Topic: Fringe Sojourn

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-06 00:51 EST
Fringe Sojourn

Part I: Lost in Translation

~ ~ ~

"You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are." ― Joss Whedon

~ ~ ~

Lygian Foothills, Inner Arc. Behind the Front Lines.

The party was relatively small, especially given the fact that they represented the greater portion of the finest and most powerful force the Empire had ever turned out: the First Sword. Kristoph, Fiona, Kaius, Brend, and the Lady - as Brend's silent companion was known, as she was only in the habit of talking to him. A small force of regulars, lead by a man named Vicks accompanied them. It had been six weeks since the group had gathered and began the preparations for their journey to the Inner Arc, towards the supposed ruins of an ancient Puhra Dahli holy city, a journey that would take them along the front lines and then beyond them - as they were no longer an ambassadorial force working on behalf of the Empire. Now they were the growing Rebellion.

"Twenty, twenty five miles to the front," Kaius spoke, just having come back from surveying their progress. He'd been transporting them when he could, when he'd been able to summon enough energy; the normal means of Imperial travel had been denied to them or more specifically to Fiona. It had been less than hours since her defection that she'd found her ties to the Imperial gates severed; the Empire's mages were taught to feed their energy into 'pools', which in turn were channelled into systems like the Gates as a power source, and without access to that system Fiona withheld the innate power, but was denied access to it. Atticus himself had broken the enchantments made to syphon her power away for Imperial use, enchantments that had been hidden within a comb she wore in her hair, which he returned to her - inert; he also gave her a spell book, as it were, of exercises to start with, to repeat over and over at the end of the day until she felt she could draw the power for another. Their travelling for the moment at least, was left to Kaius, who, evidently, had other ways of travel, that at least superficially looked as though it were a manipulation of the Imperial portals....though not as large or far reaching, they did have the advantage of being opened anywhere, as long as you took time to familiarize yourself with the area.

"Can you manage another gate?" Brend inquired, but Kristoph cut him off.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-09-06 00:55 EST
"We'll camp here for the night. We don't know the state of the front anymore, it would be better if we were all fresh." Brend appeared dubious.

"You think there's something left?" he paused, then added, "How long has it been since you passed through' Months" The Harvester's were with us the whole time. They followed us in....and did their work." Kristoph's face clouded, then became stone.

"Someone might be left." It was hard to tell who they were talking about, or if it was even the same person or people. "We'll camp here tonight. Everyone's tired, they need the rest." Kristoph shot a glance at Fiona, one he knew she wouldn't appreciate but he couldn't help it. They were more used to this lifestyle than she was, and she was performing admirably - more than that, they traveled 8 hours a day in saddle and through gates, the remainder of her days were more often than not allotted to martial training. The finer points of the sword were hard to teach, but Kristoph could testify to her determination; both he and Brendryck had taught her to use a mace in lieu of a sword, or in addition too, but training with that came after the blade, when everyone was already winded. She switched to the mace, while they maintained wooden blades, and each of them had unexpectedly let their cockiness get the better of them once, and had been knocked half senseless.

Fiona listened.

She always tried to pick up on things they discussed to try to understand their situation better. Of course, she would have to ask about the Harvesters later. When she heard Kristoph's comment, she did appreciate his concern and consideration, but she wasn't pleased about how she held them back. She had been improving, though never enough in her own eyes. She may have managed to get in a few lucky shots but that was all. Her wanting to be able to keep up with the rest always gave her the resolve to try even harder. She decided that some of the time she had been granted to rest this evening would be used practicing from the book Atticus had given her.

The group dispersed to arrange their own accommodations for the night, but Kristoph caught Fiona's attention as they began to part and he remained a moment longer. As the others moved out of earshot, he leaned near and took her by the arm, and spoke softly.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-06 00:57 EST
"You don't have to eavesdrop," he smiled, that secret only barely there smile, often the only one he let betray him, "you're either part of the group or not; no one is above or below among us." The others were moving off already, drawing canvas out of bags and beginning their prep. The regulars stayed amongst them, and were a bit gruff, and had a rather morbid sense of humour when it came to their own mortality; they'd always speak their minds - to anyone - because they thought there was a decent chance they wouldn't live long enough to even collect their pay, which they seemed to find amusing.

Some of them were good people, some not; almost all of them were hard.

A burst of laughter and swearing came from them now, interrupting the exchange between Kristoph and Fiona, and his hand dropped from her arm but caught her fingertips as an afterthought before he could turn to leave. "You could turn out the lights a little earlier, too," that same almost cryptic smile, "they kept me up half the night, that and whatever Atticus has you muttering. Sleep when you go to bed tonight." He let her fingers fall free.

Fiona was taken off guard by his initial comment.

"I did not mean to?" she trailed off, only realizing after she began that he did not imply it as an accusation but as a comfort. Then her concern faded to keeping him awake with her studies, and her light, which brought a different kind of comfort to her. "The Harvesters Brend mentioned?" according to her own preference for formality, she would have referred to him as Brendryck, but his nickname was used so commonly in the group, it had become just as instinctual for her. ?"what are they?" She couldn't tell from how they discussed them if they were good or bad, though her own perspective of 'sides? now seem skewed from what they once were. The tiny lines around his eyes drew in slightly as she mentioned the Harvesters.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-09-06 01:00 EST
"They're the ones that..." he looked away from her, down into the valley and stared for a moment. That was the direction they were headed, and that was where Brend indicated they would have been - and already left. "Men. They're men of the Empire. Second Sword mostly, I think, which is essentially working as an Elite 'humanitarian' force. They go in, after we've been there....and take what?s left of value for the Empire; they harvest the seeds of the next generation, to make sure that the next generation belongs to the Empire." It was the most clinical description he could give, and that made his throat rise; he felt shame, guilt, stupidity, all because they merely existed - the Harvesters - the First's nickname for them. He wasn't sure how much of the other Swords were subverted by groups like them, but it couldn't be permitted to continue. For that reason alone, the journey to the holy city was a good one; if the Empire wanted something there, which it did, then someone else had to get there first.

Fiona looked down briefly, realizing what they were. She may not have known them by that name, but she knew about their assignment. On paper, in her office, she read how their tasks were essential for the Empire. But just like Kristoph's description, what she read was equally clinical. It was easier to gain detachment from the situation that way. But seeing it, even just barely, on his face and hearing their effects in his voice painted a clearer picture of exactly what they did. "Do you think there may be someone left?" She found herself asking a similar question of Brend's, almost hoping for a more confident positive answer, even if it may be a lie.

He sighed, looking back over the valley.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-06 15:30 EST
"Brend's been wrong before. Not very often, though." It was possible, that is after all what had lead them to discovering the Harvester's work in the first place, before they were as powerful as they were now; that's part of how he'd gained the affection of the Puhra Dahli, by stamping out the official practice within the Empire. But that had only worked on the surface, as he'd later come to find out. Now they operated without any oversight - at least none the Emperor was willing to substantiate. He fixed her with a sad smile, "We came to them all, once, the First Sword that is - those of us who were out in the field. We came to them as....unifiers. But when we returned....we found that we'd become gravediggers."

It was then that Lady approached them, just as Brend was moving amongst some of the trees, gathering kindling from the ground. "We're getting supper started, you two better get your gear setup; if we're cooking that means you're cleaning up and doing breakfast in the morning. If you're not too tired from studying all night." she said this with a pointed look at Fiona, and a slightly crooked smile tugging the corner of her lips. Her tone had been somewhat condescending, but it was impossible to tell if she meant it to be mean, or just matter of fact. Like any other of the few interactions between her and Kristoph, he met her attitude with a completely stoic and accepting quiet.

Fiona closed her eyes hard when Lady spoke of her studying. She opened them and looked to Lady with a small, embarrassed smile. "All right," she said to her as she began to follow her instructions. Before walking away from Kristoph, she gave him the same small smile. "I'll try to keep it down tonight," she said commonly, teasingly referring to her late night use of light and her "mutterings".

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-09-07 23:02 EST
~ ~ ~

Darkwatch, Past Twelth Bell. There was movement in the camp, the sentires had alerted the regulars first, given that the sentires were officers themselves, then passed word up the command hierarchy. It was more important to get boots mobilized so that by the time command was ready to issue directions, they were able to act on their orders. Tents were unceremoniously opened and their occupants roused as Brend jogged down the line waking people. Kristoph and Fiona were awakened without much notice of what was going on, but he paused outside Kaius's tent - thinking it better to let him keep resting in the event they needed to move soon.

"We've got contact, let's go." Brend's disregard for command etiquette and cavalier attitude were manifest as usual. 'L' handled the regulars, giving short, uncontested commands and making sure they weren't wasting time in their preparation.

Kristoph rushed from his tent blinking, and pinching the bridge of his nose before the world came into focus. He hated being startled awake, although there was something to be said for the adrenalin rush that accompanied it - so long as it was necessary for survival.

"Brend," he called loudly after the man as he was moving away, "details please."

Brend turned on a heel. "Huh?"

Kristoph shot him a deadpan glare, "Combat' Rout' Retreat?" Brend's head rocked back as though he'd literally been struck by the realization.

"Oh! You were right. Maybe. Movement coming up out of the vale, sparse groups, slow moving. Survivors, maybe?" He shot Kristoph a look that would have been better suited had Brend been the one to think there might have been someone the Harvesters missed. Kristoph glanced at Fiona, blinking again.

"Shouldn't need weapons." Which was easy for Kristoph to say, as he was already wearing a sword on his hip. "Come on."

Some of the regulars bearing torches were being lead down a trail towards into the vale, while another four remained as camp guards. Everyone else was getting together to head down into the vale. Moving towards them, and very few in number, were torches, perhaps a half dozen in total, and widely spread out.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-07 23:11 EST
Fiona's eyes shot open at Brend's message. She didn't quite understand what it meant, but she knew that they would soon be on the move. Rushing out of her tent, she stood ready for fight or flight. Since she didn't know which, she was soon grateful for Kristoph's questions. When he said they shouldn't need weapons, it put her at some ease.

L had taken the regulars and advanced with them, down into the vale at a trot, with Brend following up behind liaising between the rest of the officers. "Mostly women, from what we can see. Adults, to begin with at least. We didn't have any scouts running further back."

Kristoph spoke to the group as they moved towards the makeshift outpost near where the trail emptied into the vale proper. "The timing could have been better; we don't have the resources to send them somewhere safer, and they're a serious liability to keep with us. How many?"

They were always moving, Brend looked over his shoulder to respond, "Nineteen so far. Maybe another dozen. I'd be surprised if a dozen survive though; most likely our biggest hindrance will be taking the time to dig their....well, y'know."

The regulars normal commander, Vicks, trotted back from where the others waited with weapons drawn in a phalanx of sorts before the outpost. L stood on the top platform of the simple outpost, surveying the situation ahead of them. Her hands were on the crossbows on her hips. After they'd gotten that close, Brend had stopped talking. His head was panned suspiciously up towards L.

Kristoph turned to Fiona. "How's your facility with languages" Kaius usually translates for the Dahli; I spend too much time in the saddle to be very proficient." As they drew beneath the outpost itself they could start to make out some of those coming towards them. If it weren't for the torches, the groups coming in two's, three's, or some sad circumstances singles, might have been the walking dead. Dirty, bleeding, and varying degrees of sunken features.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-09-07 23:18 EST
"Um?" Fiona hesitated, trying to assess the broken people before them. "Yes," she added quickly, "Yes, I can translate." It became one of her many useful skills as the mediator for the Empire.

"You know as long as they ain't kids, I don't mind 'em, cause they ain't so creepy, but these guys ain't makin' no sense." Vicks had finally reached them, coming straight to Kristoph and Fiona, ignoring Brend - who shot a glance at him as he passed, and rolled his eyes. "They keep talkin' about farmin', hey, something about the crop bein' picked at sunset?" The people he was talking about had reached the outpost. A young girl on the cusp of adulthood, though aged by whatever it was she'd been through, and another woman, a true elder, was now being helped to sit by one of the regulars who'd laid down his arms. L had come down off the outpost, satisfied there was evidently no danger from the immediate group at least.

When another regular asked the first what he thought he was doing, 'L' slapped him in the back of the head hard enough to jar his helmet forward over his eyes. "He's being human."

Hearing Vicks interpretation, Fiona began to walk towards the women. "Please, let me?" she said to no one in particular, and not really finishing the thought. She walked up to the young woman as the elderly one sat beside her. Assuming the one would need the rest, Fiona looked to the younger. She spoke in their native tongue, "Please, tell me, what happened to this group?"

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-07 23:22 EST
~ ~ ~

"Memory is the basis of every journey." ― Stephen King, Dreamcatcher

~ ~ ~

Lygian Foothills, Inner Arc. Behind the Front Lines.

The tale - in whatever language it was being told - was more than a few moments in coming. What few of the refugees that arrived composed themselves, and gathered towards the small force of the First Sword, taking food, medical aid, and clothing where needed.

It taxed the small units stores of supplies, but that wasn't discussed. A few of the women, who seemed to be their community leaders were talking over each other to Fiona, their thick dialects making everything sound increasingly confusing; one would have been manageable, but they were all trying to voice their concerns at once.

After more of the refugees had been looked after, the circle of women - all haggard and looking more weary and old than their actual ages - opened to admit a woman who was the youngest of the adult women among them; it hadn't been long since she'd been a child herself, and yet Fiona learned by the end of the woman's tale that she had children of her own; two, a boy and a girl, ages four and five. Her name was Ainslie, and her tale - their tale - began only a month after the First Sword had visited their village on its way through, searching for some Puhra Dahli holy city. As always, the men of the First sword had stayed with them for several weeks, trading customs, sharing knowledge of the land; the soldiers were initiated into the Puhra Dahli ways, coming to them comfortably, having met other natives as they'd ventured to the place Ainslie and the others were from, a place on the Red River, called Clearwater Run. It hadn't been anyone with the group they now, that had gone through Clearwater. At least none of them that Ainslie or the other women could see from those giving out rations.

It had been almost three weeks after the First Swords departure that another group had arrived, a group that had been welcomed due to their uniforms, so alike to that first group - save that their emblem had been 'II', indicating the Second Sword - they were welcomed warmly. Oddly this group of newcomers would partake of none of the usual rites of hospitality; they would take no bread, nor would they drink water from the local wells - instead insisting on hauling their own water from the river. They had maintained their stance in that regard for the duration of their stay, all the while taking a would be census of who lived there, their ages, and even going so far as to test the aptitudes of the children and the younger adults.

Everything was fine until the day they left, and the fevers began to break out.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-09-07 23:28 EST
First it had affected the young, making them violent. Then the adults, not all at once - one or two at a time, until chaos erupted. While the children grew violent and feral, the adults pathogen seemed to increase their fear of their own children - or any children. For the first few nights of the adults being effected, some of them simply vanished into the darkness, unable or unwilling to mind their children - who had become violent, and feral as animals. The remaining children were left to be tended by the adults who were fewer in number, and the violence of the children increased, until soon there were no minders left, and some children were in cages while others roamed the village - or what remained of it. The adults could not remember through their haze, but they seemed to think something had been chasing them on their journey here - whatever their children had become, they suspected. They'd been haunted by their cries chasing them as they'd wandered for weeks in the wilderness until meeting with the First Sword and ended in telling the tale they now did.

There were two terms that Ainslie had used in describing the two groups that had come to stay with them at Clearwater Run; the terms had nothing to do with Swords, or Empire, and while there were similarities to some Imperial terms, there was no direct translation - at least none among the Imperial school. At least one person recognized them, though. Kristoph flinched when both terms were used.

Fiona remembered Clearwater Run, at least on paper. She compiled several reports for the Empire based on the information collected from the Second Sword. Reading the census and statistics at the time, she never gave any thought to the people representing those numbers. But with them before her now, she could see their pain. As she translated the women and Ainslie's stories, she used her own words which became less objective and more personal as she went on. As she explained that the Second Sword did not drink from their wells, she couldn't help but imply that she was suspicious of the quality of the water, especially once the fevers broke out. By the time she spoke of their escape, the anger and frustration in her voice wasn't something she could contain.

Throughout the translation she had been referring to the First and Second Swords by those names, but she kept trying to piece together the terms they had been using, picking up subtle differences each time they referred to them. Just as Vicks said in his very loose translation, they kept referring to the Second Sword as similar to farmers, but that wasn't quite right. They were farming, tilling, gleaning. But that still wasn't accurate. She remembered a word Brend had used. "Harvester". She didn't use the word in her translation, but she knew her suspicions were right when she saw Kristoph flinch in the same way his face turned to stone when Brend had spoken it.

Kristoph's jaw had clenched as he mulled over the implications.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-10 00:17 EST
"They're either coming, or close. What's the call?" Brend broke the silence before anyone else could.

"We need to know how spread out they are. These people. And how far away the Second are, as well. We'll send a squad of regulars forward to look for straggling refugees; Brend, you and L backtrack, circle around wide and see if you can see any sign of the Second." He added as an afterthought, seeing his friend nod and smile, "And do NOT skirmish or engage in any other way. Fiona," he turned to her, how much do you remember from the reports and," he waved a hand absently, he wasn't a clerk, he didn't do paperwork, "whatever else you filed" We need to do an accounting, determine how many we have here, how many more could come, and, this will be the hard part - who we know won't be coming." His gaze met hers, and it was pained. He meant they needed to know who was killed for sure, which would no doubt be some of the worst memories the group would have to face - even more so given that it would be so fresh.

Brend glanced at his bare forearm and frowned, somewhat animatedly, "Look at the time. Welp, got a date with destiny," he muttered as he left the group without any kind of formal leave, "she probably wouldn't like being called Destiny. Bit of a stripper name, really." As he walked away, he turned back to face them - walking backwards, "You mean, don't engage with HER, right?" His frown of misunderstanding was exaggerated, "No worries, I'll figure it out." He grinned, and turned on his heel. Kristoph's look was flat, and he sighed.

"I was going to ask everyone their thoughts. I'll assume that means he's not going to argue." His words between the two of them was barely more than a mutter. He'd been speaking the Common tongue, so most of the Puhra Dahli couldn't understand them anyway. Ainslie had approached them again, from gathering with some of the elder Dahli. She waited quietly, a look of contentment upon her face - it was good to not be running in almost abject fear, so this situation she could accept somewhat readily. She didn't intrude or announce her presence at all until she was sure they were done speaking.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-09-10 00:19 EST
The differences in their demeanour made Fiona feel even more scattered. She tried to focus on Kristoph's questions to keep her mind on task. "I should be able to recall most of the information," she answered. In the mundane refuge of her office, she had an innate ability to remember just about everything she had ever read, but with the sudden chaos going on around her, she had to try hard to concentrate. The fact that Brend seemed to be joking around and Kristoph was already preparing a plan made her feel embarrassed that she was not able to process as quickly as they were able.

He caught the look on her face. "Say the things you need to say. Out loud. To me. It's alright. If you're not ready, then we're not ready. We have to be ready, so that means we need to take care of whatever concerns are on your mind." His voice was soft, and careworn, but it brooked no nonsense. There was a certainty in it, of her capabilities, and ability to contribute; if she had any faith at all in him, then she -must- trust his faith in her. He glanced to Ainslie, who appeared not in a terrible hurry. People were still filtering into camp, and at some point Kaius, Vicks, and some other regulars had filtered past them - not stopping - and heading out beyond where the refugees were coming from. "A moment, lady, and we'll be with you. If you have other duties, attend to them and we shall find you." He turned back to Fiona, his eyes meeting hers. "Go ahead, speak your mind. After, I'll help you form the Construct."

Fiona spoke rapidly, thought disjointedly, "I do not think we have time. I just need to focus. There are just so many people here and they are waiting… I" I know that I have the files back in my office. They're?" She rubbed her forehead and let her hand slide down the side of her face as she continued, "Clearwater Run. They are in my second cabinet, in the bottom drawer. The papers" They have the handwritten notes on the side about the children and the things they observed about some of them?" She closed her eyes a moment to try to think harder. Lifting her hands up slowly in front of her, she held an imaginary piece of paper. "The columns" Names" Birth-dates" The birth-dates will help me figure out the ages" But I can't see the print." She opened her eyes a and looked at Kristoph as she said in a quiet panic, "I can't read it."

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-10 00:22 EST
"Take a breath, calm yourself. And close your eyes." He placed a hand between her shoulder and neck, and took her other hand and placed it in the same spot on him. "Close your eyes, feel my heartbeat, let it become yours. And visualize something for me. Think about a hallway, long or short, it's up to you, The colors are up to you. All the details. Plain, fancy, it's whatever is in your mind. The hallway has seven doors, three to the left, three to the right, and one far at the end. Do you see them?"

Everyone had their own version of the Construct, familiar to them and only them; it was the conduit that energy flowed through - just as they were the conduit in real life.

She looked at him one last time before closing her eyes. Taking a breath, she focused on his instruction. She saw the doors first, each one looking like the worn wooden door to her office. It was a sight that always put her at ease, like walking up to your front door at home. As she felt his pulse on her hand, the walls slowly faded in between the doors. They were a warm color, like the sun setting through the window and hitting against a white wall. The ceiling and floor soon faded in to view as she responded softly, "Yes."

"Now, do you remember which doors are which' At the far end....Balance, it keeps everything separate, yet working together; life and death are there too, opposite each other, and closest to Balance. What comes next, which pair" List them all for me, find them in your mind, and label them. The ones you need are just after Life and Death, closer to you, but tell me all of them." And what Doors would she need to use? It was quite simple, she needed Where's, When's, and Who's. "Think about what it is you seek, and which doors will hold not that information - the information is within you - but which doors are the access ways to it."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-09-10 00:24 EST
All other sound but the sound of his voice had died away for the two of them, and the sound of her intermittent answers. In the Construct, there was no time, no sense of urgency; taking 'time' to explore it within ones mind's eye would take no longer in the real world than it would if she could cast immediately and without thinking. At least in her mind's eye. Having to work at it like this would be slightly more physically taxing, though it shouldn't manifest as anything more strenuous than a few moments of exercise - which she would be relatively used to, given her ongoing training.

"Light, Dark," she answered as if repeating a mantra, "Time, Space, Life, Death, Balance?" Moving from the door of Balance in the back, before the doors of Life and Death, she responded, "I need Time and Space."

"Yes," he responded softly, "and just a touch of Life and Death, to confirm who made it....and who did not. Now, the doors you've chosen with your mind open, just enough to let through enough power - enough energy - to fulfil the needs of your spells demands. There is one more door, the door directly behind you. Open the Doors to power first, admitting their energy, and let it rush into you, in your mind's eye; when you have it, turn and step, or simply step backwards into the door behind you, into yourself - for that is where that door leads - and the result will manifest with you in the real world." Either the information in her mind would be clear, or she might summon an actual list directly to her hand, annotated and checked for the purposes she needed; the more detailed the actual list, the more nuanced the power would have to be going into making it. Opening your eyes was the same, or the equivalent of stepping back through that door. You brought back with you what you summoned into the construct.

With her eyes still closed, she nodded gently, accepting his instruction. Although she had been practicing to some extent before, it was still a relatively new task for her. She envisioned the doorknobs on the doors she needed slowly turning and the doors each opening slightly, just enough for the warm sunlight to cast through the small slits from the unseen rooms beyond them. It was how she interpreted energy, pure sunlight casting its rays onto her from the cracks in the barely open doors.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-11 17:05 EST
Once she felt the warmth of the energy around her, she took a step back into the open door behind her. Opening her eyes, she let go of him and said confidently, "I have it." Though she was still looking towards him, it was clear she was not looking at him. Her eyes seemed to dart around slightly as she was reading something unseen directly in front of her face.

His smile was both pleased and confident as she began to take in the information which was apparently now laid bare before her, "Good," he nodded. "We'll make the rounds..." he stopped short, glancing again at Ainslie who still waited for them. "Apologies, lady. You needed something from us?" Ainslie bowed her head and offered a slight curtsey, "One of the elders requests to see you, m'Lord an Lady. Will you take him now, before you begin your, erm, rounds?" Kristoph glanced to Fiona, waiting her approval. The information was held within her mind, if she could maintain it, he would be willing to meet this elder first.

Her eyes turned to see Ainslie, listening as she spoke. She then turned at looked at Kristoph and gave him a nod. Occasionally her eyes would dart upwards again, as if still reviewing the invisible information in front of her.

Ainslie turned and beckoned the fellow forward, stepping back herself, then turning and going with some of the other Dahli to arrange their things. The man who stumped up to them was of middling height, with wild white hair. He examined them both through a pair of odd goggles, before finally lifting them up to rest them on his brow and muttering something -completely- unintelligible. "Forgive me, sir elder, what was that?" The look on Kristoph's face was completely confused, he'd caught none of the mans words at all. The look of irritation crossed the elders face and he turned to Fiona, arms raised and out to the side, as if expecting her to translate.

Fiona blinked hard, trying to understand. She was only more bewildered when the man seemed to expect her to know what he was saying. "I?" She said to Kristoph, looking as senseless as the man's hair, "I don't think that's Dahli" I don't really know what that is."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-09-11 17:12 EST
Kristoph looked back at her and was equally pole axed.

Suddenly the old man spit something out on the ground at their feet. It was a marble. A rattling sound followed as he contorted his face up this way and that, and spat again. Another marble. More of the same performance, until finally a third hit the ground. "Blah! S'long walk, eh' Need's somethin t'keep m'mouf wet." Huge, white eyebrows raised and lowered quite animatedly. "Urdru, s'me. Nah, wha 'bout thas, 'holy city', eh?"

Fiona fixed Urdru with a wide eyed stare. He may have been speaking the same language as she, but he was harder to interpret than the Puhra Dahli speaking in their native tongue. She was used to sophisticated discussions between the two sides when she acted as mediator for the Empire, not this extreme slang. When she simply used contractions, she considered herself to be speaking in "common", but his was even less than that. "Do you know where the City is and how to get there?" she asked, half hoping for a positive answer, and half dreading whatever words he was about to butcher in his answer.

Kristoph couldn't help a slight smile, impressed at her quick deciphering of the abused form of slang coming out of the Peasants mouth; the only word he'd been able to really decipher was 'urdru', Puhra Dahli for just that - Peasant. He glanced back and forth between the urdru and Fiona as she asked about the city. He was quiet, but spoke with conviction. "We need to get there before the Harvesters, do they kno-?" He stopped short. He would let her talk, that's what she was there for after all. He found himself staring a moment too long at her, and when he had the time - if he had the time - he'd question himself; was it her purpose, or was it her" His head jerked quickly, snapping himself from his quick deviation. "Are you alright with him' We need to know -everything- we can," mention of the 'holy city' had gotten him agitated, that was clear. "About this ....city, or ruin, or whatever it is. I need to send Runners to the front and rear-" Like his thoughts, Kristoph's words were also interrupted.

"Ne'er a kingfish, eh' Not," Urdru was speaking, addressing Kristoph, though he glanced at Fiona, not that these particular words would need to be translated. "Yet, ne'how."

Kristoph was frowning, and glanced at Fiona again, shaking his head, "Are you alright with him?"

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-11 17:17 EST
When Kristoph asked his initial, partial question, Fiona looked at him, in slight embarrassment. She had swooped in and started investigating when she probably should have allowed the leader to lead. Looking down a moment, not even noticing Kristoph's glance, she realized she had jumped into interpreting for the Dalhi after hearing Vicks" subpar interpretation, too. Maybe she should have waited for the command. She would have waited under Damon, but this environment and the dynamic in their group was so different. When she heard his question, she quickly looked back up to Kristoph, grateful that he wasn't slighted by her act of initiative and pleased that he seemed to encourage her investigation to continue.

"Yes, I am alright," she said with a slight smile.

Kristoph smiled in gratitude, smirking slightly that he'd be able to get away from the elder. Perhaps it was the length of these campaigns, which seemed would never end for him, that were making him feel like to old a man to be comfortable in their presence. Perhaps it was simply that he couldn't understand the fellow and found him frustrating. Perhaps it was a lot of both. "I'll leave you to it then." He nodded curtly and turned, walking only a few paces before beckoning one of the regulars carrying supplies towards him, gathering him into the first of his entourage, instructing as they moved away. "Antilles, I need you to to head out towards Kaius..." his voice trailed off as it blended into the white noise of the camp.

"You're looking dapper," Urdru was addressed Fiona as Kristoph moved away, "I'd almost forgotten how much you'd forgotten." He shook his head, "One of my friends keeps saying, 'People are crazy", y'know, like the Billie Currington song?" He was looking at her deadpan serious. "What' Where were we again?"

When Urdru began speaking, she hadn't even realized she had been watching Kristoph the whole time as he walked away and continued giving instructions. But the word 'dapper" caught her attention. She quickly turned her head and looked at him with an even more confused look than she had given him before, surprised that he could talk quite "normally". She brought her hand up and scratched the side of her jaw, but ended up leaving it there, not really knowing what she, or he, was saying or doing anymore. "

"I don't?" She ignored this new round of rambling, and dropped her hand quickly and tried to stay on task. "The Holy City you mentioned. We need to know where it is, and try to get there as soon as possible."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-09-11 17:21 EST
Urdru aped her actions, scratching the side of his jaw. "East. Far to the east from here, almost til you hit the Farloch," he smiled, doubting she'd know that word. Few outsiders had heard it, and no Kroatoan had been that far east inside the Arc, yet at least. "It's a tricky find, that. Need the right scout, to find the right place. The holy city, once you're close enough, it finds you. Just have to do, one more thing," he exhaled slowly. It was peculiar, as if the act of acting 'normal' was taxing to him, sapping his energy. He did after all look quite old, and older still if you looked close. His skin was a web of lines of care and wrinkle, and though they were fine lines, they were still there, almost etched in leather. He blinked, letting his head droop down, "I'll have to rest soon, I think. I'm not as young as I once was. Heh. Heh heh," it started as a low chuckle, and soon his shoulder shook. "Apologies." He looked up, his face wry, but his form shaking slightly.

She nodded. "Of course." He may have known the way, but he was in no place to get them there, at least not as quickly as they would have needed to travel. "We can go and sit with some of the others if you like." Some of the older Dalhi women were seated not far from them. "If there is anything you can tell me to help me to get me there" What is a "farloch??" she inquired, only now thinking to ask.

He looked at her, deadpan again. "The inner ocean," he grinned, "most Krotoan have only seen it from the outside, none from the inside. No one knows its there, but it is." He looked tired, but waggled his eyebrows to emphasize his point, then went deadpan again. "That all you got to say, girl" S'jus you an me, now. Speak your mind." He glanced disparagingly at the older Dahli natives, and sighed, then sank down to his haunches. "Gimme a fire. And rum. Got a place with both of those" You ask me what you want on the way, yeah?"

Fiona glared at him slightly as his 'speak your mind" mirrored Kristoph's words to her barely a few moments ago.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-09-29 01:14 EST
She would allow it from him because of her respect and admiration for him and what he did, but she did not enjoy it from this stranger, especially when he said it was "just him and her now", as if that was supposed to change her demeanour towards him.

"There is a fire over there," she replied as she pointed out one closest to them, "But I do not think drink would be the most appropriate." With him slipping in and out of slang and using unfamiliar words, she was worried alcohol would make him even more indecipherable to her. She reached out an arm to offer to help him to the fire. "Why do you speak as though you may act familiar with me?" she asked with an obvious distaste in her mouth, choosing to take him up on his offer for her to speak her mind.

He took her arm, and sauntered towards the fire. When he did, he absently slipped a flask from inside his chest pocket and unscrewed the top, raising it to his lips. He offered it to her.

"Rum' Oh, right," he gestured with the flask hand, splashing rum left and right, before hastily taking another drink and capping it again. "I'm an old man, I am familiar with you, you just don't remember." The most plausible sounding explanation he could come up with, and it rolled so smoothly off his tongue. Like he'd said it a dozen times before: He was an old man, he was, or is familiar with her, and she doesn't remember. All true. "Besides, you enjoy the juxtaposition. Makes him," he jerked his head towards Kristoph, "all the more appealing, don't you think?" He made a clicking sound with his tongue, "I save the charm for the brunettes, dontcha know." He frowned for a moment as they neared the fire, and he paused before sitting down, "Come to think of it, I think they find it annoying half the time too, though." He capped the rum again as he sat.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-01 00:12 EST
She sighed crossly as he got out his own rum and took a few drinks despite what she had said. His answer seemed to pass over her with some semblance of truth, but she only accepted full truths and was about to pry into his statement further, but his mention of Kristoph suddenly threw her off her determination for answers.

"What?" She stopped in her tracks as she let him go so he could sit down. She almost fell down besides him, and her words were just as unsteady. "Appealing" I don't' What are you talking about?" She had the same horrified expression on her face when she had been caught looking for records in one of the restricted areas by her office. She added quickly, switching her look to one of aggravation, "No, never mind that. I need to learn the route to the City."

"The route," he intoned dryly, "to the city' You want I should just, draw you a map, perhaps?" his leathery face creased into a slow grin. It was hard to tell if he was being serious or playful, and truth be told he wasn't sure what she would find the most helpful, either. "Routes simple, really; follow the valley we're in right now, far east as you can. There'll be two major forks along the way, don't think it matters which you take, one'll bring you out a little to the north, the other a little to the south, at a place called the Plains of Abrams. From the Plains you'll be able to see the walls of the city, but on a clear day or night, you'll be able to see the Fingers, that's the towers, reaching up into the sky, all glowing white."

As he went on his his description, his voice had kept growing in reverence, his gestures becoming more grand, and he stared off into the distance - beyond Fiona - as though he were seeing the entire thing he was painting with words, manifesting above and beyond her. Then he snapped out of it and looked at her, total deadpan, flat eyes.

"Something like that, you mean?" He smirked, "If you come at it from the mountains instead of down in the valley, it can look like the Fingers are reaching right out of the Farloch itself, but they're not."

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-05 21:36 EST
'We'", he intoned with air quotes, then gestured to himself before continuing, "Puhra Dahli don't even go in there, and its our own 'holy city'. Whatever Damon wants from there, maybe it should be....y'know. Left there." He smirked again, seeming unusually cocky. Maybe it was his advanced age, and he'd gotten to that point where he'd just say anything and not really care what people thought. 'Oh, the answers I could give you girl', he thought to himself, 'if only you had the ability to not ask where they came from and how I have them - because the answers to those questions might drive you mad.'

Fiona listened intently, knowing she would need to relay the directions perfectly to the scout, including giving him the best route to take. "You said it doesn't matter which fork we take to get there. Would you recommend the north or the south?" She could tell the scout to go that way. The scout. It reminded her. "And you said we need the "right' scout. Are there some special qualities the scout has to have in order to get into the city?? Maybe the person needed some magical ability or to be of Puhra Dahli descent.

"Send the young fella, yer boyfriends brother." he was stretching out, not really looking at her, wincing and eyes closed as his joints all popped, one by one. "He'll do. And ....I don't think so, honestly. I mean, I've been on them both, and the chance of running into something a party this size can't handle, I mean, besides another heavily armed force harrying us is..." his eyes opened, just enough that he could look at his fingers and count them off on his thumb, "Well, the chances are low. And if there's any Wyrms in there, and they don't usually come down from the heights anyway, they're all asleep this time of year." His brow furrowed, and he began counting fingers against his thumb again. "Yeah. Sure they are."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-05 21:57 EST
After his initial comment, her mouth dropped open slightly and she stared at him with squinted eyes. It was unclear if she was offended, angry, embarrassed, or a combination, but she did look at him like that was the most insane remark he had made, despite all of his other ramblings. As he continued, she paid attention for any directional hints, but received none. "Alright," she said with an undertone of gratitude. "Is there anything else we should know about to help us get there, or what might aid us once we do?" He seemed full of answers, but prying those answers from him was becoming a challenge. She worried she wasn't asking the right questions, but didn't know what to ask for. It was like making wishes to a genie that would twist your dream into a nightmare if you didn't give specifics on your desire.

"Aid you? In what way' Be more specific." He frowned, rubbing his temples. He was clearly getting frustrated. Either that, or he was an old madman. Pretty up in the air, really. "What did that big doofus want you to ask me anyway' Just another warlord looking for the 'holy city', right' Why is it all the guys obsessed with killing everyone need to have the justification of the 'ancient holy city'" Why don't they just....y'know. Make their own" Who'd really be left to argue with them' Anyway, no its not hard to get there per se, just have the kid find the path, and then we'll do the ritual sacrifice at the outer wall; the city has walls, they look like the Arcwall, but smaller."

Her eyes narrowed again at the name-calling, but when she assumed he referred to Kristoph as a "warlord" that was when she very clearly became angry. Her mouth immediately opened to protest on his behalf, but the old man kept going on, she didn't get a chance to interrupt. When she could finally speak, her face had already shifted to one of slight horror as she repeated, "Ritual sacrifice?"

"More or less that's how it'll work out, yeah. Oh!" he exclaimed, rising, "Yeah, there is one thing, now that we're talking about it. Don't wanna sound selfish here, but, keep me alive til we get there. I'm like one of those suckling pigs with an apple in it's mouth, I'm just primed to be roasted alive. Erm, I mean, I'm ready to give my life for a noble cause." So hard to read. Everything he said switched between genuine innocence and such deadpan dryness it had to be sarcasm, didn't it"

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-08 22:05 EST
Fiona closed her eyes and took a long drawn out breath. She shook her head before opening them, as if having to force herself to do so.

"Alright," she said a little more reluctantly than she meant to. "Will you be alright here for a little while?" Hoping to go and relay the information sooner rather than later now that they would be bringing him along, she figured she could ask other questions as they went on their way, though she questioned that as well.

"Hmm' Oh, yeah, of course. I won't die tonight. I mean, unless the Second Sword get here much earlier than I thought they would, and young me decided to get a piece of skin in the woods instead of harrying them off our, erm, your, trail. If that's the case, then I may only have moments left to live-" he paused dramatically, looking around, before leaping to his feet, and turning to face each cardinal direction, face overly animated. Finding none to challenge these moments of his life, he turned again to Fiona. "Yeah, I'd say we're good here."

~ ~ ~

You cannot create experience. You must undergo it. -Albert Camus

~ ~ ~

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-08 23:08 EST
Part II: Travel Arrangements

~ ~ ~

"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." ― Albert Camus

~ ~ ~

Deep Watch. Lygian Mountain Range. Inner Arc.

A heavy dew had settled on everything just outside the meager ring of light that their fire provided as Brend and Lady, or L, acted as both watch, and scouts. They'd travelled only 10 minutes ahead of the main force, as far as they could manage before the trail before them split in two; one path followed a downward slope to their right, and seemed to keep descending as far as the eye could follow - or as far as it could follow in the twilight illumination that they'd viewed it in when they arrived earlier in the evening. The other path appeared to stray higher, turning into a broad but rocky foot path that could be seen climbing into the mountains and levelled off just above the tops of the trees which grew from the valley's basin. The benefits and drawbacks to each path were obvious, as Wedge - one of the regulars who'd been with them earlier and kept the watch as they took their rest - had pointed out: one path would keep them hidden from view from any following outriders, but it would also hide outriders from them; the other would leave them in relatively plain view, or at least make obfuscation difficult, but would also make it easier for them to see anyone who followed.

Wedge had left, returned to the main group, once they'd wakened. He needed sleep as well, and had to report back to Kristoph their position before he could hunker down. He'd been the one to build the fire, waving off Brend's concerns when the duo had awoken; it was unlikely anyone was this far out - except for Kaius, who they waited for. If anyone was following them and noted the light, that would also mean that they had already overrun the main force of regulars and refugees behind them, and if that had happened - what exactly would the point of secrecy be?

Brend had to stifle a yawn.

"I hate the witching hour," he began, a somewhat tired drawl to his voice, "that's what this is, you know. Some people think it's midnight, but it's not....it's actually about three hours past. It's the hardest time for people to stay awake. Or so they say." That information wouldn't become public knowledge for thousands of years yet, not to mention the fact that it would happen a universe away. But sometimes things just floated into his mind that he seemed to know, and he just went with it. He knew most of the things couldn't be argued, at the very least.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-08 23:11 EST
Despite his comments somewhat retaining their somewhat oddball cadence, as if almost everything he said to everyone was just filler to spare them the pain of silence, this night his words felt subdued. A feeling of impending doom had fallen over him; not something catastrophic and immediate, but still it lingered in his mind and coloured his tone.

It was just another night for L, and she had sat down on a small boulder that had fallen against a tree. With her back against the trunk, she casually sat with her legs open. It was more of a man's laid back posture, far from anything lady-like. "Lady". That was what she told most to call her. L for short. At one time, she was a proper Lady in title, though she had grown up much different than the other Lords and Ladies. She had to learn to be tough, not only in demeanour, but appearance. Her signature black leather look had its practicalities. It was lightweight and flexible for her scouting duties, yet it gave her minor protective armour when she ran into combat, or combat ran into her.

"What in the world are you talking about?" she said, keeping an eye on their surroundings as she reached down into her worn leather pack laying next to her on the ground. She pulled out two small arrows for her miniature crossbows with one hand while she twisted her long black hair into a hazard bun with the other. Securing the two arrows into opposite sides of the bun to hold it in place, she glanced at him briefly before returning her gaze around them.

"I just mean....the hour. Right now. It's the hardest time of day for people to stay awake, even if they just woke up an hour ago. Or so they say." The light of the fire reflected in his eyes as he studied her, sitting with the modest flickering flames, and more generous embers between them. He found her to be what he'd call, 'unfortunately attractive', and it earned her a lot of attention from the other men - and some women - in the company they kept. Not that the attention was usually returned, at least not in the way they wanted.

He'd watched several of the regulars with them right now - or rather back at main camp - attempt to gain her 'attention' and fail.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-16 23:12 EST
None of them seemed to pick up on the fact that she was as much soldier as any of them, and instead they focused on her face and curves; it was a common mistake that usually ended with her hand on their crotch - except not in the manner they sought: in a too tight grip as they danced on their tip toes and she met their eyes with a predatory smile and asked sweetly if they didn't have something better to be doing. He couldn't help but smile at the replayed memory as he watched her fix her hair, with her absolutely unladylike posture.

"Then again," he muttered to himself, "kinda worth it..." It had been, for himself at least, and had hopefully been for her as well; they were both soldiers, after all, and soldiers had needs - even her, and even him. They were often together on outings like this, and sometimes things just happened. He cleared his throat, and addressed her question more properly. "Nothing, just remarking on the hour." The memory of their 'first encounter' brought a coloured smile to his face but he pushed it away from his mind before he could dwell any further. They were on watch after all. He changed the subject.

"How many do you have left?" He nodded towards the bolts now binding her hair, "Some of the trees were full of birds earlier, before we settled. Ravens, I think. We'll need to make sure you have enough bolts ready." He was more of a hand to hand fighter, she handled distance until the enemies closed. That was their style together, and they complimented each other well.

He sat silently, their modest lean to style tent pitched behind him and fire in front of him, between them. His own blade was drawn as were two of her long knives, on the ground before him. He'd been working to hone their edges, oil them, and oil the leather bandoliers that carried them - there would be no creak of leather as they moved through the forest.

Lady stole before she continued her visual sweep, and caught him looking at her like he sometimes did. She ignored it, though. It was easier that way. She didn't have time to ask him how he felt, let alone figure out what she felt, not when there were more important things to be discussed. "I think I have about ten or so,? she answered, judging based on how many she felt when she was rifling around in her pack.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-16 23:14 EST
He nodded absently, glancing away as he caught her studying him in return.

"We won't be able to call you Lady much longer, you know. And L is a bit too....well, it's not a name. Let's face it, it's hardly a letter." He smiled, and focused more into his work as he spoke. Their thoughts were in unison. It was easier this way. "Now that Fiona, another technically actual Lady, is with the group..." he trailed off, going silent a moment before resuming.

"So....ever going to tell me your name" Or....should I start making stuff up?" Dawn was still an hour and change away, and he needed to keep talking to stay awake. The last time he'd suggested what the L might stand for, and he'd done so several times, he'd been slapped, pinched, shoved, and kicked in the shins. But she'd never drawn a blade on him for it before, which he took as a good sign. He had tried to point out that he had no malign intentions in asking, they simply spent a lot of time together - so it might be nice to know who she was. He wondered what kind of lineage she might have had before Damon's Consolidation; he'd almost wager by her demeanour that she'd been a Leoric, not that he'd ever say that aloud, on the chance he was wrong.

"Linnea" No, not hard enough. Leticia" No, too....Tisha?" his voice trailed off again, and he deliberately made it sound as though he'd keep going.

"For the love of?" she interrupted. She debated grabbing one of her blades on the ground in order to stab him to death just to shut him up. She could claim they were attacked. She sighed, feeling defeated. "If I tell you, you can't tell anyone else.? She pushed herself up from the tree, and sat properly on the rock. Completely abandoning her watch now, she stared at him intently, waiting to see if he would take her request seriously since he didn't seem to take much else seriously.

Brend froze in his movements, startled by the question. It seemed too simple, to just ask and receive an answer like that, after going so long referring to her as L, or Lady. Of course most of their time spent together didn't have them interacting with actual members of the aristocracy, not out here in the Inner Arc. There were no real ladies out here; there were in role, but that's not what the Puhra Dahli called them, so her 'name' didn't draw attention in the same way, as the natives just assumed it was her actual name.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-16 23:15 EST
"You don't have to," his heart was beating rapidly, almost the way it did before entering combat. "We've gone this long." He had been turned away, cheated just slightly so that she wouldn't be able to make out his face, but as soon as the shock wore off he turned more fully towards her, his smile half a smirk. "Besides, if I don't know it, no one will be able to get it out of me if this whole thing with the Second Sword goes sideways, right?"

He grabbed his pack and knelt, rummaging through it as he kept talking. Worldstone was exceptionally strong and lightweight, but easily malleable with the use of sorcery, and the most of the First Sword had, or at one time had, at least some ammunition crafted out of it by one of the High Mages. It was easier to repair and refit in the field.

"I think I've got maybe a dozen of those Worldstone shafts, too, not that I'll ever use them," he kept digging then stopped to count, eyes narrowing as he rummaged a bit more and, seemingly satisfied, closed the pack and stood again. "I think we're safe to go for a short walk about; Kaius is probably stationary for the night anyways, and if he's not then he'll see the fire as easy as he'll see us when he heads this way." Brend reached the edge of the fires light and peered off into the slowly receding darkness of the forest. "Coming or staying" It's not far from camp."

It was her turn to look at him in shock. She knew she didn't have to tell him but maybe a part of her wanted him to know, the part that felt the need to make people work for getting to know her. From his immediate segue back into work, she wondered if she blew her chance to let him know the real her.

"Yeah, I'm?" she said while standing and beginning to follow, "I'm coming."

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-16 23:16 EST
They made no sound as they ventured into the forest, using hand signals to communicate for the most part, to indicate to each other where they were going, or when to stop and listen for something one of them thought they heard. For all the silence that had transpired between them, and there was much over more than a few campaigns, this one seemed more awkward than the others, and somehow sadder, even though nothing was said. It was probably because nothing was being said, no snarky comments, nothing smart, no personal jabs. Just....silence. By the time they'd gathered enough feathers to serve as fletching material, the silence had almost taken on a weight of its own and settled upon their shoulders.

Each lost to their own thoughts, they scavenged for more than an hour - though neither had meant to stay out from camp that long. By the time they sought to return, the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten again. Just as quietly as they'd ventured out, they returned, dark clothing and soft movements hiding their passage from all but the keenest eyes and ears of the night - and none of them Second Sword, human, or hostile.

As they returned, they couldn't even see their camp when a smell accosted them. Something was cooking. It wasn't until they neared camp again that they were able to notice that someone had not only banked the fire, but was cooking something on it. The figure moved around the fire with a mix of a saunter and a stomp, until it was satisfied with how the meat was cooking and sat down and began to rummage through his own satchel. It was a slightly disconcerting scene, with the somewhat strange Dahli gentleman now wearing clothes that were oddly reminiscent of Brend's, except far baggier on the much older, slightly smaller man.

"That's not Kaius," Brend spoke, voice falling flat and breaking the silence as soon as he knew she'd be able to see the figure in their camp as well. Before he could say anything else, the string of some musical instrument was plucked, and the sound reverberated through the forest which had not even awakened to birdsong yet.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-16 23:20 EST
"No?" Lady said quietly to him with a half smile, "But he has food." Shoving her last handful of raven feathers into the pack nestled against her hip, she began to walk over to the old man she remembered from the main camp when he came in with the Dahli.

"It's not the known unknowns that get ya, it's the unknown unknowns..." his tone somewhat begrudging. Brend sighed and followed. He followed the ideology of expecting the unexpected, but sometimes it grew tiresome. He muttered behind her back as they approached the camp again.

"What's that, young fella?" Urdru piped up from camp as they approached, his hearing evidently better than average for a man of his apparently advanced age. His eyes were momentarily on Brend, but fell quickly to Lady as they grew closer. Perhaps his eyes weren't as good as his ears, because he simply watched her walk until she made her way into camp proper; it wasn't a lecherous, or a leer, or anything like that, and if anything his face softened - as much as can be said of a man far, far past his prime and more wrinkle than taut muscle.

"You know," he drawled, his speech impediment from earlier evidently gone as well, "just because you don't need the beauty sleep doesn't mean he," he upnodded towards Brend, "doesn't. Plus, you might be thankful he gets it, a few years from now....wait. Decades" Centuries" It all....kinda blends together sometimes, when I'm distracted."

He was momentarily drawn from his attention to her by the snapping and crackling of the pan over the flames.

"He's wearing my clothes, I'm goddamn sure of it," he said, trying to be only loud enough for her to hear. "And it's not porridge but I'm almost certain those are our rations he's cooking too. Did we wake up in the wrong nursery rhyme?" Brend neared Lady and dropped his pack just inside the boundaries of camp.

Lady slung her pack off her shoulder, holding it up to Brend briefly and spoke in a hushed, terse tone. "Even if there are four and twenty of these blackbirds in it, I'm going to eat it anyway." There was a soft thud as she let go of the pack. She sat down next to it on a flat rock across from the old man. "Oh, I'm thankful," she said, though she spoke mostly towards the fire and the food.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-22 22:13 EST
"Alright now, sit, eat. You're going to have a long day." Urdru's attention shifted from Lady long enough to start preparing plates, handing one to her first, and Brend second. Brend paused a moment before taking it, trying to gauge the old man, unable to pinpoint just what it was about Urdru that set him on edge.

"Many thanks," Brend said, taking a bite before pausing mid chew, eyes focused on Urdru's shins.

"Like 'em?" the old man queried, "They're a family heirloom, so to speak." He waggled his brows, and took a bite of his breakfast, too.

It would only take Lady a moment to notice, if she spared a glance. Urdru was wearing a pair of greaves on his shins; gleaming silver shin guards, they appeared to be. Brend had gone on about them before, his own pair that is, that he had been wearing even when they'd been out picking feathers. He was more than proud of them. Not only were they an heirloom, they'd been enchanted by Atticus himself to further boost their enhancements. They were called, by Brend at least, the 'Lazarus Greaves', and they were not merely special, they were one of a kind.

Lady had already begun to eat a few bites by the time Brend brought up the greaves. As they spoke, she slowly started to balance the food in one hand while resting the other palm down next to her. Her legs and hips started getting into position as if she was ready to jump up at any moment. With a concerned expression, she looked to Brend for an answer, or at least for a sign for them to fly or fight.

Alas, whatever she was looking for was not to be found on Brend's face, for when she turned to him she received a blank, deadpan stare.

"I'm not sure where to go with this," he brought a hand to his mouth and bit down crisply through a piece of bacon, "yeah, the bacon's great, but - and I think this is the second time I've said so - he's wearing my clothes. Can we draw like, a personal boundary line somewhere?" He finished stuffing the bacon into his mouth, flicked the crumbs from his fingertips and reached for a hunk of heated trail bread, and took a bite from that after running it through the grease from his plate.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-22 22:14 EST
Meanwhile Urdru had gone on eating, and now focused on his own food, seemingly ignoring them. A frown crept over the old man's face as he chewed, and he set his plate down and reached down beside him, gathering up what looked like an old burlap drawstring sack.

"My wife would kill me, if I didn't..." Urdru muttered as he opened the bag, and reached inside, giving odd looks as he felt around for something and, in vain for finding it that way, lowered the bag to the ground and leaned most of his upper body inside.

Brend coughed, perhaps because of dry bread and perhaps because of situational comedy, and glanced from the upturned form of Urdru, to Lady. "His wife" Oy, can you imagine the poor soul..."

When Lady saw the two of them continuing to eat as though everything was ok, she continued to take a few bites in turn, though her body posture remained ready to jump just in case. Despite the two of them acting like everything was ok, the idea that the two men on either side of her were wearing the exact same piece of armor, which was supposed to be a unique, did not sit well with her. As she chewed on her food, she silently debated with herself. Maybe the item wasn't as unique as Brend had believed. Maybe they were related and the greaves were something that was used throughout his family, like a similar shield carried by all members. After all, if there were two pairs of greaves in front of her, and two obviously different men in them, than they could not possibly be the same. Deep in thought, she only returned her focus to the conversation as Brend spoke to her.

"Oh," she quietly responded, "No, I can't imagine?? She cut herself off with a bite of bacon.

As the two looked on, the elder Urdru climbed almost entirely into the bag, a seemingly impossible feat as it was pooled rather empty looking upon the ground and only the greaves he wore remained in sight, kicking without traction in mid air a few moments before they two were enveloped. Brend rose to his feet, staring down at the pooled, and rather empty looking bag.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-22 22:17 EST
"I don't know what we'd even report this as," he glanced to Lady. "I'm sure he was supposed to be with the main party; what are we going to say' 'He's in the bag'" They'll be like, 'We know, but where is he"' Amusing as it was to watch the older man upend himself into the satchel, it left Brend feeling completely confused. Either to his relief or chagrin, it was then that Urdru's voice - somewhat smothered - sounded again, from inside the sack.

"Found 'em!" One of his hands appeared from the neck of the satchel, and it looked somehow as though the sack had become cavernous and somehow opened into the ground below where it lay - except for the neck of the bag which seemed to have remained fixed in size. "Can someone gimme a hand?" His other hand appeared, now both outside the neck of the bag; the first that had appeared held a small box, the other hand held onto what could only be described as a part of 'something with strings', whose entirety vanished deeper within the satchel.

Lady's focus was entirely on the bag and the hands emerging from it now. Every part about this man baffled her. "I have no idea. It he stays in there, I'm of half a mind to not report it at all??

She was questioning each of their sanity at this point, and she certainly didn't want the others to question it too. Once the elder had asked for assistance, as she was ready to pounce anyway, she quickly put down her plate next to her and jumped up to grab the hand which held the small box and began to attempt to pull him out of the physics-defying, cavernous bag.

It was a feat that was no doubt easier than she had initially expected. Although the old man seemed to move quickly and have a rather wiry strength to him, his truly advanced age was much more readily apparent when she took his hand; all bone and sinew, his entire body light like a birds. Just the same, he managed to brace his feet against something as she pulled, and he all but hopped back to solid ground - one arm trailing behind him and still holding onto whatever stringed form lay below.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-22 22:22 EST
"Thank you, luv," the old man beamed at Lady, as he half stood, stooped over the maw of the satchel, then, giving a final tug, pulled the other item free of the bag's seemingly hungry embrace. A harp that stood almost as tall as Urdru, and seemingly crafted entirely from precious metals - or at least facsimiles of.

"Guh," Brend, eloquent as usual chimed in when the whole ensemble appeared, "I'm not sure which thing you pulled from that bag is gaudier." Heavy handed considering the old man was wearing his clothes, but he wasn't going to be one to pull punches - even if they were essentially pouty child punches - due to the oldsters inconvenient presence. Urdru either didn't hear, or was ignoring him.

"Like it?" the elder said to Lady, smiling.

"Umm," she said, just as articulate as Brend had been. "I think it's" very nice?" She tried being sweet about it, especially since the man went through so much effort to get it, but opulent instruments were not a part of her world. The only thing strings were good for to her was as the base of a long bow. "The new fancy lady that joined our ranks might like something like that", she joked to herself.

As if reading her thoughts, Urdru smiled at her - quite proudly - and pointed at Brend. "It's for him!" he crowed. In the background of their conversation, Brend groaned at the declaration. Urdru however was still focused on Lady, and proffered the small box, eschewing the larger prize.

"But we'll get to that," he looked at Brend, "He and I - sad songs mind you! A dirge or something, most likely, is what it's best for, no matter the look! You hear me now!" One glance at Brend would reveal him giving the old man a stony look that implied violence if he didn't get silence, which again Urdru waved off.

"Bah! Mr. Tough Guy, we know you hate hurting people - well, permanently at least, and I'm old, so any hurt you do me'll probably be permanent....anyway," the small boxed popped open, "I'm supposed to give you these, well, this - one for you, one for him. My wife was quite insistent, and I hate to disappoint her, you see." The tone of his voice was somewhat clich' and corny, but the tiny spiderweb of lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth indicated he spoke with true affection. Within the box was what appeared to be a some sort of necklace, with two drawstrings.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-30 21:30 EST
"Ah, let me," Urdru said, letting the box drop and holding the piece in his hands. The necklace initially resembled an hourglass, but upon grabbing the ends of it just so and twisting, it seemed to come apart into two separate neck pieces - each with its own drawstring - which were both a side of an hourglass, and shaped like a heart. "There we go." He smiled, holding to two separate pieces up, one in each hand.

Although Brend was too far away, Lady noticed that there on Urdru's chest, amid the soft white down of hair that appeared just below his throat, there was also a necklace. One that looked identical to each of the ones he now produced.

Lady watched him as he held up the two necklaces, she hesitated. She loved how the one necklace split into two so easily and how each became its own beautiful necklace on its own, but why were she and Brend worthy of such a gift' When she looked to the similar one on his chest, she considered that maybe he simply purchased many of them, but the explanation didn't sit quite right with her, especially given how many other items he shared with Brend.

"I'm not sure that this is for me," she said timidly, looking at the necklace closest to her.

"Pah!" the old man waved sundry, "What' You want the one on my chest' You'll have to wait til I'm dead!" He barked a laugh as though he'd made a terrific joke, then coughed despite himself. "Take them, I insist. Look at me, I'm an old man - I'm no pack mule, I could do to lose the extra weight I'm carting around. Plus, something happens to you, you can open them up and put your bones or ashes inside - great for a True Resurrection spell," he paused and mused thoughtfully to himself, "I'd have one cast on my wife, but then she'd be reborn all young, and beautiful," his eyes lingered on Lady for an almost too long moment, mere moments away from slipping into 'creepy old man' territory. "And look at me, what would I have to offer her now? All bent and bony, ah," he sighed, "And my hair. She just wouldn't have it I tell you." He'd adopted a stern, almost scolding look.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-30 21:35 EST
"She'll have to wait until the next life." He ran a hand through his white hair, "Maybe the next me will have dark hair; she always fancied that, I think. My luck I'll end up losing it all." He finished his ramble, rather glumly. Until then, Brend had been looking on in almost incredulous silence.

"So. You want us to haul your extra weight, and," he glanced towards the harp, "That' So glad you decided to join us, well worth the trinket." He was a little bit snide, and maybe deserved to be. He knew full well who would be hauling the unnecessarily ornate instrument. "I'll be taking your sack, just so you know."

"Yeah, yeah, of course; it's yours." The old man waved him off, with somewhat of a knowing grin as he spoke, before turning back to Lady.

She glared at Brend as he spoke. She quite liked the man if he was going to be cooking their food for them and giving them gifts. His stares may have lingered a little too long for her taste, but she couldn't help feel some remorse for him and the relationship he had with his late wife.

"Um," she said as she looked back to Urdru with a smile, "Thank you." She picked up the necklace, split the connector apart, raised the heart to her chest, and fastened it behind her head. She looked to Brend with raised eyebrows and a silent glance of "How's it look?"

To be fair, Brend was no better when it came to ogling her - even if he did hide it better. Most of the time. When she displayed the jewelry to him, he was giving her a deadpan look of incredulity; his eyebrows raised as if to say, 'Really"' But as soon as she caught it, he felt his lips give way in their stern expression and soon he found himself unable to keep from grinning, and so deliberately checked her out. He stared - openly ogling - the valley just below the spot where the necklace hung, before raising his eyes to hers again. 'Happy"' his eyes said, even as he opened his mouth to speak.

"It looks lovely. Maybe riding a bit high, but I'll help fix it later if you want." He winked. He couldn't help it.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-30 21:42 EST
Urdru pursed his lips as if to whistle but no sound came out as he innocently looked around. No way was he stepping in the way of that comment.

At any given moment, she was either ready to kill him or laugh. As he ogled her, she had to let out an aggravated sigh to keep from laughing. It barely helped. Although she bit her lip, she couldn't quite hide her smile. She rolled her eyes at him, then looked back to Urdru.

"So he gets the other?" She asked while jerking her head towards Brend. "Because I'd love to see him wear a heart around his neck."

There was no winning for her.

When she turned back towards Urdru, his eyes were at just the right height that he was staring exactly where Brend had been. The truly infuriating part was that, if he was standing right they wouldn't have been - he was deliberately crouching.

"Wha, huh?" His eyes snapped up to meet hers with a grin that at one time was probably very charming, but due to his advanced age was more prone to be labeled either the sweet, or foolish, smile of a doddering old man. "Yes, yes! Of course it's m-," he faltered, and his eyes narrowed, "His - and cut that out, you can't trick me again! Bad enough that work fiasco, 'It'll be much better pay than what you're getting at the Academy', you said, and what do I end up doing" Scrubbing toilets for some cliche evil corporation..."

"I swear there's something wrong with him, we need to tell them to put him under lock and key when we get back to the main group." Brend piped up, half cutting Urdru off, half talking over him until he had stopped talking and merely glared at Brend. "The dirge I play on that harp will be for you, old man, I swear." He was shaking his head.

"That might be a good idea?" She added after his little aside to her, but when she heard his threat, she smacked the side of his shoulder.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-10-30 21:45 EST
"Hello, grandfather," a new voice entered the conversation as Kaius came unnoticed into the camp. Not something either Brend nor Lady would be particularly proud of, but a skill that Kaius had that made him particularly suited to the job he did. He'd been addressing Urdru, but then turned his attention to his two First Sword comrades. He was younger than either of them, in appearance at least, perhaps not quite yet twenty years.

"You're keeping stranger bedfellows than usual," he nodded from Brend and Lady towards Urdru. "Each other are bad enough, where did you find him?" He smirked for a moment at the awkward silence that filled in after his statement. "Of course I know, your tent has been next to mine too many nights - and I'm always moving in the night. As are you two, though obviously in different ways." He didn't push the issue any further, considering his job there done as he watched Lady's face colour with embarrassment.

Urdru absolutely cackled with laughter.

"How long have we..." Brend spoke, his sentence trailing off. "Goddamnit, he's been rambling til almost dawn." He was jumping up, trying to gather things in disarray while shooting Urdru a dirty look. Kaius moved through their camp, pack slung over his shoulder.

"Good job on watch, guys. You didn't happen to notice if an army passed this way, did you?" Kaius was chastising them in a most teasing, yet arrogant way. He was to the edge of their camp and turned back to look at them. "Get a move on," he grinned, "Both paths are clear, and everyone's waiting to see which way we're going."

Urdru had clambered towards where Kaius stood, and caught up to him as he turned to proceed back towards the main group of the First Sword.

"Hey kid," Urdru spoke almost conspiratorially to Kaius, "You remember back when you were young, Damon had first recruited you, and you was sent across the water out east' You remember that lil girl you played with that one time, out on the coast?" Kaius had kept walking as Urdru spoke, but cast him an almost panicked look mid stride.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-10-30 21:55 EST
"What are you talking about old man?" Kaius was terse, guarded. The old man, Urdru, had clearly struck a nerve.

"What was her name again? Irene" Ayren" Oh, no, I remember: Arenn, that's right. D'you know she's some local hero out there now?" Urdru continued to ramble. Kaius looked simply confused now. "Yeah, they call her the Redeemer; quite a thing, if you think about it. Now, I got this map I got you to look at some time, soon if you would. I'm not getting any younger." Urdru's voice seemed to trail off as he and Kaius left sight of camp, and for a moment there was a blessed silence that stole over everything, leaving Lady and Brend looking at each other slightly bewildered.

Then the old man's voice sounded again, shouting to them from further up the trail.

"And don't forget the harp!"

Lady had to bite her lip to stop from smiling at Urdru's comment. Then, as he and Kaius wandered off, she teased Brend.

"Yeah, you heard the man. You get the harp while I get my stuff." She purposefully sashayed over and bent down seductively towards Brend so that he could see the necklace dangling over her chest while she picked up her bag. Looking up to add to the view, she said, "Now that everyone seems to know I'm not much of a Lady?" Standing upright, she began to walk towards him, adding softly, "You might as well call me Livia.? As she walked passed him, she strummed on the harp, casually letting it flutter under her fingertips. ~ ~ ~

The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value. - Charles Warner

~ ~ ~

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-11-27 23:49 EST
Midday. Lygian Range Base Camp. Inner Arc.

The small group of officers had gathered around a fire where the smells of sizzling wild meat and roasted root vegetables wafted through the air. Kaius had arrived before both the main forces and the scouts that were sent to intercept him, and by the time everyone else had arrived in the predetermined spot to set camp he'd already had food halfway prepared for his contemporaries; Kristoph, Fiona, Brend, Livia, and the higher ranking regulars who'd be joining them to determine which route through the mountains they'd be taking to the holy city. Everyone else was already seated on stones roughly equidistant from the flames, except for Kaius who stayed close as everyone talked.

Brend arrived late and received a rap across the back of his knuckles from a long handled metal spoon Kaius was wielding, when he tried to reach in to grab something, not only before everyone else, but before it was done cooking. He shot Kristoph a grin and raised his knuckles to his mouth as he sat, tasting the residue the spoon's strike had left, until a roll of Livia's eyes had him wiping it off on the leg of his pants and adopting a more solemn look. Kristoph broke the silence first.

"What did you find," he planted his hands on the side of the stone he was perched on and stretched his feet out towards the flames, "Besides the people who were supposed to be finding you?" He cast a chastising look towards both Brend and Livia; he was merely chiding them, and felt the need to add to her especially that he knew she did the best she could with what she was given, but he thought it best to return to Kaius's recon, before they digressed too much. "Wyrm spore?"

"Some," Kaius frowned, turning the meat in the pan, "But it looked old to me, nothing for decades, maybe." Something about that wasn't right, and everyone knew it, or thought they did. The Wyrms were supposed to have entered the Arcwall when Damon opened it; the Dahli claimed to have never encountered the Wyrms before then. But if the Wyrm spore here was decades old, it meant that the Wyrms had gone much, much further into the interior of the Arc than the Empire had thus far - and apparently vanished there.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-11-27 23:51 EST
"Gee, that's not ominous." Brend muttered, and Kristoph shot him a look.

"You know things get....odd, the further in you go. That's why we always kept our sojourns to the fringes." He turned back towards Kaius, "Besides that, the basics then?"

"We can go four, maybe five days," Kaius explained, removing the pan from the fire and setting it aside on another stone. He kept the roots in place, and gave them another stir. "Then we have to decide to climb up, or climb down. Well, not climb. But you're definitely going up or down. If we stay true we're going to be walking on mountain side for quite a while, and it'll be all side hill through forest. So, go up first - and slow down early, or down first, then up the other side and slow down in the home stretch. Thoughts?"

Livia spoke up, though rather tersely, "Heading up would give us the higher ground, at least once we were partway through." Her opinion was biased. She knew the higher ground advantage catered to her crossbows. She would often like to sit perched up among the branches to pick off enemies traveling below.

Kristoph listened to her speak, and as she finished his eyes flickered first to Kaius then to the rest of the group setting up camp all around them. "She's right, but how much are they going to slow us making the climb?"

"Doesn't matter," Kaius returned, taking the roots from the fire and setting them aside too. He took to plating out the food and handing it around as he spoke, ladies first, then counter clockwise to the men - just to be a bit of an ass. He hated plating food, and always would. "If we go down first we run the risk of them just running us down with cavalry anyway." Kristoph was nodding.

"We can always hang back on the climb and serve as rear guard too." He made to pick up what looked to be a piece of potato with his bare fingers and, burning them and quickly blowing on them, opted to use the tip of his knife instead to spear it.

"Finally," Vicks rumbled. He was older than everyone else there by at least half their age. "Food, and fighting. One more F, and I'd be happy..." The old weapons master caste a dubious silhouette, his mid section no longer as flat as it once was, and far more grey in his hair than there was black or brown.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-11-27 23:52 EST
"You're on special detail, Vicks, you and whichever other two regulars you deem appropriate." Kristoph looked him straight in the eyes when he told him and didn't look away. He'd already anticipated the older mans reaction, and wasn't disappointed when he saw the man's cheek flush.

"I can still fight..." Vicks voice had started low but it was raising quickly.

"I know. That's why you're warding the younglings. We can only afford so many people to guard them, so they have to be competent." That wasn't why Kristoph chose him for that role, but it's the reason he wanted Vicks to believe. After a brief staring contest and a scowl from the older man, they both took a bite and turned from each other back to the group.

While the rest of them discussed strategy, Fiona sat back and did was she was more accustomed to " observing and listening. It was a different group dynamic than she was used to working for the Empire. Although there was a Council, Logos and Dy Hauc did most of the planning and commanding. Here, the group was undoubtedly led by Kristoph, but each member had an equal say in their opinions and point of view. He listened to each one of them to make the best decision, and she could tell Vicks was not as happy with Kristoph's final say on his assignment, he, just as the rest of them, respected his decision.

The rest of the rather informal meeting went fluidly, with the others taking tasks almost upon themselves without having to be asked; Kristoph stayed at the fireside longer than most of the others, and Fiona stayed with him awaiting the arcane tutoring that was supposed to follow. Brend and his Lady were going to be acting as perimeter guards and would skirt from front to back of the refugee train on it's opposing flanks. Kaius would take the lead " he already knew the ground better than anyone else present, and was the only one who had penetrated this deeply, alone into Dahli territory. The regulars would be scattered throughout the train, where their roving leaders could keep an eye on them as well as watch for enemies. Kristoph and Fiona would occupy the rear of the train make sure there were no stragglers, and that forces of the Second Sword didn't catch them unaware. Though she questioned her value in the role, Kristoph maintained his confidence and his will would only allow hers to waver so far.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-11-27 23:53 EST
The only soldier who remained at the fireside with Kristoph and Fiona, the only soldier who seemed to be willing to question his role " the only soldier who didn't assume his role without being asked, was Vicks. He sat, almost glum while he'd eaten, casting envious glances at the others as they took their roles; the expression on his face would have been almost comedic given his age and experience over them, were it not for it's sad sincerity.

As the other soldiers had left, slowly but surely, children began creeping towards the fire, drawn by the smell of the soldiers food " though the children were fed, it was considerably less than the hearty rations that the fighting men took. Like tame crows, they gravitated towards Fiona. This was not a new occurrence, as many of them had been drawn to her before. Several commented on her hair, the colour an extreme rarity among the Dahli. The more children crept up upon her, smiles on their faces as she met their eyes; one rushed in and stole a hug from her, then flitted away, and the scowl on Vicks face grew.

"G'way!" Vicks shouted, slamming an untouched haunch of wild meat onto his dented plate before leaping to his feet. "I'm not your damn babysitter! I can't stand you little monsters, the worst kinda monsters " the ones ya can't beat over the head and knock out when they make ya crazy! We'll just see, we will, when you come up on the mountain " you step outta line and that's it! BAM! Over the head," he grabbed a double bladed axe at his feet, swinging it around quickly as he rose again, "Over the head and off the mountain I'll toss ya!" The more and faster he ranted, the redder his face became. Maybe he'd been drinking, or maybe it was shame from the task he'd been assigned. He didn't feel as old as he looked, and he was sure he could still teach all the pups he found himself listening to now, a lesson.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-11-27 23:55 EST
"Hear me and hear me well," He looked at Kristoph and pointed towards the kids, "I'll not put up with their cryin', snottin', whinin' " the ones that do that I'll cook and feed to the rest of 'em first chance I get, mark me!" His volume had increased, but the conviction had started to vanish from his rambling. He turned quickly on the children, raising his arms into the air and started to roar, sending more than one of the children behind not only Fiona but Kristoph as well. The latter had been looking on with a less than amused expression on his face, eyebrows slowly climbing as the man continued to further make a fool of himself.

"Enough, Vicks." Kristoph spoke quietly, glanced at the axe then towards the woods. "Firewood. Work it off."

"But..." Vicks started again. Kristoph only stared, and maintained a disciplined calm. "Burn you." Vicks muttered and stalked off.

A small crowd had gathered to the edges of the officers encampment, most of them children. They were especially curious of the newcomers from the First Sword to their lands. The uniforms, the weapons, the magic, so very like the others who'd come and brought the sickness with them. And so very different. They were curious again, but cautiously so; when Vicks began his rant, their level of caution increased, and they drew towards the people who had quieted the man. One of their number, not yet in her teens spoke up.

"That is supposed to be our warder?" her voice was young and slightly distasteful, perhaps from the cultural difference or merely because she'd seen Vicks rant against the children, "He's a monster like the others..."

"Someone has good ears," Kristoph spoke softly, his eyes on Fiona as he did so, and slowly turning towards the girl who'd spoken after the fact. "He's not a monster. He's Angellis, he just lost his wings." The girl eyed him skeptically. Kristoph nodded towards Fiona. "Ask her."

"An angel?" one of the boys interrupted, "Where are his wings, then" Angels have wings, everyone knows that. Big white ones." He was maybe nine years old. Another of the children spoke up, close in age to the last, but a girl.

"And aren't angels supposed to be nice and stuff?" she eyed Vicks as he stalked away through someone else's camp area. "He sure doesn't look very nice to me."

"Or talk very nice." The boy who spoke before her added again.

Knightfall

Date: 2016-12-11 00:23 EST
Kristoph fixed the children with a quiet look, his eyebrow raised even as his lips curved into a soft smile.

"Of course he wouldn't," Fiona said with a smile. "He doesn't remember how to be nice, but it's not his fault." The children looked at her with the same disbelieving look they gave Kristoph. "Let me explain?" she said, lowering herself gently to her knees. She had abandoned her dresses not long after following the band, opting for their more practical leather and armor clad attire. A few of the young children sat beside her, while the older ones formed a rough semicircle in front of her.

"My mother told me of the Angellae when I was very young, as young as you are now," she said while delicately touching the tip of her finger to the youngest girl's nose. She waited until the girl's few giggles died down, then she began speaking softly and with a slight melodic tone, giving life to the words as well as the story. "Long ago, when the stars were young, there was only the Word. The Word lived all alone in a silent nothingness."

"One day," she continued, "the Word desired to create something in the nothingness and spoke a single word. But it was too loud and its echo shattered everything the Word wished to create. In the Word's sadness, It whispered, and Its whisper fractured into smaller sounds. On their own, the sounds were not as powerful as the Word, but together, they could begin to match the elegance and majesty of the Word. The sounds began offering their own voices, softer and more delicate, but with just enough power to create as the Word had originally wished. These sounds are the Angellae, or Angels to the Kroatoan."

"The Angellae were the Word's first creation, and they were beautiful. On the Word's behalf, they created all of the good and beautiful things that make up our world. Once the world and all of its goodness was made and there was nothing left to create, the Angellae knew they had fulfilled their purpose, but they wanted to provide more. Most of the Angellae returned to the High Realms to serve as a Celestial reminder to mortals, hoping to show us that divinity is not something beyond us, but"within"us, and that we too could create beauty in our world."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2016-12-11 00:25 EST
Her tone became more serious and her smile faded. "As we know, there can not be good without evil. Between the realms of existence and oblivion, Daemon, or Demons, began to crawl out from their plane of terrible chaos. In seeing this horror, some of the Angellae quickly went to fight back the Daemon, hoping to save their creations from their evil influence, but even the Angellae were not immune to the Daemon corruption. As their perspectives changed, so did their once beautiful appearance. Their light and feathery wings became skinned and pointed bat-like wings. Their teeth and nails grew sharp and deadly as their twisted minds. Some of them even grew pointed tails from the base of their spine. They became the Devils."

Fiona began to smile once again as she continued, "Lastly, there were the Angellae that grew to love their creation so much, that they could not leave it. They asked the Word if they may stay in the world, but the Word was concerned that they may try to continue to create and alter the world and its people. The Word offered them a choice. They may stay in the world, but with no power and no memory, or they may join the other Angellae in the Higher Realms. The Angellae chose to stay in the world with the people they loved. Their wings were stripped of them and all memories of what they had done was lost forever, but their hearts would always remain true to the world and its people."

She leaned in and whispered to the children, though she stared at Vicks the entire time, "My mother had told me that every so often, if you are lucky, a fallen Angellis will cross your path in life. You will not know it because they may seem rough and harsh, not remembering their own beauty and goodness inside them, but it is there, waiting to grow, just as the world they helped to create. She told me that the Word did not truly take away their power as they believed. She said by doing what they were meant to do, they would realize they were still Angellis, and always had been." She looked to Kristoph then, hoping that she provided enough of a story to inspire the children to trust that Vicks, despite his gruff appearance, would do his all to protect them.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-02 00:13 EST
Part III: The Soldier, The Rifle, The Gun

~ ~ ~

Drill Instructor: This is my rifle! This is my gun! Recruits: This is for fighting! This is for fun! - Full Metal Jacket

~ ~ ~

Late Afternoon. Caravan Camp. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

The refugees and the military formations of the First Sword had banded together into one heterogeneous travelling caravan, with the refugees taking up whatever civilian duties they could in order to pay their dues to the soldiers. Purely logistical tasks such as meals, cleaning, care of animals, were taken up by the newcomers, while the First Sword set pickets, inspected weapons and armour, waggons and barding, and set the watches. Some of the refugees took to military life faster than others, trying to find places as skilled workers doing minor blacksmith repairs, while took to standing watch as well - though those additions weren't taken into account when the First Sword assigned their own watch.

They'd been travelling down this route for almost two entire days now, and had just stopped to make camp; this day followed the same routine as the previous ones, being blessedly free of drama or serious interruption since the scene caused by Vicks when he was informed he'd be guarding the children should, or when, conflict broke out.

This part of the day was usually reserved for weapons training for those who could bear arms, while the others busied themselves preparing the evenings food and camp. Anyone and everyone who could or would wield a weapon in defense of the group spent the time training - though arcane training was reserved for later in the evening, as it was usually better done in quiet, rather than in the bustle of a fully awakened train as the one they were in. Kristoph and Fiona were sparring sword to sword, while Brend looked on. Livia, who was often found in Brend's company, like constant, dark shadow, was off scavenging as she was wont to do, having a peculiar knack for finding things of use in obscure places. As Kristoph and Fiona sparred, Brend's demeanour seemed to sour, and for a moment he looked like a younger version of Urdru.

"Couldn't expect you to actually be aggressive with a woman before, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're letting her walk on you now." Brend muttered, loud enough they could both hear him.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-02 00:18 EST
The pairs swords crossed two more times, with Kristoph on the defensive; he'd been trying to help her become more aggressive, trying to teach her not to hold back. He'd been trying to make her understand that their enemies weren't going to hold back, which she got, but that she wasn't quite good enough yet that she could really press him if she all out attacked. At the same time, he found it hard to blame her. He took no relish in harming anyone, so he could empathize, and it was equally hard to explain how bad the people were coming behind them. There was no real way to explain the violent, vicious, fast, nature of a war - of battle - to someone who hadn't been in one.

Fiona had been more comfortable with defensive tactics, now at least. She had been a fish out of water when she first joined with them. Having had learned some combat and weapons skills during her upbringing in school, she had lost all fighting ability in the offices and filing rooms that had become her home away from home. Now, in this new world, she knew she had to fight, but it was just easier to defend than attack. She just was not a violent person by nature. Trying to do as Kristoph wished, she attempted to take a more offensive position with him, but it was hard to attack the one person that had done so much to help protect her and the camp. Brend's comments were not helping her to focus on her already hard task. Momentarily agitated with, and distracted by, Brend, she took a heavier slash towards Kristoph.

"Duck!" Brend barked, and Kristoph responded, Fiona's slash sailing where his head had been. He'd let himself become too distracted by Brend's comments.

"I don't think the problem with her training is me, sir." He cast a sidelong glance to Brend, raising his blade in the air towards Fiona, and calling, "Yield!" Kristoph glanced between the two of them, scowling towards Brend. "Of what do you speak, exactly?"

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-02 00:21 EST
"Of what do I speak, exactly?" Brend half mimicked, half mocked. "You're not trying to hit her, you're standing there like a," he frowned, trying to think of something fitting. He couldn't. "Like a big ox, and she's just wailing on you. You need to try harder to hit her back, or first, even! Going easy on her isn't going to help her-" Kristoph interrupted him.

"Going easy!" Kristoph's temper flared. "I don't think it would help anyone to just beat her black and blue, either."

"That's not what I said," Brend raised his hands defensively. He spied something over Kristoph's shoulder, behind Fiona as well. Livia was returning. Her weapons were attached to her thighs, and in her hands she held a steaming cup of something that smelled slightly bitter, likely a tisane made from some herbs she'd harvested. "L, tell them-"

"You're trying too hard," Livia waved sundry, and took a sip from her mug before she sat near Brend. "They're obviously in love. Give it time, they'll want to kill each other soon enough."

When he raised his blade in the air, Fiona was easily able to determine Kristoph's aim, and block him with the side of her blade. She paused as their blades separated, staying in a loose defensive stance. She stopped to let them have their comments, trying not to let it discourage her in her efforts to learn, but nothing prepared her for Lady's comment. Mortified by the suggestion, she stood up straight, lowering her sword a little in the process, and stared at Lady with a puzzled and betrayed look.

Livia's eyes widened for a moment as she realized she'd guessed right - it wasn't her fault, sometimes she just got lucky at random things. A silent moment of communication passed between the ladies. But Brend broke it by all but crowing.

"Ha! I knew it! You are sleeping together, aren't you!?" The grin on his face was almost boyish, his humor taking a turn towards the truly juvenile.

"I was being sarcastic," Livia quickly countered, turning on Brend. "Talking about how couples sometimes want to kill each other. Get it?" Her tone was completely flat, though a single eyebrow was raised as she all but stared him down.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-02 00:22 EST
Now it was Kristoph's turn to smirk at Brend, until Livia continued. "Besides, not everyone will lower their standards for a soldier like I did," First a slam to the soldiering class aimed towards both the men, "Or throw you something out of sympathy, which makes me two times a fool. I'm sure I'll learn, someday." And the second a slam towards Brend, who seemed ready to counter - until the look Livia shot him silenced him. Kristoph sighed, and turned to Fiona.

"What are your thoughts, how would you best learn" Am I too gentle" Would you like to try sparring against him, to see if there's a difference?" Kristoph nodded towards Brend. He was content to let her beat him around the head for a while, certain that at worst Fiona would get a bruise or two - which Livia would pay Brend back for later.

Fiona gave a secret grateful glance towards Lady before turning to hear Kristoph's offer. She smiled, slightly defiantly, and said, "I would be honoured.? Considering all of Brend's remarks towards her training, she wanted to show him that she learned more than he thought. She just hoped that she did learn more than he thought.

Brend slipped forward, drawing a training blade marked 'No. 2.', and as he and Kristoph passed each other, they offered one another a bow which was almost mocking. As soon as they had passed each other, Brend began to lecture as he advanced.

"Alright now, take your position," something Brend clearly wasn't ready to do, as everything about his posture and the way he held his blade were sloppy.

"I get it, he's taught you all the rudimentary stuff - like which end to stick 'em with," he mock whispered, as though just the two of them could hear, "that's the pointy end, remember." On the sidelines Kristoph looked on with a frown, and Livia with interest; Brend was trying to make her feel something, trying to make her unbalanced so she wasn't thinking right. It wasn't a new trick, it was one of the oldest tricks, rather.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-02 00:24 EST
"Come on, if I were an enemy I'd already be swinging. You've gotta step up the speed, try and hit me. Don't let your enemy decide where the battle starts, or when it starts. You've gotta own it." A slow grin spread across his face, "Or if the sword is too heavy, maybe we could find you a pen. You could throw it at me..." his drawl trailed off, and he still stood with his arms to the sides, sword held in his right, tracing lazy circles in the air and angled towards the ground. A sharp 'Boo! sounded from Livia at his last comment, which only made his grin grow more broad.

Fiona's focused eyes quickly narrowed when he reminded her of the "pointy end". By the time he challenged her to move, she was happy to do so. With both hands on her sword, she lunged towards him. She attempted to take an upwards swipe towards his sword, ultimately preparing for him to parry. With her momentum, she would try to step passed him, attempting to swing with her blade, bringing it down on her spin with a hopeful hit to his leg.

Her attack, he noted, was well executed and graceful - it would have done any learned instructor proud. But Brend wasn't one of those.

While he'd had lots of official instruction, learning the sword and learning to fight were two different things. At the same time that she lunged, he spun to her left while not lunging but quickly sprinting forward - behind her - and letting the momentum of her own attack carry her out of reach. He turned quickly on his heel to face her again, this time bringing his sparring sword up into proper position.

"You need to hit me, not the sword; you saw that as an exchange, the proper thing for me to do would have been a parry - except I didn't care for proper. One step at a time. Don't try to anticipate the parry from the first move - first make me parry. Either that, or I can go get you a nice stack of files, and maybe you can paper cut me..."

"Brend..." Livia's voice called over, warning, but teasing.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-02 00:25 EST
"Do not underestimate her," Kristoph added, though he voice was lower, his focus intent upon Fiona - as if through force of will he could guide the flat of her blade to strike his foolish friend in the head and teach him some manners.

"Again, come on," though he acted nonchalant, or spoke that way at least, Brend remained quite focused, and was keeping himself poised on the balls of his feet, ready to move again.

Whatever spite she had been building towards him in his previous remarks was quickly quelled as she listened to his lesson. She needed to hit him, sure, but he was clearly ready for any attack now. She had to do something to throw him off, something unexpected. She began with her sword in both hands, as she had done before, and again lunged towards him again, as if to again take an upwards swipe towards his sword.

Everything about her movements were identical, save for that upwards swipe. In one swift movement, she let her right hand fall from the hilt of the sword, leaving it in her left, to better knock against his sword in his right. Her footwork was also different, as this time, she continued straight into him as she used her free right hand to attempt to uppercut his jaw. She hoped he would enjoy her interpretation, seeing as how he told her to hit him.

Brend's eyes widened a moment and he leaned backwards, sword arm flailing askew for a moment as he quickly ducked down, and under, towards Fiona's midsection as she swung towards him, allowing her momentum to carry her forward before quickly rising back up and spinning on his heel at the same time, cartwheeling her over top of him as he spun to face her again.

'Don't underestimate her,' Kristoph had said, Brend thought maybe he'd been right after all. 'But only one way to really tell,' he added to himself.

Fiona was not happy with the way this fight was turning out. As she flipped over Brend's back, she was becoming flustered and grabbed her sword with both hands. She used the momentum like a forward roll, using the force to carry her away from him, but she swung her torso and her sword around hard to the right, aiming for the outside of his right arm. As she swung, she pivoted to the right to face him.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-02 00:25 EST
"Huh!" Brend exhaled loudly, stepping backwards and parrying her wild swing as he did so. "I didn't expect you to still be holding onto your sword. Alright. I award....a half point. But that's just basic survival instinct I'm sure, not your boyfriend's training." His tone was completely cavalier, teasing. And he was starting to breath hard, he was actually surprised - but he was also very arrogant when it came to blade work, and anyone he wasn't directly familiar with he might have written off as easily.

His left arm was drawn in close to him, at the ready to guard from any errant blows, but any focus on that would have been a lost cause, when his sword arm was so active. Little more than his right wrist flickered, sending the tip of his sword snaking back and forth, the flat of the training blade seeking to strike against her unguarded knuckles.

Her own eyes widened at his comment and she gasped slightly at the insinuation. Accidentally leaving her dropped mouth open, it was clear she was breathing harder from the work out as well. She moved her sword arm from side to side in order to dodge his little hits to her hands. Her eyes darted to Kristoph briefly for guidance, unsure of what to do next.

In her moment of uncertainty Brend rushed forward, slamming his foot down on top of hers to pin that one foot there. He didn't care about the sword, this wasn't about learning sword fighting - clearly she was at least familiar enough with her sword she'd kill enemies rather than friends by accident. This was about learning to fight. His hands moved quickly and without him even watching what they did, left hand grabbing the hilt of his sword as it was dropped from his right behind his back, before his right hand cannoned forwards to strike her suprasternal notch - allowing him the most leverage to throw her backwards short of hitting her squarely in the face.

Stunned by the blow, she fell backwards. Making sure she at least held onto her sword, she tried to breathe, but all of the wind had been knocked out of her.

Brend's sword came to bear on her in his off hand, point towards her chest. "Do you yield?"

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-11 23:23 EST
Meanwhile on the sidelines, Kristoph had risen to his feet, hand on the hilt of his sword, and Livia snorted and rolled her eyes.

Though she agreed, she moved her head up and down to try to trick her body into breathing deeper. Unable to bring in enough air to speak yet, she mouthed the word, "Yes."

Brend took a step back as the shadow of another onlooker fell over them.

"She won't learn any more from a peacock than she will a pussycat." it was the rough voice of Vicks, not withholding on the caustic comments at all. Brend barked a laugh and turned to face him, while Kristoph looked on stoically.

"You're the babysitter, Vicks, how about you?" Livia cut, as caustic as Vicks could be, she wasn't going to be undercut.

"Really?" Brend interrupted, bemused. "You don't think maybe you should take a turn, someone at least more....able bodied?" Vick's face had grown a deep, ugly shade of red during the exchange, and Kristoph sighed.

"Perhaps she should decide who trains her-" Kristoph began, his tone almost apologetic.

"I taught both you pups," Vicks spoke again, interrupting Kristoph. "Everything but respect, I see. There's still time, though..." the last was added under his breath, his eyes glittering darkly on Brend. "Maybe she needs a demonstration of what I could teach her."

Slowly picking herself up off the ground, Fiona took long, deep breaths in a desperate attempt to refill her lungs. After she stood and dusted herself off, she turned to the men. Grateful that at least Kristoph was allowing her the chance to choose, she spoke up with a slightly labored words, "I would like to' work with Vicks." She had learned much from Kristoph even though the others couldn't see it and she had learned quite a bit from Brend in their short duel, but she wanted to see what she could learn from the man that trained them both.

"Really?" Brend seemed shocked, looking from Fiona to Vicks. He began to back away from them, a few steps at a time, readying his sword. "I'm younger, faster, and you've already taught me everything I know; you want to prove you should be the one training her, alright, let's prove it." Brend's sword sliced through the air as though he were familiarizing himself with it again. "If you're just going to be spoiling for a fight the entire time, let's do it then."

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-11 23:27 EST
"Brend," Kristoph cautioned, a hand raising to his temples and idly rubbing before glancing to Vicks. "Just leave it alone, both of you. The journey is long enough for everyone to teach her their own civilized way of beating a man to death." His somewhat snide, patronizing remark went unnoticed by either of the other men though, or if they had noticed it they were too focused on one another to answer. Vicks had found a sparring battle axe, dull and weighted heavy - not appropriate for fighting an agile swordsman like Brend.

"This won't take long, old man," Brend remarked, smiling at the elders choice of weapon. "I meant you, Kristoph, by the way. I was listening." Before he could say anymore however, Vicks charged forwards, swinging left and right, only allowing Brend to move out of the way or a clumsy and dangerous parry. He settled with the first option, nimbly dancing around Vicks and out of his reach. The elder collapsed down to a single knee, wheezing and panting heavily, leaving Brend to smile and turn to shoot Livia a wink. Just as he did, however, Vicks revealed his feint - he wasn't winded at all, and instead dropped the sparring weapon and balled his hand into a fist, throwing an uppercut from his kneeling position straight at Brend's most vulnerable spot.

"No!" Livia was on her feet, "Not the-" but it was too late, she watched, wincing sympathetically as Vicks fist rose quickly between Brend's legs, making the latter's eyes bulge out almost comically for a moment. She sighed. "Nevermind."

Brend dropped to his knees, then to his side on the ground, groaning softly, while his elder opponent rose again to his feet, a seemingly genuine smile upon his face, and he looked up to Kristoph. "Your turn now, lad."

Fiona eased her way over to where Livia was sitting, just as she had jumped up in Brend's defense. Though Fiona wasn't happy to see the consequences, she was quite confident in her decision. Lowering herself to take a seat, her eyes were glued on Kristoph, hoping he wouldn't share the same fate as Brend.

"Come on, then, boy. Let's see if you remember more than he did," Vicks said, gesturing towards the still groaning form of Brend. As Kristoph stood, Vicks slowly walked to the opposing side of the training grounds and with an eye for the weapon his opponent was using, drew a similarly styled training sword.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-11 23:29 EST
"I know you can't help but fight honourably," he said while turning back towards Kristoph, "No tricks, come on boy."

"Vicks," Kristoph sighed, stepping back into the circle proper just as Brend drew himself out of it, settling at and between the feet of both Livia and Fiona. "I don't for a moment doubt your ability, though maybe your sobriety." That comment earned him a smirk as he squared off with the older weapons master.

"It wouldn't make a difference, lad." Vicks flew forward suddenly, as though a switch had been flipped, a warcry on his lips and a flurry of powerful slashes falling on the younger warrior like rain; though he appeared wild, each stroke was well timed, strength and speed moderated carefully and economically into each attack. Kristoph was his opposite in mien; stoic, silent, and as efficient with his parrying and defense as Vicks was with his attacks. Each of Vick's attacks were denied in turn, one after the other; as if he weren't already intimidating enough, each of his failed attacks drew not rage but laughter from him, until finally Kristoph was able to move his back from the edge of the circle, towards the inside and was able to add to the distance between them, granting himself a brief respite as Vicks continued to prowl after him.

"What will it take to end this, Vicks?" In his mind's eye, Kristoph knew he didn't have to be as patient as he was being with the man. He could clap him in irons for insubordination, but in the long run what would that really help" It would only heap more shame upon him and if he simply left the company they'd have lost a valuable asset.

"Only honour," Vicks began.

"You haven't lost any!" Kristoph's exclamation was almost plaintive.

"Oh, I know," Vicks pace quickened as he sought to close again. "I just think I should have more, for being put on midwife duty.? If nothing else, he was good natured in his search, managing a passable joke even as he struck again and again at Kristoph, each blow a mirror to the one that preceded it, but with more power behind it if anything. Each blow Kristoph pushed back more ferociously, until the younger man roared with frustration and pushed his attacker and weapon both back with an attack of his own, then throwing his own practice sword from the circle.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-11 23:32 EST
"Enough! Accept that I yield! You'll gain no honor from beating an unarmed man, I yield!" Kristoph spread his arms wide, pacifistic, just as Vicks moved forward again " before dropping his sword arm low, then letting the practice blade fall to the ground. Vicks glanced at Kristoph with hardly a moments worth of consideration before giving his answer.

"The quality or make of the weapons may be different, but fighting men are never unarmed." The comment was so quick and pseudo philosophical, the actions that followed were almost painful in their juxtaposition. Before Kristoph could react, Vick's fist seemed to cannon forwards, balled into a gnarled knot of bone and old muscle, striking the younger lord in the side of the head as he did what he could to move out of the way. It did little good, as Kristoph dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

As Kristoph sank, Fiona jumped up, just missing being tripped by Brend at her feet as she instantly ran over, into the circle, and dropped down beside Kristoph. She started to place both hands on him in order to roll him so she would be able to see his face and better determine how injured he was, but thought better of it, being afraid she might hurt him in moving him. Already so far, she leaned down to him and whispered as she lightly nudged him with an open palm, "Knightfall?"

A groan was her only immediate response, but then his body shifted, and his head turned and he was looking up at her. There was a dark bruise forming under his left eye that would probably take up most of his cheek; he was quite lucky that his nose hadn't been broken, or maybe it wasn't luck at all, and instead the excellent aim of his opponent. He flipped himself somewhat groggily to his back, and cast a quick glance towards Livia, as he noticed her rise and check the dual winged crossbows strapped to the outside of her upper thighs. Though he winced, he offered Fiona a somewhat apologetic smile; the smile was for her attention, the apology for the actions that had brought it.

"I hope I wasn't out that long," he muttered, raising a hand to gingerly touch his face. At least his sense of humor had not only survived, but seemed to flourish. "I would say he's still capable of teaching you, at least.?

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-11 23:33 EST
"We could have used a better battle plan," Brend called over from a few feet away where he still rested, his eyes hawk like, watching Livia as she moved languidly towards the circle. "Other than trying to break his fists with your face....and my balls." He laughed, though it obviously pained him, and Kristoph couldn't help but join in as he rose up " accepting Fiona's aid in doing so, his hands lingering on her as he silently mouthed his thanks, looking slightly worse for wear as his his face purpled.

"What an understatement " I thought you were supposed to be really smart or something; what happened, been screwing your brains out?" Livia was stepping into the circle as she spoke to Brend in passing. He knew better than to say anything, but he couldn't help but grin at her comment. "Ok, my turn grandfather. Here, catch." And without waiting for Vicks to even look she tossed a dagger towards him, flipping it end over end. His peripheral vision must have seen it though, because he turned quickly, in time not to catch it, but to knock it down with his backhand before stooping to pick it up.

"Daggers it is, sweet pea." Vicks answered in tune with her own comment, stooping to quickly grab the dagger he'd swatted down and making for her, a confident smirk painted on his face " at least until he felt like he was being swarmed with bolts. Just as he'd stooped for the dagger, she'd sheathed hers and drawn a dual winged crossbow from each hip and had begun firing; each crossbow held only two bolts, but by the time she had expended three of them he'd spent his entire time dodging this way and that. His salvation was that she wasn't trying to kill him outright " it was no training crossbow or bolts that she used, nothing mock up about it, it was the real thing, and a bolt could puncture what little armour he wore and kill him outright. Before he could react or form an offence, he felt the sharp prick of a crossbow bolt pressing up under his chin, and she was close enough he could smell her sweat and the leather armour she wore.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-14 00:37 EST
"I win," she purred, a catlike smile spreading across her features as she gave the crossbow a little extra shove as if to prove her point, her cocky attitude lasting only a moment until she too felt something sharp at her throat.

"No, the match was daggers, and that means I win." Vicks tone was as soft as her purr had been, and twice as deadly. He was playing, just as they all had been " but he wouldn't let slip that he was anything other than a predator when it came to training to kill. As her third bolt had been expended, his swinging arm had sought to close with her just as she moved in to threaten her last shot, and had drawn the dagger she'd originally challenged him with, the same one that she'd sheathed while he'd recovered one from the ground. "Now go play with your boyfriend," he made as if to blow her a kiss, and barely blocked her knee as it rose quickly to strike him in the groin " just as he'd done to Brend. "Or is that girlfriend?" Vicks laughter boomed, and he backed away, handing her her dagger.

"Whatever," Livia rolled her eyes and stooped to quickly collect her bolts after accepting her dagger back. She'd been fully prepared to make some remark to Brend after she'd beaten Vicks for him " but that hadn't gone exactly as planned, either.

Still embarrassed after Kristoph smiled to her in thanks, Fiona purposefully tried not to look at him as helped him to the side line where Brend was sitting. After watching Livia's last attempt to bring down Vicks, Fiona was convinced she made the right choice in a trainer. She just hoped he would go easy on her while she learned. She made her way to Vicks and said, "I am ready to learn."

Vicks had made to walk away as soon as Livia had turned from him, and turned back on hearing Fiona speak, his eyes hard and dark as he paused, studying her. "And you think you want me to train you? Just because I can still fight doesn't mean I can teach, girl." His voice was gruff, but not intimidating. It held a certain quality of, 'Now, wait', and 'I should go'. He made a jerking motion towards both Kristoph & Brend. "Besides, I'm a poor trainer; every one of mine's a disrespectful pup."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-14 00:39 EST
"True on all counts," Livia muttered under her breath from the training field, gathering her crossbow bolts back. Closer at hand, the two other men were gathering their wits - and other bruised body parts - around themselves. They'd had their go with Vicks, and he seemed to feel his honour was sated, if nothing else.

Fiona glanced at Kristoph and Brend as Vicks motioned, then turned back to him and stated with conviction, "Maybe it's because you've been teaching soldiers. I'm the farthest from it, a blank slate when it comes to combat. You can teach me from the ground up, tell me everything I need to know. I won't have that same cockiness," she said as she peered back at Brend again briefly. Turning her head to look at Vicks in the eyes again, she added, "I will devote my all, not because it is my soldierly duty, but because I must be the best so I may live to fight another day."

His jaw went almost slack at her earnest tone, and his eyes widened involuntarily. "No, oh, no. You'd be a hopeless one for sure, listen to it, the idealist." His head tilted back and he barked a contrived laugh. His eyes flickered over her choice of weaponry, the way she armed herself, armoured herself, the way she stood. "Besides, I'm an old man. I'll die in some stupid war, somewhere I'm sure, before I can teach you much." He turned away from her again and took two steps before calling over his shoulder. "Fast?"

Fiona tried not to show disappointment as he listed reasons to deny her. Once he turned, she was sure that was it. Then, with just a word, she couldn't help but hide her smile as she quickly began to follow. "As fast as I need to be."

He'd been about to ask her if she could hit fast, he hadn't even expected her to anticipate his question. He stopped and turned back to face her completely. "Alright. First lesson. Hit fast. What about hard" Can you hit hard?" His gaze was scrutinizing.

Her smile faded as she began to focus on the lesson. Strength was not her forte. She thought hard. Maybe she wasn't as weak as she considered herself to be. The clerks that worked under her would often comment how secretly strong she was, given that she looked as though a strong gust of wind might be able to blow her over. She would often carry large stacks of forms or historical tomes from one record room to another for research. It was a far cry from having enough force to be able to knock a man down, but she just might be able to learn how to direct her strength. She wouldn't lie, though.

"I have never tried.?

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-14 00:41 EST
But she wasn't getting away that easy. He took a step towards her, and he wasn't threatening but his voice became softer, somehow more dangerous. It took so little to provoke him, "I didn't ask if you tried. I asked....can you hit hard?"

As Vicks stepped forwards, Fiona moved one foot back, not to retreat but to put herself in a better balanced fighting stance. She wasn't sure if or how he would strike, but she didn't want to be as caught off guard as Brend and Kristoph. "I...," She quickly debated what to say, she finally resolved that there was no good answer. "Let's see," she said under her breath as she took a step, bringing her back foot forward, using the momentum and every fibre in her being to thrust a closed fist hard towards his chest.

But she'd taken just a little too long in her setup and he was ready for it, nonetheless giving an audible 'huff' when her blow struck. Other than that, he didn't move. His eyes glanced downwards to her fist as it recoiled from striking him, then he quickly met her eyes again. "You can try for real later, stop playing around." It was hard to tell if he was serious, or if he could tell what kind of effort she had thrown into the punch. "Now, most importantly - can you hit first?" He'd moved closer still just after her punch, not a full step, just edging forward every so slightly - as if he were attempting to become increasingly intimidating.

Her hand throbbed slightly, but it wasn't enough to deter her, nor was his inching continuously closer to her. "But I did just hit first," she thought to herself. No, it sounded like a trap. He was probably getting ready to strike her, and seeing if she could out-strike him "first". Leaving no more time wasted for thought, and just in case, she ducked down just enough to dodge any hit to her upper torso or head. Since he was close to her now, as she dropped, she took an angled step to his side, propelling a side hook towards his lower abdomen.

Though he'd already reflexively brought a thigh up both to guard and to step away, the blow landed solidly, drawing a resounding 'Oof' from the old weapons master, staggering him, making him hop sideways, until he was full on walking away. "I'll get some gear," he called back over his shoulder. "There's still light, and remember: hit fast, hit hard, hit first. And everyone else," he concluded, "Find somewhere to be, we're working here."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-29 22:02 EST
Early Evening. Caravan Camp. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

The First Sword's camp was set for the night, struck at the eventual fork in the road where they had to decide which route they would take, up into the higher passes of the mountains or down into the sweeping valley that emptied into the plains before the holy city. Their path would be decided tomorrow, though as terrain changed and made more evident the challenges they would have to face in either direction. The tents were set up with a panoramic view of the valley and mountain slopes that cradled it; directly ahead the floor began to slope downward, and the vegetation thickened considerably, as did the size of the plants themselves. Above the canopy of the forest, however, and along the mountainsides that framed it, there were intricate crisscrossing pathways that seemed etched into the sides of the slopes, presumably to find exit on the far side of the mountains, into the foothills before the plains.

The days taken to arrive at the juncture they now sat in were long and hard, which was small price to pay for the relative safety.

Long days of hiking in heavier than average gear were taxing, especially corralling the number of youth they found themselves suddenly in the company of. The few mounts they had had their duty changed to pack animals, due to the need for extra supplies to supplement the rations being used by the refugees. Thankfully, the Dahli adults eventually came around to reintegrating with their children. Though many children and parents in many cases seemed somewhat stunned at their new reality, and the results of what had been done to and by them, before they'd been driven into the arms of the First Sword. Some of the children, those less sombre and less inclined to not leave their parents sides, and especially those without parents of their own to look after them anymore, took a peculiar interest in Vicks, and a small train of them took up silently behind him. They said nothing to him, and he gave nothing to them, save for an occasional scowl. The only place they didn't follow him, were in the hours after camp was being set and food was being made by some, while supplies and gear were being re-checked by others, while he was training Fiona.

Training and sparring were a peculiar thing, sometimes they were done in complete privacy, while other instances almost required an audience. The brief education that Vicks had offered on his ability to still engage in combat to the officers had required an audience, Fiona's training did not. The only requirement that was placed upon her was that although she could get mad, she could not quit, if he began to train her. He purposely appeared to take more relish in the pain or embarrassment he inflicted upon her than he actually did, in all things he strove to make her mad, make her rage, to burn away fear and consciousness of " while in combat " being anything other than a weapon.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-29 22:07 EST
Initially Vicks was startled at her choice of weapon, his bushy eyebrows raising somewhat humorously on his forehead as he watched her heft a bastard sword, and seeming to carefully examine its craftsmanship. As soon as he'd mastered himself again, lowering his brows back into their usual doubtful, dour purpose, he bluntly spat. "That's too heavy for you, put it back and get something more appropriate. We don't have the time to waste, girl."

Fiona had continued to hold the two handed sword. She wanted it for the same reason that she wanted Vicks to train her, because she wanted to prove to herself that she could take on the greatest challenge. She answered him defiantly, "If it is too heavy, then that is my burden to bear. Now, can you train me with it or not?"

Vicks snorted, and opened his mouth to respond but then second guessed himself in the nature of his comment, and added somewhat soberly. "What if it's too heavy, and it causes you to fail in the defense of, oh, those children?" At that moment, on the other side of a clearing they found themselves off the trail proper, a group of children had run up, almost through the training ground before they realized Fiona and Vicks were there, and quickly turned and ran in another direction instead.

She wavered when she saw the children. Vicks was right that she may not master it, but she would never let a weapon, or lack of weapon, stop her. "My defense is not limited to a sword." Vicks simply rolled his eyes at her comment and strode forward to grab a long sword and slide it into a sheath on his hip, likewise with a broadsword, fitting it on the other hip, and taking a bastard sword to match her own " which he unfortunately wielded in one hand more naturally than she did in two.

The first day of training was the worst, and she left the session with bruises and nicks along her forearms, and her knuckles a somewhat horrifying bloody patchwork of cuts and scrapes. Everything he'd done had seemed intended to make her drop her weapon, to make her want to stop " the one thing she couldn't do. First he'd tell her what he was going to do, tell her to assume an appropriate stance, then he would follow through on his instruction ? but almost always fought dirty.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-29 22:08 EST
In one instance, he told her he was going to knock her sword from her fingers, and she assumed a stance with the blade angled down and towards him; instead of assuming his own stance, he quickly stepped on the tip of the blade and drove it's already heavy edge into the soft soil while rapping the blunt side of his broadswords blade against her knuckles. He cycled through an entire catalogue of 'dirty tricks' before he'd use the same one again, though. He always tried to give her ample time to forget " until the sting of her body wouldn't let her forget again. Every strike he made that made her drop her weapon, or any contact he made with his blade against her torso or particularly vulnerable extremity, were followed by a simple phrase: "You're dead."

Even after four days of training, it was the most often repeated phrase that Fiona heard, or that Vicks " or anyone else, uttered. But her training wasn't unsuccessful, as more and more often, she was not 'dying' of the same things. She was learning; fear and uncertainty were turning into tactical caution, and patience in waiting for the right opportunity to strike. His first words to her were the second most repeated instruction throughout their lessons: Strike hard, strike fast, and strike first. They were not repeated so much as that other ominous pronouncement, however. Even the few times she'd managed to some way land a killing blow on him, he somehow managed to make her attack effective " but suicidal, stating, "That strike may win, but you're still dead."

She also had her arcane training with Kristoph to contend with. Her post supper training, thankfully, was less painful " if no less strenuous than training with Vicks. Every evening after supper and training, when others were still sitting around small fires, and even later into the night when those same fires went out, she trained in the arcane arts with Kristoph. That always started out, at least, as somewhat soothing. When she'd come to him after training with Vicks for a single day, he'd immediately noticed the state of her hands. They were rough, red, and raw. He said nothing except to instruct her to sit while he talked and gathered a few things, mostly plant based trimmings, or dried, powdered root. He stirred the mixture together, taking a seat across from her as he began to talk about the Construct, the Doors, and asked her to hold her hands out to take his.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-29 22:12 EST
"This will help in the healing, and with the pain," Kristoph explained, taking her hands after gathering the light green, semi translucent paste onto his fingertips. He carefully rubbed it onto the back of each of her hands and into her palms, taking each of her hands in one of his. The mixture smelled strangely clean, and somewhat minty, and was as cool to the touch of her hands as mint is to the mouth. "It's aloe, canijen, other things to help with the swelling." He offered a glance towards his own choice of weapon, then to hers, noting them as the same. Vicks had already spoken to him of her choice, and Kristoph only noted aloud. "That is quite a weapon." The next thought to cross his mind as he'd massaged the ointment into her hands was, 'You are very stubborn'; it was a thought that brought a smile to his lips as he ducked his head to continue his work before they started that evening's lesson.

That become the normal routine for three days and nights. The entire group would travel, and she at least would train until her body could take no more, and every night when she would come to her tent Kristoph would be waiting, salve already ready. He spoke nothing of it, except to comment on what it did, or how, and seemed otherwise unchanged " save for the intimacy of his touch upon her skin as he sought to ease her nightly aches. His touch became somehow both softer and more assured. Night after night, nothing came of it, and nothing could; arcane training was every bit as taxing as weapons training on the body, and when they finished each night " and each night they pushed themselves " they were not only ready to pass out, but often one of them had already done so.

On the third day when the sun was almost directly overhead, they found their path blocked by an oncoming party, and one with thankful familiarity " other members, or former members now perhaps, of the First Sword. Both Atticus and Ronin D'Arcstorm, accompanied by Virgil Daystrom and a small Company of regulars bearing the emblem of the latter, and who numbered no more than ten in total. After a moment of exchanging tidings were, if not necessarily glad due to circumstances, at least showed pleasure that each of them were alive, business was addressed.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-29 22:15 EST
"You're a long way from home," Kristoph noted.

"So are you," Ronin quickly replied, a half smirk on his lips as he looked at Kristoph, "you want the good news or the bad news first?" One of the group, Virgil, took his leave as they began to speak, and set to having his company assist the somewhat bedraggled group that they'd met.

"Bad, as usual," Brend said. Leta elbowed him softly in the ribs, but added nothing except a rather sweet and dangerous looking smile. Before he could add anything else, Atticus intervened, his brusque tone all but stating he'd rather the facts be shared.

"The holy city Extalyon has been found, at least High Mage Youngblood claims. If it is true, and in advance of the Imperial forces, it would bode well. The issue is that High Ma-" Atticus was cut off.

"Jonas," Brend had spoken too loudly, on purpose. Leta's elbow found his side again, also on purpose. Atticus resumed speaking.

"Cannot seem to penetrate a field which surrounds the environs the city is built upon." He finished, his glance sliding from Brend, but his mien too cool to show irritation. "I sought to lend my strength to his, in the hope of overcoming it " or learning about it, lest we destroy the defenses we would use ourselves. In truth, he has already, in his frustration, hurled all manner of sorcery at it with no effect, therefore I doubt there is little I could do to damage it. It seems a lock, with a very specific key. I have not seen it yet, thus I hold my ultimate opinions in reserve for now.

An accord was quickly reached.

Atticus would take Kaius, and would go ahead of the main party and try to make their way to Jonas in order to aid him. Kaius's scouting abilities were unsurpassed, and he had uncanny direction sense without resorting to spells, even when compared to the finding abilities of a spell caster. Ronin and Virgil, and all the latter's forces would become part of the main force " though that is somewhat of a misleading term when taking account of their mismatched, haphazard party, with it's eclectic mix of ages and abilities " or lack thereof. Atticus and Kaius were less than an hour in making their preparations and taking their leave. The newcomers were as diverse a lot as already existed with the group.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-29 22:23 EST
Virgil's desire for either solitude or to keep occupied kept him well away from much socializing, and except for those who wore his banner " followers he didn't seem to even want " he spoke little to anyone. His followers at least proved to be more than well trained, settling in with the regulars that had accompanied Livia with the group. Soon, the two groups were more or less as one fighting force, trading stories and dirty jokes as they moved, finding solace in alliance, and the alliance of their defacto leaders.

"So, who are our casters?" Ronin had come up upon Kristoph and Fiona while they trekked, hours yet from the eventual fork, a literal and metaphorical fulcrum which they were so close upon, and thereby closer to the holy city.

"What you see before you," Kristoph answered. He nodded his head back towards Ronin, then to Fiona. He spent a great deal of his travelling time at her side, though he hadn't given thought to if he followed her, or her him. He didn't care which was true. Her presence eased his tension, just as he sought to ease her aches after a somewhat abusive afternoon with the old weapon master. Ronin was surveying the two of them somewhat speculatively, an almost sour look on his lips.

"What about you?" Ronin asked. A moment of bloated silence followed before Kristoph offered answer.

"You know I cannot," he replied somewhat stiffly. Ronin rolled his eyes somewhat.

"Will not, yeah, I know. Your code." He had somewhat of a sharp edge to his voice as he spoke, as if he were tired of hearing that phrase. Ronin looked past Kristoph to Fiona, then began glancing from one to the other, from Kristoph to Fiona. "What about you? Better hope the Second doesn't follow with a lot of mages.?

With a surprised expression, Fiona glanced to Kristoph when he volunteered her as a viable magical option. She certainly didn't share his confidence, though she was honored he would consider and recommend her as such. Her attention turned to Ronin as he spoke to Kristoph, especially when both referenced Kristoph's casing abilities. It only made sense to her that Kristoph would be skilled in the art. She could tell from his teachings each evening that he was more than familiar with various spells and techniques. She just couldn't understand why he would refuse to use those skills. Her wondering was interrupted by Ronin's question.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-01-29 22:25 EST
"I have been attempting to learn in multiple fighting forms" magical and otherwise," she added, though she didn't think he would appreciate the excruciating training she had been enduring from Vicks. "Although I have not been practicing as long as most here, I do hope that I will be able to provide some assistance. I have been trained by what I consider to be exceptional instructors." Since her comment also included Vicks, she hoped it didn't cross any lines. She couldn't help but look to Kristoph then, though she darted her eyes away from him just as quickly.

"To learn?" Ronin deadpan asked Fiona, before turning to Kristoph and stating it again, rhetorically. "To learn. So myself " a Company mage, an apprentice, and a high mage " who won't use magic, are our defense." He raised his left arm, extended it skyward, and three copper rings gleamed in the light, one at his wrist, one below his elbow, and one mid-bicep. The rings suddenly seemed to expand in size, doubling, but hovering in the same rough spots along his arm, as blue-yellow energy seemed to race between them. The three rings spun for a moment on his arm, like three miniature hula-hoops, then gave a brief ratcheting sound and once again constricted and snugged up on his arm. Ronin admired his own display considerately. "Mind if I use you for a battery, if we run into heavy dense forces" Atticus and I had been working on this," he indicated the ring riddled artifact on his arm, "and the only times I've tested it, I'm useless to cast after. So if you're not going to..." his question trailed off as Kristoph shrugged, though his face grew stonier with the series of questions.

"As you like, unless we're in combat. Just ask," he cleared his throat and looked away from Ronin, back towards Fiona, and his face softened " somewhat. "I need to speak with Brend," he glanced further back behind them, and turned back to her. "I will see you for training this evening?" He already knew the answer, or hoped he did. He hoped she would realize he only meant to remove himself from Ronin, having clearly become uncomfortable with his questions. Of course, it also implied that he wanted to see her again.

"Of course,? she said, trying unsuccessfully to hide a slight smile. Her words were barely audible, not because she didn't mean to be heard, because she was still flattered he would ask.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-01-29 22:26 EST
"So," Ronin nodded towards Fiona as Kristoph set off, "What's your story, anyway?" He seemed to wear an almost perpetual, if almost imperceptible, smirk at all times. It didn't make him look mean, just as though there was some joke he'd just heard, that you'd been a little too late to understand the punch line of. "Ronin, by the way." He offered a sloppy salute.

"Fiona O"Neill of House Tain," She bowed her head to him politely as she introduced herself. It had been awhile since she used her House title, if it was even awarded to her anymore. It sounded foreign to her despite coming out of her own mouth. She continued humbly, "I do not have much of a story to tell. I acted as a simple record keeper to the Empire. The role of mediator was added to my duties once the First Sword?" She trailed off, realizing her word choice had changed once she changed sides. "Left the Empire. I was assigned to deliver a letter of Disavowal to Knightfa-" She quickly corrected herself, "Lord Arknight, but I was not aware that the man that I came with to deliver the message had a different mission' It showed me what the Empire truly was, and I have been with the company ever since."

"Arkni " never mind," he half muttered to himself, then went on, more conversationally, "Yeah well, looks like we're all disavowed now anyway. And the old Houses don't hold sway for us anymore, either." He shook his head, somewhat in disbelief at what he was going to say. "The Dahli, and the Krotoan too, that started living among them, adopting their ways as much or more than the Empire, they made new Houses, around the First Sword. I dunno, I wonder if they realize what they did. The Imperial Houses were flawed, but they were intended to good things " I think. But these cults based on personality," he shook his head again. "I don't think they know us very well." His smirk had diminished, but not disappeared.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-02-04 15:13 EST
She realized she had made an error in the use Imperial titles, as Ronin referred to the old Houses. His mentality was right, though. Kristoph was no longer of House Arknight, now he was Knightfall, and she didn't know yet what would become of House Tain. She felt as though she was only beginning to find her own role in the group. It was an honour to be called an apprentice, though she understood why it might be less impressive to Ronin, since he seemed more accomplished " or at least sure of himself.

He'd listed himself and a "Company mage" as the other casters. She suspected that he meant Atticus, who had come with him in the party. She had met Atticus before and had heard that he was quite skilled in his magical creations. From their conversation, it wasn't hard to determine Kristoph was the high mage that refused to use magic. He didn't seem as happy when Ronin brought it up, but maybe Ronin would be more inclined to explain. "You seem to know Kristoph very well," she began, "You mentioned that he will not practice magic because of his code. What code is that?" She couldn't help but wonder why he would be teaching her to use magic if it was something that he swore some code against.

"I didn't say he doesn't practice it," he shot her a look, and held it on her for a moment. "I have no idea if he practices or not, he's capable, but he's never been very subtle in his casting. Maybe that means his control is poor because he doesn't practice....Anyway," He'd been about to talk himself right out of the subject, but cleared his throat and brought it back around. "He's too honourable, is the 'code', his code. He doesn't strike first, but almost always strikes last; but who got hurt by not striking first?" His question was rhetorical, "I heard you were sparring with Vicks; he must have taught you to 'strike first' by now." He half smirked when he said it, and absently rubbed the knuckles of his left hand.

She only continued to regret her word choices as she spoke, but it wasn't going to prevent her from trying to learn more, much like how she persisted with Vick's lessons. "Yes, he has," she answered with some difficulty, thinking of each time he painfully reminded her.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-02-04 15:15 EST
After a slight pause, she asked, "Kristoph would use his magic in battle, though....yes?" There was a slight tone of concern when she asked. She assumed he would, that it would fit with his code of not acting first, but she wanted to be sure. Ronin snorted at the concern in her voice.

"If he felt he had to, yeah. But keep in mind there's usually mages arrayed against as well, so..." he let that sentence trail off for her to think about. "He has before, he's just - like I said - not subtle; usually if he's decided that he has to use it, more people will end up being endangered than if he opened with it. Does that make sense" Plus, you gotta keep in mind that if the 'other' side were likely to fight fair, we probably wouldn't even exist - because there would have been no need for this rebellion. Right?" He cleared his throat again, "Honestly, you might be asking the wrong person, and there might not even 'be' a right person to ask. I think probably he's the only one that knows his mind, and even then, I'm not sure you're guaranteed. I've argued with him before, and his 'logic' is persuasive - or rather, he's persuasive in presenting his thoughts as logical. But I guess the only person you have to make sense to at the end of the day is the person who's bed you share, so." He shrugged.

"Still," he added, "It would be nice to know we could rely on him upfront rather than just in a squeeze. I mean, who is there to setup Wards" Me, and you - if you've been trained, even." He snorted, "Easier just to say a Company mage like me, follow orders, and don't question anything." There was a vague hint of sarcasm in his voice, though no indication it was directed at himself for his rank.

She listened and followed along intently as he spoke about Kristoph, at least until he mentioned them sharing a bed. Involuntarily, her eyes narrowed and she let out an offended grunt. After he finished speaking, she felt the need to defend herself. "I may share his tent, but I do not share his bed. Even that was not something planned. It came out of necessity. I began sharing a tent with Lady, but one night she had kicked me out because she?? she trailed off briefly, trying to debate how to word it as properly as possible.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-02-04 15:16 EST
"She decided to welcome someone else into her tent. I believe Kristoph only took pity on me and welcomed me in to his so I would have a place to go. It only made sense since I was already practicing my magic studies with him most evenings. But it was for convenience only, nothing more." Even after getting it off her chest, she still looked cross at his accusation.

He cleared his throat, with a somewhat amused look on his face. "I never meant you shared his bed; I didn't even know you shared his tent until," he nodded to her, "Just recently." He was grinning. "I meant that in general, one - a general person- doesn't have to make sense except to the person they're sleeping with." He shrugged with that same, bemused grin, "I mean, I'm sure he's a good instructor, and I'm pretty sure he won't impugn your virtue, so to speak," his voice dry with humor, "unless it's mutual." He cleared his throat once again, "I, uh, didn't mean to imply, or offend..."

She drew in a deep breath as he began to clarify. Her look of offence turned to sheer embarrassment. Halfway through, she closed her eyes and lightly shook her head, her mouth still open from her soft gasp. She could handle the embarrassment of not choosing the most appropriate terms and titles, but this was an entirely different thing. She opened her eyes as she began to speak, but she couldn't look at him. "I" um' No, I" I'm sorry' I have things to tend to before we begin moving again?" she said, beginning to take a few steps towards where others were working on small projects.

He nodded once with a relaxed smile, "Don't worry about it. And Kristoph hasn't taught you anything about Wards yet, I'll show you some easy ones later you can practice until you can figure out how to layer your own." And without another word, he was off on his own, letting the conversation drop there. He had the feeling he'd embarrassed her, not that what they talked about was anything he cared about. Hell, if Kristoph had her sleeping in the same tent as him, good for him.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-02-18 20:36 EST
Late Evening. Caravan Camp. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

Although Vick's training had not become any harder than it had been, it was not getting any easier despite Fiona's progress. She was convinced that he had the innate ability to gauge her skill and continue to increase his just enough to keep her challenged. Although sparring with him sometimes seemed to be insurmountably difficult, it was her training after Vicks that put the most strain on her.

Each evening, she would stay with Kristoph in his tent to train in the ways of magic. They would typically begin their lessons discussing the sources of power, abilities that could be used based on those sources, and had other magical discussions while he lightly rubbed a mixture of herbs and powdered roots onto her sore hands. Fiona would try to focus on his lesson, but the cooling salve and his soothing touch made it hard for her to concentrate. Even when she would begin to practice, it proved impossible to control the magic behind some of her spells when she couldn't even steady her own breathing. She wanted so much to be able to impress him that when she was unsuccessful in her attempts at spells, she would get flustered with herself quickly. Kristoph's calm encouragement only served to make her feel even more self-conscious.

That evening, as he gently massaged the salve onto her cut hands, she watched their hands intently, choosing to guide her focus there. She knew she would not be able to look at him. Doing so in the past had only caused her to stare at him uncomfortably long, embarrassing herself. "We had discussed resonance briefly," she found herself answering, still focusing on his hands on hers.

Until she'd spoken his attention seemed to be wholly engrossed in her hands, seeking out any little imperfection in the skin caused by the brutality of Vicks' training regime. At the touch of the balm, gently massaged in by his strong fingers, the coloring of bruises faded a degree, and even small cuts seemed to be rubbed away, replaced with fresh, pink, skin.

"Alright," he murmured softly. "We'll go back to that." He nodded, his glancing upwards for a moment to watch her watching his hands on hers. "There are two basic types of resonance, the first caused by energies in sync with one another, and the other caused by energies opposed to one another."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-02-18 20:40 EST
His voice was metered as he spoke; calm and instructive, almost as if from memory of his own lessons. One of his hands now slid under hers as he talked, and they were palm to palm, his fingers lacing between hers, tightening gently and working to relax the muscles of her hands which had been long tensed on her swords hilt less than an hour previous.

"It's similar to a piece of wood, you know how wood has a grain to it?" He glanced up again, momentarily as he continued his massage of her hands. "Imagine that every energy has a grain, and every other energy it encounters has one as well. When two meet, they can move parallel to one another, or perpendicular. The first way, obviously probably, augments effects - makes them stronger, or at least doesn't hinder them. The latter, which is when energies have higher resonance, are especially useful for things like countering a magical effect." His voice was quiet, yet certain, more a recital than a consideration of the content. He'd taken her other hand in his now, his palm up, hers palm down, and with his free hand he traced small symbols on the back of her hand before again working the salve into it.

"I never found the textbook explanations to be much help, honestly. Some people think the magic, others feel it; I think I'm somewhere right in the middle. High resonance is like..." his hands stopped in hers for a moment, and simply held them as if he'd forgotten their contact, and his eyes met hers again. "It's like fire and water. Or ice, maybe. There are too many 'elements' for me to remember; elementals, para-elementals, quasi-elementals." He shook his head, more to himself than to her.

"You're not getting too despondent, training with Vicks, are you?" He'd changed the topic, but it was something he often worried about as she trained. He'd been responsible for her sword work before Vicks had taken over, and he felt somehow that her injuries as a result were his fault for not offering better tutelage earlier - even though he knew that his own style of instruction wouldn't likely best that of his own weapons master.

As he held his fingers interlaced in hers, she closed her eyes and drew in a soft breath, as not to interrupt him.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-02-18 20:45 EST
For a brief moment, she had a look of pain over her face, one he might disregard as simple tension in her hands from the day's sparring. She opened her eyes and continued to stare at their hands as he continued. When he paused after attempting to explain high resonance, she looked up to see what caused him to stop. In doing so, she found herself no longer listening as he went on about elementals. His question seemed to interrupt both of their thoughts. "What?" She asked quickly and then added as she returned her eyes down to her hands, "Oh. No. I am sure I will never be able to compare in skill with many of the swordsmen here, but I do feel as though I am making progress." She glanced up to him, realizing it probably seemed extremely impolite of her not to be looking at him while they spoke.

Her eyes held his for a moment, and he didn't notice or feel the color that had risen to his cheeks at the moment. 'Focus', Kristoph thought to himself. He cleared his throat, and hurriedly looked away with a smile that he failed at dismissing. He dropped to one knee and his hands slid away from hers, settling on her hips, gently probing the area, looking up again to watch her face for reaction to see if she was pained. He would do the same for her knees and the outside of her calves as well - favorite targets for Vicks during training; the elder weapons master took great glee in causing his trainees to hop, walk, or hold their weapons awkwardly, from his sundering attacks to their extremities.

"No," he agreed, "You probably won't compare to most of the warriors that fight with us; they've been doing it all their lives, and for most of them it's almost all they know. But for every fighter you can stave off yourself, you free up one of those better warriors. So every advance you make in your training benefits us twofold; in making you better, and in allowing us to spread our resources better."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-02-18 20:48 EST
Even great leaders were capable of feeling foolish, and from his point of view regardless of what others thought, he was just a man. And on his knees before a woman telling her what she already knew. He seemed to laugh and cough at the same time, thinking that the position of men was likely always thus. He changed the subject as he hands continued their surveillance of her legs.

"What about the Construct' Can you summon it now without difficulty, at least?" That was their basic training exercise. Even if she told him a dozen times what she was capable of, he still asked as though he didn't know. In his own way, he was like Vicks. He would make her repeat and repeat and repeat, until that which she repeated was second nature to her. "If you can, we can work on a resonance exercise."

She couldn't help but notice his eyes lingering on hers and his unfading smile, though she told herself she only saw what she wanted to see. He was only there to help her learn, she reminded herself. She knew he could not possibly be interested in anything more with her, especially when it was her fault that they were there, due to the Disavowal that she delivered to him casting him out from the Empire, which had ultimately caused them to be like the refugees they were supposed to be helping.

"Yes," she answered, awkwardly taking a slow step backwards. The pitch of the tent caused her to bow her head slightly in order to continue standing. She thought that the more they worked together, the easier their interactions would become, but she was wrong. She just couldn't allow him to be that close to her anymore, not when she wanted him to be so much closer. The cuts through her worn leather pants would have to heal on their own, she decided. "Yes," she said while looking off to the side of the tent, trying to maintain some semblance of dedication to the craft, "I think an exercise would be best.?

"An exercise," he sighed as she withdrew, and cleared his throat. "Stand here, in the middle where you'll be unencumbered." He gestured towards the center of the tent where it was tall enough neither of them had to bend or bow to walk. He moved slightly adjacent and stood slightly stooped, just enough that he was at eye level.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-02-18 20:51 EST
"Stand between the two uprights and, closing your eyes, face the east." He always instructed to face the east during lessons that focused more on developing familiarity with the Construct, rather than lessons that taught how to shape the Doorways power into magical effects. "I want you to form the Construct in your mind, the long hallway, three doors to either side, and a seventh at the far end. Just like we've practiced before." His lessons always seemed simple, and perhaps they were. The repetition of simple things over and over, until you could do combinations of simple things quickly and without erring.

"It's interesting," he spoke softly, "Or perhaps less so to you, even though it's going to be important shortly - Resonances are the heart of being able to develop and set a Ward." One of his bad habits as an instructor, he had a tendency to keep talking after having given instruction - which usually only served to distract the pupil.

Fiona was distracted, though not from his talking. Under normal circumstances, she would have been able to easily form the Construct, but listening to his instruction helped her to concentrate. Even in her time between training with him or Vicks, she would form the hallway and doors in her mind, hoping that the more she practiced visualizing it, the easier it would be to call upon. She faced east, and closed her eyes. As she brought each door into focus, she slowly lifted her head and breathed deeply. ""the heart"" she repeated in her mind, attempting to stay on task. "Yes," she said stoically, "I have the Construct."

"Keep it in your mind; don't concentrate, just let it exist." He was moving around her now, his movement able to be felt in the close quarters. "Let your body awaken to the Construct, it's not just in your mind - you can feel it now, your body is the doorway for their energy." A hand lightly touched against her knees, right then left. "Time and Space, how far and how fast." He was listing the Doorways, but waking her body to the energy within them. To feel Resonance, you had to feel it; stoicism had it's place, but now it was time to reach further. "Life and Death, one hand gives, and the other takes away," he touched each of her hands in turn, right then left. "Light and Dark," he offered no other explanation for those, but lightly touched each side of her face, brushing over her closed eyes.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-02-18 20:52 EST
"And the Seventh door is represented," he paused before placing his thumb just between and above her eyes, imprinting lightly. "Here." Every light touch caused a tingle which radiated from its contact point through her entirely, as though the body were waking up from being long numb.

"I want you to choose one of the Doors, feel the power behind it, call it towards you, to the frame and let it build - but do not attempt to shape it, just let it exist." He was still moving slowly around her, though his contact had lessened save for those used to 'awaken' her.

Fiona was torn, she wanted to follow his instruction, but she knew if she didn't concentrate that she would lose the Construct. The sensory deprivation of her eyes being closed caused his touch to feel even more powerful, like little bolts of electricity. With his touch eroding her ability to concentrate, she allowed herself to feel the Construct around her.

"Space," she answered, more to herself, as if speaking its name would grant her more power.

"Speak it if you must," he added softly as he continued to move about her, "But more importantly, you need to feel it, consider the power behind the Doorway, and feel what it is, open yourself to it. It's power is represented in the distance between all things, be they near or far." As he moved slowly about her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and kept it in contact with her as he spoke and moved about. The hand settled on her left shoulder and he moved about her in clockwise fashion, letting it glide over her back and shoulders, parting company only for a moment when he moved before her, then allowing either his palm or the back of his hand to press against her neck.

Within the Construct, everything was both heightened and dulled; the feel of his hands upon her became acute, but to both of them it was as if they were witnessing the perception of someone else, rather than feeling it themselves. As he had been moving around her, he too had formed the Construct, and had opened the Door which matched hers ? though he did so by feeling the emanations from the one she'd chosen, rather than by her words. He stopped behind her, both his hands lifting to, and settling on, her shoulders.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-02-18 20:55 EST
"Space is one of the powers to which all things must subscribe," he intoned, voice hushed. "Proximity is relative, but the power which governs proximity, the power which is represented by proximity all stems from the same source, so there is a like resonance." His voice was calm, explanatory, and relaxing all at the same time. "Like the resonance between two people," his voice remained the same as it had been, but he added a hushed, almost conspiring tone, "Trust me," and with that stepped close to her just as he gently pulled her shoulders back against him. There was no way she could have fallen with the slight distance between them, but it was enough that she was drawn to lean against his chest while his hands moved from her shoulders, down her arms and hands to hold her firmly by the hips. He waited a moment for what would assuredly be a gasp of a breath, then proceeded to breath with her, so that both inside and outside the Construct, a resonance formed between them.

Outside the Construct, in the physical world, their bodies began to sync to one another, breathing and heartbeats falling into the same cadence. Within the Construct, the sense of power flowing to and through each of them also found a similar cadence. They were both tapped into the same source of power, that which flowed from Space, and their close physical distance allowed their limited minds to better perceive their resonance of their power to each other; each breath of their bodies was accompanied by a rhythmic sense of waves crashing against a beach, or the sound of two voices singing in harmony ? except they weren't heard as much as felt.

Fiona trusted him, and she allowed herself to relax back against his chest. She gasped, and her heart raced as he placed his hands on her hips, though they soon followed in time with his breath and pulse. Distracted and focused at the same time, every thought she had turned to Space: the relatively small but comforting Space in the tent, the vast and empty Space she could see just beyond the door in her Construct, and even the lack of Space between them, yet she still felt so far away from him in all the ways that mattered most to her. Slowly, she could feel her hands hover over his, feeling the Space between them, before lightly laying them on top.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-02-18 20:58 EST
A surge of warmth suffused his face as her hands laid atop his, and he paused in the lesson for a moment " and hoped it went unnoticed with her absorbed in the lesson. He silently chastised himself, and sought to forge ahead.

"This is what?s called, synergistic resonance," he spread his fingers slightly, letting hers fall between them before he curled them again, giving her hands a light squeeze before his hands moved from her hips to her abdomen. He inhaled, breathing in sync with her and feeling the rise and fall of her breath with his own. He kept his voice as level as he could, though his face dropped slightly so that his forehead rested against her hair; his every breath now was now filled with her scent.

"And we," he paused, and inhaled again, "And we, uh, we....it's representative of the similarities found between powers, when you detect a synergistic resonance, you can tell the power being used against " or with you, is the same as that which you are holding. That's why we, why," he paused, yet again. "The reason for our closeness." The last came out softer than he intended, perhaps, and he took one more deep breath, in tune with hers. "The more similar the mind, emotion, and conviction of the casters, which can be influenced by their, uh, physical....stimuli....the easier resonance is to detect."

With her eyes still closed, she couldn't help but smile as she felt his fingers interlace with hers before giving her hands a slight squeeze. As his hands moved to her stomach, she kept hers on his, moving with him, refusing to let go. With his first "uh", her concentration on Space in terms of the Construct had waned, and her focus on the space the two of them shared had increased. With his second, her eyes had shot open. All this time she told herself that she created this one-sided relationship in her mind, but his breathing, his tone, his hesitations, all began to offer the possibility that it wasn't something she just made up. She had to know. Slowly, she let go of his hands and began to turn her body to one side until she could turn her head enough to look at him. Her own eyes were filled with a look of excited nervousness and, mostly, hope.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-02-18 21:04 EST
Kristoph's eyes met hers as she turned, and his gaze moved in a seeming daze down to her lips before he felt himself stooping lower to meet them, the already minuscule space between them further diminishing. Everything else around them seemed to fall away almost to nothing, leaving only the growing resonance between them. His arms had loosened enough to allow her to turn towards him and they could each taste the others breath when the still intimacy of the moment was suddenly interrupted.

Shrill, fading, whistles permeated the air not just around their tent, but the entire encampment. The noises seemed to fall from the sky all around them, and Kristoph's eyes flared open upon hearing them, his embrace of her turning suddenly rigid. "Those are Ronin's wards," he blurted, louder than he intended, before reducing his voice to a hushed, intent whisper. "He uses that pitch because they can't hear it," his head raised from hers for a moment, glancing around the tent as though his eyes could pierce it's veil and see the camp around them. He began to crouch, casting a glance towards their weapons and pulling her down with him as he did so. "The only thing that trips it are-" his words were suddenly interrupted as something large impacted the ground less than twenty feet from the tent, causing the ground to tremor throughout the campsite.

The silence of the camp following the impact was broken by a great, ragged inhalation, followed by an earsplitting, almost metallic shriek. A silhouette of the intruder was cast by the moon upon the canvas of the tent. A long, sinuous body supported by four relatively shorter legs, bent backwards at the knee. From it's back sprouted a pair of what must have been massive, bat-like wings; the shadow of it's wings dwarfed that of the body. It was impossible to tell if the ratio was to scale, or if there were mere tricks being played on the senses by the light; but the creature must have been huge, for it felt like something huge had struck the ground when it landed.

Kristoph finally finished his sentence. "Wyrm-spawn."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-03-04 14:33 EST
Between the whistling outside and his explanations, here panicked eyes darted between his and the shrill sounds outside. She had completed her turn to face him and quickly followed his cue to crouch down. Once the beast's shadow fell on the tent, her eyes stayed glued to its menacing figure. All this time, she thought their biggest concern was the Second Sword. Now there was a much more immediate danger threatening them. She leaned to his ear and asked in a hushed whisper. "What can we do?"

Kristoph's hand reached out to steady her, as they dropped down together. "Wait, Ronin Wards us for sound, so it cannot hear us, but his Ward can only bear so much strain," his voice was a warm whisper against her ear. "Surely that landing will rouse the children, if they become aware, afraid, begin to scream," his eyes told the rest. The louder the group was, the harder it was for the Ward to hide them, and if they were too loud the Ward would break. The silhouette turned quickly, it's tail lashing out to the side before rising into the air and falling with a sharp, almost whip like, retort, perilously close to their tent. Earth and lines were torn free, along with the poles along one side. The tent sagged, the loosed side falling in against them. A nearer blow would have torn the tent free, and possibly crushed them in the process. He held the sagging tent away from her as best he could, while at the same time drawing her closer in an attempt to make them a physically smaller target.

More shrill whistles filled the air, and the creature loosed another metallic roar before lashing out horizontally with it's tail ? this time further away from their tent. Close to them, a woman cursed softly in the moonlit dark. Further away more murmuring came from other tents. No children had screamed, yet. More whistles pierced the air.

The creature listened for the whistles, gurgled deep in it's throat, but did not roar. The whistles seemed to be coming from outside of camp, and the creature seemed divided between this new intrusion, and the overwhelming sense that it had missed something.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-03-04 14:34 EST
After their eyes met, and he spoke of the children, her eyes closed, and she tried to concentrate. She quickly pulled up the Construct and found the door to Space. As she opened it, a rush of air to flowed over her, its waves causing small rippling vibrations to hit her and build up inside her. She pulled her focus back out of the Construct, she held onto Kristoph tightly to ground her. Just as she had been hit with the pulses in the Construct, she began to allow every sound she heard and every minor disturbance in the air to absorb into her, slowly creating a growing field of silence around her.

As she did so, the sound of everything within the camp seemed to fade away ? including the ambient sounds of the creature. As silence descended the creature paused and seemed to tense, as if it were extending it's senses outward, to feel the source of the disturbance which caused the sound to vanish. It's whip-like tail lashed out horizontally again as it turned, and it's long, sinuous neck sailed over the top of the tents. The view of the stars overhead was replaced by the sight of a green-brown, leathery, gesticulating gullet; saliva dripped to the ground, and breath with the heavy smell of chlorine permeated the air with a caustically clean smell.

Before it had reached over Fiona, Kristoph he had done what he could to partially cover her body with his own, screening her view so that the close proximity of the creature wouldn't distract her concentration. His hand tightened on her arm and his eyes grew distant as he too sought out the Construct, and seizing upon it channeled energy through it against the energy she was already channeling. The resonance of what he was doing could be felt by her, through the Construct; it was complex, and he took hold of her energy as a weaver would with a loom, delicately re-arranging the string as it filtered both away from, and back into her. Ambient sound slowly filtered back into the air around them; the creature, the wind, the forest: only the sound of the camp itself was muted, now.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-03-04 14:35 EST
Another sudden whistling split the air to the north west, and the camp was bathed with a bright, golden light, as a pulse of crackling golden energy pulsed into the sky from the same direction as the whistling.

Ronin.

The beasts head jerked again, towards the light and sound. It took two bounding leaps and sprung into the air, wings snapped outwards and pushing downwards, carrying itself aloft. Another pulse of light split the air, this one slightly further away, and the beast corrected it's course, pushing it's wings harder to follow. A throaty, gurgling roar split the air in the distance " showing how far and fast the beast had travelled away, and the camp seemed to give a collective sigh, as the sudden terror of the beasts presence was just as quickly removed.

"That was brave. And foolish." Kristoph's hand perched lightly on Fiona's cheek. He had released the Construct and was studying her. His pulse was drumming in his ears, his heart still racing from the closeness of that encounter. "What would you have done if you'd drawn it's attention' What would -I- have done?" His questions left him breathless, but not out of anger or annoyance. They were almost rhetorical, and he couldn't help but stare at her in the dim, almost non-existent light.

Finally allowing herself to breath more than shallow, silent breaths, she took several deep breaths, almost gasping for air, as if they may be her last. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't help but to continue looking around. Still anxious, her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. Under normal circumstances, she would have been just as uneasy in the dark, but with a much more realistic fear that had been just outside their tent, she was at ease with it.

Turning her glance to Kristoph, she felt he was also a factor for her calm. She had felt his added power as he had touched her, channeled it through her, growing it, controlling it. She still had so much to learn, not just for her power, but also what to do in tense situations. She would have never thought to restore the ambient sounds around them to ease suspicion.

"Thank you?? she said, her breath only starting to steady, though her heart was still racing as she looked at him.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-03-04 14:37 EST
A sound came from a nearby tent, a voice raised just loud enough that it could be heard throughout the camp. Brend.

"S'alright?" The call was followed by a quick 'Oof', as though something had struck him in the stomach, knocking the wind from him. Nevertheless, soft answers sounded out from elsewhere around the camp. No one was hurt, a few of the tents had been loosened from their moorings. Ronin was still out there somewhere with the beast, doing his job and leading it away from them. "Kristoph, Fiona?" Brend's voice called again, not having heard response from either of them yet.

"We're fine, just the tent," Kristoph called, his hand not having left her face, his thumb lightly stroking her cheek. "Nothing that can't be fixed at first light when we break camp again." He'd turned his face from her to speak into the darkness so he wasn't quite so loud to her. In doing so, he spied his side of the tent. It was more or less a ruin, the poles which had held it together either bent or snapped, all of them laying at strange, odd angles. He spoke more softly to her, finding his face closer to hers than before when he returned his eyes to her. "Is there room for me on this side," he shot her a rueful smile, halfway but not entirely apologetic, "We might have to share blankets." At least part of his were gone, strung into the trees somewhere in the dark.

Her gaze relaxed and Fiona smiled with a nod. She paused, as if second guessing what to say, but then said with a shameless smile, "I think we can make you fit."

Kristoph gaped in the darkness, and almost laughed, but held it back long enough to lean forward and kiss her. Fiona could still feel the smile of his lips against hers as they fell somewhat haphazardly towards her bedroll. Together, they became immune to any other intrusion of the night.

As Brend and Livia came back towards their tent after having performed their required tasks of checking on the wards directly under them, not magical wards, but those they were directly in charge of protecting, their heard soft sounds coming from the tent which Kristoph and Fiona shared.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-03-04 14:39 EST
Livia eyed the somewhat mangled, half hanging construct with disdain, an eyebrow arching in silent judgement. Brend noticed it.

"How is that any different from what we do, anyway?" Brend asked, his voice was soft, playful, even as he made the motion to slip his arm around her " which was met with a light slap to his chest.

"That's different," she retorted just as soft as he had been speaking, as though despite her reservations about the actions of those in leadership positions above her, she would allow them their own moment of respite.

"I don't see how," Brend paced ahead of her easily, his longer strides putting him closer to their tent than Livia was. He was casually shedding clothing as he went. "You'll have to show me."

"Because you and I aren't supposed to be acting professional!" She hissed the retort after him. Her own strides towards their tent hastened, and she started working on her own buckles as well, as though she were suddenly driven. Brend cast a look back at her just as he was about to enter the flap of their tent, and instead held it open for her.

"That's true," he said softly before continuing, "But if we're not professionals," Brend raised his eyebrows as he spoke, as though his 'we' was more a 'you', "Why is it I have to pay for it?" He smirked triumphantly, as though he'd finally caught her. She casually passed by him into their tent with a smirk of her own.

"I never asked you to pay for it," Livia replied, as she pulled him into the tent, letting the flap of a doorway fall closed. "You're the jerk that though that was appropriate " so I never saw why I shouldn't just keep taking your money," their silhouette was cast briefly against the tent's walls by a lantern before she reached to turn it down " then out. "Besides," the smaller silhouette pushed the larger onto it's back, then made move to straddle it, just before the light guttered out. "I'm worth it, and you know it.?

For once, Brend had nothing smart to say.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-06-01 21:05 EST
Exarch Camp. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

The corpse of the wyrm which had accosted the First Sword the night before lay in the camp of their pursuers - the Second Sword. An Exarch lead them, the Second Sword unit which was now hunting the first. He had member of the First Sword, once, and in a display of intimidating power, he had summoned the creature back to them after Ronin had driven it away from the First Sword's encampment. Once he had summoned it there, he had killed it with tendrils of black, enervating energy that seemed to manifest from all around the beast. The tendrils reached out and seemingly through it, with the Exarchs arcane power silencing any sound which might have emanated from the creature as well.

Another officer, Kitarlin of the Fenns, had approached the Exarch while his troops in particular fed on the flesh of the beast. Under normal circumstances, Kitarlin would never have approached an Exarch - they were too high above him, and weren't to be questioned.

"Ye proved yer point," Kitarlin's voice was gruff, and had a slight growl to it. He spent more time with animals than he did with people, and his entire troop took after him, each and every one of them a skin-changer that could take the form of some kind of canine - and Kitarlin the alpha wolf that lead them. "Sh'they eat all that?" He jerked with his head towards his men, his Dogs. They had been eating the wyrm's corpse, and it wasn't the first time they had done so. Months ago, meat had been rationed to them by the same Exarch which now lead them, and the rations had seemed to amplify not only their bestial nature, but their abilities. Even when fully human now, their hair tended to be shaggy, oily, and wild, and their canine teeth were slightly longer than normal. They had also taken to eating meat without noticing if it were cooked.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-06-01 21:08 EST
"They will endure," the Exarch murmured with a slight tone of amusement, "Just as you endure, Fenn." There was no way of telling, but the Exarch's words emanated a sense of perverse pleasure. "You are worried about the mages which await them at Extalyon' I have already dealt with him." He gestured sundry to Kitarlin, as if dismissing him.

Kitarlin was perhaps less a man and more an animal than he had once been, but he wasn't stupid. He took particular note of how the Exarch had said the other mages awaited 'them', specifically Kitarlin's troops. They didn't await the Exarch - he wouldn't be there. As if reading Kitarlin's mind, the Exarch spoke again. This time is voice sounded altogether different than before, more feminine, perhaps" Or was it more nasal" It was hard to tell, and the more bestial qualities Kitarlin inherited, the more those small changes seemed to stand out when they happened - and they happened quite often, sometimes within the course of a single sentence.

"Jareth, Lord Tain, will be awaiting with the main body of the Second Sword, Kitarlin," he eschewed calling Kitarlin 'Lord', because he already knew the man disdained attempts to give him title. "All you need to do is chase them against Extalyon's walls, and flush them out. The city is close to all, they have no other recourse than to turn, or to spread themselves thinly along the barrier and risk being picked off. They will sue for peace, and we will take them." Kitarlin eyed him with suspicion for a moment, then finally nodded and walked off, issuing a shrill whistle as he did. The attention of all his troops turned on him, raising their blood streaked faces from the body of the wyrm; cleaning blood from their hands and faces with their mouths, they gathered themselves together and eventually half loped after him.

Another man, also an officer, approached the Exarch.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-06-01 21:13 EST
"Jareth Tain," came a sibilant voice which somehow matched the way the Exarch dressed, all clad in black including a cloak and hood which hid his face. "You know your duty. You have been warned what the price of failure is, as well." Jareth's eyes were hard in their regard.

"You're not the only one who turned from the First Sword, you know," he sneered at the Exarch, who seemed completely unfazed by his tone. He was quick to answer Jareth, though, and as usual his words too closely mimicked what were in Jareth's mind.

"I know, Lord Tain. But you couldn't abide them anymore, could you? Because there is no First, in the First Sword, is there" No way for you to advance, no way to become something more - and you knew about me, and came looking. I didn't have to persuade you at all, I only had to offer-" the Exarch went quiet, as he suddenly found himself eye to eye with a clearly enraged Jareth.

Instead of instigating anything with his superior, Jareth turned on a heel and walked away with the distinct impression that the Exarch was laughing at him, though he heard nothing of the sort in the Exarch's words as he called to Jareth's back.

"Prepare your troops, Lord Tain. Their time is nigh. I have every confidence you will win the day, and with it the recognition you so crave, by crushing these rebels against the Empire!" The Exarch was loud enough that any in around them heard his words, not that there were many others who would challenge him. The volume of the Exarch's voice dropped considerably as he saw Jareth taking out his frustrations on some of the officers under him, and he added, "I understand Jareth, you felt stymied. They left you feeling incomplete, like you couldn't fulfill your true potential. Jareth, they left you feeling like half a man."

And the Exarch laughed.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-06-01 21:15 EST
Part IV: Mage, Mind, Spell

~ ~ ~

"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it." ― Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

~ ~ ~

Mid Morning. Caravan Camp. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

An old man sat perched between two fairly distant tents, looking up halfway between the empty open sky and the horizon. He'd been there for a while, but no one but him could testify to that. The sun had waited on the cusp of the horizon for hours and hadn't moved an inch, and the old man was the only animate thing in the camp. It was as if the muting effect used against the wyrm were still in place, so quiet was the camp. The man wore a humble, if mysterious smile as his gaze shifted from the horizon to each of the two tents.

"Seems a shame to disturb you, but we've gotta start sometime, I guess." He stretched as he stood, his body making a series of odd pops and cracks, even more so as he brought his gnarled fingers together and cracked each of his knuckles in turn. It was as if he were preparing, bracing himself, against some great feat he was about to set his back to. He sighed and turned back towards the horizon. "Let there be," his voice dwindled and he turned to walk away from the tents, back towards the refugees as he finished. "Light."

The dawn suddenly broke over the camp and people bustled about, many having woken up well before the sun touched the treetops overhead. Wood smoke wafted into the tents, and one of the two which the old man had watched spilled forth it's occupants, a tall blonde man and a dark haired, deadly beauty. He made to move towards the other tent, but she caught his arm and spun him back towards her and shook her head with a smirk. He shot her a confused frown which she answered with a roll of her eyes.

"Give them a few more minutes," it was hard to say how Livia finished the sentence as she gave Brend a jerk towards the main camp, but he could have sworn she'd called him an idiot.

The tent he'd been about to approach was half in tatters, and admitted more of the cool morning air than either of it's occupants would have preferred.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-06-01 21:20 EST
What they'd been able to find of their covers were in slight disarray over their bodies, and Kristoph found his skin pebbling, and seeking warmth by pressing himself more firmly against Fiona for heat. He half spied the growing glow through the canvas of the tent. He didn't feel well rested. The night before hadn't been restive, the arrival of the wyrm had destroyed any chance of rest. The only respite was the fact that the wyrms tenure among them had been short lived. It had not been the wyrm which had kept him up late, as much as the private celebration of life which had occurred between himself and Fiona until only two hours ago. "Good morning," his nose nudged her hair, inhaling deeply, his voice throaty and rough.

His voice woke Fiona from a deep sleep. She drew a deep breath in, feeling the cool air in her lungs, which harshly reminded her of the chill of the air around her. She would have shivered if not for the warmth of the one holding her closely. She smiled contently after she slowly opened her eyes to meet his. "Good" morning," she said, just as slowly, putting a slight emphasis on the first word.

He smiled and his face went flush in the dim but growing light of the tent. "Did you sleep alright?" He was stretching, the muscles of his legs tightening, with the rest of his muscles following on their way up until he almost shivered, his arm tightening around her waist.

"Yes," she said softly. What little sleep she had in his arms was the safest and most soothing sleep she had had in a long time. Looking up to see the growing light hitting the tent, she knew the night was over. She added, almost regretfully, "We should begin the day," They were still a long way off from Extalyon and with a wyrm that close, they needed to keep moving. "They will be expecting us."

In the distance, somewhere in the forest, a wolf howled at the dying moon. Kristoph stretched again against her, putting off getting out of bed and instead brought his hand up to cup her chin to turn her face towards him as he pressed his lips against hers. No words were exchanged and long moments went by with the pose changing very little except for the movement of their mouths. A second howl sounded, closer than the first, and then a third, closer still.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-06-01 21:27 EST
"Kristoph, Fiona?" Brend's voice sounded from outside their tent, and someone shouted distantly. "They're here!" A howl broke the air, followed by a second and a third. Both closer than the first two, but flanking the camp now. "They're Dogs," Brend had used the slang term for Fenn tribesmen that claimed to deny the Empire, but then entered a mercantile agreement with the Empire in order to 'buy' a term of independence. The Dog's Master, Kitarlin Fenn, had a reputation for being a child killer, among other things.

Kristoph had been still as Brend had spoken, but blankets were kicked from his legs and he slid from their makeshift bed " blushing briefly as his eyes fell upon Fiona's naked form before realizing he was in the same state " and grabbed his clothes. "Get the kids ready, Vicks can start off with them now. With luck, they can disappear from this before it starts, without being noticed. We'll be right out," his voice was raised to talk to Brend but it dropped again when he turned to Fiona, "Let's go." He smiled to her, before realizing the article of clothing in his hand was hers, not his. He tossed it to her and sought his own clothing in a rush, uttering profanity under his breath. Fiona caught it and jumped up, beginning to collect the rest of her clothes.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-06-01 21:29 EST
Late Morning. High Road. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

In his mind's eye, Vicks could hear Kristoph speaking, as Fiona helped gather the children together. The largest of them were bearing the smallest, fastened across the chest with leather straps and blankets. Vicks himself wore two, one diagonally across each breast. He wore a heavy cloak over his back, and two hand axes on each him, along with countless other small weapons hidden amongst his well used leather and chain.

"Take the high route along the cliff face and up into the heights. We'll draw the rest down into the valley and use their numbers against them. You-" Kristoph had stopped speaking there as Vicks had caught him with a cool stare as he tightened a strap across his chest. "-know what you're doing." They remained silent for a time, and Kristoph helped with the children. The fact that most of the company with them " those who weren't refugees of a sort " were all either veterans or exceptionally proficient hand picked regulars who never held any rank of significance because they 'lacked polish', or were in some cases just completely contrary personalities.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the danger and the silence the children kept when their journey began, Vicks found himself enjoying their company. The two which were fixed to his own chest as they trekked had been asleep for much of the journey, except for when he'd forced the group to stop to change the children " whatever green pablum they were being fed, nourishing though it might be, also made them stink tremendously. Whatever hesitation Vicks had earlier voiced to the other officers regarding his role with the children, it was forgotten once he was alone with them.

Whether moving or stopped, he spoke in a deep, low rumble that drew all of them close to him and kept their minds distracted from the cause of their journey. He told them stories of famous - or infamous - heroes, villains, monsters, all works of fiction of course " nothing like what followed them today. All the tales were equally bawdy, and uniquely unsuited to children ? but that only served to hold their attention with renewed vigour. Those almost old enough understand had the most muted reaction, keeping their faces lowered as they blushed in near comprehension, while the younger ones clapped hands over their mouths, partly muting gurgles and groans brought on by mention of bodily parts or functions gone awry.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-06-01 21:33 EST
The two men, Kristoph and Vicks, had clasped each other on the forearm. Kristoph nodded to the children. "Be safe, keep them safe." He looked over Vicks shoulder towards the route he'd be taking the children on. They'd gone over everything more than was necessary already, and whatever little additions Kristoph would or could make to the instruction were pointless by this time. Some things were just going to be left to chance in a situation like this. Still, he couldn't help but continue to attempt to foresee the future. Vicks gave one final squeeze upon Kristoph's arm, and interrupted his thoughts.

"They will be," It was Vicks turn to survey their route now, and he cast a glance towards it. "Just keep them off my mountain," he smirked to his commander, "They won't at all like what they find there." It was the kind of arrogance that made Kristoph smirk and give his head a shake " though not in disbelief of the man's claim. "Give us as much time as you can."

"We will.? Kristoph nodded, and Vicks turned from him, gathering the children around him and proceeding up the trail.

Just as the trail cut into the stone and away from the face of the cliff, Vicks turned back towards the camp as he herded the children in front of him now that the danger of falling was passed. Bursts of light suddenly flared over the front lines of the camp. 'Sorcery,' he thought to himself, happy for the range the children were now at, but concerned for the rest of the First Sword. Not because he doubted their ability, simply because it was the first time in a long time he wasn't there with them. Shouts, screams and howls all sounded from the camp, now. Some of them were in victory or elation, and others were in pain, and they were all mixed together into the discordant harmony of a battlefield. He turned his back on it and caught up with the last of the children, moving to the middle of the pack so that he could keep an eye on both the lead and the tail.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-06-01 21:39 EST
Late Morning. Valley Road. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

The First Sword, minus Vicks and his juvenile retinue, had retreated from the front lines and hustled down into the valley. The path they'd left behind was purposely obvious as they attempted to lure their pursuers onward, away from the children and hoping to find a more advantageous field to confront them on. Though there was no rain, the air was heavy and wet; the sky was obscured by a grey haze that seemed at any point on the verge of being mimicked by visible steam rising from the ground. But it never happened, it was only a feeling made real by the apparent damp stickiness of the clothes the rear guard of the First Sword wore as they looked backward across the trail they'd cut down into the valley.

"The air is thick," Ronin stated the obvious. It had been for some time, and at first it had been lost on everyone as they hurriedly broke camp and prepared to move out. Now he and Fiona were just out of visual range with the stragglers from their party. He and Fiona were the current rear guard of the train. He wiped at his brow, an errant bead of perspiration. It wouldn't be long before he came to regret his attire; black slashed with dark blue, padded leather armour. It would help keep him safe in battle, if he didn't suffer heat stroke first. "It's going to make hearing them harder," he added after a moment's thought. He'd stopped beside her and paused looking backwards down their trail.

He idly reached his right hand into a pouch at his hip and withdrew something brass that seemed to flash in the light despite the muted sun. He glanced down, playing with three brass bangles, each an inch wide, and all different circumferences. Ronin's left forearm was adorned with something similar. Without looking at Fiona, and still scanning the area behind them, he offered them to her. "Here."

Fiona had stopped as Ronin did, and turned to see his offering. She picked up the bangles and observed how he had his positioned on his arm. As she began to slide them over her wrist, though the smallest was a tight fit over her thumb, she said, "I may be able to hear them, at least a little better?"

Knightfall

Date: 2017-06-01 21:42 EST
She had been working more with sounds in her magic lessons and was gaining more confidence, as evidenced by her willingness to say so. She mirrored the way he wore them as she adorned herself. She positioned the largest hoop close to her elbow, the middle along her forearm, and the smallest at her wrist. Still studying them, she asked, curiously, "What are they?"

"Amplifiers." He continued scanning both the trail and the treeline behind them. "They help focus arcane energy," he continued. "Something like a wand or a staff, I guess. Except those usually only focus or store a spell. These actually make it more....potent." He'd paused before finishing, and his eyes further narrowed. "They can help to increase range or....area of....effect." He speech was jarred. "We'll wait here a moment until their out of range." Ronin jerked his head in the direction of the First Sword. "I keep thinking I'm hearing things."

"I was going to ask," he idly added, "If you preferred to be on the offensive or defensive, but I'm beginning to second guess if it's going to make a difference, here."

Fiona only nodded in response, trying to remain quiet so they could hear. She looked back to where he was focused and reached out her left arm towards the way they came. Wanting to test out her new amplifiers, she focused on any sounds from up the valley path, trying to bypass the muted effects from the dense air. She doubted she would hear anything more than the wildlife around them, but she tried.

As she stretched her arm out, each of the three rings grew again in diameter and hanged in an orbit around her arm " and remained so until she stopped the flow of arcane energy into them. The ring nearest her elbow cleared her arm by an inch on either side of the band, while the one nearest her wrist hung with six inches of air between the metal and her skin. The shapes, when combined together, were vaguely reminiscent of a funnel " either coming from, or into, her arm. The amplified sounds themselves seemed blanketed by a white noise of damp, and the sound of the wood became more a jungle as every minute sound seemed increased. She expanded the sounds and what she could hear, but there was no focus to her search.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-06-01 21:44 EST
The only aberration of note seemed to be an increased animal presence, in that there sounded to be many but the party had seen few. If they had been following them right along, they were no more showing themselves now than they were earlier.

"Anything?" Ronin had cast his eyes her way, briefly, as she'd raised her arm towards their back trail.

She looked cross, trying to focus, though on nothing in particular. She stopped and the rings gradually returned to their prior positions. Turning to him with a half-defeated look, she answered, "I hear nothing more than the animals, though there seems to be quite a few of them out there."

Ronin turned towards her, gauging her for a moment then turning back towards the treeline. He raised his left arm in similar manner to her, except that when he did so the bands not only orbited his arm but where connected to it by crackling arcs of golden blue energy. He leaned slightly to his right, as though the energy had an actual weight to it, though it looked like little more than an impressive discharge of static electricity.

"What do you mean' More than there were..." What kind of animals" If they're on horseback but using spells of concealment on themselves, that would make sense." The fact that he had already summoned a spell almost to completion and held it in his Amplifier showed how on edge he was.

Fiona studied Ronin, and watched the energies from his bands and listened to his thought processes. She should have considered that they may be their horses she heard. She should have been focusing on a particular element, honing her attention, just as he was now. Although she had learned much, she had so much left to learn. "I am not sure," she said in a soft whisper. Seeing how on edge he was made her nervous. She hadn't even noticed that she spoke in a way that would have only been audible to him. Looking to where he was focusing, she attempted to use her bands again, this time, focusing on the animals sounds, hoping to exclude the sounds from the natural birds and small critters that were indigenous to the area.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-08-01 20:16 EST
The noises of the part of the forest she focused on magnified, and the bands upon her arm seemed to act like a funnel, channeling the sounds back to her. Small branches broke with the cadence of four legged animals punctuated by snuffles and growls; there were too many overlapping sounds for it to be coming from one animal. Even a pack of the animal in question wouldn't have created as intense a cacophony, though to mortal ears it would have been little more than a whisper among the branches. It would have have to have been more than one pack to generate what mortals couldn't hear, though. There must have been dozens of packs out there now, though. There must have been almost two hundred wolves, or something similar, were coming silently through the trees.

"What is it?" Ronin asked again, his eyes narrowed to slits and scanning the treeline, his posture rigid.

If it wasn't for Fiona's manipulation of sound, there wouldn't have been any sound at all. Ronin could see fine, but the forest had become eerily silent to him. All the other animals of the forest had gone quiet, no chattering or whistling, nattering or pecking or mewling, there was nothing but wind through the leaves and branches. It was as though the whole of the forest was tense, waiting for a predator to pass by, hoping it would pass by, as the wood held it's collective breath.

An ear splitting howl sounded from directly in front of them, though hidden by the trees. Two more suddenly answered it, outside the cone of her magic refined senses. The two answers came from their flanks. They were loud enough that Ronin clearly heard something and let his arm which bore the Amplifiers drop to his side like dead weight, while opening the Doorways in his mind and allowing unrefined arcane energy to race into their bands, setting them aglow with golden light.

Fiona had, like the forest, held her breath the entire time she listened. When she heard the strides, she gasped softly. "Dogs," Fiona answered quickly, remembering the term Brend had used earlier in the morning. She turned to Ronin and had seen him preparing. Her only thought was to send word. She turned to face back to their party, Fiona hoped the Amplifiers would help to project and control just as well. She lifted her arm towards the majority of the people in their group, trying to include as many of the First Sword members as possible. She focused her efforts on projecting her voice all the way to the front, while containing her sound to only hit within their group, she said in a soft, but alerted tone, "Dogs. Hundreds, prepare."

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-08-01 20:19 EST
Fiona sent the message, a multitude of heads turned back towards where she and Ronin trailed the party proper. Simultaneously the air was filled with not one, not a couple, but dozens of varied howls and yips of communication between their unseen pursuers. The calls came from the U shaped entrance to the valley that the group was descending into, but the first ones that had sounded came from ahead of the party - their keen ears, ever more sensitive than a human, having heard the message which Fiona had sent.

The answering howls had risen to a crescendo through the trees and brush of the back trail that Ronin was scanning. He rolled his left shoulder, swinging his arm up, letting his elbow lock as the Amplifiers expanded to float free of his arm and began to spin wildly as they surged with raw power. The air around Ronin and Fiona was immediately filled with a deep upcycling hum before turning to a thrum as a beam of golden energy shot from his palm into the forest. The intensity of the light was enough to leave motes of fading light as it's afterimage as it faded. The energy seemed to have ignored plant life, and if it had struck a Dog it hadn't been in sight, though the air seemed to filled with yelps and calls that were more agitated and annoyed than predatory. Some of them sounded as though they were moving away, but not nearly all of them. Only scouts, or messengers, maybe.

"Hope that scared them," Ronin muttered with a glance towards Fiona. "There's too many of them, but we've got to keep drawing them down." He looked back towards where their party was headed, ahead and down were the same direction. "Sneaky, that. Skinchangers." His Amplifiers seemed to be powering up again, but the intensity of the light from them was nothing compared to what it had been.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-08-01 20:21 EST
Fiona looked down briefly when the shot of energy left Ronin's palm. She felt embarrassed that her warning to the group was heard by the Dogs, since she should have known that it would be, with their exceptional sense of hearing.

Looking up, she regained her focus as Ronin called them Skinchangers. She hated dealing with the magically inclined shapeshifters that worked as feral soldiers for the Empire because. Even in their human forms, they were animals. She debated moving towards the front of the line, but quickly thought better of it. Since they were moving down into a valley surrounded on both sides by deep cliffs of rock and vegetation, if she stayed at the end, she would be on the front line when the dogs came to attack.

"Should we move everyone down?" she asked.

The howls returned again, more distantly at first, then answered by animals much closer to the refugee train. They were the sounds of wild animals, and feral as they might have seemed, there was also a canny, discernible intelligence behind them. They were communicating.

Ronin hesitated a moment before answering her question, instead raising his arm again, his Amplifiers flashing in quick succession with smaller bursts of energy than before. Each flash was accompanied by a yellow-blue dart of crackling energy that surged into the forest. His other hand raised to her shoulder as he started to backpedal away from their position, closer to the refugee train.

"Yeah, I think it's time," Ronin's voice lacked moisture, "I didn't think there would be this many." The howling communication continued as if to emphasize his statement. "Here puppies," several more crackling bolts of energy were launched into the woods, guided vaguely by the sounds of their animal calls.

Fiona took his cue and began back away with him until they both turned and hurried towards the main train.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-08-01 20:23 EST
Early Afternoon. Valley Road. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

The Valley Road began on a plateau and descended deep between the two cliff like faces of the mountains that rose on either side of it. The forest continued from the plateau into the mountains for almost half a mile before it gradually thinned to almost nothing, due to the ledge formations of rock that grew inhospitably throughout the area. Very little vegetation could find solace in the top soil free shards that were the mountain side trails and peaks. The Valley was the opposite, having captured all the nutrients that had washed from the sides of the mountains. As descent into the vale continued, the forest became ever more verdant, and a thick, dense canopy above allowed some view of the cliff faces on either side of them from below, while at the same time veiling all below from above.

"Eventually," Virgil stated, breath ragged. "This byway will open onto a plains, but until then we're more or less bottle necked." He took a deep breath and surveyed the surviving refugees, and the area around them. It was quiet for the moment.

The past hours had seen the party tested several times. Any of the regulars of the First Sword had proven themselves more than adequate to handle the advances of one Dog, and several Dogs had been slain in attacks meant to test the defences of the refugee train. Then they attacked one soldier with more than one Dog at a time, first two, and when that was unsuccessful, three. It was methodical, every attack was launched at a fresh defender, with one more attacker than the last, and when the defenders drew close enough to aid one another, the refugees were attacked. The latter were never killed, only hurt or maimed. Enough to slow their movement with the rest of the train. One regular soldier of the First Sword could handle three Dogs, but not four. The officers on the other hand were a different matter. They were better armed, better armored, and better trained. Kristoph, Brend, Livia, Virgil, and Fiona all proved more than capable in their own ways of putting off at least five Dogs at a time ? not necessarily killing them, but driving them away. Kristoph's tenacity and Brend's speed both proved to be fatal to them, though, and no more than five were tried against either of them at once before other more vulnerable targets were sought out.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-08-01 20:26 EST
Two had attacked Ronin directly, the agony of their deaths as their fur and skin burst and sizzled with electrical fire, having put all the others off the idea of attacking him directly. Five regulars had been killed by sheer numbers before their allies could save them. It was just enough to create a gap in the protection of the refugees. The Dogs now attacked and harried them onward at their leisure, injuring those they could while saving themselves with quick escapes back into the forest.

Virgil faced the back of the much slower moving train now, and scanned the cliff faces to his right as best he could. Vicks was somewhere up there with the younglings, hopefully free of pursuit. 'At least,' he thought, 'the kids'll escape. Maybe.'

Fiona had used the knowledge that the Dogs were more sensitive to sound to her advantage, and had employed different strategies. She had disoriented one and nauseated another, but that had only worked briefly, until their senses had been restored and they returned to the fight. It wasn't until she had tried creating a high pitched ringing in their inner ears to cause pulsating headaches before the two had fled completely. As she had cast one effect after another, she had found herself growing in focus and intensity, and had caused the last four within range to fall unconscious. No sooner had they fallen unconscious than they reverted to their human forms; clad in skin and bones, and dirtier looking than their canine forms, the Dogs were quickly dispatched before Fiona could otherwise act. Kristoph had killed them, severing their necks.

The blade he used was distinctive; it was once meant to be a weighted training sword, but the blade was bent just slightly to one side, and it had been discarded ? and rescued. It's hilt was marked with the number 7, marking it as one of a larger batch of forged blades. The only remarkable thing about it was how well it had been cared for. The blade Fiona carried was similar in it's care, having been the property of the same person. Her's was a Dragon Mark blade, slightly more ornate and more befitting a higher ranking officer; the hilt was ivory, capped in gold, with a golden Dragons head inlay in the blade just above the hilt. Kristoph has insisted she use his own blade. He'd cast a critical eye on that which she'd come outfitted with, and had eventually convinced her by, somewhat tersely, stating that he didn't want her to be using anything that might fail her in the field.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-08-01 20:27 EST
"They're going to come in numbers next time," Brend and Livia were closer to their fellows now, the number of refugees they'd had to guard having dwindled down slightly. None had been killed outright, but some had been taken as hostages " or worse " if they fell outside the protective field of the First Sword. "We need to hit them fast when they do, surprise them." Livia's gaze lingered on him as he spoke, half showing agreement, half derision at the notion that the Dogs could be surprised.

"I have some minor magics left, but that's about it. If they were more concentrated I could deal with them, but they're all over the place, appearing and disappearing." Ronin straightened from a half crouch as he spoke. He'd been resting with his palms on his thighs, and pushed himself back to his feet. He looked back towards their trail as well. There was a haze in and above the treetops, gathering from small fires that had been left in the wake of loosed arcane energies amid the verdant growth of the forest. Their trail was littered by a number of hazy grey streamers wafting into the air and condensing just above the canopy.

Livia quietly left the group and went towards the tree line along the path. As she had quickly slipped between the trunks of the trees, she walked only a few feet from the path, but she had completely faded from sight. Though her magical abilities were far from the experience of Ronin, she had a few tricks up her sleeve; if someone stood next to her, they might only see a few odd shadows from the leaves blocking the light above. She focused harder, knowing that she would need to conceal herself completely, sight and scent, since the dogs wouldn't need to solely see her in order to know she was there. Once she was satisfied that none would be able to sense her, she sheathed her sword and climbed the tallest tree along the pathway.

After she had situated herself in the tree securely, she pulled out her crossbow and aimed it towards the beginning of the path that lead down to their party. She may not be able to do as much damage as some of them, but she would certainly be able to pick off a few of the dogs here and there as they advanced. She breathed slowly, and focused her peripheral so she would be able to assess every movement from the outside of the path to better find any dogs that attempted to sneak in from the sides.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-08-01 20:31 EST
Kristoph decided to send the refugees on ahead of them. The regular soldiers who'd accompanied the First Sword, mostly Livia's company, accompanied the refugees. The rest of the First Sword held back, waiting for an attack that never seemed like it would come. Kristoph figured that there was no point to entrenching themselves behind any kind of makeshift fortification, doing so would only send the Dogs around them to get the refugees. Livia eventually came down from on high, relinquishing her favorable position and instead opting at moving forward with the rest of the Sword as they let the refugees slowly slip out of sight. It hadn't taken a long conversation for everyone to agree that the Empire was more likely focused on the dissenters than a band of homeless, helpless folks who probably wouldn't survive on their own long enough to make it to the next civilized outpost.

The Sword had no intention on abandoning the refugees, but they knew their situation well enough to know how badly outnumbered they were, and that the chances of them escaping intact were abysmally low. Anyone listening to them would not have recognized the dire straits they were in, however; as they walked they continued bantering and joking among themselves. Brend's comments in particular were irreverent, and though Kristoph's attitude was as sober as usual, an easy smile softened his face slightly as he walked hand in hand with Fiona. The rest enjoyed light conversation that centered around 'remember whens', as the veterans tried to compare what they were doing now to earlier campaigns that had seen them fighting to consolidate the tribes of the Kroatoan, more than one of them remarked on the irony of having once fought for the same hierarchy that was now trying to kill them.

Kristoph considered himself lucky that most of those he served with knew enough from a simple glance cast their way to not prattle on about him, or any of the things he'd had to do in service. He wasn't proud of most of it, after he came to find out what the Empire had done to the areas he'd subdued after he moved on from them. Brend of course felt the need to point out that the real reason he didn't want to talk about it was because Fiona was there. Kristoph glared.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-08-01 20:35 EST
The rest of the group snickered at his discomfort, but said nothing. He sighed under his breath and, glancing at Fiona, told her that he'd tell her whatever stories she wanted to hear when they were alone ? he just didn't have the patience to put up with Brend's embellishments. Brend faked a hurt look, and Kristoph smirked despite himself. For a few moments, not more than an hour, they were a group of friends out for a walk through the woods, and everything was alright.

Then the howling began, and they were struck by a wave of bestial fury. Virgil and Livia had only enough time to raise their dual wing crossbows, cutting down a few of the first of the Dogs that charged in. The second rank faltered momentarily amongst the bodies of their faster comrades before they regained their composure, their courage banked by a third rank of attackers, a fourth rank, and so on. Hundreds of shifting canine warriors came through the woods, often veering into a human or hybrid dog-human form to attack before veering back into a four legged form to gain distance between themselves and the Sword.

Blades had been drawn as the first rank of attackers had suffered it's casualties, and the First Sword found itself fighting almost back to back, with the more magically inclined towards the centre, casting what they could outside the circle. While the First Sword had an advantage in training, weapons, and armor, the sheer number of attackers was against them.

The ravine they were fighting in broadened into more of a canyon that let the Dogs more fully encircle the knots of soldiers that were fighting. Their advantage in armament made its value immediately known as it allowed them to rebuff most of the glancing blows that were landed by the Dogs, and also allowed the First Sword the element of intimidation as sword and dagger plunged easily through most of the Dogs armor, with those wearing boiled leather slightly more protected than their less fortunate comrades. The numbers, though, were still telling. There was little room to swing a sword, and someone had to protect you while crossbows were loaded or spells were prepared, which made it hard for the First Sword to feel like they were gaining any ground at all as they fought defensively.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-08-01 20:40 EST
"We could have been there," shouted Brend to the knot of soldiers at his back, "in a hard days march if we weren't harried."

It was true. It would have taken a lot out of the First Sword, but if they hadn't been continually attacked, they could have forced a march on the city that would have allowed them at least onto the plains that opened against its walls in almost a day. The refugees would be able to make it half of the way there, unprovoked as they were. His attacks pin cushioned the Dogs as they came in, lancing in and out, stabbing with surgical precision despite his sword being less than ideal for that kind of fighting. Kristoph was similarly beleaguered.

"We might not get there at all," Kristoph's yelled comment was cut short as a veered Dog that he was about to slice into once again adopted it's four legged form and tried to dart into the middle of their knot of fighters, seeking easier prey than the two most heavily armed " Brend and Kristoph " that stood at the fore. Kristoph turned quickly and drove his knee into the beasts flank, then smashed the top of it's head with the pommel of his sword before turning back into the fray as one of the Dogs latched onto his left forearm and he had to knock it loose, too. The First Sword was losing ground. More and more they had to adapt to a more confined area. Flashes of sorcery erupted from the center of the knot as Ronin loosed minor spells into the crowd. One of the Dogs burst into flames, but it was only one among many, and the Dogs around it only suffered burned fur. The acrid smell of burned hair and the coppery scent of blood soon obliterated the smell of the forest around them.

"We need to attack," Ronin panted loudly, and another flash of sorcery fled from his fingertips into the mass of beasts, it's effect as limited as the previous one. "Hit them hard enough to drive them back." Somewhere behind him, standing back to back as they were, Brend laughed. No one else answered, no one else had any ideas. Everyone was getting tired. One of the benefits the Dogs had over the First Sword in terms of armament: those of the Dogs weighed next to nothing, while those of the defenders weighed enough to exhaust a man in any protracted encounter.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-08-01 20:44 EST
Fiona didn't think that they would be able to keep up with the number of Dogs much longer, and desperately tried to think of something. In her position in the center of the group, she had been using her magic to project a high-pitched sound in front of her that would only be audible to the dogs. Although she had expected to see at least several of the dogs in front of her waver from the ear-piercing blast, she was disappointed. She tried using high pitched sounds sent into their inner ear to disorient them, but her efforts failed again. As the dogs continued lunging, biting, and clawing at the group, in attempts to force their way passed. Fiona could not believe it. It was if they had been rendered deaf, even though she had been careful not to go to such extremes in her attacks.

Fiona frantically tried to think of something else. She could feel the light vibrations of the ground beneath her as the group varied their footsteps and the Dogs ran around them. Focusing on the vibrations, she opened the doors in her mind as Kristoph had taught her. Attempting to act quickly, she began channeling as many vibrations through her feet and in to her body. Her heart began palpating from the kinetic energy building inside her. She began to feel lightheaded, and made her way to the front line to face the Dogs. As they began to lunge towards her, her strength seemed enhanced as she began slicing through the dogs, leaving deep and lethal wounds in their hides. The energy that had been building, absorbed vibratory energy, was released through her sword with every swing; the more frenetic the activity around her, the higher the frequency the sword attained, each swing shearing almost effortlessly through hide, sinew, and bone.

Brend cast a glance towards Fiona as the mob opened up before her renewed vigor. His own blade dispatched Dogs quickly, his arms barely seeming to move at all except at the wrists as he executed two foes with quick arterial strikes which sent their life's blood pumping down their chests. Their eyes only had time to register the recognition that something was terribly wrong before they tried to veer back into human form and grab at the wounds, trying unsuccessfully to staunch the bleeding.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-08-01 20:46 EST
Brend cast one glance behind him again, towards the center of what had become an island of First Sword officers. He was sure that Virgil and Livia must have exhausted most of their crossbow bolts by now, though he was more certain about Virgil than Livia; he could see the former fighting mostly with two long knives now, weaving in and around the more heavily armed defenders. Livia was harder to keep track of. He was used to that in general, but she was specifically harder for him to see at the moment because of Ronin. The mage had edged forward and was using his Amplifier to channel and store power, without releasing it in the form of a spell. The result were three concentric rings along his arm which were glowing like an incandescent brand he kept waving in front of him whenever something managed to draw in too close; he was managing to keep a number of the closer combatants blinded, and some of them seared, but else wise it looked like Ronin's stores were similarly exhausted.

While everyone else seemed to be gain ground around her, Livia used the opportunity to close her eyes and focus on all of those around her, using her innate arcane abilities as an extension of her senses. Feeling the aggression of the dogs, she honed in on the most savage ones preparing to lunge towards different members in her party. Her eyes opened, but she didn't use them as she aimed one of her two crossbows and shot at one dog lunging for Brend, while instantaneously aiming the second crossbow and shooting another running towards Virgil. Both shots hit them in the center of their rage and hatred, their hearts, and dropped them immediately to the ground. Her eyes became her secondary source for sight, and she quickly cut down a few of the most vicious targets around them. She was determined to make the few bolts she had left count.

Kristoph's primary focus had been brutal defense, mercilessly cleaving through Dogs, in either two or four legged form. He had kept close to the inner core of the First Sword were fighting back to back, and he tried to ignore the battle fever which was trying to call him away. The longer he fought, the more the indignation he felt towards the Empire was stirred into a rage. He felt his body growing tired, but his heart and mind felt like they were on fire, and he was a shell trying to keep it contained.

Until Fiona had moved to flank him.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-08-01 20:50 EST
Kristoph had initially thought her martial skills might make her one of the weaker links, and he hadn't been aware of the enchantments she'd cast upon herself, but he did notice when she took up position beside him. The Dogs began to melt away from her as quickly as they did himself or Brend, and she didn't have the benefit of being as well armoured as either of them. They had enjoyed the benefit of being able to kick and beat the Dogs away with armoured limbs, when there were too many for their blades.

No matter how potent their attack, he realized, the sheer numbers were against them. Even with their redoubled conviction, their determination, and will to live, in moments they would all be dead. With that realization, something broke loose inside him and he felt unencumbered, somehow. He strode into the pack of Dogs swinging his sword, not wildly but methodically, hewing limb from body, and through backbones and skulls. He began to laugh, and from somewhere behind him he heard Brend shouting something " cursing at him " but the curses only lasted for a moment until Brend's laughter was echoing his own. The Dogs began to fall back from them, those in the front ranks turning before those behind them understood what was happening, and becoming trapped between the blades of the First Sword and their pack mates. The ground under their feet was becoming slick with the blood and hides of men and beasts.

A howl sounded from behind them on the trail, a howl that belonged to something bigger than any of the Dogs, and something which caused all but the most entrenched animal fighters to pull away from the First Sword and listen. A second howl, prefaced by a sharp yip, then deeper and longer than the first, had the survivors of the pack of Dogs retreating. Their numbers had been cut almost in half by a reasonably small band of fighters. No matter how elite the team, it was nothing short of miraculous.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-08-01 20:52 EST
Kristoph had given chase, and delivered a quick killing stroke to those still alive and immediately within his reach, before Brend's voice finally got through to him.

"Break time," Brend called in almost a panting breath. He was seated on his own haunches, swaying slightly before he decided to just sit on the filthy floor. "We won, yay. They're gone." Kristoph was moving back towards the group, slowly coming out of his battle fever. He looked at Brend, then Fiona, then the rest of the group. He blinked several times as he too swayed on his feet with a momentary look of disorientation.

"Come on," Kristoph gestured, sparing only a moment to glance around. Except for personal belongings there wasn't really anything left to collect. Weapons and armor, both well used and battered now, and a few pack items, and very few supplies. Most everything else had gone on ahead with the refugees and the regular company soldiers. "They let us live. That means they were only supposed to find us, track us." His heart was still racing, but his mind was refocusing.

"Yeah, but we can rest a minute." Brend's eyes were closed. To his credit, he had probably dispatched most of the dead Dogs which were now crowding their feet.

"No, we can't. We have to run." It wasn't an order, it was a statement of fact.

"Oh," There was something in Brend's tone that sounded both juvenile, and disappointed, when he spoke that one word. What he uttered next was straight up profanity.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-08-01 20:53 EST
Part V: The Hour of Loss

~ ~ ~

"At the temple there is a poem called 'Loss' carved into the stone. It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out. You cannot read loss, only feel it." ― Arthur Golden

~ ~ ~

Exarch Camp. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

Jareth sat astride a warhorse, another flanking him being ridden by a man in a long dark cloak and cowl; the other man was clearly hiding his appearance, but was being very sloppy about it. It was clear that he was either bald or had a receding hairline; the front of his hood was only pulled up far enough to cover the top of his head, not the front, and the front was smooth and marked with distinctive tattoos of lighting which seemed to streak down his face. Jareth paid his companion no mind, and looked on passively as the dire wolf approached them and transformed into a humanoid shape, with all the look and accoutrements of the old Druids of the Outer Arc. Jareth noted the man had an almost bestial set to his features even when walking on two legs. The newcomer snarled at the pair.

"Most of my Dogs are dead," the vicious tone was contrived, he cared nothing for the Dogs. If anything, he considered them to have been in the way of his hunt. Even the title of their unit was an affront to him. Dogs were something domesticated, and Kitarlin of the Fenns was nothing like that.

"And?" Jareth asked bluntly. He didn't care about the Dogs, or about the hunt, or anything else Kitarlin cared about, including Kitarlin himself. Jareth, Lord Tain, took his orders straight from Damon, the Emperor and God-King himself. The two men continued to stare at one another hard for a moment, and for a moment, it looked like it would almost come to blows. Then the robed man nudged his horse forward to stand between the two of them.

"You're not a Dog, are you Kitarlin, Lord of the Fenns?" the robed man murmured in an appeasing tone. "You're something wild, aren't you. Something that can't be contained." Every statement stroked Kitarlin's ego, and he didn't pick up on the contrived nature of the statements. For every statement made to the contrary, he was like a dog being scratched behind the ears. A smirking grin split his face at what he perceived to be compliments. "Something that needs to hunt," the man continued, easily playing off the Druids emotions. "There is prey on the High Road. The man, Vicks. He's stolen the young ones; the older ones are fodder, to hard to train. The young ones, however," the robed man paused, letting the statement hang in the air. "The man Vicks is your prey. Two of your best Dogs will accompany you."

"I can take him down myself," Kitarlin had immediately bristled.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-08-01 20:58 EST
"We know, I know," the man soothed. "I only ask you take them so that they may learn to hunt from you, and then shepherd the children back to us. A more fitting job for a border collie than a wolf, wouldn't you agree?"

Kitarlin slowly smirked again, and offered a slow nod. He turned his back and headed further back the trail to where it forked up into the High Road. He raised a hand to his mouth, inserted two fingers and offered a shrill whistle. A small pack of Dogs came, in human form, their exhaustion and reluctance written across the features of their faces. There was a short exchange, and two of the younger of the pack slipped in behind Kitarlin, two who must have fancied themselves young wolves.

The rest of the Dogs made for camp. There had originally been almost two hundred of them, and they had no trouble losing themselves in the camp of the Second Sword which lay arrayed before them now. The camp was over a thousand strong before they had arrived, and over half that number were heavy armed and armored fighting men. In man form, they filtered among the soldiers, not even noticing that they were treated as lessers; simply glad to be accepted somewhere, and offered scraps from the stew pots and skewers.

Jareth looked to the robed man after Kitarlin and the others nearby had filtered away.

"Is that wise, Lord Exarch' He's an animal," Jareth meant it in the literal and figurative sense of the word. The Fenn Lord had no mind for tactics. "You're just as likely for him to get himself killed, or to have him bring back the children in pieces." The robed man waved off Lord Tain's concerns.

"It doesn't matter. We have enough children swelling our ranks as it is. We've culled and culled, taken the best, and the best, and the best until all that's left is the rest. One small group of children won't mean anything to anyone. Damon wants them dealt with as a matter of principle," the robed man noted Jareth's eyes narrow when he used the Emperors given name. That was tantamount to sacrilege depending upon your beliefs.

"As for me," the robed figure never finished that thought, and a small smile twisted his lips. Chaos and death were the flavor of mischief that amused him the most. They were their own reason for sending Kitarlin out to sew destruction. "Don't call me that, I don't like people knowing my rank."

"Sir?" Jareth asked. He wasn't sure what to call the man, who snorted at being called 'sir' as well.

"My name is Jonas."

Knightfall

Date: 2017-09-21 00:02 EST
Afternoon. High Road. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

Vicks was tired.

There were a few older children, almost young adults, whose presence he was grateful for. Alone, he had too few hands to make sure the youngest were safe, and that they stayed fed and comfortable enough that they fussed as little as possible " the cries of babies would be a sure call to any hostile person or thing roaming the passes. While the rag tag party moved, he ranged both ahead and behind it, scouting and covering their trail respectively, as best he could. They'd brought with them what rations they could carry, each child that could walk bearing some small satchel or knapsack. They were fortunate enough to find wild berries along the way, picking them as they went " and those that picked indulging as they went, keeping their strength up.

When they'd began their exodus into the hills earlier in the day, Vicks had told stories to the children, encouraging their silence with the hushed volume of his storytelling. He was old Kroatoan, and he knew all the good stories about heroes and villains and monsters. Stories about Jordanian the Nightmare, the Tain who consumed his fallen foes; the Koda, Korthal, who was as strong as thirteen men; the Flight of the Prodigal Phoenix, which was a favourite tale about greedy, foolish men, who, after having gained their status at the expense of others, organized an expedition to follow a falling star they thought was their god, and drowned in the eastern ocean as a consequence, weighted down by the wealth they would not share. But those were Tribal stories, not Imperial, and that was frowned upon now.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-09-21 00:03 EST
Even though the children he'd trained and seen grow to adults had been raised on them. There was a point to them that wasn't just Imperial dogma, and the stories could vary on who told them " they weren't rigidly constructed " because the point of them was the lesson, whether implicit or explicit.

The Imperial counterparts to the stories changed names, and somehow always served to bolster the idea of service to the Empire as the primary virtue of life; that was Petyr Silver's doing, an officer of the Fifth Sword. In the years since Petyr's initial conception, it had become Imperial dogma.

It's elevation in status had been openly encouraged by Azira Dy'Hauc, The Emperor, Damon the Makabe's adviser. That had been the first of several missteps on the part of the Imperials that had lead to Vicks leaving the direct service of the Empire, instead enlisting under Kristoph, one of the men " one of the children " Vicks himself had trained.

It had been late in the morning when he'd told his last story. The valley below the path and ridge they walked was alive with the sound of animals, but there was nothing distinct in the echoes that made their way up to Vicks and the children. Vicks was grateful for that, even though any louder sound would have drawn any and all attention from him and the children, he wouldn't want to explain to them what it was. As it was, he already had to explain to one inquisitive child who'd not yet seen a decade. The girl had asked what the noise was, after his last story and he'd smiled and answered in a hushed voice.

"Kef dogs," he added as a mental afterthought, 'hopefully'. Kef dogs were small dogs that were kept in most settlements, usually inside or close around the premises. Their primary use was in hunting rodents and other small pests that the family residing there would find undesirable. They have shrill barks, and are also known for not realizing their size, and not backing down when confronting a potentially deadly foe.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-09-21 00:05 EST
People that sometimes tried keeping Kef dogs in and around sheep or swine often found that the dogs themselves were the first to be eaten by larger predators, their shrill barks at rodents and large insects or even the herds themselves having drawn wolves or large cats to them instead of away. "Just now you'll hear them yelp and run away," he winked at the girl, and blew air through his moustaches, causing them to rise and fall. "You'll see."

But he hadn't trusted his own assertions. Not that he thought they were the sounds of Kef dogs, but that they would end up yelping and running away. He had been out of the direct Imperial structure by the time the Dogs had arrived, but he knew of them, and their purpose.

After he entrusted the care of the smaller children to the larger, making sure they knew their bearings and when he would return to them, he backtracked and waited. He was hoping to wait for nothing, and was about to break from his vantage point after waiting only an hour ? it would take him almost as long moving double time to return to his charge. Then he froze as two Dogs came into view, skinchangers in animal form, noses to the ground and searching. This wasn't his first campaign, nor his first time dealing with something that was more animal than human. He'd set his watch so that the latrine pit they'd used for their stop here was between him and those that pursued him.

He knew sometimes skinchangers who were new to their abilities found it hard to control, hard to define the line between man and animal, and that usually their demeanour favoured the animal side; as animals they were confused by their instincts just enough, and as men they were often more bestial in mien and nature. He'd known if they were men scouting for them, his skills at covering their tracks would render their tracking useless; not so with beasts, though. Fortunately for him, Vicks had always found such men to be sufficiently slow of wit for strategies that involved things like tactical ambushes.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-09-21 00:08 EST
Unfortunately for him, he was too far away to deal with both of them foes at once by surprise; his charge would reveal his location and intent. He drew a long sword and rose while sprinting forward at the same time. The Dogs raised their heads and he'd targeted one, who in a moment of eye contact realized its danger and turned quickly enough that its wiry tail was amputated the swing of his sword. The injured animal, driven by overwhelming pain and instinct to survive, fled. The remaining lunged at Vicks's unencumbered arm, the Dogs teeth biting into Vicks leather clad forearm. Vicks rolled backward with the lunge, drawing the Dog with him and rolling over onto him. The skinchanger was large, bigger than a normal dog, but Vicks was bigger still, and possessed of a wiry, unassailable knobby strength of an old man. From on top of the Dog, Vicks grabbed the skinchangers snout, and started to force its jaws open, and it started to change forms into a man " if it didn't, Vicks would tear its lower mandible clean away.

As the Dog sought humanoid form, Vicks slipped his gnawed on arm underneath the creatures throat, while beginning to rise with his knee upon its back. It couldn't stop changing midway through to defend itself. Vicks was going to snap the mans neck, and the skinchanger realized it. Panic set in and at first he tried clawing the air behind him to no avail. The Dog changed tactics, one arm still flailed uselessly, but the other had found a crude knife within its ratty tunic. Vicks spotted it, and the mans neck snapped just a moment after the blade had scored the side of Vicks calf. The skinchanger lay motionless as Vicks stared down at it. He thought about the children, and about the children he'd raised that had become the First Sword. "You shouldn't have come near my kids.?

He spat and examined his leg with his fingers. He dabbed blood away and felt it. It was a ragged cut, but not deep. He wouldn't lose any capacity to move, so he bound it loosely and set off hastily. He wanted to catch up with his charges, and didn't notice the binding becoming loose. After a mile returning towards his wards, blood and sweat had saturated the binding. His scent collected in sand and on brush, despite lack of track or broken branches.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-09-22 22:35 EST
Late Afternoon. High Road. Lygian Range. Inner Arc.

Barks had chased the group for nearly an hour now, the only respite being that they were few in number, and had initially been distant. The last fact changed over time, with the wild noises growing closer, gaining ground on the veteran Vicks and his would be cadre of children.

'Kristoph was right to send me up here,' Vicks thought to himself. 'I'm too old to be down there fighting,' he was puffing his breaths now, the running back and forth had worn him down. He'd have rather stood and fight. His strength was still enough to prove a deciding factor in a contest like that; he didn't have the endurance for protracted battle anymore. He was still on his feet and able bodied by virtue of will power and muscle memory alone. He spat. Just because he was an old man didn't mean he wanted to die like one. He was also a warrior, and if he was going to go...

He could tell by the growing nearness of the Dogs barking there was going to be a fight. The thought rejuvenated him somewhat. But he needed something to put his back up against, to prevent them from surrounding him. One on one, he knew he stood a chance, but if it was a group melee, him against them, they'd wear him down and bleed him out. To Vicks, that was almost as ignominious as having a heart attack. He was waiting for something before he chose his place to make a stand; the trails and ridges that cut through the side of the Lygian range mostly cut through the centre of the mountains, carving the range into peaks and valleys. He'd been guiding the group towards the eastern most paths, after having cut west and north wherever they could to distance themselves from the Second Sword and the Dogs " for all the good it had ended up doing. It was somewhat fitting, Vicks thought, that they were heading back towards the east now " towards the cliff side trails that ran parallel to the valley Kristoph and the rest of the First Sword were now, or had been, fighting in. Their flight would take them full circle back towards the valley they had been fleeing.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-09-22 22:37 EST
Time seemed to compress and expand like the palpitations of his heart as he moved back and forth along the train of children, from rearguard to scout, back and forth, back and forth. Some of the children talked to him, and he responded, though he couldn't remember what he'd said after. The oldest among his charges listened, though, and kept the younger ones aloft and corralled.

"Not long, now," he repeated, not manic, but every few minutes like a mantra both for himself and the children. They were close, almost to the exposed ridge, then it was a straight shot to the east along the valley. Then they'd have to secure safe passage down to the plateau, he thought, then added, One thing at a time. Barks kept sounding, both close behind, and moving parallel to them. Their path gradually opened from a cleft in the rocks, forming a T-junction to the open air of a ridge overlooking the valley below. Tension had been building in Vicks chest and it was suddenly released, once they set upon the ridge path, their pursuers would be limited in how many could approach at once. He could man a narrow section of trail perhaps not indefinitely, but perhaps long enough to dissuade the Dogs from their quarry.

The shouts of older children and cries of younger ones issued from those towards the front. The time it took Vicks to arrive vanished in a blur of pounding footfalls. The children seemed to move with him in a mob as he did, cries had arisen among the others as well, and everyone moved towards the front like a wave with Vicks at its epicentre. From the western most ridge came a Dog " a skinchanger in canine form " as well as from the path along the junction they were travelling. Before them, blocking their escape were two more Dogs, as well as something else. It was bigger, its snout more tapered and shoulders broader. It must have outweighed any of the Dogs by at least a hundred pounds. As Vicks and the children came to a halt, the latter huddled around him as best they could, with the youngest being shielded by the eldest who were themselves terrified. The Dogs were growling low in their throats, and the other creature " some lupine abomination " veered into the shape of a man.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-09-22 22:40 EST
"He only wants the kids," the recently changed man spoke. His smile was wolfish and threatening as much as it had been in four legged form. "Probably let you come back, though," the man seemed to think he was playing with Vicks as he spoke. "Train a new generation, what do you say, Vicks?"

Vicks' face turned red, then almost to purple. Stay away from my kids, the mantra began again in his head. He didn't answer. The man facing him, the man who had been a wolf, nodded to the Dogs behind them. At the signal, the Dogs veered as well, and became men. They moved towards the group, towards the children.

"Gentle now with the pups," the lupine skinchanger made a murring sound, the canine equivalent of a purr. "He wants them....intact."

"Kitarlin. Fenn," Vicks teeth ground together, his hands deftly travelling down his leathers. Most of his weapons were in satchels, or bags, or lashed away somewhere. Too unwieldy for the work he was doing, running back and forth. Every pound he could shed was energy he had saved. Now he was regretting it. The only weapons he was wearing were mostly short blades, save for two longer ones on his hips. "Stay away from my kids," he growled, almost as deep and feral as the Dogs.

What happened next was a flurry of motion. Kitarlin was smirking, the Dogs were closing, and suddenly a knife sprouted from the throat of the man behind and flanking the group. Their humanoid forms had provided much easier targets than their canine ones would have. The smirk left Kitarlin's face as Vicks drew his long knives and bellowed forwards, causing the children to give him as much berth as they could. The side of the cliff was near, and it was a long fall to the fog shrouded forest floor. One of the two Dogs facing Vicks managed to knock one of the long knives not only away, but out of his hand and off the cliff. The children closest to the edge watched it vanish into the fog before their attention turned back to their protector and would be abductors.

One of the two Dogs quickly followed the long knife over the cliff, a mix of a yell and a yelp escaping his throat as he did; Vicks backhand as the result of being disarmed had knocked the Dog not only senseless, but to it's death.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-09-22 22:48 EST
The remaining Dog was unarmed and wary of the blade that remained waving in front of him, it stepped backwards out of range, but Vicks thwarted it's intention to escape by throwing the knife at it haphazardly. As the Dog was distracted, Vicks reached out and grabbed it by the neck and groin and heaved the Dog into the air with a grunt. Almost simultaneously, one, then two, then three arrow shafts sprouted from Vicks back as he turned to heave the last Dog off the cliff. Kitarlin stood with a smirk, and a longbow. The last Dog fell with a yowl of terror as it fell, and Vicks turned towards Kitarlin. A heavy breath caused blood to spray from Vicks lips.

"Told you, stay away," Vicks lunged towards Kitarlin. Kitarlin sidestepped and Vicks bellowed, "From my," Vicks managed to grab the bow, tugging the leader of the Dogs forward enough to snag his arm. Kitarlin tried to pull back but Vicks sacrificed his footing to pull the other man forward into a crushing hug. "My kids!" Vicks shouted as he toppled backwards. The two of them disappeared over the edge and the children rushed forward to look.

The other Dogs that had vanished in similar fashion had left their imprints among the fog clouds below, though the rifts in the mist were slowly closing. Behind the children, a blue-white flash of energy formed, and two men materialized, their arms raised high towards each other, hands joined together to form an arch with their bodies.

"Where's Vicks?" One of the men asked as he broke contact with the other and stepped forward to the side of the cliff as well. The other man asked a question behind him, in the form of a name.

"Kaius?" The blue robed figured queried. Kaius turned back to look at him and shrugged, just as one of the children tugged at Kaius's sleeve. He looked down to the child.

"He got his wings back," the child spoke softly, wide eyed.

Kaius turned to Atticus, and at an encouraging gesture to ask more the High Mage, looked again to the child. "Who got his wings back" Where's Vicks, he's supposed to be with you." The child " a little girl " looked at Kaius as though he knew nothing at all. With one hand she gripped Kaius, and the other hand pointed out over the cliff.

"It's alright, he got to be an angel again," she smiled up at him. Several of the other younger children turned away from the cliff as well, smiling at Kaius and Atticus. The older children bore a look that was half sad, and half filled with wonder. "Like she said. He got his wings back.?

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-10-22 23:27 EST
Evening. The Peshlian Basin. Inner Arc.

The veiled threat of thunder rumbled in the distance; it seemed to be warning that it was moving closer, and bringing a storm with it. It was darker than it should have been as the afternoon passed and evening fell, even though the canopy provided by the trees was becoming more sparse as they travelled. The sky was clouded over by the time they emerged from the tree line, and the cliffs behind them cast them further into darkness, as they found themselves looking into what appeared to be an immense earthen basin more than a hundred miles wide, it's far side obscured by a distortion in the air somewhere in between. Similar mountain ranges, cliffs, and forests seemed to skirt the rest of the basins edge as far as the eye could see in the failing light. The basin was particularly verdant, and although their blooms were hidden by the absence of light, the aromatic smell of roses ? pesh in Puhra Dahli - in numbers of thousands upon thousands and more, met the First Sword like a gentle wall.

The way through the basin seemed to be spider-webbed with hard packed trails that could afford two people side by side, and it seemed as though there was some forethought in their creation. They meandered to and fro through snarls of wild roses, thorns, and vines, but they did so in ways that hinted at the hand of man in their creation: they all moved parallel with, and perpendicular to, each another. The refugees and surviving regulars had arrived at the basin first, having maintained their speed and distance advantage over the officers who brought up the rear guard. They had already started examining the paths, the surroundings, and taking their ease as they waited to push forward again. Most who hadn't ventured out amongst the roses out of simple curiosity nodded or waved their greetings to the officers as they arrived. Few set to getting ready to leave immediately; they'd give those who'd guarded their backs what time they could take for themselves to rest and try to renew themselves. Several came forward to offer skins of water, dry rations, and rations foraged from the wild during their flight.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-10-22 23:29 EST
Kristoph accepted both water and food, though he offered them both to Fiona first and took his own second. He looked out over the basin, fixing it with a hard stare. Someone had offered him some type of red berry, he'd accepted and now popped a small handful into his mouth and chewed slowly. He swallowed and deliberately waited until those who'd just arrived with him had taken at least some form of refreshment. "Do you see it." It should have been a question, but it had come out flat.

"See what?" Brend answered, his innocent tone at odds with his words. "The big empty space with nowhere to hide that they'll probably ride over us on?" His tone was almost annoyingly jovial. Sometimes it seemed that he didn't worry about anything at all. "This is what you get for wanting to be a gardener, you know." He gestured to the open field. "Fate's sense of humour sucks."

Plopping down between some of the bushes, Livia retorted, "So does yours sometimes." She stretched out her legs, laid back, and rested on her elbows, suspending her upper body over the ground. Just as lazily as her recline, she asked Kristoph, "What do we see?"

"Not enough," Kristoph answered. He scanned the distance ahead of them, then glanced upwards as though a silent appeal to whatever gods were in the sky might help. "I don't know that it's the lack of light. All the larger plants have been gone a long time, but is that because people have harvested them once, and did something to the land to keep them from growing, or is it because there was never anything larger than this," he gestured briefly. "My point is," he was interrupted as Brend, who'd reclined in a similar fashion to Livia, spoke up.

"The city, where's this city we were supposed to be looking for" Shouldn't we be able to see it?" Brend's gaze had been following Kristoph's gaze, and he hadn't been paying attention as much to what was being said. "Huh' Oh.? His attention had returned to his friend and leader, to find Kristoph had fixed him with a look that rode the border of annoyance and amusement.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-10-22 23:30 EST
Fiona continued standing, looking out over the dark basin. "Certainly the city is still there?" Her tone was half questioning and half hoping.

Kristoph moved to stand beside Fiona, matching her gaze. "That's the problem. We don't know if it was every really here. There are no written records, we're relying on word of mouth; oral history through legends and myths." The muscles of his jaw had bunched tightly together. If he bit down any harder, he'd crack teeth. "This might have killed us." His gaze shifted from the basin " vacant except for plants, as far as could be seen. Night had completely fallen now, and vision was further limited.

"If it's not here, we have nowhere to run or hide or escape to; the Second Sword will ride us down. We've been lucky they have the train they have to manoeuvre through the valley and trees. If they get to where we're standing now, and we don't have an answer," he let that notion hang in the air. The results were obvious. No matter how much distance they put between themselves and the Second Sword, if they didn't have walls at least, the Second would have a direct charge at them wherever the First went.

Fiona turned her head towards him and took his hand. Waiting until his eye met hers, she said devotedly, "We will figure something out." Knowing he had inspired and driven them this entire time, she hoped she could inspire him now. She figured even if they couldn't find the city, they could work together to come up with some way out, some alternate solution, something that wouldn't leave them stuck. They had to.

"What's the problem, then?" A new voice joined the chorus. An old man was squatting on his haunches close to Livia and had addressed her more than the others, a point punctuated by his the nodding inclination of his head towards Kristoph, Fiona, and Brend. Urdru, the elder Puhra Dahli, had appeared amongst them without warning or notice. One moment the space was empty, the next moment it was not.

Brend's head snapped towards the elder at his intrusion, the surprise making his hand stray to his hip " to find only empty air. His sword belt lay on the ground between himself and Livia. He swore in surprise. If it had been an enemy he'd have been empty handed.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-10-22 23:34 EST
Kristoph had cast a quick, obvious glance in their direction, but made sure to keep Urdru in his peripheral vision. The old man's peculiarities reminded him of someone, but he couldn't place it. His lips betrayed a small smile despite the sober tone of the situation.

"It's surprising," Kristoph murmured more to Fiona than the rest, casting his glance back her way only to dart his eyes towards the other two men and back to her in indication of whom he spoke. "I don't think Brend can stand him because they're too much alike."

Fiona smiled in response to Kristoph's assessment, but her attention turned to Livia.

At Urdru's question, Livia had sat straight up in defence. As she did, her hands instinctively dove down to the cuffs of her knee length leather boots, prepared to grab the long knives she had hidden in each. Once she realized it was just him, she loosened her posture and placed her hands on the ground next to herself to once again recline slightly. "The problem is," she answered Urdru tersely while picking up one hand briefly and motioning across the vast empty space in front of them, "we came all this way for nothing." Kristoph may have been right. The only other person that aggravated her as much as Urdru did was the man on her other side.

The old man furrowed his brows. "Huh?"

Kristoph's attention had turned more completely to the old timer before anyone else could interdict. "We should be within sight of the city, should we not' And yet," he gestured to the vast, dark fields before them. "The Second Sword will overtake us when their mounts gain the fields. They'll send heavy cavalry and simply ride us down."

Urdru stared at him, and feigned wide, almost ignorantly bovine eyes.

Kristoph's brow drew downward in annoyance and Brend snorted and looked away from them, focusing on the field before them in the hope that some tactical opportunity would occur to him. Before Kristoph could chastise him, though, Urdru raised a hand in defence, as if warding off whatever comments were forthcoming.

"Did you hear him," Urdru nodded towards Fiona, then jerked his head towards Kristoph. "He's always going to be like that, you know. Oddly formal. He never breaks the habit." He must have been referring to Kristoph's earlier comments.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-12-14 22:05 EST
He stood slowly, a series of cracks and pops issuing from his bones and joints as he did so. He smirked, the weathered lines of his face crinkling in amusement. "Some people just live in the past, I guess."

Fiona watched the old man intently as he spoke as though he knew Kristoph and how he would "always be?. She stared hard at him as if trying to decipher every wrinkle. Eventually she saw what Kristoph had meant. Since she had been spending more time with the members of their party, she had learned more of their personalities and quirks. Urdru shared much of the same humour and laid-back demeanour as Brend. Urdru always seemed to focus on and stay as close to Livia as possible, as he had appeared just now. Livia had mentioned to Fiona when Urdru had spoken to her and Brend in the woods when they were scouting with Kaius. Livia had complained to Fiona about Urdru in the same annoyed tone as she had used to complain about Brend. Maybe they weren't just "too much alike" like Kristoph had said, but it was something more, like maybe they were somehow the same. Fiona told herself that couldn't possibly be true, though the old man did defy reality on occasion. Either way, he seemed like he knew more than he was volunteering.

"So," Fiona asked casually, taking a different tactic than Kristoph's formality, "Do you know where the city is?"

Everyone was suddenly looking at Urdru. His grin turned impish in a way that somehow admitted his guilt before he found the words.

"Of course I do," Urdru waved at the entire rest of the group, as though they were asking the most obvious, inane, question. He pointed out into the darkened field, where the rest of the group often found their own focuses straying. "If the moon were out, you could see it, too." Thunder rumbled as if on cue, not yet overhead, but growing closer. He anticipated one of them, as mouths opened to voice questions or demands. "It's magic, of a sort, that hides it. Not something any of you are likely to be able to break, nor even Ronin " so leave him to his rest; you might need a his arsenal again before this is done. He's already tried to pierce it, and so has Atticus.?

Knightfall

Date: 2017-12-14 22:09 EST
Urdru's lips twitched into a grin, then twitched again as though it had gone sour or couldn't decide if something was funny or distasteful. "So has Jonas. None of them could pierce the defences of the 'holy city'."

Still lounging lazily, Livia turned from her view of the empty space and faced Urdru. She glared at him skeptically, and said sarcastically, "Ok, so, this city that we can't see" we also can't get into. Good thing you came along to sort that all out for us."

Kristoph cast a warning glance at Livia, but said nothing. Sometimes her sarcasm was an asset, other times it wasn't needed, at least he felt so. One of the benefits of her and Brend working closely together, he mused, was that then they could each deal with each others attitudes. It didn't seem like her attitude phased Urdru in the slightest, however, and the older man kept talking.

"Of course it is," Urdru smiled, as though self satisfied. "I knew you'd recognize it sooner or later."

"The only thing she is likely to have realized," Kristoph had found his voice again, and had to interrupt. "Is that every word you utter takes you closer to the end of your life," he cast a brief peripheral glance at Livia, "And not of old age."

"If I could crow without coughing," Urdru's eyes glittered and he smiled with humour that seemed suddenly dark, coloured as it was with the discussion of his ending. "I would. You're completely right, and completely wrong at the same time." He actually waggled his brows. Somewhere in the peanut gallery, Brend groaned, and Urdru spoke again. "I said none of you could breach the defences, open the gates to the city; I didn't say I couldn't."

Livia appeared genuinely interested now. Not wishing to invite another glare from their leader, she chose to stay silent.

Fiona still watched Urdru closely, noting how his age seemed to be taking its toll on his health. She wondered just how old he must be, and if he used his playful taunts and jovial anecdotes to cover up just how close he was to his end as a defence mechanism. If he could, in fact, do what he claimed, it would certainly cause him further strain. "What can we do to help?? she asked, trying to sound supportive.

Fiona ONeill

Date: 2017-12-14 22:10 EST
Urdru flashed Fiona a smile, and held up one finger and waggled it back and forth in a gesture that was almost admonishing. Brend saw that exchange and groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It's cute when I do it," Brend muttered under his breath. "When you do it, it looks like someone is being sassed by a saddlebag with eyes." A reference to the old man's age. Urdru's head snapped towards the comment, and after a moment he laughed aloud.

"That," Urdru seemed to be answering Fiona, having looked back towards her. "Just that. Be yourselves," his eyes narrowed, crows feet tugging the corners. "Too cryptic" That's just because I know how the movie ends. You'll get there, but pretty much it'll just be me and you awake for the credits." The old man waggled his eyebrows.

"That, old father, is entirely unhelpful towards our current dilemma." Kristoph spoke, and though his lips carried a wry smile, his tone was quite serious. "Our need for aid is immediate, can you offer anything which will allow us to aid you in truth?"

"Just stay on the paths between the roses," Urdru had become suddenly more solemn, as if to match Kristoph's tone. "And get some rest. You'll need it. We've got maybe 5 or 6 hours before we have to leave. Any longer and we'll be waiting right in the path of their hooves." He turned towards Brend, anticipating some comment " and sure enough the younger man's mouth was opening. "Listen to your elders, just this once." Urdru had cut him off, and Brend cast the man an overly dramatic suspicious scowl as the old man continued. "I'll take care of the rest of the refugees. I got them this far," the old man waggled his brows again. Kristoph opened his mouth to comment, but he too, Urdru cut off. "Don't fight with me, I'm not your enemy. There are lots of those on the way right now. If you have questions, ask, but keep them short. Then rest."

"Rest sounds good," Livia said softly while giving the old man a nod.

"Rest would help the refugees as well," Fiona faced Kristoph and suggested, "especially the weary." Offering a subtle hint, she motioned towards Urdru with her eyes, then returned them to meet Kristoph's gaze.

Knightfall

Date: 2017-12-14 22:12 EST
Kristoph took her meaning immediately; he tried to remain keenly aware of those in his charge, and the refugees and Urdru were no exceptions. "My curiosity is, for the moment, satisfied, old father." He moved subtly towards Fiona and slipped his hand into hers. "Rest," He spoke to the rest of the assembled officers, and to Urdru. "We will rely on the refugees to be our watch, for the nonce; as we've guarded them, so too will they now guard our rest."

Urdru gave a smugly satisfied smile and nod, and as he sighed and walked away, his shoulders seemed to slump. He was tired as well, but persevered and kept himself upright with the contrary strength of old men.

Livia pushed herself up and off the ground, taking a side step to stand in front of Brend. Looking down at him, she kicked one of his boots playfully and said with a smile, "Come on. I doubt we'll have another chance to stop and smell some roses." Before he could make a comeback, she added more sternly, "And no, that's not code for sex." She smiled sincerely down at him, and extended a hand in offer to help him up. She would have been more than happy to continue sitting with him right where they were, but not with the old man so close. Always needing to appear tough to those around her, she preferred to spend her downtime privately.

Brend's brow furrowed as he'd looked towards her as she rose. 'There's something to be said,' he thought, 'for black leathers.' He took her hand with a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. He didn't rise immediately, but held her there, tensing as though he were considering pulling her back down. Instead he winked, smiled easily, and rose. "Um," he said aloud, then dropped his voice to a more conspiratorial, yet still audible, level as he slipped an arm around her waist " and kept it there despite her immediate superficial protest and attempt to push him away. "What was the code for sex again, then?" His tone was full of fake innocence. "And besides," he went on more casually as they moved out of earshot. "You know I'm more of a lily guy. Roses are so overdone.?