Fantasy The Five Kingdoms - The Fall of Sarthenfall - Ic

[Blackrose7]

After Alex had pulled her into the dark corridor behind the painting, she waited for the others to make it in the secret passage.
They eventually entered the secret passage, and Annabel was secretly relieved that the monster didn’t harm them for a few minutes.
A look of horror, then appeared on her face when she saw what happened to Aria. '...Is Aria dead? Because if she isn't, please don't let her die here.' thought Annabel.
She knew that losing Aria would be a serious problem for them. But right now isn't the time for her to be standing there. Aria's life is in danger, and they need to get out of the castle immediately.

Following behind the others towards the basement. Annabel was thinking of a bunch of different ways on how to escape from the castle without the guards catching them. 'Maybe the basement has a secret escape route. If it doesn't have a secret escape route, we are going to be so screwed.' thought Annabel.
As she was thinking about that, the sound of fighting can be heard. That sound snapped her out from her thoughts for a few minutes. 'Oh my gosh!? Did the shades get here?' thought Annabel. She couldn't tell what was going on, because of the darkness. But Ivanna helped her out with that.
This shocked Annabel, since Raymond wouldn't attack his brother. 'Should I help Ivanna out?' thought Annabel.
They wanted to help Ivanna, but she seems to be handling the situation very well.
Ms. Sparrow Inheritance Xanto explosiveKitten NinjaGirlGamer

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Azalea Eve Windfore

The darkness around her snuffed her out like a candle’s flame. Her adrenaline, her spirit, extinguished. She didn’t have the effort to argue with Angelo as he gently took Aria from her. Her head throbbed as she descended further into darkness, hand sliding against the circular stone wall to guide her in the darkness, only stopping as her hand found open air as they reached the bottom, stepping through the archway into the basement, trying to adjust her eyes further in the dark, heavy metallic smell coating the hair.

She swayed, and she squeezed her eyes shut to steady the spinning floor. Her abdomen burned. If she was breathing, she was fine. If she could move, she was fine. She was fine. She was fine. She was—

Azalea gasped as she was grabbed, shock and tension shooting through her, her entire body tensing before Ivanna’s stern voice rang out in the dark, easing her unto the cold floor. Her teeth grit, “Fussy nursemaid,” she growled in the dark in complaint, hating how weak her voice sounded.

She removed her warm, wet hand from her stomach, finally looking down. Even in the dark, she could make out the three slashes that had torn through her green shirt, and into her stomach. The deep slashes cutting diagonally across her stomach, blood oozing like water. Oh. Dizziness slammed into her. Had there always been so much?

Her head snapped up at Alex’s shout. Her lips parting as Raymond’s hands curled around Baxter’s throat. Azalea was already pushing herself to her feet, despite her body’s objections, it’s burning screams to stop. Ivanna was faster. Feet scuffled, Ivanna’s cry, the dagger drawing closer and closer—

Raymond dropped to the floor like stone. As if he died. Dead. Gone. Had Ivanna—?

The world stopped. Froze. Then began again.
Across the room Azalea gave a muffled cry in the dark, half stumbling in the dark, shoving past anyone in her way. Pain whipped through her stomach like she was on fire and her knees buckled, slamming into the floor beside Raymond’s unconscious form. Perhaps even beside where Ivanna kneeled. Somewhere else in the world she was aware there were others around her, other voices.

He’d looked so still when he dropped, and with shaky fingers, Azalea reached her less bloodied hand out, fingertips touching his neck, waiting for his pulse to hit her skin. He’d tried to kill his own brother. Ivanna too. If he was not dead now, then when? What if they could not help him before then? What if they couldn’t free him from whatever took him? She knew what. She knew exactly what. The reality shredded her whole. She emitted shuddering breath, before bending over Raymond’s form and releasing a sob.

She couldn’t do it. It was too much. This was too much. She couldn’t do it. She’d frozen during the battle. She’d reached the creature when it was dead. She’d failed Aria. She’d failed Raymond.

She wasn’t strong enough.

Most importantly. Raymond was her best friend. Had been her partner in crime these past few months. He...she couldn’t do it without him. Her head bowed over him, till it rested lightly against his chest. “Live,” she whispered. Oblivious to the others around her. To the whole world really, lost in herself. “Gods damnit, live.” And it was a plea, really. Because if he did not fight. If he did not win through this, then she did not know if she could either.

She was silent for a long moment before the weakness in her limbs, the heaviness in her bones, her fluttering eyes. Azalea could feel the drain of her wound.

Somewhere in the dark, the Princess could hear the sound of Aria’s unsteady breathing, unconscious still. Her rasps of breaths stabbed into Azalea like sharp knives.

Something so raw, so large had snapped within when Aria hit the wall, when Raymond hit the floor, it broke her in ways she didn’t think she’d ever wake up from again.

But as she raised her head in the darkness, and squinted out Cali’s silhouette, disappearing further and further into it, away from them, white, hot anger slammed into the redhead. “You—“ she pushed herself up and shot off the floor with a new burst of adrenaline. Anger replaced grief and she shoved past the grouping in a sudden movement, stomping for Cali. “You did nothing!” She shouted, words tumbling from her mouth faster then she could think. “You selfish bit—“

Her foot hit something solid and suddenly she was on the ground, chin smacking against cold floor. A box of items, she realized, as they clattered across the floor around her. The wave of pain that overcame her made her eyes water, zapping the rage she was about to unleash unto Cali right out of her. Coughing as dust flew up around her, she hissed out as she pushed her body to sit up unto her knees, looking around at her mild destruction, “we can’t get—get one bloody break,“ she hissed loudly, dragging her bloodied hand over her face. She was losing it.

She’d tripped over one of the many boxes in the basement. Of course, they were surrounded by out of date items. Old Delchistrierian furniture and such, covered in dust and white sheets. To go out of style in Delchistrier was apparently nearly suicide itself.

“As if it even friggin matters, sitting in a—in a—two people unconscious,” she went on unsteadily, her hands fumbling in the dark around her, “Aria’s missing an eye—Raymond’s-Raymond’s,” she didn’t finish, voice cracking, “and we all pretend like we can just keep going. Where? Where are we gonna go? How do we even get out? Or keep Aria alive? Everyone in this gods forsaken kingdom wants us dead—“ she rambled, her hand closing around something leather. “We have nothing. Shit. It’s never going to matter. What we do, we could sit in here the rest of our lives, or get back up, and it STILL wouldn’t matter. We’ll never be enough, don’t you see? We’ll never—“ she cut off, raising the ancient looking, leather bound book up to throw it, only to pause and cut off.

Azalea gave a double take. Squinting in the dark as she ripped the vines off the cover, revealing a familiar symbol, she flipped open the book, and there, sprawling across pages and pages, were the symbols. The symbols in the journal she and Raymond has found in Nathanial’s journal. Azalea flipped through the pages in disbelief. “The—the symbols,” she murmured, “They’re like from the journal we have... it’s a language,” It had to be. That was two written things with them. If there was one here, there was more. And if there was more, perhaps a way to translate. And get answers.

But if it was a language...then who’s?

Ahead of Cali, visible to only her from how close she stood to it in the darkness, something in the beyond, in the depths of the blackness, moved. Something small, hunched over. Bony and thin in its silhouettes appearance, human almost, only about 4ft tall. It quietly whispered to itself, or perhaps to Cali, yet so quietly it was unrecognizable unless one approached...whatever it was.

Azalea eyed the rest, eyeing the dusty, pretty trinkets and treasures around her. “Does anyone...have a bag?” She rasped out into the dark. “I hear wars work...better with funds,” she tried to joke. She was trying. To look better, stronger, then how she did now. Blood had soaked through her pants now and dampened skin on her thighs, her brain felt as if it was slamming against her skull. Shaky fingers grabbed at a few of the trinkets, pulling them to her. A goblet, an old necklace, a few other pretty looking miscellaneous items, some that didn’t look Delchistrierian at all, tucking the ancient book under her other arm.

Azalea sat where she was on the floor, trying to figure how she’d stand up again as blood seeped from her slashes. But they had to go. Get Aria help. Get Raymond...somewhere. They needed aid. Quickly. Again. Then...they could figure out how to deal with Aodren.

If Cali continued to watch the creature, it’d abruptly turn, it’s short bony figure reached out a long limb, pointing a clawed nail at her—before scurrying deeper into the basement, not before loudly slamming an old sofa, which scraped briefly across the floor as a result, a sound which echoed through the massive room.


Xanto explosiveKitten Bakuyoshi
Blackrose7 Inheritance NinjaGirlGamer

 

[Bakuyoshi]

Cali stopped in her tracks at the sight of the creature. This thin emanciated figure that looked as if it had not eaten. But her attention turned to Azalea as it left. "That's a little odd I thought you were expecting me to listen to you." her gaze not even locked on the princess. "Usually I would be angry given everything you did... but looking at you now. You aren't even worth raising my own voice to adress. You figure out your problem, after all you have done nothing multiple times, innocents have died because of this whole rebellion's selfishness. Where's the harm in me doing what you do for once?" Cali coldly stated as she began to move on, not even raising her voice to Azalea. But every word she made sure to jab at the red head where it hurt most. "Now if you don't mind we have company. And I'd sooner not have some cripples aiding me." pointing out the figure as it took off, wincing at the sofa going across the room.

"After all it's fine to not be cold when it's your loved one's life on the line." Cali though as she began to move forward. Crossbow at the ready but sitting at her side rather then aimed at anything.

Ms. Sparrow Xanto Blackrose7 explosiveKitten NinjaGirlGamer Inheritance

 

[Xanto]

Raymond Callahan -ish and Baxter Callahan​

No. Raymond's not dead.

Instead his heart slowly beat against his chest, reverberating at each heavy thump despite his light breathing pattern. Call it a supernatural heartbeat if you may. Slower, and heavier than the natural expectation.

Meanwhile, Baxter was in his own world. The man simply seated off to the side with furrowed brows in his strategic form. No doubt they were all in chaos. It wasn't practical for the leader to give an ounce of valuable time to take their reactions in. Rather, they all had to find a way out and fast. Two main objectives. Save their injured, and re-negotiate their prisoner terms . . especially all the fight pit plans. One was a more short term goal, yet more urgent than the other. At the same time, the latter couldn't wait any longer. Think about it. They basically escaped their rooms and wrecked havoc in the kingdom's royal library!

The rebel leader's blue gaze finally gravitated to all the people in the room. Each of them coped with the situations in their own ways. Some obviously in better condition than others.

"We have gotten this far," Baxter finally stated from his silence in the dark, "Turning back now would mean we wasted the lives who past before us." The man coldly shifted his gaze to the other side of the room, "Put into perspective there is magic here. There is a way out. There is a way to stop the darkness in our kingdoms. Then, we are on the right track." Was he a hundred percent sure they would all make it? Of course not! Yet none of them ever were. "We all knew going into this mission was a risk. A risk so powerful that all our lives would be on the line. A risk I am sure we've all pondered about at some point during our three months at sea with a dark, supernatural creature. Additionally, fighting an army of the greatest fears of our lives."

"In that alone, we were able to accomplish tasks we didn't even believe existed mere months ago," He logically pointed out. True, they didn't even know Shades were a thing. Most probably the majority of them never even imagined having to fight for their lives let alone against dark magic creatures. "If we give up, then die. This all goes down the hole. If we try to fight, then die. It was worth it. But if we fight, then live . . We've achieved our greatest victory," Baxter reasoned out. Maybe they didn't have the most reasonable way of getting there, but then again when was any of this magic stuff reasonable in return?

"That being said, wallowing in our sorrows will get us no where. Instead, we act now."

"2 teams. Team 1 accompanies our injured to the servants' quarters. I've been able to form alliances with them. Plus, the servants may obtain supplies from the infirmary without being suspicious," The rebel leader confidently explained. He made a mental note a few moments ago that the infirmary was the first place guards would search after knowing they battled a beast. Servants were also usually overlooked, and had experience tending to wounds.

"Team 2 negotiates our chances directly with Aodren regarding our terms of staying in the palace. Additionally, on the subject of fighting pits," Baxter stood up from his seat, eyeing the first team more directly. They had to roughly have a good number of people assisting with transportation and protection. "Aria, Raymond, Azalea team 1 for obvious reasons. Angelo, Alex, Annabel, and Ivanna accompany the three safely to the servants' quarters. Once you all arrive, Annabel make sure the three are as patched up as possible. Alex, stay on look out. Angelo, devise an escape plan in case of extreme measures. Ivanna . . protect them."

Then, he shifted his attention to the smaller group. A group he was sure wouldn't trigger the king as much. "Team 2, Aurelie, Jeod, Cali, and me. Aurelie, be yourself. Heard Aodren has a particular interest in you. Jeod, negotiate with charm. Cali, negotiate with reason. I shall propose and review terms with the final say at hand against Aodren. Any objections?" Bax momentarily paused for any general statements against his plan. A few seconds was all he could allot though given the man was sure a public comment would trigger another group conversation. The usual. Now, they'd have to save it for one-on-one's directly with him.

"We meet in the servants' quarters after our missions are complete. The plan begins now," Baxter firmly concluded, "Team 1, tie material around bloodied areas preventing extra blood loss before your venture. Team 2, let's find our way out."

Ms. Sparrow NinjaGirlGamer explosiveKitten Inheritance Bakuyoshi Blackrose7

 

[Inheritance]

Jeod Swift​

Jeod held back a retort as Ivanna presumed to order him around, figuring that it was better to just take the lumps than to make an issue of it. He started patting through his coat pockets and searching through his bags, taking a quick mental inventory of what he had. He was dimly aware of what the others were doing, only looking up to see Azalea eat it on the ground. He hurried his search, finally finding the stitches and needle he was looking for. He hurried over to Azalea, listening in on her talk of ruins. It took all of his self control not to go scavenging through the basement. He knew work would be the only thing that would keep him from thinking about the fantastic things that could be rediscovered here; mysteries and puzzles he could dig through for hours.

He came to a stop and knelt next to Azalea. "Stop moving dammit, you're gonna rip yourself open!" He said quietly. "Bax, you got my support-but she needs to be taken care of before we have to mop her off the floor."

On the road, Jeod had learned quite a bit of medicine; a traveling healer, a crazy surgeon, or even just some elder who knew a thing or two about medicine. Jeod was a fair hand at stitching, and could pick out most plants and herbs that would cure diseases or lower inflammation. Admittedly, he was out of practice, but without having at least basic knowledge of how to stitch someone up he would have died on the road a long time ago. He knew he wouldn't be able to completely cure Azalea-especially without the proper supplies-but he knew he could buy her a bit of time for them to get to the medical wing.

"You're going to need to remove your shirt." He said quietly. "You're not going to make it anywhere if I can't stitch you up a bit."

Ms. Sparrow