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Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo

"Love is a curious type of hell... One which we outwardly enjoy and yet silently suffer."

0 · 496 views · located in Skyfall

a character in “A Tale of Lastra”, as played by Centi85

Description

Name: Valentino DeAngelo/"Cupid"

Age: Looks to be 30 but may alter slightly if influenced by his magic.

Appearance: Valentino stands at just under 6 feet with pure snowy white hair which falls just over his piercing brown eyes. He wears always all white silk, plain and simple, yet somehow elegantly stylish as it clings to his flawless skin and slender form. Though usually buttoned, many times Valentino will find it easier to leave his collared shirt open, a taunting invitation to those unaware who would be the next to fall prey to his deceitful games.
Image

Dragon: None

Weapons: Magic

Abilities: Valentino is a self-proclaimed, "special type of mage." Preferring to be called Cupid, his magic rests entirely on illusions and mind games. Working in three specific ways, Valentino's magic, though only able to infect a single person at a time, can be potent and often deadly.

Mist of Enchantment: Valentino rarely stops using his magic, and often it can be see pouring from him in large amounts in the form of a clear mist. Most of the time people fail to realize what it is exactly, stepping into it without thinking and thus becoming trapped if not careful. Although the affects are not always immediate, too much time spent in the vicinity of the man and his mist will ultimately cause that person (he only lets it work on females) to be irresistibly attracted to him, often not even knowing why. Once they are successfully captured, the man will increase dosage of the mist, the inhalation being the key to it as it works at the brain, producing the worst of lust filled thoughts and ideas, or simply expanding on those already present. Looking into his eyes produces the same results, though usually at a faster rate.

Lustful Kiss: His magic isn't infinite, and because he keeps it pouring out at a steady stream, he also needs to keep it replenished at the same rate. Once he has a girl within his traps, he then begins siphoning power off of her through the lust and love that she feels towards him. His lustful kiss is his final move towards her, when she is completely lost to the world and when all her thoughts center entirely on him, including giving herself away. It is at this point when Valentino can call checkmate, and while some people do survive the ritual, more times than not, with the life force almost completely trained for their bodies, the girls will die.

Corruption: When Valentino has enough magic to enjoy his usual games, he turns to a more offensive approach. With this he invades a person's mind, usually through eye contact, and then once in, reaps that person's deepest and darkest secrets and desires. Through illusion spells he can produce that single fantasy, whatever it may be to that one person, sometimes even shifting forms himself and appearing to them as a loved one, passed or otherwise. Being one of his more deadly games, Valentino can run someone insane through his magic, literally drowning them in their own desires or simply crushing them, turning them into the person's worst nightmares once he gets bored and then enjoying the havoc which ensues. Playing match maker is just as enjoyable to the man as well, especially when it is so obvious that a person likes another.

Personality: Valentino is a smooth type of character, often talking in a rather bored, apathetic manner to try to attract his victims, seeming like a type of 'bad boy' or 'cool guy.' Once he has a person successfully in under his spells, he'll change to a more sultry, seductive speech pattern, acting extremely romantic, producing roses and creating various wondrous gifts through magic.

On the other hand, when Valentino isn't trying to gather girls to steal power from, he maintains a low profile, staying on the sidelines to watch the pandemonium he himself creates, enjoying far too much being able to mess with people's minds. He enjoys silence and can be rather reclusive, especially after the newest laws were passed restricting magic use in public, let alone his nefarious ways which usually end in what most would deem murder. Unfortunately he's become too good at what he does and so he can ensure that anyone who does try to invade on his doings be lost to other distractions, forgetting entirely about him and allowing him to continue on as he was. This usually results in anyone who may have an idea as to what he's up to, which is actually quite a few other mages who can block out his magic, to simply act as if he isn't around when he is, a sort of 'don't ask don't get killed' situation. Valentino doesn't mind this relation he's developed within the order, and they act as if they don't either.

History: Valentino began his studies at a young age, and while when he speaks of himself this number does vary, it seems to average at about ten. Beginning as a simple illusionist and enjoying the art greatly, becoming one of the most skilled, he of course grew up as most normally would, eventually finding someone whom he could call his own. It wasn't until one spell went terribly wrong, resulting in the man having killed his beloved, did he begin dabbling in darker versions of his magic, trying to find a way to recreate her presence, and finding it possible through magic which was illegal to use. When confronted about this, in defense the man had attacked the other with what he'd learned. From then on he made a game of seeing how many people and minds he could corrupt, finding that they may as well suffer as much as he did. Unfortunately because of the large quantities of magic he has to use for these purposes, and because he was indeed secretly lonely, that then produced his habit of attracting those he deemed fit, those with a naturally high amount of life and love in them, and those whom he could siphon power from. After just a few years he eventually gained the nickname Cupid.

So begins...

Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Fay X'san Character Portrait: Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo
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#, as written by Centi85
Valentino ran his finger beneath the chin of the young woman whom he'd most recently collected. Circling her, she sat in a simple wooden chair, legs together, hands in her lap, completely and entirely detached from the world. She wore only a dress, rather skimpy, ending too short to be acceptable in public, and with a heart-shaped hole over the chest, displaying just enough cleavage that one would have to spare a second glance, with little chance of ever looking away again. Her hair, a stained brown, was let down around her shoulders, cascading into neat flowing curls on her bare shoulders. A single look into her eyes said also that she probably didn't know who she was, only that she belonged to the man who continued to pace around her. She was his, and he would never do her harm...

The man smiled calmly as her loving gaze followed him, and while she obeyed his orders to remain sitting, he knew the sudden restraint she'd gained was part of his own doing as well. Stopping in front of her, he took a step back, though she followed him, seeming to melt into his hand and then not want to depart when it had. Her eyes longed for him as they peered up at him, lashes batting expectantly while her teeth bit softly at her lower lip. Had Valentino not have been running low on magic, perhaps he'd of stayed with her just a little longer. Truly she was a treasure in all her stunning beauty, but even so, not all treasures keep their worth.

Running a hand through his own hair, the man spoke softly to the girl before him. His voice was coated over with some of his most lethal dosages of his irresistibly charming spells, enough to make her shut her eyes, drowning in his sultry, seductive tone.

Unfortunately what was a loving serenade to the girl, was in reality the recital of the man's spells. Able to maintain the illusion whilst working in the real world, the circles began drawing themselves along the floor, the chair being the center while runes began to scribble themselves out, inlaid with odd symbols that one by one began to glow.

"...Ma'lvaor. Te Romaniu Eros De Levartio..." Valentino's words became stronger, faster, as he himself grew more and more excited by simply thinking about what was to come. Seconds ticked away and the girl remained oblivious, lost in her own dreams, dreams which now revolved entirely around the man who at this moment was plotting her end.

"..Dos Veliar T'za Mianlio..." Then he felt it. A sudden rippling of magic, a powerful force which seemed to explode outwarldy after just being bottled up. It was immensely strong, he could feel the natural essence of it, a type of magic which was rare... a type of magic which shouldn't be misused.

Stopping suddenly, the man turned, allowing his own power to fade as the illusions fell and the glowing along the floor ceased. The girl's voice chimed out to him a moment later, suddenly scared and panicked, having just been dropped like a lead ball from the man's deadly magic and then left to comprehend exactly what had been happening for the past few weeks. Valentino wasn't listening to any of it.

"W-What.. Hey! What're yo-"

The man held up a fist, silencing her. How tight the ropes and gags were that had suddenly bound the woman, he wasn't sure, but he didn't care. Years had made him an expert at deciphering a person by the aura they gave off. Simply by reaching out with his own magic and taking samples of the people around him, Valentino could know exactly who was weak of mind, who was an easy target, and who held the best potential for feeding his insatiable lust for more power. This particular sudden surge of energy was female, and by the way it was released, obviously it wasn't intentional. Exactly who, of course he didn't know. Why did this happen? That hardly mattered. The only thing that mattered was what he felt; a special magic which called to him, begged for him to take it and use it to power himself.

Ignoring the muffled cries behind him and then sounds of the chair crashing hard onto the floor, Valentino paced from his chambers and proceeded down the dimly lit hall. Whoever the wielder of the magic was, she wasn't someone to waste, the man knew this immediately.

Striding into the dark room, he snapped his fingers to ignite the torches which surrounded it, his eyes falling immediately to the young woman in the middle of the room. Whatever had happened to her must've shaken her quite a bit, for her breathing was heavy, the tight leather straps and buckles flexing with her lithe form. Valentin smiled, a cruel, cynical smile which only lasted for a moment as the realization of exactly what he was looking at dawned on him.

Stepping forward quickly and removing his shirt, Valentino was a fit man, not overly muscular but enough so to attract most that he desired. Even if it didn't work, his magic always helped, and already the mist was beginning to encompass the room. Adjusting the spell slightly, he used it to produce a calming, relaxed atmosphere, soothing to someone who'd had just experienced whatever it was that she did. Placing his own white shirt over her shoulders to keep her warm, he spoke, his voice matching the mist.

"Hey," he said gently, squeezing her shoulders as he brought her up to him, "Are you alright? What happened?" In a way he was curious how someone so perfect was suddenly delivered to him, and yet he didn't want to question it fully. An anonymous gift was perfectly fine for him, especially when the gift was someone he could use for his own gains.

"Come one. Let's get you somewhere a little nicer and safer.. Can you walk?" Valentino allowed a look of practiced concern to mask his face as he moved around in front of her, kneeling and ready to support her if needed. Looking into her eyes, he allowed his own to twinkle just slightly in the torchlight, an effect he'd mastered some time ago. He waited a moment for any sort of answer before proceeding, smiling warmly and acting as if he'd only just noticed her beauty.

"Why, my my... Aren't you just..." he stopped, letting out a breath of admiration. "An Angel, no?"

In his head the man couldn't help but feel giddy. Looks were great, but what was more so was the fact that she was a Naville. An innate magic resided within her, something that was so powerful that people feared it, but not him. Valentino fed mostly off of the life force and small dosages of magic which was normally found in most people, but this kind, the kind that this woman held in her possession. It was natural, pure...powerful. He could feel it deep within her, asking for a way to be released, begging for him to free it. Smiling again, he knew that this sort of power could keep him running strong for more than his usual month, but several years! He'd never tried it of course, but those mages whom had a similar feel about them and those he could overpower always outlasted the normal girl, elf or what have you. A Naville however would definitely put all else to shame. All he had to do was put on his best charm to attract her.

"Come," he said finally, standing and offering his hand to help her to her feet. "Let's see if we can't do what we can to help." Then, as a sort of afterthought he added, "Oh yes, my apologies... Your beauty seems to have.." he paused, looking dreamily at her and allowing the statement to hang before seeming to snap out of the daze, clearing his throat as if suddenly flustered. "Heh, sorry. Allow me to introduce myself, Valentino.. And i must say. It is a pleasure.." taking one of her hands he kissed it gently, then brought his gaze up to meet hers, allowing all the magic he possibly dared to infiltrate forward. "..To meet you."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Astrid T'vali
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#, as written by Siryn
Armen and company

"We need to go and quickly. If Lord V'lyn has truly left Skyfall, then we need to return as quickly as possible. Who knows what troubles will arise with his departure," Sebastian cursed as he led the way out of the spire where they had met with Isaehn. His eyes swept the area carefully, keeping an eye out for the Navile girl as he hurridly walked. The further away from the spire, the quieter the dark city became. A loud sound in the distance alerted Sebastian to something amiss in the dark.

He turned with Astrid in his arms, eyes narrowing as he gazed at the darkness. Turning he gently set Astrid down on the ground, leaning her body against the wall of a building. He directed his words to the group as he unsheathed his weapons.

"Fukayna, come with me," his eyes shot to the tall man named Khrae, "You too. The rest of you stay here and watch over Astrid and wait for our return. If we're not back within the hour go back to Skyfall," Sebastian ordered and started out into the darkness. The loud noises he thought could be associated with Talon's leaving Skyfall, but it was a dry hope with no real solidity. None-the-less, the old assassin stalked through the darkness towards the commotion. If there was even the slightest chance it was Talon...

Rounding a dark corner he felt a solid, warm body bump into him. The assassin stumbled backwards and raised his weapon in preparation for an attack. Before him was a youthful face that looked just as startled as Sebastian was. However the old assassin didn't let the boys youth deceive him and he pulled the man in an iron grip with his knife reflecting moonlight right in the new comers face.

"Mind explaining the commotion and your running around like a mad man?"

Fay X'san

Her mind was a haze as she lay on the ground. Her magic was going hay wire and becoming difficult to control. It was taking all she had to keep it from exploding a second time. Damn that man who had attacked her. His being a Nine had made things worse. What did he do to her? Whatever it was she vowed that once she had control of herself she was going to find that man and demand answers, possibly even teach him a lesson. Her thoughts wavered as her body quivered from another rush of uncontrolled power.

Then there were footsteps, soft sounds and a voice in the same room as her. Fay twisted her head slightly to see who it was that had come to see her. It was a very good looking man that loomed over her. He spoke but she couldn't comprehend what he was saying. Her magic was too much of an interference to concentrate on him, or to feel the power that was eminating from him at the same time. He knelt down next to her and gently pulled her up against his chest. She felt warmth around her shoulders and back and upon stretching her fingers towards it, found that he had put some kind of blanket over her back whilst she had been on the ground face down.

His gaze looked down across her form in a fashion that normally would have had her either blushing or on guard, however with her magic still fighting her control she could hardly concentrate on him. However, she felt calm, a kind of peace slowly sinking into her every fiber. For some reason she felt that he was a friend even though she'd never seen that man before. After what seemed like ages, her hearing returned and her body relaxed, unknown to her that his magic had penetrated deeply into her core. He offered his hand to her to help her stand, and she took it gratefully. Fay got back to her feet, though a bit unsteady. She swayed on her feet slightly as she looked up at him. Taking her fingers, he pressed his lips to her hand as he introduced himself.

"Valentino," she echoed as she stood there. Her mind was a bit foggy but she seemed to pull through and gain a bit of consciousness through the fog, "I'm Fay X'san. I came here with several companions before I was attacked by some strange man. He belonged to the Nine, that much I recall, especially since his magic affected me so..." her eyes looked down to the ground as she recalled the memory.

"Can you help me? I need to return to them as quickly as possible. Something may have happened to them as well, I need to help them!"

Her eyes pleaded with the beautiful man before her. Hopefully he complied to her wishes.

The setting changes from Lastra to Ro'ell

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Astrid T'vali
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#, as written by Centi85
Valentino

Valentino looked down to the young, bursting treasure he'd stumbled upon as she gave her explanation to exactly how she'd found herself in his midst. A member of the Nine? That perked the man's curiosity just slightly, the fact that the Nine was involved was something to think on, but of course not for any extended period of time. Rather, a more pressing matter was how exactly he could reign in this lovely delicacy. As it were, he'd been interrupted during the ceremony he no longer had any intentions of finishing. Of course because of that he didn't have the power necessary to produce an adequate amount of his usual potent doses, and while he could leak in small amounts at a time, he could neither sustain even that for how long it would take. Of course there was just one more options... Considering the circumstances of the situation, as well as short and long-term effects...

Looking down to the young Navile, Valentino gave her a reassuring smile.

"Of course my dear," he said calmly, "of course... But, if I may.. The spells of the Nine shouldn't be taken lightly. Magic like that, if left to simply eat away at the body can cause some nasty side effects... While it would fade of course in time or if you simply rested, one can never be... too sure."

Smiling again the man held up a hand gently to her chin, taking a moment to admire her. Of course he knew of the little harm done in transportation spells unless by a young, learning, novice mage, but that was hardly important. He need only an excuse to power himself, and this buffet of compressed energy which was currently emanating enough to put the girl into a daze was perfect.

"Allow me to rid you of this lingering magic..." the man's words were quiet, soothing and yet almost irresistible. He could use just a little bit of what he had remaining for this process, especially when in doing so he would gain nearly triple what he was giving away. Looking into her eyes, he continued. "Relax... Close your eyes, breathe. Lest your body cling inadvertently to the tiniest amount of what it needs to expel. Allow me to take it from you..."

As the man spoke he slowly drew his hand away, closing his own eyes calmly while beginning to channel all the energy around the girl through his fingertips and into himself. The surge of power was exhilarating, an ecstasy greater than any amount of magic he'd felt before, including some of the most powerful and naive mages. Within moments he felt himself completely rejuvenated, alert and as if he could empower the minds of ten men. Yes, the natural potency and purity of this magic which was so feared was delicious. He felt it coursing through his entire being and was running out of room to put the power, and so he simply allowed it to do as it always did, the alluring mist forming at his feet and slowly expanding outwards, sparkling, and seeming to glow. It was even so much as to cause the candles around the room to flicker, the shadows being cast by them to dance in overlapping black silhouettes on the wall. Valentino knew this action should seem to help her as well, himself siphoning the magic which clouded her mind. For now he would only leave a trace of his presence in her head, for he had plenty of energy to continue later, and it was always the tiniest things which seemed to manifest the most.

Valentino smiled as he opened his eyes, finally putting down his hand and coming to a rest, enjoying this new pleasure which came with the acquisition of a new, more powerful source of magic. Adjusting himself calmly, he gave a sigh and smiled again, showing off brilliantly white, perfectly aligned teeth, each with an almost unnatural shine. With a wave of his hand towards the door, he then held out his other hand to her.

"Now then, may I escort you back to your friends?"


Khrae

Khrae's hand touched instinctively to the hilt of his sword as Sebastian impacted a figure in the dark. With his mind working a thousand times a second to process and comprehend the entirety of the situation, the man wouldn't draw unless absolutely necessary, and even then he'd have evaluated several scenarios, weighed outcomes, hindrances, accounted for x-factors and then chosen the best option. It was this cunning and calculation which came from his clear mind, something which showed easily in his eyes, if only the current adversary could see the steely gold beneath the shroud of night.

A moment later however, and with their prey set on the defensive, a wall of earth was suddenly erected. Khrae remained in a calm, ready stance in the rear as he listened with his usual apathetic expression to the man who attempted to give himself purpose. Negotiations weren't his designated task on this particular mission, nor was granting pardon to others, so Khrae simply adjusted his gaze towards the older assassin who seemed less than thrilled over the whole exchange as he gave his rebuttal.

Seeing as how Sebastian was ready to offer refuge to the boy escaping the law however, Khrae straightened to a resting stance. Exactly why the man thought it necessary to do what he did, Khrae couldn't place at the moment, but he wouldn't dispute it. Looking towards the other man who stood opposite them, the swordsman waited, though remained ready to strike or defend. Then he felt the sudden explosion of power.

"Sebastian!" Even as he spoke the man's eyes were darting back to where they had left the others. Through the darkness Khrae could swear he had just witnessed a blur of something chasing what appeared to be a human projectile made up of a mage. Mentally he cursed, turning again to the assassin, waiting for the word.


Dante

Confusion was what Dante was experiencing. One minute he'd just witnessed maybe the most impressive and easily painful maiming of a supposedly powerful figure, a mage, and then the next he was approached by Capella who had gone from a merciless Dragoness to looking like a defenseless, innocent girl. Her words were even more perplexing, as were her actions which had caught the boy entirely off guard. At first he wasn't seeing why it was necessary to tell him she was cold, perhaps a side-effect from hanging around with Khrae too long, but then understanding swept over him. Unfortunately his moment of hesitation seemed to be insufficient, as suddenly she'd stolen one side of his jacket, snuggling into the soft fabric and at the same time against him.

"A-er.." he began, leaning off to one side as Capella forced herself into the warmth of his proximity. "Ahh.. Oh.. Kay" Dante wasn't sure how to react, especially considering what he'd seen and now that she was lacking even more so in her coverings. Standing lopsided for a moment as the Dragoness positioned herself within his jacket, the boy looked curiously to her, not entirely sure that his clothing could support two people. He knew at least it wouldn't burn considering his clan dealt with fire and so had to accommodate it in their clothing, but they hadn't counted on forcing two beings into one size. It had taken a moment but finally it seemed she had gotten herself comfortable, nearly toppling and dragging Dante down with her as she simply drifted off to sleep.

"Wha-ah, he--" The boy had only managed to get one arm around her front to support her while having to push his other around her back and side beneath the jacket. "Uh.. Ca-Capella? ... H." Dante looked up towards the others for some sort of help or advice, unsure of the entire situation while at the same time slightly embarrassed.. "Err.. Help?" he said sheepishly, looking back towards the girl in his possession. Perhaps under different circumstances she'd of looked rather cute cuddled into his jacket, though when he had to support her and when he was trying to share the garment too, it was slightly more than awkward. The fact that she snored too, loudly at that and so close to him made the boy almost want to pinch her nose to shut it up, though he supposed that probably wasn't good.

Looking back up he gave a helpless shrug as he simply surrendered to what had happened.

The setting changes from Ro'ell to Lastra

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Astrid T'vali
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#, as written by Siryn
Sebastian

"So. Am Ay in?" The young man's accent was heavy and hard to figure out, but Sebastian had caught on pretty quickly. With a sharp nod, the old assassin agreed to the youth before him.

"Quickly then," he said as he motioned for the others to follow him through the tunnel like structure that the young man had erected before them. He knew that the others would be on their way to Skyfall by now seeing as he'd been gone from them for far too long. It was as he ordered, and he expected no less either.

"Let's see what kind of friends you have, young man," Sebastian muttered as he entered the tunnel.

Fay X'san and Valentino DeAngelo

"Of course my dear, of course... But, if I may.. The spells of the Nine shouldn't be taken lightly. Magic like that, if left to simply eat away at the body can cause some nasty side effects... While it would fade of course in time or if you simply rested, one can never be... too sure."

His fingers gently traced under her chin and brought her head up. Her eyes were unfocused as she gazed up at him. She tried hard to pull his face into focus, but the harder she tried the more it seemed he wavered in front of her. She swayed gently in his hold, but never fell as he was right there. Fay hardly understood what it was he was saying, only bits and pieces of it actually making it's way into her mind and being coherent.

"Allow me to rid you of this lingering magic...Relax... Close your eyes, breathe. Lest your body cling inadvertently to the tiniest amount of what it needs to expel. Allow me to take it from you..."

Fay's eyes drifted shut without warning, as if commanded by his thick, sugary voice. Her body relaxed automatically in his hold, every fiber in her being literally turning to mush in his hold. She didn't feel his hand pull away from her, but what she did feel was her power being pulled at. Whatever the Nine had done to her, it had messed up her magic considerably. What this man was doing seemed to put it all back together again, almost like fixing a tear in a shirt or the like.

"Now then, may I escort you back to your friends?"

The Fae opened her dark eyes and blinked several times. She could concentrate then, her body felt her own once more and her magic was dormant again. She couldn't feel the over bearing power and it calmed her to know that she wasn't going to loose control over it anytime soon. Fay had feared going back to the group lest she unleash her magic unknowingly and hurt some of them. It was then that she realized she'd been in the man's grip the entire time and her face blushed as she slowly pulled away from him.

"Yes," she answered softly. That and she needed to retrieve her weapons. Getting back to the tower where her crossbow and knife where shouldn't be a problem, at least, she didn't think it would be, "But first I need to recover my weapons. I lost them in the middle tower where my friends and I were to meet with a man named Isaehn. Would it be too much to ask to go there first?"

She asked quickly, taking hold of his arm. Fay wasn't sure why she'd grabbed onto him, almost fearing that she was going to lose him somehow. It was a strange feeling and she looked down at her hands in confusion. Slowly she released him, but turned her eyes back to his with the same pleading look she'd given him moments before.

Armen Sorien

The fight was over in a matter of minutes and Armen was awestruck at what had happened. Not only had he just taken down mages in the city, but they were also mages of the Order of Vyldi. His heart raced in his chest. This wasn't supposed to happen. How was he supposed to get pardoned for a crime he hadn't committed in Lethandrill now? What was he going to do now that he'd attacked mages? The young elf tried to rationalize that they had attacked them, calling out absurd charges and so therefore he was in the right to defend the group.

However, would that stand in front of the Orders? Maybe if Lord V'lyn were with them... but it didn't seem that Lord V'lyn was going to have any time on his hands to help them out of this mess. The best thing they could do now was retreat to Skyfall, the assassin's safe haven. Armen could only hope that the Order of Vyldi would respect the boundaries of another city. Turning he slowly sheathed his sword, just barely catching what the little brown dragon said to him.

"Armen. I hope you are alright. And for the record, I am not the one who helped you. I was...pushed."

Armen smiled warmly down at the dragon and nodded. He was sure that the little dragon would have helped either way, but Armen would have been fine even if he hadn't, "Thank you," he replied to Stephano then glanced about the group. Astrid was still on the ground and it didn't look like she was going to be able to move for some time. Capella was currently in the folds of Dante's jacket and that left only himself and Stephano to deal with Astrid's prone body.

"We need to start back to Skyfall. Sebastian gave us clear orders to leave if he did not return," Armen started and then turned once again to look at the dragon and his companion down on the ground. He frowned, knowing that the little beast wasn't going to be too fond of the elf trying to handle his companion, "Would you allow me to help you with Astrid, Stephano? At least to put her on your back perhaps?"

Once things were settled with Stephano and Astrid, Armen led the group out of the city. Through the gates, they moved into the darkness and quickly. The faster they got from Ro'ell, the better. More distance between them and the crazed mages was a welcoming feeling as Armen moved quickly through the darkness. They'd had no time for horses, so the trek back to Skyfall would be on foot, and that was going to be a long one...

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Khrae Var Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Astrid T'vali
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#, as written by Centi85
Khrae

Khrae's stoic gaze drifted up to the man as he materialized before the group, a dark cloaked figure whose face was concealed ominously beneath the shadows of his hood. His very presence was that which emanated power, and Khrae knew that this adversary would prove to be a problem if confronted head on. Adjusting his line of sight just slightly, it seemed Sebastian was well aware of the fact too. Exchanging a rather short, unwelcoming greeting, it was then that the cloaked man turned his attention onto Armen, his words goading the young man on, taunting him about the Navile woman, and knowledge that he apparently wasn't aware of. The words of warning from the older assassin were lost to the Elf as he drew his weapon and dismounted, though it seemed that their new enemy wasn't finished with his games. Disappearing, the group was left alone to contemplate their next moves.

"Damn it all to hell. Find that intruder and make him leave," Sebastian began, addressing the entirety of their party before turning to Astrid and Stephano, then finally Armen. "You two stay here, neither of you are in a condition to fight. And you! Don't go doing anything reckless, boy. I don't trust that man and the last thing I need is for you to go and get yourself killed."

Looking back to Dante, Khrae tapped the hilt of his sword thoughtfully, considering his options. The man wasn't necessarily overwhelmed with joy at the thought of having to do a complete sweep of the guild mansion to purge it of this man and whomever or whatever else was inside, however he was obliged to help in any way he could. What to do with Dante however was a different question. He couldn't very well endanger his life by dragging the boy in with him, and especially not when he still held the sleeping Dragoness in his arms, wrapped in his coat. Of course he could leave Capella with Astrid and Stephano, but he questioned the risks in that, concerning all three's current states. As much as he hated parting from the task of protecting Dante, he knew that leaving him outside would produce better results in a worst case scenario, both if Khrae had to enter heated combat, and if something were to happen here after he'd gone.

"Stay here," Khrae said quietly, putting a firm hand on Dante's shoulders. "I trust you can stay out of harm’s way?" Looking up, Dante had been lost in inspecting the sleeping form of Capella, though now he nodded.

"Huh? Oh, right.." Dante said, probably not even realizing that he was missing out on the fun of witnessing combat. Khrae merely shook his head as he pulled up the cowl on his cloak, then turned back to watch Sebastian and Armen rush off towards the guild house.

Whatever the others were intending, he’d let them decide for themselves. He wasn't entirely sure yet on how he felt about their newest addition to the group, but that hardly mattered. So long as he upheld his responsibility to help a new ally, and keep Dante safe, the others were of little concern. His mind made up, he moved after the older assassin and Elf.


Dante

It took about five seconds, but finally Dante realized exactly what had happened. Khrae had just told him to sit still, to stay here while he went and had fun, went off and fought some people
 And he agreed! Really?! The boy looked up from Capella, now thoroughly annoyed. No, he wasn’t going to stay here, definitely not. How could he miss out on some great action? Khrae never let him get involved in any kind of combat
 Er, well, there was combat training, but that was with sticks against trees, and it always included constant chastising from the older swordsman. “Widen your stance, you’re off balance, make sure you don’t leave yourself open to this attack, you look like a dying walrus
” Blah blah
 Besides, trees don’t fight back. Some of the things Dante had witnessed were spectacular, high level combat that Khrae steered him clear from
 This was probably some of that, and he was missing it.

Dante kicked himself mentally, knowing well that he couldn’t just leave Capella, being torn between that and rushing off to help Khrae, or at least spy on the battles he knew would probably be taking place. He was sufficient in his skills, he could handle himself. Ancestral powers? They weren’t necessary; he’d be just fine. He—

The boy looked down suddenly as Capella stirred, her fingers, thankfully lacking claws, digging into him as she woke suddenly. At first he was startled, but then he was relieved. Looking down at her, he grinned somewhat wolfishly, a plan forming, and hoping that her waking meant he could go after Khrae.

“Good morning!” he chimed happily, “Khrae, Sebastian and Armen just went off to chase some mage and we’re missing the fun.”


Valentino

Ah, Isaehn’s tower
 A peculiar place to have been at before coming to Valentino’s own chambers, but the man wasn’t questioning it. Walking through the overwhelming numbers of book shelves, the man was inspecting the residual magic left behind from whatever previous encounter, that and of course hoping that Isaehn wouldn’t make an appearance while he was here. Of course Valentino had no quarrel with the other man, but he still would prefer it if he remained locked away as he always did. The last thing the man wanted was a run in with him, and it would be his luck that Isaehn would choose now to make an appearance. Valentino just felt uneasy around the other man, for whatever reason.

Looking to Fay now, he gave her a warm smile as he pushed away his other feelings. “Now love, where’d you say you left your weapons?” Valentino glanced up to a balcony overhead, though to be honest he was hardly interested in finding the useless instruments of war. Of course though, if it meant they could leave faster, then it wouldn’t be too hard. At least, it shouldn’t be.

“Why on earth were you here anyway? And didn’t you say you had some friends with you? Seems to me as though they’ve left you,” he said nonchalantly, now poking through one of the shelves and slipping a scroll into one of his pockets. “What sort of friends does a Navile have? Good friends? Known them for a while? I must say, the reputation you’ve acquired isn’t a good one. Unfortunately... You do have my condolences about that; you seem like a wonderful girl, but even so.”

Valentino pulled another book of a shelf, enchanting. Blah, he could, but he hardly used any other sorts of magic so it wasn’t important. He tossed it on the floor. “I’m just curious, why would a Navile decide to show herself now? What business do you have? I thought you weren’t allowed from the forests, from your homes?” Flipping through a few pages, the man tore out a chunk of another book before replacing it on the shelf. Putting his hand on a rather old, antique looking, leather-bound book, he allowed it to turn to dust in his grip.

Looking back to Fay, he smiled again, walking up to her and around her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “So, where would your friends have run off to? I’d be more than happy to escort you to them, if you’d like
”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Armen Sorien Character Portrait: Fukayna Muidrehd Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Fay X'san Character Portrait: Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo
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#, as written by Siryn
Lain Gareev

The air shimmered before him as he watched the boy go flying through the air. He grinned as he watched the youth land his fall fairly well. Lain leaned back and put one hand on his hip while the other hand reached up to his lips and he bit down on the skin. Only then did the dragon woman take any interest in him. Depositing the human some ways from the fight, the dragoness rushed forward at him, swiping her claws in an attempt to cut him up. Lain's grin grew ever more as he eyed her carefully. Slightly leaning back he watched her with a laugh on his lips.

His magic swirled around him and Lain shifted from where he'd been standing. It seemed this woman was rather intent on keeping the human out of the fight. He wondered what she would do should he take the human and threaten his life. Not that Lain would kill the boy, no he wasn't there to kill anyone. Just to keep them... occupied. His magic teleported him directly beside the youth with black hair and his arm wrapped around the boys throat. Pulling the boy close to his body, Lain shifted again with the boy in tow. He reappeared on the other side of the courtyard, smiling at the dragoness' back and waited for her to realize what had happened.

"Seem's you've got no control over your temper, little dragon," he called. Enrage her, get her riled up and then make her waste every ounce of energy she had. Lain laughed lightly as he held the boy tightly against him, a flash of silver in his hand against the moon light to let the dragoness know that he was holding a knife to the youths throat then.

"So, what do you plan to do now?" He asked slowly, leaning down next to the boys ear, "Move and I'll teleport you into the darkest void there is," Lain growled to the boy to ensure that he stayed still.

Armen Sorien and Fukayna

He was shoved aside suddenly as he'd been in the middle of lunging towards the cloaked man. Startled, Armen was thrown off balance and he hit the wall just as Fukayna took the blast of magic that he had not felt coming at him. She slid back a few feet before stopping and then came at the man right after. She deflected his second attack via magic and proceeded to use her halberd to try to land a few blows on the man. Unfortunately, she was deflected each time and Armen was finding it both amazing to watch her fight, yet frightening because he feared that she would be injured in the process.

As she lifted her weapon over her head, she attempted to strike the man in a crude fashion, only to be deflected by the cloaked man's sword being drawn. Fukayna looked over to him and Armen eyed her carefully, wondering what it was she wanted. He'd been too absorbed with watching the fight that he hadn't moved a muscle, seemingly frozen in place by fear and awe. Her fingers worked in the air, pointing to him and then making an X then to herself and finally to their opponent. The man laughed and Armen's attention was taken from the beautiful assassin.

"Interesting, she does not speak," he ground then raised his weapon again to attack her.

Armen lunged forward and intercepted the downward strike, blocking it with his own sword and glancing over to Fukayna, "Together," he answered her and pushed up and out with as much strength as he could muster against the mans sword. The blades slide across each other, scrapping loudly as they came apart. Armen followed the man as he took a few steps back to regain his footing. His blade slashed through the air, the tip just barely catching the man's robes and cutting through. A hiss of irritation filled the emptiness between them. Armen was sure then that with both of them attacking, they would have a chance of winning, if not at least driving the man to retreat. That would be enough.

Magic crackled and the man's blade lit up bright blue as it came back down towards Armen's side. Twisting around, he blocked the swing, his blade vibrating terribly as he took the hit. The magic along the weapon shot out at him and coursed down his arm, to his shoulder and numbed every muscle as it continued across his chest. Armen shouted in surprise as well as a bit of pain from the shock, but held his ground against the attack, enduring the magic as he hoped to keep the mans attention on him.

"You're very resilient. Almost too much so for your own good, elf. I think I would like to see that power of yours. I was planning to wait, but I don't think I can. Let us see what you're made of," the man said, his voice saying that he was grinning underneath the darkness of his hood. Stretching out his free hand he pressed it against Armen's chest and black tendrils of pure energy erupted from his hands to encircle the elf entirely, this was done so quickly that Armen hadn't had time to move away. The magic wound around him and in the next moment, the black magic dropped down into Armen's body, completely absorbed. The elf didn't feel anything as the power melted into him, but his eyes were wide in fear and shock as to what could possibly be happening.

It took a moment, but he started to feel something happening within his core. A sickening twist in his abdomen brought him to his knees, a gasp from his lips and his hands relinquishing their hold on his weapon. His body shuddered uncontrollably and he felt as if he had suddenly been filled with so much burning energy that he could explode. He rocked forward and backward, trying to rid himself of the terrible feeling, fear clawing at his heart as he didn't know what it was that ailed him.

"Wha-"

"Your power, elf. This is your power," the man in the cloak answered, kneeling down next to him and taking a fist full of hair to lift his head upwards, "The amount of magic throughout your body is magnificent, Armen Sorien. Hard to control isn't it?"

Armen's eyes narrowed as he growled in anger and the hand that held his head up snatched back suddenly, releasing the elf. The cloaked man shook his hand as if it had been burned and stumbled away from the elf that was on his knees. A short laugh escaped the enemy as he gripped his hand tightly, having dropped his sword as well. Turning his head towards Fukayna, the cloaked man lifted his hand and the air filled with magic. This time, Armen could feel the power rushing through the man's body before him, but there was little that he could do because he had no idea of what he could do or even how to do it.

"Fukayna! Move!" He yelled, just as the man unleashed his wave of power.

Fay X'san and Valentino DeAngelo

“Now love, where’d you say you left your weapons?” Valentino asked her. They were back in the room where she'd been attacked by the Nine and lost both her crossbow and dagger. She'd just reached the top stairwell where she'd been and her gaze found the hilt of her crossbow easily enough.

"My crossbow is here," she answered and walked over to retrieve the weapon, "My knife is somewhere down there," she motioned for the first floor. Making her way towards the stairs, the Navile woman started down to look for her knife.

“Why on earth were you here anyway? And didn’t you say you had some friends with you? Seems to me as though they’ve left you. What sort of friends does a Navile have? Good friends? Known them for a while? I must say, the reputation you’ve acquired isn’t a good one. Unfortunately... You do have my condolences about that; you seem like a wonderful girl, but even so.”

Her lips pulled into a delicate smile as she descended and made the landing on the bottom as the man spoke to her. He was wandering around the isles of bookshelves, mulling over the books with little to no interest at all. She waited until she was across the room before she answered him.

"We were here to get some answers, but I don't think we got any as we were attacked far to soon. I did have some... friends with me," Fay answered slowly, unsure if 'friend' was the right word in that situation. She barely knew any of the people she'd come with. Though the boy, Dante, had been rather intriguing to her. He was attractive and she wished to know so much more about him. Fay then found herself looking over at Valentino with a kind of dreamy allure, lost in thought about him suddenly and completely unsure as to how that had happened. Shaking her head slightly, she continued her search for her knife.

"They are people that were from Skyfall. They seem nice enough. I did not get to know them all very well. Though the one is the leader of the assassins, Talon V'lyn and his woman Jennifer Live. The others, I could tell you as much as I know if you would like me to," she offered, the words spilling from her lips almost too freely.

“I’m just curious, why would a Navile decide to show herself now? What business do you have? I thought you weren’t allowed from the forests, from your homes?” He asked as he wandered around and destroyed or mangled whatever he saw fit. This however didn't deter Fay in anyway and he seemed to be even more alluring while he was playing around with his magic.

"It took a while for me to be able to leave my forest, but we wish to have communication with the outside world. We want to be allowed to mingle with the people and we want to show that we are not the threat that people think we are. There are very few of us that are allowed to leave, in fact I'm the first in several years to leave the forests. I think I'm the only one as well."

“So, where would your friends have run off to? I’d be more than happy to escort you to them, if you’d like
” Valentino walked up to her and turned her around. Luckily Fay had found her knife among the rambling that she'd been spilling to the man. Her eyes were caught up in his and she found herself dreamily gazing at him.

"Please... I would enjoy that," she answered, a foolish smile upon her lips.

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: Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo
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#, as written by Igari

Image



This wasn't fazing him--just how powerful was this man?

Fukayna had re-doubled her efforts the instant she had seen Armen's agreement to her proposal for battle strategy. And at first, she had thought they were making a difference. But whatever this man was, clearly he was not one that would be even remotely thrown off by two opponents. He seemed almost amused, like he was laughing at their efforts. She bit her bottom lip, frustrated that they couldn't do anything to scratch him. She felt weak, as if she couldn't... But she had battled with V'lyn, she had held her own, even for that short while. So why was this so difficult for her?

Armen held his ground as an attack was launched at him, Fukayna trying to use the gap of time to land a blow at the man. The low hiss of his voice came out as he dodged her blow almost seamlessly, the opponent's attentions focused so whole-heartedly on the elf. "You're very resilient. Almost too much so for your own good, elf. I think I would like to see that power of yours. I was planning to wait, but I don't think I can. Let us see what you're made of," She didn't like the sound of that one bit.

The man raised his hand, energy whirling around Armen's body before the boy could protest. He sputtered out half a word in surprise as he was bound tightly. Fukayna paused her attack in awe as she stared at him, the familiar tingles running through her body. But this was far different. So... so different from the feeling she had gotten around their enemy and even... even Miss Jennifer. The tingles were overwhelming and there was a vague buzzing in her mind as the hum of sheer power radiated from the elf.

The man seemed equally impressed as he almost purred when addressing Armen. "Your power, elf. This is your power. The amount of magic throughout your body is magnificent, Armen Sorien. Hard to control isn't it?" Then all of a sudden, those eyes were upon her--so quickly she couldn't have foreseen it. The man smirked, raising his hand and this time directing his attack at her. But her mind was blank, hazy from the power she had just felt from Armen. She could barely process his yell at her, telling her to move. Her legs didn't seem to want to respond--her body just felt so heavy.

The magic was released, cutting into her weapon. For the briefest moment, she felt nothing whatsoever. Her vision became a bit blurred and then her body began to process what was happening. Her weapon had only dulled the blast a portion, the rest of it searing through her body. And her mind unwillingly comprehended the agonizing pain as it hit her. She gasped and her voice hitched free, her screams no longer silent. Her voice rang out for what could've seemed like eternity but only a few seconds passed, then it was all over. Fukayna fell limply forward, already unconscious before she hit the ground; body twitching subconsciously from the attack.


Image



***Flashback - Two Days Ago***


Isaehn's brow furrowed as his frown deepened, the man clearly unamused by the turn of events. The scent of that man, that irritating man was in the air. Tch, annoying. He didn't want to deal with him, not today. He slid his eyes over to Zephyr, his dragon still in human form. The dragon raised his eyebrows slowly at his ward, shaking his head delicately. Isaehn sighed again, crossing his arms. Well, it didn't seem his dragon was going to be of much use to him in this event. He had no plans in interfering with Valentino's business. The first and last time he had bothered, he had walked in on a sight so disturbing, he winced every time he recalled it. Irritating.

Best not to dwell on such ridiculous matters anyway.

"Zephyr," The mage said abruptly. "I'm bored of this place." The dragon chuckled, shaking his head again as he regarded the man through silver eyes.

"You are bored of most things, youngling. This surely can't be anything new?" Isaehn ground his teeth briefly before settling his face back into its usualy, neutral demeanor. Things had been weighing more heavily on him as of late, things that shouldn't have been getting under his skin in ordinary situations. But all of the events had been compounding, especially... No, do not dwell. He rolled his eyes at Zephyr.

"That's not what I meant. You, out of everyone, should know I don't need the snarkiness." Zephyr looked away, inclining his head forwards in a slight apologetic bow.

"Of course not." Though Isaehn couldn't see it, he felt there was a touch of a smirk somewhere. Always so sarcastic, that one. "So what do you plan to do?" The mage paused, tapping his chin with his finger.

"I think we've waited around long enough. There are too many things that have gone awry and I'll not be kept in the dark and waiting. Come, we have a certain group to pay a visit to." Isaehn gestured to one of the staircases that led up to a balcony. Zephyr nodded, moving swiftly in front of the mage, the body that he had been given under the sways of magic beginning to distort and revert to its true form. As Isaehn approached the balcony, Zephyr was already waiting for him in his proper form, large, majestic, and powerful. Just the way he preferred.

The man jumped onto the dragon's snout, walking to his usual place just behind its head and giving his dragon a light tap on the side of its neck to indicate it was time to leave. It was about time he got answers.




***Present***


The room was large and spherical in shape. It was more like a dome than anything else. There were three rows up over a pedastle at the bottom of the dome making anyone who walked into the center feel small and insignificant. It was how the High Nine preferred seeing their subjects, down below them. The room was empty, the solid onyx colored chairs all empty aside for four of them. Four men in long robes and hoods pulled up over their faces that matched the dark background sat silently in their chairs as they stared down upon the man who'd entered their domain not but a day ago requesting to see them.

With such short notice to go off of, not all of the High Nine could attend the meeting, and so only four were present out of the nine. Even so, their presence was something to consider. One leaned forward slightly, putting their hand under their invisible chin as they tilted their head to look down further.

"What brings you, Isaehn Raxieyl?" The voice was deep, marking this one as male.

The mage's lips were pursed as he breathed out slowly, forcing himself to keep a casual air. The high nine had a tendency to make anyone feel uneasy, even someone as controlled as Isaehn. "Curiosity," His voice did not portray the discomfort that he felt and carried an almost whimsical tone to it. "And sadly, I could not find anyone to sate it. Perhaps you can change that?" A familiar smirk worked its way onto his face. Yes, he could play this game.

The robed figures twisted around slowly to look at each other as the mage below had answered the first one's question. They didn't answer for a while as they seemed to be speaking to each other quietly, the soft hiss of their voices just barely brushing the air. After a moment, a second one leaned forward and addressed Isaehn.

"Curiosity isn't something that one should entertain," the second's voice was a little more high pitched, marking them as female.
"What is it you wish to know?" The first one asked.

Ah, such prudes. They had never deigned any sort of entertainment value. This was another reason why he disliked associating with them. But he had matters to clear up. Something he intended to have resolved by the end of this conversation. "I wish to have a musing of mine indulged. As I know you're aware not only from my report but from... others," He paused, raising an eyebrow before he continued. "There was an incident in Ro'ell a few days past that caused a certain amount of confusion. Some... rule breaking."

"There was a... divergence that caught my attention--naturally, I thought it would catch yours too." He did not let his smirk faltered as he regarded them. They could make him as uncomfortable as they wanted, he'd never bow to them.

"You're speaking on Lain Gareev, correct?" The female asked.

Isaehn nodded. So quick on the uptake. "Of course."

Again another bount of whispers between the group before there were any answers given to the mage. The female leaned forward again, her voice rising to address Isaehn directly, "Lain is known to... deviate from orders given to him. This matter that has been brought to us is not a first offense for him," the female paused for a moment, "The matter of his attacking the elf was not detailed in the orders given to him as he was simply to break the party up. The manner in which he did this was not specified, so of course Lain would use his own methods and how he saw it should be done.

"However, it is a concern of ours that he attacked the elf without warning. We're attempting to figure out where exactly those orders came from, if there was any at all to begin with. Lain may have acted out of his own will."

"The problem remains, though. Rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this and find out who ordered him to try to kill the elf. In the mean time, I am curious as to why you had ordered Lain to separate the group? It was detailed in your report, but I wish to hear it from you personally," the male jumped in.

Hm, insignificant details really had a way of coming back around, didn't they? Isaehn didn't bat an eyelash and smoothly responded. "Yes, it seemed necessary at the time. I had suspected there had been some outside interference but I had no way of truly proving it yet. Isolating situations seemed to be logical. Besides," His smirk grew by a fraction. "Surely it's smarter to take on smaller factions than a large group? It seemed like a waste of energy to do so otherwise."

"Wise," the male commented. The female however turned her head to regard her fellow collegue and the atmosphere seemed to turn cold as clearly, she did not agree. Regardless, she didn't comment as she returned her hooded face towards Isaehn.

"This incident has been taken into due consideration, Iseahn Raxieyl. We appreciate you're bringing it to use via your report. However, I cannot garauntee that you will know the full extent of Lain's actions. He is a Nine and therefore his actions and deeds will be judged by us and no one else. If we so see it fit, anything we find will most likely be kept within our order only. Is that understood?"

Isaehn held his tongue. It wouldn't be prudent to question them at this point. But he wasn't going to settle for this vague response either. For now, he nodded. "Understood," Isaehn wouldn't back down that easily but he knew when to pick his fights. Four of the high nine together? He had confidence in his abilities but not enough to take on so many. Just one would be a challenge.

"Shall I continue my updates then?" He said without forgetting to put an inflection of politeness and respect into his advice. Two things that brought a sour taste to his mouth.

"Please, continue," the male offered, leaning back in his seat and giving a wave of his hand that indicated the High Nine was less than interested in the goings on of the mages guild. However, as he leaned back all four froze simultaneously their heads lifted slightly to look beyond Isaehn. It was several moments of silence that filled the air and a very soft sound as if someone were knocking upon the door resounded throughout the room.

"It seems that we must cut this meeting short," the female stood slowly as she spoke, a sense of power growing around her, "We've a visitor in our city and it seems they've made quite a statement."

"That power..." a third voiced, also standing.

"As it would seem. I must say, this makes our job much easier," the first responded, standing as well, "Isaehn, could we ask you a favor?"

Isaehn raised his brows very slowly. Oh he liked favors. He liked them very much. Asking a man like Isaehn for a favor was a sure way of owing him a debt later on. And the mage never forgot when someone needed to pay their dues. "Oh, I'd only be too glad to be of service." He said, his smirk growing wider by the minute.

"I'm sure you know already who has decided to knock upon our gates," the woman said, her voice colder than it had been before, "Kindly meet them. Bring them here."

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
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#, 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
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#, 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 wasn’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 didn’t know. Nevertheless, he admired the elf’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 he’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 man’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 wasn’t sure if he’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 didn’t take to heart their meaning as she did, he still wouldn’t invoke any anger from her. Dante, who obviously knew nothing of what was happening on account of calling Capella his girlfriend, shouldn’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 didn’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. “Think nothing of it,” he answered simply, closing his eyes and resting his head on the wall again. “I merely did what was necessary, just as you would have.” 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. “You did a good job, whatever you did,” Khrae stated without turning around, “Fukayna is lucky to have such a great friend as yourself. Natural talent can only go so far compared to a good dose of determination.”

With that Khrae made his leave, though called back one last time. “I shall be in the courtyard if you require assistance with anything, Sebastian!”

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


Valentino


Valentino detested horses. In fact, Valentino detested most things that weren’t human, and even then he wasn’t particularly fond of them. As it was, he’d barely heard Fay’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 he’d ever experienced. With his arms wrapped tight around Fay’s waist, and with himself constantly swaying back and forth in such a dizzying rhythmic matter, the mage could barely maintain the veil he’d cast earlier, one that suggested that his grip was merely a loving hold.

It was about now that he’d wished he’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.

“I don’t think I thanked you properly for saving me. And helping me get my weapons back,” Fay continued. “Thank you, Valentino.”

Did Valentino really have to talk? Ugh. The mage put on a smile, even though she couldn’t see him behind her. He hoped he could continue this illusion enough that his voice didn’t mirror how awful he felt. “It was my pleasure, Fay. Ag—a mis-mistress in need is what all men live foo—rr.. Bleh
 Ugh
”

Valentino wasn’t enjoying himself at all. He absolutely couldn’t stand the beast, and he definitely wouldn’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.

“Dear lord,” Valentino said, “Oh, stop this infernal thing for the love of the order of Vyldi!”

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 wasn’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 didn’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 didn’t move. “Son of a
 Damn that creature and all like it! Ugh
” Bringing both hands to his face and covering his eyes, he sighed again. “Fay, I suggest we rest here! There’s a lovely field over
” 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. “There.”

Luscious, green, full of flowers and, most importantly, not moving. Valentino was finally content lying in the dirt along the road, and he would’ve stayed there forever in order to avoid not having to mount that beast again, if it hadn’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. “God damn
 Away, foul 
 Thing!” Taking a foot, the man kicked delicately at the toad, though it didn’t move. “Go on,” he said, waving his hands at it after having moved to a safe distance of two meters. “shoo! Sickly wart infested bastard!”

Again it didn’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. “Hey,” he said devilishly, “want to play a game?” 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 he’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 mentor’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. He’d nearly gotten a heart attack from Khrae’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 wouldn’t turn him into a sour-puss too. Taking a moment to calm himself, Dante looked around, frowning. He needed something else to do


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

“Shh,” he said quickly, before she could respond to any of his actions. “Mercenary Capella, you’re being hired to conduct operations with myself on a hostage rescue mission. Do you accept?!” Looking around, Dante acted as if his games were entirely serious, and that they were in danger of being overheard, requiring urgency. “Should you choose to accept, you shall come with me back to Ro’ell in order to reclaim subject F, captured by mages
 What say you?”

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

“A trial for what exactly?”

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.

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
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#, 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 Fukayna’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 he’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 that’s not to say that the man wouldn’t waste any time in doing it again, but the physical toll was extremely strenuous, and already the man felt as though he’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 didn’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 wasn’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 wielded


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 he’d happened to stumble upon was beyond him, but nevertheless, the man took a shot.

“First of, let me start by saying I’m still working on attempt to decipher what any of this means. To put it into words seems nearly implausible, so I’d like to try something. It must be witnessed and experienced first-hand.” 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 he’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 wasn’t that he didn’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.

“Now then,” Khrae continued casually, “have you ever meditated?”


Dante

Under normal circumstances, Dante would’ve been too naïve to notice the look Capella seemed to adopt when he mentioned the details of his plan to her. Under normal circumstances, Dante would’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. That’s not to say that he didn’t have the ability to comprehend when someone wasn’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 Capella’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 moment’s notice, Dante’s head swung back and forth before he began moving not at all silently towards the Guildhouse’s exit.

“Day one,” Dante began speaking quietly, in-between his unnecessary jumps across the hall to hide in doorways, mimicing stealth, “we’ve begun our campaign to capture subject F. Dante, witty, cunning, clever and
 uhm. Smart guy
 Heh. Has enlisted the help of Capella, the 
 something or other
 capr.. capreshe? Caprishush? Dragonness
.”

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. “The way is clear for now
 Enemies lurk. Khrae, the evil, grumpy troll is around
 somewhere
 With any luck, we can escape his dreaded castle and return to the task at hand!”

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.

“No guards or sentries
 Why say you, Capella?!” 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 he’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. “Come, Capella!” he called probably too loudly, “Our mission awaits!”


Valentino

Valentino inspected the spot Fay had chosen for him carefully. No bugs, toads, horses
 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 he’d acquired.

“One moment, darling” 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 wasn’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.

“I know how much you must want to be continuing on, but it’s no use traveling on an empty stomach. Why don’t you tell me a little more about yourself and these friends while we immerse ourselves in a snack? Hmm?”

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.

“A little conversation never hurt,” Valentino said casually, taking a seat next to his newfound treasure. “And I’d love to hear about these people you were traveling with. They sound like an interesting group, despite leaving you behind.”

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
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#, as written by Siryn
Sebastian, Armen and Khrae

“Now then, have you ever meditated?”

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

“I know how much you must want to be continuing on, but it’s no use traveling on an empty stomach. Why don’t you tell me a little more about yourself and these friends while we immerse ourselves in a snack? Hmm?”

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.

“A little conversation never hurt. And I’d love to hear about these people you were traveling with. They sound like an interesting group, despite leaving you behind.”

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

“How meticulous. Eeny meeny miny mo.”

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.

“Oh my mister, that was such an impressive magic trick. You’ll show me how you did it, won't you?” 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
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#, 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.”

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 he’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.

“Oh, no,” he began, “you won’t need to do any meditating. So long as you understand the premise of what the activity was built upon.” 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.

“Through 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 them
” Pausing, the man was a realist, and although he grew up with this life style and didn’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. “Some of the great elders can use this heightened state to do spectacular things. Many have documented experiences where they’ve had glimpses into the future and, more astonishingly, into the subconscious of another person altogether. Thoughts, memories, regrets, fears, you name it
 All there..”

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 wasn’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.

“That being said, I had been meditating in the courtyard earlier when I stumbled upon a most curious
 something. A conversation of sorts, but it was one-sided. Not like only one person was talking, I’m assuming that there was another participant, but I never caught any responses of that particular person.” Khrae paused, glancing once to Armen. “What was very much
 unsettling
 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 I’ve encountered. ”

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. “I intercepted only pieces, but I believe Armen may have found his link. I believe he’s found himself a Dragon.”

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. “It was about that time when our little elf went cataclysmic again,” Khrae continued, “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 Armen
 That conversation sounded like it was being spoken underwater, undecipherable, but the image was clear as day.”

Shifting his eyes to one side, Khrae couldn’t see beyond the corner, but he knew she was there nonetheless. He assumed that Sebastian was aware of their eavesdropper’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 V’lyn; he was a foul man who commanded swarms of shadow-walkers. Assassins were one of the lowest forms of people in Valentino’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 man’s lips before turning into that of fear and unbelief. He’d known it was coming, and yet he didn’t expect it.

Jennifer Live


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 Jennifer’s reputation put himself to shame. Her magic surpassed most anyone’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, he’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 percent


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 man’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 he’d have to work for this particular prize, but he never thought he’d have to hurdle so many obstacles. His magic was wearing, he hadn’t recharged and so he couldn’t maintain the same powerful doses he always did. To get to his prize, he’d have to work her away from the bonds she’d already made. Talon and Jennifer were the biggest stumbling blocks, but then there was this boy
 Phoenix tribe? What in the hell was a Phoenix tribe? Valentino knew of the mythical bird, but he knew they didn’t exist as well. Unless these people were some strange hybrid human-bird that doesn’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 he’d caught the eyes of


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








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 beak
 But that was simply his imagination
 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 reserves
 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. “Uh-er.. E-h
heh
 S..” Valentino rubbed the back of his head, overwhelmed suddenly. Talon, an entire guild of assassins and Jennifer
 Some flaming man-bird that doesn’t die, and a dragon girl? Valentino almost felt as if he himself were under another powerful mages’ 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 couldn’t manage. “Yes, well. Uh, actually, well whaddya know! Look at that, I have to go. I-er
 Well, I mean
. Oh, casserole! Yes, oven
 Spells and such. Uhm, are you sure you wouldn’t want to come back home with myself?” Smiling, Valentino thought only after he spoke. What if they came looking for her? Damnit. He’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? He’d do it now if he had the strength


“Damnit,” Valentino huffed. “S-sorry.. I,” Valentino finally just threw his hands up and began backing up in the other direction. “I gotta go!” 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 girl’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
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#, 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.

“Uh-er.. E-h
heh
 S..”

"Um... Valentino?"

“Yes, well. Uh, actually, well whaddya know! Look at that, I have to go. I-er
 Well, I mean
. Oh, casserole! Yes, oven
 Spells and such. Uhm, are you sure you wouldn’t want to come back home with myself?”

"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-"

“Damnit. S-sorry.. I, I gotta go!” 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

“That being said, I had been meditating in the courtyard earlier when I stumbled upon a most curious
 something. A conversation of sorts, but it was one-sided. Not like only one person was talking, I’m assuming that there was another participant, but I never caught any responses of that particular person. What was very much
 unsettling
 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 I’ve encountered. ”

Sebastian nodded slowly, keeping up with the conversation.

“I intercepted only pieces, but I believe Armen may have found his link. I believe he’s found himself a Dragon.”

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?"

“It 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 Armen
 That conversation sounded like it was being spoken underwater, undecipherable, but the image was clear as day.”

"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.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jennifer Live Character Portrait: Capella Character Portrait: Talon V'lyn Character Portrait: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo
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#, as written by Centi85
Valentino & Impending Doom/Approaching Company

Valentino was traveling with the god’s speed, augmented with a not-so-modest amount of magic as he sped to the safety of his own domain within the city of the mages. Preservation of face, both metaphorically if he could evade the scrupulous eyes of the wily assassin head and his malicious and vivacious mage counterpart and act as if he were never involved in their ordeals, as well as literally, were on the line and Valentino valued his physical prowess. It certain wouldn’t aid him in any such manner if Jennifer skinned him alive and then reattached his exterior in some form other than that which was correct. Valentino shuddered at the thought, his pacifistic and untainted mind not akin to thoughts of mutilation or deformation, or at least not as much as his adversaries, not in the least.

A noble endeavor as it was, it just wasn’t Valentino’s cup of tea. He vowed to return to collect his prize nevertheless, but not at this moment. In the distance he knew rested his sanctuary. A relative target which held a buffer zone of other mages behind which Valentino could remain concealed from prying eyes. He was so close, and the man felt his heart suddenly sink as the silhouettes on horseback found their formation, the dark forms being painted in as they drew closer.

Valentino stopped mid-run as his worst fears were recognized. Why were the gods so goddamn annoying in their perpetual games of karma and irony, always so choicely timed as to benefit no on other than themselves? Although Valentino knew that if he were a god, his past time would most likely involve ruining the lives of those who held no power to say otherwise. Currently, however, Valentino was no such omnipotent entity, nor did he have any such reserves to combat such a being, or even the one which was presented before him now.

Mid-stride and paused with one foot held just over the ground, his arms flailing either fore or aft, Valentino conducted an about-face. No, wait
 They were going that way, and that way held his abandoned prize that would no doubt have a torrent of questions under which he’d suffocate and suffer beneath upon their next meeting
 That and Jennifer and Talon were going in that direction, and they’d no doubt meet up. But then, could he go this way and pass unnoticed? No, impossible
 Unless


Valentino stood in the middle of the road, looking like a chicken without its head as he contemplated what his next course of action would be. Continue, run back, run to the side, dig a hole?! Damnit! Magic
 No
 Shit. They’re getting closer!

Oh, right, magic! He’d just said that
 Er, who cares! Valentino decided finally to employ a hardy cloak of subterfuge in the form of spells and incantations. And, go!

In the amount of time it had taken him to adequately don an appropriate disguise he’d shifted through about five forms, all illusion-based of course. To a child it might have been comical seeing a man first dressed in all white shift into a tree of the wrong species for the surrounding environment, then to an overly lithe woman whose only substantial girth was within her ostentatiously bulbous chest and posterior, then to a mouse, only for the man to once more appear, shrieking this time as he relished not being such a foul vermin, and then finally to a raggedly-clothed farmer with a large straw hat beneath which he concealed his face as he prodded at a patch of make-believe food with a sword, but to anyone else, it simply looked absurd. A moment later a strawberry bush appeared, and the sword was replaced with a sickle, and Valentino had no doubt blown his cover, but he stuck with it nonetheless as this notoriously dangerous duo rode closer atop their steeds.

It’ll work
 It will. No, they saw me. But they’d been pretty busy in their discussion earlier
 Or,
 perhaps he’d attracted their attention?! Damnit! No, 
 Shit, shit, shit
. Jennifer can see through most illusions, or was that one of the myths which further accentuated the beautiful mystifying beauty of this woman? Could Talon tell? Would they even bother with
 what was he again?

In all actually, Valentino was simply standing, rigid as a fence post, with his arms adhered to his sides and heels locked firmly together like an overly dramatized soldier at attention. Magic was useful in that manner, such that the caster could remain as they were allowing others to see something entirely different. Valentino only hoped that in his panicked frenzy he hadn’t given himself away, or that his thick “manly” perfume which could cause anyone to asphyxiate within a miles radius wouldn’t be detected through his not-so-cleverly-conceived veil. Only time would tell


Did he just lose focus and shift into a tree again, or had his feigned farmer simply turned into a statue of a farmer poking a bush of
 pigeons – with a sickle? Damnit.


Dante & Capella

Capella spoke in a lot of fancy words. In a way it was alluring, in a way annoying, but also made Dante want to live up to par with her elo
quincy? Eloquency? Eloquence
 Dante wasn’t sure of the grammar, or even if he were simply imagining what he thought was a cool-sounding word. It was something like that, right? Either way, Dante was now positive that if he could do that too, he’d simply be even more attractive as a suitable partner with which Fay would want to
 Co-
cop
 copulate? Yeah.. That means sex right? Dante stood up from within a bush as he looked at the sky, an eyebrow arched in profound thought.

Oh well.

He looked to Capella now as she voiced another method of travel which was much faster than his own; especially considering his progress was stymied every two feet by a tree which had to be stabbed, or vicious and dangerously rabid squirrel which, in Dante’s eyes, was in fact a mutant Bear-o-saurous to be slain. He never succeeded, but he nevertheless enjoyed his delusions of grandeur as he continued on narrating his valiant quest. Of course the single part he did decide to omit in his perfuse overflow of his oral orifice was his acquiescence to the Dragoness’ suggestion. She no doubt figured it out after Dante had leaped onto her piggy-back style, then stabbed out at the vacant air ahead and screamed, “Onward! Westward, ho!”

It was times like this when Dante wished he had a cape, or at least one of those fancy robes that the Phoenix Clan elders and Khrea wore so that it could billow behind him as he moved like the wind, and also so that he could look cool when he entered battle. Who doesn’t look cool with a cape? He’d have to steal Khrae’s later. Capella’s hair smelled funny too, he noted idly.

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
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#, 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: Fay X'san Character Portrait: Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo
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Jennifer Live





"I'm sorry, Jennifer. I'm alright, I promise you. I know you're worried,” he spoke, evoking as much calm as humanly possible in the face of her withering gaze (which seemed on the verge of melting the city itself behind them), "You have my word, I'm alright."

To his credit, the assassin never wavered, but then again, he likely had plenty of experience dealing with her volatile anger already by this point.

“That’s what you always say,” she pouted, relenting childishly as her soft features formed a frown of displeasure, not that he could’ve seen it from his position anyway.

The journey back to Skyfall had been largely uneventful, if that, especially if one considered the absurdity of what had recently transpired. Perhaps anxious to put some distance between them and Laowlee (and their crimes), the duo adopted a hasty pace in anticipation of the workload ahead them. Just when the situation seemed bad enough, the world goes and makes things worse all over again, almost as if it were some part of a larger conspiracy. Sighing and leaning back, she rested her head in the crook of Talon’s shoulder. Content to allow him to take control over the reins, Jennifer reflected on her own thoughts, reminiscing on how enjoyable it was just to be alone with him, away from their ‘civil’ responsibilities, even slipping into that dangerous territory of nostalgia. Oh how much she missed the freedom sometimes. Of course she completely neglected to consider the fates of their missing colleague’s likely still holed up in Loawlee. They were better off without them anyway as far as she was concerned.

Reminding herself this was hardly the time for sentiments, she forced her own focus as a vague shadow announced itself unexpectedly on the horizon. An enemy? A traveler? A local? The likely scenarios played out in the better, saner parts of her mind in an attempt to rationalize the situation. In all likelihood it was probably nothing, but that didn’t explain why Talon had purposefully adjusted their course direction, or the inexplicable aura of warmth


"Do with it as you please."

Snapped out of her trance thanks to the distinct sound of Talon’s voice, Jennifer beamed up at him like he’d just presented the best gift possible, neatly wrapped and waiting to be pried open by her fingers. “How kind of you to give your permission, do I get a treat afterwards?”

Despite hers words, Jennifer hardly needed his prompting. Twisting her neck around, she squinted her own eyes at the growing mirage to ascertain its nature. Peculiarly, the figure underwent a series of metamorphosis, not unlike a nightmare out of Jennifer’s own delusional mind. Its shape changed, shifting form and size before finally deciding to settle onto the humble image of a simple farmer, all in the blink of an eye. A trick of the mind? Or was it something more?

Unfortunately for whoever, or whatever it was, this was Jennifer Live. Considerations such as the morality of her actions never existed in the first place. She’d do anything and everything for Talon, including killing on the drop of a hat so long as that meant she could erase even the tiniest of inconveniences for him. And that’s precisely what she set out to do as she vanished abruptly from her spot in front Talon and then materialized a few meters to his flank. As if recognizing the mistake of his words almost instantly, the assassin practically blurted out the next line to his sentence.

"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..."

She paused only to glance up at him, “Will you take anything else with your order, sir?” she asked, raising her eyebrows before storming off without waiting for his reply. Denied of her ‘fun’ she set out with the intentions of at least venting some of the pent up fury she’d built up over the course of their stay in Loawlee. She returned to dutifully a few minutes later, dragging the knocked-out-cold body of the mystery man behind her through the dirt. Her breathing was shallow, but whether that was because of her excessive use of magic or some after effects of the man’s ‘aura’ she couldn’t say. Stripped of his disguise, Jennifer had to admit he looked remarkably handsome, if not unnaturally so, and vaguely familiar.

“One mage made to order, cooked extra rare. I'm not sure if he was affiliated with Laowlee, but at the very least he made the effort of hide his appearance if that means anything. Is it really in our best interests to spare someone like that?” she asked dismissively. The matter didn't seem like it was up for debate as as they started up on their journey again, happening upon another strange individual.

"What a coincidence," she murmured as Talon halted their horse besides Fay. "Any others strays you'd like to pick up before we get back? I beginning to think we might need a bigger horse."

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: Dante Fuuriah Character Portrait: Fay X'san Character Portrait: Valentino "Cupid" DeAngelo
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#, as written by Centi85
Khrae Var

Khrae sat patiently at the entrance of the Skyfall mansion. The man’s posture was erect and well disciplined, with his legs crossed passively and hands neatly resting in his lap. Except for the gentle rise and fall of the man’s stern shoulders with each breath, he was still, listening to the cool air which serenaded to him the sounds of the world around him. Khrae’s conscious was exploring now, his senses perfectly in tune with the delicate murmuring of eager leaves to leap from branches, or the resentful groan of a tree against the strain of the wind. Khrae heard the whimsical call of a singbird, and the rustling of the grass as it stretched for the sky above, yearning for the sun to bless each blade individually. Even the man’s hair, which was tied into a neat ponytail, dared to explore the virtues and secrets of the cool breeze, stands of lose silken black wafting lazily through the air, a cascade of midnight reaching down the man’s back and falling into a bundle on the ground behind him.

Every now and again Khrae heard the dull thud of a knife impact a wooden target, or the grunting of a sparring match taking place in the courtyards. The guild was busy in its task of reclaiming itself since the attack, and so Khrae listened to the sounds of busy work in restoration. In this downtime, the man had allowed himself a moment to reevaluate recent events and reclaim his sense of peace. Dante had of course found some endeavor with which to entertain himself, and seeing as how Khrae could find nobody who could possibly express to him the boy’s current whereabouts, nor could Khrae sense his presence anywhere in the immediate vicinity, he guessed that the boy must have gone adventuring and that Khrae would sooner or later pay for the trouble caused.

Perhaps it was the thought of Dante which had upset the man, or the sudden disturbance in the wildlife which had resulted from the clip-clopping of hooves down the road, but the man found his concentration suddenly broken. Sighing, Khrae opened his eyes, his piercing golden iris shining austere. From down the road the man could make out several figures on a single unlucky horse, with one walking alongside. Khrae’s gaze hardened as the man squinted but remained sitting. Shortly, he could make out Talon, Jennifer, his young charge, and the Navile girl, Fay. The man blinked stoically, and then cocked his head to the fifth figure. It appeared as though they had brought along another. Khrae observed a body in Dante's arms, noting that the man was either dead or unconscious for whatever reason, but he dismissed his curiosity as mere folly. Standing easily, his movements were once more fluid and calm after his meditation, and so he went to alert the guild and meet the party.


Dante & Party

So, okay. The others got to be on horseback and Dante was left carrying this sack of flamboyancy. The boy took the challenge readily though, seeing as how Fay was present, and persisted to display his tenacity and strength by both carrying this unconscious lump of white perfume and keeping up with a horse at the same time
 For all of a hundred yards back to Skyfall. Still, considering how heavy the man was, it was an admirable feat. Or Dante was weak. But that couldn’t possibly be it.

Why was this man so heavy anyway? And why did he smell so strongly of magic. Dante often found his concentration fading, and the boy blinked quickly several times to clear his vision of the odd hallucinations he would seemingly walk in to. Was this just because of the man’s magic? Certainly Dante wasn’t just going crazy. Regardless, Dante was happy to drop the figure as soon as they had arrived back at Skyfall. Looking around, several of the guild members had gathered to greet their returning leader, and Dante watched as one of the assassins took hold of the horses’ reins to steady the creature so that the others could dismount. Khrae was present, and so Dante tried to remain aloof. Of course he knew Khrae had seen him, and that Khrae would not bother with him until other priorities were taken care off, but even so, Dante tried to stay out of the man’s immediate line of sight and was already preparing a rapid plan of escape which included as much of an ostentatious display as possible, as well as an over exaggeration of skill level with which to employ his escape.

“Welcome, Talon V’lyn, and Lady Jennifer,” Khrae spoke as he approached, bowing deeply. The man’s gaze drifted over those present, including Dante, which caused the boy a moment of pause as if his lack of motion would result in Khrae to be unable to spot him. Shaking his head, Khrae continued, looking back to the pair.

“I am happy to report the general safety of your guild, but I’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.”

“I would just like to point out that I have been helpful!” Dante interjected, having appeared somewhere on Khrae’s left. “I carried him.”

Khrae raised his eyebrow to the boy but made no response. He noted the last statement was said louder with a hint of braggadocio. Dante’s eyes had wandered back to Fay, and it seems his body had followed too. Khrae dismissed it, and nodded towards Talon and Jennifer. “Shall we proceed inside, then?” Khrae offered.


Valentino

Valentino’s eyes moved, staring into darkness. His head was swimming and he was disoriented. For a few moments he looked ahead, confused and dazed until he realized that he hadn’t opened his eyes. Voices were speaking, and people were moving around. He was moving too. He was laying in somebody’s arms. He could feel the rough breath over his hair, and feel the person’s arms supporting his back and legs. How humiliating, the man thought, he was being carried like some passed out damsel. What had happened? He was 
 wait.

Jennifer. Talon. They were coming towards him. Had? No. Talon wasn’t carrying him? And
 Certainly Jennifer wouldn’t. Who. The man strained to open his eyes, squinting against the intrusive sun which seemed to shine far too bright for this time of day. Or, what time was it? Valentino didn’t know. All he knew was that as soon as his eyes had opened the floodgates of the world, he was falling.

Damnit, Valentino thought. Rude! He hit the ground with a thud, the air leaping from his person as his body refused to respond to what his brain told it to do. He was limp, but he could just feel his fingers and toes. He flexed his hand into a tight fist as he lay on the ground, breathing heavily. People were still talking, and dark silhouettes were hiding beyond the glare of the sun overhead. His mind was racing now, trying to ascertain the situation. Why, or what had happened? And why was he dropped.

“Welcome, Talon V’lyn, and Lady Jennifer,” a voice said. Valentino went rigid in response. Damnit. Turning his head, the man’s mind was beginning to clear, and his motor skills returning. He saw Talon and Jennifer, and others. Other assassins. Was he in Skyfall? And. Fay. Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. Why was she here? Oh
 yes. She was going to Skyfall. Damnit!

Valentino groaned and rolled over. He had to pick himself up and leave. But he was too weak. The man strained his arms to push himself up, then fell again, surrendering with his cheek flat against the ground, leaving him to watch the actions of those present. What an odd fellow, Valentino thought has he observed the white-clad man. His hair was obnoxiously long. But he had power. A lot. Valentino could sense it. But it wasn’t magic
 It was
 just power. But so did Jennifer. And Fay. Valentino was surrounded by power and he could do nothing about it. The boy had said something and pointed to him, apparently he was his bearer, and Valentino groaned again, rolling his eyes. That was what had carried him. Lovely



 Damnit.

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
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#, 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.

“Welcome, Talon V’lyn, and Lady Jennifer. I am happy to report the general safety of your guild, but I’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.”

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.

“I would just like to point out that I have been helpful! I carried him.”

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.

“Shall we proceed inside, then?”

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."