The Knights' Roleplay - War Ascending

[Bacon]

"Alec, give me one good reason why I should keep these Knights from killing you right now."

Sir Bacon blinked. He had really hoped it wouldn't come to fighting for two reasons:

Firstly, General Alec or one of his council were undoubtedly the man that killed the other thirteen Porc Knights in less than a minute.

And secondly, much like the Porc Council Chambers, this room was much too small and too crowded to effectively use his weapon. Even if he could divine the assassin's weakness from his foggy memories within the next few seconds, it would be of no use if he couldn't exploit that weakness.

Sir Bacon looked at General Alec's troops primarily to check for signs of aggression but also to assess their weapons. Most had a sword and a few had a dagger or two, but the most heavily armed seemed to be the Easterner, who, it seemed to Sir Bacon, was equipped for practically any combat situation, much how a professional assassin might be...

Sir Bacon paused at the sight of her dagger... it's dragon-shaped hilt looked too familiar... it couldn't possibly be... could it? Did she actually have Sir Ralcin's dagger?!

[Shadaras]

Alec was opening his mouth to reply when Casandra stood up and slapped him. As he stood there in shock, mouth agape, she turned and smiled at Wolf. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Alec has a slight problem with people of greater authority than he being younger than he is.”

“I do not!”

“You do and you know it.” Casandra was surprisingly calm, considering that Alec was glowering at her, one hand hovering over the hilt of his sword, the other clenched in a fist. “Now, do you want to get shot at?”

Alec shook his head sharply. “Since you seem to know so much better than I do, why don’t you lead the negotiations in my place?” Alec spat, body rigid. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode out the door.

Outside, the morning sun shone brightly on the stones of the council chamber. Alec growled at the shining white stones, moving towards his steed. He placed a hand on the horses’ dark back, feeling the shifting muscles as Thane looked towards him. “Be ready, boy,” he whispered. The horse couldn’t understand him, of course, but the way he snorted make him feel like Thane had. Alec smiled slightly, watching the door of the council chamber. If Casandra calmed the knights down, then they wouldn’t have anything to worry about. But that would be boring. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything about it right now.

Alec stroked Thane’s back, settling against the horses’ warm bulk to wait.

* * *

When General Alec had insulted Lord Wolf, Shade’s hand had been at her sword within seconds, and she had stood, ready to fight. But she had stayed her hand, waiting for Lord Wolf to say something before she attacked. No, it wasn’t the best of ideas to attack. But the General had insulted her lord, and something would need to be done about that.

Lord Wolf, when he spoke, was relatively calm. Shade shook her head sharply. He wasn’t ordering an attack. That was good. Probably. So long as General Alec didn’t just attack them anyway, but the way his.. advisor? was acting, that seemed unlikely. Shade barely contained her laughter as the advisor sent General Alec out of the room as if he were a child who needed a time-out.

“So,” she said, “who might you be, who negotiates in General Alec’s place?” Shade was still ready to attack as the least provocation, but she wasn’t tense anymore. Alec leaving the council chamber had rid her of that, at least.

((Reminder. Other people can control Alec and Casandra. Nobody has plans for them, after all, if that's what's holding you back.))

[Dice]

"Does something existing around us try to bother you at least, Black Knight?" she asked, rather calling her by her code name in case she would question the friendship between them. "May I be of great assistance to you?" she added.

Pyro started a little at the sight of the pink catgirl, then calmed down once she realized how much her nerves were on edge. She nodded tensely.

"You would indeed be of great assistance to us if you can use magic...I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name?" As she was talking, the Black Knight led her small group towards the large doors, the main entrance to the castle. She pulled the sheets of parchment out of her pocket and examined them. There were several defensive spells that wouldn't take too much magic that they could begin setting on the doors, and one in particular that she thought would be very useful. She pointed out the spell and the incantation to her friends and they moved to either side of the doors.

For a second, Pyro thought she saw a small figure scurry by out of the corner of her eye, but she blinked and once she turned to examine the room, it was empty of any new arrivals. She shrugged slightly and turned to observe the casting. Golden sparks were playing along the edges of the doors, slowly spreading up along the entire doorway. Pyro smiled grimly. If all went well, this spell, made with the combined magics of several mages (or part-mages, or whatever they were), would keep any obviously malignant magic out of the castle.

Hopefully, the catgirl knew some sorcery as well. If she were powerful, she could assist Pyro with some of the more draining--and more useful--spells. Meanwhile, the Black Knight wondered how the council was going.

[Vyt: Down, but Not Out]

"You would indeed be of great assistance to us if you can use magic...I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name," said a rather nervous Pyro. Indeed, the Black Knight knew nothing about SILE. In the near future, I shall exercise my interaction with my fellow cohorts much more, she thought.

"Ahh... Forgive me for my incivility: might I guess you have not noticed me from before? My name is SILE, but our excellent king had bestowed upon me the name 'The Pink Knight of the Clement Sword'... And as a reply to your need of assistance, I say this in return: My knowledge of magic is quite limited compared to yours, for I can only avail of psychic magic. Hence, I can only give my share of the task in case an unexpected situation arises," SILE smiled, though embarassed. Honest as always, the pink catgirl never failed to expose how restrictive her powers were, especially when they were reduced by more than a half while living in another world.

"However... I might be able to assist if you need more mana for your spells," SILE added, thinking that Pyro might need more help in magic rather than guarding. "... Giving up mana for another individual counts as a psychic spell..."

[Bacon]

Sir Bacon blinked as General Alec left the room, seemingly in a tantrum. Surely he couldn't possibly be the guilty one among them, could he? Not with such a childish demeanor.

On the other hand, General Alec's advisor, or possibly his wife Sir Bacon thought, seemed rather controlling and formidible, a stark contrast to the more amiable assassin- easterner, Sir Bacon corrected himself, although that could merely be a clever guise to throw anyone off suspecting her... as could General Alec's behavior, he decided.

Still, there was just something suspicous about the easterner. She was heavily armed, in General Alec's army for no known reason, she had what appeared to be Sir Ralcin's dagger, and she seemed just a little too happy for peace talks. Sir Bacon couldn't hold it in any longer, he had to say something.

He stood, and addressed the easterner, "I didn't catch your name, miss, but may I have a word with you in private?"

[Deleted]

Wolf was so astounded he nearly laughed when the woman who appeared to be Alec's chief adviser reprimanded him and he stormed away like a child. Like a child. Jonathan. Wolf frowned; he'd treated the boy almost as badly a couple times these past few days. Certainly, being King wore him down, but he couldn't take it out on a child.

Wolf made a signal with his hand and instructed the Knights to lower their weapons. To the woman, he said, "S-sit, please."

* * *

Jonathan let out a deep breath when he made it past the Knights gathered at the entryway. He'd thought for certain Pyro would've noticed him, but it was no surprise that he'd fooled the other dimwitted morons.

And then he ran. Ran right into a man petting his horse exactly where Sir Ruadhan had told him the Council Chamber was located. But this man, he was no stableman. No, his blue eyes were too bright, his sandy-blond hair too lustrous, his face too cleanshaven. No, this man was the one he'd been told to find—this man was General Alec.

Jonathan licked his lips as he stared up at the General, who'd taken a step towards him in the silence.

"I...I..." Jonathan bit his lip, squinted his eyes, then spit it all out at once: "I want you to kill King Wolf!"

(( Feel free to have Alec do to Jonathan as he pleases, just don't kill the boy. ~_^ ))

[KitClairvoyance]

It had been a week since Maya's disappearance, and Kit was beginning to accept the fact that he might not find her again. More than once had he been tempted to seal a contract with another familiar, but it was a small gem of hope that kept him from doing so.

Hope.

Someone once said that hope was what kept people from changing. Kit never understood the meaning behind that phrase until Maya disappeared. Kristen certainly wouldn't have approved of his reluctance to move on. To her, a familiar would have been considered a tool, not a companion. Then again, Kristen considered everything and everyone a tool, including him.

Perhaps Kristen was right though. Ever since Maya disappeared, Kit had been having trouble concentrating, a flaw that more often than not proved fatal with the creatures he dealt with. One more day. Just one more day.

His path had taken him far from the castle, deep into the slums of Dunburrow where he had grown up. Very few people afforded him even a glance as he walked past their tattered houses, not that he was trying to attract attention in the first place. He had chosen a simple common outfit over his regular knightly clothing. After all, his business here was personal, not official.

Eventually, he came to a stop in front of a small house that was in considerably better shape than most of the other forms of accommodation in the slums. The small excuse for a garden had long died, leaving waterlogged soil and dead bodies of insects floating. The windows had been boarded up and the doors securely locked, Kit had seen to that when he left the house for the castle. Not that he really needed to, most people knew to give Kristen's house a wide berth.

Bolts clicked as a small bronze key turned, and Kit stepped onto the bare marble flooring of the house. A thin layer of dust had settled since the last time he came, covering everything from the porcelain vase on the mantelpiece to the grandfather clock whose hands were frozen to 2:24. Moving carefully as to not disturb anything, Kit made his way to a small room at the back of the house. As he pushed the door open, the familiar, metallic smell of magnesium candles wafted out.

On the floor of the room was one of the most complex summoning patterns that Kit had ever seen. It was an intricate beauty of branching strokes and convulsing angles, sitting right on the border of artificial and organic. Every time Kit saw it, he felt drawn to it, as if it was alive, just like the creatures it summoned. It was also Kristen's personal summoning pattern, a representation of her perfection. Kit had first met Maya here and perhaps, just perhaps, the pattern still held enough ties for Kit to trace Maya with.

The pattern is dead. It's of no use.

The glare of the morning sun reflecting off the white stones judged Kit as he walked back through the castle gates. Another morning, another dead lead. He stopped for a moment, caught by a strong and familiar aura close by. Kit stared, squinting against the glare of the sun, in the direction of a muscular man by his horse. He seemed so familiar, and yet Kit couldn't put down why he seemed that way. For a good five minutes, he just stood there trying to discern where the man had come from, the only sound being that of a muffled discussion coming from the Council Chamber and of crickets hiding in the hedges.

Shaking his head, Kit moved on to the Council Chamber. He hesitated for a moment, debating the wisdom of just walking in unannounced, before pushing the door open. The air was strained close to a breaking point when Kit stepped in, the other knights gathered along with a stranger, and apparently the visit wasn't friendly. His attention was first drawn to Shade, who was the most agitated of the knights; before moving to the stranger, drawn by another wave of familiarity. This time though, he recognised it immediately.

"..Casandra?"

[Deleted]

Fenrix raised a brow, turning her attention away from the chaos. A knight had addressed her directly? Despite his standing and coming over to her, she remained seated, one leg crossed over the other, very nonchalantly. “I did not throw it at you, northerner.” She said in a heavy eastern accent. “Is it not good etiquette for the one who started the conversation to give their name first?” She tilted her head down in a polite bow, casting her glance to another knight, one who had obviously just come in, and one who recognized Casandra.
*He must not be friendly, if he knows who Casandra is.* Fenrix thought smugly, and then turned her attention to the knight in front of her. “But if you insist on asking. I am Fenrix Akaba, fourth ruler of the eastern clans, and Sheik of the Clan Akaba.” She touched her blade, and glanced up at the hawk still sitting in the window sill, before glancing down to lock her dark eyes on those of the man’s.
“Private discussion? In the middle of a council?” Fenrix was puzzled. “Can this wait?”

[Bacon]

"No. I am afraid this cannot wait, Lady Akaba." Sir Bacon replied, intentionally not sharing his name... yet. He tried to keep his voice patient as he added, "There is... a matter of great urgency I must discuss with you."

He noted that this Fenrix looked back at the hawk while she was talking, and he wondered to himself why.

[Deleted]

Fenrix glared at him, but did not rise. “If I am to go with you, I need a name. Don’t worry; I won’t curse you or anything.” But her smile hinted at otherwise. “And a matter of urgency? Pray, good sir, and tell me of what urgency that might be. As you can see,” she waved at the discussion going on, and shrugged “Things here are much more interesting.”
“Of course I wouldn’t mind if you would consent on one condition, my falcon follows wherever I go.” She finally stood and reveled in the fact that she was taller and more heavily armed than the knight. It made things tilt in her favor. She cast one glance around the hall, lingering on the King a moment longer. He looked terrified and lost. Apparently he hadn’t been king for very long.

[Bacon]

"But of course," Sir Bacon said, trying with moderate success to hide his surprise at her unexpected and somewhat intimidating height. "I do not wish to discuss what the urgency is in public, that being why I requested a private discussion. As for my name..."

Sir Bacon had earlier dreaded that the assassin may know his name, but he decided now that firstly it was necessary to question this suspect, secondly it was more likely the murderer remembered his face than his name, "...my name is Sir Bacon," He kept his country of origin secret for now, pretending to be a native citizen of Dunbarrow until the truth absolutely needed be told.

[Shadaras]

It was peaceful outside, no human noise except echoes from inside the Council Chamber. Alec sighed. Even the arguing inside was more interesting than this waiting. That knight had said that he would send the boy soon. If he didn’t, then what would be the point of having staged that fight? Well, he amended, it was only partially staged. “Remind me to thank the king for that wonderful set-up later,” he muttered. Thane flicked an ear at him, but there was no other movement.

Still, the silence. Still, the waiting.

Alec had just begun to pace when a boy ran into him. A very ordinary-looking boy, too. Alec turned to the boy, about to snap at him when he recognized the style and fit of the clothing. So. The boy was here. And he managed to speak, though he seemed afraid. "I...I... I want you to kill King Wolf!"

Alec stared at the boy for a moment before laughing. “Are you a fool?” He spoke quietly, in case a guard happened to come by and overhear them. Alec grabbed the boys shoulder roughly, pulling him closer. “If you want to kill Wolf, do it yourself.” Alec hesitated, looking the boy in the eyes. He didn’t seem like the type who could do it, but Alec continued despite that. “I believe that we can drive him out here. And then you’ll have a chance to kill him, if that’s what you want.”

* * *

Wolf’s signal to relax, only half seen, brought Shade’s attention off of the advisor. Which was probably a good thing, since staring at her wasn’t going to help. Shade half-sighed, half-growled, running her fingers through her hair as she glanced at the advisor. Who still hadn’t given a name. Or sat down, for that matter. Shade was about to ask again for a name, but the soft sound of the door opening, followed by Kit’s voice, made it unneeded.

Casandra, as the advisor was apparently called, looked towards Kit in what seemed to be shock. Shade smiled a little at that, though she wanted to know how Kit had known who Casandra was. But now wasn’t the time to ask. It was good to see Kit, though. He hadn’t been around much since.. since the council had been appointed, really. He seemed normal. Well, his normal, which meant that he seemed tired.

“You,” Casandra hissed, glaring at Kit. “Who would have thought that you would be here?” Her hands were fisted, their knuckles white, and Casandra trembled, though whether from fear or rage Shade couldn’t tell.

Shade looked between Kit and Casandra. This would be interesting. It couldn’t be anything else, the way Casandra was acting. Shade leaned against the table, though she didn’t sit down. It would be easier to move if the need arose this way.

[KitClairvoyance]

Kit didn't reply, intentionally staying silent as he watched Casandra, her fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly as she glared at him. He was very aware of the suffocating silence that blanketed the room, the tension in the air made worse by the rising temperature of the midday sun. He followed a bead of sweat with his gaze as it slid down the side of her face to hang precariously on her chin, threatening to drop and break the silence.

"Ki-"

"I should ask you the same question," Kit cut in cleanly, "what are you doing here?"

Again the same silence followed as Kit searched Casandra's eyes. It had been a long time since he had last seen her, and had it not been for her distinct gypsy-aura, he wouldn't have recognised her at all. Several times Casandra opened her mouth to speak, only to close it again with trembling lips. Deciding to push his point, Kit took a step towards her as he locked his eyes with her glare.

"Casandra, I-"

"King Wolf!" Casandra exclaimed sharply as she turned away from Kit to face Wolf, this time she being the one to cut Kit off. A strong breeze swept through the room as if on cue, bringing the refreshing floral air from the castle grounds into the room. "You promised me negotiations, and all you have shown me so far are empty words and a murderer!" she directed the last word at Kit, noticeably regaining her composure as she looked Wolf in the eye, "..if you are truly serious about coming to a peaceful resolution, our demands are that you provide us with enough food and gold to cover the extra expenses incured by moving our army around your kingdom, and.." she looked at Kit out of the corner of her eye, "..that you surrender this murderer into the custody of my army for crimes committed on our soil."

Again, she let silence hang in the air for a moment, allowing the weight of her words to sink into the room, and with that, she took a step back and gave a bow to Wolf, "I'm sure your highness will see that peace is for the best for the both of us."

Glancing at the knights that were in the room one last time, she turned and strode out of the room, pausing a little to exchange glances with Kit, only to feel a slight disappointment at the fact that he didn't seem to have reacted to the news in the slightest.

As Kit's eyes met Casandra's, he saw for a moment all the jealousy and hatred that she had been keeping inside herself. He could see the sleepless nights she spent, staring and chanting over her crystal ball as she willed the spirits to divine for her. He could see the pain of her failure, as time and time again, she watched him from the sidelines as he performed his art of divination with tremendous ease.

This will be a long day indeed.

[Deleted]

((Shade, Sir Ruadhan is not a Knight. “Sir” is just a respectful title. If anything, he’s a wealthy man with [magical] power[s] and influence in Glen Oak, far from a Knight. In fact, I doubt he’d be able to lift a sword without having a heart attack….))

Kit! Wolf was suddenly out of his seat again, hands poised precariously on the corners of the table as he stared at the Grey Knight. He hadn’t seen him for days, but it had felt like weeks—last they’d spoken, Kit had left searching for the entity plaguing the castle, but had his search led him here, or was it merely coincidence?

And then the woman—Casandra—was demanding that he provide provisions for their army if they were to avoid bringing war upon them and that Kit—a murderer, she said—be handed over to them.

Wolf had no sooner called out, “No!” when she was already out of the room.

Instantly, the tension broke and the room was cold and dim. Hopeless. How could one attempt to bargain but leave at the same moment? Wolf almost felt inclined to follow, but feared he would be stepping into a trap.

But he had to do something. Because, if he didn’t, the Arbiter would get angry. He glanced around for the nearest Knights—he saw Shade and Bacon (shady bacon? Perhaps he shouldn’t eat it…).

“Shade, Bacon!” He waved for them and started running towards the door. “Come on!”

* * *

Casandra shielded her eyes as she pushed herself through the doorway. The midday sun was higher than she’d expected it to be; they’d spent more time “negotiating” than had been planned, but nonetheless, their meeting had been a success.

“Finally,” Alec said, shoving aside a small boy who fell backwards from the force in his gesture, “I’ve been waiting too long, Casandra.”

She flipped her hair back and glared at him. “Things have gone…astray,” she said. “The murderer is here.”

“You mean…?”

“Yes. Winterstone.”

Alec clenched his fist, almost roaring, but was able to contain himself. “What now?” he asked.

Casandra grinned. “We continue as scheduled. We just aim a little higher now, try to take some bounty, too.” She walked over to her horse and swiftly mounted it, turning her head back towards Alec. “Come on already, we’ve got to go. And grab the boy, we need him.”

Alec spun on the boy and jabbed his knuckle towards th kid’s skull. Instantly, he fell limp, unconscious. He wouldn’t be out long, maybe a minute or two, but that was long enough. Alec swung the boy over his shoulder—he was lighter than expected, but this only made things easier—and jumped onto Thane’s back. He grabbed the reigns in his free hand and began turning his steed towards the way they had come.

“What are you doing?”

He scowled at Casandra. “Getting out of here, isn’t that what you wanted?”

She laughed. “No, Alec, we’re not leaving.” She turned in her saddle and began making strange signs with her hands. “I may not divine as easily as Kit does, but conjuring has become quite my forte. It’s a shame he can’t see what I can do now.” She pushed out her hands and a ghostly image settled before them and then solidified. Seconds later, Thane with Alec atop him and Casandra riding next to them sailed back the way they had come through the city and towards the camp.

At the same time, the three had turned the other way and begun riding deeper into the city.

[Bacon]

Sir Bacon paused at the words of Alec's advisor. The newcomer was a murderer, was he? And whom exactly had he murdered? He would have said something but at that moment Wolf rushed out of the room after the advisor, calling for Sir Bacon's aid. ... and leaving the word "Sir" off of his name, he noted with distaste. He glared angrily at King Wolf...

He turned to Fenrix, "It seems my questions must wait, Lady Akaba. Coming, your Highness!" And he darted out after the King.