Fantasy Realms of Nymserine: Main Thread [[CLOSED]]

[Purize]

*~~~Oo Tieve oO~~~*​

That same strange feeling tugged at Tieve's heart and mind as they approached the Sultry Pearl. It wasn't really a long walk, but the sheer anticipation of it made it feel like hours. The odd pair stopped short of the building that served as their destination. They were no longer alone in the street.

Tieve's eyes widened, more out of curiosity and intrigue than anything else. She watched the Centaur and the woman, it seemed as though there were in the middle of some conversation, interrupted by the arrival of Tieve and Ali. For a moment, everyone was still and then another man came tumbling from the building next to them and stuck a landing. Despite the dramatic entrance to the scene, there was something else that caught her attention. That powerful tension that drew her forward emanated from the man and the woman before her.

With a quiet gasp, the same vision from earlier played out before her eyes, flashing so intensely that it made her dizzy. Though these two people were older than herself, she knew they were all the same. She could feel it. The blood of the gods ran within the three of them, and somehow they had found one another. Tieve sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, keeping her knowing eyes on the three individuals in front of her.

"As brother Herodotus once said, the destiny of man is in his own soul," she grumbled quietly.
Brendanfp C.C. SilverFlight BugDozer73

*~~~Oo Verity oO~~~*​

Verity stripped down to her under clothes and placed her items carefully next to the bed. She kept her sword with her, sheathed underneath the sheets. Silver hair spilled out over silken furs and icy blue eyes blazed in the dying light of the room, staring distantly at the ceiling. She had told the others she needed to rest up for tomorrow, but truthfully, it would take a white for the princess to finally close her eyes and drift off into the blissful oblivion.

 

[BugDozer73]

Roland almost felt like he was in a trance, staring at her, ignoring Pyrrhus completely, like he wasn't there. Almost inconceivably, another one moved forward, only a girl, with markings up and down her skin. She reminded Roland of the Oracle Greuwn used to mention on the ship. Roland took a step forward, struggling against the awe of the moment. Their presence felt much like his own mothers, and yet something completely new. With a distant voice, he spoke to both women before him, with blood that smelled ancient and powerful. "You.... you are what I felt, in my soul. It was you.. You are like me... aren't you?" He didn't say the words, but the meaning was there: Kin.

 

[SilverFlight]

Pyrrhus stared at them, assessing both mages with a new scrutiny. What Roland had said made precious little sense to him. Still, this new young woman was obviously powerful, he didn't need much more than a look to tell it. The way she spoke, the way she carried herself in such an obviously dangerous area belied a confidence only born from ability.
Pyrrhus flicked his tale dismissively, seeing no immediate danger.
"Call me if things are going to start exploding." He spoke into the silence before turning on his hoof and making his way back into the little entertainment house.
BugDozer73 C.C.

Back inside Pyrrhus felt the warmth of the hearth fire clean the chill from his coat.
"Your room is ready now." The young lute player gestured to an open door (Pyrrhus praised the gods for it being on the ground floor) through which he saw the bed had been moved into one corner and a stuffed mattress had been laid out on the floor for him to lie on.
"They do massages." Pyrrhus told the remaining members happily. "Care to join?"
Melon Bomb Zazz

 

[Brendanfp]

Ali looked frantically between the curly haired dark skinned girl and the shaggy-headed swordsman. They both seemed as surprised as he was, however, he couldn't trust either one of them without knowing their intentions. He looked back at Tieve not knowing how well she would fair if this situation took a sudden turn for the worst he knew he must be decisive. He watched as the curly-haired girl slowly reached into her satchel. That was it, he knew he needed to get himself and the Oracle out of this situation.

"Forgive me Tieve," the Magi whispered as he spun around sweeping the oracle from under her feet taking her into his arms before she could react.
Ali dashed with a powerful first step into the Sultry Pearl right behind the centaur. He walked up to the front bar holding the Oracle and looked at the barmaid there.

"Two rooms please," he commanded.

Purize SilverFlight BugDozer73 C.C.

 

[Zazz]

The barmaid rolled her eyes. What was it with men being entirely full of themselves, today? She turned to greet the voice, dryinv a glass in her hand. "Oh, it's you. Ever so demanding." She called to one of the other girls to show the two to a pair of rooms upstairs.

 

[Purize]

Suddenly, Tieve was swept off her feet... and it was quite the opposite of romantic. "Oof" She protested as she was hauled off inside the shady tavern. If she had any ounce of physical strength in her, she would had shrugged off of Ali or at least put up a fight to him dragging her away... but as it was, she couldn't do much of anything. "I can walk, you know." She chirped as they encountered the barmaid. At least he had the sense to ask for two rooms.

As the two of them, or Ali rather, since he was doing all the walking currently, follows the woman up the stairs, Tieve sighed, resting her chin on her palm, swaying back and forth with Ali's stride. If this is what distressed damsels always felt like, she wasn't sure she'd ever want to be a part of any fairytale.

She could still feel the steady tug of the two god-kin outside. Their presence was as potent as incense in a room with no windows. No doubt, they could tell she was like them and a part of her wondered if they would come in after her. She didn't get any sense of malicious intent... only sheer surprise and curiosity. The next few days were certainly bound to get interesting to say the least.
Brendanfp

 

[C.C.]

Morrigan didn't know how to take the sudden change in events. She cursed her father under her breath for not filling her in on the other two possible demigods. The night was nearly upon them and she had been through enough today. The mop-headed stranger seemed just as shocked as her as he tried to reach out to her for answers.Her hand still in her hand wrapped firmly around a leather-bound book.

"I don't quite know what's going on, but I suggest we sleep on it and address this in the morning," she said softly as she walked past the swordsman and into the Sultry Pearl.

BugDozer73

 

[BugDozer73]

And just like that, Roland was alone, with no answers or will to go back inside. The boy was an odd one in particular, sweeping up his oddly marked girlfriend and running from danger.... 10 feet into a whore house. Roland almost chuckled at the uselessness of his actions, but he was still a bit dour by everyone leaving him alone in the Alley. No, they could rest. Roland needed his alone time. Often when he was feeling moody, Roland would retreat into himself on the ship, sitting on the bowsprit or hanging from the format. Tonight, there were only buildings and thieves, trying to pretend there were only buildings.

Roland looked back at the pearl and walked off fearlessly into the night, until he found back in front of the abandoned Guild house. It wasn't far, and took him only about 8 minutes to get from one to the other, but for some reason he felt more at home here then he did at the pearl, with the group. He walked up to the wall and began to climb, pulling himself up to a second floor window frame with no window, and he sat back, and let himself slip away into the tide of his thoughts underneath the roving moonlight.

 

[Melon Bomb]

Kezine rose off her haunches as the door was opened, peering through the slits between the curtain.

"Sure, sure, but. . ." She pointed vaguely outside, still puzzled. ". . . the hell was that all about? Somebody get shanked?"

"And where's Roland?" Vie piped up, curving around her shoulder just as her eyes bounced to two new clients. They parted the bead curtain and climbed upstairs. In a princess carry. Now, she was one to speak, but neither of them looked old enough to be in here unless her eyes were playing tricks on her. It was one thing after another today, that was for sure - awkwardly, she bowed her head and excused herself from the room. "I-I'll go look for him! I'll see you tomorrow!" Vanishing through the doorway, the bead strings clacked rhythmically as they bounced into one another.

"Hey, kid-" Her hand fell short, dropping slightly.

The fairy was long gone. Kezine muttered something incomprehensible under her breath, running her fingers through her hair and swiveling back to the centaur.

"Whatever, let's go inside. My back's killing me." And my head.

 

[Purize]

Torches flickered in sconces along the corridor, casting sharp shadows that danced over the walls. Two men walked next to one another, heads bent together as they spoke in quick, hushed tones.

“They are escalating in numbers... They’ve already started attacking smaller villages. I have soldiers out there trying to clean things up, but now with forces spread so thin, we can’t keep track of the attacks,” the man’s voice was deep and rough to match his broad build. He was well dressed in a uniform, but scars showed like the lines of a web underneath the clothing. “We tried to seek out the source and we have a few leads, but nothing useful has turned up yet.”

A long exhale came from the other man, “Thank you, General. I know you and your men are doing your best. Please keep me updated on your findings... I want to get this under control before people start to panic,” he said. The general nodded in understanding, turning to look out the tall glass windows. Moonlight poured in through the open curtains. The lights of the city could be seen down below, mirroring the twinkling lights of the stars. It looked quiet and peaceful. From up there, in the palace that sat above everything, you could pretend that the whole kingdom was built on bliss and harmony, nothing ever to trouble a still night.

“Unfortunately, demons aren’t the worst of your problems, your highness.” A new voice spoke from the shadows of the hall. The two men stopped walking as he stepped forward into the light. “Maximus,” the king said, "You’re back in Aeredale, I see.” The man, Maximus smiled, nodding at the general as well in a quick greeting, “We resolved the issue with the ghouls down south, yes... but I’m afraid I have some bad news, your majesty.” The king frowned, eyebrows furrowing. It seemed that all he heard nowadays was ‘bad news.’ “Worse than demon hordes, then?”

Maximus pulled a piece of folded parchment out from his coat pocket and handed it to the king. It bore a wax seal with a crow insignia. The king unfolded it and read quickly, his eyes scanning back and forth over the cursive letters. As he read, the blood drained from his face and his knuckles turned white under his grip. At last, he turned the letter over for the general to read and he looked at Maximus, eyes burning. “The artifact was stolen?” The general exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice down. “When did this happen?” The king asked. Maximus, too, looked grim. “Last night, milord” he said.

The general folded the parchment again and handed it back to the king. “At Necropolis? How did they get in? Who did this?” Maximus only shrugged and replied, “We’re not sure yet. They slaughtered the gatekeeper and somehow find a way around the Soelis. Whoever did this, knew what they were doing.” Maximus lowered his eyes, his dark, curly hair falling into his face. “I will investigate, your highness... but we already have circle members busy with other assignments” He gave the general a pointed look, “mainly to help fight off the demons.”
The general nodded his gratitude. He knew that both the Circle and the royal army were busy beating back moon children uprisings. “What do you think about getting some new recruits, Maximus?” the king asked.

“I’ve talked to the others , they agree that opening the gauntlet to more people is a good idea... but my lord, we need true warriors, not cannon fodder,” Max replied. The king turned away from the two men, looking out the bay windows. “Then let’s pray to the gods that we find champions worthy of your gauntlet... I fear there’s a war brewing.” With a bow, Maximus excused himself with a promise to do his best. The general also bid the High King a good night and departed to his chambers.

But for King James, it would be another long, sleepless night of looking to the stars for answers.
BugDozer73 SilverFlight Zazz Melon Bomb Brendanfp C.C.

*~~~Oo Verity oO~~~*​

An ornately decorated brush glided through lengthy silver hair. Long, pale fingers helped comb through the strands. There was a soft chuckle, an endearing sound filled with love and pride, and Verity turned to look at the woman behind her. Her round blue eyes stared into the soft, kind face of her mother. They looked a lot alike, they had rounded features with creamy skin like ivory and long, pointed ears. Her mother’s eyes, though, were a platinum grey color, like molten metal always swimming with emotion. Verity could only ever remember her smiling. If her mother ever had any worries, the child never noticed. Elvira was like a wispy willow tree, always so graceful and elegant looking in her fluttery dresses.

Verity looked at her mother and smiled. She smiled back, but she looked a little more distant now. The brush fell and clattered to the floor, Verity watched it fall, and when her eyes went back to her mother, she had vanished. No matter how hard she yelled or screamed or cried, her mother would never reappear.

Verity awoke with a start, sitting halfway up in the bed. The fur blankets were wrapped and twisted around her, and it took a moment for the princess to detangle herself. Once out of bed, she stretched. The sun had already begun climbing it's way into the sky... hopefully she hadn't slept in too late. She pulled on her clothes and gathered her things. Before she left she stood in front of the mirror and fixed her hair, combing her fingers through it. She spaced out for a moment, reflecting on her dream before shaking her head and walking out of the room.

Down the stairs, a few patrons were still around, passed out on bar stools with empty mugs scattered around them. She paused in the dining area, wondering if she should wait for everyone or go knocking on doors. A women who looked like she worked here passed by, and Verity walked up to her. "Excuse me miss, do you know if they serve breakfast here?"
Zazz

 

[Zazz]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaeli awoke the next morning feeling both drained and comfortable. Her bare legs were entangled with her lover's, her hand on the woman's chest beneath the covers. Azaria's right arm held the fairy to her, her left hand on Kaeli's waist. The horned fairy gazed upon her lover, a soft smile adorning her lips. Azaria slept so peacefully in her presence; what a shame it was that Kaeli had to rise and begin her day.

"Good morning," she greeted her coworkers as she passed them, heading for the kitchen. She loved to bake. The smell of fresh bread and fruity pastries put her at ease. In the early hours, she kneaded dough and folded pastries and made fruit fillings and toasted almonds. By the time Azaria's crew awakened, Kaeli was pulling out moon bread from the oven and someone was serving coffee and tea.

"We are closed to outsiders in the mornings but, yes, we do serve breakfast to the overnighters." The woman pointed Verity in the direction of the front tavern, where Kaeli was setting up a buffet table full of good eats. Eggs and bacon and pastries lined the plates, and cut fruit filled a large bowl.

 

[Brendanfp]

The sun rose like any other day. The first slither of the sun peeked over the skyline in a radiant, white form. Gradually it raised, a defined circle in a vibrant backdrop. Sparrows chirped an explicit background melody. Come mid-morning those infernal birds would be hopping in the branches, waiting for the farmers to haul their carts of grain down the lane. As the sun fully revealed itself it seemed to swell, losing its focus and spreading in contrast to Ali’s contracting pupils.

The Magi cursed as he pulled his aching body through the window of his room in the Sultry Pearl. Spawled out on his bed laid Shala in her true form. She glanced up at Ali and shook her head. He was practically drenched in black ichor, the blood of demons, yet there was hardly a scratch on him.

"What did you do... Spend the night swimming through the insides of some poor moonchild?" The fiery-headed spirit chided as she rolled over on the bed.

"Did you do what I asked of you?" Ali asserted ignoring the Ifrit's sarcastic comment.

Shala rolled her eyes, "Yes the tattooed girl is fine. She slept like a button. I kept an ear out for her all night just like you asked."

Ali nodded his head pleased with how the night had turned out. He walked to the edge of the bed before collapsing in the sheets exhausted. While he had sustained little damage throughout the night he had developed a throbbing pain in his shoulder.

Shala turned a sympathetic eye to the boy as he laid there on the bed next to her. She placed a hand on his wounded shoulder letting a warm soothing wave of heat pass through his body, "How many were there," she asked softly.

The Magi's face softened as the spirit's warmth flowed into his shoulder relaxing his muscles, "Seven demons. Five of them lesser. Two of them greater."

"That would explain all the blood." Shala joked, "You should go bathe yourself before the others see you like this."

Ali turned his head to one side, "maybe later, but first tell me, has Bajir returned yet?"

"Nope. He is still off on the mission you charged him with." The Ifrit responded.

Ali nodded before rising up out of the bed. He slowly made his way the bedroom door, "thank you for your support Shala, I will off to cleanse myself of this wretched stench stay here I will be back." The Magi exited the room closing the door behind himself and quickly made his way downstairs.

"Pardon me," he called to the nearest barmaid, "Where is the washroom?"

The blonde haired maid gave Ali a worried look noticing he was covered head to toe in splotches of black blood. She pointed down a hallway, and Ali followed her guidance. At the end of a hall sat a door that opened up into a rather large communal washing room filled with several wooded buckets and a singular bronze water pump in the center.

 

[Melon Bomb]

Come morning light, the once teeming streets narrowed down to scarcely a trickle. Kezine warded off passersby with her usual glare, they shuffled nervously out of her menacing aura with fearful whispers and hurried footsteps, glancing back only once or twice. She wasn't in a particularly foul mood - no more than she usually was - but her face naturally contorted to read 'I'll kill you' during the first few hours of the day. Momentarily stopping between blocks, a sheet of tan parchment swiftly came down from the wall as she skimmed through the page.

A wanted poster for a certain 'Kezine Nadale,' accompanied by a poorly drawn illustration of someone who was decidedly not her. She scoffed, balling the paper up and tossing it over her shoulder.

"At least get my hair right."

They weren't terribly far off the mark, though. The portrait depicted her with a short ponytail, which she used to wear but has since lopped off - about three years ago. No doubt an old acquaintance of hers provided the detail, as not many were familiar with her name in recent times. Peering down the misty alley, she. . . wait, what was that? Through the fog, she squint out a small shape sprawled along the cobblestone.

With renewed wariness, she kept her hand tight around her hilt as the features of the slumped figure became increasingly clear. Her eyes scanned the back end - coast seemed clear enough, nothing was wide enough in the alleyway for a potential criminal to ambush from, save for a pixie or something. She aggressively shoved the body over with her foot.

It was Vie, the fairy from last night. She wasn't moving, so that was definitely a bad sign right off the bat. Clicking her tongue, she knelt down to check the girl's pulse when she suddenly bolted awake, sending Kezine stumbling back onto her rear. The fairy whizzed her head around spastically, as if freshly woken from a gripping nightmare.

So she was just asleep. . .

"They had beds at the cathouse, you know," Kezine said with a light groan, pushing herself up with her weapon propped into the ground. "Unless you like sleeping on rock." The girl only looked up dazedly, blinking a few times before the light returned to her eyes and she wiped the drool from her mouth.

"Ugh. . . sorry. I just wanted to nap for a little bit. And I. . ." Sitting herself up cross-legged, she stretched her arms out and yawned loudly, her wings fluttering softly at her back. ". . . kinda fell asleep."

"Mhm. I can see that." With a casual wave, she walked off and disappeared around the corner. "Don't be late to the trials."

Vie scratched her head, laughing quietly to herself, feeling her stomach growl in protest. Maybe she should've eaten some of that cake. She steadied herself up on the wall, noticing as she stood that her hip was feeling much lighter for some reason. Patting her side, her eyes lit up in alarm.

Where's my sword?

She whirled around in a panic and looked down at her feet for any sign of her weapon, but there wasn't a trace of it. The one time she let herself doze off in public and she loses her most precious belonging! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Someone must've stolen it, but who? Where did she even begin?

As if in answer, two silhouettes appeared, blocking off the sunlight where Kezine had been standing earlier.

"You lookin' for this?" the one on the left smirked, dangling her sword above her. The tall, raven-haired man seemed to tower massively above her, casting the young fairy in his shadow. She swallowed, her gut instinct telling her that this person was very dangerous.

"Give it back," Vie whispered, staring up at the broad, statue of a man. "That's not yours."

"Tell your master to meet us at the abandoned guild hall," he replied, tapping its handle against his shoulder. "Then you can have your toy back."

The fairy furrowed her brows, shifting her feet apart and holding her fists up in a defensive stance. Somewhere, far in the back of her mind, she knew the right answer was to run away or go find help, but a hero doesn't run. If she couldn't even take care of this on her own, the Circle was nothing but a pipe dream and Dagne would have labored day and night mentoring nothing more than a fraud.

"I said, give it back!" Vie stepped in with a fast feint kick - when he motioned to block it, she changed course and slammed her greave into the back of his calf, followed by two hard jabs to the gut.
The man shrugged off the blows with ease, surprised by her skill but otherwise unimpressed with her lack of strength. He caught his fist in his hand and smashed her face in with a thunderous wallop, sending her flying back a good few feet as her armor clattered and clanged against the cobblestone.

With one hit, she was already immobilized, her arms threatening to give out before she could pick herself off the ground. Her vision was swimming, and she swore she could see her bloody tooth on the ground next to her.

"I don't think you're understanding the situation here," the man threatened, cracking his knuckles as he made a slow advance. "This isn't about you. Fetch your master. We don't have all day."

"Give it back," she repeated hoarsely, staggering to her feet and heaving her weight into the wall for balance.

The dark-haired man looked to his partner with a self-satisfied grin, turning back to Vie and throwing another haymaker.

 

[Purize]

*~~~Oo Verity oO~~~*​

Verity thanked the woman and all made her way quickly to the buffet table. Her wide eyes looked longingly over the spread. Verity smiled at Kaelie as she set out the food. "This looks amazing, did you make all of this?" she asked the redheaded fairy. Verity plucked a few pastries off the table and nibbled them, her eyes rolling in pleasure. "Mmm.... so good."

She got a plate and began to pile it high with eggs, bacon and several samples of various pastries.
Zazz

*~~~Oo Tieve oO~~~*​

A small form bundled deep under layers of blankets rolled around among the sheets. A pale head popped out from the covers, white hair stuck up in clumps and messy flyaways. Tieve's eyes squinted into the brightness of the morning light and a small yawn escaped her lips. With a soft groan she rolled out of the bed, feet hitting the cold wooden floor with a shiver. Her nightdress flowed around her down to her calfs. She was glad that she had the foresight, no pun intended, to brings several changes of clothing along.

Sluggishly, she changed into an afternoon dress made of pale blue fabrics. It was one of her favorite day-time gown because it matched the spiraling markings that mapped her body. In the mirror, she twisted, looking at her appearance from different angles. She fixed the strap on her shoulder, fingers tracing over the blue line of skin that curved there. She'd always wondered if her face would look different without the marks under her eyes. She didn't know what purpose they served other than to distinguish her as the Oracle and making her easy to find each new life.

She didn't particularly mind the pattern itself, but at times, it felt like she was branded by Tempus.

She left the mirror and put on shoes regretfully. She hated wearing things on her feet, but she would have to if she wanted to travel around the city. It occurred to her then that she had no idea exactly what her and Ali planned on doing in Aeredale. The Magi had mentioned he had business there, and Tieve simply wanted to get out of the library... but now what would happen? That vision from the day before played again in her mind. She could still feel the tug of power coming from the god kin nearby. It seemed that they had stayed close, one of them also boarding here at the Pearl.

However the course of events unfolded, Tieve knew it would be an interesting day.

 

[Zazz]

The half-elf woke to an empty bed, light seeping in from the partially covered window. She stretched beneath the fine furs, finding comfort in the scent of her lover's sheets. Dark hair spilled around her head as she gazed at the odd trinkets that lined the top of the wooden chest of drawers. Some were from Azaria's own travels, like the deep red gem from the mountains in the southeast, and the gold and green earrings from the west. There were other things, like an enchanted ring and a shard of a mirror, its edges bound in cloth. A vial of what seemed to be swirling, sand-coloured smoke. Kaeli collected the strangest of things. Of course, having a lover who dabbled in the underground markets of Nymserine helped.

Azaria slipped out from under the covers, planting her feet on the ground with a shiver, goosebumps rising on her bare chest. She felt rested. The halfling wrapped herself in one of Kaeli's robes and left for a bath.


Downstairs in the tavern, Kaeli smiled at the elf princess, tucking her fiery hair behind her ear. "I made the pastries, yes. Faun helped with the eggs and such." Kaeli stepped back and placed a gentle hand on Verity's arm. "Is there anything else I may bring you? Cranberry juice?"

The fairy glanced over as Azaria emerged, dressed and looking pristine, armed to her boots. The half-elfleaned in for a quick kiss, murmuring a good morning, before taking a pastry for herself.

 

[Purize]

"Oh wow! You're a good baker!" Verity smiled genuinely at Kaelie and thanked her for the food. "Send my regards the the other kitchen staff as well."
At the offer of cranberry juice, the princess practically began to salivate. She shuffled sheepishly, looking down at her plate. "I-I mean, if you have any in stock and it's no bother...."

She looked up through her lashes at the fairy, smiling again. She had a huge soft spot for sweet people, and Verity didn't want to trouble her with her strange cravings for cranberries.
Zazz

 

[Zazz]

The horned fairy giggled and assured her, "You are my guest, lovey. Ask for anything you desire." Kaeli stroked the elf's silver hair and winked. She left, then, with a playful smack of Azaria's hip. "Cranberry juice for you, too?"

"Please."

The halfling finished her pastry and took a plate, loading it up with food. She claimed a seat, her back to the wall, and dug in. "So, the Circle. Why does it interest you so?" Her gaze fell upon her princess over her meal.

 

[BugDozer73]

There were many nights Roland stared up at the stars: long nights on the sea were easy times in which he could dream about what laid beyond the sky. It was easy to feel so enamored with the heavens when you weren't feeling watched all the time. But sometimes he wondered if she ever watched him at all. That night, as he relaxed in the window sill, his back rested against the frame and his leg dangling over the side freely, he stared at the same stars and thought those thoughts, that sea storm of emotions and feelings, and wished for answers to all of his questions.

For a time he tried praying: Often heard out of priests mouths were recollections of divination of the gods through prayer in meditation, but after an hour of pleading with the night sky for answers, he answered her silence with his own. It was hard, and lonely for him; to feel so far reserved from your family. What was he even doing here? Chasing a girl he found pretty? He had chased women before, but never away from the sea. Roland was no Circle member. Greuwn told him stories of the members of the Circle when he was little, stories of the heroes of old and new, and there glories.

"Do you know how to slay a dragon, Roland?" Greuwn looked down at the boy, idly making the water on the deck dance beneath his hands. He was young, maybe 9, and his face was untouched by any blades mark. Greuwn smiled, and scooped Roland up into his arms, resting him on his knee to tell the tale. As soon as Roland stopped focusing on his magic, the water splashed lifelessly to the deck.

"A long time ago, you see, there was a man named Aturen. Aturen was a mighty warrior, but he was very very small: the smallest of them all. He was so small that he could use a dinner plate as a shield!" Greuwn gestured with his arms, letting his hand visualize the alarmingly short height, and Roland giggled when he feigned shielding himself with a dinner plate.

"You see Roland, Aturen was overlooked by all the other warriors because of his size: but he trained hard every day, none the less. He was quick as a rat, he was, and twice as smart. And one day, a dragon came to his village, and began to pillage the fields and stock!"

Roland's hands flew to his mouth as he gasped, a shocked look filling his eyes. Greuwn smiled devilishly as he described the massive beast, with scales of brown and red, wings that could cause tornados with a single beat, claws that could cleave trees with ease, and a breath of fire that could dry the sea. Truly, it was a beast to behold.

"You see Roland, many warriors challenged the beast, determined to win glory and save the people, but every time, they fell to the might of the wonderful beast, until there was no one left in the village but tiny Aturen. The king arrived the next day, with all his warriors, and prepared to slay the beast, at great cost, but Aturen stopped him." Greuwn slowed the pace, accentuating his words with wide eyes.

"He said "I have a plan!" and left the king to watch as he strode forward towards the field where the beast laid, with only a sword in his hand, and not a lick of armor to cover himself with. He met the beast, and the beast roared and laughed at the little man. "My hide is impenetrable, tiny one, and yet you brandish your pin against it. My breath has birthed a thousand hell fires, and you approach me defenseless. Who are you, brave little man, who seeks death so carelessly?" Aturen called up to the mighty beast, his voice steady and unafraid "I am Aturen, mighty dragon, and it is true, I am very small. But I have something that the rest of the warriors did not! My sword is magic!" The dragon laughed even harder, and leaned forward slightly. "Your pin will do you no good if it were made from light itself!" But Aturen held up his sword, and called up to the dragon. "Ah, but mighty dragon, you have not looked closely enough! You have not seen the power imbued into this sword. A power so great and mighty that it could slay even you, oh ferocious one." The dragon stopped laughing, eyeing the sword through squinted eyes. He leaned down close to the man, and looked closely at the sword, letting his sight run up and down the blade. "You have been deceived, little one. There is no power imbued in that blade!" Aturen drove the blade into the eye of the beast, quick as lighting-" Greuwn thrust his hand forward, like he was jabbing a sword, and Roland gasped, leaning back a little in surprise. " And the dragon roared and fell back, scratching at his eye. "It is you that has been deceived, dragon, for you so arrogantly believed me to be of no threat all because of my size!" The dragon reared back, trying to dislodge the sword, and fell back into a lake! The dragon thrashed and flapped, but sunk deeper and deeper into the waves, and he drowned. The people were saved, and the king honored Aturen, indicting him as a masterful warrior into the ranks of the circle. You see, fights are not always won with the strongest steel and the quickest blade, no- A true warrior fights with his mind."
Roland smiled at Greuwn, holding up his meaty little hands.

"I fight with my hands!"

Greuwn smiled and winked at him.

"And how do you know what to do with them?"

Roland looked back at his hands as if he had never seen them before, or maybe that the answer to his question was written on them magically.
Greuwn poked his head playfully, causing Roland to giggle.

"You use yer head, don't you lad?"

"Yes cap'n" Roland said with a grin with several teeth missing. Crooney, who had been standing in the back, strode forward, pulling the lad off Greuwn's knees. "Don't you listen to that old lobster. A sharp sword is just as good as any scholar. They can't talk all fancy without lips, now can they? Go get your swords, and we will begin todays lessons!"


Roland sighed. That had been a good day. Greuwn was out there now, most likely, singing songs with the crew and raising cups to the sea and all she gave them. For a moment Roland sat there in the silence of the night and sang a slow shanty he knew, pretending he was right there with them. But the moment passed, and his mind came back to Thasia, and the circle. Although sometimes he felt alone, there were other times where he felt still in her embrace. Even now, beyond the energy's of the two demigods at the pearl, he could feel the mana of the ocean, pulsating and surging, lapping at his soul. Roland drew one of the blades and looked into it more closely. The hilt was a sea blue, coral handle, that felt smooth in his hands. Above the hand guard was the blade, that gleamed in the moonlight, and he could see his green eyes staring back at him through the blade. It glimmered, like he did, with green and blue light, and he could tell that they held some sort of power: His mother had left these with him at birth, and Greuwn had held them until he was leaving. No doubt he had some idea as to what they could do. He always had some idea to anything. Roland had always wondered how he had known so much about seemingly everything. He always knew... thinking back now, with all the stories he had told Roland about the circle, he wondered if Greuwn had been trying to put him on this path from the beginning.

The night was wearing on, and as his thoughts slide over the horizon, so did the light of the early morning sun. Roland let his troubles slip away for the moment and let himself get lost in the sunrise. It was beautiful: Aurora's heart beat, Auroras smile. Just the tips of her gaze set the world awash in yellow glow. Roland didn't know what his swords could do: He didn't know who the demigods were, or what would have happened had he stayed on the ship: He didn't know what Verity thought of him, or what this path he was following now was leading him too. But he knew that it felt right.

 

[Melon Bomb]

From the second floor of the abandoned guild building, Roland could hear the sound of shattering glass somewhere down below.

Vie curled up as she was hurled through the window pane, bracing for a rough landing as she tumbled inside. The dark-haired brute swept the jagged fragments away from the sill using the sword, taking his sweet time to climb over as his partner casually hopped in after him.

"That was awfully loud," he commented, briefly glancing back and tipping his hat back up. "I thought we were trying to be discreet."

"City's still asleep," the man answered, craning his neck and stretching his arms forward. "Don't sweat it. Just do your job."

"I don't need to be here for this, do I?" he mused, fiddling with the hilt of his rapier. "I agreed to help you kill Dagne, not. . . whatever nonsense we're doing here. Clearly the girl is a lost cause."

With labored breaths, Vie rose again, if barely. Her arm hung low to the floor and dripped with blood, wings scratched and torn along the edges. Her eyes remained fixated on her weapon, still hanging tauntingly close to her. I don't need to beat him just yet. If I can just get my sword back. . .

Exhaling deeply, she got a running start. The thug grinned as she charged forward, wondering if he'd hit her upside the head too hard. Just out of arm's reach, she leaped over him with the help of her wings - his hand shot up at blinding speeds, more than eager to show the fairy the futility of her resistance - but his fingers grasped only at cloth. Sailing over his head, Vie had swiftly unfurled her cloak and expertly draped it over him. With an annoyed grunt, by the time he threw the cloak off, he realized the sword was already missing from his hand. The fairy landed shakily on the other side of the room, weapon held tight in her grip.

Yes! Take that, jerk! she thought victoriously, resisting the urge to pump her fist in the air. But, she wasn't done yet. These criminals. . . there was no doubt about it anymore: They were planning on disposing of master! With renewed confidence Vie readied her blade, a sliver of steel glinting under the light shining through the breezy window.

Through a pained smile, she proudly declared, "This is as far as you go, criminal scum! I, Vie Telarosa, will be your opponent!"

 

[Purize]

The silvery elf thanked Kaeli again and took her plate of food to the table Azaria had seated herself at. She murmured a greeting to her new acquaintance and started picking at the slew of pastries on her plate. The girl across from her dug in with a tower of breakfast foods that rivaled her own. Verity mildly wondered where she put it all... it probably all goes to her bosom, she thought to herself.

Quickly, she stuffed a muffin in her mouth as she tried her hardest not to laugh. Then, when Azaria asked her question, Verity choked on the muffin, coughing until it finally went down. Verity cleared her throat and poked at a croissant.

"I don't know... Ever since I left Shylanora i've been looking for something to be a part of. Traveling around is nice and all, but it does get lonely at times." She shrugged, looking at the elf. "I've done my fair share of guild quests but I've never really been a real part of one. Sy- Ahem... A friend of mine always told me that if I trained hard I could be a talented warrior, skilled enough to be a member of the circle. So, I guess the idea just stuck." She bit off a small piece of her croissant, her mind drifting to Sylas.
Zazz

 

[Zazz]

Azaria studied the princess, and the people moving about. She wasn't like other royalty. The way she treated Kaeli, and the poor kids in the outer ring... Verity cared. She would make a great ruler, Azaria thought, if only she could go back to her kingdom. "Do you think you will pass? The tests, I mean. Do you think you and Roland will pass? And Pyrrhus?" She wasn't sure who else was going to try.

She glanced up with a smile and thanked Kaeli when the fairy brought over two glasses of red juice.

 

[Purize]

A wild flush of red filled Verity's cheeks as she shrugged. "I-I don't know that I'm really good enough to pass... I don't even know what the tests are like, only that they're hard." A small spark of determination glimmered in her eye and the set of her shoulders. "But I will never know if I don't try. If I don't pass then I can still join a normal guild. It won't be the end of the world."

She relaxed a little, offering Azaria a slightly-more-confident smile. "That goes for the others as well. I'm sure we will all do our best. Whatever happens, happens." She beamed at Kaeli as she brought the juice and immediately took a few sips when she was handed the glass.

Over the rim, she eyed Azaria suspiciously. "Are you going to run the gauntlet, Azaria?"
Zazz

 

[Zazz]

"I..." The halfling hesitated. Was she going to ? Was she really going to waltz right on in, despite having assassinated a Circle member - who was admittedly rumoured to be plotting the king's death - and take their bloody test?

But Kaeli chimed in for her. "She most definitely is. She'll show those teachers of hers who was really the best in her class." Azaria carefully lowered her gaze to her plate, eating slowly as Kaeli smiled proudly. "That'll teach those elves not to stick their heads up their- erm.. Sorry."

 

[BugDozer73]

Roland had heard the glass shatter, and nimbly began crossing the rafters, following , the scene. He recognized the girl struggling to raise herself from the ground. It was Vie Telarosa, the girl from earlier. Two larger thugs were moving in on her, with some very obvious, not so noble intentions. He thought about intervening, but he hesitated, watching as Vie made her move. She was a clever girl, used her wits well. With a deceptive cloak throw she disarmed her enemy, and landed with poise. Roland's lips curled lightly into a smile of respect- the girl was talented for certain. But he had seen enough.

He took a step forward and let his body plummet to the earth, landing on his knees, much to the surprise of the 2 "gentlemen" before Vie.
"2 on 1? That doesn't seem very fair. Do you really need help to fight a little girl? Well then I must even the playing field. Hello again, Ms. Telarosa, are these gents giving you any trouble?" He smiled at her turning his attention completely away from the thuggish characters before them.

 

[Melon Bomb]

"Two on one? This guy's been picking his nose the entire time," the raven haired thug chuckled, jerking his thumb toward the musketeer-looking fellow. He only shook his head and smiled in response.

"I really will stand here and pick my nose, you know," the man said with a shrug, standing off to the side as he leaned coolly into the wall, his arms folded and his eyes piercing under the brim of his hat.
"Don't come crawling to me if they start roasting your hide, Rynard."

"Don't count on it," he laughed, swiping his nose with his thumb and drawing two large hatchets from his belt. "A two on one is just what I was looking for."

"Idiot," he muttered, rolling his eyes. So much for the city being 'asleep.'

At Roland's side, Vie flashed him a smile of gratitude. She hadn't expected to run into him again so soon, but it was impeccable timing that he did. If things went south, he could likely cover for her. . . no, that wasn't right. She had no business dragging strangers into her battles, she had to do this alone.

"No trouble at all," she lied, wiping the sweat from her brow and winding her fingers around the handle. "Watch and learn."

Rynard twirled his weapons individually, his cocky grin only growing wider as they neared each other. Once they reached an unspoken boundary - roughly two meters apart - he dashed in swinging. Arm wound up partway behind his shoulder, the axes whizzed left then right in a blur of speed.

Vie was not a quick fighter. Her reflex was actually rather slow among her peers, but one thing that placed her a notch above the rest was her ability to study her opponent's flow of movement - for each strike, an appropriate form must be committed to the attack for it to be effective. Before he was even within range, she threw up her sword, drawing it halfway out of its sheath. The left axe blade clashed steel to steel in a flash of sparks, but she didn't let the momentum overpower her. Her weapon swiftly rotated, parrying the attack away from her body and toward the incoming right axe such that they violently collided with one another with their own force.

With his hatchets entangled and her sword now aligned for a clean blow to the noggin, her arm instantly flexed and the back end of the hilt smashed into his teeth, sending the larger man staggering back with his forearm over his bloody mouth.

"The hell did you just do-"

Vie spun her weapon and jammed the sheath into his throat before he could recover, bruising his windpipe. He blindly swatted at her through tears of pain, but she caught the vulnerable arm by the crook, using the curved handguard to rake in his elbow and harshly swing inwards then over, nearly breaking it - unfortunately, she underestimated his sheer muscle mass and he resisted the maneuver, wrapping his hand around her neck and throwing her fiercely to the ground. Vie squealed as she hit stone, eyes widening as he came in hot and shoved his boot into her stomach.

In a wheezing fit, she escaped his grasp by hair's breadth, carrying herself backward almost wholly through wing strength alone.

"Alright, brat, so you've got some tricks," Rynard spat, briefly massaging his strained arm. His cockiness was all but gone, replaced by a bitter scowl. He was through underestimating her, it seemed.
In the back, the rapier-wielding man stifled his laughter as the brute was toyed around with a fairy half his size.

"Try that again."

No more games. He hurled both axes in Vie's direction, who was in poor shape to dodge.