• This section is for roleplays only.
    ALL interest checks/recruiting threads must go in the Recruit Here section.

    Please remember to credit artists when using works not your own.

Fantasy Descension (C.DEX x Notorious)

Balor stood as well, hands falling to the map and rolling it up. He gently lowered it into the bag that Amara had brought, taking care not to rip it. The implications had been bad for Orin and Gunnar, leaving them all feeling a little off as they had begun to pack up their things. "I would like to think ... that Orin wouldn't make us wait. Which only worries me more. But I agree. Lets find ourselves an inn and convene there, then, and keep an eye on the church from a distance."


"That cut on your face says otherwise, 'Mara." Sinna said. Before Amara could say a single word protesting, however, the Ifritian girl had walked away. "Also, good looking? You must be staying away from the docks, 'cause if you looked over the edge you wouldn't be making those comments." she said, walking back out into the main hall. The Caelilan priest regarded her with a certain nervousness; one that she had dissuaded by smiling at him. "Hi there!" she said, proffering her hand. "We're going to move out and get out of your hair."


"Ah... erm... alright." the priest said, taking her hand and shaking it. "You're all heading out...?" he asked, confirming.


"We are. Thank you for letting us stay; you've shown a great kindness by doing so." she said, doing her best effort at being polite. They had imposed on his space, taken his supplies, and Balor and Amara had been a little more than rude to him; something she'd noticed, but had been too absorbed in her own personal problems to really care for. "If ever we stop in again, we'll repay that kindness."


"...It'll all be paid forward in the end." he replied, returning her smile. He hadn't interacted with the Ifritian girl since she'd come, so seeing that he hadn't hosted three horrible people was a little relieving. "Travellers are welcome under her, always. It is the obligation of the church."


"Regardless of obligation ... there aren't many who pay attention so closely to her tenants." Sinna said, nodding and stepping away. Next, Balor had come out, giving a curt nod to the man. As soon as they had passed them, their faces fell ever-slightly, stifling their politeness in turn for worry.
 
"Preach it." Amara said, giving the Priest a wink as she walked by last with the supplies on her back furthering his confusion as she didn't spare many words to him. She was in a playful mood, especially after Sinna drew first blood in what would make for a fun afternoon. She walked up to the Ifritian girl and shoved her with her elbow, "You think you can just fire back like that and walk away without me answering back? That's weak, especially coming from my punching bag." She grinned, "Never turn your back on your enemy Sin, I thought I taught you better." Next thing Sinna knew she was falling down hard to the ground, Amara had tripped her feet out from under her causing her to nearly crash to the ground hard. While she braced for the sudden impact Amara had grabbed her by her pack and dangled her inches from the ground. "How do my boots taste, bitch?" She went further, laughing as she yanked Sinna up with ease.


As they walked out of the church Amara patted Sinna on the back as she took her joke like a champ. "So you think I'm ugly huh? That's not a very nice thing to say to someone when they're training you, especially looking like a demon runt. Next session the gloves are coming off squirt. And by next session I mean in a few hours, hope you iced those bruises because-" Amara stopped in her tracks, her instincts telling her to run as they began walking towards the inn. She darted her eyes around, feeling like they were being watched. It was a familiar feeling, one too familiar to the Onyx-Ichor signed warrior. "We're being followed." She said bluntly, ushering Sinna and Balor along while trying to maintain a casual speed. "Don't ask me how I fucking know but I just know. This place smells of Central now."


She led them down the boardwalk, the wooden boards creaking under their feet as she hurried them along. Her senses had always been sharp, especially when it came to Central forces. Whether it was pure talent or divine intervention they couldn't tell because as they hurried around a corner of a building to break any sight lines they came face to face with a robed woman. She stood shorter than Balor and Amara but the sight of a Starseer always made their hearts jump as she simply just stood there in front of them. She had anticipated their movements, meeting them this way for a reason. Amara instinctively walked out in front of both Balor and Sinna, ready to rip the woman before them in half.


"I thought I smelled an all-seeing whore..." Amara bitterly spat, nearly lunging at the cloaked woman then and there. "This isn't good for you, lady. You're outnumbered and this wouldn't be the first time I cut down one of you cun-"


"Quiet!" The Starseer spat, beginning to walk forward to them. The closer she got the more of her features were revealed from behind her veil, a Patagi snout poking out of the hooded woman's robes. "We don't have time for this, Amara. Sinna... You and your people must flee this town NOW!" The Starseer said, dumbfounding them all as she knew their names. "Central is camping out around Moiran. Travelers away from the city are being captured and slaughtered at their destinations... Whole towns are being razed because of what you people did there..."


"What in the fuck are you talking about, whore?" Amara asked, more surprised than anything that the Starseer knew their names. "How in the hell did you know my name... or Sinna's?"


"-Or Balor's?" She questioned. "Are you going to ask stupid questions Amara or are you going to listen to me? If I was able to find you so easily then Central is probably already here and is only one step behind. You all stick out so terribly I don't even see how you made it here! Even a blind boy could find this place so MOVE!" She ordered, when they didn't budge the Starseer sighed. "If you must know I'm a friend of Moira's. An informant. A spy. Whatever. The point is that you can either listen to me or stay here and get surrounded by Central soldiers. The choice is yours."
 
"Where would we go, then? Continue travelling outward?" Balor asked, keeping his voice low. He gestured toward the side of the tavern, into the alley. If she had known them well enough to know their names and to warn them, then there had been no immediate need to attack her. He'd stepped in between her and Amara, the fear that the woman on edge would reach out and kill her as Moira had killed the Captain. Sinna had sensed his nervousness, hand reaching for the sheathed hatchet that had laid on her side, sharpened by Amara herself. "How close are they? We should talk and move if it isn't safe for us here."


Sinna leaned in, whispering to Balor, eyes shifting between him and the Seer. "How do you know we can trust her...?" she asked, heart beating against her chest. What had been a battle of banter between her and Amara had turned sour in an instant, with the smell of Seer on the air. "She's a Seer. Knowing Moira isn't a hard thing to make up; the town is named after her. She could be leading us into a trap."


"You're also a Seer, Sinna, representative or not." Balor replied. "It would be easy to simply let us wait to fall into the hands of Central; this is a Central-aligned town. There is no point in drawing us outside of town. They have jurisdiction here." he said, dispelling both Sinna and Amara's fears slightly. "That means don't attack." he said, warning them both.


He looked out to the streets. "This town is amphibious; the Caelila live here in droves, and the parts underneath are host to Nepras. It may be wise to lay in the fishing coves below the docks; if we are to take a ship or venture away from the shores into the mainland, we'd be caught by them quickly. I hate to be forced into laying low again, but ... I am sure Central did not take the attack in Moirain lightly." he said, voice grim.


Out in the streets, whispers took the people. They had paid no attention in particular to the small conglomerate of people in the alley conversing amongst themselves, but they whispered nonetheless. Idle static mixed with the sound of hoofbeats, the Seer's warning apparently coming particularly late. Sinna looked to Balor with wide eyes, attempting to stir herself away from true panic.


"Let's go." he said, pushing them all into action. He looked down to the Patagi woman again, wondering briefly if she'd find it wise to join them. "What was your name?"
 
"I am Edea. And you should be going." She stated, having no interest in following them currently. "I would join you but I got here too late... I must play my role now. Mov-" Amara darted out from around Balor and grabbed onto Edea by the neck. The Patagi woman's eyes opened wide as she did so, watching as the forceful elf reeled in the Starseer. "Unhand... me..." She groaned, choking on her own words as she tried to speak clearly to them. They were running out of time, sure enough the thundering sound of hoofs heading into the far side of town along with the metal rattle of boots on the ground was flooding their ears. "You will... die if I... don't stall them..."


"Or you can run back to them and report you found us. You know us by name... You could be the one hunting us. Unlike Balor here I'm not one to trust on blind faith. Sinna is right... You could just be throwing Moira's name out there to save your hide for your trap. You Seers are all the same... Slimy... Good for nothing... Elitist bitches." Amara eased her grip, letting Edea get in a big gulp of air. "Now listen here sky lizard... I'm going to let you go. If you try to run I'll shove a metal spike so far up your ass it'll pop out of your throat. Got it?" Edea frowned but nodded softly, gasping for air when Amara let her feet touch the ground again. "So underwater we go? How the hell are we going to breath Balor?"


"Well... as I have no choice but to join you I know of potions that can grant the drinker temporary gills or other water breathing concoctions. Otherwise the Nepras may not have any other visitors than Caelilian. There are devices that allow people to recycle water into air as well but those may be of Central design and are limited in production..." She mused, her scaly lips hiding her sharp teeth as she pursed them deep in thought. "It's either that or you all try and hide in a home here but.... With the way Central has been behaving you have better luck going underwater like Balor suggested." She smiled at him, "Moira mentioned how you were resourceful with potions... Do you have the ingredients to create four water breath potions? If you need time, like I said, I can stay behind and stall the people from Central."


"How do we know you aren't with them?" Amara asked yet again. "You know us by name and you sure do want to leave real bad... Like I said, you're staying with us. I don't trust you and you don't have to trust me but you're going to have to deal with it, Starseeing whore."


"I am chaste, I am a Starseer. I can not be a whore."


"Alright you prude fucking nun, let's stop talking about your lackluster sex life and get moving here. They are getting closer." Amara noticed, the smell of central clogging her nose as she felt nauseous with them getting closer and closer. "So Balor, can you turn us into merpeople or are we going to have a battle on our hands? I'd prefer the latter... Starting with this Starseeing Whor-.... Virgin here." Edea simply smiled at Amara's comments, not particularly bothered by them but more wanting for them to move or else bad things were about to happen to all of them.
 
"As you'd know, Prismatic churches are the main sources of alchemistry supplies. Our friend at the church knows well how to make them - and I took a few as penance for teaching him some actual recipes. Before you go on about bullying again, Amara, I left him better stocked than I saw him originally." Balor said, reaching into Sinna's pack. "There are better ways of doing this that exact relative permanence in waterbreathing - such as enchantment - but we don't have that so we'll just have to make do. It won't be too long before we have to surface again - and none of our weapons are meant to work underwater, so... Let us not get caught underneath."


"Can we skim the edge of the beach? Follow the coastline?" Sinna asked.


"If they don't leave; as a way out, yes, we can." Balor said, with a nod. "Additionally, Amara, there is a difference between blind faith and the recognition of urgency. As it happens, we don't have the time to be throttling and making threats. Scratch the itch some other time." he warned, as he turned to take off toward the dock. He handed the potions off, counting one for each of them, and then held his in his hand until they had come up to the docks, which hadn't been far; they were a city suspended on the water. Balor saw Sinna, Amara, and the Seer woman down, before looking back to take in the bustle of the city.


A squadron of Central guards, some guiding horses whilst others walked with Seers. As soon as they had come into view, however, he drank his potion, stepping off of the edge of the dock into the water. For a moment, darkness overwhelmed all of their visions, before the potion's mixture had slowly trickled in. They had all felt the suffocation of the water around them, however, the idea of attempting to breathe it in more than rattling them. Balor was the first to do so, pushing back instinct to fill his lungs with water. He looked to Sinna, who had nearly turned blue in the face from a distinct unwant to try.


"Breathe." Balor said, voice muffled but translating through the water enough.


She looked to him, nodding slightly. Then, she breathed in, stowing away panic for the urgency of the situation. For a moment, her lungs pained, and then ... everything was fine again. They had limited time, not even sure that their movements hadn't been trailed by Central. So they dove deep, following Balor as he not-so-expertly swam through the water, deep underneath the docks and toward the cliffed shoreline itself. It was a host to ancient underwater caves, long forgotten since more civilized building had taken root. Down deeper, Nepras civilizations of hardened glass and carved whitestone were illuminated bioluminescently, but that wasn't where they were heading.


Neither Balor or Sinna had demonstrated any expertise in swimming, but they had found that they had lost any pursuers the moment they had hit the water, with Central guards not having been armed to traverse the sea. They weren't given a few of the docks abovehead, either, simply the mossy underneaths having to suffice. He looked to Amara, knowing well that the prospect of hiding under dank docks wasn't exactly thrilling to her.


"We'll skim the shorelines, like Sinna said, wrapping around the docks and sneaking out of an area that isn't patrolled. I would rather not shed any blood if it's not necess-"


Suddenly, a massive explosion of fire and wooden shards wreaked the docks in front of them, the blood filling with water and surprising them all. They stopped in their tracks, unsure of what was even occurring in front of them, and why. Especially as they looked upon the armor of the body that had fallen in. Emblazoned with the emblem, in stark light grays and whites, it was a Central soldier.


Central.


"What's happening?" Sinna asked, nearly having to shout.


"It doesn't matter. We have to hide. Lets go!" Balor insisted, kicking off of the wooden support.
 
As soon as he did more bodies began falling into the water. One by one they seen the Central logo emblazoned on the chest plates of the soldiers, their dead eyes opened wide in surprise as the dock supports around them were being splintered all around. Edea was struggling to keep up with them, her robes clinging to her body and causing the lizard woman to fumble around in the water. Amara nearly left her, looking back as a piece of dock slapped the elvish woman in the face. Sighing, Amara took her bad luck as a sign to grab a hold of Edea and began dragging her through the water. She herself was terrible at swimming, her body much heavier than met the eye due to the metal in her blood. When they had originally dived in Amara nearly sank to the bottom until she got her bearings, the elvish woman getting increasingly more annoyed with what was happening.


"What in the hell is going on?" She roared into the water. Thankfully, her voice muffled by it. "First we're running from them now they're getting blown the hell up? Was this a trap, bitch? I'll let you go!"


"Please don't! I can barely swim!" Edea pleaded, the Starseer showing weakness as she tried her best to keep up. "I don't know what's happening! I can't see!"


"Ain't that a bitch. An all-seeing whore can't see that we're under attack!" Amara replied without missing a beat. "Look out there, don't you see them?" Amara instinct's were dead on as the others all looked deeper out into the water. They could see the bottom of two ships drawing in closer and closer, no doubt firing cannons and potential even spells at the Dorn coast line. "This is war..." Amara said, yanking the Starseeing Patagi harder and harder to keep up with Sinna and Balor who were trying to get out of this war zone. The Nepras below began scrambling, many immediately trying to secure their homes as the devastating attacks from above was effecting them just as much non-directly.


The wooden dock beams began to shatter and whole buildings began to crash into the water. They seen people submerged above them, all struggling to rise to the surface for air. Many were busting out of the buildings that were sinking, glass, wood and other debris falling down to crash into the Nepra settlement below. All out hell was breaking loose and they had just been above the surface moments ago. They had no idea who was attacking the coastal city or why this place in particular but things grew worse before it got better as several more ships disembarked from the two main ships and began to float directly towards the shore.


Chaos was still erupting from above as the four who were silently fleeing along the coastline had to take a rest. None of them were expert swimmers, in fact everything was against them in escaping this way. Edea looked panicked, the Starseer frantically looking up to try and decipher what was happening. She couldn't see anyone's sign's from below, her abilities dampened by how far down they were.


"Can't see, huh?" Amara said, smirking all the while hell was breaking loose. "That's a shame. Get some glasses you dumb cun-"


"Do you not see people are dying above?" Edea asked, interrupting Amara. "Are you waiting to get one more witty comment in before we get crushed by a building? Perhaps we stop swimming for a moment in order to take in our surroundings?" She paused, "Oh wait... that's right... It's raining fire underwater and people are dying. How do you two travel with her? You insufferable bitch." The Starseer had some bite, causing Amara to actually shut up for just a moment. "I fear that we are being under attack... This has nothing to do with you three but something much bigger. The start to something that just might mean the end."
 
"Regardless, our potions will be running out soon." Balor said. "Like I said, they're ... limited. Enough to get the surface dwellers down to the Nepras and Caelilan cities where there are air pockets, and nothing more. Lets go, Amara. Edea." he said, almost seemingly annoyed by Amara and Edea's speed, despite his not being particularly great. Soon, Sinna had swam to the side of Edea, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her along with the current. She ducked out from underneath her own robes - Prismatic in color - and then let them fall to the water, not interested in being weighed down as Edea had, and not so obsessed with her own nunnery.


"Amara is a bitch. Tell us something we don't know." Sinna said. "Both of you stop bitching at each other. This isn't the time. Don't need a Seer to tell us that."


Balor looked back to Amara, realizing her struggle as she tried and failed to keep up with everyone. Despite his own robes, he'd been handling fairly well, though he wasn't quite as disconnected as Sinna as to abandon them. "We're close to the shoreline. Just a little further." he said, attempting to encourage her without demeaning her efforts. "The further we can swim away from the city before we resurface, the better. If something is happening abovehead ... I can't imagine they'll be trawling the coastline."


"You hope." Sinna corrected.


"I hope." Balor agreed. They swam like that for a while, with Sinna helping the robed Seer and Balor occasionally glancing back to see if Amara had still been there, until the water had gotten shallower and shallower. Still, it seemed like the gunfire and fire didn't stop, blood still lingering as a foul taste in their mouths as they swam through it. The bottoms of ships grew ever closer as they tried to elude them, lining the shoreline like a wall until the very bottoms of their stomachs grazed the sand and they were forced to surface. They had done so a decent distance away from the city itself, but when they had surfaced, they were all in shock.


A massive black ship, formed of jagged black glass, had slammed into the dock city. It parted the wooden docks, bissecting them into one half of town and another. It almost seemed like ice with how the sun glinted off of it, almost too chaotic to be manmade, and almost too intricate to not be. A massive sail of gray and red stood proudly abovehead, the insignia of the Unified Blazing Isles a stark contrast to the blue skies. Fire and smoke billowed out of the city, almost as if it were a giant factory, seeping upwards and polluting everything above.


But they weren't safe.


Ships still lined up against the shoreline, though they weren't nearly as intimidating as the massive flagship that had split the dock city in two. Instead, soldiers had disembarked with quickness, of Lamian descent, Sang'rok, and Ifritian. Lamian Artificiers worked with raised hands, fire and sand interacting to begin to form massive compacted glass walls using the very sand that the city had founded themselves on. Those had only been at a beginning; the group still had time to escape, and they weren't walls of haste. Whoever had ordered the attack had intended on creating a defensive point.


"Oh fuck." Sinna said, looking out. They were in open space like sitting ducks, but they had no other choice but to resurface. Balor's and Edea's robes wore them down, acting like massive weights saturated with water. "RUN!"
 
As Sinna called out to run fireballs and shards of glass were thrown at the four surfacing from the water. It was a storm of fire and shrapnel as the four emerged from the waves, Edea tripping over her robes as they clung to her legs. Her cover was completely useless against the Blazing Isles soldiers and Artificiers. The only use a Central aligned Starseer had to them currently was a target, ironically painting a bigger target on the four of them as they raced away from the beach. Amara stood in the back, her armor leaking out water slowly as she desperately tried to keep up with them but quickly realized that there was no use in running and getting shot in the back. She turned to face the attackers, morphing her own hands into shields as she deflected fireball after fireball, deflecting shards of glass back at the enemy.


"RUN!" She echoed Sinna, the water in her boots making her feel as if she was sinking into quicksand from the weight. Amara turned and nodded at Sinna, showing that she intended on staying regardless of what they had to say so they split apart. Amara stayed behind and drew their fire but it wasn't enough as the ships began to fire on the fleeing three. Amara watched in horror as a massive fire ball was fired directly from the flag ship, the infernal ball of magic crashing down onto her lone two friends and a Starseer. "NOOOO!" Amara screamed, opening up her defense in that little bit of time and found herself stuck with a piece of glass. It bounced off her armor but the Artifciers were smarter than the average soldier or hunter, all of them began to coat the Onyx warrior in sand before blasting Amara up close with fire. Soon the shielded warrior was nothing more than a glassed ornament, Amara trapped inside a thick layer of glass and the last thing she'd ever see was a massive fireball hitting her friends.


Before they could even react to what had happened to Amara the mysterious Starseer they had practically kidnapped turned around to meet the fireball head on. She began to say an incantation, one that even Balor himself hadn't heard of before, and held her hands up high directly to the inferno. Right before the three of them were completely burnt to a crisp the ball of pure magic the Starseer finished her incantation and filled the area with a blinding flash of light as she caught the massive ball of fire big enough to incinerate all of them at once. It was a horrific sight, one that none of them would soon forget as she evaporated the behemoth ball of mana into nothingness. One moment the fire was there, the next it was completely gone.


"Starseers are more than just nuns with eyes." Edea said to the two behind her, "Stay close. We have to get to your... 'friend'. She is stuck without our help and must be running out of breath." Edea began deflecting what she could that was being thrown at them as they gained the courage to go back for Amara. She began to do more for Amara than Amara would herself do for Edea but the Starseer put their differences aside to help Sinna and Balor's traveling companion. Fortunately for them, the glass was cracking in Amara's make shift tomb.


A group of Artificiers had surrounded Amara on all sides, making sure that their glassing had done just what it was intended to do especially against someone demonstrating forbidden Onyx magic. A Lamian female walked forward, poking her head towards the encased Amara only for a long metal spike to pierce the glass and thrust itself deep into the woman's stomach. The Lamian artificiers began to retreat back to a safe distance to continue using their magic but it was too late, they had pissed off the wrong warrior. Amara came raging out of her glass tomb, the layer of glass encasing her shattering all at once as the metal coated woman created small spikes of metal to jut out from all over her body to pierce the ridiculously strong glass.


"You fucked with the wrong lady today..." She said, her face grim and her stance ready to pounce. "You killed them you... Monsters..." Amara said, her eyes filled with rage as she jumped right into the mess of Artificers she blamed the other's 'death's on. It was going to be hard getting her attention but Amara thought her new friends were dead and she was passionately fighting to avenge them, even suicidally so as she began cutting down each Blazing Isle soldier she seen with reckless abandon. She had just seen Sinna 'die', crushing the poor Elvish girl's heart. "I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"
 
Sinna looked to the Seer, eyes wide open. The only time she had seen an ability like that was within herself; a Shade. She didn't have the time to argue how it could have been, and instead took it as a blessing. Sinna jerked to look at Amara, who had gotten more than a taste for blood in her mouth as she reared out to avenge them. Then, she looked to Balor. He gave her a slight nod, though his brow had been filled with worry.


She disappeared from sight.


In the cover of the void, Sinna grabbed for her hatchet, breaking from Edea and Balor to run full-force toward the Artificiers. Impressions of her feet in the sand were the only thing that betrayed her position, and those had gone completely unnoticed as Amara had been more than enough of a distraction. Even Amara couldn't combat an army, however. Not alone. She needed to snap out of her rage and run, and if that would only happen upon seeing that they were still alive, then so it must have been.


As Amara shrieked out, wanting blood for revenge, her tunnel vision stopping her from seeing that she was being completely overwhelmed. Those who had been working on the walls diverted their attention, honing it in on the lone Onyx woman. Soon, she was dodging shards of glass jutting up from the sands, nearly impaling her several times, as the Artificiers found it more concurrent with their plans to simply attempt to kill her. Especially as she'd taken out one. And then another. And then another. But for every one Artificier or soldier she had killed, two had cropped up, and soon, she was completely surrounded.


Just as the ground became slick underneath her feet, and then sharp, it stopped. The sand beach where they were fighting had been made into a rink, but against the taloned feet of Sinna, it wasn't anything she couldn't traverse. Unbeknownst to them all, she had thrust herself into the thick of it. And just as they had prepared to create a tomb that even Amara couldn't get out of, their mana disappeared like the snap of a finger, creating a shattered half-dome. Then, amongst the white glass, she appeared.


Angry, with blackened fingertips of Shade and Void, Sinna showed herself.


"COME ON, AMARA, WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" she shouted. "I'M NOT DYING HERE!"


Balor looked to Edea, knowing the urgency of the situation himself. He wanted to help Sinna and Amara, but knew well that his abilities wouldn't allow him to do much. Instead, he had to hide them. And if he had to do so in plain sight, then that was simply what he had to do. Mana washed over them both as he bent himself to look like an Artificier, and surprisingly ... it didn't take much. He grabbed Edea, pulling her off to the sidelines as if a prisoner, and opening the path for Sinna and Amara to run.
 
"SINNA!" Amara cried out, wrapping her new friend into an embrace. She barely caught herself doing it, although they were in the middle of a battlefield she couldn't help herself. The poor elf had legitimately thought Sinna and the others had been killed. Luckily for Sinna her elf friend also had the condition of being able to manipulate her body into metal, her body itself deflecting the shots the Artificiers took at them while she embraced her. "DON'T TELL ANYONE I DID THAT OR I'LL KILL YOU! MOVE!" Amara couldn't have controlled herself if she tried, upon seeing that Sinna was actually alive she re-focused her efforts on getting them both out alive.


As Sinna couldn't cloak them after immediately reappearing like that Amara grabbed her and led her straight out of the Artifcier kill zone. She didn't have a clue on how close she had been to dying right there especially with how many people were surrounding them. She generated a shield in her left hand followed by a massive spiked arm blade in her right, the transformation from skin to metal still jarring to watch as she deflected shots and returned them when they got close to a Blazing Isle soldier. Amara led the way for Sinna as they both side by side cleaved their way through the flanking Articier lines.


Edea and Balor watched as the two women battled their way back to their position, the way clear for them to make their escape. Edea was ready to step into the action again, proving her worth to the three of them as someone they could trust. It was hard not to trust her after the stunt with the fireball and although she was a starseer it was nice to see them humanized when she couldn't swim or run in the drenched robes.


"Your illusion magic is unbecoming for a Prismian priest." She remarked, giving him a toothy smile. "Perhaps you will have to tell me how you use such magic one day. It is almost... the perfect disguise." Edea added, watching and waiting from the sides as Amara and Sinna caught up to them. They all made it out of the direct fire lines of the warring factions and luckily Central was returning the fighting hard, drawing all attention back on them as they had gotten far enough along the shore to have a moment to breath.


"Which one of you stopped the fireball?" Amara asked, panting as her and Sinna caught their breath after sprinting for so long and away from the action. "Last thing I seen before they glassed me was you three getting engulfed in flames then darkness... Just... what in the fuck is going on?"


"The Blazing Isles and Central have never been friends... Skirmishes have broke out between the two nations before but this..." Edea shook her head, "Nothing as direct as this. An attack on a modest fishing village? They're mad... And most likely doing this to all the villages and cities on the coasts now. I'm surprised they were able to attack so efficiently and quietly, they must have been using shade magic to hide their ships..." Edea looked to Sinna, "Similar to the forbidden magics you use, Shade."


"Don't you ever call her a Shade, you fucking racist." Amara blurted out.


"I say it kindly." Edea spoke, "I once looked at forbidden ones as filth, as the Starseers indoctrinate us to do. I have long since cast aside such blind hatred. Forgive me." She let out a sigh, "We're not safe here. We need to continue to move and we CAN NOT be seen by Central. My cover would be blown."
 
"One day? Did you intend on staying?" Balor asked. "Figure of speech or not, the answer is that you don't often see Prismatic Lamia on the mainland for a reason. Lamian magic is corrupted. I prefer not to use it if I have a choice, but I also prefer staying alive over something such as that." he said. "If all goes well, you will never see it again, but with the war on the horizon ... I don't think that that's possible."


The Seer's comment went mostly unnoticed by Sinna and Balor, the former of which had been called much worser things than Shade on a daily basis. Amara's comment had played a smile on her face that slipped in in the heat of the moment, however, though it was mostly an unconscious thought. "I didn't stop the fireball, by the way. I ... froze up a little, there." she said. "Made up for it though, didn't I?"


"There's not a lot of time to talk. The Glass Artificiers will be closing this area soon, if they were already here in droves. There's ... probably scouts past the beach. I can't imagine they only approached from the sea. Not with the state of Moiran, and news from nearby towns before our own overtaking seems to indicate that they've pushed a little further inland than we'd previously thought."


"Right. And if they do trap us in?" Sinna asked, nervously.


"They'll take prisoners, but if you fight them, they'll kill you." he said, grimly. "Ifritian ones, anyways. Shade. Onyx. It isn't like here in the Blazing Isles; forbiddens are simply forced into military and slavery, not killed. It's a waste of resources." he said, his knowledge on the subject almost eerie to the others. A thought of clarity crept up into Edea's mind. "They're attacking coastal cities because ... the Glass Lamia are expert at barricades. If they control the outside, they'll slowly start working their way inwards, trapping and killing those who don't comply. They'll glass Central."


"That has bad implications for everyone..." Sinna mused.


"Just as much as Central's implications are, but in all war, there's bloodshed." Balor replied, feeling quite like there was a weight in his chest. They had broken into the forests from the shore, working their way away from the conflict. All seemed to be going well - apart from the fact that they'd just seen a city razed.


Then, everything had shifted again.


All around them, the forest had disappeared. Just as Sinna had snapped the magic away from the area, so too did something else, taking away the illusory trees that they had found themselves running into. They had found they had no semblance of cover at all, no brush to hide under, and instead of finding themselves out of the skirmish, they had walked into a trap set for those who were brazen enough to run from the city out into the mainland.


A Lamia stood in front of them. He had looked much like Balor, with light, Prismatic skin. And when they had caught each other's eye, they both were flush with surprise.


"Traitor..." he said, eyes narrowing. "Working with a Seer and Rust? A brother of Glass. That's ... unfortunate." he hissed. Before they could rush him, however, he yelled out, calling attention to the soldiers in their vicinity. They ran toward them, bursting them forward again away from the shoreline.
 
"Balor, Sinna!" Amara called out, "Take care of this Lamian fuck! Those soldiers are about to run the other way..." She drew both her hands downwards, using her mix of Onyx and Ichor abilities to mutate both her arms into two long metal spikes. The smooth, metallic pointed blades appeared just as they normally did and although she was intimidating to look at the Blazing Isle soldiers did not halt their advance. With a roar Amara dove into the crowd of soldiers progressing towards them and tried to fight wide enough to where they couldn't surround her nor flank around to strike her friends who would no doubt be busy with the Lamian illusionist. Unfortunately she was only one woman against a horde of soldiers so next thing Amara knew she was fighting alongside a Starseer.


She spat as she withdrew one of her spikes from the neck of a Blazing Isle soldier as she seen Edea fighting alongside her as if they had known eachother for ages. The Starseer used an odd form of combat Amara had never seen before, transforming the energy she used into a pure blinding light that she used to blind the soldiers around them. One by one she held up her hands and swatted at the men before they could take a swing or fire a spell at her, either blinding them with her energy balls of light or even burning them. They didn't burn as hot as a traditional fire spell but the energy spheres was enough to deal more damage than one would think.


"You see all and you blind people huh?" Amara asked in a lull of the battle, the two holding the line for whatever Sinna and Balor were doing. "Sounds like a proper slave to Constellia. I wonder how many innocent people you've blinded-" Amara dodged a sword slash, quickly redirecting the momentum to the soldier who swung his blade at her and stabbing his hand with one of her blades. He roared in pain as his hand erupted into pain, the man swiftly silenced as Amara rammed her blade up and under his chin and through the top of his head. "-how many shades and forbidden ones you've killed under her rule!"


"My goddess has no qualms with the forbidden ones... It is Central who controls the world!" She retorted, firing a wave of light off towards a charging group causing them all to cry out in pain as they all fell to the ground. She wasn't killing all of them, in fact, she was leaving many alive as a way to give them a chance to repent. "We are simply trying to survive! We are enslaved by this very nation, it is why I am fighting for our freedom!" Edea jumped back from a soldier who nearly caught her only for Amara to save her, jabbing her blades into the chest and the stomach of the Sang'rok warrior that nearly got Edea. It took more than a few stabs to take him down but Amara was fast and efficient, knowing all too well how to handle an open skirmish such as this. "Thank you."


"Shut the fuck up." Amara replied in return. "I'm not buying the whole 'I'm innocent' thing. I've seen what you Seer monsters have done to people. Blinding every male child you come across because your goddess tells you to..." She was enraged by Edea's very prescience, wishing nothing more than to be rid of her but she had helped them thus far. It didn't mean Amara had to like it however. "You're monsters."
 
Balor and Sinna looked ahead to the lone Lamian illusionist, who seemed a little more than determined to keep himself alive. Despite his magic having dissipated, he drew his weapon. It fell to the floor, revealing the chain that had held it in place. Balor shot out a hand, stopping Sinna from moving forward on him. "Don't. They're not pawns, like Central. They know what they're doing." he said, lips pursed. They took a step back. Their time with the man was dwindling; Amara and Edea couldn't hold the others off forever.


"I can't do nothing, Balor." she hissed, drawing her own hatchet. "And you're not going to fight. I'm not going to make you do that." she said, sharing a look with him. It had given the illusionist all the more time to prepare, showing aptly that he wasn't just a man who could bend light as he swung the weapon, the blade drawing closer and closer to Sinna and Balor as it cut through the air. Sinna grabbed Balor, stealing his form and her own from sight, and then yanking him off to the side.


The chain had presented a clear obstacle; they needed to take him out, but any semblance of closeness they had gotten to him was met with the tear of the fabric on their clothing, a far amount too close for comfort. Then, Sinna had brought Balor to the backside of him, letting him go in agreeance as she worked her way toward the other side.


"Come on out, Shadeling! This isn't the time to be hiding! You're all surrounded on all sides, and we have more pertinent things to deal with!" the illusionist shouted, more than a little annoyed as he watched his comrades be mowed down. And then a massive flash of light had appeared from behind him, catching his attention. Without a mark of hesitation, he shot the sickled blade out at Balor, catching his stomach. As soon as he had turned, the area was flooded in blinding white light.


The Lamia hissed, anger marking his features as he honed down in on the other Prismatic man. Balor stepped back, serving as a fine distraction as Sinna ran at him, jumping from the sand onto his back, slamming her hatchet into his shoulder. He screamed out and threw his shoulder forward, sending her from his back hard onto the sand. Blood poured from his shoulder, nearly severing his arm. And then she disappeared again, rolling off to the side in the cover of the Void. Injured but rage-filled, the illusionist drew back his weapon again, using his uninjured arm to swing it around. He felt it catch.


In their small skirmish, Balor had reapproached them, grabbing the handle of Sinna's hatchet in the man and yanking it out. He screamed, falling to a knee. Sinna shimmered back into sight, yanking the hatchet back from Balor and rearing it back to end the man's life, nursing a wound with her other hand. Balor caught it in the air, pushing her to run.


"We don't have time for this!" he shouted, gesturing back to Amara and Edea. He shouted out, loud enough for them all to hear. "There's an opening! Come on!"


Sure enough, there had been a way out. Just as the two women had begun to get overwhelmed, a singular escape route had been carved. Sinna huffed, taking off in the direction, and Balor followed suit.
 
Edea followed first, leaving her side of the battle to retreat leaving Amara alone in a swarm of soldiers. She gritted her teeth as she kept them at bay long enough for the others to get through the opening and as soon as she seen her cue to leave she bolted. She had never ran so fast before in her life as the others began to full on sprint away from the battle. Even Edea had ripped the bottom of her robes in order to move quicker, no longer caring about modesty or tradition as the Patagi woman ran as fast as she could. Soon Amara caught up as much as she was going to get, especially with how fast Sinna moved, soon nearly passing both Edea and Balor as they struggled to move as quickly in their clothing.


"I don't want to have to carry you!" She shouted, bashing arrows that were flying at them with her arm to defend the slower party members. "MOVE DAMN IT!" The Illusionist and the Soldiers were in hot pursuit but soon the soldiers began to get slowed down due to their armor, so, the Illusionist kept pursuing even faster. Firing spells at them to slow them down was all he could manage, creating landscape before their very eyes that they chose to run through. He was talented, but not talented enough to where he could make the objects totally solid. The sprint was soon coming to an end however as they were met face to face with a Central reinforcement battalion galloping and running down the beach towards them and Dorn. "Oh fuck me! We're sandwiched."


"How pleasant." Edea replied dryly back, "Do you always speak with such a foul tongue, Amara?"


"I'll show you foul, bitch." She retorted, looking for any other way out with the others. "It's either water... or mountain!" She noticed, a rather large mountain the only other way out. They'd have to make a treacherous climb with two armies on their tails, never before had they been so outmatched and outnumbered before. Things were looking more and more grim by the moment, that was until the final heart stopping sight appeared. The clouds parted ways for a lone airship, from below it looked almost militaristic in design as it burst through the clouds and headed straight for the four of them. "OH FUCK!" Amara said, barely containing what she was saying as they were now trapped on three sides. The airship came barreling down towards them swiftly, showing that their luck truly had ran out.


"It is of Molt design..." Edea remarked, "My people are at peace with both the Molts and the Avars but... I am not sure the Molts will take too kindly with me being here."


"I think the massive army, the mad man chasing us and the fact that we'll have to cross a fucking mountain to survive is the most of our problems. Not whether or not you will get killed for being an all-seeing fuck." Amara spat, taking a glance at Sinna in particular before deciding what to do. "You three... Start climbing that mountain. They're going to need a lot more than an airship and an army to kill me..." Amara stood at the ready as they all stood on the beach, conflicted on what the best course of action was. It wasn't until the airship was hanging above them when the others even began to move as it all happened so fast. They seen ports on the sides, most likely where archers would pop up from any minute. "I guess you're taking a stand with me..." Amara smirked, "And I thought I was the crazy one..."


The Illusionist had finally caught up to them and pointed his sword at them, "You will NOT escape me!" He roared, "Even with the Central army at your backs I will not yield! I will-" The Illusionist was cut short by one of the most brutal acts of violence any of them had ever witnessed before. The very same archer ports from the airship all opened at once, only for no Molts to be sticking their heads and crossbows out at them. A single man dove out of one of the sky ports and came crashing down to the planet within seconds. Within the blink of an eye the Illusionist was crushed by the falling man, his boots crashing down on his first landing perfectly on top of the Illusionist's head and shoulders. His neck snapped and his knees popped out of their sockets as the heavy warrior crushed the Illusionist straight into the beach. The group gasped as two ladders came rolling out from above the ship, the sand settling from being upturned from the warrior's crash into the Illusionist.


"Think I got some Lamian on my boot." Gunnar said, looking at the bottom of his boot as he stepped off the crushed Lamian. He was still alive, most of his bones broken and his body laid in ruins. Gunnar just didn't care enough to finish him. "Hey there." Gunnar said with a grin, "Might want to get onboard the ship. We're about to get attacked." Sure enough they were as the Blazing Isle army was now behind them after seeing what happened to one of their superiors as well as the Central reinforcements coming together.
 
Balor grimaced at the sight of the Illusionist being crushed underneath Gunnar, the visual a little too close to home and a little too violent for his own liking. Still, it was nothing he couldn't handle, and nothing he hadn't seen before. Then, the sight was interrupted as Sinna practically ran at Gunnar, wrapping him in a hug. "OhgodIthoughtI'dneverseeyouallagain!" she spat, quickly. "Is Orin on the ship?!" she asked, words falling out of her mouth almost quicker than she could manage. When Gunnar had given her a nod, she tore toward the ladder, pulling herself up two rungs at a time.


Orin had been kneeling near the wall, grabbing onto support as not to be torn from place and thrown out of the window. When Sinna had come up, however, he had sensed it, regardless of blindness. He looked up, only to have the girl throw herself at him, nearly taking him completely to the ground as she embraced him. He managed to stir from a grimance into a smile, realizing what was happening. The twins held each other for a moment, more than relieved to see that the other had been alive, despite their differences when they had parted.


"Orin!" Sinna shouted, causing him to grimace. "Oh god, why weren't you in Dorn?! Why are you in an airship? You're so skinny! You lost weight! Have you been eating?! Why are you all bruised up?!" she asked, taking his face in her hands. He pulled away, laughing.


"Uhh ... I went to the Floating Isles. Second question relates to the first one. Can't do it without an airship. Third and fourth aren't a question, fifth ... yes, I've been eating, and sixth ... that's a long story. Are you bleeding or just wet? You smell like salt and blood." he said, breathing out. "When Gunnar described what was happening in Dorn ... I thought you might have died." he admitted. "Are you okay?"


"I'm fine! 'Tis just a flesh wound." she said, looking down to the wound the Illusionist had given her. She had disrobed for the most part in the ocean, having had to do her part to help Edea survive, but the top that she did wear had been cut at the side. "Gunnar just splatted the guy who did it, so... Well, that was disgusting, but..."


"You're alive." he said. "And I'm alive. Is Balor okay? Who've you been travelling with?"


"Amara, Balor ... and a Seer. Edea." she said, noting his eyes widen at the mention of the last one. "Still not sure about her, but -"


Suddenly, the pilot at the helm had cleared his throat. Slaw looked back only for a moment, most of his concentration lying on keeping them all alive. "The reunion is very nice, but grab onto something that isn't each other, because if we crash, you're both going to go flying out of the window." he said, nodding toward the front. Soon, Balor had ascended, turning only to assist Edea onto the ship as well. He pulled the lizardic woman up, eyes shifting to Orin and Sinna when he'd finally ascended. A confused smile took place on his face, the same questions Sinna had appearing in his mind. Still, he'd found it wise to hold on, seeing that the front window had never gotten a repair.


Slaw shouted out. "Hurry and come up! We are being fired on!"
 
Amara and Gunnar were the last ones up the ladder, mostly because the Elf froze in her tracks when she seen Gunnar land on the Illusionist the way he did. She stood next to the ladder and just starred him down as her hands began morphing from her weapons back to her normal hands, not breaking eye contact with the viking.


"You just... had to save the day again. Didn't you?" Amara growled, not caring that the Central army was to her back and the Blazing Isles one was to Gunnar's. "You swoop in, take all the credit... What the fuck is wrong with you?" She asked, walking towards him slowly. "First you best me in a contest of skill and power... Then cheat... Then... You come in and take the glory of my sacrifice from me?" She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Just who in the fuck do you think you are? Gallivanting like some hero? Heroes get killed viking, you-" Gunnar immediately shoved past Amara and jumped on the ladder and began to scramble up the side. "GUNNAR YOU BASTARD!" She roared, not finishing her rant as she chased up the ladder behind him.


"What's your name again?" He called back out to her as he was nearing the ship. "I remember you losing fair and square but you see... I just don't remember losers all that well." He grinned as he went over the crest of the ship and dived back in, knowing that Amara was fuming down below on the ladder. Sure enough she was as she clawed her way and onboard the ship.


"YOU REMEMBER MY NAME YOU SQUARE HEADED FUCK! SAY IT!" She ordered until she was red in the face. "I WILL THROW YOU OFF THIS SHIP!" Gunnar couldn't help but laugh, he had actually missed this crazy woman. She was entertaining to him, he loved messing with people who had a few screws loose. "Don't think this makes us even... Not by a long shot hero. I-"


"Amara." Gunnar said, smirking as he did so. "Shut. the. fuck. up." He gave her a smile before turning to Slaw. As Amara raged in the background he shouted over her, "Let's go Coleslaw!" His voice booming over her's, "Everyone is secure... Well, almost everyone." They drew the ladders up and as soon as Cheslaw punched in Amara went flying back into the back quarters of the ship from the sudden acceleration. Gunnar laughed and walked back over to Sinna and Orin. Their embrace had been short lived on the surface so he wrapped them both up in his massive arms and whispered, "Told you I'd bring him back safe, Sin." His eyes met Balor's and he gave the man a quick smile and a nod, all the while avoiding the Starseer's gaze as he didn't want to ruin such a happy moment.


"I JUST LOVE REUNIONS!" Sirius called out from the front with Cheslaw. "I AM FIRST MATE SIRIUS AND MY BIRD FRIEND HERE IS COLESL- SHIT!" He started to laugh, "Cheslaw! I'd like to remind passengers that this is a moving vehicle with several parts missing. Don't use the bathroom as you may fall in through the hole. Pee off the side! If you lack the equipment necessary to pee off the side we have on-board funnels for the womenfolk. Speaking of on-board amenities we also have snacks and drinks, Flight attendant Gunni Guns will be sure to come around and take care of each of you. Thank you for flying with us!"


"It's... been a long few weeks." Gunnar said, laughing as Sirius finished his ridiculous introduction.
 
...


Back on the docks, the massive black flagship had come to a complete stop. Central guards were being slaughtered left and right, by those not so afraid to use their magic. Sang'rok and Ifritians bodies had disembarked from it, taking the small dock town by utter force. The small dock town whose position had been an unfortunately good strategic one for the Blazing Isles to attack Central. After soldiers had disembarked, they began going from home to home. Man, woman, and child were pulled from their houses, which they had considered safe only moments earlier, and dragged out onto the open portions of their makeshift wooden streets.


They weren't slaughtered there; that would simply be a waste of life. Those who lacked the strength to fight were dragged out to the ship itself, taken as prisoners to what would ultimately be an unsavory fate. Those who were able-bodied and who were foolish to stand and fight were slaughtered in front of their families, the soldiers having no room or time to try and spare anyone who'd dare go against them. Again and again, Caelilan, Elven, Dwarven, Gnomish, Midas ... none were spared the threat of death or slavery, the once peaceful fishing town having turned into a horrible scene in a matter of moments.


And there were more.


There were no ships on the horizon; instead, they faded in from nothing. On their masts, Shade priests stood like valiant guardians, taking rest now that they had seen their efforts to completion, stepping down from arms spread at the front of the ship to have brigadiers taking their place. Finally, the filter of ships and soldiers had stopped, leaving the city absolutely flooded with a massive occupation of Blazing soldiers.


At the head of the blackened ship, after seeing that all of his people had descended to the city below, an Ifritian man smocked in black looked down. He was a tall man, horns jutting out from his forehead sweeping around the side of his head and contorting back like goat horns. His irises were sharp and red, staring down at the scene unfolding below with no feigned amount of contempt. His arms were folded over his chest, eyes prying from the one-sided battle only to stop and give orders to his people. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, shaved sides and scars making him look particularly battle-worn.


Then, he descended. As he did, he descended alone. Stepping out onto the teetering, broken docks, the General barely regarded the prisoners as they were brought screaming and begging to the ship itself, handled by massive Sang'rok that dwarfed him as they passed. He stood under the bowspirit, soldiers stopping at the mere sight of him to take command. Then, as he opened his mouth to order, someone had fallen at his feet.


"Please ... Sir, just ... just show mercy to this town. We're a simple people, just fishermen and travellers, trying - just trying to make a home here. Please, don't shed any more blood. I beg this of you." he said. "Our people, they - they have no affiliation with Central, apart from being within their borders!"


He looked down, finding a Caelilan grabbing and begging at his feet, tears streaking the front of his cheeks. He'd worn pink robes, surely of Prismatic descent. But that meant something far different on the Blazing Isles. With a deep sigh, the General drew his sword, dragging it to the throat of the begging priest, whose voice had stopped at the sheer feel of the cold blade. He choked a sob, never before having to feel the imminent threat of having the home he'd built up and loved be taken from him at a moment's notice. So he waited, hoping only that the General would show mercy.


"...You dare interrupt an order from me, Prismatic?" the General growled. "You dare grab my clothing, grovel at my feet? And for what? Mercy for a city that's already burnt to the ground? Why should I spare you? I see women, children, men here, that would make good slaves. But you're a frail old man, of a race that uses cheat over talent. What use would you be to keep alive?" he asked, the eyes of the Caelilan priest widening as he did.


"I-I... I just ... I heal people, here, I make potions, I... I don't want to live a life of slavery, I just want peace, for my people, please, just-"


Suddenly, blood coated the front of the General's jacket. The Caelilan priest fell limp, hands loosening around the General's legs. He sheathed his sword again.


And then he moved on.


End of Chapter 9 - Nick of Time​


They had been in the air for hours.


Theirs was an odd combination of people. Balor, who stood silently at the front of the ship, happy not to share too many words apart from having greeted Orin again. Compared to Sinna, Balor almost acted with coldness toward the blind Seer, but that was far from the case. He'd seen the look in Orin's eye; something had happened when he had left that rattled him, and Balor didn't know how to make it any better. He'd thought on how to approach it when they were alone, not wanting to upset Sinna. She had already been on edge, prying at her brother for what exactly had occurred after they had left Moiran.


He kept his lips sealed, not sure if he should betray what was ultimately Gunnar's story. Not sure if he should draw more ire to the poor, heartbroken Viking than what had already been there. And not sure if he could even explain it at all. But they'd noticed a difference, in Gunnar and in Orin. It was there.


Slaw was content not to talk to them at all, his position as the ship head being a stark enigma. Why he hadn't been torn apart by the wings by the Viking. It was almost awkward the way he drew into silence, but the idle chitter chatter of Sinna, Orin, Gunnar, Amara and even Edea stowed the feeling. Sirius had stayed in the front with all of them, the crazy combination of characters being more than enough entertainment for the rogue.


Then, breaking away from their own little circles, Sinna had spoken up again. "Hey, um... Coleslaw?" She asked, still unsure of his name from the taunting that Gunnar and Sirius had given him.


"Cheslaw or Slaw. The Viking keeps getting it wrong. Probably due to his illiteracy." Slaw replied. "Yes?"


"Where are we going...?" Sinna asked, stifling a chuckle. "Somewhere specific, or...?"


"Right now, we're just going." He replied. "Nowhere in particular, other than away from the battle. We'll have to land soon, though; the mana cell is nearly out, and we should find some way to fix the ship. The windshield is a problem."


"Okay. Uh..." Sinna looked out from Orin to Sirius, then Gunnar. "How did you all meet?"


"The Viking tried to take me hostage and failed, but broke my ankle, a group of Molts tried to get us to kill each other, and then we killed them. I'm not sure where the blind one came in. Included, I guess." He mused. "Then we went up to the Floating Isles, and -"


"Slaw." Orin said, interrupting him before he could go too into depth. "The point is ... we're friends now. Maybe. But he's helped us, and we helped get him out of the graveyard we found him in. Sirius is the rogue's name. And who's ..."


"Edea is the Seer." Sinna clarified. "She's good. Apparently. And then Amara; you guys met already in the shelter." She said. "The Onyx one. Might be a time for you to reintroduce yourself, too, 'Mara."


Orin grimaced. "I'm good."
 
"I'm good too, little runt wouldn't be able to see the hand I outstretched to him anyways." Amara replied rudely, though it wasn't because of Orin in particular. Their circumstances had her on edge, Orin unfortunately getting her sass as a result.


"Wouldn't say failed, Coleslaw." Gunnar said, smirking from where he was sitting ignoring what Amara said to Orin and instead focusing on what Cheslaw had been saying. "Getting it wrong on purpose too. I might not be able to read but you look more like a Coleslaw to me, has a better ring to it than a normal Avar name. Easier to tolerate." Gunnar looked over to the Patagi woman, "Ain't that right, Edea?" He smirked once more, "Of course your people would rather stay out of conflict than deal with it, huh?"


"I am not my people's keeper. What they do or do not do in the sky is none of my concern. My concern is for the problems down here on the planet." The Starseer sighed, "I have no interest in the conflict of our own people simply because it's gone on for decades and decades. I would much rather resolve the conflict between Central and the Blazing Isles... All the while turning Central back into the nation it once was."


"You mean a nation that condemns at least a third of its population, right?" Gunnar retorted, "Ever since I fell to the surface all I've seen is bigotry and bullshit. You Starseers help keep that wheel turning too... Don't try and act innocent in all of this." He didn't care for their new company, even preferring the prescience of the rude Cheslaw over her. "Your kind has killed more than these nations. Hell, without you and your kind I would have never have fallen... My wife wouldn't be dead." Gunnar had no intentions on keeping that a secret, however, he didn't want anyone prying into just exactly how it happened. The ship went silent after hearing that reveal, Gunnar effectively killing the conversation.


Although bitter words had been exchanged across the room towards those they didn't get along with, they all took a moment to be silent together out of respect for the fallen. They might not have met her but they could see the pain Gunnar was in. Even Amara was silent, the prime candidate to say something snarky to such a thing but she didn't. Edea then cleared her throat after the moment had passed.


"That is why I rebel against them." She confessed. "I don't want your sacrifice to be in vain. I don't want her death to mean nothing. It will if we don't succeed against not only the rampant Starseers AND Central. Whatever it takes to stop this we must do it... and swiftly."


"Spoken like a true nun." Amara said, not trusting the Starseer in the slightest. "That's easier said than done though. We're a group of rag-tag people. Half of us hate eachother. Hell... Most of you all are freaks." She paused, a slight smile appearing on her face. "Me included. How exactly would we do such a thing Edea? It sounds nearly impossible to me, especially with a war going on. I'd rather make a difference there." She said shrugging, "At least then I know I'm doing something good."


"There's plenty of soldiers out there..." Gunnar spoke, looking at the ground. "Be a waste of your skills just fighting in a war between two sides you aren't apart of. We need to find a common goal and do it... Whether that be helping Moira with her new city or freeing others one by one." He finally looked up and eyed the ship. "We have a ship now. And a ton of people with us right now..." He was right, they had filled that ship to the brim with people of many different talents. Nearly ten of them in fact, not big enough to take on an army but enough to make a difference. "Should find a city, maybe even Moiran. Fix the ship up, recharge the cell. Relax... for just a moment." He said quietly, wanting nothing more than to just rest soundly for once. "Then... if you all want the same thing we should go and start doing what's needed of us."
 
Sinna looked to Gunnar, his words about his wife shocking her into silence. Despite everything that had happened, despite the tenseness in the room, she had felt badly for the Viking. He'd gone through the trouble of getting a ship, keeping Orin safe, and appearing for them in the nick of time ... and he'd found nothing for it, other than the fact that his wife was killed. Killed, or... she wasn't sure. But she passed a sympathetic look to him nonetheless. "I'm sorry about your wife, Gunnar. And thank you. For looking out for Orin, Balor, me ... and Amara." She said, knowing that Amara couldn't protest in light of the seriousness of the conversation at hand. "But back to what we were talking about ... I guess."


"You are aware you have my support as well, Gunnar." Balor said, speaking out as well as Sinna. The Viking had wanted the conversation to pass, of course, the wounds still fresh in his mind, but the sheer fact that he had had people behind him helped. "You have a home ... I don't want to say here, because, well, I'm not entirely sure if any of us have a physical home, but ..." he waved his hand. "With us, is what I mean. You've more than shown your ability to handle yourself, and ... your loyalty to those you've been around."


He sighed.


"I apologize for how I've treated you before we got separated, as well." Balor admitted. "The only thing I want to do is get away from this place ... so if you've any engagements, you can count on my assistance for them."


"Agreed." Orin said, crossing his arms over his chest. He regarded the Seer with the same major distrust that Gunnar had, breaking into silence as she and the others debated. It almost seemed as if he had been staring at her, despite his blindness, third eye pried slightly open as they talked amongst themselves. Even as he talked to Gunnar, he looked toward Edea. Then, after he confirmed his solidarity with the Viking, he addressed the others. "How did it go in ... Moiran? I'm pretty sure that wasn't what the town's name was..."


"Oh! Yeah, I guess you guys wouldn't know. We overthrew the city!" Sinna said, cheerfully. Orin's eyes widened, the gravity of their accomplishment being brought up in such a laissez-faire way stunning him, to say the very least. "Used Central's own barrier magic to fortify it. I hope it's still alright; it's on the beach, and all, but the Isles army probably had to pass by it to get to Dorn. I imagine the barrier will have held up, though. It may have even worked in their favor if it did; Central now has something a little more pressing to be worried about."


"As long as Moiran doesn't get caught in the middle, the war between Central and the Blazing Isles is going to give them the distraction that they need to flourish." Balor said, agreeing. "I don't think it wise to go back for now, though. There are the Reaching Pines north of here, if we'd like to lay low for a little while and recuperate; we may come across a city or two nestled in it, but it has a thickness that will see that we're not bothered." he said, nodding.


"As long as I can land the ship." Slaw said. "I don't intend on losing it. If we want to park it outside, maybe ... I could stay in it while you all go in."


Orin furrowed his brow, Sinna taking note. The Avar had done more than his fair share, and now he was willing to sit outside a forest and wait for them? It was a little more than strange, especially after the way that they had treated him. "No, that won't work." Orin said.
 
"You need to stretch your legs too, Slaw." Gunnar said, speaking up after the subject finally changed away from Nora. He appreciated those who offered their support and while it did help a little he still felt terribly alone. Even sitting next to his best friend did nothing for him as even then he felt a void that no friend could exactly fill. "You've been in this ship for days now. We could find someone to stay in the ship and go on rotations, never leaving it alone unguarded. We could-"


"If we're headed to the Reaching Pines I'll stay in the ship." Sirius said, speaking up. "My kind doesn't take too well with forests. I can adapt just fine but... it's not exactly fun watching your skin dry up and harden to accommodate to the surroundings. If I stay in here I can avoid that, gives me some time to meditate as well." Sirius paused, seeing the looks both Gunnar and Orin gave to him. "What? A man can't meditate?" He started to laugh, "Maybe you assholes should try it before you knock it." This caused Gunnar to smirk after hearing what Sirius had to say, turning his attention to Cheslaw.


"I know you don't want to leave your ship Slaw but... It's in good hands. Know it's not the way you imagined it but we're a team now. Plus..." Gunnar stood up, walking towards the pilot seat as he did so. "We can make him clean this place up. He loves that sort of shit."


"DO NOT!" Sirius exclaimed, "But if it gets me out of forest duty I'm in. My hands get all... leafy and gross... And I turn green!" He shouted, "You might not see it because of the mask and all but still, it's humiliating!"


"You must be one ugly motherfucker having to wear a mask all the time." Amara commented. "Lemme guess... Terrible facial disfigurement. Not from a blade however but from birth. You got bullied in Caelilian school so you decided to go all serial killer like and start wearing a mask!" She actually laughed, though that was to expected when she was making fun of someone. "Take it off. It can't be much worse than Gunnar's face."


"Not nearly as bad as Gunnar but... I don't want to." Sirius said with a shrug. "I don't know you people all that well. Maybe one day. You could try taking your's off too Amara." This confused her, that was until Sirius continued. "The whole 'I'm a tough bitch' look only works when you're actually a tough bitch. You can fight but your whole demeanor is wrong."


"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was going to get roasted by a man wearing a weird fucking mask. Shut the hell up freak, be a good little boy and watch the ship when we're gone. Probably what you're only good for." Amara too stood up, shoving her way past Gunnar to take a seat next to Cheslaw. Although she thought he was a bit weird at least he was quiet most of the time. To her surprise Sirius let it go, just smiling underneath his mask as he took in all of his company. Gunnar looked down towards Cheslaw.


"Guess we're headed to the Reaching Pines. We can find a city, land on the outside. Sirius will guard the ship and you and I can focus on getting some supplies." He crossed his arms, looking out to the clouds before them. It painfully reminded him of home. "We'll fix this ship up properly, renovate the whole thing." He paused, a smile forming on his face. "Get you a nice pilot's hat maybe. Maybe me some make up too, all these assholes think I'm ugly!" Gunnar cranked his head back to Orin, giving him a grin although he couldn't see it.
 
Slaw looked sideways to Sirius, not even sure why the rogue had been there in the first place, let alone his commitment to stay with the ship. Still, he'd had the inclination to trust him; when he'd gotten his ankle broken, Sirius was the one bringing him food and offering reassurances. He'd noticed it, despite the fact that he didn't say thanks for it. He nodded, hesitantly at first. "...Alright." he said. "I should probably try to walk around." he said, with a sigh.


"I fare better in forests than in the air, but that isn't saying much. My people like plains. Or so I'm told." Slaw said, continuing on. "It'll be a nice change of pace to see life around me for once. And I imagine there's a significantly lower chance of getting Rustrot." he said.


"Yeah, but there're probably giant bugs, so there's gonna be other diseases for you to get." Orin said, smiling. Slaw looked back, attempting to gather if the blind Seer had been serious or not. When a decent amount of silence had passed, Orin laughed. "Just kidding. Or not. Can't actually be entirely sure. I hope not." he said, addressing Gunnar afterwards. "I don't think you're ugly."


Sinna snorted, standing from place to walk up to the panel. She had braced herself on it. "I wouldn't say ugly, Gunnar. Intimidatingly rugged!" she said. As everyone had gathered up and around Slaw, he had grown a bit uncomfortable, stirring in his seat. "So they tried to take you hostage? Broke your ankle? How do you expect to get around the forest, then?"


"It's mostly healed." Slaw commented, words short. "I had supplies, and ..."


"If you'd like me to take a better look at it, Cheslaw." Balor noted. "I was able to find some Fiai-enchanted alchemy supplies before Dorn was razed by the Blazing Isles." he said. "It does the trick better than ... what you have on now, and basic first aid, but it does come in rare supply."


Sinna looked to Amara over Slaw, smirking at her. She'd been pouting, not too happy about being called out so severely in front of the others. "'Mara and I will help gather supplies, too. Maybe you guys can have a contest, Gunnar. 'Cause I imagine she's got the upper hand in that department, metal arms in a jungle and all." she said, smiling. "Edea can help as well." she said, pointing her gaze toward the Seer in scrutinizing fashion.


"I'd be more than happy to help with whatever." Orin said.


"Well, we'll be landing soon." Slaw said. "I'd actually rather just let you all work and sit down."
 
"I would also be happy to help with whatever." Edea said, looking at Orin as she gave them all a firm nod. Her prescience was rather unsettling being a Starseer, Gunnar had barely taken his eyes away from her this entire time. "Is there... something I can help you with, Gunnar?" She asked, noticing that he had been starring at her. "I would suggest you avert your eyes but I can see that you do not trust me."


"Don't have to trust you. You aren't going anywhere. Don't have a chance to do anything I don't want you to."


"Oh here we go again. Another hostage Gunnar? Really?" Sirius asked, for once actually being serious. "You know you're just going to make nice with her like you did with your last one."


"You're damn right a hostage." He replied, not averting his gaze from the woman. "It's too convenient you're here, made it into our ranks. Trust is earned. So... You aren't going anywhere without one of us here with you. Even if your intentions are good... I really don't give a shit." The Viking sighed, he had been through a lot lately and now he was in the prescience of one of the few people he hated the most. "Prove yourself. Then maybe we'll trust you."


"Fair enough, Gunnar." Edea said, a hint of sadness in her voice from how blunt the viking had been. "I agree to your terms. I will not leave nor do anything without someone else in my prescience. If we had spoken with Moira she would have spoke a great deal about me but alas, we are much further north than I thought we'd go. I-"


"I don't need to hear your life story, Patagi." Gunnar said, shutting her up just as quickly as he had gotten her talking. "I think I speak for everyone when I say you're not welcome here. Earn your place." It was harsh but necessary. Amara had a soft smirk play up on her face her demeanor changing from pouting to neutral, that was until Gunnar turned his attention to her. "Don't you be smiling over there. I'm gonna beat the hell out of you in our next contest." This had the Elvish woman steaming again, practically shaking in anger.


"YOU ARE A CHEAT! I WON LAST TIME UNTIL YOU STOPPED ME! I-"


"You're going to lose." Gunnar interrupted, laughing openly now that the business with Edea was concluded. While Amara continued to shout incoherently, the ship began to shudder. At first they all thought it was because she was ranting so obnoxiously but as Gunnar rushed to stand next to Cheslaw once again they both seen what the problem was: The Mana cell was depleted. "Fuck..." Gunnar managed to say as he looked down to see nothing but trees down below them with no clear spot to land. "Well... Was fun while it lasted. EVERYONE BRACE YOURSELVES! WE'RE GOING IN HOT!"
 
"There's gotta be a leak in the cell ... or something! Honestly, I haven't flown anything in a while, so-" the ship jerked, interrupting Slaw's thought. It had been the prime signal for them all to hold the hell on, and they each did so in their own ways. Gunnar held fast, while Sinna ducked below the panel, putting her back to it. Orin had stayed near the wall, so he'd gripped onto it, laying low for the fear of gravity failing him completely, while Amara had been seated next to Cheslaw. Sirius poked his head back into the comparatively safer back room, and Edea held on for dear life to whatever had been closest. Slaw reached for his seatbelt with one hand, realizing that it had never been present in the first place. His other hand directed the ship upwards, the Moltish boat having directly disobeyed his commands. Instead, they careened down.


Their feet lifted into the air as gravity had begun to betray them. It would be an absolutely horrible way to die. Slaw held to the panel, directing them toward the forest. It would have been an absolutely insane thought, the massive trees surely acting as a massive wall to the ship. "What are you doing?!" Balor shouted, having half a better mind to rip the controls from the Avar. The rocketing of the ship prevented him from doing little more than keeping himself grounded, however. Slaw had only slightly averted the fate, being forced to keep his hands on the controls, talons on his feet digging into the floors beneath them.


"It's better than hitting the ground!" Slaw shouted. "Just hang on!" He said, voice barely permeating across the roar of the wind. "Get low so you don't go out the window!"


"What's happening?!" Orin asked, confused and terrified at the sudden turn of events. "I don't-" he was cut off, as the nose of the ship slammed into the treeline, sending them all tearing to the back of the cockpit and wedging the ship at an angle. As soon as they had all slammed into the back, they were tasked with the challenge of keeping rooted there, the angle at which the nose dove down wanting to empty them all out into the forest. The incline wasn't steep enough to eject them all, and in fact, if they had been rooted in place, they would be able to stand. Unluckily enough, the daze that had taken the crew had sent them rolling.


Orin's hands flailed out, gripping whatever had been closest. It had happened to be Balor, who had steadied himself enough not to roll completely. He grabbed out for the boy, pulling him up by the collar. Slaw hadn't kept low, however, having kept himself to the controls, and found himself inches away from flying out of the broken viewport. Sinna had managed to keep herself rooted to the panel, however, and as soon as she had gotten her bearings, she rose to help Slaw.


"Is everyone okay?!" Orin shouted, the sound of wind being replaced by the shouting sound of crackling trees and jungle.
 
"Yup!" Gunnar exclaimed, having suffered the worst fate out of all of them. During the crash into the trees he had been uprooted from where he had braced himself, the crash itself literally sending him outside of the ship. The viking had clung on to the viewport as hard as he could and as soon as they had crashed into the tops of the trees he had been sent flying out into the leaves and branches of the top of the tree that had exploded into the cabin of the ship. He was inches away from being impaled on a branch, the viking crawling his way along the thick tree branches back into the ship. "Nearly got me with that one Slaw, gotta try a little harder buddy." Gunnar said, patting the Avar's back as he climbed back into the slanted ship.


"So close." Amara grumbled, sitting as if the crash landing hadn't bothered her at all. Gunnar looked down and seen that she had melted her feet directly into the metal floor, the elvish woman giving him a cocky smirk. "Gotta think with your head, Gunnar. If... Cheslaw here wasn't such a good pilot you'd be dead right now." She reformed her feet as she stood up from her seat, getting use to the way the floor was being tilted towards the forest floor now. "Shame you didn't hit that branch though. If you got killed by a tree I'd know our contest was a fluke. A fitting death for someone such as you." Gunnar shook his head in response, walking over to Orin to help him stand. He seen Sinna take care of Cheslaw so he opted for her brother.


"I've... had more pleasant rides." Edea commented, struggling to her feet especially as her tattered robes got caught up around her legs. She had ripped them to run faster on the beach making it that much more difficult to stand. "Where is Sirius?" She asked, looking around and seeing that everyone else was alright but the rogue was long gone.


"Present!" He said, dropping from the ceiling. "Back room didn't work, all those ports started opening so I went for the ceiling. Jammed myself up in them vents and had a cozy ride down. Glad to see you all are doing okay!" He then let out a gasp, "Already feel my skin crawling and getting dry... Ugh... Couldn't we have crashed somewhere nicer? Oh well." He walked over to the bulkhead doors to let them out and opened it up, the rogue dazzed for a moment at the change in direction as he opened the door. They had fell into the tree canopy crooked, the door he just opened practically being a straight shot down to the forest floor. He rolled out the ladder and quickly shuffled his way back to the other side of the room. "Looks like we're fucked." He commented, suppressing nervous laughter as he seen truly how tall the trees they had crashed into were.


Gunnar headed back to the engine room and found the mana cell and seen that sure enough it hadn't been sealed properly, the energy just leaking out and flowing freely out of the ship. He picked it up and carried it to the front of the ship and presented it to Cheslaw. "We're gonna have to fill that up the hard way..." He said quietly, not wanting to alarm the others just yet. "Finding a natural mana source is going to be a bitch. Especially out there." He said, gesturing over to the darkness of the woods. "We're gonna have to split up and make groups or we're going to be stranded out here."


"An excellent idea Gunnar!" Sirius said, wrapping his webbed fingers around Gunnar's shoulder as he put his arm around him. "Hear that everybody! Gunnar wants you all to split up in the dark dark woods down there to look for fuel!" Gunnar let out a sigh while Sirius giggled. "I'm glad I'm on ship duty."


"You're lucky." Gunnar grunted, "Alright, we're gonna need two teams. We need fuel, supplies and some food. Who do you all want to search with?" He seen Orin light up at him calling for teams. "I'll go with... Amara." The elf's eyes lit up while Orin's dimmed. "Don't get jealous Orin. You've traveled with me for weeks now. Amara here has been begging for my attention ever since I showed up." He teased, getting both Orin and Amara with that one. "Besides, I'm sure you want to catch up with Sinn-"


"Sinna." Amara spoke, "Come with me or I'm going to kill him."
 
"Right! Dead Viking ... bad." Sinna said with a grunt, imitating the impression of a Sang'rok she had taken upon when they were doing their tabletop game. It caused Balor to smirk, an expression that she'd caught sharply. "Gotta make sure Amara doesn't kill slash maim our Viking. I guess that officially makes me the competition judge, as well!" She said, grinning. Balor twinged the bridge of his nose.


"That's the exact opposite of what you should be doing if you don't want them to fight." He said, tone rife with disappointment. Sinna threw her hands up in exasperation, causing her to slip a little as she helped Slaw to his feet. He staggered, alarmed at the sudden lack of support. She continued on, as if she hadn't nearly backhanded the poor Avar out of the window.


"Oh come on, it'll help the workers' productivity. We'll just say that fighting is cheating and means for instant disqualification and it'll keep them in line." Sinna replied, smirking. "Okay, okay. But that means you have to go with Orin, 'cause the other alternative is Slaw, and he has a broken ankle." She said, eyes shifting toward Edea. Orin caught the implication rather quickly, mouth contorting into a frown. Seeing that Slaw had gotten to his feet fine, she walked toward Orin, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just be careful. If you get lost again then we'll raze the forests looking for you. I thought you might have been killed."


"I wasn't ever lost." Orin corrected. "We ended up where we needed to be. It ... was the timing that was off." He said, grimly. "Where does that mean you're going, Slaw?" He asked, head turning in the Avar's general direction, white eyes peering over Sinna's shoulder.


"Maybe it is better that I stay." Slaw said, unsure. "See if any repairs need to be done to the ship." The Avar looked over the edge of the window, seeing just how high they were up. The idea of being in the jungle excited him less and less as he observed it, knowing well that he wouldn't survive a fall of that height, wings or no wings. Balor shook his head again.


"You can come with Sinna, Edea, and I." Balor said. "You're not going to be of use here, and we may need your assistance with the mana cell. I can take a better look at your ankle now that you're not piloting, as well, and perhaps find some herbs to use as alchemical reagents." He, too, looked to the expansive void below them. "Who ... who wants to go first?"


"Maybe it should be a challenge." Orin said, grinning, to Balor's displeasure. Sinna, too, looked with widened eyes to Amara. "I'm kidding!" He said. "Seriously guys, don't get yourself killed."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 4 (members: 0, guests: 4)

Similar threads

Tearyfalls_file
Fantasy ➺ My cat is a demon ๋࣭ ⭑⚝ - Fantasy / Supernatural
cat comedy demon
Replies
0
Views
34
Tearyfalls_file
Tearyfalls_file
Ryees
Fandom The Dirty Part of Physics『 Imo x Ryees 』
Replies
6
Views
128
Ryees
Ryees
AnimeGenork
Fantasy Demigods of War (AnimeGenork & Clarice_Lecter)
demigods one x one
Replies
1
Views
61
Clarice_Lecter
Clarice_Lecter
Mystii
Fantasy Pretty little flower
fantasy werewolf
Replies
0
Views
45
Mystii
Mystii
GammyWamzee
Realistic or Modern Black Cat & Dragon
alcoholism angst cop
Replies
8
Views
132
GammyWamzee
GammyWamzee
Back
Top