Fantasy [Closed] A nation in havoc

[TheCountryWarrior]

The spirit felt a presence, a presence that could only be described as intriguing. Such potential, and so unknowing. He feels me but...

I can't read him... odd.

The spirit was distracted by a thud, a clattering of boards. More people, entering forcefully.

These people, at least I can see their minds. They're intentions are impure. Interesting. Let's see how this plays out.

Duke of Doge Rhaine SirGrey Caffeine Freak Uasal

 

[TheCountryWarrior]

Dan sat upon the floor, on watch as he promised. He had been arguing with himself throughout the night, pondering why he felt this change. Ever since he left Askary and come to Dalania, met these people, and hid away in a bunker and watched out for them, he felt... good. He didn't feel angry or cold, he finally felt he had a reason to do something without some sort of personal gain. And this confused him to no end.

But before he could think any further, a clatter resounded throughout the cavern. Dan immediately jumped up, weapon at the ready, and headed towards the sound. As suspected Dan found the boards that Theif must have used to cover his tracks thrown to the floor. Standing there were several men and women wielding weapons of many different kinds. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Dan said, his mind and expression growing cold once more.

Rhaine Duke of Doge SirGrey Caffeine Freak Uasal

 

[Rhaine]

Ru was woken violently as a shout and a clamor rippled through her senses. She sat up in bed, hands clutching the covers tightly. Her heart beat wildly in her ears. For a few moments, she didn't know where she was, green eyes cast unseeing into the dim space before her. Her memories of the day before soon returned to her, and she was sombered. She climbed from the bed, feet meeting the floor without a sound. A deep, heavy sense of anxiety resided in her chest, reminiscent of danger.

The new dress she had found was a bit too big for her, but it was made of dark material, almost the shade of her hair, and she took advantage of this quality now as she stayed in the shadows. She crouched, sliding her bag out from under the bed and slipping it around her body, over her shoulder. She pulled out her dagger, gripping it tightly as she crept to the entrance of the bed chamber.

She heard an echo of Dan's voice that she couldn't quite make out, and she quickened her step, hoping it was nothing.

Duke of Doge TheCountryWarrior Caffeine Freak SirGrey Uasal

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Samuel snapped awake, hand already across the sheets and on his satchel as the sound of creaking floorboards etched the otherwise silent air. Lacking any kind of sleepwear, Sam had simply collapsed onto bed in his full attire, although he had deigned to scrub them clean of ash and grime in the bath beforehand. Eyes narrowing, he silently slipped from the bed and stalked toward the doorframe, a hand snaking into the devious depths of his satchel. Wreathed in shadows, Samuel patiently watched Dan confront a number of malicious looking figures. He idly stroked the tiny vial in his palm with a finger, ready to strike if need be.


Duke of Doge TheCountryWarrior Rhaine SirGrey Uasal @BANDITOS

 

[Duke of Doge]

Nia slowly woke up from her deep and needed sleep, her body, not used to much activity, demanded rest. Too bad that rest was interrupted. Opening her eyes just in time to see Ru leave the room.

'Sure, lets go towards the creepy noise'

She got out of bed, opting to stay in the room for the time being. Spooky noise has spooked Nia into staying.

「Meanwhile」

The group raised several crossbows at Dan, as others drew swords or daggers "we're going to ask the same" one of them said is a gruff voice, all of them dressed in ash covered rags with crudely made masks over their faces. "Why don't you get out of there peacefully so no one gets hurt"
Rhaine Caffeine Freak TheCountryWarrior

 

[TheCountryWarrior]

Dan's kept his piercing gaze on them all, waiting for one of them to make a move. "Counteroffer. You leave, and no one has to get hurt."

Duke of Doge Rhaine Caffeine Freak

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Every muscle in Samuel's body tensed. He practically salivated in anticipation. Come on, make a move.. He goaded silently, heart thumping in his ears. There were quite a few of them, but Sam had little doubt in his mind it wasn't something he couldn't palm off on Dan instead if things turned rusty.

TheCountryWarrior Duke of Doge Rhaine

 

[Rhaine]

Ru stayed close to the walls, in the shadows. She finally saw the source of the sound, but not the shout. A large group of what looked like bandits had broken in, and Dan was addressing them. He had his weapon drawn, but so did they. They had the strength of numbers over him. Fear found her, but she didn't make a sound. She kept her dagger ready in hand. She spotted Samuel close by, watching as well. Dan wasn't alone, not completely.

She readied herself for what she knew may come.

~

Cassander held his head in his hands, panting heavily. He stood on shaky limbs, list and writing utensil forgotten on the floor. He made his way as quickly as he could to the bed chamber, praying he would find Nia there. Disoriented and petrified, his eyes found her in the dim light. "Nia,". His words were a panicked hush. His eyes darted about with a paranoid edge. "I saw - I saw everything. It's going to... going to be released. It's been waiting so long, and now you're here." His last words were soaked in distress. He shook his head, unaware that none of this would make sense to her. He ran his hands through his hair, feeling completely helpless. A slave to the future, to its burden.

"My night terrors came true last time and I know it will again. I don't ... I don't think there's anything I can do. I don't know." He shook his head miserably, still in an agitated frenzy. His dream clung to him tightly. "I don't know."

Duke of Doge TheCountryWarrior Caffeine Freak

 

[Duke of Doge]

The group of bandits fired their crossbows and rushed in, 4 rushed in, swords drawn as two in the back reloaded

TheCountryWarrior Caffeine Freak Rhaine
-----------------
Nia's face was filled with worry. "Woah woah. Ok settle down" she put a hand on his shoulder and one on his arm. "Ok, just sit down." She said in a calming tone, leading him to the bed. "Breathe, and explain."
Rhaine

 

[SirGrey]

"Glad to know you're just as kind as you dad," he says leaving the vault. The ash started with causing a coughing fit for Decarcy. After getting over that, the master thief placed a travel cloak over himself and pulled up his cowled hood to try and shield himself from the influx of dust. Even with these added protections, Decarcy was still covered in ash within a few moments, looking like some spirit of death perhaps spawned by this great tragedy. As he started to make his way out of the town, his knowledge of the area from his many heists aiding him quite well, though the desolate destroyed environment did surprise him at times. As he made his way through the rubble, Decarcy caught a glimpse of what seemed to be bandits or raiders of some sort, who most likely here to loot the items of the dead. "Say what you want about me least I nick off those still with us" he mutters as he manoeuvres around the group of thugs.

As the thief reaches the city limits, he spies some horses left behind. Taking not time at all to acquire ownership of one, Decarcy takes a look behind, to the smouldering ruins of the once great kingdom. "Why did I make it, when all those who lived fucking kids dying with lungs full of ash, and yet here I am" Decarcy mutter as he started to ride away, a heavy sigh soon coming from the weary thief. "Guess I shouldn't kid myself, God's much just be planning and ironic and elaborate death for me, something with fire and blades" he mutters as he went into the wider world the evening soon following.

Setting camp a few miles from the city, Decarcy removed his ash-covered clothes adding fresh, if less armoured variants of his chain mail coat clothes. Laying down by under his leather tent with a warm fire at his feet, the criminal prays. Prays for those who were lost and are lost.
TheCountryWarrior Rhaine Caffeine Freak Duke of Doge Uasal

 

[Rhaine]

Though Cassander shook his head, he sat all the same. Her touch on his shoulder and his arm only made his guilt, his distress, his helplessness more palpable. He met her eyes, and it took all of him to manage the courage to speak. "Nia, I have to tell you. I'm sorry. The earthquake... the eruption. I dreamt it. I dreamt it all the night before. My night terrors - they come true, they always come true and I don't know why. I could have told you what was going to happen - warned you. I could have warned your father, but I didn't. I didn't." He couldn't meet her gaze anymore, and his dark eyes fell in shame.

The sudden sounds like shots firing echoed down the corridor. Only then did he look up, reminded of his real purpose. "I didn't say anything then, but I am warning you now. The bandits that have just broken through - that your friends are fighting as we speak, they're not the real threat. They're a catalyst. Nia, there's something down here. It's stronger than anything I've felt before. It's been waiting for you, for one of your bloodline. I don't know why. I know this sounds mad to you, but I'm telling the truth. Believe me when I say that whatever it is - it is no friend to you." He stressed each word, hoping she would hear, hoping she would listen. His voice held desperation.

"Even when I know what's going to happen... I don't think there's anything I can do to stop it. I'm sorry."

He half expected her to laugh in his face. However real it was to him, he knew it most likely meant nothing to her. Even if she did believe him, he knew she would hate him. He could have saved her father, and now she knew.

Duke of Doge TheCountryWarrior

 

[Duke of Doge]

Nia listened to his words and felt a pit in her stomach, she felt lightheaded, putting a hand on her temple as she then sat down herself. "Wha... I don't understand. I don't- I..." she struggled to wrap her head around it, let alone form a sentence. After a long moment of silence, she spoke, standing up. "Are you telling me. You can see the future. You saw - this" she gestured to the ceiling and the world outside "And you didn't think to tell anyone about it?! No, because you didn't think it would do anything?!"She paused
"What's the point then?!" Nia sat back onto the bed. "I guess we can't beat fate..."
Rhaine

 

[TheCountryWarrior]

Dan watched as the ranged bandits raised their bows, and he rolled to the side, the bolts flying past him. He crouched behind a rock (this being a cave) and fired square in the chest of one of the bandits in the back, killing him. The other reloading bandit soon followed. Six shots, six bandits. Easy! Dan shot the bandit leading the charge, grab the bandits sword as he fell and fought the one behind him. Dan started pushing back as melee combat was not his specialty.
Duke of Doge Rhaine Caffeine Freak

 

[Rhaine]

As chaos broke loose, Ru crept farther into the fray. As she began rounding a slight curve of the wall, she ran head first into a bandit who had been creeping the opposite way, trying to remain undetected just the same. He looked down at her with a glint in his eye.

"Well, hello there, little thing." She spied the rusty dagger in his hand, ducking in the nick of time as the man swung for her throat. As he attempted to recover from the missed blow, she swiped a leg under him, knocking him off his feet. He gave a growl of frustration, grasping her ankle and pulling her to the ground before she could break his grasp. He surged forward above her, dagger seeking her throat as he had meant it to before. Before he could manage the strike, she buried her dagger in his chest. She watched as he shuddered, his eyes dimming. Her chest heaved as she pushed his now limp form off of her, getting to her feet and pulling her dagger from his chest. It came back scarlet and dripping. Her wide, green gaze was fixed on him. It was her first kill.

-

Cassander shook his head, running his hands down his face. "I didn't want it to be real, Nia. I saw the palace crumble - my home too. I couldn't believe it. No matter what I had seen in the past come to life." He couldn't look at her. "I think... deep down I didn't want to try and change it. I knew I would fail. I don't think I could take that." His voice was quiet. He pondered.

What sounded like explosions rung out through the corridors. His gaze focused on the entrance to the bed chamber. He grit his teeth, suddenly furious, something possessing him.

"I've been a coward." The words tasted bitter in his mouth. "Not anymore. I'm not going to sit and take it." He looked to her now, dark eyes determined.

"Nia, if the bandits aren't able to reach you, then none of what I saw can come to pass. Maybe we can't beat fate, but we have to try."

Duke of Doge TheCountryWarrior Caffeine Freak

 

[Duke of Doge]

Nia sat up "Cass? What are you doing?" She asked as she looked around nervous.
(Short post because I'm fucking tired)
Rhaine

 

[TheCountryWarrior]

The spirit sighs. "Mortals are so useless on their own. However, I can help shape events to my favor." The spirit reaches for a bandits mind. The spirit sees desperation, which spawned cruelty. The spirit grasps the young man's mind and whispers into his ear.

One of the bandits stops, his face blank.

Dan blocked another attack from the bandit in front of him, and flung his opponent's shortsword away. Dan lunged and ran the bandit through. The bandit fell, bleeding from his chest.
Dan pointed his weapon at the last bandit, and fired.

*BOOM*

The bullet flew through the bandit, and a sizable hole appeared on his chest.

And the bandit walked forward.

Dan fired again and again till his weapon was empty. The bandit kept walking, even as his skull was observable. Bleeding from the holes Dan had put in him, he showed no signs of caring as he walked forward. Holstering his weapon, Dan attacked with his newly acquired sword and the bandit's chest was cleaved nearly in two as ribs could be seen if one looked past the organs oozing out.

The bandit's face was numb as he swung his simple club he had with unnatural speed and force. Dan stumbled backwards as the club found his jaw, then the side of his head.

Dan fell as another swing hit his temple, and Dan laid there, unsure of what was happening, when a final *WHACK* knocked him fully unconscious.

With an inhuman speed the bandit picked up Dan's sword and rushed directly to the bedchambers where Nia was, like he knew she would be there. The bandit slashed at Nia and was about to go for another.
Duke of Doge Rhaine

 

[Rhaine]

Ru finally managed to tear her eyes away from the bleeding body at her feet. She watched as Dan fired what she thought would be his last shot. Relief shone out through the haze that clouded her mind. A silence held heavy in the wake of the blast. The bandit kept charging forward. Terror ran her through. Dan continued to rain fire upon the young man, now rendered nothing but a mangled body. Still he continued on with no regard for his multitude of mortal wounds. Ru felt sick. Her chest heaved with breath. She couldn't move, and tears unwittingly pricked at the corners of her eyes.

She watched with wide, horror filled gaze as the creature began to beat Dan down. It all happened too fast to react properly, and before she knew it, the creature had moved on in the blink of an eye. She finally found herself, managing to reach Dan's side with hurried step. She crouched, immediately pressing her ear over his heart. "Please." A heavy beat answered her prayer and she straightened up with a thankful breath. Dark bruises already began to form over his jaw and temple.

She looked to the corridor the creature had disappeared down. Realization setting in. It was after someone.

~

Cassander didn't have time to answer Nia before something entered the room. It was just as he had dreamt, and only now did he remember in detail. He stood without pause, but before he could do anything to stay the mangled body's hand, it struck a blow against Nia. He was too late. It was already done. Its speed was ruthless, and it prepared to deal another blow. He knew the next one would be fatal.

The thought made something inside of him snap. A barrier was broken, albeit momentarily. Something long repressed rose out of him without control.

"Stop!"

With his word, there was a flash of something, and the creature was frozen in its bearing. Cassander might have just as well been possessed, as his dark eyes showed no surprise. His word was a command, but it had only stayed the creature's hand. It wasn't enough for him. Anger boiled in him, searing and forceful. He raised his hand, making a fist. With the movement, the creature's body hardened like stone. He extended his fingers once more, palm to the floor. The creature disintegrated where he stood.

Cassander stumbled back, falling to his knees. Whatever had come over him had passed as soon as it had arrived, and his head fell forward, completely spent.

Duke of Doge TheCountryWarrior Caffeine Freak

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Samuel kicked open the bedchamber door, a vial of soft powder clenched in a raised fist. "SCIENCE BITCH- wait, where'd he go?" Sam scanned the room, Nia and Cassander were the only occupants. "I... could've sworn- Your Highness, you're injured!" He slipped the vial back into its inner pouch and produced sterilization equipment, hurrying over. "What happened?" He asked frantically, pouring ethanol onto a bandage.


Duke of Doge TheCountryWarrior Rhaine

 

[Duke of Doge]

Nia shrieked and held her left eye. "AHH geez! My eye!" She let go and looked up at them and opened her eye, thankfully it still worked. The blade cut her across the eyebrow and down her cheek a bit, bleeding a good amount, it would leave a scar. She looked at the statue bandit. "You fucked up my face!" She pushed it over. Before going back to holding her left eye.
Rhaine Caffeine Freak

 

[TheCountryWarrior]

The blood on the blade collects into one single drop, and floats towards the vault door. On contact with the door the etchings on the surface glow with a bright blue light, soon replaced with a blood red glow that seems to darken the already dark tunnels.

The stone door shatters, and the drop of blood reforms and continues into the vault. A crystal ball glows with a fire in its core, and all can feel the malice permeating the air around it.

The drop of blood touches the ball...
The ball explodes...
And a spirit rises from the smoke.

The spirit screams a petrifying scream, one can feel the hatred that echoes throughout the cavern, the spirit's voice seems reverberate when he talks.

"Davion!"

The spirit yells into the magic child's mind.

"You can't cheat fate! But fate can cheat you!"

The spirit floats down the hall, a wicked grin on his face.

Duke of Doge Rhaine Caffeine Freak

 

[Duke of Doge]

Nia ran out the room "nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope" and into the armory, pressing her hand to the secret door as the blood on her hand caused the door to swing open, something she thought of earlier. "NOPE" she closed the door. Locking herself in.
Rhaine TheCountryWarrior Caffeine Freak

 

[TheCountryWarrior]

Dan stirred from his unconscious state and looked up into Ru's gaze. "Hey Songbird, is this a bad time to tell you I never was good at close quarters combat." Dan chuckled weakly. "What the hell happened? He was falling apart at the seems by the time he got to me. I don't-

"Davion!"

Dan jerked upward into a sitting position. That voice made the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention. He was filled with that voice in your head that tells you when something is very, very wrong. "What- What is that?" Rhaine

 

[Rhaine]

Dan's voice found her, and to say it was a welcome sound would have been an understatement. She turned her gaze to meet his, something like a small, teary smile finding her features at his words. Some of the disquiet that had pervaded her mind disappeared now that Dan was awake. The relief was short lived.

A deep, harrowing voice shook through the caverns. Her heart beat sped up wildly, and a small noise of surprise left her parted lips. She cast her gaze sharply out to the corridor. Ru suddenly felt very, very cold. She shivered. Something horrible stirred in her chest. She shook her head vacantly, the tears that had gathered now slipped down her cheeks. She grasped Dan's hand - a reflex.

"I don't... I don't know." Her voice was small and fearful. "I don't want to find out." This was a breath of a whisper. Her eyes closed momentarily.

~

In the short moments after he fell to his knees, Cassander hardly knew where he was. If asked, he wouldn't have been able to recall his own name. All he knew was a distinct sense of fear and an emptiness. His body felt hollow. What had happened? He slowly began to regain himself. He didn't notice as Nia left the room.

"You can't cheat fate! But fate can cheat you!"

The voice shattered through him, knocking against his skull. He winced, holding his head in his hands. He recalled everything that had passed, and he was still in its wake. A powerful force overwhelmed him. It was too much, too close. He remembered his dream, shaking his head faintly. Raising his gaze slightly, he peered out to the entrance of the room. He knew where it was. He knew what it wanted, and he knew where it was heading. A bit of his strength returned.

"You'll fail." He spoke to the air. Whether or not it was prophecy or spite, he hardly knew. Everything was without clarity.

TheCountryWarrior Duke of Doge Caffeine Freak

 

[Duke of Doge]

Nia looked across the room, ordered by date of birth were all the royal weapons. Incased in glass or on a stand there were dozens of them, ranging from simple swords, small daggers, and powerful bows.

In the center of the room was Nia's weapon. And next to it was her father's, a bow that seemed to faintly glow purple. He had named it "Enkaii-nau Ven"
Now Nia knew that almost all of these we powerfully enchanted. Enkaii-nau Ven had the ability to fire arrows that would explode on impact, the size of the explosion depened on the attitude of the weilder.

Nia told herself not to take every weapon with her. She was on the fence about her fathers though. One was certain, hers.
She approached the pedestal, the weapon appeared to be a raiper. A red grip, wrapped in an intricate yet functional wire handguard. The blade was encased in a sleek black sheath.

Nia breathed slowly, gripping the sheath in one hand as she lifted it. It was incredibly lightweight, not weighing more than 3-4 pounds total. She put her other hand on the cool metal of the handle. Closing her eyes as she pulled the blade out of its handle. The distinctive shhhhiiing echoing through the large room.

 

[TheCountryWarrior]

Dan's eyes were wide with fear and, while not new to the concept, it was something he hadn't felt in a while. He felt Ru's hand on his, and held on to her as he stood up. "What can we do? I-I don't have the answers. I don't know what to do! What is it!" Rhaine