First Arc: Where it All Begins

[Prudentia]

The day is quite beautiful – and early – but at least the sun shone through the full clouds and made all the plants and buildings shimmer from the dew drops. It even smelt fresh and clean, and there were fountains all around the city trickling away with soft music. Praeses were even resting later than usual; it was just about 8 o’clock in the morning but often Praeses were up far earlier than Humans, except for certain Soldiers.


 


Ephraim had woken up early thanks to Freya who accidentally rolled over him and nearly crushed his lungs. He was easily able to wake her but nearly missed a good chomp along his arm. He pinched her, full fist, hard along the area just below the back of her ear and she gave a loud yelp and went for his arm – ‘half-asleep’ she claimed. Great apologies were given and the two chuckled then went off to ready themselves for an early day. Every morning Ephraim went to the bathroom mirror and ran his hands along the full beard he grew. Much care was taken to trim it down and shave off any excess but he always kept it covering his sharp, square jawline. Today, there was not much to trim since he did plenty the day before. His hair was fine: check. Eyes were clear of gunk: check. Now for his clothing.


 


The dress code for soldiers was as they choose but it had to be comfortable and not too showy. It was respectable to look the part while representing the entire Army of Peace. Ephraim had the worst of it but usually kept to t-shirts and long sleeves, matched with vests that kept his arms free to move about and shoot his arrows with ease.  His pants were always slim but loose enough, and he wore leather gloves to avoid slipping along his bow. Both his arms went to tug his black t-shirt over his head when a white spotted owl landed on the large windowsill of his bedroom – his living space was the top floor of the Capital building, where no one had access to unless by permission.


 


“Sir, I am sorry to bother at such a private moment but there are urgent matters to attend to.” Owls were never up at this time, not even the Praeses type, so Ephraim furrowed his brows at the sight but walked over after fixating the bottom hem of his shirt. “You smell of smoke…”


 


“It is danger, sir. A village is under attack.” The male owl’s rough, scratchy voice seemed to trouble the creature while speaking but he had his own mission and lifted his foot where a small scroll was tied by a red ribbon. “Please make haste and call upon your grand army to save whatever is left. When I departed, it was not a good sight.” And without further details, the owl took off. It may have needed to recover from the inhalation of the smoke and from the long journey to Summus.


 


“Why do I smell something burning?” Freya’s deep smooth voice came from behind the Chief. It was indeed a strong scent but surely far worse for Praeses. “Freya, please call upon the falcons and tell them this message to send to our soldiers: A Hamlet is under attack. You must arrive in the council room immediately. Prepare for battle and bring your Praeses. We will depart after a short debrief.” His voice was stern and deep but ever so clear. To lead an army meant to lead with strength, courage, and loyalty.  Ephraim had been training to become a great soldier since he was a young boy, but he was being tested now after years of peace. With such a devastating attack so sudden and vicious, he had to ask himself, Why now? And, What do they want?


 


The white wolf nodded and trotted off. Thankfully Praeses did not need to use stairs since there were large windows to jump out of and she leapt out of the top floor window, onto a nearby building and ran towards the nearest falcon housing. It wasn’t busy and the birds were speaking to each other about breakfast. They were often ornery at the early hours but Freya always gave them a fright with her big fangs – now, they do not disrespect her orders. The white wolf lady proceeded to inform them of the message they needed to send out, their beady eyes blinking and glancing at each other during her speech then they spread their wings and stretched, “Leave it to us, m’lady. We will gather the army.”


 


Their feathers ruffled and their screeches echoed through the large falcon house and open sky, and off they went. They were nearly dots in a few moment’s time; Freya watched with her golden eyes, them slightly glowing due to the shine of the nearby buildings. Those birds were very loyal despite their attitude and could find anyone in the city. Their eyes were magnificent and they could see clearly even from hundreds of miles above the surface. Freya knew they would deliver but she had to head to the Council now before the others arrived. Ephraim was more than likely already there, pacing and speaking with other guards about his plans. He was probably writing on his little notepad, too.


 


She scoffed and ran off towards Summus’ Capital building. What a strange man…he can’t let go of his notes.

 

[Prudentia]

@Aisling @Altaynna @Ender The Spider King @Onyx Energy @ShadTheWerepire @Sir Pouncelot @SKUsagi @Victoria Bradley @xxlifexx

 

[Altaynna]

It was early, the forest canopy over her head barely shielding out the light from the early morning sun as it filtered through the leaves. Altaynna nodded, unbelting her sword and dropping it nearby before taking up her practice sword, the edges dulled and the inside weighted to be as heavy as her own sword. She took a breath, allowing all outside thoughts to filter from her mind as Morsus trotted to a tree and lay down near her sword, keeping a careful and wary eye out for any approaching danger. 


She stared down at the practice dummy in front of her, stuffed with straw and staked into the ground. She raised her sword and lunged forward, delivering sequences of blows quickly, large bouncing blows followed quickly by small, short thrusts to the opposite side, where her opponent's shield and protection would no longer be focused. Her blows landed quickly, until she switched up the routine and ducked, swiping her leg out to land a solid blow to the stake, sweeping it to the ground before she thrust the sword to it's stomach, halted only by the thick material it was made of and the lack of an edge to her own blade. She huffed, catching her breath before turning to the heavy bag hanging from the branches, her fists beginning to fly quickly, landing blows against the heavy material quickly. 


It was like this every morning. Wake early, begin practice and then finish morning preparations, before heading off to do her duty. Her fists grew faster, her punches rougher. Everyday, the same routine. Nothing changed, no matter how much she secretly wish to begin a new chapter in her life, to differ from the same boring routine. Suddenly she heard a rustling of wings and instantly she jumped back from the punching bag, her arms raised in a defensive position before lowering her arms at the sight of a falcon praeses. She stared at it before it extended a wing and dipped it's head, staying a safe distance from the large panther, no matter the fact that Morsus would never hurt an innocent. 

"M'lady..." Altaynna nodded in acknowledgement, briefly realizing that the sun was fully up in the sky. "There is distressing news. A Hamlet has been attacked, you have been summoned to the Capital building." Before he could say anymore, she had grabbed both swords, belting them around her waist quickly before waving an arm at a nearby tree, nodding to Morsus. The two stepped forward into the shadow, the world around the darkening and turning to blackness.

She briefly remembered the first time she had entered the shadow realm, but she dismissed it now. She had no time to deal, she must arrive at the meeting. The two exited outside the building, nodding to the guards as they stood aside to allow them inside. They strode in quickly, making their way to the conference room, Altaynna pushing open the doors as Morsus trailed only slightly behind her, walking at her side, as was his rightful place.

@Prudentia

 

[ShadTheWerepire]

“CLANG CLANG CLANG.” Metal echoed against metal as Amelia was roused from her sleep, she had missed the morning crow of the rooster and Ol’ Ironbeak was disappointed.  Amelia’s heartbeat skyrocketed as she was startled awake, Ironbeak could sense it easily from where he was standing on the other side of his rather large nest but her eyes remained closed. His metal beak hovered above her grandfather’s shield, the old dented metal sheet was beginning to rust on the edges.  Amelia camped out in his stall again, having the guts to oversleep in his presence and waste the early hours of the morning. 


“Lassi, if you sleep heavier than iron you won’t wake at the drop of a sword.”  The old bird squawked ruffling his feathers.  Amelia groaned an answer into her arm disrespectfully still refusing to wake up.  Ironbeak snorted and strutted over to the complaining rider.  He lowered his beak and gripped her lightly in his jaws before lifting her onto his saddle-less back. 


The gate to Ol’ Ironbeak’s stall creaked as he carried Amelia out to the turpig pen.  He reached back over his shoulder and prepared to drop the sleeping rider into the slop.  As Ironbeak made the move to drop her from his beak, Amelia’s brother ran over waving his hands frantically yelling for him to stop.  The older porker was out of breath as he approached, his award-winningly large turpig praeses following close behind with a falcon perched on its shoulder.  He leaned over holding his knees and catching his breath at the feet of the bococho. 


“Beaky, ’Melia, this here falcon’s for y’all.  Sounds like y’all are needed in the city, I told ma and pa already so y’all better get movin’.”  Buck huffed, he felt like he was repeating himself but the falcon said this was serious business.  No sooner than her brother finished Amelia’s eyes shot open and she wriggled her way out of the Iron beak landing with her feet straddling the slippery slop trough. 


“Hear that Ol’ Bird!  We’ve got ourselves a mission from the boss!”  Amelia grinned ear to ear posing heroically while maintaining her balance. 


“Aye, now quit foolin’ around so we can get into the city.”  Ironbeak threatened and crouched next to the fence so Amelia could jump over it and onto his back.  “Falcon, can you brief us on the ride?”  The other bird resting on the turpig’s shell nodded boldly in a swift movement and took off to circle a few feet above.  Buck climbed up onto the back of his turpig praeses who trotted over to the mounted pair he reached over and gave his sister a big hug. 


“Stay safe ‘Melia.  Me, Ma, and Pa are all here rooting for yah and Ol’ Beaky.”  Buck held her tight before releasing her. 


“We’ve got this, Bucky, we’ll be home again before you can say two turpigs tumblin’ in the turning turf tides!”  Amelia laughed twisting her own tongue.  Buck smiled, Ironbeak huffed, shook his head, and made his way over to the stall with Amelia.  She hopped down and saddled him up, securing her rope lasso on her belt and glaive over her shoulder.  It was fast just like they had practiced and in moments she was in the saddle fully armed and armored. 


The two looked up to the falcon and shot off down the road, their farm was on the outskirts of the city so the center of the capital wasn’t too far.  At this rate they would be late to the meeting, but Ol’ Ironbeak would never allow that so he picked up the pace, they zigzagged from the dirt road, to cobbled streets into the heart of the city.  There was no time for Amelia to wonder at the sites today, they had their first assignment as a soldier and she was all business.  And so the mounted pair continued down the main street in the direction of the grand hall.  

 

[Tori Bradley]

Ash and smoke made the air thick in the once beautiful forest. A malevolent smile graced his face as he observed the destruction he had caused. He himself had not burnt down the old forest, as he didn't have the ability to do so. His element was not born of fire, rather it was born of lightning. One of his soldiers had done the deed on his Chief's orders. Evil soldiers were inherently loyal to the young chief, which pleased him to no end. The man looked out over the barren wasteland that had once been a sacred forest to the Ancients. Turning around, he focused his attention on something new.
​

 
​

Damien Darke's grin dropped from his face as he locked eyes with the injured Praeses on the ground. This wasn't usually how his mornings went, but today was an important day. It brought him one step closer to his goal. The Heart of the Elements. That was what his army was searching for. The final tool to victory over the Guardians of Peace. Burning down a sacred forest was only a step towards finding it. Not that that was what Damien spent his mornings doing. Normally, the Evil Chief would wake up before the sun rose, as it was his custom to beat the sun. It showed strength and determination, according to Lenora.
​

 
​

Once awake, Damien would dress and seek out his loyal companion. Lenora would normally be perched on Damien's balcony, watching out for her warrior as he slept. The thunderbird was entirely too protective of him, in his own opinion, but he was compelled to care about her anyway. She was one of the only living things he cared about. The two would speak until the sun rose over the horizon, at which time the day would begin and responsibility would take hold. 
​

 
​

Snapping out of his thoughts and back into reality, Damien squatted down so his eyes were level with the eyes of the Praeses who lay dying on the ground before him. One skillful slash of Damien's sword and the young wolf Praeses had fallen. Damien had learned nothing from her so far but that wouldn't be true for long. His soldiers ducked in and out of what buildings were left standing, taking anyone left alive and binding them before lining them up side by side on their knees for Damien to look over. As Chief, he chose who became a prisoner to his army and who died. He'd deal with that later though. At the moment, he had a Praeses to interrogate.
​

 
​

"At this point, you already know who I am. I'm your worst nightmare, your greatest enemy, the Evil Chief, etc. Your people have a lot of names for me, but we'll make this easy. You can refer to me as Damien. Now, little wolf, I want one thing from you. You give it to me, Lenora here will heal you and you get to live. You refuse me, and I'll drive my sword through your heart," he said. He smiled at her, charisma pouring off of him. "I want you to tell me everything you know about the Heart of the Elements."
​

 
​

The wolf's violet eyes peered at him, pain, anger, and disgust lighting its gaze. Damien was impressed with her strength as she held his gaze unflinchingly. Too bad he knew she wasn't going to give up the information he wanted. She was too loyal to the Ancient Praeses, even though not a single person had ever met them. Not even the Peaceful Chief. Damien didn't understand why the Guardians of Peace were so loyal to a group of animals who may or may not even exist. At least what Damien believed in was within his reach. At least those who were Evil had a goal that could be achieved, rather than one that could never truly be reached. 
​

 
​

"I will not tell you what you want to know, Damien. I will not betray the Ancients, not even at the cost of my life. So kill me," the little wolf said. Damien looked at her, his gaze cold and calculating. He admired her strength and her loyalty to what she believed in, even though he didn't understand it. But she had defied him. And no one defied him without a consequence. He stood up, his hulking form towering over her where she lay on the ground at his feet. He kicked her onto her side, leaving him a clear shot to her heart. Pulling his blade from the holster on his waist, Damien looked into her eyes once more. "Wrong choice," he said, just before his sword ended her life. He flipped the blade in his hand, turning to face Lenora. 
​

 
​

"You don't have to kill everyone who defies you, Damien. You can show mercy," the thunderbird said, her eyes conveying her desire for him to change. Damien scowled at her, his anger rising. "Mercy is weakness, Lenora. I will not be weak," he snapped. He turned to his soldiers, who stood guarding the prisoners. Looking into the eyes of each them, he said,
​

 
​

"Kill them all."
​

 

[Literary Revenant]

It was a much warmer day today. Not because of the weather, in fact it was a rather cold morning... Atleast before Lord Damien commanded Sebastian to burn down part of a forest. Such a task was not entirely hard for Sebastian, all he had to do was conjure a Flame Seed, spread the flame over a large area and let the flames take their course. The attack, if you could call it that, was very successful. There was killing, lots is killing, to both humans and Praeses; from his time in the Kiss of Fear Sebastian began to love killing. Watching someone else's light fade away from their eyes... Nothing could match the feeling, the rush. What made that rush stronger was that he satisfied Lord Damien, bringing him closer to the goal.
​

 
​

Now the forest was nothing more than burnt wasteland, and Sebastian was hungry. All this burning got in the way of breakfast but sadly there was still more to do. Lord Damien had commanded his soldiers to take prisoners so Sebastian had to keep an eye on a rather unruly man who must have been a devoted member of the peace. From his brown fancy ish robes Sebastian assumed this man was a pastor or a monk. It was clear that the man was afraid, for he was shaking like a leaf, and smelled like he soiled himself. Still Sebastian had grown curious why these people were so insistent on believing that Ancient Guardians would forever protect them and their land. Judging by the burnt forest it seemed like they didn't care too much about any lesser beings. Lord Damien was busy interrogating a wolf so Sebastian needed to kill some time as he waited for his breakfast. Ashixyleth was happy sitting on a burnt perch cleaning her feathers of all the soot and grossness from the fire.
​

 
​

"So, it seems you people put a lot of faith in beings that you never even see. Why is that I wonder?" Ashixyleth's head perked up, her eyes still tired from the smoke. "Why do you bother priests I wonder." She said with her ethereal voice. Sebastian chuckled with his companion for a moment, for some reason he always bothered priests trying to break them before either killing them or releasing them. "Awe come on, let's have some fun! It's not like Lord Damien will care if I bother him. Besides priests are silly! They waste their lives praying all day." Sebastian answered. Ashixyleth made a strange trilling "hoo" sound like she was singing vibrato with her Phoenix voice. That's a Phoenix laugh for you! After that laugh she went back to cleaning her feathers, making her white as a cloud.
​

 
​

"You will fail. I can assure you that the Guardians will destroy you!." The priest said. Taken aback by the priests words, Sebastian stood out in a small clearing with his arms out, taunting the world. He looked around, waiting. Wondering if anything was indeed going to burn him. A strange rumbling appeared, but that was simply his stomach growling. 'Damn I missed breakfast!' "Well I'm not dead yet, perhaps I've been forgiven. You on the other hand must have sinned, for you weren't protected." Sebastian taunted. "Maybe he didn't pray hard enough." Ashixyleth mumbled.
​

 
​

"You seem smarter than any ruffian, why fight to destroy this world? This world is beautiful, and you will destroy it for what? Power?! That's foolish!" The man angrily spat. That made Sebastian angry, his upbringing was not in a beautiful land. As a child he never knew peace, only pain and death. It seemed Ashixyleth sensed his anger brewing, and cautiously watched him from a safer distance. "I'll tell you this, it's foolish to believe that the whole world is beautiful." Sebastian said, calming himself. This man was no threat to him, and there was no reason to explode on him. The man returned to his nervous praying, and Sebastian continued to wait in a slow pace for further orders. Lord Damien then turned around, his sword in his hand. His charismatic gaze looked at each of his followers, all of Sebastian's comrades, his brothers and sisters in arms. 
​

"Kill them all."
​

 
​

 
​

An evil grin crossed his face, his rush for killing would now be satisfied. He gently spun his staff conjuring flame and light into the head of the Dragon. "It looks like your luck's ran out. You don't get to see how ugly the world truly is. Consider this, A Last Mercy." Sebastian said grimly. Once enough energy was gathered into his staff it began to glow a blueish white. With one last spin, Sebastian struck the man's head releasing flame and light into the man's skull killing him instantly. After the man fell on his side, Sebastian closely watched as he saw the light fade from the man's eyes, a small glimmer that disappeared into nothing leaving the man completely lifeless. He gave a small satisfied smile, and closed the man's eyes. Not long after the rush disappeared and Sebastian was left hungry. Beside him was a line of slain prisoners, caused from various means, some more unorthodox than others. Well since that was done, he figured he'd find some food.


@Victoria Bradley

 

[xDawn2463x]

“And off she goes! Truly magnificent this is! The one and only Bella Ferguson is on the run!” Purple wings flapped with excitement as the male dragon swooped overhead, watching what was below. “Here we go folks, another day another adventure! Will she make it? Let see!” The villagers were enjoying the reptiles commentary, the excitement he brought to every morning seemed to lift everyone’s mood; all expect for his companion.


“Shut it Devon.” Words edged out with an annoyed groan, blue hair flying with the wind, hazel eyes focused on what lay ahead. Bella was indeed running, her swift an agile legs carrying her through the village with much speed. She would leap over hay stacks, roll under carriages, bound over logs and weave through people. Heart beat rising as it pumped blood round her body, breathing fast as she hurried along. The female would be bounding over another set of logs when a comment had been directed towards her. “Out on your morning run again Bella?” She replied to the elderly women as she passed. “Yes Ms Penelope.” No more words could be said as she turned a corner, though her companion did otherwise. “Good morning Ms Penelope, lovely day isn’t it?” He seemed generally upbeat, flapping his wings to stay air born while he spoke. “Indeed it is Devon, might want to catch up with Bella don’t you think?” Her toothy smile revealing uneven teeth. “Yes of course! Goodbye! I’ll be back for some muffins soon!” With a cheerful laugh coming from Ms. Penelope upon hearing Devon’s response turned on her heals to head back into the muffin shop, while Devon zoomed past the village folk, closing in on his partner.


And to continuing with is commentary.


“Down the street we go! Up an over the barrels, ducking under the beam and up the building side!” Bella indeed was still at it, trying her best to ignore his voice as she climb the side of the building, hands griping at the ledges and feet perching themselves on leverages. She would allow herself little time to take a breath, and upon reaching its roof took off into a run, nearing the opposite side she allowed her form to drop as she slid off the roofs edge, firstly landing on the closet object to lessen the impact of her fall before landing on the earth in a crouch. “Look at her go! This is truly some entertaining stuff right here.”


“Quit it you idiot.” She threatened, now once more bolting off out again in the village streets, passing familiar people along the way, shop workers and waiters waving and saying good morning being the usual, the everyday run by Bella Ferguson an often site to the common folk. One last stretch and she was done, the nearby bridge over the river being her final crossing. “And its coming to an end folks, we’re almost at the finish line.” The enthusiastic voice of Devon the dragon never seemed to faze as he flew up top, watching as now Bella was making her run over the bridge.


“Bella!”


The voice was neither Devon’s nor of anyone she knew of, the screeching falcon had appeared right in front of the startled Bella, the sudden shock causing her to lose balance and tip over the bridges edge, making her tumble into the stream of running water. “The hell?!” She sat up, completely confused and angry as she lay miserably in the river, clothes soaked with the liquid as it ran past. The shallow bed kept her from drifting off, but this would not be the same for her temper. “What was that for?!” She questioned angrily, still eyeing the falcon who now sat himself upon the bridge. “Dearly sorry to bother you Bella.” He seemed to be the nicer ones among the group the chief’s falcons. “You are needed urgently at the council room, a hamlet is under attack.” Instantly Bella realized the situation, her anger had quickly subsided as she took to a stand as she replied. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” The falcon gave a quick nod of the head before taking off into the sky.


While Bella now appeared more serious than ever, Devon on the other hand did no. “Hahaha! God, that was hilarious!” He was on the ground rolling in a pool of laughter, having a fit while Bella stared at him angrily. “This is no laughing matter Devon! He heard what’s happened! Quit it!” The yell had taken Devon by surprise, the dragon bringing himself to a stand. “Alright alright, I’m sorry, no more.” He was trying to stifle a laugh. Bella rolled her eyes, now walking out the river and back towards the village needing her horse to make her way to the capital building.


----------


[SIZE=11pt]Thankfully by the time she and Devon had arrived her clothes had dried, and wouldn’t be a discomfort to her, the female would get down from her horse, one of the soldiers offering to take it to the stables while she headed inside. Upon opening the doors she would notice that Altaynna was already there, but quickly Bella’s focus would fall upon Ephraim as she questioned “How bad is it?”[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]For how much damage could their enemies have done?  [/SIZE]               

 

[Tori Bradley]

Vesper Labannon watched from outside her window as the village came to life with the rising sun. She had gotten up about an hour ago, as she was a very early riser. The young soldier liked to fit in her daily work out and training in the mornings because the day belonged to the army. She had work to do, and as long as the evil were still standing, it would never be done. Most of Ephraim's soldiers didn't reside in the capital like she did; they preferred to live with their families in smaller villages within Peace. But Vesper was more likely to reach her goal if she remained at work every day. She wasn't even sure Ephraim knew she did it. 
​

 
​

Vesper turned away from the window, going into her bathroom to bathe before she brushed through her dirty blonde waves and headed into her wardrobe closet. Choosing a simple pair of jeans and a fitted T-shirt paired with her combat boots and the necklace she never took off, Vesper dressed quickly, eager to get to work. Walking over to her bed, she picked up her waist holster and secured it on her belt before placing her daggers inside. She placed two more knives in the holsters inside her boots before grabbing Angel's gear and leaving her house. As she was walking down the street, she saw a flock of messenger falcons fly over her head. 
​

 
​

"Hmm. I wonder what that's about," she said to herself. Arriving at the stables, she sought out her Praeses companion. Though Angeles had wings and could go wherever she wanted, she preferred to stay in the stables with the other horses. Vesper understood why. Angeles rarely spent time with any other Pegasus like her, so she earned herself a spot with the other horses. But, she also had her own stable to herself so she could stretch her wings when she wanted to.
​

 
​

"Good morning, Sergeant Vesper," said stable hand Jasper Wick. He was a good friend to both Vesper and Angeles. He didn't have a Praeses, but he did have an uncanny ability to understand things. Vesper smiled at him, walking slower so he could catch up to her. "Hey, Jasper. Just on my way to wake Angeles," she said. Jasper smiled at her before another stable hand called his name. "You have a good day, Sergeant. See you later," he said. As Jasper jogged off, Vesper smiled to herself and walked into Angeles's stable. The tall white Pegasus stood in the center of her cell, stretching her wings like she'd just woken up; which she probably had. 
​

 
​

"Morning, sleepyhead," Vesper chuckled. Angel snorted at her and ruffled her wings. "Love you too, Vesper," she said. After talking for several minutes while Vesper adorned Angeles in her gear like they did every morning. The Pegasus had a custom made saddle to fit around her wings without hindering their mobility. It had been a gift from the last Chief right before he stepped down and Ephraim Ruhn took over. When Angeles was fully decked out, Vesper climbed on her back and the two walked out of the stables. The moment they did, a falcon landed on Vesper's shoulder.
​

 
​

"Sergeant Vesper, Angeles. The Chief has summoned all available soldiers to the Capital Building's meeting room. A Hamlet has been attacked," the falcon cawed. Vesper gasped and looked at Angeles. "Godspeed, Angel," she said. Angeles reared up before breaking into a gallop. Once she was going fast enough, she spread her wings and went airborne. Citizens looked up at her as the Pegasus soared over their heads. Within minutes, they reached the Capital Building. Landing in the courtyard, Angeles folded her wings back up and followed Vesper into the building.
​

 

[Phayne]

 
​

Kasper had remained somewhat unnoticeable for the most part, his duty as a soldier was to simply follow the orders, nothing else. His affinity towards heat also made it easier on him to withstand the fire that Sebastian had created, a few other of the soldiers were not fairing as well, but did little to show signs of their discomfort. They knew full well what the consequences would be if they were to do so. Alongside the others, Kasper had rounded up a few of the survivors, binding them and pinning them to the ground as they awaited further orders.  He had long since grown accustomed to this sort of scenario, having been part of the army for many months now. Burning, pillaging, torturing and murdering; the same old cycle of events that often occur during their search for 'The Heart of the Elements". Whilst that is Damien's goal, it is not something that Kasper himself prioritized; no it was just an excuse for him, an excuse to partake in the bullying of the powerless, a reason for him to include others in the pain and suffering that he himself had to endure for petty reasons.  Whether or not they managed to locate this 'heart', was something that Kasper did not really care for. Of course, this also meant that he was not as devoted to their leader as some of the other soldiers in this army.  Kasper watched on in silence as Damien interrogated the fallen Praeses, the young wolf's reluctance to reveal the information her unfortunate undoing. 
​

 
​

"Kill them all"
​

 
​

Came the order, as Kasper nodded towards the commanding officer before approaching one of the prisoners. The feeling he had right now was akin to that of a child at a toy store, unable to contain his excitement as he scanned all the potential new toys to play with before settling on the coolest/biggest one in the whole store. He approached his target, taking his glove off as he got closer before placing his right hand against the mans face, his fingers outstretched so as to cover the majority. Through spread fingers, Kasper watched the man's eyes dart from side to side as he struggled to grasp the reality of the situation. His thoughts, his memories, his sense of self; all of it was slowly dissipating into nothingness as he trembled before the soldier of darkness. Kasper had long since become accustomed to the gruesomeness of this curse, the ability to trans-mutate organic matter into nothing but sand. As far as he was aware, the pain was more mental than physical; watching as your own body crumbled away before you and unable to do anything about it.  A faint smile crept along the side of his face, as the feeble trash before him reached out with his crumbling arm, only to have it collapse into fragments under its own weight. 
​

 
​

That expression of horror, of shock and realization sent a shiver of pleasure down Kasper's spine, knowing full well that the man before him was learning the true meaning of powerlessness, the bleak and soul crushing truth of life. The strong always win.  Within seconds a pile of sand had formed beside Kasper's feet, the man reduced to nothing but dirt. With a quick inhale to calm his excitement, Kasper stepped forward, making his way towards the next man; the color on his face a pure ghost white. The man was barely clinging onto his sanity as time seemed to extend itself, Kaspers tantalizingly slow walk towards his paralyzed self a form of visual torture. With shaking eyes, he glanced at the ground beneath Kasper towards the small piles of dirt that he walked upon; the remains of one of his closest friends. "You Bastard! You sick Bastard!" screamed the trembling man.  Kasper smiled, relishing the joy of the moment as well as the suspense of what was to come.  "You will regret angering the an..." the mans voice went silent and it was now Kaspers turn to make the noise, a cold sinister laugh escaping his mouth as he stopped in his tracks. "Sorry... I can't quite hear you" he taunted between laughs. 
​

 
​

The prisoner glanced down, a large almost blade-like protrusion extending outwards from his chest. At the very tip, a droplet of red blood slowly fell towards the earth. Thanatos's stinger had risen from the ground, the tail clad in an armor of metal coating as it easily penetrated the body of the prisoner. Such was the sharpness of his 'blade' the man felt little to no pain as he was easily skewered. A few garbled grunts as blood poured from his mouth were the last words of this devout man before his life slowly left him. "You humans... always have to scream and shout before you die.. your no better than bleating sheeps!, A downright pain to listen to!" ranted Thanatos, only his stinger visible as the rest of his body remained hidden in the earth below. Kasper turned, not acknowledging the Praeses complaint as the tail slowly disappeared back into the ground, dragging the corpse along with it. 
​

 
​

 
​

 

[xDawn2463x]

[SIZE=11pt]The air was thick. A pungent smell wafted with the breeze; the aftermath of burnt bark, leaves and grass filling the sky with a darkening color, a smoky grey riding with the wind. This was the act of a hungry fire that took hold of a no longer salvageable forest; all that would remain were the grassless earth and the lifeless trees. So how much sympathy did one need to feel for such a forest? None, none at all. All it was, was an object, a meaningless object that stood in the armies path. And nothing, stood in their path.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt][/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Eyes now roamed this particular forest. A striking gaze of green falling upon the soldiers that had been thoroughly checking the huts of the pitiful villagers, searching for those whom may have escaped the first search by the rest of the army who were now up ahead with their chief. Vlada had chosen to remain behind, she and Ivan trudging over lifeless bodies as the Russian oversaw the search; muscular arms folded across her largest chest as her head held itself high, the females pride far from dwindling away.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt][/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]“Vlada. Two have been found.” The formal call had been from one the soldiers as two of his co-workers vigorously dragged two men from one of the huts. Their faces were covered in ash and eyes swollen in redness; little did they know that the freedom they had hoped for was now gone from existence. Like the forest it too was burned to ashes and swept away with the wind. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt][/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Hands placed themselves upon curvy hips as the Right-hand strode towards the captive men; a sly smile playing upon her lips as she studied them, all the while the saber tooth besides her glared menacingly into their fearful eyes. “Vell looky herrre, ve’ve got ourrrselves some darrring men who zought zey kould out smarrrt us.” Her accent was strong, radiating off with her confident attitude and intimidating posture. She laughed, tapping a finger upon one of the men’s heads in a flirty manner, the soldiers that held them in place on their knees grinning in much amusement. “Brrring zem along, I have something in mind forrr zem.”[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt][/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Indeed Vlada had something in mind, green eyes gleaming with hunger as they made their way towards the rest of the group; Ivan silently walking besides her, a skeptical look forming upon his feline features. While not surprised by the females vicious mentality he did wonder what she was up too now. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt][/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]It hand been just after the order to kill was announced that Vlada had arrived, heads rolling, blood spewing, it was a sight to behold, the poor villagers that had their lives in her hands watched in horror, speechless and truly petrified. But this was not enough to satisfy her. “Set zem down herrre.” She ordered, the men were placed on their knees before her, the blonde warrior's eyes wide with insanity. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt][/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]“Damien. I hope you don’t mind zat I prrrovide little demonstrrration.” Gaze would fall upon the chief before returning to the others. “Soldierrrs.” She barked loudly. “Time I show you what hope is.” After words were said her axe was unsheathed, lifted high before brought down on one of the men’s head, a wound incapable of healing, an instant death. The other suddenly took off, sprinting as fast as he could away from them. “You see zat man, he has hope, hope zat he kould eskape clutches of enemy.” It is then she lifted her pointer finger out for everyone to see, a single spark of flame dancing on the fingers end, disappearing and reappearing as if it lacked oxygen to live. “His hope is like zis little flame. Small, frrragile. Desperrrately trrrying to stay alight, like trrrying to light match in rrrain. But it’s zerrre alrrright.” He still ran, still not able to realize what is coming, and before he would see, Ivan, who no longer was at Vlada’s side pounced onto the fleeing villager. Limbs gracefully extended, claws gripping on and canines embedding themselves into his flesh. "In orrrder to vin ve must make ourrr opponents believe zat zerrre is niet hope, zat zerrre is nothing forrr zem to believe, so zat even if zey kould, zey vouldn’t darrre trrry like zat man did." Now slowly her second hand had risen, covering the flame upon her finger, and extinguishing the so called hope, all the while mumbling under her breath. “Если вы скажете достаточно большую ложь и сказать ему достаточно часто , он будет верить.”- “If you tell big enough lie and tell it frrrequently enough, it vill be believed.”   [/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt] [/SIZE]           


[SIZE=11pt]    [/SIZE]             

 

[Phayne]

A lone figure stood in the middle of the training grounds; the man standing motionless in the center with his eyes firmly shut. Aside from the rhythmic motion of his chest as he breathed, one would almost mistake him for a statue, such was the level of concentration he currently possessed. .  His large one and a half hand sword was sheated; strapped across his waist with the mans right hand firmly clasped around the hilt. A small bead of sweat meandered down the contours of his face, his thoughts solely focused on one thing. He could not trust and survive in his visual prowess alone, he had to be able to hold his ground even when his vision was obstructed, to fight and defend those that cant even if his eyes were gouged out of their sockets. A large exhaled escaped his mouth as he observed all the different sounds he could. The faint trickle of water from the river north of the training grounds, the cackling of the rooster that tormented those that still slept. Each and every sound no matter what was important. A few minutes dragged by slowly with little change, Ezra not even budging an inch as he waited; waited for that one moment that signaled danger, the reason for his training this morning. Meanwhile, Eos circled the skies above, the owl Praese weaving in and out of the clouds above as he waited for the moment to strike. When that time came, a single shard of ice formed just beyond his open maw, before being fired towards the 'unsuspecting' guardian below. Its size was no bigger then an arrow, yet its effects would be far more devastating than the wooden projectile. 
​

 
​

Back down on earth, Ezra's ears twitched ever so slightly as he sensed a change in the sounds that surrounded him, a faint buzzing had weaseled its way into the plethora of noise that floated around the village, its whizzing sound growing ever so slightly as if getting closer to him. Knowing that this sound did not belong. he  gripped the sword tighter now as he began to unsheathe the blade; twisting his body around in fluid motion as he swung the sword outwards. A large cracking sound akin to glass shattering reverberated around the grounds, fragments of ice flying in multiple directions as they showered the floor around Ezra. In this morning light, the rays of sun refracted through these specks of ice creating a surreal picture. "You improve daily" hooted Eos, the avian gliding back down towards earth with silent flight, before landing parallel to where Ezra remained, the boy in the midst of re-sheathing his blade. "Aye" retorted Ezra as he bent down towards the ground, picking up a towel as he did so and wiping the sweat of his brow. 
​

 
​

Regaining his composure, the soft sound of wings flapping began to echo through both of their heads. Unlike with Eos, Ezra could easily distinguish this falcons distinct sounds as it flew. Turning to face the direction, Ezra focused his vision skyward; zooming in on the messenger bird as it got closer. "Strange.. what would a messenger falcon be doing here" cooed Eos. It wasn't long before it landed on a perch near the pair, the smaller avian heaving after rushing to get here.  "The two of you are needed at the council" began the messenger falcon, "It is of grave importance that you make your way there with haste. Reports of a Hamlet being attacked has reached us and Lord Ephraim seeks your aide" The falcon flapped its wings, "Quickly now!" it chirped. Jumping forward towards Ezra. The boy nodded, picking up his jacket and making his way towards Eos; whom had already lowered his body to allow Ezra to climb onto his back. "Thank you for your message, rest now" cooed Eos towards the falcon, before the large avian expanded his wings and took flight. 
​

 
​

.....
​

 
​

Eos landed outside of the building, lowering himself to allow Ezra to climb off with ease. Once he had done so, they began their walk towards the meeting hall. Ezra nodding towards the guards that stood firm at the doorway. Little was spoken between Ezra and Eos, their thoughts solely focused on their duty at this moment. The pair saw a few other soldiers and their Praese, others who were likely here for the same reason. As they got closer, Ezra stopped.  "Ezra Mir, Reporting for Duty" stated Ezra, his right hand pressed against his forehead as he saluted, his body posture stiff with both feet side by side.  "I am here to answer the summons" he finished. 
​

 
​

 

[Prudentia]

Freya had trotted in later than the others but in time, and before Ephraim had fully noticed everyone had arrived. He clearly had been issuing several alarms to neighboring cities and villages by sending out various guards to deliver messages, and more troops. His strongest force was all in this council room, every one of them, with their grand Praeses partner beside them. Even with all the bodies in the room, it still could have fit a few larger Praeses and that always made Freya smirk and grunt a bit – the humans made everything big to accommodate the ancient creatures. She loved that about the race, at least this side of the race.


“I take it everyone is here…” Ephraim’s soft deep, melodious voice trailed through the room. He had heard Bella’s concern and nodded for her to take a seat with the others. Freya’s large paws stamped along the dark wooden floor and over to her Guardian partner. Each one of his soldiers always impressed him with their attendance and their passion to protect this world. It gave him hope that one day Evil would permanently subside but he had an aching feeling, a feeling that gnawed away at his gut every night; it was far worse than ones during past battles. This was terrifyingly unique.

The village might be gone by now and all that live within…I must make this quick.
​

“Thank you all for being here. You know now what we are walking into but not yet why or the degree of damage. I unfortunately, cannot tell you much more than Evil taking out an entire village for one of their wretched plans. It was burnt completely down and there is yet to be word of any survivors, Praeses or Human alike.


“We are to make haste quickly. Find anyone from the village and bring them away from the wreckage, and fend off any enemy soldiers. I ask you to not engage with their Chief, leave him to me but take care not to underestimate any of his soldiers. Be reminded they will always think of you as weak and light hearted but show them your strength, and take them out if you have to. I would prefer a prisoner or two but I know it is most unlikely. Now! For those that can, ride your Praeses to the sight; the Hamlet is the furthest from here, right on the border and field of green. Engage with or without me but please be safe.


“I will remain with you at the site but if all turns up unfortunate, with no survivors, we will spread out and try to cut off the enemy from their movement.” His voice, during any formal speech, was stern, deep, and spirited. It had been a long time since Evil struck Peace with such hatred and blood thirstiness, although, this did not break Ephraim of his courage, even if he feared the worst for the Hamlet.


“If you must, ride with me. If not, mount and be off. Stay within a couple miles of Freya.” For those that did not have a large enough Praeses, Ephraim always offered to take more upon Freya. She was never fazed by more weight, especially when a mission was at stake, and the extra bodies never kept her long muscular legs from wavering in speed. Wolves are known for their tracking and hunting, their territorial behaviors, and their distance making – Praeses wolves were known for plenty more.



Ephraim’s fists hit the table gently then he nodded to them all, as a sign of dismissal. Freya had sat with her back legs sprawled to the side and her front legs crossed atop each other during his speech but by the time his voice died down, she had tucked both back feet under her white belly and readied to raise after the needed folk climbed aboard. With an easy jump and flip upwards, Ephraim had landed upon her back, bare of a saddle as usual.



@Altaynna @ShadTheWerepire @xxlifexx @Victoria Bradley @Phayne

 

[Altaynna]

Altaynna and Morsus exchanged a glance. Morsus wasn't bothered by Altaynna and her armor's weight, it wasn't much to a tiger praeses...still, she didn't often ride him, although he was certainly large enough to be a mount. Mostly the two walked, took a horse, or shadow traveled....shadow travel, that might yet be the answer. 


Morsus tilted his head before Altaynna whispered, "We could transport the others with shadow travel." He huffed, about to speak before she had already strode towards Ephraim, regarding him with the proper respect afforded to the chief, her eyes downcast as was once a tradition for the lower class to do. "M'lord...there may be another way. I could transport all of our ranks, or at least a good portion, to the town. It will drain me, perhaps, but it would get the hamlet the help it needs." Morsus huffed again, batting her leg with his large paw in thinly veiled displeasure. 


Drain may have been an understatement...such a large group would leave her considerably incapacitated, she would no doubt be unable to walk, much less transport them back or fight.  That wasn't counting protecting the group from the shadows, which would use so much of her energy and power she would faint as soon as they were on the other side of the shadow realm. No, she would be out of the equation, but that hardly mattered. No, what was important was that the soldiers and knights would get where they needed to be, allowing the people who needed help to receive it, perhaps saving the hamlet. That was what really mattered, she was only one soldier out of many, losing one soldier for the greater good was always worth it in the end. Beyond that, it wouldn't kill her, no, she would just need to get to a safe distance and rest there. It was a viable option, and one she was already prepared to use.


Morsus, however, wasn't as keen on the idea. This was dangerous, a gamble that could end in disaster. There was a chance that her life wouldn't be the only one lost, and while it was a small chance, it was still there. Gambling with the darkness was not without heavy risks, and this decision could very well end in her death. She may have been prepared to lose her own life, but he wasn't going to allow it. She had so many things yet to do, battles yet to fight, people yet to save, she couldn't give up here and now. Perhaps the greater good wasn't in saving this hamlet but in her living, to save others, many others. No, this wasn't an option, and if Freya and Ephraim entertained this foolhardy idea, he had some choice words about such leadership. 


@Prudentia

 

[Blaire Wisteria]

It was getting late and every falcon had found their designated guardian, well all but one. This unfortunate bird hated her job and just once wanted to switch with another falcon to show them how hard it was. She was tasked with seeking out a very "peculiar" guardian. One who didn't have a place he called home, one who just wandered about stopping and sleeping where ever he very well pleased, which could honestly be anywhere. No matter how many times she urged him to go and settle don somewhere, he'd just shrug it off and comment about how it probably made her job more fun. It didn't, at all.


Theomes was sound asleep atop his most wise and trusty partner, who also happened to be asleep. So far, theyy had followed their daily rutine to a tee. In a few minutes his partner and him would dwake up and grab a ite to eat before settling down again for their early morning naps. Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't get those last precious minutes of sleep, or even their morning naps, after all. The forces of evil had been at it again, doing what they do best, burning and pillaging.


"Wake up! C'mon, wake up! You need to wake up! This is an emergency!" The falcon screeched. She was clearly getting nowhere and decided to turn to drastic measures. She fluttered down and landed on the large, yet strange, lump of dirt he had been laying on and began to rhythmicly tap on the side of his head with her beak. It was at that moment when Tabercales started to wake up. The massive tortoise slowly stuck his head out of his shell and yawned while stretching out his legs which had also emerged.


The falcon started to squawk and flap her wings violently to keep herself ballanced as, what she thought was a hill, started to move about.  "What's with all the racket up there?" Tabercales questioned to no one in particular. She should have known that Theo was sleeping on his Praeses again, as he often was, but no wasn't the time to put herself down. She flew off  of his back and over to the front of his body, level with his face and explained the situation to him.


"I see, a Hamlet was under attack and we're needed at the capital? Well that's not good." Tabercales replied to her all the hile she was thinking something along the lines of, "No shit." "Well you can run along now, I'll wake the boy and be at the capital in no time." He said as he tilted his body slightly letting Theo slide off his back, landing face first in the dirt. "Good luck." The falcon replied as she flew off, wonderng when she'll finally get a promotion.


Tabercales turned around and picked up the still sleeping Theo by the collar of his shirt and walked him over to a nearby river. Slowly, he dunked the man into the water over and over again until Theo woke up. "Woah! Woah! What's going on? Wher am I?" Theo shouted while flailing his arms and legs around. "Be still boy." Theo replied. "I'll explain everything on the way, we need to hurry." Tabercales stated ans he flung Theo onto his back. "Will we be taking the fun way?" "You know it."


Theo smiled as he layed flat on his stomach near the tortoises head and moed the goggles from his forehead down over his eyes. "The fun way is always the best way." Theo said as he gripped on tight to the edge of Tabercales' shell. "Indeed it is." Just then a large slab of earth rose up from underneath Tabercales and rocketed through the forest towards the capital with the two on it.


At the capital two guards stood outside of the rather large building on either side of the door. In the distance they could see a rather large object hurtling towards them at breakneck speeds. Was it an attack from the enemy ? No, it was much, much worse, it was Theo and his partner. The two screamed as they were certain that they were going to meet there end at the buisness end of a giant turtle. Fortunately for them, Tabercales stopped mere inches away from the guards who had readily accepted their fate. The slab of earth beneath Tabercales crumbled to dust as Theo hopped off of his back so they could get inside the building. "You guys are so dramatic." Shouted one of the guards. "I could say the same about you two." Laughed Theo as the two walked into the building. Tabercales had to crouch so his shell wouldn't scrape te top of the doorway.


Once inside the two ran straight to the confrence room and bursted in just as everyone was getting ready to leave. "Sorry we're late." Tabercales said. "We just recieved the message and ame as quickly as we could."

 

[ShadTheWerepire]

Amelia was leaning deep into Ol' Ironbeak's side feathers as Ephraim spoke, she wasn't tired, she was weak in the knees seeing the chief.  The nobody farm girl was giddy seeing the strong leader holding the attention of so many soldiers, masters, and guardians.  Amelia twirled some of Ironbeak’s feathers as she ogled at the chief.  Ironbeak shook and pushed Amelia off him, returning her to a more professional position.  She stood at attention next the praeses after giving him a quick glare which he returned with cold bird eyes. 


As Ephraim finished a very large Turtle entered the hall with its partner, a ragged looking guy.  Amelia giggled.  Typical a turtle would be the last to the meeting, she hadn’t realized it was the right hand of the Chief.  Ironbeak pecked her head gently to regain her attention. 


“Keep your head on your shoulders and take this seriously, did you not hear anything Ephraim said.”  Ironbeak scolded.  “That turtle is a faster earth surfer than I ever was, and its rider is the Right Hand, mind your manners or I’m taking you back to the farm.”  Amelia pouted in response but hung her head in shame, Ironbeak was right, she shouldn’t assume anything. 


She looked up to her right and realized they were next to a brilliant winged horse.  Amelia looked in awe at the beautiful creature, her parents’ ranch was flightless so she never got to ride something like that.  “One day.” She whispered to herself.  Ironbeak’s beak settled on her shoulder to look where she was looking. 


“Are you already getting distracted again?”  He squawked breaking her trance again.  “Get this saddle properly adjusted so we can hit the road, you put it on all wrong when we left home and we’ve got a long way to go.”  He ruffled his tail feathers.   Amelia turned back to her packs and began adjusting the tangle of straps on her bococho. 

 

[Phayne]

 
​

Ezra stood there in silence, his back leaning against one of the column supports in the room with his arms folded. His current expression was quite neutral, showing little emotion to the devastating news currently being told by their chief. It really came as no real surprise to Ezra that such an attack had taken place, having always felt that it wasn't a question of 'if they will attack' but instead a question of 'when'. Listening, but also lost in his own thoughts, Ezra remained barely noticeable to the group that had been gathered.  
​

 
​

Beside him stood Eos, aside from being a Praese, Eos shared all the unique traits of a normal owl. He was a silent hunter, a predator that could swoop in without so much as  a sound to alert others of their presence. Coupled with superior eyesight and hearing, this made him and Ezra perfect for reconnaissance as well as missions that required a little bit of stealth and surprise. With the little information available regarding this brazen attack on a hamlet, it made the need for intel much more important. It would be foolish to run in there blind, unaware of the enemies numbers or their abilities, much less the kind of defenses they may have already set up around the Hamlet. Surely they were not foolish enough to believe that their actions would not cause a reaction. A plan of action was starting to form in his mind, though his thoughts were slowly interrupted as Altaynna spoke up. 
​

...
​

Ezra's eyes raised slightly at her proposal, indeed it would help reduce the time to get to the Hamlet by a significant amount; thus potentially increasing their chances of saving the villagers, yet even he knew that such a task as transporting this many people would have its drawbacks; whatever they were. He had no talent in the dark arts that she possessed, though based on what he knew about their abilities, it wouldn't be too shocking if those drawbacks were detrimental to her well being. Likewise, there was still the problem of Intel, without enough knowledge, even this plan of hers could end poorly for everyone involved. Ezra clenched his fist tighter, before stepping forward himself. 
​

 
​

"Lord Ephraim, I propose sending myself and Eos ahead of the others. With our talents we should be able to survey the Hamlet from a safer distance as well as find out the extent of the damage caused as well as locating any survivors" he glanced towards Altaynna, ".. I do not mean to challenge your suggestion, however I feel that with your gift of shadow travel, it would be better put to use in retrieving any potential survivors. We have too little information on the situation and I feel it best not to run in blind at the potential cost of your own health" Ezra was about to return his attention towards Ephraim, when something caught his ears. A faint rumbling reverberated through the floors soon followed by soft tremors, all coming from the direction of the main door. Grabbing his sword's hilt tightly with his right hand, he turned to face the door. A few screams from outside caused him to draw his blade out. A few seconds after the screams, the doors leading into the  hall burst open and in strode the 'Right Hand' Theomes and his Praese Tabercales. 
​

Ezra re-sheated his sword and raised a hand in salute to the second in command. 
​

 
​

@Prudentia @Altaynna @Ender The Spider King
​

 

[xDawn2463x]

Like everyone else Bella was listening intently, thoughts twisting and turning in her head as she would try to imagine the scene. Clearly they were going in without much idea of what they were heading into, which was never a good spot to be in; it just wasn’t. Eyes now scanned the hall as soldiers begun hauling themselves onto their praeses; Bella will have to take her horse instead which didn’t seem much of a problem and she was about to leave but words had caught her attention.


"Lord Ephraim, I propose sending myself and Eos ahead of the others. With our talents we should be able to survey the Hamlet from a safer distance as well as find out the extent of the damage caused as well as locating any survivors"


“You’re not going alone Ezra.” Words etched out with a firm gaze as she strolled towards Ezra and Ephraim. "I can follow you upon my horse while Devon can fly alongside you.” Now in closer distance she stopped, hands crossing over her chest as she further explains. “While going alone would be easier it’s not always the best of ideas, I’ve learned that the hard way.” Indeed she had, for Bella found the idea of going off by herself and Devon much simpler; allowing her to rely on someone she knows won’t make mistakes and doesn’t need to be kept in check. But going along has its problems, and with an attack such as this they are sure to be enemies still around, waiting for one of them to fall into their traps.


Her focused gaze now turned to Ephraim, it was his choice after all, and Bella knew she would have to understand if he would rather have Ezra simply go ahead. While she waited Devon had swooped towards them, perching himself upon her shoulder, wide eyes blinking with curiosity, that was until the movement of the doors had caught his attention, Bella looking to face Theomes, whom she gave a curt nod too in respect, Devon following her lead.


@Prudentia @Phayne @Ender The Spider King

 

[Tori Bradley]

Vesper listened closely as her Chief spoke, wanting to make sure she got every piece of information she could. When she heard the part about taking a prisoner or two, Vesper knew that would be one of her main concerns. If they caught an evil prisoner, she may be able to convince Ephraim to allow Angeles to heal his mind after an interrogation and save him the clutches of evil. She hoped he would. After all, she had a quota to fill. She hadn't saved an evil citizen in months, because of how quiet their activity had been. It was like they'd been hiding, though she was sure Ephraim and Theomes knew they'd been planning a special attack by now. Vesper was curious as to why those chose now to attack; curious as to why they chose this particular Hamlet. 
​

 
​

When Ephraim finished talking, Vesper rechecked her gear and then Angel's to make sure they had everything they needed for a battle. When she was satisfied, she mounted her Praeses. She was just about to guide her outside to begin the flight there when she heard Altaynna Olvan speak up. She balked when the girl offered to use her shadow travel abilities to transfer the bulk of Ephraim's forces to the Hamlet. Where it would get the Hamlet the help it needed faster than individual transformation would, Vesper knew better than anyone that using too much power could have grave consequences. And not just temporary unconsciousness and a few days in bed to heal. Using that kind of power could kill you. 
​

 
​

When she saw Ezra Mir step forward, Vesper focused her attention on him. She liked to observe the other soldiers so she could better understand the kind of people they were. Ezra was one of the better ones. Right up there with the Right Hand, Theomes, and his wise Turtle Praeses Tabercales. Not that he could beat Theomes in a battle, but that was a discussion for another time. After listening to Ezra's idea, she realized it was a pretty good one. Not only would it give them more information on the situation they were about to walk into, it would allow for the ground soldiers to more easily rescue any surviving citizens; though Vesper had a sinking feeling there would not be any to save by the time they got there.
​

 
​

Next to step up and speak to Chief Ephraim was Bella Ferguson and her dragon Praeses, Devon. Vesper admired Bella. The female soldier had drive and passion for the army and what it did for the people of peace. She had a strong sense of loyalty and honor, just as Vesper did. She agreed with the idea she proposed. It would simply be safer and smarter for Ezra and Eos to have back up with them. Bella and Devon were more than capable of that. Vesper's attention, along with Angeles's, swung to the doors when they heard a distinct rumbling outside. After a couple shouts and a moment of utter silence, the Right Hand and his loyal Praeses companion walked into the room. Vesper and Angeles nodded at both of them in a strong show of respect. The two may have been late, but they did a lot to help the Land of Peace prosper without the constant threat of the Evil and their heartless Chief.
​

 
​

Mentions: 
​

 
​

@Altaynna
​

@Phayne
​

@Ender The Spider King
​

@Prudentia
​

 

[Altaynna]

Altaynna raised a brow at the discussion she had suddenly been shunted from, disliking being cast aside as if she were unimportant. Ezra wouldn't have gone alone, she could easily transport two people. "Bella, Ephraim, if Ezra goes ahead, I could transport myself and him there quite easily. It would get us there quickly, not damage my health, and he would have backup. It was a good solution, you had to hand it to her. 


She felt Morsus snort and glanced at him with a look. He growled softly back at her, but knew better than to berate her in public. She shot him an apolegetic glance before turning back, doing her best to gage Ephraim's reaction. She knew he wouldn't be happy with her offering to endanger herself, but it was possibly a necessary cost. Now however, they had a better solution. 


She felt eyes on her and turned her gaze quickly to Vesper, her gaze sweeping over the female and her praeses for a moment before returning to the conversation in front of her, not wanting to miss her chance to insert herself back into the conversation. She wasn't...much, but she wasn't bad. And she was certainly better than that farmer she had seen earlier...she didn't look like she knew the first thing about battle or fighting, that girl. Sending some poor innocent farm girl into battle didn't bode well with her, but Altaynna trusted Ephraim's  decisions. Only so long as Freya was behind him, she had yet to see his decisions in times of crisis. Morsus, however, turned a doleful eye on Vesper and Angel, almost like he was watching two small children listening to their parents from behind a door. He didn't look down upon the two, per say, but they were listening eagerly to the conversation without participating and that was as much eavesdropping to him as listening behind a closed door. 


@Prudentia @Phayne @xxlifexx @Victoria Bradley

 

[Prudentia]

The world was all starting to merge together at once. He had hoped they would move out quickly but each had more to contribute…he was proud.​

His brown eyes closed and he concentrated on their voices – only for a split moment as Theo had unsurprisingly barged in late. He glanced up, his gaze a bit harder and colder, a straight stare at his Right Hand, his lids half closed and mouth a bit pursed. He could have degraded the man; telling Theo how much Ephraim felt regret for his choice of the Right Hand but it was far from appropriate, and he argued that this feeling arose only because so much was said at this one time. He sighed, though, and rubbed his right temple with a hand then looked to the ones that stood before him. Freya remained sitting, waiting to rise but her golden eyes scanned along the eager yet courageous soldiers. She was also proud to call them friends and allies.


“I will not allow anyone to go alone nor anyone to risk their health for haste. Haste has never been healthy.” He started softly and leaned down to grab a dark cloak from a nearby guard. The thick fabric swung around him but he kept the hood down, “I will allow for two of you to go ahead. Ezra and Eos please, take flight immediately…Bella, remain by my side, here with the others. Altaynna will proceed with Morsus, Ezra, and Eos. There is no further discussion however, no shadow travel will be used. I will not allow anyone to bring harm to themselves when we already know the outcome of this hamlet.” He coughed a bit then looked to Theo, “See Ezra and Altaynna out, my friend. We will follow the them soon enough.” He nodded to give the three soldiers he addressed his approval to depart then looked to Bella, “When we arrive, you will be scouting and relaying information from Ezra to the rest of us. Now! Let us wait for them to take to the sky and off along the earth before we follow behind.” He had nothing more to say, and there was not another chance for rebuttal or alternate solutions. He had chosen and it was final.


He knew their abilities – not every single one but enough to calculate the best soldiers with certain missions and situations. Ephraim also preferred to have different Praeses paired together. A great Chief considered every voice and included each body – despite having his own ways, he still respected each suggestion and considered the benefits or consequences of each. With the plan set and final, he leaned forward, to the side, and held his leather-gloved hand out to Bella.

Soon enough they would arrive, and soon enough they would engage with their enemy. Time was against them but they could race with it.
​

@Altaynna @Phayne @Ender The Spider King @xxlifexx 

 

[miaoo]

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀xxxxxxxxxxx⬥ ELOWYN YI
​

「@N/ A 」
​

 
​

Bi-colored eyes glowed reflecting the blazing forest, a red cloaked figure stood watching as the massacre unfold after the army was given the command to leave no one alive. Before all this happened, the peaceful forest was just awakening after slumber but did not expect the Evil's arrival so soon before it was too late. None of the residents were ready for this unsuspecting ambush and were unprepared to defend themselves. Now here they were, screaming for their lives piercing the once tranquil morning with the stench of death and destruction intoxicating the air. All that was left was a wasteland of ashes and dead bodies drenching the ground in red.
​

 
​

Elowyn stood guard around the perimeter to make sure none escaped under their watch. As much as they hated to do this job, she could not fail her Chief's order. Not because he was her superior but also her dear friend that she will never fail. Failure was not an option and shaking her head, she focused on the task at hand as a rustling of leaves caught her attention. Immediately, she got into position with her weapon in hand ready to take down whatever was behind the bushes.
​

 
​

The leaves continued to rustle as harsh breathing could easily be heard and before the villager could run, vines sprouted right under their feet and tangled around their ankle to fall over revealing a woman no older then maybe Elowyn's own age. It was amazing how she made it out alive barely wounded as she made a mental note to inform Damien about their men's poor condone. Pointing her chakram at the woman, she stared her down with with a stern expression pushing down the thumping pain in her chest that cried for her to stop this madness.
​

 
​

The woman was mainly fine with a few cuts and dried blood covering her face. Her clothes were tattered as if she was wrestled to the ground before she got away and judging from her person, she was unarmed but it didn't mean Elowyn will let her guard down so easily. Pushing her thoughts away, she decided to interrogate this woman for a bit to see how she managed to get out so easily, "Give up, you made it this far but your life ends here. Now... Tell me how did you make it this far?" The woman stared up at her unable to move with the vines restraining her movement and snarled, spitting at the ground Elowyn stood on not giving her any satisfaction for an answer.
​

 
​

Clicking her tongue, Elowyn tighten the vines grip on the woman making her straining to breath, "Do not test my patience, answer me and I'll let you free." Pressing on, the woman soon caught her breath and glared back at Elowyn with determination that Elowyn could not understand, "How about I show you?" Baffled, Elowyn was unsure what the woman meant but soon relieved too late as her feet was trapped in stone, a panther Praese lunged out from the bushes ready to thrust its claws into Elowyn. Elowyn was too late to react and closing her eyes, she readied herself for the impact but nothing came. Opening her eyes again, she saw the panther lying on its side with a red furry creature - bigger than it - on top biting at its neck ferociously making sure it breathed its last breath.
​

 
​

The woman's cries could be heard watching her dear companion die before her as Elowyn let out a sigh just noticing she was holding her breath in, the rocks encasing her feet returned back to the earth. When the creature made sure the panther was dead, she turned towards her Guardian with daggers, "You fool! You could have died there if I wasn't watching. Did you not noticed its presence?!" Marabel scolded with blood dripping down her chin and kicking the panther aside as her own vines tangled around the dead Praese dragging it into the ground for a proper burial.
​

 
​

Elowyn was ashamed of her carelessness and hanging her head, she finally gave the woman peace to follow her companion with a quick stab into her heart with the vines. She knew the woman didn't have any valuable information so it was best to end it quick. The woman's eyes widen by the impact before falling shut with her head hung down indicating she was dead. Doing the same to the woman, Marabel also buried her body with the panther and turned towards Elowyn, her expression hard to not let Elowyn become weak, "Come, let us go back. They must already be done by now." She said leading the way with Elowyn following in suit, her hood hiding her face, but not before she said a short farewell to the souls on their journey and to forgive them for their sins.
​

 
​

It was time to head back and regroup.
​

 
​

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
​

 

[Altaynna]

Altaynna dipped her head in response before turning her gaze to Ezra. She nodded to him before patting Morsus' flank. "We can walk or you can ride, whichever is more comfortable for you." Morsus huffed again, not dignifying her speech with a response as he turned a doleful eye to her. She ignored him, as she seemed to suddenly begin doing, and he turned his own gaze over to the owl praeses.

The choice made sense. Both guardians were capable of stealth and attack, and both praeses were silent hunters. All involved were intelligent and capable, so it came as no surprise they would be paired. 

His gaze turned to his partner with an unreadable expression. She was making dangerous choices, ignoring his advice and that wasn't something he would tolerate for long. She couldn't ignore him, he was much older than her and more experienced. She may think she knew everything, but the fact was that she knew little. He was her partner, her guide and her informant, and to ignore him was suicide, something he would not permit. She couldn't go making decision on her own, they were a team. And as unused as she was to working with others, she would have to learn. And he would make it his top priority to insist upon such. 

Meanwhile, Altaynna's thoughts hadn't paused to hesitate upon her decisions. No, her own mind was already trying to formulate a plan of attack. She could cloak herself in shadows to make herself more unnoticeable, it was the easiest solution and worked quickly. It would allow her to be able to travel alongside someone who could actually use stealth, unlike a knight decked out in shiny metal armor. Beyond that...well, they would have to see when they got there.


@Phayne

 

[Phayne]

Ezra turned to his side, his eyes focused upon his fellow warrior Bella as she made her way closer  all the while providing her own thoughts regarding the situation. Her suggestion was a good one, though it did highlight Ezra's own naivety. She was right in every sense, charging in alone was just as foolhardy as trying to warp everyone there. Ezra could not help but feel foolish at that moment, having only a few moments ago lamented Altaynna's own idea as being reckless. Ezra clenched his fist as he silently chastised himself, clearly his strategical sense had room for improvement. 
As if on queue, Altaynna once again offered her use of shadow travel this time suggesting that she use it on the two of them instead of the whole group. Whilst this did pose a promising solution, it still came with its own risk's, yet what was war without risk. Ezra placed a hand on his chin as he stared downward, deep in thought at her newest proposal. Though before he could pander a reply, their chief spoke. 
​

...
​

"As you command" replied Ezra, his expression returning to one of seriousness as Ephraim gave out the final orders. He had no qualms about going alone nor with any of the other soldiers gathered here. Every single one of them were called here for the same reason and that was because Ephraim had deemed them suitable for this job, so to have any problems with who he was assigned with would be akin to questioning his chief's judgement, besides Altaynna too had assets catered towards stealth and reconnaissance
​

. 
​

He glanced towards Altaynna, returning her gesture with his own nod of his head. "We will keep in touch with these bands" he pointed towards a small greyish band wrapped around his wrist. "At a higher altitude, I can survey the situation from a longer distance, however that leaves me vulnerable to missing details that are much closer to us, I'll be the eyes in the sky, while you be the eyes on the ground" he began, as he walked over towards Eos, placing a hand on his partner, his attention still placed upon Altaynna "I'd like to avoid conflict if possible" he glanced towards Morsus and nodded, showing his own respect for her Praese Partner.  With that said, both he and Eos turned and began walking towards the exit. 
​

 
​

@Prudentia @xxlifexx @Altaynna
​

 

[xDawn2463x]

Bella had remained quiet even after the other female soldier had again brought up the use of shadow travel, which Bella thought of as pointless; but nevertheless for once she kept the rude comment to herself, and instead chose to listen as the final decision and orders were told. While disappointed she didn’t get to go early on ahead she understood the reason behind it, acknowledging that while she had a great amount of experience; it would not top her chief.


Quietly she watched as both Altaynna and Ezra took their leaves, silently thinking to herself of how she needed to get to the two of them once they reached the hamlet, ensuring the rest of the group got the information they needed to enter and attack the enemies and defend those necessary. This sudden moment of thought had left her clueless that Ephraim had put a hand out to her, causing much embarrassment to Devon who still remained perched on her shoulder, now tapping his wing harshly upon her head to get Bella’s attention. Surprised with herself she muttered an apology, before taking his hand and pulling herself up and onto Freya.


The little dragon had now chosen to take lift off up from his companions shoulder flapping his wings while he hovered above, ready to get going.     


@Prudentia @Altaynna @Phayne

 

[Tori Bradley]

Damien watched with cold, uncaring eyes as his soldiers slaughtered every villager they had found. Some laughed as they watched the light fade from their victim's eyes. Others just stared with satisfied grins.  Damien did neither when he killed. To Damien, killing wasn't so much a sport; rather it was a necessity for victory, and for survival.  The two sides had been waging this war since nearly the beginning of humankind's long and grueling story,  but neither side had ever managed to get ahead. Deep down, the dark-haired chief knew that the good in every human soul would eventually bring down the corruption of it's darker nature,  but he hoped it wouldn't happen in his lifetime.
​

 
​

Damien's focus slipped from his thoughts and back onto Vlada's demonstration. His right hand had a heart nearly as black as his own, and a mind that was cold and calculating enough to be Right Hand.  After Ivan tore the hopeful villager into ribbons with his sharp claws, Damien nodded at him and his Guardian. "Much appreciated, Vlada," he said, hints of his Romanian origins lilting his words. Turning his gaze from them,  he scanned over his soldiers as they stood above the bodies of the murdered villagers, awaiting their next order. "You've done well so far, but the day is far from over. Gather your energy,  and be ready.  If I know our enemies,  then there are already spies above us as Ephraim's army rides against us on the ground. This is the first battle of many for us. Enjoy it," he said, every word spoken with absolute conviction and knowing.
​

 
​

Turning his back on his soldiers, Damien stared into the lightning colored eyes of his Praeses. Lenora stared back at him, the lightning bolt over her left eye flashing as her power roared through her veins. He placed a hand on her head and closed his eyes, feeling her strength as their power surged up and twisted together,  symbolizing the bond their souls shared. The lightning bolt tattooed over his heart tingled as a genuine smile graced his features. He opened his eyes once more and Lenora took to the sky as they both prepared for battle. 
​