Fantasy The Skylands of Novahlis

[Savader]

With all the commotion going on down at the ground floor of the castle, the corridor that Jack was currently walking through was rather empty and void of life. The occasional maid or servant would quickly scamper past him, paying no heed to the uninvited guest that was strutting about as though he justly belonged. Jack found that somewhat amusing, although he understood how a large and fiery explosion of unknown origin could steal the attention of anyone nearby. That said, he couldn't help but laugh at how easily fooled the guards were. If they hadn't already figured it out when they couldn't spot anyone on the ship before it crashed into the side of the castle, then surely they would have realized by now that there was an intruder in the castle...


"Hah! Dumbasses..." said Jack, bellowing out his thunderous scoff in regards to the kingdom's shoddy security. Just then, however, a group of three guards came running from around the corner to prove Jack wrong -- all of whom immediately skidded to a stop, sliding past Jack upon noticing his unfamiliar face. Jack, hands still in pockets, kept walking as though nothing were wrong. The leader of this trio of guards, however, was not so easily fooled...


"Halt!" shouted the knight. "You, with the sunglasses! Identify yourself!" After being addressed so directly, Jack had no choice but to stop in his tracks and turn around to face the knight who was clearly in charge. He turned partway to face him, although not directly, and gave the three guards a raise of his eyebrow.


"Hmm...?" hummed Jack, giving his own chest a point with his finger, as though they might be talking to someone else. "Me?"


"Yes, you!" said the knight. "Do you see anyone else with blue-tinted sunglasses?" Jack wore a look of ignorance on his face as he took a moment to look around the hall, searching for whether or not there might be another person with the same sunglasses as him. Finally, he brought his gaze back to the guards and shook his head lightly as he gave them a shrug.


"Nope, I sure don't." said Jack. The leader of the trio showed his annoyance with Jack's antics immediately, and moved toward him, halberd raised in a threatening manner, upon which the two other guards beside him chose to raise their own swords out of alert.


"You dare act a fool before an Otanis Knight?!" shouted the proud knight, resting the tip of his halberd's blade just under Jack's chin. "I order you to identify yourself!"


"Ah, right, right!" said Jack, a smile forming on his face. "I'm Jack," Giving them a nod, he raised a single hand in greeting. "And who are you~?"


"Jack..." said the knight, pausing for Jack to finish the line for him.


"Huh? Oh! No, it's just Jack." The knight gave him a confused look as he lowered his hold on the halberd for a moment, wondering what this strange man was up to.


"Blasphemy -- every man, woman and child has a first and last name. Now I order you again to give forth your own!" The knight quickly regained his demeanor and pressed the blade of his halberd up against Jack's neck, which Jack instinctively leaned back from a bit, his hands raised in way of surrender.


"Whoa... Careful with that thing! Someone might get hurt..." Jack said this with an apparent worried look on his face.


"Enough games, heathen!" growled the knight, anger clear on his face. It was obvious that this particular man was not so ready to be had by Jack's silly antics. "I'll give you one last chance to identify yourself before I remove your head from your shoulders!" Jack's expression changed from worry to confidence. His lowered brow and wicked grin sent a chill through the air as he spoke these next words...


"I told you already, didn't I?" he said, staring straight into the knight's eyes. "My name is Jack..."


It took the knight a moment to register what this man was implying, and immediately after realizing what he was trying to say, he decided to take no chances by quickly thrusting his halberd forward, aiming for Jack's trachea. This, having been easily anticipated by Jack, proved to be ineffective, as Jack had slid out of the way and to the side, as though his body were made of water, before taking a couple of cautionary steps backward.


"KILL THE INTRUDER!!!" shouted the knight, ordering his men to take up arms against what would likely be the most dangerous adversary they would ever come to face, as he mirrored Jack's back pedal. Crying out with gusto, the two other guards charged forward, swords held above their heads. Jack simply gave them a smirk and took a single step toward them. The two of them were rookies at best -- their lack of strategy proved this, and Jack would be sure to exploit it. Both guards, having simultaneously tried to attack one target at the same pace, were easily passed by. Again, like water, Jack slid between them straight down the middle in a blur of motion as they swung their swords down. As Jack lunged forward, he managed to lock his arms with each guard's own. If time could be stopped for a single instant, this picture would appear to be giving off the slight impression that the guards were dragging Jack off to jail from either side. However, given Jack's confident smirk; it was made clear that Jack was the one in control of this grapple. As soon as he planted his forward foot down onto the marble floor, with his rear foot acting as an origin point for the following technique, the two guards were defeated...


One moment it seemed that the castle's intruder would be slain on the spot. The next, both guards were pulled off their feet and spun like ragdolls. The heels of their boots dragged across the marble floor as Jack pivoted at the center, stirring up dust in the form of a circle around him and the two idiots he was swinging. When he was finished with this quick, two-step movement, both guards were let go -- the momentum of the reversal forcing them to switch places, where they immediately slammed into either wall of the corridor opposite each other. They gave out a yelp of surprise and obvious pain, and slid to the ground, their consciousness soon leaving them stranded.


Jack straightened his position out once again, appearing as he did before his interception of the two guards, a smile still on his face as he dusted his pants off. There was no time to dilly-dally, however, as the knight who was leading the KO'd duo was already on the move to take Jack down himself.


"RAAH!!" he cried, lunging forward with another thrust of his halberd, aiming straight for Jack's face. Jack merely bobbed his head out of the way, returning to his peculiar water-like movements displayed just previously. "DAMN YOU!!" Not giving up, the knight maintained a perfect stance as he kept a rhythm of strikes flowing forward. But this proved to be a fruitless endeavor, as Jack was effortlessly sliding out of the way of each thrust, his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets as he bobbed and weaved -- his calm smile never leaving his face. "GRAAHH!! STAY STILL, YOU LITTLE SHIT!!" Now more than frustrated, the knight began to over-compensate his strength to try and out-maneuver Jack's speed, which ended up making matters worse for the proud knight. Now panting from fatigue, the knight's actions began to slow. However, he wasn't about to give up. He was determined to land at least one strike on the son of a b*tch who dared to break into the king's castle, and worse yet -- the princess's sector... Wait, the princess! So that's what this was about! The knight was sure of it now, as he continued lunging after Jack, who kept dodging. "I KNOW WHY YOU'RE HERE, MONSTER!!" he shouted, never once letting up his advances.


"Oh, is that a fact?" said Jack, mockingly, as he opened his eyes slowly while still dodging around.


"YOU'RE HERE FOR HER, AREN'T YOU!!" he shouted again, now beet red in the face and sweating profusely. "WELL I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HER, YOU HEAR?! I SWEAR IT ON MY LIFE; YOU! WILL! NOT! HAVE! HER!!!" As the knight screamed this at his enemy with every thrust of his halberd, Jack's expression fell from one of amused play to something of a quizzical scowl as he took in the words of the knight.


"Hmph..." sighed Jack, now taking a large step back, breaking the focus of the knight, who had been used to the previous distance for far too long. Eyes widened in surprise, the knight almost fell forward with the weight of his last thrust. This gave Jack an excuse to end this pathetic excuse for a fight. With yet another quick step forward, Jack turned to the side and slid down the length of the knight's halberd, stopping halfway to wrap his right arm around the dark wood staff like a snake on a tree branch. This startled the knight, who put his full weight behind him in an attempt to free the halberd by pulling it right out from under Jack's armpit and, hopefully, remove his opponent's arm from its body. However, this proved to be impossible as Jack's vice-like grip over the halberd's staff left the weapon immobile. The knight struggled further and grunted as he tried to free his precious halberd, no longer even thinking about how much danger he was currently in, what with having no means to defend himself against an enemy as close as Jack. It was then that Jack chose to bend the elbow of his arm that was still snaked around the knight's weapon, flexing his bicep to add pressure to the technique.


"GAH!!" exclaimed the knight, surprised. In one swift motion, the knight's halberd was instantly destroyed. The sound of wood splitting filled the air as the staff handle snapped in two, the force of which sent the knight reeling backward from his previous attempt at pulling the weapon free. The bladed end of the halberd was still tucked underneath Jack's armpit, pointing out from his back. His grip now adjusted to the new length of the weapon he stole, Jack then made one final lunge toward the knight, who was still recovering from the disarm. Without hesitation, Jack brought the splintered end of the halberd straight into knight's center. A hollow, metal sound rung in the hall as the knight's armor was dented into his solar plexus, knocking all the air out of his lungs. "G-GUH-HUuhhhhh...!!" With the will to fight effectively knocked from his body, the proud knight slumped to his side, a tear of failure finding its way out of his eyelid as his consciousness faded into darkness.


After a moment of silence in the hall, Jack let the broken halberd fall from his clutches; the sound of wood and steel clattering against marble resounding in the immediate area. Not taking his eyes off the knight collapsed on the floor in front of him, Jack took out a cigarette, scowling in thought as he squinted his eyes while lighting his fresh cancer stick. Blowing out the first puff of smoke with a small "hmph", Jack smiled at the unconscious knight. However, this wasn't akin to his usual, cocky smirks, but rather one of approval. He gave the proud knight's determination a nod and looked over his sleeping form, towards the large broken window. Taking another puff, he turned halfway around and looked down the hall he was originally heading, and reached a brief conflicting thought: which way do I not want to go?


However, that thought would be answered by someone other than Jack...


"Wha--!" sputtered a guard, who had come around the same corner as the last three.


"Hmm?" hummed Jack, turning his attention to the lone man.


"I-I-INTRUDER!!!" exclaimed the guard. He was now shaking with obvious fear. First day newby?


"Heh," chuckled Jack, turning to face the guard now. "You want some to, eh? Alright, bring it on, buddy!" Jack gave the young man an inviting nod while his hands were still in his pockets. It was then, however, the lone guard was greeted by the comforting sight of fellow guards. Four of them, to be exact. Jack laughed at this. "Hell yeah! NOW we're talkin'!" Upon saying this, Jack brought his hands out of his pockets and began cracking the knuckles of one with the palm of the other. Before he could start on the other hand, however, five more guards showed up to back up the initial five. Jack's expression lightened a bit as he saw this, but shrugged it off as nothing he hasn't dealt with before. But then ten became eighteen... And eighteen became... "............." Jack was speechless. His jaw dropped slightly, his cigarette falling between his fancy shoes. He couldn't take his eyes off of all thirty of the guards that seemingly came out of f*cking nowhere.


"Ha... Haha...! YEAH!!" shouted the original guard, feeling brave now that there were 29 of his friends there to back him up. "HOW D'YOU LIKE THEM APPLES!!" Jack closed his mouth as his face fell into a blank expression while he held up a finger before responding with the only response possible...


~~~


Around ten minutes later...


~~~


A few floors above and a couple of halls away from the broken window, a young maid was humming a soft tune as she swept the long rug of the corridor, appearing as though she were having a wonderfully quaint time cleaning up for someone else. Unfortunately, her merry attitude was then interrupted by the sound of what she thought had to be a thousand thundering footsteps heading her way. She turned just in time to see a young man with blond hair and askew blue-tinted sunglasses, dressed in rather handsome attire running for dear life as more than fifty guards were chasing after him without the slightest hint in giving up.


"AAAAHHHH!!!" shrieked Jack as he flew down the corridor like a man on fire. "DON'T YOU GUYS EVER GIVE UP!?!!" He shot straight past a pretty young maid, who followed his blur with her head, a concerned look on her face as he and his pursuers trampled down the hallway, dirtying up the rug once more, until they finally rounded a corner and disappeared from sight altogether.


"Hmm..." pondered the young maid, bringing a finger to her chin out of thought before speaking with a soft voice. "I wonder what that was all about... They were heading in the direction of Miss Cher, too... Hmmm... Oh!" Her train of thought was then cut off once she realized she needed to redo all her previous work in this hall. "This is no time for daydreaming, Fionna! You have work to do!" she said in he third person, a worried look on her face as she hurried to get back to cleaning what she had already cleaned, voicing frantic moans and groans as she tried to make up for lost time...

 

[SkyGinge]

Deadeye disappearing behind him, Whiskey continued to read the most wanted list. Most of his contemporaries, it seemed, were unfamiliar thuggish figures, figures he had no doubt he could trump in any level of criminality. Course, I'd 'ave to 'ave that motivation. Not much thrill in wasting years chasing illegal skirts, best a job left to the government sardines.


He chuckled once again to himself at the ridiculousness of a criminal checking out his own price in public. Of course, he looked nothing like the crude caricature that depicted him to the public; a half demon, half robot, cackling figure that fitted well in with the thugs around him. That be the power of truth and perceptions, aye. Our precious leaders 'ave to depict their mortal enemies as monstrous, immediately evil fiends, lest the public decide to sympathise with our cause. Presently dressed in standard market attire, Whiskey fitted into the crowds like a doubloon into a wallet. In fact, the only thing that might have given him away was his trademark hat, half metallic blue. But amongst hoards of eccentric salesmen, even that was forgotten.


Makes me think, Whiskey mused, If I were to leave the lads then I could make a living as a bounty hunter for these lovely fellows. He grinned as fantasies of the huge monetary sums he would earn flooded through his mind. That way, I could gain the bounty and simultaneously rob me rich employers silly! Double duped, I love it! Once again, Whiskey's large body shook with violent laughter, and a lady in an expensive looking floral dress and similarly ridiculous hat gave him a sharp glare as she passed. With a cheery tip of the hat, he bade her good day.


Well then, just for the fun of fantasies, let's inspect further these 'dastardly villains'. Unsurprisingly, 'The Last Jack' topped the list, as he had for as long as Whiskey could remember. Yet unlike most, Whiskey had the privilege of being an acquaintance of the elusive criminal. Whiskey's grin grew more subtle as he reminisced over his chance encounter with Jack. He wondered where the man was now, what he was up to...

 

[Savader]

The castle guards still hot on his tail, Jack skids around the corner of the corridor he's running through. He's certainly quicker than the men lugging around all that extra weight in armor, but what they lack in speed they make up for in determination; it was obvious to Jack that they didn't plan on giving up the chase anytime soon. This made things particularly troubling for dear old Jack, as he wanted to refrain from stirring up too much trouble while he was in Otanis. If word ever made it past the kingdom's borders, it would surely reach the ears of the government, and that was the last thing he needed to deal with on a job.


Fortunately for Jack, the mob of guards were a good ways behind him, so whenever he rounded a corner, they wouldn't do so themselves until he made it halfway down the next hall. That was when he had a rather simple and very obvious idea...


The guards saw the corner up ahead, knowing full well that the intruder would surely remain to be a comfortable distance from them once they finally rounded the corner, as much as it frustrated them that they couldn't catch up with the criminal. It was then, however, when they heard what sounded like a couple of gunshots hitting glass before said glass shattered. This made them wary, as the Princess' chambers were in the hall ahead. It had been years since the King ordered a pair of guards to keep watch outside the young Lady's door, as she eventually gave up on escaping the confides of her housing when she finally came to understand how dangerous the outside world could truly be. It was proving now that this may have been a horrible mistake, as whoever this man that was currently running throughout the castle halls was, there was a definite possibility that he might harm the princess...


Now ready for a possible hostage situation involving the most valuable person in the kingdom (next to King Otanis himself, of course), the guards made it around the corner fully prepared to come to an immediate halt, should the hooligan choose to use Miss Cher as a shield -- the coward... However, what they witnessed in place of that incorrectly assumed scenario, was instead an utterly empty hallway.


"Wh-What...!?" one of the guards shouted, signaling to the men and women behind him to split their ranks in half; the guards furthest from the back would remain stationary while the numbers at the front continued forward, in case this was some kind of trap or illusion set up by the fleeing culprit. When the men and women at the front reached the end of the hallway, they noticed the large window that took up residency of the wall at the end just after the turn was blown out, and there was no sign of anyone to left and down the next corridor, giving the impression that the intruder must have shot out the window before leaping out of it in an attempt to escape in the most outrageous of ways... "DAMN HIM!!" shouted the guard that was currently in command of the mob. "He couldn't have gotten far! You lot; continue following this path down to the next hall -- you five head down to the ground floor and alert the nexus of the intruder's appearance and the likelihood that he may have escaped to the grounds outside!" he shouted at separate numbers of the mob, splitting them up with various different tasks. "The rest of you; with me! We're going to check on the princess -- make sure that scum hasn't harmed her in any way..." With a nod, he and around 5 others began jogging back the way they came, heading for the large wooden door that was placed halfway down the hall.


At the other side of this wooden door stood the intruder those guards were so eagerly pursuing. And he wasn't excited to hear that they were smart enough to cover all their bases...


"Huh?" questioned Jack as he pulled his ear away from the other side of the door he shoved himself through, never having even bothered to realize what room it was. "Princess...? What princess--" Jack cut himself off as he turned around, confused. What met his eyes was something that he wasn't expecting to see; something that left him without words while he truly began to question his luck...


~~~


Elsewhere in Otanis, on the jungle island far off to the East...


~~~


Enduring the smothering humidity of the thick and lush jungle, a large team of hard workers were currently excavating an incredible pile of rubble and ruin, somewhere at the center of the island. The excavation site was where a magnificent temple once stood only a year in the past. Due to a series of unfortunate events, something caused the temple to collapse in on itself, burying its history and secrets beneath its crumpled stone and mortar. For the past year, these workers were exhausting themselves day in and day out, out of duty to the king who gave the order of the temple's immediate restoration.


Finally, a year after their job began, they were finally nearing the completion of their first task: clear a path down to the entrance, which led underground to the temple's deepest caverns. Unfortunately, this was the only way to reenter the temple before it was restored to its former glory, and the king wished to ensure the prized history within its confounds safe and unharmed by any possible damage that might have been caused due to the collapsing of its body. King Otanis was personally overseeing the last few days of excavation, as he was informed that the entrance would be uncovered any day now. This day was no exception, and the king was eagerly looking forward to today being that awaited day.


King Otanis was a giant of a man. Standing at maximum height, he easily breached 7 feet. Despite being someone as note worthy as a "king", he had the muscle mass of a behemoth hiding behind his fancy royal clothing. His arms were the size of barrels of ale, and his hands large enough to crush cannonballs. Whether or not he could actually do that, however, was left for the people to speculate. In addition to his monstrous size, a rather respectable fiery orange, scruffy beard lay itself down across his chest, reaching the center of his solar plexus. It was apparent the beastly king was getting on in years, despite the youthful air he gave off, as lengths of silver could be seen in several locations throughout his mane. His nose was crooked and his eyes a grey blue that appeared to have seen things no man has seen before. Again, though, this is all just speculation given by the people of Otanis -- mostly by those who have nothing better to do than to spread exciting rumors about their benevolent king.


Our king was enjoying some relaxation under the protection of his tent located not far from the excavation site, when a boy -- no older than 16 or 17 years of age -- came bustling into the cool tent, out of breath and in serious need of hydration. The king, who was in the middle of overseeing the future blueprints of what the restored temple would look like, shifted his eyes from the parchment before him to the boy standing ready to collapse at any given moment in front of his desk. Shooing away his personal servants who were currently cooling him off and pouring him wine, he focused his full attention on the lad, noting him to be one of the messengers from the castle.


"Well?" asked the king in a deep and kingly voice after about a minute or so, believing that enough time for the young messenger to catch his breath. "What is it, boy? You have some pressing news for me, do you?" Before he could finish the question, the boy had already began forcing his jelly-made legs to move his body toward the king, holding out the sealed envelope in his thin fingers to the king.


"An urgent summons for your immediate attention, Sire..." said the messenger, still breathing heavily as he speaks. King Otanis looked back and forth between the boy and his envelope as he reached over the desk to receive it, before finally sitting back in his throne-like chair, tearing off the seal and quickly reading the letter. "The castle has apparently been sacked by an unknown intruder--"


"I can READ, boy... Believe it or not, I can read..." bellowed the king in his usual low, earthy tone as his eyes flitted over the cursive writing printed on the parchment. In response, the messenger merely lowered his head in apology, remaining in the 'cadet' stance; his arms placed respectfully behind his back as he awaited his king's order or orders. The king re-read the letter three more times to be sure he had every detail before setting it on his large table. Finally, he began writing his own words on a fresh piece of parchment. "You are to return to the castle with haste... Let my advisers know that they are to command the City Watch to search the kingdom for any other suspicious person or persons, in the likelihood that this... intruder," he paused, looking up at the boy for a moment before going back to his writing. "is not working alone. My daughter, Cher, is to be protected above all else; I want the king's guard to be on full alert. The embassy must be notified at once to employ the talents of the Dragon Knights to aid in the hunt for this man." He finally finishes writing his letter faster than he can tell the boy what is essentially now written within it, folding it neatly before applying hot wax over its connecting edges, stamping it with his seal of approval and handing it over. "As well as what I have already told you -- no ships are to be allowed in or out of the country without a direct certificate of authenticity by order of the king; any who should disobey this command shall be shot down or detained without exception, save for the ranks of the government."


"Of course, Sire -- right away, Sire!" replies the messenger. "Would there be anything else you ask of me, my King?"


"Yes," said King Otanis, standing up as he walks over to a list of bounty pictures tacked onto a board in the corner, scribbling a little something at the edge of one bounty ad that the boy can't make out from where he stands. "Let the kingdom's forces within the castle know that they are dealing with someone incredibly dangerous and very cunning... A bad omen manifested in human form," He pauses, removing one picture in particular, rolling it up into a thin tube before tying it off with a special red ribbon housing his kingdom's coat of arms, and quickly walking over to a shelf with many small cages. "They are ordered to kill this man on sight, as we are being attacked by none other than the world's most renowned criminal..." He opens the cage to one of his many messenger birds, tying the rolled up bounty onto the bird's leg before opening a flap at the back of the tent's wall, letting the creature free to the skies. Finally, the king turns back to face the messenger with a rather scary look on his face. "The Last Jack of all Trades has come to play within our quiet kingdom..."


Leaving the events on the jungle island, in the kingdom of Otanis, behind, the messenger bird flies higher and higher up into the blue skies, carrying the implied warning and added message "Your favorite boy has come out of hiding..." -- which was heading for but one location: its owner's roost, within the country that houses the heart of the World Government... The great and powerful nation of Xera.

 

[Endless Love]

Of all the things in the world for Cher to see, there was a young blonde lad standing in her room, his hair slightly ruffled, and he looked as if he had been running. Cher was unsure whether to scream, or to run as far away from him as possible. So she did neither.

Instead, she brought herself to say something. What was usually a light and smooth voice sounded more high pitched and squeaky. "Who are you?" If he had not been watching her, Cher would have cringed at her cracked voice. She was actually somewhat brave when she wanted to be, and did fairly well under situations other girls her age might find stressful. But not today.She had not been prepared like she normally was.

She didn't bother to move, only pursed her lips slightly and gave a disapproving look. "Guards!" She shouted, finally coming to the realization he was an intruder. It was never normal to see guests in her room without her being warned at least an hour in advance. Especially not a boy anywhere near her age. He didn't look like the type to visit her anyway.

Cher moved backwards in her seat, the disapproving look never leaving her face, her eyes never leaving his. If he had gotten this far, he was dangerous. After all, what safe, normal, harmless person could get through the king's guards without a scratch? "S-stay back." Cher warned, praying silently that the guards would barge in and seize him. "I..I'll.." Quickly, Cher grabbed a floor lamp and held it in front of her. "I'll use this."​

 

[Savader]

Jack stood rooted to his spot, not even 2 feet from the door he barged through, as he stared back at the young woman with eyes almost as wide as hers. He was unsure what to make of the current situation as he heard heavy footsteps crowding around outside what was apparently this fair maiden's living quarters. The young adventurer smirked to himself when his thoughts first described her as a fair maiden, allowing him to snap back to his usual demeanor. The girl was certainly beautiful, but she didn't seem to fit the "fair maiden" category, despite her obvious high status and luxurious placement within the castle. The possibility of the woman being royalty was very high; the guards' earlier words from outside the room supporting the notion.


Jack began to step to the side, not taking his eyes off of the girl as she stuttered about, clearly surprised by the sudden appearance of what she wisely understood to be a dangerous person. He moved as if circling his enemy, but felt absolutely no killing intent from the princess, thus seeing her as harmless. He simply felt that caution was his best weapon in this particular situation, not wanting to spook her. Sadly, it was already too late for that...


"I wouldn't worry too much about who I am, sweetheart..." he said, taking his eyes off her for a moment to glance up at the stairs off to the right of the doorway, which appeared to lead up further into the incredibly tall tower. He figured this floor was the living area for the girl, judging by the fireplace, coffee table, sofa and other common household comforts. But if this was true, that likely meant this tower served as some sort of pseudo home for the girl. Why waste an entire tower on one woman? he thought. Daughter of the king or not, this was a bit over the top. "I don't plan on staying long. But I'm sure I'll make a rather handsome memory, if nothing else..." Jack moved his eyes back down to the girl, trailing off just as she suddenly shouted for the guards, which made Jack flinch and half duck his head out of reflex as he snapped his eyes to the side, looking at the door whilst half-expecting the entirety of the castle's ranks to come bursting through it on command.


Hunching over slightly and moving a bit closer to the princess, he holds out his hands in an apologetic, almost pleading manner. "Wait...! Just--" he stutters, shifting his eyes back and forth from the girl and the door, bringing his voice to a low volume. "Hang on a sec, lady! I--" The next moment, she quickly took up arms with a... Yup, that's a floor lamp alright. She claimed she was ready to use it, which made Jack stand up straight again, a little puzzled by her weapon of choice; his earlier attempts at trying to stay quiet forgotten for the brief moment of hilarity that ensued as he raised a confused eyebrow at the lamp. "Use it for...what, exactly? A shadow puppet display...?"

 

[Flare]

As Aero made his way across the rooftops of the city, he heard a thunderous sound from an explosion that erupted from somewhere. He looked in a panic all around him, searching for the site of the sound. Could it be another attack, but why another so soon? He turned his gaze over his shoulder and finally saw the large pillar of smoke bellowing from the castle. "An attack on the castle? Now of all times, doesn't anyone realize that this will make everything for everyone worse! It could start an all out war!"


As Aero screamed at the castle in the distance from the rooftops, he saw large groups of guards heading towards the castle. "Reinforcements, but what if it's someone just trying to make ends meat.." Aero hung his head and sighed. He took a long stride after another and started leaping across the rooftops towards the castle. He climbed the local area's bell tower to get a better look at the surrounds of the castle. Guardian air ships were circling in, but they didn't seem to notice him yet. As an airship came close the the tower Aero leapt onto the deck, and grabbed one of the three guards into a sleeper hold. Putting him onto the ground gently Aero let out a soft groan, "Oh, guys! Help, I don't feel so well." He said dashing and jumping off the side of the ship hanging from the rail out of sight. Once one of the other guards came over Aero pulled himself up leaping from the rail and brought his heel down onto the shoulder of the guard, right where the armor separates to allow movement.


Aero made his way to the cock pit and incapacitated the third guard and finally took control of the vessel. Alright, with a patrol ship, I can land in the hanger, maybe even change into some armor, find this amateur their, and fix this mess. Aero flew the ship around until he spotted the Air ship dock/ guard's barracks. Aero grabbed pieces of armor from the guards, until he had a set of loose fitting, and mismatched wear on the pieces. His gloves were almost three shades darker than his chest plate. He hid the bodies of the three men in some prevision barrels, and continued on his way.


He walked normally, trying not to bring attention to himself. "Jeez, I haven't been inside the castle since I got lost in the town catacombs. That entrance was in the main garden, right? I'll use that to escape." Are said out loud without realizing. A door to his right opened, and a few guards stepped out, one bellowed "Solider! What in the seven hells are you doing still in the barracks! We need all personal to the main house to protect the king!" Aero's expression under his helm changed from normal to excited, a large smile came to his face and he answered eagerly to the guard, "Yes sir! I will take the king's life into my own hands and ensure it falls to no one else's!" The guard that had called for him, with his helmet off seemed pleased to hear this, even though Aero's true intention was verbally displayed, the context hid his words well. The three guards walked back into the door and sent Aero on his way. In a sprint Aero hurried to the main house just east of the barracks. "Alright to the kings room."


Once Aero arrived he heard a bit of commotion, and a large crowd of knights screaming, "KILL THE INTRUDER!" Aero looked up at the building and thought, could it be that he is running amok through the main building... Doesn't this person realize they keep half of the guards in there! With a tired and loathsome expression, Aero ran inside the main building to the king's room. "Halt!" Yelled a guard, "Who are you and why have you come?"


Aero paused for a moment, but casually turned and saluted his obvious superior,"Sir, I just came in off of patrol, and am headed to assist in the capture of the fiend who has infiltrated the castle, Sir!"


"Ahh well, I am glad you can keep a level head boy, but I wouldn't go looking for this one. One of the men we found incapacitated said that this wasn't an ordinary man, a demon by the name of Jack." The officer said shaking his head. "Had a halberd to his throat, and still managed to take out three guards at once." While the guard was still talking, Aero had already darted away to try and find the kings room.


if I can kill the king and find this man... I can stop all of this foolishness tonight, with King Otanis dead maybe a new form of government can be formed, and the people would suffer a little less... Could this all be in vain? Would I end up starting a revolution, or maybe even an onslaught of abusive power, just to insure that this never happened again... Aero was lost in thought as he ran throughout the halls avoiding the occasional yell of "Where did he go! The intruder must have gone this way! Quickly find the princess and guard her in her quarters! We must not take a single chance!"


"All guards split up between the King's domain, and the young maiden's! Their lives are all that matter! Go, go, go!" Yelled another knight, but Aero kept to the shadows, and slipped into a nearby room to remove his clunky armor. "I will stick to the shadows, and slay the king. This is my choice, and I will accept the consequences that follow" Aero stood there in a solemn silence, as he readied to take the life of a country ruler.

 

[SkyGinge]

Quite suddenly, there was a noise of distant commotion, and Whiskey turned with the others to see smole billowing out of the castle. Whiskey's ferocious eyes narrowed. There be trouble there, I'm sure. Could be the perfect time to nip in and cause some chaos ourselves. But the pirate captain soon dismissed the thought. The King was allegedly out of the country anyway, and so he'd miss the enjoyment of being able to taunt and play around with his victim. Besides, robbing somebody as important as a monarch, in broad daylight, in a place surrounded by their guards and loyal supporters, was frankly a dumb idea. The kind of idea that rookie thieves, pirates and troublemakers alike would inevitably jump at. But he knew better.


No, Whiskey smiled to himself as the surrounding crowds whirred back to action like a clockwork model, talking amongst themselves in slightly more sombre tones, as if nothing had happened. We'll let our local rogue learn his lesson. Reaching deep inside his long coat pockets, he retrieved a small bottle of whiskey and took a long sip. He gulped down the alcohol with a refreshed sigh, and turned to join the crowds.


'tis a shame, that ambitious novices like those who target flackin' castles dirty the name of piracy.