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[JRPomazon]

"I'll tell you. But not here. Later this evening." He said, keeping his answers concise.

"Let's go back for now."

The two left the noise and the cheers, the dancing and singing, the jubilation of weary people finally able to embrace the comforts of their lives again. Seeing all these people in such a happy mood, it was unheard of in the Alliance towns and cities within Verden. He thought back to what Steel had told him several months ago, how in all his years of serving kings and leaders he had never seen such things as he did in Koridai, an empire that knew only the joys of thriving. If this town was only a sample of the power Chikara had held over the land she called her own, he could only imagine what the Arbiter's Grounds must have been like during the prime of her rule. Shadow raised a strong point. If Chikara had returned and if she was in any way the same person as she was when he last saw her, then she would have done something a little more drastic to the kingdom of Calatia. Unless Selena would be back . . . no . . . no their game is over. The time of their rule over the kingdom and empire has come to an end, their competition ended in a stalemate. Besides, the power of Lazu was sealed away in the battle of the Labyrinth. If Chikara had returned, she wouldn't be the goddess anymore.

The questions built up in Jordan's head, his skull feeling like it was expanding with stress. And the old words of old friends ringing in his head.

You have not been in the Empire in some time, have you? The people are happy, Jordan. There are no food shortages, little crime, and education and science flourish. If Chikara was gone, if a civil war broke out, the old scourges of famine, disease, ignorance would break out again. She is like no other ruler I have ever seen, Jordan.

* * *

Lucien did not speak to Egann after his condescending introduction. As an inquisitor, he was able to study people from how they acted. Egann's movements and responses were limited due to his current imprisonment, but the arch-inquisitor could tell that the man knew a considerable amount of information concerning the matters he intended to keep in the dark. He didn't have any solid evidence to his hunch but he didn't let that affect his judgement on the matter. Despite this, he decided to throw salt onto the wounds.

"Do you know how I did it, Gauvin?" He asked softly. Egann did not look up.

"Of course you do. The same way you and I know that General Shadow was not guilty of the crimes he was charged for. That's how I know it was your plan to organize the attacks. To save the nation from Solomon and his madness. And because you saw a little glimpse at what I was up to. But I assure you, you don't even know the half of it. But tell me, did you really think you could play it safe in the shadows and not expect me to find you? Ever since I arrived here two years ago.\ I've been working my way up all this time and allowed myself to be looked down upon by those whom I eventually surpassed. And when I finally got to where I needed to be, right below the puppeteer and right next to the strings, I waited. Writing scenarios I could control and manipulate as I saw fit to ensure that I ended up where I needed to be. It's a shame about inquisitor Gervais, if only he had betrayed me to serve your little cause he might still have a purpose in all this."

Lucien cleared his throat.

"So since we've nothing to hide from each other, just let me know how much it is you know and maybe there is a chance you could take Gervais' place."

* * *

Jordan and Shadow returned to the carriage, not finding Leo or the others there. The horses and other mounts had been placed by feeding troths and the carraige parked properly on the side of the building. The supplies were emptied from the back. As the two of them inspected what had happened, Eivor came out from the inn wearing a new dress to replace her Calatian clothing. For a brief moment, Jordan realized that Leo either had dumb luck or impeccable taste in choosing clothing for women.

"We had enough gold to get a room for the night. We convinced the innkeeper to give us all one room." She said.

"We aren't staying here. Synile is still out there and we need to get going as soon as possible." Jordan protested.

"The animals need to rest and I need to sleep in a bed. I want to go too but we can't keep pushing ourselves like this."

She made a valid point. Shadow probably wanted a break from driving the carriage for 12+ hours a day as they hunted down carnage in hopes it would lead them to Synile.

"We leave early in the morning then." Jordan replied.

Eivor nodded and quietly left the two of them. Jordan looked around and then leaned against the parked carriage.

"We had traveled to a place called Voo Doo Isle in Korento, we being myself, Selena Nadir and others from the Kingdom of Calatia. We were told that a weapon that could seal Lazu and kill Chikara Nadir resided there. Naturally, we ended up making a hell of a ruckus in the jungle . . ."

Jordan quietly went on to explain everything to Shadow. Acquiring the sword of Diel, traveling to the ruins of the Labyrinth in the Cursed Lands, the separation of the many avatars of Lazu and how they fought them and won with Junvenal's various weapons and artifacts in the pits of the Labyrinth's main halls, the final battle with Juvenal who had wanted to control the cursed lands and the escape of Chikara and Selena into the darkness and to a place he imagined was far, far away. And as Jordan retold the evens of a few months ago, he began to piece together the facts about the goddess and what might be happening at the Arbiter's Grounds. The undead abomination in the wasteland, could it have been reanimated through the residual power of Chikara's curse? Or has Lazu's presence begun to seep back into the world? Despite his questions, he knew that whatever the case did not change his end goals. He was going to the heart of the Empire. He was going to find Gwen.

Edited by JRPomazon, 27 March 2012 - 01:33 AM.

[SL the Pyro]

With a much-needed canteen of water in hand, Shadow listened intently to Jordan's recounting of Chikara's "final" battle, filling in the missing pieces of the puzzle that was the great mystery of Chikara's disappearance.

"Well... that's kind of ironic, really."

Jordan looked at Shadow with a raised eyebrow.

"You would think that being possessed by a God of Chaos would turn a person completely and utterly evil... except I know enough about Chikara to know she was already completely and utterly evil. And yet all of Lazu's previous avatars still had some effect on her conscience... turned her into a good ruler who was legitimately loved by her people." He laughed lightly. "When you think about it, Lazu taking Chikara as an avatar might've been the best thing to ever happen to her... and as sad as that is, I can't help but laugh."

He then sighed with frustration.

"But then Selena brought her back to her old, jerkass self..." He looked down the street, in the direction of the people who were still partying. "There's no way Chikara is back. If she were, then she'd have retaken the throne as a tyrant instead of a Goddess... and that's something I doubt these people would be celebrating."

He drank from the canteen again.

"There is something very wrong happening at the capital, and Synile didn't even make it there yet... why is Koridai the center of disaster lately?"

[JRPomazon]

"Chikara Nadir was not a woman I can say was entirely evil or good. She served herself and her own purposes, she merely had the time and the power to accomplish them. But from what Steel told me about her, she did seem to legitimately care about the people who followed her out of Verden. Who knows just how close he was to her. If she had completely succumbed to the influence of Lazu or the other avatars in her head, the world as we know it might not even exist."

He resumed his people watching, almost absent minded as he saw the crowds shift and move across the street.

"Taking that all away from her, maybe that was the best thing that could happen to her."

Shadow drank from the canteen again.

"There is something very wrong happening at the capital, and Synile didn't even make it there yet... why is Koridai the center of disaster lately?"

"The empire solely relied on the support of Chikara as the goddess, without her things would get muddled up rather quickly. And they did it seems . . . until recently. That being said, I agree with you. I can't say for certain that this returned goddess is Chikara but someone found the need to bring a goddess back into the picture."

A thought came to mind.

"You mentioned Solomon when we met on the mountain pass. I'm surprised you did, since I thought I left him to die on Windfall Island. What was he up to when you left?"

[SL the Pyro]

"Ugh, so he was going off after you at the same time the empire was coming apart at the seams... typical."

He racked his brain for the events preceding his escape from the Arbiter's Grounds.

"From what I can tell... Solomon didn't take Koridai's condition well. You having done a number on him didn't help. When he saw all the destruction and desecration, I heard he lost his mind and locked himself in his room for a week or so... apparently it was enough to make the Inquisition want to take control. Tried to warn Solomon, don't know if I succeeded though. Didn't really get the chance to see either, since as soon as Solomon screwed his head back on straight, he went on his Marshal Law tangent... you know the story from there."

He drank again as he took a moment to think.

"You know... I don't think Solomon is behind this 'returned Goddess' business. Sure he was wholly devoted to Chikara, but... that's the thing, just Chikara. I've never seen him show an ounce of respect to anyone else in Koridai, not even Steel and certainly not me..."

He snapped his fingers in realization.

"You know what? I'll bet you anything this has to do with the Inquisition's takeover scheme."

Edited by SL the Pyro, 27 March 2012 - 07:32 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

“Who wanted the beer?” shouted out the innkeeper.

“That would be me,” said Leo in response, walking up to the counter. What his height didn’t show his axes made up for, and even the more drawly customers moved out of his way. Reaching up to take his glass, he dropped a few coins on the counter, said “Cheers” to the innkeeper, and made his way towards the assigned room. Opening the door, he saw all four of Shadow’s men snoring in what seemed to be a deep sleep. Running for days would exhaust you a lot, thought the dwarf amusedly. Deciding to leave his rifle and the Noreshang inside the room to lessen the weight he had to carry around, Leo closed the door quietly and made his way back outside.

Seeing as Jordan and Shadow were having their own conversation by the carriage (discussing what appeared to be Chikara’s return to Koridai), Leo went for a quiet stroll of his own through the imperial town. Can’t hurt to take a look. Taking a sip from his beer, the dwarf had to admit that living conditions were not at all what he had imagined Koridai to be like. As an Empire ruled by the woman who had nearly single-handedly, albeit with the help of the God of Darkness, wiped out thousands of homes in northern Verden, he had assumed an iron fist would be required to maintain order with its new citizens, most of whom would have been former inhabitants of said homes.

Here, though…everyone seemed fine. People were cheering at Chikara’s apparent return, (which Leo felt to be a hoax; from what he knew of Labyrinth history, there was no way Selena would have forgotten their ancient rivalry). While the people of Calatia had devoted the past few years to fight against the country set up by Chikara, these people were embracing what she had done, and had apparently forgotten everything about the past. Unless they’re all brainwashed, this is actually ridiculous. For Leo, the Lost Woods had been the only home he had ever known, and he had joined Calatia as a means to seek revenge upon Chikara. He had spent the past 3-4 years weathering the cold of the mountains and Snowpeak Ruins, hoping one day that his efforts would lead to the destruction of the harsh ‘Holy’ Empire that forced brutal living conditions upon its people and a military dictatorship at its head.



Now watching the children play with a ball in the field while drinking his beer, Leo wasn’t so sure about his past views of Koridai. Maybe I’ll see even more when we get to the Arbiter’s Grounds, he thought regretfully, turning and making his way back towards the inn. It was time to get some sleep before the group headed off again in pursuit of Synile.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Having never been part of the Calatian army to begin with, Ken fortunately had little to worry about in terms of looking like the enemy. That did not stop him from looking odd though. Between the wolf mask and the old fashioned clothes, Ken might as well have had a sign around his neck painted to say “DAMNED SUSPICIOUS WIERDO”. Naturally, when they finally got a room at the inn, he was one of the first ones rushed inside. At first, Ken picked a small corner to lay down for a while, but he found himself restless. He stood up and looked around the room, and eventually walked over to stare out the window.

It was strange, in a way. Ken could tell people were happy out there. Yet for him, he could not unsee the shadow of the world that used to be. These were not the lands of his birth, or the lands he traversed as he became a man. It made him wish in a way that he could be as happy as the people in the streets. But, he had lived his life tied to the traditions of his family, of his home. To simply be uprooted and replanted into prosperity would be impossible for him.

Ken looked down out the window to the carriage where Jordan and Shadow were discussing their next move. He was not sure what was happening exactly, but for what he did know, he was satisfied. Synile was still out there and needed to be stopped. And if stopping him meant more places like this could continue to live happily, Ken was okay with that.

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 28 March 2012 - 09:32 AM.

[Sir Turtlelot]

Turtlelot sat in the stable with the mounts. He decided to stand guard for them while the others slept at the inn. Buying a room for him would have been pointless since he does not sleep. He also knew that he had to stay out of sight from the villagers, as to not draw unwanted attention to the group. Leo did a rather good job distracting the guards earlier, but it could only work once. Turtlelot was simply waiting for dawn's first light, so he could wake the others and leave this town.

The metal man decided to meditate to pass the time, but something was... wrong. Since entering the empire Turtlelot had a strange feeling in the back of his head, but he could not quite figure out what it was. Something about Koridai was not right, or perhaps it was something in Koridai that was bothering him. The android tried to shrug it off and continued his attempts in meditation.

[JRPomazon]

OoC: Shadow's men are no longer in the main party, they left sometime before the zombie dragon fight.

Jordan didn't say anything when Shadow mentioned a takeover. An internal struggle within the last remaining factions of the empire? Shadow's theory seemed plausible but in the end it was only a theory. Solomon wouldn't be so foolish as to be used so easily, he was a fanatic not an idiot. That's what made him a threat.

"Maybe. You being branded a traitor makes a little sense now if that were the case. But I'm not entirely concerned about sneaks and spooks hiding in the dark. If there is a goddess and even if she only has a fraction of the power Chikara did, we still have larger issues with that than dirty diplomacy."

He didn't want to shrug off Shadow's thoughts on Koridai and the inquisition. He figured it was important to him. But he didn't care for such things at that moment. He couldn't even remember the last time politics were as large of a concern to him in general. Because there would always be plots and those that plotted them, men who preferred to be connive and control over the world around them. And frankly, they were scum. As they would get closer to the capital, things would be clear. That's just how these things worked out most times, it's what he'd grown comfortable with when it comes to these journeys and travels. He looked to Shadow, who seemed deep in thought over his conviction and the inner workings of the imperial underbelly.

"You keep scrunching your face like that, it'll be stuck permanently you know." He replied with a lazy smile.

He got off from leaning on the carriage and reached back to scratch his his head and neck slowly, heading towards the inn.

"I need to get a bite to eat."

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow wordlessly watched Jordan reenter the inn, deciding to linger by the carriage for a little while longer. He looked to the night sky that was beginning to form. The stars were looking especially bright tonight...

He sighed depressedly, but still managed to chuckle. "Maybe I am just reading into it too much..."

Red light shone out of the corner of his eye. He didn't need to look at the source to know what the source was: the faded image of the flaming bird Phoenix, visible and audible only to him, its massive form perched atop the carriage.

"Figuring out how people's minds work is a lot harder than figuring out their bodies, isn't it?"

Moreso than one might expect. To successfully deduce someone's actions and motives before they execute them will not work every time. Intelligent beings always have the potential to attempt the unexpected.

"Attempt the unexpected..." Shadow repeated to himself, before chuckling a little louder. "I guess that's why I'm so bad at it. It requires luck, and luck always has the chance of not favouring you when you need it to."

Such is the reason one prepares for every outcome they can envision, rather than a single outcome. And, if possible, they manipulate those outcomes so that every instance will lead to a desired result.

It was an interesting notion. Shadow almost thought he heard it before... what was it the method was called? A "Xanatos Gambit?" Sounded right, though damned if he knew who "Xanatos" was.

It is not something everyone can do, and those who can are typically well-known, rightfully-feared and regardlessly-respected beings.

He could see the reasoning in that. People capable of pulling all the strings like that, exerting their influence in many different and beneficial ways at once, practically had the whole world at their fingertips. He was pretty sure the likes of Selena and Chikara fell into that category. No wonder they were so dangerous that they alone plunged this entire nation into civil war. It was unnerving to know that the both of them were at large again. "Do you think something like that is happening in Koridai right now?"

Right now, it is impossible to say. The best evidence is gathered from the source.

Shadow drank from his canteen again, this time emptying it. He let out a puff of air and said, "Things were so much easier when I was naive enough to think cutting down everything in my way was the best solution..."

The best accomplishments in life are rarely ever the easiest to achieve.

And how right the old bird was. Koridai was in ruins, that much was obvious. Saving this nation from what it had become obviously wouldn't be easy, given what it was founded on... but just because it wouldn't be easy didn't mean he had to give up. As he decided to head into the inn and retire for the night, he swore he would find a way.

He'd already lost the Woods and Ur'Almen... he'd be damned if he lost a third home.

Edited by SL the Pyro, 28 March 2012 - 03:54 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

ooc: Gah, my bad. Just pretend nobody was in the room before Ken’s character entered, then.

Having finished the entire beer and still not feeling tired, Leo spotted Turtlelot by the carriage and mounts, as though he were standing guard over the latter. I guess sleep’s one thing he doesn’t need either. Strange how there were such things as advanced as humanoid robots and androids in the world, but the dwarf was glad such a being was on his side. Turtlelot had proven himself over and over again in the fight against Koridai and, more specifically, Lazu.

Making his way towards Turtlelot, Leo gave him a nod of greeting. “You gonna stay out all night?” he asked, setting the beer glass on the ground and leaning against the carriage.

[Egann]

"So since we've nothing to hide from each other, just let me know how much it is you know and maybe there is a chance you could take Gervais' place."

Lucien. I should have figured.

Egann knew something funny was up when he felt remarkably at peace while being interrogated. He hated to be thusly honest with himself, but he was more the kind to squeal than to bide his time. Such patience and longsuffering was uncharacteristic of him. It was as if there was an aura around this place which he was drawing strength from. No, that wasn't quite right. Part of him felt that way, to be sure, but only the part that resembled the aura. The rest of him felt like it was drawing strength from anger. A reaction of sorts. It was very hard to understand.

“In bed with you. Not terribly tempting.” Egann sighed and stood up to the bars. “If you were really interested in offering me a place, you would have offered this Gervais the same opportunity. After all, he was probably bought before you ever met him, right? No thank you.”

You just want me to join you just to bide your time to stick a knife in my back.

“Besides, I know enough to put you on your heels, too. You're checkmated by fate. I recognized that girl you were talking to from before the explosions. Gwen, right? I also sensed a glimmer of chaotic power.”

You mean that I sensed chaotic power.

“You've obviously found some way to preserve the Goddesses power with Gwen, and with that you can keep Solomon on a leash. But I doubt it'll work for long. Even now the power is degrading, in part because all you've got is a sliver...but primarily because Gwen was never a suitable vessel.”

“What do you know? Tell me! Tell me now!” Lucien grabbed Egann's shirt-collar through the bars and yanked him closer in.

“Her own goals with no sense of community. An ancient crustacean from the Labyrinth. No human can be a truly perfect avatar for Lazu, but Chikara came close. Gwen, however, is not Chikara. She has a strong sense of empathy and community. Her spirit is aligned with Diel much more than Lazu. Now you've given her a sliver of the power of the Goddess of Koridai in her. The end result is unstable; a spirit aligned with Diel can't house a power from Lazu, at least not of any power or for a significant period of time.”

Lucien let go of Egann and stepped away in disgust.

“Gwen's spirit is slowly consuming and canceling Lazu's power like it's a poison. It's only a matter of time before Solomon notices 'the Goddess' is hardly godlike anymore.”

“And if I find a way to infuse the rest of Lazu's power into that girl?”

It wouldn't save you. Only kill her.
“It wouldn't save you. Only kill her.”

Edited by Egann, 28 March 2012 - 11:34 PM.

[JRPomazon]

Lucien looked down on Egann like an ant that had somehow pushed aside an elephant. Then consumed it. How? This man, how could someone of such a low rank possess this sharp a mind? How did he know about the transfer ceremony? How did he see all of Lucien's move with such foresight? How did he do it? And his words, his reasonings, they undermined Lucien's attempts for true, unchallenged power within the empire. The arch-inquisitor cursed himself inwardly for overlooking such a dangerous obstacle, but it was of no concern now. Egann was smart but he didn't know everything. He could only speculate as much as the arch-inquisitor himself could.

"You're deductions . . . I won't lie to you Egann Gauvin I am impressed that you've seen this situation with such clarity." He said, his demeanor as cool as he could make it.

"But the transfer ceremony was perfect in every way. Your threats of a goddess losing her power are nothing more than desperate speculation coming from a man in chains. She is the goddess in name and in power, I can assure you of this. But I must say that you've have certain grown to be a true thorn in my side. You'd be just as dangerous as Solomon is . . . if you were to be left alive. I should let you know that in a few days you will be executed in front of the people as one of the conspirators that sealed the city in so Solomon could commit his genocide. One last scapegoat to be a sacrifice to the goddess and the people will love her even more. And with that love will come my control, my guidance to a proper Koridai. It was a pleasure to finally meet someone with a grade of intelligence within these borders, although a pity I'll have to be rid of you."

Unwilling to even look down at Egann, Lucien turned around and knocked on the door. A guard opened it from the other side, Lucien quickly leaving Egann to himself. Lucien did not let Egann's words escape so easily from his mind. If anything he said had even the slightest amount of credibility he would need to consider new routes to take should the worse happen.

* * *

Jordan skipped dinner and retreated straight to the bedroom. The innkeepers, a young couple of well dressed people had been kind enough to show him where the room was. As he entered the room, he noticed that an entire corner of the room was filled with their weapons and valuable supplies. Ken sat by the window, taking notice of Jordan as he entered the room. Jordan gave him a tired wave, Ken nodded. It was good that the wanderer responded to simple gestures, he didn't seem like himself for a long time. There were three beds in the room and two mats placed out on the floor. Jordan was a little surprised that the innkeepers would let them have one large room like this, the kindness of strangers prevailed in strange lands.

 Not willing to bother with asking for a bed, he claimed one by falling on top of it and resting his head on a pillow. As he closed his eyes, he wondered whether he would dream during the night.

* * *

Solomon had been having the same dream every night since he had been defeated. The dream of him, standing in the mirror chamber with the others of Chikara Nadir's quadrate, looking up to the goddess herself by the mirror. He believed to know the meaning of the dream but every night it remained the same. His heart was devoid of rage or any other emotion he could think of, his will completely crushed at the hands of the new goddess . . . Chikara Nadir's usurper. It should at least irritate him that a false goddess stood where she did, commanding the empire and receiving the love of the people. But he felt nothing but defeat and weariness. Not even his sense of self-loathing and hatred could break free from the doldrums.

Night was coming soon to the empire. A night, full of stars in the sky and lights down below. He wondered why it was that he should remain alive? In the eyes of many, he was a fiend beyond reckoning. Lucien would command the people more if he were to be publicly executed. Why was the arch-inquisitor hesitating to finish him off? Had he decided that letting him live would prove to be a worse fate than death? Or perhaps it was a matter of how to kill him. But these thoughts soon gave way to the real troubles of his heart.

Koridai rejoiced. Koridai prospered again. And yet, this was not the world he set out to create with Chikara Nadir leading the way.

What had gone so wrong? Why? Why? Why had things go so wrong? Wasn't he strong enough? Wasn't his faith to the goddess true? Why? Why did Chikara Nadir leave? Why do the people not see that the new goddess was not the true goddess? How many people realized this? Did anyone realize this? No, this wasn't right. It wasn't right at all. THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT THIS WASN'T RIGHT.

This world had grown just as rotten as the last.

Then, a moment of insight within the madness of grief. THE MIRROR. Solomon opened his eyes through the haze of his own dread and remembered what it was that happened. Chikara Nadir disappeared in his dream, her reflection remained in the mirror. He rushed off his bed as far as his chains would let him. The guards on the other side, who had grown used to the quiet, were startled.

"I request to speak to the elder priest Faust." He said, his voice muffled from the other side of the door. The guards looked at each other, not entirely sure what it was he intended to do.

"Someone fetch the priest." A templar guard said softly.

"Are you mad? We can't submit to his demands, he's a prisoner!" Another said.

"He was never discharged from his position as Grand Marshal. I've followed his orders for two years and I can't help but think he'll come right out and beat us to an inch of our lives if we don't."

The others looked at the door and then at each other.

"We will seek him out." A templar said to Solomon.

Edited by Game Master JRPomazon, 04 January 2013 - 01:41 AM.

[Sir Turtlelot]

The sun had finally started to go down, as dusk rolled in. Soon it would be night, and Turtlelot would be able to move freely through the town, to an extent anyways. Then a familiar voice spoke to the android.

“You gonna stay out all night?”

The android looked over to see Leo and replied. "Seems to be the plan." Turtlelot rose to his feet to and said. "After all if something happens to the mounts we won't be going anywhere."

The metal man was somewhat confused by the dwarf's presence. Sleep was a necessity, and sometimes even a luxury of the mortals, at least it was to Turtlelot when he was a man. "So why are you not asleep, Leo? You know we've still got a long journey ahead of us, you could use it."

[Crimson Lego]

Not a bad idea, thought Leo after Turtlelot explained his presence. Lighting a pipe, he watched the setting sun and replied to the android’s question, “Thought about it, but I don’t feel too tired right now. Maybe in a couple minutes or so; I also find I don’t require much sleep in general, so there’s that.” Blowing a puff of smoke, the dwarf added, “With what happened earlier, stuff like that is hard to get off your mind.”

A few minutes of silence passed between the two of them, robot and dwarf; the majority of the town’s inhabitants had collected their children and headed in for the night. Partly to break the quietness, which he found unsettling, and out of his own curiosity, Leo turned back to Turtlelot with an indifferent expression on his face. “Turtlelot, have you ever thought about what’s going to happen to you once the next Avatar of Diel arises? Once he or she does come forth and reclaims the Sword, is your soul going to pass on to whatever occurs in death, or will you continue to possess this armour for eternity?

“I only ask because I personally feel that you’ve become an invaluable asset to Calatia, and, if I may say so, a good friend of mine as well.”

[Sir Turtlelot]

Turtlelot gave a small chuckle to Leo's question. "Ah, but General Crimson, I'm sure we are both well aware that nothing is for eternity. The next avatar will simply relieve me of my duty as sword bearer, assuming that they earn it of course. As for how long I shall possess this suit, that is an uncertainty, similar to how you are uncertain on how long the rest of your life will be."

Turtlelot found Leo's last comment to be very heartfelt, and even somewhat flattering. "I consider you to be a good friend as well Leo, perhaps one who worries a little too much though." The android said with a light sense of humor in his voice. "However, what’s important at the moment is our current mission, finding Synile before he can do more damage."

Turtlelot began to sift through the bags on Winston and on the carriage, and pulled out some food for the mounts. As he was feeding them, he asked “Leo, who is that strange fellow with us? I believe I overheard one of you calling him Shadow. What’s his story?”

[Crimson Lego]

At Turtlelot’s question, Leo couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched the android feed Winston. “That man is actually, formally, General Shadow of the Holy Empire of Koridai. He’s been one of the more well-known military commanders outside of those in the Quadrate. ” Pausing for a moment, the dwarf continued, “Fortunately for us, or at least me, he too came from the Lost Woods, which didn’t seem to make him like Chikara too much; that’s the reason I joined Calatia rather than Koridai, in any case.”

Lighting his pipe, Leo sat there smoking for a minute, and then made his way towards the inn. “Well, I think I’ll get that sleep now. See you in the morning,” he said with a nod. Opening the door to the loud and raucous shouts at the bar, the general extinguished his pipe to prevent a false fire alarm and made his way towards the assigned room.

Opening the door silently, he glanced at Jordan and Ken, both of whom seemed to be fast asleep, and chose a mat for himself. Pulling the covers over, Leo put his hands under his head and stared at the ceiling above him. So it seems that Chikara really has returned, he pondered, recalling the celebrations outside again. In that case, once the group had dealt with Synile, it would be nice to know what had happened to Selena; whether she was killed, still alive, or being held prisoner in the Arbiter’s Grounds.

Rolling over, Leo closed his eyes and let his mind drift away…

[JRPomazon]

The Elder Priest Faust had been in the service of offering the divine guidance to the people of Verden for many decades, living a life of piety and devoted to the teachings he shared. Despite being a priest of Diel in days long since past he too knew that the power of Koridai's goddess was no trifle or trickery regardless of it's origin. After all, to be a prophet of Order you mustn't ignore the truth of Chaos. So, he provided whatever services he could as a priest. The only difference was that he changed the focus of worship from a god to a goddess. Despite the hypocrisy in his methods, his heart still remained loyal to the god of order who had so abandoned the land to the whims of Lazu's avatar and hid his true feelings as best he could in the presence of the inquisition and their blood thirst grand marshal. However, with Solomon sealed away and a new goddess reigning over the empire the old man felt that he could breath just a little deeper in the days that unfolded.



It was unexpected though that the disgraced marshal would want to call on him at such a time. The news was unnerving and worrisome but he felt no particular urge to deny the request. So he decided to come to Solomon's chambers on the condition that he be protected from Solomon himself if the need should arise. The old man wore fine white robes accented with gold and crimson and walked with a cane, his age was great but his body managed the strain of tired days. As he arrived with two templar nights at his side, the guards around Solomon's door noticed the old priest's arrival and prepared to move away from the door.



"He's here." one called to Solomon from the other room.



Solomon was broken from his gaze at the wall and looked to the door.



"Send him in."



The guards looked over to Faust, who was able to hear Solomon's latest request. They seemed hesitant to comply. Faust raised his hand.



"It will be . . . fine . . . " The old priest said, his voice sounding tired.



Two templars opened the door and crossed through, the elder priest following slowly behind them. As the old man crossed the threshold, the door behind them was swiftly closed and bolted. The old man considered to fear for the fact that he was now trapped in this room but reminded himself that if he was to die he would have done so years ago.



Solomon remained on his bed, sitting on top of it with his legs fold up against his chest and his arm resting at his side while the other lay on his bent knees. The templars did not expect to see Solomon act so lax, he never seemed to offer a moment before that gave the impression that he was ever relaxed.



"Elder Priest." Solomon said, engaging in introductions.



"Grand Marshal . . . you have . . . called . . . for me . . ." Faust replied.



"I have. I have asked for you to ask you some questions on a delicate matter."



"You . . . come seeking my guidance?" Faust asked, surprised by Solomon's request.

Never had the Grand Marshal ever consulted with any priest of the church, since he considered their words second to the voice of the goddess himself. In some strange way, he was thought to consider himself a prophet. For him to ask a clergyman for advice or guidance was most unprecedented.



"Yes." Solomon replied bluntly.

"However, I would like to ask without the bystanders."



Faust was uneasy about being with Solomon, let alone without anyone else. But the nature of this visit and Solomon's general nature did not seem to provide a sense of fear. At least not the variation he was expecting. He nodded, allowing Solomon and him to speak in private.



'Very well . . ."



The two guards left the room, prepping themselves to be ready to prevent Solomon from harming the old priest if the need should arise. After the door opened and shut, the two men were surrounded by the dreary ambiance of stillness in the room.



"How did Arch-Inquisitor Lucien learn of the Mirror of the Twilight?" Solomon asked, his piercing eyes escaping the veil of his long hair and set upon Faust.



The old priest shook as Solomon's question rattled him.

"The Mirror of the Twilight? How do you know . . . the name of that artifact . . . Lord Solomon?" The priest asked.



Solomon kept his gaze on the old man.

"I was a member of the goddess' quadrate, there are many things I know. However I am not without my questions."



"And you . . . wish for me . . . to enlighten you . . ." The priest asked.

“I do.” Solmon replied almost instantly.

Faust was very nervous about the explanation Solomon was giving. Out of all the "delicate" matters within the empire, he chose the one as fragile as spider's silk.


"I understand that the mirror stored a great power placed by the goddess herself." Solomon said, looking away from the priest.

"She never explained why, no matter how many times I asked her about it she would never divulge why she sealed power within the mirror. I had . . . considered many reasons as to why but ultimately the answer eludes me."

“ You are well learned . . . on the subject . . . However . . . that knowledge was not meant . . . for the inquisition . . . but for the church.” Faust explained, looking back at Grand Marshal.

“His holiness . . . the Pope and a few of us . . . were offered . . . the privilege and duty to understand . . . the knowledge on the subject. But even still . . . the inquisition has ravaged . . . this privacy . . .”

Solomon's gaze returned to the priest.

“Then explain how Lucien learned of this as well.” Solomon asked in a demanding tone.

“He was entrusted . . . with the information . . . concerning the mirror . . .”

“WHY!?” Solomon shouted, causing the old man to shake. The templars at the door prepared to enter the room at any moment.

“Because . . . it was the only way . . . to stop you . . .” Faust replied.

Solomon’s eyes grew wide.

“You . . . desecrated the power . . . you so horribly claimed . . . and began to spill blood . . . so mercilessly . . . so it was decided . . . that we use . . . the last resort . . . left behind by the goddess . . . Lord Lucien . . . he came to us . . . during the eleventh hour . . . in our time of need . . . and requested we use that power . . . to save the empire . . . and so . . . with heavy hearts . . . used the last gift we had left . . .”

Solomon looked away from the priest, his world returning to the shambles it had just left.

“ . . . he was told of the mirror’s power . . . and a way to use it . . . through the Twilight Ceremony . . .”

Solomon’s suspicions concerning the mirror and Lucien’s involvement in the new goddess had all be proven correct but the bitter truth that he had been used like so many other factors by Lucien shook the inquisitor greatly.

“If you know this then we both must know that the new goddess is a false one!” Solomon interjected, his old manners coming through the veil of calm and quiet.

“You are . . . mistaken . . . Lord Solomon . . .” Faust replied.

“The power the goddess sealed . . . was her own . . . to be kept and safeguarded . . . if anything should fall . . . upon her . . .”

“Despite . . . that the body is . . . foreign . . . the power and will . . . is of her ladyship . . . the goddess . . .”

“You are dismissed.” Solomon said. He couldn't handle any more answers.

The doors opened from the outside, two templars swiftly moving in to guide the old man out. Solomon did nothing to antagonize or threaten them, he only remained on his bed as he had been since the priest first arrived. As the doors closed, Solomon remained in his despair. But he did not sulk in a darkness without a light. He sat on his bed. He sat and he focused on reflecting on what he knew. And slowly . . . he began to feel a little more like himself . . .

[Sir Turtlelot]

As the dwarf headed inside, Turtlelot stepped outside the stable into the empty market street. A former Koridian general.... interesting. The metal man thought to himself as peered down the road. Nobody was out, as expected. The villagers must be in bed preparing for tomorrow, yet another working day.

Deciding it was best to remain in the stable, in order to not attract any unwanted attention, Turtlelot couldn't help but feel somewhat disturbed, though he wasn't sure about what. It was very unlike him to be unable to meditate, as his mind was almost always at ease. It was as if something was trying to warn him that something was not as it should be, but the only question was what? Perhaps he would discover whatever the cause is tomorrow.

It's going to be a long night.



* * *


Dawn's first lights shone over the horizon. Finally Turtlelot thought to himself, having been unsuccessful in his attempts of meditation the night before and being unable to leave the stable. It had proved to be a very dull and very long night, but now he could finally wake the others and they could leave.

The android got up and quickly left the stable and entered the inn. The innkeeper was not even up yet, but Turtlelot continued to others' room. The rest of the group was dead asleep, and Turtlelot already knew that he was going to be everyone's favorite person for this, but they needed to leave as soon as possible.

"Everyone get up and pack your things, it's morning." The android announced to his sleeping comrades.

[Crimson Lego]

The ‘letting his mind drift away…’ didn’t last for very long. Though he couldn’t tell how long he had been asleep or whether he had been at all, Leo could feel something in the environment around him. The room the expedition was currently occupying had a Must be the wind, he concluded, after listening for another full minute. Rolling over, the dwarf closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.


But there it was - the unmistakable but nearly silent sound of rubber rubbing against sand. Throwing his covers off without a sound, Leo retrieved the Noreshang, which happened to be nearer than the Kao, and drew a knife from his belt at the same time. Moving towards the window, he looked up towards the moon and noted the direction in which it was shining; almost in front of him was a shadow cast by the moonlight. Looking in the direction, he took a quick peek outside the window and pulled back instantly. Yes, there was somebody there. Based on the quick glimpse he got, Leo judged the man to be of a heavy built but nothing he couldn’t handle with the weapons at his disposal. No insignia or uniform could be sighted, even with the moon’s aid. I’ll take care of that. Sheathing his knife, Leo opened and closed the door silently, making his way into the drinking area of the inn. The majority of drinkers had dispersed to either their homes or rooms, leaving the room almost empty. Giving a nod of acknowledgment to the bartender behind the counter, the dwarf opened the front door and calmly walked around the building.

Now at the corner where he was sure the intruder was behind, Leo looked around the corner again and, due to the fact that said intruder had his back to him, he could get a better view. Red uniform. Koridaian military? It seemed as though the intruder, who was likely a scout, kept the minimal dress uniform on to keep himself disguised or from giving away too much information. About to move and attack the scout, a sudden thought came to Leo and he stopped in mid-throw. If he had orders to kill us, he would have done it by now. Come to think of it, he probably would raised the alert long before now if he even knew we were here. Peeking around again, Leo watched as the scout moved off to the other side of the inn for a minute, and then made his way across the plains of Koridai.

Yes, it was much more likely that the man in question was merely snooping around for information; who knew what his mind was set on. For the time being, we’re probably safe. Making his way back to the room, this time through the open window, Leo set his weapons down, laid down on his mattress and fell asleep almost immediately, the night’s events having to seemingly exhausted him.






Morning came without a hitch, as they were woken up by Turtlelot. Replacing his axes on their respective belt holders, Leo moved over towards the android to ask him a discreet question. “While you were awake, did you happen to notice any disturbances in the night? Say, Koridaian military passing by?”

[JRPomazon]

Jordan moved slowly, his body starting up one function at a time as his mind returned to the waking world from restless dreaming. He had a terrible night, his head ached despite how rested his body felt. He slowly rubbed his face and worked his way to his scalp, running his fingers through his hair all the way back to his neck. The scruff of his face had begun to look more like an unkept beard, shaving was inevitable. He stretched one leg out from the side of the bed to the other, standing up quietly and walking towards the open window. He didn't pay attention to either Turtlelot or Leo, who had seemed to have been awake for much longer than him or the others in that room. The light of morning hit his face but the sign of a new day did not bring comfort to him. The town remained cloaked in the shadow of a rising sun, buildings casting long shadows along the ground that reached across streets and to the doors that stood directly in front of them. It was early but the time wasn't what made him feel so wary. It was the rising sun, a sort of blood red rising from a horizon of rooftops that caught his awe.

"Bad sign." Jordan spoke quietly.

A breeze blew by the open window, brushing against Jordan's face. It felt stale, much like the air of the wastelands they had visited a few days ago.

[Sir Deimos]

Each step brought the village closer and closer into view. The fog of early morning clung densely to the earth, and the first rays of the rising sun cast shadows that seemed to make the buildings sink back, as if they were trying to turn away from Synile. Synile stopped and stared, taking in the sites of the town. He closed his eyes and raised his arms, whirling them about as if he were conducting music only his ears could detect.

"Oh yes. This place will sing for me."




BAM. Olivia was startled awake. She turned to face her window and her was greeted by the earliest rays of the sun. Hardly sunrise yet. Clarence's side of the bed was still warm. The door must have slammed shut as he left to tend to his work. He was rarely so inconsiderate. I knew he hasn't quite been himself lately. That poor husband of mine works himself too hard. Olivia's could feel her eyes slowly closing again. Just as sleep was beginning to wrap its warm cloak around her once more, the noise sounded twice as loud. BAM. Olivia jerked herself up. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. That wasn't the door closing.

"Clarence? Honey, are you still home?" she called out. Silence returned her call. Olivia leaped out of bed and went to the closet. Clarence kept the sword there. It was the blade he took into the battle of Olimandias. Clarence still kept it sharp, but had long since forsaken using the weapon. Another noise drew Olivia's attention. This one much more subtle. It almost sounded like someone had dropped a wet mop onto the floor.

Desperately clutching the blade, Olivia opened the bedroom door a crack and looked out into the hallway. From her vantage point she could see down the steps, and a bit of the kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place. That didn't fix the churning in her stomach. Something was very wrong. It wasn't something she could put into words. It was just WRONG. The silence too silent. The darkness before the pre-dawn light too dark. Summoning every ounce of courage she could, Olivia forced the door open all the way and slowly began her descent down the steps. It seemed like each step upon the stairs made them creek out, and with each creek her fear multiplied. Something was in this house. She could feel an oppressive presence as if it were behind her the entire time, breathing upon her neck.

After what felt like an eternity she reached the bottom of the steps. There was some shape out of place. In the far back of the house, near the back door. Upon the floor was something that should not be. Summoning every ounce of her being screamed at her to run, compelling her to get out while she could. Somewhere deep down she knew if she ran she would die. Her only choice was confrontation. She closed her eyes and charged the shapeless thing, screaming. She felt the blade connect with flesh, and collapsed upon her target in a heap. Forcing herself to open her eyes she gazed upon the thing she had slain.

It was the body of Clarence, her husband. He had several deep gashes, and was split in two horizontally. She gasped. Frantically she surveyed the scene. The back door was smeared in his blood. His hand still grasped the handle. She looked down at her clothing, covered in his blood, and screamed. It was still warm. His entrails coated the kitchen floor like it were some slaughterhouse. A figure stepped out of the shadow towards her. She shrieked in terror. Screaming with everything her body could muster. The figure was pure black, with green eyes that seemed to gleam in the darkness. There was a flash of metal, and the screaming stopped; replaced by a wet gurgle. Her body collapsed onto the floor on top of the remains of her husband.




"Fynn, I'm telling ya, I 'eard a fucking scream."

"Well, Knives, I ain't hear shit. So just calm down man."

"We gotta get out of here quick like. What if it's 'e broad we stole all 'is from?" Knives had a point. Fynn hadn't heard anything at all, but if that was just by chance it wasn't work getting caught for.

"Alright then. We'll split up is what we'll do. You take half, I take half, and we'll meet back at the place. Just in case you's not mistakin'." The haul was surprisingly small for a house that big. A couple time pieces, an ornamental sword, and some actually silver silverware. Nothing worth getting arrested for. And they had taken too long looting the place anyhow, and the sun was just beginning to peek up above the horizon.

After splitting the haul and securing it, the two men waved goodbye and head out in opposite directions. They both knew the plan. Fynn took as many side streets as he could. This place was technically a 'village', but it was more like a step below city. Being on the trade roots caused all sorts of growth once the goddess came into power. Something a'int right here... Despite the random turns he had taken, Fynn could not shake the feeling that he was being followed. He stopped to look over his shoulder, and behind him the very shadows seemed to be trailing after him. Fynn started walking faster now. With another quick glance over his shoulder the shadows seemed even darker than before. Fynn began to panic. Now he was running down the streets. Left. Left. Right. Left. Right. Right. Fynn was making random turns as he ran, trying desperately to shake whatever was following him.

Suddenly he was face to face with a dead end. He was so frantic he had made a mistake. Fynn put his back to the wall and pulled out his dirk. He stared out into the alleyway. The pre-dawn mist gave the musty old alleyway an air of the forbidden. Slowly what little light there had been seemed to drain from around him, and a man stepped out from the shadows. The figure was all in black, and wore a huge sword on his back, as well as a more modest blade at his hip. He wore a cloak, but Fynn could still make out piercingly green eyes, and flesh as pale as moonlight. Fynn felt his body relax. Whomever this was certainly wasn't going to arrest him.

"Oi. You ain't no law. Bugger off before I shove that sword up yer arse." The figure walked towards Fynn with slow, deliberate steps. "I ain't joking man. Back the fuck off." No response. No reaction. The figure in black slowly but steadily closed the gap between the two. The fear began to flood back into Fynn all at once. The darkness was so thick now. Fynn, remembering the dirk, lashed out at the stranger, but the blackness seemed to engulf his entire arm. It was like trying to swing through molasses. Suddenly pain. It was too dark to see what had happen. Fynn pulled his arm back to see it had been severed below the elbow. But there was no time for shock. A blade appeared from the billowing darkness and pierced Fynn's chest. The air in his lungs escaped in a persistent hiss. Fynn gasped desperately, but could get no satisfying breath. The darkness. Fynn was surrounded by the darkness. This murky, dreadful, inky black enveloped him, and would be the last thing he'd ever see.




Synile had started the fires, but his bloodlust was nowhere near satiated. A handful of villagers lay butchered, but what are the lives of several people here or there? No. There was much more to be done. There was something special about this town. Something had driven him here. His feet seemed to act on their own, and placed him before the door to an inn. Quaint. Small. Synile was done with subtlety for now. His sword arm itched for an actual challenge. By now the dawn sun had completely emerged from the horizon, and it was blood red. It seemed to fuel his rage. He was unable to control himself any longer. He was a creature of chaos, and chaos was when he felt most at peace.

Synile kicked the door to the inn off its hinges. The innkeeper was behind the bar, and there were a few patrons eating breakfast. Without a thought the cursed nodachi was in Synile's hand. A woman shrieked and jumped from her table, intending to run. Synile caught her in the neck with a throwing knife as she reached the far end of the room. The bartender had grabbed an axe from behind the bar and ran towards Synile. As the man swung the weapon, Synile's blade severed the axe head from it's handle as if through butter. The nodachi blade connected with the man's face just below his eyes, and cut the top of his head clean off.

Before his corpse could hit the floor another patron had tossed his table, hoping to distract the murderous intruder. With a flurry of strikes the table exploded into mere slivers, and withing seconds Synile was on the man. Synile swung low, and the nodachi bit, separating the unfortunate soul from his knees. With his left hand Synile grabbed the man by the face and slammed his skull into the floor. Synile screamed a wordless howl, and forced the man's head into the floor repeatedly until nothing remained but pulp. But there was more work to be done. As if in a berserker rage Synile smashed tables, and threw chairs. But Synile was at the liquor now. Wrenching a cask of ale from where it lay on tap, Synile hurled the barrel into the bystander and heard the sickening crunch of bones breaking.

"Good morning." Synile said to himself. Synile reached for a bottle of hard liquor and broke it over the bar. Using one of the candles lighting the main room of the inn, Synile set fire to the bar. It was only when he heard the crackling of the wood that he began to smile.

[SL the Pyro]

"WHAT IN BLAZES?"

The former general's voice bellowed from the second floor of the inn in obvious discontent. He'd been woken up by the chaos caused by the fire and screams in the town... but he paid it no mind, thinking it was just a result of those partying idiots celebrating the "Goddess'" return.

At least until whoever started the fires had the gall to bring them right to his doorstep, and he was not at all pleased about it.

Clad in his civilian clothing, he ran down the stairs to see that the bar on the first floor of the inn was already at least fifty percent engulfed in flames. Not a problem for him, but it was for the people still in here-

-and he quickly recognized one of them as the murderer they were after. "Synile..." Despite the seriousness of the current situation, Shadow had to smile. "He hasn't beaten us to the Arbiter's Grounds after all!"

This may be our only chance to stop him before that changes.

But before that, he took note of the people here... or rather those that were here. Whether some had fled or not, those that remained were visibly dead. Sad, yes, but it came with a silver lining: Synile's madness had given Shadow plenty of his most powerful weapon to work with, and there were no witnesses to something that would ordinarily blow his cover. Big mistake.

He swung his arm in an arc, then pointed his hand and Synile and closed his fist. In an instant, the fire in the inn had gathered in a definitely-unnatural wave intent on swallowing Synile whole. But fully aware of the chances of this offing the crazed Calatian warrior right away, he drew his sword in defense of the impending counterattack.

"...What are the chances that we can get the other people upstairs out of there safely?"

Given the nature of your opponent, that may be best left to your allies.

Not the answer he was hoping for. He promptly shouted upstairs, "WAKE THE FUCK UP, LAZYASSES! SYNILE MADE A HOUSECALL AND SET THE INN ON FIRE!"

Edited by SL the Pyro, 20 April 2012 - 12:58 AM.

[JRPomazon]

The smoke hadn't visibly risen to the upper levels, but the smell was becoming stronger as the fire grew larger. Jordan heard Shadow from the bottom floor, although muffed by the walls blocking the sound. His stomach felt like lead. He looked around the room with his tired eyes wide open in urgency. They had taken some of their supplies from the wagon outside and moved them up here, a few pairs of clothes and food they had purchased. Their assorted weapons were with them as well. Most of these items were expendable if the situation called for it. Everyone else had heard Shadow, looking straight towards the open door of the room. Eivor looked especially shocked.

Accessing the situation, being in a building that was on the verge of being consumed in fire was far from ideal. They had to escape first before dealing with Synile. Turtlelot could survive in the worse conditions and had the Sword of Diel to defend himself with if he encountered Synile.

"TURTLELOT! GIVE SHADOW SOME BACK UP!"

Jordan turned the other side of the room. They had no way to go down except the stairs and if Synile was there then escaping past him might be too dangerous. Jordan called one of his standard spears, reaching his hand out and pulling the weapon to him as he reached his arm back to his body. The motion conjured a burst of wind that ran throughout the entire room.

"Stand back!"

With his arm pulled back, Jordan thrust the spear into the wall next to the window. Air had gathered around the blade of the polearm and as the point of his spear penetrated the wall the wind that was circulating around it caused a large portion of the wall to explode out into the street. Some of the debris shot back, none of it posing a threat to the people inside the room. Concentration of where wind gathered was more complicated that creating gusts but still basic for Wind Manipulation.

The ground below was still a ways off, an average fall from the height would hurt and possibly injure the jumper. However, Jordan could handle descents much greater that this height. He called his second spear with his free hand, leaping down to the ground below. He landed gracefully despite the thud his impact made. He had taken off his bracers and leg armor before he fell asleep. He would have to do without. He looked up.

"Everyone! Get down now! We'll corner him from below!"

That was part of his plan, along with escaping a building that could very well burst into flames.

Ken, Leo and Eivor had ran to the edge of the floor, looking down at Jordan in the shadow covering the streets.

"Eivor! You first!"

She looked at the ground below, trying to judge the distance.

"NOW!" Jordan shouted.

She quickly leapt off the side, Jordan planting his spears into the ground as he ran to catch her. She landed hard on top of Jordan. He quickly put her down on the ground.

"Get to the carriage, get it away from here and from the flames! You know how to get the horses to go?"

"Yeah." she replied.

"Good. Now go."

"But Synile-"

"GO! We'll take care of him now GO!"

She left to the carriage and got out of harms way. Jordan looked back towards the entrance of the inn, which was glowing red with the flames of the bar.

Edited by JRPomazon, 23 April 2012 - 11:07 PM.

[Sir Turtlelot]

"Right." Turtlelot said as he quickly left the room and headed for the stairs. Synile's murderous rampage was on the metal man, since he was the one who saved him from the collapsing Labyrinth, now it was time to put an end to it. Turtlelot hoped that the others were able to make it out of the burning building alright.

The android reached the bottom of the stairs to see the ex-general face to face with Synile, though something seemed slightly different about the madman. Now wasn't the time to dwell on such things, and Turtlelot approached, unsheathing the holy sword.

"Synile." Turtlelot said in a stern, almost booming voice. The madman's piercing green eyes locked with the metal man's burning yellow eyes. "Your atrocities have gone on for far too long, and it is time for them to end once and for all. Here or in Snowpeak, you choose. It doesn't matter to me."

[Crimson Lego]

The man was resourceful, Leo would give him that. Early in the morning while almost everyone was still asleep was a great time to light the inn on fire. Watching in relief as Jordan was able to make an escape route while Turtlelot ran to fend off Synile, the dwarf nimbly leaped down from the upper floor. Landing cleanly in the dirt, he watched as Eivor pulled the carriage to a safe distance; Leo’s goat and Winston, thankfully, took the hint and followed her. There we go. Wielding both axes, Leo ran around the inn, avoiding the massive flames and looking for a way to enter.

Unfortunately, Synile seemed to have started the blaze in a very convenient spot – right where all the liquor was behind the bar. It seemed as though, however, the front section of the inn was still enterable. Pulling the injured he could reach out of the doorway, Leo then moved in. Avoiding falling rubble, he made out Synile, Turtlelot, and Shadow near the bottom of the staircase and moved behind him.

Readying the Noreshang, the dwarf waited for either one of the three to make the first move.

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

A far distance away from the village, the imperial scout met up with his designated squad. The 8 of them were just a handful of makeshift soldiers who had banded together to search for the traitorous General Shadow and the few men that had escaped with him. The highest ranked among them was a sergeant, but they hoped to be greatly rewarded by the Goddess for the General’s capture. If they ever found him, that was.

“Report,” asked the leader in what he thought was a leader-like tone.

“Scouted out the next area, sir,” reported the scout. “Listened at the inns along the way; I couldn’t enter in, but there was no sign of General Shadow I could make out.”

“Ex-general,” corrected the sergeant.

“Yes, sir. There was a carriage being guarded by a rather odd figure, but there was no sign of them there either. They were accompanied by a few others, but not enough to be the ones we’re looking for.”

“Good job anyways. We’ll move on to the next village and see if we have better luck there.” With that, the squad turned and continued heading west, oblivious to the rising smoke in the village they had just left behind.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken's eyes shot open as all the chaos started to erupt. He had been sleeping so peacefully, glad to be around allies, but there was no helping an attack. At first unsure of what to do in his freshly wakened state, his eyes were looking around for threats, seeing none at first, but eventually he picked up what was going on; Synile was here.

With everyone going where they needed to, Ken jumped down after Eivor, landing on all fours to help mitigate the force of impact. Looking up to see the fires that had begun to burn the inn, an anger stoked in Ken, a frustration at the pointless violence. Gripping the handle of his sealed sword, Ken quietly uttered the prayer needed to unlock it, a promise to protect his allies and those who liced in the village.

Drawing the sword, he looked to Jordan, nodding to him—he would be ready to go when the spearman was.

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 27 April 2012 - 07:01 PM.

[JRPomazon]

OoC: Sorry for the delay fellas, lots of things happening all at once and what have you. I'll be doing a little controlling here of some characters so don't mind me.


Jordan turned to Ken, noticing his nod and turned back towards the smoke coming from the inn. Eivor was safe, the others in position. Jordan rushed towards the inn, holding his spears ready to strike. However, he noticed a sort of glimmering of light. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and it was as if the air suddenly grew colder for an instant. He leaped back as the wall in front of him exploded into debris of stone and insulation, cut into several large segments in what seemed like an instant. As the dust rose and flew out of the building combined with the smoke from the bar, Jordan quickly swung his spear to create a gust to blow them away. Synile stood in front of him and the others, his green eyes leering with a glimpse of madness and blood lust. Jordan felt a chill run up his spine. He tried to analyze the wreckage, attempting to figure out the method of strike he used.

Synile said nothing, his mouth forming a grotesque and ravenous smile. Holding his long nodachi with a single hand, he tilted the blade into the darkness created by the shadows in the exposed room. With a devastating quickness, the cursed swordsman swung his massive sword down into the shadow shaded ground and a sudden burst of intangible shadows rose from the ground like writhing snakes and rushed towards Jordan and the others with an unholy speed.

"DODGE!" Jordan shouted, leaping out of the way of the sudden attack along with Ken and Leo. The force was evaded and crashed into the building behind them like a wave on the beach, silently ripping the walls open and apart like a swarm of blades. Jordan landed, looking behind him to see what Synile had done. It was similar to the attack in the mountains, he formed some sort of projectiles out of nothing and attacked with them. If only he knew how.

"Jordan! Above!" Leo shouted.

Jordan looked up to find that Synile had leaped above him, preparing to cleave him like a woodsman to a log. Jordan raised his spears, clashing with the nodachi's blade as the polearms interlocked with each other to push back the force from above. Jordan quickly had to take a knee on the ground, Synile's raw strength was unrurly and unexpected. He glared at Jordan, his eyes piercing through his own as if he were looking through his soul as if it were a sheet in the daylight.

"Syn . . . ile" Jordan grunted as he attempted to gather his strength to push Synile back.

"Wrong guy." Synile replied.

The mad swordsman raised his sword up quickly and delivered a savage kick to Jordan's side. Jordan let go of his spears as he was knocked over. Jordan shouted with pain as the moment passed, sideways in the dusty street. Synile took no time to enjoy the scene and attempted to run his sword through the downed warrior. Smiling very, very hard.

OoC: Oh god, the suspense is KILLING me. Who will come to my aid?

Edited by JRPomazon, 14 May 2012 - 06:51 PM.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

He was meant to be the guardian of his village. A village now gone in a cursed land.

He swore to protect the one he loved. And she disapeared into the new world with his humanity.

Before him, a dear friend was at the edge of death.


NO.


Ken charged at Synile from behind, shouting a beastial battlecry as a blue aura beginning to enwreath his sword, empowering the blade with his very soul. One of the first things he ever he learned from his former guardian spirit. Ken swung the large, heavy blade with a horizontal strike, smashing into Synile's side. As strong as the insane warrior was, the force of impact was great enough to send him flying a few yards. Turning immediately to face where Synile landed, Ken charged again, bringing down his blade in a large vertical arc. It was blocked this time as Synile brought his sword up. His body was pushed into the earth a couple inches, but he seemed to take the impact well, pushing back against Ken wtih his own great strength.

Ken stumbled back a bit, getting himself into position between Synile and Jordan, hoping to at least hold off the insane warrior until Jordan was back on his feet. Through the holes of the mask, Ken's eyes burned with a righteous fury as a growl vibrated deeply in his throat. What was truely astounding was how the wolf mask on his face seemed to animate. The once closed mouth drawing open to reveal bared fangs.

He was born to protect others—it was about damn time he protected someone!

[Crimson Lego]

“My turn,” said Leo, returning his attention to the fight and stepping back to regain his footing. Once Ken was safely out of the way, the dwarf made his move. Whipping his right arm up, he hurled the Kao upwards towards one of the intact supports; the axe sliced through the wood easily, sending it swinging down towards Synile’s head. Simultaneously, Leo gripped the Noreshang with both hands and swung it towards Synile’s legs.

Unbeknownst to him, a rather large flaming beam broke off from the ceiling and fell down towards Leo’s head…

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow was... surprised and impressed at the response and ready time of this ragtag group of manhunters. It had taken them not even a few minutes to get out of bed, evacuate the burning inn and engage Synile with everything they had at their disposal.

Also, Leo's axe-throw accuracy, tossing it back at the inn and causing two flaming support beams to come flying out at Synile. He'd have to ask how he managed that, because the ex-General was rightly puzzled. Or maybe it was just luck, he didn't know.

It wasn't a flawless tactic though, as one beam was headed for Leo rather than Synile. Not a problem; Shadow pointed at it and launched a fireball of his own, the impact causing it to split in two and miss Leo entirely. There, problem solved.

Seeing no need to get into the thick of the action while his comrades were there, or at least not wanting to chance having them caught in the crossfire, Shadow performed his own careful analysis of Synile. He was a man that he only recognized from pictures and descriptions given by the Imperial Army, known for being Calatia's most ruthless berserker. Certainly not their best tactician, but he didn't need to command a unit; he was a genuine one-man army. But where did his immense power stem from? It didn't take much for him to sense that it was coming from Synile's weapon, his nodachi. But something wasn't right... Shadow could clearly tell that Synile was not drawing power from it, more that it was flooding into him on its own. It made him question what kind of control he had over it. After all, what is great power without any control? The answer: a glass cannon.

Shadow knew what had to be done: if Synile gained power from his weapon, then the surest way to stop him would be to relieve him of it.

Leo's attack turned out to be a failure; Synile's swung the nodachi upwards to downwards, both cleaving the flaming debris in two and drove Leo's oncoming axe swing into the ground with a single stroke. It was and impressive and telling display of the power and skill the gang was up against, and it left the dwarf vulnerable. Now Shadow chose to act: with the speed he was famed for, he got in between Leo and Synile just in time to parry his counterattack, though he jumped away before Shadow could land one of his own.

"He's strong... too strong for a regular human." Shadow addressed his group. "I can feel the dark power from that sword giving him strength. If we can get it off of him, this'll be a whole lot easier."

As for how they were going to do that though... he wasn't yet sure. What he did know was that factoring in Synile's speed with that blade, Shadow himself was the best diversion until the others could come up with a plan. And so he pressed on, his black coat billowing in the wind as he readied his black sword and a volley of fireballs to clash with Synile's nodachi...

"Let's dance!"

Edited by SL the Pyro, 15 May 2012 - 07:28 PM.