Fight for Far Kingdom - Muscles & Miracles (IC)

[WlfSamurai]

A are a party of adventurers in a fantasy realm called The Far Kingdom. For the past few years they have been seeking adventures, exploring mysteries, and collecting rare items or treasures throughout the land. Their main patron, Socratius the Sage, has been struck down with a strange disease known as Wraith Fever, leaving them out of work and on their own while he recovers in a nearby temple.

 

[WlfSamurai]

The Far Kingdom, the Temple of Swords. Socratius looks up at Terra, Montrizaur, Kanon, Theodore, and Jand from beneath the piles of blankets. Part of his face has turned the color of ash. His breathing is shallow and strained. The room is quiet enough the group can hear Socratius wheezing with each breath.

Wraith Fever.

The old Sage has managed to stave of death for longer than most. And any infection or sickness that has taken him over the years has been short-lived. He has a reputation and talent for alchemy and salves that he has clearly used to great effect on himself. But, Wraith Fever is different. Deadly.

“I know you're having a hard time finding work…,” he tries to breath deep to finish the sentence and then another. “But, as soon as I’m well, I’ll have more for you to do.” Before he can say more, he launches into a coughing fit that lasts a few minutes. When he’s finished, he settles back into his pillow.

thefinalgirl D. Rex Spoiled Bread Alias

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Kanon Lumiaris​

"Don't worry, master Socratius." Kanon kneeled next to the bed, leveling herself to the bedridden elder. Her hands scooped Socratius' hands and held it tight.

"We will do fine, probably. Take all the time you need to rest." Kanon always thought the elderly alchemist as some sort of sort of superhuman since she grew up with his reputation as a renown alchemist around. Seeing him being sick and fragile like this reminds her of the fact that Socratius was still a human.

"Now, please excuse us." The priestess got up and turned her attention to her comrades. "C'mon guys, let's go. The nurse will come and kick us in a few more seconds."

 

[Alias]

Theodore Riskell​

Theodore didn't say much while they were at the hospital. He quietly looked on at their master who was, once full of life, now lying on the bed sick and frail. One reason was that he felt guilty for making the old master worry after their botched job despite it not being his fault alone. Another was because one loud utterance would send them flying into the streets. Given their reputation, it was a miracle they were even allowed inside. He simply nodded and stood up as Kanon called their attention.

 

[thefinalgirl]

Terra Azileviar

Terra looked at the sorcerer with an empty stare. He seemed to be weak for once, knowing that the alchemist could stave off any disease that will be inflicted upon him. The long-eared man felt confused on why he had even joined the group. He knows magic but, doesn't remember how he got them. Hell, he doesn't even remember his past. His worthyness as a part of the group is certainly small.

"What's our next quest?", Terra asked as he was observing the environment. The long hallway to the Nurse was drab, it felt boring. He liked seeing shimmer in any thing. Terra joined the group for money, he needed cash real bad. No other group would take him as he often dozes off during the battle. He does have potential but, is usually knocked out by anything.​

 

[WlfSamurai]

Terra, Montrizaur, Kanon, Theodore, and Jand step out into the hallway, closing the door to Socratius’ room behind them. Something is different here. They can feel it. There is a stillness in the air. It’s only now they realize the Sister never returned with fresh bowl of water.

The group moves down the candle-lit hallway to the top of the stairs at the other end. Looking down the stairs to the floor below, they can see the Sister sprawled out on the wood flooring at the bottom of the stairs. She’s face down in her own pool of blood. The bowl and rag she had been bringing back lays next to her.

thefinalgirl D. Rex Spoiled Bread Alias JusticeCarpenter

 

[thefinalgirl]

Terra Azileviar

Terra sniffed the air. He sensed something... strange. He smelled blood, it was somewhere nearby. It could probably be a patient but, it seemed to smell too fresh. The bunny-man looked at the bottom of the stairs. What he saw shocked him as he saw the Sister's unconcious body laying in a pool of blood. Terra proceeded to run back to his campanions and said,
"I think we have some company. Some kind of threat, to be exact."

​

 

[WlfSamurai]

One of the doors in the hallway opens. A young boy steps out of the doorway and gasps when he sees the five adventurers crowded in the hallway. Despite the bandages over his head and left eye, shock and confusion are clearly written on his face.

"Wh--what's going on?" he asks. "Is something wrong? Sister Sela said she'd back. That was awhile ago."

 

[JusticeCarpenter]

"Either that, or someone had-" Jand had began speaking when the kid spoke up, and immediately stopped when he heard the door open.

Being a person who tends towards brutal honesty, Jand simply moved away from the group so he was in front of the woman, and then stepped aside.

"I'll be honest with you kid, this doesn't look good."

Jand had a minor flashback to cackling skeletons and blood and battle and all sorts of things related to the events he only ever told, as he personally refered to him, Elder Socratius.

Being well acquainted with injuries, having dealt, witnessed, and experienced all manner of injury, Jand began inspecting Sister Sela to attempt to discover how badly she had been wounded, and if she was even still living.

WlfSamurai

 

[WlfSamurai]

Jand moves down the stairs to the Sister's body. Inspecting her, he finds her throat has been slit. There aren’t any other wounds on the woman.

The boy pushes past the group and stands at the top of the stops. He stares with his one good eye down at Sister Sela. He doesn’t move or say anything. Just stares.

thefinalgirl D. Rex Spoiled Bread Alias JusticeCarpenter

 

[D. Rex]

Montrizaur skulked closer. The Kobold getting closer to the body. "Something here is afoot, is it not?"

He hopped down the stairs. Putting a scaly claw against the body to see if it was still warm. "Perhaps we should go check on Scrotarious." He suggested. He wasnt very good with names.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Kanon Lumiaris​

Kanon looked at the corpse, she offered a silent prayer while holding an palm-sized lantern on her right hand and a bell on her left hand. She gently shook the bell, indicating the end of her prayer. Poor sister just wanted to take care of Master Socratius but ended up like thi-

Wait, what was even the reason for this murder? There's nothing much value except....

"I will check on Master Socratius!" She really hoped she was wrong, but someone that wants to kill the alchemist in his weakest time didn't seems too far fetched.

She climbed the stair two steps at once and brushes past the boy at the top of the staircase before threw open the door to Socratius' room.

 

[JusticeCarpenter]

Jand felt his blood boil at the sight of what had happened to this innocent woman.

"Somebody put the kid somewhere safe, he doesn't need to see this." He had said, before closing the woman's eyes.

Then Kanon spoke, and several things clicked in Jand's head.

"Ah damn." He quietly swore as he hurried up the stairs. However, once he reached the kid, he picked him up and got him back inside the room he had came out of earlier.

"Stay here until I or someone you trust says it's okay to come out. Find some place to hide." It wasn't a request, it was a firmly given order to someone experiencing the shock of seeing the freshly murdered body of someone they knew.

Jand had this done to him, and he had done it to others as well. The battlefield had taught him well.

WlfSamurai

 

[thefinalgirl]

Terra Azileviar

Terra was calm, he had encountered a situation like this before. An assassin or entity could come for the Sorcerer's life. He noticed Kanon running towards Socratius' room while Jand was putting the kid somewhere. Terra was observing it all, he tried to feel a presence, searching if there was anything moving besides them.

He couldn't feel anything. Was it a higher being from another place? Terra proceeded to go to Jand, the man had a sense of leadership and he seemed to be trustworthy. He spoke to the man, "Did you examine the body?" Terra wanted to know what killed the woman. If it was a stab wound, it would probably be a normal human. If it was something more... dark, they would have to fight within the building, the action that Terra wanted to avoid.​

 

[D. Rex]

Intriguing. Sad, yes. But still intriguing. While the others went to check on the master. The small lizard did not quite to do the same.

He looked at the body again...

"She was not killed upstairs... no other immediate injuries. Such as bruises breaks and unnatural contortions to indicate she fell down after being dispatched. And the bowl and rags would have been strewn farther out. Not to mention the blood being isolated here rather than on the stairs.

She was killed right here. From behind. This human. Slit throat. According to immediate witnesses, was supposed to have tended to them a while ago. A while is certainly a vague measurement of time. Given she was passed due, time of death could range anywhere from five to twenty minutes ago, perhaps. Depending on the patience of the human boy." Monty said, laying out was was known. Trying to go over it like a heist plan.


"There would not be much reason to kill the human woman unless killer was in a hurry to get upstairs. And didn't care what blood he left in his wake. Meaning either an amatuer... or a professional who was paid too much to care. Or paid to make a mess."

"If human woman was going upstairs when throat was slit, she was not a threat as she wouldn't have seen the killer. Killer could have stayed hidden. Dead body could be bait to draw attention from whatever action killer is going to commit."

He, of course was talking to Terra. Despite Terra asking Jand.

 

[WlfSamurai]

The Temple of Swords has always been the training grounds for the Kingdom's Templars. Spanning several buildings, the Temple is arranged into four Wards connected via cloister.

The southern building and entrance to campus is the Temple proper. Here the Sisters of the Golden Word conduct Church in the Temple's many chapels. The common-folk and nobles both come to the chapels for worship and prayer.

The west side of the campus is the Medical Ward where the Sisters provide care to the sick and wounded. A small section of the Ward is dedicated to long-term or high-profile patients, such as Socratius. The main sections of the building are rows upon rows of beds.

To the north, the building for the Templars themsleves dominates the rest. Here, the templars eat, sleep, and train. They learn of their role to protect the Kingdom and the Profane Articles of Phenousios, the Golden Word itself. It is said the ancient holy book is on display in the gardens of the Templars' Ward, protected by anciet magic that has long been forgotten. Entrance to the garden is guarded by Templar White Cloaks day and night.

The easten Ward is that of the Library. Half the building is dedicated to all manner of texts and scrolls. The contains magical research and a guarded vault of recovered artifacts.

In the Medical Ward, where the group of adventurers has found Sister Sela dead, there is no activity. Even during the evening hours, the Sisters move through the Ward tending to their patients.

Kanon stares at the old Sage in his bed. Socratius' eyes are wide with worry now tha the door has been thrown open.

"Is something wrong, Kanon?" he asks.

Down the hall, the boy stares at Jand with is good eye, fear written on his face. The Knight's command has a profound effect on him. "I won't go anywhere, I promise. What's wrong? Are we going to die?"

Spoiler: OOC

The boy will 100% obey Jand to the best of his ability.

 

[JusticeCarpenter]

Jand had a big, toothy smile on his face. "Nah, kid. The only person dying is whoever did that to the Sister downstairs. Now, take this..." Jand pulled out a small knife from the sheath he kept at his back, and held it out, handle first, to the kid.

"...And use it if you feel like you are in danger. One last thing: tell me your name so I can call out to you when it's safe." Jand's expression was serious now.

WlfSamurai

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Kanon Lumiaris
​

Seeing the old alchemist still alive on his bed put Kanon on relief. She still couldn't put her guard down though, since the assailant might still be nearby. They didn't even know what they're dealing with. Kanon chanted a short spell to conjure three light orbs orbiting her, just in case she need to blast someone in a moment notice.

"I think someone just snuck into this place and killed one of the sister. The culprit might still be nearby so I will stay here to guard you." Kanon answered Socratius' question. She paced around the room, trying to keep her mind focused. She trusted her other teammates to rat out the culprit from his hiding place.

 

[WlfSamurai]

The boy nods to Jand. “Gavin is my name, sir.” He takes the knife delicately and turns it over in his hand. “Thank you, sir. I’ll do my best.”

Socratius sits up, pain in his face as he does so. “I had a feeling tonight, Kanon. I knew something was going to happen. You have to keep everyone safe. Find as many as you can and get them out. Something is coming...”

Terra and Montrizaur examine the body further. The wound on the Sister’s neck is jagged. A serrated knife was used. They also find that very edge of the flesh around the wound is necrotic.

From the doorway downstairs, a woman gasps and the jar she was holding shatters on the ground. Sister Eloisa stands with a hand to her mouth. Tears well in her eyes.

“Sister Sela,” she whispers through the thickness in her throat. “What happened?”

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Kanon Lumiaris​

"Well, I will do my best to keep everyone safe, Master Socratius. But I don't think I can just scream everyone bloody run right now. So... I will back to you soon." Kanon got up and ran downstair.

"I'm going to report this to the templar." She said to the group as she passed them. She sidestepped the sobbing sister by the entrance and continue running toward the northen part of the temple. She was starting to think this might just be a personal grudge to that particular sister and they were worked up for nothing, but Socratius' words kept ringing inside her head.

Something is coming? What? What is coming?

 

[WlfSamurai]

Kanon takes off through the medical ward, past rows of beds with the sick and injured. She runs into the cloister on her way to the north Templar building. Through the courtyard, she can see the evening stars and the full moon. Torches burn in various sconces along the cloister walkways.

She turns the corner, not slowing down, and finds a grizzly scene. The Templar guarding the doorway from the cloister into the Templar Ward is slumped in the corner, his breastplate soaked with his own blood.

 

[JusticeCarpenter]

Jand smiled at Gavin. "I trust that you will. Now hide." As he said this, Jand closed the door.

Jand then pulled his favored weapon from his back. It resembled the oar of a rowboat in shape, but any similarities between it and an actual oar ended there. It was four feet long, and made of a dark-colored steel. The end at the bottom of the weapon split into a Y shape. The wide end of the weapon that made it look like an oar was sharp, but not very. It was just sharp enough to leave a cut. But that was not the point of the weapon's design. Anyone with sufficient ability to reason could garner the purpose of the design: to crush bones, armor, and shields alike.

"We're going on a hunt, companions. We shall bring the reckoning to whatever swine would dare hurt an innocent, and a woman of piety no less...though I don't doubt there are probably more bodies than just her." Jand spoke that last part with a tone that suggested that he was hoping that she was the only one this had happened to.

Jand began walking down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he spoke with Sister Eloisa.

"Someone has killed her. There might be more. We need to evacuate as many people as we can, and get as many able bodied soldiers here as possible, otherwise there may be more victims. Is there some way here to signal people that something is wrong?"

WlfSamurai

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Kanon Lumiaris​

Kanon froze upon seeing the dead body of the guard, seems like she were too late and they might as well be the only remaining alive here. She gritted her teeth at the realization of something bigger might have happened without they even knowing it. She pulled her bell from her pocket and rang it, no time for proper prayer but may the chime guide his soul through the underworld. Prepared for the worst, Kanon stepped inside further into the ward.

She wanted to look for any survivor of whatever this madness is. She chanted a spell, two light orbs were conjured in front of her, one red and one blue. She sent them away to the other corridors while she took the way to the main office. The light orbs were actually mana battery spell that allows her to share her own magical energy to revitalize nearby allies. She just used it in a bit more creative way by adding a patrol spell. The light orbs would come back to her after going through their designated direction and if the mana inside was depleted from the initial amount, that means someone alive was in that particular corridor. She didn't think straight at the time but she accidentally just made a scouting spell.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Kanon's spell zips through the corridors of the compound, searching. It was an ingenious idea and one that works. But not the way it was intended. Before the orbs finish their circuit or can return to Kanon, the magic is snuffed out. What's more, she feels whatever devoured them pulling magic from her, as if the magical connection between Kanon and her orbs were a rope to be pulled.

Before more than a few seconds, the connection is severed and Kanon feels drained and winded.

At the same time, back in the Medical Ward, Sister Eloisa shuffles toward the murdered body of her colleague and friend. As Jand speaks to her, it takes a long moment for it to register. Then, she looks up at him, seeing him for the first time. She nods, slowly at first.

"Yes," she manages to say. She clears her throat. "Yes, the warning bells. Each ward has a bell tower. They're used only in times of crisis. I can take you to the Medical Ward's, if you'd like."

Spoiler: OOC

Just FYI, Spoiled Bread , your roll was a mixed success. That's why there was a cost. Awesome idea though and cool spell.

thefinalgirl D. Rex Spoiled Bread Alias JusticeCarpenter

 

[JusticeCarpenter]

"In a moment, yes." Jand said to the sister, and then walked back up the stairs enough that he could see Terra, Montrizaur, and Theodore.

"I'd like two of you to go wherever Kanon is and stick with her, and whoever's left to come with me. We don't know what's going on, but while I think we'd be better off not splitting up, we can't cover our ground quickly enough otherwise."

thefinalgirl D. Rex Alias WlfSamurai