72 replies to this topic

[Rhiannon]

Rhia was beginning to get angry at all the fussing over her. It hurt, yes, but she didn't need an army of guards looking after her.


"Khallos, command the left flank! No mercy to the enemy! Keep an eye on Rhia and the wounded!"

"No!" Rhia shouted. "Noone will take of me because I do not need it. Now, someone come help me and tie this fabric around my neck to hold my arm up” she demanded. “Most of this blood is from that Koridian anyway.”

She saw the skeptic looks which only fueled her fire. “You don’t believe me? I’ll show you.” With that said she turned around and smiled to herself, the knife from her holder raised up and flew right between the eyes of the Koridian about to attack Khallos. She knew he didn’t need the help, but she had to prove a point. As the man fell with a thud, Rhiannon walked towards the wounded ready to aid the mysterious man in anyway she could.

[Sir Turtlelot]

X heard a woman giving orders to the soldiers.

Appears as though one of their leaders came in with the reinforcements.

X tried not to get too distracted by the speech, since he was still working with the injured soldiers.

As X was finishing up with one of his patients, he heard someone walk up behind him. He turned around to see the girl from before, covered with blood. X thought she needed immediate help, but quickly realized that if she had walked over here by herself, then she couldn't of been in critical condition.

"Looks like you had one hell of a fight." X said as he handed her a damp rag. "Here, clean yourself up a bit."

Looking at her arm in a sling, X said to her "Let me know if you need anything for that arm."

[Crimson Lego]

“Huh,” replied Leo, trying to process all of the information Selena had just fed him. He had known from the start that Chikara was the ex-leader of the Labyrinth of Doom and had been forced out of Selena during the Battle of Van’Duras; his source was an ex-Loddie officer that he met on one of his recon missions. Pretty big family feud in that dorm. Oddly enough, the dwarf had never known that the Guild were once Chikara’s allies. All Leo knew about the organization was that the mercenaries were once a military force commanded by the former king of Muldinach, exterminated by Khuffie when he took power, and were thought responsible for kidnapping a few Alliance officials long ago. This still sounds rather ridiculous, thought the dwarf, weighing the possibilities of Chikara working with this organization and this not just being a coincidence. Then again, something odd caused the Second Dorm War to start; it was definitely not any of the dorms. Why not the Guild? They have nothing to lose politically or economically. For now, he would put aside thoughts of the past and present and concentrate on the upcoming battle. We’ll deal with the cheap bastards after. The information about Steel, the former pirate lord, and the new General Magnus was also helpful; it could help in the upcoming war if he ever ran into troops under their command or the lords themselves.

Shifting his weapon so that he could aim better, Leo glanced at the men nearby him, most of whom were holding crossbows and other types of projectiles. “Do exactly what Selena said, but don’t put yourselves in mortal danger,” he whispered. “Don’t create a perimeter around the force; just push on through until they’re done for.”

Several ‘Yes sirs’ followed this, giving the dwarf the confidence he was hoping for. This better work, he grimaced, adjusting and gazing through his scope. Behind him, 2 other Snakeheads were creating handmade explosives by filling up bottles with rum, soaking a small piece of cloth in the liquid, attaching it to the top of the container, then preparing to light it with a match. Those will come in handy. Returning his attention to the front, Leo saw it: movement in the forests. Here they come.

The first line of Koridaians mainly consisted of foot soldiers, many of them shocked at the sight of dozens of other imperials’ bodies on the ground. A sergeant quickly yelled orders to check for survivors, while he went back to give the other men behind in the trees information about the area.

Moving his weapon slightly around to look for potential targets, Leo noticed that the clothing that the border patrol wore was different from the group they had just defeated; less thick armour and a little more chainmail and hauberks. Interesting; perhaps they don’t expect too much trouble down in this region, pondered the dwarf. Nevertheless, he felt confident about winning this battle; the elite Huscarls could probably take the Koridaian patrol down in a frontal attack, while the Snakeheads provided cover fire. Good plan; shouldn’t be too complicated.

As the Koridaian group came closer and closer towards the hiding spots of the Calatians, the sergeant pointed to the Viking longboat and sent 3 of his men to check it out. Focusing on the officer, Leo saw a colonel appear out of the trees, directing the men to various positions to move the corpses back to the heart of the Empire. Shit. He’s out of range.

As the trio of Koridaians moved towards the longboat and closer to the Vikings, Leo made his decision.

He fired.

As the gunshot echoed through the region, the dwarf tossed his rifle aside, grabbed his axe, and hurled himself towards the remaining 2 imperials. The red blades of the battleaxe seemed to glow with an eagerness to taste blood, the blood of the Koridaians. Easily killing them with 2 swift strokes, Leo roared a battle cry and charged towards the rest of the Koridaian border patrol soldiers. Huscarls and Snakeheads followed suit, firing arrows and swinging swords directly into any Koridaian in their path; the 2 homemade fiery explosives were thrown into the heart of the group, setting several of the men on fire.

As he fought, Leo kept the image of the burning Lost Woods in his mind, reminding himself of the original reason he had joined the Kingdom. For Verden.

Edited by Leo Crimson, 07 March 2010 - 01:17 PM.

[Khallos]

Khallos leaped to his feet and legged forward gladdened at the opportunity to fight in skirmish order. The Huscarls with him quickly driving back the Koridaians as he ran up and down behind his men and lunging forward on occasion with his spear to bring a Koridaian to the floor.

As one of the brighter enemies managed to trap his spear in the ground Khallos saw explosions being let off by the Snakeheads to the right. Keeping an eye on the end of his formation Khallos grinned, they had taken the Koridaians completely by surprise. Ripping up with the spear into the man's groin he retracted it rapidly as a Huscarl nearby planted an axe in his face. The Calatian advance pressed on.

[Selena]

Lena reacted to Leo's rifle shot like the starting gun at a race. She vaulted over her cover and rushed forward across the battlefield, taking care not to trip over any of the bodies already littering the area. It was good timing. Koridian archers, if there were any, hadn't emerged from the trees. They wouldn't be able to use their ranged weapons effectively with trunks and branches in the way. Any mounted scouts would only be effective if on flat terrain. In the woods, their long limbed steeds would be too awkward to properly maneuver. The infantry were the first to emerge from the woods, exposed and vulnerable, and Khallos pounced on them like a hungry mountain lion. Their screams would send the rest of the Koridians into a panic, or, at the very least, rattle their nerves a bit.

On the right side of the battlefield, Selena saw a mounted soldier ride into battle. She charged at him without hesitation, slamming the tip of her spear into his chest, knocking him from the beast with an agonized scream. Two more approached on horseback, trying to get on either side of her. One attempted to strike her with his lance, but Selena ducked under the weapon and shot a wave of dark energy at his face. His horse bucked, terrified, and he landed with a sickening snap of his legbone. Selena then rotated her spear until the blade was pointed behind her, and she slammed it back into the other rider. Brilliant. Three horses for Calatia's southern outposts, if anyone could catch them later. Chikara could probably poof money or mounts into existence. Selena either had to buy them or steal them. She preferred the latter. The price was more reasonable.

That was when a swarm of infantrymen came at her from the woods. For as much as she now hated Lazu, her many years of living in the Labyrinth had given her at least a smidgen of chaotic power. Nowhere near Chikara's levels, but enough to deal out dark magic and bless her with enhanced physicality. Tensing the muscles of her left arm, she snapped it out and backhanded a Koridian in the face with her metal gauntlet. His helmet prevented him from getting knocked out, but it stunned him. Good enough for now. She slammed her spear into one of his companions, then ducked under a sword swing from a third man. She sent him on a painful flight with another burst of Lazu's energy. She smiled at the irony.

Another quartet of soldiers lined up at the edge of the forest and locked shields, attempting to halt her advance. An arrow sailed toward her from further back. A quick jump to the side spared her face from any attractive scars or impalements. She returned her focus to the Koridian infantrymen and their line. Reminded her of a Calatian game designed to toughen up the younglings.

Red Rova,
Red Rova,
Send Lena right ova'!

She kept her center of gravity low and sprinted straight at the line - something they didn't expect. Turning her spear to the horizontal, she lurched forward and then lifted up both swords of the two soldiers on the right hand side of the formation, keeping her safe. She crashed through, breaking the line and ending up facing their vulnerable backsides. They began to pivot in order to regain safety, but it was too late for one of them. Selena stabbed him right in the spinal column, and he fell to the ground as his nerves ceased to function. A pair of Huscarls moving up from the field engaged the rest in combat, taking advantage of their panicked state. Selena feigned an attack on one to give her ally a chance to strike. It worked.

She turned her attention to the Koridian troops deeper in the woods. There were plenty, yes, but... something seemed odd.

The armor was different on some of the soldiers. Still light, but with improper markings and colorings. Gray and blue. Alliance colors. It was easier for her to see in darkness than in the light, so she entered the woods to get out of the sun. Guild troops. No? Not Guild troops. Alliance troops! She looked down at the body of her recently slain enemy. She knocked his helmet off with the tip of her spear. Not tan. Koridians lived in the desert. They were all tan, even the ones that remained on the border for some time. They always went home after a few months to tan themselves back up (and see their families, but that was less important than being bronze and sexy).

Selena examined the other warriors fighting. Most were wearing Alliance armor. It was only the vanguard troops that had on Koridian colors. Stolen? The gears in her head began to turn concerning the implications, but she remembered that she had to keep moving. Stationary warriors were easy targets.

She led the Huscarls of the right flank forward in a rapid advancement. A mounted Koridian attempted to charge, but the horse was unable to come to speed due to the many roots of the surrounding trees. Selena knocked him off with her weapon, and if that strike hadn't been enough to kill him, the frenzied assault of the Huscarls certainly was. Yes, there enemy was definitely Alliance. They weren't good enough to be from Koridai. Chikara was a fool, but even she wouldn't let her troops be this ill trained.

There was an officer much further back in the woods. There. That would do. She could get answers from him. If he really was Alliance, then he'd be far more likely to squeal than any of Chikara's henchmen.

Selena pointed her spear at his face.

"Bring me that man!"

[Crimson Lego]

A few minutes had passed, and Leo was still cutting through the line of Koridaian troops, with the Snakeheads covering him from the rocky hills. Wielding his light weighted but deadly battleaxe with ease, the general was finding it much easier than usual to fight the imperials in his way. Man after man fell, and he was beginning to notice that their fighting style was not at all like what most Koridai soldiers would do. Their slashes and stabs were much less aggressive than the group they had just encountered, making Leo think something was up. Many of the troops were also wearing gray and blue armour, with only a few donning the red of the Empire. Could these be Guild soldiers?, he pondered. Ducking beneath another sword and striking its wielder in the chest with his axe, the dwarf decided to think later and fight now.

The rest of the Calatians seemed to be holding up well against the enemy, though they were slightly outnumbered. Most of them had reacted pretty well on the gunshot, taking the advantage given to them by the quick attack. As planned, the Huscarls had led the straight charge through the imperials, shattering their initial attack and pushing deeper towards the woods. From there, Leo could see Selena breaking through the line of a group of infantrymen, while the Baker Team held off others in a fistfight. Chuckling at the sight, the dwarf’s smile disappeared as he saw archers moving up towards the vikings. Charging forward, he hurled a throwing knife into the midst of the group, then finished 2 of the archers off with a powerful stroke. Hefting his axe, Leo repeated the action, taking a few more minutes to finish off a swordsman nearby as well. Interesting. He was now truly wondering whether these were actually Guild soldiers hired by Chikara to attack the expedition and rip them off of their money. That’s pretty crazy…but likely as well.

Turning his attention to the rest of the approaching archers, Leo heard Selena shout, "Bring me that man!" and pointing to an officer only a mere 15 yards away. Seeing the man freeze in terror, the dwarf decided to move quickly before he ran for it. Sprinting forward, he pulled out his combat knife and sliced at any soldier in his way. Tripping and grumbling about the amount of forestry in this region, Leo clambered to his feet and came face to face with 3 imperials, swords at the ready. Oddly enough, these men were actually dressed like the Koridaians, unlike the majority of the group.

Moving back, Leo was about to pull a defensive stance against his foes when several arrows shot past him and entered the trio. Nodding a quick thanks to 3 of his personal company, the dwarf placed his axe away and turned to the remaining Koridaian soldiers. Unlike the rest of the patrol, these men looked grimmer and much more stronger and elite than the ordinary crusader. Definitely tougher to fight, thought Leo, watching as they immediately charged forward, weapons raised. Swinging his own axe, the dwarf leaped into action.

Ducking beneath the first swipe of the Koridaian, Leo immediately retaliated with a thrust to the man's chest with his knife. A moment later, the man's shield swung down and sent the much smaller dwarf flying backwards. Grunting as his chainmail took most of the brunt, Leo was startled to see the man bearing down upon; he instinctively swung out his knife, cutting the man's face open. At the same time, he felt a shot of pain in his chest. The Koridaian fell to the ground, bleeding immensely from his face. Climbing to his feet, Leo realized that the man's sword had cut through his hauberk and the chainmail, and had created a gash in his chest. I'll deal with it later. The Snakeheads was still dealing with the rest of the vanguard, but gave Leo the time he needed to take down the man Selena clearly indicated. Quickly, the dwarf chased after the officer, who was fleeing when he saw most of his bodyguards.

Running after the man, Leo dove for his legs and got lucky as he brought the man down with a move worthy of an assassin. “Where do you think you’re going?” he grunted. “You’ve got an appointment with Lady Selena today, pal. Lucky day.”

The man, whom was a lieutenant, looked terrified as Leo bound his hands together with handcuffs and dragged him to his feet. “Don’t hurt me, please! I’m only doing this because of-“

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it for your appeal,” snarled the dwarf as he sprinted with the man towards where Selena was. Arrows and knives flew in his direction, but many of the ‘imperials’ did not aim too confidently for fear of hitting their own CO. That’s why you take hostages.

Approaching the leader, Leo shoved the man forward. “Here he is, ma’am. Let me know if you need anything else.” With that, the general retrieved his axe and headed off to continue the battle alongside his fellow comrades. The enemy was still exiting out of the forest, and Leo had no intention of letting them get any farther into Calatia.

Edited by Leo Crimson, 10 March 2010 - 07:36 PM.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

The wolf had begun to wander the continent. When he did not follow its whimsy, he followed the path of others, making sure to stay out of sight.

Now however, in wandering, he had come upon a great battle. And some of those involved... That dwarf, he remembered following that dwarf before. Then there were these people in the grey and blue armor that were within the woods. The wolf had hidden himself within the brush nearby watching them closely. That armor... Another memory emerged from the wolf's memory. The colors of that armor... they were of an enemy.

As an enemy soldier passed by the brush, a sword struck out, piercing the soldier through the back. The rest of the wolf soon emerged, snarling and striking, attacking more of the soldiers in grey and blue. The wolf, perhaps unknowingly, had begun to pick his allegience.

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 14 March 2010 - 07:38 PM.

[Sir Deimos]

Synile had sobered up a bit in the hours after the events at the Mead Hall, and had recalled Selena going to the front lines of a battle with some sort of supply convoy. Synile cared little for the details. Fully expecting Khallos and Selena to be back at the hall by now, Synile decided to go investigate, and hopefully get his nodachi dirty. Now he stands on the blood stained field where the battle had started, the cloak of his hood disguising his facial expression. Well, surely they must be dead at this point.

"Nonsense. I'm sure it's just a larger group than expected. Battles never stay still."

Hmpf. Whatever. Synile bends down and examines the blood stains on the ground. He can feel the nodachi on his back pulsing with excitement. Synile caresses the hilt of the cursed blade in a mixture of shared anticipation, and an attempt to calm the sword. The ground was littered with a healthy mix of Koridian and Calatian no names. Synile grins. I don't see their corpses. There must still be some bodies to open around here somewhere. Suddenly his senses are flooded by the sound of a gunshot coming from the forest in the distance. Hahahah perfect.

Synile rushes to the perimeter of the forest, and casually peaks inside. Whatever was happening before, now the sounds of fighting envelope the forests' interior. In the distance he could see what looked like a well coordinated Calatian attack. The soldiers that were breaking formation readily were wearing some grey and blue uniform Synile didn't bother to attempt to identify. Synile kept careful watch and wandered stealthily into the forest. Rather quickly, Synile noticed a group of 3 Snakeheads being overwhelmed by a group of 7 guys in grey. One of the Snakehead's parried an incoming attack. Before the Calatian could deliver the fatal riposte, Synile's nodachi pierced both the men near through the heart.

The enemy troops, now alerted to Synile's presence, turn to face their new adversary. Not bothering to remove his nodachi from the two men he had impaled, he swings hard, and cuts his way free. The nodachi easily wretches itself free from the two torsos that had imprisoned it. The collateral damage of his swing had cost an enemy his life, and yet another grey clad warrior his left arm. The two remaining Snakeheads run to either side of Synile, in an attempt to save their lives. 5 to 3 make better odds than 3 to 8, and never mind that one of their own were accidentally impaled by the man. Filthy leeches.

"They're called allies."

They're called obnoxious. The 5 enemy soldiers all coordinate an attack, and leap at the 3 Calatians. The Snakeheads each parry the attacks, and wound their targets. Synile makes use of the size of his blade, and blocks the 3 enemy swords that attempted to bury themselves in his flesh. Synile, with his left hand, frees the katana resting on his hip and disembowels the enemy solider on his left. The remaining 2 withdraw to a defensive stance. Synile shoots them a devious smile and throws himself at the 2 men. They scream in terror and throw down their weapons in a last ditch attempt to flee. Synile makes good use of the length of his nodachi and slashes at the cowards' feet. One man loses his legs just below the knees, while the other soldier manages just to have severed Achilles tendons. The 2 remaining Snakeheads, having managed to kill their targets, catch up to Synile, and put the screaming men out of their misery.

"Thank Loki you managed to come around and find us when you did!"

"We'd have been cold dead if you hadn't come along."

Synile coldly regards the two men. "That would be a shame, wouldn't it." Synile brings his swords downward, then slashes at the men, making an X, opening each man from hip to opposite shoulder. Their organs spill out as their flesh is parted as wheat to a scythe. "Ah. The thrill of the slaughter." Synile removes his hood and smiles. Synile re-sheathes both blades, and bends down to examine the corpses nearest his feet. The Snakeheads. The 'allies'.

"You killed them... They didn't deserve that..."

They were weak.

"Bring me that man!" Selena's voice seems to resound through the forest, echoing in Synile's ears. He dips his finger in the blood of one of the slaughtered Snakeheads, and traces a tribal design upon his face. Thus far he had managed to avoid the center of the slaughter, but now it was time to make an appearance. Synile began to cackle audibly to himself, as he slowly begins the walk towards the source of Lena's shout.

Edited by Synile, 13 March 2010 - 06:17 PM.

[Selena]

It didn't take long for Leo to drop off Selena's present. The Alliance officer was dropped at her feet, and Selena stepped on his neck with her boot to keep him in place. She positioned her spear's blade a few inches away from his right eye. He looked up at her in fear as the battle continued to rage around them, the Calatian warriors rapidly moving forward into the woods. She studied his face. No, she did not know him. If he was Alliance, then he couldn't have been too high up on the chain of command prior to the Fall of Olimandias. Certainly wasn't the Guild. He looked too posh for the Guild. The Guild was full of veteran warriors - people you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley. This man was too shaky; too fearful. A pampered patrician, no doubt, that had found his way into a position of leadership.

Selena smiled.

"You weren't expecting to see me, I suppose," she said. "My people were here to meet the Guild, but it looks like we've stumbled upon an Alliance troop. There doesn't look to be one member of the Guild here, otherwise at least one of my men would have gotten a decent fight. The remnants of the Alliance have rallied together, haven't they?"

His eyes widened. "We're here by the order of the Godde--"

Selena applied pressure with her boot, and he gagged. "Don't try to bullshit me. If any of Chikara's soldiers fought like this, she'd find a way to kill herself out of embarrassment. The Magnus would never have let these warriors leave Koridai in their present state. You're a ragtag group of survivors from the old lands, trying to restore your nation. How many are there? I'm asking it only once. Failure to answer will result in me stabbing out one of your eyes."

"Thousands!"

"Full army?"

"Full enough to trample both Calatia and Koridai before either abomination grows to maturity."

"Not with the way you fight," Selena said.

A mutual threat to Calatia and Koridai. That was an interesting twist. With the mood Chikara had been in upon her arrival in Snowpeak, they could have formed a temporary union to deal with the mutual threat and keep the real war from brewing. Too late now. Chikara was likely off massing her armies and trying on her battle gear. Now it was just a matter of how to use the third party. It wouldn't be difficult to defeat anything related to the Alliance. Perhaps she could drive them to the east and distract the Goddess. They'd just be target practice, but it would buy Selena time to fortify her lands. Did Koridai know yet?

Selena whacked the officer in the side of the head with the flat edge of her spear blade, just for kicks. "Have you attacked Koridai?"

"Soon!"

"What about the soldiers my men fought earlier?"

"Koridians that came across the border a few days ago. We were monitoring them, but didn't want to interfere. The more Calatians they killed, the better things would be for us."

"And the arrangement with the 'Guild?'"

"That was us," he said. "To get you here. I'm so sorry, but--"

"And the gold you showed my people when making the deal? How much do you have?"

"Some, from Olimandias. Not a lot."

"Supplies?"

"Back at our camp! Take what you want, and we'll retreat!"

"We'll take what we want because your soldiers will be dead or dismembered." Selena waved to a pair of Huscarls, and they promptly came to her side. "I want you to bind this man and take him back to the longship. Guard him. We'll extract all the information we can out of him when we return home. And we'll be using all sorts of creative methods to do that, won't we?"

The officer looked as if he were about to wet himself, but he mercifully held back the yellow tide. The Huscarls tied his hand and then lifted him straight off the ground, carrying him back towards Rhiannon and the longship. Selena frowned as she watched them go. Rhiannon. Either the Koridians or the Alliance soldiers might have been trying to assassinate her before the war escalated. She was a well known strategist, most famous for her success in the Second Dorm War and her victorious duel against the paladin known as Anthony. Anyone could have wanted her gone. It was dangerous for her to go into battle, but she did need the practice after years of tense peace. Many of the old veterans had gotten out of practice.

And speaking of a deteriorating old veteran...

Selena turned her head and saw Synile standing there, blood splattered over his clothing. Hmm. So he decided to come down from the mountain after all. He'd always been a little... off, but lately his had appeared genuinely unstable, even for an ex-Labyrinth warrior. That twitching, wild energy behind his eyes. Hopefully all that blood was of the enemy, but she had her serious doubts. He only cared for the Labyrinth warriors, and even that was questionable. The Calatian ones, with their varied origins, were still foreigners in his mind. She had to keep an eye on him; keep him focused.

"Synile," she said. Selena pointed her spear deeper into the woods. "They're being driven back that way. If we can find their camp, maybe we can score some of the gold they promised. And I'm sure they have some alcohol there, of course. It's like one of the old raids."

[JRPomazon]

OoC: If you want to keep this Calatia only, feel free to just delete this post.

Those who wished for the divine unity of the Goddess, Chikara.

Those who resisted against the goddess to form a nation of their own

Those who wished to recreate the Alliance and denied both the Kingdom and the Empire.

Then there was Jordan, who wanted to nothing to do with either of these idiots.

He had been watching the fight, it looked like it was a hell of a time. He'd seen Koridai's fighting first hand several times before, but he never really took a look at Calatia. That fossil Selena was still alive and well it seemed, what was all this about her being dead? The how and why are all well and good, but it was the end result that took precedence most of time. The princess Rhiannon, she seemed to be doing alright for herself since the last time they met. She did a real number on him during the last big dorm war, those knives of her's almost ripped his lungs to pieces. It took him months to recover and if Jordan recalled correctly, they were rather painful. He wondered how things would end up if the two were to go at it again?

And then there was a familiar face, the dwarf Leo Crimson. Seeing as he had a group of soldiers under his command, he seemed to be doing pretty well for himself. It might have been nice to say hi, but that would probably involve dealing with the likes of that crazy viking who just murdered his own allies. The word Brutal came to mind. And Selena. Probably better not to deal with her right now.

They fought well, they would need to if they intended to fight the likes of Chikara and her Empire. Although this talk of an army big enough to crush both nations was very interesting.

As he traversed the area, he found several dead bodies mauled and drenched in their own blood. It looked like some sort of animal had ripped them to pieced with . . . a large sword? No, it couldn't be him, it must have been some sort of coincidence. But then again, he just saw into a couple old faces.

Was this your work Ken?

Jordan looked at the scene, not sure what to make of it. He left the bodies where they lied, he had no business here. The show was still going on with the Vikings.

[Rhiannon]

Rhiannon helped with the wounded. She cleaned herself off with the rag and muttered a thanks to the still mysterious man.

"So what's your name? Where'd you come from and how did you get here?" She asked him casually so he wouldn't feel the need to put up barriers. She was insanely curious. They were in the middle of nowhere how could he have casually stumbled across this battle?

Rhia was never a true fighter. She could, and very well for that matter, but her heart was never in it for the kill. She tried to keep a brave face on as she helped her people. The Koridians had certainly done a number on them. Since she couldn't use both arms she stuck to cleaning wounds and disinfecting.

After a brief period of silence she looked up at the man, "Well?"

[Sir Turtlelot]

"So what's your name? Where'd you come from and how did you get here?" the girl asked X.

X looked over at the girl and stared for a moment. She seems trustworthy enough, but then again appearances can be deceiving... X noticed how the girl still did what she could for the wounded despite being wounded herself. Kindness... in the midst of war, that seems to be a hard thing to come by.

The girl looked back up at him and said "Well?"

X looked down, then back up at the girl and replied "My name is Sir Timotheus Turtlelot. I'm not of this land, but rather I have come from a realm where the living do not dwell. As you can probably tell" he said as he lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing his metallic head "I am not an organic being like yourself or anyone else here. I'm not sure where I am or why I'm here, but I'm sure it has something to do with this war. If you would, could you inform me what all of this is about?"

He went back to stitching up his current patient and then looked back up at the girl "What is your name?"

[Khallos]

Finishing off another warrior by driving his spear through the man's pleading stomach Khallos surveyed the battlefield. The enemy had been beaten, all that remained was a desperate remnants of an army. No soldiers of Koridai were these.

Khallos turned to the Huscarls nearby "Men finish off or capture any survivors. Don't advance too far without receiving new orders!"

Khallos was about to give a merciful death to another fallen soldier when he saw Selena on the edge of the woods. Well she had stopped, and if she'd stopped something important must be happening otherwise she'd be killing. Nodding to his men to carry on, Khallos jogged over to Selena.

"Nothing to report Lena, I don't need to tell you that these are no Koridaian troops" Khallos told her as he watched the captured officer lying being tied up.

"Further orders Ma'am?"

[Crimson Lego]

Putting another one of the blue and gray soldiers in a headlock and breaking his neck, Leo took the man’s knife and plunged it into his chest. Just for certainty. Wiping his brow as he leaned on his battleaxe, the dwarf was relieved to see that the enemy was starting to retreat into the forests. He could also see that the officer he had captured earlier was being aggressively interrogated by Selena; the man was evidently spilling the beans. It’d be nice if he gave us information about how we were set up, thought Leo darkly. As the officer was bound together and dragged off by a couple of Huscarls, the general hefted his axe and continued driving his foes back. Pushing a man’s sword to the side with his weapon and then breaking his nose with a punch, Leo was now certain that these were definitely not Koridaian troops. Uniform is different; fighting style’s way too conservative, pondered the dwarf as he stared down at the new corpse. A normal imperial would have punched me first before I got the chance to do the same. And yet, Leo felt as if the fighting style of these warriors was familiar to him as well, something he had experienced a long time ago. Where I have fought these people before?, he pondered, thinking hard. Then it hit him, in an event over 2 years ago.

Olimandias. The Alliance.

Realizing what organization these men were truly from and the fact that he was going to be shot if he didn’t move around, Leo began running towards the woods, chasing after the retreating troops. Where did they come from though? The only remaining Alliance colony was Andiel, and that was a continent away. They would have had to travel through Koridai or the southern coast; we would have detected that. The dwarf had a few low-ranking agents in the Empire that provided helpful intelligence; they were high enough to have known about this. Unless…these people are working independently of Chikara, thought Leo, staring at another fallen soldier. Perhaps they had made a deal with the Guild to ambush the Calatians; the mercenaries had originated from Muldinach after all, making them possible acquaintances of Khuffie himself. Possible, but unlikely, thought the dwarf as he remembered reading about the former emperor’s ‘war’ on the Guild before the Cataclysm. Whatever it was, the Alliance was still an enemy of the old dorms, and he planned on keeping it that way.

Shouting out quick orders to the Snakeheads to give pursuit, Leo looked around and saw a wolf brutally attacking the Alliance men. Memories of the expedition to Komitaa came back. Those markings…that sword. There was no doubt that this was the same beast that had attacked the Koridaians on Leo’s mission to Virrat and spared Yildun’s life. What’s he doing here anyways? Leaving it alone, the dwarf continued moving forward, finishing off bleeding Alliance troops that were nearly dead. Looking back at the bodies that the wolf had just finished off, Leo saw a man in green and holding a spear standing over the corpses. Another foreigner. 10 seconds later, the dwarf froze in mid-step and slowly turned back. The man was gone, but another memory had just been jogged. Jordan? Is it even possible that he’s still alive?

Then again, considering everything that had happened in the past 2 hours, anything was possible on this new continent of craziness. Rushing into the woods, Leo had a sudden idea. If Jordan was here, he could be a valuable ally in the upcoming war. Would it work? Gesturing to one of his men, the dwarf whispered quick orders. “Take 2 of the other guys and search around the area for a man dressed in green armour; once you find me, bring him to me.”

“And, sir, if he should refuse?” questioned the soldier.

Pausing in thought, Leo merely shrugged as he answered. “Tell him that Leo Crimson hopes that he will help Calatia against the Empire in the upcoming war. That’s all, Private.”

Nodding, the man rushed off, gesturing to a few others of his comrades. Sighing, Leo shouldered his axe and followed after the retreating Alliance men. There is still much to do before this war can even begin. The money and the supplies would be needed for Calatia, and the dwarf would do everything he could to try and acquire them.

[Selena]

Selena smiled as Khallos reported back in.

"Done with your slaughtering? Good. I'd say it's time to go home, but I'm not leaving without some kind of reward for all this trouble," Selena said. "They've got some supplies we can take back - maybe even a little gold and alcohol. Less than what you all would have expected from this 'arrangement' when first made up, but some gold is better than no gold. Camp's not far. Further in the trees. It was a good hiding spot from our watchtowers. Close enough to mobilize for a quick strike, but concealed enough to avoid long-range detection. We'd better find ways to remedy that."

Using her spear as a walking stick through the thick woods, Selena began to journey in the direction that the Alliance soldiers had come from. She looked back over her head to search for any of her other leading soldiers. Short guy running through the trees. That was Leo.

"Crimson, get over here! One more errand!"

She walked a bit further, allowing him to catch up. Selena was mindful of Rhiannon's less than stellar condition. Even if she insisted that she was okay, some of those wounds had been deep and would require adequate time to heal. They had to hurry this last part up.

"All right, here's a quick briefing. There was no Guild here. They're all ex-Alliance remnants looking to rebuild their dead empire. That's why they were so easy to defeat. The troops earlier were Koridian. Probably just a border group that wandered over in an attempt to pick off some of our officers. We've got two enemies now. We'll have to be careful. Observant. Maybe we can pit them against Chikara. I'll worry about it later. First things first. We get any supplies that we can."

There was an Alliance soldier on the ground still shuffling around from his many wounds. She slammed her heel down on his neck as she walked by, putting him out of his misery.

"There might be a few warriors back at their camp, but nothing we can't handle. Find anything interesting out there? Apart from men of steel riding bison or tattooed wolves?"

[Rhiannon]

Rhia continued to help disinfect wounds and help as much as she could. Her arm was bothering her, but her mind was racing so much she took little notice to it. She did however notice the man studying her. She kept her heard down until he spoke.

"My name is Sir Timotheus Turtlelot. I'm not of this land, but rather I have come from a realm where the living do not dwell. As you can probably tell." He lowered the hood of his cloak and Rhia's eyes widened. She had never seen anything like it. "I am not an organic being like yourself or anyone else here. I'm not sure where I am or why I'm here, but I'm sure it has something to do with this war. If you would, could you inform me what all of this is about?"

Rhiannon was in awe. No sentences, even phrases could come to her mind. Her hands fumbled, accidentally touching the wounded man's leg she was working on. He let out a cry. "First, could you wrap this up for me?" she asked. This would buy her some time to get herself together.

"I am Rhiannon, you may call me Rhia if you like Sir. As for what has happened here, I wish I knew myself. I decided to come on this trip to watch over the General, instead it seems as if I need to watch myself more." She half-grimaced, half-smiled as she lifted her arm a little. Rhia had purposely left out the princess part. She was still a little uncomfortable with her leadership role and did not like to showcase it so much.

"Will you stay in the Kingdom with us when this is over? The Kingdom owes you for your gracious service to us." Rhiannon smiled at the man. She hoped he would stay, so that they could learn more about him.

[Khallos]

"Done with your slaughtering? Good. I'd say it's time to go home, but I'm not leaving without some kind of reward for all this trouble," Selena said. "They've got some supplies we can take back - maybe even a little gold and alcohol. Less than what you all would have expected from this 'arrangement' when first made up, but some gold is better than no gold. Camp's not far. Further in the trees. It was a good hiding spot from our watchtowers. Close enough to mobilize for a quick strike, but concealed enough to avoid long-range detection. We'd better find ways to remedy that."

Khallos rushed off excited by the prospect of booze and shinies, hurrying through the trees and picking up Huscarls to join him as he ran he ran past Leo, nodding as he went. A few seconds later he heard Selena bark a command at Leo, and heard him turn back. It wasn't until he had run another thirty odd yards and almost ran into a Snakehead that he realised something. His men were now a burden. Well that wasn't true, the Huscarls were a fine bunch but most were poor trackers and stealthers unless they had previously been in a similar line of work. Signalling a halt, he spoke to a Snakehead nearby,

"You there, any news from where exactly this camp is?"

"No sah, not sure yet, but a runner did say that a squad of our boys were tracking down some fugitives further ahead. Hopefully they'll lead us right there."

"Thank you soldier"

Motioning for his Huscarls to form a huddle, Khallos was brief,

"Ladies and gents, we're standing down from this fight", grumbles and muttering started. "at least for now. Leo has the rank, more importantly him and his troops have the skills, we'll be blundering through the woods here if we do it alone. And if we alert any of those retreating they'll be no chance of them leading us back to their main camp. We wait on General Crimson's orders. Spread the word.

Now stay here while I go and try and get this damned fight started sharpish"

Turning back Khallos walked in the direction of the General to see how this tasty alcoholic nut was going to be cracked.

[Sir Turtlelot]

Turtlelot heard the man's cry and the girl ask "First, could you wrap this up for me?"

He moved over by her and began wrapping the man's leg. In the middle of wrapping the man's leg, she spoke up "I am Rhiannon, you may call me Rhia if you like Sir. As for what has happened here, I wish I knew myself. I decided to come on this trip to watch over the General, instead it seems as if I need to watch myself more."

Turtlelot looked over at her and said "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Rhia."

He turned back to finish up wrapping the man's leg. After finishing wrapping the man's leg he turned back to Rhia, to see her ask with smile "Will you stay in the Kingdom with us when this is over? The Kingdom owes you for your gracious service to us."

Turtlelot paused for a moment, the question had slightly caught him off guard. He replied to her "I will return to your kingdom with you, but you owe me nothing, saving lives should not come at a cost."

Turtlelot thought to himself Perhaps I can find out more about this war back at their kingdom...

He looked at Rhia's arm and then look back up at her and said "You really should let me have a look at your arm, the worst thing you need right now is some sort of infection. All of the serious injuries have already been taken care of anyways." Turtlelot extended his arm towards Rhia.

Edited by Sir Turtlelot, 17 March 2010 - 09:13 PM.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

The wolf had been moving across the battlefield, striking at the soldiers he knew must be enemies as they passed by. After a long time of hitting and running, he finally stopped and hid himself indefintiely in the brush as the battle began to die down, the Alliance troops falling back. These other people, the Calatians and Koridians, did not interest the wolf, and did not see any point in attacking or risk provoking them. He had killed many of them before, but as he had travelled... he no longer saw any reason to.

No longer frustrated and confused with his abilities. Yet still, confused about what he actually was...

The wolf tensed up as he heard someone walking by. Whoever it was, that were surveying what had happened aroudn there. The wolf grew nervous, fearing its discovery. The person had turned around to his direction, perhaps hearing the leaves of the brush shake, maybe something else. Whatever it was, it made the wolf jumpy enough to burst forth from the brush and swing forth its two swords. The larger sword swung out to the person's neck, the shorter of the pair aiming for the gut.

They both stopped just barely less than an inch away from their targets.

The wolf recognized that green armor, that indescribable heat it emitted.

Almost as though it contained a part of him.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan barely had time to react, the weapons were mere inches away from cutting him open. He didn't move, the attack was stopped intentionally. He looked down and found who he was looking for, a wolf covered in various markings. There was no question about it now, this was Ken Miyamasa. Jordan took a few steps back softly, he'd rather not be cut open by such an impressive looking weapon.

"Is this how you say hello to old friends Ken?" He said, smirking as he wasn't sure what to do with the tense air that come from their meeting.

He noticed that he was looking at his armor.

"Yeah, this is the same armor you forged for me back in Sornaiid. It's held together beautifully over all these years."

[Sir Deimos]

"Synile," she said. Selena pointed her spear deeper into the woods. "They're being driven back that way. If we can find their camp, maybe we can score some of the gold they promised. And I'm sure they have some alcohol there, of course. It's like one of the old raids."

Synile regarded Selena coldly, a completely different person from the Synile of Snowpeak several hours earlier. Rather than act just yet Synile lingers closeby, close-lipped, taking in the scene. Now it seemed Selena was talking to a dwarf. Synile had recognized him, but the triviality of names happened to be something Synile rarely indulged in. In the Labyrinth days names were only for the people who survived battles, something Synile isn't convinced most here could do.

The trees seem to shiver and tremble. No one but Synile seems to take notice. Perhaps that was because no one but Synile perceived it to be happening. He couldn't tell these days.

"Look at them. Selena and the dwarf. You could... kill... them." The nodachi that graced Synile's back pulsates as the voice enters his brain. "To feast on her blood... the thought brings me great joy."

"Now is not the time to bathe in that one's blood." Synile hadn't even recognized that he responded out loud. The nodachi was a festering itch he longed to scratch. When he was slaughtering with the nodachi... Well, like any itch, scratching felt good, regardless of how badly the scratching damaged.

A scream pierced the air. Synile's head is, once again, the only one to turn suddenly to face the source, only to find no visible source to the sound. Synile's body tenses up. He returns his gaze to where Selena and the dwarf were moments ago, only to have two demonic entities appear in their stead. The demonic entities looked like shadow creatures, with sharp angular features, and a body that was a mixture of pure black, and static noise. Tiny particles coursing throughout their whole being. A second scream pierces the air, the source of the scream this time is Synile himself.

Synile, unaware that the images he sees are part of a psychotic episode, draws his nodachi and strikes at Selena and Leo, thinking them to be demons.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

The wolf looked up at Jordan from the armor, and blinked uncomprehendingly at the words that came from other's mouth. He seemed to understand somewhat the intentions of the words--familiarity, memory,,,

Her.

The wolf meeting Her while traveling with this man. He also remembered something before that.

He made that armor. He forged it, putting what must have been over a thousand prayers into that metal as he pounded away at it. And yet, there was something else before that.

He met this man when he was without a name. Without knowing who or what he was. Then and now.

The two swords that were once in threatening position slowly lowered down, their points turning away completely. The wolf took a cautious step forward, its head cocked curiously to the side. This man, the wolf knew that he knew him in some way. And yet, no memory, no name. The wolf wished to know more, but how?

Then, a sound seemed to vibrate through the air of the woods, with no definite point of origin. It seemed like nothing at first, a slight reverberation, until the sound coalesced into a single word.

< < <"You?"> > > the voice spoke. It was a word spoken slowly, methodically, quizzically, like a child that was trying to speak a word that was three syllables too many to handle.

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 18 March 2010 - 01:06 AM.

[JRPomazon]

A brief pause stopped the conversation, a voice without any movement of the mouth usually left things in a rather awkward place. At least the very large sword wasn't going to kill him. Was it some sort of telepathy or was he just going insane? Ken couldn't speak when he was in wolf form before, at least he didn't think so.

"Yes, me. You remember me, right? Jordan, Jordan of the Whirlwind Spear. Buddies from the Forsaken Fortress, worked under Steel. You helped me save Gwen from Crowe." he said, trying to handle this new awkwardness.

Something felt wrong, somewhat strange and tense. He should of transformed back into a human by now, it would make this conversation go a lot smoother. And the way he looked at him it was almost as thought he was a different person. But that huge sword is Ken's, there's no mistake about that. He dropped the smile, the way Ken was acting was different and concerning.

"Diel almighty, what happened to you?"

Edited by JRPomazon, 18 March 2010 - 01:28 AM.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

In some way, the wolf was surprised by the sound he managed to produce. He felt so unsure of this single thing it did, but making that little noise definitely produced a reaction from this man. The wolf swore that he is was beginning to really understood what was being spoken to him. And that particular sound... What the man was called... The wolf took a step forward.

< < <"Jor..."> > >

The single syllable shivered testingly through the air.

< < <"Jor..."> > >

The first half of the name could be heard again. The wolf raised up one of his front limbs to lay his paw against the green armor. The claws on his foot scratched downwards with some noise against the armor.

< < <"Jor... dan...?> > >

The placeless syllables seemed to strain through the air, as though the speaker was unsure if he was placing them together correctly.

The wolf's paw came back down to the ground. He looked up into Jordan's eyes. That now disapeared smile. Uncertainty. Tension.

This was not right.

Something about this situation was different from what it should have been, and the wolf now knew it.

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 18 March 2010 - 10:49 AM.

[JRPomazon]

The world as they knew it had changed, and it had done so countless times before. But even something as constant and familiar as change was never something people could adjust to perfectly. As Jordan looked at his now lupine comrade, he was unsure of what to think. His speech, his mannerisms, everything was different. Ken was different. It was no wonder Steel had such a hard time finding him, even with the power he now had with Koridai. He would know, he'd been "dead" for the past two years as well.

"That's right, I'm Jordan. JOR-DAN. I'm your friend. F-ER-EN-DUH. You remember that the next time you go attacking like crazy." He said, a smirk returned to his face.

"To be fair, I've got absolutely no idea what happened to you or what the hell you've been up to. But it's good to see you're still running around, two or four legs."

Aside from the face that his strange thought voice was kinda weird, it was still Ken. Underneath the fur, the huge sword, the smaller sword and all the markings it was him. It seemed he was capable of understanding things on a basic level, so it wasn't like talking to a tree. The question now was where to go from here.

Edited by JRPomazon, 18 March 2010 - 05:28 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

So they weren’t Guild or Koridai. Listening carefully as Selena confirmed his suspicions about the ‘Koridaians’, Leo now felt more confident about the mission once he knew exactly what they were up against. Looks like Khuffie’s men are still loyal to him…or just the power they once had. Shouldering his axe, the dwarf wondered even how Calatia had been duped into thinking these men were part of the Guild. I’ll deal with that later; for now, we need supplies for the upcoming war, grimaced Leo, listening to what the Calatian leader was saying. Glancing behind his shoulder, he was relieved to see that the Alliance men were easily falling back, most likely towards their base; however, the Huscarls seemed to have stood down from the fight. Good job, Khallos, smiled the dwarf as he noticed the warrior. If the Calatians continued to pursue the enemy, the soldiers would probably get a feeling they were being followed and then detour somewhere else. Probably right into the hands of another imperial battalion. The one they had just fought was difficult enough, given the imperial numbers.

Glancing down at the man Selena had just killed with her foot, Leo felt no remorse for a man that served a maniac that killed thousands for the sake of ‘order’. He would have died anyway; either in Olimandias or in another Dorm War. Nodding and preparing to head off, the dwarf managed to hear Selena’s last few sentences: “Find anything interesting out there? Apart from men of steel riding bison or tattooed wolves?"

At that, Leo hesitated to talking about the sighting of Jordan, but he felt the event could not be ignored. We still have no idea who’s here working for; perhaps it’s best to talk about it. Taking a deep breath, he spoke quickly. “Ma’am, you may remember Jordan of the Whirlwind Spear, the former member of the Forsaken Fortress,” began the dwarf. “Earlier, I saw a man fitting his description over their by those bushes,” he continued, gesturing to the bodies. “One more thing: those men by those bushes were killed by the tattooed wolf with a floating sword of some sort on its back. Just thought it’d be something you’d want to know. ”

Saluting quickly and walking off, Leo jogged off towards the members of the Baker Team; only Simkins and Palmer were unharmed, with the others sporting bruises and cuts that looked rather painful. That’s what happens when you try to fight 3 people at once, even if they are Alliance. Sighing, the dwarf gave quick orders to the other 3. “Get back to the longboat and check on Jurgensen. Wait at Snowpeak if everybody is going to be.”

Heading off towards the group of Huscarls huddled together in a circle, Leo gathered the remaining 30-40 Snakeheads nearby that were fit for fighting, knelt down, and spoke quietly to them. “Keep an eye in the trees for any snipers; make sure we don’t get picked off.” Getting up, the dwarf headed off towards the circle of Huscarls that were looking reluctant to fight. No wonder,, he thought. Weren’t these the elite warriors built to defend Calatia at all costs? Or something like that; either way, he knew that they were not very good at adapting to the environment or guerilla warfare. Once we reach open area, they’ll be like gold.

Seeing Khallos walking towards him from the circle of vikings, Leo chuckled and approached the familiar man, whom he had seen earlier. “Hey there, Khallos,” said the general. “How have you been doing the past couple of weeks?”

A moment later, Leo felt an uncomfortable presence nearby him. Something’s not right, he thought. A scream suddenly rang out behind him; readying his axe, he turned around only to see one of the Calatian warriors pulling out a blade more than 6 feet long and swinging it towards him. Huh? Raising his own axe, the dwarf managed to block the attack just in time.

“What the hell are you doing?” shouted Leo. “I’m not an enemy!” This guy looks rather crazy, he pondered, looking into the man’s eyes. Pushing him back, the general assumed a battle stance, ready for the next move.

[Selena]

Jordan of the Whirlwind Spear. She'd heard of him, but had never directly interacted with him on any proper level. She'd seen him during the Battle of Van'Duras and then again during the Cataclysm at Olimandias. In both instances, he'd been serving alongside Steel. Neither Jordan's name nor his description had appeared on any of her reports concerning Koridai's activities over the last year. It was possible that he was a free agent - a disciple of Steel rebelling against his mentor in the same way that Selena had rebelled against Chikara. Steel had never been much of a 'hero,' but their quest against Khuffie had been a noble one. After the rise of Chikara, an honorable Jordan could have turned against them. Too dangerous to invest in that idea. He was probably sent to observe the battle or attempt an assassination on Rhiannon. She frowned at that thought. Perhaps Leo and the Snakeheads should scout for the camp by themselves while Selena--

Holy crap a sword.

Selena jumped back and out of harm's way while Leo raised his weapon to block the strike. It was Synile, not an Alliance soldier creeping out of the shadows. Synile?! Oh, for fuck's sake. Now was not the time for crazy time.

Selena flipped her spear around, leaving the blade harmlessly in the back while pointing the pole end at Synile to brace for the next attack. She wasn't going to cut him or stab him. Too valuable a warrior. You know, ignoring crazy time. She could block this way, and while her strikes would hurt like a bitch if she put real effort into them, they wouldn't kill him. Fighting Alliance men were one thing, but she didn't particularly want to get into a duel with lunatic-Synile. The wound in her abdomen still wasn't properly healed.

She scowled. "You moron!"

[Sir Deimos]

The demonic entities before him roared in defiance, and swept the first strike. Synile immediately follows suit by assuming a defensive stance. One of the demons shriek a horrible wail. The creatures before him seemed to have trouble keeping their forms, as the two monstrous entities were constantly shifting, intertwining, morphing into beings more terrifying than the last. Beasts seemed to gather in the distance. Looming monstrosities with gigantic proportions, clutching weapons of hellish design. Instruments designed to increase pain while causing as little mortal harm as possible. The tyrants in the distance laugh, a big bellowing laugh that seems to reverberate in Synile's ears. The air begins to smell rotten and putrid. Synile glances at the ground quickly, trying to keep his defensive stance strong. The ground beneath Synile's feet is littered with corpses in varying states of decay. Synile shrieks in terror. The faces on the bodies directly beneath his feet match those of the soldiers he had slaughtered earlier this very battle.

"You..." The corpses begin to claw at Synile's boots, as they slowly re-animate. Coagulated blood covers their mortal wounds, struggling to stay where it congealed. The corpses claw themselves free of the ground. Those that are still intact enough to stand do so, the others just shambles of torso crawling along the ground. Synile screams again, confronted with the thousands of corpses that now stand before him, slain by his own hand. Synile, in a panic, throws the nodachi at the corpses, and just as suddenly, reality snaps back into place. Synile immediately vomits on the ground and crumples into a heap. He surveys the area, and finds the putrid stench gone. The gigantic terrors in the distance were nothing more than trees, and the demonic entities he had thought to slay were... Selena, and that dwarf.

Synile forces himself to his feet, and his stomach immediately rebels. Nausea forces Synile to his knees, and a dull ache begins to reside in his muscles. His thrown nodachi landed a foot in front of the dwarf, blade dug into the ground, handle sticking skyward, and leaning towards Synile, as if begging it's master to reclaim it. Synile, with a look of shock upon his face, regards the blade, and the two Calatians, alert and at the ready.

"... Uh... Sorry..? I guess, I tried to kill you two... huh?"

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Thw wolf had tried to sift through it thoughts, trying to remember more, to find something to say, to do. This man, Jordan, was most definitely a friend. Could it be--would Jordan be able to know?

< < <"Jordan..."> > > the words echoed for awhile as the wolf tried to find the right words.

< < < Her... Where... Her...?> > >

Realizing that he could communicate in words, the wolf wished he could embelish so much more. It was Her. She was the most important thing in the world, and he knew that Jordan had met Her. The wolf desperately wished he could remember so much more.

[Crimson Lego]

Twirling his axe, Leo stepped back a few steps and examined his adversary. Looks pretty strong, according to his sword. The blade that the ‘moron’ was using was about the same length as his height; this made the general even more nervous. Nevertheless, his first priority was staying alive, and that included this.

A few moments later, Leo watched as the man began screaming and swinging his powerful blade at the empty air and the ground in front of him. What? There’s nothing there to fight. However, it seemed that the man was in his own world, as he continued shrieking randomly and without meaning. Lowering his axe, the dwarf was now rather concerned about the sanity of his fellow Calatian. Should we bring him to a doctor? Is he infected? Leo remembered well the girl Allie, who Chikara had used as a child spy in the mission when he was retrieving supplies; perhaps this man had it too, and it backfired on him. Throwing the sword like a projectile seemed to be rather interesting as well; it landed neatly a foot in front of him. However, the general also noticed the fact that Selena was using the end of her spear that was flat, wooden, and, most importantly, not lethal. He’s probably not a direct threat then.

A few moments later, the insane Viking seemed to have snapped back to reality, courtesy of vomit. Looking down in disgust, Leo took a few steps back as the man got to his feet and said, “... Uh... Sorry..? I guess, I tried to kill you two... huh?”

Sighing in relief that the man was fine, Leo nodded, though still rather on edge about the recent actions of the Calatian. “What, uh, happened to you?” he asked uncertainly, glancing at Selena. “Do you need a doctor or something?”