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Completed Chapter II: Blades in Motion

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Dina Ailsa

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Dina jumped forward and snatched the notebook. She moved again to a safe distance and opened the notebook to check out it's contents. It would be bad it they left with some useless scrabbles, wouldn't it? I hope this is something I can read. She thought. A smile came over her face, the pages were so much alike those her mother used to describe to her. "The pages were almost see-thought, thinned with age and moisture. I was not so lucky to have my own mother teach me, you see. Even thought it was sometimes had to convince the guards, I loved going to the royal library." she laughed pleasantly at her daughter, Dina. She always used to say things like that and Dina really felt lucky. Her mother was a great teacher. Dina felt humble around her, her knowledge and beauty were miles apart from Dina's. Sometimes a single look from those ice-blue eyes was enough for Dina to realize when something was wrong. Will I ever have time to mourn properly? She fought her tears back and got back to the notebook handling it with great care.
 
Eltheron Delioss

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Eltheron had taken a defensive position when the great skeletal guardian first animated, both blades drawn, his cloak slung back over his shoulders. He had been about to attack himself when Laurolf had been smacked, and sent back off his feet, and reconsidered his plan of attack. If his great axe did nothing, what can my blades do to immortal metal and bone...


When the roots came, and Henvei froze the construct Eltheron decides it was as good a time as any to make his way over to Laurolf, "Come now master dwarf, no napping on the job." Eltheron offers the dwarf his hand, his eyes stil fixed on the construct and the young woman.


"Anything of use in the book?" he calls to Dina
 
Laurolf Fangür

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"Bah! Got me wind knocked out of me, 'at's all!" Laurolf swept Eltheron's hand away, as he stood up on his own, grasping his axe which had fallen next to him. He looked at Eltheron, "And it's Laurolf, ye' oaf!" Shaking his head and mumbling, "Bloody children, never listen.." Laurolf dusted himself off, and raised his hood back on. He then started walking towards Dina, stopping briefly in front of the skeleton as he shook his fist at it and growled something in Dwarven. His eyes then turned to the woman, as he walked a bit closer.


"Aye, lass! Instead of standin' there, like a statue, how about ye' tell us we didn't come 'ere for nuthin', eh?"
 
The old, worn notebook Dina held was written in a somewhat older variant of the Common tongue, but it presented no problem for most people even today. A quick study revealed that it was in fact a journal, or more precisely part of a journal - because it seemed too short to be a complete thing. The girl didn't manage more than that, because something, or rather someone just burst into the room.


"What the hell is taking so long?!" growled Xenthriss, having just entered through the tunnel. "There is half a dozen dead guards up there and the rest are trying to break down the gates, if they haven't already. Not sure if we'd even hear it down there..." The drakkar seemed to be fine, sporting his greatsword dripping with blood. "And what the hell is that?" he asked, pointing out the huge skeleton partially frozen in the middle of the room. The thing was still immobile, though the roots had receded without anyone noticing. Likely unconsciously caused by Dina. Even if there was another exit from this place aside from the one they used to get down, it was questionable whether they could find it and use it.


"Wait." said the elf, Meric, who had been keeping a low profile until then. He stepped from the shelf he had been leaning on, stood next to Dina and said: "Do we have what we came for? Is this it?"
 
Dina Ailsa

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"It seems to be a journal of a kind." Dina said, her forehead wrinkling as she was trying to make sense of some words she encountered. She had to calm herself down, her heart was pounding like crazy upon the thoughts of imprisonment and death that was sure to come if they were to be caught. The handwriting was messy which made it hard to read, but after a sentence or two Dina got used to it. Come on, let there be something useful here. She inspected the content more closely grazing sections with her eyes as fast as she could, not really interested in them, searching for certain words. Yes! There it is! Dina's heart skipped a beat. "Amaranth!", she exclaimed excitedly, "There it is! Later we will look further into it. There is also something about Daskard." She closed the notebook and hugged it to her chest. "Our search is over, let's get out of here. Do you think we would push through the rest of the guards on our way out?" Dina turned her head to Xenthriss as she could think of no other way out.
 
A wicked smile crossed the drakkar's face. It was like he was just waiting to be asked to bludgeon through more flesh. "There aren't enough soldiers in this town to stop me." he growled. "Anyway, I barred the gates after their first few attempts to get in. If they had breached inside, the tunnels would already be crawling with flesh. And I don't smell anything." He grinned.


"And I don't really see a way out of here, other than the one we already know." added Meric. "We should take the tunnel back up to ground level, and then decide our next step. The sooner the better. Sounds like this journal has to do with the Amaranth, and it was well guarded for a reason. We have what we came for. Let's go!" He sounded impatient. Or maybe it was the fear of being trapped down here if they lingered?


The notebook Dina held linked the Amaranth to Daskard, the desert province of the Drakkar, where the Chosen already decided on going next. This was perfect. But they had to escape from Aboran and reach safety first. Meric's words rang true, in this.
 
Dina Ailsa

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"Alright then. I'll take the rear." Dina said feeling nervous about them forcing their way through. The rear was the only logical position for her, she couldn't use her power in the stone surroundings without cracks and she was sure the library foundations would be even harder to bypass. I'll stay behind and try not to do anything stupid. She thought remembering that she was the one who triggered the animation of the skeleton. She turned around to glance at the skeleton. I guess you're not going anywhere until the ice melts. She smiled somewhat satisfied.
 
Henvei Relkor vech Daltzen

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The scholar had already began ignoring the party again, his attention drawn back to the stack of books that originally caught his...well, his attention.

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The book on his people soon ended up along with the rest of his instruments, floating along behind him as the quick search continued. Of course it was woefully inadequate. Of course it was hilarious, in a quaint little way. A keeper.

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But that was not important. The Codex had sensed something important close to the fire, and had it not been for the untimely war cry, it would have been seized by now. Bah. The scholar grimaced to himself in disgust as he ran a thin finger down the spine of each book he passed, sucking what information he could from the textured surfaces. So much could be read from a spine. Age. Location of authorship. In certain areas, content matter. Occasionally, the identity of the author. Henvei gave his finger a quick lick...

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No, no luck. "Three minutes to reach the top. Five to break through the guards. Ten to exit the city." he muttered, elevating his search to a frantic pace. If the Codex was going this crazy about something, leaving it behind would be unthinkable.

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Laurolf Fangür

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Laurolf cleared his throat in a loud way, to grasp everyone's attention. "As much as I'll be lovin' to have some fun with 'ese bastards of Ilhirel- Before we go bargin' into an army of enemies, shalt we discuss the matter of leaving 'tis 'ere city, hmh?" The Dwarf, leaning to his battle axe with his right hand, scratched his beard with his left. "Like I was sayin' earlier, we ought to be choosin' whether or not we want to be goin' around the bloody sea on foot, or like I suggested, commandeer, us a ship, hmh?"
 
Eltheron Delioss

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Eltheron had circled back around the skeletal guardian with Laurolf, and joined the others. Xenthriss had returned, and had announced that the entrance they'd used would soon be flooded with enemies. Eltheron tuned out the rest of the conversation, his mind suddenly more fixated on finding a safer exit.


His mind reeled back to their first meeting, in the spectral's cavern. Something they had said suddenly resounded in his ears, "Things hidden will be revealed to you, yet you will be seen by none."


He figured it was worth a shot, so he sheathed his blades and focused his mind, willing his transition to the shadows. When he opened his eyes again the world was many shades of grey, the skeletal guardian seemed somehow more imposing in this state. But that mattered not right now. An exit, he needed to determine if there was another exit for them all.
 
Xenthriss chuckled at Laurolf. "It would be alot easier to steal a ship than to march right past Ilhirel's door via an inland route, wouldn't it? Not that I'm complaining."


Shadowmelded once more, Eltheron studied his surroundings. The grey world around him was not entirely colorless - the skeleton gleamed blue from the magical energies inside of him, and the fire burning beyond was a strange purple red. Some of the books along the shelves had a sparkle or glint on them, indicating magical interference. But the walls themselves were a dull, dark grey, and there didn't seem to be anything concealed anywhere in the sense of an escape route. The elf remembered what else the Council told him: That he would develop his powers over Shadow in time and use. Perhaps he just wasn't attuned enough, or there was really no other way out. In this case it was an academic question, because it came down to the same thing.


It looked like they would have to retrace their steps, and beyond that, commandeer a ship from Aboran's harbor. Planning was easy. Doing it was the tricky part.


Meanwhile, Henvei's finger came to a stop upon reaching one of the stacked books. The jolt of magic surging through it was impossible to miss. Its covers were hard and dark blue, cracked - no, engraved with lightnings, and as he was about to remove it from the stack he immediately realized something else, too. The book was booby trapped.


His lips were forced into a cunning smile as he sensed details about the enchantment. The Codex began pulsing with energy. A simple trap, yes, far too simple to pose any challenge for the son of Relkor. Not that it was insufficient to deal with an average wizard. It was clearly meant to electrocute the would-be thief - ergo the earlier gentle jolt of magic upon touch that was supposed to inspire interest and desire to fully grasp the book. It would take little effort and merely moments, quarter of a minute perhaps, for the scholar to strip these paltry protections and claim the book as his own.
 
Dina Ailsa

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Dina sighed softly. She knew that she was quite inexperienced in this sort of doings and any decision she could make is likely to be the wrong one. I'll just follow their lead. I'll make a lousy queen. If I live to become one that is. She thought and it saddened her greatly. Why me? I'm not suited for this. I wish there was someone else... She will never get used to this, that she knew for sure.
 
Henvei Relkor vech Daltzen

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The scholar, had be been a bit more aware of himself, might have seen his ego inflate to massive proportions as he began to strip the book of its magic, slicing away like a surgeon amputating a limb. A fascinating little piece of work, and Henvei resisted the urge to leave the counter spells for a time when the process could be properly documented. But time demanded the deed be done, and Henvei obliged, not wanting to further irate the

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Soon, he fell entirely on muscle memory, letting his mind wander while his hands flitted this way and that, channeling his counter-spells as he had become accustomed to as a Folk: making completely unnecessary but very flashy shows of magic, when a simple though of intention and perhaps a raised finger would suffice. "A ship...yes, a ship. It would be difficult for...ah, yes."

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The scholar raised his voice, his confidence showing. "Escaping by sea would be the preferred option, I would think...faster, certainly. The ocean is difficult at best to cross; we would be hard pressed to find willing pursuers." While Henvei had little experience with sea water, it was fairly similar to regular water in how it was channeled, and at any rate, it was far better than heading into the desert on foot. The Folk could feel the oppressive heat already...already he missed the blizzards of home!

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Eltheron Delioss

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Eltheron stayed in his melded shadow form for the moment, walking carefully around the room, inspecting his perception of the world. He walked around the skeletal guardian still frozen in the center of the room, noticing for the first time that the roots that had been binding its feet were no where to be seen. He hoped that Henvei's magicks held strong. He then walked over to the shelves of books, careful not to touch anything, but observing carefully. He deduced that since the only things that shone with any colour were the enchanted fire, the animated skeleton, and these books; the logical reason was enchantment of some form. Imbued energies, perhaps latent, most likely traps if he had to guess.


Another thought came to him just now, he wondered if any in the group could perceive him in this form? The magi perhaps? He began walking over to the large Drakkar standing in the doorway.
 
The drakkar was the one to break the silence next. "Then stop wasting time and let's get the hell out of here." He turned around and disappeared in the dark corridor beyond.


At that moment the elf, Meric, walked right through Eltheron in his shadow form. It sent a jolt of raw magical energy through Eltheron, manifesting much like shivers along the spine, but throughout the whole body and more intense. The other elf didn't feel a thing. Also, no one else could see Eltheron at all. Meric paused by the burning brazier and ignited a nearby torch in it. Then, signaling the others to follow, he went after Xenthriss in the tunnel leading back to the reception room.
 
As the Chosen emerged back into the half dark reception room, now additionally lit by the torches the elves were carrying, they could see that the doors were still barred from the inside. But there was clamor from the outside. Meric moved to stand by one of the two windows adjacent to the door, making sure to keep out of sight.


"Shite. We can't go this way. Too many soldiers." he said. "And they're bringing a makeshift battering ram."
 
Henvei Relkor vech Daltzen

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The realization that the library would not stand forever had brought the scholar down from his hot-air balloon. He had been close to prying open the book and plopping down on the floor to read it all through, when the rest of the party began to move. It took some time for him to realize what was happening.

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"Leaving already..." He had hissed, grumpily, as they ascended the staircase towards the top. In any other circumstance, the scholar would have loved to spend the rest of the week camped up in the chamber, fending off whatever came down the stairs, and reading books. But that was simply infeasible.

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The scholar had packed his things, but not before carving his personal crest into a bookshelf near where he had found the tome. A design that no one would find familiar save for the Frigids...and they were all tucked away in the city up north. It was, after all, polite to leave a signature on any sort of work, and the scholar considered the successful break-in nothing less. If anything, it would let the soldiers know what they were dealing with. The great Magi of the Wandering Tome. No...still not good enough. Magi of the...Broken Blade. Certainly poetic...but a sword? Where to get one?

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The scholar leaned against a wall, thinking of options. "Trapped, ah. He enunciated, rather obviously. "Do we clear the door, or make a new one?" He absentmindedly juggled a few of his small fireballs, letting their blue light dance over the walls and ceiling.

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Eltheron Delioss

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Eltheron didn't quite know how to react to the sensation cause when Meric walked literally though him. He wanted to both stretch his limbs outwards and curl up, the feeling was rather strange. But he held calm and it washed away like any other.


He made a mental note to try and avoid being walked through in the future...


As the others were filing out of the room Eltheron dropped his shadowmeld, and stood at the door, fetching his earlier discarded torch from the floor and re lighting it. "Come along Henvei, we haven't eternity to play around with the skeletal construct." Eltheron gave a light laugh. He was about to turn and gave one last look over at the skeletal guardian, still frozen in place, good... With a final shake of his head he turned and began following the others.
 
Dina Ailsa

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Dina followed the group, keeping herself at the rear of it just as she said she would. Statues...stairs... and finally the reception room. Their way out was blocked, soldiers slamming against it and now bringing along that ram. What should they do? Dina was not too sure about thought of pushing through the unfriendly forces now and there were even more dangers approaching in the form of Ilhirel's errand-(wo)man. Maybe they're already there, on the other side of the great double-doors. Dina shivered. Maybe they could get out some other way. Should they check if there were some windows out of sight? They could climb through them and then make a run for it? Maybe...


"Is there a chance we could make a quiet escape through some windows in the back? Away from the main entrance? I don't know how big this place really is, but there must be some side chamber that would do just fine?" Her voice could have been firmer or more confident but Dina knew that she made some reckless mistakes so far and was in a way ashamed to suggest a new course of action. Still, there it was. It could seem like a silly suggestion but it was all she could think of. She bowed her head and waited. Her comrades were far more experienced, maybe they could think of something better. Was it even necessary for her to speak? Probably not, but it was too late already.
 
Xenthriss stepped forth. "Actually, that's..." he began, but was interrupted by Meric who still peeked through the window.


"Wait! That's..." His words trailed off as he stared outside. A single individual stood out among the soldiers. She was a Shadow Elf, tall, clad in green, gold-trimmed armor with a golden horned helmet. White haired. One of the Reindir knights knelt in front of her and she seemed to be saying something. She looked irritated.


"... Niara!" gasped Meric and finished his sentence. He tore his gaze off her for a moment and looked at the fellowship. "Niara Shadowleaf."


Everyone in the group had at least heard of Niara Shadowleaf, the high general of Ilhirel's legions and her second-in-command. Like her mistress, Niara was both feared and hated, though not quite to the same extent. Eltheron and Meric knew most about her since she was of the royal blood of Eldshaw - a princess if you neglected Asgard's human line of monarchs and looked at the elven kingdom by itself. Laurolf learned about her the hard way: Through battle, though he never engaged her in combat himself. Even Henvei of the distant Frigid Folk had the basic knowledge about her. In fact, of all the Chosen, only Dina was unlikely to know anything on the topic, thanks to her own isolationist lifestyle.


"That's the great general of the Sorceress? I expected something... more. After all those rumors..." said the drakkar. "But what was I saying?" he added, before Meric could mouth a reply. "Oh. The girl's idea is a sound one. I agree. We can find a more... improvisational exit through the east wing."
 
Dina Ailsa

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Dina lifted her head looking somewhat shocked. She expected that no one will second her idea and now she was glad she spoke. It was worth a great deal to her, after the first successful use of her power for something bigger that finding berries, as it presented another small step toward gaining some confidence. She needed to gain confidence, experience and wisdom if she was to rule some day (soon). Don't think too much about it, there are other things that you need to focus on. Such as that general. Dina shivered again remembering her thought from earlier. The errand-woman was indeed here. They had to make haste, it was burning under their heels now.
 
"No one's eager to get going?" The drakkar chuckled. "Stay here for all I care. Greet the good general in person. I'm off." And with that he moved across the room, entering the hallway that led towards the library section in the east wing.


Meanwhile the soldiers outside began hitting the door with that battering ram of theirs. From the looks of it, it was reasonable to assume it could take a dozen hits. Not really a lot of time, and now that the rest of the knight squad had been rallied under the command of general Shadowleaf, the odds were stacked against the Chosen.


Even the bloodthirsty Xenthriss recognized that Dina's plan was in fact their best shot.
 
Henvei Relkor vech Daltzen

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Fancy titles would have to wait.

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The scholar scurried off in the direction of the aforementioned wing, his thoughts in clouds darkly. A scholar of his magnitude would know plenty of the general, naturally! It was unthinkable to hide from the politics of the outside world, no matter how distasteful they might be. And that included persons of interest.

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This person, for example, was good at breaking things, like scholars. Henvei ran his fingers along the wall, muttering in his icy tongue as he went. To make an exit would be wonderful, yes. To preserve the knowledge within the library, even better. Yes, the scholar was confident in his ability to keep the library safe from the scheming of the party. But knights? Who knew what they would do.

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The scholar's eye turned to matters of architecture. Anything to be of use. Beams, windows, joists, weak structural integrity.

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Dina Ailsa

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There they were, the knocks of final judgement that will bring those opposing Ilhirel to justice. A really twisted kind of justice. Dina felt her own body, overflown with fear, turn and follow in the drakkar's footsteps. The sound of the gates' weeping filled her ears. We have to escape or we will be crushed right after those gates. Dina panicked , her mind was flooding with images of their deaths, one by one. Blood. Screams. Laughter... Get me out of here!


"Run!" Dina jelled, primary to herself, and she did.
 
Laurolf Fangür

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Laurolf growled all forms of curses in Dwarven, when he heard the name of that wretched general. He didn't just hate Shadowleaf, no, it went far beyond that - Laurolf wanted to destroy that woman. During his days as a guerrilla, Laurolf and his men had often tangled with Shadowleaf's subordinates, and they'd been some of the toughest bastards, Laurolf had ever fought. That, however, was not why the Dwarf absolutely loathed that woman - For it was that very general, that'd been responsible for the attack on the refugee camp, during which Laurolf had lost two of his younger brothers and his most precious and youngest of siblings, Emmi.


Laurolf squeezed the handle of his axe, "I'll cook 'er, I'll boil 'er and I'll bloody mince 'er to bits!" He thought, only to be snapped back into the moment at hand, by Dina's yell. He looked at the others, then at the door, then back at the others. Laurolf closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as he turned around and yelled, smashing a nearby bookshelf into bits with his axe. "Alrite' 'en!" He shouted and turned towards the hallway, "Let's go, ye' bloody oafs! Time be wastin'!" He said, stomping after Xenthriss and Dina, growling and grumbling again in Dwarven. "One day, one day I'll cook 'er, boil 'er and bloody mince 'er to bits!" He thought, to soothe his anger.
 
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