Fantasy The Valerian Chronicles: Second Crusade (VC:SC)

[Kylesar1]

Ari Waesmor​

Ari shook his head. He was speaking to Beatrice, though the other woman was there as well. "He's gone mad like his brother did 5 years ago. We're not going back to Amos's world, so we're overthrowing him too and then keeping another god from taking the throne."
Bakuyoshi

The shady woman then offered payment to join. Ari looked at the woman and stopped Misty from taking off with a double tap on her head. Misty shrunk and then flew high in the sky, out of view. Ari, now on the ground again, addressed his companions. "Go ahead without me and have Elaina with you. I'll catch up at your house." he called to the others. Now back to the woman, who seemed to lack the capacity of basic human interaction to get a bit of trust.

Elaina nodded as the horses moved away. "We'll be waiting, daddy. Don't get caught up in trouble."
P Paint The Wind FireMaiden

"Take off that cover. It implies a lack of transparency. I've most likely seen more killable faces. Look, I don't want your money, and obviously we need the help we can get. You're not exactly coming off as trustworthy though. Before you can come anywhere near my child, you're gonna answer me this, same as Beatrice: Who are you and why should I risk bringing you along?" Ari said. His patience was pretty thin considering the situation and the breadcrumbs he'd been fed up to that point with the situation in mind. He needed to get out of here.
GreenEyedStranger



Misty landed nearby. "My master will kill you for spying. In fact, he sent me here to divebomb and crush you to death." she said nonchalantly and started licking herself. After a few seconds, she looked up from her grooming task. "If you want to talk to him, you definitely should. Sure he kills a lot and he may be mean to you, but he's speaking civilly right now. Those moments only ever come when he's recruiting or on a mission. As weird as you are, I actually like you." Which was why she was telling her all this and why she spared her life, going against Ari's command.
Hanarei

 

[Jenzo]

Aseal L. Adair had finally arrived in the streets of Loudwater. His journey through the countryside from his homeland beyond the mountains had been a treacherous one. He took this journey alone, by request of his father who wanted confirmation on the rumors surrounding King Alreos. His family needs to know if the realm was being descended back into Chaos and what course of action they would need to take to protect their homeland. Aseal was a bit disheartened that he couldn’t take a small unit with him to investigate the matter, bringing them would have made his journey a lot easier with companions. But, he knew brings such a small military force would have brought attention to his cause and potential warrant of hostile act against the throne. War was the last thing he wanted to start with a nation 20x the size of his own.

The man finally found his way to the Prancing Pony, it was an opportunity to wet his whistle after his long voyage from home. Wearily he entered the tavern inhaling a mixture of smells that permeating from within, it reminded him of the times he spent in the barracks with his platoon. An odd remembrance he admits to himself, but a friendly one he welcomes with open arms. He took a moment to survey the area and the occupancy with his good eye. The man must have looked a bit odd to others wearing tattered garbs of a noblest, he had no sense of keeping a proper appearance of someone of high ranking as he found no need to.

After finally absorbing in his surrounding and the people within he made his way to the counter where he placed coin upon the table, “Ale in the largest mug you have to offer keep.” After the exchanging of coins, he took a seat on a stool nearby watching everyone with a mighty grin as he nursed his drink with the uttermost care.

 

[GreenEyedStranger]

Kylesar1

Keara scowled as she was talked down to. As much as the human had trouble trusting her, she was as suspicious of him

“Very well. I must warn you, many mortals are frightened by our kind.”

A few small tentacles reaches up from out of the veil, revealing her face.

It resembled an octopus, with nearly pale skin. Bulging pale green eyes could be seen on the sides, while a mass of small tentacles could be seen covering her fanged mouth

“I am a master in fig magic, I learned how to capture souls many years ago, but never learned how to bring the dead back. Alreos has this information, surely.”

She paused for a moment, considering not bringing up her dark magic, though eventually deciding against it

“Aside from that, I have some experience jn black magic, should the need arise... And, if you’re interested, I could paint a portrait or two.”

 

[revior]

Marianne Basil
​

At the dwarf's remark, a glare was sent his way by Fredrick of all people. However, his glare was removed when his chin had been lightly struck from below by Marianne, wielding a weighty looking book that seemingly came out of nowhere. The book war ornate and has a gem of bloody red embedded at the center of its front cover.

"You say that, dwarf, but there's nothing wrong with being cautious. You never know if a big ugly monster might sneak up on you and eat you up."

Marianne was playful with her tone as she held up her hands like a pair of claws, the book that she was holding inexplicably no longer in her grasp or anywhere for the matter.

"But you're right, I should really mind my own business. For me to get sidetracked here would probably not be a good idea."

With that she went onward, trying to get to Loudwater as soon as possible.

Allibi Elekta Kount Octo Girl

 

[Hanarei]

Lucille Irebrook
​

Feir looked up as he caught sight of Misty. "Careful!" He spoke out as it made Lucy jump a bit though she seemed to calm a bit noticing it was the owl griffon from before. She smiled brightly, waving innocently not thinking much of the fact she was caught red handed following them a bit and peeking in on them. It was perhaps a bit naive of her to react so calmly given what was quick to follow with her words. Lucille looked on, scratching the back of her head quite calmly.

"Oh.... ah... sorry... I didn't mean to spy.... err... I guess I was but I was curious. I just kinda get drawn into things and well I get overly obsessive and I really shouldn't but after you mentioned taking down the king and all and well being the beautiful creature you are I kinda couldn't help but be fascinated more about it." She spoke bowing her head lightly. Feir notably turned his head down. If he could face palm he would more then likely be doing so. How could she be so nonchalant after being casually told someone was attempting to crush her. It wasn't as if she was a very strong fighter on her own to stop it if it happened, and he wasn't going to be much of a deterrent to stop such a beast. There was no way she would of been able to react in time to do anything if she were attacked.

"Talk? OH... I... um.... I don't know really what I'd even say... I mean... you all seem cool and all and I feel like I'm peeping in where I shouldn't be... I mean if he would be interested in talking to me I am interested in all these affairs... I've heard a bit about the bad stuff the King has been doing. I mean... I'm usually told not to get involved in stuff cause its dangerous but it would be nice to help in some way." She spoke fidgetting with her fingers. Feir looked on seeming not too pleased with what she was saying. She just literally told you that he doesn't hesitate to kill people and you aren't even batting an eye? Not to mention she said you were weird...

Despite her companions worries. She bowed her head looking at Misty as she stumbled out to expose herself to talk as Misty had suggested. She held her hands up to show she wasn't armed, Feir keeping his balance on her head as the one eyed girl glanced up looking quite meek in many ways to the people before her. Her eye couldn't help but slip over to the strange woman from before who seemed to be moving along with them, along with the another rather mysterious individual who was being addressed addressed with her.

"H.... h... hello g... great sirs and misses I am Lucille Irebrook at your service." She spoke awkwardly attempting to grasp at her long skirt. It was pretty clear she wasn't at all sure how to really address them. Something about them made them come off grandiose though she wasn't quite sure what it was. She wasn't at all aware of their great exploits. It didn't help she was put more on the spot making things a little bit more awkward. "Oh! Name... I am Lucille Irebrook, a traveler of sorts... I'd love to accompany you... if you don't mind. If... if you do.... I um...." She spoke fumbling before bowing her head a bit frantically.

"I'm really really really sorry for peeking, I was talking to Misty and she was really nice and then I was curious and I wanted to see what you were up to cause I heard you were taking down the shady king fellow and I was just taken in by how you were all and I just was curious and s... sorry I didn't mean to bother you please don't have my crushed if you don't want anything to do with me!" She spoke bowing her head being more pleading in her voice. Feir did his best to keep his balance on her head, having to resort to slipping down her back instead perching on her shoulder on her blind side using his little claws to grip onto her shirt.

P Paint The Wind FireMaiden Kylesar1 Bakuyoshi GreenEyedStranger

 

[Jenzo]

Aseal slowly nursed his drink watching everyone with great enthusiasm, such a unique place he found himself. His attention was suddenly stolen by the cloaked woman who revealed herself. Small tentacles outstretched from her hood removing the cover over her head to reveal her identity. He swiftly shoveled the contents of the mug down his throat with widen eyes. He was shocked at what he had seen. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he see a flayer. He placed his empty mug down signaling to the barkeep for another. The barkeep arrived within seconds with another batch of ale, the man silently mouth to the keeper, “Did you see that!?”. However, the barkeep was confused by the man’s action. Aseal even rose his hand to his mouth mimicking the tentacles with his fingers. The barkeep only shook his head in confusion, blowing the man off as he returned to his station. It was clear to him the other patrons of the tavern were not as invested in their surroundings as he was.

Aseal’s ears perk up at the mention of King Aleros by the hooded flayer, his curiosity was now provoked. He watched and listen in silence no longer jesting about the appearance of the being. Slowly he sipped away at his ale watching another woman approach the group. She seemed to have been caught eavesdropping by the owl-like creature. There was no doubt in his mind that the creature was very observant of its surround and the occupants of the tavern including himself. Trying to avoid direct eye contact with the creature the man carried on listening to the young girl chatter. She too mentions the King and even a potential plot to take him down by the others.

Aseal let a soft sigh of displeasure escape his lips after polishing off his ale. The rumors his people have heard were true then. The king had descended into Madness and with it, the land would fall into turmoil once again; Perhaps how it was five years ago. The man placed a strong hand on his forehead rubbing his temps with his middle finger and thumb, remembering the violence that conspired all those years ago. The man had an internal struggle occur within his mind. He didn’t have the faintest idea what he should do; returning home and tell his father or press on for more details.

Aseal finally rose from his seat with a harden resolution, one he hoped was the correct course of action. He headed towards the group who had rallied around the man whom he viewed as the potential leader for the gathering. When he was finally within reach of the group he spoke in a softly, yet firm voice for their ears only, “Perhaps speaking in a softer tongue about such matters would be wiser. If I had been part of the Kings Inquisition I would have the lot of you hanged for talk of treason.” He glared at the cloaked mind flayer and the timid girl with a coy smile; they were the ones he mostly overheard since arriving, “But joking aside. I am Aseal L. Adair and I hail from Kusabana providence from over the western mountains. I couldn’t help but overhear that we may have a common goal in mind for the future of this realm; peace from the King." His gaze fell on to the man known as Ari, his stare held within it the passion to protect the people of this realm and the resolution of a hardened warrior, "So I hearken to you, a soldier of fortune, what can this old war dog do to help keep peace within these lands.”

P Paint The Wind FireMaiden Kylesar1 Bakuyoshi GreenEyedStranger Hanarei

 

[Safety Hammer]

Tyr O'Connor

Tyr drained the bathtub, watching the dirty, soapy water spiral down the drain. The war. The killing. The pain. It was all draining away with his bathwater. After getting out of the water, he grabbed a small pair of scissors and began to trim his beard and moustache to a nice, normal length. After his brief shave, he put his long hair back into a bun and sat on the couch, dressed only in his underwear. Then, he filled up the kettle and set it on the fire, before sitting down and closing his tired eyes.

FireMaiden P Paint The Wind

 

[Birdsie]

He slung up his slender, slightly curved dagger into its sheath on his chest. He looked over to the corporal and nodded, and the corporal, in turn, nodded to the sergeant. "Team three is ready," he said.

The sergeant had a big, mean scar over his eye, which gave him a veteran look. But his own eyes were mellow, perhaps he softened a little with his aging. He wore a piecemeal combination of leather and iron armor, with two enchanted rings on his fingers - one provided him with a physical shield that could absorb up to one average blow for every ten seconds of combat, a common gift that sergeants receive. The other, however, was a small pseudo-locket that opened up to show a magical picture of his wife. It also had the ability to glow in the dark.

"Everyone will know what we're about to do. If we live through this, history books will either praise us as heroes or..." He looked down into his clasped hand, holding a sword firmly despite his internal stress. "It may just as easily paint us the killers, villains, and knaves."

He turned to his men to address them. Standing close together in the forest, but not in strict ranks, just the way he liked it. A unit of soldiers built on respect rather than strictness. They were probably one of the most mercenary groups of sanctioned Ravinian soldiers in the entire nation. Even if they were in the wrong, they were proud to fight for their nation and for its survival.

He spoke his heart's contents out to them, "Some of you are the best soldiers I've had command over. The others are complete buffoons who probably don't belong here. Regardless, it's been a pleasure, you magnificent bastards. Let's go home alive, eh?" All of them cheered.

They followed the sergeant through the forest to prepare an ambush for the Ravinian Crusaders who were marked 'WANTED DEAD or ALIVE' just minutes ago by Lord Alreos. Teleportation is what let them get there so quickly. But back to their homes, they return either in glory, or carried on shields and thrown to the earth's cold embrace. No in-betweens. No compromises. As the soldiers stopped on the road and began to set up their trap, the sergeant took one last look at his ring.

He opened up the small metallic orb on it, revealing an emerald gem that projected a green, almost holographic picture of his wife and children. He closed it, then looked at his sergeant ring. His eyes staggered for a moment, but then he heard sounds far away, as one of his men whispered the enemy was coming along.

They hunkered down and prepared for the right moment to strike.

P Paint The Wind Kylesar1 GreenEyedStranger FireMaiden Bakuyoshi

Tyr would hear an audible crash as two glass panes in the house broke, as a pair of oblong, black objects flew in from opposite directions heading toward him. The alchemical grenades had a kettle-like texture but there wasn't time to look. The fuses on their ends were lit and coming to the end in approximately four... three... two...

Safety Hammer

(Kylesar gave me the green light to throw some expendable soldiers at you guys. His request, he shall graciously have. Everyone has a story - even faceless mooks and lackeys of evil people have their own ideals, families, and stories. Are you willing to end such meaningful existences for your quest? Just kidding. Of course you are. You're a bunch of murderous vagabonds with a thing for serving the greater good. Except for Ari, he does it because he doesn't mind. I also decided to cook up a small surprise for Tyr. By small, I mean basically a fantasy medieval-SWAT squad but replace the nades with alchemical bombs and the guns with crossbows and stuff.)

 

[FireMaiden]

Alex gripped onto Arabelle as Ivy started moving to Loudwater, magainging to keep his eyes on his mother who rode along side them. Bailey had noticed something in the skyline, smoke rising from one of the houses there in Loudwater. While not odd really, it was a decntly warm night out and it... she looked around, the hairs in the back of her neck stsnding on end. Her eyes scanned the tree lines, "Somethings not right," Bailey muttered. However, she wasn't sure what. "Arabelle, let's move a little faster, something's off," the rouge told the other woman, with a glance to her son. Surely, no one would attack two women with a, no. Her eyes briefly looked at Elaina, two childern. Almost out of instinct, two shadowy forms began to form, one on either side of the horses, taking only moments to take on their appearances as Bailey's familiars. Large, black, hellish looking Direwolves. Extra help incase her odd feeling wasn't just a feeling. P Paint The Wind Kylesar1 Birdsie

 

[Safety Hammer]

Tyr would hear an audible crash as two glass panes in the house broke, as a pair of oblong, black objects flew in from opposite directions heading toward him. The alchemical grenades had a kettle-like texture but there wasn't time to look. The fuses on their ends were lit and coming to the end in approximately four... three... two...

Safety Hammer

(I also decided to cook up a small surprise for Tyr. By small, I mean basically a fantasy medieval-SWAT squad but replace the nades with alchemical bombs and the guns with crossbows and stuff.)

(Why did you do that? I had something else planned.)
With quick thinking as well as natural muscle reflex, the muscular bard grabbed the nearest source of water, the tea kettle, and threw the boiling water onto the grenades, defusing the bombs just in time. Then there was quiet. Nothing moved throughout the house, let alone made a noise other than the last flickers and cracks of the fire. Whoever threw the grenade would need to investigate.

 

[Paint The Wind]

Arabelle nodded at Bailey. “Hold on tight, Alex,” she told him, and squeezed Ivy’s sides with her legs, racing off towards the house. She held the reins with one hand and had her arm around Alex, keeping him safe. It was mere minutes before they reached Bailey’s little cottage. She dismounted, holding Alex carefully. “Bailey, now what?” She spoke softly, she had the feeling that they were being watched.

Safety Hammer FireMaiden Birdsie

 

[Birdsie]

The sergeant prowled forward, jumping from tree to tree, cover to cover. He tapped his ear, causing the crystal near it to activate. A simple telepathic spell to communicate with the squad. He heard the voice of one of his men instantly speak, "Confirm visual with two summoned... er, I want to say... big, bad wolves?"

"Those are direwolves - mutated slightly, it seems," Sergeant Elish answered, also telepathically. "They have strong noses and ears, but they're not sniffing, so we're in the green as long as we don't make much noise. They can be mean up close, so keep your distance in a fight and don't let them jump at you. If they do, protect yourself with your gauntlet arm and go for a fatal stab."

"Sir, I can see two of our targets, but there's someone else. A kid. Probably Bailey Hall's son, but I don't want to assume." Elish ignored the second sentence, the word that mattered was 'kid.' Elish had children of his own; two daughters and a son. His son was the youngest, fifteen years old.

He felt like someone was strangling him right there. Separating a parent from their own child was a sin on its own. But... he had orders. Orders from Alreos. Capture or kill. Good soldiers follow orders, but... A voice took him away from his thought, "Sir. They're dismounting."

"Hit them with the nets on my mark. Erikson, are they in place?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

"On three. One, two..." A pause, as Elish clutched his sword hard in his sheath. "Three!" he yelled out, then drew it and ran out of the bushes. Simultaneously, a collection of linen-rope nets would drop from the trees above on top of Bailey, Arabelle, Alex, and the direwolves. Whether they actually managed to capture them, however, was another matter.

Immediately after Elish, a team of almost a dozen soldiers ran out from the bushes, armed mostly with swords and shields, though two of them had quickload-crossbows instead.

FireMaiden P Paint The Wind

The door was knocked down with a powerful thud by the steely foot of a Ravinian marksman. He stepped in, watching the front, followed at once by a subordinate. Both had crossbows. "Ravinian army! Get on the ground, do it now!" yelled the one at the front, regardless of whether or not he saw Tyr.

Safety Hammer

 

[FireMaiden]

"Well, we-" The wolves managed to get out of the way of the net in time to not be captured. Bailey however was another story. The yelling has spooked her mount, and the horse had managed to speed at just the right time so that it was out of the net's way. Bailey had been caught being just a hair inside it's range as she was trying to dismount, and was dragged off the horse, landing on her back with a hard thud. Her breath was knocked out of her leaving her unable to make much noise, but because of how little of the net actually caught her, she managed to get untangled despite gasping for air.

Alex however, screamed loudly, clothing onto Arabelle despite wanting to get down and help his mother. He wasn't expecting to have a net thrown on him and Arabelle, and it of course scared him. Not to mention he did see his mother being yanked off Ari's horse within seconds was scary on its own. The wolves took a stance between the small group and the soldiers, growling loudly. Bailey got to her feet, winced at a sharp throbbing pain shooting through her left side, but for now, that was in the back of her mind. "Y'all could just fuck off could you?" Bailey growled through clenched teeth. She drew her short sword, "I really don't wanna fight right now, but you know we aren't going with you," She paused, blaming at her house which wasn't to far away, "And you broke into my goddamn house!?" Birdsie P Paint The Wind Safety Hammer

 

[Safety Hammer]

The sergeant prowled forward, jumping from tree to tree, cover to cover. He tapped his ear, causing the crystal near it to activate. A simple telepathic spell to communicate with the squad. He heard the voice of one of his men instantly speak, "Confirm visual with two summoned... er, I want to say... big, bad wolves?"

"Those are direwolves - mutated slightly, it seems," Sergeant Elish answered, also telepathically. "They have strong noses and ears, but they're not sniffing, so we're in the green as long as we don't make much noise. They can be mean up close, so keep your distance in a fight and don't let them jump at you. If they do, protect yourself with your gauntlet arm and go for a fatal stab."

"Sir, I can see two of our targets, but there's someone else. A kid. Probably Bailey Hall's son, but I don't want to assume." Elish ignored the second sentence, the word that mattered was 'kid.' Elish had children of his own; two daughters and a son. His son was the youngest, fifteen years old.

He felt like someone was strangling him right there. Separating a parent from their own child was a sin on its own. But... he had orders. Orders from Alreos. Capture or kill. Good soldiers follow orders, but... A voice took him away from his thought, "Sir. They're dismounting."

"Hit them with the nets on my mark. Erikson, are they in place?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

"On three. One, two..." A pause, as Elish clutched his sword hard in his sheath. "Three!" he yelled out, then drew it and ran out of the bushes. Simultaneously, a collection of linen-rope nets would drop from the trees above on top of Bailey, Arabelle, Alex, and the direwolves. Whether they actually managed to capture them, however, was another matter.

Immediately after Elish, a team of almost a dozen soldiers ran out from the bushes, armed mostly with swords and shields, though two of them had quickload-crossbows instead.

FireMaiden P Paint The Wind

The door was knocked down with a powerful thud by the steely foot of a Ravinian marksman. He stepped in, watching the front, followed at once by a subordinate. Both had crossbows. "Ravinian army! Get on the ground, do it now!" yelled the one at the front, regardless of whether or not he saw Tyr.

Safety Hammer

Tyr was deadly quiet. He had been in situations like this before. Where he used to be opposed to the idea of hiding in the shadows, war had shown him its dire importance in times like these. So when his door was knocked in and the two men, as well as his windows broken by those two men, he was determined to show these bozo's what he though. With one swift move, he disarmed the men, throwing one of them into his wall as he cold clocked the other, knocking him out cleanly and without struggle. The other, he found and grabbed by the feet, and pulled upwards, bending his body painfully and resting his leg on the man's head.
"YOU FUCKED WITH THE WRONG HOUSE BUDDY!" He shouted, pulling up a bit harder, before loosening up. "NOW, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE?!"

 

[Kylesar1]

Kylesar1

Keara scowled as she was talked down to. As much as the human had trouble trusting her, she was as suspicious of him

“Very well. I must warn you, many mortals are frightened by our kind.”

A few small tentacles reaches up from out of the veil, revealing her face.

It resembled an octopus, with nearly pale skin. Bulging pale green eyes could be seen on the sides, while a mass of small tentacles could be seen covering her fanged mouth

“I am a master in fig magic, I learned how to capture souls many years ago, but never learned how to bring the dead back. Alreos has this information, surely.”

She paused for a moment, considering not bringing up her dark magic, though eventually deciding against it

“Aside from that, I have some experience jn black magic, should the need arise... And, if you’re interested, I could paint a portrait or two.”

Ari considered it, not bothered in the slightest by the removal of the cover. He had seen worse. "No portraits. I'm not as narcissistic as I seem. Anyways, if you're a master of Fig Magic, why not just use the magic to change your appearance instead of looking like some occult acolyte? Just a suggestion." Fig magic typically allowed the user to do just that if they so chose to walk that path. "Let's get moving, we need to get out of here. You'll meet the crew."

"HALT!"
Ari looked over and swore he was drunk. There was a goddamn SQUIRREL in knight's armor holding a blade. He was humanoid, about the size of a human woman. He would look hella intimidating.........if he weren't a literal squirrel. Behind him were a group of men. Like 10 or so. They were led.........by a squirrel. "Those shrooms really kicked in hard."

Spoiler: Ethan

"I am Ethan Coleman and you are under arrest for conspiracy against King Alreos." The fact that this squirrel was leading these men meant he wasn't to be underestimated

Ari grabbed the girl and pulled her behind him. "I'll deal with you later." He stepped forward, a throwing knife spinning on the tip of his finger. "This is what Alreos has, eh? Tell Alreos we're coming and that we're coming in force. Try me and your pelt can be my winter gear."



(I'll give you all a minute to process and then reply. This fight is pretty distant from the other one. This is still near the tavern.)
Bakuyoshi Elekta Kount Allibi GreenEyedStranger Hanarei Jenzo

 

[Birdsie]

"Neither do I want to fight you," Sergeant Elish answered with the voice of an honest man, sword in a defensive stance. "But it seems you've already picked the option of declaring war on basically the entire damn country. Be nice and come with us, please. I'm a few days from retirement. I really don't want to have to do this, even if I signed up for it." He shook his head reluctantly, knowing that it wasn't this easy.

His men hardened their poses and made a rank of shields against the wolves, several of them exchanging weapons for a spear which would be more effective in this situation.

FireMaiden P Paint The Wind

"Come-on-come-on-stop-it-hurts-GAAAH!" He yelped as he felt the knee on his temple. "Alri-alright! I'll tell you, just calm down! We got orders from King Alreos! All of the Ravinian Crusaders are wanted for conspiracy! Sorry! Guh, it hurts! Can you just knock me out or whatever already? Please?"

Safety Hammer

 

[Paint The Wind]

Arabelle yelped when the nets were thrown over her and Alex. She held the little boy tightly. “I got you, I got you,” she told him, rubbing his back. She tried to get up, but the nets were far too heavy. She was trapped. “Alex, stay calm. I have you, we’re gonna be fine,” she said. She kept trying to get them out, but since all she could see using her magic was other people, she was stuck with no visual of how to escape. She curled up around Alex to keep him safe.

FireMaiden Birdsie

 

[FireMaiden]

"We haven't even done anything yet. We talked. Is that illegal now? Is Aleros that paranoid?" She inquired, side stepping closer to Arabelle and Alex. "You have to admit, he's changed from the beginning, it's obvious. We aren't the only ones to notice. This is quickly escalating into another crisis like Leon." Bailey took a step forward, keeping her sword raised, yet she seemed to be observing rather than preparing to attack, "You look like a smart man, tell me despite your loyalties, what do you think of that?" Birdsie

Alex managed to wiggle free of Arabelle's arms as they got more tangled. He had an idea, and it was to cut through or burn through the ropes before any of these scary men could get them. Alex actually settled on trying to burn through them because they were heavy. It may be to hard to cut through. With his hands now free, he gripped some of the netting. After a few moments of concentrating, his hands burst into small flames. Alex was being as careful as he could not to burn Arabelle. P Paint The Wind

 

[Birdsie]

He paused when she spoke the first sentence, then shook it off. He wanted to cut her off abruptly, but she kept speaking, giving him more and more to think about. "Maybe he is, but he is a deity in the flesh. Even if we were to try to stop him, what could we do? There's no hope!" His men cast weird glances at him, except for the ones in front who were too focused on the direwolves. Her words alone seemed to strike a quintessence of doubt into the soldiers.

Then, Elish realized what he was talking about. "But that's beside the point. This is different from Valerian," he scoffed at the name. "Alreos isn't about wholesale slaughter of people just because they have long ears or because they have scales. He's removing threats to his power! Any reasonable monarch would do that!" he argued, but there was a hint of despair in his voice. He was desperate to be right. He hoped that his wisdom was right, but there was doubt. Just the fact that he didn't give the order to attack for this long was proof of this.

Any minute now, however, they would shake it off. Speechcraft would be useless unless they could be convinced soon that Alreos was in the wrong. Persuasion, solid evidence, or manipulation - appealing to their emotions - anything would work, but it had to be good.

P Paint The Wind FireMaiden

 

[FireMaiden]

Bailey hid a smirk, her words struck something with him. "And nobody thought we could actually stop Valerian. But we did, and he had a god backing him. It's true that Aleros did help, but who says we don't stand a chance?" She asked, "You've just captured a blind woman and a child, part of those threats that you say he's removing. Are you positive that's who you want to so blindly follow?" She took another step forward, now closer to her wolves. "We do not target someone unless they are going to do more damage than good. It does not matter who they are. Aleros will turn this world against you like Valerin did to his men. This will not end well for you or your families, trust me, I know! And that is why we fight people like Aleros. Like Valerian, so innocents can be spared. Despite what the obvious easy answer is of giving up and giving in, nobody truely good of heart will let one man do terrible things to the masses of people who are unfortunately under his command." She paused taking a breath, scanning the men infront of her.

"Again, I don't wish to fight. Do you want your families to lose you? Do you want to lose your brothers in arms? I don't want to be the reason you don't return home. I don't want to leave you childern without their parents, your spouse's without you. I implore you, don't fight, if not for your sakes, but for theirs." Birdsie

 

[GreenEyedStranger]

At Ari's question, Keara crossed her arms. Though she knew she appeared horrific to humans, she personally didn't seem to mind.

"I didn't see a point in learning such a mundane spell."

Keara glared back at Aseal. Though she was used to prying eyes, his stare made her more uncomfortable than usual. Though she was curious of him, she wasn't in a position to speak, as the question was directed to Ari. However, her attention was diverted as he heard a small squeak from a squirrel, holding a sword and leading a garrison of soldiers.

"What in the..."

Her thoughts were again interrupted as Ari pulled her aside. She struggled, shaking loose from his grip

"Don't touch me!"

She hissed out. Touching was a huge issue for her. In fact, most forms of physical contact made her extremely anxious.

"I can handle myself!"

At that, she took a step back from the knights, holding her hands in a menacing position as she started channeling her more malevolent powers, ready to defend herself. Already, she began questioning her involvement in this affair.

Bakuyoshi Elekta Kount Allibi Hanarei Jenzo

 

[Bakuyoshi]

Beatrice took a moment to realize what this thing was. "Talking squirrel?" She said in a confused tone. But then got her head back into the moment. "Alreos murderer, why defend?" Beatrice barely managed to say. In truth Alreos was wanted by the draconian king. Lots of good draconian men and women were lost to Alreos' madness.

Kylesar1 Elekta Kount Hanarei GreenEyedStranger Jenzo

 

[Birdsie]

During her speech, everyone was dead silent. Not the sounds of the forests, of footsteps, or clanking armor interrupted her. Without even flinching an eyebrow, with a blank stare, Elish dropped his weapons to the ground and fell to his knees. The veteran ventilated for a moment and his men looked at him, sweating, anxious, nervous, unsure what to do. Were they surrendering? Giving up? Running? Was he giving himself away? What were their orders?

"By Chroysler's Charismatic China..." he muttered, broken. "She's right." His face didn't change. Without any more protest, he picked up his weapons, sheathed them, then ordered his men to do the same. After a split second of hesitation, everyone listened. The ones at the front, with spears, stood back and lowered their shields slightly.

"I won't stand for this. That woman - she is right!" he explained to them, pointing to Bailey momentarily. He turned to his people with his entire body. "Alreos. If he really is a god, and if he's all-mighty, why does he need mortal men to do his bidding? Is it his pride? If so, then it will be his downfall. If anything, that gives me a reason to defy him! Who's with me?!"

The soldiers looked at each other. One of them stepped out and looked at Elish. His eyes were visible through the helmet he wore, and they were concerned for the future. "Sir... I'm with you. I'll always be. I've served with you my entire duty. But what will we do now? Are we going AWOL?"

"More than that," Elish said. "We need to get our families to safety. That's the first thing to focus on. And then, we'll... we'll fight, for what's right!" He turned around to look Bailey in the eyes for a moment, then back to his men. "Coming here, we thought we were in the right - we were prepared to die for it, we still are, but now we know we were fighting for the wrong thing! Because simple words could convince me otherwise, that means my faith was fake. And strong faith is built only on trust. We cannot trust Alreos! War is never a necessity! But when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty! So, will you do your duty as befit of a soldier? Who's with me!?"

"Aye!" Everyone chanted at once, convinced. The soldiers rose their fists into the air as they yelled, a stunning display of uniformity. A pair of soldiers would walk up to the net that was earlier thrown on Arabelle and Alex and they would cut it open very slowly and carefully, allowing the two of them out.

P Paint The Wind FireMaiden

 

[FireMaiden]

Bailey waited. Then began to smile as she realised just how much her words had resonated with him, and apperantly, his men as well. As their weapons lowered, so did her's, and the wolves backed down. "You've made the right choice, I promise you," She said, approaching Elish, "A dangerous one undoubtedly, but that's normally the case when doing what's right." To be honest, she hasn't expect her words to work this well, but she wasn't complaining. This was an unseen outcome, but perhaps the best. Looking at the men, again, she was surprised by how quickly their minds changed, but to her, it was proof that Aleros didnt hold as much influence as he may have thought. Her gaze went back to Elish. However her words were lost as Alex's voice broke her training thought.

"Mommy!" He yelled, running up to her almost as soon as he and Arabelle were free, and latching onto her leg.

"Oh my little cub!" She said, picking him up and hugging him tightly. "Are you alright?" Alex nodded, hugging onto her with his face buried in her shoulder.

"I was really scared you were gonna have to fight," He said, his voice only slightly muffled. Bailey began to rub his back, giving his cheek a soft kiss.

"It's okay baby, it's okay. These soliders are gonna help us now," She said this, looking back at Elish, "But they need to help their families first." Birdsie P Paint The Wind Safety Hammer

 

[Paint The Wind]

Arabelle thanked the men who helped her and Alex. She stood up and whistled for Ivy, who came back to her call. Arabelle got her cane and began to walk carefully towards Bailey. “Are you both alright?” She was worried that Alex had been hurt by the weight of the rope. She turned to Elish. “I’m very glad you realized the tyranny and danger of Alreos’ rule,” she said softly.

Birdsie FireMaiden