When Empires Crumble

[Narath]

((It's fine. I've been busy myself, so even if you did reply earlier I would have taken a while too.))

 

The coiled dragon that had spoken of his distaste of Tennat being there unnerved the young man. He didn't know exactly why the large serpent did, but it was just something with how he spoke, how he acted. It's as if the very air around him caused discomfort. And so, when the dragon finally left the hall with everyone else, Tennat let loose a breath of relief he himself didn't realize he was holding. Then as the two knights began to leave, with Karina close behind, he quickly replaced his helmet upon his head and did his best to keep up.

As they walked, Tennat cast a few glanced towards the dragon that had brought him to this place. The guard wanted to thank her for al that she had done, but since he wasn't quite sure how, all he got was a few false starts.

"Th-Thank you for standing up for me back there..." He finally said quietly. "I-I know that I probably shouldn't be here since I haven't been inducted or anything, and I don't come from a noble family. But... I-I just wanted to thank you for all of this. I shall do the best I can to help you, and not dissapoint."

 

-----------------------------

 

"Sorry," The Alchemist apologised, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I'm just used to rumors spreading about me like wildfire. Normally, the entire camp would have found out by now.

"I am sure that even my best efforts to create a masterpiece befitting of your magnificence would still pale in comparison to your grace, my lady." He replied after laughing at her joke. "How can a mortal such as I make something that could compare to such perfection in my short lifetime?

"But I digress. If you could be so kind as to perhaps lend me some horses and a wagon, whatever size you wish, then I will set forth and return within the day having filled the cart past it's limit."

 

((Maybe add "Silver tongue" and "Charismatic" to Saren's character sheet...))

[Narath]

((Bump))

[Quackerz]

Karina simply seemed to smile at Tennat's words, "Unlike in the Castle Hall's, nobility means very little amongst our ranks. Very few of us come from noble families." she finally responded as she followed the two guards to the exit, the doors left open due to the many knights that were leaving and the heavy guard outside. It was no longer dark but rather a reddish hue as the sun began to rise, stepping back out into the yard Karina turned her attention to the red horizon. In the opposite direction, the moon could still be faintly seen.

 

All the tiles and walls now reflected the soft red light of the coming sunlight, giving the area an almost eerie yet tranquil feeling. Dragons could be seen taking off into the sky, the gates were open as the first group of knights began to leave.

 

 

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"Very well then." Melanija responded, pulling her head out from the tent and standing up again. "This way." she said loud enough to still be heard from within the tent, turning and heading in the direction that Serkan had gone before. With all the other members of the camp clearing out of her path, she stopped only when she reached the pen of horses. There were several dozen of them, she turned and looked down at the horse keeper. "What's the largest wagon you have?" Melanija asked the man, as he attempted to respond he was cut short by her. "Good. I'll take that one."

 

 

The horse keeper merely seemed to laugh as he was cut off, before sending a few of his helping hands off to retrieve it. Melanija looked at the horses within the pen, before focusing her attention on four in particular. "The black horse with the white chest, the grey horse with the brown neck. And those two brown horses drinking from the water." she finally said, the horse keeper simply nodding before going in to retrieve them. In the meantime, the helping hands were now returning pulling the empty wagon. It was a fairly large wagon as far as wagon's go, (looking almost like something that would be seen in "the old west".), but it had no cover.

[Narath]

"So, ummm... How should we do this?" Tennat asked. "I-I mean, should we all go through the same places? Talk to the locals? Split up?"

This was truly Tennat's first time doing anything remotely like this. He was not used to being the one with the most knowledge of the area, or searching for would be assassins. At the palace, finding trespassers was easy; there weren't too many people there in the first place so you could easily know if someone was new, and you had to have certain insignias or something of the sort to show you were allowed.

"Um, also, if you don't me asking m'Lady, how will you be aiding us?" The young man asked timidly. "You may not fit easily in the streets, and you may scare off a suspect.

"No offence." He quickly added.

 

------------------------

 

"Thank you very much for your kindness my Lady." Saren said with a graceful bow. "Surely, these beautiful creatures are already worth their own weights in gold. I promise you that I will bring them back unharmed."

After the horses were harnessed up to the wagon, the Alchemist nodded his thanks to the keeper, and leapt gracefully onto the wagon's seat before grabbing the reins from another work hand.

"I'll be back soon Lady Melanija." He said. "If you could not tell anyone what I'm doing, it would be much appreciated. If any of the kingdoms found out, they'd not be happy with me. Economics and all that you know."

[Quackerz]

"The general plan is, as you are familiar with the area - you will talk to the locals and keep an eye out for anyone that seems to be out of the ordinary." Karina responded, looking around as she walked. She always loved the morning - the way the brilliant redness of the sun as it rose, reflecting brilliantly off the highly polished capital and all it's magnificence. She turned her attention to young Tennat as he posed another question, "No offense taken. I know I won't be able to fit in the back streets or alley's, but I can watch for the air for any suspicious movement that might be obstructed by other objects on the ground for you. As for anyone who spooks... They merely give themselves away." Karina responded calmly, turning her attention once again to the gate which was now waiting for them to pass.

 

 

Karina proceeded through the gate, the two knights following as their amour clanged only slightly, much quieter than the armor worn by the guards at the castle.

 

 

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"Oh I can assure you, I shall not tell a soul." Melanija responded, moving out of the way of the horses and wagon and simply giving a nod to the Alchemist.

 

 

----------

 

 

Serkan and his men rode with great haste, not stopping to give their horses a break. If they did they would have to start again later when it was even hotter. He looked over to his side momentarily, in the near-distance to the east stood a vast series of cliffs and mountains, which seemed to go straight up. They looked to be made of sandstone and were devoid of any forms of trees, what looked to be a few goats stood on one of the peaks. There were some cacti around, but few in comparison to other areas of the desert such as their camp. "Ah, it should be only a few more hours ride, then." Serkan said, turning his attention back to in front of him.

[Narath]

"Yes ma'am." Tennat replied, respectfully bowing his head.

"I'd have to admit though, m'lady, that I would have most likely acted fearfully of you if you came walking through the street before we met." He laughed nervously.

 

-------------------------------------

 

With a curt nod towards the dragon in thanks, Saren whipped the reins and took off with the horses, setting a brisk pace towards the mine. Though he was impatient to be rewarded with the dragon's scales, he did not push the horses to run. He knew that they still had to last the return trip, and he didn't want them to be exhausted by then.

 

((should we do a time skip?))

[Quackerz]

((Again, I apologize for my inactivity. :S

 

I think at this point in time, a Time Skip could indeed be very useful. It would help both with the search of the city, as well as Serkan and probably Saren.

 

How much time should lapse with the skip? A few hours? A day? A week?))

 

 

Karina simply let out a light but brief chuckle before continuing out the gates fully and turning her attention towards the eastern path, as she began to walk down the path. The two knights followed closely already looking around as they walked for anyone shady or apparently nervous by their presence. It wouldn't take long to reach the eastern district, given the layout of the city and the location their fortress was built at. The gate could be heard closing behind them in the distance as the last scouts departed from the fortress, beginning their spread across the city.

 

Many large shadows went across the ground as dragons flew off into multiple directions, a sight that startled most the civilians in the streets momentarily before they realized it was just a dragon going overhead. Karina turned her head to face Tennat "I suppose now would be a good time for me to take to the air and allow you to lead on the ground, no?" she asked in a bit more of a relaxed yet serious tone.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Sean175

[Lilraaos]

The tall uncut grass swayed to the direction of wind, muffling the footsteps of a barefooted girl. The cool night air chilled any pale bare skin that was exposed on the lonely figure of the girl carrying a sloshing water bucket through the dark woods. Her clothes were worse for wear, looking vaguely like a large boy's shirt that hung just over her knees and a pair of loose brown pants, however it was a bit hard to tell since the fabric was smeared with filth such as dirt, dust, smudges and food and also contained large stitches and little cuts, some of the cuts looked ripped while others were cut cleanly. This was somewhat concealed with a thin black cloak with a hood that was pulled over her head, hiding the abnormalities that set her apart form the public, long blue hair spilling past her shoulders and was played with by the wind.

 

The girl herself was a petite little thing, carrying a huge water bucket that seemed much to heavy for her. To Belita though, this wasn't an unusual task and was easily handled on a normal day. It was very cold this night however, and the night before she found it hard to sleep because of the cold. She was also hungry, very hungry. She would get her meal for the day as soon as she fetched the water. She would be a good dog and just a little more, she would get her food and rest.

 

Belita continued walking not very alert, her grip would loosen every few minutes or so and she would carefully pull the bucket back up to her side. She didn't want to be late, the little mishap she had while fetching water from back when she was about nine years of age was a bit hazy but still sharp in her head.

It was a night much like this one, and her condition was much like now. She had dropped the water and returned empty handed. She didn't get food that night, but instead received a bit of a beating by Madame (she had tried to call Madame mother once, but Madame had not been to happy about it.) and rightly so. Belita was nothing but an ugly ungrateful little leech. She did not deserve to be given the food she was given and the place that she had called home. She didn't deserve to live and yet she did.

 

It was about another ten minutes until she reached the inn now. She could hear the trotting of horses not far off and sound of wheels rolling across ground. She could hear the muffled clacking of something. Something heavy from the sound it made. Belita payed it no mind, the inn was on the outskirts of Lenat and Netheloc. Travelers coming from Lenat to Netheloc or vice versa often stayed at the inn. It didn't matter to Madame and her husband was kind of people they hosted as long as the guests payed by the end of their stay.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Lilraaos

[redfox]

Elwen left the Blue Faction headquarters to wander around the town of Falandthal, looking around at all the other buildings that were there. She hadn't been in the town itself for very long after joining the Blue Falcons so she wanted to explore a little bit and also possibly purchase a few trinkets for her friends back home to the south where the other rogue elves lived. As she meandered aimlessly around the small town, she wondered if she'd possibly see any other Blue Faction members that also might be out and about but then she just sighed and continued to window shop.

[Narath]

((Seems like a few hours would suffice))

 

Saren stretched as the wagon rolled along the countryside. The ride had been longer than he had planned, mostly because he didn't think of how much stress the added weight from the jewels in the wagon would put on the horses. Looking behind him, the alchemist ensured that the tarp that he had used to cover the gems was in place. He didn't want anyone trying to rob from him after all. After he was sure the tarp was still secure, Saren's eyes wandered back to the road. He was exhausted. Thankfully, it seemed like there was an inn not too far away.

The alchemist steered the cart not too far away from the door and gave it a loud knock.

"Hello? Anyone there?" He called. "Are you still open?"

 

----------------------

 

A bead of sweat rolled down Tarin's face. He silently thanked himself for putting his helmet back on to hide how tired he was. The two knights that were with him didn't seem to be very tired themselves though they had been out all day. So far, they hadn't found anything suspicious, though they did catch a little boy trying to steal an apple. He had a soft spot for kids like that though, so he let him off with a warning and tossed the vendor a coin for the apple. While Tarin was glad that nothing had gone wrong, he was upset that they weren't able to catch the assassin.

[Lilraaos]

The house was a little figurine in her view now, black and lonely standing in the middle of the dark green forest. Upon seeing the inn, Belita clutched the handles of the bucket tightly. She was holding it close to her chest so it wouldn't swing and spill, her bare feet pounded on the ground, cold grass tickling her toes and chilly wind stung her skin forcing her blue hair to whip her face as she picked up her pace, already tasting the food and feeling the warmth.

 

She stopped, breathing heavily and winded as she could neared the inn. She saw the figure of a tall man knocking on the doors of the inn. She heard him call and quickly rushed up to him, head bowed modestly, hair draping messily over her shoulders. Not looking at him, just at his shoes. She wasn't allowed to look upon the guests. It was insulting- meant that she thought she was some kind of equal.

 

"Hello." Her soft voice spoke as she stared at her toes smeared with grass stain and dirt.

"My mistress and master might take awhile, and it is a chilly night so I shall lead you in." She finished. Her voice was firm, yet still manged to be soft and non demanding.

 

She turned and opened the door. A blast of warm air and light greeted them. She walked in, not looking behind to see if he was following her. A shrill and sharp voice rose over the chatter of the few guests.

 

"There you are you lazy mutt! What has taken you so long, just to fetch a bucket of water might I add?"

 

The speaker was a women who looked very beautiful despite her age. Long flowing brown hair spilled past her chest, her figure resembled that of an hourglass. Her complexion was pale, the color of one who didn't spend much time outside and thus didn't do much hard labor, her lips were a bright blood red, and her green eyes glared at the young blue haired girl in disgust.

 

"I'm sorry, Madame. I won't let you down next time."

[Narath]

"Oh. Thank you." Saren said, somewhat surprised by the young girl that had appeared out of nowhere.

He gave the young lady a warm smile and walked in behind her, wondering why she wouldn't look up. His question soon had a likely answer as they entered however, as who he assumed her mother began shouting at her as if she was the plague.

"I beg your pardon miss, but what kind of way is that to address a young lady such as this?" He asked angrily. "She may be late, but that is no way to treat someone! Especially not with a potential customer around!"

The alchemist was steaming at what was happening in front of him. If there was another inn nearby he would surely have been out the door right then and there. After making sure the young woman was alright of course.

 

((Sorry for my absence, Job hunting is a pain.))

Edited November 18, 2014 by Narath

[Lilraaos]

The women looked at the newcomer as if just noticing him for the first time. She smiled, a beautiful smile. She spoke as she walked over to the blue haired girl who now cowered, hands small and dainty on her head and trembling. In the light, one could see the faint white scars on her hands and arms. She hadn't messed up in awhile, and that she was proud of.

 

"I'm sorry sir. It's understandable that you are upset, even to treat a human slave like the way she is treated is cruel." The women apologized.

 

She paused, batting the blue haired girl's hands away from her head. The girl looked up at the man for the first time, eyes full of shame. Those eyes squeezed shut as the strings on her cloak tightened around her neck for a second, then loosened the cloak dropped on a black pile in the ground, revealing her dirty unflattering clothes. Her small hands instinctively reached up to cover the lowered wolf ears on her head.

 

Stories of her kind whispered in her mind. A story of a werewolf who ate a child in front of her mother, then found her mother and tore her to shreds. So many stories of werewolves raiding towns and travelers, leaving only destruction in their wake. Stories of why she was a hated monster.

 

"But," Madame had resumed talking, "As you can see, she is not a human, merely a dog." Her eyes widened in false alarm, "Don't worry though, she can't transform into a full were and she sleeps in chains. The part that goes around her head is made of silver of course. You're perfectly safe, I assure you." Madame explained. She turned to the still cowering were girl, barking at her to go to bed.

 

"Miss. I'm hungry, I worked as hard as I could today, can't you spare something for me to eat?" The girl asked quietly, regretting the words the moment they left her mouth.

 

"You dare to ask for food after stealing from the kitchen this morning?" Madame asked dangerously quiet.

 

"Miss, I didn't do it!" She knew she had made a grave mistake when she saw her mistress's eyes.

 

"A thief should have his hands cut off. We can't do that since the only thing you are good for is labor, but a lier should have his tongue cut out. Your lying tongue and talk back is not needed. When my husband gets home he shall see to it that you never utter another word."

 

"Mistress please! I did it. I'm sorry, I'll never steal from you again- I won't say another thing again. Please?"

 

"Maybe without a tongue, someone will buy you. I tried to sell you, but no one wanted a rabid dog. A carnival owner tried to buy you once but the most he would pay for you was five gold. I wish I had sold you then, frankly I'd sell you for a copper coin right now."

Edited November 19, 2014 by Lilraaos

[Narath]

Saren's eyes grew wide as he saw her ears. He had heard tails of her kind before, and they terrified him, but the young woman standing there with scars lining her arms was not the face of a monster. The only monster here was the inn lady.

"Here, take this." He spat at the older woman, practically throwing a few pieces of gold at her. "Leave that poor girl alone. She's done nothing to deserve this treatment! Yes, she may be a were, but that does not mean she is some force of evil. That money should be enough for a room for each of us, and if you tend to my horses and wagon outside without disturbing the contents of the cart, I promise you that I will get you more pay. Now if you could kindly show us both to our rooms, I will be getting some much needed sleep.

"Oh by the way, if you do not treat her like you would your best paying customer, I can easily give you some wolfish features for the rest of your horrid life."

[Lilraaos]

Madame looked surprised when the guest responded angrily to the way she was treated. This was certainly a first. She looked to her mistress, awaiting her orders. Face palming, Madame ordered her to follow and attend to the guest. Madame shot her a silent glare that told her that she would be dealt with when the guest was gone.

 

"I'll show you to your room." She mumbled, leading the guest to a hallway. She stared at the ground, her pale toes were covered in dirt and there were still grass stains. She was suddenly conscious of how dirty she was. Madame had never saw to it that she was kept very clean, unless she was cooking, then she was permitted to wash her hands and tie up her hair. Speeding up, she hoped she didn't smell.

 

"This is your room. Is there anything I can get you?"

Edited November 19, 2014 by Lilraaos

[Narath]

((The money was also to "buy" Belita, so technically her mother cannot order her around.))

[Narath]

"You do not need to get me anything." Saren said, a little cross.

He thought he had made it clear to the inn lady that he had "bought" her. Oh well, then he'd just have to clarify that.

"Wait here." He said as he left the room, stomping down the stairs as he did so.

"You do realize that a few of those coins were to set that woman free, do you not?" He said furiously to the innkeeper. "That means that she no longer answers to you! She is not a slave! And did I not make it clear that you were to treat her as a good customer?!"

Clapping his hands, Saren then pressed them to her shoulders pushing her back. Stepping back with a smile, he observed his work, pleased with the wolfish whiskers sprouting from the woman's face.

"Now that's a warning." He stated smugly. "If you are a good girl, I may remove them. If not... Well, you'll just receive more surprises.

"Anyways, I'll be back off to my room, but you may want to get that woman her own room for the night right away. And let her know how sorry you are."

[Quackerz]

((So very, very, very sorry to have taken this long to reply! Hoping with the holidays past, the chaos should begin to lift quicker!))

 

Karina watched from above as the two knights and young Tennat searched the streets, keeping an eye on the rooftops from her position and the back alley's. So far there had not been a sign one of the assassins, something most troubling for Karina. The air itself seemed to be a bit heavier than normal, even though it was probably just in her mind, it was a feeling shared by the two knights with Tennat. Her eyes scanned from spot to spot, almost desperate to spot something... anything.

 

But the streets were calm, unusually so. Not even so much as a petty theft, unless one would count the child stealing the Apple earlier, but Karina and the Knights did not. In the back of her mind, Karina simply knew something was wrong... The city might of been peaceful, but never this peaceful.

 

"...Something is terribly wrong here. ..." Karina said to herself, stopping her flight and looking upwards towards the sky, then suddenly dived down towards the street where the two knights and Tennat stood. "Something is wrong. The streets are never this peaceful. We must return to the castle!" she suddenly snapped out as though she were angry at something, while it obviously wasn't the three of them, the two knights were slightly startled by this outburst.

 

Lowering down her wing Karina stared at the three of them, "We have no time to wait. Climb on." She stated, the two knights looking at each other momentarily before proceeding to climb onto her back.

 

 

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Serkan looked out in the far distance, still on horseback with his other men, they stood upon a small hillside, their scimitar's blood stained. Standing before them across the distance in in all it's beauty, or rather, what was left of it, was the capital city. Unlike the capital of Falandthal, the city was far from gorgeous or shining, but rather highly militarized. Long stone walls and towers ran in all directions throughout the city, while the outer perimeter wall had crumbled in some spots. Inside a gigantic castle could be seen, not black - but rather a dark blue color, with an indigo glow to it as the sun shone on it.

 

Large troop divisions could be seen on the outskirts of the wall, marching in large formations. Catapults scattered around the city and the walls covered with various forms of defenses.

 

"So, there it is... It has been a long time since I have seen the city. A shame to see it's defenses continue to deteriorate, I was hoping for at least a little challenge to get in." Serkan said, not overly loud, but enough for his men to hear him and chuckle, followed by nods of agreeance. They turned their horses and began to ride to the East, circling around towards the cities weaker and notably "shadier" side.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Sean175