Knight's Intro Role-play

[Shadaras]

"Kit, if you take some knights to go invetigate, I'll come with you." Wraith residue? 'Gyre, why didn't you sense it?
Because it was thinly spread and in the dungeons. I didn't search there very well, because it didn't seem like a place demons would be.

[Tam]

It seemed she had been sprinting for hours when Tamia finally rounded the bend and found her fellow knights gathered in the hall, still locked in urgent conversation. From the tones of their voices, an argument had been taking place as well.

As a few faces turned to see who was approaching, Tamia panted, “Has anyone seen Lady Kat? I was… was to come find her if I couldn’t…. if I was unable to receive the scroll.” She flushed furiously as she said the words, aware that she had effectively failed the simple task of retrieving the document from Zari’s quarters.

You wouldn’t have had such trouble if I had been there, Oran commented from where he sat beside her.

She picked him up, muttering, “I would have taken you if you hadn’t run off after Shino and Zari.”

As he settled on her shoulder, he said indignantly, I did nothing of the sort. While you were getting yourself lost in mazes, I was exploring the Lady Zari’s quarters. The knight visibly stiffened, and Oran mentally sighed. No, I did not find the scroll.

Tamia’s heart sank in disappointment. She truly hadn’t accomplished anything, then.

I did, however, find Zahaere Emaya, he added smugly.

Heart skipping a beat, Tamia turned to the knights, preparing to relay all she had just discovered. The King will be crowned tonight, she thought determinedly. No matter what.

((Edited to clean up the end... the bell rang while I was still typing. >.> Anyway, I don't think Tamia will be talking until sometime tomorrow, when the other knights have had a chance to catch up on the conversation.))

[Deleted]

Wolf stood deathly still, and he remained deathly silent. His guide had mentioned his likelihood of being crowned king before, yet he had not believed it would be so. But now, there was no doubt to deny it. He was going to be king. There was no other way.

It was a duty he would wholeheartedly embrace.

And if he were to be crowned even as the spoke, the sun sinking deeper over the horizon, mere seconds maybe until true darkness fell over the land, it would be as if he were already king. And a king had to act in his people's best interest, or not be worthy of being called a king at all.

So what was the people's best interests?

On one hand, he had been told they were safest together. Yet on the other hand, he had just been told that the enemy-- no, the enemies, in the plural --were already in the castle and needed to be tended to.

Then why not he join them? The ceremony could be put off longer. After all, it was but a ceremony, a mere formality.

No, Erros, it is not. The voice shocked him out of his rushing thoughts and he turned to see his guide next to him. The wolf, though, was but a mere silvery apparition, a half-ghost more astral than Wolf had ever seen him before.

What is wrong? Wolf hastily inquired by thought, thinking it wisest to keep silent, How are you able to be here?

The wolf smiled and answered accordingly. I am able to be here as the castle is made of stone and wood, and both are natural elements. I shan't be able to last long here in sight, though, as they are not elementally pure; that is why I appear so... ghastly. What I have come to say, however, has nothing to do with my appearance, but with your misconception of the crown.

A crown, Erros, is much more than a symbol: it is a spell. The magic in the crown is hardly spoken of; vocalizing it is often seen as taboo, in fact. But the matter is this: a kingdom can only be held together with its crown worn. It is a spell that ties the people to the land. The crown is made from the land, enchanted to be connected to it, and then when humanity touches it-- and pray that only humanity does --it connects them and protects them and their kingdom. Only so long can a kingdom be without a proper crown before it shatters at the mere thought of it.

If you, Erros, are not crowned tonight, this kingdom will surely shatter, and there may be no chance to change the fate that has been foreseen, and I fear then that it may not be just one soul who will be destroyed by morning's light, but many.

The wolf began to waver, his eyes full of shock and sudden urgency. Remember, Erros, the magic, he wavered again, gasping his final words, remember, the crown! Silence, as the wolf sputtered out. A sinking feeling in the Green Knight's heart.

There was only one option now.

He would have to go with Shino to accept the crown. The others would have to face their enemies.

Wolf only prayed that they would make it out alive.

He quickly put his thoughts to words and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it just as swiftly. Lady Tamia had arrived, and the urgency in her face trumped even his own.

((I know, I make kings to sound glorious even when in real life, they aren't always so...))

[Dice]

Pyro heard a commotion in other halls of the castle. A feeling she did not often feel--a creeping fear--began to overtake her. She bowed hurriedly to Lady Fenrix.

"My apologies, my lady, but I must go," she called. "Quickly, we must get ourselves to the ceremony or to help our fellow knights. I beg you, Lady Fenrix, do not tarry in these empty halls." She waved a hand, more of an urgent gesture than a formal one, and took off down the halls, striding quickly. She drew her Flame-Blade, gripping it tightly as it wavered slightly. The enemy was here--she would bet that the whole castle could sense it.

She came upon Lord Wolf standing in a corridor, and Lady Tamia just rushing in from the opposite end, looking very troubled. Pyro remained silent, not wanting to interfere with Tamia's words.

[Deleted]

Fenrix was quick to follow Pyro, her gaze swept over the walls and ceilings. {Look up to your fear, look down on your pride} Cross Fire murmured to her. She nodded and drew an arrow, she would fight if need be. Cursing under her breath she looked down at her gown, it would have been so much easier if she had worn her leather armor. It was easier to move in, and certainly easier to fight in.

[Kat]

"You're Meridian's student, aren't you? The last one he's had, even? I think you overpowered him and turned him into ashes," whispered the man keeping his hand over Kat's mouth. "That Meridian was an old fool, trying to take on a Lunara like you...if you come with me, I will teach you all the magic you've never known under his wings, or even your parents' wings. I won't force you..."

He let go, and Kat tumbled onto the floor. She felt a few locks of hair loosen from her hairpins, but she didn't care, so long as that guy didn't have her anymore. When he touched her, she felt a chill lance up her spine and through her head, as though trying to numb her.

"What do you mean, come with you?" she demanded. "Who are you, and what are you doing in this castle?"

The Purple Knight inched away as he reached out to her. She drew a pentacle in the air with her staff, creating a glowing purple star in front of her attacker. He stretched out his gauntleted hand again, and she could see that his gauntlet was made out of a heavy black material, etched with runes that glowed with a haunting bronze shine as they touched the pentacle.

The man gasped as the runes lit up again, this time with a horrible dark violet shade, and he was thrown backward. He cursed loudly as his chain mail grated against his skin.

"You think you're the only knight-mage around here, do you?"

"Actually, no," said Kat, standing up and pointing her staff at him. Walls of purple fire erupted around him, enclosing him in a magical circle. "Now leave me - us - alone!"

She didn't even stop to watch what he did as she fled from the corridor at top speed, screaming out all the names of every knight she knew.

[Tam]

Although it seemed she had gained the attention of all the knights present, for the moment at least, Tamia couldn't help but notice that no one had answered her question in regards to the Purple Knight's whereabouts. Hoping that their silence wasn't a bad sign, she gathered her thoughts and proceeded to explain what she had seen in the old corridor, Oran filling her in even as she spoke.

When she came to the part in which she had been about to jump from around the corner to challenge the intruder, the cat advised her to skip over her actions there, telling her, You will all have to work together as equals now. Under the present circumstances, knowing of your rash decision would only make the knights more uneasy.

"We didn't have a chance to get closer, but this shadow is definitely inside our walls already," she finished. "And it looks like they can be found in the oldest parts of this wing." A few nods among the knights; everyone looked jumpy. "As well," she continued, "although I didn't get to Zari's quarters, I found out something else." She noticed Oran staring at her intently. "It might be a little more difficult to retrieve this scroll than we had thought. It seems that this Zahaere Emaya, the one guarding it, might be a very powerful force to reckon with. She's a..." Tamia trailed off, not knowing what to call her.

A demon, Oran contributed casually, washing his ears and not looking at her. No doubt about it. Very dangerous. And, for the record, I do not like this one either.

She glanced at him suspiciously, wondering if he was telling her the whole truth. "She's a demon," she said finally. "And I don't have any way of finding out what she's capable of. But," she added, turning to Kit, "maybe someone else here can."

As she finished, a faint and muffled noise like someone calling out reached her ears, echoing from somewhere else in the castle. Warily, the sound drawing closer to their position, she asked, "Does anyone else hear something?"

((Note: Zahaere may or may not be a demon; only Zari should be the one to say one way or another. Right now, all we know is that she is a white cat with black-tipped limbs and ears. Don't take what Oran says here as the truth -- he's just being bitter because he doesn't take kindly to any of the more magical companions in the castle.))

[Kat]

Kat kept on going, trying not to look back and calling out the names of her fellow knights. But she tripped over her skirt as she yelled out the first syllable of Shino's name, and her poor balance on high heels didn't help at all. She kept her head down as a huge bolt of gray lightning whooshed over her. One of her hairpins, Kat noticed as she ripped it out of her hair, was singed and half-melted in her fingers.

"You can run, but you can't hide! You call that fire?"

"Don't mess with me!" the Purple Knight screeched, rolling over and backing away as fast as she could, blasting away with as many purple fireballs as she could cast. "My comrades will find you and your scheme will be revealed!"

"Don't make me laugh, Lunara." There was a huge flash of amethyst tinged with gray, and Kat didn't stick around to watch the fireworks.

She got up and continued running, this time hitching up her skirt and sticking her staff back into the sash.

"Ta - "

Before she could complete Lady Tamia's name, Kat winced as she bumped into someone in her path.

"Tamia! Lady Tamia!"

It was Lady Tamia.

[KitClairvoyance]

Kit's eyes flicked impatiently between Wolf and Shino, how much longer were they going to wait before letting him go? How much longer were the two knights going to stay silent? There wasn't much time left to think. He was grateful to Shade for volunteering herself to follow him down, he hated to face enemies alone. As far as fighting was concerned, he wasn't the best around.

Finally, Wolf opened his mouth to speak when Tamia came rounding the corner, a look of urgency on her face, her cat in front of her.. much to Maya's dismay. She stopped just long enough for her to catch her breath before she started to pour out everything she knew, pausing only before the mention of this Zahare Emaya's possible identity as a demon.

"A demon? You humans make us demons sound like a bad thing.." Maya said.

"Truth be told, most of you try to kill us." Kit replied softly.

"Only because you try to kill us too."

"Point taken." Kit turned to Tamia, "..Perhaps this Zahare Emaya might not be hostile, after all.. if Lady Zari had her in her quarters, she could be a potential ally.."

"Thanks." Maya whispered into Kit's ears. Ever since Kit had met Maya, he had made it a point to set aside all negative prejudices towards demons. Not all were evil, not all wanted death and destruction.

"Does anyone else hear something?"

Kit raised an eyebrow at the question.. so he wasn't alone in hearing the screams that had been urging his muscles to tear down the corridor to help whoever it was. Before he responded, the shouts of Kat came clearly. He couldn't tell if it was his clairvoyance that was hearing Kat somewhere further away, or if the shouts could be heard by all. Whatever it was, the horror in her voice was plain.

Kit couldn't stand here any longer. He turned to Wolf, "I'm sorry, I must take my leave now." before grabbing one of the knights hand ( Was it Tamia's or Shade's? He couldn't tell.. ) and turned to sprint down the corridor when Kat came running, appearing suddenly around the corner and crashing into Tamia. Her face looked scared, more scared than he had ever seen her before.

"Lady Kat, are you alright?" He knew the question was somewhat redundant, the look on her face already said it all, yet he just had to ask. Probably because he didn't know what else to do.

"Kit, we should go down and see what caused this, before it gets worse.." Maya's counsel came. Perhaps she was right, the longer they delayed, the stronger the enemy became.

"Sir Wolf, Sir Shino.. I hope its painfully clear to the both of you now that some of us need to be down there. There will be no more delays." At this point Kit realised he was still holding Shade's hand and let it go, "Lady Shade, perhaps it would be better if we both went down.. whatever it is down there, I'm sure just one of us won't be able to stand against it."

Kit paused, the recent flurry of events had caught him unaware and was beginning to take its toll on his already tired physique. Perhaps he wouldn't see the sunrise tomorrow at this rate.

He turned to Tamia, "Lady Tamia, perhaps you could take care of Lady Kat.. and please, be careful. That cat of yours, he can see things you can't, it'd be wise to trust his judgment for now. I'll be back to help with Zahare Emaya soon.." he forced a smile, "You take care of Kat okay?"

"C'mon Lady Shade, let's see what's down there."

(( OoC: I'm not sure if Kat meant she bumped into Tamia or another figure, I'm interpreting it as the latter. ))

(( OoC Edit:: I did some rewriting to make Kat's edit fit in. ))

[Kat]

[shadow=purple,left,300]((Whoops, sorry, I really did mean to bump into Tamia. ^^; Sorry if it wasn't clear awhile ago.))[/shadow]

[Deleted]

Evening falls quickly. The sun sets beyond the sky. Evil draws nearer.

It suddenly seemed like chaos. Screams. People crashing into one another. Fire--purple fire. Kit spoke, his words swallowed by the shadows, and turned away, grabbing someone--who? Everything was in chaos, suddenly destroyed. Then there was silence.

A blanket of thick darkness fell over Wolf. A slight pain gnawed at the back of his head. A red light faded into the distance behind him. A shudder ran through his spine, or was that the world rocking on its own...? A thicker shadow fell over him; he looked up. In the distance, a single point of light was shining in the darkness. Before it, a great wolf-- his wolf --was walking towards him. The giant creature grew smaller as it neared him.

When it finally reached him, it stood on its hindlegs and began changing, shifting... Its grey-mottled, dark fur began to retreat into the wolf's skin, though in places it just fell off entirely, turning into a white feather before blowing off into the abyss surrounding them.

The wolf was hardly lupine now; now it was standing upright as a man, cloaked only in the world around them as wings-- marvelous, white wings that glistened like opalescent pearls --burst out of his back. Streams of light appeared from nowhere and formed ribbons around the creature, encasing him in golden and green armor.

I am eternal. The words were ethereal and hardly spoken. They hardly even existed. I am the soul of the forest and the soul of the earth upon which you stand. I am the essence of the earth and the fuel of your abilities. Take my name--take my power and return to whence this occurred and set things right. Let not your companions fall-- strike sooner lest they meet again the fate that has been brought upon them. I shall hold the boughs of this world together, if only you can speak my name and remake that which has been broken.

Names were a sacred thing, and even in this moment of weakness Wolf knew that the name of such a powerful deity could not be merely taken... it had to be given. But for a deity to give, it had to be requested.

"What is..." his voice was feeble, "what is..." his voice was wavering, as was his sight, his body swaying, "is..." a second of clarity, a flash of green penetrating his mind, "your name?"

Zosma

Green light flashed around Wolf--he glanced at his fist, his hand alight with the shining green light of the forest, penetrating through his glove in its pentagram shape. The shattered shards of his mind pulled back together and the world of darkness was torn away--

He was once more in the hall, painless and waiting intently. Screaming was approaching. Lady Kalianne ran into Tamia. Kit yelled-- and this time he heard every word. Kit pulled Shade away and began tending to Lady Kat and Tamia. Wolf paid the dialogue no heed; he was needed elsewhere.

Wolf nodded, clenching his fist in determination. The sun had not yet set-- the spirit he had seen was holding it up, keeping the world together long enough so that the crown may be taken.

The Green Knight jumped into action, reaching out and grabbing Sir Shino; he yelled, "Take me to the crown!"

((If it's not clear enough, Wolf is talking to Shino in that last line, not the other way around.))

((EDIT: I began writing this the same time when Kit made his edit, so I missed it. I think it still fits well enough, though I did add a sentence to make up for the extra action. To summarize, though: chaos. Wolf died. Wolf saw spirit. Spirit (not Wolf) turned back time. Kit ran off (with Shade). Wolf ran off with Shino.))

[Shadaras]

Demons... 'Gyre, I'd ask you to investigate this Zahare, but I'd prefer to have your help in the dungeons. Shade opened her mouth, about to begin a rant on the number of demons in the castle, but when Kit grabbed her hand and turned, she shut her mouth.

Then Kat came around the corner and crashed in to Tamia. Shadee just stood there, waiting for the chaos to end. "Lady Shade, perhaps it would be better if we both went down.. whatever it is down there, I'm sure just one of us won't be able to stand against it."
"Aye, I've got to agree with you about that." Even though there are four of us, in all likelyhood.

"C'mon Lady Shade, let's see what's down there." Shade nodded, and started walking to the dungeons.

[Kat]

Reaching up to fix a couple of hairpins, Kat frowned and said, "No...I'm all right." She took a deep breath and staggered back on her feet. "I'm so sorry, Lady Tamia. And I'm sorry if I gave you a good fright...but there was just someone in that corridor I came out of. I didn't get a good look at his face - he had the visor of his helm down.

"But I do know a few things - he's armed with magic. I don't know if he has any other weapons, but he's dangerous as it is."

Kat looked around warily, still a little shaken and dazed, but a bit more okay than she had been a few moments ago.

He knew my name - at least, my last name and my last magic teacher, she thought to herself. She tried to look fine on the outside, but this fact was haunting her inside.

"I'm not hurt," she told her comrades. "I just ran into him, we had a bit of a magical duel, and I fled as fast as I could. He could have friends around though."

[zhunter]

Ooc: I'll make a longer post later.....Need to clear my head.....

When Shino had heard a cry for help he was ashamed to say that he was not the one who ran out after Lady Kalianne, who he later learned was the one that screamed. He watched Sir Kit go and Lady Tamia encounter Lady Kat and saw that she was indeed in good hands. When Lord Wolf grabbed at his gleaming shirt and and told him to "take him to the crown", he responded with action as well.

He grabbed Sir Wolf's wrists and firmly took them off his shirt and spoke. "Follow me, Wolf." He was aware of the danger that they all were in now. Although he couldn't sense it like the knight-mages or the magical beings he felt his instinct warned him. Luckily, he trusted his instinct more often than not. He led Sir Wolf down corridors and hallways and entered a hidden passage to the Main Hall where the Ceremony was taking place.

He pointed Wolf up ahead to the exit and they both entered behind a tapestry into the open just as the Leading Knight, Sir Kabe, announced Wolf. "...Lords and Ladies of the court....LORD WOLF!!!!!" Shino "nudged Wolf into the open and stood by the side with the other Knights in line.

[Tam]

Tamia smiled shakily, rubbing her elbow where it had met the side of Kat's staff. "It's nothing," she said, and glanced towards the other knights, who were dashing off in various directions, each determined to complete their mission. Perhaps all hope for Lord Wolf's coronation was not lost yet.

Soon, only Lady Fenrix and Pyro remained in the hall with Kat and Tamia, both of whom were looking somewhat out of breath after their respective sprints through the castle. As the corridor cleared, Kit's words echoed in her head: That cat of yours, he can see things you can't, it'd be wise to trust his judgment for now.

The knight picked through this statement, absorbed in her own thoughts for the moment. So at least one knight had realized that Oran was no ordinary housecat after all. She wondered how he had figured it out; if he had, then there might be others, maybe others more inclined to use that information to their own advantage. This could be the cause of problems, especially when she knew so little of the cat's history herself. It was inevitable; she would need to confront him about his past someday very soon. Troubled, she almost forgot about the knight-mage beside her, and she kicked herself for getting so selfishly distracted.

Kat was just finishing her story, and Tamia had to wonder at the knight's courage. Just minutes ago, she had pulled off an escape from a dangerous, unknown magic-wielder, and now she was standing before them, calmly telling the tale and insisting that she was fine. After a few seconds, the Orange Knight bit her lip concernedly. That meant there was another unknown threat in the castle -- tonight was certainly going to be an eventful one. She could scarcely believe that just hours ago, all she had to worry about was attending the Coronation.

If you're quite done daydreaming, a sharp reminder from Oran stabbed through her thoughts, might I make the suggestion that we pursue this man and find out what business he had attacking one of our knights? The Lady Kat might stand a better chance with another knight by her side.

"I'm about as helpful when it comes to fighting with magic as a handful of dirt, and you know that," Tamia muttered under her breath, looking anywhere but him.

I didn't say you were the only one who might be of assistance, the cat smirked. But if you knights don't start moving soon, there won't be a King left to defend.

"Lady Kat, if you're feeling alright..." she paused. She knew she wouldn't be feeling alright after an encounter like that. She continued carefully, aware that she might be intruding on a personal battle that it was Kat's right to fight. "I'd like to help you track down that man again. We'll be better prepared this time."