Cursed IC

Elise's jaw nearly dropped in pure shock at the mention of the philosophers stone "You... can't be serious?" she questioned, giving him a glance over, he seemed to be telling the truth, and the excitement welled within the young alchemist. "You know of the stone? And you've even made an attempt to create it? By the gods!" she exclaimed as a small smile began to crease her expression. "I'd love to see your notes! I'm certain that with our knowledge combined we'll come to a breakthrough!" in her excitement at just hearing of the stone it seemed that the elf had completely forgotten where she was, and what she had been doing prior. She was excited! More than she had been since she set out in the first place, this was the best lead she had gotten so far! Someone who had come close to creating the stone himself, even if his attempt was.. ill advised.

Realization hit the elf hard as she snapped back to reality, pulled from her fantasy by Grave and his tools. "W-wait, don't hurt him!" she pleaded, glancing down at Coda, then back up to Grave apprehensively. "There must be a better way to learn.." she offered, worried for the boys well being. She wasn't exactly sure what would happen to cut off his horns, but from what she had learned in her dreams it didn't seem like a pleasant experience. Elise stood over the boy protectively hoping to convince the general to use less.. painful methods.
 
Last edited:
Zola remained quiet during this whole King incident. They had taken Coda and Eilse this time, but the other chick in her cell seemed to be set free by the king himself. Lucky. Guess now is as of good time as ever. Zola's palm made contact with the ground, as soon as that happened pillars of rocks shot out and slammed into the guard's face, knocking them out. Zola then created a hole in he ground leading outside her cell. She grabbed Eira and jumped down, then used the earth to raise them back up. Zola then put down Eira.

"Woooooo Jail break!"Zola then turned to Argen's cell. "No. I ain't freeing you. These three days in the jail clearly made you lose your sanity so no." She the turned to Lith, "I don't know much about you, so I will comeback to free you after. You can't be worse then Argen right? All you did was attack us, not DECAPITATE MY HORSES!" She finally turned to Seng, Nora and Okaimi, "Ok so I'ma let you three out an we can go save Coda and Elise!" Zola then approached both of their cells and made a hole leading into their cells, raising them up from the ground once they reached the bottom."OK lets go get a key for your shackles and your weapons encase of battle. We have to be really stealthy about this. NOW LET'S MOVE OUT!"

Super Villain Nova Super Villain Nova shadowz1995 shadowz1995 Juju Juju
 
Last edited:
"Tch. Free me? Lost my sanity?" The Lycan stood up and yanked on the metal collar on his neck, snapping the steel on it and givin some much needed freedom of movement. The man cracked his neck a few times and the shiver that followed was visible. Lord, that had felt good.

Next was the chains on his feet, to which Argen treated in the same fashion. He reached down and tore the cuffs off one by one as quietly as one could when breaking solid steel. Next were the chains on his arm and there was sadly no real way to be very quiet with those. The wolf pulled hard with both arms, causing the links to start to groan and bend until the finally snapped under the pressure, freeing the lycan from his pseudo prison. The cuffs and a small bit of chains remained on his wrists but this was about what one could expect at this point.

Argen walked over to the bars of the cell, grabbed hold with two powerful hands and then pulled with a great amount force, causing the metal to bend out of shape . He had to bend it considerably due to his huge size but he eventually got it to the point where he could slip out. "Again, proving how much of an idiot you are. Also, get over the horses farmer wench. Or the next thing I eat will be you and not the king and his men." Argen wasn't joking. He had quite literally had enough of the farmer girl. But the comment that followed made him laugh. This girl really was stupid. "Wrong again, farm girl." He said in a mocking tone as he stepped over to get a full view of Lithariel's cell. The lycan broke out into a wide, open smile as he regarded her with his only eye left. "She is much worse than I am." Without any further words, Argen reached in a pulled on the bars which contained the huntress, opening a space wide enough for her to fit through.

"Come on, my huntress. It's time to get some revenge." He chuckled as he offered his hand to the woman through the opening he made.​
 
Grave smiled to Elsie and her reaction to the philosopher stone. He shook his head. "Dear Alchemist..." He smiled... "One does not make the stone.. One finds it." He told her.

As he looked over his tools he picked up a small curved needle and threaded it with a thin string. "It's said that the stone was made long before the land gave birth to life." He told her. Grave looked to her picking up a set of long thing tweezers. "You know I use to be an Alchemist like yourself." He smiled as he could recall his days before. "And I too was in search of the stone." He looked up to meet her eyes. He shook his head, "Only to find that to find the stone is not of this world..." He looked down to the needle. He placed it over a candle and let the fire sanitize it.

He looked back to Elise when she took her stand before Coda. Grave blinked at Elise's stand and smiled. "General." He called back to Hadden. Hadden looked to Grave but did not say a word. Grave kept his eyes on Elsie as he spoke, knowing for well that the man was listening. "I'm going to need those books the travelers came with..." Grave paused as he thought for a moment. "Better yet... Let the king know that I will need all of the items.... Let him know it's for research."

Hadden nodded but didn't move. His eyes looked to Elsie.

Grave waited a moment before looking over his shoulder at Hadden. "Oh come now.. I can handle a simple girl...." grave gave the man a smiled. Hadden shook his head as he turned to leave the room. Grave looked around the room once Hadden was gone. Those only left were him, Elise and Coda.

He looked to Elise and the smile went away. He gave her a dull expression as he blinked at her. "You should look into learning a thing or two about black magic." He told her as he placed the needle and tweezers down. He walked over to her and moved her over to the table more. He opened up Coda's hand to reveal cuts from a few days ago. They almost looked fresh, like he had cut them yesterday.

"A mage like him does not heal as well as others." He told her as he took her hands and placed them onto Coda's hand. "Hold it open." He told her as he pulled over a stool. He reached walked over to another table and brought over a bowl of water and clothe. He placed it down on the table with Coda. He then went back to his tools and brought them over along with a set of strange glasses. They had smaller lenses sitting on top of the glasses, after placing them on he looked to Coda's hand, changing out the lenses to get a better look at the cuts.

"Also you seem to think of me as a monster..." He dipped the clothe into the water and then placed it on the cuts. Wiping away dirt and dried blood. He glanced up from his work to look at Elise, the glasses making his eyes look much bigger and giving off a bug look, "Do I look like a monster?" He asked. He paused realizing that he had on the glasses and shook his head, "Don't answer that...." He looked back to what he was doing and was quick to clean Coda's hand. He switched the lenses on his glasses and frowned a bit. Coda was indeed reckless when it came to using his magic. He didn't use it often... but when he did.. Grave could tell all of that just from the wound.

"When you have a stallion that has lots of power... You don't break him... You nurture him... and then when he is ready to go into battle with you... He will trust you, because you gave him that trust." Grave looked over to Coda who was starring at the ceiling at this point. His mouth was gagged with a cloth so he couldn't speak. Grave looked back to Elise and leaned over to her. "I tell you now young alchemist..." He started to whisper... "He is not of this world.... And you don't torture something that you don't know..." He made sure his words were clear and only loud enough for her ears to hear.

***************************************

Kray frowned a little at Tanya's words. He picked up one of the books and flipped through the pages. "It does have a resemblance to the old Netherfar scriptures." He let out a huff of air. He tossed the book back to the table and placed his hands on his hips. He walked along the table as he looked over the weapons. He shook his head not sure what to make of all this. He looked up when Hadden had entered the throne room. "My King." He approached and bowed quickly. Kray did not have to tell the man to stand as Hadden already did so. "Sir Grave wishes for the items from the travels.... He says it will help him with his research." He told the man.

Zerra walked over picking up one of the books. "Does he need all of them?" she asked curious.

Hadden nodded, "He even asked for the weapons." Hadden admitted.

Kray walked over to his wife and took the book from her hands. He walked over and handed it to Tanya. "You will help the General take all of this..." He motioned to the tables, "Down to Grave's work shop." He thought for a moment. "You have good eyes and ears... Study what you can from the elf girl... Report back what can... when you can." He told her. He looked to Hadden and nodded to the general before turning to his wife. He held out a hand to her and she took it gracefully.

The two started to leave at this point.

(I will wait for Juju's reply to the dungeon before responding to what is going on down there.)
 
--
Eira
---​

Eira had known Zola was planning an escape but she was still just as surprised when the farmgirl swept her up, sunk them into the ground, and then plopped her down on the other side of their cell. As the earth mage freed the others Eira stood behind Zola, cowering even... anything to not draw any attention from the others. She was unsure of what to think of Coda's friends based on what they had done to the guards, and she would not even bring herself to think of all that Argen had promised. There was hardly a need for her gifts to confirm that, anyone within earshot could tell that his words rang of truth.

She felt guilty that she silently agreed to keep the lycan in his cell... that is until he broke himself out. The steel that held him broke apart as easily as parchment, the metal bars of his cage like clay in his hands. Eira had thought Zola was strong, or even Coda's companions, but this was just unnatural. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine as she saw him leave the cell to stand before them and threaten Zola. Was there no way to hold the beast?


---
Lithariel
---​

Revenge.

The word rang out in Lithariel's mind like the echoing of thunder off mountains. To turn the keep into a slaughterhouse, watch as one by one the commander lost his men. She would make every unchecked shadow a place for death to lie in wait. All she had to do was break out and give into this desire for blood and take that hand.

Lithariel could only look up at Argen through the bars at his newly widowed eye. One solitary gold flame. He was grinning from ear to ear with that wolfish look of his, a sure sign that he wanted a fight, but Lith could scarcely blink while she stared up at the ruins of his other eye. Her chest felt heavy just by staring at it, a fierce burning that grew greater the longer she stared at it. It felt as if she had been wounded too, spitefully scorned. Hunter's did not take kindly to an interference of their hunt but this was different, this transgression struck deeper. This was not just a hunt. Lith grit her teeth and looked like she was going to take Argen's hand, until she tore her gaze away from his.

"Don't tell me you are with this folly? How far do you think they will get?" she said, "The halls? The armory? Past the first set of walls? How long before they are shot down by a rain of fire? It would be a mercy compared to what will happen if they decide to drag them back alive."

It was too bold with too little information and cunning. It was not like the huntress to pounce on the first opportunity either. Patience was key.

Her eyes burned as fiercely as the torchlight outside her cell, but her tone of voice was frigid. "You may have strength, but they have numbers... and clearly more wit than all of you combined." The huntress paused for a moment before her eyes found Nora, Okami and Seng. "But if you must go so willingly to your deaths... I would hurry to your friend if you wish for him to join you in hell. I can scarcely make out his mark anymore. The dark mage must be toying with him about now... making him squeal like a little girl. Maybe he will be kind and kill him before he tears out those peculiar horns of his, but I doubt it. Better to draw it out, yes?" Unlike with Argen there was no menacing grin, no devilish laughter, just an icy stare. She knew exactly what they were, but never would she let it be clear.

seasonedcat seasonedcat Super Villain Nova Super Villain Nova shadowz1995 shadowz1995
(*dancedancedancetillyou'reded*)
 
Tanya looked between Hadden and the King as the General entered the room they were in. Holding back a sigh as she really didn't care for Hadden she nodded to her King and stepped over to the table to take what she could carry. Which was about two books and half the weapons. A decent haul considering what she was carrying. With her items nearly folded in her arms she listened to the king once more. " Of course your Majesty, I'll see what I can do to get something useful out of her. You can count on me." She said with a dip of her head. She would have bowed but she was a little encumbered and may have dropped everything in the process.

With her instructions given she whispered to herself. To begin a subtle spell Haden would be able to hear it. She wasn't hiding it by any means bus she seemed to be trying to be polite by not shouting her request to the spirits. " Spirit Of the wolf. Grant me your senses." Was all she said, heightening her hearing and sense of smell dramatically. It was a spell she normally had going passively but hadn't had a need for it in a prison cell or with her daughter.

She nodded to Hadden, ready to follow him to his destination with Grave, Elice, and Coda. She stayed next to him so he could keep an eye on her should he so choose. However she did nothing worth suspicion and would stop only when he did. "Grave requested these items? I wonder what he has in mind for them." She said, thinking out loud a bit to herself once they reached the door.

Super Villain Nova Super Villain Nova
 
Argen raised a brow in mild surprise at the huntress. He knew her body language and could see past mask of cold rage that she had up at all times. Lithariel wanted vengeance. He could practically taste it on her. She was bloody pissed and she wanted to slaughter everyone but for some reason, her eyes never moved from the wolf's. Her fiery irises didn't twitch and didn't blink. She just stared icicles into Argen's soul to the point that he was beginning to wonder if she was mad at the shiny people or at him.

She tore her ocular daggers off of his face and finally began to speak and this just confused Argen further. The soldiers had only won that battle because Argen was teetering between life and death from Lithariel and the huntress had been wounded by his blade as well. There was no doubt in his mind that the two could carve their way out of any situation. But Argen knew that it was once in a blue moon that the ashen haired huntress turned down revenge. Argen, himself, didnt believe that they couldn't do it. But he believed in her so that meant that he believed that she believed and that fact alone was more than enough.

"Well farm girl, it looks like your doing this mission alone. I'm not going anywhere if she isn't." Argen then turned to address the priestess, " I would suggest you stay behind as well. You know as well as I that this woman doesn't know the meaning of stealth." He was obviously referring to how damn loud she was being since the moment she got out. Even Argen had the sense to speak in hushed tones this entire time while Zola was speaking as if they were in the center of a colosseum.

The wolf then turned to the dark ones and waved his hand dismissively, "The boy is fine. Elise is with him as we speak and they are tending to his wounds....I believe...." he wasn't sure what they were doing to be honest. He felt the elf's panic but then it subsided rather quickly. She was just worried and tense now....and....excited? What the devil was she doing?

The wolf grunted with effort as he pulled the bars on Lithariel's cell further apart. Enough for Argen to step through, which he did. He then took a seat beside the huntress and undid her cuffs as well. The damn things were extremely uncomfortable and he was glad to be rid of them. Surely, she would be too.

Argen then chuckled and closed his eye, peacefully, "Get some sleep Lith. I know you haven't slept because neither have I. I'll keep an eye out.... literally." The wolf laughed at his own unintentional joke before reopening his eye and following through with what he said, "Its going to be a pain to explain this to my mother whenever I go back home." He stated softly, pointing at his destroyed eye.
 
Wow..... Just wow..... Seng, Nora and Okami looked at the group before them. This was the group that had kidnapped Coda? Not to mention that they had the princess as well... But they were completely lost for words. Yeah Nora had asked the wolf to help them... but she didn't mean right away... They were in a foreign kingdom with no knowledge of the castle layout, nor did they know where they took Coda or what they were doing to him. Breaking out now was just down right dumb.

The next thing that made them question the intelligence of the group was that the wolf broke out of his own cell and then went to free the huntress. Nora was quick to pick up on the love interest between the two. It was not just fueled by love, but by anger, hate and history. She glanced to Seng knowing some of the feelings. But that didn't make any excuses for what they had just done.

Another guard would be showing up any minute, maybe he had already peeked his head in, saw Argen escaping and then ran off to tell others. Nora covered her face with her hands and shook her head. She was surrounded by idiots.

Seng was over by Okami's side who was still sitting on the ground. Did the farm girl not take in the fact that Okami needed rest before breaking out? Seng knelled down next to Okami. Both were on the same page with Nora. Did they not understand what they had just done? Even if the wolf had changed his mind, his actions alone Caused a large sound that would not be ignored. Seng could hear them as voices could be heard from outside the dungeon's door. Archers being told to get into place and to wait for further orders. This did not sound good at all.....


(I'll Hadden and Grave in my next post.)
 
Elise blinked "Find it.... where..?" she found herself asking, not really expecting an answer. This news was such an incredible shock to her, the philosophers stone.. it was supposed to be something that she created, something that would prove the Arroways were masters of their craft. A creation to put them in the annuls of history.. and it wasn't something that could be created. The elf felt her heart sink somewhat... but at the same time.. Elise had promised the stone, and so she would get it, no matter the cost.

She listened and nodded along to Graves story, it came as a shock to her that someone like.. him.. had started out as an alchemist. Something within her had just assumed that he had been born and raised as a black mage, silver spoon in hand, sticking his nose up at his inferiors. More of that Domum prejudice speaking she assumed.. she wished to speak more on the philosophers stone, but it seems that Graves had other things in mind currently. Elise would be sure to question him more intently about it later.

The elf gave the black mage a curious look at his recommendation before slowly shaking her head "I.. appreciate the recommendation, but I think I'll keep to my craft. Black magic is..." unnatural, destructive.. evil? "unpredictable, I enjoy a craft that is a little more.. tangible." She didn't want to just outright say that black magic as a concept completely terrified her, as well as anyone who practiced it. But that was a large factor in her refusal to learn it, that kind of casting had been shunned to the point of exile in her hometown. To the elves, nature was not something that you should be allowed to bend to your own will but a force to ally yourself with in a mutual beneficiary.

While she was still quite protective of the boy, she stood aside as ordered, not wanting to anger her captors, because after all that's what these people still were. Yes they had freed her for now, but only because they wanted something from her, Elise was certain not to forget that this was how the outside world worked. She did as she was told, knowing that soon enough they would make their escape.

At the bug eyed glance from Graves Elise almost let out a laugh, the corners of her lips turning upwards to briefly form a smirk before the elf shook her head slowly "I do not see you as a monster.." she answered truthfully "You must understand.. where I'm from, we have not spoken to the outside world in.. centuries.. our culture is much different, this has all been.. a great shock to me" she admitted.
 
grave listened to Elise. He felt a little disappointed in her lack of interest for the dark arts. It was a shame really. He looked to her as he readied the needle onto the tweezers. "Do you know where Alchemy came from?" He asked her curious as to what she even knew about her own craft. Just like all the magics in the world, no one really knew where it all came from. All they had were old scriptures and books... Telling them spells and how to make the earth move and to breath fire. But no such stories as to magic and it's origins. One of the worlds greatest mysteries... Just like life and death.

Grave looked down to Coda's hand and went to stitch up the cuts. He stopped and looked over to Coda, "This may hurt a little..." He let a look of confusion set upon his face before turning back to Coda's hand. He wondered if Coda could feel little pain? He knew that when the guards pulled on his horns the boy let out a cry, but he wondered if he could only feel larger pains.

He had once meet a black mage who didn't feel any pain at all. And yet the man had passed away from an open wound he did not know he had. Grave looked down and made the first stitch seeing Coda's fingers move a bit from the needle entering the skin..... Well that answered that question... He continued with his work as he made sure the stitching more than perfect. A beautiful patch up job. He smiled once he had finished. He cut the thread and placed his tools away as he started to wander around his workshop gathering ingredients. Elise would be able to figure out what Grave was doing by the third ingredient. He was making a healing cream... One that was used for such wounds.

******************************

Once at the door to Grave's workshop Hadden looked over his shoulder to Tanya. He had lead the way to Grave's workshop carrying the other items to make it so they had everything in one trip. Hadden was not really a joking kind of person, but when he did joke around he had a dark sense of humor. "Grave eats children for breakfast.... Maybe he needs new silverware." Hadden let a light creepy smile cross his face as he opened the door to the dark room. From there he let Tanya go in first and then entered after her. He placed the items on one of the crowded tables and motioned for Tanya to place what she had on another table.

"We have brought the items." Hadden stated as he looked around the room. Quick to pin point Elise and Coda exactly where he had left them.

Grave looked up from the ingredients he was measuring and smiled. He placed his hands on the table before him and leaned forward looking at the items Hadden and Tanya had brought. He was a bit surprised to see the girl there. Not sure as to why she of all people was asked to do such a task. He thought she would be at home with her family getting ready to join her mother on the hunt for the princess.

"wonderful." Grave looked back to his work, but was startled when a man came rushing into the room. "General!" He called. The man quickly caught his breath as he pointed. "The prisoners... They.." Before the man could say another word Hadden shoved the guard out of the room and shut the door. He stayed within the room and looked to the others. "I will return." He looked to Tanya, "Keep watch... and if the castle falls under attack... Lock yourselves in here." He told her before stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him. Leaving the four in the room alone now.

Grave blinked at the situation but shrugged it off like it was nothing and went back to work. He looked to Elise, "Can you find me the root of Olivia?" he asked. The root would be very distinctive and something very common. The room was messy but had some form of organization to it. Grave had his ingredients organized by rarity and color. The Olivia root was from a weed that grew in any dark moist area. The leaves would be green and round while the root was thick and white with bright orange spots. Elsie would find them on a bottom shelf in a very large jar. One of the perks of having such a workshop... one could stock up on supplies.
 
Elise answered Graves first question in a practiced manner "Alchemy is a craft as old as time, from the dawn of the first early shawmans grinding plants together to heal illnesses. It's a universal skill that's been practiced by many cultures since the beginning of early society." the information having been drilled in her head by her mother for days during her early childhood. Learning Alchemy under her mother had been an enjoyable time, it was something she could look back on with a smile, even though she hadn't made many friends... "It's also important to note that Alchemy is the progenitor of transmutation magic, a variant of green magic that involves taking elements or properties from one thing and giving it to another, or combining said properties to make something new. This is why many alchemists are known to take up transmutation magic alongside their studies since the two crafts are relatively similar." Elise herself had never truly dabbled much with transmutation, much more interested in alchemy and how things could be created non magically.

The alchemists glanced up to the two as they entered the room, nodding to Tanya politely, she still owed the other girl.. well a lot to be honest, and wished to start making up for it at.. some point. Her ears perked up at the guard's news of the prisoners, they couldn't be.. escaping could they? Elise could only hope that they were okay, breaking out at this time would be a horrible idea! They had just barely been able to survive the army before, and now they were within the kingdoms own walls, it would be suicide!

The elf watched carefully as the black maged dressed Coda's wound with a smile, it was good to see he was being taken care of, though she didn't necessarily see why he still needed to be bound... She nodded in agreement and quickly scanned the shelves before her eyes locked on the root, and she plucked it up to hand it to the black mage. "This reminds me.. you wouldn't happen to know of a place where I could stock up on some equipment and reagents, would you? Many of my things were lost recently due to.. unforeseen events (Read, a crazed murder mage)"
 
Grave frowned a little at Elise's answer o his question. The girl was taught by family Alchemist... He could only guess. She mentioned not getting out much and with the way that she described things.... He believed that whom ever taught her didn't get out much too. She was right about the transformation from green magic, but grave did not study green magic... No his work turned him towards Black magic... From there he found answers to questions that other Alchemists struggled to find for centuries.

He took the root from her and broke it in half letting a white and orange goo drip into the bowl he had placed the other ingredients into. He placed the root down and looked around his workshop and then motioned to it with a wave of his hand. "Be my guest." He gave her a smile. "But..." He stopped her... "In return you must do something for me." He dug a hand into the bowl and began mixing the ingredients together. "You must let me look into your mind before you take anything..." He looked up from the bowl with a serious look in his eyes.

He had a gut feeling that Elise knew more about Coda than she lead on. She had spent some time with him and there for looking into her thoughts and memories could answer any and all questions he had.

Just giving an Alchemist ingredients was like handing a sword to a great warrior. He was not stupid and needed something of greater value in return.
 
Elise blinked at his request before slowly shaking her head in response "I'm afraid.. I'll have to refuse" she said, though, while she wanted to protect Coda's secrets there was more in her refusal to answer than just that. If she were to let him look into her mind he would learn much more that she didn't want people to know. The trade secrets passed down by her family for generations, her plans to escape the kingdom, as well as the location of her home village... The elf just knew that they would try to take advantage of that knowledge. Elise was possibly the only one who knew of its location, that secrecy was the villages security, if the kingdom knew of it they would hold the village hostage in order to make Elise more compliant. That couldn't be allowed to happen, never, she had made many mistakes in her life but she would not be the one to damn her own home.

"I hope that you don't take this as a sign of distrust, there are just many things that.. I cannot tell anyone, you understand I'm sure" she said, hoping that Graves would be understanding. She only wished that she could find some other way to get the reagents that she desperately needed. Hopefully she would be returned her gold at the very least so that she could buy some things on her own. There was undoubtedly a shop somewhere in the kingdom that she could purchase reagents from, if she could just get some time to herself for a while..
 
Grave nodded understanding Elise's decision. He too would have picked no. His mind was full of knowledge and information that no one should have.

He finished the healing cream and brought it over to Coda. He placed some over the stitching, once more admiring his work before covering it up. He then picked up some bandages and began to wrap up Coda's hand.

His eyes wandered up and noticed the cloth still preventing Coda from speaking. Once done with his hand Grave reached up and removed the cloth.

Coda took in a deep breath as he felt it was now easier to breath. He looked to Grave and narrowed his eyes. "I want my friends..." Coda stated in hushed clear words. Grave shook his head, "I can not grant that request." Grave frowned a little. "Only the king can do that." He told him.

Coda gritted his teeth, "Then I want to see the king..." He stated in the same low hushed tone. Grave smiled to Coda, "That I could do..... but only if you give me something in return." Grave would love to see Coda's mind. And he could if he wanted to without Coda's permission, but without one's permission things could go wrong with the spell.... Major things could go wrong....
 
Tanya stepped inside just after Hadden and rolled her eyes a bit at his joke. Though she did chuckle slightly. " General that's one of the most used jokes in the Castle." She rebutted his joke with a bit of teasing of her own. That was the Tanya everybody knew. A little sassy but never quite disrespectful. She set her things on the table neatly as so not to damage the table. Or the items being placed on it. Before she'd had a chance to say anything more a soldier burst int the room yelling about escaping prisoners. There was only one group that could be. Idiots, she could only hope that this wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass.. Again.

Receiving her orders from Hadden she nodded. " Of course my lord, you can count on me." She said with a bow of her head. She wasn't military, at all but she was still a loyal subject and he had the authority to tell her what to do. Besides there was no reason to refuse him. She had a healthy respect for generals, her mother being on herself. So she cooperated and turned to the other two. " Don't worry as long as Grave and I are here you won't be confused for an Escapee." She said with a smile before. Moving to block the door, and watch out of it.

She carefully listened to the conversation between Elise and Grave. More out of curiousity than anything, but the fact she got along with him so well was a point of interest in and of itself. Especially considering the current circumstance. But ah well, Elise had nothing to worry about as long as she didn't do anything stupid in here. However the origins of Alchemy were rather interesting of a subject given that Tanya herself was a highly Adept Green Mage. Though a different discipline of it, still it was good to know.

" I had no idea Green magic was the base of Alchemy. Though It does make sense considering what you can do with it. The applications are pretty varied." It was likely that Grave would know of Tanya's unusual proficiency in magic given the unusual nature of her skill. Odd things stand apart as they say. She had always had an easy time understanding the magic as it was taught. The concept of it was easy for her to grasp. Just like Math and Science for some other kids. When it seemed Coda had awoken, she fell silent and let Grave work as she kept watch.
 
Grave blinked hearing Tanya joining in their conversation. His attention moved from Coda to Tanya. He smirked placing his hands on his hips. "Actually both are wrong." He snickered a bit. "Green magic came from Alchemy...." He looked over to Coda, "And Alchemy came from where you came from.... Didn't it?" he asked leaning towards Coda.

Coda gritted his teeth as he looked away from Grave. Coda could really tell that Grave was not your average black mage in this land. He knew a lot, and not only that but he was cleaver too. He was able to pick up o things that others seemed to ignore or had no knowledge of.

Grave turned to Elise, "I was actually born and raised in Netherfar." Grave admitted to the other Alchemist. "While traveling to find out more about Alchemy I started getting into the dark arts... Which soon brought me here." He motioned to the workshop. He looked back over to Coda before moving over to one of his tables. He wasn't going to get much out of the mage just yet. He needed more time with Coda.... He needed to gain his trust. And then some. He opened up the box that held the two horns from earlier and picked up one. He studied these things for years now and now he had someone here that knew more about them than he did. He only hoped to get more information about them.

Grave sighed a little as he continued to look over the horns. Tilting his head a bit he tried to connect them to Coda in some way besides the fact that Coda had a pair growing out of his head.
 
Elise nodded to Tanya "I'm not sure if the entirety of green magic evolved from alchemy, but I do know that specifically, transmutation magic was heavily inspired from the craft." explained simply, turning back to Coda as he spoke up. She listened to the interchange between the two of them tentatively, raising an eyebrow at Graves assumption. It was clear by now he knew much more about Coda than he let on...

She smiled slightly at Graves "you're from netherfar? That's interesting, I suppose it's a great place for alchemists, the forests are always ripe with wonderful reagents" she mused as she listened to his explanation. The elf carefully watched the horns in his hand, stepping back and eyeing them cautiously "Where did you.. get those?" she questioned, knowing now that in order for him to have them, one of coda's people had to die..
 
(A wild post appears!)
(Combined post with seasonedcat seasonedcat )​

Eira visibly flinched when Argen spoke up, detecting that he was talking to her. It was confusing that he would even want to warn anybody, considering the things he had said in the past. Even more when she felt a strong sense of devotion when he opted to stay behind with the invisible woman. Maybe he wasn't apathetic to all people.

"I am not going to let Zola do this alone." she said, timidly at first before gaining a somewhat stubborn look of courage from her words. No matter what happened, she wanted to help the farmgirl. For better or for worse.

Zola stared blankly at Argen before turning back towards the front of the room. Fine chill with your wife, you were expendable anyway.

Before anything else could be said, Eira's attention was grabbed by the appearance of multiple guards stationing themselves on the opposite side of the prison entrance. Zola had only broken out of her cell a few moments ago, and yet they were already here somehow. She could see their alertness, the way their focus surrounded the doorway. They were ready to contain the prisoners, and Eira did not think they would just be here for a beating.

The priestess turned her head to Zola, her skin looking pale as she leaned towards her and whispered, "Zola... there are guards outside the door."

Maybe going back to the cell wasn't so bad? Eira didn't want anyone to get hurt, but perhaps it was too late for that. She chewed on her lip and looked blindly towards the door. If they surrendered she knew that Zola would get beaten again... but if she didn't, the gods only knew what would happen to the farmgirl. This was not good... not good at all. What were they going to do?

Zola's gaze shifted to Eira as she spoke and gave her a confused look before making an 'oh' face and nodding. Zola smirked before stomping her foot on the ground and sent the ground the guards were standing on shooting up, squishing them into the ceiling. The priestess shivered violently and held onto the farmgirl for support, as if dazed. She looked like she was going to be sick.

Super Villain Nova Super Villain Nova Juju Juju

[Eira disapproves.]
[-100 pts] >;3

---
​

As surprising as it would be to see Argen tear open the huntress's cell and free her, Lithariel was hardly shocked. You could tell what he was going to do by that familiar look that often sparked up in his eyes eye. Lith had hunted him for years yet it never failed to amaze her that he maintained it.

The huntress remained silent while the shackles were broken and slowly massaged her wrists once he had finished. She was free. Her gaze was still upon her hands when Argen reassured the group of Coda's well-being... and of Elise's condition. Lith narrowed her eyes. When the elf had told the guards about her 'binding ritual', Lithariel was quick to detect the lie for the elvish weakling had no magic to her. Argen could not use magic either, yet he was certain of what she was doing down to the details. What was this?

Lith gave a short 'hmph' when he told her to get some rest. "I'm not some lord's delicate wife." she grumbled in response. It was true that Lith hadn't slept at all during their stay, preferring to stay alert. She could maintain this for a good while, and even more if she could just get a hold of a mage... that could last her for a significantly longer time than any amount of sleep.

When Argen brought up the topic of his eye again, Lith couldn't keep herself from looking at the crippling injury once more. It was worse up close... so much worse. The brilliant gold had been brutally destroyed, leaving nothing but caked blood and gore behind. The huntress wanted to ask who had done it... how it happened. She could feel the anger again, remembering how he had recklessly dived at that ball of flame. Thinking that he had fallen only to discover it was not so. To realize that the cost of such a revelation was quite dear.

'Your eye...'

In the end it was not his eye that Lithariel spoke of. This gnawing fury had nowhere to go but back to the irritating bond he shared with the elf. A hunter would see no magic there, but Lithariel knew the lycan better than that. "Explain how an alpha lycan comes to be bound by a feeble she-elf..." She knew there was no typical binding at play here, which was clearly written on her face, but she had no idea what then was restricting Argen's actions so much.

shadowz1995 shadowz1995 Juju Juju
 
Last edited:
Argen's head snapped over quickly to Lith at her question, his face showing more amazement then anything. Lithariel of all peoplr didn't know? The hunters weren't aware? "You don't know about.... But I thought your order..... Well.... I shall tell you of it when we are in private." He leaned over to her ear and whispered, "Too many ears here."

And of course, as sure as rain is wet, Zola was a godsdamned, bloody idiot. She had just made the situation worse by squashing the guards outside like bugs. The lycan let out a harsh sigh and slowly pushed himself off of the wall. He wasn't about to have Elise, Coda, and above all, Lithariel, suffer from this village idiot's stupidity. "One moment Lith. I will return." The huntress and the priestess would know of the bloodthirsty, yet subtle undertones of a beast in the middle of a hunt. His one, solitary golden eye zeroed in on Zola. Every fiber of his being demanded her flesh but it was a contained hunger. Hidden. Humans have something of a sixth sense much like other animals, though weaker.

The man slipped through the bars of the cage with absolutely muted footfalls. Not a sound was heard. Argen shot a warning glance at the priestess. 'Not a sound out of you woman...." it said to the blind lady. When close enough, the lycan then cocked his arm back and fired with explosive speed. A devastating punch crack the earth mage peasant across the jaw. It hadn't caused pain and disconnected her brain from her body before she even knew what hit her. Far faster than she could ever react in close quarters. Regardless of whether she could sense him through the earth's vibrations, being far too distracted with the soldiers outside.

Argen had held a considerable amount of his strength back but the blow was still enough to launch her into the metal bars of her former cell. With the blow done, his bloodlust called for him to kill and devour the woman but it was only through sheer willpower that he was able to handle the strain of the beast's hunger within his heart.

Argen reached over and pried the bars to Zola's cell open with a hard pull. He then tossed the farmer's unconscious body through the bars and promptly bent the bars back into place.....sort of. Without asking, the werewolf turned around to grab the priestess, which he lifted considerably more gentle, and placed her inside the cell where Lithariel was. Argen then walked over to the cell of the dark ones and did the same thing, though they could walk in on their own before sealing them once again.

The lycanthrope made his was to the dungeon door and opened it casually. "The woman has bee-" The arrows thay had been notched and waiting from the reinforcement group were let loose and dug into Argen's flesh. 7 arrows now stuck out of his body but it was clear they didn't penetrate very deep. Only the arrowheads made it into the thick muscle of the wolf warrior. Argen grunted but it was more in absolute annoyance than pain. A single, pissed golden eye made contact with every man that stood before him, contemplating the death of each and every one. "The woman that was trying to break out, is back in her cell. You are welcome." He said with a threatning growl before turning back around and slamming the door behind him. The large male tore the arrows out and discarded them onto the floor before returning to Lith's cell and bending the bars back into place again.... sort of....

He took his place next to the huntress again and her mere icy presence was enough to soothe his growing anger at the mortals that had just shot arrows at him. Enough so that he turned to the blind priestess to explain without growling, "I naturally don't care about what happens to this kingdom and its inhabitants. I'd rather see it all burn and eat everyone here."

"I didn't listen to you when you begged for mercy of the child because I would just as soon eat that child. I am starving right now. But you heard the king. Fool as he may be, he wasn't lying. He really would have slain children if we tried to resist or escape. It seems you were ready to support that idiotic, bloody mess over there" he indicated with a nod to the bleedin Zola, "But had forgotten that children were going to die. I dont care but you clearly do. In fact, they may already be dead since the guards are well aware due to her bombastic shouting of breaking out of here."

"I would suggest you do what you are best at and stay meek and quiet. Alright huma-"

"...."

The male took a deep inhale of the pale haired woman's scent (Eira), still not understanding what she was.

"Whatever you are."

Whatever this woman was, there was something instinctual within him telling him that she wasn't to be harmed. While he didn't particularly care if she came to harm from some other source, he himself could not bring harm upon her and it was the damndest thing.... what the hell was she?
 
Hadden arrived to the halls leading towards the cells, just in time to witness some of him men be squashed by the ground. He was shocked at the scene, but became angered by the fact that they did not know of the earth mage. He gritted his teeth, "I want any earth warriors we have to make way to the front of the line... Counter any more attacks..." He told one of his commanders. "Have our archers at the ready.... No one leaves this cell block." He looked back to the doors. His eyes focused.

Just as his men were set, the doors opened and Argen appeared. His archers took no time in firing upon the wolf man. Hadden was taken back at how many arrows had struck him... And yet.... He still stood...

He spoke before leaving and heading back to the cells on his own. Informing them that they would not cause any more trouble. Hadden was at a lose for words. What had changed the wolf's mind and actions? Hadden ordered his men to stand down for now. He gathered the key ring for the cells as he made his way to the doors. "General?" A commander questioned. Hadden did not look back at his men. "I shall be fine." He stated before entering the cells.

Upon entering he found a sight he thought he would never see at this point. All the prisoners had returned to their cells... Well, they had returned to cells... Maybe not their own.. But it was close enough. He shut the doors behind him leaving his men in the halls and him alone with the prisoners. He proceeded further in the room. Looking over them all, one by one. He stopped at Argen's 'new' cell. Still stringing the pieces together. He looked to Lith, Eira and Argen, "What changed your minds?" he asked as he mostly looked to Argen.



Grave wanted to laugh at both Elise and Tanya. Their theories towards Alchemy and magic were all kinds of wrong... But then again, most of the world had their facts wrong. So it was no surprise. "Did you know that Netherfar was the founder of magic?" he asked. He had spent many years studying his home land's history and had access to many scrolls and books that others did not. He placed down the black horn and made his way over towards Tanya. He stopped at the tables now holding the prisoner's things. Even anything that they had taken from Elise was there as well. He moved a few items around, taking in the fine detail of the black steel items. But the four books stood out to grab his attention. He picked up one and undid the leather bounds. Opening the book and flipped through the pages gently.

"All magic comes from Alchemy my ladies." Grave stated. He stopped half way through the book and smiled a little. "Remedies of old it seems..." He turned the book to show to Elise. There on the pages was a detailed drawing of an old root that once flourished all over the lands... But has been gone for centuries. The language written on the page was strange but would be assumed as notes about the root. He turned to book back to himself. Letting his eyes roll over the art and words on the pages as he continued to look through it.

"Alchemy was said to be the first form of magic. Even if there was no real magic involved... It was still a form of a craft." Grave shrugged a little. He paused in words and thoughts when he came to a page that was covered with drawings of the dead. The detail was breathtaking.
 
Tanya wasn't too prideful to know when someone of considerably more experience was telling her she was wrong, to admit she might be wrong. Grave for all his faults and there were many, was not a stupid man. He had done his research, his homework and put it all into practice. She may not like him but she could respect his intelligence and knowledge at the very least. She did however put some thought into his words, connecting the dots in her own way. In her mind she wouldn't just accept she had been wrong without first mulling over the new information on her own. But, she had to admit it did make sense. Alchemy was almost as old as time itself, who was to say it didn't help give rise to magic?

As her thoughts continued to swirl, she came to the conclusion that it required more delving into but it was a notion worth giving weight to. She had her Ideals and personal knowledge challenged a lot throughout her life. She had learned to be flexible when it came to changing how she thought of things. If he were indeed right, this would open up so many more new avenues for her Magic. She could only imagine the possibilities now, the theories swirling around her head as she kept watch at the door.

After Hadden had left she turned around and locked the door as she did so. Looking to Grave and Elise. "So do you think Alchemy could be used to help Amplify magical use and potency? It's mostly speculation but I'm interested in learning.. This is an avenue I hadn't considered before.. I wouldn't mind a chance to look into it further." Her eyes drifted to the books then gestured to the weapons. " Those weapons I heard of only in old legends that were little more than fairytales designed to scare children into behaving.. Do you know more about them Grave? They seem more important than the books at the current juncture given what that old legend entailed."
Super Villain Nova Super Villain Nova shadowz1995 shadowz1995 Juju Juju Nogoodname Nogoodname
 
Lithariel hated being left in the dark. Quite understandably so as her profession and mere purpose for existence in itself was in hunting down creatures like Argen. As one would imagine, being told she was unaware of something was not a cause for comfort. She had studied almost every text available on the hunting of lycans in her effort to kill the very one before her. All the accumulated knowledge recorded by generations of hunters and yet there was something they didn't know? As curious as it was, it was annoying, but Lithariel had no choice but to wait for an explanation. If Argen had cause to be discrete, than it must be important.

When he made his leave Lith watched him stalk towards the farmgirl. The girl didn't stand a chance, completely oblivious to the danger creeping up to her. It would be impossible to detect him, or so she thought, as the blind girl turned her head towards the lycan as soon as he stepped out of the cell.

. \'/.\\'//.\'/ .​

She had sensed him, the lycan, creeping from the side and had whipped her head to stare at him with alarmed, blind eyes. Eira had felt the threat he had intended for Zola and yet she couldn't even squeak out a warning to the farmgirl. Not after that threat from the wolf-man. Not a single word had been uttered but Eira knew exactly what Argen had said. It was an animalistic instinct to attack, not very different from what was compelling her inability to take action.

Her whole body had become frozen in fear, her limbs leaden and completely helpless towards her new friend. All she could do was cower like a weakling and wait for what was to come. The priestess had expected an avalanche of pain and had braced herself but found that Zola hardly felt anything... despite crashing into the metal bars of her cell.With the corners of her eyes beginning to sting, Eira forced herself to watch Argen throw Zola into her cell -- an enormous relief compared to the beast's will to devour his prey. This was her fault... if only she wasn't such a coward. Shame washed over her until the lycan grabbed onto her, causing the fear to spring back.

'Please don't hurt me...' she silently plead in her mind.

She was shaking the whole time she had been carried -- even though he was surprisingly gentle -- and continued to do so when she was dropped off in the cell. Once inside, she pressed herself into the nearest corner and sat down in a huddled position, wrapping her arms about her legs. Why didn't he bring her back to Zola's cell?


. \'/.\\'//.\'/ .
​
The huntress watched the priestess turn her blind eyes towards the door, where Argen was having a short conversation with the guards. She didn't seem to realize she was sharing a cell at the moment, which was to be expected with the blind. Perhaps that was a glaringly obvious statement, but Lithariel had reason to be suspicious of the scrawny thing. She recalled the moment the priest had shoved the darkhorn Coda out of her arrow's path, a surprise in itself without the addition of her somehow surviving it as well. Then there was that.... memory. This girl, Coda and Argen were the only ones around but the lack of magical signatures around both the lycan and priestess meant it could only have been produced by Coda. It was impossible for this girl to have done it.

When Argen returned, Lith keep her gaze on the priestess as she was chastised for her stupid behavior. Quite expectantly, the priestess began to tear up when she finally came to revelation of her action's consequences. She looked horrified by the fact she indirectly caused the deaths of children and cast her wide eyes to the ground while Argen spoke. In an obedient manner, she nodded her head faintly at his recommendation to hold her tongue from now on and shied away when Argen became suspicious about something. What it was about, she couldn't say but it was not something to be taken lightly.

"I-I'm a priestess." the girl sputtered, pressing herself further against the cell's bars in an effort to gain some distance from the lycan. She looked extremely uncomfortable.

Lithariel frowned just as the guard captain known as Hadden walked up to the crowded cell and inquired on their change of heart. She didn't feel the need to explain herself to him and instead gave him an unnerving stare from her sitting position on the floor. Heeding the lycan's words, the priestess didn't seem much for words either and continued to huddle in the corner.

(sorry, Nova. Lith is still maintaining her 'silent treatment' ;3:)

Super Villain Nova Super Villain Nova shadowz1995 shadowz1995
 
"Alchemy..." the elf muttered, before shaking her head quick "I-i don't believe it.. how could alchemy be the progenitor of magic as a whole?" she asked. While the elf was as proud of her craft as any would be, she struggled to see the connection, none of the methods or techniques she had learned from her parents even resembled casting of any form. Transmutation magic made sense to have it's root in alchemy considering it was the magic of combining two reagents in order to create a new item with shared properties of it's ingredients. But the rest was a completely new revelation to Elise. The elf's mind ran wild with possibilities of this new fact that she had never once considered before, was it some sort of reagent that blessed those who consume it with a type of magic? If so.. why was this magic passed down to ones descendants? Was this the doing of the philosophers stone? Would finding the stone again grand the alchemist more power than she had originally thought? Elise herself was no fighter, and she had no need for magic, the black variant especially so.

Elise was intrigued at this point, and she slowly made her way over towards Grave to peer over the book "How.. do you know so much about all of this? I've never seen any of this information in the entirety of my homelands archives!" she asked, taking a brief glance around the room once again. Either this mage knew something that nobody else did, or he was completely mad! And Elise couldn't make out the difference.

Super Villain Nova Super Villain Nova
 
Ancestors above, why had everything gotten so bloody frustrating since they started this journey? The wolf was fuming next to the huntress as he pulled the arrows out of his flesh. It was only because of Lithariel's icy presence that Argen hadn't exploded in a rage over getting shot by a bunch of arrows. Normally, he would have been able to contain himself but losing an eye doesnt have him in the greatest of moods.

"Stop cowering woman. If I wanted to harm you, I would have already." Argen snapped at the shivering priestess hudled in the corner of the cell. The lycan looked over at the huntress who appeared to be in another icy rage and the reason why was obvious. The general had stepped in and had earned her attention and now, Argen's as well. "The elf told me to stand down did she not? I did. I had merely grown bored of pretending to be your prisoner and wanted some good company." He said plainly. "The farm girl took that as an intention for a breakout. She's a stupid peasant all the way into brain."

Argen finished pulling out the last arrow with a grunt before turning to Lithariel, "What are your arrows made out of that they bite much harder into my flesh?"

(Sorry. Short but im short on time)

​
 
Last edited:
Grave found the conversation to turning into a very interesting one. He looked to Tanya and smiled at her words, "Well the weapons have some part in all of this." He said looking over the items on the table. He handed the book over to Elise when he noticed her trying to peek at the pages. He picked up another book, opening it up and randomly flipping to a few pages. "Those working for kings have special privileges." He shrugged a bit. "There are many things hidden from the public. Mostly old scriptures of our world's past..." Grave frowned a little. "Most of it has yet to be translated." Grave could recall many times coming across scrolls and books that were in similar writing like the ones Coda had. The lettering was slightly or even greatly different making it hard for others to read or understand.

Netherfar had the biggest library that he could recall that he had ever been to. "And I honestly think that magic has come from Alchemy. I have found scriptures and such leading me to these kinds of findings or theories." He told Elise. His eyes shifted to Coda as he placed the book. He tilted his head as he moved over to him. He noticed Coda's attention was else where, but why? Upon approaching the Dark Horn Grave let a light smile cross his face. He reached over Coda and stopped him from what he was doing. While the others were conversing Coda was trying to get one of his hands free. Grave tightened the strap around Coda's wrist, "I would say that I know a lot, more than most dark mages...." He shrugged a bit. But he knew Coda knew more and Grave would find himself all too determined to know what Coda knew.

He turned back to Tanya and Elise, "If I am able to figure out what those books say, I'm sure I can find something in there about Alchemy and Magic."

"Chitskii niwa." Coda uttered under his breath to Grave. Even with her lack of real knowledge of Coda's language Elise would be able to understand his words, or at least the basics. While the others would hear his strange language, Elise would hear Coda telling Grave to fuck off.

*************************************

Hadden was uncertain as how to respond to all of this. He rubbed the back of his neck a bit as he looked over the cells. The farm girl knocked out in hers, the three travelers that were with Karn and the black mage... Leaving the wolf, the huntress and the blind priestess in the other. They wouldn't have to be here if they had cooperated the first time.

He let his hands fall to his hips as he thought about what he could do. all of them had shown that they were well rounded fighters.... He needed people like that. With a war brewing among the kingdoms..... No kingdom was truly safe.

He paused looking up to Argen with a raised brow. "The arrows?" he asked. There was nothing really special about them. They were made like others, but they did however come from Cobblestone. A kingdom in the east. "I would guess steel." Hadden wanted to question his own answer, but then again, he never bothered with what the arrows were made out of. They had been selling and trading with many kingdoms and got most of their weapons from Cobblestone. cobblestone was known for their weaponry and their durability.

"Well.... You all could be welcomed to better cambers...." He started. He looked to the huntress and the wolf. To him, these two seemed to be running things, or making the most impact. "I know we have expressed our invitation for all of you to help find and catch the princess..." Hadden didn't want to offer too much... They were strong, but also very dangerous. They had made that very clear. He would, let the thought linger within the group, in hopes that they could come to some kind of arrangement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top