112 replies to this topic

[JRPomazon]

Jordan turned his attention to Deldara's question:

"Anyone happen to know who they were and why they set fire to the fortress?"

"They didn't say. Sounded to me that they were just a bunch of anarchists." Jordan replied.

"However, if what Tseb said was true about Shadow being here then they could have been after him. He is always in some form of trouble, be it the Dreadlord Z or other black clad villain."

Jordan looked over to find Ezekiel eating hardy at a table to the other end of the pub. It was good thing he showed up when he did. His thoughts shifted from the present to the past, remembering a conversation he had with Shadow before the initial attack on the Sultan. They were talking about a General that wanted to spark a civil war by killing Princess Hina, or something very similar. If Shadow was here, then he would be after the princess to either protect her or just kidnap her. Jordan kept his thoughts to himself, Steel probably knew what was going on anyway so why bother. But if he didn't, then it would be necessary to involve him. He sighed to himself as he shook his head. Shadow was going to give everyone here a little more grief.

[Ezekiel Soulscar]

"Holy man." Tseb called to the monk who had just been rejected by the barman. Ezekiel turned around and headed back into the bar.

Ezekiel blinked at the man standing before him. "Here, excuse the locals" he handed one of the platters of food and added. "You just have to know how to handle these NPC's." Ezekiel took the food from him graciously, "Thanks my friend. If I can return the favor in any way please let me know."

Ezekiel then took his meal and sat down at a table by himself. As he chowed down on his meal, he took mental notes on the group of individuals sitting at the table across the bar. The man I used my healing salve on appears to be some sort of warrior, Ezekiel thought to himself taking note of the man's glaives. The small girl with the katana appears to be a child. She can't be much older than ten years of age, but what would such a small child be doing with this band of adventurers? Hmm...the man that bought me dinner appears to be some sort of wizard or sorcerer. Perhaps he can help me locate Shadow. The other girl with the lute has to be some sort of bard or minstrel. And the other man appears to be the group's leader. Ezekiel took all this in as he finished his meal. He pondered on whether or not he should try to seek aid from these people or to continue on his journey by himself.

Ezekiel rose to his feet and walked over to the other table in the pub. "Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping one of you might be able to aid me," he stated glancing at the wizard, "I'm looking for someone and I thought perhaps you could help me to locate this person."

[Steel Samurai]

OOC: Pish. Apologize to yourself.

Unfortunately, Steel didn't hear Tseb, as he was lost in his own thoughts about how much the bubbles in his tea looked like an image of Diel's Mother. He took a sip, and they dissipated. Oh well. Jordan walked up.

"Well, how's your day been?"

"It would have been perfectly fine had not I had to bail your collective asses out of a bloody filler villain's clutches. My goodness."

The monk walked up and spoke to Tseb.

"Before you go asking questions like that, Monk, I would greatly like to see your papers, and also know why you did not come immediately to see me regarding this person."

[Ezekiel Soulscar]

"Before you go asking questions like that, Monk, I would greatly like to see your papers, and also know why you did not come immediately to see me regarding this person."

"My apologies," Ezekiel replied reaching for his pack. He pulled out a scroll containing his current contract with the Lost Woods. "Here you are. I didn't realize you were the one in charge of this group. I was asking the wizard for his aid because I thought he might be able to scry the location of the person I am looking for."

I seriously pray these guys are on my side. Or at least won't kill me if they don't want me here. "I hope everything is in order with my papers, sir."

[Steel Samurai]

Steel leafed through the papers handed to him.

"You're either daft or very, very brave, monk. Handing the second in command of the Forsaken Fortress papers entailing your employment with one of our erstwhile enemies was not, perhaps, a wise decision. Were you unaware that you needed signed permission from myself or Lord Juno in order to even leave the docks? How on earth did you get past the guards? I'll have to see they're all flogged. Bloody Neptune's Beard." Steel sighed, then raised an arm and snapped his fingers. A pirate lurking in the corner came instantly to his side. "You have a choice, monk. Either cool your heels in the dungeon until I decide what to do with you or return to the docks and take the next ship out of here. I'm half tempted to have you executed as a spy as it is, but since it seems you are merely ignorant I'll give you the option."

[JRPomazon]

"I was able to handle myself. Sure I took much more damage than I had to, but I won didn't I?" Jordan responded.

"I was just being a little more creative. I mean, I can't just go all Monty Python whenever I see fit now can I?"

His protest fell to deaf ears as it seemed no one was interested in hearing what he had to say. Steel was fat too interested in the monk's appearance. It's obvious he was out of place and it made sense Steel would want to know the origins of the wayward traveler. However, what mattered more to Jordan at the moment was what Steel had to say before the random attack.

"Yoo Hoo, over here Steel." He said, mockingly whistling while waving his hand back and forth.

"Take care of the holy man later, I want to know what you were going on about earlier in the Great Hall."

[Steel Samurai]

"Oh, what? You defeated one opponent, yes, but he was a stripling, a mere puppet. Imagine if you had had to take on the puppetmaster in that condition. Could you have been as certain of your victory then, as if when you had defeated the puppet without injury and were fresh for the more important battle? My point is, your strength is not measured merely by whether you win or lose, these can be flukes or the result of a small error in judgment on the part of your foe. Your strength is measured by how much of your skill you can conserve and still win without injury. What if you had had to take on 3 of these puppets at once? If this is how you perform against one, your survival would have by no means been assured." Actually, since these were filler villains, and Jordan was a main character, the chance of his survival was nearly 100%, but that fact would lessen Steel's point, rather than helping it.

"Regardless, ironically enough, I was going to speak with you about filler villains, and the necessity of killing them quickly so the plot doesn't bog down into pointless fighting. I was also going to get you to go check on the South East tower. There's something rather important there, and I'd like to make sure it's intact. Take Tseb if you wish."

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow had seen many strange things, but this certainly took the cake. Although, he couldn't really see anything; his vision was blurred to such an extent that he could hardly keep his eyes open. He was in an area filled with grey, purple and black light as far as he could tell... with no floor. He was simply floating in mid-air. "Hello? Anyone here? Where am I, anyway?" he asked, not getting any verbal response.

Instead, the blurring ceased and all the light dissipated, leaving him in total darkness. The darkness was then illuminated by a white light in front of him, followed by several more around him. Spinning around in the air, he counted eight lights. The spheres of light began to spin, until a cone of energy shot from them into the "sky". They pierced the non-existent ceiling, causing a hole with a crimson-smoke border and bright red lightning to quickly expand from the point of impact. Inside the hole were similar colours, but darker. The red gases flowed out of the hole and into the empty black space that Shadow was floating in, colouring it blood red.

The contents of the inside of the hole were obscured by black, with two red eyes with yellow, snake-like pupils in the middle of the hole now. Shadow backed off in surprise and tried to draw his sword, only to find that he didn't have one to use. He searched his clothes, finding none of his gear. The black entity slowly began to seep out of the hole, seeming more like a liquid than a physical form. Seeing no actual place to run, Shadow prepared his fists. Then all of the sudden, a bright light began to materialize in his left hand, pushing his fingers apart. It shined shades of purple and gray, very bright shades; Shadow had to shield his eyes. When it died down, Shadow saw that the light had molded into the form of a simple-looking sword. He tried to grab it, but failed at first; the aura the sword of light was releasing was so strong that it pushed him back.

Seeing the black creature drawing ever closer to him, and seeing more sets of similar eyes on it opening up, Shadow didn't have much of a choice but to try and grab the weapon. And try he did, tirelessly, as if his very life depended on it. He didn't care that the repelling aura was burning his hand. The sword shone brighter and brighter as he pressed on...

--------------------

Shadow's eyes opened quickly, his body unmoving but damp with a cold sweat. "That dream again..." he growled under his breath. This strange, recurring dream -- or was it a nightmare in disguise? -- was really starting to piss him off. It wasn't becoming any clearer, only more intense.

As he became aware of himself and where he was however, he quickly remembered that he had better things to do than dwell on his mental excursions.

It was strange, he couldn't sworn he felt like he had a blood-alcohol level of 90.1 or something before, but whatever after-effects his latent powers had on him seemed to have worn off. Looking to the sky, he saw that the sun hadn't moved far across it; he hadn't been unconscious for long. And he was still in the alley, meaning that no one had bothered him. That was good. Now he needed to figure out where he was, and make sure there was no one nearby that would recognize him. Thankfully he had control over his magic again, so he chanelled it into sensing familiar auras... and was not pleased when he felt a good number of them. Jordan, Tseb, a holy aura he'd never felt before, Steel... STEEL!?

Shadow almost had a heart attack; the Fortress' second in command was nearby! Quickly pinpointing it, he noticed that his aura was with that of the others. Not too surprising. He traced it to a building and looked through the window... then quickly ducked back down. There they were, enjoying supper in one of the Fortress' many pubs.

"Sweet merciful Diel, how did I miss that!? That power rush really put me out of it!" he mentally scolded himself. Rather than tempt fate by listening in on their conversation -- though he doubted it would work anyway with the other hot air-filled pirates in there conversing -- he took off as quietly and as quickly as his stealthy form would allow. Running into high-ranking pirates who would recognize him, especially Steel himself, was what he was mainly trying to avoid. As much as he might enjoy it, he had his priorities; now was not the time for a confrontation with him.

He hadn't ran far, mainly because he didn't know where he was going; he only moved a couple of blocks so he had a favorable distance from those who could identify him. He pulled out his map and began to study it, getting his record straight. He'd initially thought that Princess Hina was in the NorthWest tower, but if this were true, Jordan would've brought the princess with him to the bar for protection. And he didn't see her there. Since he'd already ruled out the Southern towers and the NorthWest tower had been burnt to a crisp, that left only the NorthEast. At least one good thing had came out of this attack: now he knew for sure where the princess was being held.

However, that was the only silver-lining; there was no doubt that this attack would cause an increase in security, and Steel was no doubt notified while Shadow was out cold. If the Fortress valued their catch, there would surely be more security around the princess' tower before the end of the day. If he was going to get any info on her sky-high holding cell, now was the time. He quickly dashed off in the direction of the NorthEast tower.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 20 October 2008 - 01:14 AM.

[Ezekiel Soulscar]

Steel leafed through the papers handed to him.

"You're either daft or very, very brave, monk. Handing the second in command of the Forsaken Fortress papers entailing your employment with one of our erstwhile enemies was not, perhaps, a wise decision. Were you unaware that you needed signed permission from myself or Lord Juno in order to even leave the docks? How on earth did you get past the guards? I'll have to see they're all flogged. Bloody Neptune's Beard." Steel sighed, then raised an arm and snapped his fingers. A pirate lurking in the corner came instantly to his side. "You have a choice, monk. Either cool your heels in the dungeon until I decide what to do with you or return to the docks and take the next ship out of here. I'm half tempted to have you executed as a spy as it is, but since it seems you are merely ignorant I'll give you the option."

Perfect. Just perfect. Of course I would get myself into trouble like this. I'm way too trusting of people in general. I guess it's the whole kind monk attitude in me. Oh well might as well not piss this guy off anymore.

"My deepest apologies, sir. I had no idea my employers and yourself were sworn enemies. I suppose I'll let you arrest me, since I did technically break one of your laws. I really don't know myself how I got past your guards. I did hire a ship to bring me here, one of your pirate ships I believe. But I will turn myself in for arrest. I only pray that you'll spare my life for cooperating."

Ezekiel held out his wrists as the pirate who had appeared from the shadows strapped manacles to them. The pirate grabbed a hold of Ezekiel's collar and waited for orders from his master.

[nameless]

"Steel what can I do?" No response.... "I bet he can't hear me....to much talking." Nanashi got up and went to the bar.

"May i have some milk, bread and cheese please." She asked the bar keep. "Sure little lady." He said with a small smile.

Soon the barkeep came back with her food. "Thanks!" She paid him and went back the her seat.

*munch munch*

"My deepest apologies, sir. I had no idea my employers and yourself were sworn enemies. I suppose I'll let you arrest me, since I did technically break one of your laws. I really don't know myself how I got past your guards. I did hire a ship to bring me here, one of your pirate ships I believe. But I will turn myself in for arrest. I only pray that you'll spare my life for cooperating." The nice monk said as a pirate came over and began to shackle him.

"Whoa wait a minuet, Steel this guy helped Jordan, plus he's a monk, what kind of monk would be a spy?"

[JRPomazon]

"Let them be Nanashi, we're not involved." Jordan responded coldly.

"He broke the law, it's as simple as that. No amount of good deeds could make up for that, at least not here."

Jordan got up from his seat and grabbed his carving knife from his carrying pouch. He make a quick jab with it, as if he were stabbing the air around him. A loud crack was heard and the shackles that held the monk's hands were broken. All that were left were two bangles that were once held together be a chain, which fell right of the monk's wrists.

"However, I enjoy paying back those who helped me. " He said smiling.

He shifted his attention to Steel.

"Whatever he does will be my responsibilty. As of this moment, he is my guest here and I will watch over him for his stay."

Jordan took his seat. Ezekiel, took the next available chair.

"So, what's the important something?" He asked Steel.

[Ezekiel Soulscar]

"He broke the law, it's as simple as that. No amount of good deeds could make up for that, at least not here."

Jordan got up from his seat and grabbed his carving knife from his carrying pouch. He make a quick jab with it, as if he were stabbing the air around him. A loud crack was heard and the shackles that held the monk's hands were broken. All that were left were two bangles that were once held together be a chain, which fell right of the monk's wrists.

"However, I enjoy paying back those who helped me. " He said smiling.

Ezekiel stood amazed at what had just happened. This guy seems to be extremely powerful. Controlling wind is a very interesting ability. I'm glad I helped this man out when I did.

"Thank you very much," Ezekiel said as he sat down in the empty chair at the table. He then glanced at everyone sitting with the man that had just freed him, "Since we haven't been formally introduced, I am Ezekiel Soulscar. And this is Yoru and Hiru," He stated motioning to the twin blades strapped to his back, "And you all are?"

[nameless]

"However, I enjoy paying back those who helped me. " He said smiling.

"Yay! good job Jordan."

Ezekiel said as he sat down. "Since we haven't been formally introduced, I am Ezekiel Soulscar. And this is Yoru and Hiru," He stated motioning to the twin blades strapped to his back, "And you all are?"

"Well Ezekiel Its nice to meet you." Nanashi said with a smile. "I'm Nanashi and this is." She looked down at her katana.
"Ok so It doesn't have a name yet but it will later. Anywho glad you joined our party."

She then turned back to Steel and Jordan to see what they were talking about.

[Nightshade]

Deladra smirked as Jordan broke the shackles off the holy man. Oh! good show! she thought.

"Since we haven't been formally introduced, I am Ezekiel Soulscar. And this is Yoru and Hiru," He stated motioning to the twin blades strapped to his back, "And you all are?"

"My name is Deladra. Deladra Kazini. Pleased to meet you, and this!" She jestured triumphantly at her lute "Is Alaya." She began to strum Alayain an absent minded manner as she returned her attention to Jordan and Steel's conversation.

Edited by Nightshade, 23 October 2008 - 04:51 PM.

[Ezekiel Soulscar]

"Pleased to meet you both," Ezekiel replied glancing at Deladara and Nanashi. "I'm glad to be part of your group. So what are you all up to? If you don't mind my asking," Ezekiel stated now looking towards the three men seated opposite of him at the table.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan sneezed.

"Umm . . . excuse me." He said scratching his noise.

[SL the Pyro]

(I have been waiting for Jordan's and Ezekiel's situations to be resolved, but I've waited long enough; I have to do a time-skip to keep things rolling.)

--------------------

Shadow's feet slowed to a walking pace as he neared the supposed "holding cell" for Princess Hina, the NorthEast tower of the fortress. Rounding a bend, he walked casually towards the main entrance and took notice of the two guards standing there. They were big men, each with a large cutlass strapped to their waist. He suspected that the rampart entrances were guarded equally well, and that there were probably more guards inside. Granted, he wasn't expecting to waltz right in, but wasn't this a little much?

He thought about that for a moment, then shook his head. Of course it wasn't too much; if the less-moral citizens of the pirate stronghold learned of a beautiful woman in their midst... yeah. Shadow imagined that pretty women were somewhat of a rarity around here.

Regardless, this made his job a lot harder. He definately wasn't going to sneak in, especially without knowing what the exact structure of the tower was. He needed to be let in without suspicion... just how was he going to manage that? Approaching the door, the pirate guard sdrew their large cutlasses and formed an "x" with them, blocking his path. "Oi, stop roight thar!" warned the guard on the left side of the entrance.

Shadow stopped. "What's the problem?" he asked, passing himself off as ignorant.

"This tower is off limits." the other guard explained. "Only ones allowed 'r the bus boy and Commander Steel."

Well, there was definately something or someone of great value in there, that was for sure. The other guard seemed to be looking around for something, then said, "Speakin' o' the bus boy, whar the hell is 'e? 'E's really late..."

Shadow's eyebrow raised, a plan beginning to form in his mind. "She gets her food brought up to her?"

"Yeah, she-- W-WHAT!" the guard stammered. His sword was immediately pointed at Shadow's throat. "How did ye know!?"

Shadow shook his head and replied, "There've been rumors all over the fortress, nothing 'round here keeps quiet fer long. I just wanted ta see fer meself."

The guard groaned. "Great, who let 'er slip this time?" he said.

Shadow put his hand to his chin, thinking. "Tell ye what." he began. "I'll keep this to meself if ye let me see her. I'll even get her food."

"Then go 'n get it." the other guard said. "She eats from the Crab's Leg."

Shadow nodded and turned around to walk off, grinning when they couldn't see. Not only was he able to get into the tower, but even meet the princess. He knew it wouldn't be wise to try and free her right now though, so soon after the attack... but perhaps he could give her a message.

--------------------

Before retracing his steps to the Crab's Leg, Shadow needed to find something to write on... and write with, come to think of it. Even if it was a pirate stronghold, they had to have a library of some sort. Which, after checking his map, he discovered to be in the same high-end district that the Crab's Leg was. Dashing there, he quickly took the nearest stationery and ink-dipped feather and started writing.

Hello, Princess Hina. I send this message as an update on current affairs, and to restore your hope of returning home should it be lost. I come from the Alliance, and regretably, things are not doing well. Recently, high-ranking Alliance officials have been murdered by an unindentified assailant, throwing it into greater turmoil than before. Your homeland remains untouched by this... though I'm sure you understand why. However, I have come to discover that you may be next, though not by the assailant. I have learned that someone in my very company -- Uradiel -- wants you dead. I can only assume that his intentions are to start a civil war. But do not misunderstand me, I do not share his enthusiasm. I have come to the Forsaken Fortress to rescue you from both the pirates and this corruption in the Alliance. I will not be able to get you out of here safely just yet, since the Fortress was just attacked, and as a result security will probably be increased. But know that I am working on a plan. Once you are free and this corruption in the Alliance is uprooted an eliminated, I promise that you will be returned home.

P.S.: I advise you to destroy this message as soon as you are done reading it, using whatever means at your disposal.

He folded up the note and pocketed it, then headed for the Crab's Leg.

--------------------

Shadow was now returning to the NorthEast tower with a full meal from the Crab's Leg; he had found the traditional bus boy -- or rather, bus man -- drunk and barely conscious at that very resturant. "What took ye so long?" one of the guards asked.

"I forgot the way there, I don't go to the Crab's Leg much." Shadow lied. The guard then opened up the foil-wrapping for the meal, checking to make sure there was nothing suspicious about it. "Wow, a competant pirate for once." he thought. Seeing nothing wrong, the guard did the foil back up and opened the wooden door.

"Don't take too long." the guard warned. Shadow nodded and entered the tower.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 01 November 2008 - 03:35 PM.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan stood for a moment, shaking his head as if he were in a daze. It felt like he just froze in place for an entire month.

"Ugh, what the. . . .oh wait, the tower, right."

Without another word, he departed from Steel's company and headed towards his next destination. He leg was giving him no trouble, the pain wasn't too strong. Tower. . . tower . . .

Wait, which tower? Jordan stopped in his tracks, confused as to where he was going. West, west . . . north east? Meh, it was worth a shot. Resuming his trip, he didn't pay attention if anyone had bothered to follow him front the pub, but he was sure someone was there. The tower was in sight, he would be there in a couple of minutes.

Edited by JRPomazon, 04 November 2008 - 08:14 PM.

[Ezekiel Soulscar]

(I've been waiting for responses from Tseb, Steel, and Jordan but I'm just going to go ahead and assume you guys introduced yourself to me as well.)

I wonder where he's headed. Ezekiel thought to himself as he watched Jordan left the pub.

"So are we following Jordan? Or will he be alright on his own?" Ezekiel questioned the rest of his party, "He did seem a bit disoriented."

[JRPomazon]

Jordan turned around. He looked to his left, then his right. Crap, he forgot the monk.

He walked back to the Crab's leg and found his guest where he left him.

"Ezekiel, right? C'mon, let's get going." he said as he went back on his way.

[Ezekiel Soulscar]

"Ezekiel, right? C'mon, let's get going." he said as he went back on his way.

Ezekiel rose from his seat at the table and followed Jordan out of the pub. As they walked down the streets towards the Northwest tower Ezekiel began to ponder his situation. This is an odd predicament I've gotten myself into. I was hired by the Lost Woods to find Shadow and keep an eye on him. But I am a hired man and technically I have no loyalty to any faction as of now. I pretty much was only following orders from the highest bidder before. Perhaps by joining with this group I may find a cause I can be loyal to.

"So you're second in command of this fortress am I right?" Ezekiel asked looking at Jordan. "Thanks again for freeing me from those manacles. I owe you my life. Whatever you need me to do just let me know. I'm more than just a fragile healer by the way. I'm quite skilled with the blade as well," He said motioning to the blades strapped to his back.

[SL the Pyro]

(I'm not sure of Princess Hina is an NPC or Steel's second character, so I won't take control of her. Someone please tell me which she is.)

-------------------

As Shadow ascended the spiraling steps of the NorthEast tower, he inspected his surroundings. It was more than a simple pathway up to the high ramparts of the Fortress or the keep at the top; there were several doorways he noticed, some of them open. Most of the rooms seemed to be for storage of outdated things, such as weapons or the more worthless varieties of treasure, though some rooms contained cannon emplacements designed to fend off enemies from the NorthEast. The pirate fortress really was armed to its figurative teeth.

He started to see the ceiling of the tower's stairwell, which meant he was nearing the princess' holding place. Making sure no one could see, he slipped the note he'd written into her meal where it wouldn't get spoiled, but would easily be found by her. When he reached the top-most door, he noticed two guards standing guard at it. They were as big and bulky as the ones at the tower's entrance, but not as talkative. They saw the food in Shadow's hands, and simply nodded and motioned for him to enter. He nodded back and opened the door.

The room was filled with all the comforts of home, from a decent-sized bed to a small barrel that served as a makeshift bath. There were elegant drapes hung up on the window... well, at least the pirates had tried to be accomodating, but other than for these features the room seemed rather dank and depressing. The other presence in the room was proof of that. Princess Hina herself was sitting on the bed, her eyes closed as if she were comtemplating something, or patiently waiting. She slowly looked up, opening her eyes lazily... they were filled with some kind of restrained hatred. It was no secret she didn't like being here. Other than that, he had to admit she was beautiful... Shadow understood why she was kept away from the local populace as much as possible.

"Your food, Princess." Shadow said in his disguised voice, handing her the foil-wrapped meal. She took it from his hands slowly, after which he slightly bowed to her. Seeing her face again, her expression had changed from tense and aggravated to confused and aggravated. It took Shadow a moment to realize that the other pirates who appeared before her probably didn't have the decency to bow.

Not wanting the people outside to get too suspicious at why this was taking longer than it should, Shadow decided to take his leave. He exited the room slowly, looking back at the damsel in distress one last time before closing the door behind him.

--------------------

Well, that was that; Princess Hina was brought up to speed on things. Shadow now stood outside of the NorthEast tower, wondering what his next move should be. He had a basic layout of the Fortress that was to good detail, and now he knew the specs for where the princess was being held. All that was left to do now was think of a way for both of them to escape... that was going to be tough, and even tougher now because of the recent attack. Perhaps it would be wise to go into hiding for now and wait until tomorrow morning; hopefully things will have settled down by then...

Disaster. Shortly after exiting the tower, he came face to face with Jordan of the Whirlwind Spear and that monk, who were casually approaching. Not good, really not good. Now that Jordan had seen him, trying to run would be fruitless. Acting casual, he started to walk towards them with the intention of moving past them. All he could hope for was that he wouldn't recognize him and cause trouble.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 04 November 2008 - 08:06 PM.

[JRPomazon]

OoC: SL, Princess Hina is a normal NPC, I think it's ok to control her.

Ezekiel and Jordan arrived at the tower, although it was uncertain whether or not Jordan was at the correct tower at all. Oh well, might as well check it out. Worst possible scenario was that he had to check two towers instead of one. Someone appeared to be leaving, another pirate. He passed the pirate, not really paying much mind to him at all. Two large men guarded the entrance to the tower, both of them unconsciously moving their hands towards their weapons. Jordan raised his hand, telling them to stop.

"Commander Steel sent me to check on something. Let me through."

"And why should I? Tell you what, why don't you just go fly over to some roof somewhere Green and-"

Jordan quickly took out his glaive and directed it towards the pirate guard, who was caught off guard by how fast Jordan was able to take his weapon out and direct it at him.

"Why don't you shut up you god forsaken piece of filth? It's annoying enough to be even remotely affiliated with you, but if you insult me I'll make you suffer."

The other guard opened the door while the other was pinned. Jordan grunted as he took his weapon and placed it back in it's sling.

"Is there anything I should no about? Any other guards or anything?" He asked the other guard.

"No, it's just us. What you are looking for is on the 5th floor." The pirate replied.

The two of them made their way into the tower and ascended several flights of stairs. He wasn't enjoying the fact that lower level grunts on top of their commander were chewing Jordan out just because they felt superior. It was that kind of attitude that made Jordan the most agitated. The trip inside was quiet, not very much talking going on. However, Jordan had his eye on Ezekiel, making sure that his guest of honor wasn't going anything suspicious.

Jordan continued the room he was just leaving. He opened the door to find Princess Hina. He hadn't seen her in a good while.

"Oh, it's you again." Jordan said awkwardly as the princess gave him a dirty look.

"And what do you want?" She asked in cold way.

"I was sent here by Steel to check on you." He responded.

"Funny, it seems I'm getting all of the attention today." She said.

"What? What do you mean?" Jordan asked as he noticed a piece of parchment under her hand.

"There was someone who just checked in on me. I may be a princess, but I don't need all this publicity." She stated as she began to slide the parchment under a pillow.

Jordan walked over briskly and grabbed the princess' wrist.

"Let-Let me go!" she shouted as Jordan grabbed the parchment.

"A love letter?" He asked sarcastically as he began to read the message.

"Hello, Princess Hina. I send this message as an update on . . ."

Jordan read on and eventually go to finish the note. His face became solemn.

"Did you get this recently?" He asked the princess, who remained silent.

"Damn it all." he thought.

Jordan took the message for himself, placing it in his storage pouch. He motioned to Ezekiel, telling him to get moving. This letter was undeniable proof that Shadow was in the Fortress. Damn it, now there was going to be more trouble.

[Steel Samurai]

Steel stepped out of the shadows beside the bed and yawned.

"Bloody hell Jordan. I said the South West Tower. Listen better next time. Both of you. Princess Hina wanted to eat at the Crab's Leg tonight. Let me see the note please." He took it and scanned it, then started laughing. Several hours later, he regained his composure.
"Right." He turned to the girl on the bed. He wasn't entirely sure why he had been getting a "beautiful" vibe from Shadow Link when he was in the tower, as she was rather fat, and had a face like a pig's. Maybe that's what the boy was into.

"Jordan, please go check on the real princess in the Southwest tower for me, and either get Ken to take her to eat at the Crab's leg or take her yourself. However, you may find yourself with a duel on your hands, if Ken finds out about it. Or you can come with me. Either way."

Steel turned and leapt out of the window, somersaulting in midair and landing precisely between the two guards at the bottom of the tower. He turned and waited until Shadow Link emerged from the tower.

"Took your time."

[SL the Pyro]

(How did I know Steel was going to randomly jump in and do something like that... alright, that tears it. Steel Samurai, check your PM box please. I'd rather speak to you privately than turn a RP thread into a flame war.)

Shadow had almost disappeared into the alleyways when he was cut off by the pirate commander blocking his path.

"Took your time." Steel said in a bored tone.

Shadow cursed inwardly and raised his eyebrow; what was that supposed to mean? "I beg your pardon?" he replied.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 05 November 2008 - 11:58 AM.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan took another look at the princess. He stared at the person for a moment. Well damn, the lighting was so bad he mistook the double as the real Princess.

"I'll be damned." He said to himself.

"Alright, sorry about the mistake." He said humbly.

"I might as well greet Shadow with you, let's go."

Jordan and Ezekiel joined Steel as they headed outside and eventually ran into the person Jordan passed by earlier.

"Took your time." Steel commented.

"I beg your pardon?" The strange pirate asked.

Jordan scratched his head.

"C'mon Shadow, Steel has you nailed here. You might as well give up the ghost before he goes off quoting more monty python." Jordan commented.

[SL the Pyro]

Oh great, now Jordan and the monk had descended from the tower and joined Steel. He was confident he could fight off one of them, maybe two if he were lucky, but not all three. He needed to think of a way out of this sticky mess, and quickly.

"C'mon Shadow, Steel has you nailed here. You might as well give up the ghost before he goes off quoting more monty python."

Now Shadow raised his eyebrow to Jordan. He needed to come up with something, so he might as well satisfy his curiousity with some idle chit-chat while he was at it. "Monty Python? And who is that, exactly?"

[Steel Samurai]

Steel snorted.

"Come come now. Did you honestly think you would just be able to slip into one of the most heavily guarded Fortress in the known world, rescue the princess, and get out? Even if it were a normal fortress, that was naive. But no, you went for the Fortress ruled by the most cunning, savage, and treacherous man in the dorms or alliance, whose second in command is an assassin that can sense the aura of anyone within a mile. Did you honestly think that that disguise would fool me? Your accent's not bad, and the costume is a vast improvement, but really. Even if it had been enough, I've had agents watching your movements ever since we parted ways in Almirante. You should've realized that you've been far too close to Fortress affairs for me to not do so. I knew the moment you set foot on the island. Besides that, the princess, while she doesn't enjoy being here, has resigned herself to the necessity of such. Come come boy, it's time to make up your mind as to where you stand. Will you be the Alliance's lackey forever? Can you not see the corruption and hypocrisy inherent in their spreading "unity" by the sword?"

Steel sighed. "Whatever. Shadow Link, by the laws of the Fortress you are a spy. And the penalty for spying is death. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you executed right here."

[SL the Pyro]

Why shouldn't Steel have him executed... that was a tough question to answer, indeed. He'd caused Steel and the Forsaken Fortress quite a bit of trouble in the past; a lot of pirates would want to see his end.

His identity no longer a secret, Shadow adopted his normal voice. "It's true, for most people, trying to infiltrate this place would be a suicide mission. But in case you haven't noticed, I'm desperate. Things are bad in the Alliance in case you haven't noticed, and the disappearance of Princess Hina wasn't helping matters. I hate the Alliance just as much as you do, and even I'd like to see them fall... but not yet. I still need the Alliance, for now at least. I've learned that the Dreadlord is amassing an army of his own, a powerful one, and I will need another army to fight against his."

Shadow paused; that wasn't going to convince Steel not to kill him.

"But... I guess that doesn't give you a reason to let me live... and considering that the Alliance is effectively trying to destroy itself anyway, it's starting to be more of a pain than a help. So how about this." he continued. "Remember the position of Uradiel that I'm in. Aside from their latest fiasco, I know a lot of their key operations and outposts, along with their layouts. Perhaps with my help, you could take out another piece of the Alliance without much fuss."

[JRPomazon]

Jordan listened on with Steel.

"Figures your motives are connected to the Dreadlord." He commented, crossing his arms.

The mentioning of that name reminded Jordan of a conversation with Weizel Grande, an official in the Alliance, before he left for the Sultan mission.

. . . .

The white, nicely furnished room was brightly illuminated by the morning light shining from the tall windows. Weizel Grande, a bespeckled man wearing a fine clothing sat at his desk while a beaten and bruised Jordan was sitting in a stool while being held by two alliance soldiers. Grande ordered the two guards to leave the room, motioning to them with a flamboyant hand signal of sorts.

"I heard you were involved in a trip to Sornaiid before the war broke out." Grande asked.

"What's it to you?" Jordan replied.

"The Uradiel agent Shadow Link was among your party, correct?"

"Uradiel agent?" Jordan asked?

Grande chuckled to himself, pushing his glasses back closer to his face.

"Oblivious, aren't we?" He asked.

"Bite me." Jordan said.

"Shadow Link has connections to the active terrorist the Dreadlord Z. Since you traveled with him, I thought you might know something about this."

"Z is a child who wants to kill Shadow and anyone considered Shadow's allies."

"You included?" Grande asked.

There was a short pause.

"Yeah." Jordan replied, looking off to the side.

"I see. Nothing very useful. Z has been forming an army, the alliance intelligence network has been recording his actions for months now. His numbers are large, but still manageable for us to handle. He is most likely waiting for some moment of chaos to use to enter the center stage."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jordan asked.

"Because you should know that your friend Shadow is considered an expendable resource by his superiors because of his connection to Z. He is a liability, so they will most likely use him one last time then get rid of him."

"How does this serve you and your needs?" Jordan asked.

"Prevent his mission from coming to completion. Doing so will give us a chance to draw Z's army right where we want it."

. . . . .

Shadow's mission: rescue the princess Hina and prevent a civil war. In order for Grande's plans to come to fruition, the princess would be sacrificed in order to start a civil war. This conflict would draw Z and his army into the conflict prematurely, leading to the end of the Dreadlord's threat to the Alliance. The alliance would then quell the civil war and expand it's influence. Justice for all.

Since Jordan knew what Grande wanted and what might happen if Jordan refused, there wasn't much he could do. Shadow was probably oblivious to what his superiors had in mind for him, yet he still thinks he can come out on top and use them for his own means. Maybe he could.

"Shadow, if you're worried about Z, then forget about what happens to the princess. She isn't worth worrying about, probably just Steel's evening company." He said.

"You should stop worrying about Uradiel too, they'll butter you up with ideas of loyality and maybe even the idea yo can use them for your own means. In the end though, you'll just end up being used and discarded."

"Used and discarded . . . Just like me." He thought to himself.