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[JRPomazon]

The Wyvern stood it's ground, but it was obvious that it did not have the will to continue the fight. Pharos lowered his staff and headed back to the caravan. This battle was done. The Wyvern however, took this as cowardice and prepared to fire another fiery burst from its mouth. Pharos turned back and cast a another ball of fire himself, from his hand sending it into the mouth of the Wyvern. With its mouth open it swallowed the entire mass of flames, scorching it's insides. The beast fell to the ground shortly afterward, if it still drew breath it would not be awake for a long time. Pharos sighed, walking back to the caravan. Several knights came to meet him halfway.

"That was incredible Sir Pharos! Is the demon finished?"

"Yes, I don't believe he'll be causing trouble for anyone anymore. We need to get moving."

"Of course sir."

The knights backed their things. The caravan would be resuming it's arduous journey soon. As Pharos returned to his horse, he noticed the strange man watching them from further away. Upon a closer look, he recognized him as the man from before. Why had he come this far. He left his horse to greet the stranger.

"Wanderer, what be your business in these lands?" He asked him, gracefully bowing out of respect.

Edited by JRPomazon, 06 May 2010 - 05:05 PM.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Raiyu watched as the knight took out wyvern handily.

"Quite the alert one, reminds me of Yuudai," the spirit thought aloud to himself, thinking back on the lineage he had guarded.

Raiyu grew little curious when, after finishing the fight, the knight eventually brought himself over.

"Wanderer, what be your business in these lands?"

Raiyu returned the bow he was given with one of his own. Though he offered a smile with the bow, there was still that gloom that tainted the otherwise warm expression.

"Hmm..."

Well, this would make things refreshingly direct.

"I am curious, warrior," Raiyu spoke, adressing Pharos, "What do you and your army fight for?"

[Khallos]

Sergeant Eclos was glad to be out, unlike many members of the Labyrinth he enjoyed the outdoors. Mainly because of the enevitable rape and pillage but that was hardly the point. Anyway standing here in the cool forest was certainly an improvement to the unstable voyage across the sea, so many Loddies were borderline agoraphobes. Standing in rank with the army, he could also taste the potential gold even now. All that was required was for Chikara and Selena to finish their battle plan and a deadly ambush would swing into motion like the downward stroke of a executioner's axe.

[JRPomazon]

"I fight for the Hall of Heroes, guardians of the peace." He replied.

It was a peculiar question, most people would have been able to tell who they were by their uniform. Still, the knowledge of the masses was not always known by everyone.

"Our mission is to serve and protect those who cannot defend themselves from those who trespass against them, though we are not as shallow as a mere mercenary force."

For mercenaries merely fought for gold, uncaring for the ideas of justice and fairness.

He man seemed interested in what Pharos was saying, his curiosity being resolved. But that still left man questions unanswered.

[Chikara Nadir]

"Please, me wielding that thing?" Chik glanced at Selena from beneath the ruse of a Hall-painted helmet, her hair knotted up beneath it in a manner which caused her to scratch considerably every few minutes. Bah. She was perfectly comfortable in leather and steel, but had little interest in head coverings. The woman's philosophy was that if the enemy was doing it right, they were aiming for the neck or the eyes anyway. "It would dwarf me worse than I already look next to your lumbering figure. But if you want to insist on wagering-"

The woman turned back toward her elite, shouting out with little concern of being overheard by any other than those of the Labyrinth, "Whoever gets the most kills after myself gets Selena's best axe! And if she slices more throats than I, I'll throw the lot of you a bash drinking my finest barrels of draft!"

The queen giggled in delight at the guffaws that followed, scores of untamed soldiers raising their blades at the prospect of drinking blood and ale. Some armies rallied their troops with encouragement at their skills, but Chikara would have none of that. No point stating the obvious, that only the best survived at her side. Might as well just make sure it was always worth their while to stay, with endless years of gold and drink.

Chikara winked at her second in command, muttering a short, "Well, what are we waiting for?" and jumped forward with the springing step of a mountain cat, her left hand raised above her head to signal her faithful to follow behind. And so they shuffled forward in anxious glee, shoulders bent to aid their sense of concealed stealth. Selena could follow at her own pace; her queen was in the lead and on the prowl.

[Selena]

And just where did Chikara think she was going? This was Selena's operation, not hers. Chikara had not stumbled upon the intelligence that alerted the Labyrinth to the convoy's existence in the first place, and she certainly wouldn't have taken it upon herself to leave behind her liquor long enough to attack. The queen had gotten far too used to "commanding" rather than "leading" her troops. Selena had every intention of quickening her pace to catch back up to Chikara, but, then there was Synile, and he began to mock her.

She elbowed him in the gut. "She's wagering a shindig that she'd throw anyway, and I'm the one lacking confidence? Fall in line with the others before I finally give into my urge to stab you. And don't touch me."

With that, Selena caught back up with Chikara and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her again. That was an advantage to having longer legs than the queen - it made it easier to walk over the fallen logs and exposed tree roots of the Lost Woods. The trails, if they could even qualify as such, were so infrequently used that the flora had grown over most of them. Only the runs created by wildlife seemed to be intact, and they were too narrow to be used by the war party. Poor little hobbit was going to have a tough time in the thickest parts of the forest.

"Well, that was just great," she said to Chik. She looked the other woman up and down, the Hall armor seeming so... wrong. "You look like a piece of broccoli in that green suit. And just as short. Next time you try to march out in front of your rival and steal her thunder, make sure she doesn't have longer legs. It was a gentle stroll to catch back up to you. ...No, that wasn't an invitation to chop off my legs."

She fidgeted in her own set of green armor. If nothing else, it least it allowed them to blend into the forest.

"You enjoy being a pest, don't you?"

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

"Guardians of peace..." Raiyu mused.

Protect those that cannot protect themselves? Such a general, wide thing to commit oneself to, but the knight seemed to genuinely believe the words that he spoke. Raiyu looked the knight over before returning to meet his eyes.

"To say that you are a guardian, a protector... I hope that you take such a claim seriously," Raiyu spoke, an authoritative tone seeping into his speech. It sounded like he had heard similar words before, dozens and dozens of times, that had not been backed up by their speakers.

Raiyu's eyes quickly diverted to see watch the caravan as the knights prepared to leave.

"Warrior, might I have your permission to follow you awhile, and watch you protect those who cannot be protected, as you claim?" the spirit asked.

[JRPomazon]

Pharos nodded, motioning to the caravan that was preparing to leave.

"You are more than welcome to join us, although due to the context of our mission I fear there will be those among us who might be wary of you stranger despite their best intentions."

The two began to walk to the caravan.

"Might I ask your name, or will I be calling you Wanderer?"

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Raiyu followed alongside the knight, his walking stick maintaining a regular rhythm of thumps upon the earth. He processed the knight's question for a while, considering what would be best. He had no need for a name or title in such a long time...

"Raiyu," the spirit finally decided, "I am called Raiyu the Silver Wolf."

Raiyu turned to the knight.

"And you warrior, what should I call you?"

[JRPomazon]

"I am Pharos Incendia of the Hall of Heroes. It is a pleasure to formally make your acquaintance."

The caravan was prepared once again for the long trek back to the Hall, their pace much more hurried than before. The attack by the Wyvern seemed to be what they needed to reclaim their priorities. The two traveled to the front of the Caravan, the navigators plotting their course looking over their map of the country.

"Raiyu, please wait for a moment as I consult the navigators. There are some matters I wish to address with them before we continue our journey.

He proceeded to the wagon that the navigators rode in.

"Sirs, a moment of your time." He called to them as they looked up from their spyglasses and charts.

"Of course sir Pharos, how may we assist you?"

"I think it may be best to not stop at the weighing station at Adyn's keep. I believe the Wyvern's appearance was an ill omen for our journey."

"Sir Pharos, I understand your position and your experience in matters such as this is to be held in high regard but even you must know that the orders given by Sir Jericho are specific. We must confirm our cargo at the Keep."

"Sirs, I must contest this! We travel so fiercely each day at this grueling pace, why must we extend our hardships?"

The navigator got to his feet and walked to Pharos.

"I agree that this has been a hard journey, the knights toil to transport our cargo. That is precisely why we must stop at the Keep, if not to follow orders then to at least offer the knights some rest."

They had a very good point, the men were growing very weary. Pharos had no choice to to end his argument here, there was nothing more to contest.

"Very well, how long till we get to the Keep?

[Chikara Nadir]

"Not my fault you're jealous that I'm able to get through thickets without having to waste time chopping away branches and…" Chikara stopped to stare at Selena's helmet for a moment, pushing back a snarling laugh. There was a large clump of lichen hanging onto her shoulder, like a mossy bridal veil tossed askew. She made a motion of brushing off her own shoulder, continuing in a sing-song tone, "Let's just say that I'm glad to be able to make it through the forest without looking like I've turned half-tree myself."

The woman glanced ahead, then stopped, stiffening - she stared ahead for a moment like a startled doe with crimson eyes, then leapt forward without a word. Before Selena had a chance to retaliate, the smaller woman had shoved her second-in-command head-first into the moist soil with a face-full of decaying leaves. Chikara herself again stood in front, fist held in front of her body with a clenched arrow in her grasp. It was feathered in gold and green.

"Scout," she muttered, and with a single sweeping wave back behind her, the queen's entire personal legion crouched into a defensive hiding position, blending into the depths of the forest like shadows from the underworld - which they rightfully were.

Chikara herself was off with without a sound, nearly leaping on all fours to pass through the straight shot of trees ahead, sliding past ferns and over fallen trunks with the determination of a feral beast. In a few short breaths' time she was sitting on the chest of a fallen Hall soldier, not giving the man even a chance to react before the his own arrow had been thrust into his beating carotid artery and through the other side of his throat.

"Lena." She hissed behind her. "Keep an eye out, they're near."

[Selena]

Selena thought she spotted something in the distance, but she found herself sailing toward the ground before she could do anything in response to the possible threat. She was able to get her hands in front of her face to prevent her nose from making direct contact with the ground below her, as a broken nose just before battle was most definitely not a good thing. While on the ground, Selena made the horrible discovery that something was now crawling along the side of her face. Inside her helmet. She felt Chik run off to attack the apparent scout, and she took that opportunity to go into a state of mass panic. Limbs flailing all over the place, Selena eventually grabbed her helmet with both hands and flung it all the way off, the metal brainpan sailing several feet into the trees.

But oh god, the thing was still on her.

Selena slapped at her own head until she finally flung the eight-legged demon off her face. She had been good not to scream, at least, and she had remained on the ground and out of sight. That was willpower. She hoped that Chik hadn't seen, but Synile surely had and he would be quick to make fun of her for it in Chikara's presence. She slowly got to her feet, hair now full of twigs and assorted leaves. She shook her head like a dog crawling out of a pond and used her hands to scrape out anything that shouldn't have been on her head.

And that was the precise reason why Selena did not like helmets.

Selena walked forward with her spear in hand and met Chikara over the corpse of the fallen Hall scout as if nothing had happened. There was only one? The others were probably spread out in the other parts of the woods. According to the map, the keep wasn't far. The must have been close to the edge of the forest. If they could hustle out to the grasslands, they could meet up with the convoy before it reached the fortification. The Hall armor they wore would allow them to approach without much difficulty. The scout had probably only attacked Chikara because everyone in Verden knew that a five foot tall woman in armor meant trouble. She'd have to stay in the back of their formation to avoid trouble with the main Hall warriors (no one could see her if she was in the back, after all!). Not as many people knew who Selena was other than 'that tall, mean girl that always follows Chikara around.' That would change soon.

"Okay, we've got to be close to the grasslands. They're probably right outside the woods if they've sent scouts in on foots," Selena said to her mentor (as if she hadn't been able to deduce such a thing on her own). "We'll march out and meet them before the other scouts can find us. For the love of all that's evil, go stand behind someone that's tall. Hobbits are a Labyrinth giveaway."

Selena turned around and waved to the Labyrinth warriors, who got up from their hiding placed and formed up. They were not as neat or orderly as the regular Hall soldiers, but that didn't matter. They only had to get close enough to attack, not present so perfect an image in order to live with the damn heroes. Selena brought her arm down to signal the 'all forward' order, and they proceeded toward the edge of the woods.

--

There was the caravan.

Plenty of soldiers for each wagon. The Labyrinth was most definitely outnumbered, but that was fine. Selena's soldiers were warriors of high quality, forged in years upon years of battle. The Hall relied on quantity. They didn't live long enough to get the same kind of training. Things would quickly even out once the battle commenced. Selena had put one of the male Labyrinth soldiers at the vanguard of her formation before leaving the woods - the Hall didn't typically have female commanders. The Labyrinth was famous for having plenty of women ready and able to stab things. Selena walked in the second row, with Chikara strategically placed behind a man that stood at least seven feet tall.

A Hall rider held up his arm to hail them, green and gold banner proudly held in his other hand. The man Selena had put in the front raised his arm in a similar salute. The Hall knights began to talk amongst themselves, confusion spreading amongst the ranks due to the unscheduled presence of another battalion. Tensions were high in the Hall because of the political split. Hall knights of either faction were still 'friendly,' but all were waiting for the day when one side would give in and attack. The rider began to approach. He wanted to check.

The man up front didn't show any sign of panic, but his voice betrayed it. "What do I do?"

"Let him get close. Keep marching. When he gets near, tell him that you've been sent by Sir Jericho to reinforce the convoy."

The rider wouldn't get close to them for another minute. Selena spotted an officer near one of the wagons. He only held a staff. Must have been a mage. She tried to put a name to the face, but could not. He didn't look familiar, so Selena had probably never come across him in battle. It didn't matter. There weren't many Hall knights that could fight well. After she'd finished her ponderings, the rider closed in on her group and addressed the decoy leader she placed up front.

"We were not expecting reinforcements. State your business," ordered the Hall rider.

"We were sent by Sir Jericho to ensure the safety of the caravan."

"And you're marching up from the south?"

The man in front paused. "We heard that a village was in trouble and went to investigate. We are a bit late in meeting up with you. Many apologies."

"Wait here," said the rider. "I'm going to confirm this with the officer in charge."

The Labyrinth warrior looked back at Selena, who nodded. They all came to a halt a few hundred meters away from the convoy. That could be sprinted. Easily. She just wanted them to get settled and cozy and think it was genuine. After a few minutes, Selena gave the order in little more than a whisper.

"Charge."

With that, the Labyrinth warriors began to storm forward with weapons drawn. Happy slaughter fun time!

[Sir Deimos]

OOC: I give credit where credit is rightfully due. This post was a joint venture between Mitch and myself. Enjoy.

The battle cry rang out into the air, and Synile immediately dashed out of the front lines. The Hall Knights were thrown off by the ploy, and Synile managed to end the lives of three soldiers before the full company realized what was happening.

Come to me...

Synile was barely able to parry the next incoming blade. Knocking the sword aside, Synile slid his katana's blade upward, surpassing the protection of the helmet, and into the knight's throat. What was that?

"I must be hearing things..." His eyes panned around the battlefield. That voice was deeper than any he had ever heard. No one in the Labyrinth had that bassy a tone...

Behind you...

Synile spun on his heels quickly. There was nothing there. No Hall Knight, no Labyrinth dwellers, no nothing aside from a heavy feel to the air. Suddenly Synile notices what appears to be some sort of shrine in the distance.

That's right...

Synile quickly slips away from the battle, and runs up towards the site. What he sees is very puzzling. There is an old battered sword stuck into the ground. The blade is rusted, and dull, and the edge is chipped in almost every possible area visible. Chains of darkest black seem to fix the sword in place, and anchor themselves to adjacent trees in the vicinity. The chain, as well as the trees, were all covered in talismans.

"Could this be... cursed..?"



As soon as Synile stepped forward and reached towards the hilt, an arm shot in from the side and grabbed his own. Synile leapt back into a defensive stance, ready to detach the limb but immediately relaxed when he saw the owner. Well... almost immediately. "Mr. Pelucas," he nodded, "what's up?"

The man known - for now - as Pelucas was infamous for impromptu appearances from seemingly nowhere. He was of a tall and solid stature, clothed in a slim-fitting dark undershirt over which was strapped minimal armour; a vest made of leather braced with a little steel, matching bracers on his arms, and a simple, conjoined armlet and shoulderpad on the left side. Well-worn traveling pants and boots completed Pelucas' rudimentary but maneuverable getup. With tassled dark hair and a face full of stubble, he looked well the part of a grizzled Labyrinthine warrior. Curiously, he carried no visible weapon, though Synile already knew he was fond of staves and various polearms.

"Shishio, my young friend." Pelucas turned towards the sword. "Check it out."
"I already was." Synile grinned and came to stand beside Pelucas. His hand itched at not being able to grab that hilt.
"You want it? It's pretty badass."
"Do naked women give me boners?"
Pelucas stared a little before turning back to the sword. "...Awkward."
"Yeah...." Synile also turned back to the look at the sword. "That was a yes, just in case."
"Yeah, no, I know..."

Neither said a word for a minute or two.

Pelucas tilted his head back, looking up at the branches of the encircling trees, as if in thought. "How...sane are you?"
Synile did not have to think before answering. "Batshit crazy. I think. If I am, I wouldn't know, would I?"
"Word. Ummm....well....why don't you give it a try?"
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. What did you expect some kind of ritual? I don't feel like dancing."
"What do I do?" Synile bent down towards the blade, as if examining it.
"It's a sword. You cut people with it."
"I mean how do I take it."
"Ummm.....don't....grab the sharp end...? I thought you were trying to be a master swordsman? Still trying, huh?"
"Well, yeah but I haven't dealt with cursed swords before! Plus, it's chained!"
"Pretend it's not cursed. See how that works out."

Synile shot Pelucas a look and then reached out to grab the hilt again. He strangely felt all too eager to finally have it within his grasp.

"WAIT!" Pelucas put his hand out to stop Synile again.
"What?" Synile was irritated at having his moment interrupted.
"Do it without the smile. You look really creepy..."

Synile had not even realized he was smiling but made sure not to do so regardless. He again shot a look at the other man and AGAIN reached out for the hilt. Third time lucky.

"WAIIIT!"
"WHAT?!"
"No, nothing, I'm just being an ass." Pelucas grinned.

With a hefty sigh, Synile's arm darted forward and took a firm grasp of the alluring hilt before any more protests or stupidity could be voiced.



Upon touching the blade, some cloud of uneasiness seemed to settle on Synile. It was like some unnatural and inconceivable being now held Synile squarely in its' view. The feeling seemed to last for years... A lifetime... Eternity... all condensed into but a few simple seconds. Just as suddenly as the feeling came, it had went. Synile questioned whether it truly was ever there in the first place. The sword at first seemed impossibly heavy, but now it appeared the opposite was true. Synile took a few practice swings with the blade. It felt natural in his hands, like the sword was destined to end up in his possession. Now that the thing was freed from the soil, he could see it was quite long. A nodachi then, not a simple katana. The blade was as long as Synile himself.

If the lore about cursed swords is true, then some blood should restore this blade to brand new...

In the peak of excitement, Synile dashes off back towards the battle, eager to test out his new toy. His excitement was so great that he didn't offer any words of farewell towards Pelacus.



Pelucas waited until he was absolutely sure Synile was gone before moving around to each tree and pulling off the fake seals he had put in place. It was rather lucky that Synile couldn't read a word of any of the older languages, else he may have asked questions. Questions like why each "seal" simply read "Seals may appear more authentic than they are". Then again, Pelucas was not one to take risks. If he'd have had an inkling that Synile could read them, he would never have been so lazy.
Pelucas tossed the seals and chains haphazardly around the small clearing so as to make it look like some form of destructive ritual had taken place. He then found a rather large and secluded tree and sat down inside the shadow it created, leaning against the large bole. It wasn't necessary to close one's eyes when performing this technique but it did help to trick the mind into a meditative state so as to maintain a better channel. Pelucas felt his mind sink deeper into the shadow, passing through the shadow itself and into a darkness no normal person could withstand let alone see. A question from the other side of the shadow resonated throughout his mind. He responded.

I'm finished. He's on his way to join the rest of them now.


. . . .


No, they're too busy fighting with each other. Or flirting with each other. I can't really tell the difference anymore. I made sure to avoid those two especially, so unless he tells them, they'll have no idea I Was here. If he does tell them, I'll be long gone anyway, so they won't be able to drag me into anything.


. . . .


Ummm....something about gold....or other assorted shinies? Oh no, wait, they're attacking a keep which will supposedly deal a huge blow to the Knights and the Hall. Wait, you should know this.


. . . .


Since when have we needed an excuse?


. . . .



I don't think there's anything to fear, really. They have not a single clue about what's going on, let alone understand it. When all is said and done, they'll know then. If it's decided that they can stick around, that is.


. . . .


We'll see what happens won't we. In any case, you can bring me back now. He's got the sword and I think he's about to go out and have himself a great deal of fun with it.


. . . .


But there's literally no one around. I'm alone in a clearing. Why am I already telling you this? You know where I am and there's no one here. And yes, he should resonate quite well with it. I'm not sure if he felt its dark nature or not but if he did, he sure as hell welcomed it with a smile. Bring me back.


. . . .


Yeah, well until I pass through there myself, you kind of have to because I can't do it myself.


. . . .


Well, of course he's going to bring it back to the Labyrinth. He loves it, he won't ever let it go now. For now, he has to get acquainted with it, let it take him just to make sure he doesn't let it go.


. . . .


Still not sure about that one. If I was to guess, I'd say one of the lesser gods but even some of the elders have their dark little secrets. There was no way I was gonna touch it to find out. When he brings it back either you can find out or we can just suppress it over time. The Labyrinth's pull is far too strong for him to want to leave it behind. It's gonna be pretty rough on him for a while.


. . . .


I'd go with suppression. Even you might be infected by the power inside it and with your direct connection, that may very well leak and then this whole resurrection business would be pointless. Just let him have his fun with it for now and then bring it back. We've no other way to transport it, really.


. . . .


He's kind of crazy already so I doubt either of those two will really notice anything amiss. One's crazy anyway and the other gets off on death and destruction. If anything we should be using them MORE.


. . . .


I think you may be overestimating them a little.


. . . .


That's not living, it's paranoia.


. . . .


Great. Okay, I'll find my own way.

Being as of yet unable to travel between space was becoming more and more an encumbrance on Pelucas. Such techniques would be granted only when the avatar decided to teach him and so Without the help of his comrade, he would have to abide by more traditional means of travel. Before standing, he grasped the shadow of the tree, pulling it up with him.
After a little stretching and reforming, it made an excellent cloak which he then wrapped about himself. Pelucas was now completely invisible to the naked eye as long as he remained in the shadows. The clash of steel and cries of both victory and failure alike could be heard off in the distance. It would be best if he bypassed the Labyrinth's soldiers so as not to risk bumping shoulders with anyone who may have enough power and insight to spot or at least sense him, so Pelucas made his way down the army lines, making only a couple of passes through the mass itself. Between the cloak keeping him shaded and the calamity in amongst the army, he left behind no evidence of his presence save for a chill and a shiver down the spine of any soldier who came within close proximity.

Coming to a small canyon, the shadowy figure crouched low then vaulted over the edge, swinging himself down into a small cave beneath an overhang. The shadows disappeared as soon as he cast them off and he stepped through what appeared to be a wall of the enclosure. This was but one of the infinitely numerous entry ways leading back into the Hakubi Road. The travel distance would at least be reduced this way and the walk would give him time to collect and regroup his thoughts anyway. Glorious days lay ahead and Pelucas and his comrades were very close to being damn near unstoppable.

[JRPomazon]

The clash of metal was heard from a distance, Pharos turned to see the commotion. As he looked over he saw his own allies fighting among themselves. Was this some sort of sparring like before? A knight was impaled through his helmet by a warrior wearing the same colors as him.

"Madness . . ." He muttered as the knights had at each other.

He took his staff and walked to the fighting warriors, raising his hand out in front of his. Flames began to gather in his grasp, growing quickly and violently. He waved his hand forcefully across, the fire shooting forward and arcing over the knights on one side to the ground, separating the knights closest to the caravan and the knights closest to the trees with a wall of fire that reached a normal man's neck. They all turned to Pharos.

"For what purpose do you revel in such senseless behavior!?" He shouted.

[Khallos]

Selena thought she spotted something in the distance, but she found herself sailing toward the ground before she could do anything in response to the possible threat. She was able to get her hands in front of her face to prevent her nose from making direct contact with the ground below her, as a broken nose just before battle was most definitely not a good thing. While on the ground, Selena made the horrible discovery that something was now crawling along the side of her face. Inside her helmet. She felt Chik run off to attack the apparent scout, and she took that opportunity to go into a state of mass panic. Limbs flailing all over the place, Selena eventually grabbed her helmet with both hands and flung it all the way off, the metal brainpan sailing several feet into the trees.

But oh god, the thing was still on her.

Selena slapped at her own head until she finally flung the eight-legged demon off her face. She had been good not to scream, at least, and she had remained on the ground and out of sight. That was willpower. She hoped that Chik hadn't seen, but Synile surely had and he would be quick to make fun of her for it in Chikara's presence. She slowly got to her feet, hair now full of twigs and assorted leaves. She shook her head like a dog crawling out of a pond and used her hands to scrape out anything that shouldn't have been on her head.

And that was the precise reason why Selena did not like helmets.

Selena walked forward with her spear in hand and met Chikara over the corpse of the fallen Hall scout as if nothing had happened. There was only one? The others were probably spread out in the other parts of the woods. According to the map, the keep wasn't far. The must have been close to the edge of the forest. If they could hustle out to the grasslands, they could meet up with the convoy before it reached the fortification. The Hall armor they wore would allow them to approach without much difficulty. The scout had probably only attacked Chikara because everyone in Verden knew that a five foot tall woman in armor meant trouble. She'd have to stay in the back of their formation to avoid trouble with the main Hall warriors (no one could see her if she was in the back, after all!). Not as many people knew who Selena was other than 'that tall, mean girl that always follows Chikara around.' That would change soon.

"Okay, we've got to be close to the grasslands. They're probably right outside the woods if they've sent scouts in on foots," Selena said to her mentor (as if she hadn't been able to deduce such a thing on her own). "We'll march out and meet them before the other scouts can find us. For the love of all that's evil, go stand behind someone that's tall. Hobbits are a Labyrinth giveaway."

Selena turned around and waved to the Labyrinth warriors, who got up from their hiding placed and formed up. They were not as neat or orderly as the regular Hall soldiers, but that didn't matter. They only had to get close enough to attack, not present so perfect an image in order to live with the damn heroes. Selena brought her arm down to signal the 'all forward' order, and they proceeded toward the edge of the woods.

--

There was the caravan.

Plenty of soldiers for each wagon. The Labyrinth was most definitely outnumbered, but that was fine. Selena's soldiers were warriors of high quality, forged in years upon years of battle. The Hall relied on quantity. They didn't live long enough to get the same kind of training. Things would quickly even out once the battle commenced. Selena had put one of the male Labyrinth soldiers at the vanguard of her formation before leaving the woods - the Hall didn't typically have female commanders. The Labyrinth was famous for having plenty of women ready and able to stab things. Selena walked in the second row, with Chikara strategically placed behind a man that stood at least seven feet tall.

A Hall rider held up his arm to hail them, green and gold banner proudly held in his other hand. The man Selena had put in the front raised his arm in a similar salute. The Hall knights began to talk amongst themselves, confusion spreading amongst the ranks due to the unscheduled presence of another battalion. Tensions were high in the Hall because of the political split. Hall knights of either faction were still 'friendly,' but all were waiting for the day when one side would give in and attack. The rider began to approach. He wanted to check.

The man up front didn't show any sign of panic, but his voice betrayed it. "What do I do?"

"Let him get close. Keep marching. When he gets near, tell him that you've been sent by Sir Jericho to reinforce the convoy."

The rider wouldn't get close to them for another minute. Selena spotted an officer near one of the wagons. He only held a staff. Must have been a mage. She tried to put a name to the face, but could not. He didn't look familiar, so Selena had probably never come across him in battle. It didn't matter. There weren't many Hall knights that could fight well. After she'd finished her ponderings, the rider closed in on her group and addressed the decoy leader she placed up front.

"We were not expecting reinforcements. State your business," ordered the Hall rider.

"We were sent by Sir Jericho to ensure the safety of the caravan."

"And you're marching up from the south?"

The man in front paused. "We heard that a village was in trouble and went to investigate. We are a bit late in meeting up with you. Many apologies."

"Wait here," said the rider. "I'm going to confirm this with the officer in charge."

The Labyrinth warrior looked back at Selena, who nodded. They all came to a halt a few hundred meters away from the convoy. That could be sprinted. Easily. She just wanted them to get settled and cozy and think it was genuine. After a few minutes, Selena gave the order in little more than a whisper.

"Charge."

With that, the Labyrinth warriors began to storm forward with weapons drawn. Happy slaughter fun time!

After the scare with the scout Eclos was glad their cover wasn't blown. That Selena could have died was of no concern to him, if she had she simply should have been more aware. Besides she was a power hungry upstart, nothing compared to Chikara.

Time to move on...

-----

Seeing a flash of colour in the distance just before the signal to halt was given, Eclos gripped his spear tight in eagerness. Looking forward a couple of ranks Eclos saw Fortey being pushed forward with the Queen hiding behind him. Well we do have an abundance of women, not that has ever been a real problem. He was a solid fighter, that much could be said at least. And after the short talk not a bad actor either.

Watching the rider go back to the caravan Eclos grew increasingly impatient. Where was the order to attack? Suddenly it came, a whisper that every soldier heard and obeyed instantly.

Roaring a battlecry Eclos charged straight forward with the rest of the raid, and immediatly ran his spear into the belly of a knight looking forward in utter shock. Twisting and wrenching it out, he moved on claiming two more lives when suddenly he found a wall of flame seperating him from the rest of the Labyrinth troop.

Turning rapidly to a yelling man, he discovered the mage that had disrupted his battle and if he wasn't careful and blended in, his life.

[Crimson Lego]

When the first sounds of battle occurred, Nazuma had completely no idea what was going on. When the first Labyrinth warriors began moving forward, he knew exactly the reason they were charging. Only two things could make Loddies move so fast: women or battle. Since there didn’t seem to be any settlements in this region, it had to be a fight. Probably the Hall again; let’s find out. Swinging the staff around, the dwarf leaped right into the fray, concentrated on striking down any enemy he could find. Recognizing some of his fellow comrades in Hall armour, he made a mental note not to hurt them. We don’t seem to have enough people anyways, he thought, taking a moment to analyze the scene. The dwarf had no idea what the fighting ability of an average Hall knight was, but he promised to find out. Time to get to work.

Moving towards the nearest knight, Nazuma gripped the staff tightly with one hand and swung it at his opponent. Soon, they became locked in a fierce battle of strength, one that both were prepared to win at all costs.

ooc: Short post, yeah. Kinda feeling tired again, so…

[JRPomazon]

They stood in place. Every knight, every raider in disguise, everyone watched Pharos either out of fear or out of duty. And Pharos looked back, his eyes looking over the lot, infuriated by this display. Something was amiss, he could feel it in his heart that something was terribly and inexcusably wrong. There were two men standing by each other, one stood perfectly still the other was shaking with a sword in his hand. Then he could feel it, the bloodlust, the disgusting sensation of death and desire convening together like a pit of writhing serpents.

"You two, remove your helms." He said, pointing at the couple he saw before. They obeyed his order, one knight removing his helm quickly like he had done it several times before while the other took his time, gingerly removing the armor. Then they were revealed, a man with long fair hair and healthy complexion with his counterpart with blade in hand, a man with white pale skin and short hair. Pharos took a few steps closer, his mind was made up.

"Tell me sir knight, how does one travel for a solid week and have a complexion so pale and ghastly as yours?"

The pale knight looked at Pharos with frightened eyes, shaking like a child until he could no longer hold himself back and rushed the mage. Pharos swiftly raised his hand and from the glow of his palm came a dazzling blaze that consumed the raider in disguise. He shrieked in agony, his entire physical body reduced to a smoldering mass as he hit the ground aflame.

"Thought so." He said.

"Knights! Tortoise Position!"

The true knights of the hall ran into position, discarding their helms as they formed a semi-circle guard around Pharos and the Caravan leaving the doppelgangers behind (OoC: God, I've been WAITING to use that word) The false knights looked at each other, confused what to do next until another blaze of fire rose from the ground and swallowed them whole.

Edited by JRPomazon, 24 May 2010 - 03:17 AM.

[Chikara Nadir]

"Oh, for the love of…"

Chikara knew she had little time to work and much to do in order to ensure their survival- let alone their success. Those Hall rascals were smart ones, but not quite so crafty as the devils they fought.

"DOWN!" she commanded from the center of the her group of false-Hall soldiers, jumping higher in the air than a mortal should be capable, and landing solidly with the strength of a small earthquake, the very pressure of her movement causing the air to quiver in shock. The majority of the assaulting flames from Pharos attack were puffed out as though they had little more authority than a lit candle wick, and the ensuing billow of dirt and pine debris coated the front line of Labyrinth soldiers so solidly that most fires that had caught to them were suffocated before they could cause more than minor burns. Her men could put out the rest on their own, but in they needed protection during that time.

The dust cloud continued to rise, hiding the underworld soldiers in brown shadow where they felt most comfortable to regroup, but that would last only a few seconds.

In the meanwhile, Chikara had other methods of keeping the Hall knights busy. "I know you bastards love the color green!" she shouted from somewhere within the haze, before the bulk of a fifty foot cedar tree shot through the air in their direction. A small crowd of men and their horses were crushed before they could think to move aside, only a single whinny escaping from underneath thousands of pounds of foliage.

She was already onto the next tree, grabbing it solidly with her thin arms and ripping a massive oak -- roots and all -- from its support before somehow lobbing it high above them and in the direction of the opposition.

"Rats to the trees, worms to the ground, ghosts to the air!" the queen shrieked in excitement, nay, pleasure as she commanded her force on their next move. Those who knew how to blend with the forest shadows or how to climb quick as squirrels into the branches did so, others adept at digging into the subterranean even outside their Labyrinth home sank into the soil like shovels into mud, and those able to hide themselves with illusions of near invisibility snuck off like supernatural reapers, ready to strike in silence.

Those who were more bold and abrasive stalked forward in full view, Chikara included. There was no greater distraction than an actual full-blown threat such as the queen herself, and she was entirely unafraid of a little problem like Pharos.

[Selena]

Selena didn't have time to complain about all the dirt now stuck in her hair - that was better than the approaching wall of flames. Selena had heard rumors of a great knight that could control fire, but she hadn't personally come across him in any of her sinister adventures. Perhaps he stayed close to home and was only dispatched on missions of critical importance? Or perhaps the regular grunts were getting killed off so fast by Lena's men that the Hall had no other option but to send in their elite? Either way, it seemed promising. Fun. It was a new challenge for the rising star of the Labyrinth.

Selena rolled her eyes as cedar trees began to fly through the air and crush some of the approaching knights. That woman - she was always trying to make herself look stronger than she appeared. Her body's strength may have been enhanced by the Labyrinth's foul air, but her real strength came from moving things with magic. That had been the major force behind the pint-sized tree catapult. Selena couldn't see the results through the dust cloud, but it sounded at least partially effective. One or two must have gotten through, as Selena heard the galloping of hooves rapidly approaching. A charge through the dirt? Dangerous.

Selena was very still and paid close attention to the sound of her approaching enemy. The dirt, very slowly from her perspective, began to shift. She could feel the thundering of hooves from the ground beneath her feet and could almost sense the muscles of the horse straining as it galloped straight at her. Within the span of a second, Selena dropped to a knee and thrust her spear up into what seemed like nothingness. There was a horrible sound as the horse found its throat pierced and it fell off to one side, Selena being pushed back, boots digging into the soil, from the force of the impact. The knight atop the horse was thrown several feet and came to a rolling stop. Selena walked over, casually, and drove her spear right into his chest.

Five more riders approached and various Labyrinth warriors paired off to face them. When the soil 'shield' fell back to the ground, revealing the battle scene once again, Selena saw another knight charging her. She slid off to one side and, with a twist of the wrist, pulled the knight off the saddle using his own lance. As she walked over him, she slammed one boot on his neck. If it didn't kill him, it at least crippled him. Selena took the reins of his horse, steadied the beast, and climbed onto the saddle. There. A much better view.

Noticing that Chikara had decided to march forward with her men, Selena chose not to be shown up. She trotted her stolen beast forward until she was at the front of the Labyrinth formation. With her free hand, she rapidly stripped herself of her Hall armor, revealing the Labyrinth leathers beneath. It must have been an unnerving sight for the weary Hall troops - both leaders of the Labyrinth heading straight for them in all their feminine fury.

Selena shot a devilish smile up toward the human flamethrower on the Hall's side.

"Throwing trees," Selena said to the woman off to her left, "how cute. You forgot to shout timber."

Now, how to get to that fire knight. He was surrounded by a shield wall on all sides, and the caravan was swarming with defensive troops. They were all just sitting there, waiting as if the Labyrinth would happily crash into the shields and skewer themselves on the pikes. No, many of the Labyrinth warriors knew magic and Chik was especially deadly with it. It wouldn't take much to break that shield wall down. They could do it from the ground up. Shake the soil until it became loose. Perhaps levitate one of the knights into the air and throw him against his peers like a human bowling ball?

Selena rode forward and held out her hand in preparation for the aforementioned levitation spell. It would be interesting to see how many she could knock down. But, for however gifted Selena was in other forms of combat, magic.... did not come easily to her. In her effort to raise up the soldier, all that was conjured was a burst of artificial wind.

It knocked off her target's helmet.

Selena blushed wildly in embarrassment, but covered it up by ordering one of her sharpshooters to hit the knight in the head. Which he did. The knight fell over with an arrow embedded in his skull. There. Just as good, right? She looked over to her left to peer at Chikara out of the corner of her- oh fuck, she'd likely seen it. She was never going to live this down.

"I did that on purpose, okay? Don't judge me. It just means that you're a horrible magic teacher. Trying to teach me more red room techniques than battlefield skills!"

[JRPomazon]

There she stood, the queen herself among her ghastly lot corrupting the very air around her. Her people grew powerful from it as the knights grew more timid. As she grabbed another massive tree and swung it down directly at him, Pharos countered with his staff. The red gemstone began glowing as fire formed all around him and migrated to the unrooted tree, scorching it to ashes in an instant. The flakes of remnants fell like snow to the ground over the Hall knights who watched Pharos' counter.

"Prepare to make haste to Aydn's Keep. It should be close now and I believe we can buy time as the caravan takes shelter there." He whispered quietly to the nearest knight.

"Sir, I cannot abandon the fight and leave you here."

"This is not the time to contest me, we cannot afford to allow them to take the cargo. Now go."

The knight did not question his orders a second time and left the battle to round up the caravan and get it moving. Pharos slammed his staff into the ground, fire began bursting from the very earth itself. The pillars of flame burst into the open, sending labyrinth soldiers into the sky as they were cast aflame like moths around a fire. Some in the trees and the ground were consumed as well, this was not the first time Pharos fought the Labyrinth. They liked to hide. To wait in dark depths and slaughter their enemies. But never in his wildest dreams did he think he would come face to face with the queen herself. She was to be feared indeed, but not one to submit to. He had to keep them at bay, at least long enough for the caravan to escape. As the clash of swords echoed, the caravan was beginning to move out as the knights who stayed behind fought not only their enemy but their fears as well.

"Abandon your reckless mission Chikara Nadir, the queen of those sorrowful depths will NOT have this day!"

Edited by JRPomazon, 27 May 2010 - 03:39 AM.

[Chikara Nadir]

"Some of us have got it, some of us don't," Chikara winked toward Selena, shaking her dark hair loose to let fly some of the dirt and debris that had fallen in it. But now was no time to teach the young one lessons in modesty or rancor alike; this was no playground of green foot soldiers just out of bootcamp and easy to destroy in a heartbeat. She was glad to have chosen to follow Selena along, the girl wasn't ready to handle missions of this intensity on her own yet. Nor did she want to see such promising raw talent roasted by Pharos' spells like a pig on a spit.

The man had gone to smoking out more of her men, like termites escaping burning wormwood. Hmm, he was good, she'd heard this much from reports and hearsay. Far too much of a goody goody for her to enjoy his strength quite in that way, nor did she find any sadness in that his power wasn't on her side. He was too clean, too tan, too….pretty. She tasted bile at the very thought.

"Reckless though we may be, I see no sorrow on this day but for that of the families of your fallen comrades!" the queen shouted out with an almost masculine guffaw, placing a hand on her hip as she granted him a short bow - eyes never leaving his form as she did so. "It would be easier for the lot of us if you'd simply surrender the treasures of your caravan and went on your merry way! You can claim that nameless brigands separated you from your goods and used some teleportation spell to be off before a proper battle could occur…I promise I wouldn't tell!"

Her scarlet eyes glowed with hidden excitement as she continued to stalk forward, crushing the body of one of her own dead soldiers beneath her heel as she slowly moved closer to her prey. "Fan out, my dears, I believe we've got a live one here."

Certainly she wanted to make him panic with the realization that he was surrounded, but the woman couldn't help but want him mostly to herself. "Stop wasting your effort trying to protect a stash that you know will be ours by the end of this day. You should focus more on protecting your own hide!"

The woman pulled from her belt her most precious of weapons, a tiny eating utensil that began to glow fire-red at her touch. It grew quickly, a four-pronged spork easily five feet long, sharp as a dagger and held with both hands as if it were a lance eager to impale. The woman leaned down low, then sprang forward as if a hungry lioness, running at him straight-on with fury and glee.

[Selena]

Chikara charged forward, and a number of the queen's elite soldiers followed behind. Selena was tempted to spur her horse and join their ranks - after all, Chikara shouldn't be entitled to all the battle glory - but her eyes caught sight of something that the queen, in her furious bloodlust, may have overlooked. Flamethrower Man was acting as a distraction. The convoy was beginning to move and a large chunk of knights were going with it. Selena's eyes scanned their path of travel and, naturally, they were making for a large keep in the distance. If they were allowed to enter the keep then Selena would have a siege on her hands, and those were never fun. They lacked the madness of battle and required patience above all else - even the satisfaction of knowing that people were starving to death was not enough to make a siege worth it.

Selena briefly looked back at the soldiers regularly under her command. She held her spear high into the air and then pointed at the fleeing caravan. "Our game is fleeing! Hunt them down and rip open their throats!"

At her command, the horse galloped ahead of the Labyrinth formation and gave the fastest chase. She was exposed, but did not care. She could help slow things down by getting ahead and causing mischief. The Labyrinth warriors were limited to the speed of their legs. The convoy had the speed of horses on their side. With Pharos soon to be Chikara's victim, she wouldn't have to worry about being burnt to a crisp. In theory. That eliminated most of the danger.

Three mounted knights broke off from the convoy and moved to intercept Selena before she could reach the lead wagon. Selena dropped her spear down to her side, the point sticking out like the tip of a proper lance. If she could just angle herself correctly, then- yes. She ducked down underneath her enemy's lance and watched as her spear knocked the rider off his horse. If he wasn't dead, then the Labyrinth warriors could finish him off like piranas devouring a poor animal that had fallen into the river. Still shamed by her previous attempt at magical assault, Selena refocused her energies to make a second try. Frustration at her failure was a good fuel for it. Chaotic energy fed off anger and confusion and madness. This time, a solid bolt of energy slammed into the chest of a second knight. He, too, fell. More likely dead than not.

The third knight managed to close in and wind up for a hefty swing of his mace. Selena veered her horse off to the left and dodged the attack, forcing the enemy to circle back around. She had the advantage of weapon reach. When he closed back in she struck out to the side with her spear and hit the horse on its back leg. With a shrieking cry, the horse lost its balance and toppled over, sending the rider down along with it. There, immediate escorts cleared away. Others were riding up from the rear. She only had a limited time before the additional knights, or the footsoldiers sticking closer to the wagons, made a move. The Labyrinth forces were nearly there, but still too far back to be of help.

Selena rode to the front of the first wagon. The driver was too well concealed within to be a valid target. She liked her spear very much, but she could just as easily pick up another general spear or lance during the later parts of the conflict. She rode up to the front right wheel of the lead wagon. Lining up her spear, Selena tossed it into the wheel and watched as it came into contact with the axle, locking up the wheel and preventing the wagon from moving any further. The wagon driver was thrown from his seat due to the force of the stop and the horses reared up in distress. The wagons immediately behind the lead one came to a rapid halt. There was chaos in the convoy as wagon drivers attempted to move to the side and off the well-worn path to get around the incapacitated leader.

Selena turned around and drew the sword that had been hanging at her left side as a backup weapon. Her precious dagger was probably not suitable for combat on horseback. She rode up to an infantryman that was making a break for the jammed up wheel. No fixing allowed! Selena lashed out with her sword and hit him on the arm. He lurched to one side but did not stop. She rode after him and finished the job with a second strike. Swords were useless weapons. She need to find a replacement polearm. She rode off to the side, to where the fallen knights lay, and hung off her saddle until she could skim her fingertips along the grassblades. She took up a proper lance and, using the full power of her leg muscles, got back onto the saddle. There. All better.

That was when the full force of Selena's Labyrinth warriors came upon the knights of the Hall. Selena smiled. Ah, the harmonious discord of battle!

She'd slowed the convoy down, at least. She looked back to Chik to see if she needed any assistance, but, knowing the queen, she wouldn't want Selena's help to begin with. It was a sentiment that ran in the family - blood related or not.

[Sir Deimos]

Synile ran to place himself on the front lines of the battle. Some of the Labyrinth warriors he passed gave stupefied looks as to the large rusted and dull weapon he was carrying. He immediately noticed that the ruse seemed to be over with, and hastily disrobed his Hall armor. The heavy armor was an unwelcome burden. One part of the field seemed to contain a hall knight who seemed exceptionally gifted in pyromancy doing battle with Chik, and Lena seemed to have run ahead after the lead caravan. It had seem the Hall knights were already on the defensive, however. Selena via horseback seemed to have went deep behind the enemy lines, and it seemed to have not been the best of ideas. A larger force was working on trying to excise the legion in their ranks that she represented. It seemed her personal soldiers were already cutting a path towards their leader. Being that they were the closest force, Synile decided to join them.

Once he fell into their ranks, Synile's first order of business was to swing the big rust pile at the enemy. The sword merely dented the armor his target was wearing. Synile quickly unsheathed his katana with his left hand. A flurry of parries quickly enabled Synile to dance behind the enemy and sink the katana into the unarmored bits of the soldier. The knight was bleeding badly, and defeated, but not dead.

"You'll be my test subject." Synile sheathed the katana, and grabbed hold of the nodachi with two hands. With all the downward force he could muster, Synile forced the dull blade through the Hall armor, and into the abdomen of the soldier. The man screamed in a beautiful mix of horror, panic, and mind numbing pain. Hungry was the only way to describe the nodachi. The blade seemed to soak up the wounded man's blood. He was left as a shriveled dried husk of a corpse that was three sizes too small for the armor he once wore. The hollowed face was frozen in a glazed look of unbridled terror. Synile looked at the blade, it seemed a bit more polished than it had been. The edge was less damaged, and the area of the blade that had made physical contact with the injury now seemed razor sharp.

Quickly, Synile's attention was diverted as a mounted Hall knight thrust a rather large and imposing lance at Synile's face. Quick reaction time is all that saved Synile from impalement. With a twist of the wrists the lance was parried off to the side exposing the Hall soldiers armpit. Synile thrust the blade deep into the opening in the armor, and smiled with glee as the nodachi parted the flesh much easier than the first kill. The man screamed and grabbed at the blade with his other hand, but clenching the nodachi only resulted in his own fingers being severed. Once again, the sword seemed to soak the blood right out of the victim. Synile pulled the sword out of the knight's shoulder, and the shriveled corpse fell from the horse to the ground. The blade was looking a bit more polished after this kill, and glimmers of steel shown through in several places. Many of the chips and dents in the cutting edge were filled in, although a majority of the blade still seemed dull.

Synile had spent so much time admiring the unusual qualities of his blade, that he hadn't known the path to Selena was mostly cleared by now. He ran up to the woman and couldn't suppress his smile. She was looking so contentedly over the battle field, he just had to say something to tamper with her mood.

"So, notice anything... different about me?" Synile was basically waving the nodachi in the mounted warrior's face.

[JRPomazon]

Chikara charged with her strange weapon, glowing an eerie red as it was raised towards striking down Pharos. He didn't have much time to react and raised his staff to protect himself. The Labyrinth queen's weapon clashed with his staff, but the sheer force of her strike sent Pharos off-balance. Chikara followed up with a vertical slash to finish the mage, who was quickly trying to regain his stance. Pharos' hand began to blaze brilliantly and back handed the polearm from her grip. She instinctively leaped back from the fire and reclaimed her weapon as Pharos regain his balance. The flames over his hand diminished, his heartbeat racing after almost being finished. His hand had little burn damage and was still quite accessible. She was dangerous, but he knew that from the beginning.

He looked over briefly to see that one of the wagons had been subdued and swore under his breath. He quickly turned back to see two Labyrinth warriors charging to finish their queen's work. He struck them down with his staff, spinning it in his hands as the repeated strikes disarmed the false knights and left them incapacitated on the ground as they gasped for air. There was no need to kill them as the true knights of the hall arrived to slay their grounded foes. Chikara wasted no time rushing to the offensive once again, only this time to be met with burst of fire from Pharos' hand. She evaded and closed in, the two pole weapons clashed and locked into each other. It was not tested, but the Labyrinth queen seemed to be the one who would win in a contest of brute strength. She knew this, smiling deviously as though it were only a matter of time before Pharos' strength waned.

Pharos released his staff with one of his hands, the palm glowing brilliantly as a burst of fire was shot out point blank at the Labyrinth queen herself. Pharos immediately backed away, he knew that shot did not have the strength to end her life but would buy him a few moments to distance himself. He imagined she would not be so pleased once she regained her senses from the burns and smoke.

"All knights, to the caravan post haste!"

The knights finished their respected opponents and rushed to the delay wagons. Pharos snapped his fingers, conjuring a small ember that fell to the grassy ground. It sat on a greenery, glowing with a small hint of smoke. The weather had been dry all week, not much moisture was left on the ground. As Chikara regained her senses, the small little ember quickly growing into a fierce brush fire that began to spread wildly towards her and her troops. His staff began to glow as he began to control the wild pattern of the fire.

[Chikara Nadir]

Chikara had moved to the defensive as soon as she caught that fire was headed her way, holding her weapon as though a staff and twirling it in a frenzy to act like a fan against the bombardment of flames. Yes, Pharos' skill may have existed in spreading fire as though he were a dragon breathing it naturally, but one of her greatest assets was in adapting telekinesis to any situation at hand - whether in helping the small woman to uproot and toss trees or to aid her in blowing the burning ball back from whence it came.

The queen coughed hard from heat and ash, patting some cinders from her hair and wincing as she looked up in time to see her prey backing away as quickly as he could toward distant safety. But that wasn't the problem. The growing brush fire being aimed in the direction of herself and her men, however…

"TO THE GROUND!" the lady warlord shouted, legs spread wide to brace herself for her next move. From there she dove forward, slamming her hands into the earth and causing the dirt to quiver at her touch, rising up as a wave of moist soil and insects that teemed with agitation as they were overturned. It moved forward and outward, crescenting to protect Chikara's army from front, left, and right whilst it threatened to tsunami toward Pharos. The short hill of dirt rose up to meet the wall of flames head-on, a barrier that would not burn so easily as the dry kindling of the natural forest floor on either side.

The wave of dirt continued to slide forward, losing its strength as it came close to the offending flame-bearer and was forced to relieve its energy as it passed boulders and massive tree roots, finally sliding to a halt not far from his feet. But now Chikara had permitted him witness to one of her other favorite tricks…she had entirely disappeared.

For a moment the air was silent around the Hall soldier, Chikara's force of men splitting left and right to move forward from the sides rather than risking that Pharos would continue to meet them head on. Their queen could deal with him on her own.

And then he was attacked yet again, this time from the ground up. A tree root had coiled itself around his calf with a willow-like 'snap!'…no, not a root at all. A woven leather whip, the base of which was beneath the ground, and tugging him down hard. The earth below might as well have been quicksand, as the man found his foot sinking fast. A sharp yank and Pharos was down to his thigh, his free leg forced onto its kneecap to keep from falling over or being sucked further down. He had to think fast, or risk actively participating in his own untimely burial.

[Selena]

"So, notice anything... different about me?"

Apart from the fact that he was now in her way? Selena sighed. This was no time for idle chatter, but she supposed the Labyrinth forces were doing well enough to stop for a moment so that she could humor the man. Not that he needed encouragement to pester her.

"I see you found a rusty toothpick. That's very nice. Do me a favor and use it on those knights running over here to kill us."

Selena watched the Hall reinforcements coming up the side of the convoy to ruin her little party. Her troops hadn't been able to get into the stopped wagon yet, and, from the looks of it, it seemed as if someone had removed the spear from the wheel. It had been a good way to delay their movement, but things were soon to get rolling again. She needed her warriors to kill the last escorts before they could get to plundering, but those damned knights were holding the line. They must have been desperate. As a line of knights created a thick shield wall, the rest of the escorts piled into the wagons and hitched a ride as the convoy began to move. At great speed. The bastards were pulling out and getting the hell out of there. They were only safe in that keep. They knew it.

She needed a way to slow them down again, and Chik was busy fighting with the flamethrower.

Selena spurred her horse and let it break into a full run. She chased the new lead wagon in the convoy and came up alongside it. She didn't want to lose another lance or lose the wagon again, so perhaps she could hop on board and then cause it to crash. She'd be fine. Chik was more dangerous than a highspeed wagon crash, and Selena had managed to live for several decades without permanent injury. But with the wagon tipped over, the knights would have to take their time and pick up the heavy goods within. Not feasible with a Labyrinth army on your ass.

So, Selena rode up to the front edge of the lead wagon. She readied her lance to strike the driver as best she could. She mentally prepared herself to jump over. And then she noticed that a knight had gotten in the front seat with the driver. And he had a bow. And it was knocked with an arrow.

Selena brought up her arm as quickly as she could, the arrow blocked by the thick metal of her gauntlets. The sudden force of the strike was enough to launch the young warrior princess off the side of her horse, and she landed roughly on the ground. Her stolen lance flew somewhere else. Only her sword and dagger remained, and there were now many strapping young lads of the Hall heading her way. She drew both weapons, one in each hand, and cursed loudly at the sight of the escaping wagons. They were going to make it to the keep at this point. The Labyrinth would be lucky to take one of them.

"Well, so much for that idea," Selena muttered. She raised her voice loud enough so that Chik could hear, yelling halfway across the battlefield. "What's taking you so long?! Finish him!"

Mustering what magic she could, Selena sent a small sphere of energy into the top of a fleeing wagon, lighting the white cover ablaze with dark flame. That would send them into a panic. Maybe crash it. Damn it all. Well, she could find ways of breaking into that keep to murder them all in their sleep.

"Cowards," Selena hissed.

As the Hall infantrymen raced up to meet her and her companions, Selena found herself not far away from Synile. One knight attacked and she blocked his strike with her dagger, following up with a quick slash with her sword. With a gurgling scream, he fell to the ground, his last view of the world being the sight of most of his brethren fleeing in the wagons and leaving him to die. How pitiful.

Now, to go find a soldier with a pike or spear to murder....

[JRPomazon]

OoC: Pharos' attire is mostly robes with minimal armor, he is a mage after all. That's how Hall grunts know he is important. Well, that and the fire. EDIT: It was a whip after all!

He was losing his grip on the surface, the earth enveloping his body whole. He was literally on his very last leg. He looked up to see Chikara, smiling as she held the end of the whip bidding farewell to the mage. He closed his eyes and stopped resisting, quickly sinking into the earth with his staff. So he fell, into the dark depths of the earth he plummeted through dirt and rock. But this wasn't the end. The whip eventually released him and returned to the surface, its master reclaiming her weapon. The first thing he did was take in the peace, for the first time in days he found some peace and quiet. His staff began glowing brightly, although Pharos could not see it himself he could feel its warmth.

Above, the Labyrinth soldiers moved out from the trees. The last in line took their leisure, thinking themselves geniuses for waiting in the back as the other got killed.

"Come on now you bastards! Get moving!"

"Shaddup you ass! You call me a bastard one more time I'll skin you!"

"Oh BIG man right here! Come and give it a shot!"

"Shove it, the both of you. Save it for those Goody Greens!"

As they traveled over the ground, they felt something shift. The ground felt moist, soft and pliable as if it were made of clay.

"The hell is this?"

A large mass of fire in the shape of a hand came from the soil and engulfed the stragglers in its grasp, sending the earth around it asunder. Magma coated the inside of the hole and from the depths walked Pharos, covered in dirt clods. He breathed heavily, the ordeal had taken it's toll on him after being underground for so long. He took several deep breaths and looked up to see that that not much had changed since he was submerged.

Edited by JRPomazon, 27 May 2010 - 11:57 PM.

[Chikara Nadir]

"Oh honey! Where do you think you're going?" Chikara herself was thoroughly coated in soil, an inevitable side-effect of all the dirt and debris she'd been using as a shield against his fiery assaults - and as a subterranean getaway and ambush. That was one of the stranger magics that the underground dwellers of the Labyrinth had acquired over the centuries - the capacity to burrow with limited oxygen to hide from or attack their unsuspecting foes from below. Not everyone was a master at it, but Chikara was the queen for a reason. She had to work hard to rise up through the ranks as a petite female, and refused to be outdone in any way by her lesser commanders.

Still, the battle was beginning to take its toll on her as well. The woman had been forced to use some high-powered attacks right off the bat against Pharos, and muddy moisture hung against her brow as a sign that the extremity and literal heat of the situation had gotten her sweating. "I'm your opponent, dammit! Don't you DARE turn your back and pretend otherwise!"

Her whip snapped at him like an enraged viper, aimed to grab his leg out from under him yet again to pull the man onto his back. But he countered at the last second, calculated to prevent her from pulling her weapon away. Rather than Pharos' leg, the whip wrapped itself around his staff, which was quickly yanked from the diagonal to a horizontal, with two devious side effects. First it forced Chikara to either drop her weapon or be yanked forward with the item. The woman attempted to release, but did so just late enough that she began to lose her footing and accidentally stumbled toward her opponent a couple of feet. Secondly, while the lower tip of the staff was being naturally unwound of the now loose whip, the business end was now pointed directly at the queen - and had spit out another fireball straight at her face.

"Aa, sh-" Chik exhaled a half-slur that inadvertently sounded out the word for what she was about to become. She dove forward, escaping with only a few singed hairs before touching ground with her gloved hands and springing up again several feet closer to Pharos than whence she started. The queen grabbed at her waist, retrieving the magical spork again and silently begging it to grow back to full length as fast as it could. And once again they were in the thick of it, either soldier attempting to strike the vitals of the other with their heated weapon of choice. It was obvious that the spork was a secondary weapon for her, a staff and spear that she brought out for special occasions…but which she was not necessarily as adept with as a sword. However, she had the upper hand as far as strength and endurance were concerned, the result of years of relentless training in the infamous underground. "This can't last forever, you dress-wearing fool!"

Meanwhile, her soldiers moved while the going was good. Those who had escaped unscathed from the minor eruption caused by Pharos' escape from his molten tomb were smart enough to move on while their queen acted as a distraction. The majority had joined those under Selena's command, letting loose inhuman battle cries to catch the ambushed caravan soldiers off guard as they ran at them with axes and swords at the ready.

One chameleon of sorts whose skills were in disappearing into the shadows appeared in a form akin to the dark ripples of a wraith beside the younger warrior maiden, tipping their head and whispering a hoarse, nearly feline hiss of "Our lady hasss left usss at yourrr command. What arrre your ordersss?"

[Selena]

Selena's sword was buried deep within the neck of a Hall spearman, droplets of blood having splashed against her face from all the earlier fray. Her great reward was the man's weapon. Wiping the blade clean with her gloves, Selena sheathed her sword and picked up the newly liberated spear for her own use. It was heavier and not as well balanced as one of her own weapons, but it would do in a pinch. It was better than any other alternatives that she'd found.

She flung her head back to clear a few loose hairs from her vision and took in the battle scene. At least half of the Hall knights were escaping on the convoys - non-essential supplies shoved out the back to make room for the soldiers. The wagons were moving too fast for any of the Labyrinth warriors to catch up. It was impossible to try, so Selena's best bet was to finish off the knights left behind as a distraction, regroup her own soldiers, then march to Aydn's Keep to conduct the siege.

One of Chikara's hellish underlings appeared before her. "Our lady hasss left usss at yourrr command. What arrre your ordersss?"

Chikara had given her the authority to command the wraiths? That was... unusual. Point in fact, that was a very bad sign. Selena looked down the battlefield to where things had first begun and there was Chikara, still fighting with that flamethrower and looking as if she were growing fatigued from the drawn out fight. Oh... hell. Selena sighed and looked in the other direction, off toward the keep. A siege lasted a long time and Selena was just one woman - her troops could get it started just fine without her. But, then again, it was best to have a charismatic leader to organize them for the long battle ahead rather than leave them to their own devices. Selena shifted her gaze between the keep and Chikara several times before she finally made her decision.

"Your orders are to finish off the Hall soldiers in the immediate vicinity, then lead our troops to the woods just outside of the Hall keep. If any knights dare to leave the keep walls, then rip them apart. I'll join you shortly," Selena said.

"As you wissssh."

The wraith disappeared and materialized elsewhere on the battlefield, slashing a knight into itty bitty pieces.

"Got ya, you bastard!"

She turned her head to see one wagon career off the path and crash on its side, though all the other wagons managed to escape. Labyrinth warriors fell upon it instantly, killing those within and rifling through the goods. She didn't see anyone bring out gold. Just food. Oh, well. That would at least cut down the supplies the knights had. Shortened the siege time! Now, back to the hobbit.

Selena picked up a thick shield left behind some poor dead soldier and jogged over to a riderless horse. She wasn't sure if it was the same one as before, but it allowed her to climb into the saddle with her newfound weapons. She kept the shield raised to prevent the human flamethrower from burning her to a crisp as she approached, and she kept the spear in an attack position at her side.

Spurring her horse, Selena took off as fast as the beast would allow, heavy hooves thundering across the grassland. If the fire knight was too involved in his battle, then he would only notice Selena's presence after it was too late, and she could knock him over with her spear as she charged in. If he was observant, then, if nothing else, she'd cause the knight to hesitate in his attacks against Chikara and would buy the queen some time. Selena spurred the horse again and it took off faster, as it was easier to carry a woman wearing light leather than it was to carry a man in heavy plate armor.

She pointed the spear at Pharos' head as she approached and lined up for her attack run, ensuring that the kite shield was kept high enough to protect her face and body. She chose not to give out a battle cry, keeping deathly silent as she charged Pharos at top speed.



ooc: Since you're leaving soon, JRP, I guess a way to make this work is... you get yourself to the keep, and we just assume you're there for the duration? I'll make sure to add a line that says Pharos survives. Or whatever works best for you.

[Crimson Lego]

The events of the battle were passing by much too fast for Nazuma to keep track of without getting killed by the enemy. At first, it seemed the Labyrinth force had gained the advantage by deceiving the Hall convoy; unfortunately, he could tell that some knight was retaliating with fire due to the rise in temperature and the smell of smoke. The disguises that some of the Labyrinth knights had used to ambush the real Hall members seemed to have been neutralized, as most of the true knights were helmetless. Great, this is just great. What the hell do I do now? Smashing the knight in front of him with a powerful swing, the dwarf moved forward through the grass, his staff at the ready. Up ahead, he could see both Chikara and Selena Nadir fighting in the heat of battle, the latter using a sword and lance to decimate the Hall escorts. As if on cue, the rest of the Loddies poured upon the knights, screaming for blood. There, much better, he thought with satisfaction. It was time to take this fight back.

Leaping into the fray with his comrades, Nazuma looked around at the trees and noticed something rather odd. How come some of them aren’t burning? Even though it was obvious that most of the underbrush was being consumed in flames, most of the taller trees remained sturdy and…nearly burnless. Our men aren’t being burnt to death; what’s wrong with this place? Rather disturbed by it, the dwarf merely pushed the matter aside and concentrated on the battle. Noticing that not all of the Hall’s caravans were captured yet, he rushed over to help out to take the rest before they could escape.