Fantasy Zephyr (Accepting)

[Beaurmont]

"...My back hurts still. But I'll make it." He held her arm with his left hand, looking into the moon with his one eye. "...I'm sorry." He mutters apologetically, before shifting his body to get up. With Evangelina's help, he gets back up onto his feet and cracks his neck. "That's enough dawdlin'. I need to return to Dominion right now. If Light Hawks are engaged in combat currently...Dominion..might be in trouble." He stated, looking into the distance. Without a word he held Evangelina's hand, wincing as he remembered the way he acted toward her. "Would you come wi-" He stopped mid-sentence. Lowering his voice as he said he word. I don't deserve her. She'd be better off with someone better than a selfish prince. The prince thought, releasing her hand. "Never mind. We''ll head toward Dominion and then...you can go where you need."

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

Evangelina closed her eyes for a moment as he apologized, seeming to be either relieved or in deep thought.


"It's okay..."


Shortly after that, he began to rise to his feet with the white haired elf supporting him. He spoke of Dominion being in trouble, immediately causing a worried expression to dawn on her face.


If Dominion is in danger... so are Mazumi and Mordecai. The thought shattered her heart. The elf let out a deep exhale through her nose. If what Zelin said was true, she would be going to Dominion no matter what. She couldn't imagine what she would do if Mordecai or Mazumi turned out to be dead. Evangelina's muscles began to relax as she felt Zelin take her hand in his. She squeezed it lightly. He began to say something, but cut himself off. His hand dropped from hers. Evangelina stared at him with confusion.


"Never mind. We''ll head toward Dominion and then...you can go where you need."


Evangelina looked away from him and towards the moon. Her face was emotionless.


"After we reach Dominion, Zelin..." She began, continuing to avoid eye contact as if it were too painful to look at him. The wind blew steadily, and than suddenly everything grew silent. Only a few distant crickets chirped in the distance.


"I won't be coming back for a long time. My family live very far away you see... I promised them that if anything bad happened, I would return home and continue my studies there..." She smiled sadly, staring at the ground now. Her blue eyes trailed back up to Zelin's. Her throat felt dry, like it could break into pieces.


"Which means... these next few days will be the last time I see you." Evangelina suddenly smiled, but it was a bit forced. She began walking past him slowly, flashing him a glance. It was if she were trying to distract him from the words that had just come out of her mouth.





"Let's get back to the village..."





The elf turned away.

 

[Blumenkranz]

I dropped my quill and let out a frustrated grunt. That was obviously not going to work, no matter how hard I tried. The pieces simply didn't fit and the axioms were incompatible, so it was futile to keep trying to resurrect a project that was doomed to fail.


My hand wrapped around the paper and a gentle wrist swing sent the the ball to a nearby already overflowing paper bin. This problem had been bothering me for weeks, but it was no more. Even though scrapping it left me with a sad and frustrated aftertaste, it also felt like I relieved myself of a weight. I had to worry no more about struggling to come up with something that helped me understand what I was doing. I had to worry no more about all those sleepless nights. I was free, for now.


I opened my desktop drawer and searched for my list of hypothesis to investigate. The last entry was now in the trash, so I simply marked it with a cross. Two hundred thirty four entries marked as debunked out of one thousand two hundred sixty seven. It was going to be slow, but it was obvious from the start this wasn't going to be an easy path.


When I was about to choose another hypothesis to work on, the door bells jingled. I quickly put the list back on the drawer and walked towards the counter. A small, old and grumpy looking Vulkaharnan with a big nose was standing there, his neck barely visible over the table. He was carrying a heavy pickaxe, rusty and a worn out after years of being used, but still solid like every tool crafted in Kaekuma.


"Hello sir, how may I help you?", I asked the little man. "I need this pickaxe 'chanted" - he said with a contemptuous tone. Understandably, people here weren't very fond of my presence, but they knew I was an enchantress, and they knew they needed one - "The rocks are gettin' harder the further we advance, and I need something to break them".


He put his pickaxe on the counter and I examined it closer. It was a fairly standard pickaxe, forged in this same city who knows how many years ago. Truly a masterwork compared with tools forged in other cities, but it was not the best you could find here. The wooden handle seemed much newer than the metal piece, probably replaced some time ago after the original one broke. The pick itself, on the other hand, looked much more worn out: rust, dents all over the place, metal patches that were probably used to join parts that broke from the body... why didn't this man just get a new one?


"It would take me some days to enchant this pickaxe without breaking it, plus I have got to order a few materials for the job. Even then, it is not certain if the object will get enchanted successfully." - I said - "Since I'm not sure if it will work, I will not charge you until I am certain it got enchanted and you come to collect it. Could you come back in a few days to check if it is ready?". The man grunted and gave me a mean look. "Phew, fine! I'll grab some replacement pickaxe from our warehouse meanwhile." - said the man as he headed for the door - "I'll come back in three days. You better not break my precious girl!". I waved at him as he closed the door, but he probably didn't notice it. Most of my clients were slightly hostile towards me, but this one took his grumpiness to a whole new level.


I grabbed the heavy pickaxe and carried it to my enchantment room, a cave full of tables with several items from my clients on top of them, ranging from simple jewelry to full body plate armors. The shiny red crystals situated in each corner of the tables emanated tiny translucent threads towards the items put in the center of the table, contained in the middle of a circle full of runes that described the type of enchantment it was receiving. I dropped the pickaxe in one of the empty tables, and then I searched the shelves for some circle that could give the tool some extra power. Since most of my commissions involved similar spells, it was easy to find one that fit the criteria. I unrolled the scroll, put it under the pickaxe and then I put my hands over the scroll.


The pickaxe glowed for some seconds before returning to its regular state. I grabbed the pickaxe again and threw it in the box where I put all my finished products. Such simple enchantments don't need complicated processes like the osmosis enchantment method, so they can be completed in a few minutes.


Serves the asshole right.

 

[DrBones]

A feminine figure, be-tailed and with tow kawaai pointed ears, strolled into Ogden's Speakeasy and Bar, in a manner typically assoictaed with men much larger and more muscaulr than she was, a look that showed a person looking for a battle of fist to fist, mano il maon, and so on.
"Give me your damn beer or you won't have a hand to hold it in," she stated brusuqely, walking up tot he town Herlad (Boris).

Surprised and frightened, Boris shoved his glass towards the woman. His grip already loosened by fear and exhaustion, he accidentally let go of the drink and sent it flying onto her legs. Panicking, he stood up quickly and attempted to apologize for his mistake.


"I-I'm sorry, miss! I didn't mean to do that!"


In an attempt to back away, Boris stumbled over his chair and knocked the table in front of him over, very nearly missing Bastet's feet.

 

[MrMopp]

Wow, thought Trina. Ho-ly moaly that's big. She stood at the top of a steep ledge looking down at the massive bird lying at the bottom, it's white feathers glowing in the moon light. It was quite beautiful. It was also quite dead and had a lot of meat on it. She wondered if it tasted like chicken.


Now the smart thing to do would have been to find a zig-zag path down the hill instead of going down the rocky slope. But Trina was anxious to get down there so she attempted to crawl/slide down the steep hill side backwards, digging her claws into the crumbly dirt to control her decent. This worked alright until a sizable rock became dislodged under her fore paw, causing her to lose her balance and tumble backwards down the hill until she landed, bruised andbattered at the bottom.


"Oooooorrrg." Trina groaned dizzily, rubbing her head. That was pretty dumb. She struggled to her feet and, staggered a A few feet but ultimately collapsed again behind a boulder. Ooookay, y' know what, she thought. Im'a juss gonna sit here till the ground decides to stay still.


Trina lay there next the bolder, waiting for her dizziness to pass. After a moment, she became aware of approaching footsteps and human voices. Seems that a young couple was taking a moonlight stroll through the woods and were about to come around the bend and pass a close to her. Too close


Erg! Ah'm to dizzy t' git up! Y'know what, ah stay still, maybe they gonna think ah'm a rock or log or sumthin'


 
( now if Evah called Zelin "your highness" THAT would catch Trina's interest


 
(If it wasn't clear, she's trying to not be seen by staying still)


 
Also that "young couple" is Evah and Zelin

 

[Beaurmont]

Zelin clenches his fist at the thought of not being able to see Evangelina any more. It bothered him to no end. They continued to walk through the dense forest silently, passing by large bushes and fallen trees. Despite the silence, he acted as gentlemanly as he could around Evangelina. Helping her climb the hills, jumping over logs, avoiding mud pits. Carrying her on his back. His felt it necessary to...make up for his past behavior. After what felt like an eternity of walking Zelin stopped suddenly, scratching the back of his head. Andras sat in the same place as before, fallen trees and crushed plants align the area. Somehow we...walked in a circle.





A tinge of embarrassment hit Zelin as his face flushed a shade of red. He wouldn't allow Evangelina to talk about his mistake and continued walking forward. But the same thoughts from before arose out from the back of his mind, slowing his pace down. Eventually the prince stopped, and he could hear Evangelina walk up closer behind him. She said not a single word the entire time, simply looking down at the ground, lost in her thoughts. It must be from how I acted earlier. It's my fault. Zelin turned to Evangelina with a serious expression, this time he would figure out the truth. "Evangelina. Do you...despite my heritage as the prince of Dominion...do you...think you could love a man like me?"

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

Zelin's words caught the elf by surprise. She stood there with her mouth wide open and expression shocked. But her lips slowly curved into a warm smile, and the expression she wore dispersed. The wind was beginning to pick up again, blowing Evangelina's hair around slightly. She took a few steps towards him.


"Zelin... I love you no matter what... You're heritage as a prince doesn't change at all how I feel about you." Evangelina murmured softly. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks, both caused by the cold and the words she had just spoken. She didn't know if he felt the same way, but there must have been a reason why he had asked her that in the first place. Evangelina locked her gaze with his.


The crickets and the nightingales continued to chirp among the undergrowth, filling the night with their lonesome singing. But something ended their tunes. The nightingales burst into a scattered flight at the noise of the large wolf rolling down the cliff. With beady eyes, the tiny crickets watched the wolf from the bushes next to it. They prepped their legs in an emergency jumping position, in case the beast clambered in their direction.

 

[GreatGavino]

Ding. Ding.





The small, plump hand of a Cornelius Montgomery lazily flicked a well polished, silver bell to get his maid to bring up his dinner. Sighing as he waited for the help, he tried to peer out his window to guess the time, but the long, silky white curtains blocked his view. The pudgy, middle-aged man frowned as he flicked his glance back to the door, sitting up with obvious effort as he peered around the spacious room of his manor; he had the feeling he was being watched and the fear of thieves burrowed it's way into the back of his mind. He tossed that thought from his mind, his privately hired guards would ensure that was never a worry.


Several minutes turned into nearly thirty, and by now the wealthy tycoonist was not sure whenever or not to be afraid or enraged that his maid had still not shown up and either way he was certainly bewildered. Straining himself to get to his feet, Cornelius headed for the door, readily prepared to fire his incompetent workers. His round face was beginning to change color as he worked himself into a rage, rounding the corner at a pace one could only assume he rarely moved at, only to nearly immediately fall on his rear as he stepped in some split water on the floor. Groaning with indignity, he outwardly cursed his poor selection in workers. Cornelius, blue-faced and huffing with rage, sat up and looked at what he slipped in.


It was like a switch was flipped, from blue to white the fat man white as he stared at the dark red crimson amassing on the floor and coating the bottom of his feet. Jaw dropping, his gaze rose farther to see the lifeless body of his maid, Amanda, neck cut wide open. The fat and skin hanging from his neck shook as he tried to scream, only air escaping his horror-stricken lips. Rising at a speed thought not possible by someone so short and round, Cornelius scurried back into his room and slammed the door, quickly locking it as he stumbled back into the wall of the dark room. Nearly running into the black curtains hanging from his window, Cornelius took a step over the side. Relieved to be in the safety of his room, he prayed his guards would find him or the assailant.


A thought began to dawn on Mr. Cornelius Montgomery, it was something so simple.. yet, in the end would be the most important fact of his life. As sign of color began to drain from his face, one lone fact forced itself to the forefront of his mind.


The curtains are white.


--





Eventually, within an hour or two, the bodies of Cornelius, Amanda and the manor guards would be found. There was no sign of anyone entering or leaving the building and there wasn't a single scream or sign of struggle. The manor safe or riches were all left untouched.


 
A shadowy figure rode atop a steed of silky darkness, the small amount of light glinting off it's raven coat. The dark figure atop the steed rode loftily, despite the intense speed that was being reached, the heavy robes billowing like massive wings of the abyss. Reaching a steel plated hand downward at his side, the heavily ringed fingers gracefully clasped around a hilt of sorts. The color of coal and adorned with crimson rubies and intricate symbols, one could only imagine that it was a blade of rare craft.


As the quiet, up-right robed man slid the long, sleek blade out of it's sheathe, he could tell he was close to where he needed to be. Unnatural visions of chaos, bloodshed and sorrow had filled his head, and driven him to seek out the source of this blight. As he neared, his raging hunger to watch the world burn grew within him, nearly forcing a nervous twitch out of the oddly regal figure. Lowering the blade to his side, he used his free head to leisurely flick the reins, urging the massive horse [one could only assume it was a warhorse or purebred of some kind] onward.

 

[Beaurmont]

The prince's heart felt warmed by her words, all negative feelings he once had were suddenly and strangely whisked away. Like the wind took his worries and freed him of pain. Zelin turned hurriedly toward Evangelina, surprised, his mouth hung open and his one exposed eye fully aghast. His face turned red, and he had to look away from her to control himself. The prince couldn't tell if the shivering was from the cold or just excitement. Sh-She likes me? No. I think she said loves.. "You...you really feel that way towards me?" He asked nervously, rubbing the back of his head. The wind seemed to have petered out once again, leaving the two in a soundless void. He stood there for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. They were in a cluster, and he was having trouble looking for a reply.


Screw it. He turned around suddenly and strode over to Evangelina, gently grasping her shoulders he stares into her eyes, not saying anything. The longer he looks into her eyes, the more nervous he gets and his heart just won't calm down. With his good hand, Zelin reaches up under the elf's chin, pulling her close for a sudden kiss. Her soft lips, combined with just the embrace, made his skin flush further and his heart nearly skipped a bit. He held the kiss for a moment, enjoying it while he could. Then, quickly as it came, he retracted from Evangelina, nervously looking into her eyes again. "S-sorry...I...love you as well." He whispered, glancing away from her.

 

[GreatGavino]

The Dark Rider had slowed his mighty steed of war to a loud trot, the normal silence surrounding the man broken as the soft and steady clopping echoed softly. By now, the bodies of fallen men, women and hellish creatures were beginning to appear in abundance, igniting the Riders twisted pleasure, as the black smoke rising from the once mighty city in the close distance. Tilting his hooded head, he peered at the faces of those who would not live to see tomorrows dawn, and the final features locked on their clammy faces. Reveling in this open display of horror, the hunger that constantly dwelled within in grew more and more insatiable, demanding blood in it's name.


Soon, passing over the final hill blocking view of the carnage, The Black Rider was brought into open view.. A rare sight, if one knew who he truly was, and on the ridge overlooking the still raging violence he paused. Lazily leaning back in the saddle, with one hand loosely gripping the reins, one could not help feel disturbed by the sheer calm the shadowy figure displayed as he smelled the decay already in the air. As he felt sensory overload at the bliss he felt being among the sheer level of destruction and chaos, yet again the Rider tilted his head to the side curiously. Flicking his wrist once more, he snapped his head back into a straight position, trotting slowly towards the city entrance, sword pointed upwards and held at his side.

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

The white haired elf watched him slowly step towards her, and place both of his hands onto her shoulders. She stared up at him with soft eyes as he tilted her face in the direction of his. Before she knew it, the prince's lips were pressed against hers gently. Evangelina's eyes widened in surprise at first, but slowly began to flutter shut. Her heart felt like it would break right out of her chest at that moment. It was almost too much. A warmth spread across her face as a tinted shade of red appeared. Zelin began to pull away, leaving her breathless and full of emotions. His face still lingered towards hers.


"S-sorry...I...love you as well."


Evangelina smiled and cupped a warm hand onto the side of his face. The elf turned his gaze towards hers. They needed to get back to the inn soon... He was injured after all.


"Let's get back to the inn... You're still injured, remember." She murmured softly. She stole a gentle kiss that lasted shorter then the other, and brushed past him. Evangelina suddenly smiled and glanced back at him as she was walking away.


"I noticed we walked in a circle by the way." She grinned a bit before motioning for him to follow.

 

[MrMopp]

Here comes a string of posts


 

Zelin clenches his fist at the thought of not being able to see Evangelina any more. It bothered him to no end. They continued to walk through the dense forest silently, passing by large bushes and fallen trees. Despite the silence, he acted as gentlemanly as he could around Evangelina. Helping her climb the hills, jumping over logs, avoiding mud pits. Carrying her on his back. His felt it necessary to...make up for his past behavior. After what felt like an eternity of walking Zelin stopped suddenly, scratching the back of his head. Andras sat in the same place as before, fallen trees and crushed plants align the area. Somehow we...walked in a circle.



A tinge of embarrassment hit Zelin as his face flushed a shade of red. He wouldn't allow Evangelina to talk about his mistake and continued walking forward. But the same thoughts from before arose out from the back of his mind, slowing his pace down. Eventually the prince stopped, and he could hear Evangelina walk up closer behind him. She said not a single word the entire time, simply looking down at the ground, lost in her thoughts. It must be from how I acted earlier. It's my fault. Zelin turned to Evangelina with a serious expression, this time he would figure out the truth. "Evangelina. Do you...despite my heritage as the prince of Dominion...do you...think you could love a man like me?"

That caught Trina's attention. Did he say "prince"?

 

[GreatGavino]

That caught Trina's attention. Did he say "prince"?

nope you just imagined it

 

[MrMopp]

[QUOTE="The Velveteen Rabbit]Zelin... I love you no matter what... You're heritage as a prince doesn't change at all how I feel about you."

[/QUOTE]
Huh... Whatayaknow. Royalty. Walking around in her neck of the woods. Trina would have felt more honored, except that she kinda... Attacked the last nobleman that came through. "Don't shoot the wolves" he was warned. "The wolf spirit won't take kindly to it." Did he listen? Nooooo.


 
Asshole had it coming


 

You...you really feel that way towards me?" He asked nervously, rubbing the back of his head. The wind seemed to have petered out once again, leaving the two in a soundless void. He stood there for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. They were in a cluster, and he was having trouble looking for a reply.
Screw it. He turned around suddenly and strode over to Evangelina, gently grasping her shoulders he stares into her eyes, not saying anything. The longer he looks into her eyes, the more nervous he gets and his heart just won't calm down. With his good hand, Zelin reaches up under the elf's chin, pulling her close for a sudden kiss. Her soft lips, combined with just the embrace, made his skin flush further and his heart nearly skipped a bit. He held the kiss for a moment, enjoying it while he could. Then, quickly as it came, he retracted from Evangelina, nervously looking into her eyes again. "S-sorry...I...love you as well." He whispered, glancing away from her.

Aaaaand now their kissing. Get a room you two, Trina thought


 


[QUOTE="The Velveteen Rabbit]
"Let's get back to the inn... You're still injured, remember." She murmured softly. She stole a gentle kiss that lasted shorter then the other, and brushed past him. Evangelina suddenly smiled and glanced back at him as she was walking away.
"I noticed we walked in a circle by the way." She grinned a bit before motioning for him to follow.

[/QUOTE]
Trina wrinked her snout. Ugh! THANK YOU! Good riddance! She analyzed the couple for a sec. ...Y'know what, their unarmed and ain't gonna hurt me none so les' have a li'l fun. Make thair trip back a bit more eventfull. Heh-heh.


Trina stood up, slowly, stealthily crept up right behind the wussy looking elf (she's quite silent in spite of her bulk), pulled her lips over her teeth into a hideous snarl, and let out a low, rumbly growl. That ought to get em on the run

 

[The Darkling]

Cordelia was thankful that she managed to save one person so far. So she put him on a table towards the back for him to heal up when almost instantly she had another male brought in, "Dropping like flies arent they.." She sighed and quickly washed her hands in some water she kept with her and looked at the patient oddly and with wide eyes when Ayah left, "Dammit..sir I know your trying to say something but if I dont work fast your going to bleed out and die understand?" She gathered her surgical tools and needles and threads. There was really nothing she could do about the lost limbs unless she had them with her but sadly Ayah didnt seem to have them either. So the best she could do was stop the bleeding and heal what was left of his actual limbs.

​

@SirFlabberghaspy

 

[GreatGavino]

The Rider continued past the now ruined walls, marveling at the ruined homes, blood stained streets and burning corpses, his horse calmly trotting along. The screams of the dying and the sounds of clashing steel seemed to draw him in, and while it was unnoticeable beneath all his robes, the dark figure shook with anticipation. Farther down the road, a large Orc could be seen attempting to overpower and kill a man who was trying to protect two children who, judging by their appearance, were his own.


Peacefully flicking the reins, The Rider spun the sword in his hand, his steel encased fingers handling it with care and finesse. The Orc managed to knock the already dented sword out of the shaggy haired man's hand and swiftly shoved his foot into the torens chest, sending him tumbling over beside his children. Caught up in his own ordeal, the orc did not notice the Rider slowly approaching as he slammed his fist off his broad chest in a sort of primal victory, as he reared his head and laughed heartily. As the creature raised it's weapon, it noticed the family had lost attention to him and at last noticed the shadow looming over him. Grunting, he spun around, only to be met with cold steel ripping through his ribcage, his own blade clattering to the cobblestone.. Gurgling in his own blood, the Orc soon followed his weapon, landing in a heap on the bloody stone.


The family unsure whenever to cower or praise the silent figure dressed in black, simply stared in awe for several seconds. As the silence dragged on and the Black Rider raised his sword so it was pointed to the sky, the man began to laugh, "Thank you! Thank you!" Relief seemed to flood his face, he had stared death in the face and survived, family and all. The two children began to catch the mood of their father, as they watched him rise to his feet and followed in suit.


"You did us a great service mister." The shaggy haired fellow breathed out deeply, as he began to approached the rider. The kids, now bubbling with awe at this 'hero', started sputtering out "Wow!" the second one piped up in milliseconds, "Where did you get your sword!" Their father, turning and smiling at his kids turned back to the Rider, opening his mouth to speak. In one swift motion, a streak of blood sprayed out, covering the children who were running up to pet the horse as the head of the father flew onto the ground. The body, wobbling for a second as the two young children stared in a look of true shocked horror, teetered backwards and flopped lifeless onto the body of the Orc.


Turning to look at the children, who were too terrified to do much more than cry silently, The Rider slowly sheathed his blade and nodded to them, his hollow chuckling echoing as his steed trotted away, leaving the children to their fate.

 

[MrMopp]

Jerk

 

[SirFlabberghaspy]

The man simply nodded, yet a crazed look in his eye gave away that he truly wanted to tell her what he was trying to say. As if it were important, more important then his own life. As the bleeding stopped, the man calmed down, but was quick to look over at a piece of plain paper near the surgical equipment. His eyes flashed purple for a second, and he was soon taken away by a guard.


The writing on the paper read, "The key is in the castle, within the fountain of knowledge...".


However, a mere few seconds more, and a woman was suddenly pushed in by another Guard. She was bitten, and also struck by at least eight arrows. It would seem the casualties were just as gruesome between soldiers and civilians.

 

[The Darkling]

Cordelia looked at the man with a frown. She had wanted to know what he had to say but he was taken away to quickly, "Wait hes still healing you cant just!-" They were already to far gone for them to hear hr anymore. She growled in frustration, maybe she would run into him after all this was over. When she went to go clean off her equipment for the next patient she noticed the paper, "What?..The key in the castle? What fountain?" She sighed and stuffed it in her pocket. She would have to figure it out later because soon enough she had another patient come in and it looked bad. She would be lucky enough to survive the bite alone.

After working with the latest patient she sighed and dabbed at her forehead. "Jesus this is just crazy.." She took looked at the woman and the man who lay behind her in deep sleep. The powder she mixed with their water she gave them having completely knocked them out. She reached in her pocket and looked at the paper again, "What am I suppose to do with this? It's not like I can just leave right now to figure out whats hidden in the castle..id probably get myself killed on the way"​

 

[GreatGavino]

The Rider planted himself directly behind the battlefield, for several reasons. Beyond the simple enjoyment of violence, he would not allow any to leave because he wanted to watch the two forces decimate each other.. He wanted rivers of blood and mountains and mutilated corpses to herald the chaotic end to a once great city.


Several times, stragglers attempting to escape was either forced back to the Inner walls or removed of their heads. By this point in time, the prowling Rider met no more challenges, any attempting escape forced to try and find another route through the madness.

 

[SirFlabberghaspy]

A few guards would drag the dead bodies of injured who couldn't get healed in time, women, children, men, all kinds of people were dragged through the tents in a rush. Piles of bodies were burned, and one tent caught fire on accident. The flames were then currently being put out by the remaining Inner Guard.


The Venesian Royal Blades were setting up defenses for when the Inner Wall Gate would come down, and when the dark forces would pour in. Charles and the normal Guard were buying them more then enough time.


Rain began pouring on Dominion, red rain, as if the Gods themselves had cried blood in horror of the events that fell upon Dominion. However, it was not as magnificent as this.


Ayah would run up to Cordelia after yelling orders at the others. "We need to begin to evacuate to the castle. It will take awhile for our guards to open the portal, all we have to do is hold out."


---


In the Outskirts of Dominion, battle still raged on as the groups of guards and civilians met their blade against the invaders. The cloaked man within the middle began chanting, and raised his blade to the sky.


"Thundris!", the man would scream, lightning firing up from his blade. The lightning struck the sky, and divided into many lightning strikes, spreading through their opponent's forces.


This gave them breathing room, for a few seconds.


Where the lightning struck formed a cloud, and the blood of the slain enemies would begin to rise, streaming into rivers as they merged with the clouds forming. The clouds would be tainted blood-red, and the rain that fell would be colored as such. This was simply a waste product of the spell, a symbol of the blood that was shed.


---


Charles and the Guard were being suppressed, and hard. Around twenty Guards remained, and dozens of orcs and demons rained down on them. Charles would slay them in a swift flurry, as if he were performing, and had practiced for centuries. His moves were precise, swift, graceful, and extremely brutal.


They were the only force between the Inner Wall Gate, and the invaders. Charles gritted his teeth and kept his stance valiantly, slaying groups of orcs in mere seconds. He stood out as the Captain of the Venesian Guard.


"Sanguis!", Charles would scream out, his eyes widening from their usual sharpness. This was no longer amusing, this was hell, this was his nightmare, this was death.


Blood from the dead, both allies and opponents, would fly at Charles, suddenly absorbed by his body. The Captain began chuckling madly, and yelled back at his Guards as he continued to fight.


"Hope is lost, use the scrolls!"


"But si-"


"Now!"


The Guards would retrieve their scrolls, and mutter a single, secret phrase. In a bright blue flash, the Guards were gone, and had appeared in the center of the Inner Wall District.


Charles was a one-man army, holding out for a few minutes, but that didn't stop the amount of damage he took. With each hit, he felt more and more fatigued. Eventually, the man would collapse, gazing in the distance as orcs slaughtered guards and civilians running for safety, for an escape.


He... he had failed, such realization caused him to laugh as he fell on his knees, and began to impale himself with his blade. He refused to be slain by such filth, and he would slowly await death, the pain only fueling the brightness at the end of the dark tunnel that began to consume him.


Anger filled him, hatred from himself, as he was surrounded by weary demons and orcs, who eyed the piles of bodies around him with fear. That's when the massive Shadow Hawk, the size of a tower, swooped down and obtained him.


The Darkness had plans for this one.

 

[BatChan]

Meanwhile, in a watering hole located in Kaekuma...





"This- this fuggin' guy, he not only broke almost every rule in the book, he had the gall to blame it on me! People said that it was so- so blatantly impossible to accuse someone else he must be telling the truth!"


"I-I lost everything. My job was taken from me, I got blacklisted from every university in this goddamn country, and he's gone up to become the the A-Archmagus!"

 

[The Darkling]

Cordelia looked outside at the horror that was now Dominion, and for a moment she wondered if her parents were ok in the forest. When it started to rain red she shivered, "This is so wrong.." She looked at Ayah knowing now she would have a chance to get into the castle, "Ok..could i get your help with these two? We need to take them with.." She focused what she knew about void on the man in front of her, slowly he started to raise, her face tight with trying to keep him up, "If you could get her id be grateful.." She used her head to motion to the woman she had healed last. She could feel her head starting to hurt for the briefest moment, but thats just because she had yet to really adapt to void magic. So a small side effect was expected.

​

 

[GreatGavino]

As crimson drops of rain began to fall, splashing against the stone and getting absorbed by the heavy robes covering the Black Rider. This, this was the world he wished to live in, the unhinged man basking in the glory of the blood rain as the death toll rose higher and high. It was at that moment, as he continued to stare onward at the horrors being caused, he knew that this was what he wished to able to do..


Burn down villages, Slaughter families, and bring forth the dawn of the last day.. He wished to be the reason the world fell into chaos and disarray.

 

[DrBones]

Terminally embarassed and nursing a knee bruised by accidentally hitting the table, Boris unconvincingly casually walked away from the woman he just spilled his drink on, and moved towards the bar's counter.


Graciously refusing to call Boris out on his gaffe and already listening to another patron's tale of woe, Rist looked expectantly at Boris.


"Another pint of Periwinkles', please." Said Boris, grinning nervously and handing over a sweaty handful of copper coins.


Rist silently nodded and filled a glass, not taking his eyes off the Magus he was listening to. When Boris got his drink, he opted to sit down at the counter instead of trying to find a table. He turned to look at the Magus, and listened.