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Post by Kat on Mar 28, 2008 5:35:33 GMT -5
"... Lady Pyro is already on her way towards the said place, but I fear for the worse. As a fellow knight, I am requesting you to make your way in the Council Chambers and confirm the news about the two intruders inside the current negotiation meeting. Must I be convinced that you be going now?"
I see. Thank you. I will be there as soon as I can, Kat replied. Turning on the spot, she vanished from the castle, reappearing beside SILE in a flurry of violet smoke and sparkles.
"Ah, you must be SILE. Your magical signature matches that of the one who has been speaking with me. I am Lady Kalianne Triss Lunara, the Purple Knight, but you can just call me Kat."
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Post by Vyt: Down, but Not Out on Mar 28, 2008 15:34:51 GMT -5
By the time Kat appeared right next to SILE, the catgirl was already on the verge of unconsciousness. The Purple Knight might've not noticed it quickly, but a moment later and fainting seemed much more evident for SILE.
"Much time is not here to stay... Please make haste into the Council Chambers, Lady Kat... For Lady Pyro and everyone else... Are in real dan..."
The catgirl collapsed right in front of Lady Kat, her eyes changed to white.
((Sorry for the short post, I still couldn't think of what to put in her vision attack))
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2008 13:18:41 GMT -5
Fenrix softened. He was an avenging angel. "Very well, you are forgiven." Then she tilted her head and relaxed, seeing no threat from him. "Tell me, what do you remember of that day? Perhaps I can help you look? Often the eastern clans meet up with mercenaries and bands of killers. Perhaps I might have seen the murderers?" She attempted a smile, but it never reached her eyes. He was still a stranger to her.
"And in exchange for my help, you must help me. I wish to become a knight of Dunburrow. But I am still a stranger in this land and do not know your king, it would be good manners for you to introduce us. You must remember that I gave him the gift of a hunting falcon? I would like to present it to him as well."
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Post by Kat on Mar 30, 2008 7:11:48 GMT -5
"Much time is not here to stay... Please make haste into the Council Chambers, Lady Kat... For Lady Pyro and everyone else... Are in real dan..."
But before she could say anything more, SILE collapsed. Kat quickly knelt down beside her, wondering if the fainting spell was due to expending quite a bit of energy during the telepathic communication, something SILE saw that Kat didn't see, or perhaps both. The Purple Knight slowly reached into her reserves of magic and placed a faintly glowing hand on SILE's forehead. Unfortunately, Kat couldn't feel anything at all, except SILE's life force and magical signature.
The Council Chambers. Other Knights were probably there, and they would be able to help Kat help SILE. Kat gently stood up, putting SILE's arm around her shoulder. And with some difficulty, the two of them disappeared, only to emerge into the Council Chambers.
"SILE needs your help...and I'm quite certain you need my help as well," Kat said, still supporting the unconscious cat girl. "She has managed to warn me of danger though, before she fainted. What is going on?"
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Post by Bacon on Mar 30, 2008 13:51:57 GMT -5
Sir Bacon nodded in response to Fenrix's forgiveness. When she offered her assistance, Sir Bacon paused a second in confusion. He hadn't considered before getting help in finding the guilty party, but it now made so much sense to him, he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.
"Thank you, Milady Fenrix. I barely remember a thing about the murderer, it was so traumatic. He... or she... had a very fast and powerful fighting style, and fought with a single broadsword, and fought alone against us all... but I'm afraid that's where the memories end..."
He then considered Fenrix's request... "I'm not sure how much influence I have with the King, having only recently arrived myself, but surely he would be more than grateful for yet another ally during these stressful times. I shall introduce you to him."
He walked up to where King Wolf, and the knights Kit, Shade and Pyro were talking, "I hate to interrupt, Your Majesty, but you do remember Lady Fenrix, correct? She wishes to join our ranks as a knight of Dunburrow."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2008 2:41:23 GMT -5
Excruciating pain erupted in Wolf’s head, and he almost doubled over because of it. But Pyro was dismounting, and he had to be there, he had to listen. But the droning in his head, it overpowered his hearing, blurred his vision.
No. He wouldn’t let it. He rubbed his temple, squinting his eyes as he pushed all his thoughts against the intrusion. Then suddenly it was gone and he opened his eyes. All the pain had vanished. He was free.
And Pyro had begun talking already. Something about two people cloning themselves, riding off with Jonathan.
Jonathan.
Wolf stopped listening, those few words tumbling over and over in his head. They’d ridden off with Jonathan. Rage and fear began to boil under his skin. They’d taken his charge—his child. He’d fight for him, he’d fight for Jonathan. Surer than ever, he knew now this was war.
But his thoughts were shattered as Kit broke their conversation, called him a coward and said he would go with Alec to prevent the war. No. Kit was his friend, he wouldn’t give him up. Then Kit said he wasn’t fit to be King.
Fit to be King. Wolf almost laughed. Fit to be King? If he couldn’t be king for knights—his friends—who would he be king for? He’d been invited to Dunburrow hardly days after he had fled Glen Oak; he had seen no more of Dunburrow than a small fraction of the city. Hell, he’d been crowned king almost as soon as he’d stepped inside the castle walls.
Wolf had wanted Shino to be king, but no, he’d been given the title. He’d left Glen Oak to escape his lordship—and here he was, now a king. Ha! He didn’t want to be king. He’d doubted his worthiness since before the crown had even touched his head. And now his Knights tell this straight to his face?
He almost felt like walking up to Kit and crowning him himself. Kit knew more about diplomacy than he ever would, and he was closer to Dunburrow than Wolf ever could be. Wolf’s kingdom extended as far as his Knights, and now they insult him for being their king? They insult him for making him their king? No. He felt his anger returning. Jonathan crossed his mind again, and his veins erupted.
He whirled around the Grey Knight, pointing towards the gates.
“If you want to go,” he yelled, “then go.” His nostrils flared. “But don’t look back.”
Wolf spun away hardly a breath later and stared down at both Pyro and Shade. He turned to his right first. “Go to the camp as said. Tell them they can have their prisoner if they want.” He spun back to face Pyro. “You say they took Jonathan. Where’d they go? Were two of them? Is the castle safeguarded as planned?”
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Post by Dice on Apr 1, 2008 16:52:57 GMT -5
“You say they took Jonathan. Where’d they go? Were two of them? Is the castle safeguarded as planned?”
“Yes, there were two of them,” Pyro said with conviction, though inwardly she was a little shaken by Kit’s furious accusations, even if they’d been directed at the king and not her. He did have a point, that the safety of the Knights should never be put above the safety of the people, but, from what she could gather from the disjointed, fragmented conversation, the invading army was volatile and conniving. She had a faint suspicion that the other army might take Kit, the prisoner they demanded—and then turn around and attack anyway. In that case, Wolf was doing the right thing in preparing them for war.
Pyro gathered her thoughts. “I’m sure of that. They went into the city. I’d hoped I could run into them on the way, but I had no such luck.” She thought back to the crowd of faces she’d seen as she took the back streets to the Council Chambers. They were mostly people she recognized, or people who looked commonplace and not like enemy foreigners. “Yes, the castle has been guarded with as much magic as I could gather with the help of a few other young ones about the castle. SILE, that pink cat girl, the new Knight—she said she’d try to contact Kat and get Kat’s help with the magical defenses. I also ensured that all the servants knew about the possibility of attack, and they were quite willing to defend the castle.” Pyro cracked her wrist, unconsciously reaching for her flameblade’s hilt. “If you tell me what those two look like, I can try and go after them and rescue Jonathan, m’lord.”
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2008 23:09:01 GMT -5
Wolf was slightly calmer after having heard what Pyro had to say. There were two of them. People just couldn't duplicate themselves like that without magic. Therefore, one of them had to be an illusion, and if one had Jonathan, then it was likely that that one was the illusion. After all, Jonathan was safely locked his quarters, safe and sound. He'd made sure of this before he had left him that morning.
"Thank you," he said, his words no longer laced with so much fire, "for ensuring that the castle is safeguarded. I am certain that Kat shall be able to fortify your foundations with ease."
He rubbed his forehead for a moment, thinking. He was beginning to get a headache, and he fervently wanted to keep himself from turning around. If Kit were still there, he just knew he would lose it. And he was King. Whether he wanted to be or not, whether he was suited for the throne or not, he was king, and he had a duty to fulfill.
Still facing Pyro, he looked up and took a breath, slowly releasing it as he silently formed his words. "I've asked Shade to follow them to caravan—the others have got to be an illusion, it's impossible that Jonathan would be all the way out here—though if you would like to join her, you may go." Here, he gave her a brief description of Alec and Casandra, choosing not to cite their profiles, which are presently listed in the first post of this thread, as that could incoherently make it appear as if he's romantically interested in Alec, which, although a tempting twist, he is not.
"If you'd much rather stay," he continued, "I feel I could use some...assistance, in deliberating our forces."
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Post by zarikrahia on Apr 6, 2008 0:38:00 GMT -5
Had she fallen asleep? It was hard to decide if she had. She'd tried to talk to SILE and Pyro, but they hadn't heard. She'd throwned herself around, attempted to alert a servant to her presence, but no-one had responded. This was getting weird. Then everything had gone freaky colours and new she was sprawled behind a pillar, getting and odd look from one of the castle laundry-maids.
"I'm okay, I swear, I just had a sort of seizure or something, I'm alright, trul-" She froze in the act of getting onto her feet. This corridor was one she usually avoided, since it was lined at irregular intervals with mirrors. Usually because she preferred not to start fussing over her frequently mussed hair or have her emotioncreatures yell at her for some obscure reason.
The reflection staring back was hers, but not hers at the same time. Her hair was cropped to just above the shoulders in the style she'd worn as a member of the Cityguard, nearly 20 years ago. Wait. Creepy. This mirror was going back in time, showing her who she'd once been. Her reflection shifted to make herself more comfortable and smiled encouragingly.
"What is it? Be sensible...Oh. Thank you."
Before her errant past-reflection could do anything else, she'd sped through the entrance hall and outside, running pell-mell through Falcorum. Unfortunatley, she built up a but too much speed at her momentum smashed her into the wall of the Council Chambers with all the grace of a wet Xenami Desert-cat.
((Wet Xenami desert-cats are not graceful. More like skittish, scruffy, and about to bite someone.))
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Post by KitClairvoyance on Apr 6, 2008 8:58:10 GMT -5
"If you want to go, then go. But don't look back."
Leaders are chosen to make the hard decisions that the people cannot. Kit wished to leave under better terms, but Wolf was too caught up in emotion to see how his narrow decision would cost the kingdom of Dunburrow a great deal more than he could ever expect. An empty feeling drained Kit as he walked out of the Council Chambers, knowing full well that Wolf was still preparing for war.
A knight should be a tool, not a voice.
"I know, Kristen, but a King should be a leader, not a fool," he spoke to himself and his mentor's words. Sunlight flooded the courtyard from directly above, it was about time for lunch, leaving Kit a fair amount of time to leave for Casandra's camp. He crossed the white-stone footpath to the main castle entrance, disregarding the par of guards that stood aside for him. If they knew what their king was planning to do, would they still stand guard over these doors?
And then there was the matter of the dark presence that permeated into the very stone of the castle. He wasn't sure if any of the other knights had noticed it, but he had done his part and alerted it to their presence. Could Wolf really handle a war on two fronts? Dunburrow's army was ill-prepared for one war, much less two. The soldiers now were a far cry from the men of war of Kristen's era. Most now were suited mainly for peacekeeping, not killing. The few veterans that remained were sparse and too old to be a rallying force.
The left wing where Kit, and Shade, made their quarters was quiet. It always had been. Very few knights or servants opted to spend much time in its colder, less furnished halls and corridors. The door to his room opened easily enough, greeting him with the same familiar scent of magnesium candles. A demonic summoning pattern was painted on the floor, its delicate circles and lines reminding Kit how he was ultimately different from the other knights. He lay a fresh roll of paper over the pattern, partly to protect it while he was gone, partly to protect others from it.
He gathered the ingredients and components that lined the shelves and placed them into a large chest that lay under his simple bed. He couldn't possibly carry them all into Casandra's camp, and he had no intention of doing so. Satisfied, he turned to the door to his room itself. The wards that kept people out would need to be strengthened, and as much as he trusted the other knights, he didn't want to take a chance with this. And perhaps, a part of him wanted to keep what was in his room, in. After all, it had been the focal point of many summonings, and it was more than prone to unexpected visitors.
When he left his room, the insignia of an Oracle was emblazoned on his shirt, replacing the insignia of a knight of Dunburrow.
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Post by Dice on Apr 6, 2008 11:13:15 GMT -5
"If you'd much rather stay," he continued, "I feel I could use some...assistance, in deliberating our forces."
“I’ll stay, then,” Pyro said immediately. She felt she could be of more use helping with matters of battle than matters of talking an diplomacy. Besides, Shade would be the most capable person to talk to the foreign army, and Pyro would only be in the way. As she thought about Wolf’s idea that the people riding into the city were an illusion, though, she twisted her mouth into a frown. “King Wolf,” she said hesitantly, trying to think it through, “I don’t know if it’s so logical that the ones riding into the city are the illusion. If I wanted to invade Dunburrow, I would have sent the illusion back towards camp and infiltrated the city myself. I mean, especially if they knew that you would think that the ones going into the city were an illusion, and not send anyone to stop them.” Pyro stopped, realizing that she probably wasn’t making any sense. “And Jonathan could have been out here; it isn’t far to run. I’m just saying it’s possible.” She shrugged. “What do you think needs to be done here?”
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Post by Shadaras on Apr 6, 2008 13:20:29 GMT -5
Wolf’s shout was not exactly the most diplomatic thing. Shade hissed, though she doubted Wolf would notice the way he was acting right now. “Go to the camp as said. Tell them they can have their prisoner if they want,” he said to her, and Shade nodded slightly. No more, no less. There was no need for anything else.
Formality wasn’t something she really cared about right now, after all. Lord Wolf himself wasn’t using any, but then, who could blame him? Snapping her wings open, Shade leapt up, slowly propelling herself into the sky. Yes, who could, and would, blame Lord Wolf? Evidently, Kit would. Shade laughed, now high enough not to be heard from the ground. There was a freedom up here that she could find nowhere else, and the wind blowing against her cleared her mind.
She would follow Wolf’s orders, of course. But she had warned him about the illusion, even if he hadn’t believed her. If she couldn’t talk to Alec and Casandra, then what good would it do to be in the enemy camp?
Shade shook her head. No need to worry about something that couldn’t be known. Better to just enjoy what time she had here, in the sky. Not that she couldn’t come here whenever she wanted, it was just that she usually had no need to, and thus didn’t. But now, seeing the city spread below her.. she sighed. What reason would Alec and Casandra have to believe she was telling the truth, that Wolf really had changed his mind and agreed to giving them a prisoner?
Prisoner.
Shade abruptly folded her wings and dove. Her eyes were just watering because of the wind, she told herself. No other reason. And the choked feeling.. well, who wouldn’t feel sort of angry or scared when a friend was being given to people who had a reason to hurt him?
The ground was now a touch close for comfort. Shade spread her wings, almost welcoming the pain as air filled them, straining to hold steady against the pressure. She landed, rolling as she hit the ground. Lying on the ground, staring up at the sky, Shade clenched her hands. “Why?” she whispered, pulling herself up so she sat cross legged. “Why must this happen to us, and not some country that’s better prepared?”
There was no answer, of course. Shade stood, sighing. She knew where she was. Outside Falcorum, of course. A bit beyond the enemy’s camp. And right now, she didn’t care that her clothes were dirtied and her hair windblown. It was better to simply go to the camp now and get this over with. She was still the Royal Envoy, after all, and her words were those of the king. Though she didn’t know what she would say to the enemies anymore. But then, she didn’t need to say much, did she? She simply needed to state the facts and leave.
Wings once more shadow and unseen mist, Shade approached the camp. The group of wagons had been formed into a circle, and Shade could hear the sounds of people moving and talking. There seemed to only be a few guards stationed, and as Shade came close enough, one hailed her.
It was a simple enough process to learn that Alec and Casandra weren’t at the camp right now, but she was welcome to wait for them, so long as she stayed out of their business. Shade smiled at the qualifier. It made perfect sense, since she could simply be spying on them.
So Shade began pacing near the edge of the caravan, watching the city gate for anyone headed for the caravan. Alec’s people were whispering, and she could tell that they were slightly paranoid of her. Good. Let them be. She wasn’t in a mood to be nice, and the only reason she was here was to deliver a message, anyway. Though with the illusions, she didn’t know how long it would take for her message to truly be delivered.
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Post by Bacon on Apr 6, 2008 13:57:25 GMT -5
Sir Bacon felt bad enough for interrupting the King, but he felt even worse when he was either ignored or not heard. He cleared his throat and walked closer, trying to get Wolf's attention, "Your Majesty, might I have a word? I hate to interrupt such important council, but there is something I must say."
He looked at Fenrix, a bit of annoyed awkwardness in his glance, wondering why she couldn't just say this herself. He decided that her lofty status compared to his justified his voicing her wishes, "Lady Fenrix over there desires to become a knight of Dunburrow and fight alongside us. I trust she will become a much needed ally during this time of trial."
Sir Bacon then waited patiently to see how the king would respond, hoping that the King would accept Fenrix's offer. He was afraid that if he didn't help Fenrix to the best of his ability, she wouldn't help him find the killer. And that was the only thing that really mattered right now.
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Post by Shadaras on Apr 21, 2008 13:19:48 GMT -5
The illusions rode through the city quietly, the common people parting before them, avoiding the two as much as possible. The illusions were real enough, the Alec glaring haughtily out over the streets, occasionally seeming to say something to the Casandra, who would respond, quiet and calm as ever.
At the city gates, there wasn’t any pause. The guards waved them through, recognizing them without need for words. If illusions had emotions, these two would be grateful, for as well as Casandra had crafted them, they couldn’t speak without her conscious will, and that was directed elsewhere.
As soon as they were out of sight, the illusions disappeared into dust and light, leaving no sign of their passage.
* * *
“I don’t like this,” Alec hissed, glancing behind him. “They could be following us.”
“They weren’t even out of the building when we left. How can they follow us if they don’t know were we went?”
Casandra’s calm logic earned her a glare, and nothing else. But still, as they rode through the city, each turn bringing them closer to the castle at the city’s center, Alec couldn’t help but look behind him, watching for any knights. Having the boy – who could wake up any time now – wasn’t helping with his paranoia, either. Casandra could ignore all that, apparently. Such an annoying fact, but one he couldn’t change.
Two corners later, Alec spoke up again. “If we aren’t leaving the city, where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” Casandra said. “When we get there, you’ll see.”
“Why won’t you just tell me now?” Alec pounded a hand against his saddle. Thane snorted, but otherwise ignored it, used to his rider’s temper.
“Watch out for the boy. We wouldn’t want him to do anything stupid,” was Casandra’s only reply. Alec hissed, but obeyed, lapsing into frustrated silence.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2008 18:23:29 GMT -5
Fenrix, tired of the sudden tense attitudes, stepped into the King's line of sight and practically got into his face. "My Lord Wolf, you request assistance in dealing with General Alex and Lady Casandra? Might I be of some help. I traveled with them for several months and saw many things." She narrowed her eyes, almost tauntingly. "I can also see what they are doing now, as a wind scryer." She bowed.
"I am at your disposal, use me as you wish. On one condition, allow me to stay here and become a knight, because I cannot give you sensitive information without first swearing loyalty to you." She dipped her head again, then straightened, stepping back to give him some room.
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