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Riath

Dragon Cave: Tales of Galsreim

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Gaolin grinned at the dino, attempting to make him feel comfortable. His eyes swept the room yet again, and a small group of elves waved. "Are those your elf friends, Setin?" he asked curiously. "They seem nice enough."

 

Just as Gaolin finished speaking, a flash of fiery magic peeked between the throng of party-goers. It appeared someone was showing off. "Hey Setin, would you like to go look at that mage?" Gaolin patiently waited for the reply, but he was quite worried about how close the fire was to the wooden tables and chairs and walls. If something caught on fire, Gaolin wanted to be there to help with the little water magic he knew. All he could really do was move a small bucket's worth of water, and that was with the help of the pendant, but it was more than nothing. I need to be prepared, he thought to himself as he slipped his left hand into his tunic pocket, feeling the smooth gem there. A trickle of power seemed to flow from the pendant into Gaolin, allowing him to harness the reserves of magic he had within him.

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Havoid wasn't particularly interested in entering the building; all lights, banners, and noise, how could one ever concentrate? The small sprite clutching her horns though fluttered down with excitement, rushing right into the fray.

" IT"S GOING TO BE SO FUN COME ON HAAVOIIIIID!"

" I know I know, I'm going!" The Guardian grumbled, picking up her rump and heading toward the lights. She tried to anticipate the commotion that would smack her like a brick wall, but she had never done so before; as a result, the first things that caught her off guard was the blaring band and the heavy smell of mead.

" Heung!" She hacked.

" Come on, you're taking too long!" The sprite jumped up and began slapping Havoid's paw; the equivalent of a child tugging one's sleeve.

" Just give me a bit..." Havoid said foggily, but the sprite was too impatient to wait any longer.

" LOOK! There are so many dragons!" She gasped. " Look at that guy! He looks like a horse! Oh, and that guy has like, bright colors everywhere! OOO! That guy's throwing fireballs! Can we see? Can we see can we see can we see?!"

Slow down! Havoid silently begged, squinting so her eyes could adjust. Her actual words were: " Uh... yeah, let's go see."

" EEEE!" The sprite squealed, jumping forward into the thickening crowd.

" Whimsy? Whimsy! Aw no..." Havoid shook her head clear and plodded forward, pushing past a Striped River dragon and scanning the crowd for a short, green winged person. " Um.. uh... Excuse me, did you see a sprite?" She nudged the Striped River. His face emerged from a cup brimming with mead and just stared at her sleepily; drunk, go figures. Suppressing a snarl, Havoid went back to scanning the crowd. With any luck the Forest Sprite won't be able to ignore the urge to dance around the fire mage - it was fire, right? Fire isn't usually purple... - so she'll be in plain sight.

Instead though, Havoid caught a plaintive giggle from the other side of the crowd.

You have to be kidding-! Her thoughts started, as she backed out from the crowd, so tightly-packed in like fish in a barrel, and trotted around it. " Whimsy??" She called.

 

Vanished, as usual. Havoid huffed; how can a big dragon such as herself lose a bright green person?! Maybe it was all of this commotion muddling her senses...

I need water. She resorted. A glance at the buffet her there was some, along with an assorted amount of other liquids, but the tank was surprisingly low. There must be some aquatic creatures around drinking it all up.

Or a bunch of drunkards trying to quench their thirst. She figured. Or maybe both.

Havoid gave the massive hall another cursory scan for Whimsy, before making her way slowly toward the water tank. Perhaps this will just be one of those times where she has to wait for Whimsy to wear herself out.

 

...Something that won't be happening anytime soon. The small Forest Sprite studied the performing mage's moves with childlike wonder, before finding the next most-interesting thing: a nearby glittering dragon conversing with several elves.

SHINY! Was all she thought, dashing toward the dragon. The beast's casual telepathy about the "logging down south" was cut off as it felt something jumping on its tail.

" Huh, what?" It jumped, but as a result flicked its tail and sent Whimsy tumbling back into the crowd!

" WHEEEE!" She squealed in excitement. The dragon was left in confusion as passing centaurs concealed the source of its tail-jumper.

What next?! Oo, look at that thing! No, that other thing! Whimsy's mind was in a whirl; the joy of the room was infectious!

Oh! Shiny hat! On the king's head!

Bouncing into the air, Whimsy bolted toward the king's throne, intent on snatching his crown and examining it entirely, but instead ran headlong into someone who stepped into the way.

Whack!

As it turns out, leather boots are very hard.

" Owie.." Whimsy sat up, clutching her head. Oh how it throbbed! It hurts! Who is-?

" Shiny!" Her pain was immediately ignored at the sight of a glittering thing strapped to the stranger's side, underneath his blue cloak. It was only a glint, a suggestion of something, but it was enough for her. She jumped up and reached for it, only to pull back with a squeak.

Ow! Blood!

As such, Whimsy was stopped momentarily, antennae quivering as she stared at the cut on her finger. For someone who's always trying out new things, the sight of blood - even her own - was still a shock to her.

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Setin turned towards his Elven companions, a dopey smile spreading across his reptilian face once again. He gave them a little wave with his front limb, before turning back to Gaolin. Ah, he knew his Elven friends would never ditch him. They were watching him to make sure he was okay. Man, he loved those guys.

 

"Yes, that's them alright. They're watching me to make sure I'm fine. In fact, any of the Elves you see wearing these-"

 

He paused to motion to the golden bangles around his feet, above his shoes.

 

"Are probably part of the same group as me. They're uh... banklets? Was that what they were called? Blankets of speed. Yeah! They let me run faster."

 

Gaolin successfully drew his attention to the magic show over yonder. Were those... Fireballs? And they seemed to be changing colour too! Setin stomped his feet excitedly, hyped to see the magic show.

 

"Sure! Let's check it out!"

 

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

The man turned, a low grunt emerging from his mouth as he felt something abruptly slam into him. Before he could turn, he felt the person reach for his hidden weapon. He looked down into the aquamarine eyes of the child-like figure on the ground. She had cut her finger on his blade, it seemed. Luckily for her, his blade wasn't poisoned. It would have been a painful death for the child otherwise.

 

"Where are your parents, little one? Do they let children wander around and touch what isn't theirs here?"

 

The man reached down, offering a hand to help the little girl up.

 

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

 

Meanwhile, the two other man in blue, the ones who had scoffed at and applauded 'Edwain's performance, stopped by the human and Dino. They looked at the king from there, and they both seemed to have an aura of unnatural calm around them.

Edited by Riath

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"Okay, let's go." Gaolin led the way, brushing aside the people crowding the aisles to make room for Setin. Slowly they approached the fire, and soon they stood in front of the spectacle. Gaolin watched the flames dance, impressed at the man's control of the fire.

 

However, two men wearing blue stepped up next to Gaolin, causing him to shift slightly towards Setin. The two men seemed incredibly calm, but Gaolin noticed they weren't staring into the fire like he had been. Instead, they were staring at the king. Immediately, Gaolin knew something was up with those two, but he couldn't risk a fight without being provoked. He settled for watching the flames again, but he bent over slightly to whisper to his new friend, "Those two men are bad news, we need to keep an eye on them." Gaolin faced the fire yet again but let his eyes roam, making sure he was turned enough away from the men that they could not see his eyes moving around. He looked for possible escape routes, or individuals who looked particularly capable of flight for escape or seemed skilled in the art of warfare. It was very possible this festival could erupt into chaos like last year's did, and Gaolin wanted to stay alive.

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Setin followed his new pal, appreciating him clearing a path for him. His eyes opened wide as he watched the performer play with the fireballs. They were glowing white now, and he seemed to be producing more fireballs. His control over them never faded. The Dino was snapped out of his daze as Gaolin spoke to him. He turned to look at the two men, examining them and their blue robes. They seemed to be really calm. And they weren't watching the performance either. He decided to trust Gaolin's judgement over his own. He wasn't a very smart Dino. But Gaolin seemed to be certain. Setin, not knowing the meaning of inconspicuous, turned his entire body to stare at the two men. Luckily, they seemed not to notice either.

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

King Enrich clapped, watching the performer. He was impressed by his juggling, as well as his apparent courage. It was hard to perform or speak in front of an entire crowd. And a quarter of the room seemed to be watching his little magic show. He called over one of his guards, and the armoured man approached him.

 

"My good man. Send word to that performer. Tell him the king wishes to see his art up close."

 

The man shuffled nervously, muttering something about breaking protocol and security issues. However, seeing the hopeful, excited look in the king's eyes as he watched 'Edwain' do his magic from afar, the guard sighed and walked over, parting the crowd.

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

Image of the throne pedestal

The hooded man stopped performing as the knight broke the circle around him to approach. He smiled, the fireballs disappearing. His smile widened as the man informed him that the king wished for him to approach.

 

"Sorry, fellas. Ole Edwain's gotta show his highness some o his moves, eh?"

 

The crowd cheered, making way for 'Edwain' as he walked towards the king, starting to move past Setin and Gaolin. His two companions in blue nodded to him as they went.

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

Meanwhile, by the Merman and the Siren, two more assassins stood, watching. They were right behind the Merfolk, their voices only audible to themselves and the aquatic duo. They seemed to be the same height and had the same build, and completed each others sentences.

 

"Do you think it's t-"

 

"-ime? Yes, I suppose so. Let's-"

 

"Sink a blade into the old fool and be-"

 

"Done with it. Then we can-"

 

"Head home."

 

The two stalked off towards the pedestal as 'Edwain' drew closer.

Edited by Riath

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"Setin," Gaolin hissed, "Don't stare at them!" The half-orc nudged his friend's shoulders back towards the performer, Edwain. However, the show soon ended when a knight of the king stepped into the circle of onlookers.

 

As Edwain left, Gaolin noticed the two suspicious strangers nodding to the performer. The rest of the audience was creating a din, cheering and clapping. They pushed against each other and soon filled up the little space there was between Gaolin and Setin and the mage. Grumbling softly at being cut off, Gaolin turned to Setin and said, "Let's see if we can get up closer to the king." He didn't bother explaining himself, Gaolin knew if something bad was to happen they wouldn't have much time to talk. Last year's tragedy would not happen again so long as he was there to stop it.

 

Looking around, he noted a humanoid with strange ears standing across the room, a golden wyvern sneakily stealing the rest of the mead as the room was distracted, and a purple hatchling trying his best to help a pregnant human. Nothing was out of the ordinary except the pair of twins he spotted behind the one with the strange ears. Twins were rarely seen, even by Gaolin who traveled for a living. The calm men had not moved, they seemed to be a well of serenity amid the rush of the crowd. Perhaps it was magic?

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Setin nodded, not knowing what he did wrong by staring at them. Still, he trusted his new friend. And he seemed to know what he was doing. He suddenly had an idea. Ideas weren't something he had often, but this time, it seemed like a good one.

 

"Oh, Gaolin. Hop onto my back. The crowd will part for us because of my size. We can get there easier."

 

He bent his knees, waiting for the human to hop onto his scaly back. It wasn't unusual to see people hitching rides on Dragon friends. He had seen two Skywings pull a bench around earlier, like some flying chariot. There had been several dwarves on the bench, laughing heartily at the experience. He looked back at Gaolin with another dopey smile, intending to start moving towards the throne pedestal as soon as he felt the weight on his back.

 

 

((Gonna wait for the others to reply before continuing as the Assasins.))

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The fireballs disappeared, and the crowd erupted into cheers and applause, which Aurel joined. Odhran started applauding too, after the merman elbowed him on the ribs.

 

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Aurel asked with a grin.

"I guess," Odhran shrugged, just content that he had been wrong and Edwain hadn't been planning to attack them.

 

"Sink a blade into the old fool and be-"

 

Oh for the love of-

 

He pretended he hadn't heard the voice behind him. Maybe if he was lucky, Aurel would have still been entranced enough by the fire show to not have heard. Maybe they'd be able to walk away and not get involved in dangerous things that had nothing to do with them. Even if the whole continent burned to the ground they could always go back to the ocean, so there was absolutely no reason to mess with land affairs.

 

"Hey, you two!"

 

Or maybe he was unlucky enough to have a companion who didn't know the meaning of 'none of our business'.

 

Like Odhran dreaded, Aurel had turned, taking a step towards the two hooded figures that had been talking behind them. The merman looked calm, but Odhran had noticed how he had looked around to pinpoint the nearest sources of water. "Aurel-" He tried to stop the other, but the merman spoke over him, voice loud enough to be heard above the surrounding noise.

 

"What do you mean you two are going to stab someone!?"

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The two turned towards Aurel as his accusation rang out. The surrounding people stopped, turning to stare at them. The two hooded figures seemed dumbstruck, not expecting anyone to have heard them. The crowd started to whisper, and 'Edwain' swore under his breath as he continued to approach the king, looking over at his two companions that had just been found out. The remaining three seemed to be doing well though. Two were stationed by the king, and one was nearby, though the last time he had looked, he was occupied with a child who had grabbed his sword. Fortunately, the commotion hadn't reached that far yet. He knelt in front of the king's pedestal. The raised platform was ringed by seven guards. Three on each side. Frederick was in the middle, next to the king.

 

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

 

The two spoke from under their hoods, addressing the strange-eared people in front of them

 

"We don't kn-"

 

"-ow what you're talking about, sir."

 

"We have sai-"

 

"-d nothing for the last several minutes."

 

The crowd continued to mutter and whisper, staring suspiciously at the blue-cloaked men. They hadn't done anything of note yet, but if the Merfolk continued to accuse them, it seemed likely that the crowd would spring into action.

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"If you're sure..." Gaolin gingerly placed his hands on Setin's shoulders and settled onto his back. After all, this was a fairly common occurrence, especially at a festival like this one. And who knows, it could be fun! Setin's scales were cold to the touch but a mild warmth emanated from them if Gaolin paid attention to that sense. He could feel that the dino had a bit of muscle, probably from his adventures with his elf friends.

 

From his new vantage point, Gaolin could see above just about all the heads in the crowd. Over to his right, it seemed that the one with the strange ears was confronting the twin-like people- Gaolin was not surprised. Twins were generally bad news, and the mead was bound to thrust some accusations and rivalries to the surface.

 

"All right, I'm on. Thank you, this was a great idea," Gaolin stated to Setin, pleased with the efficiency of Setin's idea. He just hoped he wasn't too heavy for the dino. Looking up, Gaolin noticed that the mage had just reached the king. "We should hurry, the performance is about to begin."

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Whimsy took her eyes off her newfound cut for a moment, staring at the tall man. He seemed nice enough.

" Havoid doesn't mind if I touch stuff. She likes shiny things too!" She decided to explain. " I saw the shiny and-"

Her face fell as she pointed at the man's side. Where did it go? It was there a minute ago!!

" The shiny's gone!" She jumped up, thoroughly confused by the cloaking spell. She intended to search the man's cloak, no matter how much he would protest, but instead her attention was swayed back to the performing mage; he was no longer performing, but instead had made his way to the king. If it weren't for the cheering crowd and the man's big smile, she wouldn't have left the blue-cloaked man alone!

"He's going to make fire!" Her bubbly attitude returning, Whimsy began tugging on his pant leg, as though he was her father and not a total stranger. " I want to go see! You want to go see? I want to go see!!"

 

----------

 

Havoid stared at the water tank for a long time. Many dragons had dewclaws or thumbs that they could use to hold mugs, but she only had three big toes meant for smacking things around. She couldn't even use her tail to pour herself a drink!

" Do you need something?"

Havoid looked up, a bit startled by the voice, and not seeing anyone her eye level she looked down.

Ah. A centaur styled after a doe. She was looking at Havoid in concern.

" Oh, uh... just contemplating my paws." Havoid grinned stupidly. The centaur just smiled.

" Too bad you're not an Undine." She commented, grabbing a mug and filling it up with water. " The ones near my village are always performing water magic for us."

Havoid didn't answer, allowing the centaur to hold the mug up for her. The Guardian dipped her nose gratefully into it, but before she could take a good sip, a loud, accusatory shout rang out in the hall.

" What do you mean you two are going to stab someone?!"

Havoid almost choked, and the centaur jumped. HUH?

" Perhaps a drunkard?" The centaur wondered a little hastily. Havoid raised her muzzle and stared in puzzlement; for some reason, the centaur was unnerved, placing the mug on the table with only an apology and leaving. The Guardian squinted.

That was... odd... But it probably is just some neighborhood rivalry. She thought. She raised her head to try and get a good look at the commotion, but the relaxed, bowed wings of two murmuring Sunsongs blocked her view. Havoid's tail twitched, and decided to leave her thirst for now; priority number one was making sure Whimsy wasn't over there in case a fight broke out. With that, she stood up and made her way over to the edges of the crowd, not interested in being close to the thick of it, yet skirting the edges to make sure there weren't any Forest Sprites within.

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Aurel kept his attention on the two cloaked ones, purposefully ignoring Odhran's pointed look. The siren was the type to let a stabbing happen in front of him without lifting a finger and Aurel knew that, hence why he expected no help from his companion. He had hoped those two had been joking or that he had heard wrong, but after their complete denial, it was clear the duo had not expected to be talked to.

 

"'Let's sink a blade into the old fool and be done with it.' The ones who said that were completing each other's sentences - I find it difficult to believe there are more people in the vicinity who share this speech pattern." While he didn't desire a confrontation, if these cloaked strangers were planning on hurting someone in an environment where everyone was supposed to have carefree fun, by the gods he was going to intervene. Hence, he kept his voice loud, hoping to attract the attention of the nearby crowd so the party-goers could be on their guard, in case one of them was the target.

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Setin began to move towards the king. As expected, the crowd moved aside so they wouldn't be trampled by him. He managed to get front row places, as the performer knelt before the king. The dino watched in anticipation as the performer spoke with King Enrich. The two blue-cloaked people were nearby too, and seemed to be watching the King as well. Setin crouched, to let Gaolin off his back. He had no trouble carrying the man. He was heavy enough for the additional weight to be inconsequential. He looked around for his elf friends, but they seemed to be off doing something on their own. He shrugged. They were likely watching the show too from another angle.

 

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

 

The man sighed as the child started tugging at his clothes. What was with this child? She seemed comfortable with strangers to the point where she would do something like that. Well, it wasn't like the child could do anything anyway. Perhaps people would part and let him get to the front easier if he had a child with him. Yes, the situation was slightly advantageous to him. Under the hood, he stared down at the little girl.

 

"Alright, let's go take a closer look then."

 

He started moving towards the throne pedestal, expecting the girl to follow behind.

 

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

 

The crowd continued their confused muttering, staring at the four. A ring had now formed around the Merfolk and the Blue-outfitted men, and some of the patrons seemed to be ready to leap into action and grab the hooded twins. They were new to this whole business, and inexperience had lead them to exposing their plans like that. The twins stared at each other nervously, before continuing with their denial.

 

"No, we s-"

 

"-aid no such thing. You must have-"

 

"-misheard."

 

"Yes, we said abso-"

 

"-lutely nothing."

 

At their suspicious denial, the crowd increased in both number and volume. They seemed to be on guard now, most tensing up and several bending their knees and getting into position to fight off someone. The same knight who had requested 'Edwain's' presence earlier stepped forward, addressing the Merfolk.

 

"What's going on here, sirs? Is there an issue?"

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Someone approached them; part of the castle's security, Aurel guessed, since he had the same kind of armor as the guards placed near the king. The memory of the ones at the entrance asking Odhran to momentarily take his coat off to make sure he wasn't carrying anything dangerous underneath gave Aurel an idea that would prove if there was need to be concerned or not.

 

He addressed the guard, making a hand gesture towards the two cloaked strangers. "I'm sure I heard those two plotting an assault. Would it be possible to search them for weapons?" That should prove their intentions.

 

Now that Aurel only had half of his attention on the strangers, he noticed his siren friend had moved, slowly having inched backwards until he was with the rest of the crowd and away from the center of attention. It wasn't that important for Odhran to be near, so Aurel didn't comment, waiting instead for the guard's answer.

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The guard nodded, before heading towards one of the twins. It would make everyone else feel at ease if he checked them. They recoiled as he approached, increasing the guard's suspicion. His helmet tucked under one arm, and his sword sheathed by his side, the armoured knight took a step forward to examine the twins further. The twins backed off, away from the merfolk.

 

"Sir, please. If you're innocent, you have nothing t-"

 

The twins, in perfect sync, reached for their sides. Seemingly from nowhere, two swords appeared in their hands. The blades were double-edged and curved, with spikes running down the shorter cutting edge. They shimmered wickedly in the light, although that could have been the remnants of the cloaking spell. The two lunged forward, their blades headed towards the guard's head. The guard lifted his arms to protect his face, resulting in the first sword clanging against his armour, rebounding. The second sword slid across the man's face, a cut appearing on his left cheekbone. The man grunted in pain, as he retreated. He drew his sword, facing the two twins as the crowd started to erupt in noise. Several partygoers stepped forward, intent on confronting the twins. The guard motioned for them to back off.

 

"In the name of the king, I shall strike you two down."

Picture of the assassins' Swords

 

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

 

Meanwhile, the commotion hadn't reached the throne pedestal yet. A few partygoers were headed towards the king to report the attack by the twins. 'Edwain' knelt before the king, as the old man began to speak to him.

 

"Greetings, performer. I noticed your little show going on over there. I would like you to perform up here, in front of me, please. I am rather impressed with your magic. What's your name, mage?"

 

'Edwain' grinned, looking up at the king.

 

"My name is 'Edwain', your majesty. I am truly honoured to be able to perform for you."

Edited by Riath

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Whimsy was ecstatic about the stranger's compliance.

" YAAAY!" She squealed, jumping ahead and pushing past people. With her small size, she was an annoyance at best, so it wasn't hard for her to get a front row seat, so to speak. She kept glancing back at the man, practically bouncing off the walls with her excited energy, antennae quivering like leaves on an aspen tree; and her impatient self couldn't wait for the show to begin.

" Show us fire magic!" She shouted at the newly-introduced Edwain. " Fire! Fire!"

" Yeah, give the king a good show!" A pymgy from the other side of the crowd hollered, joining in the chat. With the bubbly attitude from the crowd, it wasn't long before many of the youngsters were chanting the performer on, completely oblivious to his true nature.

 

-----

 

Havoid wasn't paying much attention to the conflict, too busy trying to spot a familiar face. With Whimsy nowhere in sight though, the sound of swords being pulled from the sheath made her head bolt upright.

A fight! Those dumbies are actually going to fight! Despite her silent insult concerning the behavior of the aggressors (whom she still suspected were simply drunk beyond reason), Havoid felt a surge of adrenaline. Fighting it was she was raised for, a defender by heart. Maybe she could get a claw in the fray...

No. She stopped herself. I'll only be in the way.

And yet, the thought of shattering her long peacetime spent with Whimsy was exciting. The last thing she fought was a puma intent on carrying the Forest Sprite away, and the cat wasn't even that impressive. A fight with sentient beings though...

No! She told herself firmly. Just... watch. Keep an eye out for Whimsy.

 

The Guardian forced herself to stand back in the crowd, despite inching forward ever so slightly. The guard's claim of defeating the aggressive twins left her intrigued, and as the blades started flying she became memorized by them; such a deadly performance!

So much for looking out for Whimsy.

Edited by skwerl56767

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The hooded stranger smiled as the child cleared the path for him. He made sure to watch 'Edwain' closely, preparing himself mentally for what they had to do. His blue cloak shifted as his hand reached for his concealed weapon. The soon-to-be assassin watched the girl, to make sure she didn't try to grab his sword again.

 

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

 

The mage stood up, his hands raised in the same position he had started conjuring the fireballs in.

 

"Yes, your highness. For my first trick, I have something very special. Nothing to good for the ruler of all of humankind in Galsreim. Why, I'm sure you will be duly impressed, sire!"

 

The crowd cheered. The three unoccupied men in blue tensed up, as if ready to spring forward at any time. Most of those present failed to notice them, however.

 

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

 

Setin watched the two men he and Gaolin had focused on earlier. Noticing them tensing up, he whispered to Gaolin.

 

"Hey, you think they're going to take part in the performance too?"

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Gaolin hopped off of Setin's back, whispering a thank you as well as scratching a scale. Almost immediately after, a child ran up by his side, eagerly watching Edwain as he prepared to show a trick to the king. A man in a blue robe followed after her, but he looked nothing like the child. Maybe not even the same species. Further away, a flash of silver caught Gaolin's attention. Swords. Three swords split the air. One was a king's guard standard model but the other two swords he could not recognize. He was certain the king's guard could handle himself, so Gaolin turned his attention back to the king.

 

Setin whispered to him, and Gaolin looked over at the men, who were leaning forward slightly as they were prepared to go up to Edwain. "I think there will be no performance. Stay on guard," Gaolin told Setin, louder than he had to so thay the child beside him and a few others in the crowd could hear. Soon, the gossip would spread that someone who looked to be a season fighter had thought the performace would be halted. Maybe then the crowd would not be so oblivious.

 

The fourth man in blue beside the child had shifted, grabbing something within his cloak. He would be the one Gaolin could stop if something happened, as his way was blocked by the child. He was also within tackling distance, but the sword may prove a bit of a problem. Gaolin wrapped his large hand around the pendant. He would need strength for the events coming to a head.

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Setin, though confused, nodded and watched the two men who seemed to be tensing up. He looked around at the crowd. Several older men who had been excited earlier now seemed more serious, looking at Gaolin and the performer in front. The word had spread fairly fast, that someone mentioned there would be no performance. The Dino turned his attention back towards the performer, now standing about three metres away from the king. The guards surrounded the king, 3 on each side, spaced out. More noise and panicked whispers filled the air as the commotion from the twins extended to the crowd in front of the king.

 

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

 

King Enrich's smile faded as the commotion from the duel between the knight and the twins reached the crowd. Several heads turned to look at it, and the taller dragons and other large races spotted the scene, muttering to the people around them. Several people headed over to intervene.

 

"I suppose the performance will have to be put on hold, so we can sort out th-"

 

"Oh, but the show must go on, your majesty."

 

The crowd gasped as the performer interrupted the king. Even worse than that was the tone of malice and utter disrespect he had addressed the king with. Although the kindly king smiled and attempted to continue, he was silenced once again by 'Edwain' raising his hands. His face darkening, he spoke once again.

 

"What are you doing? Your performance can wait. There is a situation I must deal with first?"

 

"I never said anything about a performance, Enrich."

 

The crowd broke out into shouts and jeers, at the terribly rude man who dared to call the King by his first name.

 

"I just said the show must go on."

 

'Edwain' exhaled, and with that, two bolts of reddish-purple energy extended from his hands. The crackling magic resembled two large tentacles, with sharpened tips. They shot forward as the guards ran into position to defend the king from the assassin. Each tentacle split into three, the points reaching out again and piercing the metal armour of the knights like a knife through wet parchment. The six knights fell, gaping holes in their chest as the crowd started to break out into panic. As Frederick drew his sword, two men ran forward, lunging towards the King and his guard. A third man reached into his cloak, attempting to rush past the child. His hand hadn't closed around his sword just yet...

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The cloaked figures drew out swords and attacked the guard. Before Aurel could intervene, Odhran's hand shot forward, grabbing the back of the merman's tunic and pulling as hard as he could. Luckily for him, he caught Aurel by surprise, making the merman stumble back as the guard drew his own sword.

 

"What do you think you're doing," the siren hissed.

"I have to help!" Aurel complained, recovering his balance.

"On land, with no water mana? You'd only be good as a meat shield."

"But-"

"He's a guard, he's trained for his, and if he needs help there are dragons everywhere."

 

Aurel didn't look happy, but at least he wasn't trying anything else yet. Now, Odhran just had to keep the merman's attention away from the throne.

 

Aurel hadn't realized yet that their 'new friend' had a blue cloak exactly like the armed strangers. And if the shimmering was a spell to conceal weapons, Edwain had been armed too. The last thing Odhran wanted was for them to become involved in a case of regicide, so he had to keep Aurel from noticing as long as he could.

 

And then the yelling started, and he caught the scent of blood in the air. He just hoped the assassins were competent enough to have killed their target already, after being exposed like that - even if it was true that Odhran was more attuned to the smell of blood than humans due to being a carnivore, the panicked yelling of the crowd around the throne was all but impossible to ignore.

 

"We have to get out," he said, and was about to grab the merman's wrist to pull him away when Aurel suddenly ran off.

 

Towards the crowd near the throne.

 

That idiot-

 

He didn't have time for this. Unlike Aurel, he wasn't a good runner; he wouldn't catch up in time. Thinking furiously, Odhran watched the crowd; some seemed determined to help, but others were starting to show signs of fear and distress, with a few already heading towards the exits.

 

He could use that.

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Fire magic. That's what Whimsy wanted to see.

This wasn't fire magic at all.

People fled from the scene like startled fish. Whimsy's mouth was gaping open from seeing the knights be slain, right in front of her. Men jumped forward from out of the crowd, drawing swords. There was an awful sound as someone was struck down.

The man Whimsy was with pushed her out of the way, startling her.

" AAH!" She yelped, antennae waving wildly. She opened her wings and darted forward in a panic.

RUN! FLEE! HIDE!

Smack! Right into the face of some poor, bipedal green dragon. She fell down, scrambling, before using her wings to fly out of there as fast as she could possibly could, squealing at the top of her lungs.

" HAAAAVOOIIIDD!"

 

One of the accusers of the twins bolted past Havoid, distracting her temporarily. He was running right toward the throne, where...

A scream! WHIMSY!

Havoid leaped to her feet, looking at the end of the room. People were running in a mad panic; the only thing seen at the far end was the waving mirage of magic.

Magic? The performer?

" HAAVOOOOIIIID!"

" WHIMSY!" The Guardian answered with a bark.

" AAHHHH!"

With the previous commotion rising to a din, it was surprisingly hard to pick out the Forest Sprite, until she saw a green blur with yellow wings fly straight into the buffet. Dishes flew high into the air, scattering their contents onto confused bystanders; one goblet rose higher than it ever would in the rest of its lifetime.

" Whimsy?!" Havoid rushed over, almost trampling several people in the process. She swept away upturned food with her muzzle, uncovering the sprite. Two small hands grabbed her nose and pulled her tight.

" It was awful!" Whimsy squealed.

" What is? What's going on?!" Havoid demanded, ears lain flat from all of the noise. She could barely hear anything!

" There were these men and the fire guy and the fire guy was a big meanie face and he said stuff and then there were tentacles and the guards fell and-" The sprite tried to explain at breakneck pace.

" Shut up!" Havoid said rudely, shaking her head clear and swinging the sprite from side to side. " Just! Hold on!"

 

Whimsy whined and pulled herself up onto the Guardian's head, hunkering down in between her horns. Havoid reared up, trying to look around and get a bearing on things, but she had never seen so much chaos before!

Well... except maybe...

" IT WAS HIM!" Whimsy accused. Havoid swung her head around, almost throwing the Forest Sprite off.

" What?!" Havoid said in disbelief over the roar of the crowd. " The performer?"

Whimsy must not have heard, as she didn't respond. Either that, or Havoid didn't catch her response.

She fell down heavily on all fours, trying to organize everything in her mind. One fight at one end. And one at the other. The king was the priority.

But anyone who engaged a king and his guards wasn't so stupid as to go in under-trained; could she help the situation at all? Would she just get hurt, or worse, get Whimsy hurt?

Not much time... The Guardian thought. She let her paws lead her.

And they wanted to go right into battle.

 

Havoid rushed past fleeing party-goers, going in the opposite direction of them. Luckily they knew better than to get in the way of a charging dragon, so the path was plenty clear for her (except for that one guy who was probably hit by her tail. Humans were resilient, right?); the question was what to do when she arrived? As she neared she could tell the performer was some kind of mage, but she had never seen those tentacles before... He certainly wasn't juggling fireballs, that was for sure.

She almost tripped over a merman, who was also running right into the battle. A soldier, maybe? Or the previous accuser that had run off? He certainly didn't look like a fighter, but what did she know about merfolk? Maybe he could stand up to the tentacles.

" Fire guy bad!" Whimsy whined, slipping down to hide between Havoid's shoulder blades. Something clicked in the Guardian's brain.

Fire...

She skidded to a halt, only meters away from the now cleared area around the king's throne. She needed a source of fire, and she needed it fast! Problem was, most of the dragons had dispersed already, along with everyone else who was rushing out of the hall.

She needed a dragon...

 

Havoid let the merman go ahead, and turned back toward the exit, running as fast as her paws could take her. With any luck she could catch a fire dragon before they all ran out!

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Once the performance turned out to be a scam, Gaolin immediately tackled the blue-robed man next to him. The forest sprite in front of him smacked into Setin's face, so Gaolin didn't bother to say anything to him. He had to protect the king. He punched the strange man in the face, knocking him out successfully. Sometimes his orc strength came in handy.

 

With the man unconscious, his sword appeared at his side. Gaolin grabbed it from the man, taking the hilt with both hands. The wicked curve of the blade seemed deadly. The man called Edwain stlil stood in front of the slain guards, tentacles writhing. Gaolin looked down at the sword, and back at the performer. He could do this. He had the strength.

 

It only took Gaolin two steps to close the distance between him and the dark mage. He raised the sword to his side and swung at the man's neck, live steel whistling through the air. He subconsciously heard what sounded to be a dragon talking about needing fire. Gaolin could use a bit of fire magic, but he was certain there were fire-type dragons in the room. Maybe a magma, even. Instead he focused all his effort on the swing of his new sword.

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The guard didn't seem to be having much trouble fighting off the twins. The trained guard whipped his weapon around with grace and speed. The coordinated attacks of the twins weren't enough to break through his defence. Whenever he could, the knight would slash at the twins. Small cuts were evident on the face of the knight, and his armour was covered in scratches now. There were dark patches on the blue cloaks of the twins, from small cuts. As their blades clashed over and over, both parties seemed to be getting more impatient. The guard was determined to end it and rush to his fellow knights' aid, while the twin assassins wanted to finish off their opponent and join their comrades. The battle seemed like it was tipping in nobody's favour though, and without any intervention, it seemed like the duel would drag on until someone slipped up. The crowd was rushing to the aid of the king. That, or fleeing.

 

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

 

Lucky for Havoid, there seemed to be a Spitfire Dragon by the door. His path would be blocked by the countless people running out, and the young adult dragon was panicking, flying up into the air as his blue fire poured from his mouth, dispersing into the open air.

 

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

 

The two other assassins, upon seeing their comrade knocked out, ran forward with their swords in their hands. A green, wingless... Dragon? Stepped forward, but he seemed to be a little dizzy from the kid crashing into him earlier. They got past him easily. The younger man stuck his own blade out to block the stolen sword right as it started to swing towards 'Edwain', trying to stop it from cutting into their mage's neck. After all, without the magical support, it was highly unlikely that they would get out of the castle alive.

 

Clang!

 

As soon as his sword made contact with the swinging blade of the other person, it was knocked out of his hands by the herculean strength of that man. At the very least it had slowed it by a second or two.

 

Is he even human?

 

Additionally, the younger assassin had been struck by the recoil of the attack, and was now on the floor, lying on his back. Fortunately for the assassins, however, the clang of steel behind Edwain had alerted him. He dove down, the sword whistling past where his neck had been just moments ago. He slowly started to get to his feet.

 

The king had stood up, standing next to Frederick. He seemed to be unarmed, having been dressed in fancy clothes for a party, and was relying on his guard and friend to protect him. His grey eyes rested on the assassins, fury evident on his face. The hooded man grinned once again, in his spiteful, mocking fashion. The tendrils of death magic had dispersed when he had rolled. He watched the king and his one remaining guard, as if calculating the most bloody, violent way to kill them. After all, assassinating the king wasn't the only thing they had come here to do. They were told to make it bloody, make it memorable. Make it something people would talk about for years to come. That would be efficient in causing chaos across Galsreim, they had been sure.

 

The remaining, unoccupied man in blue turned to look at Gaolin. After seeing his younger companion get the sword knocked out of his hands, he wasn't very confident of taking him on. Instead, he looked towards the king and his knight.

 

"'Wain, take the swordsman and anyone who comes in to help him. I'll get Enrich. Also, pick up Lofar, will you?"

 

He motioned to the cowering boy by Gaolins feet. His hood having been pulled back in the confrontation, it was obvious that he was rather young. Way too young to be doing this type of business, in fact.

 

 

 

 

((Edit: got ninja'ed. Gimme a second to type up a reply for Gaolin.

Edit: Oh, uh, remember the first 2 rules on NPCs. They still count as characters, so try not to be so quick in defeating them in the future.))

Edited by Riath

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Okay, so, maybe he should've thought a bit more about what he was going to do before rushing off to the throne.

 

The king seemed unharmed by now, but only one of the guards remained in any condition to fight. The others were down, each with a wound on their chest that looked like they had been stabbed with something huge. Facing the king was Edwain, a malevolent expression on his face, talking to another human with a similar cloak. Two more cloaked figures were around, one unconscious and the other a young boy by the feet of a warrior brandishing a sword.

 

Maybe Odhran had been right about Aurel not being of much help in a fight, but he had to do something.

 

He eyed the nearby tables. He couldn't use the mead, it was more honey and alcohol than water and would be too hard to control, but there was something else nearby he could manipulate.

 

Aurel raised his hands to the height of his chest. Goblets and glasses shook lightly as the wine they contained raised, momentarily levitating over the table. It was a bit hard, but doable; like moving a chair, but instead of tiring his arms it tired his head. Hoping he hadn't been seen yet, Aurel thrust his arms forward, making the wine shoot towards the cloaked figures that were still on their feet. While it wouldn't be effective as an actual attack, Aurel aimed towards their heads, hoping to get the alcoholic beverage on their eyes or at least to provide enough of a distraction for the warrior to find an opening.

 

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

 

As Odhran had expected, it was complete pandemonium by the exit, with the crowd there trying to exit all at once, more concerned about their own safety than about their belongings.

 

He waded through the crowd, slightly out of breath already, looking in every direction and trying to find the pink color of water mana shards. People sometimes used them not only for spells but also as fancy jewelry; if he got lucky, he might find someone carrying one.

Edited by Puredark006

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'Edwain' watched as the newcomer arrived and sprayed the wine towards him and his parter. He lifted his hand, and the wine splattered against his sleeve. The mage didn't seem fazed by this at all, but his companion, not having noticed, had just been hit in the face with a torrent of alcoholic goodness.

 

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

 

As the man in blue sputtered and tried to wipe the wine out of his eyes, Frederick raised his already drawn sword. It would be a terrible idea to leave the king alone and engage them, so he prepared to fend off any magical assaults from the remaining undistracted assassin. His eyes flickered towards the man that had knocked out one of the assassins and seemed to be using his sword against the rest. He smiled, impressed with the courage of the random civilian. A Green Dino was nearby, and he was staring at the situation in horror and confusion.

 

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

 

Setin was thoroughly lost. The performance had turned into a bloodbath, with the knights now bleeding out with holes in their chest. The wine that ran down the assassin's face contributed to the growing puddle of red. And then he had been hit in the face by a little kid. It didn't hurt, but it took him a moment to recover, of course. And then Gaolin was now holding a sword and fighting one of the... Assassins? Was that what this was about? Still unsure, he took a step forward, ready to back up Gaolin regardless of what the situation really was.

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