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Fantasy Fading Flame (In Character)

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Margot

The morning sun found Margot at the eastern side of the Frontierville, already wide awake and hard-working. The grief and desperation of many flowing through Network allowed sorceress for only a few hours of restless sleep. Before the fourth hour of the day came, she was already back on the streets of the town, assisting the citizens in reconstruction of building and helping the victims of yesterday’s attack.

“Ready?” Margot asked the few men next to her, to which they simply nodded. The sorceress reached out her hands, and with a series of symmetrical moves, drew a Force Circle before her. “Loit!”

The spell echoed ethereally in the still air of morning and over the pile of ruins, that used to be a small hospital. When magic started to flow, the debris moved gently and slowly started to rise in the air.

“Go,” the oldest of the group next to Margot ordered, and men walked between floating fragments of stones. They were looking for survivors, who were certainly still buried in the ruins and soon they found them. As sorceress’s spell slowly took away more and more debris, the blood-stained people were revealed and quickly retrieved by the rescue team whereupon they were put on carts and taken to other hospitals.

Not all of them were so lucky though – a line of dead bodies was also growing and with each of them, Margot felt yet another sting of guilt piercing her heart.

‘I shouldn’t have gone to sleep,’ the sorceress scolded herself. ‘I should have helped them first…’

She knew this wasn’t entirely true, as her mission in forest was likely much more important, than life of few mortals but the conscience was against her this time.

“Mage,” one of the group shouted to her from the ruins, breaking her train of thought. He was standing next to the very massive debris. “A little more steam here?”

“Mhm,” the sorceress answered and poured more Light into the spell.

***​

An hour later, Margot was sitting on the bench next to the now cleared ruins, a little grey on her face and a little bit nauseous. The spell she used wasn’t one of a great energy cost, but it was very precise, and took much concentration. And it wasn’t the only one she kept up. Ethereal ravens were flying around the city, taking seat on buildings and ruins, in which the tracking spells found wounded townsfolks.

“Thank you for your help, sorceress.” Margot turned her head and saw an elderly lady reaching out to the mage with a plate with a lot of bread and a bit of meat on it.

“You don’t need to thank me,” the sorceress waved her hand, and accepted the meal with a grateful nod.

“Need? Maybe not. Want? Quite the different matter,” the old woman smiled at her and pointed at the plate. “Eat, young one, you look pale.”

Margot supressed snort at the ‘young’ directed at her person and bit into the meat. It was nothing special in comparison to meals she had back in Ratthe, but after the hard work it was the most delicious of feasts.

The mage gave her shadow a short look – the Vile was hidden in it, making it thicker and weirdly flickering. As he said, he was following her, but didn’t show to the townsfolks, which was probably a good thing. Margot predicted enough problems with convincing rest of the team to allow Tenet into the group – bothering with civilians would probably be too much for her patience.

When Margot was done with her meal, she started walking slowly towards the rally point of Guardians. The time has nearly came for the gathering and sorceress didn’t plan on being late.

shadowz1995 shadowz1995 (mentioned)
 
Even in the shadow of the female magus, the dawn was unbearable. Tenet did not necessarily have eyes while in the in the darkness but he could still feel and be aware of what was happening around him. This included the damning intensity of torches and sunlight.

It was strange being in Margot's shadow... Tenet had used darkness to hide and get away from his enemies more often than he cared to remember or to stalk prey. However, this was the first time he ever willingly jumped into and stayed in a person's shadow. The sense of curiosity only grew as watched the woman stir in her sleep, as if she was hearing voices of her own, despite having denied hearing them. Immediately, she set to helping the light-walkers find their fallen kin.

Tenet could have easily helped her find the living ones. He knew which ones were alive, dead, or dying. He wasn't sure if the woman knew that and if she did, She expressed no negativity to it. The Vile felt somewhat inclined to assist her personally but he refused to take part in her rescue of the weak light-walkers.

Weak, strong, injured, or sick... they never gave him time for reprieve. Neither the dark nor the light but the lightborne were espicially guilty of this.

So, it boggled him as to why Margot would do this. The woman in the tower that taught him to speak cared nothing for light creatures unless they possessed power. These lower lightborne possessed none, so why did she help? Were they different somehow?

'Why? Why do you weaken yourself for the weak?'

Vyseryx Vyseryx

(Short post)
 
Margot

Tenet had clearly never learnt how to hide his thoughts before the people connected with him by the mind link. It would be in good taste for Margot to prevent those ‘leaks’ herself… but she was curious. Very, very curious. And thus, she observed the confusion in Vile’s mind, as he refused to help the Lightbornes who had hurt him so much in the past, and compared sorceress to her master. The fact he had found them different made Margot unexpectedly happy.

Finally, the Dark man decided to express his doubts ‘out loud’.

'Why? Why do you weaken yourself for the weak?' He asked. This question took Margot by surprise. It wasn’t that she didn’t know the answer to it, but putting it into words was something much different.

‘Hmm, let’s see,’ the sorceress started, allowing more of her thoughts and emotions to flow through the link. ‘ ‘The strength gives one power to make change’ is what woman in tower used to say to me. So, I shape the world around me as I please. And in my world…’

*Pain. Fear. Despair. Buildings destroyed by monsters. By people. By war. Smell of blood. Smell of death. Father mourning his son. Mother hugging her dying daughter.*

‘… would be replaced with…’

*Clean and safe streets. Happy and healthy people. Children becoming adults; adults becoming elders. Order, peace and prosperity overseen by wise mages leaders.*

Margot looked at her shadow, trying to discern a shape of a man inside it.

‘I am probably not strong enough to actually achieve this, but if I don’t even try, then what’s the point of having this strength in the first place?’

shadowz1995 shadowz1995
 
The words the magus was speaking weren't unintelligible. Tenet understood what she was saying. What he didn't understand was the message.

Pain. Fear. He understood those. Pain was a feeling he was very familiar with. So was fear. Fear of others had kept him alive for almost 5 decades....give or take. Tenet himself wasnt sure how old he was.

Buildings being destroyed by monsters.... it wasn't just buildings they destroyed nor was that their goal. They destroyed buildings because people resided within them. The Vile never understood the concept of erecting such large objects to stay in permanently. To him, it just made you a bigger target. An easier catch. Easier prey. That's why the darkborne destoryed them. The buildings didn't matter. It was the weak prey within.

While Tenet was not aware that Lightkin attacked other lightkin like the darkborne did, he coule understand the sentiment for destroying the buildings. The concept of war....was lost on the Vile. He didn't understand what that word meant. He had heard it before but never understood it.

The feeling of despair. Another emotion Tenet didn't know. Didn't understand. The concept of parents. He didn't understand that either. The pale one understood that he must have had them. The woman in the tower said as much. But he didn't know what parents really were. Even if he did have a pair.... somehow.

The following images and views that flowed into his mind just confused Tenet even further. Safety and happiness. Order, prosperity, joy, and..... peace.... The word, while known to the Vile, felt foreign. Out of place. Alien.

'I don't understand. What you want is what makes the weak ones weak. "Happiness" in confusing.'

What followed caused the Vile to turn serious. His mission was to help this woman with her own. That would earn his freedom. It would earn his solitude back. She talked about these strange things while being aware she did not have the power to do so...

'If you are not strong enough, you will die. The point of having strength is to live.'

'Do. Not. Die lightborne. If you die, I will never go free.'

Vyseryx Vyseryx
 

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Audun the Fallen
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Location: Frontierville - Town Square
Status: Rested
Disposition: Neutral
Interacting With: Kabboom Kabboom Trappy Trappy Vyseryx Vyseryx shadowz1995 shadowz1995
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Audun woke up with without memory of the previous night for the second day in the row. He rubbed his eyes and found himself in a large bed... with yet again, a naked woman partially covered in sheets. He had to cease this debauchery. It never help his case when he randomly wakes up like this on a regular basis. As he began to throw the covers off, the pair of wings protruding from the woman's back was revealed. Taryn. The Nephilim, breathed a sigh of relief. The closest anyone's been to be his romantic partner was Taryn. He didn't feel like he was cheating on anyone if he had committed her. But that was besides the point, he threw off the rest of the sheets and stepped onto the wooden floor. He began to put on his paladin armor, and it appeared that some replacement armor had been ordered for his right arm. It wasn't in the style of the rest of the set, but Audun didn't mind, so long as it covered his arms. When he finished, he looked back at the bed, to find Taryn awake and dressed.

"Enjoy last night?" Taryn twirled her dagger, as if she was eager to stab someone forty times before giving them the mercy of death. She gave a Audun a flirty smile. "Of course you did. It's me you're talking about. Anyways, there's been a change of plans. The issue has been complicated. Too many Darkborne for the two of us to go alone, so... I'll be staying with you and the 'Guardians'."

Audun's wings shifted uncomfortable until the armor stopped chafing any feathers. "Staying with me? No. You aren't coming along. Go back to plotting your little takeover."

"You can't get rid of me that easily. You think that you can just make your lover to go away? " The Hellion walked up to Audun and wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her face close to his helmet. Her voice was was a "No, angel boy. I'm staying with you."

To make her point clear, she brushed her lips on the face of helmet and stared into his eyes. "Besides, look on the bright side. You won't have to worry about your urges. I'll satisfy all of them." She let go of the fallen Seraph and left the room. Audun followed her out once he collected all his items.

He wondered what the mage and Vile did after they parted ways last night. Their room was already empty by the time he woke. But it's not his problem anymore. It was enough to think about how to keep Taryn's identity and agenda under wrap from more imperialistic individuals. He met his partner outside, where two horse already prepared for travel. The two led their horses to the town square, where, Jericho, Maria, Margot and Tenet were already waiting. "Good morning to you all. I hope you lot had a pleasant night's rest."
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Jericho

"Chaplain Crimson wants you at the town hall. You're late," spoke the riders that stopped outside the inn, hailing Jericho, Maria and the druid. "I know. As you were." came the quick reply, and the two riders were off on their way, continuing their frenzied gallop down the street, and out the gate. No doubt delivering news that the convoy is finally underway, and probably report on that last attack. The town could do with a bit more protection and materiel. As for the trio, they quickly made their way to the town hall, where the convoy, and the quest, awaited them.

The town hall was more or less fully repaired, with a small, dusty hole being filled, residue of the Cerebrate's pincer sinking into it the prior night. The wall had been repaired, mere wooden beams now reinforced with fresh materiel, notably the rows of iron bars holding it firm. 10 wagons, some fully covered with tarps, and others with a more accessible superstructure, probably storing goods like food and medicine, are placed in a circle around the town hall. A Giant can be seen, dozing off on the steps of the town hall, cradling his equally gigantic sword. No one dares to wake him up, and the locals report he had been up all night, helping the men with repairing the wall. And as for the wall itself, it has found new friends, evident by the array of men and women hung from it. Looking closely, Jericho could recognize a few faces from the dead, before a voice came from behind.

"I told you I had a good memory." boomed the Chaplain, as he approached from behind. "You're late. You said the quest would start at sunrise. It's been an hour past that. Need I remind you of the responsibilities that come with being a leader--" his berating method plays again, but was cut short. "Yes, yes, I know. I have not forgotten that easily." With a little hand wave, Jericho begun picking up cobbles and pebbles in and around the area, storing them in a handy pouch. He forgets about the others, being hell-bent on acquiring another of the useless stones. As he passed a small group of confused Imperial guardsmen, he glanced at them, and returned his eyes to searching for stones. "Pick 'em up while you can. You'll understand once we're in Dark territory."

Finally storing a satisfactory amount, he continued, making his way over to the wagons, and checking the contents underneath the mere coverings of tarpaulin. Finding mostly food and medicines, he felt satisfactory, although he darted his eyes around, as if looking for something. Ignoring the Chaplain and the rest of the men, he begun scraping dirt and dust from the sole of his boots, with his armored hand, and smeared the contents over the edges of the tarpaulin, and hurling some over the tarpaulin, just for good luck. As the drivers of these wagons approached him with a rather mixed attitude, what with the dirt flinging onto their wagons and all, Jericho replied to them without looking.

"Don't bother me with those angry looks, fellas. Just do the same to the other wagons. Dirt on your boots, smear 'em on the edges and a fling a few onto the top as well. Just do what I say, and maybe this convoy wouldn't get swarmed by Darkborne the moment we enter the woods." using his Experience Drip, he explained to them the way no amount of words could; the dirt, stuck with Lightborne residue, but being an inert entity, confuses most of the Darkborne, and leads to the dirt being avoided by the Darkborne. He learned this from observing Imperial carcasses, devoured by a Darkborne ambush. The boots being removed first and flung far away, gave him the idea that there was something the Darkborne didn't like about them.

Nodding silently after a while, the drivers agree, and head to their wagons to do the same. As he moved on to another wagon, Jericho could hear a voice from behind. "Good morning to you all. I hope you lot had a pleasant night's rest." recognizing the... 'angel' by his booming voice, Jericho quietly replied. "And you the same. Get ready. We're moving soon."

Pilgrim59 Pilgrim59 Trappy Trappy QizPizza QizPizza
 
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Hearthfall Season - Dawn
Lunala
The Wagons, Frontierville​





  • The Oracle barely slept a wink, if you'd call her experience sleep at all; bouts of light rests that were filled with voids of darkness and ominous chanting, causing her eyelids to flicker open at least once an hour. But the dawn still came quickly for her - a blessing - and Lunala tried to push those dark dreams back into the recess of her mind. Suddenly the canvas flap of the wagon was sharply pulled open, and her body froze, tensing up as whoever it was began to scrape around and move the tarpaulin that covered her, exposing her to the guardian.

    Her teal eyes widened in shock, starring up at him silently for a moment from beneath the folds of canvas, her gaze unable to break away as though she was a startled deer. As the realisation came to her that she had been found, her eyes steadily began to glisten with tears. "Please," she begged quietly; her last desperate effort to finally see the world was slipping from her fingers. "Please..." What else could she possibly say to him? She could explain, but would that matter. Her argument would seem childish and selfish, and perhaps it was, but it was also so much more. The gods wanted this - but would he believe that either? She doubted it. Still, her heart wrenched painfully and she knew she couldn't give up; a tear trickled down her cheek. "Please... it's my only chance... I can't- he can't-... please, please..." she whispered desperately, words spilling out of her lips in saddened pleas. She would do anything to stay; she would pay him in gold, or even better with a service of skill - was that even a better trade? Gold, skill, anything. She would sacrifice all her riches to go, and attempted to convey that as she spoke. "I... I know magic - light magic - I won't be a burden. Please, sir guardian, please..." I'll do anything, just don't make me go back to that prison my father calls a home.

 
Jericho

As he unveiled the next wagon's tarp, he found... a woman. A peculiar and most shocking sight indeed, especially on a wagon headed to the most dangerous area in the Empire. She looked... young. Naive. Pure, untouched by the horrors that dwell within the world. A fate that many wish to be. But the words that she uttered confused Jericho to no end. "Please," the woman uttered weakly, her tears welling up in her eyes, which were widening as they stared back at Jericho, as if they pierced his soul. "Please... it's my only chance... I can't- he can't-... please, please... I... I know magic - light magic - I won't be a burden. Please, sir guardian, please..." Her words begun to fail her as well, as she came to some sort of horrid realization, showing horror and desperation on her face, possibly for the first time in her life. Jericho was unsure what to make of her. If she goes, she'll most likely be killed. But if her words reflect her circumstances, she would meet perhaps an even worse fate if she is compromised, and left here.

"All-Alright. Stay quiet." was all he mustered to her, playing it cool. He tucked the tarp back in, albeit loosely, so as to allow air to flow in. As he begun the whole ordeal of smearing boot dirt, his mind raced. A new member, a new burden. What will the group think of her? How would she even defend herself, let alone survive? And how will Jericho deal with... whoever 'he' is? She said 'Light magic', how helpful could it be? Was it even worth the trouble of bringing her with them?

As he finished securing the goods, he silenced his frantic mind. 'Enough. This is a promise. It's her only chance, probably to go outside, see the world. Pompous girl who's been kept safe for too long, what with how ornately dressed she was. You'd know best to honor an attempt, Jericho,' thought he, as he looked around at the other drivers, clumsily securing their own wagons.

Aryasaurus Aryasaurus
 

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Hearthfall Season - Dawn
Maria
Townhall, Frontierville​






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    "A stranger to another, with caring words. How did you end up in this august company of heroes? Pardon me with my brazen words, but you don't seem like the type to be delegated with our unorthodox diversity."

    After a brief pause, Maria voiced the answer to the druid's inquiry.
    "Fate, maybe. I can't think of anything other than perhaps unfortunate coincidence. And it's understandable, druid, I'm aware that I'm not so popular with some of these folks. But that won't affect my work. Delegating with this 'unorthodox diversity' is secondary."

    Maria let out a sigh and fixed her pole-arm, before adding with a slight smile. "That, and it's getting awfully cold up North around this time."

    Having said that, she did feel that this expedition is filled with uncertainties for her, and perhaps some worries. As she recalled, among her soon-to-be companions on this quest is a reptile Incruscan. A serpent-type, if she was not mistaken. It displayed some heated open hostility towards her during their planning session the night earlier, and went as far as threatening her. Maria did not mind the threat. She was more than capable of forcing the insolent Incruscan back in line, but Maria did not deny the validity of its threat and intense hatred for her. It was expected that a reptile Incruscan would dearly wish to see her head rot in the mud, after what she'd done in the Red Swamp. But nothing could've been done for the denizens of the swamp, or at least, that was what the Guardian would like to believe.

    As for the Incruscan, even if she could force it in line should it try anything, Maria understands it would be hard to effectively cooperate with it. The closing in gallop of the horsemen snapped her back from her thoughts and worries, announcing the Chaplain's expectation of their presence, before disappearing into the busy crowd, most likely going after their next objective. It was a busy day for all. Town-folks cleaning up the mess left behind from the battle yesterday, soldiers carrying out their patrol duties, and the peculiar trio hastily making their way towards the town-hall. As they passed a liquor stall, Maria could not resist the delicacy she had tasted yesterday, and proceeded to purchase a large canteen. Might as well enjoy their very last moments before the trip commences - she figured. Maria immediately took a sip, overcoming the initial bitterness and allowing the sweet aroma to explore every corner of her mouth and down her dry throat. She offered some to her female companion.

    "Some to freshen up a new day?" She extended her arm, with the leather canteen in her hand.

    Before long, they made it to the town-hall, where the Chaplain was already waiting. Repair had taken place at an impressive rate. Most of the damage had been addressed, and the wounded seem to have been transported to a proper clinic for treatment. Several soldiers were busy cleaning the puddles and stains of blood left behind, or aiding the town's denizens in patching up the walls. As she was observing the soldiers' good work, Jericho made it for the wagons, after a brief exchange with the Chaplain, who now turned his attention to Maria.

    "Lady Theodosiel of Regalia." He greeted her with a half-bow, mimicking a gentleman's bow. From the new decoration for the walls, she'd say the man is far from a gentleman, but he seems to be doing his job. The Chaplain continued.
    "Not every day you meet a living princess from largest state of the Empire. Unfortunately . . . our stories of you are a bit... far-fetched, I would admit."

    "Princess is bit of a stretch, I haven't seen the Drakefort for some years now, Sir." Maria replied to the man, intentionally dodging his comment on the stories they tell of her. Stories surely contributed to the reputation she has with the Incruscans, no doubt.

    "Still, you are a princess, by title and name. So how did you find your time in the Empire? Strange choice of company, I must say."

    "I've worked with worse, I'll mana-" Before she could finish, the Chaplain continued.

    "Do you trust Jericho Audaton?"

    The question came out of the blue, amplified by the middle aged man's sudden switch to a stern, serious tone in his voice, caught Maria completely by surprise, but she decided to speak true to her feelings at the time.

    "I'm not sure where you're going with this, Sir, but I feel like I can trust Audaton. At least that is my impression of him so far, and after all, we've just met. However, I'll not let feelings affect duty, this I guarantee."

    "Ah, good. At least you are trustworthy. As befits a general of Regalia. But do not let his... 'impression' lull you into the illusion of comfort. Remember, better safe than sorry."

    And with that said, the Chaplain walked off, back to his supposed duties and surrounded by reporting soldiers, leaving Maria to contemplate, and intrigued with his message. She was moving to the wagons to assist Jericho, when a voice spoke up, coming from the paladin from earlier.

    "Good morning to you all. I hope you lot had a pleasant night's rest."

    "I hope you the same, paladin. Ready for the trip, I see?" She answered the man, before moving on to offer her assistance to their commander.
    "Need a hand with anything?" She asked.


 
Leafa

"Mommy... just five more minutes... hehe, stop tickling my nose!"

Leafa opened her eyes, a blurred shape was before her, laying on her nose. As she came to consciousness the figure became clear. It was a butterfly, a small and white butterfly. The one that she had met the day before. Leafa was confused, she assumed the butterfly had flown away when she went to sleep the previous day, but there it was before her, laying on her nose. Leafa changed her postion from laying down to sitting, the butterfly flew away from her nose and landed on her knee.

"You're still here? I thought you flew away! Mister or Miss butterfly, you should go back to your familly! They might be worried about you!"

The butterfly stood still for about five seconds, then it immediately started flying, slowly heading towards an opened window.

"... W-Wait! I'm sure your mommy and daddy wouldn't mind if I borrowed you for a little bit of time... so, you can come with me and help me find my mommy and daddy! Uhm... If you want of course..."

Suddently, the butterfly turned and flew in Leafa's direction, gracefully landing on her head.

"Thank you! Now, I think you should have a name... Hmm... ... Ko! You are Ko now, Mister or Miss Butterfly! ... Rock Lady hasn't woken up yet... ROCK LADY! WAKE UP! TIME TO RISE AND SHINE!"

Sybil Sybil
 
Margot

Margot’s felt a chill in her stomach, but didn’t let any of her reaction to reach Vile. She knew, that Tener’s ‘going free’ was very likely not the course of events planned by the Grand Arcanist; but even if sorceress would be willing to warn him about that, going against her old master plan’s, she wouldn’t know how. The Dark man was way too unpredictable and if he decided to fight her, for whatever reason, the results could be… varied. So, at least for now, mage decided to stay silent about that matter, and instead answered Vile’s doubts.

‘I don’t know how to explain to you how I feel,’ Margot admitted, realising from Tenet’s reaction, that any concept more abstract than ‘eat or be eaten’ would for now fly over her companion’s head. ‘For me simply living is not satisfying. But I don’t intend to die anytime soon, so you don’t have to worry about that. For now let’s focus on...’

The sorceress came to an abrupt stop, as she eyes the bodies hung on the wall. Her palms clenched into fists and for a brief moment Tenet could feel a wave of anger coming from the mage, before she had managed to block it. Margot quickly looked around herself, and hastily approached the soldier close to her.

“What is the meaning of this?!” The sorceress voice boomed, as she pointed at the hanged men at the wall. “Who were these people?”

The young man, surprised by the sudden outburst of anger, needed a few seconds to answer.

“These are the loot hoarders. They robbed houses after the atta…”

“So you hanged them?” Margot interrupted him and rubbed her forehead in disbelief. She gave the soldier a murderous look. “Who authorised that?”

“Chaplain Crimson, ma..” he tried to answer, but the sorceress just dashed past him, as the mentioned man had just appeared in her eyesight.

Literally radiating with cold fury, the sorceress approached the Chaplain and snapped at him:

“I hadn’t fought, risking my life, to save those people, only for you to come and hang them as you please.” The sorceress voice seemed sharp enough to cut through steel. “What were you thinking, Chaplain?”

shadowz1995 shadowz1995 Kabboom Kabboom
 
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Hearthfall Season - Dawn
Sashi
Townhall, Frontierville​






  • "That, and it's getting awfully cold up North around this time."

    Sashi shook her head slightly, as they made their way towards the townhall side-by-side. To the druid, the pleasant winds of the Hearthfall season was far from being unbearable. She chuckled, with her shawl tucked away, unveiling her silvery-white hair and honey-dripped eyes. Her reply would follow with a mysterious tone, leaving much questions unanswered for Theodosiel.

    "Not so much as you'd think. But then again, I wouldn't know much about the northern land, would I? Heh..."

    Maria's recent purchase would be extended towards Sashi, of which she would receive with a kind smile of appreciation. Taking a sip of the sweet extract, she would return the canteen to its owner and let the bitterness consume her sate of thirst. The druid would take in the sight of the rejuvenated town, being filled with lively folks and servicemen. It was as if the battle was all but a figment of her imaginations, but she digressed, having felt the lingering sting upon her heart at the sight of the fallen. Maria was then greeted by named Chaplain, whom visage the druid had caught sight of a few hours prior. As they strike up a conversation, the druid would cast herself away into the crowd of soldiers and gave them a hand with loading the supplies.

    "Sergeant, what is the purpose of these odd application of dirt and mud?" Sashi asked curiously towards one of the squad leader.

    "Somethin' 'bout them Darkbornes, who knows, we're just the grunts, not the brainiacs, druid. We appreciate your assistance, nevertheless."

    Sashi would take note of their work, and gave them a hand, despite her question yielding no satisfactory answers. She browsed through the depths of her memories in Sarmania, and have gotten close to what her citizens did similarly. In Sarmania, hunters would donned suits of leaves and branches, all the while applying famakos* powder on their apparel. Taking this into account, the druid followed through with her work, finishing her work, giving a thumbs up towards the smiling troops, as they returned her commending gesture with their half-salutes. Going about her way, the druid would caught a wind of Theodosiel's conversation with the Chaplain, confirming her suspicions. It would seem her companion was of Regalian descent, and with the revelation, came Sashi's fondness of her friend. As she wasn't the only one singled out as a royal member.

    "Good morning to you all. I hope you lot had a pleasant night's rest." the full set of armor exclaimed towards the bright cast, catching Sashi's attention.

    Perhaps it was a chance to get to know the winged paladin, as Sashi saw it. But before the druid could accompany the cast of heroes, the presence of her past-rival would throw her off briefly.

    "Tsk... Femosis preserve me. Here we go."

    Sashi muttered with a sigh as she approached the diverse group guardians, waving her hand with a joyful expression on her face.

    "How'd you do, o' fair sorceress? A pleasant day for a .... walk in the forest*... don't you think?"

    Her words would nibble onto Margot's ears as a stinging bite of wasp, while seemingly harmless towards the others within the vicinity. The druid would extend her delicate lips, displaying a sharp grin on her condescending face towards the sorceress, as she leaned lightly on Maria's shoulder.



    Translation Notes
    1. Famakos powders: Cheap, unconventional form of alchemical solution that masked the hunter's presence. Usually applied with some mana dust to minimize their heat signature on the field. Developed by a farmer named Famako in 145 IE during his village's annual hunting competition. It would see extensive use by many Crimson Legion shock troopers during the Sarmanian Civil War.
    2. Walk in the Forest: Pretty much throwing Sashi's encounter with Margot in the Elbe Forest in her face. A form of low-key poking with words.

 
Jericho

"Need a hand with anything?" a voice came from behind, one of tenderness and genuine care. Jericho recognized the voice as Maria's, and a small smile formed on his face, as he wipes his hand clean on the tail end of the last wagon. "Hopefully not. Just a few things." He spoke, as he turned to face her, her armor smacking into his vision, with a gentle, calm face suited inside a sturdy helm. "Bring a lot of water, and try to wear your armor loosely. It can get pretty hot and overwhelming with the full suit on, especially in the forest. Pebbles and stones, don't forget 'em." As he continued speaking, he begun moving towards the slumbering Giant, turning back with one final farewell to end the conversation. "And one last thing you have to do. Stay safe, and stay alive."

As he prepares himself for the daunting task of waking up a Giant, elsewhere, another conversation is taking place. An annoyed Chaplain faces a furious Archmage. “I hadn’t fought, risking my life, to save those people, only for you to come and hang them as you please.” Audrich rubbed his brows. “What were you thinking, Chaplain?” He faced the Mage. "Do you honestly think they deserve a chance at life? Look around you. This is the Frontier. The men and women hanging on those walls were looters, robbers, thieves, delinquents who do nothing but prey on the weak and dying. They do not give a damn, that you risked your life. They don't give a rat's ass, that you saved them. All they care for are themselves. Leaving people who harbor such an affinity for negative emotions, like greed, anger, and narcissism, in such a place, so close to the Dark territories... it would be a thousand times worse to let them live. That is what I was thinking, Mage. Hate me all you want, but I do these things, so that other things may flourish. I kill bad people, so that good people may live. I know you cannot possibly understand that idea, but know that it is necessary."

Trappy Trappy Vyseryx Vyseryx
 
The wave of anger came suddenly and caused Margot's shadow to twitch violently as Tenet reacted to the sudden outburst. The Vile was completely ready to manifest physically and fight for his life. It took him a moment to realize that the anger was not directed at him. A few moments more and the pale one soon found out exactly what she was infuriated by. Try as she might, there was no way for Margot to hide her emotions from the Vile. It was possible to stop it from appearing physically on the face or in the body language. But once she felt it, so did he.

The object of her anger was a random male lightborne that Tenet was not aware of. Judging by what he wore, he seemed important. Under different circumstances, Tenet would have left the shadows to engage with these individuals that provoked her wrath in such a way but there were multiple reasons he refrained from doing so. The main one being that Margot was more powerful than these light-walkers. Tenet would give his assistance to her should she require it.... but if she does not need his help, he would stay silent.

The violent quivering of Margot's shadow ceased to its (now normal) flicker. Tenet closed his eyes with a mental breath of relief and pushed his senses outward to see exactly how that battle would have gone for him should things have gotten bad. The moment he detected the other guardians in the area, he knew that was death waiting to happen. Even the shiny woman that captured him was merely paces away.

However, just as Tenet was about pull his senses back (daylight makes this ability bothersome), at the edge of his metaphorical radar, Tenet picked something up. Something....unbearably familiar. It caused his black blood to run cold, his shock translating over through the telepathic link to Margot. 'I will return lightkin.' he said with urgency and disbelief.

The corrupted jumped rapidly from shadow to shadow, not caring who was in the immediate vicinity. They were far too close to slip by undetected anyway. Mission be damned, he needed to see if this was true...

Specific shadows affected: Margot, Jericho, Audun, Maria, Sashi.

Vyseryx Vyseryx
 
Margot

“I am no stranger to the concept of ‘greater good’, Chaplain,” the sorceress hissed between her teeth. “I’ve executed many, but not for the crime of stealing for Light’s sake!”

Margot turned on her heel and reached her hand to point at hangmen.

“And what – do you think that the scent of death won’t attract Darkbornes? Just how much positive emotions will this inspire in people, to see corpses hanging on wall just after the massacre?” The mage put as much vitriol into her words as it was humanly possible. She rubbed her hand against her face before giving the Chaplain a murderous stare. “I swear the day will come, when Empire will deal with the Church and its… justice.”

The man before her seemed to be a lost case. Not matter what mage would tell him, Chaplain would likely not understand it, or even try to, for that matter. The sorceress only shook her head and walked away hastily, noting Tenet’s parting words, before he jumped away, followed by sorceress’s curious look. Whatever could make Vile leave in such a hurry, would probably also be interesting to her. A hazy feeling of ‘unbearable familiarity’, that came to mage through link was not enough to clear up the situation for her.

"How'd you do, o' fair sorceress? A pleasant day for a .... walk in the forest*... don't you think?" A familiar voice called to Margot and the woman turned and saw the druid from yesterday approaching her.

“I am doing just fine, thank you,” Margot answered politely, trying to quickly calm down after the argument with Chaplain. “And the day would be much better, if we could stay out of the forest, honestly.”

The last sentence was accompanied by a delicate smile implying that it was a joke on mage’s side. Margot greeted Maria with a nod, and quickly formulated spell, that grabbed few pebbles from the ground and put it into her magical bag. As she was doing it the mage realised, that with all the chaos in Frontierville, she had forgotten about something.

“Druid, do you have any experience in crafting magical staffs? I.. or even we?... could use those for the time in forest.”

Kabboom Kabboom Pilgrim59 Pilgrim59
shadowz1995 shadowz1995 (mentioned) Trappy Trappy (nodded to Maria xP)
 
Tenet & Alma
shadowz1995 shadowz1995​


This was the first time Tenet experienced anything like disbelief or anxiety. Not enough to cause him to be reckless in the middle of a light settlement but definitely enough to quicken the pace of his blackened heart. He jumped from shadow to shadow as quickly as stealth allowed him to, closing in on the source of his sudden burst of energy.

It was mere moments before he was just outside the ruined building, dwelling in the shadows of its downfall. The Vile was tentative at first, probing the darkness with his own before manifesting in his normal, physical form. The pale one stood for a moment before kneeling down, the luminescent glow of his eyes searching for something he knew was there.

No words needed to be said, for no negative emotions were coming off of Tenet. If this was what he thought it was, they wouldn't need words.

Alma on the other hand was very well acquainted with the feeling of anxiety, and this new presence she'd been made aware of heightened the emotion. Not knowing was something she was used to, but feeling a slight familiarity, that was new. She became extremely cautious, moving further into the deeper shadows so that her occupation was less apparent among them.

As tenet drew closer, Alma grew slightly more restless. Something about this being making his approach made her curiosity run rampant, her mental state was somewhere between fearful apprehension and something like excitement, an interest in who was coming as opposed to a hope they would quickly pass. Her relatively fine tuned method of concealment faltered just momentarily as Tenet manifested physically, causing her shadow to become obviously more dark and flickery.

Alma had learned long ago to expect the worst and she bolted from her current shadow to another one until she was positioned in a shadow behind a counter.

Orange hues followed the dark smoke that darted from one side to the other with what seemed like confusion. They both knew the other was there, so why bother hiding? There was another thing as well. This signal the person was letting off was….. smaller somehow. He did not feel like he was dealing with something threatening. Quite the opposite actually, with the feelings of fear the small Vile was giving off.

If this creature was anything like he was, in this place, she was right to be terrified. The question was how did she wander into a light settlement like this? Completely unaware of it, it seemed as well.

Tenet stood up and took a few steps forward, entering Alma’s shadow space and sitting down within it. The older Vile appeared to be in thought for a moment, wondering how to get in contact with this identical creature. His eyes turned upward to the accursed sky, squinting at how bright the blue could be with it only being dawn.

The light….

Tenet quickly took a clawed hand and pulled off the bloodied cloak he wore, leaving his upper body completely exposed. The darkness the buildings cast kept him safe for now but that would change soon. With cloak in hand, the pale one extended his arm into the darkness, his own control over the dark now stealing away some of Alma’s to use himself. Not in a malevolent way… it was as if they were sharing the shadows. Black tendrils began to engulf his person, writhing around his form. Beckoning for the younger Vile to take hold of the offered barrier of sunlight within Tenet’s claws.

As he started being more active and forward in his pursuit of her, Alma started to subconsciously summon her shadows, her only means of defense or offense when stealth failed her. However, they didn't attack or attempt to restrain Tenet. Instead, a few of them moved out of the shadows, moving towards him as if in inspection, others poked partially out from surrounding shadows.

Each one seemed to eye him, tilting their heads side to side as they did. One noticed his arm extending into the darkness and stared at the gesture, then at him, then back at the gesture. It raised a smokey hand towards Tenet’s arm and cautiously inched closer until finally making contact. Upon doing so, the shadow flickered and changed to more resemble Tenet's energy. It stared at the point of contact intently for a moment, then slowly turned it's countenance to face him.

Alma felt through this interaction that he was like her, and she like him. Her curiosity now burned with a passion that compelled her to do something she hadn't done in a very long time. She exited her shadow in the presence of another. At first slowly, just peeking out, gauging the danger. Her protective shade turned from Tenet to her, it's manifestation still touching the pale man's arm.

This, for some reason, soothed Alma, coaxing her further out of her hole. She incarnated fully and very carefully made her way over to Tenet. Though he'd initially given off a semblance of predatory nature with his seeking of her, she had more accurately been able to tell his state of mind and intent upon her shadows making contact with him. He was calm, passive, the faintest sense of intrigue which was now dwarfed by her fascination with him.

Alma was soon within arms reach of him, her shadows watching like spectators to a diplomatic dealing.
She was already in an exchange with him, but out of morbid curiosity, reached out and touched him. Alma's eyes widened in a mixture of emotions she'd never felt before, relief, comfort, intrigue or at least the equivalent to someone with her affliction. The girl accepted his offer.

Unfortunately, positive emotions was not something the Vile could pick up but once the girl revealed herself and made contact, the quickening of her heartbeat along with the shadowy link they were forming allowed for some things to pass through. Her excitement would have mirrored his own if Tenet were a decade younger. Now, excitement was replaced with a desperate longing to understand…. How…. Tenet was under the impression he was the only one. He had heard the lightkin talk of others but never believed it. Now, he found himself face to face with one much younger than he was. Something churned in the male Vile. Something he did not understand. An instinct to protect.

The pale man relinquished the cloak and signaled for her to put it on. The garment would completely engulf her in it, considering her small stature but that was a good thing. Now, Tenet just needed to figure out how to speak with her. Even if she could speak the light language, Tenet could not. So, the idea occurred to him…. speak as the Darkborne do. As the mages do with their odd powers of mind magic. There was no way of knowing but there was something instinctual at work here. The corrupted male pulled back his arm and closed his eyes, dictating his shadows to search deeper.

The two now shrouded in unnatural darkness felt connected on a fundamental level. While no words were exchanged, thoughts, ideas, images, feelings, instincts were communicated between the two… forming a conversation only they could follow completely, “Why are you here? It is dangerous for my… our kind to be anywhere near light-walker homes.”

Alma studied the garment Tenet offered her. She'd never worn clothes but had gotten the gist of the concept through observation the many times she's successfully hidden from Lightborne. The girl moved her ash colored hand from Tenet to the cloak, feeling the fabric of it, tracing the splatters of blood on it. Her wonder was broken by the picking up on her new friend's mood. He expressed confusion; a desire for clarity, understanding. It was something she couldn't offer, being in the same position.
She kept hold of the cloak as he let go, just holding it in front of her for now.

As Tenet engulfed them in near pitch black, Alma took on an appearance nearly identical to her shadows, the only difference being her eyes being more naturally represented as opposed to dim glows of amber. She grew calmer, the darkness placating her.
Then, the man spoke, or more precisely, conveyed his mind through the link they now shared by both occupying the same shadow, as if being in each other's minds.

This caught Alma off guard. It was another concept she'd never been introduced to; communication, true communication. She and the rest of her, now clones, tilted their heads inquisitively just like before. The part she could wrap her head around the least was that she could actually understand him, his meaning.
Alma had lived up until this point without even complex communication with herself, her thoughts being mostly simple and instinctive.

She couldn't mirror his cogency just yet.

“I felt the dark. I saw the light.” she projected, offering underlying meaning that there was conflict where these two meet and she would sometimes try and catch the energy of those darklings slain as they attempted to get back to The Mire. “I sought shelter in the shadow of the enemy of my enemy.” She added, showing that she'd been made by the cerebrate as it moved into town and hid under everyone's noses as they battled. The light’s victory at Frontierville afforded her temporary refuge, as the senses of the Darkborne are much more fine tuned than their Guardian counterparts.

“So, you fled the big dark one. It almost killed me. I ate too much of its power.” The male relented with a mental nod. Her logic was sound in seeking sanctuary in the heart of the enemy while they killed themselves. However, it was much harder to leave now than it would have been had she left during the night. “I am here to gain my freedom again. I was free. In the forests. Many light-walkers came to kill me. I killed them first. One powerful Lightborne took me down and imprisoned me. I am promised to return to my forest if I help the lightkin on their…. thing.” Having no real understanding for a mission or quest, neither would really understand the sentiment.

“Will you stay here or run?”

Alma leaned in a bit as Tenet said he had fed from the cerebrate. She didn't understand why he would put himself in such a risky situation, it was in dissonance with her own sense of self-preservation.

“You...ate of the big dark one?.....” Her tone would have been one of bewilderment. Why he would do that, she didn't understand.

“Freedom…..” Alma repeated this idea. The concept fitting in with her definition for survival, anything to the contrary seemed like eminent death to her.

Her eyes visibly trailed off into the dark that surrounded them for a moment, she contemplated the positive connotation freedom carried. She realized everything had suddenly become more complicated, perhaps overly so.

Her gaze and attention fell back on him as she was made aware of his fight for survival against Lightborne and Darkborne alike. Her eyes studied his body, his composition as she processed the information. He was different; but he was the same. The girl couldn't shake her interest in the concept.

“Lightborne are not to be trifled with. For every one confronted, more will take their place.” Alma commented on his past, sharing her preference for stealth and aversion.

The girl's head was made tilt in curiosity again at the idea of imprisonment, it didn't sit well with her, as Tenet conveyed it with displease. It was very obviously a bad thing if this man who fought cerebrates and devoured Darkborne had a problem with it.

“Help.” She wondered again. The concept brought back flashes of her youth, not to mention she'd seen teamwork in effect countless times, usually used against her. It was a distant notion, something she'd grown to live without. Alma felt Tenet's connection to this “lightkin”, it was mostly positive, somewhat pleasant, a stark contrast to most everything else both she and he had felt. She was again reminded of her guardian (not the light kind). Alma reminisced what she could, before responding.

“I will run. You will run too.” she asserted, giving Tenet information about where she normally resides, and how to get there. “You and I will help each other on our thing.”

Alma was as close to imploring as she could be. Alignment with Lightborne felt too close to danger, too close to death. She didn't have a real grasp on what it meant for Tenet to have made an agreement and saw anything ideological as useless. The man's neutrality towards this human couldn't trump her fear of them.

Tenet nodded his head, affirming her decision to flee. There was a pang of something Tenet did not understand when the female Vile suggested they flee together. It echoed in the dark that embraced the two pale beings and seen reflected in his amber glow. “They will follow if I run. Hunt me. I can not flee. This is what imprison means” he explained solemnly. The girl didn’t have a solid concept of the notion. So, he explained it. “It means I do not have a choice anymore.”

“You do. Make sure the light never takes that from you. Prison is worse than death for ‘us’.” The older corrupted physically stood up and stepped close to Alma. He obviously still meant no harm as he gently took the cloak that she was still holding aloft in front her. He bent low as he opened the large piece of cloth and gingerly draped it around the girl’s small shoulders, pulling the hood up over her head.

In reality, it looked absolutely ridiculous. The cloth was meant for someone Tenet’s size. It looked as if Alma had been wrapped up in a big, bloodied blanket rather than a cloak but it was still better than being naked in daylight with no shadows around to seek cover in.

“Be safe, small one. Flee as soon as you can. This…” he indicated with a small shake to the cloak, “...will help protect from light.”

“...The lightborne have a strange saying. ‘Good luck’. It means they want things to go well for that person.”

Her eyes moved about trying to make sense of his explanation, trying to solve the problem she now felt she faced. Choice. He claimed she had it, but weighing the definition he presented she begged to differ. She's never had a choice, not any real choice. Just options between life and death. The lightborne kept her from civilization, the Darkborne from isolation. She's always lived at the mercy of another, reacting to their decisions, never making any of her own. Alma realized that she, by his definition, had never been free to begin with.

She thought deeply as Tenet dressed her in his cloak, breaking loose of her own thoughts as he pulled the hood over her head. The girl looked up at him, trying to figure out exactly what she was meant to do. The hood was oversized, making her have to pull it back to properly see him. Would she trade slavery with a friend for a lifetime as a prisoner to her own condition? Alma had never felt this measure of confusion, she'd been introduced to a higher perspective in such a short span of time.

The thought of them parting so quickly was horribly received. She saw Tenet as the personification of all these new feelings, thoughts, concepts. It made anything before this meeting feel empty, void of meaning and anything after, considerably worse. His experiences mingling with hers ruined her to the world, the single minded life she had lived prior was gone.

Alma looked deeply in Tenet's eyes, as if looking for something, deciding if her fear of Lightborne could be overtaken by the dread of living with something she'd never felt before.

Loneliness.

In this moment, it seemed it could. To lose this man who had introduced her to life beyond the feral was worse than to have never met him. She couldn't miss what she never had.
Though, it wasn't obvious to either of them yet, the decision had been made. Alma would follow Tenet on this quest to help the with the Lightborne’s thing.
It took her a moment to organize her thoughts, something Tenet would probably pick up on.

“It will never go well for you or me. I would prefer it to not go well, together.” She told him, closing the cloak around herself some. Her outlook on the world and “freedom” had darkened significantly. She saw the term as untrue to someone like her. “I was never free. Would rather be imprisoned together than imprisoned alone.”

The young woman’s own inner musings resounded deep within Tenet’s psyche as if they were his own. Of course they would. He knew precisely everything she was feeling, had felt, and possibly will feel. It was the same no matter where they went and they both knew that. But Tenet always exercised the freedom of choice. Regardless of whether she was a slave to survival or a slave to the lightborne, but the choice was hers to make.

Still, it rang wrong in the male’s head that she would willingly choose to step into his shoes…..

“Are you sure? This is…. It will not be pleasant, small one. It will be painful. They will shun us as they always have. Do you truly wish to do this?”

Of course, Tenet desired for her to stay and come along with him. In what world would he not? He did not ask her to come along because he did not want to subject her to what he was currently going through. For once, he understood the concept of selflessness. Perhaps…. This was what the mage woman was talking about earlier. He didn’t understand it completely and he would never do this for an entire civilization…. But for her? For HIS kind, if they were more of them out there? Perhaps that is why Margot felt the way she did. The lightkin were HER people after all. The pale one learned just as many things as Alma did in their short interaction.

Alma believed this was what she wanted. Want juxtaposed her instinct, a logical thought that the safer route should always be the one taken. Instead, she choose the more perilous one. Driven by what felt like a primal need for interaction, perhaps a remnant of the humanity from which she was formed. Awoken to the thought of life in solitude, the pain of persecution seemed lesser.

“Yes.”

Tenet grunted his affirmation. She had made her choice. The male Vile stood up straight and offered his corrupted hand to hers, allowing the darkness to slowly swallow him, becoming one with the dark once more. “Let us return quickly then so that the mage woman can explain and we aren’t killed on sight.”

They had both made similar discoveries; company lessened their strife, to some degree.
Everything took on a different light when faced with the option to go it alone or trust in another.
Everyone wants to belong.
Alma took hold of Tenet’s hand, her shadows all dissipating as she did. They weren't needed at the moment. She felt safe.
The girl followed suit, fading into darkness with him.

He enclosed them further into darkness and they both sank into the abyss of shadow. The large field of writhing shadows now seeming like a distant memory. Tenet gripped Alma’s hand firmly and led the way back to where the guardians were gathering. He did his best to keep out of the eyes of the public but it proved fairly difficult to do. Two Viles in one patch of shadow made it unbearably obvious. Tenet caused the shadows to become darker and writhe softly in his presence while Alma caused them to become even darker and give off smokey wisps, similar to Tenet while he was in combat. Normally, those wisps were hardly detectable but with their presence making the shadows several times darker….. The results were obvious.
Still, they managed to make it past the common populace and jump from guardian to guardian until they reached the sorceress and settled there. Her shadow appeared abysmal in nature, writhing, quivering, giving off black smoke and as black as a moonless night.

Alma took notice of something as they traveled. Firstly, the feeling of her heart traveling up and down her torso as they moved between the shadows of Guardians, like a rollercoaster where the drops were them rapidly closing in on another source of light. Besides the effect of being that close to light, the girl also took notice of something else. Thoughts not her own and not obviously Tenet's entered her mind, presenting themselves like his had. Alma probed at him to make sure they weren't his and found they weren't. It appeared she could tap into the space if personal thought when in the shadows of the mind in question, though this wasn't understood immediately.
What was happening and the process by which it was going on was a mystery to her.

‘I have returned, woman.’ he stated as if it wasn’t obvious. It was almost humorous how he announced that as if he hadn’t just brought a second, incredibly rare specimen of guardian to the table to tag along. Even if he was aware of it, it was obvious he didn’t care. The girl was there to stay and he wasn’t about to let any harm befall her if he had any say about it. Margot he protected because had to.

Alma was because he wanted to.

And that, meant everything to beings like The Vile.

Vyseryx Vyseryx @ everyone else too, I guess :/
 

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Audun the Fallen
a6066c1df78ef009ed3ecc1481f83547.jpg

Location: Frontierville - Town Square
Status: Rested
Disposition: Slightly Good
Interacting With: shadowz1995 shadowz1995 FTR FTR Kabboom Kabboom
Mentioned: Vyseryx Vyseryx
latest

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As he spoke to the main group, it appeared that Taryn had somehow disappeared among the workers despite her size. While looking for her, the paladin's attention was caught by the dead bodies hanging on the walls. It was nothing new to Audun, given his experience as a paladin, under the Church. Public executions were necessary, but to make a public display of this was unnecessary. Killing them was enough punishment for the robbers, but to hang up the bodies was a punishment for the entire town. The smell of death would attract disease bearing scavengers and the terror would bring the Darkborne. The mage's outburst only brought more righteous anger to Audun. They had saved these people, and even if they did steal, they deserved a second chance. A second chance that Audun so desperately wanted.

Audun took matters into his own hands. The Chaplain could reprimand Audun if he was able, but for Audun this would be one good act that could begin to make up for his...less than desirable behavior yesterday. With his sword, he cut down first the bodies. He called for a nearby soldier, "Cut down the rest of the bodies and take care of them. It would be preferable if you burned them, but if you can't, bury them. They've already been made an example of. Best to get rid of them before they start to rot. I'll deal with the Chaplain."

Walking towards the Chaplain, he felt Tenet's presence pass by him. Craning his head, he saw nothing but a shift in his shadow. Even then, Audun could clearly feel his presence rushing towards another part of town. The Vile sure seemed eager to go somewhere... or run away. No. He gave off no sense of fear, and there was little reason foe him to leave, especially when he would be promised freedom if he cooperated. Whatever the Vile did would have to be a concern for later. For now, the paladin stepped up to the Chaplain, easily towering over the mere man. "Chaplain Crimson! I'm taking the bodies down. The whole town knows what happens when they steal by this time. Leave the bodies, and we might have a plague in this village. I've seen it happen far too many times to not worry about it. I you wish to challenge me, Chaplain, I'll be happy to comply with a duel when I return."

"What a righteous soul you are, my paladin!" Taryn reappeared with a mocking smile on her face once the paladin walked away from the Chaplain. "Don't tell me that you're still on your whole quest for righteousness? That's a lost cause. You better off without those angel cu..."

Audun let himself use a bit of Dark magic on Taryn to shut her up. Entropy kept the air from exiting her lungs once he placed his hand on her shoulder. He won't let her mock his purpose on this world. Sometimes he really doubts why he still associates himself with the Hellion. He stopped after a few seconds, but the lack of air didn't seem to faze Taryn in the slightest. "You'd be wise to stay quiet while you're in public. Next time, I'll actually try to hurt you."

"Starting with the foreplay this early? You must really be exc..." Audun's armored hand covered Taryn's mouth and he gave her a death stare through his helmet. Though she couldn't see his eyes, she got the message. When Audun let go, she became much more serious, "All business now, I promise."

He waved her away and listened to the advice Jericho gave to the soldiers. Audun might have learned it himself long ago, but it never crossed his mind to use such tactics. His presence was enough to confuse most Darkborne, but with a group this large, he supposed it would be necessary. He scraped the dirt off his soles and flung it onto the wagons as the man had instructed and while he did so, he noticed that Tenet had returned. But there was another presence with him, on that was very similar. Audun perked up at the prospect of more beings that were like him, even if they didn't share the crushing guilt he felt from using the Dark. The new presence gave off more of a fearful aura, like one of a little child lost in a crowd, as opposed to one more of a predator. He stepped up to the smoking shadow and knelt down, offering a hand. "Don't be afraid, little one. I am like you and your friend...in a way."
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Gaheris Agramar

It wasn't everyday a giant woke up with a hangover- if they even knew what hangovers were. But it was at the very same table he had eaten on that Gaheris had fallen asleep. He'd been up late- painfully late, watching as every last tavern-goer left. It was a little thing leftover from his childhood, even before Marguerite's manor. The slave market was an unkind place, though it couldn't have been called xenophobic. No. The slave market he came from treated every race the same. Like dung stuck to the heel of a well-polished boot. As long as you were a slave, you weren't any better.
Gaheris dreamed heavily that night, hazed as he was from the copious amounts of ale.

"...ris. His name's Gaheris."

A voice. A familiar voice. Gaheris blinked his eyes open as he found himself back in his cell- unarmored, dressed in rags, and lacking his sword. Another voice entered. "Gaheris? Bah, Marguerite! Slaves don't need names. Especially not giants like these."
"Well, father, you'd still want to call him a name to make it easier. And I say, we go with the name the market slapped on him." Feminine voice. Gaheris turned and saw a young girl, dressed in fine clothes. There was a scowling man with his arms crossed just beside her, dressed in a well-pressed tunic. "Besides- doesn't the name Gaheris make him sound gallant?"

"Gallant! You jest, Marguerite. Giants are hardly ever gallant. Just look at him." The man motioned to him with disdain. "Filthy and stinking. Fool probably eats with his hands."

"Ah, my lord, he may not look like it but this giant can do so much..."

Gaheris could only wish he could speak at this moment. But it was like all knowledge of words was banished from his head- reduced him to the same slave he was back then. In this dream, he was no armored soldier- just a slave. He watched tirelessly as both men spoke, as if selling off a product.

Perhaps he was. After all, he'd lived in here practically all his life. Who even knew if he had a mother and father? And if he did, were they slaves as well? Slaves that decided to elope only to be sold off to the highest bidder?
"Such a sickening thought." The girl approached as her father continued to talk with the man. "Here now. I won't hurt you."

Not that she could- Gaheris was sure he could snap her dainty wrist in his crushing grip. Nevertheless, after a moment's hesitation, the girl laid a hand on his shoulder and he instinctively flinched. Contact was never good.
"Relax. I won't hurt you, remember? See?" The girl held her hands up. Sure enough, she was unarmed. No whips. No flails. Nothing.
Against his will, Gaheris relaxed. The girl put her hand on his shoulder again and smiled.

"Look at him. Just like a massive mutt." A man spoke as he passed, snickering. Gaheris could barely pay it any mind. All he could focus on was the gentle hand on his shoulder and the one thing he had been starved of, shining in the girl's eyes.
Kindness.

"...gramar!"

Gaheris awoke in a daze.

His head pounded- an aftereffect of all the drinking last night. His slave masters would have flogged him soundly for this. Then again, Gaheris couldn't blame himself. Back then, even just a sip would get him twenty lashes. What would several mugs amount to? He may as well be dead.
He already felt dead, with the neverending pounding.

"Get up, you big lug!" Gaheris looked up, and Karl's form came into view. The guardsman was out of his armor, surprisingly enough.

"...Nngh..."

"Remind me to never leave you alone in a tavern again. I forgot about you giants' gargantuan appetites." Karl frowned- nevertheless, Gaheris heard the familiar clinking of a plate in front of him. "I personally think the honeycake they make here is far too sweet, but it should douse your drunkenness."

Gaheris's stomach growled. He dragged the morning dessert closer. Karl had barely called the tavern server over to fetch a flask of water before the giant had practically swallowed it whole.

"So," Karl breathed. "We've all been assigned to one group, or at least that's what the messenger bird delivered to me."

"...Assigned?" Gaheris briefly looked over at Karl. The guardsman nodded. "They want us to tag along with the Guardians on their little...foray. And, well-- if we're going to be stuck together for the rest of the journey then I'd better be making a better impression on you both, though I reckon I've known Lyle longer than his wife did."

Gaheris nodded tiredly.

"Anyway. If you didn't know, then I'm Karl. Karl Ahlberg. The idiot sleeping upstairs is Lyle Blackburn. And you're-- Gaheris Agramar."

"..."

The giant gave a weak nod of the head. Karl nodded in response. "Good. Then I'd better...go wake Lyle." He said with a grimace. "Wish me godspeed."

"...Godspeed..."
No sooner than only a few minutes later, Gaheris was rushing up the steps at the sound of shouting.

"Fire and brimstone, Lyle! Calm down!"

"The Cerebrate! The battle--! Frontierville, Karl! Gods be damned, where is my spear?! Where-- Where are you?!"

This early in the morning, and Lyle was already going ballistic. Fantastic. Karl looked to Gaheris, his expression a mixture of ten different kinds of exhaustion. "Agramar," He groaned as he restrained his struggling comrade. "Knock some sense into him!"

Gaheris wordlessly stepped to Lyle's side, staring down at him as the guardsman continued to flail.

"Move...back..."

Karl moved a little out of the way as Lyle's eye refocused. As the guardsman turned to look at him, Gaheris braced his shoulder, twisted his body, and-- like a spring coming free--

THWACK!!!!

An armored and limp left arm smashed into Lyle's cheek. Lyle spluttered indignantly, taken aback by the sudden hit. Gaheris raised his voice, the sudden explosion of his words practically rattling the entire room with the force alone.

"SNAP...! OUT OF IT...!"

Lyle blinked- once, twice, and finally seemed to calm down...though he still appeared extremely annoyed. "Hero who stabbed out a Cerebrate's eye in the evening, reduced to being smacked by a giant in the morning." He said, begrudgingly. Gaheris stepped back and prepared to smack him again.

"N-No, no need for that." Karl diffused the situation. "Anyway, Lyle. We're going to be stuck with Agramar for a while so you may as well start dealing with him as you deal with me."

"Karl, the difference between you and Agramar is that he doesn't understand things as well as you do."

Karl crossed his arms over his chest. "Lyle, the difference between you and Agramar is that he can smack someone out of deliriousness and you can't."
The town hall didn't look any better than it had last night- at least, that's how it seemed, to a perfectionist giant like Gaheris. Though his cowl made sure no man could see his face, he winced. Had he been so caught up in battling the Cerebrate that he had forgotten about the people they were supposed to be protecting? The armoured giant let out a deep, rumbling noise from his hoarse throat, clearly displeased.

"Blood of the Empire," Lyle hissed. "I lose an eye, and the sight here's only makin' me want to gouge my good one out."

"I personally think the carpenters did a...fine job, trying to put it back together." Karl offered a crooked half-smile that betrayed his words.

"Look at you with that smile." Lyle deadpanned. "It's clear you're only complimenting it because you did something last night."

"I helped." Karl chuckled. "While you were in bed and Agramar was getting drunk."

"Drunk!" Lyle stared at the towering giant beside him. "By the gods, Agramar, do you know what trouble that'll get you into--?!" As he looked up to glare at Gaheris, the armoured giant simply turned his head- and Lyle forced himself to look away from the threatening void that was Gaheris's lack of a visible face.

"He's not a slave right now, Lyle. He's a soldier as much as you and I are--"

"--and you 'soldiers' better be hauling yourselves over here! After all--" A burly man, the one Karl had been helping last night, stepped over and stopped when he saw Lyle. "By the gods- is that the soldier who stabbed the Cerebrate's eye out?"

"Lyle Blackburn. That's me." Lyle mumbled. The bandages covering his lost eye only served to make him look more intimidating than he already was, but it was clear that he was still adjusting to the loss of vision. "Damn! That was some crazy decision you made out there. Though it's quite literally an 'eye for an eye' eh?"

"The hell did you say--" Gaheris brought his heavy hand down onto Lyle's shoulder to keep the guardsman from starting a fight. Tired as he was from the fighting- not to mention, the lingering effects of the ale that the honeycake hadn't doused in his brain-, the armoured giant didn't want to be getting into any fights this early. He already smacked Lyle earlier. He didn't want to have to bash him in the face with the flat of his greatsword and risk getting rid of the guardsman's good eye.

"Lyle! Inner voice." As Karl moved to prevent Lyle from doing any more harm, Gaheris let a heavy sigh pass from his lips. It ruffled the worn blue cowl he had been wearing. He briefly wondered about the people he had met the day he came here- the hunter, the druid, the strange snake...

"...Wonder..."

Though he wasn't the best at predicting coincidences, Gaheris had the strangest feeling that he'd be meeting more new faces- whether they be familiar or unfamiliar.

Either way, this wasn't anything new. At least, not to a former slave giant.
 
Spessartite Phos​

The mineral maiden had taken to residing just outside the inn room she procured for the girl, seeing as she still remembers other people need to sleep and do so better in a bed. She was in her resting state, taking time to absorb her energies from the network and bits of rock she had with her. The question she got a lot was if she ever slept, a question that she avoided usually because it poked at a question in her own mind about her humanity. Was it still there? Was something lost when she died beside her body? Was the pick head she stored in her body more of her then she was? Did she do something wrong to deserve this? Was the estranged stares and gawking a sign of her lack of humanity? Was it correct to react, as some do, with fear? The statue of a woman stayed still for hours, this depressing line of thought brought to a halt when the young elf came out hollering for her, bringing a small smile to her face.

I have a mission at least... and even the child is not afraid of me. I belong somewhere finally.

"....Hm Yeah Yeah 'm up naw. You 'nd I should go get ya sumthin' ta eat then talk to the man in charge.....oi I see you gotcha little buddy still, he takin a likin to ya?" Spess motioned the girl to follow, heading down if she did. Was the butterfly a shocking development to her? Not really, seeing as she stood still for hours and looked like rocks many animals and insects settle on her thinking she is just part of the scenery. Now did the butterfly on the child's head make Spessartite happy? Yes, yes it did.


-robert- -robert-
 
"And that's the gist of it~" Hildegarde finishes relaying all that she's overheard to the quiet man sitting just beside her. The two of them were perched on the roof of her rented house, giving them a good vision of the congregation at the town hall.

"A light that attracts the monsters and simultaneously kills them huh? Sounds like a rather difficult thing to carry off yet at the same time, it can probably help us carry it back to the capital." Erik wondered, keeping his attention focused on some new bone artefact he's started carving out. On the wall ramparts were the executed bodies of the locals accused of looting and robbing the slain soldiers. "I'm surprised you aren't hanging over there right now."

"They won't find anything on me. After all, I'm just a carpenter who just happened to lose an arrow cart." Hildegarde explains with a wink. "View not sitting too well with you Erik?"

"Not my village, not my problem." Erik sighed as he puts away his little hobby craft. "There was an old story back at Proud--something about the balance of light and darkness. Two sides of the same coin with one needing the other to survive."

"I think I remember a tale like that. Why do you bring it up though?"

"Perhaps the monsters only attacked because of the large number of Guardians in this place. How many sleepy, idle towns get attacked on a regular basis?" Erik mused. Hildegarde just gives an all-too knowing smile. "Yeah, I know. Just a theory."

"Thought you didn't care. Anyway, it's all the same. Grand heroics hardly get you anywhere anymore. They won't immortalize you in stone by killing ten, twenty or even a hundred monsters!" Hildegarde chuckled. "But I don't think this place is as hopeless as you think. Nor is it that big of a cesspool as that Chaplain was saying."

"Always looking at the bright side aren't you?"

"Maybe. Heroics often fly over people's heads nowadays. Especially if it doesn't really translate to lighter tributes or less demands and punishments. On the other hand--" Digging through her pockets, the odd lady produced a small pouch made of twine, letting out a soft jingling sound as she nestled it in her hand. "Humble, down-to-earth work that does nothing else but makes sure the locals have a good roof over their heads tend to fly better."

"Where the hell did you get that?"

"It's my salary. For helping with the town hall repairs." Hildegarde grinned. "Ah! I'm not sharing any with you if that's the reason why you're asking. You were off getting wasted in the bar while I worked my ass off!"

"I wasn't asking you to."

"Anyway--" Hildegarde leaps down from the roof, nimbly taking stepping on the wooden implements jutting out as decorative pieces for the windows until her feet touched the soft earth beneath. "Come with me."

"Where?" Erik asks, a little annoyed.

"To the smithy! I need to get my edges sharpened."

"You came all this way--and you still haven't gotten around to it?"

"It was always on my to-do list. I just got a little sidetracked establishing a small base of operations and oh, I don't know, picking up arrows and repairing beams?" Hildegarde explains.

"Tch! Fine." Leaping down from the roof, Erik begrudgingly follows his friend, keeping an eye out for any Imperial soldiers walking about. Both he and Hildegarde were in their travelling garb already after all.

"Just act natural Erik. No one's going to recognize a couple of nameless former soldiers with no renown like us. Besides, o'l Captain Sharky's probably dead by now anyway. Neither his heart nor his gut was working well last time we saw him a couple of years ago."

Erik finally manages a small grin upon recalling this memory. "True. Guy had always been a fat drunken bastard. Doubt he'd recognize us today even if he was alive. The likelihood of this artefact's power being true is greater than him showing up at the barracks actually sober."
 
Walking the streets a man could be seen, he looked like the incarnation of war, red armor, horns, and two mean looking axes. People in the streets made it clear he wasn't welcome, men would give him stern looks behind his back, women would whisper, most of them just stared. He didn't care it wasn't his job to be a paragon of justice or a humanitarian, his job was to kill things that were threats. The girl he was hired to protect was a different story, she wanted to help the people in frontier. Hand out supplies, administer aid, all that rah rah we're gonna help the people. Personally he didn't agree with it, why stick your neck out for a bunch of thankless people who will probably end up stealing all your shit come night. He'd seen it happen before and it will probably happen again to someone else. But it wasn't his choice to make she was going to do what she wanted to do. He was the insurance policy to make sure no one stole her things, he also was roadside protection, protection she in his mind desperately needed. He could charge exuberant amounts for his services but he took pity on her, he felt it was kind of wrong actually. Guess I'm the merc with the moral compass.

He ended his walk by the makeshift gallows, people were hanging, it was dour but the real problem was rats like to eat dead things and rats were a great disease vector. then a big man, not a man actually he had wings. What is a seraph doing on the ground? this perplexed him. There was also a woman in a shouting match with a chaplain of the church. Fucking church of light, what a bunch of ass holes but he was more interested in talking to the seraph, not every day you get to talk to an entire race with a holier-than-thou complex. He finally made it to the big angel "Sowhat is a winged messiah doing on the ground with a bunch of lowly humans?" He asked in a serious tone, if he was as dumb as he was big he wouldn't know it was sarcasm, Pat didn't really think where the seraph came from that they had sarcasm "You getting ready to save the world on our behalf?" Now there was an edge in his voice, he wanted to test the seraph, if he had been on the ground for awhile he would know Pat was joking, if not it was going to be real fun messing with him. A grin manifested under Pat's helmet.

QizPizza QizPizza
 
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latest

Audun the Fallen
a6066c1df78ef009ed3ecc1481f83547.jpg

Location: Frontierville - Town Square
Status: Rested
Disposition: Slightly Good
Interacting With: Midrick Midrick
Mentioned: Kabboom Kabboom (Chaplain Boi) FTR FTR
latest

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Audun turned his attention away from the Vile in front of him when another figure stepped up. The paladin stood up to his full height and dwarfed the man in the red armor. The man gave off a an aura of disdain and triviality. There were no shortage of people who hated the Church and those associated with them these days, especially with people like the Chaplain pulling these unnecessarily gruesome public executions. This particular one seemed to be challenging Audun, but the Nephilim was going to keep his self control. At the very least, he would have to keep up appearances while in his armor for as long as possible.

"So what is a winged messiah doing on the ground with a bunch of lowly humans? You getting ready to save the world on our behalf?"

"You waste your breath. You'll have to try harder if you want to provoke me. I have my reasons for being here. Reasons you won't understand. You can take your disdain for the Church up with the Chaplain. He'll most likely give you a much more interesting response and fairer fight."

divider.png
 
"Don't worry angel eyes, I'm just messing with you." So his head wasn't up his ass. This was good, this meant Pat could have a friendly conversation with him and figure out what the hell all these guardian types were doing in a fronteir town. Although he was on another job, the empire and the church would probably pay a lot more. Although if these 'guardians' were trying to find something that could end the darkspawn maybe a sliver of his old self wanted to truly help, but that part of him was buried deep underneath violence, anger, and pain. He wanted to snort at the comment of the holier-than-thou chaplain but it was better to see what the paladin was capable of before Pat started fights he didn't know the outcome of. "So what's with all of these 'guardians' as you call yourselves, I know that there was an attack last night but geez, does that really warrant a small platoon?" it was strange, darkspawn were dangerous but one or two the guards could handle. He popped of his helmet revealing his slightly scarred face. He extended his hand out toward Audun "Sorry, if I came off a little abrasive just a way of feeling people out." He looked over and noticed a very beautiful woman close to Audun "She you're girlfriend or something?" He nodded in her direction, not everyday you see two people who aren't giants standing two feet over you. "Any chance you and your friends would be looking for someone to join your merry little band of killers? I also know a person who is real good ar patching up hurt people." He was sure Silvera wouldn't mind, just more people to help.
QizPizza QizPizza FTR FTR

 
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Margot

While talking to druid, Margot has very carefully observed Tenet’s mind, who was curiously moving away from her. It took all of sorceress’s willpower, to not show Sashi any of the shock, that Margot underwent, when she saw the other Vile through the mind link. She was about to start cursing at the gods themselves, for bringing another one of those on her head, but then something changed.

Margot felt a wave of fascination, when Tenet’s mind, first time since they linked, showed some signs of normal human emotion – his thoughts for a second became soft, the situation he was in intimate and… private. All of a sudden Margot blushed heavily, realising she had been spying on another sentient being without their knowledge – a feat her master would certainly be proud of.

‘I will not be like her,’ the sorceress felt determination filling her body. To differentiate from Lazareth, to ditch every single one of the disgusting habits Arcanist had imbued into her mind. With a quick modification to spell, Tenet’s mind would now only show sorceress thoughts directed at her.

‘I am back, woman’ Margot had soon heard, as twin shadows came back into her field of vision. For any eye seeking for irregularities, they stood out as a sore thumb.

‘Perfect,’ the sorceress answered, waving a spell behind her back. ‘I loosely assume we are taking her with us? If so, I need her join our mind-talk, and behave more or less as I comm… suggest.’

A plan to integrate Viles into the group had slowly been taking shape in the sorceress’s head.

shadowz1995 shadowz1995 FTR FTR
 
‘She is able to hear and speak through me.’ Tenet replied to Margot as if what he had just said was completely normal. Like it was completely natural that they could share a mind, similar to how the darkborne do. Separate but unified at the same time. It was…. Odd and indescribable but comfortable. So as the guardians started gathering, the shadows pulled in tighter in an attempt to keep the two of them secure. It didn’t help when Audun decided to approach, having sensed the two entities within and being familiar with one.


Alma had been rushed with a several thoughts and feelings foreign to her the moment they entered Margot's shadow. Just as the others. Yet, this one felt strangely more intimate, like the thoughts weren't trivial.

There was a measure of shock initially, aimed at her; or her presence, anyway. Though it wasn't obvious to Alma that it was to do with her specifically, she did sense it coincide with her arrival in the mage's shadow. She was still wrapping her head around the notion she could experience the musing of others.

Margot's internal conflict, however, helped Alma start to put two and two together. The mage woman thought directly of Tenet at first. Something to do with a shift in his mind frame. Alma hadn't paid much mind to the change in Tenet, having been much more preoccupied in the one she was recently facing. Besides it had been made clear the feelings were mutual, for the most part. She did notice that Lightborne felt emotions so much more potently than vile, it was honestly almost vexing. The mage was experiencing a bit of dissonance between her actions and some kind of ideology she held. There was mention of another human and reminiscing of their past together, but Alma's attention was more focused on the matter that she could feel this human’s thoughts and emotions. They were deep and cumbersome, she had a hard time understanding them.

These things became background noise as a very clearly Lightborne creature came close to them, saying something unintelligible to her, in the tongue of humans it seemed. Though, this thing was not human. A darkness emanated from him, one she felt was unfamiliar. Simultaneously, remnants of him being of a light-based foundation were just as evident. Alma couldn't understand the man and didn't want to, she was glad when his attention was taken by another.

The girl would do as Tenet did, she felt that went without saying and not just because they shared a mindspace. What the human commanded was irrelevant to her.


The male Vile experienced something akin to humor as Alma tried to piece together the words that were being thrown back and forth. While he himself rarely understood every word that was said, he could understand the general direction of the conversation. ‘The big one merely said to not fear him.’ He explained softly. ‘Though, he is not one to fear. We must be cautious of the others.’ Tenet’s thoughts were specifically directed at Maria and Margot, the shadowy being labeling them as the most dangerous of the current group. The seraphim was certainly a powerful being but the Vile somehow doubted that he would turn his lance on them, being of similar blood. Tenet was not ignorant of the risks, as Audun had explained the previous night, but Audun was, so far, the only one Tenet felt he could ease his guard around.


“She….wants….away….from….you….” Margot’s shadow said, the voice distorted with the malefic dark and hard accents of one harshly unfamiliar with the language.

literally literally everyone says everyone is here.
Vyseryx Vyseryx QizPizza QizPizza
Specifically you two
 
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