choices, answers to what may be bothering themā€¦ā€ Pausing, the man was a realist, and although he grew up with this life style and didnā€™t doubt it one bit, he still knew of the skepticism that many held towards the subject. Sebastian seemed fairly open-minded, however, and so Khrae continued. ā€œSome of the great elders can use this heightened state to do spectacular things. Many have documented experiences where theyā€™ve had glimpses into the future and, more astonishingly, into the subconscious of another person altogether. Thoughts, memories, regrets, fears, you name itā€¦ All there..ā€

With a questioning look the swordsman pausing briefly, waiting for some sort of response to tell him that the assassin understood where he was possibly going. It wasnā€™t that what he said was at all confusing, Khrae always spoke so that he addressed the topic as straightforward and simple as he could and always endeavored to fill in important background information for use as reference to the bigger picture, but rather, it was the fact that many people would check out around this time, finding the notion of such talk blasphemous. Sebastian seemed to keep up, so Khrae continued.

ā€œThat being said, I had been meditating in the courtyard earlier when I stumbled upon a most curiousā€¦ something. A conversation of sorts, but it was one-sided. Not like only one person was talking, Iā€™m assuming that there was another participant, but I never caught any responses of that particular person.ā€ Khrae paused, glancing once to Armen. ā€œWhat was very muchā€¦ unsettlingā€¦ was simply the half of the conversation I seemed to have been stuck with. The voice was ancient and belonged to no person. It was powerful and held within it wisdom and energy beyond any Iā€™ve encountered. ā€

Khrae stopped again, deciding that the most effective approach was an outright statement of his hypothesis. If he was wrong, so be it, but he sincerely doubted he could be; all evidence pointed to such a conclusion. ā€œI intercepted only pieces, but I believe Armen may have found his link. I believe heā€™s found himself a Dragon.ā€

After a short time to allow the weight of his words, Khrae spoke again, still maintaining the same stoic yet whole-hearted tone, as if he was screaming on the inside the urgency, however his training refused to allow such manners of conduct. ā€œIt was about that time when our little elf went cataclysmic again,ā€ Khrae continued, ā€œAnd when I had attempted to avert the power, it was like looking through a spyglass. What I saw.. It was one of those cloaked men, however he was behind bars. Moreover, he was on the opposite side of the bars behind which hold what I believe was trying to make the connection with Armenā€¦ That conversation sounded like it was being spoken underwater, undecipherable, but the image was clear as day.ā€

Shifting his eyes to one side, Khrae couldnā€™t see beyond the corner, but he knew she was there nonetheless. He assumed that Sebastian was aware of their eavesdropperā€™s presence too, so he merely nodded to his left, allowing for the older assassin to deal with those under his jurisdiction. Khrae had no more to say, so at this point he was content to remain quiet until questioned further.


Valentino & Fay

Valentino listened intently to the girl speak, at first maintaining a genuine look of curiosity seeing as he needed to know who he had to contend with for his prize, but eventually having to resort to his magic in order to perpetuate his appearance of intrigue. The man had no idea the girl was aligned with such powerful comrades, certainly it made no sense considering past references for Navile. Talon Vā€™lyn; he was a foul man who commanded swarms of shadow-walkers. Assassins were one of the lowest forms of people in Valentinoā€™s not-too-modest opinion. The man had to conceal first a look of sheer distaste, however that expression barely had enough time to fully crease the manā€™s lips before turning into that of fear and unbelief. Heā€™d known it was coming, and yet he didnā€™t expect it.

Jennifer Liveā€¦

She may as well be the queen of mages. If there was anyone out there who played worse mine-games than himself, anyone even more insidious, devious and all-around insane and chaos-inducing, it was her. Valentino had to suppress entirely his urge to shutter and recoil at the name, because Jenniferā€™s reputation put himself to shame. Her magic surpassed most anyoneā€™s in all possible ways, and she of all people would know who he was as well, and just his own presence, he was sure, she would be able to see directly through his ploy and break any and all hopes he had of capturing his prey. There was no way he could continue his endeavor with such a force to be reckoned with stymieing him. Worse yet, even if Valentino did have the courage to steal away the girl and combat Jennifer, aside from being obliterated, heā€™d be obliterated after having been pinned to a tree by a series of throwing knives. Talon would be backing his lovely devil a hundred and ten percentā€¦

Valentino was lost in thought for much of the remainder of the time that Fay was talking. Only one other piece of information caught the manā€™s attention again and momentarily pulled him from his momentary block.

Then there's Dante. He's quite handsome as well. He's a bit on the playful side, doesn't take things very seriously, but... I think... I think I... might like him?"

Once more, Valentino received a full-on slap in the face. Broadsided entirely, the man knew heā€™d have to work for this particular prize, but he never thought heā€™d have to hurdle so many obstacles. His magic was wearing, he hadnā€™t recharged and so he couldnā€™t maintain the same powerful doses he always did. To get to his prize, heā€™d have to work her away from the bonds sheā€™d already made. Talon and Jennifer were the biggest stumbling blocks, but then there was this boyā€¦ Phoenix tribe? What in the hell was a Phoenix tribe? Valentino knew of the mythical bird, but he knew they didnā€™t exist as well. Unless these people were some strange hybrid human-bird that doesnā€™t die; Valentino was scaring himself now. That would be terrible. This boy, whoever he was who had captured the attention of his beloved energy source must be something indeed, especially if heā€™d caught the eyes ofā€¦

"But... there's this woman. Her name is Capella. Well, she's not really a woman, a dragon in a girls body.ā€

ā€¦

ā€¦

ā€¦What?

W-was that even possible?

Valentino simply took on a look of being completely dumbfounded. But then again, just a moment ago he was imagining a man with fiery feathered wings and a beakā€¦ But that was simply his imaginationā€¦ Fay had to be pulling his leg now, his magic must really be wearing. Even full he was no match for what awaited him, but running on reservesā€¦ Valentino was stuck now, unsure of how he could possibly continue on with his nefarious plots.

"But enough of my babbling, really it's not very polite, now is it? I do apologize. Let's eat and get back as quickly as we can, shall we?"

The man blinked several times, his mouth opening and closing like a fish without water. ā€œUh-er.. E-hā€¦hehā€¦ S..ā€ Valentino rubbed the back of his head, overwhelmed suddenly. Talon, an entire guild of assassins and Jenniferā€¦ Some flaming man-bird that doesnā€™t die, and a dragon girl? Valentino almost felt as if he himself were under another powerful magesā€™ spell. This girl was beyond words, and her story was even more farfetched than that. Either someone was messing with him, or he was being punished by a greater power he never acknowledged.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, and then standing quickly, Valentino tried hard to maintain his smile, but just couldnā€™t manage. ā€œYes, well. Uh, actually, well whaddya know! Look at that, I have to go. I-erā€¦ Well, I meanā€¦. Oh, casserole! Yes, ovenā€¦ Spells and such. Uhm, are you sure you wouldnā€™t want to come back home with myself?ā€ Smiling, Valentino thought only after he spoke. What if they came looking for her? Damnit. Heā€™d have to find a better way to engage this particular battle. First and foremost, however, he needed to leave before he came into contact with Talon or Jennifer and get up to full strength. Perhaps he could distract her long enough to take the girl and run? Heā€™d do it now if he had the strengthā€¦

ā€œDamnit,ā€ Valentino huffed. ā€œS-sorry.. I,ā€ Valentino finally just threw his hands up and began backing up in the other direction. ā€œI gotta go!ā€ he said, then turned and made a fast escape. He would return, he would make sure of that, but once he had bettered his odds. Leaving with a parting gift, the man hoped that his mark in the girlā€™s mind would be enough to keep her somewhat under his trace, if not make it at least easier for him to reclaim her when the time came.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Fay X'san
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Siryn
Fay X'san and Valentino

She watched him carefully as he suddenly stuttered at her. An eyebrow raised in curiosity as she waited for him to form a coherent thought and speak to her properly.

ā€œUh-er.. E-hā€¦hehā€¦ S..ā€

"Um... Valentino?"

ā€œYes, well. Uh, actually, well whaddya know! Look at that, I have to go. I-erā€¦ Well, I meanā€¦. Oh, casserole! Yes, ovenā€¦ Spells and such. Uhm, are you sure you wouldnā€™t want to come back home with myself?ā€

"I'm sure, Valentino. I'm really sorry, but I don't think I can go back with you right now. I really do want to, don't get me wrong, but I have to see to my friends first. Perhaps another-"

ā€œDamnit. S-sorry.. I, I gotta go!ā€ With that the handsome man turned on his heel and ran away from her full tilt back the way they'd come. Fay watched him go in surprise. She wasn't exactly sure as to what had just happened, but didn't move to chase after him either. Her head cocked off to one side, silky black hair spilling over her shoulder just barely as she watched his form grow smaller and smaller by the second.

"Was it something I said?" she wondered aloud.

Armen Sorien

ā€œThat being said, I had been meditating in the courtyard earlier when I stumbled upon a most curiousā€¦ something. A conversation of sorts, but it was one-sided. Not like only one person was talking, Iā€™m assuming that there was another participant, but I never caught any responses of that particular person. What was very muchā€¦ unsettlingā€¦ was simply the half of the conversation I seemed to have been stuck with. The voice was ancient and belonged to no person. It was powerful and held within it wisdom and energy beyond any Iā€™ve encountered. ā€

Sebastian nodded slowly, keeping up with the conversation.

ā€œI intercepted only pieces, but I believe Armen may have found his link. I believe heā€™s found himself a Dragon.ā€

Shock registered on the old assassin's features. A dragon? Pushing off the wall, he uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, eyeing the unconscious boy for a moment before turning his attention back to Khrae, "A dragon. You're saying that the elf's got himself a companion? You do know that kind of thing is very rare these days. Dragon's are going extinct. It's nearly impossible for anyone to get a dragon these days..." he stopped himself. Well, in his lifetime, all the years he's spent with Talon. If it was one thing, the word 'impossible' didn't exist in either Jennifer's or Lord V'lyn's vocabulary. He sighed heavily.

"Alright, lets say you're right and there is a dragon waiting for him. How do you figure that one though?"

ā€œIt was about that time when our little elf went cataclysmic again. And when I had attempted to avert the power, it was like looking through a spyglass. What I saw.. It was one of those cloaked men, however he was behind bars. Moreover, he was on the opposite side of the bars behind which hold what I believe was trying to make the connection with Armenā€¦ That conversation sounded like it was being spoken underwater, undecipherable, but the image was clear as day.ā€

"Great, so we're dealing with some cloaked fool that think's he's holding all the power in the world. Not to mention he's imprisoned a dragon. Scary if you ask me. That kind of thing takes a lot of power, one I would only think that Lord V'lyn or Lady Jennifer would have only. I suppose that isn't the case though," the old assassin sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. Scratching the back of his head, he stretched as he stared at the prone form of the elf.

"I suggest we wait for him to regain consciousness to ask any more details. Then we'll wait for Lord V'lyn and his lady. I know nothing of owning a dragon myself. If anyone's an expert it would be one of them," his eyes looked over to the side of the room and he frowned. Turning on his heel, he pulled opened the door and looked down at the girl who was seated there.

"Miss Fukayna. You do know that it's terrible character to eavesdrop right? Come on, get up girl and come inside," he sighed heavily as he stood off to the side and allowed her entrance, "I suppose you'll want to know what's going on, hu? Well, have a seat, we'll get right down to it."

Talon V'lyn and Jennifer Live

He felt his heart skip a beat. If it was one thing he was afraid of, it was the wrath of his wife, his lover Jennifer. She was an amazing woman, but to earn her wrath was probably the least smartest thing anyone could do. Up on the horse, he followed after her as they left the city of mages behind. Talon was happy to see it grow smaller and smaller behind them as they road back to Skyfall. The longer they spent there, the more he angry he grew with it. He hated the place, hated the hierarchy there as well. They thought themselves far above anyone else. Talon would love nothing more than to bring them down a few pegs, show them what true power was.

He sighed, but to do that would put his own position and guild in danger. Flicking the reigns of his horse, Talon pushed the stead to catch up to his lover who was riding far ahead of him. She was no doubt in a bad mood. Pulling up next to her, he glanced over at the beautiful woman and frowned.

"I'm sorry, Jennifer," he started, "I'm alright, I promise you. I know you're worried," he said, trying to calm her. Reaching out he took her hand in his that held the reigns of her horse, "You have my word, I'm alright."

He turned to look ahead of them. Spotting a figure in the distance, he lifted an eyebrow. With a soft hum to himself, he wondered who it could be that looked to be traveling quite quickly back to the city of mages.

The setting changes from Lastra to Skyfall

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Igari

Image



Her heart lept into her throat when she heard Sebastian's words, the pause in conversation and the directness telling her that she had been discovered. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment, she had known eavesdropping was wrong! But still she had done it for the sake of Armen. She wanted to know more and without V'lyn or Miss Jennifer to turn to... Sebastian might as well be the safest bet. He was older, after all, and that had to count for something right? At least as far as wisdom went.

She peered around the corner, noting Sebastian gesturing to a nearby spot for her to take a seat. She nodded, unable to get rid of the blush on her cheeks as she took his offer. He wasn't scolding her, at least that much was fortunate. She glanced over at Khrae very briefly but it did not seem he would be joining in the main bit of this particular conversation. She made a mental note to pursue a conversation with him later, when things were less... hectic. Whenever that was.

She drew out her notepad from her furs, holding the familiar charcoal in her hands once more as she quickly wrote out her question. "Why was there mention of dragons? Has his energy stabilized? Is it safe to see him?"

Sebastian watched her take a seat and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall, putting pressure on his good leg. The wound was wrapped and as long as he kept off of it for the most part, it would be alright.

ā€œKhrae thinks that there was a dragon communicating with Armen a few moments ago. It interrupted his meditation and he caught some of the conversation. We think that this dragon is being held captive though, but we wonā€™t know until Armen wakes again. Heā€™s stabilizing slowly. You can see him if you wish, Fukayna,ā€ Sebastian answered her.

Her pen moved fast, scribbling nearly illegible words to the older assassin. "Communicating with him? Do you know where it is?" She hesitated on the last part, not wanting to leave till she at least got some of her questions answered. But she wasn't going to linger too long, she was eager to see Armen.

He read her note as she turned it back to him after scribbling away on it hastily. She hesitated for a mere moment before showing him, though and he frowned slightly. Reaching up, he tapped his lower lip with his finger as he contemplated his answer to her.

"From what I can tell, Khrae said that the dragon was speaking to Armen. I guess you wouldnā€™t know what thatā€™s like and Iā€™m the worst person to ask too. Lord Vā€™lyn would be much better than me. In any case, no we donā€™t know where the dragon is at and that too will have to wait until he awakens.ā€

She took his response with a grain of salt. It wasn't what she wanted to hear. But then, what had she wanted to hear in the first place? That they would know everything? That the dragon was somewhere close by? She couldn't be sure but it seemed that the rest of the information all hinged on Armen. She gave a nod and went to stand, pausing to brush her fingers over Sebastian's as a way of saying thank you. She was too antsy at the moment to linger much longer, especially since Armen could be waking up soon.

She moved past the two, inclining her head to Khrae as she passed him. She made sure to pace herself so she wouldn't come across as too excited to see Armen (why was her pace quickening without her wanting it to anyway? That confused her.) She reached his door, wrapping her fingers around the door handle and letting herself in quietly. She drew in her breath as she did so, peering into the darkness.

The lighting was poor but she could make out his sleeping form on the bed more towards the back end of the room. She slid through the opening, closing the door gently behind her once she was sure her eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting. She still had a bit of trouble making her way over towards him and was sure she tripped over a few things. She managed to catch herself before she stumbled onto his bed, which would've been bad considering that the last thing he needed was to be physically assaulted.

N-Not that. Her cheeks began to flame at the thought of--um. Her. Him. She was forgetting how to stand up straight, the edge of his bed looked sturdy!

She nearly collapsed upon the corner right then and there, trying her utmost to make sure her movement was silent so as not to rouse him. She glanced over at his free hand lying atop the covers and shyly reached out her own, placing her hand over his. He felt warm... er! What was she doing! She withdrew her hand immediately and settled it into her lap. Best. Best to wait for him to wake up. Yes.

The setting changes from Skyfall to Lastra

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Siryn
Talon, Jennifer, Fay, and Valentino


In the distance there was a figure, a random, lone figure. Talon narrowed his gaze as he withdrew his hand from Jennifer's that held the reigns of her horse. As they grew closer, he could feel, not he could taste the magic that poured from this... farmer? The hat certainly fit, but the rest of the ensemble did not. This put the assassin in an even more uncomfortable state. What was this person doing out in the middle of nowhere, and exuding such a powerful presence of power?

Talon flicked the reigns of his steed, making it trot a bit faster. However, as they got closer, it seemed the air was growing thicker. Wincing a bit, he pulled a hand up to his lips as he attempted to breathe better. Having already wasted time in Laowlee -as well as magic- Talon was really in no mood to deal with something else. Dragging on the reigns, he directed the beast to go around the area of thick magic until he could breathe properly. What is with that awfully thick air of magic? he thought to himself with a grimace, eyes narrowed and brows drawn downwards.

Glancing over to Jennifer, he shook his head slightly. They were delayed enough as it was. Should she wish to deal with this... strange being... he would allow it. However, he wished to be in Skyfall sooner rather than later. They needed to catch up with everyone. Still... "Do with it as you please," he said to her. He paused, maybe he should be more specific. She was in a bad mood already. Allowing her free reign once more was probably a bad idea, "Wait, Jennifer. Perhaps we should take him with us. I'm unnerved by this unsettling amount of magic. If you could do something about that heavy presence, though..."

He left that open to her interpretation though. So long as she didn't kill him or anything, he was alright with it. Talon waited until she was finished there and continued on. It wasn't much further that he found the Navile woman walking down the road as well. His gaze widened as he pulled the horse up next to her. Glancing down at her, he lifted an eyebrow. Fay looked up to him and smiled brightly.

"Lord V'lyn, and Lady Jennifer. I'm happy to see you're both alright."

"What happened to you? Why are you here and not in Skyfall?"

"I was separated from the group-" she started to say more but her gaze fell upon the man that was in tow with them. Her eyes widened and she was slightly confused looking, "Um... where did you find him?"

Talon glanced over to the one they'd taken with them, "He was standing in the middle of the road. There was so much power coming from him that it's making me suspicious. So we took him with us. Come on," he offered his hand to her and hauled her up onto the back of the horse, "We'll be making Skyfall by tonight. There's much we have to discuss."

"Yes," she agreed, "There is quite a bit that we have to talk about."




Armen and Fukayna


He stirred a bit. There was someone else in the room with him, he could feel it. Armen wasn't completely sure how he knew there was someone else, but he could just tell. Maybe it was all those years in service as a guardsman. It made him a bit sensitive to people's presences. Or maybe... it was the strange power that had been unlocked from it's corner inside of him. The elf could just barely feel it stirring. He grimaced a bit as he moved a bit more on the bed, making it very clear that he was awake.

It wasn't until he sat up fully that he noted the figure on the edge of the bed. How long has she been there?! he wondered and thanked the darkness for he could feel his face burning up with embarrassment. The last few memories of his were hazy, but starting to come back through. He recalled having had a strange conversation with a... dragon? Yes, it was a dragon. He could still sense it, just at the corner of his mind. If it was trying to speak to him, he couldn't tell. The distance was too great, that or there was some sort of barrier preventing them from communicating with each other.

"Fukayna..." he said, his voice breathing her name. He felt his heart skip a beat knowing that she'd been there with him, "How long have you been here?"

He felt the question was rather redundant, but asked anyway. He wasn't very good at starting conversations to say the least. Shifting, he pulled his body out from under the sheets and sat on the edge of the bed with her. His fingers curled together in response to the urge that he felt. He wanted to hold her again like he had earlier before he'd dropped with the pain of the uncontrolled magic pulsing through him. Clearing his throat he figured he might as well reassure her, as she was sure to be worried.

"I'm alright, Fukayna. Sorry about earlier. This... power is strange. I don't know what it is or how to handle it. Then there's the dragon now too. He's... insisted that I come for him. I don't know what he want's or what it really means, but I have a impulsive urge to go to him. He's not far either, the mountains just behind the city. I want to wait for Talon and Jennifer though, before we do anything," he sighed slightly before running his hands through his hair.

With a slight laugh he looked over to her in the gloom, a sliver of moonlight slipping into the room from the window's slightly parted curtains. The white light landed on her, putting her in a brilliant light that stole his breath. For a moment he forgot what he was going to say as he gazed at her, completely awe struck.

Finally he shook himself free of the spell that she'd cast over him, "P-perhaps the dragon can do something for this. We may get lucky," he smiled, finishing his sentence just as a knock came on the door.

Without waiting, the door cracked open, making Armen jump slightly. Orange light flooded the room as the tall figure of the old assassin Sebastian came into the room. He nodded almost as if he knew what he was going to find upon opening the door, "Good, you're awake. When you're both ready, come down to the main floor. Lord V'lyn and Lady Jennifer have returned."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Isaehn Raxieyl Character Portrait: Kaya Lillia Xenlyiun
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Igari

Image



The priestess had taken some coaxing but she was following him, at the very least. She did not seem pleased in the slightest, well, why should she be? She was forced into the company of that dangerous Jennifer creature and her equally volatile husband. If the atmosphere were less tense, perhaps Isaehn would've chuckled over this. Because it was an outrageous pair. But now was not the time or place for humor. The high nine had been left in the council room, at least what was left of them. And the two of them would have to hurry in order to avoid being caught. He was pretty sure he had just declared mutiny of some sort against them. And returning to the capital was now no longer an option.

He gestured towards her to quicken pace. The woman frowned at him, glancing over her shoulder. He followed suit, there was no one there... yet. But they would have to be careful, it seemed like that mage woman was causing a great deal of havoc some ways behind them. "Through here," He ordered, pushing her through a side passage. Their best bet would be to use another exit from the building. There they could meet with Zephyr, and leave... Hm, perhaps he should stop by his office? Was there anything of significance in there? Beyond a few books that he read over from time to time... not really.

Isaehn was always prepared to leave, he never knew when but one had to be. He trusted Zephyr to make the proper arrangements for their departure. And quite possibly leave his office in shambles, he didn't need the High Nine peering into his business and the best way to ensure that was to destroy all evidence. There was a tremendous roar, he couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from. But it was sufficiently irritating. It sounded much like a dragon in distress. Go figure, now his day had gotten more] complicated. Excellent.

"Was that..." The woman, Kaya, had spoken. Clearly asking about what was going on around them, no doubt.

"Yes, bloody dragons. The city is going to shambles soon, we best move quickly. The High Nine won't be pleased..." Not that he cared. Those fools deserved to have their feathers ruffled. Pompous assholes. The way through the corridors turned out to be less perilous than he feared. Maybe the guards had cleared out, given the influx of magic and the pandemonium all around them. Who knew? He sure as hell didn't really give much of a damn. As they reached their exit, he spotted Zephyr waiting there for them. At least someone was punctual and could be relied upon.

Isaehn didn't need to say a word, he gestured with his hand, murmuring the spell to transform his companion into its' true form. The dragon lowered its head, allowing the two of them to climb aboard and grow more comfortable on the scaly back. He glanced at the priestess, who had a most interesting expression on her face. Kaya looked about with wonder, as if reliving some old... memory. What was that about? She brushed her fingers over the scales, some melancholy flitting into her expression. Hm. A conversation for later.

She suddenly looked up, her eyes widening. "Blessed be the goddess..." She whispered reverently. He also followed suit, feeling some surprise as well as he took note of the skies. Dragons. There were dragons flying around above them. Many more than he was prepared to witness. Where had they all... he regained himself, shaking his head. This required some looking into. But later, everything needed to be later. They had to escape.

"Fly, Zephyr." The dragon quirked its' head at him, almost as if to signal the question of where. As much as it put a bitter taste in his mouth, there was nowhere else to go. "We're going to Skyfall."


Image



Armen's gaze was strong. It was... very strong. Why was he looking at her like that? Was there something on her face? If he kept staring at her like that, then she was going to... she felt the heat increase on her cheeks and she shied her gaze away. She couldn't keep eye contact, it was just too much for her heart. It was already beating out of control and she had no idea why.

"Fukayna... How long have you been here?" The way he said her name, it was almost as if he were awe-struck by her. But that wasn't right, she wasn't much to look at, she wasn't very special at all. She was just... someone that served under Miss Jennifer and Lord V'lyn, someone that had... someone that... why was it so hard to think? She caught her breath with some difficulty, shaking her head to indicate that she hadn't been there very long at all. Whether instinctively or subconsciously, Armen seemed to catch on to her worry for he answered one of her worries.

However, there was a pause in his response, which brought her eyes up partially towards his. He was staring at her again. This happened between them a lot, and it did nothing but confuse her. She was sure there was nothing on her face, so why did he...? Then again, this whole ordeal was rather confusing for her, she couldn't fathom why it was hard to stay focused on words when he was around.

Because Armen was her friend, she had helped save him when they had met. He had been there to support her ever since then and she appreciated that. They had a good relationship with one another. But why did she feel differently about him than she did anyone else? She certainly didn't harbor this kind of fuzziness towards Miss Jennifer for instance. (Though she definitely respected the mage a great deal) So what made this elf different? Was it that smile? The way his hair fell at just the right angle over his eyes? Or how nice he was? Or...

Fukayna reigned her thoughts in as the door opened, bringing her attention to the other side of the room. It was Sebastian, eyeing them with a knowing look. What was all that about? He spoke gruffly, "Good, you're awake. When you're both ready, come down to the main floor. Lord V'lyn and Lady Jennifer have returned." They were back?!

The assassin got to her feet quickly, in excitement. The Miss and Lord were back! It had been so long since she had seen Miss Jennifer, she had been worried ever since they separated... and it would be wonderful to see Lord V'lyn again as well, both of them were incredible individuals. She turned a tender smile towards Armen, taking out her pad to jot down a quick question.
"Shall we greet them? She extended out her hand to help him from his bed, if needs be. He didn't look fully recovered and she didn't want him to pressure himself overly... Besides, they both needed to check in with the two assassins. The married duo were their bosses after all.

The setting changes from Lastra to Skyfall

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Siryn
Talon & Company





Talon brought the horse to a halt as they approached the front of the guild house. His gaze lifted upwards at the large building that was seemingly under repair. It had definitely taken some damage from past fights with enemies that just seemed to be springing up out of the woodwork. His lips pulled into a frown as he regarded his home. At least it wasn't in rubble... that was something to be thankful for, wasn't it?

At his approach, he allowed Fay to dismount first as they were greeted by Khrae. The tall man addressed them as Talon released Fay's arm once she was down off his horse. He dismounted next and reached up for Jennifer, pulling her down into his arms even though he knew she was more than capable of getting down herself. She was most likely still irritated with him and he wanted nothing more than to settle the mage.

After all, an irritated mage was a dangerous mage. Especially Jennifer.

ā€œWelcome, Talon Vā€™lyn, and Lady Jennifer. I am happy to report the general safety of your guild, but Iā€™m sure Sebastian will be more fitting to supply a proper situation report. Much has happened. I hope that your success has prevailed, and would like to apologize foremost for any trouble Dante may have been.ā€

The assassin looked over to the youth in question and gave a small smile. He nodded to Khrae as he let the reigns of his horse be taken by one of the young stable boys. With one arm wrapped around Jennifer's lean waist, he started forward towards the doors of his home.

ā€œI would just like to point out that I have been helpful! I carried him.ā€

Reaching out, he patted the boys head, "He was helpful indeed. The horse was overburdened as it was," he commented lightly with a grin and a wink to Dante.

ā€œShall we proceed inside, then?ā€

Fay smiled warmly at the boy too, her head tilting a bit as she regarded him. Her dark eyes were warm as she watched him in return. For the Navile woman, Dante was intriguing to say the least. He had power, and she was curious about that. Maybe she would have a chance to talk to him later about it. For now, though, she simply walked up to him, took his arm and gently led him to the guild hall with everyone else.

Talon gave a nod to Khrae and opened the doors for them all to enter into. Upon further inspection, he could tell that something had happened when he'd left and he wondered briefly what it was. The feel of heavy magic was lingering in the air. Looking down to Jennifer, he lifted an eyebrow at her in question. A sound caught his attention and looking to the staircase, he caught Sebastian coming down it with a slight limp to his step.

The old assassin gave them each a nod of respectful greeting, "Lord V'lyn, Lady Jennifer, welcome home."

"It is good to be home. Tell me, what happened?"

Sebastian shook his head with a heavy sigh, "Nothing gets past you," he said as he hit the landing and gestured to the chairs around the hall, "This may take a moment. Also, the elf boy is awake, he'll join us soon."

As prompted, Talon allowed Jennifer to be released from his grip though he did dip down to kiss her cheek gently before he sat with her in one of the chairs. He listened as Sebastian retold what had happened when he'd left to retrieve Jennifer from her kidnappers. Apparently someone had broken into the guild hall and wreaked havoc on it. The elf, Armen, had been attacked specifically and a strange power released from him.

Armen was just barely keeping it under control, and the most recent event was something that Khrae had stumbled upon. They weren't sure but something had contacted the elf. Khrae thought it to be a dragon, but neither assassin or swordsman knew exactly what it was because Armen had been knocked unconscious from the encounter.

Almost as if on cue, the elf came down from the stairs and behind him was Fukayna. The young man took a seat with them when Talon motioned for him to do so. Leaning back, the assassin put his arm up over Jennifer's shoulders and tilted his head as he regarded the elf, "So, what happened? They tell me that a dragon is talking to you."

Armen's eyes grew wide and then he glanced around the room, "Well... yes, I think it is a dragon."

"It's been a long time since dragons picked life long companions, you should feel honored. They are creatures that are on the edge of extinction."

The elf nodded slightly, "He... told me that I should be wary of those in black cloaks. He also said that I need to come to him as soon as possible. That I don't have much time," Armen shook his head a bit, reaching up he ran his fingers through his dark hair, "I don't know what that mean's, but... it must be urgent."

Talon lifted an eyebrow as he glanced to Jennifer. He watched her for a moment. Inwardly he sighed. He'd been hoping he could spend at least the night with the woman. His lips pulled into a frown as he turned back to Armen, "If a dragon says its urgent it usually is. Can you feel him?"

"Yes... I think. In the mountains, just behind Skyfall. He is there, but just barely. It is almost as if he's being cut off from me on purpose."

"It's highly possible..." Talon's gaze darkened as he recalled the trapped dragons underneath Laowlee. With a bit of a sigh, the assassin leaned his head back, "We'll prepare to leave in a few hours," he said making his decision. His silvery gaze turned to the man they'd picked up on the way back to Skyfall. He narrowed his eyes at the white haired man who seemed to look like he'd been trapped by a pack of wolves.

Leaning forward, Talon addressed him, "Now. As for you. You will tell me who you are and why you were so intent on hiding yourself from Jennifer and myself earlier today. What kind of magic is it that you have? I can feel it just sitting here. I should warn you, should you so much as make a tiny increase of that power, I won't be so kind as I was last time."