Fantasy A Divided Kingdom [Open]

[americanCaeser]

Interacts with: No-One in Particular
Location: Harvest Festival

The crowds of common folk surged forward, away from the heart of festival where the attacks had begun. Fires were raging among the stands and even a few nearby buildings. What few guards that were around were either fighting against the foe, outnumbered, or helping evacuate the people. But a clear gap had begun to form between the disguised mauraders and the masses they targeted. Every person that fled made the armed murderers all the more easier to spot, but even then they kingdom's defenders were outnumbered until the City Watch responded in force.

That was fine for Ivanoff.

He walked down the main thoroughfair of the festival, the flow of innocents passing him by like he was a rock in a stream. Over his shoulder, Kingdom Slicer thirsted for blood. As he came to the end of the fleeing crowd he encountered the thin line of Guards who shephered the people away from the massacre and he reached out to stop one. "The royals are still here somewhere. For now, make a perimeter and immediately send any reinforcements to find them. I'll handle these mucks." The guard blinked in confusion as Sliv walked by him.

"By yourself!? Don't be crazy, you'll- agh!" The Guard ran back towards the crowd as Ivanoff ignored his warnings.

Now before him, he could see the raiders in the smoke. They wore common clothes, sure, but under cloaks and coats he could see pieces of armor here and there. They were all rough looking characters, bandits and thieves at first glance. Togethor, in the open their tells were obvious, but the festival povided perfect cover for their numbers. Bah. They were here now, and they were all lining up for him. The mob of armed men and woman stood before him, hesitant at the sign of the lone man weilding such a massive weapon with ease. This was a Royal Guard, a true defender of the throne.

"SURRENDER! OR DIE! THIS IS YOU'RE ONLY WARNING!"

Sliv felt like he should give them an out. Give them a chance atleast. He wasn't dissapointed when a more well armored man in the back snapped out of his fear and began knocking heads togethor. "He's one man! One measily Guardian! Stop gawkin, you idiots, and kill him!"

The mob of Sellswords roared, and charged forward. 'Welp', thought Ivanoff as he held his Ultra-Greatsword before him with two hands, 'I gave them a chance'. Sliv raised Kingdom Slicer up and over his head, slowly leaning the blade back further and further until he nearly lost balance. Before his back hit the ground, the tip of Kingdom Slicer touched the ground leaving himself in an awkward position. Ivanoff closed his eyes and focused his breathing. The raiders came closer. His muscles flexed and tensed, his whole body winding up for what was to come next. They were closer, almost upon him. He opened his eyes.

In a movement of such terrifying speed, Kingdom Slicer shot up and over in a way that made it seem like a toy being swung around. With Ivanoffs might, the giant sword slammed into the earth killing the swiftest of the marauders instantly, pulverising him rather than cutting him int twain. The shockwave and air displaced by the swing shot before Ivanoff kicking up dust and embers, blinding those before him and knocking the closest of them down. Throughout the entire ground, people lost their footing for a moment as the ground shook from the force of the blow.

The mob's charge had been stopped dead. They coughed and wiped at the debris that filled the air and stood dumbfounded for a moment as they tried to figure out what just happened. This was often their last thoughts as a great blade cut through the smoke with terrifying speed. Kingdom Slicer pin-wheeled through the mauraders like a throwing knife, either cutting through those who took the blade head on or shattered bones if the tip or hilt clipped them and sent them tumbling away in agony. Only those had fallen were spared as the blade flew over head. For a moment, after the blade came Ivanoff himself. Single strikes fractured skulls and shattered jaw bones. Teeth and blood flew as he darted from one bandit to the next and dispatched them with a single blow each.

Ahead, Ivanoff's legendary blade bit into the dirt and gouged a gap into the earth until it came to a rest uncomfortably close to the better armed mercenaries in the back of the mob who had sent their cheaper cousins to die. The merc's backed away and gaped at the massive and bloody blade that stood like a moument before them. From the smoke cloud behind it, Ivanoff stepped through. Blood soaked his jacket and splattered his fists and face, so he simply shrugged off his longcoat leaving him wearing only his white undershirt underneath. His muscular frame could easily be seen underneath the loose clothing. WIth a smug look, Ivanoff reached a hand up to grip Kingdom Slicers handle and yanked it out of the ground. Using both hands, he held it up behind him in a ready stance as the armored mercs were paralyzed before his awesome presence.

"I told you before. Surrender, or die. And you all chose 'die'."

 

[Dragonlord318]

MarieK

A trail of corpses lay in the quiet residential street, all of them armed. The hem of a pale gold gown brushed over the blood and sweat that pooled on the cobblestone, followed by another, then another, until there was a train of them. The brown mass moved silently, their purpose unknown to the citizens peering out from behind their shutters. What they saw bewildered them. Several dozen bald-headed men and tight pony-tailed women walking with their hands hidden in their sleeves, as calm as if it were a normal day. This day was anything but. This group of strange, gowned men and women had just slaughtered the other group of newcomers without so much as a sound or a grunt. Really, it was the one in front, the one taller than the rest, who was not bald that did the deed. The others simply supported him and caught those he missed.

The strawberry blonde, neat-bearded man stopped walking, and the group behind him stopped as well. He motioned with his hand and the man directly behind him stepped forward. "Shifu?" Master?

"Tzen, Zài chéngshì zhōuwéi jiànlì yīgè biānjiè. Quèbǎo nàxiē zhémó wúgū zhě de rén shòudào chéngfá, ér ruòzhě dédào bǎohù. Shí gèrén huì liú zài zhèlǐ, yǐ zǔzhǐ gèng duō rén jìnlái," he said. Tzen, Establish a perimeter around the city. Ensure those tormenting the innocent are punished, and the weak are protected. Ten will remain here to stop any more from coming in.

"Hao, Shifu." Very Well, Master. He turned to the others behind him and shouted orders, after which several of the monks disappeared into alleyways and side streets, and Tezen and nine others remained at the gate. It was the east gate, the hardest to access from the mountains. But, if one were to set up camp a few kilometers outside the gate, it could be an effective base of operations, as no-one would suspect an attack from the mountains.

David Warring, sub-Master of the Shenzén Shaolin Temple seemed to disappear before the eyes of the citizens still in their homes.

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

In the festival, the smoke and fire were visible far from the city center, and David was no slouch when it came to perception. He zipped through the crowd unnoticed but for a breeze that followed, stopping in an alleyway not far from the fighting. He had already observed most of the fighting and identified most of the assailants. It seemed they were targeting the royals. As a guardian, he would not let that happen. He took a cloth from the satchel at his side and tied it around his head, covering his eyes. Sight would do little in this dark, hazy environment. From above, on the rooftops where he started, he could see the majority of the market and square. Down here, in the thick of it, the smoke hid most from view.

Just then, he heard footsteps passing by the alley he was in. He recognized the breathing and footfalls of one, but not the other.

Arya.

He made his way in her direction silently, wanting to make sense of this situation. Just as he was nearing her, his senses alerted him to an assailant. It was a male, if the breathing was any indication. He also heard the telltale swish of a blunt weapon being brandished for a strike. The smoke made it especially easy to make out the sounds of the movement, allowing his hearing to guide him even better than his supersenses normally allowed. His senses had already been honed to a sub-superhuman level before his acension, but now...a wolf or lion could not compete with him. He bolted forward, stepping in between the large - wow, he stunk - man and Arya as the blunt weapon swung forward.

The large, burly barbarian of a man widened his eyes at the last second as a golden-clad man appeared out of nowhere. He was already committed to his swing, so he ensured to follow through. Well, he would have, had the large piece of wood not splintered on impact of the newcomer's back. "What the fuuuu-" he got out before a stainless steel spike pierced his throat and was retracted quickly.

"Captain," David spoke to Arya as he folded his chain whip, "I leave for a few months and the city is thrown into chaos?"

 

[MarieK]

Interacts with: Inheritance and FireMaiden and Dragonlord318

Mentions: Tattletale and Office Worker Craig

Arya​

The deteriating visibility made navigating the clearing a precarious task. Each foot felt like an inch and every sound seemed to ricochet off the smoke around her. Not one to be claustrophobic, she was beginning to feel crushed as the smoke blanketed the earth and confined her within its tendrils that threatened to choke the life out of her.

She needed air.

Her breathing had grown ragged and she was coughing every few seconds. With the man in front of her, she took a few more steps and nearly collided with the frantic princess. Her words came disjointed as the wheels of her mind turned to unscramble their meaning.

Roawn? Roawn was hurt?

But whatever else Yvette meant to tell her was cut short when the woman noticed an attacker lurking in the smoke by Caspian. Her breath hitched as a shout of warning edged the tip of her tongue, but Yvette was faster. Giving little warning, Yvette surprised Arya and readied her bow and released a carefully aimed arrow at the perpetrator, in a single fluid motion.

With the danger extinguished, Arya recalled Yvette's words and she forgot about the man she had captured, entirely. Blindly, she dove into the smoke, searching for Roawn.

She realized she couldn't feel him through their connection and picked up her pace. Against all hope, she prayed that he had merely broken and oath and severed his connection to the Guard and that, somehow, he was alive.

In her hurry, she failed to notice the body on the ground and she tripped over it, falling onto her hands and knees. When she looked back to the body she had stumbled over, she cried out.

It was Roawn.

Scrambling upright, she gently pushed against his shoulder, but he didn't stir. There was a wound on his neck and blood was everywhere. She wiped her hands on her thighs as the crimson flooded her awareness. Until that day, she had never killed before, neither had she seen death this up close. The blood was all consuming, threatening to unravel her like a ribbon.

The screams around her filtered through the grief and disbelief, drawing her back to a very real present where people depended on her to help them. Roawn was gone, but Arya yet had a chance to make a difference.

She retrieved his fallen sword, not wanting it to be stolen. In death, guardians were oft buried with their weapons as a sign of respect and Roawn deserved an honorable farewell.

Also, she intended to let the blade taste the blood of those responsible for its owner's untimely demise.

She strengthened her grip around the hilt, along with her resolve as she located the nearest foe and attacked mercilessly. Steel on steel did little to placate the growing ache in her chest, but it helped distract her from it- if only for the moment.

The following opponent had the audacity to beg for his life.

He fell to his knees and raised his arms in surrender. "P-Please! I won't hurt you, I promise."

Arya scarcely heard him, rotating the hilt in her hand to ready for the finishing blow. No one had bothered to show Roawn mercy, why should she?

Blood mingled with sweat along her brow, staining her visage as she appraised the beggar with a wild, vengeful slant of her lips. It wasn't quite a smile, but neither was it a grimace. It was a cross between a smirk and a snarl. It was the expression of a woman who believed she was unstoppable and mad enough to watch the world burn for its sins while she donned the embers and danced on the ashes.

As the sword swung low, her resolve crumbled. Vengeance would not rid the world of its wrongs. It would add to them. And though evil existed, it was defining moments in time such as then, that she decided what kind of person she truly wanted to be. Roawn would also probably not wish her to cause such destruction even if she was capable. Which she wasn't.

The sword veered off its course as she relented.

"Why-" Her voice was too hoarse from emotion and smoke to get past the first word of her question. Questioning people would have to wait until later. Arya glanced up, suddenly remembering the Guard and the royals. The man she had spared waited until her attention was elsewhere before he rose to his feet and fled as she picked up on sound of a sword, either being unsheathed or readied for a strike, she couldn't tell for sure, but she turned nonetheless.

But not in time.

The repulsive stench was belatedly registered as his sword sliced through the smoke with the ease of a viper striking out. She stared down her opponent, knowing the withdrawal of her weapon would be too late, but wanting to burn holes her murderer's skull with her firy gaze as he performed the crime.

However, it was not to be. David had been nearby and seen the man. He must have. Because just before the sword could burrow into her flesh, David's spike pierced the man's throat.

She opened her mouth to playfully berate him for his tardiness, but he spoke first.

"Captain. I leave for a few months and the city is thrown into chaos?"

David's words seeped through the smoke. She turned and looked at him, hair in disarray and gaze as hollow as a gutted swine.

"We obviously don't fare well without you," she said, but the sarcasm was stale on her tongue. "We need to get the royals out."

She had seen Seth run off to help Prince Renald, but she had no idea if he had been successful or where Yvette and Caspian were. In her distress, she'd forsaken her duty as guardian to secure their safety and had run off to find Roawn.

Roawn.

Tears that would not fall brimmed her eyes before she blinked them away.

"David, find Yvette. I'll look for Caspian," she told him, not knowing if they'd be together still or had been separated.

 

[Heda]

{Location: Festival }
{Interactions: Prince Caspian Inheritance , Princess Yvette FireMaiden }
{Mentions: -- }

Chaos. Complete and utter chaos ensued around the spy as she landed on the cobblestone street, knees and ankles bending to take the brunt of her landing. A blade struck out, jabbing into the lower back of the cloaked figure. It wasn't an attack meant to kill. At least, not straight away. Her aim was precise; a dagger only a few inches long, just enough to slice through the assailants clothing and skin, finding it's target in the form of his liver. An agonisingly slow death and the man dropped like a heavy sack of potatoes.

Nari blinked, head spinning around, trying to make sense of her surroundings. The smoke was thick and heavy, choking anyone who dared to linger within. The spy could barely make out anyone else within the thick canopy of grey. The clang of weapons. Screams and shouts. The smell of blood and death. It surrounded her and quickly came to Nari's attention that this was beyond the responsibilities of her job. She'd been hired to collect information and not get involved with the festival. Attack or not.

But she had seen Prince Caspian and although they never saw eye-to-eye on the methods she used, she could not leave him to the possibility of death. A royal was more useful to the spy alive than dead. Glancing down at the writhing figure at her feet, Nari gritted her teeth, hands scooping under the cloaked figures arms and she hoisted him back. Dragging the deadweight as best she could. The occasional grunt and cry out sounded from the man. The result of such a painful injury. He would die, eventually but not before Nari got any useful information out of him.

Muscles clenched and burned with the effort it took to drag a man nearly twice her size out of the street and into a small alley between two structures. Using her dagger, the spy cut to strips from the man's own cloak. Tying one around his mouth and the other around his hands. The wound in his side was far too painful to allow him to struggle or strike out at her. There was a wild glint in her amber eyes and a smirk twisted her lips under the cloth wrapping over the lower half of her face. "Best keep pressure on that if you don't want to bleed out. I'll be back for you later."

The spy patted him on the head, stood and left, making for the chaos in the main thoroughfare. By this time, the smoke had started to dissipate but the fires still raged, sending black angry clouds of it into the sky. Brass knuckles and dagger still in hand, Nari kept low, skirting around the outside of the festival turned battlefield. She spotted lumps littering the cobblestone ground. Bodies of those caught off guard and killed before they knew what was happening and of those who tried to fight back.

Strangled light streamed through the grey cloud filling the streets and after a few moments, glinted off the golden armour she'd been searching for. Bingo. Nari raced forward, barely managing to duck under the blade swingingly wildly at her from the side. One of the few attackers left standing. The spy wasted no time spinning on her heel, closed fist and brass knuckles cracking against the side of her attacker's head. The dagger in her other hand struck just as quickly into his chest. Once. Twice. Three times. The assailant crumpled beneath her weight.

A heartbeat later, she was on her feet again, returning to her path and popped into view of the golden royal. "Prince Caspian," she hissed, brow furrowing. "You need to get back to the--" Nari trailed off when the form of the Princess came into view on the other side of Caspian. "Gods! Is your half-brother the only smart royal to have not come all the way down here?"

 

[FireMaiden]

Princess Yvette
Location:
Autumn Festival
Interaction:
Inheritance (Caspian) Heda (Nari)
Mentioned:
MarieK (Ayra) Office Worker Craig (Renald)
​

Yvette let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as Caspian turned. Because of the smoke, Yvette couldn't see that she was infact the one who had taken care of the attacker. If she had known, the princess would have been filled with pride. Saving her brother, that was definitely something to be proud of. Caspian finally approached her and Ayra, asking about a leader. "I um, I, I saw this...this big guy, really big, lots of, lots of armor," The princess stammered out, fighting back a cough. The smoke burned her lung, her eyes, everything. "He slammed me in, into a wall, Rowan he-he's still fighting them!" The distress she felt was in part to leaving him behind. But what could she do, she didn't have the distance to be effective and if she had left, visibility was so low she still wouldn't have been much help. "I don't think he's, I don't think he's the leader but maybe he-"

Yvette heard something, a familiar voice calling out. "Renald." He was here? Usually he didn't...what was he doing here? Oh god, he sounded in trouble, but as Yvette desperately scanned around them, her breathing pained, and struggled; she couldn't see him. The smoke was too thick, and the wind wasn't blowing the right way to give it any kind of room. "Caspian, Ayra I-" Yvette turned back to the other two, and saw that Ayra had fled. Hopefully to help Rowan, it was...damn it. Quickly burning eyes focused on her bother about to speak when another person joined them. Nari. She seemed upset, berating them both for being there. The assassin was right, but this wasn't the time. "Yell at us later, I heard Renald! He's here, we have to find him, he, he could be in trouble!" Yvette didn't have many arrows left, but she could still be useful. Especially if she found a knife.

 

[Office Worker Craig]

Name: Prince Renald
Location: Autumn Festival
Interactions: Tattletale
Mentions:

Renald thought he was going to die, he closed his eyes and made a small prayer. In mere moments he would be gone to meet his father. That was until a seemingly random spear burst through the attacker's chest. A mixture of confusion and terror ran through the prince, that was until Seth emerged and retrieved his spear. From what Renald could tell, Seth was a long-time guardian and it clearly showed through his skills.

"Your Highness! We must bring you to safety. Can you walk, sire?" The guardian said as he immediately examined the prince's wound and bandaged it up.

"...yeah but not without help," Renald said, wincing in pain from his injuries. "Thanks for the help, it's Seth right?"

He raised his free hand towards the guardian to have him help him up.

 

[Togy]

Takoshi Yamada
Autumn Festival
Interactions: None so far
​

Takoshi, lodging the blade of his Katana into the throats and chests of every sellsword unfortunate enough to cross his path of rampage, couldn't figure out for the life of him why he was killing people. For once, it wasn't a question of why he did what he did as he looked back on his life of moral dubiousness, but because he simply had no earthly idea what the hell was going on.

Dodging to the left of a poorly timed downward swing, Takoshi effortlessly slid his blade across the man's jugular as he stepped past their quickly falling form. He hadn't had any time whatsoever to prepare himself for the attack. Dressed in nothing but his civilian clothing and armed only with his Katana, he'd had to jump into action at a moment's notice without any prewarning or directions.

A raider charged at him from the left while another busied him from the front. Rushing into the front man's guard, he grabbed them and bodily shoved them into the rapidly approaching figure from his side. Colliding, both fell to the ground and were stabbed through their chests before they could right themselves, their final struggles being poorly aimed desperate swings.

He needed to regroup, gather a force, and counterattack before the opposing force could regroup themselves. They were scattered as was, weak, vulnerable, alone. The guards needed to mount an attack now and exploit their weakness, so that begged the question: Why weren't they doing just that? Chances were they were panicking as much as the civilians. No one could've expected an attack like this, the guards probably thought the most violent the festival would get would be a drunken brawl or two.

Sidestep, slash, duck, stab. The horde of sellswords kept coming, but intermittently. It only served to prove that their forces were disjointed, lacking order or discipline to their chaos as their numbers went off on their own. All it would take was a rational mind stepping up to command them to make them a deadlier threat. Again, he needed to find the guards.

Catching an attack from behind last second, Takoshi angled the strike away from him using his blade but allowed it to carry the momentum so as to keep his attacker off balance before quickly slicing across the man's midriff. Blood pouring out as they moved to clutch their wound and stumble back, he kicked the man to the ground and left them to bleed as he saw the uniforms of the guards dancing in the firelight a few dozen yards ahead.

Hopping over the bodies of attacker and victim alike, Takoshi dashed towards the group of guards at breakneck speed. His hands were becoming slippery with the blood of the attackers and chances were he'd have to burn his clothes after everything was said and done, but by far the guards looked worse. Wounded, broken armor, panicking, and looking about ready to drop on their feet. The few dozen or so that were huddled together raised their weapons at the sight of him before ones in the back recognized him as a guardian and relayed the fact to the others. Panicked civilians streamed past the crowd of guards, retreating further into the city as the guards, obviously afraid and outmatched, nonetheless stood their ground.

Grabbing a random soldier by the shoulder, Takoshi asked "Hey, kid! Where's your commanding officer?"

A helpless shrug followed by "Considering our luck, most likely dead sir!".

Needless to say, that was unfortunate. They had to regain control before reinforcements arrived, otherwise who knows how much more otherwise preventable damage the attackers could cause?

Groaning in frustration, he tried to pick out the highest-ranking member of the group. Everyone looked particularly low ranking, but he could at least recognize one as an orderly.

"You!" Takoshi called, snapping his fingers at the young man, "You're an orderly, right!?"

"Y-yes sir, bu-"

"Then get out there and enact some goddamn order! Take these four," Takoshi gestured to four swordsmen still in good shape "and corral the civilians further into the city! Calm yourself, alright? They're gonna be looking to you to keep a level head, so you better keep one, got it?"

Takoshi felt a small amount of respect for the young man as he witnessed them plaster a look of courage, no matter how fragile, on his face and salute him.

"Great, get to it!" with a wave, the five men darted into the fray in search of civilians left behind. Turning towards the remaining men, he continued. "I want anyone with a shield up front, cover each other and don't let anyone get past you! Everyone with a spear, get behind them and cover them if any idiot with a sword gets uppity! Anyone else, cover the sides of the formation and don't let anyone flank you! Alright!? Form up!" Takoshi ordered, voice resounding over the chaos around them.

With the men getting into formation, Toshaki took the lead and stood in front. Spreading out across the street, Takoshi ordered them forward and pressed towards the fray. Cutting through the small number of stragglers, the group made their way towards the center of the chaos. The attackers grew in number as they trudged further onwards, but were swiftly cut down by either Takoshi's Katana or the shield wall behind him. The group grew less tightly packed they went, the formation spreading out ever so slightly to ensure that the attackers couldn't circle around them.

More and more attackers joined the fray, giving the formation a run for its money as they threw themselves against the shield wall, self-preservation be damned. Still, the formation held admirably.

"Alright, alright!" Takoshi yelled to his men, motioning for them to stop. "We stand here, don't let anymore get through!" he ordered, raising his Katana. They'd effectively cut off the attacker's route further into the city, so the best plan of action from there was to simply wait for reinforcements. It'd be hubris to risk his motley crew in attacking further when a much safer, risk-free alternative was available.

Now, they simply held off the attackers from progressing any further and presented a safe haven for civilians to run to.

 

[Dragonlord318]

Autumn Festival
Interactions: MarieK Togy
Mentions: FireMaiden Office Worker Craig Heda americanCaeser Inheritance Tattletale ​

David cocked his head sideways at Arya's request, tuning his ears to eliminate the sounds of combat and zero in on his targets. "If you go that way," he pointed, "Caspian and Yvette are together with Nari. They are safe. The princess...is overwhelmed but otherwise fine." He paused for a second. "Ivan is playing with his food per usual. He'll be fine. A large man I've not identified is assisting him.

Pause

"Seth is assisting Renald but he needs help. Renald is severely injured. I recommend you help them, as Caspian is in good health, and he and Nari can escort Yvette out.

Pause

He smiled. "Takoshi is...that way," he pointed, "talking to someone. I have not seen my sparring partner in some time. I will go bid him hello." He paused again before saying, "Arya." He dropped the honorific of her status as training captain and addressed her directly. "Allow Takoshi and I to take coontrol here. We are more experienced in combat than you. Assist Renald and Seth. They need you the most. They are not too far from Caspian and Yvette." With that, the golden-robed, blindfolded monk disappeared into the smoke.

~~|||~~​

The perimeter of monks was tightening as they simultaneously made their way toward the center of the city. They allowed civilians past but stopped those that they recognized as hostile. The circle of control was working. They passed by some guards escorting civilans out, some of which looked puzzeldly at the strangely-garbed warriors while others sighed in relief.

Arthur was in combat with some mercenaries, surrounded by the hired swords. He had left the palace as soon as he heard the fighting, knowing that the majority of the guards - and some Guardians - had never seen combat and wouldn't be very well organized. He had gone in to try and rally them but was stopped by a large group of hostiles.

As an assailant was leaping for an airborne strike, the Captain of the Guardians braced for the worst, as he had currently locked swords with two others, his free hand keeping a third at bay. He closed his eyes, consigning himself to injury, or maybe even death. "Your majesties. I will find you in this life or the next," he said quietly.

Suddenly, the airborne man was wrapped about with a chain and spike and yanked back, being brought to the ground with a crunch. The two on Arthur's sword were alarmed and he took advantage of the opportunity to free himself from their swords and slay them where they stood, followed by the nuisance on his left. He looked up to see where the chain had come from and was surprised - but relieved - to see a pale gold gown appear through the haze. The female monk gave him a slow head bow before getting into her ready stance. Arthur smiled broadly. David was back. And he brought friends. He brandished his sword at the remaining fighters, his teeth glistening in the light of the fires about them. The monk shouted and leapt forward, and Arthur did the same.

~~|||~~
​

David was running through the streets, trying to locate Takoshi. He needed to inform him of his monks encircling the combat and help him organize the chaos. Shortly after slaying two large brutes, he turned and ducked, barely missed the swipe of a katana as it decapitated another mercenary behind him. He stood slowly, smirking. "I see you haven't lost your edge, my friend," the red-bearded, blindfolded monk said hunoredly before clotheslining a man who ran past him with sword drawn. Apparently he thought the blindfold impaired the Guardian and was trying to get to Takoshi. Not that it would help. The assassin would have killed the man anyway.

"It's good to see you my friend. But we must save pleasantries for later. I returned today to find the festival as it is. I brought my pupils with me and they are establishing a perimeter to control the flow of civilians and attackers. We saw a mass of them entering from the east mountain gate. There may be an encampment at the base of the mountain. The royals are secure. Seth and Nari are seeing to their evacuation. I recommend you and I take charge until this crisis is over."

 

[Rumble Fish]

Location: Autumn Festival
Interactions: OPEN
There was a sudden rumbling of stampeding hooves as a squad of heavy horses, decked out in their protective tack thundered through the cobbled streets towards the chaos. Even though the smoke, the horses and their riders were undeterred. At the head of the pack was a large black forest mare with a silver mane that almost hung to her knees, huffing as her powerful hooves could have broken the cobbles with the weight and force of the charging beast. Her rider, Kensue Rhiannon, stoic and focused, turned her torso to face her squad. With a few sharp gestures, pointing and eye movements, she instructed the six to split into three groups of two and to provide the citizens with a barrier from the rioters as well as keep the attackers back. Her fellow riders all called out in acknowledgement and split up accordingly. Kensue had other plans. She squeezed Epona’s side with a swift click and the mare chuffed as she sped up to get right into the thick of it.

Kensue had not been alerted to the fighting by any of her fellow Guardians, but she had gotten a feeling that something was very wrong, with her instincts being proven right by the horses’ behaviour and the sight of smoke within the festivals’ walls. So now she was here. Squeezing the reins, she brought Epona to a halt, the heavy mare skidding across the stones as she did. She had to keep the civilians and attackers separate. And if Kensue knew anything, the sight a huge and foreboding horse was one way to do this. Her sharp eyes easily figured out the difference in who was an aggressor and who was a victim. Seeing a scared clutter of citizens, Kensue opened her arm and swung it, raising her brows in alertness and using Epona’s size to encourage them to move. Soon they appeared to get the message and she was able to shepherd them towards safety. Kensue hissed through her teeth in assurance towards the mare, who was flicking her ears and snorting, a little alarmed at all the chaos. She kept her weight low in the saddle and breathed slowly, hoping it would settle the mare. She had to find her companions, they would be able to give her more information as to what was happening. However, first and foremost: were the royals safe?

 

[MarieK]

Interacts with: Dragonlord318 FireMaiden Heda Inheritance
Location: Festival

Arya​

We are more experienced in combat than you.

Ever-so-slightly, her eyes narrowed. The plain of her chin, the soft angles of her jawline, and the smooth flesh across her forehead revealed no indication of emotion. But the lowering of her lids spoke in a volume all their own. The inaudible expression revealed that he had crossed a line in which he could not return from with a mere apology, however unintentional the insult may have been.

To her knowledge, he could not see the impact of his statement from behind the covering he had bound over his eyes. Yet, she made no move to vocalize her thoughts on the matter. It was neither the time or place to rectify relational conflict.

So she responded to his directives as a cat might obey a mouse- with an amused slant of her brow and sidestepping the command, entirely. In her beaten and battered state, Arya understood what her duties were without anyone assuming a role of command and forcing their initiatives on her. She hoped they could later work out their differences back in the training room where she would politely remind him that she was no one's puppet, but until then there was little time to hold onto petty offenses.

Perhaps, she was being unreasonable, but the world was turning to ash around them and she had a gaping hole in her chest. She would perform her duties, but only to the extent agreed upon. What she needed most was to grieve and there was no such opportunity she could see in the near future of that coming to past.

She let David go, watching as the smoke swallowed him up until he vanished from view. Weapon in hand, she directed her steps toward where David had indicated she would find Yvette and Caspian and another named Nari.

A few minutes later, she happened upon them and a familiar woman-presumably the one David called Nari-whom she had seen around the royals, previously. She gave her a brief nod of acknowledgment. Truthfully, she was avoiding meeting Yvette's gaze, worried that she would give Roawn's death away by the feeble wobble of her chin.

She ground her teeth, then said, "Let's go."

Arya decided to lead the way, but repercussions of the smoke inhalation had restricted airflow and she was beginning to tire. She maintained an even stride, but would allow the royals to plunge into the smoke ahead of her as soon as they started the journey out of the meadow.

She kept her eyes opened for any impending threats, but saw none. Most have fled the scene as the smoke thickened and the fire neared. Not even the attackers were foolish enough to wait around to burn to death.

~

Interacts with: Office Worker Craig americanCaeser Tattletale
Location: Festival

Leah​

Her veins thrummed with excitement. The battle was intense, but she had relished every moment.

While assisting a group of civilians, she stumbled upon Ivanoff. His bloody sword gave testament to his victories on the battlefield that day- as did the cowering men on the ground. A smile quirked her lips almost playfully when she called out to him as she passed by him.

"Where's my drink, you ol' brute?"

But she didn't wait for his response. Noticing what appeared to be a guardian assisting the young Prince Renald, she ran to them to offer up herself as further help.

"Let's get you out of the clearing," she said, hesitating only long enough to give the prince a respectful inclination of her chin.

"Seth is it?" asked Leah, turning her attention to the guardian. She knew his name already, but people often found it off-putting when she knew their names without prior introduction. As the Guard's messenger, it was part of her job to know people.

"Have you seen Arthur?" she asked Seth, keeping her tone neutral as she avoided meeting his gaze.

If he or if any of them discovered what she had done, she would be let go by the Guard. Despite taking precautions, she feared someone had noticed her actions during the battle.

She shook her head at the amassing of blood at Renald's torso, dismissing her own selfish worries as compassion and concern for the prince overwhelmed the fear.

"We need to find you a medic and quickly."

 

[FireMaiden]

Princess Yvette
Location:
Autumn Festival
Interaction:
Inheritance (Caspian) Heda (Nari) MarieK (Ayra)
Mentioned:
Office Worker Craig (Renald)
Rumble Fish (Kensue)
​

Yvette turned as soon as she heard Ayra speak. "Go? Go?! We can't leave!" Yvette replied, gripping the bow a little tighter. The could hear that the fighting was dying down some, the attackers must have been fleeing the smoke just the same as they should be. Yvette followed Ayra only so she could continue talking to her, watering eyes flickering between the guardian, her brother, and the assassin. "We can't just leave out people like this! The smoke, the fire, it will kill them just the same as us, we need to help them stop it!" Yvette knew there would be plenty of guards and guardians to help quell the flames, but she couldn't bear the thought of not helping. During the winter, Yvette would go down into the city to hand out bread and soup to those who couldn't afford food on a daily basis. There was a project she was working on to help the people. Leaving them to deal with this on their own...she couldn't stand it. Jogging up infront of Ayra, turning to face the woman and hoping to get her to stop walking for even a few moments, the princess finally took the hood of the cloak down. That by some miracle, had stayed on the entire time.

"Ayra, we can't just abandon them." These were their people. The citizens of Var, Yvette had to stand her ground here. She opened her mouth to speak again, when the thunderous sounds of horse hooves hit her ears, Yvette couldn't help a smile. The attackers had not been ok horse back, and the idea they had returned after retreating was just foolish. "Listen! Kensue is here, she and the other calvary can help us!" They could get water from the river nearby so much quicker, drive off or kill the rest of the attackers; Kensue was Yvette's favorite guardian on noble steed. Her pleas might have been falling on deaf ears, so her attention turned to Caspian. "Brother, you understand right?" He had to have known why she wanted to help. Yvette would understand if he wanted to leave. Him and Renald going back to the castle it made the most sense. After all, they were first in line to the throne. "Don't make me leave."

Yvette refused to let the people handle this on their own.

 

[Tattletale]

Seth​

Location: Festival ​

Interacts: Leah MarieK , Prince Renald Office Worker Craig ​

Mentions: Arya, Corielle Connie ​

"Thanks for the help, it's Seth right?"

"Yes, your highness. I am honored you remember me."

Seth felt reassured. The prince seemed cognizant enough, given his wounds.

"I'm going to bring you to a healer, sire. I'm not sure who our attackers are, but rest assured: the Royal Guard will protect you and your brothers at any cost."

Talking calmly, he put an arm around Prince Renaldand helped him up. He felt the young man wince a bit, but he uttered no complaints. Good. He knew what some people said about Prince Renald's supposed weakness, but Seth also knew other men would have already fainted from the pain alone.

He was starting to step away from the encroaching inferno when another figure emerged from the smoke. A woman, unarmed but with a strangely martial gait, examined them. Seth knew her, didn't he?

"Let's get you out of the clearing, Seth is it?"

Ah. That was the Guard's messenger. Leah, if he recalled correctly. He hadn't recognized her at first, but she had been in the palace. At this moment, she seemed sterner for some reason, though it was understandable given the situation. He couldn't help but grumble internally. Everyone here is taller than me...

He nodded in agreement with her question.

"Have you seen Arthur?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Leah, but you are a sight for sore eyes. Could you help me carry his highness? I can't fight as well one-armed."

He propped up the prince gingerly, to facilitate a grip for the taller woman. Was she avoiding his eyes? Shyness, maybe?

"We need to find you a medic and quickly."

Seth nodded.

"I was thinking of young Corielle. Do you know if she assisted at the Festival? Otherwise, the palace is our best bet. Once the prince is safe, I need to find and help the Captain."

 

[Rumble Fish]

Interaction: FireMaiden
Mentions: Nobody in particular (still open to further interaction)

Kensue was astute in telling her squad where to go and what to do. She spotted Yvette in the crowd and clicked Epona in the sides to get close, mainly in an act of protection. Yvette had only ever been kind to the guardian, and unlike many, seemed to have no issue with her lack of enthusiasm in speaking. Not to mention, she was still here while this chaos reined when she could have -quite justifiably- ran for cover or be taken to safety. Kensue gave the princess a respectable nod before turning to her fellow riders. Using four fingers, she pointed to a quad and crated a waving motion with her hand before gesturing to the blazes. They seemed to understand as they rode off in the direction of the river.

To the others, she gestured to the hostiles still attacking and, with a stony glare, drew her thumb across her throat and crackling a “Crrrrrek!” through her teeth. Once again her order seemed to be understood as they got to work, using swords and axes to begin picking off the attackers, and using their horses’ masses to create a barrier between the rioters and their citizens.

Huffing through her nose, Kensue turned her attention back to the princess and her group. Despite her stony expression there was a clear glint of trust in her grey eyes. Epona, for her part, jerked her head around and perked her ears, catching Kensue’s attention. Two riders she had sent to the river returned, large wooden buckets hitched to their saddles with water sloshing from the edges. They yelled instructions to one another as they threw them onto the fire. As they retreated to collect more, the second pair returned to do the same. Knowing them, they would repeat this practice until the blaze was seen to. Despite this, the fire was slowly getting closer and closer. Kensue returned her gaze to Yvette, her brows tilted and her forehead slightly wrinkled in an expression of worry. Gritting her teeth, she raised a hand with a little swipe, questioning her if she was sure she did not want to retreat? Kensue felt like she knew the answer but she would not be able to live with herself if something had happened to any of the royals.

​

 

[Inheritance]

Prince Caspian​

Caspian narrowed his eyes as the spy scolded him; though perhaps worse than the scolding was the implication his half-brother was smarter than him. How did she know that? Was she working with him? Where did she even come from anyway? She wasn't charged to be at the festival, and he never knew her for one to have a good time.
Eyes still narrowed suspiciously, he shook his accusations from his mind. There were bigger problems right now. He caught himself up with what was going on. Frantic planning, guards running around... but he knew that the captain would get things in order. It was only a matter of time before they would have reinforcements and the battle would be won. In the meantime...

"I'm not going anywhere, easedropper. There are people to save and villains to vanquish. If you think I'm going to leave-" Caspian was cut off by a bowling ball of a man barreling through the group with such speed and ferocity he wasn't sure if it were a wild animal.


"MY BAD your highnesses!" Yelled the huge man as he crashed through a tent, pounding two men into the ground.

Who the hell was that?

It didn't matter. Yvette needed to get to safety, and...


"I'm not leaving. Take Yvette..." He trailed off.. Yvett's pleas struck a nerve in him just as he was about to command her to get to the palace. He wanted to tell her it was too dangerous and to do as he ordered, but with him having the exact same reasons as her he couldn't rationally deny her request without making a fool of himself.

"Yvette can stay with me. She's right, there are people to save and fires to put out. If you wish to do your job and protect the royal family you'll have to help us, won't you?" He commanded. "And besides, what enemy could stand against the four of us?" He said with a grin.


FireMaiden MarieK Heda

 

[FireMaiden]

Princess Yvette
Location:
Autumn Festival
Interaction:
Inheritance (Caspian) Heda (Nari) MarieK (Ayra)
Rumble Fish (Kensue)
Mentioned:
Office Worker Craig (Renald)
​

Yvette immediately frowned at Caspian when she heard the beginning of him telling Arya to take her back to the castle. He would do that, he was her older brother. And hopefully Yvette wasn't delusional in thinking he cared about her. But he trailed off, the order falling away and finally he said she could stay. At the same time, she heard horse hooves grow closer, turning to look up, she was greeted by Kensue and some of her men who were already trying to douse the flames. "I'm sure, I'm not leaving," Yvette told the mute woman, smile dropping breifly. They hadn't seen Rowan again yet, she was starting to get worried. But...but he was a big guy. Strong, there was no way he'd let some mercenaries finish him off right? Of course at the moment, Yvette hadn't noticed Arya was in the possession of his sword.

But her focus was back on Kensue. "I'm finding where the civilians are grouped up, have your men start wetting the ground around the fires, where they've stopped spreading. We need to keep this from getting any worse or it'll become unmanageable," She told the woman, giving Epona a pay before ducking off behind the horses. "Come on!" Yvette called out to Caspian, Ayra, and Nari. The guardians may not have agreed with their choice, but that didn't matter now. Arthur and the advisors would berate them later. Yvette then quickly turned back to continue her quest of finding where the civilians had grouped up. Maybe Renald was with them? God, she hoped he was safe.

Finding the civilians group was easier than it may seem in chaos like this. Grouped up outside of the smoke and flames, in various stages of distress and fear, Yvette cleared her throat. "Citizens of Var can I have your attention please?" She called out. Only a few looked, a bit confused. Which in turned confused Yvette. "Do you know who I am?" Blank stares answered her. Yvette reached up, undoing the cloak from around her shoulders, she used the inside to scrub her face for a few seconds. It must have been covered in dirt and ash. When she looked back up, the princess smiled. "Now?" This time a few nodded, which meant Yvette had their attention. At least for the moment. "We need to get these fires under control! Everyone who can must find every bucket, pot, anything that can hold water and quickly! Bring them back here, we will fill them up, and once they are, soak the ground around the fire!"

"But those, those raiders!" One woman shouted out, clutching her child close to her chest.

"Have mostly retreated, and the stragglers that remain, you will be safe from! The guardians, myself and my brother are staying to help, you will be safe I promise!" Yvette answered, smiling at the crowd. "We must show those dogs nothing will break our spirits!" The fire could have been started accidentally, but that seemed unlikely given the attack. But it didn't matter, what did was making sure these flames stopped spreading. If they reached the trees, they'd have to do their best to control them until it rained next. And if they waited too long, they'd just be faced with another problem. "Well? Get moving, come on!" She called out again. It seemed to dawn on them that Yvette was serious. The younger ones and elders of course would stay behind, the smoke had already done enough damage to them, but everyone else who was still able moved to brave the flames for what they needed.

Except one man. "I'm sorry your highness, but...do you know who I am?" A tall, lean man in embellished clothes approached her, Yvette looking up at him with a small frown.

"Of course I do Lord Randell, what's the problem?" She asked, not happy she was stopped in her tracks.

"I understand asking the common folk to do this but...well, I'm not cut out for manual labor. It's unsightly, surly you und-" Yvette cut him off, holding up her finger.

"You had a stall at the festival this time yes?" Randell nodded. "And I'm sure you would like to save as much of your merchandise as possible?" Again, the man nodded. Yvette stepped closer, that finer turning to jab him in the chest. "Then move your pompous ass to go help." The man stammered for a second, looking for a fellow noble for help. But they didn't notice, already ducking back in to brave the smoke and flame. Defeated, Randell nodded and turned to do the same, Yvette smiling before she moved to go as well, bow ready to defend the civilians if needed.

 

[Togy]

Takoshi Yamada
Autumn Festival
Interactions: Dragonlord318
Mentions: Rumble Fish
​

At this point, Takoshi's white shirt and brown trousers were stained equally red with blood, with sweat building on his collar and patches of the cloth being singed by the constantly erupting flames. He'd had to resort to using the bottom of his shirt to wipe the blood off his blade, making that patch of clothing particularly heavy with dripping blood.

He had to stop to shout orders back to the guards when he wasn't directing civilians to safety or staving off the insurmountable horde of half-maniacal, half-idiotic marauders. Still, he couldn't tell if the situation was getting any better or worse. Were there other forces? When were the reinforcements going to arrive? Were the royals okay? What the hell was going on, just, in general? He had to make due with what little he knew, which was nothing.

Briefly, as he slid his blade across an attacker's throat, he mused how tragically stupid it would be if this was all just one big bar fight.

Well, all things considered, things could be worse. As another fire erupted next to him, making him cough violently due to the resulting smoke and heatwave, he felt a small bit of puzzlement as to just how things could be worse. Well, he could be dead. He seemed to be the only one in view trying to take control of the situation though, which wasn't comforting in the slightest. He could hold his own with a few men fairly well, but he didn't fancy his chances alone and without support.

As an attacker fell at his feet, the clopping of hooves from behind him set in a small amount of panic. Did they have cavalry? If they mounted a charge, they could break down the guards' shield wall no time flat. Readying his Katana towards the source of the sound, Takoshi squinted through the thick plumes of smoke surrounding him.

With no small amount of relief, he recognized the rider as a friendly. Buckets of water slung across the riders and horse, they seemed to be a part of a relief effort. Lowering his Katana, he gave a quick salute and shouted "Godspeed!" as the rider passed him.

That must've meant that reinforcements were arriving, thank god. Was Kensue leading the cavalry? He wouldn't be the first to say he respected the woman as a rider, and he could bet she had arrived to the scene as soon as she could. He couldn't be sure, but at least he knew he wasn't fighting blind alone.

There was also the comforting sight of seeing more of the attackers dead on the ground rather than standing. Their numbers seemed to be thinning rapidly, some even turning tail and trying to run from where Takoshi could see.

Distantly, he recognized a fairly well-built man holding his own against a pair of attackers. Well, three more like it, but he hadn't seemed to notice the third.

With quick, silent efficiency, he crossed the gap between him and the man in a second, as if appearing behind him before expertly cutting along the base of the man's neck. He felt a small amount of surprise at seeing his slice beheaded the man. Wow. He'd just meant to sever an artery or two, but that worked too.

"I see you haven't lost your edge, my friend."

"Can't say the same for the sword," Takoshi began, snorting in amusement as he saw the taller man clothesline the attacker behind him, "Would've preferred I had my daggers. Hell, if you could point me towards a kitchen knife, that'd be greatly appreciated."

His Katana, which really wasn't his, did look dull. He'd pilfered the blade from a noble's stall where they'd been showcasing their collection. Sure, the weapon had held admirably thus far, but when he found the owner he was pointing them towards a better craftsman. He never should've come unarmed to the festival in the first place. The one time he leaves his daggers behind, there's a hostile invasion.

"It's good to see you my friend. But we must save pleasantries for later. I returned today to find the festival as it is. I brought my pupils with me and they are establishing a perimeter to control the flow of civilians and attackers. We saw a mass of them entering from the east mountain gate. There may be an encampment at the base of the mountain. The royals are secure. Seth and Nari are seeing to their evacuation. I recommend you and I take charge until this crisis is over."

Nodding his head, Takoshi readied his stolen Katana as he observed the area. He couldn't put into words how much he appreciated seeing a familiar face after his shitshow of a day.

"I've gotten the guards to regroup and form an actual defense. The attackers are thinning quickly, and I saw some riders galloping in with water buckets. I'm assuming they're starting work on relief efforts, this shouldn't take too much longer to wrap up. My advice? Grab the last of the civilians and help out with healing the wounded, the guards and cavalry should be able to handle the rest from here" Takoshi said, knowing the man's medicinal skills. He wasn't sure that many physicians had arrived yet, so he could only assume they needed all the help they could get.

 

[Office Worker Craig]

Name: Prince Renald
Location: Autumn Festival
Interactions: Tattletale MarieK
Mentions:

Renald's anxiety slowed once Leah the former guardian, got them somewhere safer. He was still in incredible pain, but he did his best to endure it. At the moment Leah and Seth were discussing what to do with him, thinking of any way of dealing with his wounds.

The prince, being so accommodated like an infant, felt nothing more than dead weight. People were in danger, and possibly even dying, and yet their prince wasn't there to protect him. Instead, he was bleeding out to death without even lifting a finger to help them. Doubt flooded his mind. If he wasn't an idiot and got himself easily attacks, he could have been out there actually helping people. Seth and Leah wouldn't be wasting their time babysitting him. Fucking useless.

"Wounds pretty deep..." Renald muttered through pained lips. "Doubt a medic within this chaos would be of any help... Quickly take me back to the palace then come back here to protect my people, the medics there will assist me... If I die on the way, so be it. It's my fault for going out here without guards anyway..."

 

[Dragonlord318]

Autumn Festival
Togy
Mention: Rumble Fish
​

David chuckled. "Here." He drew his butterfly swords from their sheath, handing the 30cm/12in blades to his friend, handles first. He knew Takoshi's preference for smaller blades and was more than happy to allow him to use his honed weapons. He knew if they were damaged in battle, he'd repair or replace them. "Use them wisely." He cocked his ear as his sparring partner relayed what he saw to the monk, nodding in affirmation. So it was a guard that he heard him talking to earlier. Good. "I'm glad the cavalry's here. I do hope Kensue is leading them. And that would be a fair assessment. You continue on, bother," he said, "and I will do as you recommended. My pupils will assist me, and I will also set some to help with the fire and the civilians. For God and the royals." He extended an arm to his friend. After shaking his arm, he departed once again into the smoke. One question nagging at his mind was...Where are Arthur and Roawn?

After locating some of his pupils, they confirmed Takoshi's report and David directed them to look for injured civilians, to tend to them on site. He grabbed one before he left, giving him a specific set of instructions. "Qù zhǎo qítā rén, gàosù tāmen xíjí zhě zhèngzài táopǎo. Wǒmen bìxū bāngzhù pūmiè dà huǒbìng zhàogù shāngyuán." Go find the others and tell them the attackers are fleeing. We must help put out this fire and tend to the wounded. The monk nodded and departed to do just that. David sped off to find the royals. He knew Renald was injured and needed help immediately, and assumed Arya was there as well.

Some monks gathered buckets, watering cans, towels, anything to help with the fire and sped back and forth, helping with the fires as much as possible. They weren't as effective as the massive amounts of water the cavalry brought, but more was better nonetheless. Some others were gathering the injured that could walk into an open area next to the field away from the fire, tending to as many as they could. Those that could not walk were carried or treated on the spot if it was safe to do so.

~~|||~~

FireMaiden Inheritance MarieK Heda
​

Meanwhile, Arthur was approaching Yvette, Nari, Caspian and Arya, sword sheathed. He was flanked by three monks. He widened his eyes as soon as he saw the group. "Majesties!" He called out while two of the monks, a male and female, approached the group beside him, bowing their heads and opening their satchels. They pulled out various herbs and cloths, and the female gestured to the group, motioning to the items and back to the group. Arthur furrowed his brow before understanding appeared on his face. "Has anyone been injured?" He asked, "I...think they're healers." The third monk, the female who assisted Arthur earlier stood watch, looking about to ensure the group's safety.

~~|||~~
MarieK Office Worker Craig Tattletale
​

"You are being treated here and now, your majesty," David said, appearing from the smoke. He recognized Seth's scent and Leah and Renald's voice. He approached the group silently, taking a knee and opening his satchel. "Leah, Seth," he said, "I'm sorry for being late. Please provide Renald with something to bite on. Based on the smell, it seems he's lost quite a bit of blood. If we don't stop the flow now, his prediction will come to pass. If we move him now, it will make it worse. We have to take the chance of treating him here." He rolled out a sewing kit complete with thread and felt across the tools with his hand. "Your majesty, this is going to hurt, but I will not let you die," he said as he laid out the rest of his medical supplies, which weren't much, but just enough to help with one major or several minor wounds. "Can one of you hold his arms and the other be our lookout?" He didn't enjoy taking charge like this, but pleasantries would have to wait until the prince was safe. He stood and approached the prince, running his hand lightly along the side, feeling the blood. "We have to get this tunic off so I can sew up the wound and apply the bandage." He felt along the prince some more and found the injured hand. "I can wrap this and sew his side here in just a few minutes. I apologize for ordering you around, your majesty," he said, his blindfolded head cocked to the side, "but your safety is paramount."

He was thankful Leah had arrived, but did wonder where Arya was. He hadn't smelled or heard Roawn on his way here either. Arya did seem jarred, but he assumed it was from her lack of experience with direct combat. Was something else going on?

 

[Rumble Fish]

Interactions: FireMaiden Togy
Mentions: Dragonlord318
Co-written with: Togy

Kensue listened intensely to the woman and the instructions she was laying out before her. While she was still unsure of the idea of Yvette staying this close to the conflict, the woman was reassured by her affirmation. She gave the woman a blunt nod of recognition, looking to where the riders had been dousing the fire. The majority of the invaders seemed to have either been killed or driven away at this point, there seemed to be very little left. She was sure she could help pick the stragglers off. Epona, meanwhile let out a little chuff through her nose and flickered her ears at Yvette, content at being petted before they had to fly back into the conflict.

She watched for a moment as civilians were rallied together to assist in the effort. Kensue found herself unable to suppress a smirk at Lord Randell being shut down. She had always disliked that big blowhard so seeing him be knocked down a peg was always a joy. Her father, Sir. Roan would have loved it. He had always had a disdain for fellow noblemen who simply used their power to have leverage over others. Kensue’s eyes cast down to the top of Epona’s neck as she thought about her father. What would he have done if he were still here?

Shaking her head, Kensue tried to halt these assaulting thoughts and turn her attention back to the matter at hand. The four she had sent to the river and back were going strong, now providing much needed water to the citizens who had now joined the effort to reduce as much damage as possible. Her other two came riding over, blood across their horses' chests and their weapons but they appeared to be unharmed.

“Miss Rhiannon, most of the attackers have fled! Do you want us to pursue the stragglers?”

Kensue firmly shook her head with a stoic glare, pointing to the others now making good progress on the fire.

“But we could find out where they are camping out!”

Kensue blinked as she thought for a second. To one, she gestured back to the effort- wanting them to help. To the other, she made a shrinking motion with her hands, gestured to her own steed, a walking sign with her fingers across her palm and finally, a very stern expression and a shake of the head as she clashed two fingers together like swords. After a second of deciphering, the rider frowned before, understanding, giving her a nod.

“Very well. Good luck, all!” He called before turning his steed and vanishing through the smoke. Kensue could only hope he would do as she said and be smart about this. Turning her attention to others, she noticed David and Takoshi a little ways off. Clicking her heels, she brought Epona closer despite the mare pinning her ears and letting out a disapproving snort. Epona seemed to have… unpleasant thoughts surrounding Takoshi, ones Kensue could not quite understand. The ninja had only ever been kind to the equine and yet, she did not seem to reciprocate. Kensue could clearly remember a moment where, when he once got a little to close to her stall, he received a good clean bite on his rear end. Did he still have the bruising?

Approaching the men she gave them both short waves, before looking around and gesturing to their weapons, questioning what their plan was. Her brows raised then lowered, waiting on their response. Meanwhile she was gently pulling Epona’s head away from Takoshi, knowing full well she’d go in for a second course if given the chance.

"Kensue!" Takoshi called, relief evident on his smiling face as he threw a salute towards the woman. Eyes narrowing and face forming into a scowl, Takoshi gave a much less lively "Epona." in greeting to the horse.

Nodding along to the woman's facial expressions, as if understanding her completely, Takoshi began. "The guards have formed an effective perimeter and are sending the civilians towards help. The attackers are being routed, what stragglers aren't being cut down are making a run for it. I assume those riders answered to you?"

Kensue nodded vigorously at Takoshi’s words about the riders before making a few gestures with her hands, pointing to Epona then extending her arm out as if telling him to go out, while keeping a finger to her lips. Meanwhile, Epona’s ears pinned at Takoshi’s disrespect and wrinkled her snout in his direction. It was a shame that Kensue still had a tight grip on the reins otherwise she would’ve taught that disrespectful two-legged a lesson.

Nodding in agreement, Takoshi stared up towards the mounted rider. "Good, Warring said they came from the East gate but I don't think we can be sure about that."

Kensue turned to where Takoshi had mentioned with a frown and slightly pursed lips. That did not sound right to her. Given the pattern of their carnage, it had to have been from another direction. The back of her neck felt hot as she gave Takoshi a nod in agreement. They could not limit their guarding to one area. Any smart invader would know to attack from multiple entrances. She would know. Her eyes turned to the blazing fires for a second before withdrawing her gaze. She was not prepared to try and approach fire. Not yet. Even after a decade, the memories were still too fresh.

 

[americanCaeser]

Interacts with: Open
Mentions: MarieK (Leah), FireMaiden (Yvette), Inheritance (Caspian), Dragonlord318 (Arthur)
Location: Harvest Festival

From the smoke a dozen armored figures rushed forward towards the group of Royals and Guardians. As cries of alarms from the citizens went up and the guards drew their weapons...

"PLEASE! WE SURRENDER!"
"DON'T KILL US, WE GIVE UP!"
"HE'S RIGHT BEHIND US, PLEASE!"

The band of armored bandits had fallen to their knees and were grovelling at the group before them, literally begging for their lives. The reason of their hysterical fear made his appearance right behind them. Ivanoff Kyser was completely drenched in blood, from head to toe, and Kingdom Slicer too was slick with red ichor. Despite the circumstances and his start, his face was a mix of frustration and boredom as he walked passed the bandits who flinched at his presence.

"These idiots were acting as officers, so I figured you'd want to hold onto them. Oh, and don;t bother sending anyone to the fairground center, theres nothing left there." Wasn't the fairground center the place with the largest concentration of raiders though?

Regardless, Ivanoff cracked his neck and dropped his sword onto the ground, causing several puddles nearby to ripple from the impact. He sat down on a wooden box and began stripping his soaked longcoat off as a few guards began placing manacles on the bandit leaders.

 

[TheMightyRedLemon]

Bran The Beggar
​

A homeless man began to stir under a tattered brown cloak. Stretching his arms as he sat up, the man began to scratch at the mop of shaggy hair atop his head. He had just woken from his Mid-Festival nap, a tradition he would oversee every year after he had set himself up with a few thefts earlier that day. The guard was always too busy setting things up and getting ready for the festival to notice a few missing loaves of bread and a couple of cut coin purses. What he had already stolen was enough to buy food for a couple of days at least.

"Oh yeah," Bran said as he stretched. "Now I can just relax for a bit."

Even as he said this, the homeless drifter could hear a great commotion erupting out all around him. It was normal to hear the sounds of the festival from his lonely alleyway, but this sounded different. This sounded violent. The usual sounds of the festivities were gone. The shouts of joy and laughter were replaced with shouts of fear and the screams of the slain. The beggar stood and made sure the pockets lining the inside of his cloak were all buckled shut before heading to the edge of the alleyway. Grabbing the corner of a stone wall, Bran peeked out around the corner whilst muttering to himself. "If I move quickly then maybe I can find a good new pair of boots on the dead. I'm sure they won't miss them."

Seeing no immediate threat, the man came from around the corner and began to jog lightly down the street, trying not to stay out in the open too long. Soon he came upon a couple of bodies laying in the road. A man and a woman, perhaps a couple. Shrugging, Bran began to check them for valuables. Both had a small amount of coins on them, and the woman had a fancy, expensive looking necklace. These things he stowed in the inside pockets of his dingy old cloak. As Bran began tugging at the man's boots in an attempt to pull them off, the sound of sabatons hitting the cobbled street approached Bran. Rolling to the side, the vagabond barely missed being decapitated by a sword swipe.

"Oh come on! It was almost off!!" He yelled at his attacker in an almost pleading tone. When the armored man raised his sword again Bran coughed up a ball of flem and spat it into the man's eyes before taking off down the street. He didn't look back when he heard the man roar in rage. As the beggar rounded a corner, his misfortune compounded. "Oh fibble." He said as he nearly ran right into two more of these unknown attackers. These men had clothes fitted over their armor, but they were definitely wearing armor. What was going on? He would have to think about that later. The two men turned to face Bran, who offered them a terrified smile and a chuckle. "Y'know, this actually reminds me of a joke."

The confused men looked to each other and raised their weapons to attack when Bran sent his fist into the face of the man to his left before ducking to the right and running past the second man and down the street. "I guess that punchline isn't for everyone!" He knew he had to find help. The Guardians, they were here right? They always were for the festival. They would be his absolute best chance for survival. Now he just had to find them, and not get caught. "Fortunate then that their armor slows them down" Bran mused to himself under his breath as he ran for the heart of the festival. Surely he would find a guard or two there, right?

Interactions: OPEN

 

[MarieK]

Interacts with:
Office Worker Craig Tattletale Dragonlord318

Leah​

Leah stepped aside so David could tend to Prince Renald. She had been a guardian and now, for the time being, a messenger, but never would she be a nurse or anything otherwise pertaining to blood and needles. So, instead, she opted to remain the look-out while Seth assisted David in treating Renald's wounds. Even at this distance, she felt dizzy. The blood was too much as was the smoke.

However, she was filled with relief. It did not appear as though anyone had seen her fight. Even if they had, she could plead extenuating circumstances- not that it had worked when they had stripped her of her guardianship.

Interacts with: FireMaiden and TheMightyRedLemon
Mentions: Rumble Fish
Location: Festival

Arya
​

Arya was in no mood to dissuade the princess from staying. Her shoulders rose a fraction of an inch before falling back in surrender. It was her job and desire to protect the royal family, but not her duty to argue with them. If they wanted to stay, she would be more than happy to cut through another few raiders if it meant she didn't have to think of unpleasant things.

Yvette's speech gave Arya a glimpse of a different woman. The princess was kind and contained a grace and beauty Arya could never hope to duplicate, but there was something else she hadn't noticed before- a firy passion that burned for her people.

Aside from the scuffle that had nearly taken Caspian out as it had played out, there was no violence in her immediate vicinity to extinguish. Kensue, if Arya remembered her name correctly, had already began issuing orders to a few on horseback to retrieve water to douse the fire with. Having already planned on helping, Arya located a few buckets and followed the others to the water.

It was back-breaking labor, but the connection to the Guard aided her endeavor to help put the fire out. Bucket after bucket, she carried water and poured it on the flames that were slowly abating.

Water sloshed against the sides of the buckets as she hurried to one of the buildings on fire. Her mind was on trying to stabilize the buckets when her foot slipped into a hole gutted by merchants' carts, and she fell onto one knee. She managed to keep from spilling the water, but when she glanced up, she noticed a man sprinting through the valley. He seemed to be running from something rather than to and her hands instinctively went for the throwing knives she had tucked into her boots. When the two men who had been chasing him came into view, she aimed the knives and threw them a fraction of a second later. The two knives left her hand at the same time and split apart in mid-air before their points were embedded into the hearts of the man's pursuers.

She took in the water that drenched the earth at her feet with a disgruntled expression. It was wasted time and substance. She sighed and retrieved the buckets.

"Here," she called out to the man without glancing up at him. She unsheathed her sword and held it out to him. "You shouldn't go around unarmed right-"

The sentence trailed as her eyes connected with his. Recognition registered in her expression.

Maybe, her mind was playing tricks on her. The events that day had taken a toll on her mental state, but she would have hoped she was stronger than that. Still, she couldn't help questioning if it were truly her childhood friend. How long had it been since she had seen him? At least more than a decade.

"Bran?" she murmured, doubtfully.

 

[Tattletale]

Seth​

Location: Festival ​

Interacts: Prince Renald Office Worker Craig , Leah MarieK , David Dragonlord318 ​

Mentions: Arya, Slavinoff americanCaeser , anyone who is in the vicinity really​

"PLEASE! WE SURRENDER!"
"DON'T KILL US, WE GIVE UP!"
"HE'S RIGHT BEHIND US, PLEASE!"

Ah, that would be Slavinoff. Excellent. Seth grinned. The man's overwhelming might was undeniable. If he had cleared the way, it would be much easier to reach the castle.

"If I die on the way, so be it. It's my fault for going out here without guards anyway..."

The knight growled, steel in his voice.

"Don't even joke about that, your highness, we will-"

"You are being treated here and now, your majesty,"

Another voice cut through the roaring flames. David stepped forward and started to take care of the prince, firm words spilling from his mouth. Seth didn't care much for being ordered around, but the monk was a competent healer and warrior, and he had seen more of the conflict unfolding in the streets right now.

"David. Good to see you are back safely. What is the situation? Has anyone managed to identify the attackers? Where is captain Arya?"

As glad as he was glad to see him again, friendly chit-chat would have to wait until everyone was safe. With a last side glance to Leah, Seth let go of the prince and stood guard, peering through the smoke, trying to find Slavinoff or another guardian who might assist them.

 

[FireMaiden]

Princess Yvette
Location:
Autumn Festival
Interaction:
Open
Mentioned:
N/A
​

As the guardians dealt with the rest of the mysterious attackers, Yvette was working with the civilians still. The hard labor was definitely not something you'd expect of a princess, at least most of the time. But it didn't bother Yvette. As the civilians scoured the flames for anything useful they could find, Yvette kept an arrow notched. It may have seemed like the mysterious attackers were busy with the guardians, but Yvette knew better. The smoke made it hard to see, and every minute it was getting harder to breathe. But it didn't matter. Not to the civilians, not to Yvette, the fires needed to be out out. It only took a few minutes to find enough buckets, pots, and whatever else could hold water. Once they had that small collection, the group would return to the river. "Start back near the trees!" Yvette called out as she slipped the bow over her torso. Putting it down completely was a bad idea, but she was going to help douse the flames.

She grabbed one if the buckets, dipping it into the river before pulling it out. Yvette would then hand it over to one of the civilians before repeating the process. She wasn't the only one filling buckets and pots, but her help definitely helped the process. The final bucket she filled, Yvette stood and picked it up to follow a few of the other civilians. They worked fast, wanting to save as much as they could. The first round of water went to soaking the ground, hoping to stop the flames from spreading any further. The second round would start to douse the flames themselves. "Focus on one thing at a time, we won't do anything helpful if we're too spread out," She called out again, gripping the handle of her bucket.

The flames were slowly subsiding, trip after trip, Yvette helped lug buckets of water to splash on the affected stalls and buildings. The progress they were making to douse the flames was quick, and as they were put out, the smoke seemed to ease up. At least, it didn't seem as suffocating. But the smoke easing up for her and the civilians meant it was easing up for everyone. Just as Yvette threw another bucket of water to douse the remainder of a small flame, someone screamed. Yvette turned immediately, spotting a mercenary who had somehow not fled and managed to avoid the guardians. They lunged toward one of the women helping control the flames.

Yvette moved before realizing it, pulling the bucket back, and launched it at the attacking man. It slammed into his face, causing him to stumble back. "Run!" The princess shouted, pulling the bow from her torso as the attacker recovered. She notched an arrow, hoping to fire before he could attack again. But he had a friend, Yvette could hear him running up behind her, but couldn't react before his shoulder connected with her mid-back. The princess hit the ground hard, the man who tackled her immediately trying to find her throat. Yvette struggled, kicking him to push herself away as she grabbed an arrow from the quiver, Yvette slashed behind her.

The man yelled, scrambling back away from her as a hand clamped over his eye. The original attacker charged with his sword raised, Yvette notching the arrow already in her hand to quickly fire at him. It lodged in his knee, the man tumbling just as his friend recovered. He reached out, managing to grab Yvette's hair to yank her back, pulling a dagger he attempted to bring it down into her chest. But Yvette managed to react fast enough, bringing her bow up fast enough to divert it. The blade slipped, grazing against the side of her neck. Yvette wasn't lucky enough that the man would stab himself, she did her best to wiggle away but he still had a grip on her hair. One of her hands shot up, smacking into his face, fingers desperately searching for the injured eye.

The blood made it easy to find, Yvette jabbing her fingers into his eye. The sensation made her sick, but he finally let go of her hair, falling back away from her. He dropped the dagger, Yvette scrambling to the side to grab it, she kicked away from the man. The other hadn't recovered yet, despite trying, the arrow had lodged in a way making it difficult. Yvette regained her feet, the one with the damaged eye managing to do the same. But the princess notched an arrow, loosing it quickly. The tip struck true, finding the attacker's throat. It was...it was them or her. Thankfully the other man didn't seem to have a death wish, and began to attempt to crawl away. Yvette would leave him. After all, there were plenty of guardians around.

 

[Office Worker Craig]

Name: Prince Renald
Location: Autumn Festival
Interactions: Dragonlord318
Mentions:

"You are being treated here and now, your majesty," a voice muttered as Renald finished his little speech. He turned to see David, the Guardian Monk, coming to his aid. Before Renald says his thoughts, David went quickly into work into preparing on healing him. He was quick to make a diagnosis and immediately brought out his sewing kit to prepare for his work. He was handed a piece of cloth to bite on, preparing for David's procedure.

"Your majesty, this is going to hurt, but I will not let you die," He followed David's instructions with no hesitation. David might be the prince's only chance of getting out of this alive, acting like a pompous asshole about was not going to solve anything.


"I can wrap this and sew his side here in just a few minutes. I apologize for ordering you around, your majesty, but your safety is paramount." Renald couldn't say anything due to the cloth in his mouth, he simply nodded towards the monk to show his approval.